World Gone Mad (TMR fic 3)

Bonus Chapter

(I swear this is one of my favorite songs in the universe~)

(Oh, and this chapter takes place between chapter 57 and the Epilogue)

Minho didn't know when it changed. He spent so long doing everything because Newt would want it that he didn't realize when it shifted to his own desire. He protected Ash. For Newt, of course.

Except... some selfish part of him didn't want to think of Newt every time he looked in her brown eyes full of exhaustion and a touch of peace. She looked a lot calmer these days. Exhausted, but calmer.

He spent every moment with her. Selfish. It wasn't for Newt. It was for him.

But she wasn't ready. He'd give her eternity to heal from losing Newt if that's what she needed. He'd never push her.

Minho made sure to never let his feelings show. Of course he'd give anything for her, anything to make her happy again, but she didn't need to know that. It was his secret, the flaw he couldn't overthrow. He loved her. Like an idiot, he loved the girl of anger and flame, the girl who had lost everything. The girl who had lost the one she loved.

It wasn't fair to her to long for her flickering smile to stay because of him. It wasn't right that he wanted so desperately to help her find joy. She was hurting, and he didn't have the right to try to ease that hurt. Ash often complained about numbness, about not being able to feel. If he tried to heal her it would take away the one reliable emotion she had, the grief she had come to blend with her every day as seamlessly as breathing.

So Minho forced himself to be the helpful friend. He watched Greenbean, brought Ash food when she was too upset to leave their house, and held her when she sobbed from nightmares.

He hated himself for loving every moment of it.

One night, the whole Immune colony had a festival to celebrate a successful harvest. He'd gotten better at brewing alcohol, and Ash had her nose in a mug of it the whole evening as Minho played with Greenie. The boy adored Minho, and the affection went both ways. He'd do anything for the child, maybe even more than he'd do for Ash.

The young woman in question sat on a bench, staring out at the world, intentionally looking away from the fire that warmed her auburn hair clipped to shoulder-length. She'd been afraid of flame for longer than Minho had known her to love it, but it was still strange.

"Are you okay?" Minho asked, sitting beside her.

She nodded. "Just thinking. I'm trying to make a decision." She took a deep drink from her jar and fell silent.

He knew she wasn't going to tell him what the decision was, and he was fine with that. He'd just keep a closer eye on her for awhile and make sure she didn't do anything drastic.

The evening went on. Ash was too drunk to stand by the time everyone trickled away from the embers of the fire, and he scooped her up in his arms. He loved that they shared a house, even if it was just because of her nightmares and the fact that Greenie liked him so much.

He was so busy trying to ignore how good it felt to be holding her, how sweet her heartbeat was against his, that he almost didn't realize what she was doing.

Ash tried to kiss him.

Minho jerked back, the hand she'd slipped around the back of his neck dislodging. She pouted adorably, and it broke his heart.

"Wan' a kiss," she mumbled drunkenly.

He clenched his jaw slightly and looked away. "I'm not the one you want to kiss, Ash."

She frowned at him. "You're Minho?"

"Yeah, exactly." He couldn't keep the hint of venom out of the words. He's Minho. Just doing this because of Newt. Because of his best friend, the boy he misses and tries to honor. The boy she still loves.

"But I want to kiss Minho."

His jaw fell slack, and he gaped at her. She still looked confused, but she took it as an opportunity to shove her lips against his fiercely.

Minho sunk to his knees in the dirt, not trusting himself to continue to hold Ash. He would always miss Newt, but finally... finally he wasn't close to Ash because of him. He was close to Ash because he wanted to be. Because she wanted to be close to him, too.

Minho kissed her back.

~~
A/N: Just felt like we needed a bit of closure with this plot line. I personally loved writing this chapter, I hope it was enjoyable to read.