If Only You Understood

Neither arose until well after noon, too lazy to pull themselves from one another's embrace. At some point in the night they'd wound up snuggling, arms curled around each other and faces merely inches apart.
Dark brown eyes had fluttered open roughly around eight and he took in their current position, using this peace to tangle his fingers in thick brown hair and gaze at the boy. He ended up falling asleep not long after, clinging to the younger teen.
It was Thomas's turn around nine to awake and examine his friend, burying his face in his bony chest. Once more, sleep whisked the teen away within just a few minutes.

They finally cracked open their eyes at ten and lay in silence for what felt like only minutes. Eyes locked, they occasionally moved to adjust a limb that had fallen asleep or to flex their stiff muscles before falling back into that same position and making eye contact once more. It wasn't tense or challenging, rather something tender and appreciative. A thank you.
Thank you for being here. Thank you for going through this with me. Thank you for trusting me. Thank you for not giving up on me. Thank you for making me who I am.

For anyone who might have walked in at that moment, they'd have called it love. Which it was, undoubtedly, but it wasn't something you'd say to a childhood crush or a late-night fling. It was the kind of love that made your knees weak, your heart flutter, your skin tingle, and your lungs ache for air that you hadn't noticed the disappearance of. The kind of love that spoke louder than words and actions. The kind that left your brain a mushy mess, unable to decipher the exact meaning of it. A maze that you could never find the end of. Every turn revealed another dead end, no matter how hard you tried. You always ended up back at square one. Until eventually you gave up, just like your mind does, because it's unable to comprehend such meaning. With just a look. A simple little connection of eyes that conveyed so much more than anything you'd ever get in your life.

A look that made every single wall crumble because it spoke of safety. Comfort. Care. Warmth and that overflowing vat of love. No matter how many mistakes, how many mishaps and fall-outs, that vat never emptied, never lost an ounce of love. That's what love was. What love is. And it's scary, most things are, but nothing comes without a challenge.
And saying they had faced challenges was an understatement. They'd face perils, adventure, near-death experiences and the brink of insanity. But they'd made it through every single challenge, every puzzle and riddle thrown their way and now they lay, tangled in a mess of limbs in a cramped tent far away from the rest of what was left of society. Away from the shambles of what once was a civilized world. To a place they could call their own.

"Get up Tommy, 'ts way past when we should've."

A groan was the reply, and instead of doing as Newt insisted, he cuddled the thin boy closer to his side and laced their fingers together. "No."

"Slim it Tommy."

He huffed out a "fine" and frowned, releasing his friend. "Don't expect me to cuddle you again."

"Tommy stop being a shucking baby. Get up and change, and you stink, so bathe." The blond tossed clothes at the boy who still lay on his make-shift bed.

"Slinthead." Was the grumble he got in turn when Thomas pushed himself to his feet and staggered to the tent exit.

"Care to repeat that?"
"Nope."
"Good," there was a pause before he completed the sentence with a frown. "And I'll be going to bathe soon as well. If I see you naked, you can count on being pelted with bloody rocks, I did not come to this place to see some shank without clothes on. That is not on my agenda of things to do or see."

He choked on a laugh and rolled his eyes. "Maybe you will, maybe you won't." With that final statement he took his leave, smiling slyly at a stunned blond.
Newt watched him go, eyebrows furrowed.

He muttered to himself about the idiocy, wondering why he was even friends with this dork, before he too gathered his close and headed out to bathe himself.

•••

No one commented on their late appearance, though many noticed, and they went about their day. Which mainly consisted of Newt doing simple tasks and Thomas watching him like a hawk, jumping in every few seconds to offer help or move something. It was incredibly irritating, though because he knew Thomas was trying to help, he bit his tongue and mumbled quiet rejections or huffed long sighs.

Within a few hours they wound up back around the fire as they had each night prior. Thick fingers thread through fluffy blond hair and Newt sighed with contentment. His eyes were trained on the dying flames as he slumped against Thomas, arms wrapped about his waist loosely.
"Tommy?"

The dark-haired boy hummed questioningly though his fingers continued to massage his friend's head gently.

"I need you to tell me right now. Look at me, and promise. Promise me Tommy. You won't leave, you can't leave. If you do, you need to do it now instead of later. Because I'm already too attached." He sat up fully, taking Thomas's face in his cool hands and turning so they were eye-to-eye.

"I won't leave you." Thomas breathed, placing his own hands, firm and warm, on Newt's hips. "Just relax. Breathe."

The older teen pressed his forehead to Thomas's, mumbling out a few teasing comments here and there about his words of comfort. "Thank you Tommy."

•••

The last thing Minho was expecting the following morning was to walk in on his best friends snuggling. They had been talking to one another, Newt stopping mid-sentence to look at the newcomer.
He sprang up, causing Thomas to fall off his chest and land on the ground with a grunt. "What the klunk Ne-" His eyes landed on Minho and he froze.

"Minho...uh- hi," The teen mumbled through his shock, glancing at his blond-haired friend for support.

"What the bloody hell Minho? You couldn't have asked before entering?" He raised a brow, not looking even the least bit flustered or nervous, more so surprised by his sudden appearance.

"Frypan owes me a dinner of my choice. Shuck yes!" He smirked, crossing his arms. "Took you two long enough. Now up and at 'em, Vince needs to talk to you guys." With that he left, offering a small wave over his shoulder.

Despite his gaining distance they caught the last thing he called out.
"I don't want to see you two eating each other's faces though, save that for when you're alone!"

(End of Chapter Five)