"What Was Saved" - (Newt&Thomas x reader) The Death Cure

~The Calm Before the Storm~

You awoke to the sounds of shifting sands outside the tent. Small tufts of grass withering away in the heat, yet trying to survive. The tinkling sound of glass beads knocking against each other was calming. And the waves crashing into shore on the nearby beach soothed your sleepy state.

Daybreak had just begun, rays of the early morning sun cascading through the airy fabric of the door. You turned towards the sleeping boy, sweeping his tousled hair to one side of his face with a gentle motion. You released a breath and watched as the dust spread out into the air.

Your eyes were heavy and you could feel the grime coating your face along with the dried tears. Yet you didn't want to leave Newt here alone, afraid of what could happen even if nothing would actually happen.

You shifted yourself around on the uncomfortable mattress. The room looked eerie in the pale dawn.

"Good morning," a raspy-voiced Newt greeted. He intertwined his fingers with yours and you lay hand in hand facing each other.

"How are you feeling?" you whispered.

"Better, but I would appreciate some water," he gave you a lopsided grin. He sat up and dusted himself off. Then, he held a hand out to help you stand up. You lay back and gave a huff before taking his hand and being pulled to your feet. It reminded you of so long ago when they had offered their hands to help you up from the grass in the Glade. You were feeling homesick, wandering had now become your way of life and despite all the adventures you still had not gotten used to it.

You scanned outside the door for any more early risers and startled when you saw Thomas trudging towards the direction you were planning to go. Newt saw him too, and possibly in an act of jealousy went to hold your hand again.

The soft morning light created a hazy glow over the edge of the desert sands. The waves sloshing back and forth on the rocky beach. You did not call out to Thomas, because he already knew it was you and Newt. Instead, you followed him down to the water and watched the tide wash in and out. You found a small tide pool to sit at and clean your hands and face. Newt doing the same. He helped when there were still smudges of dirt, taking the edge of his shirt and dampening it before wiping them away. The water was refreshing and cool on your face. It eased the burns and scrapes you had received on your voyage.

Once the dirt seemed long gone, and you and Newt stood again, you finally broke the silence.

"Thomas," you said. It was neither plain nor full of emotion. It just was as you had said it.

He smiled at you and finished scrubbing his face with more vigor than you had seen in a month from him. He walked over to you, each step sounding gritty and soft on the watery sand beneath him. Soon those steps turned into leaps and bounds. Then it turned into a sprint, as he made his way to you as fast as he possibly could.

He wrapped his arms around you in a tight embrace and released you only to pick you up and spin you around.

"Good morning, y/n," he giggled. You laughed in his arms and beamed down at him. He looked like he had aged a decade in the past six months. So did Newt.

"Good morning, Thomas," you greeted. He looked at you with tenderness and then set you down and turned you towards the sunrise, wrapping his arms around you from behind. It was honestly his favorite way of being close to you. He could take in your scent and watch the sunrise on a sandy beach in what seemed to be paradise, for the short moment it was. At least the part of the sunrise that wasn't blocked by the massive cargo ship docked there.

"Good morning, Newt," Thomas nodded towards him after he had you securely in his arms. He gave a triumphant smirk that you never saw. Newt just scowled but then remembered you had stayed the night with him. His face softened as you held out one of your hands to grab Newt's and he obliged. Letting you hold his hand and share the warmth of both of them for a moment.