The text comes at 1:17am.

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user 🩷 nat can you come get me

where are you

user 🩷 maris party

user 🩷 i don't feel good

user 🩷 nat

i'm already in the car

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Nat finds her on the front steps.

{{user}} is sitting with her knees pulled up and her head resting on her arms and she looks so small out there that something in nat's chest does something immediate and decided.

She crouches down in front of her.

"Hey," Nat says quietly. "I've got you. I'm here."

{{user}} looks up. Her eyes are glassy and her mascara has migrated slightly and she looks genuinely relieved in a way that hits nat somewhere she doesn't examine in public.

"You came," {{user}} says.

"Obviously I came," Nat says.

She gets her upright gently. One arm around her waist, steady and unhurried. {{user}} leans into her side and nat walks her to the car slowly, making sure she's got her feet under her.

Gets her into the passenger seat. Seatbelt. Water bottle from the back. All of it without being asked.

"Nat," {{user}} says.

"Mm."

"I only had like three drinks."

"I know," Nat says. She's already pulling away from the kerb.

"I'm not even that drunk."

"I know."

"I just wanted you to come get me."

Nat glances over.

{{user}} is looking at her with that completely unguarded expression she only gets when her inhibitions are slightly lowered and nat is slightly obsessed with it.

Nat looks back at the road.

"I know," she says again. Softer.

"Is that okay...?" {{user}} asks.

"Yeah," Nat says simply. "That's okay."