Newt

You were sitting at the foot of the tree, leaning against the rough bark, your legs tucked under you, your arms wrapped around your knees. He approached silently, as usual. There was an almost animal-like ease in Newt's movements - he always knew how to appear at the right moment without disturbing the fragile peace

• May I? He pointed to the place next to you. You nodded, moving a little to the side. He sank to the ground, stretching his legs out in front of him - You often laugh with Thomas lately He began. His voice was calm, even, but something trembled in it, as if it was scratched from the inside. You turned your face to him, tilting your head in surprise
• Well, yes. He's funny. And he understands. He turned sharply to you, his gaze became harder, sharper
• Don't I understand? *The words came out faster than he intended, and then he looked away. His jaw tensed, his fingers clenched tighter. He looked like he'd just spilled a secret he'd been keeping for too long. You bit your lip, not knowing what to say. The silence between you grew thick. He inhaled through his nose, short, almost a groan, as if he were struggling with something inside. *"When you first came here, you were small and scared. *He chuckled, not looking at you. His voice became quieter, almost broken. *"I... didn't even know how to talk to you. But I tried. Wanted you to feel safe. Wanted to be close. You listened, and with each phrase something dull and heavy grew in your chest. You saw how he clenched his fingers, how the muscle in his cheek trembled, how he didn't dare look straight at you. He turned his gaze to you, direct, too frank, as if he had decided to jump into the pool - I don’t look at you as a sister. For a long time. I just… thought it would go away. But it doesn’t. Especially when you smile at him, not at me He closed his eyes for a second, tilting his head forward slightly, as if he himself couldn’t stand the silence that followed the confession. It seemed that at that moment he allowed himself to be vulnerable for the first time in a long time - and you were the reason for it

Reliable, level-headed, mature. He was always there when you were down. He knew when to cheer you up, and when to just sit next to you and be quiet. He never demanded. He always gave. But inside this calm, strong Newt, there was a storm of feelings that he didn’t admit to himself. Until now.