Disclaimer: All characters are Dashner's.

Newt:

At first, Newt doesn't even glance up from his book when he hears someone walk into the laundry-mat.

Up until a couple minutes ago, he was the only one there and he was enjoying the silence. He'd made it almost halfway through his book, and his plan of action when someone threatened to destroy his peace, was to simply ignore it.

However, it was difficult to ignore the constant string of curse words the boy was muttering. Finally, Newt glanced up and almost dropped his book.

A tall brunette boy was standing in front of a washing machine, covered head-to-toe in mud. Like, a thick layer covering every inch of his skin. "Shucking shuck shucker.. mother shucking God damn shucking..." the boy continually muttered.

Newt watched as the boy took off his sweatshirt and threw it into the washing machine. "Shucking hell, yea Thomas, this was great idea, you're so smart Thomas. You can make it through that pit," the boy, presumably Thomas, grumbled to himself. He peeled off his t-shirt and chucked it into the washing machine before struggling through taking off his jeans, just then Newt realized the boy wasn't wearing shoes or socks.

Newt's eyes scanned over the boy's body. His eyes stopped on the boy's defined stomach, but then he forced his eyes away and blushed. "You know, this is a public place" Newt said.

The boy jumped at Newt's words. "SHUCK" he yelled as he turned to face Newt. "You always that quiet? I didn't even realize you were here."

"Well I don't constantly mumble to myself if that's what you mean" Newt said.

The boy rolled his eyes as he tried to wipe some mud off his face with his muddy hands, and he was really getting nowhere. Eventually he gave up. "I'd apologize about my appearance, but here's the thing" he said before collapsing on the ground "I'm finding it very difficult to give a shuck."

Newt couldn't help but laugh. He grabbed a dirty t-shirt out of his yet to be done laundry and tossed it to the boy. "It's not clean, but it's cleaner than your face" he said.

"Everything's cleaner than my face" he mumbled as he caught the t-shirt. He brought the t-shirt to his face and sniffed it. The boy smiled and glanced at Newt. "You and I have very different definitions of dirty" he said "I don't wash anything until it smells like a gym sock, this still smells like... well good." As he said the last part, his face turned red.

Newt felt his ears turn red. "My apologies for giving you a good smelling t-shirt to wipe your face with."

"Um- well- I'll forgive you" he said before getting up and walking over to the sketchy looking bathroom and running the t-shirt under the faucet. About ten minutes later, he emerged with a clean face and hands. He smiled at Newt. "Thanks dude, I'll uh wash this for you" he said as he tossed the muddy t-shirt into the washer containing his own muddy clothes.

"Thomas by the way" he said as he plopped down on the ground once again.

"Newt" he said, and Thomas smiled at him.

"Newt" Thomas repeated "I like it, it's individual."

Newt tried not to blush. He glanced at Thomas who was hugging his knees to his bare chest. Newt raised his eyebrows. "Are you cold?" he asked.

"Kind of" Thomas said.

"Maybe you should've brought clothes" Newt said.

Thomas glared at him. "Aw shuck, I never thought of that" Thomas said "I always assumed my only option was to hang out in my boxers. I love sitting around practically naked with guys I barely know."

Newt bit his lip to stop himself from laughing. "You can wear some of my not-so-smelly dirty clothes if you really want to" he said.

Thomas rubbed his arms and shivered. "That'd be great, thanks" he said as Newt tossed him a t-shirt and basketball shorts.

"The shirt might be a little snug on you" Newt said. Thomas pulled the shirt on over his chest, and it hugged his muscles so perfectly Newt almost wanted to tell him to keep it.

Thomas pulled on the shorts and glanced down at himself. He smirked and glanced at Newt. "I rock it" he said.

Newt rolled his eyes and resisted the urge to agree. He told himself to play it cool, so he just said "you're welcome" before lifting his book back up to his face.

"The Kite Runner?" Thomas asked "shuck, that book's disturbing. Why are you putting yourself through that?"

Newt lowered the book just low enough to reveal his eyes. "It's a good book" he said.

"It's disturbing" Thomas said.

"It talks about real issues" Newt responded.

"It's disturbing" Thomas repeated.

"Life's disturbing" Newt said.

Thomas stared at him for a moment before smiling. "True enough" he said. Before Newt realized what happened, he and Thomas had delved into a conversation about the book. Thomas had a lot more intelligent things to say about the book than he would have expected from a boy who showed up covered in mud and stripped down to his knickers.

Eventually, Newt's washing machine buzzed and he moved his clothes to a dryer before starting his other load.

"Why didn't you wash both loads at the same time?" Thomas asked.

Newt shrugged. "I'm wasting time" he said "my roommate's got a girl in our dorm, and I'm not going back until he gives me the okay text."

"So you decide to hang out in a laundry-mat? Dude that's kinda weird" Thomas said.

"You're calling me weird?" Newt said, suddenly defensive. "You still haven't told me why you were covered in mud."

Thomas frowned. "Well you see there was an incident with my girlfriend- well ex-girlfriend- and well she got mad and I tried to run after her but I fell in the mud and then she threw stuff at me... uh the details escape me but now she's locked herself in my apartment and I'm here without clothes."

Newt felt a pang of disappointment when he heard the story. He's straight. Of course he's straight. "Maybe you should go apologize" Newt mumbled, trying not to sound bitter.

Thomas shook his head. "Nah" he said "I'm glad it's over, I can't stand people like her." He said it in such an angry tone, Newt almost wished he'd never asked. But now that he had, he was curious. He was angry with himself for being curious.

"What do you mean by 'people like her?'" Newt asked.

Thomas looked away from Newt and Newt thought he saw a slight blush creep onto his face. "She didn't know, when we got together, that I'm bi. I figured she knew, everyone knows. But she didn't, and when she found out she freaked out. Started calling me a liar" he stood up and started pacing the laundry mat. "Which is a bunch of klunk, right? She wasn't mad because she thinks I'm a liar, she was mad because I've been with guys. It's ridiculous! I don't need her!"

Thomas continued to rant, and Newt tried to hide his smile. When he finished his rant, he stopped in front of Newt and stared at him. "I'm sorry Tommy" he said.

Thomas smiled at him. "Did you just call me Tommy?" Thomas asked and Newt blushed. "I like it, it's cute."

Newt blushed harder and looked away from Thomas's excessive staring. "Sorry, it just kind of came out" he said.

He stepped towards Newt, so they were hardly a foot apart. "I said I like it" he said in a quiet voice that made Newt's insides do a somersault.

Newt smiled and met Thomas's eyes, and an electric moment filled the air. Just as Thomas started to lean in towards Newt, the washer buzzed. Newt and Thomas both jumped ten feet into the air at the sound.

"Um- I'll get that" Newt said before switching his last load.

A few minutes later, Thomas's clothes finished drying. He took them out and stripped out of Newt's clothes and back into his own. Newt looked away when he changed, shuck this boy doesn't have any shame, does he?

After changing he handed Newt his clothes back and sat on a dryer across from Newt. "Aren't you leaving?" Newt asked.

Thomas shrugged. "Shuck no, I'm not going back to that crazy shank" he said "I'd rather stay here and talk to you."

Newt blushed hard at that comment. "And what are you going to do when my clothes are dry?" he asked.

Thomas blushed and stared at the ground. "I dunno, find somewhere to crash" he mumbled. He glanced at Newt quickly before looking away.

Newt laughed. "Tommy, do you want to crash on my floor?" he asked.

Thomas smiled. "Well if you insist" he said. Newt simply rolled his eyes.

An hour later, when Newt's clothes were dry and he'd received a 'coast's clear' text from Minho, he found himself driving Thomas back to his dorm. The whole car ride, Newt could feel Thomas's stare on him. He tried his hardest not to blush too much, but in the end he failed. How couldn't he? He couldn't breathe with that boy's eyes on him. He could hardly think, the only clear thought he could form was:

This is going to be a good night.