Archive of Our Own

The punch itself wasn't shocking. The speed at which Thomas came at him, however, was unexpected, knocking him onto his back on the concrete as a flurry of voices tried to stop him.

"He killed Chuck!" Thomas yelled as he was dragged back.

"No, he didn't."

Gally pushed himself up to sit, watching the faces of the Gladers as another mask was pulled away to reveal Chuck's face. He understood why it took a few moments for anyone to react; Gally himself had changed a bit since joining Lawrence's army, more a man now than a boy, but Chuck...

Chuck had lost a lot of weight, now sporting a buzzcut like the rest of them, and though it was less noticeable, Gally knew he had toughened up more than someone his age should have to. But his eyes were the same, and despite outward appearances, his voice had hardly changed at all.

Everyone saw the moment it hit Thomas. He was across the space in an instant, clinging to Chuck like a limpet and sniffling into the top of his head. Gally checked the others for their reactions, which ranged from shocked to confused. When his eyes landed on Newt, Gally found him actively avoiding his gaze.

"What're you guys doing here?" Chuck asked loudly enough for them all to hear, but leaning into Thomas' hug.

Thomas jerked back, his hands gripping Chuck's shoulders. "Minho. WCKD has Minho."

"Oh..." Chuck flicked his attention to Gally. "Do we...?"

Hauling himself up off the floor, Gally nodded, "We'll take them to Lawrence. See if we can help."

"Who's Lawrence?" Thomas demanded with a glare aimed Gally's way.

"He's in charge," Chuck answered, tugging Thomas' sleeve. "We'll show you."

Gally led the way, checking back over his shoulder to ensure the others were following. It didn't escape his notice that Newt stayed as far to the other side of the group as he could.

"Gally?" Chuck trotted up beside him and nudged him with his shoulder.

Shaking his head, Gally mumbled, "M'fine."

Although clearly unsure, Chuck let it go.

"You guys are on good terms," Thomas muttered from behind them.

"Been through a lot," Gally shrugged, shooing people out of their way.

"Doesn't make you special," Thomas scoffed.

"You wanna calm down, Greenie?" Gally huffed. He glanced to Chuck when he nudged him again and took a deep breath. "Look," he sighed, "this is just where we ended up. We had to stick together."

Grabbing Chuck's shoulder, Thomas hissed, "He tried to kill you."

"No, Thomas, he tried to kill you." Chuck sent Thomas a slight shrug and half-smile. "You're welcome."

As he led the group down a hallway towards a door, Gally steeled himself and suggested, "Try not to stare."

Newt was infected. Gally could think of nothing else as he ran for the Berg, where the serum was safely stored in the arms of a child. Newt was infected, and he was dying, and changing, and turning...

Gally wanted to be sick. But he had to keep running.

For Newt.

"Serum!" he demanded as he barrelled into the aircraft. "We need serum for Newt now."

Brenda blinked at him, startled, but grabbed a vial all the same. "How bad is it?" she asked as the Berg jolted under them to lift into the air.

"He's infected, does it matter how bad?" Gally snapped, snatching the serum from her hand.

"Gally." Chuck grabbed his shoulder.

"No." Shrugging Chuck's hand off, Gally began pacing the small space. "No, this's bullshit. We're supposed to be immune!"

"Winston wasn't."

Gally whirled around to stare at Minho, who he had barely had time to feel grateful for seeing safe again. "What?"

"Winston wasn't immune," Minho told him, jaw tense and eyes distant. "He was turning into a Crank back in the Scorch."

A few intense moments passed, then Gally huffed out a frustrated noise and started pacing again, dragging a hand over his buzzed hair. "How much longer?" he demanded, shooting a glare towards the driver.

"Gally," Chuck said lowly, grabbing his arm. "You've gotta breathe."

"But Newt-"

"I know," Chuck whispered. He made firm eye contact, and Gally had a moment to realise just how much Chuck had changed since the scared, chubby little boy who had come up in the Box. "I know, but they don't, remember? You're not making sense to them."

If Gally's body wasn't pumped full of rage and adrenaline, he might have gone for a tight hug. As it was, the Berg began to drop, and whoever was driving let them know they were close and they'd have to run from there.

That was fine. Gally was ready to run.

The second the ramp was down, Gally bolted, serum clutched tightly in his hand. Up ahead, he could see Thomas and Newt struggling, then the flash of a knife. He pushed himself to run faster, yelling, "Wait!"

Thomas looked to his voice, giving Newt the chance to shove him onto the concrete.

Before Newt could lunge, Gally slammed into the side of him and tackled him to the ground. "Stop, stop, stop," he breathed out, pinning Newt's arms to his sides with one of his own. "Hold on, Petal, just hold on." With his free hand, Gally quickly injected the serum into Newt's neck.

Newt's struggling suddenly stopped as his body seized with a choking, pained noise. "Get... off me," he rasped.

Tossing the empty vial aside, Gally used his free hand to cradle Newt's head against his chest. "Stay still, just let it happen," Gally whispered, clutching Newt close as he twitched and trembled.

"Was that the serum?" Thomas checked, voice haggard as he dragged himself across the ground towards them.

"Yeah." Gally tipped Newt's head back to inspect his face, his heart sinking at the black gunk oozing from his mouth, down his chin and neck. Newt's eyes, naturally deep, dark wells, were glossy black and lifeless, his face twitching in pain. "Why isn't it working?" Gally muttered, panic sparking in his chest. "C'mon, it has to work."

"Give it a minute." Crawling closer, Thomas angled Newt's face towards him with a hand on his cheek, and Gally barely withheld from snapping his teeth at him like a protective dog. "It's gotta get into his system. But either way, it won't fix him forever."

Stomach twisting hard, Gally tugged Newt closer, out of Thomas' reach, curling around him protectively. "I know it won't," he admitted quietly.

"But... But Teresa said I'm the cure," Thomas said slowly, meeting Gally's eyes.

Since Newt's twitching had ceased, Gally carefully pushed himself up to sit, cradling the fragile boy close to his body. "Do you think she's telling the truth?"

Thomas shrugged meekly. "I don't know."

"I..." Gally's gaze darted down to Newt, then back to Thomas' face. "I might hate her, and I'll never trust her, but if there's even a chance she's telling the truth... If maybe there's a way to fix him..." Throat closing up, Gally's fingers traced gently across Newt's cheek. "Greenie, you've gotta try."

A deep confusion was written into Thomas' expression, even as he nodded. "I'll try." He gave Newt's shoulder a sturdy grasp of confirmation, then ran off towards WCKD.

"He's going to help," Gally whispered to Newt, lips pressed against his forehead. "Hold on, Petal. Don't leave me." Swallowing a sob, he managed, "Please, don't leave me again."

"Gally?" came Chuck's nervous voice.

Gally flicked his eyes up to find Chuck flanked by Minho, Frypan, and Brenda, all watching him cautiously. Sniffing back his emotions, Gally cleared his throat and stated, "We need to get him back to the Berg."

A wary look was passed around the group. "Vince won't like that," Brenda said seriously.

"I don't give a shit what some random shank likes," Gally snapped, tucking Newt's head under his chin and scooping his arms under him. "We can't stay here, and I'm not leaving him." Climbing to his feet, Gally started towards the waiting Berg.

"Gally." Chuck jogged to his side. "They really respect this Vince guy."

Shooting Chuck a watery, convictionless glare, Gally whispered, "I can't leave him."

"I know," Chuck said softly. "But you never told them."

"Was none of their business." When they reached the Berg, Gally threw a warning look at the man he assumed was Vince, who was horrified by the sight of the boy in his arms. "Don't even try," he grit out between his teeth. "Stay back, if it bothers you."

Without a word, Vince pointed to the side of the Berg opposite him.

Gally sank down against the wall, settling Newt in his lap. "Hold on, Petal," he whispered, sweeping Newt's hair back from his forehead. "You can do this, hold on."

"Here." Brenda pushed a few scraps of fabric and a canteen towards Gally with her foot, clearly doing her best to keep back.

"Thanks." Before Gally could wonder how he would use them, Chuck sat with him and went about wetting a fabric scrap with some water, then held it out for him. With a nod, Gally accepted the cloth and began carefully cleaning the black ooze from Newt's face.

"Do you think Thomas will make it?" Chuck asked quietly, wetting another cloth.

"He has to." Dropping the used cloth beside him, Gally accepted the next one Chuck handed him. "I can't afford to think about him not making it." He jumped when Newt's hand suddenly gripped his arm, darting his eyes up to his tortured face. "Newt?"

His eyes had cleared, back to the familiar dark irises Gally knew. Those lovely eyes met his silently, the hand on Gally's arm shaking and Newt's lower lip trembling.

"It's okay," Gally assured him softly, wiping the tar-like ick from under Newt's jaw and down his neck. "Thomas will be back with a cure."

The tremble of Newt's lip increased, tears sneaking from the corners of his eyes. He gripped Gally's arm harder, his whole body shaking with the broken breath he sucked in.

"I'm here." Cupping Newt's cheek and stroking along his cheekbone with his thumb, Gally told him firmly, "I'm not going anywhere." He watched some of Newt's dark, swollen veins slowly receded from his face. "You're gonna be okay, Petal," he said so softly only Newt could hear.

Newt sobbed, pressing his eyes shut and leaning into Gally's hand. He wrapped both his arms around Gally's forearm, forcing him to stay put.

"I'm not going anywhere, Petal." Bracing them both as the Berg shook around them, Gally whispered, "I promise."

Saving Thomas and Teresa from WCKD's headquarters had been an ordeal, but they had the cure. The cure to Newt's sickness, the cure to the Flare that had wiped out most of the world. The cure that would save Newt's life.

They made it to the Safe Haven together. Tired and battle-weary, but together. The remnants of the Glade, scarred by the memories of the ones they had lost, but bolstered by each other.

Now, Gally sat silently at the foot of Newt's cot in the makeshift medical tent. He tried his best to ignore the hard stare of Thomas, who was seated by Newt's side, eyeing Gally with mistrust. Though he'd give anything to sit beside Newt and hold his hand, he knew Thomas wouldn't understand. If Gally was honest with himself, he could see Thomas throwing him out if he tried to touch the unconscious Glader on on bed.

"Why?" Thomas asked finally, voice hard.

His gaze still on Newt's sleeping face, Gally sighed, "Why what?"

An irritated noise huffed from Thomas' mouth. "Why're you here? Why were you so clingy with him?"

Shaking his head, Gally wrapped a hand around his own wrist and squeezed to anchor himself. "Our lives didn't start when you came up in the Box, y'know."

"Not an answer," Thomas snipped.

"What makes you think you're owed one?" Gally countered, flicking his eyes to Thomas. "I don't have to explain myself to you." Thomas scowled and opened his mouth to speak, but Gally cut him off. "No, you took everything from me. You showed up in the Box and ruined everything I had. You don't get to sit here now and demand answers from me."

"You tried to kill me," Thomas accused with narrow eyes.

"But I didn't. You don't understand what you took from me," Gally said quietly, eyes falling to Newt's face again as tears brewed and his throat tightened.

Thomas huffed a laugh. "What does that even mean?"

A muffled little noise from Newt stole the attention of both boys. His head shifted slightly, then a breathy, weak, "Patch..." left his mouth.

The whirl of emotions that rushed through Gally's body had him frozen. Half of his body melted in relief, while the other half tensed up, choking on his fears and hopes.

"Patch?" Newt rasped.

Gally scrambled to Newt's side, kneeling beside the bed and taking his hand between both of his own. "I'm here," he managed past the lump in his throat.

"What?" Thomas stared between the two of them, his eyebrows meeting in the middle of his face. "Patch?"

Tipping his head in Gally's direction, Newt finally peeked his eyes open. "Hey..."

"Hey," Gally whispered, bringing Newt's hand to his chest.

With a feeble squeeze of Gally's hand, Newt mumbled, "Are you okay?"

Gally closed his eyes and shook his head. "But you're okay, and that's what matters."

"Hey..." Tugging at Gally's hands, Newt asked, "What's wrong?"

Blinking tear-filled eyes open, Gally sniffed, "You left me."

Newt pulled his eyes open properly to stare up at Gally. "You chose to stay."

With a choking scoff, Gally shook his head. "You left me."

Narrowing his eyes slightly, Newt pointed out, "You ousted me from my leadership position."

"I was trying to protect you. You..." Taking a deep breath, Gally hung his head forward. "As soon as he came up in the Box, you forgot about me. Maybe I went too hard on him in the ring, but you'd spent the whole night fawning over him and I..." He swallowed when his voice cracked. "I waited for you. In our spot. But you never showed. And when I came back out, you were talking to him."

"That's not..." Newt's mouth slowly fell open. "I didn't..."

"I took over from you because you weren't thinking clearly. You were so wrapped up in him you couldn't see how dangerous it all was." Gally silently cursed the tears that crept down his face. "And then at the doors... you chose him," he whispered, breath hitching hard. "You chose him over me... You traded everything we had for him, how could I not have been angry?"

Hand shaking in Gally's hold, Newt whimpered, "Gally..."

"I love you," Gally admitted quietly, finally freeing the words that had been rattling in his hollow chest for months. "I love you and you left me for someone else." He ducked his head and pressed a trembling kiss to Newt's fingers. "It was like flicking a switch. You turned off all your feelings for me... if you ever even had any... And you ran off with someone better."

"What do you mean if I ever had any?" Newt huffed, swiping at his eyes with his free hand.

"Well, if you did, you never said it," Gally pointed out, staring at Newt's fingers clutched in his own. "And they clearly didn't matter much, because Thomas was more important." He shot a stunned-silent Thomas a glare across the bed, but was unable to muster any venom behind it. "I'll leave you two alone," he mumbled, dropping Newt's hand to the bed and pushing to his feet.

"No..." A desperate, panicky sound left Newt's mouth as Gally headed for the exit. "No, wait... Patch!"

"Y'know, I used to think you called me that because I meant something to you," Gally muttered, pushing his way out of the tent.

"Gally!"

Head down, Gally made a beeline for his hammock. The sun was only just setting, but he knew if he was at least pretending to sleep, he might be left alone.

Unfortunately, he didn't quite make it.

"Gal!" Chuck hurried over, stopping him in his tracks. "Is he okay?"

Gally shrugged one shoulder. "He's awake."

A confused little frown appeared on Chuck's face. "Did... did he not want you there...?"

"I don't wanna talk about this," Gally breathed out, stepping around Chuck. Once upon a time, he would have just pushed past him, but these days he held a little too much affection for the youngest of the Gladers to treat him that way.

"But... Did you tell him?" Chuck trailed after him, tugging on his sleeve.

Exhaling slowly to stabilise his emotions, Gally mumbled, "I really don't wanna talk."

"Gally!" came Minho's voice, followed by a thunder of feet across the grass.

"Is he okay?" Frypan asked quickly.

"He's fully recovered, right?" Teresa checked.

Gally stepped back from the group crowding around him, then detoured around them. "He's fine," he muttered on his way past.

"What?" As Gally continued to walk, Minho scoffed, "Is that it? After the way you've been acting around him, that's all you've got to say?"

"No, leave it, Minho," was the last thing Gally heard, hating himself for the quiet concern in Chuck's voice.

Climbing into his hammock, Gally pulled the blanket up over his head and prayed the world would stop long enough for him to sort out his head.

"Right," Thomas huffed as he dropped himself down onto the sand by Gally's side in the early morning light. "You've got some explaining to do."

"No, I don't," Gally muttered, staring out across the ocean.

Thomas snorted. "Why didn't I know about the two of you?" he demanded.

"Think that's a question for the one who followed you everywhere."

"He won't tell me anything." Folding his arms and resting them on his knees, Thomas sighed, "He didn't talk to me at all. Spent all night crying."

Swallowing the ball of emotion that choked up his throat, Gally huffed, "Of course he didn't tell you. He was too busy falling at your feet."

"That isn't true," Thomas scowled.

"Didn't realise you were blind as well as reckless, Greenie."

"What is your problem?" Thomas laughed in disbelief.

"My problem is that the guy I fell in love with isn't in love with me; he's in love with you." Gally's vision blurted as tears obscured his view of the water. "We were happy... Even if we were hiding it from everyone. We had our spot, out in the trees. Where we would go to be alone." Tears falling down his face, Gally sniffed, "But none of it mattered once you showed up. That's why you didn't notice. Of course he never told you; it didn't matter. I didn't matter."

Shifting a little, Thomas muttered, "Explains why you hated me."

"You stole everything from me."

"I didn't know..."

With a slow exhale, Gally whispered, "It's not your fault. He just moved on." He scrubbed his tears away, then wrapped both arms around his knees. "Are you at least happy with him?"

Thomas huffed a startled laugh. "We're not... I'm not 'with' him. We've never been... That's not what we are. He's my best friend, that's it."

Turning a tired look to Thomas, Gally asked, "Does he know that?"

"Yes," Thomas said seriously. "That's not what we are." He chewed his lip for a moment, then sighed, "He was so upset you walked away. Like I said, he spent the whole night crying."

Shaking his head, Gally mumbled, "Sure."

Thomas watched Gally's profile for a short while. "Why's he call you Patch?"

A painful little flicker of nostalgia sparked in Gally's chest. "At first it was Patches, 'cause of the shoulder patches on my shirts in the Glade," he explained quietly. "Then... some of my builders noticed him staring during the day. Told him to get back to his flower patch." Drawing his knees in closer, Gally whispered, "When we met up that evening, he said I was 'his patch'."

"Right..."

Narrowing his eyes a little, Gally huffed, "I know it's lame, I don't need you judging me."

"I wasn't saying that." Leaning his head on his arms, Thomas sighed, "We all used to sleep in a group out in the Scorch. Lotta nightmares... Newt talks in his sleep. I always wondered what he was saying. Sounded like 'hatch' or something..." He poked Gally's shoulder. "Guess it was Patch."

Gally shook his head slightly. "Sure."

A pause, then, "Do you have a name for him?"

Heat crept up Gally's neck and cheeks. "Yes," he mumbled, keeping his eyes fixed ahead.

Thomas waited for a moment. "Aaaaand...?" he prompted.

"No."

Snorting, Thomas pointed out, "I could always go ask him."

"Fine."

"Come with me, then."

"No."

Thomas threw his hands up, then turned to face Gally's side. "You know he nearly died, right? You saved his goddamn life; he wants to see you."

"No, he doesn't." Gally dropped his eyes to his hands, picking at his thumbnail. "He lost all interest in me when he saw you."

"Are you...?" Huffing a disbelieving laugh, Thomas asked, "Are you just not listening to me? What about all of this makes you think he doesn't want to see you?"

"The part where I don't feel worth his time. When I wanted to see him, he was too busy with you." Covering his face with both hands, Gally mumbled, "I waited an hour for him, and when I found him with you, I just... I knew I didn't mean nearly as much as you do."

"That's not what it was like," Thomas insisted.

Shaking his head, Gally stated, "If you couldn't see him flirting his little heart out at that bonfire, I don't know how you see your hands in front of your face."

Thomas rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands. "You were so mad you knocked my name back into my head."

Sniffing, Gally mumbled, "Fat lot of good that did me. He went and gave you a nickname almost immediately..."

After a moment's thought, Thomas pointed out, "I'm just Tommy. You're his Patch."

A sob slipped from Gally's mouth, spilling a few tears down his face. He covered his head with both arms, unable to keep his shoulders from shaking. "I nearly died, and all I wanted was him..."

Thomas huffed a humourless laugh. "If you know how much that sucks, why are you still sitting here?"

Suddenly, all Gally could see was Newt curled up in a ball on his cot, scared and alone, sobbing into his hands. Just like he had. Gally may have had Chuck, but that wasn't what he wanted. Newt may have had Thomas...

Gally scrambled to his feet and hurried off towards the isolated tent Newt was recovering in. Once he had pushed through the canvas door, he found Newt exactly as he imagined, facing away from the door with his shoulders shaking from broken breaths. He rushed to the chair by Newt's side and gently placed a hand on his shoulder.

Newt's eyes shot open with a wet gasp, then he grabbed at Gally's arms and shoulders, dragging himself up to sit while clawing his arms around him. "Patch..." he sobbed.

"I'm here," Gally whispered, both arms anchored firmly around Newt's waist. "I'm here, Petal, it's okay."

"I'm sorry..." Newt's lips stumbled up Gally's neck and jaw in desperate, clinging kisses between whispered apologies and begging for forgiveness. His hands were gripping so hard it hurt, driving his fingers painfully into Gally's back and the nape of his neck.

"Ssh..." Bringing one hand up to cradle the back of Newt's head, Gally buried his face in his hair. "We're both here. We're alive, it's okay."

Gasping for breath between sobs, Newt whimpered, "I thought you were dead for so long..."

"I nearly had to watch Thomas kill you," Gally whispered. "And I think I might've beaten him to death if he had."

To call the next sound Newt made a laugh would have been offensive. He pulled himself a little closer, taking a deep breath in through his nose, buried up under Gally's jaw. "You're right," he admitted softly, in stark contrast to the still fierce grip of his hands. "About Thomas."

Gally swore he heard the second his heart broke.

"But then the spear," Newt sniffled, burrowing impossibly closer. "Minho's spear... I thought you were dead, and suddenly Thomas didn't matter anymore, I just wanted... I just wanted you back and..." A sniffle. "I was so shucking selfish, I'm so sorry..."

No idea what to say, Gally just hung on, rubbing circles into the small of Newt's back with his thumb.

"We were taken to this, uh... this WCKD facility. Ran all these tests on us." Breathing slowly settling, Newt explained, "We broke out, ran out into the Scorch. Got chased by Cranks, hunted by WCKD, Minho got struck by lightning... All these horrible things happened to us... But every time I went to sleep, all I could see was you. I missed you so much, Patch."

Gally took this in, trying his best not to be self-depricating. If Newt said he missed him, he had no reason not to believe him. Even if there was something at the back of his head that wanted to say otherwise.

After a short pause, Gally asked, "Minho got struck by lightning?"

With a wet little snort, Newt nodded into Gally's neck. "Was terrifying."

Another pause, then Gally quietly admitted, "I missed you, too. But I've been missing you since the second Thomas came up in the Box."

Newt sniffled, his fierce grip at Gally's nape moving up to clutch the back of his head as he whispered, "I'm so sorry..."

With a few deep breaths to brace himself, Gally mumbled, "You love him, don't you?"

"Yes."

What little hope Gally had left shattered.

"He's my best friend," Newt continued, his grip on Gally never waning. "Yes, I love him, but I'm not in love with him."

Gally pulled away enough to finally see Newt's face. "But you were?"

The guilt and regret in Newt's eyes tugged at the broken pieces of Gally's heart. "I think I was infatuated," Newt conceded. "But the spear... As soon as I realised I was really, properly losing you, I just wanted my Patch back," he sniffled, stroking Gally's buzzed hair with his thumb. "I'm sorry. No amount of apologising will fix it, but I'm so sorry. I'm selfish and I'm stupid and I love you and I'm sorry."

A knot formed in Gally's throat. "You love me?" he barely managed to whisper.

"I love you," Newt nodded, shaking a few tears loose down his face. "Like, properly love you. Really, actually in love with you love you." With a hiccuping little sob, he sniffled, "I didn't know what to do when I finally saw you again. I thought if I talked to you or looked at you, I'd just end up kissing you senseless."

Bringing one hand up to pet Newt's cheek, Gally closed his eyes to focus on breathing again. "So why didn't you?"

Newt managed a laugh between his sniffles. "I already had the Flare. I was already dying." He ducked his head and pressed a soft, tentative kiss to Gally's mouth. "And I thought maybe you'd hate me."

"How could I ever hate you?" Gally mumbled.

Before he could think of anything else to say, Newt caught his lips in a proper kiss.

Gally was thrown back to the Glade, to those delicate moments they shared hidden in the trees, memorising each other's mouths and the feel of heartbeats under their hands. He traced his fingers along Newt's jaw, feeling his breath ghosting across his cheek. One of Newt's hands moved to press against Gally's heart, which he covered with one of his own, threading their fingers together.

"You never told them," Gally whispered when Newt pulled back just enough to suck in a shuddering breath.

"I was so ashamed of what I did to you," Newt sniffed. "I left you in the Glade and it got you killed... How could I tell them about us after that?"

"I still love you."

Newt's eyes filled with tears again and he pressed his nose and lips into Gally's cheek. "I love you, too, Patch."

Taking a few slow, deep breaths, Gally checked, "You're okay, right?"

"Am now," Newt mumbled, pressing clumsy kisses across Gally's cheek.

"No, I mean the Flare." Gally pulled away, quickly inspecting Newt's face, then running his hands over both his arms in search of the swollen black veins from the city.

"Yeah, I'm okay," Newt nodded, cradling Gally's face between his hands to meet his eyes. "You saved me."

With a half-hearted little huff through his nose, Gally muttered, "Thomas saved you."

"No, Thomas just cured me," Newt dismissed with a shake of his head. "You saved me." With a quick kiss to Gally's mouth, Newt pointed out, "You ran over and knocked me on my arse and gave me the serum. Without that, Tommy wouldn't've had the time to get the cure. You saved me." Stroking Gally's cheek with his thumb, he added, "And if you wanna get pedantic; Teresa cured me. It's just Tommy's blood."

Gally snorted. "I guess." Petting Newt's arms and face, he breathed out, "You're really okay."

"I'm really okay, Patch." Leaning his forehead against Gally's, Newt asked quietly, "Did you tell the others about us?"

Shaking his head a little, Gally mumbled, "Talked to Thomas a bit, but not the others."

"Why not? They must've had questions after the way you saved me."

Watching their hands as he wove his fingers between Newt's, Gally admitted, "I didn't know if you wanted me... Didn't want them to think I was desperately in love with someone who didn't want me back."

With a sniffle, Newt tugged on Gally's hand, clutching it tightly. "Come here." He shuffled back just a little, patting the mattress with his free hand.

Gally paused a moment, then nodded, climbing up onto the bed beside Newt and immediately finding himself with a lap full of Glader. "Hi..."

"Hi." Newt settled himself sitting across Gally's legs, then tucked his head under Gally's chin. "Was really nice to have you holding me again... Even if I was dying."

Taking the hint, Gally wrapped one arm around Newt's waist and the other around his shoulders. "S'nice to hold you again," he said softly, kissing the top of Newt's head.

Newt was silent for a while, just breathing against Gally's collarbone, then asked, "Does Chuck know about us?"

Nodding once, Gally murmured, "We only had each other for a long time. He could tell I wasn't okay... and not just because of the spear."

Curling his fingers into Gally's shirt, Newt breathed a gentle sigh through his nose. "He forgave you for...?"

"Yeah." Gally let his eyes fall closed, circling his thumb around one of the ridges of Newt's spine. "He's a good kid."

"I couldn't convince you in the Glade."

Gally snorted, pressing his nose into Newt's hair. "Funny how shooting someone and then watching them take care of you while you're injured changes your opinion of them." With a short sigh, he added softly, "I never wanted to hurt him."

"I know, Patch."

The name had Gally giving Newt an affectionate squeeze. "I love you so much, Petal," he whispered.

Newt shifted a little to lift his head, gazing up at him with a fond look in his eyes that Gally remembered from the Glade. "Love you, too." He leaned up to catch Gally's lips with his own.

Even as Newt snaked his arms around his neck, Gally wondered if he had fallen asleep on the beach and was just having the best dream of his life. Newt back in his arms, kissing him as though neither of them needed to breathe, knowing they were finally safe after all the shit they had survived...

"Patch?" Newt mumbled between kisses.

Gally merely hummed in response, too invested in the taste of Newt's lips.

"You remember the day you pushed me against that tree?"

A pleasant shiver raced up Gally's spine, because, yeah, he remembered. The Keepers had spent hours arguing in the Council Hall, and all the tension had led to Newt with his legs wrapped around Gally's waist, grinding against each other in the dark of the trees. The one and only time they found themselves in such a sexual situation. He remembered the heat of Newt's breath against his lips, his moans, the desperate way he had clung to him...

"I remember the look on your face when you came," Gally said lowly, tugging Newt a little closer. "And the sound you made."

Newt nipped at Gally's lower lip, then pulled away just a little. "That was the best day of my life," he murmured, meeting Gally's eyes. "That memory got me through some really rough nights in the Scorch." Thumbing at the nape of Gally's neck, he added, "'Cause even if you were gone, it meant that this miserable life has some good in it. Even if it was only for a little while."

Moving his hand from Newt's shoulder to cradle the back of his head, Gally mumbled, "You can't just say things like that."

A smirk flickered at the corner of Newt's mouth. "Watch me." One of his hands moved to Gally's buzzed hair, stroking the back of his head as he locked them into a deep kiss.

No thoughts passed through Gally's head beyond the feel of Newt's fingers and the taste of his tongue. He could go on like this forever, maybe wrap Newt's legs around him again, maybe pin him to the mattress-

"What?"

Gally almost gave himself whiplash with the speed at which his head jerked to the entrance of the tent. In the doorway stood Minho, with Frypan and Teresa peering over each of his shoulders and Chuck wriggling his way past them.

"I told you we should leave them alone," Chuck huffed, putting himself between the two on the bed and their unexpected visitors.

"You knew about this?" Minho blurted out.

Sure his cheeks were blooming red, Gally hid his face in Newt's shoulder.

"Frankly a miracle you didn't," Newt snorted, back to the door and lips pressed to Gally's cheek. "We were all in the Glade together for years, Minho."

"How long was this a thing?" Minho asked, baffled.

"Must've been, what? Three? Four months?" Frypan piped up. A silence passed, then he scoffed, "Y'all really think I'm that stupid?"

"You really think there were that many of us in the Glade and nothing like this was happening?" Newt asked Minho, glancing back at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, no... But I thought it was just me and Ben."

Gally's brain short circuited, lifting his head to send Minho a baffled look. "You what?"

Snorting, Newt pointed out, "Lots of hours off in the Maze together... Guess it makes sense."

"Yeah..."

"D'you want us to go...?" Teresa suggested, pointing behind them.

Patting Gally's arm reassuringly, Newt shook his head. "It's fine."

The others slowly shuffled into the tent, Chuck scowling at them all with his arms folded close to his chest. "Even Thomas didn't just come barging in-"

"What's everyone so interested in?" Thomas piped up as he stuck his head through the door. His gaze landed on Gally and Newt, a grin spreading across his face. Making eye contact with Gally, he smirked, "Told you so."

"Shuck off, Greenie," Gally muttered, keeping his head down.

Thomas snorted, pushing his way into the tent. "Not a chance."

After a long conversation about the events that had led them to this point, and many assurances from Teresa that Newt would be perfectly okay, their friends finally left them alone again.

Gally was sure he had never felt so humiliated in his entire life. Being with Newt wasn't embarrassing in itself, but the smirks and snickers from the others as they realised Gally had a softer side made him feel uncomfortably seen.

"You okay?" Newt hummed, head settled on Gally's shoulder and holding one of Gally's hands between both of his own.

"Yeah," Gally mumbled.

Lifting Gally's hand, Newt pressed his lips to his knuckles. "You sure?" he asked knowingly.

"No." Burying his face in Newt's hair, Gally huffed, "I wanted to do the whole 'we're together' thing on our terms. Not have them come bursting in."

"I'll admit I agree," Newt sighed, strumming his thumb across Gally's knuckles. "But at least they know now."

Gally gave a non-committal hum. "I was also enjoying finally kissing you again."

With a snort, Newt chuckled, "We do still have the whole rest of our lives ahead of us." He paused a moment, then breathed a sigh through his nose. "I wasn't so sure I'd get one of those for a while there." Lifting his head, he pressed a kiss to Gally's cheek and murmured, "But you made sure I did."

"I couldn't let him kill you," Gally whispered. "Or help you kill yourself, or whatever was going on. I... I'm serious; I would've murdered him in a blind rage if you hadn't survived."

"I know." Giving Gally's hand a supportive pulse, Newt admitted, "I couldn't even look at Minho for a while. We were stuck in a pretty awful situation and we all had to work together, but... I just couldn't." He nuzzled into Gally's neck. "He'd taken you away from me. I know you'd been stung, I get that, but I wanted my Patch back."

Something in Gally wanted to squeeze Newt so tight he would struggle to breathe. "I'm here now."

"I know." Drawing a slow inhale and exhale, Newt admitted, "I kinda don't know what to do now I've got you back."

Gally held the back of Newt's head with his free hand, angling him up for a solid kiss. "I've got an idea."

"As much as I'd love to," Newt chuckled, "we can't spend the whole day snogging."

Snorting, Gally said, "That's not actually what I was thinking." He gave Newt's hip a pat, then gently lifted him up off his lap. "You should come actually see where we live now."

Watching Gally climb up off the bed and stretch, Newt chewed his lip. "You're prob'ly gonna have to help me. Think I'm gonna be a bit wobbly."

"I can do that," Gally shrugged, offering Newt his hand.

Newt but his lip against a smile, then accepted the hand, allowing Gally to help him to his feet. "Okay," he breathed out, swaying slightly.

"I got you." Gally wrapped an arm around Newt's waist, tucking him into his side. "Ready?" He offered his free hand as further support, which Newt took gladly. "Come see Safe Haven."

There was nothing in the world more precious to Gally than the wide-eyed joy on Newt's face as they stepped slowly out of the tent. Everything he had suffered, all the shit life had put him through, he'd take it all again if he could preserve the look of wonder in Newt's eyes as he saw the waves lapping at the sand for the first time.

"This is home..." Newt whispered in awe, taking a few more shaky steps forward with Gally's help. "We live here..."

"We do," Gally hummed, dropping a kiss to the top of Newt's head.

"God..." Tearing his eyes from the water, Newt looked towards the beginnings of the settlement, where other survivors were fetching and carrying, cooking, organising... "It's like the Glade, but better."

"Because it's real." Squeezing Newt's hip, Gally murmured, "This place is actually safe."

"We live here..." Turning his tearful gaze up to Gally, Newt sniffled, "We... We live here. We're alive, and we live here."

Gally leaned down to press their foreheads together, earning a hitching breath from Newt. "We're both alive. We live here." Thumbing at Newt's hip, he whispered, "We're safe, Petal."

And when Newt sobbed and fell into his chest, Gally wrapped him up tightly in his arms, certain that whatever happened next, he had his love back. He noticed Chuck grinning at him from a distance, giving him a thankful nod in return before burying his face in Newt's hair once more.