In my Blood

CHAPTER 46 - The Plan

My eyelids flutter open to see the dimly lit room, the shadow of grey clouds casting a dark glow around the room. I lift my head up slightly, and my heart sinks when I see an empty bed.

"Newt?" I whisper, my voice husky. I sit up, looking around the empty room. "Newt?" I call out, louder, the raspiness fading away from my voice. My breathing becomes shallow as I get up on my knees, fumbling around the sheets and looking for any signs of him, my movements becoming desperate. "Newt! Newt!"

"I'm here, I'm here!"

I look up to see Newt opening the creaking wooden door, rushing over to the bed. I let out a long sigh of relief as he pulls me into his arms, cradling me against his body. I bury my face into the warm crook of his neck, nestling in closer to his body. "I'm here, I'm here now," he murmurs. "What's wrong?"

"I just... I didn't know where you went, I thought..." I stammer, my breaths coming out in stuttered shakes. He puts both hands on my shoulders, looking worriedly into my eyes. "I thought that maybe you... the Flare had..."

Newt frowns in worry. "I'll never leave you, (y/n). I'm sorry, I won't do that again," he whispers, smiling softly. I nod, my eyes falling from his face and to his arm. At the corner of his shirtsleeve I can see very faint lines where his darkened veins are, and I take a sharp gasp in.

"Newt, your arm..." I breathe. He looks to his lower arm, pulling it away hastily back to his side, holding it in his other hand.

"I'm fine," he mutters darkly. I don't believe that for a second, but I try to give him a reassuring smile.

"We'll get the Bliss soon," I nod, though I don't know whether I'm trying to fool Newt or myself. "Once we rescue Minho... we'll find some."

"Yeah," he smiles sadly. He gently kisses my forehead, his warm lips soft against my skin. "Come on, I think Gally wants us downstairs soon. We're discussing the plan. I think he's actually going through with it today."

"Today?" I exclaim, my a cold shiver running down my spine in nervousness. "Wait, can we just... be here for a minute?"

Newt smiles, his eyes creasing at the edges, as he offers his arms out and I immediately sink into his body. I listen, head on his chest, to the steady rhythmic beating of his heart. 

"Newt?" I whisper.

"Yes?"

I bite my lip. "How long did you... feel like this about me?"

He breathes out for a minute, thinking. "As soon as you came up in the Box, I just... felt something different. Something I'd never felt before. I thought it was just because, you know, I'd never seen a girl before and I didn't know how to react. But... I'd say, I really knew how deeply I felt about you when I saw you again in that WICKED compound, after the Maze. After we hadn't seen each other for days, and I didn't know what had happened to you, and..." he sighs, "...you looked so frail. It was excruciating being away from you. I knew it wasn't normal to feel that way about... just a friend."

"So... we're more than 'just friends' now?" I ask, looking into his eyes with a wide smile. He grins back at me.

"If that's what you'd want... I'd want that more than anything else in the world." 

My cheeks hurt from smiling so hard. 

***

We both head out of the room, and downstairs to the basement where Gally, Brenda, Fry and Jorge are sitting around the table. They all perk up when we walk through the door, and soon enough Thomas joins us. We all sit down on the other side of the table, me and Newt moving our chairs closer.