Thomas did want to leave, he couldn't deny that. The reasons had so little to do with Darrow itself and so much to do with what he'd left behind, with the guilt that he couldn't seem to forget no matter how hard he tried. It was the Flare, running loose in his head, while the cure sat somewhere beyond the Scorch, waiting for him. For them.

Darrow was infinitely better than the barren world he'd left. He wanted to want to stay. He wanted to take a deep breath in the morning and know that it wouldn't be the last thing he ever did. He wanted so much.

"Next time, I'll tell you a secret," Thomas promised, making that choice right now. Someone needed to know and there wasn't anyone that came close to Derek in Thomas's mind. He'd tell him. He'd tell Derek and he'd prepare himself for any reaction that might happen. "Win or lose. I promise."