The Other Milkman

Our little secret

Y/n is up earlier than usual. She's standing in front of her closet, desperately looking for something to wear. The dry cleaners in the area are currently under staffed, so there wasn't much to choose from. She finally decides to throw on a lovely, red dress. What makes it so lovely ? It's Fran's favorite colour, of course!

She moves down the stairs with a bounce in her step - she's been on cloud 9 since last night. Her up beat mood immediately drops when she walks in and is greeted by a D.D.D agent. Did she do something wrong ? Fran's visit is completely slip her mind, until the agent starts speaking.

"Good morning Miss y/s. Have you encountered any oddly passive doppelgängers recently? Specifically one that resembles Francis Mosses?"

Y/n's blood ran cold. She knows they're talking about Fran. There's no other doppelgänger that is "oddly passive"... except Peach, of course, but he's definitely not the one they're looking for. She suppresses her choking anxiety and calmly looks over at the agent.

"Good morning! No no, I haven't seen any passive doppelgängers, none that resembles Mr Mosses, at least. Should I be concerned if he shows up?

The agent looks down at their clipboard while y/n tries to take a deep breath. What if Fran is not as soft and sweet as he appears to be ?

"There's nothing to worry about Miss y/s. This doppelgänger has been working in our favor, believe it or not. It's been fighting off doppelgängers in front of the building all night long. One of the patrol officers caught a glimpse of it, but scared it off with his flashlight. A real idiot if you ask me..."

The agent continued as y/n listened in disbelieve. Why was he out there... fighting his own kind?

"Anyways, the boss wants it captured to conduct tests. He mentioned something about it possibly being a cure for the other doppelgängers..."

Listening to them made y/n grow increasingly concerned by the moment. She sat down as the agent said their goodbyes and the rest of her shift was a blur.

As she checks the last resident in, she waits for Fran. Her eyes are glued to the clock as her patience slowly runs out. Finally, she hears the entrance door open.

"Good evening, pretty lady," Fran says with an excited grin.

"Good evening to you too, dearest Fran," y/n says with a smile, while raising one of her eyebrows.

"Hm, it looks like you have something to say," Fran says while matching her expression jokingly.

"Indeed I do. Sit down sir, we have a lot to discuss," she adds teasingly.

"Seems serious, Miss doorwoman. Am I in trouble?"

"Hm, maybe. Why were you outside, fighting off doppelgängers in front of this building?"

Fran's face drops. It's clear he didn't want y/n to know about what he had been doing.

"Who told you that, y/n?"

His face turns red and his eyes become teary. He's clearly embarrassed, but what for ? Y/n feels bad for catching him off-guard like that, even though she was joking.

"Hey, don't cry. I'm just worried, Fran. The D.D.D was here today, they're looking for you..."

Y/n explains the events of earlier, trying her best to console him at the same time. Not that there's much she can do, since they're on either side of the security window.

"I just wanted to protect you, y/n. There's no nightshift guard and the patrol squad only passes by once or twice, at most. I can't let those monsters hurt you."

As tears roll down his pale cheeks, y/n's mind wonders. Do the doppelgängers remember her like Fran does ? Do they hold a grudge against her ? She wants to ask him, but he's clearly not in the state to answer serious questions right now.

"Hey love, don't cry. I just need you to be careful. I'm perfectly fine in my apartment, there's no need to worry. Just stay clear of the building after 2pm, they'll be patrolling here from then till my shift starts. I don't want you to get hurt."

Fran interrupts his own tears with a small smile.

"So my name has changed to Love? I thought it was Fran," he says teasingly, his face turning the same colour as y/n's dress. She can't help but laugh at his remark.

"Hm, fine if it bothers you so much I won't call you that," she says teasingly.

"No! I think I might like it more than Fran!"

"Something tells me you weren't listening to everything I said," y/n says in a more serious tone.

"No no, I listened. I was just a bit distracted by how good you look in that dress," he says looking at her with glittering eyes.

"Maybe I'll wear it again, but only if you can keep a secret," y/n says trying not to squeal. He actually said something about the dress!

"Hm, depends on the secret, y/n."

"You need to promise to never tell a soul about our meetings and to be here punctually at 7 pm. It's top secret stuff," she says with a smile.

"Hm, deal. It's getting late though, I should get going. I don't want to be called in for another serious meeting with the doorwoman," he says jokingly.

"Awww, I'm going to miss you, love. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Well I'll miss you more, beautiful. Sweet dreams," he says as he walks off with a content smile.

This is the most lethal secret y/n has ever had to keep. It's all worth it though - Fran is all worth it. Hopefully she's not in too much danger...