I have a new upload! I hope you enjoy.
Warning: You will feel intense emotions in this chapter unless you're a robot.
"Would you like more tea, Mr. Snuffles?"
The giant stuffed teddy bear stared at Molly with a vacant expression. He didn't talk to her like Lucia did, but Molly still enjoyed his company all the same.
Lucia hadn't joined her tea party today. She was currently hiding under the bed where she couldn't hurt Molly anymore.
Her favourite cabbage patch doll was not being very nice to her lately. She kept telling Molly that monsters were coming for her, and that her new best friend Nny was going to hurt her, too. Lucia told her that her parents didn't love her either and that they would leave her. Despite how much Molly loved the doll, Lucia made her feel lonely.
Molly was not lonely. She had her parents, and now she had Nny. She knew Nny wouldn't hurt her. He had helped her the other day when he'd cleaned up her knee; he may be a little scary and weird at times, but she trusted him.
He was her new friend now, despite the fact that he had cooties...
Sometimes, she heard strange noises coming from his house at night, and it sounded like someone was hurt.
Did Nny hurt them?
Other times, she heard him yelling and laughing to himself, and it made Molly's heart tremble.
He always frightened her when he cackled like that, but she knew he couldn't help it. Some people just never recovered from cooties, no matter how many shots they had.
There came a thin rap at her window, and she spun around, smiling broadly when she saw who was on the other side.
"NNY!"
He smiled, raising his hand in a wave. "Molly!"
She waved back, and even though he may be scary at times, she was still happy to see him.
He pressed a finger to the glass. "You going to let me in?"
"Sure!"
Molly ran to the window to open the latch, and the tall, skinny man with the funny, stripy shirt stepped inside. He looked like an oversized bumblebee.
She hadn't told her parents yet about her night-time visitor. He came around mostly at night, especially when the stars were out.
It was another clear night tonight, and now they could see the whole Milky Way. Well, they could, if they didn't live in the big city.
Nny pointed at her tea table. "Ooh, I didn't know you were inviting friends over?"
Molly turned back to the table. Mr. Snuffles still wouldn't talk, but Mrs. Hooftington was as alert as ever. She moved back and forth on her rocker, a wide grin on her horse face.
"Oh, of course. Mr. Snuffles, Mrs. Hoofington, this is my friend, Johnny. He lives next door."
Nny offered a bow to the bear and the rocking horse. "Why, hello, Mr. Snuffles, Mrs, Hoofington. As Molly just informed you, I am Johnny, but please call me NNY..."
The bear and the rocking horse didn't reply, yet Nny surprised Molly next when he chuckled, answering a question that Mr. Snuffles just asked.
"Thank you. I got them in a clearance sale. Pretty neat, huh?
Molly glanced back and forth between Nny and Mr. Snuffles. "Wait... did he just talk to you?"
Nny looked down at her, raising an eyebrow. "Of course he did. Did you not hear him? He said he liked my boots. Such a nice bear."
Molly smiled. "Well, I'm glad you're both getting along. Come on, you can join us!"
She grabbed Nny's arm and dragged him to the spare seat. He stopped, scratching his shaved head. "I don't know... I don't want to intrude. You look like you're all having such a good time. I'd hate to put a damper on your tea party."
Molly giggled. "Don't be silly. You're always welcome here, NNY. Now sit and let me pour you some tea."
Nny settled himself down into a seat beside Mr. Snuffles, trying to adjust his long legs. The chair and table were a little too small for him, but he managed just fine in the end.
Molly poured him some tea into a cup, and when she was finished, he picked it up and stared. "Ooh, china. How fancy."
She grinned. "Yeah! My Mommy bought it for me!"
He blinked. "That was nice of her..."
"Now go on, drink! It's Earl Grey, just like they drink in England!"
Nny's eyes bugged, and just when Molly thought they couldn't look bigger. "Oh, fuc— fudge. It seems I really am a little underdressed. An English tea party? I'm so out of my depth."
"No, you're not. You're dressed lovely, Nny. Now go on, drink your tea."
He gazed down at the cup questioningly. There wasn't really tea in there—Molly just liked to pretend— but the strange man still brought it to his lips and sipped as if the cup was full.
When he was finished, he clicked his tongue, testing out the flavour. Then a smile spread across his face. "Delicious. May I have some more?"
"Sure you can!"
So Molly poured him more tea, and now all four of them sat at the table in silence, enjoying their Earl Grey. They even had scones too, and their tea party really was fit for royalty.
Time passed on the clock. Not that Molly could read the time yet, but she saw that the little hand was on the nine. It was way past her bedtime, but it was a Saturday, and her parents let her stay up later.
Soon they would come up and tuck her in, but she didn't want Nny to go. She didn't know why, but she got the sense he was very sad tonight. He kept gazing into his empty cup, and Molly wondered if he needed more tea.
"Here, have some more, NNY."
"Thank you, Molly. You're a good friend."
He sipped at the cup again, but the troubled look wouldn't leave his face. Molly peered down into her own cup, wishing she knew what to say to make him feel better.
She wasn't a grown-up after all, and grown-ups always knew the right thing to say. But she would still try.
"NNY? Are you feeling okay?"
Startled, he glanced up, almost looking as if he forgot where he was. Then his features settled back into place as he set his cup down, wrapping his arms around his knees.
"Yeah, I'm fine... Why do you ask?"
"It's just... you seem very sad. Do you like being here? Am I making you sad, NNY?"
His eyes expanded, and he almost looked furious at her words. Now Molly worried that she'd made him angry. She didn't want him to be angry at her.
"Of course not, Molly. You could never make me sad."
Molly grinned. "I'm glad. I like you, NNY, and I want you to be happy all the time. You're... my only friend in the whole world..."
She gazed down into her empty cup, the imaginary taste of Earl Grey a distant memory now. It was true. Since moving away, Molly hadn't made any new friends. School was yet to start, and Molly would soon enter the first grade. Her Mommy assured her that she would make lots of new friends once school started, but Molly was still worried.
What if the kids at her new school didn't like her? What if they were mean to her?
She felt those sad eyes on her next, then looked back up at Nny. Once again, he seemed unhappy, and had Molly made him sad again?
After a while, he breathed a long, heavy sigh, producing a tight smile. "Yeah... you too, Molly. I... don't have many friends either. You're the only one I got."
The clock ticked on the wall as silence passed between them again. Molly returned his feeble smile, patting his arm.
"I'm so happy you're my friend, NNY. Now I don't have to worry about being lonely anymore. Neither of us has to worry about being lonely anymore..."
Despite the sadness shining inside his eyes, Nny's smile stretched, and now he regarded her gratefully. "Thank you, Molly."
"For what?"
"Being the first, genuine person I have met in a long while. People have not been kind to me."
Molly frowned, putting the pieces together inside her young mind. She recalled what Lucia told her about Nny—that he would hurt her and take her away from her parents. Then there were all the screams that came from his house, the ones that unsettled her right down to the bone.
"NNY? Can I ask you something?"
"Sure, go ahead."
She drew in a breath, her heart hammering against her chest. What if she made him mad again? She didn't want him to be mad at her.
"Do... do you hurt people?"
Silence stole over the strange man, the one sitting on the small chair beside her. Well, small for him. Molly fit on the chair perfectly.
Shadows settled over his face as he closed his eyes, his entire body shaking. He no longer wrapped his arms around his legs. Instead, he gripped the sides of the chair, his knuckles as white as snow.
The instinct to run took a hold of Molly instantly, but she stayed put, not wanting to leave her friend. "N-NNY? What's wrong? Say something..."
His fingers flinched, and he squeezed his eyes, looking as if he was holding in a really big poop. Did he need the toilet? Should she let him use their bathroom?
Finally, he opened his eyes, but he didn't look at her this time. Instead, he glared at the wall, staring at something Molly couldn't see.
"Would... would you think less of me if my answer were "Yes"?"
Molly watched him speechless, noticing that scary way he glared at her wall, as if something would crawl out of it and eat him.
Oh no, had she made him mad? Would he hurt her after all, like Lucia warned?
He bowed his head. "Your silence is deafening, yet... despite your lack of a sufficient answer, it tells me everything. I'm... I'm sorry, Molly. I won't bother you anymore."
Nny got up, making a move for the window. Molly stared after him, wobbling her lip. Was he leaving?
"You deserve a better friend than me. So, forget all about me, Molly, and move on. In return, I will obliterate all feeling I ever had for you. That way I can ensure I won't—"
Molly rushed over before he reached the window, throwing her arms around him again like the time he fixed her knee, except this time she held on for dear life. Nny gasped, looking down at her surprised.
"What are you—?"
"Don't go."
He breathed heavily next, yet Molly didn't dare look up. She was afraid of what kind of face he would make. Would he look angry or sad, or both? You can feel two emotions at once.
"Molly, are you insane? Let go, I'm dangerous!"
"I don't care. You're my friend, and I won't let you go. Please don't leave, NNY..."
She sobbed into his shirt, making him visibly flinch, and she may as well have just punched him in the chest. Was her crying hurting him?
He was silent all over again, calming his rapid breaths. Then when they finally died down, he cleared his throat, and said, "You really are an idiot. You'll only get yourself hurt by trusting me. You have no idea what I have done..."
Molly shook her head. "I... I still don't care, NNY. You're my friend, and I want you around all the time. I no longer feel so sad when you're here. So please... stay..."
Nny was shaking now, and she shook right along with him. His body may as well be made of jelly.
She went on. "Besides... I know you would never hurt me because... you like me too."
He didn't say anything at that. He kept his shoulders hunched as he avoided looking at her. He still had that pained expression on his face.
Molly sighed, burying her face into his shirt again. She was getting it all wet with her tears. "Even if you do leave, NNY, I will never forget you... You're the bestest friend I ever had."
More silence from the strange grown-up. He towered above her, pinching his eyes shut as if he needed the toilet again. Maybe she should let him go. If he wanted to leave, she shouldn't stop him. If it made him happier, so be it.
True friends let each other go after all.
She let go of his waist and stepped back at last. At first, he didn't move. He just stood there as still as a statue, and Molly was worried.
Had she made him sick? She must have got her cooties all over him after all.
Finally, he spoke, looking her square in the eyes. "Aren't you afraid of me? Even though you know I hurt people?"
Molly glanced at her feet shyly, shaking her head. Her own body shook with nerves, and despite her affirmations, she was a little terrified of him at that moment.
His gaze was so intense, it scared her...
Nny exhaled sharply, peering out the window. His eyes found the stars in the night sky. "You really are a fool. I'm a bad guy, Molly. You shouldn't want to be friends with me."
She released a shaky breath, tears spilling from her eyes. "You may be bad, NNY, but that doesn't mean you're broken. You're just sick. When you're finally cured, you will be better again. Then you will no longer hurt people..."
He watched her strangely, and Molly was too scared to look up. Then he gave a short laugh and dropped down to her height, placing a hand on her head. He ruffled her hair.
"Fine. We can stay friends, just quit with the hugging. You got your cooties all over my nice shirt."
She bent her head. "S-sorry, I... didn't mean to cry on you."
He chuckled. "It's okay. It's not like I haven't done my fair share of crying either. Oh, and to answer your question, no... I won't hurt you, Molly. You're not like all those other rotten people."
Surprised, she gazed up into his eyes. "I'm not?"
He laughed once more, then rose to his full height, opening her window. "No. You're truly one of a kind. A diamond amongst clumps of rocks, and it's not just your young age. You have a good soul. It's evergreen. It will never change..."
She blinked in wonder. Evergreen? Like a Christmas tree?
He slipped out the window now, hanging from the ledge like the first night they met. "Well, thanks for the tea. We should do it again sometime. It's funny. The stars are out, but I'm not sad. I guess I have you to thank, Molly."
She smiled."You're welcome, NNY. It was fun seeing you again."
He returned her grin, and it reached his eyes. His eyes almost looked warmer as a result too, and no longer buggy or tired. "Yeah... you too. Well, see ya."
He vanished, disappearing into the shadows. The smile never left Molly's face.
It looked like Lucia was wrong about Nny after all.
He won't hurt her.
This destroyed me to write. We all deserve a friend like Molly. No matter what we have done, she'll still love us.
So yeah, it's pretty controversial that a small girl openly accepts that a serial killer kills people, but she uses the word hurt instead. I did that because it just makes her sound so much more innocent. It's a bit weird that an adult is befriending a child anyway, but bear in mind Nny befriended a child character in canon too, one who was exposed to all kinds of unspeakable horrors...
I wish Squee and Nny had a stronger friendship like this in the comics though. Nny was like Squee's older brother, and now he's like Molly's.
A pretty dysfunctional, co-dependent relationship they've got going on here, but kinda sweet too.
Life is fucked up, but it can be beautiful as well.
I hope you enjoy the rest of this fanfic. It gets more intense and emotional. It may wreck you.