We Met By Chance(Aris Jones x Reader)

20) Vulnerable

Waking up, I tried to move only to find myself unable to. Opening my eyes, I saw Aris fast asleep with his arm still around me. With a sigh I pushed him off of me before standing up. Looking around, I ran my fingers around the wall as I saw a tunnel with more lights. Deciding that it couldn't be too bad I headed down whatever this place was, still running my hands over the cool stone as I did. Slightly humming to myself, I got about ten feet inside when I felt someone touch me. Turning around, I instinctively punched them only for them to duck.

“Can you please stop doing that?”Aris asked in a shaky voice.

“Don't sneak up on me, you shank,”I mumbled, feeling my racing heart just barely calm down. “What are you doing here anyway?”

“Seeing where you're going,”He answered, taking a deep, probably much needed, breath.

“I don't know. I’m just taking a walk,”I shrugged.

“Of course you don't know,”He sighed.

“You wanna come with?”I invited.

“Yeah,”He answered hesitantly, staring at the ground.

“You don't have to,”I assured him.

“Do you now want me to come?”He asked quickly yet quietly.

“Why would I invite you if I didn't want you to come?”I pointed out.

“I don't know,”He shrugged.

“Because I want you to come. Now yes or no?”

“Yeah. I’ll go with you,”He agreed. Giving him a nod to tell him that I heard, we started our early morning adventure to somewhere.

ᕙᕗᕙᕗᕙᕗᕙᕗᕙᕗᕙᕗᕙᕗ

For a while there was complete and total silence, which I didn't mind. I wasn't sure about him, but he didn't seem eager to break it so neither was I. I just kept walking, still tracing the bumpy wall as I did.

“Can I ask you something?”He spoke up.

“Sure,”I shrugged.

“You don't seem scared of anything so is there any reason that you're scared of the dark?”

With his question making me freeze, I heard their squeals surrounding me, a mix of hunger and rage. With the clicks echoing through the air, crushing my skull as I tried to figure out what was going on, I swore that I was huddled in the corner again, screaming for someone to do something as I attempted to figure out what the creatures were. Through gasps of air, I buried my face in my hands and forced myself to breathe. But I couldn't breathe, and everything wanted to kill me. Everything wanted to hurt me, and the place that I was going would be nothing but these nightmarish things. The second I did move I would be met with certain death. If I stayed here I would die from lack of water though, and maybe blood loss from the way I had banged my head on whatever the cage in a desperately stupid attempt to get out. I would bash my fists against it and shake the metal until I was vomiting.

“Y/N?”He whispered, pulling me out of everything. Looking at him, I felt my mouth go dry as my eyes watered. Fixating on the ground, I wiped them as more fell.

“I’m sorry,”He immediately apologized, wrapping his arms around me. Clinging to him, I didn't really think as I cried on his shoulder. Repeating his apology, he put his hand behind my head to pull me just a little closer. Letting him, I kept sobbing in his shirt, soaking the fabric. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry, and I’m here,”He whispered, somehow being comforting.

After what seemed like hours of losing it I pulled away and wiped my eyes before sitting against the wall. Looking up, I patted the spot next to me. Accepting it, he seemed to copy my exact body language as he sat in the exact same position.

“I’ve never told anyone this. I lied to the Gladers when I first came up,”I started, taking a breath. “Did you have a box?”I checked, glancing over at him. When he nodded I kept going. “When I was a Greenie I was in one, going up and up for what seemed like years. At some point I threw up all over my clothes, which was already awful. It got worse though. I didn't know that it could, but it did. The box just stopped moving, forcing me backwards. Then the flashing, red lights which I thought were such a burden, turned off, leaving me in pitch black darkness. That's when I heard them. I was too worried about everything else so I hadn't noticed the Griever's. Not until I was stuck just two inches below and above one. For hours they shrieked and tried to get to me. It was for an entire day since I came up in the middle of the night. The only good thing about that was that I ran out of tears. I was still in the dark when I came up though, alone since everyone was asleep. I heard more Greiver's though and started screaming, waking up the entire Glade,”I spilled.

“I’m sorry,”He whispered, putting a hand on my shoulder.

“That's why I wanted to be a Runner so badly. I wanted to face what had given me that fear to get over it.”

“I’m sorry,”He repeated, hugging me again. Letting him do so, after a second I pulled away.

“Please don't tell anyone. It's just embarrassing.”

“I don't think that-”
“Please? I can't not be the strong one. I have to try and keep the mood light whenever possible, and this would ruin it.”

“You don't have to do that though,”He tried to convince me.

“It's just what I do so please keep this between us. Do literally whatever you have to to keep this a secret,”I begged. Just as he was about to answer every light turned off, plunging us back into darkeness. Before I could panic he hugged me while telling me to breathe. Copying his, I closed my eyes as I pretended that everything was okay.

Just as it was slightly better, the lights turned on. Looking at me with a bittersweet smile, he wiped my tears.

“I’m sorry I asked,”He repeated, pulling away.

“It's fine. You couldn't have known,”I pointed out, doing the same before forcing a smile, making me look normal.

“How did you do that?”He questioned.

“Do what?”

“You don't look like you were ever crying.”

“I know,”I shrugged.

“How though?”

“It's just another one of my very special talents,”I dramatically exclaimed, doing exaggerated jazz hands.

“How often do you cry to know this?”He pointed out.

“That is for me to know, and nobody to ever find out. Now let's get back to the other shanks,”I suggested, standing up and holding my hand out. Giving me an odd look, he then accepted it. Pulling him up, I led him back the way we came, pretending that emotional moment never happened. As far as I’m concerned, that was all in my head.