Newt threw his shirt on the ground and huffed loudly. Nothing he was putting on looked right. He looked stupid in all of it. He didn't even know why he was stressing so much about this, Thomas probably didn't give two shits about what fucking shirt he was wearing.

Newt shook his head and brushed his hair out with his fingers. It didn't matter. It was just Tommy. Just Oben. He knew he wouldn't hate him no matter what.

Newt finally grabbed a long sleeve red shirt from his closet and put it on, refusing to look in the mirror. He pulled on his black jeans and white socks and tied his vans that desperately needed to be replaced. There was a hole in the side and the once white soles were far from white and closer to brown.

Newt's mom let him skip school today. He slept in until eleven then desperately cleaned every inch of his room and basement. He pretended not to see when his mom shot him knowing looks as she watched him shove his stuffed animals to the bottom of his closet.

Newt made his bed and even vacuumed which was big for him. He usually didn't bother with the whole cleaning thing because he was just going to get it messy again. Maybe it was just his depression talking then, but his room did look nice when it was clean. His walls were painted light grey and he had a hardwood floor. His bed had a black and red comforter and he had a couple of posters tacked up of the game. His closet had a sliding door which was kinda cool to him. He had a small bookshelf that he mostly filled with his stupid game collectibles and he had a few pictures of him and Lizzy that he didn't have the heart to take down.

Newt huffed as he pushed his hair back. He really should have gotten a haircut. His hair was shaggy and kept falling into his eyes. He probably looked like he sold drugs on the side of the street for fun after school.

Newt groaned and pulled his phone out of his pocket. He had Teresa's actual phone number now, so he texted her.

Newt: please help I'm freaking the fuck out

Teresa: stop it you dumbass...it's just Oben

Newt: exactly it's OBEN

Teresa: lmfao you're such a disaster...between you and me he's nervous too. Feels like you won't like him

Newt: LMAO little does he know

Teresa: you LIKEEEEEE him ;)

Newt: die.

Teresa: you make me blush

Newt: D I E

Teresa: relax okay? Text me when you get to your house you fuckin dweeb

Newt: okayokay. I guess I'll see you later...whore

Teresa: wow the insults HURT...I'll give you a giant hug tonight :)

Newt: that's a threat

Teresa: FUCK YOUUUUUUUUUUUU. Love you, good luck

Newt huffed out a laugh before wandering downstairs and pouring himself a bowl of cereal. Sometimes you just had to cope with six bowls of lucky charms. Newt's mom had gone to work a while ago so he had the house to himself. He didn't know how to deal with this. Meeting Tommy felt like his biggest dream yet his worst nightmare. Maybe deep down he was irrationally terrified that Thomas would hate him. He knew that he was probably being stupid, but he couldn't help the insecurities that he lived with constantly.

Newt took his bowl of cereal to his mom's office and sat at her desk. He stared at the computer, begging for it to give him some answers. He just wanted to know where Minho was. In hindsight his anxiety about meeting Thomas was so minicule to the fact that Minho was literally missing. There was no telling where he could be. He could be dead somewhere or being tortured or- no Newt wasn't going to think about that.

Newt sighed and put his bowl next to the computer and turned it on. He logged onto it and opened up google. He typed in the string of numbers that he somehow had memorized. Nothing came up, as expected. Newt deleted the search and typed in "Jorge Hermano." His WIKI page popped up, the news about his death popped up and a bunch of links to buy the game. Newt clicked on the WIKI page that he'd read a thousand times. Jorge had a daughter named Brenda who was about twenty five now. Newt wondered how she was coping with all of this. Her dad was murdered, it must have been awful for her. Jorge lived in California...Newt made a face as he looked at a new paragraph added into the wiki page. Jorge was residing in Scorch Valley Mental Institution. It said he had been in there for a couple of months prior to his murder. Anyone could have edited the wiki page, they were probably speculating crazy theories due to his death. It was sad really, the poor man couldn't rest in peace.

Newt went back to the main page and searched up "Scorch Valley Mental Institution". It looked like a nice place, it looked very big and the siding was painted a nice yellow. It almost looked nice. The windows were tall and thin and Newt almost wondered if it was so people couldn't jump out of them. That made him feel sick, and he let out a breath. There was a point in his life when he pictured himself being in one of those institutions. He had thought about jumping several times before when he was younger, he even had planned where he'd do it. He never went through with it obviously, but he felt the same way once that some of those people probably did. Maybe Jorge felt the same way. That made him kinda sad too. The man who made the game that saved him probably felt that his life was meaningless.

Newt typed the address into the notes on his phone and turned off the computer. He literally had no idea what he tried to accomplish, but it made him stop thinking about Thomas for a little while. Newt looked at the clock and cursed quickly. Thomas was going to be at the train station soon. Newt ran into the living room, grabbing his mom's keys off the table out front. She even let him have the car for the day. Newt's heart was pounding loudly again as he got into the car and started it.

It took Newt's phone a few moments to connect to the bluetooth, but once it did he put his favorite song on and turned the volume all the way up. If his music was loud enough he wouldn't have to listen to his irritating low self esteem yelling at him to stay home.

Newt kinda knew the way to the train station, but he had to keep the google maps on which was irritating that during the middle of him belting out the chorus to a damn good song it would pause for Siri to scream TURN LEFT at him way too late.

Even with every missed turn, he still got there before Thomas. He hadn't gotten the text from him yet, he promised he'd text as soon as the train got to the station. The station had a little waiting area with seats and a cafe. Newt bought a coffee and jogged his leg as he waited for Thomas' text.

Nervous was an understatement. Newt felt like his stomach was going to jump out of his throat and run out the door. He could practically feel his heart beating and his hands were sweaty.
Suddenly Newt's phone buzzed, he jumped and almost spilled his coffee on his lap. Newt let out a breath and unlocked his phone.

Tommy: just stopped at the station. Unloading now. Lmao I'm wearing the really stupid game shirt...seemed like a good idea at the time

Newt: lmao don't worry about it. I'm the one who looks like I desperately need a haircut

Tommy: gonna hug you regardless

Newt's stomach practically flew into his throat again and he sipped his coffee to chill himself out. For all he knew Thomas could be mean in real life, maybe he was a terrible person and Newt had a crush on a sociopath. Maybe Thomas was actually way older than he said and maybe he had a knife in his pocket and oH FUCK-

Newt saw Thomas before Thomas saw him. Newt's mouth instantly went dry and his stomach made itself well known by trying to escape Newt's body.

Tommy was like HOT.

He had dark brown hair that was brushed out of his face and tucked into a dark red beanie. He also unfairly had the warmest looking brown eyes. Thomas had a pair of thick rimmed glasses on his face which contradicted with what he said when he told Minho he didn't wear glasses weeks ago. The little freckles and moles on his skin were beyond captivating. He had on a game T-Shirt and jeans that were cuffed at the bottom which showed off his converse.

Newt was so fucked.

Thomas' eyes locked on him then and he gave him a look. Newt smiled sheepishly and then Thomas was grinning and practically bolting towards him.

Newt barely had time to process what was happening before Thomas' body slammed into his and he wrapped his arms around Newt.
Chills shot down Newt's back but he hesitantly wrapped his arms around Thomas' shoulders. Thomas pressed his face into Newt's shoulders and trapped him with his arms locked around his back. Newt could feel the heat rising to his face but he closed his eyes and hugged Thomas a little tighter.

Newt liked hugs. Newt really liked hugs.

Thomas eventually pulled back and the giant smile on his face was enough to make Newt's heart absolutely melt.

"Hi," he breathed out.

"H-Hi," Newt stammered, mentally cursing himself for sounding so stupid.

"You're taller than I thought," Thomas said as he looked up slightly at Newt. Newt had about two inches on him which was barely anything but he was taller.

"You're not as ugly as I hoped." Newt's eyes widened. "I just actually said that to you oh my god."

Thomas burst out laughing at that. "I still like your accent."

Newt rolled his eyes. "Yeah yeah whatever, you and your weird britt fetish."

Thomas' smile widened and Newt decided he wanted to see that look everyday for the rest of his pathetic life.

"It's not a fetish persay, I'd call it a kink-"

Newt pushed him gently which Thomas took as an excuse to pull him into another hug.

"This is so surreal," Thomas whispered practically in Newt's ear which made him almost lose his shit.

Newt nodded into his shoulder and let out a breath. Did he mention he really fucking liked hugs, hugs from Thomas specifically.

"Come on," Newt said as he cleared his throat. "You're probably hungry."

Thomas nodded as he tightened the straps of his backpack. "Yes oh my god, I'm starving. I had nothing but a really stale muffin and- you know what it doesn't matter. Did you text T?"

Newt shook his head. "No, I'll do it now."

Thomas nodded as he looked around the station. "I've never been to Buffalo before."

Newt hummed as he typed out a fast message to Teresa.

Newt: just picked him up

Newt: and holy fuck is he hot.

When they got to Newt's house, his mom was home. Newt said a silent prayer that she wouldn't be embarrassing as they walked through the front door. Newt muttered a hi to her, trying painfully to ignore the double take she did when Thomas walked in behind him.

"We'll be in the basement!" Newt called as he practically dragged Thomas down there before his mother could even say a word.

As soon as they got to the bottom of the stairs, Thomas jumped on his computer set up.

"Oh my god this is so much better than mine!" He threw himself in the chair and put on Newt's headset. He tried to make his voice go lower and imitate a terrible british accent. "'Ello guys, it's Sang here reporting for duty, I would play but me mum is calling me for dinner."

"That was fucking terrible." Newt rolled his eyes.

"Don't you mean bloody terrible?"

"That's it," Newt said as he grabbed for the headset. "Get out, you're going back to Albany."

"No!" Thomas protested as he wrestled Newt for the headset. Finally he let go and stuck his bottom lip out in a pout. "I'm sorry."

Newt's face flushed and he looked away as he sat on the couch.

Thomas eventually got up and sat next to him. "So."

"So?"

Thomas turned to him. "I'm in your house."

"That you are," Newt smiled softly.

"This is insane." Thomas gave him that smile again and Newt kinda wanted to die.

"So what's with the glasses you liar?"

Thomas breathed out a laugh. "I wear contacts but I was so nervous about all of this I ripped like three pairs while trying to put them in and I need refills but I can't get them till next week."

"Oh so you're a poser?"

Thomas laughed at that again and shook his head. "Shut up, you're the worst." Thomas pulled out his phone then and opened their group chat. "Come on we gotta send T a picture."

"What?"

"Of us! To prove we are we who say we are!"

"Okay," Newt agreed as Thomas opened the front camera and scooted even closer to Newt. He raised the phone in front of them and smiled that ridiculously wide smile again. Newt was too busy staring he barely made a face but Thomas clicked the picture anyways and sent it. "Good, I hope she likes it."

"That's the first time she'd ever see us," Newt pointed out.

"Maybe, I looked up Teresa and Minho too before all this. I think I know what T looks like which will make it easier to find her when we meet up. I couldn't find much on Minho, but you know that because you looked him up too."

"You did?" Newt asked in half shock. "Oh god what did you find on me?"

Thomas turned to him, a soft look on his face. "I never looked you up Newt."

"You didn't."

"No, because you asked me not to."

It felt like someone was squeezing Newt's heart. It was silent in the basement and their faces were so close Newt wanted to fucking die. Newt could literally count the little freckles on his face and if that wasn't enough to make his heart race in his chest then he flicked his gaze up to Thomas' eyes and he was staring at him.

Thomas opened his mouth to say something, but before he could the basement door opened and his mom called down for dinner.

"Yeah uh, up the stairs the way we came," Newt said quickly as he stood up fast.

Thomas got up too and bounded up the stairs ahead of Newt.

Newt let out a breath before checking his phone quickly.

Teresa: holy fuck I ship it

"Your mom is so nice!" Thomas gushed as he situated himself in the passenger seat of the car. Their backpacks were shoved in the backseat along with an ungodly amount of snacks that Newt's mom would not let them leave without. Newt's mom actually let him take the car to Pennsylvania which shocked him but he also suspected she just was happy that he was talking to other people his age that weren't Eden.

"She's so embarrassing," Newt groaned as he shook his head.

"What no way! My mom is way worse trust me. She always breaks out the baby pictures."

Newt laughed at that as he drove. "Now that's something I'd pay to see."

"It's cute when she calls you Issac."

Newt groaned. "No, I hate that name so much. Lizzy started calling me Newt when we were younger and it stuck. It's weird but I like it more than Issac. I don't know what sick joke my parents were on when they named me Issac and had the audacity to make my middle name Newton...there's a picture of me and Lizzy on the dash if you wanted to see her."

Thomas leaned forward and gently took the picture off the dashboard. He smiled as he looked at it. It was a picture from last year, his mom was trying to take a picture of him and Lizzy, but she kept jumping on his back and putting her hands over her face. The final shot was a mess, Newt was holding up his middle finger as Lizzy was laughing and clinging to him like a koala, but his mom loved it and always kept it in her car. It meant more to her when Lizzy died.

"This is cute," Thomas said. "Your sister was really pretty. You guys seemed really close."
"I guess you could say that."

"You guys look like twins."

"She's older actually."

"But you're taller by like at least half a foot, but you have the same exact hair and same eyes."

"I had a growth spurt, she never did," Newt said as he changed lanes on the highway. "People used to ask if we were twins."

Thomas was quiet for a second. "Hey Newt?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you think we'll find Minho?"

"Yeah, I think we will." Newt was lying but again, sometimes lying was a good thing.

"We better," Thomas said as he traced his fingers over the picture of Newt and Lizzy. "Because I don't know what the fuck I'd do without you guys."

"Me either Tommy."

Me fucking either.