Running || A Garrance Fanfic

Chapter Thirty Six

Laurance's POV

"Alright!" Cadenza plops their last suitcase by the door. "That's everything!"

"You sure?" I question. "I'd rather not enter my room and immediately step on a pin or something."

"I'm sure." She playfully rolls her eyes. "Now, where's the cute brother?"

Before I can act offended (even though it's totally true), Caleb races into the room from Garroth's bedroom.

"Lookie! I got sock puppet!" he yells, holding up a sock with blue markered eyes and brown feathers up top to look like hair.

I glance at Garroth who is leaning against his door frame, watching my reaction.

"What have you done?"

He grins adorably, walking over: "So he can always have his big brother with him."

This boy kills me...

"Aww, how sweet~" Cadenza cooes. "Come on, Caleb. Hug them goodbye and we can get going."

Caleb reaches for a hug from Garroth first and I'm only slightly offended. Garroth picks him up.

"See ya, little bud. Take care of Cadenza, okay?"

"Mmhm! I big boy! I protect sissy!" He makes an adorable face, attempting to look threatening, but failing. Garroth plays along.

"Ah! Don't scare me like that!" Caleb giggles, then reaches for me. Garroth smiles and hands him over.

"I gonna miss you, Lau..."

I smile.

"I'll miss you, too, bud." I kiss him on the head. "Give mommy and daddy a hug and kiss for me, okay?"

"Okie." He hugs me one more time and I set him down on the floor just as Cad is finishing saying her goodbyes to Gar.

"Call me if you need anything, okay?" I hear her whisper to him. He nods.

"Thanks, Cad. I will."

She hugs him again, then comes over to me. There's a small tear in her eye.

"Laurance-" She places a gentle hand against my face. "-I am so proud of you. You know that, don't you?"

I smile and nod: "Take care of yourself. And let mom and dad know I'm not dead?"

"Yeah." She drops her hand. "I love you, baby brother."

"I love you, too, big sis."

We hug and Garroth and I help them carry their bags out of the building and into the taxi. Two more hugs each and then they're in the car, waving as we watch them disappear down the street.

Garroth puts a hand on my shoulder.

"You okay?" he asks me.

"Yup, I'm good. Thanks, Gar."

His arm wraps tight around my shoulders and he drags me back into the apartment building. Taco greets us as soon as we enter the apartment. He nudges my leg with his nose, wanting attention. I bend down and scoop him up.