Where Did You Get That ? (ballpit / Will)

where did you get that ? (ballpit / will)

◜ 𝐈 𝐒𝐄𝐄 𝐘𝐎𝐔 ◞ : a collection of prompts from the 2023 animated film 𝐍𝐈𝐌𝐎𝐍𝐀 based off the graphic novel by nd stevenson .

★ — The sudden question causes Gregory to freeze — a deer in the headlights. Veins feel as though ice is suddenly coursing through them, heart lurching into his throat, overcome with a vague panic that he forces himself to swallow down.

He's come to hate being singled out by an adult in his own time, would much rather be left entirely alone than the punishments he almost never deserves that he's come to associate those moments with. Here, in this now, it feels far more dangerous than it ever has before. He's out of place ( out of his own time ), and all it would take is one person to pay him more than a sparing glance, to actually pay attention to him to grow suspicious.

"Its ——. I- I just found it."

Imperceptible wince as he speaks ( he can feel his throat starting to close up, struggling to force the words out ), but he pushes himself to keep going. To keep up the act.

"Is, uh — is something wrong?"

★ — The brief pause causes Gregory to tense, unknowingly holding his breath as he lets his gaze quickly flicker over to Michael, silently searching him for any notable signs of frustration or anger — half expecting to still be in trouble for wasting a morning and drawing attention to himself. But Michael shrugs, and with it Gregory feels his own worry fall away. He tries to bite down a smile, half - heartedly pushing back against the playful nudge. ( when was the last time he was happy to be with a guardian? ).

"Can we? That place on the corner where I get hot chocolates has brownies most days. I wanna go there."

THE QUESTION MAKES HIM PAUSE, given that he doesn't exactly know 'what happens now' either— all he can think back to are the times he had gotten into trouble at school. He was far more inclined to start it than Gregory, though no one really believed him when he hadn't, either, when he would react. Michael quickly pushes his own experience away: Gregory hadn't done anything wrong, and if he COULD have given the faculty more of a piece of his mind without risking putting their situation in danger, he damn well would have.

"Don't know," Michael shrugs, honest. "There's the rest of the day to kill, so— nothing, unless you've got any ideas." Moment to think, before he lightly nudges the kid. "You wanna grab a snack?"

a family can be a giant bear robot with the power to kill and a little tiny criminal boy and I think that's beautiful

Some warm up doodles 💃

If I somehow found a newfound father figure in the animatronic I was hiding in I’d be protective too

gregory is such a smart kid he just really does not get opportunities to show that and doesn’t care enough to overachieve at school