royalty (minewt au)

bent

He hadn't expected such a heartbreaking sound to escape from Minho's lips. Newt looked down to see the other boy with his ear pressed against his chest, on top of the now large dark spot. Tears streamed against his face, accompanied by the occasional gasp escaping from the back of his throat. Minho's eyes did not meet Newt's. When Newt leaned over and kissed away one of Minho's tears in an act of impulse, Minho's heartwrenching sobs returned.

"I'm sorry," Newt heard in between sobs, "I'm so sorry." He kissed the top of Minho's head again. From the one psychology class he took in high school, he remembered that in situations like this, especially when the person is not pushing you away, comfort and affection is a good way to remedy their sorrows. He rocked back and forth.

"I'm going to lie down," Newt mumbles into the crying boy's hair. He felt him nod into his chest, signaling Newt to allow his back to touch the floor. He was using one arm to cradle his head and the other to wrap around Minho's now still body. Minho continued to have his cheek resting on Newt's chest, but his tremors had stopped, leaving for silent tears to run down Minho's face. Their breathing was the only sound that filled the calm atmosphere.

Newt stared up at the glass ceiling. He was able to pinpoint the moon. From there, he began drawing out a mental map of the constellations that would be surrounding the satellite, starting with the North Star, the Big Dipper, and so on.

Suddenly, he was back in England. Newt had to be around five years old. He was swaddled in fabric in his bed, sleeping the night away. He jolted awake when he felt himself being shaken. When he peeled his eyes open, he was met with Liam. His eyes were sparkling with what looked to be excitement, and he had a long coil rope around his shoulder.

"I want to show you something," his older brother said. He helped Newt get out of his bed and told him to just pull on a coat. Liam walked to the roof and pried it open. He got out of it and pulled himself onto the roof. Seconds later, he dropped the rope, allowing for Newt to climb up it. He walked over towards Liam who was lying down on his back. He pat the place next to him. Newt lay down next to his brother.

"Look at the sky, Newtie. Isn't it pretty?" Liam pointed towards the dark sky. Newt simply nodded in affirmation, even though it was probably too dark for his brother to see the response.

Right after his father had kicked out his mother, he and the other McDonough boys moved out of a condo in London and into a large secluded house in the countryside. Away from the city, the light pollution was not as intense, allowing for them to more clearly see the stars. They were sprinkled across the sky, twinkling against the black background of the night. Behind some of them, there was a faint white streak.

I know you like learning new things," his brother continued, "So, here's something." He continued by taking about constellations and stars. He explained all aspects of astrology from the solar system to galaxies far from his own. Newt listened intently.

"That's just a tendril of the Milky Way?" Newt asked, tracing his finger over the faint white streak.

"Mhm."

Newt was able to notice his brother's consistent interest in astrology through his art (mainly paintings and sketches). He had been able to somehow always incorporate some aspect of the stars and the universe into his paintings, whether it be a daytime landscape or even a portrait. It became a game between them: for Liam to put in the astronomical details and for Newt to locate them. Newt immediately appreciated not only the game, but his exposure to astrological phenomena through his brother.

Whenever he went star gazing, his chest filled up with a comforting warmth. It allowed for a sense of bliss and nirvana to overtake him. Maybe it was his intelligence being appealed by the knowledge. Perhaps it was his brother. He never figured it out. All he knew was that anything related to space calmed him down, whether or not it be science-related.