Chapter Text
Minho had been gone for two months. Every night, Newt replayed that day in his mind. He saw Minho getting dragged away, Teresa and her guilty face, and Thomas- his Tommy standing there with a broken expression.
Minho’s absence had left a gaping wound in each of their hearts and Newt missed him like hell.
Ever since Harriet and Vince had managed to get the remaining immunes under control, Thomas had been non stop planning vengeance every single day.
His mind was always elsewhere and Newt was feeling worried, this day particularly.
Thomas had not left his tent for hours and Newt found himself walking up to the entrance.
“Tommy?” He said softly as he pushed back the curtain and stepped inside. Thomas was sat at a shabby desk with his head almost buried in paper.
He hadn’t noticed Newt walk in yet so Newt put his hand on his shoulder gently, making the brunette jump.
“Oh, hey Newt.”
He smiled sheepishly before turning back to his work. Newt sighed and dropped his hand.
“What are you doing?” He asked and stood behind Thomas, looking over at the paper he was writing on.
“I’m trying to figure out a plan to help Minho escape. There can’t be any faults.”
“Huh, what’s the idea?”
“It’s a bit far fetched, but it’s not great yet. I’ll tell you when I’m finished.”
“And how long have you been trialling a plan?”
Thomas paused and put down his pen, “A month.”
“C’mon Tommy. Take a break.” Newt wrapped his arms around Thomas’s shoulders and placed his head in the crook of his neck, "Let Vince and Harriet help you think of something. They’re good in combat after all.”
Thomas sighed and looked down, “I can’t place another burden on them, it’s my fault that their camp got destroyed-“
“No.”
“..What?”
“No. It’s because of you that we’re safe, that we’re free. Also, no one holds you accountable about what happened, that’s all on Teresa.”
Newt sighed and attempted to smile, “Please listen to me Tommy.” Thomas lifted his gaze and fixed his eyes on Newt, their faces inches apart.
Thomas almost forgot how to speak but he choked out a small, “Okay.” Newt nodded and pulled away, making Thomas suddenly feel colder.
Newt walked to the curtain and looked back at Thomas who quickly jumped up and followed him.
The sun shone dimly and dark clouds crept over the horizon as the boys walked side by side. The remaining immunes that had evaded capture from W.C.K.D were all crowded around a small fire.
Thomas obliged and they sat in a comfortable silence for a while.
“Hey guys,” Frypan wandered up behind them and handed over some food and drinks, “eat up.” He patted Thomas on the back and walked off again.
Thomas hungrily scoffed down his food, unaware of how much he had needed to eat.
Newt placed his plate on his lap and just watched Thomas, occasionally taking sips at his drink. Thomas finished and Newt slid him his plate.
“Newt this is your-“
“I’m not hungry.”
Thomas seemed hesitant but he eyed the food hungrily. Newt chuckled and poured it onto Thomas’s plate. He was just glad to see Thomas eating and getting the nutrients he had evaded during his time hidden away behind his desk.
As the fire died and the sun hid behind some clouds, a small trickle of rain began to fall.
“Better head inside now.” Newt immediately jumped up as a raindrop hit his arm.
“I’m sure we can stay out for another minute-“
“Well I’m going, it’s not a good idea to be out here.” Newt stammered, his voice coming out more harsh then he had wanted.
Thomas looked up at him warily but nodded with pursed lips, “Alright.”
“Bye.” Newt quickly turned on his heel and dashed towards his tent.
He felt cowardly, but he couldn’t stay out in the rain for another second. Memories of the scorch storms were still fresh on his mind.
Newt quickly got dressed and dived into his bed, ignoring the fact that it was only the late afternoon.
In his head, those few moments when a terrifying bolt of lightning crashed into the ground and threw Minho replayed over and over again.
After a few minutes, a pair of footsteps made their way towards Newt.
The rain outside had become stronger and it cascaded onto Newt’s tent like a drum.
“Bed already?” Thomas stood over him with a slanted grin and dripping wet hair.
“I told you it wasn’t a good idea to stay out, you’re bloody soaked!” Newt sighed and sat up slowly before standing, pushing Thomas down to sit down in his previous place.
“Hang on.” Newt grabbed a small towel and rubbed Thomas’s hair dry.
He tried to focus on the task he had set himself but it felt almost impossible when his eyes kept drifting down to Thomas, who was gazing up at him.
After attempting to fix up Thomas’s hair, Newt held eye contact with him. “What?”
”Nothing.”
“Do I look weird or something? You’re staring at me.” Newt laughed but he felt slightly self conscious.
Thomas turned slightly red and looked away, “Sorry.”
“Pfft- don’t be,” Newt slung the towel over his shoulder and smirked, “I don’t mind.”
The sun was still bright but dark storm clouds had seized the skies. Newt broke his eye contact with Thomas when he heard a low rumble from above.
“Shuck…” he murmured and hung the towel up before sinking onto the bed next to Thomas.
The brunette raised an eyebrow, “Scared of storms or something?”
Newt wanted to yell at him and he frowned, but Thomas didn’t seem amused. He was studying Newt’s face with concern.
All of Newt’s annoyed emotions melted away and his expression softened, “…you could say that. Just, not good experiences. Remember the scorch?”
Thomas’s eyes widened and he struggled for words, “Oh, I almost forgot about that..sor-“
“Apologise unnecessarily one more like and I’ll kick your arse.” Newt groaned but there was humour in his voice. Suddenly, a bright flash lit up the area around them.
Nothing had been damaged and the storm seemed harmless but Newt started panicking.
He pulled his knees up to his chest and glanced around anxiously, half expecting to hear Minho cry out in pain again.
“Hey, hey!” Thomas hushed him and put his hand on Newt’s knee, “It’s okay.”
Newt wanted to believe him but his instincts had taken over, his fight or flight bubbling up in his mind.
”Newt look at me,” Thomas gently tilted Newt’s face towards his own and smiled, “you’re okay.”
“Uh…mhm.” Newt didn’t know what to say and just nodded, slightly awestruck about how close Thomas was to him.
Clearing his throat and subtly pulling away, Newt squinted towards his door.
“You gonna go home in that? I doubt you’ll get much work done though with all the noise.”
“Oh…well I was kind of hoping that I could stay here with you..?”
Thomas’s voice sounded small and Newt felt guilty about reminding him of Minho, “Of course, Tommy.”
Newt laid down on his back and shuffled over, allowing Thomas to crawl into the bed beside him.
Newt turned onto his side facing the wall and he could feel Thomas’s eyes on the back of his neck.
The rain outside got more aggressive but Newt felt strangely grounded with Thomas beside him. He did however feel himself tremble slightly every time thunder and lightning shook the sky.
One flash of light lit up the entire room and Newt jumped. He hugged himself and stared at the tent wall in front of his face.
“Newt…” Thomas mumbled and placed a hand on Newt’s shoulder. Newt hummed in response and attempted to bury his face into his pillow.
Suddenly, he felt a pair of arms around him. “Tommy?”
”You need to calm down a bit, you’re shivering.” Thomas pulled himself closer to Newt and slightly spooned him, making Newt’s heart flutter.
Thomas was only being nice, why did Newt suddenly feel nervous? The sky outside had gone from a light grey to pitch black in minutes as the storm brewed above them.
Newt attempted to relax his muscles and Thomas buried his face into Newt’s back.
After a while of just listening to the crashes of lightning and the hammering of rain, Newt noticed that his friend had gone silent and his shoulders were shaking slightly.
“You okay Tommy?” Newt turned around to look at Thomas and saw that the boy’s eyes were watering.
“Hey,” his voice was gentle and he frowned at Thomas, “Tommy what’s wrong?”
Thomas shut his eyes tightly and pressed his forehead against Newt’s chest.
“I miss Minho.”
Tears brimmed in Thomas’s eyes and he squeezed Newt tightly as if he was scared that either one of them would disappear at any moment.
Thomas never showed his emotions to others but his attempts at holding back failed and he choked out a sob.
Newt quickly put his arms around Thomas and hugged him back, running a hand through the brunettes hair.
”Sshhh,” Newt hushed Thomas and waited until his friend calmed down.
“Sorry.” Thomas mumbled once he got his voice back, pulling away so he could face Newt.
Newt smiled sadly and wiped Thomas’s tears away, “There’s nothing to apologise for Tommy.”
“I know but…” he stumbled over his words and Newt waited patiently, not interrupting him, “I’ve been so stressed, trying to plan a stupid escape plan to rescue Minho from, stupid, stupid W.C.K.D!”
“You like the word stupid, eh?”
Thomas let out a shaky breath and smiled sheepishly,“ Yeah,” he collected his thoughts before looking Newt in the eye, “I don’t want to burden anyone with my feelings because I’m sure that everyone else is also struggling but-“
“You’re not a burden, Tommy. Don’t ever think that.” Newt propped himself up on his elbow and looked down at Thomas with a sense of pity.
“But-“
“No buts!” Newt sighed and pressed his finger over Thomas’s lips jokingly.
Thomas huffed but smiled genuinely. The pair laid in silence looking at each other until another lightning bolt struck above them.
Newt grimaced and moved his hand away, turning onto his back. Thomas followed suit and they rested side by side.
The storm only seemed to be getting worse as a harsh wind suddenly whipped Newt’s tent door open.
“Shucks sake.” Newt groaned and sat up, eying the curtain warily. Thomas also sat up and rubbed his eyes.
“I’ll get it.” He grumbled and pushed the blankets back, hopping out of the bed.
Newt watched him as he stumbled through the darkness and fought against the wind, tugging at the door furiously.
After a few moments, Thomas managed to tie the curtain shut and he smiled, pleased with his work.
Newt smirked at his friend’s expression as Thomas walked back towards the bed. They shuffled back into place and listened to the rain that was pounding on the roof above them.
Thunder growled in the distance and Newt held his breath.
Thomas reached out under the covers and held onto Newt’s hand, running his thumb over the knuckles.
Newt turned his head to face Thomas and watched the boys chest rising and falling. Despite Newt’s anxiety over the storm, Thomas being in his presence made everything seem more peaceful.
He was about to let sleep take him when Thomas also turned and their faces were inches apart yet again.
Newt thought back to earlier and when he had hugged Thomas from behind, causing a slight blush to creep onto his face.
Silently, he hoped that the darkness made it unnoticeable but Thomas planted a hand on Newt’s cheek, cupping his face.
Newt didn’t say a word, just looked into Thomas’s eyes with a slight smile. Thomas hummed and moved his hand away, instead pressing it against Newt’s chest.
Newt cocked his head to the side, “Tommy?” Thomas slid his hand to sit right over Newt’s heart and he let out a sigh.
“What’s up?” Newt watched Thomas curiously.
Thomas had his eyes fixated on his hand but he glanced up at Newt’s face briefly before looking away.
“I had a dream a couple of days ago…you got stabbed, here.” Thomas poked his finger at Newt’s heart. Newt was taken aback but he tried not to show it.
“Dreams are just dreams, Tommy. I’m still here.” Newt put his hand on his friend’s and squeezed it. Thomas allowed Newt to move their hands to press against his own chest before letting go.
“I guess so, I…I’m just scared that I’m going to loose you just like we lost Minho!”
“No, we haven’t lost Minho, he’s just out of sight for now,” Newt didn’t truly believe in his own words but he wanted Thomas to feel better, “we will get him back. No matter what. But,”
Newt reached out and ran his fingers through Thomas’s hair, “for now, focus on yourself. We can’t have you feeling bad if we’re gonna start a heist.” Newt chuckled but Thomas didn’t meet his eyes.
“I can’t help it, I need to work.” Thomas sat up but Newt pulled him back down again.
“At this hour? And walking through that storm? Are you bloody mad?”
“I need to get Minho to safety!”
Newt gripped Thomas’s wrist and furrowed his eyebrows.
“Then do that tomorrow.”
“If I get working now then we can plan something faster-“
“And you’ll drop dead with exhaustion. Minho wouldn’t want that Tommy, he would want you to calm it and act level headed for once.”
Newt hadn’t realised that his voice had raised to an irritated tone and Thomas looked hurt. Newt quickly let go of Thomas’s wrist and sighed sadly.
“Sorry Tommy, just… please take care of yourself. For Minho, for me.” His voice almost broke and he couldn’t bring himself to look at Thomas.
Thomas brushed Newt’s hair out of his face and smiled, understanding his sudden anger.
“No it’s my bad. I’ll stay here with you tonight then get my head back on alright in the morning.” He embraced Newt, cradling his head, and buried his face into the blonde’s hair.
Newt hugged him back, wrapping his arms around Thomas’s waist and pressing his head against the other’s chest.
“This is nice.” Thomas whispered into Newt’s hair, making Newt blush.
He hummed in agreement and just took in the moment.
Him and Thomas had been close ever since Thomas arrived at the Glade, but the last time they had experienced one another’s company in this way was their first night at W.C.K.D’s undercover base.
Back at the Glade, they had sat together for hours in a comfortable silence in the deadheads, and after their escape and ‘rescue’, they had laid together in Thomas’s bed for a while, just enjoying each others company.
Ever since, they hadn’t experienced a single quiet moment by themselves. This type of company, however, was different. Newt was clutching onto Thomas’s back and was being held tightly in return. It was comforting.
He kept himself awake for a little while longer until he heard Thomas’s breathing tune into a gentle rhythm, meaning he was asleep.
The sounds of thunder and lightning were still loud in the sky but nothing in the world existed anymore, just him and Thomas.
Slowly, he pulled himself up, Thomas’s grip on him loosening, until his head laid on a pillow. He was now face to face with the sleeping boy and he smiled softly.
Thomas looked so peaceful and calm in his sleep and Newt cupped his face, rubbing his thumb gently over Thomas’s cheekbone.
Without a warning, Thomas’s eyes flickered open and he lurched forwards, pecking Newt on the lips. Newt froze and stared at Thomas with shock.
Thomas grinned vaguely and closed his eyes again, “You’re cute.” He murmured.
Newt paused, his mind not taking everything in fast enough, but Thomas hugged him again.
He nuzzled his face into Newt’s shoulder and Newt cautiously embraced him back. His mind was buzzing and he still hadn’t processed the small kiss Thomas had given him.
‘It’s just his fatigue,’ Newt’s mind told him, ‘he was probably just dreaming of Teresa.’ He pushed the last thought away and smiled to himself.
Whatever had just happened had shaken him to the core but he was happy more than anything.
Sighing, he held Thomas a little closer and let himself succumb to sleep.