12/10/14: Revised and edited as of today.

Hey guys! Now, over a year after I started this fic, I can fully appreciate how lucky I was that people chose to read this fanfic out of the thousands out there. To every single person who has been here since the beginning: thank you so very, very much.

Enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own The Maze Runner.


Relationship

"THOMAS!"

Thomas turned as he heard Teresa calling his name. She reached his side, quickly grabbing his arm and staring at him with excited blue eyes.

"I just heard," she breathed, eyes searching his. "Newt's back. Is it-is it true?"

He nodded and her hand flew to her mouth, eyes glimmering with unshed tears. She wiped them away furiously with the back of her hand, lips curving into a smile.

Thomas had told only Minho the truth of what he thought he had done to "Newt." He knew that she had just thought that Newt had become a Flare-infected Crank, and eventually died. He didn't have the guts to tell her, and now that it didn't matter-that Newt was alive-why should he?

"Tom?" Teresa's blue eyes were questioning. "What really happened to 'Newt'? I mean-before he showed up-I thought he died from the Flare. But he didn't…did he?"

This was his chance. He could lie…or he could tell her the truth. Thomas knew that Newt and Minho would keep his secret, so it would be up to him to tell her.

"I killed him," he finally said, throat dry. "I thought it was him-and he said he didn't want to live as a Crank, and he'd rather die…so he forced me to shoot him."

She said nothing. "Go on," Thomas told her bitterly. "Say I'm a heartless friend. It's the truth isn't it? What kind of person shoots his friend-even if it wasn't his real friend?"

"You think I'm going to yell at you for what you did?" Teresa asked, her voice flat.

"Aren't you?"

"Tom, look at me."

Thomas looked into her eyes, and he was surprised at what he found there. He found compassion, sympathy, and most of all….understanding. That was when he realized that Teresa was truly the person who understood him, better than anyone.

He pulled her around the corner and towards him. She stared at him for a moment, and then she was pressed against him, her fingers tangled in his hair, brushing his cheek, their lips connected.

He moved his hands to her waist and held her close to him as he kissed her, knowing at that moment what he wanted, what he had denied himself the past three years due to his guilt about Brenda.

He had to tell Teresa his feelings, show her that he fully trusted her once more, understanding – finally - that what she had done had been for him, and just for him.

Thomas realized that over the past three years, Teresa had once again become his best friend, the way she had been in the Glade, and even before. But he didn't want her as 'just a friend' anymore.

Thomas didn't know how much longer they could last without breaking for air, but he found that he didn't want to pull away from her. He pressed her closer to him, and he moved one of his hands up to cup her head, her hair ruffling his face as a breeze blew past them.

All that seemed to exist was Teresa, her hair, her sweet, fresh smell, the feeling of her hair on his face, her soft, warm lips on his….

"AHEM!"

Flushed, Thomas immediately pulled away, Teresa doing the same thing. They both turned to the source of the sound, and saw Minho and Newt standing there, exchanging glances and smirking.

"What?" Thomas snapped, feeling his cheeks turn red as Teresa awkwardly stood beside him.

"Well…" Minho stretched the word out, slowly walking towards them. "That's a nice welcome we get, but out of the goodness of my heart, I shall let it go. I know you probably don't give a damn but we were about to send out a search party for the two of you before we found you schmoozing here."

"Minho-" Thomas started, anger rising inside him.

"And we offer our sincerest apologies that we had to interrupt your very hot making out session, but we were standing here for about - how long was it, Newt?" Minho called back.

"Five minutes," Newt answered with a grin.

"Five minutes," Minho started where he left off, "waiting to see if the two of you were going to break apart when we finally decided to do the job ourselves."

"And why exactly did you have to find us so badly?" Teresa snapped, moving forward.

"Right…that. Apparently, we don't have to worry about any Cranks coming through the way Newt did. The world collapsed. No one knows how to operate a Flat Trans anymore. And the Chancellor sealed and destroyed the Flat Trans once Newt came through so we're safe."

Thomas waited.

Then he realized that Minho had finished speaking.

"You see Minho," Thomas started icily. "I get the feeling that you didn't find us, you bloody followed us and you interrupted us not because of your 'super important news' but because you found it funny. Am I right?"

Minho was laughing too hard to reply, and even Newt was doubled over in laughter. Thomas felt like beating up the both of them, and then throwing them to the Grievers.

"Well, now, how could we miss this golden opportunity? You shank, did you seriously think we didn't see you going off with your shuck girlfriend?" Minho asked, his eyes dancing with mirth.

"God, could you stop being immature boys for just one second?" Teresa snapped angrily, shooting them all a scathing look before she stalked off.

The three boys looked awkwardly at each other.

"What should I do?" Thomas hissed. Death traps that defied the laws of physics, biomechanical monsters that tried to kill him, lightning storms that could fry people, a disease which killed by the thousands….all of these he could deal with.

Teresa – he had no clue what he was supposed to do.

Why did girls have to be so hard to figure out?

Newt shoved him in the direction Teresa had walked off in. "Go after her, slinthead! And remember – "

He had to shout this part because Thomas was already off and running.

"When you have your first child, remember who made it happen and name it after me!" Newt called at Thomas's retreating back. Without turning, Thomas flipped him the finger.

"Bet you chores for the next week Thomas will confess his undying love in front of everyone," Minho smirked.

"You're on," Newt grinned and they shook hands before chasing off after their friend.


Thomas caught up to Teresa just as she was about to go into the dining hall. He was in trouble; it was nearly six-thirty, designated dinner time. Everyone would be strolling in in a few moments. Already, he could see there was a great number of people seated inside.

He was so screwed.

He grabbed her wrist and turned her around just moments before she entered, pulling her away from the door. "Teresa, wait, please."

"What is it, Thomas?" she asked cuttingly. The way she said his name stung; as if she was disgusted with him. Thomas tried not to wince. "Look, Teresa, I need to talk to you."

"There's nothing to talk about!" Teresa snapped, yanking her wrist from his and walking into the hall. Thomas cursed at whatever cosmic joke the universe was playing on him and followed her in.

There was no other way. He was going to have to do this.

"TERESA! Will you just listen to me?"

The chatter of the people seated on the stone benches died down as they noticed the two former Gladers. Teresa turned around to face him, her face pale but her blue eyes darkening with anger.

"Go on, Thomas!" she yelled right back at him. "Just say how much you hate me, how it was a mistake, that it shouldn't happen again – that we're better off as 'just friends'. That's what you want to say, right? I don't need your apologies and I definitely don't need your – "

He kissed her.

Her words were effectively cut off. Her lips were still under his for a minute, shocked, before she started to kiss him back. In the back of his mind, he was aware of the whoops and cheers of the Immunes around them. He pushed them all aside, his mind focused on Teresa, who was soft and warm and pliable in his arms. He registered in some corner of his mind that he was much taller than her five feet five inches now, enough that he had to lean down to kiss her.

When they finally broke apart, Teresa's blue eyes were sparkling and mischievous. "This is what you wanted to tell me?"

Thomas pulled her closer to him. "No," he whispered in her ear. "It isn't."

She pulled back from the embrace just enough to look at him, puzzled. "What is it, then?"

"I love you, Teresa."

She stared at him, frozen, and then hurled her arms around his neck, burying her face in his shoulder. "You know what, Tom?"

"What?"

"I love you, too."

And then their lips met.


"Ha," Minho smirked victoriously. "Told you, shuckface. I knew it."

"Go to hell, you shank," Newt grumbled. "Bloody Tommy and his romantic acts."

Thomas and Teresa were still lip-locked in front of them and Newt was getting a bit concerned about some of the younger children. He didn't want to scar them for life, seeing as Thomas was well on his way to getting to second base right there in front of everyone.

Minho seemed to be thinking the same thing. "You want to interrupt them, or shall I?"

"Well, I don't fancy getting ripped to shreds by Thomas for interrupting his make-out sessions. I get the feeling he's not going to be in as good a mood as he was the first time."

"He wasn't in a good mood the first time," Minho pointed out.

"Exactly."

The two boys looked at each other, and then back at their friend.

"Five more minutes?" Minho asked.

"Five more minutes."


Yay! Okay, second chapter re-done and counting!