Fame, Glory and Baked goods of all kind.

by Kestis_21

Summary:

Newt is a rising Movie star, and finds Thomas's small bakery where he can be himself without pretending. All thanks to the lovely brunet.

Or let's see these two fall in love again, while Minho tries to keep the paparazzi away from them.

Chapter 1: Wicked wonder treats.

adjusting his cap over his hair, which was a task on its own with how long it was getting, Newt observed his carefully thought-out disguise. His favourite brown jacket hung around his figure nicely, the dark blue flannel and grey shirt underneath combined perfectly with the black jeans and white Converse. Now all he needs is his sunglasses and he's good to go.
He spotted them right over his nightstand, so he went to get them and exited his room.

    "Ok Minho I'm ready," the blond said to his bodyguard, and friend of many years now.
    The raven-haired took one look at him before responding, "Please tell me you're joking."

    He looked down at his choice of cloth again, it should be enough.

    "When you told me that you had an idea to be able to go in public without the paparazzi following you... that's not what I had in mind."
    "Oh come on Min, it should work. This is totally different than what I use when I have to go out for press conferences or one of those pompous events."

    Which is true. He preferred this kind of clothing, but he had to dress a certain way according to his PR team and manager. He has nothing against designer clothes, it's just that if it was up to him, he wouldn't make such a fuss to show up to the Oscars; though he must admit he likes how the suits make him look.

    "You're not Clark Kent, a cap, a pair of glasses and some slight wardrobe change won't stop you from being recognised."
    "Well, only one way to find out," he moved to the exit of his apartment with a confident stride.
    "Ah-ah, Nah, not in my watch," his friend said as he ran to stop him, "if you remember correctly Harriet gave you specific instructions to lay low after your last scandal."

    How could he forget, the entire industry had a field trip that day just because he sucker punched Janson after he kept being an arrogant prick with one of their co-stars. Winston had been nothing but kind to everyone and yet that fucker took it upon himself to bully the poor kid almost every day with horrible remarks about his acting. That is until Newt had enough in the middle of a gala and just straight-up hit the bastard right on the nose.

    Harriet had sat him down and looked at him like a disappointed mom. After telling him that while she understood, and would have personally liked to do the same, it wasn't exactly good for his image and it would be difficult for his team to keep it intact as a rising star. So all she asked for now was that Newt remained low and didn't attract any attention while everything calmed down.

    He gave her his promise that he would do that, but after the first week of having to remain in his apartment and not being allowed to leave by Minho, he needs some fresh air or he will go insane.

    "Minho please, let's just go somewhere that is nearby. I can't get in trouble just for walking around!"
    "Harri-"
    "I know, I Know! But even you are bored from looking at the walls and I can see you need a change... please."

    He joined both palms and implored Minho; the sigh that followed was all he needed to know that he won.

---

    "Why didn't we come here before? This place is nice," Newt never thought walking around an open plaza would make him so happy.
    "It opened recently. I must admit I missed the sun, maybe your idea wasn't so bad," his friend told him as he looked around at the different shops.
    "Told you so, and it looks like no one has taken a single glance at us so far."

*unbeknownst to the Blond, that is because Minho had glared, blocked and scared away any person that even tried*

    He missed this. The fresh air, the sun shining down on him, and even the feeling of being surrounded by so many people walking around was making his mood skyrocket already. One simple outing after a week in his apartment made him realise that he should probably paint the walls a more joyful colour.

    "Oh look, they have a Convers store. Let's go," he elbowed Minho before running to the entrance.
    "You already have- God give me patience."

    Minho caught up and reminded him that he only agreed to let him come here if he would let him do all the interactions so no one would have a chance to see him up close and maybe acknowledge that it was him, creating a scandal that would bring the wrath of Harriet over their heads. So he conceded his friend his wish and let him do everything. Minho had to pretend he was the one buying while Newt wandered close by looking at the t-shirts and the rest of the stuff in the shop. Luckily for him, Minho knows his size and more or less the style he likes, so Newt trust he will pick something nice.

    When he found the perfect pair for Newt, his friend went up to the register to pay. He tried to remain near, but that was his chance to go out and look around at the other shops and see if there was anything he liked, so he took it. As he scanned the different options, his eyes spotted a small shop right in between two large buildings. It was comical how little it looked compared to the other two.

    'Wicked wonder treats' read the sign above the entry. He doesn't know what compelled him to walk over there, but when he least expected it his feet had carried him to the door. Peering inside he saw a single bloke sitting behind the counter while he scrolled through his phone.

    At the sound of the bell, he expected the guy to lift his ass off the stool, but instead he just let a tired sigh out and said.

    "If you're looking for a bathroom I don't have one, but there is one a few blocks down to your left," the man said with a monotonous voice.
    "Actually-"
    "If it's about the new Crocks store you need to turn around and come from where you came from, it's almost at the entrance of the plaza..." He said while not looking up.
    "And if I want to buy something from here?"

    That made him lift his head so fast that Newt thought he would give himself whiplash. For the first time since he stepped into the small shop, he finally was able to see the guy behind the counter directly in the eyes. He had messy brown short hair, really expressive eyes and was a little bit shorter compared to Newt, maybe around five-nine.

For a split second, panick ran through his mind as he awaited for the guy to react to who he was and somehow see through all his layers of cloths, but it didn't happend. Instead what he got was a very funny and cute reaction.

    "You want to- of course! What would you like?"

    The change in attitude was adorable, the stranger looked as if Newt just told him he would buy everything he had in stock. That eased his worries and allowed Newt to relax.

    "Mmm let me see," Newt went to the glass where all the deserts were on display.
    "I have some mocha banana cake, or you can have some honey lavender latte cookies..." the guy suggested, "Uh, I also just finished doing some strawberry tiramisu if you would like to try it. Hold on I'll go grab it."

    The brunet disappeared in the back and came out holding a tray that he placed beside the Mocha cake. The guy stood to the side and waited for Newt to say order something.

    "You make all of these on your own?"
    "Well... yes, I come here pretty early and get to work," the brunet said a bit shyly.
    "That's impressive," he felt the corners of his mouth lift as speaking with the brunet boosted his already good mood even more.
    "It's nothing."
    "I'll judge that. Can you give me one of each of your displays?"
    "I- w-well I can... uh, sure I'll get them ready for you," Thomas gave him a blinding smile and got to work immediately after saying that.

    He saw as he packed everything nicely in a box, and then went to the register to tell Newt the total. He detected a bit of doubt in the guy's voice as he said the number, maybe expecting Newt to not pay for all of what he just asked once he knew how much it would cost. He responded by handing Thomas his Credit card and waiting for him to do his thing.

    "What's your name by the way?" He found himself asking after Thomas handed him the box.
    "Uh, Thomas."
    "Well nice to meet you Thomas, you have a lovely shop mate, so I'll make sure to come back," he meant every word
    "T-thanks, I yeah, thanks. I'll wait for you here then, not that I'll stay here all day I do have to go back home, but you know when you come- I'm rambling. Hope to see you back soon."

    With a wave of his hand and a blush on his face Thomas said goodbye to Newt who finally went outside.

    Just as it was expected, he was greeted with a very pissed off Minho, looking ready to murder him. Lifting the box slowly he offered it as a compensation for disappearing. The raven-haired took it and delivered a swift slap to his head for worrying him.

    Back at his flat, they sat to inspect everything Newt bought.

    "Did you bough the entire fucking menu? What even is that?"
    "I don't know but they are delicious. Holy fuck this tastes really good."

    Newt took one last bite and proceeded to lick his fingers clean of all the left over sugar in them. His little trip outside had left him with a high spirit; so much so that he will try to convince Minho to do it again soon, maybe that way he won't go insane. Beside, he wasn't lying. He does want to go back to the shop and maybe talk with Thomas again. His interaction with the guy was so refreshing to Newt, he didn't seemed to recognise who he was at all and that made him want to go back and finally have someone, beside Minho and some friends, that will treat him like a human being.

    It's not that he doesn't understand the privilege that his career has given him, but it's a bit tedious to have to overthink every interaction with people he meets because he doesn't know if they are after his money, his fame or actually him. Or having to be careful with what he says because someone could turn his words into something that is not true. Thomas small shop was like a escape, a small relief of his constant life. He loved that idea so much.

    "Gotta agree, these are fire. Hope you enjoyed your little escape of today, with what I saw on social media, we will be here for a while."

    Minho spoke with so much confidence. Yet he didn't know that Newt was already thinking of a million ways he will bother him to take him out again while he enjoyed his first bite of the strawberry tiramisu. Thomas was right, it tasted amazing.

Chapter 2: Whiskey and loaf

It has been two days since he went outside, and while he's safe from dementia for now, he still has the urge to go back again. The problem is that Minho is adamant about staying inside. He thinks that is mainly because he doesn't want to piss off Harriet and receive the scolding of his life, but he swears that it is because Newt's disguise was shit and he doesn't want to spend another day of keeping prying eyes away from him.

    Regardless of his friend's reasons, he's still gonna try to convince him to let him go again, In the only way he knows it's gonna work.

    "Newt!" Minho shouted over the loud sound of the vacuum cleaner.
    "Yes?" He said after he turned it off.
    "Why are you cleaning... again!" He said through gritted teeth.
    "I'm just trying to keep things in top-notch around here. I can't do anything else anyway."
    "Bu-"

    Turning on the vacuum cleaner again, he stopped Minho from saying anything else. His friend stared daggers at him as he interrupted his Netflix show for what seemed the eighth time that day. Unfortunately, that wasn't enough for him to give Newt what he wanted. Taking a deep breath Minho relaxed and endured the annoying noise he was making. It's fine. He knows Minho has a lot of patience, but Newt is just as persistent as he is.

    The next day he sat beside Minho, rambling about the most random things he could think of while his friend tried to focus on whatever he was doing on his laptop. When he finally asked him to shut up and let him work, Newt told him that it was no problem and then proceeded to call Alby and talk with him as loud and for as long as he could, until the raven-haired stood up and locked himself in his room. The day after that he woke Minho up by rearranging his entire living room while making the most amount of noise possible, and then had the audacity, later that day, to recruit him in front of their neighbour, so he wouldn't be able to say no, to help her clean her apartment. It wasn't until the fourth day of his shenanigans that Minho finally broke.

    "One hour, I'll get you out for one hour, and then we come back!"
    "Two and a half and I promise I'll buy you something nice?" He extended his hand as an offering.
    Minho shook it, "It better be something expensive too."

    Now with his freedom reestablished Newt walked around the plaza once more as they searched for something Minho wanted in return for taking him there again. Pulling the oversized jeans he had up, he placed his hands on his hips as he scanned the different shops.

    "You know. For someone so tall, I always thought that your clothes would fit better on me," Minho said as he pulled the tight yet long shirt that was around his body.

    When they tackled the problem of Newt's horrible disguise, Minho proposed that he should try something better than his normal outfits and sunglasses. Since he didn't have a lot of time to think, the best next thing he thought of was stealing clothes from Minho. He was a few inches taller than his friend so the jeans were a bit on the short side for him, as well as the hoodie and shirt, but since Minho was more built than him from all his time in the gym, most of his cloths were baggy on Newt. Even so, he pulled the hoodie over his head to cover his hair and make it more difficult to know if it was him.

    "To be fair I never told you you had to use mine."
    "Well if they recognise me then they could assume you're nearby."
    "Shank, who would do that?"
    "I would like to let you know that someone commented that I was hot under one of your photos, so people know about me," he said crossing his arms; indignation dripping from his voice.

    He knows about the photo and the comment. He was the one who pointed it out to him. Newt is not the most present in social media but whenever he uploads he likes to read a couple of the comments, both for entertaining and as a little boost of confidence to his acting skills.

    Rolling his eyes, he answer as he always does, with a bit of sarcasm, "Yeah, I'm sure people follow me just because of you, what would I do without you mate?"
    "Exactly, you should rename your account just for that."
    "I'll change it when we are home," he said as he giggled at Minho's antics, "but until then, care to tell me what you want? So I can pay my debt."

    His friend took his sweet time finding something he wanted, but luckily for him what he wanted was from one of the stores right beside Wicked Wonders. Newt saw this as an opportunity to visit the store again. Spitting some nonsense about Minho going by himself and buying whatever he wanted with his credit card, he took off to the store leaving his friend looking after his retreating form as he walked up to the glass door of the small shop.

The sign said it was opened, yet Newt couldn't see the brunet anywhere. Deciding that he should at least try to go inside, he pushed the door open.

    "Uh... Hello, anybody here?" He called out into the empty space.

    A commotion was heard in the back of the business, followed by a few curses and finally by a very sweaty brunet who almost tripped and fell if it wasn't because he was able to grab the counter to prevent his falling.

    "O-Oh you did come back! Hi," Thomas said composing himself as his cheeks flushed.
    "I told you I would. What were you doing back there?"
    "Oh, I was trying something new. I had an idea for a new product and I wanted to try it."

    That would explain why he was covered in flour and what looked like a batter, some of it even covering part of his face.

    "How is it going? Does the cursing mean something good?"
    "No, no... that was because I didn't hear you until you called for me. I should pay more attention."
    "Well now you're here, so what can you offer me today?" He tilted his head and waited for Thomas to answer.
    "Oh, Uhmmm."

    Going to the display, Thomas told him of a few more options he had that he hadn't picked the other day.

    "You can have one of those, or... would you... do you wanna try what I was making?" Thomas mentioned as his hands fidgeted.
    "The tiramisu of the other day was good, so sure."

    Just like the other day he disappeared and reappeared with the treat now in his hands. Thomas placed a loaf coated with some icing. The smell was already filling his nose and making his mouth water. The Baker handed him a small piece carefully cut and placed on a tray with a napkin and waited for Newt's verdict.

    "This tastes nice, what is it?"
    "It's a peaches and cream whiskey loaf. First time I tried doing it so I'm not sure if I added too much or too little whiskey."
    "Too much, but hey that's what testing is for, isn't it? It's still really good," he said as he took another bite of the bread.
    "Yeah. And you know what they say about bakers."

    Newt was confused by what he said so he let his curiosity get the best of him as he asked the next question to a Thomas that looked as if he was waiting for him to do just that.

    "What? That they make good bread?
    "That you're not a good Baker if you don't take a whisk!" Thomas bit his lip to stop his grin, "Get it, 'cause I'm a Baker... and use whisks.... and it sounds like.. it was a bad joke I'll shut up."

    He couldn't answer him with food still in his mouth, but Newt shook his head and smiled at Thomas's horrible joke. He liked Thomas a lot, for someone he had two interactions with so far, he felt as if he was having a conversation with an old friend, kinda of what he felt when he was with Minho or Alby.

    "Well take more of those 'whisks' more often if it makes you do something like this," he handed Thomas back the plate.
    "I will. F-feel free to drop by and try them whenever you want."

    He put the plate away and covered the rest of the loaf before putting it in the fridge.

    "By the way, I don't think I heard your name yesterday. You're one of my first recurring customers so I would love to know. If you don't mind, of course, you don't need to share it... or... we can continue like this of course."

    He almost opened his mouth to tell him right away, but he didn't know if that would make Thomas recognise him and start treating him differently. So far he doesn't seem to do so, so maybe there was hope that he was just so out of the loop that his name wouldn't spark anything on the brunet.

    "It's Newton, but please just call me Newt," he said in a low voice, a bit afraid of saying it out loud.
    "Newt," Thomas said it mostly to himself, "cute..."

    There was no change in Thomas's behaviour so he was on the clear for now.

    "C-cute n-name, you have a cute name. Not that you're not cute, I mean you are but- I'm not insinuating anything, just... I like your name."
    "Thanks, Tommy," he chuckled, "am I really your only recurring customer?"

    He changed the topic, ignoring the small somersault his heart did and the heat he felt on his face, accompanied by the stupid grin that refused to leave his face after Thomas's little outburst.

    "Well... so far yes. I just opened up and there is like two or three more franchises around here with far more capacity and people than I do."

    Thomas sounded so dejected. He must be doing his best to try to get as many customers as he could. It's never easy when you start.

    "But I have you and the occasional passers-by... it's not that bad."
    "I guess is not. I'll buy you that cheesecake that you have over there. Gotta support you after all as your honorary recurring customer."
    "Newt you don't-"
    "Make that two, and if you say that I can't one more time I'll buy another."

    Thomas nodded and prepared his order. While he was boxing everything, the bell above the entrance sounded. Neet turned around and saw Minho carrying a bag.

    "Just one bag? I was expecting to be poor by now."
    "I thought about being considerate with you for once."
    Thomas cleared his throat, "Here you have it Newt."

Newt took the boxes. Minho was looking between the two of them, probably afraid that Thomas knew something about him now.

    "Thanks, Tommy, by the way," he elbowed Minho so he would stop acting strange, "this idiot over here is Minho, don't mind him. He looks intimidating but it's a softy."

    Minho gave him a nod and Thomas visibly swallowed the lump on his throat before responding.

    "Hi," he pointed vaguely in the direction of the display, not daring to take his eyes off of Minho, "w-would you like... something."
    Minho took a look in the direction he pointed and then back at Thomas, "You know what he gave me some of your stuff yesterday and I liked it, hold on let me check"

    Thomas visibly relaxed and helped Minho choose something. He paid for both his and Minho's orders before saying goodbye to Thomas.

    "See. No paparazzi, no problems so far and you have food and your gift now."
    "Fine, I had a good time. But now it's for real. No more going out until Harriet says so, and you don't get to annoy me about it."
    "Sure, sure, I won't bother you at all, promise."

    He won't, but he never said he won't try to come back here again. Minho didn't need to know that just yet.

Chapter 3: Cupcake decorations and crazy paparazzi

He will probably get a scolding from Minho as he just threw the door to close it, but he doesn't care. This whole day sucks. he's tired, hungry and most definitely irritated beyond belief.

    He had to see Janson today as the film they were part of with Winston and the rest was soon to be aired in theatres, and he had to promote it. Sitting beside him as he tried to not throw every insult he knew in his direction was almost near impossible. The only upside was Winston showing his appreciation for Newt for standing up for him the other day, but even that wasn't enough to damper his anger towards that man.

    "What's gotten into you? You're gonna leave us without a door shuck face."
    "I don't care. I'm bloody pissed. Fucking stupid Janson and his rat looking face."
    "What did he do this time?"
    "Oh, I'll tell you what he did" he said before he downed a whole bottle of water after throwing the door of the fridge.

   He needs to calm down or he will end up breaking something, but just the fact of remembering what Janson did was making his blood boil.

    "I get to the tonight show, everything is going normal; I'm trying to keep my mouth shut so we don't get in more trouble, you know as Harriet asked, and then guess what?" He says before he throws the bottle of water in the nearest trash can.
    "What?" Minho has now taken a sit on the chair near the kitchen island.
    "Jimmy asks the question, because of course he will ask us what happend that night. Which it's fine, we had a response prepared," he pinches the bridge of his nose as his anger comes back from the memory, "but what is not fine is the fact that Janson blames it on me having some kind of anger management problem. Me! Which obviously wasn't part of the plan!"
    "Uff, what did you said then?"
    "The only thing I could think of. I told them that Janson was just gravely mistaken," he ran a hand through his face and hair, " and that I don't have anger management problems. I was just stressed that day and misunderstood something he said. That was it. To say the least I stormed out of there as soon as I could or I would have punched him again."


    With a groan he buried his face in his arms as he laid them against the kitchen island. Minho reached with a hand to pat his head as a form of consolation.

    "Proud of you for doing the right thing."
    "It doesn't matter. I still have a couple of interviews left with him and I'm gonna need to be prepared for any kind of bullshit he might throw at me."
    "We will think of something. For now just take a rest and enjoy what's left of your day."
    "I will... maybe going to the-"
    "No! You said it was the last time."
    "But-"
    "No buts Newt. Just go take a rest, you need to cool down."

    He didn't had the energy to fight Minho. With a sigh he went past him and into his room. His friend said something about this being the best decision, but he just blocked him as he walked into his room. He took his cloths off and turned the shower on. Letting the cold water hit his hot skin once ge got inside, he allowed his thoughts and frustrations invade him as he wished he didn't had to go through this mess

    Getting out of the shower, he did a quick work of putting on a pair of sweats and his softest hoodie. He thought about just taking a nap, but his mind won't let him have his rest. He can feel it. He needs to go for a walk, that's what usually allowed him to cool down. "I'm sorry Minho"  he thought as he made up his mind.

    "Hey, Minho..." He said as he peaked his head through the doorway.
    "Yes?" His friend responded. Luckily he was still in the kitchen.
    "I'm gonna a take a nap. Don't disturb me ok?"
    "Sure dude, sleep well."

   Clicking the door close. Newt made his way to his window. There was a pipe that usually collected the rained water just right beside his window. Just like when he was a kid, and used to climbe things, he used it to go down and escape his confinement.

    "Hood up and glasses will have to do for today I guess," he muttered to himself as he started his stride to the nearby plaza.
  

---

    Mindlessly wondering around, he thought of a way to make that rat pay for his little trick in the show. He needs to make Janson know what respect is, but it's gonna be hard if he has to pretend that everything is fine. He's smart enough, there most be something that he can do to make him regret messing up with him. The question is what.

    His thoughts were rudely interrupted as he caught something from the corner of his eye to his left. He had stopped in front of a map of the plaza to see if there was anything he could occupied his mind with, Thomas's shop was an option, but he didn't want to go there with his current sour mood; Looking slightly in that direction, he realised there was a guy talking and trying to pretend as if he weren't looking in his direction. A paparazzi, great.

    He doesn't want to get in trouble. So as best as he could, he dissimulated that he didn't saw a thing and started to walk slowly in the opposit direction. His foot took him down the path, going between the many people going around the plaza that day.

    After several minutes he threw a quick glance back and saw that he was still following him. Not very discreetly if he may add. He needs to loose him.

    His eyes caught on one of the stores that was right beside Thomas's store. That was his salvation, regardless of his mood. It was the only option he could think of anyway.

    Switching to a small sprint, he made his way to the familiar door. Swinging it open just as a lady was making her way outside. Newt stepped out of her way and got inside.

    "Newt H-"
    "I'm not here!" Was the only thing he could say as he jumped behind the counter and crouched behind it.

    Thomas looked flabbergasted, but before he could ask, the guy entered his store. Looking around as if a treasure were about to appear in front of him. The brunet politely asked him if he could help them, side eyeing Newt in the process.

    Fortunately, after they asked some not so subtle questions and realised he wasn't there, he was on his way out of the store.

    "Care to explain?" Thomas was waiting for him to say something, but he looked really amused by Newt's dilemma.
    "Just..." He was about to answer, but he found that he didn't want to lose his anonymosity with Thomas over some photographer.
    "Crazy ex?" The corner of his mouth lifted, trying to suppress the grin growing on his face.
    "What! No. It's... complicated."
    "You don't have to explain if you don't want to. But hey I don't judge if you like guys."
    "Thank you mate, my gay ass will have that in consideration."
    Thomas laughed, "You're welcome. But- uh, are you ok? Nothing, I should worry about?."

    His concern was sweet. Newt wondered why couldn't there be more people like Thomas in this world.

    "Yes, I'm fine. But if you don't mind I would appreciate if I could stay here... for now."
    "Stay as long as you want," he offered him his hand, "but maybe not on my floor. You can stay in the back, it's more comfortable."

    He took it and got to his feet with the help of the brunet. Thomas told him there were some chairs in the back, he will finish cleaning and rearranging the desserts before he'll join him. Newt thanked him and pushed the door to go grab one of the chairs he spoke off.

    "Hey Thomas I think the cak-" the guy froze mid-sentence as he looked confused at Newt.
    "Hi, Tommy let me inside... who are you?"
    "I'm Aris. I work part time here. Do I know you?"
    "Uhm..."
    "OH MY GO-"

    Before he could say another word, Newt covered his mouth. Hoping to all the heavens Thomas won't decide to come in right now.
    "Yuhm arhm Newhmt," he said excitedly against his palm.
    "What?" He removed it now that he wasn't gonna scream.
    "Oh my god you're Newt, What are you doing here?"
    "Running from a paparazzi. Look, I appreciate your enthusiasm but... please, while I'm here can you pretend that I'm not a celebrity. I'm just... Newt."

    The guy, Aris, made a silent 'oh' with his mouth but ended up nodding anyway.

    "Of course. Sorry, if I bothered you. Great fan, by the way! Really loved you on your last show."
    "Thanks mate," a thought crossed his mind in that moment, "Hey... I would also like if you don't bring this up with Thomas in the room, he seems to not know who I am and I prefer it that way."
    "He does-" Aris rolled his eyes, "of course he doesn't. Don't worry, I'll keep my mouth shut."
    "Is this not the first time he does that?"
    "He sucks at remembering celebrities names or faces. All he cares about is if the show or movie he's watching has accurate physics and it's as close to reality as possible. Unless it's a fantasy movies cause then he goes all it's fantasy Aris, it's cool, so I don't mind. Teresa and I have tried to make him remember some names before and failed."

    Oddly enough that sounded just like Thomas. Newt will count his lack of memorization skills as a blessing in disguise. He took one of the chairs in the back and sat down to see Aris work, while Thomas returned. The back part of the shop was filled with a central stainless steel table where that they seemed to use both to roll dough or place items, it was large enough to do both. Two ovens that looked big enough to do multiple batches at once, a couple of furnitures that he guessed contained all the pans and utensils they used, a large fridge, a stove and a store closet from where he saw Aris take a couple of ingredients out. The amount of stuff Thomas managed to fit here made it looked a bit cramped but it was so organised that he didn't felt like if he was suffocating in the space.

    "So how exactly did you ended up working for Tommy over there?"
    "Hmm? Oh, I met him in high-school along Teresa, and we kinda went to the same university until Thomas decided to drop out?"
    "He dropped out? Why?"
    "He's brilliant, and wanted to study Bioengineering in the beginning, but... I guess he just wasn't happy about it. He made it two years into the career before one semester he told us he was gonna drop out."
    "And the store?"
    "He asked for a loan and along his savings from his part-time jobs, it was just enough to buy this small local and open his store."
 
    Thomas most have put a lot of effort into this shop and it's counting on it to work.

    "I know that it sounds like he's struggling, but honestly, I'm happy that he opened this place."
    "Really? Why do you feel like that?"
    "He was miserable. Back in Uni he had dark circles under his eyes, he was stressed twenty-four seven and in a bad mood most of the time. He's happy here."

    If that's the case he's glad Thomas had the courage to change his life before things turned out worse and he would have ended up with depression from the sound of it.

    "He's also saving and hoping to be able to get a degree in culinary art or baking and pastry arts at some point, since his parents said they won't pay for another degree."
    "Oh Tommy..."He found himself saying in a hushed voice as he looked at the door.

    Thomas appeared just as he finished saying that. He told Aris to take care of the front while he finished back here.

    "So... cozy little back room you have here Tommy."
    "Yeah, this is where the magic happens. Hope you don't mind if I work while we talk."
    "Not at all."
    "Good, so... I'm curios, what do you do for a living that you spend most of your days around here?" Thomas asked him as he started decorating some cupcakes.
    "I'm in... the entertainment industry."
    "Oh, cool. What do you do there?"

    "I'm a bloody actor you lovely clueless idiot. God you're a blessing," he thought to himself as he found the right words to say.

    "I work in movies. I work with the camera."
    "Cameramen, got it. So no production recently, I'll assume."
    "Nop, kind of a slow season you know."

    He felt a little bad about lying to Thomas but technically it wasn't lying if it was half the truth. The two of them sat there to talk for a solid hour while Thomas applied the frosting to all the cupcakes and took his time to decorate them with chunks of crystallised caramel. Their topic of conversation went from one thing to the other as Thomas decorated different pastries, each on of them made with a lot of love and care. As he talked with him, a nagging question kept repeating itself in the back of his head.

    "Hey Tommy, don't take this the wrong way but... how- Are you selling enough?"
    Thomas cleaned his hands on his apron, Newt swears to god this boy was the only one that could make being covered in flour look cute, "I... sell enough..."
    "But?"
    "But... is just enough to keep myself afloat. Though with your sales I should be able to save like... fifteen bucks this month, if my calculations are not wrong," he gave him a thumbs up, but that didn't eased Newt's worries.
    "I'll tell my friends to come. That way you can save thirty bucks next month, maybe more."
    "You don't have to force your friends to come. I want people to like what I do."
    "Then problem solved. Your pastries are really good Tommy, and if I loved them I'm sure my friends will too. I'll gladly recommend them this place."
    "You really think they are that good?"
    "Absolutely mate. You have a talent for this."
    "Thanks," the brunet said.

    he didn't missed how the brunet's eyes became teary and a content smile was now on his face after what Newt said. Thomas took his phone out of his pocket and approached Newt.

    "Do you mind, if I add you. I was gonna set up an Instagram account for the store. You don't have to share it or anything, but I just- you know, i would love to have you for... contact rea- no scratch that, i-"
    "Give it here you shuck face. I'll gladly add my number," Newt took the phone of his hands and registered his number on it. Handing it back to the brunet, that stared at the contact for a few moments.

    He wanted to stay here and keep talking with Thomas, but he should really get back before Minho notice anything suspicious or decides to marche into his room.

    "I should go. I need to do some stuff and I have robbed you of your time for long enough," Newt adjusted his hoodie and pushed the sunglasses further up his nose.
    "Of course. But you're more than welcome back. Let me accompany you to the door."

    True to his word Thomas followed him to the exit and even opened the front door of the shop for him.

    He felt himself being pulled into an embrace as Thomas gave him a hug, "Thanks for what you said back there again. I'll text you later so you can add my number and... hope to see you soon Newt."
    "Hope to be back soon too Tommy. See ya."

    With a last wave of his hand he made his way back to his apartment. Luckily for him Minho didn't suspect a thing and he managed to slip back into his room unnoticed. His little escapade had made him forget completely about Janson. As his thoughts drifted back to Thomas, he made up his mind about something. He doesn't know how, but he'll make sure to help Thomas grow his business somehow.

Chapter 4: Editing tips for bakers.

Notes:

Sorry for taking so long to update, was busy finishing another fic. ToT

Newt just had the best night of sleep in his life. Feeling refreshed and confident about facing the day, he went into the kitchen to have some toasts for breakfast, only for that moment of joy to die when he found a very pissed Minho waiting for him in the kitchen island.

    "Morning," he spared a glance around, hoping to find the cause of his friend's anger, "Why the long face?"

    Minho answered him by opening the laptop waiting in front of him and turning it around to show Newt something in it. The blond walked the rest of the way and tilted the screen up to be able to make out what all the fuss was about. His blood ran cold when a picture of him with the same hoodie and pants he wore when he escaped appeared on an article on twitter.

    Newt tried to excuse himself, "Minho-"
    "You lied to me, you went out by yourself and now I have like twenty texts from Harriet I do not want to open. I should just- Ugh," Minho replied angry, doing as if he was about to strangle him.
    "Ok, sure I went out, but it's not that bad. The article just says that I was spotted there, with a very blurry picture, may i add. So no harm done, alright?" Newt said, trying his best to calm his friend.
    "Easy for you to say. When I'm suppose to keep an eye on you!" Minho said exasperated.
    "Don't freak out, I'll talk with Harriet. She will understand," Newt said.

    Wanting to mend some of the damage he did, Newt didn't wait for Minho and his approval to go explain everything to Harriet. Trotting to his room, he quickly found his phone; the twenty plus messages and calls were alarming, but he knows how to handle Harriet. Pressing the contact he waited for her to pick up.

    "You finally pick up," her voice doesn't sound welcoming but Newt expected that much, "please, tell me I don't have to worry about another article popping out of nowhere."
    "No, listen. I just went for a walk to calm down, I saw someone following me and I lost them, that's it," Newt explained.
    Harriet's sharp intake could be heard from the other side of the line, "Newt I asked you to stay inside for a few days, just a few. You would be free after that."
    "Well that's unfair!" Newt responded, feeling his own frustration coming out, "Janson gets to talk out of his arse about me and I'm the one paying the consequences?"
    "No! you have to pay because you sucker punched the guy," a kind reminder that sounded more like she was calling him a dumbass for forgetting that.
    "Which he deserves. And he still pulled that shit on me in the show..." Newt took a breath before he would lose his temper with her, "Harriet, I'm gonna go insane if you keep me here, please. People will keep talking anyway, I promise to not get on another scandal, but I can't spend one more day looking at my boring walls."

    Silence fell on the other end of the line as Harriet pretty much cursed under her breath and released a bit of her frustration in the process. Newt felt hope when he heard her admit that she might have been too harsh with him, making the blond feel positive about what was coming next.

    "Fine, you can go out. But if I get another scandal from you I will make sure to beat ya ass myself," her threat half serious half as a joke.
    "I won't, I promise," he was about to hang when he remembered the very angry Asian still waiting for him in the kitchen, "and, please, don't be mad at Minho. He did tried to keep me here."
    "I won't. I'll see you tomorrow for the next interview for the movie," Harriet said.

    A quick goodbye and a click to end the call and Newt could finally celebrate his new found freedom. He just needed to appease the furry currently raging from a certain raven-haired friend first.

    "Good news, you get to keep your job, and I get to go out more now," he announced as he walked back out.
    "For real?" Minho said, raising his head from his hands.
    Newt nodded, "Yep. Now, wanna go celebrate?"

    Minho regarded him like a hunter analysing its prey. His deep dark eyes piercing through his collected facade and scrutinising every bit of his soul. Years of friendship has showed him that in those moments you keep the charade or you'll find yourself confessing all your sins.

    "Sure," said the Asian slowly, "were do you want to go?"
    Newt shrugged, "where do you want to go?"
    "Hmm. We could go to the beach," he offered.
    Newt mindlessly tapped the kitchen island, "we could, but it's quiet far away, and we didn't prepare."

    Minho squinted. His gaze sharpening and his lips pursed. The face he did whenever he suspected that he was up to something. Which he was.

    The Asian leaned back and crossed his leg over the other one, "ok. How about going to the park? We could take the ball and play a match?"
    "It's an option"–Newt scratched his neck–"but, eh, not feeling like going to the park honestly."
    "You just want to go to that store again, don't you?" Minho questioned him.

    The reality was that he did, of course he did. Thomas had something alluring to him and that just made Newt want to visit him again. Plus, the food was great.

    Newt chose to be honest for once, "maybe?"
    "Why? What's so especial about it? I've never seen you this obsessed with something," the Asian asked with a sigh.
    "I just like the place. It's cozy and the owner is really nice," Newt said.
    "The owner?" The Asian raised an eyebrow.
    "Yep. Tommy, you know the guy that sold me the treats," Newt uttered.

    Minho squinted at him again, this time judging him for a completely different reason. The blond remained waiting for his friend to say something. It took a while before Minho nodded and stopped giving him that judging look.

    "Ok. We can go," the Asian said.
    "Yes! Thank you. Let's go, I'll just take a quick bath," Newt said before he walked out of the room.

---

    The store was just the same as last time. Newt still had to come in disguise to keep people away, but as soon as he crossed the door, he took the cap and sunglasses off.

    The movie star was expecting to find the same charming brunet behind the counter, and he did, but he also seemed to have walked into quiet the expectacle.

    "Here in- Oh, God I can't," Aris said as he ducked behind the glass with all the treats.
    "Come on, Aris! It's just a video, it will help me out. Let's try again from the top," Thomas uttered.
    "I can't. It's too embarrassing. What if someone at college sees it?" The shy boy complained still from his hiding spot.
    "I doubt you're going to convince him Thomas," A standing beside him said.

    Newt observed the new addition to the shop. The girl with long black hair and fair skin was the definition of pretty, even with something as simple as Wicked shop uniform on her.

    "What are you guys doing?" Newt asked.
    Thomas spun around and smiled when he saw him, "Newt! We are recording a commercial for the shop. I set the Instagram account but I also opened a tiktok profile, so I want to start posting in both."
    "But instead of doing them himself he's torturing me and Teresa," Aris said from somewhere behind the counter.

    Newt was about to comment, but he caught the flabbergasted expression Teresa had. Much like with Aris, he had to prevent her from saying something and Thomas from finding out.

    "That's actually such a good idea. Tommy, why don't you follow me to the back and I can help you," Newt said while already grabbing the brunet's hand.
    "I- Sure, I gue- be right back guys," Thomas managed to blurt out as he was dragged away.

    The blond closed the door behind him and walked to the stool in front of the table. Taking glances through the window on the door at Teresa who seemed to be I'm the middle of talking with Minho and Aris. Newt hopes they can calm her down. Thomas at least seemed to still be clueless at what happened.

    "You're not as smooth as you think you are. I know what that was for," Thomas said as he started to walk towards Newt.
    Newt's eyes open in shock, the blond scolded his expression before he could give himself away, "you do? What, eh, what did I do that for? according to you."
    "You want to be the one in the commercial, obviously!" The brunet answered.

    Newt sweared that Thomas was the most obviously idiot in existence and he was thankful for that for now.

    "Now, if you want to be in the video, I had thought on a slogan for the commercial so you can say it, it goes: "Here in Wicked Wonders, we always wonder what you want," Thomas said proudly.
    Newt bit down on his lip to not laugh. He waited until he could talk without giggling to answer, "That's... as much as I appreciate it, I think I have a better idea."
    "Oh," Thomas visibly deflated, "ok, maybe I should listen to some advice. What did you have in mind?"
    "Just give me the phone and leave everything to me," Newt said with confidence.

    The movie star went to recruit the rest, and was relieved that Teresa seemed to have been calmed down by the other two, and that Aris probably explained his wishes to her since she was more relaxed now and even talked with Newt as if he was anyone else.

    Once everyone was gathered in the back, he explained his plan.

    As much as he wanted to incorporate Thomas's idea for the video, Newt was sure that non of them would be able to say that with a straight face. So, instead, he made Thomas and Aris take some of the ingredients out, and using the things he learned in college and from the people that worked in the productions he acted in, the blond taught them how to record different shots that focused on the ingredients.

    Minho also offered some ideas and told them to record Thomas making one of the cakes. It took a bit of convincing, but between the four of them they made the brunet agree to the idea.

    Newt found out that that was his favorite video out of all the one's they recorded. Thomas looked so cute as he blushed, not really used to the attention of the camera, but still keeping a calm exterior. After a bit of editing and playing around with the app and filters, Newt had whole video where Thomas appeared cutting the ingredients, then mixing them, then a shot of him putting the stuff in the oven and finally of him taking it out and decorating the cake. Newt was proud of his work.

    "And posted!" Newt handed him his phone, "now you just wait for the likes and new costumers, and you can save the others we recorded for the following days."
    "I don't know. Is it enough? I just stood there and did my job," the brunet asked.
    "Newt did a good job with the editing. It looks like those professional chefs I see all the time on the app," Teresa encouraged him.
    "They get to see the product and you get to just enjoy what you do, I don't see why it couldn't work," Aris said.
    "Plus, you're handsome," Minho said as he stuffed his face with cheesecake, "that also sells."
       
    Thomas went back to look like a Tomato. Newt supposed Minho wasn't wrong. Thomas was handsome. He has seen enough things on the Internet to know that at least two or three people will follow the account just because of that.

    "Ok, if y'all believe it," Thomas finally said.
    "Just give it time," Newt said.

    The bell to the store chimed and Thomas had to excuse himself to go attend his costumers. Teresa took that opportunity to finally drop the facade.

    "May I know why the Newt is in Thomas's store?" Teresa asked in shock.
    "He likes the food, but I also thing he likes the Baker," Minho uttered, still devouring the cake.
    Newt glared at his friend, "That's not true."
    "You don't like our food?" Aris teased.
    "What? No, I do, but... I just like this place that's all. Thomas is cool but it's not like that," Newt said.

    The Asian quirked his eyebrow at him but said nothing more. Something told Newt he will have to endure more or that later.

    "Oh, that's actually so cute," Teresa said, "hope you don't mind me asking, but.. is it true that you punched Janson because he said something horrible about your sister?"
    Newt was taken aback by her statement, "What? No, no he just-"
   
    Minho cleared his throat, reminding Newt that way that he should stay quiet. The blond zipped his mouth shut. Had he given that piece of information away and Harriet would have murder him personally.

    "It's not that. That's all I can say," Newt finally answered.
    "Of course, sorry for asking," Teresa uttered.

    The group was interrupted by Thomas who peeked his head through the doorway.

    "Hey Newt, I know you just helped me, but I got an idea for another video and wanted your opinion. Mind coming for a second?" The brunet asked.
    "Sure thing," Newt answered.

    The blond stood up and followed the brunet. Leaving the trio behind.

    "Do you think they realise they are attracted to one another?" Aris asked once they were out of earshot.
    "I don't know, but If I had a nickel for every time Newt has obsessed with something and found out later that it was because of a guy? I would have like three nickles," Minho said, "I know, not a lot but weird that I happend so many times."
    "Well, I think that it's harmless. It's cute to see them being so drawn to one another," Teresa commented.
    "Tell me that after you hear Thomas yap about how he wants to try to make complicated recipes so Newt can try them," Aris commented.

    Teresa seemed to realise how bad it was after Aris's comment. The dark-haired hoped his friend will catch up soon before it's too late.

    "All I know is that it's not going away any time soon, so I guess I'll be seeing you guys a lot more lately," Minho said, throwing the box of the cake he just ate into the trash can.
    Aris followed the trajectory of the box and whistled when it landed, "nice shot."
    "Thanks, I used to be in a basketball team," Minho said.
    "Oh, want to play with me and the guys one of this day? We have friendly matches sometimes," Aris offered.
    Minho perked at the invite, "Sure."
    "This is a cute new friendship moment and all, but I think we should go check that Thomas is not overwhelming Newt with dumb ideas," Teresa said cutting their conversation.

    The trio agreed that it was for the best, so they went to look for their two friends and see that everything was alright for now.

Notes:

Hope it's to yalls liking, ill try to uplode twice a week. :)

Chapter 5: You got something on your face.

Notes:

Ay! Would you look at that, I actually got anothwr chapter out. I hope I can keep going.

Newt flopped on the car's seat. The movie star just finished his last interview before the movie is released, and he has never been more happy to not have to see a co-star ever again more than now that he doesn't have to deal with Janson anymore.

    However, just as he expected, questions about his recent circulating picture were brought up. The blond had to lie about what he was doing there that day, but luckily, he was successful at shutting any further questions after that one. He doesn't want people pestering Thomas and his shop just because they want a chance to see him.

    That thought made the blond wonder how Thomas's videos were doing. He hopes they did well, the brunet deserved to have more costumers.

    "Oh god, why now," Harriet uttered as she typed fast on her phone.
    The blond tilted his head towards her, "Everything alright?"
    "My nice is having a birthday party this Saturday, and the bakery that was supposed to do her cake and cupcakes had a problem. Now we need a new one," Harriet said, voicing her concerns.

    Before he could properly think it through, Newt offer her a solution.

    "Why don't we go to Wicked? Thomas had some really nice cakes, I'm sure he could figure something out for you," Newt said.
    Harriet stopped texting, "Who's Thomas?"
    Minho was the one that answered, "Newt's new... acquaintance."

    The movie start though that it was weird how Minho word it, but decided to not pay much attention to it. Harriet only made it worse with her scepticism.

    "Do I have to worry about this new person?" Harriet asked.
    "No, why would you?" –the blond glared at her– "I think I'm capable of knowing if someone is trying to use me or not Harriet."
    "I know, that's not what I meant," Harriet calmed her tone to try to appease him, "I'm asking because this is the first time you mention him to me."
   
    The manager locked her phone, crossing her leg over the other she turned slightly towards the blond and adopted a more relaxed demeanour with him.

    "Do you think he will be able to do it in time?" Harriet asked.
    The blond beamed with confidence, "Absolutely."

---

In retrospective, maybe Newt should have consulted with the brunet before telling Harriet about it. Thomas looked, flabbergasted, and at the border of having a panick attack after Harriet explained what he wanted.

    "You- so you want a whole cake. A two tier miraculous lady bug theme cake," Thomas said all that while tapping the pen on his notepad, "and around a hundred decorated cupcakes by Saturday? Right?"
    "Yes, though since it's going to be early I would really like to get them tomorrow. I'm willing to pay right now if you tell me you can do it. You would save me a lot of troubles," Harriet pleaded.

    The brunet bit the inside of his cheek and looked at his clock. It was a bit past two. Thomas spared a glance at Newt and then finally answered.

    "Yeah," his voice had an abnormal high pitch that Newt picked up, "I can do it. Would you pay with cash or card?"
    Harriet practically skipped to the register, "Oh my god, you're an angle. It would be card."

    His manager paid in a heartbeat and Thomas told her she could come pick them up around the same hour tomorrow. Harriet was on her way to the door when she saw that Newt wasn't following.

    "Newt? We are leaving," she said.
    The blond looked at the stressed Thomas and then at his manager, "I will stay for a bit. Got some things to catch up with Tommy anyway."

    The blond gave her his best reassuring smile, hoping that Harriet won't question it. His manager had other plans.

    Harriet looked surprised, "But-"
    "Go, I'll keep an eye on him. We are close to the apartment anyway," Minho said.

    The manager clearly didn't want to do it, but her trust in Minho was stronger than her need to keep Newt safe, so she left.

    "Please tell me that you didn't say yes just cause you were under pressure?" Newt hissed despite them being the only ones in the shop.
    Thomas scratched his elbow and avoided his gaze, "maybe."
    "Thomas! You could have said no!" The blond said.
    The brunet pretended to be offended, "Well I'm sorry for trying to help your friend."
    "It's not that, I do appreciate it, but why take it if you can't do it?" Newt asked.

    He recommended him because it checked all the boxes on Newt's list. He helped Harriet, he gave Thomas a new costumer, and he got to visit the shop. Now it looked like it was a bad idea.

    "I can do it," Thomas raised his voice in indignation, "it would be easier if Aris or Teresa were working today, but I can do it. Just, wait and see."

    The brunet pushed the door to the back and left them alone. Newt felt that he handled that poorly, so with a brief glance at Minho, who chose to take a sit instead of helping, he went after the baker. He found Thomas as he was taking all the ingredients he needed as well as mentally making a list to see if he didn't forget anything. Newt felt that the poor brunet would crumble if you did as much as touch him in that moment.

    "I can do it, don't worry," he said lifting a finger at Newt when he saw him, "I'll maybe start with the cake in one of the ovens and then do one cupcake batch in the other," Thomas murmured to himself.

    The brunet proceeded to take pans, bowls, scales and whiskers out too. Newt tried to get his attention multiple times but the Baker was too deep into his own mind that he ignored Newt as he ran from one side of the kitchen to the other. Newt saw his opportunity to make him stop by stealing a bowl from his grip when Thomas grabbed it.

    "Would you like some help?" The blond asked him when Thomas stopped.
    The brunet slowly let his arms fall to the side, "You want to help?"
    "Unless you can materialise one of your employees here, I'm your best option," Newt said confidently, flipping the bowl in his hands and giving the brunet a silly smirk.
    "What do you know about baking?" Thomas asked
    "I've followed the recipes behind the pancake box really well, if that counts," Newt answered.

    Thomas blinked at his stupid response, but Newt adored how the corners of his mouth lift unconsciously at his answer. Harriet always said that he had a certain charm that could lift anyone's spirit. The blond guessed that Thomas wasn't immune. The fact that he looked less stress was proof enough.

    "Fine. You can help me..." Thomas crossed his arms over his chest.
    Newt stopped flipping the bowl, "good, so-"
    Thomas shut him up by lifting his finger to his lips, "but I'm the one giving the orders."

    Newt accepted the deal and passed the bowl to the brunet. The Baker seemed to regain some control over his nerves and started to direct Newt while he did his own thing. Most of the complicated stuff were handed by Thomas, but if Newt could help somehow he would do it.

    Thomas ended up delegating him all the cutting, and the kneading, as well as mixing of ingredients. Newt, for the first time in a while, felt out of his element. He was used to the pressure of shooting a scene or rehearsing dialogues or delivering emotions with just his expressions. Following the demanding orders of Thomas was a whole other experience.

    While his role was a small one and Thomas was doing most of the heavy stuff, some even at the same time, he still found time to judge Newt's cutting skills or mixing technique that he, apparently, was not doing terribly bad. By the time the two had a bit of a break Newt was already sweating and with flour all over himsefl, no wonders Thomas is always covered in them.

    "You ok there camera man?" Thomas teased with a smile.
    "Huh?" –Newt swept his hair off his face– "yeah, I'm fine."
    "If you say so," Thomas said, his eyes falling on the cake that was in the oven.

    Newt had to admit that this was harder than he thought. With the level of detail that Thomas puts in each dessert, ge would have gone insane a long time ago. He doesn't know how the brunet does it everyday.

    "Newt, you got some..." Thomas said as he pointed at his own face
    "Oh, where?" Newt asked as he whiped the wrong cheek.
    "No, the other side" Thomas said.
    "Here?" Newt used the back of his hand to wipe the spot but fail by a bit.
    "No, no- oh here, let me," Thomas said.

   The brunet cradled his face and wiped the flour off his cheek. His warm big hands held Newt's visage in his palms where it fit so perfectly. At this distance Newt couldn't help looking directly into the baker's gaze as he focused. His big doey eyes stared directly at Newt and the movement of his thumb was so tender and precise. Newt couldn't escape a funny feeling rising in his chest and the dust of pink from gracing his cheeks.

    "There, much better," Thomas said.

    The brunette retracted his hands and observed the result contentedly. Newt felt the rapid hammering of his heart in his ribcage, to the point where he believed Thomas would be able to hear it. Call him childish, but in an attempt to forget what he was feeling in that moment, the blond reached for the colored whipped cream Thomas had prepared on a bowl and smeared some on the brunette's nose with his finger.

   Thomas stepped back a bit and tried to look at his now pink nose, before he looked back at Newt. The blond was about to apologise for his impulsive action when he felt Thomas do the same. That small gesture unleashed a war between the two as they wrestled to see who could dirty the other's face more.

    Newt ended up with a blush on his cheeks again but this time due to the effort of fighting Thomas off. The duo ended up surrendering after a bit when they both found the need to quell their laughter.

    "You have some..." Thomas said again as he pointed at his face.
    "Yeah you too," Newt responded as he made a circling motion over his face.

    The two fell into another fit of giggles, but this time it died down quicker. Newt's outfit was completed ruined but he didn't cared one bit, he was having so much fun. The blond felt like a kid again.

    "Thanks for doing this for Harriet, and sorry I dropped it on you when you had no help," Newt murmured as they looked at the cake and cupcakes.
    "Don't mentioned it. Had it been anyone else, and I would have done it, her niece deserves a good party," Thomas answered.

    Newt observed the brunet's rough yet pretty profile. Thomas had a certain kind of beauty that didn't come from him having a perfectly symmetrical face, it came from him having what Newt could only call an interesting face. He was quiet handsome.

    "How did the videos do?" The blond found himself asking.
    "The vid- oh, uhm, they did... Good," Thomas said.
    Newt worried, "are you sure? It sounds like it did bad."
    "What? No. No it did well, but... have you not seen it?" Thomas licked his lips slowly.
    "I wanted to, but I have been busy all day. Sorry," Newt said, "but, if it didn't do bad, then what happened?"

    The brunet sighed after he saw that Newt was not going to drop the subject, so he took his phone out and showed Newt. The blond felt the corners of his lips lifting the more he read the comments. Apparently, Thomas's step by step video was the one that did the best, but it was because of Thomas more than the food. Of course his skills got praised as well as the final product, but there were also comments that alluded to the Baker's beauty. One of them was the top comment.

    "I keep getting notifications," Thomas said with his cheeks flaming red, "I don't know what to answer."
    Newt still remembers that feeling of his first few thirty comments, he understood Thomas perfectly, "you don't have to answer. Just, keep making videos and enjoy the praises."
    "Yeah? And when they show up?" Thoma asked.
    "They came to the shop?" Newt asked.
    Thomas shrugged, "Yeah, a pair of girls showed up, bought something and kept flirting with me the entire time."

   Newt laughed. Not because he wanted to be mean to Thomas, but because he could picture the cute reaction of the shy Baker trying to sell his cakes while people where ogling him. The blond thought that if Thomas knew what he had to go through he would probably pass out.

    "It's not funny, Newt. I even got a group of sixteen-years-old suttering and all that at me! I'm a whole as adult what am I supposed to say?" Thomas asked.
    "Oh Tommy, listen, that's just how people are. As I said just take the compliment with a smile and a thanks," Newt said, "but yeah don't flirt back with the kids, please. It would be weird."
    "Thanks, such a wise words," Thomas said while crossing his arms.
    Newt rolled his eyes and pushed him playfully. The blond glanced at him but said nothing.

    "I'm serious. People can love you for your looks and your skills, it can be both and not be bad," Newt said, "just don't engaged with what you don't want to and keep professional and you will be ok."
    "I guess," Thomas answered.
    "Now come on, I want to see more of those comments, let me see the rest of the videos," Newt uttered.

    The rest of the afternoon went by in videos and comments and finally in helping Thomas decorate the order. Among the chaos Thomas even managed to do two other recipes for other orders he had to do.

    Neet occupied himself with helping the brunet, but also with uploading several stories on his Instagram with polls and ocational boomerangs of the brunet doing something while they worked. All with the permission of the brunet that kept chanting that it was for the business that he was doing it.

    By the time he had to leave, he was feeling elated by his afternoon with Thomas but also sad that he had to go. Even when Minho scolded him for ruining the outfit, the blond couldn't find a reason to care. He was happy and that's all that matter to him.

    The duo made it back to the apartment where they had a healthy and filling meal before each went to their respective beds.

    Newt was about to go to sleep for the night and was just doom scrolling on twitter when he saw that there was another picture of him. The blond wondered when did they took it if Minho made sure to shut down anyone pointing a camera at him, but it was expected, he supposed, when it was only him against all his fans.

    Newt at least thought it was a good picture. It wasn't blurry, he looked nice, despite the whipped cream on his face and he was beaming a smile.

    The blond went into the comments. Chuckling at the comments thirsting over him and even whising to like the ones that were speculating if he was covered in whipped cream because of a new movie.

    Felling confident and a bit mischievous, Newt retweeted the picture with a simple quote over it before he locked his phone and went to sleep. 

Notes:

Thanks for the warm welcome back to this fic. It means a lot, :) see you next chapter.

Chapter 6: Kiss so sweet as the goods he bakes.

Newt was barely regaining consciousness when he felt his phone vibrate. The blond opened one eye just in time to see his lit screen lock itself again. Grabbing the device and rolling onto his back, Newt unlocked it and slid his finger down to check his notifications.

    He had a couple of messages from his friends, but something told him that he should start by opening Harriet's message first. His manager had attached a link to twitter, underneath she just added a small message that said: looks like your image is improving, you're all people talk about right now.

    Intrigued, Newt opened the link. The blond is used to people overanalyzing everything he does, but yesterday's picture surely takes the top spot. The theories from last night that thought the picture was for a new movie had grown to the point that people had retraced his social media activity from previous months. He seemed to have become the hot topic of twitter over night.

    Newt chuckled and was about to abandon Twitter when he suddenly stopped on a post that had a screenshot of an account he recognized. A capture of Thomas's video was on full display alongside his picture, and on top of it, Newt read the ridiculous title: "Why Newt's New Picture is Related to This Account: A Thread."

The blond tapped on the tweet and scrolled down through twenty follow-up tweets that explained how the person had followed Thomas's account at first and that after his recent picture, they started to piece everything together. While the most viral video of the brunet didn't show Newt at all, the blond had apparently not been so cautious with the other stories and posts he uploaded.

    The fan, in a slightly eccentric but very detailed description, demonstrated the similarities between the person behind the camera and himself. There was that instance where he recorded his hand tossing a spoon into the air and catching it with the brunette in the background as a boomerang, which apparently displayed the same bracelet he was wearing as part of the outfit in the most recent viral image. Or how you could vaguely perceive his reflection on the chrome of the kitchen's furniture in one of Thomas's posts, or the most absurd yet incriminating one. Before Thomas had cleaned the whipped cream from his face, Newt had uploaded a poll with a picture of the brunette still covered in it with some silly caption, and the person had remarked how it was the same colored whipped cream.

    Newt didn't know whether to laugh or not. The post was many things, and unfortunately, one of them was that it was right about Newt being the one behind the camera some times. What could he do? Nothing really, but the blond thought that he needs to start going incognito to the store more. The brunet already had some unwanted attention the other day, the movie star is sure he doesn't need more.

    The Baker he had on his mind sent him a text in that moment, surprising Newt when the notification appeared on top of the screen.

    Opening the chat with Thomas he found a very tired but happy brunet that was behind harriet's order plus the other ones he had completed. Thomas sent him a small text underneath that read: finished decorating everything. Newt had to leave before the work was done yesterday, mainly because the brunet told him that he would get what was left done, Newt guessed he pulled an all night to complete everything. Newt though about it for a moment before he texted Thomas back.

    To brunet continued their conversation and Newt found himself talking with Thomas about everything. Even when the topic discussed wasn't something he would be versed in, Newt didn't feel bored for a single moment. Their chat would have continued if it wasn't for Harriet who interrupted by calling him.

    "Yes?" Newt said as he picked up the call.
    "Why do you sound so annoyed?" Harriet asked through the phone.
    "I'm not," Newt uttered.

    He was, but the blond didn't know why leaving Thomas on hold for whatever Harriet wanted annoyed him so much.

   "Well it does sound like you do," Harriet said.
   "Harriet, just tell me what you want," Newt said.
    The manager was silent for a couple of minutes before she said, "someone wants to interview you and I wanted to see if you were willing to do it."
    "Why wouldn't I?" Newt asked.
    Harriet exhaled "Because is for America's heartthrob magazine, and-"
    "Oh my god, please tell me you didn't got me an interview with Brenda," Newt groaned.
    "Unfortunately, that's the one. And they want to do it this afternoon," Harriet uttered.

    Newt groaned again. Brenda was one of the most ruthless interviewers that existed right now and Newt had been avoiding her for quiet some time because she tends to ask some out of pocket questions.

    "Fine, but you better tell her to behave," Newt uttered.
    "I will. Now, since we have the interview for this afternoon, I wanted to ask you for another favour," Harriet asked.

---

    The favour ended up being that she wanted Newt to pick up the order since she wasn't going to be able to pick it up because she will be with him on the interview. Newt was more than glad to do it, especially because it gave the blond a reason to visit and tease Thomas.

    "You look ready to pass out" Newt snickered as Thomas handed him the box.
    "I am. More clients came in yesterday so I had to postpone the order until the shop was empty again," Thomas uttered.
    "Hey, at least things are going better for you," Newt said.

    Thomas looked so cute as he rubbed the sleep off, the blond wished he could stay and help him but that would require for him to neglect his interview from this afternoon. He still needed to mentally prepare for that.

    "Are you sure you can carry all that?" Thomas asked.
    "Yeah, I'm fine. My sister lend me her car. I'll just put everything in the back," Newt uttered.
    "Let me help you carry it back to the car then," Thomas offered.

    Newt thought of it for a second. He had come in her sister's old car wearing an oversized hoodie from Minho and his sunglasses to try to not get attention. So far he hasn't seen anyone pointing a camera at him, but he could never be sure.

    "I don't know, shouldn't you be getting some sleep while you can Thomas?" The blond asked.
    "Nonsense. I don't want you loosing your balance and dropping my cake either, so lead the way and let me do this," Thomas said.

    Newt fought back the idea of spend some time with Thomas, but in the end his need to be with the brunet won. He also didn't want to drop the cake as Thomas said and invoking the wrath of Harriet because he ruined his niece birthday party.

    Making their way to the parking lot, Newt had the most blessed yet stressful moments of his life. Thomas was always a nice company and he loved spending time talking with him, but unfortunately, this time around he had to also spend his time with Thomas looking around for any unwanted cameras pointing in his direction. He was a ball of nerves that only felt better because the brunet kept distracting him.

    Once everything was secured in the back, Newt closed the trunk and turned to the brunet.

    "I hope your friend is happy with the end product," Thomas said.
    "I'm sure she will, you did an amazing job," Newt answered with a wink.

    It was silly, the blond knew that no matter how he saw it, it was silly how much he adored the sweet smile spreading across Thomas's handsome face. The brunet had something about him that pulled Newt in his direction, and he was more than willing to go along with it if the result was the same bashful Thomas he had in front right now.

    The two remained without moving, clearly wanting to say something else to prolong the time spent together, but Newt couldn't find any reason to not just leave in that moment other than him wanting to stay and talk with Thomas.

    "Well, I guess I should..." Newt pointed in the direction of the car.
    "Yeah, I mean, everything is already there so..." Thomas said.
    "Right," Newt said slowly.

    The blond turned to hop on the car when he felt Thomas grab his wrist to stop him.

    Newt stopped and looked at Thomas, waiting to hear what he wanted to say, but the brunet seemed at a loss for words. Newt quirked an eyebrow in his direction, still being patient with him and hoping that Thomas could arrange his thoughts enough to say what was on his mind. What he got was a huff followed by a pull of his sleeve.

    Newt didn't registered the kiss on his lips until he felt Thomas cradle his face with both hands. His lips were so soft and Thomas was so gentle as he kissed him that Newt felt drunk from the touch alone. Their moment of intimacy was interrupted as Thomas pulled back.

    The brunet looked shocked, "I'm so sorry, I shouldn't- it's just that you looked- and I didn't want you to leave just... i-"
   
    Newt followed his own impulsive thoughts and brought Thomas back into another kiss. The brunet moaned when their lips met, and let Newt guide their make out session this time around.

    The blond felt his strong hands come circle his waist and pull him close as Newt threw his own arms around Thomas's shoulders. It took a minute but they had to stop to be able to breath.

    "That was..." Thomas whispered.
    "Good? Yeah, you know how to kiss Tommy," Newt answered with glee in his voice, "I think I should..."
    "Oh, yeah, yeah. Let me know if she likes the cakes," Thomas uttered.

    Newt unattached himself from the brunet, the two idiots stepped away from one another as their blush increased and Newt had to leave before he could do something stupid.

    As he drove over to Harriet's house, his heart kept speeding and his mind kept going back to the moment their lips met. Since when does Thomas like me like that? Since when do I like him like that Newt thought. The blond was falling into a spiral that just kept going the more he let his intrusive thoughts wander.

    Feeling that kind of attraction had never been a problem for Newt. He was confident enough in his own self to not feel insecure whenever he approached someone with those intentions, but Thomas was different, clearly.

    Now neet couldn't stop thinking if he went back to that shop religiously because of his genuine love for the baked goods or if it was just because he was in denial and didn't want to admit that the brunet behind the counter was somewhat attractive to his mind.

    That thought sent Newt unto another line of thinking that turned out to be really dangerous as he was now making a mental list of all the things he found attractive on Thomas.

    On a stop light, Newt let his head hit the wheel and press the honk of the car. Newt groaned in frustration as he couldn't stop thinking about Thomas.

    Thomas and his stupid grin, Thomas and his ability to look good even covered by flour and other ingredients, Thomas and his strong skilled hands, Thomas who apparently was a really good kisser. As Newt pressed the pedal to advance after someone hunked him move, he knew he was screwed.

    The baked goods were delivered to Harriet who was more than impressed and delighted with the end product. She was all smiles and compliments for Thomas, which didn't really helped Newt to forget about the subject of his turmoil in that moment.

    The manager invited Newt to stay for a cup of coffee before they had to go to the interview to which the blond accepted. He needed the caffeine to face Brenda and to maybe distract him from a certain mop of brown hair.

    To the blonds delight, Harriet at least managed to keep his thoughts away from Thomas for a bit. Chatting with his manager was just as easy as any of his other friends which helped him ease his mind. At least from the brunet.

    A new problem was in Newt's hands now, and that was how to answer to all the possible questions Brenda would ask. She was known in the media for being always good at asking questions that were both engaging but really hard to answer without exposing more of yourself.

    Any other day and he would have been ready, but today his mind seemed to be elsewhere and that made him dread the interview. He just hopes that she won't over-step with what she will ask.

    "Ok, just remember what we practice. Keep the smile and answer without fear so she won't have anything else to ask," Harriet said.
    Newt huffed, "I will. OK, wish me luck."

    Newt was waiting for his cue to get on the stage. Brenda's program had a lot of segments and his was supposed to be somewhere in the middle. Having to wait wasn't the best for his nerves right this moment, but Newt was adamant about not letting the interview affect him further.

    He was so focused on not letting him affect him that he almost missed when Brenda called him on stage. Newt got out of his daze and scolded his expression to flash everyone his charming smile.

    The blond waved and walked as the reflectors and the invited crowd greeted him. There were cheers and claps everywhere, Newt loved this part of the attention even if it could be overwhelming sometimes.

    "Newt! Welcome, welcome, please take a sit," Brenda said cheerfully.
    "Thanks, thanks for inviting me," Newt said.

    The blond kept his smile and forced to keep the eye contact as Brenda reciprocated with her own.

    "I'm glad you could make it," she said, "you've been quiet busy lately."
    "Uhh, well, that's expected when you have to do press for a movie, right?" Newt answered.
    "It is. Your little dispute with Janson was quiet the show," she said.

    There was a glint of devilish glee in her eye, but Newt was more than ready to shut that line down fast just as Harriet had prepared him to do.

    "It was, but I'm glad we left that behind," Newt said confidently, "if we work together again, I'm sure we will get along."
    "Of course," Brenda said with a tight smile.

    Newt smiled back and kept his aura of boyish charm so Brenda would have nothing to grab on to to start questioning him. If he continues, he should be able to get out of here soon.

    "But, tell me, I've seen that you've been going out a lot," Brenda questioned, "what's that about? Is there a secret project coming up?"
    "Oh, those," Newt said ready to answer, "no, just going out, having fun with friends... that's all."

    Brenda smile grew, and this time Newt didn't like it. She seemed to be planning something. The blond hopes she won't pull any kind of bullshit.

    "Oh, interesting," she said faking to be innocent, "and is this also just having fun with friends?"

    Brenda motioned to a screen that was now flashing with a new picture of the blond. Newt's blood ran cold as he saw the image of him kissing Thomas. The picture was from quiet far away, but it was clear that it was him.

    "This also seems to be pretty recent," Brenda said, "You cheeky little devil, having a bit of fun before coming here I see."

    The picture didn't show Thomas's face, all thanks to the fact that they were both wearing hoodies and his protected the brunet's face a lot more than it did for Newt's that had slid down a bit to show his face.

      "I didn't know you were dating someone," Brenda commented, "Who's this new friend?"

    Newt opened and closed his mouth. Everything he had practice for the interview went out of the window and that left the blond a bit exposed to Brenda who was more than ready to tear him apart and scrutinise everything he did so far.

    "I hope you don't mind commenting on it, Newt," she said.

    The blond gulped and sweared he was about to pass out, he needs to find some excuse to say, even if it's the most ridiculous thing he can come up with. But over all, he wants to keep Thomas out of this.

Notes:

Sorry for the fewer updates, traveling and writing is exhausting and i've been having a bit of an author's block, but ill be back in full swing soon.

For now, enjoy this update

Chapter 7: Avoiding disaster and planning for the future.

Sweat was forming on his forehead, his smile faltering, and his pulse kept rising. Newt needed to say something, but the blond didn't really have any excuses prepared. What does she even want me to say? Newt thought.

    The lights shining down on him made Newt feel as if he was in an interrogation room. Seconds felt like hours; everyone was waiting for his answer, and the silence that that caused only served to increase his nervousness.

    "Everything okay, Newt?" Brenda asked, her smile knowing. "It's just a simple question."

    Out of the corner of his eye, Newt caught sight of Harriet mouthing for him to say something. That wouldn't be enough for the blond; he needed to make sure to keep things as vague as possible. Just keep Thomas out of this, Newt thought as he cleared his throat.

    "Yeah, uh..."—he shrugged—"it's not how I expected everyone to find out."
    "Oh! How did you expect it then? Were you going to make a big announcement? You've been awfully quiet on social media, so that would have been quite a shock," Brenda said.
    Newt licked his lips. "Yeah, it would have. But I wasn't planning on-"
"Aww, Newt, come on. No need to be shy. You wouldn't let your fans down like that, right?" Brenda joked and laughed.

    Newt ground his teeth together. He just wanted to move on, but Brenda was making that task impossible. The longer the picture was on display, the longer he felt more shame for being so reckless.

    "I think I would have probably said something when the time was right," Newt answered and prayed that was it.
    "Of course, of course," Brenda smiled. "I assume you guys have been dating for some time. I mean, that kiss... wow, so tender, am I right?"

    Newt glanced at Harriet, who was glaring at Brenda. Even His manager was furious, to say the least. Harriet caught his stare and pleaded with him with her eyes to keep a cool head.

    "Yeah, I"—Newt crossed his arms and leaned back to appear calm—"it was a good kiss."

    One you wouldn't mind repeating, a voice in the back of his mind said, but before Newt could process that thought, Brenda kept up her questioning.

    "I figured. I'm going to assume you guys have spent some time together then?" Brenda asked with an innocent tone, but with preying eyes. "I mean, again, if my ex had kissed me like that?" Brenda whistled.
"It's—it's a—ehem, it's a pretty new thing," Newt said.
   
    Brenda brought her hand to her chest and swooned. The crowd joined her in adoring the tender confession, but Newt could only focus on the camera lenses pointing straight at him. Keep up the facade, just smile, she knows nothing, Newt thought.

    "That's so sweet. What's his name?" she asked.

None of your business, was Newt's first thought. This is the part he needs to avoid the most. He knows how to deal with crazy fans, Thomas doesn't, and he knows there will be people that will go to extremes if they know who he is.

    "I think that will be revealed when I make the official announcement," Newt said. "But, uh, until then I just hope everyone has been enjoying the new movie. Have you seen it?"

    One of the points they discussed with Harriet was to turn the questioning to Brenda in the hopes that she will run out of time and won't be able to control the interview that much.

"Oh, it was excellent. I. Love. It. And the rest of America too," she winked.
    Newt nodded, feeling more at ease for a bit. "I'm glad. It was one of my biggest projects."
    "I know, and with such an excellent cast," Brenda said. "That's why I was hoping that you had a secret project when these showed up all around the Internet."

    With a click of a button, she displayed the other circulating pictures of Newt that were also near the plaza. Newt felt the dread come back when he saw the fake smile on her face again.

    "But apparently not," she said, "were all these visits to your secret boyfriend?"

    Newt was once again trapped. It's as if he just gave her more ammunition to question him further. The blond kept wondering how much longer he had to endure this.

    Newt hesitated, "I- well, it's- I wouldn't, uhm..."
   
    Luckily for the brunet the time Brenda had was over and she had to move to another segment. In a bit of a daze, Newt bid his farewell and walked off stage to follow a very worried Harriet back to her car.

    Newt felt drained after the whole interaction, so he chose that looking out of the window while Harriet drove was the only thing he wanted to do. His manager, on the other hand, seemed to want to discuss things.

    "So... you and Thomas..." Harriet uttered.
    Newt hit the glass with his forehead and groaned, "I don't want to talk about it."
    "Hey, hey, it's alright. It's not something to feel bad about Newt, nor am I mad about it," Harriet encouraged.
    "Harriet, seriously, I don't want to talk about it," Newt said.

    Harriet fell silent and instead focused on joining the highway. Newt had too much to think about, so the rest of the trip was spent without a word bewteen the two. It wasn't until she was dropping him in his apartment complex that she spoke again.
   
     "I'm sorry that I didn't stop Brenda," Harriet said. "I should have been more clear with her about the interview."
    "It's ok, she wouldn't be as popular as she was easy to handle. You know Hollywood can be ruthless," Newt said.

    Harriet gave him a soft smile and with that Newt excited her car and said goodbye to his friend. The blond made his way upstairs and into his room. It had been a long day and all he wanted was to switch to his comfortable clothes and get something for dinner.

    The blond did just that, but while he was doing it he kept replaying the kiss with Thomas earlier that morning. He know that he will have to talk about it with the Baker soon or later, but he doesn't even know how to do it or even bring it up.

    Newt was also dreading what would that mean for the two of them. Does he ask Thomas on a date first? Or should he maybe ask him to just be his boyfriend? What if he read the signals wrong and maybe Thomas just wanted something casual? This and many other questions kept bombarding the blond's mind until it drove him insane. His thoughts were interrupted by Minho when he finally arrived home.

    A knock on the door interrupted Newt, "come in."
    "Hey- oh god, what happend now?" Minho asked.
    "What? I'm just chilling," newt answered.
    "No, you're "eating the cereal out of the box while watching bridgerton" chilling. That always means you're stressed," Minho uttered.

    The raiven-haired walked to Newt's bed with a food order he seemed to have bought for them. Placing the order on the nightstand, Minho climbed on the bed and Newt scoot over to make room for him.

    The blond kept paying attention to the episode on the laptop he had propped on his lap, while he munched on the fruit loops, the crumbs falling over his navy blue sweater. Minho remained silent by his side and even stole some cereal from the box to eat alongside his friend while they watched the episode.

    Newt knows that Minho is waiting for him to open up, but he loves that he never pushed him to do so. Unless, of course, he was being stubborn and the Asian had to act for him to finally say something. This time around, however, he thought that maybe Minho's guidance could help.

    "Did you saw the interview?" Newt asked casually.
    "Unfortunately, no. However, Harriet told me everything," Minho said. "Are you ok?"
    "Yeah, I'm fine. You know I have thick skin when it comes to this kind of things," Newt answered.
    "But?" Minho asked.

    Newt took another bite of fruit loops while he thought how to formulated the question to his friend.

    "But, I'm more worried about something else," Newt uttered.
    "About Thomas?" Minho asked.
    The blond swallowed his food and said, "yeah. Was it that obvious?"
    "That you were going to ask me or that you had a thing for him?" Minho asked.
    Newt rolled his eyes playfully, "you couldn't have known I had a thing for him. Not even I knew."

    Minho snorted and shook his head. Newt delivered him a hard punch on his arm and asked him to explain what was so funny.

    "Newt, I know you thought that you went just to help him out," Minho said. "But have you seen yourself when you're in that shop?"
    "I reckon I look like anyone else?" The blond said.
    "For anyone that doesn't know you? Yes. For me? No," Minho uttered.
    "What is that supposed to mean?" Newt asked.

    The blond closed his laptop and put it aside. Sitting with his legs crossed, he tilted his body halfway to Minho and demanded an explanation. Minho however was not intimidated by the blond in the oversized hoodie and sweatpants.

    "You're all smiles and charming compliments with him," Minho said. "And it's not your usual smug smile, it's a genuine one."
    "Maybe I just liked the bloke. That was hardly any evidence for you," Newt said indignantly.
    "You also dragged me there every day, you get this glint in your eyes when you see him"–Minho listed by lifting a finger each time he spoke–"you went against Harriet of all people just to see him, I don't know if you noticed, but you also have this small blush on your face when you speak to him-"
    "Ok, ok, I get it!" Newt said to make him stop.

    With a groan, Newt let himself fall on Minho's lap and pulled his sweater strings hard to make the hood cover his face. Minho placed a hand on top of his head and gave him a few gentle taps.

    "You two are adorable though. I'm glad you guys are going to give dating a chance," Minho said.

    Newt didn't answered and only pulled from the strings further. Even with his face covered, he could feel Minho's gaze as the Asian judged him.

    "Because you two are dating, right?" Minho asked.
    "So how was your day?" Newt asked, freeing the strings a bit to be able to see Minho.
    "I swear- don't change the subject. What happened?" Minho asked.

    The blond proceeded to explain his day to Minho. Observing how his friend facepalmed when he reached the part of the kiss.

    "I swear, at this pace Aris is going to win," Minho uttered.
    "Aris is going to what? What is that supposed to mean?" The blond asked.
    "Don't worry about it. Listen, why don't you go talk to him then?" Minho said.

    Newt looked at his discarded phone. Thinking that even if it was this late at night he could maybe text Thomas and figure things out, but he felt that that was a very poor way of doing it.

    "I could but..." Newt sighed.
    "He clearly likes you. I don't see the problem," Minho commented.
    "I'm the problem! He was all skittish the other day because one of his videos went viral and he got some attention," Newt uttered. "How is he going to deal with the crazy fans or the pressure of people constantly harassing him? I don't want to make him go through that."
    "Oh right. I forgot the dumbass doesn't know you're a movie star," Minho said, "seriously, how has he never seen a poster with you face and made the connection?"

    Newt shrugged. Thomas was so clueless that it was both adorable and really endering to the blond. It seemed to frustrate Aris and Teresa, but he found it funny.

    "Well. One way or another, you'll have to tell him at some point dude," Minho said.
    "That's if I even can get to the shop without people following me. I feel like I'll see more paparazzi in the plaza now," Newt said.
   
    Minho looked deep in thought to Newt. The Asian didn't answer immediately, which only meant that those gears of his were already spinning to formulate a plan.

    "Does it have to be in the plaza? Why not invite him on a date?" Minho said.
    "I feel like that would be worse. More places, more opportunities to be seen," Newt explained.
    "Nah. Trust me, it's a better idea. In fact..." Minho smiled devilishly.

    The Asian reached for Newts phone and unlocked it. The blond was confused for a moment until he saw Minho hold the phone to his ear. The blond understood in that moment what he had planned and tried to stop it.

    "Minho! Give me my phone," Newt said as he wrestled to get his phone back.
    "Nop not gonna- oh, hi Thomas," Minho said as he fought back. "Hey sorry to disturb you this late at night, but- hey, leave my hair alone- sorry, no yeah I'm fine, just someone wants to talk with you about something."

    Minho shoved his phone back on his hands and Newt panicked. He was about to hang up, but Minho stopped him.

    "Don't you dare. Talk to him," Minho hissed.
    "And say what? Hey, nice kiss, wanna repeat it?" Newt hissed back.
    "You sure wouldn't mind. Just... invite him out and leave the rest to me," Minho whispered.
    "No" Newt said
    "Yes" Minho said.
    "N-"—Minho forced the phone to his ear—"Tommy! Hi, sorry about that."

    Newt glared back at the Asian who was looking smug and too happy for the blonds liking.

    Hi, don't worry. Is everything alright? Thomas asked.
    Newt scratched his neck, "Yeah, yeah. I was just calling because... uhm."

    Minho urged him to be brave and Newt was trying to tell him to leave him alone. The blond chose to move to his bathroom to have some privacy.

    Newt took a breath and calmed down, "I was just wondering if you would like to go out tomorrow."
    Tomorrow? With you- I mean, sure. Where to? Thomas said.

    Thomas's voice got a high pitch for a moment and Newt found himself smiling at the adorable sound of his voice getting nervous. Maybe Minho was right and he shouldn't worry that much.

    "Wanna go to the beach? We could just walk around and have some fun, or go to the restaurants on the edge," Newt offered.
    Absolutely, yeah. I'll go open the shop, but Aris and Teresa can cover me tomorrow, Thomas said.
    "Cool, it's a date then," Newt said, blush growing.
    A date, sure. See you at our date, tomorrow. Our date with just the two of us tomorrow, Thomas said. Anyway, gonna hang up, bit see you tomorrow, bye.

    Thomas ended the call abruptly and Newt had to chuckle at the sudden shyness of the Baker. The blind guessed there was no going back now.

    "Ok, so what's your plan to let me have my moment with Thomas?" Newt asked once out of the bathroom.
    "Oh leave that to me. You just worry about your Tommy and clearing things out with him," Minho said.

    Newt arched an eyebrow at his friend. He should be worried with how fast he seemed to be typing on his phone, probably already planning what he will do to keep the paparazzi away, but he trusted him. The blond worried much more about what he would say to Thomas tomorrow.

Notes:

Hope you guys like the chapter. Im happy everyone is enjoying this fic this much and sorry for the mini cliff hanger on the last episode :)

Chapter 8: The intricate explanation of Gellato and the loyalty of good friends.

Notes:

Hope you guys like it.

Newt looked down at the bottle of temporary hair dye and then back at Minho. His friend cocked his head in the direction of the bottle, making Newt look down at it again.

    "Are you for real?" Newt lifted the bottle. "Dye my hair? It's not going to work."
    Minho shrugged, "Why not? Everyone is expecting a blond, charming actor, not a brunet. It could work."
    "Right. And what am I supposed to tell Thomas?" Newt asked, "'Oh, I just decided to change my look out of nowhere, you know?'"
    "Yep, that's exactly what you'll do. Unless, you prefer to cancel the date." Minho said.

    Newt grimaced at the thought of hearing Thomas's disheartened voice if he did such a thing. Resigned, the blond sighed and handed Minho the hair dye. His friend patted the seat he had prepared for Newt. The blond removed his shirt to avoid getting any stains on it and sat down.

    The raven-haired got to work quickly. Opening the package, Minho followed the instructions while he talked with Newt. In no time Newt's usual golden locks were now darker and dull. Instead of shimmering threads like the yellow sunset, Newt now sported the calm and comforting color of the earth, and, somehow, thought that it suited him even if he find it a bit weird to look at.

    "It looks so... bizarre," Newt said as he observed his new look in the reflection of the mirror.
    "I think it suits you. I chose a brown that's not too dark, but the contrast with your usual blond hair is still noticeable," Minho said.
    "Yeah. How long do I have to stay like this?" Newt asked.
    "Just a bit more. Then we will clean it up. It will be gone when you wash your hair next time, so don't worry if you don't like it," Minho explained.

    The Asian stopped leaning against the washbasin and moved to throw away all the trash from the hair dye. In the meantime, Newt focused on Thomas and what he would talk with him about in the date. There was a million things he wanted to discuss with the brunet, but there was never an easy way to approach such subjects.

    "Thinking about your Baker?" Minho asked, getting him out of his thoughts.
    Newt found his friend in the reflection on the mirror, "I'm sort of nervous about the whole thing."

    Minho placed both hands on his shoulders, the Asian gave him a gentle squeeze and smiled softly to his friend. Newt felt the reassurance in his friend's gaze. Minho had a way to calm you down with few words.

    "You've acted on the big screen, I'm sure you can deal with a Baker," Minho said.
    "That's a bit different"—Newt gave Minho a concealed smile—"but I hope so."
    "Just be yourself. You two will be fine. Now, let's see what you had in mind to wear for the date," Minho uttered.

---

Wicked wonder treats:

Thomas checked the clock again. The brunet had a couple of minutes before he had to go and find Newt for their date. However, he was still too preoccupied about the whole affair, so he was distracting himself with the shop.

    "Don't forget to get the cupcakes for Miss Avery ready," Thomas instructed as he moved around the kitchen. "And we need to make more blueberry Royal mousse we are running low on it."
    "I know, you already told us... five times," Teresa said calmly.

    The brunet nodded. With a brief glance at her and Aris, he grabbed the shop's keys and handed them to Teresa. Thomas walked to the door, but felt his nerves betraye him so he went back to the kitchen room.

    "We also need to record more videos for the insta and tiktok page. Maybe I should stay and help out," Thomas lied.
    "Thomas go!" Aris and Teresa screamed in unison.

    The brunet lifted his hands in a sign of peace and walked out of the door leaving them behind.

    Teresa huffed, "I hope his date goes well."
    "Don't worry. Minho and I will do our best to keep unwanted attention away," Aris said already grabbing his cap.
    Teresa chuckled, "I know. I was talking about Thomas's dating skills."
    "I'm sure he will be fine," Aris uttered. "He's not that hopeless. Have some faith in him."
    "As long as he doesn't start talking about thermodynamics or something like that to poor Newt..." Teresa said, picturing Thomas doing it.
   
    Aris walked to the door and opened it, turning halfway towards Teresa, he put his cap on and accommodate it before he spoke again.

    "I'm sure he won't. You sure you will be fine by yourself?" Aris asked.
    Teresa crossed her arms and nodded, "I will. Now go before someone ruins Thomas's chance."

    Aris saluted Teresa before he sprinted out of the shop in order to join Minho and the rest of the guys they played basketball with to execute the: saving the date plan.

---

Newt bounced on the balls of his feet. Thomas was late. Did I got the hour wrong? Or the place? Newt thought. No, it can't be. I made sure to check twice. The blond looked at both sides of the street to make sure he didn't miss Thomas by accident.

    Since he didn't see him anywhere, Newt decided to use the reflective surface of the window of a local to check himself for the umpteenth time. The white jeans matched well with the white and blue stripped button down shirt, the sunglasses made him look cool, though he supposed Thomas must believe he lives with them twenty four seven by now, and his hair was arranged in the perfect messy-but combed with his hands style that he liked.

    He was a bit apprehensive about the dye, but, it not only looked good on him, it was also effective at disguising him a bit more. Everyone was so used to his iconic blond hair that if anyone recognised him they would probably think that he only looks familiar. That still didn't stopped Newt from checking around once in a while.

    The last surprise photo was the last one Newt planned to allow anyone take of Thomas. The blond was glad that the brunet's face was left out of it, but he feared that someone would try to take a picture again and upload it to twitter. Sealing Thomas's fate that way.

    He doesn't want that kind of attention, Newt thought. Which is the reason why he's also having second doubts about their meeting. This "date" was to clarify what happened in that parking lot, but it was also where Newt will know if Thomas will want to stay with him when the truth comes out.

    If I'm going to give this a chance, whenever if we finish as more than friends or not, I can't keep lying to Thomas. Not anymore, the blond pondered. His thoughts distracted him so much that he almost didn't registered the brunet standing beside him. Newt found Thomas checking if he wasn't about to interrupt the wrong person.

    "Tommy," Newt said, smile already beaming at the sigh of Thomas, "You look lost. Everything ok?"
    "I- yes. It's just that your hair..." Thomas hushed out pointing at the hair.
    "You don't like it?" Newt asked tilting his head to the side.
    "No! No, it looks great, amazing"—Thomas licked his lips—"just... not used to it, but it looks good on you."

    Newt's lips curved in a content smile. The blond averted his eyes to the side for a moment before he stuck his arm out to offer it Thomas.

    "Good, otherwise I would have slap you for not appreciating how good I look," Newt joked. "it's just for today though so don't get used to it. Ready to go?" Newt asked.
    Thomas chuckled and hooked his arm with Newt's, "yeah. But why just for today specifically?"
    Newt swallowed his nerves and said, "I'll tell you later. For now, shall we start with our date?"
    Thomas lifted an eyebrow, intrigued by Newt's enigmatic charm, "Ok. Lead the way."

---

Minho and Aris:

Aris felt strangely proud of the sigh of Thomas and Newt enjoying their date. The assistant Baker allowed himself to smile as he admired them walking side by side down the beach walk. Thomas had the biggest smile and Newt looked at him as if he hung the moon for him.

    Aris felt happy for his friend. After all the years he has seen him fail at dating and living such a stressful life due to the career change and having the bakery's responsibility now, Thomas deserved to relax and be the young adult he is supposed to be.

    However, as much as he feels proud for him, he needs to give them their space. Aris, Gally, Frypan and Minho had agreed to help keep the paparazzi away from the couple as best as they could after Minho explained the whole situation to the guys. Minho had become part of their little basketball games since he started to come to the shop with Newt more, so the group didn't doubt that much to help them.

    Pulling his cap further down on his head, Aris scanned the area he was guarding. One quick sweep with his eyes and he already detected someone ready to cause problems.

    To girls were giggling and pointing in the direction of the couple, and that was enough to sound all the alarms in Aris's book.

    The assistant Baker placed his hands on his pockets and slowly made his way to the table they were sitting on. As soon as he saw the girl zoom the camera with her fingers, Aris pressed the pace and collided with her.

    "Hey! Look where you're going," the girls snapped at him.
    Aris picked the phone before she could, "I'm so sorry, here let me clean it for you."
    "It's not needed asshole," the girl said back.
    Aris moved the phone out of her reach and faked he was cleaning and inspecting it, "Oh no. I insist."

    He quickly checked that the guys were out of sigh. When he didn't catch sight of any of them, Aris handed the phone back quickly.

    "Here you go. OK, bye," Aris said quickly and sprinted out of sight. "You better not fuck this up Thomas," Aris murmured to himself.

---

    Thomas and Newt:

Newt adored the small giggles that escaped from Thomas. The blond was having the best time telling the brunet about the bad experience in the industry, as well as some of the stories with his cast mate. Though, he still let the part of him being an actor out and played it out as if it was just him and the rest of the recording crew having fun.

    "Why would she do that?" Thomas asked, giggles escaping him.
    "I don't know," Newt responded, chuckles bubbling out of him too, "I tried to convince her that it was a bad idea to use that kind of paint for the costume. It took days to come off."

    Thomas shook his head, the brunet was amused by Newt's charm and for once the blond thanked all the gods that he was gifted with such a way with words. Even if it came so easy to him when he was with Thomas.

    "So... you've to still tell me where we are going. Unless, your plan is to tire me with a walk," Thomas asked.
    Newt faked to be hurt, "Oh... I guess my company is not that entertaining."
    Thomas rolled his eyes, "Don't be like that. You know what I mean."

    Newt stopped and motioned to the restaurant he just stopped in front of.  Thomas spun in the direction of the door and looked up to the sign.

    "Huh, I think I have never eaten here," Thomas commented.
    "I figured. Most people get past it, but I used to come here a lot with my family," Newt uttered. "I thought it was a good idea to bring you here."
    "Hmm, it looks so... cozy. I like it" Thomas said.
    "Good," Newt said proudly.
    "Let's go then. You can tell me all about baby Newt's adventure while we eat," Thomas said.

    With a nod, Newt opened the door for Thomas. The brunet joked about Newt's politeness, but the blond saw the dopey grin on the other's face.

---

Minho and Aris:

Minho checked the group chat with the guys once more. Apparently, Gally and Fry had successfully stopped some people from taking any picture and Gally even went as far as convincing someone from posting about seeing Newt in the vicinity.

    The Asian hated how people couldn't let Newt have a bit of privacy. He understood that some people saw his friend as someone they admired, and that was fine, he thought that it was cute whenever a kid was so excited to get a picture with him or how some people would praise and tell Newt how much his work meant for them, but he also hated that that made some people feel entitled to his friend's entire time.

    Therefore, with that thought on his mind, Minho will spend the entire day protecting his friend's privacy if he needed to.

    The Asian used his sharp eyes to look out for anyone gossiping, looking too much in the couple's direction, or just generally looking suspicious.

    He was about to move to keep up with Thomas when he saw someone with a camera looking a bit suspicious. Minho followed his gaze and found Newt and Thomas sitting in the restaurant terrace.

    "Over my dead body," he said to himself before he started to march in the photographer's direction.

    Minho stood right in front of the camera's lense and crossed his arms over his chest. The paparazzi stopped aiming his camera to his friend's and found the burning glare of the raiven-haired.

    "You're- You're on the way, care to move," the paparazzi said.
    "Sure, if you plan on turning around and leaving my friend alone," Minho responded.

    The paparazzi leveled with Minho. The man puffed his chest trying to be menacing and practically spat his next words on Minho's face.

    "Look. I'm just doing my job," the paparazzi explained. "You don't want your friend photographed? Tell him to stop being an actor and to not go out in public. Otherwise, I'm not doing anything illegal."

    Minho looked him up and down. His glare strong enough to make the man nervous. The Asian reached for the man's neck and fixed his collar as he explained the situation go him in the most eerie voice he could make.

    "I understand. But you gotta remember that I'm, also, just doing my job," Mingo said as he finished to fix the collar. "And as his body guard, if I think I have a justification to kick your ass, I. Will. Use it."

    The other man seemed to have a dry throat all of a sudden. He swallowed hard and looked around for help. When non arrived, he said something about not being worth it and turned on his heels. Minho remained on the spot, glaring at him back when the men turned to see if he was still there, until he finally dissapeared in the distance.

   He spared a glance at Newt and Thomas. Newt seemed to be wiping something off Thomas's shirt while he apologised profusely. His friend looked in distress, and while that would have made Minho fear the result of the date, Thomas's lovesick expression on his unaware friend reassured the Asian that everything will be fine.

    He was about to relax when ve saw a girl giggling in their direction as she typed.

   "Hey!" Minho called after her, startling the girl, "what are you doing? Come here."

---

Newt and Thomas:

"I'm so so sorry, I should have been more careful," Newt apologised again.
"Don't worry about it. It was an honest mistake. It's barely visible anyway," Thomas dismissed his worries.

    They were finally out of the restaurant and Newt was happy Thomas adored it, but he was also mortified that he dropped the brunet's drink on him by accident. Newt wanted the earth to swallow him, but Thomas was such a good sport about it that he managed to calm Newt down. Unironically, he was used to see Thomas covered on food, so it was natural to see his clothes covered in something. Even outside of the shop.

    "What now? Since your restaurant was a succes am intrigued on what else you had in mind," Thomas asked.
    "Well..." Newt swallowed. "I wanted to talk while we walked down the beach."

    Thomas looked nervous, but nodded. The pair took their shoes and sock off and walked barefoot along the beach. The crashing of the waves and the soothing salty wind covered them in the safety of mother nature and tuned the world out for the pair.

    "So, about the kiss..." newt started.
    "I'm sorry I went for it. Again, I kinda let my intrusive thoughts win," Thomas explained.
    "I already told you I didn't mind. I kissed you back too," Newt reminded him. "But what I'm trying to figure out is... what does... what do we do about us now?"
    "Oh... well... " Thomas said.

    The question that had been eating him in the last couple of days was now out and Newt just hoped Thomas didn't mind him bringing it up.

    "It's, uh, look. As I said I acted out of impulse because I do find you to be really hot," Thomas explained.
    "You do?" Newt asked with a smirk.
    "Yes, since you walked in that first time. You've helped me so much and... I hope you don't find it cringe, but I've been waiting your visits to the shop almost every day," Thomas explained.

    Newt felt his cheek hurt with how hard he was smiling, the sentiment was the same for him. Even if he just now figured out his attraction to the shop was also due to Thomas.

    "I guess that what I want to say is... that I wouldn't mind finding out how far this could go... if you're ok with it too," Thomas uttered.
    Newt smile softened, "I wouldn't mind one bit." He reached and took Thomas's hand in his "Just..  before we commit to anything. There is one more thing I would like you to see."
    "What is it?" Thomas asked.
    "Let me get you the gellato I promised first and then I'll explain everything to you," Newt said.
    Thomas nodded, "sounds like a plan."

---

Minho and Aris:

The raven-haired huffed happily at another successful disaster prevented. The day seemed to be going good for the guys, and at the pace everything was going he would have successfully allowed Newt and Thomas to have a great date.

    The Asian was so engrossed in his victory that he nearly didn't see Newt and Thomas approaching. He didn't want them to see him and interrupt their date, so the body guard ducked behind the first wall he found. To his surprise, Aris also did the same.

    "Oh, fancy meeting you here," Minho said.
    "Same," Aris said as he calmed his breath. He seemd to have been running.

    Thomas and Newt's voice interrupted their conversation. The duo allowed themselves to take a peek at the couple now that they had some time to relax.

    "I love gellato, it's so much better than ice cream," Newt said.
    "I know," Thomas uttered, "actually..."

    Minho heard as Aris groaned. The raiven-haired looked at the Baker assistant who seemed to look in horror at Thomas.

    "Did you know that, unlike with other ice creams, the sugar in gelato prevents it from freezing solid by binding to the water and interfering with the normal formation of ice crystals," Thomas said excitedly. "The whole proccess is interesting cause that creates smaller ice crystals which results in the smooth texture of gelato. And it all begins because the hydrogen..."

    Minho blinked and sat through the whole scientific explanation Thomas went into. All three of them stopped and listened at Thomas's rant until the brunet couldn't talk anymore because he needed to take some air.

    "He really likes science," Minho murmured.
    Aris facepalmed, "He does."

    Newt surprised them by summarising what Thomas said in a more simpler way. His explanation was so simple, yet exact that even Thomas looked taken aback.

    "Yeah, that... yeah, maybe I should explained it like that. Sorry, I tend to go on tangents," Thomas said. Feeling shy all of a sudden.
    "Don't be sorry. I was wondering were was that scientific side of your hiding," Newt said.
    "It's there. Just not so present," Thomas answered.

    Newt offered him his hand and Thomas took it. The pair dissapeared and left the two dumbfounded guards behind.

    "They were made for each other at least. Good that," Aris said.
    "Yep, but we better keep doing our work. If we want them to finish this date on a good note. Now move," he instructed and Aris followed.

---

Newt and Thomas:

Newt walked in silence alongside Thomas. He wanted to get the whole movie star thing out to him, but didn't know how to start doing it.

    The brunet seemed to be content with just his presences and was blissfully unaware of his distress as the soft hues of the afternoon graced his face. Newt's opportunity presented itself when he saw a publicity with his face on it. It was just a small poster on an alley, but he thought it was as good as anything.

    "Tommy?" He asked.
    "Yes?" Thomas responded, returning his attention to the blond instead of the sea.
    "Remember that I said that there was one last thing I wanted to talk about?" Newt uttered.

    Thomas nodded and Newt took it as an opportunity to drag him along until they were near the poster. The blond stood beside it and waited for things to click in.

    "Omg you were in a movie? That's fantastic why didn't you told me about it?" Thomas said.
    "What? Oh my, no Thomas..." Newt groaned.
    "What? Is there a problem? I mean, from cameraman to the big screen, that's something nice, right?" Thomas tried again.

    Newt wanted to shake him in frustration and plant every kiss possible on his stupid lovely face for being the only person that was so oblivious.

    "Thomas... have you really never heard of me?" He asked.
    "Uh..." Thomas said clearly confused.

    The blond opted for a better route. He started to list every production he had been in and to his surprise, Thomas was even fond of a couple of them, including the last one that just aired.

    "I heard that someone punched a co-star, but yeah, I've been waiting to see thar project"–he jumped happily–"the trailer looked so good. Wait... that was you too?"
    "Yes!" Newt responded throwing his arms in the air, "and I was the one that punched Janson."

    Newt groaned in frustration and slid down the wall to sit on the floor. Holding his face in his hands. He heard as Thomas joined him.

    "Ok, I'll admit that that explains some of your behaviour," Thomas said.
    "Behaviour?" Newt asked.
    "The hoodies even with the hot weather, you running from a 'crazy ex'"—he reached and took Newt glasses from the blond—"the permanent sunglasses when you shouldn't hide such pretty eyes..."

    Newt chuckled and took the smooth compliment. Thomas tilted his head to the side and waited.

    "Why did you needed to keep it a secret? I wouldn't have minded," he said.
    Newt shrugged, "It was nice. To have someone not care and look at me for... me."
    Thomas smiled at him, "how could I not? Meeting you have been a wonderful experience Newt. One I'm glad I got to live."

    Tears pulled at the blond's eyes, but he pushed them away. Thomas was such a sincere person. Newt adored that side of him.

    "You know that dating me means dealing with some shitty situations, right?" Newt asked.
    Thomas shrugged, "so? Dating anyone is a mess. I would never exchange knowing you for some comfort."
    "Yeah?" Newt asked hopefully.
    "Yep. If anything maybe you should be worried about the image I'll give you. Have you seen me?" He pointed at himself.
    "Yep, and I like what I see," Newt answered.

    Thomas flushed slightly and pushed him away playfully. The duo's giggle filled the space they were in.

    "So, if you don't mind a bit of flour and clumsiness in your life... as I said I would like to give it a try," Thomas said.
    "If that's the case... as long as you don't mind noisy paparazzi and crazy fans in your life I would like to do the same," Newt answered.

    The pair closed the space they were in. Newt felt the pull to kiss Thomas once more. Something he had been thinking off since the last time.

    "Sounds like a deal," Thomas said.
    "A deal is, then," Newt uttered.

    Thomas closes the distance and captured Newt's lips in his. The kiss was barely a peck, but that was one of many that followed as they loosed themselves in one a another.

Notes:

Only one more chapter to go. Thanks for the support!

Chapter 9: Fame, glory and baked goods at his side.

The light from the reflectors shone down on Newt as it had a multitude of times before as he walked to his seat. The blond-haired star once again faced the inevitable destiny of an interview with Brenda, yet, this time around, he didn't feel the slightest bit anxious.

    Newt smiled, because of course he was told to smile, but what everyone didn't know is that his happiness was due to another reason.

    "Newt, welcome back!" Brenda said as the applause died, "it's been so long since our last interview. My how time flies."
    The blond chuckled, "yeah, it's been a while. How have you been? I love your hair, are those highlights?"
    "Me?" Brenda was taken aback by the sudden question. "Alright, good as ever you know and yes, it's just a little something I did," she said recovering her composure.

    Newt fixed his cloths and sat further down comfortably, looking at Brenda and awaiting the next question. He didn't felt as lost now as he did the last time he was in her program. It was liberating not having to act up.

    "Now, Newt," she said glancing at the public and then back at him. "I think you and I both know you owe us an explanation."
    "Do I?" Newt asked with a smug grin.
    "Of course you do! You're engaged now, and out of nowhere!" Brenda pointed at him with the flash card on her hand, "You were pretty radio silent and then all of a sudden you drop that post. A bit sudden if you ask me."

    Newt's smile grew further, the blond felt like running back to Thomas instead of being here, but he promised Harriet he would do this.

    "Now," as expected, Brenda projected his post. "Tell us about Thomas, how did you guys met? Is he the same guy from the picture of a year ago?"
    "Yes, it's him, it's the same. I met him at that exact same plaza, and... we have been together since then," Newt shrugged.

    The crowd clapped and Brenda melted at the sweetness in Newt's voice. Harriet and Minho always tell him that he swoons a bit when he speaks of Thomas.

    "That's so sweet. You also presented him recently too, right? I heard that you managed to keep him a secret for months until you did that live," Brenda said. "I personally didn't watch it, but I've seen some edits of it on tiktok."
    "Oh," Newt giggled nervously, "yes, I forget about that, oh god- was that the first time everyone saw him?"
    Brenda nodded, "you two have been sneaking around a lot."

    Newt figured he just got good at avoiding paparazzi, and when he didn't spot them, Minho or any other of his friend's usually stepped in to help unless he said otherwise.

    He never felt a need to hid Thomas after their talk, but he was also so happy with him that most of the time he forgets about social media when they are together. That live was an exception.

    The blond had decided to do a surprise live one afternoon when he was bored. The movie star got millions in his chat withing seconds so he proceeded to hang out with them and chose to clean his bookshelf while he did it. Thomas just so happened to have walked at the wrong time.

    "Yeah, I loved this book," Newt said as he held a copy of song of Achilles to his camera, "it made me cry a bit."

    The blond took a moment to read the chat, spotting Minho's message as his bodyguard, apparently, had joined the live too.

   Newt chuckled, "Ok, ok, I cried a lot, happy? Oh, hi Amanda- uh... if I can send- of course, happy birthday to your friend Janice."

     Newt placed the book back on the shelve and picked another one to clean the dust off while he tried to keep with the chat.

    "Hey Newt, they didn't have the bread you liked but- oh!" Thomas said before he hid behind the doorway to his room.

    Newt looked back to his boyfriend of six months and shook his head. Thomas sometimes was so deep into his own world he didn't pay attention to what happened around.

    "Are you ok, love?" Newt asked.
    "Yeah, didn't know you were going to do a live. Want me to come back later?" Thomas asked from behind the wall, his head barely peaking from the corner.

    For some reason Newt paid attention back to the chat in that moment. The messages exploded with request to let them see Thomas and while Newt thought that it wasn't such a bad idea—he wanted to show him off for once—Thomas's comfort always came first.

    The movie star held a finger up to let the chat know to wait for him and then walked up to where Thomas was.

    "Hi," Newt said softly to the hiding Thomas.
    "Hi," Thomas said before he stole a peck from Newt.
    "Chat wants to meet you... if you're ok with that," Newt said.

    Thomas seemed to think about it for a second before he shrugged and gave Newt his approval. Taking his hand Newt dragged Thomas to the camera and presented him to his chat.

    "What, uh what do I do?" The brunet asked.
    "Say hi, wave, anything really," Newt uttered.

    Thomas waved at the camera while Newt read the chat. A lot of them where ogling after his boyfriend. The chat was filled with compliments and praises that made Thomas blush and giggle as he tried to respond some of the questions thrown at him. The Baker ended up staying for a bit to help Newt and to answer questions with him.

    That's the last time he had Thomas appeared in his Instagram, or at least that was until yesterday.

    The duo were having a quiet walk down the beach through the same path they took on their first date. It was late at night, in the middle of the week. The lamppost the only source of light for the two lovers that were chatting as they walked hand in hand.

    Newt had picked up Thomas from the bakery and the brunet had requested for a walk down the beach later on to which he said yes.

    The sea was peacefully crashing down against the sand and the salty breeze was refreshing this late at night. There was barely anyone near at this hour so Newt let his guard down and allowed himself to have a moment of peace with Thomas.

    The Baker stopped underneath the yellow light of the lamppost to observe the sea, Newt did the same and the two remained quiet in the comfort of the other with mother nature as the only sound passing between them.

    "Uh, Newt?" Thomas asked breaking the silence.
    Newt turned his head towards him, "yes?"

    Thomas wanted to say something but couldn't bring himself to do it. Newt gave his hand a squeeze and waited. The brunet looked at him and found the courage he needed. What Newt didn't expect though, was to see Thomas let go of his hand and get on one knee.

    Newt to speak, "Thomas-"
    "Let me speak first, please," Thomas said.

    Newt nodded and Thomas reached for something in his pocket.

    "I know we have been together for only a year," Thomas said.
    "A year and five months, actually," Newt said.
    Thomas chuckled, "a year and five months. The best year and five months of my life."

    Newt felt the same and he wanted to express it, but he promised Thomas that he would let him speak, and he wanted to hear what he had to say anyway.

     "I'm not good at these things, and I hope I followed Teresa's instructions as I should have, but..." Thomas opened the box and showed Newt a silver ring with a gold inscription, "would you marry me Newt?"

Newt nodded immediately. He had never felt safer or more at home with anyone else than with Thomas. Even with the honeymoon phase gone, he was still very much in love with him.

    The two had taken a picture to celebrate and posted it that same day. It wasn't until the next morning that he checked his notifications and saw the post had blown up on social media.

"We certainly didn't mean it," Newt said. "I guess it just happened."
"Well, congratulations to you guys. You look very happy together," Brenda said.

    Newt looked at the picture. Thomas was the one holding the phone while they kissed. The two had their eyes closed and Newt had chosen to be his usual self and placed the ring on his middle finger to flip off the camera. "I said yes" was the caption he chose.

    "Thanks, I am," Newt uttered.
    "Do you guys have a date set or something?" Brenda asked.
    "Not yet, we're taking things slow, but, uh, maybe you guys will get to know later on," Newt said.

    The crowd in the studio went wild and Newt could only smile. The rest of the interview went well. He spoke about his projects and how he had missed Thomas during those months of filming all the way in Europe, but that he found a balance and they were able to keep in touch.

---

    Now walking back to the car, Newt was surprised once more when he found Thomas waiting for him with a bouquet of flowers for him. The blond broke into a sprint and hugged him.

    "What are you doing here? I thought I would go visit you at the shop," Newt asked.
    "I know, but I wanted to surprise you. How was the interview? Everything okay?" Thomas asked.
    "It was great. Everyone seemed to be so in love with you, it looks like it's all I'm talking about recently," Newt said.
    Thomas laughed. "Well, whose fault is that? You're the one that posted the picture."
    "Sure, blame me. As if you didn't do the same," Newt countered.
    "I did, but I don't have a fanbase following me," Thomas said.
    "Hmm, fair," Newt answered.

    The pair shared a kiss that threatened to become a make-out session but got interrupted by Harriet clearing her throat.

    "Do you guys mind continuing that elsewhere? I have to drop you two off and run some errands, so I don't have all day," Harriet said without any real animosity in her voice.
    "Okay, okay, let's go. Aris is going to kill me for abandoning him, so we better hurry anyway," Thomas said.
    "You left him to take care of the shop? Thomas, that place is packed these days," Newt said.

    The blond could picture poor Aris running from one side of the store to the other to keep up with the growing clientele that Thomas now had. The shop was doing so well that the brunet was looking to expand and even hire more people.

    "He'll survive. He owes me for introducing him to his current girlfriend anyway, so..." the brunet shrugged.
    Newt rolled his eyes. "Don't remind me. I still don't know how you convinced my sister to go on a date with him."
    "Hey, Aris has his charm, and I guess we just get along that well," Thomas said.
    "Ok lovebirds, get moving, we don't have all day," said Harriet interrupting them.

    She practically shove them in the car while the two idiots laughed. Newt didn't mind it, he was feeling very lucky to have Thomas. His life couldn't be better, and he sure as hell is planning to keep things as they are. With Thomas at his side.

Notes:

Thanks for readying! I'm glad this silly idea was well recieved. Until next time!

Series this work belongs to:

• Part 15 of Newtmas to heal my soul