Summary: When Y/N loses her memory, she joins up with Group B to try and survive in the mountains. Little does she know that Group A thinks she’s been dead for months and they’re shocked to find out that Minho’s girlfriend is still alive.
Warning: Amnesia, mentions of death, angst
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For the last couple of weeks of enduring the scorch, Minho was going through an internal crisis. With all of the crazy things that had happened to him like escaping the maze and even getting struck by lightning, he still felt that he wasn’t himself.
Ever since you were taken by Griever’s that night during the attack, Minho felt numb. He felt like a machine, getting up every day just to go back to sleep.
As awful as it sounds, he thought his grief would rest temporarily like everyone else they had lost along the way but for you, that wasn’t the case.
The group, now joined by a few outsiders like Aris, Jorge, and Brenda, followed the idea that there was safety in numbers and that finding the Right Arm would be a step closer to get away from WCKD forever.
While Minho knew he would follow Thomas anywhere, he still felt like he was in autopilot of where his life was taking him.
Minho clung to his friends because he knew that the thought of losing anyone else close to him would drive him over the edge. Whenever the group would walk in silence to save energy through the sand dunes, Minho would try to remember you as best as he could.
He felt guilty that everything he loved about you was turning into a distant memory. Even now, he would have a hard time remembering what you sounded like because the last memory of you was when you were screaming for Minho and Thomas to hold onto you as you were getting dragged away by a Griever.
While Minho knew you were gone, he would still wait for you to playfully punch his shoulder after he would say something rude or make a face at you whenever someone else said something stupid.
Thomas and Newt have tried to comfort their friend but Minho always brushed them off and would always tell them that he was fine.
Minho’s way to deal with your death was to just not talk about it so everyone obeyed his wishes. Little did he know, you would find a way to come back into his life.
When Harriet and Sonya found you, your mind was completely barren of anything that happened before, including your whole experience in the glade which meant having no thoughts of Minho at all.
The only thing you knew was your name and even then, you were still unsure of how true that was. The girls had filled you in on everything they knew, filling your head about escaping a maze constructed by WCKD and being rescued by a group called the Right Arm.
The flare had wiped out most of the population but WCKD never stopped searching for a cure, which was in your blood and other youths in your generation. After weeks of traveling and finding sanctuary, the group around you became your home and you all took shelter in the mountains.
While the mountains provided protection, on rare occasions intruders would slip by without being noticed. Ever since the last attack, the Right Arm guarded the main entrance to the mountains more heavily than before to avoid any other conflicts.
You were at your post in the mountains, eyeing the only entrance into the tunnels when you spotted a group of people making their way through. You picked up your binoculars and got a closer look at the people weaving through the abandoned cars parked by the entrance.
You picked up your walkie and called in for ground control,” Y/N at Post one, I have an eye on eight individuals approaching our main entrance. Requesting a few firing warnings.”
You squinted, trying to make out any descriptions of the group before some of the men who were at their posts fired down at the cars.
You took one last glance at the group from down below ducking for cover as you left your post and went down the side to retrieve them.
While this was a normal procedure that you were used to by now, you knew you had to be on your toes just in case anything bad happened.
You met up with Harriet and Sonya who were waiting at the corner for your arrival with guns in each of their hands.
“ Does it look like they have any weapons?” You asked as Sonya shook her head.
“ I didn’t see anything on them but we can’t be too careful,” Harriet said as you lifted up your bandana to cover half of your face.
The three of you turned the corner and walked slowly towards the closest members of the invading group with Harriet leading.
“ Drop it.” Harriet ordered as she blocked your line of vision ,” I said drop it!”
You weren’t sure what this group was doing up here in the mountains but you had a gut feeling that something wasn’t right.
“ On your feet, lets go!” Harriet shouted as the two members of the group stood up and joined the rest of their friends.
You slipped through beside Sonya and you watched their panicked expressions carefully. As you made eye contact with each one, you watched their faces drop.
“ Y/N? Is that you?”
Minho’s eyes snapped to that familiar name and when his eyes found yours, his knees almost buckled as if he just saw a ghost.
Everything around Minho felt still as if the world had stopped spinning for just you and him. Weeks of sleepless nights with nightmares that plagued him now made him feel adrenaline like never before.
He had been playing the image of you getting ripped from his arms over and over again, beating himself everyday for not holding onto you tighter.
But now, with you standing before him, that last cruel image was overshadowed by the countless memories of you that he thought he had lost forever.
Memories of your first sweet kiss by the bonfire, memories of you patching him up after he had sprained his ankle, memories of you waking up next to him every morning with your mouth wide open.
Harriet kept her weapon pointed at the group but made a quick glance towards you,” You know these guys?”
Before you could shake your head, Minho practically lunged himself towards you and tried to pull you in for a hug. It all happened so fast and before he made contact, you used the end of your gun and slammed in into the side of Minho’s head.
Minho fell to the ground and ate a mouthful of dirt as he held the side of his temple, which was now bleeding. He looked up at you standing over him with your weapon pointed towards him and Minho was confused to say the least.
“ How do you know me? Do you work for WCKD or something?” You asked hastily as you scanned the rest of the group, some of them taking a step back,” I asked you a question!”
Thomas looked down at his friend and back at you,” You don’t remember us? You..you don’t remember Minho?”
The boys expression was something you couldn’t describe but the way he said it made it seem like you had just offended them. You thought it over in your head as you tried to think of where you could’ve seen them before but you were drawing a blank.
Harriet lowered her weapon as she locked eyes with one of the boys with them,” Aris?”
“ Oh my god, Harriet.”
You watched as Sonya followed in Harriet’s lead and dropped her weapons to bring in Aris for a hug.
As they reunited, Minho kept his eyes on you, still in disbelief.
That should be us right now Minho thought as he watched the happy reunion between Aris, Sonya, and Harriet.
Minho didn’t know how to feel; he was relieved that you were seemingly alive and well yet you weren’t the same. Every moment the two of you had shared was wiped away without a care in the world.
What killed Minho the most was that as you looked back at him, he didn’t recognize you at all. There was no love or admiration in your eyes like he used to remember.
He was staring at a complete stranger and yet, he still wanted to reach out and touch you.
After the little reunion had died down, the three of you took the group back to camp where it would be more safe. The whole ride there was silent as you tried to keep your eyes on the road. Every now and then, you would look back using the rear view mirror and catch Minho staring right back at you.
Tall grass. Walls. Burnt meat.
They came in flashes throughout the whole drive everytime you would look back at him.
Box. Shoes. Dirt.
You didn’t realize you were holding your breath until your body started to shake.
Once you got to camp, you went straight to your tent and sat on your bed.
You could feel your heart beating against your ribcage and your breathing was all over the place. You didn’t know what came over you but you felt yourself start to get dizzy.
“ Uh, hey.”
You looked up and saw Minho at the opening of your tent, waiting there patiently.
Warmth. Laughter. Sweat.
You placed your hand over your chest and beckoned him to come over as you stood up.
“ Hey,” you sighed as you looked at his forehead, which was done bleeding,” I really am sorry about that….let me help you clean it.”
Minho said nothing but sat down on your bed as you grabbed a small medical kit from underneath your desk. You kneeled down in front of Minho and pulled a bandage out as your hands started to shake.
Minho bit his lip as he watched you struggling like a helpless animal. He held his breath and held your hands and you immediately stopped shaking.
You looked up at him and even though you didn’t recognize him at all, you knew deep down that you possibly knew him.
“ So… you don’t remember anything?” Minho said softly as you started to clean his wound.
“ I remember bits and pieces. It’s not so much memories but I can feel and see quick images of things you know?” You looked up at Minho but he shook his head,” like…when I heard your friend Fry talk, it’s like I had a salty taste in my mouth from grilled meat. Or when I saw Thomas I felt…inspired? I don’t know, it’s weird but it’s the same feeling that Harriet has as a leader.
This was the most you had talked so far and Minho didn’t know how much he really missed your voice until he couldn’t hear it anymore. While he could listen to you talk all day, there was something bothering him that he needed to know.
“ What about me?” Minho asked quietly as you stopped in your tracks,” what do you feel when you see me?”
Bed Sheets. Snoring. Hands.
You cleared your throat and grabbed the bandages,” I don’t know.”
Minho gave a small smile and pointed towards your lip,” I know you’re lying. You always bite your lip when you lie.”
You pushed your lip back out from your teeth and laughed softly,” Okay, creep you caught me…when you were in the car I…this is stupid.”
You shook your head from embarrassment and raised up from your spot on the ground but Minho grabbed your hand. He knew he had to be delicate since he was practically a stranger to you but he didn’t want you to leave.
There was so much he wanted to know and he felt like his time with you was limited.
“ Please, I need to know,” Minho swallowed as you sat down beside him on your bed.
You watched his desperate eyes, they were hungry for answers, for confirmation that somewhere deep inside, you were still you.
“ The biggest thing I feel is warmth…not like from sunlight but from uh- body heat,” You said as you avoided his gaze,” then sweat. I can feel it and smell it when I see you.”
Minho chuckled but rubbed the back of his neck, feeling slightly embarrassed,” Jeez, I didn’t realize I smelled.”
You shook your head and let out a gentle sigh,” No, no. It’s not a bad smell it just smells of the outside like when someone works out. I think I remember your laugh and now that I think of it, my chest feels…tight…also do you snore? Cause seeing you in this bed is making my brain hear it.”
Minho shrugged his shoulders innocently but laughed loudly,” You used to hate it when I snored. You would kick me every time I did and one day you made me sleep outside the door cause you were so tired.”
You snapped with your right hand and pointed at Minho,” That laugh. I remember that.”
Your face dropped for a moment and Minho noticed this,” D-Do you remember something else?”
You nodded as several images and senses cycled through your brain as millions of connections were being made.
“ Your laugh…I remember being embarrassed!” You said as you squeezed your eyes shut and rubbed your temples.
You stood up from your bed and walked away from Minho, trying your best to put the pieces together,” shit why was I embarrassed? Sweat…You ran a lot-you ran every day like a-a…fuck… I don’t know, you were fast! I thought I could beat you in a race but…”
Minho swallowed hard as he thought about that day and stood up quickly,” You slipped really bad and your whole shirt was covered in mud.”
You opened your eyes and turned to Minho, your mouth hanging slightly open. You couldn’t believe it, ever since you were found, you could never develop a solid memory until now.
Minho could see the gears turning in your head and he kept going, listing off what happened,” You were so mad because that was your favorite shirt. It was your favorite because-”
“ Because it was the same shade of blue that you always wore,” You nodded as your smile started to grow bigger and bigger,” then we went to the spring to wash it and then I fell in with all of my clothes on. You laughed so hard you started crying! And then-”
You stopped rambling as the next image in your brain replayed in your head.
“ Stop laughing at me and help me!” You whined as you pulled yourself out of the spring,”this water is freezing you dick!”
Minho stopped laughing at you and watched your face with a huge smile on his lips,” Aw baby don’t pout.”
You crossed your arms until you formed an idea in your head. You ran over to Minho with your arms wide open and before Minho could run away, you held your wet body against his.
You two rolled around as Minho complained about getting wet before his body was on top of yours.
Once you stopped laughing, you looked up at Minho, who was inches away from your face. You felt his body pressed up against yours and you could feel his heartbeat against your chest.
Minho smirked before leaning in and pressing his soft, warm lips against your own. You moved your hands to his hair as you gently pulled on it, bringing him closer to you.
Between the deep kisses, Minho took a breath and pulled away,” I love you.”
You smiled sweetly back at him before pressing a quick kiss against him,” I know you do…but I love you too.”
Your mouth felt dry as you turned back to Minho who also replayed the memory. You looked at him longingly as your shoulder’s dropped.
“ We were in love…you didn’t say anything about that.”
Minho held his breath and nodded, unsure of what to say. He didn’t want the memory to scare you off, even though he would’ve felt the same way.
He couldn’t imagine seeing himself kiss a stranger, let alone say I love you to one another and he knew you had to process all of this new information.
“ Yeah…is that bad? That we are-were in love?” Minho asked as you took a seat next to him.
You shook your head, you were so overwhelmed and that you didn’t even think you could let any words out.
“ No, it’s not bad,” You said as Minho shifted in his seat,” but I’m sorry. I know you loved me and I loved you but…looking back at those memories I-I don’t know how to feel. I know it’s me in those memories but I feel like I’m watching someone else in my body.”
“ I understand it’s just that…we were together for so long and I can’t let that go,” Minho sighed as he reached for your hand to hold but he thought twice and drew back,” I love you. I still love you even though you don’t know me. I know we can’t get back what we had but we’re here together now.”
You ran your fingers through your hair before sighing deeply,” I can’t be that girl you fell in love with. I don’t know her Minho and I-I don’t know you. I’m sorry that you lost someone you cared about but I’m not the same person I was in those memories.”
“ I’m not either! I mean, I’ve changed a lot but at the same time I’m the same guy. I’m just asking to be in your life right now. We don’t have to get married or anything I just…” Minho didn’t know he was even on the verge of tears until his voice cracked,” I watched you die. I thought you were dead for months and I never dealt with the pain of losing you. I can’t let you walk out of my life and honestly, I don’t know if I can handle the pain anymore.”
You were torn. You felt so much grief watching this poor guy seconds away from sobbing. This was someone you loved and although you trusted what he was saying, you didn’t feel the love he felt for you.
As much as you wanted to reach out and tell him you felt the same way, you knew it would be a total lie.
“ I’m sorry,” you said simply as you turned away and faced the wall.
Minho watched you for a moment as his heart broke into a million pieces. The love of his life was alive but the old Y/N was dead.
Minho had lost people he cared about before but you were supposed to be the one that would be by his side no matter what.
You were the glue that held Minho together and the thing that broke him the most was that you had no idea how much you really meant to him.
Minho gathered himself before getting up from the bed and walked away silently as you felt your chest grow tighter.
For months, you had no memories of what your past life was and you thought of it as a fresh start and a way to build yourself a new life. He helped you remember a part of yourself that you had accepted was gone forever.
You didn’t know you could have a fresh start with the old memories but with Minho standing before you, you didn’t know if you could have that fresh start without him.
“ Wait! Hold on,” You called after him as he stopped in his tracks and turned to you.
You walked over and played with the hem of your shirt nervously,” I’m sorry, I can’t be the old Y/N you want me to be…but maybe you can help me out.”
Minho nodded slowly as his mind raced with ideas,” So what are you proposing?”
You tried to hide your smile as stuck your hand out towards him,” Hi, I’m Y/N. It’s nice to meet you, stranger.”
Minho studied your face carefully as his shoulders relaxed.
He wasn’t willing to completely throw away every memory about you like how mad you got whenever someone talked over you or how you would always pick food off of other people’s plates in the Glade because you claimed it tasted better.
He wasn’t willing to forget how warm you felt when you slept beside him, cuddled up underneath his arm or how it felt to have your fingers massage his back after a long day in the maze.
He wasn’t willing to let any of that go but for your sake, he was ready to make new memories with you as long as you would never leave him again.
“ I’m Minho and trust me, with a face like mine, you’ll never forget me.”