RUBATOSIS | William Afton x Reader

V. GHOST

    William's face was only mere centimeters from yours. A few strands of silvering hair fell in front of his face as he hovered above you, scanning your features. His breath was fanning over your face from his open mouth and washing over you like a curse. You watched helplessly as his heavy gaze fell to your lips. The colors and light around you were growing so bright, so saturated, and starting to cloud your vision of him.

    "You have no idea..." He started to speak, but his words grew quiet and drowned out into silence. His mouth was still moving and you desperately strained to hear what he was saying, but to no avail. He licked his lips briefly before leaning closer. The light grew even more and became so bright, it was washing him away. Soon, it was all you could see. It overtook you, drowning out all of your senses in a luminous plague. You fought against it, trying to find William again and only being met with that numbing brightness.

    Your eyes blinked open slowly, being met with a disappointing sight. You were in your bedroom, laying in your oh-so-familiar childhood bed. No one was there. You were alone.

    You groaned, rubbing mucus out of your eyes as you adjusted to the feeling of being awake. It had been four days since you'd gone to the diner to see William, and you were ashamed to admit that this wasn't the first time you'd dreamt of him. Perhaps your infatuation was getting a bit out of hand. But honestly, it wasn't your fault that the man was so damn charming. At this point, it was rare to go more than ten minutes without him seeping into your thoughts.

    You peeled yourself away from the blankets of your bed that were now drenched in sweat. It was still pretty early in the morning and you had no idea what you were going to do with the day. Maybe you could read or play video games like you usually did? No... you were growing bored of that stuff. You thought back to last weekend and supposed it couldn't hurt to try to get out of the house again. The gloomy days had started to loosen up, and the sunlight spilling through your curtains seemed inviting enough.

    You readied yourself before grabbing your tote bag and bouncing down to the empty kitchen. Of course your mother wasn't home. You didn't bother eating anything, keeping your destination in mind. You simply snatched your keys from their place on the kitchen counter and darted out the front door, making a beeline down the driveway and to the sidewalk. The walk took no time at all, and soon enough you found yourself at the town cafe. It was usually a bustling place, being more in the downtown area of Hurricane, but today it was especially packed. You weaved through several passersby and pushed through the entryway doors of the beloved establishment. Unsurprisingly, you felt immediately at home.

    The cafe wasn't anything out of the ordinary, but its welcoming scents, soft lighting, and warm attitude were enough to make anyone feel at ease. The walls were adorned in a dark wooden paneling that blended nicely with the establishment's light pale blue tiled floors, not that you could really see much of the floor space with today's crowd. You fell into a short line before the front counter, rehearsing your order as you waited. When your turn came after a bit, you decided to indulge yourself and throw a breakfast pastry in with your drink order. The beverage was made surprisingly fast, but you weren't complaining. After it was handed to you, you turned to search for a spot in the shop.

    Luckily enough, an old couple was just getting up to leave their small table by the front windows of the cafe. The second they were gone, you rushed to set up shop there. It was only a two-seater spot, so you didn't feel all that bad. Besides, no one seemed to want to fight you for it. You grabbed your walkman and headphones out of the tote bag you'd brought before hanging it on the back of your chair. You readied everything and pressed 'play' on the machine, booting up the calm, upbeat mixtape you'd brought along. The warm flavors of the beverage you'd ordered swirled around your mouth after you took a careful sip. You closed your eyes, embracing the peaceful feeling. The music flowing from the wiry headphones you wore couldn't drown out the busy chatter and buzz of the cafe around you, but you didn't mind. It only added to the aesthetic of the scene. You gazed out the window beside you, fixating on the pedestrians walking by.