When Thomas first dragged himself out of the Maze, everything was a blur. He only started to think straight and assess his surroundings after he was taken to the Medjacks. When he woke up, he was in a hammock, with Newt leaning over his side, trying to feed him something. When Newt saw that Thomas had awoken, he reacted with much anger. "You bloody shank, why would you go and do such a stupid thing!?", he cried. Before Thomas could react, though, Newt leaned forward and hugged him tightly. "Don't ever do that to me again". Thomas felt him shaking, and hugged back, trying to comfort his friend. "I'm sorry", he whispered. "I did what I had to". Once Newt had calmed down a bit, he pulled back, hands remaining on Thomas's shoulders. "Er... Sorry Tommy", he said. "I didn't mean to freak out like that". He looked almost scared of how Thomas would react. "No, no, it's fine. Thanks for actually caring", he said, much to Newt's visible relief.
Newt had been distant all day. Thomas thought he had done something to anger or hurt Newt, but what he didn't know was that Newt's distance was hurting him as much as it was Thomas. Every time Thomas tried to talk to him, he just sort of ran away. That evening, Thomas was walking through the Deadheads, wanting to be alone so he could think what to do about Newt. He missed his friend's old attitude towards him, which had actually caused him to develop a bit of a crush on Newt. He only hoped his friend returned the feelings. Surprisingly, he found Newt sat against a tree, his head in his hands. He decided to approach him. "Hey, Newt", he said tentatively. Newt looked up, surprised, looking as though about to flee. "Wait! Please don't leave me!", cried Thomas desperately. He knelt down next to Newt, putting a hand on his shoulder, and asked, "Why have you been acting so distant all day? Are you mad at me? Did I do something to hurt you? Because if I did, I am so, SO sorry!". Newt looked at Thomas wearily. "Tommy, everything is fine, you didn't do anything to hurt me. I...I just...I don't know..." He buried his head in his hands again, and Thomas saw that he was shaking with sobs. Acting on instinct, Thomas wrapped his arms around Newt and hugged him tightly. "Please, Newt. Tell me what's wrong!". Newt looked up, tears in his eyes. Sensing movement, Thomas moved back so he could look at Newt. "It's...you", Newt said in a defeated voice. "What?", said Thomas, confused. "I like you, alright!?" Newt practically yelled. "And I know you don't feel the same, so don't bother trying to let me down easily". He stood up and began to stalk off, but Thomas ran to catch up with him. He caught Newt by the shoulder and turned him around gently. "But I do like you", he said quietly, and then he stepped forward, putting his arms Newt's waist. "I've always liked you, since the day I came up in the Box. I-", At that, Newt cut Thomas off by placing his hands gently on the other boy's shoulders and pressing their lips together gently. "I love you, Tommy", he whispered when they finally broke apart. Thomas lifted one hand from Newt's waist, using it instead to brush some hair out of the other boy's face, saying, "I wish I had known you liked me earlier". "Why were we so oblivious?". "I dunno, Tommy", said Newt. "We should've learned to read between the lines".
