The Maze Runner Imagines

Gally [4]

Gally had a reputation to uphold here in the Glade. Not only did Alby rely on him to be the one who could scare boys with a simple glare, but his harshness was his disguise. Truthfully, Gally was terrified. He never slept at night in fear of what nightmares he'd have to find himself trapped in. It was the wails of the grievers and shifting of maze walls at dusk that made his heart work in overdrive and the sweat on his palms to form.

All Gally could do to keep the fear at bay was to do what he knew best: building things and ordering people around. Those two things were nothing more than a distraction, but a distraction was all he needed. Anything to stop him from thinking about everything that was so uncertain. His life, his friends lives and what it was that laid beyond the walls that kept him caged in.

Tonight, Gally was pacing. Back and fourth, back and fourth restlessly over old floorboards that warped beneath his feet. He felt like he was losing his mind, going about everyday in the exact same manner, just trying to keep insanity at bay.

The only thing that stopped him from slipping all of the way tonight was a nearly inaudible tap at his door.

He knew the knock would be from someone like Newt or Alby who would only enter the room to tell him to settle down and go to sleep. They never asked what was wrong, never talked with him or listened. They only saw the tough builder that Gally wanted them to see...except for at times like these.

Another knock came.

No one ever understood what he was going through, thinking or feeling.

Maybe, except for one person.

The door groaned as it inched open, a sliver of light flowing over Gally's feet. He stood there in painful silence, breathing heavily, refusing to look up.

Light which had once covered his feet drained away and he looked up, making sure the person who had opened the door in the first place had left.

Panic flowed through Gally's veins the moment he realized the person hadn't left, but instead had chosen to stay in the room.

"Gally?" A soft voice cut through the dead air.

It was the Glade's only girl. Y/N.

Y/N was one of Gally's few friends who he could share a meal with in friendly conversation, or sit with at the bonfire for longer than a few minutes. As far as he knew though, Y/N saw him just as everyone else did. He'd never said anything to reveal his fears or his insecurities.

"...Are you okay?" She asked.

"Uh—" Gally croaked, rubbing the back of his neck and struggling to steady his breath. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"You've been pacing all night." Y/N pointed out.

Gally suddenly felt defensive. "What's it you? Are you stalking me or something?"

Y/N covered her mouth as she tried to stop laughter falling from her lips at his sudden reaction. "No, but I am worried. Plus, I can't sleep next door with you stomping around."

"Right. Sorry." Gally apologized, eyes avoiding the girl.

Y/N stepped closer to Gally and tried to catch his gaze. "This has been going on a long time, Gally. What's bothering you?"

"I-It's—It doesn't matter." He muttered. "You can go back to bed."

Y/N sighed and walked over to the bed, laying down on the left side. She motioned for Gally to join her, patting the spot on the right. "You're going to be up all night as usual, so why don't we talk about it?"

"Why are you doing this?" He asked suspiciously, yet he still followed her order and lay down beside her.

Y/N smiled sympathetically. "Because no one else can see that you're hurting. I can and I know you need to get it off your chest."

"That's not your job." Gally grumbled.

"No, it's not." Y/N shrugged. "It's a choice. We're family here, aren't we? We're supposed to look out for each other."

That was enough to convince Gally to talk. Besides, what did he have to lose?

The pair lay there, Y/N listening to every word which left Gally's mouth until she drifted off to sleep. At first, Gally hadn't even realized she'd fallen asleep until she didn't answer one of his questions. He felt a smile creep across his face as he pulled a blanket over her body and then brushed his rough fingers over her cheek. Y/N never failed to amaze and surprise him, but tonight she really had him taken aback. She'd chosen to sacrifice her own time just to listen to his problems.

At first, Gally thought he'd have to leave his room and take to pacing outside until dawn so he wouldn't wake Y/N. However, that didn't turn out to be the case. He, just like Y/N had, fell victim to sleep far quicker than he thought and slept through the whole night without being woken from a horrific dream or restless legs.

Gally found himself waking to the warmth of the sun on his face and the faint sound of birds outside of his window. Those were two small things he could never remember himself waking to before. Not only were they new, but they were pleasant things which made him feel comfortable and at peace. Feelings which were so very foreign to him.

Then, there was Y/N. Gally's arms were now wrapped around her frame and she was curled so closely into him that he could feel the warmth of her breath on his chest.

His shifting around had woken the girl and her eyes fluttered open against the bright sun to meet his. Gally felt the girl stretch her legs out as they brushed against his own, then her face being buried back into the blanket. Y/N, by no means, was a morning person.

"I think that's the first time I've really slept in a couple of years." Gally admitted groggily, subconsciously brushing some of the girls hair out of her face. He then reached down to Y/N's hand which was right in front of her face.

Y/N flinched as the builder grabbed her hand and intertwined his fingers with hers.

"You don't have to pretend you're okay all the time, you know?" She said.

Gally pursed his lips and took in a deep breath of the warm air in the room. "Okay."

Y/N smiled softly, her tired eyes lit up by the morning sun making Gally's heart stutter.

"Do you wanna get up?" He asked.

Y/N winced and shuffled closer to Gally, burying her face in his chest once again. "No."

Gally stifled a laugh and hugged her tightly. "Alrighty then. Breakfast can wait."