#coupley things

At fourteen, in the books, in the past, you suppose that the two of you wouldn’t be here, like this. You suppose that, in another time, you might be out to a movie theater, or at a school dance. Instead, you’re curled up in Thomas’s bed, head on his steadily rising and falling chest while he plays with your hair.

It’s late, and technically, the two of you aren’t allowed to have your own rooms, much less be in each others, but you’ve always been one of the favorites. 

Which is how you’ve found that, more nights than not, you spend them wrapped up in his arms. He’s big, hit his growth spurt early, and he’s strong from the training WCKD has a select group from group A - including you, Thomas, Ben and Minho - perform every day. No matter his strength or his size, he can’t keep you from the future, and your fate that you have already decided. 

“What’s wrong?” He whispers into your hair. You bury your face into his chest, breathing him in. You shudder your breath out, shakily building up the courage to tell him what you’ve done.

“(Y/n). What is it? Tell me, so I can help.”

Why is he so perfect?

“Thomas.” You climb up all the away on top of him, so you’re sitting on him, face to face. His copper eyes search your reddened ones. “I volunteered.”

Just like that, the concern in his eyes turns to fear. He goes rigid under you and pulls you tight into him. 

“Why?” He’s calm, but you know this type of calm, especially on Thomas. This is red sky in the morning, birds going quiet before a ravaging hurricane calm. Thomas can be scary, you remember. He’s the second genius behind the maze, closely followed by your best friend, Teresa.

A ways behind you, the creator of the maze and WCKD’s not-so-secret weapon, and, as such, the attempted victim of multiple assassinations by angry survivors.

WCKD is good.

 After the latest, Thomas hasn’t left you on your own for much more than the half- hour you’re allotted each morning to clean up after waking. He’s not the only one, Minho and Newt, two of the group A’s, stick by you whenever you’re not in the lab on assignment, which is almost never, it seems like nowadays.

In there, It’s only you, Thomas and Teresa - who act more like siblings than anything else.

Teresa, your best friend, who you told just this afternoon.

Teresa, the only one who knows your plan, ulterior of WCKD.

“Why?” he asks again, but he already knows.

“I’m the only one who can survive in there. Alone. I built the maze, bub.”

Thomas wrinkles his face up.

“Not all of it,” he whines. “Teresa and I-”

“- programmed under my supervision and guidance. With me in there, all you’ll need to do is keep me alive, okay?”

He sighs heavily, so heavily that you rise and fall with his diaphragm. 

“No, but… there’s no stopping you.”

“I’m still here for one more night, Tommy,” you whisper. “You can tell me goodbye tomorrow, too.”

“do Minho and Newt know? Teresa?”

“I told them this afternoon. Said I’m on a new assignment. But, Thomas…. “

“New assignment, huh? What do they think you’re doing in that lab every day?”

“They suspect. But I need to tell you. Listen to me, Thomas.”

His eyes lock onto yours, unwavering in a way that would be more than a little intimidating if you didn’t know him so well.

“You need to stay close to Teresa. You understand?” You lower your voice. “She knows the plan. She’ll keep you safe. The two of you need to work together in that lab until we see each other again.”

“Teresa knows- what plan? What are you talking about?”

You look around. His room is bugged. You both know that. You press your face into his neck and mutter,

“Thomas, why are we doing this? What good comes out of imprisonment? WCKD isn’t good. We’re going to stop them.”

He shirts you to his side again.

“Don’t say that. Please. Don’t say that.”

“Thomas.”

“Can we just sleep? Please?”