He calmly walked back to the place he once feared. He knew that only abuse and ridicule awaited him back "home". He walked back down the stairs he just ran away from and knocked on the door.
Evan's tall and muscular figure nearly took up the whole door frame, his head reaching a bit above the top of the frame.
"A part of me had a feeling you would come back," Evan said, moving a bit to let the small man come through. He walked inside, mustering as much courage as he could and said:
"M-My name's Dwight," he said shakily. "And I want to thank y-you for helping me out today... er, last night! Th-The sun's coming up..." he trailed off pointing back towards the open door. Dwight's face turned a bright pink out of embarrassment. Evan gave a small chuckle followed by a small smile.
"Well, Dwight," he said while closing the door. "You don't have to be so formal, or so nervous. If I were going to hurt you, would I not have done that already?"
"I-I didn't say-"
"You didn't have to. It's okay. I can tell how nervous you are - and I don't blame you." Dwight began to relax a bit as Evan clearly showed his understanding. "I absolutely despise the entity." Evan continued to speak, a bit off topic. Evan's voice began to lower and grow stern. "I have killed before with my father but that my choice completely. I don't like being told who to kill." His voice grew angrier with every word. His large, callused hand gripped tightly at the door handle he still hadn't let go of. The door creaked under Evan's strength and rage, the small noises covering Dwight's even quieter whimpers - his mind starting to race and his legs beginning to tremble.
"Y-You've killed people before?" Dwight stuttered fearfully, backing away from Evan, further into the humble abode.
"Yes that's why the idiot entity chose me to be one of his 'mindless' servants." Evan's dark eyes seemed to glow with fiery rage as thoughts of the entity flooded his mind. "If I ever get out of this fucking fog I swear-"
"Evan..." Dwight said softly and nervously.
Evan almost instantly snapped out of his fit. Blushing upon hearing his name, he turned around and saw the horribly frightened Dwight backed up against the grey, concrete wall. A wave of guilt and sadness rushed over Evan as he looked at his cowering companion. Taking a deep breath in and letting it out with a loud huff, Evan walked over to the kitchen area, grabbing an old rag and cleaning spray. Calmly and quietly.
Dwight watched him curiously as the large Evan began to clean the kitchen table. He had to stifle a small chuckle seeing how the large, muscular Evan contrasted with the dainty domestic chores. Although most of the house was dusty and dirty, Dwight could tell Evan took care of his favourite spot in the house.
Dwight slowly stood up and made his short way over to Evan's bed. Sitting down at the very edge, he watched Evan scrub down the entire table. To Evan, this cleaning was a way to relax. It was almost like free therapy.
Cleaning always helped him calm down but never got rid of his temper. But now, he needed to do it more. Now that he had a new companion, controlling his temper and rage would be more important than ever.
He looked up at Dwight, seeing him across the small distance of the "house". Evan smiled at him, not only to give Dwight comfort, but, to also remind himself to be as kind as he can. Dwight, although still a bit on edge, happily returned the smile. Evan finished cleaning off the once half-dusty table and stood back a bit to ensure he didn't miss a single spot. Like an artist stepping away from their easel, Evan wanted to make sure his own work was pristine.
"Dwight," he said, turning his gaze towards his small companion on the bed. Light pink crept across Dwight's face upon hearing the sudden attention he was being given.
"Y-Yes?" Dwight said nervously. He wasn't scared but... why was his face turning warm and his blood pumping?
"What's your favourite thing to have for dinner?"
Dwight was caught very off guard by the question. He knew that the kitchen was kept very clean, but, he just figured that it was to keep the rodents out. He didn't think that it was actually used.
"U-Uhm... I think I like lasagna the best," he said shyly after pondering the question for a moment. He was still taken aback at the question and the attention he was being given. Nobody had ever asked for his input before, more or less having a decision entirely up to him.
"Well, it seems that you're in luck," Evan said as he stood up straight. His already tall frame seemed to straighten to an inhumanly possible height. He looked almost comical and out of place in the small living quarters. "I think I have just the ingredients for lasagna." He walked a few steps to the small kitchen and began taking out ingredients from the refrigerator and cupboards. "Dwight?" He asked calmly, not turning around. Dwight perked up and quickly replied:
"Y-Yes... erm, Evan?" Dwight replied nervously, feeling flustered again at the attention he was being given.
"Have you ever made lasagna or any other pasta from scratch?" He asked, finally turning around to meet his little companion's gaze.
"Uhm... to be honest I've never made anything from scratch before, heh." Dwight said, now feeling a bit embarrassed.
"Well, come over here and I can teach you." Evan motioned with his hand for Dwight to come closer.
Dwight sheepishly stood up and walked over to Evan. The kitchen seemed even smaller with Evan's tall, muscular frame taking up most of the space. It was near impossible to not touch arm to arm. Dwight's face turned a very bright shade of pink as the two of them stood unintentionally close together. Evan had to hold back a small laugh as he saw how flustered Dwight was getting.
"I know that the kitchen is small but that just means it'll be easier to navigate," Evan said as he put a hand on Dwight's shoulder. Dwight tensed up as his face grew even warmer (and no doubt brighter). Shaking a little, he put his hands up to his face and took off his glasses, doing his best to wipe them clean on his dirty shirt.
"S-So, how do we begin?" Dwight asked, not nervously but shyly instead. Evan, again, had to stifle his laughter seeing how shy and flustered his new companion was getting.
"Well, we always start off with the flour and salt." Evan replied, smiling to comfort and reassure Dwight. It seemed to work as Dwight's shoulders began to relax as he grabbed for the flour bag next to him.
"Uhm... where's the salt, E-Evan?" Dwight asked looking up at him. Dwight saw that Evan was already in the process of grabbing it. Evan easily opened a cupboard that Dwight would have needed a step-ladder to reach. However, Dwight was surprised when Evan handed him the salt. "Wh-What's this for?"
"I want you to measure the salt and flour. For our dinner," Evan said, gently sliding the bag of flour closer to Dwight as well. "I'll tell you how much to measure but you'll have to do all the pouring and mixing. Sound good?"
Dwight shyly nodded his head as a light blush started to slowly make its way across his face once more. He cautiously grabbed one measuring cup, causing the big man next to him to chuckle. The smaller man's face quickly turned a much darker shade of pink - fearing that he had done something wrong or embarrassing.
"I-I'm sorry-" Dwight was saying before Evan cut him off. Gently placing his large hand on Dwight's small shoulder. His one hand nearly covered his shoulder entirely from side to side.
"No, I'm sorry for laughing, Dwight." He said kindly, though, with a tinge of laughter still hinted in his voice. "You just grabbed for a measuring cup before I told you how much we needed to measure. I found it a bit comical is all." And a bit... cute? Is that the right word? Evan also thought to himself.
Dwight felt his face begin to grow warmer at this point, unsure of how to feel or process what was going on. He had never been treated with such kindness before, more or less was held in such a caring way. He only felt as if he was embarrassing himself more and more by the second. Embarrassment, an emotion he was all too familiar with.
"Well, wh-what measurements d-do I - uhm - we need... right now?" Dwight instinctively covered his face with both of his hands, a bad habit he developed at his work. His anxiety began to build as he felt more embarrassed and his embarrassment caused his anxiety to grow even more. It was a viscous cycle he knew all too well. Though, what wasn't familiar, was the silence. If this had happened at work, his coworkers would have been laughing and if it had been at home his family would have been whispering. This was new too him.
Evan wasn't laughing at him. Nor was he annoyed.
Instead, Evan turned to Dwight and got down on his to meet the smaller man's level. He took the measuring cup from Dwight's hand, still covering his face. After setting it back on the counter, he placed his other hand on Dwight's small shoulder.
Dwight shuddered at first. He wasn't used to being touched like this. Before, when a hand would fall on his shoulder, he would usually be met with a shove or a slam followed by cruel words. Not this time, though. There wasn't any abuse that followed the gentle hold. Instead, Evan began to gently rub Dwight's shoulders. He at first expected this to be harsh and rough but instead felt comforted at the surprising tranquility of Evan's rubs.
After what could have been anything between minutes and days, Dwight felt at peace. He felt at peace for the first time in a long time. Dwight slowly took his hands off of his face and almost instinctively placed one of his hands on top of Evan's. Evan smiled warmly down at Dwight - Dwight sheepishly smiled back. As if it was agreed out loud, the two companions removed their hands in sync.
"You're all right," Evan said softly. "You're okay." He paused for a moment to let Dwight gather his thoughts. "Are you ready to continue, Dwight?"