Garroth nearly died coming out of the Irene Dimension. He was in a coma for nearly two weeks, and even his first bits of consciousness were barley coherent. Even when he’s more aware, he’s still on a lot of painkillers, and his mind often pulls him away. But even through all that, the crushing guilt still makes its way to the surface.
it's that time of the year again!
Garrance week will be taking place on the last week of the year from
December 29th to January 4th
Prompts: Day 1: Reunion | Guilt
Day 2: Past Memories | Future Bonds
Day 3: Scars | Bonds
Day 4: Beach | Late Night Calls
Day 5: Baking | Competition
Day 6: Festive | Day Off
Day 7: Free Day
NSFW is allowed but please tag accordingly 🙏 thank you!
Have fun and remember to tag your works with “#Garrance week” or “#Garrance week 2024″ so it can be shared on this blog!
Based on this headcanon (I really need to make a whole post about this)
Another morning in the guard station. Garroth could hear Dante's faint snoring from his room as he started strapping on his own armor. Poor guy kept taking the night patrols and insisting he was fine, before sleeping through an entire day and doing it all over again. Garroth appreciated the dedication, but he missed seeing Dante being active during the day. Garroth peeked into Laurance's room, letting out a slight hum at the sight of his empty room and armor stand.
The sound of Garroth's armor clanking together as he went downstairs was always an obvious tell of when he was awake. Laurance faintly recognized it, but in his current state, it didn't matter. He still had all his senses, but he couldn't do anything. His body refused to move, and just as Garroth looked up at him, his head lulled to the side, and his eyes rolled in a similar state to the side, his view landing on some random stone in the wall.
"Laurance?" Garroth asked quietly at first. No response. His blue eyes seemed paler than usual. "Are you okay?" Silence. Silence from Laurance was always unnerving. He loved talking so much, especially around Garroth that not hearing anything was almost heartbreaking.
Garroth rushed forward, tossing his helmet aside as he put desperate hands on Laurance's shoulders. He shook Laurance a few times, trying not to get too worried. Laurance had only been back from the Nether for a short while, Garroth knew there would likely be odd changes and challenges to get through. He trusted Laurance, but this was just... Wrong.
"Laurance, what's going on?" Garroth asked, his voice started to waver. "Please, talk to me." Laurance faintly heard the sound of worry in his friends voice and responded to it. In his mind at least. His jaw went slightly slack, which only made Garroth start to panic even more. "Laurance! Wake up, please!"
"Everything alright down there?" Dante's tired voice asked from upstairs. Garroth registered that he had spoken, but all of his attention was on Laurance's blank stare.
"Laurance?" It was hearing that Garroth was about to cry that finally let Laurance get control over himself. Hearing such genuine concern made him gain enough humanity to have control over his own body again. Laurance jerked suddenly, making Garroth jump with him, but a worried smile broke across his face at the sight of his friend moving. That was progress. A sign of life returned to his eyes, but they still looked... off. "Oh thank Irene you're okay."
"Wh-What..." Laurance's sentence trailed off. Right. That. Vylad had warned him about that happening. It hadn't happened in the Nether, but of course it was now. He kept his gaze askance. "Sorry."
"Don't apologize." Garroth squeezed Laurance's shoulder, as if checking to make sure he responded to it. To ensure he was really awake, that he was actually breathing. "Would you like to talk about what just happened?"
"I-I would. If I really understood it." Laurance glanced up at the stairs where he saw Dante was peeking his head down, as if debating if he needed to intervene. "It's just a Shadow Knight thing, I think. Nothing to worry about." Garroth followed his gaze to Dante and sighed, knowing Laurance wouldn't open up as easily with someone else, especially someone new there.
"Of course. I won't pry on it. I'm grateful you're okay." Garroth stood up and gathered his helmet from the floor and his sword from the weapons rack by the door. "Take care of yourself, both of you."
Laurance never brought it up to either of them. At least not directly.
***
The next time it happened, Garroth was at least ready for it. This time it was in the tower. Laurance had been leaning against the window while keeping watch, and when Garroth left briefly, he came back to that familiar stare. It was still so discomforting to see his dear friend like this. To know that there likely wasn't anything he or Laurance could do about it. This time, Garroth reacted far more rationally.
He carefully lifted Laurance from the window and set him in the chair they had near the other window. Laurance would be a lot safer this way. And Garroth sat across from him patiently, knowing there wasn't a major threat to Phoenix Drop at the moment. Knowing he could at least relax for this moment. It might be the last time he got a moment alone with Laurance for a while.
And the realization of three nights ago that he was in love with the man in front of him may have motivated him as well. Just maybe.
Laurance came to faster than before, and when he looked up at that familiar helmet, his expression noticeably soured. Laurance placed his elbows on the table and buried his face in his hands.
"It happened again, didn't it?" Laurance groaned.
"Unfortunately, yes," Garroth replied. "Have you... Learned anything about why it happens?"
"I have some theories." Laurance moved his hands to his cheeks and rested on his palms, looking down at the table as he spoke. "It's partially because my body isn't quite dead or alive, so it has to go through stages of both. It experiences living human things like being awake and asleep. But sometimes it just, needs to be dead. And I don't have control over it." Laurance's voice was becoming shaky.
"I'm so sorry you have to go through this Laurance. I-I wish there was something I could do to help."
"What you apparently did is plenty. Just getting me to safety and waiting for me to be... back."
"I promise you're going to get through this. You're incredibly brave for what you've done, even more so for how you're handling the fallout of your sacrifice." Garroth hesitantly reached his hand across the table, and Laurance almost eagerly took it in his. He fought the urge to remove their gloves. He just wanted the assertion that his skin was warm, that he was alive again. It was the lack of control that he couldn't stand. The fact that his body just did this without his control. What happened when he lost control during a battle?
"Thank you, Garroth," Laurance finally said. "I-I wish I could give you better news."
"Irena and I both knew there would be changes that came with this. I'm ready to help a fellow guard, especially one of your caliber." Garroth ran his thumb over Laurance's knuckles. Maybe a bit too far for seemingly platonic talk between two guards, but given the way Laurance instantly mimicked the action with his own hand made it clear he didn't mind at all. It was reassuring to hear how much Garroth truly respected him in spite of the dangerous road he was traveling to continue holding onto the life he fought so hard for. In spite of the risks.
"I really appreciate it... Thank you, so much." Laurance resisted tears, instead finding the strength to stand. "I-I should get back to patrol."
"Y-Yes! We should. Good job staying on top of things."
***
After the second time, Laurance's little episodes were something Garroth and Dante both got adjusted to. Garroth was far better at calming Laurance down when he broke out of it, but Dante was able to at least physically support him if need be. It started to become another part of the routine. Sometimes when one of them switched patrols, Laurance won't have moved from his post, and they just had to jostle him out of it.
Laurance tried to hide it by wearing a helmet once. It didn't work, thanks to Garroth's paranoia and lack of care for Laurance's personal space. Laurance was only lightly irritated, and even then, it didn't feel like genuine irritation. More upset that he had been caught so quickly, but relieved that Garroth wasn't upset at him for it. Just as worried as always, which wasn't ideal.
Yet this was just another part of their routine. There was only one time this didn't happen. One time that Laurance truly despised this new form for this fact alone.
Wounded soldiers were being treated to as Irena and the lord of Scaleswind worked out their peace treaty after Nicole had been safely returned to him. Laurance went to visit Ungrith's grave, missing the days when he could return from a battle and speak to his friend. Just as Laurance laid his eyes upon the shrine, they lolled to the side with his head. As if the reminder of death was enough to finally trigger it in his body now that he wasn't in a fight or flight mode. Now that his heart wasn't pumping with adrenaline, it was barely pumping at all.
It was in this state the Garroth found him. It was in this state that Garroth knocked him out from behind without looking in his eyes. It was only after Garroth had the amulet in his hands and was about to run that he glanced down and saw that Laurance's eyes hadn't closed. They were still wide open, yet they had that painfully familiar foggy look to them. It was seeing his eyes that briefly made Garroth question what he was doing.
But he was in too deep now. He had to remind himself of what Laurance had done behind his back. What the man he loved had done with the woman he loved. How Laurance flagrantly disregarded the feelings that he knew Garroth had for Irena just to take her all for himself. He had to turn his head away from the man he once considered a friend, potentially a lover, and race off into the woods outside of Phoenix Drop.
