Newt now had himself a real problem. He thought that maybe by telling the girl he now shared a room with that she made him feel better, she would understand what he truly meant. But, that didn't seem to be the case. She still treated him like her best friend. A couple of days had passed and the second bed hadn't yet been built because of Gally's injured hand, but Newt wasn't complaining.

When the sun breaking through the window of his room in the homestead woke him, Newt found the space where the girl should be to be empty. The past couple of days, he had been the one to wake her, but instead, this morning the bed was cold and devoid of her presence. And he could feel it.

Not even at breakfast did he find her sitting in the usual spot. It upset him, and caused the worry inside to begin to grow for no apparent reason.

Handing his dishes to Frypan, he spoke up. "You seen Y/N this morning?" Newt asked, trying to sound nonchalant but knew he probably looked frantic.

"Came early for breakfast and headed over to the medjack hut." Frypan said before whipping around and saving a falling plate. "Why you so worried?"

"Nothin." Newt shook his head violently, pursing his lips. He stood awkwardly for a moment in front of Frypan before finally departing.

The Glade was beginning to warm with the rising sun and everyone could tell is was going to be unbearably hot. It was a regular occurrence, but it didn't mean the Gladers enjoyed the scorching sun. The runners nearly always came back early with a case of heat exhaustion and hardly got any work got done. The medjack hut got overrun, and by the looks of it, they already had a visitor this morning. Newt limped as quickly as possible towards the hut, seeing as Gally had just entered. By the time the builder was sat down and having the bandages around his hand unwrapped, Newt had found the girl.

"Considering you punched that tree pretty hard, your hand doesn't look too bad." Y/N said surprisingly, smiling at Gally. Newt knew she was glad to see Gally's injuries healing fast, but that small smile being directed towards someone else enraged him.

"Think I'll finally be able to get that bed built for you today." Gally laughed lightly as Y/N wiped away some of the dried blood and began to apply a new bandage.

"No you won't." Newt stepped forwards out of the corner of the room and met Y/N's eyes immediately who were wide with shock. He wondered why, and then realized he had been standing in the room for a few minutes without anyone noticing.

"Why not, shank? Aren't you two sharing? I don't even get a thank you?" Gally snapped and tried to stand, but Y/N gripped his hand and raised a brow, almost as if to say 'don't try that here.'

"You won't be working when you're injured." Newt demanded.

"Newt, he seems to be alrigh—" Y/N began before being cut off completely.

"I said he won't be working until he's healed!" Newt snarled. "Don't need him hurting himself more."

"So why do you care all the sudden, Newt? I've hurt myself before, but you told me to keep working." Gally asked suspiciously.

Truth was, Newt wasn't all that concerned about Gally. The builder was tough and Newt knew he would keep working no matter what. Building was the one thing that kept Gally sane here, and everyone knew better than to tell him to stop. But Newt didn't want that second bed built. It was the one thing keeping him close to Y/N and didn't want it taken away now, especially after just a few days. Never once in the past few years had he seemed to actually sleep, but with her, he did.

"I do care—" Newt mumbled in frustration. "Just build something else of higher priority."

Gally looked to the second in command confused. "Alby put the bed on the top of my list."

"Well scratch the bloody thing off!" Newt shouted and Y/N tapped Gally's shoulder, signalling for him to leave.

"Just take it easy, Gally." Y/N smiled kindly and then turned her attention to Newt who paced back and forth beside the cot, hands running through his hair.

"What's—" Before Y/N could even ask what was going on, Newt escaped out of the hut door hurriedly, realizing his mistake. He'd made a fool of himself and knew it.

Ridden with embarrassment, Newt tried his best to remain out of sight for the rest of the day. He worked in the thick of the gardens and ate his lunch later than the rest of his friends. There was no explaining what he'd done and said to Gally, and he certainly wasn't ready to face Y/N. Was he supposed to lie and say that there were other more important things for the builders to attend to? Or was he to simply say that he didn't want that second bed built?

Dinner was inevitable and he knew it. He knew he'd have to face his friends who surely knew about the incident because Gally ought to have told everyone. Though, he was a leader here, and needed to prove that. He needed to admit to his wrongs. Instead of sitting with Thomas, Minho, and Y/N like he usually did, Newt headed over to the table of builders. He sat at Gally's side, earning looks of disbelief from each and every one of the Gladers.

"I'm sorry, Gally." He apologized sadly. "I shouldn't have gotten so upset."

Gally let a smirk rise on his face. "It's alright, shank." He paused to look away for a moment and then right back again. "Your secrets safe with me." He winked. Gally might have been a hotheaded person who was known for taking his anger out on others, but he was also awfully mischievous. Newt feared the builders cunning side more than his aggressive one.

"What secret?" Newt asked, trying to play off the situation.

Gally scoffed with a mouthful of food. "Sharing a room... you've suddenly ordered I don't build a second bed for shebean... hmmm." He smiled cunningly causing Newt to lower his head in embarrassment.

"We're limited on supplies. A second bed isn't a priority." The blonde muttered as he stood up with his plate. Newt could care less if Gally was on his case. But if someone like him could figure it out, Y/N probably already had too.

"Newt!" Minho yelled from a few tables away. The boys entire body tensed at his name. He was going to make a break for it to the deadheads. Slowly, he looked over his shoulder with a weak smile, avoiding Y/N's gaze entirely.

"Get over here!"

Luckily, as Newt approached, he could see a map of the maze laid out on the table, the three of his friends looming over it. He sat down beside Thomas, which left a body between him and Y/N. Sitting there the entire time, Newt hardly spoke up. He had ideas about the maze and what was being discussed, but he was too afraid of drawing any attention to himself around Y/N. The inattentiveness he'd worked so hard to maintain seemed to fail because he'd fallen so deep into it. A light tap came at his shoulder which sent a small shock through his entire body.

"We're going to finish up in the map room, wanna come?" Y/N asked, both Minho and Thomas waiting for her to follow.

"Ah—No, I've got to help Alby—with ah—" He stuttered, scrambling for words.

Y/N laughed lightly with a sympathetic look on her face. He was probably tired considering he had to be out in the awful heat all day. "Alright, we'll see you at the bonfire." She patted his shoulder, sending yet a mother jolt of electricity though him before walking away. Newt would have said yes, but he wasn't sure he'd make it to that fire tonight.

And, sure enough, he didn't. After the sweltering day, his energy was completely drained and he found himself ambling around the dark Glade alone. Getting a piece of isolation in this place felt impossible most days, so Newt took advantage of the time while he could. At the bonfire, Newt's presence was missed, even though he never spoke much at them.

"Where's grumpy?" Minho asked, leaning over Y/N's shoulder. She sat against a log with Thomas, discussing the maze.

"Not sure?" She shrugged.

"Well go find him?" Minho demanded boldly. He'd obviously drank a little too much.

"Alright." Y/N snickered at her seemingly drunken friend and disappeared into the Glade. If he was anywhere, Y/N knew it would be the watchtower, a place far away from everyone else. She made her way up quietly, and as expected, found the blonde boy sitting on the edge of the wooden architecture with his feet dangling over the edge.

"Feeling tired?" She asked softly, making her way over and sitting down beside him.

Newt let out a defeated sigh and pursed his lips. "I don't remember the feeling of not being tired, love." He paused before continuing. "Not until I started spending more time with you."

"Hmm. I must make an awful good Medjack." Y/N laughed. Newt smiled, but it was weak. That wasn't what he meant.

"So, what was going on with Gally today?" She asked. "Is everything ok?"

Newt clenched his jaw and ran a hand over his mouth in discomfort. "I'm fine." He muttered. The last thing he wanted to seem towards Y/N was cold or irritated, but he'd done just that. For Newt, it seemed like he always did the opposite of what he wanted when around her. It felt like he was losing his mind, but not necessarily in a bad way.

"Do you want me to leave?" Y/N asked, suddenly turning downcast.

"What?" Newt snapped. "No! Of course not! That's the absolute bloody opposite of what I want!" He raised his hands, stopping her from getting up. He had a chance now. The rest of the Gladers were settled for the night, and the chances of anyone spontaneously injuring themselves now was low. If someone were to interrupt, though, he'd probably lose it.

"Ok... I'll stay?"

"Yeah." Newt muttered. "Look, I know you know I've never felt...well, good. But I want you to know that when I picture myself being happy—when I am happy—it's not just because of you and what you do." He looked to the girls dark eyes which he had himself convinced he could see the reflection of the stars in.

"I see myself happy because I'm with you. You're the single best shuck thing that's happened to me in this place."

Y/N, just as he feared, remained silent. Each breath he took seemed to fail to take in oxygen, his heart beat unevenly, and every nerve in his body fired. Suddenly, something else inside of him took over.

"I know I really shouldn't be in love with you, especially in this horrible place, but I can't not be."

A small smile spread across Y/N's face and she giggled lightly, a blush spreading across her face. Newt's stomach dropped because he had himself convinced she was laughing at him, laughing at what he'd said.

"So that's why you freaked out at Gally! You don't want that second bed made!" She poked his chest teasingly.

Newt tried to hide his flustered face, even though the darkness did that job just fine.

"Why didn't you just say anything? You could have just told me—"

"Because I'm a bloody idiot!" Newt grunted in frustration, running his hands through his messy hair. "I was too afraid to say it!" He admitted.

"Newt—" Y/N said sternly, breaking his arms away from his head, forcing him to look her in the eyes. "It's ok."

"No it's not—I always say the wrong thing, and look at the shuck mess I've put us in. All of the boys are wondering why I'm acting so strange—" He grumbled. "I never should have said anything. You probably hate me."

"Well, hate to break it to you, I don't." Y/N shook his shoulders, trying to snap him out of the ever tightening cycle of his awful thoughts. "I love you too, Newt."

It took a second for those words to actually filter through Newt's mind. Those were the three words he'd been trying to muster up the past few days but never could. Luckily, Y/N was smart, and could tell that was what he meant amidst everything else he'd said. When they finally did sink in, he felt as if he'd been struck down by a bolt of lightning, but this time, the thunder which sounded after didn't scare him.

"How could you love someone like me?" He asked halfheartedly.

Y/N pondered for a moment. "Because you're you." She said softly. "We've been through a lot here. But you've held up a brave face through it all, and held everyone else together. Like Alby said, you're the most reasonable shank here." Y/N laughed as she intimidated Alby's deep, booming voice.

Newt smiled. Finally sent the girl a smile he would consider real. Tomorrow, he would have to worry about explaining to Gally that the real reason he didn't want that bed made. But, for now, he could lay here beneath the dark sky with Y/N at his side, contently staring at the stars.