IT STARTED WITH A MAZE - Newt x Reader (F)

- TAKEN -

First and foremost, we get Newt to safety.

The moment we reach the Berg - its ramp dropped and the sterile light spilling into the chaos - I'm still moving, Newt's weight against mine, his body limp and too quiet for comfort. My voice keeps repeating his name, like a thread I refused to let snap. Stay with me, Newtie. Stay here. Stay with me.

Hands reach for him. I don't even clock who they are at first - just shapes in the brightness, urgent voices, movement. But when I see one man in particular, I blink in disbelief. "Vince?" I ask, breathless. "You actually came?"

"Jorge got me," he says, his voice hard-edged but steady. "We'll take it from here."

"You'll watch him?" I don't let go of Newt's hand until Vince's own settles over mine, firm with promise.

"Like a hawk," he tells me, then adds: "He's stable. We'll make sure it stays that way."

Only then do I release my grip, stepping back as they - a couple of doctors from camp - pull Newt further into the Berg. Patches of black stain his shirt and our fight is still fresh in my mind. But he is breathing. He is alive. And for now, that has to be enough. Brenda tries to reach for me as I turn, hands outstretched toward the blood still seeping through the side of my uniform. "Wait- (Y/n), let me look at that-"

"I'm fine," I cut her off, voice sharp with urgency. "I've got to keep moving." She flinches, but nods. I don't have time for apologies. There isn't any space left in me for pain. Minho is still lingering near the ramp, his expression drawn tight. Gally flanks him, arms crossed, battle-worn and tense. "Thomas." I state more than ask.

Minho sighs and rakes a hand through his hair. "Janson has dragged out Teresa. So Thomas, being the person he is, traded himself for that cure. Now he's giving Teresa his own blood," Minho explains. "Got the same enzymes as yours or something. But Teresa said she still needed as much as possible-"

"Shit well I was ready to keep my promise," I murmur, eyes narrowing.

Gally shifts beside us, chewing on his words. "We don't even know if they're still in there. Place is crawling. WICKED's locking it down tighter than a vault."

"We're not leaving him," Minho reassures me, though his face is strained. "But we can't all split. Not now."

I hear Fry talking to Brenda - about me, as my name is passed between them with worried tones. I don't bother looking over. "I need to go," I say, without even thinking.

Gally scoffs, but it doesn't feel cruel. It feels... scared. "That's suicide," he says.

I shake my head. "No. Its keeping my word," I clarify.

Minho steps forward, hands on my shoulders. "(Y/n), be serious. You're running on adrenaline and duct tape right now. We just nearly lost both of you-" his eyes flick to Newt. "This doesn't have to be on you-"

"It already is," I tell him, voice low, burning with something fierce. "We're not out of the Maze just yet," I say purposefully and watch their lips purse. "I can do this and you guys can save our asses in time," I state.

Minho's jaw clenches. For a long second, no one says anything. The Berg buzzes behind us. The city still screams. "Naive," Gally mutters.

"Maybe," I say. "But naive got Newt out alive. And it's gonna get Thomas back, too."

They look at me then. And though I see fear, frustration, exhaustion in their eyes, I also see something else: belief. Maybe thoughts of my recklessness, and foolishness. But real trust. Minho exhales and steps back, his voice quieter now, but no less intense. "Then you better be fast, Speedy."