The Watch Tower

One Shot - Complete

Thomas stayed silent, giving Newt a chance to say what was on his mind.

Newt finally locked eyes with Thomas. “When you first showed up, I didn’t think anything of it. Just thought you were another Greenie, thrown into the chaos of the Glade. But then you ran into the Maze, and another set of questions came up. Firstly, what the hell is wrong with you?”

Thomas smirked at that; Newt gave a half-smile in return, but it quickly faded.

“So then I need to decide what to do with you,” Newt continued, turning his body away from the wall and towards Thomas. Thomas mimicked the motion, listening attentively. “We have to punish you, because you broke the rules. No special circumstances for friendship around here.” That made Thomas smile again. “So I make you a Runner, one day in the Slammer. Gally’s pissed, but who cares? Everyone’s happy.

“And then, this bloody girl comes out of the Box with a note that says she’s the last one ever. Ever. What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“I don’t know,” Thomas sighed, breaking his silence.

“Yeah,” Newt said, his eyes insistent. “Me neither. But all of these questions are starting to get me pretty pissed off, if you know what I mean.”

“Yeah,” Thomas nodded. “I do.”

Newt looked down, then up again. Thomas wasn’t sure where Newt was going with this, but he wasn’t going to question him anytime soon.

“You’ve got me more confused then ever,” Newt murmured. Just then, Thomas realized how close he and Newt were actually standing. He also realized he wasn’t pulling away. Neither was Newt. He didn’t know why, and he found that he didn’t really care.

“What did I do to confuse you?” Thomas asked, his voice softer now, too. It was like some sort of blanket had engulfed the air around them, making everything slower, muffled. The air felt warm and sweet.

Newt gave a quick, quiet laugh. “Couldn’t tell ya. You’re just here, and so am I.”

Thomas let his eyes trail down from Newt’s eyes to his mouth. He didn’t know why. He didn’t know a lot of things lately.

“I get what you mean about questions,” Thomas started, eyes still locked on Newt’s lips. He didn’t move them away. “Teresa somehow knowing me has made me more confused then ever. And yeah, you have to.” He looked back up at Newt’s eyes. Newt’s eyes darted back up; Thomas wasn’t sure where he had been looking.

“This place is awful,” Thomas continued. “It really is. We’ve had our memories stripped, we’ve been trapped in this place with a deadly Maze full of deadly monsters, and we rely on the people who did all that to us to give us what we need to stay alive. It’s sick.

“But you wanna know something?” Thomas asked. Newt stayed silent. “It’s not all that bad. I’ve got some friends here, like Chuck and Minho. But I’ve got you, too.” Thomas swallowed, nervous. He wasn’t sure where he was going with this, or why he was even saying it. But it felt right. “You’re the reason I haven’t gone crazy yet, Newt.” He looked down, feeling himself blushing.

“You’ve helped me too, Thomas,” Newt added. Their voices were practically whispers now. “There are some days where I feel like running into the Maze, letting the Grievers get me. Or just sitting somewhere and doing nothing, nothing at all. Just give up.” Thomas looked back up. “But you never give up. You saved Alby and survived a night in the Maze without ever being in there. It’s incredible.” He paused. “You’re incredible.”

Thomas’ heart stopped for a moment. He didn’t know why. He didn’t know why he was looking at Newt’s lips again. He didn’t know why he leaned in and kissed them. He didn’t know a lot of things, but he knew one thing; Newt’s lips were very soft.

The kiss was slow and sweet. Thomas had never kissed before; if he did, he couldn’t remember. He certainly never thought he had kissed a guy before. But this was nice. Their lips pulled away and Newt started kissing him back, sparking Thomas’ heart. Thomas slowly moved his hands to Newt’s waist and pulled him in closer. Newt rested his hands on the small of Thomas’ back.

They stood like that for a while, just kissing. There was nothing lustful about it. Thomas could barely think but managed to wonder what would happen if someone climbed up and saw them kissing. He didn’t really care.

They finally broke apart, arms still wrapped around each other. They locked eyes, blushing; Newt smiled.

“Well, Tommy,” he murmured. “I didn’t see that one coming.”

Thomas laughed, rubbing his thumb against Newt’ side. “I guess I just love confusing you.”

Newt chuckled and pulled Thomas in for another kiss. The feeling of his lips made Thomas feel like maybe the Glade wasn’t so bad after all.