Title: How Newt Got His Limp
Summary: Newt gives up on escaping the Maze and tries to kill himself.
Rated: T
Pairing(s): Newt/Alby
Genre(s): Tragedy, Romance, Suspense
Warning(s): attempted suicide, intense kissing, implied sex, angst
Newt's PoV:
Newt wasn't very good at goodbyes.
So that was why when he woke up the morning he had planned to jump off the Maze wall, he walked over to where Alby slept and kissed his cheek, silently thanking his best friend for everything he had done for Newt.
Newt planned to die in the Maze that day. It was the only escape he could think of. Newt knew, deep down, that there wasn't a way out of the Maze. He was a Runner, and after a whole year in the Glade, neither he or Minho, who was the Keeper of the Runners, or any of the other Runners had come close to finding a way out.
He was nervous to die, if he was being completely honest with himself, but that wasn't going to stop him. It was his only way out, his only escape. So when he separated from the other Runners this morning, he ran a while before sitting down against a wall of the Maze and got out a notebook and a pen and began to write.
Dear whoever finds this,
I give up. I can't do it anymore. I can't keep pretending to hope for a way out when we all know there isn't one. Being a Runner myself, and running through the Maze every day like a shucking mouse, I highly doubt they're just going to open a shucking exit for us out of the blue one day. We've run so much of the Maze, there can't be anything left to map.
Please tell Minho thank you for everything he has done for me. Along with Alby, he is one of the reasons that I didn't do this sooner. Tell him that his friendship means the world to me and that I will never forget it.
Tell Alby that I have been hiding my true feelings for him this whole time. Tell him that I am head over heels in love with him, and that I wasn't brave enough to tell him. Tell him I'm sorry and that he was my best friend, and that he means everything to me.
Newt
Newt tore the letter out of the notebook and folded it, then put it in his backpack. With shaking hands, he grabbed the ivy and started climbing up. The ivy didn't reach all the way to the top, so when he got to the top of the ivy, he hung there and looked down at the ground. He was surprised at how at peace he felt and he looked up at the sky, thinking of what heaven would be like.
And then he let himself fall.
Alby's PoV:
Alby had had a nagging feeling hours before the Runners got back and Newt wasn't with them. This just confirmed something was wrong and that he wasn't just being paranoid. He caught up to Minho by the Map Room and tapped his shoulder. "Hey, Minho, have you seen Newt?"
"Not since this morning," Minho answered. "He'll probably be back soon." Alby looked towards the Maze and then at Minho again. Minho's expression softened. "Hey, I'm sure he's fine, all right? If he isn't back by the time the rest of us are done mapping, come tell me."
Alby nodded and watched the Doors closely, and kept glancing down at his watch. It was getting dark and the Doors would be closing soon. It felt like a million years before Minho finally left the Map Room, a worried look on his face when he saw Alby. "He still not back yet?" Minho asked him.
Alby shook his head, tears filling his eyes. Minho nodded. "All right then," he said. "Let's go look for that shuck."
They ran into the Maze with only twenty minutes before the Doors were supposed to close. Anxious, Alby kept his ears open for the loud rumbling that signaled the Doors would be closing. After they turned a few corners, Alby saw a sight that made his heart lurch. Newt was laying on the ground, moaning, his leg twisted in a horrible way. "Newt!" Alby screamed, running to the boy he loved.
"Alby," Newt moaned. "Let...me die."
"No, you dumb shuck, of course I'm not going to let you die," Alby sobbed as he picked Newt up off the ground. "Minho, grab his backpack," he instructed.
Minho nodded, and Alby realized that there were tears streaking Minho's face. They headed back to the Glade, and just as they passed through the Doors, there was the rumbling sound. "Clint! Jeff!" Alby yelled. "Someone get them!" They ran towards the Homestead and put Newt in one of the rooms, on a bed.
Clint and Jeff, the Med-jacks, followed them in. "What happened?"
"I don't know," Alby said. "I was worried about him, so Minho and I went looking for him and we found him out in the Maze."
Newt was unconscious and Alby and Minho stood around Newt's bed. "Look through his backpack for any evidence of what might have happened," Clint said, "while we figure out what's wrong with Newt."
Minho sniffled as Alby went through Newt's backpack until he pulled out a folded piece of paper. Unfolding it, he realized it was a letter. Instantly, Alby knew what it was and he handed it to Minho. "You read it," Alby told him. "I can't read it."
Minho nodded and took the letter, then spent a few long moments reading it. "You better look at this, Alby," Minho told him.
"What is it?" Alby asked, and took the letter. He read it and gasped, shock filling him. "Newt, you dumb shank," he sobbed.
Minho looked at him sympathetically. "He'll be okay," he reassured Alby. Alby nodded, trying to convince himself that his friend was right. Newt was in love with him. Newt, his best friend, in love with him. He felt warmth about to burst in his heart and he let out a hysterical laugh through the tears streaming down his cheeks.
"Alby," Jeff said, and Alby turned. "His leg is twisted." He looked from Alby to Minho. "There's no way he'll be able to be a Runner again if he wakes up."
"If he wakes up?!" Alby gasped and hot, salty tears streamed down his face.
"We just have to wait," Clint told him.
Newt's PoV:
For a while, Newt thought he was dead. Then, when he woke up, he felt someone's hand in his own, and he heard the sound of someone sobbing. He wasn't dead. He was still in the Glade. The thought made him want to burst into tears. He was still stuck here.
Newt opened his eyes and turned his head to see Alby sitting in a chair beside his bed, holding Newt's hand. Newt's heart broke at the sight of Alby. He had never seen his best friend cry. Gently, he squeezed Alby's hand and mumbled, "Alby."
Alby gasped and lifted his face, which was streaked with tears. He looked terrible. His eyes were red and bloodshot and he looked like he hadn't slept in days. "Oh my God, Newt," he gasped, and hugged Newt tightly.
"Squishing me," Newt groaned.
"Sorry." Alby loosened his grip. "You're not dead, thank God." He cried into Newt's shoulder, soaking his shirt with tears, and then he pulled back and said, "I read your letter."
It took Newt a moment to realize what Alby meant. He blushed and said, "Oh." Newt looked down and refused to meet Alby's eyes.
"I love you so much," Alby sobbed, and Newt looked up in surprise. Alby's lips were on his not a moment later and Newt gasped in surprise, then wrapped his arms around Alby's neck and kissed him back passionately. Feelings stirred inside him and he felt tears rolling down his cheeks. The kiss deepened and Newt sighed against Alby's mouth. His best friend pulled back and wiped away Newt's tears. "Don't cry," Alby said softly.
Newt pressed his lips against Alby's again and pulled Alby down on top of him, their kisses intense and heated. He lifted Alby's shirt and broke the kiss to pull it over his head. "You're so beautiful," Newt gasped through his tears. He ran his hand over Alby's stomach, over his muscles. After mapping every inch of Alby's body with his hands, he gently caressed Alby's face. "I love you," he choked out.
Alby smiled and Newt's heart lifted. He kissed Newt and then trailed his lips down to Newt's neck. Newt closed his eyes and enjoyed the feeling until he felt a pair of soft lips on his and he smiled into the kiss. "Are you sure?" Alby asked him.
"I've never been more sure of anything in my life," Newt answered.
Alby's PoV:
Alby couldn't believe he and Newt had just done that.
Two hours later, he lay with Newt in bed, amazed by what he had just experienced. Newt snuggled closer to him and Alby pulled him closer, kissing his lover's blond hair. "I love you," Newt murmured.
Alby squeezed tears out of his eyes. "Love you, too, you dumb shank," he agreed. Newt lifted his head for a kiss, and not a second later there was a knock on the door.
"Hey, you shuck, we need to have a Gathering about Newt," Minho called from right outside the door. "Decide what we're going to do about his running, since his leg is broken."
I hate my job, thought Alby, wanting to lie here with Newt forever. "Fine, we're coming," Alby said.
"We?" Minho gasped. "Alby, you mean Newt's awake? How come you didn't tell me? What could you possibly have been so busy d - oh."
Newt burst out laughing and buried his face in Alby's bare chest. Alby couldn't help laughing a bit too, and it felt great. It had been way too long since the last time he'd laughed. "Figured it out all by yourself, did you, you stupid shank," Newt called through his laughter.
"This is awesome!" Minho squealed in delight. "I won the bet!"
"Bet?" Alby spluttered.
"Whoops," said Minho.
"Minho. How. Long..." Alby couldn't finish. His lover was giving him a worried look.
"How long did I bet it would take you and Newt to hook up?" Minho finished. "Oh, I said it would take you less than a day after Newt woke up. Everyone bet at least two."
"Minho, when I catch you I will banish the shuck out of you!" Alby yelled, and Minho squealed and Alby heard quick footsteps getting quieter and quieter until they disappeared.
Newt laughed and wrapped his arms around Alby's neck as their lips met again
AN: End of Chapter One. Hope you guys liked it! Please review, it would mean a lot and this will be a multi chapter fic so I will update soon.