could you possibly do a platonic gladers thing where reader was the first to come out of the box? like they came up with the note like teresa but “the first” if that makes sense 😭 anyway the reader is just sort of a parental figure to everyone? whatever gender you’d like to put and scenarios, the thought just popped in my head. ofc do this only if you’d like to!! pls don’t feel obligated!! love ur work <333 /p
HI LOVE THIS!! Thank you for the request ❤
Everyone loves Y/n
Platonic gladers x gender neutral!reader, set during tmr (movieverse)
3k - longish fic but worth it if you love platonic love 🫶
Warnings: discussions of Newt's suicide attempt; but more like the recovery after it, still please take care everyone, also language warning
1. Alby
You're the first one. Welcome.
You stuff the crinkled note back in your pocket just as you've done so many times before, re-examining it and hoping for some clue as to why you're stuck in here alone.
Except- you're not alone anymore.
The boy stands beside the Box, staring around the same way you did when you first climbed out, exactly 30 days ago.
Come on, Y/n. Time to go. You take a deep breath, resolving yourself, and you step out from where you'd been standing hidden in the trees.
The guy notices you immediately and takes a defensive stance, understandably hostile and scared. "Who are you? Don't come any closer!"
"Woah, hey," you raise your arms nonthreateningly, continuing to move slowly towards him. "It's alright."
"Where am I?" demands the boy.
"To be honest, I haven't got a clue," you tell him. "But you've got no idea how happy I am to see you."
His eyes narrow. "What?"
You shrug. "I thought I'd be alone here, forever."
At his silence, you continue. "So I've been here for a month. I was sent up in this Box, like you, with a bunch of resources and... hey, they've sent more stuff," you say happily, peering into the Box.
"Alright listen man," you say. "I don't really have answers for you, but I did start developing a routine for how to live here, and I'd love for us to work together."
The boy holds your gaze for a second, before giving a single nod.
You let out a sigh of relief. "Great, wonderful. I'm Y/n, by the way." You stick out your hand to shake. "Oh- memories. Your name is all you get, everything else is gone. But hey, let's make new memories here, together." You flash a cheesy grin and clap the guy on the shoulder.
You don't know how someone conveys sarcasm in a single look, but the new guy manages it just fine.
2. Minho
"Here, this way- shit."
You turn the corner and see the wall sliding into place, sealing off your exit.
"Which way now?" asks Minho, fear evident in his voice.
"Uh- that was already my backup route," you say honestly, backing away from the closed wall. "Just follow me, we'll find another way back."
You start down a lane, moving faster now, admittedly guessing your way through the paths and taking turns on instinct, aiming for the vague direction of the Glade.
Somewhere across the Maze a Griever lets out a screech.
"Yeah, okay," you mutter. Shuck. "In here, quickly," you direct, pushing Minho ahead into a smaller lane.
"Alright, here's the deal." You squat down, forcing Minho down with you, and keeping your voice low. "If I'm right, we're close to the Glade now. There should be a right turn at the end of the path next to us now, then a left and a straight shot back to the Glade."
"What if you're not right?" hisses Minho, wincing at the Griever's screech.
"Then we're dead," you say flatly. "Cause that Griever's in the same direction we're going. By the sound of it, we'll be running the path right beside it's lane."
"What."
"Look, Minho. Do you trust me?"
He hesitates, before; "Yes, fine. Let's go."
You shoot him a grin, patting his shoulder. "Perfect. Follow me, stay close."
You run through the route you'd explained to Minho, feeling your blood chill as you get closer to the Griever, its screeches becoming deafening.
You turn to check on Minho, who gives you a firm nod despite the terror you can see in his eyes.
The two of you turn into the final stretch, separated from the Griever by a single wall, and you sprint back to the Glade, heart pounding in your chest.
You collapse into the grass, breathing heavily as Minho falls in beside you.
"What the hell happened to you two?" demands Alby, running up to you and Minho.
You sit up. "Maze changed, and there was a Griever near the Glade," you explain. "Too near."
"Bloody hell," says Newt, hands balanced on his hips. "Are you sure this was a good idea?"
So far you and Alby have been the only people to enter the Maze. Today was meant to be a beginner's run for Minho, your newest Glader and technically the Greenie even though he's never acted like it. You wanted to build a team of Runners, to see if more people could help with searching for an exit.
You look to Minho, still bent over in the grass. "Let's talk in the hut," you say, patting his arm.
"What did you think?" you ask, after you've both gotten water and a few minutes to let the adrenaline fade.
Minho flicks his gaze up at you, before dropping it. "I freaked out. I don't think I'm cut out for this Runner klunk."
You hum softly, tapping on the table Gally had lovingly built and sanded until it shone. "Do you think everyone was immediately good at their jobs?"
"Running is different," responds Minho, dodging the question.
"You were fast," you say. "I think you'd beat any of us in a race if we bothered to test it out. And you've got a level head, which is the most important thing when you're in the Maze."
You lean forward. "But you also need the guts to set foot in the Maze in the first place. And Minho, you were the first volunteer to run with me today. That's exactly the bravery we need in Runners."
You're met with silence. "If I asked you to be a Runner," you say quietly. "Would you say yes?"
"You could be asking the wrong person," hedges Minho.
"I don't think so," you say.
"I- why? Why me?"
"Because I believe in you," you say simply. "I think you could do it."
The silence stretches as you wait for Minho's response. Then; "Okay, I'll do it." He gives you a nod, expression resolving.
You sit back, a mock-thoughtful expression on your face. "I mean, I said if I asked you, this was really more hypothetical-"
"Y/n, I swear-"
You let out a laugh, and Minho rolls his eyes at you, grinning.
3. Newt
Overtime, the Gladers have grown into a wider community, with new jobs and groups slowly added.
Alby steps into the leader position and you move into your gardening job, as well as mentoring the Medjacks on the side. You tend to pick up a little of every job, passing what you know to newly formed groups until they can develop on their own.
Minho's grown far beyond what you could have expected from him, moving on to memorising routes, constructing a scarily detailed Map, and hand-picking the new Runners.
Newt becomes a Runner too, and you almost lose him.
They're some of the worst memories you'll ever have, that day Minho ran in in the freezing morning, screaming for help. The Medjack hut was finished literally a day before, and the Medjacks themselves were barely trained to patch up the Slicers. So everyone turned to you... And you were so, so, out of your depth.
You'd built a temporary brace for your own twisted ankle from your first month alone in the Glade, but for this you were completely unqualified and unprepared.
It’s been months now, with Newt slowly healing overtime. You worked with the Medjacks to set up a few movement drills, but it’s been painstakingly slow progress.
“I want to try walking again.”
You lift your gaze to Newt in the dark. “Now?”
“I wanna go outside.”
You hesitate.
“Come on, Y/n, I barely got five steps in today before Jeff made me sit down again. I’m fine, I promise.”
“You’re fine when the Medjacks say you’re fine,” you reply.
“The Medjacks don’t know shit,” retorts Newt. “They’re just making stuff up as they go. That’s what we’ve all been doing.”
“I trust them,” you say steadily. “Alby and I chose them for a reason.”
“Y/n, can you please just let me outside.”
You let out a breath. “Fine. Take your crutches.”
You don’t go far; the ground is too uneven and the crutches slip in the grass. You end up dropping them near the top of a hill.
“Here, let’s sit.”
You reach a hand out to Newt, which he thankfully takes, letting you help him down so you’re both lying back on the grass, facing up at the night sky.
“It was a good idea,” you say, breaking the silence. “I get why you wanted to come out.”
"Yeah," says Newt. He jerks his chin upwards. “The stars, they’re what I’m here for.”
You tip your head back, following Newt’s eye line. “You know, my first night here, I hadn’t built a place to sleep. I just lay on the ground like this, looking up at the stars.”
Newt shifts, moving one hand to point upwards. "I recognise most of the constellations," he tells you.
"Really?"
"Yep. That's Orion, right there. And over there is Gemini. And that star is Sirius, in Canis Major."
You search your mind for a hint of a memory, trying to call up knowledge you might have had before being put here.
"It's all bullshit," says Newt.
You turn to him in surprise.
"The stars," he says, still staring upwards. "None of them should be arranged like that, the constellations wouldn't be that close, or even in the same area, if this was real."
"Oh," you say, voice soft.
Newt lets out a flat laugh. “I don’t know why they let me keep this knowledge, when they’ve taken everything else away.”
He sits up, eyes flicking down to you. “…sorry.”
You shake your head, sitting up and turning to face him. “It’s okay. I’d rather you say this stuff than keep it bottled up.”
“Right,” says Newt. “I guess we should… get back to the hut.”
Neither of you move to get up.
“Newt,” you say. You face forward, resting your arms loosely around your knees.
”Yeah?”
“Please stay with us,” you say, voice quiet. You turn to him, letting go of your legs to gently take his hands. “We need you, I- we- okay, let me just-” You take a deep breath. “Listen, we’re gonna get out of here some day. And I want to sit with you under real skies, with real stars, so you can tell me each and every constellation you see. Cause I know your nerdy ass studied all of them in another life, and I don’t know, when we run out, we can just... make up new ones? I think that’s something I want to do with you.”
“Yeah, okay- yes. Okay.” Newt’s eyes are wet, and he squeezes your hands right back.
“And talk to us,” you continue. “When you’re struggling, or hurting, or… anything. Just talk to us, Newt. Please. We need you, and we care about you, so much.”
“I’ll try, I’m trying.”
“That’s all I’m asking,” you say.
“God, okay,” you start, after staying there under the stars for a while. “Look at us. Let’s get back in the hut, c’mon.”
You help him up, handing him his crutches.
“So, we’re trying,” you say, looking Newt in the eye.
“Yes, we’re trying.”
You get the smallest of smiles from him, and count it as the biggest win.
4. Gally
"First he breaks all our rules, then he tries to convince us to abandon them entirely? These rules have held us together for years, why are we questioning them now?"
You frown slightly, taking in Gally's words from your seat at the back of Council Hall.
"If Alby was here, he'd agree with me, and you know it."
You watch pain flicker across Newt's face for a second, before he speaks. "Let's take a break. I want Minho, Gally, and Y/n in here, the rest of you just give us ten minutes."
As the others clear out, you join the three in the centre of the room.
"Newt, this really isn't complicated. That shank broke our rules, and he needs to be punished," says Gally.
Newt sighs, and you notice how tired he looks. He needs Alby. "You're not wrong, Gally, but..."
"Y/n, what are you thinking?" asks Minho, jerking his chin at you as Newt trails off.
You raise your eyebrows. "You know I have no say in this, Min. I'm not a Keeper, or any kind of leader. I'm pretty much just here to watch the meetings."
"Seriously, Y/n?"
"Fine," says Newt. "Then suppose we're asking you as friends asking a friend, not as a council leaders or Keepers."
"I don't-"
"Just speak, Y/n," says Gally exasperatedly.
"I- alright, the idea that Newt's having right now, mine's the same."
"Well, we'd love to hear it from your mouth," says Minho drily.
"Yeah Y/n, what am I thinking?" Newt crosses his arms, lifting a brow.
You sigh. "Punish Thomas for breaking the rules, but make him a Runner."
"You can't be serious," says Gally immediately.
Newt shrugs. "They're right, that's what I was thinking."
"I'm down to train him," says Minho. "I think he'd make a good Runner."
"Good. Call the Council back in then, we'll make the announcement."
"You're making a mistake," says Gally angrily. "Tell the others without me." He storms out as the rest of the Keepers file in.
"Gally-"
"Nah, Fry."
"I got him," you say, nodding at Frypan.
"You're alright," you whisper as you brush past a stressed-looking Thomas. You squeeze his shoulder reassuringly, and he gives you a small smile of gratitude.
You shut the door behind you, chasing Gally down as he storms into his hut.
"Gally wait-"
"I don't want to hear it, Y/n."
He slams his door shut, closing you out. You sigh, and let yourself in.
"Get out of my hut, Y/n."
"Stop, Gally," you say sharply. "Just listen."
Miraculously, he stays quiet, leaning back on the wall and crossing his arms.
"I... I know you're scared, Gally."
"What-"
"Oh my god, just hear me out," you huff, rolling your eyes. "Okay, so yes, we just got attacked by Grievers, right here in the Glade. And yeah, it's probably linked to Thomas. And- yes, making him a Runner and letting him pretty much just fuck around and find out could put us in danger. ...But he's also the closest we've ever been to understanding the Maze and this whole place. I think he's the key to getting us out of here."
You sit down on Gally's bed, gesturing for him to sit down beside you. He lets out a huff, but reluctantly takes a seat.
You look him in the eye. "Gally I've been here for three years, and it's great. We've built a structure, a life, a goddamn society. But I really, really want to see the outside world."
Gally scrubs a hand over his face, dropping his gaze. "Yeah, I know, Y/n. I'm just- I'm trying to keep everyone safe. Newt and Minho are blinded by this hope, they're believing too much in one guy who's been here for literal days."
"I know, I know. But we need to take that risk, if we want to get out of here, alright?"
Gally sighs, then nods. "Yeah, fine."
"I'm gonna help Thomas, and Newt and Minho in whatever plans they make."
You hold out your fist. "Promise me you'll follow the plans we make, and stick with us. Don't... you know, make your own group and stay here and get killed, or whatever you were planning to do."
Gally rolls his eyes at you, and reluctantly brings his fist up to knock against yours, following through with the handshake the two of you used to do after building something, back when you used to help out with the other jobs. "Yeah, yeah, we get it Y/n. You've been here the whole time, you know us sooo well, you can read our minds."
You grin widely. "Damn right I can."
5. Thomas (everyone loves Y/n)
"Do you think this'll work?" asks Thomas, chewing on his lip worriedly.
"Of course it will," you say. "Have a little faith in your plan, Thomas. You don't need approval from me."
Thomas huffs out a laugh. "Thanks. It's nice to hear you're confident, though."
You raise your eyebrows, smiling a little confusedly. "I mean, I'm glad my support motivates you."
Thomas squints his eyes at you. "Y/n, you know you're like... super respected, right?"
"Yeah?"
"Yeah, everyone looks up to you. You don't notice the way people turn to you in tense situations and stuff? You're kinda like an understated leader, I guess."
"Ah, right." You smile at him. "It's cause I was the first person here, which I do get credit for, I don't know why. Totally underserved, Alby's the one who built this place."
"Bullshit." You turn in surprise as Minho walks in, Newt following behind him.
"What?"
"Undeserved credit, my ass," says Minho, crossing his arms. "If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't be a Runner."
"Yeah," says Newt, coming over to your side. He props an elbow on your shoulder, grinning at the frown you send him. "And you know what," he says quietly. "If it wasn't for you, I might not even be here."
You smack his arm. "Don't even say-"
"Gally, tell Y/n we love them," interrupts Minho.
"Huh?" Gally lifts a brow, before nodding. "Yeah, everyone loves you, man. Don't take it personally. If it wasn't for you, I probably wouldn't even be on board with this plan right now."
"Ugh-" you pinch the bridge of your nose.
Thomas leans in. "Told you so."
"God, let's just do the plan. Let's go, everybody out," you say hurriedly, shoving Newt out, ignoring Minho's snickers.
You stand between Minho and Gally as Thomas and Newt explain the plan to the Gladers, feeling yourself surrounded by friends; family.
Time to get out of here.
The end chapter is cheesy but I love it thank you for reading <3333
