Watchman (c) Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons, I only entertain this absurdly fluffy idea.
The relationship between Dan and Rorschach is taken more from the movie than the novel.
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CHAPTER THREE
Dan woke from a night of tossing and turning. He hated this feeling in the pit of his stomach. Like he was loosing a part of himself. He leaned over to his nightstand and flicked the light on, but it remained dark.
"Aw, hell," he muttered. Dan opened the drawer to his nightstand trying to fish for the flashlight. "Where the hell. . .there it is." He pulled the lantern out and clicked the button. Dan swiftly got out of bed and walked downstairs, through the kitchen; noted that it was still pouring rain outside, and down into the basement. He had to stop halfway down because the batteries in the flashlight gave out. He suddenly noticed that it was chillier than normal and wondered how long the power had been off. He shuffled his way to his costume and managed to remove the goggles from it.
He placed them over his head and looked around, he saw Rorschach still asleep on the cot and that everything seemed to be just where it was last night. Dan shrugged as he walked down the remaining stairs to the cold floor. He looked Archie up and down then turned to the wall where the fuse box sat. Dan walked up to box and opened the small door, but he saw no popped fuses.
"So it's something outside. Better wake Rorschach," Dan said as he closed the little door leading to the fuses. Dan walked past Archie to the cot where Rorschach slept.
"Rorschach," Dan whispered softly, almost afraid to wake the most brutal hero New York had. "Rorschach, the power's out. It's getting cold in here." Dan said a little louder, but he still got no response out of the masked vigilante. "Rorschach?" Dan touched the shoulder of his friend and watched in horror as the figure crumbled to dust.
Dan Dreiberg shot up in bed, heaving and gasping for breath all at the same time. It was the same damn dream. Well, not exactly the same damn dream. They were all about the death of a friend, Rorschach. All of the dreams in different forms of death.
"Bad dreams?"
Dan looked over to see Rorschach standing in the doorway to his bedroom. Dan tried to smile.
"You could say that, Rorschach. Death isn't something I got used to in the waking world, why should it be something I get used to in the dream world?" Dan muttered as he placed his head in his hands. Rorschach had never seen Daniel this way and he suddenly thought if this was how he looked to the world, but he soon dismissed the thought. Rorschach needed to help his only friend. Dan took a deep breath and raised his head, his usual nervous smile dancing across his lips.
"What time is it?"
"Afternoon."
"I don't have much fresh food, want me to get us something from the Gunga Diner?" Dan stood to get dressed. Rorschach watched the slender form of Daniel for a moment and thought; that for someone whom had quit years ago, he was still fit enough to kick several men's asses. His mind then wandered to what would have Daniel; a man he'd always known to be very level headed, so worried that he couldn't sleep through a whole night.
Dan turned back to Rorschach to see the blots of Rorschach's mask moving rapidly, as if they were help him to think.
"Rorschach. . . ," Dan started, bringing Rorschach out of his thoughts and back to reality. "Would you like me to get you anything from Gunga Diner?"
"Something simple," was Rorschach's answer. "Going to finish tuning Archie." Before Dan could say anything Rorschach disappeared from sight. Then Dan thought on what he'd just heard.
"He can't even fly Archie. . . . How's he going to tune 'im?" Dan asked himself. He decided to dismiss it and walked downstairs to grab his coat. Suddenly the feeling in the pit of Dan's stomach didn't ache as much as the past week. Dan grabbed his coat from the rack and started throwing it on as he walked towards the front door. That's when he noticed the door frame had been repaired. His mouth fell open and he looked in the direction of the basement. He cocked a crooked smile and opened the door.
It was drizzling out as Dan stepped onto the stoop to close his door. Dan made the brisk walk to the Gunga Diner and ordered two of his usual lunch. Dan left the money on the counter and raced back to his apartment. He opened the door and briskly slammed it shut.
He took off his coat, hung it on the rack, and walked into the kitchen to grab silverware for two. He walked down the stairs and stopped at the bottom, seeing that Archie was perfectly clean.
"Rorschach," Dan yelped. He saw his masked friend come out the top of Archie. Dan held the bag of food up so Rorschach could see. "Food's warm, if you'd like it now." Dan sat in front of his empty Nite Owl costume once again and watched Rorschach jump from Archie safely to the ground. Rorschach walked up the few steps and sat on the metal rail again. Dan handed him his food and a fork.
For the longest time the two friends ate in silence. The quiet moment seemed to stretch on forever, until Rorschach finally spoke out.
"You're that afraid a my death?" There was a concern and worry that Dan had never heard in the man's voice before. But then he thought about it.
"Honestly, Rorschach. . .yes. . . . Yes I am. You wear no type of body armor. All you have is the grapple gun and your skills in outwitting people. Using them to your advantage. You show up in my home every couple of months needing some sort of medical attention. . . . I do worry for you out there. There are people who'd love to see you bite it," Dan finished looking up at his friend. His eyes were the hardest to try and read. For a long moment, Rorschach remained silent.
"I worry too," Rorschach started and decided to continue when Dan looked most confused. "Not about me out there, about you in here. You've closed yourself off. Makes me sick, thinking about you in here. Should get out more. As him." Rorschach pointed his fork at the empty suit behind Daniel. Dan glanced back at it.
"Maybe in the future, Rorschach. Maybe in the future. But. . .I just can't right now. I do and don't want to. I never did and never will have your fortitude to go on in the face of adversity. To defy the law the way you do." Dan looked back to Rorschach, whom had placed his empty plate on the floor and pulled his mask back down. He stood from the metal railing and shoved his gloved hands in his pockets.
"Don't worry about me, Daniel. I'll find ways to let you know that I'm still alive. And as long as you promise me that you might just wear that suit one more time, in the name of justice, I won't worry about you. Deal?" Rorschach held his right hand. Dan thought on it a moment, stood, and shook his friends hand.
"It's a deal on one condition. . . ."
"And that is?"
"What made you ask in the first place?"
"You talk in your sleep, Daniel." Dan smiled; swearing once more that he saw the blots of Rorschach's mask smile at him, and felt better than he had in a week.
"Should be going," Rorschach said as he released Daniel's hand.
"Where will you go?"
"Home."
Dan laughed. "Hey, Rorschach?" he called. Rorschach didn't stop entirely, but he slowed his pace to show he was listening. "Why did you tune Archie and fix the door frame?"
"Repaying a good friend." Rorschach called back. He disappeared around the bend in the tunnel. Dan watched the spot where Rorschach vanished for another couple seconds.
"Be careful, Rorschach." Dan picked up all the trash and plates and took them upstairs, hoping against hope, that he really could keep his promise to Rorschach one day.