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After Doc had fainted in The Oriental, Wyatt was taking extra care of him.
He worried like a woman, Doc had told him, when it came to his wellbeing.
But the gambler couldn’t help but appreciate it. Same for Wyatt, too, they both looked out for one another.
Wyatt walked into Doc’s room, not even looking towards him at first. He was too focused on getting the sick man a hot meal before it cooled off.
He set it down on the night table, wasting no time to prepare the breakfast properly.
Doc had already risen minutes earlier, still trying to get woken up fully.
“You may come in.” he muttered, his voice a little raspy.
The sudden comment startled Wyatt quite a bit, he hadn’t expected to hear one this early in the morning. “Doc,” he choked out, looking over the man’s sickly form. “bout scared me half to death. Thought you were still asleep.”
“My sincerest apologies, Wyatt.” Doc takes a moment to sit up properly, starting to sigh - but it soon turned into a coughing fit.
This time around wasn’t the worst, but still bad enough to leave Doc gasping for air.
Wyatt moves quickly, putting a hand on his back, while the other rested against the mattress. “You’re alright, just breathe,” he coos, moving his palm in a circular motion.
And, when Doc finally is able to get his breathing back to a normal rhythm, Wyatt was overly thrilled.
He always was, when Doc was feeling better. At least, when he said he was.
“See, you’re okay.” Wyatt gently pats him before taking a seat next to the other, piercing blue eyes watching carefully.
Too carefully.
“Ralph seems to be worried,” comes Doc’s southern drawl, as he reaches under the quilt.
Wyatt’s confused at first, his brow raises and he averts his eyes to the blanket - wondering who, or what, Ralph was.
What he sees next is rather strange, to say the least.
Doc pulls out a long and green snake, and lets it slither around his arm.
Wyatt’s heart practically drops to his stomach. He quickly gets off the bed and takes a few steps back, trying to process what in the hell Doc had there.
He watches as the man peacefully coos the reptile, trying to calm it down.
A grin spreads across Doc’s face, and he glances up - finally noticing how horrified Wyatt looked. “What? He’s friendly, look.”
The reptile, Ralph, slithers onto Doc’s chest, and finds a comfortable spot to sleep. He smiles more, clearly enjoying the company. Even if it wasn’t the safest. “See?”
Wyatt blinks back his confusion, tries to, and finally speaks again. “Why… why?”
He was just grateful the thing hadn’t attacked Doc.
Ash blonde hair falls into Doc’s eye as he jerks his head in his friend’s direction, looking him over. He seemed somewhat offended. “Found him by The Oriental when I was leaving, Milt protested but, well, I kept him.”
Wyatt sucks in a breath, doing his best to keep his cool. “Doc, do you realize what you have there? Could be pretty dangerous, it is pretty dangerous.”
“Dangerous? Wyatt,” then, Doc sits up, cupping the snake in his hands. “he’s just a little grass snake. No harm in that.”
There’s a sudden change in the mood after Doc stated Ralph was harmless, but then again, what did he know about snakes?
Wyatt mentally decided to let it be, Doc looked happy with it, Ralph, and he didn’t have the heart to take that away from him.
“As long as you’re careful.” he mutters, shifting his weight onto his other foot.
As long as you’re safe, he wanted to say.
Kate was introduced to the snake a few days after Wyatt was, when she had returned to stay with Doc. Only for a few days, though, she soon had to leave again.
“He’s cute, yes, just keep him out of our things and it’s no problem to me.” she had said, overly worried of their belongings.
“Yes of course, dear, I’ll make sure.” Doc replied, noting it.
And when Kate left, they fought, over something Doc couldn’t even recall the next morning.
But she still made sure to give him a kiss goodbye.
Wyatt was aware of the problems between the couple - if they even considered themselves a couple, he didn’t know.
He had stopped an altercation with the two one of the first weeks they had arrived in Tombstone. Kate got irritated with Doc’s ways and pulled out a gun, which led to him calling her a whore and many other nasty words he soon regretted.
Wyatt was lucky enough to have both of their respect, he pleaded with them to break it up and get some fresh air.
They did exactly that, but it took some convincing. Before it all settled down, Kate made it known that she had grown tired of breathing in the same air a lunger let out, and that the constant harassment for being with him was getting to her as well.
Their relationship was never the same after that fight, but they still stuck by each other’s sides.
And Wyatt did too, he felt for them, since they had both been so kind to him over the years all three of them knew one another.
So once Kate had rode off again, Wyatt payed Doc a visit - finding him curled up with Ralph out on the room’s balcony.
He took a seat next to him, keeping his distance, but at the same making sure to rightfully comfort him.
Their conversation changed something between them too, for the good.
“How you holdin’ up, Doc?” Wyatt started, turning slightly to get a better look at the man.
“Ready to die of misery, you?” he spat, his gaze steady on the railing in front of them.
“Well,” there’s a pause, leaving the two in an awkward silence for a few seconds. A few very long seconds. “well, you know.”
“Yes, I do.” his sarcastic tone lights a nervous fire in Wyatt’s stomach, he’s already losing him.
“John, listen,”
“I thought she’d stay,” Doc interrupts, his body language still so stiff. “that was foolish of me, though, to think that.”
Wyatt remains silent. He was never very good at comforting people, but one thing he could do was be there - be there with that odd calming presence of his.
As Doc put it.
“We wed in ‘77, when our relationship was still young,” Doc starts, focused on finally getting this off his chest. “When we were still young, I suppose.”
Wyatt shifts in his seat, knowing he’d be needing to get comfortable because this might just take awhile.
How had he managed to get Doc to open up?
“She was.. twenty seven, myself twenty six when we tied the knot. It was supposed to mean something at first, but, she continued with her ‘duties’ and didn’t seem to care for too long.” he looks down, starting to pick at his dirty nails - trying to compose himself.
Doc wouldn’t show emotions.
“And, with me being a dentist by day and gambler by night, Kate got upset. She finally figured out I’m not a quitter, it angered her knowing I refuse to take care of myself properly.”
Wyatt can relate to that all too well. Doc was a stubborn son of a bitch, always ignoring attempts to make him better.
For Doc Holliday, there was no better - this was it. And he was going to live it out.
A few coughs come from Doc before he groans, practically whining. He’s starting to get fussy, indicating he needs a cigarette.
Wyatt gets one ready for him, and once it’s lit up, he places the paper between the man’s lips. Tries to hold back a smile at the face Doc makes, but fails. It’s too funny.
They end the night with a nice smoke, still accompanying each other out on the balcony.
The sadness that had been lingering in the air disappeared hours ago, the two were talking for a very long time.
And not a second was wasted.
“Well, I’d better get back to the cottage, Mattie’ll have a fit if I’m not back by midnight.” Wyatt says, patting the other’s back.
Doc replies with a hum, blowing out the last drag his cigarette had left before stubbing it out in the ashtray.
They return back inside, Wyatt going for the door and Doc crawling across the mattress. He lies flat on his back, and coughs - all while getting rid of his shirt. That catches Wyatt’s attention.
“You look as if you’ve seen a ghost.”
Maybe he had. Doc was paler than one.
“What?” Wyatt mutters, voice cracking. He then finds himself getting warm - cheeks turning pink. Not that they were visible, the room was pretty dark.
But the moonlight somehow managed to shine in perfectly on Doc’s torso, giving Wyatt a good look at him.
He may be skinny, but damn.
“Haven’t you ever seen a man before, Wyatt?
a pause, with an awkward silence that follows it. Wyatt blinks a few times and clears his throat.
“Christ almighty, what has gotten into you.”
Doc sighs and lets his eyes close, proving he had grown tired. “Would you do me a favor, lawman?”
Wyatt shifts and gives a nod of his head. “Sure thing. What is it?”
“Ralph gets lonely and, well.. could you bring ‘im over here? He’s in his cage.” Doc yawns, his voice barely above a whisper.
A floorboard creaks in result of a footstep, then there’s a sigh. Wyatt is hesitant to get Ralph out, he’s still in the fight or flight phase with the snake.
After a few seconds of mentally encouraging himself, he takes it out - watching as Ralph twists around Wyatt’s arm.
It takes a moment for him to move, but when he does, it’s slow and careful steps.
He finds Doc had fallen asleep during his altercation with the snake. He looks so peaceful, a beauty in all it’s glory. Wyatt can’t help but admire him for a bit.
“G’night, slinger.” he whispers, bending down to press a soft kiss against the man’s temple.
And with that, Wyatt exits the room - happy with the way the night had turned out.
Even if it wasn’t too eventful, he still spent it with Doc, and that’s all he needed.