Headache
Garcello took a long draw from his cigarette and released its smoke just as slowly, creating a large cloud above his head. It offered a dim glow that rivaled the moonlight shining between buildings. He then sighed as the cloud disappeared, then looked to the stars. The space was narrow, so there wasn't much to see from the alleyway he stood in, but it was still a sight to behold.
Bringing the cigarette to his face once again, Garcello thought back to what brought him there in the first place. He checked his coat pocket to make sure he had enough cigarettes for himself and one for that blue-haired kid when he finally decided to show up. "That girl's dad said they frequent here most nights... Wonder what's taking so long."
Gacello used his fist to catch a few sudden coughs. Somehow colorful smoke escaped when he did so, which he didn't mind. It happened all the time, but it often made him ponder why the smoke changed color after each one. It cycled randomly from the normal bright green to either blue, purple, or red. He pressed his free hand to his forehead once the fit was over and sighed, wincing at the onset of a mild headache. Neither coughing fits nor headaches were new to him. Garcello had grown used to both, but they were never fun to experience.
Another puff or so later, Garcello heard footsteps approaching on his left. There they are. Boyfriend and Girlfriend were chatting as they passed by the alley, but stopped when Garcello took in some smoke and blew out the largest cloud he could muster, which drew the pair over.
"What's up, little man?" Garcello said, casually addressing the boy. "Did the smoke catch your attention?"
Boyfriend beeped, commenting on the smoke's cool, green hue. He and Girlfriend had never seen anything like it.
"Yeah," He smirked, leaning against a nearby wall. "It's pretty cool. You should try it out."
When Boyfriend kindly refused, he pulled out the cigarette box and offered one, shaking it a bit. A few puffs was all Garcello needed to become hooked, so getting Boyfriend addicted would be simple enough. "Are you sure? Come on..."
Boyfriend beeped again, this time more firmly; prompting Girlfriend to move closer and grab his hand. While the smoke looked neat, neither of them wanted to try it out. Cigarettes were already bad, so they assumed glowing ones probably wouldn't be any better.
"Hm..." Slack-jawed, Garcello shoved the box back into his pocket. He knew this would happen and came prepared. "Tell you what." He began, taking his cigarette from his mouth to tap off some ashes. "If you beat me in a friendly little rap battle, I'll get off your case. Sound cool, little man?"
Boyfriend and Girlfriend perked up at the sound of that. The pair exchanged looks before nodding to each other. Boyfriend let out a short string of varying sounds, accepting the challenge.
"Heh, that got you hyped up," Garcello knew it would. "It's settled then. As long as you don't mind me smoking a bit." He filled his lungs with the cig's essence once again. "Helps calm the nerves, y'know?"
Because freestyling was something Garcello did in his freetime, it wasn't difficult to battle with the kid. Especially since he usually rapped or sang about whatever was on his mind. Right now all he could think about was the nagging headache that assaulted his temples. Between verses he hoped it would vanish, but found it weird that the headache remained. Even more so since his headaches normally went away after he smoked some. Why was this one still here?
He decided to blame it on the loud music. Besides, Garcello wasn't going to let it distract him too much since the song was nearly over. Unfortunately, now he needed to focus on catching his breath and the strange pressure growing in his chest.