Joey looked up at Sol weakly, his eyes shining with tears. "I-I can't do this…" He whispered, drawing in a few harsh, wavering breaths. "I c… I c-can't… please, Sol…" He curled in on himself more, closing his eyes and starting to tremble more violently.
“Shh, okay, sweetheart, okay, estello,” Sol murmured, cradling Joey close. “Akali will tell Nikora not to worry about it. How about you breathe with me, okay? Listen to my heartbeat and breathe in time. It’s going to be okay, estello.”
"I can… I-I can try the potion, b-but I don't wanna eat…" He hiccuped a couple times and rested his head on Sol's chest as instructed, trying to focus on his heartbeat. "I'm sorry…"
“It’s okay, sweetheart, you don’t have to,” Sol replied softly, rubbing circles on Joey’s back. “It’s all your choice, you have absolutely nothing to apologize for, estello.”
"B-But I'm causing problems, and I… I fell over at work, a-and I just… I dunno…" Joey rubbed at his eyes a bit, hiccuping weakly.
“Like I told you yesterday, estello, we all have our battles to fight, and some days are harder than others,” Sol murmured, cupping Joey’s cheek and brushing away a tear. “You don’t have to fight alone.”
"Mmmm…" Joey closed his eyes and leaned into Sol's gentle touch. "I'm still sorry, though… when is your friend coming back with the… the things…?" He asked weakly.
“She should be back soon, Nik is very fast,” Sol replied, thumb gently stroking Joey’s cheek. “If you change your mind, that’s completely okay. We could go to my place and watch a movie or whatever you want, okay?”
"B-But I can't just leave… I'm still working." Joey looked up at Sol drowsily. "I shouldn't leave in the middle of the day. I'll drink your things and pick myself up and get back to work."
“Joey, it’s Sunday, the shop won’t be super busy,” Sol said. “Besides, even with an elixir, you’ll be drained. You need water and rest.” Sol’s instincts were screaming at him to protect protect protect and all he wanted to do was take care of Joey and know for certain he was safe.
"C-Can I call in a coworker to finish the shift, at least?" He asked in a weak whisper. "I don't… I don't wanna leave the shop unattended, even if it's not going to be busy… we need someone to be here…"
“Of course, sweetheart,” Sol said, guilt striking him. Joey was completely unaware of fey instincts and it probably sounded like Sol was just giving orders, right after having told him everything was his choice. “I’m sorry if I made it sound like I was telling you what to do. After you call someone, I can drop you off at your own apartment to rest.”
"Mm… is it alright if I go back to your apartment with you?" Joey asked softly. "I-I don't want to intrude, though…" He pulled out his phone so he could text one of his coworkers to request they come in his place.
Slo’s eyes softened. “You’re welcome to come to my home,” he said, nuzzling Joey’s hair. “it would be no intrusion at all.”
Joey nodded a bit and huddled closer, keeping his eyes on his phone screen. "Mm… Jackie says she can come in. It'll be about twenty minutes, though… shouldn't I keep working until she gets here?"
“Would it be alright if I handled the counter until she got here?” Sol asked. “I’d feel better if you were just resting, but if you’d rather come out, I’ll wait for you.”
"I-I guess so, but… can I sit out there with you, at least?" Joey asked weakly, shifting so that he could be a bit closer to Sol.
“Of course, estello,” Sol replied, cuddling Joey with a soft purr. “Tell me if I’m being overbearing, alright? I don’t want to overwhelm you.”
"Okay… I'm… um…" He tried to find the right words to say. "I'm not exactly used to people caring about me, got know? Or people wanting to take care of me." He was quiet for a moment, flushing lightly. "Anyway, we should head out to the counter…"
Sol nodded, understanding. His sister had been the same way for a long time. Even now, she was only completely comfortable around her mate, her son, and Sol.
Carefully standing, Joey still in his arms, Sol went to the front of the shop where Akali was. He gently put Joey on the stool behind the counter, then turned to nod at Akali, who returned his nod and left the shop.
Joey adjusted himself on the stool to be more comfortable and looked up at Sol, fidgeting nervously with his hands. "Uhm… she should be here soon, hopefully…"
Leaning on the counter, Sol smiled softly at Joey. “We can wait however long we need to,” he said, holding out a hand to Joey. “As long as you’re okay, I don’t mind.”
Joey nodded and held onto Sol's hand, still seeming pretty nervous. After a while, a girl with bobbed blue hair came through the door. "Joey! What happened?" She asked, worried. "Who's this?" Joey got to his feet, swaying dangerously. "Jackie, this is Sol. Sol, Jackie. I kinda collapsed, more or less, and apparently I'm not fit to work right now. Thank you very much for coming in, but the way." Jackie sighed softly. "Of course, Joey. You need to take better care of yourself, alright?"
Sol smiled at Jackie and squeezed Joey’s hand gently. The blue haired woman seemed nice, he was glad Joey had kind coworkers at least.
"Well… um… we should probably get going then, yeah?" Joey held tighter to Sol, trying to keep himself upright.