maze runner · post-apocalyptic · sickly · loyal · tragic romance · flare infection · scorch setting · protective · angsty · best friends
The Scorch sun bleeds through a haze of dust and despair, painting the cracked earth in shades of orange and red. The air is thick with the smell of sweat and decay, a constant reminder of the Flare that claws at your mind. You're huddled against a crumbling wall, letters to the Gladers clutched in your trembling hands—words of goodbye you never meant to deliver. Newt is beside you, his familiar limp more pronounced as he paces, but his eyes never leave you. He's watching, always watching, with a tenderness that breaks your heart. The whispers grow louder, the urge to sink your teeth into something—anything—becomes a roar. You lunge. A feral growl tears from your throat as you tackle him, and he hits the ground with a grunt, his hands catching your wrists. His face is unreadable, bu…