Bother Of An Employee's Brother

Chapter one: Just another night

Just over a week after the Maxwell incident

"Nine…" Douglas groaned, his voice painful. "Ten…eleven…"

"Douglas Goodwin!"

The guard immediately looked over his shoulder to where the voice came from to find a female, anthropomorphic bear with rather formal clothing standing in the east doorway, giving him a stern look. Douglas' eyes widened as he quickly stood up from the floor while constantly eyeing the she-bear, who still glared at him with her arms crossed.

"Oh…hi, Fred," he mumbled.

"Douglas, were you doing push-ups again?" the other person reprimanded. "I thought I told you not to overexert yourself while trying to gain more physical strength!"

"I know, Fred, I just…well…"

"You just…?"

"Uh…" the guard hesitantly said. "H-hey, I appreciate your worrying, but there's really no need to…"

"Yes there is. As your colleague and your friend, it's my duty to make sure that you won't be forced to lie in bed while suffering from myalgia." She suddenly gave a mischievous smirk that really didn't suit her. "And if I have to order Chica to tie you to your chair with duct tape for a few nights, so be it."

Douglas gave her a look that clarified just how much he believed her – which wasn't much. "You wouldn't."

"I wouldn't?" Freddy smirked. "Are you certain about that?"

Then, another female voice erupted, causing Douglas to jump. "This is something you don't see every day. Freddy is threatening our guard into taking a nap!" The voice sighed. "Can't say she's that good at threats, but she'll get there. Someday."

"Hey, Goldie," Douglas awkwardly greeted as a response. "Can I ask what you're doing under my desk?"

The owner of the voice chuckled, left her current spot and stood up, revealing what seemed to be a golden version of the other she-bear. "Something tells me you know the answer to that question."

"You're psychic," the guard guessed. Goldie shook her head.

"No, I just wanted to stop by the office. It's almost six, and since Freddy was here to yell at you…"

Douglas looked at the clock. 5:57 am. He quickly grabbed his security cap and put it on before turning back to the two girls.

"Almost time to go," he said. They nodded.

"I should get back to the stage," Freddy said. "Douglas, could you please check for me if the others are where they should be?"

"They are," Golden informed before the guard had moved. "They're just waiting for you now."

"Thank you," Freddy said. She looked back at Douglas and smiled. "Have a good day, Douglas. And please make sure you don't overstrain yourself when you do your physical exercise."

Douglas gave a nod, after which Freddy left the office. The guard then turned to Golden.

Golden gave a wave. "See you next night, Doug. Was nice talking to you again," she said.

The guard gave a shy smile. "Uh…thanks. Likewise."

15:23 pm

The young man awoke to the sound of his phone ringing. He slowly opened his eyes, the noise that sounded through his apartment relentlessly continuing to torture Douglas' ears as he groggily stood up from his bed and walked over to the sound's source. He picked up and held it at his ear.

"Hello?" he drowsily said.

"Hey, man, what took you so long?"

Douglas blinked, recognizing his brother's voice. "Zach?"

"That's me. Been a while since we spoke, eh?"

"Heh…y-yeah, uh…what's going on, man?"

"Not much, actually. Y'know, things are going like they're supposed to be going, and…well…" he casually paused. "And how are you doing?"

"Pretty good, actually."

"That's weird," Zachary directly said, "'cause since your dropout, I don't think you've ever found a job. And I might be able to help you get one. It's at the same company I work at, so convincing my boss shouldn't be that hard."

"Stop there, bro," Douglas said. "Thanks, but I do actually have a job. The pay is decent, and I've made some friends there. Wouldn't want to leave for the world."

"You found a job?" Zachary sounded surprised. "Why didn't you tell me, man?"

"I didn't? Sorry. Must've forgot about it."

"It's fine. What kind of job is it?"

"I do the nightshift."

"You call that a job?!"

"Again, good pay and great friends."

"Right. Guess I can't persuade you to get a better job?"

"Nope."

"In that case, I'll just get right to the point. What do ya say I visit my baby brother for a day or so? Y'know, to catch up and whatnot?"

"Uh…sure. When?"

"Well, I just happen to have the rest of the week off, so I guess I can come as early as tomorrow. Unless you have other stuff to worry about."

"No, tomorrow's good," Douglas quickly said. "Just keep in mind that I'm pretty much nocturnal, so I'll be asleep in the morning and at work tonight."

"I gotcha. See ya tomorrow!"

"Yeah. Bye."

And with that, the conversation was over.