The Tributes from the Maze (Newt/OC)

Sugar

Newt stood behind Ariadne and held his arms over hers as he guided her hands around the bow. He let his fingers trail across her skin as he helped her position the arrow. Once she was holding it out in front of her correctly Newt moved his arms down to her waist and positioned her hips in the right direction. He showed her how to keep her form as she pulled her elbow back. Giving in to the temptation to test her reaction to him, he rested his head at the crook of her neck, almost pressing his lips up against her ear as he whispered instructions. She was blushing and Newt noticed this, so he held her closer. When she let the arrow fly she got almost as close to the bullseye as Newt did, and was just on the edge.

"Great job, gorgeous." He whispered. She shivered and looked away, becoming very concentrated on the structure of the bow. This only made Newt more aware of the effect he had on her and made him grin. Was it possible she was attracted to him?

"I think I have the hang of it, Newt. Thanks." She said quietly and turned around, bumping straight into Newt's chest and her breath was caught in her throat. She was afraid to look up in case of an...accident, suddenly noticing how much taller than her he was. The top of her head barely reached his chin.

"Watch where you're going, Ari. Don't want to hurt yourself." He chuckled, he felt proud of himself for being able to have this effect on her. Not for the first time, he wondered if it was possible that she felt the same way that he did about her? Then she suddenly stepped back and started putting away her gear. Newt smirked and hung up his bow too.

"So, are you going to teach me how to use a sword now? I'm feeling a little weak, so you'll have to bear with me." He said to her.

"You're feeling weak? After what you just pulled on me I'm surprised I haven't passed out already." She muttered under her breath, thinking he couldn't hear her. Newt held back his laughter and followed close behind her to the sword station.

"Choose a sword that has the right balance for you. It shouldn't be too long or too short, or too heavy or too light. Make sure the handle comfortably sits in your hand and it's easy to swing." Ariadne told him and went to choose her sword. They didn't have many but they were of good quality. She found one that fitted her perfectly.

"Alright, I've found one. What next, Ari?" He asked. Ariadne just took him by the arms and led him over to the dummy stations.

"Are you handy with anything other than a bow?" She asked bluntly. Newt knew she was trying to be feisty to cover for how she had reacted earlier.

"Other than a shovel, gun or a stick? Not really." He chuckled and scratched the back of his neck. He seemed to do that a lot when he was nervous. Like her lip-biting problem. Not that it was a problem. He loved it, it made her look adorable. She nodded in reply and came up behind him. Unbeknownst to Newt, she was trying to make him feel as intimidated as he had made her feel.

Ariadne's arms slid down Newt's and she grasped his hands, showing him how to properly grip a sword. She was pressed up against his back and Newt was as red as a ripe tomato. Ariadne grinned.

"Let's start with the basics. So you hold it like this and then obviously you have to make sure that you swing with the sharp edge of the sword facing the victim. The flat end just stings if you're whacked with it. Okay, I'm going to let go and you can try by yourself." She instructed him. She stepped back and Newt swung the sword in a short arc and brought down in between the shoulder blades of the test dummies they had made out of straw and fabric bags. The entire dummy came completely apart.

"Okay, that start swing was great but you've got to complete the motion afterwards otherwise it's too stiff and your movement won't flow. The sword won't come back and be ready to block or strike fast enough and your guard will be down." Ariadne pointed out and picked up her sword.

She stabbed at one of the dummies, ducked, swiped and twirled, dropped to her knees and drove the sword upwards into the dummy's gut.

"Bloody hell! How did you learn to do that?" Newt gaped at her.

"I had to take up fencing and other stuff after you left. It was kind of like my sport." Ariadne shrugged.

"Well, you should do it again, sugar, it makes you look hot!" Frankie cat called from the other side of the room. Newt's hands curled into tight fists, his jaw clenched and he looked like he was about to murder someone. At that moment Ariadne felt a thousand memories rush to her head at once. The nickname she had often been branded by Teddy and Charlie, sugar, rang through her head. She gasped and collapsed forward. Newt immediately sprang into action, catching her as she fell.

He instantly forgot about Frankie's outburst and picked her up bridal style. Ariadne began breathing heavily with frantic eyes before her eyes rolled back as they shut. She looked as though she was sleeping and reliving a particularly horrible nightmare. Newt shifted her to a more comfortable position in his arms and carried her out of the building. He gained a few weird looks from passing Gladers and the like whilst he was walking through the working fields to the cabin but he ignored them.

He had to lay her gently down on the steps of the porch so he could take out his key and unlock the door. He stopped the door from closing with his foot as he picked Ariadne up again. Closing the door behind them, Newt walked down the hallway and up the stairs, trying to move as smoothly as possible as not to disturb her.

He debated on where to put her once he had gotten upstairs. In his room, he was able to keep an eye on her and also be able to have an excuse to stay with her overnight if the moment arrived. But in the end, he placed her softly down on the queen bed in her own room. Not wanting to impose too much and make her uncomfortable. She seemed slightly startled when she had woken up that morning to Newt in the room. He sat on the edge of her bed and watched her as she slept, or was knocked out...whichever it was, he had no idea. All he knew was that he wished he could take her pain away and help her.

Her smooth, olive skin had gone unusually pale as a stark comparison to her peach-toned, full lips and dark lashes. Her eyes moved frantically beneath her shut lids. There was nothing Newt could do to stop himself from imagining how much this reminded him of the Snow White fairy tale. Didn't a prince kiss her and she woke up in that story? Yes. Newt was pretty sure that was exactly what happened. In fact, wasn't that the same plotline as Sleeping Beauty?

He reached his hand out and brushed back the locks that had escaped her braid as they trained, feeling the silky texture slip between his fingertips. Before he could decide otherwise he leaned over her and planted a soft, quick kiss on her forehead. It wasn't the place he ached the most to meet, but peace still flooded him. At his contact, Ariadne let out a deep breath and her beautiful, hazel eyes opened, flickering up to his brown ones. There was nothing he wanted to do more than close the gap between them, but he pulled away.

"Would you look at that? Our princess is alive." He said in a low voice and she shivered.

"Newt? Why is it so cold in here? Where are we? How did we get here?" She asked. Emotion filled her voice and Newt could detect each one. Panic, confusion, anguish, pain, and fear.

"Shh, it's okay gorgeous, it's just the air conditioner, I can turn it down if you want. We're in your bedroom. I carried you here after you fainted." Newt whispered soothingly. "Are you alright? What was it this time?"

"It was just a bunch of flashbacks of training. All of them together kind of hit me like a shockwave and knocked me out. I've got a massive headache. What time is it?" She groaned and propped herself up on her elbows.

"It's around two-thirty. There's still plenty of time for you to rest before dinner." Newt assured her and brushed his fingertips across her arm. He felt the goosebumps ripple up her skin. She plopped herself back down onto the comfortable mattress and sighed as she rolled over onto her side.

"Stay with me?" she gripped his arm and tugged him to lay down behind her. Ariadne tangled her fingers with his and pulled his arm over her waist. Newt happily shuffled closer and held her in his arms. "I'm just really scared of having a bad dream." She murmured and closed her eyes.

"If you do, I'll wake you up," Newt whispered and buried his nose in the warm juncture between her neck and shoulder. Her soft hair tickled his nose.

"You promise?" Ariadne asked him.

"Promise." He vowed and she fell fast asleep. He lay, arms around her like a winter coat, listening to the sound of her breathing. It wasn't long before he drifted off as well.