Our Love ( Newt x reader)

38

~Two Years Earlier~

(Y/N)'s P.O.V.

"Do you ever think that they'll let us go? Back out there?" I ask, flicking through the pages of the book I'm holding, my back against the pillows leaning against the cold wall, my legs bent before the shelf in front of me. Newt sits diagonally across from me, squished with his back against the pillows in front of the shelf, his legs bent before the wall. A draft blows in from the vent to his right, which is now just a hole in the wall, the cover discarded further to the right. Our surroundings are lit up by the two flashlights placed within gaps in the shelves.

He thinks for a moment, eyes on the page before him, before lifting his head, looking at me. "I don't know, (Y/N)." He closes the book, placing it beside him, and brings his knees to his chest, arms clasped around them. "Do you really want to go back out there?"

I mark the page I'm on, and close the book, then lift my head up to meet his eyes. "Well, yeah. Anywhere is better than here, no?" I lean my head to the side, inquisitive.

An emotion I don't recognise flits through his eyes, before they dim and he turns away. He blows out a breath. "Yeah, you're right. Do you think the world's changed much? Or, I guess, more?"

I shrug. "I hope so. Everyone was going crazy. Everyone is still going crazy. And this place is still looking for a cure, so I guess things could've gotten worse."

"Yeah. Who knew something that could wipe the world would be the force that would bring everyone together?"

"If we'd known, we would've tried that sooner, huh? Maybe introduced peace earlier, right?" I try to crack a smile, but it doesn't last. He doesn't turn back to me.

"No, we wouldn't have. Too many people have... have died." He almost chokes on the word. "We would've come up with something else. Something better."

I hum in response. "Yeah, sorry. I wasn't thinking straight. Sometimes it's easier to joke about things even if jokes shouldn't be made." I sigh. "They're taking me in for testing again next week. I don't know if I'll be able to come here."

This piques his interest, and he turns back, meeting my eyes. It could just be the light, but his seem to be slightly rimmed in red. "Again? I thought you said that they said next month?"

I nod. "That's what I was told. But then they gave me a timetable yesterday and I'm missing lessons again." I stare at my arms, covered by the fabric of my t-shirt. "I hate the needles the most. The scans are all right."

He puts more force onto the leg that already leans against mine, bumping our legs together. "Hey. Just remember what I said. Keep on thinking about the next story you're gonna tell, okay? That way you can imagine that instead of needles you're being stabbed with swords, or some other pointy weapon. Not that that's any better! But at least you can envision an honourable battle, right?" He bumps his leg against mine again, and I let out a laugh.

I look back up. "Yeah, alright, fine, you've convinced me. Honourable death for the bravest of soldiers, right?"

He rolls his eyes, smiling. "Obviously."

I feign worry, bringing my hands to cover my mouth. "Oh, but then who'd you be? May I interest you in the positions of court jester? Or maybe a servant?"

He glares at me. "Do you really think so lowly of me, thy soldier-yness?"

"'Course not, you know I'm kidding. Well then, who'd you wanna be?"

He pretends to think it over. "Hmm, how about a prince? Then Lizzy could be the princess, and she'll be safe."

I gasp. "You dare outrank me?"

He smirks. "Well, duh. You left the position up for taking."

"Fair point. Well then, your highness, don't be surprised if a late night visit follows. I'll be sure to stock up on sharp, pointy weapons."

He raises an eyebrow. "Ah, you've turned into an assassin then, have you? Whatever could've happened to your honour, I wonder?" I blink. Oh yeah, I didn't think that far ahead, did I? He carries on. "There are easier ways to be of a similar rank, y'know. Try see if you can figure them out."

I glare at him as he looks smugly at me. He knows that he's the only one to have read the book on royalty. I haven't had a chance to get to it yet. But it's okay, if I can figure out how to solve a complex problem in under three minutes, I'm sure I can be creative enough to come up with something. I lift up my hands, and start counting off of my left. "Right so, first up, we have kicking off the current royals off the throne and naming myself the ruler. Second, I could be a visiting royal from another kingdom, undercover as a soldier. Third could be undertaking a title through marriage. Fourth would be having the current monarchs name me as their adopted, and maybe get the title that way. Fifth could be... Um..." I trail off, out of ideas. I exhale angrily. "Urgh, fine, keep your title, I didn't need it anyway."

He laughs, and I join in. "You still didn't do too badly though, so well done. You can have the book when you're back in here, I haven't finished it yet."

I brighten up. It might be boring, but anything is better than doing one of the mandated activities the doctors here make us do. "Yay!"

Newt cranes his neck to look at one of the watches I managed to sneak into here. 8:57pm. We have just over an hour until curfew. He turns back to me. "You up for some pranking? I heard that Mrs Hen has a day off today, and I remember where we stumbled across her office last time. She won't get in there until later, so we could definitely make it back to our dorms in time to not be caught. What do you say?" He's grinning, and it's infectious, so I find my own mouth curving up into a grin too.

"Well, obviously. Let's hope it teaches her a lesson for shouting at your class last week. It's time for her to be on the receiving end, right?" He nods and shuffles over to place his book further to the right, as well as to grab the flashlight closest to him. I reach over to grab the flashlight nearest to me, and place my book to the left, then follow him as he slides into the vent. 

It's dark, and we always leave the flashlights hidden somewhere we'll find them. I wait 'til he's a couple of metres into the vent, then climb in so my face is to the vent in order to be able to put the cover back on, hopefully lessening the likelihood of our place being discovered. There's a junction not far from the vent opening, so I just have to slide backwards for a short while before righting myself and following Newt.

We really should mark down a map, shouldn't we? Or better yet, steal one. I'll pitch the idea to Newt as soon as we reach our destination. For now though, we're as quiet as possible, all senses on high alert so we're not found out.

***

Shorter chapter today guys, more of a flashback than anything else, sorry. But I do hope y'all enjoyed!

Also, MERRY CHRISTMAS ALL OF Y'ALL WHO CELEBRATE! And I hope you have a great day even if you don't celebrate 🤗🤗🤗.

Have a great day/night/whatever the time, everyone!

~E