Warmth - A BFDI Puffball Fanfiction

~Visitor~

She was finally getting completely comfortable with her new life, just her, Fries, and the small, warm apartment they shared.

Yet her peaceful surroundings were about to be very rudely interrupted.

~~~

"Alright- ok, you can drop her off tonight- don't worry- I'm sure they'll get along fine. Bye, see you in a bit." Fries sighed and flipped his phone closed, turning to Puffball, who was curiously floating behind him.

"Well- we're gonna have a little visitor tonight, Puffy." The potato box reached out and ruffled the puffling's fur, causing her to purr in response, smiling and shutting her eyes.

"Who? Who come?" Puffball was intrigued by the call, as she had only met a handful of Fries's friends before, and was quite curious to know who would be sharing their home.

"Oh- just a friend of mine- she asked me to watch her daughter tonight while she's out. I'm sure you two will get along great!" Puffball was confused about this, as she was fairly certain none of the friends she'd met had children, as they all seemed around the same age as Fries himself. Fries seemed to have picked up on her confusion and quickly chimed in to clarify.

"Oh! She's a family friend- you haven't met her- but her daughter, she's a Ruby, is a nice girl. Not the brightest, but she's nice."

~~~

A few hours later, the doorbell rang, and Fries went to get it, leaving Puffball curled up on the couch in a blanket. After a few minutes of chatters and a goodbye, Fries walked back to the sofa, a smaller, red object trailing behind him.

"Puffball, this is Ruby. She'll be spending the night with us tonight." Ruby looked to be around 8 or 9, holding a small pink backpack and a pillow. "Woahh! Is that a puffball! I've never seen one in real life before!" Without hesitating, Ruby ran forward and reached a hand out to pet Puffball's fur, seriously violating the puffling's space. Before Fries could do anything to stop it, Puffball hissed out angrily, flattening her fur and baring her teeth, which Fries couldn't help but notice had gotten significantly sharper over the past few months. "Aww, I think she likes me!" Ignoring the obvious warning, the red gem still tried to pet Puffball, despite the threatening growling emanating from the pink ball of fluff. 

Luckily, Fries was able to pull Ruby out of the way, fearful that Puffball may try to spit at or even bite Ruby out of fear. Ruby however, seemed more annoyed than grateful.

"Oh come on, I wasn't gonna hurt her!" Fries sighed, putting Ruby's belongings onto a chair before checking on Puffball "I know, but you have to be careful around her..." He reached a hand out to lightly pat Puffball now that she had calmed, "...She's had some...bad experiences with strangers." The gemstone seemed to at least grasp part of this concept, as she gently sat down, apologizing to Puffball and offering her hand toward her.

Puffball, however, was not as forgiving. The last time some stranger tried to grab her away from her family...

...Well, she lost them.

With a low growl, she snapped at Ruby's hand, prompting Fries to swiftly pick her up off the couch. "Hey! I get you're scared, but be nice!" Puffball grumbled in Fries's arms, settling down slightly, but still keeping an eye on the red gem.

Other than that little spat, the evening went surprisingly smoothly, apart from Puffball occasionally shooting death glares at Ruby while she interacted with Fries.

~~~

When night came, Fries had set up Ruby's temporary bed on the couch, making sure the gemstone was comfortable, before taking Puffball into his own room to sleep.

Puffball's bed had been upgraded from the nightstand drawer, and she now slept in a suspended hammock over Fries's bed, filled to the brim with pillows and stuffed animals, alongside a fuzzy blanket.

And of course, the framed picture of her mother hung on the wall within view.

She was gently settled into this bed by Fries, who stroked her fur as she nestled into the soft fabrics.

"I know you aren't trusting, but please, give Ruby a chance. She just wants to be friends, I promise." Fries gently nuzzled Puffball's forehead, saying goodnight, before settling into bed himself.

~~~

The next morning as the three sat (and floated) down at the breakfast table, Puffball had finally began to warm up to ruby slightly, even letting the red gemstone lightly scratch her fur, causing her to release a soft purr of satisfaction. They all enjoyed their meal together, and within an hour or so, Ruby's mother had returned to pick her up, waving to both Fries and Puffball as Ruby slipped out of the door, saying her goodbyes.

Out of the corner of his eye, Fries saw puffball crack a frown as Ruby left. He chuckled to himself.

"I knew you'd like her eventually."

~~~Author's Notes~~~

guess what bitches

surprise chapter

I got this idea after chatting with some buddies on discord, as they had this headcanon with Fries being like a father figure to Ruby- so I decided to put that in as a lil easter egg

anyway, this will probably be it for september, unless I get another break in classes- but don't hold your breath.

oh! btw fanart is appreciated and welcome! dm me if you have any, I'd love to see it

see yall next time

-Fire