You be the sun,
I'll be the moon.
Just let your light come shining through,
And when night comes,
Just like the moon,
I'll shine the light
Right back to you.

I slammed my notebook shut, sighing at the dinner table. I didn't bother to pay attention to the Builders anymore. Or Alby's punishments for them. It wouldn't work anyways. It never worked.

Gally sat across from me. Most people already left to do their own thing, instead of just boringly sit at those tables like Gally and I.

"So..." He started awkwardly. "How are you?"

Trying not to scoff, I shrugged. "Fine. How are you?"

"I'm worried." He admitted slowly. "That's how I am."

I flicked through random pages in my notebook, leaning on my elbow. "Worried about what?"

"You."

My movements stopped.
"Oh." A pause. "Why are you worried about me?"

"Because you pretend to be fine when you're not." He said, voice blank and clear.

"I don't-."

"Liar."

"I don't pretend I-."

"You do. So now..." He leaned closer. "You're going to tell me what's going on."

I shook my head. "I'm fine."

He sighed. "Does 'I'm fine' mean to you 'I'm still breathing, so I'm fine'?"

Definitely.

"The hell do you want me to tell you then?" I furrowed my eyebrows, not daring to look at him.

I'm not fine. I don't feel safe anymore. Not when you aren't around. I feel like no one actually cares, because if they did, they would've stopped the Builders already. I feel like you only hang out with me because you feel like you have to. And yet I am in love with you. Or starting to be.

"I-."

"Yo, Gally..." Newt glared at him. "You mind if I talk to Valerie for a second?"

"Actu-."

"No? Awesome! Thanks a lot, man." Newt hopped down next to him. Gally waited a few seconds, staring at Newt, but then he nodded and left.

"What is it?" I snapped. He interrupted my talk!

"You... and that... that naked rat." He started. His eyes bored into mine. "Be careful with him. With Gally."

I pulled a face. "And why?"

"Because, he is crazy. Literally! He drugged the-."

"Woah, woah, woah." I shook my head heavily. "That wasn't Gally."

Newt scrunched his nose. "And how would you know?"

"Because I trust him. I believe he wouldn't. Never." I confirmed sternly, my voice loud for him. "Gally wouldn't do that."

"And yet he did. I swear, he's scary. I bet-."

"Newt. Politely shut your mouth and let me live my life." I cut him off, trying hard to contain my voice.

"Who else could it have been? Look, this is what I'm suspecting. He makes that drink every bonfire, right? He's proud of it and makes it very clear it's his recipe. Now he drugged it, just for you. He drugged everyone else, so they won't see what's happening. He sends you into that fighting circle with Peter, who's drugged too. Peter carried a knife because he's a Builder, and Gally knew that. Once you got hurt, he was the first one to get you, am I right?" A pause. "He cut your bloody shirt open in the Med Hut. And he was planning something, until our savior Clint ran in."

Full of disbelief, I stared at Newt.

It was unbelievable. How could he think Gally would ever be that cruel? I trusted Gally so much I believed him without proof. He wouldn't plan on trying something with me.

"No offense— well, actually. A lot of offense, because I'm damn offended right now, Newt." I spoke. "You're acting crazy. These thoughts? Insane. Gally wouldn't-."

"Exactly! He earned your trust by acting all this nice. And guess who else he acts nice to? No one. Literally, no one. I'm not oblivious like you."

"Not even two days ago you said he was in love with me. You kind of agreed to Ben saying we would be a nice couple, but now this?" I spat out.

"I know, I know. But after the drug thing, I got this crazy realization, ya?" He folded his arms. "Don't trust him."

I nearly balled my fists. "I'll trust whoever the hell I want. This is quite toxic, Newt."

"It's not. It's a warning." He corrected. "And take the warning. He's... crazy."

I rubbed my forehead, tapping my foot against the ground and almost smashing my notebook on it. "You're crazy. Once again, let me live. I trust him and I don't care if you don't. I don't care if he's grumpy to you or to anyone. Or that he beats up Greenies. I don't care."

"Oblivious." He muttered.

I tightened my jaw. "I'm not oblivious. I would've noticed if he was planning something. Oh, by the way, he isn't even that harsh to Greenies. I've seen him help them build. He teases them nicely, to make them feel welcome. You beat that."

Newt sighed. "You don't get it."

"I'm gonna leave, Newt. This is bullshit." I got up from my seat fast enough for black dots to appear in my vision.

Newt shouted something, but I ignored him, especially when it got dizzy. My low iron kicked in and I did not feel like fainting in front of everyone, so started running toward my hut.

"Val?"

His voice.

"You okay?"

In a rush, I nodded and even with my blindness, I managed to slam the door open right on time before it all went black, and I didn't even notice it myself.

~

At first, I didn't remember what exactly happened. Whenever I fainted it went so fast I barely registered it, but then I saw Gally's face.

My eyes shot open wider. Startled by him watching me be unconscious, I tried to sit up.

"Watch out." He warned softly, his hands ready to catch me.

I looked around in the room. It was my hut. I lay in my bed and Gally was on a chair next to it. My eyebrows furrowed.

"Sorry. I know I should've brought you to the Med Hut." He apologized. A gentle smile printed on his lips. "But I knew Hank and Peter get their broken noses checked out today and I didn't want to make you feel... uncomfortable."

Slowly, I smiled, feeling my nose scrunch. He cared. And that sent electric sparks everywhere. "Thank you."

Gally nodded. "Sugar?" He held up a bag of peanuts again.

"They're covered in salt." I commented. "Doesn't sound like sugar to me."

He gasped dramatically. "Did you just refuse food? Sugar or not, it stays edible. Here."

The thing got pushed in my hands, causing me to smile even brighter. I stacked my pillow to the wall and sat up. "Why do you carry around peanuts when you made it very clear you hated them?"

It took a few seconds before he replied. In that time, his cheeks caught a red color. "I.. Uhm- kept it... in case you, you know... faint. Or whatever."

Now my cheeks filled with red too. "Really? That's lovely. Thank you."

He shrugged. "No big deal. So how are you feeling?"

"Exhausted, honestly. Would you mind if I just sleep? Gosh, I love sleep, by the way. Do you?"

He pulled one knee up to his chest. "Nah. I sleep very light. Don't really enjoy it."

I put my pillow in its original position again. "Okay. Well, I'll go to sleep. It's dark outside anyway. You just... stay here or whatever you want to do. The chair doesn't look the most comfortable... But you could also just go do something else, if you'd rather. Someone watching me sleep is kinda creepy, though." As I ranted, my voice slowed and my eyelids got heavy.

I couldn't help it. The last days had honestly been exhausting. And even though I had been out much, I was still tired. My body ached. The stitches Jeff sewed in my itched. But the sheets were so soft and comfortable.

"But... you do you." I murmured. "I'll eat the peanuts later. And hey, could you bring cookies next time? They're..." A very long pause as I wet my lips. Automatically, my eyes faded closed. "Delicious." I finished.

~

Panic washed over me. And yet I knew exactly what was happening when I heard the blurry laughs. The stinging in my chest and nose. The constant hand pushing my head underwater.

It was the familiar nightmare. And I couldn't escape it.

Each time it had happened I just waited and waited and waited until it was over.

Repeatedly, my head went under, sometimes longer than other times. The hand clasped in my hair, hurting me slightly.

Water filled my lungs and nose when I tried to speak or breath. I coughed and gasped, struggling to take oxygen.

My head got pushed into the cold water once again. Blankness surrounded my open eyes. It was scary. And then there was a light.

Just a faint one, in the distance. As they came closer, I noticed it were two. But not normal ones.  

It were two eyes, ink blank, yet visible through the darkness since they shined. I stared at them, frozen until the thing moved.

He jumped forward and I caught a glimpse of Luke, my brother's face. Thick, purple-ish veins spread around it. He screamed at me, his eyes darting into mine. I couldn't look away.

~

"Valerie." His voice again. His comforting, soft voice.

My eyes shot open for the second time that day. With heavy breaths, I blinked a few times. Gally was in front of me, kneeling next to my bed.

It became dark in my hut by now, just a few candles lighting up the room. My hands clasped around the sheets hard as I still took in my surroundings.

"Val, look at me." Gally spoke. A low, yet gentle tone. Panicked, my eyes met his. "Breathe, okay?"

It was only when he mentioned it I realized I was panting so heavily I was literally gasping for air, taking ragged breaths without actual oxygen coming through and filling my lungs. I fought to break the lump in my throat. And the tears in my eyes which were either there from the upsetting nightmare or from shame of letting Gally see me in this state.

He took my hand, squeezing it lightly. "Sshh." He whispered. I probably would've laughed in his face if it weren't for the situation. "You're okay. I'm here."

I nodded, swallowing everything away fast. "I'm okay." I agreed, bolt. "Thanks."

His face darkened slightly. "Don't do this now, Valerie."

I averted my head from him. I couldn't help but to say, "I'm being dramatic anyways."

I heard his breathing hitch. "You're not being dramatic. You've never been dramatic, Val. I swear." Without my agreement, he moved a strand of hair out of my face softly. "Maybe you're even being... under-dramatic."

I smiled a tiny smile at that.

"You okay now, Ginger?" He then asked, still whispering and caressing the top of my hand. "Because you're crushing my hand."

"Oh. I'm sorry. I-."

"Don't ever apologize. Please." He muttered. "Do you need anything?"

Uncontrollably—which I hated myself for—, a stutter came out of my mouth. "N-no."

I mentally punished myself for that. Stuttering when it wasn't a normal habit felt like a weakness. Crying was a weakness. Letting people see me like this would show them my weakness.

"Hey." Gally squeezed my hand again. "Don't be too harsh for yourself." He told me. "Bad dream?"

"Obviously." I mumbled, trying to blink away the tears that had been there the whole time, but only now became more. At the end, I dropped them all.

"Do you need to talk about it?" He wondered sweetly.

That was all it took for me to completely break down into sobs, though somehow I got tingles by his caring too. Trying not to be too loud, I took sharp breaths now and then, wiping tears away even when only more followed.

Gally seemed clueless in the first seconds, but then he sat down on my bed and easily lifted me into his arms. Still, I didn't manage to stop.

"It's okay." He even rocked me back and forth like a damn baby. "Just let it out. Let it all out."

And so I did.

Until my throat hurt, eyes stung, and no tears were left. I hadn't noticed my hands clenching in his shirt and arms wrapped around him until I fully calmed down, and the only thing left were butterflies.

"Sorry." I murmured.

"Don't ever apologize." He repeated. "Relieving?"

Once I thought about it, it turned out he was right. Maybe crying wasn't that bad after all. "Very."

A small laugh escaped Gally's mouth. "Come on. I'll lie you back in bed."

"What a gentlemen taking care of his toddler." I blurted out. He laughed again, lying me down and pulling some sheets over me.

"You stayed." I realized through it all. "Or did I scream so loudly I woke you up from your own hut?"

"No. I stayed." He confirmed.

My heart pounded in my chest. He stayed. "Why?"

"Because I care about you, dumbass." He chuckled. "And we wouldn't want to risk anyone sneaking into your hut, right?"

"Sure, sure." I let out a small giggle before rolling myself to a ball.

He smiled at me before getting off my bed, stretching his back. "I'll let you sleep now. And I'll got to my own hut. Will you be okay?"

"Mhm." I nodded. I ignored the feeling of disappointed deep inside my body.

He nodded awkwardly one last time. Then he walked closer to the door, reaching for the handle and—

"Gally?"

He froze.

"Yes, Valerie?"

A pause.

"Can you stay?"

I did not just ask that.
I did not just ask that.
I did not just ask that.
I did not just ask that.
I did not just—

"Sure."

Oh, lord.

He turned around and walked back. "I- uh... like, in the chair or...?"

I scooted to the side, staring down at an empty spot in my small bed. "No, here. If you'd like. And feel comfortable, of course. And— oh, yep. We're doing it."

He already lay down, twisting a bit at first. "Val, the wall and I are literally squeezing you. I barely fit in this shuck bed." He murmured.

"It's okay." I reassured. "It's kinda cold here anyway. Will warm me up. Is your position nice or do you want to get to your own hut? My bed indeed is small."

I could barely see his face once he turned it to me. "You're cold?"

"Just a little. I'll be fine." His smell filled my nose again, making me want to snuggle into his side with my face.

A small breath came out of Gally's mouth. "You ready?"

"For...?"

He replied by taking my waist in his large hands and lifting me right onto the side of his chest, so half of my body rested on it. And that might've been the most comfortable position I had ever been in.

"Is this okay?" He whispered. "Are you comfortable?"

I smiled. "Are you?"

"If you are."

I laughed under my breath as I wrapped an arm around his upper waist, leaving the other one beside me while Gally's hand made its way to slide into my hair.

After moving a few times, I found a nice and comfortable position, my head right on his heart. I could hear it beat in a steady and at a nice pacing. It was probably the best sound ever. I smiled brighter, nearly burying my head in his chest.

"Do you often have dreams that upset you?" He questioned quietly.

I nodded with a hum, too tired and enjoying the moment to reply normally.

"Just let me know if I ever need to help." His hand drew some circles in my hair. "Good night, Ginger."

"Ah, shut up, Potato Head."

"What a nice thank you."

"Mhm." I breathed in deeply. "Thanks, though, Gally. Thanks a lot."