Title: Night

Characters: Thomas and Minho

Disclaimer: The characters and universe belongs to James Dashner.

Notes: This is for Day 2, with the prompt "Wingfic". It takes place in a modern setting, with also a soulmate AU. A bit of angst, but as fluff at the end. Hope you'll like it!

Wings

Today was the tryouts. As the captain of the track team, or Keeper as they called it, Minho was ready before anyone else. This gave him time to analyze the freshmen aligned on the track field. In few minutes, all of them were going to compete to get into the team.

Some looked confident, maybe even overconfident. Minho snickered. They had no idea how hard it was to make the team. This team was one of the best of the country.

As he looked at the freshmen gathering up, one young man caught his eyes. He was smaller than the others, had messy brown hair that still looked perfect and eyes that shined in the sun. Minho didn't know what it was, but something was weird about that boy, as if he didn't belonged there. Or anywhere in the world actually. It was as if someone like him couldn't exist. It was such a strange feeling and he wasn't sure if he liked it.

As the brunet was looking around, as if unsure of himself, he locked eyes with Minho. What happened next was inexplicable. The two young men froze, almost comically. The Asian felt a strange feeling in is stomach and he immediately hated it. Something was definitely weird about that kid and Minho was sure it wasn't good. He hoped that the strange boy wouldn't make the team.

Jorge, the coach, soon announced the start of the tryouts, offering the Keeper a break from the gaze of the brunet. He went to sit next to his blond friend whose wings were flapping in excitement.

"What's up with you Isaac" he snorted.

"Aren't you excited to have new Greenies on the team?" Newt replied.

"Not really. Look at them" Minho said while doing his best not to look at the brown-haired kid "They all look like dumb shanks."

"Don't be hard on them yet Min" he smiled "You'll have plenty of time to do that. And who knows, you might end up liking them and finally make other friends than me and Alby."

"Yeah, not gonna happen."

...

...

Minho couldn't believe it. The brunet, whose name was Thomas he learned, had almost broke his record. It wasn't possible. It couldn't be real.

But here he was, being congratulated by Jorge and the others. Because the kid, of course, fucking made the team.

To say the Keeper was furious was an understatement. His record was his pride. He went every day on the field to be the best. He trained so hard for it. It was an insult to see a freshman almost beat his record so easily.

As everyone was around Thomas, clapping on his back, happy for him, Minho approached him for the first time. As the captain, he was still supposed to congratulate him, even if he didn't want to.

Once in front of the younger man, he held out his hand for Thomas to shake. The brunet had his eyes wide in astonishment, but took the hand hesitantly, unsure if it was really what he was supposed to do considering the hard look the Asian was giving him. Minho felt a strange spark once their hands touched, but he decided to ignore it.

"That wasn't bad Greenie" he said. But before he could stop himself, he added "But that was beginner's luck."

Thomas took back his hand immediately. "I'm not a beginner" he replied dryly, offended.

"Listen shuck-face" the Keeper started. Everyone around was quiet and Jorge seemed ready to intervene. "You're new here okay. You don't know how it works and how difficult it is to train every day in order to make it to the finish line when you have to compete against the best one of the country. So that, my friend," he pointed at Thomas's score "was beginner's luck. And I preferred telling you that right away, I'm doing you a favor."

Minho was being an ass and he knew it. But he just couldn't help it. He was furious.

"A favor huh?" All the shyness the boy showed before was now gone. "Just say that you're afraid of losing, asshole".

"What did you call me?" Minho yelled back, furious and ready to punch the newbie in the face. However, Newt and Alby saw it coming and went to stop him before he could do something. As he was pushed back by his friends, he added "You think you're so great shuck-face? You don't even stand a chance against me!"

"Oh yeah, wanna bet asshole?"

"Okay that's it, stop it you two" Jorge intervened "I'll let it pass this time but if you two start that kind of behavior again, I'll have to kick you out of the team. And yes, you too Minho".

"Yeah, whatever" the later said, leaving the group to go towards the changing room, not wanting to deal with anyone.

However, Newt came along. Obviously.

"Bloody hell Minho, what was that?" he shouted once they entered the empty room.

"Leave me alone."

"Not until you tell me what's wrong with you." The Asian turned to face his friend, a threatening glare in his eyes. The blond was however not intimidated. He knew Minho for too long.

"I don't like that guy" he admitted, heaving out a frustrated sigh.

"What? Just because he's almost as good as you?"

"No, of course not! H-He just… I don't know!" the Keeper try to explain "He's weird a-and… I don't know man! There is something off about him!"

"What the hell are you talking about, Tommy is not weird."

"A nickname already?" Minho snorted. He really didn't want to have this conversation right now. "Listen Newt, leave me alone, okay? Go see your boyfriend of something."

"Yeah, I'll do that, because you're a fucking twat right now."

With that, the British left the changing room, leaving Minho with his thoughts. He really didn't understand why that Thomas boy was driving him crazy like that. He just wished he wouldn't have to deal with that shuck-face too much.

...

...

The next morning, Minho woke up in his dorm room, a strange feeling in his guts. As he got out of bed, he noticed the extreme soreness in his back. Panic immediately invaded is whole body.

No, it couldn't be…

He turned his head to see if his assumptions were right, praying he was wrong. Unfortunately, on his naked back proudly stood his wings.

"No, no, no, no, no! Fuck!" he screamed. It couldn't be real. He had to be dreaming. He ran to the bathroom, wanting a better view of the things on his back.

Indeed, two brown and black wings were there, real and annoyingly beautiful beside the fact that they were totally unwanted.

"Fuck!"

It was really the worst thing that could happen. Having to deal with school, the track team and life in general was already hard as it is, adding a soulmate in the addition was really something Minho didn't want. But still, there he was. Newt and Alby were doing great with this whole soulmate thing, but they met each other a long time ago, it was different…

He knew that it would happen one day, but he still hoped it wouldn't because he didn't believe that soulmates were such a big deal. He didn't even really like the fact that everybody was meant to have a strong bond with another person and the day after they met for the first time, they'll get matching wings. In fact, he hated it. And he already hated his soulmate, even if he still didn't know who it was.

He observed his reflection for a while, wanting to cry from frustration. It was honestly the worst.

After taking few minutes to compose himself, he finally started getting ready for the day. He had a meeting with the track team to brief the newbies. He took the shirt his mom made sure he kept for this day. It had holes in them, for the wings.

Shit.

Once ready, he went directly to the track field, trying not to snap at anyone who looked at him and his wings. Why was it such a big deal for everyone?

Once there, he first saw Alby. His friend had his eyes wide in shock.

"No…" he snickered "don't tell me it finally happened."

"Slim it."

"But still" his friend continued, trying but failing at hiding his grin. "Newt and I really thought that you were an unfortunate soul who was meant to be alone."

"Well, I wished." Minho replied dryly.

"Don't be like that, it's actually not that bad."

"What's not bad?" and British accent voice asked. "Oh shit!" Newt added when he saw the Asian. "No, for real?!" The blonde sounded so excited which only annoyed the Keeper even more.

"Slim it Isaac."

His friend was about to reply back when he stopped in his track and widen is eyes in shock at something behind Minho.

"Oh my god, I can't believe it!" he laughed, which confused both boys.

As Alby and Minho turned around, what they saw made Minho's heart stop.

On the entrance of the track field, there was Thomas.

With fucking brown and black wings.

With patterns identical to Minho's.

He wanted to die, right now.

"No, no, no, this can't be real!" the raven-haired boy screamed. He ran up to the younger one who had stopped in shock when he saw the Asian. Alby and Newt followed him, laughing their asses off which only made Minho angrier.

"Y-you're… you're my soulmate?" Thomas stuttered.

"Yeah no shit Sherlock" the Keeper replied as he pushed the boy around to have a better look at his wings, ignoring the protests of the brunet. He searched everywhere to find a pattern, something, that was not the same on his wings, but to no avail.

"This is the funniest thing ever" Newt burst out laughing as he reach the two newfound soulmates.

"It is not funny" Minho argued. "It's the worst thing ever."

"Oh because having me as a soulmate is bad?" Thomas replied, offended. He turned back to face the older man only to find him glaring at him.

"Yes, it is." Minho didn't even tried to be considerate. He didn't care that he was mean. Anger crept in his whole body and he was using all the self-control he had right now not to do something he'll regret later. He barely noticed the sadness in the brunet's eyes.

"Okay guys" Alby intervened "I know it's new for both of you, but let time do its thing. You started on the wrong path, but it'll get better, I assure you."

"Yeah, no chance" the Asian spat before walking away, this time noticing the hurt in Thomas's eyes. But he still didn't care.

"Just don't talk to me Greenie, and we should be fine."

...

...

Turned out, Minho wasn't fine.

Every day was a challenge. In order to avoid comments about his wings, the Keeper did his best to hide them. He wore the biggest hoodie he owned, concealing the bond he had with a certain brown-haired boy. The weather was getting colder, which fortunately allowed him to do so.

However, his back was getting sore from constraining his wings so much. His feathers were also in bad shapes and every move he made was hurting him. He did his best to ignore it.

He also did his best to ignore his soulmate on the track field. Said soulmate who kept showing off his wings, which only annoyed Minho even more. But as the days passed, he got curious and started steeling glances from time to time.

And Thomas, every time he made eye contact with the older man, had a sad look on his face. He never tried to hide it.

Guilt started creeping up in Minho's stomach. The boy didn't deserve that. But he couldn't help it. This soulmate thing wasn't for him.

Few weeks passed by, and every day, Newt nagged his friend to stop being a dumb shank and to just go talk to Thomas. Or at least stop wearing his black hoodie. But Minho was stubborn. And he knew it wouldn't change anything.

He still looked at the shuck-face, as he called him, during track practice. He tried to be professional and not think about the supposed link between them. As he had asked, the newbie never talked to him. But he started making friend. The Asian saw him hanging out with Frypan once. Even Newt took a liking to the boy.

Minho now watched him every time he could. The boy showed empathy, kindness and even courage, as he once stood up against Gally. Okay, maybe Thomas wasn't that bad. In fact, every time he saw the Greenie laughing with someone, or even just smiling, he felt his heart aching. Aching for something he knew he would never have.

He was starting to like Thomas. He was shucked.

...

...

It was another day at practice. Minho had troubles keeping up with the rest of the team because of his back. It was just hurting so much. He told Jorge he wasn't feeling well and went to the changing room.

Once alone, he took off his hoodie and his shirt and painfully stretched his wings, relieving some soreness.

"You're so dumb."

Minho turned to the voice in panic only to see the only person he didn't want around. Thomas.

"Leave" he said coldly.

"No, I'm not leaving" the boy replied as he sit on the bench behind Minho and started brushing his feathers back in place. "I can't do it anymore."

"You can't do what anymore? Run?" he asked, sarcasm in his voice. But he didn't stop Thomas's caresses.

"Seeing you hurting yourself."

The brunet started massaging the Asian's shoulders. It immediately made him feel better. He did his best to not make any sound. He was sure he was going to moan if he didn't control himself. Thomas's hands were so warm…

"You're really dumb."

"Would you stop saying that?"

"I've been watching you, you know" the boy continued, ignoring the last statement. "I've seen how you look at me. You're hurting as much as I am from staying away from me."

"I…"

"No, shut up." Thomas continued massaging the Keeper's back, this time going for his shoulder blades, where the wings were. "I'm tired of acting like it doesn't bother me."

Minho felt so bad right now. He haven't considered his soulmate's feelings into this. He felt his heart squeeze in pain.

"I was really looking forward to meet my soulmate you know" Thomas started, his voice softer than before. "All my life, I've been alone. I have my cousin, Teresa, and of course my little brother, Chuck… but it's not the same. I never really had close friends. I was rejected so many times, and betrayed too. I always felt alone, like I didn't belong…"

He stopped, to compose himself. Minho didn't have to look to know he was crying.

"I felt like a fucking alien" he continued after a while. "So I was hoping that once I'll met my soulmate, I'll finally have someone that would understand me. With who I'll be able to be myself. I…"

Minho heard the other man sniff and felt a tears rolling on his cheek. He did this. He hurt this beautiful boy. He didn't understand. Where all those feelings were coming from? When did he started caring for Thomas? When did he started wanting to protect him, to make sure he is happy and safe? It was so confusing. Maybe he was losing his mind.

"I-I'm… I'm so sorry". He knew it wasn't enough. He ruined his chances.

"I just don't want to be alone."

Minho turned to face the boy, making him stop what he was doing. The older made the only thing he could do. He hugged him.

And all of a sudden, everything made sense. As they both nuzzled into each other, surrendering themselves into the embrace, Minho knew. He knew that he couldn't fight it anymore. It was so right. So perfect. He never wanted to let the boy go. He wanted him by his side, forever.

"I'm so sorry" he repeated, his voice muffled by the brunet's neck. "You're right, I'm so dumb."

"Sure you are" he chuckled.

They stayed like that, in silence, for what felt like hours before Minho softly released the boy in his arms to take his face in his hands, wiping the tears on his cheeks.

"I'm really sorry Thomas. I really was an asshole."

"Yeah" he said with a sad smile. "Mind telling me why you acted like that? Is it really because I almost broke your record?"

"Who told you about my record?" he asked, still caressing his soulmate's face.

"Newt."

"That shank…"

"Don't blame him" Thomas gently scolded him, "I was trying to understand why you hated me."

"I didn't hate you… I-I…" Explaining this was hard. Expressing his emotions has always been hard for Minho. "When I first saw you… I had this like, strange feeling? I don't know why, but it made me nervous… I didn't know what it was and I didn't like it…"

The brunet listened to him, staring deep into his eyes. It was almost intimidating, as if Thomas was reading his mind, but he found himself hypnotized by the hazel eyes. The more he looked at him, the more Minho found his soulmate absolutely beautiful.

"And yeah, I was a bit mad about that record thing" he admitted. "I've always been the best, I guess my ego was hurt at that moment and I took it on you. I'm sorry."

Thomas made a small smile and went to caress the raven hair. "It's okay."

"But then, the next morning…" he continued while enjoying the warmth of the hand on his head, "I woke up with those things in my back. Unlike you, I never wanted a soulmate. I never really was one to trust people. Newt and Alby, they are different… but even then, I don't tell them everything and it took me a long time to trust them just a bit…"

"Why don't you trust people?"

"Mostly because people never really liked me I guess. I'm sarcastic, hot tempered… and Korean. Let's just say racism is something I often faced."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

Minho smiled sadly.

"But I guess what turned me off of soulmates were my parents. They are soulmates. They met back in Seoul, but moved here after some years."

"What happened?"

Minho liked the tone of Thomas's voice. It was soft and really showed interest and concern. For the first time of his life, Minho felt like someone really cared for him. Maybe it wasn't so bad, having a soulmate…

"They broke up when I was 4" he answered after taking a deep breath. "They realized they didn't love each other like that. I was really shocked. At that time, I thought that soulmates were meant to be together forever. It hurt me, seeing my parents separated. They still hang out together, and they are close friend, but…"

"I understand" Thomas said. "But you do know that not every soulmates are meant to be romantic partners, right? Some are even siblings."

"Yes I know. But you know, I was young, it marked me and made me think that… this whole soulmate thing wasn't really serious."

"Yeah… I understand."

Thomas didn't know what to say beyond that, so he just went back into the embrace, trying not to think too much about how Minho was still shirtless and how his naked tan skin felt so smooth and so good.

"I think there is also another reason" the Asian said after few minutes of silence where he just enjoyed the other's presence and warm body.

"And what is it?" Thomas asked.

Minho took a deep breath. He had to say it.

"I think I have feelings for you…"

"Oh" Thomas grinned. "And what kind of feelings?"

"Romantic… and sexual." Minho blushed. "And that has never happened. I never had those feelings for someone."

The boy smirked. "I'm flattered" he said while putting his forehead on his soulmate's. Their noses were touching and they could feel each other's breath on their faces. "And happy, because I might have the same feelings for you…"

At that moment, Minho knew he was done for. He loved that young man. This beautiful human being. He was in love. It was scary, but at the same time, he never felt better.

"Would you…" he hesitated. "Would you mind if I kissed you?"

Their lips were almost touching now. It was so tempting. This closeness was driving him crazy.

"You want to kiss me?" Thomas was teasing him, but Minho didn't mind. He deserved it.

"Yes. I really want to kiss you. Please."

"Well…" the brunet replied, playfully, "I guess I wouldn't mind then."

Minho smiled and immediately put his lips on Thomas's. A wave of newfound sensations traveled his whole body. He gripped the other's shirt, afraid of drowning in all those feelings. Thomas's lips were soft and warm, and the boy responded perfectly to the kiss.

When he deepened the kiss, he knew we would never have enough of this man. It was just so perfect, so meant to be. Thomas was running his hands through the raven hair and putting as much passion into the kiss as he could. Minho could only go with the flow and try to express everything he wanted to, pressing the brunet's body against his.

They parted to breath, but were unable to open their eyes yet. It was just too much. They wanted to relish this moment, to relish those feelings they had for each other.

"Does this mean I can claim you as my boyfriend?" Thomas playfully asked after his breathing was back to normal.

"Yes" Minho answered. "I'm yours."

Writing angst is really not easy for me hahaha But it's the point of those challenges, to try different things.

I hope you liked it! Stay tuned for the next fic!

-Safr2n