Chapter 22 - Protective Leader
The only two left in the kitchen are Freddy and Chica as they wash the dishes from dinner with a smile on their faces. Cleaning the kitchen up after they use it is important to help keep the employees from suspecting it's been used. If anything, the group leaves the kitchen even cleaner than the cooks do after their shift.
Standing next to the band-leader with a towel in her hand, Chica dries the plates as Freddy passes them to her to wipe off any remaining soap before placing it on a stack of dry plates. "With all this going on, I don't think our lives here will be normal anymore," the girl says as she straightens up the stack of plates.
Freddy's smile fades a bit hearing her comment. "I really hope that's not the case," he says while looking down at the dish in his hand. "But if it is..." Looking back at the blonde, he hands her the plate and finishes his thought. "My main goal is to keep you, Bonnie, and Foxy safe. You all mean the world to me... and we're all we have left of our previous lives," the bear finishes as he turns his attention back to the sink.
Taking the plate, she starts moving the towel around the platter to dry it. "I know... I've always wondered what would happen after we find our killer..." Once the plate is dry she sets it down and lays the towel down beside it, her smile now fading as the thoughts of 'what if' now plague her. "Will we finally be free of our present bodies or will we be stuck like this forever…?"
In all honestly, this question has plagued all of the members of Fazbear's for years, though they'll never get the answers they're desperately hoping to find. "I'd image we would move on to a better place," Freddy says with a gentle smile to help keep the younger girl from becoming saddened. "To finally be free from this pain."
Chica turns her gaze to look up at him, and he can see the worry and sorrow in her expression. "But what about the kids? We are kids inside us, but we loved to play and sing to them, right? We'll miss them greatly…"
"They'll still have the bodies left to sing and play for them, but it won't be us inside anymore; it will be all machine." The leader tries to keep a warm smile on his face to comfort her, but what she said does sink in as it fades to a sad smile. "Though… it does feel good to make others smile…" Shaking off the depression kicking at them, Freddy brightens up again, if only for Chica's sake. "Anyways though, let's just focus on the now part of our lives and worry about that when the time comes."
Looking away to process what he said, it doesn't take long for the blonde to brighten up again. "Okay," Chica nods with a slight smile.
The attention of the two is suddenly drawn to the doors leading to the dining area as Bonnie bursts through the door, nearly tripping over his own feet in the process. "Wa-ah!" In a panic, the boy flails his arms and steps on both feet to help stop himself from falling. Staying perfectly still for a few moments, the bunny boy lets out a relieved sigh before standing up straight again while panting quietly.
"You alright, Bonnie?" Freddy asks with concern. "You look out of breath and your face is red." The leader turns off the sink water, then dries his hands on a towel before asking the guitarist, "Need some water?"
The purple male shakes his head. "No… I'm okay…" he insists before walking over to the table they were sitting at for dinner and takes a seat.
"You left Kitten alone out there?" Chica asks with a small tilt of her head as she places a hand on her hip.
"I had too…" Bonnie admits shyly. "I couldn't be around her because..." Deciding to trust his friends with his feelings, he turns to look at them with a seriousness hidden underneath the blush painted across his cheeks. "Can I ask you two to keep a secret for me?"
Setting the towel down, Freddy leans against the counter with his arms crossed and smiles kindly to his friend. "Of course, Bon."
It takes the boy a minute to muster up the strength to say what is on his mind. "I... I like... Kitten," he finally admits out loud.
Chica smiles at the boy as if he were just being silly. "We know. We all like her." But Bonnie shakes his head, clearly seeing that she's not on the same page as him.
"No... I mean..." the rabbit starts as he turns to look at his friends. They can see the blush on his face is as bright as the tomato sauce on the pizzas they serve in the restaurant. "I… like her... like her..."
At first, Freddy was on the same page as Chica, but hearing the guitarist clarify what was said stuns the leader. At first, Chica's face lights up hearing the news, but the sudden harshness of their leader's words interrupt any praise she can give her friend. "Wait, you what...?" His smile now gone as he stands up straight and uncrosses his arms, hoping what he heard was just a misunderstanding. If this is really the reality of the situation…
Bonnie can't help but flinch at his friend's sudden seriousness. "I... really like her. After knowing how fun and amazing she is..." the boy's thought trails off as the blonde turns to look at Freddy with a curious and worried expression.
Not wanting his friends to see him as the bad guy, the bear takes in a deep breath before letting it out. A serious tone still mixed in with his words. "Bonnie... I'm happy for you... but please... Be careful. She's still new, and..." Freddy crosses his arms again before continuing. "I don't fully trust her… and I don't want to see you hurt."
"Freddy, Kitten has done nothing!" Bonnie says, quick to defend the pirate girl… but after taking a second to recall what happened the other day, he looks away in slight embarrassment. "Okay, she did hack the music and... helped the guard out..." Shaking off the point, he returns his attention to their leader to finish his thought. "But nothing too terrible!"
"And she exposed herself to the people. Bonnie... I just want you to be safe..." Even though Bonnie is doing everything he can to try and change his mind about Kitten, the caution keeps to the forefront of Freddy's mind. Knowing that Bonnie isn't going to be happy with him, the bear's ears lower a bit. "I'm just asking you to please be careful. I don't want to see anything happen to you."
This is the Freddy Fazbear that the guitarist knows and unfortunately can't argue with. With a sigh, Bonnie looks away. "I get it..."
Having heard enough from the bear, Chica turns to look at him with a bit of an irritated expression hidden behind her sad eyes. "Freddy, you should at least give him a break. You're so stubborn sometimes, you need to let go."
Turning to look at her, Freddy is slightly taken aback by her comment. "Mmm..." Looking away, the leader holds his ground as he responds to the girl. "Like I said... I don't want to see anyone hurt..." With a turn of his body, the brunette leaves the two of them with one last comment before walking out of the kitchen into the main dining room. "I'm sorry I care so much." Bonnie and Chica look at each other, both of them sharing a silent exchange of sorries.
Being in a much better mood, Kitten is pulled from her thoughts when she sees Freddy walk out of the kitchen. "Hey Freddy," the pirate girl greets the band leader with a smile.
The bear stops on his way towards the office hallway and turns to look at her. He is silent and the girl can feel a tenseness coming from him as he stares at her. It almost feels like he's piercing her with daggers in his gaze. Kitten's smile slowly fades and she becomes nervous to speak to him again. "A-Are you okay...?" she asks with a small stutter as her feline ears fold back.
Freddy remains silent for a few more moments, but when he finally decides to speak up, after what feels like hours of waiting for the girl, his voice and expression are dead serious. "Hurt anyone... and I'll never forgive you." The leader's glare becomes more intense as his voice gains a venom within his words. "Hurt my family... and I will shut you down."
Hearing the hostility come from him shakes the pirate girl to her core. At first, she thought that he might finally be warming up to her, but it's obvious now that her thoughts were simply wishful thinking. Kitten watches him continue walking until he's down the hall and out of sight, then her ears fall flat against her head as what he says sinks in. "I'd never want to hurt anyone..." she quietly reassures herself before wiping her eyes to avoid crying out in the open area. With a sniffle, Kitten hops off the stage, now filled with fear and sorrow, and starts walking towards and down the left hall that leads to Pirate's Cove, just wanting to hide away from everyone.
