( Reader ) P.O.V.
I’ve always felt out of step with everyone. Literally stumbling through life and I can’t seem to find where I belong. Feeling as if I’m stuck in a maze, searching for the exit with my eyes closed. Out of touch with what’s around me.
That’s why when my older brother, Thomas, offered for me to stay with him, I took it. Perhaps moving someplace different would be a good thing. A fresh start.
Thomas is in his early 20’s but he moved out with a friend of his about a year ago. He’s always promised that he’d have me over once he was settled and he never goes back on a promise.
I’m only about two years younger than Thomas but he’s super protective over me. Which is nice but sometimes alarming. But no matter what, I know that he just wants the best for me.
My eyes scan the airport for the tall, dark haired doofus that’s supposed to pick me up. That’s when I see Thomas, standing there with his hands in his pockets and grinning at me.
A smile spreads across my face as he opens his arms to embrace me. “It’s so great to see you again, y/n!” He says with his arms wrapped around me, squeezing my body tightly.
“It’s nice to see you too, T. Although, you’re squishing the life out of me.” I squeak out. We laugh after pulling back. His hand ruffles my hair before he tugs me away.
Thomas piles me and my belongings into his car, talking about what’s happened since the last we saw each other. It feels good to be back with him. He’s always been someone who’s helped me in life; catching me when I stumble, always a stable part of my life, the only stable part in my life.
Our parents agreed to let me come here since Thomas is actually more protective than they are, weirdly. They know that he won’t let anything happen to me.
When we pull up to his apartment, I start dragging my luggage inside when I trip. Thomas grabs me before I fall, laughing. “You haven’t changed one bit, have you?"
"Well, neither have you! Always catching me.” I tell him and I apologize under my breath. He takes my bag away from me, bringing it inside with ease. “Nice place you’ve got here, T."
He thanks me before showing me up to the spare room. "Here you go. You know the drill - if there’s anything you want or need, ask or feel free to look around. Just stay out of the room over here.” He tells me.
“What’s over there?”
“Oh, that’s Newt’s room. What’s mine is yours but I highly doubt that you’d want to go through his stuff.” He says and I nod at him. I guess the whole roommate thing slipped my mind.
After Thomas helps me unpack and put everything away, we plop down in the living room. He asks me what I want to do but I yawn in response. “I’ll play games if you want to rest.” He says. Usually I’d feel bad but it’s my brother.
I thank him before snuggling up to his side and watch him play games.
Thomas and I have always been close. I always feel safe around him because I know he’s always there. My eyes begin to weigh down and I soon fall asleep.
***
As I wake up, I hear talking in the background and I coax my eyes open. Judging by the sky, it’s mid afternoon. The talking is coming from the TV and I sit up, a cover (that I had not fallen asleep with) falling from my shoulders.
Rubbing my eyes, I stifle a yawn and stretch my legs out. “And she’s alive!” I hear Thomas say. My eyes land on him, smirking and sitting in a chair beside the couch.
“Ha, only partly. I’m dead on the inside, T.” I tell him, winking playfully. Thomas tells me that I was asleep for a few hours and I apologize to him. Apparently he had things to keep him occupied and assures me that it’s nothing to be sorry for.
“So, what do you wanna do? Watch a movie? Eat? Swim in the bathtub?” He asks, piling on after I’m unresponsive.
“I don’t care what we do, honestly. Whatever you want to do, I’m fine with.” I tell him and hope I won’t regret it.
With a straight face, he keeps eye contact with me and walks to the kitchen backwards. I laugh and swiftly follow him. Breaking his behavior, he turns and begins listing off food options.
Soon after, he beings cooking dinner and I excuse myself to change clothes. I’m not in the most comfortable clothes and was stuck in them on the plane. Once I’ve slipped on shorts and a tee, I gleefully skip my way down the stairs.
In retrospect, I probably shouldn’t have been skipping down them because soon I lose my footing and stumble on the last few steps. To make things worse, I fall right on top of a body.
“I’m sorry, T….” I groan, still trying to get my grip to sit up. When I finally push up and look at the face, I feel myself flush. “You’re not Thomas.” I choke, rushing to my feet only to fall back in front of him.
“What happened?” I hear Thomas’ voice near, filled with worry. He takes one look at us and begins to laugh. “Why am I not surprised? The two most clumsy people in the world meet on a set of stairs, sounds like a party joke.”
The blonde haired boy laughs before speaking up, both of us still on the floor. “Slim it, Tommy.” His British accent taking me by surprise. He stands up and directs his attention towards me, a tinge of pink fanning his cheeks. “ Are you alright?”
He extends his hand to me and I take it, getting a proper look at the guy. “Yeah, I’m okay. Sorry about that…” I trail off, embarrassed about falling onto him. Once I’m on my feet, our hands stay clasped a beat longer than expected and I find myself missing the warmth when he pulls away.
“I’m guessing you’re Tommy’s younger sister?”
Now it’s Thomas’ turn to speak up. “Yeah, this is Y/n. Sis, this is Newt. My roommate - Well, our roommate.” He introduces us. Newt. Previously, I hadn’t thought much to living with another guy but now that’s all that’s running across my mind.
We greet each other and Thomas curses under his breath when he remembers that he was cooking. Newt smiles at me and I can’t help but notice all of his features.
Blonde messy hair, sticking up every-which-way. Deep brown eyes that hold warmth and kindness behind them. Light freckles spread across his nose and his cheeks, so lightly that I barely notice them. He has a tall, slim figure but after having fallen onto him, I know that he has a toned build.
“Sorry about earlier, I should have payed better attention.” I quietly say, feeling awkward about the way I’m reacting towards him. Growing up with Thomas, I’ve never been one to shy away. True, I tend to stick to myself but I’ve always been quick to make conversation.
This is all different and new, in ways that I didn’t expect when I agreed to coming here. “No worries, love. No harm done.” He replies warmly, both of us still looking at each other.
“I’d be careful about throwing nicknames like that around Thomas. He’s kind of an overprotective brother.” I tell him, well aware that Thomas can’t hear us over his cooking. Truthfully, I found the nickname endearing but I don’t want T to get mad.
Newt chuckles at this, shaking his head. “Well, I’ll just call you by your name when we’re around him. Good?” He offers and I try to hide my smile. My shoulders shrug as I mutter a ‘sure’ in reply.
After our exchange, he heads up to his room to get ready for dinner and I stroll back into the kitchen. Quickly recovering from my earlier encounter, I return to my playful demeanor with Thomas.
Dinner comes and I tease T about almost burning the food. My eyes often catch Newt’s, making us both glance away. I can’t seem to decipher whether it’s by chance or choice that we keep looking at one another.
Thankfully, Thomas keeps the atmosphere from becoming awkward and we’re all joking around. For a moment, I forget about my strange feelings and welcome the thought of this being a normal day for me.
Soon, the night comes and Thomas excuses himself for bed after making sure that I’ll be alright. To my surprise, Newt stays up with me. The room stays silent for several moments before either of us speak.
“Would you like to watch something? I’m not really paying attention to the TV.” I say to him. Although my tone is normal, it seems booming in the quiet of the night.
Newt smiles at me, “No, thanks. I’m not really watching either.” I nod at him before setting the remote down and getting comfortable on the couch. “So, what made you decide to come here?” He asks, trying to make conversation.
“A fresh start, I suppose. I figured that it’d be nice and I always have T to make me more comfortable.” I explain. He seems to think about my statement for a moment before answering.
“I hope my presence here won’t make you uncomfortable.” He says quietly. I shake my head and move a bit closer to him on the couch.
“No, you won’t. I can tell.” I say with a smile. Newt smiles back at me, causing goosebumps to scatter across my skin. Embarrassingly, he notices this and frowns.
His hand reaches for my arm, tracing over the small bumps and buzzing trails behind his touch. “Are you cold?” He asks, looking at me. Deciding that’s a great excuse, I nod my head.
Standing up, he walks over to a closet and grabs a few blankets to bring over to me. I extend my hand to take it but he pushes my hand away. Gently, he drapes the cover over my shoulders.
This gesture has me biting my lip to hold back a laugh. Newt returns beside me, looking over. “Better?”
I nod, “Yeah, it’s a bit better.” He seems pleased with that answer and reaches for the controller. In that movement, he shifts closer beside me. Our legs are pressed up against each other’s and I make no action to change it.
All of this is so out of character for me. I’ve never been one to seek out any sort of relationship, yet I’m so willing to try and know Newt. Something about him seems to be drawing me to him.
Time passes and we make small comments here and there while watching the screen. Without realizing it, we subtly shift closer to each other and soon our shoulders are touching as well.
“Tired?” He asks and I stifle a yawn, nodding. Shutting off the TV, he offers his hand to help me up and I gladly take it. My legs are wobbly from sitting for so long and fatigue.
Placing his hands on my hips, he stabilizes me. “Whoa - You alright, love?”
“Yeah, the day is just catching up with me.” I chuckle. I try to walk again, still a little unbalanced, but I soon feel Newt’s hand helping to guide me. “Thanks…” I say, yawning once again.
I get another warm smile from him and he continues to walk with me up the steps. Even when we reach our doors (I’m placed in-between his and T’s room) he doesn’t release his hold on me.
“Get some sleep, alright?” I smile at him while saying another 'thank you’. “Goodnight, love.” His voice is soft and comforting.
“Goodnight, Newt.” As soon as his hand leaves me, the cold becomes uncomfortably obvious and I shiver. Quietly, I enter my room and sprint to my bed, climbing under the covers.
Almost instantly, my mind shuts off and I fall asleep.
***
In the morning, I wake up to the sound of a car starting up and muffled voices. The sun is shining through the curtains, casting a warm glow on the room. When I’m finally able to drag myself out of bed, I glance out the window to see a car leaving our apartment’s parking.
Huh, interesting. Gathering some clothes, I quickly change for the day. Stumbling down the stairs, I come to find Thomas resting on the couch with a cup of coffee. I really need to slow down on the stairs…
We greet each other and I hop onto the cushion beside him. “So, what are you going to do today?” I ask him.
Thomas hums before setting his mug down. “I was thinking of showing you around since I have the day off. Sound good?” He suggests and I excitedly nod.
As we’re getting ready to leave, I ask him where Newt is since I haven’t seen him this morning. Thomas tells me that he left for work early and that he’ll be back in later.
Setting Newt to the back of my mind, I climb into the car with T and we head to town.
***
A few hours later, T and I are pulling back up to the apartment. We’re both laughing at each other because we were trying to out-sing one another, like idiots. Towards the end, we ended up just screaming lyrics over the other’s voice.
Coughing a few times, I turn to him. “Thanks a lot, now I’m not going to have a voice tomorrow.” I say, voice breaking a bit. He smiles at me.
“Good. Maybe I can finally get some peace and quiet.” He teases and I smack him hard on the arm. “Ow! That hurt…not.”
Frustrated, I hop out of the car and head inside with his key (since mine hasn’t been made yet) and lock the door behind myself. This is particularly funny since I can hear my brother groan when he realizes this.
He begins knocking quickly and rather annoyingly. I’m still looking at the door when I suddenly jump. “I can already tell that you’re going to make life very interesting, love.” Newt says, standing behind me.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.” He says, rubbing the back of his neck.
I recompose myself and stutter out a response. “N-No. It’s alright. I just didn’t know you were home…” I trail, looking down at the floor.
“C'mon Y/n! Let me in already!” I hear Thomas call and I chuckle. With one motion of my hand, I turn the lock to its side and Thomas tumbles through the door.
The moment he has closed the door, he grabs me and starts pinching my sides. I scream and my knees buckle as I fall to the ground. Although I’m laughing, it’s horrible. All too soon, I’m begging for him to stop, tears springing to my eyes.
Thankfully, he does so. Even when he stands up, I continue to lay on the floor and breathe heavily. “Screw you, T.” I breathe out. He just throws his head back, laughing.
Newt kneels down and takes my forearm in one hand, the other placed behind my back. Gently, he helps me to sit up and eventually stand. “Thank you, Newt."
"My pleasure, lo-Y/n.” He says, correcting himself. Thomas doesn’t seem to notice and is walking to the kitchen. As if the moment weren’t exciting enough, there’s a knock at the door.
Newt releases me, walking to the door and opening it. He steps back and two people stride in. “What’s up, losers?” Says the one with black, spiked hair. The girl that came in behind him sits down in the love seat and tells him to shut it.
“And who might this beauty be?” He asks, looking to me.
Before I can say anything, Thomas is beside me. Ugh. “Off limits, Minho. This is my younger sister - Y/n.” He says firmly. God, please don’t let protective Tommy come out…
“Well, y/n. I can see where the good looks went in the family.” He teases but Thomas pulls me away. It’s not meanly, it’s just something he’s always done. “I’m Minho and that’s Brenda.” He says, gesturing to the girl.
I greet them and sit down on the couch, beside Brenda. The boys start talking but Brenda and I strike up our own conversation. She’s really nice and pretty. It’s actually easy to talk to her and I don’t feel pressured to answer anything.
We talk about different things and it feels natural, not forced or any awkwardness. I turn my body to face her on the couch and we share a few laughs. I’m so caught up in our conversation that I don’t realize Newt, who has been sitting beside me for several moments.
I only realize this when I throw my head back while laughing and hit my head against his. Even though it wasn’t hard enough to hurt, I wince. Mostly out of embarrassment.
Newt just laughs, asking if I’m alright. I do the same and relief comes over me when I realize that he found it funny. “God, she’s as clumsy as you Newt!” Minho calls out, eyes squinted due to his huge grin.
“That’s what I’ve heard.” Newt replies. Thankfully, he doesn’t tell them about our first meeting. Instead he just bumps his shoulder with mine, swaying us slightly. In the meantime, T asks if we’d be okay with ordering a pizza.
So after the pizza arrives, we all sit on the floor with the pizza in the middle of our circle. We just throw conversation back and forth, joking around and cheering as Thomas and Minho fight over the last slice of Pizza (Which Brenda ended up eating).
Minho is funny but I can tell that he’s a troublemaker, which should be fun. Brenda is sweet but witty, which makes for an interesting argument. Newt is quiet but when he does speak, he has great points or makes everyone laugh.
It’s strange seeing Thomas interact with them. Just because it’s been a while since I’ve hung out with him and these are new friends, ones he has acquired on his own, without any former background.
Brenda and Thomas seem to tease each other the most out of the group. It doesn’t take a genius to see that there’s chemistry there. Maybe it’s something, maybe it’s not. Either way, it’s enjoyable to watch.
Newt and I tend to just sit back and watch their interactions. Which is fantastic because we notice things and quietly point them out to each other. We’re alike in some ways and I have a hunch that there are more to come.
Minho just picks on everyone and loves getting it thrown back at him. Even though he does this, I can tell he has a sweet and composed side to himself. He ends up asking for my number but T gives us a warning look.
So, I give my number to Brenda and let her pass it on. After they leave for the night, Newt, Thomas and I clean up the living room. “Minho is such a flirt.” Thomas grumbles to himself.
“Calm it, T. He’s fine, I enjoyed his playfulness. You need to remember that we’re not little kids anymore, I can handle talking to guys.” I inform him. He just hums at me, not really taking what I say seriously.
Thomas tells me that he has work in the morning and decides to go on to bed. After a 'goodnight’ and a hug, he trudges upstairs. This leaves Newt and I alone. Again.
“Wow. You weren’t joking about the protective thing.” He comments and I laugh by exhaling out of my nose. Breathe out a laugh, I guess?
“Yeah. Now you see what I was warning you about. That’s one of the reasons why I’ve never been in a relationship.” I say, not really thinking it through.
He stops cleaning the dishes and turns to me. “You’ve never been in a relationship?” He asks, raising an eyebrow for me to explain. Mind you, he doesn’t say this in a judging tone.
Huffing, I pull up a stool and sit beside the sink as he cleans. “No. I’ve had crushes in the past but they never worked out, which turned out to be good. Thomas may be protective but it seems like he’s always been for good reasons.”
Newt hands me a cloth and I dry the cups as I continue to speak. “Anyway, relationships are complicated. It seems like someone always ends up getting hurt and I don’t need that.”
“So, you’re saying that if you met someone, you’d turn them away?” He asks, looking at me out of the corner of his eye.
“Hmm. Not exactly. I just haven’t found someone worth getting hurt for, if that makes sense. I think that’s why Thomas is so protective over me…He knows that I love too much and it’d destroy me.”
Newt doesn’t say anything and we keep busy in the silence for a bit. It doesn’t make me uncomfortable for some reason, I feel like he’s just there with me and that’s enough.
So after we finish up with cleaning, we both slouch into the couch and just listen to the TV. My head feels heavy and I lean my head back on the couch. Exhaustion weighs down my body and I close my eyes.
What I don’t expect is to wake up on the couch, head on Newt’s shoulder and his arm around me. I raise my head and see that his head is propped up by a pillow so he wouldn’t move and wake me.
Quietly, I pick up my phone and check the time. Even though it’s morning, it’s early enough and Thomas hasn’t woken up yet. Reluctantly, I wake Newt up and show him the time.
His eyebrow raises a bit, confused. “T’s gonna be up in a little bit, he’d kill us if he saw us like this.” I whisper shout at him and he just smirks. My hand slaps his shoulder and I roll my eyes as he quietly laughs at me.
Newt turns the TV off and follows me up the stairs. “See you in a bit, love.” He whispers before going into his room. After a few moments, I turn to open my door and just before I can, Thomas opens his.
He looks startled. “Y/n? What are you doing up?” He asks and I stutter over different noises, not knowing what to say. Eventually, I spit out an excuse of needing the restroom and he nods, seeming to accept that.
With a quick hug and forehead kiss, he says he’ll see me later before heading out for work. Sighing, I go into my room and sit on my bed. I laugh quietly to myself, imagining what Thomas would have done if he found Newt and me.
Newt. My roommate, Newt. Living here’s going to be different in more ways than I expected…