Fulfilling a Promise ([Ib] Garry x Reader)

Finally, Times of Relative Peace

Ib fell to the ground without a word. Garry and I immediately darted towards her to see what was wrong. Garry starts shaking her shoulders.
"Ib, stay with us! Ib! IB!"
After hearing "stay with us", I thought she was actually dying. Starting to panic, I check her red rose. About 2 petals. Not good condition, but not enough to kill her. I put my fingers along her throat to search for a pulse. It's not distinct, but it's there. She's alive, and with that realization, I exhaled the breath I didn't realize I was holding.
"S-She's okay, Garry...she's still got a pulse going and her rose isn't completely dead. She must've just passed out from shock or exhaustion..."
And with that Garry slightly eases, too. We decide that we should probably find a place to rest, preferably one with a vase, cause we all could use some water. Fortunately, there was a safe room relatively nearby. As I carried Ib to the room, I noticed how light she is.
God, she's so light...it's mildly concerning. Well, she's a small child, so I suppose it makes sense.
I lay her down gently on the floor once we're in the safe room, and Garry takes off his coat and drapes it over her, like a blanket of sorts.
Oh god he's wearing a tank top..his arms are lanky and scrawny, as expected, but slightly toned.
I started feeling the heat rush to my cheeks. As soon as I thought he was looking back at me, I whip my head around to face the other direction. I didn't want him to catch me staring. He then takes Ib's rose and puts it in a nearby vase, and as the vibrant red petals bloom to life, he looks over at Ib's body.
"I had a feeling that wouldn't wake her up. Oh well, we all deserve some rest."
After saying that, he heals himself and searches the nearby bookshelves for something to read. I also heal myself and go up to him.
"Um...I just wanted to say thank you, for being with us in this place. You've always been deeply concerned about us, and I just wanted to say thank you..."
"Oh, but of course! I should thank you too. You've always been considerate towards us, saving my life a couple times as well. If you ever need anything just let me know, and I'll gladly abide."
"Actually, I wanted to ask a question. How did you get here from the exhibit?"
"Oh, well, I'm having a bit of trouble remembering exactly. I was wandering about the gallery, then the lights flickered, and I didn't see a soul. I panicked when I found the entrance locked, but had found stairs where'd there'd been a wall. I then was walking down a red passageway, I'm sure you know the rest.."
So I can assume that each of us got to this place differently. It's surprising how similar our situations are-
"Uh, (Y/N)? You ok? You're staring at me weird..."
My face almost instantly turned fuchsia from embarrassment, as I realize I was staring off into space while thinking. Oops.
"Oh! Uh, s-sorry! Just lost in thought I suppose. But really, it's strange how we didn't get dragged into this place together. Maybe if we figure out why, us specifically, were brought here, we could figure out who's behind all this. That is, if there's a puppet master after all.."
"My my, you're quite sharp, (Y/N). I never would've thought of that."
Garry flashes me a smile, a smile that perfectly shapes his slim features. As I feel the heat start to creep back up to my cheeks, I turn away bashfully, putting my hand along the nape of my neck.
"Oh, not really. Just a theory is all.."
Garry opens his mouth to speak, but is interrupted by small, high pitched whimpering sounds, coming from the other side of the room. We both turn to see Ib suddenly bolt up from the floor, breathing heavily. She probably had a bad nightmare. Garry and I walk over to her, ready to comfort her. Garry kneels in front of her.
"Rise and shine, Ib. How do you feel?"
Ib hesitantly responds saying she had a nightmare. Just as I thought.
"I see. You poor thing...I can't say I'm surprised though. Being exposed to such frightful sights, you know? We're glad you're awake now though...we were..really worried about you..."
Ib starts to sulk, thinking she did something wrong. Garry and I briefly look at each other, and he takes action.
"Ib, would you take a look in the pocket of that coat?"
She curiously sticks her small hand into the coat's pocket, and pulls out a small hard candy, in a yellow wrapper.
"You can have that. Feel free to eat it whenever you wish. Now, let's rest up a bit more before we set out again, okay?"
With his rather large hand ruffling the small girl's hair, he gets up and goes back to the bookshelf.
Aww, that was so sweet of him. Ehe, pun intended. He's just so nice and caring for us.
I felt my heart start to get heavy. Am I...falling in love?
No no, don't you dare fall in love with him. This hell is enough of a burden, don't let romantic drama get in his way. Besides, he's not crazy enough to fall for someone like you...
I attempted to disregard these pestering thoughts. I help Ib get up and the three of us make small talk to get to know each other. Turns out, Garry's an artist, and graduated from the same school I'm attending. He told me that when he was in school, he got to go on this trip too, and was he ecstatic. He decided to visit again, as a reward for finishing college, and this is where it got him. Poor thing. What did he do to deserve this? What did we do to deserve this? Well, it doesn't matter as much why we're here, but more how to get out of here. After awhile, Ib says she's ready to head out again. We all agree, and as we step out the grey door, we're once again greeted to the tense air and the unsettling environment.

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