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“Please, Tommy. Please.”

“I’m sorry… I tried.”

“No!”
With a heaving gasp Thomas bolted upright, an action that immediately had him letting out a sharp hiss and instinctively moving a hand to his side. Eyes screwing shut he panted silently for a few breaths as he waited for the pain to ease then finally opened his eyes.The first thing he saw was the stream of sunlight through the small gaps of the stick walls around him. In a doorway was no door but a simple piece of cloth that was swaying back and forth, letting in its own burst of light with each move it made. Thomas sighed heavily as his hands pressed down on either side of him, unconsciously feeling the bed he had been lying on, and his eyes strayed across the admittedly tiny building he was in. A small shelf was just to the right of the door with various things placed upon it and when he looked behind him he could see a lopsided table with vials and bandages strewn on its surface.Desperately he tried to remember where he was. Tried to think up what he could last remember. With a pained grunt he moved his legs until his feet were on the ground and cautiously lifted his shirt to see a bandaid stained with red wrapped around his midsection. All at once it came back to him; painful flashes of his memories spilling across his mind. Going to rescue Minho. The battle. Newt infected. Newt dying. Finding out he was the cure. Thomas feeling so lost and hopeless that he couldn’t bear to keep going without the other boy; ready to give himself up just to try and ensure no one else would get hurt. Janson. Teresa. Getting shot. Teresa dying.He forced the memories away, his breaths growing short and his chest tight, and instead glanced over at the doorway. He remembered getting on the berg but not much after that, the pain of more than just his gunshot wound pulling him under. Thomas curled his hand around his midsection and forced himself to a stand, wincing again and taking a steadying breath.When Thomas stepped outside of the building— hut— he was in for a split second he thought he was dead. He thought he had died and gone to paradise. A lush green forest was on his left, in the distance were mountains, and on his right was a beach; beautiful golden sand meeting the crashing waves of ocean blue. He could hear the rush of the waves and as he moved forward in disbelief his eyes trailed to a large cargo ship in the distance; a much smaller boat not far from it.When the sound of voices reached his ears his head darted to the right. He could see people standing on the beach and as he moved around the building he was in he saw even more. There was smoke from a fire going just past his line of sight, large tents set up a bit haphazardly but no less solid, and people— so many people just mulling about, building things, talking. He paused to just take it in and a big part of him thought maybe he had died. Maybe when he walked forward he would find Alby and Winston. Chuck. Teresa and… Newt.The thought had a lump building up in his throat but he forced himself to move forward. His steps were slow at first, reluctant, then as his resolve grew so did his stride. Thomas didn’t look at any of the faces around him at first, more focused on getting to the heart of all of… this, but as he got closer he couldn’t help but glance at them. A lot were vaguely familiar, some he couldn't recognise at all, and they all seemed busy. There were people building some kind of base, hammering in nails while others hauled boards over, some moving about in the distance clearly having a specific kind of goal in mind, he spotted the fire pits where the smoke had been coming from and then—
Minho. 
Thomas slowed to a stop even as the other boy approached him and he was vaguely aware of the others just behind him. For a split second Thomas was disappointed— a split second feeling he couldn’t squash as he realised he was in fact alive. He wouldn’t be seeing the people he lost; not today at least. Like with his memories from earlier he pushed those feelings aside and took in Minho.He looked good. A lot better than when Thomas saw him last at least; healthier. He was wearing a soft blue shirt and his face didn’t look as gaunt and worn as it had when they rescued him in the Last City. He paused a few steps away from Thomas and for a second neither of them said anything then Minho made a face; a mixture of relief and an apology all at once.
Like he had anything to apologize for.
Without conscious thought Thomas made the same face back. Because he was sorry; for everything he did, every choice he made that caused so much pain and death. Because he was relieved; to see Minho alive and well after months of worrying about him. The two feelings had tears stinging his eyes and Thomas pushed himself forward, Minho not hesitating to do the same, and the two of them grabbed onto each other desperately. Two kids who lost too much in such a short time and were relieved to find a comforting face on the other side of it all. Thomas took a shuddering breath, Minho’s familiar presence a balm on all of his aching insides, and he clung to his friend all the more. He could feel the same emotion from Minho in turn, sure that he’d wind up with bruises where the other boy's hands gripped him tightly as though he were afraid Thomas would disappear right in front of him.Eventually they let go, whether after seconds or minutes Thomas couldn’t say for sure, but as Minho patted his back once more his hand lingered on his shoulder while Thomas looked at the others. Frypan, Brenda and Jorge, Gally, Aris then Harriet a few paces behind them all. He didn’t have much time to take them all in properly as Frypan wrapped him up in a tight hug next, the boy letting out a relieved laugh as he squeezed Thomas meaningfully, and he was quick to return the hug. A hand pressed to his shoulder and when Thomas glanced back he found Vince and then Sonya. Vince shot him a faint nod, giving him a little shake before he let go. “You had us worried,” Brenda told him with teary eyes. “You’ve been asleep for a couple weeks.”Thomas glanced at her, absently taking in her clean white shirt and braided hair, and he surveyed the area around the camp again. “You guys have kept busy,” he commented in a hoarse voice. “We set the tents up first thing in case it rained,” Vince told him with a nod to the assortment of tents all over the place. “We’re all bunched in hammocks and cots in the big one for now but these aren’t permanent.”The tent near the middle was the largest one and even from a distance Thomas could see the different beds all throughout it. His eyes trailed to the tent that was closer to the hut he woke up in and could see tables underneath it with various items piled upon it, clearly waiting to be moved elsewhere. Then there was a tent to the left of the main tent and this one had long empty tables inside and someone was standing by a grill just outside of it making something; it must be the dining hall and kitchen.They were building a future life, that much was clear to see. It was rudimentary right now but Thomas knew these people well enough to know it would only get better as time went on.“I’ll give you the tour,” Minho said suddenly, reaching out to grasp Thomas’ shoulder again and steer him in one direction. No one protested and though it looked like they wanted to join they all went back to whatever it was they were doing before Thomas had woken up.“That’s the dining hall and storage for food,” Minho told him, pointing over at the tent on the left that Thomas already assumed its purpose. He started walking them over to it and from up close Thomas could see barrels and boxes that must have been holding the food. “The sleeping quarters,” he went on with a point at the big tent then he gestured to the edge of it. “Slash seating area.” There were some rows of makeshift benches at the edge of the tents, not under the tent itself, if it rained they’d definitely get wet, but near enough that they weren’t in a separate area. “Our starter gardens; we have plans to expand it for sure,” Minho said as he led Thomas over towards rows and rows of plants, corn stocks clear to see and numerous others that he couldn’t place at the moment. “We have a pen out back where the few livestock we have are kept in. Harriet thinks they’re gonna start expanding too,” Minho muttered the last bit with a faint wiggle of his brows and Thomas wrinkled his nose when he understood his meaning. Minho then waved his hand towards Thomas’ hut and said. “And that will be our medical area, it’s small for now but we only had the one patient who needed it.”“Vince said this isn’t permanent?” Thomas questioned slowly as he slowed to a stop, tiredly taking everything in.“Yeah,” Minho murmured. “Obviously we don’t wanna live in tents forever and a little privacy would be nice.” He nodded his head to where Thomas had spotted some people nailing boards together earlier and said. “We’re not sure what that's gonna be yet but it will be the building closest to the water. Vince wants to push everything else back more just to be safe; not sure how crazy the waves will be in a storm.”That made sense. Thomas didn’t have many memories nor experience in regards to seaside homes but he knew there were times that water could be just as deadly as the dry sand had been. There was enough terrain for them to back into before the mountains really started and when Thomas looked back in that direction he could see some people chopping down the trees in specific areas.He spotted something else that had him frowning. “What’s that for?”Minho followed his eyeline and a matching frown appeared on his face. “Not sure,” he muttered. “Must be something Vince asked for…” There was a group of people rolling what looked to be a very large and long boulder along some round beams they had. No way they could have lifted it on their own and even what they were doing at the moment looked like a big job, with people rushing the beams at the rear over to the front once the rock passed over them.“Come on,” Minho said with a soft, urging hand. “You gotta be hungry and Fry will definitely have something ready for you.”To be honest Thomas didn’t feel that hungry. His side was starting to hurt though so he was ready to sit down for a while. Despite just waking up— after apparently being out for weeks — Thomas felt exhausted. His brain felt foggy and even after he was pushed down onto a bench with a bowl of food shoved into his hands he couldn’t shake it. He was vaguely aware of the others talking around him and the way the sky was steadily growing darker. Various torches all around the camp were soon lit and the big fire pit not far off from the seating area now had a large bonfire glowing and Thomas saw a few of the kids had hauled some benches closer to it.Thomas licked his lips and forced a question out of his mouth as he looked around at everyone finding a seat, the entire camp all gathered together. “You guys do this every night?”Brenda looked over at him from his right. “No,” she said with a shake of her head. “Vince offered to do this the first night, have a big celebration together for… you know, making it here… but everyone wanted to wait until you woke up.”He didn’t know what to say to that so he kept his mouth shut, thankfully Vince seemed to be gearing up to say something as he walked over to the other side of the fire. The seats were all on one end in a wide arc around it while the side between the fire and beach remained empty save for a few lights, a smaller fire pit and the large rock Thomas and Minho saw people hauling over earlier. “We have come a long way together,” Vince called to them all, pacing back and forth slowly as he looked at everyone. “So many have sacrificed so much to make this place possible.” Thomas resisted the urge to flinch at that as an endless amount of names suddenly came to the front of his mind. “Your friends and your family.” Vince raised a mug in his hand and his words grew more passionate and everyone was quick to follow suit as he spoke. “So here's to the ones who couldn't be here. Here's to the friends we lost. This place is for you. It's for all of us.” He turned around and it was only then that Thomas noticed the knife in his hand, the blonde man gesturing to the large boulder that stood tall behind him, the thing framed by a small fence. “But this— this is for them. So, in your own time, in your own way, come make your peace.” With those words he stabbed the blade into a small log standing near him and raised his mug once more. “And welcome to the Safe Haven!”Everyone started to cheer enthusiastically after that, raising their glasses and then standing up too. The whole camp seemed to be filled with a hopeful air— a triumphant feeling— and Thomas couldn't help but clap along with the others, even if his heart wasn’t completely in it.The celebration really took off after that. People got up and started moving about, some helping Vince add logs to the fire, others breaking out in conversation. A few people— Thomas included— left to grab jackets as the sun disappeared completely and the chilly nighttime air made itself known. As Thomas sat down again, eyes trailing across all the happy faces, he could hear Frypan’s voice not far off calling for the food. “This is gonna be a good home for us,” Minho said from beside Thomas and as he turned to look at him the other boy did the same.“Yeah,” Thomas agreed quietly while he looked back towards the fire. He could still feel Minho staring at him, could half see him in his peripheral vision, and he ducked his head briefly to hide his expression and steel it into something more neutral. Not wanting his mood to sour whatever happy feelings Minho was having. “You had this on you while you were passed out,” the words startled Thomas enough that he looked over at Minho again and his heart stopped in his throat. There, dangling between the boy’s fingers, was the necklace Newt had given to him before things had gotten so much worse. As Thomas slowly took it from him, Minho softly said, “figured I'd keep it safe for ya.”Thomas stared at the thing, the last bit of Newt he’d ever have again, and through numb lips he said. “Thanks, Minho.”Minho clapped him softly on the shoulder once and simply told him. “See you out there.”Shaking himself out of his somber thoughts Thomas looked up at Minho and quickly said. “See ya.” He watched as the older boy headed down towards the fire, clearly giving him time alone with the necklace, and as Thomas watched him go he felt a stirring feeling of gratefulness for him. His eyes eventually trailed back down to the necklace— “No, just take it!”— and he remembered the desperation in Newt’s voice when he tried to give it to Thomas. It was a simple thing, Newt was never one for extravagance by any means, just a black string with a clasp where a silver capsule hung on it. As Thomas curled the strings around his fingers and cupped the capsule in his hand a thought suddenly occurred to him. Almost cautiously he brushed his thumb along a small lip and then pinched the piece with his other thumb and finger, wiggling slowly until… it came off.Instantly he spotted the edge of a rolled up piece of paper and Thomas felt the air in his lungs seize before he pulled it out. He was slow to move at first, simply staring at the innocuous thing incomprehensibly before his intentions grew more determined, unrolling and unfolding it until a page of words stared back at him. There were two of them, both thin and with dark ink on pale paper, but the top of the first page was what caught his immediate attention.

Dear Thomas…

He couldn’t even read any further than that at first, a hand pressing to his mouth as he fought back a sick feeling. These would be the last words Newt would ever say to him, the words he handed off to Thomas in his dying moments. He stared blankly past the folded papers in his hand and heavily debated what to do next. Did he read them? Read these words now so he could at least have those to hang onto. Or did he wait? Save them for whatever time came next where he needed Newt’s assurances the most…He always needed Newt. Every second of every day; didn’t think he would ever stop needing him. It was that thought that had him dropping his hand and peeling the letter back open, his thumbs carefully attempting to smooth out the wrinkles in the pages. Thomas could feel the tears singing his eyes right from the first few words and he swallowed back the lump in his throat as he pushed on. Of course he starts off trying to reassure him; reassure Thomas about Newt facing his own death.

I want you to know I’m not scared.

Then there were the names; the people Newt determinedly refused to forget. The people he carried with him every single day.

Alby. Winston. Chuck.

He can’t help but give a weak laugh at Newt’s quip about missing Frypan’s stew. An emotional feeling rose as he spoke about first meeting Thomas and what it meant to him.

I knew I would follow you anywhere.

Licking his lips, the salty taste of tears barely registering his mind, Thomas forced himself through the rest of the letter. Newt’s words grow more sentimental, more reassuring, more Newt.

You deserve to be happy.

As he came to the end of Newt’s final goodbye Thomas uselessly blinked back a steady stream of tears, sniffling as he tried to reign in the uproar of emotions suffocating him. He wiped his eyes with the sleeve of his jacket and with careful movements he slowly folded and rolled the letter back up, tucking it away safely before putting the necklace on. He wanted to go lay down. Wanted to burrow back in the blankets that he woke up in that morning and ignore everything else. Wanted to live in that peaceful moment between being awake and having nightmares; where nothing could touch him, nothing could hurt him.But he didn’t do any of that. No. Thomas wiped his face one last time and pushed himself to a stand. He forced back all the dark emotions coiling painfully in his chest and went to join the others around the fire. He clapped Vince on the shoulder as he passed the man, getting a grin in return, and caught Jorge’s reaching hand and squeezing it once tightly. He got nearer to Brenda and let her wrap him up in a tight hug— the one she didn’t get when he first woke up— and even gave Gally a quick hug, patting his back softly. Thomas took a seat just in front of where Minho and Frypan were sitting and tried to immerse himself in all of it. He listened on as they all started sharing stories, the flames from the fire illuminating them all with a warm glow, and he was faintly aware of himself talking back. Through it all Thomas felt like his brain was slowly being wrapped up in a heavy fog. Like his brain had decided enough was enough, reached over for a weighted blanket and pulled the thing over itself completely. He waited until enough people called it a night and finally— finally— got up to do the same, calling out goodnights to everyone who offered them. He walked with carefully paced steps back to his hut— the medical area— and pushed the fabric acting as a door aside. Thomas crawled his way into bed, not bothering to remove his jacket or even his shoes, and pressed his face into his pillow. He thought this would be the moment where he would finally let himself cry. Where he would break down and feel all the emotions he had been pushing back since he realised where he was and that he was alive. Where he would just let it all out. But he didn’t. No. Thomas just layed there, the sound of waves faint in the distance, while a numbness seemed to spread all through him; starting in his chest and then seeping down to his fingers and toes.Maybe this was the better option though.  “How do you think he’s doing?”Minho glanced over at Brenda when she spoke, her eyes wide and concerned as they flickered over to the medical building.They were coming up on month three of life at Safe Haven— about a little over a month since Thomas first woke up— and everything so far was going as planned. The gardens have been moved over to a nice area where they would stay from here on out unless a good reason came along to move them, as were the pens where their livestock lived; both were playfully deemed ‘the farm’ by some of the more humorous kids. Vince had them start bringing more supplies from the ship now that they had some secure buildings to store them in but it was slow work considering the size of some things and the length of time it took to get them from boat to shore since they didn’t have a dock.The other day they talked about getting ready for some exploration; sending some teams of a few people to explore the land a bit more. They were to look out for some wildlife and any food or materials that could be helpful but the main goal was to find an unlimited source of clean water. The ways they had to clean the ocean water were taking too long, especially if something went wrong unexpectedly, and it had yet to rain— though they had a set area of buckets ready for just that occasion. The Right Arm, back in all its glory, had gotten their hands on a rather large supply of fresh water courtesy of WCKD resources but it would only last them about four months.Minho glanced over at the medical building himself. “Physically, he’s getting there. I know his wound still bothers him a lot, some of the more trained medics around here said it might be another two or three months before he’s ready to do any heavy work.”Thomas was still living in the same space they first put him and they have expanded on it a lot more. No longer a single room where Thomas got some rest, it was now a long building with some makeshift dividers made for the main room and rows of bed— made by them— on each side. In the future Thomas’ room would probably be switched to an office of maybe more storage but for now no one wanted to rush him out. It went without saying he couldn’t sleep in the hammocks and others wanted him closer to the medical supplies in case something happened.“What about emotionally?” Brenda asked quietly.Minho sighed and looked over at her. The two of them were sitting in the sleeping area, having come to take a break in the shade since the sun was a killer today, and they were some of the few there. The majority made great use out of the ocean right at their front door while the more productive people were fishing. “I don’t know, Brenda,” he said eventually, rubbing his hands together absently. “He’s struggling. I know he misses Newt and… her, but he hasn’t been ready to face it.”Teresa was a sore spot, especially for Minho. God knew he was ready to haul her up into the berg that night they left the Last City but that didn’t mean he forgave the girl or could even comprehend why she did what she did. That didn’t mean he wanted her dead though— had she made it here he probably would have avoided her like the plague until the wounds scabbed over and he definitely wouldn’t have ever trusted her in any regard.Thomas was different though. The two of them shared some kind of bond and Minho was never sure if it was a relationship by any means— didn’t think Thomas was in any kind of state of mind to really unravel all of that with the constant running they were all doing in the beginning of everything; from the maze to the scorch— but he knew Thomas loved her to some degree. Then there was Newt which was a whole other story. Minho had been given the lo-down on Newt and Thomas from Frypan about a week after they got to their Safe Haven. Their whole relationship that is; which honestly wasn’t a surprise to him.Newt had always been extra protective over Thomas back when he was a greenie. Always defending him, sometimes even against Alby, and sticking close to him. Minho was sure the Teresa of it all held him back a lot— knew Newt hated the girl for a lot of different reasons— but even without her he didn’t see the two of them getting together any faster than they did. The months they spent finding a way to save him from WCKD were months they weren’t necessarily running. Those were months where they were more in control which meant Thomas had some breathing room; not that he used all of that time wisely considering his plans to storm the Last City but Minho appreciated the choice. So, no, Minho hadn't been surprised to hear they started— maybe dating wasn’t the best word in these times but it was something real— what they started when they did. Newt was probably the only one Thomas would listen to when he was getting worked up. Probably the only person who could get the stubborn boy to rest when he needed it. One of the few people Thomas would actually trust to let take care of him at his lowest.Which just made everything that happened all that much harder. Losing two people that important to him, in such a drastically short time, witnessing their final moments himself…“He has a reason to be down,” Minho said absently, more to himself than anything. “Yeah we made it here but that doesn’t erase all the bad.”Thomas, after the initial day he first woke up and toured the camp and joined their celebration, had since slid into a depression. It was not something unfamiliar to Minho— or Frypan or Gally— as Newt had been the same way after his fall. Jump.They just had to wait it out. Let Thomas come to terms with dealing with what he was feeling and help him with that. No one was going to rush him and there was no one on camp who felt at all bitter about the fact that Thomas wasn’t out building and being productive. It was a kind of universal truth that none of them would even be here now if it weren’t for Thomas; something Vince himself was firm on and as the guy in charge everyone trusted him on that.It was something Minho knew Vince told Thomas himself, just a few days ago. The man had sat down with the boy for a while and caught him up on a few things he missed. It was one of the few times Thomas actually decided to talk to anyone and it had only been to tell Vince he didn’t want to have any kind of leading role around here— didn’t want to acknowledge what it was that was announced in the Last City before it went to hell.Vince had readily agreed. He had promised Thomas that he didn’t have to be any more involved than he wanted to be and when he was healed up that he could take his time finding out what he wanted to do next. If that turned out to be just to take things easy for the next few years Vince would support that— ‘Safe Haven wouldn’t have happened without you, Thomas.’Minho could tell Thomas hadn’t agreed with that in the slightest but Thomas never did look at himself in the best light. Forever choosing to focus on his faults and flaws (real and imagined by him) rather than all the good others could see.“He hasn’t even looked at the names…”When Brenda spoke again Minho glanced over at her but she was looking out towards the beach. He knew what she was talking about of course, didn’t need to look to see, Brenda meant the rock Vince put out for them all. A rock that bore the names of so many loved ones that each of them had lost. Thomas hadn’t gone near the thing, not that he came out of the medical building much at all, but most of the names he would want to add were up there already. If he ever decided to put a name Minho knew which it would be and he wouldn’t say anything against her name being up there. Not if it helped Thomas make his peace.“I feel like we should talk to him more,” Brenda went on, looking back at him imploringly. “Let him know we’re here; tell him what’s going on.”“He knows,” Minho assured her. When it became clear she didn’t think that was enough he said, “baby steps. We’ll give him another week or so and then start with baby steps.”“Like what?”“... like instead of us bringing the food over to him we’ll have him come eat in the dining area. Even if it's after everyone else is finished,” Minho decided, nodding to himself as he pondered it over.He thought back to the speech Newt had given to countless greenies about life on the glade. “That's one of the reasons we run this place all nice and busylike. You get lazy, you get sad. Start givin' up. Plain and simple.” They couldn’t really keep Thomas busy like they did with the boys in the glade. Mainly because he was still healing; he’d hurt himself before he’d help himself and that was the last thing they wanted. But Newt was right, and he would have known better than anyone, so if they couldn’t keep Thomas busy with grunt work then they’d keep him busy with other things. Little things like meal times and maybe easy tasks here and there.So that was the plan as they moved forward; as they pressed on into the start of the third month of their new life at Safe Haven. It wasn’t completely smooth sailing by any means, Thomas not outright resistant but detached and unenthusiastic about whatever it was he was doing. He came to eat breakfast, usually after the main crowds had left, and once he was done he went back to his bed. They hadn’t quite made the leap to giving him lesser tasks because most of them were just pleased to see him out and about and they didn’t want to set him back.  It was enough to appease Brenda though; and the others that weren’t verbal about their worries but obviously concerned too. They got the bathrooms all set up, obviously a high priority, but it wouldn’t be as efficient as others they’ve had in the past quite yet but again it was being worked on. Things like showers though would be put on a back burner as they focused on more high needed things; most people were fine with this, stating that with the ocean nearby they’ve been washing up there. It wasn’t an indefinite plan but the discussions they’ve had about it so far were a bit more long term.Energy was another high ranking priority. Of the things the Right Arm had gathered in preparation for coming here one of them was a grid of large solar panels which were all in excellent condition. There was already a plan to set them up over in the empty area by the medical building and then eventually they’d hook up the right equipment and such to get the needed items power. Lights weren’t completely high on that list but it was kept in mind; things like the refrigeration and the higher-tech medical equipment were first in line though.Then there was the kitchen stuff. While they already had that mostly down pat they were getting a more decided schedule set up with everyone picking specific roles. In terms of the kitchen they wanted to know who would want to do the cooking and who would simply want to help prep for meal times and clean up afterwards.Frypan obviously jumped on the first option.“Really, where else would I be most useful?” Minho grinned in amusement as he slowly walked around the space Frypan would be calling home for the foreseeable future; at least when it came to work. The kitchen was still being fixed up, walls being added and proper storage being built for everything that would be kept there, considering the importance of food it wasn’t something they wanted to do half-ass. As of now it was a strong base further back into the area they had recently opened up but just off to the centre of it; the dining hall would be in the true centre since it was a space everyone would gather at together.As he passed by a window he eyed the trio of seashells resting along them. He pointed at them as he glanced over at Frypan. “These yours?”He got a sunny smile back. “Yes! I found the first one our first day here and when a month went by I went and found another and then—”“A third,” Minho finished, understanding the objective. The boy was keeping track of the months they’ve had here but in a more sentimental way than the calendars that some of the adults were already working on. There was a large board being put up in the dining hall— already there even if the place wasn’t finished yet— and Vince planned to use it to put up notices. Events that they would mark publicly; big bonfires, fun activity days, birthdays for those who remembered and wanted to keep track— or come up with their own if they couldn't remember when exactly they were born.Since some of the adults here were WCKD people who had turned when the company went bad, and the Right Arm had gotten access to a lot of WCKD information, quite a few of those who got the swipe got to find out their birthdays. Unfortunately things like their real names and histories were apparently not seen as a priority to the awful company.“Minho,” Vince called and he spun around to see the blonde haired man climbing the two steps that led onto the kitchen base. “There you are.”“What’s up, Vince?” Minho asked, moving away from the window. “Need help with anything?”Vince nodded slowly. “Sort of,” he said, which had Minho and Frypan sharing a confused and amused glance. “A couple of people brought up starting on living arrangements.” Well that wasn’t exactly a surprise. Minho was sure having a private area to live— or at least a secure place with actual walls— was something most people were looking forward to. A sense of stability after years of not having it, living nomad lives and sleeping in hammocks or cots that were quickly set up wherever.“Okay,” Minho said slowly, not sure what that had to do with him. “You want me to help build them?”“We could use the extra hands,” Vince said as he waved an absent hand behind him. “Gally seems to be ready to take a big part in it.”Frypan laughed. “Yeah, he was the leader of our builders in the glade.”It was with a small amused smile that Vince said,” so I’ve heard.” He moved to sit down at one of the counters in the kitchen, Minho and Frypan simply leaning on the other side. “The plan is everyone’s going to have roommates; at the moment we’re just not in a place for everyone to get their own place.”“Perfectly understandable,” Minho said firmly. As much as it might be nice to dream about a place completely your own, everyone else understood very well that they were just starting to build their lives here. The lives they’ve led since the world went to hell didn’t shape them into greedy people.“Yeah, everyone’s on the same page with that,” Vince agreed with a proud smile. “We’re thinking of doing homes in twos and threes. Maybe four if there are some people who would rather do that but that might be a bit tight so it has to be their choice. I’m thinking after the first set of homes we’ll do a larger building that will have multiple living quarters inside the one building so it’ll be more of a horizontal apartment-ish place.”That sounded like a great plan. There were plenty of people who instinctively bunched up together and as for the places for four people— well if they were willing to bunch together as four then Minho imagined they wouldn’t be put out about being so tightly homed together either. Plus having an apartment styled building would allow them to build places for people in one big go.Still, Minho couldn't help but frown. “So, what exactly do you need my help with aside from building?” he asked since he could tell earlier that Vince hadn’t been talking entirely about building the things.“It’s about Thomas,” Vince told him quietly. “I will absolutely go talk to him about his preferences but I wanted yours as well since… well since he’s been struggling lately.”It was an expression of concern that Minho was admittedly relieved to see. Vince was their leader after all, a man with so many responsibilities and expectations on his shoulders that he couldn’t have been blamed entirely for putting Thomas on someone else's plate. But he didn’t and Minho wondered if it was out of the respect he knew the man had for Thomas or if it was due to Mary’s feelings about Thomas and his role in the Right Arm— wanting to honour her memory by looking after the kid she held to such high regard— or perhaps some combination of them.They always knew Thomas’s stay in the medical building would be momentary and had planned to move him somewhere new eventually but who with hadn’t been discussed.“He’ll stay with me,” Minho said firmly, unwilling to hear anything else about it. “It will be just the two of us.”While a part of him considered rooming with the four gladers who were left remaining, he also knew Thomas of all people deserved a semblance of privacy more than he had before. Frypan and Gally weren’t nosey guys in the slightest, and cared a lot about Thomas too, but something in Minho said to keep the living arrangements to just them. He could feel Frypan and Vince both watching him carefully before, finally, the older man nodded once seriously. “Alright, I think that’s one of the first ones we’ll build since Thomas should be healed up enough to move out of the medical building. Maybe a change in scenery will help him.”“Here’s hoping,” Minho said quietly.  It was now the fourth month of life at Safe Haven and honestly if it wasn’t being outright told to him, Thomas probably wouldn’t have even known. It was like time had slowed to one long endless loop where days were irrelevant and all he had the energy to do was lay down and let everything just pass him by. The feeling was something he couldn’t shake and didn’t care enough to really try. The last couple weeks the others had him going to eat in the dining hall and it was yet another pastime that Thomas let wash over him without a thought. Sometimes the others would join him, Brenda and Jorge, Minho or Gally, Frypan always. It seemed his aspiring chef-of-a-friend had taken Thomas’ meals as his own personal task and Thomas felt like he should be more grateful for it. He didn’t mind the days where it was just him and Frypan, listening to the other boy happily patter on about what he was cooking that day or week. Today would bring a change though as Minho came into the room he slept in and tapped his feet with a firm hand. “Up and at’em, Thomas.” The boy said in a cheery voice as he started grabbing a few of Thomas’ things around the room. It was something that had his brows pulling downward into a furrow but Minho explained what was happening just as quick as he arrived. “It's moving day.” Thomas raised a brow but it was such a minute motion that he wasn't sure if Minho would catch it. He did in the end and said, “a few of the new homes have been finished so you and I can move in now. I already set it up.”The explanation had the vague memory of Vince telling Thomas about living arrangements resurfacing in his mind and he remembered mindlessly agreeing to whatever the man said just so he could be done with the conversation. He was rooming with Minho. It was a bit of a relief really, of all the people around him Minho was one of the few he didn’t feel the need to put up such a front with. Not that he tried as much now but even when things were better— worse in the grand scheme but at least he hadn’t lost everything he lost now— Minho was still someone Thomas could be honest with. Be real with. Minho pulled back his blanket, Thomas’ few clothes sitting in a bag, and the boy quickly rolled the thing up and shoved it into the bag too. “Grab your pillow,” he ordered with a point, already circling to make sure he had everything. Which he did, it was not like Thomas was gathering many things by simply laying in bed all day; the only thing of any significance was currently dangling around his neck.He knew enough by now to know arguing with Minho was a pointless endeavour. With that in mind he slowly pushed himself up, dragging his pillow towards himself with a lethargic hand as he curled an arm around it and pulled it to his side.His actions got him a faint grin from Minho and the boy jerked his chin upward. “Come on, it’s not too far from here.”Thomas slowly followed him out, honestly the faster he did what Minho wanted the faster he could lay back in bed. He trailed after him out of the small room that was now a part of a much bigger building that would be their medical building. They left through a door on the far end that faced the mountains and as he stepped outside Thomas couldn’t help but squint against the bright sun. It wasn’t as bad an experience as it had been a few weeks back when they first dragged him to the dining area— first the tent then the official dining hall— but still annoying at times. When the dining hall had been set up it was a good distance away from the medical building so it was always a long walk for Thomas, there and back, but the medics around here seemed to be all for the exercise and sunlight.His eyes drowsily glanced across camp— or their Safe Haven rather. The tents were still set up, and though he couldn’t tell Thomas knew the main tent would have fewer hammocks and cots now that some homes have been built, and as they walked forward past them Thomas’ eyes darted around the large open space that had been cleared out over the past couple months. He could see a couple of square— at times rectangular— shaped buildings that would clearly be the new homes. There were three finished on the right side of the main area but he could see the bases of the next few and could tell it would be a row of three in that specific area; each of them had about a twelve foot gap between them give or take. A quick glance to the opposite side of the open area let Thomas see three other finished houses followed by three more beginning bases which would make twelve so far. The houses seemed to be framing the edges of the main centre of their would-be-town and Thomas wondered how they would add the next set of homes.The dining hall was mostly finished and it stood in the centre, currently the furthest back area but Thomas imagined some buildings would be added behind it when the need came. The kitchen was already a bit behind it though more to the left of it with a couple of storage sheds nearby that he couldn't see but knew were there. The ‘farm’ as some people liked to call it had been officially moved from the spot it was in when Thomas first woke up to an area behind where the left row of houses would be, far enough that the animals wouldn't be a noise issue and that they’d have room to expand. As Minho led them across the open space that had yet to have structures built around it he was able to see the small building attached to the animal pen so what livestock they had could get some shade if needed.“We got these places going,” Minho told him with a glance back as he waved between each row of houses before pointing over towards the barn. “But the people who are already set on working in the farm area and kitchen asked for similar rows to be built back there so they’re closer to where they’ll be working. We’re thinking they’ll be just behind the kitchen and farm storage buildings.”His words would have been pure mush about a month ago but as Thomas looked around the camp he could see what he was talking about. The future plans that they were all working so hard at clear in his mind as he observed the open space all around him.Minho led them to the last house on the left of the left row of buildings— closest to the ocean though not close at all as it was a good five hundred feet away and had a tall group of trees blocking the actual view of the sea— and he waved grandly to it. “This is us.”It didn’t look like much but in comparison to some of the places they slept before it was rather grand. There were two little steps that led up to a small two-by-two foot area that stood in front of the door. Unlike the first hut Thomas was in, this place did have a door, a simple one made out of a few planks sealed together with a looped string that looked to be acting as a doorknob, and it was partially open. The roof looked sturdy and it reminded Thomas of the tops of the few buildings they had in the glade. The walls themselves looked great too considering how fast they were built, no gaps that would let in any rain or cold drafts and when they stepped inside it had visible shutters which would likely be their windows if they felt the desire to open them. (glassless obviously)The inside was much the same. The wood was all similar only varying faintly in colour. A variety of dark to light browns and a couple things in grey. There were two beds; one in the far left corner and one in the far right corner, and each one had a small end table. On the wall on the opposite end of the beds, framing the door, were two shelves which would definitely hold their clothes and whatever else they might want to use them for. The entire place was about ten-by-ten feet and while it wasn’t a large space, made even more obvious by what little furniture they had taking up the room, it was more than enough. A simple space that was only Thomas and Minho’s and shielded them from whatever prying eyes or unpleasant weather they may have to deal with.“Pick whichever one you want,” Minho told him then after a beat he added. “As long as it’s not the right one.”If Thomas weren’t so tired he might have laughed at that, now though all he let out was a silent huff of amusement and crossed to the left bed. He dropped his pillow at the head of the bed, where it now accompanied a pillow already waiting, and didn’t waste time curling up on the thing. It was just the same as the one he had just left, though much colder since he hadn’t been laying in this one all day.His relaxing time wouldn’t last long; he had skipped breakfast this morning which meant Minho— or Brenda or Frypan— would be extra insistent about him going to lunch.But that didn’t mean he couldn’t enjoy it while it lasted. So Thomas laid in bed, listening with half an ear as Minho puttered about their place, first throwing the blanket Thomas had used in the medical building over him before putting away the rest of his things on the shelf on Thomas’s side of the room. Thomas reached out to snag the top edge of the blanket with one hand and curled it around himself. His eyes were half mast and as he glanced towards Minho he could see the boy hooking the loop of string on the inside of the hut around a small knob on the inside, essentially locking the door.  When Minho saw him watching he grinned and wiggled his fingers towards it and Thomas couldn’t help but smile tiredly.And with that Thomas’s life of living with Minho began.It was not much of a change in the grand scheme of things. Thomas got up for breakfast— if he felt like it that day— lunch and then dinner. Minho would be gone for a lot of the day, was actually a pretty early riser rather consistently, but he would drop by periodically. Sometimes the others would come by too; Brenda, Jorge, Frypan, Gally, Aris, even Vince, Sonya or Harriet at times. Thomas never engaged much in conversation but they all seemed happy to talk to him either way. He slept a good chunk of time too which he preferred; especially over the times he couldn’t sleep.Which was what brought on the next bit of change in his life a mere three days after he and Minho started living together.The times Thomas couldn’t sleep were probably the worst. Sometimes it was during the day, other times during the night, but he would lay there consumed with thoughts. Consumed with every what-if and replaying all the memories he would rather forget about. He tried desperately to make himself sleep but it was like his brain oscillated between a heavy fog and sleep to a painful awareness of everything in his life.It was one of those nights that he became aware of a murmuring nearby. The sound wasn’t exactly words but the emotion in them sounded afraid and it was enough to have Thomas lifting his head to look around. At once he saw Minho’s legs restlessly kicking around, his blankets almost completely falling off the edge of his bed, and what little light that came in through Minho’s open window— the boy said he loved the nighttime breeze— he could see his face twisted into a painful expression.“Minho,” Thomas murmured across the room, a frown growing on his face. When he didn’t get an answer, only more distressed noises that were slowly growing in sound, Thomas slowly pushed himself into a sitting position. “Minho,” he called a bit louder but he still wasn’t heard. He pushed his legs out from under his blanket until his feet touched the cold wooden floor and Thomas stood up. He cautiously crossed to Minho’s bed, his friend still kicking about, and when he got close enough he reached out to touch his shoulder.Minho awoke with a sharp gasp, sitting up a bit while his arms raised instinctively, and Thomas quickly said. “It’s me!” He wasn’t sure if he was heard, or even understood, as Minho simply stared at him with wide eyes as he panted for breath. Eventually Thomas could see awareness seep in and Minho lowered his arms and dropped back down completely onto his bed. They both were suspended in silence after that, Thomas still standing with his hands reaching out while Minho stared up at the ceiling, but Thomas couldn’t help but speak.“You been having nightmares this whole time?” He asked softly, his voice a little hoarse as he lowered his hands, a sense of guilt and shame building up in him at not noticing this before.Minho sighed and scrubbed his hands over his face. “Not every night,” he refuted slowly but his voice trailed off. “Sometimes it gets too quiet. It’s great being here, I swear, but it just gets so quiet. The nights where the wind is soft and the water is calm are the worst; it’s usually then that the dreams get bad…”Suddenly Minho’s need to keep the windows open all the time made a lot more sense. Maybe it was why he chose this specific house too, so he was as close to the crashing waves of the ocean as he could get. Thomas watched his friend closely, seeing the way his hands were still trembling, and he ducked down to grab the blanket that was on the ground and laid it over him. Minho pulled the thing up more around him but didn’t say anything else.Thomas decided to do what he did best, go off of his instincts. “Budge over a bit,” he said to Minho, not waiting for a reply, or a followed order, as he perched himself near the top of the boy's bed. He curled up on leg on the bed, his thigh pressed against the length of Minho’s arm, and relaxed against the wall. “You know when we first made the decision to storm the Last City Vince told us we needed to train how to use actual weapons properly,” Thomas said seemingly out of nowhere. “He said our sticks and bows wouldn’t be helpful against lightning and he saw us holding the guns; apparently we looked awkward as hell.” He could feel Minho looking up at him, could imagine the confused frown on his face at why Thomas was saying this— or the shocked expression at Thomas speaking so much at all— but he didn’t pay it any mind. Instead he kept talking, his voice slightly hoarse since he wasn’t in the habit of actually speaking lately. “So he set up a training thing for us, practicing firing rounds and all that, and let me tell you Fry is not meant to be holding a gun. There’s a good reason we had him where we had him in the Last City.”He could feel Minho slowly relaxing at his side as he continued talking— either catching on to what Thomas was doing or taking the opportunity for what it was— and it didn’t take long for the older boy to fall back asleep. Despite being certain he was deeply asleep Thomas kept talking, telling stories that he would probably retell again whenever the nights grew too quiet.Despite that bit of motivation Thomas’s days didn’t magically change overnight. When it got late enough that he actually felt tired, the sun yet to come up but the sky slowly brightening and the morning birds starting to make noises, he pulled Minho’s blanket up over him one last time before crossing to his own bed. He wrapped his own blanket over himself as he curled up to fall asleep and didn’t wake up until Minho came to get him for lunch.Minho never mentioned it and Thomas was fine with that; it was a very them thing to do actually.Proven four nights later when Thomas was shaken awake by a hand on his shoulder and he darted upright with a heavy flinch. Minho’s touch grew gentle at that, his hands curling around his shoulders and thumbs moving soothingly back and forth, and Thomas was pulled from the remnants of his nightmare by the sound of his familiar voice.“Budge over,” Minho said much like Thomas had the other night and didn’t wait for him to actually do it. He made himself as comfortable as Thomas had the other night and kept one hand curled around Thomas’ right shoulder as he laid back down, his thumb still moving mindlessly.“Did we ever tell you about the start of glader slang?” Minho asked and he didn’t wait for Thomas to tell him ‘no’. “Alby wasn’t for it at all when it started. See, the first one was natural; ‘slim it’. I can’t remember who said it first but it was an easy one to catch onto.” Minho waved his other hand about as he spoke, always one for flair when the opportunity offered it. “But then all those other shuckfaces decided we needed more. So for a good three weeks the glade was filled with people suggesting the dumbest words and phrases.”Thomas let the easy murmur of Minho’s voice wash over him, the comforting feeling of it only strengthened by the stroking of a thumb on his shoulder, and it didn’t take long for him to fall back asleep. His dreams that night were filled with visions of the glade, happy ones, the brief moments he got before everything went to hell and got so much more complicated. He couldn’t remember where Minho’s story had left off, dropped between awake and asleep so fast he couldn’t pinpoint it, but Thomas knew he’d hear them again at some point anyways.Despite being a recluse for the most part Thomas still knew a lot about what was going on. Mostly second-hand but still. He knew that a while back, during the end of their second month of Safe Haven, a team had been sent out to further explore the island. Their main goal was to hopefully find a waterfall or large lake of some kind and they succeeded with the latter just a couple of miles away a few days ago. The new goal had since been changed to finding a way to make that water more accessible to them. They weren’t short on water— though they had come up near the end of their reservoirs a couple weeks back— because it had rained a good few days, halting any building during that time. It filled up the buckets they had prepared ahead of time and they had opened all the reservoirs they had too which helped fill them up a good amount.He also knew that while the majority of the housing had yet to be finished there was still a planned idea of who would room with who. Frypan and Gally had been quick to say they wanted to room with each other; Minho had told him the two had actually been decently close on the glade, not as close as some but they got along well. Then there was Sonya and Harriet, which was no surprise really, what was a surprise though was they would also room with Brenda. Thomas hadn’t expected her to room with Jorge by any means, understanding that perhaps she would want some more independence, but he didn’t think she’d room with them. She had told him that she liked the idea of rooming with girls as most of her life was spent around men, Jorge and those he trusted who hovered due to the dangerous lives they lived. It helped that she got along great with Sonya and Harriet, the girls not at all put off by her at-times abrasive nature. So the three were taking one of the mildly bigger three person homes.Jorge would be rooming with an older man who was slowly becoming in charge of teaching various things to anyone who wanted to learn. Thomas hadn’t spoken with him directly but he had been told by more than one person that he was a nice guy and a bit of a ‘jack-of-all-trades’ type.The kitchen and dining hall were officially finished and Thomas learned that directly himself rather than indirectly through conversations with the others. While he often ate in the dining hall— after most had left, which took a while since meals staggered mildly due to the amount of people here, usually it took about two hours for everyone to eat (less on the days people took their meals to go)— Thomas’ favourite place to eat was the kitchen. Which was what he was doing today; sitting on one of the stools at a counter while Frypan happily chatted away as he got to work on prepping for a specific meal they were having tomorrow. It was only lunch now but Thomas knew the cooks around here always preferred being prepared for anything so whatever they could make ahead of time they would.Thomas was idly looking around the kitchen and he spotted a row of four seashells on a nearby window sill. They were pretty, each one varying in shape, size and colour. He glanced over at Frypan and before he could think better of it he asked. “Do you ever still miss the glade?”He vividly remembered the day Frypan had uttered those words. They had been cooped up in some hellish area, chased by Cranks and hiding from WCKD, when he had brokenly murmured them to their small group of friends.Frypan looked over at him, it wasn’t often Thomas decided to talk to him but not rare by any means either, and he visibly pondered over it, clearly putting a lot of consideration in his answer which Thomas appreciated. “While we were in the Scorch; yes,” he said first off with a nod, absently chopping away at some vegetables. “We had it good in the glade— I mean, it was horrible of course, we were trapped and people were dying, but we had a lot handed to us too.” He glanced over at Thomas with a chagrined look. “Food every week, supplies to live on, shelter; it was all stuff we never had to work for really. A sort of guarantee until the end… It was something I never saw until we were in the Scorch and suddenly we were struggling for enough for one of us, not to mention all of us.”Yeah, he wasn’t wrong. Thomas wouldn’t exactly say he understood exactly, just because his stay in the glade wasn’t long enough for him to grow comfortable with it by any means, but he could see what Frypan was saying. The Scorch was an eye opener none of them were prepared for; a reality that many were forced to live through every single day.“But here,” Frypan said significantly and Thomas’s eyes darted back to him. “Here I don’t miss it. This life here is worlds better than the one we had.” When Thomas didn’t look all too swayed by his words he leaned closer and softly said. “The thing I miss most of all is the people— not the place.”That made more sense. Thomas swallowed and nodded slowly as he thought of just how many people Frypan had lost. A whole community of boys his age who were all wiped out in a matter of days before he was thrown into everything they had been involved in. Not just him but Minho and Gally too. Harriet and Sonya and all those they lost from their maze as well.The lack of awareness and acknowledgment he had about what the people he cared about were going through was something that had been weighing a lot on him lately. It made him feel lacking in a lot of ways to see how well they were adjusting while he was struggling to simply wake up some days.Thomas didn’t stick around in the kitchen much longer after his conversation with Frypan and the next few days he ate in the dining hall by himself for the most part. It was just after lunch near the end of the fourth month that Brenda had taken him to go see the gardens before he went back to sleep. He had to admit they were quite the sight to see. What was once a simple twelve-by-four garden had since rapidly expanded in growth and variety of foods. Brenda had grown a fondness for gardening and it was one of the jobs she frequented the most around here— something Thomas had been aware of for a while now. The proud way she showcased it to him had him smiling lightly and he didn’t protest much when she led him over to the pens where the animals were all kept, happily telling him how they planned to expand the barn area eventually since they were getting more animals— mostly chickens, the other animals would take longer.He wondered if it was that willingness to venture somewhere other than the kitchen or dining hall that spurred Minho’s next project.“Get up!”Thomas squinted as his blanket was suddenly tugged down until his face was bared to the world. The light from outside was beaming in but given the orange and pink hues he could see it meant the sun was still in the midst of rising. Still he slowly lifted a hand to shield his face as he glanced over at Minho. The older boy was standing at the edge of his bed with a smirk on his face and his hands on his hips. When Thomas made to cover up again he was quick to stop him. “No no no, we got a goal today, Thomas.”“... what?”“We’re going running,” Minho said firmly, that annoying smirk still on his face.Thomas blinked at him then said. “No…”Minho’s face grew determined and it filled Thomas with dread. “Yes,” he said. “I’ve been doing it since we got here and now you’re going to run with me.”Why Minho would want to voluntarily run for the sake of running was beyond Thomas. It did fill in the missing blank of where he went before the sun officially rose since everything was quiet enough outside that Thomas knew he wasn’t building anything and that most people were still asleep too.“Why would you want to do that?” Thomas eventually asked as Minho remained undeterred by his silence.“Because we can,” Minho retorted pointedly. “So get your ass up, Thomas. We’re going running. Not because we need to escape. Not because we need to get anywhere. Not because we’ll die if we don’t. We’re doing it just so we can enjoy the feeling of running.”And that brought the next change in Thomas’s routine. Now, every morning at sunrise, he had to go running. (Why was he friends with Minho?) He was a lot more reluctant at first but Minho was thankfully merciful enough not to take him on the older boy's usual run of six miles. Still Thomas knew the distance would increase and the first few days he would come back home to go straight to bed but the extra adrenaline had him too keyed up to fall back asleep.It was about a week after Minho’s terrible idea that Sonya came to spend some time with him. She perched herself on Minho’s bed and criss-crossed her legs as she spoke with him; just as she always did when she came by. What each person did varied; Vince, Jorge and Gally all stood. Sonya, Harriet and Frypan made use of Minho’s bed. Brenda would alternate between plopping herself at the foot of Thomas’ bed or on the floor next to his head. While Aris would sit on one of the shelves, depending if he was invested in being seen as he spoke with Thomas.They were around midway between breakfast and lunch, closer to lunch really, and Sonya had a free day— something Vince was determined to keep a thing for everyone here, not wanting life to be a constant work work work. Mind you most people wound up helping out somewhere in some way during those days, even if it was only for a short while.When Sonya came by she would talk about a variety of things; sometimes she’d talk about the girls’ maze, sometimes she’d talk about what happened at WCKD, sometimes it would be about the time between the Right Arm rescuing them and WCKD finding them again. It was interesting enough for Thomas though he knew he missed stuff here and there if he dozed off.“You know it’s perfectly understandable what you’re going through now,” Sonya said to him apropos of nothing. It had Thomas glancing towards her from where he had been staring vacantly at a small swirl on a spot of the ceiling. When he frowned she carried on. “You’ve been through a lot.”“Everyone’s been going through things— have been through a lot” Thomas countered quietly, unwilling to accept whatever reassurance she was trying to give him.Sonya frowned in a stubbornly familiar way— why exactly he couldn’t say— but she remained determined regardless. “From everything I’ve heard the second you woke up— after the Swipe— you’ve been constantly going. Unconsciously and unceremoniously put in a position of leadership and responsibility by not only the people younger than you but people older than you too,” she said it all like an irrefutable fact, like she had found out everything she could and had come to a conclusion that wouldn't be swayed. “It’s a lot for a kid to deal with— especially one as lost as we can be after first waking up— and when you finally got to stop… Well, you stopped.” She leaned forward now, arms on her knees and her warm brown eyes fierce, and told him in no uncertain terms. “It’s completely understandable what you’re going through now.”They were surprisingly comforting words, as much as Thomas was reluctant to believe it. He found he couldn’t offer a verbal rebuttal in the face of it but it seemed Sonya didn’t need one either— likely wouldn’t hear one.“You know when I was recaptured by WCKD they did something that reversed my Swipe,” she told him quietly. It was something that made Thomas’s brows raise, actually surprised to hear that; he hadn’t realised the Swipe could be reversed. “Yeah, it shocked me too,” she said with a soft laugh. Sonya glanced towards the door, going quiet for a few seconds before she said. “I only told Harriet about it. The whole thing felt like a bit of a gift and a curse.”Thomas could imagine. Getting their memories back was a dream for pretty much every kid who got the swipe but at the same time, knowing the world they were now in, it was also likely to only lead to dark answers. The odds of any of their parents being alive was undeniably slim; either the solar flares got them in the initial damage, the Flare got them which was something most probably didn’t want to imagine given all the Cranks they’ve come across, or WCKD killed them when they took them for their experiments.“I remember my name used to be Elizabeth but my older brother used to call me Lizzy,” she said quietly, looking back at Thomas now. “I remember the day our parents died; WCKD soldiers had forced their way in to take me because of my immunity and my parents fought them until they were killed. My brother fought them too but instead of killing him they brought him with me which I didn’t understand at first because he hadn’t been immune.”He was probably one of the control subjects from what Thomas knew. Used to establish a baseline, something that remained unchanged and unaffected by other variables. “We looked so much alike,” Sonya whispered quietly, her words slow and careful but filled with love. “It was something I took a lot of pride in. I used to think anyone who would see us together would just know we were important to each other. That we were family.”Thomas, for perhaps the first time since first meeting Sonya, really took her in then. Her blonde hair which was currently tied up in one of her favoured braids. Her pert nose and the lines around her mouth that he knew would deepen with her smile. Her big brown eyes, deep in colour but always filled with warmth, and then— like a cog clicking into place— her faint accent registered.“... Newt,” Thomas whispered, a tight feeling growing in his throat at the realization. Surprisingly it wasn’t the familiar grief for the boy he loved that filled him but a grief for the two siblings who never got the chance to reunite. Not really. Missing Newt came in crashing waves that he doubted would ever go away completely but it was only now that he could see that the waves would subside slowly, would make way for other emotions. Now all Thomas could do was mourn the opportunities neither Newt or Sonya would ever get.Sonya smiled sadly. “I wasn’t sure if I should even say anything, all things considered…”“He would have wanted you to,” Thomas replied quietly with a pained smile. “He would raise hell to make sure his friends looked out for you and took care of you in any way they could; the overprotective ass that he was.”The words pulled a surprised laugh out of Sonya and despite their many similarities their laughs were very different. Sonya’s was light and bordered on a giggle as her nose scrunched up cutely. Newt’s had been throaty and at times wheezy if he was really worked up or they were low chuckles that he tried to muffle.He wondered if on some level Newt knew she was out there. If that was part of what caused his decline in mental health after arriving in the glade— aside from the other obvious reasons. If deep down his bond with his sister had been so strong that some part of him just knew she was taken from him and his grief just couldn’t comprehend living on without her.This whole conversation slowly spilled some warmth into Thomas’s chest, despite the heaviness of it all. The idea that some part of Newt— this part of him that Thomas knew he must have loved with all he had— survived all the bullshit they went through... It was probably something that would have brought him a lot of comfort and Thomas wondered— hoped— if wherever he was now, somehow, Newt knew.Sonya was living her life free of WCKD. She was living in this Safe Haven far from all things infected and dark. Living with two girls who she loved to spend her days with— one of whom she was in love with according to Brenda who was all too eager to talk about Sonya and Harriet’s not-all-that-secret relationship.Yeah... Newt would get a lot of peace knowing that.“Want to go see if lunch is ready?” Thomas asked.His question clearly surprised her but Sonya’s smile quickly grew delighted and she nodded her head eagerly.  To say things had taken a change around Safe Haven would be both true and untrue. Not much had changed in the way of what they did; which was build whatever they felt were priorities around their new home as well take some time off to simply enjoy their lives. (Bonfires and activity nights or simply relaxing.) What had changed was Thomas— slowly at first and then with a surprising amount of dedication.It started, perhaps, when Minho had forced him to start running with him in the mornings around two and a half months ago. Poor Thomas really as far as Brenda was concerned. That wasn’t to say he was completely back to his old self by any means but he had been more willing to wander around Safe Haven and talk with people here and there. None of them had looked the gift horse in the mouth and each of them had enthusiastically taken the opportunity to show him everything they were working on.Aris had taken him to what would be the centre of their ‘town square’ so to speak which was simply the large fireplace that was once by the memorial rock. It was now about twenty feet away from their dining hall, dug a bit lower into the ground with benches encircling it in an upward manner. They had also added a few extra buildings around there, between the main pathway that led straight down from the dining hall to the memorial rock then beach and the first two rows of houses they had finished. One was already being set up as their map house— to the left of the dining hall to be exact— where a large map of the island they were on was laid out and it would slowly be added to more and more until they had explored everything there was to offer. Another was added to the right of the dining hall, about halfway between that building and the medical building, and it was the official meeting house. It wasn’t often everyone went in there so it wasn’t overly large but it was used frequently for a wide variety of reasons. There were plans for another small building between the meeting house and dining hall that would simply be a sort of lounge area. That had been Minho’s idea, a simple place people could go to on rainy days that wasn’t their homes (since roommates had to be kept in mind) or the dining hall.The farm had also since been expanded; which was where Brenda had taken Thomas. The foundation for a larger barn for the animals had been added to the left side of the current building and the pen had already been expanded along with the gardens around the area. There was also a row of six houses being built behind the barn and storage buildings that were requested by the more farm inclined folks around here. To the right of that, also behind the dining hall, was the bathrooms; only eight for now but they had plans to add more.Honestly the amount of plans they had were endless really but it all just seemed to make people cheerier and more hopeful for the future.In regards to Thomas, another clear sign of him getting better was the fact that he actually went on some exploration trips. Simple field missions to see what was around them and possible expansion for a different town should the need to move arise for some reason in the far future. He seemed to like it a lot and Minho always went on those missions with him which Vince didn’t protest to.The plans today, half actual building and half planning out in the moment, were to assemble some showers like the guys apparently had in the glade. Brenda was actually impressed that a bunch of kids had been able to build such a thing on their own but she wasn’t going to poke at it too much, too excited for working showers. As of now everyone was washing up in the ocean but that had hardly been a long term solution, more of a willing compromise on everyone's part in order to make way for the more high priority things they needed to put together. Still if it ever got windy out and the waves got rough then Vince didn't want them going in the water and if it lasted days then they were out of options. Plus the salty water was just a killer on the hair which more than a few girls— and some more appearance concerned boys ( cough-Minho-cough)— had brought up to multiple people. So— showers.“It wasn’t an overly complicated set up,” Gally said to them, hands on his hips as his expressive-as-hell eyebrows furrowed. He was looking at a piece of paper with a floor plan scrawled on it that was pinned to one of the standing beams, a big frown on his face which wasn’t that odd of a sight.It was him, Brenda and Frypan— the boy on his off days from the kitchen— and a few other builders. They were standing on the base of their future shower building, a small foot off the ground, just enough to ensure it was leveled straight, and the four corners were up and standing about ten feet tall. The plan was for two shower rooms in each corner of the building, eight total, and a small bathroom between two of them from across the door. The only hitch came in Gally and Frypan unable to remember the starting setup for the whole thing which was apparently crucial.Frypan was pacing the floor as he frowned at the space. “Can’t we just get things started up to a certain point and then worry about the mechanics later?”Gally was already shaking his head. “No, I remember when we set this up there was something about the starting part that we screwed up and we ended up having to redo the whole thing. I’d rather get it right from the start.”Well, he wasn’t wrong there. Everyone was looking forward to having this setup— there was even talks of adding another shower building and bathroom later after a few more homes were built— and Brenda didn’t imagine they would be too pleased at constant setbacks. Not to say people were impatient but when it came to the little luxuries… well, people were eager.“I need Minho,” Gally said with a determined nod as he finally looked away from the plan. “He helped us set the thing up so maybe he’ll remember.”Frypan glanced over at him with a frown. “I think he and Thomas are asleep, they just got back from the last exploring mission this morning.”It was almost lunch now which meant the two have probably only been asleep for about two or three hours at most. The exploration trip didn’t always arrive at such an early hour, usually getting back around supper time after starting their trek back to Safe Haven early in the morning, but depending on the people they would travel back at night. There were a few of the older people around here who were very skilled at celestial navigation— traveling using the stars— and a surprising amount of younger people had asked to be taught it.Thomas and Minho included.“I’ll go get him,” Brenda offered, well able to tell by Gally’s face that he wouldn't want to continue working until he had the issue figured out. Plus she wanted the showers to be finished sooner rather than later.Minho and Thomas’ place would be the closest house to the showers, the lucky assholes, with it a good fifty feet away from the base they made already. It wasn’t close enough for sound to be an issue in the slightest but was close enough that using them wouldn’t be a long walk— unlike Brenda’s were soon to be. When she reached their house she lightly hopped up the two steps and paused in front of the door as she noticed it was slightly ajar.Still Brenda knocked quietly as she pushed it open. “Minho?” She called out as she stepped into the house that was mostly dark due to the shutters being shut. As soon as the door swayed open it spilled some light across the place and first was Minho’s bed. Brenda frowned as she saw it was empty and even as her eyes flickered to where his shelving sat she instinctively said, “Minho?” Wondering if he was already up and a bit surprised about it.She glanced over at Thomas’ bed next, ready to ask where exactly Minho would be, and she saw him lifting his head with a frown. His face was obscured slightly due to the darkness of the room, the light from the door not reaching completely, but Brenda didn’t hesitate to tell him. “Sorry, I’m looking for Minho, Gally needs him.”That had his expression clearing a bit but he still looked tired, his hair a mess and his eyes barely open. He reached out to shake what Brenda had thought was his extra pillow or a blanket but was proven wrong when Thomas said, “Min, they need you,” before he promptly rolled over to go back to sleep.Brenda wasn’t sure what to say now as Minho sat up to look over his shoulder at her with a frown on his face. The tiredness in his face had her expression growing slightly sheepish and apologetic but the boy got up without further protest.“What exactly are you guys doing?” Minho asked when they stepped outside, rubbing at his face tiredly.Her explanation was not needed as they approached the shower base and Gally called out. “Minho, I need you to remember how we started off the showers on the glade.”It seemed to be magic words as Minho’s confusion cleared and he swiftly hopped on the base. Brenda listened on as the two started talking back and forth, Minho sounding more confident than Gally had when he poured over the plans, and it seemed to appease the stingy boy. From the jist of their conversation Brenda got that the way they set up the walls would either make or break the integrity of the water flow into the showers. If it wasn’t done a certain way it would either lead to a break in or out of the shower room or it would cause the wood to to rot more rapidly and the integrity of the building's whole structure would be at risk.Gally could be a pain in the ass sometimes but he was clearly right about wanting to do this all right from the start rather than just building and waiting to see.As Minho gestured at a few things, talking to some of the other builders too, Brenda simply waited to hear what she could help with next. Gally clapped Minho on the shoulder and said. “Thanks man, hated to wake you since you just got back but…”“No,” Minho said with a shake of his head. “Totally get it, this was a right pain to deal with in the glade.” He shot them each a cheeky tip of the hat— despite not having a hat— and proclaimed. “Now I’m going back to bed. Do not wake me again.”Frypan laughed outright at that while Gally rolled his eyes with a smile. The latter of them was quick to start pointing to the other builders as he told them the official plans but Brenda didn’t hear much of it as she glanced over at where Minho was going, the boy disappearing back into his house.“They’ve been doing that for a while,” Frypan said beside her and Brenda startled as she looked over at him. He half smiled and elaborated. “Sharing a bed. Not every night from what I’ve learnt but just when they think they need it. Pretty sure it started with them both having nightmares; Minho mentioned they were both getting up to help the other through it and I think they eventually just decided to share one bed. Save a late night trip.” He gave a small shrug as he glanced over at Thomas and Minho’s house. “They seem to have a good idea when they’ll have a nightmare; something must have happened on the mission to throw one of them off.”That was actually kind of sweet. Brenda glanced over at the house and she couldn’t help but remember the times where they were all sleeping in the main tent they had set up upon arrival. (The tent that was still there since not everyone had a house yet, though some had taken to crashing in the dining room if they were early enough riser to vacate before breakfast) There had been more than one morning where she had heard Minho wake up abruptly— his hammock not far from hers and Brenda prone to being a light sleeper— and while she wanted to offer some comfort she hadn’t felt close enough with him to do so. Sure they were familiar with each but not quite like she was with Thomas or Frypan given the months they spent working alongside each other while Minho was captured by WCKD.Still she would stay awake, wanting to be available if he needed it, and each time he would simply move about quietly and then leave to go running down the length of the beach. A habit that quickly turned to an everyday occurrence rather than just out of need after nightmares.Brenda figured it was a given that Thomas had nightmares too— honestly which of them didn't have them?— but given he was isolated away in the medical building it probably flew under the radar a lot.As close as they were once Thomas and Minho learnt of the other struggles she knew they would have stopped at nothing to help each other. She was surprised to hear that it involved sleeping together— and actually sleeping from the way Frypan spoke about the situation— but if it gave them comfort and rest then she wouldn’t poke her nose into it.So with that thought in mind she turned back to Gally and raised her brows pointedly for an instruction which the boy readily provided.  Vince put a lot of hard work into Safe Haven. He had spent so long planning this life here, planning it with Mary, but the real application almost never went as smoothly as plans did. Not to say it was going badly, not at all, just a lot different than imagined. But he wouldn’t have it any other way really. They were building a community here. Everyone was eager to start this life here, eager to be involved and eager to make connections. It was heartwarming to see after years of life in the Scorch, after watching the world go to ruins the way they had.He only wished Mary had been here to see it.There were a lot of ups; Vince had made it a personal mission to make sure people got to relax and enjoy their lives. Setting up countless schedules and making sure to give people days off or even switch rotations off of their usual jobs to something new to ensure things didn’t get too repetitive. He even made sure to have monthly bonfires which he knew everyone loved to do and more recently they had activity days. It was a simple enough concept, just gathering to play games of some kind. Whether making use of some of the balls they had brought with them, or doing something in the ocean, having fishing contests, races, singing nights. The list of things were endless and they hadn’t tried all of them yet but everyone was happy to offer suggestions for the next nights and always rushed to look for what would be next whenever Vince would post on the calendar in the dining hall.There were downs too. Setbacks they hadn’t expected, weather concerns, worries about possible storms. The one that had gotten to Vince more than the others was everything with Thomas in his first few months at Safe Haven. He had been relieved the boy had survived and had worried the medics wouldn't have been able to repair the damage his gunshot wound had sustained. Then he woke up and at first it seemed good, he seemed okay enough despite still nursing the injury. Then came the decline; which Vince had been somewhat prepared for but not to the extent it had.Vince wanted Thomas to be happy here. Had listened for years as Mary worried over their ‘Source’ while they fought WCKD. Worried over whether he would get caught and all of her attempts at assuring him he gave them enough and to flee now before it was too late coming up empty handed. Worried when suddenly the contact stopped after being given what seemed like a world of information on WCKD. Worried as time went on and she had yet to hear a word about their ‘Source’. Then a group of boys and two girls found them— a group of kids barring Jorge himself— and to Vince’s shock and disbelief he realised their ‘Source’ was a child. Just a kid.Suddenly all her worries seemed so much more clear. He was ready to have the kid simply be a kid while the adults took care of things but then WCKD found them all. Mary died, many people died, others were taken; things were in turmoil. Still he planned to honour Mary's plans and go ahead to Safe Haven.Only Thomas refused to go. Refused to leave without his friend and all the other kids. Refused to leave while WCKD still remained alive. His speech that day was still something that Vince thought about a lot and he could see why all these kids had followed him so readily. He spoke with a passion that was hard to argue with and so Vince agreed to help.Thomas took the leading role, he seemed to understand WCKD the most despite not having all his memories of the place, and Vince had stuck by his side readily in case he wavered. He had been relieved for Newt in those planning days. The stubborn blonde determinedly made his friend rest when he was going too long, not hearing any arguments on the matter. He was Thomas’s rock in a lot of ways, the same way Mary had been his rock— or perhaps it was more accurate to say the same way he had been Mary’s rock.When they had rescued half the kids, Minho not among them, Vince felt it was his duty to get those people and the ones he already had ready to Safe Haven. Like he said to Thomas how could he risk all their lives for the sake of one boy? Then Thomas had left— Newt and Frypan stubbornly going with him and then Jorge and Brenda following not long after— and Vince had wondered over what he should do. If he should just do what he said he wanted to do. In the end Vince appeased both sides of him; he told everyone to wait, went over all the plans for if WCKD or anyone came near and gave them a timeline. If he hadn’t come back then they would go on without him, they would go to Safe Haven and preserve human life. Then Vince went after Thomas and the others, because how could he not go after the kid Mary worried over so much? The kid Mary hoped and hoped would make it out of WCKD alive and tearfully wondered if he was already dead.Still, despite the rough starting months it seemed Thomas had finally come around. He was starting to get more involved with everything and everyone, and while it was not like how it used to be— Vince knew the boy wouldn’t want it to be like it used to be and had assured him that he could relax and simply enjoy life— it was still something to see.Another sign to that— It was early morning— the sun just starting to rise and everyone still asleep— and Vince was the only one awake at the moment, well one of the only ones. Last night had been a bonfire night and it had been a late evening, everyone happy to stay up and share stories and conversations; Vince was always happy to let the mornings after those nights be a lazy one, everyone ready to take things slow. A Sunday kind of day if they still kept track of days like that.Vince sat at the edge of the main tent, people asleep in the hammock inside of it, (even a few of the ones who already had houses but simply didn’t want the night to end last night.) and the only one awake aside from him was Thomas. He silently watched as the boy stood at the memorial rock, steadily carving a name into its surface.It was a sight that had Vince breathing easier. A sign that Thomas was making his peace.He watched on as the boy finished and carefully put the chisel back down where it always sat for anyone who wanted to use it. Then Thomas moved towards the beach, walking down the length of it with a leisurely stride and Vince smiled softly to himself before he stood, ready to go to the kitchen. He knew a few of the more mother hens in their town would be in there now, getting started on breakfast for everyone.  Frypan had thought a lot about Thomas’ question to him a few months back about whether or not he missed the glade.The thing about the glade was that as horrible as it was, Frypan had been someone who wanted to look on positives more so than anything else. He worried of course, agreed completely with the plans to try to get out, but he hadn’t wanted to dwell. He loved the people he lived with and was never one to sit and stare at the four walls that surrounded them from all sides. Aside from when they’d lose someone, not always to the maze but that was the main thing, it always brought a sharp sting of reality. Thing was they always had each other to lean on and it was a comforting thought to Frypan.For a brief moment after they finally got out— lost so many people in the process but Frypan had been determined to look forward— it seemed like life had only gotten better. All the food they could want, a secure and frankly out of this world building beyond anything they could have dreamt of in the glade, and an entire organization ready to protect them all from the people who held them captive for so long.But then Thomas figured out the truth; figured out that people were being killed and that the company that ‘saved’ them was still WCKD. Had always been WCKD. Just another trick among many more before. After that things got really bad. Suddenly they were out in the real world, a real world far more dangerous than any they’ve known before, and now they only had themselves. No longer being provided food. No guarantee of a safe sleep, someone always having to stay up as a guard just in case. Constantly on the move so they weren’t recaptured. Being chased by infected humans who would kill them if the opportunity presented itself.Then they found the Right Arms and things had looked hopeful. A Safe Haven awaited them. Then they were betrayed.What Teresa did was still something Frypan couldn’t understand. He understood wanting to find a cure, wanting to help people and save the world, but he didn’t understand how someone would be okay with sacrificing the lives of people to do it. Didn’t that defeat their whole goal? They wanted to save people but instead put people in danger, tortured and killed people, in order to try to do that and even then there was no guarantee of them succeeding.It was the kind of backward thinking that no one in charge of any powerful company should have.He was sorry she was gone, mourned the girl that Frypan thought he knew, felt for Thomas and all the grief he experienced with her loss— even before she died. It was a messy situation, made even more messy by their loss of Newt as well; an especially sharp sting considering how close they were to their Safe Haven.When they got to Safe Haven Frypan got to experience the true comfort and enjoyment of life. Like he said he was always one to look on the bright side of things and even though they lost many he felt they gained many too. Everyone on Safe Haven was so open and happy— perhaps it would mellow out with time but still— and the life they were building was one Frypan couldn't wait to live.He meant what he said to Thomas that day. He missed the people, not the place.Frypan glanced out of one of the kitchens in the window, his row of seashells now at seven— he’d go looking for the eighth in three days— and he spotted Thomas and Minho coming back from their morning run.That was something he wasn’t entirely sure about. When he had first heard they were occasionally sharing a bed it hadn’t been too world shattering news. The amount of times they’ve had to share a bed was a high amount, beggars can’t be choosers and if beds were limited no one wanted to leave someone on the floor or ground. He wasn’t sure if Brenda saw more out of it then it was and honestly he wasn’t entirely sure there wasn’t more to it.He knew there wasn’t anything going on, Thomas and Minho were far from subtle, but that didn’t mean something wasn’t growing. It wouldn't surprise Frypan if he was being perfectly honest. As much as Thomas and Newt had been attached at the hip, sharing a bond right from the start, people tended to forget that Thomas and Minho had been very much the same way after Thomas joined the runners. Newt and Minho were Thomas’ left and right hands, the only people the boy let himself completely trust to take care of him. They had been like the co-leaders of the Thomas-Defence-Squad and everyone had known it. It used to irritate Gally to no end; Alby too as much as the older boy didn’t want to admit it back then.So, whether or not something would happen with Thomas and Minho remained to be seen. He knew Thomas had carved Teresa’s name into the memorial rock, a great show of progress for him, and he knew that the boy no longer wore Newt’s necklace twenty-four seven. Hadn’t for the last month and a half though he still had it, Frypan had seen it hanging up in his and Minho’s house, another great show of progress.There were the odd hiccups that would occur— mainly the fact that Frypan knew Brenda harboured a bit of a crush on Thomas. Had been waiting for the boy to heal more and hoping that maybe things would grow into something more when he was ready. Frypan didn't see that happening, not with the Minho of it all, and honestly he was sure Thomas saw her as more sister-like than anything more. He had listened as the boy made a few comparisons to hanging out with her being like when he used to hang out with Chuck on the glade. He loved her, no doubt about it, just not in the way Brenda might have wanted him to.“... maybe one day you will but that day is not today,” Minho’s voice was saying as he grew nearer. Frypan didn’t have to wait long for his two friends to show up in the kitchen, the both of them frequently coming in here when they knew he was working. Thomas had an exasperatedly fond look on his face while Minho’s was undeniably smug— not an uncommon expression for the latter.“What’s he going on about?” Frypan asked Thomas with a grin.Thomas rolled his eyes as he threw himself into one of the stools. “He’s being his usual insufferable self,” he told him with an amused glint in his eyes.Frypan was so happy to see Thomas happy again. Was firm in the belief that the boy deserved it after everything they had been through. At least Frypan had his happy moments— him, Minho and Gally, those extra months and years in the glade— but Thomas was thrown directly into turmoil after having all his memories wiped. He didn’t really get to enjoy the peacefulness that the glade could have. He had been thrown so much more suspicion upon arrival and it led to people keeping their distance and it didn’t help that his naturally inquisitive nature had increased all of that. Then there was everything that happened after the glade and the start of life at Safe Haven…
He was happy to see Thomas happy again.
“Thomas is just being a sore loser,” Minho told him smugly, happily ignoring the look that Thomas tossed him. “He just can’t beat me in running.”“We’re running not racing,” Thomas refuted.Minho shot him a wink. “Sure we are.”That had Frypan laughing and he wandered over to where he had two breakfasts waiting for just this occasion and slid them over to both boys. He got matching happy smiles in return and Frypan busied himself as they dug into their food.“You know technically I’m still healing from a gunshot wound,” Thomas said suddenly and the defence had Frypan wanting to laugh as much as it seemed to amuse Minho.“Uh-ah,” Minho said with a click of his tongue and a wag of his finger. “I talked to your medics when I first started making you run with me they all said you were good to go. Don’t go making excuses.”All the boy got in return was a raised finger from Thomas.If Frypan was being completely honest, he thought that the only thing that would hold these two back from ever becoming more would be the memory of Newt. Minho likely scared to cross that boundary out of some kind of disrespect to Newt. Thomas likely unwilling to move on from Newt at all in that regard least of all with his best friend. Both excuses that wouldn’t hold any wait in the grand scheme of things; anyone who knew Newt knew it would be the last thing he’d want now that he was gone. Two of the people he loved the most refusing themselves something that could make them happy just for his sake.He hoped that wasn’t the case. Thomas and Minho were suited well for each other; both with a zest for life that they either showed in very similar ways or completely different ways amusingly enough. They knew each other better than anyone and already took so much comfort out of each other. It would just have to be one of those things he would have to wait and see about, he supposed. Either way as long as they were happy Frypan would be too.  Life continued to move forward at Safe Haven and before they knew it they were halfway through their eighth month here. Progress continued to be made, houses continued to be built, the bases for six more apartment like ones ready to go when they were more prepared with supplies, other structures were added too. A second bathroom and shower building had been built out near the solar panels they had, just behind where four of the multi-house buildings would be. Across the main path from the first showers was where a large building had been made that hadn’t had a specific purpose in mind. Recently an idea had been rolling around to use the place as a school. They didn’t have many young kids but there was plenty that those who had been kept in the mazes could learn and the future would most certainly have children too so Minho thought the idea would hold up. Then there was a building set up not far from the dining hall between one of the first row of houses and another row of houses further back. The place was used for various teachings, skills some people wanted to learn that others were willing to teach; sewing, basic first aid and other things like that. It was their Activity Centre, Minho supposed, and a schedule was made and posted outside of it for what would happen there and when.So— progress.Minho was loving life. He loved the work he did, the annoying jobs not even close to being enough to get him down, he loved the people he was surrounded with and he loved the town they were building. He was never someone to be particularly bitter, or he tried not to be, but the difference in life between what he had here and everything he had before was insane.He missed the gladers, make no mistake, but he had made his peace with them. Had carefully looked over the memorial rock to make sure every one of their names had been included on it. He had no plans to let the past hold him back, not after having so much taken from him already, and he was pleased to see that most people around him shared that sentiment.Thomas was the most recent one to jump on board with that feeling. While he struggled for the first few months, since they started living together he really started to come around. He was getting involved and talking more and just starting to feel like his old self. Or— better actually, he was a Thomas who wasn’t carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.Another thing in regards to Thomas. When they started living together it was an impossibility to hide the fact that they were having nightmares but Minho had thought with Thomas being where he was at that it would be something he could slip by him. That had not been the case much to his surprise and he still thought back with a disbelieving fondness to the first night Thomas decided to sit by his side and talk till morning just so Minho could get some rest. He had been more than happy to return the favour a few nights later when Thomas had his own nightmares.What had started as them crossing the small expanse of their home to comfort each other slowly evolved to them simply climbing into each other's beds when they knew it would be a rough night. A development started by Thomas on a very calm night; he had shoved Minho over before either of them were close to sleep and had claimed he wasn’t walking across the floor in the middle of the night then promptly got comfortable.It had caught Minho off guard but he hadn’t complained and after he had gotten better at telling the little things that set Thomas off— the sharp sound of thunder like echoing explosions, when the smoke from the fire smelt a certain way, whenever they had stew for supper— he had been ready to return the sentiment by shoving Thomas over in his bed and getting comfortable himself.The progress from simply comforting each other to actually sharing beds some nights had taken about a month and a half, and the next advancement came about three months and a half months after they started living together; that being them sharing a bed every night.Yet another thing brought on by Thomas. When a particularly bad storm had stuck around for a few days— not the first they had nor a particularly dangerous one just persistent— Thomas had come home at the end of the second day of the storm, clothes soaking wet and promptly changed his clothes, bundling up a lot considering he was going to bed. He had then crossed over to his own bed and grabbed his pillow and blanket and then crawled into bed with Minho.He hadn’t expected it, while it was raining the storm was thunder and lightning free, and so he asked slowly. “You think it’s gonna be a rough night?”Thomas had only huffed and as he wiggled into a comfortable position he said. “No. But it’s going to be cold and I’m not putting up with it.” He slowly nudged Minho out of the warm spot he had created from lying in bed and the boy finally grew lax when he was in it, ready to fall asleep.The whole thing had honestly amused Minho more than anything and he didn’t put up much of a complaint. He knew how much Thomas hated being cold. The thing that did make him pause came after the storm had passed and Thomas had continued to share with him. But it wasn’t something he was all that against, he found he slept a lot better with Thomas around, even without taking the nightmares into account, and it was a lot more comfortable with him near. So they swapped back and forth once in a while; from Minho’s bed to Thomas’ bed, they weren’t too picky.It wasn’t like they hadn’t shared beds before, among all of their friends actually. There were plenty of times where beds were scarce and no one wanted to be the ass who refused to share in hard times. Plus since they started sharing regularly the nightmares had dropped off a lot, even on nights where they felt sure they would be having one.Aside from that one bit of change life continued on the way it had since Thomas got better. Minho was glad Thomas was coming on missions too, had to admit he had missed the days the two of them ventured off together in search of something, and he had taken every opportunity to go with him whenever Thomas signed up to go. He was sure some of the others thought he was hovering a bit and still worrying but that wasn’t it in the slightest.It was this same line of thought that had him wanting Thomas to start running with him in the first place. While it had the added benefit of exercise and sunshine doing Thomas some good in terms of his mental health that hadn’t been Minho’s intention at all when he first told Thomas they would be running together.Oh, and the running thing, that had a change one day too—“Yes!”Minho slowed to a stop with heavy breaths and stared at Thomas in exasperation as the boy enthusiastically cheered. They were about four miles from Safe Haven, halfway through their morning run, and Thomas had beat Minho to the end of their path. Which was what had him looking delightedly smug and an all around sore-winner. He was determinedly ignoring the fact that he brought this on himself after being so smug the entire time he was running with Thomas.“The teacher hits the old dusty trail as the student surpasses him with flying colours!” Thomas jeered with a bright grin on his face. “The legend becomes history as a new champion emerges!”As he listened to his old bragging words turned back around on him Minho dropped down to sit in the sand. They almost always took a little break before heading back and Minho glanced over at the ocean where the sun was now past the horizon and reaching upward into the sky.He looked back at Thomas and warned. “Don’t be so smug. Just wait till we run back.”Thomas looked at him with an incredulous expression and said, “oh, I think I’m done running now. What better way to preserve my win?” He plopped down next to Minho and mockingly said. “I think I’m going to just walk back to Safe Haven and from here on out I will be forever known as the fastest runner.”“Get the hell out of here,” Minho said once the shock of Thomas’ original statement had worn off. “I will drag your ass into a run if I have to.”His words had Thomas laughing brightly and despite the gravity of what Thomas was trying to pull, Minho couldn’t help but notice the way the early morning sun casted a warm glow over the younger boy. His eyes a bright amber in the light and his smile wide and carefree. Without much thought to what he was doing, Minho reached to grasp the back of the boy's neck and pulled him closer until their lips met. It wasn’t something he had expected to do but once he had Minho found he couldn’t regret it in the slightest. The warm press of Thomas’s lips against his own and the racing of his heart— from more than just their run— loud in his ears.When he pulled back Minho watched as Thomas’ eyes fluttered open and after a few seconds of silence the boy murmured. “I think I’m gonna have someone back home build me a trophy.”The words had Minho shaking his head in disbelief, a laugh so close to breaking out, and he stood up, unable to let this go on any further. “Get up,” he ordered at once. Regardless of what just happened he was not going to let Thomas think he was the faster one of the two of them. “We’re racing back right now. Our rest is over.”Despite his orders Thomas didn’t move from where he was sitting, that same delighted smile on his face as he stared up at Minho, the boy's arms resting in the sand behind him. “I already said my piece on this, Min.”For a second he wondered if Thomas was actually serious about this and it didn’t take him long to decide he didn’t care if he was. “Get up,” he ordered again and he held out a hand and made a beckoning motion even as a smile tried to pull at his mouth. “We’re doing this race again.”With another laugh Thomas finally reached out to grab Minho’s hand, and he was quick to offer his other hand to pull him up with both, and the younger boy leveraged himself up. The action had him rising incredibly close to Minho but instead of stepping back like one would think he would, Thomas continued forward and this time it was his hand on the back of Minho’s neck as he pulled him closer to press their lips together again. It was a move that had his heart stuttering in his chest much to Minho’s own incredulity but he didn’t have much time to think on it as he felt Thomas pull away and press his hand to his chest. The boy grinned mischievously and said, “fine, we can race again,” before he pushed Minho back and took off in a run. “Wha—” Minho shot off immediately, not even finishing his own shocked question, and as he raced after Thomas he called. “This is cheating you asshole!”His only answer was a loud laugh.Minho wasn’t entirely sure what would happen after they got back to Safe Haven— a race Thomas won but as far as Minho was concerned it didn’t count— but the two of them had continued on as normal. They went to go find Frypan in the kitchen, the boy happily cheering as Thomas told him of his win, and then they went on to do their tasks for the day.The range of tasks on their island was rather vast. The missions around the island weren’t considered official tasks mainly because they were something that only happened about once or twice a month. The tasks they had in town were usually by topics. Kitchen tasks included cooking, prepping, setting up the dining hall, and cleaning up after everything was done. Then there were the farm tasks; feeding the animals, gathering eggs, watering the gardens and gathering whatever was ripe for the picking. Next were cleaning tasks; not including the dining hall clean up, there was the clean up of the bathrooms, of the showers, of any messes that might have been created through activity evenings. They had the tasks of doing inventory which was going through a large checklist of things and seeing that each thing was accounted for and what needed restocking. They had tasks that were more personal tasks that Vince gave people set times for so certain areas weren’t overly crowded; like laundry days. Then there were more menial tasks; gathering wood for fires, making sure the torches that lit up the pathways were lit when it grew dark, and maintaining their little town. Finally were the heavy tasks; those mostly involved building new structures or moving things to storage when it was needed.It was never a boring day in Safe Haven, always something to do and when there wasn’t it was by design, Vince giving people their days to simply relax and choose what they would like to do— if anything at all.So things continued on like normal for Minho after the day Thomas beat him in their race. He thought it would be different when it came time to sleep but Thomas had been chopping wood most of the day and when it was time for bed he had come home and was out as soon as he dropped on the bed beside Minho. That was how it went for the next few days and while Minho can be as casual as anyone he still found it hard to simply act normal. At least when he wasn’t distracted with his tasks of the day or people; when it was time for bed it was a different story.Minho half thought he imagined that day, imagined the two kisses they shared on the beach at sunrise, and it wasn’t until three days later that he was proven wrong. The first day Thomas was off of wood chopping duty he came to bed and didn’t instantly crash with exhaustion, instead he got comfy and curled up by Minho, lazily tracing patterns on his back.“Why are you so tense?” Thomas murmured into Minho’s throat, his voice sleepy enough that he likely could fall asleep soon but still awake enough to entertain conversation.“I’m not tense,” Minho countered promptly, despite going even more tense at Thomas’ question. He wasn’t really tense, only more aware of just how close he and the younger boy were.The trailing movements of Thomas’ hand paused and the boy pulled back far enough so he could see Minho’s face. He raised a brow but Minho only raised one in return, determined to keep cool about things. Thomas narrowed his eyes briefly and his hand slowly moved from around Minho, absently hanging onto his forearm as he studied his face. Minho resisted the urge to swallow nervously and he watched on as Thomas seemed to read something off of his face. He could see the moment where a moment of understanding lit his eyes and then they grew determined. Thomas moved his hand off his arm and trailed it up his neck until his fingers were in the back of his hair and his thumb was cradled behind his ear. Slowly, giving Minho plenty of time to pull back if he wanted, Thomas pulled him closer until their lips connected.This kiss lingered a lot more than either one on the beach had. Thomas’ fingers curled into his hair and their lips slotted more firmly together. Minho’s hand moved to his waist before he could stop himself and he tightened his hold on Thomas as the kiss slowly broke. When they were far back enough to properly see each other Thomas’ hand moved towards his jaw and his thumb brushed across his cheek once. He then moved back into his previous position, arm going back around Minho and starting its mindless patterns once more, and he muttered. “Now relax. Sleep.”He couldn’t help but huff a small laugh at the rather short order and Minho finally let himself relax. Let himself do exactly what he and Thomas always did together; rely on instinct. He wrapped his arm around Thomas more firmly and pressed a brief kiss to the top of his head as he let himself drift off, the comforting feeling of Thomas’ hand on his back quickly helping him along.Things with him and Thomas didn’t change drastically by any means. In fact, it was a bit like their sleeping arrangements had changed; a natural thing that they didn’t call much attention to but both weren’t protesting to in the slightest.The only thing was no one else really knew. He and Thomas weren’t exactly keeping it a secret or going out of their way to hide things but they weren’t showcasing it either. Minho wondered when the others would catch on and a part of him worried about how it would be received— as much as he liked to not care what others thought about him.“He would have wanted you two to be happy.”Minho startled as he looked over at Frypan. The two of them were sitting on a bench and it was one of their bonfire nights. They were about a week into their tenth month here and they had gotten into the habit of having a bonfire night at least once a month. The sky was dark with the stars clear to see and there were a lot of people gathered around their main fire pit. Some had already called it a night but the younger people were more than eager to keep things going.He had been watching Thomas dance around with Sonya, the two of them creating some kind of dance routine together for the girl's favourite song, and they both laughed delightedly as they spun around together. Off to the side Harriet was watching her girlfriend with an undeniably fond smile and Minho half wondered if he looked the same as her while he watched Thomas.At Frypan’s comment he frowned and tried to think back to if they were in the middle of a conversation. Surely he hadn’t been so distracted by watching Thomas that he missed Frypan talking to him.Seeing his confusion, Frypan nodded his chin towards Thomas. “Newt. He would have wanted you two to be happy,” he said again and he shot him a more pointed look. “He especially wouldn't want you both denying yourselves something you want for his sake when he’s no longer with us.”Leave it to Frypan to notice; then again maybe more people had noticed his and Thomas’ change lately. He was aware that most knew of their sleeping arrangements but whether they saw something more in it was something Minho didn’t know for certain. He looked back over at Thomas and watched him spin Sonya around. “This wouldn't have happened if Newt made it here,” he said certainly. Which was true. If Newt had lived long enough to make it here then he and Thomas would have gotten a place together. He and Thomas would have continued their relationship and been sickeningly in love with one another. Newt would have helped Thomas through all his struggles and been the person people turned to when they didn’t know what to do in regards to the younger boy.“But he’s not here,” Frypan said firmly, putting a hand on Minho’s shoulder, drawing his attention once more. “He’s not here and sitting here thinking about what might have been won’t do anyone any good.”Most of the time Minho knew that. He was all for not dwelling on things too much if he could avoid it. He just couldn’t help it with Thomas; especially when it concerned Newt. It wasn’t that he thought the boy was still hung up on Newt. He knew for a while now that he had found his way to come to peace with losing him, the necklace that he had once worn twenty-four/seven now hanging on a simple hook in their home a true testament to that. He also knew he wasn’t hung up on Teresa any more either, her name carved into the memorial stone proof of that too.Minho didn’t hem and haw; runners couldn’t do that, if you second guessed things or acted indecisively then you were as good as dead. It was a fact of life that Minho has lived by for as long as he could remember. Yet here he was, moving back and forth over this whole thing; feeling like he was on some precipice and unsure what his next move was.“Minho!” Head turning at the sound of his name, Minho found Thomas eagerly beckoning him over to dance, a bright smile on his face and plenty of people all around him. When he narrowed his eyes Thomas playfully did the same before firmly pointing next to him even as he continued to dance around. It was an action that had Minho smiling before he could stop it and Thomas’ face grew even more happy.He looked back at Frypan and saw the boy watching him with a fond smile. “You know you want to.”Huffing softly, Minho patted Frypan on the shoulder before he got up to go dance. Not a past time he was particularly fond of but would do if Thomas wanted to. (Just this once, he would make it clear the boy shouldn’t get used to it. Later.) Minho loved bonfire nights; they reminded him of their celebration nights at the glade only this time infinitely better because here they were free. Here the world was wide open to them, no one was spying on them and watching their every move, it was just a pure celebration of life.It was the next morning that had him a bit lazier. It wasn’t often that Minho skipped out on his run— only if it was raining or he was on an exploration mission usually— but the odd time after a bonfire night he would take the next morning to sleep in. Thing was though he didn’t care to do it. He liked the routine of running and just genuinely enjoyed the activity; Minho liked to be as carefree as one can be, but when it came to running he’s always been a bit of a hardass.Honestly, if Thomas hadn’t been so motivated, he probably would have skipped today's run. Where were the days when Thomas had to be practically dragged down the beach in order to do this? Minho couldn't complain too much since he himself wanted to be consistent but Thomas’ enthusiasm was rather jarring to his tired self.How he was this energetic with all the dancing he did last night and as late as he stayed up was beyond Minho.Like they often did when they ran their now ten mile run they both took a break halfway through it, plopping into the sand and watching the sunrise together. This was probably Minho’s favourite thing about Safe Haven— the ocean. The sound of the waves, the cool breeze coming off the sea the way the sun just made all of it infinitely more beautiful than it was already.He startled a bit when Thomas suddenly turned to face him, curling one leg towards himself as he eyed Minho.“Something on your mind?” Minho asked slowly with an amused smile and a raised brow.Thomas didn’t answer at first, only watching him for a few more seconds before he reached forward to grasp Minho’s face and kissed him firmly. Minho was a bit caught off guard but didn’t hesitate to return it, even grabbing the bag of Thomas’ neck when he was about to pull back.When they were both far enough to see each other properly Thomas studied Minho in a careful way that made him a bit nervous. Finally he spoke. “You’ve been uncharacteristically cautious about all this.”Yeah, Minho should have expected Thomas to notice. No one knew him as well as this boy did after all and they spent so much of their days together. “I don’t want to mess anything up,” he said honestly.Which was completely true. Minho was good at handling the things he expected, things he was at least faintly aware of coming along, but Thomas was something he hadn’t expected— not in this sense at least. Thomas had surprised him with this.Minho never gave much thought on his sexuality, never really had any kind of interest in any of the gladers before. He had focused all his time on energy on running and all that stuff just hadn’t been a priority in the slightest.About a month or so back the medics in Safe Haven decided it was needed to have a discussion on safe sex. (Apparently now that people were more settled with homes things were starting to kick up a bit; if you know what he meant.) They talked a lot about the necessity of safe sex— far too extensively in Minho’s opinion— and they even went into sexualities, birth control for the girls; the whole nine yards. While discussing the former they had stressed the importance of acceptance and understanding and honestly Minho didn’t expect that to be much of an issue.He didn’t know if he was gay, or bi, or what but Minho knew that there wasn’t anyone he felt about like he did Thomas. Ever. Which was why he was being so cautious with things. He knew he wanted Thomas, wanted to live with him for the rest of his life and wanted to do a hell of a lot more than kiss him. Maybe that was a lot for something so new— something only a little under two months along— but they were kids who spent so long full-heartedly accepting that they might die each time they woke up in the morning. It garnered a certain instinct and Minho’s told him to keep Thomas close. Always had once he really saw the boy; once he saved Alby’s ass in the maze and stubbornly stuck to his guns about whatever he decided. He knew then that Thomas was someone he wouldn’t let stray far away and it has gotten him far in life. Gotten him here to this Safe Haven where he now lived with this boy.His words got a mildly amused smile from Thomas, his concerns admittedly uncharacteristic as the younger boy previously pointed out, and Thomas said. “This coming from the guy who told Aris to stop worrying about the unknowns and just wing life.”“That was about his decision to cut his hair,” Minho countered with a roll of his eyes. “I’m cautious about the things that matter most.”Thomas paused at that and he slowly said. “And this is one of the things that matter most to you?”Swallowing, Minho reached out to cup Thomas’ jaw in one hand, thumb brushing along his cheek absently, and he told him seriously. “I think this is the most important thing in my life.” The words seemed to bring a lot of emotion to Thomas’s face; his eyes going a bit glassy and his smile a little wobbly. He watched as the boy swallowed too and the action had Minho asking. “Don’t you worry too?”With a soft laugh, Thomas caught Minho’s wrist and held his hand more firmly against him. “I’ve lived a very difficult life. One filled with uncertainty and second guessing. One filled with doubts and worries.” He let go of Minho’s hand and reached out to cup his face again, pressing their lips together firmly once. When he pulled back Thomas looked him deeply in the eyes and whispered. “But not once have you ever been one of those things. From the moment we walked out of that maze, when those doors finally opened, you have always been one of the things I have been the most certain about.”Minho shut his eyes at the proclamation and his hand tightened where it still rested on Thomas' face. He took a deep breath that exhaled as a relieved laugh and when he opened his eyes it was to Thomas watching him with an amusedly fond expression. “I’m worrying too much,” he realised.Thomas laughed quietly. “A little bit,” he agreed and he grabbed onto Minho’s hand and squeezed it gently. “This is us, Min. If there’s one thing we can be certain of… it’s us.”And what could Minho say to that, what could he do besides kiss him again.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

(After Thomas and Minho’s first kiss - before Frypan talks to Minho about Newt)“What are you up to, Fry?”Thomas slowly moved over to where Frypan was walking along the shoreline, his eyes trained on the sand while he went. He had spotted him while heading over to put stuff in the storage shed and his curiosity got the better of him. Frypan glanced over at Thomas and smiled. “I’m looking for a seashell,” he said as he gestured around him absently. “I need a new one for my set, a tenth one since today is officially our tenth month here.”“Ten months,” Thomas murmured quietly as his eyes trailed to the sand to help his friend look for one. “To be honest I didn’t think I’d live long enough to make it to Safe Haven at all and now apparently we’ve been here for ten months… it doesn't really feel like it.”Time got away from him for a long while there and even after he started being more aware of the things around him Thomas hadn’t gone out of his way to start tracking days like some did. Even before life at Safe Haven he hadn’t tracked days too much until Minho had been taken, then he kept track of them obsessively, his anxiety and fear growing with each day that crawled by.“Understandable, all things considered,” Frypan assured him as he looked over at Thomas but the boy kept his eyes trained on the sand as the two of them kept walking down the beach, slowly growing closer to the dock that had been built a while back.Still, he didn’t want to ignore Frypan completely so he reluctantly agreed. “Yeah, I guess so. First I was out with my injury and then I was…” he trailed off, unsure of how to finish the sentence.“Depressed,” Frypan said firmly, never one to shy away from the word like it was something bad. It was a very endearing quality of his in Thomas’ opinion.It took a while before anyone actually said the word around him and Thomas figured they were all reluctant to name it all together, probably hoping he would go back to his normal self after some time had passed instead. It wasn’t that they had anything against mental health as a whole— not at all, these were some of the kindest and understanding people around— Thomas just thought they had just been a bit nervous all things considered. He wasn’t exactly the embodiment of safety and self worth and with the losses he had went through… well, they had been a bit worried, always hovering nearby in an anxious manner in the beginning.Except the three gladers that is; the three who had lived alongside Newt when he himself struggled with his mental health. They were steady and firm in what it was and never shied away from it in the slightest. Each in very different ways but pillars around Thomas nonetheless.“Getting here wasn’t the triumphant thing I would have expected,” Thomas said quietly, reaching down to pick up a pretty swirling pink seashell and offering it to Frypan. “I mean, a big part of me didn’t think I’d make it here really but I did think about it of course.” Who of them didn’t, really, after finding out about the Safe Haven.Frypan studied the seashell carefully before he nodded to himself, curling his hand around it as he gave Thomas his full attention. He seemed to ponder over something before nodding his head towards the dock, a mere six feet away now, and Thomas silently agreed to his request, the two of them walking over to it.They trailed down the length of it until they reached the end and as one they sat down together to look over the ocean. The only thing that blocked the horizon was their cargo ship— something Vince has discussed moving somewhere more secure lately— and their smaller boat that was used for transferring what they had had in said cargo ship. “Losing Newt and Teresa both was a devastating blow,” Frypan said quietly, not looking away from the crashing waves. “Considering you watched both happen… well, I don’t think anyone would feel triumphant after that.”Thomas hummed quietly at his words, watching a few seagulls soar through the air in large swoops. “It took some time but I feel like I’ve made my peace with both of them.”“I’m glad,” Frypan said earnestly and Thomas could practically hear the smile in his words. “I could tell you were getting a bit better after you started running with Minho.”The running. Thomas hated it at the start, his bones aching despite spending most of his day resting. The sun blinding as it worked hard to start rising over the horizon. Minho’s endless chatter as he discussed a wide variety of topics and then later moved on to bragging about his athleticism.It was the latter thought that had Thomas smiling slightly but he told Frypan. “I think it was talking to Sonya, actually. Knowing a piece of Newt was still going.”Despite her reluctance at first, Sonya eventually did tell the others about her memories following the removal of her Swipe. Just as Thomas thought the three gladers had been shocked but thrilled at the news; Minho and Frypan automatically declared her family right there. Not to say they weren’t on good terms before— they were all maze kids after all— but there was an increase of communication after they found out. Each of them more than ready to share all the stories they had of Newt with the younger girl.“What about Teresa?” Frypan asked cautiously.Thomas was obviously aware that Teresa was a sore spot for a lot of people for many different reasons. She was a sore spot for him for some of the very same reasons. But that didn’t erase the relationship they had— the friendship they shared and the connection Thomas thought they both held to high regard.He had often wondered what would have happened if she had made it into the berg that night. Remembered Minho’s voice calling for her to get on, the sound of Frypan urging her closer. He didn’t think she would have been welcomed with open arms, not after the truth came out about what all happened to the kids who had been recaptured by WCKD due to her betrayal; the pain and suffering they were put through due to her actions. Teresa would have endured it silently though; it was just in her nature to face adversity head on.“I would have never trusted her again, not really,” Thomas said in a sure tone. Maybe he could have built up some trust but it would never be complete, he would have always second guessed her intentions— probably would have felt guilty for doing it but would do it nonetheless. “I don’t know if I could have forgiven her even…” He shook his head in frustration. “With Teresa I’m mostly angry,” he told Frypan, his jaw clenching after finally saying it. “I’m angry at someone who is dead which just seems so stupid.”He could see Frypan look over at him from the corner of his eye but Thomas didn’t look away from the horizon. “She betrayed us,” Frypan solemnly said, silently telling Thomas his anger was justified and at the same time offering reassurance. “You couldn't have known she would.”“You know I always think about how I went looking for her when we escaped into the Scorch,” Thomas said with a tight voice. “And I wonder if we would have been better off leaving her there; leaving her where she wanted to be.” “You couldn't have known that she would bring WCKD to us.”Thomas shook his head and he felt his eyes sting with frustration. “There would have been so many more people here if it weren’t for her. Mary would still be here. When I think about that — about her betrayal and everything that came from it. The deaths from that attack. The pain and torture the people WCKD took that day had to endure. The deaths that followed that betrayal because we were saving the people they put in harm's way instead of getting to Safe Haven sooner…” Thomas licked his lips and swallowed back the tight feeling in his throat. “I think about all that and get so angry… but then—”“She saved your life,” Frypan voiced understanding and Thomas finally looked over at him, finding nothing but compassion on his face. “Yeah,” Thomas breathed quietly, his voice going quiet. “Mostly I’m frustrated. Frustrated that she had been so naive. So sure that she was so much fucking smarter than all of us, so sure that only she could see the bigger picture, when in reality she was walking around blind.”Frypan put a hand on his shoulder, his fingers tightening briefly, and he offered. “She realised in the end.”Thomas laughed bleakly at that. “She realised after Ava had died. After Janson said he would only give the cure to those who would follow him. That’s when she changed her tune.” Frypan didn’t say anything to that, only watching Thomas quietly as he waited for him to get it all off his chest. “Making my peace with her was harder in a way,” Thomas whispered as he looked back over at the ocean. “With Newt I was so reluctant to let go. I loved Newt, still do and always will, and even after I was finally able to let him go I still kept these pieces of him close to me. With Teresa… I knew when I let her go that I would let go completely. I made my peace with the fact that maybe I never knew who she really was but I was grateful to her for saving my life. I let go of everything else though. Let go of her entirely and decided I would leave her in the past.”Which was what he did the day he finally carved her name into the memorial rock. Early one morning while most of the Safe Haven was still asleep. He carved her name and walked down the beach and only when he was out of sight of everyone did he take out the vial she had given him before she died. The cure. It had been the thing of hers he hung onto in her absence just like he had been unwilling to take off Newt’s necklace for so long. When he finally could let go of Newt he had hung up his necklace on a small nail in his and Minho’s home and while he knew he would never get rid of it he had decided he wouldn’t carry it on him all the time either. With Teresa he had looked at that vial, made his peace and then promptly launched it into the ocean as far as he could throw it. He knew if he wanted to create the cure again he would just have to find one of the medics here— Vince assured him if that was the route he chose they could take it though he cautioned him that it would be a one way trip for those who went to distribute the cure out of fear of bringing the virus back to Safe Haven. Tossing the vial had simply been Thomas’ way of releasing himself of the part of Teresa that he had clung to. Unlike Newt, Thomas didn’t want to keep a piece of her, he wanted to wipe his hands clean of all of WCKD and contented himself with her name written on stone being enough.“I’m ready to live my life,” Thomas declared with a sure nod, glancing back at Frypan. “No more clinging to the past, just looking to our bright future.”He got a happy grin from Frypan, the boy's eyes crinkling from the sheer force of it, and Frypan said. “That sounds great.”  (A couple weeks after final scene)Thomas shoved a few boxes up onto a high shelf, grunting as he struggled to get it into place. He was in the storage building for the kitchen and barns and Frypan had asked him if he would put a box away for him which Thomas happily agreed to. It wasn’t a hard task, the box was simply some kitchen clutter that wasn’t needed for the next while so the cooks wanted to store them until they would be needed.“Need help?”Giving the box one last shove Thomas glanced over his shoulder and saw Minho leaning against the door frame with a raised brow. Grinning, Thomas asked. “Since when are you helpful?”Minho pushed himself off the doorway with a scoff and strutted closer to Thomas. “I’m always helpful,” he claimed in a haughty voice. “Helpful-Minho is what they call me around here.” Thomas couldn’t help but laugh outright at that and Minho grinned as he stepped even closer, backing Thomas up against one of the shelves. He pressed a hand next to Thomas’ head and looked him up and down with a smirk. “So… need help?”“What kind of help are you offering?” Thomas asked in a low murmur, reaching out to pull Minho even closer. He curled a hand around the boy’s waist and Minho used his free hand to snag Thomas’ chin between his thumb and forefinger. It had been about two weeks since Thomas and Minho’s talk on the beach. The talk where Thomas pointed out the other boy’s uncharacteristic caution in regards to their whole relationship. Since then Minho seemed to shed the unsure side of himself and went back to being his usual confident self which Thomas was really liking. The amount of times the older boy sought him out throughout the day just to kiss him a few times was a surprising amount and Thomas was reveling in it, a swirl of butterflies erupting in his stomach anytime Minho found him.Sure enough, just like any time Minho tracked him down lately, the older boy pressed in until they were touching from head to toe and caught Thomas’ mouth with his own. The kiss started off sweet and languid, a simple drag of their lips together, in a way that made Thomas’ heart trip in his chest. Then Minho nipped at Thomas’ bottom lip and he moved his hand from Thomas’ chin to his jaw in order to angle his head. It didn’t take long after that for the kiss to deepen and grow more intense and Thomas clutched at Minho’s waist as he was pressed more firmly into the shelving behind him. A sudden gasp that was distinctly neither of theirs had the two boys pulling apart. They both turned to the still-open doorway and found Brenda staring at them with wide eyes.“I– I’m sorry,” she stuttered out faintly as her eyes darted between the two of them. “Sorry,” she said again before promptly turning to leave as though she couldn't get away fast enough.Thomas and Minho stood in silence, staring at the empty space Brenda had just stood in, before Minho sighed. “You should go talk to her. She’s probably upset.”“... because I didn’t tell her about us being together,” Thomas assumed slowly with a small frown. It wasn’t as though he was intending to keep it a secret from Brenda— or anyone really— it was just he didn’t see much of a point to announce it to everyone. Still he felt guilty thinking Brenda might be upset that he was possibly going out of his way not to tell her about this.Minho laughed softly and when Thomas glanced over the older boy cupped his face with both hands, pressing a brief, soft kiss to his lips. “You can be so oblivious sometimes,” Minho murmured when they parted and Thomas made a face. “Brenda has feelings for you,” he said patiently as his thumbs brushed along Thomas’ face. “As in.. more than a friend.”“Oh,” Thomas said quietly in surprise, his expression growing worried now. “I should go talk to her.”He and Minho exited the storage building after that and Minho caught his hand to press a quick kiss to his palm while shooting Thomas a wink before they went their separate ways.Thomas found Brenda feeding some of the animals. They had a good amount; some brought with them when they came this way— stolen from WCKD or the Last City— and others they found while exploring their new home. There were chickens, roosters, sheep, pigs and a couple of cows. The pigs had their own pen and they moved back and forth to the first building they made for the barn whereas the rest of the animals shared the extended portion of the pen and a larger barn area. There was a chicken coop out back and small little area the birds could huddle into that the bigger animals wouldn't fit through. The gardens wrapped around the left and back side of the barn area itself and their crops were lush and full due to the hard work of those who took care of this area.“So you and Minho…”He almost startled at her words, not expecting her to say anything first and struggling terribly for what exactly he could say. “Yeah,” Thomas replied quietly, not denying it in the slightest despite what he just learnt. He wouldn't deny anything about his relationship with Minho; it was one of— if not the— best things in his life.Brenda finally turned away from the animals, hugging the bucket of fodder to herself, and she murmured. “I admit I didn’t see that coming. Maybe I should have.” She still wasn’t looking at Thomas, her eyes focused on the dirt path that led towards the farm.“I didn’t either, really,” Thomas admitted.She finally looked over at him and the smile she gave him was sad; it made Thomas’ stomach twist with guilt. Her hair was braided much like it had been the first day he woke up at Safe Haven and it left her face clear to see. “I think I was so focused on the Newt of it all,” she told him in a tremulous tone, glancing away again. “I never did get to see you and Minho together much until we got to Safe Haven— considering what happened— and I thought your closeness was because of Minho wanting to help you through rough times. As a friend, I mean.”It probably started that way, to be fair. Minho has said himself that he was surprised at what grew between them and Thomas was too. They didn’t get to this island thinking this was where they would wind up— far from it really for Thomas who had been too depressed to look to the future at all— but he didn’t regret it in the slightest. Was beyond happy it happened; however unexpectedly.“It wasn’t exactly a planned thing,” he revealed with a shrug that went largely unseen. “It just sort of happened. That’s how it was with Newt too,” Thomas said the last part quietly, more to himself. “These things just happen.”“Like it was meant to be,” Brenda offered, her eyes darting back up to him once more.Thomas wrinkled his nose. “I don’t know if I believe in ‘meant to be’… just because I think if that was such a thing then we wouldn’t have lost as many people as we have… but I know Minho and I have something real.”The older boy could be a real pain in the ass some days and entirely too full of himself most days but they were qualities that only endeared Thomas to him even more. He remembered his confidence and no nonsense attitude back when they were in the glade, back when he and Thomas first started really interacting and Minho was just a whirlwind of sarcasm and sass. He couldn't imagine life without him any more than he could have imagined life without Newt; only one of those was now a reality. Which had Thomas a lot less willing to waste time on trivial things and acting on what he feels instead.He sees Brenda nod at his words and she drummed her fingers along the bucket in her arms, looking away again. “I thought maybe we…” she trailed off.Thomas couldn’t resist the urge to move closer now, and he spoke in an earnest tone as he promised. “You are very important to me. There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for you. It’s just…”“Not in that way,” Brenda finished quietly.“You’re family,” Thomas told her honestly. “I do love you.”And he did; no doubt about it. He loved Brenda as much as he loved many of the people at Safe Haven. Loved her as much as he loved Chuck. She was such an important person in his life and he was now worried that maybe the kind of love he had for her wasn’t going to be enough.It was a fear that only grew as Brenda laughed bleaky and her eyes grew teary. The sight racked Thomas with guilt and he whispered. “I’m sorry.” Brenda was as strong as they came, had to be really, always ready with some kind of quip and not afraid to say what she thought. None of that didn’t mean she didn’t have a soft side either and Thomas hated to think maybe he unintentionally squashed that part of her.Brenda shook her head at his apology. “Don’t apologize,” she said firmly, smiling despite her tears. “This was me reading into something that wasn’t there and that’s not your fault.”Thomas slowly reached out a hand, not touching her but needed to reach out in some way. “Are we okay?” He asked worriedly.To his relief Brenda reached back, grabbing his hand with her own soft one and squeezing it gently. “Yeah,” she promised him with a nod. “I just need a day or two.”“Okay,” Thomas breathed out in relief with his own nod. Brenda turned back to the animals after that, moving over towards the barn to grab another bucket, and Thomas watched her in silence for a few seconds before he turned to leave. They would be okay; Brenda just needed time, like she said.   (One year anniversary of the arrival at Safe Haven)Minho dug around his dresser through the clothes he had— not a large amount but still a decent selection to choose from— until he came upon the shirt he wanted to wear. He reached up to tug off the one he currently had on and swapped it for the blue one he picked out.“So you feeling okay?” He asked as he pushed his head out of the shirt and turned around to face Thomas while he tugged it into place.Their home had made a few changes over the last month. One day it occurred to Minho that they could tie the legs of their beds together to make one large bed instead of going back and forth between two small ones and once he realised that he hadn’t wasted any time doing it. The double bed was pushed into the corner Thomas’ bed used to be in— Thomas telling Minho he liked having his back to the corner when they first discussed where to put it— and they had moved both their dressers to where Minho’s bed had been. The two end tables they had were put together, much like the beds, to make a single stand since one side of their bed was now blocked by walls. Thomas was currently sitting on the edge of their bed and he huffed quietly at Minho’s question. “Yeah,” he said nonetheless. It was something Minho had asked in the days leading up to today but he had to ask.They were coming up on the one year anniversary of their arrival to Safe Haven; just a couple of days ago it had been a year since their final battle in the Last City which had everyone feeling all sorts of things. Minho was mostly worried about Thomas though considering his state of mind in the months following his wakeup in Safe Haven.“I miss him but I’m not sad like I was before,” Thomas promised quietly with a soft smile and he reached out to tug Minho closer, absently smoothing out the wrinkles in his shirt. “Are you okay?” Thomas asked him in turn as he wrapped his arms around Minho’s waist.“Yeah,” Minho promised and he carded his hand through Thomas’ hair while he wrapped him into a hug. “I’m okay.”The two of them didn’t take long to step outside after that— Minho only stopping to fix his hair up much to Thomas’ amusement— and Minho pressed a hand to Thomas’ back and led him towards the beach. “We’re having the bonfire by the memorial rock,” he told him a bit unnecessarily since they could see people heading down that way and then the crowd of people already gathered.It was still a bit early, the sun not yet out of sight but slowly beginning to set, but there were quite a few things people wanted to do. Food would be an easier task this evening, not happening in the dining hall but rather some of the cooks hauling out the outdoor grill and cooking on there while a long picnic table had an assortment of sides that people started picking at almost immediately. Vince gave a great speech and invited people up to say what they would like to say; a few weeks before they started planning this they came up with the idea to have a performance of sorts if people wanted to. Singing a song, reading a poem, those kinds of things. Minho thought it sounded a bit corny when he first heard the idea but after the first few people he could see why it was suggested.There were some tears of course, hard not to be with what their whole gathering was centred around, but there were a lot of smiles too. Stories were told and jokes were made and before they knew it the first round of people were calling it a night. Bonfire nights varied but every once in a while everyone would call it at a reasonable hour. Tonight was not one of those nights. It started with a couple of the older ones and those who simply kept a rather regular sleeping routine— or wanted to make use of the showers with everyone busy— calling it a night. Then as the hours moved on a few more of the older crowd would go, leaving with big yawns and grins, and a couple more of the younger people who weren’t nighthawks like some. Eventually things would winnow down to a handful of people and they would either make camp right there around the fire or they would stumble their way back home to fall asleep. This all happened usually just before sunrise, sometimes the early birds who woke up before the sun would be moving about just as some were heading to sleep, and the next day would be a particularly lazy day for the whole town.Minho and Thomas stayed up till the sun started to peek up over the horizon tonight, which wasn’t a common occurrence since they both liked to run in the morning but they made an exception this time. While the others— Frypan, Gally, Brenda, Aris, Sonya and Harriet— were all scattered around the slowly dying fire, the two of them walked a bit up the beach together before finding a spot to sit and watch the sunrise at.Thomas had his back resting against a smooth rock and Minho was between his legs in front of him, his back pressed to the younger boy’s chest. Thomas’s arms were wrapped around him and for a long while they didn’t say anything at all, quietly watching the sky turn a beautiful orange and the waves lap at the shore.“Do you ever imagine how different things would be if Newt made it here?” Minho asked quietly, eyes on the horizon.Probably a touchy subject, especially around this time, but it was something that Minho had always wondered himself. He had been curious if Thomas himself ever considered it and how exactly the boy would have imagined their lives here to have been had that been the case. He wasn’t sure he would like hearing what Minho himself thought but he was never the pinnacle of wise choices— far too impulsive at times.He felt and heard Thomas’ answering hum. “That was something I spent a long time working hard not to do,” he answered in a low murmur. His fingers drummed along Minho’s chest absently and Minho caught them with his hand, this thumb rubbing along Thomas’ knuckles gently. “I did think a lot about what-ifs; what if I sent Newt out of the city after realising he was infected? What if I didn’t let him and Frypan come with me in the first place? But I did think about what would have happened if Newt made it here once in a while; especially in the beginning.”Minho figured Thomas would do the what-ifs; he had been like that since life on the glade. Always wondering about what could be or what could have been. It was a bad habit really, especially for the unchangeable circumstances Thomas would use them in. “We probably would have never happened…” Minho said slowly, eyes going distant as he thought that over. It was something he had thought about countless times before and the thought stung despite the truth in it.Newt and Thomas had been attached at the hip since Thomas was a greenie. He had known Newt harboured feelings of some kind for the boy since a couple of days into Thomas’ arrival and while he was confused about Thomas’ side of things he eventually figured out the younger boy was just as intense about Newt too. They were a when-not-if kind of situation and most who spent more than a couple hours with them would quickly realise that. If it hadn’t been for Teresa Minho was sure they would have gotten together a lot sooner— well, Teresa and all the WCKD bullshit.“I’m not sure about that.”He was startled a bit by the sound of Thomas’ voice, so lost in his own trailing thoughts, but when they registered Minho couldn’t help but frown. He leaned forward a bit, tightening his hold on Thomas’ hand so the boy wouldn't let go, and glanced back at Thomas. “What do you mean?”“Just that,” Thomas said plainly, much to Minho’s mild annoyance. “I’m not certain we wouldn’t have still happened.”Minho stared at him in silence, studying the serious expression on his face. Even as he said the words he said them the same way he did when he gave countless speeches in the past; like it was an irrefutable truth. In this case and irrefutable uncertainty. “You loved Newt,” Minho had to say.Thomas looked at him, finally meeting his heavy stare. “I love you too.”Minho didn’t quite know what to say to that. He slowly turned his head back around and leaned back against Thomas once more, a frown still on his face as he turned the words around in his mind. “I have a habit of putting people into categories in my mind,” Thomas told him softly, his fingers twitching in Minho’s hand like he wanted to start drumming them again. “How exactly I care about them. How I love them.”“That’s one of your better qualities,” Minho couldn’t help but say despite his confusion, a fond smile growing on his face. “How much you care.”He felt Thomas’s smile more than saw it and the younger boy bestowed a quick kiss upon Minho’s cheek. “There’s people like most of our community here; who I care about a lot,” Thomas started to explain quietly as he leaned back. “Then people like Fry, Gally, Aris, Sonya and Harriet who I love like friends. There’s Chuck and Brenda and Jorge… and Teresa too I think, before everything changed with her, who I love like family.” He leaned in closer once more and Minho could feel Thomas’ mouth brush the edge of his ear as he whispered. “You and Newt always had your own category in my mind. Ever since the glade.”“Really?”Thomas hummed. “Yes. You were the two people I felt absolutely certain I could trust to have my back. To take care of me. Of course I trusted Chuck and some of the others too but Chuck was just so young and the others…” Thomas trailed over as he thought his own words over. “Well, none were like you and Newt.“If it had been Newt who had been taken by WCKD and you made it out, and we all still spent our time planning to storm the Last City, I often wonder if maybe the two of us would have happened sooner,” Thomas said. Minho, who had returned to rubbing his thumb along Thomas’ knuckles after he had turned back around, paused his actions at that. His surprise was read clearly and Thomas went on undeterred. “Yeah it surprised me what grew between us but it surprised me when it was Newt too.”“Really?” Minho repeated again but even as he asked he could see it. Thomas was about as oblivious as it came when relationships were involved. Partly, Minho thought, because he had had the weight of the world on his shoulders and just didn’t have the time to pay attention to that stuff and partly because he just struggled with seeing his own worth a lot of the time too. He supposed he should have realised Thomas didn’t know about how Newt felt; he didn’t know how Brenda felt, he didn’t know how Teresa felt either based on her placement in the people he loved.Thomas laughed softly at his question. “Yeah, I didn’t see it coming.” Minho felt him shake his head and he clearly turned the conversation back to his original point. “What I’m getting at is that I don’t know what would have happened if Newt made it here because I love you both. More than anything in the world. I never would have been able to choose and I either would have refused you both just to avoid hurting one of you or I would have taken the coward's way and let you two decide.”His voice dropped into a whisper and Thomas said. “If it was the other way around, if Newt made it here and not you, then I would have been just as lost.” Thomas’ arms tightened around Minho and his voice sounded more distant as though lost in his own memories. “You didn’t see what I was like when you were taken by WCKD. I missed you every second of every day. I would have faced WCKD and stormed the Last City alone to get you back. I wouldn’t have rested until I could see you again.”Minho never asked much about the missing months he was with WCKD. Frypan gave a bit of a summarization when they got here but he never really went into the hard stuff exactly; what they all went through. It hadn’t occurred to him that Thomas would have been a mess and maybe it was foolish of him not to realise it.Maybe he too had been caught up in the Newt of it all— like Brenda admitted to him a few days after she found out about their relationship; the girl wanting to assure him she was happy for them both— unable to see outside of that. He was used to looking in, observing from a distance, that he didn’t see what was happening up close. He knew he and Thomas were close, ever since they became runners they were almost always together if the younger boy wasn’t with Newt— sometimes even with Newt. It was the three of them against the world it felt like at times.But in Minho’s mind it had always been Newt and Thomas and then Minho. They were a trio but the two of them had been their own duo first.He felt Thomas’ lips press to his temple and his hold grew more gentle but no less firm. “I get the feeling that you think you’re some consolation prize to me— something I went for because I couldn’t have something else— but that’s just not true at all. You are someone I love more than anything and I have always been grateful to have you in whichever way you would let me.”The admission had Minho leaning forward to turn his head again, reaching up to pull Thomas’ face closer to him and press his lips to his. It was a soft kiss, nothing too intense, but full of emotion. When they pulled apart Minho murmured. “I love you too.” Thomas smiled that brilliant smile of his and he shot Minho a wink. “I know.”  (About a month and a half before the final scene)Finding out Sonya was Newt’s younger sister had been a shock but an absolutely delightful surprise for the gladers. Frypan had since then shared every story he could with Sonya and went as far as to tell her what foods Newt had liked best and which he hated. It didn’t take him long to figure out that Sonya was also a bit of a gossip. While Newt was more than happy to listen to a few anecdotes about their friends he didn’t necessarily go out of his way to find things out the way his sister apparently did. It was an amusing personality trait as far as Frypan was concerned and he was always willing to indulge the young girl. It didn’t hurt that he liked to gossip a bit too.Today she was going on about the few relationships happening around their little town. There weren’t any full blow couples happening except for Harriet and Sonya as well as a couple who had been together since before the gladers found the Right Arm. That didn’t mean there weren’t a few people meeting up for a little ‘fun’ though which wasn’t exactly a shock Frypan supposed. It was a fact that had spurred the medics of Safe Haven to conduct a presentation on safe sex and and contraceptives just a few days ago.“Other than those few new ones no one else has really been meeting up,” Sonya told Frypan with a wave of her hand. The two of them were sitting on one of the benches surrounding the main fire pit though it wasn’t lit and the sky was still bright. They were between breakfast and lunch and Frypan was taking a break when Sonya came skipping over with a bright smile on her face.Her observation, along with the view Frypan had of Brenda heading towards the farm, had his next comment coming out in what he hoped was a casual voice. “I’m surprised Brenda hasn’t found anyone interesting…”His eyes darted away from the girl in question and immediately found Sonya’s narrowed eyed gaze. “I’m sure she will eventually…” she said slowly and the girl leaned closer. “Are you…”“No,” Frypan said at once, suddenly seeing how his comment could have been taken. “I just meant… well.. If she found someone she might like other than…” his voice trailed off but as if summoned Thomas came out of the map room. He didn’t appear to notice Frypan or Sonya, instead heading off towards the beach to do something.“Yeah, she just seems interested in Thomas,” Sonya confirmed quietly as they watched the boy head off. “I don’t think she wants to look anywhere else.”It was what Frypan was thinking but it still made him frown to hear Sonya say it. He knows girls are much more likely to discuss these kinds of things with each other and considering they live together Brenda definitely would have mentioned any and all other interests she had to Sonya.He cautiously broached the subject, not out of a need to gossip but out of concern for Brenda’s feelings. “I think he does love her but not in that way.”Ever since the whole safe sex talk it felt like things had been a bit more stirred up around here. Frypan understood why the medics felt the need to get the information out there but discussing it so openly seemed to fan the flames and more people seemed ready to enjoy the pleasures of life more.Sonya was watching him carefully and he could see she understood why he was bringing it up to her. “Me and Harriet will talk to her,” she promised softly with a small smile. “We’ll help her be prepared for a response that might not be what she wants.”The promise had Frypan’s shoulders relaxing. “Good,” he breathed as he sat straighter. “I’ve been worried about her since I know Thomas' attention is elsewhere.”“Elsewhere?” Sonya repeated, her eyes narrowing once more.Before she could press the subject more the two of them are called from different directions; much to Frypan’s relief.Despite avoiding a more thorough interrogation by Sonya in regards to Thomas’ interests lately it surprisingly isn’t the last time the boy's love life comes up in conversation with Frypan that day. A few hours later, after dinner and during the down time that they all usually had then, he was sitting on the steps of the dining hall.His attention was more focused on the tent between the map house and showers that led towards a row of houses, where Thomas and Minho were lingering. There was nothing but a couple of picnic tables under the tent and Thomas was sitting on the top of one while Minho stood a few steps away. They were clearly deep in conversation and Minho’s face was adorned with its usual smirk.“Wonder when they’ll just come out about it already.”Frypan startled at the sudden sound and he looked up to see Gally stepping out of the dining hall, picking at his teeth while he did so. When the boy noticed his stare Gally just nodded his chin in Thomas and Minho’s direction silently. Frypan glanced over at the pair but quickly squinted his eyes at Gally.“I’m pretty sure there’s nothing going on there,” he couldn't help but say.“Yet,” Gally countered in a significant tone. When Frypan just stared at him in silence Gally scoffed. “Come on. The greenie has never been subtle and Minho’s even worse than him.”The comment had Frypan smiling and he asked. “When did you notice?”He doesn't know why he’s so surprised Gally noticed to begin with. For all the boy’s brash and obvious attitude at times he was also incredibly observant too. Perhaps it was the leader role in him from life on the glade, so used to keeping an eye on his boys to make sure everything was going as it should be.His question had Gally shrugging. “It’s always been there, hasn’t it?”Frypan nodded silently at that, his head turning back to where Thomas was laughing at whatever Minho was saying. “Do you think they’ll get there?”Gally snorted. “With those two shanks it’s always been a when not an if.”A smile broke out on Frypan’s face at the boy’s sure tone and he felt Gally clap a hand on his shoulder before he left to do whatever it was Gally did at this time of day. Frypan kept his eyes on his other two friends, watching as they apparently decided to part ways, heading off in opposite directions. He watched on as Minho called something he couldn't hear to Thomas and the younger boy only raised a finger back much to Frypan’s amusement.Gally was right; they’ll get there.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

(about a month after Sonya and Thomas talk about Newt)
Gally had a lot of regrets in life.He regretted being so stubborn sometimes— all the time— and refusing to listen to others more. He regretted being so hard on Thomas when he first arrived at the glade; even though at the time he had felt in the right to doubt him. He regretted not telling anyone about being stung by a griever and letting himself spiral to the point that he put more people in danger than helped. He regretted convincing so many of the boys not to leave the glade when Thomas found a way out; signing their death warrants however unknowingly. He regretted the way he let the griever sting cloud his mind to the point where he followed those who wanted to leave out. Regretted picking up the gun off of one of the bodies on the floor of the room they had found himself in and raising it at those brave enough to leave. Regretted trying to kill Thomas because something deep inside of him told him that they belonged to the maze.Regretted killing Chuck.Oh he paid for that last regret, by the way of a spear through his chest thrown by Minho. It was a sharp response from the runner that had stolen the air in Gally’s lungs and brought nothing but an all-encompassing pain to him. A deserving experience in the face of what he had done.Then he was found by some people who had stitched him back together– minus one properly working lung of course. He knew without a doubt that the people he was now surrounded by had a dozen screws loose but considering the state of the world Gally couldn’t blame them too much. So he stuck with them, no one could survive the Scorch alone, and he helped where he could and kept his head down. He watched on as Lawrence— the leader of these crazy people— tried to break into the Last City, convinced they possessed a cure to the virus that plagued even Lawrence.To his surprise one day he spotted a familiar face in the crowds— multiple familiar faces in fact. Thomas. Newt. Frypan.The punch he got from the Greenie after he revealed himself to them was likely a long time coming, all things considered, which is why Gally waved the incident off— and silently thanked Newt for stopping any other incoming swings Thomas had ready to go— and he offered to help them. When he learnt that Minho was trapped inside the Last City, recaptured by WCKD months back, Gally knew he would do whatever was needed to help them. The gladers got on each other's nerves sometimes, hard not to really, being a group of teenage boys, but they were family when it came down to it. They went through everything together as far as they could remember and if one of them was in trouble they rallied the best they could.There were hard limits of course, ones no one broke despite how dire things may be, the Griever sting being one. It had been a hard blow when Ben got stung, his own death warrant signed by himself when he tried to kill Thomas in his crazed state of mind, and despite not hesitating, it still filled all the gladers with grief and pain when they sent him out into the maze before the doors shut. Then Alby and Minho decided to go investigate what happened and Alby got stung too. They all waited huddled by the doors to see if they would make it back only to spot Minho dragging an unconscious Alby with him as the gust of wind that signified the doors would soon shut rushed past them. That was their other hard limit; despite knowing they wouldn’t make it— Minho too stubborn to leave Alby to make it to the doors faster and too slow with him to make it before they would seal shut— the gladers had only stood in solemn silence as the doors slowly shut. No one went into the maze besides the runners and especially not when the doors were set to shut.Until the Greenie came along of course.They had all watched on with disbelief, anger and shock as Thomas threw himself forward into the maze and when the doors sealed shut they were all certain that it would be the last time they would see the three boys alive. Which only made the sight that awaited them the next morning a true shock. Minho and Thomas each half carrying an unconscious Alby forwards and hobbling through the doors into the glade once again. Thomas changed a lot for them all when he came along. The girl— Teresa— did too but Gally never did consider her a true glader; the same way he knew Aris hadn’t been considered a true member of his maze either. The only boy amongst the girl maze and the only girl within the boys maze. Things turned completely upside down and when they were thrown out it was too an unrecognizable world.It was a hard few years, made so by WCKD, but they eventually made it to the end and found themselves some peace. Their Safe Haven. They lost a lot— Shuck knew they were all far too aware of the fact— but that didn’t mean they couldn’t live long and happy lives. If not for themselves then for those who couldn’t.“Don’t think too hard there, Gal.”Gally glanced up and found Thomas sliding into the seat across from him in the dining hall. He had a bowl of stew in his hands and didn’t hesitate to start eating as he glanced up at Gally in amusement. Thomas made a lot of progress from his first few months here. Now a week and a half into their sixth month the boy was finally getting really involved in life at Safe Haven. Insisting on being added to the work schedule, going on the exploration missions when they came up, and just getting involved with everyone around their small community in some way. Glancing around the dining hall, the place mostly empty since it was nearing the end of lunch, Gally said. “Just thinking about when Fry used to make stew on the glade, Greenie.”The nickname had a frown growing on Thomas’ face. “You realise I’m not a Greenie anymore, right?”With a faint grin, Gally scooped up some of his stew before he muttered through a mouthful. “You were our last Greenie. That makes you the Greenie for life.”A few spots down Sonya laughed brightly at his comment and Gally smiled faintly. Learning that the girl was in fact Newt’s sister was a shock but a welcome one really. All the once-gladers had been quick to welcome her to their family and the girl was steadily learning that there wasn’t much they wouldn’t do for her if she asked. It was a fact she took great advantage of when she was in a more gossipy mood but none of them were complaining by any means.“Who was the last Greenie before Thomas?” She asked curiously as Harriet, her girlfriend, took both their bowls over to where the dirty dishes got put. It was a harmless question but one that stung nonetheless and based on Thomas' slight twitch he agreed but the boy answered her at once. “Chuck. He seemed to take a lot of enjoyment in not being the Greenie anymore when I arrived actually,” he told her with a faint huff, more focused on his stew. Sonya titled her head and glanced over at Gally. “Wouldn't have Teresa been the last Greenie?” “She was a bit of a different situation,” Gally answered as his eyes darted over to Thomas at yet another touchy name being brought up. “Nothing about her arrival was the same as any of the others. Even when she showed up was different, not at the one month mark like everyone else.”“Is another reason because she was a girl?” Sonya questioned pointedly.Both Gally and Thomas grew amused at her accusing tone and Gally pointed out. “You girls didn’t really consider Aris the same either when he arrived.”Sonya relented at that. “Having a boy show up was odd,” she admitted with a tilt of her head. “Though I couldn't imagine arriving in a maze filled with nothing but boys; would have been scary.”Yeah, an understandable feeling. At least when Aris showed up as an odd one out it had been to a crowd of girls ready to protect each other if necessary. Women— and girls— were distrustful of men for good reason but at least they could take comfort in each other. Showing up as the only girl surrounded by boys would have been…“Alby set things straight right from her arrival,” Thomas told Sonya comfortingly. “She was unconscious when she got there and he was firm in telling everyone else if they touched her they would be sleeping with the Grievers. Banished— no questions asked.”It was a good call and admittedly sad that it needed to be said at all in Gally’s opinion. He may not have liked the girl but it had nothing to do with her being a girl but rather the whole situation surrounding her arrival. He didn’t like her for the same reasons he didn’t like Thomas— gender had nothing to do with it.“The more I hear of this Alby the more I like him,” Sonya said with a smile that had the corners of her eyes crinkling. “Sounds like he was a good leader.”“The best,” Gally agreed without pause. Which was true. Alby was a good mixture of firm and supportive. He didn’t coddle anyone but he wasn’t dismissive of concerns either. He was a steady ground for them all during life on the glade and there weren’t many who doubted or disagreed with him. “Sonya,” Harriet called from the doorway and the blonde quickly looked over and hopped up to join her. She sent Gally and Thomas a beaming smile and wave as she went and the two lazily returned the gesture with a simple quirk of their fingers. Gally went back to finishing his stew, pushing aside thoughts of the glade in the process, and was just nearing the end of his bowl when Thomas spoke again. “You put Chuck's name on the memorial rock.”It wasn’t a question but Gally nodded nonetheless. “Seemed only right, all things considered,” he said quietly.His words had Thomas’ mouth pulling downward faintly and he studied Gally in silence for a few moments, something that had him looking back down to the last bit of his food. The Greenie always did have a weird way of seeing through people sometimes; oh, he could be as oblivious as one could be when it came to certain things half the time but he was annoyingly astute the other half of the time. His luck was much the same way too; either completely terrible or unbelievably great. No in between.“Chuck’s death wasn’t your fault.”Gally almost physically startled at Thomas’ firm words and his head jerked back up to look at him. Thomas had a rather unrelenting expression, not an altogether uncommon one, and when he opened his mouth to argue his comment the Greenie cut him off before he could speak. “It was WCKD.” He said point blank. “I’ll admit it took me a long time to see that but I think I just wanted a more straightforward and available person to blame…” Thomas trailed off and his eyes darted to the doorway, as though he could see the memorial rock from where he was sitting, maybe he could. “You were the face that did it but the actions were all WCKD. The blame lies only with WCKD.”He stared at Thomas in silence after his declaration and Gally couldn't find any words to say. As far as he was concerned Chuck’s death was on him. The annoying bugger had made it to the end, had left the maze and was ready to move on from it, until Gally came along. The kid readily jumped in front of a gunshot coming for Thomas and if Gally hadn’t fired the thing then he would still be here today. Thomas’ swinging punch when they finally crossed paths again only confirmed that thought in his mind, it was why he didn’t retaliate in any way that day.Thomas' face grew understanding and filled with resolve. “I don’t think Chuck would have made it in the Scorch; too the Scorch at all or even simply surviving out there,” he said quietly, his words pained even as he admitted it. “He was so young and just an all around clumsy person. Winston; he was older, in good shape, and he died out there. Chuck…”Gally lived in the Scorch for quite some time, and while he never got far enough into the Crank side of things to really see the worst of it, he still heard plenty of tails. He knew Chuck was a clumsy kid, he stumbled around the glade and had a lot of them hovering nearby. Some of it was due to his age, the youngest of any of the gladers by far, but a lot was just because he wasn’t quite able to do what most of them did. He got the simpler tasks and no one questioned it.He wouldn't have survived the Scorch— even Gally could admit that— still, he wished that the kid at least had the chance to try.“I will spend every day of the rest of my life remembering him,” Gally said quietly but his tone was steady as he nodded to himself. “Maybe I wasn’t entirely to blame but I had my role. Which means I will do everything I can to make sure his memory lives on.”Thomas smiled minutely at that. “Can’t think of a better man for the job,” he said honestly and with those words he stood up with his now empty bowl.Gally watched him drop the things off before leaving just as silently as he had arrived. Despite Gally’s beliefs— ones that wouldn't ever really change— in his role in Chuck’s death, he couldn't’ deny that a certain weight was lifted off his shoulders at Thomas’ words. Maybe Gally blamed himself but there were those who didn’t blame him. It was a relieving realization.  
(about two weeks after Brenda finds out about Thomas and Minho)
Thomas was sitting around the main firepit by the dining hall with Jorge and Brenda plus a few others. The older man was telling some stories of his life before he found Brenda and it sounded like he was never a cautious or normal guy. It was a delightful discovery as far as Thomas was concerned and he couldn't help but laugh at some of the stuff the man would get up to.It was a rather mundane day in Safe Haven, with the chore list somewhat shorter given they were mostly settled into life on the island. Some days were busy, especially in the start from what Thomas was told, when there was plenty to be done and plans being created. The remainder of the living quarters were still being erected and it would be another couple months before they would be finished with that goal all together. Other days were less busy, either by design or simply a certain time where most chores were finished a day or two earlier and nothing more really needed to be done beyond the odd task. Thomas was on his day off while Jorge and Brenda had finished up all of their daily tasks before lunch. It was what led the three of them out here, finishing their meal a little less than an hour ago and coming to be lazy on one of the numerous seating areas around the unlit fire pit.“Is punching someone your go-to way for answers?” Thomas asked with an amused smile as Jorge finished a tale about him and a ‘friend’ from a while back.Jorge grinned. “It’s fast and efficient, mijo. Fast and efficient.”Laughing at the Thomas only nodded in acquiesce to his words and before he could ask another question he spotted Minho coming out of the dining hall with a much more leisurely moving Harriet. “Thomas, let’s go,” Minho called as he walked past their group, snapping his fingers impatiently. With a bewildered and mildly amused expression Thomas sarcastically said. “Well since you asked so nicely.” He pushed himself to a stand and started to follow Minho and Harriet while Brenda snorted quietly behind him. The sound had Thomas smiling a bit. Things with him and Brenda were tense and awkward for a bit for the last two weeks; ever since she had caught him and Minho kissing and Thomas learnt the true extent of the girls feelings for him. Thankfully, just as Brenda had promised, they were becoming okay again, getting back to what they were before everything had come out.Despite calling for Thomas to join them, neither Minho or Harriet waited around for him. Still he followed nonetheless, undeniably curious about what the pair were up to since they were a rather uncommon grouping all things considered. He followed them past his and Minho’s house, the showers, and back to just behind the two storage buildings they had near the beach close to the dock. It wasn’t an area frequented too much but enough that it had a small bench area— a stone that a couple of people carved into a seating spot. It was a spot that used to be used for training, whether fighting or shooting, but the main spot for that had been moved to an area a couple miles away in the opposite direction of his and Minho’s usual running route. It wasn’t a necessarily needed thing, which is why it wasn’t built in the main area they had at Safe Haven, but some people liked to either keep in shape or simply wanted to learn or teach something.Thomas sprawled over the stone and watched as Harriet stood up a large target a few paces away. “What are you guys doing?” He asked with a raised brow though he thought he could guess already.“Harriet’s gonna teach me how to throw knives,” Minho told him with a grin.Yeah, that’s what Thomas thought. While Harriet was widely known for her skills with a sniper rifle— her and Sonya both— her skills with throwing knives was absolutely insane too. He knew that Minho wouldn’t care for the former one though which meant it was the latter skill he had his eyes on.“I remember learning knives,” Thomas remarked with a faint smile.Harriet shot him a look. “You are a disaster with knives. Anyone within two feet of you and knives is at great risk.”“You would think that’s a good thing,” Thomas countered with a grin and an enthusiastic point at the girl.Her expression remained the same and her hands went to her hips. “Absolutely not.”She wasn’t wrong. Thomas attempted to learn knives in the months following Minho’s kidnapping and he had failed spectacularly. It was Newt who put a stop to it in the end, telling Thomas firmly that he was to stay far from knives from that point onward. The blond had been very good with a knife himself and while he did call it for Thomas’ attempts at learning the craft, he did make sure that Thomas knew how to defend himself against knives. A choice that did come in handy in the end. Unfortunately.“Maybe I’ll give it another go,” Thomas said teasingly and Harriet only raised a finger at him which had him laughing.Minho raised a hand to Thomas. “Okay, no talking and don’t be distracting.”“No talking?” Thomas repeated with an incredulous look. “What do you need me here for then?”“To be supportive,” Minho retorted with a hand still raised and he gestured for Harriet to start teaching. “It’s a skill you could use some practice with.”Resisting the urge to laugh Thomas said seriously. “I hope you fail miserably. You desperately need to be humbled.”Now it was Minho’s turn to raise a finger.To be perfectly honest Minho’s at times arrogant attitude— smug and overly confident— was by far one of Thomas’ favourite things about him. It was annoying on literally anyone else but Thomas supposed he was a bit biased when it came to Minho.Despite his words, Thomas did end up getting comfortable and didn’t say much as Harriet began guiding Minho’s stance and his hold on the knives. His mind drew back to his own lessons and he could already see that Minho was doing a lot better than he did. Thomas questioned things too much; he second guessed to the point where he just completely missed Harriet instructions. There's some things he’s good at when it comes to instinct but knives were not one of them.Thomas startled a bit as someone plopped down next to him on the stone seating and his eyes darted over to see Sonya perched beside him. She eyed Minho and Harriet for a second before looking at him with a beaming smile that Thomas was already returning.“Hey, Sonya,” Thomas greeted.Sonya leaned into his side more comfortably, Thomas moving an arm behind her to help her in this, and she said. “Hey, Thomas. Whatcha doing?”“I’m watching Minho learn how to throw knives,” Thomas replied in amusement, his eyes flickering over to the boy even as he said it.“Oh, that’s nice,” Sonya said distractedly before she narrowed her eyes at him. “I wanted to talk to you about something.”It was a set of words most at Safe Haven had heard from the girl before. She was by far one of the most social people Thomas had met and she seemed eager to learn everything about everyone. She was a notorious gossip and most already knew that much to Thomas’ amusement.“You know you have turned Fry into a terrible gossip,” Thomas told her instead of acknowledging her comment. “You're far too adept at getting information out of people.”Sonya grinned. “I’ve enlightened him to the joys of understanding others.” Thomas laughed outright at that and Sonya added. “Besides you, Fry, Minho and Gally always tell me everything I want to know.”Which was very true. The once-Gladers were helpless to resist Sonya’s queries and wonderings. All she had to do was ask and any one of them would spill whatever beans they could. She was like the little sister none of them had before but were more than ready to accept into the fold and that meant giving her whatever she wanted apparently.“What do you want to know?” Thomas asked with a smile, his eyes trailing back to Minho and Harriet.“So I know you and Minho are… you know, you and Minho,” Sonya started off and Thomas looked back at her to see her making a significant expression. Word on their relationship had spread not long after Brenda figured it out; by Thomas and Minho’s choice of course. (Mostly Thomas wanting to be more transparent about things since the somewhat secretness of their relationship had hurt Brenda; however unintentionally) “And I know you and Newt were… you know, you and Newt.” “Why the face?” Thomas interrupted with a bewildered and amused smile as Sonya yet again made a significant expression.His question went ignored. “But I also know that you and Brenda kissed and from what I heard you and that Teresa girl were… something.” Sonya said and she narrowed her eyes as she studied him carefully. “So I’m just wondering where exactly your interests lie. Cause from what I’ve gathered the only people you’ve been in love with are boys so is that it? Or is it just a coincidence?”“What exactly are you getting out of this conversation?” Thomas asked with humour.Sonya was quick to say. “The joy of knowing.”“I don’t really care about gender,” Thomas offered honestly after laughing at Sonya’s response. “If I like a person then I like them, their gender never seemed like a deciding factor in the whole thing.” “So were the girls just coincidences or were you interested in them at all?”Thomas frowned as he thought about that. “I wouldn’t count Brenda in things; we were both drugged when we kissed and I was hallucinating like crazy and passed out after the fact.” He shrugged and glanced over to see Minho getting ready to throw a knife. “As for Teresa I would say there wasn’t anything more in what we were but she did kiss me before she died…”It had surprised him a lot in the moment but not enough to react. He had been sure he was going to die, had been ready to, and his mind was focused on a million other things that Teresa kissing him didn’t seem to register. He thought about it after of course and a part of him had been angry about it; angry that she had stolen his last kiss instead of it being Newt. Another part of him had looked back on all of their interactions and he had tried hard to pinpoint when he missed what she had apparently been feeling.The fact that it had happened again with Brenda had him downright shocked.“From what I hear you are kind of oblivious about those things,” Sonya offered candidly and his eyes flickered back over to her. “According to the boys my brother was very obvious about his interest in you but you apparently never caught on.”Newt said something very similar back when they got together. He had told Thomas that the only thing that held him back was thinking Thomas liked Teresa, and was then heartbroken over her betrayal, but Thomas had refuted that outright. He honestly never saw Newt’s interest coming but then again he hadn’t seen Minho’s either. He had loved them both, he knew that before they even kissed him, but it just hadn’t registered in his mind how he loved them until he was kissed. With Brenda and Teresa though; those kisses did surprise him; he had jerked back away from Brenda’s and with Teresa he had been filled with confused disbelief.“I saw them like sisters,” Thomas told Sonya quietly, in reference to Brenda and Teresa. “Like family. Not anything more.”Sonya hummed as she leaned back into his side, slouching until her cheek was pressed to his shoulder. “What about Minho?”“You’re gonna have to ask Minho that one,” Thomas replied with a smile, watching as the boy in question threw another knife. “Never crossed my mind to ask.”“According to Gal, Minho’s one true love had been the Maze, he wouldn't look at anything else.”Now Thomas had to laugh at that, remembering the intensity Minho had when it came to all things Maze related. It was when he was the most serious, never willing to mess around when it came to the thing. Minho liked to say he figured Thomas never noticed the relationship sides of things around him because he was so focused on trying to save everyone he could instead but maybe Minho himself had been so focused on the Maze that he never let himself indulge in the idea of relationships either.“What has you wondering about this?” Thomas asked.He felt more than saw Sonya’s shrug. “I’ve been wondering about everyone since they had that Safe Sex presentation,” she told him quietly. “I know Fry and Gal are straight as arrows. My brother was gay, I knew that before we were even sent into the Mazes, and me and Harriet are all about the girls and girls only. Boys are gross.”“Agree to disagree,” Thomas replied to her last comment with a smile.“I think things are going to get more interesting around here,” Sonya offered and Thomas glanced down at her. “I get why they felt the need to have it but I also think they stirred the pot a bit.”Thomas didn’t know if he agreed completely; frankly that whole presentation was awkward as hell and no one had been willing to meet each other's eyes as the medics point blank explained the dangers and the need to be careful about things. He would have thought it would have people avoiding things if anything.“I don’t think it will get stirred up,” Thomas mused softly. “I mean, not to an extreme extent at least. We still live in somewhat small quarters and houses are hardly soundproof; on quiet nights you can hear someone sneezing across the town.” That was a bit of an exaggeration but still the point had some weight. The houses were like twelve feet apart and everyone had neighbours. Nights kind of amplified noises and days had too many people moving about that there was no privacy then either.Sonya sat up more and narrowed her eyes at him before she smirked with a wicked look in her eyes. “Ah, this is a personal problem for you, huh?” Before Thomas could ask what she meant by that Sonya went on to say. “Can’t keep quiet?”Thomas’ mind went blank and he opened and shut his mouth a few times but couldn’t even strum up any words in the face of her rather astute deduction. So instead he stood up to leave.“Where you going?” Minho questioned once he noticed Thomas leaving.“Anywhere else really,” Thomas replied faintly and Sonya’s accompanying cackle had him huffing. She must have got up too because he heard her telling Minho. “Good job.” Her voice was not nearly as far as it should have been considering Thomas was walking away.“Thanks,” Minho said smugly and proudly. “Did you see that last throw?”Sonya’s final comment was clear as day to Thomas as she amusedly said. “I really wasn’t talking about knives.” It was a few beats later that he could faintly hear Harriet reply to what must have been Minho’s questioning look.“Trust me, with Sonya you’re better off not knowing.”  (the Maze, the day Minho and Alby go into the Maze together)Life around the glade has taken a sharp turn from the norm. It almost always did whenever they got a new Greenie but even that was usually a routine thing they knew how to handle. What was happening now though… well it was a whole other thing. Minho would have been content to ignore everything and just focus on running, like he has been since he became a runner, but that wasn’t much of an option anymore. Things started off in their normal post-Greenie like way, some poor shuck came up in the Box quivering in his boots and questioning everything, but then a couple hours later the alarm sounded again only this time there was a girl inside.A girl. For as long as they’ve been in the Glade there has never been a girl with them; boys only varying in age but usually no more than eighteen when they come up, Chuckie was the youngest to join them. So for a girl to be sent was jarring enough and her arrival happening a couple hours after the Greenie they already got had everyone nervous. All of that wasn’t even taking into account the note they found on her.
She’s the last one. Ever.
The Box never went back down and Alby was working hard to keep everyone calm and not work himself up either. If the Box didn’t go back down it meant it wouldn’t come back up with more supplies and their survival odds without supplies were not good at all.Then Ben got stung. It wasn’t something that happened often but it did happen enough that they had a routine set. Maybe they tried to help the poor Shuck if they could, see what they could do and keep it under wraps while they tried to think of what else they could do, but then Ben attacked the Greenie. Tried to kill him and did so in such a blatant and obvious way for everyone to see that it couldn't be covered up. Which meant he had to be banished, as per the rules.Despite the necessity in the act it was never one that anyone could stomach completely. The Sting did change people for the worst but they were still themselves half the time too. They almost always begged for help, begged for a second chance, begged for them not to do this to them. It was a sickening thing and the Glade was always solemn and quiet in the days following.So Minho was glad to be leaving it behind for the day with Alby to retrace Ben’s steps on his last run. The boys notes got a bit disjointed near the end which was a good indicator when things went south so Alby wanted to see things himself.“What’s your thoughts on the two Greenies?” Minho asked as the two of them started their easy jog. Ben’s run hadn’t been a particularly long one; they wouldn’t walk it since they wanted to be back before the doors shut but they wouldn’t run it either since they didn’t want to miss anything important. Alby huffed at his side, chopping at some ivy and leaving behind their trail of crumbs. “Something doesn’t seem right,” he said gruffly, eyes on the walls.This wasn’t Alby’s first time in the Maze by far. The vast majority try out to be a runner at one point or another with the few exceptions who refused to go near the Maze at all. Alby never took a big liking to it but he was adequate enough to be trusted not to get himself lost. Minho rolled his eyes. “That’s obvious.”“It’s not just the two Greenies,” Alby said as they turned another corner, his voice tight and careful. Nothing looked amiss, just the same boring walls Minho has seen time and time again. “That note too, Ben being Stung; it’s all these little things that don’t point to anything pleasant.”“Do you think this is the Creators pushing for us to do something?” Minho asked eventually. His question had Alby stopping in his tracks, his feet making a faint noise at the abruptness of the action, and Minho did the same more slowly as he turned to face Alby. The older boy had a frown on his face and his expression was a silent demand for Minho to explain what he was thinking.“We’ve been here for three years, Alby,” Minho said point-blank as his arms crossed across his chest. “We’ve gotten all we can get out of the Maze and we still haven’t been able to figure anything out. Maybe these two being sent here is their way of pushing us to do more. Maybe they’re tired of us being idle.”“Idle?” Alby repeated with an incredulous look. “We work constantly. That’s the number one rule of life on the Glade.”It was the rule they taught all their Greenies; do your part and don’t be lazy. Everyone had a job and role on the Glade and no one could slack off or could try to think themselves above anyone else. There were the leaders of course, the Glade needed leaders to work, but they were all equals when it came down to it. A bunch of poor Shucks stuck in the same jacked situation. Minho shook his head at Alby’s words. “We work to live here. We stopped working to get out. Maybe they don’t like that.”They tried their hardest when they first got here— tried their hardest in the months and years that followed— but when time went on and they realised the Maze wasn’t going to reveal anything new… They switched to studying what they had, all the runners looking over everything constantly, but eventually they had to face the facts; they couldn’t figure it out. So they did what they did best— at Alby’s orders— they kept running and let the rest of the glade think there was still a chance they would be free one day. “What do you think about the Greenies?” Alby asked instead of responding to Minho’s points. “I haven’t been around them enough to form an opinion. The girl is still out which means there’s not much to learn there and as for the Greenie— well he seems like the others. Always asking questions, freaked out, stubborn about adjusting to this life.” Minho waved a hand around as he spoke and he couldn't help but add. “I haven’t spent much time around him either though. At least he hasn’t been crying or klunking himself.”It has happened before; both quite literally which was disgusting in Minho’s opinion. Not so much the crying but… he won’t even think it.Alby nodded silently as he visibly weighed over Minho’s words. “Yeah, Newt thinks he’s pretty much the same as the other Greenies too,” he eventually said as he licked his lips.Minho resisted the urge to snort at that. He remembered the bonfire night when the Greenie showed up, a tradition on the Glade, and Newt certainly did seem cozy with the Greenie. Oh he was always guiding the newcomers, it was sort of his role, he was one of the leaders of the Glade— second to Alby— but he didn’t have nearly as abrasive an attitude as some could have. Which was why he was the best for the role of comforting and helping the poor Shucks sent to them adjust to this life. But this Greenie… Well, Newt seemed more interested in this Greenie compared to others. The blond always was a sucker for a pretty face, few and far as those types were around here, and perhaps that was why he was more willing to indulge the Greenie’s more annoying qualities. Personally, Minho could never do what Newt does with their fresh meat. He just didn’t have the patience to. He moved fast, life as a runner he supposed, and hand holding someone through their new life was the last thing he’d want to waste his time on.“We should keep moving,” Minho said instead of addressing Newt’s possible bias’. If he noticed them then he knew Alby would too already considering the boy was Newt’s best friend. He glanced up at the sky when he felt a splash on his face and he could see rain starting to fall.Alby only jerked his head into a nod at his comment and the two continued onward. The rain made things more annoying and tedious but it changed nothing of their plans as they pushed forward. When they came upon the end of Ben’s notes it was to a path that split in two directions. The two of them stood in silence for a beat as they looked both ways. “We should split up here,” Alby said as he studied the paths. “Cover more ground.”Minho wrinkled his nose. “Sure that’s wise?”“It’s the best choice at the moment.”He didn’t question the choice; Alby was the leader after all. Still, Minho didn’t like the idea of them splitting up. He could understand the necessity of it, they had no idea how far Ben would have gone after this point and the longer they waited to check things out (coming back another day for each possible path) the more likely their evidence would disappear, but that didn’t mean he was happy about it.“Sure you can go on your own?” Minho asked with a raised brow.Alby rolled his eyes. “Slim it, Minho. I ain’t no Greenie, I know this Maze too.”With a huff of amusement, Minho only clapped Alby’s shoulder once before he took the left path. Everything was the same as normal; cut the ivy, check the paths, keep an eye on the time. Minho checked a few dead ends and he went onward as much as time would allow before he had to turn back to meet Alby. His pace back was faster than before since it was more of the same but he still double checked things as he went. He beat Alby to their split off spot and Minho didn’t move to go in the direction the older boy went since he knew how easy it would be to get himself turned around or to mess up Alby’s pacing. There was a reason no two runners took the same trek, it only spelled for trouble when more variables were added into a situation.As the time ticked on, and the rain ebbed to nothing, Minho’s nerves grew and grew. While he knew Alby could handle the Maze that didn’t mean he could handle a Griever or whatever happened to Ben. It was just when he was ready to impulsively rush after Alby that he spotted his figure coming back up the path. The sight had Minho sighing in relief.“Cutting it close, Alby,” Minho called teasingly towards the boy, having to raise his voice a bit to make sure he was heard. As Minho glanced at his watch he saw they still had more than enough time to get back if they ran since Alby himself was a quick runner.“I figured out what Ben was talking about,” Alby called back though he didn’t raise his voice so Minho had to strain his ears to hear.Minho frowned at his tone and while he was curious about what Alby discovered he still said. “You can tell me back at the glade. Let’s get out of here.”“We can’t get out. We can’t leave.”Alby's voice was faint and strained in a way that had Minho stepping forward. The older boy's pace had remained leisurely despite Minho’s clear sign of wanting to get going and it was something he should have noted far sooner. “Alby, what’s going on?” he asked in a concerned tone.“We can’t leave!” Alby shouted and the suddenness of the noise had Minho jumping a bit. He didn’t get a second to get over his surprise before Alby was on top of him and Minho’s shoulders were grabbed and pinned to the ground as fingers dug into his skin to the point that bruises would no doubt appear. “We can’t leave, Minho! This place is all we have! It’s all that’s left!”Grabbing Alby’s wrists, Minho shoved them off himself while kicking his legs to get the rest of Alby off of him. He rolled to the side and pushed himself in one quick motion and it seemed Alby was just as quick to move, his eyes wide and wild. “Alby,” Minho said with a calming raised hand. “What are you talking about?”“We can’t leave,” Alby whispered and his breathing grew short. “I can’t let you figure this maze out. We can’t leave here.” There was no extra time for Minho to question the ridiculousness of the older boy's statement before Alby was rushing at Minho again. He swung one fist that Minho ducked under to move around him and back away. Alby remained undeterred and it became a back and forth of Alby attacking and Minho dodging in an effort not to hurt him. The stalemate couldn’t last forever though and soon Alby caught Minho in a tackle around his midsection and was straddling his waist as his hands wrapped around Minho’s throat. “This is all his fault,” Alby hissed as his fingers tightened and cut off Minho's air supply.Minho scrambled at Alby’s hands but his actions were useless in the face of Alby’s apparent fury. He reached out blindly on the ground surrounding him, his lungs burning, until finally he grasped the edge of a rock. Minho didn’t hesitate to curl his fist around it, he lifted the thing with a swift swing and slammed it into Alby’s head.Thankfully it struck true and Alby’s hold slackened and his body slumped downward beside Minho. The boy in question did nothing but desperately try to pull some much needed air into his lungs as he stared up at the sky. When he felt levelheaded again he pushed himself up and glanced over at where Alby was slumped over. He started searching him for what he knew would be there but he still sighed in disappointment as he found—A Sting.Eyes flickering around, Minho noticed Alby’s backpack was now gone and then he noted the sky was growing dark. He pushed away all the extra facts swirling through his mind and began to maneuver Alby so he could pull the older boy onto his back in one swift pull.He would get Alby back to the Glade; there was no other way around it.As Minho stumbled through the Maze with Alby he couldn't ignore the way the sky grew darker but he didn’t let himself look at his wrist. He had to stop a few times and drag Alby by his legs, giving his back a bit of a break before picking Alby back up and carrying him again to cover more ground, but when he finally made it to what he knew would be the last turn he let out a groan of relief. That relief was short lived as a gust of wind rushed past him signalling that the doors would be shutting soon. Minho forced his aching legs forward, heaving and panting out breaths as he powered on. He walked blindly for a bit, eyes more on the ground as he walked these last few familiar steps to the final turn. This meant he heard them before he saw them.“There! Come on! Go! Come on, you can make it!”The boys’ voices were overlapping and Minho glanced up to see them all huddled at the edge of the doors, the Glade a beautiful sight behind them. Minho stumbled over some ivy and he was quick to grab hold of Alby’s legs; no time to try and get the boy on his back again. “Minho, you gotta leave him!” Gally shouted from the Glade but he ignored him. He wouldn't leave Alby. “You gotta leave him!”Letting out a yell, Minho forced his arms and legs to work as he desperately tried to get Alby to the Glade. The doors were moving, groaning as they slowly but surely started to reach for one another. The boys were still shouting, yelling for Minho to leave Alby, and yelling that they wouldn't make it. Then the yells changed—“Thomas, no!”Minho finally stopped moving, the doors too close for him to get Alby through them in time and resigning himself to a fate of his own choosing. He looked up to see the Greenie pushing through the doors of the Maze to his own faint incredulity and judgement. For a second he thought the Greenie would get squished but the lanky boy managed to make it through and the Maze doors slammed shut resoundly behind him.Really, there was only one thing Minho could say. “Good job. You just killed yourself.”  (Girls Maze and joining Right Arm)Things were simple in a way that was both mundane and high stakes. Sonya and Harriet were the leaders of the Maze they had woken up in and as the years went on they kept a tight ship while making sure everyone was doing their part and weren’t in a bad way beyond the expected. It was a life they worked hard to escape, filled with cold nights and cold days too. A constant battle as they tried their hardest to climb to the top and make their escape.Then Rachel showed up; which was normal at first. A typical new Rookie thrown into their glacial world. But then, a few short hours later, Aris came too and if the addition of a second Rookie so soon wasn’t shocking enough they soon realised Aris was in fact a boy. After that everything they knew started to shift. Rachel wasn’t too bad. She was stubborn and abrasive at times but smart as well, too smart at times for some of those in the Maze. It was Aris being thrown in that had people even more resistant to the changes Rachel was bringing, the main person resisting being Beth— a girl who put the word caustic to a whole new level. Perhaps the most heartbreaking change— in Sonya’s opinion at least— was when Miyoko had been Stung and subsequently banished. The girl had been Sonya’s best friend and when she had gone to bed that night she was helpless to stop the sobs that tore through her chest at the loss of her friend. Maybe that’s why Sonya had been so willing to take a chance on Rachel and Aris; one might think the opposite but the two had been gunning to get out and it seemed they were well on their way to figure out how to do it. Sonya wanted out, they all did of course, but she didn’t want to stay in the Maze without Miyoko any longer than she had to. Harriet had urged her to be cautious, forever the level headed one of the two of them, so unlikely to dive headfirst into a situation, but Sonya had remained firm in her plans.In the end they succeeded. Rachel and Aris got them out of the Maze, they listened to that blonde woman's stupid tape about why they were all put in the Mazes, and then just when freedom looked to be in reach Beth shot Rachel. It was Harriet’s quick shot that got Bath in return but the damage had been done. The one bit of relief was that the gunshot wasn’t anywhere life threatening and soon soldiers were storming up the hallway to them.Harriet and Sonya were quick to raise the weapons they had picked up before the voices registered.“Let’s go! We have to go! We don’t have a lot of time before more WCKD soldiers come.”Aris had resisted with a hurried. “I’m not leaving Rachel.”The soldiers adapted with ease, some checking the immediate area while two others tended to Rachel, swiftly applying pressure to her wound and picking her up to get them going. Aris followed behind then and with a great deal of hesitation the rest of the girls eventually followed. It was when they got outside that they got into more trouble. First off, the thing Sonya took note of was the heat, a blistering thing compared to the place they had spent years living in and the layers they were wearing suddenly felt ten times heavier. Then Aris and Rachel, as well as two others, had been taken to one helicopter that had its blades steadily turning while Sonya, Harriet and the other five girls were led over to the second one a bit farther away. It was when they were about fifty feet away from their helicopter, the other one already taking off into the sky, that the sound of gunshots rang out. Harriet and Sonya had both been forced to duck for cover as the weapons they had picked up had been left behind. One shot caught the man leading them straight in the neck and as they stumbled through the sand they saw another two go down. A man in the helicopter came rushing out just as a voice sounded from behind them.“You girls, we need to go now.”“Who the hell are you?” Sonya questioned at once, her fist clenching as she got ready to fight for her life.The person— man— pulled down a bandana from around his face. The difference in gear between him and the first group of soldiers who saved them was inherently obvious. “My names Vince,” the guys said at once. “I’m with a group called the Right Arm; we’ve spent a long time trying to get to you kids.”Sonya and Harriet exchanged a glance, the rest of the girls still huddled behind them as the two groups still fought a little ways off. “How do we know you’re telling the truth?” Harriet asked with a heavy stare. “These guys said they were getting us away from WCKD too.”The man, Vince, didn’t seem offended by the doubt. Instead he walked over to the nearest soldier and very deliberately pulled his gear aside until they could see a label stamped on the inside of his gear. Property of WCKD.Well that settled it. “Let’s get the hell out of here then,” Sonya said and Vince wasted no time in leading them off to another side and they were helped into jeeps and tore off into the open desert. Vince had told them to get some rest as it would be a bit of a drive and as much as Sonya wanted to protest the eventful day did have her eyes drooping heavily; the adrenaline ebbing and exhaustion setting in.“Sonya. Sonya”  With a sharp breath Sonya awoke between one second and the next and when her eyes flew open she was met with the sight of Harriets calm face. The girl smiled faintly and said. “We’re here.” Here turned out to be the mountains. The girls were all ushered out and told they’d have to walk the next stretch. It was a fair sized road with cars scattered around it making travel by vehicle an impossibility. It was after they got through most of the cars that they reached a large vehicle that they were helped into the back of and they drove that right up to the Right Arm’s base. “Come on, Mary and the medics will look over you girls,” Vince told them. He was a rather plain man, nothing too notable about him barring his blond hair which was partly tied back and the goatee on his face. He waved over at the things around them and offered explanations readily; the eating area, training area, storage, and on and on until they arrived at. “And this is the medical tent.” As he spoke Vince lifted one side of it and gestured for them to head in.There were a few areas split off by simple dividers that wouldn’t muffle conversation but at least offered the illusion of privacy. The other girls were led over to different areas but they stuck together; two in one, three in the other, while Harriet and Sonya were led to the last spot by a woman with dark brown hair, an oval shaped face and kind eyes. As she started to look them over, Harriet first at her own insistence, Vince introduced them. “Girls this is Mary. The leader of the Right Arm.”Mary smiled back at Vince. “I wouldn’t go that far,” she told him before looking back at them. “Vince plays a big role in all of this. I couldn’t have done it without him.”“I’m Sonya,” she offered in turn and gestured to her girlfriend. “This is Harriet.”“I’m glad you girls made it here okay,” Mary said as she began to check some knick they had gotten when escaping the Maze. “How many could you rescue Vince?” Vince glanced back to where the other girls were hidden by dividers and sighed. “Just these seven. WCKD had already taken off with some others— four by my count— we couldn't get into the Maze without risking these girls.”Mary nodded mostly to herself. “WCKD will no doubt go back into the Maze for whoever didn’t want to leave. They’ll be taken to their laboratories, we may be able to reach them there.”That was a relief to hear and based on the way Harriets shoulders loosened a bit Sonya knew she felt the same way. It had been a gut wrenching thing to leave behind those who refused to leave but when it came down to it they couldn't afford to sit around in their glacial world anymore. “Your Source offer anything new?” Vince asked as he crossed his arms. “Word on where they’ll be taken next or how to get in?”Now Mary shook her head and she moved over to Sonya and just as swiftly looked her over. “I haven’t heard a word since the last time I was contacted.” Sonya and Harriet’s eyes flickered to one another as the two adults spoke but they didn’t interrupt or offer any commentary. Instead they waited for their checkup to be done, Mary offering them both soft smiles as she declared them ready to go, and then were led by another woman to a spot where they could look through the clothes they had.It wasn’t until supper that night that Sonya brought up what the two adults were talking about. Most of the girls had taken the opportunity to turn in early despite sleeping on the way here and Sonya couldn’t blame them, a nice sleep far from the Maze seemed like a magical thing.Still, Sonya was Sonya and she couldn’t stand not knowing something.“Who is the ‘Source’?” She asked Vince.It was just her, Harriet and Vince at one end of the table, the older man appeared determined to make sure he saw the girls all the way through their first day with the Right Arm which was a very reassuring quality all things considered. There were a few other people around but none close enough to hear their conversation and most busy with their own tasks.Vince looked up at her and Harriet didn’t look away from him for a second as she waited for an answer too. The man pursed his lips before he seemed to relent and he said. “They are someone working inside WCKD. They have been giving us information for months and about a week ago they went no contact after handing over the locations for every WCKD compound, trial and lab. Mazes included.”“Mazes?” Harriet repeated the word. “As in plural.”She got a resounding nod. “Two. One with the girls and one with the boys.”“Where are the boys?” Sonya asked, her eyes darting over to anyone nearby to see if they were close to her and Harriets age.“We could only get to the one Maze,” Vince told her. “By now the boys, whichever ones survived that is, are wherever the rest of your friends are now.”“Are you gonna get them back?”“We’re sure as hell going to do our best.”That was a relief to hear and based on everything they’ve seen so far maybe the Right Arm would be able to do it. Then again, based on their equipment and what they saw of WCKD’s equipment… well, they would have to work hard to do it. It made sense they needed insider help.Sonya looked up again. “Where’s your Source now?”“That we don’t know,” Vince said solemnly. “Maybe they’re lying low to avoid suspicion. Truth be told I don’t know anything about them; the only one they would speak to is Mary. Couldn't even tell you what the man looks like.”“It’s a man? What if it's a woman?” Sonya countered.Her retort made Vince smile and it had him looking much kinder. “Mary calls him a ‘he’ whenever she relays anything.”“Oh…” Sonya said quietly and now Harriet shot her an amused look.Sue her, she was big on female empowerment.“Listen, you girls just focus on getting reacquainted with the world,” Vince said seriously, his voice firm but soft. “We’re not expecting you kids to be fighting are battles with us; we’re doing this for you to be free of WCKD and that’s a plan we’re sticking to. We stick around long enough to try to save as many as we can and then we head to the Safe Haven.”“Safe Haven?” Sonya repeated now.Vince nodded. “It’s a place far from the Virus and WCKD where we’ll all have a chance at living normal lives. Where humanity could have a chance to survive. Hopefully.”Didn’t that sound nice? It sure as hell sounded like a dream considering what they’ve learnt over the last day or two. Still, the girls would roll with the punches and keep their hopes at a reasonable level. For now that would be geared to hoping to see the friends they got separated from alive and well once again. Sonya and Harriet decided to leave their interrogation there. From the sounds of it the Right Arm was going to keep them safe and together so they would have plenty of time to ask questions and get to know these people more. Now— Well, now Sonya was going to make Harriet curl up in one of the cots with her and they were going to have what would be the first free night of sleep they have had since they could remember. It was about three weeks with the Right Arm that things changed again.Sonya and Harriet had become close with Vince, the older man firm but as willing to talk if they wanted to. They had been quick to catch on to the fact that Vince and Mary were a bit of an item and the man seemed ready to move mountains for the woman. (Sonya thought it was adorable) The other girls were settling in well and she and Harriet were constantly checking in to make sure they felt okay and weren’t getting overwhelmed.The Right Arm still went on missions, groups of them leaving and sometimes only a small few or even none returning. They were determined to get as many Immunes to safety as they could but it was not without a lot of loss as Sonya was quickly realising. Despite Vince’s words that first night here, the girls all did want to help, life in the Maze didn’t raise them to be lazy people. Sonya and Harriet were the only one who helped in the way of fighting and Vince was proud to see they were very skilled snipers so he didn’t mind sticking them high up in the mountains to watch the permitters with some of the other adults. It was during one of these days that they spotted a group of people coming up the mountain, first in a truck and then on foot once they ran into the cars. Their faces were covered and they had weapons in hand and at Tim’s order— one of the lead snipers— they fired warning shots that wouldn’t hit anyone but would let them know they weren’t wanted near here.“Vince will want us to check them out,” came a voice over the radio Harriet and Sonya shared. “See what they want and who sent them.”So down they went to question them, barking orders to drop weapons or be shot and then getting a closer angle on one of them when they seemed reluctant. AFter that the newcomers were lined up against the mountain wall and they were questioned at once. They were look for the Right Arm, no surprise, but what was a surprise was—“Aris?”Sonya’s head darted over to Harriet when she spoke and she followed her eye-line to the stranger who was now pulling down the bandana covering his face. “Oh my god, Harriet?”“My god. What the hell are you doing here?” Sonya asked as she dropped her gun.Aris smiled at the sight of her and it was a welcomed expression. “Sonya.”“Aris, you’re lucky we din’t shoot your dumb ass,” Sonya told him firmly with a growing grin and Harriet shook her head.“You all right, man?” the girl asked as she gave him a look over.“How…” Aris said slowly.It seemed their reunion wasn’t something anyone was willing to just watch any longer and one of the men asked. “What’s happening?”“We were in the Maze together,” Sonya told him at once, gesturing between her, Harriet and Aris. Those seemed to be the magic words and soon they were all being led up to the camp. Aris had bloody good timing considering they were leaving tomorrow at first light and Sonya didn’t hesitate to tell him just that. No introductions were made for the rest of the boys but Sonya could guess by their presence with Aris that they had to have been from the other Maze. Still, despite her certainty in that they were taking them to Vince. She didn’t hesitate to say she knew Aris and trusted him but Vince wasn’t too sold and Sonya supposed she couldn't blame him entirely all things considered. A proven all too right feeling when the girl with short hair suddenly passed out.“Brenda! Brenda!” The man started calling and Sonya figured he must be her father. It was all a big blur after that, checking the girl over, pulling the father back, realising she was infected, a boy with brown hair and moles along the side of his neck begging for them to help her, Vince offering his resolute solution.“I can put her out of her misery,” Vince said and he cocked his gun and aimed it at the girl still on the ground.The words made Sonya’s teeth clench but she didn’t resist, she was new to this life, hasn’t seen the realities of it, and if Vince thought this the best solution then she wouldn’t question it. At least not now in front of these strangers. Still her heart ached as the man shouted “No!” and tried to reach his daughter, looking as if he would shield her from the bullet with his own body if he had to.“Vince, that’s enough! Let him go!” Everyone turned at the sound of Mary’s voice and she marched determinedly over to them and gestured to the men holding the man. “Let him go!”Vince looked over at her. “She’s infected, Doc,” he said, always using unfamiliar terms with her in large crowds; probably even a bigger necessity in front of these strangers and Aris. “There’s nothing we can do for her.”“No, but he can,” Mary said much to their confusion, nodding over at the boy who had asked for their help. “Hello, Thomas.”The boy only looked confused at her greeting. “What? You know me?” He asked and that perplexed look alone had Sonya sure he had been given the Swipe. Sure that he was about as fresh as a Rookie who had yet to get used to not knowing the world around them. Mary hummed as she studied him and then nodded to herself. “Interesting,” she said as she walked over to the girl on the ground. “It makes sense they’d put you in the Maze. Though I must admit…” she continued on as she crouched down, feeling for the girl’s pulse and checking vitals in that absent way she did. “I was worried they’d kill you after what you did.”“What I did?” Thomas asked as he confusion only seemed to grow.“The first time we spoke,” Mary said, clear enough for them all to hear. “You said you couldn't take it anymore… watching your friends die, one by one.” The boy's friends in question looked over at Thomas. “The last time we spoke… you gave me the coordinates to every WCKD compound, trial and lab.”
Holy shit.
“He was our Source,” Vince said in disbelief as he finally lowered his gun. His disbelief was well warranted. Ever since Sonya and Harriet had been told of the Source they imagined… well, an adult. They imagined some WCKD scientist around Vince and Mary’s age who was willing to risk it all to save some kids. Not some kid himself getting involved in a battle that was just so much bigger than him. A battle involving all the adults around him while kids like him all suffered.Thomas appeared just as shocked and Sonya wondered how it felt to be given this huge part of himself that he wouldn’t remember. This knowledge of how many lives he changed just by existing. His friends looked just as shocked but unsurprised as well— clearly he had a habit of helping people.“We couldn't have pulled all this off without him,” Mary said firmly and she stood up once more and gestured at some people nearby. “Take her to the tent. Get these guys some warm clothes. Careful,” she added as they began moving the girl and Mary moved over to Thomas. “Come on. Hey, it’s the least we can do. Thomas, come on.”And with that the group was staying, Vince studying Thomas with that same disbelieving look. Sonya would imagine it would stick for a while; Vince was very much someone who didn’t want to put kids in dangerous situations, working hard to prevent just that, and he spoke endlessly about the great risk their Source was in. He had said the Source had been giving information over the span of months and she wondered if he had known Thomas was just a kid if he would have called it and made the boy find them much sooner than he had.It almost felt like the start of something new, the arrival of the rest of these Maze kids, and in a way it was. Only it was in the worst way possible.The chaos WCKD brought with them was something that Sonya could barely comprehend. It came in flashes. Missiles shot. Gunfire. The arrival of the blonde woman who ‘shot herself’ in the WCKD video when they got out of that Maze. Learning that apparently the girl who was in the boy’s Maze sold them all out; a shock to even the ones who saw her as a friend. Then Thomas got ready to let them all die; urged on by the boy’s in his Maze as they said they won’t go back there. Sonya willed him to do it too, anything would be better then what Aris described to them about Rachel’s death. More chaos followed after that; Mary was killed and Vince was distraught, the father and daughter appeared and they got an upperhand, WCKD was forced to flee instead and Sonya felt a sharp sting before she was out, her body going limp and the battle around her disappearing with only the sound of Harriet’s voice following her.“Sonya!”-Harriet stared around their once camp, the scattered ruins of the life they were getting ready to build a sad sight to see. Her hands clenched at her side and she stuck close to Vince as they surveyed everything. She would do anything to ignore the ache of Sonya’s missing presence.“What do we do now?” she asked quietly.Vince glanced at her and the back around the camp. “Well, we pick up what’s left of us. We stick to the plan. We get you kids to the Safe Haven… then we start over I guess.”The words were expected but Harriet was still disappointed. She knew Vince would go for that choice though, the man was cautious to Mary’s daring, and he wouldn't risk more lives, not when he just lost so many of them.To her surprise another voice spoke up. “I’m not going with you.”She and Vince both turned to Thomas, the boy shouldering a rifle, and it was Vince who said. “What?”“I made a promise to Minho, I wouldn’t leave him behind. I have to go after him.” Thomas said and Harriet had to admire his dedication to a promise even in the face of everything they just went through.“Hey, kid, look around you.” Vince said, and his use of ‘kid’ was practically a hallmark for him and Harriet thought if the world hadn’t gone to shit then he would have been a real family man. Big house with loads of kids and just doing everything he could for each one of them. “All right? WCKD just kicked our ass. You think about where you’re headed.”That was the issue of it all. Fact of the matter is, WCKD had a lot of power. They had technology, weapons, resources and the backing of the last of whatever government humanity had. What did the Right Arm have? Nothing. Just hopes, dreams and sheer determination. “I’m not asking anyone to come with me.” The blond boy who arrived with Thomas stepped closer to the boy, Newt, Harriet believed his name was, and he spoke in an understanding but firm voice the spoke someone used to talking people down. “Thomas, listen to me. I’ve known Minho for… well, as long as I can remember. So, if there was any way that we could help him… trust me, I would be up there standing next to you.” He shook his head and looked imploringly at Thomas. “This, what you’re talking about… it’s impossible.”“More like suicide,” Jorge said from where he was standing by his daughter.Thomas’ expression remained undeterred despite the words his friends and allies offered and it was something that sparked a bit of hope in Harriet’s chest. “Maybe,” he agreed. “But I know what I’m supposed to do now. It's not just about Minho. It's about all of us. It's about everyone WCKD's ever taken, everyone they will take. They'll never stop.” He shook his head and his shoulder pushed back as he made up his mind once and for all. “They’ll never stop, so I’m gonna stop them. I’m gonna kill Ava Paige.” This. This was exactly what Harriet needed and she felt her heart start to pound in her chest as the idea of getting Sonya back became a true possibility. They would need Vince though, and being the protector-of-kids man that he was, Harriet knew there was only one motive that would get him on their side.“I have to admit…” she said slowly, her words carefully chosen. “I’d like some revenge.” Revenge was far from what she wanted; she wanted Sonya. But Vince just lost the woman he loved, lost a lot of friends too… he would want some revenge.Sure enough Vince inclined his head and he glanced over at her. “Well, that’s a good speech, kid,” he finally said and looked up at Thomas once more. “So, what’s your plan?”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

(Days following Thomas’ night in the maze)
Everything about life on the Glade as Newt had known it has gone so far left that he feared he wasn’t going to be able to keep up. First the newest Greenie arrived, and that in itself was normal, but then another Greenie arrived quickly after that. A girl one at that. Then Ben tried to kill the Greenie and had to be banished. Minho and Alby went into the Maze and didn’t come into view until the doors were shutting. Then Thomas, their newest Greenie, ran into the Maze. Newt had been sure, with a painstaking certainty, that that would be the last time he would see the three boys. But then the doors opened and Minho and Thomas were carrying an unconscious Alby out of the Maze. Minho was revealing that Thomas had killed a Griever of all things. Alby was taken to medical. Gally was on a warpath about Thomas and Newt was being pushed into the head spot with Alby out for the count. Which meant he was overseeing this mess of a meeting.“Things are changing. There’s no denying that,” Gally said to the group at large. This wasn’t a gathering of everyone in the Glade, that would be pure chaos, it was only the Keepers and Thomas himself. Gally had tried to get him to leave but Minho stubbornly said Thomas was staying and Newt didn’t have the energy to argue; or the care to. “First,” Gally went on, lifting one finger. “Ben gets stung in broad daylight. And then Alby. And now our Greenie,” he pointed over towards where Thomas was sitting without looking at him, “here, has taken it upon himself… to go into the Maze. Which is a clear violation of our rules here.”Newt was hard pressed not to roll his eyes at Gally's accusatory tone and he was happy when Frypan offered an opinion then. “Yeah… but he saved Alby’s life.”There were more than a few nods at that point and Newt very much wanted to do the same. Thomas had saved Alby. When the rest of them had given up and written him off he had stubbornly gone after him and did the impossible to bring Alby back to them all. Which apparently wasn’t an excuse or justification to Gally.“Did he?” Gally countered sharply. “For three years, we have coexisted with these things. And now,” he glared over at Thomas as he crossed his arms. “You’ve killed one of them. Who knows what that could mean for us.”Newt summoned every bit of patience he had and asked. “What do you suggest we do?”“He has to be punished,” Gally said promptly, to Newt’s complete and utter lack of surprise. If Gally thought his opinion was going to be unquestionably accepted he was quickly proven wrong.“Come on! He killed a Griever!” The boys were saying, voices overlapping.Newt could feel a headache coming on as Gally looked ready to start spitting out his retorts and reasoning on why Thomas should be punished despite saving Alby. Newt wasn’t interested in hearing it so he looked to Minho and spoke in a loud voice that cut everyone else off. “Minho. You were there with him. What do you think?”Until now Minho had been sitting off to the side silently. He usually did most meetings ever since they came to the conclusion that there was no way out of the Maze. The odd time he’d offer a sarcastic comment or put Gally in his place but today he was uncharacteristically quiet considering what has happened. Newt knew Minho well enough by now to know he would be quick to hop on board with whatever crazy idea Thomas would suggest. Thomas had done the impossible, something no other had done, and that would give him a lot of weight with Minho who had thought he had done all that could be done with Maze.“I think…” Minho started slowly as he looked at his clasped hands. “In all the time we’ve been here… no one has ever killed a Griever before.” He stood up and glanced over at them all. “When I turned tail and ran,” Minho pointed over at Thomas blindly, “this dumb Shank stayed behind to help Alby. Look, I don’t know if he’s brave or stupid. But whatever it is, we need more of it. I say we make him a Runner.”Newt knew he was gonna say something drastic. As expected the boys started clamouring to speak over each other. Frypan’s voice was more distinct as he said. “A Runner? What? Minho, let’s not jump the gun, here.”As expected Gally wasn’t going to let things go that easy. “If you want to throw the newbie a parade, that’s fine. Go ahead. But if there is one thing I know about the Maze… it is that you do not—”Minho cut him off with an annoyed expression “No, you worthless shuck, you don’t get it!” He said sharply and Newt silently cautioned him, not bothering to say anything out loud as he knew Minho would ignore it. “I’ve been here for two years, and I’ve never seen anything like what the Greenie did. For you to say anything,” Minho forced himself to take a deep breath and when he spoke again his words were deliberately calm. “Gally, you’re nothing but a sissy who has never, not once, asked to be a Runner or tried out for it. You don’t have the right to talk about things you don’t understand. So shut your mouth.”Newt swallowed back a groan as Minho all but antagonized a Gally who was clearly not going to take it as he leaned into Minho’s face. “Say one more thing like that and I’ll break your neck, right here in front of everybody,” he threatened. Minho hardly looked intimidated as he pushed a hand to Gally’s face and shoved him over while standing in one quick move. He pressed a foot to Gally’s back and fiercely said. “I swear, Gally, don’t ever threaten me again. Don’t ever speak to me again. Ever. If you do, I’ll break your Shuck neck, right after I’m done with your arms and legs.”With practiced ease the boys quickly separated the two, pulling Minho off of Gally while others stopped Gally from rushing at Minho once he stood up with a furious expression. This was how it went a lot of the time; Minho and Gally were both boys who didn’t take anything from anyone most of the time. Newt was just relieved they respected the certain level of hierarchy the Glade had in the end; they’ve had boys come into the Maze who just did not and it made life unnecessarily hard. Before anything else could be said Thomas held something out to Newt. “We found this. It was inside the Griever.”The others looked over but Newt was more focused on the small cylinder shaped item he was handed and he looked at the side of it. “These are the same letters we get in our supplies.”“Yeah,” Thomas agreed urgently. “Whoever put us here obviously made the Grievers. Now this is the first real clue, the first anything, you’ve found in over three years.” He looked at Minho. “Right, Minho?”“Right,” Minho agreed at once, losing his angry stance as he watched Newt. Thomas looked back at him, his expression a mixture of imploring and down-right stubborn. “Newt, we gotta go back out there. Who knows where this might lead us.”Clenching his jaw, Newt thought Thomas’ words over. True as they were in a sense they still went against their rules to a certain degree too. They were too far into this life to start abandoning rules; that would only invite chaos and that was the last thing they needed. Alby was out for the time being and no one needed Newt wavering too. His eyes darted up and he found more than one person watching him, waiting, and when he found Gally’s stare the boy spoke up.“You see what he is trying to do, right?” He asked pointedly with a jerk of his chin in Thomas’ direction, though he didn’t look away from Newt. “First he breaks our rules and then he tries to convince us to abandon them totally. The rules are the only thing that have held us together. Why now are we questioning that? If Alby was awake and not Jacked, you know he’d agree with me. This Shank needs to be punished.” Gally wasn’t entirely wrong, and it was that very fact that had Newt nodding. “You’re right. Thomas broke the rules. One night in the Pit and no food.”“Oh, come on, Newt. One night in the Pit? You think that’s gonna stop him from going into the Maze?” Gally demanded.His choice of punishment wasn’t deemed enough by Gally but he had expected that. See, while Gally wasn’t entirely wrong, he wasn’t entirely right either. “No,” Newt admitted readily as he stared point blank at Gally. “And we can’t just have non-runners running into the Maze whenever the feel like it,” he added to the room at large so no one got any kind of ideas. “So let’s just make this official,” he said as he looked over at Thomas. “Starting from tomorrow, you’re a Runner.”“Wow,” Gally said in a deadpan. Frypan frowned in sympathy though he clearly agreed with Newt. “Gally…” he said imploringly.“Nah, Fry. Things are different now.” He said dismissively, though his expression belayed his apparent uncaring attitude, and he looked over at Minho. “You shouldn’t have done that, Minho. You should not have done that.” Gally then looked at Newt. “I know you hate me, that you’ve always hated me. You should be Banished for your embarrassing inability to lead this group. You’re shameful, and any one of you who stays here is no better,” Gally went on heatedly, turning around to look at all of them as his expression twisted up. “Things are going to change. This, I promise. And you,” he said with a note of finality as he glared at Thomas. “The Greenbean who thinks he’s friggin’ God. Don’t forget I’ve seen you before— I’ve been through the Changing. What these guys decide doesn’t mean jack. Whatever you came here for— I swear on my life I’m gonna stop it. Kill you if I have to.”And with that charming end, Gally stormed out as everyone watched him leave in silence. Honestly, Newt was worried about Gally. Of the things he was anticipating Gally’s clear descent into madness was not one of them. True Gally was as abrasive as they could be but when it came down to it he cared about the boys here. It was why he was so obsessive about the rules; he didn't like crossing of names any more than anyone else in the Glade. It was why he was so strict with the Greenies who were so prone to making mistakes as they underestimated the situation they were in.  ‘I know you hate me, that you’ve always hated me’, just the words alone were troubling. Not once had Gally ever accused Newt of hating him; sure he knew Newt was annoyed with him at times and they weren’t as close as some people could be but he never tried to say Newt hated him. It was hard to hate anyone in the Glade. Annoyed or bothered by or tired of; sure, plenty of times, but hate? They were all put in this apparently hopeless situation and if they didn’t stick together they would be lost causes. Gally’s behaviour was troubling and Newt wondered if the stress was getting to him. Either way he couldn't afford to focus on it now with everything going on and he looked over at Minho and Thomas both of whom looked ready to get going. Yeah, Minho was absolutely hopping on board with whatever Thomas had planned next and Newt couldn't blame him. He was resigning himself to sticking close to these two to make sure they didn’t run headlong into some stupid situation. Someone had to do it.  
(The last night in the Last City)
Brenda paced back and forth while her free hand clenched and unclenched at her side, her heart pounding in her chest despite and her stomach swirling with unease. The distant sounds of bombs and gunfire going off was clear as day and her eyes continuously darted around to their surroundings while she kept on moving around. They well and truly brought the fight straight to WCKD and Brenda couldn't see the heinous company surviving this type of blow. Didn’t think the Last City— humanity’s last true form of civilization— would survive it. Wiping out WCKD was the goal, but not their main goal in mind; no, their main goal was to rescue Minho, who had been held captive by WCKD for the last six months.“We should go find them,” she said with a serious expression.When she turned around she found Jorge standing near the Berg and his eyes darted to the serum she had clenched in her hand. The appearance of Vince and that Berg was a huge relief to Brenda, a guaranteed fast escape once they got Minho back from their rescue mission. The man hadn’t been for this mission, had almost two hundred people back at their hideout ready to head to their Safe Haven and begin their new life far from the Scorch. Yet here he was, ready to help them. “There’s no telling they’re in the same place, Mija. They know exactly where we are; we don’t know where they are. Moving would be the worst thing to do if they need the serum.”He was right but Brenda still scowled at the reminder, going back to her pacing. Thomas and Newt had both split to track down Minho when he wasn’t with the rest of the prisoners and Gally had gone after them. They hadn’t come back yet and it was something that had her feeling more and more agitated. She couldn’t help but think back to the last time she saw Newt; he hadn’t looked too bad, despite being infected. The black lines on his arm were clear as day but he had been able to move around and seemed clear headed barring his outburst at Thomas. But none of that reassured Brenda, who got infected too, who knew first hand what the Flare was like, she knew just how face a decline could come along and she hadn’t been in nearly as a high stakes situation as Newt was right now. As far as she was concerned they should have given Newt the extra serum they had gotten from Mary right away— since Brenda didn’t feel she needed it anytime soon— but the boy stubbornly refused saying they needed to save it as long as they could since they didn’t know how long it would last. The plan going into this night was to rescue Minho first and then take care of Newt’s illness after.“What happens if we’re too late?” Brenda asked Jorge, turning around on her heel to watch his face carefully. “What if the Flare takes over?”“They will send someone to us while holding him off to buy time,” Jorge told her seriously and she appreciated the straight answer. When she raised a brow at him to go on Jorge did so with a bit more reluctance. “If they can’t hold him off, if one of them is at greater risk, they’ll have to kill him.”“Thomas won’t kill him,” Brenda said at once. Thomas loved Newt, that was painfully obvious to anyone who spent time around the two. Newt was the most important person in the world to him and she knew Thomas would sooner die than kill Newt. It was a thought that filled her with dread and foreboding and as her eyes met Frypan’s she could see the same thoughts swirling on his face as he looked in the direction the WCKD building was in. Jorge didn’t offer a reply to her statement which was an agreement enough to her and, licking her lips, Brenda forced herself to continue pacing as time continued to drag on and the city around them began to crumble and burn.  The heavy sound of running footsteps reached their carefully listening ears and they all tensed while Jorge lifted his gun and Vince stepped out of the Berg with one of his own raised. They remained in a rigid anticipation and didn’t have to wait long for Minho to come running around the corner.There was barely any time for them to swell with relief at the sight of him as Minho shouted. “Where’s the serum!” He was panting for breath and looked ready to pass out and it was that very observation that had Brenda taking off with the serum in hand, Minho’s call of “right outside WCKD!” following her sprint. She knew without looking back that he and Frypan would both be right behind her but at a slower pace; the former out of sheer exhaustion while the latter wouldn’t leave Minho behind. The city was filled with echoing booms but Brenda forced herself to ignore the sound of it all as she ran down the streets, taking sharp corners and jumping over any smaller obstacles. She had to jump and duck when sharp gunfire sounded far closer and the windows behind her shattered. Frustration filled her and she wished desperately that she had taken Jorge’s gun with her. “I’ll cover you!” A voice called and Brenda’s head darted up to see Gally with a gun ready and loaded accompanied by a determined expression on his face. “They’ll be out front of the WCKD building. Don’t look back.” Brenda barely knew the guy but she was beyond grateful to see him. She pushed herself upward and watched Gally tick off his fingers; three. two. one— The blast of gunfire was practically deafening now but Brenda didn’t let it distract her as she raced to where Thomas and Newt would be. The fact that the booming noises were getting louder told her she was almost at WCKD and she could almost cry with relief. Finally— finally— she could see WCKD and her eyes darted to every possible location as she ran around the building. She rushed up some steps and the quick feeling of accomplishment at making it there was quickly washed away as she stumbled to a stop with panting breaths.There were two bodies on the ground. Newt’s was the most clear to identify, his blond hair dirtied and damp, the black lines of the virus streaking across his face, his eyes shut and a blade sticking out of his chest right above his heart. Brenda didn’t have to look closer to know who the second body was despite not seeing his face. Thomas was curled over Newt, hands clenched around him while his head was buried in Newt’s neck. The only reason Brenda knew he was alive was by the harsh shaking of his shoulders. The sight had her eyes filling with tears while grief, disappointment and self-loathing weighed heavy in her chest.Another loud boom sounded and Brenda watched on in silence as Thomas finally pulled himself up enough to look at Newt. She saw him cup Newt’s face and press one last kiss to his lips. Then Thomas staggered upward, glancing at her for only a brief moment before he crossed to pick up a gun. Brenda didn’t know what to say. Didn't know what to even think. So she only watched on as Thomas headed towards the WCKD building, his steps getting more determined the farther he got. Brenda felt frozen in time and she stared at the body of a boy she had been happy to call a friend. The only thing that shook her out of her shock was the echoing of fast paced steps reaching her ears and Brenda was filled with dread at what the three boys would find. Sure enough when Minho, Frypan and Gally reached her they all froze in disbelief. She couldn’t blame them, while they knew the risk of coming here they also thought if anyone was killed it would be through WCKD not… this.Minho moved first, his steps cautious and staggering, and when he got close enough he dropped down to his knees next to Newt. Frypan moved forward after him, Gally staying in his spot next to Brenda, and Frypan’s hand reached out to hold Minho’s shoulder as Minho grabbed onto Newt’s hand. She was sure they would have all stayed exactly as they were for an indefinite amount of time if it weren’t for yet another thunderous boom that shook the ground beneath them. “We need to go,” Gally said, his voice wavering a bit but no less determined. “Minho. Fry.” While Frypan looked at him at the sound of his name it took Minho a few more seconds before he pushed himself to a stand. “We’re leaving him,” Minho said quietly.“We have to,” Gally replied in a regretful breath. As much as they’d want to take him, give Newt the proper burial he deserved, they just couldn't afford to in the situation they were in. Such was the case in the world they lived in. Gally looked at Brenda as Minho and Frypan forced themselves away from Newt. “Where’s Thomas?”Brenda pointed over at the WCKD building. “We can’t risk running after him,” she said despite disagreeing with the words entirely. “The Berg will give us the best view to find Thomas, he’ll know to find high ground.”“If he can get to it,” Minho retorted stiffly as he turned back to look at the WCKD building that was broken and burning in front of them all. Despite his response he didn’t protest as Frypan grabbed his shoulder and started to lead him away from Newt and back towards where the Berg would be. The run back to Jorge and Vince was no less fast but a lot more heavy. Minho still seemed to be in rough shape, no surprise, but the streets were more empty by way of gunfire. There was plenty of debris and bodies on the ground though. When they made it back Brenda could see Jorge standing ready and his eyes darted over all of them in concern.“We need to get in the air,” Minho said at once, already climbing in and Brenda was relieved when Jorge didn’t question them, only rushing to the front of the Berg. Vince was waiting further inside and he looked at them before his eyes darted to where Jorge was closing the back hatch and starting the Berg. As they lifted in the air he asked. “Who are we looking for?”“Thomas,” Brenda told him thickly and Vince and Jorge both glanced at her with solemn expression as they understood what had happened. Once they made it in the air Jorge began to circle the streets around the WCKD building and Minho stood at his side as he looked for any sign of Thomas. Yet again they were suspended in heavy anticipation and desperation, something that only grew as the flames in the WCKD grew. Brenda glanced over at Gally as he began to pace back and forth and then at Frypan who was picking at his fingernails.“I think I got him,” Jorge said seriously.Vince moved forward, leaning over his seat while Minho did the same. “Yeah, that’s him,” Vince agreed and he moved to the back of the Berg. “I’ll get the hatch.”“All right, I got him. I got him.” Jorge murmured as he spun them around and carefully maneuvered them backwards. “We can’t land, the building’s too unstable, you gotta get him to jump in.”The doors jerked downward once before smoothly sliding open and Brenda moved as close as she could, the heat of the flames making her sweat. It wasn’t just Thomas on the roof, Brenda could see the girl too— Teresa— with him and she was half dragging Thomas towards them all. Brenda frowned at the sight. “He’s injured,” she reported with worry. “He won’t be able to jump it.”Still Vince called out to Thomas and Teresa. “Let’s go, let’s go.” Brenda didn’t think Thomas could do it, he was barely standing without Teresa’s help. “Come on,” Vince said urgently.Another boom sounded and the building shook and Thomas and Teresa fell backwards.“No!” More than one of them cried out.“I can’t get any closer,” Jorge reported desperately and Brenda just knew he was itching to be helping them. “Thomas!” Minho called, getting as close to the edge as he could. “Now!” The Berg was inching closer but it still wasn’t enough but still they called out to them.“Come on!” “Come on, Thomas!”“Give me your hand!”Teresa had a real struggle on her hands as she tried to keep Thomas standing as well as move him closer to the Berg. “Get closer!” She cried out hoarsely even as the building shook beneath them.“Jump!” Vince ordered as he leaned down even closer, Minho, Frypan and Gally all doing the same thing as they tried to reach them.“Lower!” Teresa yelled back and Brenda could see the sweat clinging to her face as the flames blazed all around them on the building. Her and Thomas were swaying back and forth and she yelled. “You gotta get closer!”The Berg moved back a bit more and they all were practically hanging out of the back as Teresa got Thomas to the ledge. “Come on, reach! Come on! Reach!” With a heaving effort, Teresa threw Thomas forward while he jumped and Thomas’ arms were quickly seized by those closest. “Pull him up! Pull!”Once Thomas was securely on the hatch they looked to Teresa. “Come on! Come on! Teresa!” Thomas was sitting forward with visible effort and another boom sounded, sending Teresa back a few steps as the building swayed. A loud crackling noise that wasn’t the fire around the started and Brenda could see the resignation and acceptance on Teresa's face as she looked back at them with teary eyes. Before anyone could say anything, urge her forward, the cracking noise grew sharp and the floor beneath her gave out.“No!” Thomas cried out as he rolled closer to the edge, Vince’s hand on his shoulder keeping him anchored. Brenda stared in disbelief as Teresa fell, flames racing upward to swallow her whole. She forced her eyes away from the grizzly sight— far from the first one she was subjected to this evening— and she looked back at Thomas just in time to see him fall onto his back, his eyes slipping shut. Vince was quickly scanning him and when his hands came away with blood he lifted Thomas’ shirt to see a steadily bleeding bullet wound.Minho must have seen it the same time as her as he called out. “Thomas!”“Get him into the Berg!” Vince ordered sharply and he didn’t even look towards the front as he shouted. “Get us out of here, Jorge. He needs medical!” With those words their departure from the Last City and all things WCKD began. No one looked back at the burning wreck of a building and Brenda prayed that they wouldn't be offered any more heartbreak and devastation; prayed that Thomas would survive this.  
(Safe Haven; it’s beginning)
“We’ve actually made it here…”Minho didn’t even glance away from the sight in front of him as Frypan spoke in a partly disbelieving, partly awestruck whisper. Frypan and Gally were both standing on Minho’s left and right, respectively, and all three of them were standing along the railing of the cargo ship they had spent the last few days on, eyes locked on the beautiful and lush piece of land ahead of them. The Safe Haven they had all been told about before completely met the expectations. With the only sand to be seen framing the ocean while the rest of the terrain was vibrant green grass and full trees, all leading up to a mountain range that was just as green until you spotted the very tops of them. Gally quietly murmured. “From forty-three Gladers and now ending with four.”His words had both Minho and Frypan glancing at him, tearing their eyes away from their Safe Haven, and a sense of solemnity washed over them. It was quick to be brushed aside— this should be a happy moment— by Minho when he said. “We’ll enjoy this for them; live for them.”“Yeah,” Frypan was quick to agree, his voice determinedly bright as per usual.Minho smiled faintly at Frypan’s enthusiasm and he looked back at their Safe Haven. It took a while to get here. After fleeing the Last City in the Berg they made it back to their hideout and were setting off at dawn. It took three days of travelling by ship before they finally had their destination in sight. The trip wasn’t too bad; the cargo ship was rudimentary but huge and they all kept each other entertained as they eagerly talked about what was waiting for them. Anyone who needed medical attention got looked at as soon as they got to their hideout and were carefully watched over by those who were trained in medicine. Speaking of which…Minho pushed back from the railing, not offering any parting words, and headed back into the main parts of the ship. The upper deck had quite a few people, word travelling fast when the island came into view, but there were still plenty keeping busy inside with odd jobs and prep for when they docked. Minho politely ignored them all as he made what was now a familiar trip into the middle floor of the ship into some rooms that were on the far end.The ship didn’t have many rooms— it wasn’t that kind of ship— but the few ones present were used for the more private necessities. A place to wash up briefly if needed and for a medical area to set up shop. Everyone was sleeping in any open spaces between the extensive supplies the Right Arm had apparently gathered while preparing to come to Safe Haven. The ship alone was huge which meant they had a lot of supplies which Minho was pleased to see. It would be a hassle to unload though, not that he was complaining.“Minho.”Stepping into the small medical area, Minho’s eyes darted to Lucy, an older Asian woman who he had become very familiar with over the last few days. She always had a small but warm smile and she was one of the more skilled medical people apparently; a lot of the other medics seemed to defer to her at times at least.  Sending her an absent returning smile, Minho crossed to one of the only two beds in the room and sat in the chair next to it. “Did you go see the island?” Lucy asked quietly as she boxed up some things to get ready to move. Minho glanced over at her. “Yeah, it looks unreal,” he said before he looked back to the bed Thomas was laying on. “Any changes?”After making it onto the Berg in the Last City Thomas stayed awake long enough to see Teresa meet a fiery end before he passed out. He didn’t wake up for the entire trip back— one filled with Vince and Jorge trying their hardest to tend to his wound despite not being trained on the matter— and once they made it to the hideout the medics who worked tirelessly over him. After they finished they had solemnly told them that they did all they could but the words didn’t reassure them much and their worry only grew as Thomas continued to stay unconscious.“No changes,” Lucy murmured in return.One could almost think Thomas was just asleep but there was a stillness to him that was unnerving. Minho spent a lot of his time here, waiting for any sign that Thomas would wake up, but it had yet to yield favourable results. Thomas’ wound would get wrapped every so often and it still had a worrying amount of blood each time that happened. They had all been warned Thomas could still be out for a while; rest was helping him heal better, they were told. Still, Minho couldn’t help but ask. “There isn’t anything else you can do for him?”Lucy sent him a sympathetic look. “This is his battle now. We’ve done all we could.”Yeah, that’s what Minho was worried about.It wasn’t that Thomas wasn’t a fighter— god knew he was the most stubborn and determined asshole around— it was just he had been taking hits for so long now that Minho wasn’t entirely sure this was a battle he’d want to win.“When are you gonna move him to the island?” Minho asked instead of lingering on his thoughts. “We have to wait till we have somewhere to take him,” Lucy told him as she focused back on her task of boxing things up. “Vince said they’ll start on a small building first off. Just a temporary place, probably about the size of this room or smaller even, just to save some time.”Minho’s brow furrowed. “Why not just keep him here until things are all set up?”“Staying on a ship is not entirely ideal, especially if a heavy storm were to hit,” Lucy replied patiently, apparently not offended or annoyed by Minho’s pestering. “It will be better to have him somewhere more stable. Plus we’ll be moving the medical supplies to the island too in case anyone gets injured while we set up our home.Made sense, Minho supposed. Still, he couldn't imagine moving Thomas to be an all too easy task. Wasn’t even sure what the plan was for moving any of their supplies considering the size of the ship, Minho hadn't exactly asked before now. Truer words have never been spoken, but then maybe Minho was being a bit dramatic.The ship they were on was equipped with a very large crane that they would use to move things out. Their way of transporting those things was a small boat— by their ship’s standards at least— that was about twenty feet in length from front to back. Minho could already see it would be a long and tedious task but short of dropping things into the sea and trying to push things while swimming (so not happening) it was their only option. Maybe if they had a dock or something it would be easier but it would have to be very long and Minho knew building supplies wouldn’t be wasted on that so early into their arrival here. They started with the basics of their food, the cots and hammocks they had plus a couple large tents that would be their shelter. Moving all of that had taken the entirety of their first three days— adding moving people too since you could only fit three people max with the supplies on the boat— and those who actually moved to the island were quick to set up sleeping quarters. Along the shore line, just past the beach, were where three tents were set up the first chance they got, in case it rained. One large on in the centre that made an L-shape— which would be their sleeping area— one to the left of that, closer to the beach,— that would be their eating area— and on just to the right of the big one that the more water fragile supplies would go until they could build a structure to store them. Vince told them that after the essentials came the more needed things— that being the building supplies and cooking supplies. They would leave it at that for the next while and focus on getting things all set up and only when they had more set up would they start to bring in the last crucial items; the things they could live without for the time being. All of this was future plans though and right now they were taking things day by day.Their official schedule and tasks probably wouldn’t be set up until they had a more concrete living situation so for the time being everyone was just quick to offer a helping hand where it looked like it was needed. Minho was quick to volunteer for the medical hut— and he was calling it that cause it very much looked like a hut, just simple sticks tied together and a roof much like the one they had on their buildings in the glade— and while it wasn’t top notch by any means, it being finished meant they could bring Thomas over.Thomas who still hadn’t woken up.It was on their fourth day that they brought Thomas over along with the remaining medical supplies they hadn’t moved already. To no one's surprise the three other Gladers were insistent on being a part of the group to move him to the island along with Lucy and Vince. Getting him down to the boat at all had been nerve wracking but they had strapped him to a stretcher they had made and very carefully lowered him onto the thing. Getting him off the boat and onto the beach was also a task, since they had no dock that meant they had all been jumping into the water once close enough and walking up which was not an option for Thomas. Once they had Thomas all set up in the medical hut Minho felt a lot better— he had been one of the few constantly making trips back from the island to the cargo ship to sleep since he wanted to be close to Thomas— and it was after that that he felt a lot more settled in their Safe Haven. “Vince offered to do a little celebration; you know, for making it here,” Frypan said to Minho as he sat next to him in the grass bordering the beach. They both had a small can of food in hand, taking a needed break to eat, and Minho raised a curious brow at him. “Most people seem to be in agreement to wait for Thomas to wake up first.”Minho was glad to hear that; honestly it wouldn’t feel like a real celebration if Thomas wasn’t a part of it all things considered. It had been nine days since their arrival and things were continuing on as they should. A small temporary garden being made, they were gathering wood and clearing areas where they would be setting things up. Once their wood was turned into more buildable materials they would start making buildings.“How are you?” Frypan asked quietly.It wasn’t the first time Minho had heard the question by far and he was quick to reply the same thing he always did. “I’m good. Glad to be back and ready to move on.” Which was absolutely true. Minho did not want to waste time thinking heavily over his last six months with WCKD, didn’t want to bring all that to this place that was supposed to be their escape from WCKD.He knew it wouldn't be entirely smooth sailing— he wasn’t naive after all— and last night was not the first nightmare he had by far either. Only this time he was able to run it off; a past time he wouldn't have thought he’d want to do again but found a great love for. A freeing feeling in the action when not based around life threatening situations.Frypan clasped his shoulder. “We missed you,” he said, as though the numerous hugs he was bestowed upon his return didn’t translate that well enough. It was classic Frypan though and Minho couldn’t help but smile. “So what did I miss?” He asked in return.Minho’s shoulder was released as Frypan dug into his meal and the boy scooped up a bit of food as he thought the question over. “Hard at first but Thomas was quick to rally us.”“No surprise,” Minho cut in with humour.Frypan smiled a bit as he glanced at him, nodding his agreement. “The thing that took the longest was figuring out the WCKD routines. I know Thomas hated waiting but he could see the necessity.”Yet another unsurprising reveal. Minho knew Thomas was an action-first kind of person, always wanting to run head-first into things and not wanting any delays. He had been like that since he was a Greenie and it was a quality that would only increase if he felt time was of the essence.“There’s something else,” Frypan said suddenly, his voice as serious as it got as he looked at Minho. The tone had Minho’s stomach turning a bit but his face remained impassive as he nodded for Frypan to go on. “Thomas…” Frypan trailed off and glanced over at the medical hut a good twenty or so feet behind them. “Thomas and Newt. They got together in the months you were gone.”“No surprise,” Minho said distractedly as he thought the words over. It didn’t take a genius to see Newt’s feelings for Thomas and all those months waiting out WCKD meant that it probably gave them a lot of time to talk and work things out. It was good for them back then, as far as Minho was concerned, but now… Newt was gone and only adding onto that Teresa was gone too. Those were two losses that Minho knew would hit Thomas hard whenever he woke up. They were two losses that Minho didn’t know how Thomas would handle and that worried him a lot. God knew Minho missed Newt like an aching wound. If he let his mind get too twisted up he would get sick with guilt over the fact that if Newt hadn’t come to save him then he absolutely would be alive now. He got close to the airborne virus and refused to leave to get the cure they had from when Brenda was infected— the cure that would have cured him. Minho had made Jorge lay it out for him once they got back to their hideout following their fleeing of the Last City; trusting the older man to be blunt and straightforward with him despite not knowing him too well at that point. He was close enough to offer an answer and to know the details but not so close that he would edit or hide things from Minho.It was Newt’s choice in the end— which Minho had to remind himself constantly— but that didn’t erase the pain of losing him. You would think they would be somewhat used to it after all this time, all the people they lost, but that just wasn’t the case. “We’ll help him through it,” Minho finally said to Frypan, knowing him well enough by now that it was something that was worrying him. Him bringing it up was his way of asking what would happen when Thomas woke up and Minho didn’t hesitate to reassure Frypan that things would be okay. That they had a plan.Sure enough, Frypan smiled a bit and nodded to himself, looking more sure. “Of course we will.”None of that would happen until Thomas actually woke up and to Minho’s disappointment it didn’t happen that day, or the day after that, or the day after that. Their settlement at Safe Haven continued on as planned and everyone was quickly getting into a groove with what they did each day. Frypan was quick to join the cooks with things alongside the other stuff he did and Gally used his brute strength at chopping down trees in the area they were clearing behind the main tent where they slept. Minho liked the life they were building here; obviously it wasn’t hard to beat what they had before but he also liked the at times mundaneness of it all too. He liked the easy conversations they had with each that weren’t packed with this tension over wondering how long they would survive. Life in the Glade and then the Scorch left a sort of harsh reality that nothing was guaranteed and left everyone guarded and hypervigilant. Now though… Now they could relax.At the moment Minho was sitting on one of the benches near a large fire pit they set up a few nights ago. It was about a month into life here and Jorge was not far from him, sharpening some sticks so people could fry their food over the flames if they felt so inclined to. The older man was telling some story and Minho listened with half an ear, more focused on observing everyone around them being busy bodies. His eyes instinctively darted over to the medical hut— a habit he wouldn't quit until Thomas woke up— and back to the crowds before his heart lurched in his chest. His head jerked back towards the medical hut and Minho had to remind himself to breathe— and pinch his own arm with a silent wince to make sure this was real— as he saw Thomas walking towards the centre of the camp. He pushed himself to a stand at once, absently aware of Jorge stopping his easy stream of words, and Minho walked forward on unsteady legs. When Thomas’ weighted stare finally found him the boy slowed to a stop and Minho swallowed nervously. His mind was a whirlwind of emotions now, relief and guilt to name a few, and it must have been clear on his face as Thomas made a similar expression. Minho didn’t wait for Thomas to move— didn't have to in the end as Thomas was apparently on the same wavelength as him— and he stepped forward to pull Thomas into a desperate hug. Minho clenched his hands tightly around him, wasn’t of the mind to remind himself to ease up, and he swore he could feel Thomas' heart beating against his chest. A sharp feeling sparked in his throat and Minho took a deep breath and forced himself to ignore the darker emotions and just enjoy the fact that Thomas was awake. That he was okay. He could hear other footsteps getting closer and it was only then that Minho forced himself to let go, unable to resist patting Thomas’ back as he stepped a bit away. Minho wasn’t surprised to see Frypan come up next, their exuberant friend wrapping Thomas in a tight hug too with relief and glee openly on his face. Vince and Sonya approached too, coming up behind Thomas while the former gave Thomas’ shoulder a little shake and nodded at him.“You had us worried,” Brenda told Thomas in a wavering voice as she and Jorge stopped a few steps away, clearly letting Thomas have some breathing room rather than continuing to crowd him. “You’ve been asleep for a couple weeks.”Asleep wouldn't be the word Minho would have used— unconscious more accurate. The word asleep kind of implied a certain level of peacefulness and Thomas never looked peaceful while he was out. Minho wouldn’t have worried nearly as much as he had if Thomas had.He was as Thomas glanced over at Brenda and his voice hoarse as he commented. “You guys have kept busy.”“We set the tents up first thing in case it rained,” Vince said readily as he nodded over at them all. “We’re all bunched in hammocks and cots in the big one for now but these aren’t permanent.”Minho watched Thomas glance around, taking everything in while everyone else just took him in. He could almost see the tension building in Thomas’ shoulders so he said. “I’ll give you a tour.” He reached out to grab his shoulder again, gently this time, and steered him in one direction. Minho’s eyes caught Jorge’s and the older man nodded once at him in agreement to his actions. Minho thought a lot over Thomas’ first real day in Safe Haven. Thought about what he would show Thomas first and what he would tell him about each area; if he would keep things easy going or straight to the point. He figured it would have been all from a distance— didn’t think Thomas would just get up and start walking around one day— but Minho was nothing if not adaptable. Thomas didn’t appear to be too interested but he was listening nonetheless. They would probably redo all this again when Thomas wasn’t freshly awake but it was something to do while the others busied themselves again. As Minho expected, by the time he led Thomas back to the benches Frypan had some food ready for Thomas. They were quick to sit him down and Minho watched— as subtly as he could manage— as he slowly picked at the food. It was not a reassuring sight, the speed he was eating slow considering he had been out for weeks . He looked tired too which only added to Minho’s theory that Thomas hadn’t been asleep. Hadn’t really gotten a true rest since he was injured. He didn’t call attention to any of this though, now was not the time or place, but he kept it in mind. Eventually the sky went dark and they had a celebration they had been holding off for quite some time while they waited for Thomas. Vince gave a great speech and Minho got his answer for what the boulder he and Thomas saw people hauling earlier was for. He must have gotten the idea from Frypan or Gally, the large stone a mirror to the one they had on the Glade. Though, rather than adding your own name and someone crossing the names off as they died, this one would be just for people to add the names of the loved ones they lost. The whole thing— to Minho— felt like the true start of their Safe Haven. The acknowledgement of what they lost to get here and the promise of moving forward clear as day.Thomas didn’t look nearly as into it, as much as he tried to hide it, and Minho wished more than ever that he could just see into the boy’s brain. “This is gonna be a good home for us,” he said later on into the evening when it was just the two of them observing the crowds.“Yeah,” Thomas agreed quietly and Minho stared at him in silence. Licking his lips, he reached into the pocket of his jacket and held out something he had been hanging onto since they left the Last City. “You had this on you while you were passed out. Figured I’d keep it safe for ya.” It took a while for him to place the item but after a nightmare of his rescue from WCKD— a dream where things went even more wrong than they had— he remembered where he had seen it. Newt had been wearing it, the small innocuous necklace dangling from his neck when they climbed out of that pool they jumped into. The fact that Thomas had it meant he either kept it after Newt died or Newt gave it to him while he was still alive; either way Minho knew it would hold a lot of meaning for Thomas.“Thanks, Minho.”Minho clapped him softly on the shoulder and stood. “See you out there.” Thomas’ reply was much more distracted and aimed at Minho’s back but he didn’t hold it against him. Minho felt it would be best to give Thomas some space— even if he didn’t really want to give him much space right now— and since waking up Thomas had almost always been surrounded by people. He needed space to let things sink in; let reality sink in. Since waking up he had been given information, little tasks like eating and a thorough check up with the medics, and all around kept busy. Now the day was winding down and night was upon them and that meant thoughts would begin to creep in. As much as Minho would like to delay this reality check he also knew that the sooner it happened the sooner Thomas could work through it and get ready to live his life. Live it for quite literally the first time since he woke up as a Greenie; no great expectations, no threats, no deadlines, just a hopefully blissful and otherwise mundane life.Thomas did eventually join them all around the fire and while he did greet everyone, with clasped hands, nods and even hugs for those who wanted one but didn’t get the chance to get one earlier, Minho couldn't help the dreaded feeling in his stomach. Even as Thomas engaged in conversation and as everyone eagerly shared stories the general air surrounding them didn’t feel light to him. Didn’t feel good. He couldn't help but continuously glance at Thomas and each time he got this sinking feeling in his stomach that he couldn't shake. When the night away inevitably called to an end Thomas made his way back to the medical hut. His pace was relatively relaxed; not fast or hurried but not dragging by any means. Minho resisted the urge to follow him and instead headed up to where his hammock was hanging. When he laid back on the thing, absently aware of the sounds of others around him settling in for the night, Minho tried hard to silence the worrying thoughts in his head. Tried to convince himself that he was just used to things going wrong and he had grown pessimistic about a happy ending. Thomas was fine. He was awake and healing and alive. He was fine. Thomas was not fine. As far as Minho was concerned his instincts were always right. They were right when he decided running would be the best use of his time in the Glade. They were right when he decided to put his trust in Thomas and his crazy ideas. They were right when WCKD took him and he knew Thomas would come save him. And they were right when he got a sinking feeling at the way Thomas was acting at the celebratory bonfire. It was a whole lot of wishful thinking to believe Thomas would just wake up and be fine and dandy. But when Minho went to the medical hut the next morning to find a sleeping Thomas who refused to get up, he didn't think much about it. Then lunch passed by and then dinner. An entire day passing by Thomas in a sleeping daze where he didn’t eat once. After that the days started to pick up speed while Thomas stayed the same. Minho knew the others were getting worried but he, Frypan and Gally only had a mutual understanding of the situation, each of their minds going back to Newt’s struggles in the Maze. Getting Thomas to eat each day was Minho’s goal in mind but he knew some of the others weren’t as appeased by the act. At least Vince caught onto things and was understanding about it. He even spoke with Thomas around the one month mark after he first woke up. “We don’t have to talk about any of it if you don’t want to,” Vince said to Thomas as he stood near the edge of Thomas’ bed. Minho was sitting in a nearby chair, hovering as he was prone to doing these days. “What was announced in the Last City can stay between us and if you don’t want to do anything with the knowledge then that’s fine.”The announcement being that Thomas was the cure that WCKD was desperately searching for. The irony was never lost on Minho. It was a gut wrenching blow to learn that when Newt was already gone and Minho thought more than once that if Teresa hadn’t betrayed them all then Mary herself would have figured out the cure when Brenda never got sick again following her first administration of the cure. Then again the Right Arm was planning on leaving at first light when they found them and Brenda hadn’t been invited to join so maybe not. “We’d have to plan that out over months— there are people here that know the procedure to do it, Mary made sure of that— and it would only be with your explicit consent.”Whether Thomas was really taking in anything Vince was saying was anyone’s guess. He just laid in his bed, staring vacantly at a nearby wall, while Vince spoke in a form but reassuring voice. Minho appreciated the man’s patience though. “If anyone chooses to go though it will be a one way trip,” Vince added quietly and his eyes darted to Minho briefly. “We can’t risk bringing the cure here so whoever goes, if anyone wants to, will stay there.”Minho couldn’t see anyone going— not now that they were actually here. This place was paradise compared to the world they left behind and they would have to be some real self sacrificing people to give this all up for the hellish world they were in. Not saying none of them wanted to save the world but after years of struggles it would be a challenge to give up their peace right when they got it. If that Ava Paige woman had lived— Minho didn’t even know what happened to her but she had been in the building when it was going down from what people had seen— or Teresa had lived and still had WCKD’s aid then he imagined they would have captured Thomas and kept him just alive enough to keep pumping blood. No way they would have given him a life of comfort since drawing fear and stress from them was their whole goal and WCKD wouldn’t risk their cure. Just thinking it had Minho’s hands curling into fists at his sides. “Whatever you want to do next is entirely up to you,” Vince said seriously, drawing Minho back from his thoughts. “You want to take up gardening. You want to help out with planning. You just want to rest for the next three years then you do it.” Vince leaned forward and Thomas’ stare finally met the man’s. “Safe Haven wouldn’t have happened without you, Thomas. So you get to choose here.”Minho knew Thomas well enough by now to know that he didn’t believe Vince’s words but Minho himself appreciated hearing them though. Appreciated Vince acknowledging everything Thomas had done and given up to get them here. Appreciated the older man, their unquestionable leader, giving Thomas a real choice for what was probably the first time in his life that he could remember. Harriet and Sonya both had filled them in on life with the Right Arm after they were reduced from their Maze. Their so-called ‘Source’ had been held with great respect for those who were aware of them— which was most of them though details had been a bare minimum— and upon the reveal that said Source was Thomas, a child, that respect had only grown. Vince himself was one of the ones who held Thomas to a high regard and as their leader no one argued; no one wanted to actually. “I don’t want any kind of role of leadership here,” Thomas spoke up hoarsely much to Minho’s surprise. The number of times Thomas had spoken since he woke up was a small amount but his words had Minho feeling a bit more hopeful. At least he cared enough to tell them what he didn’t want. Vince seemed to take some comfort out of the words too as he nodded his head with the barest of smiles. “That’s perfectly fine, Thomas.” That had been that, Thomas had then closed his eyes and it didn’t take long for him to fall asleep. Minho and Vince had shared a heavy look before the latter left to do whatever it was he did these days.Life resumed as it had been and Minho continued to debate on what to do in regards to Thomas. It wasn’t until a conversation with a worried Brenda— a little less than a month and a half after Thomas first woke up— happened that he initiated some change in Thomas’ routine. Now instead of bringing Thomas food they had him walk down to eat; sometimes it was only lunch and dinner but those were still progress. The change that followed that was when Minho decided he and Thomas would room together. Hopefully things would get better after that.   
(Mary’s Source)
With a heavy sigh, a woman sat alone in a tent at a lopsided table tapping away at its surface with her fingertips. She glanced towards the partially opened doorway that led outside and could spot the dark sky. Not a sound could be heard, the desert that made up the majority of their world now was silent and calm for the time being. It had been years since she left the Last City— and more importantly WCKD— behind and not once had she had doubts about her decision. She was surrounded by plenty of people she trusted and knew would work hard to help her save the kids WCKD had put in harm's way and get them somewhere safe, as well as stop the corrupt company all together.It was not an easy goal, Mary had to admit, but one they persisted at nonetheless. They were fighting a hard battle, no doubt about it, considering WCKD had the backing of what remained of humanities government while the Right Arm only had whatever they could scavenge in the wasteland they now lived in. Well, the wasteland and what they could get off any fallen WCKD soldiers. The latter of which Mary was just going over, disabling trackers and finding what could be made of use. She was mostly finished, now only staying up to stress over plans for whatever they could do next. The mission they just went on didn’t go well, they lost two good men and what they went searching for— supplies for themselves— went unfound. Still, they would regroup and try again.“Mary? Mary Cooper?”At the sound of her name, Mary froze. Her eyes darted to the radio she had been working on earlier and only the fact that she knew she disabled its tracker stopped her from breaking the thing to avoid detection. Still, she was alarmed to hear her name of all things, said by what sounded to be a young boy. “Mary? I need your help.”Cautiously, Mary reached for the radio and brushed a finger over the button that would let her be heard before determinedly pressing it down. “Who is this?”“My name is Thomas,” the boy said, sounding relieved that she replied but still careful with his words. “I live at WCKD.”She should call Vince here. He was always her voice of reason and caution. Her rock in times of uncertainty and Mary couldn’t help but feel this was one of those times. She met Vince shortly after fleeing WCKD, in a small town that was almost entirely abandoned save for a few lost souls. Vince had been one of them and he hadn’t hesitated to offer her aid and his kindness was one of his best qualities. His ability to care for people he didn’t even know and his strength when doing just that. Licking her lips, Mary brushed her thoughts aside as she glanced outside briefly, and asked. “How old are you Thomas?”“I’m fifteen.”So she was right about him being young. Mary’s brows furrowed as she tried to think over how this boy heard about her. What exactly he wanted. The Immunes staying at WCKD wouldn’t be given the freedom to get access to radios and such; would be locked up when the day ended and watched avidly during their waking hours. “How did you hear about me?” She asked eventually, unable to resist finding out.“I heard scientists talking about you when I was a kid…” Thomas told her quietly, his voice dropping low. “Dr. Paige is scared you're out there... Worried… they say that you’re trying to stop WCKD… which means you don’t agree with what WCKD is doing.”The news that Ava was worried Mary was still out in the world almost made her smile, glad the woman wasn’t living the fearless life born of arrogance. Mary didn’t acknowledge that news though, instead she replied in an honest tone. “No, I don’t. I want to put an end to WCKD’s doings and help the kids they’ve put in harm's way.”“Why?”Mary paused at the question and she got the feeling she was being tested. “… because they deserve freedom,” she eventually said, choosing to remain open and honest with her words. “They deserve to choose for themselves. They don’t deserve the pain and death WCKD is putting them through.”Silence followed her proclamation and when it dragged on too long Mary asked. “Thomas, are you still there?”Thomas' voice returned once more. “You need to stop WCKD.”“I assure you, Thomas, I’m doing everything I can,” Mary replied even as she thought his words over. Thought over what this boy’s story was. How did he find a way to reach out to her? How was he staying out of sight while they spoke? “These things unfortunately take time.”“I can help you,” Thomas told her passionately, his words more urgent. “Whatever you need to know I can look for it here.”There it was again, this allusion to a certain level of freedom Mary knew the Immunes— the children— at WCKD wouldn’t have. “How are you going to get access to that kind of information? How did you manage to contact me?”“I work at WCKD.”That wasn’t what Mary was expecting but it was too much of a stretch either. The Last City did have children— some WCKD scientists had children— and it wasn’t unreasonable that WCKD would hire them if they weren’t Immune. Ensuring the future of WCKD would continue on should the worst happen. Still— “You’re fifteen… even if WCKD did hire you, any information you would be able to gather so far would be scarce at best.”“I’ve worked with WCKD for years…” Thomas said slowly. “Ava trusts me. I’ve known her pretty much my whole life.” Ava. Just the use of her name had Mary sitting straighter, her thoughts whirling over who exactly this boy was. Ava wouldn't communicate too directly with the Immunes, far more in favour of watching from a distance, but she would interact with the scientists who worked there, even if they were young. It was the use of her first name though that through Mary. Ava was someone who took pride in her status, if she was letting this boy call her anything other than ‘Dr. Paige’ then she must trust him to a certain degree. Which meant—“How long have you been with WCKD, Thomas?” Mary asked next.“Since I was five,” Thomas told her readily. Five. Just the age alone had Mary frowning. As far as she knew WCKD didn’t get true permission to take Immunes until a few years ago. When they did, they had decided they would look for those in their pre-teen years; just strong enough to withstand their more barbaric tests and offer a greater deal of time to study them. Young enough for their fear to be potent but old enough to still try to fight.“You have to help them,” Thomas told her, his words pleading but his voice firm except for the occasional waver. “I can’t do it anymore. I can’t just watch my friends die over and over again.”“Thomas—” Mary said quietly.He didn’t let her continue out, whether out of a need to get his case out there for her to hear or fear of hearing a denial, Mary couldn't say for sure, but Thomas promised.  “I can get you information. I have access to files and data that most don’t. You just have to promise you will save them.”“How did you manage to find me?” Mary finally asked as her heart ached for this boy desperate to save his friend; a small voice in the back of her mind that sounded like Vince warning her to be careful of tricks.Thomas hesitated in his answer but eventually he said. “… I heard Janson say that equipment was getting lost with the soldiers they’ve lost… so I waited for someone to not come back and I cut into the feed...”Mary couldn't help but smile at that. “… that’s very clever, Thomas.” She could see why Ava would like him, out of the box his way of thinking was. WCKD themselves never tried contacting the Right Arm in quite this way, only caring about tracking them down rather than opening a line of communication. Thomas clearly had a different goal in mind than WCKD though.“Will you help?” Thomas only asked, not acknowledging her compliment.“Of course, but I need a bit more information here, Thomas,” Mary said at once with a voice that was a mixture between reassuring and firm.“I can’t talk whenever,” Thomas told her at once, which Mary would have anticipated. “I’m expected at certain times. Don’t try contact me on here, it might not be safe; I’ll contact you.” Again something Mary already assumed. “You can’t tell anyone about this, okay? I’ll put my trust in you. You put your trust in me. We don’t tell anyone about each other.”This was helpful information but not exactly what Mary was aiming for. She had wanted to know about Thomas. If he was safe as he was. If he was being hurt. If he could get out. “Thomas,” she began but was cut off. “I have to go. I’ll have more information for you next time we speak,” Thomas said shortly, his words sounding rushed together.“Thomas…” Mary said again and when no reply came she repeated. “Thomas!”Eventually Mary had to put down the radio. She didn’t want to risk putting Thomas in danger by speaking into the thing when he wasn’t replying. Didn’t want to risk drawing attention to what would nod doubt be a betrayal in WCKD’s books. It wasn’t smart or at all careful but Mary couldn't help but trust Thomas. He seemed genuine, his pleas for her to help his friends sounding earnest and near heartbreaking. If he was with WCKD for as long as he had been he must have grown used to WCKD’s actions to a certain point but when more kids came in he likely had his eyes opened to their injustices. Of course one’s opinions and responses to things couldn't change overnight which explained the years in delay of Thomas reaching out. He took a great risk, trying to find her. Was still taking a great risk in trying to help her stop WCKD. If he was found out Mary had no doubt in her mind that he would be killed. Something that filled her with dread. Mary pushed the thoughts of Thomas and WCKD to the side for the time being and forced herself to stand up. She pocketed the radio, already thinking of where she could keep it, and stepped outside. Mary could see the few scattered sleeping quarters of all her friends and allies and she was careful not to wake them as she walked past them all. Thomas asked her not to mention him to anyone; and she wouldn't— by name at least. But if Thomas was able to give information then she would have to offer Vince and the others something about where it came from. Mary would be as discreet as she could be. Thomas asked her to trust him and in turn said he would trust her; and that was not a request she would deny. It had been just over a week since Mary had first heard from Thomas and since then every night after the others had gone to sleep she had come to the tent she had been in that first night and watched the radio. Mary would give it three hours before she would force herself to turn the thing off— she didn’t want to risk it going off where it could be overheard— and then she would go back to sleep. To say she was relieved when Thomas’ voice rang through the radio would be an understatement.“Mary. Are you there?”She scooped up the radio, raising it to her mouth at once. “I’m here. Are you okay?” Mary asked first off, her mind plaguing her with worries of Thomas’ safety as the days dragged on.Thomas didn’t reply right away, Mary wouldn’t be too shocked if he was surprised at her concern considering who he grew up with. “… I’m fine,” he eventually said before brushing past the topic. “I have information for you. It won’t help with saving the kids right now but it will prove I can help. WCKD has some storage facilities for a lot of life essentials. Water storage. Non-perishable food. Solar panel equipment.”He must be very trusted if he could gain access to this kind of information. Mary pressed down on the button of the radio and softly said. “That would be very helpful, Thomas.”“It’s a long drive from the Last City,” Thomas told her next. “They wanted to hide it for emergencies. I can give you the exact coordinates.”His comment about its distance from the Last City drew another question from her. “Does WCKD know where we are?”“No,” Thomas revealed. “Janson’s really mad about that.”He would be. Mary remembered Janson, the guys talked about the run-ins they’ve had with him too, he was an unpleasant man more concerned with power than he was for the state of the human race. Just the fact that Thomas was close enough to him to see his anger had Mary frowning. “Is there anyone there you can trust, Thomas?” she asked him with concern.“… no,” Thomas admitted after a beat. “I have people I consider friends but none that I can’t trust with this. ‘WCKD is good’. That’s the motto everyone who works at WCKD believes.”‘WCKD is good’. An obnoxious saying only meant to assuage the guilt of those who worked there. Convince yourself you're doing something for some greater good in order to absolve yourself of any blame or wrong doings. These were the people Thomas was currently surrounded with and she knew he would be truly breaking the mold to go against their motto.“Except you,” she couldn’t help but point out.Mary got the feeling she was constantly surprising or stumping Thomas, with the way he paused at the most basic of assurances or show of concern. To her last comment he only said. “… I have to go. Can you find a way for me to send you information? Digitally? Can you get access to a computer or something? I know it will be hard in these times…”Mary cut into his rambles with a confident, “I do have access to one. I can get you an electronic address to send things to.”“I’ll get it next time,” Thomas replied readily, his words growing fast the same way they did the last time he ended their communication. Like he was running out of time and wanted to get the words out fast. “You should check out the facility first. I don’t know when we can talk next.”“Thomas, are you being careful?” She asked with a frown, wondering what was going on where he was right now. If he felt in danger or under suspicion. “I have to go. Bye Mary,” was all Thomas said before he was gone.Mary let out a sigh but nodded her head resignedly. Despite Thomas’ words from before she got the feeling he didn’t trust her entirely; not that she blamed him. Oh, he was trusting her to help the kids and help stop WCKD but trusting her with himself… well, Mary would just have to give that more time.She had nothing but time. “… Mary. Mary, are you there? Mary?”Mary rushed to pick up her radio and hurriedly said. “Yes. I’m here, Thomas.” They have moved bases since the last time she and Thomas spoke over the radio. She had heard from him through the information he sent to the computer she had access to but that was straightforward information about what he promised he could get. Those hadn’t been conversations and Mary hadn’t pressed him for details, hadn’t even replied to the form of communication in order to avoid detection. Where they were set up now had Mary set up in a place with a bit more privacy from everyone else which meant she could leave the radio on all the time. A relief, really. “Good,” Thomas replied, sounding just as relieved at her reply as Mary was at his initiation of contact. “I’ve been calling for a while. I don’t have much time. I heard you got everything from the facility.” “I’m sorry,” she told him earnestly, despite not being at fault. “At your request of keeping our conversation confidential I’ve been keeping the radio somewhere safe and I’m not always near it. And yes, our mission was successful, thanks to your help. Your information on when they check over the facility was a great aid to us.”Vince had been skeptical when she told him she had a source within WCKD and that they were sending her information on a possible mission where they could retrieve some much needed life essentials. They approached it with a grain of salt, with the utmost caution, but Thomas’ aid proved exceedingly helpful. The things they found would help them in the Scorch from here on out as well as when they headed out for the Safe Haven. The Safe Haven was a bit of land that only Mary and Ava herself knew about. A sort of last hope for humanity if the search for a cure proved impossible. The plan had been to send all the Immunes to this land on their own— along with all possible supplies they would need to live there— and let them continue on humanity far from them. Ava became fixated on finding a cure, so much so that she was willing to hurt and kill the very Immunes they had found the Safe Haven for, and Mary wondered if the woman was so afraid of death that she refused to accept that there was no cure.  She liked to think maybe Ava really was just that determined to save humanity as a whole but Ava’s actions in damning a great many— children at that— left Mary unwilling to see good in the woman’s choices.“Good,” Thomas said and Mary could almost hear his smile. “Janson was really mad.”“They don’t suspect you, do they?” Mary asked worriedly, she couldn’t imagine WCKD would take the kind of loss they just had lightly. Resources were like gold in these times after all.“No,” Thomas assured her. “Ava told me they’re tightening security and to be careful what I talk about around others. They don’t suspect me at all.”The words were reassuring— a trust testament to how close Thomas was to WCKD and how far he was from suspicion— but Mary wasn’t completely mollified. “You still have to be careful…” Her mind went to something she had been thinking over constantly since their retrieval of supplies and she didn’t hesitate to voice it now. “Thomas, maybe it’s time for you to leave WCKD. Before they figure you out.”Thomas protested at once. “I can’t! We haven’t gotten the kids out yet!”“Thomas, you are a kid too,” Mary said in turn, already knowing he would protest her idea but having to try nonetheless. “You’re included in this rescue.”There was another pause, the kind of pauses Mary always got when she showed open concern for him, and Thomas finally said. “… it’s not the same. I can’t leave until we know the ones in the Mazes will be okay. I can’t get you the coordinates for it yet. Those details are a lot more sealed; I’ll have to break into it somehow.”“Thomas, I cannot express how important it is that you move carefully,” Mary voiced firmly to him, her fingers tightening around the radio as she worried over Thomas doing something drastic and risky in his desperation to save his friends. “I am. I swear,” Thomas promised her with that same earnest tone of his. “I’m going to send you the location to some other storage places WCKD has, but you’ll have to be extra careful now. This one has a lot of weaponry and a few vehicles that run on solar power.”Another great aid to them. “I’m assuming it will be more heavily guarded,” Mary said slowly.“Yeah,” Thomas agreed easily. “I’ll send you the location and some things I can find out and I’ll call again in a bit if you have any questions. I have to go.” “They’re getting nervous.”“You need to leave Thomas.”It had been months since Mary and Thomas first spoke and over that time he had gotten her plenty of information and resources. The contact was scattered, sometimes days apart, other times weeks, but he always reached out eventually. Vince and the others had taken to calling Thomas their ‘Source’ much to Mary’s amusement and to her pleasure they all showed open respect when referring to him. Mary knew that respect would remain but would also quickly turn worried and concerned if they ever found out just how old Thomas was and where he was living now. Worry and concern for this child who was getting involved in a battle far bigger than him.Thomas’ comment had Mary’s chest tightening with anxiety and her reply had been firm and a near order. One Thomas ignored with ease as he revealed. “With everything the Right Arm is accomplishing Ava is pushing up plans. We need to get the kids out now. Which means I’ll have to make a risky move.”“Thomas—” Mary started sternly.He never let her finish. “This won’t be our last communication, I promise, I will send you everything I can over email and with any luck radio you not long after that.”  Mary let out a sigh. She knew by Thomas' tone alone that he wouldn’t be swayed so she said the only thing she could in that moment. “Thomas. Be careful. Leave now.”“I have to go,” Thomas replied, with no promise to follow her orders. “Thank you, Mary. Thank you.”“Thomas,” Mary tried again, her words growing pleading as her fingers tightened around the radio until they went white. “I can send someone to the Last City. Just get out there.”“That’s not the plan,” Thomas said stubbornly much to her frustration; his stubbornness normally evoked a fond and exasperated feeling in her but not it had her wanting to tear her hair out. “I will talk to you again. Thank you, Mary. Goodbye.”“Thomas!” She all but shouted, the others far enough that she wouldn’t be overheard. “Thomas!”But he was already gone. Despite his promise, Mary never heard from Thomas again. Or, at least, she never heard from him again over the radio. She got one last bit of information from him— a world of information really— but Mary never received any word on Thomas himself. It surprised her, just how much worry and grief she felt over it. This young boy who she only spoke with a handful of times managed to burrow deep in her heart to the point that the prolonged silence she was now in left her feeling cold. Vince could read her worry, always able to read her so well, but his words were of little comfort. His words were the assurances of their ‘Source’ being capable of taking care of themselves, of them staying hidden from WCKD till then and being smart enough to make it out. But he didn’t know Thomas; he didn't know this stubborn kid who wouldn’t leave his friends behind. Mary didn’t know if Thomas was okay— if he was even alive. But life went on. They carried on as they planned and Mary did everything she could to make sure she followed through with what she promised Thomas. She worked on saving every Immune she could. And if she listened carefully to every voice of every Immune she came across, every boy that fit Thomas’ age, and hoped to hear something familiar in it… well, that was her business. Rescuing the girls was a great victory. They didn’t get as many as Mary would have liked but every life saved was an accomplishment. The girls settled in greatly and much to Mary’s amusement took a liking to Vince. They made more plans and she and Vince decided that they would move some out closer to where the ship that would take them to their Safe Haven was. Not everyone would go, they still had more kids to rescue after all, but Mary would feel better if the Right Arm wasn’t so close together. There were enough of them now that they would draw attention soon enough so they would have to split up a bit. That would happen at first light, and Mary was walking through camp, having gotten word of some new arrivals Vince was checking out, when a very familiar voice reached her ears faintly.“Just listen. Please. Please, okay? I told her that you could help.”Mary’s feet rooted to the ground at the sound of Thomas’ voice and her heart lurched into her throat. That was him, she’d know his voice anywhere, and already she was moving once more even as Vince said something in turn.“There’s gotta be something you can do,” Thomas pleaded, his voice growing louder the closer she got.“Yeah, there is,” Vince said in a determined voice. “I can put her out of her misery.”It wasn’t just Thomas’ voice that shouted out, “no!” to Vince’s decision and Mary rushed forward at once, her mouth already open as she yelled. “Vince, that’s enough! Let him go!” Everyone turned at the sound of her voice as she marched determinedly over to them and gestured to the men holding a man she assumed was the father of the girl laying on the ground. “Let him go!”Vince looked over at her. “She’s infected, Doc,” he said, his voice regretful to her ears but no less swayed from his decision. “There’s nothing we can do for her.”“No, but he can,” Mary said much to their confusion and finally she looked over at Thomas. “Hello, Thomas.”He was just as she imagined; that is young and wide-eyed but no less strong-willed. His dark brown hair contrasted with his skin that was a warm colour likely due to the constant sun. His eyes were wide and confused as she greeted him and Mary half wanted to smile at his expression“What? You know me?” He asked.Mary hummed as she studied him and then nodded to herself. “Interesting,” she finally said as she walked over to the girl on the ground. “It makes sense they’d put you in the Maze. Though I must admit…” she continued on as she crouched down, feeling for the girl’s pulse and checking vitals. “I was worried they’d kill you after what you did.”“What I did?” Thomas asked and even in his confusion it was a relief to hear his voice again, so much clearer than ever before. “The first time we spoke,” Mary said, clear enough for them all to hear, ready to lay out everything this boy had done for them all. Ready to open his eyes to what WCKD tried to take from him; the true lengths Thomas has gone for the people he cared about. “You said you couldn't take it anymore… watching your friends die, one by one.” Thomas’ friends looked over at him, mildly surprised at first but accepting of the reveal with an ease that told her they were very trusting of him. “The last time we spoke… you gave me the coordinates to every WCKD compound, trial and lab.”The silence that met her proclamation swept over everyone and Mary didn’t let it distract her from her checkup of the young girl on the ground.“He was our Source,” Vince slowly said in disbelief as he finally lowered his gun and Mary so wished she had told him all this sooner. But she had promised Thomas and even if the likelihood Thomas was dead was high, it wasn’t a promise she wanted to break. His disbelief was well warranted; Mary knew he always thought that their Source had been an adult. A WCKD scientist or soldier who had gone rogue. Not some kid himself getting involved in a battle that was just so much bigger than him. A battle involving all the adults around him while kids like him all suffered.Thomas appeared just as shocked and Mary’s heart ached for everything about himself he would never know. Everything WCKD took from him. It wouldn't hold him back though; just the fact that Thomas made it here was proof enough of that. Thomas was endearingly stubborn and would do anything for those he cared about, not even the Swipe could take those qualities away from him. Thomas would do fine without his memories, Mary was sure of it, and given where he grew up… maybe he would even be better off without them.“We couldn't have pulled all this off without him,” Mary said firmly and she stood up once more and gestured at some people nearby. “Take her to the tent. Get these guys some warm clothes. Careful,” she added as they began moving the girl and Mary moved over to Thomas. “Come on. Hey, it’s the least we can do. Thomas, come on.”She wanted to catch up with him; even if he didn’t remember her.