AN: Thank you guys for all the faves, follows, and reviews! I'm so glad you all like my fanfic and I'm so sorry it took me so long to update. I will try to update more often :) Hope you guys enjoy the new chapter!
Newt shot straight up off the ground, gasping and covered in sweat. He had dreamed about the boy that Nick talked about, Brandon. He stifled a sob and covered his mouth. "Newt?" Alby mumbled from beside him, and Newt looked down at his friend to see the older boy's dark eyes open, staring worriedly up at him.
Guilt filled him that he had woken his friend up, and he tried to force himself to calm down. "I'm sorry I woke you," he murmured. "It won't happen again."
But Alby just sat up and put a strong, comforting arm around Newt. "It's okay," Alby said. "Talk to me."
"I dreamed about the boy who got Banished," Newt sobbed. "Brandon."
Alby's expression hardened, and Newt flinched. "I'm gonna kill Nick. I knew he shouldn't have told that story, not when you were around. Knew it would scare you."
Newt was touched and annoyed at the same time. Touched that Alby cared that much about him, but annoyed that Alby thought he was too weak to handle the Glade and the Maze. Of course he was, but he didn't want Alby knowing that. He also still felt guilty about waking Alby up. "I'm sorry," he said again.
"Don't be," Alby said gently, and Newt smiled, feeling better. He felt safe when he was close to the older boy. He met his friend's dark gaze and they stared at each other for a moment in silence. "Get some sleep. I'll be right here."
Newt lay back down and felt Alby's hand on his waist, pulling him close. He chuckled. "Still don't want to sleep with me, huh?" he joked.
"Slim it, Newt," Alby laughed, and Newt fell asleep shortly after.
Alby was gone when Newt woke up the next morning. He yawned and remembered Alby's body pressed against his the previous night. He blushed as he got up and headed towards the showers.
Minho met him there and laughed when he saw the blush on Newt's face. "What's with the blush, Newt?" Minho teased. "Something to do with our second-in-command?"
His comment didn't bother Newt. He smirked and said, "Oh, yeah. We were going at it big time. As a matter of fact, I'm pregnant, Minho. You can be the bloody godfather of our baby if you want." Needless to say, he didn't get another word from the Keeper of the Runners before going into the bathroom. Newt undressed and wrapped a towel around his waist, then pulled back the shower curtain and gasped. Alby was standing there, drying off with a towel with a second towel wrapped around his waist. And damn, the guy was hot.
"Oh my God!" Newt backed up and almost slipped on the wet tile. "I had no idea anyone was in here!"
Alby blushed furiously, but he said. "It's all right, Newt," and hurried out of the bathroom. Newt heard Minho's laughter from outside and knew that the word would spread through the Glade in no time that Newt had seen their second-in-command almost naked.
"Alby-" Newt started, but the door closed behind him. He sighed and stepped into the shower. He knew he owed his friend an apology, which would be hard considering all he wanted to do now was avoid Alby.
When he got out of the shower, he wrapped his towel around his waist and dressed, then went outside. "Hey, Newt," Zart called when he passed the Gardens. "Newt and Alby, sitting in a tree. K - I - S - S-"
Newt rolled his eyes and hurried away, trying to fight the blush coming on his face. He passed Alby and averted his eyes, but at the last second he turned. "Alby, hey, I just wanted to apologize for...well..." He felt his face heating up.
Alby turned and walked backwards. "It's okay, Newt," he said, then turned around and kept walking.
"Newt," Gally's taunting voice called from behind him.
"Don't even bloody start, you slinthead," Newt snapped before storming away.
"Dare you to kiss him!" Gally shouted after him, laughing, and of course starting singing the same song Zart had.
Of course Newt had to be right. The word spread across the Glade like wildfire, and the other Gladers weren't exactly making the awkwardness between Newt and Alby better. At dinner, they kept teasing the two about it and Newt tried to hide his blush. He couldn't even look at Alby. He should have seen it coming when Alby pulled him aside after dinner. "Isn't it bothering you what people are saying about us?" Newt asked. "I'm so embarrassed."
"You just saw me in a towel, Newt," Alby said. "It's no big deal. It's not the first time in history's someone's been seen in a towel."
"That's not what everyone else seems to think," Newt protested. "It's like they think we just got married or something." Then Newt heard Minho's voice from inside the kitchens joking that Alby pulled him away to go on their honeymoon, and he heard laughter moments later. "Oh, you have got to be shucking me," Newt said.
Alby burst out laughing. "Think ya jinxed it, shuck-face," he said.
A thought popped into Newt's head that made him blush. "Have...have you ever kissed anyone?" Newt asked.
"Honestly? No," Alby answered. "Gladers pair up in here all the time, but I've just never found anyone."
"Oh." Newt shifted; this whole conversation was awkward. "Well...okay," he said.
Alby nodded, and opened the door to the kitchens. "Shall we?" He motioned for Newt to go in.
Newt forced himself to smile at his friend, and nodded before walking in, Alby close behind him. "Hey, there's the newlyweds!" Minho joked. "And how was your-"
Minho earned a plate of beans in the face, courtesy of a certain very annoyed blond boy, before he could finish his sentence.
AN: Hope you liked it! Review please? :)