Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It’s strange, the way he feels something shift in his chest as the Greenie runs past them. It’s not warmth or pain, it’s just.... a strange feeling, like a tug. He can’t explain it.

Newt brings a hand up to rub at his sternum, watching as the new boy runs through the glade. The spectacular faceplant the Greenie manages pulls rowdy laughter from the group of the on looking boys and it’s almost enough to make him forget the whole thing.

Almost.

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Newt doesn’t have time to dwell on it, what with all his responsibilities as second-in-command, but that doesn’t mean he forgets. The weird feeling hasn’t returned and for a moment he thinks it’s all in his head. But he’s sure it happened, he just can’t figure out what it was or why it happened.

He gets his answer soon enough.

They’re waiting in a group by the maze door Minho and Alby left through this morning. After Ben, Alby wanted to go check things out and Newt wanted to argue but knew there was no changing his mind. They should’ve been back hours ago and the doors are set to close soon. His anxiety has been building since this morning and it’s reaching the peak.

He lets his gaze flicker to Thomas, the boy who seemed to set off this whole mess. When the brunette first came up in the box there was that strange tug in his chest, then it was him asking questions non-stop and being a pain to corral. He doesn’t think he’s met anyone as annoying as Thomas, but he doesn’t think he’s ever met someone with so much drive either.

Newt’s pulled from his thoughts as the boys start shouting. He looks into the Maze and see’s Minho, but not Alby. Then he notices Minho carrying something - someone. His stomach lurches as he realizes it’s Alby on Minho’s shoulders. He joins in on the shouting, trying to encourage Minho to move faster, but he knows they’re too far away. There’s a pit in his stomach and his anxiety peaks, flooding his system with adrenaline as the fact that they aren’t gonna make it sinks in.

He feels Thomas shift next to him and he looks over in time to watch the boy’s face shift. Newt somehow knows that Thomas has made a decision and there’s no warning when he suddenly darts out of the group and towards the already closing door.

Newt reaches out to grab him, but he’s too late and their hands brush as Thomas slips away. Suddenly that strange shifting feeling, that tug in his chest, is back and without thinking he throws his hand out in front of himself. For a second nothing happens, but before he can ask himself why he did it something goes flying toward the door from his outstretched palm. It lodges between the doors and expands with a crack, keeping the doors open, frost curling out and away on the wall from the ice- ice?

They all stumble back in surprise.

Newt looks down at his hands and watches as frost curls down his fingertips in a similar pattern to the frost on the door. He looks up at the door just in time to see Thomas land in a heap on the other side of the door. There’s a pause, no one makes a sound. Then the thing -- the ice -- between the doors gives a groan and shatters as the doors slam shut. Those standing closest to the door, himself included, get sprayed with tiny shards of ice.

Why the hell is there ice?

“Newt?” A hand touches his shoulder and he looks over to see Chuck. “What was that?”

He’s got no fuckin’ clue, but he can’t freak out. “I dunno, Chuck, but I reckon we don't need to worry about it right now.” He takes a deep breath to try and calm himself, but he doesn’t feel any better. He does his best leader voice and addresses the rest of the gladers. “We just lost three people and without Ably, I’m in charge. We’ll deal with this- in the morning. For now, let's just… get some sleep.”

The shake in his voice is obvious, but thankfully no one points it out.

No one dares to object and the group starts to dissipate, everyone heading for the hammocks and cots. He catches Gally looking at the maze door with a mix of contempt and anger. Newt thinks he understands perfectly well. They all just lost a leader, friends. This won’t be easy to come back from.

Newt runs a shaky hand down his face, anxiety itching under his skin. The adrenaline is starting to wear off and there’s a bone crushing exhaustion settling over him. He’s about to turn away, head to his hut where he can process his emotions and try to get some sleep, when he feels a tug on his shirt.

Chuck stands there with a determined look on his face. “They’ll make it. It’s Alby and Minho. Thomas, too. They’ll make it, Newt. They have to.”

The smaller boy says it with so much conviction, Newt almost believes him.

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When the doors open the next morning, Newt stands with Chuck.

He doesn’t know why he’s here. There’s no way they survived the maze, he knows that. No one ever has. Still, there’s a small part of him that hopes they’ll prove him wrong. They’ve been standing there for almost twenty minutes when Newt gives up. He starts to turn away with a knot in his chest when Chuck starts to shout.

“There they are! I knew it!” Chuck’s got a huge smile on his face, pointing at the maze door.

Newt whips his head around so fast it makes him dizzy.

There, heading towards the maze door, is Thomas and Minho with Alby sandwiched between them. There’s a small group surrounding them as they pass through the door. Alby is gently lowered to the ground and Jeff looks him over. Newt stands stock still as the gladers spew questions at Thomas and Minho. Chuck’s question is the only one that registers.

“You saw a griever?” He’s looking at Thomas, awe-struck.

“Yeah, yeah I saw one.” He sounds out of breath as he responds, eyes passing over the group.

Minho scoffs and shakes his head. “He didn’t just see it. He killed it.”

Shit, Newt thinks. Everyone’s looking at the brunette now, faces full of awe and confusion. No one’s survived the maze let alone kill the damn things in it. Killing a griever- it’s not possible. Though, it seems Thomas just continues to prove them wrong. He’d be impressed if he wasn’t overwhelmed with emotions.

“Newt!”

He starts, releasing a breath he didn’t know he was holding, turning his head to look behind him in time to see Gally making his way over. He looks anything but happy.

“Newt,” He repeats once he’s closer, “what the hell is going on? With Alby gone we need to- You!” Gally’s face turns murderous when he notices Thomas, pointing a finger at him.

Gally nearly tramples Newt in his attempt to get to Thomas, most likely to throttle him. Newt places his hands on Gally’s chest, digs his heels in and shoves. It doesn’t affect the taller boy much, but it does make him pause. He hears someone gasp but he’s too focused on not letting Gally get closer to care. He watches Gally’s eyes flicker around the group behind him and keeps his face hard when Gally finally looks at him.

“We need to talk about this. I’m calling a meeting.” He says it like he’s daring Newt to argue and he’s tempted to remind him who’s in charge, but Newt just nods, not wanting a fight.

With Newt’s confirmation, Gally turns on his heel and stalks towards the meeting hall. Newt heaves a sigh and turns back to the gladers who are eyeing him wearily. Much like last night when he- damn it. He looks down and sure enough there’s a small patch of ice under his feet. He can’t even find it in himself to be freaked out. He’s just so damn tired. He can already feel a headache coming on.

With a long suffering sigh, Newt addresses the group before him. “Right. Jeff, Clint, get Alby looked at. I’ll be along after the meeting. The rest of you get your arses to the meeting hall.”

He doesn’t wait to see if they listen, he turns away and heads for the meeting hall. He rubs at his temples as he goes. Headache indeed.

----------------------

His headache only gets worse when the meeting starts. Gally’s talking about how things are changing and blaming Thomas for the shit that’s going on. He knows everything went weird after Thomas showed up, but blaming him seems a bit much and it doesn’t help anyone. Desperate to hear literally anyone but Gally, Newt tries to bring Minho into the conversation.

“Minho, you were there with him. What’d you think?”

“I think,” He starts after a moment, “in all the time we’ve been here no one’s ever killed a griever before.” All eyes turn to Thomas who’s sitting in the center of the room, looking quite uncomfortable. Newt feels a little bad for him. “When I turned tail and ran, this dumb shank stayed behind to help Alby. Look, I don’t know if he’s brave or stupid. But whatever it is, we need more of it.”

Minho’s been addressing everyone in the room, but now he’s only talking to Newt and Gally. “I say we make him a runner.”

The room erupts into chaos. Everyone’s shouting and asking questions and he thinks he can hear Chuck chanting Thomas’ name. Newt can’t help the smile that crawls across his face and it only widens when he sees Gally’s expression. The taller boy starts shouting, trying to save the meeting when the alarm for the elevator cuts through the glade. The smile slides right off his face as he and Gally lead the group to the elevator.

It shouldn’t be coming up this soon. It’s only been a few days since Thomas came up and the box only comes up once a month. It’s just one thing after another these days. Nothing makes sense, nothing is going as it should. And at this point, Newt’s too afraid to ask. Maybe it is Thomas’ fault, maybe it isn’t. But there’s too many things going on today to really try and get to the bottom of it.

They get to the elevator and Gally pulls open the doors. Newt hops down with a grunt and is greeted with a girl lying in the middle of the crate. For a moment he thinks the girl might be dead, but then he sees the rise and fall of her chest. Definitely not dead, then. Newt reaches for the girl’s hand when Gally asks what’s in it. He pulls it from her grasp and unfurls it.

She’s the last one, ever.

Belatedly, he realizes he read it outloud. “What the hell does that mean?”

He doesn’t really get a chance to think about it because the girl suddenly shoots upright. Her eyes fly open, struggling for breath, and she looks at Thomas, his name on her lips. And just like that she falls backward, unconscious.

Everyone turns to look at Thomas.

It’s a thing now, apparently.

Gally breaks the silence, “Still think I’ve over reacting?”

Newt really wants to punch him.

----------------------

They manage to get her out of the box and into the med-hut. They pass Alby on the way in and Newt feels a little sick. They’ve got Ably tired to the bed and he’s obviously in pain. The worst part is he knows there’s nothing they can do for him. It’s just yet another thing to add to the growing list of things to deal with later.

Minho, Jeff, and Thomas are staring down at Teresa when he walks over. Jeff doesn’t know what’s wrong with her, which means it’s another thing to add to the list. It’s really starting to get out of hand. He notices Thomas staring intently at her, like he’s trying to understand her.

“Do you recognize her?” Newt asks, scoffing when Thomas says no. “Really? Because she sure seemed to recognize you.”

God, he even sounds jealous to himself. Why does he sound jealous? Add it to the list, he thinks and tries to push it from his mind.

“What about the note?” Thomas asks.

Add that to the list too. Christ this is too much. “We’ll worry about the note later.”

“I think you should worry about the note now.” Thomas presses, and Newt can feel his irritation rising. He shoots Thomas a glare that he hopes conveys just how done he is with this conversation.

“We’ve got enough to deal with at the moment.”

“He’s right, Newt.” Jeff says, “If the box isn’t coming back up, how long do you think we’ll last?”

“No one said anything about that- let’s not jump to conclusions. Let’s just wait until she wakes up and see what she knows. Someone’s gotta have some buggin’ answers ‘round here.” The last bit is practically spat as he turns away, rubbing at his temple.

“Okay.” Thomas says and then he’s heading for the door.

“Where exactly are you going?” Newt bites.

“Back into the maze.”

Newt and Minho share a look and Minho follows the brunette out of the hut. Newt allows himself a moment to put his head in his hands and groan. This past twenty-four hours has been hell and Newt just really wants to scream. Everything is out of order and nothing is making sense. He’s frustrated beyond belief, confused, angry, and scared out of his mind. Being leader was never something he wanted, but here he is stuck with the role. Newt runs a hand through his hair and takes a deep breath that doesn’t do much to quell the raging emotions inside.

He tries to pull himself together as he turns to Jeff, but going from the boy’s expression, he’s failing. “Keep me updated on her condition, alright? His too.” He points to Alby.

“Will do.” Jeff says.

Newt nods and heads out of the hut. He needs his journal, to just get everything out on paper. He feels off kilter and he’s of no use to anyone if he’s too overwhelmed to do anything. So he heads to his hut -- perks of being second-in-command he supposes -- and finds his journal.

Once he’s got it open, it all just spills out. Ben, Alby, the maze, the fact he nearly lost three of the most important people in his life. How Thomas has suddenly become one of the most important people in his life, but here they are. Thomas, with his bambi brown eyes and non-stop curiosity, his self-sacrificing tendencies and blatant disregard for his own safety. His half-assed plans, his stupidly endearing smiles. How he feels drawn to him in ways he’s not sure he wants to think about. Newt just met the bloke and yet it’s like he’s known him his entire life.

Maybe they knew each other before all this, before he couldn’t remember.

Thomas, the boy who seems to be the cause of his new found powers. That’s a whole other thing he isn’t sure he should touch. It doesn’t make any sense and he can’t wrap his head around it. Though, he supposes, it may as well be possible. If there’s gaps in his memories and there are terrifying mechanical spider creatures, he might as well have powers too. Granted he doesn’t know how they work or how to control them, but that’s something he might be able to fix.

Newt sits there and writes for who knows how long, but when he’s done he feels lighter. His head feels clearer and less it’s going to explode. Writing things down has always been a way to process things for him. Emotions, events, even just the little things. The journal is also home to a handful of drawings and sketches. Now that he’s got a better handle on his emotions, he feels a bit better about being leader.

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Thomas and Minho come back with something from inside the griever. Thomas wants to go back out, convinced there’s more to this than they thought. He doesn’t even have to ask to know Minho agrees with him. Gally is still adamant on punishment for Thomas and even though he doesn’t necessarily like the guy, he’s right.

So with a sigh, Newt agrees. “You’re right, Thomas broke the rules. One night in the pit with no food.”

“Oh come on, Newt! You really think that’s gonna stop him from running into the maze?” Newt gives Gally a pointed look.

“No, and we can’t just have non runners going into the maze whenever they feel like it.” He looks over at Thomas and puts his hands on his hips. “So let’s just make this official. Starting tomorrow you’re a runner.”

Minho nods and Newt knows this is what’s best. If they can at least try to corral Thomas and guide him through the maze instead of letting him run around on his own, maybe they can keep him from causing too much damage. Gally just scoffs and stomps angrily to the door, brushing Frypan off when the cook tries to talk to him.

“Thanks, Newt.” Thomas says after a beat. He looks so genuine and those damn bambi eyes are boring into him. Newt doesn’t say anything, just looks at him for a moment longer before he turns and walks away.

It takes him a second to register that he’s being followed. He makes it just past the edge of the trees before he turns around. Thomas stands there a few paces behind him. He’s staring intently at Newt and he can feel himself grow warm under his gaze. He’s looking at the blonde like he’s seeing him for the first time.

“What?” Newt breaks the silence. They’ve been standing there for a few minutes now, just watching each other. “Why are ya lookin’ at me like that?”
That seems to snap the other boy back to himself. “What? Sorry I- um. I just wanted to say thank you, a-again. I know I haven’t been the best listener lately and-” Newt snorts and Thomas gives him a sheepish smile. “-and I just- thank you, for believing in me. And for putting up with me.”

He looks nervous, one hand rubbing the back of his neck and the other clenched at his side. Newt feels the sudden urge to soothe him, so before his brain can catch up with his mouth he says, “I like you, Tommy. It’s not a hardship.”

Well that’s not entirely true, but he’s not going to take it back. And he means it. He likes the other boy, more than he’s willing to think about, even if he’s a pain in the ass who asks too many questions. He gives Thomas a smile and thinks he might collapse at the smile the brunette sends back. It’s crooked and bright, like Newt just made his day.

“Am I interrupting something?”

Minho’s voice cuts through the moment, causing Newt to jump as he makes his way over to them. Thomas opens his mouth but before he can say anything Newt is already speaking, grateful for the distraction.

“Nah. What’s up, Minho?”

“Just wanted to show the greenie here the ropes. Since he’ll be running with me and all.”

“Right,” They need to update Thomas on the maze and get him gear. He’ll most likely end up getting Ben’s gear. Which used to be his gear- oh god. He cannot be thinking about Thomas in his old gear right now. “I’ll leave you to it.”

----------------------

Then the girl wakes up and causes havoc, running from the hut and climbing up their watchtower, throwing rocks and whatever else she can find over the side. They’ve taken to huddling under sheets of metal as they try to calm her down. Chuck is having the time of his life. Newt has to admit, it is a little amusing. He can only imagine how silly they look like this. A girl throwing things down at a group of boys who have to duck under whatever they can to dodge the projectiles.

He wasn’t even surprised when Thomas came over and got her to stop. Not when the first word out of her mouth had been the boy’s name. Newt couldn’t help the jealousy rolling through his stomach as Thomas climbed the tower and talked her down. It was stupid. He didn’t have any right to be jealous, he didn’t have any claim over the other boy. It shouldn’t matter to him who Thomas spends his time with or why. But it does, and Newt doesn’t know why.

When Thomas comes to him and tells him about the syringes the girl- Teresa had on her, he almost doesn’t believe it. But it’s just something to add to the list -- he’s got too many lists -- of ‘things that don’t make sense, but I’m not about to question it’. He’s hesitant to try it on Alby, even less so knowing that Teresa brought them, but Thomas is right. No one’s survived the changing and whatever is in those syringes can’t do much worse.

Newt runs a hand over his face and stifles the urge to scream. He’s not happy with this plan at all. He calms slightly when Thomas turns his head to look at him over his shoulder. “Okay,” He says, and it sounds more like he’s trying to convince Newt more than himself. And it works until Alby wakes up and grabs at Thomas. Jeff and Newt dive to either side of Alby to push him back down, while Newt tries to push Thomas out of the way at the same time.

They struggle to keep Alby down and get him to release Thomas. Alby’s spouting nonsense and Thomas shouts over him for Teresa to grab the syringe. It happens so fast, Newt almost doesn’t register it. Quick as lightning, Teresa grabs the syringe and stabs it into Alby’s arm. Immediately Alby relaxes and slumps back, letting go of Thomas.

They all stumble backward to give Alby space, chests heaving. Newts wander from Teresa, who’s got her hands in her hair, to Thomas, who’s rubbing a hand over his sternum near his throat. It’s automatic, the way Newt brings a hand up to the brunette’s lower back. It’s meant to be comforting and it seems to work, Thomas leans into the touch and relaxes slightly.

Jeff breaks the silence, “Well, that worked.”

“Okay,” Newt says, voice raised an octave as he struggles to quell the adrenaline, “from now one someone stays here and watches him ‘round the clock.”

Jeff nods and Newt runs his hands through his hair. This has been just one stressful day after another. Before Thomas came up everything was normal, they had a routine. With Thomas around, Newt’s starting to hope they can find a way out of here, but hope is dangerous and the days have been exhausting.

Suddenly Gally is walking in and pulling him from his thoughts. “Sundown greenie, let’s go.” It’s then he notices there’s a hand on his lower back and he looks over at Thomas. He misses the other boy’s warmth the second Thomas pulls away to follow Gally outside. He turns to look at Newt before he’s gone. Teresa shoots him a confused look but he ignores her. He can’t find it in himself to give her the full explanation right now.

Jeff tells him they’ll watch over him then ushers Newt outside and tells him to go get some sleep and he does just that.

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He’s awoken by a thud followed by a curse from outside his hut.

Half awake, Newt gets up and stumbles to the door and pulls it open. Chuck is standing a little ways off from his hut, a bowl in one hand as he struggles to pick up a lantern from the ground. Rubbing at his eyes with the heel of his palm, Newt walks over to Chuck.

“Chuck? What in the world are you doing?” He asks and bites back a smile as Chuck jumps.

“N-Newt! I was just uh-” Chuck looks wildly from side to side, trying to come up with an excuse Newt knows will fall flat. “I was hungry?”

It’s more of a question than a statement and Newt sighs. He levels Chuck with a look that makes the younger boy smile nervously. “You know we can’t give out extras, Chuck.”

“But it’s not an extra!”

“Then what is it?”

“It’s a for Th- uh, I mean-” Chuck says indignantly only to break off.

Newt thinks he knows what this is about now. “Is it for Thomas?”

“Yeah…”

Chuck keeps his eyes downcast, toeing at the dirt. He looks guilty and that’s not what Newt wants. He knows Chuck is only doing his best and just wants to help. Plus, getting Thomas fuel for tomorrow isn’t a bad idea. He’d also like to talk to the brunette about some things. So he makes a decision.

“Alright, tell ya what. You give me the food, I’ll take it to Tommy and we’ll pretend this never happened, good that?” Newt holds out his hand and gives Chuck a soft smile.

“Promise?” Chuck asks, looking hopeful.

“Promise.” He says and Chuck hands over the food. “Now get to bed, yeah? Thomas needs his biggest fan ready to cheer him on in the morning.”

“Yeah, okay!” Chuck exclaims, “Thanks Newt!”

And with that, he’s off to the hammocks. Newt shakes his head fondly, picks up the lantern and heads for the pit. Since Chuck is the youngest, everyone kind of adopted him as their little brother. No one ever stays mad at him for long and the gladers tend to be protective. So yeah, Newt’s not gonna rat him out for this. Besides this is a perfect opportunity to talk to Thomas without getting interrupted.

Once he’s at the pit, he places the lantern down onto the grass and knocks on the bars on the gate as he lowers himself to the ground. Thomas looks up at him, startled.

“Newt?” He asks, squinting against the light.

“Yeah, it’s me. Here,” He says as he lowers the bowl down through the bars, “you can thank Chuck for the food. He figured you’d need the fuel for tomorrow and I don’t disagree.”

“Thanks.” Thomas says and their fingers brush as he takes the bowl from Newt.

They spend the next few minutes in silence while Thomas eats. Newt takes that time to think over what he’s going to say. Obviously he wants to bring up the strange ice powers he suddenly has and if Thomas has any kind of plan. Knowing him though, probably not. He chances a look at Thomas and almost jumps when he sees Thomas looking right back.

“You alright, Newt? You look really tired.”

“I am. I mean, the last few days have just been one thing after the other and I…” Newt sighs, something he’s been doing too much of lately. “To answer your question? No, I’m not okay, Thomas.”

“Tommy.” The other boy says with a frown.

“What?”

“You called me Tommy back in the woods and now it feels wrong when you call me Thomas. So, just… call me Tommy.”

Newt feels himself flush. He hadn’t even realized he’d used the nickname. He doesn’t even know where it came from, it just felt natural. As if it’s something he’s always called the other boy. And, well, clearly he’s not good at denying Thomas anything.

So he says, “Good that, Tommy.” And the smile he gets in return is worth it.

“Good that,” Thomas says as he sets down the bowl and looks up at Newt, giving him his full attention, “Now talk to me. Don’t look at me like that- I- okay, look. I know we only met a few days ago, but I feel like I’ve known you my whole life. It’s like we’ve been living together for years. I can’t explain it, but I know you, Newt. And I think you know me, too. So talk to me?”

Thomas is looking up at Newt, giving him fucking puppy eyes and really, how is Newt gonna say no to him. And the brunette is right. It feels like they’ve known each other for years, he just didn’t realize it went both ways. If Thomas is willing to embrace it, then Newt is too.

“Yeah, okay, Tommy.”

And it’s as if he’s opened the floodgates. Once he starts talking, he doesn’t stop. He tells him about Ben and Alby, about how fucking scared he is, but also about how Thomas has given him hope again. His optimism about getting out of the maze is contagious and Newt finds himself hopeful. Things he would never say out loud, things that should be written in his journal and never be allowed to see the light of day.

Especially the ice powers thing.

“Do you know what caused it?” Thomas asks, standing now in order to be closer to Newt, like he’s trying to bring comfort by just being close.

Newt would be lying if he said it wasn’t working.

“No. I was hoping you would have some idea. It started after you showed up.”

“Oh.”

Newt nods, frustrated. Neither of them have any answers and he’s no closer to understanding what the fuck is going on with him. The next step would be learning to control it, he supposes, if he had any clue what triggers the damn thing. He feels a light tap to the temple and he looks down at Thomas. He’s got one hand on the bars and the other curled into a fist by Newt’s head. One knuckle is curled farther away from his palm, seemingly what he used to get Newt’s attention.

“Hey, where’d you go? You got this far away look on your face. Did you hear what I said?”

Newt shakes his head to clear it. “Sorry, Tommy. Say it again?”

“I asked if you could show me.” Thomas says with a small smile, “I’ve seen you do it before, but I never got a chance to really look at it.”

“Show you what?”

“Your powers.”

Oh.

“I don’t really know how it works. It’s not intentional, when it happens.”

Thomas hums in response. He’s got his thinking face on and Newt knows he’s in for it now. Tommy’s plans rarely bode well.

“Okay, well what normally causes it?”

“Uh- I’m not really sure. Intense emotions maybe?”

He doesn’t even get a warning before Thomas is launching into question after question. It’s rapid fire and overwhelming. It takes him a second to realize what Thomas is doing, trying to rile him up. And it’s working. Newt can feel the irritation bubbling up and he prides himself in being a patient person, but his nerves have been shot for three days now and he’s ready to blow.

“Damn it, Thomas!” He hisses and leans forward, putting his hands on the bars, acutely aware that they can’t be too loud. But this time he feels it, that tug in his chest that seems to be pulling him toward Thomas, when his powers surge forward and out from his palms. The bars under his hands freeze with a crack and when he looks down there’s smoke like vapor coming off of it. “Bloody hell…”

“Whoa…” Thomas breathes as he looks up at the ice coming off the bars in spikes.

Newt stares, transfixed as he pulls his hands away and the ice remains. There’s little tendrils of frost curling down his fingers, just like the first time. He looks over at Thomas and once again, the other boy is looking back.

“Newt, your eyes… they’re glowing.”

What the hell does that mean? Newt brings a hand up to his eye and blinks hard a couple of times. He looks back down at Thomas who seems almost disappointed.

“They’re brown again.”

“Right.” Newt says, still reeling. The ice manipulation-powers-thing he’d been aware of, but now his eyes are glowing? What the actual fuck. “Right. Okay. I think I need to go to bed.” He stands, wincing as leg aches in protest. “You do, too. Can’t have you fallin’ behind out there.”

Thomas hums in agreement, eyes still trained on Newt’s face. “You’ll be there to see us off, yeah?”

“‘Course I will, Tommy. Now get some rest.”

“Night, Newt.”

“G’night, Tommy.”

Chapter Text

Newt does see them off the next morning, albeit a little bleary eyed and wanting nothing more than to crawl back into bed. With his previously interrupted sleep and emotionally taxing conversations, Newt would prefer to sleep the day away.

“Alright, no twattery out there, you come back as soon as you can. Good that?” Newt says to them once he’s awake enough to speak. 

He’s rubbing at his face when Thomas reaches out and loosely grabs his wrist, giving it a squeeze. “Good that.”

When he meets Thomas’ eyes, they’re saying ‘ I’ll be back ’. Newt nods to him and points to fingers from his chest to Thomas’. A silent ‘ stay safe ’. Minho clears his throat and when Newt looks over at him he’s got a smirk on his face. He glares at Minho and tilts his head toward the maze door.

Minho’s smirk doesn’t falter as he gives Newt a salute. “Let’s go, Greenie!”

Thomas rolls his eyes and looks back at Newt for a moment, looking like he wants to say something but then he’s turning away and following Minho towards the door. Once they’ve passed through the door Thomas looks over his shoulder and gives Newt a smile that makes his heart skip a beat. Then Minho’s patting him on the back and pulling away the brunette’s attention. Newt takes a moment to take a few deep breaths once the runners turn a corner, out of sight.

Stupid Tommy and his stupidly cute- everything , Newt grumbles to himself as he turns on his heel and heads for the woods. 

He’d spent some time last night thinking about his powers after talking with Thomas and he’d thought that the best way to get control would be to practice. Hence the woods. He’s less likely to cause any real harm to anything or anyone. The last thing Newt wants is to accidentally hurt someone. 

He still isn’t totally sure what triggers his powers, even with Thomas’ very helpful attempt at triggering it. One thing he knows for sure is that his powers are connected to Thomas, Newt just isn’t sure how. The tug in his chest feels like it’s pulling him toward the other boy -- which is something Newt tries not to think about too much -- and the powers themselves seem to respond to his emotions. 

Seem being the key word.

Newt heads deep into the woods, only stopping when he can see one of the walls. He’s in this tiny clearing that doesn’t give me much room, but he’s not bothered. He drops his bag at the base of the closest tree and ties his hair back with a strip of fabric so it’s mostly out of the way. He takes a deep breath and turns toward another tree, reaching out a hand towards it. 

Since he isn’t sure where to start, Newt let’s his mind wander. It’s not really that surprising when he starts to think about Thomas. The way he walks and talks, the way he looks. With his soft brown hair and bambi eyes. The way he acts like nothing can hurt him, reckless and driven by curiosity. The way Thomas so desperately wants to help even though he doesn’t really know any of them. He was put here just like the rest of them, left with questions and no answers. 

He feels that tug in his chest again. He tries to focus on it, the feeling of it, but when he opens his eyes nothing happens. Even after a few moments of waiting, nothing happens. Newt sighs and decides to change tactics. Maybe the tug isn’t enough. Maybe he has to be overwhelmed, like the night before. 

So he tries again and this time he thinks of the people who put them here.

The people who dropped them into this god forsaken maze and didn’t tell them a damn thing. The people who watch and wait -- for what? He isn’t sure. But it makes him so angry knowing that there are people out there who don’t even care that they’re killing kids. Kids! Because that’s what they are, children and teenagers who shouldn’t have to be in this situation and yet they are. 

It makes his blood boil -- he’s so fucking angry!

With a growl, Newt curls his outstretched hand into a fist and slams it against the tree trunk. The second his skin makes contact with the tree, the rough bark gives way to cold ice. He pulls his hand away after a moment, breathing heavily. He stares at the patch of ice on the tree and tries to understand. There wasn’t a tug this time, but the anger seemed to work. 

It just doesn’t seem to make sense. It feels like he’s missing something, but he doesn’t know what. He turns over the events in his mind and he goes to his bag and pulls out his journal. Writing it out might help him find whatever it is he’s missing. So he sits down and writes, starting with the first time it happened. The first tug happened when he saw Thomas for the first time, but the first time he used his power was when he tried to stop Thomas from running into the maze.

He’d reached out to try and grab him- stop him, even though Newt knew he was too far away. The second time there was no tug, but he still used his power. He just wanted to stop Gally from getting to Thomas and he knew he didn’t really stand a chance against Gally so he steeled himself, digging his feet into the ground in an attempt to gain leverage. The third time was with Thomas, he'd been overwhelmed then and the tug had been present. It was like his powers responded to the overwhelming emotions and let it out.

So, if his powers respond to his emotions and the tug in his chest seems to only happen when he thinks about Thomas or the brunette is present…where does that leave him? The tug seems to be solely a Thomas thing -- and really, why is he even surprised -- and his powers seem to act like an outlet for sudden and overwhelming emotions. 

Newt feels like he’s running his circles. Nothing about what he’d written is new. He already knew or at least suspected these things. And it still doesn’t tell him how to channel it. So Newt takes a deep breath and looks over what he’s written. He has to reread it a few times before he starts to notice a pattern. The tug and the emotions aren’t consistent with his powers, but his intentions are. He reached out for Tommy with the intention of stopping him. He dug his heels with the intention of grounding. He lost control with Thomas last night as an outlet, the intention of letting it out, even if he wasn’t consciously aware of it.

With this in mind, Newt moves his journal and puts his hands in the dirt. He closes his eyes and tries to envision his power moving through him and down his arms, envisions ice forming on the ground, under his palms. He adds intention to it, intending to create ice- to use his power. It takes a few seconds of breathing and forceful thinking before he feels it. It’s not quite like last night, there’s no tug, but he can feel his power thrumming under his skin.

And sure enough, when he opens his eyes, there’s small patches of ice coming from his hands, fanning out and connecting where the two patches collide. The ice looks wild, like it’s out of control. It’s something he thinks he’ll be able to correct with more practice. 

There’s frost curling down his fingers and around his knuckles. It’s happened every time he’s used his powers so far, and he can’t help but think how beautiful it is. It’s a thin white layer that spreads over his fingers and knuckles in fractals and curls, shimmering in the light. 

Distantly, he wonders what his eyes look like.

Newt spends the rest of the morning in the woods, practicing. He switches between making patches of ice with his hands -- he even manages to do it once with his heel by stomping -- and aiming blasts of ice at trees. He doesn’t always succeed, but control feels easier each time he does. 

By the time he’s getting ready to leave the woods the frost has curled half way down his forearms, but it melts away once he’s under the sun.

----------------------

Newt’s waits with the gladers at the door for Minho and Thomas to arrive. Chuck stands next to him, practically vibrating with excitement. Gally’s near the back of the group and Newt doesn’t have to look at him to know he’s probably scowling. He really wasn’t happy that Newt made Thomas a runner, but didn’t have the authority to veto. Gally can shove it , Newt thinks.

He hears Frypan call out and he turns his attention to the maze. Minho and Thomas are making their way towards the door and suddenly Newt can breathe a little easier. He knows they’re fine, but after Ably… well let’s just say he hates this fucking maze more that ever. And he’s never happy when Thomas decides to throw himself head first into danger.

Both runners look properly out of breath as they come jogging through the doorway. They walk through the group and Newt falls in step next to them. He and everyone else seems to ignore Gally’s ‘ The hell you done now, Thomas? ’ as they walk.

Thomas leans forward so he can see Newt, who’s being blocked by Minho. “We found something, a new passage. We think it could be a way out.”

“Really?” Newt asks and he looks at Minho, feeling more hopeful than he has in days.

“It’s true.” Minho says between breaths, “We opened a door, something I’ve never seen before. I think it must be where the grievers go during the day.”

Well that isn’t what Newt was expecting. And he’s not sure how safe this ‘way out’ seems.

“Wait, whoa whoa whoa!” Chuck says suddenly, running up behind them. “You’re saying you found the grievers’ home? And you want us to go in it?”

“They’re way in could be our way out, Chuck.” Thomas says, turning to the boy.

Suddenly Gally says from behind, “Yeah or there could be a dozen grievers on the other side! The truth is Thomas doesn’t know what he’s done, as usual .”

That has Thomas spinning on his heel and facing Gally head on. Newt hears Minho sigh next to him as everyone stops and watches.

“Yeah? Well at least I did something, Gally. I mean, what’ve you done? Huh? Aside from hiding behind these walls all the time?”

“Let me tell you something, greenie. You’ve been here three days, alright? I’ve been here three years -”

“Yeah you’ve been here three years and you’re still here , Gally! Alright, so what does that tell you? Maybe you should start doing things a little differently!”

Gally looks like he’s about to punch Thomas in the face and Newt is once again concerned for Thomas’ safety. Gally’s big and he’s anything but weak. There’s a reason the others don’t start shit with him. The likelihood of getting seriously injured outweighs almost everything.

Newt’s about to step between them when Teresa’s voice cuts through the argument. “Hey!” She says, and everyone turns their heads to look at her. “It’s Alby! He’s awake.”

She looks between Gally and Thomas, exasperated with her hands on her hips, before she turns to look at Newt. He nods to her and follows her as she heads for the med-hut. He doesn’t wait to see if anyone’s following, too busy being simultaneously worried and relieved about Ably. Relieved that he’s awake, but worried about how he’s doing. The changing messes with your brain, adn Newt just hopes that their Ably is still in there.

When he stops in front of the hut to let Teresa in first, he’s nearly squashed by how close Thomas and Minho are to him. He’s infinitely grateful for their support and he has to remind himself that he’s not the only one worried about Alby. Newt holds the door open for the two boys as he follows Teresa inside.

“Has he said anything?” Minho asks her once he’s inside.

“No.” She says as they move around the hut to make room for Frypan and Gally.

“Alby-” Newt goes around the bed to sit next to Alby, leaning forward to look at him, “Alby, are you alright?”

The other boy doesn’t respond. He just sits there and stares forward, looking at the wall. His lower lip is quivering, Newt realizes, and if he looks close enough he can see Alby’s eyes glistening with unshed tears. It makes his heart ache. Alby is one of the strongest people Newt’s ever met and seeing him like this, broken and on the verge of tears, makes him feel useless.

As if sensing his inner turmoil, Thomas comes to crouch on the ground next to him and places a hand on Newt’s lower back as he looks up at Alby. Newt turns to look at the brunette for a moment, silently pleased that he’d come to comfort him. He’s relieved when Thomas takes the lead, not trusting his voice to work.

They’re both looking at Alby when Thomas speaks. “Hey, Alby.” His voice is soft, like he’s trying to talk to a spooked animal. “Alby, we might’ve just found a way out of the maze. Do you hear me? We could be getting out of here.”

Alby just shakes his head softly, the first reaction they’ve gotten out of him. His lower lip is still wobbling and the tears in his eyes look like they’ll fall at any minute. Newt wants to help him, to reach out and comfort him somehow. But Alby said he never needed comforting and while Newt didn’t believe that, he had no way of knowing what Alby needed right now.

“We can’t…” Alby whispers, “We can’t leave. They won’t let us…”

“What’re you talking about?” Thomas asks, sharing a look with Newt.

“I remember.”

“What do you remember?”

Alby turns to Thomas then, and looks him in the eyes. “You.” All eyes shoot to Thomas, who starts to shrink away. “You were always their favorite, Thomas. Always…”

Thomas looks like he might be sick and suddenly there’s shouting from outside. They all turn to look at the door and then each other. Thomas jerks like he’s going to move away when Alby speaks again, drawing Newt’s attention back to them.

“Why did you do this, Thomas?” And Alby’s tears begin to fall, “Why’d you come here?”

Alby puts his head in his hands as Thomas stands suddenly and dashes for the door, leaving Newt alone next to Alby. He begins to stand and follows the others out to the hut as the shouting outside gets louder and more panicked. Newt doesn’t feel great about leaving Alby alone, but right now he’s needed. Newt gives him one last look before he’s out the door.

The gladers are running all over the place, shouting and carrying torches. It’s so dark and the light from the torches is bright enough to keep his eyes from adjusting. Winston runs by and Thomas calls out to him, asking what’s going on. Winston’s answer makes his stomach drop.

“It’s the doors. They aren’t closing.”

That has to be the most terrifying thing Newt’s ever heard. If the doors aren’t closing, that leaves them vulnerable, that leaves them unprepared and in great danger. The feels panic start to grip him as he scans the glade, looking at the doors. They’re all wide open, with the darkness of the maze seemingly rolling in. 

They follow Winston to the group of boys standing near a door. Newt pushes his way to the front of the group and peers into the maze. It’s just as cold and unforgiving as the last time he was in there. Thomas comes up next to him with Teresa in tow and reaches out to grab Newt’s forearm, fingers wrapping around it. There’s a sudden gust of wind from the maze that sends them all stumbling backward. The grip on his forearm tightens. 

“Chuck, go to the meeting hall and start barricading the doors.” Thomas says, turning to the younger boy.

“Winston, go with him.” Newt adds. There’s no way he’s letting Chuck go off alone.

They both run off while Gally starts barking his own orders, telling people to go hide in the woods. Thomas’ hand doesn’t leave Newt’s arm as they start telling people what to do. Thomas tells Minho to get all the weapons he can find, telling him to meet them and the meeting hall while Newt orders the rest of them to go find some place to hide.

“Teresa,” Thomas says, “you, me, and Newt are going to get Alby, alright?”

Teresa nods and Thomas begins to pull him by his arm when the boys around the glade start shouting and running. There’s an inhuman screech from inside the maze and it doesn’t take more than a second for a griever to come crawling around the corner from deep in the maze. Newt feels his heart stop as it pauses at the end of the corridor. Then it screeches again and suddenly more are crawling from into the corridor, running at them at full speed.

“Everybody hide!” Thomas screams.

Then they’re all moving. Thomas grabs Teresa’s wrist and drags her and Newt along with him. Everyone’s shouting as screeches and mechanical whirring fill the air. There are screams that Newt has to desperately ignore, trying to focus on breathing and keeping up with the two brunettes. Thomas leads them into the corn fields and forces them to crouch down within the stalks. 

Newt grits his teeth against the pain in his leg. Being sharply tugged around and running at full force is enough to irritate his bum leg. And the crouching down isn’t helping. Not that he’s willing to complain. He’ll take the pain in his leg over a violent death any day, thank you very much .

There’s a shout from behind them, followed by a loud mechanical whirr. Everyone reflexively turns to look where the sound came from. There’s distant shouting, but the air around them is silent for one terrifying moment before there’s more whirring and suddenly the tail of a griever comes up over the cornfield and then down, pinning Zart to the ground. They’re all shouting his name as he gets lifted into the air and pulls away with a scream. 

Deciding that the griever got too close, Thomas ushers Newt and Teresa up and pushes them ahead of him. “Go! We gotta get Alby!” 

They all start running through the corn stalks as fast as they can, pushing the stalks out of their way. One of the stalks comes whipping back into Newt’s face as he runs. He feels his eyes wells up and curses angrily at the pain. 

Once he’s through the field he keeps going, chest heaving and vision blurry from tears. He feels a hand wrap around his wrist and Newt really hopes it’s Thomas. His eyes finally clear enough to see where they are, and yes, it’s Thomas who’s running next to him. They stop when they catch sight of Alby, Clint and Jeff already helping him out of the hut.

“What’s going on?” Alby asks.

“They’re here.” Thomas says.

Jeff looks at him. “Grievers?”

“Yes, bloody grievers!” Newt snaps, “This isn’t the time! We have to go!”

Thomas nods, “Come on, we gotta get to the meeting hall.”

There’s a sudden scream behind them, and when they turn to look, they watch as the griever sends a boy sliding across the ground before it’s tearing into him. Newt thinks he might be sick. Thomas pushes them into moving, running through the trees as more grievers close in on them. But they don’t get far. 

A griever comes barreling through one of the nearby buildings and stops in front of them.  They jerk back, trying to get away from it but Alby collapses, dragging Jeff and Teresa down with him. The griever crawls toward them and Thomas is tugging on his wrist but he’s frozen. Newt watches as the creature gets closer, listening to his friends struggling to get away and he suddenly knows what to do. There’s a fifty-fifty chance of it working, but he’s got to try anyway.

Newt pulls his arm from Thomas’ grasp and digs his heels in. He takes a breath and closes his eyes. The griever is close, he knows it. He can smell it from here. But he tries to focus- focus on his power running through him, running down his arms and out of his palms. He hears Thomas shout his name and that’s when he opens his eyes and swings his arms in an arc, from one side of his body up to the sky with the intent to harm the thing in front of him. To kill .

He watches wide eyed as the air around him goes cold and a large spike of ice comes up from the dirt, straight through the griever's chest, impaling it. It lets out a pained shriek and struggles against the ice, but it’s useless. The ice is too tall and thick for it to escape and it lets out another shriek before it slumps down onto the spike. Newt breathes a sigh of relief or tries to, he’s out of breath and too worked up for it to be a proper sigh. Belatedly, Newt realizes he can see his breath.

“Newt!”

There’s a cry of his name, a hand sliding into his, and then he’s being pulled away. He turns to look at whoever is pulling him along and sees Thomas. It’s always Thomas . Newt looks around for the others and sees them a little ways ahead of them, heading for the meeting hall. So he pushes himself a little harder and gives it everything he’s got to get them both to safety. There’s more grievers chasing them now that they’re out in the open, but they can make it.

Chuck is screaming for them to hurry as Alby and the others make it inside. Newt and Thomas aren’t far behind and once they cross the threshold the door is slammed shut and locked behind them. Newt’s legs suddenly give out from under him -- he’s suddenly so exhausted and his legs feel like jelly -- and he slumps against Thomas, who catches his weight and slips an arm around his waist to keep him upright. Newt slides his arm around Thomas’ neck to keep his balance. They still haven’t let go of each other’s hand.

There’s growling and screeching outside, the door starts shaking and thudding, causing everyone to take a few steps back. They’re all huddled together in the center of the room. Newt holds his breath as the griever stops rattling the door, instead, he can see it moving around outside as it growls. It’s silent for a moment longer before the roof creaks and dips just slightly as the creature crawls around. 

Their little huddle moves around the room, trying to avoid where the griever is above them. The roof continues to groan and bend; Newt’s a little surprised it hasn’t caved in. Right then the griever’s tail punctures the roof and starts whipping around wildly and pulls the center beam out, causing the roof to cave in. ‘ Good job, Newt ’ he thinks to himself. There’s shouts as the roof comes down, separating the group and pushing them to the walls. 

Dust goes flying through the air, blinding some while others get crushed by the roof caving in. Newt and Thomas get tossed to the ground with a thump, ending up in a heap of tangled limbs and sticks. Newt struggles to untangle himself from Thomas who manages to kick off the rubble. They manage to separate and pull themselves up, coughing and sputtering.

Newt doesn’t feel quite like he’s about to collapse anymore and reaches down to help Winston out from under the rubble. He sticks close to Thomas as everyone gets up, coughing and trying to wave the dust away. The grievers are prowling outside, using their tails to puncture the walls and grab people. They don’t get a chance to breathe as one by one they’re picked off. 

“Chuck!”

Newt whips around in time to watch Chuck get grabbed by a griever tail. Thomas launches forward to grab Chuck’s hand, trying to pull him free. Teresa and Minho also shoot forward and grab Chuck, using their combined strength to pull him closer. He hears Alby scream as he launches himself toward the griever tail, wailing on it with a large stick. Alby knocks off the griever’s stinger and manages to nearly split the tail in two causing the griever to let go, sending Chuck, Thomas, Teresa, and Minho tumbling to the ground. Newt moves to help them up, dusting Chuck off and checking him over.

He’s so caught up in making sure they’re okay that he doesn’t even notice there’s a second tail until Chuck’s turning to thank Alby, only for the older boy to get grabbed. He shouts Alby’s name, and moves to help him but Thomas is faster. He grabs Alby’s arm and tries to pull him down, but he gives Thomas a look. A look Newt knows far too well.

No, no no no, Alby don’t you dare!

“Thomas,” Alby says, “Get them out.”

No!

And then he let’s go and just like that Alby’s gone.

Newt’s stomach swoops and for the umpteenth time tonight he thinks he might be sick. One of his best friends is gone. For real this time. No miraculous comebacks, no second chances. Alby’s gone, and Newt refuses to let his sacrifice be in vain. 

When Thomas dashes for the door, Newt’s part of the chorus of ‘ Thomas, don’t ’. It doesn’t deter the brunette though, and Newt runs after him in an attempt to drag him back. He follows Thomas outside but freezes when he sees the glade. It’s still dark out, but the things he can see are ruined buildings and fires that burn freely. But the glade is silent. There are no grievers to be seen and the fires are too far away to be heard. 

A little ways off some figures are making their way to the small ground gathering in front of the destroyed meeting hall, and from the looks of it they are not happy. As the figures get closer Newt realizes it’s Gally and something tells him this won’t end well. He’s proven right when the first thing Gally does is march right up to Thomas and punch him in the face, sending him sprawling to the ground.

Gally shouts that it’s all Thomas’ fault as Newt and a few other boys push Gally back while shouting at him. The taller boy has really been getting on his nerves the last few days. He knows that Gally’s just scared, they all are, but that doesn’t mean he can go around blaming people for things outside their control. He can’t just go and blame Thomas because he doesn’t like him or his choices.

And he’s angry. He’s so unbelievably angry. Angry at the people who put them here, at the grievers for taking away his friends, at the maze for being so unforgiving. He’s angry at Gally for being such a fucking prick about everything. He’s hurt, too. He never stopped hurting since his first day in the glade. When he had to watch his friends die, when he felt like a part of him was missing and tried to throw himself off the maze wall. And failed. When he had to leave Ben for dead. When he thought he lost Minho, Alby and Tommy. And in the end he really did lose Alby. 

So yeah, he’s hurt and angry and he’s so fuckin’ sick of feeling that way, so he snaps.

“ Enough! ” Newt screams over the arguing and he feels his powers surge forward, responding to his emotions. He almost revels in the shocked silence as ice shoots out from under his feet, crackling as it travels outward. “That’s enough, Gally. It’s not Thomas’ fault! You can’t just go around blaming people for things out of their control just because you don’t like them! It’s. Not. His. Fault. ”

“It’s not his fault?” Gally growls, pushing back against the hands on his chest, “It’s absolutely his fault! This whole thing started when Thomas showed up! It’s just been one thing after another and it all leads back to him! You heard what Alby said. He put us here! ”

“We don’t know what Alby saw! And in case you haven’t noticed, none of us have our bloody memories! Just because Thomas may have been one of them doesn’t mean he is now! This isn’t his fault.”

“Then how do you explain that ?” Gally points to the ice at Newt’s feet, “Because I’m pretty damn sure you couldn’t do that before he got here.” 

“That doesn’t mean-”

“Yes it does, Newt! It means everything! Because you’re allowing yourself to be blinded! You’re so focused on hoping for a way out, that you fail to see Thomas’ shortcomings. He’s putting everyone in danger by being here and you just keep letting him go free! Maybe you aren’t fit to lead anymore.”

“ Excuse you -” 

“Thomas, no!”

Teresa and Chuck are shouting Thomas’ name and Newt spins around in time to watch Thomas’ eyes roll back in his skull and collapse in a twitching heap. He stung himself Newt realizes when he notices the stinger sticking out of Thomas’ thigh. Newt runs over and falls to his knees as Teresa does the same. She’s shouting at Chuck to go get the other syringe, but Newt has his gaze fixed on Thomas’ twitching form.

He scooches close to the brunette and brings his hands to drag Thomas’ head to rest on his lap. Teresa’s got a hand on his shoulder, trying to keep him still until they can give him the antidote. He feels helpless like this, Thomas’ head in his lap and Teresa next to him. He desperately wants to help, but he knows there’s nothing he can do until they get the syringe. 

So he grabs Thomas’ hand and squeezes. “What the hell was he thinking?”

“I don’t know,” Teresa says, shaking her head. “He said he had to know.”

“Know?” Newt echoes.

“He said he had to remember. Then he was stabbing himself with the stinger!”

“Damn it, Tommy.”

“I got it!” Chuck shouts, running towards them.

He hands the syringe to Teresa. She looks to Newt for confirmation, who nods, and then she’s jamming it into Thomas’ arm. Much like with Alby, Thomas relaxes almost immediately, going still in Newt’s grip and his chest rises and falls evenly. Thomas doesn’t even jerk when Teresa pulls the stinger from his leg. Newt breathes a sigh of relief. 

Now all they have to do is wait for Tommy to wake up.

Chapter Text

Gally takes over shortly afterward, convincing the others that Newt isn’t fit for the job and once he’s turned everyone to him, he orders Thomas and Teresa to be put in the pit. Newt tries to argue, but Gally just threatens to throw him in with them and Teresa shakes her head at him. He doesn’t like it, but Minho comes up next to him and places a comforting hand on Newt’s shoulder as they watch Thomas and Teresa get taken away. 

Chuck stands on the other side of Newt, watching with wide eyes. Newt brings a hand up to Chuck’s hair and ruffles it. He gives the boy a smile that he hopes is reassuring when Chuck looks up at him.

“They’ll be okay, Chuck.”

“Yeah,” Minho says, “Thomas is the most stubborn shank I’ve ever met. He’ll be fine.”

“Yeah…” Chuck says softly.

They stand like that for a bit, just soaking up each other's comfort. Eventually Chuck yawns and reminds them that they’ve been running on no sleep and adrenaline. So they decide to go find a place to try and get some sleep. Newt doubts Gally will be bothering the three of them until morning when he figures out what to do with Thomas and Teresa. 

They end up slumped against a large tree near the pit. Chuck passes out almost immediately, sandwiched between Newt and Minho. Newt let’s his head fall back against the trunk. It’s highly unlikely he’s going to get any sleep, even if he feels like he could sleep for days. He’s restless and no matter how much he wants to sleep, his body won’t let him.

“Whaddya think Gally’s gonna do to ‘em?” Newt asks, looking up at the leaves.

“I dunno.” Minho mutters, half asleep. “Can’t be anything good, though…”

When Minho doesn’t continue, Newt looks over to him. The runner is fast asleep against Chuck,  his head resting on top of Chuck’s and Chuck has his face in Minho's shoulder. Newt feels himself smile, glad that they’re able to get some sleep. His mind is still buzzing, thinking about everything that’s happened these past few days. All the people they’ve lost. 

It sits heavy in his chest. They’ve lost so many people and who knows how many they’ll lose by the end of this. He can feel it, knows it deep down. Their time in the maze is coming to an end and he couldn’t be more hopeful, but he knows it won’t be easy.

And god - he’s just so tired.

Tired of being angry, scared, of being so cut up inside he doesn’t even have the will to think past tomorrow. He’s so tired of grieving for people that should still be here. He’s the kind of tired that no amount of sleep can fix, the kind that never seems to end. 

There are tears welling up in his eyes, and for once, Newt lets them fall freely. He lets himself have this moment knowing that tomorrow is going to take all he has. He looks over to Minho and Chuck as he wipes away the tears on his cheeks. They are a few of the only people Newt has left, and he’s going to hold onto them as hard as he can. Tommy and Teresa, too. He can’t lose anyone else, he just can’t.

With this resolve in mind, Newt curls himself into Chuck’s side and wills himself to sleep.

----------------------

He’s awoken by Minho a few hours later.

The runner gently shakes him awake. He’s standing over Newt when the blonde finally opens his eyes. His face is pinched and Newt’s almost afraid to ask. He doesn’t have to though, Minho’s already talking as soon as Newt sits up.

“Ran into Gally,” Minho starts, “and it’s not good. He plans on banishing them at sundown.”

“Tommy?” Newt asks, taking the dried fruit Minho passes to him and gulping it down.

“Teresa, too. Seems like he wants to get rid of both of ‘em.” Minho says and that’s not really surprising. If Gally thinks Thomas is the cause of all of this, it’s not hard to believe he’d lump Teresa in the same category. “C’mon. Teresa’s awake and Chuck is with her.”

Newt nods and gratefully takes Minho’s outstretched hand. His leg has been cramping up since last night, tight and painful. He stands with a grunt, rubbing at his thigh once he’s upright. He follows behind Minho to the pit where Chuck waits. 

“Any change?” Minho asks as they get close.

“No…” Chuck says quietly, “Teresa said he hasn’t moved.”

“Don’t make it sound like he’s dead, Chuck. He’s okay.” Newt hears Teresa laugh lightly from the pit.

Minho crouches down next to Chuck, who’s got half his body against the bars. Newt copies him, trying to not put any weight on his bad leg. He ends up leaning against the bars with one arm propped up against Minho. It doesn’t do a lot to help the pain, but it’s better than putting all of his weight on his leg. Once he’s sitting, he chances a look down into the pit.

Teresa’s kneeling on the floor with Thomas’ head in her lap. He looks so peaceful when he’s asleep. If Newt didn’t know the idiot stung himself, he’d think Thomas was just finally getting some sleep. He hopes whatever Thomas is going through isn’t painful. They gave him the antidote not long after he collapsed, and he isn’t even sure if the changing had time to take effect.

Teresa asks about Gally and he thinks Minho responds, but his eyes zero in on her hand running through Thomas’ hair. Her other hand rests on his chest, rising and falling in time with his breath. Jealousy spikes in his stomach and he tries to will it down. That could’ve been him, but Teresa had stopped him by taking his place. He can’t help but wonder if that had been her goal the entire time. Newt’s swallows as he looks away from them, trying to shove his feelings down. 

He’s being petty. Teresa cares about Tommy, and yeah, maybe she pushed Newt away so she could be alone with him, but maybe she thought Newt would be better off outside. And it’s not like he owns Tommy, he’s his own person and they aren’t…together or anything. He has no reason to be jealous and petty.

He’s pulled from his thoughts as Chuck asks, “What the hell were you thinking?”

Newt would also like the know just what the bloody fuck Tommy had been thinking.

He looks down in time to see Thomas bolt upright and look up at them. He looks over at Teresa and then back up at them, his gaze lingering on Newt. “What happened?”

“Gally’s taken control.” Newt says with a sigh, “He said we had a choice. Either we join him or… get banished with you at sundown.”

Thomas closes his eyes and turns away for a moment. Then he stands with a sigh, brushing the dirt off his clothes and leans against the far wall. “And the others agreed to that?” He doesn’t sound upset, just disbelieving. 

“Gally has everyone convinced that you’re the reason all this has happened.” Teresa says, not meeting Thomas’ eyes.

Which honestly? It isn’t news. Gally had been telling anyone who would listen that Thomas was to blame. And Tommy doesn’t even look surprised, he just nods and keeps his eyes on the floor. “Well, he’s been right so far.”

“What?” Newt blurts at the same time Minho says, “What’re you talking about?”

“This place…” Thomas says as he looks up at them again, “it’s not what we thought it was. It’s not a prison, it’s a test. It all started when we were kids, they would give us these challenges. They were experimenting on us… and then people started disappearing. Every month, one after the other, like clockwork.”

“Sending them up into the maze.” Newt says, putting the pieces together. That honestly explains practically everything. How they got here, why they don’t remember, how the maze works. The only question left is why? Why were they put here? 

“Yeah, but not all of us.” And the look on his face makes Newt want to reach out and hug him.

But he can’t, so instead he asks, “What’d you mean?”

There’s a long pause where Thomas just looks at everyone for a second, before his eyes land on Newt again. He looks so guilty, eyes silently pleading for forgiveness Newt isn’t sure he understands. Please don’t hate me too , he seems to be saying.

“Guys, I’m one of them.”

No one moves. They all just stare at Thomas, confused. It doesn’t make any sense. How could someone who put them here want to lead them out so badly? If Thomas really is one of them, then why is he here? Newt can’t wrap his head around it.

“The people who put you here?” Thomas continues, “I worked with them. I- I watched you guys for years . The entire time you’ve been here I… I was on the other side of it. So were you.”

Teresa snaps her head up, staring at Thomas. “What?”

“Teresa, we did this to them.”

“No. N-no, that- it can’t be true.”

Newt takes a moment to try and process as Thomas and Teresa begin to argue. He runs a hand over his mouth as he thinks. If they both worked for Wicked, if they’re both supposed to be bad people, then why are they here? And clearly, unless this is all some sort of trick, Thomas and Teresa don’t want to be a part of that anymore. Maybe it’s because they don’t have their memories, or maybe they had a change of heart, who knows. But Newt refuses to believe they did it willingly, that Tommy did it willingly. It doesn’t matter who they were anymore, it only matters what they do now.

“-it doesn’t matter.” Is all Newt hears when he tunes back into the conversation.

Seems they’re on the same page.

“He’s right.” Newt says, eyes scanning over everyone. “It doesn’t matter. Any of it. Those people we were before the maze? They don’t exist anymore. Thanks to whoever made this place. We can’t dwell on it. But what does matter now is who we are and what we do, right now .” Everyone’s looking at him, but he’s only speaking to Thomas now. “You went out into the maze and found a way out.”

“Yeah, and if I hadn’t, maybe Alby would still be alive right now.”

Thinking of Alby hurts, but he promised he won’t let his sacrifice be in vain. 

“Maybe… But I know that if he was here right now, he’d be saying the exact same thing. Now pick your arse up and finish what you started. Because if we do nothing, then it means Alby died for nothing, and I can’t have that. You hear me, Tommy?”

Thomas nods. “Yeah. Yeah alright, Newt. I hear you.”

“Good. Now what’s the plan?”

----------------------

Newt does not like the plan.

But it’s the best they’ve got. So Newt sucks it up, reels in his emotions so his powers don’t come bubbling up to the surface. He gives Thomas the silent ‘stay safe’, pointing in fingers from his chest to the other boy’s before he leaves. Thomas nods to him and tries to give him a reassuring smile, but it looks more like a grimace. 

The plan is overall quite simple. It just requires timing and possible danger. Minho, Chuck, and Newt are going to hang around the glade and pretend to side with Gally as they gather whatever supplies they can without drawing attention to themselves while they wait for sundown. Meanwhile, Thomas is going to pretend to still be unconscious and Teresa is going to play along. When Thomas and Teresa are being banished, that’s when they’ll step forward and escape. Thomas wants to try and convince others to join them, and they all agreed. 

They need to save as many people as possible. There’s no telling what will become of the maze once they’re gone. 

Newt sends Chuck to gather food and running gear, while he and Minho go find whatever weapons they can. If they’re heading into the maze after sundown, they’re gonna need all the help they can get. They’re helping sift through the wreckage of last night's events, trying to find anything of use. 

It’s a lot easier said than done. Most, if not all, the buildings were smashed or run through by grievers. There are a handful of buildings still standing, but they’re either missing large chunks or are so burnt they look like they’ll crumble the second you touch them. 

He and Minho manage to cobble together a small group of machetes, knives, staffs and spears. It’s not a lot, but it’ll have to do. Newt slides his own machete into its sheath and helps Minho hide the pile somewhere they can get to easily. They go and sit not too far away from the hidden stash once they’re done, Newt pulling out his journal and Minho using his knife to whittle a spear.

Newt writes out everything that’s happened the night before. The grievers, how he and Thomas ended up pressed together -- something his brain keeps replaying -- and his fight with Gally before Thomas stung himself. He always feels a little bit lighter when he writes, but right now it does little to settle the pit in his stomach.

This could be the last day he ever spends in this god forsaken maze, and he couldn’t be more hopeful that they’ll make it out…but it’s also dangerous. They’ll be running into the maze at night, where the grievers will come after them. Yes, they managed to survive them last night, but barely. He can’t help but feel like something is going to go horribly wrong. He trusts Tommy, maybe more than he should, but he can’t help but worry.

Thankfully, Minho seems to notice. “We’ll be fine, Newt.” The runner says, lowering the now sharpened spear. “You ran through the maze, you know what it looks like. Thomas and I know where we’re going. We’ll make it out, Newt. We have to.”

“I know, Minho. The plan’ll work, I just can’t shake the feeling something’s going to go wrong.”

“If it does, we’ll get through it. We always do.” Minho gives him a big grin and Newt almost feels a little better. “Now, c’mon ya shank. It’s almost time.”

----------------------

Watching Thomas and Teresa get dragged in front of the door makes his pulse spike. He can feel the adrenaline setting in, especially when Gally shares the fact that he plans on sacrificing them rather than letting them go. He should have known. Gally is convinced that everything will go back to normal if they make peace with the grievers. Those damn things don’t have a sense of peace and Gally’s a bloody fool if he thinks that’ll save them.  

Newt wants to step forward, but he tries to keep himself still. They have to wait for Thomas to fight back. He stands next to Minho and watches as Teresa gets tied to one of the poles. He feels a tap on the back of his hand, a simple reminder from Minho that he’s not alone. Newt exhales heavily from his nose. He sees Chuck carrying as much as he can out of the corner of his eye. He stays on the outskirts of the group, waiting for Thomas.

The two boys tasked with tying up Thomas seem reluctant, hovering when Gally barks the order. The second time he tells them to tie Thomas up, they listen, but Newt thinks there might be hope to convince them to leave. The second they begin to pick him up Thomas fights back, elbowing one boy in the gut and grabbing his staff which he then uses to push the other boy away.

Newt and Minho move together, heading for the door. Newt unsheathes his machete and cuts Teresa’s bindings as he passes, grabbing her elbow and guiding her away. Minho pulls his knives out and uses one to keep Gally frozen in place as they all move for the door. Chuck comes tumbling along and hides behind Teresa. Frypan joins them, heading to stand near Teresa. Newt stands near Thomas, machete out while Thomas holds his staff poised to strike.

“You’re full of surprises, aren’t you?” Gally spreads his arms in exasperation once Minho has joined them by the door.

“You don’t have to come with us,” Thomas says, “but we are leaving. Anyone who wants to come, now’s your last chance.”

Gally scowls. “Don’t listen to him, he’s just trying to scare you.”

“No, I’m not trying to scare you. You’re already scared. Alright? I’m scared . But I'd rather risk my life out there than be stuck living in here.” Thomas shakes his head, “We don’t belong here. Okay, this place? It isn’t our home. We were put here. We were trapped here. At least, out there we’d have a choice.”

Gally looks back at the boys, suddenly looking very worried. And from the rest of the boys’ expressions, it seems like Tommy’s speech is working.

“We can make it out of here. I know we can.”

That seems to be what wins them over. Newt watches as Winston steps forward, followed by Jeff, and slowly the other boys come to join them. Not all of them, those closest to Gally can’t be swayed. Newt silently grieves for these boys, knowing the grievers will kill them before they can fight back.

“Gally, it’s over.” Thomas pleads, “Just come with us.”

The other boy just stares at him for a moment. “Good luck against the grievers.”

Gally’s answer is clear. So Newt reaches for Thomas’ shoulder and gives it a gentle squeeze. He nods to the brunette when he turns to look at him and Thomas nods back. It’s time to go. Thomas looks over at Minho and nods. 

Minho nods back before addressing their group. “Alright everyone, follow me.”

They weave their way through the maze, following Minho and Thomas. Newt tries his best to stick close to Thomas, but running with a limp isn’t easy. He ends up leaning against Thomas a little as they run. Chuck passed out what he had with Teresa’s help, allowing those who weren’t prepared for this long run to ready themselves. Night is quickly approaching and they all know what awaits them. 

Newt swallows the bitter memories as they run, trying to push his time as a runner out of his mind. The last time he was in the maze, he hadn’t intended on leaving. Not alive, anyway. But he did, and he couldn’t be glad he did, but the memories are still laced with pain. It keeps him motivated, knowing that he’s finally getting out of the goddamned maze. 

They manage to get to sector seven just before night falls completely. It’s getting darker by the minute and it’s becoming harder to see. There’s a griever at the end of the corridor, guarding their escape. Minho hands the tacker to Chuck, telling him to stay behind them. Teresa volunteers to stay with him and for that, Newt is grateful. Chuck shouldn’t be alone through this, and Teresa can take care of herself. 

“We stay close, we stay together . We get out of this. We get out now…or we die trying.”

And well, that’s not the most motivational thing Tommy has ever said. Newt catches his eyes and they share a nod. ‘ Stay alive, Tommy. For me.’ Newt thinks, watching Thomas’ face as he calls them into action.

“Ready?” Thomas asks. Everyone shuffles and prepares themselves. Some pull out their weapons while others shake themselves out. Newt holds onto his machete tightly, acutely aware of the adrenaline running through his veins, bringing his powers up just beneath his skin. “All right. Let’s go!”

With a cry that ripples through the group they move as one, heading down the corridor. The griever gives an answering roar and charges at them. They meet in the middle and the griever is immediately pushed back and to the side by staffs and spears. Newt helps push people forward and around the griever, aware of the chasm below. 

The griever tries to fight back, but is once again pushed away. Teresa and Chuck run to the end of the corridor and Newt follows. He sticks close to the group in an attempt to keep out of the open. He ducks as the griever’s tail swipes at them, latching onto a boy and tossing him to the chasm below. They attempt to push it back again, but it sends one giant leg down and into the stone, using it as an anchor as it swipes at them.

Newt hears Chuck yell over the noise and turns to look at him. The younger boy is pointing at the edge closest to the group and Newt gulps, eyes wide. There are two more grievers clawing their way up the side from the chasm. Calling on his power, Newt sends a blast of ice at the ground where the grievers have dug in. It sends one down into the darkness, but the other walks around it and begins to charge. 

The original griever gives a screech as the boys send it down the side. The new griever roars as it runs at them, drawing everyone’s attention. It’s blocking their path and Newt’s not sure they’ll be able to get around it. So, calling on his powers again, Newt drops to his knees and places both palms on the ground. He visualizes the ice spreading from his hands out, surrounding the griever and up it’s legs. That’s his intent, to immobilize it while still leaving space for the others to get around.

The ice spreads out from his hands and moves toward the griever as it cracks and creaks. It crawls up the griever’s legs, pinning it in place. But Newt’s ice is still weak and it doesn’t take long for the griever to start struggling. The ice is already starting to crack, and they need to move now .

“Go!” Newt shouts, keeping his hands in place as he sends another rush of ice toward the griever. The group of boys splits as they run past the griever, carefully dodging the tail as it whips around. Thomas and Minho are still standing near him and Newt turns to look at them. “Go! I’m right behind you!”

Minho grabs Thomas’ arm and pulls him away. They manage to clear the griever before it breaks free, leaving Newt alone with it. There’s ice shards all over the place and Newt hisses as one hits his face. It cuts into his cheek as it sails by. He hears Thomas call his name, joined by other voices. The griever advances on him and Newt scrambles backward, falling back on his ass. 

Newt looks up at the griever, watching its tail curling, poised to strike. The griever’s tail comes down, aiming to grab him, but Newt has survived too much to die here in this fucking maze at the hands of a fucked up lab experiment. He throws himself forward and under the griever, crawling his way toward the group. With a screech, the griever spins around and swipes its tail at him, but Newt is faster.

He twists around and aims a blast of ice right at the griever’s face. It stumbles backward, blinded and Newt makes a break for it, pushing himself up and racing toward the group of boys. He collides with Thomas, knocking him back. An arm wraps around his waist and pulls, helping him regain his footing.

Minho’s shouting numbers when a griever comes from above, knocking the runner to the ground. The only thing that keeps Minho from getting his head torn off is his spear. It’s wedged inside the griever’s mouth, keeping it open. Before Newt can move, Jeff cries out and runs forward, machete in hand. He brings it down on the griever’s head, causing it to scream and release Minho. Minho lets go of his spear and scrambles back. Jeff tries to back away, but the griever lurches forward and catches him in it’s mouth, biting down. His screams fill the space as it pulls him behind the other griever who makes it’s way toward them. They back up into the tunnel as Teresa finishes the sequence, causing the corridor to shut down. They all freeze as the walls close in on the grievers, plunging them into darkness. 

It’s silent for a few moments, save for their breathing, before the door opens and lets in light. Teresa pushes the door open fully and steps inside. One by one, they all follow her. Inside is a giant hallway that isn’t unlike the maze, Newt thinks. It’s long and full of twists and turns, but it’s illuminated by the lights on the ceiling -- the ceiling! 

Newt takes a moment to catch his breath while the others inspect the hallway. There’s frost curling up his forearms and he can feel it on his cheeks. Even his hair feels a little heavy in it’s ponytail and there’s something cold swiping over his forehead. His fingertips are tinged blue, and he can see his breath in front of him. He rubs his palms on his pants in an attempt to melt the frost. It wipes away easily, but the blue on his fingertips lingers. 

He looks up to watch Teresa lead the group down the hallway. Thomas lingers behind, like he’s waiting for Newt to catch up. With a grunt -- his leg suddenly feels heavy -- he makes his way over to the brunette and joins the group. The group itself is much smaller than before and it makes his heart hurt. Teresa leads them with Chuck trailing behind her, holding hands. Minho and Frypan are standing with Winston, who helps another boy along. Another guy is on the other side, keeping Winston from taking all the boy’s weight. Newt and Thomas being up the rear.

The first door they come across says ‘Exit’, and that just seems a little too easy and Fry seems to agree. But they step through it anyway, and the sight that greets them isn’t what he’d been expecting at all. There’s another small hallway littered with bodies, and the glass doors at the end makes it obvious there are even more bodies inside. Blood stains the walls and floor, the smell strong and metallic. There are bullets on the ground and bullet holes in the walls.

Clearly whoever came here wasn’t messing around.

They make their way into the main room and Newt can’t contain his gasp. Among the bodies on the ground are large tables filled with glass screens and monitors filled with advanced technologies. They make their way around the room, splitting up to cover more ground. Newt and Frypan walk by a wall of monitors full of recordings, brain scans, and a bunch of medical files. 

“So they were watching us.” He says bitterly. “This whole time.”

He was right, but that revelation doesn’t come with any satisfaction. Newt suddenly feels a lot less bad for these people. They watched them suffer -- watched them die -- while they were safe in this room. There’s bitterness on his tongue as he turns away.  He walks past Thomas who’s looking down at a screen. He reaches out with a shaky hand and presses the little flashing button. 

For a second it doesn’t seem like it did anything, until a woman starts speaking.

“Hello, my name is Doctor Ava Paige.” Her voice causes them all to turn their heads. “I’m the director of Operations of the World Catastrophe Killzone Department. If you’re watching this, that means you’ve successfully completed the Maze Trials.” Newt follows Thomas to the front of the room where Ava sits on the screen. The others join them. “I wish I could be there in person to congratulate you, but circumstances seem to have prevented it.

I’m sure by now, you all must be very confused, angry, frightened. I can only assure you that everything that happened to you, everything we’ve done to you, was all done for a reason. You won’t remember, but the sun has scorched our world. Billions of lives lost to fire, famine, and suffering on a global scale.”

As she speaks, there are pictures and videos proving her words. It’s awful and Newt wants to look away, but he can’t. That feeling only grows as Ava continues, showing more horrific images. He feels a hand slip into his followed by a squeeze. Knowing it’s Tommy, Newt squeezes back.

“The fallout was unimaginable. What came after was worse… We called in the Flare. A deadly virus that attacks the brain. It is violent, unpredictable, incurable. Or so we thought… In time, a new generation emerged that could survive the virus. Suddenly, there was a reason to hope for a cure. But finding it would not be easy.

The young would have to be tested, even sacrificed inside harsh environments where their brain activity could be studied. All in an effort to understand what makes them different; what makes you different. You may not realize it, but you’re very important. Unfortunately, your trials have only just begun. As you’ll no doubt soon discover, not everyone agrees with our methods. 

Progress is slow, people are scared.” In the background, there are people being shot. That explains all the bodies, but not where the other people went. “It may be too late for us, for me, but not for you. The outside world awaits.” She raises a gun to her temple. “Remember…Wicked is good.” 

And then she pulls the trigger.

Newt flinches at the noise, and he watches Thomas turn away with his eyes shut. The screen goes dark almost as soon as the gun goes off, and Newt’s grateful. He isn’t sure he can stomach watching another death right now. He gives Thomas’ hand a squeeze and the boy looks up at him. His eyes are wet and Newt really wants to pull him into a hug. Then Thomas’ eyes stray, looking over Newt’s shoulder. He turns to look and see Ava's body.

Thomas lets go of his hand and pushes his way past Newt and Frypan to get closer. Her body is in another room separated by glass. Everyone turns to look at Thomas then Ava, moving forward with him. The door next to them suddenly slides open, causing them to jump. It’s yet another dark hallway leading to who knows where, but judging from the light coming from it, it probably leads outside. 

“Is it over?” Chuck asks, standing next to Thomas. 

“She said we were important.” Newt says, looking at Thomas. “What’re we supposed to do now?”

Thomas shakes his head and looks from Chuck to Newt. “I-I don’t know.” He looks back at the door. “Let’s get out of here.”

Well, Newt’s all for that plan.

“No.”

Gally’s voice cuts through the silence. Newt turns his head and Gally stands behind them. But looks off, twitchy and scared. His face is pinched like he’s about to cry. He’s got a gun in one hand and a griever key in the other. It takes a moment for Newt to realize what’s wrong.

“Gally?”  

Thomas steps forward but Teresa stops him. “Don’t. He’s been stung.”

“We can’t leave.” Gally shakes his head, “We can’t.”

“We did, Gally, we’re out. We’re free.”

Thomas has his hands up in a placating gesture, but it only riles him up.

“Free?” Gally scoffs, “You think we’re free out there? No. No, there’s no escape from this place. There’s no leaving. I belong to the maze, we all do,”

He raises his gun and it’s so quick it doesn’t really register. One second they’re standing there and the next Gally’s got a spear in his chest and Teresa and Newt have Chuck pressed behind them. Gully drops the gun and sinks down until he’s laying on his side on the floor. They stand there in shock for a second, trying to comprehend what just happened. Newt silently glances everyone over, making sure no one was accidentally shot. 

Everyone seems unharmed, albeit a little shaken. Newt breathes a sigh of relief. He’s not happy about what happened to Gally, it twists in his gut, but there was no way to save him. They didn’t have an antidote and he put them all in danger. He’s just glad no one else got hurt.

Suddenly the exit door opens, blinding them all temporarily. Then there are figures blocking out the light and the closer they get, Newt realizes who they are. These are the same people who killed all these people. They start shouting at them and grabbing at them, dragging them out of the room. 

Chuck stays plastered to Teresa’s side, and Thomas to Newt’s. They’re all dragged outside and it’s not what he was expecting. There’s sand everywhere and it’s so buggin’ bright he can’t see a thing. They’re all loading into a helicopter, which is loud as is and the sand gets kicked up by the wind it creates. 

There’s a lot of shouting and shuffling before they’re all settled in the helicopter. Minho is against one wall, sitting next to Chuck who’s sandwiched between him and Teresa. Winston sits on her other side. Frypan is sitting with the other boys, while Newt and Thomas sit against the other wall.

One guy takes his mask off and addresses the group. “You guys alright? Don’t worry. You’re safe now.”

They fly over the maze and Newt relaxes against Thomas, feeling better than he has in a long time.

Chapter Text

Newt lays in his bunk, the day replaying through his mind.

The ride to the facility had been short but tense. While they were thankful that these people rescued them, they don’t know these people. It feels reasonable to be wary of new people. He and Minho had a shared look shortly after they’d taken off, the other boy seemingly sharing the sentiment. They couldn’t trust these people, at least not yet. 

Thomas had fallen asleep quickly, using Newt’s shoulder as a pillow. He didn’t dare move as the brunette slept, pointedly ignoring Minho’s smirk. His gaze moved to Teresa and Chuck, their sides pressed together. Chuck looked a little frightened, but also like he was trying hard to be brave. Teresa on the other hand had a faraway look in her eyes. Like she wasn’t all there. 

When they landed the people started shouting and pushed their group out of the helicopter. The gunfire made Newt want to clamp his hands over his ears and the kicked up sand made it hard to see. He’d been separated from Minho and Thomas as they were moved, deciding to stick close to Chuck. They were ushered toward a large door that slammed shut once they were all inside.

The facility wasn’t what Newt was expecting. It was full of cargo boxes and guards who stood around holding guns. It was large, so large that if you spoke loud enough it would echo. And that was just the main hanger, the rest of the facility is full of long hallways and corridors leading to different rooms. Medical rooms, the cafeteria, the rooms where they slept, and other rooms they were told to stay away from.

If that didn’t set him a little on edge, then Janson definitely did. He just seemed like a smarmy git and Newt didn’t want to be near him any longer than necessary. ‘Rat Man’ as they started calling him, and Newt thought it was fitting. 

After they’d been fed, bathed, and clothed, they were taken to the medical wing. That was when Teresa was separated from them. It made sense. She was a girl and obviously she would be put with other girls. It was just a bit...unsettling being away from one of their own where they couldn’t see her, couldn’t know if she was okay. 

Once they’d been deemed healthy, they were sent to meet the others. Others . Because of course they weren’t the only maze, the only kids to be tortured in the name of finding a cure. Wicked were a bunch of right foul bastards if you asked him. It still makes his blood boil to think about all the harm they caused and Newt tries to stamp it down. The last thing he needs right now is powers reacting to his emotions. 

Speaking of, he’s surprised the doctors and staff didn’t have anything to say about his powers. Surely there must have been some indication that something was off. He may have lost his memories but he’s pretty sure people don’t just get ice powers out of nowhere! But, he supposes, if they aren’t going to say anything, neither will he. They need to lay low and just enjoy being safe from Wicked. 

The room is dark, the only light coming from the window in the door that locked behind them. Newt stares up at the ceiling, listening to the faint breathing of his friends. Minho took the bunk below him and if Newt turns his head he’d be able to make out Chuck on the other bunk next to him. Below Chuck is Thomas, who’s been suspiciously quiet since they arrived. He asked about Teresa once while they were with the doctors, but then went silent until he passed out once his head hit the pillow. Frypan and Winston took another bunk close to them. It brings Newt some peace, knowing they’re close by.

Feeling safe and comforted by his friends being near, Newt sinks into sleep.

----------------------

He should have known that Thomas wouldn’t be able to sit still. 

The next morning they’re sitting at a table, eating breakfast and chatting with some of the other kids. Newt has to keep his anger in check so he doesn’t accidentally freeze his fork as he eats. Thomas sits next to him, their thighs pressed together. The brunette is fidgety and moves his food around his tray absentmindedly. Minho sits across from them with Winston and Jeff, talking to some boys from another maze.

He has to remember that they’re safe from Wicked now. There won’t be anymore mazes, no more fear. Newt forces himself to relax, tuning in to Minho’s conversation. 

“There was this big, loud explosion, and these guys came out of nowhere. Started shooting up the place.” One guy says, looking at Minho. “It was intense. They pulled us out the maze and brought us here.”

“What about the rest?” Minho asks. The guy gives him a questioning look, confused, and Newt cuts in.

“The other people left behind in the maze, what happened to them?”

The boy shakes his head and shrugs, “I dunno. I guess Wicked still has ‘em.”

Next to him, Thomas heaves a sigh. He looks over in time to see Chuck reach over and poke Thomas with his fork, causing the boy to look up at him. Chuck starts to talk animatedly at Thomas who smiles and nods along.

Newt turns back to Minho and the other boy, who’s pointing at a boy across the room. He’s apparently been here the longest. No one knows his name and he keeps to himself. The others think he’s a little weird and Newt’s inclined to agree. 

“His maze was nothing but girls.” Another boy pipes up, looking a little miffed.

“Really?” Minho smirks.

“Some guys have all the luck.” The first guy says and goes back to eating.

Newt can’t relate. He’s not sure if it was something he picked up after losing his memories or not, but all he knows is that while girls are pretty, they’re not pretty in a way he’s attracted to. But boys are. He found himself attracted to some of the boys in the glade, but it never led to anything.

And it was nothing like his attraction to Thomas .

Tommy is impulsive and reckless, Newt would be lying if he said he didn’t find it a little attractive, but he’s also caring and deeply loyal. He refuses to rest until everyone is safe, seemingly trying to fix every problem, burdening himself with everyone’s feelings. It’s those traits that Newt sees in himself, too. 

And he’s pretty, too. Bloody hell is Tommy pretty. With his soft bambi brown eyes, the moles that dot his skin, his blinding smiles and that slightly up-turned nose. He’s stronger than he looks, Newt should know with the amount of times he’s been pressed up against the other boy. And his hands, Lord , don't get him started. 

He feels his face heat as his thoughts take a turn. He feels a little silly sitting there waxing poetic about the other boy.

Newt’s more than a little grateful when Janson comes into the room, pulling him from his thoughts. “Good morning gentleman, ladies. You all know how this works, when you hear your name please rise in an orderly fashion and join my associates behind me they will escort you to the eastern wing. Your new lives are about to begin.” 

The room fills with applause as Janson begins to read out the names. One by one people get up and stand behind him until there’s a small group of kids standing there. Newt releases a breath he didn’t know he was holding. He’s both relieved and a little upset that no one from their maze was chosen. He’s not sure how the others, let alone himself, would react to being separated from each other.

He doesn’t even realize there’s frost on his fingers, ice beginning to form on the handle of his fork, until Thomas throws his hand over his in an attempt to hide it. Newt quickly drops the fork and brings his hand below the table, Thomas’ hand still resting over his. He prays to whatever powers might be out there that the ice melts before anyone can notice. Thankfully they’re all too focused on Janson to notice. 

When he’s done reading names, groaning fills the room. “Now, now, don’t get discouraged. If I could take more of you I would. There’s always tomorrow. Your time will come.” And with that he leads the small group past the guards blocking the door and out of the room. 

“Where they goin’?” Minho asks once the boys turn back around.

“Far from here.” The first guy says, shaking his head. “Lucky bastards.”

The second boy speaks up. “Some kind of farm. A safe place. They can only take in a few people at a time.”

And doesn’t that sound nice, having somewhere to go and truly be free from Wicked and the horrors that lie in the scorch. Even with the vague description, it sounds better than staying in the facility. Cold and empty, it’s not exactly homey. It’s unfortunate that they’re only taking a few at a time, but Newt’s a little thankful. Being separated from the others really isn’t something he wants to think about.

“What the hell?” Thomas suddenly asks, getting up from the table and walking over to windows on one wall. “Teresa?”

Teresa has her back to them as she walks down the hallway, flanked by some medical staff. He calls out to her again, trying to keep up as she walks by. She turns her head to look at him right before she disappears around the corner. The guards near the door stop Thomas as he nearly walks directly into them. Newt can’t make out what they’re saying, begin so far away, but Thomas’ shoulders are tight.

A stressed Tommy is a reckless Tommy. 

Newt’s about to stand, make his way over and pull Thomas away when Janson comes back through the door. There’s a few moments of talking, then Thomas is being led out by Janson. Thomas looks at him briefly, a silent ‘ I’m fine ’ as he’s led away. Honestly, Newt’s not sure if he believes him.

“What was that about?” Minho asks, head turned toward the exit.

Newt looks to Minho then back at the door, “No clue. Let’s just hope Tommy can reign in his impulses for once.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Chuck pipes up, looking at Newt.

“It means Thomas is an idiot who gets himself into trouble.” Frypan says, pulling a laugh from Minho and Newt.

“Exactly, now hush up and eat. You need the food. God knows we didn’t have enough in the glade.” Newt points at Chuck, giving him his ‘ don’t argue with me ’ look.

“But it’s not as good as Fry’s!” Chuck whines. He pushes his tray away from him. “Besides! You didn’t make Thomas eat it!”

“That’s because Tommy doesn’t listen to anyone.” 

“He listens to you!”

“He’s right, ya know.” Minho cuts in, “He’s always looking at you for approval.” 

Newt pretends that doesn’t warm something in his chest as he pushes Chuck’s tray back to him.

----------------------

By the time they’re led back to the bunk room, Thomas trails in behind them. The sound of the door locking echoes around the room. Newt’s still not sure why they lock them in, but he tries not to think about it. It’s probably just a security measure. Everyone breaks off and climbs onto their beds, chatting and winding down. He’s about to pull himself up onto his bunk when Tommy heads toward him.

“What’d you think they want with Teresa?” 

Thomas wrings his hands and Newt has the impulse to cover them with his own. “Listen, if there’s one thing I know about that girl, it’s that she can take care of herself.” Newt reaches out then, pulling Thomas’ hands apart and cupping them with his own. “Try not to worry, yeah? She’ll be fine Tommy.”

He gives Tommy a smile, squeezes his hands, then drops them when Thomas nods back with a tiny smile that doesn’t quite meet his eyes. Newt lets out a soft sigh knowing the other boy isn’t convinced. He turns around anyway and climbs up the ladder to his bunk. The other boy is still staring at him when he turns around. Newt feels his ears heat under the other boy’s gaze.

“Get a room!” Minho shouts, causing a ripple of snickers that only makes the heat in his face worse.

Tommy seems to be in the same boat, his cheeks dusted with pink. “Shut up, Minho.”

----------------------

Newt is very rudely awakened by his shoulder being shaken.

He makes a questioning noise as he struggles to open his eyes. He pulls himself upright sluggish, rubbing at his eyes and grumbling. He’s just not a morning person, okay? So whoever’s decided to wake him up better have a damn good reason. It’s still dark when he finally opens his eyes. They better have a really fucking good reason for waking him up before they’re even supposed to be up.

“Newt?”

Oh. Of course it’s Tommy.

“Tommy?” Newt whispers, turning his head to see Thomas standing on the ladder to his bed. “What the hell are you doing? What time is it?”

“Sorry,” Thomas winces, “I know you don’t like being woken up, but this is important!”

Newt’s brain is still lagging behind, so he just motions for the other boy to join him on the bed while he waits for his brain to finally boot up. Thomas quickly pulls himself up and situates himself next to the blonde, thighs pressed together. He’s thankful that Tommy doesn’t start talking right away, but he can tell the silence won’t last long.

“Alright, let’s hear it then.”

At Newt’s prompting, Thomas launches into his story. “Okay, so I couldn’t sleep and suddenly there was this voice - I know how it sounds, don’t give me that look - and when I looked under my bed there was this kid in the vent below the bed.” Newt still isn’t fully awake, but even with his foggy head, that doesn’t sound right. “He said he had something to show me so I followed him. Yes, I know that wasn’t a very smart decision, shut up.”

Newt raises his hands in mock surrender. “I didn’t say anything.” He was definitely thinking it though.

“You were thinking it.” Tommy mutters, shaking his head. “Anyway, I followed him and he led me to the vents to a hallway. At first I thought he was crazy, but there the doctor from before - the one with Teresa - she unlocked a door and then there were these carts with screens on them. It looked like they were monitoring bodies. We couldn’t see anything under the tarps, but the screens definitely showed human bodies. Aris says he hasn’t seen any of them come out and-”

“Wait,” Newt throws his hand up, “Aris watched this? Who the hell is this kid?”

“He’s the guy who’s been here the longest. The kid those guys pointed at yesterday.”

“Okay, so that bit checks out. And he’s seen this before?”

“Yes. He doesn’t think anyone ever really leaves this place… He’s never seen them come out.”

“Wait, so he’s been inside?”

“Well, no, not exactly.”

“So we’re not sure what’s back there, then.”

Thomas opens his mouth to argue, but then shuts it and turns away from Newt. The blonde feels a little bad. He doesn’t want to invalidate Tommy’s worries, he’s just a little sceptical about the whole thing. He tries to communicate this.

“I don’t mean to dismiss your concerns, Tommy. I’m just worried you’re getting ahead of yourself. We don’t really know what’s going on.”

“Then we should find out!” Thomas hisses, whipping his head back to face Newt. 

“Tommy…”

“What?”

“We can’t just go around making accusations and causing trouble.” Newt grabs Thomas' wrist and gives it a gentle squeeze. “I know you want to figure this out, but right now we need to lay low, alright?”

“Yeah, alright.” Thomas says after a moment of silence. “But I'm not letting this go.”

“I don’t ‘pect you to.” Newt nods, “I just want ya to think this through.”

“Okay.”

“Good. Now get outta here. I’d like to go back to sleep, thank you.” Newt releases Thomas’ wrist and makes a shooing motion with his hand.

“Can I just stay here?” Thomas questions, leaning into Newt’s space with a small smirk on his lips.

If Newt didn’t know any better, he’d think Thomas was flirting with him.

“If you want?” It comes out as more of a question than a statement in his confusion.

The smile Thomas gives him is worth it though. “Sweet. Thanks, Newt.”

He looks like he wants to say something else, but then Thomas throws himself down onto the mattress and pressed his back to the wall, leaving room for Newt to lay next to him. It’s a tight fit, and they’re pressed up against each other, but at this point what else is new. So he settles in and closes his eyes and let’s sleep pull him down.

----------------------

When Newt wakes up this time, he feels a lot more rested.

The other boys in the room are up and getting ready for breakfast, milling around and talking amongst themselves. Thomas is still laying behind him, completely plastered to Newt’s back, clinging to him in his sleep. The blonde feels his face flush as he carefully tries to extract himself from Thomas’ grip without waking him.

He doesn’t get far.

“Oh, I see the love birds are awake!” Minho says loudly, broadcasting it to everyone in the room.

Newt buries his head in his hands for a moment, wishing desperately for Minho to shut his mouth. The noise startles Thomas awake. He jerks upright and narrowly misses knocking his shoulder into Newt’s hands, and by extension, his face.

“Whazzit?” Thomas slurs as he rubs at his eyes.

“There they are!” Minho continues with a snicker.

“Shut up, Minho!” Newt groans into his hands and then runs them down his face and then up into his hair.

Thankfully Minho seems to listen and the talking starts up again. It takes a few more moments before Newt feels his face cool and he lets out a sigh. Thomas’ face is suddenly inches away from his own and Newt instinctively throws himself backward in surprise. The momentum nearly sends him over the railing, but then there are hands on his sides yanking him back up. 

But the fun doesn’t stop there, oh no. The yank sends him forward this time and straight into Thomas, who falls back from the force and lands on his back with Newt hovering above him. Newt’s got his hands planted on either side of the other boy’s head and Thomas still has his hands on Newt’s waist. They’re faces are even closer than before and Newt can’t stop himself from thinking about how easy it would be to lean down and kiss the boy beneath him.

Beneath him, oh shit-

Newt scrambles backwards farther down the bed, face once again warm as embarrassment washes over him. He can feel everyone looking at him, Thomas included, so he pointedly looks away from them all. Bloody hell, it seems today is the day he makes a fool of himself. 

“You okay?” Thomas asks quietly.

Newt just nods and moves to the ladder. Once he’s off the bed, he makes his escape to the small bathroom connected to their room. He hides there until they’re taken to the canteen for breakfast.

----------------------

Thankfully by the time everyone’s eaten no one seems to care about The Incident. Yes, Newt has dubbed it that in his mind. It’s not even that big of a deal, really. It was just an accident and Thomas was just making sure he was okay. It’s not the other boy’s fault that Newt can’t get a grip. I’m just glad my powers didn’t surface… We don’t really need that right now.  

Breakfast goes fine. Everyone chats while they eat. Minho and Chuck are deep in a conversation with Frypan, Thomas interjecting ever so often. Winston’s listening, but he was never much of a talker. 

Newt watches quietly and combs his fingers through his hair. He did bother pulling it back this morning, too overwhelmed by the, well, The Incident. It’s soothing, in a way, to comb his fingers through his hair. It falls just past his shoulders and while it’s a hassle to take care of he doesn’t want to cut it. He remembers the way the ice clung to his hair when he fought the griever. Something tells him he may have over done it.

With a sigh Newt pulls his hair back into a low ponytail. He looks up to see Thomas staring at him. The blonde raises an eyebrow in question, but Thomas just shakes his head and looks away. There’s a moment of confusion on Newt’s part but Thomas looks back at him and leans close.

“I wanna know what’s behind that door…”

Newt groans internally. So much for laying low. “Now we’ve been over this, Tommy. You guys don’t know what you saw.” Janson comes into the room, beginning to read off names. Thomas doesn’t take his eyes off the man. “It could’ve been anything.”

Thomas hums in lieu of an answer. Minho, however, is intrigued. “What are you shanks talking about? What door?”

“Aris led me to a door, last night.” Damn it, Tommy. “I swear, there were dead bodies. We don’t think anyone actually gets to leave.”

That pulls everyone else in. “Who’s Aris?” Frypan asks, raising an eyebrow.

Thomas points to a boy on the other side of the room. He’s alone at his table, rolling an orange back and forth across the surface. Newt makes a face. 

“Well…I’m sold.” Minho scoffs.

Janson continues to read off names, keeping the attention of everyone in the room. No one makes any noise and he finishes his list. It’s only when he’s done that noise erupts again and Janson is quick to quiet them with the same speech as always. Your time will come, he says, we’ll try again tomorrow. 

Newt takes the opportunity to grab Thomas’ arm and hiss in his ear, “I told you to think this through. Just lay low, remember? Don’t draw attention to yourself.” 

He can practically see the gears turning in the brunette’s head. He knows it’s probably pointless. When Thomas gets an idea in his head it’s nearly impossible to change his mind. Newt sees it when Thomas makes up his mind and it makes him want to scream. The other boy stands up, shaking his arm out of Newt’s grip and marching up to the guarded door.

“Thomas! What the hell are you doing?!” Newt hisses after him.

Next to him, Frypan snorts. “I think he’s drawing attention to himself.”

Newt glares at him, causing Fry to shrink back a little. He feels a little bad. He’s aware that the others think he’s scary when he’s angry, so he tries to keep his emotions under control. Newt whips his head back around to watch Thomas march up to the door. Subconsciously, he grips the edge of the table. He feels that tug in his chest from before and he feels his powers surface, ice cracking to life under his hands, as Thomas tries to go through the door.

The guard pushes the brunette back, says something to him. Thomas pauses and for a second Newt thinks he’ll walk away, but that hope is swiftly killed as Thomas lunges at the guard. They grapple with each other and Newt springs into action. He runs across the room, Minho and Frypan behind him, and attempts to pull Thomas away.

It ends with Minho and Frypan holding Thomas back with Newt between him and the guard, hands splayed out in an attempt to keep them separated. They’re all panting heavily and Newt tries his best to stay calm. He’s angry, but he can’t express it right now. He takes a deep breath and tries to settle the buzzing under his skin.

Janson arrives and tries to settle the group. It doesn’t help much. The guards are prickly and tell them to watch it, and Janson has the boys escorted back to their room. He hadn’t realized just how big of a distraction they caused. Everyone’s looking at them, watching with varying degrees of intrigue and confusion. 

They’re crowded roughly back into their room. The second the door is shut Newt turns on Thomas.

“What the hell were you thinking!? I told you to wait, you twat! You didn’t really think they’d just let you go right through, did you?” He’s aware of everyone’s eyes on him, but he doesn’t care. 

“No, of course not!” Thomas says, pulling out a keycard. “I’m gonna find out what’s on the other side of that door.”

Newt scoffs, turning away from him. “Right.”

“Newt,” Thomas starts, reaching for him. “They’re hiding something. Okay? These people aren’t who they say they are-”

“No, Thomas, you don’t know that!” Newt throws his arm down between them, ice creating a line between them. “The only thing we do know is that these people saved us from Wicked! They gave us clothes, food, a proper bed! Something we haven’t had in a long while. Some more than others.”

“Yeah, but-”

“Look…” Newt sighs, suddenly tired, “I’m not saying that I trust them, or that they’re good people. But we don’t know that they’re lying.”

Thomas opens his mouth like he’s going to say something but a crash cuts him off. A vent cover skids across the floor from under one of the beds and a boy crawls out. He doesn’t even spare a glance to anyone, eyes locking onto Thomas.

“Did you get it?”

Thomas holds up the keycard and walks toward him. “Yeah. Let’s go.” He looks back at Newt for a second before crouching down. “Look, maybe you guys are right. Maybe I’m just being paranoid… But I gotta find out for sure. Just cover for me.” With that he crawls under the bed and disappears behind the other boy.

Once he’s gone, Newt runs a hand through his hair, pulling it out of it’s ponytail. He sighs heavily and closes his eyes. Of course Thomas wouldn’t quit. He really shouldn’t be surprised at this point. He opens eyes and notices Minho giving him a questioning look. The blonde shakes his head, not wanting to talk about it. 

Newt’s eyes fall to the floor, to the streak of ice laying there. 

I really need to learn more control…  

----------------------

When Thomas comes back, he’s panicked. 

He scrambles up from the floor and books it to the door. “We gotta go. We gotta go right now .” 

“What the hell are you talkin’ about?” Minho shouts.

“What do you mean ‘we gotta go’?” Chuck pipes up, voice timid and shaky.

Thomas runs over to one of the beds and pulls the mattress off then pushes it up against the door. “They’re coming! Come on, we gotta go!” He takes the sheet and ties it around the handle of the door and the pole next to it. “They’re coming for us.”

“Who’s coming for us? You’re not making any sense!” Frypan looks at Thomas like he’s lost his mind, and Newt’s inclined to agree.

Thomas mutters something under his breath while he struggles to tie the knot. Minho turns around to question Aris, who stumbles backward. Newt looks hopelessly at the group then back to Thomas. 

“Tommy, just take a breath and talk to us! What happened?” Newt tries to get through to him, but the younger boy doesn’t seem to hear him.

“She’s still alive…” It's obvious Thomas is talking to himself, but he’s getting progressively louder and he rambles on.

“Who’s ‘she’?” Frypan questions.

“Teresa?” Chuck asks, sounding hopeful.

“Ava.” Thomas says, still focused on his task.

“Ava?” Newt echoes. “Whaddya mean?”

Thomas finally snaps, turning around to face them. “It’s Wicked!” He’s breathing heavily, staring at them and ignoring their stunned silence. “It’s still Wicked. We never escaped. And now they’re coming for us, so we gotta go!”

It takes Newt a few seconds to process Thomas’ words. If this is Wicked, then they never really escaped, like Thomas said. He’s stunned for a moment, but the shock turns into anger. Anger at Wicked, the situation, and himself. He let himself be blinded by all the normalcy of living like normal people. Or whatever form it’s taken after the collapse of society. But it isn’t fair!  It’s just one thing after another. When will it be enough?

Thomas moves around him to get to the vent, but Newt grabs him by the upper arm. “What did you see?”

His tone leaves no room for objection and Thomas seems to know this. “B-bodies. They were strung up with tubes comin’ out of them. There were so many of them. And…and then Janson came in to talk to Ava.” He takes a pause to glance at everyone in the room. “She wants us all ‘prepped for harvest’. We’re next.”

“Shit” He hears Minho whisper.

Newt nods in agreement. “Alright. How the hell do we get out of here?”

----------------------

It’s easier said than done; escaping. 

They crawl through the vent and out into a hallway. Aris and Winston break off to do…something. Thomas leads them down the hallway when an alarm blares through the facility. They run into the doctor that was with Teresa and Thomas drags her with them, hoping to find Teresa. They can’t leave without her.

Minho takes down a guard. It surprises everyone, Minho sailing down the hallway and body slamming the guard. Thomas takes his gun and has the doctor lead them to the medical wing. It doesn’t take up to keep the staff in line, pointing the gun at them. He doesn’t like it, but this is life or death for them. 

Teresa tries to question them as they run through the facility, but they don’t have time. Newt keeps an eye on her and Chuck, the latter who seems to be running out of stamina quickly. They can’t keep going forever. Especially with Janson on their tail. 

They turn down a long hallway with a large door at the end. They make it down the hallway and Thomas tries to keycard on the door, but it doesn’t work. No matter how many times the boy tries, the door remains shut. 

“Come on, Thomas!” Janson shouts as he rounds the corner, flanked by guards. “I thought we were friends! Surely there’s a way we can figure this out?” 

Thomas raises the gun and points it at the man who raises his hands. “Yeah… And let me guess, Wicked is good?”

Janson’s whole demeanor changes. The friendly smile slides right off his face, replaced by a frown that twists his already ugly face. He lowers his hands and shakes his head. “You’re not getting through that door, Thomas.”

Suddenly the door opens behind them. Aris and Winston stand on the other side with a smile. Their timing would be comedic if it wasn’t a potentially deadly situation. 

Newt shouts at the others to go, making sure everyone is through before turning back to Janson and the guards. Thomas is a little ways ahead of him firing the gun until there’s nothing left in it. Once it’s empty, Thomas turns and runs, grabbing onto Newt’s arm in the process to drag him along. The door begins to shut as they run and it feels like it’s closing faster than they can run. But they make it, and just before it closes, Newt Puts his hands to the floor and pushes out with his power, creating a path of ice that covers the floor on the other side of the door.

He watches as Janson and the guards slip around on the ice, clearly not expecting it. Aris wastes no time destroying the scanner on their side of the door while Minho and Winston quickly poke around for supplies. 

They don’t hang around for long, pushing and shouting at each other to move. Thomas leads them to the door they arrived through all those days ago. They open in and head into the storm.

Chapter Text

Newt really hates sand.

It’s too soft, making it impossible to move properly, and it’s getting into his eyes as it whips around thanks to the storm. The wind is howling and swirling around them. It’s hard to hear anyone over the noise even with everyone shouting and trying to find someplace to hide instead of walking aimlessly through the storm. 

Newt brings his arm up to cover his face, but it does little to keep out the sand and really only succeeds in obscuring his vision further. He has absolutely no clue where the hell they are - no one does really, just stumbling around in the sand - and it’s dark, which makes it even more difficult.

Teresa’s voice suddenly cuts through the noise, much closer than she thought she was. 

“Over here!”

He watches her break off from the group and skid down a small dune to their right. The others turn their heads to watch her go, a chorus of warnings filling the air. Newt decides to follow her, his name joining the chorus. He slides down the dune and he’s relieved to realize the wind is just a little less harsh down there. He scans his surroundings for Teresa. He finds her standing in front of what looks like a building, almost fully submerged in the sand. 

One by one the other boys join them, slipping and tripping down the dune. Newt moves to stand next to Teresa as she peers into the darkness of a broken window. She looks over at him for a second then back at the opening like she’s trying to make a decision. 

“Come on!” She shouts, seemingly made up her mind, and walks into the darkness.

Newt isn’t sure he trusts this place, but it’s better than being out in the storm. So he follows her inside. It’s darker than it was outside, but his eyes eventually adjust. There’s a handful of structures scattered around the edges of the building. It’s much bigger inside than he thought it would be. 

The others seem to agree, if their whoa’s are any indication as they file in behind him. There’s a presence next to him and a hand settling softly on his lower back. It’s Thomas, Newt already knows this. No one else is as forthcoming with physical touch as the other boy. He wants to lean back into Thomas’ hand, but he’s still a little miffed at him, so he pulls away and puts some space between them. 

He refuses to look at the other boy’s face.

There’s a sudden light that cuts through the dark and Newt has to cover his eyes. The light moves away from them and - when Newt is able to see again - he watches Teresa, flashlight in hand, pointing it around the building.

“Where the hell are we?” Minho asks.

Newt has no goddamn clue. All he’s ever known is the glade, just like everyone else. Teresa seems to know, though. 

“I think it might’ve been a mall. You know, a place where people used to shop before… Well…”

They don’t know, but Newt decides to keep his mouth shut.

Thomas breaks the silence instead. “We gotta go.”

He and Teresa speak at the same time. 

“We gotta keep moving.”

“No. Thomas, stop!”

Thomas turns his head to look at her. Newt and Minho share a look. This can’t be good. He hears some shuffling and an awkward cough, but no one dares to speak. The air is suddenly quite tense and Newt doesn’t want to be caught in the middle of it. 

“Tell me what’s going on.” Teresa demands, her empty hand coming to rest on her hip, staring at Thomas expectantly.

“It’s Wicked.” Thomas says, moving closer to her. “It’s Wicked. They lied to us… We never escaped. Aris and I, we found…bodies. Too many to count.”

Teresa looks at him like she’s been slapped. “What?”

“They weren’t dead, but- but they definitely weren’t alive either. They were being drained or- or something. There’s something inside of us that Wicked wants… I don’t know. All I know is, we were next and I couldn’t let that happen.” Thomas looks over at Newt and then to the ground.

Newt knows Thomas is right. They couldn’t have stayed at the facility. Not with Wicked secretly operating behind the scenes and breathing down their necks. But that doesn’t mean he went about telling them the right way. 

But at the end of the day, Newt trusts Thomas with his life. Even if he’s a reckless idiot. 

“Alright. So, what’s the plan?”

Thomas shoots his head up to look at him, then pointedly back at his shoes. “Uh…”

Are you fucking serious? “You do have a plan, right? ”

“I mean, yeah.” Newt raises his eyebrow. “...I don’t know.”

Newt throws his hands up in frustration. “Seriously? We followed you out here, Thomas. And now you’re saying you have no idea where we’re goin’ or what we’re doin’?”

He notices the way the other boy flinches at the use of his full name, and Newt feels a little bad.

Thomas opens his mouth and begins to stutter out a reply, but Aris speaks for him. “Wait. Janson said something about people hiding in the mountains. A resistance or army of some kind.”

“The Right Arm.” Thomas thinks for a moment, then nods. “If they really are against Wicked, maybe they can help us.”

All eyes turn to Newt and he smothers the impulse to throw his hands up again. He stares at Thomas incredulously, hands on his hips. “People. In the mountains. Mountain people. That’s your plan?!”

They stare at each other in silence. He can’t really read Thomas’ expression, but he knows the younger boy is trying to figure out what to say. 

“It’s the only chance we’ve got.” Thomas says softly, moving closer to the blonde, eyes pleading.

Newt tilts his head back with a heavy sigh, eyes rolling heaven-ward. Goddamn it. He closes his eyes and nods to himself in resignation. He wants to wrap his hands around Thomas’ throat and strangle him, but he also kind of wants to kiss him, the bloody idiot. 

He’s tired and frustrated, but not necessarily at Thomas, so he tilts his head back down and looks him in the eye. “Fine.”

A small smile breaks across the brunette’s face, and it’s suddenly worth it. He really is in too deep.

“Hey guys,” Winston says, pulling the attention off of Newt, “over here! Teresa give me a light.”

Everyone shuffles over, Teresa leading them. She leans down next to Winston and points the flashlight where he’s pointing. It’s barely visible, but there are faded footprints in the sand.

“Someone’s been down here.” Winston continues and Teresa tilts the flashlight up, following the footprints.

They decide to follow them, against Newt’s better judgement. Though it doesn’t seem like anyone is around now. They stick close together, but not so close that they can’t wander a little ways away. Newt catches Chuck wandering near what Newt can only assume used to be a store. 

“Whatcha' lookin’ at, Chuck?” Newt asks, coming up behind the smaller boy.

“Oh, hey Newt. I dunno, just thinking…” Chuck scratches the back of his head. “What do you think used to be here?”

“Hmm. I’m not sure.” Newt peers into the darkness behind the doors, glass shattered on the floor. “Maybe it was a clothes store or somethin’. Who knows? It’s been a long time since anyone was here to use it.”

“Yeah. It looks empty.”

Just like the rest of this place. Newt shrugs and puts a hand on Chuck’s shoulder, guiding him away. “C’mon. Let’s get back to the others.”

Perfect timing, too. Minho’s looking through a gate into one of the stores while the others poke around. Newt comes over to him, sending Chuck over to Thomas and Teresa. The two brunettes aren’t speaking to each other, and Teresa looks tense. 

Newt tries to push it from his mind. “What’d you find?”

“I think there’s some stuff in there we can use. Help me open this, will ya?” Minho asks, pushing the gate upwards.

Newt copies him, lifting the gate up and over their heads, allowing them access. The noise alerts the others. Frypan comes in after them, making a beeline for the lantern sitting on the table and turning it on. 

Light fills the room and Newt can make out old water jugs against the far wall and cables running across the floor. The room is dusty and trashed, paper and sand scattered everywhere. Whatever furniture was in there has been knocked over. 

Newt spots a handful of flashlights near the water jugs and turns one on. It flickers to life, filling the room with more light. He grabs the rest and turns around to pass them out. There wasn’t enough for everyone, but Chuck sticks near Thomas and Aris stands with Winston, so it works out.

Equipped with light, Newt pokes around the room. There’s a large pile of clothes in one corner on top of a mattress, empty food cans and water bottles along the same wall, and pictures that are covered in so much dust he can’t make out what they were supposed to be.

“Looks like people lived here.” Minho murmurs, picking up a jacket and shaking it out. Dust comes off of it in plumes, causing them both to cough. “What the hell, man.” 

It wasn’t a question, so Newt doesn’t answer him. “Where are they now?” He says instead.

Thomas comes into his periphery and Newt turns to look at him, watching him shake out a jacket. “We should pack some of this stuff up. Anything you think you might need. We should split up. See what else we can find. We’ll meet back here.”

“But what about the people who lived here?” Chuck asks.

“I don’t think they need it anymore…” Minho answers, grabbing a bag and slinging it over his shoulders.

“Oh…” 

With Thomas’ prompting, they sift through the stuff in the room. Newt finds a backpack similar to Minho’s and brings it over to the pile of clothes. Holding the flashlight between his teeth, Newt pulls clothes at random. He sorts through them and stuffs a few articles of clothing into his bag. He finds a brown jacket with a warm lining. It’s soft to the touch and Newt decides to take it. He slips it on after shaking it out, thankful for the warmth he didn’t realize he needed. 

Before he gets up to leave, a bright red piece of fabric catches his eye so he reaches for it. It comes loose fairly easy, slipping out from underneath the clothes. He brings it up to his face to inspect it. It’s a bandana, he realizes, turning it over in his hand. He decides to keep it, too, and ties it around his neck. He bumps his ponytail in the process, causing a dull ache in his scalp.

‘Guess I’ve had it up for too long. Newt reaches back and gently pulls his hair free, gritting his teeth at the pain. It begins to subside almost immediately. Newt sighs in relief as he runs a hand through his hair. He wraps the hair tie - it’s really a strip of fabric - around his wrist and takes the flashlight from his mouth. 

He zips up the backpack, slips it on, and turns back to the group. Minho, Thomas, Aris, and Winston left to split up. Leaving Newt, Chuck, Frypan, and Teresa as a group. Chuck’s with Frypan, helping him find water containers. Teresa’s in another corner behind a half wall. 

He decides to leave her alone and heads for the two boys. “Any luck?”

“Yeah!” Chuck says excitedly. “We found a couple water bottles.”

“Yeah, but not much water.” Frypan shakes his head.

“Shit.”

“Yeah…”

Frypan hands him a bottle and Newt takes it, clipping it to the strap of his bag. They’re bound to find something out here. Food’s gonna be necessary too, but water is the most important thing. 

Teresa comes out from behind the wall to join them. She’s dressed in completely different clothes and finally has shoes on, a pair of boots. She’s got her own backpack and bottle, fiddling with a knife in her hands. 

She hands it to him. “Could you cut my hair?”

“What?” Newt asks, looking down the knife in his hand.

“Cut my hair? Please?” She turns her back to him and gathers her hair into a low ponytail in her hand. “It doesn’t have to be anything fancy. Just chop it off.”

“Wait, Teresa. I can get you some to keep your hair up. You don’t have to cut it-”

“Just do it!” She exclaims, turning her head to look at him for a moment. “I don’t want it in the way. My hair is thicker than yours. It’ll just get in the way. Please?”

Newt searches her face, looking for any sign of hesitance. He finds none.

“Yeah, alrigh’. Come here.”

She steps back to get closer to him and he reaches out to grab at the hair below her hand, leaving a small gap, and begins to cut. He kinda has to saw at her hair, moving back and forth in short movements so as not to stab her in the neck. Once the ponytail is cut away, he drops the handful of hair to the ground and shakes out his hand to get any lingering strands. 

She moves to step away, but Newt catches her shoulder. “Wait. Let me clean it up a little.”

“Okay.”

He starts with the move uneven side first. He tugs at her hair a bit so he can get a clean cut, but it’s hard. He’s using a knife after all. And it’s not even all that sharp. He twists around her as he goes, trying to clean up the choppy look of her hair. He finishes with varying degrees of success, but at least it doesn't look all that bad. He steps back from her and brushes some hair off her shoulders. 

“Thanks.” Teresa says once he’s done, running a hand through her hair. It falls just below her chin. It suits her, he thinks. “You can keep the knife. I’ve got my own.”

“Oh, thanks.” He gives her a kind smile and folds the knife back up then slips it into his pocket. “And it’s no problem. The haircut, I mean. But, can I ask what brought it on?”

She gives him a contemplative look then tilts her head to the side. “I just…needed to take some control back, I guess.” Then her expression changes to a grin. “Besides, it’ll be harder to take care of out here. Might as well cut it all off.”

“Fair enough.” Newt chuckles.

He and Teresa continue to poke around some more, picking up anything that looks useful. Rope, weapons, he even manages to find a lighter that works. Teresa picks up a few blankets and they fold them together, putting them into Chuck’s bag. He and Frypan wandered a little ways off to look for more water.

He finishes packing the blankets away, turns to ask Teresa if she’s ready to move on, but she’s not next to him. He looks up and scans the room for her. She’s over by the mountain of clothes, looking at the photos on the wall. Newt stands and makes his way over to her. She tracing the photos with her fingers, frown on her face.

“You alright?” He asks, coming to stand next to her.

“Where did they go?” She whispers.

“I don’t know.” He says honestly. “But it doesn’t look like anyone’s been here for a long time.”

She doesn’t respond, just gazes at the photo. Newt leans in to see the photo. It’s a picture of a little girl holding a stuffed creature, a smile on her face. He feels his heart clench at the sight. People lived here. They lived here and now they’re gone. With a heavy heart, he watches Teresa reach out and take the photo from the wall, rolling it up and slipping it into her pocket.

Then the lights come on.

----------------------

They meet out front of the store Newt and Teresa were in. Chuck and Frypan came back to get their things, Winston and Aris joined them after a few minutes, but Thomas and Minho had yet to show up. No one’s seen them either, which is unsettling to say the least.

Thomas and Minho can take care of themselves. Newt knows this. But he’s a worrier by nature, and they’re his best friends, people he holds incredibly dear. So yeah, he’s worried. He tries not to let it show, instead keeping everyone occupied until they show up.

When they do show up, he wasn’t expecting them to be running and shouting.

“RUN!”

They all watch Minho and Thomas come into view. Then they look past them and see what’s chasing them. Well you don’t have to tell him twice.

“Shit! Shit! Go go go!” Newt shouts, ushering the group into motion.

Everyone turns tail and runs, heading down the hall. The things chasing them snarl and scream. It echoes around them, making it ten times more terrifying. Thomas and Minho catch up to them and pull ahead, leading them up some weird stairs and up onto the second level of the building. 

“What the hell are those things?!” Frypan shouts.

“I don’t know!” Thomas answers. “Come on, this way!”

They turn the corner and keep running. They get pretty far down the hall before one of those… things pops out in front of them. They stumble backwards, but Aris drives forward, bat in hand, and swings at its’ knees. There’s a sickening crunch that is all too familiar to him and the thing goes down with a shriek. 

They sprint around it, giving a wide berth, and keep going. The pause allowed the rest of the creatures to catch up to them. They manage to keep ahead of them, but just barely. The shrieks are much louder now and Newt can feel his heart beating out of his chest. Up ahead, Chuck stumbles, but Teresa catches him before he gets too far and pulls him along.

“We have to find a way out of here!” Frypan screams over the noise. 

He’s up front with Minho, while Thomas brings up the rear with Newt. He can feel himself lagging behind, his leg starting to resist his movements. Thomas keeps yelling for them to keep going, picking up the pace. But Newt can’t keep up and he’s left vulnerable as one of those things comes barreling through the glass on his right. 

Newt throws his hand out in an attempt to summon his power to protect himself, but nothing happens.

Instead, Newt’s tackled to the ground by the creature, landing on his back and knocking the breath from his lungs. He brings his arms up to protect himself right as the thing crawls on top of him, snapping his jaw like it’s trying to bite him. Newt makes a noise of disgust as something comes slithering out of the thing’s mouth. 

Thomas comes to his rescue, kicking the thing off him and sending it tumbling over the edge. Newt scrambles upright and takes Thomas’ outstretched hand. The other boy helps pull him up and along, and Newt is grateful. 

“Thanks, Tommy!”

Thomas gives him a quick, tense smile and drags him along. His leg begins to protest even further and his back is starting to ache, but he keeps moving. They turn down a narrow hallway that leads to a dead end. The door is locked shut and they throw themselves at it as the things get closer.

“I’ll hold them off!” Winston shouts, turning and firing off rounds.

“Come on!”

“Guy, they’re getting closer!”

“Get it open!”

“Move!” It’s the only warning they get before Frypan throws himself at the door and busts it open.

“Let’s go, let’s go!” Thomas urges, pushing them through the doorway.

Winston is the last to go through, but gets caught by those things. They pull him down and beach towards the door, snarling and screaming. They surge forward, Frypan and Thomas leaning against the door while the rest of them try to pull Winston away. The things tear into his stomach and Winston screams. 

They manage to pull him away, and help him to his feet. He ends up leaning against Aris as they run. Thomas stays back for a moment too long, keeping the door closed so they have time to escape into the light at the end of the corridor. Newt hears the door burst open and turns back to see Thomas running behind them.

“Keep going!” He shouts, slowly catching up to them.

They burst into another section of the building and slide down into the rubble. It’s easier said than done. Winston and Newt both struggle heavily in getting down, but they make it. They huddle in a little crave created by the rubble and keep quiet. Teresa, Chuck, and Winston are the furthest in the cave, guarded by Minho and Aris. Frypan, Thomas, and Newt are up front, closest to the opening. They can hear the creatures above them, but they never seem to get closer.

----------------------

Eventually the noise dies down and it goes quiet. The relief is palpable. Newt feels his shoulders sag in relief and watches as the others do the same. Minho and Teresa are trying to sooth Chuck, who looks shaken beyond belief and Newt has to remember that he’s a child. They’re all young, yeah, but Chuck is much younger than them. He sends a soft smile the boy’s way and Chuck tries to smile back.

He’ll take it.

Thomas sags against him and Newt grunts under his weight. He sends him a worried look, but the brunette is looking out at the distance. Newt taps his temple with a knuckle and Thomas seems to snap back into himself.

“Sorry.” He mutters, pulling himself away. 

Newt misses him immediately, but he doesn’t say anything. “Don’t worry ‘bout it, Tommy.”

“What the hell were those things?” Minho asks, looking over at them.

“I don’t know.” Thomas shakes his head and leans back against the wall.

“Didn’t Janson say something about cranks?” Aris speaks up, eyes trained on Winston.

He’s asleep, leaning against the wall and Aris. His shirt is ripped and there’s definitely blood on his clothes and stomach, but nobody has the heart to move him right now. They don’t know what’ll happen to Winston either. 

“I think I remember that.” Frypan nods. “Didn’t we see something similar on that video Ava showed us?”

“They’re what happens when you get the flare.” Teresa says suddenly, a far away look in her eyes.

“Jesus.” Minho mutters.

Newt stays quiet. He’s tired and sore and he doesn’t have the mental energy to process what he’s hearing. It’ll hit him tomorrow, make his heart ache and eyes sting. But for now, he leans back against the wall and presses his shoulder to Thomas’. 

They try to get some sleep.

Chapter Text

They stay hidden until the next morning. Thomas shocks them all awake by shouting at a bird, and in Newt’s half awake panic, he really wants to smack the other boy.

They don’t stick around long, grabbing whatever else they think will be useful on the way out, not wanting to wait around to see if those things will show up again. They manage to find a handful of canned foods, a couple more knives, and a small stuffed bear that is surprisingly intact. Chuck takes it and keeps it in his backpack.

If Newt hated sand before, when it was dark, windy, and cold, he definitely despises it now. Everything is hot, too hot, and it clings to his sweaty skin. It gets in his shoes and under his clothes, making him itchy and miserable and it seems like the others are suffering the same.

Newt shed his jacket hours ago, tying it to one of the straps of his backpack. His hair clings to his neck even when he tries to tie it back farther up his head, but it’s not enough. He understands why Teresa wanted him to cut her hair. He’s never done well in the heat, but this is next level. He’s sweaty and thirsty and, to make matters worse, his powers aren’t working.

He looks down at his hands. Back in the building, when the crank attacked him, he tried to use his power but nothing had happened. At first he chalked it up to stress, but that reasoning didn’t seem right. His powers had always worked under pressure, in fact that’s when it was most unpredictable. So why wasn’t it working? 

He continues to stare at his hands trying to focus. He visualizes a ball of ice forming in his palm, but all that appears is a very thin layer of frost reaching down his fingertips towards his wrists. Newt huffs in frustration and throws his hands down to his sides. Maybe it’s too hot or too dry for his powers to work. He…tries not to think about it. 

They have bigger things to worry about.

Thomas and Aris seem to trust that there are people in the mountains that can help them, and while he doesn’t trust Aris, he does trust Tommy. Even when he’s being an idiot. Newt turns his head to look at Thomas. His face is hardened with determination, but he’s red in the face and breathing heavily. Newt scans the rest of the group, finding everyone in a similar state of disarray.

Winston leans heavily against Aris who’s trying his best to keep the other boy upright. Winston has been declining since he was attacked, but Aris has been there the entire time. Frypan walks close by, keeping an eye on the two boys and rushing to help Aris keep Winston from tumbling over. Minho and Chuck are up near Thomas, chatting at him in an attempt to boost morale. 

Teresa walks near Newt, eyes distant as she looks ahead. She’s been quiet since they escaped, only speaking when spoken to or when she knows something they don’t. He’s a little worried about her. They aren’t close and maybe Newt is sorta jealous of her, but they’re still friends and his desire to take care of others kicks in.

“Teresa?” Newt asks, stumbling closer to her, “Are you alright?”

She lifts her head and turns it to look at him. “Hmm? I’m fine. Just too hot. It’s miserable out here.” She wipes the back of her hand on his forehead and shrugs her backpack, trying to adjust it.

“You could say that again.” He chuckles humorlessly, “This is getting unbearable.”

“Maybe we should find somewhere to rest. We’ve been walking for hours.”

Newt scans their surroundings, there’s some buildings scattered around either structurally unsound or almost completely swallowed by sand that stretches for miles. “There’s nowhere to stop. It’s all just bloody sand!”

She also turns to look around and heaves a sigh. “You’re right. But we can’t keep going like this.”

As if on cue, Newt stumbles, nearly collapsing against her. It’s been hours since they had a break and the uneven terrain is causing his leg to act up. Not to mention it’s so hot out, Newt feels like he’s being cooked. 

Teresa reaches out to stop him before he hits the ground. “Thomas! We have to stop!” She whips her head around to look at the brunette before focusing on helping Newt to the ground.

Thomas is beside him in an instant. “Are you okay?” He asks, worry evident on his face.

No , Newt thinks, I’m hot and tired, my leg hurts and the sand is too hot. My powers aren’t working and we have no clue where we’re going. Of course I’m not okay. I nearly collapsed!” But he can’t say that. So instead he settles for, “I’m fine. Just…worn out.”

“Teresa’s right. We need to take a break.” Thomas shrugs off his backpack and settles next to Newt.

He hears Aris breathe a sigh of relief as he helps Winston sit down. Winston groans and lays back with an arm thrown over his eyes. Teresa takes the other spot beside Newt, brushing the hair out her face and digging around her bag for her water. Minho moves over to Aris and Winston, checking in on them. 

Frypan and Chuck join them, Chuck moving to sit in front of Newt’s stretched out legs and Frypan sitting on Teresa’s other side. No one says anything for a while. It’s too hot to really enjoy the break and he’s sure everyone is hungry by now. But they can’t stop out in the open for long, so eating will have to wait until they have some shelter.

“How’s your leg?” Thomas asks suddenly, eyes trained on Newt’s leg.

Newt grunts as he attempts to lift it slightly and stretch it. “It’s been worse.” He chances a look at Thomas’ face and sees nothing but worry. “I’ll be fine, Tommy. Worry about the others.”

He tries to give Thomas a small smile, but it turns out to be more of a grimace. The other boy just shakes his head, “Let me help.”

He reaches out for Newt, but Newt catches his wrist. “Later.” He says, knowing Thomas won’t let it go.

“Fine.” Thomas sighs, but doesn’t move away, simply letting Newt hold his wrist.

The blonde coughs and pulls away, letting Thomas go. He’d blush if his face was capable of going more red, but the heat makes his face blotchy. Frypan raises an eyebrow and looks between the two boys with a slowly growing smile and Newt groans internally. Why must he have such observant friends?

“How’s Winston?” Thomas asks suddenly.

Newt looks up to see Minho standing next to their group as Chuck asks, “Is he okay?”

Minho tips his head slightly and sighs, “I dunno. He’s in bad shape and we don’t even know what’s happening.”

“Whaddya mean?” Newt asks.

“Well, those things-”

“Cranks.” Thomas interjects.

“Cranks, yeah, whatever. When they got him, they did something. I dunno what, but it’s not good…”

There’s a moment of silence as Minho’s words sink in. He knew Winston wasn’t doing well, but the way Minho’s talking it’s like he’s going to die. The air around them is somber. They’ve lost so much, losing another person is going to hurt.

Surprisingly, it’s Teresa who breaks the silence. 

“They infected him.”

“What?” Thomas tilts his head.

“The Cranks.” Teresa says like it's obvious, like she’s talking to a child, “Ava Paige said that Flare causes people to become Cranks. They infected Winston when they scratched him.”

“Wait wait wait. I thought we were immune?” Newt looks at her then to Thomas, brow furrowed in confusion. 

“ We are. ” Thomas says firmly, but Newt’s not sure who he’s trying to convince.

“I guess he isn’t…” Teresa mutters.

“What’s going to happen to him?” Chuck asks, eye glossy as he pulls his bear close to his chest.

“I don’t know. Nothing good.” Teresa says. She stands, brushing sand from her pants, and walks away. She doesn’t go too far, just a little ways ahead of them.

Thomas gives Chuck a nudge with his hand and smiles at him. “It’ll be okay, Chuck.”

Newt desperately wants to believe him.

----------------------

Winston begins to rapidly decline as the day comes to an end. 

The sun has begun it’s descent over the horizon, but it’s not anywhere close to dark when Winston suddenly collapses, taking Aris down with him. Minho and Frypan take over for Aris after that, slinging Winston’s arms around their necks. They continue to walk like that until they find a place to stay for the night.

They’re at the edge of the city, or lack-there-of, settling into a crumbling building. It’s small and missing the roof, but it’s got three out of four walls and it’ll keep them sheltered enough during the night. Newt manages to get a fire going with Chuck’s help, who seems ecstatic to do something other than walking silently.

Newt passes out whatever food they can spare and checks in with everyone. They’re all exhausted, sweaty, and worried about Winston, but the mood isn’t grave. Chuck, Minho, and Frypan are talking and laughing quietly amongst themselves, and Aris sits with Teresa and Winston. 

He watches Teresa out of the corner of his eye. She’s staring hard at Winston, like she desperately wants to help, but there’s nothing she can do. She looks angry and Newt suddenly wishes to never be on the receiving end of that look. She stands roughly and storms out of the camp, walking up to Thomas. Tommy had been standing a good few feet away from the camp, staring off into the distance.

Teresa comes up next to him and for a moment it looks like they’ll just stand there in silence, but then Teresa turns to Thomas and they talk. Newt can’t make out what they’re saying, being far enough away that he can’t eavesdrop. Teresa brushes her short hair out of the way and he watches Thomas lean down to look at the back of her neck. It’s stupid, but Newt feels a flash of jealousy. It’s so stupid and he wants to smack himself, it’s just, he feels some kind of claim over the male brunette and it’s ridiculous because he doesn’t .

He shakes his head to clear it and turns his attention back to the pair. Teresa looks agitated, her shoulders tense and hands balled at her sides. Thomas on the other hand looks taken aback and very confused. Teresa takes a step into his space and Newt sees Thomas take a step back with his hands out in either a soothing gesture or as a defensive stance. Either way, Newt needs to break them up.

“How’s it lookin’ over there?” Newt shouts to them, standing up and moving a little closer to the pair.

Both heads turn to him. Teresa still looks pissed, but she puts some space between her and Thomas, the latter looking relieved. He turns to Newt then and in the most unconvincing tone, he says, “It’s a little further.”

He hears Minho snort behind him, and Newt looks back to address the rest of the group. “Well that’s not very convincing.”

The blonde goes back and sits with the group. Thomas comes back shortly after Newt turns away, but Teresa stays behind. He’s tempted to go talk to her, but Thomas sits right next to him, pressing their thighs together, and suddenly Newt doesn’t want to move. He nearly jumps out of his skin when Thomas puts a hand on the blonde’s bad leg. He tries very hard to ignore the memory of Thomas being close to him, being under him.

“Can I?” Thomas asks, rubbing circles into the other boy’s leg with his thumb. When Newt raises an eyebrow in question, Thomas clarifies. “Help with your leg? I know it’s been bothering you.”

“I-” Newt starts to decline, butterflies in his stomach, but Thomas looks at him with those soft bambi eyes.

“Please?”

“…Yeah, alright.”

The smile Thomas gives him is worth it. He takes Newt’s leg and lays it over his own so they’re thighs overlap. Newt feels his face warm and he’s thankful for the dark settling in, hoping that if Thomas notices he can blame it on the fire. At the first press of Thomas fingers just above his knee, he tenses. It hurts, and it’s been awhile since he’d had a chance to massage it after all their running. Newt presses his lips together and breathes heavily through his nose as he waits for the pain to subside. The brunette mutters a soft apology but doesn’t stop, kneading Newt’s leg in different spots until Newt’s melting against him.

Thomas snickers into his hand, “Better?”

Newt just hums in lieu of a reply. He does feel better. In fact, it’s probably the best his leg has felt in weeks. And it feels nice to be taken care of for once. He’s had to be in charge and take care of others because it’s like an instinct to him; protect and care for those around him. But he’d be lying if he said he never wanted to be taken care of in return. He feels content. Here in this little bubble of safety, surrounded by his friends, he allows himself to be content, even if it’s only for a short while. 

It’s dark now, the sun having fully set a little while ago. Teresa’s sleeping next to a curled up Chuck and Minho sits near them. Frypan’s sitting against the wall where Winston’s been sleeping with Aris settled next to him. Meaning Newt and Thomas are alone in their own little space. 

He tilts his head towards Thomas, who’s looking directly at him. “What?”

“You’re pretty.” He says simply with a small smile.

Newt flushes. “Uh, thanks, Tommy.”

There’s a pause. Thomas keeps looking at Newt while the blonde looks away and stares at the fire. He’s not used to getting compliments on his appearance, let alone from someone he likes. If it had come from anyone else, he might have laughed it off and made some joke, but this was Tommy. And anything Newt got from the other boy, he was willing to take. 

“How’re you holding up?” Thomas asks, hand still resting on Newt’s knee.

“‘Bout as well as you’d expect. It’s hot and miserable, and the sand gets everywhere… but it’s worth it. It’s worth it if it means Wicked can’t get to us.” Newt says while he picks at his trousers. 

“I get what you mean. But are you really okay? You nearly collapsed earlier, and you haven’t been using your power.”

“I don’t know what happened. Back in the building, I reached out to stop that Crank but nothin’ happened. I was powerless… And the heat’s been gettin’ to me more that it would.” Thomas stares at him in mild horror and Newt hastily tries to downplay it. “But I’m fine, Tommy! Seriously.”

Thomas didn’t look fully convinced, but he didn’t push. “So your powers aren’t working?”

Newt nods and raises his palm between them. He tries to replicate the same form on ice from this morning, but doesn’t get more than that tiny ball of ice snow and the familiar frost on his hands. There’s a faint blue glow on his hands and arms, and Newt distantly remembers the first time he did this back in the Glade. Thomas had said he eyes were glowing.

Thomas takes the small snowball in his hands and they watch as it immediately starts to melt. “This is the only thing I’ve been able to do. I think it’s too dry out here?”

“Maybe…” Thomas watches the ice melt and it leaves a little puddle in the palm of his hand. “It was working at the Facility. I guess it makes sense that it wouldn’t work out here.” He pulls his gaze away from his hand and off towards the distance. He’s quiet for a long moment, but when he speaks it’s so quiet Newt probably wouldn’t hear him if their sides weren’t pressed together. “What are we doing out here?”

“What are you talkin’ about?” Newt asks, learning forward to get a better look at Thomas’ face.

“I’m the reason we’re out here. And for what? All we’ve done is get hurt and I don’t even know where we’re going. I just…” Thomas sighs, pulling at his sleeves.

“You’re the reason we’re free.” Newt says firmly, “If it weren’t for you we would still be in that place, doing nothing and being sent to our deaths. Yeah, maybe we’ve gotten hurt, but it’s worth it.”

Thomas scoffs and runs a hand through his hair. “Is it? I-I mean we don’t even know where we’re going. Maybe it would be better to turn back?” He shakes his head and tosses it back, hitting the wall with a muted thunk. “I don’t know, Newt.”

He understands the doubts, but there’s no way he’s going to let Tommy spiral and let this whole ordeal be in vain. So, with perhaps a little too much force, Newt grabs Thomas’ shoulder and yanks the younger boy toward him. Thomas lurches to the side and the only thing that keeps the two boys from colliding is Thomas catching himself before he falls over. 

“Listen to me.” Newt snaps, “Are you listening? Good. Now I know this hasn’t been easy, it never was, but if you think you can just give up, you’re dead wrong. You can’t give up, Tommy. I won’t let you. ” Thomas has a look on his face that Newt can’t decipher, but he tries not to think about it. “We may have our doubts, and that’s fine, but we will follow you anywhere. I’d follow you anywhere.”

He didn’t mean to let that last line slip out, but it was no less true. Tommy is reckless and impulsive, but Newt knows he wouldn’t lead them anywhere he thought would be unsafe. He’d follow this boy to ends of the earth if he asked, he realizes. He’s…not entirely sure how to deal with that revelation.

“Thanks, Newt.” Thomas sniffles, and it’s then that Newt realizes the brunette is crying, rubbing at his face with his hands.

Newt pulls Thomas into a hug and holds him tight. There’s a moment of hesitation and then Thomas is hugging him back just as tight. He’s reminded of last night, and how Thomas had slumped against him once they were safe. 

Newt hugs him tighter.

----------------------

He’s awoken by a gunshot.

Newt jerks upright, knocking into the boy next to him, who’s scrambling to stand. There’s shouting, but he can’t make much sense of it. It feels like he’s moving through water as he stands, head foggy with sleep. The adrenaline burns off the fog and Newt turns his head towards the shouting.

Aris is on the ground next to Winston, keeping his arms pinned at his sides while Winston trashes around. Minho’s got a gun in one hand pointed at the floor and the other in his hair. Frypan stands next to him, while Teresa watches from the wall, not moving from her position from last night. Her face is a carefully blank mask. Chuck is hovering close by, frozen in shock and maybe even fear. Newt knows for damn sure that he’s afraid. 

Thomas joins Minho and starts to question what’s happening, while Newt goes over to Chuck and turns the youngest boy to face him, letting Chuck hide his face in Newt’s stomach. Newt wraps a protective arm around the boy, watching silently as Minho recounts what happened.

“I woke up before everyone else, so I figured I would do a quick check, make sure nothing was going on, ya know? But I turn my back for one second and this shank tries to shoot himself!” Minho shouts. “What the hell were you thinking man?”

Winston opens his mouth to speak, his thrashing having subsided while Minho spoke, but all that comes out is a croak. There’s blood dripping down the corner of his mouth, or at least Newt thinks it’s blood. It’s thick and black, dripping sluggishly down Winston’s cheek.

“G-give it back… Please…” Winston says eventually, his voice rough.

“Winston what’s going on?” Aris says a little hysterically.

Winston breathes heavily, gasping for air with blood on his lips, coughing wetly. He reaches for his shirt and pulls it up, exposing the wound. “It’s…growing.” 

It’s a ghastly sight and it makes Newt a little sick. Where the cranks had dug into Winston’s skin is now a mix of dark red and black, his skin littered with black veins and cracks. The same black blood oozes from the deep gashes. The smell is putrid and Newt fights against gagging. He has to look away.

“I’m not gonna make it…” Winston croaks. “Please… Please , don’t let me turn into one of those things…” 

Aris makes a noise akin to a sob and Newt blinks back tears. He knows Winston is right. He’s in bad shape and can’t even walk on his own. They have nothing to help him fight this infection, the Flare, and if he turns into a crank, they’ll have to kill him anyway. He doesn’t want to leave another person behind, but they don’t have a choice.

Newt makes up his mind.

Silently, Newt moves closer to Frypan. He brings Chuck with him and leaves the boy with Frypan. He takes the gun from Minho’s hand and without saying anything, leans down next to Winston and places the gun in his hand. Newt looks at Winston for a long moment, scanning his face for any sign of…something. Anything that will tell him this is the wrong choice. But Winston just gives him a small smile and Newt knows this is the only choice he can make.

“Thank you.” Winston whispers as Newt pulls away.

He gives Winston a nod and stands up, backing away to allow the others a moment to say goodbye. Minho gives Winston a pat on the shoulder and Newt knows he’d rather be giving the boy a hug. Frypan does the same, letting Chuck say his goodbyes as well. Teresa doesn’t say anything, just begins to pack her things away while looking pointedly away from the scene. Aris throws his arms around Winston’s neck the best he can, shaking with silent sobs. 

They all slink away to pack up, wanting to leave Winston with some peace and privacy. No one wants to watch this anyway. It’s heartbreaking and Newt feels like he might drop from the grief. Winston was someone from the Glade, and even if they hadn’t been close, that bond, that sense of solidarity and understanding is what makes this so hard. Winston is family, and leaving him behind is the last thing Newt wants to do.

Once they’re all packed up, begrudgingly taking Winston’s belongings too, Newt leads them away. He notices Thomas lingering behind and it looks like Winston says something to him before the brunette turns around and joins the group. 

There’s a good amount of distance between them and Winston when the gunshot rings out, causing them all to stop in their tracks. Newt jumps at the sound, feeling like he’s been punched in the gut. He raises a shaky hand to his hair and runs it through it, trying to ground himself. 

No one says anything as they march on.

----------------------

Lightning. 

It just had to be fucking lightning .

The storm outside rages as they tumble inside the building. Thomas and Newt drag an unconscious Minho inside with them, the raven haired boy being collateral to a lightning strike. He’s breathing, much to Newt’s relief, and he lets out a soft groan as Thomas shakes him. Chuck aims a flashlight at them.

“Minho! Wake up ya shank!” Newt shouts, kneeling at Minho’s side.

Thankfully it only takes a few more seconds of shaking for Minho to open his eyes slowly, blinking as his eyes adjust to the dark. Newt sighs in relief, a smile on his face. He hears the collective breath of relief from the group as well. They don't have to leave another person behind.

“What the hell happened?” Minho asks, bringing a hand up to his head as he tries to sit up. “Fuck, my head hurts.”

“You got struck by lightning.” Chuck says with a smile.

“Huh.”

While Minho recovers, Newt lets Chuck take his spot on the ground and moves to check on the others. Teresa’s got her hands on her knees while she tries to catch her breath. Her hair is a little singed, but she looks unharmed. Frypan and Aris are in a similar state, cheats heaving and full of adrenaline, but otherwise unharmed. 

Everyone seems relatively okay, even Minho, who’s already standing, albeit a little shaky. 

Knowing that everyone is okay, Newt tries to take in their surroundings. It’s too dark to see anything clearly and the flashes from the lightning do little in ways of light. Newt pulls out his flashlight from his jacket pocket and turns it on, pointing it into the darkness. 

There are large windows covering the far wall, illuminating the other side of the building. Large pillars fill the room, with metal beams connecting them, creating a web of metal above their heads. There’s a metal staircase to the right of them, but it looks weak and slightly rusted. 

“Hey…” Teresa says, suddenly appearing next to him. “What’s that smell?”

Now that she mentions it, Newt can smell it too. It smells awful and sick, like rot. Newt brings his free hand up to his nose in an attempt to block it out. It smells familiar, but he can’t quite place it. That is until someone else shines a light near Newt and Teresa. There’s a sudden shriek from ahead, much closer than Newt would like, and a figure comes lunging out of the darkness. 

Teresa shouts as Newt grabs her arm and yanks her back as a crank swipes at her, pulling her along as he walks back to the group. There are other exclamations of panic from their friends. They try to huddle together, pressing into each other in an attempt of safety. Newt feels a hand slip into his own.

The crank seemed to have awoken others, the room filling with shrieks and snarls. Thankfully though, it seems the cranks can’t get to them. There are chains holding the creatures in place. They scream and struggle, trying to escape but it doesn’t work. Newt’s about to ask what the hell is happening when a voice cuts through the noise.

“I see you’ve met our guard dogs!”

Chapter Text

“I see you’ve met our guard dogs!”

A light comes from the other side of the room, a silhouette of a person appearing. They move, walking towards them, confident and aloof. As they get closer, the person’s features become more clear. It’s a girl, she looks to be their age. She’s short, much shorter than Newt, but taller than Chuck. Her hair is short too, cut close to the scalp.

She moves through the sea of cranks, keeping the same confidence and aloofness as she does, like she knows the creature won’t get to her. They certainly try though; snarling and clawing at the air in their attempts to reach her. 

When she reaches them, she does a once over of them all, letting out a low whistle. 

“You guys look like shit.” She smiles, like it’s a joke they aren’t privy to. “Come on. Follow me.”

She turns on her heel and heads back the way she came, not even looking back to make sure they’re following her. “Unless you wanna stay here with them!” She says loudly, still not looking at them.

Newt’s a little thrown. Where the hell did she come from and how does she seem to sense them like that? He looks over to Thomas, who’s hand is still clasped in his own, and the brunette tilts his head towards the girl with a confused expression. So Thomas is just as clueless as he is, bloody fantastic . Thomas gives his hand a squeeze in a silent apology. 

“Alright.” Newt says, making the executive decision. “Let’s go.”

Newt let’s go of Thomas’ hand so he can reach for Chuck, pulling the youngest boy to him. He gives Thomas a nod, letting the boy take the lead with Teresa. One by one they all file behind the girl through the sea of cranks. Newt bites back the fear, reminding himself that these things can’t reach him.

The mystery girl leads them through the same door she arrived through and leads them up a flight of stairs. No one says anything other than the occasional quiet check in. Newt lets Chuck catch up with Thomas and Teresa, while he falls in step with Minho.

“What the hell was that down there?” Minho hisses quietly as they climb the stairs.

“I’ve got no buggin’ clue, mate. My guess is as good as yours.” Newt answers with a shrug.

They reach the top shortly after that. The girl slides another door open, this one much bigger than the last. Inside is another wide, open room, much like the one they stumbled into. But this one has lights and tarps strung from pillar to pillar. There are large cans with fires burning, adding more light to the room. The biggest thing though, is the people.

The whole room is full of people. They crowd around the fires and mill about. There’s the dull noise of voices, but it’s just background noise, indistinct and muted. It’s been a few days since they’ve been around this many people, and Newt can’t help the prickle of distrust that settles in his gut. The last time they were sound people, they were nearly killed.

The girl leads them though the room, ignoring the curious looks and whispers. “Come on, keep up!” She says, still not looking at them. How does she do that? “Jorge wants to meet you.”

She leads them up yet another flight of stairs, much to Newt’s annoyance, but at least it’s shorter than the last one. His leg is starting to ache a little and the stairs are not helping. 

“Uh, who’s Jorge?” Thomas asks once they reach the top.

“You’ll see.” The girl says a little cryptically. “No one’s come out of the Scorch in a long time. You’ve just got him curious.” She turns her head to look over her shoulder, giving only Thomas a lingering once over that Newt does not like. “And me too.”

Teresa looks over at Thomas and then back at Newt with a bewildered look on her face. Seems he wasn’t the only one to pick up on what the girl was hinting at. Though he can’t tell if Teresa is jealous too, or just startled. Frypan also shoots a look at Newt, but for a different reason.

There are suddenly large men trailing behind them. Newt looks back at them and catches the gaze of one of them. The man gives him a very creepy smile that sends discomfort up his spine. Newt quickly turns back around, trying to force their presence out of his mind.

“Anyone else startin’ to get a bad feeling ‘bout this place?” Newt mutters.

“Let’s just hear him out,” Thomas says, facing Newt, “see what he has to say.”

That is currently the last thing that Newt wants to do, but it’s better than trying to go back and through the growing group of men behind them. He’s grateful when Frypan and Minho put themselves between Newt and the men, shielding his back. 

Newt bites back a groan as the girl leads them up another flight of stairs. How many stairs are in this goddamn place?! Though it seems to be the top level. The ceiling is slightly rounded up here, and there’s a spot where the floor just ends, giving way to the beams that make up the structure of the building.

There's a man standing at a desk in front of the windows fiddling with…something. He can only assume this is Jorge. No one else looks like the ‘leader’. The girl plops herself down into a plush seat and twirls a knife expertly around her fingers. Lightning flashes outside as Jorge sighs in defeat and throws down the cords in his hand. 

Silence stretches through the space, and Newt’s neck begins to prickle, feeling like someone is watching him. He turns his head to look behind him and sees the same men as before filing up the stairs and gather around them. 

Jorge turns around and puts his hands on his hips. “Do you ever get the feeling like the whole world’s against you?”

Whatever Newt had been expecting him to say, it wasn’t that. Newt shares confused looks with his friends. No one answers the man.

Sensing this, Jorge moves closer, swinging his hands in front of him and clasping them together. “Three questions. Where’d you come from? Where are you going? How can I profit?”

He looks expectantly at their group, but no one says anything. How would they even respond to that? Oh hey, don’t mind us! We’re just a group of kids running away from an organization that wants to kill us in the name of a possible cure that we don’t even know exists! We don’t have any clue where we’re goin’ but that’s fine. We’re just winging it. 

Yeah, cause that’d go well.

“Well, don’t all answer at once.” Jorge says, annoyed.

Thomas finally speaks, “We’re headed for the mountains, looking for the Right Arm.”

Laughter ripples through their audience. Jorge shares a look with the girl, chuckling to himself. “You’re looking for ghosts, you mean.” 

Then he goes serious. “Second question! Where…did you come from?”

Thomas and Minho share a look and then look back at Newt, who shakes his head slightly. They don’t know these people. They don’t know what their motives are or who’s side they're on. They can’t trust them. Newt learned his lesson at the facility.

Minho and Thomas turn back to Jorge.

“That’s our business.” Minho says.

Jorge looks at him as if to say ‘Oh really? Suit yourself’ and motions for the men behind them. They surround the group, grabbing Minho and Thomas by the arms and keeping Newt and the others back. The men who have Thomas force him down on his knees.

“Hey!” Thomas shouts, “Get the hell off me!”

Newt and Teresa call out to him at the same time.

“Tommy!”

“Thomas!”

They’re kept back by the men, and Newt wishes he had his powers. He doesn’t even know what they’re gonna do to Thomas, but does know that he doesn’t trust these people. He glares at the dude in front of him. Teresa is actively struggling against one of the men, but she doesn’t get anywhere. The guy is nearly twice her size and she can’t brute force her way through him.

Thomas is still shouting for them to let him go when the girl grabs something from beside her and stalks over to him. “Oh shut up, you big baby.” She mutters, and forces his head down to get to his neck. 

There’s a moment of silence where the girl looks at the thing in her hand and then at Jorge. “You were right…”

She hands it off to him and Jorge looks down at it. Thomas tries to ask what they’re talking about, but his words fall on deaf ears. No one acknowledges him, simply staring at Jorge like they’re waiting for instructions. 

At least Teresa has stopped struggling.

“I’m sorry, hermano.” Jorge shakes his head with a soft laugh. “Looks like you’re tagged. You came from Wicked. Which means…you’re very valuable .”

----------------------

They end up strung up by their ankles.

Newt would be lying if he said it didn’t bring up some memories that he’d really rather forget, dangling by his feet. They’re only a few feet off the ground, but it’s enough to make his head spin. From the trauma or the blood rushing to his head, he doesn’t know. 

“Great plan, Thomas.” Minho says sarcastically, “‘Let’s just hear what the man has to say’. Really working out for us.”

Newt might’ve laughed if it didn’t feel like he was gonna pass out.

“Shut up, Minho.” Thomas mutters.

Thomas and Minho struggle to reach for the rope holding them up, while Newt struggles to keep his composure. It’s getting increasingly harder to breathe, and his vision is starting to swim. Panic starts to rise in his chest, but Newt tries to force it down. It’s not going to help anything if he has a panic attack while he’s hanging upside down.

“Enjoying the view?” Jorge asks as he comes into view.

Not really! 

“What’d you want?” Minho spits, twisting his body to look at the man.

“That is the question. My men want to sell you back to Wicked. Life has taught them to think small. I’m not like that.” Jorge addresses Thomas, “Something tells me you’re not either.”

“Is the blood rushing to my head, or is this shank not making any sense?” Newt thinks Minho’s going for a joke, but it falls flat.

His breathing is coming faster now as he struggles to push the onslaught of memories from his head. It feels like he’s back in the Maze, being held up by the ivy, just waiting to fall. His leg throbs in tandem with his heartbeat. 

He thinks Jorge asks them about the Right Arm, but Newt can’t focus on the conservation. His head is spinning with vertigo, making him feel sick. His skin feels sticky with sweat. Newt shuts his eyes in a vain attempt to get his bearings, but it only makes the sickening feeling worse. His head starts to ache, pounding and violent.

Thoughts begin to flood his head; thoughts he tried very hard to push down. It’s too similar to that night. Stop, stop, stop- make it stop! 

His fingernails bite into his palms, balling his hands into fists. He may actually be sick, stomach turning and he can feel the bile rising in his throat. He’s distantly aware that he’s trembling, clammy skin and all. His surroundings fade away and all he can hear is the blood rushing in his ears, his heart beating out his chest. 

Suddenly his whole body jerks and he hits the ground with a thud. He doesn’t even have time to try and make sense of anything before faces appear above him. Newt’s vision is still a little blurred, but he thinks it’s Thomas and Teresa. Voices pass over him, sounding distant. 

His head is still pounding, but slowly everything starts to settle. His breathing begins to even out and the panic recedes, leaving him drained. So much for not having a panic attack. 

Minho’s face appears above him. “Newt! Are you alright, man?”

Newt’s thankful Minho is the one asking. The raven haired boy is the only person who would understand what happened. Minho’s the one who found him, after-all, lying in the maze just waiting to die. 

“I’m… I’m fine…” His voice cracks as Minho helps him to his feet.

The second he’s upright, Thomas appears at his side, sliding his hand up Newt’s bicep and holding tight. “Are you sure? What happened?”

He nods, albeit a little shaky. He raises a thumb to his face and brushes it quickly over the tip of his nose. It’s a silent not now that Newt hopes the other boy will understand. Thomas eyes him warily, opens his mouth like he might argue, but shuts it before he can say anything. He just nods his head at Newt with a huff that he knows means they will talk about it. (He’s not looking forward to it.)

They barely have time to catch their breath, let alone find their things, before Jason’s voice echoes through the building. “Good Evening! This is the World Catastrophe Killzone Department. We have your compound completely surrounded!”

His friends begin to shout all at once.

“Shit!”

“What the hell are we gonna do?!”

“What’s happening?!”

“How did they find us?!”

“Everyone shut it!”

Everyone turns to look at Newt. He’s just as scared, plus he's exhausted and would like nothing more than to not be here right now. “Just shut up and listen.” He hisses, gently corralling his friends into a group.

“You find yourselves, though no fault of your own, in possession of Wicked property! Return them to us unharmed and we’ll consider this a simple misunderstanding!” Newt scans the room for their things while Jason speaks. If they can gather their stuff up quickly, they can try and escape. “Or, you can resist and every last one of you will die!”

Well, Wicked really knows how to motivate people. 

There are screams and shouts from below and Newt knows they have to go now or else they’re as good as dead. The blonde motions for the group to start looking, and it doesn't take too long. Chuck ends up finding their bags in the far corner.

They frantically grab their things, slipping on backpacks and looking out for each other while Janson continues to speak. Bloody hell, the bastard really loves the sound of his own voice.  

“It won’t be long before the Flare wipes out the rest of us! The hope of a cure lies in your hands. The choice…is yours!” 

“Yeah yeah, fuck you!” Minho spits as they meet back up in the middle of the room, and Newt couldn’t have said it better.

Once everyone is back together, Thomas leads then quickly towards the stairs. They get halfway down the stairs before one of the men from before, the one who kept looking at Newt,  stops them. He’s got a gun in his hand, cocked and aimed directly at them. 

“We’re not trying to cause any trouble, okay? We just gotta get out of here.” Thomas says, arms out in front of him in a placating gesture.

The creepy man chuckles, a smile cracking his face, and it makes Newt’s skin crawl. “Is that so?” He pulls out a radio from his pocket, eyes and gun trained on the gladers. “Janson, I got ‘em for ya. I’m bringin’ ‘em down. Don’t shoot us.” 

He puts the radio down and tilts his head. “Come on, let’s go. I said. Let’s. Go! ”

No one moves but the man, coming closer like he’s about to climb the stairs and force them down himself, when a shot rings out. They all jump and Newt stumbles backward. He feels an arm swing out and over his stomach, and when he looks down reflexively to see if he’d been shot, he sees Thomas’ arm in front of him.

The man falls forward on the stairs, collapsing in a heap, and it takes Newt a minute to realize he was the one who was shot. The girl from before is standing there, gun out and aimed at the man on the floor. She must have snuck up on them, her height hiding her behind the creep.

“Okay.” She breathes heavily, “Come on.”

Thomas hesitates for a moment and Newt looks between the man on the floor and the girl. He’s not sure if he should be impressed or terrified. Then Minho calls out and tells them to ‘ move you dumb shanks ’. It seems to be enough to pull Thomas out of his stupor and he trails after the girl, the rest of the group in tow.

Music begins to play throughout the building and the girl suddenly picks up the pace. “Come on! Hurry, we don’t have much time!”

“What are you talking about?” Newt asks, struggling to keep up. 

He’s still drained from the panic attack, and though there’s new adrenaline coursing through his body, he’s still been weakened. His leg aches from hanging upside down, but he tries to push through it. There just isn’t any time!

“It’s his favorite song!” Is all she says.

“Well that’s ominous.” He mutters to himself.

They meet up with Jorge on the next floor down.

“Brenda!” Jorge calls to the girl -- so that’s her name, he’s just been calling her ‘the girl’ the entire time -- and rushes them. “ We don’t have much time! Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go!”

Jorge leads them to a large set of windows which the man pushes open. Newt tries to swallow another wave of panic as he takes in what lies beyond the windows. A large chasm stretches between their building and another that looks like it may collapse if it was shaken a little too hard. Connecting the two buildings is a cable and -- Newt really doesn’t like where this is going.

He takes an involuntary step back, bumping into Minho, who raises a hand and clasps Newt’s shoulder. He just can’t catch a fucking break , can he? 

“Oh, you gotta be kidding me.” Frypan says and Newt shares the fucking sentiment. 

Jorge struggles with ropes for a moment, then turns to face them. “Plan B, hermano. You kids wanna get to the Right Arm? I’ll lead you to them. But you’ll owe me.” With that he tugs the first rope down fully and slips it around his body. “Follow me!”

Newt watches as Jorge runs and jumps from the open window, sailing through the air and heading for the other building. Brenda pulls the next rope down and tells them to get a move on. Minho goes first, followed by Chuck and Frypan. Teresa goes after them, giving him and Thomas a look before she’s sailing away. 

Just as he’s about ready to go, Thomas calls out to Brenda. “Where are you going?!”

“I’ll be right back!” She shouts over her shoulder. “Go!”

Thomas goes to follow her, but Newt reaches out to stop him, grabbing his wrist. “Tommy!”

“Go. I’m right behind you.” He gives Newt’s wrist a squeeze and pulls away, following after Brenda.

“You’d better be!” Newt calls after him, heart in his throat, and jumps from the window.

He’d started shaking before Thomas turned away, and he tries to force his body to settle as he sails through the air. It feels nice, moving through the air. But Newt refuses to look down, either keeping his eyes up towards the sky or straight at his destination where his friends wait.

Newt nearly collapses in relief when his feet hit the ground on the other side. Minho grabs him and helps keep him upright and Newt detangles himself. “Where’s Thomas?”

“He went after Brenda. He said he’d be right behind me.” Newt looks back at the open window, but sees no sign of Thomas or Brenda. “Damn it.”

Once he’s out of the rope, Minho pulls him away from the edge. He’s once again very thankful to have Minho in his life, the other boy knowing him well enough to know what happens when he’s around heights. He leads Newt over to Chuck and Teresa, the latter giving him a knowing look. 

It’s a little unsettling. How could she possibly know what happened to him? She hadn’t been around then. They didn’t even know she existed. So how the hell could she know? He gives her a weary look, and turns his attention to Chuck.

“You alright, Chuckie?” He knows the younger boy hates the nickname, but the eyeroll and small smile it earns him is worth it.

“Don’t call me that. I’m fine! Actually…it was kinda fun.” 

“Good that.”

A muffled explosion pulls his attention away from Chuck and back at the other building. A plume of fiery smoke rises into the air, and slowly the building starts to collapse. There’s still no sign of Thomas or Brenda as the building caves in on itself. All they can do is watch helplessly as it burns to the ground.

----------------------

It takes a shouting match between Minho and Jorge, Teresa trying to console a stony Newt, and the rest of the gladers to throw their opinions around to make them leave.

Jorge tells them that Brenda knows her way around the building and the possible exits. That they have to have survived, he knows it. Newt desperately wants to believe him. It hurts, thinking about losing Tommy, more than he thought it would. It settles in his chest, aching and dark, bringing tears to his eyes every time someone mentions his name. 

It makes him angry, too. They’ve lost so much and yet they still keep losing. He’s sick and tired of it, he just wants a break. It’s been one thing after another since they left the facility, since the Glade even. And it isn’t fair that they might lose their makeshift leader, the one that set them free. 

The one who holds Newt’s heart.

Because that’s what this is really about, isn’t it? The fact that Newt might be a little in love with the boy who set them free, who set him free. The one who gave him hope and the desire to keep going, having something -- someone -- to fight for. It means more to him than Thomas will ever know. 

He desperately wants to believe that Thomas is okay. That he and Brenda got out okay. Jorge says she knows where they’re going, or more accurately, who they’re looking for. He clings onto that hope, and he knows the others are as well.

Jorge is currently leading them through the Scorch. He says they’re about a day's time away from wherever they’re going, but out here, in the heat, it feels like days. The man doesn’t tell them much, only that they’re looking for a man named Marcus, who apparently knows where the Right Arm is. 

Newt’s still hesitant to trust him, but others are on board, so he tries to push it down. He’s been having a harder time trusting people since the facility. If he'd been less blind to the fact they were being lied to, given luxuries they’d never had, maybe they'd have been out of there sooner. He knows, deep down, that it’s not his fault, but he can’t help but feel guilty about it all.

At least it will all be over soon. One way or another.

----------------------

They make camp once the sun is barely visible, leaving them in the dark. 

It’s a little ways away from some town ruins. Jorge didn’t want them some place where people used to be or currently are because of cranks, and they all agreed. They’d already lost one person to the cranks, they didn’t need to risk anyone else.

Newt takes the time to sit by himself and write in his journal. It’d been too long since he’d last done it. Maybe back in the glade or at some point in the facility. He just didn’t have the time to really get into it and write it all down. 

Writing like this always takes a weight off his shoulders. Just knowing that it’s out of his head and onto some tangible helps, for some reason. Maybe it’s because it gives him perspective, and it allows him to think or write whatever he wants. There’s no judgment from a book filled only with your thoughts.

He’s practically done getting it all down when Teresa comes over, sitting down next to him and picking at her pants as she waits for him to finish what he’s doing. He jots down his final thoughts and then shuts the book, tucking it back into his bag, and turns to face her.

“Hey.” She says, brushing her hair behind her ear.

“Hey.” He echoes.

“I know it’s a stupid question, but…are you okay?”

Newt chuckles a little, nodding his head. “I feel better after writin’ it all down.”

“That’s good.” She smiles. “I just…wanted to check in.”

“I appreciated it.” Newt looks at her, really looks at her, and wonders if she needs a shoulder to lean on. “Are you alright? You seem…distant lately.”

She hums, her eyes trained on the horizon. “I’m having a hard time.”

Newt nods in understanding, because god does he understand. But no one deserves to be left alone with their own thoughts, so Newt nudges her with his elbow and gives her a smile when she looks over at him. “Penny for your thoughts?”

Teresa gives him a small smile in return, but it slides off her face the second she looks away. There’s a long silence, and Newt thinks she may not speak at all, before Teresa opens her mouth. “Are we doing the right thing?”

Her voice is small, quiet and maybe a little watery. “What’d you mean?”

“Just… Are we doing the right thing being out here, trying to be happy when there are thousands of people out there who are dying? I mean, what if we can help them.” She turns to him then, blue eyes red rimmed and glossy with unshed tears, “How can we just sit here when there’s something so much bigger than us happening? How am I supposed to just sit here knowing that maybe I can help those people, but I can’t do anything about it?”

Newt stares at her for a moment, trying to process the things she’s saying. It’s surprising, to be honest, he never knew she felt this way. But maybe that’s not true… He thinks back to the mall where he’d cut her hair. She’d wondered where those people had gone, taking a photo of a small girl as a memento. Maybe she’d been feeling like this from the very beginning when they discovered what had happened to this world.

He reaches out and puts a hand on her shoulder.

“I don’t know.” he says, “Maybe it’s something that’ll never go away. I get what you mean, wanton’ to help all those people out there. But the truth is, it’s just not worth it. It’s not worth it to risk ourselves for something that may not even work.”

She nods her head slowly, but doesn’t look convinced, so Newt continues. “Look, I know I can’t take your pain away. It’s not easy to feel helpless, knowing that there’s more out there than you can ever really know. But at the end of the day you have to do what’s best for yourself.” He squeezes her shoulder. “But you’re not alone. You’ve got us, and we’ve got your back. Just remember that we’re here for you, yeah?”

There’s tears running down her cheeks as she pulls him into a hug. Newt hesitates for a split second, shocked more than anything, and wraps his arms around her to hug her back. Teresa cries into his shoulder and he lets her, knowing what she’s going though. It made him feel better, back then, to remember that he wasn’t really alone, that there were people who cared for him.

He can’t help her sort through the chaos in her head, but he can be there for her while she tries.

Eventually she stops shaking and her tears slow. She pulls back a little, wiping her face with her hands and laughs wetly. “I came over here to talk to you about Thomas, and here I am, crying all over you instead.”

He just laughs with her, hands on her shoulders to help keep her up right. “I don’t mind. Everyone needs a good cry every once in a while.”

“You’re a really good friend, Newt.” She smiles a little sadly, running her hands through her hair and keeping them at the sides of her neck. “I see why Thomas likes you so much.”

She laughs again at Newt’s face, caught off guard and a little red, though it’s hard to see in the dark. “I have no idea what you’re talkin’ about.”

“Mhm, sure you don’t.” She smiles, a real genuine smile. “Seriously though, thank you.”

“Of course.” He pulls her in for another hug. “You’re my friend, and a part of this family. You’ve never alone with us.”

He feels more than hears her take a deep breath. “Thank you.”

----------------------

They set out the next morning.

It only takes a few hours of walking until they come across a party. It’s a whole block full of people who look drunk off their asses or stoned out of their minds. Newt’s still holding onto the hope that Thomas and Brenda will be here.

Jorge corners a blonde man who looks like he’ll collapse at any second, flask in hand and booming laughter as he welcomes Jorge back. The rest of them spread out to try and find Thomas and Brenda.

It’s not an easy task. The room where the ‘party’ is, is packed with people. It’s impossible to move properly with all the sweaty bodies and hormones in the air. Teresa stumbles beside him, bumping into him and knocking each other into other people. It’s…more than frustrating.

The pair struggle to search the room, pushing through clusters of people. He catches sight of the other gladers and it doesn’t seem like they’re having much luck either. Teresa suddenly pulls on his hand and yanks him into her shoulder.

He grits his teeth against the pain and looks to where she’s pointing. “Look!”

Sure enough, Thomas is stumbling around blindly with a look of panic on his face, knocking into people and trying to push his way though. They shout the boy's name in usion as Thomas suddenly tips forward and falls to the ground. 

Newt races over to him with Teresa in tow, pushing and shoving his way through the sea of people. He crouches down beside Thomas, whose face is squished into the floor, checking his pulse. It’s a little too fast, but the brunette looks like he’s been given something, so Newt tries to chalk it up to that and not that his best friend may be dying.

“Help me get him up!” Newt shouts over the music in hopes that Teresa will hear him.

She must, because she crouches down on Thomas' other side, slips one of his arms around her neck and waits for Newt to do the same. They pull him upright together and try to push through the sea of people. Suddenly Minho appears at his side, probably seeing them across the room, and helps them navigate the way out. 

“We found Brenda not far from you guys.” Minho says once they’re outside and catch their breath. It was stifling in there. “Jorge’s got Marcus over there.”

They follow Minho to an abandoned house that honestly doesn’t look like a house. The outside walls are standing, sure, but the rest of it looks like a bloody storm came through and ripped the inside to shreds. Jorge’s got Marcus tied to a chair in the center of the main room, talking to the man while the others watch. 

Minho points them to a connected room to set Thomas down in, and Newt can’t ignore the glare Brenda shoots at him as they pass. She looks disheveled, hurt, and angry. Newt really doesn’t want to be on the receiving end of that glare. 

“Put him over here.” Teresa says as they enter the room. 

“Right.”

Together they set Thomas down so he’s laying on his back. He looks almost peaceful like this…if you ignored the rest of his appearance. His clothes are dirty -- dirtier than they were before they got separated -- and he’s pale, almost sickly. 

“You stay with him. I’ll get some water.” Teresa sighs, turning back into the other room.

Newt stays crouched down next to Thomas, pushing the boy’s sweat soaked hair out of his face. His skin is hot to the touch and Newt’s worry spikes. Having a fever is not good, it’s not something they have the supplies to help. 

“What have you gotten yourself into, Tommy?” Newt murmurs.

He situates himself behind Thomas and pulls his head into his lap. Teresa comes back into the room, water bottle and rag in hand. “This should help.” Teresa says while she opens the bottle and pours the contents onto the rag. She folds the rag and places it on Thomas’ forehead. 

They sit in a silent vigil over Thomas, the younger boy never stirring. His chest rises and falls slowly, and Newt hopes it stays that way. Lord knows they could all use the rest, Thomas especially. Teresa reaches over and fusses with the rag every once in a while.

Jorge’s voice rises in the other room, accompanied by several thwacks. Newt and Teresa share a look, concerned. She raises an eyebrow and hums in response to Newt shrugging. He’s got no clue what’s going on out there either. Something he’s getting real buggin’ tired of.

After a particularly loud slap, Teresa stands. “I’ll go see what’s going on.”

“Alright.”

She turns away from him, walks to the doorway, and pokes your head out. Whatever she sees must affect her, because she turns back and gives him an apologetic smile then rushes out of the room. He waits for her for a few minutes, but it’s clear she’s probably not coming back. It doesn’t sound like anyone’s in trouble at least.

Thomas begins to stir shortly after Tereasa leaves, turning his head and groaning. Newt watches his hand twitch at his side before bringing it up to his face. Newt runs a soothing hand down Thomas’ neck and shoulder, the younger boy humming as he scrubs at his face. It’s unbelievably cute and Newt fights the urge to kiss Thomas’ cheek.

When Thomas finally opens his eyes, he groans, complaining about the light and shielding his eyes with his hand. It takes a moment for his eyes to adjust, and Newt leans over him in an attempt to help keep the light out. Thomas looks up at him.

“Newt.” He breathes in something akin to relief, or maybe awe.

“Welcome back to the land of the living, Tommy.” Newt smiles down at him.

“Ugh, what happened?”

“We were kinda hopin’ you’d be able to tell us. We found you on the floor of that…place.”

“Oh.” Thomas says. He closes his eyes and scrunches his face in a way that causes Newt to bite his lip in an attempt to stifle laughter. He looks adorable -- christ he needs to get a grip. “I remember looking for Marcus, drinking something , and being pushed inside. He said it was a party.”

“Who did?” Newt presses.

“Dunno. We asked him about Marcus and he said that he’d died. He pushed us inside and Brenda told me not to drink anything else…” Thomas rubs his eyes, then snaps them open, suddenly rigid. “Brenda!”

He tries to push himself upright, but Newt catches him and presses him back down by his shoulders. “It’s alright!” Newt says through a twinge of jealousy. “She’s in the other room with everyone else.”

The tension bleeds out of the younger boy and he slumps back down into Newt’s lap. “Good. We got separated and I couldn’t find her.”

Newt hums. “We found you two separately. And she won’t stop glaring at me like I broke her favorite toy or somethin’.”

He watches Thomas give him a confused look, the one where his brows furrow just slightly with a pout on his lips. Then his eyes widen and his cheeks go pink, no longer looking Newt in the eye. “Umm…”

“Um?” Newt echoes expectantly.

Thomas doesn’t say anything for a long moment, cheeks pink, then his eyes snap back to Newt’s. “You’re pretty.”

If this is an attempt to change the subject or distract him, it’s working. Newt feels his own cheeks heat up at the compliment. It’s not the first time Thomas has said it, but it makes his stomach flutter.

“So you’ve said,” Newt says with a small smile. Then, just to tease him, Newt leans down close and adds, “You got a crush on me or somethin’, Tommy?”

“Y-yeah…” Thomas breathes.

“Oh…” And yeah, Thomas is definitely looking at his lips.

His words seem to suddenly catch up with the brunette and Newt watches as Thomas goes red, his face twisting into a mix of horror and embarrassment. He scrambles to sit upright and Newt lets him, a little dazed. 

Thomas likes him? Well, he knew that, he’s not thick. He knows Tommy only says those things to him and acts differently around him. But knowing and hearing it are two different things. It’s just…taking him a moment to process it.

Thomas on the other hand, looks like he’s about to bolt.

He’s wringing his hands and glaring at the floor like it’s personally offended him. There’s a bit of space between them now, with Thomas sitting closer to the wall than Newt. He’s not looking at him, but when Newt moves to get closer, brown eyes snap to his and suddenly Thomas won’t shut up.

“I-I just mean that I like you, ya know? Because you’re a friend and you’re really cool and badass, and the whole ice powers thing? Wow. And you’re so caring, not wanting anyone to feel alone or left out and you always know what to say or-or how to fix it.”

“Tommy…”

“A-And you’re really pretty, too! Your hair looks so soft and I’d really like to touch it; it;s so pretty when you let it down. Not that I’m comparing you to a girl, because you’re not a girl and you’re actually a really strong guy, who is definitely not a girl! Not that girls can’t be strong or powerful! I just want to make it clear that I know you’re not a girl!”

“Tommy!”

“You’re just really cool and smart and hot and I don’t know what I’m saying anymore, I’m just rambling because I didn’t mean to say anything and make it awkward. Did I make it awkward? I feel like I made it awkward. Because I know you’ve never told me to fuck of or anything when I touch you or compliment you, but that doesn’t mean you feel the same way? Well-”

“Thomas!” Newt shouts, finally breaking through to Thomas.

“Um, sorry.”  He mutters, face even more red -- if that’s even possible -- and eyes fixed on the floor.

Newt sighs. Only Thomas would be like this after acting like he knew what he was doing the entire time. He shakes his head fondly with a smile. “Can I talk now?”

Thomas nods, still not looking at him. “Look at me, will ya? Please, Tommy?” Slowly, Thomas meets his eyes and jerks when he sees how close Newt’s gotten. “Now listen to me. I like you too, you daft fool. Of course I do, how could I not? Did nothing I’ve been saying the past few weeks click?”

He reaches out and pulls Thomas’ hands apart, holding them in his own. “I said I’d follow you anywhere and I meant it. You’re stuck with me, whether you like it or not. Hell, I’ve been half in love with you since you face planted back in the Glade and changed my life.”

The younger boy gapes at him and Newt chuckles. This whole thing is ridiculous, really. This whole thing could’ve been avoided if they’d just talked to each other. They were so good at it, being able to communicate silently, reading each other like it’s the easiest thing in the world, but not when it comes to this it seems.

Well they’re here now.

He leans in close, pulling his hands away from Thomas’ and planting them on either side of the brunette’s head, delights in the shiver that runs through Thomas’ body, and whispers. “Now are you gonna kiss me, or what?”

Thomas launches forward and kisses him. It’s surprisingly gentle, just a press of lips, but Newt isn’t having it. He pushes himself closer and moves his hands to Thomas’ hair, tugging on it and taking advantage of the gasp Thomas makes in response. He licks into Thomas mouth and god - why weren’t they doing this sooner? Thomas’s hands slide from Newt’s hips up to his hair, pulling it out of it’s ponytail and tangling it in his fingers. Newt hums into the kiss, letting his hands slip down Thomas’ chest.

Part of him wants to keep going, to just let themselves get out of control, but their friends are in the other room and they’re trying to get to the mountains. So, Newt pulls away from the kiss and chuckles when Thomas chases him. He pushes Thomas back by his chest and gives him a look.

“We’ve gotta stop.” Thomas groans in protest, throwing his head back against the wall with a thunk . Newt laughs fully this time. “I know, love, but our friends are in the other room and we’re kinda in the middle, ya know, trying to find the Right Arm.”

“Love?” Thomas asks with a giddy smile, letting his arms settle around Newt’s waist.

“Is that alright?” 

“Definitely.” 

Thomas leans up and kisses him again, long and slow. It makes Newt’s heart melt and he smiles into the kiss. 

“Fuckin’ finally!”

Newt jumps and he feels Thomas startle against him. They break apart and turn their heads to look at the doorway. Minho stands there with the biggest smile on his face. “It’s about damn time you two got your shit together.”

He’s teasing them, Newt realizes, and groans into Thomas’s shoulder. “Piss off, Minho.”

The raven haired boy laughs. “Nah man, I’m happy for you guys, seriously. And I hate to interrupt, but Jorge’s ready to head out.”

Newt and Thomas untangle themselves and stand as Minho speaks. Thomas is still holding his hand, but Newt doesn’t mind one bit. Minho leads them back into the main room where the others are packing up. Marcus sits in his chair, unconscious, and Newt doesn’t want to know what happened here.

He catches Brenda’s eye and he’s relieved to see she’s no longer glaring at him. Instead she just looks resigned and a little sad as she stares at Newt and Thomas’ clasped hands. He feels a little bad for her, now that he thinks he understands, but he thinks she knew the whole time she never stood a chance. 

Thomas presses Newt’s bag into his hands and Newt slips it on. He has to momentarily let go of the other boy’s hand, but once he’s done he feels Thomas take his hand again. He smiles at Newt and peaks his lips. “Ready to go?”

He can feel eyes on him and he knows the gladers aren’t gonna let this go for a while, but Newt nods his head and tries to ignore them. “Let’s go.”

Chapter Text

Apparently Marcus had a truck.

They all pile into said truck - Bertha, as Jorge gleefully informs him - with Jorge in the driver's seat and Newt riding shotgun, much to his delight. The others are crowded in the backseat together. It’s a tight squeeze with all seven of them in the backseat and it doesn’t exactly look comfortable, but they make it work. 

The town was quite a few miles from the base of the mountains, but the truck cut their travel distance in half, allowing them to get part way up the mountains before the sun began to set. 

It’s strange, he thinks, just how similar the mountains are to the maze walls, but it feels more open somehow. More free. The wind that blew through the mountains was cool and crisp, a stark contrast to the oppressive heat of the scorch. Maybe my powers will work up here…   

He doesn’t have time to test that theory - probably for the best considering they’re in a car and Brenda and Jorge have no clue about his powers - as the truck rolls to a stop. Confused, Newt looks out the windshield and sees a pileup of cars blocking their path. There’s room to walk through it, but he doesn’t think anyone loves the idea of leaving the safety of the truck. He knows he doesn’t want to.

Nobody says anything for a good few minutes until Jorge sighs. “Well, looks like we’re finishing this on foot. Everybody out.”

Groaning inwardly, Newt opens his door and grabs his bag as he exits the truck. Jorge steps out first, slamming the door behind him, and walks a little ways in front to better assess the situation. The back doors open as one by one his friends leave the truck. He and Thomas help Brenda out of the truck. 

Newt’s a little worried about her. She’s looked progressively more ill since they found them, spacey and paler than she should be. He still doesn’t know what happened to her and Thomas while they were out in the scorch on their own, but there’s a sinking feeling in his gut that tells him something is wrong. Minho and Teresa keep shooting concerned looks her way. Teresa more so, staring at biting her lip like she wants to say something but ultimately keeps her mouth shut.

They crowd around Jorge, waiting for his instruction. It feels a little weird to be following someone around rather than making their own decisions, but Jorge is much older than the rest of them, so it makes sense. Even if Newt is still a little weary of him. The man takes a step forward and leads them towards the cars. They shuffle after him, Newt and Thomas up front with Brenda, wanting to stay close to each other and her in case she suddenly keels over.

Teresa, Aris, and Chuck move behind them while Minho and Frypan take up the rear. No one speaks as they walk and it’s a little unsettling. It’s quiet in the valley, save for the wind whistling past his ears. Jorge rifles through the open trunks while the rest of them poke around the deserted cars. Dust and grime over the vehicles, holes punched through windows and some missing windows completely, making the whole place look worn and abandoned. 

They’ve barely made it past the first handful of cars when I gunshot rings out, the bullet bouncing off the hood of a car to Newt’s left. He jerks back and ducks, his voices joining in the demands to hide. “Get down!”

He ends up plastered against the side of a car with Minho and Chuck. He looks over his shoulder to see if he can spot anyone else, and he releases a breath he didn’t know he was holding when his eyes land on Thomas. The brunette is crouching behind a truck with Jorge. Newt can’t see the others, but he hopes the other boy can.

There’s a few more gunshots before it goes silent. 

“Everyone okay out there?!” Thomas shouts and Newt feels a weight lift when he hears Teresa respond.

“We’re fine!”

Good. Good, they’re all okay. For now at least. “Anyone know where those bloody shots came from?” 

No one responds aside from some indictment muttering. Out of the corner of his eye Newt sees Thomas slowly move to look over the hood of the car. Cursing the other boy, Newt throws his arm out - please work, please work, please work - and shoots a shard of ice at the hood in front of Thomas’ face. The blonde breathes a sigh as the ice hits the hood and expands, creating a fair sized spike that prevents the other boy from looking.

It’s a good thing too, because the second the ice stops expanding, another bullet hits the ice. It  explodes and causes small chunks of ice and snow to fall to the ground. What’s left of the ice cracks in two, but holds.

Thomas ducks back down and out of harm's way, shooting Newt a surprised but thankful look. Jorge says something and Thomas turns to look at the man. He hands Thomas something that Newt really doesn’t like the look of. The blonde looks over to check on Minho and Chuck. Chuck is holding his bear to his chest with shaky hands and Minho reaches out to squeeze the youngest boy’s shoulder.

“Everybody!” Jorge’s calls, “Get ready to sprint back to the truck! And hold your ears!”

Newt looks at Minho with wide eyes, suddenly very much not liking whatever it was Jorge had planned. Minho looks back, his expression matching his own. 

The plan doesn’t get any farther than that, though. He hears a gun cock and turns his head to see two girls pointing a gun at Thomas and Jorge. “Drop it!” The taller girl says, loud enough for everyone to hear. “Now! I said drop it!”

Both girls have bandanas around their necks, covering the lower half of their faces. The taller girl has brown skin and dark dreads that fall just past her shoulders, while the smaller girl is pale with long braided blonde hair not unlike Newt’s own. Their clothes are baggy and worn. Looks like they’ve been out here as long as they have.

The taller girl motions with her gun, “On your feet. Let’s go. Move!”

Thomas and Jorge stand slowly, hands raised. The girls crowd them backwards towards Newt, Minho, and Chuck. The girl shouts at them to move too. Slowly they stand with their hands up. He debates using his powers, but he’s sure how helpful it would be. The smaller girl moves back and orders the rest of the group to join them. 

The taller girl stares at Aris as he joins them. Slowly she points her gun at the ground. “…Aris?”

Everyone looks to Aris in confusion. He stares back at her, squinting. She pulls down her makeshift mask. “Oh my god. Harriet?!” Aris shouts.

The girl - Harriet - moves forward and pulls Aris into a hug. “Oh my god. What the hell are you doing here?”

Confusion sweeps through Newt as he watches the smaller girl remove her mask too, gaping at Harriet and Aris. The two part and Harriet runs her hands over Aris’ neck and hair in disbelief. 

“Sonya.” Aris breathes and the blonde girl laughs, pulling him into a hug.

“Aris, you’re lucky we didn’t shoot your dumb ass.” She pulls away and adds, “Are you alright?”

Seriously, what the hell is happening? Minho looks over between Newt and Thomas with a raised eyebrow. Thomas shrugs and shakes his head. No one has a single clue about what’s happening. But at least they aren’t pointing guns at them anymore.

“How?” Aris mutters, staring at the two girls.

“Yeah, uh, what’s happening?” Minho butts in in annoyance.

The three of them turn to face them. “We were in the maze together.” Aris responds with a smile. The first smile he’s ever seen on the boy.

Harriet turns towards the railing and whistles loudly. “We’re clear guys! Come on out!”

There’s responding shouts from the tops of the valley and Newt watches with some distant annoyance as people come out of hiding. Each one holds a gun and look to be in some military clothes, but they’re so far away it's hard to tell. It doesn’t sit well with him. Not after the facility. But at least they’re not actively aiming their guns at them anymore.

Sonya reaches out for Aris again as they all drop their hands, relaxing slightly. He feels a hand reach for his. Thomas wraps his other arm around Newt’s neck and pulls him into a hug. Newt leans into him, soaking up his warmth and comfort. 

“Are you alright?” Thomas asks when he pulls away, not letting go of his hand and checking him over.

“I’m fine, Tommy.”

“Yeah?”

Newt nods. “Good. Glad to see your power is back. Thanks for saving my face back there.”

“Yeah, dude.” Minho says from behind them. “You looked all freaked out when you couldn’t use it. And you protected this dumb shank.”

Thomas pouts and Newt laughs. “Seriously, what were you thinking?”

“I just wanted to see if I could figure out where the shots were coming from!”

“At the cost of your face? Come on, man.” Minho shakes his head with a snort.

----------------------

They’re led to a camp farther in the mountains, outside of the valley.

The camp itself is fairly large. In the middle of the camp is a handful of tents, barrels and makeshift tables scattered around them. It looks like food is being prepared, and Newt suddenly realizes it’s been much too long since he last ate. 

The rest of the tents and cars make up a ring around the middle tents. People mill about, hanging up clothes, pulling supplies together. The whole camp is bustling with movement. 

“We’re leaving at first light tomorrow,” Sonya explains while Harriet calls for someone - Vince. “So it’s a good thing you found us when you did.”

A good thing doesn’t even begin to cover it. If they had been even a few hours later, they may not have found the Right Arm at all. They could’ve been stranded with no way to truly escape Wicked. The thought makes Newt feel a little ill.

“Who’s Vince?” Minho asks, arms crossed as he takes in the camp.

“He’s the one who decides if you get to stay.” Harriet answers.

Well he hopes Vince won’t kick them out, but he’s still weary of new people. The Facility messed him up more than he thought it did. If he had just been less blind, less accepting, maybe they could’ve gotten out sooner. Or maybe- 

There’s suddenly a tapping against his temple and Newt turns to find Thomas staring at him, hand raised with a finger curled to tap his knuckle against Newt’s head. He gives the blonde a soft smile that Newt returns, thankful for the distraction.

“I thought the Right Arm was supposed to be an army.” Minho mutters.

“Yeah, we were.” A voice responds. They all turn to look in the direction of the voice. A tall man walks toward them, clothes worn and dirtied, a strap rests across his torso. Of a bag or a gun, Newt can’t tell. “This is all that’s left of us.”

He comes to stand in front of their group, eyes trailing over every one of them. “Lot of good people died gettin’ us this far.” He turns to Sonya and Harriet, “Who are they?”

“They’re immunes.” Harriet says a little tiredly. “Caught ‘em comin’ up the mountain.”

“Did you check ‘em?”

“I know this guy, Aris. I trust him, Vince.”

“Me too.” Sonya adds, looking over at him.

The man looks unconvinced. “Well I don’t. Check ‘em.”

Suddenly Brenda’s breathing becomes labored behind them, and Newt turns to watch her pitch forward and collapse. He and Thomas go to catch her, but they miss. Jorge shouts her name and dives down next to her. “Brenda?! Brenda!” 

She gasps and groans, trying to claw at her throat. Jorge tries to calm her, but she continues to gasp for breath. Distrantly, it reminds Newt of Winston, but his mind is too tired and panicked to register that thought.

Jorge pulls Brenda into his arms and tilts her head back, rubbing at her chest. “Brenda, talk to me.”

“I’m sorry,” She wheezes, “I’m sorry.”

Vince kneels down beside them, “What’s going on with her?”

“I don’t know. Brenda, are you alright?” Jorge’s voice is tight as he cradles her. “Brenda, talk to me.”

“Oh shit!” Vince exclaims suddenly, pushing himself up and away from them while he scrabbles for his gun. “Crank! We got a crank!”

Shouts erupt as Vince aims his gun at Brenda. Jorge covers her body with his own and Thomas throws himself forward with his hands out. Minho backs the rest of them up, arms spread wide as he pushes them back. Two men go to grab Jorge and Newt doesn’t even think.

He pushes past Minho and then Thomas and Jorge, pushing the brunette back and putting himself between his friends and the men before dropping to the ground and dragging his hands against the dirt in an arc. With the intent to protect, ice rushes to life under his palms and shoots out into spikes, rising up and pushing people away. Vince and the men scramble backward to evade the ice that threatens to impale them.

“What the fuck!?” Vince shouts, nearly tripping backwards as he moves away. “First you let a crank in here and now this?!”

“I understand!” Thomas shouts, “Just listen, please.”

Newt rises from the ground with a grunt, his legs protesting, hands still out in case he needs his power again. He doesn’t know Brenda that well, but he knows her better than these people, and he’ll protect her. Vince looks between him, Thomas, and Brenda - who’s limp on the ground, struggling to breathe - with a frown. His gun is still out, but it’s no longer pointed directly at any of them.

Thomas continues. “Please, okay? I told her you could help. There’s got to be something you can do…”

“Yeah there is.” Vince says, retraining his gun on Brenda. “I can put her out of her misery.”

Jorge shouts from behind them, begging Vince to stop. Newt makes a pushing motion with his hands, forcing the arc of ice to grow, the spikes rushing forward again. A gunshot rings out and ice explodes in front of them. 

“Vince! That’s enough!” A new voice breaks through the commotion. “Let them go!”

Immediately the people surrounding them back away, Sonya and Harriet included, and I woman comes marching up to them. Vince turns to look at her, his gun lowering from where it was trained on Newt. The second the man is turned away, Thomas steps in front of Newt, pushing him behind him. 

“She’s infected, Doc! There’s nothing we can do for her.” Vince says.

“Fascinating.” The woman breathes, eyeing the ice and Newt - or what little she can see behind Thomas. Who she then turns her attention to. “You’re right. We can’t do anything for her. But he can.”

Newt stares at her in confusion, his brain still trying to come off autopilot. The frost on his hands and wrists brush against Thomas’ jacket, causing the frost to spread to the brunette’s back. No one says anything for a long moment, just staring at each other.

Finally the woman speaks, “Hello, Thomas.”

Well that doesn’t clear anything up. Everyone looks even more confused now as they stare at each other. Even Vince has completely lowered his gun, holding at his side and while looking between the woman and Thomas.

“You know me?” Thomas asks, tilting his head.

She nods. “Interesting. It makes sense they’d put you in the maze. Though I must admit…I was worried they’d kill you after what you did.” As she speaks she settles beside Brenda, taking her wrist in her hands.

“What I did?” Thomas echoes.

“The first time we spoke, you said you couldn’t take it anymore. Watching your friends die, one by one. Watching the one you loved get hurt and not be able to do anything about it.” She looks at Newt for a moment, and the blonde isn’t sure what to make of that. Then she turns back to Thomas with a smile. “The last time we spoke, you gave me the coordinates to every Wicked compound, trial and lab.”

“He was our source.” Vince says, a little awed.

Everyone turns to look at Thomas and Newt feels his chest warm as he looks at him. That feeling had always been there when he thought about the brunette or got to be close to him, but now it’s even brighter knowing not only is Thomas the reason they escaped the Maze, but is also the reason so many others did too.

“We couldn’t have pulled all this off without him.” The woman finishes and looks at Brenda. “Take to the tent. And get these kids some warm clothes. It’s the least we can do.” She looks to Newt and Thomas, “Thomas I need some blood from you, and Newt, I’d like to speak to you.”

That doesn’t sound good.

----------------------

Mary introduces herself to them once they’re all inside the tent. She sets to work taking Thomas’ blood with what little medical supplies she has. Newt sits next to Thomas on the bench, holding his hand as Mary works. He keeps looking over at Brenda from time to time, hoping maybe she’ll miraculously get better. As if it’s so easy when you’re turning into a crank. Jorge sits with her, wiping the sweat from her face.

He can’t help but wish Winston was here with them. Maybe they could’ve helped him. 

“In the beginning, we were lost.” Mary says, flitting around the tent. “All we knew for sure was that the younger you were, the stronger your chances.”

Newt gives her a look. That sounds an awful lot like she knows more than she’s letting on. Thomas seems to read his mind. “You worked for Wicked?”

She nods, lips pressed together in a thin line. “A long time ago. You know, at first, we had the best intentions. Find a cure, save the world.”

Newt can’t help the snort that escapes him. It’s hard to believe Wicked ever had good intentions. How can wanting to murder and entire generation of kids be good intentions? Mary doesn’t even look offended, she just keeps doing her thing.

“It was clear you kids were the key, because you were immune. But why? Eventually we found an answer. An enzyme produced by the brains of the immune. Once separated from the bloodstream it can serve as a powerful agent to slow the spread of the virus.”

“So you found a cure?” Newt speaks up.

“Not exactly.” Mary shakes her head. “The enzyme can’t be manufactured, only harvested from the immune. The young.” She sighs. “Of course that didn’t stop Wicked. If they had their way, they’d sacrifice an entire generation. All for this.” She holds up a syringe with blue liquid inside. It makes Newt’s stomach roll with unease. “A gift of biology. Of evolution. But not one ment for all of us.”

Mary moves to sit next to Jorge. She lifts up Brenda’s sleeve and injects her with the liquid. Newt watches in relief and mild fascination as Brenda immediately settles down. Her breathing evens out and she relaxes into the cot. The tension in the room that he hadn’t even realized was there disappears. 

Thomas squeezes his hand. “How long will that give her?”

“It’s different for everyone. A few months maybe.” Mary sighs, watching Brenda. “But that’s the catch, isn’t it? She’ll always need more.”

They sit in silence for a few moments, just watching over Brenda. Mary eventually gets up and pulls the needle from Thomas, handing him some water and cleaning up. She manages to convince Jorge to leave and get some food. She offers another cot to Thomas, but he declines, leaning into Newt’s side with a soft sigh. Newt thinks that maybe he should be embarrassed, but he isn’t.

“Newt, how about we let these two rest and go talk.” Mary says once she’s done cleaning up.

He really doesn’t want to get up or leave Thomas on his own, but the brunette is having a hard time staying awake. Newt presses a kiss to his hair, because that’s a thing he’s allowed to do now. “Why don’t you get some rest, Tommy. I’ll be back in a bit.”

Thomas whines as Newt starts to move, but doesn’t protest when Newt guides him to the other cot and lays him down. The younger boy goes easily, already closing his eyes once his head hits the pillow. Newt’s still a little hesitant to leave him on his own, but Mary assures him that they’ll be fine.

He looks back at Thomas before following Mary outside. 

She studies him for a moment before speaking. “So, Newt, how long have you had these…abilities?”

“It started in the maze.” He says, crossing his arms. 

“Interesting. Have you had them since the beginning? Or was it a more recent development?”

“It was recent.”

“I see. Do you have any idea what caused it?”

This conversation is starting to feel like an interrogation. “I don’t know. What’s with all these questions?”

“I’m just trying to gather information.” She says patiently. “I want to know how much you know about your abilities.”

“Not a lot.” He mutters, clenching and unclenching his fist. “It started when Thomas came up in the box. He ran into the maze and when I reached out to stop him, buggin’ ice exploded on the wall.”

“…But that doesn’t explain why it manifested so late.” She seems like she’s talking to herself now.

“Whaddya mean?” Newt questions. It sounds like she might know the cause of these powers and he would really like to know the answer.

“Well, I believe I know where your power may come from, but it doesn’t make sense. If they’d injected you with it, it should have manifested much sooner. You shouldn’t even be alive at this point.” 

Yeah, that’s not terrifying news. “What are you talking about?” He bites, fed up with her cryptic non answers. 

She finally looks him in the eye then, seeing his distress. “My apologies, I didn’t mean to confuse you. You already know about the Flare, correct?”

“Yes. Lost a friend to it a little while ago…”

She nods and pats his shoulder sympathetically. “I’m sorry for your loss. I wish we could’ve helped them. But maybe I can help you now. I believe Wicked gave you a version of the flare that we called the Chill. It’s a modified version of the Flare that was hoped to reverse the effects of the flare by battling it with cold. So, they created the glaze in hopes of cure.

Unfortunately, the effects of the Chill rivaled that of the Flare. The only difference is that instead of slowly losing their humanity, they slowly froze to death instead. Almost like they’d died of hypothermia.” She stops and Newt can tell she wants to spare him the details, but he has to know.

“How bad was it?” He asks quietly.

She sighs and wrings her hands together. “Each subject was found encased in ice.”

Newt stands there, unsure what to think.

“However,” Mary says, pulling him from his mind, “I will say that I’ve never seen it manifest this way. No subject had the ability to manipulate ice in the way you can. It’s remarkable!” He stares at her. “But, that said, I don’t know what this means for you, Newt. This could very well kill you in time.”

“How much time?”

“I… I don’t know.”

“Bloody fantastic.” Newt runs a hand through his hair. “So, what do I do?”

She sighs and shakes her head. “I don’t know that either. I suppose all you can do is be careful. The Chill was brand new when I worked for Wicked, I’m not sure how much time or effort they put into it. I will say that it seemed to be untransmittable. The only way to contract it is to be injected with it.”

“So I won’t infect anyone else. Thank god.” Newt mutters in relief.

“Exactly.”

“Thank you, Mary.” Newt gives her an uneasy smile. “You’ve given me more information ‘bout this than I had before. It’s nice to have answers, even if they’re not great.”

“Of course, Newt.” Mark gives him a quick hug, but when she pulls back, her face is serious. “But Newt, you have to remember that this can kill you. I don’t know when or where, but the Chill can and will kill you if you aren’t careful.”

“I… I understand.” He sighs.

She gives him another hug and some supportive parting words before she walks away to find Vince. He watches her go, unsure of how he’s feeling. This could kill him, and there isn’t a cure. How could there be? If every test subject died and they couldn’t even find a cure for the Flare, then there definitely won't be a cure for the Chill.

He sighs and runs a hand through his hair, pulling out his ponytail. There’s no panic at the knowledge his powers could kill him, that this virus Wicked infected him with may be his downfall. Maybe he’s just accustomed to the threat of death, or maybe it’s the fact he never recovered from the thing that drove him to attempt suicide. 

He’ll just have to be careful. His power is his and he chooses when and where to use it. He’s got some semblance of control over it and as long as he doesn’t push himself, he should be okay. He’s been alright so far. He just can’t go too far too often.

Newt nods to himself as he thinks. He can do this. If he can survive an attempt to end his own life, a maze full of death, cranks, and the scorch, he can survive the Chill. 

He can do this.

----------------------

The sun far below the mountains by the time everyone is settled and fed. The plan is to leave first thing in the morning and head farther east in search of supplies and new place to set up their base. So for now, they’re all sitting together and enjoying the safety of the Right Arm.

The gladers are sitting up on a little cliff overlooking the camp. Aris sits below them with Sonya and Harriet, catching up. Frypan sits quietly while Chuck talks to Thomas and Minho about the camp. Newt sits next to Minho on a rock while Thomas leans back against it between Newt’s knees. The two of them had been fairly touchy, but now that their feelings are out in the open they use every opportunity to touch each other.

Minho loves to give them a hard time about it. “You guys are so adorable it’s almost sickening.”

“Oh shut it, Minho.” Thomas says, and Newt doesn’t have to see his face to know the brunette is rolling his eyes.

“Nah man, Minho’s right.” Frypan joins in, “You two are so cute it hurts.”

“Is Newt like your boyfriend now?” Chuck asks, staring at the pair with wide eyes.

“Uhm…” Newt says with a laugh somewhere between nervous and shocked.

“Uh, yeah.” Thomas says and looks up at Newt with a soft smile. “He is.”

Newt smiles back and leans down to kiss him. It’s a little awkward because of how they’re positioned, and Minho is making a gagging noise, but Newt doesn’t care. They really hadn’t talked about what they were, just confessed their feelings and made out a little. It’s not like he was anxiously thinking about what they were to each other, but now that he knows it feels like a weight off his shoulders.

They part and Newt runs his fingers through his boyfriend's hair - his boyfriend, holy shit. Minho is still making a gagging noise, but he’s got a smile on his face. He knows the other boy is happy for them. Minho had been their number one fan since the beginning, teasing them and then getting excited when they finally got together. It’s nice to know they’re got Minho’s support.

Newt bumps his shoulder against Minho’s, starting a shouldering war between the two of them. They laugh as they bump into each other, trying to knock the other off the rock. Newt’s got an advantage with Thomas sitting between his legs like an anchor. Minho doesn’t.

With one more well placed push, Minho tilts too far to the side and scrambles to keep himself upright. “Alright, Alright! You win, shank.”

Newt whoops in victory, raising a fist in the air. Thomas laughs at their antics with a fond smile. They eventually settle down and stop talking, just enjoying the cool air and the sounds of the camp below. Chuck ends up sitting next to Thomas on the ground, glancing at him and Newt every once in a while.

Having Chuck around reminds him of the glade and all they lost on the way here. He’s glad he was able to protect Chuck back in that room, putting himself between Gally and the youngest boy. It just feels strange, knowing that Chuck lived when the others didn't. It makes him miss the glade and he wishes the other gladers could’ve seen this.

“I wish Alby could’ve seen this.” Newt says out loud, staring at the horizon.

“And Winston.” Frypan murmurs.

“And Gally.” Minho adds after a moment. 

“We lost so many people…” Thomas whispers, turning his face into Newt’s knee.

“They should’ve made it.” Chuck sighs. He tugs on his teddy bear, “But they didn’t.”

They lapse into silence, each grieving their own losses. They lost so much, but they’re still here and that has to count for something. Newt vows to hold onto his little family as tight as he can. He tightens his grip on Thomas shoulders, pulling him closer. He refuses to lose anyone else.

“Hey, Aris!” Frypan cuts through the silence, waving at the boy sitting below them. A muffled, “Hey, guys!” reach them. Fry huffs a laugh. “I kinda like that kid.”

Minho tilts his head. “Yeah. Still don’t trust him though.”

They laugh as Chuck adds, “I like him! He seems cool.”

“Oh boy, if he’s your definition of cool then I don’t want to know how you see me.” Minho teases.

“Hey! You’re way cooler than him.”

“Damn right!”

“Hey, where’s Teresa?” Thomas asks when their laughter dies down.

Newt points over to another cliff higher up, unbothered by the question. “She went up there.”

“Did she say why?”

“No. But she looked deep in thought. I think something’s troubling her.” Newt doesn’t mention the fact that she broke down in his arms a few nights ago, struggling to get her head together.

“I’m gonna go check on her.” Thomas says, standing. He leans down and pressed a kiss to Newt’s cheek before he goes. “Be back in a bit.”

“We’ll be here.”

He watches Thomas leave, no trace of jealousy or bitterness. He’s with Thomas now, and knows there’s nothing but familial love between the two. Besides, Teresa is their friend and Newt would be lying if he said he wasn’t worried about her. She’s seemed distant since the town, withdrawn and quiet. He just hopes Thomas can coax her back into herself. 

He doesn’t know how long they’ve been sitting there when the helicopters appear.

----------------------

Chaos erupts after the first explosion.

The second and third follow close behind, sending flames and debris into the air. Below them, the camp is a flurry of activity. People are running, trying to escape the explosions, grabbing what they can, but it’s too late.

The bergs land and soldiers pour from the open hatches. Those who weren’t injured or killed by the explosions are rounded up in the center of the camp. Newt and the others are found on their cliff and herded with the others down below. They begin to separate them, scanning the kids and sorting them into their groups. The ones that try to run are shot with stun bullets, leaving them convulsing on the ground from electricity.

The soldiers push the adults back, cutting them off from the kids. They have the kids on their knees in rows, Newt and the others among them. There’s no sign of Thomas or Teresa, and Newt hopes they were able to get away. Brenda is nowhere to be seen either.

Newt's knees dig into the ground, his legs beginning to ache. The soldiers are pointing their guns at them, daring them to try and run. Thankfully, no one is that stupid. They all know better than to run when they're cornered.

Minho and Chuck are on either side of him. Minho is giving the soldiers his best death glare while Chuck stays quiet, gazing at the ground. Anger grips Newt, clenching his teeth. They fought so hard to escape them, to get a better life for them and Chuck, and this is how it ends? It’s fucking ridiculous. 

His power flares to the surface and he tries to force it down. He reminds himself of what Mary said. He has to be careful; he has to keep calm. It’s a difficult thing when Janson appears and walks around them, but he tries. Janson asks how many they got, a little upset when told they lost a few. It makes Newt furious to know that Janson doesn’t care about the loss of a life, but the loss of possible cure.

Newt nearly loses his cool when Thomas joins them, forced to kneel beside Minho. His power flares again, but he kicks it back. He can’t lose his cool, he can’t explode. Mary warned him about what might happen if he goes too far. Newt takes a deep breath. Thomas shoots him a look that’s probably supposed to be calming, but it just breaks his heart.

Ava arrives, ordering for them to be loaded onto the bergs. She turns to Thomas. “Hello, Thomas.”

He doesn’t respond, even when he’s pulled up to stand before her. 

All of Newt’s anger leaves him when Teresa appears. It’s replaced by shock and confusion when she walks up to Ava and is welcomed with open arms. Teresa won’t look them in the eye, even when Thomas openly glares at her. He moves to stand, and when he isn’t stopped, he comes to stand next to Thomas. The others follow him.

“What the hell is going on?” Newt asks Thomas.

The brunette won’t take his eyes off Teresa, anger and hurt burning in his eyes. “She’s with them.”

“What?” Minho growls, “For how long?”

“Oh, Teresa’s always had an evolved appreciation of the greater good.” Janson smirks, “Once we restored her memories, it was only a matter of time.”

Of course, Newt thinks. That melt down she had back in the scorch, the way she spoke about the Flare, getting lost in thought. She had her memories and struggled with what to do. She came to him and still chose to turn them in.

Her betrayal cuts deep.

“Greater good?” Newt spits, “You want to kill an entire generation for something that may not even exist!” He looks at Teresa, chest heavy and anger coiling in her gut. “How could you?”

“Newt-” Teresa tries, opening and closing her mouth, but in the end she snaps it shut.

“We trusted you! I trusted you!”

Janson laughs, smug and dark, “Oh, come now Newton. You should’ve known this was inevitable. It was only a matter of time.”

“Fuck. You.” Newt snarls at them both. He feels a sick kind of satisfaction when Teresa flinches, wrapping her arms around herself.

“Teresa, why?” Frypan asks quietly, staring at her like shes stuck him.

“I’m sorry!” She cries, “I had no choice! This was the only way! We have to find a cure.”

“She’s right.” Ava agrees, pulling Teresa to her side. “This is all just a means to an end. You used to understand that, Thomas. No matter what you think of me, I am not a monster. I’m a doctor. I swore an oath to find a cure! No matter the cost.” She looks at all of them, suddenly tired. “I just need more time. More blood .”

“So you’d sacrifice an entire generation? Kill them all without a care for them?”

Ava heaves a sigh. “Hello, Mary. I hoped we’d meet again. I’m sorry it had to be under these circumstances.”

“I’m sorry about a lot of things, too.” Mary says, stepping closer to Ava, “But not this.”

Mary raises a gun, but before she can fire a gunshot rings out and she jerks. Newt watches her go down, collapsing into Vince. He looks around and sees Janson pointing his gun at her stomach. With a cry, Newt throws his hand out and sends ice flying towards the man’s chest. It knocks him back, nearly taking Ava down with him when reaches for her in an attempt to stabilize himself.

The crowd behind them shout and try to move away as the soldiers step forward. Ava moves back, pulling Teresa along with her. “Wait, please! I made a deal with them. They promised we’d be safe! All of us!”

Teresa’s pleading makes Ava and the soldiers stop. Her face is pleading as she looks at them, silently begging them to come with her. Newt can’t bear to look at her.

“And we’re supposed to trust you now?!” Thomas shouts.

“It’s true. It was her only condition.” Ava confirms. “Everything can go back to the way it was.”

But there is no going back. Not after this. Not after what Teresa’s done, after what they know of Wicked. Thomas will never go back to work for them and like hell is Newt going to let them put him back into another maze. No, no, there’s no going back from this.

Ava holds her hand out to Thomas, a silent offer. Janson is staring at her hand like it’s burned him, moving to pull her away when a distant horn blares. It goes off again, getting steadily louder. They all turn to look in the direction of it when a giant trunk comes barreling through the camp. It goes right through boxes and collapsed tents, mowing down some of the soldiers.

Newt swears he can hear Jorge’s maniacal laughter coming from inside.

The truck goes straight into the side of a helicopter, knocking it over. The still spinning propeller blades break off as they hit the ground, causing them to go flying around the camp. One soars between Ava and Thomas, separating the two groups and sending them to the ground.

The camp is a mess of activity. People are trying to run, get up from the ground, and attacking the soldiers. He can hear Harriet calling out to Aris and Sonya, watching from the ground as the two are loaded up into a berg. They struggle to get to their feet and dodge the people running. Gunfire from both sides fills the air.

Jorge climbs out of the truck and moves towards them. “Come on, kids! This way!”

He leads them across the camp, shooting at the soldiers and pushing them out of the way. Minho and Frypan pick up guns as they move, adding to the gunfire. Newt tries his best to cut off the soldiers with ice. He sends blasts of ice at them and creates pillars to obscure their view. Thomas keeps Chuck out of harm's way as they move, keeping the boy close to him.

Vince stands in the bed of a truck with a turret, mowing down the soldiers, and sending dirt into the air. It only makes it harder for them to get to him, retreating backward and evading the soldiers. The closer they get to Vince the more space Minho puts between them. Newt shouts at him to keep moving, but he’s not sure if Minho heard him.

There isn’t a chance to find out before Minho goes down, shot with a stun bullet.

“Minho!” Newt and Thomas shout desperately. 

The soldiers advance and pick up an unconscious Minho. Newt sends ice their way, but it does little to deter them, the other soldiers providing cover and shielding for the one caring Minho. The rest of the soldiers begin to retreat, following Minho’s captor. 

Newt breaks away from the group, desperate to get to Minho, unwilling to lose another friend, another person from his little family. The others call his name but it falls on deaf ears. He can’t think past trying to save Minho. Newt runs, chest heaving and heart thundering, oblivious to the trail of ice he leaves behind. He sends blasts of ice and spikes towards them, but it’s no use.

He’s too late.

The soldiers drag Minho onto the berg, the door beginning to shut behind them. Newt shouts for Minho and tries to keep moving, but a weight around his middle pulls him back. Thomas is muttering in his ear, asking him to stop, but he can’t. Janson smirks at him and the door begins to close and Teresa stands next to him. 

He doesn’t think. 

Newt lifts his hand and sends a shard of ice towards them. He doesn’t know which he was aiming for. Maybe Janson, maybe Teresa. But it doesn’t matter. The ice flies through the air and past Teresa’s face, slicing her cheek. Her hand goes to her face, stricken, as blood drips down her cheek. She stares at him as the door slides closed. 

The berg lifts into the air and flies away, taking Minho with it.

Chapter Text

Newt doesn’t do much the next few days. 

The survivors pick through what’s left of the camp, trying to cobble together what they can. Ice still litters the camp. Spikes and towers, explosions of ice. It melts slowly, even in the sun, and he cringes when the survivors have to navigate around it. Chuck and Thomas try their best to get Newt to talk, to engage in anything, but it rarely works. He’s too far in his own head, his grief, to do anything. 

It feels so much like that feeling in the maze. He knows it never really left him, it just got easier to ignore. But now…it’s just too hard. If he had just been faster, maybe a little more aware, Minho would still be here and not suffering who knows what at the hands of Wicked. 

And Teresa , his mind supplies bitterly. 

Thinking of her makes Newt want to scream. She was their friend, their family. And this is how she treated them? Betraying them and selling them out to the people they were trying to escape?

He knows she was struggling and now it makes sense. They’d given her memories back, and with it, her desire to help others. He wanted to help too, but killing an entire generation to do it doesn’t seem right. Especially when they could be the future, instead of fodder for a cure that may not even exist. 

Newt doesn’t remember a lot of that night, after Minho was taken and Wicked fled.

He remembers Thomas holding onto him as he collapsed, ice and frost clinging to his skin, hair, and clothes. The way Thomas whispered comforting words in his hair and skin, holding him as he broke down. He doesn’t think he’d ever cried like that before, the body-wracking sobs. It just hurt so much . It still does. Knowing his best friend is gone and someone he could consider a sister betrayed them.

The rest of the survivors slowly load up the trucks with what supplies they have left at Vince’s command. They’re still planning to move forward; to find a new place to set up along the ocean. Get to the safe haven and move on. 

He doesn’t know how he’s supposed to do that with part of his family gone.

----------------------

The first place they settle is on the base of the mountain.

It’s cold and cramped, but it keeps them protected from the elements while Vince navigates the path to their destination. Newt’s grateful that Vince lets the gladers stick together, Brenda and Harriet joining their little group. It helps soothe some of the hurt in his chest, but it’s not enough to keep him going.

Thomas has to drag him from their bed more often than not. In the beginning they’d slept separately, but as the nightmares crept in, they came together and refused to part. Thomas never leaves Newt’s side for longer than he has to, and makes sure he won’t be alone if they have to be apart.

He’s grateful, he really is. Even when he gets irritable and wants nothing more than to stay in bed all day and wallow. They don’t let him though, and it means a lot to him. He knows that if he lets himself stew in his own head, he’ll end up like he did in the maze. Newt doesn’t want to go through that again; doesn’t want to put anyone else through that again. 

So he sucks it up through the day, and then falls apart in Thomas’ arms at night. And it’s enough.

----------------------

The next place they stop at is more open. It’s near the rubble of a town, but not close enough to gain the attention of any cranks that could be lurking around. Groups go over once in a while to poke around.

With the open space, Newt takes time out of the day to train his powers. It gives him an outlet for his emotions. The more he trains, the better he begins to feel. Even on the days he pushes himself too far and the frost on his skin gives way to ice that starts to weigh him down. It leaves him feeling lighter, ironically, with a purpose. 

If he can hone his abilities, maybe he can stop Wicked from hunting anyone else.

It’s one of his bad days when Thomas finds him. He’s a little ways off from the camp so he doesn’t accidently hurt anyone or draw attention to himself. There are already creations of ice scattered around the clearing, towers and spikes poking out from the ground. He doesn’t even notice the brunette as he practices, moving fluidly around the open space.

“Newt?” Thomas asks, startling the blonde.

Newt stumbles in surprise, barely catching himself on ice that rises up from the ground to meet his hands. He turns to look at Thomas. The other boy has this look on his face that Newt knows well. It’s his ‘I’m concerned about you but I don’t want to make you upset’ face. Newt sighs, all too aware of what he must look like.

He looks back at his hands, noting the frost curling up and over his forearms, fingertips a soft blue, and patches of ice littering his exposed skin. It looks almost like scales. His hair feels heavy where it hangs loose against his shoulders.  He tilts his head back and closes his eyes with a shaky breath, willing away the icy tears.

“Oh, Newt,” Thomas coos. The brunette is by his side in an instant, one hand curling about Newt’s waist and the other on his cheek, turning Newt’s head to look at him. He opens his eyes and meets his boyfriend’s soft gaze. It feels like his chest is cracking open.

He slumps against Thomas’ chest, wrapping his arms around the other’s waist. The first time it got this bad Newt tried to pull away from the other boy, worried he would hurt him. But Thomas just shook his head and pulled him close, ice burns be damned.

Thomas clicks his tongue as he runs his hand through it, dislodging the ice. “You have to be more careful…”

Newt hums in response, barely listening as he soaks up Thomas’ warmth, his presence. He doesn’t get cold necessarily, just sort of numb. He buries his face in Thomas’ neck and feels rather than hears the resulting laughter. 

“Wanna talk about it?” Thomas asks, keeping him close.

“Not really.” Newt mumbles. “Just havin’ a bad day.”

Thomas hums in understanding, giving his waist a squeeze. “Well, I won’t make you, but you know you can talk to me, right?” He pulls back, forcing Newt to look at him. “I’m here for you, Newt. No matter what.”

He knows, god he knows, and he couldn’t be more appreciative. It’s nice to know he has someone he can go to and talk about anything with. But sometimes it’s not easy to talk about the darkness that lurks in his head. So Newt gives him a soft smile and presses an even softer kiss to Thomas’ lips.

“I know.”

----------------------

It’s another few weeks before Vince declares they’ve arrived.

It’s a small shipping dock that looks like it’s been abandoned for a long time. The buildings are still intact and the shipping containers themselves are littered around the compound and surrounding beach. There’s a single ship docked and Newt is skeptical when Vince announces his plan to fix it up and get the hell away from Wicked. 

Well, he mostly announces it to their group later that night in a building that only has one room. He’s not sure when they all became in charge with Vince. They’re just a group of teenagers and two adults. That really doesn’t seem right. They’re all hovering around the table in the center of the room with Vince at the helm.

“So, the plan is to get that ship out there sea worthy.” Vince says, leaning back in his chair.

“How exactly do we do that?” Brenda asks with her arms crossed, leaning against the wall.

Vince leans forward and folds his hands on the table. “Well we’re sitting in a shipping dock full of scrap material. We just have to patch up the ship enough to get the hell out of here.”

“And where is that?” Thomas questions from beside Newt. “Do you even know where we could go?”

With a huff, Vince crosses his arms. “Yes. There’s land across the water that’s empty. Mary-” He winches at her name, “Mary mentioned that Wicked knew of other places that seemed to have zero civilization. It was her Idea to head there now that Wicked has started to become reckless.”

“So we fix this ship, and set sail to an unknown land? That doesn’t seem like a solid plan.” Thomas interjects.

Newt snorts, “Like you’ve ever had a solid plan.”

Laughter ripples through the room and Thomas pouts, looking at Newt with mock hurt. Newt chuckles at him and knocks their shoulders together. 

“Look,” Vince says once the laughter stops, “I know it’s not a big plan. But it’s all we’ve got right now.”

Newt nods. It’s not a fantastic plan, but it’s not like they’re got much more at this point. All they can do is wing it and hope it saves them. There’s still a weight in his gut at the thought of leaving Minho, Aris, and Sonya behind. It’s not fair that they can’t be here planning their grand escape from Wicked.

Harriet seems to be thinking the same thing. “What about Sonya? And Aris, and Minho. We can’t just leave them with Wicked like this.”

“She’s right,” Thomas nods, “We can’t leave them. We have to get them back. I made a promise to Minho.”

“They took my best friends- my girlfriend .” Harriet growls, fists clenched at her sides. “I’d like some revenge.”

“They can’t get away with this.” Frypan mutters from his spot near Brenda.

“Yeah.” Chuck nods.

Vince and Jorge share a look. Jorge shrugs in a ‘what can you do’ way. “Can’t argue with the teenagers. We’re outnumbered here.”

Vince sighs, “Fine. What do you suggest we do?”

----------------------

They spend the next few days trying to get the radios working. It’s a lot easier said than done. Most of the equipment has been lying around for years, left to the elements. The stuff that does work needs maintenance that very few of them know how to do. Thank god for Brenda and Jorge.

“Try it now.” Brenda says from under the communications desk.

Newt flicks the switch for the radios, but nothing happens. He sighs, “Nothing.”

“Damn it.” She echoes his sigh and crawls out from under the desk, tool in hand. “This is getting ridiculous. There’s only so many things that could be wrong with it!”

She throws her hands up in frustration, Newt winces. “Does Jorge have any ideas?”

“Not ones I haven’t already had.” 

She surveys the desk, hands on her hips. Newt turns and leans back against the desk, watching her. She’s been doing well, much to everyone’s surprise. They tend to look at her like they’re waiting for her to turn on them suddenly, losing her mind to the Flare. But it never comes, and he always feels a little sheepish when she pins them with glares. They might worry about her a little too much.

She looks healthy, tan skin and hair that’s grown down to her chin. Her personality is still intact too if the way she’s huffing and making sarcastic comments to the desk is anything to go by. It makes him chuckle.

“Stupid fucking wires that don’t even work. Seriously, what the hell?”

Newt shrugs, “You know more about this than I do. If anyone can figure it out, you can.”

She gives him a small smile, “Thanks, Newt.”

Brenda disappears beneath the desk again, leaving Newt to his thoughts. If they can get these  radios working, they’ll be able to listen in on Wicked. That’s the hope anyway. It’s all they’ve got at this point, short of running around and drawing attention to themselves. They’ve been blissfully hidden away the past few weeks, and Newt’s not keen on giving that up.

But if they can make this work, if they can spy on Wicked, maybe they can finally get somewhere. The boat repairs are going about as well as they can when no one here knows how boats actually work . He’s…not optimistic. They’re making progress and that’s all that matters right now. It’s all he has.

“AHA!”

Newt jumps at Brenda’s outburst, clutching his chest with a gasp. 

“Bloody hell, Bren.” He says, taking a deep breath to calm his racing heart.

“Sorry!” She apologizes, but she doesn’t sound sorry. She reappears from under the desk with a triumphant grin. “Try it now.”

She’s practically bouncing with excitement as Newt flips the switch again. This time the radios come to life, the lights coming on with a dull clicking noise. She wraps her arms around his shoulders and shakes him a little while she bounces for real this time. “Yes! Ha, take that you stupid thing!”

“You’re amazing, Brenda!” Newt laughs, her energy contagious. 

“I know.” She grins.

----------------------

The radios end up being a huge success, allowing them insight into Wicked.

They don’t hear anything for the first few days, so Vince takes it as a chance to do some supply runs. They aren’t necessarily running low on anything, but Newt wasn’t complaining about getting away from the beach for a few hours. 

It resulted in their little group venturing into the town close by and gathering what they could. They piled into a truck with Frypan in the driver’s seat, Newt riding shotgun, and the others in the back. Chuck wanted to join them, but he was still so much younger than them, they didn’t want to put him in danger. So it was just the five of them.

Even though there was a sense of danger, the whole outing felt calming. It was just their little family being stupid and trying to make each other laugh. Jokes and friendly ribbing were thrown around, leaving Newt feel light in a way he hadn’t been since the maze.

Thomas had even dragged him away at point to make out against a wall. It was full of giggles and smiles, and when they were eventually caught, they took it in stride.

“Oh come on you two! We didn’t need to see that!”

“I think it’s sweet.”

“Oh my god, Fry.”

“What?”

“You guys are cute and all, but Vince sent us out here to get supplies, not hook up.”

“You guys do that enough back at camp.”

“And just how would you know that?”

“…You two are not as quiet as you think you are.”

“Oh hell.”

----------------------

When they finally do hear chatter on the airwaves, as Jorge likes to put it, it sets them all on edge.

“ …combing sector A4… ” 

Vince’s head snaps up, alarm in his eyes. “What did they say?”

Harriet sits at the radios, turning to look at Vince from over her shoulder. “They said ‘combing sector A3’.”

“What the hell are they looking for?” Brenda asks, looking between the two.

“ Us .” Jorge sighs, scrubbing a hand down his face.

“ Negative. All clear. ”

They all sit in silence for a moment. Newt’s both relieved that they didn’t get close, but also anxious because they know Wicked is looking for them. But they can use that to their advantage.

“We need to figure out what their sectors are.” Thomas says, standing from his chair to pace around the room. “We need to know how close they are.”

“Easier said than done, hermano. We lost the only insight to Wicked months ago.” 

“She had to have left something behind.”

“Anything she left was destroyed when Wicked attacked us.” Vince says, “She wasn’t exactly forthcoming on her knowledge there either.” When no one says anything, the older man sighs, “Look, we’re safe here for now. We know what to look out for, we know how to hide. We’ll be okay.”

Newt doesn’t think anyone is really convinced.

----------------------

Instead of sleeping that night, Newt goes out to the beach and walks along the water until he’s a little ways off. He needs to blow off some steam, clear his head. There’s this itch under his skin, it makes him irritable and the darkness in his head threatens to consume him.

He’d left Thomas in their bed, the brunette falling asleep the second his head hit the pillow. It probably shouldn’t be as endearing as Newt finds it, but it’s hard to not find his boyfriend endearing. But he knows sleep isn’t an option tonight, and he’d only be disturbing his friends if he stayed in bed.

He walks along the water, where the sand is just starting to get damp, the moonlight bouncing off the water. Once he feels far enough away, he toes off his shoes and sheds his jacket, leaving them in the sand as far from the water as possible.

He barely has to think as he summons the ice to his whim. The more he practices like this the easier it gets. He no longer has to concentrate very hard in order to use his power. And with that ease comes more control. The once jagged and cloudy ice is now smooth and clear as he runs though his moves. Ice spikes, pillars, walls, blasts from his hands. 

There are more intricate ones now too. Shards of ice he creates in his hands, using them as projectiles. Shields on his forearms that he can drop when he needs to. There are streaks of ice he can leave behind or expand to cover wide areas. And there’s a new one he’s recently discovered; walking on water. He hasn’t quite got the hang of it, but it’s possible - even easier if the water wasn’t so choppy. 

Newt doesn’t know how long he stays there, using his power and kicking up sand as he moves. But it must be too long because suddenly his knee locks when he goes to step forward, sending him to the ground with a pained yelp. He catches himself on his hands and knees, hearing the familiar sound of ice shattering.

Pushing himself up and around to sit properly on the sand, Newt reaches out with ice covered fingers to roll up his pant leg. The sight before him was him swallowing mild panic. From his ankle to his knee is covered in a thin sheet of ice. It looks like his hands, frosty with a soft blue at the edges, but when he touches it, it’s hard. 

His leg is covered in ice and Newt can’t help but think ‘this is what Mary meant’ .

He doesn’t tell anyone about it.

He stands and wades into the water to help melt the ice, waiting until the rest of it has melted off his body before walking back to the room and changing into dry clothes. And the next morning, he doesn’t say a word. 

‘No one needs to know.’

----------------------

It’s another month of listening to the radio, sitting in tense silence when Wicked does their sweeps, going on supply runs, and repairing the boat before they get anything to go on.

The boat is nearly done when Harriet comes running out of the communications center they’d been using as a meeting room, shouting for them. “Something’s happening!”

They all come rushing inside to hear.

“ …the cargo? ” 

That’s definitely Janson’s voice cutting across the radio, and Newt has to grab onto Thomas’ shoulder to keep upright.

“ Yes sir. The cargo is ready for transportation. ”

“ Excellent. Send them our way. The Last City is our only chance. ”

“ Of course, sir. We’ll begin moving at once. ”

When either Janson or the other voice speak again, Vince and Jorge begin talking between themselves while the rest of them stand in silence. Newt’s too stunned to move, too confused. What is the cargo, what is The Last City, and how are they getting there? It seems he’s not alone in these questions, when Brenda speaks up.

“The Last City? I thought all the cities collapsed?”

“They did.” Jorge says, just as Vince opens his mouth.

“There were rumors of one city left standing, under Wicked’s control.” 

“Okay,” Thomas says after a moment, “So where is it?”

“That’s the question, isn’t it?” Vince mutters, seemingly to himself.

Brenda speaks up next, moving away from the radios to sit at the table. “What about the cargo? What does that mean?” When no one answers she pushes forward, “Do you think they’re talking about the immunes?”

“It’s possible.” Jorge nods.

“Well, it’s better than nothing?” Frypan says, but it comes out more like a question.

“You’re right, Fry.” Newt hears himself saying. “This is more information than we had before, even if it is confusing.”

Vince nods, “Alright, why don’t you kids go get something to eat. Jorge and I will stay here and try to figure this out. You too, Harriet.”

Harriet makes a noise of protest, but Vince just herds them all out of the room. Once they’re all outside and heading for the canteen, Harriet mutters something to herself.

“What was that?” Brenda asks, nudging the taller girl.

“I said, how can they expect us to not do anything. We could be so close to getting our people back, and they won’t let us help!”

“They know more than we do.” Frypan says, “And they’re not trying to stop us from helping. You just need to take a break while they figure out what to do.”

Brenda backs him up, “Exactly. We just need to give it time.”

“We’re sorta running out of time.” Thomas argues unhelpfully, and Newt pinches him.

“Not helping, Tommy.” He hisses, pushing the other boy through the canteen doors.

“Let’s just get some food, yeah?” Frypan says, almost begging.

Well, no one’s gonna argue with that. 

----------------------

That night Newt and Thomas lay in bed together, staring at the ceiling. 

“Do you think we’ll find them?” Thomas whispers, “Find him ?”

Newt exhales slowly. It’s still hard to talk about Minho, about the fact they both failed him. It’s something neither of them have talked about, always dancing around the subject. “I hope so.”

“I promised him, Newt. I promised I wouldn’t let him go back. And look what happened…”

“It’s not your fault, love.” Newt sighs, rolling onto his side to look at the brunette. “We tried. You tried. We just…weren’t fast enough.”

Thomas turns to face him too, “It’s not your fault either Newt. You fought so hard to get to him.”

“And I wasn’t fast enough.”

“Newt,” Thomas says, bringing one hand up to cup his cheek, “This isn’t your fault. If I can’t blame myself, you can’t blame yourself either. Deal?”

Newt laughs a little wetly, “Deal.”

“Good.” Thomas nods and presses a kiss to Newt’s forehead, before pulling him close. 

Newt goes easily, curling up in his boyfriend’s arms. It still doesn’t feel right to absolve himself of guilt for what happened to Minho, but he also knows that Thomas is right. They can’t blame themselves for something that isn’t their fault. No, if it’s anyone's fault, it’s Teresa’s, Wicked’s. And they’re not going to let them get away with it. 

Newt won’t let them, even if it’s the last thing he ever does.

----------------------

“Okay, here’s what we know.” Vince starts, talking to their little group in the meeting room. “Wicked is transporting something, most likely those immunes, to The Last City which is most likely somewhere over here.” He points to one side of the map that sits in the middle of the table.

“Do we know how they’re transporting them?” Newt asks, because you’d think moving that many kids around wouldn’t be easy.

“Well, our first thought was their bergs, but that would be too much of a hassle.” Jorge says, and Vince cuts in smoothly, “Bergs need fuel, and those things are big and loud, way too obvious.”

Jorge nods, “Then we remembered those train tracks a few miles past that town. The tracks head in the direction where The Last City would be.”

“So the plan is to watch the train tracks?” Brenda raises an eyebrow, “You think that’ll work?”

“That's all we’ve got at this point. It’s more than we had before, and this seems like the most plausible option.”

Well, Newt has to admit their logic is sound. And it’s the only plan they’ve got so far. But there has to be more to it than that. “Let’s say you’re right, what exactly are we supposed to do? It’s not like hijacking a train can be easy.”

“No, it’s not. But, we’ve got some ideas.” Vince concedes.

“Well,” Thomas says, “What are we waiting for?”

Chapter Text

Newt waits behind some boulders a little ways from the train tracks. 

He summons little shards of ice and throws them at the rock wall in front of him as he leans back against the boulders, a propane torch beside him. They’d heard about Wicked’s plans to move the immunes via train, and they’d immediately started planning. Newt’s job is to cut through whatever latches are keeping the ‘cargo’ cable cars down with the help of a blow torch with the help of two other kids.

The rest of his little family are on hijack and distract duty. Brenda and Jorge are supposed to distract the train conductor and any soldiers that are on board, while Thomas and Vince split the cable cars. It’s not exactly a safe plan, but it’s all they’ve got.

He can feel more than hear the train approaching. He stops what he’s doing, ice shard still in hand, and turns his head to the side to listen. The train’s horn rings out in the distance followed by gunfire and Newt knows it won’t be long now. He just hopes this plan doesn’t get someone killed.

The ground begins to rumble as the train approaches and Newt pushes himself up into a standing position. He fumbles with the propane torch, throwing it over his shoulder and onto his back, the shoulder strap digging into his skin. He slips on his gloves and messes with the bandana around his neck. The train gets louder and louder, moving right past him. 

A small explosion goes off, and the train’s wheels screech as it slows to a halt. Newt clamps his gloved hands over his ears in a vain attempt to block out the noise. Once it stops, Thomas’ whistle rings out and Newt moves up from the boulders at the signal.

Thomas and Vince stand near the cable cars, the latter swinging his arm around. “Newt!”

So far so good.

Newt turns to look over his shoulder, “Alright, let’s go!”

The other two kids come out of hiding and move toward him. The girl with curly dark brown hair hands him a bag, while the boy with long red hair stands beside her, his own propane tank on his back. Together the three of them run up to the train. Newt takes one side while the pair take the other. 

He can hear Thomas shouting for Minho as he rounds the corner, banging on the side of the cable car. “This one. This one!” Thomas shouts. Newt nods and kneels in front of the latch keeping the cable car in place. 

He drops the bag and shrugs the propane torch off his shoulder and onto the ground between his knees. Moving as quickly as he can, Newt pulls his bandana up to his nose and slips the goggles over his eyes. There’s a flicker of glee as he grabs the torch and flicks it on, directing it over the latch. Sparks fly from where the torch begins to heat the metal. From the top of the car Newt can hear Thomas and Vince securing cables to the top of the cable car.

Now all they need is to cut the damn latches and hope the others can grab the berg. 

He’s making some progress, but it’s not fast enough. He turns his head to look at the second half of the train and feels anxiety spike in his stomach. A group of soldiers pour out from the train and are clearly headed in their direction. Gun fire rings out and Newt hears Thomas curse above him as he ducks. 

Newt kicks one foot out from under him and summons a jagged wall of ice. He needs to focus on the latch and he can’t do that if he’s worried he’s gonna get shot. The ice crackles a little when a stray bullet hits it, but he knows it’ll hold up. His ice isn’t flimsy after all.

From the other side of the cable car comes a voice. “We got this one! We’re comin’ up!” It’s followed by some clattering as the two other kids climb up to the top. 

“Newt! How’re you doing?” Thomas shouts down at him, “Get up here!”

“Don’t rush me!” Newt snaps, “Almost there!”

The latch is about halfway there, he just needs more time. As if to let him know that he doesn't in fact have more time, the gunshots get closer and his wall of ice continues to creak and groan. Swearing under his breath, Newt turns off the torch and drops it at his side. He pulls off his gloves and puts his hands on the frankly quite bloody hot metal, and freezes it, snapping the latch in two.

He pushes himself up and away from the latch and moves to the ladder. He hisses as his heated palms touch the metal rungs, but he pulls himself up anyway. Thomas reaches over and grabs his forearm to help pull him up. Newt flattens himself next to him to dodge the gunfire.

“Where the hell are they?” Newt asks, reaching for his thigh holster to grab his gun.

“I dunno!” Thomas says next to him.

As if summoned, Newt can hear the low rumble of the berg a little ways off. It flies overhead and the middle opens, Brenda stands there lowering down a cable with a hook at the end. Together, he and Thomas pull it further down and attach the hook to the cables Vince and Thomas set up earlier.

Once it’s secure, Thomas tugs on the cable. “Let’s go! Everyone hang on!”

The berg lifts into the air, pulling the cables taught, and pulling the cable car up with them as they rise further into the air. The gunfire ceases after they get high enough and Newt lets out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. Thomas throws his arms around him and laughs, pressing a kiss to Newt’s temple. Newt hums and leans back into Thomas’ chest while the others shout in excitement. 

They did it.

----------------------

Once they land it’s an easy thing to get the cable car’s door open. 

They use another one of the propane torches to melt the lock. Thomas pushes the door open and steps inside with Newt right behind him. The cable car is dark compared to outside, and the light spilling in from the open door doesn’t do much to help. Newt scans the small room from any sign of Minho, and he knows Thomas is too from the way his boyfriend is squeezing one of Newt’s bandaged hands tightly.

There are chains hanging from the ceiling of the room, each one connected to a pair of cuffs that encase the kids’ wrists. It makes Newt’s stomach sour at the thought of these kids being treated like this. They’re just kids .

Thomas suddenly drops his hand and steps forward, reaching out. “Aris!”

Aris looks worse for wear, with a black eye and a cut along his cheek. Sonya sits next to him, though she doesn’t look harmed, just dirty. There’s a layer of grime in each kid and they all look exhausted, but at least they seem mostly unharmed. 

“Thomas.” Aris says, “Oh thank god.” He slumps back against his seat, letting his head land on Sonya’s shoulder. “We didn’t know if it was you.”

“It’s us.” Thomas says with a small smile, giving Aris’s shoulder a squeeze. “You guys okay?”

Sonya smiles at him, “Yeah, we’re okay.”

“Good. That’s good.” Thomas nods, scanning them both before looking around again. “M-Minho, is he…?” He trails off, suddenly tense.

“I… I’m sorry, Thomas.” Sonya says quietly. “He isn’t here.”

Newt’s heart sinks. They’d been so sure. They were so sure this is where Minho would be. But he’s not. His stomach twists with disappointment that he tries to push away. They can deal with that later, right now they need to take care of these kids. 

“Brenda,” Newt says over his shoulder, knowing she’s there, “We need bolt cutters and rations for them.”

“On it.” She says, and then there’s a hand on his shoulder. “I’m sorry.”

She steps away and Harriet takes her place, pushing gently past Newt to get to Aris and Sonya. She wraps them both up in a hug and Newt can feel her relief from here. Thomas steps away from the trio and runs a hand through his hair with a weary sigh, turning his head to look at Newt.

Newt reaches for Thomas, placing his hand on his boyfriend’s lower back, and guides him out of the cable car. Brenda reappears as they’re leaving, bolt cutters in hand. Chuck’s on her heels, hands full of rations. He’s gotten taller over the past few months, a little taller than Brenda now, and he’s lost some of that baby chub. He looks older, less like that little boy in the Glade. 

Newt pulls Thomas to the side a little ways away. Thomas’ arms are wrapped around himself and he’s hunched over, like he’s trying to retreat into himself. Newt taps a knuckle against Thomas’ temple, not willing to let him slip away. “Tommy.”

Thomas tilts his head towards Newt, but still doesn’t say anything. He’s staring at the ground, hand flexing around his arms. Newt doesn’t push, just stands with him and waits. 

“I heard him.” 

Newt snaps his head to the side, staring at Thomas. “What?”

“I heard him,” Thomas repeats, eyes still focused on the ground, “in there. I swear he was in there. I heard him, Newt.” He looks up then, eyes shiny with unshed tears. “He has to have been there. Why wasn’t he in there?”

“I don’t know, Tommy.” Newt says, reaching up to run a hand through his boyfriend’s hair. “But I believe you, alright? Hey, look at me, love.” He grabs Thomas’ face between his hands, running his thumbs over cheekbones. “I believe you.”

Thomas sniffles and nods. He looks away to watch the immune kids stumbling out of the cable car. Frypan is down the hill directing people where they need to go. Vincent is starting some speech about getting away from Wicked. That was the plan all along. Get as many kids and survivors as they can and then get the hell out of there. The boat restoration was almost complete, it’s only a matter of time before they can leave.

Harriet leaves the cable car with Sonya and Aris in tow, passing by the couple and heading down the hill. Newt looks back to Thomas and presses a kiss to his hair. “Come on. Let’s go check on Aris.”

----------------------

Sonya’s wiping a wet rag over a spot on Aris’ face when they walk in.

Thomas moves away from Newt to grab a cup of water and passes it to Aris, who looks up with a grateful smile. Harriet passes another cup to Sonya, sitting close together. The room is silent and even though they’re trying their hardest, the air is tense.

“Took you guys long enough to rescue us.” Aris jokes, attempting to break the tension. It only kind of helps.

“Yeah… It’s good to see you too, bud.” Thomas says with a hesitant smile. “So…what happened.”

Aris snorts, but it sounds bitter, “I fought back. Or tried to anyway.”

“You’re lucky you found us at all.” Sonya sighs, reaching back up to clean Aris’ face. “They had us on the move alot. Felt like something big was happening.”

“Any Idea where they were headin’?” Newt asks.

Sonya shakes her head but Aris cuts in. “They kept talking about a city.”

Newt hears Brenda sight from where she’s leaning against the wall behind him. Of course it’s all about that city, the Last City. Newt scrubs a hand down his face in frustration. What the hell are they supposed to do now? They’re planning on leaving in the next few days, and they’re still not entirely sure where this damned city is anyway. They hadn’t been able to follow the train tracks for days at a time. There’s only so much they can do.

“What about Minho? Why wasn’t he there?” Thomas asks, pulling Newt from his thoughts.

“He was.” Aris answers through a hiss as Sonya continues to clean his face. “They moved him at the last minute. Before the train stopped.”

“T-That doesn’t make any sense.” Thomas says. “I heard him!”

“Maybe you did.” Sonya says with a sad sigh. “But he wasn’t with us.”

Thomas heaves a sigh and stands up to leave. Newt shoots the trio an apologetic look and follows him outside, Brenda in tow. They’re all quiet as they leave. Brenda and Newt share a look when Thomas doesn’t even seem to notice them, just walking towards their meeting room with his head down.

Newt likes to think that he and Brenda are close. He’s still not sure what went down between her and Thomas in the scorch, but it was clear she felt something for him. Now they seem like siblings. Brenda, the protective older sister, and Thomas, the reckless little brother. Brenda’s important to Thomas, and to Newt as well. 

They may not have a familial bond like her and Thomas, but Newt feels connected to her. She always seems to know what’s wrong and what to say to get his ass in gear. She’s a tough lover, but it’s what they need more often than not. So when she gets worried, everyone else should be worried too. She’s watching Thomas like she thinks he’s going to do something to get himself killed. And Newt knows his boyfriend well enough to know that she’s not far off.

They tail Thomas all the way to the meeting room where he pulls out their map and begins pouring over it, scanning it from all angles. The poor map is ripped in a few places, crinkled and stained, but it’s gotten them from one place to another for months. Newt isn’t sure what exactly Thomas is looking for, but he and Brenda watch the brunette anyway, just waiting for him to voice his thoughts.

----------------------

Hours go by slowly. Frypan had wandered in and handed them bowls of stew a little while ago, the empty bowls stacked on the table. Newt’s got his journal in his lap, writing or doodling when he can. Brenda’s bouncing a small ball off the floor, to the wall, and then into her hand, over and over. The sound is beginning to grate on his nerves.

Thomas hasn’t said much. He’s sitting at the main table still looking at the map. At some point he’d found a pen and began drawing on it. The longer they spend in the room, the more Newt understands. Thomas is looking for the Final City, no doubt where they’re keeping Minho.

And knowing Thomas, he’s going to try leaving on his own.

Newt promises himself to keep a close eye on his boyfriend, for both their sakes.

“What are you three doing in here?” Vince asks, walking into the room with his hands on his hips. Brenda catches her ball with one hand, turns to look at Newt from over her shoulder. They both look at Vince, then to Thomas, and back to Vince again. Neither of them say anything, but Newt’s pretty sure Vince got the message, the older man shaking his head.

Vince starts like he’s going to take a step, but Thomas suddenly stands up. He looks up at them for the first time since they left Aris, Sonya, and Harriet hours ago. He flips the map round and taps the inside of a circle he’s drawn on the map. “I found it.”

“Found what?” Vince asks as he moves towards the table.

“The Last City.” Thomas looks at Brenda and Newt when they come to stand next to him. “It’s a few hundred miles. Based on the railways, everything Aris and Sonya told us, It’s gotta be there. That’s where they’ve taken Minho. We take everyone who can fight, follow the railroads where we can. We can make it back in a week.”

Vince nods, but it seems disbelieving. “A week? Thomas, it took us six months to get here! We got over a hundred kids here now, and that’s just the kids.” He jerks his thumb over his shoulder, fixing Thomas with a firm gaze. “We can’t just hang out here for much longer, not after what we just pulled.”

“Vince-” Brenda starts.

“And you wanna wander off to some random point on the map? You don’t even know what’s there. For all we know that city could be rubble now.” Vince drags a hand down his face and sighs. “I’m sorry, but I can’t allow this.”

“What? Vince, come on. It’s Minho! We can’t can’t just leave him there!” Thomas shouts, throwing his hands in the air.

“He’s right, Vince,” Brenda says. “We can’t just leave Minho and the rest of the immunes with Wicked.”

Vince shakes his head. “I understand that. You think I like this decision? I hate the thought of leaving those kids there. But we have to think about ourselves here.”

“Our whole mission is to rescue the immunes.” Newt cuts in through gritted teeth, leaning on the table with his elbows, hands clasped tightly together. “We can’t just leave them there. And Minho’s our brother. You’re outta your mind if you think we’re gonna leave him behind.”

“And you’re outta yours if you can’t see why this is impossible!” Vince snaps, “We’re of no use to anyone if we’re found by Wicked. What’d you think’s gonna happen if they find us here? We can’t help anyone if we’re dead ! Look, I know it’s Minho. Okay? I know . But you can’t ask me to put those kids on the line for one man. I won’t do it.”

Newt throws his head to the side, attempting to stamp down his power. He’s angry. He’s angry because he doesn’t want to leave Minho behind, to lose his brother, but he’s also angry because he knows Vince is right. They can’t do anything for anyone if they’re caught out here because they waited around for too long. And asking people to fight a war that isn’t theirs is unfair. No matter what they pick, one side will lose.

Newt looks up at Thomas who’s glaring at Vince, lips pressed into a thin line and jaw set. Brenda doesn’t look much better, glaring at the table with her arms crossed. Vince’s eyes are closed and his shoulders sag. The tension in the room is thick and Newt isn’t sure how to ease it.

The radio crackles to life behind him, “Searching the grid now… A is completed…” Everyone looks up suddenly to stare at the radio. They glance at each other as the voices continue. “Scanning B sector now…” 

Faint whirring fills the room and panic grips him. Newt swears under his breath as Brenda says “Hit the lights!” They scramble to cut the power, Vince dashing over to the main lever and pulling it down. Within seconds the room does black, as do the lights outside the windows. They move outside to watch the sky and Newt feels his heart skip a beat. The bergs are flying over the ruins in the distance, large lights roaming up and down the buildings.

“Jeez, they’re gettin’ too close.” Vince mutters.

“You’re right.” Thomas says, not looking away from the bergs, “We can’t stay here.”

Vince looks over at Thomas and lays his hand on the younger man’s shoulder, giving it a squeeze. When he pulls away, Vince turns and walks back towards the building. Brenda moves to hug Thomas before she follows Vince, leaving Newt and Thomas alone.

Newt comes to stand next to his boyfriend, running a hand through the hairs at the base of Thomas’ skull. He turns his body towards him and rests his forehead on Thomas’ temple. Thomas leans into the touch, reaching down to take Newt’s hand. He can still hear the whirring of the bergs, but he tries to block it out.

----------------------

Newt walks into the kitchens looking for Frypan.

Thomas had been acting off since he’d agreed with Vince about not being able to stay here. And Newt knows Thomas. He knows his boyfriend has probably come up with some half baked plan that he’ll try to take on himself and not tell anyone else. And apparently everyone else knows him too.

He’s just passed the threshold when he’s greeted to the sight of Frypan cooking, Brenda sitting on the counters- which no one is allowed to do, but Frypan never tries to stop Brenda- and Chuck sitting in a chair next to her.

He manages to catch the last bit of Brenda’s sentence. “-we all know how he is.”

“How who is?” Newt asks, pulling up his own chair and wincing at the resulting screech.

“Your boyfriend.” Chuck says cheekily.

“Ah.”

Brenda snorts, “We all know he’s come up with something right?”

“Oh definitely.” Frypan says as he stirs the contents of the pot. “And he won’t tell any of us what it is, that’s for sure.”

“I think he’s going after Minho.” Newt says, picking at his trousers. It’s a nervous tick Thomas has tried to get him to stop, but it’s easier said than done. “There’s no way he’s okay with leaving him with Wicked.”

“Well, obviously.” Brenda says matter-of-factly.

“We’re not letting him go alone, right?” Chuck asks, “I mean, we’ve got to go with him. It’s Minho!”

“Uh, you’re not going anywhere.” Brenda points at him with a frown.

“What? But it’s Thomas and Minho! Shouldn’t we all go?”

“Not you, little man.”

“I’m taller than you!”

“Yeah, and I’m six years older than you!”

Newt chuckles at their antics, Chuck really was like their little brother. Newt turns his attention from the bickering pair to Frypan. He’s scooping what looks like stew into containers Newt didn’t even know they had. Whatever it is though, it smells good.

“What’re those for?” Newt asks, getting up with a grunt.

“Rations.” Frypan says with a glance at Newt over his shoulder. “Figured if Thomas is gonna go do something stupid, we’re gonna go with him. So we’re gonna need food.”

“You’ll never hear any complaints from me, Fry.” Newt chuckles.

“So you’re really going then.”

The room goes quiet at Chuck’s words. Frypan is still packing up the food and Brenda shrugs, but Newt is looking at the floor, leaning against the counter. If Thomas really is going to try and leave to find Minho, then at the very least Newt is going too. He knows that Minho is family to Frypan too, and Brenda may not have any opinions on him, but she knows how important Minho is to them.

“Yeah…” Newt says softly. He looks up and glances at each of them. “It’s like you said, Chuck, we’ve gotta go with him.”

“Good.” Chuck pauses and then sighs, “You’re not gonna let me go with you guys, are you?”

Newt shakes his head, “No. They need you here to help with the other kids, and we need you safe. We can’t lose anyone else right now.”

Chuck sighs, but nods. He gets up and walks over to Newt, pulling him into a hug that Newt gladly returns. The younger boy is tall enough that the top of his head reaches Newt’s shoulder and he’s only going to keep growing. Newt gives Chuck a squeeze and then steps away. The younger boy looks up at him with watery eyes.

“You bring Minho back, okay? A-And all of you need to come back in one piece.” 

“We will, little man.” Brenda says softly, coming over to hug Chuck as well.

“Promise?”

Newt thinks about the patch of ice on the ankle and knee of his bad leg that refuses to melt, the small patch growing between his shoulder blades. No one knows, and he wants to keep it that way. There’s something telling him he’s running out of time, but he can’t bring himself to tell anyone. Even with all of this running through his brain, he looks at Chuck and says, “I promise.”

But it feels like a lie.

---------------------

Newt tells Frypan and Brenda to pack a bag and meet him at the cars. The plan is to intercept Thomas there and head out together. Brenda said she’d talk to Jorge about tailing them so they’d have back up. Newt just hopes it’ll all work out. 

He makes it back to his and Thomas’ room to find it empty. It seems Thomas was already packed and ready to. Newt makes quick work of packing his bag, clothes, his journal, one of their shared canteens, extra bullets. He double checks his gun in his thigh holster and slips his bandana around his neck.

He’s about to leave when the necklace sitting on the table catches his eyes. It’s a fabric cord with a bullet-like pendant that has a secret compartment. There’s a letter inside that Newt started working on the night he’s knee froze over. He’d never been able to finish it though. Without thinking on it too hard, Newt grabs it from the table and slips it on, under the bandana.

With that, Newt leaves the bedroom and makes his way down the hall. The floor creaks as he moves, but he tries to be quiet. All the new kids they’d gotten that morning needed their sleep. Plus it’s not like him and the others leaving was okayed by Vince. So really, the fewer people who knew, the better.

It’s well into the middle of the night by the time he makes it to the cars. Frypan and Brenda are waiting for him, leaning against a car. It’s one of the bigger ones with plenty of room for four people. They all put their stuff inside and climb in. Thankfully they only have to wait a few minutes for Thomas to show up.

Newt opens the car door and slides out, rounding the car so he can clearly see his boyfriend. Once he’s close enough, Newt turns on a flashlight and points it at the other man. 

“Where do you think you’re going then?”

Thomas jumps and spins around to face Newt. “Newt! Umm…”

“Don’t be a twat about it.” Newt rolls his eyes with a fond smile. “We’re already in. C’mon.”

Thomas let’s him take the bag out of his hands, “Wait. We?”

“You heard me, Tommy.”

“What? No, no look. Not this time, okay? Even if we find Minho there’s no guarantee we’ll make it back from this.”

Oh, Newt’s very much aware. Instead of responding right away, he heads to the car and opens the driver side door. “Well, you’ll need all the help you can get then. Won’t you?”

Frypan leans forward in the driver's seat with a smirk. The back door window rolls down and Brenda sticks her head out of it with an equally smug smile. Thomas scoffs and puts his hands on his hips with a shake of his head.  “You guys too?”

“Hey,” Brenda grins, “It’s not our fault you’re so predictable.”

Thomas just stares at them with a mix of exasperation and worry. “Look,” Newt says, “We started this together. May as well end it that way, too.”

He gives Thomas a soft look and holds out his hand. Thomas heaves a sigh and steps forward, taking Newt’s hand. “Okay… Let’s go get him back.”

Chapter Text

“I don’t wanna come across as too negative, but I mean if I was a Crank, that’s exactly where I’d be.”

They’d been driving all night and all morning, only stopping to swap drivers so the others could get some sleep. Now they’re standing outside of a tunnel at what used to be a health checkpoint before everything. The tunnel is dark, looking even darker thanks to the sunlight, with a tiny pinprick of light all the way at the end.

“Newt has a point.” Brenda says from where she’s leaning against the car.

He shoots her a grateful look. “See? I’m just sayin’ we should be careful.”

“I don’t think we have much of a choice…” Thomas mutters.

“Maybe we should wait for Jorge?” Frypan interjects, “You said he’d be following us right?”

Brenda nods. “Yeah. He said he’d leave in the morning. He shouldn’t be far behind.”

“C’mon guys, we’ll be fine. Newt’s got his powers and we’ve got our guns. If we just go slow and keep an eye out, we should be fine.” Thomas says, folding up the map and sticking it in his pocket.

Newt tries not to think about his powers, pushing the thoughts of ice on his skin to the side. He heaves a sigh and rubs a hand over his mouth. “Alright… I get shotgun.”

They pile back into the car, Frypan in the diver seat, Newt riding shotgun, and Brenda and Thomas in the back seat. Frypan starts the car and inches forward slowly into the tunnel, flicking on the headlights. It takes a few moments for Newt’s eyes to adjust to the new lighting, but it’s still difficult to see anything.

The car runs over shallow puddles as they go, splashing water up the sides. From the backseat, Brenda turns on a flashlight and leans out the window. Dusty, broken down cars line the walls of the tunnel, some rammed into each other or even into the wall itself. Plies of junk lay scattered around the tunnel. There were people here at one point and that usually means one thing.

“Nice’n slow, Fry.” Newt says, one hand going to rest on his gun.

They weave through the cars and piles of junk, taking it slow and steady. Newt hadn’t noticed any Cranks yet, but it was only a matter of time before something turned up. As if on queue, there’s movement ahead, and Brenda reaches for Newt’s shoulder.

“Whoa, hold on. There’s something out there.”

“There always is…” Newt hears Frypan mutter to himself, his grip on the steering wheel tightening. 

“It’s okay,” Thomas says, “It’s just one, so just take it slow, go around him.”

Frypan turns his head to look at Thomas, disbelieving. “There’s never ‘ just one ’.”

Frypan turns to look at Newt like ‘ can you believe this guy? ’ Newt just tilts his head and grimaces with a shrug. He can, actually, because his boyfriend is just that stupid. But it’s not like they have much of a choice.

“We’ll be fine.” Thomas nods. 

Brenda rolls up her window and shuts off the flashlight, leaning forward with her chest against the back of Newt’s seat. Her hand finds its way to his shoulder, which he grabs to give a quick squeeze. This isn’t going to be a pleasant experience, he can already tell.

They barely even move before Thomas jerks backward into Brenda with a startled noise. Brenda lets out a muffled curse, squeezing Newt’s shoulder like a lifeline. Newt looks over at Thomas to see a woman standing right in front of the window, her face pressed up against the glass. She yanks at the door handle while muttering and Newt is suddenly very glad they keep the doors locked.

A sudden noise on the other side of the car causes Brenda and Newt to jump, the former knocking into Thomas’ side. A crank is clawing at Brenda’s window, grunting and clicking.

“Fry!” Brenda exclaims, her voice laced with panic.

“Fry, Fry we gotta go!” Thomas shouts as more cranks swarm the car. “We need to go right now!”

“Just floor it, Fry!” Brenda yells.

A crank hops onto the hood of the car as Frypan hits the gas, putting distance between them and the snarling swarm of cranks. The crank on the hood punches at the windshield repeatedly, causing fractures in the glass. Newt flattens himself against his seat, adrenaline flooding his veins. “Come on, Fry, shake him!”

“I’m tryin’!”

The car flies down the tunnel, zigzagging in an attempt to throw the crank off the car. The force of it knocks Brenda and Thomas around in the backseat. The crank leans to the side, trying to swing at Frypan’s window. Frypan shouts in alarm and swerves to the side. The side of the car scraps against some debris, knocking into the crank and sending it tumbling to the ground with a crack.

They all turn to watch the crank roll across the ground. It isn’t until Thomas shouts a warning that they notice the pile of debris in the middle of the tunnel. Frypan tries to swerve out of the way, but the car rams into some canisters, lifting the right side of the car up a little too far and sending the whole thing upside down.

Newt’s head hits the top of the car with a thunk that sends pain all the way down his spine. He’s faintly aware of Brenda and Thomas kicking open one of their doors and crawling out to help him and Frypan. Newt tries to reorient himself so he can kick his own door open, taking Thomas’ hand to pull himself out. 

“Everyone okay?” Thomas asks around a cough, waving a hand through the air in a vain attempt to knock away the cloud of dirt.

There’s a collective murmur of agreement, everyone attempting to get their stuff from the car. There’s no way they can flip it back over let alone use it with the way the top of the car is so smashed in. Brenda hands him his backpack and he slips it on over his shoulders.

A crank comes stumbling out from behind the pile of debris and Newt doesn’t even give it a chance to get close. Throwing out a hand, Newt sends a spike of ice through the crank’s stomach, pinning the crank to the pile.

“Nice shot.” Brenda says as she slips on her own backpack, her rifle hanging off her shoulder.

Thomas nudges them forward. “Let’s not stick around. Don’t know how many more there are.”

Turns out there’s a lot more than they thought. It doesn’t take long for the cranks they left behind to catch up with them, the horde screeching and snarling. They break into a run, trying to get to the end of the tunnel, the pinprick of light getting bigger and bigger as they approach. Newt’s leg aches in protest and he can feel the ice that's settled on the joints dig into his skin.

“Oh fuck.” 

The light at the end of the tunnel is suddenly blotted out by another group of cranks, effectively trapping them inside the tunnel. 

“What the fuck do we do?!”

“Uhm… Uh…”

“Not helpful, Thomas!”

“Do you have any ideas?!”

“Oh, I dunno, not dying!”

“Guys!” Newt shouts, sending a blast of ice at the cranks in front of them, “This isn’t helping!”

Brenda fires into the horde with her rifle, Frypan at her back doing the same with his shotgun. Newt tries to keep the closest ones back with spikes of ice. He manages to keep a good few feet of space between them and the cranks. One tries to jump at him, but he sends ice up from the ground to wrap around the crank, holding it in place until the others can kill it.

A honk echoes through the tunnel, followed by the sound of a revving engine. Newt breathes a sigh of relief as Jorge’s truck comes barreling through the cranks, screeching to a halt in front of gladers. Jorge sticks his head out the top of the truck.

“Boys, Mija!” Jorge calls, “Come on, get in!”

Thomas and Brenda hope into the back of the truck, helping Newt up once they’re situated. Frypan opens the passenger side door and pulls himself inside. Brenda continues to fire at the cranks as Jorge speeds through the rest of the tunnel.

Newt sags against the truck, sucking in a shaky breath. Brenda collapses next to him with a grunt. She clicks the safety back on her gun and tosses it to their feet. From the front, Frypan heaves a relieved sigh and leans forward to rest his head against the dashboard.

“I’m impressed,” Jorge says, “You guys almost lasted the whole day!”

Frypan’s head shoots up, “Did you miss the part where we almost got eaten by cranks?”

“Key word there was almost, Fry.” Thomas says with a smile; Brenda snorts.

“Yeah, and who’s fault is that?”

Thomas frowns and grumbles to himself, turning away from them. Newt takes the opportunity to calm himself, breathing deeply through his nose. Cranks never fail to freak him out. Maybe it’s the fact that they can still seem human one second, and then completely turn on you the next. Maybe it’s the thought of losing his mind to the flare that scares him so badly.

He must be quiet for too long because Thomas bumps him with his knee. “You good?”

“Hm?” Newt lifts his head, “Oh, yeah, I’m alright.”

Thomas doesn’t seem convinced but he doesn’t press. Newt’s thankful when Jorge asks where they’re headed. Thomas pulls out the map and points them in the right direction.

It doesn’t take long for them to find the city. It’s only another few miles of open road before the desert gives way to vegetation. They find a small outlook that allows them to see the whole city. Jorge slows the truck to a stop and parks, waiting until they’ve all hopped out of the truck before joining them.

“Well,” Newt says, “that’s one way to keep the cranks out.”

The city is surrounded by large walls that surpass some of the buildings inside. The buildings outside the wall are a stark contrast to the ones inside. The buildings within the walls are glossy and clean, perfectly untouched. But the buildings outside are run down and collapsed, half of them more rubble than building.

“How the hell do you suppose we get in there? Brenda asks, crossing her arms and giving Thomas an expectant look. “You three spent years trying to break out of walls and now you want to break back in. I hope you’ve got some ideas.”

Newt knows for a fact that Thomas does not have any ideas.

“Uh, Jorge?”

“Don’t look at me, hermano.” Jorge lifts his hands in mock surrender before letting them fall to his hips. “Those walls are new. Heh, I guess that’s Wicked’s answer for everything.”

Newt almost wants to laugh at the joke, but he can’t bring himself to. There’s a sinking feeling in his gut that something is wrong; like something bad is going to happen.

Everyone piles back into the car, but Newt lingers. Thomas comes up next to him, bumping their shoulders in an attempt to cheer him up.

“Do you really think he’s in there?” Newt asks, not looking away from the city.

“I dunno… Guess we’ll find out.” Thomas pauses and Newt can feel him staring. “…You know she’ll be there, too.”

Newt swallows around the lump in his throat. He doesn’t want to think about her. His anger and hurt still feel so fresh every time he thinks about her. Newt clenches his jaw and turns away from the city. “Don’t remind me.”

----------------------

That feeling in his gut only worsens as they drive into the city outskirts. The buildings look even worse up close. It looks unlivable and Newt can’t help getting upset on behalf of the people living out here. Just one more thing to hate Wicked for.

The further they get into the outskirts the more people show up. There’s a giant group swarming the main gate, protesting with signs and shouts. It gets to the point that they have to ditch the truck and continue through the crowd on foot. It’s stifling, the swarm of hot bodies in the already scorching heat. Some people wear masks, others wear scarves over their heads. It’s all a mismatched blur.

Newt tries to stick close to their group, but it’s hard to push through the crowd at the same time. Brenda has her hood up and Newt copies her, hoping to alleviate some of the heat. Thomas leads them while Frypan takes up the rear. People bump into him left and right, jostling Brenda next to him.

“This place’s been through hell.” Jorge says over the crowd.

“We just gotta stay together,” Thomas says, reaching back for Newt’s hand, “and we’ll be fine.”

Newt shakes his head as he grabs onto his boyfriend’s hand. Thomas always says that and yet they are rarely ever fine. Newt squeezes Thomas hand once, watching the crowd move around them. A voice comes from behind them and they all turn to look as a van with people sitting on top of it comes towards them. One holds a radio in his hands, while the others hold different guns.

“ We are the voice of the voiceless! They hide behind their walls, thinking they can keep the cure for themselves! All while they watch the rest of us rot! But there are more of us than there are of them. And I say, we rise up! ”

The speech gets the crowd going, raising their fists and shouting. Newt understands the anger, but knows nothing good will come of those ideals. The people on the van are all wearing masks so it’s impossible to see their faces as they pass, but Newt swears one of them is staring right at him. He stares back, gaze following the van even after they’ve passed.

He turns to Thomas. “Did you get the feelin’ that guy was staring at us?”

“The one on the truck?” Newt nods. “Yeah.”

“He looked like he knew us or something. That can’t be good news.”

“No,” Thomas shakes his head, “It’s not.”

A faint buzzing fills the air, and Newt looks up to see drones in the sky. His heart starts to beat faster as anxiety settles over him. This won’t be good. There’s an unsettling prickle on the back of his neck.

They keep pushing through the crowd, getting closer to the gate. The crowd is even harder to move through now, and Newt loses sight of Frypan and Brenda a few times. People are shouting to be let in, raising their fists.

“That’s it!” Thomas shouts, seemingly undeterred by the crowd. “That’s our way in.”

Newt shares a worried look with Brenda, who then sticks closer to Jorge’s side.

“Thomas!” Jorge shouts, reaching out to try and stop the younger man. “This is not what you’re looking for! All these people trying to find a way in, you think you’re gonna find something they can’t?!”

“He’s right, Tommy!” Newt shouts, yanking on his boyfriend’s hand, “This isn’t going to work!”

“It has to!” Thomas says, pulling away from Newt and Jorge. “I can’t turn back now!”

“We have to, man!” Frypan joins in as he pushes his way towards them.

“Thomas, stop!” Brenda reaches for him too, but Thomas brushes her off.

Thomas keeps moving, ignoring their cries for him to stop. Newt tries to push forward and grab onto him, but everytime he manages to, Thomas slips away again. No matter how much they all want to turn around, they can’t leave without Thomas.

“What the hell did we get ourselves into?” Frypan mutters.

The crowd begins to throw things at the doors as they make it to the front, Jorge trying to grab Thomas’ jacket. “Thomas, this doesn’t feel right!”

Thomas continues to ignore them, staring at the entrance to the city. That prickle on the back of Newt’s neck is back, but this time it feels like someone is staring at him. Slowly, Newt turns his head to look behind him and, sure enough, the guy from the van is standing a little ways off, just staring at him.

Newt frowns at him and spins back around. This isn’t good. They need to get out of here now, before something bad happens. He rushes up to Thomas and Jorge, hands wrapping around their arms.

“Guys we’ve got to go. Right now!” He looks over his shoulder and then back to the men in front of him. “Right fuckin’ now.”

The guy from the van starts advancing toward them, along with other people in similar masks. Jorge pulls out his gun and Newt readies his power, frost spiraling down his fingertips. A sudden chime rings out from the gate, silencing the crowd and causing everyone to freeze. They all slowly turn to face the city walls.

For a moment nothing happens. No one moves or makes a sound, even the air seems to still. Then Newt sees something rise from the walls. There are multiple of them, rising from behind the city walls and turning to face the crowd. People start screaming and turning to run, knocking into each other as they run, a complete flip from mere moments ago.

Newt doesn’t want to stick around and find out what caused the change. They just need to get out of there now. “Come on!” He tugs at Thomas’ arm, the others already running away with the crowd.

The first explosion isn’t too close, almost like a warning shot. It sends a gust of wind at them, kicking up dirt and rubble. Newt flinches back, his free hand coming up to shield his face. He tugs on Thomas again and that seems to get him moving. They turn and run as explosion after explosion go off, each one closer than the last.

They just keep running, down the street and away from the crowd. Frypan leads them down an alleyway, taking a sharp turn and not stopping, even when an explosion lands too close to the entrance, showering them in dirt.

They keep running and Newt’s so focused on trying to get to safety, his heat jackrabbiting in his chest, that he doesn’t notice the man running up to meet him until they collide. Newt tries to push him away, but the man hangs on, grabbing by the lapels of his jacket. He’s herded into the back of a van and unceremoniously dumped into it. Jorge and Frypan are deposited next to him and the doors slam shut.

Jorge tries to stand and kick at the door, but the van starts moving, sending Jorge to the floor with a thump. Newt pushes himself to the side, hand on his bad knee.

“Where are Brenda and Thomas?” Frypan asks, helping Jorge upright.

“They took them!” Jorge slams his fist onto the floor with a cry.

“Shit…” Frypan hisses.

“Any idea where they’re taking us?” Newt asks around a cough, worry knotting up his stomach.

“I have no clue. They came outta nowhere!”

Newt shakes his head, “Nah, I saw them. Right before they started shooting at us? I saw ‘em marching up to us.”

The van speeds down the roads, twisting and turning in ways that make Newt’s head spin. He’s got no idea where they’re going or why and it’s starting to get to him, if the ice crawling up and away from his back is any indication. It feels like forever when the van finally stops and the doors open.

Newt squints against the sudden light, bringing a hand up to shield his eyes. Jorge wastes no time, kicking the guy who opened the door squarely in the chest, knocking him to the floor. He jumps to top of him, punishing him in the face.

“Where is she?!” Jorge shouts, landing another punch to the guy’s mask.

Newt hears the mask crack and he jumps forward to pull Jorge back. Frypan joins him on the other side, wrapping an arm around the older man’s chest and yanking him away. He can hear Brenda shouting for Jorge as the masked men pull them away from each other. 

Jorge goes slack in Frypan’s grip, starting at Brenda. Newt gets pulled away, his back against the van doors with a gun a little too close for comfort. The man who was watching him from before signals the masked men back away.

“Hey, hey, relax. We’re all on the same side here.” He says, slinging the strap of his rifle over his shoulder. 

“What do you mean, “ same side ”?” Thomas snaps, “Who the hell are you?”

The man doesn’t say anything for a moment. He just stares at them, lingering on them one by one. He takes a deep breath and brings a hand up to his mask. He seems to hesitate for a moment, before ripping it off and turning to face them. “Hey, greenie.”

Gally stands in front of them, eyes flickering over each of their faces.

Newt can’t believe what he’s seeing. They all thought Gally had died back in the maze right after they’d escaped. He’s been stung and wasn’t thinking straight. He nearly killed Chuck and Minho had thrown a spear into his chest. Newt thought that would be the last they ever saw of him. He mourned the loss of a friend and yet here he is, standing in front of them, very much alive.

“ What the fuck? ” Newt mutters to himself.

“Gally?” Frypan breaks the silence.

Gally clears his throat and avoids the other man’s gaze. “Uh, hey Fry.”

Thomas takes a step forward, but Gally quickly takes one back. He stares at Thomas with something akin to fear and Newt can’t help but wonder what is going on inside his head. Frypan doesn’t let the tense moment linger. He launches himself at Gally, much to the worry of the masked men, and wraps him in a hug.

Gally takes a step back from the force of Frypan’s hug, and after a moment of surprise, he hugs him back. When Frypan pulls away Newt is there to take his spot, slinging an arm around Gally’s neck and patting him on the back as they hug. Their relationship might have been tense back in the maze, but god , Newt is happy to see the larger man.

Gally’s eyes are glossy when Newt pulls back, shock and happiness mixing together. “I, uh, wasn’t expecting that.” He sniffles. “I kinda thought you guys would hate me.”

“Why on earth would we hate you, man?” Frypan asks, “We’re just happy you’re alive!”

Thomas walks up then, watching Gally carefully. The taller man still won’t meet his eyes. He’s standing like he’s expecting to get hit. Thomas stares at him for another moment, before he too wraps Gally up in a hug.

They’re all surprised about that, Gally even more so than them. Thomas and Gally never got along, but Newt understands the relief of knowing they didn’t lose someone else. Even if you didn’t particularly like them. 

When Thomas pulls away, Gally looks gobsmacked. He blinks at Thomas like he’s grown two heads. “I’m glad you’re not dead.” Thomas says and then walks over to Newt, scanning him for injuries.

“I’m okay, Tommy.” Newt says with a small smile. And isn’t that nice, that he’s smiling. There hasn’t really been much to smile about lately.

“Good.” Thomas nods and then turns to look at Gally, “Now, how the hell are you alive?”

“We watched you die. Min-” Newt chokes on his name, “Minho put a spear in your chest.”

“No, I didn’t die. I dunno how, considering the spear to the chest, but I didn’t die. And if we hadn’t found you when we did, you’d be dead right now.” Gally says, still looking a little like he’s lost his footing. “What the hell are you even doing here?”

No one says anything at first. Thomas stares at the ground, Frypan is still watching Gally like he thinks he might disappear, and Newt closes his eyes. He doesn’t know, he doesn’t know and we have to break it to him .

“Minho.” Newt finally says and forces his eyes open, “Wicked has him here.”

“How the hell did they get Minho?” Gally asks after a moment, fists clenching at his sides.

“Teresa.” Thomas says between gritted teeth.

“Jesus.”

They don’t offer any further explanation and Gally doesn’t ask, he just stands there, running his hand through his buzz cut hair. Gallys sighs and shakes his head, “You said Wicked has him here? You’re gonna need to get through those walls. I can help with that.”

They share looks with each other and then look back at Gally. “Well?” Thomas prompts.

“Follow me.”

----------------------

Gally leads them away from the vans and down a hallway. People watch them from the hallways above them, curious and wary. Gally tells them about how he got to the city in the first place. He was found by a group of people headed to the city. They patched him up the best they could, let the venom run its course, and then let him join their ranks. Apparently his group had been at war with Wicked since they took over the city and shut everyone else out, leaving lots of people homeless and sick.

Gally comes to a stop in front of a door and he turns to face them. “Listen, uh, Lawrence doesn’t get a lot of visitors. So let me do the talking, alright?” He waits for them to nod and then adds, “Oh, and uh try not to stare.”

Well that’s ominous . Gally opens the door and heads inside, leading down the stairs and into some sort of greenhouse. He gently places his gun on a table near the staircase, and turns towards the middle of the room. The farther Newt walks into the room, the more he starts noticing. The walls are lined with tarps, plants with lamps aimed directly on them are scattered around the room. And there are two people standing near the far wall in front of rose bushes.

Gally walks over to the two people and a voice calls out to him. “Gally, glad to see you made it back. Jasper told me what happened.”

“It was a slaughter.” Gally says, resting his hands on the front of his vest. “There’s nothing we can do against those guns.”

“No,” the man says, “but they can only poke the hornet’s nest for so long before they get stung. Now, who are these people? Why are they here?”

Gally opens his mouth to speak, but Thomas takes a step forward, “We need to get into Wicked. Gally said you could get us through the walls.”

Gally glares at Thomas, eyes screaming please shut the fuck up . Newt rolls his eyes. The man looks at Thomas for a long moment, then looks back to the rose in his hand, bringing up to his face. It’s then that Newt notes the man has no nose.

“Well, Gally should know better than to make promises that he can’t keep.” He looks over at Gally and the younger man can’t meet his eyes. The man sighs and shakes his head, “Besides, that wall is only half your problem. Getting inside Wicked is impossible.”

“There might be a way now.” Gally says, “But it doesn’t work without Thomas.”

“Is that so?” The man grabs the iv pole next to him and walks towards Thomas. He steps into the light and Newt can’t help but flinch when he sees his face. This must have been what gally meant when he told them not to stare. “Do you know what I am, Thomas?”

Lawrence leans forward, much to close for anyone’s comfort. Newt sees Gally cringe from beside Thomas. To his credit, Thomas does move away. Lawrence continues, “I am a businessman. Which means that I don’t take unnecessary risks. Why should I trust you?”

He pulls back and Newt watches Thomas relax a little. “‘Cause I can help you. You see if you can get me through those walls, I can get you what you need.”

“And what is it you think I need?” Lawrence asks, leaning forward.

“Time.” Thomas says, “Every last drop.”

Lawrence chuckles and looks over at his iv pole and then to Gally. “Is that what I need?”

“Wicked has something we both want.”

“I’ll tell you what, two can go for now. The rest stay down here with me. It’s just a little insurance to make sure you find your way back.”

Thomas looks back at them, looking to Newt for his input. Newt blinks at him a few times, a silent I don’t trust him . But Thomas just shrugs, his shoulders barely moving. They don’t exactly have a choice right now. So Newt just nods.

Thomas turns back to Lawrence and the other man holds out his hand. “Do we have a deal?”

Thomas takes his hands and shakes it. Lawrence smirks and nods to Gally, “Gally show them the way.”

“Thank you.” Gally says and herds them out of the room. He picks up his gun on the way out and once the door is shut behind them, he turns to Thomas with a glare. “What the hell was that? What happened to “ let me do the talking ”?”

“I’m sorry.” Thomas doesn’t sound sorry at all, “I just needed to get him to help us.”

“That’s why I said to let me handle it.” Gally grumbles, but otherwise drops the subject. “Let’s just go. Who’s coming with us?”

“I will.” Newt says before he can let himself think about it. There’s no way he’s leaving Thomas alone, especially alone with Gally. He’s a little worried the two will end up killing each other.

“Okay. The rest of you can wait at the opening.” Gally says, leading them down another hallway.

They come to an empty room with a slab of rock in the center of the floor. Gally goes over to it, picks up the slab, and drags it across the floor. Beneath the rock is an hole in the floor. They all crowd around it and look down into the darkness.

“You’ve got to be joking.” Newt mutters, running a hand down his face.

“Nope. This is the easier way in and out of the city.” Gally says as he lowers a ladder down into the hole. “It’s the only way to get in undetected.”

“Um, wow.” Brenda says, watching the ladder lower into the ground with a veiled look of disgust.

Frypan shakes his head and looks over at Newt, who’s leaning down to fix his pant leg. “I do not envy you.”

Newt snorts, “Thanks, mate.”

“Be careful, Thomas.” Jorge says as Gally begins to climb down the ladder.

Thomas nods and follows Gally down into the hole. Newt hands them a flashlight and then joins them. It’s not exactly enjoyable, being surrounded by damp earth, but it’s not too bad. At least when he could fully stand up anyway. The earthy tunnel gives way into a sewer and Newt cringes at the acrid smell.

“Eugh, this is gross.”

“Yeah, this is great.” Thomas snarks, bringing a hand up to cover his nose. “Real charming.”

“Yeah yeah, shut up you two.” Gally says without heat. He reaches out towards the wall and fiddles with something. There’s a mechanical click and then humming as lights turn on. They line the right wall and go down as far as he can see. “Keep close to me, we’ve got a ways to go.”

Gally continues to lead them down the tunnel. It’s a long walk and Newt’s leg begins to protest the farther they go. He nearly trips once or twice, his slowly freezing leg making it difficult to move. Thomas wraps his arm around Newt’s waist at one point, supporting him. If Gally notices he doesn’t say anything.

They’ve nearly made it to the end of the tunnel when Newt actually trips, Thomas having pulled away to lead, trying to cling to the wall as he goes down. Gally ends up catching him with a frown. “You alright there, Newt?”

Not wanting to worry them, Newt lies. “Yeah, I’ve just got a bum leg.”

Gally snorts, “And I have a bum lung.”

From up ahead Thomas chuckles, “Hey that rhymed!”

----------------------

They make it to the surface with no other issues.

The tunnel leads into an unused employees only room at the train station. Gally opens the door a crack and peaks out, scanning the station. Deeming it safe, Gally steps out into the open and motions for Newt and Thomas to hurry. He closes the door behind them.

They join the moving crowd of people, seamlessly and without drawing attention. Half the people are wearing masks and are clearly in a rush to get somewhere. Out of habit, Newt grabs Thomas’ hand.

Gally continues to lead the way out of the station and up a flight of stairs. From here they can see the city up close. Newt feels his jaw drop at the sight. It’s dark out but all the buildings are lit up, blotting out the normally starry sky. There are cars and trains moving through the city. It’s beautiful in the most messed up way.

All these people live here in comfort and safety while the rest of the world suffers and dies. It seems almost cruel. And maybe it is, after all that’s what Wicked is good at. Being cruel. Gally stops and leans against a railing, letting them take it all in.

“This is a long way from the Glade.” Newt says, eyes roaming over the buildings.

A voice over head tells them it's ten minutes to curfew and to head home. Gally looks around, “Yeah we better get off the streets. I know it’s hard, but act like you’ve seen this before.” He walks away and Thomas and Newt share a look before following him.

They move through the now empty streets, dashing across roads and avoiding the police. It’s not an easy feat and Gally mentions as much. “They must have upped security. Bet you two have something to do with that.”

They keep moving through the streets until they reach the wall. The roads are particularly empty and a little run down. Makes it the perfect place for people who shouldn’t be inside the city. Gally helps boost Newt up, but Thomas shows off, refusing Gally’s help and lifting himself up on his own. Gally just shakes his head and joins them.

They keep climbing up until they’re much farther above the ground than Newt would like. He tries to keep his gaze away from the railings, but you can only avoid so much when you’re that high up. They end up in a secluded little nook, overlooking a good portion of the city. There’s a large building in the center, all light up blue. The triangular lights make it stand out against the rest of the city.

“There it is.” Gally says, digging around and pulling out a telescope. “If Wicked’s got Minho, that’s where they’re keeping him.” It sets the telescope up and looks into it, “Lawrence has been trying to find a way in for years. This place is crawling with soldiers. They’ve got surveillance everywhere. Scanners on every floor.”

“Sounds like a bloody fortress.” Newt says a little bitterly.

“Yeah, I thought you said you had a way in.” Thomas looks over at Gally.

The taller man sighs and looks between them. “I do.” He stands back to let them at the telescope. “But you’re not going to like it.”

Thomas goes first, looking through the telescope. Gally had set it up so Newt assumes it’s pointed exactly where they need to look. It takes a second until Thomas stiffens, lifting his head from the telescope. He’s got a far away look in his eyes that Newt doesn’t like one bit. He reaches out and taps a knuckle against Thomas’ temple.

“I told you you weren’t gonna like it.”

Newt looks at Gally and then at Thomas, a sinking feeling settling in his gut. He gently moves Thomas out of the way and takes his place at the telescope. He leans down and looks into it. It takes him a second to realize what he’s seeing.

Teresa moves around her little lab, hair down and looking ragged. She messes with a few tubes, picks up a utensil Newt can’t even pretend to understand, and runs a hand through her hair. The movement causes a scar on her left cheek to be visible. The one Newt put there all those months ago.

He only feels a little bad when the telescope freezes beneath his hands.

Chapter Text

Newt is the first up the ladder.

The second his feet hit the ground he’s walking over to the furthest wall and begins pacing. His mind is moving a mile a minute and he needs something to balance it out. He can’t get the image of Teresa up in her own lab, safe and unharmed, a scar on her cheek.

She’s up there, trying to fight for a cure that probably doesn’t exist, while the rest of them have had to fight to stay alive no thanks to her. He’s angry at her, bitter and hurt. But there’s a part of him that’s glad she’s safe. He doesn’t wish her harm, but so much could’ve been avoided if she had just talked to them. Maybe then she wouldn’t have turned on them.

Thomas and Gally join them in the room, the latter picking up the ladder and setting it against a wall, pulling the large slab of stone over the hole. No one says anything, but Newt can feel their eyes on him. He can only imagine what he looks like, long hair a mess, ice clinging to his sleeves. He feels about as good as he looks. Which, well…

“Okay,” Brenda says, breaking the silence, “what the hell happened?”

Gally crosses his arms and sits on the rock, “I dunno. Ask them.” It’s a little bitter sounding as he gestures in Newt and Thomas’ directions. “They’ve been like this the whole time.”

Brenda turns her gaze on them, expectant. But Newt doesn’t know what to tell her. Hey, remember that girl who traveled with us and then turned us into Wicked? Yeah? Well guess what? She’s up in the city right now looking for a cure, you know, the reason she turned us in and got us all in this situation in the first place? Yeah? Well Gally thinks we can use her to our advantage! Cause that’ll go well!

He scowls at his own inner monologue and Brenda raises an eyebrow at him. Thomas still hasn’t looked up from the floor, but from the part of his face Newt can see, he doesn’t look happy. He’s frowning at the floor with his arms crossed.

“Uh, hello? Earth to Newt and Thomas?” Brenda says impatiently, “Either of you care to explain what’s going on right now?”

Thomas looks up then, right at her. She stares back but she softens a little when she sees his face. He looks a little hurt and a little like he might cry, but he mostly looks angry. Newt thinks he understands perfectly.

“Gally wants to get Teresa to help us.” Thomas says through gritted teeth. “And he’s nuts if he thinks that’s gonna work.”

“It’s our only shot!” Gally says hotly with a pointed glare at Thomas. Ah, it looks like they’re back to being angry with each other. Just like olds times. “If we had another option we'd have taken it already. We’ve been tryin’ to get into the building for years.”

“There has to be another way, Gally!” Thomas argues, hands flung up in the air. “She won’t agree to work with us-”

“I don’t plan on asking.”

“Not after what she did! Not to mention, none of us want to work with her either!”

“Well why is that?!” Gally demands, shooting up and stomping over to Thomas, “None of you will tell me what the hell she did! You’re all just being cryptic about it!”

He towers over Thomas and for a second Newt is worried he’ll have to get between them again; memories of the maze flooding his head. Thomas doesn’t back down, glaring up at Gally with a scowl on his face.

“Hey!” Brenda snaps, hands on her hips and a whirlwind of emotions in her eyes. “You two need to quit acting like children and calm the fuck down!”

Gally and Thomas continue to glare at each other, even when Gally starts to back away. Newt sighs and runs a hand through his hair. His hands are still covered in frost and it spreads over his hair. Strong emotions will pull his powers up to the surface, something that’s becoming hard to fight back down in the recent months. He tries not to think about it.

“Look,” Newt says, “You don’t know what happened after we left you in the maze.” He wraps his arms around himself as he prepares to tell the story. “These people came in and picked us up, right? Yeah, well it turns out it was Wicked the whole time. They took us to a facility and one by one they took us under the guise of a safe haven. I’m sure I don’t need to fill you in on what they did.”

Gally’s face twists and Newt gets his answer. “Well we didn’t know it at the time, but Teresa had been separated from us and was given her memories back. We escaped, but she never really left I suppose. She was all torn up about it, her memories, and said she didn’t know what to do. I, uh, I didn’t really think much of it at the time.

We found a group of people trying to find a place away from Wicked. They agreed to take us in and we were all planning on leaving with them the next morning. We didn’t get that chance though.”

Newt doesn’t want to keep going, the words dying in his throat. Gally seems to understand though. The fight leaves him and his shoulders sag, realization crossing his face. “She turned you in.”

“Yeah. And now she’s in there, sacrificing innocent kids. Sacrificing Minho .” Newt says quietly, like if he says it soft enough it’ll hurt less. It never does. “That’s why we don’t want to work with her.”

“Well fuck.” Gally says, causing a snort of laughter from Brenda.

“Yeah,” She says, “fuck is right.”

“There has to be another option.” Thomas says, rubbing a hand over his mouth.

“Well I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but there isn’t. If there was, we would’ve done it already.” Gally sighs, sitting back down.

“Why wait until now?” Brenda asks, “If she’s been here for months, why wait till now to do something?”

“Well it’s not like we can just walk in and grab her. We need a distraction and I doubt she’d be willing to follow me. We didn’t exactly get along back in the maze.”

“You did try to offer her to the grievers man.” Frypan interjects, earning a look from Gally.

“Yes, thank you, Fry.” Gally mutters. “The point is that she wouldn’t have followed me. But you know who she will follow?”

“Me.” Thomas sighs heavily. “Fine! Fine, I see your point.”

“Thank-”

“But I don’t like it. Don’t expect any of us to trust her.” He points a finger at Gally, who lifts his arms in surrender. Apparently satisfied, Thomas nods and then turns on his heel and leaves the room.

Newt watches him go and glances back at his friends. Brenda rolls her eyes at him, “Oh go on. He needs you right now.” Newt gives her a small smile and turns to leave as she looks over to Gally. “And I need a nap. Care to show us where we’re sleeping.”

“Sure.” Gally responds, “I need to talk to Lawrence anyway.”

------------------

Newt finds Thomas on the roof, sitting at the edge with his legs dangling over the side.

“Room for one more?” Newt asks, sitting down next to him, their shoulders brushing.

Thomas doesn’t say anything for a moment, just staring out into the dark. The city gives off too much light, even out here, to see the stars. It makes for an empty sky that leaves Newt feeling a little lonely.

“I hate this.” Thomas whispers, letting his body sag and lean into Newt’s, his head landing on Newt’s shoulder. “I hate that this is the only option.”

“I know, Tommy.” Newt sighs, lifting a hand and running his fingers through Thomas’ hair.

Thomas hums in appreciation, sagging further into Newt. “I hate that our only option is to hurt us in order to get Minho back. It isn’t fair!”

“I know, love.”

“This whole thing shouldn’t have even happened! If Teresa had just- just- I dunno! Talked to any of us? Maybe we could’ve talked her out of it.”

“She talked to me. She kept sayin’ how she didn’t know if we were doing the right thing. I tried to talk her down but…I think she’d already made up her mind before coming to me.”

Thomas sighs heavily, tilting his head up to look at the city. “That sounds like her.” He closes his eyes and his shoulders sag, lip trembling a little. “It’s just not fair. I promised Minho I wouldn’t let them take him again.”

Newt stays silent, gazing up at the city. He already knew about Thomas’ promise to Minho, the brunette breaking down over it on more than one occasion - not that Newt blames him. Newt himself always felt indebted to their friend, and knowing that it’s their fault he’s in Wicked’s hands hurts.

He doesn’t know how they’re going to convince Teresa to work with them, but they have to. It’s the only way to get Minho back, as much as Newt hates the whole idea. But it’s for Minho. And that makes everything worth it.

“Do you think-” Thomas mumbles, “do you really think this’ll work?”

“It has to.” Newt says firmly, daring the universe to question him. “Did I ever tell you how I broke my leg?” Thomas sits up then, pulling away from Newt to look him in the eye, and shakes his head. “You know how I get sometimes, yeah? On my bad days where I can’t get out of bed or eat somethin’? Well one day it got bad. Worse than any other time before. I was just so tired, Tommy. I didn’t want to keep going, I didn’t want to be in pain anymore.”

Newt exhales slowly, hands in his lap. “So I got up before everyone else, went to one of the maze walls, and I started to climb. The ivy doesn’t go all the way to the top, which you know, but I thought it’d be high enough to get the job done. And once I got as far as I could, I just…let go.”

Beside him, Thomas inhales sharply. “Newt…”

“Of course it didn’t work.” Newt says with a bitter smile. “I got tangled up in the ivy and snapped my leg in three different places. I felt like the biggest twat alive.” He chuckles in spite of himself. It feels like a distant memory now. “Minho’s the one who found me. He didn’t ask any questions, didn’t even say a word. He just helped me out of the ivy and patched me up.

That’s why this has to work. He’s my best friend and nothing is the same without him here. We deserve to be safe. He deserves to be safe. So if that means we have to work with Teresa and get to take us to him, then fine. We’ll make it work.”

“We’ll make it work.” Thomas echoes, eyes wide and wet.

Newt pulls him in for a kiss, arms wrapped around his shoulders and a hand in his hair. Thomas’ hands are on Newt’s hips, keeping him close. When they part for air Newt puts their foreheads together. Newt lets himself sit in the moment, knowing that this’ll probably be one of their last quiet moments together.

After another soft kiss, Newt pulls away and stands, holding a hand out to his boyfriend. Thomas takes it, slotting their hands together and forcing himself to stand. They leave the roof together and make their way downstairs.

------------------

“So what, we’re just supposed to wait for you guys to come back?” Brenda asks, arms folded over her chest with a scowl.

“I guess.” Thomas says with his hands in his pockets.

“Seriously?”

“It’s Gally’s plan!”

“Look.” Gally says with a sigh, “The plan is for Thomas and I to go in, find Teresa, distract her, and then get her back here in one piece.”

“So,” Frypan draws out the word, “we’re kidnapping her?”

“Lovely.” Newt snorts, leaning against the table.

“Do you guys have a better plan to get her here?” When no one answers, Gally scoffs. “Yeah, that’s what I thought. Let’s go, Thomas.”

Gally makes his way down the ladder and Newt reaches for Thomas, pressing a kiss to his cheek when the brunette is close enough. “Be careful.”

“Always am.” Thomas says with a wink and returns a kiss to Newt’s cheek. “We’ll be back.”

Thomas pulls away and heads down the ladder after Gally. Once they’re gone, Newt drags a hand over his face.

“Are we really just supposed to sit here?” Brenda asks, hands on her hips.

Newt shrugs, crossing his arms. “There’s not much more we can do.” When Brenda scoffs and pushes off the wall, Newt snaps at her. “Well, do you have a better plan?”

She glares at him but doesn’t respond, turning her gaze to the floor. Newt feels a little guilty for snapping at her. He doesn’t mean to be so short, there’s just so much swirling around in his head. There are so many things that can go wrong. He’s just worried. Scared.

“I’m sorry.” Newt sighs, “I shouldn’t have snapped.”

Brenda looks up at him, “Yeah, you shouldn’t have. But I get it. I’m stressed out too.”

“They’re gonna be fine, you guys.” Frypan says from beside Brenda, “This will work.”

“I guess I’m just not thrilled about seeing Teresa again.” Newt swipes his thumb over his nose.

Brenda hums in lieu of an answer, walking over to Newt to pick up a book she found last night. “Gotta pass the time somehow right?” She holds up the book and twists it in the air. She walks back over to the wall and slides down to the floor.

She cracks the book open, apparently done with the conversation.

Newt brings his hand down to play with the pendant of his necklace. He rolls his back and forth between his finger and thumb, contemplating. He tries not to think about what’s in the pendant, even if it feels like it’ll burn a hole through his shirt.

He still hasn’t finished the letter. Sometimes, when he knows Thomas is asleep, he’ll try to work on it but he never gets far. There’s just so much to say and not enough space. He wants to write something that’ll hopefully ease the pain of his death, or at the very least be a source of comfort. But what can he even say?

Newt shakes his head, and drops the pendant. It settles against his chest. “I need some air.”

-------------------

After what feels like hours, Thomas and Gally come back with Teresa in tow.

Thomas makes a beeline for Newt as soon as he sees him, wrapping his arms around his waist and burying his face in Newt’s shoulder. Newt watches Gally drag Teresa over to a chair and sits her down. She’s got a hood over her head, blocking her view of everything. He cringes. It seems a little unnecessary.

Gally rounds the chair, pulling off the hood as he goes.

Teresa’s hair is a mess and she runs her hands through her hair to smooth it down, while glaring at Gally. To Newt’s surprise, her hair is still short; cut a little ways past her chin. There’s a scar on her left cheek, right up near her cheekbone and Newt forces himself to look away. He’d given that to her months ago, and he can’t bring himself to feel all that bad about it.

Gally pulls a chair up in front of Teresa, spinning it around and plopping himself down. He leans forward, resting his forearms on the back of the chair. Brenda and Frypan are leaning against the table behind him. Jorge stands off to the side, watching carefully. They’re all wearing matching expressions. Brows furrowed, mouths twisted, and eyes hard.

At least everyone seems as unhappy about this as him.

Newt nudges Thomas, gently pushing the other boy off. He goes easily, eyes looking anywhere but Teresa as Newt guides them over to join the others. Newt bites back a sigh, this is going to be a long conversation. Thomas settles into one of the chairs and Newt stays close by rounding his chair and putting his hands on the back of it.

It’s silent for a long moment.

“Gally?” Teresa asks, still glaring at him but softer now, like she can’t believe it’s him. “I thought you were…”

He cut her off, shaking his head. “This is how this is gonna go. We’re gonna ask you some questions, and you’re going to tell us exactly what we need to know.” When she doesn’t respond, Gally continues, “We’ll start off easy. Where’s Minho?”

Her gaze travels around the room, lingering on each of them until she sees Thomas. He tenses.

“You guy don’t seriously think-”

“Don’t look at him.” Gally snaps, pulling her attention back to him. Newt brings a hand down to rest of Thomas’ chest for him to hold on to. “Why’re you looking at him? Look at me. He’s not gonna help you.”

She looks back at Thomas again and then up to Newt. He tries to keep his face as blank as possible, but she frowns so maybe he’s not doing a great job of it. Thomas squeezes his hand.

“Now, we know you have Minho in the building.” Gally keeps trying to pull her attention back to him, “Where?”

Teresa’s gaze flickers from Gally to the floor and back again. “He’s with the others in holding. Sublevel three.”

Others? “How many others?” Newt finds himself asking, shifting from one leg to the other.

“Twenty-eight.”

“Jesus,” Newt breathes, shaking his head.

Gally turns his head to look at Brenda. She’s already looking back at him. “I can make that work.”

“Wha- no, no, you guys don’t understand,” Teresa says, eyes bouncing between them. “The whole level’s restricted. Y-You can’t get in without a thumbprint ID.”

“That’s why you’re coming with us.” Thomas says. He looks at her for a moment, but looks away. Newt watches him clench his jaw.

Gally tilts his head and makes a face. “Well, I dunno,” He sounds faux contemplative, “We don’t necessarily need her. Right?” He stands abruptly and turns towards the table, pulling the chair away with him. He grabs a knife and turns back to Teresa. “Not all of her. We just need her finger.”

“Gally…” Frypan chides.

“Back off, mate.” Newt says, standing up straight and staring Gally down.

“What? You squeamish?” He barks, not backing down from Newt’s glare. “I guarantee you she’s done a lot worse to Minho.”

Newt grits his teeth, a scowl forming on his face. “Maybe so, but that doesn’t mean we have to hurt her.” And he means it. They shouldn’t hurt her like that just because of what she’s done. As much as he hates her right now, that does mean he’s suddenly okay with senseless violence. “So back. Off.”

“Fine.” Gally scoffs, turning back to the table to drop the knife. It lands with a clatter and Gally lifts his hands in mock surrender. But Newt can tell he’s pissed.

“It doesn’t matter.” Teresa says, glaring at them. “Do whatever you want to me. You still won’t get through the front door. The sensors will pick you up the-”

“We know.” Thomas mutters through gritted teeth, “We’re tagged. Property of Wicked.”

Brenda stands from her place against the table, picking up the knife and walking over to Teresa. She crouches down in front of the other girl and lifts the knife up between them. “You’re gonna help us with that, too, cupcake.”

“You can’t be serious.” Teresa scoffs, staring at her like she’s grown a second head.

“As the flare.” Brenda’s grin is all teeth, vicious and bitter.

----------------------

They set her up with everything she needs.

Candles to sterilize the blade of the knife, cloth to wipe away the blood and whatever kind of bandages they can find. It’s not pretty but it’ll get the job done. Gally goes first, claiming to be her test subject, followed by Frypan. The little trackers come out easily enough.

While Teresa gets to work, the rest of them talk plans. It’s not going to be easy to break into a high security building, after all. Even with Teresa working with them. Brenda has a plan for how to get the other immune kids out of the city using a bus and if Newt’s honest, she lost him the second she mentioned the bus. But he trusts her and he knows she’ll get the job done. She and Frypan break off to talk about it together.

When it’s Thomas’ turn, Newt lingers around. He stays within earshot and watches carefully. He fiddles with his pendant, rolling it back and forth between his fingers. He hears Teresa make a comment about Brenda and he can’t help but turn to look over his shoulder in the girl's direction. She’s talking with Jorge. The older man decided it would be better if he went back to their group for backup.

“How’re you getting her serum?” He hears Teresa ask, and he whips his head back around so fast his head spins.

“What?” Thomas asks, looking more tense than Newt’s ever seen him.

“Brenda. I didn’t think she’d still be alive…” She drops the knife and picks up a pair of tweezers. “When was her last treatment?”

“At the Right Arm?” He frowns, “The last time we saw you.”

“But…that was months ago.” Teresa frowns too, eyes unfocused as she pulls the tracker from Thomas’ neck. Thomas jolts, lurching forward and spinning his head around to glare at her. “Thomas, that’s not possible. She should’ve turned by now. There’s no way she could possibly still-”

“Alright, that’s enough.” Thomas mutters as he stands, the chair screeching against the floor from the force.

He starts to talk away from her, but Teresa follows, throwing the tweezers down and standing. Her face hardens with determination and she reaches for him. Newt pushes himself between them before she can touch him, crossing the distance between them in a few strides. Teresa backs away quickly, but doesn’t back down.

“You have to believe me!”

“Do you expect us to?” Thomas bites from behind Newt, looking over his boyfriend’s shoulder. “You made your choice.”

“I’m not asking you to trust me! I’m just asking you to look at the facts!” She throws her hands up and out, frustration bleeding into her voice.

“Hey!” Newt hisses, making them both pause. “What are you goin’ on about?”

Teresa groans. “Brenda! Thomas said the last time she was given the serum was-” Newt cuts her off.

“The night you betrayed us, yeah.” She flinches at his words but still doesn’t back down. “What about it?”

“She should’ve turned by now.” Teresa explains, starting to talk faster as if worried he’ll cut her off again. “Think about it! The last time she got any serum was months ago. She would’ve turned within days afterward. She should be dead!” She looks at him pleadingly, “I’m not asking you to trust me. I know you don’t. But I’m asking you to believe me.”

He has to admit that she has a point. Brenda’s been fine this entire time and none of them really questioned it. There was so much going on that it hadn’t really crossed his mind. Brenda should, technically, be dead. There’s no cure for the Flare. If there was, all of this could’ve been avoided. But if she’s right…

“What does that mean?” Newt asks. Teresa frowns in confusion so he tries to clarify, “If you’re right about Brenda being cured, what does that mean for us? For anything?”

Hope spreads across Teresa’s face as she nods, “It would change everything! It would mean there is a cure and it’s been right here all along! We could run some tests and-”

“No.” Thomas interrupts, “No, no way. I’m not letting you use us again. There is no goddamn cure. Maybe Brenda just got lucky.”

Teresa huffs, “There is no getting lucky with this, Thomas. No one has ever survived it! If you would just-!”

“Alright enough,” Newt sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose. “We won’t get anywhere like this. I’m not saying I trust you, Teresa. I don’t think I’ll ever trust you… But I do believe you.”

“Really?”

“Newt, what the hell?”

Ignoring both of them, Newt grabs Teresa’s wrist and pulls her back to her chair. “You stay here.” Teresa nods and Newt turns to Thomas, “Let’s go talk to the others.”

“Wait, Newt- You-you can’t be serious!” Thomas grabs Newt’s wrist as he walks past, coming around to face him. “We can’t trust her!”

“I know that!” Newt snaps, “But she has a point, Tommy. Why would she lie about this?” Thomas sighs, softening at the nickname. “Let’s just see what the others think, yeah?”

Thomas nods reluctantly. “Fine.”

Newt gently pulls his wrist out of Thomas’ grasp and slots their hands together, lacing their fingers. He pulls him along to the others. Brenda looks up from her place near the wall, while Gally and Frypan stand up from the table.

“What is it?” Frypan asks, looking worriedly between Newt and Thomas.

“Teresa thinks there’s a cure.” All eyes turn to Thomas as he speaks. He stares down at the table, ignoring all of them.  “She thinks Brenda’s been cured.”

“What?” Brenda crosses her arms as she watches him.

“Are we sure she’s not just lying?” Gally asks, mirroring Brenda’s stance. “I mean she did betray you.”

“Yeah, for the cure. Why would she lie about this ? The one thing she was willing to kill us for, she now thinks she’s found.” Newt looks at each of them, “Look, I’m not saying I trust her. But she has a point.”

Brenda frowns but slowly nods. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but maybe she’s right. I mean, everyone’s always so worried I’ll crank out, but…I never did. And I should have.”

Frypan tilts his head, “I guess. You have been strangely non crank-like this whole time.”

“I still think she’s lying.” Thomas mutters, leaning into Newt’s side. “But if you think she might be right, then maybe she is.”

“We don’t have to trust her,” Newt says, “But I do believe her.”

And isn’t that something. This is definitely not how he thought this would go. He spares a glance at Teresa only to find her already watching them. She looks anxious but determined at the same time. He turns back to the group, watching their faces.

Brenda speaks up first. “Alright, let’s say we believe her; what do we do?”

“What we do,” Gally says, dropping his hands to his hips and pinning Teresa with a glare, “Is get Newt’s chip out and come up with a plan. Which, since we’re deciding to go along with this, means she’s going to help us.”

Teresa nods her head a little vigorously, her hair bouncing around. Newt nods to Gally and gets up, letting his hand run along Thomas’ shoulders as he goes. He goes and stands in front of Teresa, eyeing the chair wearily. She looks up at him and smiles slightly.

“Thank you.” She says and Newt’s stomach twists.

“I didn’t do it for you.” He scowls and crosses his arms, looking away. He quickly sits down to avoid looking at her, the chair jostling beneath him. “This is for Minho, and all those kids you’ve got in there.”

“Right.” She says stiffly. He hears her pick up the knife from the tray beside her. They sit in silence while Teresa sterilizes the knife. He tenses when he feels her hand reach for this jacket, pulling the collar of it and his shift down a little. He hears her gasp, “Newt…”

“Don’t.”

His hands tighten around his arms and he inhales sharply. He’d forgotten about the ice crawling its way up his spine. He fights the urge to jump out of the chair and get away from her.

“Newt.” She repeats firmly but quietly.

“What?” He hisses.

“Do they know? Does…Thomas know?”

He sighs, forcing himself to relax. He scrubs a hand down his face. “No.” He looks over at the group talking amongst themselves. “And it needs to stay that way.”

Teresa inhales sharply, “Newt! This will kill you! You have to tell them!” She’s whisper shouting, leaning forward in an attempt to catch his eye.

“You think I don’t know that?!” He spins around to face her, seething. “There’s nothing I can do, Teresa!”

“Maybe there is! If I’m right about Tom, about a cure, then maybe it could cure you too!”

Newt stares at her for a moment. He doesn’t want to get his hopes up - he can’t. But she looks so determined, practically pleading with him and the part of him that wants to trust her, and keep her safe, tells him that maybe there is a chance.

“Maybe,” He concedes, turning back around in the chair, “But you can’t tell them about this. I don’t want to give them false hope.”

She sighs and leans back, her own chair creaking. “Fine. I won’t tell them… But you have to let me try to cure you too.”

Newt looks over at the group again, watching as Thomas points at a map. He looks over and their eyes meet. Thomas smiles at him and Newt gives a small smile back. What does he have to lose?

“Fine.”

Chapter Text

The soldier uniform blocks the wind, but it does little against the chill that bites into Newt’s skin. No matter what he’s done this past hour, he just can’t seem to get warm. It’s not a good sign. He tries to suppress a shiver as he stands at his post waiting for Thomas and Teresa.

The plan is for Teresa to make her way back into the main building while Thomas meets up with her. Newt will join them once they’re inside the building, the three of them making their way to the stairwell on the third floor where Gally is already waiting for them. Once Gally gives Lawrence an opening in Wicked’s systems, the one condition Lawrence had, they’ll make their way up to Minho and the other immunes.

Once that’s happened, Gally will take the immunes to Brenda and Frypan, who have a plan involving a bus. Newt honestly isn’t fully sure what the hell that entails, but he trusts Brenda to get it done. They’d also promised Teresa she could run a test on Thomas to see if her theory is correct, much to the latter’s chagrin.

She kept giving him these looks while they were getting ready to go, all sad and imploring. Her blue eyes seemed to plead with him and he ignored her. If he looked at her face for too long he’d do something stupid like hug her and he couldn’t do that anymore. He wasn’t sure he’d ever be able to hug her again.

Newt pushes it out of his mind as he spots Teresa making her way over. There’s another soldier behind her shoulder and Newt sincerely hopes it’s Thomas.

He joins them as they pass, flanking her. His uniform feels clunky as he moves and the gun weighs heavy in his hands. Teresa keeps her head held high the whole time, giving an air of indifference, like she’s hardly bothered. He envies her just a little.

The three of them move through the city quickly without drawing too much attention to themselves. They pass people and soldiers alike, but no one spares them more than a glance. The closer they get to the building, the more soldiers there are. Some wear helmets with masks, others don’t. Newt takes a steadying breath as they approach the entrance.

Newt eyes the soldiers wearily as Teresa enters first, walking through the revolving doors. They make no move to stop them when Thomas follows her. They don’t even look at Newt as he follows behind. There are even more soldiers inside and Teresa falters, tilting her head towards Thomas. He leans down and whispers to keep moving.

There’s a checkpoint a few feet in made up of tall sensors. Red diamond shaped lights sit in the center of each side of the sensor and the light turns green as they pass.

Newt stares up at the expanse of the building. Passing the checkpoint reveals a large open room with stairs and walkways suspended overhead. Elevators line the walls and the ceiling seems to be four stories high. Part of him wants to marvel at it, while the other is angry at Wicked for having so many large and sleek buildings when they left them with almost nothing at all in the Glade.

Following the plan, Newt glides up in front of Teresa to lead the way. He leads them down a set of stairs and takes a right, bringing the car park into view. They’re separated by a wall of blue glass, allowing them to watch the many soldiers patrolling the outside.

A soldier begins to to keep pace with them from the other side of the glass, joining them as they pass a set of sliding glass doors. He turns his head to nod slightly at Newt. Newt nods back to Gally, letting him take the lead and slowing down to walk behind Thomas.

Hopefully no one will pay them much mind, even if three soldiers and one girl stand out.

Still, no one bothers them as Gally leads them to a locked stairwell that Teresa opens with her fingerprint. Guns ready, they file inside, doing a quick sweep of their floor. Gally moves directly to the power station in front of them.

“I can get in here.” He says, lifting a hand to remove his helmet to inspect the power station.

Thomas lifts his own helmet, turning to look at him. “Alright. Throw me the walkie.”

Gally tosses it to him and Thomas catches it easily. He turns to continue sweeping the next floor and that’s when Newt starts to feel a tickle in the back of his throat.

Turning away, Newt lifts his helmet as quickly as he can with increasingly shaky hands. A cough forces its way up and he coughs hard into his hand. It leaves his eyes watering and tiny flecks of ice sitting in his palm. They melt almost immediately, but Gally stares at him with furrowed brows.

“Newt?” Gally asks, and Newt looks at him over his shoulder. He avoids his gaze, his eyes falling on Teresa instead. She’s looking at him with fear and Newt knows she understands what’s happening. It’s like she can see right through him and he hates it. “You alright?”

Newt looks back to Gally again, this time meeting his gaze. “I’m fine,” He says with as much calm as he can muster, “Just a tickle.”

Gally continues to frown at him for a moment, but seems to take Newt at his word and turns back around to cut into the power station with a small saw. Teresa is still staring at him, so he turns away and slides his helmet back into place.

Thomas comes back up the stairs a few moments later, talking into the walkie. “Frypan, we’re in.  How’re you doing?”

“Yeah.” Frypan’s tinny voice comes from the walkie after a moment, “Yeah, I’m getting there.” He sounds out of breath when he tacks on, “Tell Minho hi for me.”

“We will.” Thomas responds, “Hang in there buddy.”

They stand around for a few more minutes until Gally pulls the power station open. He rifles through the wires as Thomas comes up next to him to watch. Gally pulls on a wire gently and nods. “This’ll work.”

“Brenda, what's your status?” Thomas asks into the walkie, eyes flitting between Gally and the power station.

Her reply comes almost immediately. “Status is…I’m working on it.”

“Right,” Thomas says, a little gruff, “Just make sure you’re ready on your end.”

“She always is.” Newt says with a tilt of his head.

Thomas turns to him and nods gently. “You’re right.”

As if on cue, Brenda’s voice comes from the walkie again, “Don’t worry. You know I’m gonna be there.”

Thomas nods again and turns back to Gally, who’s just finishing up sticking a device to the inside of the power station. It beeps rapidly as Gally slams it closed. “Alright, let’s go.”

The four of them take off down the stairs, Teresa leading them to the floor where Wicked’s been keeping the immune kids. She opens the door and they file into a hallway. They move quickly  until Teresa stops them at a door.

She keeps her thumb hovered over the door lock and turns to them. “Look, this room is heavily guarded, so be ready.”

Gally raises his gun without a word and Thomas follows suit with a nod. Before Newt can do anything, the door slides open. Teresa turns around, startled, staring at her thumb which is still hovering over the lock. The opened door reveals a soldier looking just as startled.

He doesn’t have a chance to react as Thomas shoots him in the chest with a stun bullet and hits the ground. He and Gally fire into the room, stunning the other soldiers, while Newt instinctively pushes Teresa behind him.

The soldiers fire back, but within minutes they’re all on the ground in various states of pain. None of them try to get up as they walk in, so Newt doesn’t feel too bad about it. Teresa makes a beeline for the center console, eyes and hands quickly moving over screens and buttons. Thomas and Gally head for different doors and Newt does the same, ripping off his helmet as the doors slide open, revealing scared immune kids.

Newt can’t help but smile at them, happy to see a large number of these kids remaining. “We’re here to get you out.” He says, gesturing over his shoulder, “So, c’mon. Let’s go.”

The kids eye him wearily, but after a moment of hesitation a little girl comes running up to him, holding onto his leg. Her blonde hair reminds him of Sonya as he scoops her up, careful not to let their skin touch. The other kids move closer, peeking out the door behind him. Thomas and Gally already have most of the kids in the main room, so Newt moves, putting the little girl down with a smile. She runs over to the group and the rest of the kids follow her.

Seeing them all together makes his chest warm, even though the thought of these kids being subjected to Wicked’s brand of help makes that warmth go cold. They’ll get them out and take them somewhere where they never have to think about Wicked again.

Newt turns away and heads for the center console. Thomas scans the room while Teresa and Gally have their heads bent together, looking over the console.

Thomas turns to look at him and Newt’s heart sinks. He knows that look all too well. “Did you see Minho?”

“No. No, I thought you had him.” Newt says slowly but it quickly gives way to a dull panic. Where the hell is he? “Where else could he be?”

“I don’t know.” Thomas whispers, shaking his head frantically. 

The sound of Gally’s saw makes them both look over. Gally stands in front of the only unopened door, trying to open the latch. “This might take some time!” He shouts over the noise, glancing at them from over his shoulder.

“Where the hell is Minho?!” Thomas suddenly barks. He turns to Teresa and scowls at her. She blinks at him, eyes flicking to him, the room, and back. “Teresa, where the hell is he?!”

“I don’t know!” She snaps, leaning away from him as he moves closer to her. “He should be here!”

“Tommy, enough!” Newt reaches for the other boy, wrapping his hand around Thomas’ upper arm and gently guiding him back. “Teresa, can you find him?”

“Maybe.” She mutters, hunching over the console. “If someone ordered him to be moved, I should be able to track it.” Her fingers fly over the keyboard and Newt keeps his hand on a furious Thomas. “Got him! Someone had him moved to the medical wing.”

“Well that’s where you were going anyway, right?” Gally asks. He turns off the saw and looks back at them. “Two birds with one stone. You guys go and I’ll stay here with the kids.”

“You’ll be alright?” Newt asks.

“Always am.” Gally smirks, “I’ll get the serum and the kids out. You get Minho.”

Thomas nods and pulls away from Newt to collect their helmets. “Let’s go then.”

“Wait.” Teresa says. She looks at Newt and frowns. “Newt should stay here.”

He bristles. “Excuse me?”

“I just…don’t think you should go with us.” She’s pleading at him with her eyes while trying to keep Thomas out of the loop.

But if she thinks he’s going to stay behind when they’re this close to finding Minho, then she’s got another thing coming. He opens his mouth to say so when Thomas beats him to it. “What the hell are you talking about?”

“Tom…”

“No, no. Don’t “Tom” me! Why shouldn’t he go with us?”

“ Because he’s dying! ”

Newt closes his eyes and sighs heavily into the silent room. She just had to do it; she just had to blurt it out. There’s no way he can avoid this now, not with it out in the open. Betrayal number two , he thinks. When he opens his eyes again, Teresa’s expression is pinched and her eyes are glassy. Thomas is staring at her like she’s sprouted a second head.

His boyfriend slowly looks away from Teresa and locks eyes with Newt, brows furrowed. “Newt?” His voice is so soft and it makes his eyes well up. “What is she talking about?”

Newt sighs again and looks up at the ceiling in hopes it will conceal his tears. He blinks a few times but it doesn’t do much good as his tears begin to pebble and freeze in the corner of his eyes. “No point in trying to hide it now.” He grumbles, looking down at his hands as he pulls off his gloves.

Thomas and Teresa gasp softly. Newt’s hands are covered in that familiar frost that covers most of his body now, and his fingers are tinted blue with little fractals of ice covering them. “There’s more on my back and my legs,” Newt finds himself saying, unable to stop, “It’s getting harder to move and I’m coughing up ice.”

As if on cue, another coughing fit grips him and he pitches forward, coughing shards of ice into his palm. Thomas catches him with a grunt, carefully lowering them both to the ground. Patches of ice grow on Thomas’ armor where Newt touches him. He’s colder now, less of a small chill and more of a shivering cold. He can only imagine what he looks like as practically he coughs up a lung.

“Jesus, Newt…” Thomas breathes once Newt’s coughing has subsided. “Why didn’t you tell me? Why did you tell Teresa and not me?”

“She found out the other night, I didn’t tell her.” Newt snaps as he fights to catch his breath, but it doesn’t have the right effect. He rests his forehead on Thomas’ shoulder, trying to fight back the exhaustion that threatens to take him. He sighs for the umpteenth time, “And I didn’t want to worry you… There’s no cure for this, Tommy.”

“But there is, Newt!” Teresa says, joining them on the floor. “If we can just test some of Thomas’ blood, I guarantee you there’s a cure! You don’t have to die…”

Her concern for him hurts, but he gives her a small smile despite himself.

“Then he’s coming with us.” Thomas says firmly.

“Thomas, no-” Teresa tries, but Thomas ignores her completely.

“C’mon, baby, let’s get you up.” Thomas helps pull Newt up so he’s standing on his own. Thomas hands him his gloves and helps put his helmet back on. “Let’s end this.”

Teresa doesn’t try to dissuade them again, simply staring at them for a moment before leading the way to the door once she’s realized she can’t change their minds. Newt shakes himself as Teresa stops at the door and pokes her head out. Thomas stays close by but doesn’t try to help and Newt silently thanks him.

He’s feeling weak, and he’s starting to shiver, but he can still walk. He takes a slow breath and heads for the door with Thomas close behind. Gally sees them off, pulling Newt into a hug before they go.

“Go get him.” He says, “And stay alive, yeah?”

“I’ll do my best.”

------------------

The elevator ride up to the ground floor is tense.

There’s a new sense of urgency as they wait for the elevator doors to open. They step out on the ground floor and quickly make their way up flights of stairs to the elevators on the other side of the building. They try not to rush, not wanting to draw attention to themselves, but they’re definitely moving a little faster than the people around them.

They’re almost to the elevator when two soldiers pass in front of them. They both turn their heads to look at them, and for a moment Newt is worried they’ll stop and say something, but they don’t. The soldiers just look away and continue walking. Newt slowly releases a breath he didn’t realize he was holding.

Teresa starts walking as soon as the soldiers pass. She walks right up to an elevator, Thomas and Newt standing behind her, and pushes the button. The seconds stretch in silence and Thomas lurches forward to push the button repeatedly, grumbling to himself. The seconds pass  agonizingly slow before the doors open and they scramble to get inside. Thomas herds Newt towards the back of the elevator and stands next to him. Teresa stands in front of them and pushes the buttons on the wall.

The doors begin to close and Newt feels himself relax. Until he feels Thomas stiffen beside him. Newt looks up and sees a hand between the elevator doors. They slowly open to reveal someone Newt hoped to never see again.

Janson.

Stamping down on the rush of anger that surges forward, Newt resolves to stand very still. His anger sits like a pit in his stomach, mixing with the fear. Beside him, Thomas doesn’t move either. They stand silently together and stare straight ahead, but Newt sees Thomas tighten his grip on this gun. Teresa, for her part, once again looks unbothered. She glances at Janson from the corner of her eye, but says nothing. 

Janson tilts his head her way and stares at her for a long moment as the elevator doors close and starts to move. “You’re working late.” The only indication she heard him is a quiet chuckle. “See that’s what I like about you, Teresa. No matter how bleak things get, you just… Well, you never give up.” He sounds nearly genuine and it makes Newt’s skin crawl. “Times like this, you need a friend that you can count on.”

There’s a pause before Teresa speaks, “I’ll bear that in mind.”

Silence stretches out for a long moment and Newt curses the tiny elevator. It’s cramped and slow, and everyone besides Janson is uncomfortable. The elevator whirrs softly as Newt adjusts his stance. The ice on his legs is starting to solidify, the cold making his joints ache. Thomas shuffles the slightest bit closer and bumps their shoulders together. At least they’re all in this together.

“There’s…something you should know,” Janson says finally, glancing over at Teresa again, “One friend to another. Thomas is here.”

Newt’s heart thuds against his ribs in panic. Does Janson know they’re inside the city? He can’t, Newt reasons, unless he’s a very good actor and suddenly learned some restraint. The man hates them, Thomas most of all. If he knew they were inside the city, they wouldn’t have made it this far. When silence settles again, Newt forces himself to relax, even though his ice wants to leap to the surface. He tries to ignore the ice filling his gloves as Teresa looks over at Janson.

He stares at her, scanning her face, “A surveillance picked him up outside the walls. Ava didn’t want you to know, but there’s a chance that he may try to contact you. And if he does… Well, I’d like to think that I’d be your first call.”

“Are you going to kill him?” She asks, holding his gaze.

“Would that be a problem?”

She stares at him, and for a moment Newt thinks she’ll do something rash and slap the man, but the doors suddenly open and Teresa looks away “This is me.”

Teresa steps out of the elevator with her head held high, walking purposefully down the hall. Newt pushes past Thomas and Janson, wanting nothing more than to get the hell out of there, and when Thomas follows, he hears the sound of Janson stumbling forward. Clearly Thomas hates Janson as much as Janson hates Thomas.

“Alright,” Teresa says, coming to a stop at a set of double doors, “This place isn’t as heavily guarded, but there are a lot more people here than downstairs. So, be careful.”

Newt nods and looks over at Thomas. He eventually nods as well. Satisfied, Teresa presses her thumb to the lock and the doors slide open to reveal a white corridor. People in white coats walk through the halls with the occasional soldier. Everything is so clinical looking it makes Newt wince. Light bounces off all the white surfaces, even though the helmet it’s bright.

One or two people give them funny looks while Teresa leads them through the halls to her private work room. Newt keeps an eye out for anything that looks like it could lead them to Minho, but it’s all just the same white walls and white coats. Even with people in the halls, it’s all very quiet.

Teresa takes a sharp turn and heads through a sliding door, “Through here.”

They step into the room to find different lab stations on the counters, all types of equipment are scattered around the room. There are books left open on tables, glass dishes and jars filled with liquid. Newt finds he doesn’t want to know what Teresa does in here. 

Teresa walks over to the desk in the corner and picks up her own white coat, slipping it on and pulling out a pair of gloves which she quickly puts on as well. She walks back over to drag Thoas by the arm to one of the tables and sits him down in a chair. She gives Newt a pointed look and glances at another chair. He takes the hit, and crosses the room to sit down.

“Okay. To do this, I need a sample of Thomas’ blood. So, Tom, lift your sleeve up while I grab what I need.” Teresa moves around the room in a flurry of activity, grabbing a needle, a vial, and some tissues before rushing to Thomas’ side.

In the meantime, Thomas did as told, taking off her helmet and lifting his sleeve as far as it can go. Which, admittedly, wasn’t a lot, but Teresa’s undeterred. She uses what she’s given and finds a vein in Thoma’s arm, apologizing gently when that man hisses in pain at the feel of the needle. She quickly looks him up to a pump on the table and sets up the rest of her equipment.

Newt slips off his own helmet and sets the gun down against the table leg. He shivers violently and nearly drops his helmet in his haste to put it down. The brunettes each shoot him a concerned look that he attempts to wave off. It doesn’t work because they clearly don’t believe him. Which is fair, he wouldn’t either.

The room is silent aside from the machine on the table and the occasional coughing fit from Newt. Teresa shoots him concerned looks every few minutes while Thomas just stares at him with furrowed brows and worried eyes. He doesn’t even have the energy to try for a reassuring smile. He tries, but it ends up looking more like a grimace. The shivers are coming in faster intervals now, making his shaking worse every time he coughs. 

He’s so cold. There isn’t even a breeze in the room but it feels like he’s standing in the middle of a snow storm. He clenches his jaw to stop his teeth from chattering. He’s running out of time, but he can’t give in now. They’re so close to finishing this. Minho is close by and a cure may be within their reach. If he can just hold on a little longer…

Teresa unplugs Thomas from the pump machine and pulls the needle from him. There’s a little bit of blood that she wipes away and puts a piece of cotton over the wound with a piece of medical tape to keep it in place. She takes the vial and returns to her equipment. Freed from his job, Thomas rolls his sleeve back down and reaches for Newt’s gloved hand over the table. He clasps their hands together with a squeeze. A silent, I’m here .

There’s another long silence until-

“ Attention faculty… ” Janson’s voice rings out overhead, “ It seems we have some hostiles running around our facility. The situation is being dealt with, but please exercise caution, they are armed and dangerous. ”

Three heads shoot up to look at the speaker on the wall. Janson’s voice continues to issue his warning while Newt and Thomas scramble to get themselves together. Teresa hastily pulls out a bag and shoves some of her equipment into it. Newt sends her a questioning look.

“I need to get to another lab to finish this.” She says, holding up the vial of Thomas’ blood. “Minho should be somewhere on this floor. If you take a right outside and keep going ‘till the end, you should find him.”

“What about you?” Thomas asks, opting to leave his helmet.

“I’ll be fine. They’re not looking for me, they’re looking for you. If I can get this finished…” Teresa trails off as Janson is issuing his final warning.

“ And, Thomas… Don’t make me hurt your friends .”

Thomas growls a curse, glaring at the speaker. “Fucking Bastard.”

“We have to go!” Teresa hisses. She runs to the door and peeks outside before stepping out. “I’ll find you!”

And just like that, she’s gone. Newt looks back at Thomas and tilts his head towards the door. They've got to get a move on if they want to find Minho before Janson finds them.

Thomas sticks his head out the door, looking back and forth before motioning Newt over with his hand. Thomas steps out of the room first and Newt follows close behind. He keeps his gun pressed to his chest in an attempt to get his shivering to subside, though it does little to help.

They make their way down the corridor, ignoring the stares as they go. When they walked through here the first time no one paid them any attention. Now they know something is wrong and he and Thomas stand out.

They make it about halfway down the corridor when Janon’s voice rings out across the floor. With a curse, Thomas unlocks the nearest door and pulls Newt inside with him, pushing his boyfriend behind him. Sandwiched between Thomas and the wall, Newt can’t see anything. Thomas is leaning forward though and Newt holds his breath when the brunette pulls back sharply.

The sound of many footsteps is suddenly very close, mixed with raised voices that bark orders. It’s all muffled, but Newt can make out some of it. Janson is looking for them, and he knows they’re on this floor.

Only when they’re gone does Newt let out a shaky exhale. The exhaustion is catching up with him and his shivering makes it worse. His chest feels tight, heaving slightly as he struggles to get air into his lungs properly. The air feels so cold it hurts. 

Thomas stares at Newt with growing concern and opens his mouth to suggest something Newt will definitely not like, so he shakes his head. He’ll be fine. He just has to see this through and he’ll be fine .

It sounds like a lie even in his head.

Thomas looks at him for a moment longer and sighs. He pulls away from Newt and unlocks the door. It slides open quietly and Thomas once again leads them down the hall. There are even less staff in the hallway now, just one or two people trying to get where they need to be.

They reach the end of the corridor and are about to round the corner when Thomas suddenly stops. Newt barely stops himself from running directly into Thomas, but he still bumps him enough that he rocks forward slightly. Confused, and a little irritated, Newt looks around Thomas to see what happened.

His heart stops as Ava stares at them with surprise and fear. The three of them stare at each other for a long moment before Thomas jerks and reaches for his handgun. He raises it and points it right at Ava, who takes a step back and puts her arm out in front of her. She looks like she’s about to say something, but doesn’t get the chance.

There’s a shout, and Newt looks behind him in time to see Janson raise his own gun at them.

“Tommy!” Newt grabs Thomas by the shoulders and hauls him around the corner they originally intended to go down, shoving him against the wall.

A bullet hits the floor beside the corner of the wall and ricochets off to a wall. Thomas ducks away and takes off running down the hall as more bullets land in the wall across from them. Newt raises his own gun as they run, trying to keep his breathing even. Thomas shouts Minho’s name while they move, but there’s still no sign of him.

Bullets continue to rain down on them as they run. Thomas shoots back at them with better precision than Newt, hitting one soldier square in the chest and another in the head. Newt shoots at the soldier as Thomas runs out of bullets, opting to throw the gun at the soldier. It would be funny if they weren’t in danger.

The soldier goes down after a couple shots from Newt, who then passes his gun to Thomas. He hopes Thomas understands why. Afterall, the other boy is a better shot and Newt has his ice. Newt slips off his gloves and drops them. He won’t be needing them anymore.

This time Newt leads the way, running through the corridors they’re definitely lost in now. There’s been no sign of Minho or Teresa, though Thomas keeps calling out for the former. When another group of soldiers round the corner, Newt slams one of his palms against the nearest wall, sending ice shooting down the length of it. When it reaches the end, it shoots out sideways, knocking two of the soldiers to the ground. Thomas fires at the remaining soldier and Newt stomps, willing the ice to reach out and freeze the floor.

Getting real sick of having to deal with all the soldiers, Newt backtracks, leads Thomas back the way they came, and then takes a new turn while hoping for something to change.

So, of course, nothing does.

“You two! Freeze!”

A soldier stands in front of them, pointing his gun at them and shouting at them to get on the ground. Newt’s about to raise his hands and let loose when a faint cry gets his attention. It gets louder and louder until they’re all looking to the right. The soldier, though he can’t see his face, looks alarmed and pivots to aim his gun towards something, when said something collides with him, knocking him into the wall.

The man, because that is a person Newt’s seeing, grabs the soldier and slams him against the wall, then tosses him through the glass of another room while yelling. 

The glass shatters easily under the soldier's weight and Newt looks from the soldier to the man standing in front of them. His dark hair is a mess and his chest and shoulders are heaving from the effort of breathing heavily.

Newt’s never been so happy to see Minho.

Minho stares at them for a moment, almost like he isn’t sure they’re actually there at all, but then Newt and Thomas are launching themselves at him and sweeping him up into a hug.

“Minho! Oh thank god.” Thomas sags in relief and Newt feels himself relax, too.

Because Minho’s alive and he’s okay and they found him . They can finally go home and get out of this god forsaken city.

Minho pushes them back slightly, looking a little scared, “Is this real?” Newt feels himself smile, a real, genuine smile. Minho looks at them for a moment longer before a smile tugs at his lips.

The moment is ruined by another group of soldiers running up from behind them. “I’ve got ‘em! Over here!”

“Shit,” Thomas says, “Run!”

They make a break for it down the hall, taking the next turn they can. The soldiers are hot on their heels the whole way, turn after turn. Newt stops and pivots on his heel, turning to face the soldiers. He brings his arms up in a sweeping motion. Ice erupts from the floor, sealing off that end of the corridor.

He turns back around and sees Janson running at them from the opposite end of the hallway. Without thinking, Newt repeats the sweeping motion and another wall of ice appears, leaving them trapped in between. But at least they have more time to figure out what to do.

Minho hits a button on the wall and a door falls open, “C’mon, in here!”

Once they’re all inside, Thomas slams the door shut and locks it. And Newt puts his hand on the lock to freeze it as an added measure. They shuffle backwards, away from the door, and Newt scans the room for some kind of exit. The room is full of metal carts and gas canisters, but there’s only one door. The window behind them reaches the ceiling.

Newt lets out a curse.

They’re trapped. And while Newt bought them extra time by sealing everything off with ice, he also tapped them further.

There’s a whirring sound from outside, along with the sound of ice creaking and then shattering. They really don’t have much time.

“Any ideas?” Minho shouts, eyes fixed on the door. Newt can’t look away either, ready to defend his friends if needed. “Thomas?”

Thomas doesn’t answer so they turn to look at him. He’s looking down through the glass, glancing back at them and back. “Maybe.”

“Oh, bugger.” Newt puts his head in his hands, “Only you, Tommy.”

“It’s all we’ve got.”

Thomas gives Newt a pleading look and Newt sighs heavily. It really is their only option at this point. So Newt nods and steps back as Thomas and Minho work together to lift the largest gas canisters. They shuffle over to the glass and throw the canister. It breaks through the glass and falls all the way down to the water below.

“Okay. It’s do-able.” Thomas looks at them, “Just need a little running start.”

He steps back, missing the look Minho and Newt share. Newt doesn’t know why he’s surprised. This is classic Tommy behavior. Newt makes a face and steps back as well, bumping right into his boyfriend’s arm. Minho joins them a second later. The whirring from before is even louder now and the door is starting to spark. They’re out of time.

“You sure about this?” Minho asks.

“..Not really.” Thomas responds, not looking at either of them.

“Okay… Nice pep talk.”

“Yeah,” Newt snarks, “We’re all bloody inspired.”

There’s a thump at the door and they don’t waste any time.

They run towards the shattered window and jump. Newt’s stomach drops as he sails through the air. His mind is a mix of feelings, but none of them are good. It reminds him of why his leg is messed up. 

It reminds him that he’s dying.

He doesn’t have to think for long though. The moment he hits the water he struggles to push himself upward. The water soaks into his uniform and weighs him down. He’s already so tired, it feels almost easier to let himself sink. He fights though, kicking his way up until he breaks the surface with a gasp and a coughing fit that sends ice crystals skidding along the water’s surface.

Thomas is suddenly at his side, looping an arm around his waist. Newt takes his support gladly, sagging against Thomas. He can’t help but crack a small smile as Thomas stares up at Janson and flips him the bird.

Thomas helps propel him to the edge of the pool, pushing him up a little so he can latch onto the side. Newt fights to keep his grip on the concrete while Thomas pulls himself out of the water. Minho struggles to pull himself up, but he manages. He reaches down to help Thomas pull Newt out of the water as well.

“You guys okay?” Thomas asks, still holding onto Newt’s waist.

“Peachy.” Newt grumbles.

Minho sighs. “Could be worse. Would’ve liked some shoes though.”

Newt goes a little hazy as Thomas helps him stand. He’s still leaning heavily on his boyfriend and he thinks Minho is giving him a weird look, but it’s too hard to focus so he’s not really sure. He’s vaguely aware of guns being cocked, along with Thomas muttering, “You’ve gotta be kidding me.”

He’s pretty sure he hears gunshots, but Thomas doesn’t drop him and they don’t move, so Newt knows they weren’t the ones shot. Then suddenly Gally’s face comes into focus and he says something that Newt definitely didn’t understand. His head is swimming and his body hurts.

Thomas gently pulls Newt forward so they can get moving, but it ends up with Thomas sort of dragging him along more than anything. The adrenaline has left his body and he can’t find the strength to keep himself upright anymore. Everything hurts and he’s too weak to do anything other than stumble along with the others.

Thomas and Gally are talking, but Newt can’t really focus on the words. He does manage to make out ‘Brenda’, ‘Bus,’ and ‘Kids’, so he thinks it probably safe to say Brenda’s got her job handled. Minho’s taken up support on Newt’s other side and he’s grateful. Not only has he missed his best friend, the contact is nice too. It’s a nice reminder that they’re still alive.

Newt eventually forces himself to focus, pulling himself back to reality. He can’t give up just yet. They still have to get out of the city and back home.

A flare lights up a red path in the sky near one side of the city.

“That’ll be Brenda. They better get over there safe.” Gally says with a shake of his head.

Newt figures it’s better not to ask.

Soldier cars race through the city with their sirens blaring, echoing off the empty streets. One car gets a little too close for comfort and Gally steers them away towards a courtyard. Thomas and Minho carefully lower Newt to the ground behind a garden planter. Thomas presses a kiss to Newt’s forehead before heading over to Gally, who’s crouching behind his own planter, surveying the area.

A cough works its way up Newt’s throat and he tries to fight it but it breaks through, sending him into another coughing fit. Minho’s there to lightly thump his shoulder like it might help. Once it subsides and Newt wipes his icy hands on his pants, Minho sits up to get a proper look at him.

“Hey. How’re you feeling?” He asks gently, worry coloring his voice.

Newt manages a tiny chuckle, “Terrible.” He reaches up and pats Minho’s shoulder, a smile breaking across his face. “I’s good to see you though. Wasn’ the same without you.”

Minho gives him a small smile and brings his hand up to squeeze Newt’s with a nod. “It’s good to see you, too.” He pulls away and shuffles over to Thomas and Gally.

Newt doesn’t miss the look on his face.

He can only imagine what he looks like right now. He knows it’s not a pretty sight. His skin is paler than usual, his hair a wet, icy mess- it fell out of its ponytail a while ago and the plunge in the water didn’t help. He’s shivering worse than before, and he’s coughing up ice. He’s sure there’s ice growing on his skin, too. And he’s so tired .

His eyelids feel heavy so he lets his eyes slip shut, welcoming the darkness.

He swears he didn’t fall asleep, but maybe he did because the next thing he knows, Thomas is gently jostling him awake. “Hey… Hey baby, we gotta get you up. C’mon.” He pulls Newt up as gently as he can, but Newt still stumbles and must make some kind of wounded sound because Thomas is pressing close and taking his weight. “I know, baby, I’m sorry. Just keep fighting.”

“Tommy…” Newt mumbles, letting his boyfriend take his weight.

“C’mon Newt,” Minho says, once again taking his spot on Newt’s other side, “Let’s do this.”

“Min…”

“We’re here, Newt. Just… Just keep movin’, yeah?”

Newt nods. He can do this. He has to.

Newt lets himself be practically dragged once again as they maneuver through the city to get to the tunnels. He’s losing focus again, trying to will his body and mind to cooperate. He notices the tail of ice he’s leaving behind on the ground, but if the others notice it, they don’t mention it.

He doesn’t know how much time has passed, but it’s been enough for Gally to shout, “We’re almost there! Just another couple blocks.”

And then the city gates explode.

It rocks the whole city. The earth rumbles and the glass in the nearby buildings shatter. They all stubble forward, Minho and Thomas having to catch themselves as well as Newt. Gally raises his head to look at the pillar of fire and smoke that used to be the front gates. They watch as debris goes everywhere. It sails through the air and hits the buildings closest to the gates. It crumbles midair and starts to set things on fire.

Gally watches with a mix of alarm and something akin to anger. “We were supposed to take down Wicked, not the whole damn city…”

Thomas shakes his head, “Gally, come on. We gotta go.”

Gally lingers for another moment, just watching, before he pulls himself away. He takes up his position in the front of the group and keeps them moving. They’re moving faster now, unsure how the rest of Lawrence’s plan will go. They just need to get out of the city.

If there were lots of soldiers before, there’s too many now. They’re everywhere! No matter where they turn there are soldier’s congregating. Which is why it isn’t a surprise to find a whole swarm of soldiers between them and the tunnels.

“Damn it.” Gally hisses, knocking the back of his head against the planter they’re hiding behind.

Silence stretches out as they wait for the soldiers to move on, but they never do.

Minho frowns, “What are they waiting for?”

As if on cue, a second explosion goes off to their left, taking out the lowest level of the building and shattering the windows. Newt screws his eyes shut against the sound. He’s got a headache coming on, just one more ache in the long list, and the violently loud sounds are not helping.

Suddenly Lawrence’s people are upon them, setting off a smaller explosion, closer than the last one, shouting and shooting at the soldiers who fire right back. Someone fires a missile into the soldier's cars, setting off yet another explosion that shakes the ground. 

Thomas presses himself against Newt’s side as Newt raises shaky hands to cover his ears. “Stay down!”

“We have to move!” Gally shouts, “Now!”

They get up and move, Newt struggling to stay upright for the umpteenth time, as explosion after explosion go off around them and the city. Something tells him that there won’t be a city left by the end of the night.

They manage to make it to a somewhat stable shelter for them to stop at and get their bearings. Thomas pulls out the walkie from before and tries it, sighing in relief when Brenda answers. Newt is just lucid enough to share a look with Thomas when Brenda says, “Don’t worry, we’re coming to you. Look for us near the tunnels!”

“What does she mean?” Newt asks, not really expecting an answer.

“I don’t know… But I’m sure we’ll find out. So just- Just hang in there okay?” Thomas pleads. He runs a hand through Newt’s hair and presses another kiss to his forehead. “Please, Newt.”

“M’ tryin’, Tommy.” Newt leans into the contact and tries to pull himself together. He’s not really sure if he succeeds. He’s having trouble keeping control of his head. His mind threatens to go fuzzy again and he tries to force it back.

It must not work that well because the next thing he knows he’s being set on the ground again, but in a very different location. Gally’s saying something, but Newt feels like his head is made of lead, too heavy to lift. He does notice the Berg flying overhead towards the tunnels and he thinks Thomas says it must be Brenda, but he can’t be sure of the latter.

His mind must wander or his eyes slip closed, but suddenly Thomas is in front of him, shaking him a little more violently than before and calling his name. “Newt? Newt? Hey! Hey, Newt? C’mon baby, I need you to focus.”

Of course Thomas would be able to pull him back. “Wha?” Newt tries to say but coughs, “Where did Minho…?”

“They ran ahead. Brenda has the serum remember? We can fix this.” Thomas smiles encouragingly, “So give this everything you’ve got, okay?”

He starts to nod, but suddenly remembers the necklace. The letter. He doesn’t think he’s going to make it, but he’s trying for Thomas’ sake. But if he doesn’t… “Wait- Wait, Tommy.” He struggles to pull the necklace off, his hands are so cold they’ve gone mostly numb, “Take this, please.”

He holds it out to Thomas who looks a little heartbroken, like he knows. “Newt…”

“Please, Love. Please.”

They stare at each other for a long moment before Thomas nods and takes the necklace, loops in over his head, “Okay… Okay.” And he helps Newt up.

Together they stumble around the building, away from the chaos. Newt pours everything he has into staying present. He has to consciously put effort into putting one foot in front of the other but he does it. They take the backway to the tunnels, ducking behind objects when they need to and sneaking around.

Newt feels immense relief when the Berg comes into view. It’s so intense he stumbles and nearly takes Thomas with him. Minho and Brenda are there in an instant, helping Thomas keep Newt upright.

“We have it!” Breanda says, holding up a syringe with blue serum. “Just give me a second.”

“If you’re gonna do it, do it now!” Thomas shouts, “He doesn’t have much longer!”

“Well set him down then! This would be much easier if we weren’t moving!”

“I’m right here you know.” Newt interrupts their arguing.

“Hush you.” Brenda says but it lacks any heat.

They set him down on the ramp of the Berg ad Thomas sets about unzipping the top of Newt’s uniform and slipping it off his shoulders so his pools at his waist, leaving his short sleeve shirt exposed. Brenda presses the syringe to the crook of his elbow and looks at him for permission. He nods and tries to relax against Thomas.

The moment she hits the button Newt has to fight back the urge to jerk away. He tries not to squirm but it burns. He bites down on his hand- that sensation is returning to- to keep in any pained noises. Once it’s done and the syringe is pulled from his arm, he notices the immediate differences.

He can breathe easier for one, but the numbness that was settling in has subsided and instead left him with the pain of warmth returning. He stopped shivering a little while ago, but now he knows he’s no longer in danger of freezing. His mind clears the longer he sits there, too. He feels like he did before that night with the Right Arm. He feels almost normal again.

“Newt?” Thomas asks softly, “How’re you feelin’?”

Newt doesn’t respond, instead he reaches up and pulls Thomas down into a kiss. Brenda lets out a whoop and Minho laughs. Some of the tension in the group dissipates and Newt breathes a sigh as he pulls away. They’re okay for now, that’s all that matters.

“Alright lovebirds,” Vince says, hands on his hips, “Let’s get moving. We can’t stay here.”

Thomas smiles, goofy and happy, something Newt hasn’t seen in awhile. He’s able to pull himself up on his own but he still lets Thomas support him. They pile into the Berg with all the Immunes safe and accounted for. Jorge starts the Berg up again and is getting ready to close the ramp when a voice cuts through the night.

“Forgetting something?”

Newt spins around. Janson stands a little ways off with Teresa next to him, a smile on his face. She’s cuffed and he’s got a hand around her bicep, holding her at an awkward angle. She looks up at them with her chin held high, but Newt knows it’s an act. She’s terrified.

“Let her go.” Newt demands, pulling away from Thomas and standing on the ramp. He’s not going to let Teresa get away again.

“Now why would I do that?” He tugs at Teresa’s arm, yanking her closer. “It seems you have something I want and I have something you want. What are we going to do about that?”

“What do you want, Janson?”

“I want Thomas. Give him to me and you can have Teresa.”

Newt shakes his head. “No. Now, Let her go.”

Janson’s smile drops, replaced with a scowl. “Give me Thomas, or I kill her.” He puts his gun up to Teresa’s temple and she flinches, shutting her eyes. “How’s that sound?”

Furious, Newt launches himself down the ramp and towards Janson. The man pulls his gun away from Teresa and points it at him. Which is exactly what Newt wanted him to do. Aiming a blast of ice at the gun, Newt veers to the side and watches the ice land, crawling up Janson’s arm. And once he’s close enough he pushes the two apart, shoving ice directly into the man’s chest.

“Go!” He tells Teresa, waiting for her to run off behind him to turn back to Janson.

“You think you’re so powerful.” Janson coughs from the floor, blood trickling down his chin. “But he can’t save you. You’re a dead man.”

Newt shrugs, unbothered. He may have gotten a boost from the serum, but he knows it’s no cure. He made his peace with it weeks ago. “I know.”

He ignores Janson’s protests as he works the ice up from the ground and around Janson, encasing him in ice. With any luck he’ll get blown up with the rest of the city. Once the man is completely encased, Newt steps away and heads back to the Berg.

He knows something is wrong the moment he steps back inside the Berg. He stumbles, suddenly feeling very weak. The shivering has started anew and his head is going fuzzy. Newt drops against the wall and starts to slide down to the floor.

“Newt!”

Thomas is by his side and easing him down the wall, holding him close. Teresa’s there too, uncuffed and pulling her bag into her lap.

“Newt, why did you do that?” She scolds gently, “The serum would’ve bought you another hour if you’d just left it alone.”

“Wasn’t letting you…get away again.” He says, snuggling closer to Thomas and soaking up his warmth.

“Newt…”

“Teresa.” Thomas says frantically, “Do you have the cure? Can you save him?”

“I do. I can.” She reaches into her bag and pulls out another syringe. “This might hurt.”

It’s all the warning he gets. She plunges the syringe into his arm and Newt lets out a roar of pain. She’s apologizing but he doesn’t hear her over the rush in his ears. If the previous one hurt, then this is agony.

He welcomes the darkness that swallows him.

Chapter Text

When Newt wakes up the first thing he registers is warmth .

He’s warm – truly warm – for the first time in months and the relief makes him want to cry.

The second thing he registers is the presence next to him and the feeling of a hand in his. Newt cracks his eyes open, blinking against the light. He’s laying on a cot in the corner of a hut, there’s a table near the bed with an empty plate and cup. Light pours through a window with a cloth pinned to the wall to act as a curtain, and the door on the far wall is propped open by a rock.

All he really cares about, though, is the man sleeping in the chair next to the bed. Thomas is slumped forward in the chair, his folded arm being used as a pillow on the cot. He’s so close Newt can feel the other man’s breath hitting his skin. He gently shakes their hands in an effort to wake Thomas up, but he just huffs and shifts his head slightly. Knowing it’ll take awhile for his boyfriend to wake up, Newt decides to wait it out.

He lets himself enjoy the warmth of the hut and the many blankets that are piled atop him. If he focuses he can hear people moving around and talking outside. The dull roar of water makes it impossible to know what anyone is saying, but it’s soothing in its own right.

Eventually his body is no longer content to lay down, so Newt slowly pushes himself up into a sitting position, careful not to jostle Thomas. His body feels lighter and when he looks down at his skin to check for ice, all he finds are pale, barely there scars where the ice used to sit. He’s already pale enough that you have to really look to see the scars, but they’re there.

His hair is shorter too, he notes, bringing his hand up to touch the stands that brush his shoulders. It would seem someone deemed it necessary to cut his hair and Newt finds he’s not very happy about it. He doesn’t have to sit with the feeling for too long, as Thomas begins to shift in earnest; his tell-tale sign of waking up.

“Newt?” He asks, voice thick with sleep.

“Mornin’, Tommy.” Newt smiles at him, not bothering to suppress a laugh when Thomas’ face lights up.

“Newt!” He launches himself at the blonde, knocking Newt back into the wall with an ‘oof’. They end up a tangle of limbs on the bed. Thomas has his arms wrapped around Newt’s neck while Newt has one hand in Thomas’ hair and on the other on his back. Newt feels more than hears when Thomas mumbles, “You scared the shit out of me, baby. Teresa said you’d be fine, but you were out for a week.”

“A week!?” Newt echoes, “Bloody hell.”

Thomas pulls away only to lean in again to kiss him. It’s gentle but firm, full of emotion. Thomas hugs Newt tightly, only breaking the kiss when the need for air demands it. “All that matters is that you’re alive.”

Newt lets that sink in. He’s alive. He’s really and truly alive and he’s safe. A grin splits his face as he says, “Yeah, I am.”

------------------

After a long while of just being close to each other, Thomas decides it’s time to tell everyone that Newt’s awake. He pulls out some clothes for Newt to change into and turns away while he gets dressed. Once that’s done, he takes Newt by the hand and leads him out of the hut.

The sunlight takes a couple moments to get used to; Newt has to blink back tears at the brightness and he can’t help but think that his eyes didn’t used to be this sensitive. Thomas leads him to the main area as the hut was a little ways off from everyone else, and Newt feels a pang at how similar the Safe Haven feels to the Glade.

The landscape is beautiful. Trees and lush plant life full the spaces between the large tent-like covered areas. The ocean isn’t far away, separated by a beach that gives way to grass. It’s so open and lively. A smile makes its way across Newt’s face as he takes it all in. There’s a bonfire pit on the beach and a couple garden patches near the hut that look healthy. It’s all so much.

Thomas guides them down a well worn path to the biggest structure. Newt tries to ignore the looks and whispers as they pass, but he finds himself pressing closer to Thomas in a vain attempt to disappear.

“Everyone’s staring at us.” Newt mutters, turning his head to stare at his boyfriend.

Thomas nods, weaving through the swaths of people. “Everyone saw you when we got back. I think they’re just curious to see you.”

“I feel like a bloody celebrity.”

Thomas snorts, “You kind of are.”

They continue moving along and eventually people stop staring and get back to what they were doing. Newt tries to take stock of everything he sees as they pass: a group of builders are working on the floor of something by pulling slabs of wood onto the outline of a building, people are coming back from the beach with nets filled with fish, pairs are lifting crates and placing them off to the side of the main area, and someone is leading the youngest of the kids towards the beach. A whole community has sprung up now that they don’t have to run anymore. It makes Newt’s chest warm.

Thomas finally stops by the bonfire pit where Jorge, Brenda, and Minho are sitting on some rocks, talking and laughing while they whittle at branches. Newt watches as Gally stops by them, saying something to Minho that makes him roar with laughter. He’s only mildly surprised when Gally presses a kiss to Minho’s temple. He turns to walk away but stops when he spots Newt and Thomas.

He waves to them and they wave back. Gally nudges Minho, who looks up and Newt watches as Minho drops what he was doing and practically bolts over to the pair, nearly knocking them over with his hug.

“It’s so good to see you!” He says, grinning brightly. “Thomas refused to leave your side,” Minho says teasingly, “so we’ve hardly seen him.”

“God, Minho, It’s so good to see you.” Newt pulls away from Thomas to hug Minho properly. “It was never the same without you.”

“It wasn’t the same without you two, either.” Brenda calls as she moves closer. Minho moves away to allow her her own hug from Newt. “Thank god you’re alive. You had us worried.”

“I had myself worried.” Newt admits. “I honestly didn’t think I was making it out alive.”

Brenda punches him in the arm hard enough to hurt and he hisses. “Don’t do that to us again, asshole.” She says, but it lacks any heat.

“I’ll try.”

“Where’s Chuck and Teresa?” Thomas asks, “Is Frypan with the cooks?”

Minho opens his mouth to respond but a shout cuts him off.

“Newt!”

The man in question has just enough time to turn before he’s got an armful of Chuck. The youngest boy starts asking questions a mile a minute, ranging from “Are you okay?” to “What’s up with your eyes?”. That last one makes him pause.

“What?” Newt asks, gaze fliting to each of them. “What’s wrong with my eyes?”

None of them say anything but they all look to Thomas who looks sheepish. “Whoops.”

“Really?” Brenda raises an eyebrow and crosses her arms, “‘Whoops?’ That’s the best you’ve got?”

“You forgot to tell your boyfriend he looks different and you say whoops? Only you, Thomas.” Gally says with a shake of his head.

Brenda rolls her eyes and pulls a mirror from her pocket. She holds it out for him. “Here. Don’t ask where I got it.”

Newt takes it from her with a ‘thanks’, pointedly not asking questions, and brings the mirror up. His eyes widen as he looks at his reflection. His hair has white streaks in it, so white it looks like snow, and his eyebrows have sections of white too. The biggest thing though is his eyes. Where they were once completely brown, they now have a bright, icy blue ring around his irises near the whites of his eyes.

“What the fuck.” Newt says in disbelief, his friends laughing. It’ll definitely take some getting used to.

“I think they look cool.” Thomas smiles, reaching for Newt. “Badass, even.”

“You’re biased,” Minho says, “You’re in love with him.”

Thomas just shrugs with a smile.

They end up talking to everyone for a little while longer before Thomas pulls them away. He says that there’s still more to see and people to reunite with, so Newt lets himself get dragged away after promising to sit down with Chuck at the end of the night. Vince and Jorge wave to them as they pass the two men pushing a large rock down the beach. He and Thomas share a bemused look. Who knows what those two are up to anyway.

The tour ends with the medical huts where Teresa greets them. She looks anxious, shifting her weight from one foot to the other while she stands there with her hands behind her back. Thomas doesn’t get too close, whispering that he still isn’t sure about her which Newt understands. He also knows that she risked herself to save him.

And he can’t just forget that.

So when he approaches and she holds a hand out to him, he ignores it completely and sweeps her up into a hug. She seems to freeze and for a long moment he’s worried she won’t react at all, but then she hugs him back. There are tears in her eyes when he pulls away.

“I’m so glad you’re okay, Newt.” Teresa says, wiping at her face. “I knew you’d been cured but…”

“Thank you for saving me.” He says as she trails off.

She beams at him. “You’re welcome.”

------------------

That night after everyone has eaten and the day is winding down, Vince makes an announcement for everyone to meet at the bonfire pit.

Newt sits on the beach with Thomas next to him, his arm slung over Newt’s shoulders. Chuck is practically curled up on Newt’s other side. Minho and Gally are behind them with Minho in Gally’s lap because they’re definitely that kind of couple – something Newt teases Minho about. Brenda and Frypan are sitting close by with Teresa and Jorge. Aris, Sonya, and Harriet sit on the other side of Thomas, the girls curled up together with Aris laying across their legs. It feels like one big family and Newt couldn’t be happier.

Vince makes his way to stand next to the large rock he and Jorge were pushing together. The rock itself sits adjacent to the bonfire, the flames casting shadows over everything.

“We have come a long way together.” Vince starts, addressing everyone, “So many have sacrificed so much to make this place possible. Your friends, and your family. So here’s to the ones who couldn’t be here.” He raises his cup and everyone follows suit. “Here’s to the friends we lost. This place is for you – it’s for all of us.”

They lower their cups as Vince pulls out a knife and points it towards the rock. “But this is for them. So in your own time, in your own way…come make your peace.” He drives the knife into a log in front of the rock and turns towards them all once again. “And welcome to the Safe Haven!”

Cheers erupt and Newt feels Thomas squeeze him a little tighter. They lost so much, but they survived and they made it. It’s bittersweet but there’s no point in dwelling in the sadness. Newt drags Chuck closer and leans into Thomas, letting his voice join the crowd.

As the night progresses, the group splits up. There’s moonshine being passed around and people are running the length of the beach with laughter. A group near the fire have taken to singing and Newt finds himself almost tempted to join in. Some go up to the rock and begin to carve the names of those they’ve lost into the stone.

Newt goes up and carves Alby’s name into the stone. He wishes the other man could’ve been here to see what they’ve done, how far they’re come. He hopes wherever the leader of the Glade is that he’s happy.

Winston’s name is on the stone too, put there by Aris. One day Newt thinks he’ll ask Aris if there was anything between him and Winston but not now. They deserve this one night to grieve and let go.

He ends up sandwiched between Thomas and Minho on the covered seats just enjoying the peace.

“We did it.” Minho says with a soft smile. “This’ll be a good home for us.”

“Yeah.” Thomas says just as soft, holding out his hands for each of them to take.

“Damn right.” Newt sniffs, taking his friends' hands in his. “We deserve this.”

They stare at each other for a moment before bursting into laughter. It’s so freeing to finally be free and enjoy themselves. They sit there cracking jokes and talking about everything and nothing. It’s wonderful.

Gally comes over at one point, definitely drunk, and steals Minho away. Newt can’t find it in himself to be bothered, too happy for his friends – his family.

He’s so caught up in watching everyone he almost misses when Thomas speaks. “I read your letter.”

Newt’s head snaps to the side to look at him. In the blur of the day he’d completely forgotten about the letter he handed to his boyfriend in what he thought were his final moments. “Oh, Tommy.”

“ I love you. ” Is all Thomas says, looking at him with eyes filled with unshed tears.

“I love you, too.”

And when Thomas kisses him, Newt knows everything will be okay.

Chapter Text

Dear Tommy,

This is the first letter I can remember writing. Obviously, I don’t know if I wrote any before the Maze, but even if it’s not my first, it’ll probably be my last.

I want you to know that I’m not scared. Well, not of dying, anyway. It’s more about what’ll happen to you when I’m gone. I don’t want to leave you alone. I mean, I know you’re not really alone. You’ll have Minho and Brenda and Chuck, our whole little family. But I know you and I know that you’ll blame yourself. You’ll retreat into yourself and that’s what scares me. So promise me to keep going, yeah? Be what you were for me, but for yourself.

You’ve been for me since the beginning. Since that first moment in the Maze as a scared greenie you pushed us forward. You looked after us and for a way out. You never pulled away from me, not for a second. You were always there to pick me up and support me. And from that moment you ran into the Maze, I felt something in me shift and I knew I’d follow you anywhere. And I have. We all have. 

I never told you I was dying because I didn’t want to give you false hope. Or maybe I didn’t think I’d make it out alive and I knew you’d convince me otherwise. Maybe I wanted to spare us both some pain. But I don’t think I’ll ever regret these powers and the way they helped me protect you and our friends. I could never regret that.

If I could do it all over again, I would. And I wouldn’t change a thing. Not my powers, not our journey, not my feelings for you, none of it. My hope for you: when you're looking back years from now, you'll be able to say the same. The future is in your hands now, Tommy. I know you'll find a way to do what's right. You always have. Take care of everyone for me. And take care of yourself. You deserve to be happy. 

Thank you for being with me. I love you.

Newt.

Chapter Text

Newt’s been looking forward to this all week.

He walks into the dinning hall and spots his family’s table in the far corner. He quickly makes his way over, weaving through tables and picking up idle chatter. There’s almost two hundred of them now, survivors working and living together. It makes his chest warm.

Once he reaches the table he immediately plops down next to his husband who greets him with a swift kiss to the cheek and a warm hello before turning back to his conversation with Minho. Newt’s content to let Thomas and Minho chat, he just leans against Thomas and glances at the rest of the table.

Gally sits next to Minho, occupying their six year old, Raine. They adopted her a few years ago after her mother passed. She’s a cute, but hyperactive, little thing who looks so much like Minho it’s eerie. Gally seems perfectly content though. He’s mellowed over the years and Newt is glad he survived.

Harriet sits across the table from Newt wrangling her own kids. She and Sonya got married before he and Thomas did. Hell, they were the first ones to be married in Safe Haven. Their kids, Winston and Abby, are three years old and quite shy. Though that might be because they spend so much time with their Uncle Aris.

Harriet sends him a smile and Newt returns it. He nods to Sonya when she arrives. She takes Winston from her wife and wipes at his face with her sleeve. He’s so young and yet Newt can tell the Winston they lost is in there. They never truly lost him, it turns out.

Newt almost jumps when Brenda suddenly sits herself next to him. She gives him a grin and he wraps an arm around her in a side hug. She and Teresa recently moved in together and the two look perfectly content. He can’t say he wasn’t surprised then the two of them announced their relationship, but Teresa has been forgiven years before. There was only happiness for the two of them.

He and Brenda talk about the plans for the gardens, about how they can expand and what would and wouldn’t work. They’re so caught up that Newt misses Chuck sitting down next to Sonya and Aris. He’s grown so much over the years and is much better adjusted than the rest of them, all things considered. Newt doesn’t miss the shy smile Chuck gives a girl who walks by.

Eventually the dinner bell gets rung and slowly but surely everyone in the hall gets their food. Once everyone is seated again, Frypan joins their table. He’s been thriving as a head cook. He taught most of the other cooks how to prepare food and combinations to make things even better. Though very few things could surpass Frypan’s food. 

Vince and Jorge are somewhere in the dining hall, Newt’s sure. The two typically run the school in the Safe Haven. There are a lot more kids running around than before and they all need to learn somehow. Sometimes Thomas helps out Teresa with her lessons.

After ten years in the Safe Haven, a lot has changed. They’ve expanded further into the tree line, cutting into it for resources and space. The gardens are bigger than ever and for good reason. People group up and pair off, kids are taken in and families are created. They’ve got their own village going. It was something Newt never thought he’d live to see and he wouldn’t trade it for anything.

Later that night, once dinner has been cleaned up, there will be a bonfire that will go late into the night and Newt will soak up every moment of it. Then he and Thomas will go home and enjoy some time to themselves.

For now, though, Newt just sits surrounded by his family and is at peace.