When Newt woke up the morning of the 24th of December, it almost seemed like the middle of the night. A quick look at his watch made it clear, that it was almost nine o’clock, so actually quite a late time to get up for Newt.
He sighed when he got up and walked over to the window. London was dressed in a cold, wet, foggy suit and didn’t look christmasty at all. What a shame. Newt remembered the pictures Tina sent him with her latest letter. New York seemed to drown in Christmas lights and actually it looked way nicer than the typical gray London that barely changed for the holiday season, as the Americans called it.
Newt stepped away from the window and felt a soft tickle, on his leg, when he made his way to the bathroom.
“Pickett, we talked about the private space, haven’t we?” Newt asked and the Bowtuckle shot him a not very pleasant look, before it jumped of Newt's leg and marched off.
Newt grinned. He knew exactly that he would meet Pickett down at the basement the latest, when he would go to feed the others.
Whenever necessary, Pickett felt very much like one of his kind, even though he usually didn’t get along with the others too well.
Even though Newt wasn’t exactly sure, every now and then he still had the feeling that Pickett felt more sophisticated than his fellow family. Maybe he, Newt, did something wrong in parenting him and giving him the feeling, to be the special one, but it was too late now anyway.
When Newt appeared in the kitchen to help himself to a cup of coffee, it was very silent. Unusual silent. Funny how fast one could get used to company. Paris was now more than three month ago and even though, nothing was back to normal and the signs, that Grindelwald gained more and more power were pretty obvious, Newt started to spent his time with going behind rare creatures again. In difference to before, he never left London for more than two or three days in a row and whenever he was home, his apartment tend to have at least one visitor. Tina had returned to America four weeks ago. Even so, it was proven, that Grindelwald hid somewhere in the European Alps and Queenie might still be with him, Tina wanted to go back, to “sort things out” as she called it. Newt actually didn’t really know, what she was up to, but he had a vague idea. Tina was still officially working for the American ministry and ever since the word was out, that her sister had turned sideways, she wasn’t trusted very well anymore. Newt was quite sure, that Tina wanted to prove herself worthy of being an auror, even though she was playing with the thought of leaving the ministry anyway. Newt understood her, but it turned out to be quite hard to see her go. He got used to her and he liked her.
Jacob and Theseus liked to say, he was in love with her, but Newt ignored them which was a pretty hard thing to do, considering how very penetrant both of them could be.
Jacob had been visiting a lot, too. Since Quennie left, Dumbledore offered him, to stay in London. Newt knew exactly, that Albus didn’t make this offer out of pure kindness, but he never said a word to Jacob. He was glad his friend was around. If it helped to get Queenie out of Grindelwalds claws and make her a double agent, like Albus hoped, it was only a good side effect or at least it couldn’t hurt. Not now anyway.
But now, Tina was in New York and Jacob accompanied her, to visit his family for the holidays. Newt wasn’t used to being alone for so long anymore. Not that he really was alone, he thought, and looked at the big, dark red cussion on one of the chairs. Eddie, one of the baby Nifflers was sleeping there. They all grew a lot the last few weeks, but Eddie still was the smallest and Newt had the slight suspicion, he might become a Pickett Nr. 2.
Newt took the full and hot cup of coffee and made his way downstairs to his animals. It was decorated with a big, green tree in the middle of the room. Tina made him buy one and pull it up.
“If you don’t want to have decoration up in your rooms fine, at least don’t make your beasts have to skip Christmas then”, she had said in her typical Tina voice.
So Newt gave in and now, he actually liked it.
It felt a little like Christmas now.
Not that there was much to celebrate, with Credence and Quennie lost and Leta dead, but at least the lights and the glitter made it look a little more cozy and warm.
Newt just started to put the hay for the mooncalfs in a big wheelbarrow, when the doorball rang.
First, Newt didn’t even know, where the sound was coming from.
No one ever rang on the door, because no one ever visited.
To protect the apartment and especially the creatures from Muggels and the Muggels from them, Newt had put several spells around the house, to stop Muggel from recognizing the house. It looked just like an old, uninhabited house to them.
Maybe some children just went on the ground for fun but as soon as Newt thought about this, it rang again.
“Just a minute” he said towards the calfs, which were already waiting in impatience for their breakfast.
Newt stepped up the staircase and took out his wand. At least it could be that whoever was at the door, wasn’t just an innocent Muggel who got lost in the streets of London, but one of Grindelwalds man, who came here, to kill Newt. He was quite sure that Gindelwald, by now, knew very well, who he was and what he did, when he sent the Niffler out, to steal the necklace with the magic of the unbreakable vow in it, Grindelwald and Dumbledore once swore.
The doorball rang a third time the moment Newt reached the door and with a quick grab at the knob, Newt opened it and stuck his wand out.
“Spare my life I come in peace!”
Newt starred at his visitor for a moment, the wand still raised and when Theseus raised a brow, looking at it, Newt put it back in his pocket.
“Why are you ringing the doorbell? Since when do you even come through the door, when you visit?” Newt asked and stepped aside to let his brother in.
Theseus still looked at Newt with a mixture of merriment and irritation.
“Oh come on, honestly, now? No matter how I appear, you always have something to criticize!”
Newt shrugged and looked at his brother, while he put off his cloak.
He seemed to be better. He still was paler and thinner than usual but better than he was the weeks after Letas death.
Even though they had barely talked about it, Newt knew, how devastating her death must had been for his older brother. Leta had been the love of his life.
“Oh no, this is unfair, my friend. The first time ever you visited me here, you broke into my house and the two times after that, once you apparated in the middle of my mooncalf paddock, so I had to brew them a relaxing potion to calm down again, the other time was in the middle of the night and you were drunk and fell out of my fireplace on my carpet and baby Eddie, whom you almost squashed. Sorry that I didn’t expected you to come through the door.”
Theseus laughed silently. “I’m still sorry for that last time, though. I was horrible there.”
Newt shrugged and smiled for a moment. “We all were horrible these days” he simply said and Theseus nodded.
It had been shortly after what happened in Paris, Tina had almost been going crazy searching for Queenie, Jacob had drowned in self- doubts and had keept asking himself if there would have been a way to stop Queenie. Newt had fled into his basement and to his creatures. Theseus had appeared one night, drunk and in horrible state of mind and had changed from making excuses for his horrible behavior in Hogwarts to telling Newt, that Leta's death was all his fault.
It had been a chaotic and not very pleasant night and Theseus had barely remembered anything when he’d woken up in Newt's guest chamber the other day. Newt had never told him, what his brother had said in his drunkenness but it had made him realize, how bad Theseus had suffered from Leta's death.
“I promise I will keep up the thing with the doorbell for the next times.” Theseus said and then turned around to his little brother who still stood in front of the door.
“I’m sorry, I come without invitation. I can go again, when you don’t have time. I just thought, it’s Christmas and I know, that Tina and Jacob aren’t in London right now…” he stopped and Newt almost had to laugh.
“It’s fine Theseus. Now that you’re here, you can help me. I have some things to prepare.”
Theseus shot Newt a questioning look and Newt just grabbed his arm.
“Come on!”
When they passed the kitchen, Theseus stopped. “Is Eddie here?”
Newt raised his eyebrows and bit his lips, to stop himself from smiling too brightly.
“In the kitchen on his cushion, at least this is where I left him before I went downstairs.”
Theseus stepped into the kitchen and Newt watched the scene from the doorframe.
Ever since Theseus had stumbled out of the fireplace and almost squashed Eddie, who had been not bigger than a teddybear that time, the two of them had developed a weird kind of friendship. That night, when Theseus had been in such a bad shape, Eddie had slept in the guest room, next to Theseus and never had left his side for the rest of the time. Newt had been at Theseus’ a few times after that and everytime he brought not only Pickett but also Eddie, who seemed to know, whenever Newt planned to visit Theseus and made sure, that Newt would not forget him.
The little, light brown Niffler was sleeping on his pillow and Theseus went over and crouched down next to Eddie. When he gently stroked the Nifflers back, Eddie woke up and blinked at his visitor.
Newt was unable to find another word, but cute, for what happened next. Eddie jumped on his feet when he recognized Theseus and stretched out his little arms. Theseus took him from the pillow and Eddie squeeked, overwhelmed with reunion joy and jumped on Theseus shoulder to cuddle in his crook of the neck.
“He missed you” Newt said from the door frame and Theseus turned around. It was obvious that he had forgotten, that his brother had been standing there the whole time.
“You got bigger” Theseus said to Eddie, who nibbled on Theseus ear as an answer.
“They all got bigger but Eddie still is the smallest. Sometimes I think he only still sleeps upstairs in the kitchen, to be the first to know, if you come around.”
Theseus smiled and it was a honest smile as Newt noticed.
“He’s cute, though” Theseus admitted and stroke Eddie on the nose.
“Very, yes. I really don’t know why he loves you so much, considering that you’ve almost killed him the first time you met him, but I have to say it is very cute to watch you two. Eddie would love to be your pet.”
Theseus just smiled and suddenly Newt had an idea. He kept it in mind, without saying anything.
“Do you and Eddie need more time alone or will you come downstairs with me and help? Tina insisted that my creatures should have a proper Christmas at least, if no one of us will have one this year, so I somehow had to buy goodies for them and now I have to give them out.”
Theseus looked at Newt with merriment.
“So Tina insisted”, he said with a suspicious tone in his voice.
“I liked the idea, that’s why I did it” Newt said and knew the moment he spoke the words, that hadn’t been the best idea to try to defend himself.
“Sure, you liked the idea, this is the only reason your beasts are getting presents now” Theseus teased and Newt closed his eyes when he felt his face getting hot.
“Shut up, Theseus” he mumbled and Theseus laughed behind him on the staircase.
“How very cute you are little brother” he went on and Newt jumped the last few stairs down in the basement.
“This so not funny.” Theseus winked at him. “I think it’s funny and it’s cute all the same time. I mean, it makes your beasts happy, too, that you’re in love, they get extra food this way.”
“I’m not in love with Tina” Newt said and asked himself the same time, why he always denied it, especially in front of Theseus. He couldn’t lie to his brother, not without him noticing it. It had been like this ever since and probably would never change.
“Shut up and help me here” Newt said instead of an answer and threw Theseus a bag of cookies for the Occamys.
For a while they work in silence and when they both gave out the cookies to the four Occamys, who snapped at them like little birds, Newt shot Theseus a quick look.
“Do you wanna stay tonight? Not that it is very christmasy here, but if you leave now, Eddies first Christmas will be a very sad one”, he said.
Theseus looked at Newt.
“Well, we can’t let that happen, can we?” he asked and the brothers smiled at each other.
For a while they worked in silence and Newt realized, that he actually enjoyed his brother’s company, something that hadn’t happened for the past 15 years at least.
“Stop feeding them that much cookies, they will never eat their normal food again!”
Newt jumped over to Theseus, who sat down in front of the Nifflers' home, Newt had built them in a big old basket with fluffy, glittery blankets and pillows. Next to Theseus was the little basket with the cookies and it was almost empty. The young Nifflers squeeked and stretched out their little paws at him with pure joy.
“Look how cute they are!” Theseus watched the little animals in amazement and Newt couldn’t help himself but had to laugh at his brothers face.
“What?” Theseus asked.
Newt sighed, still laughing a little. “I don’t know, I’ve just never seen you calling anything or anyone cute and most certainly have never seen you anywhere nearer to my animals than you had to be. Theseus, give me the cookies back now, for Merlin’s sake, they are going to get sick.”
Newt leaned over Theseus head and grabbed the basket out of his one hand.
“Funny how times are changing, isn’t it?” Theseus said with a silent voice and Newt couldn’t really make out if it was said sad or slightly amused.
“I never thought I would be sitting in your basement, feeding baby Nifflers at Christmas, either. I actually never thought there would be any Christmas anymore, that the two of us would celebrate together.”
Theseus got up and avoided Newt's eyes, when he put the basket back at its place.
“Funny how now you are the one who won’t look me in the eyes”, Newt answered with a slight sound of merriment in his voice. Theseus turned around and their looks met.
They had the exact same eye color. A sort of greyish blue and for a moment Newt had the irritating feeling, to look in his own eyes.
“I miss her, you know. But Paris brought you back to me. So I really don’t know what to feel.” Theseus spoke the words carefully as if he really had to think about how to say them properly.
Newt nodded. “I get it. I miss her, too”, he simply said and then reached for Theseus wrist.
“Come on, let’s get upstairs. I’ll make us a tea”, he said and Theseus allowed Newt to drag him towards the stairs and upstairs into the apartment.
Theseus sat down in one of the big armchairs in front of the fireplace in the living room. He looked exhausted, paler and older than he actually was. Newt had to ask himself, if part of Theseus “good mood” was only played.
Newt went into the kitchen and put some water in the water kettle. Eddie, who had went back to sleep again, when Theseus and Newt had left for the basement, came over and sniffed on Newts pocket, where he usually had some goodies for him.
“Oh, so you haven’t forgotten that I exist?” Newt asked with a grin and gave one of the cookies to Eddie, who chewed on it happily.
“Go to Theseus, I think he could need some company”, he said then and Eddie jumped off the table and ran off. Newt watched him with a smile.
He put two bags of Earl Grey tea in the cups and waited until the water was ready. When he returned to the living room, Theseus had fallen asleep in the armchair. Eddie was cuddled in his lap and blinked at Newt when he entered.
He walked over and placed his brothers cup on the table next to him, then he grabbed his notebook, went over to the couch and started writing, the cup balanced carefully next to him on a pillow.
When Theseus woke up, he didn’t realise where he was for a moment. He was sitting in an armchair and something fluffy lay on his lap.
He heard a spell spoken by a very familiar voice and turned his head.
Newt was sitting on the couch next to him, the big Niffler rolled up to his feet and picket sitting on his shoulder.
“I just heated your tea again, you slept for a while”, Newt informed him with a quick smile and turned back to his notes.
Theseus stared at his little brother for a moment than reached for the teapot. It was warm and Theseus took a sip. The taste of Earl Grey warmed his throat and left a cozy, familiar feeling.
He was actually cold and turned around for the fireplace. With a swing of his own wand, he lit up a fire in the fireplace.
Newt shot him a quick look.
“There are blankets in the cupboard if you want one. I just never put them out, because Eddie and Fern tend to destroy them when I leave them laying around”, he said and then put his notes away.
“Sorry, I’m still a terrible host, nothing has changed there.”
Theseus smiled and took another sip of the tea.
“You don’t need to be host tonight, we’re family”, Theseus said. Newt looked at him for a moment then nodded and grabbed his notes again.
“I just have to finish this chapter, I’ll be done in a few minutes. You can think about what to eat tonight, because I actually have forgotten to plan anything.”
Theseus laughed and leaned back in his chair again. Newt went back to writing and the feather was flying over the parchment like nothing.
When Theseus looked at him like this, he still saw the little boy he once was. Newt always had a thing for books, especially animal and nature ones so Theseus always got him one for Christmas.
He remembered one time, Newt must have been seven or eight, when Theseus gifted him a copy of a really big magical creatures book and Newt was so happy, he almost squeezed Theseus to death.
Somehow, Theseus thought, I missed out, when Newt turned from the insecure boy he was in Hogwarts, to who he is now. Young, clever and, as Theseus had been able to watch in Paris, an amazing wizard as well.
Theseus had been so busy trying to protect Newt from far, the last few years, that he actually lost track of the real person, his little brother had become over time.
“I’m proud of you little brother.” Theseus didn’t say it out loud, he just moved his lips and Newt was so busy writing down, whatever he was writing there, that he didn’t recognize.
“What are you writing there anyway?” Theseus asked after a while and Newt looked up.
“I’m making notes for a new book. The first one was published and sells quite well, so I thought, why not try a second time?”
Theseus smiled and said nothing for a while, but when Newt starred at him curiously, he grabbed the notes.
“May I?” he asked and Newt nodded firmly. “Tell me what you think, but be honest, okay?”
Theseus nodded and looked threw the notes. They were amazing, Theuses just found no other word for them. Newt had a very clean writing style. Clean, but extremly vivid. When Theseus read, the beasts materialized in front of his inner eye and made it a really magial journey.
“Damn, has anyone ever told you how amzing you are?” Theseus asked when he finished and Newt shot him a surprised look.
“What?” he asked, as if he hadn’t understood. Theseus searched for Newts eyes and looked at him. Blue met blue and it was faszinating how similar Newts eyes were to his own, considering, how different the two people with this eyes were.
“You heard me, little brother” Theseus repeated and layed the notes back on the table. “You are amazing. With your beasts and everyhing you do and did the last few months.”
Newt looked away as always. Nothing changed there. Newt wasn’t good in taking compliments, he never had been. Already as child he had his difficulties and at some point Theseus stopped making compliments even though, Newt would have deserved them.
Theseus always knew what an amazing wizard Newt was. Even though he had been expelled from Hogwarts in his seventh year, Newt managed to become an extraordinary wizard, not only when it came to taking care of magical creatures.
Newts cheeks went a little read after what Theseus said.
“Just say thank you, Newt. It was an honest compliment take it as was it is.”
After a moment o silence, Newt nodded. “Thank you.”
They smiled at each other and Newt turned back to his notes, leaving his brother watching him in slight amazement.
Theseus felt, how his eyes got heavy again. He hadn’t slept well ever since Paris and the last few days it got worse.
Probably because it had been close to Christmas, the time of the year you should spend with your loved ones. Usually Theseus kept himself busy at work. With Grindelwald building what seemed like an army to start a war, there was enough to do in the ministry. The nights were tough. Every time he went to bed and saw the empty other side he got reminded of the fact that Leta was never coming back and of the horrible way, she died. She died saving him and Newt. Theseus was more than gratefull that Newt made it out alive, but he was the auror and it should have been him, facing Grindelwald, not Leta in the end.
Theseus eyesight went foggy and fuzzy, when the pictures turned up in front of his inner eye again. Tina’s sister turning on them, the chaos, the blue flames, the start of the fight, Paris at the edge of destruction and Leta, Leta how she stepped forward, her wand raised and how she saved Newt and himself from getting killed, because this would have happened for sure if Leta would only have been there a few seconds later.
She got Grindelwald to beg down and flee, and she saved not only Newt and Theseus, but Tina, Jacob and a whole city from the ultimate catastrophy.
“Theseus are you alright?”
A tight grab around his wrist finally brought Theseus back into reality.
Newt was keenling in front of him, both hands grabbed tight around his wrists. He looked at his big brother with deep sorrow in his eyes.
“What?” Theseus had a few difficulties, to get the images out of his head. Newt didn’t put his hands away and when he did, it was only one hand.
“Theseus, Paris is over, okay? You’re here, I am here.” It was a very simply sentence but somehow it helped. It least it made the images disappear.
Theseus recognized, that his hands were shaking and he should have been ashamed especially because it was his little brother, who was seeing his weakness now, but actually there was no way of being ashamed.
There was just tiredness, sadness and the feeling of deep exhaustion.
“If I ask you now, how you’re doing, will you, for once, not lie to me? I’m not blind you know” Newt said, one hand still around his brothers wrist and with a very straight but gentle voice.
“I’m fine”, Theseus started and heard his own voice trembeling.
Newt rolled his eyes and got up. “Come over to the couch. I need you close to me, to stop you from running away if you try”, he said then and Theseus did as told. He felt too bad to argue suddenly and he actually didn’t want to risk Newt’s patience.
The thought that, right now, he really needed his brother, came to his mind, but he didn’t say it out loud. There was a rest of diggnity in him, even in this terrible state of mind.
The brothers went over to the couch and Theseus took a deep breath when he leaned back.
“I’m not a child anymore, you know that, right? You saw me in Paris, if you and I would get a duel started I’m actually quite confident, I’d stand a chance against you and right now, I want to help you or at least be there for you. So let me for Merlin’s sake.” Newt’s voice is still gentle and Theseus felt a deep, sweet pain in his stomach, when he looked at his bother and then starred down at his still trembeling hands.
“I’m fine most of the times. I work and I can do something to stop Grindelwald and it’s okay. I miss Leta like hell, but I can cope with this somehow. It’s only sometimes. Sometimes the thought of another war feels so overwheelming and terrible that I have the feeling, I can’t breathe anymore. I fought in one war and I survived, but I most certainly didn’t want to experience this all again. Last time, at least I didn’t loose somebody I loved. Leta and you were safe, but now, Leta is dead and Grindelwald wants you dead and I don’t know how to protect you and sometimes I believe, I just can’t because I feel so tired and exhausted and the pain that I lost Leta becomes so bad, I can’t even think straight anymore…” Theseus voice fainted and he hated the fact that he could feel tears running down his cheeks.
He hadn’t cried since the day it happened and even there it had only been moment until he got himself under control again.
This time it felt, like there was no control at all anymore. He’d never spoken out loud what he just said and it felt like a relief and if someone had ripped out his heart all at once.
Through his grief and pain he halfway suspected Newt to say something comforting, but his brother didn’t.
He just looked at Theseus with a look on his face that made Theseus loose his composure even more.
He coverd his face in his hands, now really shaking.
He heard Newt getting up and expected him to go away, because he couldn’t stand his big brother’s weakness, but instead something fluffy suddenly touched the skin of his arm.
“Take him”, Newt said with a very calm voice and sat Eddie in Theseus lap.
Then he sat down next to him and wrapped both arms around his big brother.
“I actually was worried this would never happen. No one can go through what you went through without loosing it at one point”, Newt then said and Eddie somehow crawled up Theses pullover and licked his face with his fluffy tongue.
Theseus let go and burried his head on Newts shoulder. He could feel Newts heartbeat and breathe both absolutely calm and for the very first moment after that night in Paris, Theseus felt something like real comfort.
Tears where still runnnig over his face, but it got easier and lighter like someone had lifted a really heavy weight of his chest.
Newt said nothing but he didn’t have to. What he had done was perfectly right at this moment. He let Theseus cry and didn’t move an inch. Theseus could feel Eddie moving on his lap and reached for the fluffy young Niffler with one hand to stroke him.
Again, there was this overwheelming fatigue and his eyelids got heavier and heavier until a light state of sleep caught him, while Newt still held him in his arms.
Theseus vagualy realised, how Newt softly loosened his hug and put a blanked over him but he could still feel his brother’s presence, when a deeper state of sleep finally took Theseus off this world and into a deep blackness. No nightmares, no images of Leta and Paris hunted him this time.
When he woke up again, it smelled of cinnamon and hot wine. He was lying on Newt’s couch, a fluffy blanked wrapped around him. His head rested in Newt’s lap and when he blinked he saw Newt’s conjouring little glittery balls, Eddie and his fellow siblings where chasing after, all through the living room.
“I was already worried you’ve fallen in a kind of coma”, Newt said, when he realised, that Theseus was awake again.
“I guess I just really needed a good sleep”, he mumbled as an answer.
He didn’t want to get up and leave the cozy situation he found himself in right now. Even though, under normal circumstance, he would never have allowed himself to just keep lying here, his head in his little brothers lap, still half asleep, after he had, what could not be called different than an emotional breakdown.
Today was different though and he closed his eyes again.
“Still tired?” Newt asked and conjured another ball.
“Nah, not tired. Just a little exhausted maybe. I’m sorry by the way. I didn’t mean to ruin your Christmas with my moaning”, he added, even if actually he wasn’t really sorry. He hadn’t felt this relieved ever since Paris, even though actually Newt said nothing, he just had been there, when Theseus needed it.
“You didn’t ruin my Christmas. I’m glad you’re here. I’m glad that I was here when you obviously needed it.”
Theseus now did get up, to be able to face his brother when he answered.
“Thank you. I don’t know what else to say. Just thank you for being there”, he said silently.
Newt smiled. “Paris changed us, didn’t it? Who would have thought an evening like this would take place, a few weeks ago?”
Theseus nodded and then looked around the room.
“Don’t be too impressed, I just learned a few pretty good cooking spells from Quennie”, Newt said and winked at Theseus. On the table there were two big cups of hot wine and several plates with pasties and cookies.
“It actually looks like Christmas here”, Theseus pointed out and reached for one cup, which one of the baby Nifflers almost knocked out of it hand, when it jumped over Theseus’ arm to reach one of the magic balls.
“Sorry. I just need to keep them busy, otherwise they make everyone else in the basement crazy”, Newt apologized and then grinned a very mischievious grin.
“By the way, when you slept I prepared a present for you. It’s already Christmas.” Newt pointed to the big clock over the fireplace and Theseus realized he was right. It was shortly after midnight. He had slept for more than five hours.
“You did what? Why?” Theseus asked with surprise. “You already did way enough for me today”, he added and New laughed. “Oh don’t worry I’m not sure you’ll be too happy about it anyways.” He was still grinning when he reached for one of the furballs that chased around the room and grabbed it tight.
“May I present to you’re your new pet, Eddie.”
Eddie sat on Newts open hands, actually looking perfectly innocent and there was a tiny green bow wrapped around his waist.
“Only if you want him, of course”, Newt added fastly and stopped Eddie from jumping over to Theseus.
“Wait, he didn’t say he wants to keep you, yet” he told Eddie who squeeked and tried to get free.
Theseus couldn’t help himself but laughed. “Let him get over, he just likes me more than you”, he then said, still laughing and Newt let go of the little Niffler, who immediately ran over to Theseus and sat down on his legs.
“If you don’t want him, I…” Newt started but Theseus interrupted him.
“Of course I want to keep him. How couldn’t I”, he said and looked at the little animal.
“I just thought you’re not the pet kind of guy.” When Newt said this, Theseus just vagualiy smiled.
“Times can change, can’t they?”, he asked and then just pulled Newt in a quick hug and kissed him on the parting, like he used to do, when Newt had been a little boy.
“Merry Christmas, Newt and thank you for everything.” The brothers looked at each other and Newt took Theseus hand for a moment and squeezed it.
“Merry Christmas”, he said.