🌹
It had been a week since the boys went ice skating. A week since Thomas told Newt about the idea of going back to school.
Later on the skating day, Newt had slept over at Thomas'. They had done a few exercises for Newt's leg, but not so much. Mostly stretching and massages. Thomas couldn't stop telling him how proud he was that Newt gave the rink a chance. They talked a lot about school, too. At first, Newt wasn't so sure about the idea. When he thought about school, or rather about the other people at school, all he wanted to do was running the opposite way.
But as Thomas had pointed out, his leg did feel better. His limp was smaller.
And as Thomas had also pointed out, March would be over really soon now. Not so much time left until the year'd be over, and Newt'd be graduated. At least he hoped so.
''And you won't be alone in this, I'll be here always, and you'll be with Minho all the time,'' Thomas had said, hope blossoming in his body as Newt seemed more and more into the idea.
Newt had raised his eyebrows, pulling Thomas closer to him as they were sitting on the couch.
''You remember Minho's name?" he had asked, curious. ''I only talked about him like once, for two seconds tops,'' he had said, chuckling, thinking about how sweet it was that Thomas remembered small things like that.
''Of course I do,'' Thomas had said while drawing patterns on Newt's arm with his fingertips. ''I remember everything about you.''
''Oh yeah?" Newt had asked, a challenging expression on his face.
''Oh yeah!" Thomas had said back with a laugh. ''I remember your favorite color is soft blue, like it sometimes is on the windows when they're icing from the snow. I remember...you are an aquarius and you think it's the best sign ever. I remember you're a Slytherin, at least that's what Pottermore says. I remember that your favorite animals are dogs and tigers,'' he had smiled.
''I also remember how you pretended not to see me walking in the hallway, on the first day you came to physio," Thomas had said last to tease Newt -- which obviously worked, resulting in a pillow fight. But Newt had found himself lying on top of Thomas soon enough -- as there was only one pillow on the couch -- and as he couldn't stop himself from kissing him right now anyway.
Newt had told Thomas that he'll go back to school when he noticed there were more pros than cons about it. Thomas had literally jumped on him when he said that he'll go back and he had given him the biggest hug.
Thomas was right, Newt had thought.
He wasn't alone. He had Minho. And him. And his limp was smaller. Everything would be just fine.
The boys had to talk about it to Newt's mom as well. Anita had been surprised, but delighted with the news. She felt so, so proud of her son. And so proud of Thomas, too. As she looked at him, sitting next to Newt, she had thought again about how angry and sad Newt used to be, not even two months ago.
But that was before Thomas came into his life. She had thought about how Thomas was able to make Newt happy just like that. About what a wonder he was. She couldn't have wished for another boy for her son.
Her only concern was about the physiotherapy. She feared that Newt wouldn't have time for school and physiotherapy, and she didn't want him to drop that, now that he was doing so well.
Thomas had to bicker with her about that.
''Thomas, you're a sweetheart, but there is no way I'm letting you work for free," she had said for the third time.
''Mom.."
''Anita, look," Thomas had said, fidgetting on his chair, "Newt and I will probably see each other everyday anyway." Thomas had looked at Newt, just to make sure they were on the same page about that. Newt had nodded and squeezed his hand.
''Why making him come to the hospital when I could just work with him after school ?"
Anita tilted her head, thinking. She wasn't a fan of the idea but Thomas really seemed sincere and determined.
''Now that Newt and I are dating, I don't want you to give me any money for taking care of him. I'm not doing it because I have to, but because I love Newt, and I want him to get better," he had said, blushing. ''Spending time with Newt, even if it's to work on his leg, is all I could ask for. It's no work for me."
Anita had agreed after that, knowing she couldn't convince the boys otherwise. She had given Thomas a big hug, telling him how much she was happy that Newt had him. Thomas couldn't have felt happier.
🌹
Monday would be a big day.
That's what Thomas thought when he walked out of his office for lunch break.
Newt would go back to school in two days, on Monday. Mondays weren't known to be such great days. But Thomas knew this Monday would be good. Great. Why wouldn't it be? Newt was a sunshine, an angel. And he was doing so much better. And Minho would be with him all the time.
Thomas walked to the cafeteria, on the first floor. This cafeteria was the one restricted to people that worked here. There was an other cafeteria downstairs, a smaller one, for patients and visitors.
Thomas used to eat either in his office, or in the smaller cafeteria when Newt could come have lunch with him. Unfortunately, today, he couldn't come.
Thomas took a deep breath and stepped into the bigger cafeteria. He wasn't used to come in here, only if he had nothing to eat with him. There was this self-service system in this cafeteria. He usually brought lunch with him or buy food at the smaller cafeteria with Newt. But today, that'll have to do.
The room was jammed with people, sitting at the different tables, talking to each other, sometimes working on papers. Thomas would just grab lunch, and leave. He didn't particularly enjoyed eating alone. It was just easier this way.
He wondered how it worked for Newt. Did he also have this kind of cafeteria at school? Did he eat there, or go outside with Minho maybe?
Thomas took a bowl and started making his own salad. He also took a bit of fries because, why not. He grabbed a bottle of water and turned on his heels, ready to go.
As he began walking toward the door, he noticed a red head sitting alone at a table, reading a book, her lunch on the side. Lydia. Thomas stopped on the spot and looked at her, his tray in one hand and the bottle of water in the other. He looked around, unsure of what to do. She didn't even see you, Thomas thought. You can still walk away.
He thought for a minute, options battling in his head. If he sat down with her, wouldn't she be annoyed? She was reading a book, after all.
On the other hand, she did sound really kind last time, and Thomas really wanted to try to know her more. At least try. He didn't know if it was worth it, considering people always left him for some reason. But she really did seem nice.
She was alone, he was alone. Maybe this was worth a shot.
He took a deep breath and slowly made his way to the table, Lydia still not acknowledging him in the slightest. Thomas thought that maybe it was a mistake, but before he knew it, he was standing by the table.
''Hey Lydia," he called, timidly. Lydia raised her head up from her book. Thomas noticed that she was surprised to see him here -- it was no wonder why. He felt better when he saw her smile.
''Oh, hey Thomas," she said, putting her book down.
''Can I uh... sit here?" Thomas blushed as he spoke. He never quite knew how to connect with someone. Only with Newt it had been easy, but Newt was different from everyone else.
''I'd love that," Lydia said, causing a smile to grow on Thomas' face. He put down his tray and sat down next to her, still nervous, but happy to give this a shot.
''I'm surprised to see you here," Lydia said before drinking from her tea cup.
Thomas chuckled and tossed his salad. ''Yeah, uh.. I usually don't come around here," he said timidly. ''I don't really know anyone," he added.
''Now you know me," Lydia said with a wink, which made Thomas' smile grow bigger. Maybe this wasn't a mistake, he thought.
''Sorry I took all this time to actually talk to you," Thomas said, chuckling, thinking of all the times he went to Lydia's desk only for his papers, not saying anything else than hello and thank you.
Lydia shook her head. ''Nah, don't worry about it. I get it," she said. Thomas wondered what she meant by that, but he didn't ask.
His phone, lying on the table between his tray and Lydia, suddenly buzzed and the screen lit up. Thomas quickly checked what is was -- a text from Teresa.
"Is that Newt?!"
Thomas looked up at Lydia, who seemed surprised and...really happy. Thomas looked at her questioningly, frankly taken aback by that question. When Lydia saw his face, she immediately apologized, thinking she had done something wrong.
''Oh gosh, sorry, I didn't mean to look at your phone or anything, I just-"
''Oh my gosh no, don't worry about it, really," he said quickly. ''I was just really surprised by the question," he giggled. ''Do you...know Newt ?"
''I don't really know him," Lydia said, smiling. ''I just know who he is because he's always around in the service for physio.''
Thomas looked down at his lockscreen and smiled for himself as he stared at Newt's picture.
''So... since he's your lockscreen, can I assume you guys are finally dating?" Lydia asked, a curious expression on her face, which made Thomas laugh. He looked up at her to see she was laughing too. By now, he had completely forgotten how nervous he was just a few minutes ago.
''We are," Thomas said, blushing. ''Wait, what do you mean finally?"
They both laughed again.
''Oh Thomas," Lydia said. "I could tell how much you liked him. It was so obvious," she added, giggling. ''The way you smiled when he was around."
Thomas smiled from ear to ear.
''And honestly, I could tell how much he liked you too," Lydia said, making Thomas blush a bit more. ''You guys were so cute. It broke my heart when he stopped coming to physio," she then said, lower. ''You would come to my desk everyday hoping his name would be on your planning, and then you'd have this sad expression as you read the sheets."
Thomas softly smiled at her.
''Well. You're very observant," he said, chuckling.
''Yeah. I guess I am," Lydia said, beaming. ''I'm really happy you guys worked this out. Newt seems to be such a sweetheart. Him walking around the service is one of my favorite parts of the day," she said, causing Thomas to smile and nod, as he couldn't agree more with what she said.
''Thank you," he answered. "He, um.. he won't be around so much though," he added, as Lydia gave him a questioning look. "He's going back to school on Monday, so I'll just work with him after.''
''Oh! Okay," Lydia said. "Going back?"
''Um, yeah," Thomas said, taking some fries and moving the bowl between them so Lydia could have some too. "He stopped going for a while, because some kids were bullying him, because of his limp."
''Oh god," Lydia said, annoyed. "People can be so mean sometimes." She raised her eyebrows and rolled her eyes.
''Yeah, tell me about it," Thomas sighed.
''Hey," he added after a minute, "you know sometimes Newt comes over here to have lunch with me. At the cafeteria downstairs." He smiled timidly. "Maybe you could come eat with us when you want to? So you could meet him officially? ''
Lydia smiled from ear to ear, and Thomas did the same.
''I'd very much like that," she said.
🌹
Thomas knew when he hopped into his car at 5 pm, that he'd spend the night with Newt. Nothing could make him happier. He had woken up next to him almost everyday ever since they got together, and everytime he had to pinch himself to make sure it wasn't a dream.
But it wasn't. He really got to wake up next to this angel every morning. He hoped Newt felt the same about him. He believed he did ; Newt was always so caring, thoughtful, loving.
Newt knew, when his phone buzzed at 5:27 pm, that Thomas had arrived and was waiting for him in the car. His smile widened as he texted that he'll be right there. He gathered a few things left and threw everything in his bag, eager to meet with his Tommy.
His Tommy.
Newt still couldn't believe he got to spend his days and nights with such an angel like Tommy. He really got to kiss, hug, cuddle with him. Thomas couldn't stop telling him that he was the luckiest man on the planet, but he was wrong. Maybe that was the only thing Thomas was wrong about.
Newt knew he was the luckiest man on the planet.
They spent their evening talking about everything, over a romantic dinner they had cooked together.
Newt told Thomas he was a bit nervous about school. Thomas told him that it was okay to be scared, because it was a big deal. But he'd have Minho, and he'd sometimes come over at the hospital to have lunch with him. Even Minho could come.
''Alright, enough talking about me," Newt said after a while. How was your day?"
Thomas took Newt's hand in his own.
''It was great. You know," Thomas said, smiling, "I think I made a friend today."
🌹
Newt's good leg bounced against the floor of the car.
He had been staring at the building for ten solid minutes, waiting for Minho. Or maybe waiting for the building to disappear.
''Baby, you don't have to do it if you're not ready."
He heard Thomas in his back and felt his hand grab his tigh. He turned around, heart easing as he looked at Thomas.
''It's okay," he said. ''I'm just a bit nervous, that's all," he sighed.
''You're gonna do great," Thomas said, leaning in to kiss his lips. ''I'm just one phone call away if you want to get out of there." He smiled softly.
''Thank you," Newt whispered.
His phone suddenly buzzed.
minho🐒: i'm here, by the bench we always sit on, hurry up 🙏
''Ah," Newt said. "It's Minho."
''Okay, go," Thomas said lovingly. ''It's gonna be okay, love," he added as Newt seemed a little tense.
''Yeah I know," Newt said, locking his eyes with Thomas'. ''I love you," he whispered, leaning in to kiss him goodbye.
''I love you," Thomas said back when Newt pulled back. ''See you tonight !" he said in a hurry, as Newt began to open the door, his backpack in his hand.
''See you tonight," Newt answered, leaning in again for a quick peck.
Newt stepped outside of the car and walked toward Minho, turning around sometimes to wave at Thomas.
Thomas waited until Newt got to Minho. Seeing him with his friend made him relax, and smile. After one last waving and a kiss blown in the wind, Thomas drove off to work.
🌹
Being back to school definitely felt weird. Not that he had left for a long time, but still. The overwhelming feeling of the hallways jammed with people and the piercing sound of the bell wasn't something Newt had missed.
Minho, on the other hand, couldn't settle down. He literally wouldn't stop talking. It wasn't even noon yet and he already told Newt four times about how much he was happy that his bestfriend came back.
It was kind of exhausting, but honestly, Newt had missed him. That's what he told him as they stopped beside their lockers.
''I missed you too, Minho," he said with a smile, going for a little hug.
He never had the chance to really hug his bestfriend though, as he was suddenly strongly pushed to the floor.
He fell on his back, the shock making him wince and then cough. He came to his senses as he heard Minho yelling.
He shook his head, which was awfully spinning.
He didn't understand what was going on.
He had to call Thomas.
He got up as fast as he could, his leg radiating in pain. He jumped as he heard Minho groaning in pain. When he looked around, he saw him a few steps away, held back by two guys.
''Get the hell off me ! Newt, go!" Minho yelled as he tried to shake those guys off.
Newt didn't know what was going on but he surely knew he wouldn't let those guys hurt his bestfriend.
''Let go of him!" he yelled as he took furious steps towards them. Not even close to reach Minho, he was knocked down again, a fist flying into his face.
He coughed, facing the ground. He stood back up when the air reached his lungs again, and for the first time, he looked at his attacker.
''What do you fucking want?!" Newt yelled, clenching his fists.
''What do I fucking want?!" the boy yelled back. ''I want you out of my sight," he said, his voice harsh, throwing a punch in Newt's face once again.
Newt heard Minho scream as he fell on the floor again.
Minho screaming.
People watching.
Leg hurting.
Piercing sound in his ears.
This was a bad idea.
He got up once again, coughing. He felt the metallic taste of his blood on his tongue.
He had to call Thomas.
''You know," the boy said as Newt wiped his mouth with one hand, soon covered in blood. "It pissed me off enough seeing you limp like a dog in the hallways..."
''Leave him alone! I'm gonna fucking kill you!" Minho screamed in the back.
''But you really crossed the line, Newt. You crossed the line at the ice rink, and you crossed the line this morning, when you and your faggy boyfriend made out on the parking lot."
Newt heard Minho scream more, and he saw him take a punch in the stomach once again.
He was going to pass out, for sure he was. He had never felt so angry before. He felt short of breath, dizzy. Really dizzy.
Every word had felt like being stabbed.
Over. And over again.
Newt suddenly ran toward the other boy and threw his fist right into his nose.
The boy barely moved, and Newt got scared.
He had to call Thomas.
He tried to grab his phone.
Everything went dark as Newt received a punch in the temple, and his head hit the ground.