serendipity ➻ newtmas

➵ See good in all things

They meet in a hospital.

Newt is tired, the gown he's been wearing for the past three days is itching his skin and he rubs absentmindedly at his arm. He swings his legs back and forth, impatiently waiting for the doctors to finish with his mum and his mums boyfriend. His nails are chewed raw, he's been biting them all morning.

Across from him, someone is trying to get some soda out of the vending machine. The person is tall and has dark, short hair that is unruly on their head. They're wearing a tight fitting red shirt that shows off broad shoulders and muscular arms. Newt watches in mild amusement as the machine apparently eats the persons dollar, and whoever it is bangs their fist aggressively against the glass, swearing loudly, "Oh for fucks sake, you've gotta be kidding me."

Newt snorts without thinking, and then ducks his head with a small smile. His legs still swing without him noticing, and his fingers are removed from his mouth, instead they tap the side of the typical hospital chair. He stares at his lap for a moment before looking up again, biting his lip with a sheepish smile when he sees the person starting right at him.

The first thing Newt notices are his - yes, his, eyes. They're dark and endearing, they hold a warmth to them, like the soothing comfort of  hot coffee. They're narrowed slightly in an accusing manner, but he doesn't seem too unfriendly. He looks tired, too. Not surprisingly, hospitals are always exhausting.

Newt considers waving, but instead he holds his gaze, wondering what the boy staring at him will do. He continues to stare, looking at him curiously. Newt looks sick, he knows, his blonde hair is short and stubby on his head, barely growing back, and he's skinny and pale, small inside the hospital gown. He wonders if the boy pities him. It makes him smile ironically.

Just as he thinks the awkward encounter will end with the boy simply walking away, the brunette coughs slightly, and begins to walk towards him. Newt, without realising, sits up slightly in his chair, as a way he thinks of respect. The boy stops not too far from him, but not too close either. His demeanor seems quite confident. He carries himself with ease and some sort of simplicity, no signs of discomfort.

The boy makes the first move, with a small smirk and out stretched hand he gives a simple "hey" and Newt wants to laugh. He doesn't though, instead he cracks what he hopes is a friendly grin, and takes the strangers hand. He almost jumps at how cold it is.

"Hello," he replies cooly, tilting his head sideways. He shakes the icy palm for a moment, before letting go, briefly. He notices the boys mild surprise at his accent.

"I'm Thomas," the boy - no, Thomas says, then. His eyes have a softness in them as he replaces the smirk with a gentle smile. "You alright?"
Newt snorts again, reaching to the side of the gown. He tugs at it with raised eyebrows, but he's playful. "What, this?" He says, "it's nothing, just a check up is all."

Thomas nods, an unreadable expression on his face, yet his eyes give away his unspoken worry. Newt decides he likes his eyes.

"Are you okay? I don't mean to intrude," Newt starts off then, because the short silence irks him in a way that has since he was aware of short silences. Thomas smiles through his nose, shifting his leg onto the other as he lets out a dramatic sigh.

"Yeah, my girlfriend - absolute idiot, but I love her - fell down the stairs and broke her arm. I'm just visiting her, she's in the room down the hall."

Newt tenses at the mention of a girlfriend for some reason, but he ignores it and plasters a look of sympathy on his face instead. "Sorry 'bout that mate, hope she's alright," he hopes he sounds convincing. He must have, because Thomas gives him a thankful smile. "Yeah, man, me too. Actually, I'd better go back to her before she starts whining," he winks, cheekily, "I'll see you around." Then he turns to leave.

Newt slumps down in his chair again, frowning, watching the back of Thomas' head as the boy walks down the hallway. He feels stupidly disappointed to see him go, in a way that confuses him. He decides not to dwell on it when he catches something.

Thomas is about to turn the corner when Newt suddenly stands up from his chair, hoping he doesn't look too ridiculous with the gown halfway down his thighs. "It's Newt!" He calls, almost regretting it when Thomas stops. "My name is Newt!"

Thomas turns around to give him a quick grin and a friendly thumbs up. "Newt, got it!" He calls back, before he turns again to disappear around the corner, and Newt slumps back into the chair once more, but this time, he's smiling.

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hi to everyone reading this, and a big thanks too!!
also, sorry this is like really short the rest of the chapters won't be i swear jsssjsjj
so, i'll get to the basics. newt has cancer, yeah, he has for the past three years, and i don't know a lot about leukemia but i'm gonna do a Lot of research but if i fuck up anywhere just lemme know and i'll change it :)
anyways, thanks so much for deciding to read this, and i hope you enjoy!!

- bee ☘︎