Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

I had been lost in the countless inquiries that seemed to continue to pile on the desk, glancing at the clock every so often to check if it had been at least an hour. It had only been twenty minutes. And before I could breathe a sigh of relief the door would creak open to reveal the faceless being yet again. He had five or six documents tucked up under his arm, tendrils tapping lightly on the pane of glass. "How are things going? Has the Rake tried breaking in again?"

"I have the same answer from last time, sir. He hasn't entered the perimeter." I replied, internally seething the question. Though he had no mouth, the pleasant hum that echoed in my subconscious said it all. He was satisfied; at least for now. He stepped in and closed the door, taking the documents and placing them before me. I could feel my blood chill, reluctantly looking up at him. "What are these?"

His hum echoed yet again, turning them over to show some sort of log. A name would be printed on a dotted line, followed by times phone calls. "A phone log?" I mutter, my brows furrowing before looking to the office phone on the left corner. "You keep track of all the calls?"

I could sense his disapproving look, grimacing from some jolts of static that momentarily stunned my nerves.

'Of course I keep track of the calls.' He spat, obviously agitated from my lack of understanding. "I need to know what my employees do in their free time. Who it is they call in the outer plain. Especially Jeff."

"I can understand Jeff." I laugh, looking among the other names. "But why the others?"

'All of them chose to venture out into the public. Into the crowds of regular civilian life. And they could jeopardize our whereabouts if they aren't careful. It's my job to make sure they behave accordingly.'

He wasn't wrong to be cynical. It wasn't uncommon for Jeff, BEN, and E.J to venture far from the mansion. And from the drunken stories slurred by all three of them, they wouldn't always be concerned of what it was they said or did. If it was fun and time-consuming, it would be taken up to Its full advantage. With a light sigh, I added the log to my mental list of what was to be completed. "Alright, sir. I'll be sure to log everyone's phone calls. Is there anything else I can do for you?"

I felt a light surge of electricity, but not painful. Instead, it felt oddly comforting, as though it was his way of patting someone on the back. ''No. That is all. Just be sure to finish up the rest of the paperwork. I'm going to be giving you the day off tomorrow due to the amount of work you've completed. I must say, I'm impressed. Good job."

I felt giddy with joy, grinning up at him with gratefulness. "Thank you, Sir! I hope to never disappoint."
'I doubt you could disappoint me. I knew it was a good idea to give you this job.' He headed to the door, slowly grasping the handle. He almost looked hesitant to leave.
'''I must attend to my other duties. I will see you at dinner.." He paused again, opening the door slowly and peeking back with his blank face. "And if you make any calls, be sure to log them."

He closed the door before I could reply, leaving me in the ambient silence of the office. Though wary of returning to the tasks left for me, I found myself picking up the pen and continuing to edit.

Ring!
Ring!

I jumped, glancing at the phone with misery. An outside call? What was that going to be logged as? It's ringing echoed through the room, and then it silenced. Maybe I just wouldn't answer this one. You don't have to log it if you don't answer, right? I smiled a bit to myself, but it dropped as soon as the little beeper began to go off.

"Hello? [Name]? Are you in the office? It's Masky. It's really urgent! Hoodie is injured and it doesn't look good. Please call back ASAP!"

I picked up the phone and fumbled with the dial pad, shoving the phone to my ear and feeling my heartbeat pulse in my ears. The dial tone rung for what seemed like forever, growing more and more anxious. When I heard the click on the other end, my heart plunged into my stomach.

"Hello, Kiddo! Thanks for calling back." He said, and I could hear the crack of wind against the speaker of the phone. "Has old faceless dropped into the office yet?"

"Masky, where is Hoodie? You said it was urgent!" I yelp, hearing him laugh hysterically on the other end. He coughed on the smoke of his cigarette. "Masky! I swear to go-"

"He's fine. I only said that to make sure you'd call back." He said, and I could almost sense the huge smirk on his face. "But we need to come back. It's getting unbearably cold."

"I should hang up on you!" I snapped, feeling the muscles in my hand and my blood begin to boil. "This isn't funny Timothy."

His cackles ceased, and the line went silent for a moment. "I'm sorry. I won't do it again. Can we just come home?"

I felt my anger slowly fade, looking to the clock yet again. It was already eleven, and it was a very slim chance that The Rake would be prowling now. "Yeah, you both can come back. But when you do I'm gonna kill you."

He laughed again and took another drag of his cigarette. "Mhm, whatever you say Kiddo. We'll see you soon."

Click.

I could feel my heart continue to pound in my chest, ringing eerily in my ear as I tried to recollect my thoughts. He was a real jerk when it came to his practical jokes. So much so that sometimes I confused his pranks for Jeff's. Despite his sophisticated attributes around Slender, he held a rambunctious side that drove me at the end of my wits almost every day. But, he had some sort of heart, too. I just haven't seen it yet. Oh, please. These are murderous psychopaths after all.

Ring!
Ring!

I glared to the phone and was almost ready to throw it against the wall. But I dodged for it anyway, gingerly pressing it to my ear.

"Alright, this isn't gonna end well if you ke-"

"Hellllllooooooo??" A woman's slurred voice as what I was greeted with, followed but a light giggle. "That isn't a very nice way to greet somehunny (somebody.)"

My eyes widened in horror, unsure of how this obviously intoxicated woman got ahold of this number. Was it possible that she somehow dialed a few incorrect numbers and reached me instead? No. She wasn't that drunk. She could still speak somewhat coherent sentences.

"Heeello? I heard somebody talkin'!" She yelled, trying to be heard over the loud bar music in the background. She had to be somewhere in town.

"I think you have the wrong number-" I mutter, politely, before looking toward the office door. "I'm afraid-"

"That bastard!" She sobbed, hearing her voice begin to shake, and her breath quicken. "He told me that loved me! That he'd come back! What a lying piece of shit!"

"Excuse me, I hate to be insensitive, but who exactly said this to you. And gave you this number?" I ask, hearing her try to breathe and sip in anguish at her drink.

"Jeff. He said to call him whenever I wanted. That lying Bastard." She growled, hearing the glass she drank from plunge into the floor. "Shit! Not on my heels!"

Goddammit, Jeff!

I sighed and thought feverishly of what to say. If I wasn't careful she'd keep trying to reach him. And the last thing I needed was her to be calling when Slender randomly popped in to check up on me. I rubbed my temple and gritted my teeth.

"I'm really sorry that he gave you the wrong number. But this is an office that has a very busy line. Just try to look out for him okay?" I urge, hearing her begin to sob yet again. This time the phone slipped from her fingers, falling abruptly to the ground. I took this as an opportunity to hang up and felt the conversation leave a sour taste in my mouth. Jeff had a lot of nerve. He could be heartless, but now it was just plain foolery.

As though the male could hear my thoughts, he tumbled right outside the office door, letting out a groan. I could feel my blood chill, getting up from the desk and approaching the door. I peeked through the window, spotting him lying still on the floorboards. He looked to be in great discomfort, two elastics tied in his hair, which styled it into pigtails. Sally must have forced him to play dress up, much to his dismay. I opened the door slowly, staring down at him. "Isn't it convenient that you've landed at my door. We need to talk."

"Not now." He growled, another groan hissing passed his lips. "It hurts to move."

"Jeffrey. If you don't talk to me, I will bring my findings to Slender. And we both know what he'll do if you get him angry again." I snap, glaring down at him. "You've really done it now."

He looked unfazed, reluctantly lifting himself from the floor. He winced at every movement, limping his way into the office before slouching back into the chairs. Perhaps Sally played an extreme game of tag, or maybe he snuck out and hurt himself. I closed the door, returning to my desk and eyeing him crossly. "Why did you give some random woman this number?"

"What are you talking about?" He spat, slouching further into the chair. "I don't even go to that bar anymore."

"Uh, I didn't say anything about a bar," I said, smirking. "But now I have enough evidence to bring to sl-"

"Okay, okay! Fine... I may have given some drunk chick the number. Maple was her name? I think, anyway. She was hot and lonely, perfect candidate for me. I would've thought she would lose it on the dance floor, given the way she moved." He explains, biting down on his bottom lip as he envisioned her.

"First off, not sure why you thought it would work. And two, don't bite your lip like that you pervert." I bark, which didn't stop him at all. He soon snapped out of his trance and smirked at me with a look in his eyes that worried me. "Are you jealous?" He purrs, causing me to shake in disgust. "Absolutely not! I wouldn't date you even if were the last man on earth."

"Riiiiiight." He cooed, dragging a pale finger under my chin. "I know you like me. Or maybe it's BEN. Either way, you'll never admit it."

I crossed my arms, scoffing at his accusation. "I'll have you know that I don't like any of you. I'm only here to file reports. I don't have time to like anyone. Besides, even if I did like someone. It's certainly wouldn't be you."

He got up from his seat, leaning over the desk and bringing his face dangerously close to mine. "Oh, I know you do. Why don't you just admit it and let me tak-"

He hadn't any time to finish his sentence, the door slamming open to reveal none other than Tim. Though his mask bore the usual expressionless face, it wasn't hard to tell by his body language that he felt awkward in the situation.

"D-Did I interrupt something?" He stammered something I didn't expect to hear from him. "I can come back."

"No, it's fine. Jeff was just leaving." I replied, pushing him back from me and glaring at him. "Come on in."

Jeff frowned as he was escorted away by Masky, who must have picked up how uncomfortable I was. "This isn't over, doll face." He said is his more grave and terrifying voice as he looked back at me. "I'm not going to stop until I have what I want."

Masky pushed him out and shut the door swiftly, locking it tightly and turning to me slowly. "Jesus, I don't know what the hell has gotten into him. Please, scream next time if he gets like that. I'll come and kick his ass."

Those had to be the few kindest words to have ever come from him, it wasn't often we had conversations at all. I didn't think he'd care if I was getting harassed by any of the guys around here. Jane, Sally, And I were the only females in the house. Sally was too young, thank god, so Jane and I got all of the unwanted attention from the guys. Some nights I preferred them going to bars and hooking up with random girls, as it kept their weird behaviors away from me. "I'm alright, thank you for getting him out of here. He was obviously trying to "seduce me"." I said, rolling my eyes and breathing out slowly. I really hated this job sometimes. "Sometimes I wonder why I let myself get dragged into all of this."

"I think the same thing sometimes." He replied with a slight sigh, taking a seat and slowly sliding off the mask from his face and resting it in his lap. I had never gotten the chance to see his face before, and I was surprised to find that he looked a little bit like I had imagined him to look. He had a slightly softer face with a smug yet confident set grin, as though permanently placed there. He has some stubble on his chin and under his nose, hinting at the slow but gradual return of facial hair. And his light brown eyes were a stark contrast to the black soulless sockets of his mask, which I knew was wore to hide his identity. I had been staring for a few moments, and that prized grin slowly turned into a grim smirk.

"You like what you see?" He asked, chuckling half-heartedly. I felt my cheeks flush red before immediately looking down at the phone log on the desk. "Sorry, I haven't seen you without your mask before. That's all."

"Oh? yeah. I don't think you have. You haven't seen E.J without a mask either, I'm sure. But that's something you probably don't wanna see." He assured, and chuckled once more. "Anyway, what the fuck is that?"

I flinched a bit at his sudden profanity, lifting the page up for him to see. "It's a phone log. Slender gave it to me so I can keep track of yours and everyone else's calls."

"Oh. that's fucking grand. I knew he'd start doing that soon enough." He grumbled, rolling his eyes. He crossed his arms and rested his head back against the chair. "I blame Jeff, mostly. He's the one who uses the damn thing all the time."

I tried to stifle back a laugh, looking towards the door to make sure the male in question hadn't been lurking outside. "One of his mistresses called here not even an hour ago."

"Well, shit, I can't even say that's shocking." He said. "He has a girl at every club, it seems. I may be irresponsible sometimes, but this kid takes the cake for fucking around. Literally."

I would have laughed again if it weren't for the sudden rush of static that ran through my head. 'Everyone downstairs now.'

"Ah, it seems good ol' faceless finished up dinner." He said, as he slowly stood up. "Are you coming?"

"Yeah... I'll be down in a bit. I just gotta finish up some last-minute reports."

He rolled his eyes. "it's always about work with you, isn't it?"

"Well yeah.. the only reason I'm alive is that Slenderman needed a secretary. If I prove to be less than efficient he'll just.. y'know.. kill me."

He seemingly shook his head, dawning that emotionless mask once more. "I don't think that's the only reason. But then again, what do I know?"

I found myself smiling, and yet, I didn't understand why.

"Yeah. Well... I don't have the same capabilities you have."

He stopped as he reached the door, looking back at me.

"or maybe.." He muttered. "You just haven't realized them yet."

"What was that?"

He quickly opened the door and bolted out, before slamming it shut behind him.

He then opened it up and peeked in.

"Oh, and uh- watch out for Jeff on your way down. I think he's still creeping on you."

SLAM!

I shook my head.

What was I going to do with these guys?

Chapter Text

"What the hell?! I thought dinner was ready!" 

I could hear the distinct shout of BEN upstairs, as the pitch was off and got more distorted when irritated. I sighed to myself before reluctantly getting up to my seat, walking over to the door to and peeling the blind back to peek out into the hallway.  BEN stood at the top of the staircase, arms crossed tightly like an unhappy child who didn't get the toy they had asked for. His green t-shirt and jeans were caked with both blood and dirt and were torn a bit at the collar. He must have gotten into another fight--- albeit a victim who refused to quit. As he trudged his way down the steps, hurried footsteps of another housemate trailed quickly behind him. Her sweet giggle and the rhythmic pattern of her skipping brightened my mood almost immediately.  Sally was the most innocent out of everyone--- even me. And for the most part, the other pastas seemed to accept that. She happily made her way to the annoyed teen, hugging at his waist affectionately. BEN nearly froze in his tracks, grumbling in annoyance as he ripped her arms off of him. 

"No, Sally. BEN is a bit peeved right now." 

Sally frowned visibly and nearly nodded her tiny head, forest green hues glancing at my door. I opened up the door and smiled at her kindly, which seemed to make her happy enough. "BEN quit being a jerk. She just wanted to try and help."

He rolled his eyes yet again and huffed, seeming to not care about what my thoughts were. "Don't blame me, babe. I'm hungry and there's no dinner yet. I'm what the hell is that word-- hangry?"

I covered the young girl's ears and glared at him. "Oh? Aren't you like.. nineteen? Make your own food! Slenderman shouldn't be in charge of feeding you all the time!"

"I'm not allowed to touch kitchen appliances.. remember?" He said, holding up his left hand. A spark of electricity shot out quickly, causing the lights to flicker. 

I rolled my eyes yet again, slowly uncovering Sally's ears. "I'm sure you could control that if you tried. You also need to watch your language." 

"Since when were you my mother?" He retorted, pointing his jolting finger at me. I gripped Sally a bit tighter and gulped, hoping to not get shocked. He had immense power, and it was unfortunate that someone -- immature like BEN had gained such ability. 

As I scooped the young girl into my arms she hid her head into my shoulder, seeming to have been frightened at the males intimidating nature. I glared daggers to him, walking briskly past him and down the stairs. I could hear Sally blow raspberries at him, which to my surprise made me chuckle. 

"It's okay, love. He won't bother you anymore." I whispered to her, but she merely buried her face into my shirt. These boys weren't equipped to deal with a fragile girl like her, so, oftentimes she ends up crying over something. I was thankful to be around, at least for her. I walked towards the living room, where the other pastas seemed to have gathered. Jeff stood in the doorway, eyeing over the two of us.

"Ah-- is the little princess tired?" He asked, and, to my surprise, he wasn't being sarcastic. I furrowed my brows and shook my head. "No, she's being picked on by BEN." I muttered, peeking over my shoulder to see if the mischievous elf had been trailing behind. He didn't seem to have bothered following, thankfully. 

Jeff's indifferent expression quickly soured, now scowling. "Seriously? Doesn't that twerp have something better to do?"

"Guess not," I mutter, peeking down to make sure Sally wasn't beginning to tear up. She actually looked quite peaceful, and her chest rises and falls in a gentle rhythm. She had fallen asleep, in record time, too. 

Jeff seemed to look fondly over her, as though she were a reminder of something simpler- a happier time. "She's so small-" He said, reaching out and gently tussling her hair. I was so taken back at his tender actions, that I couldn't say anything at all. What the hell has gotten into him??

"Well... yes. And she's also incredibly fragile." I whispered, swatting his hand away. If he rubbed her head too hard he was going to stir her awake. And Sally was never in great spirits if woken from her naps. "You guys need to be careful with her. She isn't as.. as.. rigid as everyone else." 

"Rigid?" Jeff rumbled and chuckled hoarsely. "She's a ghost, did you forget that? She can't actually get hurt. But if you mean that she's sensitive... then yeah, no fucking duh." 

My face had become beet red, and the urge to slap him with my free hand was overwhelming.  

He smirks at me and rolls his eyes. "Relax, girly. I'm not going to upset her on purpose. She's like.. a.. sister to me.." 

His words trailed off, and the smirk on his face vanished as quickly as it came. Instead, he was back to his emotionless expression, staring right through the both of us. I felt an uncomfortable chill rush up my spine, and I wanted nothing more than to push more information out of him. But.. Sally really needed to be put in her bed. She was getting heavy to hold, and the other pastas loud swearing was going to wake her soon. 

"I'm going to bring her back upstairs, I didn't expect her to fall asleep so suddenly," I said, seeming to break him from his trance. He blinked and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. 

"Actually, I don't mind taking her. I wanted an excuse to go upstairs anyway."

I raised a brow once more, eyeing him skeptically. "Are you... sure? This is really out of character.. even for you." 

He rolled his eyes once more, opening up his arms to take the young girl from me. "I'm sure. Now hand her over." 

Though I was hesitant at first I found myself slowly coming forward, placing her into his arms. He cradled her tenderly as an older sibling would. "Just fill me in on what old faceless says, okay?" He said, before giving a slight smile. I nodded, still completely in awe of what just occurred.

I could only watch him disappear upstairs, the sweet little thing sleeping peacefully in his embrace. That... was.... very strange. 

I didn't have much time to ponder on it though, as the tall faceless being made his presence known. The pastas all stopped talking amongst themselves and turned to face him, leaving an eerie silence in the air. Slender cleared his throat, before promptly taking his place at the front of the room. 

'I'm aware you all were expecting a meal. But there is something that needs to be discussed before dinner commences." He 'spoke' solemnly, and the silence continued. No one had questions or complaints, not even BEN made a sound. He must have snuck in while Jeff went upstairs, which was smart on his part. 

'I'm sure you've heard the news... about that.. virus that has been spreading throughout the country.' He continued, slowly surveying the room as though expecting some sort of reaction. There was none. Just silence. This was the first time we've had a meeting without everyone speaking over each other. This must have been gravely serious. 

A hand suddenly shot into the air, and I peeked over to see it was none other than EJ. Ah, of course. He was usually always first to ask anything. 

"Are you talking about COVID-19?" He asked, expectantly. Slender nodded slowly, and his tendrils began to swish about. They usually only did that when he was in great amounts of distress. Uh oh. 

'Yes.. exactly right. But the condition of the country has gotten worse. The president has ordered a mandatory quarantine to try and help slow the spread. This means.. all regular civilians will be forced to stay in their homes until further notice. They'll only be allowed to go out for necessities.' 

Though the silence was still thick in the room, the mixed energy of excitement and unrest quickly overcame it. I could only think worriedly for my family, who were still out there, susceptible to getting sick. It had been six months since I'd last seen them, and I wondered if they had assumed the worst and lost hope in finding me. It killed me to think that way, but I had no way of contacting them here. I wasn't allowed to.. at least.. not yet.

"And why exactly does this concern us? Sounds like easy targets to me." BEN piped up, crossing his arms once more. Other pastas stated their agreement and wore some of the largest smirks I'd ever seen. Ah, of course. Since people were locked away in their houses and probably freaking out, killing them would be much easier! I was starting to catch their line of thinking. Soon the room was filled with laughter and jittery conversations, completely tuning the scared being out.

'Quiet! All of you! You aren't going to be leaving this house until the pandemic is over.."

The room fell silent almost immediately, the look of utter shock etched onto their faces. 

"What....?" BEN's face was deathly pale, perhaps even paler than Jeff's. "You can't be serious! You're fucking with us!"

Discourse came over the room once more, and it became starkly clear that it may turn to confused chaos. 

'Quiet down! You have to understand the risks involved in going out during a pandemic! What if one of you gets sick? I'm not allowing that disease to enter the mansion. Just because most of you aren't human, doesn't mean all of you aren't.' 

The shouts, groans, and swearing ceased. The room fell silent, and most of the seething glares were directed towards me. I was one of the few humans living here, so I was going to have to prepare for the tension coming my way. 

'The rules apply to everyone. There are absolutely no exceptions. And if I find that any of you have left the premises.. you will not be allowed to return until the pandemic ends. Don't test that theory.'

Slender then cleared his throat and excused himself from the room, leaving everyone to process the news further. I could feel the resentful glares get stronger and I quickly turned myself towards the stairs. Maybe I just wouldn't eat dinner tonight, I had a heavy lunch anyway. But just as I reached the first step I was stopped by someone grabbing onto my arm. 

"Where do you think you're going, little girl?" I heard a growl erupt from L.J's throat, followed by a fit of his eerie yet hysterical laughter. I could feel everyone's eyes on me and their desire to rip me to shreds became almost too overwhelming. 

"Oh, fuck off you clown!" BEN hollered, slapping his hand from my forearm. "I'm pissed too, believe me. But [name] isn't the only human here. Jeff and Jane are humans too, remember?" 

I was astounded that he was defending me, given how angry he looked. I was already shaking, strongly gripping onto the railing and quickly pulling myself from L.J's reach.

L.J growled and merely shook his head. "I'm aware. But she's the main reason... I know she is. Why don't we just throw her out?!" 

The pastas started to converse, as though considering his suggestion. Tim, he appeared out from the horde shook his head.

"We're not kicking her out, stop blaming your issues on her. You'll get to kill all the kiddies you want soon, just fucking relax!" 

I couldn't stand the atmosphere anymore, I looked back to them and gave a hesitant and wary grin. "I've got paperwork to do. If you have questions please feel free to stop by my office. I'm sorry this pandemic is going to make things difficult for you all."

I didn't think I'd make up the stairs with how fast I ran up them, but I ended up being fine. I headed straight for my office, keeping my head low in fears of any pastas appearing out of nowhere to try and scare me. Once I was inside I locked up the door, releasing a long sigh.

"What am I going to do now?!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Hey.. hey... get up!" 

I slowly came to consciousness and found I had fallen asleep at my desk, my head resting against a pile of reports that had to be filed. Thinking it was slender who had been trying to wake me I sat up abruptly, feeling dizziness quickly come over me. 

"eeerrg Ah ... I'm up sir... I-I'm sorry.." 

Once my vision cleared I saw that it was not slender, but Tim, who stood before me. He wore a smug smirk as he held out a glass plate, with what seemed to be tonight's dinner on it. I felt my cheeks heat up with blush and quickly looked away, rubbing the back of my head. Damn, I just called him sir. He's never going to let me live that down. 

"I noticed that you didn't come to eat. And I didn't want food so.. here." He placed the plate down onto the desk, crossing his arms as though unsure if his actions were warranted or not. "That's the only reason I came in here, don't read too much into it."

I smiled small, I mean, it was hard not to at such a cute sentiment. Regardless if he wanted to admit he was being nice or not. "Well, thank you. I app-" I came to the sudden realization that my door was now open, and I had remembered locking it before I fell asleep. "Wait just a minute---! How the hell did you get in here?!"

His face, which I didn't get to see fairly often, clearly darkened in color. His dark eyes shifted towards the door, and I followed his gaze. The bolt lock was now hanging from cedarwood, giving a pretty clear indication that he had broken it in order to get in. 

"Goddammit, Tim!" I screeched, slamming my head back down and not really wanting to lift it back up. 

"Look, I had no other way of getting in! Just be grateful I brought you fucking food!" He shouted back and looked equally irritated now. "Why did you even lock the damn thing?"

"Why do you think?" I asked, lifting my head to squint at him long, and hard. "If you don't remember, everyone wanted to rip me apart not even three hours ago." 

"You sure like to overexaggerate, huh?" He asked, chuckling a bit to himself. "Just quiet down and eat up, before BEN tries to take it." 

I picked up the fork and shoved a piece of the well-cooked meat into my mouth, quite pleased at the flavor. It was pretty warm still, too. Unless Tim had heated it up before bringing it to me. I gave him a smile, which seemed to make him tense some more. He looked away from me and at the now damaged door, rubbing the back of his head. 

"I'll uh.. I'll try and get someone to fix that." He muttered, before beginning to make his way out. As he stepped into the hall a yellow and green blur seemed to rush right past him, the gust of wind nearly causing him to fall over.

"What the hell?!" He yells, leaning back against the door frame. I put down my fork and peek out the doorway, spotting the familiar elf as he made his way up the steps. He barely acknowledged Tim's existence, and he looked like was in a hurry to get away from something. Or should I say, someone? 

"THAT ELF IS SO FUCKING DEAD!" I hear a voice boom from downstairs, followed by the hurried heavy footsteps up the stairs. The voice was deep and familiar, but I couldn't place it. As the stomping grew nearer Tim's face lit up in shock, stepping into the room cautiously. E.J was breathing heavily, mask ripped from his face. His black eyeless sockets were oozing with excess liquid, which meant he was furious. Tim wasn't kidding when he said that his face was utterly terrifying. He didn't stop to look at either of us, instead of taking the first step of the second staircase. Tim, perhaps against his better judgment, grabbed him by the shoulders and yanked him into the office.

"Let go of me! Or I'll kill you too!" He shouted, taking a few swings at his maskless face. Tim quickly let go and slammed the door shut, standing in front of it so he couldn't exit. 

"You can't kill him unless you give us the reason." He chided, smirking just a bit. E.J's gray complexion darkened in frustration, looking as though he were apart to rip the both of us to shreds.  

"He sold my medical equipment on FUCKING EBAY!" He roars as he swiftly threw his mask up onto my desk, his hands balled up into fists and shaking. I gulped and wondered if tomorrow I'd be needing to order a new desk. Or maybe I'd need a new office entirely.  

"Your medical equipment? I thought you and Dr.Smiley were sharing it?" I asked quietly, and his head snapped towards me at an inhuman speed. "We WERE! until that little fucking twerp SOLD OUR SHIT!" 

"Well, I can't say this isn't the first time BEN has sold someone's stuff," I say, glancing to the large filing cabinet in the corner of the room. It was filled with complaint files. And many of them had BEN's name scribbled all over it. "Guess you'll have to file a complaint file." 

"A complaint? Are you fucking serious?" He spat, growing more and more agitated. "What the hell is that going to do? It's not going to get my shit back." 

I gulped yet again and nervously shuffled behind my desk, pulling out the first drawer. The was a pile of blank complaint forms and pulled them out, placing them down in front of me. "I'm sorry. It's a process that Slender is having me complete. It's merely protocol." 

"I don't get it." Tim chimed in, staying glued to the door. "What does he even do with them? I've never actually seen anyone get chewed out about it." 

"I don't know. But I'm just following orders. And if you can list everything that was sold I can do my best on replacing it." 

E.J's mood seemed to change almost instantly. He unclenched his fists and gripped my shoulders. "Seriously? That would save me so much shit! Smiley was probably going to try and kill me after BEN." 

I nodded and smiled softly, relieved that he wasn't going to tear apart the office.  "It doesn't make sure for you both to share medical equipment. I'll get two sets so nothing this serious happens again." 

He seemed pleased with my efforts and let go of me, glancing at his mask on his desk. He picks it up and places it back over his face, looking to Tim. "Can I go now?" 

"You have to fill out the form first, please," I said, sliding it to him. He picks up the pen and scribbles away. Once he was done he set the pencil down and handed it to me, seeming to be in good enough spirits. "There. Though these seem pretty useless." 

Tim moves away from the door, allowing the cannibal to pass by. Once he was gone and down the hall, I let out my sigh of relief. Great work, [Name]! Another crisis averted! 

I picked up the file and approached the filing cabinet, nearly chuckling to myself. It was astonishing just how many complaints BEN had. I pulled out the third drawer and opened his file, shoving it in. Tim watched intently and smirked. "Do I got any in there?" 

"Oh, you have a few. Everyone does. But BEN has the most. The runner-up to him is... Jeff." I mutter, pulling out the first drawer, which was almost overflowing with complaints. He busted out in laughter, holding his side. It wasn't all that funny to me, perhaps because I was the one who had to file every single one of them. 

"I'm sorry. It's just so fucking funny!" He said, wiping his eyes. Once he was calmed down he looked to his watch, perking up in alert. "Shit! I'm late. Brian probably started without me." 

I turned to him, leaning against the filing cabinet.

"Oh? Did you two have a hot date planned tonight?" I chided, smirking at him. 

"Oh fuck no!" He shouted, cheeks darkening in color. "W-why the hell would you say that?" 

Now it was my turn to laugh. I knew he and Hoddie were only friends, but it was fun to see him get flustered at times. He glared at me and I quickly stopped laughing. His stone-cold stare was almost more terrifying than E.J's. "I was only kidding. I know you don't like him like that." 

"The point is, I'm asking you to come with me," Tim muttered, looking away from me. "If you aren't too busy, anyway. I don't think Brian would care very much."

I felt my cheeks darken in color, and I couldn't help but grin just a bit. "Hm, are you asking me on a date?" 

His face was only getting redder and redder, clearly getting agitated at that fact. "It's not much of a date if there's a whole other person there, [Name]." 

I giggled and nodded, wanting to enjoy this moment while it lasted. I've never this side of him before. I didn't even think a softer side of him existed. "I'm not tied down by anything else tonight. So.. yeah. What are you guys doing?"

"Watching horror flicks. We do it every Friday." He replied, crossing his arms. "It's not like there's anything else to do around here anyway."

I nodded, smiling softly. I was a big horror movie fan so that sounded right up my alley. I locked up my drawers and put anyway any loose papers. Once everything was settled I walked to him and opened the door. "Well, let's get going then. Before Brian thinks you aren't coming." 

I closed the door after him, only to remember that I couldn't lock it. Ah, what was I going to do with him? 

I felt a sudden warmth overtake my hand, and I looked to see that Tim had grabbed my hand. "Don't get the wrong idea. You just don't know where my room is."

I smiled again and giggled. "I don't mind, either way, Tim. If you want to hold my hand, you're allowed to."

His cheeks darkened again and coughed awkwardly, not responding, and instead began yanking me down the hall.

I wasn't exactly sure what was happening anymore. But I did know one thing. Something I was still finding hard to believe. I was falling for Tim. And I wasn't as hesitant about it as I imagined.

What is happening to me?