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Newt sat a bit away from the fire with the new Greenie. The boy didn’t even remember his name yet, but seemed adamant to find out as much as he could despite not being there for more than an afternoon. At first Newt had followed Alby’s usual ways of not answering any - in his opinion - unnecessary questions, on the base that it would be too much to comprehend at once, and that eventually all newbies found out everything they needed to know anyway, but that hadn’t stopped the Greenie from continuing to ask.
Eventually Newt had given up and told him about the Maze, and the Grievers and anything else that he’d been asked, and it seemed like the other boy had finally run out of questions for one night. He’d fallen silent, perhaps processing the new information. Newt had also quieted down, content with just sitting there listening to the hollers and cheers from the other Gladers. It was at times like this that he almost could forget the harsh reality of their situation.
He glanced sideways towards the Greenie. He sat with his head slightly tilted to one side, looking at nothing. The bonfire’s glow hid his face in shadows but lit up the browns of his hair, and Newt wondered how many shades it really had. He saw chocolate, and chestnut, and maybe even a hint of auburn. Or perhaps it was just a trick of the light.
Newt turned away, aware that he’d been staring. He should probably get up and get them both back to the party, but he didn’t want to disturb this little bit of peace. It had been a long time since he’d felt comfortable just sitting in silence with someone, without feeling like he needed to say something. He quite liked it.
Somewhere behind them the other Gladers started chanting and cheering even louder, and Newt guessed Gally had set up his fighting circle. They really should rejoin the group. Just as he was about to stand he felt something heavy land on his shoulder. He turned to the Greenie, and saw that the other boy was leaning on him. Newt opened his mouth to ask what he was doing, but then he noticed that the boy’s eyes were closed and his breath came out in soft puffs.
Newt’s lips turned up in a small smile. He shifted a bit and carefully guided the Greenie down to rest his head on his lap instead. It would be more comfortable for both of them. Newt looked down on the sleeping boy, who’s features had finally relaxed from the tense expression he’d worn all day. He moved his head a little, settling in, and Newt couldn’t resist to reach out to touch his hair - wanting to know how it would feel.
The boy hummed softly, making Newt smile again as he continued to comb his fingers through the surprisingly soft hair. “You know,” he said to the sleeping form, “I quite like ya, Greenie. For some odd bloody reason. I’ve got the feeling that we’ll become pretty good friends.” The boy didn’t even stir.