𝐔𝐍𝐓𝐀𝐌𝐄𝐃 ➤ Maze Runner AU

𝟢𝟨𝟫，𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡 𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡

"Lelia?" From miles away, they're calling out my name. Banging on the door.

I breathe out, so slowly that I can watch every single bubble pop at the surface. When I have no breaths left, I sit up. "What?"

"Thank god—" Minho and Lyndon speak in unison, then Lyndon continues, "Can you open the door?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because I am fucking naked," I snap. "Leave, please."

I take the straw I found downstairs. In silence, my fingers work to open the tiny plastic bag. I shake a quarter of it on the edge of the bath tub.

"Lelia, please. Just get dressed or something. We wanna go out to eat lunch with you, then Minho and I will head back to the hospital."

I put the straw and place the end of it near the powder, then start sniffing.

"Lelia, come on," Minho speaks. "The plan was that you'd be home for a few hours."

"Yet we're a day later," I hum.

"Yes, because my mom got stabbed with her own work material!" His voice breaks. "Fuck, I've been trying to call you all day to ask if you're okay and let you know that my mom might be dying at the moment."

I already knew.

And I wanted to go help, but realized that on foot, it would take multiple hours to reach the hospital, and I had no money to take a bus. I was too panicked to find my phone, which must be dead.

And then I realized I wouldn't be able to handle watching Jennifer in pain anyway, so I gave up and went for the bath.

Our bath's settings can go even hotter than Minho's. It had been nice, until the two of them showed up banging on the door.

"Would you reply?" Minho urges. "Open the door? Show some pity? I thought you cared about my mom."

"Yes, yes," I say quickly. I don't want to mess more up. Deep breaths. I've got it under control. "I'll be there. I'm sorry. I zoned out."

He lets go of a sigh. "Thank you. Think of a place you'd like to eat as you dry yourself off, or finish doing... whatever you were doing."

"Taking a bath."

"Yes. Taking a bath." He coughs. "We'll wait."

One last time underwater, then I'll get dressed. I inhale deeply, pressing my nose between my fingers, and force my body down. Air bubbles cause little tingles on my face. I open my eyes again.

I watch the white ceiling take multiple shapes. My head tilts to the side. The breaths that leave my mouth end in heart-shaped bubbles.

I missed this feeling.

I manage to stay underwater longer than before. It feels like forever, at least. Then I step out of the bath, the world shaking in a funny way.

I search for my clothes. Put them on. Flared jeans with a white top. I brush through my wet hair, laughing under my breath at the way drops run down my skin.

Then I step out of the bathroom. I feel like spinning around when I see Minho again. "Hi."

"Hey." All three Minho's give me a smile. Wow, this shit works fast. "How're you feeling?"

His words are repeating over and over, all in slowmotion, echoing as if we're in a room full of mirrors.

"Alright," my own voice sounds like that, too. "And you?"

"Could be better, but you know... just happy to see you again." He pulls me into a hug. The feeling of the way he did that duplicates. Butterflies form in my stomach at how it feels to keep being pulled into a hug, like going down in a rollercoaster.

I turn my head to kiss him. Colors explode. Warmth and vignette shines. I feel like I'm a real life picture. I wanna kiss him forever— pictures last forever.

I close my eyes. I give it a try to move my lips against his. That's been a while.

"Lelia," his whisper rings through my ears. "Not the time. Lyndon's waiting downstairs and we want to leave."

I let go of him. I lean against the door of the bathroom. If I press a little harder, I'll fall through it, into an abyss. I'll fall backwards, like one of those majestic falls in movies. One hand is pushing forward, so hard that it could reach the horizon if it wanted to.

"Let's go." Minho intertwines his fingers with the thousands I have and walks us down the stairs. "Got her, Lyndon. Let's go."

"Oh, hi." My brother hugs me, too. It feels different than Minho's hug. Minho gave the world color. Lyndon makes the world explode with smells. Galaxies fall down. Planets are smells. I smell alcohol. Fires. Nice fires. I smell cigarettes. It would take one pluck out of the air and I'd be holding one.

"How're you?"

"Good," I say. I wish to tell him about how amazing this is, but the words come out soggy. "And you?"

"Ehm, alright. Doing better, I mean. Just worried."

"Same." The sunlight shines glitters into the room. They're hanging in the air. Glitter lanterns. And if I done stop blinking soon, my eyes will get full with glitter. I'll have to keep my mouth shut or it's going to be a mouthful of glitter.

"Let's go. What are you hungry for?"

"Fries."

French fries. I wish I could see that right now. But nope, it's glitter.

Glitter's nice, though. Dazzling and sparkly. As we walk outside, I close my fist around a clump of glitter. I press it against Minho's back, giggling quietly. Now there's a glitter mark on him.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing." I can't tell him. Everyone has to see him walk around like this first. "Just an inside thought."

The sky is purple. It's the galaxy Lyndon made visible. I look up at it, inhale. At first, I'm scared I'll choke on remaining glitters, but I only smell... nothing.