Mable: Here we are with the next chapter! I hope you Enjoy!
Almost Feels Like Home
Chapter Fifty-Seven
"It's only going to be a couple of days, I promise!"
It was hard to be convincing when he had so many sets of eyes on him. Jeremy expected protest when he was walking out the door, but not to this extent. Not this many sets of piercing eyes demanding answers for why their caretaker was leaving for days instead of just hours. Except Max, who was as relaxed and unbothered as usual. He stayed silent and watched the scene unfold, glancing over when the Bidybabs spoke.
"Why do they get to go?" the Bidybab twin in the orange dress, Button, asked accusatorily. She pointed up at the couch and the three Minireenas sitting there, who all just looked at her together.
"Because they're the favorites," the Bidybab twin in the purple dress, Bow, answered huffily. She tried to cross her stubby arms and the Minireenas looked to each other in response.
"No, that's not it. You know I love you all. It's just that they're working at the business, and this really is just a business trip," Jeremy tried to defend before this got any further out of hand. "You wouldn't have fun. I'm pretty much just going for moral support, to help Foxy feel more comfortable."
"That's right, Kiddos," Max chimed in. He then turned his head to look at them. If he could've been giving a mischievous grin- other than the one molded on- he would have. "Because Foxy's his real favorite."
"I-I didn't say that!" Jeremy protested. Balloon Boy let out an obnoxious laugh, Daisy and Rose giggled, the Bidybabs gave disgruntled huffs, Plushtrap made a teeth chattering noise like a laugh, and Max looked back to the man with what felt like smugness. He always liked to rile things up. Realizing that he had no hope to save the situation, Jeremy headed to the door. "I'm trusting you guys with the house. Please don't leave the fridge open or anything," he warned them as he took the cardboard padded box and knelt with it. "Ready to go, Girls?"
Daisy, Rose, and Forget-Me-Not straightened and dropped down from the couch before hurrying to the box in tiny leaps. Lilium, who was still cuddled up to Plushtrap's side on the couch, waved after them with a small giggle. The three hopped into the box and he lifted them up before heading out the door.
"We'll be back in a few days! I'll call you tonight, so someone answer the phone!" Jeremy called in. Balloon Boy waved after him and he waved back before shutting and locking the door. He could only hope that his apartment would survive without him but couldn't worry about it as he headed to the car and set the box inside. "Okay, you three. You sit tight and once we get on the highway you can come out and get comfortable." There were small noises inside the box, giggles and hums of understanding.
Smiling to himself, Jeremy turned on the car and began to pull out of his parking spot. Time to go get Mike.
The Animatronic Tradeshow and Technology Convention, also known as Animatronicon for short, was an event that happened yearly, but Foxy's had only gotten a formal invitation this year. Perhaps spawned by all the buzz that seemed to circulate the business. The prospect was simple; while portraying itself as a way to exchange and show off new breakthroughs in animatronic technology, Animatronicon was just a massive vessel for advertisement. Which meant if a business received a formal invite to come then it was in their best interest to do so.
That didn't mean that it would be an easy or comfortable drive. Being cramped in the back of a van in what felt like the hottest day of summer and having to drive out of state was uncomfortable. Especially for the animatronics, who wouldn't have the luxury of getting to stop and get out of the van. Which would've been fine and dandy for an hour trip, or livable for a two-hour trip, but they were looking at seven hours at best, and more when adding in the needed stops along the way. It would be a nightmare.
"Turn that AC up! It be hotter than a pizza oven in here!" Foxy grouched from the back. He fussily turned and tried to readjust himself in the cramped confines. "I feel like a fish hanging over a fire."
"Can do!" Fritz called back as he turned the air up higher. Though not much higher as they had already been close to max. "Try to stay by the wall and I'll turn this vent out towards it."
"Pretty hard to do with this accursed shelf sittin' in the way," Foxy grumbled. He tried to scoot closer and ended up hooking and pulling down a drop cloth that fell on his legs. He tried to kick it off and it got tangled on his foot. "Gah! Blasted thing!" he vented as he yanked it off and tossed it across the van. "Meanwhile that son of a biscuit eater Mike be soakin' up all the cool air that I could've been getting' in Jer'my's car. I knew we should've driven at night, but does anyone listen to ol Foxy? No."
"I listen to you Foxy. To your complaints, your gripes…" Marionette chimed up teasingly.
He and Charlie were currently putting together a puzzle on a piece of cardboard and taking care to hold it steady whenever the van turned or went over a bump. The picture seemed to be of a castle by the ocean from what was finished so far.
"And Jeremy's car might be cooler but think about how cramped you'd be in the backseat covered in a tarp with the Minireenas crawling all over you." He hesitated a moment and then chimed in light laughter and looked to Charlie. "I just got a mental image of Mike getting swarmed in dolls."
"Bet he be just laughing it up back there. Thinking he got all lucky," Foxy grumbled. Then he finally leaned forwards and reached up to shake his hook in the window. "Laugh while ya can, Mike, cause we're switchin' places on the way back!"
In the car behind the van. Both Jeremy and Mike noticed the hook being shook at them, as one would shake their fist. Both were equally confused for a moment, but then Mike gave a definite, "Looks like I'm in trouble now."
"That can't be for you. He can't think we'd see that," Jeremy pointed out. Yet as the hook shook faster, his frown started to tilt. "…Okay, I stand corrected. Maybe it's for you." It was now that Foxy decided to lean upwards and look through the window. Mike proceeded to send him a beaming smirk and a wave while Jeremy gave a half shrug and mouthed a 'what?'. Though Foxy's gaze locked on Mike's smirk as his eyepatch jumped upwards.
"The smarmy sod just smirked at me!" Foxy announced with aghast.
"Don't take it too seriously. Mike always looks like that," Natalie said offhandedly. Her attention was instead on the gas station and rest stop appearing in the distance. "Hey, I know our tank's still at half, but this might be the last one for a long while. We should probably get it topped off."
"Good idea. I could use a pick-me-up anyway," Fritz agreed. He pulled out his cellphone and quickly dialed Mike's cellphone number. "Hey, we're stopping at this gas station up here."
"Alright, I'll tell Jeremy." Mike could hear Foxy complaining through the cell phone and was already patting himself on the back for the decision to ride in Jeremy's car. He only sympathized towards poor Marionette and Charlie, stuck in the back with the grumbling pirate. He ended the call and turned to the driver. "We're pulling over at the next stop."
"Already? Well, okay." Jeremy then looked in the rearview mirror and into the backseat. "You three be good while we're out, okay? There might be people around and we don't want you getting spotted."
The three Minireenas were sitting in the backseat like any normal person would, even spaced out enough to be in the appropriate 'seats'. Daisy sat in the middle, with her legs stuck out in front of her and her hands at her side. Her feet lightly swayed in rhythm with the quiet music playing from the speakers. Rose sat behind Mike's seat, sitting in a kneeling position but turned to the side with her head tilted to rest on her hands, which were resting on the back of the seat. It looked like she was napping. Forget-Me-Not was in the seat behind Jeremy's, sitting with her legs crossed, slumped like she was bored.
The Minireenas hadn't been nearly as restless as they expected. Which Mike saw as a great thing and Jeremy was somewhat concerned by. He kept his concerns to himself as he followed the van's example and pulled into the rest stop. It wasn't too impressive; a gas station and two houses, neither of which looked like a motel or anything like it. There were a few cars parked around, but they didn't look to be customers.
Mike got out of the car first and started to pass by the van when he heard a knocking on the back door. He looked over expecting Foxy and instead there was Marionette peering through the glass. He waved, which Mike returned, and then lifted a piece of notebook paper up to the window that only said: "Bring me back a lolly, please!" Instead of questioning it, Mike just sent back a thumbs up and headed inside.
Fritz, Natalie, and Jeremy all came inside as well. Largely just to stretch their legs and look for anything to make their drive more bearable. Before even going to pay for the gas, Jeremy started circling the small gas station while looking for something to get for the Minireenas to entertain them. Alas, the gas station only consisted of a few short aisles and they were dedicated to snacks and the occasional travel supplies. He noticed Fritz walking back towards the refrigerators and stopped him.
"Hey, you didn't see any- I don't know- little toys or anything around here, did you?" Jeremy asked and Fritz looked slightly questioning. "Not for me, obviously. I'm driving. It's to keep the girls distracted. I don't think any of us want to see how fussy they get when they're upset." From Fritz's cringe, he seemed to get an appropriate mental image.
"You've got that right," the technician agreed. He then looked around at the shelves on either side of them. He then almost half-heartedly picked up and offered a bag of gummy bears. Jeremy looked down at the bag for a few seconds and back up with a look of disapproval, as though he thought he was a joke. "Right, bad idea. Would probably melt halfway there," Fritz agreed and went to put it back. He hesitated a moment before deciding not to put them back. "I could probably use the sugar."
They circled around to the next aisle where there was a small box of keychains. Fritz spotted one that was a small Rubik cube and plucked it out. "Or what about this? They do puzzles, right?" he asked, offering it to the other.
"Well, yeah, but I don't think this'll work. It would've been perfect, but their hands..." Jeremy explained and Fritz got it. Their tiny, fingerless hands would struggle with the cube and only get them more frustrated.
"Got it. It's not like they're much fun anyway," Fritz said as he went to put it back. Again, he hesitated, and then slowly drew it back. "…But, you know, I could always use something to do." Thus, the bag of gummy bears was joined by the keychain. Though he then caught a glimpse towards the front of the store. "Wait a minute. Look over by the door; they have some of those capsule machines. That'd be… Small."
Jeremy perked as soon as he saw the machine. It was perfect; maybe the toys were small and cheap, but they would work well enough for the dolls. He started popping in quarters and collecting as many little capsules as he could. He wasn't entirely sure what toys he was getting, but he just trusted that hopefully they would work.
Mike got back out of the store first and let himself into the back of the van. He made sure to close the doors behind himself even with the unlikeliness of anyone seeing them. "I got the goods," he said, reaching into a small bag and pulling out a handful of little lollipops. Marionette trilled and eagerly scooted closer to study the lollipops like they were buried treasure. "Hope I got enough of them to tide you over."
"Thank you!" Marionette chirped as he unwrapped a cherry flavored lollipop and caught it between his porcelain lips. Even without a tongue, he could taste the sweetness through his fabric and lips. A hum of contentment rumbled through his chest and music box.
"Cute," Mike complimented. He adjusted himself to sit against the van wall, getting himself more comfortable. "You never told me you had a thing for these."
"I never thought about it until now. I was just thinking about what we could get from the gas station to stave off the boredom and like all good ideas it appeared from thin air," the striped one answered, still talking even though he hadn't removed the lollipop from his lips. He gave another warble at the taste. "I could get used to this."
"Is that a head's up that I'm going to have to refill the candy in the prize corner more often?" Mike playfully asked. He was cut off by the bag rustling and him looking over to see Foxy scrounging through it. "There's more in there if you want one too," he offered.
"Nah, never liked 'em. Broke me tooth on a piece o' hard candy back when I be just a kit," Foxy dismissed. It was then that he noticed what looked like a vanilla snack cake and stabbed his hook into it, going straight through the plastic, and then reeling it in. "But I will be takin' this." He was right about to tear it open the rest of the way when Natalie threw herself into the driver's seat.
"All gassed up and ready to go!" she chirped as she yanked on the seatbelt. "We are making such great time here. At the rate we're going, we might even have enough daylight to find a good motel."
"We're leaving already?" Mike asked with a raised brow. He looked back through the crack in the doors to Jeremy's car. He was already back in the driver's seat, though leaning into the back to tend to the Minireenas. "Huh. Guess we are… Hurray." Marionette chimed again and leaned over to bump shoulders with him.
"Don't sound so unenthusiastic, Love. It's just five more hours in a car with few distractions and nothing to look at outside. Consider it an adventure!" The Puppet offered him the lollipop, which he declined with a handwave. "Well, if you'd prefer, you could join us in the back. We have puzzles and books and things."
"You know I'd be back here if I could, but it's like an oven in here. I think we'd get half a block and I'd go into a coma," Mike said teasingly. He took a few things out of the plastic bag- a soda and a couple of different chewing gum packets- and slid out the back of the van. "If you need to call me or anything, I've got enough phone charge to get us through at least two 'I'm so bored, kill me' calls."
Natalie chimed in, "Fritz's phone is getting low, so once it runs out you'll have to start calling mine. But mine's ready to go!" She excitedly looked at the road ahead. "Okay! So, as soon as Fritz gets here, we're off!" Speaking of the technician, he walked around the front of the van and to the passenger side door. Natalie couldn't help but stare at the amount of random stuff he was carrying in his arms, not even in a bag. He awkwardly attempted to sit down without dropping anything. "Whoa, you think you got enough there?"
"Just a few things to get us by. It's not as much as it looks like," Fritz reassured. Then he got a wider smile. "And I know your price…" He reached into the stuff and pulled out a pack of mini doughnuts. Natalie gave a dramatic gasp and eagerly snatched them to herself.
"It was fate that brought us here," she said with that same, exaggerated tone as she opened the end. She jammed one halfway into her mouth, holding it with her teeth, and offered the rest to Fritz. "Mmph huh?"
"I'm good," Fritz declined as he went back through the things. "I have something else to whet my appetite…" He proceeded to pull out the Rubik cube and start scrambling it up. "Place your bets now, guys! I've got twenty bucks that says I can get this done by the next stop!"
"Aye'll take that bet and bump it ta thirty!" Foxy challenged back. "I can't even see what yer doin', but if yer that sure then ya ain't gonna do it!"
Mike gave a slight snicker and shut the van doors before heading back to Jeremy's car. He let himself into the passenger seat and basked in the comfort of the air conditioning. Jeremy was still leaning between the seats to tend to the Minireenas.
"Which one should we open next?" he asked. Rose excitedly picked up a capsule with a red bottom and handed it to him. It seemed that she wanted her turn, since Daisy and Forget-Me-Not had already opened ones for themselves, one containing a banana shaped eraser and the other a star sticker that Daisy proceeded to stick on her forehead. He twisted open the capsule and pulled out a purple, sticky hand toy. "It's a… I'm not exactly sure what you call these, but it looks like you could have fun with it."
She took the hand in the own and began to squeeze and stretch it with a content giggle. Daisy's eyes fixed on the toy and she crawled over to the other Minireena, then reached out and caught the tail of the hand, squeezing it between her hands with a giggle.
"Let's see if we've got another one of those," Jeremy suggested as he popped another open. He was positively beaming as he saw his little dolls so happy with the toys. Hopefully, they would tide them over until the next stop. It instead was a neon green rubber ball and he offer it to Forget-Me-Not, who eagerly snatched it up and started turning it in her hands. "Not really a hand, but I could see you making some fun with that! Just be careful of the windows." He patted her head lightly as she continued to fiddle with the ball.
"Hey, we're going," Mike suddenly chimed in. Jeremy looked back and the younger pointed to the van, which was being turned back on.
"Oh! Right, hold on. Uh…" The blond looked down at the rest of the capsules before offering them to Mike, nearly putting them in his hands. "Can you just take these for a minute? Maybe just get them open, thanks." He then turned his car back on and was ready by time the van pulled out. Deciding he had nothing better to do, Mike began to open the capsules and hand out more toys to the eager dolls.
"This was a good idea. It should probably tide them over for a little while," Mike complimented. He then looked to Jeremy and followed with, "So, what did you get to distract us?"
"…Well…Uh…" Jeremy sent him an awkward smile. "You ever play championship I Spy?"
Any hope Mike had on this trip going smoothly was quickly dashed.
Back in the van, quietness had set in after getting on the road. The radio was on low, but any conversation had fizzled out, between Fritz's focus on the cube, Marionette's focus on the flavor, and Natalie's focus on the road. Foxy needed his own distraction and soon his interest turned to Charlie. She had been silent since their stop, fully distracted with her notebook and only paying partial attention to what was going on around her. He decided to take notice and hopefully spawn a distraction.
"Whatcha doin' there, Lass? You've had yer nose stuck in that book for a fortnight now," Foxy asked. Charlie realized quickly that he was talking to her and looked up to him. "Whuzzat about?"
"Oh, uh, not much. Just looking at these songs Baby wrote." Foxy's ears raised attentively, which she noticed. "Baby wrote a couple more songs. Or one and a half really, which I think she assumed I was going to sing at the convention? If it's okay with you two, I think if I'm going to be anywhere on stage that I'll just be smiling and waving."
"That be fine, Lass," Foxy dismissed without even second guessing it. It was better that way, as Marionette and he had only rehearsed with the anticipation that the two of them would be on stage. "But a few more 'o Baby's songs, eh? Lemme hear 'em!" He waited expectantly as Charlie got a confused look. She almost didn't seem certain in what he was suggesting. "Unless ya got a whole music sheet in there, I ain't gonna get the melody, and I know she's been prob'ly makin' ya play 'em over and over."
This seemed like it would be a weird time to start singing. Charlie looked towards the front of the van and noticed that Natalie and Fritz weren't paying much attention. Marionette was, almost as much so as Foxy, but it was different for them. Singing and performing was their life, so they would just see it as a normal event.
"Well, if you insist," the Security Puppet caved with a small smile. "This is the unfinished one 'Just Add Water'. Baby sung the tune for me once so this is just a faint recollection. Bear with me." She made a few practice jingles before the ringing began to turn into an actual tune. Then she began to sing.
"Sailing, we're going sailing, across the sea… So, hang on tight, and taste that… sweet, sweet, salty breeze. Just add some water to that. Just add some water to that.~" She quickly looked to gauge their reactions. Foxy had his eyes closed to listen closer while Marionette had that wider smile again. "Spread sails and then man the decks. Once we go, we may never come back. Just add some water to that. Just add some water to that. And set a course for-.~" She cut off abruptly to stop her ringing, then clarified, "And that's where she stopped."
"Get 'er to keep on that one. We need more sea songs that ain't just sea shanties. Mari?" Foxy looked to Marionette who gave a trill of excitement. "…Alright, we ain't gettin' anything out of him. What's the other one?"
"Alright, this second one is a little longer, but the lyrics… I don't know, there's just a little… You'll see. You'll hear it," Charlie insisted. "This one's called 'Crème De La Crème'." She again reset her ringing and began to sing the second song.
"Put your hands together, all eyes on me when I'm up on stage. I'm the one who'll light up the room. You might need to take a page.~" Charlie sung as she lightly bobbed her head in rhythm, her bauble jingling behind her. "Dressed to the nines and dressed to impress, I could be any man's dream. Cute as can- Wait. Wait a minute." She looked over the line and reread it again. "Every man's dream? What- Oh no…" She smacked a hand to her mask and slid it down her face. "Baby, no."
"What's wrong? I thought it was pretty cute!" Marionette complimented. "A little boasting isn't a problem if it's part of the show."
"It's not that, it's this. It's this 'every man's dream' comment. I thought this song was weird, and now I get it," Charlie insisted as she poked over the lines and pointed out different parts. "Me talking about how cute and fun I am, me saying any man would want me." She tapped her finger on the notebook page and said in aghast, "This is just Baby trying to boost my confidence after the John thing!"
It took Marionette a moment to respond, though from the twitch of his smile it was evident that he was trying to cover amusement. "That's… That's not that bad! Baby could've certainly done worse to try and cheer you up," he said. Charlie gave him a flat, exasperated look, and his smile strained awkwardly. "Baby's not been in too many relationships recently. At least she cares?"
"What's this John thing?" Foxy asked nonchalantly. The puppets looked at him silently and uncomfortably. He opened his eye halfway and looked between the two of them. "…What's that look supposed to mean?" Charlie tapped her fingers on her notebook while Marionette rubbed his arm and returned his lollipop to his lips. He finally waved his hook. "Forget it! I don't wanna know. Just keep going."
"With the song? You're sure?" Charlie asked with a tilt of the head. Foxy nodded and she shrugged. "Well, okay. If you insist." She looked back down to the notebook and began to sing again. "Cute as can be so give me a ring, because I'm the crème de la crème.~" She then raised her tone as she led into the chorus. "Crème de la crème, come on down! I've been waiting for you to come brighten up my day! Crème de la crème, I knew you were coming. Aren't you the sweetest thing? Some girls are won with roses, for some pearls are nice. But if you want Ms. Crème da la Crème, you're going to pay the price."
"Oh yeah, I feel it," Foxy said with a nod. She thought he was being serious until he looked over and bluntly added, "Baby's got a big crush on ya."
"Alright, singalong time is over," the Security Puppet announced as she closed the notebook. She looked and sounded entirely unamused by his comment and nearly pouted. Foxy got a look that she could've believed was his version of a smirk and Marionette patted her back sympathetically.
The drive continued for the following hours there was nothing outside the window except a seemingly endless desert. So, when they finally came to a city after hours of driving- a small town that only looked a little smaller than Hurricane- they decided to stop. If only so they could get some form of a distraction, especially since they were looking at one or two more hours of driving ahead. They stopped at a chain restaurant that didn't look too busy and, after making sure they were parked a safe distance away, the humans headed inside.
It felt weird to sit down for dinner when Marionette, Charlie, and Foxy were just sitting out in the car waiting. It wasn't as though Mike was very hungry anyway, as he had only just woken from a two-hour long nap. If not for this being his only chance to get out of the car, he might've just slept the rest of the drive away. He was almost drifting off as he watched the parking lot and made sure nobody got too close to the van.
This was interrupted by a nudge to the foot and Mike looked across the table to see Fritz looking at him. The technician tilted his head in Jeremy's direction so the younger looked over in his direction. He caught Jeremy fussing inside of his jacket, which for some reason he was wearing even though it wasn't jacket weather and looked bulged out much further than it should have been. Leaning in closer, Mike vaguely made out a white face inside.
"That better gas station junk food you're smuggling in," Mike dryly announced. Jeremy looked at him like a child who got caught stealing from a cookie jar and there was a tiny giggle from inside his jacket.
"…It's not what you think," the blond tried to defend. "They- The Minireenas were fussy. The only way I could get them to cooperate in the van was to promise that I'd take one of them inside. So, I had them roll dice- there were a bunch of board games in the back of the van- and here's the winner." He explained, much to the others' continued staring. "It's not that weird, is it?"
"It's a little weird, I'll admit, but look at what we're dealing with," Fritz answered. "Which one is it, Daisy?
"Forget-Me-Not," Jeremy answered. Fritz got an uneasy look and Mike turned himself away slowly. The blond was unenthused by their reactions. "She's fine. She's just as well behaved as Daisy and Rose is, she just gets bored easier." Nobody said anything but Jeremy had a feeling that they weren't convinced. He huffed and readjusted his jacket, only to notice a weird sensation as the doll squirmed around. He wasn't sure what she was doing until he suddenly felt her climbing out the bottom. He gasped and grabbed at his jacket to pin her, only for her to slide through and drop to the floor.
Jeremy choked and bent over to look under the table, nearly putting himself in Mike's lap to do so. Needless to say, everyone caught on quickly, and the man reached desperately for the Minireena. She gave a quiet giggle and immediately moved out of his grasp and playfully circled around the table leg in the center before pressing against the wall. He continued to desperately reach after her.
"Head's up," Mike whispered as he noticed the waitress coming. When Jeremy didn't respond, probably not hearing him, he elbowed him in the side.
Jeremy proceeded to try and jump up and hit his back on the table so hard that the whole thing rattled. Somehow, he came out from under the table with askew glasses, ruffled hair, and no Minireena. He just hoped that the waitress wouldn't be able to see past the short tablecloth. He was nearly sweating bullets both from the nervousness and the jacket he was wearing and tried to quickly figure out an order on the menu.
Mike peeked under the table again and noticed that Forget-Me-Not was close to Natalie's legs. He waved to catch her attention and then pointed downwards, to which she looked underneath and noticed. She then looked back to him and mouthed a 'what do I do?' The security guard looked around the table for anything to use and grabbed the first thing he could before tossing it across the table. It was a small cup of liquid coffee creamer. Natalie looked at it in disbelief and Mike just gave a partial shrug.
Deciding it was at least worth a shot, she lowered the cup into her lap, opened it, and reached underneath the table to offer it to Forget-Me-Not. The Minireena was hesitant to accept the cup at first but became more curious until she finally accepted it, proceeding to dip her hand into it and stirring it. She then raised the cup and poured the liquid into her mouth as though mimicking drinking. The creamer poured through her mouth, through her head, and soaked into her dress. She was completely distracted while the humans ordered.
Then, Natalie offered her another of the cups once the waitress started walking off. Forget-Me-Not eagerly tossed the emptied cup aside and went to grab the second one. She never noticed Mike sneaking up behind until his hand wrapped around her middle and snatched her back. She gave a short cry as he nearly threw her into her caretaker's lap. Jeremy grabbed her before she could get away again and caught her back into his jacket. She gave a few fussy noises once she realized she was trapped.
"Crisis averted," Fritz announced with a much too mocking smile. "Now what was that about her being well-behaved?"
Jeremy decided to not even attempt a defense. He just lowered his head and tried to not look as embarrassed as he felt. Maybe because of everything, he finished eating fastest and headed out to the van. Mike went with him, having little appetite and needing to keep himself awake. As the older opened the back doors of the van, the remaining two Minireenas jumped up from the drawing pad they were huddled over and hurried over to him. Jeremy couldn't help but smile at the as he set down Forget-Me-Not.
"Hey, you two! It's about time to get back on the road. Notty will tell you about her little adventure inside while we're in the car," he assured as he slid the box over. He then offered a to-go container to Foxy. "And here's a thank you for watching them. I thought you could use a pick-me-up."
"Aww, ya didn't have to do that, Lad," Foxy said as he graciously accepted the box. He fumbled to get it open. Then he got it open and he was half surprised that he hadn't smelled what was inside before he had. There was a large, square slice of chocolate cake with thick icing. It smelled rich and dark with a hint of something else in it other than chocolate, maybe some sort of syrup. "Look at this! Must've cost a fortune."
"Yeah, but Fritz was paying," Jeremy excused. Daisy tugged on his sleeve to get his attention before scurrying over with Rose to drag the drawing pad to him. "What have you got there?" he asked and to answer they propped up the pad to show him the picture on it. They were childish looking little doodles but impressive considering that they didn't have the best hands for drawing.
It clearly depicted Jeremy, the Minireenas, and the other animatronics. What looked like a black snowman was probably Max, the wobbly striped thing was likely BB, the twin figures with fluff for dresses could've been the Bidybabs, and a yellow bunny figure seemed to be Plushtrap. All four Minireenas were drawn in different poses and with their own color of dress differentiating them. He was drawn with better detail than the other animatronics, even down to his glasses and the orange t-shirt that he lounged around the house in.
"They've been working on it the whole time you've been in there. You should've seen them; they were determined to get it done in time," Charlie spoke up from the other side of the van
Jeremy gave a broad smile as he looked over the picture. To him it was no different than the pride and flattery he would feel if his own children drew something for him. "It's incredible! Everyone' s here and everything. I love it!" He pulled both Minireenas into his arms and gave them a hug as thanks. He brought Forget-Me-Not in on it too do she didn't feel left out.
Marionette removed the paper from the pad while taking care not to tear it and handed it over. Though while doing this he noticed that Mike had been strangely quiet. He moved a bit closer to him while making sure to still by unseen from outside the van. "Is everything alright, Mike?" he asked, noticing when the man ran a tired hand through his hair.
"Yeah, just tired. I might just sleep through the rest of the drive," Mike answered.
"You probably should. It'll make the drive go faster," Marionette encouraged. That was almost the end of it until he asked, "How are you feeling now?"
"How am I feeling now?" the security guard repeated in confusion. He noticed the way the Puppet was looking at him. Just a normal smile at first glance but maybe a little too attentive. He must've figured it out on his own. "Feeling fine just exhausted."
"Then rest will be good." They both noticed Fritz and Natalie coming back towards the van and wrapped up the brief conversation. "I'll be seeing you at the motel then. Safe travels," Marionette finished playfully. Mike smiled back and went to shut the van doors as Jeremy carried the Minireenas' box back to his own car.
What Mike didn't notice was that Jeremy had been paying attention to the conversation. It wasn't hard to recognize when someone was talking with a double meaning and mixed with the younger's weariness it raised a few concerns. The most likely one being that Mike was sick and hadn't told anyone or had a bad night and also didn't tell anyone. Either was possible because Jeremy learned long ago that when Mike had an issue of any kind, he would keep it hushed as long as humanly possible.
Not that it ever concerned Jeremy until the spelunking trip. That was when he found out the real extent of how well Mike could hide an issue. Once the Minireenas were secured in the back and they were back on the road, he made the decision to confront his younger co-worker.
"So… I noticed you've been tired for a while now. Which makes sense since all we're doing is driving and there's not much else to distract us with. Unless we started counting the seconds in between passing cars… Scratch that, that would probably put us to sleep faster." Mike gave a slight laugh at this. "But you did sleep for a couple of hours already. It's just a little weird that you're still just as tired."
"And he's got me," Mike thought with an exhale. He could just tell from that tone that Jeremy wouldn't let this go with a weak excuse, but since they were in the car alone maybe it didn't matter. "He's figured out something's up anyway," Mike decided. "It's just my meds. I don't usually take them during the day."
"…Wait, that's it?" Jeremy asked in disbelief. Mike nodded plainly. "I thought you were having like a bad caffeine crash or something. Why didn't you say anything?"
"That is the last thing I want to risk starting a conversation from. Do you have any idea how awkward that would get? I say I took my medicine, Natalie asks what medicine, and we spend thirty minutes trying to pronounce words we can't even spell," Mike dismissed quickly. "Besides, it's not like I need it that bad."
"There's nothing wrong with taking medicine, Mike."
"Case in point."
"Okay, okay, I won't bother you about it. I'm guessing Mari already knows so you've got him." Jeremy waited a second and then decided to add, "But you've got me too. If you ever want to talk about it, we can."
"I know." If there was one thing he could say about Jeremy it was that he was reliable. He wouldn't trust sleeping this long in the car with just anyone. With a slow exhale, Mike gave a, "Thanks."
"Don't mention it," Jeremy returned with a smile before looking to the road and van in front of them. Mike had to admit that Jeremy was a good friend. Or he would've before the blond ruined the moment with, "I spy a triangle and it's moving fast."
The group didn't stop again until they arrived at their destination and found a motel to stay the night at. Unfortunately, Mike had not been able to get back to sleep, but the last leg of the drive had gone a lot faster than the rest of it. Once they had a couple of rooms on the more secluded side of the motel, Mike carefully helped Marionette and Charlie get inside. Jeremy moved his Minireenas into another room with two beds, which he was splitting with Fritz and Natalie. Foxy had been adamant that he wanted to stay in the van.
As soon as the door was locked and he was no longer needed, Mike headed over to the bed and collapsed face first on it. Even with the medicine finally starting to wear off he was now exhausted from the drive itself. It felt good to just stretch out and give up for a couple of minutes after being cramped in the passenger seat. He could feel Marionette's weight as he knelt on the bed beside his legs. A few seconds later he felt tugging at his laces, then the animatronic pulling his shoes off and setting them neatly on the floor.
"Thanks," Mike said, voice muffled by the comforter. Usually he would be more concerned about putting his face on a motel's bed but found it the least daunting thing faced that day.
"Just making you a little more comfortable," Marionette replied. "What a drive. And to think we get to experience it all over again in a couple of days."
"Don't remind me. I might just blow my savings on a plane ticket," Mike said as he rolled onto his back to stare at the ceiling. There were a few cobwebs clinging here or there, making him wonder how long it had been since the room was last cleaned. Now he was really regretting laying facedown. "Think you could fit into a duffle bag?"
"I know I could, but I'd never get through a metal detector," Marionette said with a low chime. He slid up the bed and curled up alongside him, wrapping his arms around his companion and nuzzling his mask to his cheek. Mike put an arm around him in return.
At that moment he remembered Charlie was in the room and glanced towards her bed. She was fiddling with trying to get the remote to work- it almost looked like someone took the batteries out of it- and didn't pay any mind to them. Marionette didn't seem concerned either way and simply continued to cuddle against him. Mike shrugged it off. After a drive like that, this was what they all needed.
Foxy roused when he heard footsteps around the van. It couldn't have been that late in the evening, maybe an hour after they arrived at the motel, and he was on edge as he heard someone at the back doors. It was when he heard the jingling of keys that he relaxed, knowing it was one of his friends. He had a good idea of which one too and he wasn't disappointed when one of the doors opened to reveal Jeremy.
"Evening, Captain," Jeremy greeted with a salute. He climbed into the back and shut the door behind him. "Boy, it really cooled down out here, didn't it?"
"Aye. As cold as the murky depths," Foxy agreed with a nod. His yellow eye then slid back over to Jeremy. "Whaddya doin' out here, Lad? Ya should be in bed."
"Wasn't tired yet. Usually I don't go to bed this early anyway, but Fritz and Natalie are trying to sleep and I'm not going to force them to leave the tv on," Jeremy explained as he scooted to sit across from the pirate. "We really should've gotten you a room. We've got plenty of money for it."
"Bah! There's no need, Foxy can sleep anywhere," Foxy dismissed with a wave of his hook. "…'Sides, it's a lot easier fer Mari an' Charlie to hide than me. What if someone saw me gettin' moved out in the mornin'?"
"We'd just say that we were afraid someone would steal you out of the van. Let's face it Foxy, you're a borderline celebrity," Jeremy pointed out. This roused a chuckle out of the pirate. "I'm serious!"
"Lad, celebrities don't usually get kidnapped outta the back of vans. Usually be the other way around, iff'n ya get me meaning," Foxy joked. It eased the mood a little, but he then gave a noise like a sigh. "Ya know, this ain't me first time comin' to the convention."
"Really?" Jeremy asked in mild surprise. "I thought this was a new thing."
"Aye. 'Course back then it be a lot smaller than this. Thinkin' it might've been in Flagstaff too. T'was way back when Freddy's still had a good rep, the salad days, back when a lotta the things goin' down were only known back home. The whole thing be a big Freddy's press show more than anything else. It was one of the few times they caught me in service and got me singin' with the rest of the band… Fer about as long as it took to sing one song," Foxy said with a scoff.
"They drove you all that way for one song?" Jeremy asked in disbelief. "One song?"
"No, Lad, ya don't get me meaning. I only sung one song. The rest of the band sung a couple more." The pirate chuckled. "Guess they were expectin' me to break down on stage, but that's what I wanted them to think. Captain Foxy only breaks down when he wants to, if ya get me drift." He lifted his patch just so he could wink, to which Jeremy snickered. "Ah, but it was Freddy's show. Guess it's still strange comin' back here and bein' the one manning the ship this time. No fakin' a defect to get out of this one."
"Especially since you just admitted that you faked it," Jeremy pointed out. Foxy gave a sort of good-natured scoff. His hook tapped on the floor of the van as he readjusted his legs to get more comfortable.
"It be weird thinkin' 'bout the old band again. We weren't too close after… Well, ya know. Always thought maybe the characters rubbed off on 'em. They didn't really act like 'em but they avoided me like the plague; that's pretty in-character."
"Was that supposed to be because you were a pirate who tried to steal and eat their pizza or because you were a fox who tried to eat them?" Jeremy asked, trying to keep the mood light. Foxy sent him a less than amused look. "It's a good question! Night guards weren't privy to the Freddy Fazbear lore, we were just told to break up the mascots if they start fighting."
"It be a bloody shame too. Ya don't see a kid's eyes light up quite like they do when watchin' a bear an' a bunny in a boxing match," Foxy cracked. Even with him repeatedly trying to slide into a melancholy pit, Jeremy had a way of dragging him back out of it. He didn't want to think about his friends right now, not when he had to be on stage tomorrow. Good thing Jeremy was such a good diversion. "Why ya sittin' over there all lonely-like? Ya scared of me eating you too?" the pirate playfully asked with a glint in his eye.
"…With that look? Yes," Jeremy answered. That being said, he moved to the other side of the van to sit beside the pirate, letting him put an arm around his shoulders. The fabric was warm and comforting, making him feel just as comfortable in the back of this van as he would've been at home. It certainly made Foxy feel more at ease. "Is this better, Captain?"
"Much better, Jer'my," Foxy agreed as he leaned back against the shelf. What had been an annoyance earlier now went easily ignored. He had exactly what he needed. "Much, much better."
Mable: And now, after the exciting thrill of a car ride through the desert, Animatronicon is finally just around the corner! What will they find there?... Probably excessive advertising, but at least it should be air conditioned. Ha ha, I hope you enjoyed!