Work Text:
Newt was working on a drawing of a thunderbird when he heard a scream. He quickly ran over to where Credence was sleeping, seeing the boy deep in the clutches of a nightmare.
“Credence,” he said, placing a hand on the boy's cheek. Even in the nightmare, he leaned into the touch, letting out a whimper.
“Stop! Please!” he yelled, still sleeping.
“Credence, WAKE UP!” yelled Newt.
Credence bolted upright, nearly colliding with Newt, breathing heavily. His eyes were scanning the room, looking at Newt, before he scooted into the corner of the bed that was up against two walls and raised his hands so that they were protecting his ducked head.
Newt backed away, not wanting to scare Credence more than he already was.
“Hey, it’s just me, Newt. You're safe, Credence. Nobody is going to hurt you,” soothed Newt, his hands held up, empty, in the universal gesture for surrender. Credence slowly lowered his hands, but stayed huddled in the corner.
“Can I come over to you?” asked Newt. Credence slowly nodded his head, eyes glued to Newt.
Newt sat next to the boy, making sure that there was a way for Credence to escape, as he didn’t want him to feel trapped. He opened his arms, looking at Credence, who moved so he was in Newt’s reach, and the man pulled Credence into a hug. Credence managed to move so that he was in Newt’s lap, curling up into a ball. Newt tightened his hug and they just sat there, Credence leaning into the embrace, trying to get closer to Newt, laying his head on his chest.
Newt felt Credence slowly relax, his breathing returning to a normal pace. Newt loosened his grip a little, asking Credence, “What happened?”
He felt the boy tense up, and he tightened his grip, saying “Hey, it’s okay, you don't have to talk about it. No one’s going to make you do anything you don't want to do. You're safe here.” Credence relaxed, closing his eyes.
“My mom,” he said suddenly, the words filled with venom.
“She’s gone, she’s not coming back,” said Newt.
“But what if she does?” asked Credence, slightly panicky.
“Then I’ll protect you. I’ll also probably throw her in front of a moving bus,” replied Newt.
Credence let a small smile show on his face before yawning loudly. Newt started to pull away so that Credence could go back to sleep, but the boy let out a quiet whine, tensing up and wrapping his arms around Newt, before quickly pulling back and curling in on himself. Newt sighed, and reached to pull Credence into another hug, but stopped when the boy flinched.
“I'm sorry,” he stuttered out, afraid.
“Hey, you're not in trouble. It’s okay to ask for things. I like hugs too. Come here,” said Newt, opening his arms once again, instantly finding himself with an armful of panicked Credence.
“Hey, calm down, I’m not going anywhere. You’re safe. I promise,” Newt whispered into Credence’s ear, rubbing his back.
He relaxed a little bit, but not all the way. He was worried that if he relaxed completely, Newt would let go or leave.
“You can relax, Credence, I promise I won't leave, not until you ask me to. You don’t have to be alone,” Newt reassured.
Credence immediately went limp in Newt’s embrace, burying his face in his soft shirt. Newt suddenly came to a realization. Credence was completely touch-starved. The only thing he knew was abuse and therefore that was what he expected. Newt silently resolved to make sure that this boy would never be afraid of him and would be able to ask for anything he needed.
Credence felt Newt loosen his grip and began to panic.
“Hey, I'm not going anywhere. I promised, remember? I'm just moving,” said Newt, and Credence relaxed a little. Newt moved them so that they were laying down, Newt holding Credence tightly, his head pillowed on Newt’s chest, not relaxing completely until they were done moving.
By this point, he was struggling to keep his eyes open, not wanting to be alone and not wanting to get sucked back into another nightmare. Newt, noticing this, said “Let yourself sleep, I promised I wouldn’t leave and I’ll make wake you up if you have another nightmare.”
At Credence’s protest, he said, “Credence, you can't just not sleep. I’m staying, you're safe.”
Credence closed his eyes. For the first time ever, he felt like someone cared. He drifted off, safe in Newt’s arms.