Til The Stars Don't Shine

Chapter 19

"Tina, do you smoke?"

Tina shifted uncomfortably. "Um... I-I don't-"

"Tina, you just said that you needed a cigarette!"

Newt looked agitated, which concerned Tina to no end. They'd never fought before and this seemed to be the edge.

"Look, Newt, it's not too much. I have a puff every now and then, only when I'm stressed."

"That is a horrible habit, in my opinion," Newt looked down. He'd never been anything less than utterly kind and loving to Tina, but smoking was a large pet peeve of his.

Theseus was looking everywhere but at the couple. He took a couple of steps backward, quietly trying to escape.

"Theseus smokes too!" Tina burst out.

"Woah, hey!" Theseus raised his hands in surrender. "You were the one who introduced me to it!""

"Tina, you turned my brother to nicotine?" Newt wasn't yelling at Tina, he could never yell at Tina. But instead, his voice was at a clear, measured volume. None of his softer words or mumbles were present at all. "Why would you do that? Our father had an addiction, and it was very serious for him."

"Oh, Newt, I didn't know..." Tina hadn't heard Newt talk like this before. 

"I was just trying to find a way to cope with Leta's death, it wasn't Tina's fault!" Theseus interrupted. He didn't want Newt to make this a bigger commotion than it already was.

"Theseus, we all had to cope with Leta's death. I know that you loved her, and I loved her too, she was my best friend. But she isn't coming back. She's gone for good. It's simply how it is and you can't turn to bad habits when you know that addiction is in our genetics."

Theseus stayed quiet for a moment. "We can talk later, you can speak to Tina first."

And he walked away, knowing that his brother's words weren't meant to be hurtful, but they still hurt anyway.

"Newt!" Tina admonished. "His fiancée died, I think he's allowed to cope however is the best way for him! He could be depressed, not getting out of bed. At least he's productive and generally happy, heaven forbid he have a cigarette once in a while!"

 "Smoking is dangerous, Tina. It's bad for you, it's bad for the environment, and it negatively affects animals. You cannot be risking your and others' health for a coping mechanism!" 

Tina felt her anger boiling up. Scared she was going to burst, she made a quick-decision. Grabbing Newt, she pulled him into the nearest empty office.

"What are-"

"Hush now," Tina locked the door and soundproofed the room with a spell. "Newt, I started smoking when I was seventeen, okay? I don't do it regularly, just when something is stressing me. My parents died, I lost my dream job, I chased around a bunch of magical creatures around New York with a British stranger and a No-Maj."

She paused, giving Newt a stern look, and hammering in how much trouble their little escapade caused her.

"Now, my sister is gone. She's with the people that I will be fighting. I will deal with it the way I always do, okay?"

Tina paced around the room. "When she left, I was so lost, you saw how I was. I didn't know what to do with myself. But having cigars and cigarettes was like exhaling all my stress and watching it float out the window as smoke. You can't touch smoke and it can't touch you."

"Tina, I know that it hurt when she left. But it's such a bad thing to do and you get stressed often in your line of work. Will you pick up a cigar every time?" 

 Tina turned back to Newt. "I don't know Newt! I don't know! It's always how I've dealt with things and just because I love you, it doesn't mean you can tell me what I can do with myself! Who are you, Tolliver?"

Those words hung in the air for a second. Regret flooded Tina while a flash of hurt crossed Newt's face but was gone just as fast.

"Tina, I am in no place to make decisions for you, but I would hope that our relationship is in a place where we can make decisions together."

"It-It is in a place-"

"I was hoping you could make a compromise. For us, and for yourself."

"Obviously I can make compromises, Newt. It's just been a staple in my life for years and I never expected to break away from. It's hard to, you know?"

"Of course darling, I just-I just..." Newt trailed off, not knowing what to say.

 "Look, you're helping me learn how to deal with the reality of Queenie and not watching it float away anymore. I'm relaxing a little now... Be-because of you, I guess."

Newt and Tina stared at each other for a moment, knowing that their first fight had finally come to a head.

"Tina..." Newt took a step toward her. His voice was soft again, and he was avoiding eye contact. "I just don't want your health to be compromised. My father almost died from smoking and only years of treatment from the best Healers in Europe was able to save him. I idolised my father and I had to watch him wither away almost entirely. I saw how bad it was and I never want that to happen to you."

Tina's heart swelled. It was so sad to think of young Newt, watching his role model slowly become sick and unresponsive.

She couldn't hold back anymore and just hugged him. "I don't want that to happen either, obviously, but it's just the way I do it. I don't-I don't know what else to do when I feel stressed or overwhelmed or sad."

"Just come to me then," Newt mumbled into her hair. "I will always be here for you. You can talk to me about what's troubling you, or I can distract you, or I can just hold you like I'm doing right now."

"Do you really mean that? Even if we break up?"

"Yes, of course. You will almost mean the most to me, even if we split."

Tina sighed into him, almost melting into his embrace. Newt smiled. Then stopped.

"A-Are you planning on breaking up?"

Tina pulled her head back in shock, though her arms were still encircled around Newt and vice-versa.

"No, I'm not. At least right now I'm not, but who knows what the future holds? What about you?"

"I will never love anyone as much as I love you," Newt answered simply. "I want to be with you, Tina, for as long as Fate and all the Gods let us. And even longer after that."

"That long, huh?" Tina smiled, blushing slightly. "You wouldn't get bored of me?"

"Darling, I could happily live a thousand eternities if you were willingly by my side."

"I will be," Tina whispered, reaching up and touching Newt's cheek. "Yet, eternity is not nearly enough time to spend with you."

A/N

Lmao hi.

Soooooo it's been a very long time.

Anyway here's a fight bc every healthy couple needs to fight sometimes, and then some fluff to bring it full circle!

See y'all in another 4 months ig. (If anyone is still reading lol)

Stay safe and wash your goddamn hands!

- Fangurl_700

PS. I got my first job so more of my time is focused on that.