Newt Graves had never really been good at lying.
He couldn’t help it. He was just utterly terrible at it.
It was like his body just froze up as soon as he found himself in situations where “a white lie” could be useful for him.
First he would start sweating, making his palms feel clammy and hot.
Then he would start to avert his eyes from whoever he was talking to while trying his best to make sure that his “lie” added up which it unfortunately often didn’t and as if that already hadn’t made him obvious enough; his stuttering would make sure that it was.
It was unfortunate as in some cases Newt could have benefited greatly with a few lies, but then again there were cases where it served as a perk too so he tried not being too bothered by it.
“It’s adorable that your face is like an open book sometimes, sweetheart,” his husband would always fondly say to him whenever Newt wasn’t being fully honest with him.
Like that time he had lost one of the occamy babies and had completely shut himself in, insisting that he was fine every single time Percival had asked him about it until the other man had finally had enough and gently confronted him about it.
Although, because of this their relationship was pretty great.
The communication between the two of them was amazing and the trust the two of them had in each other was immeasurable.
They could talk about almost everything and anything, the exception being some of Percival’s classified work cases.
Sure, Percival was probably better than Newt at concealing the truth as most people were being in his line of work and all, but Newt had never seen a reason as to why the other man would be dishonest with him.
He knew after all that the other man loved him too much for that.
Although, Newt knew that sometimes love could be a reason for lies.
Newt wasn’t stupid. He knew that there was no way Percival was pleased about the mess some of his creatures made from time to time.
Still, the “It’s okay. I know this can happen once in a while too,” he would give whenever incidents like those happened sounded just so genuine that Newt couldn’t help but believe him.
In all actuality it could just be that Percival actually had the patience of a saint and therefore was more understanding than most people when it came to his creatures and the fact that he loved him probably helped too, but it still didn’t stop Newt from occasionally wonder from time to time about the things his husband could potentially be lying about.
Not in a negative manner though.
Newt wasn’t insecure about it or anything like that.
It was just a thought he had fun entertaining himself with from time to time.
In a relationship there had to be a bit of room for lies in his opinion, a gray area that Newt had called it.
The gray area though from what Newt had gathered consisted mainly of questions like “Do you think I look fat? Is this dress ugly on me? Did dinner taste okay today? etc.”
Things that you didn’t really want the honest answer to, but still pretended like you could take a truthful answer to in other words.
Not that the gray area really seemed relevant for the two of them, because Newt knew that Percival truly accepted all of him despite his faults and not so good habits, like his ability to get too immersed in his work.
He had once taken care of a few sick baby nundus for almost a full week, and when he finally emerged from his case again; he knew that he must have looked like a positive disaster.
Percival had still welcomed him with a soft kiss and impossibly gentle eyes while he had spoken of how proud of him he was, how much he had missed him and of course, of how beautiful he was.
Newt had positively blushed at that and murmured a promise to be more mindful of his own wellbeing next time a case like that happened.
He realized after that incident that maybe Percival wasn’t one to lie to him after all, no matter whether it was a gray area or not.
Because Percival Graves may be the director of magical law and an amazing auror with therefore excellent interrogation skills, but none of that mattered because they were married and in love so Newt had a good feeling that the man would never lie to him.
Or that’s what he at least thought until one day things changed.
—------- —------- —-------
Newt sighed.
Percival was running late.
Now, this usually wouldn’t be a problem because Percival did often have to work overtime once in a while, but four times in a week?
It just didn’t make sense.
Even when handling the most serious cases he always made sure to at least stop by to have dinner on time with Newt before heading back again, but for him to forgo dinner not once, but four times in a week; It was weird.
However, when Newt had asked his husband about it he had just shrugged shortly before murmuring briefly about something involving overtime.
His husband’s eyes however had darted around for a little bit, so briefly that Newt thought he had just imagined it.
So of course, Newt had bought the other man’s explanation at first, because a break in their pattern one time was surely just because of a coincidence rather than anything else.
But then it happened again, and again, and of course one more time after that too.
Newt was worried out of his mind so as soon as he heard their door open he found himself running into the older man’s embrace.
“Woah! What's wrong, doll?” Percival had the audacity to ask, his eyes looking him up and down worriedly, like he had no idea that he was the reason for Newt’s erratic behavior.
Newt scoffed, burying himself even further into the other man’s arms.
“What do you mean what’s wrong?” He practically whined out. “You’re late. Again. I was worried!”
Percival tightened the arms around him for a bit, letting out a sound of understanding that sounded slightly regretful and dare Newt say; guilty as well?
“I’m sorry, sweetheart,” Percival kissed the crown of his head apologetically. “I’ll try to message you beforehand next time.”
Newt hummed, choosing to bask in the warmth of the other man a little longer.
Percival’s embrace always felt so comforting to him.
His husband chuckled.
“As much as I enjoy this I’m also in dire need of a bath, Newt.”
Newt pouted.
“You don’t even smell!” He answered stubbornly, wanting to stay a bit longer in the comfy position they were finding themselves in.
“You smell..-” Newt halted his sentence for a moment as he whiffed in the scent of the other.
Speaking of scent..
His eyes widened in surprise as he took in the smell of perfume radiating from the other man’s jacket. It had a floral tone to it, but despite smelling so faint it still made a stark contrast against the earthy cologne Percival usually used.
The magizoologist took a step back to have a better look at his husband’s expression.
“-Like perfume??”
Despite the puzzlement Newt felt over the situation at hand, he was sure there was a reasonable explanation behind this all.
He could think of many in fact.
However, the expression his husband gave made all of those come crashing down in an instant.
“Uh.. I-i hugged Auror Goldstein, that’s all.” Percival said, his expression faltering for a moment, but that one moment was enough for Newt to get suspicious.
His husband had stuttered and averted his eyes for a moment.
He had never done that! Not even when he had been nervous about confessing his feelings to Newt for the first time.
Then there was the fact that Newt knew that Tina never wore perfume because she hated it. Newt was aware of that because of how much Tina would bicker with Queenie about the perfume smell their apartment would be wafting off.
It didn’t make sense.
Still, he decided to push these inconsistencies aside, because why on earth would Percival be lying to him about that?
“Oh, that was nice of you. What’s the occasion?” Newt asked, trying to pretend a nonchalant attitude. He was still curious after all.
Because Percival wasn’t really fond of hugging people outside his family..
Percival raised his eyebrow and stared at him.
So much for pretending to be discreet..
“Just curious!” Newt exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air as Percival started to chuckle.
He felt his cheek warm up and knew that he was most likely blushing.
“It just looked like she needed it. We had a tough day at work after all.”
Soon after finishing that sentence though Percival’s eyes did that thing again.
Newt however didn’t have the time to think much more about it as Percival started to kiss him soon afterwards, making Newt gasp out in surprised delightment.
“Want to accompany me to the bathtub?”
And soon afterwards Newt had forgotten the whole matter at hand.
He couldn’t help it.
Percival’s bare skin against his sure could be distracting after all.
—------- —------- —-----
Percival’s chest slowly raised themselves down- and upwards, soft snores coming from him as Newt laid next to him, snuggled up closely next to him.
The dark haired man really must have been tired judging by how fast he fell asleep after their lovemaking.
Newt himself too felt his eyelids almost dropping and he probably would have quickly succumbed to sleep too if it hadn’t been for the sound of soft fluttering that made him startle slightly.
He blinked his eyes open again tiredly to see where the source of the sound had come from.
Perched on one of the nightstands one of their owls, Hermes, sat quietly.
The barn owl had a rolled up piece of parchment tied to one of his legs and was looking at Newt curiously.
“Do you have a letter for me?” Newt asked quietly as to not wake his sleeping spouse up as he moved to have a closer look.
The owl couldn’t of course answer him, but didn’t try to fight back either as Newt untied the string around his foot.
Newt made sure to give a couple of good scratches after that to which the owl hooted happily at before taking off once again.
He winced a little at the sound Hermes had let out, but luckily, the hooting hadn’t seemed to wake Percival up.
Seeing how exhausted the other man was, Newt was thankful for that.
“Hm.. It’s not addressed to anyone?” Newt muttered to himself quietly, as he opened the letter to inspect it.
The house wards and the magic surrounding it made sure that nothing harmful could pass through their mail inside of it, but it didn’t stop Newt from feeling a bit wary at the unaddressed letter in his hand.
I’ll be awaiting you at the docks, Thursday evening 7 o’clock.
Be sure to wear your usual cologne. Mama likes that.
And be precise.
-The Red Queen.
Newt blinked a couple of times to himself in bewilderment. He tried reading the contents of the letter once again, still not any wiser after finishing it one more time.
He hated to admit this to himself though, but the letter seemed to contain a slight flirty tone to it.
With a quick wave with his wand he made sure the letter went back to look unopened again.
It was hard to imagine his husband cheating on him, but Newt had a hard time finding another explanation that fit.
Because what else could Percival be lying about?
And what about the letter?
It didn’t make sense.
Question was; Should Newt confront his husband about this, or not?
—----- —------ —------
“Why couldn’t I have just asked him about this?” Newt grumbled to himself as he peeked out from behind a barrel.
It wasn’t like Newt didn’t trust Percival.
No..
But all things considered the circumstances still looked suspicious and if Percival truly was cheating on him then he doubted that he would admit it in the first place which left him to his current situation.
The port had been empty when he had arrived, much to Newt’s relief.
It seemed like there were no scheduled shipments planned that evening, making it a perfect place for a rendezvous point.
He eyed the wristwatch Jacob, his muggle friend, had gifted him.
It was 5 minutes till seven.
Newt chewed his lips anxiously.
He was nervous.
Because what if he had been wrong and his husband was actually cheating on him?
He shook his head determinedly.
No, there had to be a different explanation. He just didn’t know what it could be..
His line of thoughts however was interrupted by a cloaked figure appearing near one of the docked ships.
The figure took their hood off and Newt let out a quiet gasp at the now unrevealed person in front of him.
It was a woman. A beautiful one at that, clad in nice red robes underneath her cloak.
Because of that Newt was willing to bet that she was the one who called herself Red queen.
And most likely the one responsible for the slight perfume-like smell on his husband the time he had smelled him which led Newt to believe that she probably was the reason for his husband’s so called “overtime” at work as well.
She was holding a basket of some kind, very similar to one of those used for picnics.
It was almost like she was prepared to go on an outing.
Like a date.
Newt pursed his lips grimly, willing himself to calm down.
He was jumping to conclusions. It was hard not to though.
It was like a dam of insecurities had opened itself inside of him and it took everything inside of him to not walk up to confront his husband as soon as he finally turned up.
“You’re late.” The woman tutted at him annoyedly to which Percival snorted.
“I’m right on time.”
Newt clenched his fingers.
His husband let out a sigh, sounding exhausted.
“Now let’s see the little fella.”
The woman opened the basket and much to Newt’s shock handed a squirming bundle of cloth over to his husband.
Newt gaped, trying to put all the pieces of the obtained puzzle pieces together.
There was no way, but..
“YOU HAVE A CHILD FROM AN AFFAIR?” He practically shouted out in shock, clasping his hands over his mouth soon after as both of the figures turned to look at him a bit startled.
Oops..
He didn’t however have time to check for their further reactions as he felt himself slump down to the ground.
His vision blurred.
He felt nauseous.
His husband had a child..
“Newt! What are you doing here? Are you alright?” His husband’s worried voice asked him as he placed his hand on one of his shoulders.
The silence stretched between them as Newt tried to find words to say.
A quick glance up showed him that the other female wizard had disappeared, leaving Percival and the squirming baby wrapped up in cloths in front of him.
“Oh, darling..” Percival breathed out, moving the bundle of cloths closer to him.
Newt sniffled, trying to keep his tears at bay as he wondered why on earth his husband would want to rub salt in his wounds by showing him his child.
“I-I..” His words however were cut short as he finally took in a good look at the wrapped up bundle in front of him.
“Is that a baby demiguise?”
Percival smiled at him crookedly, before leaning to kiss Newt’s forehead tentatively.
“Surprise?” he replied, concern still evident in his eyes as he handed the creature over to him. “Meet Mama.”
Relief filled Newt as he recalled the contents of the letter.
Mama likes that.
His husband didn’t have a child out of an affair after all.
“Thank merlin..” He whispered as he leaned his head on his husband’s chest, the demiguise seemingly looking calmed down in his arms.
Newt tried smiling reassuringly at the creature. Although his smile felt wobbly.
“I didn’t want to assume the worst… but.” His voice trailed off.
All clues about the so-called situation he was facing now pointed to the conclusion that his husband hadn’t been unfaithful after all, but that didn’t stop him from still being confused about the other parts of his husband’s recent strange behavior..
“I take it this has been the reason for your unexplained sudden overtime.. I mean you always make time for me regardless of how busy you are so that makes sense.” Percival’s eyes softened at that and he hummed approvingly as Newt continued to put the pieces together.
“B-but.. The woman? I thought for sure she was the reason for the perfume smell on you?”
Percival grimaced.
“I was trying to mimic the smell of his rescuer so that he could warm up to me faster..” He chuckled. “ I guess I didn’t expect you to notice that I smelled different, as faint as it was, but I guess I was wrong.”
He placed another kiss on the top of Newt’s head, wrapping his arms carefully around him, making the magizoologist let out a sigh of contentment.
“But why did she talk about your cologne in the letter?”
Percival started laughing a little at that, squeezing Newt’s shoulders fondly, carefully as well as to not squeeze the young demiguise that was situated between the two of them.
“So that the youngling could get used to my scent little by little as well.”
Newt made a noise of approval of that. It made sense. As a magizoologist he knew that, but it still felt reassuring to hear it come from Percival’s own mouth.
“I’ve been meeting up with the red queen, his breeder, for a couple of days now to learn how to take care of this little one as well.” Percival gestured to the bundle of cloths in front of him, a smile on his face as he continued to keep his gaze on Newt.
His eyes twinkled in amusement, making Newt’s heart flutter a little in embarrassment.
He couldn’t believe that he actually thought this man was cheating on him.
“I know I could have learned from you, but I wanted it to be an extra surprise alongside this little fella over here.”
And just like that, Newt felt like he could breathe again.
He was so relieved!
“But.. How did you manage to find out about this mee-” Percival’s voice trailed off for a moment before realization shone in his eyes. “Ah, the letter! Of course! You must have read it.”
“Are you not angry?” Newt asked, starting to rock the baby demiguise a little when it started fussing again.
“Of course not. I’m not the one who should be angry after all. At the end of the day I was the one who lied to you, Newt.” Percival stepped away from their embrace, moving to tuck a curl behind one of Newt’s ears.
“For that I’m sorry, Newt. You must have been worried sick!”
“I was,” Newt admitted. “But that was then and this is now.” He smiled.
“Besides, you lied for a good reason. Although, please don’t do it again. I really got anxious for a moment there.”
“Of course, darling,” Percival placed his hand on Newt’s shoulder, looking at him a bit fondly.
“Besides, It’s not like I’m good at lying to you.. You did after all notice that something was wrong very fast..”
Newt chuckled as he braced himself for a side apparition.
“It’s cute how your face is like an open book, darling,” he repeated teasingly, causing the other man to snort out in laughter.
“Good thing we’re similar like that then?” he said to which Newt nodded grinningly.
His husband may have been an excellent interrogator in his work place, but what mattered the most was that he was different when he was with Newt.
Because he loved him.
And Newt loved him too.
Despite the little scare he had given him.