CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX: CELEBRATION
*TWO MONTHS LATER*
"Roxanne, come on! Hurry up! We're going to be late!" I urged as I knocked on the door to Roxanne's room, getting agitated that it was taking her so long to get ready.
"Don't rush me!" she called out. "I'm almost done! I just need a little more time!"
I groaned, but nonetheless, I waited. I folded my arms across my chest, tapping my foot rapidly. I was wearing a well-defined suit with a bowtie. My mother suggested that I wear it for the special occasion that was going to take place at the Pizzaplex.
It's been 2 months since the deadly fight against William Afton. A lot has changed since then. The scratches on my cheek had finally healed, having turned into a scar. Roxanne has been a lot happier since I gained permanent legal custody of her after signing some legal documents the company handed over to me. I made sure to read them to make sure they weren't going to try anything funny. While all three of us had been left scarred from what happened, we have been doing our best to move on.
I heard metallic footsteps walking over to the door. It took all I had to keep myself from sighing exaggeratedly.
'About time,' I thought. The door to the room opened and Roxanne stepped out. My eyes widened at the sight.
Roxanne was wearing a beautiful red dress that went down to her knees. Her hair was brushed into that familiar braid that she had on the night of our first date at the Pizzaplex, and her claws were painted a sparkling red.
Roxanne chuckled. "You're reacting exactly like last time."
It took me a moment to get a hold of myself.
"Can you blame me?" I said. "You are so beautiful, Roxanne."
If Roxanne was a human, I had no doubt that she would be blushing right now. She placed a hand over her mouth, looking away from me, shyly.
"Oh, you flatterer," she said. The sound of footsteps walking up the stairs caught our attention. We looked to see my mother coming up the stairs.
My mom received a good amount of injuries after getting beat up by William, some of them visible. Her right arm had three scars from where William had slashed her with his claws and was missing three teeth. The worst was the prosthetic left leg. It always enraged me to see my mother like that, literally taking everything I had to not go into psycho mode. She didn't deserve to have her FUCKING leg ripped off!
"Looks like you're ready, Roxy," she said lovingly. "You look very beautiful in that dress. Reminds me of my first time going out with Harold. What a fun night that was."
I smiled. Ever since we moved to stay with my mother, she loved to talk about the times she spent with my father. At first, it upset me just talking about him, but I began to tolerate and even smile when talking about him. It was understandable, I guess.
After what had happened, Roxanne and I have grown closer than ever before. To top it off, Roxanne has grown very affectionate with me as time went on. I didn't mind it. It was nice to receive affection like this. Pleasant as well.
To make it clear, none of us were a couple just yet. Even though Roxanne has been going to places with me and my mother, showing clear signs of affection towards me in public, which would be very embarrassing at times, I still haven't confessed to Roxanne about how I felt for her. I planned to confess to Roxanne at some point during the special occasion at the Pizzaplex.
"Thank you, Rebecca," she said gratefully.
"You're quite welcome, Roxy," she said. "Now, head out, you two. I think it would be best to get there on time rather than a minute or two late."
"Agreed," I said. I looked at Roxanne. "Shall we go?"
"Yes, we shall," she said, taking my hand into hers. It took all I had to keep my face from becoming hot.
"Aww, you two are so cute," my mother cooed.
"I'm going to pretend that you didn't just try to embarrass me," I said deadpanned. "Let's go."
With that, we headed down the stairs and exited the house, closing the door behind us.
We arrived at the Pizzaplex in 15 minutes, the parking lot almost filled to the brim. I was fully aware that it was going to be a big event, but I didn't think that many people would come to attend it. I guess even after what happened, people were still willing to not let things get in the way.
I pulled into a parking spot that was a little away from the entrance. I turned off the ignition and took the keys out. I put them into my pocket and looked at Roxanne. She was looking at me with a loving smile on her face. I gave her a smile of my own.
"You ready, Roxanne?" I asked.
"Yes," she replied. "Let's go."
We stepped out of the truck, shutting the doors. We began heading toward the building. Roxanne walked beside to my right, taking my hand into hers. I felt my cheeks warm up slightly.
As we inched closer to the Pizzaplex, I thought about how much has changed since we met 2 months prior. It was crazy to think how fast we bonded in such a short amount of time. Not that I'm complaining. Meeting Roxanne was the best thing to ever happen to me. All it took was my mother to force me to return to the Pizzaplex after ten years. None of this would be happening if it wasn't for her.
We reached the entrance doors. We stopped about a foot away from the doors, staring at the sign for a moment. We turned to look at each other. Roxanne nodded. With that, we stepped inside the Mega Pizzaplex.
'Holy shit,' I thought to myself as soon as Roxanne and I entered the Lobby. I knew it was going to be a big event due to the number of cars in the parking lot, but I wasn't expecting the amount of people that were going to be there.
The entire Lobby was filled with people; some of them were wearing fancy suits and dresses while others wore casual clothing, probably too lazy to put on something nice. I wasn't going to judge. People could wear whatever they wanted to wear. No need to have someone tell them what to do.
Come to think of it, none of them were paying any attention to us. Judging from how absorbed they were with what they were doing, they haven't noticed Roxanne yet. Something told me that once they did, they would be asking for an autograph. I couldn't blame them. She was still loved by her fans, something that makes her extremely happy every time it's happened.
"Hey, Mihael!" called out a familiar voice. We both looked to see Kyle walking over to us. I smiled at seeing the man.
Kyle hadn't changed much after what happened, except for one thing that no one knew about. The guests had no idea that one of Kyle's eyes was artificial after William, apparently, ripped it out. It was probably for the best that they didn't know anything about it.
"Hey, Kyle!" I called back out as he got about a foot away from us. "How are you?"
"I'm doing great, Mihael," he replied. He looked at Roxanne. "I've got to say, you look gorgeous, Roxy."
"Thanks, Kyle," she said, looking away shyly. "How are my friends doing?"
Kyle smiled. "They've been doing great, Roxy. Chica is going to be thrilled to see you, as always."
I smiled. The idea I came up with worked perfectly in our favor. The idea that came to mind was that while Roxanne is forever mine, I will bring her over to the Pizzaplex for special occasions. Cress was hesitant about the idea at first but agreed to let her partake in shows while they tried to conjure Roxanne's replacement.
There was a catch though. Because I was still at the hospital, it was agreed that the place would remain closed until my mother and I made a full recovery since Roxanne refused to leave my side. So when my mother and I were released from the hospital a month later, Cress reopened the Pizzaplex and the plan was put into motion since then.
"ROXY!" called out a familiar voice. We all looked to see Chica coming full speed toward Roxanne, a huge smile on her face. Without warning, the chicken wrapped her arms around the wolf.
"It's so good to see you!" Chica exclaimed happily.
Roxanne chuckled as she returned the gesture. "It's so good to see you too, Chica."
After a moment, Roxanne and Chica ended the hug. Chica was shaking with both excitement and happiness. Much like Kyle, Chica hadn't changed much after what happened with William Afton. Just as cheerful as ever. It's amazing that Chica moved on that quick. That or she doesn't let it bother that much.
"So, how have you been, Roxy?" Chica asked.
Roxanne shrugged. "Okay. Living at someone's house permanently has been a life-changing experience."
"I bet," Chica added. She looked Roxanne over for a moment before her eyes widened. "Roxy, are you wearing a dress?"
"Yes, I am," she replied. "Mihael was adamant I dress nicely for this occasion. His mother gave me the dress."
"You… look… FABULOUS!" Chica exclaimed loudly. Roxanne and I looked at each other, smirking at Chica's response.
"Hey, Mihael! Hey, Roxy!" called out two familiar voices. We all looked to see Freddy and Montgomery walking over to us.
"Hi, Freddy! Hi, Montgomery!" I called out.
"Hey, Freddy! Hey, Monty!" Roxanne called out at the same time. It took everything I had to keep myself from laughing at how we said something at the same time.
Much like Chica, Freddy and Montgomery moved on from what happened with William Afton. However, Montgomery has been having a hard time trying to get over that he got his ass kicked by a walking corpse. I couldn't blame him. It would be like getting your ass kicked by a baby in a video game.
Freddy, on the other hand, was doing well. He's been trying to not think about it, though it came up from time-to-time. At least he wasn't complaining about how he got beat up by a walking corpse.
"How are you guys?" I asked.
"Wonderful, Mihael," Freddy said.
"Still doing what I do best," Montgomery replied. He narrowed his eye at me. "Have you been treating Roxanne well?"
"Yes, Montgomery," I said, rolling my eyes humorously while chuckling at the same time. "I know better."
The day the Pizzaplex reopened and I returned to work, Montgomery aggressively warned me to better treat Roxanne well or I will have to answer to him. I still laugh about it sometimes.
"You better," he added.
"So, shall we head to where the event is taking place?" I said. "I don't want to be late."
They all nodded. Kyle gestured for me and Roxanne to follow. Just before we could start moving, everyone looked in our direction. All their eyes widened the second they noticed Roxanne. Their reactions were immediate.
"Hey, Roxy's here!"
"OH MY GOD, SHE'S HERE!"
"You're so hot!"
All at once, they swarmed the poor wolf, begging for an autograph on their Roxanne merchandise. I was pushed aside, the people not even caring. I quickly got back onto my feet. I looked to see her with a huge smile on her face as she began signing their merch. I looked at the others. They all had smirks on their faces. I smirked as well.
'This will take a while,' I thought to myself. I was right.
After what felt like an eternity, which was only 30 minutes, Roxanne gave everyone an autograph. Everyone walked away and went back to whatever it was they were doing. We all looked at each other before chuckling.
Kyle gestured for us to follow, which we did. As we walked up the stairs and approached the elevator, I did my best to keep myself as composed as possible.
The elevator dinged, the metal doors sliding open. We all exited the elevator, grunting and sighing as we did. I shook both of my arms to get rid of the numbing feeling. I wished the elevator wasn't so small. Maybe I wouldn't be dealing with paresthesia right now.
"Well, that was a comfortable elevator ride," I said sarcastically as I continued shaking my arms.
"Are you okay, Mihael?" Roxanne asked.
"Yeah, just dealing with paresthesia right now," I replied quickly as I continued. She gave me a curious look. "It's what we people commonly know it as 'pins and needles', an abnormal sensation of the skin that can be tingling, prickling, or numbness. Trust me, it's not fun."
"Is it painful?" she asked, sounding worried.
"Usually no, but it all depends on the kind of paresthesia you get anyway," I replied. "Trust me, it will go away at some point. It's driving me crazy right now."
I continued to shake my arms to get rid of the feeling. I took a few deep breaths to calm myself. There was no need to get angry over it not going away. It was just annoying to deal with.
After what felt like an eternity, the feeling slowly began to fade away. Relief washed over me as it happened. Soon, it finally faded. I stopped shaking my arms, happy that I could feel my arms again.
"See, I told you," I said. Roxanne smiled a little. I smiled a bit as well.
"Come along, we're almost there, Kyle said. We looked to see the man walking away from us with Freddy, Chica, and Montgomery behind him.
Roxanne and I quickly followed them. I wanted to ask where we were going, but I kept my mouth shut. I had no idea where the event was going to be taking place. Neither Cress nor Kyle would tell me with Kyle telling me that it was a surprise. I despised it when people did that sort of thing.
We walked up the stairs, heading to the elevator that led to an attraction called 'Fazcade'. I had a general idea of what that was since I checked the cameras numerous times during the day shifts. It was a large disco-arcade-like room with a checkered dance floor, several arcade games to play, and a stage for an animatronic I've seen many times on the cameras. However, I'd never met the thing up close or personally. Seeing it on the cameras gave me the creeps and I always did my best to avoid that area as much as possible.
It took me a moment to realize why we were heading over to it,
'Looks like the event is taking place there,' I thought to myself as we approached the elevator. 'This will be my first time going to that place. Why they picked that place will be a mystery to me.'
Kyle pushed the button. We waited for a few seconds before the elevator dinged, followed by the doors sliding open. I watched as everyone tried to get themselves into the elevator. They looked at me, waiting for me to step inside.
'Aw man, not again,' I thought to myself. I hesitantly stepped into the elevator, being cramped between Montgomery and Roxanne. I watched push the button, the elevator doors sliding closed.
The elevator dinged, followed by the doors sliding open. I was the first to step out of the elevator, not wanting to be cramped in there for much longer. I ignored the fact that the place was very cramped with people. Unfortunately, that familiar, numb feeling in my arms came up again.
"God dammit, not again!" I cried out loud, shaking my arms. "Curse you, pins and needles!"
I heard some chuckling from behind me. I looked to see them trying to fight off laughter, though a few chuckles escaped them. I felt a rush of anger flow through me, but I did my best to keep it at bay.
"It's not funny," I growled. They all walked out of the elevator. "You wouldn't be laughing if it happened to any of you."
"You're right, it's not funny," Kyle said with a slight smirk. "Your reaction, however, is funny."
"How reassuring," I said in a deadpan tone, continuing to shake my arms.
"Don't be like that, Mihael," Roxanne said. "Why don't we go enjoy ourselves instead of letting this sour the mood."
I shrugged as we walked over to where the dance floor was. At that point, my paresthesia went away. I have no idea why such a stupid thing exists. If anything, it's more annoying than anything. Life would be much better if paresthesia never existed.
We reached the spot where the dance floor was. I was surprised to see that it was almost completely crowded. I looked towards the stage… and held in the urge to scream. I had no idea how big it was but now seeing it up close, it was massive. The cameras didn't do the size any justice.
The animatronic in particular was spider-like with six limbs, each of them wearing a pair of white gloves. It wears a pair of giant headphones on its head with its upper teeth looking like that of a piano keyboard. It has black eyes and blue eyebrows and cheeks.
'Sweet merciful crap,' I thought to myself. 'Why does something that hideous have to exist?'
"First time meeting the DJ Music Man, Mihael?" Kyle asked. I looked to see the others looking at me.
"Looks more like a big-ass spider than a DJ," I said. "How a thing like that exists and why any of the kids aren't scared of it is beyond me. I would rather be in a room filled with fucking scorpions than be anywhere near that thing."
Kyle chuckled. "You're not the first to say that. You have no idea how many of our previous guards pissed themselves when they saw the DJ. Come on."
Kyle and the others began walking over to the dance floor. I felt something rest on my right shoulder. I looked to see Roxanne giving me a comforting smile.
"You have nothing to worry about, Mihael," Roxanne said softly. "I know the DJ. He may be scary looking, but he's a really great guy. I will be right beside you."
As soon as those words left Kyle's mouth, the lights in the room turned off. The only source of light was coming from the checkered dance floor. I waited, anxiety washing over me. I jumped out of my skin when music began emitting from the thing. Random flashes of light lit up the room, making it look like that of a disco party. As soon as the music began to play, people began dancing.
I watched them closely, not sure what to do. I was aware that you were supposed to dance during an occasion like this, but I've never danced before. Even during my years at school, I never attended proms or anything of the like, mainly because I knew what would happen if I did.
Something grabbed hold of my right hand. I looked to see Roxanne giving me a wide smile. I felt my heart jump in my throat, beads of sweat forming on my forehead.
"Come on, Mihael," she said. "Let's join everyone!"
Before I could say anything, Roxanne dragged me to the center of the dance floor. She let go of my hand and put her arms over her head. She began swaying her hips, her tail doing the same. She kept her eyes on me, clearly waiting for me to do something.
I looked at what the others were doing. I watched closely as to what they were doing. Some people were doing dance moves like the Worm, the Moonwalk, and even the Robot. Some people were doing the Macarena, the Dab, and even the Hustle. The rest were dancing with others, doing that familiar romantic dance shown in the movies.
'Damn, these people are good,' I thought to myself. 'No doubt due to all of the experience they had.'
I looked back at Roxanne. She was still looking at me, a large encouraging smile on her face. I looked back at the people who were doing that romantic dance. I looked back at Roxanne, who stopped dancing with her arms now by her sides. The encouraging smile was still on her face.
'Well, I might as well try,' I thought to myself. I walked over to her, the wolf mascot watching me closely.
I reached for her left hand while I wrapped my other arm around her hip. I slowly lifted our arms halfway, looking up at Roxanne. I think she understood what I was doing because her smile grew. As if on cue, the music changed into something more relaxing.
We began to sway back and forth, mimicking the ones who were still doing that dance. We both took baby steps, wanting to get the dance right. As the song progressed, we got the hang of it. I twirled the beautiful wolf, the wolf giggling as she spun. After a moment, she stopped and we continued moving along the dance floor.
As we danced, I could hear Freddy, Chica, Montgomery, and Kyle all cheering us on. I didn't dare to look at them. I kept my focus on Roxanne, who kept her attention on me. It didn't take long before we heard everyone else cheering us on. Like the others, I ignored them.
"You're doing well," she complimented.
"This is my first time dancing," I said. "Good thing I'm doing it with someone who knows how to."
"Lucky you," she said as we stared lovingly into each other's eyes. The song ended shortly, which was quickly followed up with a different song. Everyone cheered loudly for Roxanne and I, clapping and congratulating us. Not long after, I saw them resuming their own dancing in the corner of my eye.
As we continued, something in the back of my mind told me that if there was a perfect time to confess to her, it would be right now.
"Hey, Roxanne?" I said. We both stopped our dancing. Roxanne rested her hands on my shoulders.
"Yes, Mihael?" she asked.
I took a deep breath to help steady my nerves. I had her attention now. A part of me was telling me to forget it and continue dancing. However, I wasn't going to do that. I already planned to tell her how I felt about her. I wasn't going to let this opportunity slide from under my nose.
"There's something I want to tell you," I said.
"Sure, what is it?" she asked, giving me that loving smile. As I was about to open my mouth, I paused.
As much as I wanted to tell her right now, something told me that doing it here in front of all these people wasn't the best idea. Something in the back of my mind strongly urged me to tell her someplace private. That way, we would be free of prying eyes.
I took another deep breath. "It's something I've been wanting to tell you for some time now. But, I don't want to tell you it here. I prefer it to be done someplace private."
"Um, sure," she said with uncertainty. "What someplace private do you have in mind?"
I thought about it. There were many places we could go, but one place, in particular, stood out; Roxanne's old green room. The idea of confessing how I felt for her there seemed perfect. After all, it was the same place where Roxanne and I confessed that we liked each other that night over two months ago. Doing it there would be the best option.
"How about at your old green room?" I suggested. "There's nothing left in there, but I feel as though it would be the perfect place to talk."
Roxanne went into deep thought. I waited patiently for the wolf's response. I would understand if she didn't want to talk there. If she wanted me to talk about it somewhere else, I would give her the choice to pick the place herself.
"Sure, let's go," she said. "I know the quickest way to get there. I'll show you the way."
I nodded my head. Roxanne gestured for me to follow her as she began walking ahead of me. I quickly followed after her, leaving the music and the dancing people behind me.
We arrived at Roxanne's old green room, the neon lights spelling out her name. We entered the room, the door sliding down. The room was now completely bare of everything Roxanne-related. It looked as though the company began cleaning out the room and tried to decide on what they were going to do with it. I had no doubt in my mind that the room would be given to a new animatronic that will be taking over Roxanne's place.
I felt my heart beating rapidly in my chest, nervousness flowing throughout my body. I did my very best to keep myself calm as a way to prevent myself from panicking, as well as backing out. After what happened two months prior, it was my turn to confess.
'I have to do this,' I thought to myself. 'She has every right to know how I feel.'
"Okay, now that we're here, what is it that you want to talk to me about?" Roxanne asked. I took a deep breath and looked her in the eyes. The beating of my heart picked up, my hands growing sweaty.
"Roxanne, do you remember what happened moments before William had called me?" I asked.
"Yes, I do," she replied. "Why?"
I took another deep breath. "It has something to do with what you said to me back at the meadow. You said you wanted me to be honest with you if I felt the same for you. Well, I never got the chance to tell you and be honest with you."
Roxanne's eyes widened slightly. I had no idea if she remembered that or if she had forgotten all about it and just recalled that event. Whatever the case, the look on her face told me it all.
"I've forgotten all about that," she said, confirming one of my suspicions. "So, how do you feel towards me?"
I took another deep breath. This was it. There was no turning back now. Time for me to be honest with her. It was honesty she wanted 2 months ago. She was going to get that now.
"Roxanne," I began, "all my life, I've never thought I would ever meet someone I wanted to be with. But two months ago, I met you. That was marked as the day when everything would change forever.
"I've been worried about how society would think of me if they saw you and I in a relationship. I've told myself that I wouldn't care about how they would think, but a part of me did." I sighed. "I'm tired of my fears getting in the way, Roxanne. I'm not going to let them stop me from pursuing what makes me happy."
I paused. "Roxanne, before I realized I liked you, I didn't know what I was feeling or why certain things took place. Why I felt such immense guilt after what I did on my first night on the job, why you kept invading my thoughts for a day and a half, why hearing such nasty things being said about you would fill me such anger, why I craved for your company after you talked with me on my first day shift, and why I feared that you would avoid me if I didn't say yes for that solo performance and to go see your raceway. It took the night of you confessing that you liked me to realize that I liked you.
"I didn't realize it at first, but after spending more time with you before, during, and after what happened with William Afton, I subconsciously wanted to be with you, spend more time with you. I don't care if you're an animatronic, Roxanne. You've proven to be much more than that. In fact, I don't see you as an animatronic at all. What I see is a beautiful woman with wants and needs just like everyone else.
"Roxanne, what I'm trying to say is…" I smiled softly. "Roxanne… I love you… and I want to spend the rest of my life with you."
The reaction was instant. Roxanne gasped, covering her mouth with her right hand, her eyes widening even more. She stared at me for a moment, probably letting what I said to her sink in. I waited patiently for what she will do.
"You… you love me… the same way I love you?" she whispered softly. I nodded. "And… you really mean what you said about seeing as… a beautiful woman… and not some children's entertainer?" I nodded my head again. Oil began building up in her eyes, threatening to spill over. "Mihael… I…"
I walked over to her with the smile still on my face. She watched me very closely, wondering what I was going to do next. I reached out for her face with both my hands. My hands made contact with her metal cheeks. Her hand slowly lowered away from her mouth. Without a moment of hesitation, I planted my lips onto her own, closing my eyes as I did.
After all this time, Roxanne was the one who kissed me. Now, it was my turn to surprise her. I felt her hands rest on my own as she returned the gesture. I felt something wet make contact with my skin, but I ignored it.
After a moment, we ended it. I opened my eyes to see Roxanne with a joyful smile on her face, oil trailing down her face.
"I'm so happy you feel the same for me, Mihael," she whispered. "I am so happy."
"Same here… Roxy," I said. The oil began trailing down her face a bit faster.
"What does this make us?" she asked.
"I want to say boyfriend and girlfriend, but I kind of feel like that wouldn't fit," I said. "Maybe partners or a couple."
"I'll go with boyfriend and girlfriend," she said. I chuckled. "We better head back to Fazcade. Everyone might wonder where we are right now." A loving expression formed on her face. "Shall we head back, Rockstar?"
I nodded. With that, we left the room and began heading back to Fazcade. As we walked, a wave of happiness washed over me, along with feeling much lighter. It felt good to finally confess to the wolf mascot how I felt about her. I didn't regret it one bit.
I had no idea what the future was going to be like. William Afton was out there or was hiding somewhere in the Pizzaplex. Whatever the case may be, I had to be ready for when that day comes. But for now, I was going to enjoy myself with Roxanne Wolf, the one who had changed my life for the better.
END OF BOOK ONE
Author's Note:
Here is the final chapter of Robotic Love! :D
I honestly can't believe I've finally finished this book after working on it since early to mid-January. (Yes, that's how long I've worked on it. That's a little over 6 months.)
I want to say thank you to FoxyAmaterasu, loosing_and_cruising, ThexReaverLover210, and of course, TheAdminOfTime and DeltaPlayer for the amazing support of this story. To be honest, I don't think I would've ever finished this story if it wasn't for these amazing people. The thought of disappointing you all with this becoming a project that would be left in the dust to rot kept me going.
For those who are curious as to what I will be doing now; I'm going to take a well-deserved break. My mind is completely fried and I'm utterly exhausted mentally. For how long it will take for my juices to refill and all, I think for like 4 to 5 months. I hope you guys understand why I want it for that long.
This won't be the last we will see of Mihael and Roxanne. I plan for there to be 4 more books in the saga. If the saga does well, and if by popular demand, I might make a continuation for the saga, which will both be canon and a crossover. Let me know if you guys will be down for that.
That is all for today, and for a while. If you guys see any errors, let me know and they will be fixed as soon as possible. Again, thank you all so much for reading Robotic Love! Be ready for when I announce Book 2! See you guys in the mere future! :)
FYI: Book 2 will act as the prequel to Robotic Love, taking place 10 years prior.