Hey guys! New chapter again, yay! *totally not playing Mystic Messenger because I'm just that gay*

ANYWAY, I hope you enjoy this! Make sure to leave a review if you can, they always help!

And, for the third or fourth time already, thanks to a special friend of mine for helping me get my ass in gear ^^

Eli started to wake up, then groaned quietly and rolled over. He could hear talking, and for some reason it annoyed him to no end as he slowly began making out what they were saying.

"Maybe we could just go without him?"

"No way. I'm not gonna let him sleep until noon. Which it nearly is."

"It's just ten o'clock, Freddy." Eli slowly opened his eyes and waited for the blur in his eyes to fade before he rolled back over to see Freddy and Brandon standing at the door.

"I'm awake..." Eli grumbled, his eyes slowly closing again.

"Eli?" Brandon asked. Eli's eyes popped open again.

"Yeah?" He slowly sat up, rubbing his eyes. "Is it time to go buying stuff already?" Freddy frowned.

"Already? Eli, it's ten in the morning." Eli brightened a bit, smiling.

"Really? That's a new record! I usually wake up after twelve!" He yawned and stood up. "I'm gonna take a shower first..." He grabbed his second outfit and walked into the bathroom.

...

Brandon watched Eli until the teen closed the bathroom door, then he turned to Freddy. "So, do you wanna go alone with him or should I come with you two?" Freddy rolled his eyes.

"What'll he do if you don't come with us, shoplift an HDTV?" The older man asked. Brandon glared.

"Very funny. You should be a comedian." He retorted sarcastically, making Freddy laugh. "I'm just worried about him. I get the feeling that he hates crowds." Freddy stopped laughing, but his grin remained, a bit bigger.

"Aww, you already care about him~!" He teased. Brandon's face flushed red.

"So do you, shut up!" He almost yelled.

...

About half an hour later, Eli's staring out the window of Freddy's car as they head to town. The silence was a little awkward, but not uncomfortable. After a minute, Freddy speaks.

"Are you sure you want to go?" Eli snorted.

"A little late to ask now, don't you think?"

"I meant inside the store, smartass." Freddy elaborated. Despite the insult, he was smiling. "I like the attitude, though. But if you want, what I meanst is that you can stay in the car while I go inside and buy you what you need." Eli sighed and shook his head, eyeing all of the buildings they pass from houses to restaurants to stores.

"There wouldn't be much of a point to bringing me here if I didn't go in with you..." Eli said, his voice almost inaudible. Freddy nodded as he parked as close as he could get to the Wal*Mart and turned the car off. He didn't get out right away, his gaze on Eli. To the teen, it felt like Freddy was scrutinizing him, and it made him feel uneasy. He began to fidget a bit and stared down at his lap, trying not to think about it. But oh God, he could feel Freddy's gaze on him, and his face began to flush in embarrassment before-

"Are you okay, Eli?" Freddy asked softly. Eli slowly nodded, his blush disappearing slowly.

"Y-Yeah...I'm fine." He forced a smile and looked at Freddy. "Don't worry about me. You already do enough for me." He opened the door and got out of the car. Freddy hesitated. Already do enough? He shook his head and got out too, locking the car door and walking into the store with Eli.

...

Brandon was staring at his phone as he laid on his bed, one arm crossed behind his head. After a minute, he texted Freddy. Hey, how's he doing? He sighed and dropped the phone by him and stared at the ceiling. He didn't know why, but he was really worried for Eli. It was odd to him, since they'd only met yesterday. He'd talk to the others about it, but he knew one of them would say he had a crush on Eli. Just imagining the look on Felix's face made Brandon clench his fists.

Sometimes, he really hated his brother. Felix constantly teased and embarrassed him, just for kicks. Sure, it was often something Brandon would have laughed at...if it wasn't in front of the rest of the family. And it got worse when they started embarrassing him in front of Eli.

Eli. Brandon loved that name. Well, he liked Eli too. Without realizing it, his mouth broke out into a grin.

...

Freddy felt his phone vibrate in his pocket and pulled it out, looking down at it. A message from Brandon.

Hey, how's he doing? Freddy chuckled, considering teasing his little brother before deciding against it.

Good, we just walked into the store. I'll tell him you said hey :) He put his phone back in his pocket and looked around. Eli wasn't there. He swore under his breath and looked around.

...

Eli hadn't noticed that Freddy had stopped. He was headed to a part of the store that was under a hanging sign labeled Books. He began walking down the aisle, tilting his head to the side to read the spines. He didn't know someone else was walking the opposite way until he bumped into them. He straightened and looked at who it was.

The boy in front of him looked a bit similar to Brandon. But this guy was paler, with emerald green eyes and...turquoise hair. What is it with guys in this town and weird hair colors? Eli decided it would be better not to voice this question, and instead he lowered his gaze to the floor.

"Sorry..." He muttered his apology quickly and began to walk around the boy.

"Are you Eli? The Fazbear's new kid?" The boy asked from behind him. His voice was a bit lighter than Brandon's, but about the same pitch. Okay, this shit's getting into the Uncanny Valley... Eli nodded without speaking, then turned.

"How did you know?" He asked, the corners of his mouth dipping down just slightly. The boy, by contrast, is showing a faint trace of a smile.

"Word gets around fast. Freddy and Goldie are, uh...pretty famous for their blended family. Charlotte and Brandon are both adopted too." Eli tried-and failed-to hide his surprise. "I know, right? They look like they're blood-related. Anyway..." The boy held his hand out. "I'm Ryder." Eli stared down at his hand for a few seconds before shaking it without conviction. "It's good to meet you. If you see me at school Monday, just ask and I'll help with whatever you need." Eli nodded.

"Thanks..." He mumbled, eyes averting to the bookshelf. Ryder smiled and pulled one out, handing it to Eli. Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children. Eli looked up at Ryder, staring. Ryder smiled and walked away.

"There you are!" Freddy's voice boomed from behind him, and a large hand gripped his arm. Eli pun around, wide eyed, and tried to yank his arm away to no avail. "Why'd you run off?" The man asked with a worried frown. Eli didn't speak, staring at Freddy's hand on his arm.

"...let go." Eli said quietly. Freddy paused for a moment, then released him.

"...I'm sorry. You just worried me." Freddy looked down at the book Eli was holding. "Do you want that?" Eli blinked and looked down.

"N-No, that's okay." Eli put the book back quickly. "Did you find what you needed?" Freddy nodded with a kind smile.

"Yeah, I think so. Go ahead and wait for me by the exit, okay?" Eli nodded, turning and walking away. Freddy made sure that Eli couldn't see him, then takes the book and puts it in the cart he was using.

...

Eli tended not to expect things to happen when he was busy, or had his mind set on something. Almost as if he believed that the world stopped turning until he could pay attention to it.

So he didn't really process when someone called out his name, nor did he stop until he got to the exit. He then turned to see an older man, maybe in his fifties, approaching quickly. He was a little overweight was Eli's first observation, the second being that the man was wearing a work uniform. Eli watched him come over silently.

"Can I help you with something, sir?" Eli asked, frowning a bit. The man's face is dead serious, and his voice harsh.

"I saw you with that book. I checked the aisle afterwards and it wasn't there anymore." He said. Eli squinted a bit, wondering what that had to do with anything. Then it dawned on him.

"...you think I shoplifted a book." His tone was flat, and he made sure it was very clear in his voice just how stupid he thought the man was. Apparently it worked pretty well, because the man's face was beginning to redden.

"If you didn't do it, then you won't mind letting me make sure." Eli made a face.

"And where would I hide it?" He asked. "Down my pants? Up my shirt?" He would scold himself later for letting this last comment slip, but at the time he couldn't help it. "Maybe you lost it in your fat folds." It was, undeniably, funny to see how furious the man was becoming.

"I bought it for him, sir." Both Eli and the man turned, surprised, to Freddy, who had somehow walked up to them without them noticing. He's smiling tightly, his eyes hard and his voice strained. "He didn't steal anything." The man looked confused for a moment, then his eyes widened a bit.

"Oh...OH! This must be Eli, then! I'm sorry, Mr Fazbear." Eli found it a little...unsettling that this man seemed so wary of Freddy. This feeling wasn't helped when Freddy's eyes seemed to darken, and the smile dropped a bit.

"Apologise to Eli, not me." He seemed to be barely holding onto his obvious anger. The man looked at Eli and quickly apologised, but that wasn't good enough for Freddy. "Eli, do me a favor buddy?" Eli was about to protest both the pet name and doing the favor, but common sense kicked in quickly and he nodded. "The cart's by the register. I've already paid. Be a sport and take it to the car? I'll be there in a minute." Okay, now he was being talked to like a little kid. This would've bugged him if he didn't have an odd feeling in his gut that nothing good would happen if he refused.

...

Freddy waited until he was sure Eli couldn't hear before speaking. "Sir, I'd like to make something perfectly clear." He said as calmly as he could. His vision was starting to go dark. "If you or anyone else ever pulls shit like that on him again, there will be Hell to pay, do you hear me?" The man nodded, and Freddy couldn't refrain himself from doing what he did next. He pushed the man against the wall, his vision almost pinpricks now. "Just to make sure you understand. Don't you dare harass him like that again or you answer to me."

...

Eli was waiting by the car, pushing the cart back and forth a bit to occupy himself. He looked up when he heard footsteps and saw Freddy walking over. He looked...off. His expression was stony, his movements stiff as he unlocked the trunk of the car and put everything in the back.

"I'll put the cart aw-" Freddy took it before he could finish.

"I've got it. Get in the car, we're going home." Freddy's voice was quiet. Eli immediately got in, buckling the seatbelt. His hands were shaking. He hadn't been this scared of someone in a long time. As soon as Freddy got back in the car and started it, Eli looked at him.

"Are you okay...?" He asked hesitantly, almost fearing the answer. Freddy looked back at him. A few seconds passed silently before he smiled.

"I'm fine, buddy. Thanks." He messed up Eli's hair, his smile growing when Eli groaned in irritation and fixed it. Although the atmosphere was lighter now, Eli felt uneasy.

What exactly was it about Freddy that made that man scared of him? Had he seen Freddy lose his temper before?

And the biggest question of all...

What exactly did Freddy do when he lost his temper?

Couldn't NOT bring back Freddy's dangerously short fuse XD I hope this doubly long chapter makes up for my long absences!