She still couldn't stand to look him in the eyes. There was no way she could be around him comfortably without her mind drifting back to the Glade. Back to Chuck, Alby and everyone else they lost. She couldn't be around him and not have the feeling of suffocating guilt stomping on her throat. That day they escaped the maze, they'd left him. Left him to die.

Sure, they couldn't really be held to too much blame. A spear had been sent into his chest and he'd been stung. In a panic, the last thing anyone was thinking was that Gally might still be alive. That still didn't change the fact they had left him.

All she could do was draw him, night after night, sitting here in silence, trying to pretend he was right there in front of her. In her mind, running scenarios over and over of all the ways she could face him. Apologize to him. Just make things right. They were in paradise now. In theory, home. A place they would likely be staying for a long time to come if everything stayed catastrophe free. She couldn't keep living like this where everyday she avoided him as much as possible. Eventually, she or Gally were going to break, say the wrong thing and make things even worse. All she wanted was to be able to tell him that she cared, that she missed him, but that she didn't know how to express those things.

She'd had time. Plenty of it to come to terms with all of this. But she hadn't.

Tonight, she sat in her usual spot with a book of drawings held close to her body. Gally had been wandering around and mingling with others and so another evening had been spent filling yet another page with his figure.

Y/N nearly cried when she broke from her focus and scanned over the lines all over the page. He looked so gentle. Kind. After all of those years in the Glade with a reputation for the cruelest, toughest guy, Y/N could still see right through him. All those years, he had just been afraid. Just like everyone else, he was just trying to survive.

Here in paradise though, where they were safe, Gally could be the true self he had been hiding. He was friendly, generous, even a little shy. Why was she still afraid of talking to him? This Gally would have nothing but patience, soft words and forgiveness for her.

Staring at those pictures of him full of relaxed shoulders and soft smiles, she thought she could muster the confidence to talk to him. Just to say a smile hello and work up from there. Maybe, she could offer him one of her older drawings as a sign she was trying. To let him know she still cared, but needed more time.

"Y/N—" Someone whispered from behind. In surprise, the girl jolt a little and turned to face the person. "I'm sorry, I wasn't sure if you were still zeroed in on drawing or not. Didn't want to bother you if that was the case."

Gally. She'd never expected him to actually approach her, especially not right now. Being so lost up in her thoughts, there was no way she was ready to talk to him.

"No, no—I, uh, it's okay." She smiled a little and darted her eyes away, fingers gripping edges of the paper far too tightly.

Gally nod a little and made and awkward movement as if he was going to walk a different direction before his brain told him to stay. Then, he reached into his pocket. "I brought this for you."

Y/N tilt her head in question while she wait for him to unravel his fingers. There in his palm was a pencil. "I noticed your other one wearing out there," He point to the stub of charcoal. "You seem pretty at peace while drawing and didn't want that to come to a sudden end for you."

The girl, mouth agape with words trying to flee but held in the back of her throat, reached out and gently took it from him. "Thank you," She looked it over a little.

"Anyways, yeah—" Gally rubbed his hands together. "Have a good night."

Gally had turned to leave and began placing his feet down as he left. It took Y/N a moment, but her instinct took over. Now was the time.

"Wait, Gally." She sort of reached out but realized how awkward that was and retraced her arms to wrap around her knees. "Do you want to stay for a while?"

The boy looked over his shoulder and turned slightly. He smiled, furrowed his brows and stifled the smallest of all laughs. "You want me to stay?"

Y/N panicked. "Well, I mean, only if you want to. There's not a whole lot else going on around here. Totally up to you, I just thought I'd check. No pressure, I—"

Suddenly a body settled in beside her. She looked to her left to find it was indeed Gally, while during her blabbering had found his place. She caught his eyes and he smiled. "I'd like to. Thanks for asking."

Now, Y/N drew a blank. That pressure on her chest settled in and she felt the guilt slowly entering her bloodstream. She didn't know what to say.

"Mind if I ask what you've been working on? Or if you're willing to share?" Gally nudged her shoulder a little.

"Promise not to be creeped out?" She winced.

Gally narrowed his eyes back at her with a little smirk. "I think that depends on what it is."

Y/N laughed and shook her head, opening up the book and handing it to Gally. "May or may not have been drawing you."

He accepted the book in silence and remained that way for a couple of minutes. Y/N feared the worst. He was trying to find the nicest way to tell her she was weirder than he remembered and to leave him alone.

That was the train of thought until a small drop of water landed on the page. Gally's arm shot up and he swiped at his cheek with his sleeve.

Y/N suddenly felt a wave of sympathy wash over her. She no longer felt that anxiety of being around him. She just wanted him to be okay. "What's wrong?"

Gally sniffled a little and shrugged. "Nothing," He said quietly, just hardly audible to Y/N . "I'm just glad I don't look like a monster through your eyes."

"What?" Y/N put a hand on Gally's knee and forced him to look her in the eyes. A drastic change from just a few minutes ago. "Gally, no one thinks that. If anything, we should be afraid of how you see us after leaving you back in the maze."

"You didn't know I was still alive. That's not your fault." He admitted.

"And you were stung, being controlled by WICKED. Chuck wasn't your fault either." Y/N countered.

The pair locked eyes and neither moved. They both knew the other was right. Forgiving yourself was a lot harder than forgiving someone else, though.

Y/N was the first to look away. "You never have to worry about what happened, alright? It's gone. In the past." She said. She had to end the conversation they had started. She wasn't leaving it at such an ambitious place.

He nod thankfully. "Same goes for you."

For a moment, Y/N thought she might just get up to leave. But, she wasn't going to waste this opportunity. "I'm glad you're here. That you're doing okay. I'm sorry I haven't talked to you sooner."

Gally lowered his head, let out a deep breath and curled his fingers over the top of Y/N's book as he closed it. "It's okay. I've been afraid to talk to you as well. I guess we sorted that out though...?"

"Yeah, I think we did." She laughed lightly.

Gally handed Y/N the book back and looked to her with a little mischievous smile. "I do have a question for you though, Y/N."

Y/N raised her brows as if terrified. "I have an answer for you, Gally."

The boy laughed. Laughed with such a genuine sound and look in his eyes that Y/N felt her soul nearly leave her body. Never, ever could she have imagined a few years ago seeing Gally so happy.

"Maybe next time you could draw us?" He suggested. "Your book has got to be tired of just me."

To avoid seeing her reaction or the potential bad reaction to his comment, he jumped up quickly and dust off his pants. After a few seconds, he managed the bravery to turn around and await what she had to say.

Y/N looked up and probably looked totally perplexed. She wasn't expecting Gally to be warming back up to her so soon. Sure, she knew he'd changed a lot. But this Gally truly was a much happier, confident person. "I—yeah, I could do that."

"And maybe..." He rocked on his heels. "You could teach me to draw someday?"

Y/N nod and pursed her lips, holding back a smile from breaking. "Definitely."