Chapter Text
Leaning against the glass of an office building, a tall Asian man of about 21 with spiky black hair and a wrinkled suit, fidgeted with the messenger bag that was flung over one shoulder. It kept slipping, but he didn’t lift his other arm to correct it.
The other arm, he favoured, -his face crinkling with a slight wince when he moved it,- was bulky under his suit sleeve. The reason for the restricted movement and ensuing pain could be seen with a closer glance at his hand. A white plaster that encased his arm up to his palm like a very inconvenient fingerless glove.
His left eye swollen and a deep purple. A cut bisecting his eyebrow.
“Minho, why are you going to work?” A female voice shouted.
He turned to look behind him, towards the voice he recognised. Brenda.
He took a deep breath and grinned at woman who was about two thirds his height and sporting wild brown hair. She wore running kit of joggers and a sweatshirt in black and florescent yellow. Her hair coming out of a low ponytail. She bent over when she got to him, catching her breath. After taking a drink from her water bottle, she hugged him gently.
“What are you doing out of hospital?”
“Couldn’t take anymore. All that poking and prodding and fussing. I signed myself out this morning.”
“You could have a concussion”
“I wouldn’t give that shank the satisfaction.” he grinned, his black eye creasing.
Brenda’s gaze flashed with confusion. She had a feeling that Minho was being deliberately mysterious, just to get her to bite.
“Are you going to tell me what happened or do I have to guess?”
His grin widened.
“Work think I’m still in the hospital. Buy me a drink, and I’ll tell you everything.”
20 minutes later, they were sat a table in a small bar on the other side of town. She had water whilst he held a soft drink, much to his distain. He was under threat of another black eye, unless he stuck to the instructions on his medication.
“Ok, spill it.” she said, waving her drink in front of his face. “How drunk were you?”
“A couple of beers, that’s it. Why do you assume that it was my fault.”
“Because you’re a moron sometimes” she said bluntly.
Minho rolled his eyes at her and took a large gulp of his drink.
“I was climbing through a bedroom window.”
“Whose?”
“Thomas’.” He said matter of factly, like it didn’t matter that she had once dated his boyfriend.
“Why were you climbing through Thomas’ bedroom window? You know that that’s dangerous.” She sipped her drink slowly. “And he has a vicious flatmate.” she added as an after thought.
“Where would the challenge be without the over protective guard dog?” “Don’t let Gally hear you say that. He’d do a lot more than just give you a black eye.”
“Are you going to let me finish? I’d climbed through the window and was saying hello like we always do.”
“You’ve done this before?"
“Many many times.” He smirked at her.
“I take back the moron, you are officially insane.”
“Slim it Brenda, do you want to hear this or not?”
Brenda rolled her eyes as if to say, carry on.
“Anyway, he pulled away suddenly and punched me in the face. It was like a train had hit me. I wasn’t prepared for it ok. I flew backwards and fell out the window. I fell two storeys and landed in a bush.”
“You made out with Gally, didn’t you?” She laughed
“It’s not funny. In my defence, it was dark. They must have swapped rooms and not told me”
“Or you could have climbed in the wrong window. Didn’t you notice it wasn’t Thomas?” Her laughter getting so loud that people started staring.
“Didn’t get much of a chance.” Minho spluttered
“Was he a good kisser?”
“Brenda, do you realise how much it hurt? It was a two storey drop.”
She continued laughing at him as his chair screeched across the floor. Even more people stared this time.
“What are you going to do when you next see him, kiss and make up? Hey Minho, where are you going? You didn’t answer my question?” She shouted as he made a bolt for the door.
***************************************
Thomas had braved the early morning rush hour and had managed to find a space to park in front of his building. He just about climbed the stairs to his flat on the fourth floor without falling asleep on the way; ignoring all who recognised him and acknowledged his presence, not in the mood for conversation.
He’d spent most of the previous night with Minho in hospital and had come home to shower and change. He fell face first on his bed and slept for what seemed like hours, waking to his stomach clenching with hunger. He showered and dressed and wandered to the kitchen for some food.
As he crossed the living room to the kitchen, Thomas noticed an open sports bag in the middle of the room. Wrestling paraphernalia, kit and training notes bursting out the top and all over the floor.
He took an angry breath and entered the kitchen.
With his back to him in skintight black lycra, was his flat mate; leaning on the refrigerator door, his head inside searching for something. He was tall, all visible muscles shiny with sweat, black hair in a short stubby Mohican.
A total shank who didn’t care whose food he was eating.
Why he had agreed to share a flat with him was beyond Thomas sometimes. Watching him stand there not caring one iota that he had put Minho in the hospital, his face contorted with rage.
“Gally” He bellowed.
The aforementioned turned around in surprise, his face changing to shock as he tried to dodge the fist flying towards his face. It was a direct hit. He fell backwards into the refrigerator, hitting the shelves and making it rock backwards.
“You pushed Minho out the shucking window.”
Thomas watched Gally pull himself forwards, before hitting him in the face again. This time, trying to twist out of the way, he hit the refrigerator door, the beer bottles shook and clinked together.
Thomas stood over him, not bothering to offer a hand to help him up. Gally rose by himself. He wiped his mouth on the back of his hand. Blood trailed across his skin.
He stumbled towards the living room, but Thomas was faster. He picked up the sports bag and threw it. The contents spraying all over the room as it remained airborne, before it clocked Gally on the side of his head. He fell backwards onto the floor and lay there. After a few seconds, he sat up rubbing his head, surrounded by the contents of his bag.
“Someone lunged at me in the dark and kissed me. What the shuck was I supposed to do?” He demanded.
Thomas was quiet at that coent, then he started laughing. Getting louder as Gally’s scowl got darker. He could not take him seriously when he was behaving like a child. Thomas half expected him to start pouting.
“It wasn’t a push. It was reflex.” His tone was stubborn “Why aren’t you still at the hospital?”
“No point.”
“He’s not dead is he?” He rose from the floor, ignoring the mess that surrounded him.
“He signed himself out this morning. You know he can’t stay still for more than a couple of hours.”
“So, he’ll be coming back here?” Gally’s face went white.
“Is Juliet waiting for his Romeo?”
A new voice made the temperature in the room drop a good few degrees.
Standing in the doorway, - in a hooded sweatshirt with their old college logo - was a blonde man of slight build. His hood covered his face just enough to hide a slight hint of sadness, but it quickly morphed into a grin when Gally opened his mouth.
“Newton.”
“Galileo”
Newt watched the tableau with curiosity. His stomach lurching with nerves.
Gally being in Thomas’ flat was a surprise. He looked good though, the extra muscle suited him.
They glared at each other for a moment. Gally’s face blank. Newt wishing that he’d never walked into the building. This moment was one he'd hoped to avoid.
“I’m sorry. I screwed up.” Gally’s voice getting more aggravated with every word
“You’ve apologised so many times for the same thing, that I don’t whether I believe you anymore.”
“Believe me this time. Once more.”
“I don’t know if I can. Just because I’m talking to someone, doesn’t mean that I want to sleep with them. I need you to trust me.”
“I do. I didn’t mean to knock him out. Newt, I love you”
“I know you do, but we’re done. You terrify me sometimes”
Gally's face went dark and clenched his fist to hit Newt. As he look the swing he suddenly moved and punched through the plaster wall right next to Newt’s head.
“Now I can go back to hating you” Newt spat as he walked away.
Gally watched him go, his knuckles bleeding, heart torn open, knowing he had just made everything worse.
“You do know he’s Tommy’s Romeo, not yours.” Newt finally said, smirking as he walked towards Thomas, trying not to look the black haired man in the eye.
“What are you doing here Newt? It’s been months”
Thomas sounded exhausted.
“I’m here for Alby’s birthday, he sent me with a message and I heard some very interesting rumours.”
He leant against the living room door frame and looked around the room.
Newt searched the DVD collection with his eyes. It was mostly action, but for one solitary romantic comedy.
One that he knew he had bought Gally for a joke after they accidentally saw it at the cinema, when they went to the wrong screen. They had sat at the back, in the dark, not watching the movie at all, nearly getting thrown out for starting a popcorn fight with a group of teenage girls.
Black t-shirts featuring obscure rock bands hung over radiators, that Newt was sure didn’t belong to Thomas. He was more of a skinny jeans and shirts type of guy.
A couple of books were thrown down on the coffee table with dog-eared pages. Newt absently wondered if there were trainers in the refrigerator.
He had to suppress a smile, before changing it to an expression of rage and realisation.
“I can’t believe you live with him Tommy. He’s a bloody psycho.”
“People change” Thomas snapped. “You threw a tantrum and left, remember? You are not allowed to have an opinion.”
“I had my reasons.”
“You me too. You were my best friend.”
“Is that why you haven’t returned any of my calls?”
“Yes. Is that the answer you wanted”
“There is no need to be such a dick about it.”
“You’ve even dropped our words.”
“We’re not in college anymore Tommy.” Newt sounded exasperated “I’m sorry, ok”
“I had to deal with your mess when you took the easy option. If it wasn’t for Minho and Brenda…”
“It wasn’t easy Tommy. It was the most difficult thing I have ever had to do” His words were quieter as he caught sight of Gally in his peripheral vision.
Gally listened to them yell, pretending that he wasn’t in the room.
He focused on Newt.
His hair had got longer, down to his shoulders, though he was still in hoodies, baggy jeans and scruffy shoes. He looked tired and dishevelled like he’d been up all night reading and had slept in his clothes.
Gally smiled to himself as he remembered picking up books from Newt’s face after he’d fallen asleep on his back whilst studying together, stroking away the little imprints left by them on his pale skin, making Newt shiver. He had never been the romantic type, but he liked to watch Newt sleep.
Right at that moment though, he also looked like he had when they had first met.
Newt had transferred in the last year of college. Gally had made a comment about the Brit’s name to his face and Newt had taken revenge by hacking the administration network and changing his grades. That’s how Newt had found out his full name.
He had laughed, a laugh that took no prisoners. Then asked him to go for a sympathy drink for their unfortunate names.
It was fun for a while, they were happy, but Newt was one of those people who was never short of attention. After a while, it had made Gally furious.
Whatever it was that they had, had finished with calm and reasonable Newt being reduced to one emotion all because of him.
Thomas had helped him. He had put up with him and his mess, mental and otherwise. They worked it out together, both loosing their best friend. Gally owed him enough to stay calm and to hold his tongue.
His attention flicked back to the arguing in front of him. The subject had changed to one he wasn’t too happy with.
Newt, ignoring the warning tone in Thomas’ voice, carried on.
“I expected you to wail on him. Personally, I can’t see any difference.”
“I only hit him a couple of times, the whole thing was an unfortunate accident. The broken nose wasn’t me.
“So disappointed in you Tommy. Defending him.” He waved his arms in infuriation, just missing Thomas’ face. “He put your boyfriend in hospital. If someone did that to mine, they would be in the next bed. You should have called me, we could have tag teamed and tried to smack him pretty.”
Newt knew that that last remark was uncalled for, but is was too late.
Unable to take anymore, Gally crossed the floor in silence and caught Newt in a headlock.
“Gally.” his voice stuttering. “Gally” The repetition, more pleading, more urgent.
“Let him go. Don’t let him get to you, he’s just being Newt. Count to 10 or something.” Thomas spoke in a calm voice, trying to placate him.
Gally squeezed harder, his eyes wild. His mind going back the day that Newt packed up his possessions and left town. Newt’s voice saying ‘you terrify me sometimes’ running around in his head.
Suddenly he realised what he was doing and released his grip, dropping Newt to the floor with a thump.
“See, he’s still a psycho.”
“That was your fault.” said Thomas.
“Shouldn’t you be grovelling to Minho about now” spluttered Newt as he got up.
“It was his mistake.” Gally spat.
“You should be apologising to him for the experience.”
Gally took a deep breath and breathed out again slowly.
“Newt.” His voice was calm, full of authority. “Slim it, ok”
Newt’s heart jumped. His heart was a traitor.
That was a new tone of voice, it felt like ice had just been shovelled down the back of his sweatshirt.
“Good that.” Newt said under his breath. His brain channelling the old words.
From the back of his memory, he found himself remembering what it felt like for those arms to be around his waist, not his neck. The pain in his heart drifted to his chest.
It hurt too much. He shut it down.
“Let’s sit down and wait for Minho, he should be back soon” said Thomas, desperately wishing to at least change the subject or even better not be in the room at all.
They all sat in the chairs around the living room in silence.
Newt watched Gally. His muscles no longer twitching in his arms, his eyes no longer darting around the room as if someone were about to attack him at any moment. He just breathed deeply, his mind on something else.
Newt felt his resolve crumbling.
At that moment, a key turned in the lock and the door opened. In slunk Minho, his usual half smile turned down.
All the men in the room turned. Newt was the first person to move towards their friend. He started making kissy faces.
“I’m starting to feel left out. Are you going to kiss me too?”
“Hey Newt.” Minho said like he saw him everyday and he was completely expected.
Thomas beckoned to Minho to sit with him, whilst Gally from his position in an armchair looked nauseated.
Minho grinned and pushed past Newt to sit next to Thomas. He shuffled close and put his arm around Thomas’s shoulders. He looked over at Gally’s face and smiled, pleased that Thomas had done a number on him on his behalf.
“Alby said to meet him at the bar at around eight.” said Newt, from his standing position “He also said, if any shank isn’t there, he would come and get them himself and the result would not be pretty.”
He moved to leave, then faced the group of friend’s he hadn’t seen in months. He took one last look at the man who had been watching him intently since Minho arrived and smiled.
He could do this for Alby.
He could handle being around Gally for one night, then he could go home.
He would make it up to Thomas, even if it meant buying him drinks all night.
It was a good plan.
His grin widened. He bounced on his toes, ready for anything.
“And Gally, before you leave. Take a shower. You stink.”
Gally moved towards Newt, who leapt away like he’d been shot and bolted out of the door.
Thomas shook his head and sighed.
“You miss him don’t you.” Said Minho
“Who, that little shank? Of course not.” Gally looked towards the door. His face a mixture of anger and want. He looked a little lopsided.
They were quiet for a while.
“You are buying all my drinks tonight” Minho turned to direct his comment to Gally. “If I’m going to spend the whole time watching you make that face at Newt, it’s going to be a long night.”
Gally quickly changed his expression and rolled his eyes in response.
“No alcohol on your medication.” Thomas chided. “Soft drinks for you.”
“Brenda said that earlier”
“Great minds and all that” Thomas smirked
“Such a shuck face. It’s lucky that I love you, isn’t it.”
They smiled at each other for a while, Thomas grabbing a pen from the table and gently drawing hearts on the white plaster. They were so loved up it made Gally sick. Eventually, they broke apart and Thomas got up.
“Anyone want a drink?” Thomas rose and walked closely past Gally.
“You can do what you want, but please be careful. You have a tendency to wind each other up. If something goes wrong, we don’t want to have to bail you out for assault again.”
“I’ve been to the classes, I’ve changed.”
“I know, but has he?”
Thomas patted his friend on the shoulder and glanced over at Minho who nodded, but stay silent.
***********************************************
Gally entered the bar alone. The music drowning out all rational thought.
Out the corner of his eye, sat at the corner of the bar under the lights, he noticed someone with blonde hair in a short ponytail wearing a checked shirt. They slid down from the seat to reveal skinny jeans and black boots.
The person turned. Newt.
Gally had never seen him dressed like that before. He looked good.
He took what looked like whisky from someone else's table and pulled up a chair in a dark corner, watching as Newt left the bar with a tray of drinks, returning minutes later to the same spot. Thomas would have called it stalking. He just called it observing.
He pulled the hood of his sweatshirt over his head and leant back in the chair, resting black boots on the table.
His friends were in a corner booth, huddled around a round table. He had spotted them as he came in. Brenda had joined them, sitting next to Alby. Theresa turned up with some blonde guy whose name began with A or something. They had been drawing on Minho’s cast, the accident still the main conversation. The looks directed at him cold enough to freeze hell.
Anyhow, Newt was far more interesting, so much so, that he might even pay for a drink.
Newt had been approached a few times as he waited at the bar, but he nicely batted them away.
But there was one. A well muscled guy with bright red hair who was clearly not taking no for an answer. Gally moved his chair closer, still in the shadows, but close enough to hear.
“Are you sure you don’t want to join us?”
“I’m here with my friends. Thanks for the offer though.”
“I have a friend who would really like meet you.”
This time the voice was insistent, the man touched Newt on the arm and held on. Newt tried to wrench his arm away.
“I think you should take you hand off me.”
Gally had heard calm and collected Newt before, but this time it was different. Dangerous.
“What could a skinny kid like you do to me.”
“Plenty, I assure you.”
“I could pick you up and carry you out of here.” The man’s voice was no louder than a whisper.
“Newt, I’ve been waiting for you. What’s taking so long?”
Gally stepped from the shadows. He spoke, before he had properly engaged his brain. Acting purely on instinct.
He put his arm casually around the blonde’s shoulders and guided him away. Ignoring the glare from Newt’s admirer and from Newt himself.
As soon as they were out of earshot, Newt grabbed Gally’s hand and twisted it away, bending his wrist unnaturally in the process.
Gally stepped back holding his wrist.
“Don’t I get a thank you.” He said smirked.
“No, you dumb shuck. I had that handled.” he spat those words.”
He looked at Gally’s wrist.
“You should get some ice on that.” He said, before walking away.
Gally looked down, it was beginning to turn an unpleasant purple. He watched Newt’s retreating back as he returned to the bar.
A familiar burn of anger that he had not felt in a long time flared in his brain. The guy had always been able to drive him crazy. And when did he learn how to defend himself like that?
Newt sat at at the bar and stared at the bottles on glass shelves. He released his hair from it’s ponytail, and twiddled a few strands around his fingers, before putting it back up again.
What had just happened? Gally wasn’t the same.
He’d seen it earlier, but not paid proper attention. Too wrapped up in desperately wishing not to have the feelings that bubbled under the surface.
Maybe he couldn’t do it. Maybe he should leave right now.
He looked towards the door, towards his friends. It made his heart tighten in regret, that he had missed so much from one action. One that felt like such a good idea at the time.
He took a deep breath. Maybe he has overreacted just a little. Newt smiled to himself.
He had done that stupid smirk, the one that he affected when he knew he was being irritating, it had always got to him. Especially his refusal to help during eye spy as it would be breaking the rules. He remembered the wet Sunday afternoons on the snuggled up on the sofa, eating spaghetti watching some penguin documentary.
Gally, who was fun and eclectic and sarcastic in a strangely psychotic way and so good at many things; things that he had tried for the past year to forget.
The problem was he couldn’t.
A woman appeared in front of him, he hadn’t even noticed her. She held a half full bottle of Tequila. He could get through the night, but he couldn’t do it sober.
Gally watched as the blonde downed shot after shot until eight glasses were upside down on the bar. Maybe this new Newt with the kung-fu moves and the skinny jeans could hold his drink better.
This Newt tried to get off the chair and toppled sideways. Grabbing the top of the bar stool to steady himself and stay upright.
Gally turned. This time Newt was on his own. He couldn’t be bothered with this version.
His Newt would not have resorted to bad language and violence. Those feelings that never really went away, he would make them go away.
He would join the others and let them call him a shank and a shuck face and anything else they could think of, until they felt better.
Suddenly, he felt a hand on his shoulder. He balled his uninjured hand into a fist and pivoted round to face who it was.
“You.” Newt’s eyes were unfocussed as he poked Gally in the chest with a long finger. All the words came tumbling out of his mouth before he could stop them, like the shots were talking for him. “It had to be you, didn’t it?”
“You’re drunk, Newton.” Gally snapped
“Slim it Galileo.” He prodded harder.
His voice so soft, Gally had to strain to hear him over the music.
“I still love you, you bloody psycho, I just couldn’t be around you anymore.”
Gally raised an eyebrow, surprised at the declaration.
“Tommy is so pissed at me right now. It’s all my fault.” he said sadly
“I’m pissed at you too.”
Newt’s face clouded.
“Tommy has a right to be pissed at me, hell everyone at that bloody table has. But, you” He poked Gally with his finger again as he said the last word “You don’t. You don’t have any right. You had no right to rescue me. You have no right to me, no right to this.” He indicated to his body with flourish. “No right to make me feel anything. No right to make me want you.”
Feeling bold, he stepped closer, eyes in line with Gally’s clavicle. Newt went up on his tiptoes and breathed right by his ear.
“No right at all.”
The words felt indecent as he said them, personal. They made Gally shiver.
Newt moved away, only to be grabbed back by one hand on the front of his shirt.
Then they were kissing. In the middle of the floor.
Neither of them worked out why or how it happened. Not really caring to. It was like a reflex action. Muscle memory.
They ignored the hooting and whistling from their friends who were in direct line of sight.
“Get a room.” Minho called out
“Not again. Dumb shucks.” Thomas hissed, just loud enough for his friends to hear.
They broke apart and Newt whispered in his ear.
“I would really like to do that again. Newt whispered in Gally’s ear. “But, if you behave like a dumb shank, I will kick your ass.”
“What if I don’t”
“We’ll see.”
Newt laughed, then pulled Gally down to kiss him again, pulling back when he heard more shouting.
“Okay, shows over. Pay up Minho”
Alby leaned over the large round table and tried to grab Minho’s wallet. Minho snatched it away from his friend’s grasp, opened it and slowly produced a 50. He threw it across the table with his good hand. It floated down and landed in a puddle of beer.
“You put a bet on them?” Thomas hissed in Minho’s ear.
“Our friend, can be persuasive. You know that.”
Thomas glared at Alby who was shaking the 50, trying to dry it out.
“You knew you were going to win.”
“Maybe, maybe not. Minho is such a easy mark” Alby sniggered.
He dodged as Thomas lunged at him, held the money out of reach, unaware that Thomas was actually going for his beer. He grabbed it and down the rest in one.
“Drinks are on you.” Thomas grinned.
“But it’s my birthday” Alby protested.
“You have ill-gotten gains through Minho manipulation”
“It’s payback for having to listen to Newt for the last few months when no-one else would”
He pointedly glared at Thomas.
“What did Newt say?” Another voice
They looked up to see Gally, his arm around Newt’s shoulder, holding the blonde close. His other hand wrapped in an icepack. No-one bothered asking, used to seeing Gally with mystery injuries.
Newt slid a tray full of shots across the table. They stopped when they hit Minho’s cast.
He gave Alby a dark look and shook his head.
“Nothing” Alby said quietly
“Good that. Shove over then.”
Newt pushed Alby along the booth and Gally sat next to him. He leant over and grabbed a shot glass.
Everyone followed suit. Except for Minho, who had his drink smoothly removed from his hand and downed by Thomas, who grinned at Brenda.
Newt slid onto Gally’s lap with a grin and ran his hand over his hair, giving it a gentle pull at the back. Gally leant forward and whispered something in Newt’s ear. Newt looked disgusted, then smiled at Gally sweetly before whispering something else back. It was Gally’s turn to look disgusted and slightly turned on.
Newt knocked back his shot and Gally wondered how drunk he really was.
“Are you back together?” Brenda asked.
Everyone looked at Newt. They remembered what happened last time. They had witnessed armageddon. Brenda only been told about it.
“We could never just be friends.” He answered slowly.
He turned to face Gally who grinned at him.
“Could you handle long distance for a while?”
Gally responded by kissing him.
“Sure, why not. Anything for you.”
Everyone at the table looked as if they were going to be sick.
“It means that I’ll be around a lot more Tommy” Newt smiled, full of hope for forgiveness.
Not a word from Thomas. He just looked wary. Minho took his hand and squeezed it in support.
He did miss his friend. Something felt different with the way he held himself. Maybe they could work out this time.
“Who wants to play last Shank standing?” said Thomas loudly.
As if they were all waiting for Thomas to forgive Newt, the silence was broken by shouting, the slamming down of glasses in unison on the wooden table and the cling of glasses as they grabbed another.