The Unstoppable

Extra - M + N + T + Friendship

Extra

M + N +  T + Friendship

( Sometime between the last chapter and the epilogue )

Minho was half asleep when he heard the small sniffle. It was small and he'd barely heard it. It was just small enough to make his brain think he could maybe, just maybe, go back to sleep. But then there was a small whimper and his eyes were fluttering reluctantly.

He knew he couldn't go back to sleep now. So he took the plunge and blinked open his eyes taking a deep breath and trying to locate which of the improvised beds the sniffling was coming from. He was interrupted by one of them crying out.

He sighed tiredly. His friends had gone back and forth between breakdowns, though Newt had taken most of them as he never slept without nightmares, but Thomas had had some guilty moments too. Nightmares where he'd kept his eyes open when he'd pulled the trigger, and what he'd seen had been far worse than the reality.
  The two teaming together to overflow the other and if Minho hadn't been there to plug the leaks he wasn't sure where they'd both be.

Of course if Minho was honest he didn't know where he'd be without either of them either. Cold without Newt, humorless without Thomas.

So to say he was surprised, or annoyed for that matter, when he realized the sniffling was of more than one bed would be a plain out lie.    
  So Minho turned up the oil lamp they'd made and kept on low to try and help Newt not freak out over being enclosed in the darkness and turned to the two hammocks they'd set up until they could try and expand their tiny tent shack shelter.

"I'm sorry, go back to bed." Newts voice came, shaky and half annoyed, at Minho or himself he wasn't sure. Minho only sighed.

"Nah, Tommy-boy's having a moment too." Minho says already sitting up as Thomas turns around and half glares at Minho for calling him out on it, Minho simply shrugs.
  Newt doesn't hesitate, not anymore, to clamber over and climb into the hammock next to him. So does, after a moment, Thomas. Minho is seriously surprised the material the hammock is made out of hasn't snapped yet.

"This is stupid, really shucking stupid." Thomas finally says through half a teary laugh that held no amusement. "How many times do you have to shucking relive something for it to stop freaking you out!"

"Forever." Newt's voice came from where he'd curled into Minho's side. "I don't think we'll ever be able to bloody escape it completely."

There was a small silence.

"But how long do I have to feel guilty over every death since WICKED started? When will it be enough?" Thomas asks and Minho frowns.

"It won't." Minho says. "It won't ever be enough, no one can feel guilty enough to cover all the kids that died in the Maze, or all the kids who were changed and terrorized forever. That's on Ava, not anyone else. Anyway, you both did your fair share of suffering because of it, so no guilt, alright?"

There's a short silence, and Minho knows that's not the main thing Thomas feels bad about. It's about what he'd almost done to Newt, and while most nights he's alright, some just overwhelm.

"You're not the only one who feels guilty." Newt's voice is quiet and Minho knows he knows what Thomas is talking about too. "What I said to you..just the fact that you feel guilty..makes me feel bloody awful."

"You feeling guilty makes me feel guilty!" Thomas exclaims and Minho burst out laughing.

"That's just shucking messed up." Minho says before pulling out the plate of cookies Minho always got from Frypan every few days for this very purpose. Eyes light up immediately and the conversation gets lighter if only a bit.

"Remember when Fry used to make these in the Glade?" Newt asks quietly as they each bite into their own cookies.

"Yeah, remember when he ran out of sugar and tried to use honey instead?" Minho says and Newt smiles.

"It was practically sweet glue." Newt says and Minho nods. "We had to send a bloody request for new baking tins and everything."

Minho nods and Thomas sighs dreamily.

"I think I faintly remember eating cookies with someone, but I can't remember who." Thomas says before frowning down at his now empty hand, before looking back to the plate and smiling at it as there are still three more left, enough for each of them to have one more, before Minho will inevitably have to return to Frypan for more of the delicious morsels. Maybe it was a bad idea to use cookies as a crutch to lean on instead of facing their nightmares, but Minho sure couldn't handle his two friends without them.

"Do you think the girls are up?" Thomas asks. Newt leans around Minho to lift up the window flap and look out at the moon.

"It's only four in the morning, I doubt it." He says as he leans back. Minho sighs as he knows they will, probably, be going back to sleep soon, referring back to the question that's always asked at this point. 'Can we survive going back to sleep, or are we going to sit up awake all night because we're too scared to fall back to the nightmares that plague sleep now?'

Quizzical looks were passed between his two friends as they finished the last of the cookies, but Minho sighed deciding doing this every other night was becoming impossible. Getting up suddenly, both his friends protest at the sudden movement in the hammock. He begins taking down both their hammocks as well.

"Min? Care to explain why you're..doing renovation at this late hour?" Thomas asks as he turns his head curiously as Minho begins arranging the overly generous amount of blankets on the ground, before moving over to his own and watching with subtle amusement as his friends scurry to get out before he unhooks it from the support beam.

"What the bloody hell?" Newt asks as Minho finishes by throwing the rest of the blankets on the ground as well.

"Ta-da." He says spreading his hands in a grand gesture, presenting his pile of blankets like a golden trophy. "No more squishing me in my hammock, no more shucking problems. You know we all sleep better together anyway, and we always end up that way. Problems solved, round of applause welcome."

There is a short silence before they both nod, agreeing that this is probably the smartest rout.

"Okay, but I call middle."

With that, they could all finally sleep.

Lol, sorry if I made this sound cool and then it was just..bleh, :). But I've got two more blehs ready, so stay tuned. Thanks for reading and I always love and appreciate comments!
Luv u guys!

^•.~^