My way of coping with the end of The Death Cure - Set post Teresa's Coma but Pre discovery of map coding - Enjoy x
What we were, are and will be
Thomas' heart was pounding, what remained of his tattered shirt was drenched in sweat and dirt, leaning across the tables in the map room, he scoured attentively to the lines of todays maze drawings. Minho having given up on the hovering Thomas had become accustomed to and was sprawled across the chair opposite Thomas, stretching his neck, pieces of dirt spraying from his hair.
"Jesus Tommy, you really do care about being a shucking runner don't you" Minho grinned, eyeing Thomas' now completed work.
"Funny Minho, I do care but just getting it done"
"Righto Tommy, you sure its not to impress me? I mean I know I'm pretty incredible but I don't think you are my type – plus won't Teresa be jealous!"
Thomas barked a laugh, smile stretching across his face, he watched as Minho got up from his chair, then – seeing his chance, tackled Minho from behind, pulling him to the ground.
"Upmh- SHUCKFACE GET OFF ME"
"What Minho? I'm just trying to show my affection for you, you piece of klunk"
Thomas laughed as Minho struggled, the two ended up wrestling in the middle of the map room, scuffling on the ground yelling harmless insults at the other.
When Newt entered minutes later, Thomas was in a headlock Minho spewing profanities between gasps of laughter – neither of them noticed the ex-runner until he chuckled.
"Do you guys ever stop getting at each other?"
Thomas and Minho looked at each other defiantly, Minho releasing Thomas' neck each Glader brushing them selves off and quipping with a resounding "No".
Sighing, smile threatening to encompass his features, Newt bustled them out of the Map room, Minho turning to Newt questioned
"why did you come down to get us anyway Newt?"
"Yeah, was there something wrong?" Thomas now curious and slightly concerned as to what had been happening at the glade whilst the runners had been out all day.
"Nothing exiting, just housekeeping, shanks with problems, the shucking supplies not coming…"
Upon sensing that there was no immediate concerns for the Glade that day and seeing as Minho had fully occupied Newt's attention with his sarcastic comments and nods of agreement – Thomas reached out to Teresa
Teresa?
Tom, where are you? How was the maze? Anything new? Whats been going on –
Woah Teresa, calm don one question at a time! I'm alright, nothing different today, same as every other day we spend in this shucking place.
Tom heard a mournful silence, Teresa knew what he meant, the helplessness, the unanswered questions. It was disheartening to say the least, somedays all of the Gladers felt like giving up, but something inside Thomas, pushed him to keep trying to find a way out. That despite everything they were all going to make it out of here.
Finally Teresa replied I'm Sorry, Tom
Hey its not your fault, how was your first day not in a coma or the slammer?
Lonely without you, no one knows what to do with me, I mean I'm a girl but these shuckfaces don't even know wh-
Did you just say 'shuckfaces'? Thomas grinned as Newt and Minho seemed wrapped in conversation, waving Alby over to join them in their brainstorming of ideas.
Yes. I said 'shuckfaces'. But that's not the point, come save me. Teresa exclaimed as overdramatically as possible, playing her best "damsel in distress" snorts of laughter slipping through her façade
Of course, my lady. I will meet you by the box.
See you then
Thomas looked towards the other boys to find them staring at him, amused and slightly frustrated expressions (on Alby's part), Thomas realised he was so wound up in talking to Teresa, he had totally lost grip of conversation. Trying to make a quick recovery Thomas smiled
"What?"
Alby sighed in exasperation, "We were just trying to ask you what you are remembering of your past, obviously it means something if more and more people including me are seeing bits of you and Teresa in the changings"
"But you were a bit preoccupied with your girlfriend weren't you Tommy?" Newt smirked, Minho raising his eyebrows suggestively, as Thomas felt a heat rising in his cheeks.
"Oi shut up, you shanks. She isn't my girlfriend, and we were just talking."
Minho Scoffed "Right, you guys just happened to know each other, despite not remember how you actually know each other –"
"you are somehow able to communicate telepathically and basically think the exact same way anyway" Newt added
"She ran to you as soon as she woke up from the coma, said you had a connection" Minho continued
"And you all you two seem to do when you are near each other is speak in your heads or make smiling love eyes at each other- which might I add is shucking distracting. We are actually trying to do things here Thomas." Alby finished, light heartedly despite the honesty that lay beneath his frustration.
"Look all of you have it wrong, we are JUST friends" Thomas defended, though even as the words left his mouth he felt the lie on the back of his tongue. He knew he had a connection with Teresa, something that was rare and unique, not just telepathy but also something more. She understood him, without having to try. Waking up without any concept of who you are or where you are, into a maze full of strangers would be hard enough, even if Thomas felt somewhat at ease in the maze, he never would have imagined he might actually find joy in a place he is being kept captive. Teresa and the Gladers are the things that keep Thomas running out of that maze in the morning (assisted with Minho's vocal chords which Thomas discovered knows no bounds).
"Anyway I have to go" Thomas turned on his heal and jogged away from the now taunting calls of his friends. Ignoring their comments, Thomas could think about Teresa in that moment, he spends hours toiling over the unsolvable puzzle, but the blue eyed beauty brings his head out of murky water. Her sense of humour was a razors edge, with warmth of a candle in her comforting words and senseless banter.
Hell, Maybe they were lovers. As the thought ran through Thomas' head he grinned, the idea of it made something swell in his chest and fill all the space left from an empty stomach. Feet aching he pushed himself over unstable foundations, grass kicking up to stain his runner shoes, seeing dark twists of hair facing away from him Thomas made his way towards Teresa.
"I thought you weren't going to show" Teresa teased, Thomas sitting beside her against the cold metal of the entrance.
"I would never stand you up, you know that right?" He answered swiftly a soft smiles forming on his lips, brown eyes searching for the crystal blue that sparkle with delight when they meet his.
"So what did you end up doing today?" Thomas asked with curiosity
"Urgh nothing Tom, I tried to help out and talk to Newt and Alby, they tried to get me into looking through things and getting an idea of how everything runs but everyone is still looking at me like I am a mutant" Teresa growled angrily in reply.
Thomas knew she hated being treated like an outsider, when it wasn't her fault that she had "triggered the end" , she wanted nothing more to do that help and escape just like every other Glader in there and Thomas knew that. But she had changed things – well they had, so it probably wasn't something the Gladers were prepared for in the beginning anyway.
Slipping her cool soft hand into his, Thomas felt electricity warm his arms, sparking across his skin as Teresa, rested her head on his shoulder, hair curling on his exposed arms, Goosebumps forming where they touched.
"Why did this happen to us Tom? Did we do this to them? To us?" Teresa's shaking whispers against his neck, bringing the runner out of his trance, her words of distress, flipping the switch inside Thomas' brain which let all the conflicting and confusing thoughts about their past together storm in his mind.
Still at a loss to what the meaning and involvement Teresa and himself had in the creation of the maze, he attempted to push these thoughts out away from the pair.
Squeezing her hand, in a wordless sign of reassurance Thomas was dragged back again to the past these two teenagers had between them. Was it friendship? A working partnership? Where they related? (a foul taste grew at the back of his mouth then, god he wished that wasn't the case). Then perhaps they were lovers, or would be with time and circumstance. Without thinking Thomas let the words that had been brought to the front of his mind earlier that day, rush out in a hurry.
"I think we were lovers Teresa, or at least I hope we were"
Teresa's breathing hitched, lifting her head up to look into Thomas' eyes, flicking, searching for any sense of memory, doubt, regret or maybe even longing in the boys eyes, but found only honesty. Their faces stayed that way. Only a hair apart, lips barely separated, the slow pants of their breathing contrasting the erratic pounding each felt in their chest. The tension in the air was something neither had experience – or could remember experiencing before, they were torn, to break the tension or stay in excruciating pleasures of uncertainty.
Bringing her unclasped hand to rest on his rough and tanned cheek, she breathed a question, heavy in meaning
"Do you really hope we were lovers Tom?"
Thomas looked into her eyes with fired intention, "Yes, Teresa I do"
Lifting their faces closer together with her spare hand, Teresa let Thomas, bring her to be half splayed across his lap, hands resting on her waist. Lips nearly touching the words uttered in the hot air between them, nearly brushed each word against the others lip,
"Then we are lovers, Tom"
With that final word, Thomas could not resist pulling Teresa's sweet pink lips to his own dry mouth, she responded with passion. Mouth tentatively pursed against his, to open mouthed marks of affection, her hands trailing through his hair to massage his scalp. As the sun set around them, all noise was blocked out from the couple, wrapped in each others arms. Thomas' hands pulling Teresa to straddle him, her surprised yelp silenced by his smirking kiss, tongue dancing at her delicate mouth for entrance, her own battling for dominance
Yet before a winner could be declared a loud whistle echoed throughout the Glade, separating the pair from their solitude,
"Get a room Tommy" Minho cackled, a collection of Glader's accumulating around where Thomas and Teresa were sitting, the eyes of the boys nearly popping out of their heads at the sight of Teresa's dishevelled and nearly exposed (due to Thomas's wandering hands) clinging in the arms of the newest runner.
As the whistles and calls continued, Teresa stood up from Thomas' lap his eyes following her with a burn of desire, she lent down and left one lingering kiss on his aching lips, causing more eruptions of yells from the crowd. Then without a word turns a walks through the Gladers to where frypan was serving dinner, Thomas in a daze of happy confusion reached out to her
Teresa where are you going?
Don't worry Tom, I'll find you later – I just didn't want the entire Glade watching us
Are you mad?
Far from it, you are way to good at that you know
I guess we have probably had a lot of practice… Hey you know that I meant that –
I know Tom, I know. I'll see you soon.
With a grin stretched over his features, Thomas walked past shocked and amused Gladers, a joyful glimmer in his eyes.