The Lifeless Beauty of Gracefield [ray x f! reader]

Happy Birthday, Ray!

3rd pov

Ray woke up, just as he did any other day. Normally, he woke up very early, and [y/n] brushed her teeth with him. However, when he walked towards the bathroom with his toothbrush, [y/n] wasn't standing by the doorframe waiting for him.

He shrugged it off— it wasn't like he couldn't do it without her, or vise versa. After he got fully ready for the day, [y/n]'s disappearance still was at the back of his mind. 'It wouldn't hurt to double-check where she is. Besides, it's not like it's that important to me anyways. She's.... The only one who can wake up Emma. Yeah, that's why I need to look for her.'

To his surprise however, the moment he stepped foot on the rooftop, she wasn't there either. His concern spiked, but he shooed it away as he went back down.

"...What time is it anyway?" Ray walked down the hall to check the clock. 3:51 AM

No wonder [y/n] wasn't there to brush her teeth with him— he woke up way too early! Recently, Ray has been taking all-nighters. Perhaps it was his lack of sleep that caused him to wake up earlier than usual.

Strange, really. The moment Ray found out it was that early, he suddenly felt extremely tired. He supposed that sleeping for two more hours would be alright.

He hoped back into bed and almost instantly fell back asleep.

~~~

Ray's eyes opened groggily. He didn't have any strength in his body to even move. He just sat there and soaked in the afternoon sun beaming on his face from the window. Wait.

It's afternoon?!

He jolted up in a panic, as his eyes shot open. He jumped out of his bed and ran into the hallway. 4:23 PM. He slept in way too late!

He ran into the bathroom and splashed water on his face to try and wake himself up. Unfortunately, it was warm water, causing him to feel even more sleepy. He looked in the mirror and watched in horror. His hair was so messy, there could have probably been something living in it and no one would notice.

Honestly at this point, he didn't care. He ran downstairs, but there was no one in the dinning room. He ran out into the field, again, no one.

Worry and panic filled his head as he ran back up the stairs. There was only one place left that was large enough to hold all the children in— the library.

As he slammed open the door, confetti and pretend-trumpets filled the air. He froze up as he stared at the sight in front of him. Mama, along with all of his siblings were gathered around one of the library's tables, with party hats stung around their heads.

"Happy Birthday, Ray!" They all cheered. Emma and Norman ran over to Ray, tying a part hat on him.     

"We've been up since 4:00 AM planning this!" Emma laughed as she dragged Ray to the table. Right as he fell asleep.

Anna sniffed the air before pinching her nose, "...Is something... Burning..?" Emma and Norman jolted up as they abruptly ran out the door.

"SHOOT" They both yelled as they ran. Mama walked over to Ray and handed him a sash, with the words 'BBBB— BEDHEAD BOOKWORM BIRTHDAY BOY'

Mama laughed nervously as he put it on, "[y/n] made it for you...in 2 minutes. Honestly, it fears me how she comes up with the most random things."

Ray turned to her, "Where is she anyway?" Mama shrugged, "Must've slept in, you know how she is... I told her to get some sleep, so maybe that's on me."

Ray smiled as he looked at his siblings smiling, laughing, having their own little side conversations in the back... He was grateful for such a loving family.