TROUBLE || Gally x Reader

21 || Is This Love?

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A/N
Hey guys! I'm back now. Sorry for being such an inconsistent writer lol. Anyways, I've decided to finish the story so I'll be writing as regularly as my life allows. I have used what I put in "Heh sorry guys" in this chapter so there is about a minute or two of recap for those of you who read that before I deleted it.

HOWEVER, I have reread the book over many times and came to the tough decision of how I want to end it. I know that this may stop many of you from reading on, but there will be (*MINOR SPOILERS*) mentions of violence, death and attempted sexual assault. I will put a warning before those scenes start but the topics kind of carry out until the end of the book. If you aren't comfortable reading about said topics please stop reading at the given warnings.
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"(Y/N)?" Gally's deep, sleepy voice came from the dark a few minutes later. I hummed for him to continue and he took a short pause. "D-Did you mean to cuddle up to me earlier?"

I almost laughed at how adorable and hesitant he sounded. He was being so vulnerable and insecure, it was too cute.

"Yes, I did it very intentionally. You were very warm and comfortable." I replied, knowing that it wasn't what he meant but wanting him to explain himself.

"Well, I'm glad for that part, but, uh... I meant, did you mean to cuddle up to me?" He rephrased. I took a second to roll over into a position similar to our earlier one, but I was propped up on my elbow to look him in the eye.

"What are you getting at?" I asked softly, prompting him to say more.

"Well, you haven't been as... I dunno, close with the other guys as you have with me. So I was just wondering what that meant." He stumbled through his words. I couldn't see it, but I knew his ears were burning bright red.

I wanted to kiss him, to let him know that I did like him that way, but then I thought of Minho's words.

"Well, Gally, I think it means that I like you." I said simply. It didn't imply that anything was to happen, it was just how I felt.

"Oh." He responded happily, his grin evident in his voice. "Well, I like you too."

"Good." I stated, lowering my head down onto his chest. His breathing was a little unsteady and his heart rate was high.

"Your hair's still damp." He noted as he realized it after a little while.

"Yeah, I took a shower earlier. Is it bothering you?" I said, adjusting myself so that my head was on the floor beside him instead of on his chest. That lasted for all of two seconds before he pulled me back onto him with the arm that was around my back.

"No no, you don't have to move away. I just thought you might be cold, that's all." He spoke. I explained simply that I was fine. He shifted awkwardly. "And you smell nice, by the way. Like flowers."

"Thanks." I smiled, weirdly happy that he had noticed it. However, the awkward, random conversations were starting to seem like he was avoiding something.

"Gally?" I finally asked, "Why are you being so weird?"

"I-I'm not. I'm just, you know, talking." Yeah, right. I was leaning over him again.

"Oh, really? So you think that rambling is your normal? Well, hate to break it to you, but normally you're more blunt and brooding. So, whatever's got you a nervous mess, spill it."

He opened his mouth to talk, but then didn't. He just stared at me, his eyes mapping my face. My eyes, my nose, my cheeks, my li—

He leaned up out of nowhere and suddenly we were kissing. And I liked it. Right away, I fell in love with the way his lips melted to mine. The way that his hands found my face, gently sweeping my hair out of the way. The way that my whole body got goosebumps. The way I didn't have to tell my fingers to twist through his hair, they just did.

This is why the other boys will target him. This is why he was almost banished.

I pulled away. We both caught our breath for a second, letting our heads stop spinning. I sat up, knocking his hands away from me in the process. He quickly sat up after me, grabbing my chin to turn my head towards him, trying hard to read my expression.

"I thought you wanted..." he trailed off, there being a thousand different endings to choose from.

"I do. I do... I just..." My emotions got so intense that I thought I would explode. I didn't know what to say or do, so I went with my impulse as usual.

I sprung to my feet, not bothering to grab the sleeping bag as I unblocked the door. The Homestead was warmer than out here anyway, right?

"Hey, wait! You can't just leave!" Gally accused. I didn't listen, swinging the door open and walking out. I turned to close and lock the door, but he was holding it open.

"What happened? Did I do something wrong?" He had let go of the anger and now just sounded hurt. I sighed heavily. I needed to tell him the truth.

"No. God no, Gally. You did everything perfectly. It's not you. It's just something Minho said, it's... look, things were just a lot easier for you before I went mucking it up." I attempted to explain. He was having none of it.

"No, it wasn't. Everyone hated me. I was completely alone." He tried to get me to understand sadly. I didn't like that he was only opening up to me because of his minor panic. His words made me feel worse because I knew that was probably hard for him to admit.

"Maybe they hated you, but you at least were safe." I said with finality, trying to shut the door. He did not let me.

"You can't leave yet." His voice sounded desperate and it cut into me like a knife.

"I can't stay," I replied. "Not when you're in here because of me."

"What are you talking about?"

"Minho thinks that Zart and his friends targeted you because... well, because they didn't want the only girl they'd seen in years to be with someone else." My voice lowered and I paused to let my words sink in. "It's not safe for either of us to be together like that right now, despite how much I want us to be."

He didn't reply for a long while, pinching his nose in frustration. "Are you crazy?"

"What? You think I'm making this all up? Well, I can prove to you that-"

"No, (Y/N)! Of course you're right. I mean, it makes so much sense I can't believe I didn't see it sooner! But even so... you think I give two shucks?"

"If it's your safety on the line, I'd certainly hope so!" It took mental effort to remember to keep my volume low.

"(Y/N), don't you get it? I'm not gonna walk past you in the hallways like I'm not hopelessly in love with you because a bunch of sexist, touch starved hooligans are going to have it out for me!" He stopped to regulate his emotions, holding my face between his hands in an attempt to get me to really listen. "I will personally face of with a whole shucking Griever if it means I get to see you afterwards. Please, please, understand that."

I hadn't processed a thing he'd said after a certain L-word. He was looking intensely into my eyes for some form of recognition or promise. "You love me?" I breathed out. I knew he liked me, but love? It had only been what, a week since I came here? Probably a bit less. How could someone love someone else in such a short time?

"I know it sounds crazy, but yeah." He let go of my face, becoming suddenly shy. It was crazy. But what was more crazy was that I felt that same feeling back. I tried to convince myself that it was impossible but it was true.

I had been prepared to die for him not too long ago. I would've gone through with it too, no matter how much I tell myself that it's insane to fall in love in a matter of days. Another strange thing was that it didn't feel fast; it felt like I'd known him for my entire life. Yet, when I'd first come out of the box he was a stranger to me.

"No, it's not crazy. I-I don't understand how, but... I love you too."