Looking at you with a worried look on his face, Doe quickly nodded at you. As you were pushing yourself against the wall, he slowly put a hand on your back and slowly started rubbing it, as if to help you feel better. His touch felt uneasy and rigid, almost as if he was touching something very delicate, unsure of it. You appreciated his hesitance to touch you even in this situation, and you didn't mind, it was necessary after all.
-are you here by yourself?- you asked Doe. You knew you shouldn't judge or assume things, you weren't, but a person like Doe just seemed out of place in a site like this. For what you could tell in your few weeks of knowing him, he wasn't a party person.
-I came here with a friend, but they already left without me- he said. That was a lie, little did he know he came here for just a reason, you.
When Doe didn't see your usual presence in the subway, waiting for it to take you home, he wondered where you were. He knew your routine wasn't super strict, and sometimes you would go out of your way to hang out with that friend of yours or visit the bazar or even just walk around the city. These times, however, he had to make sure you arrived safe wherever you were going.
And while Doe isn't a magician to know your exact location every single time of the day, he could easily find you. After all, traveling long distances wasn't a big deal for him when it came to you. It was his top priority after all, you were.
Doe didn't frequent these kind of places, filled to the brim with intoxicated people fucking each other in the living room table. He wasn't a saint that hated people and refused to drink or take drugs, but he also wasn't usually eager about it; now he wanted to know your reason to come here. When you got here, he was just waiting to see what you would do. You sure seemed hesitant, ready to leave this place right then and there, and he was more than ready to provide you with an escape from here, in fact he was happy you seemed distressed at first, because he could hop in and help you. He had already seen you reject a guy, so when the second guy approached he thought of the same outcome, but then you were laughing at his comments and you were adding to the conversation instead of replying with monosyllables to end the chit chat; was it the effect of the beer in your hand?. Soon enough he stood up to offer you a hand, and Doe couldn't help but stare. He saw you hesitating in your seat, then looking around, were you looking for aid? Was the man in front of you making you uncomfortable? If he hopped in right now maybe you-
And there, you stood up with him. Was it because of the pressure?... No, you looked willing, shy but not anxious, he could even see a glimpse of eagerness in you. He felt down, but more than that, he felt angry, not at you, he could never feel that towards you, but at him. In his mind, that man was just a play. Of course, find some girl that's uncomfortably sitting by herself in a big party, joke around a little and you have her. Not because she wants, but because she doesn't have many options.
As he observed you both, the more he fell for you and the more he hated him. You turned into a different person, a confident one but you didn't lose yourself, you were just as funny and kind. Oh how he would love to see you like this in a different situation, the situation being you with Doe and not with a stranger.
It however started to escalate, you turned from confident to bold and it just kept going. You were dancing with strangers, you were wobbly and the words coming from your mouth were inconsistent. You were drunk, very drunk and all he could see was how close that man kept you. You wouldn't notice, of course you wouldn't in this state, but he did. The way he was looking at you, smiling at you... It made him furious, so much he wanted to step in right then and there, but then you would be taken back by that, after all you were having fun.
But as time passed, you left that man to go and be by yourself. Searching for you friend, not being able to even stand, and the way you grew so quiet...
When he saw you on the floor, he knew no one would approach you, you needed help. It was such a good thing he was there, just for you.
His answer shook you a little, but you quickly let it go. Of course he had friends, he wasn't just an NPC that frequented the Gas station you worked at, he had his own personal life outside from the interactions you both had. You were just grateful you were lucky enough to come across him, it's not like he was your absolute best friend who you trusted the most, but at least he was a familiar face, you knew you could trust him a bit more than the rest of strangers.
He was helping you walk straight to the entrance, you were leaving. You'd apologize to Faye for leaving without her later, right now you needed a rest, surely she would understand when you explained that to her. But just as you both were walking, Lucian intercepted. Right, you had left him playing cups by himself.
-Hey (y/n)!... Is everything ok?? I lost sight of you and I was worried you had left already- you grew embarrassed, you had left him without even telling him where you were going and now you were leaving with Doe.
Trying to sound as sober as you could, you spoke, -I'm sorry, I'm just feeling tired and sick- you said. He didn't bother you, but you just wanted to get out of there before you fucking fainted or something. -You should've said that before! I brought my car, I could take you- cutting him off Doe spoke, -Well, it was nice meeting you but we really need to get going now- he said, as he continued to walk. You couldn't even say anything, it made you feel bad but it didn't matter anyways, for fucks sake let's just get out.
-Hey, hold it- Lucian said, grabbing your wrist, -Do you know him?- you were about to answer that yes, you did know him, simple as that, then you both could leave, but you paused for a second. As you looked at Doe for confirmation, you saw how he angrily stared at his hand, his eyes were pierced on Lucian's grab on you; you almost wondered if he was choping his hand right now in his head because of how intensely he was looking . It was scary, it was almost as if you were looking at a totally different person; the Doe you knew was akward, always showing you a smile, but this one looked filled with anger. In just a millisecond, you noticed how his face scrunched up, you were sure he was about to scream at Lucian or something, so before anything you grabbed Lucian's hand yourself. Your grip was gentle, but nudging to make him let go, -I know him, he's a friend of mine- Lucian turned his view from Doe to you, staring a bit before trusting in your word and letting go.
"Friend", your words repeated over and over in Doe's head and to every "friend" from you he heard, his response was "we could be more". Even so, his expression quickly changed, it softened and turned into a small grin that widened when you took that man's hand away from your arm. It felt good, that you chose him over that stranger, that you moved from his grip but had no problem with his, he felt like he had won a world cup, but you were far better than any pointless prize anyone else could offer.
As Lucian let go of you, he turned to Doe and said -take care of her-. Doe couldn't give less of a shit about what he had to say, but he wasn't mad anymore, the man in front of you wasn't a threat anymore, therefore he didn't care enough about him. He didn't respond, just gave a quick, half assed nod and kept on walking with you, finally leaving the house.
Oh how happy he was! You preferred that he took you home instead of that clown, you chose him! How, how happy he was.
His cheery thoughts were interrupted by your hand clutching onto his arm, making him momentarily let go of you as you threw yourself onto the floor. Your stomach had given up, you were now spilling your guts in some random sidewalk. He slowly ducked beside you, as he carefully removed strands of hair from your face and patted your back carefully. As you stopped and gasped for air, he used his sleeve to slowly clean up the fluids from your face, but far from feeling grossed out, he did it gladly, after all they were yours, and even at your "worst", you looked like the most beautiful being in his eyes.
Oh how vulnerable and fragile you looked right now, your strong presence became so small, almost invisible; he could leave you here right now and no one would bother to stop and help you, help a nobody.
But he was with you, and he would take great care of you, this night was just part of it.
