It was the end of the week that Foxy got the job at the bar, and he'd been busy working there. I've been stuck at the house with the others as Ava still hasn't bothered to go back. We could go whenever, but there wasn't much fun in it for me as there wasn't much recreation around the town that was that all that interesting. Another thing was that Foxy seemed like he'd been avoiding me for a good bit of the week, he refused to explain why as well. Whenever we'd go to sleep he'd place a pillow in between us. It honestly hurt that I didn't know what was wrong, but today was the last day of the week so he wouldn't have work unless he took overtime, which I doubted for the most part as fights had become rampant at the bar recently, and he was exhausted after each day.

I was currently sitting on the couch in the entertainment room, we had turned it around to face the pool table and rounded table, which was actually more helpful than I originally thought. Now, the sun wasn't glaring in our eyes during the early part of the day, due to us facing the east with the windows. Goldy and Ava were playing a round of pool; Goldy running circles around the coyote as she didn't have much, if any, practice.

"Okay, how in the hell did you manage that," Ava asked with a slight shout as the bear made to hits in one shot. "It's called experience," He replied with a smirk as he aligned his next shot. A few seconds after he shot I heard the door shut from upstairs, causing me to look over at the clock which was to the right, above the round table, to see that it was about four in the afternoon. "I guess that's him," I said, getting up as I exited the room and climbed the steps. I was hesitant as I got to the second floor, seeing the bedroom door open while I heard him mumbling something.

Eventually, I decided to go see him and walked over to the doorway, soon looking in to see that he had pulled off his coat and shirt while he was in the middle of grabbing another change of clothes. "Hey," I called to him with a slight smile while I walked over to him. "I'm about to take a bath," He replied with a flat tone, not even bothering to turn over to me. "Well, I'm worried about you. You've been avoiding me all week," I told him with a little bit of seriousness in my voice as I walked beside him and rested my hand on his shoulder. I felt him tense up a bit as I continued holding his shoulder, soon hearing him sigh. "Listen, I'm just... Not in a good mood," He said with a hint of regret in his voice while he continued facing away from me, towards the table.

"Do you want to talk about it," I asked him, noticing him tense up even more as I did. "I… I don't know," He replied, the hesitance in his voice making my gut wrench. My stomach was churning due to emotions, I didn't know what to do or say to help him. "What if I want to talk about it," I asked, spinning him around to face me while he kept staring at the floor. "I feel like... Like I've robbed you," He mumbled out as I kept holding his shoulder, soon wrapping my arm around his side as I pulled myself closer to him. "You haven't," I replied, looking up at him, seeing his pained eyes. "I've robbed you of your chance at performing, your friends, and, well, your innocence," He told me, not bothering to even bring his arms up to hold me. "That was my choice," I said in a stern tone as I pulled his face to meet mine. "I chose to do that."

He simply stared at me with regret filling his eyes. "I shouldn't have let you," He replied while he looked back down. I felt hurt, it felt like he no longer wanted me with him. "I wanted to leave with you, you're the only person I trusted out of that place," I told him, squeezing tighter while I raised my arm and wrapped it around his neck. "You're the only person I'd have wanted to spend the last several months with," I added, pulling myself closer to him as I rested my cheek against his chest. I could feel tears inching their way from the corners of my eyes as well while I felt myself lock around his neck. After a few seconds, I felt his arms wrap around my back, gently rubbing me as I continued holding myself against his chest, soon realizing I was unknowingly sobbing into his chest.

I pulled myself back and looked up at the vulpine, seeing his concerned expression as he stared back down at me. "You didn't rob anything from me," I whispered, letting go of his neck and caressing his cheek. "When you got drunk that night, you couldn't control yourself. I should have said no," He told me with a stern voice as I kept staring at him. "I don't regret that. I have enjoyed every second we've spent together, even then. Why are you so upset," I asked him, seeing him sigh as he looked down with a shameful look. "I feel like I've hurt you," He replied, not bothering to look back up at me. "You didn't, but right now? This hurts," I told him, seeing guilt run through him. "I'm sorry," He said softly, getting out of my arms as he grabbed the clothes and went into the bathroom, leaving me alone in the bedroom as I heard the rush of the water.

I felt alone as I stood beside the table, I didn't know how to react, it felt like he didn't care that I was hurting since he had run off. I turned around and left the room, but instead of going right, I went to the left towards the laundry room, soon going inside it and grabbing one of the blankets from the shelf as I wrapped it around me and crawled up into the corner. The blanket was comforting as it wrapped around me, making me feel safe. It reminded me of all the times he'd wrap his arms around me to either comfort me or keep me safe. Though, painful sobs soon racked my body as I cried my eyes out into the blanket.

I sat there with nothing but the silence of the room to keep me company.

My head was pounding while my chest burned, my stomach felt like it had capsized in on itself. I pulled my knees up to my chest and placed my face against them, soon sitting there for what felt like hours, hoping that he'd at least try to come around.

/

I had finished washing up in the tub as I thought about what had happened.

I had hurt her just then, even more than I thought I did originally.

I could see it in her eyes as she was wrapped around my neck. She had the same look from when she had held me at the pizzeria, just after the fight about when Toy Freddy tried to sock her in the face. Nothing felt right inside me either; I had a headache from hell while my torso was simply destroying itself from the inside out.

Quickly, I got dressed and walked out because I knew I needed to find her, though, she had sadly left the bedroom already. I rushed out the room and down the stairs, looking through the kitchen then went into the entertainment room, coming up fruitless as the others stared at me confused.

"What's up," Goldy asked me as my stomach knotted up in my stomach, fear rushing into me as I didn't know where she had gone. "Where's Mangle," I asked him, trying to keep my composure as he looked at me. "She hasn't been down here since you arrived," He replied as I sighed. "Alright," I told him, turning around before he could ask me anything more.

I stumbled up the stairs with a slouch in my shoulders. 'What the hell is wrong with me,' I thought to myself while I struggled up the final step, practically heaving as I felt my throat and chest were extremely tight due to the stress and thoughts running through my mind. As I walked toward the bedroom, I noticed a door at the end of the hall was open, causing me to walk down towards it.

/

I was still slumped over in the corner of the room, my knees and the blanket were soaked in tears as I thought about what had happened.

'Does he even want me around anymore?'

The thought of him avoiding me continued to slam into my head like waves crashing down on a defenseless boat.

The door creaked open slightly, causing me to jump a little.

"Mangle?"

I looked over at the door as I saw the familiar red vulpine step through, looking around the room frantically until he saw me balled up in the corner to the left of him. When he spotted me, I watched as he practically slid over to me on his knees as I felt his arms wrap around me and pull me closer to him. "I'm sorry... I just… I needed to think." I smiled inwardly while he held me tightly against his chest. Tears stained my face and I could feel a few fall from his cheeks as they dripped onto my head.

'At least I know he isn't meaning to hurt me,' I thought as I shuffled my arms out of the blanket and wrapped them around his chest, squeezing him tightly. I heard his breath get shaky as he continued holding me as well. "I didn't mean to hurt you like that," He told me, making me smile through my tear-stained face as I buried it into his shirt. My head wasn't pounding anymore and the rest of my body relaxed as he tightened up around me. "I know you didn't," I replied, pulling myself back as I looked up at him with a small smile.

The guilt in his eyes began to subside as he saw me, I'm guessing due to me smiling, but I wrapped my arm around his neck and pulled him towards me, planting a kiss on his lips before I pulled back and rested my head on his shoulder. "I just wish that I hadn't forced you to leave with me on such short notice. I wish that I would've let you think on it for a little bit longer," He told me. "There's so much about performing and all that you won't get to experience that I feel like I've robbed from you, all because I wanted to run away." "I don't regret running away," I replied as I looked up at him. "You never really got to experience it besides a few weeks," He said as he looked down in shame. "I shouldn't have let us do anything that night either. I don't think you were really ready for it as you were drunk and couldn't control yourself."

"It was fine. I enjoyed it as much as any other night I've spent with you," I replied, pulling myself up to get on level with him as I rested my head on his shoulder. "I felt ready. If I wasn't, I would've never even thought about doing that," I added, pressing myself up against his neck while I felt him sigh. "Fine... I just… I don't know," He said with a sigh as the two of us sat in silence for a good five minutes afterward. "I was thinking about something…" He said as he loosened up from around me a bit. "I wanted to know if you'd like to climb the hill with me to see the sunset later tonight, since we haven't seen it here." I nuzzled up against his neck for a second as I thought. "I'd like that," I replied to him as I finally wiped my face with a dry part of the blanket.

The two of us eventually crawled to our feet and left, heading towards the bedroom as he kept his arm wrapped around me, but instead of how he usually kept it around my waist in protectiveness, it was now across my back in a more comforting manner. I leaned up against the side of his torso while I kept an arm wrapped around his lower back. When we got into the bedroom I rested on the bed with a sigh, soon feeling him climb up in front of me while I faced the windows. His arms wrapped around me tightly as he pulled me up against his chest, which was comforting after almost a full week of him seemingly disregarding me about anything.

"I'm sorry," I heard him tell me again, rather quietly as he rested his head against the top of mine. "I felt like I wouldn't have been able to control myself anymore…" He had gotten somewhat resentful near the end, but I still wrapped my arms around him and squeezed him tightly. "There's so much that I should've done that's coming back around and eating at me. Though, I don't regret doing anything with you, despite what I said earlier," He added, soon feeling his hand brush up against the backside of my head. "Why do you care so much about that," I asked him as I pulled back and looked up at him.

He sighed, pulling his hand from around my head and up to my cheek. "Because I feel like I betrayed the trust between us," He told me in a somewhat quick manner, almost as if he was ashamed in himself. "You didn't. If anything, you've proved to me that you are someone I can trust," I replied, giving him a small smile as he closed his eyes. "I don't know. There's just so much about it, and we really should have waited. We've only known each other for a few months," He added, his shameful tone growing even thicker. I pulled my arms from around his chest and reached around his neck, locking onto him as I pulled myself up and getting face-to-face with the large vulpine.

"And in those few months, we've experienced more freedom and have had more fun than any other person in the pizzeria. On top of getting to gain even more friends," I told him in a cheery tone as he stared at me. "Well, everything would feel like it's free to you, you never got to experience day-to-day life at the pizzeria for longer than a few months. I spent years in comparison," He replied with a somewhat defensive tone. "And are these not the most fun months you had in all those years," I asked him while he sighed. "Yeah. Though, I still feel like I've robbed you of something special, something that you'll never even get to know the joy of," He finished as he stared down in shame.

I pushed him onto his back, soon climbing up onto his chest partially as I hugged his neck. "And I wouldn't have been able to enjoy it without you there to help me," I replied, earning a sigh of defeat from him as he rested a hand on my back and rubbed me gently. I proceeded to nuzzle up against his neck, soon finding a comfortable spot where the majority of my body was twisted around on top of his and hanging off on his side. "I've been missing my red teddy-fox," I told him with a smirk as I heard him chuckle slightly. "Is that all I am to you," He asked with a mock hurt tone. "Maybe," I replied, reaching towards his cheek opposite of my face and pulling him closer before planting a kiss on his cheek.

"I can't lie. I've been missing not snuggling up with you at night," He said with a large sigh of relief. "Well, don't do stuff like that anymore. It honestly hurts," I told him in a serious tone as I once again wrapped around his neck tightly, which soon turned into a death grip. "I'm sorry," He said once again, making me giggle slightly as an idea crept into my mind. I felt my tail flick a bit as I pushed myself up and looked at him, though, his face shown a bit of fear. "Please tell me you're not in the mood for that right now," He said as I grew a somewhat displeased smirk.

"No, I was going to ask you to make me some pancakes. What the hell is wrong with you," I said with mock anger as I playfully slapped his chest. "Thank god," He sighed as I shook my head at him. "You're the only guy I know that is thankful to not try and do something," I told him as I collapsed onto his chest again, purposefully trying to knock the breath out of him as he grunted. "I'm the only guy you've ever gone out with period," He replied with a smirk while I looked up at him. "Like you're one to talk," I told him, growing my own smirk as he continued looking at me.

"Big words for someone in arms reach," He told me with a playful growl in his voice. In an instant, his arms shot around me and pinned me against his chest. "Damn it," I muttered to myself, laying there in defeat as I didn't want to try and fight with him today. "No fun, huh," He asked me in a curious tone as his smirk grew wider. "I'm not in the mood, and you're supposed to be making me pancakes," I replied.

"When was I supposed to be making pancakes?"

"Ever since you made me have a near breakdown when you got home," I told him in a serious tone, watching his eyes go wide. "Oh shit," He muttered as he tried to get from underneath me. "Yeah, and you better hurry before I force you to sleep on the couch for the weekend," I told him, rolling over so he could get up, soon watching him stumbling out the room. 'That put more pep in his step than I would've thought,' I thought to myself with a slight giggle.

I laid there for a while, thinking to myself about all the stuff he had said, but the majority of it I really didn't mind. Though, I could tell it was messing with him badly. It's just… I don't know what to tell him to help him. I tried everything I could think of which included telling him I was entirely fine with it, it just seemed like he was hurt. Ever since that night, I wanted nothing more afterward than to simply be close to him. It felt like it had changed something in me to which the only thing I wanted to do was be with him and have him hold me, which, it had the opposite effect on him after a couple of days. It made him drift away and just avoid me. It hurt…

After months of the two of us being inseparable, he had somehow managed to avoid me for almost a week straight with seemingly no regret. However, I wanted nothing more than to wrap my arms around him and feel safe. It left me with a longing, empty feeling, which was thankfully growing lesser as time went on, but it seemed like it took longer when he avoided me. I was just happy that we had finally managed to get past that, and that he would finally come back around and hold me.

I looked out the window, seeing that it was starting to grow dimmer outside, slowly but surely. Sadly, I had no idea how much time I had spent simply staring at the roof as I pondered on what had happened, but I got up and left the room, eventually climbing down the stairs to have a sweet aroma fill my senses as I heard the sound of a spatula against a frying pan. I didn't actually expect him to know how to cook…

When I got off the stairs, I looked into the kitchen to see that Goldy and Ava had pulled out some stools from a closet across the room I hadn't noticed and they had them set up at the island. Foxy was at the stove as he was struggling to pour the batter into the frying pan, soon spilling some on his T-shirt and arms as he groaned.

"This is amazing," I heard the coyote chuckle as I walked over and climbed onto the stool. "Yeah, I had to do some convincing," I whispered to her as he began working on the next one of the cakes, soon seeing the vulpine turn around to see me at the island with a smirk. "Aw, not even a kiss for me struggling to make breakfast for dinner," He asked me, soon turning around as he flipped the pancake. "No, you deserve a bit of punishment for making me suffer all this week," I replied, soon watching him struggle to drop the pancake out onto a plate he had set out. "This is entertaining," Goldy chuckled as the fox flipped the cake out the pan on accident and slid off the plate, onto the rest of the counter.

"Fuuuck…"

He began grabbing another spatula as he fought to lift it off the counter, soon throwing it onto the plate with a huff before turning around and seeing them on the island, seemingly drained by the experience. "And I remember you complaining about my cooking," I teased him as he gave me a sheepish look. I leaned over, grabbing the end of his snout before pulling him towards me and kissing him, soon pulling back to see his shocked expression. "There, you've made up for the week," I told him with a slight smirk as he walked up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist, resting his head on my shoulder.

"When are you two just going to get it over with already," Ava asked with a smirk as the room went silent, even Goldy dropped his fork on his plate before he even took a bite which confused me. "What?" She looked between us confused as I felt my cheeks burn, the red vulpine behind me was on fire, to say the least. "That train has come and passed," I heard Goldy grunt just slightly coherent enough for me to understand. "How the hell do you know," Ava shouted as she shifted her gaze between us. "Blame him," Goldy chuckled before taking his plate and walking off towards the entertainment room, leaving the two of us at the wraith of the coyote as I saw a devious grin creep up her face.

'Oh, no...'