The mute [Maze runner Minho X OC]

Chapter six

While Minho was going to wake Thomas and get him out of the Slammer, Piper waited for the two by the storage closet. Piper pulled out a box of running shoes and looked at Thomas, who had to stop himself from laughing. 

''That's right there's the number one supply we get.'' Minho announced to him. ''At least for us. They send new ones in the Box every so often. If we had bad shoes, we'd have feet that look like freaking Mars.'' He bend down next to Piper as he searched through the box. ''What size you wear?''

"Size?" Thomas blinked, momentarily confused, then realized he had no idea. Piper gave him a little nod and signed, ''Check your shoe; the size should be in there.''

Minho translated for her, prompting Thomas to pull off a shoe and peer inside. "Oh—eleven," he answered.

Minho snorted, standing up to pass the pair to Thomas. "Geez, shank, you've got some big feet. Good thing we've got a pair for you, though they're so huge you could probably go canoeing in 'em."

Thomas laughed, examining his new shoes as Piper slipped her own into a backpack. "Fancy," he muttered, lacing them up.

"Only Runners and Keepers get these," Minho explained, tossing a wristwatch identical to his and Piper's into Thomas's lap. "Wear it, and don't take it off. Your life could depend on it." Thomas slid the watch onto his wrist, admiring the sturdy strap.

Piper then handed Minho a backpack filled with other essentials, which he passed to Thomas. "Backpack, water bottles, a packed lunch, shorts, shirts, and... the real essentials." Minho held up a pair of compression shorts, grinning as Piper rolled her eyes and slipped a sports bra into her own bag. "These, my friend, are Runnie-undies. Keeps everything, ya know, nice and comfy."

Thomas raised an eyebrow. "Nice and comfy?"

"Yeah, you know, your—"

"Got it!" Thomas quickly shoved the shorts into his bag, smirking. "Not embarrassed in front of your girlfriend, Minho?"

Minho rolled his eyes, giving him a playful punch on the arm, while Piper lifted a single eyebrow at Thomas. He chuckled again, looking over the supplies thoughtfully. "You guys really thought this all out, didn't you?"

Minho grinned as he helped Piper pack up. "A couple of years running through this place every day, you learn fast what you need. You just leave a note in the Box for it."

Thomas's eyes widened. "You can make requests?" Piper nodded, holding up a pen and paper to emphasize the point.

"Yep," Minho continued, "we used to communicate with Piper this way when she first got here." He nodded to her, a quick smile flashing as he recalled the early days of her arrival. "Doesn't mean the Creators always give us what we want. Sometimes they do, sometimes they don't."

Thomas looked thoughtful, then asked, "Ever tried asking for a map?"

Piper smirked silently, and Minho let out a dry laugh. "Oh, yeah. Also tried asking for a TV, but no luck there either. Guess the Creators don't want us seeing how much better life would be if we weren't stuck in a Maze."

Thomas finished lacing up his shoes and jumped up, testing his footing. "Well, these feel pretty good. I think I'm ready."

Minho glanced up from his crouched position, smirking. "You look like a shuck ballerina, prancing around like that. You're gonna need more than good shoes out there, though. No breakfast, no packed lunch..." He lowered his voice. "No weapons."

"Weapons?" Thomas's eyes widened as he noticed Piper's hand resting on the machete strapped to her hip.

Minho chuckled, leading the way out of the closet and beckoning them to follow. "We keep them downstairs. Don't want shanks like Gally getting their hands on them. Come on." Piper held his hand as they descended to the basement, where she pulled a cord to light a single bulb dangling overhead.