Thomas felt his blood boil as he listened to the homophobic words and complaints, moving his arm to hold onto Newt's hand as his boyfriend listened to the complaints of the small group of guys that were around his age.
"I swear to fuck, I'd bash their heads together if this bench and Vince weren't here" Minho grumbled, he was sat next to Newt with his arms crossed to hide his clenched fist.
"I could skewer them" Gally mumbled, eyeing his spear that was lying on the ground at his feet.
"We could use them as target practice" Brenda mumbled as she glanced towards Newt, noticing how he was bouncing his leg nervously.
"Not before I do" Thomas said under his breathe.
Vince, observing the growing tension, was growing irritated at the continuous use of slurs and derogatory words. He had hoped that a calm and rational discussion would defuse the situation and lead to an amicable resolution. As the group gathered around, Vince began to speak, laying out his expectations for respectful dialogue.
However, the meeting took a turn for the worse when Brent, one of the more vocal members of the group, shouted a homophobic slur at Newt. The room fell silent, the air thick with shock and anger. Vince's face reddened with fury; his patience worn thin.
"That's enough!" Vince bellowed, abruptly ending the meeting. "I will not tolerate such hateful language. Brent, you have crossed the line, and your behaviour is unacceptable." Brent tried to protest, but Vince cut him off. "No excuses. We are here to resolve complaints, not to spread hatred. If you cannot engage in a respectful manner, you have no place in this discussion."
With the meeting over, Vince turned his attention to Newt, offering a supportive nod. The group dispersed, leaving Brent to face the consequences of his actions, and the others to reflect on the importance of respect and unity.
"Let's get out of here before I beat the living shit out of him" Thomas stated as he stood up, Newt at his side and led his boyfriend out of the meeting tent. Their friends following them closely behind as Vince began to shout at Brent.
"I'm fine, Tommy" Newt said as he moved his hand, rubbing Thomas's arm to sooth his anger.
"How dare he call you that! He has no right to speak about you like that!" Thomas shouted, his anger boiling over as he glared at the path in front of him "He's lucky that there's a no fighting rule in the meeting tent".
Newt moved to stand in front of Thomas and placed his hands on his boyfriend's chest to stop him from walking "I'm fine, just ignore them. They are not worth the trouble".
Thomas sighed and nodded "You're right, I just hate how they were talking about you and the names they were calling you".
"I know" Newt nodded, pressing a soft kiss to Thomas's lips and not caring who saw "I appreciate that you want to protect me, but I can look after myself. I'm tougher than I look".
"Especially when he's holding a spear" Gally stated, referring to how Newt had knocked Ben out when he had attacked Thomas in the glade.
"Or a gun" Minho added.
Thomas glanced at his friends and nodded, "I know. I remember".
"Then stop worrying about me. I'm okay" Newt gave a comforting smile, hoping that it would reassure Thomas.
Newt's efforts had nearly worked but the sound of shouting pulling Thomas's attention back towards the tent. Thomas's eyes growing dark with anger when he saw that Brent and his gang were storming towards him and Newt, Brent pointing at Newt as the blond young man prepared himself for a confrontation.
"You blonde fuck! You almost got me fired from my job with the Fishers!" Brent shouted as the stomped across the sand.
Thomas moved to stand in front of Newt, but he was pleasantly surprised as Newt unsheathed a machete and held it at his side for Brent to see. The silent warning caused Brent to freeze, and his friends followed suit.
"I wouldn't try anything if I were you" Minho said as he moved to stand beside Newt, glaring at Brent.
Brent sneered and clenched his fists "One day you'll get what's coming to you" he then spat at Newt before marching towards the fishing boats.
"Prat" Gally grumbled as he walked over to stand near Newt, protecting his friend from further attacks.
"I'm going to work" Newt stated as he turned and walked away from the beech, making his way towards the gardens, leaving his friends and Thomas stood on the beach.
"Babe!" Thomas called as he jogged after Newt, catching up and walking alongside the blonde "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine, I just don't want to keep dwelling on other people's opinions" Newt answered as he continued to walk towards the gardens, still wielding his machete at his side.
Thomas nodded "Do you want me to help you with work?" he asked.
Newt stopped walking and smiled at Thomas "Thanks, but I'll be alright. I'll meet you on the beech later".
"As soon as the sun starts setting" Thomas stated before he kissed Newt.
"I'll see you then" Newt smiled as Thomas turned and walked back to the fishing boats.
Newt reached the gardens and began tending to the various plants, ensuring the soil was properly tilled and the vegetables were free from pests. The gardens were vital to their island's food supply, and he took great care in maintaining them. As he worked, his thoughts initially lingered on Thomas—his comforting presence, reassuring words, and the warmth of their relationship.
But soon, Newt's mind shifted to Brent's menacing words. The threat felt real and immediate, casting a shadow over the tranquil garden. He shook his head, trying to refocus on the task at hand, but the unease persisted. The machete felt heavier in his grip as he sliced through a patch of overgrown weeds. He looked up momentarily from his work and noticed a group of Brent's friends gathered at the edge of the garden. They were whispering among themselves, casting furtive glances in his direction. Newt's jaw tightened, and he took a deep breath, determined not to let their presence intimidate him. He squared his shoulders and continued to harvest the vegetables, his movements deliberate and precise, ignoring the murmurs and the watchful eyes. 'Honestly, what is their problem?' He wondered as he collected up the vegetables and carried them towards the food stations, where Frypan was preparing the morning catch for dinner. "Special delivery" he said as he placed the basket on the table.
"Perfect, they will go nicely with dinner tonight" Frypan stated as he examined the new ingredients.
"Do you need help with anything?" Newt asked.
It was at that moment that Aris walked into the food station, ready for his shift before the dinner rush.
"Nah, thanks though, mate. Go and have some time to yourself to relax" Frypan smiled at Newt.
Newt nodded "Just yell if you need anything" he said before he turned and left the food station.
One thing that people rarely understood about Newt was that he often struggled to 'relax'. Thomas would describe him as a hard worker that never took any time for himself, which is a pretty correct judgment. In actual fact, Newt is just the type of person that needed to stay busy in order to keep the negative thoughts in his brain quiet. So here he was sat on the beech with a book, which he could barely focus on reading as he waited for his friends and Thomas to meet him at their usual spot.
The sun was setting as Newt waited on the beach, the golden hues casting long shadows over the sand. Time seemed to be dragging, each moment stretching into an eternity. Newt tried to immerse himself in the book, but his mind kept wandering back to Thomas, their friends and the events of the day. Newt hated it when he was left with his thoughts, it always ended up with him dwelling on the friends that he had lost, his encounter with WICKED or feeling guilty for the events that had transpired in and since the Glade.
Finally, he heard familiar voices carried on the breeze, pulling him out of his thought pit. Looking up, he saw Thomas and Minho calling from one of the fishing boats. A smile spread across his face as he waved back at them.
"Babe, I've got you a present!" Thomas shouting as he frantically waved at Newt.
"Newt, your boyfriend is fuckin mental!" Minho yelled to Newt.
As if one cue and without any hesitation, Thomas dove into the water, his strong strokes propelling him swiftly toward the shore. His actions causing Newt to close his book and watch whilst laughing.
"What the hell, Thomas?!" Minho shouted as he began to row the boat towards the shore.
Newt watched, his heart swelling with warmth as Thomas drew closer. The sight of his boyfriend, swimming with such confidence and grace, momentarily eased the worries that had plagued him earlier 'He's such a dork' he thought to himself as Thomas emerged from the water, droplets glistening on his skin and dripping from his hair.
"Show off" Newt scoffed as he held a towel up for Thomas as his boyfriend walked towards him.
Thomas chuckled as he pulled his soaking wet shirt off, grabbing the towel before he threw his shirt onto the ground. However, he cursed to himself when he realised what he had done "Fuck. I'll wash it" he sighed.
"Good because I'm not doing it" Newt chuckled, amused at Thomas's expression before he began to admire the view standing in front of him. Taking a moment to let his eyes roam over the sight of Thomas's muscled frame. A stark difference to Newt's, but he did not mind. He liked the idea that his boyfriend was toned and that his abs were something from a fantasy novel.
"Thomas, you are fuckin mental. Could you really not handle being away from Newt for two more minutes?" Minho asked as he climbed off of the boat, pulling it onto the beach.
"And spend two more minutes listening to you complain about the fish that got away from you? No thanks" Thomas answered as he sat next to Newt.
"It slapped me in the face with its tail! This is war!" Minho exclaimed.
Newt shook his head and sighed "You two are hopeless".
Thomas chuckled before he opened his hand, and Newt saw the shell that he was holding "It's got a small hole in it, and I thought that you could attached it to something".
Newt pulled his necklace off, unfastening the clasp before he slipped it onto the string "It's perfect" he smiled as he put his necklace back on "Thank you".
Thomas smiled before he leaned in and kissed Newt.
The romantic moment was interrupted as the sound of people laughing grew louder, causing Newt, Thomas and Minho to look towards the noise. Gally, in particular smiled when he was Thomas and Newt "The party has arrived!" he announced as he handed two plates to Thomas and Newt.
"I'm starving" Minho said as he was handed his dinner, imminently tucking into his dinner as everyone sat down around the campfire that Vince was lighting.
Newt moved to lean against Thomas for warmth, and he kissed his boyfriend's shoulder. He smiled when Thomas wrapped his arm around his shoulders, and he sighed happily as his boyfriend held him close.
"Minho, truth or dare?" Brenda asked.
"Truth" Minho smiled.
"What was your first impression of Thomas?" Brenda asked.
"Silver spoon up his ass" Minho laughed.
Everyone laughed and Thomas shook his head.
"No offence, Greenie!" Minho laughed.
"None taken, Shank!" Thomas laughed.
"Newt, truth or dare?" Gally asked.
"Truth" Newt answered.
"What's one thing that you hate about Thomas?" Gally smirked.
"He snores" Newt chuckled.
"I do not!" Thomas exclaimed.
"You do. It's really annoying when I'm trying to sleep" Newt continued, laughing at the offended look on Thomas's face.
Frypan could not help but burst out with laughter as he pointed at Thomas. He was closely followed by Brenda who was covering her mouth and trying not to laugh.
"Thomas, truth or dare?" Minho asked.
"Truth" Thomas answered.
"Who's the top and who's the bottom?" Minho asked and everyone looked at him, confused to why he was asking that question before they all looked at Newt and Thomas.
"What?" Newt asked.
"You know" Minho scoffed as he stood up and he started to thrust his hips forwards "Who does this whilst the other lies, sits of stands in a position?"
Everyone watched in bewilderment before laughing, but Newt just raised an eyebrow as he stared at Minho.
"Did you really need to ask that? Have you seen me?" Newt asked and he held his arms out in front of him "Do I look strong enough to hold myself up, whilst pounding into Thomas?" He exclaimed and everyone laughed.
"You're not always under me, babe" Thomas said, causing their friends to wolf whistle whilst Newt looked towards him.
"Can we talk about something other than mine and Thomas's sex lives?" Newt asked as he laid down, resting his head on Thomas's thigh as his boyfriend held his hand.
"Yes, sir" Gally said as he saluted, smirking in amusement at the half-hearted glare that Newt gave him in disapproval.
As the sky grew dark, their conversations and laughter filling the night air as they joked and reminisced until the hour grew late, and it was time to retire to their huts. Gally, noticing Brenda had fallen asleep, gently carried her back home, while Minho, Frypan, and Aris walked back together, yawning and discussing the day's events. Vince, ever the caretaker, turned his attention to Newt as he was standing up, noticing how he winced as he began to walk away from the campfire.
"Hey, are you alright?" Vince asked as Thomas extinguished the fire "Nobody bothered you again today, right?"
Newt turned to look at Vince and nodded "Yeah, I'm fine. And no, they left me alone when they saw this" he gestured to the machete on his belt.
"Good because I will not have those king of views and threats on this island. We've worked too hard for peace to lose it all because of some prats. Let me know if there are any issues and I will deal with them".
Newt nodded reassuringly, though he chose not to disclose the discomfort he felt from being stared at while working. He preferred to keep the peace, unwilling to cause any issues within the group. He had dealt with too many conflicting opinions regarding himself and his relationship, he just wanted to get on with his life.