Warnings: mentions of abuse.
You get to the familiar front door and knock on it constantly but quietly until Dennis opens up, his eyes filled with tiredness, then shock when he sees you standing there shivering in a vest and jeans.
"(Y/N)," he gasps, "come in, come in."
"Thanks," you say, your teeth chattering.
"What happened? Are you okay?" he asks, putting an arm around your shoulder after he shuts the front door. You flinch away a little, but then let yourself lean into him once you adjust to his touch, knowing Dennis would never hurt you.
"I'm… I ran… I had to…" you mumble, your arms wrapping around yourself as another violent shiver shakes your body.
"Shh, it's okay," he soothes, turning into you and bringing your body against his as he rubs your back, trying to warm you up. You rest your forehead on his chest, your arms still crossed over the front of your body, and as he pulls you in tighter you start to cry. Turning your head to the side, you begin to properly sob, and Dennis starts to shift his weight from one foot to the other to rock you gently from side to side. When you've calmed a little, he guides you into the living room and sits you down on the sofa with a blanket around your shoulders, then silently goes off to get you a cup of tea.
"Here, drink this," he smiles, sitting down next to you and handing you the cup carefully. You take it with a grateful nod, then sit with your hands wrapped around it to warm up before taking a sip.
"You don't have to tell me what happened, but just tell me… Did he hurt you?"
"A little."
"Okay," he replies, his teeth clenching together as his anger rises. You bring your cup of tea towards you, holding it against your stomach to try and ease the pain from the blow you'd received earlier, and Dennis notices your actions, giving you a concerned frown. You sit there in silence, Dennis wondering whether he'd be able to sneak out while you're asleep to teach this guy a lesson or whether you'd wake up, knowing he was going to do something stupid.
"Can I sleep here tonight?" you ask quietly.
"You can sleep here for as long as you need," he replies, rubbing your back protectively. You and Dennis had known each other since you were kids, you'd grown up almost joined at the hip, taking all the same classes together in school and college, then he'd become a firefighter while you'd got an office job. You'd managed to stay close, but to a fault really, as your boyfriend had been insanely jealous about your relationship and now here you were because he couldn't handle your best friend being a guy.
"Thank you," you sniff.
"Take my bed, I'll take the sofa," he smiles, and you know it's for protection rather than comfort. You nod, then get up, give him a tight squeeze, and head into the bedroom, curling up under the covers and falling into an uncomfortable sleep.
When you wake, the flat it quiet, and you know that Dennis probably had an early shift, so you wrap yourself in his dressing gown and head out to the kitchen to find a note from him saying he'd be back at lunch to check on you. Making yourself some breakfast, you hear a bang at the door, but you keep quiet and hold your breath until a package is shoved through the door by the postman, and you breathe a sigh of relief.
"Stupid," you mutter to yourself, your thoughts going to the worst possible situation rather than the obvious outcome that it was the postman. You reach the door to pick the packet up and take it back to the kitchen, placing it on the counter next to your toast. It was pretty late in the morning, but you'd obviously needed those hours of sleep after what you'd been through and you knew it wasn't going to be long until Dennis was going to be home, so you finish your toast and decide to take a shower ready for his return. You take a pair of his joggers and one of his t-shirts into the bathroom with you to change in to afterwards, and place your phone on the windowsill to play some music as you wash your hair. Whilst you're in there, the noise of the water and the music playing disguise the two bangs on the door as it's kicked in by your boyfriend. He hears the shower going and takes a seat in the kitchen, staring directly at the bathroom door, waiting for you emerge.
When you feel fresh enough, you turn off the water, dry yourself off with a spare towel, then slip on Dennis' clothes, feeling warm and safe inside them. You turn the music off, slide your phone into the pocket of the jogging bottoms, then open the door and stop in your tracks as you see that familiar face.
"I've been so worried about you," he sneers, "I've been looking for you all night."
Your mouth dries up, and no words are able to come out of it as you stand there in shock, wondering what's going through his head and what he'll do to you.
"What? Nothing to say?" he asks, getting up from his seat, "those his clothes?"
You nod slowly, your voice completely gone, and you step back to shut the bathroom door and lock it, but he's too quick as he rushes towards you, pushing it open again so hard that the handle dents the wall. You gasp and start to cower away from him, then he lifts your chin to face him.
"Don't be scared. It's only me. I only do these things because I love you, remember?" he says, genuinely believing his own words. You nod as tears start to sting your eyes, and he helps you stand up straight, then brings you out to the lounge where your eyes flick to the clock on the wall, hoping that Dennis would be here soon. Just ten more minutes and he should be here.
"Sit with me. We need to talk," your boyfriend says, pushing you down onto the sofa, "why did you run away from me?"
"You hurt me," you croak.
"Only because I love you though. You'd been texting Dennis constantly, how can you expect me to put up with that?" he asks, tilting his head in confusion.
"He's my best friend."
"He's more than that, isn't he?" he snarls.
"No."
"He is! Don't lie to me!" he yells. You stand up and back towards the front door, then leg it outside, hoping Dennis would be there. As you reach the stairs, you see Digby start to bound up them and smile in relief, then you feel a push on your back and you fall head first down the concrete steps, losing consciousness as you hit your head on the way down. Your boyfriend runs down after you, jumping over your limp body and pushing his way past the dog and Dennis.
"Hey! Stop!" Dennis yells, but it's too late as he rounds a corner and disappears from sight. Digby bounds up to you, licking your face and pawing at your arm, but you stay completely still, and Dennis skids on his knees over to you, his hands pressing against your cheeks as he looks at the blood pouring from your head wound.
"No no no!" he screeches, getting his phone out and calling an ambulance, "you have to stay with me, please."
He stays right beside you until the paramedics arrive. He stays right beside you in the ambulance after handing Digby to one of his neighbours. Then he stays right beside you as he hears one last long beep come from your machine, and buries his head in your neck as he cries; your skin no longer warm.