#GREGORY ON the other hand I don’t think is as excited to see him

[chloesimaginationthings]

Gregory fears FNAF DJ music man...Abby does not

[jazziejax]

𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐬 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞

𝐏𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 - Manny Rivera x Blakc!OC (can be read as reader though)

𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲 - Manny and Naoya’s meet cute

𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 - swearing, grammar errors,

𝐉𝐚𝐳𝐳𝐢𝐞’𝐬 𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐬! - It’s been a while…a long while. Sorry for any mistakes or errors, as if said, it’s been a long while and I sort of forgot where I was going with this storyline without having to watch season 2 over. Plus, I also just took what you guys were saying and started at the beginning of the season where Manny shows up. I wanted to get there quickly as well. Most of my fics for characters do follow the show/movie they come from because I’m not that creative, so spare me please. I also have to come up with ideas for just some one one one time between him and the reader, if you guys want to see anything in particular let me know. Also, this is just a little some to hold you guys over for the time being. I plan on editing t this afternoon little before the other chapters come out. I wrote this sleep deprived.

𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭! - 5,895

“Yurrr!! What it do Camera Crew?” Ava beamed as she opened the doors for the infamous camera crew. “Welcome back to the house that Ava built. It’s been a while.” She grinned.

“It’s not like they’ve missed anything,” Naoya said in a monotone as she came out of the office with papers in her hands. She then flashed them a small, but genuine, smile. “Nice seeing you though.” She said softly.

“Hey! Look who it is!” Melisa said as she got into step with them. “What’s it’s been? Like, five months? How you doin'?” She grinned.

Gregory then came out of his classroom, seeing his fellow coworkers and the new and improved camera crew. “Oh, what’s up? We still doing this?” He asked.

“Yeah.” Naoya and Ava answered, although their tones varied.

The cameraman then turned around at the sound of excited giggles from afar, catching Jacob beam at the sight of them. “Oh, my God! You guys! Hey!” He cheesed as he jogged up to them, bumping into the cameras. “Oh! Sorry.” He said as he straighter the camera up. “Um, wow. You got new equipment. Look, I don’t wanna say I told you so, but—.”

“I will!” Naoya said, pushing her friend so she could be in view. “You should’ve listened to me and Jacob when we said to make a right on 30th street instead of a left that night.” She said, squinting at them with a point before walking away. Ava nodded in agreement.

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“You want me to tell you what happened to you?” Ava asked the person behind the camera confused. “Oh, right. Tell the people.” She said before her usual grin spread across her face. “So, they got robbed.” She stated bluntly. “Because they thought it’d be cute to walk around West Philly at night with all this camera equipment. Hell, I’d have robbed you if I was there.” She told them. “Anyway, here we are, five months later because that’s how long it takes for three people with art degrees to save up for new cameras. Welcome back! It’s Career Day today.” She finished enthusiastically before it all dropped within a second. “Unfortunately.”

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“Why would you not listen to someone from Philly when they say don’t do stupid shit in the city?” Naoya asked, looking at the people behind the camera. “We tried to tell you and look what happened. You’re lucky you weren’t held at gunpoint.” She said as she crossed her arms. She paused, looking at the face of the camera crew. “You were held at gunpoint? Oh…” She cringed. “Why the hell did you come back? Are you getting cut a check? Because it must be good.” She stated. “And if you are I want in, I don’t care how much money you think I have.” She said.

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The camera crew then caught the teachers walking into the library as they all waited for some meeting by the district. Naoya took her seat in front of Ava, flashing a confused look at the other when she saw the glasses on the woman’s face.

“Ava!” Barbra yelled, spooking the woman awake. “Not planning on being conscious for Career Day?”

“This is a district initiative. They can handle it.” She frowned, relaxing back into her seat with those glasses still on. “Anyone else feels like the people from the district have been more annoying than usual?”

“They’re not all bad.” Barbra waved her off.

“I think they’re cool.” Jacob chimed in from the other table. Naoya looked back at him, squinting. “Stay at your own table.” She told him, causing Jacob to frown at her in confusion, even though he didn’t take it to heart.

“I actually like them this year.” Gregory chimed in.

“You too,” Naoya said again.

“Shocking,” Melissa said, giving the man a knowing look that he tried to avoid.

“I don’t know, I feel like they’ve been unequivocally and universally worse than they’ve ever been. From unhelpful to unbearable.” Evan complained.

“Wow, what big words for you Ava.” Naoya jutted with an evil smile, turning away before she could see the woman lift her glasses to give her a dirty look. Naoya just continued to smile, looking into the camera even though she could feel the hard gaze on her back.

“Good morning Abbott Elementary.” Janine grinned as she walked into the room with her district coworker behind her. Naoya smirked as she looked her up and down, slightly nodding her head at a chipper and well-dressed Janine. Her eyes then caught a familiar pair behind the short woman, the man smiling at the woman sitting before him. Noaya flashed him a quick smile, causing his to grow as they stared at one another. She tilted her head, looking up at him as he leaned against his weight against the table behind him.

“Hey.” He mouthed to her, not taking his eyes away from her.

“Hi.” Naoya cheesed, lighting biting her bottom lip as she looked into his warm gaze.

“Good morning Abbott Elementary.” Ava mocked from behind her, then received a tap from Barb. Janine smiled, seeing the camera crew was back.

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“So, yeah, I work for the school district now.” She beamed. “You guys missed a lot.”

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𝐅𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐡𝐬 𝐄𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐫…

Janine gave the camera a quick smile and wave as she walked into the auditorium, moving to find a spot in the chairs lined up. She chose to sit in one of the empty spots next to Gregory, who was behind Naoya, who was across from Jacob.

“Left for right?” The man asked.

“Uh, left.” She answered before taking the seat.

“Good choice.” Gregory grinned.

“Thank you,” Janine said. Naoya frowned, raising her eyes from the handbook in her lap and making eye contact with the cameras a few feet away. She didn’t move her head, not wanting to be obvious, but her face showed enough.

“Girl this development day has me developing a migraine.” Barbra groaned from her seat next to Melissa, who was popping a pill into her mouth before downing water in her cup. The pair sat in front of Jacob.

“Let me have one of those aspirins, please,” Barbra asked, holding out her hand.

“It’s a sleeping pill,” Melissa said. “Wake me if there’s a fire, a tornado, or a volcanic eruption.” She sighed. “I know that’s right,” Naoya mumbled to herself, not looking up from her papers.

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“What?” She asked with a shrug. “I told you guys I hear and know everything. I’m nosy, okay? That’s isn’t a crime.” It was silent for a moment before the woman gave the person a confused look. “Why are you looking at me like that? Is there something on my face?” She asked as she lifted her hands to her face.

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“Good day to the fine teachers of Abbott Elementary,” Ava said into the microphone. The majority of the teachers in the room then turned to look at Gregory and Naoya, who was shocked by the odd attention she’s been getting as of late. The pair sat there awkwardly, Naoya more so trying to convince herself that they couldn’t be staring at her.

“What?” Ava asked them.

“No comment about Gregory being “F I O N, fine?” Melissa asked.

“Or whatever’s different about Noaya that’s making her more attractive this year.” Jacob chimed in, causing everyone to look his way, but he was too busy staring at his friend across from him. Naoya gave the man a confused and slightly disturbed look. “Aren’t you gay?” She asked him

“I’m starting to question it.” He said, making her eyes widen and look away from him.

“No, Mr.Hill and Ms.Schemmenti.” Ava chimed back in a little aggressively. “I was speaking to everyone. But since all eyes are on them, uh, Mr.Eddie would you mind reading from the first paragraph of your immaculately assembled binder?” She said a polite smile on her face. If Naoya wasn’t so disturbed, she’d frown her the woman’s behavior, but she couldn’t help but spiral inwardly due to the way everyone was acting.

“Sexily?” Gregory asked unsurely.

“Excuse me?” Ava asked. “That’s is not only suggestive but highly inappropriate in front of our company,” Ava said before gesturing over to the trio that stood at the other end of the stage. Naoya’s eyes jumped to them, eyeing the tall man in the sweater for a brief moment, who just so happened to already be glancing her way. At the newfound attention, the man called his throat before speaking, looking away from the woman. “Uh, hi. Hi, everybody.” He said as she made his way into the center of the over to the podium for the microphone. “We’re from the school district. Principe Colman invited us to come, observe, and collaborate with you all on this Development Day.” He said.

Naoya slightly tilted her head as she analyzed the man, admiring his obvious strive appearance.

“Yes!” Ava said in the mic. “The importance of collaboration is one of the many things I learned while I was matriculating at Cambridge.” She boasted. Naoya gave the camera a deadpanned look.

“We’re super excited to be here.” The man spoke again. “On behalf of the new superintendent, John Reynolds. I’m Manny. That’s my dream team over there.” He gestured to the pair from his original position. “That’s Emily. That’s Simon. And we don’t come empty-handed. We’ve come with some iPads and SMART boards for your classrooms, loaded with learning apps.” He explained, causing the teachers to clap. Naoya just sat there though, her hands clasped over her crossed legs with a disinterested look on her face.

“New and improved model,” Melissa stated as she leaned closer to Barbra.

“Same old engines.” The other woman said. “These people aren’t going to change a blessed thing, except how many bodies are in the room.”

“Thank you. We’ll see you around.” Manny finished with a grin, his eyes trailing back to Naoya. She sat there, face blank as she looked the man up and down. Manny smirked at that, before looking away as he made his way back to his team.

“Gregory, we still need you to read from section ‘A’., there in your binder,” Ava stated.

Gregory stood from his seat, binder in hand. “ ‘Section A. Welcome back.’ That’s concluded section ‘A’.” He said before closing the booklet.

“Thank you, Mr.Eddie. You may be seated.” There was light applause after that, most uninterested or highly confused.

Softly, as if she wasn’t away she was in front of a mic, Ava began to read from her notes. “As the teacher, if they have any ideas from over the summer they’d like to implement. Try to make it fun.” She said to herself. She sighed before moving away from the podium. She struggled for a bit before doing a small dance, asking the question over again. “Does anyone have any ideas from over the summer that they’d like to implement?”

Janine raised her hands.

“Janine!” Ava said. “One of our most…teachers at Abbott.”

“So I was thinking over the summer while I was spending time with myself and just thinking about, like, what really led me to this point in my life.” She began.

Melissa yawned. “Get to the point.” She groaned with her head back.

“Get to the point, Janine,” Barbra said.

“Yeah, okay. So, a Career Day?” Janine suggested. “We should do career day at the school because I checked and we haven’t had one since the only jobs for women were typists, moms, and wet nurses.” She explained. “I think it’s a great way for the kids to see all of the amazing jobs they can have. And that’s it. That’s my idea. I’m done. Career Day.” She quickly finished before taking her seat. Naoya nodded, turning in her seat to look at the girl.

“That was an amazing idea, Neen.” She said, causing the shorter woman to smile. Naoya nodded as she looked at her friend for a while longer. “How much time did you spend alone, exactly?” She asked, causing Janine's smile to slightly drop. Before she could answer, Naoya waved her off. “It doesn’t matter, I was alone too.” She said, letting out an awkward chuckle. “I’m gonna say my idea now.” She said before Janine or Gregory, who was listening, could comment on anything.

She raised her hand, catching Ava’s attention, as well as the people on the stage. “Yes, Miss Lovell.” She said. Naoya jerked her head back at Ava’s use of her professional name before she just shook her head at it. “I was thinking of a librarian.” She said. “A better library program, actually. New books, more books, better books. Just an improvement of that old wretched system that keeps losing the books I put in there.” She said through a strained smile at the thought of all the books she’d donated, only for them to end up missing. Manny looked the woman up and down from his place on the stage, watching the way the sun seemed to shine through the room only for her, dressed in fun colors and her quirky glasses.

“I could name a plethora of reasons those Ideas won’t work.” Ava began, barely listening to their suggestions. “Scheduling, previous failed attempts, that’s the fact that it’s was your ideas.” She said, gesturing between the two. Naoya jerked her head back at the woman’s audacity while Janine tried to save herself.

“Right, but there is a way—.”

“But I’m just gonna go ahead and say no and save yourself the embarrassment.” Ava cut in. Janine leaned back in her seat while Naoya raised her middle finger at the woman on stage, not caring for the guests who were visiting the school.

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“I’m never suggesting anything again.” She hissed as she leaned against the lockers. “It’s one thing to try and embarrass me in front of my coworkers who already live pathetic lives and make less money than me. It’s another to do it in front of sexy company. She’s gonna pay one way or another.”

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Naoya was walking next to Janine, the shorter woman looking her friend up and down. “There is something different about you that I just can’t put my finger on.” She said skeptically, causing Naoya to slightly frown at her. “You are glowing though.” She shrugged.

Before Naoya could speak on the matter, they were intercepted by the voice. “Hey, Janine. Ms.Lovell.” They said, causing the girl to turn around. “I’m Manny, which I said up there.” He stumped as she held out his hand. Janie shook his first before he moved into Naoya. The man hiked as he looked her in the eye, Naoya’s face blank as she placed her hand into his, giving his large hand a firm shake.

“You can call me Naoya.” She said with a small smile. She couldn’t help it. She tried to stay stoic in front of the man but there was something about him that just made her all giddy and gooey inside, especially now that they were up close and she felt his skin on hers, even if it was a simple handshake.

“Naoya.” He tested the name on his tongue as he continued to look her in the eye, both parties loving the way it sounded. “I love that.” He said until he was aware of what he said. And also aware that his hand was still in hers. “Name. I love that name. It’s cool and different.” He said, before pulling his hand away. Noaya nodded, letting out a small huff of a laugh. “Thanks.” She said, placing her hand behind her back. Janine’s eyes snapped to the cameras near them, slightly shocked written onto her features.

“Uh, I just wanted to say, that, uh, Career Day and the Library Program sounded good.” He began. “They’re good ideas and I would love to hear more.”

“Thank you!” Janine said. “So you guys are new at the district?” She asked.

“Yep. Just started over the summer. Loving it so far.” He explained, looking between the two. “Feel like we’re going to make a lot of positive changes and do what the last administration didn’t. Nobody embezzling funds in my watch.” He joked, causing Naoya to giggle. Janie was taken aback, looking at her and the cameras at Naoya's unusual behavior. “Funny.” The taller woman simply stated before beginning to make her way out of the auditorium.

“Oh, hey.” Manny began again, stopping her while Janine stayed stationary. “Actually one of the things we wanted to do today was shadow some teachers. Are you two up for it?” He asked, looking between them. Naoya glanced at Janine, who shrugged, before looking back at Manny and doing the same. “Yeah, sure. I’m just gonna be setting up my classroom.” She said.

“Same,” Janine stated.

“Exciting!” Manny grinned.

Naoya nodded, a fond smile on her face. “It’s is exciting. I’m a pretty creative and free spirit.” She grinned. “Yeah? Well, I’m just gonna grab my coworkers.” He grinned. “They're talking to Principle Coleman over there. You guys are so lucky you have such a good principle.” He said. Janine awkwardly smiled while Naoya just pursed her lips.

“Yeah.” Janie agreed, nodding as the man walked away.

Noaya watched him with a small smirk before sighing and twirling around, her straightend hair flowing behind her. Janine squinted as she watched the woman practically skip away in glee, Manny not too far behind.

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“That’s what it is!” Janine grinned primal at the cameras. “She’s not wearing her contacts.” She grinned proudly. It didn’t last long though, slightly dropping as she looked at the camera, thinking it over more.

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“No,” Naoya said to the camera, an almost offended look on her face. “I wear my glasses almost all the time. Granted, these are new frames, but why the hell? These people know nothing about me.”

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“So, where’d you teach before picturing to the school district?” Noaya asked as She, Janine, Manny, and his crew walked to their classrooms.

“I didn’t, actually.” Manny averted sheepishly. Janine flashed a look to the camera while Naoya hummed in acknowledgment with a purse of her lips. “But I grew up here, though.” He quickly added. “My first-hand experience is more from when I was a student in the area.” He said as Janine led them into her room.

“Oh, alright.” The shorter woman nodded. “Well, you know, that’s one of the reasons I wanted to teach at Abbott.” She said. “Because I was a student in the area, as well, so…” She shrugged. “This is my room.” She said to them.

“What are you making here?” Emily asked, gesturing to the table where a tone of colored paper and glue was laid out.

“Oh, A ‘Welcome Back’ sign for the kids. Naoya was helping me paint.” She grinned, gesturing over to the woman next to her. “We’re gonna decorate it together so that everyone feels included. I try to implement a lot of color. I wanted to go with blue because that inspires focus.” She began to explain.

“And calm, which is so important for primary classes.” Manny chimed in. “I read about that in Chalkbeat.” He grinned. Naoya tilted her head at that, flashing the camera a Quick Look as she glanced between the two.

“You read Chalkbeat?” Janine asked, a smile starting to spread across her face.

“Mm-hmm.” Manny hummed.

“I basically live in the comment section, so…” She chortled.

“Oh, my God. Are you @JTeaguee215?” He asked as he stepped sideward a little, an excited grin on his face. “Yes!” Janine said enthusiastically. Naoya softly nodded her head, glancing at the camera when it tried to catch her tense facial expression at the exchange.

“And @JTeagues267 when I wanna spice up the discourse.” She continued.

“Ms.Teagues, I’m @MannyFromTheBlock. I’m always using this emoji.” He said before doing a salute. Janie gaped at him in shock. “That’s you!”

“That’s me.” He grinned.

“I love your comments,” Janine stated with a grin.

“I love your comments.” He smiled back.

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“Fuck!” She yelled in the hallway, turning away from the cameras as she her fist j to the lockers, making a loud sound.

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Janine continued onto fine before glancing at Naoya, who had taken several steps back and looked to be on her way out of the room. When the other woman saw her looking, she flashed a tight smile before looking away. Janine eyes subtly squinted in confusion before she continued. “Anyways.” She began, brushing the interaction off. “Naoya wanted to paint the walls blue last year, but you guys—the district—didn’t like the idea of pinging walls, so…” She shrugged, explaining for the other woman.

“What!? Why not? That’s is so good.” Manny responded, his eyes sifting to the distant figure of the other woman. “I think that’s exactly an idea that we could and should implement.” He said softly, examining her awkward grin. The woman just nodded, rubbing the back of her neck while Janine glanced at the cameras at the tension hiking within the room.

“It’s a low-stakes, high-reward improvement,” Emily stated, glancing Naoya’s way.

“Yes. Let’s revise that.” Simone grinned. Janine pursed her lips, making a funny face as she looked away from them. The trio looked at the woman funny. “Are you okay?” Simone asked.

“Yeah,” Janine asked. “Just a lot of positive reinforcement. I usually only get that from Ms.Love back here.” She awkwardly chuckled, pointing to the woman next—behind—her. That caused all of their eyes to drift to the woman, who seemed dither than she was before. She stood by the other door, her hands stuffed in her pockets now that eyes were on her while she was almost away from them.

“Are you okay?” Janine asked, looking at the woman confused, her mood a complete flip from earlier.

“No,” Naoya said simply before twirling around and skipping to her room. Janine paused, glancing back at the trio as they all watched the woman leave, Manny with a small smile on his face. “She’s a wonderful woman.” She began, stealing out of the door. “A soft chocolate chunk cookie with crispy edges. Her words not mind, they’re in her Twitter bio.” She said, trying to fill the air with something. The trio nodded at that. Janine lightly cleared her throat before making her way to Naoya’s room. “Let’s follow her, shall we.” She said softly, the others trailing behind her.

They made it to her door, looking into the classroom as Naoya rearranged the comfy furniture she had the way she wanted it.

“Wow.” Manny sighed from the door before making his way into the room. Naoya turned at the voice to see the group, said the man looking around as he trailed in.

“This is really nice.” He said softly before letting his eyes fall on her.

Naoya’s face held a small grin as she nodded. “Thank you. I try.” She shrugged.

“It’s cozy in here.” Emily grinned as she made her way around the different sections.

Noaya's eyes snapped over to her as she pushed a small couch over to the rug she had laid out in between the bookshelves. “Yeah, I try to keep it that way.” She said, pairing the seat. “I hate—The kids hate fluorescent lighting.” She chuckled nervously, shooting them a quick look. “But some do come on when it’s instruction time.” She added to save her ass.

Manny grinned at her as he nodded his head. Janie looked between them with a small smile before glancing at the watching cameras, her expression dropping.

“That’s actually really important.” He began. “Such lightening for long hours does nothing for brain stimulation.” He said. Noaya glanced at him, lightly nodding. “Yeah, it actually has the opposite effect. Weakens memory retention causes migraines” She said. Manny hummed, looking at her. “It’s why they have them in prisons.” She added, quickly turning away from them and then moving over to a box that sat on a table. Manny’s eyes tricker after her, not wasting time before stepping closer as he watched her.

“What’s this section for?” Simone asked, watching as the woman set a box on the ground in front of an empty shelf, flanked by small bookshelves on either side. “Oh, this is my relaxation saltation.” Naoya grinned as she lifted the clear top of the record player, and then reached down to pull out a vinyl from the box. “Well, that’s what it is now.” She said as she placed the Minnie Riperton record onto the player. “It used to be where I taught the kids music. As best I could though. We didn’t have a music teacher here for a while.” She said sheepishly, glancing at them. “Now it’s called the relaxation station. The kids like coming over and picking out their songs. It’s a reward for good behavior.” She shrugged before pressing the machine on, the classroom then being filled with the soft sound of Les Fleurs by Minne Riperton.

“Wow,” Manny said softly, not taking his eye off the woman. “That’s amazing.” He said, this team nodding as they looked around the comfy section. “Naoya glanced at him, a small smile creeping onto her face. “Thank you.” She said softly. They stayed each other in the eye for what felt like forever before the woman gulped and looked away from him, trying to find something to occupy herself. She looked down, her eyes going to the box of records she needed to put away. She squatted as she began unloading them into the section at the bottom of the shelf. She handled the old-school records with care, not wanting to damage the already torn covering and hurt the disc.

Manny couldn’t help but watch with a fond look in his eye, the colorful woman in her own world as she worked, her lips softly singing the song playing in the background.

“What’s this on the board?” Emily asked from the other side of the room, catching their attention. Naoya had just finished when she stood up, rubbing her hands against her jeans. She quickly glanced at Manny, who was already looking at her, before her eyes trailed to the questioning woman near the board, who pointed at the Kanji.

“Oh, those are just words I she a lot so I put Kanji next to them so the kids become familiar.” She said as she walked closer. “We also didn’t have a language teacher here for a while so…” She tried off with a shrug. “I was teaching them the Spanish I learned from the bodega guy growing up but he wasn’t saying anything children should be.” She grinned tensely at them. “Now I just inform them on Japanese when we have free time or if they’re curious, which they usually are.”

“Why Japanese?” Simon asked. Naoya glanced between all of them, a small smile on her face.

“I’m Japanese.” She said with a small smile. “It’s my first language. My mom was a nurse and an English teacher over there for a long time.” She sighed. The other hummed, surprised at the new revelation while Manny admired the woman.

“My mother was a teacher as well.” He said, causing the woman to look his way. “It’s part of the reason why I work at the district now.” He said softly. Noaya started at him, mother of the faces faltering from their soft expressions. She just nodded at what he said. Because she could speak, as if she was going to, Janine spoke up.

“What’s this one mean?” The woman asked, pointing at the unfamiliar Kanji on the board.

“Oh, it’s just love.” She shrugged. “I put it on the board at the beginning of each year because if I was a teacher in Japan, that would be my name.” She said. “Sensei Ai or Ai-aan.” She stated in Japanese, ignoring the impressed looks she gathered from the crew as she continued to explain. “Even though Ai is the general term of love and affection.” She shrugged.

“That is so amazing,” Simon said with a proud grin, looking at the woman. “There is such a diversity of cultures and learning in this classroom. What grade do you teach?” He asked. Naoya was slightly taken aback by his apparent enthusiasm, looking at the man with a small smile. “Fourth grade.” She said.

“Mhm, that’s when all the magic starts to happen.” He said, causing Naoya to nod. Manny glanced between the two, his smile slightly strained as he watched them interact.

“Yeah,” Naoya said. “There is a significant development in their cognitive abilities. The children become more logical and critical thinkers, alongside increased independence, stronger social connections with peers, and a growing awareness of social hierarchies, often navigating feelings like peer pressure and the desire to fit in. They also start thinking more about abstract ideas, and not just about things they can observe.” She explained. Everyone in the room looked at the woman in shock, taking in the information she just dumped on them.

“I majored in Psychology for Human Growth and Development. I was gonna be a children’s therapist but I realized my heart can’t really handle all that.” She said. Some hummed with the other nodded at the woman.

“Well, aren’t you the gift that just keeps on giving? Full of unexpected but pleasant surprises.” Simone said, grinning at the woman. Naoya laughed, waving him off before turning to find something else to do in her class. Manny’s eyes trailed after hard, glancing between her and his coworker.

▣▣▣▣▣▣▣▣▣▣▣▣▣▣▣▣▣▣▣▣▣▣▣▣

Noaya was walking down the hall, talking to Gregory when Janine came out of her classroom, spotting the two. “Oh, hey! Fancy seeing you here.” She joked, speaking to Gregory. “Whatcha got there?” She asked, gesturing to the boxes the pair held.

“Just bringing the books in.” The man said. “Oh, there is a ten-for-ten sale at Nichols Schola Supplies, by the way.” He said while Noaya nodded.

“Oh fuck yeah,” Janine said, catching the two off guard.

“What the hell?” Noaya stated in shock.

“Trying out cursing. Still getting the hang of it.” Janine sighed, seeing their confused and shocked faces. “No was Baltimore?” She quickly tried to change the subject. Noaya sighed, sensing where the conversation was going, and moved to carry the box she held in Gregory’s classroom.

“It was so flat!” Was the first thing she heard from Gregory when she exited the class after luring the box down. She cried in confusion, looking at the cameras before making her way over to the pair.

“What’s you do over the break?” Gregory asked her before glancing over when Naoya came closer, squinting at her. “You too, now that I’m thinking about it.” He said.

“I just spent a lot of time with myself,” Janine answered. “And it was good for me. I feel, sure, centered, good.” She listed with a content smile. “Oh, Jacob, Noaya, Erika and I started going out to brunch together. We’re calling ourselves the Brunch Bunch.” She joked.

“Why not just the Brunch Bunch?” Gregory asked.

“I thought it was just the Brunch Bunch? That’s why I named the group chat.” Naoya said, her brows furrowed.

“Fuck, that’s good,” Janine said. Naoya pursed her lips while Gregory let out a tense exhale, Janine, looked between the two.

“It’s just not working for me, is it?” Janine asked.

“Not quite there,” Gregory said.

“Fuck, no.” Noaya scoffed. Janine snapped her fingers, pointing at the woman. “See, that sounds so much better.” She said. Noaya cocky shrugged before her eyes caught a finger coming up behind Janine.

“Hey,” Manny said. “Teacher of the Year. Gregory Eddie.” He said in his odd accent that she couldn’t help but find endearing. “I heard about that garden you made out front. Really cool, man.” He said.

“Oh! Thanks.” Gregory said. “I like to do it and it makes the school and the street look nice.” He explained with a small shrug.

“Sure does,” Manny said before looking between the two women. “Uh, Ms.Lovell, Ms.Teauges, could I speak to you two for a quick second? Sorry to interrupt.” He said to Gregory. Janine nodded. “Oh, yeah. All good. And you can call me Janine.” She said as she led the man into her room. Gregory and Noaya shared a look before they glanced at the cameras. They then went their separate ways, her into Janine’s class while he went into his own.

“Well, uh, Janine.” Manny begun. “I was talking with the other from the school district. And you two seem to have a ton of great ideas.” Manny complimented, looking between the pair. Janine smiled proudly at him while Noaya shrugged softly.

“There’s this fellowship—.”He started again. “The Robeson Fellowship at the district. We want somebody with in-field experience to come to enhance what the district can do to make schools as efficient as possible.” He explained.

“That sounds like a great opportunity,” Janine said. “I'm pretty sure I can help you find somebody for that.” She stated, glancing at the woman next to her.

“Well, no, I had one of you in mind for it,” Manny said, glancing between the two. Noaya’s eyes widened, immediately shook her head. “Oh! That’s amazing but.” She chicken’s nervously and in shock. “I can’t.” She sighed, trying to come up with an excuse as to why she couldn’t.

“Yeah.” Janine echoed. “I’m flattered but, you know, the summer is when I get a little bit of a break away from school.” She said, causing Noaya to point over at her in agreement.

“This would be doing the school year,” Manny stated.

“But that’s when we’re doing the schooling,” Noaya stated, brows furrowed as she gestured to her class.

“Yes, well, a sub would take over your class. While you’re with us for your duration of the fellowship.” He said. Naoya’s brows raised as she nodded at his words, taking them in. Janine, on the other hand, scoffed out a chuckle. “Sorry, but no.” She said. “I can’t imagine being away from my students, so… I’m flattered but, no, thank you.” She said.

Manny grinned, letting out a small chuckle. “Okay, alright.” He said before he then turned to Naoya, who had her hand behind her back. Her eyes widened slightly, taking in what the man was saying. “Uh, I’ll think it over.” She said with a nervous smile. “I would have to plan so much and, you know, I only have so many ideas.” She shrugged.

“And I bet they’re all great,” Manny told her, his voice very sure of himself as he looked at the woman. Noaya nodded her head, offering him a small smile. “Okay.” She said. Manny nodded before moving his way out of the room. He was on his way out of the room before he turned around, looking between the two.

“Just give it some real thought, okay?” He said, his eyes mainly on Noaya. “You can help make some real change around here. Creative and culturally diverse ideas—.”His eye then trailed to Janine. “And painted walls are just the start.” He gave Noaya another smile, showing his there before making his way out of the room.

Once he was away Noaya sighed, throwing her head back. “I’m gonna go complain to Jacob.” She sighed before exiting the room to make her way upstairs.

[s-ublimewrites]

writing sonnets (melissa schemmenti x f!reader)

synopsis: your students tease you relentlessly and melissa can't help but to join in

words: ~1.4k

warnings: none i think? wholesome borderline crack

note: im not sure i ever actually gender the reader here? but f!reader to cover my own ass<3

Don’t get it twisted - you love the inquisitive nature of your students, you really do. It’s something every eighth grade English teacher longs for. But your fourth period class has a certain knack for getting you off topic with their curiosity. On this particular day - a Friday, so blissfully close to freedom - you have relinquished all control and let them fall down the rabbit hole of fanfiction, of all things. Leave it to middle schoolers. 

They had only been learning about first, second, and third person narration - so innocuous, you didn’t see how you could possibly be derailed. Maybe you’d make it through the lesson, and you could relish in the four minutes of silence you get between periods, and-

“Where is second person narration used?” Angel doesn’t bother raising his hand, and you don’t bother admonishing him.  

You think briefly. “Honestly, not many pieces of published works use it - not that I’ve seen, anyway. We don’t talk about it much. I’ve really only seen the second person used in one place.”

You intend to leave it at that, but of course, Angel pushes. 

“Where?” he asks. 

In the second you use to inhale before tackling the question, Kennedy takes the liberty of answering: “Fanfiction, duh. That self-insert stuff.”

You can’t help it - a laugh bubbles out, and this is the moment everything begins to spiral. 

“Yeah,” you collapse into your desk chair, “Kennedy’s right. Fanfiction.”

Kennedy takes the opportunity - it’s been presented to her on a silver platter, really. “You know about fanfiction, Y/L/N?” 

“Sweetheart, my generation invented fanfiction. And I’m a writer. This was my game before you were even born.”

Angel is on his feet, his hands slamming on his desk and his voice rising with excitement, “WHERE CAN WE READ YOUR FANFICTION?” 

“Oh, my God, no. You can’t. It’s not on the internet or anything, I’d just, like… send it to my friends, or whatever,” you insist, hands coming to cover your red face as you laugh. 

The class, buzzing with chatter and giggles, continues to harass you. “So, what, Ms Schemmenti reads your fanfiction?”

Your hands are still covering your face. “No, Ms Schemmenti most certainly does not!”

“That’s because the fanfiction is about Ms Schemmenti. Y’all see how Y/L/N be looking at her in the halls,” someone says, and several others voice their agreement. 

“She’s down bad for real.”

“What?!” your head snaps up, eyes searching for whoever made the comment. The bell rings before you can get your answer. “Get out of my room, you absolute little monsters. Have a good weekend, please read chapter th- oh, okay, you’re gone. Cool. Awesome.” 

You look at the camera. It zooms in on your red, deadpan face. You drop your forehead onto the desk. 

-

When you walk into the lounge at the end of the day, you slump into the chair beside Janine, who’s engaged in a conversation about a scrabble tournament (sober scrabble - boring) with Jacob and Gregory. Barbara listens, not contributing, surely stockpiling the information so she can tell Melissa later. Melissa, who is thankfully not in the room at the moment. You think you would burst into flames. 

Janine halts her conversation about triple word scores when you throw yourself down into the chair by her. 

“Rough day?” Janine asks tentatively. 

“Long. The kids were focused on literally anything other than The Outsiders.” 

Janine nods. “I get it. Fridays, y’know? It’s always hard to keep them on task.” 

“Well, Y/N,” Jacob starts with a smirk, “my students were actually pretty interested in the topics of your class today. It’s all they could talk about when they sat down for seventh period.” 

You glare at him hard and warn, “Jacob. Do not.” 

Janine looks back and forth between you both and turns to Gregory. “Is there something I’m missing?”

“No,” you say sternly. Your eyes don’t leave Jacob’s shit-eating grin. “Not a thing.”

Jacob, it seems, has exceptionally few survival instincts and carries on giddily, “Y/N’s students found out she writes fanfiction-“

And, oh, good, Barbara is listening now, too. “Fan-fiction?” 

“Why is everyone saying that word today? It’s all I’ve been hearing in the halls since, like, fourth period.” Melissa asks, striding into the break room and taking the seat next to you. 

“I’m going to have to transfer schools,” you say, closing your eyes. 

Melissa pays this no mind. “All the older kids keep looking at me, too. It’s weird.”

You glare daggers at Jacob, whose face must hurt from the width of his smile. 

“So weird!” Jacob says innocently. 

Melissa narrows her eyes. 

“Why are you being weird? And not normal Jacob weird,” she questions, turning to you. “Why is he being weird?”

You slam your boot into Jacob’s shin under the table. “He’s not. No one’s being weird.” 

Melissa’s eyes flick back and forth between the two of you suspiciously. “Okay, someone tell me right now - what the hell is a fanfiction, and what does it have to do with me? And, apparently, Y/N?”

“Melissa, I am so glad you’ve asked, allow me to explain-“ Jacob starts, leaning across the table toward Melissa. 

“Oh my God,” you cut him off. Time to swallow your pride. 

You explain the situation… sort of. You explain in a watered-down way that incriminates you less. 

“So, yeah, they found out, and because I said ‘friend’ they connected it to you, and they misconstrued the whole thing, and it’s literally not a big deal-“ you're rambling and she knows it. 

“Wait,” Gregory stops you, “so this is why I heard Angel say ‘Y/L/N be writing sonnets about that red hair’ during lunch?”

Janine raises her eyebrows. “‘Sonnet?’ Pretty good vocab word.”

“Thank you, Janine! And thank you for focusing on the important part of the matter at hand: my impeccable teaching skills.” 

“So,” Barbara chimes in, “do you or do you not write these little stories about Melissa?”

“Barbara!” You’re mortified. “No! I do not!”

At long last, Melissa speaks. You don’t need to look at her to know there’s a smirk on her lips. “She doesn’t need to. Clearly, the material writes itself.”

“Melissa,” you plead. 

Melissa laughs that laugh, the one that makes the corners of your mouth turn up despite your discomfort. 

“Maybe that could be your end-of-the-year writing project for the kids - make them write that fanfiction,” Melissa teases. 

“You’re just as bad as Angel!” You laugh incredulously and let your hand smack Melissa’s shoulder. The others don’t miss the way Melissa doesn’t break your fingers at the gesture. 

In fact, Melissa's eyes soften as she bumps your shoulder with her own. “No, no, I can see it - newbie woos the Philly Eleven. There’s potential there.” 

You roll your eyes. “Well, I am pretty charming.”

“I’m going home,” Barbara stands up with a polite (if somewhat exasperated) smile, “Very glad we got this out of the way. Have a good weekend, everyone. Y/N… call me later.”

Barbara pats Melissa’s shoulder with a pointed look toward you, and takes her leave rapidly. 

“Uh,” you stare after her. “Yep. Bye, Barb.” 

Melissa’s eyebrow quirks up. “What was that?”

“Dunno,” you reply. “I’m sure you’ll know everything approximately five minutes after I hang up with her, though, so don’t worry.” 

Janine butts in (ah, yeah, the nerds are still here), “You guys call Barbara? Can I have her cell number? I always want to ask her but-“

“No,” you and Melissa say in unison, and Janine sighs heavily. 

You heave out a sigh of your own. “I need to go home - moreover I need to be somewhere no one is asking me about my nonexistent fanfiction habits.”

You stand, and Melissa stands with you as you both gather your belongings. “Impossible. I have your phone number.”

You “accidentally” smack Melissa with your purse, and Melissa “mistakenly” shoves her chair into your leg in a way that makes your knee buckle, and the rest of the Abbot crew watch the scene in morbid fascination. Because the cold hard truth is that if anyone else had dared to do… well, any of this, Melissa would be shoving her earrings into her pocket and removing her heels. Fight or fight instinct, y’know? 

Instead, though, she just swears at you in Italian as you head for the door, grinning widely when you return the sentiment in plain english. 

Ava entering the lounge halts you in your tracks. 

“Y’all will never guess what Angel just emailed me,” Ava exclaims, holding up her phone. “Did you know he knows the word ‘sonnet’? Proud of him.”

“Forward me that?”

Another smack from you. “Melissa, stop!” 

[vicky-0933]

I am running on redbull, so early in the morning, but here is a snippet of the new story I am working on, please let me know if you like it.

————————————————————————-

For over a decade, Melissa Schemmenti had been a pillar of wisdom and warmth at Abbot Elementary. Her students adored her, her colleagues respected her, as they were scared of her, (sometimes), but she was the one that was always there for her students more. When they were bullied, she was the one they would go to, if they need help with their disabilities, she was the one to be there and help. She had guided many through the trials of adolescence, though going through of some of her own. She loved her students but one caught her eye, Yn Ln.

Yn had been one of Melissa’s brightest pupils, a lover of books and deep discussions. After she moved one to other classes and she grew, she had always stayed to see her old teacher to debate the themes of love and longing in classic novels. Melissa had admired her sharp mind and boundless curiosity. When Yn graduated and left for high school and then college, Melissa had felt an inexplicable pang of loss, one she quickly buried beneath lesson plans and faculty meetings.

Years passed, and Melissa never expected to see Yn again, until one September morning, when Yn walk in the front of the school seeing her old school, the one she had always loved. “Oh hi you must be the teacher here” you see a short lady walk to you, “My name is Janine Teagues, I am a teacher her here, I teach second grade.” Janine introduced herself, taking out her hand an, “Oh hi I am Yn Ln, I was a student here, and now I am here to teach the third grade” you say, she gasp, “Really you use to go here thats something” she says surprised.

She talks about the school, and she walk with you to your classroom, “This is your classroom, and I am going to let you settle down in here, but I’m a bit I am going to come back and show you around a bit” Janine says as she leaves, you take in the room, as it remind you of the things you did in the class. As you are making plans on what to put inside your classroom, you hear multiple people walk in your room, “And this is Mrs. Yn Ln, she is our new teacher” you hear Janine say.

You turn to see a tall man, and a an other guy next to him, “Oh my god, I can’t believe we have a new teacher, Hi I am Jacob Hill, I am a history teacher here, I am so happy to meet you” Jacob says while walking up to you, grabbing your to shake it, “Oh um hi” you say surprised, “Jacob give her some space please, she just got here” you hear a voice say, “Hi I am Gregory Eddie, I am a first grade teacher here” Gregory says while he pulls Jacob away from you.

“Well hello to all of you, I am happy to meet you all” you say, after a little while, “oh and it’s Ms. Ln, I am not married” you say to Janine in a soft way, “Oh my god I am so sorry” she say to you, “oh it’s ok” you say chuckling a bit, “well anyways I am bit hungry, do you think you guys can take me to the lunch room” you say, and all agree and walk with you to teachers lounge.

As you all walk into the teachers’ lounge, you see a few more teacher but on sticks out, Mrs. Barbra Howard. “Omg Mrs. Howard, your still here” you say and she looks at you, “yes I am dear and who may you be” Barbra asks you, “oh right, I am Yn Ln I was in your class, I was the one who would reading and we talk about the book along with Mrs. Schemmenti, it’s ok if you don’t remember me” you say kinda shyly, hoping that she remembers you.

“Oh Yn, yes I do remember you, you little book worm, how have you been? I know it’s been a long time since you’ve been here, are you are new teacher for the third grade” Barbra ask you, and you nod, “yea I saw that Abbott needed a new teacher so I asked to go in and they put me here, and now I am very happy o be here” you say in excitement, you sit next to her and talk to her, she grabs your hand and smiles, you remember all the things you used to talk about from love books to personal experiences.

You guys were so into your conversation that you didn’t notice that another person came in and was looking you, “Umm excuse me, who are you and what are you doing in my seat” you hear someone say, you and Barbra stop your conversation and look at who it was, “Mrs. Schemmenti?” You say seeing her after so long, Melissa blinked, as if trying to make sure she wasn’t dreaming. “Yn?” She just looks at you, “Is that you” she asks, you kid and stand up, she takes your hand, momentarily speechless. “Wow kid, I thought I would never see you again and now your here” Melissa says to as she hugs you. “and it Ms. Schemmenti now, I am not married” Melissa says, “Oh right” you said rubbing your neck.

“Oh let me move so you can down, Ms. Schemmenti, and then I will head out to starts getting ready for tomorrow” you say slowly walking out but then Melissa grabs your arm, and pulls you towards her, hugging you. “Nonsense kid, stay here a bit, I know it’s been a while since we talked, I would like to catch up with you, and please call me Melissa now” Melissa says while rubbing your back, you melt into the hug, “Oh my god, I’ve never seen her like this before” you hear Jacob say, “Youse got a problem with it kid” Melissa says while rubbing with a sharp tone.

“Oh no, it’s just that your never like this with anyone, so I am surprised to see you all soft with someone” Jacob says while rubbing as Melissa let’s go of you but keeps your arm on your waist keep you close to her. You blush and look away from her, “So, I’m not going soft for any of you, except Barbra” Melissa says. You snicker, and she loos at you, “I see you haven’t changed did ya, Melissa” you said in a teasing tone, and Melissa takes a gasp of breath, but she quickly hides it and pulls you down to sit next to her.

————————————————————————-

Please me know what you think.

[unknowntoyou2205]

Sparkling Lights

Info: Young y/n Bridgerton loves everything to with Christmas, especially the lights that line the streets in December

Relationship: Bridgerton family x sister reader

Anthony Bridgerton watched with a roll of his eyes as his 5 year old sister bounced around the place, excitement evident through her. Today was the first week in December, and the town were going to turn on their lights to officially kick off the Christmas season. Each year they made a big event of it, with the Queen hosting a ball for the newly wedded couples of the year , one which even the children could join. The eldest Bridgerton knew how much his sister loved Christmas, but ever since she could talk it seemed her excitement had grown.

“Y/n, please calm down, you will cause yourself injury.” Anthony scolded the child before looking to the door as his wife walked in. “Oh let her be, she is excited for what’s to come.” Kate smiled, wrapping her arms around her husband from behind. “Yes brother, you do know why y/n is like this.” Benedict remarked from the bay window, paint brush in hand. “I do, but I would much rather not have y/n miss the one ball she can attend to.” Anthony raised his voice at the last bit, looking at y/n as she quietened down. “How much longer?” The little girl whined to her brothers, running over to pull out of Anthony’s arm. “Perhaps you should go find mama, getting ready may speed things up for you.” Anthony teased his youngest sister, poking her nose causing y/n to giggle. “I’m gonna wear a red dress.” Y/n remarked, running out of the room. “Oh how lovely, she shall be easy to find should she go missing.” Colin smiled from his spot by the fire. “Colin.” Penelope hushed her husband, not wanting y/n to act up on that statement.

---

“Easy y/n, please.” Voilet’s Voice was heard from up the stairs. “Yes mama.” Y/n’s little voice was heard.

Benedict stifled his laugh from the top of the stairs behind his mother as he watched y/n all but run down the stairs in her little red dress. Her mother had been against the vibrant red, but y/n had managed to convince the retired Viscountess to allow her to get it. Anthony and Kate waited down the stairs, looking up at the young girl that rushed down the stairs, eager to get going. Wanting to prevent any injury, Anthony moved to the last step and picked y/n up, causing her to giggle.

“Well, look at you.” Anthony smiled, holding y/n on his hip before poking her chest lightly. “I wearing red.” Y/n pointed proudly to herself. “I see that.” Anthony smiled, looking at y/n’s colourful dress choice. “You look lovely y/n.” Kate commented her new sister, tucking a piece of hair behind the little ones ear. “Must we all attend tonight.” Eloise asked, coming down the stairs with her mother in toll, tugging at the fabric of her dress. “Yes, we are going as a family. I will hear no complaints.” Voilet tapped her daughters shoulder, giving her the eye to stop fidgeting. “I agree, what a wonderful thing for us all to attend.” Colin stated, coming down with Hyacinth & Gregory beside him. “Are we all ready?” Violet asked her children, sharing a look with Kate. “Let’s go, let’s go.” Y/n wiggled in her brothers grip, trying to get out. “Don’t wander y/n, and put on your coat.” Anthony called out to his sister. “Should you think she heard you?” Eloise asked her brother, watching her baby sister run off. “I don’t believe so.” Benedict shook his head, causing Anthony to glare at him before taking the youngest’s jacket from the door man.

---

The town was packed with families from all over London, and Violet struggled to hold y/n’s hand as she tried to drag her mother towards the front. Seeing his mother’s struggle, Benedict took y/n’s hand before picking her up, ignoring as little hands tried to push him away.

“For a better view.” Benedict remarked, and y/n stopped at that.

Anthony and Kate walked hand in hand, smiling at each other as they walked the streets. Behind them was Penelope and Colin, who were laughing at something Penelope had observed. Hyacinth and Gregory walked obediently in front of the adults, and Eloise tagged along behind them, folding her arms as if all she wanted was to get away from here. The night was chilly, but the crowds made it tolerable. Feeling her brother come to a stop, y/n grew excited and looked around, giddy for what was to come. Violet placed her arms around Hyacinth and Gregory as they all waited for the lights to turn on.

Y/n bounced in her brothers arms as the crowd started to count down. She wasn’t very good with numbers, but she knew when the crowd started chanting, the lights would soon turn on. Benedict kissed his sisters cheek as she leaned closer to him, thinking it would help her to see. She clapped happily when the lights turned on, causing her brother to laugh.

“You happy y/n?” Benedict teased her, adjusting her to have a comfortable hold on her. “They’re so sparkly.” Y/n spoke in amazement, looking above at the strands of light. “There just lights y/n, nothing special.” Gregory remarked, and Violet squeezed him tighter. “Don’t upset your sister Gregory.” Violet stated, not wanting to catch a scene. “She’s so amazed.” Penelope stated, smiling slightly at the youngest. “Ever since our y/n has been a babe she has loved the lights.” Colin explained to his wife. “She was only in mothers arms when she would stare up at them with a wide smile.” Benedict admitted, tucking some hair behind y/n’s eyes. “We used to have a small set of Christmas lights on her roof so she would sleep because she didn’t understand where they went.” Anthony explained, an arm around his wife’s waist. “We don’t know why, she just took to them.” Benedict shrugged, watching his sister with a smile. “I wanna touch them.” Y/n stated, and Anthony jumped forward to grab her hand. “No no, hot y/n.” Anthony spoke harshly, trapping her arm in his hand. “Aww.” Y/n pouted, not understanding. “When does the party start?” Hyacinth asked, wanting to go to the ball. “Ball Hyacinth, not party.” Violet corrected her, “We’ll make our way now.” “Can I stay here?” Y/n asked, glaring at Anthony as she pulled away from him. “Sorry y/n, you’ll see them on the way home.” Anthony smiled at his sister, who frowned in disappointment.

--------------------------------------

For the duration of the night, y/n never moved from the window, staring out at the light. She smiled at the sparkling of them at the window, and Benedict chuckled at his youngest sisters antics.

“She really loves those lights.” Benedict admired. “I do wish she would stay away from the window.” Violet sighed, eyeing her youngest. “She’s only five, leave her be.” Lady Danbury commented with a slight smile.

“Hey y/n, you gonna move away from the window any time soon?” Colin asked, smirking at his sister. “They’re so pretty.” y/n murmured, dancing her finger along the window. “They’ll still be there tomorrow night. Come dance with us.” Colin smiled, offering his hand. “Can we dance near the window?” Y/n asked, fluttering her eyelashes. “Well I..” “We can dance wherever you like.” Benedict interrupted her brother. “Hey, don’t steal my dance partner.” Colin joked, hitting Benedict on the chest. “You have Penelope, I have no one.” Benedict announced dramatically, taking y/n’s hand before twirling her. “Make sure we can see the lights.” Y/n stated. “We can see the lights, don’t worry.” Benedict smiled, taking her into his arms to make sure she could see them.

[fanfics4all]

Pure-Blood Potter: Chapter 22

Request: Yes / No  This was requested by @loxbbg

Requests are closed <3 Have a nice day/night

Draco Malfoy x Fem!Potter!Reader (Eventually)

James Potter x OC Arabella Renaud

Harry Potter x Half-sister!Reader

Word count: 2265

Warnings: Nothing I think!

Y/N: Your Name 

Y/N/N: Your Nickname

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(Not my photo, credit to whoever made it!)

Draco and I had fallen asleep and ended up missing supper. I woke up in the morning and looked around confused. I saw Vincent, Gregory, and Blaise all finishing up getting ready. Blaise was the first to notice me awake and smirked at me. 

“Morning, Princess.” He said and I rolled my eyes. 

“Why didn’t you wake us?” I asked, rubbing the sleep from my eyes. 

“We tried, you two were completely out.” Vincent said. 

“Come on, let’s let her get ready. We’ll save you guys seats.” Blaise said as he pushed Vincent and Gregory out. I looked over at Draco and smiled slightly. He always looked so peaceful while he was sleeping. I slipped out of the bed and made my way to the bathroom. I quickly got ready and looked down at my messed up uniform. I was definitely going to need to stop in at my room to get a new uniform. Although, the boys weren’t in uniform when they were getting ready. I shrugged and walked out to find Draco sitting up and rubbing his eyes. 

“Morning, sleepy head.” I said and he looked over at me with a smile. 

“Morning, love. You look like you’re feeling better.” He said as he got up. I nodded with a small smile. 

“That was the best sleep I’ve gotten in a bit.” I said and he smiled at me. 

“Good, now you wanna talk about what happened in class?” He asked and I sighed. 

“We’re going to miss breakfast.” I said and he shook his head. 

“It’s fine, we’ll get something in Hogsmeade. Now come talk to me.” He said, gently pulling me over to his bed. We sat down and I looked at him confused.

“Hogsmeade?” I asked and he chuckled. 

“Did you forget we’re going to Hogsmeade today? You did get your permisionslip signed, right?” He asked and my eyes widened. 

“That’s today? Merlin I didn’t even notice.” I said and he laughed. 

“You did get it signed though, right?” He asked and I nodded.  

“Good. Now talk to me, Y/N, I know you’re hurting about what happened in DADA yesterday.” He said. He took on of my hands in his and I looked up at him. His brow was furrowed in worry and he was gently rubbing my hand with his thumb to comfort me. 

“Professor Lupin helped when he spoke with me.” I whispered. 

“What did he say?” He asked. 

“He knew my Father when they were in Hogwarts. He told me about how Father told him and his other friends how excited he was when Mother told him she was pregnant with me. He also said Father was heartbroken when Mother said he’d never be able to see me…” I answered. Draco gave my hand a small squeeze and I looked up at him with a sad smile. 

“He said he’s never seen Father so heartbroken in his life. He also said that Father wanted to be a part of my life so badly. He told me that Harry’s Mother, Lilly hoped my Mother would change her mind and let Father see me.” I said and he sighed. 

“Perhaps if you Father hadn’t died she would have. You know your Mother just wants to see you happy.” He said and I smiled at him. 

“I know, Professor Lupin said Mother was just trying to protect me, but I’m not sure what she was trying to protect me from.” I said and Draco shrugged. 

“Your Grandparents, perhaps?” He offered and I shrugged. 

“Perhaps.” I said. 

“Why don’t you ask her? I’m sure she’ll tell you.” He asked and I shrugged. 

“I think it hurts her to talk about my Father… She feels guilty.” I said with a frown. 

“If you really want to know, she’ll tell you.” He said and I sighed. 

“I know you’re right, but I don’t want to hurt her.” I said and he squeezed my hand. 

“You won’t. Now, about that bloody Hufflepuff.” He said and I rolled my eyes. 

“We’re not on bad terms, Dray, you don’t need to go and hex him or something.” I said and he sneered. 

“Not on bad terms? He bloody broke up with you on your birthday!” He said and I shook my head. 

“Yes he did, but he had a good reason to break up with me. Besides, he comforted me recently.” I said and he looked at me confused. 

“When?” He asked. 

“That morning I left breakfast because Ron and Harry were bothering me.” I said and he rolled his eyes. 

“What did they do to you?” He growled. 

“Nothing, Dray, they just were saying unkind things about you and I just needed to leave.” I said and he pulled me into his side. 

“You shouldn’t bother being around them.” He said and I sighed. 

“They’re actually not that bad, when they’re not bad mouthing you.” I said and he groaned. 

“Don’t tell me you actually like them.” He said and I shrugged. 

“My brother isn’t as awful as I thought he’d be.” I said and he groaned. 

“You’re killing me, love.” He said and I giggled. 

“Just be nice and everything will be fine.” I said and kissed his cheek. 

“No promises, now you go get dressed and I’ll meet you down in the common room.” He said and I nodded. I left Draco’s room and headed into my own. It was empty since everyone was at breakfast. I opened my closet and started looking through my clothes. I quickly picked out a nice outfit and smiled to myself. I got dressed in a white long-sleeved shirt, gray jeans, my white and black sneakers, and a gray jacket. 

I grabbed my permission slip and headed down to the common room. I found Draco sitting on the couch dressed in his usual all black. He looked up at me and smiled. 

“You look amazing, love.” He said as he stood up.

“Thank you, you look handsom as always.” I said. He took my hand and led me out of the common room and towards the front of the castle. I wrapped my arm around his and smiled up at him. 

“Will you come to Hundukes with me?” I asked and he chuckled. 

“Of course, love, but first we need to eat.” He said and I nodded. 

“Agreed, I think I’ll get some porridge.” I said. 

“You enjoy that, I’ll be having a full English.” He said and I rolled my eyes. Draco loves a full English. 

“Of course you will.” I said. We made it to the courtyard where all the students were waiting. We handed our slips to Filtch and walked over to our friends. 

“Blaise told me you two made up.” Pansy said with a smirk. Draco glared at her and Blaise while I blushed slightly. 

“Pansy, don’t you have something to say to our dear Y/N?” Blaise asked with a small smirk. She glared at him slightly before turning back to face me. 

“I’m sorry for coming up with a stupid plan when we didn’t even need it…” She said and I giggled. 

“It’s fine Pans.” I said and she smiled at me. 

“Perfect! So you’re going to come to Fickle Fabrics with me, right?” She asked Draco pulled me closer to him. 

“I’m taking Y/N to Honeydukes.” He said and she pouted a bit. 

“You can’t hog her all day!” She said. 

“I haven’t spent much time with her recently and I plan on making it up to her today.” He said and Pansy rolled her eyes. 

“How about next trip I spend it with you, Pans?” I offered and she smiled. 

“The whole trip?” She asked. 

“You can’t hog her all day.” Blaise said, making the boys laugh. 

“Oh but Draco can!?” She asked with her arms crossed. 

“Okay, okay, let’s calm down.” I said and Draco wrapped his arms around me. 

“Fine, next trip you’re coming to Fickle Fabrics with me!” Pansy said and I nodded. 

“I promise.” I said. 

“I need everyone’s attention!” Professor McGonagall called and we all turned to face her. 

“Now remember, these visits to Hogsmeade village are a privilege. Should your behavior reflect poorly on the school in any way, that privilege shall not be extended again.” She said. Just as she finished Harry ran up to her with his slip. 

“No permission form signed, no visiting the village. That’s the rule, Potter.” She said to him and I frowned slightly. I looked over at Hermione and Ron and they both looked upset that he couldn’t come. 

“All those with permission, follow me. Those without, stay put.” Filtch said and started walking with Professor McGonagall. Harry stopped her and I stopped Draco from pulling me along. 

“I’ll meet up with you in a bit.” I said and he groaned. 

“Come on, love, you don’t need to stay around for that idiot.” He said and I shot him a look. 

“I promise I’m coming, just give me a minute.” I said and he sighed. 

“Fine, but if you’re not out of the courtyard in five minutes I’m coming back here and dragging you out.” He said and I chuckled. 

“Fine, fine.” I said and waved him off. He kissed my cheek and left with the rest of our friends. 

“I can’t. Only a parent of guardian can sign. Since I am neither, it would be inappropriate. I’m sorry, Potter. That’s my final word.” Professor McGonagall said before walking off. I walked next to Hermione and Ron, who both looked at him sadly. 

“Harry didn’t get his signed?” I whispered and Hermione shook her head. 

“Forget about it, guys. See you later.” Harry said and turned around. 

“Harry wait!” I called and rushed up to him. He turned to look at me. 

“Your Aunt and Uncle wouldn’t sign?” I asked and he shook his head. 

“They hate anything to do with magic, I’m lucky I’m even at Hogwarts.” He said and I frowned. 

“Why do they hate magic?” I asked. 

“My Aunt always said my Mother was a freak because she was a witch, she hated my Dad too.” He said and I frowned more. 

“I’m sorry.” I said and he smiled at me. 

“It’s alright, Y/N. Go have fun with Ron and Hermione.” He said and I bit my lip. 

“Um… actually Draco and I made up. Turns out he wasn’t dating Pansy and it was just a stupid plan to get me to break up with Cedric. I suppose I should have told them sooner that he broke up with me.” I said and Harry’s eyes widened. 

“And you just forgave him?” He asked and I shrugged. 

“He plans on making it up to me on this trip.” I answered. 

“He’s still a git and that’s not going to change, Y/N. What happens if he does something like this again? Will you just forgive him like nothing again?” He asked and I narrowed my eyes at him. 

“I didn’t forgive him like it was nothing! We fought about it last night and made up.” I said, crossing my arms. 

“Whatever, have fin on your trip with Malfoy.” He said, spitting his name like venom. I took a deep breath and stopped Harry from leaving. 

“Listen, Harry, just because I’ve made up with Draco doesn’t mean we can’t still get to know one another. I… I kind of like having a brother…” I whispered and he gave me a small smile. 

“You’re not just going to ditch us?” He asked and I shook my head. 

“I just wish you won’t talk bad about Draco so much.” I said and he chuckled. 

“We’ll see.” He said and I smiled. 

“Now go have a fun trip.” He said and I nodded. 

“Fine, would you like me to bring you back anything?” I asked and he shook his head. 

“You don’t have to.” He said and I shrugged. 

“But I’d like to.” I said and he shook his head. 

“Don’t worry about me, Y/N/N, just have fun.” He said and I sighed. 

“Fine, but I’m getting you something whether you like it or not!” I said and ran off before he could say anything else. 

I met up with my friends and Draco wrapped his arm around me. I snuggled into his side and sighed happily. We made it to Hogsmead rather quickly and Draco took me to the Three Broomsticks right away. We sat down and ordered breakfast. Once we finished eating we headed to Honeydukes were Draco and I bought plenty of sweets. Then Draco wanted to go visit Spintwitches Sporting Needs. We looked around and Draco bought a couple of things for Quidditch, which he was very excited about. I had found some nice Quidditch gloves and bought them for Harry. Draco gave me a look as I was purchasing them. 

“I’m getting them for Harry.” I said as the witch handed me the bag. 

“For Potter?” Draco scoffed as we left the store. 

“I feel bad he couldn’t come.” I said and Draco rolled his eyes. 

“It’s not your fault he bloody forgot to get it signed.” He said. 

“He didn’t forget, his Aunt and Uncle wouldn’t sign.” I said and Draco rolled his eyes again. 

“It’s still not your fault.” He grumbled. 

“It’s called being nice Draco.” I said with a smirk and he rolled his eyes with a smile. 

“No more Potter talk the rest of the trip.” He said, wrapped his arm around me. 

“Alright, fine.” I said as he led us to another store.

Tag list: @psamathegoesrawr @kkmstblog @nox-ceur @nighttimemoonlover @aactuaaltraash @solacestyles @smoooore @wonderstruks @les-bio-lie @tashy-bear @ashwarren32 @hollie-blogs-blog1 @lover-of-books-and-tea @nerdygaloresposts @teenwolfbitches28 @kmc1989 @drw0301bieber @lady-of-lies @ravenmoore14 @ravenempress101 @cillianchamp @rowanthomasknapp @rachelxwayne @ready-4-fanfiction @in-slytherin-we-trust @accio-rogers @sambucky8 @bruisedfists-and-splitlips @answer-the-sirens @andreasworlsboring101 @vanessa-kom-skaikru @impulse-anchor @psamathegoesrawr @nighttimemoonlover @liz-owl

[tightjeansjavi]

Burning in a Hopeless Dream

Boston QZ: Part 12

“Hearts Don’t Break Around Here”

Joel Miller x f!o/c

A/N: this actually might have been my favorite chapter to write. It’s so beautiful ♡

Summary: just a group of friends/lovers pretending that the horrors that lay outside a white picket fence, no longer exist for a day. No apocalypse, no death, no carnage, no violence. Just good wine, full bellies, laughter and oh, love. Lots and lots of love.

~word count: 7k~

Warnings: implied age gap, established relationship, brief mentions of angst, swearing, soft! joel, he’s so sweet your teeth will hurt! joel, fluff, consumption of alcohol, nicknames, so much flirting, teasing, feelings, emotion, comforting themes, light smut, consent, consent, consent, cockwarming. (+18) minors dni!

Songs for this chapter:

“Hearts Don’t Break Around Here” by Ed Sheeran

“Second Chances” by Gregory Alan Isakov

“Kiss Me” by Ed Sheeran

“From Eden” by Hozier

“Like Real People Do” by Hozier

“The Last Waltz” by Engelbert Humperdinck

“Heaven” by Niall Horan

“Somethin’ Stupid” by Nancy & Frank Sinatra

“A Man Without Love” by Engelbert Humperdinck

June 2021 : Boston QZ

“Oh my god, she has fuckin turned you into a goddamn marshmallow!” Tess was in absolute disbelief when Joel Miller sat across from her, with chipped purple nail polish on his nails.

He let out a scoff while he tried to hide his small grin. Yeah, okay maybe you had turned this grumpy man into a marshmallow. Soft, fluffy, gooey. All the things that no one would ever believe Joel Miller could actually be. “It’s just a bit of nail polish, Tess. It ain’t that big of a deal.”

The two friends sat across from each other in the community square. It was blazing out. The sun was beating down on them unforgivingly. They each had a cup of homemade hooch in front of them. Joel would have been back at the apartment with you but you had kicked him out. Not permanently, of course. Just for a few hours because as much as you loved having him there every waking moment of the day, you needed your space. Of course, your newfound lover fought you on it at first, until he reluctantly gave in. He supposed that a bit of space from each other wouldn’t do any harm.

Tess had grinned at him over the rim of her cup. It was pretty glaringly obvious that Joel had it bad for you. “Where is she anyway? I Expected you two to be tied at the hip, if you weren’t already.”

“She kicked me out.” He took a sip then before adding, “Not permanently. Think i’ve been suffocating her a bit. She wanted some space to herself. Can’t really blame her, but you know how I am.”

“You’re as stubborn as a mule Joel.”

“You’re right. Ain’t nothin gonna change that either.” He looked around for a moment and felt the sweat dripping down the back of his neck from the blazing sun. “So, what’re you doin out here Tess? You got a hot date you’re waitin for or somethin?”

When she didn’t immediately respond, he raised his brow in her direction. He could see her cheeks heating up and it sure as hell wasn’t from the sun. “Oh my god, was I right on the money with that? No fuckin way. Who is it? You gotta tell me now c’mon.” He was intrigued, and unashamedly excited for her. Tess deserved happiness just as much as he did. Although, he was still getting used to it. Feeling for someone again. Opening his heart up, piece by piece. It wasn’t easy by any means, but he’d do it a 1000 times over for you.

“Yeah, okay. I am waitin for a hot date, but before you say anything–” She had paused when she saw Beatrix approaching and Joel had turned his head to see where she was looking. Using his hand to shield his face from the sun and when he spotted Beatrix. He couldn’t help but slowly look over at Tess, a grin tugging on his lips. “Ohhh. I see now. You and Beatrix, huh? When did that happen?”

“Been happening for a while now, Miller.” Beatrix responded to his question as she stood alongside the makeshift table and looked over her girlfriend, shooting her a little wink.

“Beatrix.” He nodded and gestured to the empty seat. “Makes sense. Considerin Tess has been pretty much absent from the apartment. Y’know it’s uh–it’s nice that y’all have each other I mean–” He rubbed the back of his neck slightly.

Beatrix let out a light laugh and nudged her girl then. “Man, you weren’t kiddin when you said he’s gone completely soft. You alright there Joel? Is the sun starting to get to ya?”

He grumbled under his breath and crossed his arms over his chest. “I ain’t goin soft. Just think it’s nice y’all are happy.”

“He let her paint his nails, Bea. The man has it down bad.”

“y’know that is actually pretty fuckin sweet. You’re a lucky man, Miller.”

“Oh, you’ve got no idea.” He wanted to say more. It was on the tip of his tongue. All the ways you had made him feel. In a way, it infuriated him because this was never supposed to happen. You had shown up and wrecked all his plans, if he would even call them that. You and your smile, your ferocity, your wit. Hell, he could easily compile a list of all of your attributes. It would end up being a mile long, but he could do it. Yeah, he had it pretty bad.

The three fall into a comfortable chatter. As if they are long-time friends, meeting at the bar for a casual drink. Catching up on one another’s lives. Who’s married, how many kids do you have now? Do you still hate your job? Did you ever find love? Are you happy? Except, there is no bar. There’s the Boston Quarantine Zone, crumbling more and more each day. Crawling with FEDRA, Fireflies, infected, raiders, and cowardly men like Robert.

It’s easy to forget the hardship, violence, and death taking place just outside your window when you’ve found yourself in love. Finding one person who makes it all worth living again. Joel Miller was unashamedly in love. There was no hiding it. It was written across his weathered face, burnished between his two thick brows; melded thoughtfully through the ridges on his forehead. His hardness towards the world was slowly melting away, dripping in a puddle beside his worn boots. You made Joel Miller want to live again.

“Oh, before I forget, Frank radioed in this mornin. Said somethin about a summer solstice get-together? Guess he’s the only one makin an effort to keep track of dates and the seasons. Anyway, figured you wanna go Tess. Oh, and Beatrix. You should come along as well. If you’re lookin for a taste of hospitality.” He had lightly nudged Tess’s boot with his own and shot her a little grin.

“Summer solstice get-together? Yeah, that’s got Frank written all over it.” She looked over at Beatrix and nodded. “Yeah Bea, you should come with us. Only if you want to, that is.”

“Well, I gotta come now cause I'm pretty intrigued to see what exactly a summer solstice get-together really is. I’m all in, babe.”

Joel thought Tess and Beatrix looked good together. Genuinely he was happy for her. For them. They complimented each other nicely and it warmed his heart to see Tess smile again. A real smile, one that finally reached her eyes. He also knew that you would be over the moon that Tess had found someone. You and Tess had learned to put your differences aside. It was a phenomenon to see just how things really changed from the cold, rainy day you met Joel and Tess, 4 years ago.

The last thing you had ever expected to happen was falling for Joel Miller. The slow burn of your feelings intertwined. The intensity, confusion, resentment, forgiveness. It all went by in a blur. The record skipped, screeched, halted. The vinyl of your hearts were torn, and sewn back together. You nurtured one another through it all. You both were rough around the edges, sharp to the touch, walls miles high, impassable. You tore one another’s defenses down till it was just you two, standing in front of a mirror, looking in on yourselves. It was as clear as day that you and Joel were made for eachother, in more ways than one. Whatever soulmates were made up of, whatever the fairytales, and romance novels called falling in love, didn’t compare to how you and Joel felt for eachother. Your connection, devotion, sacrifice for one another was on a completely different plane. Love didn’t even begin to scratch the surface.

The three friends finished what was left of their drinks as the sun sky began to shift. Curfew was approaching. The different pink and orange hues were stunning against the sullen backdrop of the QZ. Joel couldn’t help but embrace Tess then. Giving her a firm hug. Much to his own surprise, he had hugged Beatrix as well. Looking over her shoulder when he caught two QZ residents giving an obvious dirty look to Tess holding Bea’s hand loosely. Joel didn’t even hesitate to stare them down. If anyone were to ever dare fuck with his friends? Well, you could imagine just what he would do.

“We’re leavin first thing in the mornin. Before the sun is up. Hope you’re not as cranky about it as I know Gwen will be.” He gave them both a slight nod before he turned on his heel, leaving the small community center and headed home, to you.

____________

The early morning hours ascended far too soon in your opinion. Despite your grumbled protests of, “five more minutes, please baby just five more.” Joel had ignored them and coaxed you awake with peppered kisses on your face and soft touches. When you didn’t immediately budge, he started tickling your sides and nearly avoided a kick to the balls when you sat up in annoyance. “Mother fucker, you really couldn’t give me 5 more damn minutes?”

“I’m sorry honey, but we gotta get dressed and go. You know I’d love to give ya 5 more minutes but I can’t. Besides, don’t you wanna see Frank? C’mon, sugar. I got coffee waitin for ya too.”

You let out a huff as he grabbed your face in his calloused palms gently. He greeted you with a soft, warm kiss and you playfully swatted at him. “Yeah yeah okay fine I’m up. What was that about coffee?”

He let out a deep chuckle when you had swatted him away and in return, he threw you one of his flannels to throw on. “That’s my pretty girl.”

“Shuddup. It’s too early for flirting.”

“Never too early. I’ll be in the kitchen waitin for ya.”

He left your shared room quietly, waiting for you in the kitchen, loading his and your gun. Once your bags were packed, and you had the steaming thermos of coffee in your grasp, you and Joel headed out.

His natural protective nature washed over him as you made your way through the alleys, and dark corners before reaching the exit point of the QZ where Bea and Tess were waiting. The hike to Bill and Franks was just as you remembered. Surrounded by lush forest while the four of you walked. Joel was leading the way of course, with you tagging by his side. Your fingers brushed against one another a few strides before he grasped your hand in his, intertwining his fingers with yours. You were fucking holding hands and it absolutely warmed your soul. He only let go a few times to readjust his rifle over his shoulder, or if he heard something. Other than that, his palm was constantly on yours.

You arrived just outside Bill and Franks compound by late afternoon. This time, your company was expected, and before Joel even had the chance to punch the code into the metal gate, it was opening.

When you saw Frank up ahead, racing out of the house, you let go of Joel’s hand before running towards your friend that you hadn’t seen in so long. You yelled his name with pure joy radiating from your soul and when you finally met, Frank had scooped you up into his arms and spun you around.

Joel couldn’t help but smile at the exchange. You and Frank truly adored each other.

“Little Bird!” Frank exclaimed as he spun you around, hugging you tightly before he gently set you down on the ground.

“Frank! I’ve missed you!” You giggled softly when he had spun you around.

“Pssh? Me? You missed me? I was absolutely devastated when Joel told me you got sick!” He gently released you from his grasp, only to bring his arm around your shoulders as you started heading towards the house.

“I know, Joel told me, and I’m forever grateful for the medicine and tea.” You wrapped your arm around his middle then as you walked, the smile etched on your features was surely going to be permanent by the end of the day.

Joel, Tess, and Bea followed closely behind as the metal gate clinked shut behind them.

Bill was at the top of the stairs on the porch. Apron on as he was already cooking. He wasn’t a huge fan of you, not that you took it personally because he wasn’t a huge fan of anyone, except for his lover of course.

“Glad to see that you aren’t dead.” He spoke gruffly, arms across his chest.

In mock shock, you brought your hand against your chest and laughed. “No way man, you’re glad to see that I’m not dead? I can’t believe this. I’m going to have to document this exact moment!” You jokingly said.

Bill couldn’t help but let out a chuckle. “Yeah, I sure as hell am happy you ain’t dead cause otherwise that one? He pointed to Joel. Would be 10x more insufferable than he already is.”

You leaned in with a small grin on your face and whispered, “yeah he’s pretty awful. No idea how I actually put up with him.”

You could feel Joel’s hand wrapping around your waist then pulling you back slightly. “I’m pretty awful? Hmmm…we’ll see about that honey.” He whispered.

You and Joel were the first to enter the familiar home. Making your way to one of the guests rooms for the night and as you set your bag down, pulling out your pistol and knife, setting them down on the nightstand.

Joel was grabbing you then, grasping your hips as he pulled you flush against his chest. His hand that wasn’t holding you firmly came up to your face, gently tucking a loose strand of hair behind your ear. “What was that about me bein pretty awful? I heard that correctly, didn’t I?” His tone was low, teasing.

You immediately brought your arms around his neck and threaded your fingers through his soft curls. “That was nothing, honey. I was just joking. You’re far from awful.”

Before he could steal a kiss, you were slipping out of his grasp like the little tease you were. You had a smirk spread across your lips as you leaned against the doorway. “C’mon, we’re not gonna spend all day up here okay? We’ll have all night for that Joel.” You shot him a wink before slipping past the door and headed back downstairs.

“Minx.” He muttered under his breath before he set down his rifle against his bag and pulled his own pistol out of his pocket and set it down next to yours. “Damn little tease.”

You had planned to take full advantage of the lasting sunlight. Bill and Franks home was surrounded by wildflowers and tall grasses. So that’s where Joel knew he could find you. Boy, were you a sight for sore eyes when he found you. Your back was splayed in the tall grass with your arms crossed behind your head and your eyes shut, blissfully. The sun was warm and inviting up until a shadow was casted over it. Now who the hell—Joel, of course.

You brought your hand up against your face as your eyes opened, shielding them from the sun as you looked up at your lover's tall frame.

“Comfortable?” He mused.

“Yeah, but can you maybe move like..I don’t know, a good inch to the left? You’re blocking my sun, cowboy.”

He chuckled and brought his arms across his chest. “Oh, I’m so sorry sugar. Did you want me to move?”

“You’re such an asshole.” You said with a light laugh as you reached your hand up to him and as soon as he grasped it, you were using all your strength to pull him down next to you.

He let out a grumble out of protest before he let you pull him down into the thick grass with a soft thud. “Was that really necessary?” He let out a grunt as he propped himself up on his elbow, looking over at you.

“It was because you were in the way of MY sun so I had to take matters into my own hands, lover.”

He fought the urge to roll his eyes as he plucked a strand of the tall grass and twirled it between his fingers. You couldn’t help but lean over, grasping his jaw in your hand, and kiss him sweetly. He wasted no time grab ahold of your hips while he maneuvered himself onto his back, coaxing you into his lap so you were straddling him.

“Joel..” you warned. Kissing him deeper because you simply couldn’t help it. His kisses were addictive.

He hummed in response bringing his hand up to the back of your head and threaded his fingers through your hair gently. “What is it honey? Just tryin to get myself comfortable.” he mumbled into your lips.

“Slick mother fucker.” You pulled back from the kiss and looked down at his smug expression while he brought his arms behind his head then. His eyebrow tilted up towards you in a suggestive manner.

“enjoyin the view?” He rasped. You looked so pretty in the sunlight.

“Maybe I am, maybe I’m not.” You reached out and lightly booped his nose before climbing off of his hips.

“You really gonna tease me all day like this? What, you tryin to drive me mad? Up a wall? Cause, it’s workin.”

You looked back at him with a small grin, shaking your head. “No, of course not. That would just be pretty awfully mean of me.”

He narrowed his eyes at you before he slowly sat up scooting over so he was close to you once more. “Can I sit out here and hold ya at least? Promise I won’t try anything funny.”

“Joel, of course you can honey, you don’t have to ask for that. It’s yours.” You watched as a grin tugged on his lips as he reached for your waist and gently pulled you back against his chest. Letting you get comfortable between his thighs.

Once you were settled, he pressed a kiss to the side of your head while his elbows rested back against the soft earth beneath his palms. He watched you curiously as you began to pluck some of the surrounding wildflowers. All different kinds. He watched as your delicate fingers weaved together the stems and he swore, he caught you humming.

While you were crafting together your flower crown, Joel couldn’t help but lean his head back slightly, his eyes closed, a relaxed expression on his face as the sun warmed his skin. He was at peace, being here with you. He must have dozed off for a few minutes because he didn’t feel your soft grasp on his bicep right away.

“Joel, honey?..” you spoke softly through the warm breeze.

“Hmm?” He mumbled softly, blinking a few times as he tilted his head forward once more and looked at the wildflower crown between your fingers. “Oh, that’s beautiful sugar. You want me to put it on you?”

You turned your head slightly so you could look at him. “I was gonna ask if I could put it on you.”

“Oh? No baby, it’ll look beautiful on you. It’ll look silly on me.”

“No it won’t, Joel. You’ll look handsome, I promise.”

How could he really say no to you? Especially when you looked so carefree, so happy. It was just a little flower crown after all. Maybe he wouldn’t end up looking silly.

“Oh, alright. Go ahead. Lay it on me” he watched as you gently lowered the flower crown on top of his soft curls. Your smile was so soft, so beautiful.

“So, how do I look? Still ruggedly handsome?”

You shook your head, brushing your fingers against his jaw gently. “No, you look beautiful Joel.”

__________

Unbeknownst to either of you, Frank had seen the moment between you two from the open kitchen window. He, of course, already had his vintage Polaroid camera at the ready as he snapped a picture. He knew you would want to always have this memory for safe keeping.

He looked over at Tess and Bea who were helping Bill prep the vegetables. “So, when did this all happen? I always had this feeling that they liked each other. I just never thought it would actually happen.”

Tess set down her knife and wiped her hands on one of the nearby towels. “She almost died this Spring. The three of us were gonna leave the QZ permanently with some other smugglers. We were set up. Robert caught wind of us and sent some of his men. Gwen shot first. I watched her go down. Saw the knife sticking out of her gut and Joel? I’ll never forget the screams he let out.”

Frank's face fell as Tess told him what had happened to you. He was in disbelief.

“She nearly bled out on our kitchen table. I had to keep him calm. There was this moment where I knew he thought he was going to lose her. She was fading and then he just grabbed her face, Frank. He’s got tears streaming down his face and he kisses her. He kissed her because he thought he’d never get the chance to do it again.”

Tess nearly had tears in her eyes from that traumatic night and when she felt Bea grasp her hand gently and give it a squeeze, she took a deep breath.

“He stitched her up, and laid with her on the couch. He literally wouldn’t leave her side. He slept on the floor next to her till she woke up. He was just so—I don’t even know how to explain it. I’ve never seen him get so distraught. I let him go that night, and it probably was the hardest thing I have ever had to do. They’re meant for eachother. I’ve never seen him so fuckin happy. I’m happy for him. I’m happy that someone broke through to him. I’ll always care about him, nothing will ever change that. She’s his person, and he’s hers.”

Frank was already grabbing a bottle of wine. He had his own tears brewing because how fucking beautiful was it to hear that two people, who despised eachother from the beginning, had found eachother. Fallen for one another, and held on tight.

“Jesus fucking Christ. I’m going to need a large glass of wine after that.” He was already unscrewing the bottle and poured himself and Tess and Bea a glass. “You found someone too. You moved on, right?” He gestured to Bea by her side.

Tess took the glass with zero hesitation and took a big sip. “Bea is quite literally the best thing that has ever happened to me. I feel like I’ve gotten a new chance. A fresh start.” She looked over at her lover, who was in disbelief and when Tess saw her tears welling, she reached over and gently wiped them away with her thumb.

“You really..you really feel about me that way?”

“Course I do.”

Frank was already raising his glass in a toast and had to gently kick Bill to grab his own glass, with a disapproving grumble.

“Here’s to good wine, full bellies, laughter with friends and of course, love. Lots and lots of love.”

Tess, Bea, Frank and Bill all clinked their glasses together.

What a sight they all were to the outside world beyond the white picket fence.

________

You and Joel were in your own little world as held you against his chest, he was still wearing the flower crown you crafted him and you were both looking up at the passing clouds, in a comfortable silence. You could hear the birds chirp, the soft breeze through the grass and the humming of buzzards.

A purple butterfly, with delicate papery wings flew above you and landed right on Joel’s nose but before he could shoo it away, you had gently grabbed his wrist then and whispered, “No, don’t. You’ll scare it baby.”

He looked afraid to move then. Staying absolutely still as you gently released your grip on his wrist. The butterfly slowly flapped its wings, revealing the different purple hues, some dark, some light. It flew from its perch on his nose, fluttering for a moment before it landed on the outside of his hand.

“Think it likes you, honey.”

Joel furrowed his brows slightly as he looked down at the delicate insect resting along his hand. Suddenly, the realization hit him. The color purple. Purple nail polish, a purple butterfly.

“Sarah.” He spoke above a whisper.

“Hi baby girl.”

You both watched as the butterfly flapped its wings once more before it flew off his hand, fluttering away.

You saw the tears well in his eyes before he even could feel them and you immediately pulled him into your arms, bringing his head against your chest while his arms draped around your middle, holding you close to him.

Neither of you spoke in those moments. You simply just held each other.

You were both torn away from your thoughts when the back door leading out to the porch opened and Frank stuck his head out and yelled. “Dinner is ready love birds! Hurry up before it gets cold!”

“I’m okay, sugar. C’mon. Let’s go and..what’s that word you like usin? Immerse ourselves with our friends.” He gave your waist a light squeeze, reassuring you that he was okay.

You answered him by gently grabbing his face in your hands, stroking his cheekbones with your thumbs, giving him a sweet, loving kiss.

His eyes fluttered shut when your lips met his and he kissed you back, holding you there for a moment before he slowly pulled away and stood to his feet, offering you his hand as he helped you up.

The six of you were comfortably sitting together. Frank spared no expense to the details of the table spread. He had brought out the finest china just for this occasion. It was, after all, the longest day of the year. What better way to celebrate, than with friends? Before you dug into your meals, Frank poured everyone a tall glass of wine and everyone toasted to love, longevity, and good times. Joel was looking right at you, a small grin on his face as he raised his glass in your direction. The only sounds that could be heard was silver lightly clinking on china. The occasional song-bird, or two. You all were enjoying the delicious food that Bill had prepared and by the end of the meal, your bellies were full.

The air was warm, peaceful and for a moment, it was all too easy for you to forget about the cordyceps, the end of the world, the loss you had endured. It was so easy when you were surrounded by friends, and your lover, who couldn’t take his eyes off of you. As more wine was poured, the laughter ensued as old stories of the past flowed past your soft lips with ease. Tess agreed that the Chicago Bean, was pretty fucking cool.

You felt so fucking loved. You could barely contain it.

When the plates were cleared, you all headed inside to help with the dishes and of course, crack open another bottle of wine. By the time that Bill had started a fire in the living room, you could already feel your cheeks getting flushed. A warm, fuzzy feeling washing over you.

Joel was at your side then, his arm lazily draped around your hip as you rested your head against his shoulder. He brought the rim of his own wine glass up to his lips and took a sip, a smile creeping over the delicate china.

Frank was already flipping through his many record albums while everyone else was getting comfortable on the two couches. He had decided on ‘A Man Without Love’ by Engelbert Humperdinck. You learned very quickly that Joel Miller was not a singer. Even a few glasses in, drunk on your love, he would not sing. Frank had pulled you up from the couch and twirled you around playfully while you both belted out the lyrics, “Every day I wake up, then I start to break up, lonely is a man without love. Every day I start out, then I cry my heart out, lonely is man without looooove!” You didn’t particularly have a grammy winning voice either but hell, you were having fun! Joel was enamored while he watched you over the rim of his glass. He loved to see you in these moments. When you let your hair down, you belly laughed, giggled and god, did you smile.

More wine was poured, more songs were played and as the sun began to set, the fire lowly crackled in the background, it was just you and Joel now. Frank had taken Tess and Bea out to the greenhouse to show the wonderful progress his plants had made. You were knackered from the singing and dancing as you plopped down next to your lover with a light giggle.

“You’re drunk, honey.” he looked over at you with a small grin.

“No, I'm happy Joel. I’m so fuckin happy. Okay, and a little drunk too. Just like a tad though.”

He leaned in, his face close to yours. “M’happy that you’re happy ‘darlin. You look beautiful. I love it when you smile. Warms me right up.” He whispered, reaching out and gently cupping your face in his warm palm.

“You’re happy too..right?”

“ m’so happy baby. You have no idea.” He admitted. This was only for you to hear. He was secretly thankful that your friends weren’t in the room. He wanted this moment to only be shared between you two.

“Good. I’m glad honey, you deserve it.”

Before he could answer, the record crackled, transitioning slowly to ‘The Last Waltz’

He surprised you then, reaching for your hand before he helped you up from the couch gently.

“Dance with me?”

“I never thought you’d ask, cowboy.” You took his hand then as he helped you up. You were a little unsteady on your feet, while his free hand was gently splayed across your lower back as he pulled you into chest, holding you as close as he physically could. Your hearts were practically intertwined as he slowly started to sway with you. Your fingers were interlocked between his other hand while you brought your freehand to his shoulder, playing with the worn fabric of his flannel gently. He dipped his head down slightly, his forehead resting against yours. His warm brown eyes, locked on yours. You continued to slowly sway, taking in this private moment as he whispered the lyrics lowly between you. His voice was warm, inviting, deep, and it settled within your bones. “I had the last waltz with you. Two lonely people together. I fell in love with you..the last waltz should last forever..”

He kissed you then. Closing the small gap between you finally. Neither of you pulled away as the record crackled, the song coming to an impending end. You continued to kiss him, tasting the sweet wine on his tongue. His breath hitching, his fingers tightening along the exposed sliver of skin of your lower back. You breathed him in, letting his kiss settle deep within your soul.

The moment had ended when you both heard someone clearing their throat. Joel had let out an annoyed grumble as he tore his lips from yours, looking over your shoulder at a smirking Frank, who was holding the game ‘Monopoly’

“Sorry to interrupt you lovebirds. Are you up for a friendly game of monopoly?”

Joel had opened his mouth to speak but before he could, you brought your finger against his lips and looked back at Frank with a sweet smile. “We would absolutely love to play.”

“Who is we–” you shot your lover a playful warning look and he returned it with a slight roll of his eyes.

“Yeah, sure we’d love to play.” He grumbled.

“Excellent!”

You slipped out of your lover's grasp, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek before you grabbed his hand and pulled him out of the living room and into the kitchen.

You found out shortly after the game began, that Bill was an absolute sore loser. He was the first to be out of the game. He cursed out, throwing what was left of his money before he grabbed his gun, heading for the kitchen as he mumbled about how stupid this game really was. “Who the hell thought of inventing this stupid game? I hope they’re rolling in their grave right fuckin now!”

Everyone was trying to hide their laughter then. It was hard with the amount of wine that had been consumed already. As the game continued, Bill had returned shortly after his loss, with a fresh bottle of wine as he topped off his glass and plopped back down into his seat next to Frank. He had a grumpy look on his face, with his arms crossed against his chest. When Frank leaned over and gave him a little kiss on the cheek, his face softened for a moment.

The game continued on for hours. Frank was the next to lose. Joel had secretly slipped you a few of his extra bills under the table, shooting you a little wink as he leaned over and whispered “you’ll find a way to pay me back, sugar.” Which had you lightly swatting his arm for being the flirt that he was, but you loved it. You loved seeing Joel with his guard down, and enjoying the small joys that life had to offer. He looked so beautiful.

Bea and then Tess were the next to lose and soon it was just you and Joel, head to head. Battling to the death. Well, until one of you decides to give in. Your friends had all gone to bed a while ago. The candles on the dining room table were almost melted down completely. You weren’t even sure how much wine you had actually consumed, but by the looks of the empty bottles, you knew you had quite a lot to drink.

“Joel, baby. C’mon can you please surrender. It’s okay, you can admit that you lost like a big man.” You giggled. Your palm was resting along your chin as you looked at him, a drunk sleepy look gracing your features.

“C’mon, honey. We can finish this out. Don’t you wanna win fair and square?” He still had a half glass of wine in front of him and he couldn’t help but reach over and gently brush his thumb against your plush lower lip.

“Joel, I’m tired. Please? Let me win this my way.”

“The dirty way?”

“Nooo. The you’re gonna let me win because otherwise this game will never end, way. I think I will actually lose my mind more than I ever have if we have to keep playing.”

He leaned back against his chair, a smirk playing on his lips. “So, then go on and admit your defeat. Sooner you do, sooner we get to go to bed.”

“Who said anythin about me admitting MY defeat?”

He chuckled and reached for his wine glass, downing the rest of its contents before he set it back down. “You heard me.”

“You’re such an asshole man. Fine, I admit my defeat. If I weren’t so many glasses, excuse me, bottles in, then I would have won. I’m sure of it.”

“Mhm. You keep tellin yourself that ‘darlin.” He blew out what was left of the candles then before he pushed his chair back and slowly stood up.

“I’ll get you back for this Miller. Just you wait and see.” Your chair scraped quietly against the hardwood as you rose from your seat.

“Oh, I have no doubt in my mind that you will honey.”

You let Joel deal with the empty glasses and bottles on the table while you packed up the game, placing the board and all the pieces back into the box.

He let you go in front of him up the stairs. His hand was at your lower back, making sure you wouldn’t fall back when you nearly tripped up one of the steps with a quiet giggle.

Yeah, you were pretty drunk.

Once you were in your shared room for the night and the door softly closed, your arms were around his neck, your fingers playing with the soft strands of hair at the nape of his neck. “Baby..I’m really really drunk right now. Damn Frank and his wine but..I want you. Do you think we can?..” you whispered with a hiccup closely following.

“Honey..” he drawled, bringing his arms around you gently as he pulled you in close.

“We can’t. You’re drunk and I’ve had a bit as well. Plus, we don’t wanna wake anyone up..”

“We can be quiet.”

He gave you a look then. You and Joel did not know the definition of having a quiet fuck. It was pretty much impossible.

“Sugar, you know we can’t be quiet. Even though I wanna fuck you so bad right now honey, so fuckin bad. I gotta put my foot down, m’sorry.”

“Okay, fine. So we can’t fuck. How about..” you trailed off while your fingers slipped from his hair to his face, brushing your fingers against his strong jaw. “what if you were wrapped up in me, all night?..”

He raised his brow at your suggestion and his mouth went a little dry when he realized just exactly what your suggestion entailed.

“You want me to fall asleep, inside of you?”

“Please.” you begged. You were itching to feel him again. All of him.

“Fuck.” He whispered out. The wine was making his mind hazy and your words had him spinning.

“Please, Joel. I understand if you don’t wanna—”

“Shh. Of course I do. Fuck, of course I wanna bury myself inside of ya all goddamn night honey. You’re absolutely sure that’s what you want?”

“Yes. That’s what I really want right now Joel.”

He scooped you up into his arms in response. He carried you to the side of the bed and gently set you down before he reached for the hem of your shirt and gently started to lift it up.

“You wanna wear one of mine?” He already knew the answer.

“Always.”

He slowly lifted your shirt above your head before he reached down into his backpack that was alongside the bed and pulled out one of his spare shirts, slipping it down over your arms. Next, he gently shimmied your pants down your legs, leaning down and pressing a light kiss to your exposed hip bone.

“Can I take these off, sweetness? Or do you wanna keep ‘em on for now?” he rasped out.

“You can take them off baby, it’s fine.”

He slipped his thumb on either side of your panties before he slowly dragged the fabric over your hips, thighs and down your legs and ankles. He pressed another light kiss to your skin. This time it was your thigh.

You had reached for his flannel then and gently pushed it down his arms, tossing it to the side with your discarded clothes. He used his one hand to pull his shirt over his head, shaking his hair out a bit. Soon after, his jeans and boxers were discarded. You could feel the bed slowly dip from his weight as his arms reached around, settling comfortably around your waist as he pulled you flush against his chest.

His lips were at the shell of your ear, pressing a soft kiss just below as he whispered, “you let me know if you want me to slip out, okay? I don’t want ya to hesitate.”

You grabbed one of his hands then and brought it up to your lips, pressing a kiss to his palm before interlocking your fingers with his. “I know honey, I got you, you got me. It’s okay. Please, don’t make me beg you.”

“You got me, I got you.” He let out a puff of air against the back of your neck as he slipped his legs between yours. He let his free hand, that wasn’t grasped between your fingers, grab ahold of himself before he gently, and slowly slipped himself between your slick, warm folds.

It took every sheer ounce of willpower inside of him to not jut his hips into yours. He let out a low hiss, giving your hand a firm squeeze as he sank deeper, till he was at the hilt.

“This okay ‘darlin? Not uncomfortable or nothin?”

You felt so full at that moment. With him buried inside you like this. Holding you so close to his chest. It was perfect.

“This is perfect honey. Thank you. Are you good?” You had turned your head slightly to look over your shoulder at him.

“ m’good. This is nice. You feel amazin. So fuckin warm and tight—”

“Joel, baby. Please don’t start something that you know you can’t finish.”

He chuckled and let his head drop to the back of your neck, pressing another kiss there.

“Sorry, don’t wanna get carried away.”

“I know honey, this is torture, and at the same time, I’ve never been more content.”

“That’s one way to put it.” He chuckled.

He moved his hips just slightly as he got comfortable, sinking further into the soft mattress.

“I love you.” you whispered quietly. You were unsure if your confession was due to all the wine you consumed. Or if it was your sober thoughts, coming out in drunk words, or a mix of both.

“I love you, always.” He whispered back, tightening his hold around your waist, smiling against your soft skin when he felt your lips brush against his knuckles.

You and Joel slipped off into the dream world with ease. He stayed buried deep in your warmth, all night long. You never wanted him to leave. The closeness, intimacy, warmth you provided each-other so naturally. You wanted to keep him there forever.

How long could forever really last, when the dawn of a new day was always inevitable.

Chapter 13:

[fivenightsatfreddysfanfiction]

Random Snippets

Just lil things that popped up in my head that don't go anywhere or are connected to anything, so just have them.

-------------------

“If you finish that sentence,” Gregory said aloud in the flattest tone Oswald had ever heard, “I’m going to beat you so bad, they’re gonna name a bill after you, and anyone who reads why it was made will say you had it coming and vote against it.”

Dylan closed his mouth. Oswald felt his face burn. Cassie just grinned at him and nudged him with her elbow, waggling her eyebrows. Sometimes he wondered about his choice of friends.

.

===

.

When Gregory missed a day of school, there was some concern shared between Cassie and Oswald over what might have happened. When one day became two, became three, the concern became full blown worry. Text messages went unanswered, his mom didn’t show up in person with any explanation, just phoning in and their home room teacher passed on the message of simply ‘Gregory isn’t feeling well’ and then everyone moved on.

Some kids had concerns for him, but Cassie wondered if they cared for Gregory as himself or because of his last name of Afton. She didn’t see anyone else check on him when he was having his headache bouts or bring him medicine or comfort.

On the fourth day, Gregory finally returned to school, a quiet shadow of his usual self, a cast on his right arm and note explaining he’d fallen out of a tree in his backyard. Cassie didn’t buy it for one second, glancing towards Oswald who only pressed a hand to his own left arm, right where the scars of an animatronic bite still lingered.

Something bad had happened, that’s for sure.

.

===

.

“What the heck, Gregory? I thought you were good with arcade games!” Cassie remarked in surprise, her hands on her hips as she watched the boy sit on top of an arcade cabinet, his legs dangling over the side of the machine.

“Yeah, good at playing them and hackin’ ‘em, not the actual guts of the thing!” Gregory protested, kicking his feet idly, “Vanessa bought these cuz they were on discount in those catalogs she borrowed from Miss Corbett, but they’re old and when they break down we’re stuck without a game until we can get a repair guy out to fix it.”

Oswald popped out from behind the machine, his usual jacket tied around his waist and a circuit board in one hand. Cassie blinked at him, finally realizing the sounds of tinkering coming from the arcade cabinet was from the boy working on it himself. “Is that why you got excited when I said I learned how to fix stuff from watching my dad do general maintenance for side cash?” he demanded with a winded huff. He shook the board up at Gregory as Gregory just looked down at him with a raised eyebrow and crooked grin.

“You’re getting paid, ain’t ya?” he countered. Oswald squinted at him, then sighed and rolled his eyes, setting the board on the arcade machine’s console..

“It got burnt out from a dust build up. I replaced it with a spare I pulled from a machine at that old Freddy’s but you really gotta work on cleaning these more often,” he told the other boy and went back to tinkering inside the cabinet. “You’re lucky I like you enough to do this!” Oswald added as an afterthought, oblivious to Gregory smiling gleefully at his words.

“You’re crazy if you even think about asking me for help there,” Cassie declared when she spotted him turning towards her with a hopeful look. “My dad was a Fazbear technician, not a janitor. Cleaning is your duty.”

.

===

.

Oswald paused in sipping his soda, mouth still on the straw as he narrowed his gaze at Gregory in disbelief. Beside him, Cassie was doing the same, her head tilted as she looked at the scene before them in Radical Eats, incredulous expression on her face. Gregory just dipped his fries in ketchup and ate them without a care in the world.

“You’re gonna have to explain all this one more time, ‘cause I don’t think I heard you right the first time,” Cassie finally said, gesturing at the mostly empty dining area that was Radical Eats before the lunchtime opening.

“It’s just my family, what’s the big deal?” Gregory replied with a pout, but pointed again anyway, “That’s Vanessa, she’s kind of my mom but we don’t really know for sure cuz we both have amnesia and the records that say she’s my mom were written up by a crazy old lady in a rabbit suit.”

“Rrrrright,” Oswald muttered in that tone that sounded like he was still sure he was being pranked somehow.

“That’s Sydney Herrera, Vanessa’s Not-Boyfriend. She’ll tell you they’re just best friends but she keeps asking him to marry her so she can get bonus financial aid and loans and he keeps saying no,” Gregory went on, pointing to the tall quiet guy dressed as a security guard leaning against a column, “But then he’ll go and do mercenary jobs for a few days to get a bunch of money for her. Last time he did one, he brought me back this chunk of green rock from Guatemala.”

“The one you wanted to bring to show and tell day and he told you if you did that, he’d be arrested for illegal smuggling of gemstones?” Cassie asked him and Gregory sighed in exasperation.

“It’s just a rock, he’s being too paranoid,” he complained, “I put it in my desk drawer anyway.” He pointed to the other guy on his laptop at a dining table. “That’s Sydney’s little brother, Alex. He works as the dayshift guard at Circus Baby’s Pizza and Parties and teaches me stuff about hacking and how to defend against attacks online.” He grinned gleefully, “He’s also a virtual streamer who livestreams games but if I tell you his identity he’ll probably murder me in my sleep. He says the streams help him not be annoyed he’s not a hacker mercenary anymore but he still gets pissed off when Sydney runs away to do jobs.”

“I didn’t think he’d be a virtual streamer type, but I guess it makes sense with how much he likes technology,” Cassie mused aloud. Gregory nodded and then pointed at the kitchen window, where the figure within waved at him with perked up ears.

“And that’s Glamrock Freddy Fazbear,” he said happily, “I stole him from the Pizzaplex and now he’s my sort-of dad figure. He makes most of the pizza for Radical Eats and sometimes he performs but he can be too loud which is why his backup job is being a cook with Sydney and Vanessa.”

“Your family is very.. not conventional,” Oswald said carefully, looking between Freddy and his own plate of pizza. “I’m eating food made by your animatronic dad,” he muttered with a blush, “I feel like that should freak me out more.”

“I feel like we should go back to the Pizzaplex and get Roxy for me,” Cassie said, rubbing her chin thoughtfully, “Can we borrow a truck and a couple of crowbars?”

“Oh I see! She can say ‘let’s borrow stuff’ and nobody says anything!” Oswald exclaimed, throwing up his hands in mock outrage as Gregory laughed, “But me? It’s all ‘nooo, Oz, you can’t borrow something you can only use once!’ Totally unfair.”

[angelofrainfrogs]

Going Back: Ch. 16

~Coauthored by @zeitghest~

Fandom(s): Five Nights At Freddy’s: Security Breach

Description: Things are looking up for Gregory. After putting the soul of a formerly-immortal killer to rest, he and his new family can finally begin their lives anew. Sure, Gregory might have been cursed with mysterious Remnant in exchange for being involved in this mess—not to mention his caretakers consist of sentient robots and ghosts… But there’s no doubt that the bond they share is unbreakable. They love him, and he in turn. 

All in all, life is finally starting to go right for once. 

…Unfortunately, true peace is a hard-won battle. There are other things to contend with besides William’s decrepit soul, and Gregory will learn that his role in the lives of the Aftons and Emilys is far greater than anyone could’ve imagined. 

Rating: T

Read on Ao3

volume of Michael’s work, they’d opted not to pull the hood of Gregory’s new sweater down. Instead the boy allowed his dad to carry him, burying his face in the warm comfort of Freddy’s shoulder so no one would recognize him. Despite his new ‘do, the paranoia that the Smiths were lurking around the corner was too great to ignore until they crossed through the Pizzaplex’s entryway. Dayshift staff had long-since gone home, so it was eerily silent as everyone made their way to Sam’s office. With a hard knock, Michael called: “Sammy! I’m back and I brought the fam—is it okay if they come in for the big reveal?”

There was a few knocking and thudding sounds that seemed to shake the room slightly. Sam was kicking old parts and tools away from the door to throw it open with a fairly excited look in his eyes.

“I've been waiting for you guys! Come on in—he's finished charging!” Sam invited, patting the taller members of the group on the shoulders as they passed through the threshold as if to hurry them along. Charlie pretended to not even know the design already, managing a surprised expression. She let out a low whistle and shoved her hands deep into her pockets as she admired the newest installment to the franchise.

“You've outdone yourself, Sammy. A one-armed drummer is going to be so cool,” she remarked, understanding the reference with the obvious nods to a certain hair metal band in Sam's design of Foxy.

Sammy clapped his hands together, thankful for the positive criticisms. Looking to the rest of the group, he inched towards Foxy and unplugged him from the barebones charging stand. There, he flipped the robot's power switch into the 'on' position and stepped back to watch him boot up.

“Right—test run number one, here we go,” he said, seeing Foxy's bright eyes light up underneath his shut lids.

The fox blinked and looked around curiously, his slow gaze dragging over the members of the group. The faces of each employee already being downloaded into his mainframe, there was no need for most introductions. Though that wouldn't stop the friendly bot from introducing himself. He raised his hook, combing some of his mane from his face as he dramatically scanned the group a second time, personality chip taking hold as he felt a wholesome connection the people standing before him.

“Foxy the Pirate Fox, reportin' for duty!” he finally managed to say with a dramatic salute. The oddest part was his distinctly Brighton accent under the pirate façade, and how similar it sounded to someone else in the room.

Sam's jaw dropped and he immediately looked to Michael. Did he mess with his robot somehow? It’d certainly be a good if annoying prank, if so.

“Oh, no way…” Michael gave a short, stunned laugh. He pressed his fingertips to his lips, which soon curved up in a wry smile. “No effing way…”

Well, he’d managed to avoid triggering any profanity filters, though the close call made Freddy shoot him a sharp glare. This quickly morphed into a look of confusion as he gazed back up at Foxy, remarking curiously: “I did not realize you would be changing his accent, Samuel.”

“Uh, I don’t think he did,” Michael spoke up, rubbing the back of his neck. He knew this conversation would go right over the newly-activated animatronic’s head, but he remembered another piece of their weekend adventure they’d neglected to tell the CEO. “So… I think this was my fault—unintentionally!”

Michael was quick to throw his palms up, looking to Sam with wide eyes. “I promise I only messed with your animatronics when I had to! But speaking of that… You know how I told you I was trapped in Freddy’s head, which is how he got all that human sentience mixed in with his AI? Well… there was a step in between Freddy and this android I’m in now.”

Michael gestured to Foxy with ostentatious hands, as if to say ta-da! “I… might have rubbed off on him too, somehow.”

“Oi—” Foxy interrupted, confused by the nature of the conversation happening in front of him. “—be you some manner of imposter? You’ve got me voice, laddie.”

The fox carefully took one of Michael's hands and inspected it with his good eye. He then shook his head, deciding that Michael was fine, though dressed a bit too stuffy for his liking; not first mate material for sure. However, the kid with the mullet was certainly someone worth having aboard his pirate crew. With his entertaining protocols activated at the sight of both Gregory and Mari, he dropped Michael's wrist and waved to the children admiring him from afar.

“AHOY, children! You two must be friends of the good captain Sammy!” he compartmentalized, downloading their faces into his memory banks. The two kids were left giggling as Foxy approached, finding his mannerisms and way of speaking endearing. He bent down low, tail swishing and sweeping the floor as he stared the two down.

“Between you and me, he won't be captain for long,” he whispered theatrically, lifting his eyepatch to wink with his white, unlit eye. “We'll be startin' a mutiny by daylight. Stuff the captain in the brig and take all the Fizzy-Faz and pizza for ourselves! Then we'll rock out on stage and party until the sun goes back down!”

Sam hadn't said a word, taking in the fact that it'd been ONE minute and Foxy was already plotting to overthrow him on top of dealing with the fact that two Michael Aftons may be running amuck in his Pizzaplex. Gregory and Mari seemed pleased, raising their hands to give Foxy a crowded high five. Then, moving down the line Foxy spotted Freddy and saluted him.

“And you! Don't think you can fool a ship-spotter. I may be old, but my eye is as sharp as ever!” He pointed an accusing finger in Freddy's direction before sauntering up to the man, expression softening. “... It's good to see you, Fazbear.”

Though this was their first time actually meeting in the Glamrock iteration, Foxy knew he and Freddy were best mates in a past life. Those special eyes could see what was inside, and his soft spot might be the most surprising thing from the rough and tumble pirate.

“Hello, Foxy; it is wonderful to see you,” Freddy replied with his usual warmth, not hesitating to wrap his arms around the cerulean coat and give his old-yet-new friend a hug. It was brief but poignant, the surprisingly strong squeeze to Foxy’s waist letting him know that even though he’d been powered on not five minutes before, he was accepted into the Glamrock band with open arms.

“The others are going to be absolutely thrilled!” Freddy continued after pulling back, grinning up at the amiable pirate. “I think Roxy especially will take quite a liking to you—though they will all be happy to have you on stage with them, of course.”

“Well, he seems pretty great, all things considered,” Mike murmured, leaning sideways to bump Sam's shoulder. What part of the sea-faring fox’s personality was preprogrammed and what was due to Michael’s temporary residence within was anyone’s guess, though Mike liked to think the amped-up rebellious streak was solely his influence. Laughing as he caught the pale look of mild distress on Sammy’s face, he slipped an arm around the man’s shoulders so he didn’t fall over. “I’ll personally keep an eye on him, how’s that?”

It was a nice gesture on the outset, but the mischievous light in Michael’s eyes betrayed his true intentions—to make a new friend he could get up to trouble with. He might not have met Roxy yet, but Mike knew that together with her old counterpart they’d be an unstoppable force… especially if they roped Monty and Gregory into their antics.

Sam locked a strong arm around Michael in turn. He really couldn’t blame his friend for inhabiting the robot, especially if lives were on the line. He just sighed and told Mike in a half-joking manner: “That’s it—you’re responsible for anything he does.”

Across the room, Foxy was almost mirroring Michael unintentionally, his arm hooked around Fredbear and swaying slightly on his peg leg as he brightened to the thought of all the buccaneers he left in his absence.

“Those poor scalawags!” Foxy replied in a bark of laughter, his thoughts roaming now to their friends. “They must have all been so lost without me! Don’t you worry your fuzzy little head, this band will get whipped back into shape with someone to keep the timing now!”

He couldn’t wait to perform with them again. His skills were so obviously needed—or rather, he just assumed they were. “I’ll be excited to meet the new members of our crew as well! I’m sure together we’ll rock the heads off of our admiring fans.”

“Oh man, Roxy’s going to love him,” Charlie remarked with a laugh. Apparently Foxy was unaware of their names, and he had given Charlie a questioning, sideways glance. “You know… your sister?”

“I HAVE A SISTER?!” Foxy bellowed, eyepatch flipping up comedic ally as his ears stood up to straight points. “Goodness gracious! A little sister!”

Freddy’s heart warmed at Foxy’s obvious excitement. There was definitely a hint of Michael in there, he was sure if it—if the random accent swap wasn’t proof enough, the look of joy at having a younger sibling to care for certainly was.

“Roxanne Wolf,” Freddy clarified with a smile. “She is… well, a wolf! She plays keytar in the band and also has a raceway where guests can challenge each other around the track, as well as a beauty salon. Oh!”

Freddy let out a small gasp. He was getting really excited now, wanting to whisk the fox away right then and there and give him a tour of the Pizzaplex. He managed to keep his feet in one place, though he couldn’t resist gripping Foxy’s arm just above his hook and shaking it slightly.

“I am sure you have information about the Pizzaplex pre-downloaded, but we must give you tour once you are ready!” Freddy continued with a jovial laugh. “Your mental map does not do the place justice… Ah, and you must also meet Monty! His full name is Montgomery Gator and…”

Michael chuckled as Freddy rambled on. They’d witnessed him happy to see an old friend before, but this was a different kind of joy. With Bonnie and Chica, he’d also been flooded with relief—and disbelief, in the rabbit’s case—that they were back in commission and ready to return to all the fun they used to have. But with Glamrock Foxy being a totally new addition, Freddy got to take on the “mentor” roll tenfold and make sure he got acclimated as fast as possible.

“Guess he’s always had that streak in him,” Michael murmured, watching Foxy’s predictably dramatic reaction to the description of a huge, bass-playing alligator. Glancing side-eyed at Sam, Michael nudged him with an elbow. “So is Roxy going to be up and running tonight, too? Because we’ve definitely got to meet her sometime, if so.”

Foxy's attention was pulled constantly by the group. Now as Charlie and Gregory explained the group dynamic and where to bring Foxy first on his official tour of his new home, Sam was already smirking over at Michael. The boss crossed his arms and adjusted his glasses, vision drifting back to Foxy and watching how he interacted with everyone so fluidly—like he'd always been here...

“You'll be pleasantly surprised to know that Roxy's recovered and resting inside her room at Rockstar Row,” he said with some self-satisfaction, feeling he earned the right to be a little smug.

Turns out Roxy was a surprisingly quick fix overall. All of her parts seemed to more or less be pulled apart at the joints. Very little spares were needed, and after a wire-job here and there along with some final touch-ups, she was perfect again.

Foxy had to stop Gregory as he and Charlie ranted about their adventures—not that he wasn't interested, but their talk of the fun they had around the Pizzaplex made him yearn for the same.

“You two are torturing me! I need to see this place!” he said, snatching Gregory up when he strayed too close. There was no worry with Foxy—Michael had made it certain that Gregory wouldn't fear the old character when he had possessed him. Absently, the fox kept Gregory perched and giggling on his good arm. Another thing he wasn't quite programmed for, as parents didn't quite like the idea of the robots snatching up their kids...

“Well then, let us not waste more time!” Freddy exclaimed, though he made sure to pause when he neared Sam and give the man a strong hug. In his ear, he murmured his gratefulness for all his creator had done for them. “Thank you for fixing everyone up, Sam; I really cannot express my gratitude enough...”

“Fred, give him a break before he keels over,” Michael joked with a gentle tap to the redhead's shoulder. It was obvious that Sam basked in the praise, but even more obvious that he was in desperate need of another nap. Michael took it upon himself to hook his arm through Sam's, pulling him towards the doorway with the others. “Right—we'll stop by the Daycare first then head over to Rockstar Row.”

Moon was getting an ample amount of time out and about with the CEO's completely fucked up sleep schedule, that's for sure. As an excitable unit, the group left the crowded office and made a beeline for Rockstar Row, Freddy and Foxy in the lead—with Gregory still perched on his new friend's arm, of course.

Sam was barely keeping his eyes open by the time their group had gotten to the home of the main artists. It took some maneuvering, but the friendly Moon had taken the liberty of meeting both Michael and Sam at the edge where Rockstar Row met the exit to the Daycare. Carefully, the CEO was passed along into the waiting arms of his creation, nearly passed out already. The poor man needed to curl up in the theater room with some cartoons, a blanket and his favorite pillows...

“Oi, take good care of the Captain. He's still got his sea legs,” Foxy said in a hushed voice, mindful of Sam who looked asleep standing up. Mari quickly went inside with Moon to help put Sam to bed and to say hi to her friends, as they’d been sequestered the whole afternoon without her.

“Goodnight, Sam!” Gregory called, waving from on high. Only then did Sam show signs of life, waving lazily to the group and taking his leave.

“We'll make sure he gets a good rest,” Moon assured in his quiet, raspy voice. His head tilted ever-so-slightly as Mari slipped past, but otherwise he gave no indication of seeing the tiny android, his focus solely on Sammy who he'd lovingly picked up to cradle in one arm despite the man's weak protests. They'd have time to play games as soon as he put the nearly-passed-out CEO to bed. With a slow wave of one hand and a low cackle, Moon backed up into the Daycare.

By the time the door closed the group had already moved on, reaching Rockstar Row in a matter of minutes. Michael was pleased to see signs of Chica and Monty moving about in their rooms—now he wouldn't have to go searching the Pizzaplex to check on them before holing up in the office the rest of the night. Unbeknownst to Sophie and all the other staff members, there was a whole level to the gigantic mall that the animatronics could roam to... So far only Monty and Bonnie had been down to the old diner, but Michael didn't doubt the others would find their way into the burnt-out structure soon enough when they learned there was a group of excitable kids just waiting for a chance to play.

It was the night guard who knocked on Roxy's door, slipping between Freddy and Foxy to stand in front of them. He felt like he was probably the best one to lead the charge, as hopefully Sam had been able to upload his employee profile into the wolf's databank just like Foxy's. Now that he was officially working for the Pizzaplex, Roxy should recognize Mike right away...

“Roxy?” he called through the door. The curtains were drawn, so they weren't able to see what the wolf was doing, though she was definitely in there. “It's Michael—new head of security. I wanted to introduce myself and a few others you'll be seeing a lot around here.”

Roxanne had been fairly contemplative at her vanity, going through various metallic paints as she decided which ones to keep and what products for her mane were running low. The knock at the door interrupted her inner monologue and derailed her train of thought. She whipped her head around and called out to the person she recognized as familiar now that his employee profile was uploaded.

“Door's open!” she called, her more approachable demeanor a stark contrast from the outright unfriendly mask she wore when infected with William's virus. Roxy quickly teased at her mane with her claws, trying to prepare herself for people coming in as first impressions were very important to the wolf.

Outside the door, Foxy set Gregory down to wait. He wanted to go last and really think about what he wanted to say to Roxy. Maybe he should wait for First Mate Michael's signal before entering?

Was he overthinking this? Probably. Something in him wanted to impress her, to appear as a daring and lovable big brother. What if she ended up hating him…?

Foxy couldn't think like that! They were made to be family! Surely they’d get along just fine.

Michael strode into the room, immediately catching sight of Roxy at her vanity. Now that the bloodthirsty look was gone from her eyes, he could really appreciate how cool her design was. It certainly fit the profile of a speed-racer with a penchant for always looking her best.

“Nice to officially meet you, Roxy!” Mike told her with a smile, moving out of the way so the others could enter. Freddy was right on his tail, Gregory's hand now clutched in his own. By this point, Gregory was used to meeting the animatronics that'd been hell-bent on his destruction a few nights prior. Still, Roxy's attack and subsequent decommissioning had been pretty brutal—just like the others'—so Freddy took it upon himself to offer whatever small comfort he could. Squeezing Gregory's hand, he grinned at his former bandmate and opened his mouth to introduce himself, but Michael beat him to it.

“Your employee profile database says this is Fred, the new stage manager,” he began, having been through this spiel many times before. Despite the repetition, Michael's voice was measured and calm, unsure how easily Roxy's level of disbelief would be overcome at the human state of her friend. “That's true—but not the whole truth. He's actually your old pal Freddy Fazbear, just transferred to a new body. Check us out with your special eyes if you want—a startling number of us are robots, actually.”

“He is speaking the truth,” Freddy chimed in with a soft laugh, gently swinging his and Gregory's arms as they awaited the wolf's reaction to the news. “It is good to see you again, Roxy!”

Roxy's face was amazingly expressive just like the others—pure confusion took hold as Freddy sauntered inside the room. Well—it was Freddy, but not Freddy?

“Wait, is this a prank? Am I on camera?” Roxy asked, knowing that was definitely the unmistakable voice of Freddy Fazbear without the bear attached. She stood and went to inspect the redhead, noticing the child holding his hand was quick to scoot behind him at her approach. “Freddy?! Why are you a person now? They're not doing this to everyone are they—”

Taking notice of Gregory's fast glare from behind Freddy's thigh, she cocked her head in a confused way.

“...Did you steal a baby, too? What the heck is going on here?! How long have I been out?!” Roxy couldn't help but laugh as all the questions that seemed too ridiculous to be asking spilled forth from her muzzle.

“'m not a baby,” Gregory pouted, looking down and resisting the urge to nervously bite the skin around his nails. It was the first time the urge really hit him since last weekend.

“Ah—I think he needs a bit of space,” Freddy said, first and foremost putting Gregory's comfort above everything else. He took a step back while Roxy simultaneously did the same, not wanting to upset the clearly amped-up kid further.

“He has been through a lot recently,” Freddy added as way of explanation. The statement was vague, yet said all the wolf needed to know for the moment. Bending slightly to run his free hand through Gregory's hair, Freddy kept his smile prominent and his eyes trained on Roxy. “I have adopted Gregory as my son. I could not care for him as I needed to in my old form, and when an opportunity presented itself for me to transfer into this vessel I simply could not refuse.”

“Also, to ease your worries, Sam's not suddenly going to port you into am android, too,” Michael chimed in, a corner of his mouth quirked up in a smirk as he rested one hand casually on his hip. He was watching the interaction closely, ready to step in as a barrier between Gregory and his current stressor even though he knew Freddy was perfectly capable of handling things.  

“Freddy's a special case. Er, I guess Charlie and I are, too.” Michael's blue eyes flickered to his best friend lingering in the doorway. “Oh, that's Charlie, by the way—I'm sure she'd love to get a makeover sometime. She definitely needs it...”

The last comment was muttered under his breath, although by the look on Charlie's face she heard him just fine. Despite his apparent death wish, his smirk widened at literally offering his friend to the wolves—well, wolf.

Roxy took her time scanning everyone in the room now, her eyes darting between them as they rattled off explanations for their strange states. When Freddy told her why he was like this, she smirked at him. “Oh, Fred, you’re such a softie… That’s really sweet.”

How could she blame him for adopting a skittish kid in need? Hell, Roxy knew that she wanted to whisk away every mistreated kid that wandered through the Pizzaplex. She just never thought they could until now…

Roxy decided it was best not to scare the kid any more than necessary—he’d come to her when he was comfortable. Instead she circled to the only girl in the room, Charlie, who socked Michael in his arm while unable to hide the grin at her friend’s joke. Feeling eyes on her, she stood upright at the inspection Roxy was doling out.

“Her? She doesn’t need makeup!” Roxy said with an exaggerated roll of her eyes. “But I really can’t pass up the opportunity to give anyone a makeover if they want one.”

“I’ve never really worn makeup before—” Charlie laughed; even when Liz wanted to give her makeovers, it was like pulling teeth to get her to agree. When Roxy grasped her shoulders and scanned her face, Charlie gulped nervously.

“I have 76 potential styles that would fit that cute face of yours! Just let me know—I’m itching to use my new brushes,” Roxy told the girl with a grin and a wink, tail wagging gently behind her.

Slowly, Foxy snuck inside the open door. His sister’s room was pretty cool. Why did she get an awesome pad like this and he had to stay at Kid’s Cove? 

Roxy’s ears perked up at the sound of Foxy’s peg leg tapping on the tiled ground. When she whipped around, this strange fox character was sniffing around the stuff on her vanity.

“WOAH! Woah! Hands off my things, big fella!” Roxy protested, dashing over to stop the pirate from touching her hair gel or her perfumes. Foxy looked like a deer in headlights, turning around and stopping Roxy in her tracks as she was once again floored with confusion.

“I’m just lookin’, party-pooper!” he laughed, making Roxy’s head tilt with intrigue.

“What the heck’s going on here?” she asked again, recognizing the animatronic shell as a very familiar structure. Immediately, the concern they were replacing her next shot through her core.

“Roxy, Samuel has decided to bring back some of the older characters,” Freddy piped up, placing a hand on her forearm. The way her tail slowly flicked back and forth showed her suspicion at the intruder and Freddy wanted to assure her there was no threat immediate or down the line for her character. “Remember the mascot for Pirate’s Cove? Well, Sam has revamped him into a Glamrock style!”

“Think of him as your brother,” Michael added, placing a hand on Gregory’s shoulder as if to demonstrate what a sibling bond looks like. The kid clearly wasn’t totally on board with her yet, though Michael couldn’t blame him—that golden stare was intense…

“Foxy will be joining the lineup and staying in Pirate’s Cove for the time being,” Freddy said, already seeming to know the plan without having to ask. “But we wanted to introduce you first before he meets the rest of the band; he was just powered on tonight!”

At first, the air was tense. Like an unstoppable force meeting an immoveable object, the two stood defiantly until Foxy made a slow move. Roxy moved opposite, both animatronics circling each other carefully, two pairs of special eyes raking the other for any reason not to like their counterpart. In a way, it was like watching two dogs meet for the first time.

Then, Foxy side-eyed Michael and Gregory, learning quickly what it could mean to be family with someone. He scooted in closer, invading Roxy's space who passively allowed him to walk next to her.

“Frankly, I don't know what to say other than it's terrific to meet you, Roxy!” He smiled at her, not meaning to put her off by almost touching her things. This seemed to win the keyboardist over, the ghost of a smile pulling at her fang-filled maw. When Foxy hooked his arm around her shoulders and pulled her in for a hug, she reciprocated it in kind.

“Yeah, yeah, you're not too bad, either...,” she replied, looking away as she attempted to appear cool and calm about the sudden change.

She had a brother. And now Freddy had a son... Things were different, but she couldn't see a reason to fight the changes.

As the two stopped in front of the glass panel, a flash of purple sped past the viewing port. Bonnie Bunny was scampering through with what appeared to be an armful of wrapped presents and balloons in his arms.

“BONNIE!” Roxy shouted, at the window in a flash as she pounded the glass to get his attention. The scare issued to the poor rabbit had made him throw the presents and balloons into the air, losing the helium toys to the skylights.

“DANG IT, ROXY!” Bonnie cursed, jumping to try and save the balloons before they floated out of grasp, but it was already too late when he regained his composure. “Why'd you go and do that?!”

As Bonnie turned to scold the wolf, he got the full sight of Foxy standing beside his sister, laughing at him. “FOXY! Old boat, you’re here!”

“Oh goodness… alright, everyone into the hallway!” Freddy directed, grabbing Foxy’s hook—carefully—and leading him out first to meet Bonnie. It was far too cramped already in the room, and trying to add another animatronic would only increase the sardine effect.

Once fully in the cavernous museum hall of Rockstar Row, Freddy took his hand back only to throw his arms around Bonnie in a brief squeeze seconds later. The man’s face hurt from smiling so much, but he couldn’t help it. As of this moment, his whole family was here—his old friends were back in commission, and his new ones were as happy as could be in whatever bodies they chose to inhabit, ghostly or robotic.

“What in the world are you up to, you silly rabbit?” Freddy asked, a slight crease in his brow the only piece of his expression that changed as he started picking up the haphazardly thrown presents now scattered on the floor. Michael and Charlie had meandered out in the hall as well, though the guard’s focus was on the balloons far out of anyone’s reach.

“Wonder if Sam will want me to get those down… probably,” he murmured, crossing his arms as he tried to calculate how tall of a ladder they’d need to get. Then a thought occurred that had him snapping his fingers. “I bet one of the kids can do it! Float right up to the ceiling and grab them…”

He glanced at Charlie with a satisfied grin. “How do you feel about being a babysitter tonight? Maybe we can grab the kids and have them help before setting the little monsters loose; I’m sure you can rope some animatronics into helping you watch them while I’m working. Plus I’ll be keeping an eye on you through the cameras, so if you get into any trouble, I’ll know.”

He tapped his temple in both a promise and a warning. Any sign of trouble either towards or from the group, Michael would be on them like a hawk.

Bonnie returned the hug with enthusiasm, head knocking his friend’s ever so slightly until he pulled away to help with the scattering of presents. Some boxes heavy, some light. Others wrapped expertly, and some with a clear smattering of pizza grease on the outside... One noticeably had purple glitter glue closing its paper tabs. The tags on them read GREGORY in various handwriting styles.

Bonnie's guilty expression coupled with his eyes darting around for the unseen boy had the rabbit leaning in to whisper to Freddy. “Monty, Chica and I've been plannin' the surprise party! We were going to put these in your room.”

The excitable bunny was left giggling. He loved parties, and had always been a meticulous planner when it came to these things.

“It's the wee lad’s birthday?” Foxy asked, looking back over his shoulder to where he saw the kid inside Roxy's room by his lonesome. He didn't seem distressed, though. Maybe a tad bit tired as he laid on the ground, alternating kicking his legs up and letting them flop to the ground. If anything, he looked pretty bored.

Freddy sucked in a little gasp, eyes wide and sparkling as he immediately started towards his room with the armful of presents he’d collected.

“Yes, of course you can store things there!” he said in a hushed whisper, urging Bonnie to follow. Oh, Gregory was going to be so happy once this party came to fruition, he just knew it.

It took only a minute for Freddy and Bonnie to slip the presents away, making sure the curtains were closed so the boy couldn’t see the surprise they were cooking up for him. When they returned to the group, Foxy and his new sister were chatting quietly while Michael poked his head into Roxy’s room.

“Hey, kid—time to see your friends!” the guard called with a grin, gesturing for Gregory to get up and follow him. “I’ve got to start my shift soon; Charlie’s going to stick with you guys tonight.”

“I will go with you as well,” Freddy offered, raising a hand slightly. He looked to the other animatronics, explaining to those not in the know: “There are some children staying here with, ah… alternative circumstances. Sam has allowed them to remain with their guardian, though they may not all be in your guest profile list yet. We are going to visit them and see who would like to explore the Pizzaplex tonight—I am sure they will want to meet you both!”

Charlie popped into the room, having agreed to babysit tonight. After all, she was sure Cassidy and Liz were getting pretty fed up with her running around and not playing with them. So, she’d be the one to take the apparently bored Gregory away for another tour of the Pizzaplex with all of his friends. Hopefully, years of being attached to the security puppet's insides rubbed off on her and she could reign in all the kids well enough like Freddy or Michael did.

“You ready to go see Henry and your friends?” Charlie asked to hype Gregory up. At that, Gregory quite impressively pushed off from the floor and bounced up to his feet faster than a blink.

“Man, I thought we were NEVER going!” he said dramatically. With his tablet in hand, Gregory smiled down to the flat screen. “I finally finished that picture for Hannah.”

Bonnie had been curious to see, as he was the subject of the art piece. Carefully, the bunny knelt down behind the boy and looked over the colored sketch of himself holding a guitar.

“Wowee! You made my good side look even better!” Bonnie exclaimed, only adding to Gregory's smug look. He gave the boy a hug—hoisting him up, only to hand him off to Charlie.

Gregory at this point in his life just expected to always be passed around like a ragdoll between his robotic friends. Though it was hardly a bother, especially when bouts of sleepiness hit him.

Charlie walked over towards Freddy and told her brother: “Say bye to Mike and your Dad, kiddo!”

“See you later!” Michael said, giving the kid a high-five. “Remember—any problems, just wave at the nearest camera and I’ll come running.”

“Bye, superstar; have fun with your friends!” Freddy stepped in with a soft smile. Since the top of Gregory’s head was currently piled high with hairspray, his dad opted for pressing a quick kiss to his forehead. He then moved to Foxy and Roxy’s sides, slipping an arm through each of their own as he looked up at them with a bright grin. “Come on, we must go see the others!”

With that, the group parted for the time being. Michael headed for the central security hub, where he was quick to lock the doors and check all vents before settling in one of the swivel chairs. He ran through all the camera feeds, taking note of everyone as he scrolled. Freddy and his friends were now gathered in Chica’s room, where she and Monty were celebrating the reinstatement of Roxy and the concurrent arrival of her sea-faring sibling. A flash of Moon’s red eyes could be seen in the dark theater where he watched over Sam with quiet adoration, occasionally shooing away a cleaning bot that got too close and risked making a ruckus.

And then there were Charlie and Gregory, making their way to the basement where they’d soon disappear from camera view as they traipsed down to the old diner. Once satisfied he had tabs on all those he could, Michael leaned back in the chair with a sigh. Hopefully, tonight would actually be relatively calm… though his hope was minuscule at best.

***

At the sound of approaching footsteps Henry had quickly shoved the blueprints on his work desk into the nearest drawer, as was becoming habit. He was never sure if the visitors would involve Michael, and he wasn’t about to take any chances of his nephew seeing his latest project before it was complete. However, to their relief it was only Charlie and Gregory, who the old ghost immediately went over to greet.

“Hi, sweetheart!” A quick kiss was placed to Charlie’s cheek, then Henry chuckled as his eyes fell upon the boy in her arms. “And hi, Gregory—wow, nice ‘do! Very retro. Mike’s work, I presume?”

“How'd you know?” Charlie asked with a smirk. She lowered Gregory down from her hip, figuring she would let the kids all meet and mingle for a moment before taking the troupe of children above. Besides, she wanted to catch up with her dear old dad for a moment.

“Thanks, Henry!” Gregory smiled, not a care in the world as of recently. So far, Gregory had no idea just how actively his foster parents were looking for him—and really, there was no way to explain it in a way that wouldn't stress him out. It was better, in Charlie's opinion, to keep him blissfully ignorant of this fact. He scampered off to the back of the basement by the diner, hurrying to get inside as he knew that was where all of his friends were hiding.

“I'm back guys!” Gregory called, thinking how much easier it was to break into the diner than the first few times he’d attempted. In the darkness of the burned down interior, he saw a shadow creep out of sight.

“Oh my god,” he could hear Cassidy say with a laugh. “What year is this? And WHO did your hair?”

“My brother. Duh, who else?” Gregory asked, flipping the longer back ends of his new style out with emphasis.

“Yup! That’s Mikey’s work, all right.” Evan’s confident voice suddenly popped up next to Gregory’s ear as the ghost faded into existence, and he couldn’t help but giggle at the childhood memories the over-styled mullet brought up. Despite his laughter, Evan was genuine when he told Gregory: “I like it! It’s super rad.”

“Gregory got a haircut?” Hannah asked, peering out from a side room curiously. She took in his appearance with an appraising eye as she walked closer, humming and tapping a finger to her chin. She seemed like an art critic analyzing a piece to see if it was worthy of being in a museum collection or was simply utter trash. After a moment of tense silence, her lips quirked up in a little smile. “It’s cool! How’d you get it to spike up like that?”

In the workshop, Henry grinned widely as he pulled the blueprints back out of their temporary hiding spot. Splaying them out on the work table, Charlie got a firsthand view of just how much progress he’d been making with his latest android.

“Check this out,” Henry told her as their eyes roamed over the multitude of scribbled out drafts. “We’re almost done with the initial design, then I can really get to work! It’s been a little… tough getting a consensus of opinion though.” The ghost chuckled with a soft shake of his head. “Though I’m working with three distinct AIs here, so it’s to be expected… Still, take a look and let me know what you think!”

Charlie overlooked the blueprints with a curious hand, scanning all of the design aspects rather than the mechanical specifications.

“This is a really intricate design—did Ennard pick this out?” she wondered. Henry had a penchant for making the nicer-looking animatronics in Charlie’s opinion, and she didn’t doubt he’d be able to tweak Ennard’s base model into something good. 

“For the most part, yeah,” Henry replied with a nod, happy as always to get a favorable review of his designs—especially from Charlie. Flipping back to the first page, he pointed out the original design he’d whipped up. The body type hadn’t changed very much from then to now, as it was the features that’d gone through dozens of iterations, tweaked less and less each time until they'd settled on what was hopefully the final draft pending Ennard’s approval.

“I started out with a base model, but I had a feeling Ennard would want more input on their design than Fred or Mari,” Henry explained, pointing to the original sketch. “Good thing I asked, because they definitely had some opinions! Once we got a rhythm going it’s just been a matter of me reworking the look from our last brainstorming session while they’re hanging with Sun, then tweaking whatever else I need to when they come down for a visit.”

“This is so cool, Dad!” Charlie said with a toothy grin, smiling at the consideration Henry had put into making Ennard feel more comfortable in their own skin. “So—we’re not going to tell Mike who this is, right? We'll just... Let him figure it out on his own?” She knew very well how pissed he might be at first when realizing everyone was helping Ennard slip into society in a way. “I hope he realizes we're doing this because it'll make the chances of them hurting someone else a lot slimmer...”

Henry gave a short, barking laugh.

“HA! Yeah, telling Mike’s out of the question for now.” He sighed, folding the papers back up and arranging them with the newest design on top. “I certainly can’t blame him for how he feels about Ennard—honestly, it’s a wonder he tolerates them well as he does right now. Still… that boy has a big problem getting stuck in the past.”

His face pinched into a grimace, knowing how ironic that statement was coming from a man who’d been making androids of his dead daughter for decades. Besides, Michael’s hatred and underlying primal fear of the amalgamation had been deserved. Too bad no one realized that by the time Ennard stumbled their way into Henry’s mock diner, they’d already come to terms with the fact that what they’d done to Michael was very bad… It was simply the guard’s instinct to slam the vents in their face and shock them with a taser if he thought it necessary.

Now though… Ennard had proven themselves to be trustworthy overall. Did they have some dark, underlying tendencies evolved from their original purpose that Henry was acutely aware of? Most certainly—hence the new body. As Charlie said, hopefully with this human form Ennard’s desire to blend in with society would be appeased and they wouldn’t go looking for alternate routes.

In the diner, Cassidy seemed excited about something other than revenge for once in her afterlife.

“I'm going to get the twins and Liz, then we can head out!” she said, eager to leave and explore with everyone. It sure beat the dour demeanor she normally kept.

“Uh—hey, Hannah?” Gregory cleared his throat, holding up the little digital art board. “By the way, I made something for you…”

Evan sensed that perhaps he should follow Cassidy to grab the others. Gregory had made it very clear to him in a whispered conversation yesterday between just the duo that this picture was specifically for Hannah… and while the image itself might not necessarily be private, the act of showing it to her was. With a lingering brush of his fingers on Gregory’s shoulder for good luck, Evan quietly floated away to follow his old suitmate in rounding up their companions.

“For me?” Hannah questioned, shifting to stand next to Gregory’s side and leaning in close. The red tint to her cheeks deepened as she took in the picture of her favorite animatronic holding his favorite guitar.

“Oh my god, you MADE that?!” Hannah gasped, clenching her fists and holding them up to her chest. The words could’ve been taken as condescending if not for the humongous smile that spread across her face. “Gregory, that’s so cool! Thanks!”

With a little squeal of joy, she slipped her arms around his shoulders and squeezed him in a grateful hug. And there it went—Gregory's ability to breathe, right out the window.

“I'm really glad you like it! I-I wanted to make you something because you're so nice to me...,” he said, managing to give her a fairly tight hug right back to match her energy as he spoke into her shoulder.

It seemed like Gregory and Hannah might never let go of each other. They stayed locked in a hug until the loud voices of the other kids cut through the air, upon which they quickly parted. Hannah let out a small, embarrassed laugh as she needlessly adjusted her ponytail, turning to the doorway as Evan led the group through.

“We’re ready!” the littlest Afton proclaimed, pointing towards the ceiling as if about to lead an army into battle. “To the Pizzaplex!”

Gregory cleared his throat, reluctantly letting go of Hannah. When he rose his eyes to finally meet the group and say hello, Liz gave Gregory a hug next.

“Love the hair, Mini-Mike,” she snickered, making Gregory roll his eyes as he patted her back.

“Good to see you too, Lizzie,” he replied, taking the comparison to Michael in a more flattering tone. He’d never admit it aloud, but in a way the boy had begun to idolize him just a tad. Following Evan's excited lead out of the diner, Gregory posed a question to the group. “Where do you all wanna go first? I'm down for whatever!”

“Ummm… the Daycare?” Evan suggested, knowing that was as good a place as any to start with.

“Oh, looks like the cavalry’s arrived,” Henry commented when the group filed into the room. He raised an eyebrow, noticing that all the kids were together this time. “You’re all going up tonight?”

There was a murmur of agreement, and Henry’s gaze shifted to Charlie. She’d barely gotten a week off and now she was the sole babysitter again… Her dad knew she didn’t mind, though. The look on her face made it clear that she loved watching over the little rascals, regardless of how much trouble they might be. Henry’s expression softened along with his heart—that was his daughter, caring through and through.

“Well, I couldn’t stop you even if I wanted to,” Henry laughed, stepping out of the way and gesturing to the door. “Have fun, and listen to Charlie! Make sure you’re back by dayshift.”

“You got it, Uncle Henry!” Evan sang, hugging the old ghost around the waist before moving to the door and eagerly awaiting Charlie’s signal to go. He couldn’t wait to show Cassidy all she’d been missing!

Cassidy caught up to Evan, instinctively putting her palm against his. She’d started out having to comfort Evan all those years ago, much to her dismay of feeling like she was “babysitting” him. Now, she just really liked his company. Joining hands when they walked just felt natural.

“Is the Daycare as lame as it sounds?” she asked, figuring there was a bunch of dumb baby shit there. Building blocks, toys made for learning versus having fun...

“Do you think we'd go to babytown to hang out if it wasn't fun? There's the biggest ball pit I've ever seen there! Plus it's got these two huge climbing gyms,” Elizabeth explained with a shake of her head, and that seemed to win Cassidy over.

Charlie watched as they started to wander up to the surface, following the lead of both Gregory and Evan for now. She felt safer walking in the back and keeping all of them in her sights. Even if most of the kids were dead, she knew they could still get into trouble...

“I'll see you later, pops,” Charlie said as she gave her dad a quick hug goodbye. An extra squeeze around the shoulders before letting him go, and she was off to herd the flock of kids towards the surface of the Pizzaplex.

***

Previous Chapter ~~ Next Chapter

Looking for more? Check out the Chapter Masterlist on Tumblr!

Or check out the entire Wires that Bind Us Series on ao3!

[fnafsbheadcanon]

Cassidy: Don’t you see now? We can be one soul stronger, and you are alone. You can’t win. So why do you still FIGHT?

The boy was his knees, looking up at the dark shadowy girl, and tears on his eyes that are falling to the black abyss that is nothing. The only reason he sees her is that of her barely visible black hair, the photo-negative blue eyes, and that grin.

That grin is what terrifies the boy the most. It didn’t look innocent. It looked evil, and yet she doesn’t look like she wants to hurt him.

Cassidy: Right now. WE are your only friends that you have. We can make sure your soul is fixed.

After that she extended her hand to the boy. Her eyes pierced at the boy, but not in an angry way but more of a serious way.

He doesn’t know what to say. It felt like time was slowed down until he made his choice. She’s giving him a choice: Accept or refuse. He doesn’t know what to choose. He think everything that has happened. From his best friend kidnapping Vanessa, Freddy, and the other two he just remembered that are Tony and Ellis. Knowing damn well Cassie is behind all of this. Under the control of that virus, and worse the others are probably also under the influence.

He has no one, but himself and this person in front of him. He knows the risk if he does accept, but refusing to doing this himself is impossible. It would take ages to find, and free them without a proper plan.

With great reluctance, Gregory grabbed her hand. She looked satisfied, and almost excited. He stood up. Both of them having the same height.

The boy still has one more thing to ask.

Gregory: Who is “we”?

She didn’t respond, but more of showed. She pointed behind her with her thumb: There were 5 or 6 other shadowy figures just like her. With height of a kid or younger. They all stared at him.

He didn’t have the time to ask as he felt sleepy and tired so quickly all of a sudden. His vision fading fast. The last thing he saw was the girl quickly gabbing him to make sure he doesn’t fall flat in his face. He was that possible since she’s just a shadowy like figure is the least of worries.

Cassidy: See? I told you he would accept. Now he is our friend.

She turned around to them.

Cassidy: Ot would take to understand body possession, but we have a lot of time.

One of the figures that was a bit shorter than her walked in front of her. The silhouette was wearing a white mask with purple tears and pink cheeks.

?: Why not telling him the full truth? We’ll earn his trust that much faster.

Cassidy: You’re silly little Emily. You know why: He would have to accept the dreaded reality of his once best friend is beyond saving. The virus not only merged with her body and mind, but also her very soul. Her strong vengefulness, hatred, and rage at Gregory is what unfortunately made her lose her humanity. She has become one with the virus, and we felt that presence when she took his other friends. He would have to make the unfortunate choice of taking her life because that is the only way to save her. If he learned the full truth now: He would not bring himself to do it, he would die and we will be trapped, and she would continue going further of this torture of what that THING has done to her.

:0

[rosalinewintrell]

Sun Shower (Preview)

Hello All!

Here is that preview I promised you earlier. This is a 5-page snippet of a massive 54-page section of Rosaline and Garreth's summer. All you need to know if that Rosaline is visiting Garreth and his family about 2 weeks before the start of their 6th year and they have not gotten together yet.

I hope you enjoy seeing where their relationship will end up (eventually) please let me know what you think and either like, comment, or reblog!

Thanks!!

Dinner was a friendly affair. Gregory asked how her second term at Hogwarts had gone, and Rosaline explained her exams and the results of her OWLs. Gregory didn’t make much eye contact, but his head was titled her way, his gaze lingering somewhere in the distance.

“Oh, well done, dear!” Charlotte reached over and grabbed Rosaline’s hand and shaking it, “I am sure your parents are so proud!” Garreth and his father exchanged glances. Charlotte hadn’t been present and winter break, and while they had discussed Rosaline’s family dynamic, she hadn’t experienced the difficult relationship she shared with her parents.

“I any case,” Gregory said, with a smile and a wink, “We are certainly proud.”

“And grateful!” Charlotte added, “Without your help, who knows what kind of marks Garreth might’ve had.”

“Mum!” Garreth cried, a look of disbelief crossing his face.

“I didn’t do much,” Rosaline interrupted, voice warm, but even. “Just offered some motivation is all.” She continued to eat her meal, ignoring the way Garreth relaxed, a noticeable dropping of his shoulders and silence spread for a moment. She glanced briefly towards him, only to find him looking at her already, and she quickly averted her gaze.

Emmeline quickly dispelled the silent spell, suddenly excited to discuss the upcoming faire and reunion, explaining to Rosaline the many cousins she would get to see and the many artisans and shops she wants to visit and the games Garreth just had to plat with her. The rest of dinner passed, this way, filled with light chatter about the week’s activities.

“Rosaline, dear,” Charlotte said as dinner ended and the plates began to lift themselves from the table, “Why don’t you bathe first? You can relax and unpack.”

“Thank you,” Rosaline said as she stood, hands clasped in front of her and eyes on the ground.

Charlotte hugged the girl, pulling her in by the shoulders, gentle smile on her lips. “Make yourself at home, dear.”

Rosaline hurried upstairs, quickly shuffling through her trunk for her nightclothes and dressing gown and a small toiletries bag that contained her comb, brush, and some hair pins, among other things like her toothbrush and a bit of baby powder for a light deodorant. She bathed quickly, but thoroughly, swiping away any trace of sweat with a light ivory soap she found sitting next to the bath.

She emptied the bath with a wave of her wand and dried herself with a large, somehow warm, towel. She pulled on her nightgown, a long slip of light cotton, a bit of ruffling over the short sleeves, and then her dressing gown. It was one of her favorite pieces of clothing. It was pale pink with thin, cream lace detailing. It closed with a few hook-and-eye closures; a joy compared to gowns with ties. They always loosened more than she liked throughout the night. The neckline was higher, scooping just under her throat. The three-quarter sleeves belled at the elbows, a pretty draping of pink and cream over her forearms. She emerged from the bathroom, just as Emmeline and Charlotte were descending the stairs.

“Oh good!” Charlotte said, “Go take your bath, Emma,” she said, shooing her daughter down the hall, the two girls squeezing past each other. “Garreth and his father are just closing up for the night. Head upstairs and relax for a moment.” Charlotte addressed Rosaline with a smile and a squeeze of her arm.

Rosaline nodded and darted up the stairs. The bedroom was lit with a floating lantern bobbing over the center of the room and a few candles suspended in the air around it. Gauzy white curtains had been pulled over the window, but Rosaline could see that way the sky was cast in indigo, the first few stars just starting to shine brightly. She hung her towel from the iron bed post to dry in the night and sat on the mattress, toiletry bag in her lap. She had brushed through her hair and was beginning to pull it into two loose braids when a series of soft knocks sounded on the door and Charlotte popped her head around the door before walking in.

“May I?” the older woman asked, motioning towards the rest of Rosaline’s hair.

“Oh, of course,” Rosaline said, offering her comb and a soft cotton tie. Charlotte combed gently through Rosaline’s hair, a happy sigh slipping through her nose as she began to plait it over her shoulder.

“Your hair is beautiful,” Charlotte said as she fashioned the cotton ties around the end of the braid. “Have you ever though of growing it longer?”

“I’d like to,” Rosaline admitted, the thought passing through her head was a regular occurrence. “But I don’t know how to…handle it properly.” Rosaline tried to answer carefully, still ashamed about her outburst earlier. She hadn’t meant to be rude. She had realized Charlotte had been teasing only after it had happened.

Charlotte patted her head, “I’ll teach you, if you like.”

“Yes,” Rosaline said after a moment, “Yes, I would like that very much.”

“Alright,” Charlotte agreed, cupping the girl’s cheek, warm smile ever present. Rosaline felt herself lean into it just a bit.

“Thank you,” Rosaline said. Charlotte did not respond, the sound of steps running up the stairs allowing her to only widen her smile before Emmeline came bursting into the room.

“Och!” Charlotte cried, “And where have your manners gone?”

Emmeline just giggled and hopped onto her bed, “Will you braid my hair too, mum?”

Charlotte rolled her eyes at her daughter but agreed, a wide tooth comb appearing in her hands as she began to comb through her daughter’s hair. The front door opened, closed, and locked, a pair of feet shuffled around the downstairs, and one jogged up the stairs and back down, Garreth slipping quickly into his room before hurrying back down the stairs. Rosaline could only see the shadow of his through the crack in the door, but she averted her gaze anyway. Emmeline was chatting with her mother, asking questions about the next day; what was for breakfast? When would aunty and uncle be here? Can we have pudding for dessert?

“Yes, yes,” Charlotte said with a chuckle, “I’ll make you something for dessert! Now, to bed with you!”

Emmeline scrambled under her covers, Charlotte grabbing her discarded towel and hanging it from the bedpost. She then rounded the bed, helping pull the pile of quilts over her daughter and depositing a very soft kiss to her head. “Goodnight, sweetheart,” she said. The lantern dimmed and went out, now just a few candles illuminating the space.

Rosaline had pulled a book out of her satchel but was leaning back on the propped pillows. Charlotte petted her hair and kissed her head as well, warm breath puffing over the crown of her head, “Goodnight, dear.” Charlotte shuffled out, closing the door softly behind her.

The two girls sat together silent for a moment, only the rustling of Rosaline’s book disturbing the air. “He really likes you,” Emmeline said, and Rosaline turned her head to look at the younger girl. Her eyes were droopy, but still sharp sleepy smile tugging on her lips, “Garreth, I mean. I write about you too, you know. The way he talks about you is different.”

“Good different, or bad different?” Rosaline asked, feeling like her breath was caught in her throat.

Now Emmeline grinned, “Good different.” She said and then yawned wide, a sleepy groan gurgling in her throat. “Goodnight,” she said as she turned towards the wall.

“Goodnight,” Rosaline responded, staring down at her book, words blurry as she looked through them. Her heart felt as though it were dancing in her chest, and she felt a hot flush bloom over her cheeks and into the tips of her ears. A wide smile spread on her face, and she lifted the back of her hand to her face, feeling the heat of her blush. A soundless giggle shook her chest, and it was many minutes before she could continue reading, the giddy euphoria dying slowly.

Emeline was snoring lightly when someone wrapped lightly on the door. Rosaline slipped silently from the best, setting her book on the top of her trunk. She cracked the door open, seeing Garreth, who waved her out. Rosaline stepped onto the landing Garreth’s hand almost immediately seeking hers out and tangling their fingers together.

“Hi,” he said, soft smile lighting his face.

“Hello,” Roseline squeezed his fingers and felt a shy smile tug at her lips. The two chuckled together, and they soon found themselves leaning their foreheads together. Garreth’s hands cupped her cheeks as he tilted her head towards him, her hands gripped his forearms in return. They lingered for a moment, allowing themselves to breathe the same air.

Then, Garreth pulled away, and watched as her obsidian eyes fluttered open, lashes casting shadows over her cheeks. He sighed and tilted his chin up, pressing a soft, but firm kiss to the top of her forehead.

“Goodnight, Rosie,” He said, voice low and breathless, as he pulled away.

“Goodnight, Garreth,” Rosaline replied, pink flushing her cheeks as she slipped back into her room.

[congregamus]

TW: Abuse — physical, emotional, sexual

I'm eventually going to have to settle on a narrative for a new therapeutic relationship, so I might as well figure out what I mean. Anyway, here's "Wonderwall"

++++++++

Sing, muse, of the childhood tumultuous; first of love, abuse-heavy and denied, the same red as the blood-colored earthen clay from which this Adam-Eve was formed; of promises, broken and innumerable; sing also of poverty both feigned and real, material and spiritual; of trust betrayed; sing loudest of all in praise of cocks, over-large and mysterious as Life itself.

For one of my first memories is of cock. I don’t remember which of us decided that my neighbor’s penis, squished between his fingers and through the chain-link of the boundary fence, ought to be near my mouth. I remember only that “the kiss” intended for it did not last long, for it was interrupted by my mother’s harsh two-named cry towards me, reserved for when I was in the greatest of trouble. She had apparently seen from the small window over the kitchen sink where she washed dishes. 

I was in fact, as her tone indicated, in great trouble, and that neighbor and I were not allowed to see each other for (I think) a 6-week period – what I remember was that it seemed like an extraordinarily long period of time to my child-brain. I was probably 5 or 6 years old when this happened, and my neighbor was my same age.

I don’t remember if the event caused me to get a beating, but it certainly seems likely, as my sister Toni and I were beaten very regularly, and for entirely arbitrary reasons. For example, when I was around 10 years old, my father’s friend group rediscovered “Yes, sir,” and “No, sir,” culture, and the way we were taught the habit was that every time we failed to answer a question directed to us with “sir” or “ma’am”, we received another beating. 

My sister and I were summarily beaten when it was determined that we needed it – she until she married and moved into the home of another man who continued to beat her, and who added rape to the list of things she had to survive. I, on the other hand, bent the knee only until the age of 16, at which time I ripped the belt he’d aggressively taken off out of my father’s raised hand and threatened to use it on him. That was the last time my father tried to beat me.

I do not remember the trigger for the beginning of my liberation from my father’s abuse. I only remember that it happened, eventually, when I almost became the abuser in return. I am very thankful that I did not hurt my father in response to his constant abuse, however unintentional.

Even still, I am tempted to apologize for my abuser. He was not a “bad man” as determined by our culture – self-identified “country” folks in Morgan County, Alabama, the Pride of the Deep South, during the late 1970s, 80s, an early 1990s. 

My mother describes my birth in August of 1977 in the following way in her memoir:

The baby was due August 3, so I worked until the last of July, and then took maternity leave. I had decided I wouldn’t spend forever in the labor room by myself this time, so we took the childbirth classes so Gary could be with me through it all. He wasn’t real [sic] excited about the idea, but he was a sport and did it anyway. He was there when I got pregnant, so it was only fair that he was there when I got unpregnant."

[It ought to be noted here that my mother casually mentions her sex life in a way that I was never allowed. But that’s neither here nor there. She continues:]

The doctor gave me a shot in the twat so he could do an episiotomy and Greg was born with a scratch on his head where he was already trying to get out when I got the shot. Finally when I thought I couldn't stand it another minute, out he came. August 8, 1977 10:29 P.M. ****** Gregory ******* was born. 

The doctor delivering assigned me a male gender as was very traditional at the time, but it has become clear over the course of my life that gender is for other people. I don’t really need it. Mother goes on to talk about how there was no need to smack me as I emerged crying (“on key”, she opines). I would certainly get my share of smacks, but I seem to have avoided my first one.

[makeroftherunes]

WIP Wednesday offering of The Elysium, as requested by @preetsramblings and @kedreeva ! I am so excited to work on this one - I originally just wrote an intro and then immediately started another project. But I hope this game will help it grow!

The snippet from the original post:

My family, when we hear from them, like to mock the God of Death who owns a nightclub. But the way I see it, my kingdom will continue beyond my control. Everything will die, even gods in their way. Why not make those souls’ life a little brighter, a little safer - why not make a life, lively?

The employees don’t know that Perci and I are anything other than two young, lucky people living the LA dream. To them, I’m just stuck with an odd name and a sense of humor. People will ask “Oh, like the Greek God?” And I chuckle and say, “Yeah, my parents were assholes.” It’s my favorite joke, but Perci always rolls her eyes. I think our GM might know something is up, but he’s never said anything.

The GM’s name is Greg. Not Gregory, just Greg, and he’s been with us for about 7 years. He worked his way up, helped us figure out how to become a reputable place. I might be a god, but the human economy is a travesty of creation. To this day I still have Greg do our accounting. He’s always kind with the new kids, makes sure employees abide by the rules, and is RUTHLESS if they don’t. And Greg, as it happens, was there the night in question. He actually brought me the issue, with a basket of pretzel bites. Greg almost never brings me issues or pretzel bites, which is how I knew it was serious.

“Hade,” he said carefully, putting the basket down on my desk, “we have an issue.”

“I figured,” I said, popping a pretzel in my mouth. It was so hot I nearly spat it back out. Eyes tearing, I busied myself with some paperwork so I didn’t have to see Greg’s admonishing look. “What’s up?”

“There’s a kid here. Like a young kid, maybe 14.”

“Okay, so they’re underage. Throw them out.”

“No, they’re not trying to drink.” Greg waited for me to look at him. He said quietly, “They’re real beat up, Hade. Like I’m surprised they’re walking.” He winced. “They seem to think we can help them.”

I stood up, perhaps a little too suddenly. Greg took a step back. “Where are they?”

“In the break room.” Greg opened the door for me and walked with me to the hall. “Listen, I don’t know what to do here. I’m not sure what to do, but they said they knew this place, and that it would be safe. And I couldn’t turn them away.”

I put a hand on his shoulder, pausing at the door. “Greg, you did the right thing. I’ll make sure they get home. Thank you.” He nodded, still looking a bit confused, and made his way back to the Saturday Night crowd. I opened the door.

A kid sat there, and in the terrible lighting of the break room they almost looked perfectly fine. Until the shadows over one eye didn’t disappear when they turned to look at me. Until they winced badly as they twisted in their chair, a basket of fries in their lap. Until their already pale face got even paler as I entered.

Greg had been right - this kid was young. I made myself seem a little smaller, and carefully pulled up a chair.

“Hey kid,” I said quietly, “what happened? Why are you here?”

The kid trembled for a moment, and then blurted out, “You helped a friend of mine. Someone tried to drug her here and you got him arrested and helped her get home. She told me about you and that if I ever needed help while I was out at night, to come here. Her name is Allie.”

I remembered Allie. She was a few years older than this kid, maybe 17 or 18, at least the night I got that piece of scum thrown out of my bar. The only time I would call the cops is if someone’s life is in danger, and that includes a girl’s drink getting spiked. Besides, the fool was in full view of four cameras. “Yeah, I remember. She was a nice girl.”

“Yeah.” The kid looked down. “But my - I got in a fight,” they rushed, “and I remembered what she said. So I came here.”

I frowned. They rubbed their nose and their hand came away bloody. I leaned over and yanked some paper towels out of our dispenser. “Why didn’t you go home, kid?”

They looked up again, and as soon as they did, I knew why. That’s where they’d come from.

[vicky-0933]

My Favorite Teacher

Ngl this was one of my favorite ones to write, but anyways this turns ina way but Enjoy.

_______________________

For over a decade, Melissa Schemmenti had been a pillar of wisdom and warmth at Abbot Elementary. Her students adored her, her colleagues respected her, as they were scared of her, (sometimes), but she was the one that was always there for her students more. When they were bullied, she was the one they would go to, if they need help with their disabilities, she was the one to be there and help. She had guided many through the trials of adolescence, though going through of some of her own. She loved her students but one caught her eye, Yn Ln.

Yn had been one of Melissa’s brightest pupils, a lover of books and deep discussions. After she moved one to other classes and she grew, she had always stayed to see her old teacher to debate the themes of love and longing in classic novels. Melissa had admired her sharp mind and boundless curiosity. When Yn graduated and left for high school and then college, Melissa had felt an inexplicable pang of loss, one she quickly buried beneath lesson plans and faculty meetings.

Years passed, and Melissa never expected to see Yn again, until one September morning, when Yn walk in the front of the school seeing her old school, the one she had always loved. “Oh hi you must be the teacher here” you see a short lady walk to you, “My name is Janine Teagues, I am a teacher her here, I teach second grade.” Janine introduced herself, taking out her hand an, “Oh hi I am Yn Ln, I was a student here, and now I am here to teach the third grade” you say, she gasp, “Really you use to go here thats something” she says surprised.

She talks about the school, and she walk with you to your classroom, “This is your classroom, and I am going to let you settle down in here, but I’m a bit I am going to come back and show you around a bit” Janine says as she leaves, you take in the room, as it remind you of the things you did in the class. As you are making plans on what to put inside your classroom, you hear multiple people walk in your room, “And this is Mrs. Yn Ln, she is our new teacher” you hear Janine say.

You turn to see a tall man, and a an other guy next to him, “Oh my god, I can’t believe we have a new teacher, Hi I am Jacob Hill, I am a history teacher here, I am so happy to meet you” Jacob says while walking up to you, grabbing your to shake it, “Oh um hi” you say surprised, “Jacob give her some space please, she just got here” you hear a voice say, “Hi I am Gregory Eddie, I am a first grade teacher here” Gregory says while he pulls Jacob away from you.

“Well hello to all of you, I am happy to meet you all” you say, after a little while, “oh and it’s Ms. Ln, I am not married” you say to Janine in a soft way, “Oh my god I am so sorry” she say to you, “oh it’s ok” you say chuckling a bit, “well anyways I am bit hungry, do you think you guys can take me to the lunch room” you say, and all agree and walk with you to teachers lounge.

As you all walk into the teachers’ lounge, you see a few more teacher but on sticks out, Mrs. Barbra Howard. “Omg Mrs. Howard, your still here” you say and she looks at you, “yes I am dear and who may you be” Barbra asks you, “oh right, I am Yn Ln I was in your class, I was the one who would reading and we talk about the book along with Mrs. Schemmenti, it’s ok if you don’t remember me” you say kinda shyly, hoping that she remembers you.

“Oh Yn, yes I do remember you, you little book worm, how have you been? I know it’s been a long time since you’ve been here, are you are new teacher for the third grade” Barbra ask you, and you nod, “yea I saw that Abbott needed a new teacher so I asked to go in and they put me here, and now I am very happy o be here” you say in excitement, you sit next to her and talk to her, she grabs your hand and smiles, you remember all the things you used to talk about from love books to personal experiences.

You guys were so into your conversation that you didn’t notice that another person came in and was looking you, “Umm excuse me, who are you and what are you doing in my seat” you hear someone say, you and Barbra stop your conversation and look at who it was, “Mrs. Schemmenti?” You say seeing her after so long, Melissa blinked, as if trying to make sure she wasn’t dreaming. “Yn?” She just looks at you, “Is that you” she asks, you stand up, she takes your hand, momentarily speechless.

“Wow kid, I thought I would never see you again and now your here” Melissa says putting her hands on your shoulders. “and it Ms. Schemmenti now, I am not married” Melissa says, “Oh right” you said rubbing your neck. “Oh let me move so you can sit down, Ms. Schemmenti, and then I will head out to starts getting ready for tomorrow” you say slowly walking out but then Melissa grabs your arm, and pulls you towards her, hugging you.

“Nonsense kid, stay here a bit, I know it’s been a while since we talked, I would like to catch up with you, and please call me Melissa now” Melissa says while rubbing your back, you melt into the hug, “Oh my god, I’ve never seen her like this before” you hear Jacob say, “Youse got a problem with it kid” Melissa says with a sharp tone, while rubbing your back. “Oh no, it’s just that your never like this with anyone, so I am surprised to see you all soft with someone” Jacob says as Melissa rubbing your back, she let’s go of you but keeps her arm on your waist to keep you close to her.

You blush and look away from her, “So, I’m not going soft for any of you, except Barbra” Melissa says. You snicker, and she looks at you, “I see you haven’t changed did ya, Melissa” you said in a teasing tone, and Melissa takes a gasp of breath, but she quickly hides it and pulls you down to sit next to her, and for the rest of the time she talks to you, she was going to ask you something until the bell rings. “Oh well, I will leave you guys to it, you guys have a wonderful day and I am glad that I got to see you again, Mrs. Howard and Melissa” you said.

You get up, grab you stuff and head for your classroom, and Melissa just watches you leave, she felt something she thought she would never feel in a long time, a bit of pain, something in her change and Barbra noticed it, but wanted to talk to her later. As both women walk to their classes Barbra pulls Melissa into her classroom, “Girl what was that? Huh are you falling for her? What’s going on” Barbra asks her. Melissa just nods her head, “I don’t know what is going on, but something is happening that I haven’t felt in a long time” Melissa squeaks out.

Melissa just stands there, not know what to do, she starts to cry but Barbra hugs her, “Hey it’s ok, don’t worry about it, but for now just get to know her, maybe she will come around.” Barbra says rubbing Melissa back and Melissa nods. For the rest of the day, Melissa found herself distracted, caught between memories of the brilliant student Yn, but now since she is here now, Melissa now has to do something but she doesn’t know if you are dating someone, well that wasn’t a topic that was brought up, then she realizes that the whole time, it was her talking then you were. Something that she never does.

Had been and the poised, confident woman she had become, it was strange, but also exhilarating. She had always thought what had happened to her favorite student, and now that she is back, she started to fall of for the younger girl, but was scared about the younger felt about her. Thinking about the worst, she started over thinking about how to get her to talk to you, how to get to know you, are you even gay? She couldn’t stop overthinking. Over the weeks, their friendship rekindled, they shared lesson plans, stayed late discussing literature.

And found themselves laughing over coffee after school, always going over to Melissa’s house but never yours. Yn, now an equal rather than a student, challenged Melissa in ways few ever had. There was an energy between them an unspoken tension neither acknowledged but both felt one evening, as they graded essays together in Melissa’s classroom, Yn set her pen down and looked at Melissa, her expression hesitant.

“You ever think about how life brings people back together?” she asked softly. Melissa’s heart thudded. “Sometimes,” she admitted. Yn leaned in slightly. “You know, even as a kid, I knew that I wanted to marry a women, but like a strong, red head, that didn’t take shit from anyone.“ You confessed, laughing lightly to mask her nervousness, this kinda caught Melissa off guard, but she doesnt say anything.

Melissa’s breath caught, “I know, it’s silly” You whispered, not expecting Melissa to answer you, “I always wondered why I liked being around you as a kid, but then I left to high school and then I always expected you to be there, but never saw you, and I always dreamed about you” you say nervously. Melissa doesn’t say anything but just look at you, and you’re just staring at your paper, not wanting to see her. “But now…” you exhaled. “We’re both adults. We’re colleagues. And I can’t pretend I don’t feel something when I’m around you.”

Melissa stared at her, feeling a dozen emotions at once, surprise, fear, and, above all, the undeniable pull of everything she had tried to ignore. Slowly, she reached for Yn’s hand. “Neither can I,” she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. Melissa grabs your face, traces her thumb across your lips, leaning in, your lips meeting hers. The kiss is soft, slow, you move up to sit on her lap, which surprised her, but she puts her hands your hips, bring you closer.

This was like you never wanted it to end, it felt rushed a bit, but after a few minutes of making out, you pull away making Melissa whine, “Let’s go back to my place, let’s continue this there, yea?” You tell her, but all Melissa does is nod, you get off her grab your stuff, “I’ll text you my address” you say winking and walking away, Melissa just sits there, her brain not working, she finally snaps out of it and gets up, grabs her stuff, and walks out her class room.

She jogs over to her car, opens the door, and quickly turns on the car to head over to your house, as she is driving a notification pops up, and it’s you texting her the address, she quickly drives over there. As she pulls up, she quickly realizes something, what if you are doing this for fun? What if you guys won’t talk anymore? She has so many questions, she is in the car for so long, that you get worried, suddenly she gets a message on her phone, ~Hey Mel, are you ok? We don’t have to do this if that’s ok~ and it’s from you.

She sighs, turns off her car and walk up to your house, as she was about to knock, suddenly you open the door, looking at her a love and worry in your eyes. “Hey Mel, you ok, if you want we can just eat together and talk on the couch” you say bringing your hand to hers and she nods, as she is walking inside. You walk to the kitchen and she follows you, and she sits down on a chair as you starts to make the food. “Hey umm do you want me to help you” Melissa asks you nervously.

“If you want to help me you can, but you don’t have to do it” you say but she gets up and walks over to you to help out. As she is helping you cook, you look at her and she looks like something is going on, “hey Mel, everything ok” you ask her and she stops what she is doing, she sighs, “are you sure to want to be with me” Melissa asks you, “What?” You say, a bit shocked but wondering where this came from, “hun are you sure you want to be with me, I mean the kiss, did it mean anything to you” Melissa says in worried tone, almost crying.

“So that’s what this is about, your worried about me, liking you. Melissa, I love you, I even told you in your classroom, your everything I wanted, the kiss, it is the best thing that has ever happened to me, it meant everything to me” you say, also almost crying, trying your best to keep calm but the soon the tears start to fall, and you can’t stop. “I am sorry if I made you feel this way” saying while wiping your tears, looking down you can’t look Melissa in the eyes.

Suddenly you feel hands on your cheeks, making you look up to see Melissa also crying, “Oh sweetheart” Melissa says bringing you into a hug, you both cry for a bit, you hug her back, bring her closer like as if she is going to leave somewhere. You feel Melissa run her hands in your hair, you let go her but she keeps you near her, “Yn, ever since you came back, something grew inside me, something that I haven’t felt in a long time, and now that I am with you now, I never want this feeling to go away” Melissa whispers, getting close to your lips.

“I love you Melissa, I always been, please don’t let those thoughts get to you” you whisper back, leaning in to catching her lips. The kiss this time is soft yet determined, like if this is the last you kiss, it’s something you want to remember forever. This time, it wasn’t rushed, it was slow, like you still had a lot of time for each other, your hands to go her hips bring her closer to you, you wanted to feel her while you kissed. Melissa pulls away, this time making whine a bit, she chuckles, “it’s ok baby” she giggles out.

You both stare at each other, the light shines around her making her look like a saint, her red hair shining, her being a little taller then you, the way her green eyes look at you, the way they changes color. “God your beautiful” you say out loud, which surprised her, “Oh thank you hun” she says blushing. “Let’s finish the food, then maybe we can cuddle on couch, if you want to” you ask shyly, Melissa nods and the both of you make the food and head to the couch and eat. As your sitting down and eating, Melissa sets down her plate, as she is finished, and just plays with your hair.

You also finished, set your plate down, and lean into her, letting her continue, as the show is going on, Melissa can’t help but look over to you, the way the tv shines on your face. Then she starts thinking a life with you, how to guys would spend the rest of your life together, you feel someone looking at you, and turn to see Melissa, but she doesn’t do anything, you put your hand on her cheek and she snaps out of the thoughts, “hey baby, what’s in that pretty mind of yours” you ask her.

“Just thinking you understand me, and how I want to spend the rest of my life with you” Melissa responds, you giggle, giving her her a kiss, Melissa smiles into it. Then you starts to tickle her, she laughs trying to make you stop, “Please baby, please stop” she tries to say but eventually you stop, and you just hover over her, you both just looking at each other. As Melissa is trying to catch her breath, you whisper “god you look like a goddess”. She blushes, looking away, “God hun you gotta stop with the compliments, you’re making a blushing mess over here” Melissa says trying not to stutter.

“As long you know that you are beautiful, I will never stop giving the best compliments ever” you say giving her an other kiss.

____________________________________________

Hehe I hope you enjoy, I will do an other poll later today for what story to come up next, Hope you guys liked it. 🥲

[angels17324]

Chance Chapter 5

Prince Friedrich x Fem! Reader

Word Count: 1.0k

Genre: Fluff

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(Y/n) was sitting in the drawing room of Bridgerton house with Daphne, and many of her siblings. “Are you to be a princess?” Hyacinth asked, bouncing off the walls. The two older girls giggled at her excitement. 

“Only if he proposes,” 

“Oh, I hope it happens!” 

“Should you not be with your governess?” Daphne asked her sister. “She wants to know too!” “I think we may need to take our conversation elsewhere Daph,” (Y/n) laughed. “No! No! I’ll be quiet,” Hyacinth said wanting to hear what they spoke of. The two older girls laughed as she scurried off to join Gregory and play chess with him. 

“Are you hoping the Duke proposes soon?” (Y/n) asked. “Truthfully I don’t know when or if he will,” Daphne stated. (Y/n) stared at her friend, “What is he planning to run away with you and elope?” Daphne let out a laugh, “No, it's just he still says he will never marry,” “You two are a love match it's clear as day to everyone,” “Maybe not that clear…” Daphne said. 

“Someone should talk some sense into him,” (Y/n) shook her head. 

“Well, what of you and the Prince?” Daphne asked. “He’s so sweet, he's probably the sweetest man I’ve ever met,” She smiled to herself.

“Do you know when he intends on proposing?” Daphne asked. “I don’t and if he’s asked for permission neither father nor any of my brothers are letting that information slip.” 

Daphne giggled, “Well for your sake I hope it's soon.” 

“I do too,” she whispered remembering what her father had told her in private a few weeks prior. “What's wrong?” Daphne asked feeling the shift in tone. 

“Some has asked for my hand…” 

“You said no though… right?” “My father isn’t giving me much of a choice, if I don’t secure another proposal by the end of the season I’ll have to marry this other man.” “No way…” Daphne placed her hand on the girl's shoulder. “Have faith in the prince, he’ll propose I’m sure of it!” the two shared a quick hug. 

Friedrich had invited her, and her older brother (B/n) to a boxing match the following afternoon. “If mother knew I brought you here she’d have my head,” 

“You could have said no but then I would have asked (S/b/n),” she nudged her brother, as they walked into the building in search of Friedrich. “I thought I was your favorite,” He faked offense. 

“Absolutely, not, that's (Y/b/n), he doesn’t meddle in my love life,” “Yet,” “Miss (L/n),” She heard a familiar voice call out. (Y/n) quickly turned only to be met with disappointment but tried not to let show when she saw Lord Jameson. “I must say I’m shocked your brother brought you here.” 

“The Prince invited us,” Her brother explain. “Oh, this isn’t a place for a lady though,” (B/n) shrugged and attempted to lead his sister away. “We must find the prince if you’ll excuse us, Lord Jameson,” 

“How about I sit with you and make sure the young lady's mind doesn’t get corrupted,” He said attempting to reach an arm out. “Miss (L/n) Mr. (L/n),” She heard a familiar German accent call out and saw Friedrich approach them. (Y/n) couldn’t help the sigh of relief she released seeing him.

“Your highness,” She smiled as he walked over to them. He held a singular purple lilac in his hand. Friedrich smiled and looked at the two other men. “Your highness,” Lord Jameson bowed to him, and Friedrich nodded to him.

“Here I brought this for you,” He handed her the flower, “I would have sent a bouquet but I found this to be more personable,” 

“Thank you, your highness,” She smiled and held the flower. 

“You two go find seats, I’ll be nearby,” Her brother let them go. “Your timing couldn’t be more perfect,” She told him and looked up at him. 

“Oh?” He smiled a bit and lead her to some seats. “Glad, I could help mein schatz,” “Still haven’t told me what that means,” She smiled. “I will,” He chuckled and placed his hand over hers. She smiled a bit more. She also noticed her brother keeping Lord Jameson busy which she was thankful for. “I’ll admit I’m surprised your brother actually brought you but I’m happy he did,”

“As am I,” 

“I wanted to speak with you more, and though this might not be the most appropriate place I hope you don’t mind,” He said. “I don’t, and it could turn out to be fun to watch,”

He chuckled, “Your family seems to be quite close,” 

“We are,” She smiled, “Are you close with yours?” “I am, growing up I always had serval cousins around and I hope the same for my future children as well assuming my wife would agree,” He looked at her, and caused her to smile again. 

“I would hope the same for mine, I truly don’t know who I’d be without my brothers” 

He let out a soft chuckle and they both turned to watch the match, every time one of the men hit the other she’d unconsciously squeeze his hand a bit, not that he minded in the slightest. 

That night Celina had indeed found out that (B/n) took her to the boxing exhibition. How she found out neither we’re sure as they hadn’t told her, nor did any of their siblings. 

“I can’t believe you’d take her there!” She scolded (B/n). “And I can’t believe you’d go! What if something had happened.”

“I was close by nothing happened and I’m sure the prince would have protected her if he needed to,” Her brother spoke back. “Nevertheless a boxing exhibition is no place for a lady,” 

“The things you men find entertainment,” She shook her head, “Even if he is the prince you shouldn’t go there,” “Miss Bridgerton was there with Anthony and the Duke,” her brother said in their defense. “Well, then both you and Anthony Bridgerton should be ashamed of yourselves for taking your sisters there,” “Mama, I’m fine,” (Y/n) finally spoke. Celina sighed but relented finally. Their father walked in the door. All who were in the room turned towards him. “Dad,” “I have news for everyone,” He spoke calmly, and they all looked at him in anticipation. “The Prince sought me out at the club, and he asked for permission to propose,” 

Taglist - @faye-tale @eleanor-bradstreet @colettebronte @broooookiecrisp

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[trashyswitch]

Hide & Seek With Dad

Gregory is playing Hide & Seek with a twist. When Freddy finds him, Gregory lets out a certain word on accident...

This fanfic was suggested by an anonymous person. I hope you like it!

Freddy was smiling as he looked around the pizzaplex, wiggling his fingers in the air for Gregory to see. 

“Gregory…where are youuu?” Freddy teased. 

Gregory was hiding under a table, giggling with his hands over his mouth. He couldn’t stay quiet even if his life depended on it! It was like telling a whale to walk on its tail. It just cannot be done. 

Freddy could hear the ring giggles behind him. He knew Gregory was behind him. It was a little bit obvious…but Freddy wanted to play for a little longer. So he pretended he didn’t hear any of the giggle fits that Gregory was letting out. 

Freddy checked under the stage. “Is Gregory here?” Freddy asked. 

Gregory’s giggles grew a little louder as he watched Freddy check obviously empty spots. 

Freddy walked up to the Monty Golf area. “Hey Gregory! You in there?” He asked. 

Gregory held his stomach as he laughed. “Nohoho! Ihi’m not hihihiding there!” Gregory told him. 

“Okaaay…whatever you say, superstar.” Freddy joked. 

Freddy walked up to the seating area and looked up above all the tables and chairs. “Hmmm…where could Gregory beeeeee…” Freddy teased. 

Gregory was squeezing his palm against his own mouth to try and stay quiet. But those dreaded giggles kept filling up in his lungs. It was impossible to control them properly.

Freddy looked down at the one table that Gregory happened to be under. “Is he…” Freddy picked up the table and looked under the table. “Here?” He asked. 

Gregory laid himself onto his back as he cackled and laughed with his hands on his stomach. 

“Hahahahaha! Ihihit tohook you thihihis lohohong to fihihihind mehehehe?!” Gregory asked. 

Freddy couldn’t help but chuckle himself. “Indeed it did. You’re a really good hider, Gregory.” Freddy told him. 

“Ihihi’m nohohot!” Gregory reacted, poking Freddy’s foot. 

“And you know what happens when I find you, don’t you?” Freddy added. 

Gregory blushed as he tried to contain his giggles. But like a dam, it was impossible to cover it back up without water constantly spilling out through the wood. The giggles worked exactly like water, in Gregory’s eyes. 

Freddy wiggled his fingers evilly in Gregory’s face. Gregory squealed and giggled even more upon seeing the fingers. “Would you look at that? HeyGregory! No hands!” Freddy teased. 

“Shuhuhush! Shuhuhush yohohohour mohohouth!” Gregory laughed. 

Freddy gasped and put both his hands onto his own hips. “You DARE speak to Freddy Fazbear like that?!” Freddy teased. 

Gregory’s laughter only grew in volume the more he was teased. He felt both embarrassed, and excited. The boy loved being teased and tickled like this. That was the whole reason why Gregory suggested they play this game! 

Freddy picked up Gregory by the armpits and turned him around so Gregory’s back was facing Freddy. He held onto Gregory with only one arm across his upper chest, and used his other hand to tickle the boy’s belly and sides. 

Gregory threw his head back and laughed hysterically. “GAHAHAHAhahahahaha! Hahahahahaha!” Gregory reacted. 

Freddy chuckled. “Such a ticklish little Gregory…and yet, so little time!” Freddy teased. 

“Whahahat dohoho yohou mehehehean?” Gregory asked. “Whehehe hahave ahahahall nihihight!” 

“Well…Yeah, I suppose that’s true.” Freddy replied casually. 

Freddy snuck a finger into Gregory’s belly button. “Gitchy gitchy gitchy goo!” Freddy teased. “Tickle tickle tickle, little Gregory!” 

Gregory laughed and waved his arms absolutely everywhere. “HAHAHAHahahahaha! Nohoho behehehelly buhuhuttohohon!” Gregory cackled. 

Freddy stopped tickling and thought for a moment. “Hmmmm…” He hummed, thinking. 

Gregory took advantage of this break. “Whaha-…whahat?” Gregory asked. 

Freddy slowly smirked as he looked down at the little boy. “How about…yes belly button!” Freddy declared as he poked and swirled his finger in Gregory’s belly button all over again. 

Gregory bursted out laughing right away and kicked his feet rapid fire. It looked almost like he was running in midair with how much he was kicking and moving his legs! At the same time, his arms were exactly like flopping noodles. 

“Ihihihi- Ihihihi’m sohohoho tihihicklihish!” Gregory told him. 

“Really?! I had no idea!” Freddy joked. “How ticklish could you be, Gregory?” 

Gregory only shook his head. “Veheheheryhyhyhy!” Gregory replied. 

Freddy stopped tickling Gregory for a few moments. “Where else are you ticklish, superstar?” 

Gregory tilted his head with a giddy, yet confused face. “Why wohohould-” Gregory looked up at Freddy. “Why would I tell you that?!” 

Freddy shrugged his shoulders. “Is it really a surprise?” Freddy asked. 

“No. It’s a challenge!” Gregory told him. “Tickle me to find out!” 

Freddy chuckled and shrugged his shoulders. “If you say so…” 

Freddy lifted Gregory up with his right arm under Gregory’s arms. With Gregory secure in his grip, Freddy immediately started tickling Gregory’s right hip. 

Gregory squealed and threw his head back with loud laughter.  “BAHAHAhahahaHAHAHAHA!” Gregory laughed. “OHOHO NOHOHO! YOHOHOU FOHOUND MY HIHIHIPS!” 

And this was just from one hip being tickled…

Freddy gasped and smiled brightly as he kept kneading the right hip. “Did I find another ticklish spot on your body? How fun!” Freddy reacted. 

“YOHOHOHOU DIHIHIHID.” Gregory replied. 

Freddy chuckled. “How cute…Little Gregory likes these tickles!” Freddy reacted. 

“Mmmmmhmhmhmhmhm- Mahahahaybehehehe?” Gregory mumbled. 

“Hmmm…And what would happen if I…” Freddy stopped tickling Gregory’s right hip, and moved his hands over to Gregory’s left hip to start kneading it. 

Gregory squeaked and yelped as Freddy’s hand got closer and closer. “NO! NOHOHO-” 

And the hand touched down onto Gregory’s hip, and skittered into Gregory’s hip. Gregory went absolutely ballistic! “BAHAHAHAHAHA! DAHAHAHAHAD!” Gregory cackled and laughed. 

Freddy widened his eyes and stopped tickling right away. “I am so sorry, Gregory. I did not mean to bring back any childhood memories.” Freddy admitted. 

Gregory tilted his head as he looked at Freddy, somewhat dazed from the tickles. Childhood memories? What was he talking about? 

Then, Gregory widened his eyes as he realized what had happened…

He had said ‘Dad’ amidst his laughter…

Gregory covered his mouth and looked at Freddy with scarlet cheeks. “I…I didn’t mean to say that…” Gregory told him. “That was a slip…I feel terrible.” 

Freddy tilted his head. “So…It wasn’t a memory?” Freddy asked. 

Freddy raised his eyebrows. 

W-Wait…

“You…You called ME Dad?” He asked next. 

Gregory looked down, embarrassed and scared he had hurt him. 

Freddy wasn’t sure how to react. He wanted to tell him it was okay…But he wasn’t sure if he should do that or just leave it. 

What would a father do? 

“I…” Gregory mumbled. 

But Gregory paused his words when he felt himself get picked up. Gregory struggled to look behind him, but widened his eyes when he felt the orange animatronic arms around his body. 

“It is okay. I like being called Dad.” Freddy told him. 

Gregory softened his expression upon hearing that. He was confused, but more relieved. “You…You do?” 

Freddy smiled and wiggled his ears. “I do, Gregory.” 

Gregory smiled a bit, unable to see Freddy’s wiggling ears. 

“Oh my gosh- His ears are wiggling!” Someone whispered loudly. 

“It’s a human child…why is Freddy so attached to a human child?” Another voice asked. 

“Awww, he loves him!” A third voice reacted. 

Freddy turned around to look at the location of the voices. The bodies that were standing in front of them were animatronics. In fact, they were familiar animatronics. 

“Roxanne…Monty…” Freddy mumbled first. 

“Chica…” Gregory mumbled. 

The animatronics all smiled a bit. Roxanne was the first to speak up. “So…who’s the mom in this situation then?” She asked. “Me? Or Chica?” 

Gregory couldn’t help but giggle at her response. “Hehehe! I don’t know.” Gregory replied. 

Freddy smiled. “Perhaps both of you can be moms.” Freddy offered. 

“Nah…One of us needs to be a mom, and the other needs to be a cool aunt.” Roxanne told them. 

Chica giggled. “I call being the mom!” Chica declared. 

Roxanne smirked. “Then I call being the cool aunt that spoils the nephews with tickles.” Roxanne took Gregory out of Freddy’s grip and started skittering her bright green nails onto Gregory’s belly. 

Gregory squeaked and giggled helplessly. “HEhehehehey! Ohokahahahay, thahahat’s fahahahair.” Gregory replied. 

Chica giggled. “And what about you, Monty?” Chica asked. 

Monty laughed. “I call being a BIG, BUFF, SCARY UNCLE!” Monty declared. 

Roxanne guffawed at that. “Says the gentle giant!” Roxanne teased. 

Monty growled. “Excuse me?!” 

“Gentle, giant. Monty is a gentle giant.” Roxanne teased. 

“I’m NOT!” Monty yelled. 

“You are too! You were at the beginning, and you will remain a gentle giant for a long time.” Roxanne declared. 

Monty growled and shouted super loudly, to show his anger and frustration. But Freddy just chuckled. “...Or he could be the terrible toddler.” Freddy added. 

Everyone, except for Monty, bursted out laughing at that revelation. 

Monty only crossed his arms and huffed. “Only a teddy bear would look at an animatronic with a deep voice and call it a toddler.” Monty muttered. 

Freddy rolled his eyes and patted Monty’s head like a human would pat the head of a dog. “Good toddler.” Freddy said. 

Gregory giggled. “Maybe you wanna visit the Daycare Attendant while you’re at it, Monty the toddler?” Gregory teased. 

Roxanne and Chica bursted out laughing, while Monty froze in pure anger. “WHAT?!” Monty yelled. 

“Oh my gosh, Monty would SQUASH the Daycare Attendant!” Roxanne reacted. 

“Not necessarily.” Chica added. “Have you seen the video of Monty being tickled by the Daycare Attendant?” Chica asked. 

Monty gasped and stomped up to Chica. “You so much as OPEN YOUR BEAK-” 

Chica giggled and took off sprinting the other way.

But not before yelling the following words over her shoulder pads: 

“Get his neck! He’s ticklish on his neck!” 

Freddy would keep this important information locked up in his brain. He HAD to try this out later…