Guess who just finished the hazy river mod? (☞ﾟ∀ﾟ)☞
You know Annie right? Known for being super chill and very carefree and also kind right?
Well she tends to turn into something else when more than a few drinks of t h e l i q u i d enter her system... literally
Suddenly she's is this predatory, furry beast with claws that could break through metal itself
She's much more aggressive in certain situations like during her confrontation with Daddy Dearest but seems to probe into her more... playful side now she has the significant advantage
Annie will scope up her lee with that wolfish grin of hers and pin them down, preferably with their arms above their heads, sitting in them or in a giant hug, sorta like the first image :P
That's when she digs in...
And HOO BOY ITS GONNA TICKLE A LOT
Despite her nearly talon like claws, she is very aware of them and can restrain herself just fine but don't think she'll grant mercy
Annie can knead, poke, prod, all ler things someone would do except in her case, it's much worse and you'll be there for a very long time...
She's relentlessly and won't stick to one spot for very long, longing to find out your other spots
Did I also mention she is very thorough? Yeah don't think you'll be able to hide from her because sooner or later, she's gonna know so might as well tell her to make the trouble less of a hassle 😌
Annie is also a monster at raspberries
Considering she's much larger now, with her body being rearranged into larger organs, that also includes her lungs
Longest raspberry (according to her memory and Garcello) she ever blew was for 15 seconds
Garcello died that day (along with BF)
When it comes to little ones however is when nibbles are involves
According to witnesses, they are already in stitches by the time she makes her way up to their ribs, lightly pinching their skin with her sharp fangs
She also likes to play the big bad wolf when giving them rapsberries
"I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll- PFFFFFRRRRTTTT!!!"
Kills them everytime and she finds this absolutely adorable
The people around her look extremely flustered and she invites them to do the same to them. INSTANT EMBARRASSMENT.
But along with that...there is still a gentle soul under all that fur and cuddles her lee's every time
Most of the time it's a bunch a children napping around her, tired after their tickle games like hide and seek and she just sits there, content and happy
He was back in the hospital for his third round of chemo. You sat next to him in the chair while he tried to read his book and the chemicals flowed through his veins. It made him feel worse than he already did. Lung cancer was a son of a bitch, but chemo was almost worse. He couldn't keep anything down afterwards and his hair was already starting to thin. He wore his hat constantly to hide the hair loss and refused to eat.
The only people that could make him feel better were you, and his younger "sister" Annie. She came to visit him often at your shared apartment, they would sit on the balcony and sing their own songs together while Garcello smoked a few cigarettes and Annie sat cross legged on the outdoor furniture. They would talk for hours, Annie would sometimes stay for dinner before catching the bus back to her foster home.
She had arranged to come over later in the day. You thought Garcello was pushing himself and told him as much but he hadn't seen her since before his first round of chemo. They missed each other, and he wanted to see her. But he hadn't told her about his cancer yet, he hadn't even fully accepted it. He was 24 going through chemo for lung cancer.
As you drove home Garcello kept his head down and the brown bag close to his face. You glanced over at him worriedly and drove as smoothly as you could. When you got to the apartment he immediately ran to the bathroom and you heard him throw up. You walked in behind him to see him crouched over the toilet bowl and gently rubbed his back. His shoulders heaved and you sat on the floor next to him with your back against the cupboard.
"Baby, we can push Annie off until later." You said. He swallowed and shook his head.
"No, I want to see her." He said. He looked to you. The bags under his eyes were darker and he looked more pale than usual.
"I just, need a minute."
***
"Hey Annie, how are you?" You asked as you opened the door. She smiled and bounced into the apartment. Garcello looked up from his book he was reading on the couch with a smile. She dropped her bag and ran over to the couch, throwing her arms around Garcello's neck and squeezing him tight.
"I missed you idiot." She said fondly. Garcello hugged her and rested his chin on her shoulder with a contented smile. You saw a single tear slip down his cheek before Annie pulled away and he wiped it away.
"I missed you too squish." He said softly. She grabbed his hand and tried to pull him from the couch.
"Come on I have a song I wrote that I want to sing for you." She said. Garcello set his book down. You watched the amount of effort he had to put in to stand up.
"And then could we practice Unleashed maybe?" She said. Garcello tripped and fell back onto the couch as his hand slipped from Annies. You turned to stare intensely at the microwave as you tried to hold back your tears. He used to chase Annie around the apartment laughing and smiling.
"I, not right now kid." Garcello said, adjusting the way he was sitting. Annie tilted her head and sat next to him on the couch.
"Ok, we could do one of your songs? If you want?" She said. Garcello shook his head and took a breath. You could tell he was trying not to get sick.
"What's wrong?" She asked. Garcello squeezed his eyes shut.
"I just don't feel like it today, sorry An." He said. Annie crossed her legs on the couch and furrowed her brows.
"Why not?" She pushed.
"I just don't Annie." He said, a little sharper. Annie shied away from her brother.
"Jeez, ok. I just wanted to know why you were being so lame." She said, trying to tickle him. He cleared his throat again and shrugged her off.
"Come on Garcello we haven't seen each other in like a month." She said. Garcello looked to her and tilted his head.
"I know squish, I'm sorry." He said. Annie tried to tickle him again and Garcello pushed her off, turning away.
"Hey come on grumpy." Annie said again.
"Annie that's enough." He said with a warning tone in his voice. Annie reached for him again, sitting up on her knees and reaching for his hat. Garcello pushed her back sharply.
"I said that's enough!" He shouted. You snapped your head up to see Annie sitting back on the other end of the couch, staring at Garcello while he had one hand atop his hat and the other towards Annie. There were tears in Annie's eyes and you could see the regret in Garcello's own.
"Annie," He started. She stood up and glared at him.
"What is your problem?" She snapped. Garcello opened his mouth to speak and Annie interrupted him.
"We haven't seen each other in a month. I miss my brother and when I get here he won't talk to me and literally pushes me away." She said, gesturing wildly at him. He looked down at his sock-clad feet and sighed.
"You're doing just what you always said your mom did." She finished before storming out onto the balcony and slamming the sliding door behind her. Garcello looked shocked. He hadn't told you much about his mother, just that she neglected and abandoned him. Garcello made a move to stand and follow Annie out when you approached him and gently placed your hand on his shoulder.
"I got her." You said. He looked up at you and gave you a weak smile before resting his forehead in his palm and pinching the bridge of his nose.
You walked out onto the balcony, slowly shutting the door behind you. Annie was sitting on the table top with her knees against her chest mumbling a song to herself. When you listened closely your recognized her song "Good Enough" and felt your heart break. You couldn't imagine how it felt for her to be rejected by her brother, even if he didn't mean it like that. You sat in the chair next to her and waited for her to speak.
"What's wrong with him?" She asked you, turning and wiping the tears off her cheeks. You looked up at her and she continued.
"He loves to sing with me. I thought he did at least." She lowered her legs and stared out as the sun set behind the buildings and skyscrapers.
"And even if he doesn't want to sing he at least still wrestles and stuff." She said. She sniffed and wiped her cheeks again. You placed your hand over hers and she turned to look at you.
"What's going on with him (y/n)?" She asked. You took a deep breath and turned to face her completely, taking her hand in both of your own.
"Annie, he loves you very much." You said. She squinted and shuffled so she was facing you.
"Garcello isn't, feeling good lately." You told her. Annie furrowed her brows and looked down at you as the gears turned in her head.
"He's sick?" She asked. You pursed your lips together and nodded.
"I know he wants to spend time with you. He wants to sing with you and wrestle like you guys used to. But he can't." You said. Annie slid off the table and sat in the chair next to you.
"How sick is he?" She asked, staring at the pavement in front of her. You looked up, trying to keep the tears from rolling down your cheeks. How were you supposed to tell a 17 year old girl that her brother, her father figure, had cancer?
"He's uh, pretty sick Annie." You said. She nodded absent mindedly and stood up, walking towards the sliding door. You followed her as she stepped through it and stood in front of Garcello with her arms folded. He looked up at her with tears in his eyes and cleared his throat.
The two shared a look for a moment before Annie uncrossed her arms. Garcello leaned back on the couch, holding his hand out for her. She stepped forward and put her hand in his. Garcello let out a breath as the tears fell down his face. You saw Annie had tears in her own eyes as she opened her mouth.
"It's cancer isn't it." She said. Garcello let out a sudden huff and swallowed with a nod. He squeezed Annie's hand and she squeezed his back before sitting next to him on the couch, still holding his hand. Garcello lifted his free hand to his face, wiping his cheeks as his shoulders shook. Annie was crying now too, more than before. She leaned against him, hugging his bicep.
"I'm sorry I said you were like your mom. I didn't mean it." She said softly. Garcello turned his head to press his forehead against the top of her head. She took a fist full of his shirt sleeve and turned to bury her face in his shirt.
"I know, i'm not upset." He said. The two pulled away to look at each other. "I should have probably said something."
"Yeah, you should have." Annie said as she wiped her tears again. "But I can't really get mad at you for it. It's cancer. It's scary." She said. Garcello let out a harsh laugh and nodded.
"You can say that again." He said.
"I guess, it's kind of like when I went into foster care. I didn't want to talk about my parents, because if I did, then that made it real?" She offered. Garcello nodded slowly.
"Yeah, that's actually pretty close squish." He said. Annie leaned against him and rested her chin on his back.
"When were you diagnosed?" She asked. You walked to the kitchen just off the living room to start dinner and give them a little more privacy. You could still hear their conversation, but they didn't mind.
"About two months ago." He said.
"How much chemo have you had?" Annie asked. You looked up over the island to watch Garcello shrug his jacket off to display the marks from the IV needle on his arm.
"Today was my third round." He said. Annie reached tentatively, hesitating before Garcello moved his arm so she could touch it.
"It's alright." He said. Annie ran her fingers over the swollen mark and examined the bruises left by the IV from the last two rounds of chemo. She looked up to Garcello's face, then to his hat. Garcello took a breath and pulled the brown cap off to show his thinning hair and the spots where clumps had fallen out completely.
"I shouldn't have pushed you." He said to her quietly. Annie brushed her fingers against his arm again before resting her palm over the IV marks.
"I shouldn't have pushed you either." She said gently. Garcello shoved the hat back onto his head to cover his hair. There was silence between the two of them for a long while before Annie reached over Garcello to pick up his book from the night stand.
"What are you reading?" She asked, looking at the cover.
"It's a sort of modernized version of the Iliad and the Oddyssey." He said, taking the book from her and opening it to show her the illustration on the front page. She looked at it curiously and slid under his arm, resting her head back against his shoulder.
"Can you read it to me?" She asked. You heard Garcello let out a choked sob.
"Of course Squish." He said, hugging her tightly before opening the book to the first page and reading the words aloud.
You returned to prepping dinner. You figured tonight would be one of those nights that Annie stayed for dinner nearly glued to Garcello's side. She would probably beg you to call her foster parents to see if she could spend the night. You knew she would stay up researching more about lung cancer and the treatments and the symptoms. Everything you had done when you first heard his diagnosis from the doctors.
But for now you watched as Annie fell asleep on Garcello while he read to her contentedly. The future was uncertain for everyone, but for now, the three of you could enjoy this moment of peace and happiness before you had to fully confront the reality of everything.
