The party stretched long into the night. Many people went home very intoxicated, but Mari and some of the other girls were making sure that nobody went home driving drunk.
Mangle had made her spare bedroom available to avoid anyone getting hurt. She had heard way too many horror stories of people dying on the way home from parties, and she didn't want to be the cause of someone's untimely death. Many people were still hanging around despite how late it was. The music had been turned down a reasonable amount, however. Angering her neighbors wasn't something that Mangle wanted to do. There had only been one breakup this year, so the girls counted that as a win; compared to the four the last year and two the year before that. Foxy had broken down and cried at least twice that night; mixing alcohol with that fox was always a gamble. Sometimes he would break down like the world around him was burning up and killing him, and other times he would just be a flirty, dorky mess of fluffy red fur. Tonight, after he had clung to a cat girl and rambled on about how much he hated the new episode of his favorite show, he had nearly vomited on her. He barely managed to make it to a garbage can that the Chica's had generously placed around the house for their guests who didn't know when to quit.
The little get-together upstairs had disbanded a while ago and all of the 'ghost hunters' had come downstairs to mingle with the drunks and see what food was leftover. Springtrap had been at Gold's side for the entire night for the most part. They had all congregated a table in the living room after they had finished their failed demon summoning. Foxy and the cat girl sat at the table with the others, even though Foxy was now suffering from a horrible headache. Bonnie and Bastion were there as well, conversing with the group and stealing all of the grapes on the table that had now become room temperature. Chica and Chi sat among them along with Mari and Tony. The others were elsewhere in the house, either conversing with guests or making sure that those leaving were okay to drive or had rides. It was nearly three in the morning, but the party animals hadn't had enough, clearly. Charlie had departed around one in the morning with her fingers intertwined with a man who had messy brown hair. She had said her goodbyes, then slipped out the door with a bounce in her step. The rest of Charlie's human friends followed her, returning home for the night before losing their dignity like many of the other guests had that night.
"We should go out to eat tomorrow night." Chi was saying as she bounced excitedly in her chair. Despite the time, she was still as bouncy and energetic as ever. Springtrap watched her with a tired, content smile as he leaned against Gold, resting his head on the bear's shoulder.
"That would be fun," Bonnie chirped as he sat his cup down on the table. He hadn't drank much that night; his poison of choice was root beer and junk food rather than alcohol. Everyone at the table murmured soft agreements at the idea of going out, except for Foxy, who looked like he was about to pass out.
Springtrap was very sleepy but he refused to go home just yet. Even though he was exhausted, he refused to miss out on whatever the rest of the night had to offer. Gold was his ride home, anyway, so he didn't want to ask to leave until Gold was one hundred percent ready. Their fingers were intertwined where their hands rested on Gold's lap. They had become increasingly more touchy and close as the night went on, much to Bastion's hushed delight. The entire group had taken notice, and even though nobody said a word, it was clear that everyone was very happy that the two were finally getting closer. Their affections for each other had always been painstakingly obvious, but life hadn't really been kind to them in the past. There was nobody here to judge them for it, though. Spring was an adult and living on his own; his father had no say so in who he chose as a partner or friend, and his entire being longed for Gold's companionship.
Even though no words had been exchanged about their feelings, and they hadn't vocally confessed how they felt, it didn't need to be said. They both knew how the other felt.
Springtrap was completely content with snuggling against Gold as he did his best to remain focused on the conversation at the table. He was tired, but with the loud music and chatter surrounding him, there was no chance he would be falling asleep.
"How's that sound, Spring?" Gold asked with a content hum and downward glance at the bunny.
Springtrap smiled and looked up at the bigger man. "I mean… if you're buying." he teased half-heartedly. Gold let out a deep chuckle and shook his head.
"After making you stay out this late? I owe you." The bear chirped happily.
Springtrap felt butterflies in his stomach and chest as a small shiver ran through him. Gold was entirely too nice to him; all of his friends were. Bonnie shifted in his seat and looked at the two with a tired grin. "Are you heading all the way back to Spring's?" He asked in a low voice.
Before Springtrap could open his mouth to speak, Gold was already answering.
"He's spending the night at my place since it's closer."
Bonnie raised his eyebrows and glanced between both Gold and Spring with a teasing look.
"Yeah. Uh Huh." The purple rabbit snickered. "I'm sure that's the reason."
Bastion let out a small giggle from where he was sitting, and Spring found himself rolling his eyes instead of shying away out of embarrassment. Something about tonight felt different.
When he would normally be a nervous, blushy mess, he found himself having more confidence.
Barely any anxiety had reared its ugly face throughout the entire night, and the golden rabbit silently wondered if he was simply getting over his fears and anxieties or if Gold's near-constant presence was a factor. Either way, it was something he wanted to cling to.
There were very few moments in his life when he had felt so safe and carefree. Springtrap felt confident; he felt brave, and he felt happy. The rabbit smiled and clung to Gold a little tighter.
Whatever the cause of this sudden absence of anxiety, he wanted to stay this way.
Springtrap shivered and pressed a little closer to Gold. Despite the warmth radiating off of the man pressed against him, Springtrap still found his skeletal costume to be much too thin. The fabric wasn't doing much to keep him warm, so with a small huff, he pushed himself away from Gold. "I'm going to get my jacket from the car." He hummed with a pleasant smirk plastered to his face. Bastion and Bonnie glanced over at him but didn't say anything as they continued conversing with Chi. Gold looked up at Springtrap and gave a quick nod. He reached into his pocket to retrieve his car keys, and they were placed in Springtrap's hands without hesitation. "Don't get lost." Gold teased with a playful snicker. Springtrap clutched onto the keys without missing a beat. He returned the bear's grin with a toothy one of his own.
"Oh, yes, because the yard is just so vast and confusing." Spring lifted his ears up confidently before turning to head towards the front door. A few remaining partygoers gave him a half-interested glance as he made his way past, yet he didn't curl in on himself as he normally would. He felt confident and strong despite his size. The rabbit straightened his back and held himself with a little more confidence as he pulled open the front door and stepped out onto the porch. He ignored a couple that were standing near the banister, much too involved in each other to notice him. The sight made Springtrap wince in disgust. Why couples insisted on making out in public like that was beyond him. He had never understood it, and he had a strong feeling that he never would.
The Halloween decorations were still shining bright; the multicolored lights illuminated the grass in the yard, making the moisture on it glisten in the orange and purple glow.
Springtrap kept his ears perked up as he made his way to the car. The street looked barren and sad now despite the number of people who still remained inside the house.
Unsurprisingly, the air out here was much colder than it had been inside the house.
There was a faint breeze that made Springtrap shiver and shrink in on himself a little, but he found himself next to the car in no time. He slid the keys into the lock under the passenger door handle and pulled it open. His hoodie was lying on the floorboard right where he had left it.
The plain black fabric was hard to spot in the darkness, but the faint glimmer on the silver zipper gave away its hiding place in the dark. Spring leaned into the car and grabbed onto the jacket with a satisfied little smile, then slipped it on. The sound of the zipper made him relax; for some reason, he had always liked the sound of zippers. He wasn't sure if it was because the sound of his zipping backpack meant he was on his way to school as a child, or if his love for the noise stemmed from the camping trips he and his friends went on for fun in their childhoods.
Memories of burnt marshmallows and campfire stories came rushing back to him, and as he shut and locked the car door, he decided that he would suggest a little camping trip to the group once he got back inside, for old time's sake.
As soon as he turned away from the car, an unfamiliar smile met him. The person in front of him had scraggly purple fur, long, pointed ears, and a buck-toothed smile that mirrored his own. This stranger was much too close for comfort, and it sent Springtrap scrambling a few steps away from the odd purple rabbit. Upon closer inspection, Spring realized that it wasn't a rabbit at all. The man in front of him was a hare. The long ears, bigger build, and long legs were a dead giveaway. The stranger's whiskers were mangled and bent, but considering he had dyed his fur purple for whatever he was dressed up as, Springtrap had a feeling that he had bent his whiskers to match the costume. The hare gave the smaller man a friendly smile and took a respectful step away. "I didn't mean to startle you, I apologize."
Springtrap, for some reason or another, wasn't truly fearful of this hare. His heart wasn't racing like it should have been when confronting someone who was much larger than himself.
There was an odd sense of calm, even though any normal person would have been hurrying back up to the house and leaving this tall, weird man behind in the darkness.
"It's … alright." Springtrap muttered awkwardly. He eyed the hare with a curious gaze.
His response made the hare grin, and the bigger man tilted his head curiously.
"It feels nice, doesn't it?" The man asked, practically purring. That made Springtrap feel just a little more uncomfortable. Was this stranger high? That was the only thing that he could think of. Maybe the twisted whiskers weren't for the party after all.
"Does what feel nice?" Spring asked with a confident, inquisitive squint.
"Not feeling scared. Not having anxiety." The hare snickered.
Springtrap's heart sank at those words. How in the hell did this person know he had anxiety, and on top of that, how did he know he wasn't feeling it right at this moment in time? Spring didn't recognize this person; he couldn't recall having ever seen him anywhere before now. Surely he had been invited to the party, though. His appearance assured Springtrap that someone at the party knew him, so surely he couldn't be all that bad? He was definitely odd and creepy, but he was showing no signs of being a threat. Despite that, the entire situation felt awkward, and Springtrap wanted to slip away and go back inside to snuggle against Gold's side.
"I've seen you around before." The hare began to explain, "I've never seen you so confident."
Springtrap relaxed a little at the explanation, but the way that this person had snuck up on him in such a creepy manner definitely put him off.
"Who are you?" Springtrap asked suddenly. Never before had he seen a hare at any of the previous parties, yet this person was acting like they knew him well.
"Me? Well, you can call me Will, I suppose." The hare chirped back with a chipper smile that failed to reassure Springtrap that this person was normal. The hare was awkward and held himself in an odd manner, as if he wasn't quite used to the long legs that he sported.
Will was wiggling his fingers constantly and clutching his hands open and shut, like he didn't know what to do with them. Springtrap took another step away from Will in favour of heading back up to the house. "It could stay like this forever, Spring." Will continued.
Springtrap blinked in bewilderment. "What could?"
"How you feel." Will hummed with an awkward little wiggle of his clawed fingers.
Springtrap looked even more puzzled than before. He had no words, but Will continued talking.
"The lack of stress? This confidence you're feeling? That's me." Deciding that yes, this man was definitely on something, Springtrap took another weary step away.
"Alright. I'm going to go back inside, Will." Spring muttered as he took another step towards the house. It was still quite a ways away; it would take him at least thirty seconds to get up there if he ran. The couple on the porch were still much too invested in each other, so they were of no help. What if this hare was trying to abduct him? Horrible, scary thoughts filled the rabbit's little mind and he took several more steps away from Will. In turn, Will took a step towards him.
There were no visible signs that the hare meant any harm, but his odd mannerisms and his utter nonsense were making Springtrap uncomfortable.
"Why don't you stay for a minute and talk?" Will hummed with a pleasant grin. Springtrap shook his head and continued to slowly back his way up to the house, never taking his eyes off of the man who was much too close for comfort. Talk? What was there to possibly talk about?
"My friends are waiting for me," Spring began to mutter. His confidence was beginning to fade, and his ears were starting to droop. He was doing his best not to show his discomfort to the hare, but his dissolving bravery was obvious by the way he was beginning to curl in on himself.
"I'm sure they can wait a while longer, yeah? I've been waiting all night to talk to you."
"L-look," Spring stuttered as he took another step away. "I don't even know you,"
"I told you my name. You asked for it earlier." Will said as he inched just a little closer. With a small intake of breath, Springtrap puffed out his chest in a futile attempt to make himself look bigger. "I'm going inside." He spat as he tipped his nose up at Will.
He didn't care who this weirdo had been invited here by; he wasn't going to be harassed by anyone. There were people inside who actually respected him and made him feel safe.
This stanger, Will- Will didn't make him feel safe- quite the opposite, in fact. The hare grinned so wide that it left Springtrap wondering how it didn't cause the hare physical pain. Will showed off all of his teeth, including the sharp buck ones that could easily rip into someone if he desired.
"After calling me to you? How very rude you are, Springtrap."
That was it. Panic surged through the smaller man and within a moment, Springtrap had turned and was bolting up to the porch as fast as his legs could carry him. He didn't bother to look over his shoulder to see if Will was following. He just wanted to get back inside.
Springtrap scrambled onto the porch and came to a halt as his heart raced wildly inside of his ribcage. His legs were trembling, and all semblance of bravery he had earlier in the night was gone. His anxiety had returned, it seemed, and he wanted to lean over the railing and vomit.
The couple that had been on the porch were gone now, which left him feeling even more hopeless and alone. With one quick scan of the yard from the safety of the porch, Springtrap realized that the hare was completely gone. The only thing that remained out there were the cheap decorations. The thought of the hare crouching behind one of the styrofoam tombstones made the rabbit's anxiety spike, but the fear was unfounded. That man had been much too large to hide behind any of those decorations. He was gone, but Springtrap had no idea where he had gone to. With one more intake of the cold night air, Springtrap turned and pushed his way back inside; back to warmth, friends, and the people who made him feel safe.
Springtrap walked across the living room without making eye contact with anyone. He was heading towards the table where Gold and the others sat; nobody else concerned him, and he could care less what they thought of his now deflated ego. As he took his seat next to Gold once again, his anxiety only heightened. The rabbit did his best to hide his sudden nervousness, and it worked for the most part. This was just how he normally acted, anyway. He made himself small; he was someone who always strived to blend in and go unseen. Nobody suspected that something was amiss, and he wasn't going to bring it up, either. Will was gone, and if he was lucky, he'd never run into him again. Spring decided in silence that he was going to ask Gold if he knew the hare later, but for now, snuggling back up against the bear's side helped him calm down. Gold was warm, and as the bear wrapped a gentle arm around Springtrap's side, the rabbit's little tail began wagging. His heart eventually slowed down, and as his anxiety began to fade away, sleep began to overtake him. He barely clung to consciousness, and his friend's words became nothing more than noise. He pressed himself against Gold's side a little more, and fought the urge to sleep.
A sudden jostling movement pulled Springtrap from whatever pleasant dreams he had been having, and panic set in. The rabbit looked around the unfamiliar territory with a panicked expression. Thankfully, Gold was right next to him, and noticed his sudden panic. The bear stretched his arm out and offered a paw to hold for comfort. "Hey, hey, you're okay." Gold murmured in a soft, reassuring voice. Springtrap relaxed as soon as he realized he was in the car.
"I didn't want to wake you," Gold continued with a gentle purr. "-so I carried you out."
Springtrap took hold of Gold's bigger hand as he relaxed back into the passenger seat.
"I didn't get to say goodbye." Spring replied in a small voice.
"We're getting together tomorrow for dinner." Gold assured him. "You'll get to say a proper goodbye without Foxy crying all over you and muttering nonsense."
Springtrap smiled a little and kept a gentle hold on Gold's hand as he gazed out the window. The street lights paled in the early morning's glow. How long had he been out?
One glance at the small, digital clock in the car told him that it was about six in the morning.
Gold had most likely stayed extra late to help clean up and make sure everything was in order. Springtrap felt a small twinge of guilt that he had slept through the opportunity to be useful, but there was no point in beating himself up over it. "I'm hungry." He blurted out suddenly.
Gold chuckled from the driver's seat and looked over at the sleepy rabbit.
"Yeah? What we scraped together for the party wasn't enough for you?" He teased. Springtrap stretched his legs out and yawned as he shook his head, 'no'.
"Let's get something in a drive-thru somewhere." Spring suggested in a groggy voice.
Gold nodded and turned his attention back to the road in front of him.
"I take it you're too tired for a movie tonight?" he questioned.
Springtrap shot a glance at Gold before snuggling back into the car seat.
"Tomorrow morning." The rabbit replied with a sleepy murmur.
"It is tomorrow morning." Gold argued with a cocky grin. Springtrap merely rolled his eyes and held onto the bear's hand a little tighter.
It only took about ten minutes for Gold to find a restaurant, and the two were sitting in the parking lot with breakfast sandwiches within a matter of minutes. Springtrap was sitting cross-legged with his seatbelt undone, listening to the radio in silence as Gold devoured his egg and sausage muffin. The woman on the radio was rambling on about the weather and the oncoming local events that Springtrap couldn't care less about.
"Do you know a hare named Will?" He finally asked, breaking the silence. Gold looked over at him and finished chewing the comically large bite he'd taken before replying.
"A hare? ...No. I don't think so." Gold took another bite of his sandwich and leaned back a little in his seat. "Why?" He questioned with a raised brow. Springtrap glanced down at his own sandwich. He'd already eaten half of it, but it seemed that his appetite was gone.
"Someone at the party… introduced himself to me. He said his name was Will."
"I don't know him." Gold shrugged with a tired expression.
Springtrap hesitantly took another bite of his food despite no longer being hungry.
That hare was going to be a weird, uncomfortable memory. That's all he would ever be.
Spring wouldn't complain if he never came face to face with that bent-whiskered weirdo again.
"Was he cute?" Gold asked through a mouthful of egg and sausage. Springtrap looked up at him and blinked in bewilderment. Will was odd, creepy, disturbing, and overall unpleasant.
"Not in the slightest." Spring finally huffed with a flat expression. He was much too tired to muster up a smile, and too exhausted to do anything more than listen to the woman rambling on the radio. Despite the little nap he took, he was still exhausted. Gold's voice pulled him from his sleepy trance, and his attention was pulled away from the woman on the radio who was rambling on about some upcoming Christmas event. It was only November third, and the overwhelming amount of Christmas cheer was making the rabbit dread the following months of carols and sweets. He'd come to be quite bitter towards the holiday in truth.
"I have a blow up mattress at my house, or one of us can take the couch and the other can have the bed." Gold rambled on as he wadded up his cheesy wrapper and shoved it into an empty cup holder in his door. Springtrap leaned over towards him, extending out his partially eaten breakfast. Gold eyed the food, then looked up at Springtrap.
"I'm not taking your bed," Springtrap assured him as Gold took the sandwich from his hands.
"I'll decide where I'll sleep when we get there," he added as he curled back up against the seat.
Gold flattened his ears and gave the smaller man a smile.
As they pulled into Gold's driveway, Springtrap couldn't help but perk up in awe. He hadn't been here since they were kids. The house was on the outskirts of a smaller town that Spring had often rode to in his childhood. It was much quieter and prettier than the town that Spring had once called home. The house in front of them was once Gold's parents, but as of six months ago, it was now Gold's own little slice of heaven. His parents had finally taken their retirement funds and moved to Florida to live out their retirement in peace, which left their only child with a house to call his own. It was much roomier than the tiny apartment he had been living in beforehand. Springtrap looked over at Gold with a dopey grin. It was an odd feeling seeing the moss stained white walls again. It was in the process of being fixed up, he could tell, but somehow seeing that decade old moss go made him feel a little sad.
"It's weird, huh?" Gold hummed from the driver's seat as the car slowed to a halt. Spring gave a small nod and made a move for the door handle. The morning air was chilly and made him shiver as he stepped out onto the whiterock drive, but it felt nice to breathe in.
"It's… weird being back here." Spring muttered as he began slowly making his way up to the worn wooden porch.
It had been roughly six years since he'd been here, which would have made him thirteen the last time he'd seen this old place. The last night he had come here was a horrible, somewhat fuzzy memory that he really didn't want to dwell on for too long. He had run off after one of his father's more physical tantrums. The only thing he had taken was a small bag of belongings before he hopped on his bicycle and rode down here in the dead of night. It had been freezing and the wind was wild, which scared him half to death, but he feared going home just a little bit more. It had been a Thursday night when Springtrap had shown up on the back step, shaking, bleeding and petrified. His claws had scraped across the glass sliding door in a desperate attempt to get Gold's attention. The back door was closest to the bear's room, and thankfully the noise had been enough to get his attention.
Springtrap had clung to him all night, and he clung to Gold all day at school the next morning.
Gold had tended to the rabbit's wounds, but most of the night was fuzzy and hard to recall now.
Springtrap shook away the memory and shut his car door.
"I'm kind of awake now," Springtrap said as he looked across the yard curiously. There were no other houses in sight, just like he had remembered it. If he was to walk to the end of the driveway and peek around the treeline, he would be able to see other homes in the distance, but he had always appreciated the privacy of Gold's odd little yard. Gold glanced back at Springtrap as he made his way up to the front door with his keys in hand.
"Yeah? What are you saying?" The bear questioned with a toothy grin.
"We should watch a movie." Springtrap suggested as he climbed the steps and onto the porch to stand behind Gold. He doubted that he would be able to stay awake through the entire thing, but having Gold close as he dozed off was a comforting idea.
"A Christmas movie, perhaps?" Came Gold's sarcastic reply. Springtrap lowered his ears and shot him a playful glare. "Not while I'm still in my Halloween costume," He huffed with a defiant crossing of his arms. Both parties let out amused chuckles as the front door was pushed open.
"Yeah, alright, Bunny Bones." Gold shook his head with a wide, toothy grin and led the way inside.