Chapter Text
One of the things Sin enjoyed about her life was the quiet. With nobody else around, she could do what she wanted whenever she wanted. Nobody to cook, clean and work for but herself, and nobody to bug her about doing those things. Nobody to fight over the tv remote, or for use of the bathroom or washing machine. Going to sleep when she wanted, usually at 3 in the morning or later if she found a particularly good fic.
She kind of hated it.
Well, she hadn’t hated it in the beginning. In the beginning, she’d been relieved to finally have a place of her own, one that she could afford and keep up on the rent for. Commissions were fairly regular and savings were building unsteadily, plus she’d gotten part time jobs for baby/pet/house-sitting. What spare time she’d gained was spent looking for ways to shop efficiently.
That had been two years ago and since then she’d… stagnated. Her apartment was still sparse, only holding what she really needed, plus the occasional gift. The only things that had really changed were the new laptop and slightly bigger tv, plus a few small games and books, and some nicer clothes. And the dust, dishes and clothes on nearly every available surface.
Ugh.
It was raining heavily at 11am one morning when she sighed for the fifth time that hour, trying to decide on some activity that would kill some restless energy without having to do anything. She’d finally just curled up in her armchair and cracked open a half-read book when there was a timid knock at the front door.
She looked up and blinked, cautiously setting the book down on her side table and getting up. Only one person ever visited her without warning, but he should have been at work…
“Heeeyyyy, Sin! My best friend, my girl, mi amigo, can I talk to you, ask a favour, pull your leg for something?” he babbled, smile tight and shoulders tense as he stared unerringly at her.
Evidently, he was playing hooky.
She frowned and glanced over him. His usual curly hair was curlier and dripping onto the shoulders of his soaked pink button-up shirt while his bundled jacket was held oddly protectively against his chest. Like it was holding something.
“Why are you wet?” she asked instead of answering, raising a brow at the jacket meaningfully.
“Because I walked here in the rain,” his smiled twitched, genuine for a brief moment, “See, it’s this amazing phenomenon where water falls from the sky-”
“Fuck off, Freddo,” she huffed, rolling her eyes as she crossed her arms and leaned a hip against the door frame. “I meant why aren’t you wearing it. Give me a straight answer, or hop off . Anyway, shouldn't you be at work?”
He balanced the bundle in one arm and held the other hand against his chest in mock offence, mouth open in a wide ‘O’ with a loud huff, before his expression fell and he told her seriously, “You have to let me in before I tell you.”
The bundle wriggled and coughed as if to further push his point.
Sin’s brows rose as her eyes snapped to it, then up at her friend. A smug smile played about his mouth through his surprise and tenseness, challenging her curiosity. They stood at the door for what seemed a long few minutes until she sighed and walked inside, leaving the door open for him.
“Fine, I’ll make some tea.”
Freddie sighed, shoulders slumping in relief and the warmth as he closed the door after himself.
-;-;-
Sin stood in front of the second armchair, holding a tray with two mugs and a plate of biscuits and staring at the towel covered creature bemoaning his hair as he dried it. Or rather, at the small shivering skeleton with deep-set eyes, a bandage around its head, and wearing clothes probably bought from the kid's section, sitting tensely in his lap as it looked around the apartment and avoided her gaze.
“Freddie,” Sin said quietly.
“Hm?”
“Um?” He let the towel fall around his shoulders and looked up at her pointing at his lap.
“Oh yeah, do you have any hot chocolate? He loves it,” he motioned to the skeleton, who… blushed? Then it - he - leaned sideways against him, curling in on himself a little. Freddie must have assumed her vague non-verbal question about where this tiny creature came from was actually asking what he wanted to drink.
“... Uh, yeah. One sec,” she muttered and put the tray down on the side table after casually throwing the book down in her chair. It was only as she was finding a cup that she thought to ask.
“Hey, what size cup?”
“What?” Freddie called loudly.
“Dude, I’m right here,” she grumbled. The kitchenette was only cornered off in the living room with half walls to separate them, it was right beside the front door and she could see them from where she stood. “You don’t have to shout. What size cup?”
He snorted, “Hey, do you have a Double Damn or- wait that doesn’t make sense, hold on..”
“Freddie-” she groaned.
“Ok ok, don’t hurt me! Not a big one. He loves it, but he tends to leave some because he doesn’t have the stomach for it, y'know?”
Her immediate thought was ‘that’s what she said’. She resisted the urge to slap her forehead and pulled down the smallest cup she had instead.
A minute later she walked back in and glanced between them, pursing her lips. “I’ll uh, leave it on the tray for a bit. It’s still hot,” she said, slowly taking her cup and replaced it with with the small one, shoved the book in between the cushion and the arm of the chair, and sat carefully to avoid spillage.
“Thanks Sin, you’re the best,” Freddie grinned up at her cheekily. He’d wrapped the second towel around the skeleton and was carefully drying him and wrapping him up in it. “I didn’t expect it to rain, so uh, sorry for dripping all over your place.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Sin hummed, folding her legs under herself and watching them. It was quiet for a few minutes, the rain hitting the outside of the window and the sipping of tea were the only noises, with the occasional squeak or grumble from the skeleton as he tried to keep still. Sometimes he’d huff or shift to get Freddie to stop, only for him to gently pull him back into place. It was cute, in a way, kind of like a small kid and his dad.
“So, uh,” Sin muttered, as Freddie finished up and looked at her. The skeleton still kept his eyes averted. “What’s the story? You skiving?” She raised a brow at him. “For another stray?”
“I’ve got the morning off today,” Freddie tucked the towel more securely, paused and took a sip of his tea while fidgeting and shifting. “The short version is... yes.”
He looked at her over the rim of his cup. “His name is Brassberry, or Brassy for short, and I know what you’re gonna say but I’m gonna help him. You know bittybones are.. technically classified as pets, but they’re sentient and intelligent and nowhere in the rules does it say they’re not allowed in an apartment! This isn’t gonna be like the other times,” he insisted. “I swear-”
“You mean you’re not gonna try and keep him, only to be forced to send him away to a shelter when it turns out, again, you don’t have the time, or space, or ability to look after him-”
“Yes alright, that,” he huffed, “I get it. That’s why I’m… asking for your help, this time.” He actually deflated as he said this, pouting. Sin’s eyes slowly narrowed into slits.
“You have lots of rich friends who could take him, basically pamper him so he won’t want for anything.” She glanced down at the - at Brassberry again to see his eyes dart away as he noticed her looking and buried his face in Freddie’s still wet shirt, only to jerk back with a grimace and wipe his face with the towel. “Why are you asking me?”
Freddie opened his mouth to retort, only to exhale in a loud huff, and closed it for a minute. “Because,” he drawled, coming up with something, “I know even if he gets whatever he wants, they won’t give him as much attention as you will,” he finished hopefully, half pleading and held her eyes.
Sin just frowned at him.
“He’s the kind of bitty that needs a lot of attention, both physical and emotional,” he started again, “And his bandage needs to be cleaned and changed every day, plus there’s his diet too. Nobody else I know would remember to do all those things!” he shrugged, raising his free hand with his fingers spread. “I know you will, because-”
“Because I have nothing else to do?” Sin deadpanned, expression hard.
“No! Well, that helps..” he winced, running a hand through his drying curls and scratching the nape of his neck, “I mean, no, it’s because you already have experience, and you’re compassionate, plus you- well, you kinda need someone to look after. It’ll give you something to do with your days.” He shrugged, looking like he already regret his words.
She said nothing, brows low and eyes dark. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Brassberry wriggling his arms out of the towel and going to reach for the tray slowly, probably to avoid catching their attention. She watched him for a moment before leaning over and passing him the now lukewarm cup, only for him to freeze and stare wide-eyed at her. Freddie took it from her instead and she sat back down, watching him nudge the skeleton back into place and brace the cup in his hands.
His… tiny little skeletons hands. With small fingers and cute little joints. Her own hands twitched with the urge to hold them and run her thumb over his little palms...
Brass swallowed and took the cup, still glancing at her, before he leaned back against Freddie again and once again recoiled from his shirt, breaking her out of her thoughts.
“Why haven’t you taken that off yet?” Sin’s face scrunched up and she placed her cup on the tray to stand and walked to a door off to one side, “Hold on, I think I have a couple shirts you’ve left here before.”
“You do?”
“Yeah, you’re a slob.”
“You’re one to talk,” he laughed, and she knew even without seeing him that he was looking around at the apartment.
“‘Least I don’t leave my clothes about outside my living area.”
“I don’t do that! Only at your place, because I love you soooo muuucch,”
“Do you tell your mother that too? Has she stopped trying to set you up with people by the way?”
“Aww, no fair bringing her into this…” He made a face, and Sin snorted as she came back with a clean shirt. “Heyyy, you washed it!”
“Nah, just folded it. It was already clean when you left it here.”
“Ah,” Freddie shrugged the wet one off after adjusting Brassberry comfortably in his lap so he wouldn’t fall, towelled himself off properly and pulled the new one on without another thought. Brass raised his brows, somehow, and looked between them as Sin sat back down. Neither said anything about it, so he seemed to keep whatever thoughts he had to himself.
“Let’s say I did take him,” Sin leaned back in her seat and rested her head in her hand, “What do I get for it? I mean, you know how I feel about kids, and if he’s as you say, then...”
“I mean, yeah, but he’s also not like a kid.” Freddie watched her reaction as he buttoned his dry shirt, but she only looked blankly back at him. “Well, how much do you know? About bitties in general?”
“I read into them when they were introduced, but none of the sites mentioned…” Sin shrugged, nodding at Brassberry.
“Right, so. They’re all different. Even between all the same uh, types, they have their own personalities and preferences. Brassberrys are a newer type, but most of them are mature and can be taught whatever. It’s… well, it’s kind of difficult to explain,” he muttered, glancing down. Brass was taking little sips and swirling the chocolate drink about, but they didn’t know how much he was listening.
“Right. So, what’s your point,” Sin tilted her head at him.
“Point is, uh, he’s not a kid. If you ask him to give you some time to work, he will. Give him something to do and he’ll do it, if he wants to, and if not give him something else. He likes video games-” Freddie leaned back and pulled a piece of paper out of his jeans pocket that was slightly wet around the edges, “-and he likes horror movies and stories and stuff, but don’t uh, don’t show him too many he’ll get nightmares.”
That was met with sullen grumbling from his lap, proving the bitty clearly was listening. “Chocolate and sweet stuff is great, and letting him bake is a bonus, and give him a sketchbook and art supplies and he’ll happily draw for hours. Pretty much whatever you like really.”
Sin had raised her brows, and interrupted him before he went on further like he was about to. “Sounds like you know him pretty well already, but, if he’ll give you room to work, why do you want to leave him with me?”
“I… I’m not leaving him," he started. "I just need you to watch him for me while I can’t.” He put the list on the tray and tucked the towel around Brass again. “I made a previous engagement and can’t bring him with me. It’ll take a couple weeks, and I don’t wanna leave him alone.”
“Previous engagement?” She narrowed her eyes. “For two weeks?”
“Yeah.”
“Oh.”
She didn't know what else to say.
“I’ll pay you.”
“... Wow.”
“Just for... food and clothes and whatever you buy for him, and gas money,” he said, getting desperate. “I know I made it seem like, I don’t know, like I was messing around earlier, but… You really are the only one I trust with him. I’ve thought about this for like a month,” he stressed, leaning toward her.
Brass hunched up as Freddie started pushing into his space and grabbed a handful of his shirt to avoid falling off, surprisingly making Freddie lean back and look down at him with concern. He muttered a quiet apology and nudged his nasal bone with a gentle tip of his index finger as he asked if he bothered him. Sin watched quietly as Brass hid an embarrassed grin and shook his head, burying his face happily in Freddie’s side again as Freddie took his cup and set it down.
Even with the stray animals he’d often brought off the streets Freddie was soft and loving, she mused, but this was different somehow. It wasn’t that Freddie hadn’t cared for the animals, far from it. She’d seen him holding back tears occasionally when the time came to leave them, but this… this looked like it would physically hurt him to let him go.
“Oh my god,” she groaned under her breath and tensed as the other two looked up at her. “Fine, I’ll take him in - But!” She held up a finger just as he beamed at her and opened his mouth, “Er- you have to..” she looked around, struggling for ideas, “give me ahh, a list of everything he needs and likes and, uh-”
“I’ll tell you everything you need to know!”
He beamed back at her and brought the bitty up to his chest to hug him, whispering something while Brass wrapped his arms around Freddie's shoulders to hold on.
Sin huffed, shoulders falling and looking at them both with a pout. She’d never been able to say no to him for long anyway.