Trapped - Gally x Reader - TMR

26. Loner

He was asleep, his back to me. I hesitated, standing there like an idiot. What the hell was I even doing?

But I couldn't be alone. Not tonight. I hated being vulnerable. But with him.. with him it was fine.

So I slipped under the blanket, curled up next to him, and shut my eyes.

For a few seconds, nothing happened. Then, he moved.

His voice was hoarse with sleep. "(Y/n)?"

I didn't answer.

His back was still turned to me.

Cold.

Like he didn't care. Like I wasn't even there.

But I stayed. I buried my face into his back. My voice was small when I finally spoke. "I still see him."

Nothing.

"He's still out there."

Silence.

"Don't push me away now."

Then, a slow exhale. "Maybe Thomas can comfort you."

I flinched.

So that was it.

"You want me to comfort you now? Where was that when you were in his arms?"

I pulled back slightly. "That's why you're mad?"

Still, nothing.

"You were holding Ben down," I said, voice firmer now. "I couldn't have gone to you, could I?"

No response.

"And Thomas...he was just there, Gally. He was the next person nearby. Newt was holding Ben, too. Minho was in the maze."

I bit my lip. "You're the one I want." It was nearly a whisper. "Not Thomas. Not anyone else."

"That's hard to believe now." He whispered his back still turned to me.

"Sorry I made you feel that way." I tried again. "I didn't want that. I was just... panicking."

Silence.

I felt even worse now. So I just lay there, staring into the darkness.

And at some point, I finally fell asleep.

~~~

Gally was already gone when I woke up.

It made everything feel worse...emptier. My throat still ached. When I glanced into the small mirror he had, I could see the bruises had darkened overnight. Great. Another reason to feel miserable.

I sighed, got myself ready, and headed out, finding Newt near the fields. Thomas was already up, standing beside him, and Chuck was sitting in the grass nearby, carving something out of wood. Newt was swinging an axe at a tree trunk, splitting the wood as he spoke.

"Alby went retracing Ben's footsteps," he told Thomas, his voice even but firm.

Thomas frowned. "But he is not a runner."

I let their conversation fade into the background and walked over to Chuck. "Hey, what are you making?"

Chuck grinned, barely looking up. "Oh, just a little man."

"You do that a lot?"

"Yeah. Kinda," he said with a small shrug.

I glanced at the wood shavings gathering around him. "Think you can teach me how to do that?"

Chuck's face lit up. "Yeah, sure!"

We lay down on the grass and he handed me a small piece of wood along with a tiny knife.

"Hmm," I muttered. "What should I even make?"

An idea struck me.

"What kind of animal does Gally remind you of?" I asked, glancing at Chuck.

Chuck squinted, thinking hard. Then he snorted. "A grumpy bear."

I laughed. "Fair enough. Other ideas?"

"A bull."

I shook my head with a smirk. "Too obvious."

Chuck thought again. "A snapping turtle?"

He laughed, then rolled onto his side. I turned my piece of wood between my fingers. "What about a wolf?"

Chuck hummed.

"Strong, kind of a loner, but if you're in his pack, he'd probably rip someone's face off for you." I glanced over to Chuck. "Don't you think?"

"I preferred the bear." He continued to laugh.

I started carving, the small knife chipping away at the wood in slow, careful movements. It wasn't perfect, but I could start to see the shape forming.

"Make sure the snout is long enough so it actually looks like a wolf and not,... like a pig or something." Chuck said.

"I'm trying."

I had been carving for hours now, and to my surprise, it actually looked good. The tiny wolf in my hands had rough edges, but it was there...legs, tail, head tilted back in a howl.

Chuck leaned in, inspecting it. "Alright, now we gotta sand it."

I groaned. "You're kidding."

"Nope," he said, handing me the sandpaper. "Unless you wanna give Gally a splinter every time he touches it."

"Ugh."

"So what is going on between you and Gally? Are you girlfriend and boyfriend?" Chuck asked, trying to sound innocent.

I chuckled. "No. I mean, not yet." I felt my cheeks turning red.

"Just so you know, seeing you both kiss is disgusting." He raised a hand, making a grimace.

Good thing he didn't catch us in the pit then.

The next hour was torture. My fingers hurt from rubbing the rough surface down and I'd gotten more splinters than I could count.

By the time I was done, my hands were sore, my fingertips red and aching, but the wolf was smooth, the edges softened. Chuck handed me a thin leather cord, and I looped it through.

"It is DONE! Finally." I let myself fall on the green grass.

"It looks good!" Chuck said inspecting it.

Now I just need Gally. I found him near the storage hut, stacking crates like he was trying to break them.

"Hey." I finally spoke.

Nothing. He walked right past me like I wasn't even there.

I turned quickly, stepping in front of him again. This time, I pressed my hands against his chest, forcing him to stop.
His gaze finally flicked down to me, eyes cold. "Move."