Thomas POV
I walked into the Homestead and sat on my mattress, Newt's words ringing inside my mind. I covered my ears with my hands; suddenly the buzzing in the Glade seemed way too noisy for me. I shut my eyes, and a picture of Newt, hurt and pleading, flashed before my eyes.
Instantly, I felt guilty. All he wanted me to do was stay safe, and after all that the Maze had taken away from him, I couldn't fulfil his one wish? What kind of person was I?
And he was right. The Glade had been protected, safe, for all these years. I still hoped - or expected - that one day I would go through training to become a Runner and get us all out of here, but right now, I'll focus on Newt. Whatever keeps him happy, keeps me happy.
And that was the end of all these nonsense. I'll live my life like a normal Glader, without disturbance or messing up things, as I had evidently already done.
Until Minho opened the door to the Homestead, panting.
"Where the shuck have you been? Newt told me to tell you that you're gonna be a runner. Training starts the day after tomorrow, get your ass off your bed by 5." He turned to walk out, done delivering his news. Just as he walked out, he poked his head back in. "And by the way, I know your little secret with Newt." He winked and walked away.
I sat on my bed with my mouth ajar, staring in his direction as if I was expecting him to waltz back through. Which honestly, as little as I knew about him, I wouldn't be surprised if he did. What I was surprised about was what he had said.
Firstly. Newt was letting me be a Runner?! Whaaaaaat. Just when I felt guilty about my eagerness, too. Secondly, how did Minho of all people know about Newt and I? Were we that obvious? Oh god.
I picked myself up from the mattress, walking out of the room. I was going to find Newt; he had a lot of questions to answer to.
I ambled around the Glade for a bit, spotting Newt talking with Frypan in his kitchen. He noticed me as well; his eyes lit up for a moment, before he looked away pointedly, continuing his conversation with Frypan. My heart fell a little but I tried to smile nonetheless.
"Hey, Newt!" I said to him, perhaps a little too excitedly, "can I talk to you for a moment?" He nodded, much to my relief, and walked towards me. As we neared, my hand immediately reached for his, but his glare told me to be more careful - that Frypan was right behind us. Oops.
"Tommy, I know what you want to speak to me about," Newt started, before I could open my mouth, when we reached the forest. It seemed to be our secret spot now, we always talked there. It was a good escape from the rest of the Glade. "I'm sorry about Minho, I guess I wasn't being too careful with my ...looks and expressions around you, and he sorta found out and asked me about it. So I told him. But don't worry, I made him promise to not tell any bloody person."
I was slightly taken by surprise. "Okay," I breathed, "cool."
Newt continued, "he's cool with us, he doesn't mind. You can trust him."
"If you say so..." I trailed off, a little wary. But I trusted Newt, and if he trusted Minho with our secret, I would too. Then I remembered the main reason why I came here. "Newt, why did you tell Minho I was gonna be a runner?"
"It's what you want, isn't it? And who am I to tell you what you want or not want?" He replied, lightly, but his expression showed one of guilt.
"I don't have to be one if you don't want me to," I replied, taking his hand in mine. "Besides, all I want is you."
He blushed, intertwining his fingers with mine. "No really Tommy, I thought about it, and I realised my actions were bloody selfish. Just promise me one other thing, okay? Try to stay safe. Don't try to be the hero and safe everyone, because sometimes you can't."
I nodded, relief flooding my veins. I embraced him in a warm hug, whispering when my mouth was next to his ear. "Thank you, Newt. I really appreciate that." And I genuinely did.
Later that night, after dinner, I was subjected to my punishment. Newt brought me to the Slammer, a crate on the ground rather like the Box. But it was wooden and the floor was cold, hard stone, and there was nothing inside it at all. I thought of a time-out zone in elementary school... Not that I remembered ever being in it. Newt threw me a blanket and a small pillow, and I almost laughed, should I have not been in my position.
I stared, a little dumbfounded, at the materials before Newt forced my head up with his fingers. I looked into his eyes, and suddenly life seemed a whole lot better. He glanced around him warily, probably to check if there was anyone nearby, then relieved, he kissed me.
My fingers reached up, cupping his face, as we full on made out, only sheltered by the darkness of the night. Finally he pulled away, untangling my fingers from his shirt. He looked flushed, his lips red and swollen. His hair was messed up from my fingers, and I smiled at my effect on him. It was still mindblowing.
"Have fun, Tommy," he whispered, smirking, before closing the door and walking away. From my position below the door, I could see his back, and that was what I focused on until he entered the Homestead. I found myself smiling stupidly as I sat down on the ground.
Lucky for me, I was still really tired from the night in the Maze and all that overthinking during the Gathering, so I fell asleep quite quickly. The floor was uncomfortable against my back, and the night was freezing, the coldness radiating from the stone floor. Nevertheless, I slept.
And I dreamed.
It was another flashback - this one not about Newt. I couldn't focus on much of it, though, only vague blurs and voices. A girl - a black-haired-blue-eyed girl, separated from me by a glass panel with all sorts of pictures and buttons on it. Water, tanks, people screaming, shouting. Monitors. Then a bright light shining into my eyes, another face above mine. A blue mask covered the face's feminine features. And then there was only darkness.
Tom.
Everything is going to change.
WICKED is good.
I woke up with a start, sweating profusely. The sun was just rising over the horizon. Cold sweat dripping from my face as I panted, trying as hard as possible to remember the dream. That girl - could it be Teresa? I couldn't remember the dream girl's exact features, but it must have been her. Was that why she was sent here? Because of my relationship (what was it anyway?) with her?
For the first time, I tried to reach out to her using my mind.
Teresa?
No reply.
I tried again, this time shouting. Teresa!
I felt something wake up inside me, and Teresa's voice responded.
What is it, Tom? It's so early.
There. Tom. So I was correct. It was her.
Do you ...remember anything? Have any flashbacks, to our lives before this?
No, I thought I told you, I can't remember anything except my name.
I frowned.
I got a dream, but I think it was more than that. It was like a memory. You were there, we were in some lab, and there were people shouting.
Nope, no idea.
I sighed, confused as ever.
The day passed by as slow as humanly possible, I was certain of that. I tried to do something, anything, but it was positively the most boring place ever. Newt had come by in the morning, smuggling me a piece of bread for breakfast. We'd talked a little, kissed, though it was rather awkward through the wooden bars. Then someone was calling him, and he had to scramble away.
I felt pity for the people who had to stay in here for a few days, a week, even more. How did they ever survive? It was only a few hours, and I already felt like banging my head against the wall.
And so I tried to spend the time organising my thoughts. What I already knew, what I need to know, and how I can get to know it. Lunchtime rolled around, and Chuck visited me, sparing half of his mega-huge sandwich. I was glad I had friends.
He started talking to me about his parents, and I couldn't help but feel bad for him. There was this little token he had, a wooden figure. He had asked me to give it to his parents for him, should he drop dead, but I refused. A warm protective feeling surged within me - I had to get them out, every one of them. I had to find a way out. For Newt, and for Chuck.
And then he was gone, back to working in the Glade, and I was alone again. I tried to resume my deep thinking, but I just couldn't. I paced around in the Slammer, my thoughts drifting, and at the end of the day I realised I had spent one afternoon fantasizing about Newt and I, and what we could do if we weren't in this damn place.
And - well - I wouldn't say it was a fun time, but it was better than I had thought.
At night, Newt came to fetch me from the Slammer. When I saw him, I immediately thought about some of the things I had fantasized us doing, and blushed heavily. He reached his hand down to help me up, and I held it, not letting go even after I climbed out of the Slammer. Quickly checking no one was nearby, I kissed him on the cheek, his blush now mirroring mine.
Oh god, a whole day of not doing anything seemed to only encourage my giggly girly sassy hormones.
As if to prove my point, a squeal escaped through my mouth, muffled by my hand. Newt looked at me weirdly, and I responded by grinning ear to ear.
I need serious help, and in more ways than one.
A/N: Omg almost 2K reads and it was only a week! THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH!
Also a little note: I don't know why but the comments on my wattpad (both on my phone and computer) aren't working, and I have no idea why. It notifies me and stuff, but it says the comment no longer exists when I click on it. This applies for old comments as well :/ Does anyone know how to fix it? (Luckily it sends comments to my email so I can still read them, just that I can't reply anymore :( I love replying though)
Another note ABOUT THE STORY: I may just skim over parts that are not newtmas and already written in the book, or skip over them entirely, because I'm sure you don't want to read a rewriting of the entire series in my writing XD
Thank you guys for reading, and please vote if you liked it and comment your feedback! I love reading all your comments <3