Freak
At first, Gellert just wants to make sure Newton Scamander was not a threat. Then, after watching him face down more than dozen dangerous creatures without fear or hesitation; after seeing him get hurt, after noticing the new wounds that will eventually turn into scars, after all this Gellert starts to become fascinated.
It wasn’t often at first but sometimes Newt feels eyes on him. It happens at any time in the day- when Newt was caring for his creatures or when he was exploring a new ecosystem or even when he’s just doing mundane things. Only when it became more and more common did Newt become concerned.
Could someone actually be watching him? And why would they? Newt hadn’t interfered with anything since New York.
Maybe he should owl Theseus about this. But if whoever it was wasn’t doing anything harmful, did it matter? Sure, it made him a little uncomfortable but there wasn’t anything to do about it now. At the moment, he had a mildly annoyed Chinese Fireball to help since some idiot had tried to shoot it was a blasted arrow, of all things.
Or maybe it was possible no one was watching him. After all, it wasn’t like he was important in the grand scheme of things. His research, however, that did have some worth to it.
Gellert has nothing to do in China and yet he’s watching from afar as a very reckless Magizoologist tries to calm down a dragon. And yet, he seems to have everything under control so in the meantime, Gellert decided to take care of the scum which had tried to hunt it down.
Newton always looked so sad whenever someone hurt a magical creature and Gellert had decided he doesn’t like when Newt looks sad.
Normally, Gellert would’ve taken his time with the man but he wants to go back to his Magizoologist, to make sure the dragon hadn’t hurt him.
He freezes the moment he sees the lovely smile curling up Newton’s lips, the sparks in his eyes and hears the giggle coming out of his mouth.
It was just so lovely.
Gellert wants to step out of the shadows, to talk to him but something stops the Dark Lord. Not yet, it wasn’t time yet.
Newton would be startled and confused if he sees Gellert, maybe even scared. No, he needs to wait.
At least for a while.
After years of researching skittish creatures and staying in the shadows to hide from Poachers and hunters, Newt knows when someone is nearby. He’s had to develop the skill of being aware of everything around him, at least when it came to his beasts.
Once taking care that the fireball would be fine, he pressed a kiss to its snout and wished it luck. The dragon hummed happily, gently nudging Newt with his huge snout before taking off into the skies. Newt watching it go, calling out to whoever it was lurking in the shadows,
“You can come out, you know.”
Gellert is impressed, to say the least. No one has ever been able to tell when he’s watching them. His Newton never ceased to surprise him.
“It’s really a pleasure to see you again, Liebling.” Gellert says as he steps forward.
Newt starred at the figure, his eyes wide and clearly, he was surprised. The Magizoologist immediately looked to see that the fireball was far enough away as not to be hurt by Grindelwald’s rage.
“I’m hesitant to say the same,” Newt replied, barely suppressing his stutter.
Gellert took another step closer, just one to watch Newt’s reaction. The Magizoologist didn’t move, yet.
“But why, darling? I’m not here to hurt, I wouldn’t dream of it. In fact, I came to this place just to admire you.” Gellert smirked as Newt’s eyes narrowed in suspicion.
“I was going to leave until you asked me to come out.”
Newt can already hear Theseus and Tina yelling at him for getting into trouble again. How was he supposed to know it was Gellert bloody Grindelwald?! Newt bit his lip for a moment before asking how long Grindelwald had been watching him.
“A couple of weeks, months- does that really matter?” Gellert grinned, stepping close to Newton. His fingers itching and twitching with anticipation.
“You’re truly fascinating, you know?” The dark lord took a deep breath, inhaling Newt’s scent. He was already addicted to the wild smell, the mixture of woods, flowers, and a flowing fresh water river.
Newt doesn’t really know what to do in this situation. To be fair, he’s never been in one like this before. He’s fairly certain Grindelwald isn’t going to kill him- but this was act was strange. It’s almost like he was flirting with Newt?
That couldn’t possibly be right, though it put Dumbledore’s warning about Grindelwald into perspective.
Gellert was finally close enough to touch he sighs as his fingers trace the freckles on Newton’s cheek.
“Tell me, what’s going on in that beautiful head of yours?”
Newt flinched a Gellert’s touch, stepping back and away from the man. An odd kind of hurt clear on his face.
“There’s no need to be this cruel- I know I’m a freak.” He knew his interest in men singled him out as odder then just being a Magizoologist. Somehow, Grindelwald had found out and seemed to think it was the perfect way to mock him.
“A freak?” Gellert repeats, genuinely confused. It feels like a knife stabbing him, a cold wound just to watch Newton recoiling from him.
“What do you mean? Did someone call you a freak?” Gellert questions, wanting to get closer. But he doesn’t move. Whoever had dared to hurt Newton like this was going to pay for this.
With much more confidence than he usually had, Newt looked directly at Grindelwald.
“Everyone has, or well mostly everyone.” Jacob, Tina and Queenie never had. Theseus hadn’t either, but most people still sneered at Newt. It was just one of many reasons why he preferred the company of his beasts over people. But what did that matter to Grindelwald? Even if he did look truly troubled by Newt’s words.
Gellert tried to get closer again, although this time he doesn’t try to touch him.
“And why did they call you a freak?” It’s really all new to him to care for someone, to comfort them. He’s not entirely sure what to do, or even how to do it. Pain and how best to inflict it, on the other hand, is something he knows very well. He needs to know more, he needs names.
“Did that happen when you were at Hogwarts? Do you remember who they were?”
“Why are you asking? Why are you pretending to care?” Newt’s voice, rather everything about him in the moment, just seemed so tired. Facing down a Chinese Fireball, one of the most dangerous and powerful beasts in the world? Easy.
Talking about the constant bullying and harassment for being a freak with someone pretending to care about him? Nope, no thanks. Newt couldn’t play this game- he never could. The rules just didn’t make sense to someone like him.
“Please, just leave me alone.”
Newton seems so distant now, he’s emotionally withdrawing and Gellert can’t have that. Not if he wants Newton to trust him.
“And what makes you think I’m pretending?” Gellert takes another step forward, “Why is it so difficult to believe that I find you truly fascinating? Newton, please look me in the eye and tell me what you see. Do you really believe I don’t care about you?”
For a second, Newt glances up at Grindelwald and finds himself frozen. The mix-matched eyes seem to stare into his very soul. He can’t explain why but he does belief Grindel- no, he believes Gellert is being honest.
“But why?” his voice cracks, and for a moment it appears as if he’s holding back tears. The years of repressing the awful memories now on the verge of being released.
Gellert wipes away a single tear that managed to escape from Newton’s right eye.
“I saw you many times and I started to care,” he takes Newt’s right hand and traces a scar on the back of it. “I watched when that Zouwu got startled and pushed you and worried because your hand was bleeding,”
He brushes his fingers of his left hand over Newton’s left shoulder, “ I know you have another scar right here because you jumped in front of that Kelpie to protect it without a second thought. But you looked so happy when it escaped to freedom.”
Newt sharply inhaled, Gellert’s touch was like fire, threatening to burn every inch of him. For the first time in his life, Newt acted more like a Gryffindor than a Hufflepuff. He grabbed the lapels of Gellert’s jacket and kissed the German.
It takes Gellert a whole second to kiss back- he so surprised by Newton’s reaction- but when he finally does, he doesn’t hold back. He kisses as if he’s starving, he moves his lips against the Magizoologist remember all those times he watched Newton. Every time he wished Newton was by his side.
He takes Newton by the waist and pulls him even closer. Drowning in Newton’s taste, in his scent. He kisses Newton and thinks of the future, not willing to ever let go.
Newt kissed back like he’s a desperate man. Like Gellert is his only lifeline to the living world. Newt’s hands move to wrap around Gellert’s shoulders Newt had never admitted how much he wanted this- how much he wanted to feel important to someone. If Gellert wanted him that much, Newt wasn’t sure he could ever leave.
“Come with me, Liebling” Gellert whispers, kissing every inch of skin he can reach before kissing his way back to Newton’s lips. “Let me keep you.”
As much as he just wants to say yes- a thousand times yes, Newt still had his creatures. He wasn’t sure even Gellert’s addictive and seductive nature would be enough to separate him from his beloved beasts. Newton’s voice is quiet when he asks if he can still be a Magizoologist and be with Gellert. Though what exactly Gellert meant by “keep him” Newt has no idea.
Gellert chuckles, lips tracing Newton’s neck.
“Now, why would I try to stop you from doing what you love? That’s one of the reasons why I became so fascinated with you.” He cups Newton’s face in his hands and stares into Newt’s bright eyes.
“You can keep saving creatures and still be mine. Would you be mine, darling?”
Newt’s voice is so quiet when he says “yes.” He wants to curl into Gellert’s embrace and stay there. He could be happy and keep his creatures? By Merlin’s beard, Newt couldn’t make himself care about anything else.
“Yes,” he repeated “yours.”