This story was originally uploaded to Ao3 on June 29th and is being included here for the sake of thoroughness.
Warnings: explicit sexual content which takes place outdoors, arguing. Hogwarts Professors!AU, for those who are into that sort of thing.
Tina finds him in the garden behind his hut, aggressively pulling weeds in the hot July sun. She watches him for a short time, frowning at his reddening neck and the sweat rolling down his face, before picking across the rows to put him in her shadow.
"You're gonna catch a sunstroke if you aren't careful," she says softly.
Newt pauses in the act of yanking out a dandelion, his shoulders slumping when he lowers his head. "I can't really say I'm worried about that, and I fail to see how it's a concern of yours," he replies in a clipped tone. He tosses the plant aside with more force than is strictly necessary before stopping once more, jaw clenched. "Why are you here?
Tina crosses her arms over her chest, hackles rising. "You wanna try that again?"
Newt snorts while climbing to his feet, fussily dusting off his knees. "Not really," he mumbles before brushing rudely past her. She watches him go, once more questioning her decision to seek him out when he pauses at the corner of his hut to glance over his shoulder. "You needn't have come down here, you know," he says hoarsely. "I don't know if you feel guilty or if you just wanted to continue to make me suffer, but you made your feelings on the matter of us quite clearGloating doesn't suit you."
Tina snorts and flings her hands into the air. "Gloating?" she scoffs in disbelief. "Newt, I came down here because I wanted to talk to you, not because I wanted to rub it in. You think this is easy for me?"
"I don't know," Newt bites out from where he's standing with his back to her. "You have made every effort to avoid me these past few weeks Tina, including at dinner. What am I supposed to think?"
Tina sighs and scrubs her fingers through her hair before taking a deep breath. "Okay, I have been avoiding you. That's fair," she admits and looks up in an effort to catch his eye. "But, to be completely fair, you could have come to me, or you could have gone to Headmaster Dippet yourself. You didn't have to put it all on my shoulders!"
Newt's back straightens, and she watches his jaw work before he turns on his heel. "You went to Dippet?" His voice is low and thankfully free of condemnation, though he still refuses to meet her eyes. "What, um — what did he have to say?"
She fiddles with the hem of her light summer blouse, suddenly nervous. "Not much, really," she admits, "but it was more about what he didn't say." She clears her throat when her eyes prickle, unwilling to give in to tears. "He knew about what happened and he said...well. I won't get into it because a lot of it was private and I won't betray his confidence. But the part that mattered was that he knew why I ran away, and if I hadn't become scared about nothing, we wouldn't be so angry with each other now."
He swallows before meeting her eyes, his lips pale. "Is that what you think I am?" Newt asks in a hoarse whisper. "Angry?"
Tina forces herself to stop fidgeting to meet his gaze head-on, allowing her vulnerability to show. "I really don't know," she admits. "I just know that you've been avoiding me. I understand why you have been, intellectually at least. I just didn't know how to make it better, so I avoided you too because it seemed easier that way." Newt presses his lips together to hide their trembling and she bows her head as a wave of remorse buries her. "I'm so sorry."
The vibrant summer grass rustles when Newt steps closer, until their combined shadows crouch at their feet. "You don't need to apologize," he says softly. "I'm equally guilty of cowardice, though I'll admit I stayed away because I thought you didn't want to see me anymore." Tina jerks her head up in shock, and he nods. "If anyone is at fault here, Tina, it's me."
Her name in his softly rolling accent is enough to tear down her defensive walls. She hides her face in her hands when the tears come, crying silently for a night of aborted passion and the misunderstanding that had caused such a bruise on her heart. "I'm so stupid," she chokes vehemently before pressing the heel of her hands into her eyes. "Here I thought you hated me when you only wanted to give me space!"
Newt exhales shakily, his hands hovering in her peripheral vision. "Can I touch you, Tina?" he asks softly.
She manages to choke out consent before strong, sun-warmed arms wrap around her, a calloused palm smoothing over her back. She collapses into him, hiding her face in his chest to sob as weeks of frustration and pain find their outlet.
Newt murmurs her name along with soothing reminders of just how much she means to him until the storm passes. Her chest hitches with hiccups afterward but she feels hollowed out and scraped clean, almost renewed. She thumbs his tears away when she lifts her head to show a watery smile, only to fold into him when he takes her more firmly in his arms.
"Do you feel better now?" he asks in a low voice, his fingers combing gently through her hair.
Tina sniffles before nodding. Newt hums happily before dipping his face into the crown of her head, nuzzling lightly. She takes a deep breath, her nose invaded with the scent of freshly-turned dirt and masculine sweat, before tipping her head back to kiss the edge of his jaw.
Newt freezes, eyes going wide before seeking out hers.
She kisses him again before lowering her mouth to the bump in his throat. She is reminded of the last time they had done this when his groan reverberates through her lips as she suckles the bumpy skin with her teeth.
"Tina," Newt chokes, his hands rising to hold her against him. "Are you sure you want to be doing that right now?"
Tina slants her lips across his pulse point, drinking in his frantic heartbeat before kissing it lavishly. "That's the other reason I came down here," she breathes into his skin. "I was hoping that if you could find it in yourself to forgive me, maybe we'd take another shot at this."
Newt groans loudly when she touches her tongue to his skin, tasting sweat and dirt, before lifting her head. His impossibly wide eyes drink her in, flickering between her eyes and mouth. His hands fall deliberately to her hips, and she shivers in anticipation when he meets her eyes before slowly leaning in to brush their lips together.
He tastes like he smells, like hard work and the fullness of summer. Tina sighs in welcome, threading her arms around his shoulders to ply the barrier of his teeth. He makes a low sound at the brush of her tongue, and she uses the opportunity to flick into his mouth while balling her hands into his shirt to haul them backward.
The breath is forced out of her when her back impacts the side of Newt's hut. He swallows the low sound she makes while bracing himself over her, returning it in a deep kiss before sliding his lips along her jaw to her ear, nibbling gently. "Say the word," he whispers breathlessly, his trembling hands bunched in the front of her blouse, tense and waiting. "Say it and I am yours, Tina."
The world seems to tip beneath her feet at his words, and she clings to him desperately to keep from falling off. "I want you," she breathes into the air beside his head. He trembles, and she kisses his damp temple. "I'm sorry about what happened at the start of summer break but I want you, I want you worse than ever and I don't care where or how, just—"
Newt silences her babbling by the simple expedient of sealing their mouths together, kissing her deeply. "I'm yours," he gasps against her lips when he comes up for air, peppering her face with tiny kisses as he tugs her blouse out of her slacks to stroke her skin. "I am yours, you already have me and all you ever had to do was ask, Tina. Tina, please— "
She cuts him off with another kiss, inhaling sharply through her nose when he spreads his hands over the smooth skin of her back before leaning more firmly into her. She feels pleasantly trapped this way, pinned, and her hands tremble only a little when she roughly unknots and removes his bowtie before reaching for his buttons. Opening his shirt to the navel reveals a tantalizing, sun-kissed rectangle of skin, and she looks up at him and bites her lip for permission before latching her mouth to the hollow of his throat, delighting in his low groan.
"Tina—"
"Shhh," she says absently, pressing her lips along the fine definition of his pectoral before skimming her teeth over his neck. Newt hums into her kiss before slipping his fingers beneath the waistband of her trousers with a questioningly raised eyebrow. Tina can think of nothing she'd like more than stripping off her layers, and she says as much with a smirk, only to gasp when Newt drops to his knees without warning.
"Newt, what — "
"Shhh," he says softly, his gaze fixed on her midsection. A gentle hand on her hip urges her to lean more solidly against the wall, and she holds her breath when Newt pushes up her blouse to kiss her pale belly before mouthing the skin beneath her navel, leaving behind cool, wet patches.
"We didn't make it quite this far before," he rumbles meditatively, eyes flicking up to hers. "Do you want to stop?"
She pushes the hair out of his face to win a smile before shaking her head. "Don't stop," she says simply, and rests her head against the wooden planks to close her eyes, focusing on the feel of him.
Newt makes a low sound, and she holds her breath when his fingers wrap around her wand. He mumbles an Invisibility spell, and Tina gasps up at the gathering clouds and overhanging eaves when gentle hands tug open the fastenings of her trousers before peeling them off.
"Is this still alright?" Newt whispers once she's stepped out of the circle of fabric.
She looks down to find him watching her with heavy, dark eyes, his kiss-swollen lips parted.
"This is perfect," she says honestly, only to hold her breath when he leans forward and wetly laves her stomach. "Better than perfect," she mumbles while pushing her fingers into his hair. "I haven't been able to think of anything besides this since..."
He forces out a rough breath before straightening. "All this time?" he asks in a weak voice. "Thinking about...about this? About us?"
"About you," she whispers while tracing his lips, "doing this for us."
Newt leans his forehead against her hip before screwing his eyes shut. "I am so sorry," he says hoarsely, "but I haven't been able to stop thinking about you either. I know you deserve for me to take my time and do this right, I know you deserve a bed, but Tina, darling, right now I want nothing more than to lay you down in the grass and have my way with you."
His words go through her like blue lightning, warming her from within. "Do it, then," she gasps while raking her fingernails over his scalp. "I want you to."
At her feet, Newt groans and takes a deep breath before reaching for her. A mumbled "Hang on…" is the only warning she gets when he wraps his arms around her hips and tugs her down, knocking her off balance only to catch and lay her out on the grass. The shadow of his cabin hides them from the peekaboo sun, and Newt looms over her like a summer god when he crawls on his hands and knees for a kiss before tugging her blouse over her head.
It sails to the side in a waft of satin, and Tina digs her shoulders into the earth when he lifts her camisole to nuzzle her skin before kissing the underside of her breasts. He watches her face carefully as the experimental brush of his thumbs twangs her nipples to full hardness, and Newt presses out a shaky breath while dipping his head to gently suckle first one, then the other before palming her until she squirms.
"You're very sensitive," he murmurs approvingly, dipping his tongue into her navel before kissing the plane of her stomach. Tina moans agreement, and he smiles fleetingly before fingering the waistband of her drawers. "Do you mind if I take them down?"
His hands are still filthy with garden soil, dark against her pale skin, and she can smell his work sweat. The combined sensory input renews her atavistic longing, and she shivers before lifting her hips just off the ground. Newt hooks her underwear with his thumbs, sliding them off her legs before using his forearms to push them apart. His mouth finds the tender skin on the inside of her thigh, and the rasp of his stubble raises goosebumps of anticipation when he kisses slowly inward before pushing onto his hands to meet her eyes.
"Has anyone ever…" he asks, trailing off with his fingers skimming the outline of her hip.
Tina takes a shaky breath before nodding and rolling her eyes. "They always treated it like it was such a gift, too," she grumbles while reaching for his hand. "I'm sure it'll be different with you, though."
Newt flashes a rakish smile before sinking between her legs. He threads their fingers together while using his other hand to angle her hips, examining her core with glittering eyes. Tina draws her knees up, only to sigh when he lowers his mouth to taste her, tongue probing gently.
She braces her elbow against the ground to watch when Newt falls into a pleasantly teasing rhythm, alternating long swipes with quick licks and thrusts. His eyes flick up to meet hers from over the mound of her pubis, and she hisses before allowing her head to fall back, eyes drifting closed. Waves of pleasure wash over her at regular intervals, spurred on by his increasingly ardent movements. She can't help but smile when he releases her hand to gently squeeze her breast, his tongue dipping in deep and making her see stars until she pulls air over her teeth in a hiss.
Newt stops pulling at her to kiss her inner thigh, murmuring "You all right, there?"
Tina gasps while burying her fingers in his hair, none-too-gently urging his head back between her legs. "I'd be better if you kept going," she presses out, only to sigh when his tongue pushes into her.
She hums in bliss as his tongue and lips work together to push her closer to the edge, warmth swirling through her stomach. He makes occasional hungry sounds, sighs and barely-there moans, and the vibrations ripple through her until she lifts her head to find him with his eyes closed, his face flushed red.
Gentle pressure on Newt's forehead causes him to stop immediately, lifting his head with a light pop to send her a nervous look.
"Come up here," Tina murmurs warmly while bunching the fabric of his shirt. She tugs until he wipes his mouth and climbs over her, taking a moment to mouth at her chest and throat, nibbling and sucking before pressing his lips to her skin.
"Please don't tell me to stop," Newt whispers against her cheek. "I'm not saying I wouldn't. I just don't know if my body could handle that again." He rolls his hips against her thigh in emphasis and Tina gasps before reaching for him, shoving his braces indelicately past his arms and tugging his shirt out of his trousers.
"We should take care of you, then," she gasps between heated kisses, catching his bottom lip between her teeth to taste his moan while wrestling with his trousers. Newt drops his head between his shoulders to watch her shove them down, eyeing her nervously as she fumbles past his underwear to touch him just there, wrapping her fingers around warm, silky steel.
Newt rests his forehead against her collarbone as she strokes him, drinking in his expression, the way his lips and eyelashes tremble when she squeezes experimentally before dragging her thumb over the tip. His head presses more firmly against her chest, weighing her down until he lifts it to kiss her shakily. She sighs while kicking his trousers past his hips until he rocks against her to shake them off and settles more securely into the cradle of her thighs.
"Is this what you want?" he breathes against her ear, his hips rocking against hers shallowly.
Tina slides lower beneath him in answer, using her fingers to guide him to where she wants him most before meeting his eyes. "Only if you still want it," she murmurs and is rewarded with him maintaining eye contact as he presses into her, her body slicking the way.
Newt kisses her gently as they breathe together, her arms tightening around him until they are pressed together from shoulders to hip. He murmurs her name with his first thrust, one hand tangling in her hair, the other bracing against the grass as he breathes against her mouth and builds a rhythm.
She lets her head fall back with a moan as sensations blossom, shivering when Newt covers her throat in kisses before teasing the tender spot where her neck meets her shoulder. His arms slide beneath her to gather her even closer, knees digging into the earth as he buries his face in her neck.
Tina gasps when the new angle improves her, heat even more potent than the sun pooling in her loins as she strains her neck to kiss his jaw, his cheek, his ear while gasping his name.
"You like that?" Newt huffs, lifting his head to nibble her bottom lip before sucking it into his mouth.
She moans in answer, curling her fingernails into his skin as his focused pace pushes her closer to the edge. He latches his mouth to her throat when her head rolls back, a splash of liquid landing on the bridge of her nose. She opens her eyes to tease him for sweating on her, just in time to watch the heavens above open in a deluge, cool summer rain sheeting across their overheated bodies.
Newt gasps at the unexpected sensation before smirking down at her, his hips slowing to grind them together. "I'll be as wet as you are in no time," he purrs while adding a rotation to his heady thrusts, making her breath catch in her throat. "Not that I mind. The rain feels good. Almost as good as — "
Tina cries out when molten waves of pleasure crash over her, digging her fingernails into his skin to hold him close as she dissolves into bliss. Through the haze, she senses him kissing the rain off her face before moving to her lips, gasping into her mouth when he trembles and follows her with a low cry. The scent of petrichor surrounds them as Newt shudders to a stop to lather her drenched chest and neck with kisses and love bites, murmuring all the while.
"I tend to overthink things," Newt says after a time, his distinctly drowsy voice blending with the background susurrus of the rain. "And I talk far too much to be comfortable. But never in my wildest dreams did I imagine you'd, ah, respond to my flaws so positively." She opens her eyes to raise a questioning eyebrow at him, and he nods while flicking a strand of hair out of his eyes. "If I'd've known, we would have done this much sooner."
Tina hides the guilty pang she feels at the reminder of their falling out, choosing instead to smile up at him when he pushes first to his elbows, then his knees to hover over her. His eyes travel the length of her drenched and exposed body, lingering on the marks on her neck and breasts and the juncture of her legs before he shrugs off his sopping wet shirt and uses it to clean her. She shivers at the gentle press of chilly cloth against her overheated core, watching with interest as he dabs himself clean before tossing the shirt aside and extending a hand.
"Up you get."
Chilly water pours over her exposed back, making her shiver when he leverages her upright before pulling her into his arms. They sway together in the gathering wind, letting the rain wash away the last of the mess they've created — both metaphorically and physically — until Newt lightly kisses her forehead.
"I'm sorry again," Tina musters the nerve to say after a while, drenched to the bone and starting to shiver. "I know we still have some things to discuss but I think... I think we'll be okay now, Newt. Don't you?"
Newt opens his mouth to answer, but a sudden grumble from above cuts him off. He cranes his neck up to the boiling sky, seeming to just notice the way the weather has turned, before flashing a devil-may-care grin. "We should, um — have this discussion inside," he laughs, his words punctuated by a flash of lightning and a loud clap of thunder.
Tina dives for her discarded clothing and wand before leaping to her feet, praying for Newt's Invisibility spell to hold. He yanks up his own trousers and snaps his braces over his bare chest, laughing when lightning sheets around them and the sky produces a volley of sound, the rain increasing in intensity.
"Come on!" he shouts joyously and firmly grips her hand. "I don't mind staying but I'd really rather not get struck by lightning while we're out here, and the Forbidden Forest attracts this sort of weather."
"Let's hurry, then," Tina pants, and digs her feet into the soaked ground to run, the feel of his steady fingers in hers keeping her tethered to the earth.
Thanks, as always, to kemara for beta- and proof-reading. Come find me on Tumblr katiehavok, if that's your thing.