Coming Out Swinging (Thomas x Reader)

Part 4

Thomas did as he was asked. He couldn't bring himself to be mean to her or to treat her any differently so instead he left her alone.

It was difficult. Every so often, Thomas would catch her looking at him. Once in the map room a few days later. Again in homestead at dinner yesterday. Each time she would look away instantly, a faint blush visible from the distance. No one else seemed to notice.

She had gone out of her way to avoid him which should have hurt his feelings but Thomas was more frustrated than anything else. He couldn't understand why she pushed him away when she had admitted that she liked him, that he treated her better than the other gladers did.

Newt slid into the bench next to him in homestead. He takes a large bite out of his meal before speaking to Thomas.

"Need to get you better acquainted with those maps Tommy. Ever since you showed up, the runners have noticed more and more strange things in the maze. Can't be a coincidence really so maybe you can spot something."

Thomas doubted that he would find anything that the others couldn't in the years they've been here but he was curious to see the patterns they make and wanted to get to know them better.

"Yeah, sure."

He remembered the way (Y/N) had been able to map out a completely new route out of the maze from memory. It was impressive. He let his mind wander, wondering how long she had been in the glade for.

In the same moment, (Y/N) walks through the door. Thomas noticed how confident she looks, striding over to Minho and Chuck with a brilliant smile on her face. She radiated enough energy to make anyone doubt she'd been running constantly all day.

She sat herself down next to Chuck, nudging him slightly. The boy beamed at her, blushing. Minho began talking to her animatedly from across the table. Thomas could tell she was giving him her full attention.

Zart began talking to Thomas about the vines that grow along the maze walls, distracting him from the running commentary about the other side of the room.

By the time he looked back Minho and Chuck had been replaced by Gally. Thomas and Gally had gotten out to a bad start from the moment he arrived in the glade. He disliked him immensely. To see him talking to her made him feel uncomfortable for some reason.

She didn't look very impressed either, frowning at him whilst taking in hushed tones. Thomas craved to know what she was saying.

Newt, following Thomas' gaze, called out to her across the room.

"(Y/N)?"

She met his eyes and smiled. It didn't quiet catch her eyes. Thomas thought that whatever Gally was talking to her about, it was wearing her down.

"Hey Newt."

" I need you to take Thomas and go over this months maps - I want to make sure we've not missed anything."

The room seemed to fall silent at his words. Thomas could feel the tension in the air. Everyone thought that he had nearly locked her in the maze a week ago.

She takes a large breath to compose herself. "Newt listen, I don't think -"

"No you listen (Y/N). I get that he messed up but if it was that bad, you should have just left him in there. Draw a line under it and move on. Give the poor shank a chance."

Thomas had never heard Newt snap at someone like that before. From his point of view, Thomas supposed Newt was trying to defend him - something he was grateful for. But on the other hand, Newt didn't understand the full story, she didn't hate him, and it wasn't just his fault that they almost got shut in the maze. She didn't deserve to be spoken to like that but he could do nothing but watch, otherwise he'd have to admit to lying about what happened.