Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Thomas stares blankly at the white board, the math equation looking like a giant blob of intricate designs with no pattern whatsoever. His eyes begin to wander about the room, falling upon the clock which read a quarter to three, five minutes until school was over for the week. He looks back down at his homework, which didn't even have a single problem done, even though the teacher had passed it out to the class ten minutes ago.

Thomas feels a ball of paper hit him in the back of the head, groaning internally he turns around to see one of his best friends staring at him with an insistent look.

"What?"

"Do you have the answer for number thirteen?" Minho bluntly whispers.

"Nope."

"You haven't even started the worksheet, have you."

"Nope."

"Thomas, Minho, do I need to change your seating again?" Their teacher peers through the top of her glasses with a blank stare. Thomas turns back around facing the front, and Minho looks back at the almost complete worksheet in front of him drawing another still silence in the classroom. Thomas looks back at the paper in front of him, racking his brain for anything he can remember about how to do the problems in front of him.

Damn, math really needs a therapist.

Before he can put his pencil to the paper the bell rings, signaling the end of the day. Everyone around Thomas begins to pack up and leave the classroom in excitement for the weekend.

"Thomas, you really need to stop procrastinatin' ya shank," Minho appears behind him, all his books stowed in his arms waiting for the brunet to finish gathering his stuff.

Thomas rolls his eyes, "I honestly don't care, you know, math has no relevance to what I am going to be doing after graduation anyway."

"What are you going to do? Besides the track scholarship for that college you're going to, I haven't really heard you talk about anything else for your future," Minho questions, throwing his books into his locker and picking up his bookbag. Somehow their parents had gotten the school board to let them have lockers next to each other. Thomas shrugs, "Dunno, all I know is that I won't be a shuckin' mathematician."

Minho laughs, "can't say I blame you, although you should really try to get a passing grade in that class." He gives Thomas a pointed look with a bunch of mixed emotions filled with pure honesty in his eyes.

"I guess, but the equations just don't make sense! Like number five! How the hell am I supposed to calculate that in my head!" Thomas storms out of the school building with Minho trailing quickly behind him.

"You didn't even listen to Miss Paige, did you."

"Huh?"

"She said we could skip number five."

"Oh."

Minho facepalms, rolling his eyes and heaving an exasperated breath before looking back up to search for his car. Thomas does the same for his own, which they really were searching for the same thing since they always park right next to each other. A blue sports car enters his view, alerting him of Minho's car.

"Found them Min."

"What? Where?"

"Right there," Thomas points towards the cars and begins to walk towards them. Minho hastily follows with his naturally quick pace. When they reach their cars Minho turns to face Thomas with a serious look on his face.

"Thomas, you really need to start thinking about what you're going to do after school ends, we're already a quarter into second semester and you only know you're going to college on a track scholarship."

"I get it Min, this kind of thing just needs time."

"Not for everyone."

"I'm not everyone."

Minho heaves another sigh, shaking his head and getting into his car, starting it and leaving Thomas still standing by his own car.

"I'm not! I just don't get the whole rush for figuring out what job you want," Thomas mutters to himself before getting into his own car and starting it, leaving the campus as well.

{+}

"I'm home!" Thomas calls out to no one in particular, throwing his car keys onto the counter and taking his bookbag and jacket off. He walks into his room and throws himself onto his bed, turning on his phone seeing he got five text messages all from Teresa and Minho, as well as one from his mom saying she would be later than usual getting home due to something with a co-worker. Well that explained why no one responded to him when he got home. He throws his phone to the side, not even bothering to reply to Teresa and Minho. His mom should be home soon since she said she would only be held back for a half hour or so, and she usually got home a little before he got home from school.

Thomas closes his eyes for a few minutes, letting the small sounds fade a little around him until the sound of the front door closing alerts him that his mother was home.

"Thomas can you come out here for a sec?" His mom shouts. Thomas groans, moving himself to get up and walk back out to the living room.

"Yeah? What is it?"

"I'm going on another business trip, so you're going to have to stay at someone's house for a few weeks, and before you say anything about being old enough to take care of yourself, don't even think I have forgotten about last time I left you alone while I was away." She narrows her eyes, making Thomas cringe at the memory. He had hosted a small party, which Minho, of course, couldn't keep his mouth shut about, so it resulted in almost everyone from Glade High School coming to his house and his mom coming home early to see a bunch of crazy teenagers tearing around her house.

"Okay," he sighs, "I'll just call Min-"

"Nope, I don't trust you enough to stay at his place for the amount of time I'm going to be gone."

"Well who else's place can I stay at?"

"What about that one boy that you did that physics project with a few months back? What was his name? I think he had an English accent?"

Thomas blinked confusedly for a few minutes until realization hit him. His mother was talking about Newt Isaacs, one of the quieter people at his school that he had someone gotten paired with for one assignment that lasted for two weeks. Thomas didn't know him that well, and no one really talked to him.

"Hi Elise. Yes Thomas is fine with it, did you ask Newt? Okay good, see you soon."

"Wha- Mom! I didn't agree with anything!" Thomas snaps out of his thoughts hearing his mom talking to Newt's mother.

"Thomas," his mother looks at him sincerely, "Newt's mother is a co-worker that is going on the business trip with me, Newt is a very trustworthy boy, and I feel that he would be a good influence on you, now go pack your things, you're going to his place tomorrow after you wake up."

Thomas' eyes widen, a shocked, disbelieving look flies to his face, before turning around with a deep breath and walking back to his room to get his stuff ready.

"I can take care of myself, I'm not a child anymore." Thomas mutters to himself, slamming his door shut.

Chapter Text

Early the next day Thomas found himself standing awkwardly in front of his car with his mom walking up to the door of the Isaacs' home and ringing the doorbell. A tall blonde woman answers the door with a wide smile, hugging Thomas' mom. Thomas just made the sure guess that she was Mrs. Isaacs.

"Thomas come over here! And bring my stuff as well," his mom calls over to him making the brunet sigh and grab the bags his mother stored in his car as well as his things. Mrs. Isaacs was driving his mother with her since they didn't see the reason to waste gas with two cars, and since Thomas was going to be staying there apparently, his mom forced him into driving her there. He grabs the suitcases and bags, making a mental note to make another trip to get the rest of the stuff later.

"Hello, you must be Thomas," Mrs. Isaacs says with a small twinkle in her brown eyes

Well no shit Sherlock.

"And you must be Mrs. Isaacs," Thomas puts down the bags to shake her hand feeling a little too formal with his greeting, but honestly didn't care since he was up at 8 am on a Saturday.

"Please, call me Elise, Mrs. Isaacs is too formal for one of my son's friends." The strange twinkle in her eyes was back.

Friend? I barely even talked to him when we did that project!

"Newt! Thomas is here!" Elise calls back into the house a little too excitedly, Thomas hears a frustrated groan and the door open back up after she closed it again.

"I still don't get why I couldn't have slept in," Newt's familiar accent reaches Thomas' ears, the blonde appearing in front of him with a groggy expression, yawning just to emphasize it.

"It is only polite for you to get up and greet your guest for the next two months," Elise smiles apologetically towards Thomas who just shrugs in turn until the entire sentence clicks in his head.

"Two months?!" Both the blonde and brunet stare at their mothers with disbelieving wide eyes, the two moms smiling innocently back at them.

"I see no reason as to why that should be a problem, as I do believe you two are very well acquainted." Thomas' mom glares at him with a certain glint in her eyes that makes him know that if he doesn't make this work, he might as well sign his death warrant right there and now.

"...Of course," Thomas grunts out after a few moments.

"Sure..." Newt sighs in surrender and finally looks Thomas in the eye. "I guess that since we will basically be living together for the next two months, it is only right that I show you around." Thomas nods reluctantly and makes his way to follow Newt into the house.

"You two have fun! And don't burn down the house while we're gone!" Newt's mom calls out happily as Newt waves his hand in dismissal. "Yeah, yeah mum I get it."

After a few minutes the sound of the car their mothers chose to use for the trip disappears, letting them know they were gone.

"So this is the living room, and that's the dining room over there, the kitchen is right here," Newt walks into the living room and points to the certain rooms in turn. "The bathroom is over that way," he sticks his thumb out behind him, "and I guess I'll show you to your room." The blonde leads Thomas up the stairs, not giving him enough time to marvel at how big the house actually was, and leads him to the second door that he saw.

"Holy shit..." The brunet's eyes widen at the scene in front of him, "I never knew your family was this rich." He sets his bags down by the door and wanders over to the tv hanging on the wall, eying the gaming system set below it, "no fucking way."

Newt shrugs, "my dad's the co-owner of some high ranked business, so he tries to leave a notice for whoever visits that, 'Hello! We're rich!'," he huffs out an annoyed breath and looks back at the brunet, "you can feel free to do whatever you want, I really don't care as of right now. As long as you don't do something that would get the cops called on us or something, I'm fine." Thomas nods in thanks and grabs his stuff from by the door and places them by the nightstand next to the bed.

"Whatever the hell my mom was thinking... She should know it isn't going to work," Thomas hears Newt mutter as he leaves the room. The brunet blinks in confusion, staring at the now closed door like someone had just told him to eat a big smelly boot. (If you get this reference, I will love you forever).

{+}

Thomas basically throws the remote to the other side of the couch he was now sitting on, since he had basically expired all the good shows on Netflix. Throwing his head back in annoyance, finally residing to watching Full Metal Alchemist, an anime Minho had been bugging for him to watch for who knows how long.

After watching the first five minutes, his phone lit up with a text message from a group conversation with Minho and Teresa.

[Teresa] Minho I swear to god I will kill you if you do that again.

Thomas stares at the text with curiousity. When Teresa got mad at Minho there was basically a mini war in the world.

[Minho] awh you dont really want to do you?

[Teresa] You seriously told Aris that I had a contagious disease that could kill him. I think I want to kill you now.

[Minho] hey aim high score low am i right?

[Teresa] Minho just shut up.

[Minho] hey ur the one who texted me first

[Thomas] I'm here too you guys

[Minho] THOMAS YUS

[Teresa] Thomas, could you kindly tell Minho that I would like to shove a rusty knife up his ass at the moment, and I am currently not going to speak to him.

[Minho] kinky

[Thomas] Minho I really don't think you want to do that right now

[Minho] eh i can take risks

[Thomas] Your funeral

[Minho] never said that i wouldnt die in the process

[Thomas] uh huh

[Teresa] Okay seriously go to bed you two, it's 3 in the morning.

"Wait what?" Thomas finally looked up at the clock at the top of his phone screen seeing that it was, in fact, 3 in the morning. He noticed Minho didn't even bother to reply, so he just gets up turning off the television and lays down on the bed.

"Well this was one way to spend a Saturday," Thomas sighs closing his eyes, letting sleep overcome his senses.

{+}

"Tommy would you get up!" Newt slams a pillow onto the brunet's face earning a grunt in return before Thomas opens his eyes reluctantly.

"What is it?"

"It's 6:30 and as much as I dislike you, I would prefer to not be responsible for you being late to school. Now get up." He slams the pillow in his face again, earning a groan of frustration from the brunet. The blonde rolls his eyes and walks out of the room, leaving Thomas alone to get ready for hell *cough* school.

Thomas was ready in 5 minutes, with a blue t-shirt, jeans, and his regular shoes, and walks downstairs where Newt was sitting at the kitchen table, a granola bar in his left hand while he scrolled through whatever he was looking at on his phone.

"There's cereal in the cabinet, milk in the fridge, and granola bars next to the cereal, help yourself to whatever," Newt says, not taking his eyes from his phone. Thomas shrugs to himself, not paying attention to what the blonde had said and sat down at the table as well. Newt looks up at him with an annoyed, but questioning face.

"I don't eat breakfast," Thomas answers the unasked question earning a nod of understanding.

The two sat in an awkward silence for a few more minutes until Thomas' phone goes off alerting him of a text.

[Minho] Teresa and i are at smoothie king do you want something? I told her that you usually dont eat (or in this case drink) bfast but she pestered me until i asked

[Thomas] Nah, but tell her thanks for asking

[Minho] good that

Thomas stands up from where he was sitting and looks at the blonde in front of him.

"Instead of wasting gas from both of our cars, would you like a ride to school?" He asks, gaining the blonde's attention.

Newt shrugs. "I guess, who's driving?"

"Well I offered, so I can."

Newt nods, smiling slightly before the two grab their bags and head out of the door towards Thomas' car which was still sitting on the side of the road. Thomas slides into the driver's seat whilst Newt climbs into the shotgun side.

"Okay which way am I supposed to go," Thomas stares blankly at the road, hearing Newt stifle a chuckle before speaking up.

"I'll tell you the directions, just drive Greenie."

Chapter Text

"Thomas!" Minho's voice cuts through the yelling teenagers in the hallway. "You have your English textbook, right? Mr. Janson has been getting pissed at everyone who doesn't bring theirs to class for the past week, and it's the seniors' turn to read whatever bullshit story he chose from it."

Thomas stops at his locker, Minho leaning against his own, "I never bring the books home unless there was homework in them." After putting his bag in his locker Thomas finally realizes Minho wants a full answer. "Yes, I have my English textbook." Minho lets out a sigh of relief, cutting right to the chase immediately after, "Good, because I need it for first hour." The Korean finishes his sentence right as the brunet shuts his locker, thus making Thomas slam his head against the closed door and turn his head towards his friend.

"Minho!"

"Hey what can I say, I actually try to study." Minho puts his hands up defensively earning a blank stare from Thomas.

"More like try to get a study date out of the hottest girls in school and then embarrass yourself with the lamest pick-up lines ever," Thomas says opening his locker once again and grabbing the giant book for English. Minho puts a hand to his chest as if he had stabbed him, "I am deeply hurt and for your information I do not embarrass myself with lame pick-up lines."

"Yeah, you do, and the only time you got a second "date" you got major friend zoned," Thomas hands the book to his friend, getting a better hold of his own and walking to his class with Minho following.

"That was only because Teresa is a little shit that likes getting people's hopes up!" He protests, and as if everything in the universe were against him that day, Teresa pops up behind them both, "Actually Brenda dared me to say yes to the second one, you brought the friend zoning onto yourself."

"Brenda was just jealous I asked you for a second one- oh shit we're gonna be late for class, see you Thomas!" Minho yelps after finally looking at a clock and dashing to the other side of the hallway where his and Teresa's first hour took place. Thomas just laughs to himself and walks into his class, a flash of blonde hair in the back catching his eye setting his gaze onto the lean figure hunched over a book.

Since when was Newt in my History class?

[+]

After the school day ended (with a lecture from Teresa this time) Thomas found Newt sitting on a bench reading the same book he was reading before their first hour. "I'm guessing that book is good? You seem to be reading it every time I see you." Newt doesn't even look up before answering, his eyes still travelling the page as he speaks, "It's my favourite series, of course it's good."

Thomas tilts his head in interest, "What series?"

This time Newt looks up, a skeptical look on his face, "Harry Potter. I didn't take you to be the type to be interested in books." The hesitation to get into conversation is clear in his tone, but Thomas pays no heed to it, sitting down on the bench next to him, "I don't read all that much, but when I do I can't stop, so I kinda keep away from reading during the school year. Although Minho forces me to watch a bunch of movies he has never read the book for."

"That sounds boring, books are so much better than movies, especially the ones with failure franchises."

"Percy Jackson."

"Exactly my point."

"It was one of the first ones he forced me to watch."

"You poor soul."

"I don't have one."

"Sebastian took it?"

"Nope, Crowley is keeping it hostage."

"Sounds like hell."

"Nah, the he gave it to the devil to keep it close by at McDonald's."

"Does he work there?"

"Part time."

"And he has a son to look after! That is no way to make a living."

"Rin can suck it up and get his own job."

The two stare at each other with blank faces before bursting into laughter.
"Did we just prove to each other that we have no lives?" Thomas wheezes through giggles (YES HE IS GIGGLING, DEAL WITH IT).

"I think so, I didn't even know we could name so many fandoms in references that made sense together in less than a minute," Newt breathes in, trying to calm his laughter, "Weren't you watching Fullmetal Alchemist during the weekend?" Thomas nods, noticing Newt's eyes watering up from the small laughing fit they shared, "Yeah, we didn't even reference that, but Min kept trying to get me into it, it's not that bad to be honest." He lays his arm along the back of the bench, "How'd you know by just hearing it?"

"Alphonse's voice, the echoey sound to it is hard to mistake as something else." Newt responds matter-of-factly.

Thomas hums in thought, "Ahh, I see, makes sense. I thought you were going to say it was because of the opening theme."

"Shh, no one needs to know my secret." Newt sends him a sly grin, eyes narrowed in a way that had Thomas questioning his subconsciousness, "If you tell anyone I might have to kill you."

"Your secret's safe with me, no one shall know you are a huge nerd that knows every anime he watches by the opening theme song." Thomas says with mock seriousness, somehow keeping a straight face throughout it all, Newt covering his mouth with his hand to try to keep his laughter contained before responding, "Good, then you won't have to drink the unicorn's blood."

"We are not starting that again," Thomas remarks earning a pout from Newt and a snide comment of "you're no fun".

"We should probably get back to your house before the teachers think we're asking to help them." Thomas states standing up from the bench and holding out a hand to help Newt up. The blonde nods in agreement, grabbing his hand with a firm but loose grip, letting himself be pulled from the spot he was sitting in.

"I've been meaning to ask you," Newt says as they make their way to Thomas' car, "Why didn't your mum let you stay at your own house while she was away? You're almost, if not already, eighteen, so she should at least think you're mature enough to be left home alone for two months."

The brunet laughs nervously, scratching the back of his neck sheepishly, "The last time I was left home alone for a long period of time I had a get-together with a few friends of mine and Minho leaked it out to basically the entire school which ended up being the most chaotic party ever, buuuut my mom came home early that time, so she saw everyone there and let's just say I was grounded for a long time." Newt snorts in response, opening the shotgun door to Thomas' car when he reaches it and climbs in with Thomas doing the same on the driver's side.

"Do you remember the way, or do I have to direct you again?" Newt questions, looking at his brown haired comrade.

Thomas shakes his head, "Nope, I can remember the way, it's not that far anyway."

"Good, because I wasn't going to navigate for you anyway, you didn't seem to understand what I was saying this morning."

"I don't know whether or not to feel insulted by that."

"Feel insulted, it's most of my good humour," Newt chirps, stretching his arms above his head and letting out a yawn. Thomas nods, yawning due to the empathy science thing that is logical for all interactions, "Okay, then I am highly insulted by your statement."

"Good."

[+]
Thomas was sitting on his bed for the time being, actually trying to do his homework when he hears his phone vibrate. Grabbing the device from off the nightstand he looks at the messages.

Teresa: OH MY GOD GUYS, I FOUND THE BEST FANFIC EVER.

Minho: Teresa no one wants to read your gay porn except for u

Teresa: You look at my phone one time and all of a sudden you think that shit is all I read.

Brenda: It actually isn't shit if it's written right, although it would probably give Min nightmares for the rest of his life if he read it.

Minho: Challenge accepted

Teresa: Quick, Brenda, give him the smuttiest fanfic you have ever read.

Brenda: On it

Thomas breathes out a laugh, his two female friends always had a habit of telling him and Minho about the fanfics they read, whereas the two boys just stuck to the canonical points. It was only a few months ago that both Teresa and Brenda admitted to having read smut and what they called yaoi, rewarding each other with high fives and the two guys being absolutely shellshocked (in Thomas' case) and confused (in Minho's case).

Brenda: [x] Here's the first thing I could find again I dare you to read this the entire way through and not scream or try to claw your eyes out

Minho: As i said before, challenge accepted

Teresa: Oh god, Brenda, is that the one you sent me a few weeks ago?

Brenda: Yep

Teresa: RIP Minho

Thomas: If I know what kind of stuff is in that fic, I would give him three seconds until he freaks the hell out

Teresa: 3

Brenda: 2

Thomas: 1

Minho: WHAT THE HELL IS THIS SHIT

Thomas bursts out laughing, attempting to muffle the sound with his hand.

Minho: THIS IS NOT A FANFIC

Minho: THIS IS MADNESS

Teresa: Welcome to the world of me and Brenda.

Minho: Id be lying if i didn't say i was a bit turned on by this

Brenda: Omf gross

Thomas: Tmi

Teresa: Minho you are a sick bastard with no hope in the world of romance.

Minho: Hey your the one who sent it to me

Teresa: You're* and that was Brenda who sent it.

Minho: But u told her to sent it therefore u are at fault for this

Brenda: I still can't believe you got off to that

Minho: For your information i didnt get off to it i was just slightly aroused

Thomas: Which means you can get off to it

Minho: THOMAS I THOUGHT YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO BE ON MY SIDE FOR THIS

Thomas: I was off your side the moment you opened that fanfic

Minho: I hate u

Thomas: I know

Brenda: JUST KISS ALREADY

Teresa: SEXUAL TENSIONNNNNN

Minho: Their fanfics rubbed off on them someone help

Thomas: I'm just gonna go back to my homework...

Brenda: HAVE FUN

Setting his phone on mute and turning it over as to not get distracted, Thomas turned back to the packet he was supposed to do.

"Why do teachers love packets?" He cries out in exasperation.