Man, I really hope I don't regret this...
You roll your shoulder and sigh softly enough that your internal debate isn't obvious to everyone outside of you. The clothing store's cashier gives you a small smile before heading to the back, leaving you standing awkwardly before the counter. On the counter's surface is a hat. You blink down at it for a moment, studying the material.
You've been thinking about this a lot since you met up with Garcello that night. His losing his hat seemed like a pretty small deal at the time, but you've started to notice that he's been acting just a little less confident than before. Ducking his head, turning away his face, not meeting anyone's eyes... You're not sure if he's unaware or simply dismissive, but you get the feeling that hat served as a source of shielding from everything else, if barely.
Or... maybe he's just awkward because you kissed his cheek that one time, and neither of you have really talked about it...
Internally, you groan, pinching the bridge of your nose. Why did you have to go and make things so awkward?
"Hey, there."
You jolt a bit, popping out of your internal monologue. The shop employee stands in front of you, holding the hat in their hands. A polite smile sits on their face and they tap the brim of the cap slightly, holding it out to you.
"I found the pricing for the hat. Thirty dollars, approximately."
Hoo, boy. Is that in your budget? Probably not...
The employee seems to read the hesitance on your face and smiles sweetly, setting the hat back on the counter.
"If that's not affordable to you, that's completely fine! Take your time."
You press your lips into a flat line, briefly checking your phone. There on the screen sits your chat log with Annie from about five minutes ago.
You: Annie holy crap this hat
Annie: whuh
You: [Attachment sent.]
Annie: DUDE
Annie: HOW
You: IDK BUT ITS PERFECT RIGHT
Annie: um YEA
Annie: the timing too omfg
You: timing?
Annie: I'll tell u more later dude
Annie: so r u gonna buy it?
You: uhhhh I gotta check the pricing
You: ffff no tag, I gotta ask an employee
You: brb
Annie: aight
You stay silent for a moment before looking back up at the manager and the still-present polite grin on their face.
Ah, screw it.
You begin typing back to Annie.
You: u really want this hat for gar?
Annie: yea no kidding
You: alr
You: u owe me 30 bucks now
Annie: WHAT
~~~
You shift your weight between your feet and stare at the hat held limply in your hands. As soon as you'd left the store, Annie had urged you through a call to visit her and Garcello's shared house. Just judging from the pure excitement in her voice, you didn't exactly have a choice not to... you would bet she'd leap out of the phone just to drag you there if she had to.
Holding your breath, you lightly knock on the door, almost hoping nobody answers. You haven't hung around Garcello for extended periods after that night in the alleyway, and quite frankly, jumping from light avoidance to hanging out at his house is quite a large step to take...
Despite your prayers, you heard slight banging from inside the house, followed by thudding footsteps and an "I'll get it!" Within seconds, the door slams open, revealing a wide toothy smile on the face of none other than Annie.
"(Y/N)!" she beams, "C'mon in!"
Annie sidesteps and allows you inside. Upon doing so, you catch sight of a very casually-dressed Garcello standing awkwardly by the doorframe of the hallway, one hand loosely on the wall. And--
--that... is... a new hairstyle.
You swallow, gaze caught on the sight of Garcello's fluffy teal hair done up partway. His eyes are the most visible you've seen them, only a few strands of loose green falling over his forehead. While a lot of his hair is still down, most of his bangs and front hair are pulled back into a small ponytail.
You... really like the look on Garcello. With his face cleared of any shadow, his expressions are easier to read, and you see more of him-- and, wow, his eyebrows are kind of perfect, somehow-- and he just looks so domestic...
I'm gonna pass out.
"Uh..." Garcello breaks the silence, waving at you. He brings his hand up to brace the back of his neck as he turns away, eyes averted. "Didn't know you were coming over."
"Ah, well..." You trail off.
Annie, thankfully, recognizes the awkwardness and cuts right through the tension, piping up.
"I invited them over! Sorry I didn't tell you, Gar-man, but I wanted it to be a surprise."
"Well, I'm definitely surprised," Garcello says with a small, amused grin that crinkles the corners of his eyes.
"No, no, that's not the surprise!" Annie exclaims, racing over to Garcello. He blinks and leans back a bit as Annie approaches, looking a little lost. Undeterred, Annie speeds past him and presumably into her room, calling distantly, "I'll be right back! Stay there!"
Garcello opens his mouth and then closes it again. Scratching his head, he mumbles a bit under his breath about Annie running inside the house, with his attention ultimately falling on you. You shift under the weight of his gaze but manage a smile anyway, desperately trying to ignore your heart thundering in your chest.
"Do you have any idea what the surprise is supposed to be?" Garcello asks, raising a brow as he jabs his thumb behind him into the hallway.
You blink, a little dumbfounded at how genuinely casual Garcello is being. While it's not as though it's become impossible to speak to him normally after that night, you know it's definitely not been completely smooth sailing, no matter how unbothered you both tried to act. Yet, Garcello seems almost completely unperturbed by the fact that you're standing in his house, seeing him in his casual wear, and invited on such short notice.
"Um..." You manage to find your voice and shake your head. "No, I'm not sure what the surprise is."
Garcello clicks his tongue and chuckles softly, smiling.
"Figures. She's always been a bit like that, though. A little impulsive, a little unpredictable." He shrugs and absentmindedly scratches his stubble. "Guess we kind of balance each other out, huh? I keep her in check from doing anything too reckless, and she helps me get more out there."
A smile grows on your face. It's sweet that they care about each other so much. And seeing him being so open with you now... maybe you've been running from all of this for long enough.
Before you have the chance to think on that more, though, Annie comes bounding back out of her room, a paper bag in hand. You and Garcello both stare in confusion at the sight. Annie merely grins brighter and rushes over to your side, jabbing you with her elbow.
"Ow-- what?" You blink at her.
"The hat!" she replies brightly, and you 'oh' a bit. Garcello looks between the two of you, seemingly lost.
You step forward and tug the hat you bought out of your bag, presenting it to Garcello. His eyes widen marginally, gaze sweeping over the fine material. You get why he's so surprised-- the hat looks nearly identical to his old one, after all-- just a little more brand new and colored black instead of brown.
"I-- you--?" He looks up, dark eyes flitting up to yours. A small smile slips onto your face naturally.
"Well, you did say you lost your old one, and I just saw this at the store..." You shrug, looking away for a moment. "Pretty self-explanatory, huh?"
Garcello's stunned silence turns into soft laughter as a sweet smile grows on his lips. He accepts the hat and lazily pops it over his head, despite not having untied his hair. You can tell he's not going to wear it like that permanently, though, and he's clearly just doing it for fun.
"Thanks," he says quietly, cheeks a little pink, "Means a lot to me."
You beam, heart bursting in your ribcage. The moment is broken when Annie steps forward and you step back.
"Alright!" she whoops. Unlike how you handed your gift to Garcello, she practically shoves her paper bag into Garcello's arms, which he fumbles to grasp. She continues, undeterred, "Go to your room and get changed!"
"I-- uh--" Garcello blanks, looking down into the bag. "What-- what is it?"
"New duds, duh!" Annie's smile doesn't flinch a bit. "I've been waiting for a good time to give you 'em, cuz your normal coat n' shirt kinda stinks by now."
Garcello frowns, eyeing the shirt he's currently wearing, which you assume would be the one he usually wears with his jacket. He opens his mouth to protest, then takes account of the general worn nature of his top, ultimately deciding against any reply. He just sighs and shuffles the paper bag in his hands.
"C'mon!" Annie insists, beginning to push Garcello to his room, "I'm dying to see if it fits! Besides, you don't wanna change in front of (Y/N), do you? Unless you do!"
You choke on your own spit and Garcello turns bright red, eyes widening comically. Annie practically cackles and continues shoving Garcello into the hallway. He sputters, words no longer coherent, and then he's out of sight and you hear a door clicking shut.
A soft sigh leaves your lungs. She knows too, huh? You can never get a break, it seems.
Soon enough, Annie exits Garcello's room and skips right back out to stand next to you. You stare at her, narrowing your eyes in an attempt to glare at her. It's likely not too effective considering how flushed your face is. Either way, she hardly pays you any mind, staring dead ahead at Garcello's door.
It's not too long until the door swings open, greeting the both of you with a new sight. Decked out in a crisp black turtleneck sweater and long white jacket is Garcello, adjusting the hat you gifted him on his head. His hair isn't tied anymore, so the hat fits better, and you find yourself a little dumbstruck at just how good it looks on him.
"Well..." he coughs, looks at you, then looks away, grinning. "It's not bad, I guess."
"Hell yeah!" Annie cheers, running to go tackle-hug her best friend. He grunts a bit as she collides with him, but easily accepts her harsh embrace as if he's experienced it before (he likely has). "You look awesome, Garcello!"
"Thanks, man," he says with a grin, "You have good taste."
"Don't I?" Annie replies brightly as she leans back, hands on her hips. "Honestly! My fashion sense is off the charts! I'm sure everyone's gonna dig it."
"I don't doubt it," Garcello hums, adjusting the hood of his coat. "This was a nice surprise."
You smile at the sight of Garcello and Annie just having fun with each other, even with something as simple as trying on new clothes. Annie beams at her best friend.
"Well, I'm glad!" Suddenly, she looks away, glancing briefly at the front door. "And in time, too. I gotta go run some errands right now."
"Errands?" Garcello repeats, seemingly a bit startled by the sudden shift.
"Yeah, I had to time this on a bit of a schedule. I'm hanging out with Ashlyn today n' all." Annie grins, looking a tad sheepish before she speeds towards the door. With a wide wave and a bright smile, she calls, "See ya, guys! Text or call if you need me!"
Swiftly, she grabs a flask of bright blue from the table near the door, then opens it and weaves through the opening, racing out of the house. The entrance shuts with a resounding slam, causing you and Garcello to jolt.
The house fills with silence after the suddenness of Annie's exit. You sigh, rubbing your head as you stare at the door. Garcello chuckles behind you. "A bit wild, huh?"
"Yeah..." You turn around to face Garcello, holding a lopsided grin on your face. "A bit."
He smiles right back at you, looking surprisingly very genuine. You wonder how he's at all comfortable with you just standing there in his house without Annie there to break the tension. Somehow, though, he doesn't seem particularly nervous. It eases your anxiety a little, knowing he's not worried.
"Do you want to watch TV?" he prompts, gesturing to the flatscreen TV mounted on the wall. You pause, then nod, smiling at the casualness. You feel more content than you've felt around Garcello in a long time.
"Sounds good."
~~~
(A/N)
HA get Timeskip AU'd >:]]
Also, I AM SO SORRY!!! I couldn't get anything written on this fic's anniversary (June 2nd) and I just kind of scrapped this chapter together at 12 am ;-; I'm so sorry for keeping yall waiting so long! I hope this was decent enough!
I will... see you in another month? Two months? Whenever the writer's block doesn't plague me again. Thank you for sticking by!