Chapter Text
“Oh, and what do we have here?” You asked with a playful lilt as you leaned down to get a better look at the man’s wares. A set of old dolls held your attention. You examined their worn states with a curious eye. “These three have seen better days, hm?”
The man chuckled, though with a weary furrow to his brow as he watched the dolls. “Indeed. And as much as I’d like to be free of ‘em, I feel it would only be right to warn you that they aren’t… normal.”
You looked up at him, cocking your head with an amused huff. “What, are they haunted?” You questioned with a smirk that quickly fell off at the man’s serious expression.
“Yes, they are. Anybody that takes ‘em home is dead not long after,” He explained, his shoulders tensing as he observed the dolls again, almost as if anxiously waiting for them to move.
Doubt flickered across your face. “Then how come you’re not dead?”
“I only just found them on my porch this morning,” He shuffled from foot to foot, anxious. “It’s why I’m sellin’ all this junk in the first place.”
“Ah…, you’re doing all of this just to try and get rid of these three?” You inquired, growing ever more interested and worried yourself. “It just seems a little… excessive to me. Why not just… I dunno, dump them somewhere in the woods or something?”
“Well, I could do that but…,” He started, looking between the dolls and the treeline at the edge of town, “they wouldn’t like that very much. And I’d rather not give ‘em a reason to hate me.”
“I see…,” You murmured, not really ‘seeing’ it. “And… what happens if you don’t manage to sell them today?”
He looked away to stare down the road. “I’ll just put ‘em back where I found ‘em… And then leave.”
“Leave?”
“I’m moving out come afternoon.”
You looked at him incredulously. “You’re moving out of town just to get away from these?!”
He nodded his head. “I’m leaving either way. Sell ‘em or not, I ain’t staying with them around.”
“Well, that’s… concerning,” You thought, eyeing the dolls. Perhaps the man was crazy for believing all of this. Perhaps you were crazy for considering it. You tended to be cautious around things like this…
But damn it, these fuckers looked so cool, and you wanted them so badly now.
You hummed quietly, squinting at the dolls as you considered the pros and cons of potentially bringing a bunch of demons into your house, already knowing that your mind was made up the moment you saw them.
"I'll take them."
The man looked surprised but greatly relieved. And was quick to finish the exchange.
“Thank you,” He said, trying to figure out if you believed in what he had told you or not.
“Uh, you’re welcome,” You muttered before leaving.
The walk back home went by quickly as you didn’t live far from the old man, but the entire time you felt a sort of… pressure growing in your chest.
Anxiety.
You started to second guess yourself. Was this the right decision? You weren’t sure if you outright believe in the supernatural, but you were open to the idea of it being real.
And that made your imagination run all the more wild.
Still, the door to your house locked behind you with a click, and your fate was officially sealed. The dolls felt heavy in your grasp, more like you just bought a bunch of rocks than worn fabric and cotton.
Walking into the kitchen, you set them down on the table, resting them against one another so they'd stay sitting upright.
As they left your hands, you noticed all the dirt that came off and stuck to your skin. You grimaced and washed it off in the sink before eyeing the three once more with a skeptical look.
"You are in serious need of a bath. No offense," You said, adding that last part out of nerves. The dolls, of course, did not reply, making you feel all the more like a gullible idiot.
Though as you turned your back to them and left to fetch some things, you swore you felt their stares burning holes into your flesh.
"I'm just being paranoid…," You mused, soon after realizing that was exactly the kind of thing people in horror movies said right before dying. "Not a very comforting thought..."
You returned to the kitchen with supplies in hand. Thankfully the dolls were as you left them. You set down the sewing kit, fabrics, and whatever little accessories you managed to find stashed away.
"Alright, I doubt you'd enjoy tumbling around in a washing machine…," You spoke out loud again, the action somewhat helping you remain calm. "So…, I'm just gonna wash you in my sink and then give you a makeover once you're dry," You explained, thinking that on the off chance they were indeed haunted, telling them your plan might make them less likely to murder you in your sleep.
With a decisive nod, you turned on the faucet, adjusting the water to be warm. After slapping on a pair of latex gloves, you grabbed the dolls. Two were put on the counter while the third got plopped into the sink.
The doll started to flop over as it soaked under the stream, and you quickly grabbed it before it could face plant. The water going down the drain was heavily stained. You momentarily moved the faucet aside and covered the doll in a generous amount of cleaning solution. You scrubbed firmly, making sure it got nice and soapy before rinsing it off. You repeated that process a few times until you were satisfied with the results.
The task gave you time to properly study the dolls' appearances. All three seemed to follow the theme of a jester. The one in your hands was very dark in color. You originally mistook it as being burnt, but now that it was clean, you could see otherwise. It also seemed to be the most damaged, missing many spiky rays that were clearly meant to surround its face.
Out of two sets of rays, only two big ones and one small one remained, colored a deep orange and red respectively. A massive gash also ran across its arm. The limb was nearly cut off entirely, and the poofy pants it wore were all kinds of torn up.
You set the fella on the counter, giving it a little pat on the head before getting to work on the next one.
This one was similar in appearance, though golden in coloration. Only one set of rays surrounded its face, with a few being torn and chipped. You checked to make sure there wasn’t meant to be a second set like with the other doll but didn’t find any signs of it.
This one, however, seemed to be missing its 'fingers.' Granted, the dolls' arms were just chubby nubs. They didn’t actually have that kind of detail, but the other two had five thin spikes on each 'hand.' Curious. You didn't see any evidence of the fingers being torn or cut off, so perhaps this one just didn't have them from the start?
The thought made you frown a little as you studied its hand. You'd be sure to fix that in a bit.
Moving on, you grabbed the final doll, which was white and blue in color. Its head bore no rays like the others, but it did have a hat that you found absolutely adorable.
"Oh, it's like a nightcap! That's so cute!" You mumbled excitedly as you cleaned away the dirt. A pattern of yellow stars showed underneath. "And you have stars on your outfit? Oh, this is perfect."
Its face was the most eye-catching out of the three. One side was a pale white in the shape of a crescent moon, and the other dark as the night sky. And with its eyes being that bright crimson, you couldn’t help but gently stroke the side of its face. "Beautiful little guy, aren’t you…?"
The doll was put down beside the others. And you finally noted that the other two also shared its fascinating facial markings, just in their respective colors.
"All three of you are very pretty," You said, raising your voice back to a normal volume. "Though you'll be even prettier once we get you all fixed up.”
You spent the next couple of hours bringing the little fellas back into tip-top shape. You dried them all up and sewn all their tears with matching string. The orange and golden ones were given new rays, and of course, the latter one got some fingers too.
You held the three in your outstretched hands, admiring your work and the handful of cuts you gave yourself on accident. The three looked brand new!
Now, you just needed to find a place for them.
You considered a couple of spots. Normally, you kept all your plushies in the bedroom, so you could cuddle with them, of course. But did you really want these three to watch you sleep?
Definitely not. And so, you decided to put them in the living room, on one end of the couch. You rested the dolls against a pillow, and just in case they still wanted to murder you, wrapped them up in a fuzzy blanket in hopes of winning them over.
Giving them a once over, you nodded. And you were totally not startled by the sudden buzzing of your phone in your pocket. Nope. Not at all.
You pulled the cursed little device out, annoyed when it was just another message from one of those ‘Learn your fortune today!’ type scams. How the hell did they keep getting your number??
You were pretty sure you knew what fate had in store for you anyway. And that was another trip to the weird old man who sold you these three. Admittedly, you probably should’ve asked a couple more questions before making such a dumb decision. But oh, well.
And since your phone was already in your hand… you snapped a quick picture of the three. Might as well get an ‘expert’s’ opinion on how well you were doing in the ‘please don’t murder me, we can be friends’ department so far.
You quickly left the house, hoping to catch the old man before he left town. And as you jogged down the sidewalk, you reached his home just as he finished pushing some box into the trunk of his car.
“Hey!” You called out, catching the man’s attention. A concerned frown immediately settled on his face.
“I’m not taking ‘em back,” He said, looking ready to bolt.
“Oh! No, no!” You stood beside him and showed him the photo you just took. “Just wanted your opinion. And uh… maybe how I could… befriend them…?”
He studied the picture. “You… fixed them?”
“Yeah. That’s uh- That’s not a bad thing, right?” You stammered, suddenly not so sure.
The man hummed, tilting his head side to side in a so-so manner. “Well…, it really depends on them, honestly. They don’t seem pissed, though. Maybe just mildly angry?”
You blindly nodded along. How can this guy even tell if they are angry or not? Does it even matter at this point? You bought a bunch of haunted dolls for fuck’s sake. None of this is gonna make sense anyway.
“So…, about maybe making them not angry?” You tried again, giving a hopeful tone to your voice and expression. The man only gave you one word.
“Food.”
“Food…?”
He nodded. “Ay, the little creeps are known for eating whoever’s house they reside in. So, they might leave ya alone if you give them an alternative.”
“Right…” You muttered, putting your phone away. “Uh… And by any chance, you wouldn’t happen to know how much they need to eat?”
The man gave you a pitying look. Which was ironic considering he sold you these things in the first place. But you’re also the one who bought them.
Ugh, it’s so annoying when you can’t blame someone else for your stupidity…
“Each one would need at least an entire chicken and then some to feel satisfied,” He told you, closing the trunk of his car. “So…, quite a lot.”
You gave another pathetically hopeful look. “And that’s once a day…?”
He shrugged. “Hell if I know. They’re your problem now.”
“Well, damn. Thanks, guy. How nice of you,” You snarked inside your head, watching as he rounded the car and got into the driver's seat.
“Uhm…, thanks for the advice? I guess?” You mumbled lamely, not sure how to end this.
The man nodded at you in farewell. “Good luck.”
And then, he was off, speeding down the road like there were devils on his tail. But, of course, you were the one housing all the demons now.
You walked back home, feeling kind of dejected. At least you had some inkling of an idea on how to proceed. And it looked like it was time for a grocery run…
The door flew open before you. You silently cursed as it hit the wall and bounced back. Your lack of free hands forced you to close it with your foot as you haul all the grocery bags into the kitchen.
You dropped the heavy load of items onto the counter, heaving for air. You really needed to exercise more, huh? Well, maybe running away from creepy haunted dolls could improve your stamina. Who knows?
Whatever. You had work to do.
You quickly started pulling out all the necessary pots and pans. Plastic packages were open and thrown into the corner so they’d be out of the way. And all kinds of delicious scents and smells filled the air as you started cooking.
You couldn’t really throw three chickens into one oven… so you had to improvise. So while one roasted, another got turned into crunchy nuggets fried in a pan, and the last one was chopped up and cooked into soup.
Alongside that was a dish of steaming potatoes covered in a tasty sauce, and once the oven was free, you chucked a lasagna in there while a fish cooked in yet another pan. The tiny kitchen of your house was so hot that you could easily lay things out on the table, certain that the food wouldn’t turn cold.
And by some miracle, you managed not to burn anything.
You were sweating at this point, dabbing your forehead with a random towel, and fanning your face with your hand. But at last, it was done.
It was late as hell. You were tired. And there was a suspicious feeling of eyes on you.
Wait-
You turned around and yelled embarrassingly loudly when you spotted the trio of dolls sitting on the counter. A groan promptly slid from you as you dragged both hands down your face. Okay. Yeah, this was fine.
They were actually haunted.
Though, you wouldn’t have cooked all of this if you didn’t believe they were in the first place. So was this really that surprising?
“Yes! Yes, this is surprising!” You hissed to yourself, eyeing the dolls. With a deep breath, you managed to get out the words clogging your throat. “Okay, so… This is for you.” You explained, motioning to the table absolutely decked out with food. “And uh… Please don’t kill me in my sleep…?”
You awkwardly stood there for a couple seconds, not really sure if they would respond. “So uh… enjoy? I’m… gonna go to bed now…”
And with that, you retreated out of the kitchen and to your bedroom. As soon as your head hit the pillow, you were out like a light.
The three waited for a couple minutes until the faint sounds of your even breathing reached their sensitive ears. Once they were certain you had fallen asleep, they transformed, stretching out into their true forms. The smell of fresh food instantly had them salivating, but there was a discussion to be had first.
Or at least there was supposed to be one, as Eclipse lunged for the chicken nuggets.
“Eclipse!” Sun scolded, putting his hands on his hips. “We need to talk first… Also, leave some of those for me.”
Moon rolled his eyes, joining Eclipse at the table. “We can eat and talk, Sunny.” He went for the soup.
Sun sighed. “I suppose.” And snatched some nuggets before Eclipse could eat all of them, going for the fish next. “So… what do you think of them so far?”
Eclipse eyed the stitch on his arm. “They’re different, that’s for sure.”
“Don’t trust ‘em,” Moon frowned, getting another helping of soup and gradually emptying the pot.
“They didn’t poison the food, though!” Sun pointed out. “We did watch to make sure, after all.”
Moon let out a croon, annoyed by the fact he was right. “...Can we eat them for dessert?”
“I dunno, Moony,” Eclipse purred, digging into the potatoes. “They might make us more food if we keep them around.”
Moon snatched the lasagna once he was done with the soup, humming both in consideration and at the taste. “We could scare them into feeding us… But it’d be easier to just eat them.”
Eclipse grinned. “Gee, Moony, you really want to eat them that bad?”
Moon paused, staring at the other before frowning. “Not like that, you rat nest.”
Eclipse chuckled. “Sure thing, moth boy.”
Some time later, once the three finished eating and teasing each other (for the most part), they silently snuck into your bedroom. And there you were, completely vulnerable. The weirdest part had to be that you were aware of the danger they posed. They had revealed themself to you, and instead of running for the hills like Moon was hoping you would…, you gave them food???
Sun tilted his head curiously as he studied you. His gaze slowly drifted to his hand, flexing his fingers and the claws now adorning their tips. Out of everything he had considered, he wasn’t prepared for you to just give him claws so carelessly.
Though, as he observed your sleeping form, he doubted you even knew what you were doing. His rays fluttered through the air, all fixed up and looking good as new. He quietly stalked closer, stopping at your bedside. His shadow loomed over you as he reached out to gently trail a claw down your cheek. Your face twitched in response, making you turn over in your sleep, turning your back to him.
His two partners watched with adept interest as he stepped away and spoke with them through their shared mind link. “What is our decision then? I believe I like this one.”
Moon huffed, crossing his arms and glaring your way. It made you unconsciously squirm in your sleep. “So we’re letting them live so things can end up like last time?”
Eclipse slapped him on the arm with a teasing smirk. “Moonie, don’t act like you didn’t get flustered when they called you pretty.”
“I did not get flustered!” Moon argued, silently snarling at Eclipse. “And they called all of us pretty!”
“Ah, you’re right, Moon. My bad,” Eclipse replied, feigning an apology before his grin grew tenfold. “They called you beautiful, not pretty.”
Moon fumed silently, refusing to acknowledge the faint blush warming up his face as the other two laughed. Instead, he tried to change the subject. “Whatever! What’s your vote?”
They turned to look at you again, watching as you squished a big star pillow between your arms. Sun knew his answer instantly. “I vote that we stay here and keep them.”
Eclipse hummed, running a hand through his rays, feeling relieved to have them all back. His eyes were still glued to the stitching trailing across his arm as he spoke. “I’m with Sun. Let’s stay a while and see what they do next.”
He and Sun turned to look at Moon, who knew his vote ultimately didn’t matter now. He grumbled under his breath, staring at you with a frown but not a lot of heat behind it. “Fiiiiine, I guess we’ll keep them alive for now.”