Mable: I wasn't exactly happy with how the last chapter turned out, so I decided to take an extra day to work on this chapter and make it better. Hopefully the extra hours make a difference. ^-^ On another note, we just passed 300 reviews! Huzzah!... Not sure what the significance of the number is, but it certainly sounds significant! Anyway… I hope you Enjoy!
Almost Feels Like Home
Chapter Thirty-Two
Marionette was only half awake when Mike came into the room and started to get dressed. He tiredly lifted his head, ignoring his weakness, and looked towards his partner with an equally limp, but still warm smile. "Hey," he greeted as he watched him pull on a shirt. "What are you getting dressed up for?"
"Charlie decided to sacrifice herself to Baby, so I'm going to drive her over to the warehouse and take Scott his gift," Mike explained. He was pulling on his pants when he noticed the animatronic pushing himself upright. "You don't have to get up. I'm driving straight there and back." He tried to keep it sounding casual to stave off curiosity. "If I stay too long, Scott might try to convert me. I don't know about you but going to a late Christmas service at the Phone Guy's church sounds like a set up for me to make an idiot out of myself."
"Let me come with you," Marionette requested as he finally straightened. "I can't just lie here all day, and I have something I need to take to Ennard anyway. I promise I won't push myself."
"Considering how much energy it took you to get that far out of bed, I'd say you're already pushing yourself," Mike remarked. He only regretted it afterwards, when the striped one looked to the side with what looked to be a look of shame. "…Hey, I'm just kidding, alright? If you aren't going to be too uncomfortable then you can come." He had a bad feeling about this but couldn't justify refusing it now. "Just make sure Ennard doesn't get too grabby. We know how he is."
With a partial agreement, Marionette managed to get himself out of bed the rest of the way and followed Mike out to the front door. Seeing him coming, Charlie quickly stuffed the Bonnie plush awkwardly under her jacket. Due to her now much more narrow middle, she was able to just barely hide the plush. Though it helped that the Puppet wasn't paying too much attention. They got into the car and drove to the warehouse, where she hurried inside quickly to not get wet from the rain.
Charlie shut and latched the door before shivering at the chill. Even the warehouse felt uncomfortably cold, but she supposed that made sense being winter. She took the plush out of her jacket and planned to start looking only to be interrupted by a voice from the office area.
"Fritz? Is that you?" the feminine voice called. It was clearly Baby even before she began to skate closer. Charlie braced herself and could only hope that Baby had meant what she said on the phone, or that even if she didn't, she wouldn't get in the way. The clown appeared from the aisle and her glowing eyes fixated on the Security Puppet quickly.
"Charlie," she almost seemed surprised, even if her voice didn't betray it. "I never thought I would see you here again."
"Yes, well… I had some work I needed to do in the warehouse," Charlie excused. She looked down at the Bonnie plush before looking back at Baby. "And I suppose I wanted to see how you were doing too. Did you spend Christmas alone?"
"I spend every day alone," Baby answered. She then decided that wording sounded too pathetic. "That's how I prefer it. I'd rather not have the Puppet, the Pirate, and it haunting me."
"Do you mind if I stay?" the striped one asked.
"No, you're fine. Compared to them you're actually tolerable," the clown remarked in what might've been a compliment. She turned to head down the aisle again, slowly, as though she wasn't intending to go anywhere. "But what sort of work would require you to come here?"
"I'm trying to fix up this old Bonnie doll. I have one just like it, so I know what I'm doing, but I don't have the tools to do it. It's a late Christmas gift so I can't ask Marionette for help either," Charlie explained. The clown glided into a turn and looked down at the doll, to which the Security Puppet extended it out to show it. "Maybe you've seen one of these? I don't think they were too rare."
"I saw something that looked like that," she vaguely answered. Then Baby turned and started to skate down the aisle. At first, Charlie wasn't sure if she was leading her somewhere or just leaving. It wasn't until the clown turned towards a shelf and dragged out a heavy looking toolbox that the puppet hurried to follow. "These are the tools that Fritz left here. I don't need them," she said as she held it out. Charlie set the plush on the shelf before reaching out, to which Baby simply remarked. "This is a little too heavy for you. Where will you be working?"
Charlie almost considered defending herself, but upon second look at the toolbox decided that she wasn't confident enough to do so. She would rather hold her tongue than try to take the box and make a fool out of herself. "I guess just in the office. The light's better in there." She grabbed the plush and followed behind the clown.
"Did Fritz bring you here? I haven't seen him for a few days…" Baby remarked thoughtfully.
"No, it was Mike. I think Fritz has been taking a few days off for Christmas," Charlie explained. "…Did he tell you about what happened at El Chip's Fiesta Buffet?" Baby gave a questioning hum. "He was attacked by a few animatronics. He wasn't hurt, nobody was, but he was definitely shaken up afterwards."
"Oh… He didn't tell me about that…" Baby murmured. She slowed to a stop beside the desk. "…What happened to the animatronics that did it?"
"They were being controlled by one that was programmed to attack. Marionette and I sabotaged it, so it won't be a threat to anyone else."
"…Good."
Baby dropped the toolbox on the desk loudly. It was abrupt enough that Charlie slightly shuddered. The clown looked to her expectantly as the puppet stepped in and opened the toolbox. The smaller tools in the upper levels of the box immediately caught her interest and she started to retrieve a screwdriver and a roll of electrical tape. Charlie noticed that she was still being watched and glanced at Baby only briefly before her attention landed on the plush toy. She turned it over and opened its back wider. It was time to put her schooling and birthright to work.
"Can you work while I watch, or will it distract you?" Baby asked. Her voice had returned to a neutral tone, but her eyes seemed to be alit with curiosity, watching as the other got ready to work. Charlie found nothing wrong with an audience.
"No, stay. I think I'll enjoy the company. Maybe you could help keep me focused," the Security Puppet offered as she pulled the office chair over and dropped into it. She scooted closer and investigated the depths of the plush.
Meanwhile, Baby just looked down at her. She supposed that she could use Charlie as a distraction for the day, considering that she was running out of them. Perhaps the Security Puppet would even be able to tell her more about the world outside of the warehouse. She needed a glimpse outside the building, even if through the eyes of another.
"I didn't think you would come back alone again. Not willingly. Not unless you needed something…" Baby glanced down at the toolbox. "Which, I suppose you did." There was something strange on her voice. Charlie was shocked to hear the clown almost sound somber about it. As though she had wanted her to come back. Then again, she had spent Christmas alone; something that even Charlie hadn't done in years.
"…No… I planned on coming back, I just… Things are still strange," she admitted. She started to look inside the plush, trying to remember what she had done the last time she tried to fix Theodore. She tried to forget that she hadn't successfully fixed all of Theodore. "El Chip's caught me off-guard. The animatronics there weren't like Music Man. Even as irrational as Music Man was, you could tell he was alive. They clearly weren't." Apparently, Baby had nothing to say to this. They fell back into silence as she continued to work. She taped off a few stripped wires and replaced the arm cog that had come free.
"I noticed you're walking better," Baby remarked. "And the bells you're wearing around your neck. I suppose it was a present from the Puppet; he was created for gifting. It looks nice on you. Fitting."
"Thank you." It was now that Charlie started to realize that there was something rather odd going on. Baby was acting particularly strange. She tried to ease the mood and playfully asked, "But would look better on you?"
"Yes."
Baby's bluntness managed to rile a jingle of amusement out of Charlie. Though, all joking aside, Baby couldn't deny that Charlie was an attractive animatronic. She had subtler smile than the Puppet's, she was shaped nicely, colored brightly, and no part of her looked out of place. Baby looked like a mess compared to her, but only realized it now. A hand reached up and felt over the disjointed and misshapen plates of her face, faded in color and broken, and had a sudden realization.
Maybe this was why Fritz wasn't coming back.
That would have to change.
The car pulled into the Phone Guy's driveway and Mike immediately reached into the back for the cover. "We're not doing what we did yesterday. No teleporting, it could make it worse," Mike insisted firmly. Marionette wasn't sure what he intended to do but went along with the human's insistence. He shielded himself underneath the blanket and allowed Mike to help guide him inside. He only realized when the security guard knocked briefly and boldly let himself in that the Phone Guy must've been expecting their arrival. He wasn't too surprised.
"Hey! I didn't expect you here yet," Scott greeted from across the room. He was taking some of the decorations down from the faux Christmas tree he had in the corner of the room. He did a double take once he realized that Mike wasn't alone. "Umm, well, hey Mari. Merry late Christmas." It was obvious from that tone alone that he knew something. Mike must've told him about the injury, and that alone made Marionette self-conscious.
"Merry late Christmas. Where's Ennard? I brought him something," Marionette asked, letting Mike remove the blanket and revealing the carefully wrapped gift in his arms. Scott's smile returned and he looked less nervous.
"He's right in the office." Thus, the Puppet headed in that direction. This left Scott and Mike alone, with the former grabbing a plastic bag off the couch and approaching the security guard. "These were the only ones I could find that I labelled under 'maintenance' and 'the Puppet'. I haven't listened to any of them, but I labelled them right after I made them, so… This is your best bet." He handed it over. "There's a tape player in there too."
"Thanks for this, Scott. You sure you want me to take your tape player? I probably have one somewhere in the house. There's tapes all in the basement," Mike pointed out. To which Scott shook his head.
"Don't worry about it. I have a couple of backups. I'm more worried about not getting the tapes back, so if you could make sure to do that- only after you're done with them, no rush- I'd really appreciate it. I uh, heh, I sort of have a collection going on here." Scott gestured to the wall of tapes.
"…You know, I'd find it weird that you collect tapes of your own name, but then I would have to pretend that you don't willingly live with Buttered Noodles," Mike quipped with a smirk. He received a flat look in response.
"Never let Ennard hear you call him that… He already tried to change his name to Eggs Benedict. This one might stick; you wouldn't believe how much he loves noodles," Scott explained. He then looked back into the bag as Mike continued to just stare at him, knowing that he was serious and wondering how he could live with that.
Meanwhile, Marionette pushed open the office door and found Ennard trying and failing to hide himself under the desk. The puppet cocked his head curiously and the clown finally spotted him and started to come out.
"Oh, hi there, Mari!" Ennard chirped as he started to climb out. Once he was standing, Marionette was able to see that he was wearing a black, button-up sweater with Christmas tress and snow on it. The first thought was that he was wearing it for Scott's sake. Then again, he didn't seem too ashamed to show it off. "Ha ha, I thought you were someone else! What a relief!" He chuckled a few seconds longer before explaining. "There's been this woman coming around all the time to see Scott. I think the neighbor's been sending her to try and woo him. Long story short, I hate them both."
It was just such a sudden that Marionette couldn't help but chime in amusement, but immediately regretted it when a cracking noise and the pain followed. He managed only barely to keep from hunching over in front of the amalgam. The blue eyes flickered down to his chest briefly.
"Yikes! You didn't tell me you were broken!" Ennard exclaimed. Before Marionette could disagree, the other had him by the shoulders and was getting uncomfortably close. He could probably hear every tick. "How'd ya manage that one?!"
"I'm not broken, I just- Would you please?" He managed to slip out of Ennard's grasp by thrusting the present into his chest. The clown took it, looking down at it in confusion, while the Puppet attempted to explain. "I've been working more than I used to and was under a lot of stress and… Apparently something has decided to fail." He forced a cheery tone and added, "But I'm sure it'll get better with continued rest. That's all it is, strain."
"Oh really? I didn't know strain could sound like that!" Ennard almost sounded like his goofy, naïve self. That was, until he got this strange look and almost smug tone. "Cause, I thought it sounded an awful lot like a broken comb jammed where it shouldn't be.… But what do I know? Ha ha!" As the striped one felt a cold chill through his back, the amalgam looked down at the gift. "What's this? Something for Scott?"
"It's for you. It's just a day later than I anticipated," Marionette explained with his smile returning. Hopefully this would turn the conversation away from his injury. "Go ahead and open it."
The amalgam tore open the wrapping paper and eagerly opened the box. He pulled out a green and yellow made of stitched together cotton fabric. The pattern almost seemed to match the hat on Ennard's mask and the fringe was a matching yellow. The clown let out a sharp humming noise as his wires shifted in excitement and he looked the scarf over.
"This is great, I love it!" Ennard chirped as he quickly wrapped it around his neck. Seeing that there was more in the box, he gave a delighted chuckle and plucked out a wrapped object. "And you got me giant candy too! How'd you know that was my favorite kind?" he playfully asked.
"Actually, that would be a Christmas Cracker!... Though there is candy in it, so I suppose it is a giant candy," Marionette said. His voice held delight, but his usually chirping and trill was nowhere to be seen. Ennard noticed this but ignored it with a giggle and leaned in, quickly ensnaring the other in a quick hug. Marionette flinched, body sore when jolted, but was relieved to feel that Ennard had been gentle with him.
"I love it all! Here you are all busted up and you still come all the way over here to give me a present." He then pulled back, smiling down at the Puppet, and chirped, "Since you went through all that effort for me, I'm going to return the favor. Here, let's open you up and I'll fix ya right up!"
"Huh?" That's all Marionette got out before Ennard was going at his buttons. Over-protective of his damaged chest, he grabbed the wire wrists and tried shoving them back. "What are you doing?!"
"I'm gonna fix you! Trust me, I know what I'm doing. I've taken apart and put back together a ton of animatronics!" Ennard confidently proclaimed. He then fumbled with the buttons, starting to become confused. "Wait, these don't open?"
"No, Ennard, they don't open! I don't open!" the Puppet snapped, shoving Ennard's arms back. A broken crack of discontent forced its way through. "Now would you please-?!"
"What's going on in here?"
Suddenly Mike was at the door and looking in. There he caught a glimpse of Marionette and Ennard lightly wrestling before they went still to stare back at him. He slowly raised a brow at the scene. Marionette's hands snapped back, and his arms fell to his side, covering any discomfort.
"Nothing. Ennard was just opening his gift," he quickly excused. His body was beginning to feel weighted and started to realize that he had sacrificed his energy just to keep the clown at bay. "I think I may go wait in the car. I don't want stay up too long when I should be resting," Marionette excused before passing by. He moved quickly towards the door and grabbed the blanket quickly, covering himself up. "I'm heading out to the car!"
"Wait for a second and I'll walk you-." Mike was cut off when Marionette let himself out and disappeared. "And there he goes, out into broad daylight without me," the security guard finished. He sent a glance back at Ennard who stared back without any explanation. The human started to head back towards the front door, grabbing the plastic bag again off the couch. "Guess that's my cue to go."
"Mike, wait." Scott reached over the back of the couch to offer him another tape. "Take this too. It's about using electricity to jumpstart animatronics. Voltage and all of that." This received two reactions. Firstly, Mike shot Scott an incredulous look, then Ennard stepped out of the office and stared at the back of the Phone Guy's head. Noticing the human's look, the older man explained. "It's not for what you think. I just… If you did get in there and something happened, you could, you know, shock an animatronic like you would a human heart. Like a defibrillator."
"Right, that… Sounds useful." It sounded terrible. Mike was already sorely regretting his decision to even consider this. It was one thing to consider putting a few pieces together, but to think of the possibility that this could effectively shut down the Puppet's body was another thing. "Yeah, I don't think I can do this."
"Just remember that- What? Oh no, don't worry about it. It's just in case of emergencies. It's better to know all the options before they play out," Scott excused smoothly. "Just remember that if you do have to use any amount of electricity, you have to keep the wattage-." He was cut off by a loud popping noise nearby and looked back frantically, only to find Ennard opening a Christmas cracker. He gave a patient sight and looked back to Mike. "As I was saying, again, make sure not to use too much electricity or it'll only start frying the electronics. I don't need to tell you how bad that can be."
"No, I know. I've seen what the tasers can do." Already Mike was writing out any use of electricity. Unless the Puppet's body was entirely unresponsive, he would do what else he could. "I should get him home… I'll see what he'll let me do when we get there. Thanks for the help, Scott. Take care. You too, Ennard." He headed to the door and let himself out. As soon as Mike closed the door, Scott was clasped around the middle.
"Sorry for scaring ya like that, Scottie! Just popping open one of the cracker things," Ennard apologized as he nuzzled against his shoulder. "Want one? They taste like caramel.~" The Phone Guy was still obviously worried from how he watched the door. In all honesty, he had wished that he was more useful, but fixing animatronics was out of his league. He wasn't a trained technician; he barely knew how to help Ennard when he was distressed. A wire hand raised and offered him a wrapped piece of candy.
"Sure. What's life without a little indulgence?" Scott questioned as he unwrapped the candy and popped it in his mouth.
"You can say that again!" Ennard added with a giggle. He then smoothly turned the human to face him and leaned in to nuzzle against his cheek. He could feel Scott's pulse quickening and pressed his mask's nose against his soft skin until it squeaked. "I bet you're sweeter on the inside then any candy."
"I, uh… Thank you?" Scott wasn't sure why Ennard had been so affectionate recently, but he wasn't complaining. Confused, yes, but not complaining. He nearly bit down on the candy as he felt the animatronic shift so that his mouth rubbed against his skin instead. "I'm guessing you liked whatever Marionette brought you? Y-You're not usually this… Happy before lunch." Happy was one word for it. Ennard straightened to smile down at Scott and pulled him tightly against his chest.
"I'm always happy around you, Scott! You know you're the best gift I got.~" Ennard pressed his mouth to the human's head with a low hum of delight. His hands rubbed along the human's back soothingly. "…And I gotta tell ya, I love when you start with all that robotics talk. We should talk about it sometime." He was only becoming bolder and Scott wasn't entirely sure why. "I mean, it's not like you could just talk about it with any human that popped in." Oh, that was why.
"Ennard, is this about-?"
"I'm just going to leave this on the TV." Scott looked back just in time to see Mike set down another gift. He wasn't entirely sure how long he was standing there or what he had seen but had certainly not heard him let himself back in. Mike glanced between the two of them and nonchalantly added, "You really need to get him a stuffed bear or something." Then he shut the door and was gone before Scott could even attempt an excuse.
Thus, he was left standing there with his embarrassment. Along with Ennard's casual remark- as though completely unfazed- of, "I hope it's more candy."
"What's in the bag?"
Marionette didn't even try to look, he just bluntly asked to see if Mike would be upfront with him. The security guard looked over at the Puppet, who was slumped down in the passenger seat and cocooned in the blanket. "Maintenance tapes."
"I see…" He pulled the blanket tighter around him as though to close off the world. The ticking had returned, and both could hear it. "And what do you intend to do with those?"
"I don't know yet," Mike answered. He didn't show it as obviously, but he was just as nervous as Marionette was. Just the thought of picking through his insides unsettled his stomach. It was just as responsive and felt as much as a human body would, so he could consider it performing surgery, and he certainly wasn't ready for that. "Just in case."
"You do realize I don't open, don't you?" the animatronic asked.
"I know," Mike answered. He shifted uncomfortably as they inched closer to home. "…Look, I'm not going to make you do anything you don't want to do." He was answered by silence. "I love you, Mari." Still silence.
The car pulled into the driveway and came to a stop. It was then that the blanket suddenly fell in. Between that and the shifting feeling in the air, Mike realized that the Puppet had teleported inside, even though he had so much trouble with it before. With a patient exhale, Mike grabbed the bag of tapes and headed inside to see the damage. He found Marionette at the back of the couch, hunched over it and barely holding himself up. "I could've brought you in-."
"Let's do it."
The finality shocked the security guard, who shut the door slowly behind him and stared at the animatronic. "You mean you want to…?" The striped one nodded in a quick answer. "You don't have to do this."
"Yes, Mike, I do," Marionette corrected. He tentatively reached to his chest while the other arm wobbled as it held him up. Under his fingertips he could feel the ticking, the grinding, the continued pain that was only getting worse. He was able to disguise it better, but it was always there, and he suspected it wasn't going anywhere on its own. "Ennard said that he thought it was my music box comb… The part that brushes on the pegs and that makes the chimes. I'm not sure if he's right, but it certainly feels like he's right… And I can't fix that on my own."
"Are you sure you want me to do this? I could call and have Fritz over here in a couple of minutes."
"No…" The Puppet was nearly trembling at the thought of having himself opened and worked on. If this had to happen, he wanted it on his own terms. "I want you to do it. I know you can." Mike reached out and rested a hand on his back comfortingly. It was almost a silent assurance that he would. Though he was still mostly uncertain until he again felt the malfunction through the fabric of his back. All at once he sobered up; he could do this. There was no room for failure. Thinking ahead, Marionette pointed off towards the hallway. "My sewing box is under my bed. In it is-… A fabric knife." His voice cracked, and his arm trembled.
"Say no more. Just wait right here and I'll get everything." Mike set down the bag of tapes on the back of the couch and went to go get the box. He returned with both it and the music box. "I thought you might not want to be awake for this." Marionette nodded again, unwilling or unable to speak. "I was also thinking that we should probably do this in the basement. I know you'd probably be comfortable literally anywhere else in the house, but the replacement parts are down there, there's an actual workbench we can use, and the lighting will work better."
"Wherever you think is best," Marionette quietly agreed. "I'm putting myself into your hands."
"Then I'm going to go down and get everything ready. You just try to relax," Mike said. He took his dark hand in his own and squeezed it comfortingly. "Just keep remembering that by tonight it'll all be over." He drew away and gathered everything before heading downstairs, nearly stumbling from how much he had to carry, and then setting up the place to work. It wasn't long before he returned to collect the Puppet. "It's ready for you," he announced. Marionette nodded stiffly and followed him down the stairs, capable of getting himself down into the basement fine.
The workbench had been cleaned off, with everything that had been on it moved to the desk instead. The light above the bench was bright, shining down so that the work would be illuminated, and Mike's jacket had been folded like for a makeshift pillow. Marionette approached it cautiously and began to move onto it. He was ticking louder, and the pain was growing only more obvious, but it only persuaded him further to go ahead with it. He laid down and stared up at the light. The end of his legs almost reached the strange router in the corner, but he was more distracted by the sound of Mike winding the music box.
"Make sure not to let that wind down… I don't want to wake up while you're working," Marionette reminded. His voice was wavering, and his fingers nervously drummed on the bench beneath him.
"Trust me, I won't. I'm going to have you fixed in no time," Mike assured. The music box began to play as he turned and leaned over the animatronic. "It's just going to be a few seconds and you'll be fixed." Then he waited and watched as the music box began to lull Marionette into sleep. His features relaxed and the ticking and cracking went silent.
Immediately, Mike went to work by getting out the tape player and shoving in the first tape. It began to play after a few seconds and Scott's voice soon echoed out.
"You're listening to Freddy Fazbear maintenance tape twelve. Today I will be giving you instructions on upkeep and cleaning of the Prize Puppet. First, we will be discussing how to replace uneven or chipping face paint."
"No," Mike dismissed, shutting off the tape and replacing it with another one.
"You're listening to Freddy Fazbear maintenance tape thirteen. Today I will be giving you instructions on how to restring the Prize Puppet to its cross if it… Uh… Somehow gets itself free… Make sure that the music box is playing at all times."
"No." Again he tossed the tape aside and put in the third one.
"You're listening to Freddy Fazbear maintenance tape eleven. Today I will be giving you instructions on how to repair the music box in the Prize Corner. While it's not necessary during the day- the Prize Puppet makes its own music- the music box is important for the nightshift. So please, if you notice the music box not working during the day, please either repair, replace, and make sure to tell the Fazbear nightshift staff."
"Music box repair… Wrong music box but this might still be what I'm looking for. He said it himself; Mari and the box sound near identical…"
"First thing to do is open the back of the box and remove the actual music box from inside. Make sure to unscrew and remove the external crank before doing so. Next, identify the broken piece to be replaced-."
Mike paused the tape and headed back to the bench to look down at Marionette. He needed to see what was damaged, which meant he had to go ahead with opening the Puppet. Mike reached onto the desk and opened the sewing kit. Underneath some of the tools he found the fabric knife. The blade was shorter than he expected and twice as sharp, and it felt heavy in his hand.
"Let me just check everything over one last time…" He checked the light, the music box, made sure Marionette wasn't awake, and only then got enough nerve to stop stalling. "Alright. Let's put you back together."
Mike began to slowly cut through the fabric of Marionette chest, trying to do it further from the buttons in case it left a scar behind. The fabric gave slight resistance against the sharp knife, thick and stubborn, but then began to open. He turned the Puppet's body slightly to see better as he opened the incision. He could see machinery inside. A wave of anxiousness passed over, leaving a tingling heat burning his neck and flushing his face. Mike ignored it and cut a little further. Then he grabbed his flashlight and shined it inside. He could see the endoskeleton and soon the music box mechanism mounted on it.
"Wait a minute…" Mike spread the incision wider and looked closer inside. Marionette's internal music box was remarkably like a normal music box, though there were some differences. The cylinder that turned to play music seemed to be made of rings with pegs on them, giving it the cylinder look and function while allowing the pegs to move separate from one another. This had to be how Marionette was able to play such elaborate tunes. Though this wasn't what stood out to him. Instead, he was looking at what he could only assume was the comb. Or what was left of it. "What in the…?"
The comb had snapped off from where it was screwed into place. While part of the comb was still bolted in place, the part that had broken off was now wedged underneath the cylinder. Somehow it had shifted into place instead of dropping off and innocently falling somewhere else into the body. "I'll be damned… Ennard was right."
He started to carefully slide his fingers into the incision and felt forwards until he brushed the piece of comb. He clamped the piece between his fingers and began to tentatively rock the piece, loosening it from the tight hold, and easing it out from being trapped. It took a little maneuvering, but finally managed to come free and Mike pulled it out. It was baffling that a single, thin piece of metal could cause so much misery. Let alone that it could snap like it did. He set it aside and turned to wind the music box again. After turning back on the tape player, Mike headed over to the drawers and opened the one that contained the Puppet's replacement pieces.
"There are four main pieces to the music box: the comb, the cylinder, the bedplate, and the motor. The comb is the flat piece that rests against the cylinder. The cylinder is, well, the cylinder. The motor is the mechanism that attached to the windup key and activates the cylinder. The bedplate is what everything is attached to. Note that if the bedplate somehow ends up broken that most likely the music box won't be repairable. Okay, now identify what part needs replacing and remove it by unscrewing it from the bedplate. Then locate the replacement piece in the storage closet."
"Does a repurposed dresser count as a closet? Wouldn't want to go against company policy," Mike remarked as though talking to someone who wasn't there. He shifted through all the pieces before finding a fully intact music box mechanism in the corner. It looked almost identical to Marionette's own. He didn't know whether to be surprised that William had a second one or to just be disturbed that he anticipated something like this. He moved it to the desk, retrieved a screw driver, and unscrewed the comb from the second music box.
"If you can replace the piece, then wind the music box and double check that it plays through correctly. If it doesn't, then further repairs will be needed. If it does, then congratulations! You have successfully repaired the Prize Corner's music box. Just a reminder, but do not attempt to retrieve and repair the music box after hours. If you hear broken noises coming from the Prize Puppet, do not attempt repairs on the Puppet- or approach the Puppet- and instead inform the manager. This is the end of training tape eleven."
"Thanks for warning me now," Mike muttered as he approached Marionette again. He turned and opened him to look inside again. "Alright, how are we going to do this?" he asked as he started to try and fit the screwdriver inside. It soon became apparent that he couldn't fit it inside. He sighed and grabbed for the fabric knife. "Sorry about this, Doll. Just a little more." He cut more of an incision, watching how long the slice was getting. He didn't even know if he would be able to stitch it closed right, but he couldn't afford to worry about that now.
With more room, he was able to fit the screwdriver inside and awkwardly, still largely sideways, worked both screws out. He removed the rest of the broken comb and set it down beside the other piece. The screws were stuck through the new comb, which was set in place, and then twisted with his fingers until he had to use the screwdriver to tighten them. He tapped on the comb to make sure it was sturdy before checking everything else over. It all looked to be in place and he removed his hand before returning to the sewing box to get a thick enough needle and black thread.
"Last leg of the journey. You've got this," Mike mentally encouraged as he threaded the needle. Only now did he realize his hands were shaking. He was still able to start stitching up the cut and watched as the black fabric started to pull back together with every careful stitch. In one anticlimactic moment of cutting a loose thread, the surgery was finished. Now all that was left was to wake him up and see if everything was in place. It was a risk if there was something Mike had missed, but he was too impatient to wait longer and stopped the music box.
Marionette woke slowly; his hand twitched lightly and his mask started to shift, but he stayed rather still. He was already aware that something was different as pressure in his chest had dulled and the pain was gone. Moving cautiously, he slightly turned his head to look at the human standing beside him.
"Hey! Looks who's finally decided to join the living," Mike said with an assuring smile. Inwardly, he was just waiting for the moment when they would know whether it worked or not. The cynical side of him was already anticipating that same, painful cracking noise instead of the gentle chiming. He took the Puppet's hand once more to comfort the animatronic in case something went wrong. "It's over, Mari. I replaced the broken part. Here, look." He lifted the removed comb pieces. Marionette looked surprised as he took the larger piece and turning it over in his fingers.
"I recognize that look of shock. Yeah, apparently Ennard hit the nail on the head," Mike quipped with a small smirk. The animatronic smiled and looked at the comb again, still surprised that such a vital piece had snapped. Yet he remained silent. The human gave a gentle coax, "Try out the new one and let's hear the results." While still hesitant, expecting the same pain as before, Marionette agreed and relaxed himself before trying to vocalize.
He awaited the resounding crack, but instead was answered by a soft chime. The replacement had worked. Mike had repaired him.
"Thank God!" Mike blurted out in relief. He released the breath he had been holding and nearly doubled over on the spot. "I was so sure something was going to go wrong. That I screwed something up somewhere along the line." The tentative chimes immediately changed into delighted trills as Marionette embraced being complete. Then his focus turned on Mike and he started to push off the desk. He wobbled as he sat upwards as his body was still recovering from the replacement, and the security guard reached for his shoulder to steady him. "Take it easy, okay? No sudden movements until we're sure-."
He was cut off by Marionette wrapping his arms tightly around him and pressing his mask into the crook of his neck. He was still trilling without a hitch, so much so that he was nearly shivering. It was a stark difference to the broken ticking that had been prominent earlier that day. It was literal music to his ears and he hugged back gently. Marionette nuzzled against him before moving upwards to leave gentle kisses along the human's face.
"Thank you, thank you," the Puppet began to murmur in a quiet mantra. "You're wonderful. Thank you." His trilling switched to a more affectionate warble as Mike cupped his mask, pressing his forehead against his.
"Don't mention it. You know I'd do anything for you," Mike reassured, claiming his lips in a chaste kiss. "Come on. Let's get you out of this basement and somewhere where you can actually rest," he suggested as he easily lifted the other and headed towards the door. He would worry about the tools and everything else later; he had something more important to tend to.
"I don't know if you realize it, but you saved my life," Marionette quietly assured. It might've just looked like a single piece, but to him it had meant so much more. It meant security, that he had someone who would be able to fix him, and that damage wouldn't be the end. If he had a shelf life, then it had doubled in his eyes. "But I didn't expect anything less… I don't know what I'd do without you."
Mike held him a little tighter and tried to not let the words go to his head, even though he felt every one of them. "Yeah, well…" He got a playful smile. "You might want to save that until we see if I can get you up the stairs without casualty."
They left the quiet basement. The router hummed, the lights flickered, and the memories of what happened already started to soften. It felt like it was finally over.
Mable: I actually intended to have some of Foxy and Jeremy in this chapter but considering the flow I was afraid that it would feel too much like whiplash. Expect for that to come in the next chapter instead. It's about time we got more Foxy- who doesn't love Foxy? XD Anyway, I hope you enjoyed!