Chapter Text
Gally was faced with a difficult choice, having to decide between keeping the best friend he’s ever had or his dad he loved so so much.
“Get out of my way, son. They are not humans. Not anymore. You can’t keep fooling yourself and think they are like us. They are the monsters I warned you about since you were a kid. Let me do my job !” Gally's father expressed a determination to fulfill his duty, with a gleam in his eyes that Gally found unsettling, as it hinted at a level of animosity that could lead him to harm his own son without hesitation.
But it didn’t matter anymore because Gally couldn’t let him shoot anyone, or anything in this case. He had learned a few days earlier that his boyfriend and bestfriend was a werewolf and that he was born this way. He didn’t matter to him, instead that confession clarified his feelings and Thomas remained his best friend, and any romantic feelings he may have had were no longer a concern (he wasn’t sure he ever had them in the first place).
Martin, Thomas’ father, stood in front of Gally and calmly stated : “John, don’t do this. We’ve known each other since the boys were in diapers. I helped you get through your divorce. Through Gally’s puberty. You don’t want to shoot us. I know you’re upset but…”
“UPSET ? I’m not UPSET ! I’M PISSED OFF ! My friend is a monster ! I LET YOU WATCH GALLY ! God, you even went to my house…. Not anymore.”
Gally watched as his father yelled at Martin then heard a sudden loud noise followed by a high pitched sound ringing in his ears. He saw John collapse and instinctively grabbed Thomas’ hand to get him out of here. He saw Thomas' mouth open screaming, his father chasing after them but he couldn’t hear anything except for the voice in his head “RUN ! HIDE THOMAS ! RUN !”
They finally arrived in town and everything went fast, so fast that when Gally started hearing his surroundings again, he was at the back of a firefighter’s truck, safety blanket covering him and Thomas, staring blankly at the road ahead.
“I’m sorry.”
“Me too. Gally I’m so, so sorry....” Thomas was sobbing now in Gally’s arms, as the latter watched his father being taken away by police officers, beaten and bloody.
That’s when Gally realized his life will never be the same ever again.
“Come on, Shank ! We’re gonna be late if you don’t move your ass !” Gally knocked once again at the bathroom door, waiting for Thomas to come out.
“Yes, I’m coming ! I’m excited to see your brother but my hair needs to be perfect !” Thomas' muffled words came from behind the door.
“Your hair is perfect, come out !”
Thomas got out of the bathroom with a smirk “I’m bisexual and I love you too” he blew him a kiss, took his jacket and raised an eyebrow, still smirking “So coming or not ? We’re gonna be late !”
Gally sighed and puffed, shoving Thomas while passing through the door and headed straight for his car, hearing Thomas laugh while he closed their appartement’s door.
Gally was excited to see his little brother, well half-brother but still (his mother moved out of the country to go to England where she met her wonderful husband). He was so proud of Newt ! His little brother, even though he was two years younger, was so incredibly intelligent that he was going to spend a whole semester at Gally and Thomas’ apartment to attend university with them.
They arrived at the airport an hour later (Thomas had to stop for a coffee and Gally couldn’t deny the brown-eyed man anything). Thomas made a big sign to catch Newt’s eye when he would land. He hadn't met him but anytime Gally talked about the british boy, Thomas had so many questions about him that Gally wasn’t surprised a bit by his excitement when it came to meet him.
Gally was a nervous wreck : he met Newt once when he was 10 but they often talked on the phone and on social media. He just wasn’t sure Newt wouldn’t be disappointed by the man he was. At 23, he was just an engineering uni student, living with his best friend, no family in sight except for Thomas and his mom ( “Thanks Dad !” ). Maybe Newt would be disillusioned because he had imagined Gally to be a man living alone, supporting himself, partner and kid… “But he KNOWS your situation and loves you regardless !” Thomas’ voice in his head was right of course but if…
Gally’s thoughts were interrupted as the passengers of the plane flooded through the door, Thomas helding his sign above his head, jumping up a bit. Among the crowd, they spotted a tall young man with blond hair, carrying a backpack and scanning the crowd for them. Once he saw them, Newt’s eyes lit up and he quickly made his way towards them. Without a word, Newt dropped his bags and hugged Gally tightly, causing a few tears to escape from Gally’s eyes. Despite the phone calls, the messages, the video chats, Gally had missed his little brother more than he even realized. They hugged each other for a while, just holding each other and sharing a few tears.
Newt ended the hug with a watery smile and kept his hand on his brother a little while longer before speaking : “I’m so so happy to see you ! I’ve missed you so much !” . He then turned to Thomas, who was wearing a fond expression on his face : “Hi there ! You must be Thomas, Gally’s best friend. I’ve heard so much about you. Name’s Newt”.
Thomas seemed to freeze for a moment before smiling and presenting a hand to Newt “Yes, hi ! I’ve heard a lot about you too, hope you had a great flight”
They talked a little bit more while exiting the airport and going to the car. All this time, Gally was silent, just amazed that his brother was here, WITH HIM, talking to his best friend like they knew each other forever. He couldn’t believe that this day finally came after months of talking about it and planning it.
Once they arrived at their apartment, Newt was so tired (8 hours of flight and 5 hours of jet lag will do that to a person) that Gally led him to his bedroom, which was a multiple purpose room until now, and returned to the couch next to Thomas to watch TV.
Thomas handed Gally a beer and turned on the TV without speaking, choosing a random reality show that neither of them watched.
“So, how do you feel ?” Thomas asked after a few minutes of TV nonsense.
Gally turned towards him and looked at his profile. He really was a handsome man, strong jawline, moles on pale skin that had captivated him, and a lot of people, since he met him. He smiled and looked at the TV again before speaking : “Well, I have my brother with me, on the same continent. I can even hear him breathing if I’m quiet enough ! I have my two best friends in the whole wide world just here ! Can I ask for anything more ?”
Thomas looked at him, surprised. Gally was never much of an extroverted guy, never really comfortable sharing big emotions, so he could understand the surprise. But he was happy. He truly was. He fantasized about having a real family since his father was incarcerated and he went under the guardianship of Linda, Thomas’ mother.
“Don’t look at me like that you dork ! And change that crap. This thing is going to fry our brains out.”
Thomas laughed at Gally’s antics and slapped him lightly on the arm before putting on a movie they both loved : Lord of the Rings.
The living room was filled with warm, cozy lighting. Laughter and conversation filled the air. Newt slept for a few hours before his stomach woke him up. They ordered pizza and Newt told them about his life, university in England, his mom and his journey before reaching into his backpack, pulling out two small wrapped boxes.
“Newt, you didn’t have to get us anything. I’m just happy you’re here with us.” Gally took the package and hesitated.
“Speak for yourself ! I’m glad you’re here too Newtie, but I never say no to a gift. That’s common courtesy” Thomas took his gift and eagerly unwrapped it.
Newt laughed at Thomas’ antics and looked at Gally, still holding his gift : “I know I didn’t have to, but I wanted to. It’s not much, you know, because of the weight of my luggages, but I wanted to bring you just a little something just to say thank you”
Gally opened the present and discovered a beautiful keychain of the London Eye. He looked at Newt and exchanged warm smiles, appreciating the thoughtfulness of the gift. The London Eye was the best memory of his stay in London a decade ago and Newt remembered that.
Thomas hugged Newt as a thank you for his Tower of London keychain and Gally swore he saw Newt blush a little at the sudden action.
After that, the conversation continued with each other's stories on every topic they could find. That evening, Gally made sure to remember everything from the joy and the love to the warmth of the two people he loved the most in the world.
The weekend flew by at the speed of light with Newt unpacking with Gally’s help and Thomas working.
The latter worked at a coffee shop just down the street, on the way to the university. Gally had of course taken the weekend off to help Newt settle, otherwise he would have worked with Thomas. Sometimes, Gally thought it was crazy that the two of them were as close as they were, working, living and studying together, and not having (or not very often) arguments. Of course, they did not agree on everything all the time but, as they grew up together, they learnt how to compromise with one another and were now “join at the hip” as their friends often said.
“You and Thomas are really close, aren’t you ?” Newt was clearing the last suitcase as he spoke.
“Yeah, we are. I mean, with what happened to my dad, living with him… It was kind of hard not to be.”
“Hmm, I guess.” Newt hung his last shirt on the hanger. Gally smiled a little and said “Go on, I know you want to ask. Everybody wonders at some point.”
“Are you… Together ? It’s okay if you are ! I know you were kind of dating when you were in High School and I’m cool with you being gay.” Newt was so red that Gally thought he was about to explode from embarrassment.
“No, we are definitely not dating. We did have a thing in the past but we were both young and in retrospect, it was more platonic than anything. And I told you before I’m not gay Newt. I was experimenting a little in High School and College but I don’t think I’m attracted to anyone actually.”
“Which is cool too. I mean, you can be anything you are, I will love you no matter what.”
Gally looked at Newt, at his furtive gaze, at his nervous demeanor and said softly, as if Newt was a wild animal he tried not to scare off “Newt, I know it’s ok not to be straight. Like I know it’s ok to be. Or to question yourself and doubt your choices, yourself… Is there something you want to tell me ? You know I can hear everything and will love you nonetheless.”
Newt suddenly locked eyes with Gally, deep brown irises staring right at him when he whispered “I think I’m gay.”
“Alright, that’s ok.”
“But I’m not sure. I mean, I kissed a boy once in middle school but he told the whole class the next day and… Well you know the rest.”
Gally knew Newt’s history with depression, school harrassment and his attempted suicide. But he never knew the bullying was because of his sexuality. To be fair, Newt never talked about it, or in passing, never something so serious.
Newt sat on his bed and sighed, looking at his hands “Now you know. I’m sorry, I wished I told you sooner but you were here and I was there. Mom and Dad did try to help me, to speak to me about it, the psychiatrist too… But seeing you with Thomas, I wondered what it would feel like if I was with a man and…” He took his head into his hands and started crying. Gally sat next to him to offer comfort and patiently waited for him to release all of his pent-up emotions.
After a few minutes, Gally felt it was safe to start talking again.
“What you have been through, it’s not your fault. They didn’t have the right to do what they did to you. You shouldn’t be shamed for anything, much less for something you are and have no control over. If you are indeed gay, it’s okay. And if you’re not, it’s okay too. Noone, and I really mean noone, have a say on what you are ! You decide what you do with your life, with your body and everyone who has an opinion on that will have to go through me !”
Newt laughed out loud at that, tears still clinging on his lashes but at least, he was better. Gally felt better seeing Newt lighter.
He thought about that peculiar feeling of being a big brother, to feel that sense of protectiveness towards someone, to have that urge in your gut, your entire being to do everything possible to ensure they are happy and well. He always had that feeling with Thomas but never anticipated to feel it towards Newt, let alone the day after they reconnected in real life.
Newt dried his tears with the tissue Gally handed him “Thanks Gally, I needed that.”
“Anytime. So, how about coffee ? I know that place where you can drink for free if you speak enough with the barista. He is a bit dumb but I promise, he’s not that bad once you get to know him.”
Newt smirked, “You're talking about Thomas, aren’t you ?”
“Oh, you remember him ! Good. Let’s go then !” With that, Gally stood up, extended his hand to Newt and led him towards the coffee shop to cheer him up. Hopefully, they will see some of Gally’s friends there so that he could brag a little about his baby brother (who really wasn’t such a baby anymore)
Seeing Newt locked the door with his own key filled him with such joy and pride towards his little brother and how far he had come from that he couldn’t wait to see what the future had in store for all of them.