Chapter 1: Chapter 1: Run Boy Run
Summary:
“Maybe forever was a word made to describe memories. Not people.” - Unknown
Chapter Song: Run Boy Run
Chapter Summary:
The WICKED SAT, the mandatory test given to all highschoolers at graduation.
The test he was for sure he absolutely bombed.
He had blanked out on half the test, not having the mental energy for it after his allnighters during finals week.
“Paige- I’m so sorry I know I let you down and didn’t live up to your expectations I got so tired and-“
“Thomas,” she said in an almost kind voice. The
tone so earth shatteringly different then the one she normally used, it restrained him from continuing his apology.“You got a perfect score.”
His blood turned icy cold.
This was worse. This was way way worse.
***
Chapter Text
Alarms. Dress. Drive. School. Study. Home. Work. Chores. Sleep. Repeat.
Day after day, week after week, month after month. Thomas’ schedule was always the same. He didn’t have time for anything else.
He groaned as the sunlight shone through the blinds and hit him in the face. It was strange, not waking up to his alarm for once. But he supposed that was something he would have to get used to, at least until college, if he went to college.
High school had finally ended for him.
It had been a week since graduation, not that he had even bothered attending the actual ceremony. Per his usual fashion, he had made an excuse to not have to go, and got his transcript mailed to him.
There was no point in going, he had reasoned, his guardians wouldn’t have gone, or even congratulated him. He was almost convinced they didn’t even realize he had graduated at all. Thomas had no friends to party with after graduation. Honestly it was a waste of time.
His doe brown eyes were almost a golden hazel in the sunrise. Thomas sat up, the morning chill sinking into his skin, fading his already lack of will to get up, to nothing.
So instead he laid back down again, pulling the covers around his neck before reaching over and disconnecting his phone from the charger, pulling it up to his face and squinting to see the numbers.
8:27
Thomas’ guardians had probably already gone to work then. Good. He would have the whole day to himself.
He closed his eyes. Planning on drifting back to sleep.
His phone had other ideas, his body involuntarily jerked as the ringer on his phone startled him. He glanced at the contact and quickly slid his thumb over the button to answer.
“Good morning, Dr. Paige” he said, with as much politeness as he could muster this early in the morning.
Dr. Paige was a brilliant scientist, cold, but determined. She also happened to be one of his foster parents.
“Good Morning, Edison,” she said, her tone as professional and distant as ever. “I am calling to inform you that I have received your test performance scores.”
Thomas’ brow furrowed in momentary confusion, before he closed his eyes and let out a quiet sigh.
The WICKED SAT, the mandatory test given to all highschoolers at graduation.
The test he was for sure he absolutely bombed.
Thomas had blanked out on half the test, not having the mental energy for it after his allnighters during finals week.
“Paige- I’m so sorry I know I let you down and didn’t live up to your expectations I got so tired and-“
“Thomas,” she said in an almost kind voice. The tone so earth shatteringly different than the one she normally used, it restrained him from continuing his apology.
“You got a perfect score.”
Oh.
His blood turned icy cold.
…Oh….
This was worse. This was way, way worse.
He swallowed hard as he tried to process the information.
“WICKED has offered a full-ride scholarship for their Biochemical Research and Anatomy program; including housing, and food,”
His stomach dropped.
No. No. No no. No.
“I am so proud of you, son,” she continued. “I knew I chose you right when we saw your test scores at the orphanage. You know we-“
Dr Paige continued talking.
Thomas, however, did not continue to listen. For he was too enveloped in fear.
Maze University was an amazing school, the best for kids like him, prodigy level geniuses.
It was also the school Dr. Paige was on the board of trustees for.
He would never escape her.
He didn’t belong here.
He didn’t belong in their world.
Where did he belong? He didn’t even know anymore.
College was his one last chance at escape.
Escape from the constant expectation of perfection.
‘Perfection’ being the one thing he knew he would never reach. No matter how hard he tried. No matter how hard he worked.
Escape from the constant control of his life, his education.
Now that was taken from him too.
….He didn’t even want to major in science….
“Thomas? Thomas!” Dr. Paige’s annoyed voice jolted him out of his thoughts.
“Yes, Ma’am,” he responded quickly.
She paused for a moment, before saying, “pack your stuff. They have summer boarding, I checked and that’s also covered in the full ride. I’ll get you your course list and you can start your studies early.”
So much for a summer break.
He pushed himself up then his body moved robotically as he pulled his backpack from the closet.
Dr. Paige believed the only possession worth having was knowledge. Meaning his room was pretty bland, which was fine, it made packing easier.
That was Dr Paige’s view on life. Faster, more efficient. Necessity.
He shoved a few of his favorite outfits into his bag, as well as his toiletries and device chargers. He picked out a few of his favorite books and stuck them in there as well.
Thomas went over to his nightstand and slowly opened the drawer.
The only thing inside was a book.
His fingers danced over the worn cover, before he took it and carefully tucked it into a section of the bag. He zipped it up.
That was easy enough.
He sighed and flopped back down on the bed. Paige would pick him up at lunch. Thomas would be gone before his ‘father’ even got home.
Good.
He stared up at the ceiling, his brain slowly processing and catching up to his current circumstances.
This is how it had been for the last five years of his life with Paige and Janson: controlled chaos. Chaos he was forced to submit to. Chaos he had no choice, but to accept.
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
This was better, at least, better than the other foster homes or orphanages he’d been carted around his entire life.
Maybe MU wouldn’t be so bad.
Maybe he could make some friends.
A ghost of a smile made his lips twitch upwards.
Yeah, that was never going to happen.
Friends are a distraction, Thomas. Focus on your studies, excell, succeed, and then escape.
***
As Thomas threw his bag into the back of the car and slid into the passenger seat, he had a fleeting thought of how quickly they had been so eager to get rid of him at a moment’s notice. He supposed he should have been more hurt by that.
But honestly, he understood it.
It had become very apparent from an early point in his stay at the Paige and Janson estate, that his adoption was strictly due to their needs of an heir. They needed a child to be able to pass down their position and title to, as trustees of WICKED corp.
He had learned even faster that his guardians’ own relationship with each other was the same as his and theirs. Strictly professional, strictly in name only. Strictly for the reason that it made them look better to investors in their corporation and school.
Paige said nothing as they backed out of the driveway Thomas had called home for the past five years.
He figured a normal person should have been sad. But his heart pounded in his chest, adrenaline starting to surge through him as he fidgeted in his seat from nerves, and excitement.
“Stop moving so much,” Paige said, a firm reminder.
Thomas did his best.
Like he always tried to.
Paige let them drive in silence for a bit before speaking up again, “there are some rules I would like to discuss, Thomas.” She cleared her throat, “before I drop you off.”
Thomas nodded instinctively, straightening in his seat. He’d grown used to Paige’s rules and expectations.
“Faculty will know who you are. But the students will not. Keep it that way,” she said, her gaze leveled on the road, “don’t mention your ties to the trustees at all, in fact. There will be no partying. Focus on your studies, you are a direct representation of myself and your father while you attend Maze, and I expect you to make us proud.”
Thomas nodded as she spoke.
Control is key, Thomas.
He heard Janson’s low gravelly voice in his head.
Control was exactly what they had over him.
“You will do your best as you attend here. Therefore, you will not work. You will spend that time devoted to school,” she continued.
Thomas nodded again.
“You will maintain a GPA of 4.5 or higher.”
He nodded again.
In fact, nodding seemed to be all he did around his ‘family’.
Dr. Paige pulled up to the school. “Good….”
Thomas looked out the window and almost shuddered. The school was the definition of gloomy. It looked like the lab Dr. Paige worked at, even though the two establishments were on opposite sides of the city.
“You’re almost an adult now, Thomas. Two more months and you will be. I expect you to start taking on more responsibilities and applying yourself to your work.”
“Thank you,” he said, the words foreign on his lips, unsure what he was even thanking her for.
She gave him what he thought was supposed to be a comforting smile, before letting him out at the administration building.
She left after helping him check in.
The girl at the housing department smiled as Thomas walked in, her eyes were a stunning blue, her teeth pure white and straight. Her hair was jet black, her skin a healthy pale. She was stunning.
Thomas quickly realized two things.
She was his age.
She was way out of his league.
He smiled shyly.
An amused expression crossed over her face “May I help you?” She asked as he just stood there, staring, like a complete idiot.
Thomas’ face heated up, causing her smile to widen. He mentally hit himself, but stepped closer to the counter.
“My name is Thomas Edison? I was looking for my dorm map and key,” he said. At least his voice managed to stay steady.
His eyes drifted to the name tag pin on her blouse.
Teresa
“Ah, yes absolutely, let me pull up your file,” she replied, and her fingers flew across her keyboard.
“Would you like a copy of your class schedule and locations as well?” She asked, looking back up at him from the computer.
His eyebrows rose, “I thought we had to get those later, seeing as I am just staying on campus over the summer till the fall semester starts.”
Teresa flashed him another smile, “our school runs on punctuality and procedure, Tom” she chided playfully, the nickname sent unwanted chills across his spine, “we wouldn't have that if we didn’t plan ahead of time.”
He flushed with embarrassment and nodded “then yes please…”
She printed out the documents and grabbed a keycard and a map. “You are staying in the Glade Apartment Dormitory. Apartment A, your room will be A2.”
He nodded and took the items she handed him, forcefully ignoring the jolt of electricity that ran through him as their fingers brushed.
“I hope you have an amazing year, Tom. Welcome to Maze University, your college to find your place in the world,” she hummed, as if having said a similar phrase about a million times before.
He shot her a smile and quickly exited with his backpack slung over one shoulder.
Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad here.
He wandered around the vacant courtyard for a bit, examining his surroundings as he went. A strange fog seemed to settle over the school and the surrounding area, creating a dark and gloomy effect. The bite in the air sent a chill down his spine. Thomas’ eyes surveyed the area. It was very peaceful. He wondered how much that would change once the official semester started. Thomas lowered his head as he walked, lost in thought and thinking about what life would be like at this new school. He rounded a corner, towards what he assumed was the dormitory building he had been assigned.
A body slammed into his own, clearly having been going at a decent speed, because the impact ended with them both on the ground.
”Shuck!” the male groaned. Thomas blinked and examined the boy next to him on the ground.
His head was a little foggy and for a moment he wondered if he might have a concussion.
”I am SO sorry, dude,” the asian male spoke as he stood, holding out a hand to help Thomas up.
Thomas blankly stared at it for a moment, before taking it and allowing himself to be pulled up. “It’s okay, probably my fault, I wasn’t looking where I was going,” he said.
The boy in front of him looked like one of those athletic models that sports companies used to promote their health supplements or training routines, needless to say, he was very fit, and very muscular. A small part in the back of Thomas’ brain wondered how such a bulk of a man didn’t squish him like a human pancake in the fall.
”The name’s Minho!” The guy said, once Thomas got to his feet. “I was just getting my evening jog in for the day, gotta admit, I didn’t expect anyone to be ‘round though. Most shuckfaces here go back home during the summer. Only a group of us stay on campus- speaking of which, I don’t think I’ve seen you around before. Ya new?”
Thomas nodded, the way this dude talked was really funny. Not like, accent funny. But the way he used words struck Thomas as odd. “I’m going to be attending classes the upcoming fall semester but my guardian’s thought it would be beneficial for me to get accustomed to campus life early,” he explained. Maybe a tad bitter.
Minho shrugged. “I mean, I guess that makes some sense, can’t say it’ll do you much good to be here THIS early though, seeing as it’s so empty, but as long as you’re here maybe we can hang out more. There’s only a handful of us students around during this time so we gotta stick together!” he beamed.
Thomas chuckled, “I guess so….say do you know where Apartment A is?”
Minho’s eyes lit up, “Sure do! That’s the same building I’m in, what room ya got?”
”A2.”
Minho visibly winced, “Oh…..ain’t that just a greenie’s luck huh?”
”What’s that mean?” Thomas asked, his brows knitting together.
The other boy laughed. “You got put with possibly one of the most sassy shuckfaces in the school is what I mean…..But hey he’s better than Gally…..Gally’s my roommate…..unfortunately….But Newt’s good people once he warms up to ya, the sarcastic asshole personality he has, is just something you kinda got to get used to.”
“Great...at least it's only for a semester or two...” Thomas said with a sigh, earning a sympathetic smirk from his new friend.
Friend? No….acquaintance…
”Round here, you are stuck with your roommate till one of ya graduates.”
Thomas groaned, “Fucking great…..”
”You’ll be fine, Greenie. Just don’t mess with his books or his plants and you’ll get out of it alive…..hopefully.”
He pursed his lips together. Though he figured if it was too bad he could ask Paige if he could switch rooms. He could make an excuse about his roommate being too disruptive or distracting.
”Well c'mon Greenie. I’ll show you to the dorm building!” Minho offered, jogging the opposite way Thomas had previously been heading.
Maybe it was a good thing he ran into Minho (literally), he probably would’ve been walking around the entire campus like a lost puppy till he found the dorm building.
As they walked down the concrete path, Minho talked non-stop about the school, mostly complaining about how challenging the classes were. He talked about the overall structures and the seven majors that MU offered. It suddenly occurred to Thomas that he had no clue to the other boy’s major or motivations for attending such a ‘challenging school’’.
He was mulling over the possibilities of such a question being too rude to ask, when Minho answered the unasked questions, unprompted.
”Honestly, I wouldn’t waste a second here if it weren’t for the full ride I got for a track scholarship. That, and apparently I did well on some kind of test I honestly don’t remember taking.” He chuckled, “though for being no cost it’s an alright trade off I suppose….”
Thomas listened curiously as Minho explained his situation, part of him was a little surprised that the other boy had done well on the WICKED SAT, but he supposed he should have guessed as much. The school didn’t accept anything less than excellence in their students. He knew that well enough from listening to Dr. Paige rave about the school.
”What major are you anyway, Greenie,” Minho inquired, addressing Thomas.
Thomas smiled a little “Biology major actually. You?” He shifted the weight of his backpack to his other shoulder and subconsciously wondered how big the campus was and when in the world they would finally reach the dormitory.
“Business,” the boy replied.
It honestly made sense, it was the most basic and ‘easiest’ major MU offered.
Thomas nodded slowly, “sounds…….awfully boring…..”
Minho shot him a grin, “absofuckinglutely it is…..but hey, I’m going into my second year and I haven’t shucking keeled over yet. So there’s that.”
Ah. The greenie name made some sense then.
They reached the apartment complex (finally, Thomas’ legs were aching from the cramped car ride and the walking). Minho led him up a flight of stairs and paused at a door.
’A2 and A5’
Thomas’ brow furrowed, “that’s….a weird combination?”
Minho chuckled, “Their numbering system is the only thing I do not at all get about this school. You’ll get used to it though…” he paused, before smirking, “hope ya survive till fall semester, Greenie. Good luck! I’ll stop by sometime to check on ya tomorrow.”
”That's...comforting…..thanks….” Thomas said, dryly.
Minho gave him a two fingered salute before jogging down the hall to a door labeled: ‘A7 and A9’.
Damn, the numbering systems really were fucked up.
Thomas took a deep breath and swiped his keycard. A soft buzzing sound met his ears and a green light flashed on the lock. His name appeared in green lettering over a small panel on the doorknob and it clicked open.
That’s…..weirdly fancy, he mused, as he walked in.
His first impression of the shared apartment was the following.
“holy fucking shit…”
.
.
.
”That’s a lot of plants.”
Chapter 2: Chapter Two: Outsider
Summary:
”Oh….” Thomas nodded slowly “explains all the plants…..I’m a biology major”
“Just don’t bring any decapitated body parts into the dorm and I don’t really give a fuck what you do,” Newt said, turning back around to leave again.
The brunette didn’t bother calling after him again.
Notes:
“I tell myself I don’t need anybody, but the sad truth of the matter is this: nobody needs me either.” - Unknown
Song: Outsider by Shahrae
You know your headache is bad when you forgot to post a chapter YOU ALREADY HAD WRITTEN-…..
Also go follow me on tumblr: SheWritesFanfic
Chapter Text
Green hazel eyes met Thomas’, “so, you’re my new bloody flatmate aren’t ya.”
The sarcastic british voice met his ears before he could register the sight in front of him. (Yes british. Somewhere deep in Thomas’ subconscious his inner gaydar was blaring.)
“Think that’s why I was given a keycard…” the brunette said dumbly, his fingers twitching against the rough strap of his backpack nervously.
The blonde scanned him from where he was, lying on a couch in the small living room area. The blond was wearing a black tank top that showed off his impressive biceps and slim waist (not that Thomas noticed that…) as well as grey sweats. His messy hair was slightly framing his face, some of it being long enough to probably tie into a ponytail if the boy wanted to.
”Don’t be a pig. Your room’s on the right.” The boy finally said before lifting up the book he’d been interrupted reading back up.
Thomas nodded and headed towards his room before the accented voice stopped him again, “what's your name, Greenie?”
”Thomas” he replied, turning to face the blonde again.
”Isaac. But call me that and you’ll be out on your bloody arse begging someone to switch dorms with ya, you can call me Newt,” the boy said shortly, not bothering to raise his eyes from the book again.
Not wanting to interrupt the boy again, Thomas merely nodded and retreated into the room Newt had mentioned was his.
There wasn’t much of a difference between his room at home and the current state of his apartment room. The main contrast was the dark navy blue walls and the much more comfortable looking bed. A full-sized desk was over on the other side of the wall, as well as a dresser and closet. Built in bookshelves lined almost all of the vacant walls.
Setting his pack on the bed, he unzipped it and began placing the meager belongings away. Due to the lack of quantity of his possessions, he didn’t even touch the closet. He stood awkwardly in his room after he had unpacked, a wave of uncertainty washing over him.
Should he go try and be friendly with his roommate? The boy had seemed completely annoyed by his existence so it might be better not to, but Thomas also didn’t want to be seen as rude.
As he contemplated his options, his phone buzzed. He glanced at the screen on his nightstand, seeing it was a text from Janson, he completely ignored it. Instead he settled on going to get a glass of water from the apartment’s small kitchen, and if a conversation started between him and the grouch, so be it.
He opened his door, almost running into the blonde. (Why was he running into EVERYBODY?)
”Hey, shank” the boy said, in his thick british accent that again caught Thomas off guard, “I left some of my stuff in that closet in there, don’t exactly have a place for it, but I can move it” he said, and Thomas wondered if sounding annoyed was just this guy’s baseline.
Thomas shrugged, “I don’t need the closet space so I don’t care if you put stuff in it….” he said.
Newt nodded, “great.” He turned around to go back to his room.
”Wait!” Thomas said, mentally cursing himself for calling after the blonde, because he had no idea why he had done so.
The boy turned back around, “hm?”
Thomas smiled awkwardly, “um…what’s your major? How old are you? Is this your first year?”
Newt eyed him distrustfully for some reason, before letting out a breath of annoyance. “I’m a double major, Botany and Psychology. I’m 17, and its technically my first year but I started last spring semester.”
”Oh….” Thomas nodded slowly, “explains all the plants…..I’m a biology major.”
“Just don’t bring any decapitated body parts into the dorm and I don’t really give a fuck what you do,” Newt said, turning back around to leave again.
“That's comforting” The brunette muttered sarcastically under his breath.
The blonde either didn’t hear him or politely pretended not to.
It was a weird yet familiar feeling that night, falling asleep in a new place and a new bed. He’d been in tons of homes throughout his time in foster-care, but this time felt different for some reason. He had this odd sense of adrenaline running through him that he couldn’t explain.
Needless to say, he barely slept any that night.
The next morning, Thomas awoke to the unfamiliar sound of clattering pots and pans. He groaned softly and lifted the covers over his head and shoved his pillow around his ears to block out the ruckus.
His attempt proved futile when insistent knocking sounded on his door.
”Yea?” Thomas called, forcing the annoyance out of his voice.
Newt’s voice answered him, “I’m making breakfast, shuck-face. What do you want?”
It took longer than it should’ve for Thomas’ half sleeping brain to process the question. It then took another minute for him to get over the shock.
”um….you don’t have to make me-“ he was cut off instantly.
”I didn’t ask if you wanted me to you twat. I asked you what you fucking wanted,” the brit said sassily.
Thomas blinked but then said in a meeker tone “I’m not picky…”
The sound of footsteps retreated back into the kitchenette, leaving Thomas reeling from the event that had just occurred.
Not even Dr. Paige cooked him breakfast when he was living with them, hell he didn’t even remember if anyone had EVER fixed him food after going into the foster care system.
He emerged from bed then dressed himself in a black shirt and jeans, running his comb mindlessly through his hair and tugging on his sneakers, before exiting his room.
He was immediately hit in the face with the warm scent of eggs and ham.
It was only then he realized how hungry he actually was, he hadn’t eaten anything since he left home.
He made his way into the small kitchen area and sat down at the island bar table, watching the blonde cook in slight fascination.
He had never really considered ham as a breakfast item, but honestly it smelled so good he didn’t even care. The blonde dished out some eggs and ham onto two plates and set one in front of Thomas, while setting the other and a cup of tea in front of the empty chair next to Thomas.
He wiped his hands on the dishrag before coming over and sitting down.
Thomas forced himself to look at his food instead. He pushed around the eggs with his fork absentmindedly.
”Stop playing with your fucking food like an infant,” Newt said, glancing over at the brunette’s plate with slight amusement.
Thomas felt his ears growing red and heat flared to his cheeks.
“Thought you didn’t care what I did as long as I didn’t bring in bodies to dissect.” He quipped back, but he ate his food.
Newt scoffed, “you got a bloody mouth on ya.”
The only other noise between the two was the clinking of silverware against their plates, and the occasional sound of Newt sipping his tea.
Thomas finished his food and once Newt had finished his, the younger took their plates to the sink, loading them into the small dishwasher. Newt chose not to comment or thank the brunette, but for once he didn’t glare at him or make a sarcastic comment, and that was enough for Thomas.
Once Thomas was done, Newt spoke, “Minho wanted me to tell you he’s throwing a small party for those staying on campus over the summer in his and Gally’s apartment.”
“Oh? Are you going?” Thomas asked him, turning to the blonde.
Newt looked at him with a slightly raised eyebrow and an unamused expression, “parties aren’t exactly my thing, slinthead.”
”Oh….that makes sense….” he murmured, glancing down at the counters.
”Unfortunately, I don’t have a bloody choice, Minho’s gonna drag my arse there even if I tell him no.”
Thomas’ head perked up and tilted slightly to the side, “are you two close?” he questioned.
Newt nodded and sipped his tea before continuing, “he’s been my best friend since freshman year of highschool.”
That brought a slight smile to Thomas’ lips, “oh….that’s cool.”
Newt only hummed in reply and looked down at his phone again.
“When’s the party?” Thomas asked, wiping off his hands on the dish rag.
”Tonight.”
Thomas’ eyebrows shot up, “that’s….soon.”
Newt shrugged, “Minho’s impulsive.”
The younger thought about that for only a moment, before mentally agreeing that that made sense, with even just the little he knew about the runner he’d ran into the day before.
A sudden thought popped into Thomas’ head.
”Will the girl who works at the admission’s office be there?” he queried
Newt’s brows drew together in confusion, “Teresa? Yea, I think so…..why?” He asked, an almost wary tone in his voice.
Thomas shrugged, “just wondering,” he said unhelpfully.
”Do you know her?” the blonde pressed.
He shook his head “no, I just met her the other day.”
Newt eyed him skeptically, before turning his gaze back to his phone, “don’t waste your time with her.”
”Huh?” Thomas questioned, in naive confusion.
”She’s the ‘princess’ of the university. Teacher’s pet in every class, major suck-up to admin. She’s also known to sleep with any guy she can, just to dump them later for new students,” Newt said dryly.
”Oh….” Thomas continued dumbly.
Newt sighed “she’s every guy’s crush here,” he huffed in annoyance.
”Even yours?” Thomas asked innocently. He moved from leaning against the counter to sitting back down next to Newt.
Newt’s lip curled in distaste, “no….definitely not mine.”
Thomas laughed, “what? Are you gay or something?” he joked.
The blonde only finished his tea and got up, placing the cup in the sink without reply.
”oh…….oh.” Thomas blanched, “I wasn’t trying to be homophobic or anything dude, I swear- I don’t care- it was just a bad joke,” he looked down, his ears burning with embarrassment.
A sardonic smile etched itself onto Newt’s lips, “it’s fine, Greenie. I wouldn’t give a shit about your opinion if you did care.” He turned and retreated back into his room, leaving the brunette alone in his embarrassment.
Thomas disappeared into his own room again after a few minutes. He sat down at the desk and pulled out some of the textbooks Paige had sent him with, to get ahead in his classes. If the party was that evening, he could get a little bit of work done before.
He froze. Wait. Party…..he….Thomas Edison Greene……was going to a party.
So his panic ensued.
He had never been to a party before, not even in highschool, he’d been too focused on his classes, and Dr. Paige wouldn’t have let him go anyway. Now, here he was, basically having agreed to go to a party where he barely knew two people. He didn’t even know what happened at parties. Thomas put his face in his hands. He didn’t actually say he would go to the party, did he? Maybe he could still get out of it…
He drummed his fingers on the desk, then looked down at himself, what was he even going to wear? What DID one wear to a party anyway? Did he even have the proper clothes?
He groaned and slumped forward, resting his cheek on his textbook. Whatever happened to his plan of focusing on school and not bothering with friends or a social life…it flew out the window the moment he crashed into Minho, that’s what happened to it.
He stared at his dresser in dismay, ended up pulling out his phone and researching what the proper clothes were to go to a college party.
He knew that was probably the lamest thing he could’ve ever done, but he also didn’t want to make a complete fool out of himself, his first impression of meeting his potential classmates.
Color drained a little from his face, would there be drinking at this party? Would they get in trouble? If Thomas got into trouble his second fucking day on campus, he would NEVER hear the end of it from Paige.
He shuddered and put down his phone, Thomas would just tell Newt he decided not to go, yeah, that’s what he would do….
A long story short, he failed miserably at that.
Time for the party came and Newt was knocking on his door again like he had that morning.
”Shuck-face! You ready?” he called.
Thomas flinched and stared at the door in slight horror, “Um- Actually I decided not to go- so you can go on without me and-“
The door opened before Thomas could even finish his sentence.
“Bullshit, Greenie.” Newt said in annoyance, looking down at the brunette, who was laying on the bed. “No way in bloody hell am I going without you. Minho’s been on my arse all fucking day making me promise to bring you, so you’re going,” he finished with eyes of steel.
Thomas bit his lip, trying to scramble for an excuse, but before he could think of one, Newt had made his way over to Thomas’ dresser and was rummaging through it like he owned the place.
The younger, too stunned by Newt’s actions, merely watched, as Newt threw him a dress shirt and black jean pants he’d honestly forgotten he’d owned.
”That’ll do for now, you need to get more bloody clothes.” Newt said in slight distaste. “Seriously, it’s fucking pathetic,” he turned and headed out the door. “If you’re not ready in five minutes I’m coming in here and dressing you myself.” He threatened before closing the door behind him.
Thomas stared ruefully at the clothes in his lap. So much for telling Newt ‘no’…he didn’t even get to be sassy about it….
He dressed as quickly as he could and attempted at combing his hair into place before giving up and walking out of his room.
”About damn time.” Newt grumbled, before eyeing Thomas up and down.
Thomas rolled his eyes slightly, “you’re the one who is now forcing me to go. “
The blonde was quiet for a minute, silently examining him, before stepping forwards and messing up Thomas’ hair so a few strands fell against his forehead.
”Alright, cmon Greenie, before Minho comes down here and drags both our arses’ to his apartment by our bloody ears.” Newt said, turning and walking away from Thomas.
Thomas meanwhile was short circuiting, he didn’t even know why. Newt had just fixed his hair, like Paige had done several times before, but this time it was different, and Thomas couldn’t for the life of him pinpoint why.
He snapped out of it as Newt opened the door, hurrying after the older boy.
The two made their way, side by side down a couple doors, to Minho’s apartment.
Thomas’ hands were starting to sweat, and the collar of his dress shirt seemed more constricting than he remembered it to be. His eyes glued to the door, as his ears registered the dull sound of muffled music coming from inside.
Newt glanced at him with an amused expression, “you look ready to klunk yourself, Greenie. Relax,” he said, before opening the door.
Walking inside Minho’s dorm, was like walking into a different universe. The contrast between the runner’s apartment to Thomas and Newt’s, couldn’t have been more different. The walls were painted either grey or black, the ceiling lights were switched off but LED and strobe lights coated every surface of the room, in patterns that made Thomas’ head spin.
The music that had sounded muffled from outside, was practically making his ears bleed now, he wove in and out of people, trailing after Newt like a lost puppy. He bumped into what felt like a wall and nearly fell over.
”Watch where you’re going you little shit,” a gruff voice said from a few inches above him.
He muttered a sorry, but the angry looking male merely scoffed and brushed past him, almost causing him to fall again, and disappeared in the crowd of people.
Newt’s head appeared again and the blonde pulled Thomas away, “I see you’ve met Minho’s roommate,” he said, over the noise.
Thomas’ eyebrows shot up, “that’s Gally?” He asked
Newt nodded, then led them over to a somewhat (barely) quieter area, “yea, best to stay clear from him though, the bloke’s known for startin’ fights whenever he can.”
Thomas nodded and looked around the room “I thought Minho said not a lot of kids stay on campus over the summer.”
”This is nothing compared to the normal number of students in the regular school year,” Newt said, with an annoyed tone, “trust me, parties thrown during the school sessions are much bigger, much louder, and way more annoying.” He grabbed a couple red solo cups from a nearby folding table and handed one to Thomas, who took it stupidly.
The moment the harsh bitter liquid hit Thomas’ tongue he nearly spat it out all over the floor, “what the fuck is this?” He asked, staring down at the cup in horror.
Newt threw back his head and laughed, “hell if I know, Gally’s secret recipe, has a bloody bite to it though.” He sipped his own cup, “ at least it makes these parties more bearable.”
Thomas blanched, “this is alcohol?” He asked, trying to hide the dismay he was feeling.
A smirk lined Newt’s lips, “no, its grape juice. Of course it’s bloody alcohol.”
The brunette stared down at his cup, swallowing thickly.
”You must’ve been one fucking sheltered kid,” the blonde said, sipping from his cup again.
“Or maybe I just didn’t ever think of drinking because I’m underaged.” Thomas retorted, his ears turning red.
”Let me guess, you’re a bloody virgin too,” Newt said sarcastically. It was clearly meant as a joke, but his lips twitched downward in an attempt at suppressing a smile, when Thomas’ entire face turned scarlet.
Newt was about to continue in his teasing when a strong arm wrapped around each of their shoulders, “There you shanks are!” Minho said, his words slightly slurred as he put more weight on the two then was comfortable for either boy.
The brit’s nose scrunched up in annoyance and disgust, “Minho, isn’t it a bit too early to already be drunk off your arse.”
”Ass” Minho corrected him, “stop being so fucking british,” he flicked Newt’s head with his fingers, before straightening up as best he could, easing off the two.
”No. No. You’re just uncultured,” Newt retorted.
Thomas watched the two interact with keen interest, it was so effortless and natural that he couldn’t help but wonder how two people were so…..comfortable around each other.
”Whatever, Newtie,” Minho said, with a sly grin. “Have you seen Teresa yet?” he added, tilting his head to the side, “she’s wearing a dress I’m pretty sure is three sizes too small for her,” he smirked.
Thomas glanced around, trying to be subtle about it but realizing he failed miserably when Newt looked at him with a raised eyebrow.
“Thomas, your straight is showing,” he said in an unamused tone, he glanced at Minho, “who do you think she’ll end up shagging this time?”
”Probably some freshie,” Minho said with a shrug, “someone naive and stupid enough to fall for her act.”
The two older boys deadpanned Thomas, who looked down at his shoes in annoyance, “warning heard,” he mumbled, “loud and clear.”
Minho clapped his hand onto Thomas’ shoulder gently but firmly, “stick around us, Shank. We’ll show you how to survive and maintain some of your dignity.”
Newt gave Minho a sassy questioning look, “I didn’t know you knew what dignity was, Min.”
The runner gasped in fake offence, “of course I know what it is!” he beamed, “I just have very little.”
Thomas and Newt both chuckled at that, the brunette growing more comfortable the longer he talked with the two of them. It seemed like the rest of the party had faded away. All that was left was him and his new friends.
Newt kept an eye on Thomas as time went by, making sure the younger boy didn’t drink too much and give himself alcohol poisoning or something. The brunette seemed to be one of the most naive and clueless people he knew…..it was rather annoying.
He turned away from Thomas for just a moment, to talk with Winston, just to hear Minho chanting Thomas’ name moments later.
The blonde’s brows furrowed and he pushed his way through the crowd that had, for some reason, gathered around Thomas. He finally managed to get through and stand beside Minho, when he saw them.
Thomas, who looked barely sober enough to stand, was in a sloppy fighting stance, and the other person…..was Gally. Newt’s stomach dropped slightly when he realized the situation. How did he end up failing so bad that he couldn’t keep his roommate out of trouble on his second day?
Thomas threw a half-assed punch at Gally and the older boy dodged with practiced ease, slamming his elbow into the brunette’s back, causing Thomas to buckle from the blow, crashing into the ground. Newt felt himself wince in sympathy.
He turned to Minho and frowned, “how did this bloody happen in the three seconds I left him to his own devices?” he hissed.
Minho chuckled, “Gally made a jackass comment about Thomas looking at Teresa all night,” he said. “Thomas tried to get away from him and Gally held him back, then out of nowhere the greenie punched him,” he explained.
“Hmm….” Newt studied Thomas, who was now up again and throwing a better punch.
It surprised Newt that such a thing had set Thomas off, but maybe it was the alcohol clouding the younger’s judgement. He winced as Gally’s fist audibly hit Thomas’ face, causing him to stumble back. Gally took this opportunity to pounce on him and shove him to the ground.
“Minho….” Newt said, a slight edge to his tone.
The runner sighed and stepped in, catching Gally’s arm before he punched Thomas again, “alright you shuck-faces. Break it up before someone calls a teacher.”
Gally scoffed, but stood up, it was then Newt realized that Thomas seemed to have indeed landed the first punch; the blood smeared under Gally’s nose was proof of that much. He cringed when he saw Thomas, the boy had a split eyebrow, and blood was leaking over his face.
The blonde stepped forwards and wrapped an arm around Thomas, lifting him off the ground, ending up basically carrying him, since he seemed too intoxicated to stand upright.
”Let’s get you back to your room, slinthead,” he said, with a sigh. Newt wrapped Thomas’ arm over his shoulder and half dragged him through the crowd.
Thomas’ unintelligible complaints fell on deaf ears as Newt basically carried the inebriated boy back to their apartment. He awkwardly rested Thomas against his hip so he could get his keycard out of his back pocket, then opened their door.
He led the boy to his room and got him onto the bed without too much trouble. He was lighter than Newt had expected, and the blonde made a mental note to make sure the younger ate properly.
Newt got some bandages from the joined bathroom and some antiseptic. Thomas was so out of it, he didn’t even flinch as the blonde poured some of the cold liquid over the cut on his eyebrow.
Luckily it seemed like it wasn’t bad enough to require stitches. He placed a bandage over the wound and stroked his fingers gently over it to make sure it stayed, and brushed the brunette’s hair away to make sure it didn’t stick to the adhesive.
He untied Thomas’ shoes, before he set them on the floor. If this was Minho, he would’ve gotten the boy into some more comfortable clothing, but he’d only known him for a day and he was not about to do that.
Instead the brit pulled the covers over the now half unconscious boy.
He left the room and came back with a bottle of water and some pills for when Thomas inevitably woke up with a killer headache, placing them on the nightstand.
He took another look at the sleeping brunette.
“Night, Tommy….” he said, the nickname rolled off his tongue before he could catch himself.
Damn. Maybe he wasn’t as sober as he thought he was.
He turned and flicked off the lights, shutting the door gently before heading into his own room for the night.
Chapter 3: Chapter Three: Family Line
Summary:
I keep forgetting to post these ngl
Chapter Three:
Family Line - Conan Gray
A/N“My biggest fear is that eventually you will see me the same way I see myself.”
- Unknown
A slow realization hit him and before he could stop himself the words tumbled from his lips unheeded, “how did you get me back here with your messed up leg?”
He regretted his words instantly when Newt pursed his lips and looked down at the brunette, studying him before shrugging, “I thought I was going to have to ask Minho to help me. But it seems you’re a shucking lightweight in more ways than one,” he said, coolly.
Chapter Text
A high-pitched squeal echoed in Thomas’ ears, as he slowly regained consciousness to reality. His muscles ached. His eyelids fluttered in an attempt to open, but just the mere rays of sun shining through his blinds felt overpowering to his senses.
He groaned softly and reached over to check his phone on the nightstand, before realizing it wasn’t there, instead, there was a bottle of water and some pills. He was horribly confused for about three minutes before he registered he wasn’t at home, he was in his apartment. His shared apartment. He also realized two other things, one, he didn’t remember even falling asleep, let alone getting into bed, two, he was suffering from all the clear signs of a hangover.
He propped himself up in bed and took the pills, swallowing some water to wash them down. His throat felt drier than it had in a long time, his ears were still ringing as he stood.
The room spun and Thomas ended up sitting back down on the bed heavily, struggling to regain his thoughts and memories from the night before.
A soft knock sounded against the door, he almost didn’t hear it above the insistent ringing in his ears.
“Com’ in,” he mumbled, sinking back onto his bed, laying on his side.
Newt entered the room, and for a moment Thomas wondered if the blonde was glowing. His blonde hair seemed brighter for some reason, but it was probably just his hangover.
”You like shit,” he said with a slight smirk, “then again I suppose that’s not a drastic change from how you usually look so….”
The brit made his way over to Thomas with a new bandage, the bottle of antiseptic, and cotton pads. A slight whine escaped the brunette's lips.
”You’re so meannnn,” he was definitely hungover.
Newt merely chuckled and leaned over, “hold still, Tommy. I gotta change your bloody bandage.”
Thomas giggled “I can’t tell if you mean that literally or figuratively,” he teased sarcastically, but stayed still regardless.
The older boy crouched down, kneeling on the floor so he could be more gentle. The motion striking Thomas as odd, why was he being so gentle?
To distract himself from his injury, he focused his gaze on Newt’s. Those green hazel eyes that had been the first thing he noticed about the boy were as evident as ever. He still couldn’t quite put into words the shade of greenish brown they were. Flecks of gold dotted his eyes as well.
He didn’t even know why the blonde’s eyes captivated him so much, why he felt like he needed to find words to describe how beautiful they were.
He felt Newt’s hand brush against his forehead to move his hair out of the way. His gaze was still frozen in place on his face. Newt’s own gaze was too busy studying the bandage, and trying to get it off without hurting too bad.
Thomas didn’t even feel the pain, he watched as Newt’s brows knitted together in concentration, the tip of his tongue breaching his lips as he removed the bandage and dabbed at the area with antiseptic on a cotton pad.
The brunette’s eyes drifted over the freckles that dotted the elder’s face, like a galaxy of constellations over his pale skin. The ringing in his ears started to dull as the medicine kicked in a little more.
He closed his eyes as the new bandaid was pressed against his skin.
“There ya go, shank.” Newt said, breaking the comfortable silence, “now get your bloody arse up so we can get some food in your buggin’ stomach,” he stood and brushed off his jeans.
It was then Thomas noticed something he really hadn’t before, a little twinge of guilt eating at him for it. As he watched Newt, the entire interaction (and now looking back at it every interaction previous), the blonde had favored one leg over the other. He never put much weight onto his left leg.
A slow realization hit him and before he could stop himself the words tumbled from his lips unheeded, “how did you get me back here with your messed up leg?”
He regretted his words instantly when Newt pursed his lips and looked down at the brunette, studying him before shrugging, “I thought I was going to have to ask Minho to help me. But it seems you’re a shucking lightweight in more ways than one,” he said, coolly.
That shut him up right quick. Thomas felt his ears burn and he looked down in embarrassment “I’m sorry….I don’t know why I said that I-“
Newt snickered and broke out into a grin “I’m messing with you, bud. You’re still hungover and probably a might bit tipsy. Let’s get a proper meal in ya, yea?” He held out his hand to help the brunette up.
Thomas smiled in relief, taking his hand and standing up.
Whatever medication Newt had laid out for him was working wonders apparently, because he didn’t almost fall over or vomit this time.
Newt went into the kitchen area and Thomas trailed right behind him. The blonde smiled and poured some of the pancake batter—he’d made prior to re-patching up Thomas—into a pan. He hummed softly under his breath, just barely loud enough for Thomas to hear.
But the brunette didn’t dare say anything about it; he didn’t want the brit to stop. There was something so comforting and easy about this. About Newt.
Newt turned after a minute and slid a few small mini pancakes onto a plate, then handed it to Tommy with utensils and maple syrup. He noted how the brunette looked at the label of the syrup, before disregarding it and eating the pancakes without the syrup.
As Newt turned back around to fix his own pancakes, a sinking feeling registered in his gut. Why had Thomas looked at the label? Maybe he didn’t like that brand of syrup, or was allergic to something in it.
”Say, shank…” Newt said casually, “are you allergic to anything? Figure if I’m going to be fixing your bloody meals all the time, I should at least know what to avoid to not buggin’ kill ya.”
Thomas shrugged, “I can’t eat shellfish. That’s about it,” he said, finishing the second pancake but leaving the third untouched.
Newt chuckled a little, “dude you gotta eat more, you’re gonna be fucking hungry later.”
The brunette merely shrugged “nah I don’t really get hungry.” He picked up his plate and brought it over to the sink, moving the last pancake to Newt’s plate before setting his own in the sink.
”Oh? Minho eats like a horse. I swear if he’s not bloody runnin’ he’s eating,” he said, with a good natured laugh.
Thomas grinned a little, “he needs all that energy to sustain his muscles,” he joked, leaning against the counter next to Newt.
”Hmmmmm I suppose he is pretty fit” Newt mused, fake thinking about it.
There was no having to think about it. Minho was the fittest, strongest, and most muscular guy at MU.
“So is he your type?” Thomas asked with a smirk, the question jolting Newt out of his playful mood and into one of surprise.
”Minho?” he questioned in amusement. “Not bloody likely, muscles are fine and all but dating him would be like dating a brick wall and I’m not just talking about his physical stature. That man is the most stubborn arse I’ve ever met in my entire buggin’ life.”
The brunette laughed, “I can see that….” He paused, “seems like you two have that in common” He pushed off the counter, “I’m gonna go get ahead on some homework.” He called, as he retreated into his room again.
An odd end to the conversation, but the blonde figured Thomas hadn’t had much positive social interaction as a kid. He kind of felt bad being such an arsehole to the greenie the first day. It really wasn’t Thomas’ fault at all. His little sister, Sonya, had called him the night before and announced she was attending WICKED the upcoming semester, and it had bothered Newt.
The brit had only been there one semester, but he could already tell that the school was not just educationally challenging, but mentally challenging. He wanted Sonya to be free to live her childhood in a more carefree environment. She was only 15. He didn’t want her sunshine personality to be stifled by the harsh critics of some of the other slintheads here, or have her burnt out from the workload.
Maybe he could convince her to stay in Canada when he flew back in a few days.
But he also understood. When he had gotten the full-ride scholarship to the school known for being the closest to manufacturing the cure to cancer, it was a no brainer to him. Not only that, but he could get far away from his parents back in England.
As Newt poured some syrup over his own pancakes, his mind was drawn back to Thomas. Now that he was thinking about it, had the brunette even eaten anything other than what he fixed him that morning? Maybe he ate something at the party but…it seemed unlikely if the alcohol had kept making him tipsy even this morning, it meant he hadn’t eaten or drank anything to flush it out of his system properly.
Newt sighed, and sat down at the counter. Looks like one of his patients this semester for student counseling was going to be his own buggin’ roommate. He took a bite of his food and chewed thoughtfully, as he thought about it. He’d have to be cautious and subtle with his approach, he didn’t want to end up scaring the boy or making the boy suspicious. Most people whose psychological profiles he’d read, that seemed to fit Thomas, were known to shut down when talking about themselves. He realized how true that was, Thomas hadn’t really talked much about himself, or his home.
Neither had Newt for that matter, but Newt’s own family life was rough, so that wasn’t a good example in the least.
He tried to think about his first roommate, no matter how unpleasant the memory, trying to analyse the ‘normal’ seeming behavior and trying to pinpoint how the brunette’s actions differed from it.
It was almost as if Thomas was scared of every social interaction he encountered. Like he was scared or at least distrustful of people, that combined with the naivety the boy seemed to have, Newt summarized that he either grew up in a major religious household or a split neglectful household.
He looked down at his now empty plate and smiled slightly. Looks like Tommy wasn’t the only one getting ahead on homework.
Thomas looked over his pages of notes with satisfaction. Studying was always so rewarding for him, hard work paying off was something he always knew he could rely on. He tucked the loose pages into a folder and set his books back onto their respective shelves.
He was about to lay back down on his bed when he heard a knock at the door, not his room door, but the entrance of the apartment itself. Figuring it was one of Newt’s friends he waited for him to answer it.
He heard the door open and muffled voices ensued.
“Tommy! You have a friend here to see ya!” Newt’s voice carried into his room from the hall.
Suspicion struck Thomas, he didn’t have many, if any friends from back home, and besides Minho, he hadn’t made any here.
He made his way out of his room and into the hall, glancing past his roommate to the figure standing in the doorway.
He immediately recognized her light brown eyes and grown out pixie-cut. Her pierced eyebrow and nose giving her a punk like aesthetic along with the chains attached to her black cargo pants.
”Brenda…?” The name escaped his lips before he could stop himself.
The girl glanced around Newt and her smile widened into a full grin, “Thomas!” She brushed past the blonde brit and over to the stunned brunette.
Newt studied them as they talked, Tommy seemed more animated than usual, something about this short emo chick seemed to put the normally tense and secluded boy at ease.
He was going to leave and give them some space but to his luck, Tommy got a phone call from someone and had to go into another room. Leaving him alone with….what did the Greenie say her name was?
”Brenda” she answered, as if reading his mind, “and you are?” She looked at him, her eyes were dark and calculating, and even though her stature was smaller, she had an air of intimidation about her.
”Newt” he responded, sitting down in a chair next to the couch she was lounging in.
The girl nodded and glanced at Thomas’ room where he had disappeared into, “he’s probably talking to Ratman or Dr. Death.” She said in a casual, yet annoyed, tone.
Who the bloody hell were they.
“Those are…..odd names,” Newt conceded.
Brenda scoffed, “odd characters to match,” she turned to Newt, “I didn’t just come to talk to Thomas though,” she said, her tone growing serious.
Newt’s eyebrows shot up “oh? Did Tommy mention me or something?”
She shook her head “No…..but we haven’t talked since graduation. His shit guardians hate my ass and refused to let him contact me. The only reason I found where he was is because our old highschool got a donation from the WCKD Trustee board for Thomas’ test scores.” She paused, “…has he told you anything about his legal guardians?”
The blonde shook his head. “No….” He was starting to get an uneasy feeling that all his worst fears about Tommy’s life were going to be confirmed by this random emo girl sitting on his couch.
Brenda chewed her lip, “well…it’s his story to tell not mine….just……I’ll say this. They didn’t treat him right. They still don’t, and that’s putting it lightly….He’s…well….you’ll see if you don’t already….”
Her vague words were starting to get onto Newt’s nerves.
”Just…do me a favor and make sure he eats properly, okay?” She said in a softer tone, her eyes meeting Newt’s.
His tense expression faltered once he saw the amount of concern and straight up fear in her eyes. He nodded slowly.
“Of course….he may be bugging bloody annoying, but he’s still my shuck roommate and if I don’t make sure he takes proper care of himself it’s gonna be me who has to deal with him.” He said, brushing off her concerns with his words, but expression now tense again, distrust replaced by concern.
Brenda studied him, taking in his reaction, before her shoulders relaxed and her features softened, “thanks….“
Thomas came back into the room after a few moments, his smile a bit more forced than when he had taken the call.
“So Bren,” he said, flopping down on the couch next to her, “how’d you find me?”
Brenda eyed him, but decided against pointing out his tense posture, “my uncle works here actually,” she replied, shifting so she was facing both boys.
“The same uncle that adopted you?” The brunette asked in surprise, wondering why his foster parents had never mentioned that.
She grinned slightly, “same uncle! Jorge is awesome, he treats me way better than dad ever did.” She shrugged, “I guess you could say Jorge’s the only true father figure I’ve ever known.”
Thomas’ eyes softened, “I’m glad to hear that, Bren…”
Brenda nodded and smiled, “he works as the janitor here, but he also substitutes for PE whenever they need him too, so you might see him around quite a bit,” she laughed, “when he said he saw your name on the dorm roster he called me to see if it was you…I figured I’d stop by and check.”
Newt’s brow furrowed “Is that even bloody legal?” he asked.
Brenda smirked, “probably not. But he knew how worried I was about Tom,” she reached over to ruffle the brunette’s hair, who looked surprised by her statement.
“You were worried?” He asked softly, his brown eyes searching hers.
“Of course, dummy” the girl rolled her eyes, “you are so thick headed sometimes, jeez…”
Thomas looked down at his lap, silent. Politely, Brenda turned to Newt.
“So, what’s your major, Blondie?”
Newt smirked slightly, “Blondie? How bloody clever….” He shifted into a more layback position. “I’m a double major actually, Psychology and Botany.”
Brenda’s eyebrows furrowed, “those are…very different majors. Sounds annoying honestly.”
Newt shrugged, “it’s a lot of work, but I don’t mind it, I like keeping busy and part of my Psychology assignment is to be a part-time student counselor, so that pays for my tuition.”
“What I’m hearing is you’re smart,” she teased.
The blonde merely shrugged again. Thomas watched the two converse, staying quiet.
“Well I should get going,” Brenda sighed, “I still have to send in college applications…”
Thomas now looked mortified, “Brenda!! I told you to do that BEFORE graduation!!!” He said, “you’re so smart and so stupid sometimes, Bren!” she smirked and leaned over and kissed his cheek.
“Yeah, but it’s boring so I procrastinated,” she jumped up from her seat next to the now shocked brunette, “bye bye, Blondie, I’ll see ya around sometime or another.”
Newt chuckled slightly, then nodded goodbye as she left.
Thomas looked after her quietly. Newt watched him skeptically.
“Do you have a bloody crush on her or something?” He asked.
Thomas blanched “Hell no,” he shook his head, “we grew up in the same orphanage when we were younger, till the cops tracked down her uncle and she got adopted.”
The blonde nodded and leaned back, tension leaving his shoulders, “orphanage?”
“Yea…” he looked a little hesitant but continued, “I was in an orphanage till I was 9, then I was in several foster homes till I got out in a permanent foster home,” he said quietly.
Newt smiled sadly, “oh…I see..” he crossed his legs and sat up a bit straighter, “so…do you like your foster parents now?” he asked.
He scoffed, “about as much as any teenager likes their parents I suppose.” He said, his eyes were focused on the empty coffee table.
Newt studied him for a second, his brain wracking itself for ways to get the brunette to open up more, instead of just using sarcasm to deflect, “that's good at least,” he said, “my parents were never around much when I was a kid, always buggin’ busy, or focusing on my little sister…”
The younger boy looked at him, “oh…I’m sorry about that… I get it though, my foster parents are both very busy, they both work at WICKED and are on the trustee board here…” he paused, “but…I didn’t tell you that- I sort of wasn’t supposed to tell anyone that…”
The older one smiled slightly, “it’s okay, mate, your secret is safe with me.“
Thomas smiled back, but then looked down again, “I really didn’t want to fucking come here, or at least, I didn’t want to major in Biology. But my foster mom insisted on it, she has a doctorate in biology and chemistry and wants me to follow in her footsteps.”
“That’s a lot of bloody pressure to put on a kid,” Newt said softly, “would you have been punished if you hadn’t?”
Thomas merely shrugged and smiled silently. He clearly wasn’t going to talk anymore, he stood. “I’m gonna go take a shower, I wanna try out the jet stream toggle,” he smirked.
Newt chuckled, “Alright, Tommy…” he stood, “I’m gonna fix us some dinner, want anything specific?”
“I’m good,” the brunette said, “I’m not all that hungry to be honest.”
The blonde furrowed his brow, “have you eaten anything since breakfast?”
Thomas shrugged, Newt sighed.
“You have to eat something or you’re going to be proper well set up for failure. You can’t get good grades on an empty stomach.”
Thomas headed towards his room, “good thing the semester hasn’t started yet then,” he replied in a sarcastic tone before disappearing into his room.
Newt stared at the brunette’s door, wanting to drag him out and force feed him, but knowing he had to have a gentler approach if he was going to give the boy lasting help.
Newt heard the shower in their joint bathroom turn on, before he started cooking. He decided on fixing steak, because no sane American he had ever met turned down steak. He added some garlic butter to the skillet before removing the two steaks from the refrigerator. He added them to the pan and added some steak seasoning to the pieces.
Once the water finally turned off, Newt was done, having added mashed potatoes and gravy as a side dish.
Thomas came out of his room, wearing just his sweats, a towel over his shoulder, his gaze fixated on the plates of steak and mashed potatoes.
Newt noted a few healed over scars on the younger boy, but said nothing, “come eat while it’s hot.”
The brunette seemed hesitant but eventually did give in, “I told you not to fix me anything…” he murmured, cutting his steak.
The blonde shrugged and smirked, “I don’t listen very well.”
Thomas grunted and kept eating, Newt sat down beside him and ate as well. The two sat in comfortable silence.
Newt glanced at Tommy, before looking back at his food, maybe he and this new roommate of his would be friends.
Maybe it wouldn’t turn out like last time.
Maybe.
Chapter 4: Army dreamers
Summary:
Thomas pressed his back to the door he’d just closed, sliding down to the flood, letting the groceries spill out from their bags around him as he stared at his phone.
You’re such a waste.
Notes:
“How do you run from the monsters inside your own head?”
- Unknown
Chapter Text
Thomas looked at the clock for about the millionth time that day. It had only been an hour since Newt had left for his trip back home. He had seemed excited about the trip, but also nervous.
Thomas didn’t think Newt had slept for the past 24 hours, the blonde living off coffee and red bull to keep him going, frantically packing and unpacking and repacking his bags, until he had to rush out the door, almost forgetting his passport entirely.
Knowing what the brunette knew now about Newt’s family, he hopes it would all end up going well for him. Thomas had heard Newt muttering something about talking his sister out of something, but he hadn’t caught the entire statement…
He glanced at the clock…again…
He shouldn’t miss the blonde so much…..were they even friends yet? I mean, he would classify them as friends, but would Newt? He wasn’t sure…
He had a hard time reading most people, he was very oblivious. But when it came to Newt? He was ten thousand times more confused by the blonde’s actions.
At first he had thought the blonde completely hated his guts, but THEN he made Thomas breakfast…
Who makes a guy they hate breakfast?
Thomas groaned and rubbed his forehead, glaring down at the essay he was trying to write in his mission of getting ahead before school started.
He had written the word ‘The’….and nothing else.
It had been an hour.
He sighed and tore the sheet of paper from his notebook and crumpled it up, tossing it into the waste bin in pure annoyance.
Maybe a run would help clear his mind.
He stood up, grabbing his sneakers, pulling them on and lacing them up, before heading out the dorm door.
He noticed a boy standing around outside apartment A1 and B1. Thomas hesitated in his tracks.
Isn’t that Teresa’s dorm?
He saw the boy pull out a fork keycard and scan it before going into the room.
What. The. Fuck…..did they allow that here?
He was confused for a moment, but then he realized it was technically just as weird for him to be sharing a dorm with Newt, since the blonde was gay.
Well. It was still different, Thomas was straight, so it’s not like anything would ever happen.
Though if Thomas were to have to kiss a guy he would want it to be Newt. For no particular reason. It just made sense.
He blinked and shook his head, what the hell was he thinking about?
He REALLY needed that run.
Thomas jogged down the stairs heading outside, breaking into a moderately paced run as soon as his feet met pavement.
He missed this. He had never done track or cross country in school, but he often walked (or ran) home from school because his guardians worked too late to pick him up.
He let out puffs of air as he ran, the wind whipping around him, sun beating down on him. He kept running until he felt like his lungs would wither up and die on him. He made it to a nearby bench, before flopping down onto it, wheezing and out of breath.
He leant his head back and stared up at the fluffy clouds.
“Tom?” a familiar voice asked behind him.
His heart skipped a beat.
It was her.
The brunette turned and he felt his cheeks heat up, “hey, Teresa!”
Teresa smiled, she was wearing a white tank top blouse and black skinny jeans. The tank top parted in the front at the bottom, showing off her slim waist and stomach.
He struggled to keep his eyes on hers.
He’s only human.
And she looked like a goddess.
“I’m so glad I ran into you,” she said, her tone smooth and refined, “I wanted to say I’m sorry for Gally…he didn’t hurt you too bad, did he?”
Thomas’ face flushed more, “no…I’m okay now. To be honest, I don’t remember much of what happened,” he admitted.
She smiled a little, her teeth perfectly white, “I figured you might not…..” she moved closer to him “so….I was wondering if you’d like to go out sometime?” She said, her eyes drifting from his to look him up and down.
Alarm bells rang off somewhere in Thomas’ subconscious. The warnings Minho and Newt had given him blaring at him.
“Sure!” He said hastily, grinning like an idiot, “I’d love to…” he paused and then added (so he could defend himself to Newt and Minho later) “I’m always up to hanging out with friends.”
Amusement showed in her sky blue eyes and she nodded, “friends…of course…” she rested her hand on his shoulder “I’ll see you later,” she slipped a piece of paper into his shirt pocket and placed her free hand over it, looking into his eyes.
His breathing hitched slightly at her closeness.
“I’ll text you later and we can schedule something, mkay?” She said softly, before turning and walking off, leaving the brunette in complete and utter stunned silence.
***
A few days went by and Thomas grew used to Newt’s absence yet again, after all, he didn’t have Newt in his life for 16 years, he could deal for three weeks.
Teresa had been occupying him anyway, they hadn’t met up yet, but they had planned a “Netflix and chill” session later that evening.
Thomas kind of thought it was weird, he didn’t quite understand the concept of the idea, but he wasn’t going to complain.
Minho had stopped by a couple times asking the brunette if he wanted to grab food or call in pizza, but Thomas had declined each time, wanting to focus on schoolwork.
He looked over the words on the page he was reading, his head buzzing slightly, the words on the page distorting for the millionth time.
He sighed and rubbed his eyes, maybe this ‘Netflix and chill’ wouldn’t be a bad reprieve from studying anyway.
His stomach rumbled and he considered fixing something to eat before heading over to her dormitory, but decided against it and instead worried about what to wear for the next half hour.
He ended up wearing what he had worn to the party (what Newt had picked for him for the party). He had to admit, the blonde had pretty good taste.
He walked out of his dorm towards Teresa’s, knocking once he arrived.
A shorter male opened the door, the boy had straight brown hair, blue eyes, and sharp features with soft eyes.
“You must be Thomas.” The boy said, opening the door wider for the brunette to enter.
Thomas nodded and smiled “I am…you are…?”
The boy smiled a little, “my name is Aris, I’m Teresa’s roommate.”
“Oh…” The confusion must’ve been clear on his face because Aris chuckled quietly as he closed the door behind him. “I’ll be in my room…Teresa’s on the couch.” He said, disappearing into a room off the hall.
Thomas nodded awkwardly. The apartment style dormitory was nice, clean, looking like a carbon copy of his and Newt’s.
He walked into the living area and saw Teresa laid out on the couch, she looked up and grinned, “about time you got here, Tommy.” She joked, “I was about to think you’d never show.”
That nickname felt weird coming from her, but he brushed off the feeling when she sat up and patted the seat next to her.
“Cmon! I picked out a few movies for us to watch.”
He nodded and sat down next to her, feeling a little awkward around her, then again, he felt awkward around most people.
He froze in place as Teresa leaned slightly against him as she switched on the first movie. She gave him a brief summary of the movie, but he was having a hard time paying attention to it.
About half way into the movie, Teresa got up and grabbed some popcorn while an ad played. She then poured them some weird looking drinks and brought them back. Thomas glanced at the glasses curiously, taking the glass she held out without much hesitation.
“What’s this?” He looked at it, it was blue and purple, and it kind of looked glittery.
Teresa smiled “try it! It’s one of my homemade recipes.”
He obliged and took a sip, it was a bit sour tasting, but the electric buzz that ran through him after a bit made the taste seem not so bad.
The more he drank, the more scrambled and incoherent his thoughts and actions became. By the end of this first movie, he wasn’t even sure where he was exactly.
Teresa seemed to be reacting similarly, but not to the extent he was.
She seemed to be glowing, her obsidian black hair flowed across her shoulders in an inky black wave.
“What the fuck was that stuff, alcohol?” He laughed, his subconscious not knowing why the situation seemed so funny to him.
She grinned lazily and pressed more against him “maybeee” she laughed, clearly the same hysteria shared by them both.
Her blue eyes locked on his doe brown eyes, her gaze slowly drifting to his lips.
His gaze dropped to hers.
She leaned in.
He didn’t lean away, his gaze still focused on her lips.
When their lips touched, his brain completely shut off.
He felt her weight shift into his lap, heat pooling in his stomach as he felt her hands slip under his shirt.
Aris cleared his throat from behind them, Teresa pulled away, Thomas’ face was flushed and bright crimson.
The shorter male smiled apologetically and held up Teresa’s phone, which was ringing quietly, “Teresa…Janson’s calling you…I figured you wouldn’t want to miss it.”
Teresa jumped to her feet and took the phone “oh god thanks, Aris.” She took the call and pressed the phone to her ear, disappearing into the other room.
Aris looked at Thomas with a slightly amused expression, “having fun?” he asked.
Thomas blinked, Aris’ words sloshed around incoherently to him. The boy seemed to notice his state and laughed.
“Man you really can’t hold your liquor can you….” He made his way around the couch and sat next to him.
Thomas smiled sheepishly, his brain clearing a little bit.
When Teresa came back she looked annoyed and apologized before excusing herself, saying something about having to go write reports….or something.
Thomas really didn’t catch much of it, the buzz in his head from earlier had grown worse since adding alcohol to it.
He didn’t stay long after Teresa left, his brain was hazy, but he remembered pulling what consciousness he still had together and making it back to his dorm.
He stumbled into the bathroom as the metallic taste of bile rose in his throat. His vision blurred and before he knew it he was throwing up what meager food he had eaten that day.
When he came too again, he felt a cool cloth pressed against his face. He groaned softly and shifted, a wave of confusion washing over him as he felt the soft silk sheets of his bed beneath him.
“Bout shuckin’ time you woke up, Greenie.” A familiar voice said from beside him, his gaze drifted to the Asian male sitting beside his bed, looking a bit bored, but worried, “Aris called me after you left and said you didn’t look so well, when I finally found the spare keycard Newt left me, I walked in and you were passed out in the bathroom looking greener than a tree frog.”
Thomas blinked, slowly processing the information as his brain woke up.
A water bottle was pressed into his hands, “drink up, shank.” Minho said, “….I think it’s best you stay away from alcohol by the way, you seem to have a shuck tolerance for it.”
Thomas nodded dumbly and drank the water, the cool sensation almost burning to his raw throat.
“Thanks…” he said softly.
Minho smirked, “you’re welcome.” He stood, “now I’m gonna go see about ordering some food. You look like a stick.”
Thomas frowned, “what time is it…?”
“12pm.”
The brunette blanched, “what?!” He sat up and looked at the clock.
He had indeed slept for over 14 hours.
He groaned and rubbed his face in his hands, “I need to study- I’ll eat something later,” he said.
Minho laughed, “if you think you’re going to be studying with the hangover I’m sure you have, you’re delusional.”
Thomas didn’t bother protesting, mentally admitting the runner was annoyingly right, the way his heartbeat pounded in his ears, he was not going to be able to focus.
“Lay back down, Greenie, I’ll fix you something and you can take some medicine after,” Minho said.
Thomas groaned, “can’t you give me the medicine before?” he asked.
“Bottle says not to take on an empty stomach” Minho retorted, smirking.
“Wow…..you can actually read….here I thought you were just a pretty face.” Thomas said sarcastically.
Minho smirked wider, “aw. You think I’m pretty? I’m flattered….now drink some more water and I’ll be back.” He said, as he slipped from the room.
Thomas sighed and took another sip from the water bottle Minho had given him. His mind wandered again.
Why did the runner even care all that much? He’d been sort of rude to him, not to mention he started a fight at the boy’s party.
Thomas dragged himself out of the bed and clumsily changed into some proper clothes. The feel of the fabric against his skin was more restraining for some reason, irritating.
He figured his headache was just making everything worse.
He made his way into the kitchen, Minho had scraped together some food from the cabinets.
“We’re going shopping later,” Minho said, sliding Thomas’ plate over to him, “I could barely find enough crap to make a quesadilla.”
Thomas frowned a little as he looked at the heaping pile of food on his plate, “dude- I’m not a horse- I can’t eat that much food.”
Minho shrugged, “not my problem dude, you gotta eat to take this” he shook the bottle of pills in front of Thomas.
The brunette sighed and picked up a fork and started to eat, after a few moments, he reached for the pill bottle Minho had set on the counter.
Minho snatched them away, “you gotta eat more than that shuckface,” he smirked.
Thomas let out a slight whine and pouted, slumping over and resting his cheek on his arm as he glared up at Minho ruefully.
Minho’s eyebrows shot up and his smirk grew, “don’t act like a toddler.”
Thomas huffed and sat up, begrudgingly shoving more food into his mouth, eating until Minho finally relinquished the pills over to him.
He took them quickly, gulping them down with the rest of the water from the bottle.
Minho watched and then got up, “great!” He grinned, “now get on some shoes and do something about your shuckin hair so we can go shopping!”
Thomas was going to retort but thought better of it, his head was still pounding and now his stomach was hurting from all the food. He sighed and disappeared into the bathroom and brushed his hair into order and slid on some sneakers before heading back to the runner.
“Alrighty! Now you don’t look shucking dead!” Minho clapped him on the back, “only half dead”.
Thomas rolled his eyes, “I think being dead sounds way more appealing than going shopping with your annoying ass,” he grumbled.
Minho’s eyebrows shot up. “Oh? What’s that? Greenie’s got a mouth on him?” He smirked, “let’s go buddy.”
With that, Minho promptly shoved him out the door.
They took the bus to the nearby marketplace. Thomas had never ridden on a bus before, so the experience was….enlightening…to say the least.
Silence overtook them as they got off the bus and walked towards the market.
Minho spoke, “So what’s your favorite food, Greenie?” He mused, glancing at the brunette.
Thomas shrugged, “salad probably, I don’t really know…” he paused before his eyes softened and a slight smile formed on his lips, “though, Newt did make dinner the other night…it was really good. So maybe that?”
Minho grinned, “Ah yes. He’s a spit fire, but he knows his herbs and spices. He got an A in botany for a reason.”
As they entered the store, an instant feeling of being overwhelmed washed over Thomas. The crowded aisles and clicking of shopping carts overcrowded his senses.
The runner looked at him, studying him intently, “you don’t…you don’t get out much, do you?” he asked skeptically.
Thomas forced a slight smile and noiselessly shook his head, “not much…no…”
Minho guided him down a couple different aisles, pushing the shopping cart as they walked. Thomas grabbed a few items, but they all seemed bland, unfilling.
Lettuce, kale, keto ingredients and a bunch of things Minho could quickly recognize as diet food. Diet food that might be okay for a full grown adult to eat, but a growing teenager? It was barely enough to function.
“Dude, that stuff looks gross as fuck, get some good food in there, man!” He encouraged, seeing the brunette’s hesitance he added, “Newt’s not going to want to immediately go shopping for food when he gets back, and he certainly won’t want this crap.”
Thomas studied the almost empty cart and conceded, “what does Newt like?” he asked.
Minho beamed, “that’s the spirit! He likes just about anything, but one of our old friends had a recipe that he absolutely loved,” he said, “I have it….I just never had the heart to make it.” He paused, “that, and I was too scared I’d burn down the dormitory.”
Thomas studied the older boy, the smile that had previously been easy going was suddenly very forced, the brunette studied him and noticed the runner’s tense shoulders, the redness growing in his eyes as he glanced up, pretending to look at the top shelves.
He wouldn’t press it, but he had a feeling this friend of theirs wasn’t exactly…around…anymore.
“Alright, what’s the recipe?” Thomas asked softly.
Minho didn’t reply, he just walked around putting the ingredients into the cart, he added a few other things commenting that Thomas should try it or that Newt really liked it.
For once, the anxiousness of buying and shopping started to slowly ease out of the brunette, he found himself smiling and actually enjoying this trip with his new friend.
His headache had finally subsided as they walked to check out. Thomas slipped his card from his wallet and tapped it against the scanner before pocketing it again. He took the receipt and grinned over at Minho as he told him about the time that Newt had accidentally gone on a blind date with his ex.
“So you’re telling me, that he tried to go onto a dating site, and ended up matching with his ex, who was catfishing!?” Thomas laughed, picking up his bags of groceries and walking out with Minho at his side.
The runner grinned and wriggled his eyebrows, “worse than that, Greenie. He didn’t leave when he realized!”
Thomas stopped dead in his tracks, his mouth fell open and he looked at his friend, his eyebrows furrowed in, but a clearly amused and bewildered look in his eyes, “he didn’t leave?” he laughed.
Minho shrugged and smirked, “his words were, and I quote. ‘He was bloody paying and I wasn’t going to say no to a free buggin’ meal.’”.
The two boys burst into a fit of laughter as they walked, only to be interrupted by Thomas’ phone buzzing.
His smile instantly faded and he stopped walking, setting down his groceries hurriedly in order to check his messages. Minho raised an eyebrow, but stopped as well.
The runner watched as the color slowly drained from the younger boy’s face.
“Hey, you good man?” He asked, starting to get a little worried.
Thomas glanced up at him and forced a quick smile, “yeah…I’m fine.” He glanced back down and snapped a photo of the receipt he’d been given and his fingers flew across the digital keyboard before he pocketed his phone.
Minho smirked, “what? Your mom think you were buying drugs or a hooker or somethin?”
“Or something…. “ Thomas said with a distant look in his eyes.
The runner wasn’t stupid, he noticed the sudden change in the boy’s entire demeanor, but he didn’t know how to bring it up, so he just didn’t.
The two continued their walk to the bus, riding it back to campus while Thomas remained mostly silent. He only responded whenever Minho asked him something, and even then it was the shortest reply possible.
Minho had already made up his mind by the time they got back into the dormitory halls that he would help Thomas unpack groceries before broaching the subject, when Thomas stopped him at the door, taking the other grocery bags from him,
“I can take it from here,” he said, shooting the taller male a smile before disappearing into his dorm before Minho could scramble for a good excuse to stop him.
Minho stared at the door, dumbfounded, and a little disappointed. He thought he had finally gotten somewhere with the brunette, finally gotten him to open up a little. He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck, turning around and heading back to his own dorm.
Whatever, it didn’t matter anyway, he only went over in the first place because Newt had asked him to check in on the boy, then when Aris called he figured he probably should anyway.
It's not like he and Thomas would run in the same social circles when school started anyway, so he didn’t exactly know why he bothered, Thomas clearly didn’t like him anyway.
Minho sighed and ran his fingers through his hair as he walked into his dorm. He didn’t know why, but he felt like he was wrong. His gut was telling him there was something more, something wrong with Thomas’ behavior, but he couldn’t pinpoint it. He wasn’t as good with people as Newt was.
He flopped onto the couch and sighed. Whatever it was, it could wait a couple weeks until Newt was back.
***
Thomas pressed his back to the door he’d just closed, sliding down to the flood, letting the groceries spill out from their bags around him as he stared at his phone.
You’re such a waste.
That wasn’t a necessary cost.
You’re going to get sick.
Don’t let it happen again.
His eyes closed as his head fell back against the door. The dull ache just behind his ears returned, his stomach churned. He took a deep shaking breath as he felt the iron taste fill his mouth, his throat starting to close as his eyes began to reflexively water.
Why did it matter what he ate? Why did she care? They had enough money, he wasn’t wasting it, he just, he just wanted to…
What did he want to do?
He knew what they let him eat was just what he needed, they were scientists after all…they knew better than Minho…he needed to trust his guardians. He had to.
Bile rose in his throat.
He barely managed to run to the bathroom and hold his head over the toilet, before he vomited up the meal Minho had forced him to eat earlier.
Paige was right…
It was a waste.
Eating meant getting sick.
He closed his eyes as they stung. He breathed in and out of his nose, trying to get the nausea to pass.
This is why he hadn’t wanted distractions. He should be focusing on school.
This is why he hadn’t wanted to leave, he had to focus on graduating.
This is why he hadn’t wanted friends…he had to focus on escaping.
Four more years. Then he could leave.
He sat back, the cool tile pressed against his back.
Four more years, then he could escape them and do whatever he wanted.
If he wanted to escape, he couldn’t have any distractions now.
***
Three Weeks Later
***
Newt scanned his keycard over the scanner, he was exhausted after his flight from London. The thing he wanted most? Sleep…okay maybe a shower and THEN sleep.
He opened the door and closed it behind him, taking off his scarf and jacket and hanging them up on a hook before setting his luggage down.
When he straightened, he finally noticed it.
The chemical smells.
The spotless interior.
The silence.
Newt blinked and glanced at his watch, it wasn’t late at all, Thomas should still be up.
“Tommy?” He called, walking deeper into the dormitory, “Tommy you here?”
The brunette's door clicked open, the boy emerging from his room.
Newt’s heart sank.
Oh shit…
Chapter 5: Daylight - David Kushner
Summary:
“Some children are simply born with tragedy in their blood.”
- Unknown
Chapter Summary:
“I’m here.” Newt murmured softly, his golden brown eyes peering into Thomas’ as he leaned forward, closer to his friend. “You can talk to me, or not. But I am here.”
Notes:
Ngl- I kinda wrote myself into a rut with this next chapter. Normally i try to stay a chapter ahead but uh. Yea.
I HATE WRITING TERESA SO BAD IT PAINS MEEEE
Chapter Text
Newt looked at the sight of Tommy in front of him, sickly pale and thin, a forced smile on the brunette’s face.
”Did you have a good trip?” Thomas asked quietly, Newt swallowed back a gasp at how bloody fragile the boy sounded.
The blonde nodded and forced a smile on his own face as well, hoping Thomas didn’t see his initial shock, he didn’t want to scare him away into his room. “I had a great bloody trip, actually…My sister is going to be attending this semester so, I’ll be buggin happy to be able to spend more time with her…” He made his way over to the couch, indicating to the younger male that he wanted to sit.
He didn’t actually need to, but Thomas looked so close to collapsing, he didn’t want to keep him standing.
Thomas sat next to him on the couch, their bodies facing each other.
”That’s good then,” he replied softly, then Thomas paused before continuing. “I think the university has special accommodation housing for siblings, you could see if you could be reassigned as her roommate…” he chuckled and smirked wryly, the kind of amusement that turns hollow when it reaches the eyes. “I’m sure she’d be a much better roommate than I am…”
Newt’s eyebrows pulled together, his seriousness displaying across his normally relaxed features, done handling the situation with placid smiles. “Tommy….she’s my bloody sister…I’ve lived with her for 15 years. I’d proper well rather spend time with my new mate, yeah?”
“...it was just a suggestion,” Thomas defended dryly. His eyes drifted to the floor, never meeting the blonde’s gaze.
”Tommy…” Newt said softly, he could see the brunette brace himself, already knowing the next thing the older male was going to say. “….have you been eating properly?”
Just like that, the tension that had already been in the room, thickened tenfold. Thomas chuckled wryly, unconvincingly, his leg starting to bounce, a tell-tale sign of anxiousness Newt’s eyes were instantly drawn to.
The blonde studied Thomas’ face, something behind the younger’s gaze became more guarded, the way the corner of his eyes tensed instead of wrinkled, like they did when he was actually happy.
”I’ve been eating plenty,” he said, waving the question away as if it was stupid.
”Tommy…you know-“
Thomas cut him off before he could continue. “Newt- I said I’m fine…ok?” He said, standing, his fists curled in, his nails leaving marks against his palms. “I actually made food…I knew you probably wouldn’t want to cook when you got h- back.”
This caught the blonde off guard, his eyebrows rose. “…you did?”
The brunette nodded and turned, disappearing into the kitchen with Newt trailing right behind him. The brit watched in silence as Tommy reached into the fridge and pulled out a large glass container, setting it on the counter and taking out a bowl from the cabinet. One bowl. Not two.
With a sigh, Newt reached out from behind him, his arm reaching across Thomas’ shoulder as he grabbed another bowl.
”You gotta eat too,” he whispered softly, right next to Thomas’ ear, “gotta make sure you aren’t gonna bloody poison me, mate.” He chuckled, leaning back as he set his bowl next to the first.
Thomas scoffed as he filled up both bowls with the stew. Newt’s eyes widened slightly, but he shook off his initial thoughts.
It couldn’t be what he thought it was, it just looked similar.
As Tommy slipped the bowls into the microwave to reheat, Newt’s eyes lit up. “Oh! I almost forgot! I got you a little souvenir from England!”
The brunette's eyebrows raised. “You…got me something?”
The blonde looked a little sheepish, “yeah, I just thought of you when I saw it, figured why not, yknow? Plus- Minho always makes me pick him up something whenever I go back to visit, so I figured I’d get you something too.” He said, walking over to his bag in the entryway and digging through it for a moment.
Thomas waited in the kitchen, watching the bowls spin in the microwave, his heart felt tight for some reason. He felt…he didn’t know what he felt…it just felt nice, really nice, knowing that Newt had thought of him while he was gone.
Newt was a good friend…a really good friend.
Returning with a small gift bag, the boy grinned at him as Thomas took the now steaming bowls out of the microwave and placed them onto the counter to cool. He then turned to face the blonde expectantly.
“I hope you don’t think it’s too cheesy,” Newt said with a chuckle, anxiety underlying in his tone, “or that I hope you at least like it anyway if you think it is cheesy.”
Tommy took the gift and seemed to stare at it hesitantly for a second. Newt studied him, it was almost as if there were stars shining in his eyes as he gazed at the small parcel in his hands, he almost looked ready to cry.
Newt’s heart simultaneously warmed and broke, realizing Tommy’s reaction was probably like this because he hadn’t received many, if any, gifts in the past. At least, none with no strings attached.
“Hurry up and open it, Tommy,” Newt encouraged playfully, bumping the brunette's shoulder with his own. “Our food’s gonna get cold.”
The blonde studied the younger’s expression as his hands shakily untied the ribbon that held the bag closed. His eyebrows were slightly lifted and drawn together, the wrinkles beneath his eyes made more evident by the smile hidden behind his gaze.
Suddenly something clicked in Newt’s head.
It was the same look he had seen some of the kids at Christmas Church services, when they would receive a donated gift.
Like what they held in their hands was something, for once, truly theirs, a sign of pure affection without expectations or something else in return.
And that broke his heart to see that same look on his younger roommate's face.
”Newt….” Thomas’ voice drew him out of his thoughts, as he focused back on him.
“Ya like it?” Newt asked hopefully, his gaze resting on the small keychain in Thomas’ hand.
It was a small figurine of a medical flask with some sort of blue liquid inside the tube. It hung from a small key ring chain.
”I know you said biology wasn’t exactly your choice,” Newt murmured softly, leaning against the counter, his gaze moving from the vial back up into Thomas’ eyes. “But I figured maybe I could help give the subject new meaning for you…Something of creativity, having the ability to create a solution to any problem you have with chemical reactions…” he trailed off, realizing he was probably rambling, he didn’t know why the brunette’s reaction seemed so important to him, it was just a silly little gift.
Hazel eyes met his, tears swimming in them, a look of hurt and hope filling his gaze. Newt looked into his eyes, at a loss for what to say, not wanting to make the boy actually cry.
”Thank you….” Thomas said, his voice slightly strained as he looked back down at the key chain, enveloping it in his fist. “I’ll…I’ll remember that…” he took a shaking breath and looked at the ground, not daring to look at the blonde as he asked, “can I….give you a hug?”
The request caught Newt off guard, the amount of vulnerability in the younger’s actions and words were such a harsh difference than his usual sarcastic barrier, that all he could do was nod soundlessly and open his arms.
How did they go from making snarky comments at each other, to this?
Newt didn’t know.
He didn’t care.
What he did care about, was Tommy, and that’s all he needed to know for now.
Thomas seemed to hesitate before walking into Newt’s hold, wrapping his own arms around the taller male, his grip was tight, holding onto the back of Newt’s shirt as they embraced for a moment longer than probably classified as a mere hug.
Neither mentioned it.
Neither minded.
After a moment, Thomas sniffed and pulled back, his eyes still red, but if he had cried, Newt hadn’t seen it.
”We should eat.” He said quietly, handing a bowl and spoon out to Newt, who took it gratefully, not wanting to push the brunette any further for fear of embarrassing him.
They sat down at the bar table, Newt felt the other’s gaze on him as he put a spoonful into his mouth.
A familiar flavor flooded his tongue. A flavor that had tears stinging his own eyes now. He swallowed, as if the food had turned to rocks in his mouth, as he tried hard to cover his emotions.
Thomas politely looked down at his own bowl. “Take it as a thanks…for everything,” he said quietly.
“How…how did….” The sentence faltered on Newt’s lips, unable to put thoughts to words.
He shrugged and smiled sadly, “Minho…”
Newt stood from his stool and stepped forward, wrapping his arms around the brunette in another hug, this one tighter, more desperate on his end.
”Thank you….so much…” he said softly, “it….I haven’t been able to make it like he did…I…I haven’t tasted anything bloody like this in…” words stuck in his throat as his breathing became shakier from the waves of emotion flooding him.
The brunette smiled and held up the keychain. “I haven’t been given something like this in a long time…so…consider us even, yeah?”
The two ate in comfortable silence for a minute. When Newt caught Tommy slowing down, he reached over and placed his hand on the brunette’s shoulder and squeezed gently, before pulling his hand away and continuing to eat.
They both finished their bowls, Newt standing and placing them in the sink wordlessly after.
Now was as good a time as any, he thought, wiping off his hands on the dish towel and walking back, sitting next to the other boy once again.
”Tommy?” he said softly.
Thomas slowly looked up at him, cautious, but no longer as guarded as before.
Newt took a breath before looking deep into Thomas’ eyes, “I’m here.” He murmured softly, his golden brown eyes peering into Thomas’ as he leaned forward, closer to his friend. “You can talk to me, or not. But I am here, Tommy.”
Their eyes stayed locked on each other for a few moments, before Thomas slowly nodded, the tension seemingly leaving his shoulders completely, relaxing for once because he felt safe.
He still stayed quiet for a bit, gathering his thoughts, trying to figure out how to put his feelings into words.
Finally he took a deep breath, circling the middle finger of his left hand around the knuckle of his right, “I’ve had…trouble eating…It’s like- a mental block, to me…” he said carefully. He seemed fearful for the other’s reaction, but Newt stayed quiet and waited for the boy to feel comfortable enough to continue.
”My adoptive parents are very…strict.” He continued after a pause, knee starting to bounce again, but he didn’t falter this time, “they have a certain diet for me, only enough food to keep me alive and able to function. Things like….chocolate, or really anything sweet or with unnecessary carbs are seen as a waste…I just…when I lived with them, I got so used to lacking, to being hungry, I just…forgot I was hungry.” He looked up at Newt. “when I would get hungry, I’d just…ignore it, until the ache subsided, distracting myself with school, or college applications.”
Newt’s stomach dropped with each word that left Thomas’ mouth as he continued to try and explain the mental walls and blocks he’d built up around eating, struggling to piece together his thoughts, clearly not knowing the explanation behind his own actions, but trying, desperately trying, to put it into words, for Newt.
After a while, Thomas trailed off from his ramblings, his hands falling onto his lap helplessly, his gaze fixated on the floor.
Without really registering his actions, Newt slowly reached out and took the younger’s hands in his, “I’m proud of you, Tommy…I’m really bloody proud of you,” he said softly.
Thomas looked back up at him. “For what?” He said, his brow furrowed.
“For trusting me,” he replied, squeezing the boy’s hands and smiling comfortingly at him.
The boy stared at him for a moment, before chuckling, then pulling his hands away to wipe the leftover tears, continuing to laugh as he did so.
Newt’s eyebrows rose questioningly.
”Look at us, just two saps crying and hugging each other.” Thomas said with a chuckle. “It’s like some fucking soap opera or something, except the emotion is between two friends instead of two lovers.”
The blonde’s lips twitched upwards into a smirk and he chuckled alongside the brunette. “Oh shove off Tommy, you’d be proper bloody lucky to have a romantic interest so grand as myself,” Newt joked, nudging the boy with his knee.
Thomas chuckled and put his chin into his hand. “Too bad I’m straight as a pole,” he said, with a dramatic sigh.
The two chuckled and Newt stood from the stool and walked over, collapsing back onto the couch. “Cmon! We’re gonna watch a cute movie about friends and cry some more before heading to bed.”
The younger boy laughed, but obliged and flopped next to the brit onto the couch.
“Oh? What movie?” he asked.
The blonde smiled and clicked onto Disney, scrolling through his ‘recently watched’ until he found a movie titled, ‘Luca’.
”Trust me, you’ll bloody love it,” Newt said softly, settling back into his seat.
Thomas glanced at him and smiled. “If you say so, I’ll believe you.”
Newt laughed and hit him with a pillow. “Hey! Save the sappiness for the movie, greenie.”
The two relaxed and pulled a blanket over them. They got comfortable as the upbeat music cued, showing the iconic disney north star scenery, before moving down and showing the disney castle.
Newt’s eyes strayed from the TV screen subtly as the movie began.
He’d seen the movie about a million times.
What he was interested in actually seeing?
Tommy’s reaction to the world Newt wanted to show him, his world, a safe world.
***
Thomas squinted his eyes, stirring slightly, then jolting awake as he almost fell off the couch. He tightened his grip around something, trying to keep himself steady.
Wait…
That something was warm…
And breathing…
The brunette’s eyes locked on to the sleeping figure beside him, right beside him. The person he was currently tangled with, arms and legs intertwined.
Newt.
Thomas’ whole body went rigid and his face turned beet red. How did they end up like that?
He managed to get himself untangled from Newt with some difficulty, the blonde was really much heavier than he looked.
As he stood, he felt a fierce pain rocket through him, a wave of nausea following. He sucked in a sharp breath and slowly made his way into the bathroom. His legs gave out on him as he reached the toilet. He gripped onto the toilet rim, his body aching.
Wave after wave of increasing nausea hit him, but nothing came up, the iron taste in his mouth becoming enough to make him consider forcing it up.
He heard movement behind him and guilt pooled in his gut. Newt had just gotten home the day before, he shouldn’t have to deal with him, not like this.
”Tommy? Tommy what’s bloody wrong? It’s five o’clock in the morning, you should really be as-….woah mate…you don’t look so buggin’ good…” Newt said, his tone softening as he realized the brunette’s predicament, he walked over and knelt beside him, placing his cool hand on the back of his neck.
Thomas closed his eyes “I ate too much is all,” he replied, his lips barely moving as he tried to fight back the bile rising in his throat, burning it.
There was silence, before the other boy sat and pulled Thomas into a gentle embrace. Newt’s skin was cold to the touch, cooling off the brunette—much to his relief.
The two boys sat like that on the bathroom tiles for about ten minutes, before the sick feeling in Thomas’ gut faded into just a tolerable ache.
“I’m sorry…” the words left his lips before Thomas could stop them.
Newt’s eyes lowered to meet the younger’s, his own gaze softened at how utterly broken the boy looked laying against him. “For what, Tommy?”
”For me…for making you take care of me when you’re probably so fucking tired after your trip…for being a burden to you instead of a good friend.” Thomas said softly, avoiding Newt’s eyes like they would turn him to stone.
”Oh Tommy…” it’s said soft. “Tommy please look at me…” the blonde’s cool hands moved from the brunette’s back to his cheeks, cupping them and tilting his head towards the older, forcing him to look, “you are not a burden…whoever made you feel like that deserves bloody hell for making you think like that…” his voice was soothing, calming Thomas’ racing heart.
Thomas’ eyes looked deep into his friend’s, seeing only true concern looking back, worry without expectations, friendship without cost.
A weak smile touched Thomas’ lips. “Thank you…”
Newt’s brow furrowed together in confusion. “For what, Tommy?”
”…For being my friend…”
Chapter 6: Chapter Six: Heather
Summary:
Heather - Conan Gray
A/N: This chapter will have an abrupt end bcs I’m just deciding to post whatever I have still written ;-; - I still LOVE newtmas but I am unsure if I will finish this fix or not….
“You deserve to be loved and chosen - not almost loved or almost chosen.” - Unknown
Chapter Text
“Dude. You have GOT to get over this stupid little crush of yours,” Minho sighed. His body leaning against the table as he watched Newt anxiously polishing the marble countertops.
The blonde chewed his lower lip and hesitated in his cleaning.“It’s not a crush, Minho…I just care about my bloody roomate.” His gaze didn’t move from the glossy countertops.
”Then why are you cleaning like a worried Mexican mother just because Thomas went to go hang out with the witch?” The runner countered, as he lifted an apple from the fruit basket.
”Because! She’s fucking manipulative- and bloody toxic as hell! And-“
Minho cut him off, “and Thomas is completely capable of handling himself. We already warned him about her, he has to make his own decisions, Newt.”
Newt’s eyes drifted to his best friend's before lowering back to the floor. “I know that, I do…I just…He’s already been through so bloody much I just want to shucking protect him from having to go through anymore shit.”
“Maybe you should focus on your own shit, Newton.” The brunette said in a harsher tone than he usually ever used, one that forced the younger boy’s eyes up to meet the runner’s.
”I’m okay, Minho…” Newt said softly, searching his friend’s eyes, trying to ease the other’s worries. He failed miserably.
The other boy got up and walked over to him, his arms crossed in front of him. “Oh yeah? How did the MRI scan go?” he pressed.
Air around them grew cold as Newt tried to hold his friend’s gaze, but he couldn’t, so instead he looked at the counter polish instead. “I don’t want to bloody talk about this right now, Minho.”
”That’s the problem, Newt. You never want to talk about it! You never want to confront your own problems! You’re always too worried about everyone else’s!”
”Maybe that’s how I like it! Okay! You can’t do anything to help me, neither can I! But we can help Thomas!….Thomas can be fixed…” Newt’s gaze flicked to Minho’s, their eyes locking together. “I can’t….so please…just help me, help him…”
Minho’s eyes bore into his and he shook his head, his gaze tense as he spoke. “I saved you once, I’ll do it again…I promise.”
The silence in the air was deafening as the two boys stood there, stuck in their individual beliefs. Clearly neither of them were going to budge in their opinions.
“This is bloody different, Min…” Newt said, his voice shaking, “and you know that…this time….I couldn’t be fucking saved even if I wanted to, and I do bloody want to. Don’t…please don’t make this harder. I came here to be normal, to live normally, as long as I bloody can.”
They held each other’s gaze for a moment more before Minho’s eyes fell to the tile floors, “fine…” He pushed off the counter. “Let me know when he gets back, mkay?” he said softly.
Newt’s eyes softened “I thought you were going to stay and play FIFA with me…” he said quietly.
“I…I don’t feel up to it anymore, raincheck?” the other said, looking down at the blonde with a sad smile.
The Brit nodded sadly and watched the runner leave.
A heaviness fell on the room that Newt couldn’t shake, no matter how hard he polished the counters, no matter how hard he scrubbed the baseboards, no matter how fixed up the room looked, he couldn’t fix this problem, he couldn’t force Thomas to listen to him.
Maybe he couldn’t fix this, just like he couldn’t fix himself.
He was still in a cleaning frenzy when he heard the sound of voices in the hall, Tommy’s voice. He hurried to the door and opened it before the brunette could swipe his keycard.
Thomas looked up in surprise and a sheepish grin settled on his lips, “I wasn’t gone all that long, was I?” he asked with a chuckle, rubbing the back of his neck.
Newt opened his mouth to reply, before he noticed Teresa standing just behind him, her arm wrapped around Thomas’. Clinging to him, like a parasite.
His gaze hardened, he knew it did based off the subtle smirk Teresa gave him, just out of view of Thomas.
“Nah, you weren’t gone that bloody long. Just didn’t want to hear you two making out in front of the apartment.” Newt said, almost wincing at how cold and bitter his voice sounded.
Wow, real subtle Newton.
Thomas smiled good naturedly, but the blonde could see the younger boy’s eyes tightening in worry and concern, he turned to Teresa.
“I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?” He smiled softly.
She laughed and fluttered eyelashes “Will you sit with me at lunch then? It’s our first day of school.”
Thomas grinned, “yeah, sure.”
She raised up, her weight moving to her tiptoes. Newt was forced to watch in an almost slow motion picture as she turned Thomas’ face towards hers, and she kissed his lips gently.
Something swelled in the back of Newt’s throat, his eyes stung, but he shook his head and forced an annoyed sigh, “get in here Tommy.”
Thomas flushed as Teresa grinned and skipped off to her own door.
The moment they were alone, Newt shot a glare at Thomas, “I bloody warned you about her, yknow.”
Thomas looked sheepish, “I know…but it turns out, she was a foster kid too, yknow? And she said she’s never been able to connect with someone like she connected with me…that she feels like I can really understand her…”
“That’s how she manipulates you, Thomas!” Newt snapped, he sighed and turned to go back inside the apartment, “I’m just trying to protect you, yknow.”
Thomas’ eyes sharpened “but why? What are you getting from it? You’re not my parents, or getting anything else from this. So why are you trying to help me? I’m just some random guy you met a month ago.”
Newt’s gaze lifted and he met Thomas’ uncertain angry eyes. He could tell his anger wasn’t actually towards Newt, but more at himself, he just didn’t know how to express it.
He knew that.
His psychology classes had taught him how to recognize it.
But Tommy’s words still hurt.
“If all we are is roommates then I suppose I shouldn’t care.” Newt spoke evenly, searching Thomas’ eyes for his reaction, “but I thought we were friends, bloody good ones at that…so tell me Tommy. Are we friends?”
The brunette stayed quiet, and after a moment, the blonde simply turned and left into his room. He felt like that was enough of an answer.
Thomas on the other hand was frozen in shock. He didn’t understand why Newt cared so much. He didn’t understand this, people always wanted something from him. His highschool friends always wanted him to do their homework, or pay for their lunches, or something like that. His parents wanted him to uphold their name, to make sure their legacy continued. It was even clear to him that Teresa wanted attention, wanted someone to love her, wanted someone to idolize her.
But that was normal, right? For someone to want something from other people? For people to expect something?
He didn’t understand what Newt wanted, or why Newt cared.
He walked into the apartment and closed the door behind him. He really wanted to understand.
Newt shrugged on a jacket and walked out of their dorm. He didn’t feel like being there right then. He wanted to run, to shake off his frustration. The fact that he couldn’t, only made him more angry. He glared down at his shoes as he limped down the hall.
A walk would do him well anyway. He pushed open the door to the courtyard and stepped out, a fresh cool breeze washing over him.
His eyes drifted over the skyline. The dreary fog that had settled around the school still hadn’t lifted yet, casting a green somber hue over everything.
He kept walking for a few moments before growing a little faint and sitting down at a nearby bench. He sighed and put his head in his hands.
He couldn’t help Thomas if he didn’t want it.
But he really wanted to help Thomas.
So he tried helping Thomas over the next few days, trying not to catch Teresa in her lies became not just mentally draining, but physically draining.
Which was how Newt ended up on bedrest after staying out in the rain watching Teresa meet up with one of the other college students. And how Minho ended up glaring daggers down at him.
“Newt. You’re being so stupid! And reckless! You can’t afford to get this sick! I can’t believe you! You’re usually so calm and rational I don’t understand it!”
Minho’s chiding went in one ear and out the other as the blonde glared at the antibiotics in his hand.
Minho eyed him, “hurry up and take them sicko.”
“But they make me bloody tireddd” Newt huffed, continuing to glare at the pills as if he could incinerate them with his eyes.
The runner sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, “that’s the entire point dipshit.” He said in so much annoyance Newt almost smirked, “it makes you tired so your body can heal while the medication takes effect. Otherwise you exerting yourself would make it not work as well- why am I telling you this? Aren’t YOU the Botany major? You know this shit!”
Newt snickered and popped the pills into his mouth before he gave his best friend an aneurysm. Minho watched him, practically staring daggers into him as he made sure his dumb blonde of a friend actually took the medication.
Newt swallowed. Minho nodded.“Finally, it’s about shucking time,” he grumbled, resting his hands on his hips.
The front door to the apartment clicked and the brit’s head popped up. “Is that Tommy?” he asked, trying to mask the hopefulness in his tone.
He failed, apparently, because Minho gave him an exasperated look before poking his head out the doorway to check, he looked back over at Newt, “yeah,” he said, his tone dull.
Thomas walked into Newt’s room a moment later, carrying a small takeout bowl that seemed to be steaming. He smiled a little, “I picked you up some chicken noodle soup from Auntie B’s Souporium.” He set the bowl on Newt’s nightstand along with a spoon.
Newt stared at the dish, cursing himself as he felt the color rising into his cheeks. “Thanks, Tommy…” he said softly, “you didn’t have to do that.”
“I know,” the brunette beamed down at him, leaning against the wall, “but I decided to get my favourite patient their favorite soup.”
That shouldn’t have made the blonde’s heart race as much as it did. It shouldn’t have made him feel special, or different. But it did. Something about being Thomas’ favourite, at least in something, felt like the best feeling in the world.
The glimpse of the feeling also felt painful. It made him wish he was Teresa.
“He hasn’t been eating anything proper all day,” Minho butted in, nearly glaring at Thomas, before turning to actually glower at Newt.
Thomas laughed, “maybe I oughta spoon feed it to him,” he joked.
Newt spluttered and tried to hide his embarrassment with a coughing fit as Minho beamed, “why that’s an excellent idea, Thomas….why don’t you do that?”
The younger male laughed and picked up the spoon and the bowl and sat on the edge of Newt’s bed, scooping up some of the steaming soup and blowing on it before bringing it to the still very flustered blonde’s mouth.
“I’m not a bloody child!” Newt protested, Minho rolled his eyes for what felt like the millionth time. “Then stop acting like one for shucks sake.”
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