Bad Dreams | Newt x Reader

Chapter 54-There Will Come a Ruler

Title is a reference to the song 'Soldier, Poet, King,' by The Oh Hellos.

Warnings: mentions of death, murder and lying. Kidnapping? Heartbreak, angst.

Alex POV

I stared at him in shock for a moment.
“Killed Lillian? Her little sister?”
“Yeah, Lillian was dying from the Flare. Y/n wouldn’t have wanted her to suffer,” Nikolai said.
“How do you know?”
“Just a feeling and some other things, she looks really guilty when we talk about her and I can tell when she’s lying.”
“Why would she keep it a secret?”
“She doesn’t want me to leave her or hate her,” Nikolai guessed and sighed. “I think it was better that Lillian died quickly and painlessly than dying with the pain of the Flare.”
“Yeah,” I reached over and brushed my hand over his. He threaded his fingers through mine and clasped my hand. Nikolai slowly leaned his head on my shoulder.
“I miss her,” Nikolai’s voice cracked. I squeezed his hand tightly.
“Me too.”

Y/n POV
I wandered aimlessly around camp until I decided to go to Vince to see if I could help with anything.
“Hey Vince,” I said as I reached him. He looked at me briefly and then returned his attention to the maps in front of him. “Do you have anything I can do? I'm really bored.”
“You can go supervise Aaliyah and Archie,” Vince said distractedly.
I groaned but went off to the two kids. They were playing tag, I assumed, Archie chased Aaliyah around. They were getting closer to the edge of camp. I stopped a distance away as Archie chased her around a car. Archie changed direction and managed to grab Aaliyah.
“Tag—” Archie began but cut himself off, they both stared at me. I stared back.
“Can I join?” I was suddenly overcome by a childish impulse. “I’m really bored. Like I’m gonna die bored,” I flopped on the ground dramatically in such a way that it made them both giggle.
“Why can’t you go to Nikolai and Alex?” Archie asked.
“They only talk about boring stuff. They don’t do anything fun anymore. They’re like grownups,” I pulled a face. “So boring.”
Archie and Aaliyah looked at each other in silent communication. I suppose they had to develop it since Aaliyah refused to speak.
“Okay, you can join but we want to play hide and seek now,” Archie declared and I beamed up at him and sat up.
“Who’s in?” I asked.
“You are,” Archie said.
“What do I count to?”
“Sixty,” Archie decided.
“Okay, there’s no going outside the camp,” I told them both.
“You’re not allowed to use any abilities,” Archie countered.
“Fine, now go hide,” I shut my eyes and started counting.
I heard them scamper off. I counted the rest of the way and stood up. I couldn’t immediately see them. I started combing through the camp in a circle. I looked behind crates and behind the large chunks of rock and debris. I moved over to one of the trucks and checked the tray.
“Come out, come out, you little—” I cut myself off abruptly and stared at the people watching me. My friends, Thomas, Frypan, Brenda, Harriet and Jorge. And Newt. My heart gave a painful throb but I ignored it. Brenda raised an eyebrow. “—Children. Little children. That’s exactly what I was gonna say,” I gave an awkward smile. I quickly dropped to my knees and looked under the car. No one was there. I quickly got back up and looked into the car.
“What are you doing?” Brenda asked me.
“Hide and seek,” I replied and continued going around the camp. I saw movement beyond the boundary of the camp and sighed. I walked off toward it.
“I thought I told you not to leave the—”
As I came around the corner, a hand clamped over my mouth. I went to do something, fry them alive with lightning or impale them with metal but a familiar accent stopped me.
“It’s just me, mon ange,” Élliot whispered in my ear and I stopped thrashing.
I wasn’t sure whether I should be afraid or not. My immediate instinct was to call for Nikolai or Newt. I hastily reminded myself that I couldn’t call for Newt. Or Nikolai, for that matter. The Corrupt were dangerous. Especially this one, who called himself the King of Mexico City
“Relax, I’m not here to harm you or anyone.”
I let him lead me far away from the camp. I took a step back, keeping a good distance between us. He noticed, looking disappointed, but didn’t say anything. Élliot was dressed in all black except for a white t-shirt. I had to admit his leather jacket made him look ridiculously good.
“Why are you here?” I asked softly.
“To see you,” he said as if it was obvious.
“Why? Why were you in contact with that girl? How did you know I would run into her?”
“Lots of questions,” Élliot chuckled. “I wanted to see you. I was in contact with Zoey because she was a Corrupt. I haven’t fully lost my sanity yet. I want to make the lives of Corrupt people easier for them as they lose their minds. I offered Zoey sanctuary but she refused. She wanted to stay with her family.”
“She killed them all,” I said slowly.
Élliot frowned, “That is…unfortunate. Where is Zoey?”
“I lost control. I killed her after I took her power,” I explained in a flat tone. Élliot gave me a pitying look.
“It’s not too late. You can come with me back to Mexico City. You can rule with me as it's queen.”
“I can’t leave them,” I huffed quietly.
“Because of your brother and boyfriend?” Élliot’s voice shifted tone with the last word.
“He’s not my boyfriend anymore,” I ignored the sharp stand of pain in my heart.
“He’s an idiot if he broke up with you,” Élliot moved closer to me and brushed the hair out of my face lightly.
I drew a sharp breath, watching as his dark curls ruffled in the breeze. He was so…gentle.
“It’s better this way. He’s less likely to get hurt by me or Wicked.”
“I suppose it’s what pushed you over the edge to lose control for a couple days?” Élliot asked.
“Yeah, I’m not sure how no one but Alex has figured it out yet,” I shivered and wrapped my arms around myself. Élliot shrugged off his leather jacket and wrapped it around my shoulders. “Thanks,” I told him softly.
“They see what they want to see. They will ignore the signs of who you are until you tell them directly, I think,” Élliot surmised and I nodded.
“You didn’t answer my other question,” I realised. “How did you know I would run into Zoey?”
Élliot hesitated for a moment, deciding on an answer, “I have visions of the future, I saw you and Zoey.”
“Visions?” I asked.
“They come randomly and leave me with crippling headaches,” Élliot told me.
“What else have you seen?” I asked him.
“A city burning. It isn’t Mexico City but I have seen it multiple times, I know it is important. I’ve seen you there, too, fighting off enemies with shadows. As beautiful and as terrible as a goddess.”
I looked away at the blue cloudless sky. “Anything else?”
“Yes. You, sitting on a throne, stared down at someone I couldn’t see. The Wraith had completely taken you by then. You are warm, she is cold,” Élliot stared into my soul with his bright blue eyes. They almost matched the colour of the sky.
I laughed humorlessly. “Anything else?”
“Both of us, together. Laughing like good friends…or something more,” Élliot trailed off. “Come with me,” he pleaded. “I know he broke your heart but I can heal you.”
“I won’t deny that some part of me wants to,” I said, “but I can’t and won’t leave my brother and Alex.”
Élliot nodded, “I understand.”
“Sorry.”
“There is nothing to be sorry for, mon ange. I’ll walk you back,” Élliot led me back to the camp and we stopped just out of sight.
“I hope I will see you again soon. Until then, the hours will be endless.”
“That’s rather poetic.”
He smirked at me and kissed my hand. He gently released it and left. I stared after him for a moment and then walked back into camp. I realised too late that I still had his leather jacket. Nikolai glared at me from across the camp and started stalking towards me, radiating fury.
“You’re so dead,” Brenda said from next to me.
“Why?” I asked.
“You’ve been gone for almost an hour. He’s been very worried,” Brenda explained. She frowned suddenly. “Whose jacket is that?”
“WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?” my brother yelled as he reached me. “I WAS WORRIED SICK. YOU CAN'T JUST DISAPPEAR OUT OF NOWHERE LIKE THAT!”
I rolled my eyes, “It’s not my fault. That French idiot kidnapped me and wanted to talk.”
“French idiot?” Nikolai repeated. I noticed my other friends and Newt had come over. Vince and Alex joined them. “What French idiot?”
“Oh you know…Élliot.”
“Élliot?” Nikolai repeated. “As in the Corrupt, King of Mexico City, Élliot?”
“Yeah,” I replied.
“Are you wearing his jacket?”
“Yeah. I was cold.”
“What did he want?” Alex asked.
“To see me, apparently,” I rolled my eyes. “He wanted me to go to Mexico City and rule it with him as its queen.”
Nikolai raised an eyebrow at that.
“I said no because unfortunately, I can’t leave you idiots but it’s nice to know that someone knows my true potential.”
“Why does he have an obsession with you?” Vince asked.
“Who doesn’t have an obsession with me?” I countered.
Vince did not look impressed.
I sighed and answered more seriously. “I’m not sure why, the Corrupt are weird.”
I suddenly saw Archie and Aaliyah glaring at me. “Oh, sorry. I didn’t mean to get kidnapped and not be able to play the game with you. We can play again later, I need a nap.”
I felt Newt’s eyes on me as I wandered back to where I slept.

Newt POV
I didn’t want to admit it but I felt jealous after Y/n said she had been with Élliot. I pushed it down. She wasn’t my girlfriend anymore. She could date who she wanted. That didn’t stop the jealousy burning through my veins. Sadness flooded me while I replayed memories in my head. I forced them away, there was no use clinging to them. That Y/n was gone. She wasn’t coming back.
“You alright, mate?” Thomas asked, sitting down next to me.
“Yeah, I’m alright,” I sighed and tried to wipe the look off my face.
“Really, cause that ain’t what it looks like.”
“What would you have done if you were me?” I asked quietly.
“I guess I would have waited until I was certain that I had lost feelings for her and I would have told her then. So, basically what you did,” Thomas put his hand on my shoulder. “It was the right thing to do, Newt.”
“She’s so different,” I mumbled, looking across the camp to where Y/n was hidden under a blanket sleeping. Her brother glared at me and I looked away.
“Yeah, she is. She started changing when she got her memories back,” Thomas said. “Back in that Wicked compound.”
“Yeah,” I agreed.
“We should get some sleep,” Thomas arranged his blanket and I did the same, casting one more look at Y/n.
Her brother was now deep in conversation with Alex. I wondered if Y/n was right about there being something between them. Looked away and lay down, staring up at the star-dusted sky. A memory made my heart throb. I remembered months ago, laying on top of the watch tower with Y/n next to me. I knew I was in love with her by then. I missed that Y/n.

2000 words