Deep Breaths (Garcello x Reader) [Slow Updates]

Part 15 - A Talk Outside

As soon as the door shuts, you feel a piercing silence wash over you. The sound of your friends talking inside the apartment is the only noise you can hear, but even that feels far away.

You take a moment to breathe. After what just happened, you feel like you need it. But... nobody needs it more than Garcello.

He's uncharacteristically quiet. Not the usual kind of quiet where it's calm and soothing, no, the completely-numb kind of silence where all your words are caught in your throat. Not to mention his hunched posture and lowered head...

You open your mouth to try and start a conversation-- maybe discuss what in the world just happened, maybe comfort him some more, or maybe even say something offtopic to get his mind off of everything... But after only a moment, you shut your mouth again, teeth clicking together.

You settle for taking a good look at your friend.

His arms are limp, hanging loosely at his sides. His breathing is quiet, ragged, uneven-- it sounds like he's forcing himself to breathe this way. But every few moments, his inhales hitch and break into an early exhale, chest heaving.

He looks... so tired. So very, very tired.

Something sharp nicks your heart.

"Th...thank you."

You blink.

"Thank you," Garcello repeats, voice soft-- so fragile that you fear it might break if he were any louder. His gaze is lowered, staring at the dirty gray floor. "For... for saving me. Again."

"Oh," you reply, similarly quiet. After a momentary pause, you continue, "It's, uh, I mean... you're welcome."

The silence once again drapes over the two of you. It's shorter this time, thankfully, as you find the courage to speak again.

"Are you..." You cut yourself off and half-scoff. "Well, I guess you wouldn't be okay after that. Sorry."

That gets a chuckle out of him, and you thank the universe for that. 

"I just don't understand... why did you decide to keep singing?" you ask instead. "If you felt unwell, you could've just ended the match."

Garcello winces and looks away, guilt written all over his face. You feel your heart sink.

Great, I made it worse.

"I, I just thought that..." He hesitates, at a loss for words himself. "You all seemed so excited when I sang... and when the little man-- Boyfriend-- asked for another round... I just felt like I'd be disappointing you all by turning down the offer. I thought that maybe just one more song couldn't hurt..."

He sighs, shaking his head. 

"I shouldn't have done that. You guys almost had to see me..." He trails off, not finishing his sentence, though you have a decent guess as to what he means. "I'm sorry."

You feel your chest tighten at Garcello's words. You almost feel angry, but not at Garcello-- never at Garcello.

"Hey, hey." You grab his shoulders and make him look at you. A confused, almost shameful look crosses his face. Despite the expression making your insides burn unpleasantly, you continue. "Don't you dare apologize for something like that. That wasn't your fault, you hear me?"

At this, Garcello looks surprised, though you really can't figure out why.

"It's not your fault," you echo. "Garcello, you almost died. Do you seriously think you have to apologize for dying or something?"

He opens his mouth... then shuts it, an embarrassed grimace tugging at his lips. You're no mind reader, but you have the intuition that he was genuinely going to say yes.