Chapter Text
Garroth had moved back into the house he shared with Laurence and Zane after the events at starlight. This time, however, he and Kawaii~Chan decided to live together, but they were still next door. In the exact words Zane had told him, “We’ll be fine, Two. Me and Four will be right next door, and if you ever need anything, anytime, just come in. You have the extra key.”
So now, it was just him and Laurence.
Well, him, Laurence, and the giant secret that he had to keep otherwise it would unravel the entirety of what happened at Starlight.
Aph had given him the basics of hiding his ears and tail, and warned him not to get too excited, or interact with something that could trigger him. It felt odd, when he hid them. He had gotten so used to them during the weeks they were running from the GF.
Garroth didn’t mind being a werewolf, but he had assumed that he wouldn’t have to worry about things like that when they got back home.
But with Aaron in the state that he’s in, with no memories of who he is and what he can do, it’s safe to say that Garroth will be stuck as a werewolf from there on out.
So now he was here. Sitting in the driver's seat of the car he drove to the airport in months ago, thinking of how he should enter the house that was full of so many memories of how things were before. And how nothing would ever be the same thanks to that immortal piece of—
Garroth shouldn’t think of that. Of him. Of what he made Garroth do to his friends and family.
He gently bit the inside of his cheek, wary of the sharper molars he had gained from his transformation, and got out of the car. It’s now or never, he thought.
Before he even knocked on the door, Garroth double checked everything. No ears and tail, wallet, new phone, and the car was no longer running. All check.
“No more time stalling,” he muttered to himself. He swallowed, and knocked on the door.
He immediately heard scrambling inside, followed by a loud thud and a curse.
The second that door was open, a wave of euphoria hit him. He did it. He made it back to his home. Made it back to him.
Laurence was actually there, standing in the doorway, and he was real.
“Garroth.” Laurence breathed, and hearing his voice again was sweeter than any dessert that Kawaii~Chan could ever make.
It took everything in Garroth to not start bawling right there in front of his best friend. “Laurence.” A huge smile broke out on his face, and Laurence barreled into him, almost throwing him off balance into a hug.
“It’s so good to see you, Gar. I missed… all of you guys.” Now that got him to cry. “Wha— hey, Garroth, what’s wrong? Are you okay, are you hurt?”
Garroth sniffled. “N-no, I’m not hurt. I just— I just missed you too. I missed you a lot. And a lot of things happened at starlight that you can’t know about. Ever.”
Laurence huffed out a laugh. “And here I was a bit jealous of you guys getting to go to the once-in-a-lifetime Starlight Adventure Park, and then you guys get trapped there and I’m worried out of my mind.”
“I really think you didn’t miss out on anything particularly fun. But— I promise. I’ll tell you what I can, legally.” He and Laurence broke out of the hug, and they made their way inside.
And Garroth did tell him what he could. Zane’s memory issues, Aphmau and Travis’s injuries, Lucinda’s magic, and worst of all— Aaron’s condition. Severe burns all over, blind, and a lack of memory that tells him anything about himself.
The happier things came after. Aaron had proposed before everything, and Kawaii~Chan and Zane were in a relationship.
Laurence looked at him incredulously. “Zane and Kawaii~Chan? They are in a relationship?”
Garroth barked out a laugh. “Yes, believe it or not. Oh, and don’t— don’t tell them you know. Zane likes to be a bit secretive about super personal things like that.”
Laurence nodded, and they resumed their night. He ordered takeout, and they watched garbage movies all night.
Those first weeks that Garroth was home were the first weeks in a while that he and Laurence had gotten proper sleep. The two friends were together again, and all that was left for Garroth and the other people that went to starlight was to heal.