Summary: Turns out Garrick's signet has its domestic uses, too.
Part of my Raspberry Riorson series, but can be read on its own (reader has chronic pain/fatigue and uses sign language due to selective mutism). Set during Iron Flame. Written for @empyreanevents's Garrick Week Day 3: Air.
You're standing in front of the doorway between family wing and staircase, buttoning your coat, when Garrick calls for you at your back.
"Where do you think you're going?"
You turn to give him a puzzled look. »Outside?« You would have thought that much was obvious, but maybe what he really meant was the why of it, so you explain, »I'm going to collect some herbs for Tony. With all the extra riders you guys brought, their supplies won't last over the winter, so we need to stock up on basically everything.«
"That's all nice and well, but Xaden's gonna have my head if I let you out into the cold with your hair wet. And he'd be right. You'll get sick."
He has a point, but if you wait for your hair to dry, it'll be too dark outside, and you don't want to wait until tomorrow — the first frost could arrive any night now, destroying the less hardy of the plants Tony needs. The smart thing to do would've been to shower after collecting the herbs. Unfortunately, you hadn't thought that far ahead, simply wanting to get that annoying necessity over with while you had the energy for it. Your chronic headache and the fatigue that accompanies it have been comparatively mild today, but there's no telling when they'll flare up again, making it impossible to do anything but rest.
Since you're aware how futile it would be to argue with Garrick, you suggest a compromise. »What if I put on a hat?«
"Sure, that would work, but I have a better idea, actually," he says, and pulls you toward the living room. "Trust me, you'll like this."
With a shrug of acquiescence, you follow him and let him guide you to kneel in front of the hearth. The fire is low but not yet guttered, still hot enough to make you glad you took your coat back off.
Garrick, looming behind you like a giant, doesn't bother with an explanation. While you curiously watch him over your shoulder, he raises his hands, and immediately, the air in front of you starts to stirr. Using his signet to draw warm air from the fireplace, Garrick redirects it at your head in a strong breeze.
It's a surprisingly pleasant sensation. Garrick seems to have perfect control over the air, making sure it only blows through your hair and not into your face.
"Is the temperature okay?" he checks.
"Uh-huh."
You can almost imagine you're standing outside on a hot summer day, the kind where even the usually cool mountain winds are hot and everything is so bright you have to hide in your room with the curtains pulled shut to keep your head from exploding. The only thing that ruins the illusion is the faint scent of woodsmoke Garrick's breeze carries.
Just as he had promised, it's much better than waiting for your hair to dry on it's own or covering it with a hat. It only takes a few short minutes for it to be sufficiently dry.
"There," Garrick smiles, helping you back to your feet. "Now you can go get those herbs."
Garrick Week prompts! Thank you to everyone who submitted ideas to the form! Make sure to tag @empyreanevents and use #garrickweek2026, or use the AO3 collection. As always, prompts are open to interpretation.
art by miramirage.art, itswibell_art & illustratinghan
Day 1: Family | Garrick’s biological family is unknown. Did he have both a mother and father? Did he have any siblings? Give your Tavis family headcanons!
Day 2: Weapons | Garrick is a weapons expert. How many weapons can he wield? How did he come to master them? What was his motivation for learning how to use them?
Day 3: Air | One of Garrick’s signets is the ability to wield wind. How did he discover it? What advantages does it give him?
Day 4: Soldier | Garrick is a soldier who follows orders from his leader to a T. How does this affect his personality? His love life? Or give an example of him being a soldier.
Day 5: Chradh | Chradh is Garrick’s dragon. What does Chradh being a brown dragon say about him? What did their Threshing day look like? What kind of relationship do they have?
Day 6: Protector | Garrick has shown many times that he is a protector. Where did this instinct come from? Or show us an example of him being a protector.
Day 7: Free Day | Canon or AU, the freedom is yours!
Last week in the comments of meant for each other, the wonderful downtown_girl asked about Garrick's POV. This coincided with @empyreanevents Garrick week and I was feeling inspired. I was hoping to post this yesterday but AO3 did not cooperate 💔 as AO3 was giving me trouble today, I'm posting it on tumblr!
Garrick has been captivated by Imogen Cardulo since meeting her at Basgiath Preparatory Academy. A decade has passed, and despite his feelings, he still hasn't said a word. What will finally change his mind?
*please note: While you may be able to read this POV as a standalone, certain events will make more sense if you read the original fic!
High School
Garrick hadn’t expected his first Algebra II class to rock his world. All it took was one look at the girl who sat in the row behind him with Xaden’s cousin. Garrick Tavis was utterly captivated.
All he learned that day was Imogen Cardulo’s name and how astonishingly green her eyes were. Imogen had kept quiet, other than a quick “Nice to meet you,” but she intrigued him all the same.
Garrick would spend the following years learning Imogen Cardulo.
Imogen was a wallflower in ways that Garrick couldn’t even fathom. He’d notice the way she would write the correct answers in the margin of her notes, but kept quiet when the teacher asked for responses. In Physical Education, she could keep up with the best of the runners, but she never pushed herself to the front of the pack. Imogen excelled, but was content to stay on the sidelines. She hated the idea of attention in all forms.
Intriguing didn’t even begin to describe it. Garrick marvelled at how someone so easily brilliant would willingly stay away from the spotlight.
Garrick had never been one to shy away from others. He loved making people feel at ease–coaxing a laugh from his classmates, and earning a smile of approval from a teacher. Every person was someone to connect with, someone to learn or a story to understand.
Garrick understood why some of the Tyrrs were reluctant to join other social circles at Basgiath Academy. It wasn’t easy when their classmates came from another world with unfathomable experiences. Yet Garrick loved breaking down others’ walls–everyone he encountered was just a potential friend.
Imogen Cardulo had one of the strongest walls he’d ever seen. Getting a read on Imogen was like breaking through stone.
Yet as the months went by, Imogen let him in. Or perhaps Garrick had worked his own way in–surely he deserved a bit of the credit. Imogen had a wry grin that appeared when he made his bad jokes. She wasn’t afraid to give him an honest opinion or call him out. She was hardworking, and funny, and wicked smart.
They banded together at Basgiath. There were the other Tyrrendor Scholarship recipients, but his core group remained Xaden, Bodhi, Liam, and Imogen. They ate lunch together, spent the summers conditioning for fall sports, worked the same part time jobs, and mentored the freshmen Tyrrs.
As someone who had lost both parents when he was younger, Garrick knew how lucky he was to call Imogen, Xaden, Bodhi, and Liam his friends. They’d be around forever–he was sure of it.
College
Garrick loved college.
He loved the easy freedom of his schedule and living with Xaden in the dorms. The student gym facilities at Rutgers were topnotch, and the unlimited dining plan didn’t hurt either.
The most mindblowing change was the attention Garrick got from girls.
There had been girls at Basgiath that he found cute, but no one who he was interested in dating long term. At Rutgers, many girls were equally interested in noncommittal, causal relationships. Garrick became a regular participant in college hookup culture. It was fun to talk to them, and he certainly didn’t mind when they invited him back to their rooms.
Yet when any girl showed interest in taking their relationship to the next level, Garrick would say no. He couldn’t truly picture any of the casual flings becoming something more serious. No one ever seemed quite right.
When his sophomore year began, and Imogen, Bodhi, and Eya joined them on campus, life at Rutgers became even better.
Garrick finally realized that he would major in data science after three semesters of gen ed courses and required seminars for undeclared students. Luckily Imogen had also chosen data science. Soon after her first semester began, Imogen sat them down in the library on Saturday afternoon. Together they pored over the major’s requirements, mapped out their coursework for the next four semesters, and scheduled themselves in all the same classes for the next semester.
Yes, Garrick was researching the best professors and most helpful grad TAs on RateMyProfessor, but he didn’t hate to watch how Imogen’s lips pursed, or she’d mutter under her breath when she was trying to work out a scheduling conflict.
With a plan for the next two years in place, Garrick found himself looking forward to all this time with Imogen.
Rutgers was different, but having Imogen there felt like all the best parts of high school again—sitting next to her in classes, grabbing lunch together in between lectures, or stressing out over the same exam in the library.
Imogen hadn’t changed much since high school. While the professor talked, she would quietly answer the questions or mention counterarguments in the margin of her notes, but never raise her hand. She was quietly committed, rather than someone who was overly conscientious about her grades. But Garrick knew that Imogen treated every task like a mission to complete, and earning nearly a 4.0 in college was one of them.
The turning point had been at the end of his sophomore year. When Xaden and Cat were in the throes of that cursed relationship and Garrick had lost his keys and wallet, Imogen had invited him to stay in her room. Even though she initially swore that he’d sleep on the floor, Imogen caved and let him sleep in her bed.
One of Garrick’s many talents was falling and staying asleep for many, many hours. But he woke up in the middle of the night. Imogen had shifted closer in her sleep, on her side and curving toward Garrick. He scooted closer towards her, and wrapped an arm around her ever so gently so as not to disturb her. There was an unfamiliar tightness in his chest.
Garrick spent the next few days wondering about that feeling. It seemed to return whenever he met Imogen to study for Statistics in the library. Each time they sat across from each other, swapping problem sets, his heart beat a little faster, and his stomach turned in ways he hadn’t known it could.
The epiphany came to Garrick in the middle of their Stats final. He peeked up from the exam paper, not to copy Imogen’s answers, but to see how she was faring.
Imogen was unflustered, methodically writing out one of the answers. Her hair was falling into her face, and her lips were pursed in focus. Garrick’s chest tightened. He quickly looked back at his own paper and his heart seemed to somersault. Was this…a crush?
Garrick had been so taken aback by his revelation that he almost didn’t finish his own exam.
On the walk back to his dorm, Garrick had mulled over this new information. Imogen was beautiful–but then again, he had always found her pretty. He had always loved talking to her–but no one ever quite seemed to match his banter in the way that Imogen did.
He liked her, Garrick decided, as more than a friend. How would he go about this?
Imogen was risk-averse. She kept her guard up around almost everyone she knew. Garrick couldn’t even remember a time that Imogen showed interest in someone.
They had an entire summer before them–Imogen would be living with Bodhi, Xaden, and him in an off-campus house. There would be afternoons hanging out in the living room, evenings filled with family-style dinners, and nights out on Easton Avenue. It was worth it to wait. When the right time arrived to be honest with her, Garrick decided, he would know.
The right time never came. When Mrs. Cardulo and Katrina were killed, Garrick threw himself into being there for Imogen in other ways. In the week following, he sat next to her as they made arrangements for the funeral. When the finances were looking tight, Garrick had called Fen Riorson, who offered to help pay for the burials. He’d shared information about the services with friends from the Tyrrendor scholarship, and even a few teachers from Basgiath who Imogen had been close to.
Imogen tried to put on a strong front over the next few months. Her mom’s small apartment needed to be cleaned out, the family finances needed to be settled, and Imogen still had her job at the admissions office. Garrick packed boxes, researched how to transfer bank accounts, and left meals labeled “Imogen” in the house refrigerator.
Her grief was evident, even if Imogen never uttered a word about it. There were times when Garrick only saw her because she was scheduled to work at the admissions office. If Quinn came over, they would usually hole up in Imogen’s room.
Imogen rarely left her bed on days she wasn’t working. It seemed as though the light within her had been extinguished entirely. Garrick did what he could: set a few granola bars on her desk, check in with Quinn, leave some cut fruit on her nightstand, or refill her water bottle.
The months passed, and with the help of Bodhi and Quinn, Imogen was coaxed out of her room. Quiet movie nights in the living room, Bodhi cooking in the kitchen while Imogen sat on the counter.
Fall semester passed, and the light in Imogen grew stronger. Grief was never normal–Garrick had experienced that himself–but Imogen seemed steadier, less unmoored. Maybe, just maybe, he could finally tell Imogen how he truly felt.
The following spring, Garrick had signed up for a boxing elective to fulfill the Physical Education requirement (Imogen had scoffed at that, choosing rock climbing instead). As Garrick practiced the footwork and movements, he couldn’t help but think of Imogen. Boxing seemed like a good fit for her–strong, decisive, and strategic. Perhaps she might like to try it with him.
“You know, Im,” Garrick said, as they worked through a problem set for their Algorithms class, “I think you might like boxing. You should give it a try some time.”
“Oh really?” Imogen raised an eyebrow.
“We should go to the gym. Practice some moves.” He inwardly winced, hoping it sounded casual enough.
“Bodhi mentioned that he wanted to try out boxing. I bet Xaden would go for it too,” she agreed, tapping her pencil absentmindedly on the paper.
“Yeah, it would,” Garrick echoed hollowly. In all honesty, he hadn’t envisioned anyone else going. Maybe this was Imogen letting him down easy. She certainly hadn’t caught the defeat in his tone, her mind entirely back on the problem set.
Garrick muddled over what to do next. Had she realized he was asking her out? Perhaps it had been too indirect. Did she truly want Xaden and Bodhi there? She and Bodhi were pretty close. Garrick didn’t know what to do.
The answer came a few months later. Garrick, Imogen, and Quinn were at a party hosted at one of the satellite houses for Cat’s sorority. Imogen had gotten too drunk, and Xaden was nowhere to be found, most likely arguing with Cat, leaving Garrick and Quinn to take her home.
Quinn had walked out onto the street to find their Uber. Garrick stood on the porch, arm wrapped tightly around Imogen’s waist. She let her head lean against his shoulder and he’d heard murmuring.
“What’s that, Im?”
“You’re a really great friend, Garrick,” she’d slurred. In an instant, the words created a black hole in his stomach, his intestines tied into a knot that might never be undone.
“You’re drunk, Im.” His voice felt hollow, dry as the winter air around them.
“Not that bad,” she murmured, her breath thick with the scent of alcohol. “I’m really lucky you’re my friend.”
Friend. The word stung like a toxin-coated dart, sending a paralytic poison through his veins.
Despite the shock, he’d managed to scoop one arm under Imogen’s knees and carry her into the Uber anyway. She’d settled in the backseat with Quinn. Garrick had taken the seat next to the driver, eager to put some space between them.
The word stayed in Garrick’s mind as they drove back to the dorm, as he took Imogen in his arms once again, and settled her safely in her dorm room. It didn’t leave him as he walked back to his own off-campus house, the February cold stinging his face.
Friend. It echoed in his mind for what felt like eternity. He’d lost Imogen to grief but had hoped one day he could pull her back. This seemed endless.
She’d even texted him the next day. “Thanks for all the help last night. Sorry to have lost control like that. I can’t remember the last time I blacked out like that.”
There were a million things he’d wanted to say in response. That he didn’t mind, that he would be happy to do it again, that he would do anything to keep her safe. Garrick almost wanted to ask if she remembered what she had said. But what would the point in that be?
There was no right time to make a move, tell Imogen how he really felt. Imogen didn’t trust others easily. One wrong move, and Garrick feared he would lose Imogen forever. He couldn’t act on his feelings until he was certain she was ready.
And so Garrick found himself trapped in a cycle that hurt more each time he repeated it. Try to forget the hauntingly beautiful green eyes. Go home with the girls who approached him at the bars and parties. Brag about aforementioned exploits to remind everyone that he did not have any feelings for any of his friends. The public declarations didn’t make the dance floor makeouts and one night stands feel any more real.
Maybe things would change between them, Garrick wondered, after he graduated.
New York City
Garrick and Xaden left Rutgers with job offers and a freshly signed lease on an apartment near midtown Manhattan.
He was moderately happy at his new corporate job, analyzing data for a manufacturing company that had recently gone public. There was a gym not too far from his apartment, and a really good bagel place right around the corner from there. He and Xaden had found a few different bars they enjoyed. There were plenty of women at said bars who were eager to talk to Garrick. He might finally meet someone who could help him move on.
Yet Garrick still hadn’t found anyone who intrigued him like Imogen did.
Just as it had in college, life became much more fun when Imogen, Bodhi, and Quinn moved to the city next year.
Despite all the changes and being young professionals, things were as normal as they could be. Monday night boxing sessions began again. They found dive bars they liked, late night dinner haunts, and reasonably priced bodegas bodegas.
The normalcy lasted for a bit, until the world was seemingly turned upside down. There was a turn of events so unexpected that even Garrick could never have seen it coming.
Xaden fucking Riorson was falling in love.
It had been just Garrick and Xaden at a bar on the Upper East Side. Xaden began to talk to a petite girl at the bar while Garrick was distracted with a woman of his own.
In the morning, Garrick couldn’t remember her name. On the other hand, Xaden was instantly besotted.
Her name was Violet. Recent Columbia graduate, working at the New York Public Library.
Soon Xaden was seeing her almost every day. The fucker was blushing when he got a text from her, even if Xaden would punch anyone who dared to point it out.
Watching the relationship unfold was nothing short of astonishing. Xaden surprising Violet with a jazz cruise on the Hudson River. Renting a cabin in the Catskills for a long weekend. Making Violet dinner for Valentine’s Day. Xaden had always been loyal to his friends, but watching him fall in love was nearly a miracle.
Garrick had thought he’d seen it all until Xaden declared they were hosting Violet’s birthday party. The man who had never once truly cared about a themed event nearly lost his mind in Party City while trying to select decor. It took Liam pulling up Violet’s Pinterest account for them to settle on silver, and even then Xaden bought almost every silver item in the store.
There was a lightness to Xaden that Garrick had never seen. And Garrick wondered what experiencing that light for himself might be like.
No matter how many different women he talked to, Garrick knew deep down that he wanted Imogen.
After he’d drank the fucking martini, Imogen had been the one to point out his hives. She’d been the one to find his epipen, forgotten in the back of his nightstand drawer. She’d been the one who knew how to use the medication.
As Garrick lay in the back of the ambulance, all he could think about was the focus on Imogen’s face as she had administered the epipen. He thought of the flare of her green eyes and the purse of her lips.
All he wanted was Imogen by his side.
Looking up at the ambulance’s fluorescent lights, Garrick came to a realization. There was no right time. He would tell Imogen Cardulo how he felt one way or another.
And so once he was settled into the emergency room and Xaden was allowed to wait with him, Garrick only had one request.
The only reason I kind of joined the Fourth Wing fandom, is because my mind decided to hyper fixate on a side character in the series. I have loved Garrick Tavis since I first met him on the page and unfortunately I feel he’s a very underrated character.
So, I wrote a little something for Garrick week.
https://archiveofourown.org/works/80336381
It’s the first time I publish anything on ao3, so I hope I did it right. It’s also the first time I publish anything in over a decade. I do write fic occasionally but rarely publish anything because I’m terrible at finishing things.
Thank you to everyone who participated in Garrick Week! There were a total of 4 entries! Below is a compiled list of all the works submitted this week. You can also check out the AO3 collection to view some of them there.
