𝐋𝐀𝐂𝐔𝐍𝐀 | TMR, Gally

014; understanding

Pain was all I felt these days.

I mean, what else did I expect after losing someone I was so close with?

It's been nearly a week, and all I've done is lie in bed, barely sleeping at night and watching the hours pass by during the day.

If Frypan didn't come by each afternoon, with a portion of food left for me, I'm not even sure I'd remember to eat.

I knew I wouldn't function normally if I stood I the same place I have found his body, already lifeless. So I begged Alby to free me from work for at least few days, to which he agreed after me bugging him all day about it.

My mind was going crazy of the thoughts that were flying through it. From realizing that I will never see Leo again, to wondering how's Newt or basically everyone else doing.

I haven't heard a lot, but from what Fry told me when he stayed with me—making sure I ate—the Keepers had a lot of meetings when they discovered that Leo did not do that to himself, but someone else had done it to him.

And that broke me even more because it meant one of the Gladers betrayed us or got stung and turned crazy enough to attack our friend.

And we did not notice.

Another round of sobs arrived when my mind wandered to different kinds of scenarios that could have happened, or how I could have prevented that, or if Chuck and I would have arrived there earlier— no, he was already laying there for a long time.

I was staring at the ceiling, letting the tears slip quietly down my cheeks when I heard a knock at the door.

"Hey, uh- you there?"

My eyes widened, and I quickly wiped the tears away, even though I knew most of the Gladers had probably seen me cry at this point.

I stood up, brushed the dust off my clothes, and walked slowly to the door. It creaked as I opened it, revealing someone I hadn't seen quite some time.

His broader shoulders covered the view behind him and the fact that he was like a foot taller than me made me look up to meet his eyes.

"Yeah, Gally?" I tried to sound steady, but my voice cracked, and his brow furrowed.

"You've been crying," he said, more as an observation than a question.

"No shit. What'd you think I was doing? Laughing my head off?"

Okay, that was definitely too much-

Oh, he laughed.

"Fair enough," he said. "It's just... Fry was busy, and asked if I can bring this to you," he handed me a plate with two toasts on it.

"Right," I said, glancing down at the plate. I wasn't really hungry, but something about the gesture made me feel a little less numb. "Tell Fry I said thanks... and thanks to you too. For, you know, bringing it."

Gally's expression softened. "Look, I know I'm not the comforting type, but...if you want someone around, just to sit, or talk, I'm here."

"Or, uh... I mean, I guess everyone else is there for you, too. You know. If...if you wanted to talk to someone other than me," he added quickly.

I couldn't help but smile slightly at his awkwardness. It was nice to see that even someone as tough as Gally cared enough to try.

My mind drifted for a moment, weighing the idea of talking to someone. Being alone was suffocating, but letting someone in felt daunting.

After a moment of silence, I stepped aside and opened the door wider, gesturing for him to come in.

"You can come in if you want," I said, a little nervous.