"Is he up?" Thomas asked frantically as he watched Newt place Minho's body on the couch.
"I got him!" Newt snapped as he took a deep breath. Minho was breathing, but barely.
He was hit in the side, the red seeping in a gross looking circle in his shirt. The hole was small and Thomas got flashbacks to when he was shot. Newt said the bullet went straight through and Thomas didn't know if that was good or bad. What he did know was that Minho was bleeding all over the pathetic towel they had laid down and that Newt was stressed. Teresa hadn't said a word since they got back to the apartment, but she was holding onto her sweatshirt sleeve so tight her knuckles turned white.
"Should we take him to a hospital?" Thomas asked carefully.
"We can't!" Newt said harshly. "Sorry I-uh Minho can't be on records. Long story but no one knows he's alive technically we have to keep it that way."
"What?"
"It's really not the best time Tommy, can I explain later please?"
"Yeah, yeah sorry," Thomas said as he backed up.
"Yo fuckwad can ya hear me?" Newt asked as he lightly slapped Minho's cheek.
"Yeah," Minho breathed out as he grimaced in pain. His eyes stayed screwed shut. "Fuckin h-hurts Newt."
"No shit genius you got shot. Is this serious enough for...you know?"
Minho was quiet for a second. "I-if I pass out, do that okay?"
"Do what?" Thomas asked.
"Not now!" Newt warned him. Newt grabbed his shitty first aid kid from under the couch and cracked his knuckles. "Alright pal this is gonna hurt like a bitch."
"I'm aware," Minho laughed breathlessly. "Y-you gonna hold my hand Newtie?"
Newt froze and looked at his best friend. "Do you want Tommy to?"
Minho jerked his head in a nod.
Thomas was by his side in an instant, holding Minho's hand in a death grip.
"S-sorry Tom my guy, h-helps a little t-this is hell."
"It's okay," Thomas whispered. His heart was beating in his chest as he watched Newt cut away the blood soaked parts of Minho's shirt.
"I gotta disinfect all of this Min, it looks awful," Newt said as he stared at the hole in his friend's side "Good news is you didn't hit anything important I don't think...no blood is spraying."
"B-bad news?"
Newt cringed. "This is gonna hurt." Newt picked up a bottle of something and dumped a generous amount onto a washcloth.
Newt put the cloth on the entrance wound and god did Minho scream. Thomas wrenched his eyes shut as Minho clenched down so hard on his fingers.
Newt's face was stoic as he dumped the liquid straight through.
The screaming was awful, Thomas wouldn't be shocked if they got a noise complaint.
Minho's head pulled back and he choked a bit. "G-gonna p-pass out-"
"No!" Newt slapped his cheek again. "You're not passing out on me, chill out, keep your eyes open bitch."
Minho cracked a smile at that and loosened his grip on Thomas' hand.
Newt was doing something to Minho's side that Thomas couldn't see, all he knew was at times Minho grabbed his hand so hard he heard his knuckles crack. Minho's eyes fluttered closed a few times so Thomas squeezed his hand til they opened again.
"G-gotta sleep," Minho slurred as his eyes closed again.
"Hey!" Thomas snapped at him as he shook his hand. "Newt he won't open his eyes."
"I think it's okay," Newt said shortly as he kept doing what he was doing. "I can see him breathing."
"He said if he passed out-"
"No!" Newt snapped. "There's stuff about Minho you don't understand. He's fine. We should let him rest."
"Can I stay with him?" Teresa asked softly.
"No you need to tell me what happened," Newt said sternly. "We're going over to the table so I can still watch him. I'm staying with him."
"I didn't mean for-"
"Listen!" Newt snapped. "No one's hurt Minho since I've come around and then you two show up and he-" Newt tugged hard on his hair. "He has to be okay."
"Chill," Thomas said softly as he gently put his hand on Newt's arm.
Newt snatched it away and roughly sat down in the chair. "Just tell me what happened."
Teresa carefully sat across from him and drummed her fingers on the table. "We went on a walk, Minho said he wanted McDonalds. We didn't even make it there. We passed 53rd you know the two tall buildings and that little dip in between. We were passing and these guys came out, like five of them. They had a gun and the one grabbed me and he had it pressed to my head and Minho- he grabbed him and I don't know what happened but the gun went off and he hit Minho! He pushed me out of the way it was my fault, he took the bullet for me."
Newt clenched his fist and bit his lip. "Okay."
"Just okay?" Thomas asked.
"The bullet would have killed her, it didn't kill him...yet."
"Do you want me to go?" Teresa looked at Newt with a confused expression.
"I don't know," Newt dropped his face into his hands.
"I'll come back tomorrow," Teresa said as she got up. "I'm sorry, tell Minho I'm sorry."
Thomas watched as she left. He had no idea what to say, his stomach churned everytime he looked at Minho on the couch.
"You trust her Tommy?" Newt asked as he finally lifted up his head.
"Teresa?! Yes! What the fuck Newt, of course I trust her. You think she hurt Minho?!"
"Not what I said," Newt said as he got up and squatted down next to Minho.
"Well you're being all distant right now how am I supposed to know what you mean?!"
Newt didn't reply as he checked Minho's bandages.
"I've never seen you like this," Thomas admitted quietly. "It's freaking me out."
Newt let out a breath and ran a hand through his hair. "I know, he means a lot to me, I have to make sure he's okay."
"Can you tell me why Minho can't go to a hospital?"
Newt nodded as he sat on the chair next to the couch. "Remember when I told you how Minho and I met? I was hired to kill him."
"Yeah."
"Well the people who hired me are powerful, bigger than me too. I sent them a head back..it just wasn't Minho's. They think he's dead and for a good reason too. If they catch wind of him actually being alive he's as good as gone. Minho isn't even his real name, I don't even call him his real name."
"It's not WICKED?"
Newt shook his head. "I don't think so, a similar group though. It just brings me to the question, was this WICKED, the group after Min or is Teresa lying."
"Teresa wouldn't lie," Thomas defended quickly.
"I hope not, when Minho wakes up I'll ask him for sure," Newt looked at him. "If Minho wakes up."
"He's gonna wake up."
"He better," Newt said sadly. "I need him more than he knows."
______
Thomas woke up before Newt who was passed out in the chair where he fell asleep watching Minho. He stretched and groaned slightly at the ache in his back from the position he fell asleep in on the floor.
Minho was asleep silently on the couch, the bandages on his side were already soaked red which made Thomas' stomach churn. He debated waking up Newt but in all honesty, Newt looked like shit. The bags under his eyes wrinkled when he flinched in his sleep.
Thomas tugged at his hair and carefully walked into the kitchen. He grabbed a banana and sat on the countertop, trying to settle his stomach. Thomas felt sad all the sudden, this was the second time he had to patch someone up. First it was Thomas bleeding out on his couch now Minho was half alive due to a situation that wasn't even his fault. Who was supposed to take care of Newt?
Thomas finished the fruit and tossed the peel into the trash can. He carefully got up and headed over to the chair Newt was sleeping in. Thomas gently shook his shoulder.
"Hey, why don't you tell me how to check on Minho and then you can sleep in the bed?"
Newt rubbed his eyes and sat up. "I'll help him, it's fine, thanks for waking me up."
"I think you should sleep more."
Newt shook his head. "I didn't mean to fall asleep."
"I can do it."
"It's fine Tommy, go to bed I'll be in soon," Newt said as he stretched and kneeled next to Minho.
Newt gently shook him and actually smiled when Minho opened his eyes. "Hey dickwad, how you feelin?"
"I feel like shit."
"But you're breathing."
"I am breathing," Minho winced as he shifted.
"Hey no moving or I'll tie you up in a totally not sexy way."
"Come on dude I'm achy."
"Can't have you tearing shit I'm serious."
"How do you do this all the time?" Minho asked as he groaned. "This is hell."
"I heal a lot faster. We gotta talk soon you know that right?" Newt asked carefully as he started his task of changing Minho's bandages.
"She didn't do anything Newt," Minho chuckled.
"Not now."
"I know you, you get like this."
"I just want to make sure it's not-"
"Stop protecting me, I'm a big boy." Minho winced as Newt cut away his old bandages.
"Yeah and I need you stupid so just don't be like that."
"If I sleep more is that bad?"
"Do you have a fever?"
Minho shook his head.
"Okay go back to sleep then, I'm almost done here."
"You promise you'll sleep too?"
"Yeah I'll go to bed, Tommy is over still."
"Good, he'll web you to the bed so you sleep."
Newt smiled softly as he finished his work on Minho's wound. "If you need me, call."
"Shut up I'm sleeping," Minho grumbled as he closed his eyes and cuddled into the couch cushion. He was out almost instantly.
Newt sighed and got back up, humming contently when he looked at Minho's clean bandages.
"He's gonna be okay?" Thomas asked quietly from where he was watching, leaning against the wall.
Newt nodded as he headed toward him. "Come on let's go to bed...didn't know you were listening, sorry."
"It's okay," Thomas said softly as he entered Newt's room and hopped on the bed. "You know she didn't do anything."
"I know Tommy." Newt sighed as he laid on the bed. "I just have to cover all my ends."
"She's my best friend."
"I know."
"You can trust her, I do."
Newt let out a breath. "Not when it comes to Minho."
"What does that mean?" Thomas asked as he shifted down next to him and laid on his side.
"It'd be the same if you got hurt Tommy, don't take it personally, I'm just sick of losing people I love."
"I get it." Thomas reached over his hand and put it on top of Newt's. "I really do get it, but she didn't do anything."
"If he got hurt too- like Alby I don't know what I'd do."
"Minho's all human?"
Newt nodded. "In and out. Human 100%."
"Which is why you were so worried about the bullet?"
"Of course, I don't know where it came from. Even with him surviving it, there's risk of infection and whoever shot him coming back here to finish the job."
"Why are people hunting Minho?"
Newt let out a breath and curled his fingers around Thomas' hand. "His parents were involved in some mob-like activity back in korea where he's from. They had real power, kinda ran shit over there. I guess a deal went bad because of Minho, he stole something from someone real powerful and his parents couldn't pull him out of it. They fled to America because every other group turned against them and while they had power, it wasn't enough to stop this. I guess someone followed them because uh- Min's parents didn't make it. They got them in an alley on the way back from a diner totally batman style. Then someone hired me to kill Minho and you know the rest."
"I didn't know his parents were murdered."
"He doesn't talk about it, ever. He totally thinks it's his fault but it wasn't."
"What did he take."
Newt snorted out a little laugh. "The head of the boyfriend of the rival mob leader."
"You said steal! Not murder!"
"He did what he had to do...when you're raised around that you don't know any better he thought it was the only way to get out of the conflict."
"How old was he?"
"Twelve."
"Holy fuck."
"He's an ex criminal, he's a new man now, he's my best friend and a good dude even though he's annoying as fuck."
"If there's no way they know he's alive then it was probably WICKED who attacked them right?"
"They mob, or whoever was hunting him, could have gone back to korea for all I know, so it very well could have been WICKED."
"They might be tracking Teresa because she escaped."
"She'll be okay at her place for a night?" Newt asked as he snaked his arm around Thomas' hip and pulled him closer.
"Yeah, she's okay. You should apologize though."
"I will," Newt hummed as he nuzzled his face in the crook of Thomas' neck. "Not now."
"You actually have to apologize though," Thomas said sternly as Newt just cuddled closer to him.
"I'm so exhausted Tommy, don't wanna think about that right now."
"Okay, tomorrow then."
Newt groaned and pulled the blanket tight around them. "Will you set an alarm for an hour so I can go check on Minho?"
"You sleep, I can check on him," Thomas offered as he let himself be held like the world's largest stuffed animal.
Newt shook his head. "Gotta be me."
"Why?"
"Cause if he dies I'll blame myself," Newt said softly.
"Even if this is in no way your fault?"
Newt nodded against his neck. "I wasn't there."
"We didn't know they left."
"No more talking about this, he's gonna be okay, I decided."
"Good thinking." Thomas said. "Do I get a goodnight kiss?"
Newt huffed out a laugh. "Baby boy, you can get anything you want." Newt shifted his hand to carefully cup Thomas' jaw. Thomas let his eyes close when Newt kissed him blindly in the dark. It was his favorite feeling in the entire world, the way his lips moved blindly against his in the dark and the way his hand curled around his cheek.
"Love you Tommy," Newt whispered in the dark as he pecked his lips firmly again.
"I love you too."
Newt exhaled and wrapped his arms tightly around him. "Thank you."
"For what?"
Newt huffed and tugged Thomas so his back was flush against his chest. "Bein you I guess."
"Stop."
"Serious."
Thomas let his eyes flutter closed, he hadn't realized how tired he was til he was laying down with Newt's arms around him.
"WICKED's taking everything from me Tommy, promise you won't let them get you too."
"I'm not going anywhere Newt."
Newt smiled against the back of his neck and Thomas' heart felt heavy. His hatred for WICKED suddenly grew ten times in his chest as he thought of younger Newt watching Alby die in his arms, as he thought of Newt watching Minho struggle to breathe. It wasn't fair to him when all he ever tried to do is help. Newt deserved the world yet only got it taken from him.
Thomas let out a breath as he pushed back farther into Newt's chest. Yeah, they'd take down WICKED.
And when Newt tried to kill Francis, Thomas wasn't going to try and stop him.