Chapter Text
Puzzles woke up to his alarm. He groaned and opened his eyes, allowing the light from the living room window adjust in his vision. He sat up and yawned. He got up and picked up the bottles of whisky and pages on the floor and got ready for work. He worked at a Walmart. He was surprised that this universe or wherever the hell they were had one, but hey- it was work. He took a bath before work, he couldn’t really take a shower, for fear of getting his head wet. As he stepped out he started to hum. Something he didn’t do much anymore. He threw on a t-shirt and his Walmart vest, his pants and his shoes. He sighed walking to the kitchen and getting a cup of coffee ready. While he waited he grabbed the picture of Wpnz he had sitting on the memorial he’d put together for him. He glanced around before setting it down and making his coffee. He finnished it and put the mug in the sink, rinsing it and grabbing his phone. He kissed the picture of Wpnz, putting out every candle, so they wouldn’t burn down his apartment.
On the bus ride to his work he kept his eyes on his phone. He hated the confused glances he got. Yes, he did look different. No, he didn’t want to talk about it. Finally his stop arrive, he thanked the bus driver and walked into the employees lounge.
Eventually he walked out to register 16, and got to work. Polite, undramatic, kind of drained. Puzzles didn’t mind the loop. He helped a lady with black hair and glasses, a man with shades a beard and a hat, and a teen and her mother.
“Puzzles, a word please.” He heard his manager say, gesturing for him to follow her. “Two things. One, I need isle 2 restocked-“
“The peaches?” Puzzles questioned,
“Yeah- the peaches. Already cleaned just need some cans to be put up.”
“I can do that.”
“And two. I’ve noticed you’ve been skipping lunch lately. Has everything been alright?” The manager looked at Puzzles with a worried expression.
“Of course ma’am! I’m gonna go restock those peaches if you don’t mind!”
“Puzzles.” The way she said his name made him stop. “You will talk to me if you need anything, yeah?” He paused, shaking his head and forcing a smile,
“Yes of course ma’am!” He speed walked to the back to grab a box of peaches, sighing. He hadn’t noticed he was out of breath. He clutched his chest and took deep breaths, he slid his back down the wall.
“Five things I can see. Grey walls, boxes of canned fruit, shelves, the fridges, my shoes.”
He took a deep breath again,
“four things I can touch. The floor, my pants, the Cardboard, and the metal of the shelves”
Another breath as he looks at his hands. Starting to stop shaking.
“Three things I can hear. The hum of the fridges, the leaky faucet of the mop sink and- my breathing.”
He sat up taking another breath before picking up the box of peaches and heading to isle 2.
While he worked he thought about Wpnz. He almost had saved up enough to buy a car. A big goal and a big step to finding Wpnz. He actually enjoyed this time by himself. He got to think without people worried about him. He turned to grab a can before looking up at a strange man with a long red beard and a bunch of tattoos,
“Can I uhm- help you with somthing.” The man breathed a weird sound before pointing at the peaches. Puzzles held out the can he was restocking and the man took it smiling. He covered his mouth coughing before he start to spoke,
“M’ son loves these. Thank’ ya’ kindly sir.” He walked away and Puzzles thought about his father for the first time in a while. He continued restocking shelves.
Before he knew it his shift was over and he had to catch his bus home. He unlocked his door and closed it behind him, setting down his bag by the door and digging through it. He pulled out his sketch book and somthing unfamiliar. A box of microwavable macaroni and a note from puzzles manager,
‘Your too thin! Eat somthing kid! -Macy’
Puzzles stood in his kitchen holding the box. He sat down his sketchbook taking a deep breath. Macy, (his manager) was always doing little things like this. She was kind, and Puzzles was grateful. He walked to his pantry and put in the box. He was trying to get better, for Wpnz, and for Macy. But today he was to tired. He flopped on his couch reaching for a bottle before stopping himself. No. He was done drinking every damn night. He reached to throw the bottle away only to see that there was no bottles left. He’d thrown them all away this morning. He smiled to himself before grabbing his sketch pad. Puzzles had grown quite fond of drawing Wpnz and him. But while he worked he couldn’t help but think about his feelings towards him. I mean, just recently he started kissing that damn picture frame before work. Was that sad? Was it worse that he wanted the real thing? To just kiss wpnz till he couldn’t no more?there was that one time- but he was drunk so that didn’t count. Would Wpnz even want him to kiss him? He groaned walking over to his room and changing into his pajamas. He hugged his pillow extra tight. He sat up grabbing his journal and flicking on the lamp.
‘What do I do if I just now realize I’ve caught feelings for my paat best Friend?’
He began to write about Wpnz and the looks he spared him and the way Wpnz made him smile. Before he realized it, it was already 11. He put his journal away and flicked off his light.
“We’re gonna see each other soon.”