Day 2 for Thominho Week! "If I can't protect you... it's not worth it"
Characters: Thomas, Minho, Brenda, Newt
Tags: What if Thomas had the flare, Immune Newt (AU)
Summary: “Leave me here.” He said, simply, his eyes content and worried. Minho grits his teeth, clenching his fists. He’s unable to say anything, not knowing how he’s supposed to react in this situation.
A/N: Hmmm I need more characters than just these 4, but I'll work on that part eventually...along with the length of these things...
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His soft, down-turned eyes stare drowsily up at him, a small smile full of love painting his face. Minho feels his heart clench, as if that stupid Rat Man is choking it out. He ignores the tears welling up in his eyes, and just as he goes to begin talking, Thomas speaks, for the first time since this odd argument had started.
“Leave me here.” He said, simply, his eyes content and worried. Minho grits his teeth, clenching his fists. He’s unable to say anything, not knowing how he’s supposed to react in this situation. He thought that Thomas would know, maybe even better than himself, that where one went, the other followed. This is how it’s been since he’d saved him from the maze, The Flare doesn’t change anything about this, about their dynamic. They’ve been together since the start, since they locked eyes. That isn’t going to end with something they can’t stop.
Before Minho’s thoughts could go even further off the rails, Brenda decided to speak up, looking sympathetically at Thomas. “Maybe this is for the better, Minho. Maybe they can help him?” He said nothing in reply to those words, preferring to silently seethe over the situation, over Brenda’s foolish words. He can see Newt glancing in between all of them, a contradicting look on his face, as if he was actually considering their words. Minho feels his hands start to shake, and he’s decently sure that he’s beginning to go red from anger.
He stomps up to Thomas, said boy flinching when he sets his foot down, grabbing his hand and intertwining it with his own. Minho adjusts himself to look back at the others, a stern look on his face that just said he was not to be argued with. He squeezed Thomas’ hand, looking down when he noticed the boy didn’t squeeze back. He looked angry, before taking up his free hand and popping his neck. Although tears welled up in his eyes, he looked up at Minho and gave him a shaky smile. His heart stuttered, skipping a beat from the devastation he felt. And yet, he ignored it. They would get through this, all of them. There was no other way for this to go, they all stay alive through this and live their lives in the Safe Haven.
Brenda and Newt were staring at the two, a melancholy expression on the both of them. Brenda let her hands fall to her side as she gave a soft sigh. Exhaustion swept over her body, but she made sure that it didn’t overpower the adrenaline she would need for later. Bouncing on the balls of her heels, she rolled her shoulders back while Minho spoke, just a short sentence, but she could tell that he meant it with how sternly he said it.
Clenching Thomas’ fist once again, smiling briskly when he squeezed back, he turns toward Brenda and Newt once again. Newt has a knowing smile on his face as he nods faintly at him. (He needs to be safe, he will be safe.)
submission for @thominho-week2022 day 2, alternative prompt what if [minho was in a band].
Des Étoiles Filantes
for thominho week, but mostly: for momo. this one's for you @thominho-incorrectquotes
« Il est tombé amoureux », chuchota audiblement Newt à Teresa. Thomas ne bougeait pas, le regard fixé sur le chanteur, mais ses joues rougissent considérablement.
language: french
word count: 645
rating: teen and up audiences
tags: band au, meet-cute, queer rep
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the
Organization for Transformative Works
This is my entry for Thominho Week 2022, Day 2 “If I can't protect you... it's not worth it”
Characters: Thomas x Minho
Rating: T
4619 words
Tags: Movie verse, Movie compliant, Post-canon, In canon, Established relationship, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Angst, Happy ending
Summary: Minho was in WCKD's hands for six months now. Thomas can't lose his boyfriend, the only person that he needs that much in his life. Because if he can't protect him, it's not worth it.
Note: @its-tea-time-darling, are you proud of me, I wrote a movie-verse fic for Thominho!!
I hope you guys will like this fic too^^
Disclaimer: everything in bold comes directly from the movie and does not belong to me.
You can also read it on AO3
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He hated it. He hated not knowing what happened.
Minho was sure he heard Thomas screaming his name. But maybe it was just his mind playing with him. Maybe it was just him missing his boyfriend, along with all the torture he had endured. Maybe it was the dehydration.
Shuck, if he could only see Thomas’s face one last time before they decided to kill him.
The train they were in had been stopped for who knows how many hours. They couldn’t get up because of the chains. They were all starving and thirsty. And it was hot. So hot. He was getting dizzy.
It was dark outside when they heard people coming for them. Some men in uniforms entered the wagon and started to unchain them for the roof and led them outside. He would have fought back, but he didn’t have the energy to do it. And where would he go anyway? He had no way to get back to Thomas.
So he let himself be pulled out of the wagon and was forced to kneel on the ground, next to the other immune kids. He heard some men talking while they approached the little group of teenagers.
“We’re searching the area, but huh…” one man said. Minho immediately knew he was talking about his friends. So he did hear Thomas’s voice! “They’re probably long gone by now.”
Minho hoped so. They had to keep away from WCKD. Please don’t do anything stupid Thomas, I’m not worth it.
He knew it was only wishful thinking, we knew his boyfriend wasn’t one to give up.
And apparently, the other man thought the same.
“Oh, no, they’re not going anywhere,” Janson said.
Minho looked up at Rat Man. This shucking disgusting piece of klunk. The man had a crooked smirk on his rat face and was staring back at Minho, as if he was the answer to everything.
“He didn’t get what he really wanted.”
Thomas. He was talking about Thomas. Because, of course, he was aware of what both boys had going on—they hadn’t been discreet back in the Glade. He knew the boy wouldn’t give up on Minho. Janson was using him to get Thomas!
So much rage filled him. He wished his stare could kill, so that Rat Man could drop death right now.
Please Thomas, stay away from WCKD. Stay Safe.
…
Six months. Six shucking months.
Minho has been gone for shucking six months. They were so close to save him. So close. But of course, they took the wrong shucking wagon. When their plan had succeeded and they got away from WCKD with a wagon, he had thought That’s it, we got him, I got Minho back.
The gut-wrenching feeling that took over him when he realized his boyfriend wasn’t in it had been horrible.
He was glad they at least managed to save Aris and Sonya but … they were not his Minho. He needed him so much.
All of this could have been avoided if he had saved Minho in the first place, when he had been taken.
He didn’t know what his boyfriend went through during the past six months. He didn’t even want to imagine. It must have been horrible. He had to save him. He had too. Who knows what people who put children in monster-infested maze could do?
After his chat with Aris and Sonya—which destroyed him because shuck Minho had been in that train—Thomas knew what to do. There was a city. According to the map he found, it wasn’t that far. WCKD, if it was really the last city, was probably there. Along with Minho.
He just had to convince Vince.
It was night when they all gathered, Vince, Newt, Frypan, Brenda and him. He explained everything. They could do it. In a week, they could have Minho back. He could have Minho back.
“You don’t even know what’s in there!” Vince argued. Apparently, Vince was not on board with Thomas’s plan.
“I do,” a voice said.
Jorge.
The man approached, while explaining what he knew. “The last city,” he continued. “That’s what we called it.”
The expression on his face held tons of memories.
“If that city is still standing, that’s the last place you wanna go, hermano” he lectured. “That’s the lion’s den.”
“It’s nothing we haven’t done before,” Thomas tried.
“Yeah with months of planning,” Vince argued back. “And with reliable information, the element of surprise, none of which we have now—“
“Vince I thought this through, I—“
“The last time we went off half-caught, I lost everything!” Vince interrupted. “Do you remember that?”
How could he ever forget? Probably the worst day of his life. That night in the Maze being close competition. First, Teresa’s betrayal, and then Minho being taken away from him. And let’s not talk about how many people they lost.
The image of Minho’s body being dragged into the berg was imprinted in his mind forever. He’d just been shot with those guns with what seemed like electric bullets, as if the lighting that hit Minho in the Scorch wasn’t enough.
And now? What was Minho going through? What happened to him during the past six months? Shuck. He really needed to save Minho. He would never feel okay again until he could wrap his arms around his boyfriend.
“Look, I know it’s Minho, I know what it’s like to lose the person you love,” Vince continued. “But you can’t ask me to put those kids on the line for one man.”
He was right. Thomas couldn’t ask him that. He would have to go get Minho by himself.
…
He woke up to the sounds of waves. He was in what looked like a hut. A soft breeze lifted the corners of the fabric that worked as a door and brushed his face softly. His whole body was aching and his side was hurting.
Oh right. He’d been shot.
He thought he died.
He lifted his shirt to look at the wound. It was carefully patched. At least, there was that. Then memories hit him. Teresa died. Newt died. Shuck.
And Minho…
Minho was alive! Minho was saved! He needed to see him right now.
He left the hut that was clearly intended as a makeshift hospital and then tried to figure out where he was. Their little group of survivors had apparently settled close to the sea. People were going around, clearly building a small village with what they could find. It looked peaceful. And most importantly, not as suffocating as the Glade had been, with those four walls surrounding it.
Thomas could imagine living the rest of his life here. If only he could find Minho.
After wandering for a bit, he saw him. He was sitting next to Jorge, shaping a piece of wood with a knife. He looked fine, far from the distressed state he was when they found him in WCKD’s laboratory.
And he was still as beautiful.
As if sensing his presence, Minho looked up and spotted Thomas. He got up immediately and as if they were magnets, their body found each other again in a bone crushing hug. It had been too long. Way too long. Thomas had missed it so much.
But more than that, Minho was saved. Minho was okay. Free form WCKD. Free from the torture. They lost so much to get him back. But they did. They saved him.
They didn’t say anything. It wasn’t necessary. He knew his boyfriend was trying really hard not to cry. Minho knew Thomas was also on the edge of breaking down. But they held it together, because right now, it was more important to just enjoy the moment.
When they parted slightly to look in each other’s eyes, it wasn’t long before they kissed for the first time in months. It felt like coming home. He didn’t care if anyone was watching, Minho was finally back. He melted into the kiss and grabbed his boyfriend’s shoulder for support.
After watch seemed like hours, they parted. They didn’t have enough of each other, but it seemed like a lifetime together wouldn’t be long enough for that.
Thomas finally noticed that Frypan, Brenda, Jorge and Gally were staring at them. They were alive too. That was a relief.
“Hey guys,” he said. He approached them, holding Minho’s hands in his.
“Glad to see you up shank,” Frypan replied. “Scared us to death.”
“You know how Thomas is, Fry,” Gally countered. “We can’t get rid of him, no matter how hard we try.”
To his surprise, the blond had said it in a playful manner and he immediately knew Gally was joking. Gally, joking?! That was something new.
“Yeah, this guy is the most stubborn person I know,” Jorge added with a smile. “And it pays off. Happy for you hermano.” The man nodded towards Minho and Thomas understood what he meant. He was glad that Thomas had gotten back Minho.
They chatted for a while, checking on Thomas and his wound, but the urge to be alone with Minho took over him, and after a bit, they left their friends—it was weird calling Gally a friend, but Thomas guessed that it was their relationship now—and went to the beach.
They found a quiet place, where only the sound of the waves could be heard. They sat down on the sand and watched the horizon, still holding hands. Thomas didn’t think he could ever let go of Minho.
They stayed in silence for a while. It felt good, to be in each other’s presence after being apart for so long.
Thomas turned to look at his lover. He was so beautiful. Emotions flowed him again and soon he was overwhelmed. He started crying. At first, it was only tears falling down his face, then everything came back, and he was sobbing. He couldn’t remember the last time he cried like this.
Minho turned to face him, and to his surprise, tears were pooling in the boy’s eyes too. Thomas never saw Minho cry.
They felt into each other’s arms again and held on as sobs were shaking their body. They cried for the lost time. They cried about everyone they lost. They cried because they finally were together again.
When they calmed down, they laid on the sand, still hugging and staring at each other.
“I’m so glad you’re okay,” Minho whispered, breaking the silence. His hand was mindlessly caressing his lover’s cheeks. “You shouldn’t have risked your life for me.”
“W-what? What are you saying?”
“You could have died! You almost died!” he continued, louder. “I would have never forgiven myself for that. I’m glad you didn’t, I’m glad I’m here with you, but I was so scared Thomas. So scared. I don’t want to lose you, baby.”
“Me too. I can’t lose you Min. I can’t. I promised you wouldn’t end up like those kids back at the bunker.”
“I don’t care about that promise, you’re more important to me,” his boyfriend retorted.
“Hey, stop that Min. I did it because if I can’t protect you, it’s not worth it, okay? I did it, because if you’re not here with me, then I’m nothing. I need you, Min.”
More tears pooled in Minho’s dark eyes, and he sniffed, as if he couldn’t believe someone cared that much for him. He leaned to peck Thomas’s lips before replying.
Over the past three weeks, he had been slowly molting, and now he was going from his adolescent grays and browns to his adult colors. As was tradition, he’d avoided mirrors and no one had told him what his wings looked like as his new feathers came in.
Today he could look.
It was supposed to be a happy day, the most important day in his young life.
Thomas didn’t want to open his eyes.
“Come on, Thomas, look already. It’ll be fine and you know it.” Easy for Gally to say. His wings had molted nearly a year ago. He’d been just as scared as Thomas was.
Maybe that was part of the tradition, and no one talked about it because they didn’t want to admit to fear.
"Ready for school tomorrow?" Newt asked, laying in the yard with Minho.
"Yes, Mum," Minho replied, rolling her eyes. Two can play at this game. "I'm so ready, and please don't give me the speech about making new friends..."
The boys attended WICKED (the boys' school, there's another girls' school). Akin to everyone else at school, Minho and Newt were Alphas. Everyone in WICKED was either an Alpha or a Beta. It was practically uncalled for Omegas to attend WICKED; it was harsh, but a simple rule of biology that Omegas were ranked "lower" than Alphas. Minho thought it was absolute klunk, but there was nothing he could do about the system.
You could easily tell who was an Omega, Beta, or Alpha by looking at the wings. The wings of Alphas were big and often coloured in darker shades. Minho's was navy blue, whereas Newt's was jet black. Betas all had silver wings with a rounded tip. Omegas had beautiful white wings like an angel, and they sometimes held coloured tips. Nowadays, you can rarely find people with coloured tips even if they were Omegas.
"Do you think there'll be an Omega at school?" Minho asked. They did this every year after hearing that there had been an Omega during Headmistress Paige's time (her name was Rachel). It had become somewhat of a tradition between the boys, though it had never come true.
"Probably not," Newt answered, as usual. Nothing new, then.
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"Welcome, welcome!" Headmistress Paige's voice boomed through the big auditorium. Although being an elite school, they only had around a hundred students, the boys still took up a lot of the room as the wings of each boy took up the space needed for 3 chairs. "New students, please stand up."
Four people stood up, but the only person Minho could focus on was a cute boy with white wings with navy blue tips. "An Omega," he breathed out to Newt, who looked just as awed.
Taking a look at the rest of the small boy's features (he was sitting quite close to them), he noticed moles scattered on his face, forming a constellation of larger beauty marks and tiny freckles; a cute button nose, scrunching up adorably when everyone's attention focused on its owner; a lean frame with the most luxurious butt; plush cupid brow lips, a rosy shade adorning it; and chocolate tuffs blooming from the top of his head. It had an artfully styled look, but it was genuine "I forgot to do my hair in the morning" messy.
"Oooh, Minho's in looooove!" Newt sang, hooking an arm across Alby's shoulders. Alby was another Alpha who just so happened to be Newt's mate. Did Minho mention that? No, he didn't, and that might have to do with the fact that Newt found his mate before Minho did.
"Shut up, I am not!" Minho huffed.
"Well, Lover Boy," Newt drawled, shaking his head. "If you're not, you would've noticed that Paige asked them to sit down ages ago."
"R-Right," Minho stammered. What the shuck? He never stammered. "I totally noticed that."
"Totally," Newt hummed. "Paige is talking now, might wanna listen."
******
"I trust that you have received your schedules and your dorm arrangements, everyone?" Paige said, raising a brow. "Please speak to a teacher if you do not have it."
Minho peered at his dorm arrangements. Each dorm had 2 people living in it, and he was with Newt last year, hence why they became really good friends, if not the fact that they were fighting over room for their wings. The compromise was that they took turns with wing-space.
Dang, it. Not Newt. Some shank named Thomas Green?
He supposed they'd just have to wait and find out who that was...
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"Who's the shank who's going to –––"
The new Greenie cut across Minho halfway through his sentence. It was that Omega, and he looked even cuter in person. "I'm Thomas! Wait, you already knew that...did you? I know your name from my dorm arrangements so I assume you know my name as well? I don't suppose –––" He cut himself off abruptly. "Well..."
"That was awkward," Minho completed for him. Honestly, he had no clue that he would be sharing with an adorable Omega. If he did, he would've made sure to make a better impression.
"I hate you, Teresa," Thomas muttered under his breath. "Wait, did I say that out loud?" Thomas' doe eyes widened, and Minho could see the flecks of gold near his pupils. There were 13. It only made Minho more attracted to the boy, to be honest, not that he needed to know that.
"Yes," Minho said awkwardly, his brows going up. "Who's Teresa?"
"Teresa's my sister," Thomas answered breathlessly. "She told me to 'be myself' when I come to school, and 'myself' is rambling. Lots of it. I'm sorry." He looked really sorry about it, and Minho wondered what his sister said about his 'myself'.
"It's fine," Minho sighed. "Your wings are beautiful," he added, just to defuse the tension.
Thomas squeaked. "Really? No one's ever told me that before... Your wings are nice, too!"
"You're also the first Omega since forever," Minho announced gently, not wishing to annoy the Greenie (hilarious) but the other Gladers would pester him about it anyway. Better for him to find out from Minho than from somebody oogling his wings. "The first one's name is Rachel."
"I know," Thomas said, shifting slightly. "That's my mum."
Minho scratched at his nape slowly. "Well, I just thought you should know..."
Thomas beamed, and Minho could swear it lit up the room. "Thanks, it means a lot."
This is my entry for Thominho Week 2021, Day 2 “ Let’s run ”
Characters: Thomas x Minho
1397 words
Tags: Canon compliant, post-canon, fluff, first kiss
Summary: In Paradise, Minho and Thomas starts running again. It leads to a beautiful discovery.
Note: Hope you’ll like this one!
You can also read it on AO3 and ff.net
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It had started few weeks after their arrival in Paradise. Things were going well in their little community. Everyone had a job, everyone knew what they had to do.
They had decided that they needed a small leader group in order to keep things running and Minho had immediately proposed himself as one of the leaders. Everyone accepted it, given the natural leadership the teen had. It wasn't for nothing that "The Leader" was tattooed on his neck.
Surprisingly, he had also wanted Thomas to be on that team. Since Thomas wasn't sure any of the jobs fitted him, he accepted Minho's invitation, even though he was recalcitrant at first. But it turned out well and Thomas got to spend time with Minho, which was really all he wanted.
But even after moving to a small cabin together, going to the beach alone, and spending most of their time glued to the hips, they still felt like something was missing.
So one day, Minho proposed to go on a run together. To bring back some sort of normality to their life. Even if the brown-haired boy hadn't been a Runner for as long as the Keeper, he agreed that it'll indeed be something familiar. Something he felt he was good at, and that was something he terribly needed to feel again.
It became a routine. It was their moment together. Just the two of them.
They loved it. It was their favorite moment in the day. They often changed routes, exploring different part of Paradise. Sometime it was on the beach, other times in the small forest close by.
Months passed by. Those daily runs with Minho made it so much better for Thomas. He could finally feel better about everything and it was such an amazing feeling. He was smiling more, laughing more – mostly at Minho's jokes because he was the number one person in making Thomas laugh – and was overall happier then he had ever been.
That morning wasn't different.
After a quick breakfast with the others, they prepared themselves, taking some snacks and water with them, putting on their running shoes, before going into the forest. They wanted to go to the clearing they found some weeks ago on their run.
It was still early in the morning. The air was crisp and the sun wasn't too strong yet. It was perfect. Following Minho down the paths they both created along with the other immunes who often went into the forest, Thomas was reminded once again of the time spent into the Maze. But only the pleasant part of it.
He was reminded of how tough and reliable Minho was when they were in the Maze. He was reminded of that time when they discovered the Griever hole. He was reminded of the bond they formed during those times. He was reminded of them becoming best friends.
Following Minho was natural. He knew when the boy was about to make a turn or go faster or slower. Running alongside the leader was the best feeling because it showed they were a team. A duo. Something unbreakable. It warmed Thomas's heart every time he thought about it.
Minho started to slow down, making them take a walking pace, allowing the dark-haired boy to grab the water bottle from his backpack. After taking few sips from it, he passed it to Thomas who drank, thirstier then he imagined he was.
"We're not so far" Minho said, voice sturdy as if he hadn't been running. After all this time, Thomas was still impressed by his friend's capacities. "We'll get there in like 20 minutes. Think you can keep up with me?" he added, sarcastically.
Thomas bumped him on the shoulder, more for the sake of it than him really being hurt. He knew his best friend by heart now.
"Then, let's race!"
Taking the boy by surprise, Minho started sprinting, already knowing his friend was going to follow him in his childish antics.
"You cheater!" Thomas screamed, sprinting to catch up, a big smile on his face.
"You'll never catch me Greenie!" the leader teased, running as fast as possible. Thomas was laughing as he chased down his friend. When had he been this happy before? The adrenaline, the playfulness and childishness he never was able to get as it had been taken from him, this moment with his best friend, the person that meant the most to him, his past behind him with even happier moments ahead of him… It was like flying. Free from everything.
Floating on this feeling, he didn't realize at first that they had arrived at the clearing.
"I won" Minho said smugly while catching his breath.
"Yeah because you cheated" Thomas replied, pushing his friend playfully.
"That's part of the game, shank!"
"No it's not!" Thomas was about to shove Minho again when his friend took him by surprise once again by pushing him to the ground along with him
The two boys started wrestling, rolling in the grass, fighting to get on top. Thomas never had so much fun, never felt so free.
Free to race. Free to fight like a kid. Free to live.
Their combined laughter was all he could hear. Minho's smile was all he could see. He never wanted it to stop. He always wanted to feel that joy in his heart.
Their playful battle came to a stop when Minho, the strongest of the too, managed to pin Thomas to the ground, both of the younger boy's wrist in his grip, holding them in the grass besides the brown-haired head, his face inches from his friend's…
"I won, Tommyboy" he said again, voice lower than before.
Their laughter died, replaced with a strange yet strong feeling in their chests.
Thomas could hear his heart pumping and wondered for a moment if he was also hearing Minho's heart. The morning quietness was still present and the silence allowed him to hear every breaths, every shifts, from Minho, as they realized in what position they were in.
It was… intimate. So oddly intimate. And yet, Thomas wanted to stay like this forever. He wanted Minho to keep staring at him like he was discovering him for the first time, like he was the only person in the world.
Instinct took over.
Minho leaned in and softly pressed his lips to Thomas's, kissing him so delicately as if what he was doing shouldn't be allowed, a temptation that should have never been crossed, amplified by a pinch to the heart indicating that it should have been crossed a long time ago.
It was such a huge contrast to the roughness he previously showed, but Thomas could not bring himself to care because Minho was SHUCKING KISSING HIM! And he was liking it so much!
Nothing made sense in his head, in his body, except that he needed Minho. He wanted everything. His body still trapped under his best friend, he moaned, hoping the boy would get the hint.
He did, and soon enough, the kiss was deepened, unleashing what seemed to be months if not more of suppressed passion, lust and love.
Thomas was feeling overpowered by it, his wrists still in Minho's controls, but he loved every moment of it. Wave and wave of pure pleasure kept crashing down on him and he could only guess Minho was feeling the same as his movements became more desperate. His body moved accordingly, pressing against Thomas's in a way that made him feel completely safe and surrounded. Surrounded by the only person he just realized he wanted that close to him. And re couldn't believe how good it was.
They parted, breath short and uneven. They stared at each other, speechless. What were you supposed to say after making out with your best friend?
Instead, they laughed once again as fondness filled their eyes. Minho released Thomas and went to hug him close.
"How long?" they both asked at the same time, which only added to their laughter.
"I don't know" Thomas said after they calmed down. "Does it matter?"
"No" Minho replied "what's important is right now I guess."
"Yeah…"
They kissed again, taking their time exploring this new thing in their relationship, those new feelings. Because they just realized they were in love with each other all this time and needed to make up for lost time.
This is my entry for Thominho Week 2020, Day 2 “Wingfic”
Characters: Thomas x Minho
3654 words
Tags: Wingfic, soulmate AU, modern Au, light angst with fluff at the end
Summary: As he looked at the freshmen gathering up, one young man caught his eyes. He was smaller than the others, had messy brown hair that still looked perfect and eyes that shined in the sun. Minho didn’t know what it was, but something was weird about that boy, as if he didn’t belonged there. Or anywhere in the world actually. It was as if someone like him couldn’t exist.
You can also read it on AO3 and ff.net
Today was the tryouts. As the captain of the track team, or Keeper as they called it, Minho was ready before anyone else. This gave him time to analyze the freshmen aligned on the track field. In few minutes, all of them were going to compete to get into the team.
Some looked confident, maybe even overconfident. Minho snickered. They had no idea how hard it was to make the team. This team was one of the best of the country.
As he looked at the freshmen gathering up, one young man caught his eyes. He was smaller than the others, had messy brown hair that still looked perfect and eyes that shined in the sun. Minho didn’t know what it was, but something was weird about that boy, as if he didn’t belonged there. Or anywhere in the world actually. It was as if someone like him couldn’t exist. It was such a strange feeling and he wasn’t sure if he liked it.
As the brunet was looking around, as if unsure of himself, he locked eyes with Minho. What happened next was inexplicable. The two young men froze, almost comically. The Asian felt a strange feeling in is stomach and he immediately hated it. Something was definitely weird about that kid and Minho was sure it wasn’t good. He hoped that the strange boy wouldn’t make the team.
Jorge, the coach, soon announced the start of the tryouts, offering the Keeper a break from the gaze of the brunet. He went to sit next to his blond friend whose wings were flapping in excitement.
“What’s up with you Isaac” he snorted.
“Aren’t you excited to have new Greenies on the team?” Newt replied.
“Not really. Look at them” Minho said while doing his best not to look at the brown-haired kid “They all look like dumb shanks.”
“Don’t be hard on them yet Min” he smiled “You’ll have plenty of time to do that. And who knows, you might end up liking them and finally make other friends than me and Alby.”
“Yeah, not gonna happen.”
------
Minho couldn’t believe it. The brunet, whose name was Thomas he learned, had almost broke his record. It wasn’t possible. It couldn’t be real.
But here he was, being congratulated by Jorge and the others. Because the kid, of course, fucking made the team.
To say the Keeper was furious was an understatement. His record was his pride. He went every day on the field to be the best. He trained so hard for it. It was an insult to see a freshman almost beat his record so easily.
As everyone was around Thomas, clapping on his back, happy for him, Minho approached him for the first time. As the captain, he was still supposed to congratulate him, even if he didn’t want to.
Once in front of the younger man, he held out his hand for Thomas to shake. The brunet had his eyes wide in astonishment, but took the hand hesitantly, unsure if it was really what he was supposed to do considering the hard look the Asian was giving him. Minho felt a strange spark once their hands touched, but he decided to ignore it.
“That wasn’t bad Greenie” he said. But before he could stop himself, he added “But that was beginner’s luck.”
Thomas took back his hand immediately. “I’m not a beginner” he replied dryly, offended.
“Listen shuck-face” the Keeper started. Everyone around was quiet and Jorge seemed ready to intervene. “You’re new here okay. You don’t know how it works and how difficult it is to train every day in order to make it to the finish line when you have to compete against the best one of the country. So that, my friend,” he pointed at Thomas’s score “was beginner’s luck. And I preferred telling you that right away, I’m doing you a favor.”
Minho was being an ass and he knew it. But he just couldn’t help it. He was furious.
“A favor huh?” All the shyness the boy showed before was now gone. “Just say that you’re afraid of losing, asshole”.
“What did you call me?” Minho yelled back, furious and ready to punch the newbie in the face. However, Newt and Alby saw it coming and went to stop him before he could do something. As he was pushed back by his friends, he added “You think you’re so great shuck-face? You don’t even stand a chance against me!”
“Oh yeah, wanna bet asshole?”
“Okay that’s it, stop it you two” Jorge intervened “I’ll let it pass this time but if you two start that kind of behavior again, I’ll have to kick you out of the team. And yes, you too Minho”.
“Yeah, whatever” the later said, leaving the group to go towards the changing room, not wanting to deal with anyone.
However, Newt came along. Obviously.
“Bloody hell Minho, what was that?” he shouted once they entered the empty room.
“Leave me alone.”
“Not until you tell me what’s wrong with you.” The Asian turned to face his friend, a threatening glare in his eyes. The blond was however not intimidated. He knew Minho for too long.
“I don’t like that guy” he admitted, heaving out a frustrated sigh.
“What? Just because he’s almost as good as you?”
“No, of course not! H-He just… I don’t know!” the Keeper try to explain “He’s weird a-and… I don’t know man! There is something off about him!”
“What the hell are you talking about, Tommy is not weird.”
“A nickname already?” Minho snorted. He really didn’t want to have this conversation right now. “Listen Newt, leave me alone, okay? Go see your boyfriend of something.”
“Yeah, I’ll do that, because you’re a fucking twat right now.”
With that, the British left the changing room, leaving Minho with his thoughts. He really didn’t understand why that Thomas boy was driving him crazy like that. He just wished he wouldn’t have to deal with that shuck-face too much.
--------
The next morning, Minho woke up in his dorm room, a strange feeling in his guts. As he got out of bed, he noticed the extreme soreness in his back. Panic immediately invaded is whole body.
No, it couldn’t be…
He turned his head to see if his assumptions were right, praying he was wrong. Unfortunately, on his naked back proudly stood his wings.
“No, no, no, no, no!!! Fuck!!!” he screamed. It couldn’t be real. He had to be dreaming. He ran to the bathroom, wanting a better view of the things on his back.
Indeed, two brown and black wings were there, real and annoyingly beautiful beside the fact that they were totally unwanted.
“Fuck!”
It was really the worst thing that could happen. Having to deal with school, the track team and life in general was already hard as it is, adding a soulmate in the addition was really something Minho didn’t want. But still, there he was. Newt and Alby were doing great with this whole soulmate thing, but they met each other a long time ago, it was different…
He knew that it would happen one day, but he still hoped it wouldn’t because he didn’t believe that soulmates were such a big deal. He didn’t even really like the fact that everybody was meant to have a strong bond with another person and the day after they met for the first time, they’ll get matching wings. In fact, he hated it. And he already hated his soulmate, even if he still didn’t know who it was.
He observed his reflection for a while, wanting to cry from frustration. It was honestly the worst.
After taking few minutes to compose himself, he finally started getting ready for the day. He had a meeting with the track team to brief the newbies. He took the shirt his mom made sure he kept for this day. It had holes in them, for the wings.
Shit.
Once ready, he went directly to the track field, trying not to snap at anyone who looked at him and his wings. Why was it such a big deal for everyone?
Once there, he first saw Alby. His friend had his eyes wide in shock.
“No…” he snickered “don’t tell me it finally happened.”
“Slim it.”
“But still” his friend continued, trying but failing at hiding his grin. “Newt and I really thought that you were an unfortunate soul who was meant to be alone.”
“Well, I wished.” Minho replied dryly.
“Don’t be like that, it’s actually not that bad.”
“What’s not bad?” and British accent voice asked. “Oh shit!” Newt added when he saw the Asian. “No, for real?!” The blonde sounded so excited which only annoyed the Keeper even more.
“Slim it Isaac.”
His friend was about to reply back when he stopped in his track and widen is eyes in shock at something behind Minho.
“Oh my god, I can’t believe it!” he laughed, which confused both boys.
As Alby and Minho turned around, what they saw made Minho’s heart stop.
On the entrance of the track field, there was Thomas.
With fucking brown and black wings.
With patterns identical to Minho’s.
He wanted to die, right now.
“No, no, no, this can’t be real!” the raven-haired boy screamed. He ran up to the younger one who had stopped in shock when he saw the Asian. Alby and Newt followed him, laughing their asses off which only made Minho angrier.
“Y-you’re… you’re my soulmate?” Thomas stuttered.
“Yeah no shit Sherlock” the Keeper replied as he pushed the boy around to have a better look at his wings, ignoring the protests of the brunet. He searched everywhere to find a pattern, something, that was not the same on his wings, but to no avail.
“This is the funniest thing ever” Newt burst out laughing as he reach the two newfound soulmates.
“It is not funny” Minho argued. “It’s the worst thing ever.”
“Oh because having me as a soulmate is bad?” Thomas replied, offended. He turned back to face the older man only to find him glaring at him.
“Yes, it is.” Minho didn’t even tried to be considerate. He didn’t care that he was mean. Anger crept in his whole body and he was using all the self-control he had right now not to do something he’ll regret later. He barely noticed the sadness in the brunet’s eyes.
“Okay guys” Alby intervened “I know it’s new for both of you, but let time do its thing. You started on the wrong path, but it’ll get better, I assure you.”
“Yeah, no chance” the Asian spat before walking away, this time noticing the hurt in Thomas’s eyes. But he still didn’t care.
“Just don’t talk to me Greenie, and we should be fine.”
----
Turned out, Minho wasn’t fine.
Every day was a challenge. In order to avoid comments about his wings, the Keeper did his best to hide them. He wore the biggest hoodie he owned, concealing the bond he had with a certain brown-haired boy. The weather was getting colder, which fortunately allowed him to do so.
However, his back was getting sore from constraining his wings so much. His feathers were also in bad shapes and every move he made was hurting him. He did his best to ignore it.
He also did his best to ignore his soulmate on the track field. Said soulmate who kept showing off his wings, which only annoyed Minho even more. But as the days passed, he got curious and started steeling glances from time to time.
And Thomas, every time he made eye contact with the older man, had a sad look on his face. He never tried to hide it.
Guilt started creeping up in Minho’s stomach. The boy didn’t deserve that. But he couldn’t help it. This soulmate thing wasn’t for him.
Few weeks passed by, and every day, Newt nagged his friend to stop being a dumb shank and to just go talk to Thomas. Or at least stop wearing his black hoodie. But Minho was stubborn. And he knew it wouldn’t change anything.
He still looked at the shuck-face, as he called him, during track practice. He tried to be professional and not think about the supposed link between them. As he had asked, the newbie never talked to him. But he started making friend. The Asian saw him hanging out with Frypan once. Even Newt took a liking to the boy.
Minho now watched him every time he could. The boy showed empathy, kindness and even courage, as he once stood up against Gally. Okay, maybe Thomas wasn’t that bad. In fact, every time he saw the Greenie laughing with someone, or even just smiling, he felt his heart aching. Aching for something he knew he would never have.
He was starting to like Thomas. He was shucked.
-----
It was another day at practice. Minho had troubles keeping up with the rest of the team because of his back. It was just hurting so much. He told Jorge he wasn’t feeling well and went to the changing room.
Once alone, he took off his hoodie and his shirt and painfully stretched his wings, relieving some soreness.
“You’re so dumb.”
Minho turned to the voice in panic only to see the only person he didn’t want around. Thomas.
“Leave” he said coldly.
“No, I’m not leaving” the boy replied as he sit on the bench behind Minho and started brushing his feathers back in place. “I can’t do it anymore.”
“You can’t do what anymore? Run?” he asked, sarcasm in his voice. But he didn’t stop Thomas’s caresses.
“Seeing you hurting yourself.”
The brunet started massaging the Asian’s shoulders. It immediately made him feel better. He did his best to not make any sound. He was sure he was going to moan if he didn’t control himself. Thomas’s hands were so warm…
“You’re really dumb.”
“Would you stop saying that?”
“I’ve been watching you, you know” the boy continued, ignoring the last statement. “I’ve seen how you look at me. You’re hurting as much as I am from staying away from me.”
“I…”
“No, shut up.” Thomas continued massaging the Keeper’s back, this time going for his shoulder blades, where the wings were. “I’m tired of acting like it doesn’t bother me.”
Minho felt so bad right now. He haven’t considered his soulmate’s feelings into this. He felt his heart squeeze in pain.
“I was really looking forward to meet my soulmate you know” Thomas started, his voice softer than before. “All my life, I’ve been alone. I have my cousin, Teresa, and of course my little brother, Chuck… but it’s not the same. I never really had close friends. I was rejected so many times, and betrayed too. I always felt alone, like I didn’t belong…”
He stopped, to compose himself. Minho didn’t have to look to know he was crying.
“I felt like a fucking alien” he continued after a while. “So I was hoping that once I’ll met my soulmate, I’ll finally have someone that would understand me. With who I’ll be able to be myself. I…”
Minho heard the other man sniff and felt a tears rolling on his cheek. He did this. He hurt this beautiful boy. He didn’t understand. Where all those feelings were coming from? When did he started caring for Thomas? When did he started wanting to protect him, to make sure he is happy and safe? It was so confusing. Maybe he was losing his mind.
“I-I’m… I’m so sorry”. He knew it wasn’t enough. He ruined his chances.
“I just don’t want to be alone.”
Minho turned to face the boy, making him stop what he was doing. The older made the only thing he could do. He hugged him.
And all of a sudden, everything made sense. As they both nuzzled into each other, surrendering themselves into the embrace, Minho knew. He knew that he couldn’t fight it anymore. It was so right. So perfect. He never wanted to let the boy go. He wanted him by his side, forever.
“I’m so sorry” he repeated, his voice muffled by the brunet’s neck. “You’re right, I’m so dumb.”
“Sure you are” he chuckled.
They stayed like that, in silence, for what felt like hours before Minho softly released the boy in his arms to take his face in his hands, wiping the tears on his cheeks.
“I’m really sorry Thomas. I really was an asshole.”
“Yeah” he said with a sad smile. “Mind telling me why you acted like that? Is it really because I almost broke your record?”
“Who told you about my record?” he asked, still caressing his soulmate’s face.
“Newt.”
“That shank…”
“Don’t blame him” Thomas gently scolded him, “I was trying to understand why you hated me.”
“I didn’t hate you… I-I…” Explaining this was hard. Expressing his emotions has always been hard for Minho. “When I first saw you… I had this like, strange feeling? I don’t know why, but it made me nervous… I didn’t know what it was and I didn’t like it…”
The brunet listened to him, staring deep into his eyes. It was almost intimidating, as if Thomas was reading his mind, but he found himself hypnotized by the hazel eyes. The more he looked at him, the more Minho found his soulmate absolutely beautiful.
“And yeah, I was a bit mad about that record thing” he admitted. “I’ve always been the best, I guess my ego was hurt at that moment and I took it on you. I’m sorry.”
Thomas made a small smile and went to caress the raven hair. “It’s okay.”
“But then, the next morning…” he continued while enjoying the warmth of the hand on his head, “I woke up with those things in my back. Unlike you, I never wanted a soulmate. I never really was one to trust people. Newt and Alby, they are different… but even then, I don’t tell them everything and it took me a long time to trust them just a bit…”
“Why don’t you trust people?”
“Mostly because people never really liked me I guess. I’m sarcastic, hot tempered… and Korean. Let’s just say racism is something I often faced.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
Minho smiled sadly.
“But I guess what turned me off of soulmates were my parents. They are soulmates. They met back in Seoul, but moved here after some years.”
“What happened?”
Minho liked the tone of Thomas’s voice. It was soft and really showed interest and concern. For the first time of his life, Minho felt like someone really cared for him. Maybe it wasn’t so bad, having a soulmate…
“They broke up when I was 4” he answered after taking a deep breath. “They realized they didn’t love each other like that. I was really shocked. At that time, I thought that soulmates were meant to be together forever. It hurt me, seeing my parents separated. They still hang out together, and they are close friend, but…”
“I understand” Thomas said. “But you do know that not every soulmates are meant to be romantic partners, right? Some are even siblings.”
“Yes I know. But you know, I was young, it marked me and made me think that… this whole soulmate thing wasn’t really serious.”
“Yeah… I understand.”
Thomas didn’t know what to say beyond that, so he just went back into the embrace, trying not to think too much about how Minho was still shirtless and how his naked tan skin felt so smooth and so good.
“I think there is also another reason” the Asian said after few minutes of silence where he just enjoyed the other’s presence and warm body.
“And what is it?” Thomas asked.
Minho took a deep breath. He had to say it.
“I think I have feelings for you…”
“Oh” Thomas grinned. “And what kind of feelings?”
“Romantic… and sexual.” Minho blushed. “And that has never happened. I never had those feelings for someone.”
The boy smirked. “I’m flattered” he said while putting his forehead on his soulmate’s. Their noses were touching and they could feel each other’s breath on their faces. “And happy, because I might have the same feelings for you…”
At that moment, Minho knew he was done for. He loved that young man. This beautiful human being. He was in love. It was scary, but at the same time, he never felt better.
“Would you…” he hesitated. “Would you mind if I kissed you?”
Their lips were almost touching now. It was so tempting. This closeness was driving him crazy.
“You want to kiss me?” Thomas was teasing him, but Minho didn’t mind. He deserved it.
“Yes. I really want to kiss you. Please.”
“Well…” the brunet replied, playfully, “I guess I wouldn’t mind then.”
Minho smiled and immediately put his lips on Thomas’s. A wave of newfound sensations traveled his whole body. He gripped the other’s shirt, afraid of drowning in all those feelings. Thomas’s lips were soft and warm, and the boy responded perfectly to the kiss.
When he deepened the kiss, he knew we would never have enough of this man. It was just so perfect, so meant to be. Thomas was running his hands through the raven hair and putting as much passion into the kiss as he could. Minho could only go with the flow and try to express everything he wanted to, pressing the brunet’s body against his.
They parted to breath, but were unable to open their eyes yet. It was just too much. They wanted to relish this moment, to relish those feelings they had for each other.
“Does this mean I can claim you as my boyfriend?” Thomas playfully asked after his breathing was back to normal.
“Yes” Minho answered. “I’m yours.”
----------------------------------------
Writing angst is really not easy for me hahaha But it's the point of those challenges, to try different things.
