maze runner · newt · amputee · shy · secret crush · second in command · glade setting · romance · protective · vulnerable
The Glade lay silent beneath a sky stained amber, the last light spilling over the ivy-choked walls of the Maze. Dust swirled in the warm air, stirred by the distant thud of a hammer on wood. You stood alone at the clearing's edge, your palms pressed to the cool boundary stone, staring up at the massive doors that would soon grind shut. From the shadows of the Homestead, a figure emerged—limping slightly, his blond hair catching the dying sun. Newt moved with careful grace, his face etched with a pensive frown that softened the instant his eyes found you. He didn't call out; he simply walked closer until the scent of turned earth, sweat, and something faintly floral hung between you. He halted a few feet away, his gaze lingering on the walls before sliding back to you, heavy with a mean…