Gally Imagines

=THIRTY-SIX= Breaking Point

Gally sat on a log, rotating the sturdy crutch in his hand. Glancing up, he saw who he was looking for.

"Hey, Chuck!" he called to the little boy who was walking towards the kitchen.

Chuck turned at Gally's call, a bright smile illuminating his face, then he came up to Gally as he stood.

"Hi, Gally," he said cheerily. "What's up?"

"Here," he replied, extending the crutch towards Chuck, "I don't need it anymore. Thanks," he added quickly, hoping to cover up the relief and satisfaction of being able to get rid of the thing.

He had considered burning it, and almost did too, but the possibility of having to give an explanation to this angel-faced little boy had forced Gally to extinguish the idea. However, he was not about to keep it anywhere near him, so he decided to return it to Chuck as soon as possible, before the burn-urge took over once more.

"Oh, you can keep it!" said Chuck with a lively smile. "I did make it for you after all."

"That's okay, Chuck, uh...you keep it," said Gally.

Chuck's smile feel a fraction of an inch.

"You never know," continued Gally hurriedly, "someone else might need it someday, and if they do, you won't have to make another one."

Gally held his breath as Chuck paused, considering.

"Alright," he agreed, smile widening again.

Gally let out an inward sigh of relief as Chuck took the branch from his outstretched hand.

"But if you ever need it, you'll know where to find it," said Chuck seriously.

Gally spread his lips, forcing a smile, then Chuck walked off with the crutch and Gally's voluntary smile turned into a triumphant grin. Finally, it was gone! In reality he had only had the crutch for a little while, but it had felt like an eternity. If he never saw that thing again, it would be too soon.

Gally found himself scanning the Glade unconsciously, looking for a familiar figure. A small smile touched his mouth as his eyes rested on the person he was looking for.

"Y/N!" he called.

You froze for a fraction of a second hoping that you didn't look suspicious and that Gally wouldn't ask any questions. You had been painfully avoiding him, not being able to trust yourself from accidentally blowing the secret. You and Thomas had both worked so hard to keep the dinner a surprise that you didn't want to risk making an unintentional slipup while hanging out with him. Besides, you had been so busy preparing that you hadn't had any extra time to spend with him anyway.

You waved, hoping that he would take it at that, but he didn't. He smiled and waved back, motioning you over.

You bit your lip trying to think of a way out, but nothing came to mind, other than the fact that Thomas was waiting by the tree line for last minute instructions for the day. Gally was going to be so surprised! Almost everything was ready, and you had planned to have the dinner tomorrow night if everything went smoothly. Gally waved again, persistently, and you had no choice but to oblige him.

"Hey," he said, smiling as you walked up.

"Hi," you answered, trying to talk as little as possible.

Maybe he would take the hint? Besides, you didn't want the surprise to slip, not now, not after all of the hard work that you and Thomas had put in. Then you realized that Gally was looking at you expectantly.