Aris's P.O.V
I laid there with a little less on my mind than usual. I can't say fully because there was still a lot to think about. Even though I had Y/N back we still didn't have Sonya and Harriet just yet. Then, there was the promise I made. How was I supposed to keep that?
Still, it was better than it had been for weeks. I had one friend back, I knew where the other two might be, and she's more than able to get through this place. It doesn't mean she isn't at a disadvantage though. She never directly says it, but you can tell she blames herself for everything.
At some point I must have managed to fall asleep because I woke up to Y/N pulling the blanket off me. Newt was beside her with a huge grin on his face. I almost forgot I was supposed to do some mystery activity with them, but did it have to before the sun was up?
"Come on. I don't want to walk back when the sun's all the way up,"She whispered.
"Five minutes,"I pleaded.
"No Aris. We don't have five minutes. Now get on up before I have to drag you, and trust me. You don't want that."
Knowing she wasn't kidding I accepted defeat. She threw me a water, and with that we were on our way.
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When they explained where we were going I thought they were messing with me. Y/N and kids were two words I never thought would be used in the same sentence. Unless it was kids annoy Y/N or Y/N would probably scare kids, but no. She seemed to love these kids.
"So why exactly am I going?"I asked.
"I've told them some cool stories about you. When they hear your name they know the story is going to be good. They'll perk right up."
"Why exactly did you hype me up? They're most likely going to be pretty disappointed,"I pointed out.
"Are you kidding me? They laughed like maniacs when I told them about your first ice-skating attempt. Ms.Cammie was so confused."
"So you told them the most embarrassing stories you could. That's nice,"I deadpanned. "You put your friends on a pedestal,"I added, rolling my eyes.
"I told them about you helping us out of the Spring. They know you're brave. That's not pedestal behavior,"She responded, shaking her head.
"The Spring?"Newt asked, confused.
"Yeah. It's what we called our Maze,"Y/N explained.
"That makes more sense than ours actually. It definitely comes closer to matching the temperature."
Y/N and I glanced at each other confused. The name was supposed to be ironic. It definitely wasn't meant to match the weather.
"What? Did I say something wrong?"Newt asked.
"Your weather wasn't cold, was it?"Y/N asked.
"No. It was burning hot all the time. We never even got any rain. Yours wasn't hot?"
"No. It was cold."
"No. It was freezing,"I corrected.
"Stop being a smart alec Aris, but fine. It was freezing, and it never stopped snowing. It definitely wasn't hot."
"Lucky shanks,"He muttered.
I looked back at Y/N, and we just shrugged. Being hot sounds better than risking turning blue just by existing. Then again he's only known this weather. He definitely doesn't know the struggle of needing a job just to help people with frostbite.
We stopped at another random building.
Y/N put a finger to her lips and ducked her head through a broken window. We both followed her lead.
It was a struggle to just maneuver our way around everything. I ended up stepping on glass, and if looks could kill Y/N would be a murderer.
Eventually, we came to an old red door. At least, I'm guessing it was once red. It kind of looked more like a burnt orange, but judging by how happy they looked this must be the one.
She gave four fast knocks, three slow ones, and another two fast ones. After a minute what sounded like a dozen locks were heard. Then, a woman opened the door. She eagerly gestured for us inside before getting to me. She just stood there glaring.
"It's alright Ms.Cammie. That's Aris."
At Y/N's words her entire demeanor changed. She grabbed my arm and practically forced me inside. Then, she slammed the door shut and redid what was in fact a dozen locks.
I glanced around. In the background Newt was spinning a little girl by her arms. Y/N was reading to a little boy in the corner. Honestly, I had no idea what to do. Plus, Ms.Cammie was expectantly staring at me.
"I'm Aris,"I reintroduced, holding out my hand. She ignored it and pulled me into a tight hug. What exactly did Y/N tell her to make her like me so much?
"It's so great to finally meet you. You're taller than I imagined. I suppose it's too hot for your hoodie though. Do you like clementines? You look like you like clementines."
Apparently, she told them a lot. Still, I was at a loss for words at the random things she had just thrown at me in five sentences.
"Never mind dear. I'm sure one of you likes clementines."
She walked off to I assume get clementines and left me awkwardly standing there. I shoved my hands in my pockets and looked around a bit more. There was a broken desk flipped upside down in the corner. Beside it was some blankets and random toys. A bunch of canned food and water was hanging on the shelves next to a stack of books.
"Hi. I'm Andrea,"The little girl introduced. Before I could say anything she started rambling. "You're not Y/N's boyfriend. This is Y/N's boyfriend, and he can spin me around too."
She was smiling wide. She was missing one tooth directly in the front. From next to her Newt was red in the face. From behind them was Y/N shaking her head no.
"I'm definitely not her boyfriend. I'm Aris."
Her eyes went huge as she clasped a hand over her mouth. She excitedly jumped up and down while clapping her hands.
"Owen, it's Aris! It's the real Aris!"She exclaimed. Before I could react the little boy ran forward faster than his feet could carry him. They barely went up to my waist as they hugged me. I somewhat managed to hug back. They both had a shockingly strong grip, but Andrea could probably strangle someone her age if she wanted.
"Newt's a better hugger, but that's okay. You're still Y/N's best friend so you're mine too,"Owen said, pulling away.
"No. You can only have one best friend,"Andrea argued.
"You were Y/N and mines best friend so he gets to be mine to."
"What if we're all best friends?"I suggested.
"And Newt?"Andrea asked.
"Yes. Newt too."
Andrea ran back, and I looked at Y/N for any clue of what she was doing. Without a word she tugged on her hand and pulled her back to us.
Andrea wrapped her arms around her brother and essentially started a group hug. It was probably one of the most uncomfortable and sweetest things I've ever had to partake in.
"Alright. If you two want your gifts you have to let us go,"Y/N told them. They looked at her enthusiastically, but it also seemed like this was a daily thing. They just seemed happy to be around her in general.
This news was probably going to break their little hearts.