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.
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ───
After a while, you heard more sandy footsteps and a grimace as Jorge found the three of you on the beach. He had wanted to wash up as you had, but instead found your little group. It wasn't that he disliked your relationship with the boys, but more so that it reminded him of his younger days and the things he missed.
"Sorry, we'll leave," Thomas spoke up after noticing him too.
"No... no, enjoy the beach kids. It'll only be a short while we can stay here anyways, before WCKD finds us. You guys just reminded me..."
You gave him a sad look, knowing he missed some people. He never really talked about his past though, and throughout your trip across the vast desert, you heard more myths and legends than actual stories about people's lives. Maybe it was for the better anyways, you thought.
After a while, it was time to make breakfast. Frypan had found a makeshift bunsen burner and a few pans with which to cook. You decided to help since you were formerly good at helping him out.
It wasn't much for breakfast, but it seemed nice enough as you plated it up. And as you sat beside Thomas to eat, he wrapped an arm around you and gave you a side hug. When you began to shake a little as some conversation topics were brought up, he began rubbing your arm up and down reassuringly.
"Thank you for the food, love," Newt smiled from across the table as he finished eating.
"Thank Fry, he did most of the magic," you giggled. Frypan grinned at you before continuing to wolf down the first decent breakfast in a while. It would be a while before your plan would be put into action. But you were ready.
"Thank you, Fry," Both Newt and Thomas chimed out. The boy beamed back before giving Thomas a sneaky thumbs up. You still caught it and gave him a playful glare.
It had been a joy to see how the development of each side of the relationship kicked off. And now that you were in such a comfortable spot, you hated that one day you'd have to break it. Besides, this was all too nice and calm anyways. But like Jorge had said, you should enjoy it while you can.
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ───
One night after further discussions on the plan to rescue Minho, which was coming along nicely to say the least, you found yourself in the beach with Thomas laying beneath you, playing with you hair. You tilted your head backward when he stopped.
He had propped himself up on his forearms as he leaned his head back to stare at the sky. You shifted a little bit and Thomas looked back down at you. You both stared into each other's eyes. The stars painting the background behind him seemed almost too perfect and as you lay against his warm body, you could feel every part of your being on fire.
Thomas smiled lazily. "How are ya doing, pretty girl?" he drawled.
You blushed, loosening your muscles and laying back against him again. Your head was on his chest and his legs were on either side of you.
"I'm not really sure," you answered honestly. You brought a hand up to your arm which had previously had a bullet wound. After a while, it had just left a nice dented circle. You traced your finger around it before rolling up your sleeve to see the red fractals embroidering your skin. No matter how long it had been, the scars were still there. Proof you were struck by lightning.
"Well, so much has happened. And I don't feel okay mentally but physically I'm fully capable of taking on a couple of cranks right about-" you cut yourself off with a yawn. "Right about now," you said, closing your eyes.
"You sure about that?" Thomas chuckled, watching your drowsy state. "What if they were going to attack.... right... now!" he whisper yelled and he began to tickle you. You squirmed and curled up your body, laughing all the while.
"No! Thomas! Stop!" you gasped out and laughed more as he assaulted you with more tickles. When he had successfully flipped the two of you over, he laid his full body weight on you.
"Thomas, you're- crushing me," you said, trying to push him off. He lifted his head to stare directly at you.
"Yeah, you're hopeless against cranks, but I suppose I'll protect you anyways," he feigned a sigh before grinning.
Before he knew it you had flipped the two of you over and you sat on his chest in mocking victory. You flexed and pumped your fists towards the sky.
"I will destroy all the cranks! I don't need help from you," you echoed into the night.
"Maybe, but you're still hopeless against me," Thomas smirked before he grabbed you hips and rolled over again, this time holding himself up. You wrapped your legs around his waist in order to not get hurt yourself in the maneuver which Thomas was counting on. He leaned in and his breath fanned over your face. "Try to fight that," he whispered before kissing you deeply. You kissed him back, relaxing, and when you both pulled away you crossed your arms over your chest and turned your head to the side.
"That wasn't fair," you complained.
"Life isn't fair," Thomas said. "But it must be pretty nice since it brought me you."
You blushed and gave him a peck on the cheek.
"Are you doing okay?" you asked with sincerity after a moment of silence.
"Not really either, but we can get through it together," Thomas responded. He laid back against the sand and stones, grabbing your hand and pulling you back to his chest. You rolled over on top of him as he made an 'oof' noise and then grinned up at you.
"Your eyes are gorgeous, pretty girl."
"I like yours more," you smiled. Kissing him again.
He brought a hand up and rubbed his thumb against your cheek and you leaned your head into his palm.
"We should get some sleep," you murmured contentedly.
"Alright, hold on," Thomas grinned. He sat up and you wrapped your legs around him again as he stood with a grunt, holding you against him as he walked toward
one of the small rooms. The bed was more comfortable than lying on rocks all night anyways.
Newt watched from his doorway, happy you were safe but longing for your touch.
You curled up against Thomas as he whispered sweet nothings to you and you fell asleep in his arms, no dreams surfacing that night. You were prepared for the plan coming soon.
But not prepared for what would happen afterwards.
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Hope you liked this part!! Sorry for the wait but the next chapter will be out shortly!