Listen ~ The Maze Runner ~ Newt

9 ~ Eavesdrop

Dani's P.O.V

Once breakfast was over, I was starting to head back to my own hut when Chuck came running at me, which at first startled me, but then he threw his arms around my waist and I melted. I hugged the young boy back as he sniffled a little bit, and I knew he was dying to ask me some questions. So all I could do was answer them before he asked them.

"I'm ok now, Chuck. I promise. It was just a nightmare." I tell the young boy, my hand rubbing over his back as my other hand cradles his head of curls. He pulls back and wipes his eyes, which had brimmed with tears, and nods his head. "I know. I was just scared." He whimpers, making me frown. "I know bud. But you don't need to be. If you ever feel like you can't do anything but feel scared, you close your eyes and you tell the demons that you aren't afraid of them. Can you promise me that you'll do that?" I ask him, looking deep into his eyes.

He nods his head. "I promise..." He whispers, and I smile. "Good. Now get back to work mister, before Newt or Alby comes and finds you." I tell him, ruffling my hand through his hair. He smiles back and runs off, probably to beg Zart to let him work on the fields today.

~~~~~

For most of the day I stayed in my hut doing absolutely nothing. Minho had gone back into the Maze and Gally was cleared for work again, which meant I had nobody to really hang around with between cleaning cuts and grazes people endured. The most amount of action I had all day was when Alby called me into the Med hut because somebody had gotten hurt. Turns out, it was Newt.

I turned on my heel and left when I saw him. Jeff and Clint can deal with him.

And other than that it was quiet, and boring.

~~~~~

I had been waiting in the homestead for the past half an hour as I waited for Gally and Minho to come find me for dinner (they had made me promise to wait for them because apparently I am 'still unstable' and we don't want me to lose it. To be fair they aren't wrong either). The boredom had been slowly taking over, so I made myself useful in sewing Minho and Gally's shirts back together whereever they had holes or tears in them.

My sewing skills weren't that bad to be fair. The best out of everyone here by far, so I have naturally gotten the hang of sewing things back together. It's not much different from stitching. Most of the other guys here are always throwing their broken items of clothing at me to fix anyway.

I toss the last of Minho's shirts onto his bed as I hear the usual babble of voices make their way into the homestead, meaning I have just enough time to sew up one last tear before they will drag me out for dinner. In all fairness I'm not actually that hungry, I'm just bored and want someone to talk to.

"I'm telling you man, what you did this morning was bang out of order! I don't care whether or not you two are mad at one another, she needed you and you weren't there for her. You've really hurt her by doing that, probably digging yourself a bigger hole than you were in before." I hear Minho's voice bellow through the homestead, making me grimace. He was talking to Newt, about me. And they are coming this way. Welcome to awkward town...

Just as I expected, Minho comes round the corner with Newt close on his trail barely seconds later. Yet thankfully, neither of them notice me sat on Gally's hammock quietly sewing. So I say nothing.

"Yeah, well-" Newt starts, turning to his hammock and throwing his dirty shirt off. I resist the urge to stare at his exposed back and accidentally stab myself in the finger, making me jump a little in pain. "Ow..." I mutter, looking back down to see what I was actually doing as Minho finally notices me sat behind him.

Minho's face grows into a smirk as he sits in his own hammock, Newt not paying attention to where Minho's eyeline lead. "I dug myself a big hole the minute I let her friendzone me. There's no getting out of that now. And there is no point in me trying to apologise because like I told you yesterday, I won't be able to control myself the next time she and Elijah are flirting with one another right in front of me." Newt huffs, leaving me shocked.

Was I hearing this right?!

Did Newt just-

Before I can think more into it, Newt has looked at Minho, and finally followed his eyeline to me. His jaw drops when he realised I heard what he had said, but instead of trying to explain himself his eyes grow colder once more.

He angrily pulls the shirt over his head and turns to look at me, hands balled into fists. "You know, there's a reason you have your own hut. Not just for your privacy but for ours too." He spits, then storms off, bumping shoulders with Gally as he comes the opposite way in.

Gally looks between Newt and Minho and I, then continues to walk towards us. "Ok, what was that about?" He asks once he reaches us, pointing back to Newt who was entering the dining hall. I look to my hands, noticing my thumb had a prick of blood on the pad of it, and that my fingers were shaking a little. "Newt basically just gave away his feelings for Dani without meaning to." Minho tells the bigger guy, making me sigh.

"That's not what happened." I say nonchalently, knotting the thread so that the newly sewn tear won't unwravel itself. "I was in here waiting for you guys, just sat here quietly re-sewing your shirts," I tell them, lifting the final shirt in the air before dropping it down beside me and holding onto my thumb. "Minho and Newt came in here talking about me and Newt didn't realise I was here and said something about being friendzoned and that he wouldn't be able to control himself if Eli and I kept flirting. Which we aren't."

I squeeze the sides of my thumb to push a little more blood out of the 'wound', then bring it to my mouth to wipe it away again. "So, like I said. He unintentionally told you about his feelings." Minho says again. I roll my eyes and stand up, making my way out of the homestead with the two boys hot on my tail. "He didn't say anything more than me and Eli flirting. Which we aren't." I huff, not turning around to see the other's reactions.

The three of us walk into the dining hall and grab our meals, then sit at the same table we had sat at this morning. Newt glares at me from his seat, but I bite my tongue and stare ahead of me, keeping my eyes on the two boys in front of me.

"Alby said we all need to meet in the council hall after dinner to decide what role Greenie is going to take. What are your guesses?" Gally pipes up, his mouth filled with food. I push the piece of bacon around my plate and hum in thought. "He seems to be quite strong doesn't he? How was he at building?" Minho asks Gally, but I cut in. "He is quite strong, but he is exactly like me. I think he had previous training in medical stuff as I didn't really have to teach him much yesterday." I say, staring at my plate.

"I think he will be either one then." Gally nods, as FryPan sits beside me. "How was Eli in the kitchens earlier?" I ask him, just as he was about to take a mouthful of his food. "Eat and you'll know." He states, knowing immediately that I wasn't eating anything. "So he was alright at it then?" I question, practically refusing to eat. "Yeah. Wasn't the best but he was still better than most the other Greenies that have tried." He says, then pops his forkful into his mouth.