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𝘚𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘭𝘺 𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘸 𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯.
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"Arthur, I got the farm working again." Alby's voice was loud in the empty glade and Arthur let out a laugh before shouting back to him.
"It wasn't before?" Arthur enjoyed it when their conversations happened like this, shouting across the glade. Something so childish it made him grin like a child.
Arthur was lying on the floor a fair bit away from Alby having just been done with running the Maze. His breathing had now calmed and he was just relaxing—something he hadn't done in a while.
He had stopped not running once a week seeing as he wasn't alone anymore. He ran seven days a week and marked down each path he took. He had hardly done anything, every night the maze changed setting his progress back.
His hair had grown in the two months and he had taken to tying the fridge up with the hair bands that were shoved into his pocket so it wouldn't fall into his face in the maze. Right now he had taken it down and it was dusting his forehead as he caught his breath on the floor.
"No- Come look!" His voice carried on the wind but it made Arthur freeze.
"To the Farm? You know I get shit luck with that place." He stumbled upwards and turned slowly to face Alby who wasn't too far away but far enough that Arthur could still run away.
"Arthur, come on." With a loud complaint and swear he trudged his way toward the Farm. His feet seemed to just get bigger with every step and from where he could now see Alby he was sure that Alby could see the frown on his face.
"What?" Arthur groaned out clearly not willing to go closer but whatever it was seemed important and Alby continued to give him a scolding look.
"Arthur just come look." Alby rolled his eyes at the brunette and watched as he took one last step before falling face-first into the dirt with a yell.
"Shit! I fucking told you!" Arthur spat out dirt and Alby stared in disbelief at Arthur before watching him get up with a smile on his lips. It was hard to believe that Arthur had spent an entire month alone in moments like this.
"Come on, get up you shank." Arthur looked at him before scurrying to his feet and staring at him with unblinking eyes. "What?" Alby asked, confused at the look Arthur started giving him as said boy started blinking slowly as he surveyed Alby before raising his eyebrow.
"Shank?" Arthur snorted before bursting into laughter and placing his hands on his hips.
"Don't. It just slipped out." Alby grumbled, waving his hand at him whilst Arthur laughed joyfully.
"Sorry, sorry. It's just-" Arthur took some deep breaths trying to compose himself before continuing, "-shank?"
"Arthur, don't." The brunette just didn't listen and continued to laugh before calming down fully.
"I like that one, I like it. So what did you want to show me?" He scratched his head before taking a cautious step forward.
"Okay so, the plants you had planted weren't showing any signs of growing right, but I thought hey what about fertilizer... Arthur?" Alby was cut off by Arthur's foot getting stuck in the soil and the sigh of defeat as he fell, crashing into one of the plants on the way down. "Arthur the crops!"
"Fuck I hate the goddamn farm!" Arthur lay on the floor for a second before he scrambled upwards and backed out of the farm. Alby watched him go with wide eyes.
"I thought you were joking about your luck?" Arthur looked at the closed Maze entrance before folding his arms and rolling his eyes.
"No of course I wasn't." He spoke after a silence of which he stared at Alby who blinked before nodding slowly.
"So you can just never stay on your feet on the farm?" He questioned Arthur but the boy was immediately distracted by the sound of scratching metal.
Immediately the conversation paused as Alby made eye contact with Arthur who looked excited.
"Is that?" Alby trailed off as Arthur bounced on his feet struggling to keep the excitement out of his voice. "New Greenie." The two held eye contact for a few more seconds before running to the box. "So I sort out the Greenie and you do supplies, you seemed to sort those out well when you were a Greenie huh?"
Alby rolled his eyes and they looked at the box as it opened. "I got the supplies, you make sure he doesn't klunk his pants."
"Klunk- Alby we need to have a talk about these words you're saying." Alby made a face but no further words were said because the Greenie interrupted them.
"Who the fuck are you guys!" The boy seemed less terrified than both Alby and Arthur had been but more annoyed as the two looked at each other.
"I'm Arthur and this is Alby." Arthur then jumped into the box and smiled at him before gesturing around where he could faintly see the treetops. "Welcome to the glade Greenie."
The two walked around the Glade in silence. Arthur had taken him on a walk to get him used to the place, he couldn't take him on a tour but the next best thing would be to show him around the area, like what Arthur had done on his second day.
Arthur had begun to develop in the small time frame he was stuck with Alby. The two spend the nights talking and building up Arthur's self-confidence. Granted it wasn't the best still, one month not being long enough for the crippling mess it was to be sorted but it was an improvement.
The Greenie was glancing at the other boy who seemed a mix of comfortable and on edge as he stared straight forward. Arthur seemed so young yet old as he looked at him with his tall yet slightly hunched form.
"Who am I?" The question broke the quiet air the two had built up.
Arthur took a deep breath before looking at the boy. "You will figure it out in a day or two, I know I did and so did Alby. It's the only thing they let us keep."
"Who? The only thing they get us to keep, who are they?" The boy's voice wasn't harsh but it was clear he didn't beat around the bush.
He shrugged, this face screwed as he thought. "I'm not sure, I've been more focused on getting out than that." He could sense the curiosity of the boy. But instead of finishing right away, he carried walking on, hoping the boy would follow.
"The Maze is a dangerous place. There are ever-changing walls and creatures that only show up during the night. I don't know what they look like but I know they scare the shit out of me." They came to a stop in front of the Maze. "I'm showing you this because I want you to know what's going to happen okay, because you're one of us now Greenie."
"See what?"
"Just look." Arthur turned the boy's head from where it was looking at him and towards the maze entrance. "This is important for you to see. While you're here this is something you have to get used to."
"What the hell is it?" Arthur shushed the boy and shook his head silently forgetting the boy couldn't see him.
After the Greenie had squawked in offence to the shushing, the two had settled into silence and instead watched as the dust that had built up on a hot day swirled down the long hallway and toward them.
The taller boy squinted his eyes as the wind blew into his eyes, the air drying them out but with a side glance at the shocked Greenie whose face had gone slack as the walls started moving, he knew he didn't mind.
The Greenie watched the doors close with his brain working overtime before he turned towards Arthur with a determined look. "That's the Maze right?" At Arthurs nod, he continued. "Can I run it?"
The other male stood still, his brain stalling as he looked at the clueless Greenie who didn't know what it was. What the maze really was.
"Did you even think about what I just said? What I had a whole mini-speech on?" He sighed exasperated, his face showing the exhaustion he felt at the thought of repeating the mini speech.
"I did, but what if I helped you?" The Greenie looked at Arthur who raised his eyebrows his thought before shaking his head.
"Helped me- No! You don't even know your name Greenie." He looks at the boy with furrowed brows confused yet understanding. Sure he did the exact same thing but he had spent days figuring everything out and this kid wanted to just run in?
"What about when I remember? If there is a chance we can get out of here through that then maybe we should take the shot." Arthur let out a groan at the determination the boy showed before pursing his lips.
"When you remember your name I will talk to Alby about it okay?" The shorter boy nodded and Arthur let out a smile that could have been a grimace. He had no intention of talking to Alby. He couldn't let someone who had just started their life in the Glade get trapped in the Maze, their fate being left in the arms of whatever roams the maze at night.
After a moment of silence, Arthur glanced at the Greenie unsure if he was being too harsh. He wasn't experienced enough for this.
"Okay-" After a second more Arthur coughed awkwardly, not at all sure of what he had to do, "-let's head to the campfire, it's kind of like a thing we do for every Greenie." He stretched, his limps feeling heavy from just standing there before walking towards the fireplace, waving his hand indicating for the Greenie to follow.
The new boy stood by the pile of sticks and waited with a thick wooden stick in hand under Arthur's request. Arthur, who had just met up again with Alby, was lighting a stick on fire with a grin and a loud laugh, a large difference from his earlier discomfort, as he lit both the Greenie's and Alby's stick on fire and they all threw it into the bonfire which slowly lit on fire.
Now they all sat by the fire laughing as the flames grew higher and the maze moved in the background. While the first few noises and screeches made the Greenie jolt and stare at the other two kids with questions lingering in his expression, however when they only continued to laugh, not at all deterred by the terrifying horrors that knocked at their door he slowly melted back into conversation.
Every time Arthur left for the Maze, Alby could see the Greenie, who they now know as Minho watching Arthur with a look translated to anticipation.
Alby had a feeling Arthur didn't use his head all that much but instead followed his heart. Maybe in any other situation that wouldn't have mattered but here, right here was where it mattered. So as soon as Arthur exited the Maze, panting and squeezing past those doors as they boomed shut behind him, the way that always gave Alby a heart attack as he puts his life at risk over and over again, he pulled him into a walk, his hand pressed against Arthur's arm to steer him in the right direction and it was taken off the second they were walking where Alby wanted them to. Arthur was so out of it he didn't even notice the contact.
"Alby, what the hell dude, let me get to the maze on the paper thing, I need to draw it up." Arthur looked at Alby with a deep exhale of frustration, all he needed to do was draw up what he found in the maze, everything he had mapped out in his head never lasted long so he needed to get it on paper.
"In a second Arthur, okay?" Alby pulled him to a stop and moved in front of him, wanting him to understand.
"Wha- Alby, come on!" Arthur tried to reason with him, not understanding Alby's expression fully.
"No, Arthur. I understand you do not want anyone to be hurt, but stretching yourself in ways you can't handle helps no one. Minho has spoken to me and I get you're worried but we need to discuss these things. Don't just decide for yourself. He wants to help you and I'm saying you take up that help. You come through that maze late every time, you wait until it just closes and you can't remember what you have done half the time. Train him, Arthur. Let him help you because it will help all of us." Alby never thought he would have to do this, Arthur was just trying to help and he knew that but placing himself in danger helped no one. When Arthur tried to turn away obviously done with the conversation Alby grabbed his shoulders and held him in place.
"He's young Alby! He hasn't seen that fucking Maze and I hope not many people do because that shit scares you. It keeps you up at night and.." He sighs, defeated as he looks at his shoes. "Shit Alby, I don't want them to end up like me."
Arthur looked up, his eyes rimmed red as he glanced around the Glade, admiring their work with a heavy heart. The month had nearly ended and while Alby had prepared himself for the Greenie, Arthur had completely forgotten, having been absent-mindedly carving the lines into the Tally Rock with had now nearly three months worth of marks instead of paying attention to each one as he normally does. Minho's request had fully unsettled him. He was so sure. So sure that he could handle it alone, that he didn't need help from anyone but he trusted Alby. Alby was the first person who had came up after him and in the month alone they had together they had grown so close.
He could trust Alby.
"Arthur, he can help you. It would help you both, it would be for the best okay?" Alby watched as Arthur broke, any defences he had against him having been chipped away since he had said he was going to speak to Alby and failed to do so.
"Just training him, then I will go on runs with him. I guess..-" Arthur trailed off his voice getting quiet as he looked at Minho, where he was laying on his hammock, throwing a rock in the air and catching it. "-He could be good, seems muscular, good reflexes." He nods to where Minho had just caught the rock right before it hit him in the face, his voice not as snuffily as before as he took a deep breath.
"Thank you, Arthur." Alby let off a brief nod and Arthur smiled back at him before rolling his neck and looking at the bored-looking Minho.
"Now?" He looked back to Alby who raised an unimpressed eyebrow at him. The two held each other's gaze for a second in a short staring contest before Arthur looked away.
"Now."