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kodared · 1 year

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☆ Welcome home Neighbor~! ☆

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Human Reader x Welcome Home!

A storm is rapidly approaching, are you prepared to face it alone?

Chapter 9/?

Word Count: 3,788 Out of 28,737

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At the sight of the swirling clouds, you knew a storm was coming.

It didn't take long for the wind to pick up as you lay in your cot. The wind howled as you tossed and turned, a feeling of uneasiness taking hold of your being once more as you struggled to sleep.

Howdy had apparently noticed your lack of sleep and being the kind soul he was installed a small night light in the corner of the room, you appreciated the thought but it didn't do much to help you sleep.

Flopping onto your back with a huff, you looked at the ceiling as the rain pittered and pattered against the roof above.

You just wanted to go home… But now you didn't know if that would be for the better or worse.

Your home life wasn't exactly perfect, to say the least. Your siblings often took most of the attention, leaving you to fend for yourself most nights. You oftentimes didn't even have lunch money, with most of the money going toward your youngest sibling.

You liked to believe your friends were much better, but they weren't. It was a sheer coincidence you ran into them to begin with. You had met them during a school field trip years prior, and you all related over your shitty homelives.

Leading you to do not-so-great things with them. Most of which being trespassing, and it, unfortunately, led you here.

Maybe this was the world's way of punishing you, however, you doubt hell would look so colorful.

Howdy was nothing but nice of course, so staying with him would be a no-brainer if you so decided, but you didn't want to intrude on his personal life. You didn't exactly have an official room anyways, you were sleeping on his living room floor for god sake.

Not to mention Homes way of making memories disappear. If you were to stay you would have to rid Home of those powers…

…Or be rid of Home altogether.

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To say you woke up with a start would be the understatement of the century, you practically woke up with a scream as thunder reverberated throughout the house.

Clutching your chest you tried to steady your breathing, you heard footsteps coming down the stairs and as you looked you saw a concerned Howdy, he was already dressed for the day.

“Y/N!.. Ya’ alright? I heard ya’ yellin’,”

Your tensed shoulders relaxed as you smiled at Howdy, he really was becoming one of your favorite people to be around with how caring he was towards you.

“I'm alright Howd’s, thunder scared me awake I guess,”

Howdy sighed before chuckling warmly, moving from the staircase to the kitchen, moving his various arms in smooth and concise motions as he began preparing something.

“No worries Dragonfly’, got any requests for breakfast..? I was meanin’ to wake ya to eat soon anyways,”

You wiggled your way out of the various blankets, finding it odd how you had more than usual, you brushed it off however as you assumed Howdy must have given you more during the night.

“Im good with anything Howd’s, but don't you got a Shop to run..?”

You rubbed at your eyes as you sat on a barstool in front of the island he had in the kitchen, Howdy turned around and gave you a warm closed-eyed smile at your concern.

“Its stormin’ terrible outside, so i closed the store for the day, not even Eddie is out in this weather,”

You nodded and laid your head on the counter, silently wishing you had dragged one of the blankets to wrap around yourself as you realized it was colder than usual in Howdys home. Causing an unpleasant chill to wrack up your spine.

You and Howdy idly chatted as he made you breakfast, he didn't have much since he often didn't eat, but he was able to make a pretty good toast and eggs for you.

After you finished Howdy politely took your plate and set it in the sink to be washed later, turning to you again as he leaned on the counter with a hand on his hip, still smiling fondly at you.

“Got any plans today Y/N?”

You thought for a moment about what you had planned for the day, you never were good at keeping plans, you would often have to keep track of them on some sort of item.

You remember that item always being in your pocket, but you find it slipping your mind what it was exactly. You knew you could also talk to people on it, but it couldn't have been a phone. The only phones here were attached to either the wall or a wire.

“I think Frank wanted to talk more today about how to get me Home..”

Howdy let out a small sigh as he thought about your plan for the day, a concerned look on his face,

“I don't think Frank or Eddie would be out today, it takes too long to dry out after they get wet..”

You looked up at Howdy confused, you honestly think up until now the shock of just being here made you momentarily forget they weren't human. They were still just puppets, it would make sense they would get waterlogged.

“I could probably head out and visit him, water doesn't stick to me like it does to you guys,”

You smiled proudly at yourself for thinking so quickly on your feet, honestly, it was the little things that kept you going nowadays.

Howdy seemed to have no complaint with that plan, his face going from concern to excitement as he learned you don't have as nearly as bad of a reaction to water as they do.

“Well, I won't keep ya for long then HoneyBee! Oh, also Sally stopped by and ran ya over more clothes! I left em’ in the bathroom for ya’!”

You began walking to the bathroom to get ready for the day, giving Howdy a goodbye and telling him as usual you should be home before dinner. Today he seemed very excited for you to come home later, you wondered why…

As you got dressed you noticed today Sally had given you pants that looked… Very similar to Wallys'. You did a little spin as you looked in the mirror, Wally honestly didn't have bad style, but you were more indifferent to him after the events of yesterday.

You knew Home had something to do with Wally forgetting, but you didn't know what you could do. Wally lived with Home, and Home had eyes everywhere apparently, you were just happy it didn't seem to affect Howdy or Frank yet.

With a sigh you put on the shirt Sally gave you as well, it was a very loose shirt, which you were thankful for. You hated the way some shirts held onto your arms too tight, it felt weird to you.

The shirt was a very pleasant salmon color with a daisy on it, it wasn't a shirt you would normally wear, but your others were dirty so you sucked it up and began to make your way out of the shop.

The wind howled as you looked out the windows of the Bugdega, it looked like it was a bad storm for sure, but you needed to talk with Frank more than anything. You had already been here for about a week, maybe more.

So with a burst of energy, you quickly opened the doors of the Bugdega and began your trek to Frank and Eddies. Your arms had to shield your face as you trekked through the heavy winds and rain pellets that assaulted your skin.

Thankfully it didn't take long to reach Franks, you ignored the feeling of Home most definitely watching you as you knocked on his door quickly, happy at the prospect of getting out of the rain.

Despite your better instincts you looked at Home and saw Wally looking at you through the shudders.

Something was off with him though, his eyes looked… Wider?

Somehow his eyes were wider than usual, and his smile looked fake as he gave you a wave, you felt bad for him so you waved back.

After all, Wally had given you valuable advice about Home, it wasn't his fault he was stuck living with him.

If only for a moment, Wally looked ecstatic, his smile looked real and his eyes almost looked surprised before the shudders shut quickly. Looks like that's all you were going to be seeing of Wally today.

You gave Home a glare as you heard Franks's door open finally, only to be greeted by the sight of Eddie in his pajamas. Eddie wore a loose shirt with shorts on, he looked surprised as he spoke,

“Ah! Y/N..! Come in come in, You'll catch a cold out ‘ere in this weather!”

Oh how you missed Eddie's southern hospitality, you entered his house with no complaints. Shivering a little as the pleasant heat hit your skin.

Eddie quickly moved to grab a towel from a nearby closet, draping it over you as he looked a bit confused, you didn't know why he was confused until you saw he was looking at your arm that had water resting atop of it.

You laughed a little before speaking,

“My skin doesn't absorb water Eddie, so I can be out in the rain an’ be fine after!”

Eddie let out a small ‘ooh’ before nodding and giving you one of his pleasant smiles again, you started to dry off as you saw a disheveled Frank coming down the hall, clearly not expecting visitors.

Frank looked at you as he saw you standing in the doorway, clearly shocked to see you weren't soaked after being out in the rain.

“Heyy Frank, sorry if I..-”

Before you could apologize for intruding on his and Eddies home, he quickly walked up to you, grabbing ahold of your arm carefully and pulling it closer to examine. Mumbling quietly to himself about how you should be soaked but aren't.

Eddie laughed a little before he put his hand on Frank's back, after a few moments Frank let go of your arm, and began speaking,

“Don't worry about it Y/N, I just didn't Account for the Fact you could be out in the Rain. Ill be in my Study, please enter when you are ready to Converse,”

Without wasting a second Frank walked to his Office and shut the door behind him, leaving you with Eddie, not that you minded anyways, Eddie was rather nice.

You continued to dry off, honestly, the rain made you feel a bit refreshed. You don't know how long it had been since you had a proper shower, not accounting for the small times you freshened up with the sink.

You finished drying off and held the towel awkwardly before Eddie took it from your grasp while giving you a smile,

“Go on an’ talk with Frank! Ill take care of things round ‘ere”

Without much hesitation you began walking to Franks Office, giving Eddie a smile as you walked past and knocked on his door, hearing Frank call for you to enter faintly from somewhere in the room.

As you opened the door you saw Frank crouched towards the back of his Studio, a large butterfly on his fingers as he lowered it back into the container it was currently homed.

“Sorry about that. Found an injured Birdwing Butterfly that needed some Attention.”

Frank pushed himself up from his crouching position and walked to his chair, taking a seat and gesturing for you to do the same.

“So. Am I correct to assume we will be Continuing Yesterdays conversation…?”

You gave Frank a nod before speaking yourself,

“Yeah, i need to find a way home Frank, my family has to be worried sick by now, not to mention the fact my friends are probably still expecting me to return with those newspaper clippings.”

You took a seat in the chair across from Franks, sitting in front of his big desk as you leaned your elbows on the table and held your head with your hands.

“...Which of course I've gone and lost, just my luck..”

Frank had a concerned look on his face for a moment, before sighing and leaning back in his chair. The old leather chair made a squeak that reverberated around the room,

“Do not dwell on those facts. I am sure they will just be relieved to see you Okay. Now, I recall you mentioning interest in learning more about Homes abilities. Do you still have questions?”

You gave Frank a nod as you lifted your head from your hands that once held it, your elbows also sliding off of the table so as to not seem rude.

“Yeah, what's the deal with Home wiping everyone’s memory, and to quote you, if Home did do something to me, what would it do to me… long term?..”

Frank sighed and raised his hand from where they were once crossed across his chest, holding at where his chin would be before speaking in a very contemplative tone as if he was watching what he said.

“...Home has Connections to us, As they do with you. Our Connections however run deeper than Friendship since we have lived here Longer than you.”

Your body felt cold. You stared at Frank as he tried to compose himself and keep a calm front on, seeming to be at a loss for how to explain it himself.

“You thankfully have come into no Contact with Home directly. Meaning they cannot alter or warp Memories. However… Home does mean well.”

He rested his hands on the arms of the leather chair, looking away as you proceeded to feel increasingly more alarmed, and a tad bit angry at your neighbors jumping to Homes defense.

“It doesn’t matter if Home means well, this is wrong!.. Has anyone ever confronted them about it anyways?? Or has this just been happening with no complaints.”

Frank saw you were getting increasingly angry, staring off at the clock on the wall that was no longer ticking. Eerily stopped at the same time Howdys was stopped.

“It’s not that Simple. We cannot confront Home. If we do we get.. Reset.”

Frank made stern eye contact with you again, looking very intense.

“A Reset is the worst that can happen to us. We become the Default, reverting back into our Original minds from when we first Arrived.”

You still felt icy hot, with anger or anxiety you didn't know or care to know. The one thing you did know however was Frank mentioned something significant earlier.

“...You said Home needs to make contact with someone before they can alter memories..?”

Frank nodded as he looked at you, clearly concerned that you focused on that specific detail.

“Why do you Mention this?.. Did you come into Contact with Home?”

You couldnt help but ever so slightly curl in on yourself, a terrible habit you could never kick returning. Frank looked at you with a concerned and somehow stern expression on his face, before standing from his chair.

“I need you to be Honest Y/N.. Did Home make Contact with you? As in, Did Home grab you?”

Frank put his hand on the desk as he leaned down slightly to still make eye contact with you, all you could do was glance into his eyes and he knew.

He gave you a worried look before quickly opening a drawer to pull out a notepad, sliding it across the desk to you, and giving you a pen.

“I need you to Quickly write everything you remember. Leave out no Details, I will keep it here so you Do not forget Those Memories.”

Frank lowered himself back into his chair, still looking frazzled but slightly more under control, running one of his hands through his hair he spoke,

“Why didnt you Say anything Sooner?”

“It wasnt important,”

You grabbed the Notepad and pen given to you, quickly writing all you could remember, such as the news clippings, the… Whatever that used to be in your pocket, and most importantly your family and Howdy.

“When Home makes Contact it hurts. How did you not think to mention that to me?”

You paused your writing, looking at Frank quizzically,

“I thought Eddie would have told you, i ran into h im right after it happ e ned, plus it didnt hurt..”

You remember the burning hot fee l ing of your ank l es being grasped as y o u g r asp e d at the gr a ss underneath your fingertips. You coul d almost still f e el the di r t trapped underneath your nails as you desperately clung to get free .

“...It didnt hurt that bad,”

“You zoned out. Are you sure your Alright?..”

Frank looked genuinely worried for you as he stood again, moving beside you and putting a hand on your shoulder.

“...If we are going to find a Way to get you home, It may be best to speak with Home. Only do it when Wally is with Home however, it Prevents Home from meshing your memories.”

Your anxiety bubbled at the idea of even having to go near Home again. You weren’t very fond of doing anything regarding Home, but if you wanted to go home you would have to.

“...I guess ill go now to get it over with.”

Frank looked shocked for a moment at your resolve, before taking a deep breath and exhaling.

“If that is what you wish to do. I believe Wally is with Home today anyhow, Would you like for me to Accompany you?”

If you hadnt already been gathering yourself to leave, you may have noticed the look of worry held on Franks face, but you were too occupied with standing and pushing in your chair.

“...I think ill be alright.”

You slid the notepad towards Frank, it contained various information about you, you also included information Howdy knew about you, just in case.

“If im not back at Howdys by nightfall give my notes to him,”

You spoke with certainty in your voice, you were going to put an end to this. You would do it tonight if you must.

…A small part of you however felt nauseous. The feeling of flesh melding with fabric burned your ankles as you stood, and bile threatened to spill as it tickled the back of your throat.

You were determined to push forward though, if not for your sake for the sake of everyone in the Town who came before you.

You gave Frank a warm smile, desperately trying to calm yourself down with fleeting thoughts of security. Frank tried to return your gesture, as you left his Office Frank couldn't help but look down at your notes, sighing before moving to one of his various drawers on his desk.

He looked down at the small ring on his finger, fidgeting with it as he thought about Eddie.

He hoped you would be okay.

—-----------------

You marched out of Frank's house, feeling the wave of nausea overtake you once more as you saw the red house in the center of the neighborhood. Even though you knew what had to be done, it didn't help the feeling of helplessness bubbling inside you.

You tried to keep on a confident face. Internally watching how you moved towards Home, making sure you didn't slouch and looked intimidating,

In your head, you didn't know if it was actually working or not. Hell, for all you knew you could be making an absolute fool of yourself confronting Home like this.

Before you knew it you were at Homes door. With Home going cross-eyed to look at you as it squeaked a shutter, you assumed this was Homes way of saying hello.

“...Hello Home,”

You said anxiously, moving to smooth down your shirt out of nervousness.

Home, fortunately, didn't have the chance to respond before Wally opened the front door, looking more chipper than usual. You were just thankful Home hadn't done anything to him.

“ah! hello neighbor! i was just thinking of you..!”

Wally walked forward to close Homes door, making you back up slightly to allow him more room to exit.

“Haha, well I actually came to speak with Home, do you think you could translate for me Wally?”

You tried to ignore the way Wallys' eyes went glossy or the way his smile now looked unnatural.

“why of course i can neighbor!.. would you like to come in?”

Wally offered you his hand, and as you looked into Wallys eyes all you saw was black nothingness in them, there was none of Wallys original charm inside of them.

And there especially wasn't any hint of the personality Wally had when you first met him.

When you first met Wally he almost had a sense of angst in him, he looked tired, but still happy. He looked more human than the Wally in front of you.

Before you could provide a response Wally took your hand, pulling for you to come inside to talk with Home.

You couldn't pull your hand away. It felt hot, burning hot.

Wally didn't let go of your hand until you were both inside with Home. He led you to a chair in his living room and practically threw you down on it, he had surprising strength for him being so small.

He sat in a chair across from you, he folded his hands atop of his crossed knee. Looking at you with the same unchanging smile with empty eyes.

When Wally spoke, it didn't sound like him, it sounded as if there were two voices speaking at once.

“What did you Want to Discuss Neighbor?”

Desperately trying to find the confidence you once had, you struggled to speak for a moment out of shock, Wally seemed to find this amusing.

“Cat got you Tongue Neighbor? Its just me.”

Wally leaned forward in the chair he was sitting in, looking at you with wide eyes, where you could now see the faint outline of swirls as the wind howled outside.

“And you can Tell me anything Y/N.”

Your chest felt tight as you struggled with your breathing, before taking a deep breath and speaking with fake confidence dripping off your tongue.

“I want Home to stop wiping memories. This isn't right, none of it is.”

Wally froze as you spoke, before beginning to laugh. His hand moved over his mouth before moving it and letting out a strained chuckle.

“Oh how Silly silly… I only do it to Keep the Peace.”

Your blood ran cold as the realization hit you like a ton of bricks. This wasn't Wally speaking, This was Home.

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I hope you all Enjoyed<3 !! Ill hopefully have the next Chapter out soon, sorry this one took so long!!

My Ao3 is here as always!

ᕦʕ •ᴥ•ʔᕤ till next time!

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