Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“But you’ll come back, right?”

“Of course.”

“And you promise?”

“Cross my heart and hope to die.”

Bloo hummed, his gaze drifted away from Mac and down at the grass. This morning, Mac had broken the news that he and his family are going out of state for his mother’s job and Mac’s own education. Though, it just sounded like he was following in Goo’s steps, who had also left just a few months ago.

“But I’m sure you’ll be okay, Bloo.” Mac smiled, “You got Frankie, the imaginary friends, Mr. Herriman isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. And I know Wilt, Ed and Coco won’t leave your side until I come back.”

Bloo was silent for a moment, before sighing, “When did you get so old, man?”

Mac laughed, “Bloo, I’m 18 now. I’m going to talk like an old man.”

“I don’t like it.” The imaginary friend crossed his arms in disapproval, “When you get back, I’m turning you back to the normal, COOLER Mac!”

The boy laughed, “I wouldn’t doubt it.” There was a pause, and Mac’s face softened, “I won’t forget you, okay?”

Bloo was silent for a moment, “...And I won’t either, Mac. You’re.. You’re my best friend.”

“Heheh, right back at you.” Mac grinned, dropping the smile when he turned his head to his car that was parked at the front of Foster’s driveway. Mac sighed.

“When I get back, you better not have broken the house, okay?”

“No promises!” Bloo sang back, earning a small chuckle from Mac.

The young adult took a step back. He took just one last view of Foster’s, the house he spent the majority of his life in for the past ten years, it was almost sad. He brought his attention to the large crowd of imaginary friends who stood behind Bloo, even Frankie and Madame Foster were there.

Mac raised an arm to wave goodbye, “See you all in a few years.”

A chorus of ‘Goodbyes’ echoed from

the crowd, so loud you could barely hear Eduardo’s sobbing in the back.

“See you later, Mac!”

“Come back soon!”

“Adiòs, Señor Mac!!”

“Don’t die, please!”

“Coco!”

Mac met Bloo’s eyes one last time, a silent staring contest began between the two for possibly the last time. It was until Bloo ran up to Mac faster than he could comprehend that the eye contact broke, crushing Mac in a hug. The human stood stunned for a second, then leaning down to return the hug to his friend.

The hug eventually broke with Mac pulling away, giving one last goodbye to the crowd and strolling to his van. Once in the driver’s seat, he turned to all of the remaining imaginary friends with a sad smile.

“I’ll be back soon, I promise.”

And Mac was gone.

Chapter Text

“And... How long has it been since you’ve been back home?”

“Not long, just... seven- or something- years...?”

“...And that’s... good?”

“I mean... no, I guess not.”

“You’re right, it’s not!” Goo shot at the other, leaning across the table, “It’s actually been TEN! Ten years, Mac! I NEED to go back!!”

Mac shoved the girl’s face back into her seat, “And do what? You can’t make any more friends, you know now that you’re 30.”

Goo huffed, crossing her arms, “Neither can you! ‘Mister 28-year-old’!”

The duo were spending their last day in a Colorado University at a nearby diner before making their trek back to their hometown. Mac wanted to take more time packing up his items from his dorm, while Goo was insistent that they left as soon as possible. For what specifically, Mac will never know.

“I’m just... worried, I guess.” Goo sighed, which was an odd sight for such an energetic person, “Did you know Frankie left Foster’s?”

Mac nearly spit out his coffee, “Wh- She WHAT?!”

“Yeah, posted it on her Instagram. It was around the time.. that um... Madame Foster.. passed.” Goo paused, pulling out her phone, “She said she wanted to see the world and stuff like that.”

Goo turned the phone to Mac, revealing a picture of a much older Frankie taking a selfie of the Hollywood sign in the background, some text on the screen that said ‘Roadtrip!! <33’.

Mac half-heartedly sighed, “Well, that’s good for her, I suppose. I could only imagine how hard it must be to work for Mr. Herriman. Speaking of, who’s watching over Foster’s if Frankie’s gone?”

“Nobody is.” Goo said, “Foster’s is empty.”

“...What do you mean ‘empty’? Did.. did everyone get adopted? Did they leave?”

“No, no. Only the humans. The imaginary friends stayed because, well, they have nowhere else to go.”

“Oh... well, they are able to survive on their own, right? Herriman’s a good.. I mean a decent boss, yeah?”

“I... yes but Mac that’s not the point.” Goo lowered her head, not meeting the other’s gaze, “There’s this... theory, about Imaginary Friends. Where if the friend doesn’t get proper human interaction for over ten years, something... bad happens to them.”

Mac stiffened, “... What sort of ‘bad’ stuff..?”

“I don’t know much, but the process is called ‘Inking’. I never saw it myself, not even Frankie. But I heard Madame Foster saw it happen once. Was too scary to talk about, according to Mr Herriman.”

“Goo... you said an imaginary friend can go just about ten years before ‘inking’.”

“...Yeah?”

“It’s already been ten years. And nobody’s been at the house.”

‘Welcome to Washington’ the sign read as Mac and Goo zoomed past it, trying as hard as they LEGALLY could in order to get back to Foster’s. If Goo’s tale was true, then that would mean Foster’s was in deep trouble. Mac really hoped it wouldn’t come to that.

“Mac, seriously! You’re going over the speed limit!!” Goo shouted from the passenger seat of his van, “We’re gonna get pulled over!”

“Do you want to save our friends or not?!” Mac shot back, still focused on the barren road. A sudden beeping rhythm interrupted Mac’s thoughts.

“Shit, we’re almost out of gas.” Mac grumbled, eyeing the gas mileage then the road. Goo turned to her phone, “There’s a gas station just a few miles ahead, go there really quick.” She pointed to a direction that went off the highway.

“Okay..."

Mac basically jumped out of the van, running into the gas station market. Goo had requested that they restock on snacks for the road, with only three hours to go. He pulled out some sodas and iced coffee from the freezer and a couple of snacks from the chip aisle.

He was eyeing other isles of food when he nearly fell over after bumping into someone, almost dropping his items.

“Shoot! I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to-” Mac blurted out, regaining his strength on his feet and holding his food, before meeting the person’s eyes.

“...Jordan?”

“Mac!” Jordan Michaels, THE creator of Wilt, exclaimed with his face covered in surprise and joy. He instantly wrapped Mac in a tight hug, “Man, it’s been forever since I’ve seen you! How’ve you been?”

“Eh- good? Wait- what are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be in Japan or something?” Mac released himself from the hug, questioning the taller man.

“Oh. Nah, I’m on vacation right now, and good thing I was! Cause guess who I found!” Jordan turned away from Mac, waving to another customer in the store. Mac felt a bit uneasy now.

The stranger approached, “What’s up? Something wrong..?” Asked the familiar voice.

Mac gasped even before the stranger could continue, “Frankie?!”

“Holy shit- Mac!” Frankie shot herself to Mac, also trapping him in a hug, “What the heck are you doing here?”

“I was about to ask you that, didn’t you leave Foster’s?” Mac pat Frankie on the shoulder, a signal to remove him from the hug, “Goo told me you were going to see the world or something?”

“Goo’s here?! But umm.. yeah, I just didn’t want to spend my whole life stuck inside a house forever, y’know?” Frankie sheepishly smiled, “And I guess... it just reminds me of my grandma..."

“I’m sorry I wasn’t there..” Mac let his gaze drift down to the floor, “Bu-But that isn’t why I’m here! Frankie, have you heard of the term ‘inking’?”

“Inking...” Frankie repeated, tapping her chin in thought, “..No I don’t think so?”

“I have.” Jordan interrupted, his face was morphed into a frown, “It’s essentially when an imaginary friend becomes... insane, I guess. Not a good thing.”

“Oh my god...” Frankie mumbled, “Madame Foster told me about that once, actually. She didn’t elaborate more than ‘don’t leave a friend alone for too long’.”

“That’s the point!” Mac shot, “Frankie, since you left, Foster’s has been empty of any humans for TEN years! The same amount of time a friend can go with any human interaction!”

The group was silent in shock for a good few seconds, Frankie slightly shaking her head in disbelief, “...No, they- they had to have left, right? They know that, yeah?”

Mac shook his head, “If I had to guess, they all stayed behind because.. well, they had nowhere else to go.”

“We have to go to Foster’s. Now.” Jordan demanded, turning to Mac,  “How much gas do you have?”

“Enough to get us there.” Mac shrugged.

“Okay, I’ll pay for your stuff, you two get in the car.” Jordan took out his wallet as Mac handed him the handful of snacks and drinks before he took off to the checkout counter.

“C’mon Mac, I gotta say hi to Goo.” Frankie took a hold of Mac’s wrist, dragging him out of the mini market, despite his protests. Man, eight year old Mac would’ve been over the moon right now.

“You don’t need to drag me out- oh my god..” Mac trailed off as he caught sight of Goo talking to an officer, not parked in the gas station but instead in the parking lots outside the mart.

“Mac!” Goo waved over to the boy, “I don’t know how to write tickets, help!”

Mac sighed with Frankie in tow, he really didn’t need this right now. However, Frankie grabbed Mac by the shoulder to stop him, “I got this, I’ve gotten tons of tickets before.”

Mac was about to respond with something about how it’s not exactly a good thing to get a bunch of tickets but let the woman go. Mac himself walked over to Goo, who was nervously fidgeting with her long braids as the two older women talked.

Mac couldn’t hear much of the conversation, all too focused on something else, but he could hear just a small portion from the two.

“...so sorry, we’re just trying to get back to our hometown..."

“...you are now? Where to?...”

“Ehm.. just some house on Wilson Way ...”

“...re you talking about Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends?” The officer asked, she was oddly excited when she said that.

“I- yeah! How’d you..." Frankie looked up at the woman before recognition morphed on her face, “Oh my goodness, Nina!”

“Hello again, Miss Foster.” The officer, Nina Valerosa, nodded her head, “What brings you all out here? Last time I was with you all was so long ago! What was it, ‘06?”

“I- um I think so? But that’s not the case, we’re trying to get back to Foster’s as fast as possible. See- there’s this kind of phenomenon about Imaginary Friends-” Frankie began to frantically wave her hands around as she explained to the officer what could be happening to the friends at the home.

Nina was stunned, “Inking... I feel like I’ve heard of that before. I will come with you, I must see this.”

“Oh, no it’s okay..-”

“Let me rephrase then, I AM going with you.” Nina glared at Frankie, “I am not leaving Eduardo to get ‘possessed’ like that. Or any friend for that matter.”

Frankie was silent for a moment, turning to Mac and Goo behind her, “Well..? What do you say, Mac?”

Mac shrugged, “The more the merrier.”

Jordan emerged from the mini market with a bag full of chips and drinks, “Can’t believe this, I waited ten minutes in line to pay and I got chewed out, my god- Oh hey Nina.”

“Hola, Jordan.” Nina answered.

Goo clapped her hands, “Great, everyone’s here, awesome! Now let’s hurry and GO before it’s too late!!” She threw open the door to Mac’s van and hopped in, “Also you guys can move anything in the back of the van, Mac doesn’t need the space.”

“Wh- Hey!”

Chapter Text

Foster’s really hasn’t changed, it seemed. As Mac and the rest drove throughout their old hometown, it was instantly clear things had changed. Back then, the town was vibrant with color and people that walked all over the streets. 

The children that would usually run and laugh about were now adults that slumped past the same sidewalk. The buildings that Mac would visit often, especially with his friends, were either closed or converted to a new store. But one thing pointed out to him the most.

“There’s a serious lack of imaginary friends here.” Mac sighed, “You’d think with a new generation of kids there’d be more friends running around, too.”

“Yeah..” Frankie added from the backseat, “It’s honestly kinda sad to see this place all dull and run down.”

Goo fidgeted in her seat next to Mac, “Do you think it’s because... we left?” She asked quietly.

“I doubt that,” Nina pointed out, sitting next to Frankie, “While our actions may have had an effect on our Imaginary Friends, they do not outrightly interfere with the town. It’s most likely a natural process for cities.”

Jordan sighed from the back, “I wish I spent more time here while I could, it was a nice town. So much better than mine.”

Mac gave a hopeful smile, “Don’t worry guys, I’m sure everything will be fine once we get to Foster’s! Afterall, we’re just fifteen minutes away.”

Frankie huffed a laugh, “When did you get so inspirational all of a sudden? It feels just like yesterday you were spouting nonsense with Bloo.”

Mac flinched at the sudden reminder of his own Imaginary Friend, and his last moments with Bloo before he left.

“I’ll be back soon, I promise.” His own voice rang in his memory. God, he felt so stupid, who tells their best friend they’ll be back and then leave for ten years?!

“Uh- yeah... Good times.” Mac finished, unfocused on the conversation by now.

Goo gasped loudly, nearly jumping out of her seat, “We’re here!”

After removing themselves from the van, Mac looked up to the old home he would once spend hours of his life at. Yet what was expecting did not live up to what he saw.

What was once a colorful and tall house was now crumbled and sad, just like the town. Vines and overgrown weeds overtook the building and lawn, many windows were shattered and dirty, and the walls were cracked, barely holding together.

Mac felt a twinge of guilt, could he have prevented this if he hadn’t left?

“My god.. what happened here?” Frankie was stunned, looking about the messed up lawn, “This all happened after I left?”

“After WE left.” Goo corrected, “Man, Wilt would go crazy if he saw what happened to this lawn..."

“Wilt IS here... right?” Jordan walked over to Goo, staring up at the house, “If he is, wouldn’t he have already... fixed it?”

Silence.

BANG!

Everyone’s head shot to the front doors of Foster’s home, where the loud sound came from. Nobody moved, and the yard was silent once again. Mac slowly inched forward, the others following.

Upon closer inspection, Mac saw the door was slightly opened but just an inch. Mac glared at the door, “Did.. did that sound come from the door?”

“Well it couldn’t have come from anywhere else?” Nina sassed the boy, “Be careful, though, it could be a burglar.”

Mac did as told and kept quiet as he moved closer to the doors. He felt an instant wave of nostalgia as his fingers just barely touched the knob, he remembered how excited he would be to come here every day at three-

The door creaked loudly as it opened itself, it seemed as if any heavy force was pushed onto it, it would break. Mac cautiously entered the house, gesturing for everyone else to follow him.

Mac just barely glanced back at the group, to which he found Goo and Frankie wielding a bat and crowbar respectively, Jordan with a large and bulky branch and Officer Nina with her hand gun. Mac sighed.

Once everyone had fully entered the house, Mac noticed the severe lack of light that would usually brighten the foyer. Just how broken was this place? The foyer itself was no better, with everything just as broken and messed up as the outside. Dirt had made its way into the building, staining the walls and floor that would surely be a pain to remove. The walls and floor itself were broken and cracked, and the stairs were chipped at the wood and paint.

Almost all of the paintings and photos on the walls were either faded or broken on the floor, the paint of the wall equally as dull. The main chandelier still hung from the ceiling, just barely.

“Holy shit...” Goo breathed in shock, taking in the dim sights. She pulled out a handful of small flashlights that she had stashed in her deep, overall pockets which she gave to everyone.

Turning on the device, Mac shined the light about the foyer, just to find more rubble and dirt. He didn’t care enough to hold back the low groan that bubbled in his throat.

“Y’know, normally I’d blame this kind of mess on you and Bloo, Mac, but I don’t see any trace of him anywhere.” Frankie placed one hand on her hip while the other held the flashlight.

“Haha.” Mac gave a dry laugh, “Speaking of.. where is everyone?”

“Correct me if I’m wrong, but shouldn’t this place be filled with Imaginary Friends? Like, you know, the whole purpose of this place..?” Jordan asked the group.

“Maybe... maybe they all got adopted!” Frankie exclaimed, “Of course, that’s why nobody’s here!” Despite her confident answer, she seemed uncertain.

“No, it can’t be.” Nina objected, facing a completely different way, “All this.. this whole mess is fresh. You can tell by the mud on the walls.”

Goo approached the officer, shining her light on the mud she spoke of, “That doesn’t look like any mud I’ve ever seen..."

SLAM!

The sudden sound shook everyone, causing them to freeze and silence themselves. Slowly, everyone turned back to the front doors once again. The front double doors had been slammed shut. There, just barely seen in the shadows, stood a familiar figure that was deathly still.

It almost looked like...

“Mr. Herriman?” Frankie gasped, nearly dropping her flashlight, “Oh- Oh my god! I thought I’d never see you again! What’s going on with the house, man?” She began to approach the rabbit, but a hand forcibly grabbed her shoulder, pulling her back.

“Don’t.” Nina instructed, “Something’s wrong.”

“What do you-” Frankie wanted to protest, but she began to understand. Usually, Mr. Herriman would chew out anyone and everyone he saw near a mess like this. He would’ve sent Frankie to clean the foyer the moment she let words exit her mouth. And yet, here Mr. Herriman was silent and still as a statue. Frankie blinked, there was an odd hue coming off of the rabbit’s body. Though the shadows made it so that she could barely make out his figure, Frankie saw... something emitting around Mr. Herriman’s body.

It dripped like ink.

Wait.

As soon as that thought crossed her mind, Mr. Herriman released an ear-piercing shriek, similar to that of an alarm mixed with a high pitched scream. Mac was quick to press his hands on his ears, just barely managing to muffle the sound, as did everyone else. Aside from Mr. Herriman’s own screams, someone else was screaming too. Was it him? 

It was loud.

Too loud-

It hurts-

It’s so loud-

Please stop-

It burns-

“Mac, where are you?”

It stopped for a second, the screaming, the burning, the light, all that was left was the echo of someone’s voice.

“Mac, you promised.” Said the voice again, limited to Mac’s ears only. The boy wanted to reply, to object or find the voice itself, but it faded away all in his mind, leaving him in silence once again.

Looking down at his feet, Mac saw lines of black ink trailing away from his shoes. The same ink that covered Mr. Herriman. ‘Ink,’ his mind repeated, over and over as a reminder. A reminder they were too late.

This was the inking process.

Before anyone could regain the strength to stand up straight once more, Mr. Herriman released a horrific screech, nearly on par with the last shriek he gave, as his body morphed from his usual figure into one of Mac’s nightmares.

It looked like one of the eldritch monsters that Terrence would show to Mac just to scare him before bed. His jaw unhinged to an unnatural length, eyes widened larger than they were supposed to, and his limbs elongated with inky tentacles sprouting from his back.

It all happened so fast, and suddenly, Mac was attempting to dodge deathly sharp tentacles all while his world was spinning around him. He could barely catch glimpses of Goo and Frankie who were batting away at the ink while Nina and Jordan dodged as well as they could.

There was a pause in Herriman’s attacks, and Nina took that chance to book it. But with the rabbit blocking the front doors, the only way out was up.

“This way!” Nina shouted, dashing towards the stairs that creaked and threatened to break under every step. Mac was quick to follow, with Goo and Jordan right behind them. Frankie hesitated.

She internally begged and pleaded this wasn’t real, that this was all a prank or a dream. Sure, she had once hated Mr. Herriman’s guts, but seeing him now made her want to rip out her hair and just cry. This was the man that, no matter what, would always manage to care and protect Frankie.

Frankie ran after the group, letting her emotions drown in the back of her mind.

Why Madame Foster wanted to make the hallways longer than the entire state of California, Mac will never know. It felt like they were running for hours, following Nina down the broken yet familiar hallways. Occasionally, Mac would turn around to see if Mr. Herriman was following, yet each time he would see the morphed rabbit fade away into the dark shadows behind them.

It was when they reached a large space in between some rooms when they came to a stop.

“Do you.. do you think we lost him?” Goo panted in exhaustion, almost falling over from where she stood.

“Well, I don’t see him anymore, so I’d say so.” Jordan answered with a slightly wavering voice.

Frankie growled, “What.. What the fuck was that?! I just saw Mr. Herriman changed into a monster before my eyes!”

“That, Frankie, would be the process of ‘Inking’.” Nina provided, “If our theory is true that none of the friends had yet to leave the premises, then I have reason to believe that.. they had suffered the same fate as well.”

“So.. they’re all... infected?” Mac asked the officer, for lack of a better word he could think of. Officer Valerosa answered with a silent nod.

The group was silent, Goo stood silently at the floor, Frankie slowly began to hug herself, and Jordan repeatedly whispered someone’s name, in hopes they hadn’t gone the same way Mr. Herriman had.

Mac shook his head, “There has to be a way to stop this. We can save the friends at Foster’s and everything will be okay! Yeah, we.. we can find the- the core of this.. ink and we can destroy it! And everyone will be normal!” He could keep going, honestly. Any way to keep thinking optimistically can keep Mac going for days.

Frankie shook her head this time, “I really can’t tell if you’re serious or not... but Mac, I don’t know if you know this, but this... infection rarely even happens. Nobody knows how it begins, let alone stop it.”

“And, say we do find the core for this infection, what then? What if when we take down the core, it has a chance of killing those influenced by the ink?” Nina questioned.

“But.. we have to think of something!” Goo shot up straight, determined, “We can totally save them, we have to!”

“Goo, we’re just a couple of people in a house FULL of hostile imaginary friends! Drop the childish act and face it! We’re stuck!” Frankie argued back at the younger woman.

“No, I won’t! They deserve to be saved, and adopted into loving families! I did it once and I’ll do it again!!”

“Why are you so insistent on saving them?! All you did as a kid was create friends and leave them, even now you can’t make imaginary friends! What is the point!?”

“Because it’s our fault they’re like this!”

Goo huffed and panted after her outburst, but she wasn’t done.

“We left them. I told you myself, imaginary friends can only go so long without human interaction before losing their minds! First I left for college, then Mac went off too, and who knows where Nina and Jordan were! Then YOU, Frankie, the only other person knowledgeable enough to run this place, LEFT! I get you wanted to see the world, I understand you didn’t want to suffocate and stay stuck in here your whole life, but it’s still our fault that everyone, our friends, are lost and now infected!”

Goo was out of breath now, which was funny since as a child she could talk for hours on end without having to stop. But this was different. Goo faltered, her eyes welling up with tears that threatened to fall, “If- If we hadn’t left them, they’d still be here right now.” She sniffled, a tear fell onto the marble floor beneath her feet.

Frankie inhaled, “I.. I’m sorry. You make a really, really good point and I shouldn't have lashed out at you like that.” She approached the girl, wrapping her into a hug, “Things are.. bad, right now, but... I think we can get through this. For our friends.”

Goo hummed, a smile grew on her face as she returned the hug.

Mac opened his mouth to say something, but now felt like the wrong time. They needed this moment of calmness, after all.

Until an alarm sounded.

It was just as loud as Mr. Herriman was. A blaring alarm that rang throughout the halls, flashing the lights and nearly shattering the remaining paintings on the wall.

They did the same as they did last time, covering their ears to silence as much sound as they could, otherwise maybe their ears would burst.

Doors slammed, opening and closing over and over again all while the lights were flashing like it was a club. A very, VERY disturbing club at that. Someone was screaming again, and Mac couldn’t blame them, he wanted to scream too if he was being honest. But someone was talking.

“Mac, when are you coming back?”

I am back. I am home.

“Mac, I’m scared.”

Where are you?

“Why did you leave?”

I didn’t mean to...

“None of this would’ve happened if you stayed.”

Mac’s eyes shot open once the voice had finished, he was graced with the sight of complete silence. The doors stopped slamming and the lights were off once again. Mac removed his hands from his ears, looking about the corridors and hallways.

Lights. There were lights coming from beneath the doors.

A light thumping sound could be heard, it came from all directions. It grew louder.

“They’re awake.” Nina hissed, drawing out a handgun.

“Who’s awake?” Mac asked, backing away from the nearest hallway.

“The friends.”

In an instant, every door slammed open, letting a dim light shine through from each one. Following the light, were masses and figures of ink. They all crawled out of the rooms, whispering and crying out intelligible words. They grew closer.

Frankie pulled out a crowbar, followed by Goo who held her bat in a fighting stance, and Jordan with his sharp, bulky branch that Mac questioned how it would be useful.

The monsters friends gave out a range of screeches, from loud growls to high pitched shrieks, before they all lunged directly at the group in the center.

Mac had no weapon, but he kicked and punched at anything that came near him. The adrenaline rush was exciting, sure, but Mac felt something more than that. Guilt, perhaps?

He dodged a throw from one monster. Fluffer Nutter?

He kicked at the stomach of another blob of ink. Uncle Pockets.

He just nearly dodged a larger ink monster that attempted to smash Mac under its fists. Foul Larry.

He simply shoved one monster that was just too weird looking to stand. Ew, Duchess.

“Where do these guys keep coming from?!” Jordan yelled, swatting his branch at one monster after another, “Holy- Is that Larry?!”

“We need to get out of here!” Nina exclaimed, shooting at one crowd of ink monsters, “Left hallway, now!”

Goo and Jordan made a dash for said corridor, their flashlights shining throughout as they disappeared into the darkness.

Frankie and Nina were next, throwing a few punches and throws to nearby monsters that tried to stop them.

Mac followed behind Frankie, holding his flashlight out in hopes they didn't run into anything or trip. He turned around to the crowd of inked imaginary friends, they were losing in numbers, either many had gone away or were chasing after them.

“Where are we going?!” Mac yelled ahead, hoping for an answer.

“My best guess is Madame Foster’s room!” Frankie yelled back to answer, still ahead of Mac.

Something’s wrong. Mac doesn’t hear anymore whispers from behind them, the friends are gone.

Instead they were replaced by another sound...

“Wait!” Mac called out to the group, pulling them all to a stop, “I hear something...”

Mac then heard the sound he last wanted to hear, the sounds he dreaded the most.

Heavy thumping,

quiet squeaks of sneakers,

and padded feet quickly following after.

Chapter Text

Mac hated that he recognized those sounds. But they grew closer and louder.

Of course, the only other people beside Mac that also recognized the sounds were Goo and Frankie, who’s faces changed into one of horror as they realized who it belonged to.

The heavy stomping, it rattled the lamps and pictures surrounding the group. Mac remembers how he would yell a name and run up to whoever made the same sound for a hug, “Eduardo!”

The sneakers were barely audible, but it spoke volumes. The sound was so recognizable Mac could hear it from across the house and he’d know who it was. There was a warm and gentle smile that flashed in his mind the more he thought about it, “Wilt!”

The last sound of padding on the floors sounded like flippers, which would be confusing if Mac also couldn’t help but know who it belonged to. Somehow, Mac could even hear the whisper of someone’s name that followed, “Coco-”

Nina and Jordan stood frozen and confused as the others were scared silent, “What? What’s wrong, guys?” Jordan whisper-asked the three behind them.

“Someone’s here.” Frankie whispered back.

“Uhm.. yeah, this place is full of friends-” Jordan responded, confused but was cut off.

“No. It’s someone.. some friends we knew.” Mac corrected, “And I don’t think they’re too happy about us being here, either.”

Nina gave a puzzled look, about to question the boy but she was interrupted by a wild growl that came long down the corridor.

Everyone shivered and stilled at the same time. Nina knew that sound.

“Please don’t let it be who I think it is...” Goo whispered, her lips barely quivering while she held her bat defensively.

The first figure appeared before them, they were rough and built, but you could barely see that through the ink that covered their whole body. Yet despite the ink that nearly made the figure unrecognizable, it was their large teeth that concluded Mac’s thoughts, but Nina was the one who spoke for him.

“Eduardo..?”

He lunged at the group with a furious yell. Eduardo was always the strongest of Mac’s friends, but pairing him with a substance that makes the purple imaginary friend even more hostile? Not a good idea.

Nobody even tried to attack back, afraid it might injure the upset ink monster friend. Jordan blocked hits with his branch, Frankie and Goo were using their weapons for anything but against Eduardo, and Nina was frozen. The look in her eyes was borderline miserable, a look of horror as she stared at her imaginary friend that was now charged at anyone nearby.

Mac ran up to the officer, afraid Eduardo might catch sight of Nina and ambush her. Mac desperately tried to shake Nina out of her trance, pulling and shaking in hopes she could just move.

In front of them, Frankie and Goo were defending themselves from Eduardo’s throws and attacks, an extremely disheartening sight to watch. Once distanced from the ink friend, Frankie and Goo made a run for it towards Madame Foster’s bedroom-

Mac watched as Frankie and Goo were tackled by a new inky figure, knocking the two onto the floor and plucking their weapons out of their hands, thrown far away from where they could reach. Mac’s eyes widened in fear as the newcomer advanced towards the two. It was hard to see what or who exactly this monster was, it looked like a bunch of objects jumbled together and doused in ink...

They said one singular word as they appeared before Goo and Frankie, “Cococo-” it repeated, whispering the word to the point it could barely be heard. Goo rapidly shook her head in disbelief, while Frankie tossed her head around trying to find an escape.

Jordan caught sight of the situation before them, escaped from Eduardo and made a dash for the two girls on the floor.

Mac watched as Jordan was grabbed from the back of his jersey, and tossed to the opposite side of the hallway. Jordan groaned in pain as he attempted to regain his stance. The newest monster was tall. It scared Mac how recognizable this person was already. He saw Jordan’s face morph into one of realization and fear. Wilt towered over Jordan with a silent glare in his empty, white eyes as ink dripped from his fingertips.

Mac held a firm grip on Nina, who was still scared solid, watching as the imaginary friends he once used to spend his whole life with became hostile beings of ink. In the corner of his eye, he could see Eduardo beginning to charge at him and Nina. Using the little strength he had, Mac shoved Nina and himself out of the way of Eduardo, who slammed into Coco while she was busy with Frankie and Goo.

Frankie used this distraction to run over to Jordan and grab him back over to the group. Wilt had noticed and began to go for Frankie with his intimidating height, but was cut off by Coco knocking into one of his legs, causing a domino effect.

Nina had regained the ability to move again, grabbing Mac and Goo by their arms and pulling them into a tight circle, Frankie and Jordan just barely escaping the mess behind them.

The three imaginary friends cornered the group, unintelligible whispers sounded from their mouths as a light purple-ish hue emitted from their bodies. Mac was about to give into his fate, just as his fingers lightly passed over the flashlight in his pocket.

Flashlight!

In a split second decision, Mac yanked the flashlight from his front pocket and shined the light as bright as he could directly at the monsters friends. What followed was a chorus of screeches that sounded like an alien dying. Mac, and everyone else, screwed their eyes shut as the light overtook the scene.

After a pause, the screaming came to a stop completely. Mac still held the flashlight in his shaking hands, but began to lower it as his eyes opened again. His eyes widened at the sight before them.

“They’re frozen...” Goo marveled, moving closer to the solid figure of Coco, placing a hand on what was supposed to be her beak, “Do you think that would work on all the imaginary friends?”

“If it worked for them, it’ll work for everyone else.” Frankie sighed, slumping in exhaustion and relief.

Mac began to inspect the statues of his friends, he doubted they’ll be stuck like this forever. It was best to get out while they still could. He ran a hand down his hair in thought, but he was unfocused.

“Why are you still here?” A voice asked, it was recognizable but unfamiliar at the same time. Nobody else seemed to hear it, too focused on their solid friends.

I’m here to help.

“You know you’re the cause for this.”

And I’m going to make it right.

“You should’ve forgotten this place.”

Why would I?

“You should’ve forgotten me.”

With a small gasp, Mac stiffened in his spot. All eyes returned to him for a moment, “We need to get out of here. They’ll go back to normal soon, we should find the source while we have the chance.” Mac instructed, beginning to walk down the hall.

The group walked in silence, which was probably for the better but it just felt... wrong.

“I feel so terrible.” Jordan muttered, his arms crossed and head tilted downward, “I just saw my best friend as an ink monster, all because I wasn’t here for him..”

“Oh, Jordan...” Frankie approached with sympathy, “You.. Honestly I can’t find the words to make this better, but I promise you we’ll turn them, everyone, back to normal.”

Nina was hugging herself defensively, “Eduardo must’ve been so scared... I can’t believe this happened to them..”

Frankie sucked in a sharp breath, yet was unable to formulate words, just standing sadly with the other adults. Goo, on the other hand, huffed and glowed with confidence.

“Look, we’re all a little bit at fault here, sure, we left our imaginary friends to become ink monsters of death and evil. But we can still do this! Nobody may have figured out how to solve this ‘inking’ but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible! Use that motivation to save your best friend to.. y’know, do it!” She pumped a fist in the air for emphasis.

The group smiled, appreciating Goo’s enthusiasm, but Jordan quickly faltered, “What if we don’t?”

Goo was puzzled, “Wh..- of course we will! We can save our friends and-”

“It’s not that.” Jordan interrupted, “When we got here, I’ve been hearing.. a voice. It sounds like, I don’t know, like Wilt. And it keeps saying that I should’ve left and.. and there’s no use. I’m just worried that it might be true.”

“I’ve been hearing those too.” Mac fidgeted with his fingers, “I.. don’t know who it is, but they keep saying that I... left them and caused this. Which, I mean, is pretty fair but..”

“It’s the imaginary friends talking to you.” Nina said, “I also had heard them, in the voice of Eduardo. It is either a trick to get you to leave, or to make you doubt yourself. Either way, it’s trying to get you infected with the ink as well. That is what Mr. Herrimand tried to do it for the first time.”

“So it’s... the ghost of imaginary friends talking to you?” Goo tilted her head.

“More or less.” Nina nodded, “But nonetheless, it is causing them pain, and they need us to stop it. To Madame Foster’s room.” She walked to the front of the group to lead.

Mac trailed behind, keeping his gaze directed at the ground while his mind wandered about. Someone was watching him.

Turning around, Mac no longer saw the statues of Wilt, Eduardo, or Coco. Instead, there was a single figure, a simple one at that. It stood out amongst the dim hallway. It was blue.

“Bloo...?” Mac’s eyes widened, stopping abruptly.

The imaginary friend’s mouth moved, but no words came out yet. When it did, it sounded like he was up close.

“Why did you forget?”

What?

“You promised, Mac.”

Mac opened his mouth, but Bloo was gone. Saddened, Mac turned back to the group to continue his way to Madame Foster’s room.

It was still quiet as the group finally managed to reach the doors to Madame Foster’s office. Mac could instantly feel the source coming from behind the doors.

Nina was first to open the wooden doors, followed by Jordan, Goo and Mac. Frankie, however, hesitated before entering. Afterall, Madame Foster’s death was one reason for Frankie leaving...

She pushed the door open and entered her grandmother’s empty room.

Mac was amazed at the room, even twenty years later he never really got a good look into Madame Foster’s bedroom and office. It was just as fancy as the rest of the house, a Victorian theme that covered the whole room. The large queen sized bed was placed in the center of the room, everything was still in place. It looked as if nobody had touched this room in ages.

“So... where’s this ‘core’ we’re supposed to destroy?” Goo looked about the room, shrugging and turning back to Mac.

“I... I thought that if we went to Madame Foster’s room, because she’s kind of the reason FOR Foster’s, her room would have a lot of impact..?” Mac nervously explained.

Nina inspected smaller spaces of the dark room with her flashlight, “Look around the room to see if you find something interesting. Maybe it’ll be here..”

Frankie nervously laughed, “I’ll stay here and, uhm.. guard the door, yeah? Great.” She slowly backed herself towards the door. Frankie’s body did a full 180 spin and turned towards the door-

SLAM!

All eyes snapped towards the doors, which were now tightly shut. Frankie ran for the door knob, pulling and twisting it but to no avail, “It’s locked!” She yelled, facing the group with a helpless look of fear.

Mac felt a familiar presence now, it was somewhere in the room. He spun around everywhere, someone was here, trying to find them. There, by the windowsill at the other end of the room, was a figure. Light from outside the window outlined its shape, a faint blue color highlighted by it.

“Bloo...?” Mac whispered, hopefully this time he won’t leave.

“Mac.” The imaginary friend deadpanned, Mac could barely see his eyes but if he could, Bloo certainly wasn’t too pleased right now.

“I-I can’t believe it! It’s you! You’re really here- I have so much to talk to you about but.. we need to fix whatever’s going on here!” Mac rambled, he was so happy to see his best friend again!

“That’s great, Mac.”

“I know!- Wait, is that sarcasm? I guess those lessons did pay off in the long run...”

“It’s funny how you remember that but not, I don’t know, everything else.”

“Bloo..? What are you talking about?” Mac began to advance towards the blue friend, “You’re acting weird, man.”

“I’m acting weird, huh? Well, good sir, you can remember some random thing we did over twenty years ago, but not your one promise you made to me?” Bloo stepped closer to Mac, making the boy take one step back at the same time.

“Tell me, Mac, what do you think it was that you told me the day you left?”

“I- Bloo this isn’t funny, something serious is going on and-”

“I’ll come back, is what you said, you even crossed your heart on it, you know?” Bloo smiled, “It’s sad how you don’t seem to remember that, though.”

“I...”

“I mean, what else did you think those voices were for? Motivation? Ha! Mac you silly, silly child. So gullible and naïve.”

Mac was stunned, what was Bloo saying? This didn’t make sense, this wasn’t Bloo. Goo stormed up next to Mac, glaring at the imaginary friend with a furious stare, “That’s enough out of you, Bloo! What’s going on?!”

“You don’t get to tell me what’s enough!” Bloo screamed in a distorted voice, “You know what I think there’s enough of? Me waiting for you all!” Bloo’s eyes were nearly pure white, staring down each person in the room at once, “All of us have been waiting, for TEN YEARS, in hopes that someone would just come back and help, anyone! But noo! Leave the useless imaginary friends behind to be forgotten and lost in ink, or whatever!”

“Bloo, what are you talking about? I- we never forgot about you!-” Mac interjected, but Bloo was quick to correct him.

“Bullshit! You said it yourself, Mac! You promised to come back, you promised to never forget us! But if that were true, THEN WHERE WERE YOU?” Bloo seemed to tower over Mac, despite his smaller figure, “We-he-hell dear Mac, this is the result of what you chose, my friend! Y’know, it never had to go this way, if you only stayed..."

 At the last part of Bloo’s rant, his voice began to distort, and his body was slowly engulfed by ink that rose from the ground up.

His once small, simple blue body grew into one that was taller and menacing that was covered in the inky substance. There were no pupils in his eyes, just an empty white void of anger, similar to his mouth. Bloo loomed over the group, deviously smiling like a child, “But with all the years of us being left here, it made us quite bitter and cold, yeah? I think that it’s about time you return the favor!”

“Fav.. What favor? Bloo?!” Mac took several steps back in caution.

“Why, because you fellas caused us so much pain and suffering, I think it's pretty fair you guys get to feel what we’ve gone through!” Bloo grinned even wider, as if his smile wasn’t large enough.

Thoughts raced about in Mac’s mind, but one stood out in particular;

‘What happened?’

Ten Years Ago

“Hey Bloo, I’m sorry but standing there all day doesn’t sound good!”

“No thanks, Wilt, I’m good.”

“I didn’t even offer you anything?”

“I’ll see you later, bud.”

Bloo walked down the endless halls of Foster’s, his mind overflowing with thoughts. This whole month had been an utter headache for him. He was still waiting on the front porch everyday for Mac to return, and his patience was wearing thin. Frankie had left just a few months ago, and things did not get better from there. In fact, it might’ve gotten worse.

Sure, the friends take it upon themselves to clean up the place and keep it tidy if Mac or Frankie or even Goo decide to come back, but it was insanely boring! Mr. Herriman was now the official man of the house, with both Madame Foster and Frankie gone. And surprisingly, he’s been lenient on the strict rules he used to enforce. Maybe it was the stress of leading a house full of imaginaries, but Bloo didn’t care that much. He was just waiting for Mac.

Each day would go by with no sign of his creator.

Those days would turn into weeks, then months, and eventually a year had passed.

Once Bloo had reached the Creator Picnic mark, to which Mac did not show up to, Bloo began to feel a certain feeling of doubt. Was Mac coming back? Did he lie?

No, how could he think that? Mac never broke a promise, EVER! He’d never leave or even forget Bloo! They were best buds!

So Bloo continued to wait.

And as the days went by, Bloo would just sit out on the porch, stare at the clock until 3:00 PM, then go to bed. He never left the general area of the front doors until he saw Mac walk through them again. Some days, Coco would sit next to Bloo in silence and wait with him. Other days, Eduardo would bring out toys or trinkets for Bloo to play with as he waited outside. Wilt and Larry would occasionally offer to play rounds of basketball, or any game for that matter, but always ended up just bringing out a plate of snacks for Bloo as so he doesn’t starve.

Today wasn’t that different. Bloo sat on the creaky, wooden porch as he watched the few cars go by. A light breeze that blew the ever growing grass and trees hit him in the face, causing Bloo to squint.

A couple of footsteps knocked Bloo back to reality.

“Hey Bloo,” Wilt waved down at the friend, “Me and Larry are heading out to the store, you need anything?”

Bloo looked up to see two towering imaginary friends staring back at him, Larry carried a wallet in one hand and the other held onto Wilt’s singular hand. Bloo shook his head silently, “Okay then, see you later, Bloo!” Wilt dragged the basketball friend down the sidewalk and to the store.

Frankie would have a field day of writing if she saw that.

Bloo sighed, placing his head in his hands and staring into the distance. Mac would’ve been here by now.

It has been ten years since Mac left, and Bloo has... mixed feelings about it. Bloo knew going to college would take a long time, but good GOD was he bored! Mac promised he’d be back... and he will come back! He always manages to.

...

What if he forgot?

What if Mac forgot about Bloo entirely?

Maybe Mac found better friends. Better human friends that treat him nice. Better than Bloo.

Mac wouldn’t have to leave then, he wouldn’t have to come back.

Mac would’ve broken his promise.

Mac forgot about them.

Bloo scoffed, “‘I’l never forget you’ my ass.” He went to sit on his bunk bed, “Of course Mac wouldn’t want to come back, who would?”

Bloo was confident Mac had learned to move on, and good for him! Mac is a grown man and deserves to see the world like Frankie wanted to.

So then why did it hurt so badly?

“Mac... forgot me.”

Bloo concluded, he tried to reject it, but it was already deeply rooted in his mind.

“Mac’s gone... and he’s never coming back.”

Bloo felt angry, he felt betrayed, sad, furious, and miserable all at the same time. It was an overflow of emotions he couldn’t handle. He wanted to cry, he wanted Mac to come back.

But Mac isn’t coming back.

Bloo’s thoughts abruptly stopped when a tingling feeling bubbled in his throat. Bloo coughed, he wasn’t sick of course, but surely it wasn’t good to be coughing up ink.

“Huh... should probably get that checked out.” Was the last thing Bloo said before a wave of fatigue overtook his body and fell limp on the bed.

'Mac broke his promise.' His mind rang, over and over, before he finally went unconcious.

Bloo giggled in delight as he watched the group of humans slowly back away from him. Some, as in Jordan and Goo, tried to shine a flashlight at Bloo in hopes it may disable him for a moment, which failed. Others, Nina and Frankie, would attempt to attack at Bloo which ended with items bouncing off the inky surface of his body. Mac, however, kept his eyes locked on blue and frozen in place.

“And I know for a fact I’m not the only one who thinks that!~” Bloo sang in a teasing tone, “Our friends here at Foster’s have been waiting so long for you, isn’t that right?”

As soon as Bloo said that, the doors that had previously been locked slammed open, and from the outside three ink figures walked in.

“Wilt, Ed, Coco, take care of them for me.” Bloo instructed them, waving around a hand that gestured towards Mac and the rest. Mac gasped, turning his head to find that the three imaginary friends had already restrained Frankie, Goo and Jordan in a flash. Nina and Mac took several steps back, but seeing as there was nowhere else to go, Mac gave in.

Mac then found himself stuck to the floor along with every other human in the room, bound to the ground by ink. Goo tried over and over to pull herself out of the restraints, but to no avail. Mac looked up to find Bloo cackling before them, while Wilt, Eduardo, and Coco stood silent next to him. Empty, white eyes glared back at the humans.

“It really has been fun, Mac, I’ll admit! You came back to this tacky excuse of a house and for what? Your friends? Ha, but you were too late,” Bloo taunted in a singsong tone, before losing the grin and his face turned into something more serious, “Ten, long years too late.”

With a simple wave of Bloo’s hand, the ink surrounding Mac grew, slowly but surely increasing its grip on them at once. Mac once thought he would die alone and old because of a library book, but now he was certain he would die at the hands of his best friend because of himself. 

No, Mac would make this right.

“Wait!” Mac pleaded as the ink just reached his elbows, “Bloo, please, let me explain.”

“What’s there to explain?” Bloo leaned down to level with Mac, “You left! It’s a simple fact that caused this whole situation to happen! What else do you need to explain?!”

“Bloo, you’re hurt.”

“No DUH! Did you really expect being turned into some ink monster would be nice and calming? No! I had to sit and watch as my friends grew limbs and eyes where they weren’t supposed to be!”

“No, not like that. You’re hurting inside, Bloo. I can see it. Just let me talk for a bit, please.”

Bloo’s glare didn’t leave Mac as he stood up straight. The ink slowly began to leave Mac’s body, but nobody else's. The boy took that as a sign to start talking.

“I know my mistake, Bloo, I made a promise that I didn’t keep and it cost you. Well, not just you but everyone, and you’re right. If I had stayed then you would be fine right about now and-”

“Is this all you wanted to talk about, Mac? Just your apology?” Bloo interrupted, “Because I don’t WANT your apology, I want revenge.” The imaginary friend growled, but Mac stood his ground.

Mac paused for a moment, thinking out his words, “Okay, Bloo I understand where you-”

“No you don’t!”

Bloo’s face was no longer one of anger, it was sad, “You don’t understand, you never will! I keep saying this over and over because- because it hurts, Mac! I cared for you so, so much and I waited years for you to come back! I think the majority of those years were just thoughts of when you were returning, because I can’t think of a world where you aren’t there. An- And when I finally came to realize you are really never coming back, I broke. I’ve done horrible things before, I’ll even admit I’m a terrible friend, but that never stopped me or you from being best friends.

“I just kept thinking that.. if you left, you’d find some better life and didn’t need to come back to Foster’s. Like, you forgot about all of us. And the worst part is, I can’t be mad at that! You, and everyone else, deserve to live a life with people that will treat you like an actual friend, not someone... like me. I wanted you to get out and have fun, I didn’t want to keep you stuck at Foster’s because of me, but it just... hurts.”

Bloo went silent, and for the first time in a while, shrunk in on himself. Mac was stunned, he couldn’t think of any words to say, so he didn’t. Mac let his words flow before he could think.

“I.. get that. Like, I really do. I am so grateful, Bloo, that you wanted the best for me and I could say the same to you. We promised each other we’d stick together, no matter what, and I do believe that it’s my fault for wanting to break that in the first place. But... I care for you too, Bloo, and centering your whole life around someone isn’t good for you. It’s healthy to let people go once in a while, even if they might not come back.” Mac ranted, but that ending clearly didn’t help as Bloo’s saddened frown only deepened. So Mac continued to talk,

“However... I could never let someone like you go. Bloo, you were the greatest friend I’ve ever had, sure you’ve done tons of immoral stuff, but I would be lying if I said at least some of them were fun. I could never forget someone like you, let alone all the friends I’ve made here. Here at Foster’s, I’ve felt more... happy, alive and just.. like a kid. And I have you to thank for that.” Mac smiled at Bloo, who was finally beginning to make proper eye contact with the man.

“I may not be here everyday now, I may even be gone for days on end, but one thing I can assure you is that I will never, ever, forget Blooregard Q. Kazoo and every weird adventures he forces me through. There’s no-one I’d rather have to be my best friend than you.”

It was like a sudden weight had lifted off Mac’s shoulders, and even the room had somehow brightened. Bloo stared in amazement and awe at Mac, who offered a warm smile in return. The two stayed like that for a while, just a silent staring contest between a puzzled imaginary friend and his creator.

Bloo sniffed, running for Mac and wrapping around his legs the best he could. He never wanted to let go, afraid Mac would disappear again. Instead of disappearing from existence, Mac leaned down and returned the hug.

“Aww how sweet! Now dearest Bloo, could you pretty please LET US GO NOW?!” Frankie screeched from the pile of ink that held a firm grip on the remaining four humans.

Bloo jumped back from the hug, “Oh, shoot that’s right.” He waved a hand towards the group and the substance dissipated into the ground. Jordan, Frankie and Nina stood up with a groan while Goo shot up from her spot.

Mac stood up, noticing the remaining amounts of ink that covered the walls. Even Wilt, Eduardo and Coco hadn’t moved from their spots yet! The man leaned down to Bloo, “Hey, Bloo, what’re you going to do about all the ink stuff?”

Bloo contemplated for a moment, looking back up to Mac with pleading eyes, “Can I get one more hug first?”

Mac rolled his eyes, “You’re so emotional now.” Despite this, Mac wrapped his arms around his best friend, a familiar smile crept onto his face that hadn’t for a long time.

Chapter Text

Mac took his time to walk down the sidewalk. Autumn was always one of his favorite seasons, he enjoyed the color scheme of the trees and grass during this time. Mac eventually reached his destination after a good twenty minutes of walking.

Mac reached the front porch of Foster’s, new and improved, and opened the already unlocked door. Today was the day that Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends would reopen to the public, after the events that occurred nearly a year ago. Banners and streamers hung over the foyer and all over the house, music played from the speakers, the place was filled with imaginary friends hard at work.

Mac avoided stepping on and getting trampled under various imaginaries and walked up to the center of the room, where Frankie was talking to his friends. Eventually, someone caught sight of him.

“Mac’s back!”

The man was cut off from his greeting by a swift hug from Frankie, followed by Eduardo and Coco. Wilt opted to simply pat Mac’s head. Frankie was the first to break away, yelling up the stairway, “Bloo, Mac’s here!”

Mac couldn’t help but laugh as he watched the blue imaginary friend frantically run down the stairs and crash into Mac’s legs in a hug, to which Mac returned. Bloo broke away with a huge grin, “Guess what, Mac?! I found out that if you hit Duchess with a paddle ball, her jewelry makes a chiming sound! Let’s try it out!!”

The group gasped, “Bloo, I’m sorry, but that is not okay!” Wilt scolded the smaller friends, before leaning down to level with him, “How many paddle balls do you have?”

Frankie and Mac giggled in sync, but Frankie grabbed Mac’s wrist and began to drag him over to another part of the room, “You guys keep setting up, I’ll discuss some planning with Mac!” She called out before finally out of view of the others. She then faced Mac with one of the most serious faces she could muster.

Mac mirrored the face, “Alright, what’s the plan?”

Frankie pulled a clipboard with paper and a pencil out of a shelf, “Okay, Goo will be here in about thirty minutes, so we have that amount of time to set up the backyard with candles and flowers. Then, I need Coco and Eduardo to keep Wilt busy while you and Bloo do the same with Larry. Me and Goo will finish setting up, and THEN we can get on with the Foster’s reopening.” She ranted, writing on the paper while doing so.

Mac chuckled, “I still can’t believe you guys are prioritizing setting up Larry and Wilt before the grand reopening.”

“That’s because you don’t see them on a daily basis, Mac! Oh my god, the look they give each other makes me want to rip out my hair and force them to kiss-” Frankie groaned, “So! I’ll be getting to that, but in the meantime you can go catch up with the friends or something. Have fun!” Frankie walked back out to the foyer, probably to discuss the same thing with Coco, Eduardo and Bloo.

Mac followed after but was tackled by a mass of bright colors and lots of curly hair,

"Mac!!! Oh my gosh you would not believe what happened earlier, so I was driving down here to Foster’s and- Ohhh wait did Frankie tell you about the date we’re setting up for Foul Larry and Wilt?! Cause it was actually all my idea, don’t listen to her. And- DID YOU GROW OUT YOUR HAIR!!? Ooooh, can I braid it???”

“Goo, please, you’re gonna break my ears.” Mac groaned, shoving the girl away from his face but kept a smile on his face. Goo stuck out a tongue, but straightened herself to face Mac, “So! Any news from home?”

“Not really, oh- but Terrence got fired from his sixth job! It was hilarious, he was apparently sleeping on the job AND putting uncooked chicken in people’s burgers! I keep telling him that if he wants to move out of mom’s house, he’s gotta stop getting fired!” Mac bent over laughing, “But.. that’s about it, what about you?”

Goo beamed with delight, “I actually got another cat!! Look, I have a picture,” She immediately went to pulling out her phone, “Her name is Butter, which is because she has this little orange spot on her head that looks like butter- And she’s besties with my other pet bird Pancake so-”

“Wait wait wait... Goo, just how many pets do you have in your house?”

“Oh, so there’s... 4 dogs, 3 cats now, 2 birds, and 1 lizard. If I had an even BIGGER house, I’d get a horse too! Ooh, and maybe a goat, those are so cute, and my mom loves snakes so I can get one for her too, I could have a big pond for fish and a farm for chickens and cows-”

“Ok so a lot. Man, and all I’ve got is my pet rock from 3rd grade...” Mac cut the other off, “So, life good then?”

“Yup! Even better now that I’ve moved back in town. We’re basically neighbors now, except you live an hour away!” Goo grinned.

“I guess it is better now that I’ve moved back here. I actually got an apartment in my old complex, it’s not my mom’s old apartment but it’s great.” Mac said, “I got a job at the arcade too, so I get a discount on the pizza and prizes.”

Goo gasped, “Really?! I have to work at the library! Do you know how hard it is?! I have to be QUIET, ME! Quiet?! Mac, I might die there.”

“Well you could always quit-”

Frankie rushed over to the two adults, “Change of plans, guys! Date will have to wait for a bit, Mr. Herriman wants us to take a group photo before we open.”

Mac shrugged, following Goo and Frankie towards the stairs where a majority of imaginary friends were already standing. It went as standard procedure, the camera imaginary friend who’s name Mac had sadly forgotten stood before the group, still excited about the mirror that allowed him to be in the photo. The room was bursting with groans and yelling from one another as the friends attempted to squeeze themselves into the frame.

“Wait, aren’t we supposed to be in alphabetical order?” Mac asked Frankie, who smiled in return, “Actually, Mr. Herriman is letting them decide where they want to stand for this picture. It’s pretty cool how lenient he’s being.”

Mac responded with a small ‘Oh’ and watched as the imaginary friends stepped to their preferred spaces. On Mac’s right was Bloo, Goo and Frankie. On the other side stood Coco, Eduardo and Wilt. Mr. Herriman waved to the crowd, announcing the limited time they had before the photo would be taken. Mac straightened himself up, giving the most sincere smile he could musters, and honestly he didn’t have to try that hard. It was hard to NOT smile when he was here at Foster’s nearly everyday now. Internally, Mac prayed there was nobody planning to drop the stairs again.

“Okay everyone...” The rabbit announced as he made his way to stand beside Frankie, “Say ‘Cheese’!”

“Chee-” The sea of friends echoed, before stopping at a certain voice.

“I like chocolate milk!”

“God dammit, Cheese!” Frankie screeched, just as the flash went off.

“Thanks for having me over, Frankie.” Mac said as he stood at the bottom of the porch. Today was a success, despite whatever happened during the picture. Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends had officially made a comeback, and actually had a few friends that joined today alone!

“Not a problem, Mac. Feel free to come back anytime.” Frankie waved him off, “See ya later.”

Mac smiled, “I’ll see you later.”

Beside Frankie, Bloo sobbed and wailed into her leggings. The woman rolled her eyes in annoyance, “Bloo, stop that.”

“Goodbye Mac! I can’t believe I won’t see you for 5-whole-years!!” The blue imaginary friend continued to sob, despite Frankie’s protests.

“Bloo, I live down the street. I’m not leaving.”

Bloo immediately stopped his crying, giving Mac a deadpanned look, “You are so selfish.”

Mac laughed it off, “Alright, well I better head home now. Give Wilt and Larry my congratulations if you can, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Bye Mac!” Frankie called out before closing herself inside the house, dragging Bloo with her.

Mac could never forget this place after all.

Foster’s may be a home dedicated to imaginary friends, but Mac would be lying if he said he didn’t find this place as home either.

Mac smiled at the thought as he walked back to his apartment.