[TW] Pyrophobia

Chapter Four | "Anonymous"

DOC

By the time Doc got home, it had been around eleven o'clock at night. As it was a Friday, Duh had been awake still, albeit barely. Doc had nearly forgotten about that, so he had just walked right in, the item he had bought earlier in his pocket.

It took Duh a second to realize as he was practically half-asleep that Doc had just walked right in. "Huh? Doc? I thought you said you were working overnight."

"Change of plans. Someone took my shift." Doc lied, walking right into the room. He quickly walked to his drawer and shoved the item in, hiding it under some items and slamming it shut in time for Duh to walk in.

"Are you okay? You're acting a bit weird."

"Are you okay? You're tired, let's get you to bed—"

"Doc."

"Come on, you've probably just had a rough Friday with all the kids."

"Doc."

"I mean, I-I can't just relate to how you feel, being a pediatrician is different but seeing faces of six-and-seven-year-olds all day must be exhausting—"

"DOC!"

Doc stopped mid-sentence, astonished by Duh as he had snapped. Realizing he had been dodging the question the whole time, he sighed. "I'm sorry. I wish I could tell you. Please. Let's just go to bed."

Duh had stared at him hastily for a moment, but his gaze grew sympathetic. "I just want to make sure you're okay. You know I get worried about you." But he didn't argue, he didn't protest. That's all he said.

—

It was rather stress-inducing, to say the least, hiding it from Duh.

Admittedly, Doc had never hidden something from him before. He always felt open to talk about things. But this was different. This was important, this was huge. To him, at least, this would be lifechanging. And hopefully Duh would feel the same way when he eventually found out.

So, Doc just had to wait, he had to keep it to himself for now.

By the time he had left the following morning, saying his farewells to Lulu and Duh beforehand, he had been preparing to get in his car when a strange feeling loomed over him. Was someone watching him? Glancing over his shoulder, he scanned the road just off the driveway. Nothing. That was relieving, somewhat. Maybe it was just a feeling of weariness.

He glanced at the small box he held in his hand. What was inside of it was a gift, was unique. He carefully tucked it beneath some empty envelopes to hide it as he got into his car, starting it once more and driving off.

His mind was flooded with thoughts of stress. What if this was a bad decision? What if he was going to regret this in the future? Oh, no. What if he was going to regret this? That wasn't a good thought to give himself.

His drive to work was quiet. Normally he had turned on some music to try and quiet down all of the thoughts in his head, but he must've forgotten, as nothing had been playing from his car's radio or from his phone. As he parked in the staff parking lot, he pulled his keys out of the engine and stepped out, pausing.

Someone was staring at him from afar.

"Hello? Can I help you?" Doc blinked, concern beginning to sweep over him. Who the Hell was that? Why were they just... staring at him? There wasn't any need for them to be eerie. "I'm staff here, do you need an escort inside?"

They remained quiet at first but slowly stepped forward. They were much taller than Doc, seemingly taller than Duh would be. A colossal figure. Doc couldn't help but take a step back, trying to acknowledge all the features of this person at once. Black hair and pale skin, a hidden face beneath his black hoodie. Scratch that, all of his clothing was black, from the hoodie to the jeans and all the way down to the shoes.

Doc didn't know who the Hell this was, but they needed to get out of his way or at least talk to him. Eye twitching, he asked sharply, "I'm going to have to ask you to move."

The stranger seemed to stare a bit longer before muffling quietly. Their voice was rough and masculine, very low. Rather a husky growl, actually. "Were you raised... right...?"

"...Pardon me?" Doc clenched his fists, taking another step back as the stranger drew himself closer. "Sir, please step back from me."

"Were you?"

"That's none of your concern. Please step away."

"I'm sorry." The stranger stepped back and asked another question. "Who are you?"

"I'm going to have to ask you to leave. If you need an appointment, go to the center." Doc had the feeling that something was wrong. Not with him, but something about this anonymous figure. As if he were connected somehow.

"I will." The stranger spoke after a few seconds of pause. "Stay safe."

Without another word, they turned and left, leaving Doc in a state of perplexity. What the Hell was that? He watched the stranger abandon the scene, their colossal silhouette eventually disappearing in the mist. Had it not been sprinkling, maybe it wouldn't have been so eerie.

"Doc?" A voice snapped Doc out of his thoughts, and he turned sharply to see Ed approaching him with worry. "What's wrong? You're just standing there like you saw a ghost."

"Oh. It's nothing." Doc sighed, looking out at the mist where the figure had disappeared. "Don't worry about it, just usual me being usual me."

He hoped that was right. It was probably nothing, surely?