two chapters in two days? don't get used to that, please, I'm quite surprise myself (And I know that I should finish another couple of ff..)

thank you for reading!


Two weeks after he wake up in Paradise, Newt sees Alby for the first time. And that is not good. And No-one else seems to see him, and that is even worst.

Thomas was changing Newt's wrist bandages when the blond boy saw Alby. To be completely fair, the burns derived from the procedure, where his wrists were constrained to the bed, were faintly visible by now, but Thomas still taking care of them.

Newt had suppressed the shiver on his spine for the view of Thomas kneeling in front of him, holding Newt's left hand like it was made of crystal, almost worshipping it.

Newt had suppressed the shiver on his spine and he had looked away.

And Alby was there, smirking to the blond boy like the day he left to follow Minho into the Maze to the death Griver, gorgeous as usual.

Thomas was trying to find the courage to kiss Newt' wrist, when the strong intake of breath from the older boy redirect his attention.

"Newt?" he ask, but the blond boy was staring at the wall behind Thomas, whom when turned, couldn't see anything.

Tommy's voice woke Newt from his trance, and Alby disappeared "uh…"

"Are you ok, did I hurt you?"

"No, Tommy, I just… I just remember something important, I had to go, I'm sorry, thank you again for the help…"

Newt ran away before terminate the phrase.

Thomas swore under his breath and started to put away the medical supplies.


No one seemed able to see Alby, but he appeared quite often. He kissed Newt in the morning, and walked with him into the forest when Newt needed to be away from the paradise, and held his hand during the days and hugged him during the nights.

Newt talked with him only when they were alone, and he tried to convince himself that everything was fine, that he wasn't loosing his mind again.

The fact the hallucinations Flare-induced had been angry and mean with him, helped a little bit to accept Alby, and he enjoy to have his boyfriend back.

Thinking about that, Newt find it hilarious: back in the Maze they had kept their relationship secret for Alby's fear of Gladers reactions. Now it was Newt that keep it a secret to avoid to be consider sick again.

He managed to keep the secret for a whole month, but after that everything crush.


Minho was pushing Newt, his attitude even worst than usual, and Newt lost it.

"shut that bloody hole, you shuckface" Newt said before punch Minho in the face.

Minho was ready to hit again, ready for a rerun of the fight back in the WICKED facilities, but something in the blonde face stop him.

Newt looked scared and almost teary, and for a moment Minho wanna know how to reassure him. Before the asian guy could make his mind and hug his closest friend, Newt ran away, almost running into Thomas in the hurry of get out.

Thomas was entering in the room he share with his two friend in the paradise version of the Homestead when Newt ran passed him, tears on his cheeks and hunted eyes.

"Minho, what did you do?"

"Nothing"

"It doesn't look like nothing, looks like you made him cry!"

"…"

"Minho!"

"I'm sorry, ok? but for the first time he was acting like himself, the old self back into the Glade, I just wanna him back, my Newt, not that broken shadow that live here!"

"He went through a lot, cut him some space"

"..."

"..."

"Yeah…I should go to look for him now… to apologize, you know?"

"Yeah, you should, but I'm coming, to be sure you will not screw anything else…"

"Slim it, shuck face, he is my friend, I can take care of him by myself!"

"Like you just did?"

"oh, shut it"

The two boys kept bicker while they went for the same way they're supposing Newt has gone. They were giving each other the silent treatment when they arrive nearby the cliff where Newt was sitting, so they arrived close enough to heard what the blond guy was saying.

"…I know I promises you, but I'm loosing it, and I cannot became a Crank again…

…I'm sorry, so sorry…

…no, they will be fine without me, and we could be together, it's not enough for you?

Please, Alby, please…

…This time it's high enough…It will be ok…"

Thomas could't breath, or move, he wasn't sure he understand all the implications of what Newt was saying, but he didn't like the defeated tone, nor the fact the blonde was apparently talking with a death imaginary friend.

Minho's heart was screaming /not again, not again, I cannot came close to lose him again/, but this time his brain reacted faster, and in one second he was kneeling close to his broken friend, hugging him and kissing his forehead, and murmuring reassurance in his ear, and pleading him to not jump, to again, "we will face everything together, please, please, everything will be fine, I will take care of you, please Newt, please…"

The view of a crying Minho, kneeled and wrapped around Newt, shook Thomas, who hugged both his friends and pulled them away from the cliff.

And when they both stopped crying, more from exhaustion than from relief, he leaded the home, tucked them in the same bed and wrapped himself all around. Only then he allow himself to think how close they came to loose Newt again, and with this thought he cried himself to sleep.