schmellyweek// scars!!!! Sorry this took so long to post I FORGOT!!!!! Have some post possession ness :3 and kissing lol
Vanessa held her hand right in front of her eyes and spread her fingers, gaze hard as she focused on her darkened skin. Shadowy veins trailed down her arm, jagged and stripe-like, gradually fading away into nothing. She turned her hand, focusing on her palm and sharpened nails, nails that seemed to never stay short again. An almost organic mimic of the Marionette, like the design had been printed onto her — a miserable echo of the same thing that had hurt Abby.
Once the possession was over she had expected the physical side effects to fade after a few days, but that turned into weeks and then months. If it was due to the time she spent or if it was because of Charlotte she didn't know, whatever the answer was wouldn't erase her unease every time she looked at her body.
It was nothing compared to her face however. If her own scars weren't enough, light night colored stripes crept up her face and down her throat. It always looked like it would flee her skin soon but her doubt grew as time passed. Vanessa would just have to stay like this forever, maybe try to find a way to cope with her new body.
If it was just a physical oddity she wouldn't mind but the phantom pain was unbearable. She'd feel pain for things that weren't there, sometimes waking up in the middle of the night squirming in agony. Vanessa would spend more nights in the bathroom throwing up or against the wall, knees against her stomach as her body churned uncomfortably. Getting so sick had made her feel even more insecure about returning to work or working in general.
Mike had told her she should focus on resting up and she did value his advice, she really did but Vanessa hated the idea of doing nothing. During her recovery from her father, her hopelessness was terrible. Mike and Abby helped but it was unbearable to do nothing. There were so many people she could be helping if she wasn't suffering from a knife wound or the aftershocks of possession.
Vanessa sighed and leaned her head against the wall, hands tapping against the bathroom floor. She had been so focused on her own thoughts she forgot she was leaving the sink running, but she was still too upset to get up. Besides, it added an element of peace. It wasn't wise to waste water but there was too much to worry about right now.
Even with all of this happening her compassion for Charlotte was all the same. She was just scared, angry and confused — she just needed help and Vanessa failed. Maybe this was the punishment for that, letting her down twice.
“Vanessa? I found your …” Mike's voice caught her attention. She turned her head to see him holding a cardboard box filled with clutter. Before she retreated to the bathroom they had been cleaning through her closet, the pain had gotten too much though and she said she'd be gone for a little while. “Oh.”
Concern washed over his face, “Everything okay?”
The pain seeped through her nervous smile, “Yeah. Why?”
“You've been here for a while. I thought you said you were washing up.” Mike dropped the box, walked into the bathroom and shut the water off.
She chewed her lip. “Just … a lot on my mind right now.”
He leaned against the sink, gazing at her hands anxiously picking at her sweat pants. “Do … you wanna talk or something?”
Vanessa asked, “Talk about what?”
“Vanessa —” He started.
“There's nothing to talk about, Mike.” She told him coldly. “You don't need to worry about me, okay? I've been managing myself just fine since I got out. Just … quit breathing down my neck.”
Mike paused and stared at her for a few seconds, his shoulders were sharp but gradually the intensity left his demeanor, he softened up. Instead of his usual stubbornness, Mike extended his hand. “Okay, fine. At least let me help you up though.”
It felt wrong to touch him, she felt wrong touching him and Vanessa had a feeling he knew, trying to coax a few more indications to prove she was struggling but she wasn't going to admit defeat. Vanessa stood up and stretched, “No thanks.”
He scoffed, “Alright.”
She rubbed her head, another headache was approaching and it hurt already. Vanessa walked out of the bathroom, kicking the box out of the way. She knew Mike would go through the trouble of taking it to her basement so she raised her hand, “Leave it. I'll throw it away later.”
Mike obliged and followed her into her room. There was still a half filled bin near her closet, mostly full of paper and tiny journals she knew Mike was struggling with the urge not to snoop through. Despite it all she couldn't be clear with everything and while he wasn't so pushy with it now, she knew he wanted her to be more honest.
Vanessa couldn't believe how much stuff she just crammed away in her house. She followed a pretty strict “out of sight, out of mind” perspective for a few years and now she had to deal with the consequences. Mike didn't seem to hate it though, he actually liked cleaning up. At least with her.
They had been working for a little while. It all started when she mentioned how messy her home was and Mike offered to help her fix things up. Vanessa was trying to reimagine her place, she was even debating adding some pictures or new furniture. This was just part of the process.
She winced when her head throbbed, clutching the wall with a huff. Mike frowned, “Wanna sit down?”
“... Yeah, sure.” Vanessa grumbled. He guided her to her bed and set her down slowly, Mike's hands trailed up to her forehead.
“What? Do I have a fever?”
“I don't think so. You're a little warm but …” he cleared his throat. “Is it another headache?”
“Yeah, it'll go away.” Vanessa ran her fingers down her face, mumbling her grievances. “Sorry, it gets really bad.”
Mike took her hand, thumb pressing into her palm gently. “Don't worry about it. Any other symptoms?”
Vanessa only shook her head. She focused on his fingers trailing down her arm, shifting from one mark to another. Tenderly, slowly, he returned and interlocked his hand with hers. He continued, “If you're feeling sick …”
“I'm not feeling sick.” She huffed.
He shot her an unconvinced look. “You were sitting in the bathroom, you're getting headaches, you look exhausted if I'll be honest with you, you were getting sleepy while cleaning up the closet.”
Vanessa sighed. Mike tilted his head, “You need to rest, alright? You don't know how this … thing affects your body. It's not like what happened after your dad, you can't risk overworking yourself like this.”
“I'm not overworking myself, okay? All I'm doing is tidying up.” She protested. It was hard to blend into normal life after she left the hospital but she recovered, but this was lasting way too long. It felt like nothing had really changed, everything still felt heavy and nauseating.
“You did plenty of other things today and you haven't taken a rest once, and you've been complaining about headaches and fatigue. Just take a break.”
“I’m not going to wither away from putting stuff in boxes.”
“I'm not saying that. I'm just saying in general. I try not to say anything because I know you'll get upset but it's too much. Have you tried drinking a little more? Eating? Sleeping?”
Mike Schmidt, better at preaching help than helping himself. Every time he spat out decent advice she knew he wasn't taking care of himself the same way but that was a whole other issue.
“Of course you're saying that.” He couldn't resist snorting at that. “And you know I can't sleep normally, Mike.”
“Come on, Vanessa. What are you trying to prove? You're never going to get better if you don't try to take it easy. You can't repeat last year. Nobody's going to blame you for recovering slowly so what gives?”
Everything came pouring out. He was right, why was she pushing herself? She had no obligation to spring out of bed and did her best, nobody told her to. So why? Why was she doing this?
Vanessa pulled her hand away. “It's …” she looked down. “I don't know? I think I just … I spent so much of my life running and hiding. I did whatever he told me to do. It's just so hard for me …”
He frowned. Mike couldn't relate to the extremes of her life, but he did understand how foreign it was to rest. She huffed, “I never got to just sit down or anything like that. Am I just ruined?”
Two arms came around and hugged her tightly. He pulled back, he kept his forehead on hers. “No, no. Of course not, Vanessa you … you hear yourself right? You're not used to it, that's all. It's not your fault.”
“I just hate being so difficult.” She sighed, her eyes started to grow fuzzy with tears. Vanessa flicked the pain dripping down her cheek, “I hate being so helpless. I hate feeling this way. I …”
“Yeah?”
“I just want this all to stop.”
Vanessa rubbed his arm, her nails dug lightly into his skin but he didn't pay any mind to it. He whispered, “I know.”
Vanessa knew he didn't have the words to describe how he was feeling but a thousand words rushed through every stroke in her shoulder. She decided to rest her head on his lap, inviting his fingers to tangle in her hair.
She was so calm that she didn't realize he was talking, rubbing circles on her cheek, near the tear marks that were stamped on her face. “Does it hurt when I touch your face?”
“No.” She hummed. “They're just marks, Mike.”
“I know, but we don't know everything. Hm … anything on your neck?”
Vanessa shivered when the warmth found her pulse point, “... It's fine.” She said softly. “You can keep going though.”
His deep chuckle made something kick in her stomach. “Sure.”
Slowly and tenderly running his hands to her shoulder, to her arm. Goosebumps trickled through her nerves as he rubbed her springlock scars. Then he arrived right back at her hand, causing a smile to spread on her face.
The bliss she was feeling. Her head still stung but it felt good to be off her feet. Vanessa still didn't like feeling so lazy but Mike's gentle touches kept her far from temptation.
Vanessa tapped his chest, “Hey, you wanna lay down?”
“Sure.” He said.
She brought herself up and fell on her back, tugging her sheets as she looked at Mike with a warm expression. She truly felt vulnerable, safe … like she could tell him everything but she held her piece.
Vanessa rolled to her side. “Thank you for helping me with all of this. Not just the housecleaning…I thought you'd give up on me a while ago.”
“It's the least I can do since I …” they both stared at each other. Mike’s brow furrowed, “I just want to be a good friend… You deserve that, at least.”
After she was free of her possession, he was filled with so much guilt. Mike apologized but it took a long time for them to get close again, she wasn't even sure if she fully forgave him but she appreciated his effort. Even if he could be frustrating it felt relieving to have a friend, somebody to talk to whenever she needed.
It made her feel slightly guilty that she involved him so much in this cesspool that was her life but he didn't seem to care anymore.
She stared at the freckles on his face, his hazel eyes, the little scar on his brow. Vanessa hadn't felt this comfortable being close in a while, part of her worried she'd hurt him. That her blood was still corrupted but being around him made her think otherwise. Mike really did trust her.
“Something on your mind?” He teased her.
“... Maybe.” Vanessa laughed.
Mike's face flushed. He couldn't be confident for long, so she pushed him playfully until he was on his back. His eyes never left her, Vanessa cupped his cheek.
He tried to fight his crumbling demenour with something else. “Have you ever thought about being an EMT again?”
“With this body?”
“If you feel better, yeah. You could just say it's a skin condition or something. You said it made you happy and … you don't have to be a cop anymore.” Mike explained, “Or you could be something else, I mean … you're real smart so it shouldn't be hard to find something.”
Vanessa shrugged, her mind wandered to a matrix of possible futures. Almost losing herself in her own thoughts. “Guess you're right.”
He hummed, “I don't know why you feel so nervous to touch me … your hands don't feel any different.”
She paused, “Guess I'm just scared I'll lose control…again.”
“You wouldn't.” Mike said.
“You don't know that.” She protested.
“I do.”
She wanted to mention that night where he left her but that was a long time ago. Mike definitely trusted her now but those words hurt her deeply and broke what they used to have. She was still healing and this helped — just a tiny bit.
Vanessa scooted closer, so close she could feel his breath growing harsher by the second. Pulling her hand from his face to his chest, she wanted to press her head her ear against him to hear his heartbeat she sure was thundering.
She wanted to make it thunder more but that could only happen if he invited the chaos.
Mike touched her side, nothing particularly suggestive at the moment but it sent swirls of desire in her gut. Then it takes a little higher where he's slowly tapping her belt.
Vanessa kissed the corner of his lip and then fully indulged in his mouth. She didn't mean to start like she did but after a surprised squeak he gave her just what she wanted.
Mike crawled on top of her, pulling up her shirt and marking her neck desperately. She was practically swimming in warmth and delight, inviting every peck, bite and nuzzle he gave her without defiance.
Vanessa’s sharp hands rode up his spine and rubbed circles against his scars, each movement was careful. She didn't want to scratch him, she didn't even know if it'd be lethal for him but Mike's intensity grew as he explored her mouth and her fingers trembled on his back.
The heat trapped between them was overwhelming, infectiously driving everything higher in intensity. Vanessa choked back a quiet moan when he nipped her jaw, leaving flares of fire that reddened her face.
He whispered, “You okay?”
“It's been a while.” She murmured against his lip. Mike only nodded, caressing her face. Love was shining in his eyes like the sun cascading light over a quiet lake. “Well, don't quit.”
“Right.” He smiled and kissed her again, they squirmed around until Vanessa felt his weight vanish. She fell comfortably on top of him, rubbing his chest. A purr left his throat and she snickered, he was always so responsive.
Vanessa’s hand crept closer to his neck but she resisted the urge to wrap her fingers and instead pulled his collar. Mike obliged to her silent command and took off his shirt.
She studied the scars on his body. Some were from the Foxy attack, some by her when she was influenced by the Marionette. Mike responded with understanding rather than pain, “Something wrong?”
“No, it's okay.” Vanessa answered. “I'm fine.”
She leaned him and kissed him again. Vanessa wrapped her arms around him, he mirrored. She pulled his bottom lip and coaxed out his familiar quiet noises she had been thinking about for weeks now. It almost felt novel.
Vanessa slipped out her light sweater. Left in a white shirt, shoulders exposing jagged scars and ashy stripes. Plenty of other marks from her life.
When they were catching their breaths he looked up at her with joy she never thought she'd see again. They kept kissing, climbing higher and higher until they were chasing those tiny departures between kisses to breathe. Vanessa’s nails were deep into her mattress, almost ripping it just from how much was struggling to refrain from bursting.
Mike mumbled, “You're so pretty … I missed you so much … I missed you.”
A needy whimper left his lips when she pulled away and it almost got her breathless again but she kept strong. Vanessa watched a pink-faced Mike struggle to breathe as she held him close.
Finally he asked, “Can I try something?”
“Yeah?” She didn't fight when his lips found her neck. “What are you doing?”
“Wanna see if I can mark something darker than those scars on your neck …”
His voice against her throat made her hips quiver but he kept her still with her hands as he kissed and kissed her again. A pathetic voice in her head sang repeatedly, please, please don't ever stop.
Mike dragged his mouth against her sensitive skin, then her sensitive scars. For some reason it felt even harsher. If it was just in her head or for real didn't matter, because she was practically humming in delight.
He probably already gave her a hickey or two. Vanessa could care less if he marked her body all night long really, who would care? She was past the point of shame.
“Mike …” she groaned.
“Huh?”
Vanessa dug her fingers into his curly hair and forced his head back. His lips were shining, a stark contrast to his disheveled face. “Sorry, did I go too far?”
“No. I just … need a second — jeez.” Vanessa rubbed her throat with a smile that made him gulp.
Mike only nodded. She didn't realize his skin was flaring, Vanessa planted a kiss on his collar bone to add to the blaze. In response he moved under her and successfully stole a small moan that had her smoking with embarrassment.
“Oh.” Mike cooed.
Vanessa playfully swatted his face, “Shut up.”
He giggled and kissed her again, talking between breaths. “We should really get back to … um …”
“Cleaning?”
“Yeah.”
“Do we have to?” Vanessa sighed. Mike's hands wandered down her body, savoring every inch of her with a kind smile on his face.
Mike shrugged, “I guess not …” Vanessa tilted his gaze up with his jaw, making him shiver. “Okay, no.”
Warmth fluttered in her chest and all that pain swirling in her head went quiet when she felt his lips again.
Aftonlings blurb...just couldn't get them out of my head!!!! cw: implied attempted suicide
Vanessa sighed, face glistening with sweat. She attempted to brush her forehead but the suit’s thick, robotic fingers were already tainted. “I'm fine.”
“What were you thinking? You know how sensitive those things are.” Michael started, he pulled her arm free. Vanessa flexed her fingers when she locked her eyes into his disapproving gaze, “You of all people should know even a drop of water can send these things off.”
She said promptly, “I forgot. Look, I made a mistake, okay?”
"A mistake? You could have died."
"Michael ... "
“You're lucky I was there.” He helped her pull off the chest plate. They both coughed at the smell. Rust mixed with sweat and other grime, Michael had humored that Spring Bonnie looked radiated.
“Yeah, I was.” Vanessa took it upon herself to free her legs, carefully slipping the heavy wear off. The heavy iron of the endoskeleton dragged against her skin almost painfully. “... Thanks. It's just been a while, must have slipped my mind. I forgot how old the place can be, you know?”
"Well, you better get used to it because you'll be working here soon."
"Whatever."
He didn't like seeing her so upset. "Just be careful, alright?"
Vanessa was already getting annoyed, she always hated when he got emotional like this. It wasn't rare but it wasn't everyday he got so vulnerable. "Don't worry, it won't happen again. Now, can you calm down?"
He only shrugged.
“Did you have a death wish or something?” He asked sarcastically, even with his tone she knew he was trying to lighten up the situation.
Vanessa paused. The only sound in the backroom was the vents humming in the distance, gradually Michael’s face began to harden with concern. She smiled nervously, “Are you joking? Course not, dummy.”
She flicked his head playfully, just like when they were children. Michael scoffed, “Don't do that.”
“Alright, alright.” Vanessa said. He stared for a few seconds. If she was smiling, it must mean she's okay … right? He knew Vanessa wouldn't hide anything important from him, she trusted him — but part of him wondered: did she really forget that the springlock suits were so sensitive?
"You okay? You went quiet." She asked.
"Oh, yeah. Just fine." He said. "Everything's fine."
-> Sammy is a character in this "film" and Charlie's younger brother.
-> Michael Afton is not present here because he does not exist, (however I am debating keeping this decision).
We open up on a car ride during a rain storm. It's dark, the radios chokes out static-mixed music and we get our first look at Charlie, who is staring at the window with a bland expression — deep in thought.
Her spacing out is interrupted by Vanessa, she tries to encourage her not to worry about the fact her father won't attend her birthday party and that they'll have fun regardless. Sammy furthers Vanessa's point by mentioning the "river ride" with excitement, which lightens Charlie's mood and even gets her talking about what she's been constantly thinking about: the Marinette's performance.
The mention of the animatronic catches Williams attention and he starts talking about it in great detail. Mostly about all the work he put into it and the birthday party as a whole. Charlie and William go back and forth, having a positive interaction due to their interests in robotics. Vanessa doesn't share the same sentiment and looks disturbed, so she changes the topic and asks Charlie about her birthday party.
William's gaze hardens. He looks at the kids through the mirror with malice in his eyes. Something sinister is happening but we are unaware what his plan is. William says he'll be working the entire party and even slanders Henry a little by mentioning how much of a workaholic he is. Subtly showing how his relationship with Henry might be strained.
Charlie gets a little uncomfortable at this but she goes back to chatting with Sammy and Vanessa.
Once they arrive at Freddy's, the three kids rush inside and we get to see the place for ourselves. It's colorful, loud and fun. We see an arcade, a ball pit, a river ride and employees rushing to meet everyone's needs.
William stops Vanessa before she can run off with Charlie and Sammy. He grips her shoulder hard and looks at her coldly. Vanessa shrinks from his intimidation and he lets her go, something is clearly in her mind but we can only imagine what that is for now.
Montage of the kids playing — arcade games, toys, pizza and fun. We end off with Vanessa and Charlie counting a handful of tickets, debating on what prizes they could buy. Charlie realizes they don't have enough for anything good so Vanessa decides to tell Charlie she knows where they can get a stash of tickets. Sammy is still eating so they leave him for a few minutes.
When they're gone, we see William talking to a few employees before turning to look at Sammy. He waves his hand, Sammy returns the gesture. However, it doesn't seem so wholesome. William smiles but we all know that this is a hollow expression and we finally get an idea of what he was warning Vanessa about.
+ Meanwhile, Vanessa and Charlie are in some room away from the party. Vanessa kneels and pulls back a crate full of tickets. Their excitement is short lived when Charlie asks Vanessa if her father actually likes her and isn't just avoiding her. Vanessa assures that her father definitely loves her, she's seen them.
Before they can talk more they hear music and they both freeze with excitement. They rush out to the party — which is completely dark save for the stage. There's a small crowd which makes it impossible to see anything up close. They resort to standing on their chairs, awaiting the Marinette and the other animatronics.
The show starts and everyone goes wild. We don't focus on it for very long because we see William crouching down next to Sammy, asking him why he's so upset. Sammy tells William that he misses his dad and he's quite bored. William tells him that a neat prize would solve his problem so he invites him to another part of the pizzeria. Sammy agrees and the two walk off.
Charlie notices but she doesn't put any thought. She knows William, she trusts him — why would she think anything is wrong?
When the show ends, Charlie wonders where her brother is. She still doesn't assume the worst so she goes off to where she last saw William. Vanessa quickly stops her, telling her that they have to buy those prizes or someone else will. She's clearly distressed, squeezing Charlie's hand until it hurts. Charlie is confused but brushes off Vanessa's worry, telling her that she'll be back in a minute. Vanessa doesn't follow her, playing with her fingers nervously.
Charlie goes down some dreary hallways. She's a little nervous but her father is the co-owner, so she isn't too unfamiliar. A whistle echoes and she figures it's William or at least an adult who can guide her. Charlie closes in on a door with the words "employees only" in bold. She enters, seeing William washing his hands.
Charlie isn't alarmed yet. She walks pretty casually, about to speak until she sees Sammy in a body bag. She screams and William immediately reacts. He's not calculative or manipulative this time, he immediately lunges at Charlie, knife in hand.
She's able to avoid him, running away and crying for help. He catches up to her and wounds her pretty severely but she bites his hand, causing him to recoil. Confused, terrified and hurt — Charlie goes down a set of stairs, a completely new side of the pizzeria. She trips and scrapes herself further, we realize that she's starting to get closer to where the Marinette ascends from.
Vanessa suddenly grabs Charlie, bringing her into a dark room. She reveals that she panicked and followed her, explaining that she heard her in trouble and rushed to get her. Charlie is bleeding, a lot, and Vanessa desperately tries to hold her wounds. Charlie is crying, absolutely terrified. She tells Vanessa that William attacked Sammy and tried to kill her. Before Vanessa can answer, they hear William approaching and go silent.
Charlie coughs loudly and we hear his steps grow louder. Charlie loses consciousness once he barges in, ending things off with a jump scare.
We see the world through someone else's eyes. They are silent, completely still. The pizzeria is empty, save for Henry who is calling for Charlie. He's arguing with William, talking about some "accident" that involved Vanessa and both of his children. William storms off and looks up, maintaining direct eye contact with the screen. He closes the curtain and asks Henry what to do with the "puppet" — Henry simply tells him to leave it alone, Charlie loved her. And we get the shocking reveal that Charlie is stuck inside the animatronic.
+ Extra:
Cue the intro. I wouldn't change much, apart from seeing more things through the Marinette + the aftermath of both killings in general. Newspapers describing Freddy's co-owner going "crazy", photos of the place being abandoned, articles that blame Vanessa. We go from old to recent, mentioning the missing kids and finally ending with Fazfest.
Vanessa’s mind was a kaleidoscope of hazy fragmented memories, flashes of her life scourged through her head and all the pain that came with it rushed through her body. Vanessa’s inner puppeteering had left her weaker than before, to the point she was stumbling through her odd dreamscape as if she was blind.
One moment she was in her house or a mirror of the police station. Sometimes she'd find scars of her old high school sprinkled around. Vanessa slipped down something dark and tumbled into a thick forest, with tall pine trees and fragmented tents and people. Like a broken version of Nebraska.
Her heart stopped. Vanessa tensed and the world behind her vanished. All hopes of escaping were gone.
A voice rushed through the forest, multiple of them. Panic bubbled in her chest, eyes darting. Gradually things started to melt, the ground was breaking beneath her and the trees began to shed until they were giant skeletons looking high enough to block the sky.
The voices turned into cries, cries from children no less. A little boy and then another calling his name.
The air was trapped in her throat, “No …” she fell on her knees. Nails clamp on the mud beneath her. “No, no, no!”
Vanessa cried out to the sky. “It wasn't my fault! You hear me? I didn't do anything! This wasn't me!”
Vanessa stumbled up, panting. Finally, demanded viciously. “Get out of my head!”
Everything stopped.
Vanessa didn't trust it for a second. She remained guarded, hands up as she slowly backed away. She didn't know where she was retreating to, this forest went on forever. Nothing but lines of trees and muck.
Then a blur of black sent her off her feet.
It was Mike, or a version of him. Dark eyes, scars all over his body. His hands looked like claws more than anything and they dug deeper into her neck.
He almost snarled, “Not your fault?” Mike held her up. “You had the chance to stop him. You had so much time to keep him from hurting anyone else but you … you hid.”
“Mike?” She choked. “You …”
“You're a coward and you're just as guilty as he is!” He brought her close, his teeth were sharp. Vanessa looked down, she was dangling at this point.
“Don’t you see how much pain this gave me? Losing him? And you knew. Even then, you were too scared …. Look at yourself.” He growled, “You’re pathetic.”
Looking at him brought a wave of guilt. He was right, all that time and she did nothing. She even joined the police force to help him, giving herself the illusion that she was actually helping people.
There was also this rage, this white, fiery relentless fury that was waiting to burst. “You're wrong.”
“You're lying to yourself.” He told her coldly. “That's all you've done. You lie for him, you lie to others … if you were just honest for once maybe you could make up for your crimes.”
Mike tossed her and she barreled through the grass, wheezing. It shouldn't have hurt but it did. He walked over, hands spread out as if he were a hawk. Mike's gaze was almost predatory and as he closed in the more she saw herself as prey.
She hadn't felt this scared in a long time. Vanessa crawled backwards, struggling with her breathing. It was one thing if it was her father, she knew that was the monster she was supposed to be escaping but with Mike — it was her friend, someone she felt she andbetrayed. It hurt looking at him.
His voice was louder, looming over her. “Get up! Face what you've done. Face the consequences, understand the pain you've inflicted, quit hiding like a child!”
Vanessa lunged when he got too close, banging him against the ground. Instead of yelling, he started laughing but a quick punch to the face, hard enough to make his nose bleed, shut him up instantly.
Vanessa pinned him down, hand bounding his corrupted wrists, his skin was barren of any of the warmth she was familiar with. Vanessa huffed, staring into his dark eyes. She had no interest in letting him go and it looked like he was already going limp from her grasp to spit more poison.
He hissed, “You’re a monster. Just like him. Look at yourself …” Vanessa hated Mike for a lot of things he said to her but this had been the worst, the way he uttered everything was washed with venom.
“No!” Vanessa denied, “No, you're wrong. I'm not like him … I'll never be him.”
Mike’s face hardened with rage, “You’re a liar. You’re a bomb waiting to go off, you were just itching to finish the job weren't you? Make your father proud? Because that's what it was all about, wasn't it? Him.”
“Stop …”
“You scared of hurting his sister too?” He coaxed, “You destroyed everything around you.”
In a flash her hands were on his throat and his body mildly reacted to the supposed cut of oxygen. His hands tenderly raked up to take her wrists, almost encouraging her to choke him harder with a wicked smile on his face.
“That's it. Do what you were born to do.” Mike growled. Even though his pain was artificial it didn't convince her to let him go. He wheezed, “Go ahead, kill me.”
Vanessa snapped, “Shut up! You're not Mike. You're in my head.”
He echoed, “Not Mike? You seem to think otherwise.”
She blinked and it was all it took for his teeth to find her skin, ripping and tearing so quickly her vision started to fade before she could see the red. She slapped her hand on her throat and fell on the ground, choking on the blood bubbles that poured from her lips.
Mike grunted like an animal when he got up, licking his mouth. His boot kicked her arm away and he watched her bleed with nothing else on his face but hatred.
Now she realized. This was a Mike she had shaped, this is how she saw him. No matter what, everybody was a monster to be feared, nobody was safe or reliable. She thought she cared about Mike but maybe she was just lying to herself. As she always did.
Vanessa coughed, “Fuck … you.”
His face hardened with disgust. It was the last time she saw before she faded into unconsciousness.
–
Vanessa woke up with warmth throbbing in her head. Fatigue washed all over her, sinking deep into her bones to make every movement feel like a journey. She lazily rolled, arm planting onto an empty mattress. Her fingers lightly grasped the blanket, imagining the warmth of his body against her nails. The smell of his pillows helped her with her imagination, tempting her to go right back to sleep.
The moonlight spilling into the bedroom exposed his open door. Vanessa brought her head up, rubbing her eyelids with a grumble. The dream was starting to weigh in, bits and pieces. Vanessa rubbed her throat, relieved that a sudden scar didn't appear overnight.
Mike was probably in the kitchen. Thinking about him made her stomach hurt, or maybe she was just happy to see him again. Or scared it'd be the same dark version of Mike from her nightmares lurking in the shadows.
She got off his bed and used her foot to open the door to walk out of the hallway. Vanessa poked her head into the kitchen, eyes focused on the shadow leaning over the counter.
Her body felt less jaded when she knew it was really him. It wasn't unusual for him to just stand in the dark by himself just to clear his mind. Most of the time she'd leave him be but right now she needed him.
Vanessa stalked or tried to, the floorboards gave her away but it helped soften the landing when she wrapped her arms around him from behind. He was just dressed in his old pajama pants, she could feel the scars on his back.
Mike didn't flinch when she touched him, instead he sighed as if he was waiting for her. Even if he didn't want to admit it she knew he was constantly yearning for more.
“Hey.” He whispered, Vanessa loved it when his voice got like this. Husky, rugged, sweet. “Did I wake you up?”
“No, I just …” Vanessa trailed off. “I just … had a really weird dream.”
“Yeah? Was it …” Mike started. Vanessa immediately tensed before he could finish a sentence. She didn't even want to hear anything relating to her family.
“No, no. Nothing like that.” She answered quickly. Vanessa kept her voice tender, “What about you?”
Vanessa ran her fingers up his chest soothingly, he straightened up and invited her hands. She even felt his body get warmer, which made her lips curl. It was hard for him to talk sometimes even with his numbness. Mike thought vulnerability was easy but it was more challenging than anything.
Despite her comforting presence he remained withdrawn. She could see his eyes wandered elsewhere, even in the dark. “Just needed a moment, a lot is going on. I'll … go back if you want.”
“We can stay here if you need more time.” Vanessa assured, “I’ll stay.”
“No, no.” Mike cleared his throat, he pulled back and so did she. “It's fine, I have work tomorrow.”
Vanessa nodded. “Of course.”
When he turned around, his face was covered with darkness. Her heart stopped and a flash of the Mike from her nightmares assaulted her vision but when his hand touched her own, breathing safety into her body, she felt grounded again — she felt at home. She didn't even realize she was frozen in place.
“Vanessa?”
“Oh, sorry.” She blinked, “Sorry …”
Mike closed the door and pulled Vanessa into an embrace once they were in the privacy of his bedroom. In the dark, everything felt so intimate and safe. She felt even safer when he kissed her and heat enveloped everywhere.
Vanessa pulled him into another kiss, trying her best not to go astray and indulge too much. She pecked his jaw, finally pulling away when they were finally breathless. It felt like they were the only people in the world right now, no problems, no pain — just them.
Mike placed his hands on her sides, “What happened in your dream?”
Vanessa tried to steady her gaze, “... It was just a mess, you know? Just a bunch of nonsense or whatever. I hardly remember it anyway.”
He wasn't entirely convinced but he stroked her cheek, as if silently telling her everything would be alright but she knew he wanted to know more, she knew he wanted nothing more than to help. “Okay.”
“I'm alright, I promise.” She stroked his cheek.
He nodded, “I trust you.”
Mike guided her back to his mattress. This time he slept behind her, strong arms around her. Warmth ghosted throughout her body. Vanessa pulled the blanket to fight the cold, when she covered both of their bodies she noticed that Mike was inches away from descending into dreamland.
She couldn't wait. “Mike?”
“... Yeah?”
“Do you … do you think I could have done more?” Vanessa sucked her breath. “About my dad?’
“Vanessa …” He said tiredly.
“You don't have to answer.”
“He messed you up.” Mike said, “You were scared, he forced you to do all of that. I can't blame you for the things he did, I mean … It's a lot. I don't think the kids at Freddy's would blame you either.”
She choked back tears, “Yeah?”
“Yeah.” He took her hand, “You're a good person, Vanessa. You've … you've always been a great friend, you're not like him. And you never will.”
Mike's words didn't kill her doubt, but it did enough to make her heart start thumping. She smiled, “Thank you, Mike.”
