maze runner imagines.

just friends, right?: gally

{request for: aqua_queen4 <33!}

"be honest with yourself."
"i am honest. i'm always honest."
gally gave me a look of question then shook his head.
"no, you're not. you're lying to yourself to fuel your ego, which surely doesn't need to grow any larger."
"oh, that's real rich coming from you,"
i retorted with a scoff leaving my lips.
i sat back against my heels and felt the ire course through me at this sweltering heat, this pain in my body, and the sheer aggravation that came with living amongst boys.
i waited for gally to respond to an attitude the way he usually does:
yell and show aggression until ones set straight.
but instead,
like always,
his eyes always softened upon my presence and mastered the look of patience.
i couldn't help but surrender.
"fine...i guess...i guess i could use your assistance just this once."
"see? everyone needs a little bit of help. nothing to be ashamed of."
gally kneeled in front of me,
taking my hand into his,
and being sure to handle it with care.
he stared at my palm for a while to search out the splinter.
when he finally found it,
embedded deep into the skin on my thumb,
he grabbed a small needle and the pair of makeshift tweezers then said,
"remember this, okay? pierce the skin, carefully,"
he said with an extra emphasis on being careful.
i rolled my eyes,
trying to pretend as though my skin wasn't aflame from his tender touch and his loving care.
gally stuck the needle into my skin,
where the splinter could be free to exit.
"then, take the tweezers, and pull it out slowly,"
he instructed while completing the procedure;
my thumb was now free of irritation and pain.
i nearly gasped out in relief,
forgetting how my thumb normally felt without such a pest of a wound inside it.
"all better?"
"yes, absolutely,"
i said with a ecstatic nod.
gally smiled at me then let go of my hand,
watching as it fell to its resting place by my side.
"i would say i'd come to you next time i have splinter, since you just learned, but...you and a needle? i don't think i'd make it out with my eye."
i hid my laugh behind my hand and feigned anger.
"i can't believe you would think of me that way. am i really that useless to you?"
"useless? no, never. i'll always need you. clumsy? absolutely. absolutely."
gally gave my shoulder a nudge with his own.
"i know. that's why we're such great friends,"
i said before i could really stop myself.
i cursed myself mentally for,
yet again,
causing a breach in the anticipating love i harbored for him.
each time i was closer to taking the next step and finally admitting my love for him,
my mouth opened and spewed words of cordial definition.
mixed signals were the only signals i could emit.
"yeah. the best of friends,"
he agreed with no concern.
when the sun was soon turned into a shadow by the presence of another glader,
gally's face turned cold and stoic.
"what do you want?"
he asked sharply.
i turned around to see ben standing before me.
"i was coming to talk to y/n."
"oh, careful, ben. got my own personal guard dog here and he's ready for anything,"
i joked,
giving gally's shoulder and light tap to ease him.
"relax, would you? or do you want to get banished?"
i asked in a low whisper as i leaned into his ear.
i could smell his earthly scent from here,
the reminder of his existence so close to me made my core tighten.
"i'll do whatever's necessary,"
he whispered back in a deep tone of fraternal protection.
i rolled my eyes for what felt like the hundredth time today.
"i'll be back. come on, ben."
i led ben out to the deadheads,
where we could speak to one another in private.
the last thing i wanted was to have leering ears that spread falsities.
"so...you and gally aren't a thing, right?"
"huh? what? why do you ask?"
ben shrugged.
"just want to make sure i'm not asking out a woman who belongs to someone."
i furrowed my eyebrows,
a look of disgust overcoming my expression.
"i don't belong to anyone nor will i ever. besides, you're delusional to think i'd ever take you serious or want to be with you."
i turned on my feet to walk away and leave behind the disgust i was feeling,
but i was drawn back by a force that pained my entire arm.
ben had pulled me back by the wrist,
having such a tight grip on it that i feared bruises would be left behind.
"let go of me, prick,"
i spat,
using my other hand to swing back and swiftly collide with his cheek.
he let go,
though i did more damage to my own hand than his face.
i had never thrown a punch before today;
my inexperience was obvious.
i became deaf to ben's threats and curses as my adrenaline drummed inside of my ears,
along with the pulsating of my now broken hand.
i could feel the fragmented bones that settled in my wrist screaming in agony at my poor performed punch.
the act itself was enough to anger ben,
and that was good enough for me;
an act of disrespect never settled right with an egotistical man.
i marched back to the center of the glade with my hand cradled into my other.
any slight movement caused it to send a ripple of pain throughout my whole body.
gally immediately ran to my assistance.
he'd been sitting the whole time i was away,
waiting for my return.
if i hadn't been so full of ire and pain,
i might've blushed at this.
"what happened? did he touch you? did that filthy shank-head touch you?"
i didn't answer.
he laid a gentle hand to my shoulder and spoke with an easy voice,
though the terseness was still hidden beneath.
"tell me. tell me what he did and i'll rip his head off for you. even if he-he said a foul word to you."
"can you just help me with my hand?"
i asked in a breath of air.
my adrenaline was slowing,
ringing the true pain that lingered in my wrist.
gally whisked me away to the med-jacks and sat across from me as they examined my hand,
waiting to wrap it and treat it as necessary.
i watched as gally rested his elbows to his knees and bounced his leg in a rage that wasn't completely unknown to the glade,
yet it still scared me from time to time.
"if i tell you what happened, promise me you'll just...just give him one punch."
"i don't know, y/n, if he did or said anything...i don't know if i'll have such self control."
i winced as clint grabbed ahold of my wrist.
gally reacted to this by going out to reach for me,
but slowly sank back into his seat once he realized i was fine.
"okay. i promise. one punch and i'll sure as hell make it count,"
he finally obliged.
"he asked if you and i were dating, i said no, he brought up something about me belonging to you. which was-was gross. so, i went to walk away and he just...grabbed me."
gally sat back into his seat with a deep breath leaving his lips.
i could see his attempts to draw in this rising fury,
all to keep control of the fists that would soon collide with ben's face.
i feared that he still may beat ben to a bloody pulp.
"i don't need you to protect me all the time,"
i quickly defended,
"i can handle myself."
"i don't doubt that."
"so...don't fight him."
gally shook his head vehemently.
"no, sorry, it's going to happen."
"come on, gal pal,"
i said,
trying to ease the tension.
but i had no such luck.
"look at what he did to you! he should have never laid a hand on you. no, he deserves it."
i realized there would be no argument with gally,
not when he was riled with such anger.
"gally?"
he turned his head away from the nearest wall,
which he'd been staring at in an attempt to swallow his temper.
"yeah?"
"thank you."
he nodded.
"you don't ever have to thank me, y/n. it's what i'm here for."
after i swallowed enough pills to ease the pain as best it could be,
i walked out of the tent with my wrist now bandaged tight.
gally carefully grabbed the elbow of my good hand and leaned in to ask,
"are you sure you're okay?"
"yes, gally, i'm okay."
he nodded and gave me a half smile,
before trudging off and finding ben.
all i could do was stand back in anticipation of the next few events.
gally pulled ben to attention by the collar of his shirt then instantly allowed for his fist to connect in the same place i did,
except gally did actual damage this time.
i brought my hand to my mouth in surprise,
though i'm not sure why seeing gally's aggression always surprised me,
and watched as blood poured from ben's nose.
gally did good on his promise.
after he leaned into ben's ear and whispered threats and curses i'm better being blind to,
he found his way back to my side with a smile.
"feel better?"
i asked with a soft snicker leaving my lips.
gally nodded.
"like you wouldn't believe."
***
when i laid to sleep that very night,
all i could focus on was the stillness around me.
how rare it was,
to have a moment of silence in this glade.
yet here i laid,
experiencing it firsthand.
i settled back into my makeshift bed and closed my eyes.
i wouldn't take this moment for granted,
who knows how long it would be before i get such peace again?
i allowed my thoughts to travel as they pleased,
and soon found that they ended right back to gally.
i couldn't help but laugh at myself.
no matter how hard i tried to look the other way,
my heart would always circle around to meet with gally.
i would never say this for other ears to hear,
but it's true what they all assume:
i'm deeply in love with gally.
how could i not be?
despite his temper that seems to throw everyone off his course,
and the brutal words he sometimes speak out of pure habit,
i know who he really is beneath all those projections.
he's shared a part with me that nobody will ever be blessed to know.
how fortunate for me that,
in a society of men,
i sought over the very one who loves me like a friend loves his friend.
"y/n?"
gally whispered adjacent from me.
i felt my heart skip into my throat.
was it plausible to think maybe he heard my thoughts?
heard my heart that often thundered at the mere mention of his name?
had i maybe slipped up and whispered his name to conjure the love i desperately wished for?
i could have feigned sleep to save my pride.
but instead,
i whispered back,
"yeah?"
"stop moving. you're making too much noise."
"okay...sorry."
"mhm. night, y/n."
"goodnight."
i covered my burning face with my palms to try and smother the fervor rushing inside of me.
i could only hope to rid myself of this juvenile crush before it was too late.
***
"i've...almost...got it,"
i said through grunts,
pressing my lips together as i attempted to heave forward the boulders necessary for the builders and their newest project.
due to my inactive use of my wrist,
i was forced to press my back against the boulders and push back.
gally stood across from me with his arms crossed and raised eyebrows.
"would you like some help?"
"no, gally, i've got it."
"okay,"
he said,
throwing his hands up in mock surrender.
i pushed and pushed,
but the boulder hardly moved an inch.
i turned myself around and used my good hand to shove which only caused me to slip and fall to my knees.
i hated the fluidity of my body;
how embarrassing it was to be this clumsy.
gally helped me up to my feet,
suppressing his laughter for my pride,
and brushed the dirt from my clothes.
i shrugged him away and hid my scraped palm behind my back and sighed.
"now would you like some help?"
gally offered,
grinning down at me to lighten my mood.
"yes,"
i sighed in defeat.
i secretly loved the way gally was always there to teach or help me when i failed to deliver on my own.
he was never condescending,
never complacent about it,
and gally always waited until he was sure i wanted his help.
as gally began moving the boulder quite easily,
as though it were merely light work,
he began demonstrating the correct maneuver for next time.
"you see? that's all there is to it. now, you can move the next one when that hands all healed up."
"yeah. speaking of hands."
i pulled his into my line of sight to see purpling bruises rising against his knuckles from the day prior.
"shame,"
i teased,
looking up to give him a gentle smile.
gally laughed and rolled his eyes playfully then held my free hand into his own,
allowing for his thumb to trail against my palm that was raw from my previous fall.
"speaking of hands."
he tossed my words back at me.
"not fair. i'm far more susceptible to injuries than you are."
"just because you're clumsy doesn't mean you can go around with untreated scratches."
"fine. i'll go to the med-jacks if you do too."
gally furrowed his eyebrows.
"for?"
"for those knuckles of yours. surely there's something broken."
"besides ben's nose?"
i mocked a laugh which earned me a playful nudge from gally.
until he agreed,
"okay, deal. i'll go. but i'm only going for your sake."
"yeah, yeah."
gally and i walked side by side to the med-jacks,
yet again.
it was becoming almost like clockwork;
me getting hurt during the day and later meeting clint or jeff with gally beside me.
when i entered,
they found it as no surprise and sat me down to attend my injury of the day.
though it should be noted,
the only reason i ever saw them for these trivial injuries was for gally.
i'd do anything for him,
in case that wasn't clear.
when both of us were bandaged up and smelling of healing ointment,
we piled out and hurried to grab dinner before it was gone entirely.
gally and i ate in silence.
we often did,
the exception being when he had exciting news that he could go on about.
unfortunately,
it was rare gally ever got news worth babbling about.
the last time i remember a full conversation happening between us over dinner was the very first day i arrived.
i don't think he shut up until his eyes forced themselves to close that night.
"gally?"
i pondered.
instead of answering,
he looked up at me to signal my continuation.
i'm not sure why the question sprung up in me so abruptly.
but i was desperate to ask,
"do you think i'm useless?"
he swallowed his last bit of food then said,
"not at all. why would you ask that?"
"i don't know,"
i mumbled.
"there's not really much i can do."
"stop it. you're an asset to us. i think we'd fall apart without you. no more of that, okay? you're useful. end of story."
i nodded my head then continued eating in silence before thomas came running over to where we sat.
"where's alby?"
"why? what's wrong?"
thomas was slick with sweat and a light of excitement was rising in his eyes;
it was nearly hysteria.
"come on. i have to show you something."
having my one curiosity piqued,
and rather out of habit,
i stood up with gally and began heading toward the maze with him before he stopped short.
"no, you can't come."
i rolled my eyes.
"try and stop me, shank."
i tossed him a playful grin then started jogging to keep up with a wild thomas.
gally didn't look the slightest bit amused,
but he quickly followed behind.
when we reached the destination in the maze,
we were all staring at a dead griever.
for the first time in our three years being trapped here,
one was finally dead.
"holy..."
i trailed off in a moment of surprise,
kneeling beside it to gain a better look.
i'd never see one so close again.
"i don't like this. one suddenly comes up dead when you and teresa arrive? somethings wrong."
gally crossed his arms then pulled me back carefully.
"don't get too close, y/n. knowing you, you'd probably fall on the sharp edges."
i gave him my best punch with my good hand.
"that's rude."
i couldn't lie;
the insult stung,
despite how true it may have been.
gally sighed and quickly apologized,
which he rarely did in the presence of other company,
then continued the discussion with thomas.
i turned my indignation around to replace it with the surprise from before.
not even gally's sour mood could ruin this for me.
as i inched in a little closer,
i noticed the sound of low whirring.
i couldn't help but flinch back and feel my body turn cold.
"i don't think it's dead, guys."
"if it was alive, we'd all be dead by now,"
gally reassured.
"stop talking to me like i'm a child! it's not dead."
gally and thomas turned their heads to face the presumably dead griever.
almost on cue,
the griever sprung alive and turned as threatening as the rest of the ones before.
i watched in what felt like slow motion as it headed towards gally.
there was no moments of hesitation,
no question in my mind.
i pushed him out of the way and ignored his curses and yells.
the last thing i felt before blacking out was the splitting of my skull as it hit the cold floor,
and a piercing of a needle through my skin.
while the fire churned through my body as a result of the grievers poison,
making me wish to scream out in agony though my throat was too closed to do so,
i realized i didn't regret a thing.
gally was alive and that was more than enough for me.
***
my body throbbed with an ache i couldn't name.
was it possible to feel such pain and still be breathing?
surely not...
surely i was dead and in my own personal hell.
though i'm not entirely sure what i did that damned me.