The Tributes from the Maze (Newt/OC)

Getting Help

It was just past midnight when Newt and Thomas finally managed to get Minho inside the cabin. He had actually run away from them at one point and they found him twenty minutes later sitting on a log next to the bonfire, sweet-talking it.

"Hey, hottie. You're looking smoking tonight. You're so funny it melts me."

He had been HITTING ON THE BONFIRE! Thankfully after that he had finally passed out. Minho's room was upstairs and they couldn't be bothered to carry him up there so they dumped him onto the couch.

Thomas mumbled something about going to the bathroom to clean the vomit off of himself and Newt climbed up the stairs. He went to open the door to his room when he heard someone crying. He froze, knowing it was Ariadne. After a short time of standing there, the crying and pleading stopped and there was silence. Newt went into his room, kicked off his shoes and got changed into trousers and a loose t-shirt. Then he crept back out of his room and decided to check up on Ariadne. Her room was just across the hall from his.

He silently opened the door and closed it behind him. Ariadne was curled up on her side under layers of bedsheets with her back facing him. She was fast asleep. He inches closer towards her and saw the tear stains on her sheets.

Newt climbed onto the bed and lay down next to Ariadne, over the quilt cover to respect her space. He'd always stayed the night with her when she had nightmares back when they were younger. Was it so different now that they had grown?

He gazed at her as she slept. Her face seemed so peaceful. There was none of that unnatural beauty he had seen when he first woke after she had cured him. He hasn't been able to place it then, but now he understood why it had felt so wrong. That perfection wasn't her. The straightened hair and limited expression and made up face wasn't the girl he had known. The girl with messy curls and wild eyes and flushed cheeks. This was the beauty he knew. Not perfect, but fierce, warm and bright.

It wasn't so much how she looked, but it was everything about her. It was in the way she would raise her brows in challenge and the sharp intelligence behind her eyes. It was in her smile and the way she laughed with all the muscles in her face. It was in her shy grin and how she would lower her eyes in embarrassment when complimented.

Newt pushed away the urge to wrap his arms around her and pulled her close to him. Instead he got up and sat on the floor with his back against her bed and closed his eyes as his stomach churned with butterflies at the thought of her. It wasn't long before he was drifting off into the land of dreams.

***

Newt awoke to the sound of fists pounding against the door. His first instinct was to ignore it and go back to sleep. Then his Glader instincts kicked in and he threw the covers off himself and went to answer the door before it flew off the hinges, glancing at the bedside clock as he went. It was four o'clock in the morning. He grabbed the handle and opened the door a crack before sighing and opening it completely, cursing his stiff back.

"What is it, Teresa?" He grumbled. Teresa gasped and slapped his arm softly.

"Oh my gosh! We've been looking for you everywhere! We thought something bad had happened to you! Thomas went to ask if you had Minho's gun because Minho woke Thomas up and was whining about losing it. They found it underneath the couch...but anyway! Thomas went to ask you if you'd seen it and you weren't there! He checked everywhere before he came and woke me up. I checked everywhere. We both went all around every inch of the field looking for you and we couldn't find you. We came back here and woke Brenda, Gally and Jorge up and we've been looking everywhere for you since! No one thought to check here and none of us wanted to worry Ariadne. Didn't you hear us calling your phone?" Teresa spewed a hurricane of frantic words.

"Take a breath, Teresa. I was asleep, and no, I had my phone on silent...because I was asleep." Newt complained.

"Why were you asleep in here??" Teresa frowned and looked past Newt at Ariadne, who had somehow managed to stay asleep.

"I came in last night to check on her 'cause I heard her having nightmares. I was just supposed to watch her for a bit in case something went wrong and she had a fit, but I ended up falling asleep." Newt explained and at Teresa's cheeky grin he added, "On the floor, Teresa. I slept on the floor."

"Mhmm, right." She replied suggestively.

"Oh, slim it, Teresa. I just fell asleep, I wasn't planning on it. Don't give me that look. You should go tell everyone you found me. I'll be sleeping. I'm still exhausted." Newt said and closed the door in his laughing friend's face. He was about to resume his position just as Ariadne woke up.

"Hmm? Newt? What are you doing here? Is everything okay?" She asked sleepily and propped herself up on her elbows.

"Mmhm. Everything is fine. I'm sorry, I came in last night to check you were okay and I fell asleep. You should have seen Minho. Whatever it was that he drank had him dancing on the tables. Literally. I think Teresa's got a video. You should see it. It was hilarious. But I think Thomas would disagree with me. He got spew all over his shoes." Newt said sleepily.

"Oh, sounds like he gave you both a hard time. Speaking of time, how early is it?" Ariadne asked and yawned. She unbraided her hair and ruffled it with her fingers.

"It's like four. Teresa just woke me up because apparently they had been looking for me but everything's okay now." Newt reassured her, before becoming more alert and serious. "Actually, everything's not okay."

"What is it?" Ariadne frowned.

"I heard you crying last night. What happened?" Newt asked.

"Its just the nightmares Newt. I've been working on getting better, I promise. It's just taking me time." Ariadne explained.

"You need to talk about how you're feeling. I understand that these emotions and thoughts are personal, but please remember that you aren't alone. You have all of us now. We're your family, Ari. I'm always here for you whenever you need to talk. You shouldn't be going through this alone." Newt said empathetically.

"I don't know how to explain it." Ariadne whispered. "I guess, after losing so many people that I love, it makes me wonder why? Why did my dad go missing? Why didn't my mum love me like she loved Thomas? And then I got my answer. I wasn't good enough for them. And I see it every time I look at myself. And I feel it every time I'm left to think. And even when I fall asleep I can't escape it."

"Don't believe the voice in your head that tells you those things. It's not true. Your father didn't choose to leave you. Your mother was a horrible person. You may not have gotten much love from her, but everytime those thoughts enter your head, just think about all the people that do love you. Thomas loves you. Teresa loves you....and so do I." he admitted after slight hesitation. "You are so amazing, I know it's hard for you to see that in yourself right now, but it's the truth. You don't have to try and get through it alone. You can come and talk to me or even Teresa about it. Okay? I need you to promise me that if there is something wrong, you'll let me know. You're not alone anymore, Ari. I'm here for you now, just like I was before."

Newt put his hands on her shoulders and looked into her eyes. She avoided eye contact and didn't say anything, staring at her fidgeting hands in her lap. Newt took one of her hands and gave it a reassuring squeeze. With his other hand he tilted her face up to look at him. "Promise me, Ari." He whispered.

"I..." Ariadne hesitated. But when she looked into Newt's eyes she couldn't say no. "I promise."

Newt breathed out in relief and hugged her. Ariadne pressed her face into her hands and the mattress squeaked as Newt sat down next to her. He pulled Ariadne into his chest and she curled up to him as he caressed her hair.

"I think I'd like to see that video of Minho." she said, before letting out a long yawn.

"Get some rest first." He leaned back against the headboard and let her fall against him. Closing their eyes they both felt themselves falling back into sleep.

"Hey Newt?" Ariadne yawned again. He mumbled back a yes. "You can talk to me about anything too, you know? If you ever need or want to."

"I know." He smiled.