Fulfilling a Promise ([Ib] Garry x Reader)

Unsettling Information

Our scavenger hunt for these balls of paint has been...tedious, to say the least. It's just taken us so long to get to here, and it looks like for some of the locked doors we need to wait for them to be opened. Not to mention that creepy blue hell spawn following us around everywhere we go. Some of these balls seem to be in plain sight, but others you have to solve puzzles and crack codes to get to.
Yellow, purple, blue, green...
There's only seven, right? Where's the others?
Speak of the devil; outside the room with the tree above the door, we heard rumbling, that lead to our 5th sphere of colorful pigment. This happened to be a room with numerous bookshelves, and you know what that means.
"Terror"
"Being alone is fearful."
"A group of two can have relief."
"A group of three can make inseparable bonds."
"A group of four-"
The rest is torn off. I hope Ib and Mary are ok...well, as long as there's two of them I suppose...
A gasp from the other side of the room interrupts my thoughts. Garry stand there, looking at a book, pupils dilated to a pixel. I look over his shoulder, and I couldn't believe what I saw.
"Mary"
"The last work of Guertena's life. While the girl appears almost lifelike, naturally, she is not based on a real person."
On the page next to it is a painting of Mary looking innocent and sweet, and surrounded by a hexagonal wooden frame splashed with yellow roses. I was just as surprised as Garry, how could this have happened? How could we have not noticed? And most importantly, what is she going to do to Ib? We exit the room posthaste, and the doll next to the door seems to have moved to the wall by the spacious room in the area.
I picked up something good...and I'm not giving it to you! I'm making it my treasure!
I see the color fade on Garry's face. I'm sure he doesn't like these dolls any more than I do, he probably despises them in fact. He picks up the doll with his large trembling hand.
"Oh? Its stomach looks a bit bigger..."
I curiously put my hand on its tummy. Indeed, there is an obvious bulge that wasn't there before. I feel around and my fingertips find a piece of Velcro keeping the doll's (R/C) dress in tact. I pull it off, and there it was, the 6th ball of paint. The blue creature jumped out of Garry's hand and runs into the locked room, giggling with a high pitched tone, like a little girl. I start to follow the doll, and as I put a hand on the freezing doorknob, something holds my other arm back. I turn my head, and it's none other than Garry, grabbing my arm and pulling me away from the door.
"Garry, what's wrong? We still have to find the last ba-"
"I don't think that room is safe. Something about it gives me an awful feeling."
"We have to go in there at some point, why not get it over with?"
"I think only one of us should go in there."
He stated with a slightly stern tone. What does he think is in there? Again, as if he reads my mind, he speaks.
"Think about what the doll said earlier, that its 'home is nearby'. If it's what I think it is, then there's got to be more of them in there. If they didn't hurt your sanity enough, then enough of them might inflict physical pain. It could be extremely dangerous, and I'm not going to let anything happen to you."
Suddenly my eyes just let loose with tears. He's insisting that he goes in there by himself. But what if something happens to him in there? I clutch onto his lanky arm and just cry into his chest. My heart can't take this, I just love him too much. I didn't think I would fall in love in a place like this, but his charisma and personality just enveloped me. He's so charming and considerate, generous and sweet. How could I not fall for him?
He gently holds me close to him, one of his lanky arms wrapping around my back, and his left hand softly ruffling my hair. I feel like nothing else is happening around me when I'm in his embrace. I suddenly feel an urge of courage coarse through my body.
"Hey, Garry?"
"Yes?"
"I know this may be awkward, and you might not feel the same, but I just wanted to let you know that I love you.."
After I said that, there was absolute silence. I could only hear my heart beating in my ears.
Oh god, I totally just messed everything up, he probably hates me why did I even saythathedoesntfeelthesametheresnoway-
I feel a pair of slightly chapped lips peck my forehead. Heat rushes to my face as I curiously look up at Garry. His visible cheek is flushed a gorgeous pink that perfectly matches his traits. He wears a gentle and genuine smile, and I could see the same genuine emotions in his sapphire eye. We make eye contact.
"Ehe..the amount of death flags being raised..but in case if you were curious, I feel the same. I love you, (Y/N)."
"I love you too, Garry."
He kisses my forehead once again, then pulls away from me. He then starts to pull off his watch.
"Here, take this, I'm pretty sure it works. Three minutes, okay? If I'm not out by then, then something's wrong. But don't worry, I'll be fine, I promise."
The moment was bittersweet in a way. I know he loves me too, but he might not come back. No..he will come back, he promised. He doesn't seem like the person to break promises. He enters the room, and I lean against the wall by the door.
I look down at his watch. He was wrong, it's broken. I check my phone for the time instead, but it doesn't show a time either. Seems like time doesn't pass in this place, so why would there be time?
...
Okay, it's definitely been more than three minutes, where the hell is he?
Suddenly, the door creaks open.

1064 words

Hey y'all, I don't like to do this often, but just a quick AN. This fic will have three different endings, and yes I know Ib has like 11 endings but I'm only doin three. If you think Garry doesn't escape the doll room, read Welcome to the Word of Guertena. If not, read Struggling Onward. I'm still workin on the other chapters, so I'll only have one ending for now. Also, if you'd read this far, it means that you actually care about the story, or you're just here for the sexy eggplant that is Garry; but whichever you are, I appreciate you sticking around for the story, so thank you so much for reading thus far! There's gonna be more I promise! ~J