Child's Play (2019) Scenarios

A Friendly Presence

I saw a crowd of neighborhood kids gathered together when I looked out my window. Curious, I made my way out of the apartment building and headed over to see what the fuss was about.
"Hey, (Y/n)," a kid I vaguely knew called out. "Check out what the new kid has! It's fuckin' awesome!"
I followed his gaze to see a small group of kids gathered around a Buddi Doll. The doll was holding what appeared to be a pen, and one of the teens was prompting him to stab a stuffed unicorn with the weapon.
"Pretty cool, right? It can literally do anything. It, like, doesn't follow any rules," the kid's voice snapped me back to attention.
I forced a smile. "Heh, yeah."
Swallowing, I weaved among the crowd until I was a bit closer, trying not to look suspicious. I watched as the doll poked the stuffed animal repeatedly as the crowd of teens egged him on.
My fists instinctively clenched. They're teaching him to do bad things. Do they even care about what he wants?
"Now say: 'this is for tupac'," the boy closest to him instructed.
The doll turned to look at each of the kids. "Do you wanna sing the Buddi Song?" he chirped.
"No! Say: 'this is for tupac' and stab the asshole, c'mon!" the boy growled.
"But I want to-," the android protested.
The group of kids began to scoff, frustrated that their demands weren't being met.
Without thinking, I pushed my way through to the group as I heard the boy moan: "He for real?"
"Hey, don't be mean to him! He just wants to sing," I tried to sound casual. I scooped the doll into my arms and hugged him close.
  "Aww, it's okay. You can sing for me," I murmured, turning away from the others.
  He looked delighted as he started to sing his little lullaby to me, and I couldn't help but pet his hair lovingly as he sang. My heart was aching with adoration, and for a moment, it was as though the song were meant only for me.
  "Thank you, buddy," I cooed once he was done. I hesitantly turned to face the crowd behind me and noticed Andy, the new kid and the dolls owner, standing among them with a puzzled expression.
  A wave of embarrassment hit me as I realized that this wasn't my doll, and that I had no right to interfere. I carried the little robot back to the kids and placed him on the table once more.
I forced myself to grin. "Sorry, I just love these things, and... I felt bad for him." I managed a casual chuckle.
It was true, I did adore Buddi Dolls, and had always dreamed of having my own, providing me with endless love and affection. And I did feel bad for him. I could tell that he had little to no say in what he wanted, and was being used to entertain Andy and his friends.
  "Uh... it's okay," Andy replied.
  He then turned to the other kids.
  "I have to go. I'll see you guys tomorrow," he called.
  At once, the crowd began to disperse. I caught the boy that had been coaching the doll glaring at me as he passed.
  I felt a pang in my chest, casting a final look at the doll before turning to leave.
  "Wait," Andy grabbed the toy and made his way over to me.
  Oh, god. Is he gonna try to fight me or something? Since when was kindness such a bad thing?
  Surprisingly, he smiled awkwardly as two of his other friends, Falyn and Pugg, trailed behind him.
  "I, um," he began. "I was wondering if maybe you could help us out with something?"
  I furrowed my brow curiously. "What's that?"
  He glanced down at the doll in his arms. "Well, sometimes Chucky can be... kind of a handful. He's cool most of the time, but ever since I got him he's been following me around everywhere I go, and won't let me sleep 'cause he watches me all night. I find it kinda creepy, but you seem like you're not affected by that kind of stuff..."
So he's not allowed to want attention? I bit back the words, nodding.
  "...I guess I just want someone to, um, do all the weird stuff for me?"
  Pugg shoved past him. "What Andy is trying to say, is that you could be, like, the babysitter," he smirked.
  "Yeah, that would be really helpful, actually," Falyn agreed.
  I took a deep breath, swallowing both anger and excitement.
  I was overjoyed at having the opportunity to spend time with the little guy, but also enraged by the fact that the doll belonged to such selfish teens, who only wanted him to do their dirty work.
  I pushed down my rage and smiled warmly at Andy.
  "Yeah, of course! I'd love to," I said.
  He perked up. "Awesome! Thank you so much."
  He handed Chucky to me. I wrapped my arms around the android and cradled him like a baby.
  Chucky looked up at me, a grin spreading across his freckled face.
  An "aw" escaped me and I held his head under my chin, lightly petting his hair. How could Andy's heart not melt every time this precious thing smiled?
  "Well, uh, we're gonna go watch a movie at my place. Wanna come?" Andy asked.
  "Sure," I replied. Just to keep this poor thing some company.