#enby reader

Vox—

Can I just say I love the trans Vox hc?

That’s not gonna be a part of this post but it’s important to me that you know that

Okay anyway

In a weird way he kinda understands what you feel?

Like not the dysphoria exactly but

The need to change yourself physically to match how you feel internally

His own experience isn’t a one to one comparison but like

He kinda gets it

Oh but!

If you want anything

In general but specifically in relation to gender stuff

He will buy it for you

Hate how your clothes are sitting on you today?

Well he’s got onesies and hoodies and an entire closets worth of nice clothes to wear whenever you feel ready for it

(All courtesy of Velvette, of course.)

You want to go on hormones? He’s got it.

Surgery? He’ll book a consultation!

He’s like

The opposite of that one bi guy every trans person seems to date yknow?

The great thing about controlling the media is that he’s fantastic at convincing people

You ever feel bad about yourself? He’s on it

He’s not super… into feelings and junk but he’ll have you feeling a little more confident

Oohhh but if he finds out someone’s being a bigot?

Well

His reaction depends how badly you’re upset, how well known the other demon is, how public things are…

That prick will be getting what’s coming to them don’t worry

It just might take a bit

He has to decide the best way to ruin their life, y’know?

Velvette—

She’s your personal stylist.

You want a haircut? No awkward bobs because “that’s too short!” Or crappy extensions on her watch

Every outfit you wear is custom made, perfectly tailored to hide whatever you need to hide, and accentuate whatever you want to highlight

In an odd way I feel like all the Vees relate to changing how you’re percieved to match something internal

But I feel like she understands better than the other two

Like there will always be a disconnect between how you experience life and how they experience life

But shared experiences with different contexts can still be shared and bonded over, y’know?

She’s probably the most aware of trans stuff

Liek just the concept and some health stuff (like hormone blockers and stuff!!)

If you ever consider getting surgery, talk to her about it

Her whole thing is like

Being the perfect version of yourself

I think there’s a poster where she’s advertising plastic surgery so

You want top surgery? She knows a guy

And it’s hell, and the Vees are rich as fuck!! Anything can be changed with enough moneyyyyy so if you end up wanting to change some stuff

She’ll probably have some ideas on how to help :)

Now, if someone was being transphobic to you?

Well

Velvette is less likely to wait, like Vox would

She’d ruin their life, no hesitation!

But she wouldn’t get her hands dirty hunting them down and killing them

Too busy styling you to her hearts content

Valentino—

If someone’s being transphobic they are getting shot

No questions asked

Valentino probably knows the most about all the medical stuff tbh

Like unfortunately trans people are fetishised and he’s

The porn demon

He knows about that shit

At least the concepts

Uh he probably doesn’t really understand dysphoria

Or how to help with it

In a traditional sense

“Like, everyone’s into something. So even if you don’t have the parts, you’re still hot/fuckable!”

That’s probably his best attempt

Whether that works is up to you

Still he is probably the best at boosting your self esteem

Like he’s pretty comfortable in his body

So if you need help with that he’s definitely the best person to go to

You can rock a skirt or suit regardless of your gender

It was just another day. You had fed your animals, watered your crops, checked the request board, and even managed to finish Elsie's request for berries.

It was just another day.. So why were you suddenly opening your eyes in Valen's clinic..?

The sound of murmurs where heard from the other side of curtain. You could only barely manage to make the voices out to be Olric and Valen, but despite that, you still couldn't decipher what either was saying.

Things started going by in flashes. Valen talking to you.. Olric giving you a thumbs up... And then you were alone.... You were confused, but could also somehow understand that you should probably just stay in the medical bed and rest..

But you had so much to do. What if you didn't manage to put your animals back away tonight? Plus you had some request items in your bag that just needed to be handed over to the respective villagers-

Suddenly Valen walked in from out side, heading towards the counter only to turn to you in slight surprise.

"Ah- You're awake. Good." Valen said, now walking to your side as she began to explain what happened.

"You passed out outside the general store. I've subscribed you some medication, but also highly recommend getting a lot of rest this week." She said, flipping through a clip board she had just picked up from beside you.

Valen kept talking to you for a while. Answering any questions you had about your situation, how you got there, and more details on what needed to be done so you could get back to helping the town a lot faster.

You were very grateful that Mistria had a doctor like Valen. She was kind, took the time to explain things, and she didn't treat you like you were completely stupid. But right now, the thing that you were by far the most thankful about her for, was that she kept everything confidential.

Because barely a second after Valen had answered your last question was when the town's grumpy blacksmith decided to barge into the clinic. The door being swung open took you so off guard that you let out a brief yelp of a gasp, only for you to sigh out in reluctant understanding when you realised it was March standing in the door frame.

Valen was quick to stand, walk briskly forward, and close the privacy curtains around your bed before promptly asking March what he needed.

After a strangely long pause, March finally spoke on his reason for entering the clinic. "I'm here to check on the Farmer." He said, making your face heat up in a strange mix of endearment and slight anger. Why could he admit that, but never thank you to you face-

"If they're too sick to do my request I need to know." He said, adding it on a fair bit too quickly to sound casual.

You desperately wanted him to leave or for Valen to turn him away from getting to see you. March seemed more volatile then usual, and you didn't feel like being sick and vulnerable in front of the one guy in town that was adamant about hating your guts.

"I see." Valen said, a silence falling on the room for a moment before Valen spoke again. "You can't see them right now. I need to finish my consultation. But you are welcome to wait outside and I'll call you back in later." She said, and you were so grateful that Valen essentially said 'no', because you highly doubted March would wait outside for you both to be done.

But alas, once both you and Valen had covered all the bases, she went outside to check if March was still there.. Only for her to return with a very annoyed looking Blacksmith.

You were filled with dread the moment you heard March and Valen talking once back inside the clinic. The fact that March had stayed outside was a complete twist, and the moment Valen had opened the curtain you managed out a weak smile at the two of them.

"Hey March." You said, and March's face looked like he had seen a ghost.

You have no clue what March was seeing from your state, but you were quite sure it was a fair bit exaggerated. He stumbled back slightly as Valen walked closer to you, asking you a question you yourself would've stumbled from if you were standing.

"Are you okay with March walking you back? Remember, you're only to put your animals away, take your medication, and go straight to resting." She said, eyeing you as you sort of just sat there in shock. March seemed to be under the same affect, not so much as fumbled backward again, but his frown definitely gave him away that he wasn't made aware that he might be walking you back to your farm.

"Uh- Okay.." You said after a few more beats of silence passed. And before you knew it, you were being helped up onto your much weaker feeling legs by Valen before being handed over and held steady by March - who frankly acted like he had just had a piece of glass thrown at him to carry.

You both bumbled about awkwardly, neither of you wanting you to fall or lose your balance, but also not being very comfortable being led and leading.

It took some time, but eventually the river and bridge leading to your farm to came into view. It was right then when you finally questioned why March was still half cradling you, not that you minded it too much.. But at this point you definitely felt you could walk on your own.

"I can head back on my own from here." You let out, trying your best to sound reassuring and confident instead of all flustered like you still sort of were.

"No. Valen said I'd walk you to your farm.." March retorted, trailing off a bit near the end as you looked up at him in disbelief just as he looked away.

"March, I can walk. It's not too far from here and my legs feel much better now-" You started out, only for March to speak up against you in defiance. "No. I'm not having you pass out when there's no one around to carry you back to Valen. If you can walk on your own, then fine. But I'm still walking you the whole way." He said, steadily letting go of your shoulder and upper arm before simply walking the rest of the way beside you.

This new behaviour from March was strange, and only got exceedingly stranger when you got to your farm.

First you went to put your animals away, only for March to near speed walk past you and get all your animals inside in record time(while also making you question if you'd need to get new bells for your barn and coop now..).

It left you standing by the crops in front of your house in absolute gobsmack, only for March to walk back up to you. "Okay, what's next?" He asked, leaving you near speechless as you quietly mentioned just needing to take your meds now and rest.

And that's exactly what you were forced to do, thanks to this strange new version of March.

"You swallowed them?" March asked from your kitchen as you sat on you couch with now only half a glass of water left. "Yeah." You called back, still dumbstruck about the fact March was armament he was cooking you dinner.

He was back to being snappy and much more March-like now, but that only happened after you tried to politely hint that he can leave and go back home. Instead, he was straight to raiding your fridge, getting you a glass of water, and handing you the correct dosage of your new meds.

Then he asked you what you wanted for dinner, and got straight into making it.

By the time he was done with the meal and you were about to take your first mouth full of food, you suddenly questioned where his plate was when you turned to see him leaving. "Bye then. See you tomorrow." Was all you heard before he shut the door and left you sitting there in utter confusion.

It was only once you had done the dishes and were now in bed when you finally realised what March had said. 'See you tomorrow'.... What? ......No.. Surely not.... Right?

But sure enough, March showed up at your door the next day, asking for your watering can before tending the fields..

And then he fed, pat, and let all the animals, out...

And then he made you breakfast..!

You didn't dare bring up this strange new behaviour, at least not that day, because sure enough, that whole next week of you being sick was filled with March showing up at your door.

"I've done your animals and crops, now have you damn meds!" March said, not fully shouting, but definitely loosing his temper.

You were at the point of hating the sensation of needing to swallow pills in order to get better. Why couldn't your dragon bestie just give you magic to cure being sick??

"I don't want to!!" You argued back, wanting nothing more than to be better already.

"I'll get you ice cream if you swallow the damn thing before I'm back from watering your crops." March said, getting up from your bed and heading outside to do said watering.

After the third day of showing up, March made it very clear that he was going to be helping you out, but you were still a bit confused as to why. Reluctantly swallowing your meds with water, you thought back on the March that always made a dig at you. It wasn't as if March had stopped making off handed comments, but they were much tamer, and he was always searching your face to see if he pushed it too far.

You didn't really miss that March, but you were also scared that this March would only be around when you were sick.. And you were really growing to enjoy this side he was showing.

He was still rough around the edges, but he would put so much care, effort, and strangely enough, understanding into the things he'd help you out with.

It was mostly just your farms manual labour tasks, but he'd also always cook you something. Not to mention, he'd always check if you'd had your meds, and after the day you almost forgot to take them, he started showing up first thing to make sure you had them on time.

Having watched the stars with March was like a dream come true.. And even the fact that he said yes to your invitation was a miracle in and of itself!

Still, despite March having accused you of messing with him, the night ended up being a memory that you hope you'll never forget. The stars were gorgeous, his face was picturesque as the lights of the stars flew past, and when you had turned to look back at the meteor shower, you caught March staring back at you from the corner of his vision.

But of course, the night couldn't last forever, and turns out, neither could your consciousness. After about your fifth or sixth yawn, March rolled his eyes and told you that he'd be walking you back to your farm. And so here you were, sleepy eyed with your body reacting exceedingly slowly as you tried not to fall off the tree trunk and into the river on the path to the Summit.

Of course, March didn't help much, mostly offering his judgmental stare and a few off handed comments. "Are your legs asleep or something?" He asked, his tone not sounding nearly as mocking and offensive as it usually was.

"Mm.... Sorry, I- Didn't think I'd be this tired.." You said back, stepping onto the grass before letting out a breath of relieve and triumph for still being upright, and most importantly, not in the river.

Continuing on for another step, you stopped to turn back to see where March was, only to find him directly behind you. And in that moment your sleepy state really showed. It took you a good few seconds to react and step aside so that March could also get off the large tree trunk and join you on the other side of the river.

Now following behind March, who was already a third of the way down the stairs, you went down the first step. Placing your foot on the stone made a low echo sound out from the contact it made with your shoes. A very audible sigh left March as you frowned tiredly and looked down at him, watching as he started making his way up the steps again and stopped two steps down from you.

There was a solid moment of silence, and your eyes had the time to slowly blink twice before watching March rather adamantly extend his hand out towards you.

"Like I said.. I won't here the end of it if you fall over and hurt yourself.. So just hurry up and take it..!" March clarified, looking away from you as you smiled and silently accepted the offer by taking his hand. You knew full well that you wouldn't make it home without stumbling over something, which is also fairly likely to happen more than once.

Slowly but surely, March guided you down the stairs as you internally started thinking about how warm and inviting his hand is. While his callouses were rough, and his hand was slightly shaky, it felt so.. Gentle and careful while holding your own.

Neither of you spoke as you got to the end of the stairs, over the pillar-bridge of the lower part of the river, and towards the Museum. Every now and then your eyes would slowly close before you had to mentally pry them open, and each time March would slow down slightly and lightly squeeze your hand that was still linked with his.

After you both passed the massive rock that you'd frequently crack open to get a quick sapphire, March spoke up. "How tired are you?" He asked, not a single hint of mock or accusation in his tone.

It took a whole second for you to fully register his question, and another second to give your answer. "Super tired.... Gonna sleep in till ten on purpose in the morning.." You managed out just before a yawn escaped you as you tried, and failed to stifle it.

After a few more steps in silence, March suddenly stopped, hesitatingly letting go of your hand before crouching on the floor in front of you. March somehow managed to sense the confused frown you wore, as he clarified his actions soon after. "Hop on.. You're taking too long." He said, and although you weren't fully convinced, you awkwardly got onto his back anyway.

Neither of you spoke for a while afterwards, and it was admittedly even more of a challenge to stay awake while being hauled home by March. Carrying the weight of your body seemed like no trouble at all for March, and not only that, but you could also feel the loud thrum of his heart beat reaching you from his back. It started out slow and methodical, but the moment you relaxed further into him, it started racing, almost as if he was panicked.

You didn't say anything, or, at least you didn't intend to. But unfortunately for you, March sounded out in reply. "I can't turn my heart off..! Sigh.. We're almost there, don't fall asleep yet, got it?" He said, making you sigh out a groan at the fact you couldn't fall asleep anymore.

It really wasn't much longer until you both entered your farm. The scenery wasn't quite how you wanted it yet, but it was getting there. March hadn't so much as taken a glance, making a direct, yet casual beeline for your home. It wasn't a long walk, but it did turn out to be long enough for you to start dozing off.

By the time March was at your door and asking you if you had a key, you were fairly unresponsive. The only reply you gave was a few half hearted grumbles and a final huff before weakly trying to kick the door open. March sighed at your attempt of you trying to enter your house, but instead of biting, snapping, or being a pain, he somehow ended up being.. Kind. At least in his own way.

"No key?" He asked, prompting you to shake your head against his shoulder before he opened your door. It took March no time to locate your bed and carry you toward it, and the mattress and blankets looked so inviting to you that you reached out for them so as to flop on your bed.

In the end, you not only landed on your beloved bed, but also took March down with you. And before you could even think about or debate the consequences of your actions, you went straight to sleep.

March, for one, didn't take to being dragged down with you and onto your bed too kindly, but before he could shout out a frustrated, and admittedly flustered response, you had started snoring. It wasn't loud or obnoxious, but it definitely sounded like you were exhausted. For March, it wasn't up to any kind of debate that you should rest, but he would've been lying to himself if he didn't admit that seeing you asleep was a.. Slight comfort.

You’ll be happy to know that everyone on the team is cool with the whole nonbinary thing.

Mostly.

Alexei is a little confused but has the spirit.

Definitely ‘his/her pronouns are they/them!’ energy.

He is curious but not judgemental, and if anything he thinks it’s pretty cool.

Yelena, Bucky and Ava are normal about it and don’t treat it like a big deal.

At first Bob is clearly nervous about messing up how he refers to you, so you might have to reassure him that it’s fine for him to mess up as long as he tries his best.

On the opposite end of the spectrum is Walker, who, when you first meet him, can’t give less of a shit about offending you.

He doesn’t go out of his way to do it, and he isn’t malicious about it, but I can imagine him thinking ‘oh, great’ and rolling his eyes about it.

He doesn’t strike me as someone who has queer friends. Or friends. Especially after he bashed that guy’s head in.

He misgenders you and the only apology he offers is sarcastic and otherwise insincere because he’s got bigger things to worry about, like his wife leaving him.

Of course, Bucky, Ava and Yelena will all tell him to shut up and stop being a dick.

I adore my silly little idea of Ava and Yelena misgendering him to piss him off and see how he would like it, and it isn’t long until he concedes that it’d just be less of a headache to show you some basic respect and refer to you properly.

And, he will actually come to not be bothered by referring to you properly in the end.

I feel like Ava’s main way of showing support is by being a dick to people who are dicks to you about the gender thing.

Bucky knew you long before the whole Thunderbolts/New Avengers thing.

(TLDR: My headcanon is that, after Civil War, you lived in Wakanda after Steve busted you out of prison, which gave you a chance to get to know Bucky and vice versa)

When he first met you, all he knew about you was that you had stuck your neck out to save him, something for which he was grateful.

And, if you had Steve’s stamp of approval, that was more than enough for him.

The whole ‘nonbinary’ thing was unfamiliar to him.

He’d noticed how you were referred to by Steve and the others.

He took the approach of not questioning it, despite being confused.

Not asking about it became unavoidable when you grew closer.

One night, when you were both sitting around a fire in Wakanda, he very awkwardly asked you about it, and you had a long conversation about it.

After that, he understands well enough and he gets the hang of gendering you correctly in no time.

(I’d like to think you help explain other queer concepts to him).

If someone is a dick to you, he will stand up for you.

Whether or not you can handle things yourself, he takes it upon himself to have your back, like you had his, and like he always had Steve’s.

It’s in his nature to stick up for the little guy, you know?

I’d like to think that, after Bucky and the rest of the population is revived post-blip, you remain close to him.

You wind up being his best friend by default.

And, he does his own research on queer shit because he cares that much about you and being a good friend to you.

He doesn’t admit it or bring it up.

Even though you’re friends, he feels awkward about asking you things directly too much.

Either way, it’s clear he’s done his homework.

I’d like to think, as a congressman, he does what he can to advocate for queer people like you.

I feel like Valentina would try to encourage you to be the LGBTQ+ New Avenger.

Even though, y’know, there’s probably a few fruits in that basket if you get what I’m saying.

Her image of you is one of a corporate Pride poster child- someone who can appeal to a demographic, rather than an actual person.

She will try to parade you around like her token queer associate.

Hopefully, you’ll have none of it.

Bucky and Yelena will advocate for you.

They will tell you not to do anything you don’t want to do or otherwise feel uncomfortable doing.

There’s something so compelling about a superhero who is given the opportunity to be positive, visible, real-life representation for their community whilst also knowing they’ll have to be palatable in a way that likely sacrifices facets of their own identity and experiences.

I haven’t seen much of The Boys but that’s a storyline in that show I think.

If you exclusively use they/them pronouns, or pronouns that aren’t ‘they’, ‘she’ or ‘he’, Val definitely fucks up your pronouns a suspicious amount of times for someone who likes to appear like an ally.

If you use any pronouns, she will default to the pronouns of your AGAB with the occasional ‘they’ thrown in for good measure.

She really is one of those kinds of people, I fear; someone who isn’t queerphobic but is performative in her allyship.

If/when you’re feeling dysphoric, Yelena will be there to listen to you vent.

I love the idea that Yelena will warn everyone that you’re not feeling great, and Alexei will take it upon himself to hype you up.

“Heyyy, if it isn’t the most not-woman, not-man person I know!”

He claps you on the back and looks to Yelena for approval that he just did allyship right.

Again, he’s a little confused but he’s got the spirit.

If you seem down and you’re clearly withdrawing from the rest of the team, I can imagine Bob asking you if you’re okay and stumbling over some clumsy words of comfort.

I feel like Yelena, Bucky and Bob would be more observant than the rest of your teammates when it comes to realising you’re reacting negatively to gender stuff.

They’re the ones who will catch you looking at your reflection for a few seconds too long, or obsessively readjusting your clothes or your hair, or doomscrolling through anti-trans headlines.

If you seem to be way too caught up in it, they’ll ask you if you’re alright, or otherwise try to distract you with something else (even if it’s obvious they know something’s up).

Ava will pick up on a lot of things but she is far less likely to say anything.

It’s not that she doesn’t care; it’s that she doesn’t think it’s her place to say anything because she wouldn’t be your ‘go-to’.

If she notices that you’re doomscrolling, though, I’d like to think she snatches your phone off you without a word.

You have to be so visibly bad for John or Alexei to notice.

And, even then, they might not realise it’s a gender thing.

But, if Alexei knows what’s wrong, he’ll try his best to comfort you.

He’s paternal like that.

John won’t bother saying anything.

His version of being nice is the bare minimum of not making you feel any worse.

Quickfire round:

If you’re transmasc, Alexei will offer to take you to do some stereotypically masculine activities.

He may also let you win an arm wrestling contest to make you feel better.

(If you couldn’t tell, I love the idea of Alexei being paternal to you).

If you ever want/need to go shopping for gender-affirming clothes, Yelena will be happy to go with you because clothes and other forms of self-expression mean a lot to her.

If you bind, Yelena and Bucky are really good at picking up if you’re doing it unsafely.

They will pick up on if you seem dehydrated or if your body language shows some discomfort, especially if you’re someone who isn’t great at taking care of themself.

My back aches, those tiny tingles dance up and down my spine like a tiny flea circus performing their tightrope act. Seriously? Are you seriously thinking of fleas in the middle of Bible Study? Oh crap, and now that new guy’s staring at me.

“What do you think of this passage?”

I look over at Amy and her earnest gaze as she tucks back some of that perfectly curled hair. Fuck.

“I don’t really talk at these things.” What a shit excuse.

“Give it a try.” I hate how she sounds so open, as if I could say a single word and that would be worthy of praise as long as it wasn’t blasphemous.

“It’s…great.” I mumble, sitting back and darting my gaze to the toes of my boots, looking the way they barely bounce when I wiggle my toes inside.

“You think it’s great?” Amy leans forward, elbows on knees, her hands now pushing the book between her palms repeatedly. “Great’s not exactly the word I would go with.”

I look down at the Bible in my hands, I was definitely not on the right page.

“It shows that only God can be wrathful in his vengeance and he will have vengeance for those that wrong his people, the enemy.” One of the older ladies of the group, Joyce, she’s been here for years before me, speaks up, her tone sharp. I don’t miss the way she stares when she mentions ‘the enemy’. I know so many people here are aware of my situation, misplaced items and poor presentation in my early days here had long since given me away.

“I need a piss.” I get up despite Amy’s small protest at my language in this holy building.

The walk is suffocating as all I can hear is my own feet on the carpet echoing down the hall, I have to do a triple take before using the men’s bathroom, and then I check every stall before locking myself in the one closest to the door.

A sigh of disbelief escapes as I physically relieve myself. My peace is cut short with the sound of the door creaking open. The person who enters takes a few steps, not yet entering their own stall.

“Why does she look at you like that?” The new guy.

I’d heard him speak in hushed voices with Amy a few times before and after Bible Study. His lips quirk up sometimes, mostly when somebody says something righteous, something laced with guilt underneath. I’ve even noticed the tiny dent on the inner corners of his front teeth that give him the smallest of small gap visible when he speaks. I imagine it now.

“You should pay attention more. Is that why she does it, ‘cause you never pay attention?”

I flush the toilet, slowly opening the door, “No. She does it cause I’m a freak.” I murmur, walking over to wash my hands. Now that’s the only thing I do religiously in my life, clean myself. Though, everybody knows you can’t scrub the dirt beneath your skin away.

“What kind of freak?” He really talks like he wishes he could say everything with the least words needed to deliver his point.

“The evil, unholy kind.” I smile, it hurts. Is this guy gonna kick the crap out of me in this stupidly shiny bathroom?

“You’re gay?” He lets out a heated puff of air.

“No, I mean…kinda? Well…it’s complicated, but that’s not really something anyone here knows or cares about in my life.” I move around him, surprised when he just rotates robotically to follow my form as I dry my hands using some rough paper towels. “Uh…maybe we should leave this bathroom before Joyce catches me in here.”

“You’re not allowed to be in the bathroom?”

“I’m not allowed to be in the mens bathroom.” I grumble out.

“…Oh.” Well that didn’t take long.

“Sorry, I didn’t know you weren’t a guy. You really look like a guy.” It’s one of those weird moments when you know they’re not trying to be offensive but you’re not sure what the intention of their words is.

“I like to believe I’m a guy but Joyce would rather me a Mary Magdalene type.” He snorts at that, “What? Did I say something funny?”

“You mean because some people believe she was a prostitute?” He sticks his thumbs through the front loops of his jeans, rocking on his heels.

“Mhmm, yeah. And a woman.”

“They don’t believe that here.” He shrugs.

“What do you mean?”

His shoulders draw up again, “A prostitute. That’s a Catholic thing.”

“…Oh.”

“You really should pay more attention in the meetings.” He shakes his head, the way he says that is like a little kid thinking he knows best instead of an older guy chastising a stupid 20 something trans kid in a church bathroom.

“I’m not here for me.” I dodge his gaze when I step past, tossing the soggy ball of paper towels in the bin. “I moved away from my home when I was young, didn’t go back to church until last year.”

“I only came back recently too.”

I turn around, “Grief or prison?”

“…How’d you—?”

“It’s everybody’s reasoning here if you didn’t grow up in it.” His big, brown eyes stare me down as I continue, “That’s the only difference I know, Catholic’s want you to feel guilt no matter what you’ve done, Protestant’s are all running from their guilt into the loving, forgiving arms of Jesus.” I spit that thought out with the same vitriol as Joyce when she found out what I was.

“…So grief for you?” He swallows, blinking in a quick succession, his hands unhooking themselves as he steps forward.

“I’m Andrew.”

It’s a hesitation before I offer up my name but when he repeats it back, it doesn’t have that lingering taste of performance, inauthenticity, I am what I made myself and he sees that and nothing else in my presence.

He doesn’t go with me when I exit the bathroom, several glances over my shoulder, the first time I’ve been doing it out of something other than fear; interest, maybe?

When he returns to Bible Study exactly 8 and a half minutes later, he just sits and nothing is said about it. I expected someone to jump up and proclaim I had turned him away from the light of the Lord but they all stare at Amy in her final speech. He stares at me.

You flick through the cameras, hands shaking slightly, eyes flicking between the tablet and the clock on the wall.

‘3:00am’

Just 3 more hours and you'd be free of this place for good.. 

You'd started working at Freddy's a couple of months ago, you were down on your luck and had found the job through an ad in the newspaper. 

You probably should've been more suspicious with how there wasn't any interview process done at all.

Things didn't exactly get better from there. It always seemed like there was banging in the walls, scratching in the vents, and you'd seen the animatronics moving on the cameras, coming towards your office and occasionally entering. 

Everything about this place was creepy honestly. Apparently the old location had mysteriously burnt down, and the company got a large insurance payout, so they’d brought the place back, revamping everything about it.

The payout apparently wasn't enough for them to add a door though, so your only protection against a 5 ton animatronic that ‘thought you were an endoskeleton’ was a smelly old mask to hide yourself and a cheap flashlight to temporarily blind Foxy if he decided to wander in here. You weren’t too sure that you really needed either, though. The animatronics never seemed to do much except stare at you then leave, but it was better to be on the safe side either way.

Sighing, you look up at the clock again. 

It was only a couple hours into your shift, but it felt like you’d been stuck in this office for days. 

… 

The sound of skittering on the ceiling pulls your attention upwards and you hastily put the mask over your head, watching Mangle carefully. 

The animatronic tilted its head curiously, narrowing its eyes before walking back into the vent it came out from.

A sigh of relief escapes your lips, and you take off the mask before looking at the clock again.

‘6:00am’

You go to place the mask down on the desk, but something that could only be described as a plume of smoke appears in front of you for a second, then it’s gone before you can blink.  

‘Am I hallucinating now?? I really need to sleep when I get home.’  

Putting the mask down, something new catches your eye.

A small blue box decorated with a purple ribbon, quite akin to the marionettes box by the main entrance.. Carefully picking up the box, you examine it carefully.

This wasn't here when you started your shift.. Had the other guard put it here earlier somehow? He usually clocked in around this time.

Cautiously untying the ribbon and opening the lid, you find a small plush of the puppet with a note attached. This piques your curiosity, so you examine the note.

‘You've wrapped yourself around my heart and I can’t get you out of my mind.’

Looking back, this wasn't the first time that a strange note had appeared on your desk, and they all had some romantic subtext to them. This was the first time it’d come with a gift though.. 

You admire the plushie for a moment before placing them both back into the box and exiting the office to greet the dayshift guard. 

“Hi, how’d your shift go?” He asks, leaning against the wall 

“Uh, went alright. Did you put anything on the office desk earlier?” Nate looks at at you, bewildered

“No, I just got here. Why?” 

He probably has more important things to worry about so you hide the box behind your back before he can point it out 

“Just curious.. Oh this is really last minute, but uh, could you cover my shift tomorrow night? I tried to contact Mike about it, but he just left me on sent.”  

At your request, Nate nods

“Sure, it can't be that hard.” 

“Thanks, I’m moving out of town and quitting in a couple of days, so I gotta pack.” Nate tilted his head at this information 

“Could I ask why?” 

Something nags at you from the inside, urging you to lie, not to tell him about the other security guards disappearances, the animatronics moving around, or your nightmares.

“My boyfriend wants to move in together since we’ve been long distance for a while, he lives in the next town over but he’s been staying with me for a few days to help me out.” 

A half truth felt better than a lie, at least in your opinion.

“Aw, that's great!” He gives you a supportive smile, to which you nod.

“Thanks man, I’m gonna head home now.” 

Before you exit the building, you stop in front of the closest garbage bin, discreetly tossing the ‘gifts’ into it. Something about it giving you a bad feeling. 

.. 

The man walks down the street, headphones in, music turned up to the max, tired after a long day of work, he didn’t really have the energy to pay a significant amount of attention to his surroundings. 

Perfect. 

He exited the dark alleyway he’d hid himself in, standing in front of the man, weapon held tight. 

“You.”  

The man turned off his music, and looked at the stranger standing in front of him 

“Hi? Can I help you?” He asked wearily, looking between the weapon and the stranger 

“Do you know this individual?”  

His eyes widen a bit in concern 

“That's my partner.. Where’d you get this photo?” 

The stranger ignored his question and stepped forward, roughly snatching the photo from his hands 

“That doesn't matter. You’re in the way, so it’s curtain time for you~!” The stranger declared in a sing–songey tune before raising his knife 

.. 

“Don’t make a scene.” The man hissed, cornering you and pointing a knife at your throat 

“Who are you?! What do you want?!” His face is familiar, but you can’t exactly place it. 

“It doesn't matter who I am..” He whispered, before raising the blade and- 

Jolting awake in bed, sweating and gasping, you look at the digital clock beside your bed, it reads 10:45am. Your boyfriend should be home by now..  

Rubbing your eyes and stretching, you walk out of the bedroom, only to find the kitchen empty. 

“What the hell??” Before you can do anything further about your missing boyfriend, your phone buzzes. 

“Hey!! How's it going?” Nate's voice on the other end sounds way too enthusiastic for a man working the dayshift, not to mention there wasn’t any sort of background noise from the pizzeria   

“Um, not good. My boyfriend disappeared.” 

“Oh about that, I know where he is. Just come by Freddy's real quick, I really need to show you something.” You frown, not really wanting to return to that creepy pizzeria, but if it meant knowing where Mark was, you’d go. 

“Fine fine I’ll be there in a bit..”

.. 

The restaurant is devoid of all life, no lights, no music, no games going off, no people.. Weird. The only thing that stuck out to you was a note taped to a nearby arcade machine. 

‘Help yourself to some pizza or cake, I’ll meet with you in a bit. ~N’

That handwriting was familiar.. 

Your phone buzzed again, this time you’d received a response from Mike to the text you’d sent him days ago.. 

‘Sorry I was taking care of some stuff regarding my sister for a bit. Do you still need me to cover your shift?’

‘Uh, no. I asked Nate and he said that he’d cover for me.’  

‘Who?’

‘Nathan, the dayshift guard that you hired like a month ago.’ 

‘There's nobody who works at this location called Nathan or Nate.’  

‘So how does he get into the building and into the employee areas?’ 

‘Are you at Fazbears right now?’  

‘Yeah?’ 

‘Get out of there.’ 

Without another thought, you follow Michael's suggestion and turn around, heading back towards the entrance doors hastily, only to find them suddenly blocked by one of the animatronics 

“Leaving already? You haven’t even seen what I wanted to show you.” 

“Please let me leave.” You mutter breathlessly, not daring to turn around.

“Sorry darling, but I can’t let you do that..” A sudden pain shoots through your head, then everything goes black.. 

When you regain consciousness, you attempt to sit up, only to find yourself restrained to a chair. The room is dark, so you can’t see much, but you’re able to make out the vague figure of a man sitting on a nearby table in the corner, who seemed to be tuning a guitar, when he notices that you’re awake, a grin spread across his face. 

“You’re awake! I hope I didn’t hit you too hard.” 

Placing the guitar to the side, he hopped off the table, disappearing from your sight for a moment, then re-appearing in a familiar cloud of smoke directly in front of you.. The same one you’d seen in the office at Freddy’s.. 

Narrowing your eyes, you stare up at your captor, trying to get a good look at his face in the darkness, you can just barely make out his familiar features..  

“Where the hell am I? Why am I tied up? Why's it so dark??” 

“Oh, sorry about that! I usually don’t like to have the main light for ambience reasons, but I’ll turn it on for you.”  

The lights flicker on, completely revealing your captor to you. 

Nate. Your co-worker and somehow, the face from your nightmares.  

Nate looked quite different, his eyes surrounded by dark circles and purple markings  that ran down his cheeks. You weren’t sure if it was completely him, but it definitely looked like it..

“Nate??” He nodded, still grinning 

“Nates just an alias I used to get close to you,  just call me Mare~” He walks back over to you, leaning in close. 

“Where's Mark?? You said you knew what happened to him.” At that, Mare frowned, leaning away 

“He was in the way of our love, so I had to get rid of him. Oh by the way, you threw out the gift I gave you. That was pretty fucking rude, but I’m forgiving. You clearly didn’t understand how much I adore you, so I had to take matters into my own hands.”  Mare said that way too casually, you could only just stare at him in horror. 

“You killed my boyfriend?! Oh my god you’re a psycho!!” This only made him laugh as he gently grabbed your chin, tilting it upwards so you’d look at him 

“Look on the bright side, I'll be a better boyfriend than he could've ever hoped to be.” He tells you, claws gently brushing against your cheek while he stared into your eyes with an obsessive look. 

Unable to bare looking at him any longer, you turn away your gaze from him, causing him to sigh and stand back up. 

“You’ll realize how much you love me soon, I’m sure of it.”