BΣƬЯΛY ΛПD DΣGЯΛDΣ (Various! Creepypasta x F! Reader)

XXXIX

     It'd felt like he'd been gone for months.

You'd never felt more lonely than when he was gone, and you'd had to figure out how to interact with the others without an assurance that you'd come out unharmed. It'd been hard alone, but you'd managed.

But now he was back and you couldn't even begin to understand the emotions swirling through your mind. You could decipher the safety you felt, and the comfort, but nothing else yet you were sure there was more. You felt your heart beat quicken in your chest and your limbs grow jittery with excitement. You knew there was more, but you supposed a part of you still didn't want to recognize those feelings. All you knew was that he was back; he was finally back and you couldn't be happier.

He was your protector, your keeper, yet now he somehow felt more like a friend than anything.

Everything seemed to stop when he walked in. The already quiet house was even quieter, Masky couldn't even be heard in the kitchen anymore while Jeff seemed to have forgotten what he was going to say.

It was like a staring content between you and Hoodie. Neither of you spoke, you only stared.

Though Hoodie being Hoodie, after a moment he gave a short nod to you before heading for the stairs.

Now that you weren't staring at him in shock you noticed the state of his clothing. Blood was speckled across his hoodie along with a few splotches. His boots were muddy and so were the bottoms of his now frayed jeans. He didn't look in bad shape but he definitely looked worn out.

You blinked and without another thought you hurried after him. Just like before you were going to stick with him again. Besides, what else was there to do? You had been heading upstairs a minute ago anyhow.

The wooden floor creaked beneath the two of you like always. Dust collected around its edges and various stains and scrapes laid imprinted into it. Familiar deep red walls flew past the two of you as you walked along with the paintings that once unnerved you.

Nothing had changed yet everything had at the same time. It was the same mansion with the same atrocities had happened with the same people who had forced you to partake in them.

But things were different now. They were different, and so were you.

Hoodie arrived at his room a second before you but left the door open to let you in. You still didn't know what to say. Small talk was always awkward but saying something meaningful seemed out of place as well. And so you opted to stand in silence before shuffling over to your corner.

He seemed to sigh at this before he closed the door and walked over to his closet. "I'm going to take a shower, I'll be back in a few minutes."

You answered with a nod as you still just watched as he stacked clothing in his arms.

With a final glance to you he headed back out the door.

A sigh left you once the door shut again. After all this time you still hadn't figured out how to talk to him. There was so much you wanted to say but you just couldn't. Awkward silence had become a staple of your relationships with these people and Hoodie wasn't an exception. There was still a power dynamic you couldn't forget. It wasn't like you were one of them, it wasn't like you were free.

Yet at the same time against all odds you were still alive. In order to do that, you'd sacrificed everything. You'd put your moral code behind you and tried to make the best of a shitty situation, and now you had to do the same thing again.

As much as you didn't want to admit it, as much as you wanted to forget, you were stuck here. Your old life was a part of the fading past, and there was nothing you could do about it. Everyone you cared about was gone one way or another.

The only thing you had power over now was whether you were going to wallow in your own misery until your inevitable death or embrace the inescapable. A part of you still wanted to be confused, to still be conflicted, but in full truth you knew damn well you'd already made up your mind.

As promised only a few minutes later the door handle turned and in walked Brian. Maskless and dressed casually in a simple black tee shirt and sweats. He looked calm even as his eyes lingered on you while he headed over to his closet.

With a sigh he faced the closet and started to put away his clothes. "So how was it?"

You blinked and mumbled, "how was what?"

"Being alone."

You didn't really know how to respond though you soon shrugged, "oh um... it was fine."

He hummed and nodded a bit as he turned to face you again, "anyone give you trouble?"

Was being pinned to a wall and chased around considered trouble? Probably, but telling him wasn't worth the confrontation. "Not really."

He seemed slightly surprised but definitely pleased with your answer. "Good."

You nodded in agreement while Brian went and sat on his bed. It had began with small talk and now the two of you were back to your painfully unofficial staring matches. His warm brown eyes staring into yours with no emotion you could understand, but like your own feelings you knew there was something there.

He looked calm as he always did, but also like there was something he wanted to say on the tip of his tongue that he just couldn't get out. In that way you were alike.

Neither of you spoke, each other's eyes seeming to do all of the talking and yet every little word was lost in translation. Leaving the other wondering.

But the more you thought about his absence and everything that gone on the more you felt your eyes prick with tears. From being chased around by Jeff, to your nightmare, to all of your interactions with the people you thought you hated.

You thought and thought until you couldn't hold back your tears or your words. "I missed you."

A flash of shock washed over his features. You saw a mix of confusion and confliction, like he didn't know what to do. It was about the most emotion you'd ever seen from him.

Tears started to fall and roll down your cheeks which you instinctively tried to rub away. Why now were you crying? He was back. Shouldn't you be happy? But with how little you'd been understanding your feelings recently for all you knew these were happy tears.

To the right of you was some shuffling and a creak before suddenly two arms wrapped themselves around you. Warmth enveloped you as you let your arms fall and your head lay on his shoulder. You knew your tears were staining his shirt but neither of you seemed to care as he only rubbed circles into your back.

These rare occurrences of kindness and touch were making you realize just how badly you missed affection.

This only made you cry harder as you couldn't stop your hands from reaching up and curling around the fabric of his shirt. You were holding onto him for dear life, clinging to him as if you'd fall apart at the seams if either of you let go. And maybe in some ways you would.

Brian was your lifeline. He'd kept you alive all this time and he'd decided to keep you around even after you'd outlived your purpose. You used to feel sick whenever you thought about your non-angry feelings for him. Every time your thoughts drifted to seeing him in a positive light, you'd mentally reel back and shame yourself.

But you didn't hate him. You hadn't for a long time, and now you could say you even liked him. He wasn't a good person, nor were his coworkers, but it wasn't like you were any better.

It felt like you were meant to be here with them, but only now had you finally accepted that.