Author's Note: Enjoy! Written for the 31 Days of Soulmate!AU Day 28: Touching your soulmate accelerates healing of physical injuries.

Disclaimer: The following characters belong to J.K. Rowling, and this story derives from her original works, storylines, and world. Please do not sue me, I can barely pay tuition.

Warnings: Injury

Stacked with: MC4A; Hogwarts; Harmony of Souls Eternal

Bonus challenge(s): Hufflepuff MC; Seeds; Buzzing Bee (Y); Old Shoes; Brush; Neurodivergent; Themes and Things A (Love); Themes and Things B (Risk); Themes & Things C (Suitcase); Rian-Russo Inversion; In a Flash; Yellow Ribbon; Yellow Ribbon Redux

Representation(s): Soulmate!AU

Bonus challenge(s): NA

Tertiary bonus challenge: NA

Word count: 1244

Without Understanding

"Newt?" he heard someone calling down. He mumbled something disgraceful, but honestly it was his fault for trusting Jacob to man the entrance to his suitcase sanctuary. The man stood no chance in standing up to Tina when she set her mind to something—as most did, actually…

He looked around at the surrounding creatures. The bowtruckles on the tree stopped swinging from branch to branch. A Hodag who had been nuzzling in the ground for the truffles that Newt kept hidden there for him paused his scavenging to look around. Dougal the Demiguise was hanging from a tree branch and gave Newt a very knowing look, turning his head towards the source of the sound to Newt again before disappearing.

Newt sighed.

"Downstairs," he said. "By the… umm, by my desk!"

He tossed the bandages he'd been trying to wrap around his hand into the drawer along with the balm, whose jar he'd been unable to open one-handedly. He shut the case in which he kept his typewriter—he'd written many beautiful books on that old machine and he did his best work when surrounded by the creatures he wrote about, but if any of them got their paws, claws, tentacles, tails, fingers, or other appendages on it… well, it was best to take precautions.

Tina climbed down on a rope ladder that descended from another level, where it hung on the Pygmy puffs' tree habitat. She was still wearing the smart grey trousers, blouse, and trench coat that she'd worn to work that morning. Her MACUSA badge hung around her neck.

"Evening," she said, looking around. "You're later than usual on your rounds, is everything okay?"

"Yes," Newt lied. He was not an excellent liar and his partner was unfortunately for him an excellent Auror. Her eyes zeroed in on his injured hand immediately, even if he'd tried pulling the sleeve to his coat down.

"Merlin," she gasped coming forward. Newt stepped back and she paused. "Sorry. Can I see?"

"It's fine," Newt mumbled. "It's already much better than it was hours ago."

"Hours ago?" Tina frowned. "You could have called, I could have helped it heal…"

"I didn't feel like that was a good use of the Head Auror's time," Newt said, eyes flicking up to meet hers briefly.

"Sit," she said.

He sat on his desk and she came forward again. She held out her hand without trying to make eye contact and with a relaxed, patient body language that told Newt that she was asking and willing to be told no or wait.

He gave her his injured hand and he looked up to see her eyes fill with worry as she cautiously and carefully examined it. She'd seen him in just about every shade of black and blue, but this bite was particularly difficult…

"It's unfortunate that it's your wand hand," Tina said.

He nodded. He was going to be useless for some time now—and the new litter of jackalope babies still had to be bottle-fed, the Plimpies had to be pulled off of their watery habitats and force-fed their medicine, the Acromantula eggs needed to be turned in the incubators and they were so heavy that it was a two-hand job…

"Why didn't you tell me?" she asked.

"Because you already don't like him," Newt said quietly.

"So it was the kelpie that bit you?" Tina asked. She immediately corrected herself. "I mean, it was Theo who did it?"

Newt nodded and explained the whole situation quickly. "Not his fault, my placement charm was weak and the girdle slipped off… he's becoming restless and too big for his habitat, the sooner that bad leg heals and we can get him back to his home loch, the better."

"Okay," Tina said.

Newt swallowed. "We'll get him home soon, Tina. I have to take care of him until then…"

"I know," she said. She looked up and nodded. "I know, Newt. He's not going anywhere, I know. I would never suggest otherwise."

Newt took a deep breath, relieved.

"Can I have your other hand?" Tina asked.

Newt nodded and held it out for her. She took it, lacing their fingers together, and Newt immediately started feeling her own energy course through him. It was one of the many highlights of having found his soulmate, see. All these little injuries and love bites that the creatures left were healed so much more easily. The blood on his damaged hand didn't wash off any better than Newt had managed it, but the injured tissue started straightening itself out. A cracked bone or two began mending. The pain began to assuage…

"Are you angry?" Newt asked Tina, honestly unsure.

"No," she said. "Worried, is all."

"About work?"

"About you," she said pointedly. Oh. Newt should have guessed that. She was a worrier…

"Newt, I love you," she said looking up. "I love you knowing that all of these creatures are part of the package. I love them too, though Theo a little bit less at the moment. And sometimes I worry that you don't see that, and I worry that maybe then you don't see how much I love you either."

Newt's mouth felt dry. "I… well, I know that. You wouldn't be healing me if you didn't."

"That's soulmate magic," Tina said. "That's different than… than truly loving you. I just happen to do both."

"Right," Newt said. He chewed at his lip. "Well, I… I'm still getting used to people, well, not understanding me but still… well, being alright with it I suppose. Leta, she was my only friend for a long time. She understood more than anyone. It's a tad difficult to believe it's possible, sometimes."

"I love you without understanding everything about you or about your creatures," Tina said. "That kind of fullness doesn't make sense, not even to me. But I promise I do."

"Then I promise I'll tell you if I get hurt again." Newt said with a little nod. "I'll tell you right away, I won't try to hide it."

"Okay," Tina said. She looked down at his hand again. "I think that's all I can do for now… we should try again tomorrow."

"You'll be coming by again, then?" Newt asked a little bit hopefully.

"I will," Tina said.

"Good," Newt said. "I promise I won't send Jacob out as a guard to keep you out."

"Or at least send someone who stands a chance," Tina said with a smile.

"A hippogriff, maybe?" Newt suggested.

"Yes—your best one," she smiled. She turned to his desk and saw the bucket of entrails on his desk. "That's for Isis, isn't it? Have you had a chance to feed her yet?"

"Ah—no," Newt said. "No, I have not. It's not usually wise to approach a sphinx when injured."

"That sounds reasonable," Tina said. She picked up the bucket. "I'll go take care of it then, I'm in the mood for a riddle. Is she in the same place?"

"Yes," Newt said. "She might be moody because I'm running behind."

"Well, I'm not running behind, I'm being helpful," Tina said. "I'll drop this bucket off in your kitchenette when I'm done."

"Okay," Newt said. As he saw her walk away he called out her name. She spun around to face him.

"I love you too," he said. "I'm bad at saying it and I don't really understand how I can be this lovestruck either but… but that's okay."

She smiled.