"Good morning, Gally!" Y/N smiled, eyebrows raised as she bolted toward Gally early this morning, obviously running a couple minutes late as usual.

Taken by surprise, having been walking with his eyes lowered to the dirt, kicking at stones, Gally jolted in shock. "Oh he-hi." He stammered as he watched the girl whiz past. "Oh Y/N—"

The boys arm was outstretched in hopes of catching her attention. Unfortunately, she'd already gotten too far and his desperate attempt to catch her had been long escaped. Self-conscious and unwilling to speak up, Gally once again lowered his gaze and continued on his journey to the builders corner of the Glade. The plans he'd been harbouring in the back of his mind for a couple of weeks would just have to be pushed back another day. Or, however long it was until he finally worked up the nerve to speak to her.

Working away, Gally always lost track of time and the world around him. It was like everything silenced and he could just exist. That was why he was a builder. The job was mostly conflict free and he spent most of the day alone. After a long day of working, Gally finally had a full sized room built. It was the start to his new building where he'd be able to work on blueprints during the day out of the blinding and boiling sun. Today was actually going quite well until someone decided to stop in and bother him.

Looking for Newt, Winston wandered into Gally's new hut. He wasn't surprised to find Gally in here alone instead, but he was surprised to see the builder seemingly stuck with his thoughts as he stared at some blank paper. Even stranger, in the corner of the room, a blanket haphazardly covered a stack of something. Chuck wattled in, bumping into Winston, probably also looking for Newt. Immediately, Winston dragged Chuck outside and held his shoulders.

"Chuck, I've got a plan." Winston snickered to himself.

"A plan...? Why? Do you know where Newt is?"

"We'll find Newt later. Right now, we need to see what Gally is trying to hide from us all." Winston peered inside the hut to make sure Gally was still distracted. "I'm going to talk to Gally and you're gonna pull the blanket off of that thing in the corner. Got it?"

"Ah..." Chuck felt himself grow a littler nervous. "Okay."

Determined to reveal the builders plans, Winston stomped his way back into the hut with Chuck on his heel. This time, he was trying to make sure Gally knew he was there.

The builder suddenly jolt out of his daydream and eyes lift up to meet Winston's. Gally continued to tap the pencil he held against his lips as he raised a brow at the slicer.

"How you doin', Gally?" Winston tried to play it cool, watching as Chuck snuck across the back of the room.

Confused, Gally tensed. Something had to be up. "Since when did you care?"

"Eh...since I stopped feeling like working for the day." He shrugged.

Gally snapped, shooting a harsh glare back at Winston. "Don't you have better things to be doing? Even if it's not work?"

"I mean, yeah. But I don't want to do them." Winston groaned.

"It's paint?" Chuck, instead of just seeing what was under that blanket and getting out, decided to vocalize it to the world.

Gally's expression fell and he leapt out of the chair. He scrambled to cover up the stack of pails with the blanket and shooed Chuck away. "What are you shanks doing? Get out of here."

"Why you got paint?" Winston asked. "Better question, why you hiding it? Saving it for someone?" He teased innocently.

Gally's very sudden explosive reaction told Winston his thoughtless comment about that paint being saved for someone was actually the truth. No one ever hid things in the Glade unless they really wanted to keep it for themselves or they were saving it for someone they cared about.

"Y/N?" Chuck tilt his head and smiled a little.

"What?" Gally's face reddened even further and he tried to scare the two out of the hut. "It's none of your business, alright?"

Winston chuckled. He was saving the paint for Y/N in some way. "Oh c'mon gally, maybe if you just told her—"

"There's nothing to tell her! Get Clint to check your shuck eyes, man. It's just paint." He pushed past Winston and into the Glade.

"Well this just got interesting." Winston put his hands on his hips and watched as Gally stormed off. "You thinking what I'm thinking, Chuck?"

"You bet."

Gally, as he walked, was painfully made re-aware of what those paints in the corner of the hut meant. They had indeed been sitting there collecting dust since the box last showed up a few days ago. Gally had this idea a month ago, back when he'd sent a letter down in the box requesting paints. He'd noticed how dull and depressing the Glade really was and thought it might do some good for group morale if colour got added to the place. Y/N was just the person for it. She was creative and had a vivid imagination, always happy to try something new.

The only problem was that Gally hadn't yet gotten himself to be bold enough to ask her.

Little did he know, he wouldn't have to stress over that for much longer. Chuck and Winston had their own plans for helping Gally accomplish getting in contact with Y/N. Based on how much he was blushing at the comment of Y/N, the pair decided they were going to help him even if he didn't exactly want it. Otherwise? It was going to be a very, very long time before he ever talked to Y/N.

"Chuck!" Y/N laughed as she found the curly haired boy crashing into her body at full speed with a tight hug. Chuck always did that. It seemed his way of saying hello to the people he cared about the most. "What's up, buddy?"

"Well, two things. First, a question for you. Well, I have two questions for you." Chuck spat out as he pant to catch his breath.

"Okay, fire away." Y/N wiped her brow and rest on her shovel.

"Question one, do you know where Newt is?" Chuck asked.

Y/N pursed her lips and furrowed her brows, looking around the gardens and almost toppling over as she spun around to spot him. Then, she turned back to Chuck and shook he head. "Sorry, no. He was here about half an hour ago, though."

"Thats okay," Chuck brushed it off. "Second question, do you know Gally is hiding a bunch of paint for you?"

"What?" Y/N suddenly filled with confusion. "Chuck, what?" She hollered out, now seeing that Chuck was sprinting away in the opposite direction. "Chuck you can't just say that and then run off!"

"Yes I can!" The boy wheezed as he ran, trying to hold back his laughter.

If the timing couldn't have been worse, Gally stepped out right as Y/N's eyes were following Chuck across the Glade in amusement. She locked gazes with him and waved. Immediately, Gally tried to act as if he hadn't seen and melted back into the hut. Why had he done that? She'd waved! Of course she'd seen him.

Y/N was a little surprised by Gally's behaviour as well as Chuck's sudden claim. This was something she wanted to get to the bottom of. So, she set out across the Glade.

Gally, stewing in his own embarrassment, paced back and fourth in the hut with his hands on the back of his neck. Why couldn't he just wave back like a normal human? Why couldn't he just walk over there to the gardens and say what he wanted to say? It felt so impossible.

A knock came from a few feet away. Gally's insides shrivelled up. He froze but nevertheless lowered his arms and looked to the door. Of course, it was Y/N.

"Everything okay?" She asked with a shy smile as she gripped the doorframe.

"Uh, yeah." He cleared his throat. "I'm sorry about Chuck."

"Don't be sorry," She lift off of the door and stepped inside the hut. "Chuck is just being Chuck, implementing his self imposed message delivery service even when people didn't ask for it."

Gally swallowed hard at her sudden approaching presence. He looked down and tried to force himself to breathe. "Yeah. About that..."

"Something about paint?" Y/N asked as Gally's sentence seemed to trail off, not knowing what to say.

"You're talented and creative and so lighthearted...and be—" Gally forced himself to a screeching halt. "I want you to add some colour to this washed out place...if you're willing." He picked up a couple of the smaller paint bottles and half held them out to Y/N.

"Hmm," Y/N raised her nose and eyes the paints poorly hidden beneath the sheet. She then cracked a small smile, unable to hold it back. "Of course. But! On one condition..."

Confused, Gally nodded, his hands white knuckled around some of the paint bottles. Y/N put her hands behind her back and walked around Gally like a legion of knights circling traitors on the run. "You have to help."

"What?" Gally almost dropped the paint on the floor.

Truthfully, he'd been hoping Y/N would just take the offer and light up the Glade a little. He was looking forward to letting her get away from her normal work for a little while and watch her paint in peace all day. He wasn't expecting to have to spend all day with her.

"You're also talented Gally, I've seen some of your drawings." Y/N poked his shoulder. "What do you say?"

Gally swallowed hard again and he thought even harder. What would this mean for him if he agreed? What would happen if he didn't? He tried to play out the course of events which might occur based on each decision, but his mind couldn't focus.

"Uh..." He seemed to momentarily flatline. "Okay."

Y/N smiled lightly and rocked on her heels. "See you after dinner? Maybe we can start planning some things for tomorrow?"

The boy lowered his eyes. "Yeah, sounds good."

By the time he looked up once again, Y/N was already jogging off across the Glade to her normal job. He let out a painful sigh. Okay, great. He'd asked her. But he'd also just gotten himself dragged into spending an overwhelming amount of time with her. Sure, that's what he wanted deep down but he wasn't sure if he was ready for it. The majority of the day, he tried not to think about it.

It wasn't until after dinner was finished, he saw Y/N approaching. She sure hadn't forgotten about her promise.

He scrambled to clear off the desk in the hut and raced to lay out some new paper. He tossed a chair down beside his, and right as Y/N walked in, she witnessed its momentum take it over into the dirt. "You got ghosts in here?"

"Uh—no. I don't think so." He croaked.

Y/N chuckled and went to pick it up before sitting down. She looked between Gally and the vacant chair beside her and raised a brow. "Well, wanna get started?"

Gally didn't even know what to say or where to start after he'd braved sitting down. That was difficult enough. Luckily, she made it easy on him. She opened up their conversation with something he could speak on easily. "So, what are you thinking? Give me your ideas."

Gally suddenly found himself able to speak freely. With time, he found himself laughing a little, smiling, able to be the person he knew himself to be despite his heart racing in his chest. He'd spent a lot of time overthinking what it might be like to finally spend some one on one time with Y/N. What it was proving to be was far better than anything he'd ever made up in his own mind. He was glad to know that the person he'd made her up to be in his own mind was nearly perfectly accurate.

Y/N jabbed him in the side lightly. She caught his eyes and smiled. "Thanks, Gally."

"N-No! Thank you. For hanging out with me. I mean, I'm not going to be able to do this without you." He admit. "I'm sorry I—"

A blaring sirent wailed. Since when was today the greenie was supposed to show up? Plus, it was after dinner now? Why so late?

The pair jumped up from where they sat with worried glances. They had to go see what was happening, but deep down, they both felt something wasn't right. They didn't want to leave because something inside of them knew that whatever or whoever the box brought with it this time was going to change things.

This small slice of time Y/N and Gally had existed in so peacefully and happily was now seemingly severed. And they were right. They got dragged down the unfortunate current that swept them off their feet after that box arrived. Thomas changed everything. Teresa arrived and the grievers attacked.

Y/N like a few others, went missing. No one saw where they went, knew if they were alive...anything. They were just gone.

And so then Gally stood, watching that pile of paint burn away with the rest of the hut around it. Gally's throat burned and his fists began to cramp from being clenched so long. He bit the inside of his cheek, tasting blood.

He should have known. It was all too good to be true. All of this. Everything that had happened with Y/N over the past while was destined to come to an end.

So was everything else. The Glade, his friendships, his own life.

So now, while he sat here, watching the last city burn around him, the flames licking at the sky took him back to the night in the Glade when everything fell apart. To the day after when he got stuck, killed Chuck, had a spear sent into his chest...he winced.

Then he looked over his shoulder to see Minho, reaching his hand out to put it on Newt's shoulder, telling him how good it was to see him again. All Gally wished was that he could hear the same, maybe even say the same to someone. But it seemed no one had any love for him anymore, if they'd ever had any to begin with. He was a pawn with no roots. No attachment to anyone or anything.

He'd never had anything like that in the Glade. Not until Y/N came around to work with him that one night and then she was gone just days later. All he wanted was to have her back.

A couple days later, Gally was taken out of his trance by Minho tapping his shoulder. The former keeper of runners could tell how lonely and isolated he was. He didn't really know anyone here and was having a rough time adjusting. There was only one person Minho thought might be able to break his curse and stop him from losing himself.

"You up to keeping watch over someone for a while, man?" Minho asked. "Jorge needs a break."

"Uh, yeah. Sure." Gally picked himself up off of the ground and shoved the small piece of wood he was carving in his pocket.

The pair walked in silence until they ended up in front of one of the tents. Minho hesitated and looked to Gally. "This might—"

"Why are you hesitating?" Gally asked tiredly. "It's just keeping an eye on someone. I'll be fine."

"It's not just someone..." Minho gently lift up the canvas flap of a door and let Gally peer inside.

Immediately, the builder stumbled backward a couple of steps. He knew that face painfully well. That was a face he'd already said goodbye to. How was this possible?

Minho watched the churning emotions on his friends face sadly. "Frypan found her stumbling out of the WICKED facility as it was coming down. We had no idea they even had her."

Gally, finally pulling himself together, stepped forward. "I—Is she going to be okay?"

"She should." Minho sighed heavily.

Gally entered the tent with a heavy heart and pulled a chair up beside Y/N's cot. Initially, he thought it better to sit as far away from her as possible. That's what his gut told him. But if it were him in the cot? The roles reversed? He'd want someone right at his side.

While he sat there, Gally was pummelled with thoughts. All of the things he'd wished he'd said to her back in the Glade. All the awkward things he'd done. Now, about what the future held. If she made it out of this healthy, maybe there was a real chance for him here. A chance for him to really build this place up as his new home with someone he knew cared.

Y/N's eyes opened weakly and she struggled for a breath. The first thing she noticed was her unfamiliar surroundings. This wasn't the glade, it wasn't the WICKED facility...where was she? When she turned her head to the left, she saw Gally staring up at the ceiling lost in thought. That was a face she never thought she'd see again. "Anything to paint around this place?"

Gally's gaze snapped down to Y/N and his eyes nearly fell out of their sockets. His lungs seized and he felt his legs trying to break out into a sprint despite the fact that he remained seated. "Y/N?"

"Well, I think that's who I am." She forced a small smile. "Unless WICKED messed me up so bad you can't recognize me."

"No—I—" Gally put a hand over hers and lowered his head down, sighing, maybe even letting out a soft sob. It was an overwhelming, crushing feeling of defeat and yet relief that he had no way of placing or controlling. "...You never came home."

Y/N hummed quietly in acknowledgment. "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize," Gally shook his head and shut his eyes tight, scooting his chair closer to the edge of the cot the girl lay on. "Just...It's nice to see you again."

Y/N stifled a half hearted sob. "You too."

"But yes," Gally wiped at his cheek. "There are things for us to paint around here."

"Awesome," Y/N boldly tried to get up but failed and winced in agony. Gally put a hand on her shoulder and smiled sadly.

"Maybe rest for a couple days first." He suggest. "I'll stay with you."