Sapphire Stones

Gally = Sleeping Beauty 😴

I wake up to hear him snoring softly beside me the next morning. I'm holding him close to me, my arms wrapped around his back, hands clasped around his middle. My face is resting on his scarred back, our legs tangled together.

I slowly unravel myself from his body, careful not to wake him. Gally turns onto his back, eyes still closed, mouth slightly parted.

I smile as I look at him, his cheeks stained pink from his tears last night. I'd held him until he fell asleep, whispering words of comfort to him as he silently cried. It had broken my heart to hear him broken like that. All I could do was hold him.

I let my hand rest on his chest, ghosting my fingers over the scars burnt into his skin. He's still letting soft snores escape his parted lips. The sound has become a comforting one rather than an annoying one.

I bring my hand to his jaw, tracing it slowly. Gally's mouth curves into a small smile, causing me to smile even brighter. 

My heart flutters at the realization that if I could, I'd live in this moment forever. As my hand brushes his skin and the smile gracing his face. Despite it being soft and simple, this moment means everything to me.

Because even in his sleep, my touch can cause him to smile, and that alone means everything to me.

I trace my fingers around the few scars on his chest and collarbone, admiring him as he sleeps. I can't take my eyes off of him. I just can't.

Gally's eyes flutter open as he groans, rolling over onto his side to face me. He brings a hand to his face, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"Good morning, Sleeping Beauty." I say softly, pressing a kiss to his hand.

"Don't call me that." He grunts, his voice raspy from his sleep. I let out a chuckle, rolling onto my back as he wraps his arms around me, pulling me close to his body, his chest against my back. "Good morning, Ven." He says softly in my ear.

The action causes shivers to run down my spine. It doesn't help when he begins running his hand up and down my arm either. I feel my face heat up slightly, a grin on my face.

"I love being able to wake up next to you every morning." He whispers, burying his face in my neck. I grin and hum in agreement, turning my head to press a kiss to his shoulder.

"Did you sleep okay?" I ask, trying to ignore the heat creeping up my neck.

"Still tired, so I guess not enough."

"Go back to sleep." I reply, hugging his arms tightly.

"Can't. We have work soon."

"We have time. Don't worry. I'll wake you up." I whisper. Gally hums into my neck, causing me to shiver. I giggle slightly at the action, readjusting myself in his arms.

"That's okay. Let's just lay here for a bit." He hums into my neck. I can't help but smile when he says that. I nod even though he can't see it.

"Okay." I reply, running a hand up and down his arm. "Whatever you want, Wonder Boy."

🪐🪐🪐

"Hey, kid!" I say as I happily bound over to Logan. He looks up from the pile of laundry he's washing, a smile on his face.

"Hey to you too, Klutz!" He says happily.

"Got stuck doing the laundry, huh?" I ask, sitting down across from him.

"Yeah, well, Chuck's on bathroom duty again."

"So, you're a Slopper?"

"Yup. Alby had a meeting earlier this morning. He said I was too young for most jobs, so until I grow up a bit, I'm stuck as a Slopper with Chuck."

"Hey, at least you get to work with Chuckie. He's a good kid. You two seem to get along fine."

"We do. He's been super nice to me these past few days."

"And how's the job treating you so far?"

"Honestly, it's not too bad. It's kind of fun, even. There's always something that needs to be done, so it's not like I'll get bored easily." He shrugs, seemingly happy despite the fact that he's holding someone's dirty boxers in his hands.

"Well, as long as you like it." I say, also shrugging.

"I do." He replies. I smile, watching the kid scrub the underwear in the tub of soapy water. "Hey, thanks for helping me out the past few days." 

"Of course." I reply.

"It's just- it was so scary at first, but you really made me feel welcome. It's the nicest thing anyone's ever done for me." Logan says. I smile sadly, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Any time, kid."

"Have you ever been out there?" He asks after a minute of silence, nodding towards the Maze. I furrow my eyebrows at him, tilting my head.

"No, why?"

"I dunno." He replies with a shrug. "I'm just curious about it."

"Well don't be. It's dangerous out there. We've lost a lot of boys to that damn Maze."

"How long have you been here, Venus?" Logan asks. I sigh, fidgeting absentmindedly with a tuft of grass. 

"Look, you have work to do and-"

"Why won't you answer my question?"

"Because you have to-"

"No. No more of this bullshit."

"Watch your mouth, kid." I say sternly. He rolls his eyes, looking me dead in the eyes.

"I might be younger than you guys, but I'm stuck here too, okay? Don't you think I have a right to know things that everyone else does? You don't have to protect me. I can do that myself. I want to know how long you've been here." He says, his face set in seriousness. "Please."

I sigh, running a hand through my hair.

"Three years. There. Happy?" I snap, looking away from the kid. I can't bear to meet his eyes.

"And you haven't found a way out yet?"

"We wouldn't be here if we had, now would we?" I mutter, eyes still set on the ground.

"Have you lost hope?" He asks. I force myself to look up and meet his eyes. They're sad and pitiful.

"I'm not sure yet, kid. Sometimes I feel like I have, but there's a small part of me that believes we can make it out. It's small, but it's there." I reply. I stand up, ruffling his shaggy hair. "Now get back to work, okay? Don't wanna let Alby catch you slacking off. He gets really pissed."

"I'll keep that in mind." He says, offering a smile. I return the action before walking away, leaving Logan to do the laundry.