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spr1ngpvrinbwunnie · 2 months ago

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[“Nothing Personal” – FNAF 2 AU / 1987 / Fritz Smith & Dave Miller]

Notes: An old AU that I wrote a long time ago and abandoned in daft for almost a few months, but I guess I'm coming back to it? And the reader here can be considered an accomplice of William and lives under a false identity with the name "Fritz Smith," just like he does, the story only takes the setting similar to the game timeline - 1987.

12/2/1987. Graveyard shift, backroom silence.

You’re sipping from a cracked thermos, boots propped lazily on a crate of unused party hats.

Across from you, “Dave Miller” leans on the edge of a dusty shelf, arms crossed, one brow twitching as he watches you retell some dumb story Jeremy Fitzgerald told you—something about Balloon Boy and a can of spray cheese.

"You know," Dave says, voice laced in that syrupy false politeness that never quite covers the venom, "Fitzgerald’s got a real talent for making nothing sound like Shakespeare. Really riveting."

You glance at him, deadpan. “Jealous?”

He scoffs. “Of what? Your riveting bromance with a night guard whose entire personality is made of static electricity and expired chewing gum?” He raises a brow. “Hardly.”

You smirk, pushing your luck. “Hmm. You sure? You’ve been a bit twitchy every time he walks past.”

“I’m twitchy because this hellhole is infested with animatronics that want to redecorate my ribcage, not because Jeremy gave you half a donut and called you ‘bro.’”

“Dave”—you lean forward, the amusement dancing just beneath your breath—“did you seriously just say the word ‘bromance’? Who even are you?”

He goes quiet for a second. Too quiet.

Then: “Just a guy,” he mutters, not meeting your gaze. “trying not to lose what little I’ve got left.”

And just like that, the moment shifts again. The silly cracks into the solemn. The cheap fluorescent lights buzz overhead, and for a moment, you remember why you’re both hiding.

—

The clock above the Parts & Service room ticked with a mocking rhythm—3:41 AM. The kind of hour where shadows stretch too long and silence feels like it's breathing behind your neck.

You sat cross-legged on the cold floor, flicking a lighter open and closed with one hand, a ritual born of boredom and anxiety. Dave stood with his shoulder leaning against a file cabinet like he owned the place, which, in a twisted sense, maybe he did.

His badge was fake. So was yours. But the way he watched everything—you, especially—felt all too real.

“So,” you said, voice low, “what’s eating you?”

He didn’t look at you at first. Just muttered, “Nothing.”

“You’ve said ‘nothing’ three times tonight, and every time it sounded more like ‘jealousy’ trying to wear a trench coat.”

His gaze snapped to you. Gray eyes flashing with something sharp. “You think I’m jealous of Fitzgerald?”

You offered him a smirk. “I think you get weirdly fidgety when he gets near me.”

Dave—William—let out a breath that was half laugh, half growl. He ran a hand through his hair, disheveling it further, like he was seconds away from combusting.

“He’s annoying. Loud. Keeps leaving the hallway cameras off. One of these days, Bonnie’s gonna play peekaboo with his spleen and I won’t feel a damn thing.”

You raised a brow. “Still doesn’t explain why you keep glaring at him every time he calls me ‘Fritz’ with that stupid grin.”

Silence.

Then: “He doesn’t deserve that name coming out of his mouth.”

You paused. That caught you off guard. “...What?”

William’s voice dropped—lower, quieter, but laced with fire. “You don’t get it. That name isn’t some prop. It’s armor. It’s yours. And he—he treats it like a joke. Like all this,” he motioned around, “is a joke.”

Your breath stilled for a beat.

There it was. The truth, tangled in ego and fear.

He wasn’t just jealous. He was scared.

Scared of losing whatever fragile thread connected you to him. The only person who saw through his act, maybe even before he did.

“I’m not going anywhere, y’know,” you said, voice softer now. “Fake name or not.”

He turned away for a second, pretending to be interested in a broken Freddy head on the shelf. “You say that now.”

“I mean it,” you said firmly, rising to your feet, stepping into his space with reckless calm. “But if you want me to stop being friendly with Jeremy just because it bruises your weird, secret possessive heart—”

“It’s not possessive—”

“—then maybe stop pretending you don’t care when I sit with you instead.”

He looked at you then. Fully. The act, for just a flicker of a moment, melted. William Afton, no mask, no grin. Just the man. Ragged, brilliant, and tired.

“You know,” he murmured, “you shouldn’t make promises you can’t keep...”

You leaned in, voice steady. “And you shouldn’t push people away just because you think you don’t deserve them.”

A beat. Then another. Then—

“...Fritz.” It came out like a confession. “You really do drive me insane sometimes.”

You smiled. “Good. Means I’m doing my job.”

And in the far corner of the room, a broken animatronic twitched.

But neither of you moved.

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nonbinairyboi · 7 months ago

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Nothing Left - Chapter 1

Chapter Summary: As fall fully starts, you make new connections in Jackson.

Pairing: Joel Miller x nonbinary!Reader/OC (afab, dimples, has multiple nicknames but none are their name)

Word Count: ~2.5k

Chapter Warnings: Slight reference to general depression and anxiety? misgendering. Idk guys I’m just working through some stuff.

Read on AO3 | Series Masterlist | Playlist

Next Chapter

Chapter 1

It was one of those fall days that taunted you. Your toes froze in your socks as you pulled on your sweater and some boots. You lifted the collar of your shirt above your chin and trapped it there between your lips. The gesture soothed you as you tucked your chin to your chest and braced yourself against the wind that would inevitably hit you as you opened your door.

Your house sat on the edge of town, beyond the original gated community of Jackson. A small one story house that you often thought would have been billed as a detached condo. You wondered if the previous tenants had glared with envy at the bigger houses nearby, but for you it was perfect. The compactness felt cozy and safe after the time you had spent getting here. The sprawling land had demons lying in wait. From your living room, you had a view of the majority of the place here. Sitting on your couch, facing the small tv, you could see the kitchen to your left, the doors to both bedrooms on your right and the peak of the bathroom at the edge of your vision if you leaned over a bit.

The only room you couldn’t see was the laundry room tucked behind the kitchen with the door out to the back. A place you hid when the walls felt too far away, no longer cradling you with their comfort. And when that didn’t work, you pulled down the stairs from the ceiling and crawled into the attic crawlspace, closing the hatch behind you so you could envelop yourself in the only truly dark place in your space. The only place where outside light could not reach. Where no one could accidentally catch a glimpse of you behind a curtain. A place where you could take a break from being perceived.

But today was not a day to hide. Today was a day to be seen and work until you hit your limit. Early October meant planting winter wheat in large quantities, and with the chill this morning you worried Jackson had started too late this year, that the ground wouldn’t be moist enough.

With a thermos of hot tea clutched in your hands, you trudged towards the field where you’d be working for the day nodding and turning the corners of your lips up to show your dimples as you passed town residents, keeping your mouth clamped over the hem of your collar.

“Hey!” You heard from behind you. You turned around and smiled genuinely, your lips letting go of the hem of your shirt and letting it fall back in place to your neck. Maria was one of the few people who didn’t call you by your nickname, as if she was holding out hope that your mouth would open one day and your name would come out singing to the tip of your tongue. She was one of your closest friends, but you didn’t know if that counted for much if you never spoke. She most definitely had closer friends than you. Ones who responded to her and kept a conversation going. But you were still grateful for her. For this place.

“I was hoping to catch you before you started.” She smiled at you, warm and comforting. You lifted your head slightly in question. “I encouraged Ellie to come out today and to find you when she did.” Maria informed you.

You nodded, a little puzzled. It must have shown on your face as Maria quickly added “I think it would do her good to have something to occupy her mind. She seems to be withdrawing a bit lately. I know you don’t know her well, but I think she might like working next to you.”

You offered a small smile and nod in return, happy that she had thought highly enough of you to tell Ellie about you.

When Tommy’s brother had come to Jackson last spring with a reserved girl trailing behind him, it had been the talk of the town. Maria had told you of his short visit in the winter and how it had unsettled her. She would invite you over for tea and confess her anxieties to you. How she was intimidated by the possibility of Joel’s influence over Tommy’s life. How she worried that she had pushed too hard and that Tommy would resent her if Joel never made it back.

Once he returned, Maria seemed to have settled a bit. Less wary. She had her own things to worry about after all, having given birth a few weeks before they showed up. A beautiful baby boy whose plump cheeks made your heart ache.

You had had limited interaction with Joel and Ellie thus far. Your paths rarely naturally crossed. Nervousness curled in your abdominal muscles. You liked Ellie. She made you smile when you saw her antics from afar. But you hadn’t been around someone that young in a long time, and you worried that you wouldn’t connect. You let out a soft chuckle at the thought that, despite the clickers wandering beyond the walls of Jackson, your biggest stressor was if a 15-year-old would think you were cool enough.

Maria's brows pulled together slightly when you chuckled, as if she was trying to see through your forehead into your brain to decipher what had elicited the reaction. She smiled strangely and lifted her hand in a wave as she walked away. You lifted your hand in return and headed to the back gate that led to the crops, nodding at the guard who unlocked the gate for you. The newer outer fence that surrounded the farmland glistened in the sun despite the chilling wind.

You let out a slow breath to clear your head and focus on the task at hand, grabbing a garden rake and walking to the farthest edge of the field marked for the planting of the wheat. You had already methodically weeded the area with the help of others over the past week. You set to work working the earth under your rake, warming yourself up with your movement. Right when you were about to consider switching tasks, you heard a voice hesitantly call out your nickname. “Gabby?”

It was always jarring to hear the feminine moniker the town had given you. Without the ability to communicate in-depth concepts, you had mostly just had to grin and bear the assumptions. You still winced every time someone referred to you as ‘she’ but you reminded yourself that you were alive so you should just move on at this point.

You lifted your head and shielded your face with your hand against the sun to see Ellie’s figure tentatively make its way over to you. You tried to put on a welcoming smile and waved with the hand that had been covering your eyes. When she got over to you, she paused, unsure of what to do.

“Do I need one of those?” She asked, pointing at your rake.

You shrugged. You couldn’t tell if she actually wanted to help or was here out of obligation. For the first time in years, you wished that you could speak up and assure her that she didn’t need to do anything if she didn’t want to. You wouldn’t tell on her. You would just work next to her if she sat against the fence and let her be.

Ellie squinted at you, as if trying to decipher your meaning.

“I’ll go get one I guess.” She said after a moment. “Don’t we need seeds too?” She asked.

You nodded with a smirk and pointed towards the shed at the other edge of the field, where you could just make out a few figures moving around.

She looked back at you and rolled her eyes playfully. “Wish I’d known that before I made my way over here. You couldn’t have left a note or something? Yelled? Waved your arms around to stop me from walking over here?”

You shrugged again and your smirk grew. Just as she was about to turn around, you exaggeratedly waved your arms and pointed frantically at the shed. She looked back and forth between you and the shed slowly before letting out a surprised peal of laughter at your display.

“Oh you’re funny. No one said you were funny.” She chuckled again as she turned around, practically skipping away.

You wondered what people did say about you. What assumptions were made about you due to your silence. You looked down at the ground and tried to push it to the back of your mind.

By the time Ellie made her way back, a few others had started to occupy the area around you, each taking their own space in small plots. You showed Ellie how to sow the seeds and the amount of space to leave between them. In turn, she rambled to you about her life and how stupid it was that she had to attend school.

“I bet YOU would hate it if there were zombies outside and you still had to go to math.” You smirked at her antics as you took a break with your tea. It grounded you to hear about teenager's struggles with boredom.

Ellie popped up from her spot on the ground. “Can I ask you something? How do people know your name if you don’t talk?”

Your gaze shifted up towards her face. You had been intrigued by Ellie since she arrived. You liked her spirit. You got the sense that she wouldn’t take shit. Staring into her curious eyes, you felt that despite being a little under 40 years younger than you, she might stick up for you and understand you better than most people here.

You were shocked that for the second time that day you wished your body would let you communicate. It had been so long since you ran into frustration with it. You didn’t even feel the motivation most of the time anymore besides the few basic ASL signs that you had slowly taught the community. You felt your eyes get involuntarily wet and the inside of your nose sting.

Luckily, Eugene had overheard the conversation and came to your rescue.

“That isn’t that one’s name. It’s just a dumb joke really” he stated bluntly.

Ellie scrunched up her nose. “A joke?”

“You know what the gift of gab means?” Eugene asked, raising an eyebrow.

Ellie’s eyebrows drew together as she tried to think hard. “Is that a euphemism?” She asked after a moment. You coughed in surprise, regretting taking a sip of tea as it shot out your nose, burning in multiple ways.

“Jesus kid, no!” Eugene said quickly. “Someone with the gift of gab speaks all fancy and nice all the time. It was someone’s joke about how much this one talks.”

Ellie studied you with her eyebrows still together for a moment. “Do you like that?” She asked.

You looked between Eugene and Ellie for a moment before deciding that the best approach was a small smile and shrug. Having two people staring at you with their full attention felt overwhelming.

Eugene broke the silence. “I call that one Charlie cause it made ‘em smile once when I was trying out different names for them.”

Ellie considered it for a second before agreeing, “You seem more like a Charlie.”

Your small smile grew on your face and you glanced gratefully at Eugene.

Eugene may be gruff, but he always made you feel at home in an odd way. He had never tried to get anything out of you. He also consistently used gender-neutral language for you, although you couldn’t tell if it was on purpose.

He had knocked on your door your second week here, when you were more skittish and overwhelmed with people introducing themselves.

When you had opened the door, he had held up a joint and box of matches to you without speaking. You had ended up on your back steps smoking. He had introduced himself and talked a little after a while, but you had both mostly stared at the stars as you passed the joint back and forth. Ever since, you had had a standing appointment on Thursdays.

He didn’t treat you differently despite how odd you must seem, and you were eternally grateful for it.

The rest of the day went smoothly as you finished planting the crops. By the end of it, you wished you had taken off your sweater because you were sweating in the direct sunlight, despite your fingertips feeling frozen solid.

As you finished, you followed Ellie to put back your supplies. Her ‘not-dad’, Joel, was standing just inside the back gate as you re-entered together. His shoulders seemed to relax a bit as he spotted Ellie next to you.

You had always found him striking, in the most basic sense of the word. He had a striking stare, a striking jaw, a striking nose… You blinked hard. Where did that come from?

What you had found most intriguing had always been the open emotion behind his eyes when he looked at Ellie, contrasted with the hardened expression that his face returned to whenever he caught anyone else’s eye.

“Have you just been waiting there all morning without helping?” Ellie asked incredulously.

“I was at a meetin’ in town with Tommy and thought I should help you home since I know first-hand how good your sense of direction is.” Joel quipped back.

“Pffft,” she said, rolling her eyes with her whole head as she turned to you, “Bye Charlie! I’ll see you around. You’re not such bad company, you know.” Ellie exclaimed as she started walking away.

You just smirked as Joel looked at you for a moment before turning and following her.

“I thought her name was Gabby” you heard him mutter to Ellie.

“You don’t know everything then, do you?” Ellie replied, turning left towards town.

“It's right.” Joel replied with a straight face, turning right and leaving Ellie to scramble behind him.

“I know that, I just thought we were grabbing food in town since we both know how much of a cook you are…” Ellie responded as their voices faded down the street.

You stood for a moment, an unknown feeling crawling like tendrils up your body as you considered the events of the morning.

It had felt… different. For the first time in a long time.

You jumped as a hand clapped on your shoulder and you turned and flinched to see Eugene behind you.

He looked at you slightly apologetically after seeing your reaction. “See you tomorrow if you aren’t too popular for me by then.” He said as he continued on his way.

You weren’t sure the last time you had exercised the muscles on your face that much in one day as you smirked again, following him towards where most of the houses were located.

Maybe there was hope. Maybe your mind would be as quiet as your voice tonight.

Next Chapter

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