Little lies - NEWT

{3.10}

"Exact time I fell in love with you was when you were quietly watching the evening fire, a few days into the scorch. Just the way the fire glow lit up your face and your freckles. The breeze that blew at your hair. The thing that really did it though was when you silently checked on every single person before letting yourself relax. It increased when you saved a bug from flying into the flames," he trailed off, spiralling into the silence between them. It was not exactly comfortable, in fact Eden could argue it was the opposite. It was obvious they both had things they wanted to say that just wouldn't leave their lips. "I'm so sorry for hurting you Pepper."

Her brow furrowed deeply, frown plastering itself onto her lips, "Hurting me?"

"I saw you with Fry," he confessed softly, watching the changing emotions behind her eyes.

"Oh..." she paused, swallowing the thickness in her throat down into a box that would not be unlocked until she was better able to handle her emotion. "It's just an obstacle in the way, we'll get over it. I'm sure," she reassured before softly pressing her lips against his, not wanting to talk about it any longer. For a moment, they both enjoyed the warmth that spread through their stomachs.

The warmth faded as Newt pulled away, resting their heads together as he whispered, "And if we don't?"

"We will," she smiled reassuringly, tracing his jaw with the tip of her finger. "And you shouldn't be sorry. It's not your fault."

"It's not yours either," he whispered back just as the thought popped into her head, knowing it would.

Eden did not give a reply, she did not need to. He already knew everything she would say against that fact and countered it with the look of adoration in his eyes. He did not hate her for failing him in that regard. That meant the most to her. Instead she gently took his infected arm, not looking at the veins but instead glancing to the face of his watch.

"We have to go. Plan begins in fifteen," she sighed deeply, beginning to move away from his embrace. The cold that brushed against her arms as soon as she moved away from him was highly distasteful, making her want to crawl back to where she had been before. To get that feeling of belonging once again. But she had a job to do.

"You don't have to go Pepper," Newt gently suggested, sitting up as she grabbed her boots from the end of the bed.

"Yes I do. They'll have the stuff you need," Eden replied without a second of thought, tugging her boots on.

Newt hesitated as she quickly tied her laces, pulling them tight. "Pepper..."

Eden did not reply as she stood from the bed, walking across the room to pull on his coat. It was warmer and he wouldn't be needing it, due to the guard costume. She could tell what the look in his eyes meant even after he trailed off as he walked towards her, "I'm not going to give up on you Newt. "

"It's not safe," he countered, which was a perfectly good argument. One that she would not hear for even a second.

"I don't care," she shrugged, shaking her head of his concerns. Eden had only two things on her mind and that was getting him better and saving Minho, she did not care for the repercussions of that as long as it didn't hurt anyone else she loved.

"Pepper, please," he spoke softly, reaching to take her hands. She moved out of the way though, not wanting to lose her point by distraction.

"Newt there is nothing you can say that will prevent me from going. Even if you say you want to turn into a Crank. I won't listen because I love you and I'm going to do what is best for you. Turning into one of those things is not what is best for you," she paused, trailing off momentarily. "So I'm not going to stop, not for even a second."

"You could die!" he cried, protesting profusely with his tone and the look in his eyes. Newt had never had any intention of being okay with her coming alongside the mission, in fact he had thought of multiple ways to prevent it. He had gotten to the end of his fuse, maybe that was due to the infection spreading through his veins or maybe it was the undying want to protect her as much as he could for as long as he could.

"I don't care!" she yelled, stunning him into a silence which she soon mirrored. The snap of her patience had been brief yet it had all the effect it needed to have. She looked at him then, swimming in the silence and dispelling tension within the room. Just from the look in her eyes he knew she would not waver. There was no point in trying, it didn't stop him though. Eden continued, softer than before, just as his lips parted, "As long as I can live long enough to make your cure, I don't care."

"Eden I-"

The tears filling her eyes had no effect on her tone of voice. It remind to be strong, determined and everything he did not want to be. If Newt could do anything with his ast moments it would be spending it with her, alone and doing something perfect. But that was a dream scenario, something that was not possible. So instead he wanted to keep her protected for as long as possible. This act of asking her to stay behind was just fulfilling that. Eden did not care though. Like she had said. "You die, I die too. That's the truth. So I can't not try... don't you understand that?"

Thousands of emotions passed his eyes. Thousands of differing emotions that each surged so brightly he could not get a hold on any of them. His gaze softened, watching the quickened rate of her breathing. He could not say anything against it, there were no words physically able to form. He did not know why he had expected anything else, given that was exactly what he would do for her in the same situation. He stammered then took a deep inhale to steady himself, hand beginning to shake discreetly. "Let's go then."