Chapter Text
You remember your first day very well.
Mainly because it was terrifying.
To all the other boys, the feeling of waking up in a box, with a group of strangers staring down at you with mocking grins was the terrifying thing. Sure, getting up and seeing a whole new environment, knowing nothing but your name - it was scary.
But you were scared by the shocked and confused faces of the group of boys who looked down at you. They seemed just as lost as you were - but at least they didn't feel isolated and opposed.
You were trapped in the box, and the most scared you've ever been - well, maybe the most scared you'd ever been. You couldn't remember much.
There were forty boys who'd come here before you - they were shoved up here, a month before you, as a group. They wandered together, lost and confused. No one remembered anything - save for their name, they were like empty shells, no sense of identity.
But the boys had fortified a group in the past month. They'd studied the maze after the first day had happened... they'd even lost some people to it. They were aimless at first but they were becoming a group. There were roles forming, and the boys had been having good days, as they worked together to build up shelter and grow and make food.
The boys could see you were terrified.
"This is where we came out from, yeah?"
"Are they gonna keep sending up more?"
"Ain't she a girl? Are girls gonna start coming up, too?"
"What are we gonna do with her though? We're not prepared for a girl."
"Alright, alright!" You flinched back as a boy jumped into the box you were in. There was nowhere for you to hide or run. If he was going to do anything, you were doomed. He turned back to the group of boys, waving his hand at them. "Move back you shanks, you're scaring the girl!"
The boys seemed to realize how close they were to the box, crowding up the place, so they took a few steps back, while still making sure to have a view of inside the box.
The boy who had just yelled at the others, turned to you and held up both of his hands when you pushed your back against the edge of the box. "Hey girl," he said, smiling. "I wanna give out my hand to help you up but you gotta trust me first, yeah? We're all in the same boat... or well, we were all in this same box, I guess. You can trust everyone here, but first... trust me, yeah?"
You eyed him warily. He didn't seem like he had any bad intentions - if anything, he seemed just as nervous as you, awaiting your reaction. "Can you remember anything?"
Some of the boys in the large group chuckled, but you could hear the dullness to their laugh. It was enough of an answer, even to your fogged up brain, but the boy smiled, a bit more relaxed as he shook his head. "Not a single thing - well, except my name. Remember your name yet?"
The boys waited as you thought for a moment. You frowned a little, shaking your head.
He shrugged, finally extending his hand. "Well, my names' Nick." He glanced down at your hand, and you followed his line of sight to your wrist. There were bands covering your wrists... they were hair ties. Only about ten, but all of them were a dark green colour. Whoever had gifted you those before you came up here seemed to be both thoughtful and cynical. They gave you hair ties sure, but the minute you dropped one, they'd probably blend into the ground.
Nick grinned. "Come on, greenie, I'll help you up." The other boys chuckled at the nickname you were gifted.
You grabbed onto his hand, letting him pull you up. The sudden rush of fresh air as you got up filled up your lungs. And it seemed to help your brain remember.
Your grip tightened on Nick's arm, your eyes widening as you remembered it. The boys overlooking you couldn't fight their smiles, or their chuckles as your face seemed to light up.
"Y/N! My name's Y/N!"
Some of the boys cheered at your exclamation and from the group of boys, one of the boys sneered at Nick. "She hated that nickname so much that she remembered her name!"
You giggled, nodding as you grinned at Nick. "Yeah, man, that sucked."
Okay. Maybe this wasn't too terrifying.
But if you were this guy, you'd be pretty scared.
Not just because he had a group of guys looking down at him - a much bigger group of guys. But because this group was more fortified than ever ... and they were older teenage boys - quite the scary group.
The boys grouped up around the box, waiting for the new guy to head up. Everyone had learned to expect a guy now. You were the only girl who'd ever ended up coming up. As the boys grew older, and the months had passed, they had kept getting disappointed - they wanted a pretty girl that wasn't obviously in love with someone already. By the tenth guy after you, all hope and been lost for a new girl.
It was determined that you were a mistake - how whoever put you in this situation would make such a mistake, you didn't know.
Zart looked back at you as you hung near the back. "You want a better view, Y/N?"
You shook your head, crossing your arms. "Nah, I'm good. I don't wanna see this one klunk his pants." You pat Chuck's back, as his ears turned red. "Give the kid a good view though! He should see what he looked like when he came up here."
Zart chuckled, pulling Chuck along to the front.
When the box finally opened up, Gally jumped in, pulling up the Greenie and slamming him up on the ground. As the boys surrounded the greenie, laughing at him, you walked around and jumped in the box, picking up and taking out the supplies that you'd gotten. You found the usual supply of cloth pads - you got two every month, to deal with your period - and shoved them into your pockets.
The boys suddenly yelped, cheering and calling out to the greenie. You hopped out of the box in curiosity, and peeked over to see the greenie running out to... well, he couldn't run anywhere, but there he went.
When he tripped over his own legs and face planted, the boys cheered even louder.
The greenbean slowly raised his head, seemingly taking everything in.
"Watch it there, Greenie!"
"Nice!"
The boys began to whoop and clap slowly, as the Greenie got up, looking around.
"Take it all in, you're gonna be here a while!"
Yeah. You sure had been.
Minho huffed out, as he fell back on his hammock, swinging slightly as he did so.
You grinned, from yours. "You're back."
"It seems so," he grunted, as he got comfortable, crossing his arms.
"What took you so long?"
Minho shrugged, closing his eyes. "You know... making the maps."
You sighed, leaning your head back. "I'm the keeper. You think I'd believe you?"
"Aren't you tired?" he huffed, turning his head away from you.
You grumbled under your breath, getting down from your hammock. Even in the dark, you noticed the way that Minho seemed to tense up when he heard your feet touch the ground. You stalked over to him.
"You know what I want to talk to you about."
"No, I don't."
"Minho..." you said, warningly. You were right at the foot of his hammock now. Minho peeked an eye open, made eye contact with you and quickly shut it close. "I didn't think that I'd be the one who talked to you about it, you know?"
Minho groaned, running a hand over his face. He was tired. Avoiding you all day was exhausting.
"Minho..." you whispered, as you were at the head of his hammock. "You kissed me."
"I know."
"Right after Frypan let loose about my 'undying love' for you."
"I know ."
"So, you should know that you can't leave me hanging like this."
Minho took a moment. You waited, holding your breath.
"Well, I'm the one hanging right now"-
You punched Minho's arm, making him yelp.
Nick peeked his head through the curtain that separated you and Minho from the hall to the boys' sleeping quarters. For courtesy, the boys decided that you deserved a different sleeping area. And for safety reasons, Nick, Newt and Alby agreed to have Minho watch over you. It was the one thing they could agree on.
"You two good?"
You smiled up at Nick. "Perfectly fine. But Minho seems like he doesn't wanna sleep here tonight."
Nick's eyebrows furrowed. "Really? I thought you'd get better sleep here but... I could switch with you tonight Minho."
Minho swallowed, before shaking his head. "Nah, I'm good. Y/N's just reading into things. You get some rest, Nick."
Nick nodded, moving behind the curtain. It took a few moments until you started to let out a sigh again - but this time, Minho grabbed the back of your head and brought it down, catching your lips for a second before parting.
You gaped at him. "Our kiss last night was so much better-!"
"I'm tired right now. I'll kiss you better tomorrow."