In the End (Newt x reader)

Sixteen

~ (y/n)'s P.O.V. ~

I woke up to a hand brushing through my hair, a movement so gentle and soft. I let out a groan, lifting my head. My muscles ached as I moved, protesting with each shuffle I made as I slowly pushed open my eyes. I stared at the ground, racking my brain to try to remember where I was and what had happened. 

"Hey there, love." I felt my breath catch in my throat as my eyes flickered up, catching familiar brown eyes with my own (e/c) ones. 

"Newt." I whispered out. He gave me a small smile, leaning his weight on his arm as he brushed some of my hair behind my ear. I quickly pushed myself up, tugging him close to me. I thread my fingers through his hair, closing my eyes as I hissed out a breath. "I thought you were dead. I thought I'd never see you again." I murmured, knowing half of what I said got caught in the fabric of his shirt. 

"I know. I know." Newt whispered. His fingers drew circles on my back, trying to calm me as I began to cry. His voice held a weight that showed his guilt, how he had felt the same way I had. "But I'm here, aren't I? We said partners for however long we live, right?" I nodded, clenching my eyes shut for a moment. That promise felt like an entire world away now, and the reminder of it only made me cry more. Sobs escaped my lips as I held onto him. I could feel him shaking too, hands clenching and unclenching on the fabric of my shirt as he continued to rub circles over my spine. 

~

I pushed Newt's wheelchair out of the building and down a small ramp. The cut from the Crank, while thankfully wasn't fatal, had paralyzed Newt from his lower half down. Delilah wasn't sure if the paralyzation would be temporary or not, but Newt barely complained about it. He only looked tired as I wheeled him from the building, and I watched with a smile as he turned his eyes up in wonder at the sky around us, tracking his eyes over the butterflies and birds that flew through the area. On the back of his wheelchair was Ben's bag, as it had been taken by WICKED when they captured me, and Dan had it when they first escaped. In the building behind us, people were entering and exiting, some looking to receive care for their injuries, others were the ones providing the care. 

"Is that Tommy?" Newt spoke up and my eyes followed to look where he was pointing. There I could see Tommy leaning against one of the buildings, picking at his nails as he spoke with Brenda and a few others. 

"Yeah, it is." I found a smile spreading across my face, pushing Newt in their direction. Tommy looked up at us as we came closer, his eyes flickering from me to Newt, then he gave a small smile. The others, recognizing the need for space, left Tommy's side as I stopped in front of him. I was quick to hug him, holding him tight for a moment. When I stepped away, Newt gave him a smile, reaching up to fist bump him since he wasn't able to get up. 

"You're okay." Tommy started, shifting on his feet as he wrung his hands in front of him. "Newt, I'm so sor-" Tommy started, but Newt simply shook his head. 

"No, I don't want you going soft on me with all that klunk. You were only doing as I told you, and even then you changed your mind last minute. You saved my life. Thank you." Newt pat his arm lightly, and Tommy gave a slight nod, staying quiet. I could still tell he felt guilty as he studied Newt sitting in his wheelchair. Soon, however, both boys fell into conversation again. Tommy began telling him about what Newt had missed, going back into the Maze, the people we lost. 

"Teresa didn't make it?" I asked after listening to his side of the story. Tommy let out a breath, shaking his head. 

"No. And- and I know I shouldn't feel so down, so empty, because she betrayed all of us, betrayed me. But I miss her, and in the end of it all, she helped us." I gave Tommy a sad smile. 

"You grew up with her, and no matter what she did, you were both still connected to each other." I was quiet for a moment, watching the people bustle around us. "I remember how it felt when I woke up in the Maze and thought I lost Newt." Newt's hand stiffened in mine and I could see him turn his attention from the corner of my eye. "I- I felt like something had been wrenched out of me, that left this spot in my mind that I couldn't fill, couldn't reach out to. It was like being dropped into the dark of the Maze for the first time again, with no help and no leads on where to go." I sucked in a breath, remembering the pain that had traveled through my chest, squeezed at my heart when I first convinced myself Newt could've been dead. "I'm sorry you have to go through that now." I turned my eyes to Tommy. "I wouldn't wish that on anyone." Tommy gave a single nod, staring out. He pushed up from the building he had been leaning against. 

"I better go. We have a meeting tonight, decide how we handle our new colony to being led and cared for. I'll have to help Minho, Gally, Felicity, and some of the others plan it. It was good to see you guys. I'm glad you're okay." Tommy was quick to leave, barely giving time for me or Newt to say our farewells back. 

~

During the meeting, we decided a vote on the upcoming leaders of the new colony, and I wasn't surprised when many had Tommy as one of their choices, followed by Felicity, Minho, and Brenda. Their first move in action was situating living quarters, and there was a mix in how they decided to do so. Families were kept together, along with some friends living with others due to us being slightly short on the amount of houses we had compared to the amount of people. In the current home we were in, Newt and I were downstairs, while Tommy and Minho lived upstairs. Across the street lived Dan, Delilah, and Brenda. 

Now, I sat in bed, looking out the window. The house was at the water's edge, and I could see the moon reflecting in the small waves that rippled over the water's surface. Beside me, Newt was asleep in bed, and in my lap was Ben's sketchbook. This was the first time I had gotten myself to look through the book in an entirety since Ben died. Originally, I hadn't had the time nor the heart to look through everything, only a few sketches here and there. I had avoided flipping through the sketches that I knew would hurt, drawings of the family we had created and lost in the Maze, but now I forced myself to turn through the pages, to face the grief I was never allowed to completely feel. 

"What are you doing up, love?" Newt's voice was raspy, shocking me out of my daydream as I absent-mindedly had been trailing a finger over the sketched out flowers in Ben's book. 

"Can't sleep. It's weird. I've been waiting to have a moment like this ever since we left the Maze, one where we were safe." I flipped the sketchbook closed, putting the book on the bedside table. "But now that we're in the moment..." I sighed, letting Newt gently pull me to lay down with him. 

"I know. It's hard after we've spent our whole life practically running like hamsters on a wheel. Now that we don't have to, it feels unnatural, but we'll get used to it. Life will be better here." I hummed, curling into Newt's side and laying my head on his chest. His arm came to wrap around my back and hold me closer to him. 

"At least we get to live by the water now, like you always wanted." Newt huffed a small laugh, pausing in trailing his fingers along my side. 

"That's true. I did say that. The water is quite nice. I was looking out at it, too, while you were showering." I hummed in reply, drawing small flowers over his shirt. 

"At least I don't smell anymore." My comment only made Newt laugh again, this time louder and more genuine. I smiled at the sound as I buried myself deeper into his side, reveling in the warmth he gave off. 

"I love you." Newt said suddenly as his laughs calmed. He tilted his face down to look at me. I gave him a soft smile, moving my hand to cup his cheek. 

"I love you too." I murmured back, gently dragging my thumb over his cheek for a moment, then I dropped my hand back down to his chest. Newt returned my smile as he kissed the top of my head, then he continued to draw his fingers up along my side, slowly lulling me to sleep. 

Publish Date: January 9, 2021