#brenewt

All of Safe Haven had been avoiding him. Since the moment he had emerged from his tent, people had kept their distance, and it hadn't been subtle. Only the Gladers had dared go near him, although even they were beginning to drift away.

But Brenda refused.

Submission for Rarepair Bingo - Major Character (Un)death

@mazerunner-rarepairs

Though we don't share the same blood.  You're my brother and I love you that's the truth.

BRENEWT HC’S (with Thomas cameos) NO ONE ASKED FOR: 

this starts during the gap between tst and tdc movies.

Okay so-- the group would be finalizing plans and looking for a location to temporarily house the people they hoped to rescue from WCKD 

Newt, Brenda and Thomas would be walking through a cabin together, Brenda being the first to find the cat cowering in a dark corner

She notices the cat’s torn ear and her single white paw “Hey look Newt, she’s got a funky leg too!”

Newt turns and side-eyes her but he can’t help the smile that grows on his face as she winks at him

Thomas would just eye the cat curiously after hearing that, switching his gaze between her and Newt because what???? just happened???

Newt would turn and cautiously walk over to Brenda, seemingly unable to take his eyes off of the cat’s leg. “we can’t keep her.”

“Really?”

“Not to be negative, but we’re currently planning a rescue mission. So yes, really.”

“That’s not what I was asking.”

Newt knew that. He still couldn’t help but be frustrated with himself and Brenda. He knew she was just trying to do something good. He’s having an internal battle with himself and Brenda just swoops in and forces him to confront what he’s trying to deny?????? thE nERVE

He really wants to keep the cat. But it wouldn’t be practical. They’d be doing the cat a favour by not taking her with them.

Newt would just grit his teeth, his eyes flicking from Brenda to the cat repeatedly before he comes to a consensus in his mind and moves to take the cat from Brenda, but she turns her body away before he can.“You don’t want to keep her, remember?” 

Brenda’s shit-eating smirk irritates Newt to no end but his chest has recently started to tighten at the sight

“Brenda,” Newt warns. Brenda would have so much fun teasing Newt like this and she would NOT let him talk to her that way

She obviously doesn’t listen to him 

“Decision made, we’re keeping this furball.” 

Newt’s clenched jaw would begin to feel uncomfortable so he’d start moving his tongue around like THAT in the death cure, because he isn’t used to people not listening to him or talking back. 

Newt won’t admit it but there’s a part of him that wants her to do it again. That desire is clawing its way to the surface and he keeps trying to push it back down like no, Newt, focus, this is not the time.

Brenda just walks away with that signature smirk on her face and his eyes burns a hole in the back of her head as they follow her out of the room because wOW she will be the death of him 

Brenda and Newt end up fighting over who gets to keep the cat

Thomas butts in “guys just-- both of you, take care of her.”

Newt and Brenda stand there, Newt’s hands freezing in mid air as he tries to take the cat from Brenda for the millionth time but she just isn’t having it. Newt’s eyes immediately travel to Thomas before look back at Brenda who is already silently analyzing him, both of their eyes narrowing like “........................................maybe....”

Thomas just waits impatiently as they continue to stare intently at one another and he wishes he could be Anywhere But Here but at the same time he wants to support his friends aka the people he’s secretly bi for so he tolerates their constant snarkiness and arguments 

sO More arguments commence after they agree to take care of the cat together and the most important questions arise: what’s her name? who will name her? 

When Brenda brings that up, she expects them to argue because she knows Newt wants to have a say in that. 

She’s sUPER shocked, lost for wORDS when Newt’s just like: “you name her.”

At this point Newt kind of likes her even though he won’t admit it to himself so that was a kind of immediate reaction and he tells himself “that doesn’t mean anything, i’m just being nice. it doesn’t mean anything.”

Brenda doesn’t name the cat anything.

They do however yell “hey” and/or call her “goldie” or “blue” sometimes because of her heterochromia if they need to get her attention

When the group is going over their rescue plans, the cat likes to curl up on the table on the corner of the map closest to Newt. She would nudge her head against his hand if she wanted attention and a small smile grow on his lips before he scratches the top of her head absentmindedly

Everyone is working on plans and Thomas keeps getting irritated because the cat keeps jumping up and attacking the pencil he’s holding. Brenda, on the other hand, gets distracted playing with her and she gets SO HAPPY. Newt’s heart would me l t and he too would get excited.

If the cat thinks that everyone is overworking themselves, she would get up from her spot next to Newt and plop down in the middle of the map. No one would protest (they all did at first, but got used to it as it kept happening) and disperse into different corners relax

Without realizing, because they’re exhausted, Newt and Brenda end up in the same corner. Their bad legs are tangled together and their arms also find each other at some point. The cat curls up by their bad legs.

If Brenda ever caught Newt’s eye she would never be the one to look away first. At the beginning, Newt would blush furiously as he tore his eyes away, but as this kept happening he found himself wanting to keep eye contact with her and soon Frypan or Thomas learned to say something that would force their attention away from each other

Frypan and Thomas sharing knowing smirks as Brenda and Newt sit petting the cat at the same time (rare occasion) and their fingers brush against each other’s

The cat would always cuddle up to Newt. She’ll let him rub her ears or twist her tail and does that kneading thing with her paws on his lap.

She’d sleep in Newt’s lap for the duration of their Plan meetings

She never stays with Brenda, and Newt teases her that their cat doesn’t like her. He tries to hand the cat over to her several times, but she either shoots straight back to Newt or clings to his clothing and doesn’t even let him make her leave his arms.

At night time, Newt and Brenda would sometimes have meaningful conversations and Newt tells her how worried he is for Minho’s safety and she tells him about George because they have learned to Trust each other

Newt and Brenda sharing a bed, the cat placing herself in the small space between their bodies. Sometimes between their heads and whoever doesn’t have her butt in their face laughs (usually Newt, because the cat likes to lick his face in the morning and tired Newt is just like “what is sand paper doing in our bed???” Brenda giggles -- actually giggles. Sharing Newt with this fluff ball might not be so bad.)

At safe haven, Newt would let Brenda wear his jacket. She loved wearing it and he loved seeing her in it. Sometimes they would drape his jacket over the cat on colder nights.

The cat started to place herself in Brenda’s lap more often after she saw the frequent fond gazes and touches shared between her and Newt...how they were reluctant to let go of each other and to not be in the same room together.  

All days wouldn’t be bad days, though. Sometimes Newt tries to give the cat to Brenda and she would still hop off immediately and go back to Newt so he would tease her and she would retaliate with her signature sass, 

“Aren’t you overdue for some Earl Grey, Kid?” Newt’s brows would furrow and he’d do that signature frown. “I’m older than you.” Brenda would wink and Newt would be unable to hide the smile that always seems to grow on his face whenever Brenda is in his line of sight.

Brenda, Newt, Thomas, Minho and Gally all shared a room together because neither of them wanted to let each other out of their sight ever again.

One day Brenda would accidentally let the name “Salamander” slip from her lips as she was absentmindedly stroking the cat’s fur, and she’d freeze in place. A nickname would come to her. Sala. She would sit deep in thought, and a small smile would slowly grace her lips.

“Oh, that’s why.”

OR if you want angst:

Sat by the fire in safe haven, Thomas reads Newt’s letter. A few benches away, Brenda sits in Newt’s jacket. A haunted look on her face. 

In her peripheral vision she can see the cat weaving between benches and several pairs of feet, but she doesn’t have the energy to look her way.

The cat finally weaves between Brenda’s boots, hops up onto her lap, and curls up into a ball. She stays. After weeks of refusing to name her, one pops into her head. 

Salamander. 

She repeats it to herself in a whisper made for her own ears, a certain British boy on her mind. “Sala.”

oh look i’m bi.

TEAM EFFORT ONCE AGAIN I LOVE YOU ALL SM, 

tagging: @newthomally @comebacknow @illuminateandrelate @overglorified-trash @glader-of-wicked @seaselkie @your-local-geek @harveylovesmike @demented-russian-empress-of-hell @bbbillys  <3 <3

vomit / don’t ship / ok / cute / adorable / sexy / perfect / beyond flawless / hot damn / screaming and crying / i will ship them in hell

Newt, who’d been irritable and distant, spoke for the first time since they’d sat down for the Gathering.