I groggily opened my eyes, finding myself in bed with my arm wrapped around the vixen's waist from behind her as she slept soundly. The two of us were facing the wall opposite of the windows, mainly due to the sun shining through the glass upon the two of us every morning. This time, however, there was nothing but a pale moonlight, already retreating past the horizon before the sun came to take its place. I felt the cool breeze through the open window, gently waving the curtains as it passed by. I sat there for a little while, enjoying the comfortable silence while I listened to her sleepy breathing. The room was quiet enough to hear even a pen drop, scratch that, a sheet of paper drop.

Regretfully, I pulled my arms from around the vixen and rolled onto my back, throwing the covers off as I got up. I made my way over to the bathroom, where I began washing my face in an attempt to fully wake myself up, which thankfully worked. After drying my face, I walked over to the table where I grabbed a pair of black pants and a white T-shirt. I pulled the pants on in the dark room, threw the shirt on, and grabbed my belt which I looped around the pants. The reflective glint of a metal blade caught my eye as I looked back over to the table, causing me to pick it up and examine it.

It was the buck knife that I got from that fight in the alley, all those weeks ago; I somehow managed to keep it hidden all this time without even thinking about it.

I thought for a minute, pondering whether I should take it with me, but I eventually thought that I shouldn't, especially considering I have a larger blade stuffed into my wrist. That, and I really don't plan on using it for its intended purpose. I walked over to the nightstand on my side of the bed and stuffed the knife into the drawer, before walking back over to the table and grabbing my coat off the back of a chair. I pulled it on, buttoning it up and fastening the two belts that were around my waist and wrist.

I turned around, seeing the arctic fox that was laying underneath the covers on the bed, causing me to walk over and think for a minute. 'Should I wake her up so she doesn't freak out when she does? I mean, she'd probably understand I'm just at the bar, but, still,' I thought, looking down at her as she was sleeping peacefully on the bed. I looked to the right, seeing the nightstand and opening it up, locating a small piece of paper and a fairly used pencil. "What should I write…" I mumbled, gently tapping the pencil on my chin as I looked over at the vixen. I turned back to the table, just about to write down something when I heard a voice cut through the darkness.

"What's up," I heard her ask in a low voice, causing me to jump a little bit as she opened her eyes slightly. "Oh, you're awake," I said, slightly sighing as I stepped towards her again, this time leaning over and kissing her on the cheek. "I'm going to work, you know where to find me if you need me. I love you," I told her with a smile as she continued looking over at me with her half-closed eyes. "I love you too," She replied, wrapping her arms around my neck as she pulled herself up slightly, kissing me for a few seconds before she dropped back down and pulled the blanket over her shoulder while she laid on her side.

I sighed as I stood up again, soon turning around and leaving the room to see that everyone was still asleep; something I'm a little glad for, as I enjoyed the silence the night provided. It was something I grew fond of during my time at the old pizzeria, on cold nights when no one wanted to be awake and I could do anything I wanted without being bothered. I can't say I didn't like the others being around, they were helpful when I couldn't get something to work properly, or I had just been doing something for too long without a break. Though, those nights didn't compare to the silence that was engulfing the house currently, and I was basking in it. I eventually left through the front door, silently stepping out into the pale moonlight which dimly illuminated the town.

As I walked down the street, I thought about all the times I had seen the moon before I came here. The list was very narrow, mainly because I was never drawn by it, and I'd rarely seen it before, well, until I left the pizzeria. That night we left was a distant memory now, but it still felt fresh, like we had only left a couple of nights ago. It was the first time I had felt free of anything for a long time, and I had someone to experience it with that I had cared for greatly. I still felt a little guilty about bringing Mangle with me, but she didn't seem too opposed, at least not now.

I was about halfway down the hill when I had a little idea. Instead of walking the rest of the way, I wanted to sprint it. I set myself up and prepared to sprint, readying myself with a few deep breaths before I took off, feeling the air brushing past my fur as the feeling of freedom filled me once again. I didn't know what I wanted all those years ago, but now I know that freedom was definitely one of them. I could feel the pavement passing underneath me with each step I took, the wind flying past my face, all while I cut the final fifteen minutes into a mere five-or-six-minute run.

I chuckled as I finally got to the bottom of the hill, slowing down as I dodged groups through the street, before coming to a stop a couple of dozen feet from the bar. As I looked at the front of the bar, I could tell that they had just unlocked the door. I walked over and entered the building to see that Andy was restocking the shelves behind the bar counter, yet the waitress was nowhere to be seen. "I see you came early," The hawk chuckled as he set a bottle on the shelf and turned around. "Well, I would've been here probably ten minutes later, but I decided a run wouldn't hurt anyone," I replied as I walked over and sat down.

"Yeah, I'm still waiting on Victoria to come in," He said, proceeding to dig into another box before pulling out another bottle which he placed on the shelf. "I assume that's the waitress," I asked him as he gave me a dumbfounded look. "You didn't know her name," He asked me. "She never bothered to tell me, and you never brought it up beforehand," I replied. "Fair enough," He said, going back to the shelf. "Is it just me, or is this place just filled with wolves," I said with a slight chuckle as I watched Andy think for a second. "You know, I never thought about that," He replied, soon continuing what he was doing.

The two of us waited for a good seven minutes before the waitress arrived and went behind the counter with Andy. "What time did you wake up," She asked me with a bewildered expression while I looked over to her. "No idea, it was early though," I replied, soon standing up and walking around for a second as I waited. "Hey, fox, we have something back here for you to grab real quick," The waitress called to me from behind the bar as she motioned me over. "Alright, I'm coming," I replied, walking behind the bar and into the back room. The back was lined with shelves of boxes, the majority of them most likely filled with beer or liquor.

"That little podium back there with the stool, grab those and set them up by the door however you'd like," She told me before grabbing a box and leaving the room. I walked through the room, picking up the podium as I studied it. The deep, shiny lacquer proudly showed off the sturdy wood underneath. The top was level with a little raised section near the front, blocking someone from seeing what was on it. The stool was pretty much the same as the bar stools, except it featured a backrest on it which would help a considerable amount of I were be sitting over there for ten hours a day, though, I doubt I would be sitting all ten hours.

I picked them up with either arm, soon shuffling out the room and doorway before walking up beside the entrance. I set the podium at a diagonal angle, facing just away from the entrance itself as it faced the bar counter, my right side faced the main portion of the room which I didn't really care about much as the stool could swivel and I could simply turn over and get up if something happened. Thankfully, the podium was level, so I could keep a drink over there as I worked if I wanted to without the worry of it spilling or falling off the podium. I sat there for an unknowing amount of time as the place soon started filling up with people, granted, there wasn't a lot due to it still being early in the morning.

"Oh god, you started working here?"

I looked up to see the hound from all those days ago, causing me to chuckle as I saw him. "Shut up and go get a drink. I'm not going to beat you unless you try something," I replied, watching him pass by and sit at the counter.

It felt like hours passed as I sat up there, soon starting up a game of greeting the customers and seeing who responded and who didn't with a sheet of paper and the pencil I had gotten from the nightstand earlier. It was currently at 27 to 15 between who did or didn't respond. Not that I really cared, but it was entertainment for when people weren't beating each other up. I was soon pulled out of my own world as I felt my ears prick towards to the sound of someone struggling. "Here we go," I muttered as I turned to the right and stood up, seeing a lion and coyote fighting each other.

I walked towards them, rolling my neck and feeling the metal vertebrae pop as I did. I watched the coyote kick the lion in the gut before the latter struck him in the jaw, staggering the large feline for a few seconds. I grabbed the coyote by his upper arm, soon yanking him off his feet as he seemingly tripped over himself and nearly dropped to the floor. "Come on you two," I said, soon grabbing the lion by the nape of his neck and squeezed tightly. Though, it seems that trick doesn't work on robots, go figure. He punched my chest, but the blow itself was dampened by the padding in my coat, making it only feel moderately uncomfortable for a second as I tightened my grip up around the back of his neck and yanked both of them back, causing them to trip onto the floor as I dragged them out the door.

The two of them spouted insults and obscenities as I pushed them out into the street, though, neither of them seemed to want to walk away, causing me to step forward again. "Listen, we can handle this right now, or you two can get the hell outta here," I told them as I saw the lion stand up and try to rush at me. I leaned out of the way and grabbed him by the back of his shoulders, spinning him around and tripping him onto the ground while I proceeded to grab the back of his head and knock it back into the ground, earning a loud groan as he held onto his nose.

I turned around to see the coyote now quickly sprinting away. "Dick," I muttered under my breath as I walked back inside and sat down, thankfully able to ask Victoria to grab me a glass of water before she got too far away. "Here you go," She told me as she rested the glass on the podium. "Thanks," I replied, soon taking a sip while she walked behind me and started taking another person's order. I sat back in the seat and rested in boredom while I swiveled around in the chair, facing the main portion of the room.

'So this is how those greeters felt at the pizzeria, no wonder they were always on their phones.'

The door opened once again and I greeted the group until I noticed it was a familiar white vixen with a gold bear and tan coyote. "There you are," Goldy chuckled while I turned over to them. "I can't believe you actually got a job here," Ava said with a smirk. "Yeah, it just means that they can't screw up any more sheets," Goldy replied.

I could feel my head on fire underneath my fur while they looked at me.

'Good thing my fur's red.'

"What's that supposed to mean," Mangle asked, suppressing a blush of her own as she turned around towards the other two. "You left the bedsheets in the washing machine yesterday, I had to re-wash them because they mildewed," He replied. I let out a small sigh of relief, as he wasn't talking about our 'moment.' "Well, are you going to show us to a seat," Ava asked in a taunting voice as I looked over to her with a smirk. "I throw people out, not help people in," I replied to her, earning a chuckle from Goldy as they grabbed a seat at one of the tables near me.

"Do you have any idea what time it is," I asked them while they sat at the table, waiting for their drinks. "Around two," The vixen told me as I looked over at her with a small smile. The four of us talked off and on for a good hour before they left and went off somewhere, once again leaving me alone at the bar. I soon got up and walked among the tables, occasionally helping Victoria serve drinks so they were paying me for something besides sitting at a podium for ten hours. That, and my legs were starting to cramp up.

We thankfully didn't have any more fights inside for the rest of the day, which was probably due to them knowing they'd get kicked out. Sadly, that meant the rest of the day was very boring in comparison, though, I still found it more entertaining than having nothing to do at all at home. At least I was able to meet new people here, though I didn't care much for most of them as they were relatively secluded or rude when they entered. The bar was pretty empty as I looked around, there were only a few groups of people in the place at the moment, and it had been a few hours since the others left, so it was probably long past five.

"Hey, Andy, I think I'm going to head home for the night before my friends start worrying about me," I said, getting up before walking over to the counter. "Yeah, go ahead. It's almost seven anyways," He replied, allowing me to leave the bar and begin walking back home. The sun was just about to set, though, it was covered by the hill so I couldn't see it sadly, but I could tell that it was probably nice.

I eventually made my way back to the house, opening the door to see that the Marionette was sitting with the others in the living room at the bottom of the stairs. I was a little surprised, as I hadn't seen him since when he first brought us here. "Well, hey there," I said with a slight chuckle as I shut the door and locked it, soon climbing down the stairs and sitting beside the vixen at the table. "Yeah, I know it's been a minute since I've been over here. Anyways, how've you all enjoyed it here" He asked us while I wrapped my arm around the vixen's waist, pulling her closer to me.

"Well, it has been pretty eventful, he got a job yesterday," She said, pointing to me from my side as we looked over at the puppet. "That's good. Just know you're welcome to stay as long as you want. I'm mostly at the pizzeria anyways as I have to look over Jason and Claire with their child. Goldy's taken over watching over you two," He told us with a slight chuckle. "Yeah, he's been treating us great as well. I have no complaints," I replied, shooting Goldy a smile while I said it. "That's good, well, good night. I'm going to go back to the pizzeria and rest up there." The marionette snapped his finger and disappeared, leaving the four of us alone on the multiple couches surrounding the crackling fireplace.

It was a few hours after the Marionette had left, I couldn't sleep to save my soul as I had been thinking about everything that had happened.

I'd murdered a child, had someone run away with me into the unknown, became a semi-trained fighter, and finally admitted I loved the person I had spent almost every one of those memories with. But, out of all of that, I couldn't get over our 'moment' that we had shared only a few days ago.

I felt guilty because I've realized she was drunk.

She couldn't control herself.

It was eating away at me, cutting through everything I've tried so hard to build up.

I felt like I had harmed her; the one person I had promised to defend with everything I had.

I looked over at the vixen who was laying beside me in the bed, she was facing me with her arm across my chest as she slept soundly with an unconscious smile. I gently grabbed her hand and put it to my side, before throwing the sheets back and climbing out of bed in my shorts. I left the room and went down the steps, soon making my way out onto the deck where the brisk autumn breeze brushed through my fur, giving me a comfortable chill. I walked up to the rail and leaned against it with a sigh as I went back into thought, hopefully, able to hear my own mind.

I stared out at the bright city below, seeing every single light that would be cut on or off for an unknowing amount of time. It was like lightning bugs I had seen outside the windows at nights during the spring, gracefully lighting up and going dim at various points in mid-air, creating their own light show which was unable to be repeated in any way. The longer I stared, the more I couldn't pull myself away from the thought. It just ate at me like the incident had, internally exhausting me until I had nothing left.

'I should have told her no.'

I knew that she was too influenced by the liquor to have a straight mindset. Another thing that ate at me was the fact she was only activated for performing a little less than a year ago now. Emotions filled me as I continuously thought about it. There wasn't any turning back now that we had done it as we had both become mates as soon as we had started, which, that wasn't what ate at me.

I knew I loved her, it's just that I don't think she was actually ready.

We had only known each other for a little less than a year. Probably seven months. And, she was only just activated a few weeks before that. It felt like we had taken things so fast, but I knew she trusted me.

Now, I felt like I betrayed that.

I felt like I had forced her into something she really didn't want.

I felt like I wasn't who I thought I was.

"You alright there?"

I turned around to see Goldy walking out of the entertainment room with what looked like a robe on, something I never expected to see in my life. "Yeah," I replied with a little bit of a gruff voice as I hadn't spoken at all that morning. "You sure? You look like you have something on your mind," He said, walking up beside me and resting against the rail with me as I stared out at the city. "Well, can you keep a secret," I asked him, looking over at the bear. "It wouldn't be the first," He chuckled back.

"Well, when you had gone to the pizzeria while Mangle and Ava went out… When we went to lie down, we kind of… You know," I said, unable to phrase it properly while he gave me a somewhat confused look. "I'm... not catching on," He said in a mellow tone while I sighed and looked back out at the city. "She got drunk at the bar and when she came home that night, we had sex," I told him quickly, somewhat, no, extremely disappointed in myself.

"Oh…" I heard the bear say as he grew a flat expression. "I feel... guilty for not telling her no as she was drunk," I added, resting my hand on my forehead. "That would explain the sheets…" I heard him mumble while I looked over at him. "Goldy, I basically forced her into it. She wasn't sober in any way," I said, angry at myself as my voice matched it. "I wouldn't say that. She hasn't seemed angry with you, if anything, she seems like she loves you even more," He told me, soon taking a sip from a water bottle I didn't see him walk up with. "That isn't the point. She wasn't sober... She couldn't think straight... It's like I forced her into it," I told him, resting my head in my palms while my elbows sat against the rail.

I felt him pat me on the shoulder a few times as I stood there. "Listen, if it is messing with you that bad, you should probably bring it up with her. Ask her what she thinks about it. I don't know what else to tell you," He said, soon sighing as he walked away and left me to my thoughts once more.

'I wish I had a shower I could climb into real quick.'

I eventually agreed with the bear, granted he had already walked off, that I should ask her.

I just have no idea how I would.

Or if I could.