Deep Breaths (Garcello x Reader) [Slow Updates]

Part 9 - Sleep(Over)

The knock at the door startles you, even though you've already prepared yourself for Garcello's arrival. Maybe your nerves are still a bit shot from that dream. 

Tugging the neck of your breezy (F/C) sweater, you shuffle over to your door to let your friend inside, almost tripping on your too-long, black sweatpants on the way. The door creaks once it's halfway open, and you see Garcello peer through the entryway cautiously. 

He smells of cigarette smoke and the cold air outside. You assume that he was in his hangout alleyway, smoking, at least before you texted. For some reason, you're more worried about his addiction tonight than any other night, but you decide not to mention it. What matters is that you know he's trying to lessen the habit.

"Hey, (Y/N)," Garcello says after a silent moment. On his face is a soft, almost timid, smile, and his fingers twitch in a nervous tic. 

"Hey, Cello," you reply, trying to smile back, but you're not sure how real it looks. Stepping aside, you unblock the doorway and gesture for Garcello to step inside. "Thanks for coming over, I honestly appreciate it loads."

"No worries!" he chuckles comfortably, shuffling to slip off his boots, "I wasn't really doing much, anyways. Being invited over was a nice surprise."

He leaves his boots by the door and shuts it behind him, gazing around your apartment curiously. You silently hope that it doesn't look too messy for his liking. It is his first time at your place, after all, and you don't want to be seen as an unclean slob. Not most of the time, anyway.

"You have a nice place," he comments after a moment, allowing you to relax slightly, seeming to have been genuine.

"Thanks," you reply kindly.

The two of you sit down on the couch together, silent for a moment. It's not an uncomfortable silence, but it's not exactly desirable, either. A fair in-between. 

"Is there any particular reason for why you invited me over tonight specifically?" Garcello asks a few seconds later, tipping his head inquisitively. 

"Not... really..." You hesitate. "I kind of had a nightmare, but I can't quite remember what it was about. I just felt like seeing you when I woke up."

"Oh, gotcha." Garcello tilts his head, hair moving gently with the sway and falling from gravity. Dimples form on his cheeks as he smiles reassuringly at you. "That's alright, it happens. Sometimes you just need someone to talk to."

"Yeah..." Trailing off into silence, you shake your head free of spacey thoughts and turn towards Gar. "Ah sorry, I don't really wanna make it all about me. How've you been, Cello?"

Garcello blinks under his hat at the topic change but doesn't say anything about it. He adjusts his sitting position on the couch more comfortably.

"I've been pretty good," he says, giving you a reassuring smile, "Annie told me earlier that she met you."

"Oh, yeah!" you chirp, then chuckle, "She seems really cool."

"Heh, yeah," Garcello laughs gently and shrugs. "Dunno what I'd do without her, y'know? Though, I guess I'm the one who keeps her from doing dumb stuff all the time."

"I'm sure you're not much help," you comment lightly, letting a twinge of sarcasm and amusement seep into your tone to let him know you're joking. It must've worked, and he snickers.

"Yeah, I guess that's true." Garcello pauses. "I wonder how we've managed to not die for so long."

"Man, same," you sigh, rolling your eyes. "You know, I met Calvin when I started working at the convenience store. The only reason we became friends is because I found out he'd been sneaking snacks from the back room. I helped him get away with it later."

"Wow, criminal history?" Cello jokes, dimples forming on his cheeks as he grins, "Am I gonna have to turn you in to the police?"

"Ha!" you bark in a dramatic cartoon-villain voice, "Over my dead--"

Something weighs heavy in your chest. The sentence stops, throat clogged as cold dread starts to run down your spine. The air falls still.

"...body."

Garcello's eyes visibly widen in concern under the fall of his hat.

"(Y/N)?" he asks, confused, "Are you alright?"

"...Yeah." A shaky breath leaves your lungs. "I'm okay. Um, can we, talk about something else?"

"...Sure," Garcello replies slowly. He takes a moment to tilt his head at you and your chest tightens. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'll be fine," you assure him, though by the look on his face, he's not all that convinced. You loosen your tense shoulders slightly. "I just, I wanna get my mind off of my nightmare, you know?"

Garcello's concerned expression softens into one of sympathy-- maybe empathy. He sighs, stretches in his seat, and drops the insistent act.

"Do you wanna hear about how I met Annie?" he asks, smoothly transitioning into an entirely new conversation. You nod, grabbing a pillow from your side, then proceeding to squeeze it in your arms while Cello gathers his thoughts.

"Well..." Garcello turns his head slightly, eyes wandering into empty space. Not following his gaze, yours stays fixed on his thoughtful face. "One day, I was taking a walk around the neighborhood. I had a lot on my mind, so I headed for my usual alleyway, craving a few smokes then. But when I stepped into the alley, I noticed that someone was sitting there against the wall. I walked up to them to see what was up.

"As I got closer, I realized that the person was curled up into a ball, looking pretty upset. So I went to try and cheer them up. Turns out that Annie had been having a pretty trashy week and wanted to sulk alone for a while."

"Aw, poor past-Annie," you murmur into your pillow. Garcello nods towards your remark and continues to relay his story.

You lean against the arm of the couch, listening intently every word that Gar speaks. However, only a minute later, your eyelids begin to weigh, the heaviness drawing you closer to unconsciousness. You suppress a yawn as Gar continues to talk about his meeting with Annie. Yet only seconds later, your head droops, eyes shut, and you listen to the last wisps of your friend's soothing voice as you fall asleep.

~~~

Gentle moonlight streaks through your dreamless slumber, and you find yourself drifting into wakefulness. You're tempted to open your eyes, but for some odd reason, you can't bring yourself to. You suppose you wouldn't mind staying in this soft silence for a moment longer...

Something shuffles against your shoulder. Your body automatically goes rigid, trying not to show that you're awake. Mind reeling, you breathe as quietly as you can, trying to figure out who or what could--

Oh. Right. Garcello. How could you forget?

'How long has he been here since I fell asleep?'

To your surprise only moments later, you hear soft snoring beside you. Your tensed muscles relax marginally at the sound.

'I guess he fell asleep too... Well, that's good. I'm glad I didn't rob him of any rest."

Almost automatically, you lean into Garcello's touch, breathing in the familiar, comforting smell of smoke and city air. His soft hair droops against the side of your head as you settle into a cosier position. The usual lonely silence of your small apartment is filled by gentle snores and blissful slumber. Everything is at ease, life peaceful, and you share the quiet night with your dear friend Garcello.

Because of course, when you wake up the next morning with your arms wrapped around his torso and his head against yours, neither of you are going to question the odd closeness of the situation. 

~~~

(A/N)

This one's been sitting in my drafts for a while, so I might as well post it. Enjoy! (BTW: I'm still kind of on break, and the updates will still be very slow. I hope you all enjoy this stuff anyway!)