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Late afternoon rays of light dapple through the treetops, landing on a troubled blonde figure sitting stiffly atop of the foliage. His gaze intensely set on each of the 4 doors that lead into the Maze, every second waiting for two particular faces to emerge.
‘Come on, come on.’ Newt thinks to himself, fiddling anxiously with the leather strap holding his knife. But still, Thomas and Minho have yet to emerge. ‘They’ve been close before. They always come back.’ He tries to comfort himself as the late afternoon light grows dimmer and dimmer.
The ground shakes as the familiar grinding of the massive gates closing begins, Newts chest tightens as he stands up and runs towards the closest gate. With his bad leg slowing him down, he didn’t even get close before the doors sealed shut with a near-deafening boom.
Then the Glade was silent again.
‘No,’ he thinks to himself, utterly defeated. ‘They’ve survived the night before. I’ll see them in the morning, I bet they’ll have another great story of killing a Greiver.’ His thought continues, but he felt stinging behind his eyes as tears began to threaten their entrance.
Thomas and Minho survived last time on blind luck. They were capable and smart, but a second night in the Maze was surly a death sentence. With shaking legs he makes his way back to the place he was sitting just a few minutes prior. Unable to fathom the thought of telling the others what he knew. He just needed to be alone for a bit.
With an anguished yell Newt punches the nearest tree. Barley noticing the pain as he strikes it again with his other fist. ‘If I wasn’t so crippled and useless I could have been out there with them. If I was there to help they wouldn’t have gotten held up that long. This is my fault.’ He thinks to himself, feeling his legs collapse as he slumps down to the leafs below in despair.
With stinging eyes and stinging fingers he comes to terms with the reality that he was going to be alone for the reminder of his sentence in the Glade. Finally allowing himself to break, he cries for the lives of his friends. Feeling utterly helpless as the light grows steadily darker.
~~~
“Hey, what gives?” Minho asks, staring out the window of the Homestead as his blonde haired friend disappears into the woods. “Isn’t he going to come in here to tell everyone we’re basically dead? This shuck head just shrank off into the woods. ” He continues, glancing back at Thomas and the others who were posed anticipatively in front of a feast and a Happy Birthday Newt! sign.
Deflating immediately, Thomas walks up to the window to take a look. Newt was already out of sight. “Aw man, I think we upset him more than we meant to.” He says regretfully. They were just trying to lure Newt to the Homestead where they prepared this surprise party for him.
He had been so down on himself recently feeling useless due to his crippled leg. The others desperately wanted to cheer him up and so a few weeks ago they came up with this Birthday Party idea. It wasn’t actually his birthday, there was no way to know his real date of birth. But it was the anniversary of his first day arriving at the Glade - The third anniversary to be exact.
“Yeah I think you’re right. We better go after him. You lot stay here, Thomas and I will go find our birthday boy.” Minho says to the boys still gathered expectantly around the food and banner. A collection of disappointed grumbles commence as Thomas and Minho make their way out of the Homestead, across the center of the Glade and into the woods on the mirroring side.
The Glade was immersed in darkness now as they blindly wander through the trees in search of the blonde haired Glader. “Where did that damn boy run off to?” Minho mutters after a few minutes of walking with no sign of their friend. “Shh listen, I hear something.” Thomas responds, holding his finger up to signify silence.
Through the whispers of the tree branches swaying in the slight breeze, soft whimpers could be heard. Quietly creeping closer to the sound, the two of them finally spotted Newt curled in on himself against a tree stump. His shoulder violently shaking as sobs wrack his buddy.
Thomas and Minho immediately felt terrible, they hadn’t mean to upset their friend this much. It would only meant to be a prank and a means to lure him to the surprise party they planned for him. They never imagined it would have this effect on the boy.
Giving each other a silent look, they share a nod and walk up to their crying friend. “Well what ever are you doing over here crying by yourself, did Chuck steal your dessert again?” Minho asks teasingly, unsure how exactly to break the nice.
Newt reacts immediately, jumping up with a series of stutters and sobs. “Wa- you you guys didn’t m-make it back I-I saw the doors close.” He manages to get out, wiping his face in an attempt to compose himself. “We made it back, we got back early hours ago with plenty of time.” Thomas assures him.
“Well why didn’t you bloody idiots tell me that? Did you not consider that I would assume that the two of you were trapped inside that dreadful place?” Newt accuses them angrily, though his voice was still thick from crying.
Still trying to keep the party a surprise, they attempt to play it off. “It slipped our minds, we were playing a game with the others and lost track of time.” Minho offers weakly, feeling bad about lying to his friend after he was already upset. But this party had been planned for weeks and they didn’t want to be the ones to ruin the surprise.
“We’re sorry for worrying you. Come on, let’s go back to the Homestead for some food.” Thomas says, taking a step towards his blonde haired friend to usher him in the direction of the clearing. But to his surprise, Newt takes a step back instead. Even in the darkness they could see his face red with anger.
“No I don’t particularly feel like going anywhere with either of you.” He spits at them “I’m glad you both are safe but I would like to be alone this evening.” He continues, turning away to walk deeper into the woods. “Awe shuck.” Minho mumbles to himself, unsure of what to do.
“Hey Newt come on we’re really sorry. I think you’ll feel a lot better if you come to the Homestead with the others.” Thomas says, reaching out again to grab his friend. In the limited light he misses Newt’s arm and instead grasps at his ribs, eliciting a small giggle from the boys lips as he whips around to slap Thomas’ hand off him.
All three boys froze - One of them in fear, the other two in mischievous preparation. As they quickly realized a golden opportunity had just arisen to cheer up their friend and leverage him into the Homestead for his damn birthday party.
“Whatever you shuck heads are thinking. Don’t.” Newt warns, holding one hand out in front of him in a feeble warning. Minho chuckles and cracks his knuckles threateningly while Thomas once again advances on their sullen friend.
Deciding running was his best option, Newt turns and limps away with as much speed as he could manage. Unfortunately his best effort was not all that great and Thomas soon grabbed his arm and pulled him against his chest. Wrapping his forearms in front of Newts shoulders so he could grab the smaller boys hands and hold them out of the way, leaving his torso utterly exposed
“Damn you two, if it wasn’t for my wretched knee you shucks wouldn’t have seen me for days.” Newt mutters in defeat after a few moments of fighting against Thomas’s grip.
“There you go again with the leg you big baby. You know just because you cant run away when we want to tickle you it doesn’t mean you’re useless.” Minho responds curtly in his typical sarcastic manor. “I can’t do a lot more than run away from you lot. And you know it.” Newt replies sadly, his shoulder dropping even lower.
“Hey none of that sad crap here. We’re here to make you laugh.” Minho says, as he began experimentally squeezing at Newts hips. “Gehet yohour blohody hahands ohoff mehe!” He cries out, renewing his struggle against Thomas’s vice grip.
“Not until you agree to stop viewing yourself as useless and come to the Homestead with us.” Minho responds, moving his hands up to test out the ribs that had been neglected up to this point. “Yohohu shuhuck heahads! I am nohot gohoing anywhehere wihith yohou.” Newt laughs, throwing his head back into the nook of Thomas’ neck as he struggles to escape.
“Wrong answer Newt,sorry.” Thomas responds as Minho continues moving his assault up the blonde boys ribs. “Cohohome ohohon thihihis ihihisnt fahair!” Newt complains , attempting to kick Minho with his good leg - Which the dark-haired glader easily doges as he continues his ticklish assault.
“Hey Thomas, hold his arms higher I want to try his arm pits.” Minho says, completely unphased by Newt’s threats and feeble attacks. “Nohoho Tohommy wihihill do noho suhuch thihing!” The smaller boy protests as Thomas happily lifts his arms higher to provide Minho with more access.
“Ah that’s much better thank you.” Minho continues mischievously as he poses his hands right above his friends under arms. “Last chance to admit you’re not a burden and join us at the Homestead.” Minho says, Newt shook his head in protest but even in the dark they could both see the happy smile plastered on his face.
“Very well then, well you were warned.” Minho continues with a shrug before starting his attack. The reaction was instantaneous and did not disappoint. “NOHOHO NOHOHOT THEHEHERE!” Newt yelled, squirming and thrashing against Thomas’s chest as Minho mercilessly digs his fingers into his sensitive arm pits.
“HAHAVNT YOHOU TOOHORTURED ME ENOHOUGH ALREAHAHDY?” He complains, realizing his physical strength didn’t stand a chance against the two of them he opts for guilting instead. “Hey we already apologized for worrying you. This is for your own good.” Minho responds, keeping one hand in his underarms while using the other to randomly tickle the rest of his torso and sides
Thomas and Minho laugh right along with him as Newt began snorting and his thrashing grew weaker as he succumbs to his fate. “OHOHKAY OKAHAHAY YOHOHOU WIHIHIN I’LL GOHO TO THE BLOHOHODY HOMESTEAHAHAD!” Newt calls out when the tickling was becoming too much for him.
“Nope not good enough. You know what we want to hear.” Thomas says teasingly in his ear while Minho continues scribbling his fingertips in and around his friends worst spots. “DAHAMN YOHOHOU, FIHIHINE! MY LEHEG DOHOES NOHOT MAHAKE ME USLELEHES!” He finally gets out, the assault stops immediately.
Thomas keeps his hold on the blonde boy - Mainly because he doubted Newt could support himself at this moment, but releases his arms from above his head. “You okay there buddy? Sorry if we went a little overboard at the end there.” Minho says sheepishly as Newt stood there gasping for air.
“You lot are a bunch of shuck heads but I’m okay. Let’s just go to the Homestead before you get any more bright ideas.” He grumbles in response, but again even the darkness couldn’t hide the genuine smile on his face and there was no denying the happy glint in his eyes.
“Ha, sounds like a good plan to me, let’s go.” Minho says, wrapping his arms around both of his friends as they make their way back to the clearing.
Thomas makes up an excuse to go on ahead into the Homestead first so he can prepare the others while Minho stalls Newt with another apology for worrying him earlier. “We’ll be sure to let you know next time we make it back early. Though I admit we have not been fully honest with you about the reason we came back early, and why we didn’t tell you.” He says, his hand posed on the door to the Homestead.
“Oh? And what might that be?” Newt asks, bewildered. “You’ll see.” Minho responds with a smirk as he opens the door to reveal Thomas and the other boys posed in front of the banner.
“Happy Birthday Newt!”
The blonde boy was frozen as everyone clapped and hollered for him. “But, I don’t understand. How could it be my birthday?” Was the only thing he could think of to say. “Yeah it was a bit of a stretch but it sounded better than ‘Happy anniversary of being trapped here day’.” Thomas says apologetically with a chuckle, handing his friend a plate of food.
Newt felt his eyes grow misty as he follows his friends to the table they set up for him. “I don’t even know what to say, thank you guys.” He says as he settles into his seat with his friends. “Well someone had to cheer your mopey ass up.” Minho responds cheekily, taking a bite of his food.
“I still don’t appreciate you making me think that you guys were trapped in the Maze but I suppose I forgive you.” Newt responds grudgingly, though again his smile told a different story.
Maybe they were trapped there. Maybe they would never get out. Maybe he would never be able to help in their efforts to escape. But it didn’t matter. Looking at the smiling laughing faces of his friends around him, he could think of no place he would rather be.