centre | newtmas au

17

Newt
"Well Newt, it's good to meet you."
Newt nods, glancing around at his surroundings.
Its almost silent, they seem to be held in some kind of walled enclosure, filled with green grass and trees. Nothing else he picks up on other than a wooden hut or two.

"Where is everyone else?"
Alby sighs, patting Newt's shoulder.
"It's just you and me buddy, this is all we got."
Newt's heart jumps a little. Just him and a stranger — who he's slightly afraid of — and an empty field.
"Ah, fun."
"Lucky for you, that makes you my second in command!" Alby says, with a grin.
Newt walks out into the centre of the grass and smiles back at the boy.
"What do you do here?" Newt asks, sitting down and looking around.
"I'm still tryna figure that out, Greenie. Been a month here alone, and I still don't know what I'm doing."
Newt looks up at him, squinting into the sun. "What'd you just call me?"
"Greenie. I'm testing it out, it's like a name for the new ones." Alby sits down beside him.
"Pretty bloody strange if you're asking me."
"Good thing I'm not then, huh?" Alby says with a wink.
Newt's heart squirms a bit in his chest.
"Shall I give you the tour then?"
Newt nods and they stand up together, he's not really sure what there is to tour  but he'd rather be toured around some grass than sit alone and worry about what those walls are.
"Lets go then!" Alby says, guiding him towards the trees.

Thomas
Thomas glances at Newt through the screens, his heart aching to be near him again, somewhat jealous of the new friend Newt is making. He knows its right, he knows he shouldn't feel so jealous about something he can't control. This whole initiative is for the greater good of the people around him, but right now he feels selfish for caring only about himself and Newt. They're worlds apart now, he's just struggling to accept it.
'Tom, how you doing?' Teresa whispers into Thomas' head.
'Don't want to talk today, Teresa. Get out of my head'
Teresa doesn't say anything else, and so he assumes she got the message. He feels bad, but not bad enough to apologise. He doesn't feel that he needs to, not today.

He focuses on helping the Maze to run smoothly, trying his best to block Newt out, but its incredibly difficult when Newt's face is plastered on large screens across the room at every angle.
He pushes buttons, administrates the screens and the activity of the Maze for about 3 more hours, his mind going slowly more and more numb, his mind slipping into a dull haze.
He doesn't notice when Chancellor Paige enters and makes her way towards him.

"Thomas."
He allows himself to swivel in his desk chair so he is facing her.
"Yes?" He says, showing her in his manner that he would rather not be talking to her.
She pauses and lets out a barely audible sigh.
"I know you don't have any interest in talking to me, I just wanted to make sure you're okay, I know today must've been tough on you."
Thomas is pulled out of his haze for a split second and he feels hurt for the first time in a few hours, but it is gone shortly and he begins to float away again.
He simply nods.
"Ok, I'll leave you, but I do not want you in here anymore, you've been enslaved at these monitors and keypads for hours. Go to bed. It's an order."
Thomas nods again, and pulls his body up from the chair, stretching out his stiff limbs as he does so.

He follows her out of the door and is faced with the bleak, cold and overly sanitised hallway. It is harsh an unwelcoming to him. His eyes had grown accustomed to the warm sandy and green tones of the Maze, and the sunlight from the sky and the implied warmth that accompanied it. He couldn't feel it, but he knew Newt could.

Oh. There goes the twinge of pain in his chest again.
He is grateful when he slips back into the fog and feels restful once again.

He watches Ms Paige walk away from him, her heels clicking on the floor and her lab coat grazing her ankles.
He lets out a sharp breath, and is reminded of Teresa. He regrets how he treated her. After all, it's just him and her from now on, he truly has no one else but her.
He pushes out his mind and reaches out to her.

'Teresa, sorry about earlier. I'm not myself whatsoever right now. Where are you? I could do with a friendly face.'
Satisfied with his statement, he pauses and waits for a reply.
He feels dumb, standing alone in a hallway, waiting for someone, -who isn't there- to reply to him, in his head.
How, out of all the people alive did he get this fucked up.
He laughs to himself quietly, realising how ridiculous his life was and is.

He's so distracted he doesn't notice
Teresa standing in-front of him, waving a hand in his face.
"Thomas! Are you delusional? What is happening?" She asks, genuinely concerned for him.
"I'm okay, promise." He says, attempting to be as convincing as possible.
Teresa raises an eyebrow but says nothing, casually checking her watch.
"We should be going to bed. My brain is fried after being in that control room so long," She pauses. "And I mean, sorry Tom but you look completely awful."
Thomas drops his jaw in mock disgust, with a hint of genuine surprise.
"You're a bitch, you know that?" Thomas laughs, punching her arm.
She shrugs and shoves him gently away from her.
"Ok I was kidding but seriously, get some rest Tom, 'kay?"
"Got it." Thomas says, turning to walk to his room.
"Love you" Teresa says, before squeezing him tightly, turning on her heel, and walking away.
Thomas smiles, exhales, and goes to bed.

hello .. its been a wee while i'm sorry <33
the tmr fandom.. collapsed on itself but thank you for 2.3k it's very very appreciated.

this isn't edited or read through, its 12:15 in the morning so please be kind, i know its a terrible plot
i love u bye