After that night, everyone kept a much closer eye on (Y/N). Even Frank became more protective of her when he heard about what had happened.
Cricket began hanging around a lot more, too, always at the ready to jump in and protect his angel. He wasn't sure when he began to think of her as his, but he wasn't going to change it. He was always wary of the men that would get too close to her or stare too long at her.
"If you keep staring at her, she's gonna catch on to your little crush." Dee says playfully.
Cricket scoffs.
"It's not a crush. I'm just worried about her. If I don't protect her, who else will?" He replies. Dee gestures to Mac, who is also watching her like a hawk. Cricket shrugs.
"So? More than one person can protect her."
Dee motions towards the end of the bar where Dennis sits, refusing to take his eyes off of (Y/N).
(Y/N) looks up from her conversation with a customer to see her friends all watching her. She rolls her eyes. She excused herself from the conversation and makes her way back towards the bar.
"You guys, I'm fine. That guy hasn't come back in, and nobody has been giving me trouble. You can all relax." She says, placing her tray down onto the bar.
"We just want to make sure you're safe, (Y/N)." Mac tells her.
"Well I am! You can all lay off and-" She cuts herself off, looking past Cricket to the door.
The other's follow her gaze. Standing in the doorway of the bar is the same man from before, but this time he isn't alone. He's standing with two more men, who look just as menacing. The first man scans the room, lips curling into a terrifying smile when his gaze lands on (Y/N). He makes his way towards her, his friends following closely behind. Fear floods (Y/N)'s face. She instinctively reaches out for Cricket's hand. He notices right away that she is shaking.
Mac steps up to the men.
"Hey, we told you to stay out of here-" One of the man's friends punches Mac square in face, knocking him to the ground. (Y/N) gasps in terror and concern for her friend, gripping Cricket's hand a bit tighter. Dennis emerges, standing in front of (Y/N) and Cricket, blocking them from the three men.
"You are not welcome here. Get out right now." He says, trying to sound as menacing as he can. The man smirks in Dennis' face.
"Oh yeah? Well you're pussy bouncer couldn't stop us. What makes you think you can?"
Without turning away from the man, Dennis commands Dee to go get Frank from the back office.
Dee nods, quickly understanding Dennis' plan. She rushes towards the back office to fetch Frank, leaving Dennis to face the menacing trio on his own. (Y/N)'s heart pounds in her chest as she watches the tense standoff, her concern for her friends and herself growing with each passing second.
Mac struggles to his feet, standing beside Dennis, wiping his bloody nose on his sleeve.
Frank emerges from the back office, his gun already drawn.
"What the fuck is going on here?" He demands. The trio exchange glances. Things have gotten a bit more series.
Sensing this, Cricket also stands, letting go of (Y/N)'s hand to stand beside Mac and Dennis. Dee grabs (Y/N)'s arm and gently leads her behind the bar, away from brawl that is sure to ensue.
Frank makes his way towards them, standing beside Dennis.
"I believe you were asked to leave." Frank says, voice unwavering. The three menacing men falter for a moment.
"Is this girl really worth protecting this much?" The lead man asks.
Frank's grip tightens around his gun as he looks directly at the lead man, his expression steely. "She's not just any girl. She's family, and we protect our own."
Charlie emerges from the basement, immediately taking notice of the situation.
"What the hell is going on here, guys?" He asks, coming to stand beside Mac.
"The guy who was harassing (Y/N) the other night is back. And he brought some buddies." Cricket explains.
"Oh, hell no!" Charlie yells, stepping closer to the lead man.
"You are not going to lay a single finger on her. She's protected." He informs the man. The man and his posse scoff.
"Protected? By who? A midget with a gun, a homeless druggie, two pretty boys, and you? Yeah, we're not too worried."
"Well, you should be. Cause I'm the wildcard, baby!" Charlie exclaims before pulling out his rat-basher bat.
The three men recoil a bit. They hadn't expected such a defiant and unpredictable response. The tension in the room rises as Charlie takes a step forward, his determination and loyalty to his friends shining through.
"You think we're a joke?" Charlie challenges, his voice dripping with a mix of anger and conviction.
The lead man glances nervously at his companions, realizing that the situation has taken an unexpected turn. Frank keeps his gun trained on them, ready to act if necessary. Dennis, Mac, and Cricket stand alongside Charlie, united and prepared to defend their friend.
"You have two choices," Dennis interjects, his voice calm but firm. "Leave right now and never set foot in this place again, or face the consequences. And trust me, you don't want to know what those consequences will be."
The bar falls into an eerie silence as the tension hangs thick in the air. The lead man's gaze shifts between the determined faces of the friends standing before him, weighing his options.
Finally, he grumbles under his breath, his bravado crumbling under the weight of the situation. "Fine, we're leaving," he mutters, defeat evident in his voice.
The group doesn't back down until they are positive that the trio of men are gone. Once they're sure, Frank lowers his gun and Charlie drops his bat.
"Mac, you okay, man?" Dennis asks, finally taking notice of Mac's bruised and bloodied face. Mac scoffs.
"Oh this? I've had worse." He says confidently.
(Y/N) runs out from behind the bar, pulling Mac into a tight embrace.
"Mac, I'm so sorry!" She cries, clinging to him. He smiles, placing a hand on her head.
"It was nothing. Like I said, I've had worse. And it was worth it to keep you safe."
Cricket and Dennis watch her hug him, jealousy crossing their faces. She then in turn hugs Dee, then Frank, then Charlie. Unlike the other hugs, she clings to Charlie just a bit tighter and longer than the others. Eventually, she wraps her arms around Dennis, squeezing him as hard as she can. He can feel her body shake a bit, his heart breaking at how terrified she was. He never wants her to feel that way again. When she finally lets go, he holds her for just a moment longer before reluctantly letting her go. She moves on to Cricket, smiling brightly at him, causing a pang of jealousy to hit Dennis. She grips Cricket tightly, leaning up to whisper in his ear.
"Thank you for being my protecter, Mathew." She whispers, planting a kiss on his scruffy cheek. She pulls back and retreats to Charlie's side, gripping the sleeve of his jacket as he described what he would have done to those guys if they hadn't backed off. Cricket and Dennis watch her cling to him, jealousy clear on their faces.
Frank takes notice of this and smirks to himself. Poor lovesick fools. He then glances at (Y/N), noting the way she looks at Charlie with so much affection. He shakes his head.
Poor lovesick fools.
