A/N:

Thank you, thank you, thank you; Tsu, Viola, AJ, Gen, Elaine and Cass. Thanks so much for your feedback. Without you this thing would still be mouldering away on the beta doc...

This is a continuation of my earlier story Saturday Night Whirlwind, in which Newt, Tina and Queenie are wizards in the modern era.

In this story, Tina and Newt are already dating. Yay. And they've moved in together. Double yay.

Friday Night Kokuhaku (feat. Kappa Maki and Wasabi)

When Tina swung the door to the apartment open, she found the house conspicuously empty.

She stood in the doorway for a moment, blinking, then kicked her heels off, sent her bag and coat to the sofa with a flick of her wand, and proceeded towards the study - Newt was usually holed up there in the evening, working on his research or corresponding with other environmentalists. As she walked down the hall, however, her eye caught a glimpse of ginger, and she stopped abruptly at the entrance to the small kitchen.

Newt was standing at the kitchen counter, hands working deftly on something she couldn't see. Curiosity piqued, she entered quietly, careful not to disturb him, then went over and laid her hand on his arm.

He jumped at her touch, shock flitting across his freckled countenance for a second before he recognised her, and gradually, his expression softened back to its usual tenderness.

"Tina," he said, a pleasantly surprised smile on his face. "You're back early."

She returned the grin, standing on her tiptoes to press a kiss to his cheek. "I finished my work early, and Madam Picquery was in a good mood, so..."

His eyes crinkled, coppery lashes glimmering briefly, and he gave a short chortle before turning back to his previous preoccupation. Tina glanced down at the ingredients sorted into dainty wooden bowls, before looking over at the leaf-green mat spread out on the counter. It appeared to be made of strips of bamboo.

"What are you making?"

"Sushi."

She rested her elbows on the edge of the sink, peering innocently at him with her chin propped on her knuckles. "Since when do you make sushi, Mr Scamander?"

Amusement shone on his face as he laid out handfuls of rice and strips of seaweed on the mat, which she guessed was for rolling them together. "Since this morning. Queenie and Jacob sent me a video, and I thought I'd give it a go," he told her, pulling off his plastic gloves and reaching for his phone. "I'll forward it to you, alright?"

Tina's phone pinged, and she turned around to sit on the kitchen counter, raising the small screen so she could watch the clip. She giggled at the sight of her sister guffawing like a Confunded Jarvey, blond curls sprinkled with liberal amounts of rice, and Jacob's exasperated but fond expression as he attempted to get her to stop wriggling (God, Queenie, you don't want that rice in your hair forever, do you?).

"They're so cute," she sighed, a swell of love for her sister blooming in her chest.

Newt looked over at her, the corner of his mouth tugging upward momentarily. "So are you," he pointed out, then ducked his head, a faint sheen of reddish blush tinting his cheeks.

Tina giggled again - flirty Newt was one of the most hilarious (and downright adorable) things in the world. "I meant them, as in the two of them as a couple," she said, "but you're right. We are cute together."

Newt blushed even harder and turned back to the counter.

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"Wasabi?" Tina held a packet of the condiment out across the kitchen island where they sat, swinging their legs and eating the cucumber roll (more commonly referred to in Japan as kappa maki) that Newt had made.

Newt glanced at it, before bowing his head sheepishly. "No, thank you," he replied, eternally polite. "A little too spicy for my taste."

She put the wasabi away and picked up her chopsticks again, clipping the maki between them and bringing it to her mouth. The satisfying crunch of fresh cucumber brought a smile to her face.

"And now I know why you like me," she said, downing it with a sip of matcha.

Newt flushed scarlet; Tina had to bite down on the edge of her cup to stop herself from bursting into shameless laughter.

"You know I don't like you, Tina," he mumbled, letting his hair cover his eyes.

The silence sat heavily in her ears, like when the air pressure changes in a plane cabin. Her heart drummed against her ribcage frantically. Newt looked up at her, his blue-green eyes, now wholly visible, shimmering with something that made her pulse shoot up a hundred beats a minute.

Then she leaned across the space, bracing her forearms on the tabletop - or was it an island top? Or a countertop?

Oh, shut up, she told herself, that's not even relevant, and pressed her lips to Newt's.

He gasped, surprised, but melted into the kiss, his hand coming up to cup her cheek. "I love you, too," Tina breathed, resting her forehead against his.

Newt looked at her, startled, then gave a short hum of acknowledgement, brushing his lips on her cheek.

"I think we should have sushi every Friday," Tina mused after a while, her nose brushing Newt's. "Beats having a hotdog."

Newt's eyes twinkled. "Good idea."

"Allow me to rephrase. You're going to make sushi every Friday," she said, drawing her plate of maki back in front of her. "Practice makes perfect. You'll get used to it."

"All right, then," he huffed, faint indignation evident in his voice as he reached for his plate, but Tina caught a glimpse of a distinct grin playing on his lips as he raised the maki to his mouth.

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House: Ravenclaw

Year: 3

Category: Drabble

Prompt: [Food] Sushi

Word Count: 889