The Fire That Sparked My Soul- Newtmas AU

Chapter Twenty Five

♫Gallows by Katie Garfield.

~I've got my final exam on Friday and then I go on holiday two weeks today so next week will be a final update before I go away then I will be back to writing when I'm home.

~Sorry for the lack of Newtmas in these chapters but I promise you there will be more to come. 

~I've been rewatching Pretty Little Liars and I forgot how good it was and there is so much stuff that has happened in the earlier seasons I completely forgot about.

~I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Thomas backed into a corner, covering his face to protect it from his father's drunken actions. He whimpered as another kick landed on his already painful body. He cried out for him to stop but his father never listened. 

"You're no son of mine," Thomas's father slurred. "You've failed both your mother and I. You should be ashamed of yourself."

Thomas apologised continuously for being the abomination his father thought he was. Was being gay really such a sin? Thomas had questioned his sexuality in the past but he could never figure out what he was. He liked boys, yes, but he also liked girls. He thought maybe he was bisexual, but he didn't want to put a label on himself.

"I'm sorry, dad, I'm sorry. I-I'll be better, I promise," Thomas said through tears, sobs choking each word. He had given up trying to reason with his father, and instead curled up in a ball and let his father beat the living daylights out of him. 

It wasn't before long until Thomas felt numb. The air surrounding him had gone cold, and he could hear his father walking down the hallway. Thomas had no energy to push himself off the floor but, with every bone in agony, he managed to stand up. He clutched to his stomach and limped his way to his room, muffling sounds of pain as he did so. 

Thomas peeled the blood soaked shirt from his body and tossed it in the washing basket in the corner of his room. He examined his wounds covering his upper body. A long cut ran from his stomach to the side of his rib cage. The bleeding had almost stopped, so he placed a towel over it and willed for it to heal. 

Once it did, he carefully clothed himself in a black top. Thomas found an old backpack in his wardrobe and began packing it with necessities such as clothes, toiletries and school books. Flinging in a jumper, he realised it was Newt's. Thomas handed it carefully, folding it and packing it in the bag neatly. 

There was a sudden knock on his door. Thomas quickly zipped the bad before his mom walked in. Her eyes were puffy with tears and her cheeks had stains from where they slipped. 

"T-Thomas, I'm so sorry. I-I should have stopped him," she tried to apologise. 

"No, mom, you don't get to apologise," Thomas spat angrily, venom laced in his words. "You've stood by and watched him beat me and you never once stepped in."

"I know, and I'm sorry, but I'm afraid of him. I'm afraid of what he'd do to me if-"

"You're looking at what he'd do to you if you tried to step in and stop him," Thomas interrupted her. He slipped on a pair of trainers and slung his bag over his shoulder.

"Where are you going, Thomas?" She asked.

"I'm leaving. Don't try to find me because I'll never come home. Home is supposed to be an environment where I'm safe and loved by my parents, but that stopped when you found out about Newt and I."

"You know I accept you. We've always liked Newt-"

"But only when we were friends. I get it. I'm going now, mom, so goodbye."

Thomas pushed past his crying mom and ran down the stairs. He slammed the front door as he left the house for the last time. The sky was pitch black and only the moon and a few stars lit it up. The air was cool and ran chills through Thomas's body.

He began to run; down the streets, round the corners, past the parks until he was far away enough from his parents. Thomas faced a row of houses when he stopped in his tracks. His mind must have been saying something, because he was standing on the street Teresa lived on.

"This is as good a place as any," he whispered to himself. 

Thomas forced himself to walk up the drive way and to the front door. Teresa lived in a fairly big house; it was classic yet modern and plants littered the grounds and vines grew on the walls. He knocked a few times on the door, feeling guilty because it was so late.

Teresa probably still hates me, he thought. She'll send me away because she won't want to see me ever again. She's still going to be angry with me. She-

Thomas's thoughts were stopped as the door was flung open. Teresa stood there with a pestered look upon her face. Her hair was tied into a top knot with a few stands of hair loose and resting on her shoulders. She wore a pair of black leggings and an aqua blue vest top.

"What are you doing here, Thomas? Don't you know how late it is?" Teresa asked while rubbing her eyes.

"I'm sorry, but I had nowhere else to go," Thomas sniffled, not realising he was crying until them. Teresa opened the door further for him and invited him in. 

"My parents are asleep so you'll have to be quiet," Teresa said as they went up to her room. She closed the door gently behind them before she spoke again. "What happened?"

"Why don't you hate me?" Thomas said without thinking.

"What do you mean, Tom?"

"You're supposed to be angry with me after how I spoke to you."

"Of course I'm still mad at you, Tom, but not as much as I used to be.  Besides, you've come to me in tears so I kind of have to care." 

Thomas laughed at her poor attempts at humour. Teresa always knew how to cheer someone up. Thomas took a few breaths, trying to calm himself before speaking.

"My dad," he said, his voice still shaking. "I couldn't take it anymore. Everything hurts, Teresa. My whole body is in agony. He wouldn't stop hitting me. My mom tried to convince me to stay, but it's not worth it. I ran away."

"You ran a few blocks away?" She asked, processing what he said.

"I didn't come straight here. I ran through multiple parks and streets but somehow ended up here," Thomas explained. "That's not the point."

"What did your dad do to you?"

Thomas slowly lifted his top up until the scar on his body could be seen. Teresa covered her mouth with her hands and gasped. She slowly traced her fingers over the blue and purple bruises covering him.

"Holy shit," Teresa whispered. "Do you want a shower? You'll be in so much pain."

Thomas nodded his head and followed Teresa to the bathroom. He was so thankful he had his best friend back.

***

"How are you feeling?" Teresa asked as Thomas walked back into her room after his shower. He didn't hurt so much but every now and then he still felt as though he was being kicked in the guts. 

"Better," Thomas replied, his voice strained. 

"You need to sleep," Teresa instructed him, patting the other side of her bed. "We're not dating anymore, Tom, and I know you love Newt, so why would I want to get between you two?"

Thomas was hesitant to get into the bed, but he did anyway. "You need to sleep as well, Teresa." He said as he pried a text book from her hands. 

"I've got a Geography test tomorrow though," she whined. 

"Yeah, and you're going to be cranky the whole way through if you don't sleep," Thomas said. He turned off the lamp beside him before getting comfortable under the covers, his back to Teresa. He heard the movement of sheets as Teresa began to lie down as well.

They mumbled a 'goodnight' to each other and. before long, Thomas heard the quiet snores coming from Teresa. He was still having trouble sleeping, but still, he closed his eyes. He wasn't sure how long it took him until he finally drifted off into a peaceful sleep.