~Sara~

One particular morning, Sara was getting impatient waiting for Newt to show up. 

They'd usually wake up earlier than everyone to meet in the deadheads and pass the time before the heavy day of work ahead of them.

She heard the rustling of leaves but didn't see anyone when she quickly turned to look in all directions. A sudden fear grew inside her chest, and she was slowly starting to hyperventilate, right on the verge of panicking... which, in fact, she did.

"What do you think you're doing?!"

The scream this girl let out when she heard that voice was far from human as she bent down to pick up the first branch she could find to strike the shucking slinthead who—

"Whoa! Okay, my bad, I'm sorry—I'm sorry!"

Her vision slowly cleared up from the fight-or-flight episode as she stared at a significantly terrified Newt, shielding his face with his arms.

"That's quite a large branch you got there," he added nervously.

"Newt! I could literally kill you right now," she seethed, throwing her deadly weapon of a branch aside.

"With your bare hands?" he asked derisively, and Sara looked at her now empty hands in realization. The look she gave him immediately made him clear his throat. "Sorry, that was really stupid—I didn't mean to scare you that bad," he said, his hands still held out in defense of his poor self.

What did he want—to wake the whole Glade? They should've been safe given the dense vegetation in the deadheads, but one could never be too safe.

After a few seconds of looking at each other and only hearing the sound of their panicked breathing, Newt took a timid step forward.

"So... uh—how you doin'?" he asked, shifting on his feet and ruffling his hair.

"You mean before or after the induced heart attack?" Sara lowered her eyebrows before his mortified look caused her to giggle. "Hey, I'm fine now... did you—um... sleep well?"

"Yah... yah, I did. You?" he asked, switching his gaze to his fidgeting hands. He raised his eyes to her face, then he looked at his nails before bringing them up to his mouth to start nibbling on them. He tried to look back up at her, but his eyes seemingly lowered against his will.

"Yeah, I had a good sleep," Sara replied awkwardly.

Newt was definitely acting odd—aside from the fluster they both experienced from the unnecessary stunt he just pulled. She wanted to think this newfound nervousness was for the reason she hoped, but she wasn't sure.

She gave him an amused look as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Everything okay, Newtie?"

He was taken aback suddenly, staring at her as he stumbled over his words. 

"Yah—uh... why do you ask?" He smiled nervously as he kept messing with his hair to distract his hands.

"Stop doing that, it looks fine," said Sara, reaching out to his hair. She started smoothing the golden tufts out. His messy hair was something she particularly liked to see, but she needed any excuse to keep her from panicking at that point. She could swear she'd never felt like that before in her life.

Newt relaxed a bit, but she felt his burning stare as she concentrated solely on his hair. She felt tense, fearing she'd get hypnotized by his eyes if she dared look into them again.

"Sara," he softly called out to her. She stopped running her fingers through his hair for a moment, but then ignored him as she continued pulling and smoothing the stubborn strands.

"Sara." This time, he grabbed her wrists carefully, and slowly lowered her hands from his head.

"Yes?" she asked meekly, trying to calm down. He let go of her wrists immediately.

There was silence for a few seconds. It was awkward, but the scenery felt peculiarly peaceful and relaxing, especially with the morning breeze brushing against her face.

Newt's voice became quieter. 

"I... I just wanted to say that... even though things aren't the greatest for any of us, I'm... I'm glad you're here," he said. "You've been so good to me, Sara. Thank you," he added softly.

She grinned at him, a happy feeling bursting inside her chest. 

"I'm glad," she whispered, "You too. I've been happier, and not just because you're one of the few people who don't wanna feed me to the Grievers... anymore, at least."

He let out a soft little laugh. "Then why?"

She averted her eyes to the ground to hide the rising heat on her cheeks. 

"Well, you've been... so nice to me now, and we've gotten closer," she managed to say. "And... I kind of like that." She couldn't believe she was saying that.

"Is that... so?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.

She nodded. "I like that we talk each other out of our problems, and that you're always there; that you care. And... even when you're sad, you still keep going, and you worry more about other people. That's why everyone likes you, because of the type of person you are."

He smiled warmly, blushing slightly. "That's thanks to you. You pretty much got me up and going. I would've been bloody dead by now if you hadn't shown up, or if you hadn't insisted on helping me out when I couldn't accept that I needed it." He spoke in a steady, low tone of voice. The sound of it was comforting.

He suddenly reached out to stroke her cheek with incredible softness. His thumb grazed over it as she let out a soft breath. As much as she tried avoiding his gaze, the temptation overcame her, and she let herself get lost in it. It was as though she were entranced by a kaleidoscope that was moving in different patterns.

Sara couldn't fathom what was happening, until he suddenly cupped her cheeks and softly placed his lips on hers. Before she even had time to register what was going on, she gently pushed him away and turned away from him, breathing rapidly. She was certain he was just as stunned as she was, and she could only picture the look of embarrassment he must've had right then.

She flinched slightly once she heard his voice again. "I... I'm so sorry, Sara. I didn't mean—"

Sara immediately turned around and threw her hands around his neck, capturing his lips back on hers.

She felt foolish that she couldn't understand the feeling inside her chest. It had scared her to the point of rejecting the beautiful gesture from Newt the first time around.

Not the second time.

Newt was too confused to realize what she was doing, but then Sara felt his hands on her waist. This time, he intended not to let her break away from his touch. His lips began moving against hers, both having their own little waltz.

Was it an infantile desire? She couldn't tell. All she knew was that his lips were meant to kiss hers all along, and she'd been waiting for it to happen for years.

She smiled into the kiss, moving her fingers up through his hair and gently tugging on it. She could feel his lips mold into a smile, and she could hear him humming in content.

They pulled away gently, yet they were both out of breath. He rested his forehead against hers, and their noses rubbed against each other. He was still holding her waist as she placed her hands on his chest.

"So... you're not mad?" he asked with a husky voice. He sounded almost in a daze. Sara was in a dreamy state herself, but she chuckled at his reaction.

"No, I was pleasantly surprised," she replied, chuckling nervously.

He frowned, becoming serious. "I feel like I rushed you and that's why you pushed me away."

Sara shook her head repeatedly. "I was just being stupid. Sometimes I take time to admit what I'm afraid to admit."

The spark and humor returned to his eyes. "And what's that?"

Sara bit her lip as her cheeks went hot. "How much you've meant to me all this time, and I barely come to realize it now. All those arguments we used to have were just excuses... just so I could talk to you."

He stared at her in shock. "You know, now that you mention it, that was my excuse. I thought you hated me." He chuckled, shaking his head at her.

Sara started laughing, hiding her face in her hands. She felt stupid; they were both stupid.

"Actually..." he began, lifting her chin so she could look into his eyes. Sara was a bit nervous to hear his next words. "Back in the Maze, you shocked me, to say the least. Your persistence, your kindness, your personality—even your temper," he said, and Sara scoffed nervously. "They're all amazing. You're amazing. And—give me a break—you're so beautiful," he said that with so much conviction that Sara believed every word.

"You think?" she asked, her eyes beginning to tear up.

Newt nodded, looking down at her with genuine emotion in his eyes. He looked at her hair, then his eyes fell on her face, until they bounced back to her eyes. His eyes said everything. 

"I see hope when I look into your eyes," he said. "Bloody heck, you are perfect," he marveled, raising his eyebrows.

"I—I... I don't know what to say," she told him, fidgeting with her own hands until she gained the courage to reach out and stroke the side of his face with her thumb. "Everyone admires you—I assumed you were used to that kind of attention. I didn't want to be just one more person, especially when making you mad somehow made me think there was something wrong with me."

He looked surprised, but then he shook his head as he smiled at Sara. "No, don't say that. I was being a slinthead."

Sara smiled to herself. He had no idea how perfect he was. She knew she wasn't one to readily take a compliment, but he had no reason not to accept them. He wasn't pretentious; he was selfless and humble.

Newt's absence back at HQ had really affected her, and all that nostalgia disappeared as she went into the Maze and saw him again.

She only wished Newt could remember her prior to the Maze. Things would be simpler, and he would already know the truth about everything.

Pushing those thoughts aside, Sara sighed happily as she and Newt embraced each other, staying like that for a few more pleasant minutes.

"We should start heading back. We're gonna be late, and they're gonna wonder where we are," she said.

Newt gave her that look of longing; longing due to the twenty-four wait until they could be like that again. Neither of them wanted the moment to end, but as Newt looked into Sara's eyes, he knew she was right. They had to go.

Sara gave his hand a reassuring squeeze, letting him know that they'd meet again soon. That the wait wouldn't be too long. For now, they had to go back to work in the gardens, satisfied at least with the usual stolen glances thrown at each other.