Work Text:
Thomas, on a spring afternoon, left his house to go on a long walk by himself. He was overwhelmed by school; he had finals to study for. Even though passing was very important to Thomas, he couldn't focus on any of it. Maybe if he took a nice long nap he would be able to focus better, but that proved futile after twenty minutes of tossing and turning. And so, in a last ditch effort, Thomas sought the outdoors in hopes that the fresh air would clear his mind.
It was the beginning of May and, after several weeks of rain; the nice weather had finally come. The streets were filled with people who were taking the opportunity to enjoy the warm weather. It wasn't exactly the invigoratingly solitary walk Thomas had envisioned, but he trudged on with no destination in mind. As the sun started to set, it got chillier and people started making their way inside. Thomas wished he had brought a jacket. The thin t-shirt he was wearing offered no protection to the cold air, and goose bumps were forming on his arms.
By chance he came across a relatively empty coffee shop. The sign on the front door said they were open from 8 AM to 9 PM Monday through Friday. Thomas still had a few good minutes to grab a coffee and warm up. He entered the spacious coffee shop and made his way to the ordering counter. Since the place wasn't busy, Thomas received attentive care. A girl, her name tag said 'Brenda', took care of his order.
Thomas took his coffee and settled into a leather armchair near the front door. He sipped at his drink and observed the few people that were in the coffee shop. Thomas' eyes stop on a group of boys that were probably around Thomas' age. There was an Asian boy and beside him was a dark-skinned boy, across the table was a blonde haired boy. With astonishment Thomas observed that the blonde was absolutely beautiful. He had fair skin and big chocolate brown eyes, and his hair looked golden in the light. He was smiling at something one of the other two boys had said. He had an absolutely stunning smile.
Thomas wonders what the boys name is. None of the names he comes up with seem good enough for this alluring person. Thomas also wondered how old the boy is. He only looks to be about sixteen, but looks can be deceiving and plus Thomas hopes the boy is of legal age. And if the boy is of legal age does he go to a University? What is he studying? But more importantly: is the boy spoken for? This thought makes jealousy bubble inside of Thomas. He doesn't want to imagine anyone else touching the boy.
The girl that had served Thomas his coffee made her way over to the group of boys. She must have told them that the coffee shop was closing soon because the group was getting up to leave. The dark-skinned boy and the Asian stood up quickly. They were obnoxiously loud, throwing insults jokingly to one another. The boy got up last. For some reason when he reaches the door his gaze meets Thomas'. He gives the boy a small smile and gets one in return. Then their moment is over and the boy is gone. Thomas hesitated a few moments before he got up to leave. He realized that he still had almost a full cup coffee. It's cold now, but he takes it with him anyways. No point in throwing away a perfectly good drink.
He thinks of the boy his entire walk back home. It keeps him distracted from the cold. He hopes to see the boy again, but knows that they may never cross paths again. Thomas feels a dull ache in his chest at this thought.
As soon as he got home Thomas crawled into bed and thought about the boy until he fell asleep.
***
The weather is colder the next day. The wind blew making it that much worse. At least Thomas had remembered to grab a jacket today.
He decided to walk back to the coffee shop. It was around four when Thomas went and the place was a little more crowded than it had been yesterday. The girl at the counter wasn't quite as hospitable today.
Thomas ordered his caramel latte and sat in his leather armchair. He immediately looked over to the booth across the room. The Asian boy from the day before sat there. The boy was not with him.
Despite his disappointment, Thomas stayed and enjoyed his coffee. He started thinking about when he would be able to squeeze dinner in. He still had finals to study for and he had wasted precious study time yesterday.
The boy enters a moment later and walks across the room to his friends table. He walked with extraordinary grace, his steps gentle but simultaneously proud. When he had reached the table the Asian said something that made the boy laugh. Thomas didn't think it was possible for the blonde to get anymore beautiful. Today the boy was wearing a white, loose fitting hoodie. His hair was all over the place. Thomas had never liked the unkempt look, but the boy made it look good.
He sat there taking the boy in. Truth be told if he didn't have finals, he'd stay here as long as the boy did. But since he did have finals, he left. He disposed of his coffee cup and made his way back home.
***
Weeks pass, and Thomas learns the pattern of the boys visits to the coffee shop.On Thursdays the boy comes once in the morning and once in the evening, his two friends accompany him both times. He comes in on Monday morning, he's alone then. And he comes in on Friday evenings, only the Asian boy is with him.
Thomas enjoyed watching the boy. Sometimes their eyes would meet and Thomas would refuse to look away. The boy always looked away first. It always felt like a small victory to Thomas.
He thought about all the ways he could introduce himself, but nothing he came up with seemed very good. He wanted to make the boy smile or laugh at something witty he said. He wanted to sweep the boy off his feet. And once they were finally together he would make sure everyone knew that the boy was his and his alone. The boy was all that Thomas thought about anymore.
One day Thomas was daydreaming of the boy so deeply, he hadn't noticed the human figure walking past his chair. When he forced himself to focus again, he realized it was the boy and his two friends. Instead of taking their usual seats across the room, they sat at a table a few feet away from Thomas. The boy had sandals on, his slender legs bare to right above his knees, and a tight orange tank top that left nothing to the imagination. The boy had a look of contempt covering his face. His friends were trying to talk him down, but the boy was having none of that. Thomas couldn't hear what the boy was saying, but he knew that the he was greatly upset.
Something like shame causes Thomas to look away and act as if he had seen nothing. He desperately wishes to get up and comfort the boy. He could do a better job then his so called friends were doing. Thomas doesn't go over because he doesn't know the boy. He can't just walk over and ask why he's upset.
He kept his glance averted, but he kept an ear open. Thomas couldn't make out anything more precise than the two names spoken in the conversation, Minho and Alby. So now he knew the two friends names, but not the objection of his affections. Thomas stopped trying to listen in on the conversation, and zoned out again.
After awhile, Thomas got up and disposed of his cup. Just as he got up so did the group of friends. The dark-skinned boy made a straight line for the exit, but the Asian stopped the boy at the front door. He pulled the boy into a tight hug.
"It'll get better I promise, Newt." The Asian, Minho, was saying.
Newt.
Thomas wanted to say it out loud, over and over again. It was so perfect, fitted the boy nicely. Newt.
"I know Minho. I know." The boy’s voice sounded calm again, not as vehement as it had when he had first arrived. The two boys pulled out of their embrace and walked out the door.
Thomas spent the rest of the evening thinking about Newt. He knew the boys name. He was one step closer to getting to know the boy.
***
It was strange to have a relationship with someone who you only knew by sight. To meet and observe a person several times a week, but are still nothing more than strangers. Two months of this and they had yet to greet each other.
Thomas truly believed that he and Newt had some kind of relationship. For instance, why had Newt and his friends start sitting closer to Thomas? And sometimes Newt walked close to Thomas' leather armchair, almost grazing it completely. Thomas waited for Newt's arrival at the coffee shop, and sometimes he acted as if he hadn't noticed the blonde’s presence. But other times he looked up and their eyes met. Thomas swore that he could see desire in Newt's eyes. He didn't understand why the boy didn't act upon it; it frustrated Thomas to no end. But maybe the boy was just as shy as Thomas and was nervous to approach.
One week things went differently. The group of boys didn't show up on Thursday morning or in the evening. Thomas brushed it off. Maybe they were busy. Then Minho and Newt didn't show up Friday either. Now Thomas was concerned. He went back the coffee shop Thursday evening the next week. The group of boys were already sitting at their table.
Thomas had not expected Newt to make an appearance. Joy, surprise, and admiration were freely depicted when his eyes met Newt's. The boy gave him a small smile.
'You're mine'. Thomas thought. 'All mine'.
***
Lately it was not enough to just be near the beautiful boy and to see him at the coffee shop. He started following Newt. For example, Newt always went to the library on Saturday. Thomas would hurry over and just watched the blonde go about his business. He was always careful to never let Newt catch him.
Then, when Newt was done there, Thomas would follow the boy at a distance. He had to act inconspicuous whenever Newt lingered somewhere. He sometimes lost sight of the boy and would have to madly search for him. And he endured panic when he saw Newt coming towards him, but the boy never recognized him or noticed that he had seen him more than once that day. But Thomas was definitely not suffering. It made him happy beyond words to be near Newt. He didn't think his feelings would be one-sided for long. At some point he and Newt would be together. It was just a matter of time.
However, no matter how much he loved the boy, there were some moments where Thomas would pause and think about his actions.
"Why was he doing all this?" But he would always quickly shake those thoughts out of his head. He was doing this for Newt. The boy he loved. The boy he wanted to be with. The boy he needed.
***
On Monday morning Thomas walked to the coffee shop. When he arrived he saw Newt sitting at his table. The boy is completely absorbed in his book. Thomas went to his leather armchair to observe.
To the boy, the world around him doesn't exist. His gaze was intensely on his book, absorbing every word he read. And then suddenly, as if on impulse, he looked up at Thomas. The brunettes breathe hitches. He can feel the heat spread from his chest to his cheeks.
Newt looks back down at his book. He reads a few more pages before he closes the book and gets up to leave. And, as he has done so many times before, Thomas sets out to follow him.
***
Days went by before a missing persons report was filed. The beautiful boys face adorned posters all over town. He was on the five o'clock news for several days. Friends and family members all had broken hearts due to his disappearance, and begged for the boy to be allowed to come home without harm.
Thomas didn't listen to any of their pleas. He finally had what he wanted and he wasn't going to let it go that easily.
They were together.