Side Story VII: A Moment in Sin

There weren't a lot of rules in the dorm, just the usual common sense things like clean up after yourself, respect everyone's privacy and no unwanted visitors at strange hours of the day. Luckily for Thomas, the only unwanted visitors he received at weird hours of the day were his boyfriends' crawling into bed with him. But that didn't mean they didn't have certain other rules.

Newt was a stickler for wanting to keep his clothes organized. He wasn't so much as an "unbearable neat freak" but when it came to his closet, especially when sharing with Thomas, having their clothes be all over the place was one of the quickest ways to get on the blond's bad side. As sexy as it was to have Newt glare death at him, Thomas really didn't want to be subjugated to it all the time. As for Thomas, he preferred they keep their junk off his bed at all times. That wasn't too much to ask, right?

Minho's request was fairly simple as well: don't touch his holy grail of hair gel.

Thomas usually respected his boyfriends' wishes, as they would for his, but after Minho had so brazenly eaten all of the bananas a few days ago, he wasn't feeling so respectful of his property. (Perhaps he was being a little childish and bitter getting upset over something as simple as bananas, but they were just so rare and delectable and Minho wouldn't stop making fun of his reaction for days after it. Thomas just… wanted to teach the athlete a little lesson, that's all.)

He waited until Minho had gone on his early morning job to strike.

He searched through the dresser for the hair supplies and gathered the lot into a small basket Minho usually used for their bathroom supplies. He didn't understand why Minho had ten different types of gels and creams for his hair, or why the athlete bothered to keep up with appearances in the first place. He and Newt didn't care what they looked like, and they certainly didn't care whether or not Minho's hair was gelled to perfection are flat against his skull. (Honestly, Thomas preferred it flat. He liked how soft it felt when he ran his fingers through it.) They liked Minho for who he is, not how he looked.

With the last hair product inside the basket, Thomas glanced over to the garbage can and debated on tossing them out. It'd be a little cruel, having Minho waste all his money like that. It wasn't like Thomas wanted him to suffer too much, he just wanted to teach the boy a lesson.

He bit his lip.

He slid the basket under their bunk and wiped his hands clean from sin. He quickly slammed the dresser shut just as Newt walked into the room with a towel wrapped around his head.

"You're awake early, Tommy. I thought you didn't function until nine?"

"I heard the call of the wild." He shrugged. He leaned against the dresser and flashed Newt an innocent smile.

The frown was on Newt's face faster than Thomas could blink.

"What did you do?"

"Nothing."

Newt's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "What. Did. You. Do?" With each word, his stare grew more penetrating and dangerous.

Thomas tried not to sweat.

"I did absolutely nothing, Newtie."

The blond's eyes suddenly widened. "You called me 'Newtie', you bloody did somethin'!" He gaped. "Out with it Thomas!"

The brunet gasped in mock horror. "You called me 'Thomas'! I must be in trouble."

"And you're avoidin' the subject, which leads me to believe you've done a terrible crime against humanity." Newt's eyebrows shot into his hairline. "You touched Minho's hair supplies, didn't you?"

"Noooo," he drawled. "I'm not that cruel. I would never do that to Minho."

Newt was in his face in seconds. He smelled like apricot body wash and mint toothpaste.

"You're a terrible liar," he droned, his accent thick. He pulled Thomas aside with a gentle shove and reopened the drawer.

Thomas knew better than to stick around. He made a beeline for the door before Newt could register the emptiness of the drawer.

"Tommy!"

He bolted.

He barely made it past the doorway when he body slammed solidly into Gally. Both boys crashed to the floor in a comical display of pain and tangled limbs. Everyone in the hall stopped to stare. Gally, who managed to gain enough of his bearings to realize what happened, opened his mouth to retaliate, but Newt yanked Thomas back to his feet before he could run again.

"You shank—!"

"You better not bloody run like a lovin' coward, Tommy! Face your sins!"

"What the hell is going on?"

All eyes turned to Minho. He stood a few feet away from the boys, freshly washed from his run, his hair matted down with water. He eyed Gally still sprawled on the ground curiously then to Thomas and Newt.

"There better be a really good story behind why the slinthead's on the ground."

Gally scowled.

"Your roommate practically bowled me over!"

"You ruined my escape!"

"You shouldn't have been running! Don't you ever follow the rules?!"

"Don't you know I'm allergic to rules?!"

"Enough!" Newt pulled Thomas further away from Gally, his grip on Thomas' arm uncomfortably tight. "Knock it off! We have more important matters here!"

Gally opened his mouth in rebuttal but Minho beat him to it.

"What's going on?"

"Tommy touched your hair gel. Now it's gone."

A moment of silence filled the hallway. Thomas cringed. Minho stared at Newt with a blank expression, as though unable to process what he just heard. The blond nodded in confirmation while Thomas tried his best to appear inconspicuous despite Newt's iron grip on his arm.

Gally simply looked dumbfounded.

"I'm sorry Gally, can you excuse us?" Minho began, oddly olite.

Gally was too stunned for words.

Minho followed his boyfriends into the dorm then shut h door behind him. He turned to Thomas slowly, took in a deep breath and exhaled.

Thomas braced himself for the explosion.

"Thomas, I love you. I thought… I believed we could have been something special, but now? I have to kill you."

"You ate my banana!"

"Oh for the love of—" Newt cried out behind him.

Minho scowled. "You threw out my expensive hair gel because of that? That was literally a week ago Thomas! Do you have any idea how expensive those hair products are?"

Thomas huffed. "First of all, I hid them, I didn't throw them out. Secondly, you should know by now that I'm a bitter person."

"Hell yeah you are! You know what? Fine." Minho threw the towel he'd been carrying onto the boy's bed much to his chagrin. Minho screwed up his face theatrically.

"Oh no, what have I done? I got my mess all over your bed, Thomas. Oh no, oh gee, what a clumsy shank I am." He dead panned.

Thomas stared at him with exaggerated revulsion. "You're incorrigible! I can't believe you! Newt!"

"Don't drag me into this. You two stay on your side of the bed and I'll stay on mine."

"Fine! You know what Min? You look ridiculous with your hair spiked up like that anyway!"

Minho gasped in genuine horror. "You did not just say that! At least I care about my looks! Unlike some people in this room right now!"

"Don't insult Newt like that, Min!"

"What did I bloody just say about draggin' me into this?!" Newt huffed.

Both boys suddenly burst into laughter at his outcry. Newt dragged them into an open arm hug and knocked their heads together, taking great pleasure in their pained groans.

"Bloody shanks, the lot of ya." He grumbled. "You're both grounded!"

"Don't punish me! Thomas is the troublemaker here. He's the one allergic to following the rules."

"Hey! Don't make fun of my disability, Minho!"

"You're right," Newt turned to Thomas: "Tommy, disability or not, you should know better than to keep your impulses in check." – Thomas gaped – "Therefore, you're grounded. Sit in the corner and think about your crimes. No cuddling for you."

"Fine!" He tried for a pout, but the smile on his face made it difficult for it to stick. "Like I want to cuddle with you two shanks anyway!"

Before he could turn his back, Minho and Newt pulled him in for another hug. They ruffled his hair affectionately and showered him in kisses until they were all laughing at their antics.

Minho didn't find his basket full of hair supplies until nightfall.

I'm gonna miss the banana saga.

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