A Shitty Welcome Home x Reader Fanfic

Ch. 14: chatting with Fran- what was that?

Frank pulls a book from the shelf and brings it over to you. "Gardening for Beginners. Perfect for you." You grab the book and just stare at the cover with a disappointed look. It looked like a book you'd read to a baby. Everything looked simplified and colorful.

Maybe the inside was better? After all, you should never judge a book by its cover, right? You flip open the book and notice that there's only 6 pages. You decide to give the book a chance and start reading.

Step 1: Dig hole, Step 2: Put seed in hole, Step 3: Cover hole with dirt, Step 4: Water, Step 5: Wait, Step 6: Hooray! Enjoy your plant!

You close the book and look at Frank with a "Do I really look that dumb to you?" look. "What?" Frank asked, confused about your expression. "Frank, I know how to plant a seed and water it..."

"So you've planted the seeds that Julie gifted you then?" he asked with a smirk. "Well, uhhh, no... but that doesn't mean I don't know how to! Can I just look at another book, please?"

"What exactly are you looking for?" he asked. "I'm not sure. Maybe a book of random plant facts?" Frank looks at you as if he wants you to elaborate more. After a few seconds of silence, you finally cave in. "Look, I just don't want to look dumb in front of Julie. What if she talks about plant facts and stuff? I'll have no idea what she's saying, and then she'll think I'm dumb. Then, she might think I'm clueless about everything else. And then she'll stop talking to me and, and then, maybe-" you stop mid-sentence when you feel Frank pat your shoulder a few times.

You were sure he was trying to calm you down from your overthinking, and if you were being honest, it was working. You slowly look at his hand and then at him. "There. There." he says in a calming tone. You smile and giggle, feeling better already. "Thanks. I tend to overthink sometimes."

Frank smiles and grabs the gardening book. "Don't worry, you're not the only one. Everyone overthinks sometimes. It's funny. You remind me of Poppy a bit. I'm pretty sure every neighbor has had to calm her down at some point."

You smile, knowing that you aren't the only overthinker before Frank continues. "You know, Julie won't stop talking to you just because you don't know much about gardening. I mean, I'm sure she knows more about it than every neighbor combined."

You stopped and thought about it for a second. It made sense. You're sure neighbors, like Barnaby and Sally, for example, didn't know much about gardening. They had their own talents, like telling funny jokes and putting on entertaining performances. So far, you knew that only Julie and Frank participated in that activity.

"You're right. I don't need to be doing this right now. I don't need that book." you say, as Frank puts the book away again. You felt better about Julie's visit. She wouldn't mind if you knew nothing about plants. She'd probably be happy to explain everything to you. You might learn a lot from her.

For now, you decided to just hang out with Frank since you're already here. You haven't had the chance to do so until now, after all. "So...are you busy?" you ask Frank. "Well, I WAS gardening until you interrupted. I'm not busy at the moment, though." he said with a small smirk. "Then, can I hang out with you? I've been planning on doing that with every neighbor, and nows a good opportunity."

Frank hums, then responds. "Hmm, no." You go silent, and Frank remembers that you overthink (probably a thousand times a day). "Uhh, ahem, I'm kidding. It's a joke."
You let out a sigh of relief and start thinking of fun activities to do with Frank.

After coming up with nothing, you kind of just shrug. "Maybe some fresh air will help us think of something." Frank said, walking towards the front door. The both of you make it outside and take a deep breath. This neighborhood seemed like a dream. Everything looked perfect. No danger, no pollution, no problems, no drama. It was always peaceful.

"(Y/N)! Quick! You must see this!" Frank whisper-shouted. You see him kneeling down in the grass, looking at something. You couldn't tell what from how far you were. Walking closer, you notice a small bug that resembles a beetle of some kind. "This little bug is extremely rare around these parts. It usually prefers a colder climate, so it's a surprise to see it in such a sunny area. Oh, I could just stare at it for hours..." Frank whispered. You weren't sure if he was telling you this or just talking to himself, but you decided to stay silent and admire the bug. You kneel down beside Frank and stare at the bug as well.

It looked a bit plain, so you could understand why Frank was captivated by it. Everything around here looked like it was attacked by a rainbow, so this was probably a strange sight.

Without noticing, you start to zone out while looking at the bug. Both you and Frank just stare at the bug for a few minutes....or hours? Time didn't seem to matter right now. The bug slowly crawls away, causing the both of you to stop staring and stand up.

Whoa. Your legs fell asleep. How long were you staring at the bug? "Wha- The sun's almost gone?!" you exclaimed, staring up at the sky. Frank just stretched and looked up as well, not looking so surprised. "Oops. It appears I've done it again..." Again? How many times has this happened? "You've stared at a bug for this long before?"

"Quite a few times, actually. Sometimes Julie will accompany me. We'll just admire the flowers and the insects. Time sure does pass by quickly..." he chuckles. You have to admit, you've zoned out a few times in the past as well, so you understand.

"I guess I'll head home now. It's getting late. Thanks for everything, Frank!" you wave, walking away. "Anytime, neighbor!" Frank waves back before going inside and closing the front door.

You make your way back home, trying to hurry before it gets too dark. Everything looked empty and quiet, which didn't help your case. You pick up the pace, speedwalking instead of just walking. Just when things couldn't get creepier, something touches your shoulder.

"AAHHH!!" you scream as you break into a run. You book it as fast as possible to your house, not daring to look back at whatever or whoever touched your shoulder. "hey- don't- it's- no-" you hear a small voice say. It sounded distorted and close to your ear or in your head. That only freaked you out more, making you run even faster. If only you ran this fast when you were hanging out with Eddie. You could have outran him with this speed.

Your house comes into view. Almost there! Just keep running! The sun is almost completely gone. Quick! You can make it!

You fail to slow down in time and crash into the door. Silently cursing, you open it and rush inside, closing it behind you and sliding down against it, catching your breath. What was that? No. WHO was that? It had a voice. Was it dangerous? It didn't sound dangerous, but it could have been a trap. You stand up and peek out the window. Nothing...

You try to process what just happened. What if you got hurt? You didn't want to imagine what would have happened if you didn't start running. Or if you tripped and fell in the middle of it. You shudder at the thought and lock the door before you forget to. You quietly walk towards your room, afraid of making a single sound.

Sleep would help clear your mind. Hopefully, that was just a very realistic hallucination caused by tiredness. You weren't really tired, but you made up the excuse to calm yourself down.

You cover yourself up and close your eyes, trying to forget what just happened. It was hard to forget. Thankfully, your mind calmed down enough to let you fall asleep.

You lay there, sleeping peacefully, not knowing that a certain house witnessed it all.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ngl, I kinda forgot I was writing this. I got pulled back into the fnaf fandom 😭 and that distracted me, a lot (it still is, help). I'll try to update more, but life has been crazy. I literally almost got hit by a car the other day for not looking both ways while crossing the street 💀 BUT I'm determined to finish this story. I don't wanna be that person who abandons a story right in the middle of it. We're almost finished, though.