My One And Only
Disclaimer: all Fantastic Beasts names, characters and locations belong to J.K. Rowling. I own nothing that you recognize.
A/N: This story was inspired by the deleted scenes of Credence and Nagini from Crimes of Grindelwald. When I see them together in the alley, it sounds like Credence is sick, what with all the sniffing and snotting and wiping his nose. It even looks like he's got some tissues in his hand at the beginning of the scene. So here it is. My interpretation of Credence and Nagini in the alley.
At first he was glad to have finally escaped the circus, leaving behind the torment and abuse they'd suffered at the hands of the cruel ringmaster. Credence didn't mind that they had made their home atop a derelict building overlooking the city, or that the wind blew constantly over the rooftops at night. None of that mattered so long as they were free, so long as they had each other.
Then came the sound of creaking floorboards, the voice of the wind whispering and muttering through the spaces between the roofing tiles. Funny, he hadn't noticed it before. Not when they first settled down for the evening. Though it was probably because of her. Nagini always had a way of taking his mind off things, making him smile when no one else could.
After a while the noise grew louder. The night grew colder, until he was shivering beside her on the floor. Nagini felt the disturbance, her eyes opening when he placed his arm around her.
"Credence," she whispered, lifting her head a few inches off the floor. "Is something wrong? You're shaking so badly."
She knew these tremors were part of his affliction, often occurring before he lost control of his Obscurus. They also happened during times of stress, or when his emotions were running high. She hadn't thought to consider the possibility that he might be coming down with something.
"I don't feel good," Credence murmured, his throat tickling with the beginnings of sickness.
"It's alright, Credence," she soothed, lifting a hand and gently stroking his back. His response was to close his eyes and lean into her touch, this automatic reflex developing after years of neglect left him starved for affection.
Maybe, if he lay still for a while, closed his eyes and focused on the sound of her breathing, it would be enough to help him relax. That gentle rhythm had been enough to carry him off to sleep several times, back when they were still working at the circus.
"Go to sleep, Credence," she said, gently shushing him as he uttered a low, pitiful whine. "I promise it'll be alright. You just need some rest to help you feel better." She rolled over onto her side, then closed her eyes and began humming a lullaby.
His shoulders sank as he exhaled slowly, listening to the melody of her voice until sleep found him at last.
.oOo.
When morning came, Credence woke to find himself drenched in sweat, too ill and exhausted to move from his place on the floor. Nagini was no where to be seen, the only sound coming from his chick as it stirred in its crate, coming awake and asking to be fed.
Though the noise was small, it felt like someone was swinging a sledgehammer against the inside of his skull. Credence groaned and rolled over onto his back, lifting a hand and covering his eyes. He knew that he would have to get up eventually. Nagini was gone and his chick needed to be fed. But where on earth could she be? And, more importantly, why had she left when he was obviously in no fit state to be up and moving around?
The sunlight behind his fingers dimmed, the sound of approaching footsteps mingling with that of the baby phoenix. "Nagini?" he whispered hoarsely, lowering his hand and looking around.
Sure enough, the Maledictus was standing in front of him, holding a glass bottle that contained some sort of liquid. 'Water,' he thought, licking his chapped lips and gazing up at her.
"I'm sorry for leaving," Nagini apologized, moving towards him and taking a seat on the floor. "I thought you might like something to drink. Water's easier to find than food anyway, what with all those Parisian fountains spouting off everywhere you look."
"Thank you," he rasped, reaching for the bottle and drinking deeply despite the burning pain in his throat.
The phoenix chirped and fluttered about in its makeshift nest. Nagini glanced at it over her shoulder. "If you want I can feed him for you," she offered pleasantly, thinking it would be one less thing for him to worry about.
Credence frowned. "You don't have to," he said, not wanting to burden her with his daily chores.
Her eyes narrowed, watching carefully as he took a sip of water and winced at the painful sensation in the back of his throat. "You're ill," she muttered, moving closer and placing the back of her hand against his forehead. Her touch felt unnaturally cool against his hot skin, her hand moving down to lightly press against his cheek. "And you've got a fever."
Credence was still for several seconds, his eyes glazed as he looked at her in the early morning sunlight. When he opened his mouth to speak, an explosive sneeze caused his chick to leap straight up into the air, startling both his familiar and the Maledictus.
"S-sorry." Credence hung his head, sniffing and shivering as a trickle of mucus collected on his upper lip.
"It's alright, Credence," she said gently, her hand reaching into the pocket of her stage dress and removing a lace handkerchief. Her fingers cupped his chin, one hand lifting his head while the other wiped his streaming nose.
She desperately wished that they had somewhere else to stay, some place warm with plenty of blankets and a pantry stocked with nourishing food. But all they had was this musty attic, filled with creeping spiders and large quantities of dust and mildew.
"I think you should lie down and try to get some rest," said Nagini, looking around for something which might be used to make him more comfortable. A second sneeze followed her suggestion, and when she looked back at him Credence was already curling in on himself, lying on his side with his arms around his chest.
Not knowing what else to do, Nagini pocketed the handkerchief and laid down beside him, listening to the sound of his harsh, uneven breathing. It seemed like every time he tried to relax he was awoken by a sudden fit of coughing, the spastic motion tearing at his throat until he could barely swallow.
Nagini handed him the bottle of water, the liquid helping to ease the dryness in his throat. The bottle was nearly empty by the time he fell asleep, lying in a patch of sunlight that shone through the grimy windows.
.oOo.
Credence spent the rest of the morning on the floor, drifting in and out of a restless slumber. Every now and then he would hear footsteps, the sound of his chick twittering away in its crate. These sounds mingled with the noise on the street, always distant, filtering through the feverish haze that clouded his thoughts.
"Credence?" Nagini's voice, also distant, concerned. "Credence, can you hear me?"
He felt fingers combing through his hair, pressing against his forehead as he moaned and opened his eyes.
"I have something for you," she said, draping a thin blanket over his shoulders.
Credence flinched when he felt the gentle weight covering him from his chest down past his toes. It looked as though Nagini had swiped one of the blankets from Irma Dugard's house, and seeing as how they were living in the attic of his former caretaker, it was only natural that she would borrow a blanket or two to keep him warm.
He opened his mouth, a feeble attempt at language dribbling past his lips.
"Shh, it's alright, Credence." Nagini sat down on the floor and resumed stroking his hair. "You need to save your voice."
A pair of brown eyes met Nagini's dark irises, and Credence felt a fluttering beneath his ribs, his pulse racing. "Nagini," he murmured, his sentence cut short by a sudden coughing fit.
He turned his head to the side, one hand sliding out from under the blanket and covering his mouth. The last thing he wanted was to infect her with his illness.
A hand was placed between his shoulders, rubbing his back until he could breathe normally again. When he looked up she was offering the bottle of water, an expression of deepest sympathy shining in her eyes.
Credence said nothing as he accepted the bottle. He swallowed a few mouthfuls of the cool, soothing liquid, then handed her the bottle before lying down and going back to sleep.
.oOo.
It was some time before Credence felt well enough to leave the attic, though Nagini insisted he stay behind while she foraged for food in the alley.
"We'll have a better chance at finding food if we're together," said Credence, his voice unable to rise above a scratchy whisper.
The blanket slid from his shoulders, dust and perspiration clinging to the fabric. He'd lost track of how long he'd been languishing in the attic, one miserable night bleeding into the next as Nagini lay beside him, doing her best to control his fever with water and a cold compress.
Nagini winced at the sound of his voice, the noise harsh and grating. "You don't sound as though you've gotten any better," she said, gripping his hand and helping him to his feet. "Are you sure you want to go out this morning?"
"Y-yes." He kept his reply short, breathing heavily and forcing himself to stand. She gave him one last pleading glance before stepping out into the sunlight, the wind whipping strands of across her face.
Together they ventured out into the streets of Paris, ducking into the nearest alley to avoid being seen. They then began sifting through the rubbish outside the local restaurant, with Credence pausing to examine a box of tissues he found inside a garbage can.
Under normal circumstances he wouldn't have touched such a thing, its sides caved in with a flutter of white material protruding from a rip in the back. But his nose was still running, and he had no desire to let it drip onto the front of his shirt.
He snatched a handful of tissues and moved further into the alley, away from the piercing sunlight and the roar of traffic in the street. Even at a distance the noise hammered against the inside of his skull, aching and throbbing as he stumbled towards the coolness of the shadows.
When he reached the back of the alley his vision began to blur, his sight swimming as the world dipped and spun. Maybe Nagini was right about him staying behind in the attic. But she'd already sacrificed so much of her time, caring for him night after night as he lay shivering and sweating on the floor. He wasn't even sure that Nagini had slept, but stayed beside him throughout the night, holding his hand and giving him small sips of water from the bottle she found in the alley.
It was that gentle touch he longed for more than anything else, more than the food they sought, more than the freedom they had found.
Credence reached out with one hand, trying to steady himself by leaning against the wall. His limbs were trembling, perspiration beading on his forehead as he slumped against the wall, sliding downwards until he was sitting on the ground. He didn't even know where she was right now, this thought troubling him more than the exhaustion that had settled over him since leaving the attic.
And for a moment, all was quiet. The noise in the streets fading, only to be replaced by the low, rumbling growl that signaled the awakening of his Obscurus.
What would he do if he ever lost her? If she decided to leave or was captured by that horrible man, the man that imprisoned her for as long as she could remember. If she left well, that wouldn't surprise him in the least. It felt so good to be cared for, but he honestly didn't expect it to last. No one ever stayed long, the only good people he knew had been murdered or forced to flee for their lives, chased off by that horrible parasite twisting and churning in the pit of his stomach.
That parasite, however, was all he needed to rescue her. He could control it now, thanks to the care and attention he received from his one true friend. She had kept him calm, the contact of their hands preventing him from self destructing. And as he lifted his head, looking out across the nameless people strolling along the sidewalk, he began to wonder if he'd ever see her again. A silly notion, ridiculous, childish. But he clung to it all the same.
A stab of pain brought his senses back to reality, his attention drawn towards his aching sinuses and runny nose. He clutched the handful of tissues and blew his nose, the noise startling a flock of pigeons that had settled in the alley.
When he looked up again, Nagini was walking down the alley, a loaf of bread in hand as she sat down beside him.
"Credence," she said, pausing to brush the bread crumbs off her dress. "This young man was kind enough to offer us some food. He said he owns a bakery, and was willing to give us this bread from yesterday." She then tore the loaf of bread in half, offering him the larger piece before starting on her own meager rations.
Credence looked at the piece of bread, his throat constricting with pain as he ran his fingers over the dry, flaky crust.
"Credence?" Nagini looked at him, tilting her head a fraction. "Are you alright? You look a bit tired."
The Obscurial looked up at the sound of her voice, his bleary eyes beginning to close. He'd lost interest in the food and was now gazing at her hands, the smoothness of her skin more appealing than the day old bread.
He tentatively reached for her, his thumb brushing against her wrist before taking her hand in both of his. His eyes flitted towards her face, quietly asking for her approval before continuing his plea for affection. The Maledictus responded by relaxing the muscles in her arm, her breath hitching as he caressed her hand.
Emboldened by the signal that he was welcome, Credence lifted her hand and brought it to his lips, placing a gentle kiss on the back of her hand. He needed her now more than ever, her skin blessedly cool as he closed his eyes and bowed his head, holding her hand against his cheek.
In time he would recover, continuing on his quest to discover his true identity. But for now he wanted nothing more than to be close to her.