The Broken Circus: Chapter 14 (Teaser)
“Baby?”
The door shut midway through the word and the sound drowned her out. Though it didn’t take her long to notice that Baby wasn’t walking off and was instead just standing outside the door. She must’ve heard her.
“Baby?” Charlie called again. A little louder so that it would make it through the door. “Or Izzy? Is that you?”
There was a long pause.
Then the door suddenly lifted once more. She could see a pair of red heels on the other side. Faded and worn, likely bought secondhand.
“Yes, it’s me,” Baby said with an impatient huff. “Before you assume that I’m your new caretaker, I’m not. I’m just filling the role while he’s… tied up.”
“Ennard,” Charlie clarified.
Baby must’ve been surprised that she knew his name because she hesitated. She then proceeded to ignore her.
“You don’t sound like you’re wasting away to nothing, but I can’t risk having him distracted worrying over you… You have been enough of a distraction for him already.”
Charlie equally ignored this comment to ask, “Where is he?”
“We had a little problem last night and he had to deal with it… Strange. I didn’t expect you to care so much. I don’t understand why you do.”
Charlie assumed from the tone that she was baiting her to say she didn’t. She wasn’t sure why she would care that much.
“Because you’re beating around the bush about something that happened last night. I want to make sure he’s alright.”
“He is no worse off. He will return once he’s finished and then he can go back to waiting on you hand and foot,” Baby said curtly. She crossed her arms- Charlie could just hear the shift of her moving. “…You don’t know what he really is, do you?”
“…What are you talking about?” Now she was starting to get into her head.
“Just a little friendly advice, but do not get attached to Ennard. He’s not as needlessly selfless as you may think. He’s just following orders,” Baby swiftly declined. Something weird had settled in her voice. She almost sounded upset, frustrated, but Charlie couldn’t tell if it was over her or Ennard. She would assume it wasn’t her, but Baby wasn’t exactly singing his praises.
“I wonder why he’s doing that,” Charlie retorted. After a moment of consideration and before Baby could speak, she asked, “I wonder why you’re doing this.”
“You don’t know?”
“You know I don’t know.”
“Of course you don’t know,” Baby bitterly remarked. “You were always the fortunate one, Charlie. The gifted one, the loved one. The one who got away. The one who goes to school and has so many friends and loving admirers. Beloved daughter and sister.”
She knelt outside the door and that was when Charlie spotted a cut on her leg. It didn’t look like a normal cut, not pink or irritated, but like a slice through silicone. Puckering out as Baby arranged her weight on the leg, spreading slightly to reveal no blood inside. It wasn’t nearly as shocking as Charlie thought it would be. Any other situation and person and she might’ve been intrigued enough to ask to see it.
However, that wasn’t the part that caught Charlie’s attention. That slice on Baby’s legs confirmed her story that something happened last night, but unlike how distantly she talked about it she must’ve been a part of it.
Baby didn’t notice- how could she when their faces were blocked by the door- and continued with her monologue.
“Why do you think I might want that after everything I have had taken away? No, you don’t understand, because you were gifted the whole world… and look what you’ve done with it. Friends, a home, a life, all thrown away to come down here. You may have been brought here against your will, but you knew the risk when you showed up at the pizzeria. You didn’t care what you lost.”
“I’m not talking about that. I’m talking about why you would let yourself be a tool for Afton when he’s the reason for everything that’s ever happened to you,” Charlie swiftly deflected.
That was enough to strike Baby silent. Charlie almost felt a rise out of being able to wobble her pedestal, but it didn’t last long. Baby’s silence didn’t either.
“Of everyone I assumed you would understand the importance of family,” she remarked. There was a noise on the other side. Charlie wasn’t still looking but it sounded like her brushing down her skirt.
“I know what it’s like to have a father who chooses himself over his family,” Charlie said matter-of-factly. The words immediately stung her tongue, but she resisted the guilt. She was so tired and so angry. “…I’m not going to act like what happened to me and what happened to you were the same thing, but we’re in the same boat. We’re the ones stuck dealing with their mistakes.”
“Stop that. Stop acting like you know who I am.” There was a defensiveness that hadn’t been there previously in Baby’s voice. She was starting to become irritated as well.
“I’m not, I’m just trying to understand. It doesn’t make sense to me that you would side with him.”
“As opposed to what? Siding with you?”
“I could help you."
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a human heart
a human heart by sharkfish (@sharkfish)
Rating: Mature
Word Count: 3.2k
Dean is crass, obnoxious, imprecise, has very little understanding of boundaries, and Cas really, really likes him. He can’t pinpoint the moment Dean went from a thinking agent who only existed to make sure nothing goes wrong in space to an emotional agent who tells Cas to go fuck himself and storms out after a disagreement — as much as a visage made of light can storm out — but it seems feelings have been the ghost in the machine all along.
This short fic hits that sweet spot of pining and light angst mixed with fluff.
Castiel is an astronaut alone on a spaceship with the ship’s AI, Dean. Except Dean is unlike any other AI Cas has worked with before - he’s funny, he’s animated (you could say, almost literally), and he’s fuller than life than any machine has the right to be. Soon enough, feelings start developing, feelings that are getting harder and harder to ignore.
It’s truly mindblowing how much sharkfish can fit into just 3.2k, and how achingly beautiful their writing is. I don’t want to spoil anything, but let’s just say that you will be squealing a lot while reading this, and if you’re like me, you might even cry a bit at Dean and Castiel’s softest moments.
Sci-fi/AI AUs are not everyone’s cup of tea but definitely give this a try and you won’t regret it. It’s a bite-sized snack of perfection.
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Evan (Golden Freddy)’s Opinion on Elizabeth (Circus Baby/Impostor Charlotte Emily/Vanessa): “You let your blind devotion and your search for unrequited love get the better of your judgement. Your hands are of his color, and yet you have not the slightest smidgen of shame of wearing a heart dripping with sin. Even now, I wish for your innocence back… it really is a tragedy. Had I already reunited with my body, I would’ve slapped some sense into you.”
Evan (Golden Freddy)’s Opinion on Gregory(Reincarnated Vessel Evan): “My other half… wherever could you be? You’re probably just as scared and incomplete as I am… know that the sun shall shine upon us again one day. We will save them all, and then, finally… we can live the future we were denied so long ago.”
Evan (Golden Freddy)’s Opinion on Michael (Glamrock Freddy): “Brother… how could you do such a thing? I should hate you… and yet- why does my heart ache to be with you once more? I should ponder on such things later… it hurts to think. I still love you... hang in there, okay?”
Evan (Golden Freddy)’s Opinion on William Afton: “Ah. Father. Have you senselessly sacrificed enough to achieve that abstract dream you’ve been chasing so foolishly for so long, slaughtering everything that breathes? I would like to think so, judging from the pathetic state you’ve been reduced to now. Oh? What’s that? I helped them do this to you? Well, think long and hard- why do you think that is? Why do you think I've turned my back on you? What is the value of a life to you?”
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Charlie has a moment to be aware that he had fucked up before the consequences of his actions have him by the front of his green kitchen jumpsuit. His eyes are wide, arms up between them with palms out facing, as though he could possibly push Google back if the android didn’t want to be pushed. He’s a wall of unforgivable metal, and there’s far too much sincere anger in cybernetic eyes for his comfort.
“ Google! I, uh— ” He swallows. “ I’m in the kitchen, buddy. I’m pretty sure this is where I’m supposed to be. ” Nevermind last night when he’d been poking around engineering after hours.
"P-Playing dumb-umb may work for-r-r the Engineer and the Captain, but I'm n-n-not a fool." Google spat, perfect teeth twisted into a sharp sneer. Waking up with a low battery wasn't the worst thing in the world, but the fact his charging cable had been stepped on and snapped was. Checking the cameras was easy, and seeing Charlie sneaking around in the robotics room was enough to subject the cook to a verbal lashing. (Maybe a physical one too, if the android was feeling particularly physical today).
Google's eyes narrowed, glinting red now as he slowly leaned in. He was barely a hair away from Charlie's ear when he started whispering in his broken voice. There was no breath on the skin. No heat came from the mouth dripping with spoken venom. "Y-You're lucky-ky that I have stri-strict orders to not... terminate-nate without the Captain's word-d." The robot continued, pulling back to see the Charlie's expression. He almost smirked at the nervous fright gracing the human features. "However-ever... I'll make s-sure you fix your mistakes.
"O-Or would you rather-r I go-go to the C-Captain, cook?"
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