centre | newtmas au

39

Newt

With one hand gripping the handle on the helicopters roof, Newt leant his body out of the opening, dropping his head to watch as the maze slipped from under them. It seemed to stretch out for miles and miles, the contours of the concrete walls just visible from where they were, flying through the open sky. He noticed how the walls shifted and changed, and he wondered in that moment if they ever would have made it out without Mary, Thomas, and Teresa. He knew deep down they probably would, but it would've been painful, and they would have lost a lot more people than they did today.

Newt surveyed his friends, packed like sardines into the small space of the helicopter. Except from maybe being shaken by fear, they were okay. He felt someone tug at the back of his shirt, and he turned. 

"Newt" Thomas said, still gently tugging the material, like a child. 

Newt nodded. "Yeah?"

"Sit with me?" he said, patting the slither of empty space beside him. Minho was on the other side of the space, and with a smile, he shifted slightly to the side, widening the gap. 

"You're one skinny shank, you'll fit" Minho said, his smile morphing into a wide, sparkly grin.

"You've always had a way with words, Minho" Newt said, squeezing in between them. 

"You know it" he responded. 

The three of them sat, their arms against each other, backs to the inside the helicopter. Newt felt safe then. He sat in-between one of his greatest friends, and the boy that he was lucky enough to love. He leaned his head gently on Thomas' shoulder, the torn fabric of his shirt rough on Newt's face. 

"Are we going to be safe now?" Thomas mumbled, a hint of emotion in his words. Fear, maybe. Thomas had been through so much, had fought for them, the weight of it all residing on his shoulders. He was right to be scared, with so much unpredictability in his life. In all of their lives.  

"Yeah" Newt said, "I think so" 

"Good" Thomas responded, leaning his head on top of Newt's. 

They sat there for a while, and Newt didn't dare to move his head, in fear the moment of peace that they shared would be lost. But he should learn not to fear that anymore - they were going to have a lot more moments were that one came from. 

"Touchdown in 2" Mary muttered into some intercom attached to the front of her shirt. Newt felt them begin to descend, the wind whipping sand up into the air. Newt shielded his eyes, and gripped onto Thomas' arm. Thomas was looking at Teresa, and she was smiling, her eyes not on Thomas, but on their surroundings. 

The helicopter touched on the ground finally, and the boys helped each other out. What Newt remembered first was the softness of the sand underneath his feet, and how when he bent down to touch it, it was hot. 

What he remembered next, was a view he had never quite imagined, but one he would never forget. 

There were white canvas tents wherever he looked. They sat on a waterfront, that stretched out further than Newt could see, an endless mass of blue. There was smoke, rising from fires that were dotted around. 

But most of all, there were people.

They were young and old, girls, boys, men, women. They all turned to the boys, smiles on their faces. They were clean, and dressed in soft cotton tops, and trousers and their faces were all different, their eyes all telling Newt different stories. There were tears in the eyes of some, and a joyful sparkle in the eyes of others.

"Welcome to the Safe Haven, kids" A kindly looking man with a beard said, clapping a hand on Frypan's shoulder. "We hear it was quite a journey for you?" 

Thomas was the first to respond. "Yes. It was" 

"Well, you be reassured that your days of journeying are over - unless you don't want them to be, of course - and you're safe here. From it all. WCKD won't find us here" The man said, a gentleness to his voice. 

"Thank you, Vince" Mary said. "It was thanks to these two that we were able to make the journey in the first place", she gestured to Thomas and Teresa, who stood closely beside Newt. 

The men and women looked towards each other, and then back. They began to clap their hands together, creating an applause that washed over them all. Thomas took Newt's hand then, an act that later brought tears to Newt's eyes. 

"I couldn't have done it without any of them" Thomas said, looking back to the Gladers. "It's as much their victory as it is mine" 

"Spoken like a true leader" Vince said, with a smile. 

The boys looked at each other, some with tears streaking their dry, dusty faces, clearing away the blood and the dirt from their skin. Others, just stood, bewildered smiles on their faces. 

"Hey" Newt said, squeezing Thomas' hand to get his attention. The other boy turned his face towards Newt, tears in his own eyes. 

"Yeah?"

"I love you" Newt said. 

The tears that had been hanging onto the edge of Thomas' eyes dared to escape, and he blinked, and Newt watched them fall. 

"I love you too. Thank you for following me"

"I always will, you know that" 

"I do"

They stood there, the applause dying out, and the people returning to their jobs, cutting wood, sowing seeds, or to their seats with friends, with family. Newt watched a girl, blonde like he was, and a few years younger, he guessed, walking along the waterfront with her feet in the water. 

Mary looked at Newt briefly, and then back to the girl on the beach. She began to shout to the girl, calling her away from the water. Newt couldn't quite make out the name she yelled, but the girl spun her head around, her blonde hair flying over her shoulder. She ran towards Mary, a grin so wide that it warmed something within Newt. 

"Newt" Mary said, guiding the girl towards him. 

Mary stopped before him, and he looked at the younger girl's face, the paleness of her skin, her brown eyes, her blonde hair, the heart shape of her face. 

"Hi, Newt. I'm Sonya" she said, her voice as pure as the water before them. Newt nodded and smiled. She looked up towards Mary, her eyes bright with excitement. 

"I'm your sister" 

hi guys <3

 i am so sorry it has taken me this long to update but i hope you liked this chapter nonetheless. i hope you're all doing well this winter!!

oh and thank you for 32k :')