Chapter Text
Garry paused on the landing between two flights of stairs, chest heaving. Moving was not for the weak, literally.
Things had been going relatively well so far, generally speaking. The half-filled Uhaul drive across 3 different state borders hadn’t been too terrible, and he was only forced to carry his belongings up two sets of stairs before dropping them off at Ib’s apartment, no thanks to the broken elevator in the lobby.
It was still fairly early in the morning, so no one bothered him in the hallways. Which was good, preferred even. Garry hoped he wouldn’t have to answer any prying questions from nosy neighbors while pushing a plastic tote up the stairwell later in the day.
He had meant to be here earlier. Ib’s parents left to catch their flight to Japan only hours before he pulled into the complex parking lot, something he had apologized profusely for over the phone with them last night. The delay was owed to an accident on the interstate two states away the day before, and construction on a different section of the trip had set him back hours. Ib’s parents were hoping to still be there when he arrived, but the timing was just barely off, and no one wanted them to reschedule their flight at the last minute. This day had been planned for weeks, and time wasn’t really a resource anyone wanted them to waste. At least they didn’t seem too bothered by the situation or upset at Garry for being late. These things happened.
Garry slid the key from under the doormat and let himself in. At the end of the hall, morning light glowed softly, just barely starting to seep into the surrounding streets. He could see the outline of mountains on the other side of the valley, already awash in light from their angle under the sun.
The inside of the apartment was dark. Ib’s father had said she would probably wake up as soon as he got in, so he moved slowly in the hopes of letting her catch a little more sleep. It was important at her age. Besides, they would have more than enough time to catch up and hang out later.
He peered around the corner at the darkened kitchen, mapping out the space based on instructions given to him by Ib’s parents. The open wall over the bar on the far side gave him a view of the living room, where he could just barely make out the shapes of couches and a few shelves by the TV. He set his bag down in the hallway, opting to leave the lights off for now. That could wait until he had a few more of his boxes up here, and it was nice to be operating in the dark.
The sudden sound of metal crinkling as he turned to leave stopped him in his tracks. At his feet was a pile—no—an overflowing box of soda cans, forgotten recycling that got left out in the hurry to leave. An overflowing box that he managed to kick over.
He held his breath, listening for any sign that he managed to wake Ib up, but no other sounds came from the apartment. With a measured exhale, he gingerly bent over to grab the box, resolving to take it back with him down to the Uhaul.
He wondered if there was anything else he’d need to take care of while Ib’s parents were away. It’s not that he minded the responsibility, especially knowing how heavy this trip was for their family, but he’d have to be sure to stay on top of things to properly care for Ib.
From what her mom had told him, Ib’s grandmother had fallen down the stairs in their home in Japan, leading the rest of the extended family to discover both grandparents were not… in the best of shape. It had been years since Ib’s parents had been able to visit, but now with the shortened life expectancies the pressure to fly home had become urgent. Ib had never met her grandparents, and with it being her first year of middle school her parents didn’t want to whisk her away to a foreign country so suddenly.
Enter Garry.
He kept his eyes trained on the top of the aluminum pile in his hands as he made his way down the stairs, rounding the corner carefully, not noticing the figure walking up them until it was too late.
The crashing of the cans in the cinder block stairwell was deafening enough, but whoever Garry bumped into was louder. He stumbled back, reflexively dropping the cardboard box and landing on the ground with a crunch as the stranger threw enough expletives at him to make a sailor blush.
“—What in the hell is your problem, man? Got any eyes in that fuckass empty skull of yours? Watch where you’re going, asshole!”
Slightly shocked from the impact, Garry looked up, eyes landing on a… rough… individual.
Most of his face was obscured with a layer of dingy bandages, dark shaggy hair obscuring the rest. His hoodie and ripped jeans were clearly well worn, various stains visible on every area of his outfit. He made no move to help Garry up, instead glaring at him from his position a few stairs down.
Were his eyes two different colors?
Garry glanced down quickly, wincing as he lifted himself off of a crushed can, and slowly rose to his feet.
“I-I’m really sorry, it’s too early for this,” He laughed sheepishly, scratching his head, “I guess my brain hasn’t quite woken up yet.”
The man in front of him shifted, and Garry took a step back. Getting beat up on move in day was not on his current to-do list. He flashed a tentative smile, hoping it would relieve some of the tension in the air.
The stranger didn’t return the smile, stepping forward onto the landing.
“Well, pal, you’d better do something about that soon, or I’ll find my own way to make you wake up… Or fall asleep for good. Got it?”
The man stared Garry down as he said it, sending a shiver down his spine. Garry nodded quickly in response, mouth pressed into a tight line.
The rage emanating from this guy was palpable. Now that he was closer, he could see the mottled bags under his eyes, peeking out from under the bandages. He smelled like… well, it was hard to pin down. Something about it reminded Garry of his brief stint working at Olive Garden, sweat and the stench of food clinging on to fabric.
He froze as the man stepped around him, bumping his shoulder sharply as he passed. The scattered sound of a few cans being kicked across the floor followed, until heavy footsteps on the stairs leading up carried the stranger away. Garry sagged with relief.
He could feel his cheeks starting to warm slightly with embarrassment as he crouched down to pick up the cans. Not at making a mistake, those were normal. Those were human. It was just a shock to be yelled at so early in the morning, that’s all.
By the time Garry made it back down to the recycling dumpster in the parking lot the first few rays of sun were starting to reach the surrounding area.
“Good riddance,” he thought as he toppled the box over the edge of the bin, cringing internally at the loud noise it made.
From the Uhaul truck waiting patiently for him on the side of the street, Garry grabbed his main suitcase, a duffel bag of clothes, and one small box of bathroom supplies. Necessities, mostly. Everything else could wait until after Ib left for school, and he didn’t want to make multiple trips for little things now that she was probably awake.
On his way back up to the apartment, he noticed one can left behind, tucked into a corner in the stairwell. For a moment he considered leaving it there, but if he left it there then anyone else who saw it would leave it there, and then it would never get picked up. So he did. The can would probably fall off of the box he was carrying if he wasn’t careful, but Garry was always careful.
The image of him running into the angry man earlier replayed in his mind.
Almost always careful.
The hallway Ib’s apartment was located in was no longer quiet when Garry came back. There, pacing and muttering to himself three doors down from Ib’s, was a familiar face. He watched quietly as the stranger pounded on the door in front of him, likely not for the first time, if his agitation was anything to go by.
Garry moved slowly, very aware of the fact that the other man had not seen him yet, and very determined to keep it that way. He fished for the key in his pocket, shifting the weight of his workload as he did.
The hollow clank of that last can hitting the floor startled him, the key slipping out of his hand to land beside it. He looked down the hallway.
For the second time that morning, a pair of mismatched eyes burned into him. It didn’t matter that the other guy was all the way at the end of the hall, Garry could feel the distinct feeling of being spotted, watched, tracked. Prey before a Predator. The lights in the hallway seemed to dim, the suffocating feeling of being trapped in the narrow passageway pressing in around him.
Garry smiled uneasily, giving him a shaky wave, “Hi… neighbor.”
The man didn’t move, the perfect picture of menacing rage, backlit by the morning sun. If looks could kill—and the jury was still out on that one—Garry would probably be a pile of ash on the floor right now.
Before either of them broke the silence, the door at the end of the hall opened, and a sleepy looking girl with long blonde hair poked her head out into the hallway.
“Zack?”
Relief flooded Garry as the man’s focus ripped away from him to look at her instead.
“Forgot my key. Sorry kid,” the man shoved past her, disappearing through the doorway. If the rough treatment phased her, she didn’t show it, only scrunching her nose and blinking against the sunlight coming in through the window at the end of the hall. She turned away from it, catching sight of Garry, still frozen in front of Ib’s door.
The girl stared at him for a moment, a different kind of gaze from the one her… roommate? had given him, but no less intense. She raised a hand and waved softly at him, before she stepped back into her own apartment, the door closing with a soft click.
After a frantic shuffle to get the door open, Garry dropped everything in his arms with a dull thud, arms aching from the exertion. A responding thud came from further in the apartment, and within moments the patter of footsteps on the hardwood had reached him in a whirlwind of a hug.
“Garry!”
He looked down. Ib’s hair was poking out in all directions, rumpled from sleep. Despite his morning so far, he couldn't fight the grin spreading across his face.
“Well hello to you too! How long have you been awake?” He asked.
Ib giggled, “I was so excited to see you I could barely sleep! I woke up and saw your backpack on the floor a couple minutes ago but you weren't here. I almost thought my dad had forgotten to take something with him.” She let go of him and stepped back, eyeing the pile of luggage on the ground, “Are there more bags to carry up here? I can help you unload them, I’m pretty strong!”
“Nah, everything else is a little too big,” Garry pushed his toiletry box to the side of the hallway with his foot, moving it out of her way, “Thank you though!”
She deflated a little at that, reaching out to tap the box with her own foot. He smiled softly, turning to the kitchen.
“Are you hungry? How ‘bout I make us some breakfast and I can tell you about my drive?” He offered.
She nodded, pulling him by his sleeve into the kitchen to give him a tour of the cabinets. As Garry figured his way through a batch of chocolate chip pancakes, he tried to push the weird interactions with the neighbors out of his mind.
He pulled a carton of almond milk out of the fridge and fixed Ib with a critical stare, “Are your parents health nuts?”
Ib shrugged.
“Well, if they are, that’s going to be an issue because I only buy sugar cereal,” He watched as a smile grew on her face, “And I eat pizza, like, four times a week. Are we going to have problems with that?” He arched a brow at her.
She laughed, “No! No problems!”
He smiled back at her, “Well, I’m kidding. It’s usually only three. We’re gonna have to keep our partying on the down low, so your parents don’t come back and crash on the fun.”
Ib nodded enthusiastically as Garry flipped one of the finished pancakes onto a plate. With a dramatic flourish, he placed it in front of her.
Despite himself, he asked, “Speaking of fun, do you know any of your neighbors very well?” He handed her a jar of maple syrup as he waited for her answer.
“Some of them,” She said, “Why?”
Garry shrugged, checking the underside of his own pancake, “I ran into a few in the hallway, just curious what they’re like.”
She took a bite, looking thoughtful, “Who did you see?”
“Some guy with dark hair and a blonde girl, she looked around your age.”
“Ohhhh,” Ib said, slightly muffled from her mouth full of food, “Wash he cobered in bandadesh?”
“Swallow your food,” He said, flicking a chocolate chip in her direction, “But yeah, he was. Not the friendliest soul either.”
She nodded, gulping, “Rachel—that’s the girl—is a little older than me. She’s nice. I think Zack is her brother, or something like that.”
Garry’s shoulders dropped, “I may have pissed him off.”
“That’s not hard to do,” Ib shrugged, “But he’s not around a whole lot. I think he works during the night.”
He hummed in response, thinking about their confrontation in the stairwell. If that guy had just gotten off his shift, Garry couldn’t really blame him for being grouchy, but he seemed to take that mood to an extreme.
The conversation lulled as they finished their breakfast, lost in thought over their own things. Garry started cleaning up, catching sight of the time displayed on the oven.
7:30 a.m.
“Hey Ib,” He said, “When do you need to leave for school?”
She passed him her plate, looking for time, “I need to meet Rachel and the others down on the sidewalk in 15 minutes. We walk together.”
“You do?” Garry made note of that. It would be good to get used to her routine sooner rather than later.
Ib nodded, hopping down from her seat, “Yeah, we go to the same middle school, she’s in the 8th grade though, me and Mary are in 6th.”
“There’s no way you're old enough for that,” Garry exclaimed, “Last time I checked you were six!”
She laughed, “You sound like my mom!”
“Whatever, I’ll finish cleaning up here, you hurry and go get ready,” Garry said, tossing a towel over his shoulder, “I’ll walk down with you to say hello to your friends.”
“Okay!”
He listened to her footsteps retreat back down the hall as he dried their breakfast dishes. After he saw her off he’d have to finish moving his stuff up and run a few errands in town based on what he saw in the fridge. They weren’t out of food or anything, but Ib’s parents had given him an allowance for the household shopping and it was more than enough to keep the apartment stocked while they were away. Better to get an early start, especially with how antsy he felt from being cooped up in the car for the past few days.
The stairs by the elevator were starting to feel too familiar for Garry’s tastes. Ib told him that the elevator had only been broken for a few days, bad timing for his move. Hopefully they’d have it fixed before fall, but who could say?
There were a few kids waiting in the parking lot outside. Next to Rachel stood a boy with red hair and another, shorter blonde girl who bounded over to meet them as soon as she spotted Ib.
“Is this him?!” She asked Ib, giving Garry a once-over.
Ib nodded, and the girl turned to him, hand outstretched to shake his.
“I’m Mary! I’m Ib’s best friend!”
He shook her hand, amused by the formality, “Hi Mary, I guess you already know who I am.”
She smiled, “Ib told us you were coming! She didn’t do a good job of describing you though, you definitely aren’t what I expected.” Hey eyes flicked from his distressed jacket up to his hair, as if to make a point.
Garry laughed, “Well maybe I didn’t expect you either!” He said, his tone teasing.
Mary rolled her eyes with a snort, “I know, I’m just too awesome. You simply can’t handle it.” She flipped her hair over her shoulder dramatically.
“Hey guys, we need to gooo. We’re going to be late,” The boy standing by Rachel shouted, “Hi Ib’s babysitter!”
Mary ran back over to him, “Eddie, he is not Ib’s babysitter!”
Ib looked up at Garry with a small smile, “I guess you are kinda my babysitter, huh?”
“Nah,” Garry shrugged, “I’m more of a cool cousin, or something.”
“I like that better,” She said.
She hung back for a second, watching as her group started walking.
“Go,” Garry said, pushing her forward, “We’ll hang out after school.”
Ib turned and hugged him for the second time that morning, squeezing him tightly.
“I’m glad you’re here.”
“Me too.”
With a final smile, she ran to catch up with her friends. They stopped for a second to let her join, waving back at Garry. Eddie shouted “Bye Ib’s babysitter!” which brought on another lecture from Mary, who tugged on his backpack. Rachel paused for a moment, staring back at him again. Garry waved at her, and she smiled softly back at him.
Something tugged at his chest as he watched them leave. He was glad Ib had a good group of kids to call her friends.
Garry spent the rest of the morning moving his things into Ib’s apartment, setting up camp in the apartment. Their belongings were neatly packed away in the hall closet, leaving him the empty master bedroom.
His mind wandered as he took trips down to the Uhaul. Despite himself, he kept an eye out for any bandaged men on the stairs or in the hallway. The last thing he needed to do was hit that guy with another box or drop a garbage sack of clothes on him. He probably didn’t need to worry. If what Ib had said was true, he was probably asleep. The uneasy idea of seeing that stained hoodie again still lingered though.
Garry breathed a sigh of relief once he got the last box in through the front door. Locking it behind him, he got to work making the larger bedroom feel like home, losing himself in the motions of arranging and rearranging while he waited for Ib to come home from school.