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starlitplayground · 5 months ago

Text

18+, MDNI

Crossed Wires and Corroded Steel (Sun/Moon x Reader) - Part One; 'First Impressions'.

(afab, gender neutral pronouns)

warnings/content; nothing quite yet, but eventual gore, suggestive/potentially NSFW, major character death. i'll keep this properly updated as needed.

word count; 12,570

full chapter below as well!

⋆⁺₊⋆ 𖤓☽ ⋆⁺₊⋆

You didn't really think you'd ever be in the position that you were in.

Hundreds of miles away from home, in an empty parking lot, staring up at the large building containing your future. Uncertainty tries to course through you, but you shake it away. You need this, you told yourself- but that didn't make your reality any sweeter; you stood in front of the newest Fazbear Entertainment location, Freddy Fazbear's Mega Pizzaplex. It was no secret that the CEO of the company was potentially sketchy as all hell, but it was hard to ignore the 'Advanced Robotics Technician' job opening you found online.

Not many places needed a technician as skilled as you, but that didn't mean you were necessarily short on job opportunities. Were they worth it? No, not really. You made an alright amount of money, but you were downright miserable. You lacked mental stimulation- fixing WIFI routers and cell phones was not cutting it. Maybe moving half-way across the country was a bit of an impulsive thing to do, but you desperately wanted to do something new and exciting. You were most definitely excited- but you were quite nervous, too.

The comfortable night air silently whispered around you as you inhaled and exhaled deeply, rubbing your palms together as you approached the automatic glass doors. They slid open and you walked through, raising your eyebrows as you looked around at the bright, retro 80's themed interior of the building. Sure, you'd done a bit of research on the place- but, it was just that. A bit.

You knew about the Glamrocks and their popularity, but you couldn't find much of anything regarding the animatronics' mechanical structure, so you didn't find a need to do anymore digging. You didn't get a master's degree in Advanced Robotics Engineering for nothing, so you decided to take it as some what of a challenge.

You didn't make it further than four feet into the building when a blur of white came flying at you from the side, and you jumped back with a startled yelp.

"Welcome to Freddy Faz-Faz-Fazbear's Meg-eg-ega Piz-izaple-e-ex, home of the Gla-am-am-rocks! Please-ease-ease head to-o the service-ervice desk for-or admission and par-ar-arty passes."

Your eyebrows furrowed at the small white bot invading your personal space, glitching terribly through it's greeting. "Good god- I doubt that's right.." You muttered and trailed off, looking it over. It was a basic design; likely a part of a set based on the number '16' on its chest in small black lettering.

You walked around the bot, looking at it's back panel. It didn't move, and you began reading the small sticker underneath the base of it's neck. You squinted as you read the small words, but your focus was broken by a slight chuckle from behind you. You whipped around, eyes widening.

Somewhat shockingly, it was William Afton himself.

You'd seen him online before; articles of Fazbear Entertainment locations burning down, and a few missing child articles as well. You also saw him featured in a few robotic engineering forums, so it wasn't too terribly far off to say he was almost idolized by techy 'nerds' like you. It was still a shock to see him in the flesh; his deep purple suit was ironed and smooth, and he wore a bright yellow tie with a Freddy enamel pin towards the top. His hand was in his pocket and he had an amused smile on his face, the purple and blue neon lights reflecting softly off of his hair, which was slicked back.

He looked expensive.

You stepped away from the bot, a nervous smile making it's way to your face. "Ah, hi, sorry." You apologized, but he waved you off. "Nonsense; your eagerness shows. I take it you're (y/n)?" He asked, approaching you. You nodded, looking back at the bot. "Yes, sir. I noticed that this lil' guy had an issue, so I figured I'd give it a teensy look." You replied, and the bot looked from Afton to you.

"Oh? I'm not here often; I'm unfortunately quite busy, and so I entrust management to my daughter. I came to personally meet you and guide you through the innerworkings of my animatronics- as mentioned in the email you received, we've been struggling to find someone capable of doing such intricate work." He said, tilting his head at the small bot. "How long has it been since they've been serviced? The animatronics, I mean." You asked, and he clicked his tongue.

"They have small work done here and there thanks to a program I built to help Vanessa- my daughter- keep things running until we found someone to handle the bigger issues. I've had to drop everything and come fix some more extreme situations a few times now, so your presence is definitely appreciated. Assuming, that is, that you're able to fully understand said intricacies of my work." He added, and you resisted snorting at the comment.

You weren't one to boast, but you definitely weren't one to discredit yourself either.

"I make no promises, but I can assure you that I wouldn't be here if I wasn't confident in myself and my abilities." You said, respectfully, and he gave you a challenging smile. "Well, let's get to it then." He replied, pulling his hand from his pocket, a yellow, bear shaped smart watch in his hand. He gave it to you, and you put it on as he began walking. "That watch is very important; it might as well be your employee ID itself. You'll need it for a lot of things, so make sure you keep track of it. You only get one replacement before termination, for the company's protection." He said, you following him closely.

The two of you approached a door and he gestured to it, dipping his head slightly. You reached out, the sight of the yellow watch around your wrist unfamiliar as you grabbed the handle. There was a small, audible click as your hand made contact and you turned the handle, pulling the door open. "Ah, keycard watch." You said, and Afton nodded as he walked through the threshold. "Basically."

"Well, I can understand the severity of losing them now." You replied, tilting your head expressively.

You followed him into a messy, unfinished hallway with a janitorial cart and a few stacks of boxes strewn about. "This needs to be cleaned by one of the S.T.A.F.F. bots, but this hall is probably going to be one of your most used paths. It's the fastest way to Parts and Services from the building's entrance, and that's where you'll be quite often- though I'm sure there will be other things to work on, such as broken attractions, malfunctioning arcade machines, etcetera." He explained as the two of you walked ahead.

He stopped at an elevator and pressed the call button. The door shuddered open and he walked in, followed by you. He pointed at the button on the bottom of the directional console, which had a small wrench and gear icon on it. You pressed it and the doors shuddered harder as they closed, grinding against their track.

"Tch." Afton clicked in disapproval at the door as the elevator began it's thankfully smooth descent. "I'd like you to do basic maintenance on each of the Glamrocks, the Daycare Attendant, the DJ, and at least one S.T.A.F.F bot- preferably the unfortunate one you've already met- before you're let loose to explore. We like to let new employees familiarize themselves with this understandably overwhelming workplace before expecting them to perform their work well. Although, your position is a bit more sophisticated." He explained and finished with an uplifted tone, but you puffed your cheeks out. That's a bit more work than you were expecting to do on your first night, though it made sense. Best to see how they all work before you're thrown into this job without much help.

It didn't really sound like Vanessa was the most capable.

Afton must've seen the hesitation on your face and gave a small chuckle. "Nothing to worry about- it sounds intimidating, but basic maintenance is quite easy, and fairly quick. The DJ and Daycare Attendant are quite a bit more advanced, but we'll get to that later. We should be done with that all of them by around three." He said, and you glanced down at the watch on your wrist.

11:14pm.

You were pulled out of your thoughts by the elevator gently jutting to a stop, the doors shuddering open once more. You followed Afton out of the elevator and down the hall to the left, continuing down the hall for a moment before stopping in front of a large door. The same wrench and gear icon from the elevator button was above an unexpectedly large, metal door with adequately sized windows. "This is Parts and Services. This door is off limits to everyone except you, the animatronics, and Vanessa. The animatronics are only to be down here when requested." He explained, and you nodded.

You reached out and opened the door, raising your eyebrows as you scanned the room. There was a large, metal and glass cylinder in the middle of the room, an inhumanly large chair inside. Behind the cylinder on a raised walkway were four doors, each representing a Glamrock. On the left side of the Glamrocks' doors, there was a human-sized door with a music note icon on it, and on the far right of the doors was another door, the same size as the Glamrocks', with celestial icons representing the sun and the moon on it.

Must be for the Daycare Attendant.

You walked further into the room, looking to your left. There was a wall of multiple tools, toolboxes stacked beneath it, and a large workbench. On the wall to the right of you, there was a door labeled 'Replacement Parts', and you wondered how big it was inside.

You looked back just as Afton pressed something on the face of his watch, then lowered his hand. "We'll do this one-by-one, Freddy will be here shortly. In the meantime; this is the repair chamber, although it's where all animatronics- save for DJ Music Man- are to be serviced. Except in severe circumstances, you are not to service them anywhere else- for the safety of you and others." He explained as he approached the cylinder.

"Noted, will do- although, if one were to become unresponsive or immobile, how would I get them down here?" You asked, and he gave a small nod. "That would be considered severe, as their systems can overload quickly when in distress." You nodded as he looked down to the computer in front of the chamber. "That's the Quick-Repair and Coding console, but I highly doubt you'll be using it for much. You'll be notified through your FazWatch when any upgrades or repairs need completed and you'll notice that instructions for the procedure via the QRC, but feel free to handle any issues hands-on if you'd prefer." He finished as heavy, metal thumps came into earshot. You bent your neck around the chamber, looking up at the doors as the footsteps got louder.

Suddenly, Freddy's door lifted and the large, golden bear walked through. Your breath caught in your throat, and you suddenly felt incredibly small, and incredibly out of your element. Bright blue eyes landed on Afton, and then you. He smiled, warm and inviting as he walked down the ramp. "Freddy, right on time." Afton said, grinning at the large bear. "It is so good to see you, Mr. Afton. How have you been?" Freddy asked, and your jaw went slack.

Did he just autonomously respond?

"I've been quite well, thank you for asking. This is (y/n), the new technician. They're going to do some basic maintenance on you and the rest of the animatronics. I'm just walking them through a few things." Afton said, glancing over to you once before returning his attention to Freddy.

"Ah, no problem at all." Freddy replied, flashing you a smile. You gave him an awed smile in return, watching as Afton walked over to the cylinder. He pressed a large button and there was a subtle hiss, the heavy cylinder door dragging up slowly. Freddy walked ahead, entering the cylinder and sitting down in the chair. Afton gestured to the chamber and you sucked in a short breath, walking under the door. Your footsteps echoed off of the glass, followed by Afton's as he followed you into the cylinder.

There was another soft hiss of air and the door slowly shut, closing the three of you inside. As the door shut, there were four heavy clinks of metal. You furrowed your brows and looked down to find metal cuffs wrapped around Freddy's wrists and ankles. They restricted their limbs, but their hands were still moveable.

"Don't worry, Superstar; it's to keep you safe!" Freddy assured, his voice uplifted.

You nodded and Afton shifted behind you. He got close to Freddy, who towered over the grown man even in his relaxed position. "There's a small button that opens the chest cavity underneath his bowtie." He stood with his hands resting behind his back and you nodded. You removed Freddy's bowtie, which appeared to be attached by a strong magnet. "You'll need a screwdriver to reach the button." Afton explained, pointing to a small tray sitting next to the chair. You reached over and grabbed the thinnest Philips head screwdriver on the tray, then walked up to Freddy. It felt a bit odd; he was watching you, which was unnerving to say the least, but there was a softness in his gaze that put you at ease a bit.

It kind of felt like you were about to perform a surgery on an awake patient. You might as well have been.

You looked at the small hole just under Freddy's neck, then got up on your tip-toes and leaned over, lifting the screwdriver. Your eyes flicked to Freddy, who gave a friendly wink. You bit the inside of your lip as you pressed the screwdriver into the hole, then you let out a small yelp as his chest plate popped open, exposing his wires and endoskeleton.

"Good. Now I want you to take a moment and observe the wires; familiarize yourself with them. All of the Glamrocks have practically the same wiring." Afton said, stepping back. You did as you were told, but not just because you were instructed to.

The wires were set meticulously, and there were so many. They twisted around each other in a fluid, intricate mess of organized chaos, though it was quite easy to tell which ones were the most important. Most of them connected to a box about the size of your hand, which had its own wires stretching up and into Freddy's neck. You'd seen plenty of those; they condensed large amounts of wires and connected them to the motherboard without overloading it.

There was one cable, however, deep inside of Freddy's chest that was practically hidden by the collection of wires and cables above it. Unfortunately, everything was coated in a thin layer of dust.

"This is.." You let out a disbelieving chuckle. This was going to be fun.

Afton gave a quiet laugh, then stepped close to you. "Tell me what you see, and point out any issues you may find." He said, looking at you. Your brows furrowed as you began thoroughly examining the wires and cables within Freddy's chest cavity. You reached your small hands into the chassis, carefully pointing at a small cluster of wires that were tied into a neat bundle.

"Well, this is the central system." You said, pointing to the box in Freddy's chest. "If I had to guess, I'd say that this is audio processing and most likely attached to his voice box as well." You said, following the wires further up into the animatronic's chassis. A few of the wires from the group split off and twisted underneath a larger bundle of wires closer to Freddy's throat, and you very gently moved them a touch to the left. You nodded to yourself as the few wires you were tracking were fed into a small, black box with a speaker on the surface.

Freddy's voice was very strong for how unexpectedly small his voice box was. The efficiency was unbelievable.

"Hm. Please continue." He said, watching your hands. You pointed at another bundle of wires, furrowing your brows deeper in focus. "I recognize those ones; those are for optics and video processing." You said, a bit quieter now as you focused on task in front of you. Afton didn't respond that time, but you knew to continue.

"These are for motor function, and these little ones are for more precise movements on smaller parts, such as fingers or eyelids.." You said, trailing off as you continued your examination. "This is the most impressive, advanced piece of technology I've ever seen." You mumbled, and Afton chuckled as he stepped closer. "These are the harder ones to access," He gently moved a few handfuls of wires to the side, exposing more thinner ones deeper in the chassis.

He took a few moments to explain their function to you, pointing as he talked and you intently listened. Finally, the thickest wire deep within the chassis was visible. "This is the powerline, connected to the motherboards- which is located in their heads. Damage to these cords is-" He let out a scoff, though there was no malice. "they're the hardest pieces of these machines to repair, closely seconded by the motherboards. Unexpected power loss can result in a corrupted motherboard, which risks entire memory loss." Your eyebrows raised and you pressed your lips into a thin line. Definitely take care of those, then.

Once he was done, he walked over to the cart. "Here, take this and carefully get rid of the dust." He said, handing you a small hose. He pressed a small button on the cart holding the tool tray, and a soft rush of air began blowing out of the hose.

You carefully fanned it back and forth over Freddy's wiring, blowing the dust off of his cables and out of his chest cavity. He let out a small, deep laugh and you glanced up at him. He gave a sheepish smile and you apologized with your expression, returning focus to your work.

It must've tickled, you thought.

Once you got the dust dealt with, you removed your hands from his chest to lay the hose on the cart. "Close the chassis, just gently push it." Afton instructed and you did as told, placing your palm on the front of Freddy's open chest. There was a bit of resistance, but after a second it gave a small jerk, and began to close. You furrowed your eyebrows again. "Should I do something about that? WD-40, maybe?" You asked, and Afton's hand appeared next to you- already holding a can of multi-purpose lubricant. It was off-brand, but it worked just the same.

"Thank ya, thank ya." You said, leaning over to aim the can at the slightly rusted hinge on the side of Freddy's chest plate. After applying a decent coating of the lubricant, you placed the can on the tray and grabbed the chest plate, gently moving it back and forth to work it in. It became increasingly easier to open and close, so you slowly pressed it down, giving it a gently, firm press until you heard a heavy click.

"This is the last thing; just a little cleaning." Afton said, handing you a folded rag and a bottle of cleaning solution. You nodded and looked Freddy over, spraying and wiping away any smudges and small, greasy handprints. You also took care to get any residual lubricant from around the near-invisible line where his chest plate opened.

Once you were done, Afton nodded. "Good job; you did rather well." Afton said, pressing a green button on the underside of the chair. The cuffs around Freddy's wrists and ankles popped open and the animatronic sat up, giving you a gentle pat on the head. "Welcome to the team, Superstar. You're gonna do great, I can just tell." Freddy complimented, and you gave him a smile.

"Thanks. Freddy. I look forward to working with you." You said, and he reached out a large, yellow paw. You reached your hand out, and his nearly engulfed yours.

He was exiting the cylinder when another door opened with a quiet metallic screech and the three of you looked over, Roxy walking through the door. You blinked a few times, the wolf animatronic squinting at you as she walked down the ramp with a hand on her hip. "Ah, Roxanne. Thank you for coming, I know you're not particularly fond of maintenance." Afton greeted as the animatronic approached. Freddy waved as he walked back to his designated door and walked through, letting it shut behind him.

"Eh. Not my favorite, but I've been itching for some decent work. Been long enough." She said, a small growl in her voice. "Who are you?" She asked, looking down at you. Afton didn't answer, looking at you expectantly. There was a small pause between the three of you, and Roxy raised an eyebrow.

You realized a tad late that Afton wanted you to introduce yourself this time, which should've been obvious since she asked you directly.

"Oh, uh- my name is (y/n), I'm the new technician." You said, breaking the short silence. Roxanne nodded, tilting her head back a bit as you attempted to read her. The AI's heightened awareness in both her and Freddy was intriguing at best, and unnerving at worst. Her eyes flicked over your small form before she returned eye contact and snickered. "Alright, pipsqueak. Let's do it then." She said, taking her pawed hand off of her hip as she walked into the chamber and sat where Freddy previously did. You followed, and Afton closed the chamber door behind the three of you.

The cuffs shut around Roxy's wrists and ankles, and her ears flicked in annoyance.

Roxy's wiring was similar, although the wires were closer together due to the smaller size of her chassis and there were a few extra wires for her tail mobility that Freddy didn't have. You assumed Monty would be the same, but you quickly refocused as you gave her a good look over, a thorough dusting, and a good wipe-down. It was, as Afton said it would be, much quicker than you thought it'd be.

You also didn't think you'd be able to understand Afton's wiring method as well as you did. It wasn't like anything you'd seen before, but despite the unfamiliarity, it practically came to you naturally.

When you finished with Roxy, she rubbed her wrists as she got out of the chair. "Not half bad, kid." She said, giving Afton a small nod as she walked back to her designated door.

Monty was late by nearly ten minutes, and Afton was not pleased. You subconsciously gulped as the nearly eleven foot animatronic approached the two of you. "My bad, I just got caught up in somethin'." Monty apologized, and Afton hummed flatly. "This is (y/n), they'll be doing basic maintenance on you." He said, giving a sharp nod towards the cylinder. Monty nodded, walking under the door with a small huff.

His wiring was nearly identical to Freddy's, save for the ones attached to his tail- as you'd expected. Despite his initially alarming appearance, he was actually quite relaxed and unphased as you dusted his chassis, his eyes trained on you through his purple, star shaped sunglasses. When you were done, Monty gave you an unexpected head pat. "Thanks, runt." He said, flashing you a sharp grin. You nodded, rubbing the back of your neck as he walked away.

Chica's door opened, and she walked in with an ever-so-slightly noticeable limp. "Hiya, chickpeas!" She exclaimed in a cheerfully lifted voice, though there was a nervousness mixed in somewhere. "Everything alright, Chica?" Afton asked, walking over to her as she made it down the ramp. "Ah, not really? I've had this issue for a few weeks where my foot locks up randomly, and I've almost fallen a few times. It's pretty bad today, let me see if I can show ya!" She explained, the cheeriness coating her probably uncharacteristic nervousness as she began walking in a line.

You and Afton watched her, eyes on her feet as she walked. After about fifteen steps, her foot locked up and she jolted forward from the sudden stop. There was a sharp crack and she went down further as the metal on the back of her right leg casing, near her ankle, cracked and split. She let out a pained cry as her knee made hard contact with the cement floor, the vibration from her weight travelling through the floor and up your calf.

"Woah- are you okay??" You blurted, rushing towards her without much thought. Afton was next to you only a second later. The crack travelled a quarter way up the back of her calf, a thick wire pinched between the gap near the ankle. "That hurt- really back, actually!" She said, though it almost sounded like she spoke through clenched teeth.

"Help me stand her up." Afton instructed, and you walked around her. You placed your arm under her forearm and the other around her midsection, which wasn't too terribly difficult. She was definitely the smallest Glamrock- although she did still tower above you by at least three feet.

Afton was on the other side of her doing the same, and she used the two of you as leverage to stand back up on one leg. Her weight pushed you down a bit, but you focused on keeping your frame sturdy as she straightened herself out. She hobbled and slightly hopped towards the cylinder, Afton and yourself steadying her as she moved. When the three of you made it, she turned her body on one leg and landed heavily in the chair. Despite the crack being on the back of her leg, it was easily accessible from your height as you leaned down and gently pushed the cloth leg warmer out of the way, assessing at the damage.

"There's a wire pinched in this crack, and it's shredded to Hell and back. I'm surprised she's been able to walk this long- you said it's been locking up for weeks?" You asked, initially speaking to Afton. "Yeah, it started after a really fast-paced fitness warm-up, I wanna say it was about three weeks ago." She answered, and you hummed. "There's a good chance that this wire's been the issue the whole time then- especially with how chewed up it is." You replied.

Afton's brow furrowed. "Did Vanessa not try to repair it?" He asked Chica, and she shrugged. "She said the console didn't have a procedure that would fix it and that I'd have to wait until she found a real technician." She explained, and Afton let out a heavy exhale.

"Thank you. I'll need to speak with her about that, though I suppose we can.. use this, for lack of a better term." He said, though the irritation in his voice was evident. You sighed at the shredded wire, then stood straight. "Come with me, we need a replacement casing and a new wire." Afton said, walking towards the door with the 'Replacement Parts' sign. You followed as he opened the door, walking in. You walked in after him, looking around in the large room. Large, steel shelves held the impossible weight of multiple animatronic parts. Each shelf system contained parts for one animatronic, though you were focused on the cluster of white, pink, and green on the second shelf to the left.

You walked over, following Afton as he pointed gestured at the shelves. "I was planning on giving you a coordinated tour of this room, but I suppose this will do. These are the replacement and spare parts. You can put in orders from your Fazwatch if you ever run out of something, and it'll arrive next-day." He explained, then pointed at a white leg casing with a green, leopard print leg warmer. You reached out, unsure of yourself as you wrapped your arms around the leg. It was a little over quarter of your entire body, but it wasn't as heavy as you were expecting.

The weight must come from their endoskeleton, then. You tore your attention from your thoughts back to the leg casing as Afton began to walk away.

You grabbed the leg, following Afton to another door within the room. There were walls lined with wires and cables, and a large glass box with a lock on it. Afton pointed at it as he walked past, "Those are the powerlines. You'll need a physical key to get into that, although I keep it in a different location. You should, hopefully, never need to access that box." He said as he walked to a section of wires. Above it were the icons of each Glamrock, and you nodded to yourself.

The organization would make it easy to find what you'd need for future repairs, so that was nice. Without saying anything, Afton picked a wire from the wall and nodded towards the door, gesturing for you to head back to the cylinder. You carried the leg casing out of the rooms, Afton following as he closed the doors behind him.

You carried the leg into the chamber, placing it on a metal counter attached to the wall. "In order to replace the wire, her foot casing must come off, her chest chassis needs to be open and her upper leg casing needs to come off, as well as the damaged lower leg." Afton explained as he closed the cylinder door, and you nodded. He began explaining what to do, pointing at tiny holes on the sides of her ankle and under her heel. "Wait- they stay conscious? Or- well, awake?" You asked, noticing how odd it sounded to refer to animatronics as 'conscious'. Afton nodded, "Yes, unless the procedure is on their coding or motherboard." He handed you a long, incredibly thin tool with a rounded end and you quickly got to work, pressing the tool into the buttons. The webbed foot casing loosened and you lifted it off with ease, placing it on a metal counter behind you.

You moved onto the tiny holes on her lower leg casing, pressing them all with quick precision. There was a click, and you placed the tool down on the tray. You leaned over, then furrowed your brows. "I need to either disconnect this wire or cut it; it's just going to pull whatever else it's wrapped up with." You said, and Afton handed you a pair of wire cutters. "It'll be easier to cut it; we wont be able to see what's happening in her thigh when we pull the wire through if we can't get the casing off." You nodded, thanking him as you took the cutters and gently lifted the crack, going up under the casing to snip the wire just above it.

Chica let out a small, mechanical gasp as the wire was severed, and your face twisted with worry. "I'm sor-" You started, but she cut you off. "No, no- you're fine, this is totally minor compared to some other stuff I've had done. Don't mind me, sweetpea!" She assured, but you were now very aware that they really could feel.

After you returned the wire cutters to the table, you wrapped your arms around the lower casing and gave it a sharp twist to the left. There was another click and the casing slid off, a short, limp wire still wedged in the crack. You placed it behind you on a shelf, turning back as Afton showed you the release buttons for her upper legs.

After a few more buttons, you removed the other casing to expose her thin, dark steel leg frame. You nodded triumphantly, but the limp wire laying against the rest left an odd feeling in your chest, so you moved on to opening her chest chassis. It was easy, but the wires inside were much more compacted and fit tightly together in the circumstantially small cavity. You let out an inaudible exhale and moved to her lower half, grabbing the loose wire. You traced it with your eyes, following it as it weaved through a few different clusters of wires before attaching to her central system.

You gently grasped the wire where it connected, and then gave a small tug. It popped out of the socket easily, and you grabbed the bottom of the wire as you gently pulled it down and out of the organized wires. Chica let out a small giggle, and the tension in your shoulders that you hadn't noticed was there released. Afton wordlessly handed you the new wire, and you attached it to the central system where it belonged. Without further instruction, you began to weave the wire around the others, the same way the other one was. You gently laid it over the others down the length of her leg, and let it rest in place.

This felt right. This felt like you, and what you were supposed to do.

You reached behind you, observing the tools until you found the one you needed. You turned and began working at the wire attached to the center of the joint where her foot connected with her ankle. Once the severed wire was removed, you replaced the tool on the tray and began fixing the wire to the joint, where the other one had been. When it was attached, you looked up at Chica. "Can you move your foot?" You asked, and she looked down at her foot as it twitched to the left, then right, before finally moving in a fluid motion as she rolled it.

"Feels right to me!" She answered, and you nodded with a smile. Walking to the metal counter behind you, you grabbed her upper leg casing and walked back to Chica. You slid it over her foot and up her calf before setting it in place against her hip with a sharp twist to the right. There was a heavy click, and you tested the connection. Nothing moved at all, so you moved onto the replacement leg.

It took you a moment to realize you'd gotten carried away and did everything- hopefully correctly- without instruction. You slowly turned around, finding an amused Afton. "Do you realize that you just replaced that wire quicker than I usually do?" He said, and your jaw fell slack for just a second. "I- wait, really?" You asked, and he nodded. "It took you five minutes- it takes me about ten." He said, and you really couldn't find a hint of dishonesty in his demeanor.

"Now that, is impressive." He added, and you let out a small laugh. "Thank you, Sir."

After the cylinder door was open, Chica gave you a happy, beaked smile. "Thank you, sweetpea! I feel good as new." She thanked you, and you politely waved it off. "Anytime! I'm just glad I was actually able to help; this is a little new for me." You admitted, and Chica giggled. "You seemed right at home fixin' me up, if I do say so myself."

You gave her another smile as she went on her way, and Afton turned towards you. "You're shaping up to be much more experienced than I expected." He said, and you let out a heavy exhale. "Honestly, I didn't expect it to come this easily to me; these are the most complex machines I've ever seen." You admitted, and Afton chuckled. "We'll move on to the DJ next as the Daycare Attendant is busy at the moment. He's bigger than the rest of the animatronics, so we'll have to go to his maintenance room." He explained, and pointed to the wall of tools.

"That tool bag should have everything you need for his maintenance, but it's always a good idea to double check." He said, walking over to a tool bag hanging on the wall. It was striped with bright colors and there was a large, black music note on the side. Next to it, there were three other bags; one with the Glamrock Icon on it, one with the sun and moon icons, and the last one had an icon depicting one of the S.T.A.F.F bots.

You walked up to Afton as he grabbed the bag and placed it on the work bench. "There's a list for each of the bags so you know what needs to be there. Go ahead and check it." He instructed, and you pulled it closer to you as you opened it. You looked up to the laminated piece of paper tacked to the wall, which was directly under the spot for the bag, and mentally listed off the tools as you shifted through the bag.

Your brows furrowed and you dug around in the bag some more, then leaned back, looking at the tool wall. "It's missing wire cutters and needle-nose pliers." You said, looking to Afton. He let out an unsatisfied hum and looked to the tool wall as well. "I'll need to find those; these bags are to always be correctly stocked, and all tools are ALWAYS to come back to this room." He said, frustration in his voice. It wasn't towards you, but it was unnerving regardless.

He reached over and grabbed a pair of pliers and wire cutters, placing them in the bag. He gestured to it, and you picked it up as he began walking to the ramp for the doors. You followed closely as he approached the door with the music note, and it lifted as the two of you walked through.

The two of you approached another elevator, and you wondered if there was one for each of the animatronics. The building was unfathomably large, you began to realize. This elevator was in much better condition, though there were only two buttons. Afton pressed the button with a small wrench over a music note, and the doors slid shut. "I doubt it'll help much, but try not to be too alarmed when you see the DJ. He can be a lot the first time you see him, but he's incredibly friendly and entirely harmless." Afton warned, and your brows furrowed.

How big is this thing?

The ride was short as the doors slid back open, and it felt as if your heart fell to the bottom of your ribcage.

The animatronic was absolutely massive, easily fifty feet tall with six long, thin limbs that stretched from the sides of his white, spider-like abdomen. The first four limbs had gloved hands attached to the ends, and the last two had shoed feet. His face was locked in some sort of grin- although it looked more akin to a cringe, with his large teeth checkered like piano keys. Large green headphones sat atop his head, and his black eyes- easily the size of your head- flicked over to you and Afton.

"I- wh- holy shit." You blabbered, and Afton laughed. You weren't as scared as you thought you would be when the initial shock hit you, and awe quickly washed over you. "Wow, I- he is insanely cool." You muttered, walking out of the elevator before Afton. The room was almost twice the size of Parts and Services, with six huge metal cuffs attached to the ground. The DJ shuffled his feet as her turned to face you better, leaning down to see you better.

"Hello, little one."

His voice caught you off guard; he spoke through broken, short audio clips of different songs. "Woah- hi!" You waved, and Afton walked up next to you. "DJ, this is (y/n). They're the new technician, but we're just going to do some basic maintenance. Nothing too serious, but have you had any specific issues lately?" Afton asked, and DJ let out a mechanical hum. "Yes. Songs freezing and glitching during performances. Couldn't fix it myself." The gigantic animatronic responded, and you pursed your lips. Afton nodded and crossed his arms. "Alright. Let's get that looked at first, go ahead and lock up." He instructed, and the DJ nodded with a slight metallic grind.

Based on that and the rust around his joints, it was blindingly obvious that DJ had be practically neglected. His movements were creaky as he lay flat against the floor, off center. He brought his limbs close to his body like a deceased arachnid, and rolled over onto his back. He landed in the center with a heavy thud, the floor vibrating from the weight. He stretched his limbs out, placing them in the cuffs. Afton walked over to a control panel with a multitude of buttons next to the elevator, then pressed one with a padlock icon. There was a loud, metallic clank as all six cuffs snapped close around DJ's wrists and ankles. He looked a bit comical stretched out the way he was, but the size of his chest hatch filled you with overwhelm.

There's no way in Hell I'm opening that.

"Come here." Afton instructed, you did so. "This controls the wiring system and helps with repairs. It's impossible to carry his replacement parts and open his chassis by one's self." He explained, then pressed a button with a torso icon. There was a heavy, loud grinding overhead as a metal 'hand' reached down, a thin spike extending from the tip as it pressed small buttons around the animatronics torso. There was a heavy pop, and the large chassis flung open. The hand retracted back into the ceiling, then deep into shadows.

"You'll need a ladder for this next part." Afton explained, and pointed to a button with a ladder icon. You pressed it, and more mechanical grinding from above sounded out as a tall, thin ladder descended from the ceiling. The ladder was taller than DJ, clicking into place on the floor next to him. "Good. Now, climb inside of the chassis."

Your mouth fell open, and you quickly snapped it shut. "Inside?" You asked for clarification, and Afton nodded. "You'll understand when you see it." He said, and nodded towards the ladder. You mentally shook away the doubts nipping at your nerves and walked to the ladder, letting the handles of the bag slip down around your wrist as you used both hands to climb. As you got high enough to see the inside of the chassis, you let out an inaudible, 'Ah.'

There was enough space to walk around inside of his chest, a flat platform underneath a built-in ladder to get to the bottom of the chassis. You climbed off of the tall ladder onto the one built into his chassis, the climbed down into the animatronic's body. You shuddered; this felt much more invasive than with the Glamrocks. As you got deeper, your footsteps on the latter echoed off of the metal chassis. Relatively loud, mechanical whirring filled the air around you as you looked around at the animatronics innerworkings. The wires were as thick as your forearm, suspended just below your head level as you stepped off of the ladder- but, his endoskeleton was absolutely massive.

You walked up his chest, towards his voice box. It was much larger than the other ones, but you expected that everything would be. There was a small set of steps screwed into the side of the box and the floor to keep it in place when DJ was upright and moving. You walked around it, ducking underneath thick wires as you checked their connections. You were checking the last one when you felt someone watching you.

You glanced up and behind you, Afton's small form leaning over the side of the chassis observing you. "How's it looking?" He called down, his voice echoing around you. "Good, really. Everything is connected right, nothing is frayed or split. Unless the issue is inside of his voice box." You called back, and you saw him nod before climbing over, using the ladder the descend into the chest cavity.

He walked over to you, his hands in his pockets. "Take the top panel off, a regular screwdriver will do." He instructed, and you got up on your tip toes, leaning over to check the screws. Small 'x's were etched into the heads, and you sat the tool bag down to dig around and grab a Philips-head screwdriver. You climbed up the small staircase, undoing all of the screws and putting them in your pocket. Once the last one was out, the panel lifted slightly and you were able to wrap your hands around the edge of it. You stood on the edge of the box and gave a strong pull upwards on the panel, grunting as it lifted to the side. It's hinges prevented it from falling to the side and off of the box as you shave another heavy shove.

You let out a heavy exhale, and Afton gave a soft clap. "Nicely done- though there is a leverage tool for future reference." He said, and amused looked on his face as he reached out and lifted a metal bar that flattened into a thin edge at the end to wedge under the panel. It was hanging right next to the staircase, and you let out a sheepish laugh. "Noted, my bad." You apologized, and he waved it off. "No worries; just don't want you to throw your back out at your age." He jested, though it was a real possibility.

You turned your attention to his voice box, and cringed. "Christ, it's a mess in here." You said, reaching into the box. You barely saw the bright red caution icon with the words 'high voltage' as your fingers nearly brushed a wire. Without warning, there was a heavy step behind you on the stairs and Afton's hand clamped around your forearm. "Stop! Don't touch anything yet." He said, his voice loud and concerned. Your eyes widened and you yanked your arms out of the box. "What? What is it?" You asked, though it was rather obvious with the 'high voltage' sign.

"This voice box has significantly more power running through them than any of the other animatronics. Honestly, I should've warned you previously; that's my fault. The outer wires, these ones, aren't a threat nearly as severe." He said, gesturing to the thick wires. "I haven't worked on him in quite some time and nearly forgot. I apologize for startling you." He apologized, and you shook your head. "No, no! I greatly appreciate you not letting me fry myself to a crisp." You said, gesturing to the warning sign.

Afton stepped off of the staircase, waving you down from the box. You climbed down the stairs, then saw the smaller box with a dial pad attached to the side. He reached out and entered a code, the front panel of the box popping open. It was similar to a breaker box, but there was only one switch. "There's a main panel next to the chassis ladder, but this one controls the voice box itself." He explained, flicking the switch off. There was a staticky pop from the voice box as it powered down, and you climbed back up onto it.

The wires were all tangled, with a few mangled and shredding. "How does this even happen?" You asked. "The vibration of his voice combined with his sometimes sporadic movements cause them to move around and rub together, which causes degrading over time. It never should've gotten this bad, though. This is going to need an entire rewire." Afton said, examining the damage from the bottom step. You nodded, then stepped down after him.

"The console will do that, but we'll need to power DJ down to do the repair. Any 'rogue' power through the repair machine can overload it, which is not fun to fix." He explained, and you nodded as you followed him to the main power box. He typed in the code, which was different from the voice box code. Once the box was open, there was another single switch on the inside. "We're going to power you down, prepare yourself." Afton called out, and there was a single, heavy thunk against the ground outside of the chassis. Most likely a knuckle in acknowledgement, since his voice box was currently out of commission. Afton waited about three seconds before giving you a nod. You reached out, then flicked the switch to the left. The whirring faded into silence, almost like he fell asleep.

Or died.

Either way, everything was now much more echoey as Afton began to climb back up the ladder. You glanced back to the voice box, mumbling a curse as you quickly half-ran back to it, grabbing the screwdriver you left on the step and shoving it into the tool bag. You picked it up and ran back to the ladder, where Afton was watching you from the top. You gave a jokingly nervous grin as you quickly climbed up it. He was on the ground by the time you made it onto the main ladder, then got down. The two of you walked over to the control panel, and Afton gestured to it. "Press the one with the voice box on it, then the one with wires." You did as told, and a line of wires popped up on a small screen above the buttons with small boxes below each one.

"Go ahead and check all of them, then press the 'Start Procedure' button." He instructed, adn you pressed the boxes on the screen. When you were done, you pressed the start button on the bottom right of the panel. Mechanical whirring started above you, and the two of you turned around to watch. The hand extended down, a few different tools attached to the end. It reached down inside of the chassis and began the procedure. After a moment of subtle movement, it retracted, a bundle of dull, shredded, multicolored wires in the mouth of some pliers. That hand lifted into the ceiling as another reached down, vibrant wires in it's grasp.

It continued, and the entire process was over in less than ten minutes.

At least the actual repairs are still quick.

Once it was done, Afton pointed at the console again. "The repair arms have already closed the voice box, but basic maintenance is still needed." He explained, then pointed at a button with with a wrench over a heart. You pressed the button and a menu popped up on the screen. There were a few options to click. You pressed the three that said, 'Rust Removal - Joints', 'Joint Care', and 'Cosmetic Work-up'. When Afton didn't say anything, you trusted your gut and pressed the start button.

Multiple arms stretched down at once; one held a large hose, another held a rag, and another had a spray nozzle attached to the end. They began working all at once; the hose began to blow out dust from the cavity while another began to wipe down the outside of DJ's casing. There was a heavy click as the cuffs came undone, and the nozzle hand began to spray a solution on all of DJ's joints, coating them in the liquid. More hands stretched down from the ceiling, grabbing DJ's wrists and ankles to bend them back and forth, working the solution in. When the limbs were bending with zero resistance or grinding, the hands lay DJ's limbs back into the cuffs, which closed back around him.

The hand with the rag moved to the joints, wiping the excess fluid from the joints. Another arm stretched down; a soldering iron . The other arms moved out of the way as another smaller one extended from the ceiling, a thin brick of metal in it's grasp. The two worked in sync as they began soldering over the rusted metal, covering it with a silver plating. After it finished, another arm stretched down. It began filing the rough edges of the solder, then all of the arms retracted as one more came down; an airbrush. It sprayed a layer of white paint over the now repaired joints. You could see how fast it dried, and you let out an impressed, 'Huh.' The arm reached over and the airbrush tool slid into the arm, which changed into an actual hand-like shape. It pressed the chassis hatch closed with a few loud clicks.

When all of the arms retracted into the ceiling, Afton nodded. "Don't worry about the voice box panel; they've put new screws in it." You hadn't even thought about the screws in your pocket and you mentally facepalmed, though Afton seemed entirely unbothered. "I can imagine he'll feel much better now, thanks to you. Now, be warned; being powered on has an alarming effect on all of the animatronics, but DJ's is arguably the worst." Afton said, gesturing at a small power button. You cringed a bit at the thought of what that entailed, but you reached over and pressed the button.

There was a click from within DJ's chest and he began whirring back to life- then he started violently fighting against the restraints. He lifted his torso up and slammed it against the ground, then stopped.

The entire room shook, and your legs failed you as you ended up on the ground with a heavy clank, the tool bag hitting the floor. Afton reached out a hand, pulling you up. "Welcome back, DJ. You're all set." Afton said, hitting the button next to the lock command. It was an unlocked padlock. The restraints clicked open, which made you just a tad nervous.

Definitely not harmless.

You didn't feel personally threatened in any way, but you stored it in the back of your mind that he was capable of some serious damage. DJ curled his limbs back in on himself and rolled onto his stomach, extending his arms out as he stood up. "I apologize for the fit- it's out of my control. Thank you for the maintenance, (y/n)." DJ spoke, giving you a friendly nod. You smiled, "No problem, happy to help." You replied. "Head back down to your stage, and let them know if you have any more issues." Afton spoke to DJ, who nodded and reached out to the with one of his hands. He pressed a large green button and the floor around him began to slowly descend. "Ooh, helpful." You thought out loud, and Afton nodded. "Yes, very. Now, onto the Daycare Attendant."

You nodded, confirming that the tool bag was in your hand before following Afton back into the elevator. "You can only get to this room through this elevator or the lift, but you shouldn't need to work on him too often." He explained, pressing the button down to Parts and Services. Once back in Parts and Services, you instinctively brought the bag to the work bench, setting it down and double checking the contents before hanging it back up in its spot.

"Good. Now, the Daycare Attendant is different than anyone you've seen yet. They're special; three animatronics in one." He explained, and your interest was immediately peaked. "Three? How does that work?" You asked curiously. "It's a bit hard to explain entirely, but they switch out with each other based on light level. Sun and Moon are very likely the only two that you'll see, as Eclipse is a safety protocol to keep the children safe in the event of a threat." He explained. "Their structure is different as well; when either of them are in control, their chassis will shift and certain components will only be accessible then; such as Sun's rays or Moon's LEDs."

You nodded as a door shifted open, and you looked over. There was a bright yellow, celestial animatronic with poofy jester pants and ruffles around his ankles, wrist, and collar. Large, bright sun rays protruded from his head, which ticked to the left slowly. He looked a bit nervous, if you were honest. He walked over to Afton, who was near the cylinder, softly jingling bells accompanied by mechanical clicking as he took steps. He didn't seem to notice you.

"Hello, Mr. Afton! I saw that you put in an order for maintenance, is everything okay?" Sun asked, his voice uplifted, but quick and hyper with anxious undertones. "Yes, everything is fine, Sundrop. This is (y/n), they'll just be giving you a bit of a check-up, if you will." Afton explained, gesturing to you over by the work bench. Sun looked over to you, and his rays ticked once to the right before continuing to flick to the left. "Oh- a new friend! Hello, I'm Sun!" He exclaimed, throwing his arms up and out in a theatrical pose. He didn't seem too terribly nervous anymore.

You smiled at him and waved, "Nice to meet you, Sun!" You replied. He gave you an ecstatic wave, the bells around his wrist jingling intensely. You chuckled, then walked over towards them. The animatronic was taller than Freddy, who was the tallest of the Glamrocks. He stood at about seven feet tall, and absolutely towered over you. Afton was around six feet tall, that much you knew, but you barely reached five feet and three inches on a good day. You were practically eye level with Sun's stomach, and you looked up at the animatronic.

"Let's get started." Afton said, gesturing to the cylinder. Sun's nervousness came back and he started twisting his hands together as he turned around and entered the cylinder, hesitantly sitting in the seat. You followed behind him, giving him a reassuring smile.

I wonder why he's so nervous..

The cylinder door closed, and you turned around. Afton was on the outside of the chamber, and gave you a thumbs up. You furrowed your brows; was he testing you to see if you could do it alone?

You shook your head and turned back to Sun, who's bright, white eyes were on you. "Nervous, are you?" You asked softly, and Sun let out a forced, playful laugh. "Terrified, what gave it away?" He asked, and you chuckled. "Don't worry, I'm sure you'll be just fine." You reassured. "Go ahead and put your hands at your sides for me, please." You asked, and Sun did so- albeit with a small tremor in his hands. He places his wrists and ankles inside of the cuffs, and you pressed the button to lock them.

Sun flinched at the noise, and your eyebrows furrowed. This was beginning to look like a trauma response.

"I'm gonna open your chassis now, okay?" You asked. You hoped that talking him through it would help ease his obvious fear. He nodded, and you grabbed a screwdriver from the tool tray on the cart. You used the small stepstool underneath the chair to stand up taller, reaching over to find the buttons. They were a bit harder to find, and you were only able to find one. "I'm so sorry- where's your other button at?" You asked, and he lifted his chin up. "Under the ruffles, Sunshine."

You nearly dropped the screwdriver and blinked rapidly a few times. His voice was nervous and slightly shaky, but the nickname caught you way off-guard and you nodded quickly, reaching up to move his ruffled collar out of the way. You pressed the button with the screwdriver and his chest popped open. It didn't open all of the way, so you used your hands to push it open the rest of the way.

The innerworkings themselves were very similar to the Glamrocks, though there were quite a few different wires that the others didn't have. The set-up was similar, but it was definitely more intricate and most likely delicate as well. It was odd, really, to think that there were more than one animatronic in Sun's body- or, 'their' body, since Sun shared it. "I'm gonna make sure everything is connected right before I start, alright?" You explained, and Sun nodded again. You rolled up your sleeves and reached your hands in, a little nervous without Afton next to you.

You felt around the wires, testing their connection. Everything seemed to be in place good, and you gave him a smile. "All good in there. Just a little dusty, but I'll get that taken care of." You said, and grabbed the air hose. You clicked the button on the cart and the air flow started, blowing right at Sun. "Oh, sorry!" You moved the hose away from his face, and he let out a small laugh. "No worries at all!" He said, and you began to dust inside of his chassis. Once it was cleaned out, you placed a hand on his chest hatch to close it, but there was a knock on the window. You turned to see Afton, who shook his head. You tilted your head, but nodded as you grab the rag and spray bottle. You cleaned Sun's casing, removing small, greasy handprints and crayon markings. When you were done, he broke the silence.

"He's going to bring Moonie out, I think. He likes to let the techs see us change on the inside." He said, though it sounded odd and you both grimaced a bit. "I- probably could've worded that better, but you know what I mean." He said, and you laughed. "I gotcha." Your laugh was cut short by sudden darkness, the only light in the chamber coming from a small beam above the chair, pointed at the open chassis. You quickly turned, watching as the animatronics mechanical innards shifted, rotating around the 'ribcage' until an entirely different chassis was exposed. You looked up at Sun as his rays shrunk into his head and the left side of his face rotated, a darker faceplate taking place. He metal of their arms, impossibly, shifted from yellow to blue. You let out a gasp of disbelief, though you saw the way the casing pieces slipped underneath the others, switching out with each other. It was unbelievable regardless.

You instinctively touched the now blue metal, and a dark chuckle came from above you. You dropped the hose, jumping back a bit. "Shi- hi, sorry!" You stammered, putting your hands behind your back like a child caught getting into something. Moon's eyes were bright red- the LEDs Afton mentioned- and his mouth was curved into a sharp grin. There was a starry nightcap on his head, a bell attached to the end. "No need to apologize." He spoke, his voice deeper and more gravelly than Sun's. You cleared your throat, trying to rid yourself of the embarrassing pink dusting your face. "I'm (y/n), the new technician. Just doing some basic maintenance, if that's okay." You said, and Moon used his hand to gesture to himself.

You internally smacked yourself. So, not only do they share a body, but they're polar opposites.

You grabbed the hose from the cart, feeling down to the end of it. The nozzle had popped off when it hit the floor. You knelt down, feeling around for the nozzle in the dark. After a moment, you let out a frustrated huff. "Next to the cart." Moon said, and you nearly jumped out of your skin. Why? You had no idea. The DJ was easily scarier in the traditional sense, but something about the dark and his cool, calm demeanor was just such a stark contrast to Sun's personality just a moment ago. It was like whiplash.

You hovered your hand over the floor, feeling around the cart. Just as he'd said, the hose nozzle was by the back right wheel. "Thank you." You replied, standing up and reconnecting it before placing the hose back into it's spot. You walked back over to Moon despite your nerves, and you looked into his chassis. It was much dustier than Sun's, but everything looked like it was connected well. "Well, everything looks good- but, when was the last time you were worked on?' You asked, your focus shifting back to your job.

"Mm, about two months." He said, and you looked up at him. "Two months? Wh-" You scoffed. "That's way too long. The dust is starting to compact together." You muttered, grabbing the hose. You shook your head as you began blowing out the dust, which took more effort than you'd had to use yet. You were too caught up in cleaning him up to notice that Moon was staring at you, his eyebrow raised at your sudden attitude.

When you finally got all of the dust off of him, you let out a small cough from the particles in the air. "Alrighty, time to close you up." You said, closing his chassis hatch. You grabbed the rag and cleaning solution from the cart and cleaned his hands and arms, then his chest where there were small, greasy hand prints as well. There were no drawings on him, though it wasn't surprising. You'd come to assume by now that he was the naptime half of the Daycare Attendant.

When you were done, you looked up at him. "Good as new, I think!" You said triumphantly. Moon didn't say anything, but his grin widened and he tilted his head. You went to say something as the lights flicked on, and the switch happened. The nightcap spun and slipped into the crevice between the front and back of his rotating faceplate, where rays popped out. The metal shifted back to yellow and Sun grinned as he took control.

"AAAND I'm back!" He exclaimed and you chuckled, pressing the button to free Sun from the restraints. He sat up with a bounce, leaning forward. "Thank you! We feel much better, and it wasn't bad at all!" He said, and you gave him a warm smile. "I'm glad I could help, really. You did great, too." You said, and his rays ticked once to the right. "Thank you, Sunshine!" He responded, hopping out of the chair. You stumbled back a bit, slightly overwhelmed by his height.

The chamber door opened with a hiss, and Afton stood with a satisfied smile. "You did just as well as I thought you would. Congratulations; you're the most capable technician I've ever met."

Your jaw tried to fall slack, but you kept yourself together as you internalized the compliment. "You have no idea how much that means to me." You said, and let out an exhale. Sun grinned next to you, and clasped his hands together. "Sooo.. am I all good? The Daycare could use a little TLC." He asked, and Afton nodded. "Yes, you're free to go. It was good to see you, Sun." Afton replied, and Sun nodded. "You too!" He said before flashing you another grin and skipping off towards his door.

"Last order of business is the S.T.A.F.F. bot, but I've unfortunately been requested in Minnesota by nine in the morning, so I'm going to have to cut this a bit short. The S.T.A.F.F. bots are the easiest; they're nowhere near as complex as the Glamrocks, and you handled them phenomenally. S.T.A.F.F. spare parts are in the same room as the Glamrocks' and Daycare Attendants'." He explained, patting his pockets down as he went through a mental checklist of things that he came with. As if summoned, the broken S.T.A.F.F. bot entered the room through a small door that you hadn't noticed, next to the DJ's door.

"Oh- okay." You replied, looking around the room again. "I do apologize. Again, you'll be notified of any repairs or upgrades via your FazWatch. You can also message me directly from it, but I cannot guarantee that I'll reply in a timely manner, though I'll do my best." He said, then turned to the tool wall. "I cannot believe I forgot- these are keys to access the lifts. There's one on the main stage and one in DJ's arcade. I trust that you've got everything handled, but you can reach out to Vanessa for any help you may need. She's here, though she'll be busy until about 3am. On that night, I've got a plane to catch. Have a lovely night, (y/n)." He explained, and you nodded. "Okay, thank you for everything, Mr. Afton." You said as he left the room, and you exhaled deeply.

You turned, the STAFF bot now next to you. "Heya, little dude. Let's see what's up with you, huh?" You said, and gestured to the cylinder. The bot got the hint, turning and rolling into the chamber. You walked to the spare parts room, finding the STAFF bot parts. You grabbed a voice box, then exited the room and went to the cylinder. The bot was rather short, a bit shorter than you as it looked up at the chair, then to you, back, and then to you again. "Oh, sorry." You walked over, furrowing your brows. It turned towards you, and slightly lifted it's arms.

You awkwardly leaned down, wrapping your arms around the bot. You lifted with you legs, your eyebrows raising as the bot rather easily lifted off of the ground. You leaned forward, setting the bot on the chair as easily as possible. It rotated itself, lying on its back as it looked up at you. "Let's see what's up with ya." You mumbled, grabbing the screwdriver. You didn't see any buttons, but there were screws in places where you'd think buttons would be, so you removed the screws. When you were done, you placed the screws on the tray and popped the panel off.

It was definitely simple; there were less wires than any of the Glamrocks and everything was color coordinated. It didn't take you long to find it's voice box, which you disconnected entirely. You brought it out of the bot's chest, then used the screwdriver to take it apart on the tray. It was a generic voice box, and you clicked your tongue. Like you'd thought, it needed replacing, but you knew that wouldn't fix the personal space issue it had. You grabbed the replacement voice box and installed it, placing the wires in the order that they were in before.

"Can you say your greeting for me?" You asked, and it stopped moving for a second. "Welcome to Freddy Fazbear's Mega Pizzaplex, home of the Glamrocks! Please head to the service desk for admission and party passes." It spoke fluently, but it's body tried to jolt forward. You'd forgotten the restraints, and you quickly shoved the bot back down with a palm to it's chest. "Woah- okay! Something is definitely wrong with you." You said, a bit snappy from adrenaline, and the bot just looked at you.

"Sorry." It said. Your eyes snapped to it's face, and your face softened. "I- no, you're okay. It's not your fault, I just got spooked. It's my fault, really." It's hands had been sitting in the cuffs the entire time, you just forgot to lock them- like an idiot, you berated yourself. Good thing Afton left.

You walked to the button and pushed it, metallic cuffs clicking together. You shook your head and walked back over. "This seems like a behavioral processing issue, if I had to guess." You thought out loud. You opened the airlock door and walked around to the computer, sitting at the desk. "Alright, let's figure this out." You mumbled, waking the computer. There were three options; Repair, Upgrade, and Code. You clicked the 'Code' option, and a 'FazID needed' message popped up.

You furrowed your brows and looked at your FazWatch, then the computer. There was a small, flashing Freddy icon and you touched the face of your watch to it. There was a beep, and the pop-up disappeared. There was another button, with 'Connect to Animatronic' written above it. You glanced over to the STAFF bot, then clicked the button. There was a small metallic arm underneath the chair that shifted to the back of the bot's head, and then attached itself to the base of their neck. Three loading dots appeared, and then gave way to a large thread of code.

name: S.T.A.F.F. [16]

status: [on]

functionality: [83%]-moderate

program: [STAFF HVEMND]>?[FZBRENT]>?[ARLLC]

task: [greet]>location?>[main entrance]>[8a-10p]>performance?>[failure]

system: >/?[classified]<

behavior: [move.forward]>?[error]>[move.left]>?[error]>[move.right]>?[error]>[move.backward]>?[error]>functionality?>[12%]>performance?>[near-failure]

vocal: [greeting]>performance?>[failure]>cause>[corrupt data]>[solution]?>[recode]>[virusblock]

You furrowed your brows and you began rewriting the code. You didn't know what corrupted the data and you couldn't find any traces of a virus, but you installed a blocker after fixing the code. When you finished, you went over it again and made sure there were no mistakes. When you were positive, you pressed the 'Confirm' button, then the one labeled 'Reboot'. The bot powered down, and the mechanical arm moved away from it's neck.

As it rebooted, you reentered the cylinder and closed the door as it powered back on. Once it looked over to you, you nodded. "Welcome back, little dude. Let's hear that greeting."

"Welcome to Freddy Fazbear's Mega Pizzaplex, home of the Glamrocks! Please head to the service desk for admission and party passes." It spoke, and it didn't lunge. "Hell yeah. Alright, lets get you closed and cleaned up." You said, and got to work. When you were finished, you unlocked the cuffs and helped the bot onto the floor. It looked up at you, gave a thumbs up, and then said a small, "Thank you." You nodded at it and smiled, "Anytime, just let me know." The bot nodded slowly and you opened the door, letting it out. It left Parts and Services the way it'd entered, and you cleaned up the inside of the cylinder.

Now that everything on Afton's list had been taken care of, you figured it was about time to familiarize yourself with the building. You rubbed your palms together and exhaled, looking over to the tool wall. Your eyes landed on the brown tool bag and you walked over, pulling it down from its hook. You opened it, shifting through it as you went through the checklist attached to the wall.

You let out a frustrated groan; the vice grips and screw box was missing, but you shook the feeling away. You pulled the extra pair off of the wall, stuffing it into your bag before walking to a different part of the table. You looked at a few boxes of screws before finding the right ones and you put them in the bag, the grabbed one of the few cans of joint lubricant and stuck it in the bag as well. You picked the bag up, humming to yourself as you walked through the doors of Parts and Services.

Let's do this.

⋆⁺₊⋆ 𖤓☽ ⋆⁺₊⋆

aaaaa hi!! i hope you guys liked this, please let me know if you did! reblogs are always hella appreciated<3

taglist; @machopeach, @coolerthemanplz, @missdreamyhead

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dragon-in-a-fez · 5 months ago

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if I might beg your indulgence on a niche rant for a moment, I think it is extremely fucked up that tech companies are still designing and releasing new products that aren't compatible with WPA3, a wifi security spec that was introduced in 20-fucking-18, and that as more and more households have huge numbers of devices for streaming services, gaming, smart home stuff, etc etc, basically anyone who isn't a big nerd like me is going to be actively prevented from adopting an actual modern security standard for years, and it's probably just never going to be become the out-of-the-box default on routers and wifi access points because D-Link or Huawei or whoever will obviously never flip a switch that improves security for end users if it comes at the cost of 75% of people returning their purchases instantly because their fucking Poobstick 8K Pro Plus Max stopped working and they can't be arsed to figure out why.

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tux1i · 1 month ago

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Hiii!!! I wanna say that love your art style and Caprice Cocoa Charm Cookie!! I'm curious, though, how do you think he'd get along with my oc, First Berry Cookie? She is a witch, but she's very gentle and very patient. But I think she'd be a little shy and awkward at first as some cookies fear witches + years of isolation (Sorry if my reference drawing is trash- ;w;).

Nah your good, your reference isn't trash, it's overall lovely! unlike to mines, Caprice reference it's a little complicated with his design xdd. Which I struggled alot and kept missing one of his minor details about him.

Another traveler/visitors came to stop by at his kingdom makes him overall joy (Which he does that fuckass skipping thing🧍‍♂️) while Caprice is giving First Berry Cookie a tour around his kingdom, he came to stop by at the flower stall and bought some flowers to continue touring First Berry Cookie around his kingdom. After that he will give alot of gifts to First Berry Cookie, his just overall happy when there's new cookies around in his cookies that his willing to give then a warm welcome to his kingdom.

"Well, Well, Well! LOooOovely me! A new traveler came to stop by around my lovely kingdom? Well certainly this couldn't get any better! Welcome, Welcome!"

Aight chat I don't know why my picture quality got shit whenever I post here in tumblr, so you can click the picture and it will go to be a good quality 👍 unless my wifi signal got massive skill issue.

○ From what I previously mention that what fuels him is love right? So that's his energy. When he receives wither it's just simple platonic or loved by his beloved (you) he gets giddy and much happy. (Chances of him being hyper.)

○ if any negative feeling like either this toxic love, toxic positive, or something general he doesn't like to hear to see. He'd puke. Again, his a love generation Cookie so anything opposite of that he'd puke.

♡ Caprice Cocoa Charm Cookie. .a love generation Cookie, Yeah expect acts of service from him whenever his around. His a distinguished gentleman. Just goofy sometimes when the love that fuels his energy gets overwhelming to him. When the love tension goes slow like chill way, oh he would show his acts of service and showing off to flex of a partner material he is.

♡ when his alone with you that is, expect him to be all over you. Even you don't even mention anything you needed. He would correctly or coincidence guess, like you want your usual coffee? Well his there to serve you in an instant? Feeling cold? Why of course his there to lend you warmth when needed. Don't feel like In a mood to interact with people around? Don't worry he will be there to speak to those people for you. That's much his willing do anything for you that makes you comfortable in peace. Feeling nervous and overwhelmed having to force to talk infront of your own people for any public announcement or speech? Caprice is there beside you to silently reassure your worries.

♡. .His somewhat good at business management. . .like managing a business, other post I mention that your not yet adjusted to be a ruler of your own kingdom, He will definitely lend you a hand. With his critical thinking skills to successfully run the kingdom smoothly, growing it's reputation and keeping your town folks in a good reputation pace.

#cookie run fanart #cookie run kingdom #cookie run shadow milk #fanart #shadow milk cookie #shadow milk crk #caprice cocoa charm cookie #caprice cocoa charm cookieau #shadow milk cookie x reader #shadow milk cookie x you #shadow milk cookie x y/n #shadow milk x y/n #crk x reader

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cybergracie · 4 months ago

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the white lotus ⋆ ˚｡⋆ chapter one

✧ the art of being invisible ✧

wc: 7.5k

pairing: personal assistant!oc x family reunion attendee!hyunjin

synopsis: Gemma Parker has spent years keeping things under control -- her career, her emotions, her impossible boss. But when a work trip takes her to a luxury resort in Italy, she finds herself slipping into a world of salty air, stolen moments, and lingering glances with a boy who sees right through her carefully built walls. Hyunjin is charming, frustrating, and absolutely not a part of her plan -- but as the trip stretches on and their paths keep crossing, Gemma starts to wonder if she's been chasing the wrong dream all along. Because sometimes, the best stories aren't the ones you plan -- they're the ones you never see coming.

masterlist | dividers by @strangergraphics

There are two kinds of writers in the world.

The ones whose names are printed in bold on the spines of bestsellers, who get flown to Italy for exclusive literary retreats at five-star beach resorts, who sip Aperol Spritzes at golden hour while talking about ‘the craft’ as if they weren’t just regurgitating half-baked ideas in expensive clothing.

And then there are the ones like me. The ones who pick up the scraps, who scramble for a piece of the pie by making the reservations, by handling the tantrums, by sending polite decline emails with just the right amount of fake regret. The ones who run on caffeine and damage control, who sit in the back of luxury cars, juggling schedules and power dynamics like some kind of uncredited assistant to the universe itself.

The ones who are invisible.

It wasn’t supposed to be like this. I was always supposed to be the first kind of writer. The kind people read. The kind whose words mattered.

Instead, I was here. At a flashy beachfront resort in Southern Italy, watching my boss – world-famous novelist and professional narcissist Celeste Laurent – flirt with the valet, even though she had spent the entire flight complaining about how ‘the service industry was dead to her’ after a slight inconvenience involving a missing bottle of imported sparkling water.

Celeste was the kind of woman who made a scene wherever she went. That was the power of being her. She demanded attention, and even worse, she got it.

I, on the other hand, was twenty-six, exhausted, and still trying to convince myself that working for her was a step toward my dream rather than a slow, calculated erasure of it.

“You should be grateful,” my best friend had told me when I landed this job. “Celeste Laurent is a library legend. Think of the connections! The industry knowledge!”

Yeah. The knowledge that no one takes you seriously when you’re the person fetching dry cleaning and fixing wifi connections.

That’s how I ended up here – at one of the most exclusive resort chains in the world, surrounded by ridiculous wealth, ridiculous egos, and ridiculous men who wore linen suits unironically – with no manuscript, no articles, no actual work of my own to show for the last two years of my life.

Celeste’s nasally voice snapped me out of my spiraling thoughts.

“Gemma, stop standing around. We have a suite to get to. And I’m going to need a Negroni before I unpack – why does check-in always take so long? Is it a global conspiracy against successful people?”

I sighed, adjusting the strap of my bag. This was going to be a long trip.

The check-in desk at the Villa Fiorella Resort & Spa was a pristine marble monstrosity, its sleek Italian design almost mocking me for how out of place I felt. The air smelled expensive – some kind of citrus-and-bergamot scent pumped through hidden vents, designed to lull you into thinking life was effortless when, in reality, some underpaid assistant had probably spent three hours this morning ensuring that the ambience of wealth and success remained undisturbed.

“Welcome to Villa Fiorella,” the concierge purred in a silky Italian accent, flashing a smile so polished it belonged in an ad for luxury travel. “Checking in?”

Before I could open my mouth, Celeste swept forward, oversized designer sunglasses still perched on her face despite being indoors. She had perfected the aura of don’t waste my time years ago, and she wielded it now like a weapon.

“Celeste Laurent. Presidential suite.” She didn’t bother with pleasantries. Celeste didn’t ask for things – she expected them to materialize in front of her.

The concierge’s smile faltered. Here we go…

“Ah, yes, Ms. Laurent. However, there was a slight adjustment to the suite allocation –”

I winced preemptively.

Celeste’s head tilted slightly, her lips pursing in the way they did when she sensed incompetence. “An adjustment?” she repeated, the temperature in the lobby seeming to drop.

I was already pulling out my phone, opening my email, bracing for impact.

“There was an unexpected extension of a VIP guest’s stay in the suite you originally booked,” the concierge explained, shifting his weight. “But we have upgraded you to a penthouse villa with a private infinity pool, which I can assure you is –”

“Upgraded?” Celeste scoffed. “I booked the presidential suite six months ago. You expect me to believe it’s no longer available? For who?”

“I’m afraid we can’t disclose –”

“Let me guess. Some man who threw money at you last minute? A footballer? A tech billionaire? Someone who collects yachts instead of books?”

This was Celeste’s favorite game – intellectual elitism mixed with barely disguised disdain for anyone who had more money than her.

The concierge’s composure wavered. “I can assure you, Ms. Laurent, the penthouse villa is actually more spacious and offers –”

“Gemma.”

Oh no.

“Fix this.”

There it was. My cue.

I swallowed my sigh and stepped forward with my best ‘I apologize for my employer’ smile.

“I do understand the… misunderstanding,” I said smoothly, as if Celeste weren’t radiating do you know who I am energy beside me. “We appreciate your help, and I’m sure we can find a solution that works for everyone.”

The concierge visibly relaxed, as most people did when I stepped in. I was the soft buffer between Celeste’s unfiltered chaos and the real world. The translator for her literary-goddess-turned-tyrant persona.

“I will personally make sure everything is to her satisfaction,” I added. “And perhaps… some complimentary drinks while we get settled?”

The concierge jumped at the peace offering, glancing between me and Celeste. “Of course, signorina! The bar is at your disposal.”

Celeste sniffed, clearly still irritated, but accepted the free drinks as a temporary truce.

Crisis averted. For now.

I took a steadying breath, signaling for the bellhop to grab our luggage. Maybe if I got Celeste drunk enough, she’d forget to make me rewrite and send all her email drafts before dinner. I turned back to the check-in desk – only to catch a dark pair of eyes watching me from across the room.

A man. No – a boy, no older than me. Tall, lean, with black hair that fell a little too perfectly over his forehead. He was casually elegant, draped in a linen shirt that looked effortlessly wrinkled in a way only rich people could pull off. He was standing beside a group of other guests – family, from the looks of it. They were talking, laughing, radiating the kind of relaxed ease that people like me never had.

But he wasn’t paying attention to them. He was looking at me.

And I knew this because the moment our eyes met, he smirked. Like he had just witnessed that whole interaction and found it entertaining.

I felt annoyingly warm. My pulse did a weird thing I refused to acknowledge. I quickly looked away, forcing myself to focus on the check-in process, on getting Celeste upstairs before she started a literary revolution in the lobby.

But I could still feel his gaze lingering.

And as I signed off on our room details, I heard his cousin – brother? – loudly say something in broken Italian that I didn’t understand, but I absolutely understood the tone. The universal tone of flirtation. I glanced up, just in time to see the boy roll his eyes before grabbing his leering relative by the collar and physically dragging him away.

“Apologies for him,” he called over his shoulder, giving me one last look, the ghost of a smile playing on his lips.

Then he was gone.

And I absolutely, definitely did not watch him walk away.

The penthouse villa was obnoxiously extravagant – floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the bluest stretch of ocean I’d ever seen, crisp white linens, marble floors that my salary could never even laugh at, and a private infinity pool shimmering under the late afternoon sun.

And yet, I knew before even stepping inside that it wouldn’t be good enough for Celeste.

“Too modern,” she would say. “Too sterile. No character.” As if she weren’t the living embodiment of a New York Times op-ed about modernism’s death.

Still, I did my job. I unpacked her suitcases, lined up her vitamins, laid out her beauty products. I took a lap through the villa, checking every ridiculous detail – pillows fluffed, minibar stocked, god forbid the staff forgot her handwritten welcome note.

Everything was perfect. Which meant Celeste would find something to complain about within the first five minutes.

But that was future me’s problem. Present me had one singular goal: station Celeste at the bar and ensure that she was well on her way to being too drunk to micromanage me.

I made my way back to the lobby bar, where Celeste was already holding court on one of the plush velvet stools, sipping a Negroni and pretending to enjoy the company of men who were, I assumed, ‘important’ in some vague publishing-adjacent way.

I sat my bag down and leaned in. “Everything is ready for you in the villa. The staff is on standby for whatever you need.”

Celeste didn’t even glance at me. “Gemma, darling, don’t hover. Have a drink. Relax.”

That was Celeste’s favorite brand of condescension – telling me to relax while making it physically impossible to do so.

“You’re right. You should enjoy yourself. Call me if you need anything,” I replied smoothly, already backing away. The best way to handle Celeste sometimes was to leave her to her own devices. By my estimation, she’d be three drinks deep in twenty minutes, possibly on the verge of drunkenly calling an ex-husband or just fully passing out on her ultra-king size mattress.

Which meant I had exactly one small window of freedom. And I took my chance.

The resort’s outdoor terrace was quiet, the sun dipping lower, casting gold across the rolling waves. I settled into a lounge chair, pulled out my phone, and started going over the itinerary for the next week. Celeste was notoriously unpredictable, but I had planned this trip down to the minute, balancing appearances, workshops, and just enough leisure to keep her from snapping.

Tomorrow, Celeste would attend the welcome dinner hosted by the resort, a mix of media personalities and publishing execs that she would either love or emotionally eviscerate. That left the majority of the daytime free, which I assumed she would fill with spa treatments or day drinking. Tuesday she would attend a Q&A event at a historic Italian library, Wednesday a boat tour, and Thursday through Sunday would be the literary retreat – the entire reason she was here. An elite event filled with authors, critics, and self-proclaimed visionaries who would spend hours discussing narrative structure while sipping wine that cost more than my rent.

I scrolled through my notes, mentally adjusting for potential crises, making sure I was ten steps ahead of whatever bullshit Celeste would inevitably throw my way. I had built my entire career around managing chaos. I knew how to stay in control.

And yet…

Something pulled my focus. Movement just beyond the terrace – a small group of men passing through the courtyard, speaking in low, easy laughter.

And there he was. Linen shirt. Messy dark hair. That same amused, sharp gaze.

I froze, watching as he strode past with his relatives, all of them radiating the kind of effortless confidence that came with being both rich and stupidly good-looking.

And he was looking at me, again. He hesitated, just for a second, just long enough for me to notice, like he wanted to stop, like he wanted to say something. But before he could, one of his cousins grabbed his arm, pulling him into the conversation, dragging him forward. He glanced back one last time before disappearing around the corner.

I felt my lips quirk. It was the smallest reaction – barely there – but undeniable.

A spark. Of what, I wasn’t sure. Excitement? Curiosity? Something else entirely?

I exhaled, shaking it off, forcing myself back into my itinerary. I had more important things to focus on.

But still… I caught myself tapping my fingers against my phone screen, barely absorbing the words in front of me. Because now, in the back of my mind, there was a boy with dark eyes and a smile that felt like a secret. And I wanted to know what it was.

By the time I made it back to Celeste’s villa, the sun had fully dipped below the horizon, casting the resort in a hazy glow of dimly lit lanterns and distant laughter. I braced myself before stepping inside, mentally preparing for whatever state she’d be in – throwing a tantrum, complaining about the air conditioning, or, worst-case scenario, bored and looking for someone to torment.

But when I walked in, I found her in a rare form of calm. She was curled up on the sprawling white sofa, robe loosely tied around her waist, hair piled on top of her head in a messy bun that almost made her look approachable. A half-empty tumbler of something expensive rested on the glass coffee table beside an open leather notebook, where she had been actually writing.

Celeste barely looked up as I walked in, lazily flipping a page. “Oh, there you are. Thought maybe you finally ran away.”

“I wish,” I muttered, setting my bag down.

She smirked. “If you were going to quit, you would’ve done it ages ago. You love me too much.”

“Love is a strong word.”

“Fine. You tolerate me. But don’t pretend you won’t miss the chaos when you finally leave.”

I scoffed but didn’t argue. Celeste had an annoyingly sharp way of reading people – when she wasn’t busy being insufferable. For a moment, there was just silence. The sounds of the waves outside, the soft flick of a page turning. It was weird. Unsettling, even. Celeste being quiet meant she was either deeply focused or on the brink of passing out.

“You’re actually writing?” I asked, crossing my arms.

“Obviously,” she drawled, taking another slow sip of her drink.

“Wow. A whole paragraph? That’s impressive.”

“Watch it, Parker.” She arched a brow but didn’t seem annoyed – which was always a good sign.

I sighed, toeing off my shoes as I sat on the opposite end of the couch. “So, you’re in a good mood. Should I be concerned?”

Celeste smirked. “I’m relaxed. This place isn’t so bad. The villa has a certain… minimalist charm.”

I nearly laughed. Minimalist charm. This was the closest she’d ever come to admitting she liked something. “And let me guess,” I teased. “This mood has nothing to do with the alcohol?”

“Oh, darling, it has everything to do with the alcohol.”

This time I laughed. I rolled my eyes, but she wasn’t wrong. Celeste could be an absolute nightmare, but when she was tipsy – just the right level of drunk – she softened. The sharp edges dulled. The version of her that had once been young and idealistic and actually excited about writing peeked through.

“I want to go on the tour tomorrow. The one the resort hosts,” she announced suddenly. “Move anything important to later so I can soak up the history of this place. Oh, and get me another bottle of this before you go.”

I nodded, glad I had reviewed her itinerary to know she didn’t have anything planned until tomorrow evening, which left her day wide open to join whatever tour she was referencing. “Anything else, Your Highness?”

“Maybe a breakfast spread.”

“Of course. Only the best for you.”

She clinked her glass against the air in a mock cheers, already shifting back to her notebook.

I stood, stretching. “Try not to die in your sleep or anything.”

“Don’t be so dramatic, Parker. Besides, you’d miss me.”

I rolled my eyes but said nothing, heading for the door. It was one of those rare moments where I remembered why I hadn’t quit yet. Because Celeste, for all her flaws, was still one of the most brilliant minds in publishing. She had clawed her way up, built an empire of words, and somehow, someway, I had ended up in her orbit.

Maybe, if I stuck around long enough, I’d figure out how to do the same.

By the time I had finished settling everything for Celeste – confirming her addition to the tour hosted by the resort, ensuring her breakfast would be delivered right when she woke up, and bribing the concierge with my most charming smile to keep a running tab on her preferences – I was exhausted.

I made my way to my own suite, smaller, tucked away, and far less extravagant, but mercifully quiet. It was one of the few perks of my job – Celeste traveled like royalty, and her staff, though severely underpaid, at least got decent accommodations.

I kicked off my shoes, rolled my stiff shoulders, and exhaled slowly. Then, I did something I hadn’t done in a long time.

I pulled out my laptop, opened a blank document, and stared at it.

The cursor blinked. I tried to write. But nothing came.

My fingers hovered over the keyboard, waiting for the words, for something to hit me, for the feeling I used to get – when stories lived in my head, begging to be let out. But all I could think about was itineraries. Reservations. Celeste’s fucking coffee order.

I had spent so long managing someone else’s life that I had lost my own voice.

After an hour of getting exactly nowhere, I sighed, slamming the laptop shut.

I needed air.

The resort had its fair share of late-night drinkers and wealthy couples meandering about, but the beach itself was nearly deserted. It stretched wide and empty under the glow of the moon, the sand still warm beneath my feet. The waves rolled lazily onto the shore, a soothing hum against the otherwise quiet night.

I walked, letting the weight of the day slip off my shoulders. Celeste. My job. The gnawing frustration of feeling stuck, uninspired, unseen. How had I gotten here? This wasn’t the dream.

The dream had been bylines, published articles, stories that mattered. The dream had been words flowing freely, not gathering dust at the back of my mind while I booked spa appointments for a woman who could barely even send an email.

I sighed, running a hand through my hair. Maybe I was the problem. Maybe I had let myself disappear. I sank onto the sand, pulling my knees to my chest, watching the waves as if they might have answers.

And then – a flicker of red.

A tiny, moving speck of light in the distance.

At first, I thought I was imagining it – some reflection of the moon, a trick of my tired mind. But no, it was real. A little red flashlight, weaving slowly along the shoreline. I frowned, watching it drift closer.

Then, I saw him. The boy from earlier. Linen shirt, knowing smirk, stolen glances. He was alone, moving at a slow, unhurried pace, the red light swaying lazily with each step. And before I could scramble away, he saw me, too.

I froze as he approached me, watching as he hesitated for a moment. Then, in a voice lower, softer than I expected, he asked, “Would you like some company?”

I sized him up, letting the moment stretch between us. Up close, he was even more unfairly pretty than I had initially realized. The kind of good looks that felt unintentional – sharp jawline softened by the dim glow of the moon, dark hair tousled like he’d been running his fingers through it absentmindedly. His linen shirt was unbuttoned just enough to make me suspect he had absolutely no concept of the word effort, of trying too hard. He didn’t need to.

But what caught me off guard wasn’t any of that. It was the way he looked at me – like he was curious. Like he wasn’t just offering polite conversation to be nice. Like he actually wanted to be here.

I considered saying no. I didn’t do vacation flings. I didn’t do getting to know beautiful strangers on the beach in the middle of the night.

But then I thought about how exhausted I was with being practical. About how I had spent the last two years watching Celeste live her life while mine shrank into a series of itineraries and coffee runs.

And then I thought – fuck it.

“Sure,” I said, patting the sand beside me.

His eyes lit up, and I watched as the corner of his mouth quirked, amused, like he knew I had just fought some internal battle before making my decision. Smug. I should’ve been annoyed, but instead, I found myself biting back a smile.

He lowered himself onto the sand, stretching his legs out in front of him, leaning back onto his palms like he belonged anywhere he sat. “So,” he said, tilting his head toward me. “Do I get a name?”

“That depends,” I said, glancing at him from the corner of my eye. “Do I?”

His grin widened. “Hyunjin.”

Hyunjin. That name suited him. I let it settle in my mind before offering mine. “Gemma.”

“Gemma,” he repeated, slow and thoughtful, as if testing how it felt on his tongue. Something about the way he said it made my stomach do a weird, annoying flip.

I cleared my throat, gesturing to the flashlight in his hand. “And what’s with the red light, exactly? You planning some kind of secret heist?”

Hyunjin chuckled, holding it up between us. “Nothing that exciting. I heard red light is best to use during turtle hatching season. It doesn’t confuse them like regular flashlights.”

I blinked, caught off guard again. “Wait. You’re telling me you’re out here… searching for baby turtles?”

“Obviously,” he said, like it was the most natural thing in the world.

I studied him for a long moment. The soft glow of the red light cast shadows across his face, highlighting the sharp curve of his cheekbones, the line of his jaw. I could make out a tiny mole right beneath his eye. “Huh,” I murmured.

“Huh?” he echoed, arching a brow.

“I just wouldn’t have guessed ‘turtle enthusiast’ when I first saw you.”

He smirked. “And what would you have guessed?”

“I don’t know,” I mused, pretending to think. “Maybe ‘trust fund kid who collects expensive sneakers and doesn’t know how to do laundry.’”

Hyunjin barked out a laugh, throwing his head back. “You wound me, Gemma,” he said dramatically, hand over his chest.

“I’m just saying, you’ve got a bit of a look.”

“A look?”

“Yeah. This whole ‘I-woke-up-like-this-and-have-never-worked-a-day-in-my-life’ aesthetic.”

Hyunjin snorted. “Maybe I just have good genetics.”

“Right,” I muttered, shaking my head.

He grinned, studying me in return, as if he was also trying to figure me out. “And you?” he asked, his voice softer now. “What’s your ‘look?’”

I shrugged. “‘Overworked personal assistant in a constant state of existential crisis.’”

He chuckled. “Sounds exhausting.”

“You have no idea.”

For a while, we just sat there, the ocean stretching endlessly before us, waves rolling in and out, the space between us shrinking without either of us moving.

I should’ve been back in my room. I should’ve been asleep, resting up for another day of playing Celeste’s shadow. But instead, I was on a beach with a boy I didn’t know, watching his red flashlight flicker across the sand. He had this way of looking at me – not quite intense, not quite teasing, but something in between. Something that made me feel like he saw more than I wanted him to.

“So,” I said, tilting my head at him, trying to get my bearings. “What’s a turtle enthusiast like yourself doing here in Italy?”

“Family reunion,” he answered easily, dragging his fingers through the sand. “My grandfather’s Italian. My grandmother’s Korean. They met in Milan, moved to Seoul, had my dad, et cetera et cetera, and now here we are – visiting my dad’s roots.”

I blinked, surprised. “So you’re like, a quarter Italian?”

“That would be the math, yeah.”

“Huh.” I took a good look at him. The sharp cheekbones, the full lips, the dark features – it all made sense now. “That explains a lot.”

He smirked. “Like what?”

“Like why you look like a Renaissance painting but also like you could headline a K-pop group.”

Hyunjin laughed, loud and unrestrained, and I had the distinct, annoying thought that I might get addicted to the sound.

“Well,” he mused, watching me now with interest, “that would be fitting, considering I’m an artist.”

That made me pause. Artist?

“Oh?” I asked, trying to sound casual. “Like… you paint?”

“Sometimes. But mostly dance.”

Of course he dances. Of course he does.

“Seriously?” I tried to picture it, but the image was way too appealing, so I immediately shut it down. “Like, ballet? Ballroom? Hip-hop?”

“A little bit of everything,” he admitted, running his fingers through his hair, making it even messier than before. “I’m still figuring it out.”

I scoffed before I could stop myself.

“What?” He turned toward me, amused.

“Nothing,” I said, a little too fast.

His eyes narrowed slightly, reading me too easily. “No, tell me.”

I exhaled, giving him a pointed look. “It must be nice.”

“What must be nice?”

“Having the luxury of ‘figuring it out.’”

His expression shifted – just a flicker, a small twitch of his lips, before he smirked like he knew exactly where my mind had gone. “Ah,” he said, nodding slowly. “So that’s what this is about.”

I stiffened. “What what is about?”

“You think I’m some cushy rich kid who gets to float through life with no consequences.”

I opened my mouth to deny it, but… well.

I wasn’t not thinking that.

“Am I wrong?” he teased, tilting his head.

“I just…” I exhaled, fighting the irritation creeping up my spine. “It’s hard not to be jealous of someone who gets to pursue their passions without worrying about, you know… survival.”

Hyunjin hummed, considering this. “So, what’s your passion, then?”

“Writing,” I admitted before I could overthink it. “I want to be a journalist.”

“And instead, you work for…?”

“Celeste Laurent.”

His eyebrows lifted. “The Celeste Laurent?”

“The one and only.”

“Damn.” He let out a low whistle. “That’s intense. No wonder you look like you need a vacation.”

I huffed a laugh. “I wish this was a vacation.”

“I take it your boss is a nightmare?”

“On a scale of one to Satan? She’s at least a solid eight and a half.”

Hyunjin chuckled, but there was something thoughtful in his gaze now.

“And you think if you grind hard enough, you’ll get your shot?” he asked.

“That’s the plan,” I said, even though it didn’t sound as convincing out loud as it used to in my head.

There was a beat of silence. His gaze flickered over to my face, lingering a little longer than necessary. “You should let yourself breathe a little, you know.”

“And do what? Walk the beach with a stranger at midnight?”

“Exactly.” His smirk was entirely too self-satisfied, and before I could think better of it, I reached over and snatched the red flashlight out of his hand.

“Hey!” he protested, laughing.

“If you’re going to lecture me, the least you can do is let me use the fun toy,” I said, clicking it on and waving the little red beam across the sand.

“Fun toy?” he repeated, offended. “This is top-tier turtle conservation technology!”

“Oh, of course. My mistake. I’m honored to be in the presence of such an elite environmentalist.”

“Damn right,” he muttered, but he was grinning.

His gaze softened then, something fonder, heavier behind it. “You know,” he said, voice a little lower now. “You’re kind of cute when you’re not scowling at me.”

I stiffened, pulse skipping for just a second. “I do not scowl,” I shot back, choosing to focus on that instead of the heat creeping up my neck.

“Mmm.” He tipped his head to the side, considering. “I don’t know, Gemma. I’ve seen a lot of scowling.”

“Well, maybe that says more about you than me.”

“Maybe,” he said easily. “Or maybe I just like seeing you try to hide that you’re enjoying this.”

I turned toward him fully, meeting his gaze head-on. Big mistake.

Because up close, with the moonlight in his eyes and the lazy tilt of his smirk, he was unbelievably handsome.

And he knew it.

I huffed, handing back his flashlight before I did something stupid, like let myself actually flirt back. “Go find your turtles, Romeo,” I muttered, shaking my head.

He just grinned, clicking the flashlight on and off and waving it over the sand. “If I find one, you’re naming it.”

Hyunjin suddenly stood up, brushing sand off his pants, then turned to me and offered his hand. “Come on,” he said, palm open, fingers waiting. “Walk with me.”

I raised a skeptical brow. “Why?”

“Because,” he smirked, tilting his head toward the shore, “I know where the turtle nests are. If we’re lucky, we might see some hatching.”

I glanced at the flashlight now clutched in his other hand, the red glow softly illuminating the sand. “You’re really committed to this, huh?”

“Someone’s gotta care about the great turtle births of the Italian coast,” he quipped. “Maybe you can write an article about it. ‘An Exclusive Look at Nature’s Most Underrated Spectacle.’”

I rolled my eyes but couldn’t help the way my lips twitched upward. “That’s a terrible headline.”

“You’re right. Should probably workshop it.” His grin widened. “Walk with me anyway.”

I hesitated, looking at his outstretched hand.

It would be easy for me to say no. To tell him I was tired, that I had to work tomorrow. That I didn’t have time to go gallivanting through the sand at midnight with a boy who smiled like he was used to getting exactly what he wanted.

But then I thought about the blank page of my laptop, the way my chest had felt too tight all day, how much I needed something – anything – to remind me why I even wanted to write in the first place.

And maybe – just maybe – this was it.

I exhaled, placing my hand in his.

His fingers curled around mine, warm, steady.

“Fine,” I muttered. “But if I trip in the dark and die, I’m haunting you forever.”

“I’d expect nothing less,” he said, smirking as he pulled me up.

We strolled along the beach, the quiet hum of waves filling the spaces between us. Hyunjin kept the red flashlight low, sweeping it gently over the sand, scanning for signs of movement. “So,” he said, glancing at me. “Where’s home for you?”

I hesitated, tucking my hands into the sleeves of my cardigan. “New York. Born and raised.”

“That tracks.”

“What do you mean?” I asked, side-eyeing him.

“Just that you’ve got that whole no-nonsense city girl thing going for you.”

“And you’ve got the rich boy on vacation trying to ‘find himself’ thing.”

He let out a sharp laugh, head tipping back. “Okay, fair. But for the record, I didn’t come here to find myself. I came because my family basically forced me.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.” He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “You know how it is – big family, overbearing relatives, everyone wanting you to be something you’re not.”

I huffed. “Oh, I wouldn’t know anything about that.”

He cast me a knowing look. “Right. Your whole life is obviously completely put together.”

“Exactly,” I deadpanned.

Hyunjin chuckled, then kicked at the sand, thoughtful. “I don’t know,” he admitted. “I guess I always thought being an artist would be enough for me, but my family… they don’t really get it.”

“You mean they don’t think art is a real job?”

“Bingo.”

I frowned. Somehow, I had expected his family to be fully supportive – cushy rich kid, endless opportunities. But now, I wasn’t so sure. “I think that’s a universal experience,” I muttered, watching the waves. “Parents being… disappointed in your career choices.”

“Yeah?” he nudged me lightly. “What did yours want you to be?”

“Something stable.” I shrugged. “Doctor, lawyer, something that actually makes money.”

“But you chose journalism.”

“I chose writing,” I corrected. “I just figured journalism was the most practical way to do it.”

He hummed in response, like he understood exactly what I meant. And somehow, that made me feel lighter.

“So what kind of stuff do you want to write?” he asked.

I hesitated. When was the last time someone had actually asked me that?

“I used to want to do investigative pieces,” I admitted. “The kind that actually matter. Exposing corruption, bringing stories to light, making a difference.”

Hyunjin tilted his head. Something about his gaze made me feel… seen. “And now?” he asked, voice softer.

I sighed. “Now I write very professional emails all day and manage the emotional instability of a literary icon.”

“Well, that sounds thrilling.”

“Oh, it’s a dream come true.”

His grin returned, teasing, but his eyes stayed thoughtful. “You should write something,” he said, flipping a shell in the sand with his foot. “Not for work. Just for you.”

“Easier said than done.”

“Maybe,” he said, glancing at me again, “but you don’t seem like someone who gives up that easily.”

The words hit deeper than I wanted them to. I swallowed. Looked away. “Well,” I said, clearing my throat, deflecting, “if I’m ever desperate, at least I know I can write about turtle conservation.”

He chuckled. “Hey, don’t knock it. These guys deserve their time in the spotlight.”

“Right. What would the world do without ‘the great turtle births of the Italian coast?’”

“That’s what I’m saying!”

I laughed, genuinely, fully, for the first time in what felt like forever.

“Wait –” Hyunjin froze, grabbing my arm gently, stopping me in my tracks. I stilled, heart skipping, but not because of him this time. Because just ahead of us, in the sand, something small was moving.

He crouched down, flicking the red flashlight toward it, his smile slow and spreading. “Looks like you might actually get to name one.”

The movement stopped for a second, then scuttled forward again – but instead of tiny turtle flippers, a pair of long, spindly legs stretched toward the moonlight. A crab.

Hyunjin let out a dramatic sigh, running a hand through his hair. “False alarm.”

“What, are you disappointed?” I teased, nudging his side lightly.

“I mean, a baby turtle hatching would’ve been a moment, you know?” he said, folding his arms. “This guy’s just… vibing.”

I ignored him, already crouching down, watching as the tiny crab hustled sideways across the sand with impressive determination. “I like him,” I said, smiling despite myself. “He’s got places to be.”

Hyunjin chuckled. “Should we name him, then?”

I thought for a second. “Hmm… he kinda looks like a Bernard.”

“Bernard?”

“Yeah, like… sophisticated. Business crab. Family man.”

Hyunjin grinned. “So you think he’s got a whole life out there?”

“Absolutely.” I nodded. “Wife, kids, a nine-to-five in the seaweed industry. This guy is booked and busy.”

“Damn.” He let out a low whistle. “Respect to Bernard.”

We watched as Bernard scurried toward the waves, disappearing into the foam like a tiny little soldier returning home.

For some reason, it made something in my chest ache.

I cleared my throat and stood, brushing the sand from my hands. When I turned, Hyunjin was already looking at me. Not just looking – watching. The kind of quiet admiration that made my stomach do something stupid. “What?” I asked, raising a brow.

He shook his head, a lazy smile spreading across his face. “Nothing. Just didn’t take you for a crab enthusiast.”

“I contain multitudes.”

“Clearly.”

We stood there for a beat too long – both of us still, the space between us small enough that I could feel the warmth radiating from his skin. He was close enough that I could see the moonlight reflecting in the slight sheen of humidity on his collarbone, the way the night breeze shifted his hair just slightly. Close enough that my gaze drifted to his lips, unbidden, unintentional.

I wondered – for less than a second – what it might be like to kiss him. If he’d be slow about it, teasing, letting it build just to see if I’d get impatient. If he’d take his time, deliberate and confident, the same way he moved, like he already knew the outcome.

The thought startled me, caught me off guard for the third time that night.

And yet… I didn’t step back.

Instead, Hyunjin did something worse – he stepped closer.

Not enough to touch, but enough that the air between us felt heavier, charged with something unspoken.

“I was gonna ask if you wanted to come back for a drink or something,” he murmured, voice smooth, easy, almost teasing. “But now I’m worried that Bernard set the bar too high.”

I barely had time to smirk before my phone rang.

Loud. Abrasive. Reality slamming between us like a wall.

I jolted, startled by the sound, by how instantly the moment shattered.

Hyunjin leaned back just slightly, exhaling through his nose, shaking his head with a half-smile like he should’ve expected it.

I barely glanced at the screen before muttering, “It’s Celeste. I have to go.”

Hyunjin watched me for a second, something unreadable flickering across his face. Then, with a slow nod, he stepped back. “Duty calls,” he said lightly, but the warmth from before had dimmed just slightly.

I hesitated, phone still buzzing in my hand. Some part of me wanted to stay.

But instead, I forced a smile, turned on my heel, and started walking back towards the resort – leaving behind the ocean, the moonlight, and the boy with the red flashlight who had almost convinced me to forget everything else.

I power-walked back to my room, cheeks still burning from Hyunjin and his stupid, stupid smirk. The way he looked at me. The way he stepped closer, like he was about to say something that would’ve unraveled me completely. The way I had actually wondered, even for just a second, what kissing him would be like.

I exhaled sharply, shoving the thought away as I slipped into my suite, pressing my cool fingers to my too-warm face. “Get it together, Parker,” I muttered under my breath.

I crossed the room in three strides, heading straight for the mini bar. I yanked it open, wincing at the overpriced selection before grabbing the first tiny bottle of vodka I could find.

One sip. Two. I winced again, swallowing hard. Great. Now my face was burning for an entirely different reason.

I collapsed on the edge of the bed, phone still clutched in my hand. I wasn’t sure why I lied to Hyunjin, why I said Celeste was calling when in fact, it was my mother. The missed call sat on my screen, glaring up at me.

With a sigh, I redialed. It barely rang once before she picked up.

“Gemmy!” my mom’s voice greeted me, warm and familiar, like home. “I was just about to light a candle for you!”

I smiled, shaking my head. “Hi, Mom. You don’t have to light a candle every time I go on a trip, you know.”

“Excuse me,” she said, feigning offense. “Cleansing your energy is very important, missy. You’re surrounded by wealthy people and entitled egos – you don’t want that energy leeching onto you.”

“Too late for that,” I muttered, rubbing my temple.

“How’s Italy?” she asked, genuinely excited. “Did you see anything amazing yet? How’s Celeste? Any existential breakdowns yet?”

I huffed a small laugh. “So far, she’s only at one minor tantrum and two unnecessarily dramatic monologues, so we’re pacing ourselves.”

“That’s actually impressive restraint for her.”

“Right? I think the Negronis are helping.”

Mom laughed, and for a moment, I felt the tension in my shoulders ease.

“Tell me everything,” she said. “What’s the resort like?”

I leaned back against the pillows, closing my eyes. “It’s… surreal. It’s exactly the kind of place people like Celeste thrive in – stupidly luxurious, way too polished, the kind of resort where they manufacture the atmosphere to make you feel like your life is perfect.”

“And is it working?”

I hesitated. Because honestly? I hadn’t let myself enjoy it. Not really.

But then I thought about Hyunjin and the way the moon reflected in his eyes, the sound of his laugh against the ocean, the way he looked at me like he was actually interested in what I had to say.

And okay, maybe for a second, I had let myself enjoy it.

“It’s… nice,” I admitted, “in a fantasy sort of way.”

“Mmm, I hear something in your voice.”

Her sing-song tone made me roll my eyes. “Here we go.”

“Gemmy,” Mom said knowingly, “are you getting into trouble?”

“Not yet,” I said, but I didn’t sound convincing.

“You met someone.”

I groaned. “How do you know that?”

“I’m your mother, that’s how. And also, my tarot reading this morning said something about unexpected romantic entanglements, so spill.”

I sighed, knowing she wouldn’t let it go. “It’s not a thing, okay? I met a guy. He’s… interesting.”

“Interesting how?”

“Korean-Italian. Stupidly good-looking. Too charming for his own good.”

“Oooooh, Gemma!”

“Don’t ‘ooooh, Gemma’ me.”

“Sweetheart, I have never heard you call a man ‘stupidly good-looking’ before. This is a milestone.”

“Oh my god.” I pressed a palm to my forehead. “I shouldn’t have said anything.”

“Too late!” She sing-songed again. “So, what’s his deal?”

“Aspiring artist. Dancer. Rich family. They’re here for some big reunion, reconnecting with their Italian roots or whatever.”

“A rich artist? Oh, honey, that’s a dangerous combination.”

“Tell me about it,” I muttered.

“But?”

I hesitated again.

Because despite every single reason I should keep my distance, I really liked talking to him.

More than that – I related to him. Sure, he had the luxury of financial freedom, but he still had pressure. Expectations. The fear of not being good enough. And that wasn’t something I could talk to a lot of people about.

“But…” I exhaled. “I don’t know. It’s nothing. Just a conversation on the beach.”

“Mmm. Still, I wouldn’t ignore it.”

“You think this is fate or something?”

“I think this trip is going to be big for you,” Mom said, suddenly serious. “I feel it.”

“You always say that.”

“And I’m never wrong.”

I sighed, but I couldn’t help but smile. Because as much as my mom drove me crazy sometimes, she was always reliably my mom.

She had been through so much – losing Dad when I was thirteen, struggling through her own mental health crisis after that, working jobs she hated just to make sure I never went without.

And now, she was stronger, softer in a way she never used to be. She had her spirituality, her tarot cards, her sage-burning rituals, and full-moon intentions.

And she had me.

“Well,” I said, pulling the blankets up around me, “we’ll see what happens.”

“Just don’t get too distracted,” Mom warned, but not unkindly. “Celeste still needs your attention.”

“Trust me, that’s never in danger.”

“Good. Now get some rest. You have a big week ahead of you.”

I nodded, letting my eyes droop. “Love you, Mom.”

“Love you more, sweet girl.”

I hung up, exhaling slowly, my mind still racing. Maybe Mom was right. Maybe something was coming.

I just didn’t know if I was ready for it.

I stared at the ceiling, begging my mind to quiet down. Because no matter how much I tried to push it away, I kept thinking about him. Hyunjin. His smirk, his smile, the way he watched me like I was something worth paying attention to. The way he had stepped closer, the space between us narrowing like something inevitable.

And, of course, his damn red flashlight.

I sighed, tossing my phone onto the bed, then stood and shuffled toward the bathroom, rubbing my face to cool the warmth still lingering on my cheeks. A quick, half-hearted skincare routine. A long sip of water. Then I brushed my teeth and slipped into the softest, most unremarkable sleep shirt I owned. By the time I climbed into bed, I did what any rational person would do.

I grabbed my phone and googled: ‘Sea turtles in the Mediterranean.’

Great. Now I was committed to this, too.

I tapped the first article that popped up. Something about nesting habits, hatching seasons, conservation efforts.

‘Sea turtles have an extraordinary ability to return to the beaches where they were born, guided by the Earth’s magnetic field – a phenomenon known as natal homing.’

I frowned, rereading that line. Returning to where they were born. Following some invisible pull in the sand, like they already knew where they were meant to go.

Lucky them.

My eyes flicked to the red light of my charging cable, and for some reason, I imagined it flickering across the beach. Imagined Hyunjin, walking alone in the dark, scanning the sand, completely content in his own little world.

I sighed. Ridiculous.

And yet, as I curled into my pillow, letting the words on my screen blur, I couldn’t shake the feeling that maybe I’d met him for a reason. Maybe Mom was right, maybe something was coming.

But that was tomorrow’s problem.

Tonight, I let my phone slip from my fingers, my eyelids heavy, the glow of the screen fading as sleep pulled me under.

#cybergracie writes #hwang hyunjin #hyunjin #hyunjin x oc #hyunjin fanfic #skz #stray kids #skz fanfic #stray kids fanfic #the white lotus #IM SO NERVOUS ABOUT THIS OMG

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paxtonvaldovinos · 1 year ago

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fabseg-creator · 1 year ago

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Miraculous rewriting: Chloenette AU (Season 1)

I publish some new Chloenette images.

It's the sequel of my previous post

Season 2 rewrite

Season 3 rewrite

Time for the rewriting !

The Story and its changes:

Season 1:

Origins/Stoneheart:

Hawkmoth begins his villainous actions.

Marinette rescues Master Fu. At the Françoise Dupont school, she seats with Alya and eventually befriends with her.

Akumatized Ivan (Stoneheart) tracks down down Kim for revenge.

Marinette and Adrien meet their kwamis (Tikki and Plagg). They become Ladybug and Cat Noir.

After the first battle, Marinette thinks about to secretly give the Ladybug earrings to someone but hesitates between Alya, Sabrina and Chloé.

When Marinette and Adrien meet first time, there isn't any chewing-gum incident. Instead of, Chloé just roasts Marinette and Alya (in Chloé's mind, she imagined Marinette and Alya as a potential date: Ridiculous !). Adrien is uncomfortable about the blondie's behavior.

Adrien befriends with Nino who learns him to be friends with real honest people.

Stoneheart comes back. He kidnaps Mylène and Chloé. The latter openly mocks the Myvan (Mylène + Ivan) ship as she already laughed of Ivan being a "monster".

Stoneheart throws out Chloé from the Eiffel Tower. Meanwhile, Marinette, who becomes Ladybug again, saves Chloé in extremis.

Hawkmoth publicly introduces himself to Parisians and claims the Ladybug's and Cat Noir's miraculouses.

The two heroes deakumatize Ivan. They save Ivan and Mylène of their fall.

Adrien/Cat Noir develops a love crush on Ladybug.

After the Stoneheart's second incident, Marinette and Alya steal Chloé's and Sabrina's seats in class. In this AU, Marinette stands up against Chloé and convinces the latter to sit at the desk of the first rank (the Chloé's and Sabrina's initial seats). Chloé accepts these terms, she can see Adrien/Adrikins at her left.

The umbrella scene happens, Adrien tells to Marinette his life before his first day at Françoise Dupont school. Effectively, Marinette begins to have feelings on Adrien. She falls in love with him (same situation in canon but without the Derision trauma but she's just: Shy !).

In same time, Chloé expresses thanks to Ladybug on social media. Due to events, she develops a crush on Ladybug and tries to forget Marinette. Meanwhile, the blondie is still confused between the bakery girl and Adrikins.

The Bubbler:

Marinette tries to offer her blue scarf to Adrien for his birthday (same way as in canon).

When Chloé comes to wish happy birthday to Adrien, she doesn't hustle Marinette.

Nino is akumatized into The Bubbler, sends all adults to the sky (except Gabriel Hawkmoth) and forces all the teenage people from Paris to celebrate Adrien's birthday in a form of a "party".

In this AU, Chloé offers to Marinette a dance but the latter politely declines because she must go to put the post-it on the gift. Chloé later dances with Adrien anyway.

Ladybug properly interupts the Bubbler's party (no jealousy crisis like there was in canon).

Ladybug and Cat Noir save the day by deakumatizing Nino.

The next day, Adrien wears the scarf and he believes it's his father who offered it to him. That surprises Marinette when he tells thar to her, Alya ans Nino but she chooses to not reveal herself about the scarf.

Alya comforts Mari. Mari comforts Chloé (the latter was angry about having her gift get delayed).

Mr Pigeon:

The Design contest happens. The major difference is Chloé doesn't try to copy Marinette's designs. Instead of that, she makes Sabrina to create the bowler hat for service.

Sabrina's Chloé's hat could have yellow/golden colours.

But Marinette eventually wins the contest with her feather-themed hat. She is even praised by Gabriel Agreste and Adrien.

The battle against Mr Pigeon happens. No modification of the canon.

Lady Wifi:

Alya discovers Chloé has got a yo-yo in her bag. She believes she is Ladybug.

With the help of Nino, she tries to inspect Chloé's locker. She is eventually busted.

Chloé fires Alya causes the expellment of Alya out of the school by blackmailing Mr Damocles.

In this AU, Chloé rids off a rival ridiculous but 'nuisible' girl while Sabrina feels guilty about Alya's expellment (she recognizes in discretion Chloé's Mr Damocles decision is too excessive).

Lady Wifi events are happening like in canon. But Ladybug finds out Chloé is responsible of the Alya's expellment and takes more seriously the bad action the blondie had committed.

After the battle, Ladybug "reconciles" Chloé and Alya. The Ladyblog reporter eventually reintegres Françoise Dupont school.

Alya excludes Chloé of her list of people suspected to be Ladybug, recognizing her error.

At the end, there is a line of Alya to Marinette:

Ladybug is too kind. She could never bully or expell schoolmates like Chloé does it.

That makes Marinette blushing and having fun.

Pixelator:

Same story than the canon.

Jagged Stone comes to the Grand Hôtel with his assistant Penny and his crocodile Fang.

Vincent Aza, a fan, stalks Jagged for selfies. The fan is eventually expelled out of the Hôtel.

In this AU, when Marinette quits the Hotel for going at home to make glasses Jagged recquires, Chloé just says to the bluenette with a sarcastical tone:

Good Luck, Dupain-Cheng ! 😘

Pixelator commits his photo-carnage (he sends his targets/victims in his white boards from his house) at the Grand Hôtel and at the Arc-De-Triomphe (still identical story to the canon).

Ladybug rescues Jagged. She confronts Pixelator. Adrien and Chloé are photo-carnaged and later freed.

With the help of Cat Noir, Jagged (and the unawaited help of Chloé), Ladybug manages to neutralize Pixelator and deakumatize him.

Jagged receives his Eiffel Tower-themed glasses from Marinette. He later invites the entire Miraclass to his concert (Chloé included).

Marinette, Adrien, Alya, Nino, and Chloé (+ Sabrina) come to the Jagged Stone concert as VIPs.

Chloé goes to the concert only because Marinette and Adrien are here (she still prefers XY Roth to Jagged).

Darkblade:

Class representative election happens.

Marinette runs for class representative as candidate.

In this AU, Chloé talks with Marinette and requests to her explanations about her surprising candidacy (it was Chloé who was the class representative of her class in previous grades in every year).

Marinette already knows Chloé is blackmailing her classmates to prevent them to run to the election. But this time, she maintains her candidacy (due to Ladybug's influence(herself lol !) and Tikki's advices).

Chloé eventually sends Sabrina to discover Marinette's "dark" secrets at the Dupain-Cheng bakery. Resigned, Sabrina executes her "bestie"'s order (she is aware she is going to steal her 'formerly' friend).

Chloé organisates a Jagged Stone's autograph seance at thé Mairie of Paris and invites all her classmates for buy their votes.

Sabrina joins Chloé with the secret diary but her hand is consequently trapped in the box. Because of that, she expresses to the blondie she regrets her act.

In this AU, Chloé's blackmailing towards Marinette takes the form of a 'negociation': To improve Marinette's image at the school by letting Chloé win the election in exchange of get the stolen diary back.

The battle against Darkblade/Armand D'Argencourt happens. Ladybug and Cat Noir save the day again.

After the battle, the Chloé's blackmailing attempt is exposed. There is Marinette's speech about voting for better ideas.

Chloé openly retires her candidacy with humility.

Marinette becomes the class president. Alya is her deputy.

Chloé will pretend to people she had let Marinette win for save her own reputation (because she wants to preserve her friendship with Adrien too).

Dark Cupid:

Marinette (helped by Alya) tries to confess her love to Adrien. She finds the Adrien's unfinished love letter (same way as in canon).

Chloé, in her moment, tricks Adrien with a "just cause" thing for make him to sign an autograph on the poster.

So she can laugh at the girls from the Adrien fan-club.

In this AU, Kim tries to confess her admiration toward Chloé (the common point they have is the taste for pranks). That doesn't mean he doesn't try to date her. He is already in couple with Ondine.

Chloé, of course, declines the Kim's "love confession" (even if she does it less cruelly) . That causes the latter's akumatization.

The battle with Dark Cupid is happening (identically to the canon).

The Ladybug-Cat Noir Kiss scene happens too. The Adrien poster vandalism too.

Chloé borrows some money to his dad for donate to charity associations.

His dad is the mayor and at the same time he has a fiscal bank account for his family (he can spoil his wife and his daughter in money and luxurious gifts for satisfy their whims 💰💵💸).

She makes her donations very fast for hide the incident of the vandalized poster (Sabrina causes it under the Dark Cupid influence).

Kim offers his Valentine-themed gift to Ondine.

In parallel, Marinette/Ladybug discretly sends the love letter back to Adrien. The latter recognizes his letter and sees out someone has already answered to his confession. That makes him blush ans he thinks Ladybug could be the answerer.

In parallel again, Chloé think about offer a Valentine-themed gift for Ladybug but nobody knows the latter's real identity.

So the blondie furtively puts her gift in the locker of the first person she thought about: Marinette.

Marinette blushes when she discovers it. Meanwhile, the gift hasn't any name: It's anonymous.

She just guesses Chloé can be the giver. The gift contains a poem with a line: When I see you, I feel utterly ridiculous while you're miraculous. 💗

Horrificator:

Same story than the canon. The Miraclass make a short horror film.

There are minor changes for this AU.

Chloé afraids Mylène (that causing the latter's akumatization into Horrificator).

Chloé answers to everyone it was just a joke: she doesn't realizes the scale of her prank. That angers Ivan. Marinette and Adrien object her. Even Kim feels disappointed about the blondie's joke: Not cool !

When Marinette sends Chloé to search an nursery uniform for the movie, the latter leaves the classroom with Sabrina, Kim and Max.

In this AU, Chloé makes more time to realize Marinette has sent her far from the movie shoot.

Horrificator kidnaps Chloé, Kim and Max. Only Sabrina manages to escape.

The Marinette-Adrien kiss moment is interupted by Sabrina who warns the entire class about Horrificator.

Globally, the battle between Ladybug, Cat Noir, the Miraclass and Horrificator happens in a similar way to the canon. The method used to defeat and deakumatize Horrificator is the same method as in canon: a mini-concert.

After the battle, the movie is presented to the mayor (Chloé's Daddy): of course, it was rejected.

Chloé expresses a bit of apologies to Mylène and Ivan in présence of Marinette ans Adrien. She does it by fearing any possible comeback of Horrificator or Stoneheart.

Evillustrator:

Chloé laughs at Nathaniel about his love crush on Marinette in presence of the entire class. The blondie even briefly plays with his sketchbook.

In this AU, the blondie roasts the artist. Her line to Nathaniel:

You're too ridiculous. Too utterly ridiculous for having Dupain-Cheng as your lover.

Marinette is embarrassed by hearing Chloé speak like that. So the bakery girl feels compassion for Nathaniel.

The latter boy is akumatized into Evillustrator and he seeks revenge against Chloé in reason of the humiliation she has done to him.

Mrs Mendeleiev composes the groups of students of the class.

The known groups of three are: Adrien, Nino and Alya and Marinette, Chloé and Sabrina.

In this AU, Marinette and Chloé are used to be friends (or to be "friends"). So the bakery girl reluctantly accepts to work with the blondie. But she is less impacted than she is in the canon.

Knowing Sabrina, Marinette eventually teams up with her for the physics report. The two schoolmates work together early before Chloé joins them at the library.

Sabrina berates Chloé like she berates her in canon: I'm not your slave, Chloé !

Evillustrator suddenly comes to pertubate their time by summoning a giant hairdryer scarying Chloé.

The events with Evillustrator happen.

Ladybug and Cat Noir ask questions to Chloé about Evillustrator like in canon.

Marinette later sees Evillustrator coming at her home. She recognizes him as Nathaniel. The artist invites her to his private birthday. She accepts his invitation with the request of not harming Chloé.

Sabrina doesn't come to Marinette's home because the two girls were already well advanced in the schoolwork.

In this AU, Sabrina calls her just for express her worries toward her after the Evillustrator assault. So she doesn't berate Marinette (No comparison with Chloé).

The Evillustrator date happens. Cat Noir and Marinette ambush the akumatized supervillain but it fails.

Later, Ladybug and Cat Noir finally manage to defeat/deakumatize him in the Chloé's bedroom.

Aftermath: When Alya interviewes Chloé for the Ladyblog, the latter expresses her thanks to Ladybug for protecting her during the late night (instead of blaming the two heroes of trashing her bedroom as in canon).

Marinette and Adrien discuss together about Cat Noir (in the same way as in canon).

Chloé and Sabrina reconcile each other.

Nathaniel begins to work a comic about Ladybug. He comes to the art room joining his friend Alix.

Rogercop:

Plagg seeks cheese in the Chloé's bag and he accidentally gets his head stuck in the bracelet.

Chloé sees her bracelet has disappeared from her bag.

Adrien sees Plagg with the bracelet rolling to his feet.

In this AU (I repeatly write these words for more tell the divergence), Chloé doesn't accuse Marinette (not directly). Meanwhile, she publicly says there is a thief among them.

Agent Roger (Sabrina's dad) calls Chloé back with his moral quote: Every citizen is innocent until proven guilty.

But the mayor Bourgeois orders to Roger to search all the people from the classroom. Roger objects: The mayor's order breaks the law. Then the mayor fires the policeman.

The next scenes happen: Roger's akumatization into Rogercop, the debate about finding the "thief" in the classroom, Adrien frees Plagg from the bracelet, the battle against the Akuma.

Rogercop uses Chloé as hostage for make André Bourgeois leave his mayor fonctions.

Ladybug and Cat Noir are designated outlaws by Rogercop.

The two heroes defeat and deakumatize the villain.

Cat Noir puts the bracelet back in the Chloé's bag (that makes everyone believe the bracelet was just misplaced).

Mayor rehabilitates Roger in his policeman title (he even promotes him as lieutenant).

In the end from this AU, Chloé could publicly say she is sorry for hastly making accusations at the school (in front of Ladybug).

Timebreaker

Same story than the canon.

Alix receives, for her birthday (15 years old), a special gift from his father: The Bunny Miraculous A watch "from her ancestor".

Kim (on foot) and Alix (on skates) challenge each other in a race at the Trocadéro. The Miraclass comes as spectators.

Difference with the canon: When Chloé holds the Alix's watch, Marinette and Adrien, who hold the banner, say to her to return it. Instead of mocking Alix's watch (as in canon), Chloé would say:

Relax, Dupain-Cheng, Adrikins and losers. I just want to know how much does this watch cost.

Chloé eventually opens the watch and screams about seeing an hologram from the object. She accidentally destroy the watch (same way as in canon).

Alix is akumatized into Timebreaker and the Time massacre begins.

Of course, Timebreaker absorbs Cat Noir's energy causing his erasure. So she travels to the past (with Ladybug who is following her), to the moment from some minutes ago for saving her watch.

Like in canon, The presence of Ladybug and Timebreaker cause the watch's crushing in this new timeline. Alternate Alix is akumatized too.

Ladybug, Cat Noir and the Ladybug from the alternate timeline fight against TWO Timebreakers.

The end of battle is the same: Timebreakers are defeated. The world and its timeline are returned back to normal (Thanks to Lucky CharmS). The Alix's is even fully restored.

Reflekta

It's Photograph Day at the Françoise Dupont school. Juleka has a picture-day "curse" on her.

In this AU, Juleka's akumatization factor will be a bit of different: No one blocks her in the bathroom with a chair. She just laments about her cursed life too long that she misses the photo shoot.

Despite Rose's recomfort, Juleka is eventually akumatized into Reflekta.

While this moment, Marinette goes to delete the school picture in the Damocles' office but Chloé and Sabrina bust her. In this situation, Marinette's office violation can conduct to her expellment.

Sabrina can feel ashamed to see Marinette violating school rules. Meanwhile Chloé gives to the bakery girl a chance of forget the crime: She offers to Dupain-Cheng to give up the idea of delete the picture in exchange .

Because of the fact the three girls hanged out together in the past from this AU, Marinette takes a better idea: To offer to Chloé and Sabrina a deal.

Marinette's deal talks about to take a better school photography than the actual picture.

Convicted, Chloé accepts the deal and orders to Sabrina to keep secret the intrusion. A win-win.

When the three girls (the "trio") leave the office, they confront Reflekta. The akuma had already a lot of students and Cat Noir into Reflektas. So she turns Chloé and Sabrina into Reflektas too (except Marinette who manages to escape).

Ladybug and a Reflekta-ed Cat Noir fight Reflekta together. The battle happens identically to the canon until the Juleka's deakumatization and the aftermath.

After the incident, the Miraclass makes a photo group together at the park.

And Juleka is included. That ends the photo "curse".

Chloé and Sabrina are present in the new picture.

The picture in this AU be like (read my post for see the difference):

Princess Fragrance

Same story than the canon. Prince Ali comes to Paris.

Chloé finds out a red "plushie": it's Tikki sick. Marinette had accidentally lost her kwami while she was with Adrien.

In this AU, when Rose requests Chloé to send her letter to the Prince Ali, Chloé acts as her own semi-bully.

Her line to Rose:

I have no time with your fish funk, Cinderella ! It's a day between rich people. No peasants allowed.

A disgusted Chloé just passively throws the letter she had comprimed into a ball and throws it like a trash before leaving the place in limousine.

Rose is eventually akumatized into Princess Fragrance.

Marinette retrieves back Tikki. She meets Master Fu a "pet healer" who heals Tikki.

Cat Noir fights Princess Fragrance, evacuates Prince Ali, the latter's chaperone and Chloé.

Meanwhile, Cat Noir is brainwashed/fragranced like the test of the group.

Ladybug eventually saves the day like in canon.

Rose and Prince Ali befriend together (at the surprise of Chloé).

Guitar Villain

Jagged Stone requests Marinette about creating a new album cover.

But Bob Roth, the music producer, "advices" to the girl to design a "modern" version: A pink-themed cover based on XY's albums.

There are more Chloé's appearances in this AU than in canon.

The blondie accompanies Marinette to Jagged permitting to the latter girl to present the cover to the musician. The blondie rich girl will join Adrien later.

The Jagged's akumatization into Guitar Villain happens.

The battle happening is identical to the canon. Meanwhile, Chloé "offers her help" to Ladybug and Cat Noir (It's comical: She just comes to rescue XY Roth).

In aftermath, Marinette manages to design a Rock'n'Roll-themed cover for Jagged (At the objection of Bob).

Jagged's new album becomes N°1 on charts.

Adrien congratulates Marinette for the exploit. Chloé praises her too but with some nuance.

Kung Food

Wang Cheng/Cheng Shifu, Marinette's great-uncle, comes to Paris for participate to the World Greatest Chef contest that organisated at the Grand Hôtel.

Like in the canon, Marinette (under Alya's advice) asks Adrien for help to communicate with her great-uncle.

The story is the same until Chloé's comes to see Dupain-Cheng and Adrikins.

In this AU, Chloé sees them as her lovely "friends". In canon, only Adrikins is her lovely "friend" (as love interest) while she hates Dupain-Cheng.

Chloé says to the Adrienette duet she doesn't like the soup/dish (So. Why are you become a jury member if you don't want to eat/taste foods of candidates ? 🤔😑🥣).

Realizing the fact Cheng Shifu is part of the bakery girl family, the rich brat decides to impress the latter girl by cooking a dish.

For that, she distracts Shifu by telling him "Marinette is waiting him outside of the kitchen".

In the kitchen, she takes a pressure cooker that already contains a soup (unaware it's Shifu's soup) and she "cooks" it with everything she can find at hand. She is furtive. She cooks a soup with her own imagination.

When Chloé finishes it, Shifu comes back ans doesn't remark the Chloé's modification.

As in canon, the jury members are disgusted about tasting Shifu's "Celestial soup" and decline the cooker out of the competition.

Shifu claims someone has sabotaged his soup. Marinette and Adrien have the same thought about the sabotage thing.

Marinette suspects Chloé. The latter innocently whistles and just tells to have cooked her own "ridiculous" soup (advising the others to not taste it).

Cheng Shifu, who finds out the Chloé's presence in kutchen wasn't a coincidence, believes the latter has sabotaged his cooking and he is eventually akumatized into Kung Food.

The akuma incident happens in the same way as in the canon.

Chloé is taken as prisoner by Kung Food's brainwashed slaves. Ladybug and Cat Noir come to save her.

They eventually defeat Kung Food and his slaves (with the unawaited help of Chloé).

After the battle, Chloé expresses her "apologizes" to Cheng Shifu and she confesses to want to impress Marinette.

Shifu is reintegrated to the competition and he wins the title of World's Greatest Chef with the Marinette soup (previously named Celestial soup).

Shifu teaches to both Marinette and Chloé how to cook the concerned soup.

Antibug

There are major changes for this episode.

The Sabrina's akumatization into Vanisher happens in same way as in canon. Chloé and Sabrina initially played together with Armand Jean-??? the butler. The two girls were disguised as Ladybug and Cat Noir.

Chloé sees Jagged Stone and a reporter team (leaded by Nadja Chamack) talking together. The blondie thinks about a joke. She comes to the journalists by ignoring Sabrina and her butler. The joie: To pretend to be the real Ladybug.

Her joke seems work well until Sabrina "wastes" the plan.

Chloé becomes mad toward Sabrina. The "sidekick" tries to express an apologize but the blondie "fires" her.

The next day, Sabrina attempts to fix her relationship. But Chloé coldly says to her:

I would have preferred you were invisible. To be friends with you was ridiculous. Utterly ridiculous !

The Vanisher's torment against Chloé happens identically to the canon. Ladybug and Cat Noir confront the invisible villainess.

Chloé comes to help the heroes but Ladybug backfires her (she was aware about Chloé's "superhero identity usurpation" attempt).

After deakumatizing Sabrina, Chloé hears the conversation Ladybug and Cat Noir.

In this AU, the conversation happens like that:

Cat Noir: Why didn't you listen to Chloé ? She was only trying to help. Ladybug: First, because Chloé has put us in danger including herself. And about endangering herself, Second, she has been totally irresponsible to claim to be me earlier. Do you forget the Lady Wifi incident ? I was not gonna let her playing hero.

Hearing and misunderstanding her potential love interest's idol's words, Chloé is heartbroken. She falls in tears.

Hawkmoth uses this opportunity to akumatize Chloé into Antibug.

Hawkmoth: Antibug, I am Hawk Moth. Ladybug has broken your heart, I give you the chance for revenge. So, shall we defeat Ladybug together ? Chloé: You can count on me Hawk Moth ! There will only be one heroine in Paris, me ! Antibug !

While Ladybug and Cat Noir finish their talk with journalists, Antibug stands up against them.

Antibug's introduction line to Ladybug:

Hahahaha ! You should have accept my help to defeat Vanisher. You've broken my heart. And now, I'm going to break you !

The battle happens as similar as in canon until the deakumatization scene.

During the battle, Antibug/Chloé confesses to Ladybug to be in love with her.

Ladybug tries to reason with Antibug by explaining about her hero's duties and responsibilities but the contradicted villainess doesn't care.

The Lucky Charm and Anti Charm summonings happen.

About deakumatizing Chloé, Ladybug will say this speech (Shadybug vibes):

You're right, Chloé. Reject your help is an error. You have feelings on me and I respect and tolerate it. Sincerely I never wanted to hurt you. I want to say that: You're an exceptional girl, Chloé Bourgeois. I consider you as a close friend. You aren't ridiculous.

Touched by Ladybug's words, Antibug is crying. She feels emotional and thanks her heroin. Chloé says to her:

And you aren't utterly ridiculous, Ladybug !

Chloé executes the Miraculous Antibug repairing her own damages.

Afterward, Chloé rejects the akuma (Hawkmoth: NOOOOO !!!) that impresses Ladybug and Cat Noir.

After the battle, Chloé reconciles with Ladybug and accepts to reconcile with Sabrina too.

At the school, Chloé "apologizes" to Sabrina and rehires her befriends with her again.

We can say Ladybug and Chloé are more closer in this AU than in canon.

Volpina

Here comes the launch of the story.

Same story than the canon. Adrien "steals" a grimoire from the Gabriel's safe (with the complicity of Plagg).

A new student girl named Cerise Bianca Lila Rossi comes to Françoise Dupont school and gains sympathy of the schoolmates by lying telling her stories.

In this AU, Marinette, Alya, Chloé and Sabrina (forming a quartet) come to school together.

Marinette is aware about Lila's existence earlier than in the canon (possibly thanks to Sabrina and Chloé).

When Marinette stalks Adrien and Lila at the library, she is accompanied of Chloé.

In this AU, Chloé can temporary disturbs the "couple". Lila, unimpressed, passive-aggressively backfires/roasts the blondie girl who is angered. Chloé leaves the library while Marinette stays hidden for watching the scene.

Tikki recognizes the Grimoire/Spellbook when Adrien removes it from his schoolbag. But Lila steals the book (unknown to Adrien).

Marinette and Tikki eventually follow Lila until the park (the bakery girl remembers too the new student lied about being friends with Ladybug).

The "date" happens in the same way as in canon. Lila pretends to be a superheroin ("better" than Ladybug) to Adrien. Marinette, who has taken back the grimoire from the trashcan, becomes Ladybug and confronts the superliar exposing her on front of Adrien.

Humiliated, Lila is akumatized into Volpina. And the battle happens like in canon.

After the battle, Lila glares to Ladybug with the line: We'll never be friends.

Adrien finds out the Grimoire has disappeared. Gabriel will be aware about the book's disappearance

Marinette, under the guidance of Tikki, meets the guardian of the Miraculous: Master Fu. She comes to present the Grimoire to him.

End of Season 1. To be continued in Season 2.

You must see there are missing episodes: The Mime, Stormy Weather, The Paraoh, The Puppeteer, Copycat, The Gamer, Animan and Simon Says.

No need to adding these episodes because Chloé doesn't appear in theses and/or hasn't any interference in theses for the progress of the story.

It took me more one week for redact this rewrite.

The Chloenette AU prologue here:

#miraculous ladybug #miraculous au #miraculous rewrite #miraculous fanart #chloenette au #marinette dupain cheng #chloé bourgeois #chloenette #chlonette #my art #chloebug

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