"Okay." Newt ran from the bedroom and posed in front of Thomas, sweeping the blazer and the pants he had on. "Is this better?"
Thomas pulled his head back and made a snarling sound behind his throat and glared at his boyfriend again. "The first one you tried an hour ago was already fine!"
This was getting ridiculous really. Thomas knew that telling Newt in the last minute was probably the worst thing he could've done but, to his defense, he was caught up in work and Newt seemed to always come on to him every time they went out on a date (and, to be honest, he was also nervous about telling Newt). So here they were, an hour later, with Newt still trying on all of his clothes for Thomas' parents.
"Take this seriously, Tommy!" Newt whined, punching Thomas on the shoulder, plopping down next to his boyfriend, Thomas wrapping his arms around his waist, "Bloody hell, I'm so nervous! Damn you for telling me the last minute!"
Thomas chuckled at his boyfriends anxious fidgeting and kissed the blonde's neck. "Don't worry, babe. Just be yourself."
Newt scoffed and sat up, staring Thomas amusingly, "Really? Have you even told them that you were dating, not a girl but, a bloody boy?"
Thomas' smirking smile vanished into thin air as Newt stared down at him. Thomas' brain racked for the simplest lie he can think off to throw the sudden hint that he forgot to tell his parents that Newt was not short for a girl's name. The silence must have been so unbearably long because a long shriek was heard throughout the blonde's apartment.
"Oh my, god!" Newt yelled, hands buried deep through his hair, pulling at it and pacing back and forth. "I'm gonna kill myself!"
Thomas hurriedly stood up and stopped his boyfriend's pacing and hugged the blonde from the back, easing him into a not-so-crazy state by kissing his cheek. "It's gonna be fine, Newt. I promise you. I'll be by your side the whole time."
Newt seemed to calm down and turned around, wrapping his arms around the brunette's neck. Thomas hummed as they swayed lazily, comforting his boyfriend. Newt's breathing settled down and Thomas knew he would be in the clear as he glanced at his watch. "Babe?"
"Hmm."
"We really gotta go. My parents are-"
"Ugh!" Newt pulled away in annoyance and pushed Thomas so hard that he stumbled back on the couch, "That is not helping, Tommy!"
"I'm gonna faint." Newt said as Thomas parked his car outside the Edison's residence. He was pale as paper and was shaking with nervousness. Thomas immediately wanted to punch himself because of all the pressure he just gave the blonde. He sighed in annoyance as he ran towards the blonde and held his waist.
"Let's go, honey." Thomas smiled at him in a reassuring way and Newt just gave him a small smile. Thomas can feel the anxiety running through the blonde's body. The walk towards the front door was short and in no time he was ringing the doorbell, to which Newt inhaled largely to.
"Don't be so nervous." Thomas whispered, intending for it be a joke.
"How can I not? It's my first time meeting a boyfriend's parents." Newt whispered back and Thomas snapped his head back to him so fast he was so sure something broke.
"What?" Thomas asked in surprised when the door finally opened, revealing a well-dressed lady with white hair.
"Hello, dear!" The lady greeted the two boys happily. Thomas was still staring at Newt with a shocked expression when he felt a nudge to his side. He was knocked back to reality and his mom was in front of them, staring at him curiously.
"Mom!" Thomas exclaimed, kissing his mother on the cheek, "Th-This is Newt." Thomas gestured at Newt nervously as he carefully watched his mother's expression.
The smile on her face was turned into a shocked expression mixed with a confused one. She darted her gaze to Newt and back to Thomas. "O-Oh! Well, lovely to meet you dear. I'm Ava, Thomas' mother." She held out her hand for Newt to take, a confused picture still on her face.
"He-Hello, Ma'am." Newt stuttered, "It's so lovely to finally met you." The lady of the house must have caught on into Newt's accent because of the surprised sound she made.
"He's British." Thomas provided, leaning in towards his mother. She turned right back to Thomas and then back into Newt, still not really processing the information given to her.
"Yes," she whispered, "I'm sure your father would be very surprised by that revelation." She smiled towards Newt and then stood aside to let them in.
The two boys entered the house and then Newt was suddenly transfixed with awe. Thomas looked at his boyfriend and smirked at the awed expression on his face. The house on the outside was already pretty impressive, knowing that his mother had a pretty good taste in things, but the inside was just magnificent.
The hallways were lighted just right the light peach color of the walls resonate pretty well with the intended "feel" of the house which was cost but elegant. The ornaments on the walls were enough to be eye-catching but certainly not enough to be a total overkill.
"Your father is in the kitchen." His mother directed and the two boys followed her footsteps.
"Why haven't you told me that you haven't met your past boyfriend's parents' before?" Thomas whispered when he was sure enough that the distance between them and his mother were large enough for her not to hear them.
"Well, I wasn't really expecting to meet some of them anytime soon, was I." Newt answered sarcastically, "And don't blame this on me. I'm still pretty mad at you for not telling me earlier but right now I'm gonna be busying myself by being a perfect bloody boyfriend so that your parents can tolerate me."
They turned to an immediate left and then they saw Thomas' father setting up the table. The man looked up and gave a smile before running towards them. Thomas loved his father. He was always so supportive, not really being consistent with how he looks, which he looks like he could murder a person without a second thought but his father could not hurt a fly. So the nervous sweat that Newt at the side of his head as the man approached them was understandable.
"Son!" The man greeted and hugged Thomas, "So, where's the lovely lady you are dating?"
Thomas gave him a nervous laugh and an awkward hand gesture before his mom stood beside his father and placed her hand on his chest. "Honey, this is Newt." She said, albeit nervously, "Thomas' -um, boyfriend."
If the look of surprise on his father's face was anything to go by, then Thomas would run for the hills but before he can do so, his father already spoken. "Oh, hello, N-Newt. I'm Janson. Thomas' father."
"Hello, Sir." Newt said, loudly gulping for air, "Lovely to meet you." They shook hands and stood there awkwardly, silence filling the whole room, the four of them stating at each other with nervous smiles and unsure postures. Thomas knew he should break the ice and say something in Newt's favor. At least he can do that for putting this kind of pressure on Newt.
"He's British."
Thomas wanted to punch himself in the nut.
"So, Newt." Thomas' mom said, cutting the steak they had in front of them. "Tell us something about yourself."
"Oh, I can do that." Newt said, laughing nervously, putting the utensils down and sat a little more upright, "Well, um, I grew up in London and stayed there until I graduated high school and then moved here for college. I graduated major in literature and I work as a journalist now."
"Oh, that's nice!" Janson said nonchalantly, staring at his steak, "How exactly did you meet my son?"
"Oh!" Newt turned to look at Thomas and gave him a sweet smile. "Thomas' firm sent me some information about a case they were working on and they assigned him to take it to us. I was assigned to the job and that's how we met."
Thomas' parents nodded, not really listening to the story that Newt was telling, that Thomas can tell based on the uninterested looks on their faces. "But, out of curiosity," his father spoke again, "Why did you move here? I bet London's a great place for college."
Thomas stared at his father in disbelief. He knew what the question meant and it was why Newt ever moved here and met Thomas in the first place. Not only that, Thomas knew why Newt moved here and it was not exactly a nice story.
"Dad," Thomas scolded coldly, touching Newt's hand on the table, to his parent's dismay, "It's not really a good story."
"Why not?" His father with a mocking tone, "You wanted us to get to know your 'boyfriend' and I'm exactly doing that."
Thomas sighed deeply with that insensitive gesture and was about to decline his father again when Newt patted the top of his hand on the table, "It's okay, Tommy."
"Tommy, huh?" Thomas turned to the tone of his mother, "You never let us call you that, Tom."
Thomas only gave her a nod and a smile before going back to Newt. "Newt, no. It's fine. You don't have-"
"It's fine." Newt said, finally coughing and looking back towards his parents. Thomas sighed deeply and stared daggers towards his dad. "Um, when I was in high school, I did not really have any friends and I struggled with bullying-"
"You moved here because you can't handle a little bullying?" Janson scoffed and Thomas thought he could just slap his father across the face.
"Um," Newt seemed taken back and tried to rise back up again, "B-Before that, I was already battling a severe case of depression and um, cutting myself that it j-just became too hard for me and I was on the verge of kill- ending it for good so my parents thought that maybe moving here would do me some good."
The silence in the room after Newt's speech was very palpable. It was so awkward that the clinking of utensils was the only thing that kept them all grounded. He saw that Newt was looking down at his lap and Thomas knew he should save the situation.
"But the good thing is that he did not lose his accent, right?"
Thomas really wanted a truck to trample him right now.
"I'm so lousy at this!" Newt whispered when he managed to grab Thomas back from his parents who were busy inside the kitchen with the dishes. "I wanna go home!"
"Newt, baby." Thomas started, rubbing his hand up and down his boyfriend's arm, "Just relax. I think they're warming up to you."
"WHAT?!" Newt disagreed loudly, "Have you heard what I said after I told them you were a great boyfriend? I said you, and I quote, 'And your son is very great in bed too. No worries about that.' How the hell do you salvage something after that?!"
Newt started fanning himself and breathing rather fast. Thomas thought he could do some damage control. He appeased Newt a little and went to get his parents and talk to them. He told Newt to sit back down and marched towards he kitchen where he heard a faint whispering. He stopped and listened in.
"A boyfriend? A boyfriend?! What was he thinking?!" He heard his father whisper.
"I know." His mother chimed in, "And a depressive, self-harming kid too? I thought I raised him better than that."
Thomas can't believe his ears. They were already judging Newt and without even giving a second look. He needed to do some damage control. Right now.
"Mom, dad-" Thomas started, going inside the kitchen before they cut him off.
"Oh, Thomas!" His mom chimed in, "Do you remember our family friend, Charlie and Janice?"
"Wh- Yes. But that's not the point. I wan-" Thomas tried again.
"Well, they are back in town and guess who's with them." His dad said in an excited tone, more so than what he gave while he was talking to Newt, which was not so much. "Teresa! Remember her? She's grown into such a lovely woman and I bet she's single at the moment."
Thomas took a second to think about what they were talking about because, on the surface, his parents are not some assholes that are very insensitive. Thomas has to take a step back in order for him to keep his balance because he just can't believe that his parent's are insinuating for him to date a different person while he's here introducing Newt to them.
"So?" Ava said, seemingly hopeful that Thomas would agree, "What do you think? Maybe this Saturday?" Thomas stared at then in disbelief. How could his parents do this?
"What are you talking about?" Thomas whispered, anger slowly rising out of him. He was so sure smoke was coming out of his ears. "Are you seriously asking me to date someone else when I brought my boyfriend here to meet you?!"
The sour look on his father's face would have scared Thomas because that would mean he was disappointing the man but right now, he could throw vinegar at his face and Thomas won't care. "You should be honest to yourself here, Thomas. I'm sure the great - gay sex is fun and all but someday you are gonna want to have a real relationship. Not this - this fling!"
Fling?! He seriously thinks that Newt is a fling to Thomas?! Newt is the best thing in Thomas' life right now and the thought of his parent's looking at Newt like a random hooker only there for a good time blows his mind to no end. He just wants to scream murder! "Newt is not a fling! He's a great guy and he's a hell lot more attractive and kind than that woman you set me up with the last time! He's amazing, passionate, understanding and I don't care about what you think of him because I'm in love with him!"
Before Thomas could even stop and think about the things he were saying, he finally said it. Not to Newt, but at least he finally knows what that fleeting sadness he feels whenever they spend time apart for too long is. The happy hum of his heart whenever they are close enough that they accidentally touch or the band playing in his gut whenever they cuddle in the couch or in bed. It's love. He's in love.
"You do?" Thomas looked up and saw that the voice was not from his parents but from somebody behind him. He turned on his heel and saw Newt, teary eyed and with a shocked look on his face. Thomas slowly walked towards him, afraid that Newt might run away.
"Look, Newt. I know we've only been dating for a little while and I don't wanna-"
"I love you too." Newt whispered, smiling that lopsided smile of his that does something to Thomas' core.
"Y-You do?" Thomas asked. He did not imagine that the first time they would be saying that they loved each other was in front of his unsupportive parents, but he'll take it any day.
Newt nodded and Thomas knew that that was their sign to exit. He turned to his parents and said goodbye, not really bothering with pleasantries because they don't deserve some. He wrapped his arms around Newt's waist and went ahead before Newt turned right back at his parents.
"Oh," Newt said, facing Thomas' parents, "You're right, by the way."
Thomas went behind Newt, suddenly worried what the blonde was thinking about what he was agreeing with with his parents. They've only said horrible things so far and Thomas can't have Newt thinking that all the things they said about him him were true. The smug smile on his parents' faces did not help in his cause.
"The gay sex is fun, Mr. Edison. In fact, I'm gonna go and have sex with your son in his car right now." Newt exclaimed with a victorious smile on his face before walking out, dragging Thomas by his wrist. Thomas' mouth was open in surprise and the apparent proud smile with it was enough to piss his parents off. They glared at Thomas and he just shrugged happily, knowing that Newt was never this intentionally vulgar before.
What a time to be in love.
