More Than Words

Wishes whispered in moonlight

Douxie was acting weird. You couldn't say that his behavior had ever been normal in the first place, but the way he acted was abnormal, even for him. It wasn't bad, exactly, but... he was hovering. That was the only way you could describe it. Douxie was hovering over you at every turn; showing up randomly at your shop with extra food from his work, texting you to check in as often as he possibly could, sending Archie to hang out with you when he couldn't see you himself. As sweet as it was that he seemed to be so concerned about you, the amount of concern he displayed for you was actually a bit... irritating. You could take care of yourself! 

"He's just concerned for you, (y/n). Just give him some time, we will calm himself," Archie attempted to comfort you after you'd vented your frustrations to him. 

"I'm not upset that he's concerned, it's just-" your phone chimed and you pulled it out, a little heart from Douxie simultaneously making your heart flutter and annoyance spread across your features. "This! He's constantly checking in on me, like I'll completely fall apart if he doesn't watch me for even a second." You sighed in frustration, sending a heart back and angrily stuffing your phone in your pocket. 

"Can you blame him?" Archie started casually, purring as you huffed and sat at one of your chairs at your dining table, stowed away in your apartment during your lunch break, scratching gently under his chin. "You didn't see his face when you told him you passed out that day. I don't think I'd ever seen him look so scared."

"Really?" You asked, a small giggle escaping your lips at Archie's blissed out face. 

"Really," Archie agreed, pulling his head away to speak more seriously. "It hurts him to see you struggling like this, (y/n)."

"I'm not-"

"The doctor's told him everything after you'd fallen asleep. How you hadn't been sleeping, how your hair was thinning, how you hadn't been eating enough," Archie cut in. You bit your lip, your fists clenching in discomfort.

"...they really told him all of that?" you asked weakly.

"It is their job to make sure you're being taken care of properly," Archie replied, letting you begin to scratch his chin again. 

"That- I- they had no right to do that!" you huffed, a scowl forming on your lips as Archie sighed, clearly tired of dealing with immature wizards. 

"Why would it be a problem if they did? All they wanted to do was make sure someone was looking out for you, since you obviously weren't doing good enough of a job on your own," Archie asked and you opened and closed your mouth a few times, wracking your brain for a good answer. 

"...because I- I should be able to do this on my own! I shouldn't need someone hovering my shoulder to function as a human being! And you know what? I don't, so I don't know why he even bothers," you snapped, Archie sighing yet again as he pulled away, wandering into your kitchen. Rolling your eyes, you followed, already knowing what he was trying to get you to do. 

"There is no shame in needing help sometimes, (y/n), especially during stressful times," Archie said, nudging a glass of water to you as he looked at your bulletin board, at the picture with Claire, Toby, Jim, and you, all posed in the shop. "He's always known your care fo others weighs on you. Wanting to watch over you to make sure it didn't consume you- this isn't anything new. He simply has more opportunity to do so now."

"...does he have to be so overbearing?" you protested weakly, knowing Douxie was more then right to be worried. You let those feelings overtake you without even getting a chance to fight it, most of the time while you were alone with your thoughts, late at night.

"Unfortunately, yes. In his mind, it's the only way he can be sure that you're doing okay," Archie said, watching as you took a long drink of the water, sighing softly as you set the glass down.