Under The Gun - Gally (The Maze Runner)

Under The Gun - Gally (The Maze Runner)

What better way to kick off the New Year with my man (and @gladerscake's), Gally

Yeah, this is gonna be painful, cause I am a sadist as well as a masochist😊

2.3k words🤙🏻

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In all your time in the Glade, you were known as two things.

Number one, you were known as Gally's girl. You two were always with each other, whether it be working or just hanging out. If you asked anyone else, they'd probably say that you two were dating.

Which, wasn't entirely wrong.

You and Gally knew that you felt more than friendly with each other, your longing gazes and his slight possessiveness when you talked to other guys in the Glade was just a couple examples. Though, with everything always so hectic, you never got the chance to really talk about it. But it was unspoken that you belonged to Gally, and he belonged to you.

But, you were always known as the big sister, to only one kid in the Glade.

Chuck.

Ever since he arrived in the Glade, you felt a strong urge to protect this kid. His frightened eyes when he first came up in the box melted your heart, and he clung onto you the first week in the Glade. And that was it, you were done for. He became the most important thing in your life, and you wouldn't have had it any other way. Though, you soon come to regret that opinion.

You had always wanted to escape the Maze, take Chuck and Gally far away and find each others' families, if they were even still alive. You thought it would be a slow progress, if the information the Runners gave was any indication. But as soon as Thomas showed up, everything was kicked in to high gear. He had managed to make more progress in three days than anybody had done in three years. It was hard to believe, and it was overwhelming.

You tried to talk to Gally about it, about how this was a good thing, but he had always been extremely stubborn. He was too stuck in his ways to see any change as a threat, and threats needed to be destroyed.

Unfortunately, in Gally's crusade against Thomas, he pushed away the most important thing to him; you. He couldn't fault you for giving up on trying to talk to him, he felt just as exhausted trying to get you to be on his side. He just didn't want you to get killed because some Greenie thought he was better than everyone else, and he was furious at you for allowing Chuck to believe in Thomas too. Though he'd never admit it, he felt just as responsible for Chuck as you did.

When you and Chuck ran off with Thomas into the Maze, Gally couldn't help but be compelled to follow, even though it was too late. A part of him never wanted to see you again, he was so angry. But he realized he couldn't live without you by his side. But by the time he could make up his mind, Thomas' group was already far ahead. He never thought he'd be stung by a Griever, he was always so careful, but it happened and it messed with his mind.

Gally's poisoned brain went to the darkest places. He knew everyone who died, everything that went wrong, it was all Thomas' fault. Thomas deserved to die. Thomas should've been the one to die, not Alby, not Zart, nor anyone of his fellow Gladers he thought of as his brothers. And Gally would be damned if he let Thomas get you killed too. It didn't matter to him anymore, he was going to take you back whether you liked it or not.

But once Gally saw that gun laying on the floor, his hatred for Thomas overpowered any sliver of reason that he might've had left.

You felt like you were in a nightmare. The boy you cared for so much was almost unrecognizable, pointing that pistol right at your friend.

You begged and pleaded for Gally to stop, to snap out of it somehow. But he didn't, and Minho's spear found its home in Gally's chest as soon as he pulled the trigger. You can't remember who dropped to the floor first, but you didn't even have time to mourn Gally before you saw Chuck bleeding. Then, nothing else mattered to you besides keeping this sweet kid alive.

You screamed as Chuck let out his last breath, falling limp in your arms. Thomas' own screams sounded far away, and you didn't even register how roughly you were pulled away from Chuck's body until you were slightly slapped in the face by Teresa inside of a helicopter.

There wasn't a moment that went by where you didn't think of Chuck, not one moment where you weren't pissed off. You were pissed off at a lot of things, depending on the day. You were pissed of at W.C.K.D., how dare they let this kid die, even if it was for science. You were pissed off at the world. You were even pissed off at Thomas for a few days, just because he was there and the chain of events that led to Chuck's death was because of him. But most of all, you were pissed off at Gally.

Gally was the only person you truly trusted, and you were completely shell-shocked at how he could betray you so harshly, even if he was stung. You held on to that anger, and you led it drive you. A part of you wanted to die, but no, you were too angry to die. You wanted W.C.K.D. to pay, especially after Teresa actually betrayed everyone and kidnapped Minho.

And while trying to find a way into the Last City, you were completely blown away and shell-shocked, once again. You couldn't believe your eyes, you almost pinched yourself, thinking that it must've been a dream.

Gally was alive, standing before you and your friends.

A wave of emotions hit you all at once, and you almost dropped to your knees, it was so overwhelming. Tears came to your eyes, but you couldn't tell if they were happy tears or angry tears. You've felt so much rage towards this boy over the past months, but now that you saw he was still alive...

You couldn't fault Thomas for punching Gally, if you weren't so stunned you might've done the same thing. But as always, Newt was the voice of reason and reminded him that Gally was stung and wasn't in control. But that only made rage bubble up in your chest more. You were angry, but knowing you had no right to be angry just made you angrier.

You ignored Gally as long as you possibly could. With everything going on with the mission, it was easy to put off talking to him. And you weren't making it easy for him either. You had a hard time not glaring at Gally every chance you got. Every time you saw his face, all you could see was Chuck falling to the floor.

You kept up this attitude even after Minho was rescued and everyone settled in the Safe Haven, Newt's death just making you feel even more bitter. You weren't particularly close with him, but it was hard not to like him. Honestly, you had no hope for yourself. You thought you were just destined to become a bitter shell of a human, but after all you had to endure, could anyone blame you?

Seeing Gally be the one to carve Chuck's name into the giant stone pillar just twisted the knife in your stomach, but you made no comment about it. Seeing that Thomas had forgiven Gally made you feel guilty, just the cherry on top, really.

You didn't realize how badly you needed to cry until that night. You sat far away from camp, making sure no one was around so you could open the floodgates in peace. But once you started it was hard to stop. You'd think you were done, but then one little insignificant thing would set you off again. You wished you could've just ripped out your eyes so you'd never cry again, you wanted anyway from how badly they burned.

It was the middle of the night, and everyone was asleep. You quietly walked to the pillar and immediately found Chuck's name. You placed your hand on top on the engraving, cursing as fresh tears came to your eyes once again.

"Y/n...?"

You froze up when you heard that familiar voice, shutting your eyes in slight annoyance as you heard his footsteps in the sand slowly moving closer to you. "What do you want?" You asked softly, hearing for the first time just how hoarse your voice sounded after those couple hours of sobbing.

"Please, Y/n." Gally whispered sadly. "Please, talk to me."

"I have nothing to say to you."

"You and I both know that's not true." Gally gently grabbed your wrist and turned you around to face him, almost shocked at how you didn't resist in the slightest. "I can't handle this anymore, this silent treatment. I'd much rather hear every hurtful thing you have to say about me than continue on this way. Please, I-" Gally huffed tearfully.

"You wanna hear what I have to say?" You asked bluntly, causing Gally to flinch, but he nodded anyway. "Every night when I sleep I see you, gun pointed at all of us. I heard the shot. I see Chuck hit the floor. I watch him die, feel him die in my arms. Over and over until I wake up, panicked. And then I see you, alive and well, and it's like the nightmare never ends. I hated you. I hated you so much. Chuck became my family when I couldn't remember mine, if they were even alive. W.C.K.D. took them from me, and then you took Chuck away too." You stopped when a choked sob escaped your throat, not being able to stop it no matter how hard you tried. "Satisfied?"

"I never wanted that to happen...I never wanted to hurt anyone, especially not Chuck, or you. I can't express how terribly sorry I am, for everything. I know anything I say will seem empty to you, but I..." He took a deep breath. "I was scared. I was scared of losing you, losing everything. Back then, I was stuck in the Glade for so long that it started to feel like home. Then Thomas came and everything started to change. But I realized a long time ago that he was right, that you were right. I regret what I did every single day. I see Chuck's face every time I close my eyes, Y/n. What I did haunts me every second. Again, I am so, so sorry."

You were silent, speechless almost. You finally noticed Gally's face must've resembled yours, red brimmed eyes, cheeks flushed and tear stained, his bottom lip tucked in between his teeth to keep it from wobbling.

"If you never want to speak to me again...that's okay. Honestly, if I were you, I'd probably hate me too. But, I love you, and I'll respect whatever you choose."

No matter how hard you tried to hold on to your hate, or how long, you loved Gally too, even if you didn't want to admit it. And you knew you were in the wrong, you knew he was never in control and it wasn't his fault. You knew if he could go back and change things, he would.

"I...don't hate you, Gally. I convinced myself that I did, but now that I think about it, maybe I never did." You admitted. "I've just been so angry. It was so easy to blame you." You teared up again, your throat tightening up once again, but digging your nails into the palms of your hands to try and keep your sobs at bay. "I'm so tired of feeling like this." You held your hands up over your face, embarrassed at yourself for breaking out into tears, even though you had no reason to be.

It didn't take long before you felt Gally gently wrap his arms around you, pulling you into his chest and patting down your hair. "Gally, I'm so-"

"I know, I know." Gally shushed. "It's okay."

In all honesty, Gally didn't need you to say anything else. Knowing you for so long, he had a way of knowing how you felt about most things. For him, he was just happy you allowed him to speak to you. He was a bit pessimistic about how the conversation would go, he was pretty much shocked you didn't punch him right then and there. But holding you like this, it took him back to the Glade, before everything started to change. He was taken back to all the times he held you during thunderstorms, or when it was too cold and your blankets weren't enough, so you'd bring him to your bed without a word.

Gally didn't know if there was a higher power out there somewhere, but he felt it might've taken a miracle for him to hold you again. He was grateful nonetheless. He slightly smiled when he felt you finally relax against him, pulling your hands away from your face to wrap them around his neck. God, how he wanted to kiss you, and he would've if he didn't think it was too soon.

You and Gally stayed like that for a few minutes, not caring about who or what might be watching. You probably would've stayed there all night if it wasn't for the exhaustion you both felt, and you both could sense it too.

"I know it's going to take some time." Gally started, trailing his hands down your arms to hold your hands. "And that's okay. I'll work as hard as I can to earn your trust back, no matter how long it takes."

You smiled softly, his words warming your heart. It was nice of him to say, but honestly, he already had.

~~~~~~~~~~

Haha, take that, suckers! Got emmm

Philophobia - Laszlo Kreizler (The Alienist)

FINALLY, I finally wrote an imagine for one of Daniel Brühl's characters after suffering a nonstop obsession with him and his work. It only took be three whole days, but honestly, I kinda fuck with this ngl.

Warnings: typical 19th century societal opinions and expectations, sexism, references to prostitution and murder, and major spoilers for season 1 of the Alienist

3.9k words🤙🏻 (so close to 4k but not quite, ah!)

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You had been working as an apprentice and assistant for Doctor Laszlo Kreizler for over a year now. Ever since you were a child, you had always had a fascination for the human mind, what makes people tic. You had been fortunate enough to even gain some level of respect from the Doctor, even to allow you to watch him work and occasionally ask for your impute if he were to have a case that could use more than one perspective.

You were proud that you were, most likely, one of the first women to ever be allowed to work with someone as proficient in his field as Doctor Kreizler. Though, of course, you had certain obstacles you had to overcome, like people not taking you seriously simply because you were a woman. You knew Laszlo respected you as an individual, but it did take some time before he allowed you to help take on the more severe, violent cases he had.

The murder and mutilation of the young boy prostitute on the Williamsburg Bridge had been one case you begged the Doctor to let you help with. John Moore, a friend of Doctor Kreizler, was very adamant that a woman should not be subject to such horrors. You had known Mr. Moore since you were a child, he was fairly older than you and was like a brother to you, which is why you had no qualms with telling him to kindly piss off, for you knew that a woman could do anything a man could. From then on, you became a member of Laszlo's team.

You very quickly came to realize your rapidly growing affection for Doctor Kreizler during the investigation. Well, truth be told, ever since you started your apprenticeship, you found the Doctor to be quite handsome and found his passion for helping his patients admirable. You loved watching how he behaved with his patients, how he treated them with the respect and kindness that their parents might have never given to them. You tried not to let it distract you, the last thing you wanted was for Doctor Kreizler to see you as some air headed dolt that wasn't fit for the job of an alienist. But on the contrary, Laszlo saw you as anything but.

Admittedly, Laszlo was a bit hesitant in allowing you to take on learning this way of life, which could be difficult, especially since alienists were already misunderstood and ostracized. His first impression when you two met, he saw how beautiful you were and instantly proved you were intelligent, he couldn't imagine why you would choose a career field such as his. Of course, he was glad you were interested and engaged in his theories unlike other simpletons he wasted his breath on. He saw you were truly passionate about psychology, almost as much as he was. It didn't take much convincing after that.

When Laszlo saw how involved you wanted to be with his team set to find the murderer of the young boy on the bridge, he didn't know why he felt a sharp tinge of fear in his chest. At first, he was just convinced that it was because you were considered the weaker sex, according to society at the time. And yet, Sara being an integral part of the investigation didn't give him the same fear. Laszlo just couldn't bare the thought of you getting hurt because of this case. When he made sure that everyone on the team knew that the killer's onslaught of violence could very well spill over onto them, he made sure to make direct eye contact with you; but you didn't let his opinion sway you. You were determined to stop this monster, just as much as everyone else, and nothing was going to stop you from doing just that.

It took countless hours and sleepless nights to locate and finally catch this John Beecham, just in time before he murdered another innocent boy, Joseph.

You, John, and Laszlo raced to the Croton reservoir, which was a drastic change of the plan from what you and the rest of the team had been told; but with Byrnes stalking Laszlo and the police at where you all originally thought the killer would strike next, Laszlo was one step ahead of everyone else it seemed. But upon reaching the reservoir, you were ordered to stay behind, John and Laszlo both agreeing that it was too dangerous.

You stood outside the building, pacing and tapping your foot impatiently. No, you were too on edge. You needed to see this through, and you didn't care about the danger.

You lit a candle upon entering the reservoir, dimly lighting your path through the maze of tunnels throughout the building. You felt your heartbeat thump in your ears as you followed the sound of distant footsteps and shouts, the slowly melting wax stinging your hand but helping you ground yourself to reality as you got closer and closer to the commotion.

Your breath caught in your throat as you saw the killer hovering above Laszlo, holding the Arkansas toothpick right to his face, John and Joseph passed out behind them. "I could take your eyes…" You heard uttered from the killer's mouth.

Over my dead body.

You didn't think as you pounced on the killer, swinging your arm across the man's neck and squeezing as tightly as you possibly could, hearing him let out a strangled gasp. Though your hold on him didn't keep for long. The man being much more stronger and bigger than you, he quickly reached his arm backwards and grabbed a fist full of your hair and slammed you into the concrete floor, knocking the breath out of you from the impact and the swift kick to the stomach you received afterwards. You could've sworn you heard Laszlo call out your name, but you instantly felt dizzy; you must've hit your head.

You thankfully recovered after a minute, but not soon enough. You scowled as you saw captain Connor standing in the corridor, holding a freshly fired pistol smugly. "Looks like I walked into a bloodbath." He smirked, keeping his gun raised directly at you and Laszlo, both of you rendered defenseless on the ground in pain. Connor grinned darkly at you, causing you to cringe in disgust. "Well, looky here, if it isn't Laszlo Kreizler's pet bitch. Shame I'll have to kill you too, what a waste of a pretty face."

You didn't have time to snap back at the Irishman, Laszlo much quicker in his response. "No, don't!" Laszlo shouted, his expression of anger so fierce it gave Connor slight pause, but he quickly shrugged it off with another smirk.

"Aw, don't worry, Doctor. I'll make her death quick and painless, I'm not a monster, after all." As time seemed to slow as Connor raised his pistol to your forehead, the sound of the hammer pulling back and twisting the cylinder was distant, and your first thought was that you couldn't believe you were going to die by the hands of a pig.

A shot rang out, echoing through the desolate halls of the reservoir.

You were wide-eyed in shock, staring up at the similarly shocked face of the captain Connor, bright red blood slowly seeping out of his mouth and promptly dropping to the floor, clutching the fresh bullet hole in his stomach. You looked to see Sara, holding her own pistol, smoke pouring from the double barrel. "Are you alright?" Her meek and timid voice spoke, gently dropping to her knees and laying a hand on your shoulder.

"I am now." You smiled breathlessly, reaching out and giving her a grateful hug. "Thank you."

Sara then went to John, waking him up and making sure he was okay too. You looked back at Doctor Kreizler, him staring at you with an intense but unreadable expression. He looked back and forth between you and the ladder that went up another level of the reservoir, noticing the killer wasn't there with everyone else anymore. You nodded to him, signaling that it was okay to pursue him, and off he went quickly.

Unfortunately, the bullet wound in the killer's back caused by Connor drained the life from him too quickly, Laszlo not being able to get the answers he was seeking. Now, no one would ever know why John Beecham murdered those poor boys. It was frustrating, and you couldn't even imagine how Laszlo must've felt, to spend all that time and effort, having nothing to show for it. But at least you stopped a serial killer.

Laszlo didn't speak to you at all after that, even when you all arrived back at the institute so the Isaacson brothers could run the autopsy. It felt as though he was upset with you, which, you couldn't really blame him for. You did refuse to listen to his requests, but you knew you made the right choice. Any minute longer and you might've actually walked into a bloodbath as Connor said. But the sharp pain in your side and severe headache that you suffered tried to convince you otherwise.

As the Doctor's assistant as well as his apprentice, you were immensely thankful that you had your own private bedroom that you could wallow in. After everyone went home and left you and Laszlo alone, you tried to go up the stairs to your room, wincing every so often when you accidently overexerted yourself.

Looking in your full body mirror after you undressed, you saw the black and blue bruises decorating the side of your abdomen. It looked as bad as it felt, you supposed. You started to regret your reckless ways, thinking of what you could've done better than to just tackle the murderer.

You jumped at the sudden knock on your door, quickly dressing yourself in a thin robe so you weren't completely naked as you opened the door, seeing Laszlo's face immediately calming your heart. Though upon seeing your lack of decency, quickly uttered an apology and turned to leave but you reached out and gently grabbed his arm. "I, uh, just wanted to see if you were alright." Laszlo spoke softly, noticeably trying to not let his gaze slip lower than your face.

You smiled weakly, nodding your head. "Yes, I'm alright, thank you." You lied. Due to the night you've both had, you didn't want to worry him, he deserved some peace and relaxation after the long investigation. But you quickly noticed how Laszlo's brow furrowed, his mouth upturned in a frown, his once concerned gaze turning cold. "Are you okay?" You asked back, even though it was completely obvious what he answer would be.

Laszlo tilted his head slightly, a tight-lipped irritated smile on his face. "You could've gotten killed tonight, you know that, don't you? If not by captain Connor, Japheth could've done more than just slam you on the ground."

You lowered your head in shame, not that you were ashamed of your decision, you just hated that you were correct on your theory that Laszlo was actually upset with you.

"John and I told you not to go into the reservoir with us, yet you deliberately disobeyed."

You couldn't help but scoff. "That man almost killed you, Laszlo! Who knows, if I had arrived one second later, you might've been killed."

"Japheth wouldn't have killed me."

"Really? How do you know that?" You asked irritably, rolling your eyes when Laszlo couldn't find the words to respond. "I don't regret my actions, Doctor. I'd do it again in a heartbeat." But as your next heartbeat pounded in your ears, another wave of sharp pain resonated through you, causing you to almost double over in pain, the only thing keeping you upright was your hand on the doorframe.

"Y/n?" Laszlo asked, panicked. "What's wrong?" Laszlo quickly helped you to your bed, even sitting down being almost too painful. You clutched your side, biting your lip in attempt to keep your whimpers silenced. But Laszlo noticed right away, reaching for your hand, giving you a tender gaze. "Let me see."

You internally sighed as you listened to him, hesitantly removing your hand and allowed Laszlo to gently open your robe. You heard him gasp quietly as he finally saw your side, his body tensing up almost as if he could feel the same pain that you felt. "Why didn't you say anything?" Laszlo scolded.

"I didn't want you to worry." You mumbled nervously, Laszlo's sullen face making you feel guilty. "I'm sorry."

Laszlo shook his head lightly. "Don't. Just lay down, you need to rest. I'll call for a doctor in the morning." And with that, he left your room in a hurry, shutting the door hard enough to make you flinch. You didn't want disobey his direct orders this time, plus, your body craved sleep.

As Laszlo said that night, he called for a doctor for a house call. Thankfully, your bruises weren't anything to be concerned about as long as you stayed in bed for awhile. Which wouldn't have been a problem if it weren't for the fact that you were pretty restless in general, so you knew you were going to have a hard time being on bedrest. And Laszlo was still upset with you, so that made the situation even worse.

Stevie and Cyrus were gracious enough to help take care of you instead of Laszlo, but you couldn't decide whether that was a good thing or not. On one hand, it would've forced Laszlo to deal with his feelings toward you, but you also didn't want to have to deal with his issues while dealing with your own, and you didn't know if you would've been able to handle the more intimate moments that came with being cared for if it was with Laszlo. Though, you decided that being ignored was worse.

Even when you were cleared to walk around, Laszlo rarely ever spoke to you, only when necessary, which irked you. You figured enough time had passed for him to get over your actions at the reservoir, but apparently you underestimated his ability to hold a grudge. You just couldn't understand why he stayed so mad at you, you were at your wits end and you wanted answers. And almost like Laszlo himself could feel your frustration towards him, he decided to go to the opera in attempt to escape.

Laszlo sighed when he saw you sitting patiently on one of his chairs in his living room, mindlessly flipping through one of his books. "What are you doing up? It's late. You should be in bed."

"That's the pot calling the kettle black, Doctor." You stood up from the chair, a bit too quickly, wincing at the now dull pain, still reminding you that you had to pace yourself.

"How are you feeling?" Laszlo asked, for the first time since the doctor's visit.

"Oh, so now you care?" You scowled, allowing your bitterness seep through in your tone.

Laszlo huffed, gripping his cane tightly. "I never said I didn't."

"Well, you sure have been acting like it." You chuckled bitterly.

"Surely, I don't know what you mean."

You scoffed. "Really? You really don't know? You've been ignoring me for weeks, Laszlo. I just want to know why? And if it's really because I followed you and John, then I must say, you've been quite unfair to someone who just might've saved your life. Or maybe I just should've died then and there." Now, you knew that was a bit overdramatic, but once you started speaking your mind, you couldn't stop the word vomit.

You flinched when Laszlo threw his cane to the floor in anger, a loud clang echoing through the room. "I-" Laszlo started to shout, but quickly stopped himself, balling his hand into a fist and taking a deep breath, trying to maintain his composure.

Laszlo hadn't meant to snap at you, truly he didn't; and he wanted to tell you that, but all words escaped him in that moment.

Back at the reservoir, Laszlo had a realization. When he saw you getting hurt by Japheth and almost killed by Connor, he felt terrified, terrified that he was going to lose you. Up until that point, you were just his apprentice and a friend, nothing more. He didn't realize how important you were to him until he almost lost you. Laszlo didn't want to feel this way, he figured he had suffered enough trauma and having unrequited feelings for someone would just add on to his list of problems. But you…you were so good, so pure of heart, someone who deserved much better than him. Maybe he had known that he had feelings for you, but he kept those feelings under lock and key, ignoring them and eventually, ignoring you.

Laszlo had a tendency of blaming himself for most things, you being hurt on the job was no exception. He should've had you go with Sara and the Isaacson brothers, you would've been okay if he had. Seeing your injuries just made his fear even more palpable, and he couldn't handle it. He completely shut down, locking himself in his own room, trying not to think about how he was leaving you alone to deal with your pain by yourself. And seeing Stevie and Cyrus hustle about the house, doing whatever they could to make your life easier just added on to his guilt. But ultimately, he knew it wasn't fair to you; and seeing your frightened expression, he knew he couldn't ignore his feelings anymore.

"I apologize. I didn't mean to shout." Laszlo sighed, removing his fur coat and setting it down.

"Please, Laszlo, tell me why. I…I miss you, talking to you." You felt your face heat up at your words, a simple confession that could just be interpreted as friendly, but you knew otherwise.

Similarly, Laszlo felt his heart beat faster than normal, not just by your words but your pleading soft gaze that he couldn't look away from even if he tried. Laszlo started by taking a deep breath, "I never meant for you to feel ignored. After all that happened, I needed time to think. About the case, about Japheth...about you. I didn't truly understand my feelings until that night, and as much as I hate to admit this to myself, I was scared. As soon as you were involved, nothing else mattered to me, not the case, not John, not the commissioner; as long as you were safe. And I know how terrible that sounds, but it's the truth."

You stepped forwards cautiously, reaching out to take Laszlo's hand in yours. He hesitated for a moment, and you stopped to look into his eyes with all the kindness you could possibly muster, and you were relieved to see him relax, untensing his shoulders and connecting his hand with yours with a sharp exhale. "The environment in which I grew up, it's difficult for me to open myself up to...this." He stared at his hand intertwined with yours, gently grazing his thumb over your soft skin. "I thought I could push these feelings away, but it seems I've failed at that too."

You gave his a sympathetic smile. "I understand." You didn't know the full extent of his childhood trauma, but you understood well enough how much it could affect a person, especially an innocent child. "I, too, tried to push my feelings away." You chuckled weakly, the feeling of Laszlo's smooth hand lightly brushing up your arm, causing you to shiver.

"And did you succeed?" The question was so simple, but the almost sultry expression in his eyes so fixed on yours told you he already knew what your answer would be. And you stuttered, unable to speak from how intense his gaze was; and you were almost convinced that you saw a ghost of a smirk when you gave up trying to come up with a response. "I suppose that gives me my answer."

Before you could attempt to respond once more, you were stopped by Laszlo's hand reaching up to gently caress your cheek, tracing a line against your jawline before coming to rest on your chin, lifting your face to meet his. Your eyes fluttered shut as you felt his breath on you, mixing with your own, his lips so close that you could almost feel them brush over yours in a feather-light motion. "Tell me to stop, Liebling. Tell me this isn't what you want, and I'll stop."

You exhaled shakily, bringing your hand to rest atop of his shoulder, feeling the fine fabric of his velvet waistcoat. "I don't want you to stop." You trembled, wavering but not reducing the weight of conviction in your voice.

Now sure of your desire, Laszlo shifted forward, connecting your lips with his with a vigor even he didn't realize he had in himself. You raised your hand to cup his cheek as he moved against you, his beard tickling your face, but it didn't bother you in the slightest. His lips were so soft, tasting of champagne that only added to the allure to the passionate moment. His tongue danced expertly with yours, making you weak at the knees, his hand gripping your waist tightly sending a rush of electricity throughout your entire body. The moan that almost escaped your mouth forced you to realize how quickly you both were getting carried away, and as much as it pained you, you slowed down and gently pulled away, a lightheaded smile playing at your lips.

"Not to be cliché but, I can't tell you how long I've wanted to do that." You admitted bashfully, earning a light chuckle from Laszlo. He kept his hand on your waist, not ready to let go.

"Now that I've had a taste of you, I don't know how I'll be able to keep myself away from you." He half joked, causing you to blush even more furiously than you already were, but you could hear the underlying tone in his voice, the fear of what the future would hold for the both of you.

"Well, luckily, you don't have to worry about that, cause I'm not going anywhere, Doctor."

Laszlo shook his head slightly, hesitation coming back into his expression. "If we get a case like this again, if I can't protect you-"

"Hey," You interrupted softly, forcing him to look into your eyes. "this won't happen again, okay? I've learnt my lesson, and I'll be careful next time, if there's a next time. And I'm not helpless, you know. I know how to take care of myself."

"I just wish I could be the man you deserve, someone who makes you feel safe." Laszlo grabbed onto his bad arm, the distain for his physical handicap clear.

You smiled softly, kissing his cheek with a similar tenderness. "You already make me feel safe, Laszlo, only having one strong arm isn't going to change that. You're perfect just the way you are. I mean that."

Laszlo's heart swelled, your words making him feel just as warm as your hand on his jaw, gently tugging on his beard. He hadn't felt this way about anyone in a long, long time. He could have told you he loved you right then and there and he would've been genuine, but as the relationship was only just beginning, he decided to refrain, as hard as that was. But he smiled, knowing that one day your relationship with him would develop further and you both would be comfortable enough to tell each other anything and everything about your lives and how you felt.

And when that day does come, Laszlo vowed to himself to spend that whole day telling you how much he loves you, over and over again.

~~~~~~~~~~

The urge to write smut was stronggggg, but Laszlo is absolutely a virgin and I'm too down bad to write sweet first times, at least this time.

Just a Touch

(Gally x Reader)

Requested by anon. Shameless fluff, my teeth are rotting. Wouldn’t have it any other way lol Enjoy!

You and Gally were friends. That’s how it always had been, ever since he let you on his team of builders, and how you thought it always would be.

As staggering as it initially was that the rough and tough Keeper had warmed up to you, you welcomed it thoroughly.

You were comfortable in each other’s presence. Working alongside him was fun, with your lighthearted conversations and the multitude of inside jokes you had come to share. Having lunch together had become a fairly regular thing for the two of you and being in one another’s company throughout the day, even when work wasn’t involved, inevitably brought you closer.

Keep reading

Avalanche - Billy Cutler

Welp, here it is. I did it, @gladerscake. I hope you're proud of me😂 But for real, thanks for being my hype man on this

WARNING: Drug use/addiction

~~~~~~~~~~

It all happened so fast, you were cruising down the road when all of a sudden, some asshole in a pickup truck ran a red light and crashed into your car hard.

It first, you didn't feel anything. You were just in complete shock, you must've blacked out because you woke up to the sound of sirens.

You tried to move, but you quickly realized you were stuck. You saw your leg crushed between the front of the car where it was caved in from the impact, that's when the pain started.

Searing white hot pain surged through your whole body, the pain from your leg alone making you scream. You felt other places on your body that felt awful, but the pain in your leg made you feel dizzy.

You woke up from another blackout, but thankfully, you were already on an ambulance on the way to your local hospital. You just remembered sobbing, begging to just have some pain relief, you wished you could just pass out again. There was nothing the EMTs could do until you got to the ER.

When you finally arrived, everything was a blur. All you could comprehend was the pain you felt, especially when the doctors had to set your leg and clean all the other wounds on your body. They finally just gave you an IV drip of morphine, just so you wouldn't pass out from the pain again.

You could hear some commotion outside of the room you were in, you recognized the voice even in your anguished state. Billy was here, he was your emergency contact after all. A part of you wanted him to be with you, holding your hand. But you didn't want him to see you like this, so broken. You must've looked as bad as you felt, not something you want your fiancé to see, even though he's seen you on a lot of your bad days. But this was an exceptionally bad day.

As soon as the doctors and nurses let him, Billy rushed to your side, instantly looking heartbroken and getting teary-eyed. "Oh, baby, I'm so sorry. I started speeding down here as soon as I got the call." He gently grabbed ahold of your hand and placed a delicate kiss on your slightly bruised knuckles. "How bad is it?" Billy looked to the doctor.

"A crushed fibula, a few major fractures in the tibia. Some cuts and scrapes on the arms as you can probably see, nothing too serious there, no need for stitches. But the leg will have to be in that cast for about eight weeks."

Your bottom lip trembled, the pain only increasing as the doctor talked, and Billy noticed. "Can you give them something for the pain, please?" He asked impatiently.

"Of course, we can give them 20 mgs of Oxycontin for now. Then put them on a schedule when they go home."

Your ears perked up at the word, panic striking through you. "Wait, can it be something else?"

"Babe, it'll work better than any other painkiller." Billy reassured.

"But-"

"Hey, I know this stuff, okay? It's completely safe."

You agreed, you trusted Billy. Plus, your pain was so great you didn't have the energy to argue. You had heard horror stories about Oxy since it's creation, but if Billy says it's safe...

A week passed, and you weren't feeling any better, but your doctor said that it's normal. It does that awhile for bones to heal. You just kept taking your medicine as prescribed, and it was fine. But as the days went on, you felt like you needed more. So you got prescribed more, you were on 40 mgs. Then you were on 60 mgs. When you started to need 80 mgs, that's when you felt like there was a problem.

You brought up your concerns with Billy, but he quickly brushed off the idea that something could be wrong with the drug. He showed you the research, he gave you every assurance you needed, but all of it still felt off.

No matter how much Oxy you took, you were still in pain. Being brushed off before, you decided to keep your struggles to yourself. You were in denial yourself, even after the eight weeks had passed and your injuries were healed, you still...craved...Oxycontin.

You had a panic attack when your doctor finally cut you off, it felt like you were sentenced to death. You needed to have the drug, your life depended on it. You felt so alone in all this, Billy was constantly working and never home. But a part of you were thankful for that, that way you wouldn't have to sneak out of your own home to try and find a dealer who could give you Oxy.

You wasted no time ingesting the pill you bought, it felt so heavenly. You could only describe it as having a powerful orgasm after a whole year of abstinence. Of course that feeling didn't last long, and the pain just kept coming back. What was worse is that you didn't even feel physical pain, it was the emotional pain that made you keep coming back to the drug. You knew you needed help, but you were too afraid to ask. At one point, you felt like you were a lost cause...

You had gotten so good as hiding your addiction from Billy that you started to get cocky. In the beginning, you usually hid in your closet to snort your pills, just in case Billy were to come home unexpectedly. But now, you sat in your living room, crushed Oxy pill powder in three long lines on your glass coffee table.

You had a rolled up dollar bill in your hand, lined up between your left nostril and the line of white powder, when you heard the front door to your house open.

Billy stopped dead in his tracks when he saw you, wide eyed in disbelief. Was he actually seeing this? He must've been hallucinating, right? You couldn't be snorting Oxycontin.

"Billy...what are you doing home?" You asked nervously, gripping the rolled dollar in your hand tightly.

"I got off work early...to surprise you..." Billy was expressionless, his voice null of any emotion. He was too much in shock to do anything but stare lifelessly at the powder collected on the table.

It hadn't been that long that Billy had his doubts about Purdue Pharma. He tried not to believe that he and his fellow sales reps had been lied to, been forced to say that Oxy was nonaddictive when it clearly was. He hadn't seen it, what the drug did to people, but now he finally had and it happened to the person he cared about the most in this world; you. Dr. Finnix was right...he was selling poison. You were poisoned with this shit, and it was his fault.

If only Billy knew, if only he had realized it sooner. Then maybe you wouldn't have become addicted.

"You need help. I see that now. I'm so sorry I didn't sooner." Billy frowned deeply.

"No, Billy, I'm fine. I'm fine." You chuckled manically, quickly standing up when Billy started to walk to you. "What're you doing?" You asked panicked.

"I'm throwing this garbage away."

"No!" You pushed Billy away from the table, his eyes widening in shock. "Don't." Billy pushed past you wiped the powder away in one quick swipe, making you scream angrily. "Why'd you do that?" You cried.

"Do you have any more pills? Huh?" Billy walked around your house with you following him, pulling at his arm when he started to get closer to the area where you kept your stash. "Is it in here?" He pointed to the closet, you quickly getting in his way and trying to block the door. "Y/n, please, this is for your own good."

"No, Billy, please!" You screamed as Billy pulled out your little baggie of pills. "You're gonna kill me, Bill! Do you want to kill me!? Do you hate me that much!?"

Billy paused as he held the bag of pills above the kitchen sink, sighing sadly and heartbroken at your hurtful comments. "No, I'm doing this cause I love you." He tried to ignore your screams and hits to his body as he dumped all the pills into the drain, turning on the garbage disposal.

"No!" You sobbed, falling to your knees. "You did this to me! I hate you. I wish I never met you, son of a bitch."

Billy felt his heart clench, a single tear falling down his cheek. "You don't mean that..." He whispered, mostly to himself.

You were sent to rehab, against your will. You cursed Billy out, said the most hateful things that came to mind without a filter, and you could see his flowing tears as you were taken away. You told yourself you'd never speak to him again. And at the time, you really felt hatred towards him, but once you started to have a clearer head during your time in rehab, remembering how many vile things you said to Billy made you want to die. Did those pills really turn you into something you hated?

You didn't even want to get out of bed, you were so depressed and worst of all, still craving those goddamn drugs.

You were told Oxycontin changes your brain chemistry, literally. It takes two years for the frontal lobe to repair itself, and that's only after you stop taking the drugs. It all felt so impossible. You really couldn't imagine yourself not taking Oxy, but that's where rehab tried to help you.

You hated what those pills turned you into, you felt ashamed, embarrassed of what your friends and family must think of you, what Billy must've thought of you. God, he must be so disappointed. He was supposed to be visiting you in a few days, how were you going to face him after everything you did? Why would he even want to see you?

Nevertheless, the days passed quickly and you felt like you were going to pass out. Billy was the love of your life and you were terrified of what he was going to say to you, if he had anything to say at all.

Unbeknownst to you, Billy was having the same fears. Whether it was true or not, he believed he was the one to hook you on the drug. He did this to you because he was addicted to the money he made, he literally made money off of you. If anything, you should've been pissed at him, not the other way around. Either way, he owed it to you to not just abandon you in your time of need, he'd never do that even if you were in the wrong; but he really believed you weren't. He just hoped you could forgive him.

Only one way to find out.

"Y/n, you have a visitor."

You felt your heartbeat quicken, the thought that Billy was just a few rooms away, waiting for you. You could practically hear your own heart pounding in your ears. You took a shaky breath in, trying to find your courage, but it was impossible as you slowly trudged down the squeaky clean halls of the rehab center, the strong scent of floor cleaner permeating the air around you and making you lightheaded. Just get it over with, Y/n...

You entered the main seating area where most of the residents hung out after the therapy sessions, playing board games and such, though, no one was in the room besides your fiancé. Even if it wasn't that long the two of you were separated, you still expected some sort of change in his appearance, whether it be as something as small as a haircut, but he still looked the exact same, save for his permanent expression of concern as you noticed you walk in.

"Hey..." Billy stood up from the couch he was sitting on, walking to you slowly. "You look so much better." Billy cringed at himself, were comments like that even allowed? He didn't want to make you self conscious, that was the exact opposite of what he wanted to do.

"Thanks..." You said, slightly amused at his panicked face.

It didn't take more than a few seconds for you and Billy to rush towards each other and capture the other in a desperate hug. You both had missed each other so much. "I'm so sorry, Bill." You cried, wishing that you could take every bad thang you said back, but apologizing about a thousand might make up a fraction of the pain you must've caused him.

Billy shook his head as he pulled away, a pained expression in his eyes. "No, I'm sorry. I never should've pushed that poison on you."

"You didn't know..."

"But I should've. I was so naïve. Even when I heard that people were overdosing, I ignored all the warning signs. Then when it happened to you, I couldn't do it anymore. I quit working for Purdue. They wanted me to sign an NDA, but I refused. I know that it's probably gonna bite me in the ass one day, but I'm gonna so everything in my power to stop them from profiting off people's suffering."

You couldn't help but let out a sob, but the issue was, you didn't know if you were angry or overjoyed that he was going to try and stop Purdue. You had chosen the drugs over your own partner once before, so hearing Billy say that made you feel like you were mourning a loss in a way. But you tried to focus on the feeling of Billy's hands on your face, how comforting it felt, it made you feel safe. Oxy never made you feel safe, it increased your paranoia and the comedown was always painful. When you were with Billy, you were always happy and stayed happy even when the two of you were apart, because he was the best thing that's ever happened to you, and you can't believe you put that in jeopardy all for some stupid drugs.

"I don't want to feel like this anymore..."

Billy frowned, planting a tender kiss on your forehead. "It won't last forever, you can come back from this. And I promise you, I will help you every step of the way, as best as I possibly can. I'll never abandon you, even when things get rough. For better or for worse, right?"

You giggled. "You were supposed to wait to say that on our wedding day."

"I made those vows to myself as soon as we starting dating, baby. And I still mean it, I'm all in, for the rest of my life."

~~~~~~~~~~

ugh, I hate love, it makes me sick.

To Plant A Seed - Gally (The Maze Runner)

Hey, @gladerscake remember that really dumb idea I was telling you about?😂 Yeah, I don't know why I wrote this. I must be going crazy. I do not like kids. They're all mistakes- children. Filthy, nasty things, glad I never was one.

Warnings: unexpected pregnancy, alluding to smut near the end (but nothing explicit)

2k words🤙🏻

~~~~~~~~~~

You felt your heart beating rapidly, too rapidly. You felt like you were going to pass out, but you knew you couldn't; you couldn't risk it hurting yourself, and in turn, your baby.

You couldn't believe this was actually happening. You never even thought about having kids and now you suddenly were going to have one. But the only thing that felt more intimidating was having to tell the father of your child, Gally.

Ever since you both arrived at the Safe Haven, it was difficult to keep your hands off each other. You, of course, knew the risks of being with him, but you honestly thought you'd be safe if he pulled out every time. It just wasn't in the cards for you.

After three weeks of not getting your period, and then the morning sickness, you knew you were screwed. You were thankful that Gally was as clueless as every other male around you when it came to women's issues. He just thought you ate something bad, and you wished it had only been that too.

You knew you had to tell someone before Gally, you needed someone on your side just in case. Your first choice would've been Newt, he was always the most understanding, but you teared up when you knew it wouldn't be possible. And Teresa wasn't a choice either, and you didn't trust Brenda enough to confide in her. Frypan was Gally's best friend, not a great choice. And Minho, he wasn't the most empathetic outwardly. Which only left Thomas, but you were still a bit hesitant.

Thomas was like a brother to you, more than the others, and you did trust him. But you knew he had a tendency to not know when to keep his mouth shut, and that worried you. He and Gally had reconciled enough to know that he'd be accepting of him as the father of your child, but then again, Thomas was unpredictable. But you didn't have a choice.

"Thomas?" You started timidly, playing with the hem of your shirt. "Can I talk to you?"

"Yeah, of course." He smiled softly, gesturing you to come into his hut. "What's up?"

You sighed, already dreading the conversation. "Okay, Thomas, I need you to be completely serious right now, and you absolutely cannot freak out."

"Uh oh, what's wrong? What happened? Did something happen with Gally? Did he hurt you? I swear to God, if he-"

"Thomas." You spoke sternly, making him shut up but still keep a concerned and slightly angered look on his face. "Nothing's…wrong, per say, depending on how you look at it."

"Oh God, did Gally propose or something?"

"Thomas, will you let me fuckin' speak, Jesus Christ." You snapped, annoyed at yourself for feeling like you wanted to burst out into tears. "I'm pregnant." Just like ripping off a band aid.

Thomas blinked a few times, his brows furrowing in confusion. "What?" He almost stuttered. "Are…are you sure? Like…have you been getting your…ya know."

You rolled your eyes. "No, I haven't gotten my period in like, three weeks. And I've been getting morning sickness." Thomas stayed silent, his gaze distant and hazy. "Well, say something."

Thomas hesitated before speaking. "Are you keeping it?"

"Of course."

"Does Gally know?"

You bit your lip, your anxiety skyrocketing at the thought. "No, not yet. I'm telling you first because I want someone in my corner, just in case things go wrong. I can count on you, right?"

"Of course you can, it's just a lot to take in. I'm honored that you trusted me enough to tell me, despite my past…differences with Gally. I got your back, always." You smiled tearfully as you pulled him into a tight hug, a relieved sigh escaping your mouth, knowing that you'd be okay regardless of the outcome of your upcoming confrontation with your boyfriend. "I get to be the godfather, right?"

You pulled away and punched Thomas in the shoulder. "Cool uncle, more like."

"Hey, I'll take it. I'll be the best goddamn uncle to my little niece or nephew."

You whined a little. "I guess…I have to go tell Gal now."

Walking side by side with Thomas to you and Gally's shared hut, you couldn't shake the feeling of dread, like something terrible was going to happen. Gally loved you, and you loved him, everything would be fine, right? That's what you had to tell yourself, and you hoped to God that it would hold true. You wiped your palms against your shirt every five seconds with how much they started to sweat.

"If Gally doesn't accept this, I'll tackle him and punch him in his stupid teeth." Thomas seethed, cracking his knuckles obnoxiously.

"You can try, sure." You replied plainly, Thomas revving up to be protective big brother not helping ease your nerves in the slightest.

"What do you mean try? Remember when I did actually tackle and punch him?"

"That's only cause he let you, Thomas."

"Jeez, you're already such a mean pregnant lady." He mumbled.

"Excuse me?" You snapped, Thomas immediately cowering in fear.

"Sorry. Sorry." He whimpered.

"That's what I thought." You rolled your eyes. Usually, you weren't so quick to snap at others, but you could just blame it on the hormones, or just your nervousness that was going to eat you alive. Standing outside of you and Gally's hut, you felt like you were going to vomit...again. You were already over that part of being pregnant. You exhaled shakily as you looked to Thomas with tears brimming your eyes. "I don't know if I can do this..."

"Hey, hey," Thomas hugged you tightly, rubbing your arms, "you can do this. You're strong. You managed to survive everything we've been through along with us. If you can survive Grievers, Cranks, the Scorch...you can do anything. Plus, Gally loves you and he'd do anything for you. I don't think you can possibly do anything that could scare him away; he's stubborn, that one." You nodded, giving him a grateful smile. "I'll be right out here if you need me, okay?"

Before you could chicken out, you knocked on the front door to your hut and entered, immediately greeted with a warm smile by your favorite person in the entire world. "Hey, baby," Gally kissed you on the cheek, a soft grip on your waist, "you feeling any better today?"

"Uh, yeah, a little bit." You smiled back, taking his hands off your waist to kiss his knuckles. "How's your day been?"

"Eh, it's been alright. Fry's making me build him his own private shack where he can cook, and I don't know if that'll be a good thing or a bad thing. Maybe he'll start making things that don't taste like literal klunk." He chuckled to himself, which you only gave a short nervous laugh in return. "It's probably what's making you throw up so much. You need to stop trying his experiments, I don't care how much he begs you."

"Well, I'll feel like a bad friend otherwise."

"You could never. It's not in your DNA to be a bad friend, or a bad partner." He winked, making you blush.

God, why was telling Thomas so much easier, you thought.

You dug your fingernails into the palm of your hand as you spoke. "Actually...I think I know why I've been throwing up lately."

"Oh? Do you have a stomach virus or something?"

"Uh, you could say that." You chuckled nervously, crossing your arms over your stomach.

Gally walked up to you with a concerned expression, his eyebrows knitted together, tilting your chin up to look at him. "What's wrong?" He asked softly, his gaze making you want to melt into the floorboards.

"Gally, I'm-" You felt the sting of tears pricking your eyes, a whimper trying to escape your mouth. "I'm pregnant..."

Gally's hand fell from your chin, and he stumbled backwards, almost like the sentence had slapped him in the face. He turned around quickly as your tears finally spilled over, his back facing you. You couldn't see his face, but you already assumed the worst. You placed your hands over your mouth to stop your crying squeaks, shutting your eyes tightly and wishing you could just disappear into thin air.

You only opened your eyes when you felt the warm touch of Gally's hand on your cheek, tears in his own eyes and a blush dusting his freckled face. "How long have you known?" He whispered, gently thumbing away your tears.

"Not long. Are you mad?"

Gally shook his head with a grin. "No. No. You're having my baby, how could I be? Wait, it is mine, right?"

"Yes, of course." You laughed tearfully.

Gally leaned down and passionately connected his lips with yours, wrapping his strong arms around your waist and lifting you up slightly. He hugged you so tightly you almost couldn't breathe, but you couldn't think of anything else other than the immense relief you felt. "God, I love you so much." Gally kissed you once more before setting you down, kneeling down on his knees in front of you.

"What are you doing?"

Gally didn't answer as he pulled you close to him, leaning his forehead against your stomach. You gasped lightly as he lifted up your shirt and placed a kiss on the exposed flesh, the gentle but intimate gesture sending heat straight to the apex of your legs. "I'm gonna be a dad." He laughed breathlessly, continuing to pepper kisses along your abdomen, stopping at this waistband of your pants. "God, I want you so bad, need to show you how much I love you. Oh, but, will that hurt the baby?" He suddenly stood up, a nervous expression in his eyes, making you chuckle.

"No, I'm pretty sure it's fine." Gally grinned, leaning forward to kiss you but you quickly stopped him. "Wait, wait, Thomas is right outside."

Gally tilted his head in confusion. "What? Why?"

You bit your lip, a guilty smile gracing your lips. "I, uh, was really nervous about telling you, as you saw for yourself. I just wanted to make sure I had a backup plan. We never really talked about it, so I didn't know what your opinions were. But, now I know that I didn't need to worry. I'm sorry."

Gally sighed, kissing your forehead. "It's okay, just tell him to get outta here before I punch him in his stupid teeth." He said, making you chuckle. "What?"

"Nothing."

Later that night, you couldn't believe how well Gally was handling the news, and you couldn't believe how lucky you were that Gally was in your life. You kept running your fingers through his short sandy blonde hair as he laid on you in your bed, one hand caressing your stomach, occasionally placing kisses on the soft skin. "Do you think he can hear me?" Gally wondered aloud.

"It's literally just a cluster of cells right now, Gal, hasn't even developed ears yet." You snickered. "And you think it's gonna be a he?"

"Yep. Father's intuition."

You rolled your eyes. "Right. I say it'll be a she. Mother's intuition, mostly just to spite you though."

You felt Gally smirk against your skin, bringing his head up to look at you. "Whoever our child turns out to be, they'll be amazing, just like you." He kissed the tip of your nose, poking it right after. "You're gonna be a great mother, I hope I'll be able to keep up with you." He chuckled weakly, insecurity evident in his expression.

"Hey," You whispered softly, moving Gally so that you were straddling him, hearing him grunt as you settling in close. "you're going to be amazing as well, okay? You're already handling this so well." You planted a gentle kiss on the underside of his chin. "I love you, Gally. Nothing's gonna change that."

"I just want to be someone you deserve, the father our child deserves. I don't want to let you down." His voiced wavered, angrily wiping away one of his fallen tears.

"We'll figure this out together, okay? One day at a time."

"There's no one I'd rather spend the rest of my life with than you, you know that right?" Gally smiled.

You nodded, mirroring his smile with your own. "Yeah, I did know that."

~~~~~~~~~~

this is the ONLY time i will ever write a pregnancy fic, never ever again. if i do, put me out of my misery cause i'd obviously be in the midst of a psychotic break

on another note, i mostly use song titles for my works. i think i might start adding the name of the bands too, just so y'all know where I got the titles from. This one was from We Came As Romans, they have a song called To Plant a Seed off that same titled album. If you like metalcore, check em out, they're talented folks

Coming Out - Colin Ritman (Bandersnatch)

This was such a cute ask, I tried not to project what I would want if I were to come out to a friend, tried to make it as Colin-y as possible lmao. Anyway, thanks sweet Anon, I enjoyed writing it!

Warnings: Mentions of homophobia, hate crimes, Colin acting like Colin (mostly), and drug use

~~~~~~~~~~

You were so nervous, palms sweaty and a layer of skin on your bottom lip freshly chewed off as you anxiously watched buildings and trees pass by from your window seat on the bus.

In an another world, this would've been easier, simple. But unfortunately, the time you lived in was less than simple.

Every day you heard horror stories of people getting beaten to death, kicked out of their homes, shunned by friends and families, so you felt justified in your nervousness for wanting to finally come out. You just couldn't live like this anymore, at least, not to your best friend.

You had been friends with Colin for years now, everything just made sense when you first met him. It was magical how quickly the two of you bonded, it was almost like you were soul mates. But that feeling didn't make it any easier when you decided you wanted to share your deepest secret with him.

In your heart, you might've known that Colin would never stop being your friend just because you were attracted to women. Colin was one of the most progressive people you ever met. But this kind of thing wasn't really talked about often, if so, it would be discussed in private in hushed whispers even if nobody else was in the room. You knew how your parents felt about it, thinking it's unnatural and never hesitating to throw around every homophobic slur imaginable. It was a good thing you were able to provide for yourself, so you didn't have to worry about being thrown out on the streets. But Colin was your chosen family, and being rejected by him would feel a lot worse.

You arrived at Colin's flat, the bus ride over feeling like it was over too fast. You thought you'd have more time to hype yourself up. Despite your intense nervousness, you put one foot in front of the other, trying not to think about why you were there, but just that you were visiting your best friend. Tried to ignore your rapidly pounding heart, how acutely aware you were of your heavy breathing, the puffs of air being visible in the cold weather.

As soon as Colin opened his front door, he immediately took notice of your state. "You good, mate?" He asked.

"Oh, uh, yeah. Yeah. It's just really fuckin' cold out." You laughed dryly.

Colin could tell you were lying, but he kept a neutral expression. "Well, come in then. I'll fix you some tea." You smirked slightly, knowing it wouldn't be just tea. But maybe it would relax you a little, so you didn't refuse.

You sipped on your tea while watching Colin work on his latest game, already feeling the effects of whatever drug he laced it in, it was a pretty relaxing one due to how calm you started to feel. But that one reason you agreed to hang out with him still floated around in your mind, and you wondered if it would be better to get it over with or build up to it with conversation.

"So..." You dragged out, "do anything fun recently?" Colin immediately looked at you in confusion, feeling the underlying judgment in his expression. Yeah, you weren't one to make small talk. You sighed, putting down your mug on the table that sat in his office, your nerves coming back in full force that even drugs couldn't save you from.

"Just tell me whatever the fuck's on your mind, mate." Colin spat out, obviously annoyed. "You tell me everything, what's so different this time?"

You chuckled nervously, most people finding his bluntness rude but you found it as a sign of trust between the two of you, he was never afraid to speak his mind around you. "It's kinda hard to talk about, for me, at least."

Colin's eyes softened briefly when he saw how nervous you actually were, he had a sense of it when you first arrived, but he could clearly see how much your hands were shaking as they rubbed together. He probably should've been a bit more sympathetic. "How long have we've been best friends?"

"Uh, almost five years now, I believe." You answered.

"If I can put up with you for as long as I have, what makes you think that'll change any time soon?" That's the best he could do, but he tried. You giggled, which he took as a good sign that he didn't fuck up his words too much.

"Well," You started with a stutter, "there's something about myself that I haven't told you yet. Since we've been friends for so long, I've started to feel guilty about keeping this from you. I'm, uh...I'm attracted to women...only women." There, you said it, but you didn't expect such a weight to be lifted off your shoulders, but it happened. You felt like you could finally take a deep breath, but you still tried to focus on Colin's reaction, if he even had one.

"Cool. So, that's it?" He said simply, leaving you shocked.

"What do you mean that's it?" You asked, slightly offended.

"I thought you were gonna tell me that you murdered someone or something."

"Wait, wait, wait...did you know?"

"No."

"And you're not, like, shocked?"

"Why would I be? You're still you, preferring one gender to another isn't gonna change that, not for me. What? Were you expecting me to want to stone you or something?"

"Well, no. It's just, not many people accept people like me."

"Y/n, really. You know me. You know I'd accept you for whoever you are. I'd accept you even if you did murder someone, I'd even help you bury the body." Colin chuckled dryly, bringing a joint to his mouth and lighting it, taking a long drag before turning to look at you again. You still had a slightly shocked expression on your face, and he felt the need to say something else. "Look, I," He sighed, "I'm no good at emotions and all that shit, but I do hope you believe me when I say that I do accept you for who you are."

You smiled softly. "Of course I do." You grabbed onto his hand and squeezed lightly. "Thank you, Colin, really. I don't know what I'd do without you in my life."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." He pulled his hand away in annoyance, but even he couldn't hide the small smile that made its way onto his lips.

~~~~~~~~~~

Gotta love short and sweet, well, I love short and sweet. Hope you enjoyed it, at least. Sigh...if only everybody was like Colin