Since they didn't yet have shelter, the Gladers slept on the beach that night. Thomas stared into the fire for a while as everyone else fell asleep, and then his thoughts turned to the beach. The warm water. The calm, relaxing waves.

I want to swim, he realized.

Thomas got up quietly and tiptoed across the sand down to the water. He pulled off his shirt and jeans and waded into the water in just his boxers. He sank down in the warm water, sighing, somewhat relaxed for once in his life.

And then something burst out of the water beside him, scaring the klunk out of him. Thomas looked beside him as Minho burst out laughing. "I totally scared the klunk out of you," he managed through his laughter.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Thomas felt himself blushing.

"I gotcha good," Minho declared. "Did I scare you?"

"No, not at all," said Thomas, rolling his eyes. "That's why I screamed." Minho laughed. Thomas smiled, his heart swelling with love for Minho. Friendship love. "I'm jealous of Newt," Thomas admitted. "You had two years of this with him - laughing with him, knowing him. I could never compete with that."

Minho's smile disappeared as he quickly became serious. "Thomas, you know how much I care about you," he said. "You're my best friend, you hear me?" His vouce was firm. Thomas' eyes filled with tears and he nodded. He knew Minho wouldn't be saying this if he knew what Thomas had done. Minho's best friend didn't exist, was just a phantom. Thomas was jealous of him - the other Thomas, the one who hadn't killed Newt. "You have nothing to be jealous about."

They hugged then and Thomas buried his face into Minho's warm skin, clinging onto the Asian boy like he was his lifeline. And he was - Thomas couldn't live without Minho, didn't know how he could live without him. Shuck being immune to the Flare, he would go crazy if he lost Minho.

Thomas didn't realize it then, not yet, and he didn't know that when he realized this it would tear him apart, but something stirred deep inside him. "Min, you're my best friend," he said, holding on tight to Minho, trying to hold in his tears. "My best friend..."

Minho's face was buried in Thomas' wet brown hair. "You're mine, too, shuck," he murmured as they held each other in the dark water.

Thomas woke up the next morning with bright sunlight shining in his eyes. Some of the Gladers were still asleep, but Minho was not one of them. Neither was Brenda. Gally was on his back snoring. Thomas rolled his eyes and got up to find Minho.

Minho was helping the Builders build a cabin. He was shirtless and sweaty and Thomas had to admit, the guy was pretty hot.

Wait.

What the shuck did he just think?

Shaking his head and pushing aside the thought, Thomas went over to Minho. His black hair was damp with sweat, which dripped from his forehead and ran down his body.

Not that Thomas was looking at his body. Of course he wasn't. He was just making inferences.

"Hey, shuck," Minho said, smiling the smile he reserved for Thomas. "You need something?"

Before Thomas could stop himself, he rushed forward and tackled Minho in a hug, almost knocking over the black haired boy. Minho chuckled as Thomas clung to him, wrapping an arm around the middle of Thomas' back. "Hey, hey, hey, what's with all the hugging?"

Thomas pulled back, his face hot with embarrassment. "I just, um...wanted to thank you for last night," he said. "It was really special." Minho smiled.

"Last night? Special?" Jorge approached them, waggling his eyebrows at Minho. "Do tell, hermanos."

Minho laughed. "Go away, Jorge," he said.

Since when were Minho and Jorge friends? Thomas looked back and forth between his two friends. "All right, all right, hermanos," the Spanish man said, holding up his hands in surrender, and he left them to talk.

"So...last night was, um...pretty emotional," Thomas said.

"It was," Minho agreed. "I liked it."

Thomas smiled, glad. "I did too," he said. "We've never...really...bonded like that before."

In his mind, he saw images of flames, the storm in the Scorch, Minho's body burning. He saw himself saving his best friend and carrying him to the abandoning building, then holding Minho and sobbing while Minho's moans echoed through the building.

Minho must have been thinking of that, too, because he swallowed and looked away. They hadn't talked about the fire since it happened. "Right," Minho said. "Well, I've got to get back to work. "I'll talk to you later?"

"Yeah," Thomas said, and then he did something that shocked both him and apparently Minho. He leaned forward and kissed Minho on the cheek. "Talk to you later."

Thomas was long gone before Minho regained the ability to talk.

AN: I do love writing cliffhangers :) Updates soon and review please?