Newt walked nervously up the steps to his best friend's house. He smiled politely and exchanged pleasantries when his friend's mom opened the door, before making his way up to the bedroom, getting more nervous the closer he got to knocking. He knocked hesitantly, pushing the door open softly.

"Tommy? Can I come in?"

"Newt? Yeah, of course!" Thomas' enthusiasm faded when he saw his friend's pale face and wide eyes, "what's wrong?"

Newt could feel his eyes start to water when Thomas took his wrist gently, pulling him to sit on the bed. As soon as Newt had shuffled to the corner, his back against the wall and his knees to his chest, Thomas moved to lean against Newt's legs, taking his hands again to stop him from scratching at his arms, which he always did when he was nervous.

"Newt? Hey, you with me?" Thomas asked, tilting Newt's chin so that their eyes met.

"Tommy?"

"Yeah, I'm here."

"Can I tell you something?" Newt asked nervously.

Thomas rubbed a hand gently on Newt's right ankle, knowing that his tenseness would have made the walk over painful, "of course you can. Whenever you're up to it."

"I… um… could you look somewhere else?" Newt asked, avoiding his eyes.

"Of course," Thomas shifted his gaze from Newt's face to his hands, rubbing small circles over his wrists with his thumbs.

"I think that… what I mean is… Oh god…" Newt pulled his hands away to bury his face in them, tears finally rolling down his cheeks.

Thomas pulled Newt's hands away from his face, wiping the tears with his own thumbs, before making eye contact once more.

"Newt, you know that I love you. You're my best friend. I could never hate you, no matter what you say. Is there anything that I could do to make you feel more comfortable?"

"I… I don't know… just, please don't hate me? And… please no eye contact?"

"Of course, is this okay?" Thomas asked, pulling Newt's hands into his own lap, going back to rubbing small circles.

"Yeah… yeah, this is good." Newt took a deep breath, "Tommy? I think I'm broken."

Thomas didn't look up, not wanting to make Newt feel uncomfortable, "what do you mean?" he asked softly.

"I'm pretty sure I'm asexual," Newt muttered, hoping to no avail that Thomas wouldn't hear him.

"Can I look at you again?" Thomas asked carefully, looking up when Newt answered the affirmative.

"I'll understand if you don't want to spend time together anymore…"

"Newt! No, no! Of course I do, you're still my best friend! I just don't think I understand why being asexual makes you broken… You didn't have any problems with it when I told you that I was gay."

"Because… we're sixteen, we're supposed to want sex. And then there's me, and even the thought of it weirds me out… even when…" Newt took a moment to breathe before finishing his sentence as quickly as he could, "even when I imagined it with you."

"Hey, hey, it's okay. There's nothing wrong with that. You don't have to be sure yet. And whether you're sure or not, there's nothing broken about you, okay? Absolutely nothing. Newt, you could be attracted to goats, and you still wouldn't be broken. But… would you be okay with me asking why I'm an 'even when'?"

Newt sighed, looking slightly away from Thomas, "might as well… It's because I feel more comfortable around you than anyone else. You know me better than anyone, you've been my best friend for years, and I guess I figured that if I was going to be comfortable with anyone, it would be you. And since I've had a crush on you for a while, I was hoping that maybe that would make it easier to imagine?"

"You have a crush on me?" Thomas asked softly.

"Sorry, I'll go now…" when Newt tried to stand up, Thomas tightened his grip on Newt's wrists, and leaned back against his legs.

"Please don't. I never thought that you would like me back."

"Back? You mean-"

"I've been head over heels for you for a while," Thomas said bluntly, "and I'd really like to date you."

"I won't be up for sex… cuddles and non-sexual kisses are negotiable though."

"I know that you won't be, and that's okay, as long as I can still cuddle with you during storms?"

"Of course," Newt grinned, finally seeming to relax.

"In that case, can we start now?" Thomas grinned cheekily. Newt just nodded, letting Thomas manipulate them both under the covers before pulling Newt's head to rest in the crook of his neck, placing a gentle kiss on his forehead.