Fine On My Own (Minho x Reader)

Just Like Back Then

 Escaping was much easier said than done. It was also more painful than anticipated. First, it was Newt. For once, and probably the only time in his life, Minho wished he was in a simulation. As he, Y/N and Brenda sprinted as quickly as they could through the city with the bliss serum, Newt's wails of agony could be heard in the distance. Sure enough, they were too late. Once they arrived, Newt lay unmoving on the ground, a knife plunged into his chest. Thomas ran off, leaving a trail of heartbreak behind him.

There was nothing else for the group to do but to find Jorge and climb on the berg, awaiting Thomas to come back. Where he was or what he was doing, absolutely no one knew. Together they waited in blind faith for his return.

Second, it was Teresa. The building to the bergs right collapsed and suddenly the building below Teresa's feet fell away. Flames swallowed her frame as she fell into them. She'd been the key to their escape. Right now, they were alive because of her. It became apparent to everyone that if it weren't for Teresa, WICKED would have already seen to it that Minho and Y/N were dead.

Thomas was almost the third. His bullet wound nearly killed him, but Vince somehow managed to keep him alive.

If it weren't for the care of Jorge, Brenda and Gally, Y/N and Minho would have been the next to go. The runner watched as Y/N fell unconscious and so he gripped her wrist, just to make sure there was still a pulse. But, it wasn't long until he too lost consciousness. They were both battered and bruised, mentally exhausted and had lost more blood than a person should be able to.

When Minho woke, he was in a cot. A pillow was under his head and the smell in the air reminded him of the Glade. Frypan's cooking, the humid air and the grass. However, there was also something else.

It smelled like the ocean.

Trying to sit up, Minho realized his entire body ached. From head to toe, his muscles felt rock hard and completely drained of energy. His right side felt heavier than his left, and when he looked down, he realized why. Y/N's body lay at his side, her back pressed to the side of his ribcage. She held his forearm, using it almost like a pillow, the small sight making him smile. He figured maybe he was dead and had gone to heaven. If so, he wasn't mad about it. It seemed pretty good here so far.

He attempted to carefully wake Y/N, but it did nothing but violently awaken her. The girls body body flew off of the cot and crashed down onto the floor, a loud grunt escaping her lungs. Minho couldn't stop himself from laughing as he peered over the edge of the bed to find the girl a frantic mess. When she locked eyes with him, her body froze.

"Are we dead?" She croaked. "Where are we?"

Before Minho could stop her, she was fighting to stand up and was barging towards the door of the hut. It wasn't much of a door, just a thin blanket of canvas which swayed gently in the wind. The girl threw it back and her eyes immediately locked onto the ocean a few hundred feet away from where she stood. Slowly, she looked back to Minho with wide eyes and dropped the heavy fabric.

"We're definitely dead..."

Minho forced himself to get up despite the dull ache in his bones. He fell in behind Y/N and peered out of the hut, looking right to the ocean. At least it explained the smell. Both kids were too afraid to step out. Were they alive? Was everyone else still alive?

That was when Minho's heart skipped a beat. Everyone wasn't alive. Newt was gone. So was Teresa.

Y/N bravely stepped out of the hut. As she did so, someone else appeared from the next hut just a few feet away. It was Thomas.

"Holy shit—" Y/N stood paralyzed as she stared at her friend in disbelief. He didn't look all that good, but he was alive. "Thomas?"

"Y/N?" He stifled a breath before racing straight for her and engulfing her in a hug. "You're alright?"

"I guess," She smiled softly. Even though she was glad to see Thomas, there was an empty feeling without Newt. It had always been the four of them, and now it was down to three.

"Minho?" Thomas looked over Y/N's shoulder to see his friend. Despite being beaten and bruised, the smirk on his face still proved it was Minho. Thomas smiled and hugged Minho tight.

"C'mere, shebean." Minho dragged Y/N into the hug and nearly suffocated her between himself and Thomas. All three kids could feel each others aching hearts. It would be a while before they would get used to not hearing Newt's laughter or having his shoulder to lean on. But, they had each other and just had to hope it would be enough.

Y/N had never seen such relieved faces as the ones she witnessed as she, Thomas and Minho approached the centre of camp. Brenda practically screamed and raced at the group, crashing into them like a freight train. Soon, they were surrounded by familiar faces of the people who had been lucky enough to have survived this adventure with them. A bonfire roared just like the one in the Glade used to and Frypan was already back in the kitchens doing what he did best.

When things settled down, Y/N and Minho found their way to the fire and sat shoulder to shoulder against a log just like they always used to. They'd come a long way since they first met.

Back then, it was constant bickering, friendly rivalry and friendship. He remembered watching Y/N beat up Gally when he took things too far. How she'd help Newt through tough times and be the only one who would take the time to listen to Chuck. Above all, he remembered the constant visits he'd make to the medjack hut. It was in those days that he was focused solely on making a good impression, hoping the facade of wit and charm he'd worked so hard for might win her over. In a sense, he was glad they escaped the maze and were no longer stuck in the Glade. But, he also missed it. He liked his daily routine back then. Sure, it might have been frustrating and exhausting having to run the maze with no progress, but he got to come back to Y/N everyday. That was all he wanted.

"What're we going to do?" Y/N sighed, eyes locked on the fire.

"Hmm?" Minho questioned. "What are we going to do? Sleep, eat. Relax. Not have to look over our shoulders every second."

"No, I'm serious. We've been running for our lives as long as we can remember, and now we're just going to sit here?" She looked to Minho and there was undeniable worry and hurt in her eyes. "Being safe, that's all we could have ever hoped for—"

"No, I know." Minho acknowledged what she was trying to say. It was that the pair had grown so used to running day in and out, addicted to the feeling of adrenaline tearing through their veins that they couldn't stop. Everyone else may be happy to simply settle down and work mediocre, easy jobs all day but Y/N and Minho knew they wouldn't be able to do that. They needed to move. Needed to risk their lives in order to stay sane.

Now, the residual damage of WICKED's work was apparent to Minho. They had torn apart the minds of kids like Newt. They'd caused loneliness and suffering beyond imagination. WICKED had turned kids like Minho and Y/N into unstoppable machines, forever controlled by the need to get another dose of adrenaline.

Minho ruffled the girls hair just like he always used to. "We'll find something. You can't tell me there's a job the two of us would be great for that no one else wants."

Paradise would be a good place, there was no denying that. There was food, water and company. But it lacked everything the Gladers, particularly Minho and Y/N, had grown to know. It was a harsh reality that would need to be faced, but for now, simply basking in the fact that they were still alive was enough.