Chapter Text
Newt locked his computer and stood to leave. What was wrong with Tommy? It sure seemed important, whatever it was. He hoped Tommy was alright. How much trouble could the guy get into really? Knowing him, lots.
‘Newt. Where are you going? We need to talk, it’s important.’ Alby said, blasting back into the office.
‘Bloody hell. Can it wait? Tommy just asked me down to the foyer. Seems urgent.’ Newt said, walking towards Alby and the door.
Alby was stood blocking Newt’s way out. He seemed dumbfounded and Newt swore under his breath. ‘Alby if you need to tell me that bad then walk with me. If it can wait then bloody move.’
Alby jolted out of the way. ‘It can wait.’ He said softly, like he was lost in his own thoughts.
‘Good. Hopefully I won’t be long. I just need to do a few more things and then I am wiping my hands of this Wicked business.’ Newt made it out of the door before Alby could reply and power walked towards the lift.
He managed to catch it just in time, shoving his hand between the closing doors at the last second. The elevator was slow, was it normally this slow? He tried dialing Tommy. It went straight to voicemail. What was so important?
Finally the doors opened and he stepped out ahead of anyone else. Thomas was standing near the building’s wide front door, looking ready to run or faint or have a full blown panic attack. Newt wasn’t sure which. It looked serious though. Why would Tommy call him? Why not Minho or Brenda? Teresa even? Why Newt?
Instead of calling out to him Newt simply walked over to where his new friend seemed to be having a personal crisis. As soon as Tommy saw him he paled. He stopped pacing and his hands dropped to his side. He looked like he was about to tell Newt he’d killed his puppy. But Newt didn’t have a puppy.
‘Newt.’ He said. And it was a small, scared voice.
‘What happened Tommy? You look about ready to bloody klunk yourself.’ Newt replied.
‘Stupid bloody game...’ Thomas muttered.
‘What game? Tommy, you’re scaring me.’ Newt held a hand towards Thomas, unsure whether to try comfort him.
‘It’s what you said. You said you were too bloody busy to play this stupid bloody game.’
Newt didn’t know how to reply. Tommy might think that things were falling into place and becoming more obvious, if the tone of his voice was anything to go by, but he was just confusing Newt even more.
‘Tommy.’ Newt said firmly, ‘Wanna tell me what the hell is going on?’
‘TheGlue.’ Thomas spoke up. Looking Newt in the eyes and seeming to gain a little colour in his cheeks.
He may as well have drained the colour straight from Newt, it was Newt’s turn to go pale. TheGlue. How did Tommy know that name? What was going on? Did he find out about Padawan. Was Tommy upset that he had been blown off for someone Newt hadn’t even met?
‘What?’ was all Newt managed to get out around the lump forming in his throat.
‘You like chicken salad. And you drink all that tea. And your sister, I’m such an idiot, your sister, she didn’t move away she stayed in England.’ Thomas was looking right at Newt but Newt was sure the words weren’t meant for him. What about his sister?
‘I’m gonna need more than that, mate. Start from the top. What’s happening Tommy?’
Thomas stepped forwards suddenly. Straight into Newt’s personal space and pulled his face even closer. Newt was so shocked he didn’t even register at first that Tommy was kissing him. His lips were soft and yet pushing against his own lips hard enough to bruise. Newt shoved him back. Hard.
‘No. That’s not ok. I’m seeing someone.’ Newt gasped. Stepping back and trying to regain his own space.
‘Yea. You’re seeing me.’ Thomas replied.
He’d lost it. Thomas had lost it. Something must have happened and now he was loopy and Newt should call Minho or something to help deal with this. What was it with that second runner position? Did it drive people to insanity?
‘No, Tommy. You’re not well. I’ll call Min, ok? It’ll be ok.’ Newt reached for his phone but Thomas stopped him.
‘Newt. Glue. Isaac. Whatever you want to be called. Hi, I’m Thomas, you call me Tommy. But you also call me Pad! Short for Padawan! Cause Minho, the shuck, stole JediMaster.’
Newt’s heart stopped. His mouth opened and closed a couple times before he mentally told himself to stop it and pull himself to-bloody-gether. ‘What?’ he said meekly.
‘You didn’t like me at first. I don’t know what happened but you changed your mind. And I’m so glad you did cause, Newt, Gluesaac, you’re the best thing that ever happened to me. Your favourite colour is orange. That’s the first colour I saw you in, did you know. That day in the Homestead-’
Thomas spluttered to a stop around Newt’s lips, now pressed to his again. They got a whistle from at least two passer-bys and Newt could have sworn he picked out Gally’s distinct voice saying ‘get a room’.
The kiss was perfect and it summed up everything Newt was feeling in that moment. The surprise and delight and even a slight promise of passion. This was Padawan. This was Thomas, Tommy. This was the guy he had fallen for without even knowing his face or name. The guy he’d seen and instantly started crushing on cause, bloody hell, he was one attractive bloke. He was all wrapped up in one neat bundle.
They were interrupted by a distant yelling. ‘It’s Newt! Thomas! Tom! It’s Newt!!’
Thomas groaned. ‘Guess Teresa caved and told Minho who my mystery boyfriend really is.’
Newt laughed, ‘Teresa knows?’
Thomas nodded. ‘Said someone came to her and saw the notice I printed off. Connected the dots from there.’
Newt was confused, ‘The notice?’
That made Thomas blush a bright red. He was so handsome when he blushed, Newt thought. Before Thomas could answer his question however, the lead runner appeared on their floor, still yelling Thomas and Newt’s names, bursting out of the stairwell corridor.
He spotted Newt and Thomas and bolted over. Runner sure could run. He was gasping for breath when he slid to a halt in front of the boys, who had separated marginally as he had approached.
‘Ne- gasp- Newt. It’s- deep breath- TheGlue it’s... it’s...’ He seemed to finally notice that Newt was already standing there. ‘Him. Thomas, it’s Newt. Workplace cutie. Hot Blondie. Elven ang- Ow!’
Thomas punched Minho on the arm. ‘Yes, Minho, it’s Newt. I don’t think there’s a person here who doesn’t know.’
‘What was that last one?’ Newt laughed.
‘Nothing!’ Thomas cried over Minho’s, unfortunately audible, ‘Elven angel.’
Newt laughed as Thomas jumped on Minho, growling about things said in confidence. Minho, still out of breath, struggled in the grip Thomas had, yelling at him to watch the hair. Eventually Tommy seemed to notice Newt watching with amusement from the sidelines and broke away, feigning elegance.
‘I apologise for him. He is my shuck friend I told you about, he’s a shuckface.’ Tommy said.
Minho seemed to grasp something he hadn’t quite gotten until that point, ‘Wait you know? You knew? Since when!?’
‘Since after I text TheGlue and Newt replied. It wasn’t til I left the office I swear.’ Tommy laughed.
‘No fair, you didn’t even want to know and you and Teresa both found out before me!’
‘Ahh, hell.’ Newt mumbled.
‘What?’ Tommy said, turning to him, face full of worry.
‘Teresa. Wicked. I have work to do.’ Newt complained.
The last thing Newt wanted to do right now was go back and work on this Wicked deal. What did they need a big company like that for anyway? They were doing fine without. Maybe.
Newt knew he had to get back to work. Even if what he really wanted to do was just spend time with Tommy. He didn’t care what they did. They could go to lunch. They could kiss more, anywhere was fine. Bloody hell he’d even be happy with sitting in the same room emailing each other at this point. But he was so close to finalising this contract.
‘Oh, yea.’ It was so easy to see Thomas deflate.
‘It’s just Wicked. It’s almost done though. I’m handing it over to Alby so soon. Just bear with me for a couple hours and then I’m all yours to do whatever you like. Deal?’
Thomas perked up considerably, ‘Whatever I like?’
‘Thomas has some crafty ideas about you Newt, believe me.’ Minho quipped.
Thomas smiled sweetly, leaned forwards and placed a quick chaste kiss on Newt’s lips with a ‘Be quick, I can’t wait’ nnd then he swiftly turned and started fighting with Minho again.
‘Don’t break anything.’ Newt called over his shoulder as he raced up to his desk again.
He all but ran to his chair and started flipping through notes in a hurry. After half a minute of quickly pulling files and opening documents he realised he was being watched. He looked up to see Alby staring at him. It was almost scary, but then he remembered he had, five minutes ago, blown Ably off to see Tommy. Not that he cared.
‘What did you want earlier?’ Newt asked, quickly, everything he was doing was quickly. He was like a hurricane with a purpose.
‘I had to tell you something. About Thomas.’
‘That he’s Pad? Yeah, I know. Now help me get through this bloody work so I can go spend time with him, ya shank.’
Alby smiled broadly, ‘Good that.’
They both knuckled down and within the next two hours they had smashed through the work that had to be done. Funny how easy things get done with the right motivation.
‘I can handle it from here.’ Alby called as Newt clicked the send button on one of the hundred emails he had sent. ‘Go, be with that runner boy of yours.’
Newt sent him his most thankful smile and stood, grabbing his coat, phone and wallet. ‘I’m leaving my things here and my computer logged on. It’s all here. If you need me, don’t call.’
‘Wouldn’t dream of it.’
#####
Thomas was far too full of energy to stay at Maze but far too excited to go anywhere else. He had ended up bouncing around in his and Minho’s office, annoying anyone who saw him.
‘Sit down. Play a game. Distract yourself for a moment.’ Minho cried, pulling his pictures of possible Glueman’s down.
Thomas noticed he left the picture of Newt up. And drew a heart around it. And wrote Tommy 4 Newt in gaudy handwriting. Thomas would chastise him if it wasn’t now his favourite picture in the world, though it did little to capture the grace and elegance Newt seemed to encapsulate.
Minho was very pleased to, as they walked to their desk, announce to Brenda that Thomas was now dating Newt, or TheGlue. He was just happy he wasn’t the last to know after all.
Newt eventually, after the longest and most painful two hours of Thomas’s life, appeared in their doorway. He regarded his picture on the wall suspiciously for a moment before Thomas pulled him into another kiss.
Minho hooted loudly for all of a minute, until it didn’t stop. And even when he coughed awkwardly they kissed on. The broke apart only when he threatened to start throwing things at them.
‘Take it somewhere else, lovebirds. I have to work in here.’
‘You never work, Minho.’ Thomas teased.
‘Well I work more than you, fawning over some e-pal.’
‘It’s not my fault I had the best penpal ever.’
‘It’s an e-pal, shuckface.’ Newt and Minho chimed together.
Thomas really didn’t care. He simply pulled Newt towards the door, ready to do whatever he wanted, not that he knew what he wanted, but being alone with Newt sounded like a good idea to him right now.