Notes: I was inspired by a GIF set of Kaya Scodelario admitting she filmed the boys having a shirtless pillow fight. Thought it would be funny to try writing something inspired by this.
"Who's the guy?" Thomas asked as he watched his sister emerge in the third outfit she tried on that night. It was nice – maybe a little more her than the last two were, which were tight numbers that seemed fitting for some other girl.
Teresa smoothed a wrinkle out of her black dress slacks and gently pulled the hem of her sleeveless blouse down. She removed a pin from between her teeth and pinned her hair to one side, which made her look like one of those old Hollywood glamour girls. "His name's Aris," Teresa said as she checked her appearance one final time in the mirror. She picked up her small crossbody purse and slung it over her body before heading for the door.
"Do I know him?" Thomas asked as he stood up and followed Teresa to the door.
Teresa shook her head no and nudged him playfully. "Are you actually trying to be a good brother?"
Thomas shoved his hands into his pockets and winced as he looked around, avoiding his sister's eyes. He loved his sister, but sometimes she had the worst taste in guys. The last guy was so verbally abusive to her that she nearly snapped and fell into a period of self-loathing after hearing what he said about her. Thomas had learned to just let her figure out her relationships unless the moment called for him to step in and defend her.
"What? You don't think I can fend for myself?" Teresa asked with a knowing look in her eyes. She crossed her arms over her chest and pressed her lips together in a tight line.
Thomas allowed a small smile to come across his face. He hugged her and whispered, "No, I know you got this. But seriously, if he seems like a jerk, call me and I'll be there."
Teresa pulled away and reassured him that she would. "Have a good night!" she called over her shoulder before heading to the car in the driveway.
Thomas waved goodbye before closing the door and locking it. He sighed deeply before checking his watch. 6:03 PM. He made a face when his stomach growled and he headed to his room to grab his phone, wallet, and keys. Since he had the place to himself, he decided to just skip takeout and head into town to relax and unwind. After a long week of juggling college courses and his part time job working for a research company, he could use a little downtime.
"How many?" the hostess asked when he approached her stand.
"Just one," Thomas replied as he shoved his hands into his pockets.
The waitress picked up a menu and scanned the tables and booths behind her. She pursed her lips when she couldn't find something and Thomas spoke up.
"I could always sit at the bar, right?" he asked as he fished out his ID.
The waitress checked his ID before nodding and taking him over to the bar, seating him at a stool close to the window. She plunked the menus down and told him that someone would be taking care of him soon. Thomas thanked her as she left and he picked up the menu, flipping through the pages to see what he wanted tonight. Normally he loved getting their burgers or their chorizo black beans and rice platter but tonight, he skimmed past them, looking for something new to try.
The bartender cleared his throat and Thomas looked up to see a guy with longish, shaggy blonde hair sliding a glass of water over to him with a smile. The guy was slender with slightly muscled arms, which were on display courtesy of his shirtsleeves being rolled up a little past his elbows.
"Evenin'," the bartender greeted him. "You been here before or first time?"
"I've been here before," Thomas replied as he put down the menu.
"Well, welcome back," the bartender said as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Name's Newt and I'll be taking care of you tonight. Can I get ya anything else besides water to drink?"
"Bloody Mary please," Thomas said as he flashed his ID. "Hey can I ask your opinion on dishes?"
"Sure ya can," Newt said as he leaned forward. "Whatcha lookin' at?"
Thomas pointed to the shepherd's pie and the Death Cure Spicy Stew. "Which do you prefer?"
Newt looked at both items and pointed to the Shepherd's Pie. "Maybe a wee bit biased but it's good stuff. Unless you like the thought of burning your mouth off," he said as he shot Thomas an amused look.
Thomas shook his head no and handed Newt the menu. "I'll try the shepherd's pie."
Newt nodded as he took the menu and walked to a register to punch in the order. Thomas looked around the restaurant as he sipped his water. He saw a mom grab her young daughter to keep her from running in the restaurant, a couple sitting next to each other in a booth kissing passionately, and he turned to see a tall, dark-haired guy sliding into the stool at the other end of the bar.
"Here ya are," Newt said as he put the Bloody Mary in front of Thomas.
"Thanks," Thomas said as he picked up the glass and took a sip. The spicy tomato juice and vodka burned the back of his throat and he sighed, straightening up in his seat.
"Probably a wee bit strong – you looked like you could handle it," Newt admitted as he rubbed the back of his neck. "But I can remake it if ya prefer."
Thomas shook his head no and he raised his glass to Newt. "No it's fine, really!" He took a long sip from the glass before putting it back down on the bar with gentle thud. He drummed his fingers on the bar and watched as Newt worked on a fancy cocktail for a girl sitting in between him and the dark-haired guy at the other end of the bar.
"Yo Newt!" the dark-haired male greeted him, raising a hand. "The usual, okay?"
"Hi Min," Newt replied with a nod before filling a glass with one of the house beers. "Right, this time, I'm cutting you off at 3 – you nearly walked yourself to your death last time."
"Hey, it was one time!" Minho groaned as he ran a hand across his face. "It was Gally's idea for me to try to stumble across the street wasted!"
"Uh huh, sure," Newt replied, crossing his arms over his chest. He placed the beer in front of Minho before a waiter came over with the appetizer for the girl.
Minho took a sip as he looked around, watching as the girl thanked Newt for her appetizer before flirting with him. He snickered as Newt began reddening behind his neck, stammering that he was working.
"Well, after work, of course," the girl replied with a brilliant smile.
"Oh uh right," Newt replied, rubbing the back of his neck, "see, I think its awful…nice of you to notice, but um, I'm actually not into girls."
The girl blinked before mumbling an apology, ducking her head into her plate of lobster nachos. Minho shook his head at her before noticing the brunette at the other end of the bar. He was about to motion Newt over to ask who the other guy was before the latter got distracted by a waiter handing him a huge drink order for a table outside.
Newt did a double take and muttered a curse under his breath when he saw that they ordered. "How many bloody people are at that table?" he demanded.
The waiter bit his lip, trying to recall the number, eventually settling on the number of 14 people. "They're celebrating a birthday," the waiter explained.
"Figures," Newt sighed as he grabbed several glasses and began filling them with beer and wine. Once those were filled, he loaded them onto a tray for the waiter before checking the ticket again. He grabbed bottles of various syrups and liquors to make the remaining drinks, shaking and pouring them into the respective glasses.
"Thanks Newt!" the waiter said before departing with the tray.
Newt nodded and turned his head as another server handed him Thomas's shepherd's pie with towels around the handles of the short skillet pan. He shot Minho an apologetic look before carrying the pan over to Thomas.
"Careful – it's still pretty hot," Newt warned him as he set it down in front of Thomas. "Can I get ya anything else?"
"Uh no, um I uh, I'm good for now – thanks," Thomas replied before grabbing his fork to start digging in.
Newt wiped his hands off on a towel before walking back to Minho. "Ya gonna order any food tonight Slinthead or just drinks again?"
"Who's that Greenie?" Minho asked as he nodded at Thomas.
"That's not an order Min," Newt sighed with a roll of his eyes.
Minho snapped his attention back to Newt and glared. "I'll order something shuckface, but I wanna know who that guy is!"
Newt rolled his eyes, leaning back against the counter. Minho was always checking out people whenever he came here and nine times out of ten, he'd ask Newt to dig up info on the Greenie before Min made a move. Some of them ended well and others…
Seeing that his friend was throwing him an unimpressed look, Minho sighed as he reached for the menu, flipped it open, and pointed to an appetizer sampler tray. He watched as Newt entered it into the POS system before returning, holding his hand out for Minho's empty beer glass.
"Hang on – I might just want water now," Minho said.
Newt raised a brow before taking the empty glass, placing it in the sink, and grabbing a new glass to fill with water.
"His name's Thomas," Newt replied as he plunked the glass down. "He's local – been here before."
"I've never seen his fine shuckbutt 'round here before," Minho replied.
"Well it's the first I've ever seen him," Newt admitted. Then again, for all he knew the Greenie could have come during lunch or during Sunday brunch – times when Newt didn't work. He always took the early evening to graveyard shift due to his college workload. Gally thought he was insane, as that was precious time that Newt could have spent doing something else. But the pay was fair, especially with all the tips that rolled in.
Minho leaned closer as he stared over at Thomas. "What's this guy drinking?"
"Here ya go – compliments of Minho," Newt said as he placed a second Bloody Mary in front of Thomas.
Thomas wiped his mouth with his napkin and blinked when the second drink was put in front of him. "Oh uh, thank you! Hey, uh who's Minho?"
Newt nodded at the guy sitting at the other end of the bar, who acknowledged Thomas with a smirk. As suspected, Newt watched as the Greenie looked over for a few seconds before ducking his head down.
"Shuck, he actually–"
"No pressure," Newt said with a shrug. "Min's curious about you – he hasn't seen you around and that makes him interested. Dunno if you actually have someone right now or–"
Thomas shook his head before taking a sip from the glass. "Single – I get pretty wrapped up in my work or my studies and relationships kinda took a back seat."
"Gotcha," Newt replied with a nod. He excused himself to fulfill another round of drinks for the large party outside and Thomas snuck another look over at Minho.
The other boy caught him looking and smirked as he patted to the stool next to him. Thomas looked around, making sure there wasn't some random Shank that this Minho guy was gesturing to. Minho rolled his eyes and cupped his hands around his mouth.
"I mean you Shuckface!" he called out.
Thomas stumbled to his feet, grabbing his shepherd's pie and drink before walking down to the end of the bar. Minho accepted the drink from Thomas's hand and placed it on the counter as the latter put his pan down and took a seat.
"Took you shucking forever," Minho said as he took a sip from his water.
Thomas shrugged, hoping his ears weren't turning red. Newt joined them after fulfilling the drink order, leaning against the counter with a smile.
"Sorry about that – amazing how much these Shanks can drink," he murmured.
"When are you off?" Minho asked.
Newt bit his lip as he tried to remember, drumming his fingers on the counter. "Eh, I think I'm off–"
"In a couple of minutes actually," a girl with reddish blonde hair announced. She slipped behind the bar and fixed the tie in the back of her apron. "Don't worry – I got it covered." She tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear, turning her head to see Thomas.
"Thomas! Long time no see Mr. Workaholic!" the girl replied with a huge smile. "Where's Teresa?"
Thomas shot her a small smile as he wiped his mouth with his napkin. "On a date with your neighbor, Sonya."
Sonya did a double take, one hand resting on her hip. "Seriously? …Well who knew?" she said, shaking her head.
"Should I be worried about him?" Thomas asked.
"Course not – he's a good guy. I mean nervous as hell but he's decent," Sonya offered. "Who did the asking – do you know?"
Thomas shrugged and murmured that Teresa was mum on the details, other than she was going someplace fancy with Aris tonight. Sonya nodded before excusing herself to fill a table's drink order. Newt began untying his apron and folded it.
"Right, Sony just to warn ya, we've got a huge birthday table outside of 14 – they've already ordered 2 rounds of drinks but there might be more if my gut's right," he replied.
"Hey, more drinks means more tips for us," Sonya replied as she filled one glass with beer. "You need me to finish their tabs?"
Newt shook his head and punched in the final amounts for both Minho and Thomas, printing off their tabs and sticking them in check books. He passed them over and told them to get them to him whenever they were ready.
Minho accepted his and quickly threw down the cash in his, sending it back right away. "Change is all yours Shank," he told Newt.
Thomas took a few more bites of the pie before pulling out a debit card and slipping it into his check. He held it out to Newt, who began entering it into the system.
"Got any other plans tonight Greenie?" Minho asked as he turned back towards Thomas.
"Name's Thomas, not Greenie for starters," Thomas replied as he shot Minho a look. "No, I'm probably just gonna head back to my place and crash."
"That's no fun Slinthead!" Minho groaned.
"Min relax," Newt sighed. He handed back both checks and tossed his apron under the counter. "If the Greenie wants to relax and do nothing, that's fine."
"Can everyone quit calling me Greenie?" Thomas sighed. "I've been here before – not like I'm new."
"You're new to me Shuckface," Minho replied. "Otherwise I woulda know if those whiskey colored eyes were trying to get me drunk."
"Uuuuuggghhh," Thomas groaned as he messed up his hair the next morning. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and pushed himself up to a sitting position.
"Good morning Tom," his sister greeted him.
"Hey, morning Resa," he mumbled. "How was your date?"
Teresa shrugged her shoulders and looked around the room. It was a total mess – feathers on the floor, sheets tangled in a clump at the end of the bed…
"Aris was nice but we thought it was better if we stayed friends," she replied, crossing her arms over her chest.
"So I came home early and found you made some new friends," she added. "Speaking of which, whose idea was it to have a pillow fight?"
Pillow fight? Thomas thought with a confused look. He blinked and backed up against the headboard, stunned by the sight. In the mess of feathers and pillows, he saw Newt's head lolling on the end of the bed and Minho lying face down in a mess of busted pillows.
"You don't remember anything, do you?" Teresa prompted.
Thomas shook his head and Teresa excused herself to grab her camera. She returned and began queuing up the video she shot last night.
"Why is my bloody head pounding?" Newt groaned as he stirred.
"Can someone shut that TV off?" Minho groaned from his spot on the ground.
"Uh Min? That's not the TV…" Thomas warned as he watched the video. "Uh…it's a video of our um, pillow fight from last night."
The last sentence made Minho sit up and lean over the bed to watch the video Teresa had captured. He knit his brows in confusion before scowling up at her.
"What the Shuck? You filmed us?!"
"Hey you guys came in here and made the mess!" Teresa shot back. "Were you guys drunk?"
"I know I had 2 Bloody Marys," Thomas recalled.
Newt shrugged as he messed up his mop of blonde hair and Minho crossed his arms over his chest. "You're gonna delete that shuck video from your camera right now!"
Teresa took a step back and shot him an amused look. "No," she replied, a small smirk crossing her lips. "I'm gonna hang onto it."
Thomas moved off the bed and ran after Teresa as she started to leave. "No, Resa please just delete it!"
"We'll pay for the damage!" Newt promised as he scrambled to his feet. He cursed under his breath when he saw he was only in his boxers, muttering that he didn't know how that happened.
"What are you planning to do with it?" Minho demanded.
Teresa turned around and shot them an impish smile.
"I won't post it yet," she said. "But I do want to see how much money I can get for it."