Chapter Text
Perhaps you were at that ominous breaking point many people have warned you about. That one where due to stress, work or just finally having enough, had made you completely lose touch with reality. Or perhaps you simply needed to do something different, who knows. Either way one thing was very clear. And that was the paperwork and receipts you now held in your hands stating that you now owned several things from the town auction you'd just attended.
'There goes my new mattress money....'
You thought, grimacing at the thought of returning home to your old one that desperately needed replaced. The one you'd been saving up for when you'd seen the auction house going on. It was one of those ones where the owner of a home had recently passed away. Leaving no will or having no relations to take the things they'd left behind. Leaving it in the hands of the township to sell or auction said things off to whoever had money and was willing to take that gamble. You hadn't meant to get caught up in it, but somehow you'd ended inside the home with several other people who'd come to look inside and see if they'd wanted any of the junk that was left behind. You'd glanced at the products, noting the merchandise of bright, colorful characters that looked like they were from some kind of television show. You didn't know of it, but it looked like something that perhaps your parents or grandparents might know about. As you stared at the knick knacks, your eye caught something.
A puppet, with pretty but messy blonde hair and a bright dress sitting in one of the chairs in the living room. Curious you stepped into the room, and immediately noticed that she wasn't the only one. There were several others in fact ranging in size and such with tags of what they are and how much they are pinned to them. The puppet you'd first seen was apparently named Julie Joyful. Staring at her you looked at the price and sucked in a breath at it.
'Yeah no.....'
You glanced at the other puppets, taking in their tags and names. Honing in on the wear and tear on them. Tiny holes, tears, and even a few missing buttons and other trinkets that came on them were missing. Their colors faded or covered in dust and grim. It was clear that they were old, and despite their current appearance had been taken care of to some degree. You continued to observe them, a small saddened frown on your face when a voice startled you.
"Looking on perhaps buying one of these?"
Whipping your head around you saw the head auctioneer standing next to you. Waiting for you to respond to his question. Turning away from the puppets you gave him your full attention.
"Ah well no, I was just looking is all."
You mumbled a bit awkwardly. The auctioneer nodded, letting out a small hum.
"Ah I see. Was just curious, not many people showed interest in these fellas. Then again it's not too surprising, they're not quite as recognizable as other children shows characters."
He said. Noticing your questioning look he elaborated.
"These puppets are the originals from a children's show known as Welcome Home. It was short lived I'm afraid. The owner of this here house was the creator of this colorful bunch. Put a lot of work into them from what I've gathered."
You looked back towards the puppets again, curious by their history.
"What will happen to them if they aren't purchased....?"
You couldn't help but ask.
"Well if they're not sold or auctioned off, they'll be tossed. A shame honestly, they're really good puppets."
The auctioneer said a wistful tone to his voice. You heard him bid you a good day and his footsteps leaving the room to go help others out in possible purchases. You looked at them, taking in everything. For some reason you couldn't leave just yet. A small sadness filling you as you took in what you'd learned.
'You need to go your mattress isn't gonna buy itself.'
Your brain reminded you, forcing you into action. With a hesitation, you looked away from the puppets, making your way towards the doorway to head out. Before looking back one last time. (E/c) met the plastic eyes of the one puppet named Wally Darling, and perhaps it was the way the light hit him but you could have sworn he looked lonely. Sad even. Which was ridiculous he was a puppet. But....
Before you even realized it you were already tracking the auctioneer down.
"Excuse me! Sir! I'll take them!"
Which led you to the current moment. Sitting in your old truck, wondering what in the hell you'd just done. You were supposed to get something you'd desperately needed and instead you'd ended up buying puppets. With a tired sigh you turned on your vehicle, and started to head back towards home to get it ready for the arrival of said puppets. Dreading the conversation from friends and family who would see them and how you spent your money. However you couldn't leave them, they'd looked so sad in that living room, old and wearing down, their care taker gone and no longer able to repair them. It just didn't seem right.
Little did you realize.....you'd get more than what you bargained for.
Chapter 2
Summary:
Reader decides to do some fixing up, with various results
Notes:
Some lore??? More likely than you think! Thank you for reading my work I appreciate it!!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
"Ow! Son of a-!"
The swear rolled off your tongue as you held your bleeding finger. Another to add to the slowly growing number of prick marks on said fingers. Putting the sewing needle down, you glared at the offensive tool. The tiny needle mocking you. The sweater vest that you'd been working on sat next to the table you'd set it on, its buttons still not attached. Further away sitting in one of your kitchen chairs was one of the puppets you'd gotten from the auction. His expression was one of displeasure, a prominent frown on his grey face. His sightless gaze quietly judging you on your lack of sewing skills.
"Keep looking at me like that, and I'll make you fix your own damn vest."
You grumbled, grumpy and irritated. The puppet, whose name was Frank Frankly, didn't respond to your words. Instead, he remained still, as always, vestless and old, and still in need of fixing up. You were torn from your mumbling by the throbbing of your fingers. With a sigh, you pushed yourself away from the table, leaving your project behind to tend to your bleeding and sore fingers. It'd been a few weeks since you've purchased the puppets, having them delivered to your home. And during that time, you'd been trying your best to fix them and clean them up to the best of your abilities. With varying levels of success, unfortunately.
'Real pain, I should have gotten the mattress...'
You thought washing your hands beneath the soapy warm water and hissing quietly in pain. You had a feeling you wouldn't be able to finish the vest tonight, your poor fingers needing that break. Finishing up, you wrapped up the wounds and sat back down at the table. The vest and sewing supplies hadn't moved and neither had Frank. Gazing at him you noted his messy hair and made a mental note to get the comb to it soon. As you continued to sit in the quiet room, you felt yourself grow exhausted from being hunched over for so long. Without realizing it you drifted forward resting your head in your arms. Careful not to stick yourself with a stray needle. The sounds of the crickets outside filled the air outside your window as evening grew near.
"I'm sorry for earlier. I didn't mean to snap at you. It's just been.....it's been a long day."
You said softly looking at Frank. Again he didn't respond and you couldn't help but feel a bit silly for talking to him. If you were honest it'd started becoming a habit talking to these felt covered beings. After finally learning their names and beginning your grueling project to fix them, you'd began to chat with them. If only to pass the time and not have your home be so silent and still. And what you talked about was always something different. When combing out Julie's hair you'd talk about the weather and how nice it was, given her sunshine like appearance. Or when taking a damp, cleaning rag to Howdy Pillar, you'd complain about things. It honestly really depended on how you felt like chatting about. And your new puppet friends were very good listeners.
Yet despite the one sided conversations.....
"I really have lost it. I'm talking to a dead man's puppets from a television show, like they're real people. Am I really that....?"
'Lonely....?'
You trailed off suddenly, feeling even more stupid. Forcing yourself up from the chair, you stood up, cracking your back a bit to get rid of the stiffness. Before leaving the room, wanting to go to bed in that broken mattress now more than anything. Glancing at Frank one last time, you turned off the kitchen lights. Stepping towards the living room towards the stairs that would take you to bed, you passed by Sally Starlet, Eddie Dear, and Barnaby B. Beagle who you'd placed on your large couch by the doorway. Further in the living room, you caught glimpses of Poppy Partridge, Julie Joyful, Howdy Pillar, and Wally Darling before they all disappeared from view as you ascended up the stairs.
The sounds of footsteps on stairs blended into the high chirps of the crickets outside. A muffled door opening and then closing shut followed shortly after before the small house fell quiet again. The kitchen was soon covered in the glow of twilight, the moon shining in the window. The lone chair that once held a puppet now laid empty. Instead, said puppet was now at the kitchen table, staring at your needle work. A frown of concern on his face. Frank Frankly had been watching you for these past few weeks, noting everything you did with a cautious, weary eye. You obviously didn't know much about sewing save for the basics, and yet you still tried your best to fix what needed repaired. He recalled the focused look on your face, the hissed curses, and swears when you'd stabbed your fingers. The effort and care that you were putting into this.
'Just like when he used to, before...'
Frank thought of the man who was their creator. How much like you, he put the same effort and care into keeping them all up to stuff. Before he'd grown too old to do so. Staring at the button and needle, Frank came to a decision. It just needed to be discussed beforehand.
Luckily, he had all night to do so.
Notes:
If you liked this fic, you should come scream at me via my Tumblr blogs!!!
@misteria247
@gabrielle-writes-trash
@twstgabrielle
Chapter 3
Summary:
Frank and Barnaby always clashed heads....
Notes:
Welcome home to chapter 3! Thank you for stopping by it means the world to me!! Enjoy!!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Frank could admit to his supposed flaws. Out of all the neighbors, he was the one who was the most prickly, so to speak. He went with logic rather than feelings and was the polar opposite of his best friend Julie. He could admit that his snippy personality could make him difficult to be around. That it could make him unapproachable to some. Yet he wasn't an unreasonable man or puppet. But at the moment.....
'I'm gonna start killing people.'
The grey puppet thought briefly as he grounded his teeth to not get into an argument. Praying to any deity out there to give him some patience. To spare his last nerve that was on its last leg. Across from him was Barnaby, the large blue dog puppet looking just as annoyed despite his easy-going grin.
"I just don't think it's a good idea exposing us."
The larger male said his tone lazy but firm. Frank took a deep breath, reminding himself that Barnaby was only thinking about the others. Just like himself.
"We can't keep this hidden forever. Sooner or later (Y/N) is gonna find out about us. And I think it'd be wise if we eased them into this rather than spring it on them."
Frank explained, trying to get Barnaby to see what he was saying. Just as he'd been trying to in vain to get him to see for the past two days.
"And what makes you think that we can trust (Y/N)?"
Howdy piped up, ever the question asker as much as a salesman. His eyes were narrowed a bit, staring Frank down. The smaller puppet wasn't phased, but he didn't respond. He didn't know how to convey that just from watching you for these past few weeks, he'd just got this gut feeling that you were trustworthy. Not in a way that was the logical manner that he was known for.
"Because they've been fixing us up! Despite all the bumps and road blocks, (Y/N) has done nothing but put us first! If they're willing to fix us old puppets, then I'm sure they're trustworthy!"
Julie chimed in, speaking Frank's thoughts exactly.
"I mean, look at my dress! My hair! Eddie's mailbag and Poppy's feathers! For goodness sake, they'd cleaned you up Howdy! And they just finished Frank's vest!"
The chipper puppet explained, holding the end of her red dress to show your handy work. The tears and holes that once littered the skirt were now patched up with adorable flower styled patches that were sewed on and ironed on. Some of them looked a bit bad, but they were stable enough to stay in place until you could figure out how to make them look better. Yet it was clear that they were done with care. And you'd gotten quite a few burns and pricks from trying to fix it. Poppy, who'd been quiet, jumped a bit, her feathers looking much better since their arrival to your home.
'Countless hours spent preening and fixing those feathers.'
Frank noted remembering how long it'd taken you to get the worst ones out.
"Julie darling....just because they fixed us doesn't mean that they're trustworthy with this."
Sally replied, sounding like she was exhausted and uninterested. The actor was next to Poppy, looking rather unimpressed with Julie's arguments.
"Now, now, let's not fight, please. This is a discussion, not an argument."
Poppy said, ever, the motherly one, as she sensed the possibility of an argument brewing. Julie, who had opened her mouth to reply, closed it, and Sally just sighed, not commenting.
"Well.....I don't know about you and Ms. Starlet, but I agree with Mr. Frankly and Ms. Joyful. (L/N) has been nothing but thoughtful. I think if we just explained, they'd understand."
Eddie, who hadn't really given his stance, put in. Frank looked at the larger mailman, who was nervous but steady in his words. Not wanting to stare too long, he quickly looked away.
"This could end badly if we tell them, you three realize this, right??"
Howdy asked his tone, judging.
"Howdy is onto something, pal. I'm not saying that (Y/N) is a bad person, but they're not him. Humans aren't always nice."
Barnaby threw in, looking a bit regretful at Julie and Eddie's expressions falling. Poppy and Sally didn't say anything else, but by their expressions, they were taking Barnaby and Howdy's words into consideration. Frank wanted to tear his hair out because he understood where they were coming from. He knew humans sometimes were not kind, especially to people or things who were different. But he couldn't give up. Something within him just couldn't let himself completely agree.
Not after watching you fix and clean them. Not after having you talk to him, always friendly save for when you were tired from work and other things. Not after watching you burn, cut, and prick your fingers and hands so much just to make them look better. Everything you did, it just screamed kindness. He wanted to give you a chance to be eased into this, not be taken by surprise.
You deserved that much, at least.
Frank steeled himself to again argue his, Julie, and Eddie's case on trusting you when a voice spoke up.
"No, they're not him. (Y/N) won't ever be him, but........they have his kindness. They've spoken to us and treated us like living beings. I think.....that they can be trusted."
Wally, who had been silent the entire time, had caused them all to quiet down and look at him. The smaller yellow puppet was calmly sitting on your armchair, a thoughtful expression on his face. Frank could see the others' expressions becoming resigned despite their displeasure. While Julie and Eddie perked up immediately at another one of their group agreeing.
"Wally buddy...."
Barnaby started to say, but Wally looking at him with a head tilt, quietly listening to his best friend, made him stop. The dog puppet just gave a sigh, knowing that Wally wasn't one to put his opinion in unless he was sure. And trying to change his mind was futile.
"I don't like this. You better think of a plan on how to do this, Frank..."
Barnaby said, gaze boring into him. Frank just thinned his mouth, meeting it head on.
"I always have a plan, Barnaby. I'm a bit offended you'd think otherwise."
Notes:
If you liked this fic, you should come scream at me via my Tumblr blogs!!
@misteria247
@gabrielle-writes-trash
@twstgabrielle
Chapter 4
Notes:
I'm back yayyyyy sorry this took so long life's been hectic and thank you so much for your patience! Hope y'all enjoy!!
Chapter Text
It'd been a while since you'd gotten your puppets. Spending countless hours between work and adult things to fix your colorful cast of companions. Everything was going rather smoothly, well as smoothly as novice sewing, can get you. When things had started to get.....strange. At first, you didn't pay much mind to it. Little things that were misplaced turning up in random places wasn't too out of the ordinary. You could be forgetful, after all, especially in your hectic life. No, it was when you'd started noticing things that were really different that you'd truly began to pay attention.
Food being lower than it should be in your cabinets and fridge, your home looking a bit more tidy than you last remembered it, and occasionally to an unsettling degree coming home to see your television on. These things were a lot harder to sweep under the rug, and now you couldn't help but feel very uneasy. Especially considering that your home wasn't exactly in town, but rather more on the outskirts of it. Isolating you enough from other people. From possibly getting help, should something sinister be going on.
'Was it some kind of pervert or creep? Was there some stranger hiding in your home somewhere without your knowledge? Waiting to kill you or rob you of what little valuables you have?'
You didn't know, but you tried not to let the paranoia get to you. It wouldn't do you any good to completely lose your head if danger truly lurked somewhere within your home. So you kept up your guard, for the next few weeks while pretending you hadn't noticed anything out of the ordinary. Instead, pour all your energy into your restoration project. Such as now in this present moment. It was a day off for you from work, the day offering a nice shimmering of sunshine to fill your house with warmth and comfort. Scattered throughout the lower part of your humble abode, your puppets sat in chairs and such. Looking better than when you'd first gotten them from the auction. The smell of your morning coffee and breakfast filled your kitchen as you listened to the birds waking up and chirping. You hummed softly to yourself as you cooked, your (H/C) locks a mess on top of your head due practically rolling out of bed this morning. Mentally making a list for things to do today.
"Gotta run to town to get some groceries......pick up some things from the seamstress shop that I'd ordered......"
You mumbled to yourself as you finished cooking your meal and your coffee pot went off. You went through the motions on autopilot, starting your day with a nice breakfast before putting the dishes in the sink for later and getting ready to head out for the day. Car keys now in hand you walked past the room with your newest additions sitting. Despite all the unease that's been going on, you couldn't help but smile a bit at them.
"Alright, y'all, I'm heading out. Don't let the house burn down and stay out of trouble."
You said, jokingly at the inanimate figures. Your habit of talking to these puppets hadn't dropped unfortunately, but you've made peace with it. If anything the talking to these puppets had given you something to do that was different. After saying your peace you left the house, locking the door and glancing around your property. This had been another habit you'd picked up after noticing the unsettling things occurring in your home. Looking for any subtle signs of someone snooping around. Once you didn't see any you continued on your way. Ready for the day.
'Today's gonna be a good day.'
Today was not a good day.
Your trip into town had ended up being incredibly overwhelming. Being stopped by people who knew you in the grocery store, asking questions about your day and asking for updates about your life. And you having to awkwardly explain that you were still working on achieving said things. Often being met with pitying looks or slightly disappointed gazes. You brushed them off, trying not to let them get to you. These people's opinions weren't important in the grand scheme of things. You'd practically raced around the grocery store after these few encounters, grabbing everything you needed and getting out of there. It'd taken longer than you'd thought it would, and you practically had to race to the seamstress shop to pick up your order you'd saved up money for from work. You barely managed to get in before they closed for the day. Once you'd received your things, a package of sun and star patterns for Sally's overalls that had some holes that needed covering. You'd finally got back to your vehicle and began to make your way home.
Exhausted from the day's activities and interactions with people and their questions.
'So much for my relaxing day off.....'
You thought gloomy as you drove down the familiar road that led out of town. It was almost time for dinner by the time you'd gotten home, unloading your things from the vehicle and into the house once you'd unlocked the door.
"I'm home...."
Your voice sounded into the empty place, the resounding silence almost deafening in return. Reminding you that you were, in fact, alone, at least to your knowledge. As you began to unpack the groceries to put them away and get something simple for your dinner, something had caught your eye. Your dirty dishes from breakfast this morning weren't in the sink anymore. They were in the drain tray on your counter. A prickle of unease filled you.
"I didn't do dishes this morning.....did I?"
You mumbled to yourself, trying to recall the morning when everything was peaceful. You were almost positive that you'd left them dirty in your sink. So......how did they get washed? Swallowing the lump in your throat, you pushed your nerves to the side to deal with later. Just as you've been doing since you'd began to notice the strange occurrences. Probably not your brightest move, but you honestly didn't even know how to even go about dealing with a possible intruder that was lurking around in your home. Not to mention you didn't want to jump the gun should you be overreacting. The rest of the day passed in a blur, with you eating dinner and starting to do work on Sally's overalls. The sun and star patterns had a slight shimmer to their threads, which you'd thought would look great on a puppet such as Sally Starlet. Giving her a sort of theatrical air to her, as you painstakingly sewed and ironed on each pattern. Burning your fingers a few times due to the hot iron being closer than you realized. It was well into the night when you finally paused your work, satisfied for now with your progress.
"There we go. Looking good Sally if I do say so myself."
You smiled at the sun shaped puppet, fixing her sleeve a bit before picking her up and putting her back into your living room. Once she was safely back with the others, you began your trek of the lower floor. Turning off lights and making sure everything was in order before finally heading upstairs to bed. The old mattress feeling like a soft cloud as soon as your head hit the pillow. You were asleep before you even realized it.
The sound of something hitting the kitchen floor downstairs woke you up. Blinking sleepily, you glanced at your clock, noticing it read 3AM. Confused and disoriented, you tried to figure out what exactly woke you up, listening for anything that wasn't normal. A beat passed, and there was silence, enough for you to assume that you just imagined it. You felt your eyes start to slip shut again, drifting off when you heard it again. Something hitting the kitchen floor. Eyes snapping open, you were suddenly more awake and alert. An icy feeling covering you.
Someone was in your house.
Your worst fears had just been confirmed. Trying not to panic, you quietly slipped out of your bed. In hopes of finding your phone to call the police. Only to silently curse when you realized that your phone wasn't upstairs with you. Taking a soft breath you mentally prepared yourself to go downstairs. As quiet as a mouse, you slowly made your way downstairs, eyes darting around in the dark for any intruders. Seeing no one, you tipped toed towards the kitchen, hiding out of view by the doorway as you cautiously peeked around to see into said kitchen. Only to feel your heart sink.
Inside your kitchen was a large shadowy figure. Seemingly looking in your cabinets for food.
'Oh God.....oh God, it's a bear! There's a bear in my house!'
Your thoughts screamed when your eyes now used to the darkness made out what looked like possible fur on the figure. Suddenly wishing that it was a person that was in your home. Bears were a lot worse than a fellow human being. And you were catastrophically unprepared for the possibility of an animal of this size getting into your home. Your thoughts raced, frantically trying to figure out your next move. Should you scream? Did that work on bears? Should you try to run? Oh God, what if it chased after you??!!? As you panicked, your eyes finally landed on your lamp on the little table. Not really having a better plan, you quickly and quietly grabbed your lamp and held it tightly in your grip. Taking a shaking breath, you steeled yourself to throw it at the wild animal so you could make a run for it or scare it out of the house. Once you were positive, the bear had its back to you, you struck. Quick as a whip, you threw the lamp up before swinging it down as hard as you could on the animal's back. The sound of porcelain hitting its back in a nasty thud filled the kitchen along with a loud YEOW. You froze.
Bears don't yeow.
"Yeesh! Talk about a bater's swing! You've got an arm on you, kid!"
A voice, deep and jovial and full of pain like sounded in the dark as you watched the furry figure rub the back of its neck in pain. You fumble a bit hand shooting out to find the light switch before the familiar click filled the kitchen. Light filled the kitchen, and you blinked in a quick fashion blinded by the sudden light before you finally saw what you'd hit.
Barnaby B Beagle stood in front of you, rubbing his neck to soothe the ache from your swing via the lamp. The blue dog puppet looked at you, and the two of you had a stare down of sorts before the sounds of footsteps coming towards the kitchen could be heard.
"Barnaby, are you okay? We heard your shout-"
Snapping your head towards the other voice, your eyes landed on another tall, large puppet. Howdy Pillar, who was now looking into the kitchen, stopped dead in his tracks, taking in the scene of you with your lamp and Barnaby with his expression of pain. You blinked, looking at the green puppet, then back at the blue puppet.
"Oh.....you're not a bear. Okay...."
That was the last thing you said before promptly fainting.
Barnaby and Howdy stared at your crumbled body, stunned before they were snapped out of it by Frank's voice.
"WHAT DID YOU TWO DO??"
"I may uh.....have messed up your planning Frank."
Barnaby said, still shocked by the events. And of course, Frank's shout drew the attention of the others, and as soon as they saw you passed out on the floor, chaos erupted.
"Oh goodness, is everyone alright? What happened?!"
Poppy's voice called out in mother like horror. Eddie who was right behind her took a look at you and paled.
"Oh my goodness, is (L/N) dead???"
Eddie asked, which in turn made Julie freeze with a horrified look. Sally immediately intervened to try and keep everyone from completely panicking. While Frank went to you and checked you over. Wally meanwhile, he went to Barnaby, his expression silently asking his friend if he was alright. Barnaby offered a smile to reassure the smallest puppet even though his neck and shoulders were gonna be hurting for a few days.
"Everyone settle down now!"
Howdy's voice made everyone go quiet.
"Let's move this into the living room. That way, we can check on both Barnaby and (Y/N) better."
The caterpillar puppet offered, trying to give everyone a task to focus on instead of the panic and disaster of the entire situation. The shopkeeper has recovered the fastest from everything, more baffled by the turn of events. Once everyone got their focus on something else, the rainbow of neighbors began to help you and Barnaby into the living room. Settling you onto the couch so you wouldn't be on the hard ground when you came too. Barnaby, meanwhile, took the armchair and sooed away Sally when she'd tried to check on him.
"Go help Poppy in the kitchen clean up the mess or something. I'm fine. If anyone needs to be checked over, it's our host on the couch. They took a hard fall when they collapsed."
The dog puppet said, not wanting to be babied. Sally just gave a huff before going to join the tall bird in the kitchen to help clean it up so no one got hurt. Julie was currently with Frank, who was sitting on the ground next to you. The two friends wanting to be near should you wake up. Wally had joined the duo, his gaze boring into your sleeping face unblinking and thoughtful. Eddie sat down on the other chair while Howdy made his way over to Barnaby, now looking a bit amused.
"This turned out well, huh Barn?"
Barnaby could only snort in response finding the humor in the situation. All they could do now was wait for you to come to.