Mable: So, this chapter went through a few more changes than I expected it to go through. Most of which were done in the last thirty minutes. Ah, nothing like a looming deadline to make you realize that you need to change some of the content. XD Still, I hope it was worth the change. I hope you Enjoy!
Can't Go Home Again
Chapter Forty-Three
Fritz pulled into the driveway first, backing in, and then Jeremy pulled in behind his and Mike's cars. Jeremy then hoped out of the car and went to help Fritz, eager to get Foxy inside. Mike had handed over his keys so Jeremy could unlock the front door. They threw a tarp over Foxy and led him inside, where Foxy immediately retreated to his bedroom without another word. Jeremy was concerned about the animatronic's behavior; it seemed like he was only shutting down more and more.
"I'm heading home," Fritz announced to Jeremy. "Don't stay out too late and I won't be shocked if you take tomorrow off."
"Don't worry about that. I'll try to be in," Jeremy reassured as the technician headed to the front door. Fritz started to walk through, paused, and then stepped back to hold the door open for Mike. The security guard slipped through the door with Marionette in his arms, wrapped in his jacket. The puppet was clearly asleep, but Jeremy couldn't see it well as his face was turned towards Mike.
Mike quickly thanked Fritz before heading back towards the hall. "I'll see you two tomorrow. I need to get Mari in bed so that I can drink myself to sleep," he joked as he headed towards the master bedroom.
"You usually take Mari to bed with you?" Fritz's smirk gave away his amusement even before he put in his two cents, but that comment seemed to catch Mike. He hadn't even thought that Fritz was paying attention to where he was going, and considering the night he didn't feel comfortable putting Marionette in his box. Overcompensation overtook and he looked back, sporting his own smirk.
"I don't know, Fritz, do you take Nat home or do you do all your dirty work in the middle of the road?" The look on Fritz's face was of surprise, as though he really didn't expect that anyone would see him. "Yeah, that's right. I could clearly see you two through the car windows. Wonder how daddy dearest would've reacted seeing you two kissing in broad- middle of the night." Thoroughly certain that he had the last laugh, Mike continued towards the master bedroom.
Meanwhile, Jeremy took the time to look at Fritz in alarm. "You two?! I thought you had a- Uh…" He cut off and awkwardly rubbed his shoulder. "Uh… Congratulations?" This conversation would've only been more awkward if Jeremy would have continued questioning the situation.
Mike carried Marionette to the opposite side of the bed and drug down the blankets on the bed. He carefully set the puppet down, tucking his jacket around him before pulling the blanket over him. Thankfully he stayed asleep, giving Mike time to take a shower and change. He grabbed his nightclothes and stepped into the hallway, expecting Jeremy and Fritz to still be there. However, it was only Jeremy left standing in the living room. "Fritz bail?" Mike questioned and Jeremy nodded. "Figured. I could've probably handled that better. That goes for most of the night."
"Yeah, I think he was tired… What about Foxy?" Jeremy questioned with a cough.
Mike raised a brow, "What about him?"
"He's just… Going to stay in his room?" Jeremy looked towards the fox's door in concern. He doubted that Foxy had much to do in there and was worried about his sudden emotional shutdown.
"That's the plan," Mike responded with his own glance to the door. "It's too late to worry about this. I need a little more sleep." He tiredly rubbed his face before looking back to the other man. "What about you?"
For a few moments Jeremy didn't respond. Then he tentatively asked, "Would you mind if I stuck around a little longer? I'll lock the door before I leave and everything…"
"Not a problem with me," Mike shrugged off with a weary smile. "There's Chinese and cupcakes in the fridge. Help yourself." Both options didn't sound helpful with his cold, so Jeremy decided to make a pass as Mike headed into the bathroom to shower. This left Jeremy alone in the house. He didn't feel unwelcome, in fact he felt a bit too welcome in the home, but something felt off about sitting here worrying. At least Daisy was okay; he left her and the magician at his home, but had the home practically animatronic-proof by now.
His thoughts went back to what Foxy had told him about his past. Why had he not told Marionette about that? It seemed like that was something important. Then there was Mike's sudden and unexplained aggression towards the fox animatronic, which he knew had something to do with the puppet. He wished that he had asked Fritz more questions on the phone, but now the technician was gone, stuck in a fog in stuck about the reveal of his relationship with Natalie. Jeremy patiently waited for Mike to return.
Mike was already changed into his nightclothes by time he exited the bathroom. He tiredly stretched out his back, fussily rubbing over his wounded muscle. "I'm heading to bed. Night." He made no inquiries about how long Jeremy would be staying and instead waved before turning towards the hall.
"Wait, hold on," Jeremy stopped him before he could fully leave. He thought over his questions carefully before asking, "Is there something going on that I don't know about?" The look on Mike's face almost matched Fritz's and his reaction was both sudden and firm.
"I don't know what Fritz told you, but there's nothing weird going on here," Mike defended. "Sure, we're sharing a bed, but Mari's had a hard night. I wasn't the one locking lips outside of the car, was I?" Jeremy just stared in return; that was not what he was asking about. "We've slept together plenty of times. It's not a big deal." Though that statement sure raised a few questions. "So, uh… Good night," Mike finished awkwardly and began to head back towards the master bedroom with what dignity was left.
That had been a complete waste of a question. Jeremy didn't have any better idea of what was going on. It didn't help that between the concern and the tightness in his head he was feeling rather awful. Yet he couldn't muster the will to leave. As though the second he stepped out the door Foxy would come looking for him. He worried about Foxy, after all… He was human. Animatronic body or not, Foxy had blatantly showed how human he was beneath the suit, and that intrigued Jeremy a little more than it had before.
He was his first mate; he had to make sure Foxy was okay. Jeremy stood and headed down hall to the bedroom he entered, knocking on the door. "Captain Foxy?" he called through the wooden barricade. There was no immediate response. "Foxy, can I come inside?" There was still no answer. "I'm coming inside."
The door was slowly nudged open and Jeremy looked around the room. His gaze finally landed on Foxy who was sitting on the floor by the bed. The animatronic was slouched forwards and looked unresponsive. "Foxy?" Jeremy quietly asked as he took a few steps closer, crouching down and look at the fox. "Are you asleep or…?"
"Go home, Lad," the animatronic's voice was low, but weary. "Ya shouldn't wait up for ol' Foxy."
"No, Foxy, it's no problem!" Jeremy insisted as he took a step inside the room. "I'm… I'm here to make sure you're okay… Are you okay?"
"I'll live," Foxy excused in a vague answer. His body shuffled a little, but stayed in its relaxed state. "It's the cold."
"The- Oh!" Suddenly Jeremy realized that Foxy was probably dealing with more than just emotional problems. The snow couldn't have been good for him. Indeed, the snow wasn't good for Jeremy either. It made his headache a little worse but the human pressed on undeterred. "Yeah, that- that can't be good for you. Should I dry you off or-?" Jeremy took a step closer and Foxy turned his head away.
"Don't worry 'bout me. I need time alone," Foxy's voice was more firm. Jeremy took this as a sign that he needed to leave. Whatever Foxy was going through… He wanted to be alone for it.
"O-Okay, just… Just let me do this first." Jeremy took a few more careful steps and reached for the bed. He dragged the comforter off the top with only a slight bit of struggle, then draped it over the fox. "There! It should help the cold a little…" Or he hoped it would. At first Foxy didn't move in response to his efforts. It wasn't until he started back towards the door that Foxy tugged the blanket on tighter. "I'll just give you space."
"Thank ye," Foxy replied and the door slowly closed shut. Jeremy lingered outside of it for a few moments. Then, unsure what to do next, he headed into the living room to wait. He didn't feel ready to leave.
The bedroom door creaked open and let in dim light from the hallway.
It took no time for Marionette to be fully roused. He stared at the figure in the doorway for a few seconds before his body started to fully react. Panic filled him as he watched the human in the doorway turn distinctly purple. He leaned over Mike's body, slowly getting into a protective crouch over the human, and stared down the unknown figure. He was ready to spring and allowed his eyes to alight, a low chiming beginning to play. Then he finally noticed that the form was a bit too familiar.
It was Jeremy. He didn't know why Jeremy was here, but did recognize the growing look of fear on his face. Marionette let the light and music die as he stared at the male by the door, easing a little more as he realized that he had overreacted. Suddenly he felt foolish, laying an almost apologetic hand on Mike's arm.
Jeremy now spoke, "I-It's just me. I'll just… Never mind…" He slowly shut the door and disappeared into the hallway once again. However, Marionette couldn't let him go like that, especially when he needed to get up anyway and start baking for tomorrow. He could already tell that it was five thirty from his inner clock, which meant he didn't have too much time to get ready for the next day's events. He also didn't know what state Foxy was in, which could impact the coming day as well.
Marionette squeezed Mike's arm again affectionately. The male was still fast asleep and Marionette preferred to leave it like that. He quickly teleported into the kitchen, managing to arrive before Jeremy could even walk into the living room. Needless to say, Jeremy was quite startled to see Marionette in the kitchen.
"I apologize. I get a little… Confused when I first wake," Marionette quickly addressed as he turned to the kitchen.
"I-Uh… I didn't mean to wake you. I just- I fell asleep on the couch and was checking you and Foxy again…" Jeremy explained in embarrassment. He felt a little more uncomfortable being here like this. As though he was an unwelcome trespasser; though the puppet seemed mostly unbothered.
"I was going to get up regardless," Marionette pointed out as he retrieved the cake mix boxes from the pantry. "I need to get started on tomorrow- Or today, more like. These cakes must be ready by time we open." He pointed this out matter-of-factly. Indeed, he didn't have time to bake after opening, and he didn't want to have to force someone else to finish his job.
"It's pretty early. Don't you need to sleep?" Jeremy asked in confusion. He was already feeling exhausted from his lack of sleep. The few hours he did sleep did help stave this off.
Marionette got a strange glint in his eyes. "Actually, I do my best work between Midnight and six in the morning…But you already knew that." He couldn't help it; Jeremy was so easy to play with. Besides, it wasn't as though he could actually do anything to the man. He was too stretched for time as it was. He still chimed in amusement, but noticed Jeremy's continued uneasiness. For a moment sympathy settled in. "You know where my room is. Go sleep in my bed."
"Are…Are you sure?" Jeremy was surprised by the puppet's seemingly random burst of generosity.
"Yes. I have a feeling Foxy won't be able to perform tomorrow, which means that I will have to perform in his stead," Marionette explained. "Which I am fine with! Though I won't be able to come back to check on Foxy. It you're not as under the weather as you were, you would be perfect to watch Foxy. He's very fond of you."
"Yeah, I think I can do that… I was going to try and go in, but Foxy's more important than me being there to cough on all the kids," Jeremy agreed. He was starting to feel a little better anyway, and it would give him the day off from work. Though Marionette's final statement caught his attention. "…He really is?"
"Very much! Foxy's not the type to get close to humans. Foxy has never, before you, became close with any human. Especially not one who was previously a security guard," Marionette explained with delight on his voice. As upset as Foxy could get, he always seemed to perk around Jeremy. Perhaps him being the fox's babysitter would help the captain come around quicker. It helped that Jeremy took the comment like he had been awarded some sort of title. "Now head to bed now before I force you to bake with me."
He had a feeling that Jeremy's hesitation was more out of not wanting to offend him than to the threat of baking. In reality, Marionette was more likely to drag him into baking than getting offended. Especially considering how much he enjoyed the baking. It helped him keep his mind busy. If he kept working, he could pretend that the day beforehand was over and done with. It seemed to work well enough. By time Marionette was icing the first cake, he had completely forgotten what he was trying not to remember.
By time he put in the cupcakes and went to ice the second cake, there was a stirring in the house. One of the doors opened and Marionette hesitated for a moment to check if it was Foxy. Instead of the squeaks of metal, probably still wet from the snow, he noticed a familiar presence. Mike was awake and Marionette felt an immediate perk. He moved a little quicker, trying to get to a stopping point before Mike eventually appeared in the kitchen. It was a bit odd that Mike was awake so early, about twenty minutes earlier than his alarm, but he waved it off as nothing.
Mike shuffled into the kitchen looking worse for wear and immediately went to the coffee machine. He poured himself a cup of cold, leftover coffee and microwaved it. Only then did he turn his attention to the puppet.
"Little early to be baking, isn't it?" Mike asked with grogginess heavy in his voice.
"Not if we want everything done by opening," Marionette quipped back jovially. "Maybe you need more sleep? I don't know if you'll be at your best with such little sleep."
"I don't have a choice," Mike added in with a half-smothered yawn. His hair was a mess, he hadn't changed into his uniform yet, and everything looked askew. Marionette found it endearing, but decided not to voice this opinion. Instead, Mike's next question shot the conversation in a different direction. "How's Foxy?" His concern was wispy; he was clearly still upset.
While Marionette felt the need to protect his brother, he couldn't blame Mike for defending him. It felt good, even though he knew it wasn't right. However, this question was loaded, and he juggled it the only way that he could.
"I don't know…. But Jeremy said he thought he was asleep earlier. He had a tiring night so I'm not surprised," Marionette answered him. "…To be safe, I think that Foxy shouldn't work today."
The disbelief was immediate. "Excuse me?" Mike responded right back. "Foxy's the reason we're all going to struggle today. He has to be there." He snapped his fingers, "We've got birthdays today."
"I know, Mike, but I can handle it," Marionette insisted. The look on Mike's face was dumbstruck and the puppet abruptly spun to face him. He wouldn't put up with another argument, even if it was from Mike. "Even if we wake Foxy and drag him in there, I have no faith that he'll be fit to perform. I'm fine- No, I'm better than fine; I need to go into work. I need this and I can do this fine… With or without Foxy." He didn't want to sound insensitive or like he was trying to replace Foxy, but he wanted to lay it all on the line now.
So, Mike didn't argue. His face softened and he went against normal behavior to completely back down from his growing annoyance. "I just don't want you to get in over your head. This would be the first time you've ever been the only animatronic on the floor, right?" Marionette gave an agreeing nod. "Look, I just… I know how it is," Mike admitted sympathetically. "You think that keeping busy will make it go away. I'll admit, it does help sometimes, but this is a recipe for disaster." He paused for a moment, glancing over towards an iced cake. "…I don't want last night to happen again."
More than likely, he meant the crying, and Marionette couldn't help but feel embarrassment from the memory. "I…It's different," the black and white animatronic insisted. "Trust me, Mike, when I work it- I won't be able to have a meltdown like last night. I won't physically be able to, so I'm not afraid."
"That doesn't mean-," Mike cut off with a sigh as Marionette moved in, spreading his arms as though preparing to hug him, "Mari, I'm trying to be serious. I'm worried about you." The puppet hugged onto him, pressing into his shoulder affectionately, and with another sigh to show his disappointment in being ignored, Mike hugged back. At least he could give him this much. "It's not like I can stop him… And he's not going to be moping around here with Foxy. That's always a plus."
He rubbed over Marionette's back in circular motions. At least he wasn't crying; Mike half expected to come out here and find Marionette weeping. This was a lot more comfortable.
Though it lost its charm once Mike remembered something, "…Jeremy's still here?" Suspicion raised and he slowly looked back towards the living room. After last night's questioning, he couldn't imagine what Jeremy would think seeing them like this. To his relief, Jeremy wasn't standing right behind him like he expected.
"He's in my room," Marionette clarified as he pulled away and headed back to the oven. "Maybe we can borrow his car?"
Mike inwardly groaned at the reminder of his dead car and retrieved the cup out of the microwave. Desperate, Mike turned to the coffee, his salvation. "It's already going to be one of those days…"
Marionette didn't exactly realize what he was signing on for. He technically knew what he was expected to do, but some part of it simply didn't click. Somehow, Marionette didn't fully realize that he would be expected to do everything that Foxy did, along with delivering gifts and cake, exchanging tickets, and giving out tokens. Thankfully, Jeremy's absence was replaced by Natalie, which mean that either she or Mike were constantly in the main party room. Usually they distracted the parents or were helping direct the children.
There were just so many and Marionette's track only went so far. After a while of mostly dodging children, appeasing them by passing out free tokens and exchanging for tickets, Marionette was cornered into doing a birthday party. He knew the formula he was expected to do already; cake, entertainment, gifts, entertainment, free tokens, games, and then bracing himself for the next party. Yet it felt so strange doing it.
Back at the Freddy's that he once performed at, Marionette's job didn't leave the prize corner unless it was a rare, preplanned event. He only was involved with gift giving, smiles, and popping out of his box. Being an active part of a birthday party only went that far. He was nearly trembling in excitement when he wasn't shuddering with dread.
Mike handed over the cake that Marionette had made only hours before. "You've got this. Once this gets cut open, those kids are as good as distracted," Mike spoke to him with encouragement. He flashed a smile at the animatronic, "If it gets out of hand, you can always get your arm stuck back in the skill crane," he playfully finished with a wink. At least he was somewhat confident in this attempt.
The puppet held the cake close to him and approached the table sluggishly. There were so many children scurrying around the table as he approached, but thankfully a dutiful father called them to attention. Marionette carefully chimed through the birthday song, lowering himself down and offering the cake to the birthday boy to blow the candles out on. There was something so wonderful about this; about watching a happy child wish for something with an eager face.
The day before didn't exist. Foxy didn't exist. Everything that Marionette was created to do was to make this child happy. Something felt so good about letting his programmed instincts kick in.
It was a giddy daze that he was lost in as the cake was sliced and dealt out to the children. Marionette was expected to stay, so he had no reason to leave, and eagerly relished in the moments that the children wanted a distraction. A chime of delight, a spin in place of happiness, and the music that could only be made when children laughed. It felt good to not be feared.
While the children finished eating, Marionette hurried to retrieve the gifts, then returned to present them to the child. It was a little earlier than intended, but nobody seemed bothered. He handed over each present, one by one, and watched as the birthday child opened each with growing vigor. With his primary task finished, Marionette took a few moments to attentively circle the pizzeria before returning to the party table. While in execution it felt like everything was going quickly, he continuously checked the time, knowing the second party would arrive at any moment.
It wasn't until he was handing out free tokens to the children at the party that the second one arrived. Closely booked, perhaps, but originally Marionette assumed that the second party would go just as smoothly as this one. That was until he noticed exactly how many children were coming in through the door. That was right; Foxy's didn't have a set limit for children at a party like Freddy's had. Freddy's was too afraid that too many people would equal a child getting misplaced and going 'missing'.
That fear hit full force. Marionette glanced over the three adults escorting the kids in and felt immediate suspicion to an older man of about forty. Something was amiss with him, something he couldn't lay his finger on. "It's you. It's just the fear of the Purple Man. He's just a normal man," Marionette insisted to himself. Yet he could not stop staring. "He was a criminal, maybe? That could be. That doesn't mean he's doing anything now, but…
Maybe he was a familiar with the restaurant, maybe Marionette had seen him before at Freddy's, and maybe he was involved with Afton. Maybe he had come to kidnap a child to take to the underground holding cells. 'Pop Goes the Weasel' was almost on his voice, but in the more aggressive way. He could feel his insides winding, begging to fling forward and force the man out of the Pizzeria. The purple hue was starting to spread over the man's face and he was having trouble making out normal features. As though the purple was sealing his fate.
It was only out of luck that a child bumped into him at this time. She was young and sweet, giving a tiny 'cuse me' after the fact, and the perfect distraction to pull Marionette out of his focus. He affectionately patted her head and offered her a few tokens in response. He couldn't dwell on the man when he had children to entertain.
So, Marionette finished up with the first party and moved onto the second. The party would already be entirely different, he quickly realized. Instead of a birthday boy or girl, it was a set of female twins who were being celebrated, and they seemed a bit younger that most of the other patrons. They were even younger than most of the other children at their party. One twin was excited when he appeared. The other one cried for a couple of minutes before being won over by a complimentary Foxy plush.
Carrying out the cake was virtually the same as before. He got it from Fritz this time, who seemed to only previously leave the kitchen to deliver pizza, which Marionette didn't deal with. It was the other cake he baked this morning, a white cake with strawberry icing, so there were no surprises. The only thing that would qualify as a 'surprise', or at least as a moment of alarm, was the regression Marionette faced when taking the cake to the table.
Before, this moment had been poignant and inspired him to keep going. This time, his mind waited until this moment to suddenly fixate on the man with the party, who now looked purple to him, and his own confusion. It crept up his back and down his strings, slowly taking ahold as he forced his outward body to continue doing its job. As the cake was lowered and offered to the twins, who were now both equally excited, Marionette tried to talk himself down. "You know that he isn't really purple. You just see him as purple."
Disturbance continued to grow as he tried to keep his music on key with the singing of the other children and mother. "Phone Guy looked purple. Mike looked purple. Father looked purple. They always look purple at first. It's you, it isn't them. He isn't a murderer, he isn't a threat, he's just a man whose escorting these children." The tension eased just a little bit and the girls blew out the candles. The cake was then submitted to the table to be cut, and Marionette took his free moment to vaguely lapse into a memory.
He didn't understand how the purple man found him so quickly. Even as grotesquely stained as his skin was, or how his face seemed to break open with an overeager smile, it was just a sheer shock to know that he was here. It wasn't like anyone was here to protect the puppet any longer either. The pizzeria was closed, the old animatronics had been moved, and there weren't even night guards any longer. The other toys were gone too. They had been destroyed and there was nothing Marionette could do except escape from the same fate.
He knew what he had done to Toy Foxy, how the Purple Man 'helped' in her destruction, and he could only suspect that he came back for him. Marionette knew he had some sort of weapon somewhere on him and knew that outright attacking was not an option. Yet the Purple Man was merciless, stalking the hallways and searching him out. He couldn't hide and yet he couldn't leave either. He only wished that Goldie would appear and protect him, but by now Goldie was far away, protecting the others. He had promised Mari he would protect the others.
It didn't matter whether it was the supply closet, the kitchen, or the now empty Prize Corner, the Purple Man stalked him all over the pizzeria. It was only a matter of time before they had to confront each other. Eventually, Marionette decided that he could stall no longer. He couldn't continue to hide in the shadows and wait for him to leave, as Purple Man was clearly not going anywhere. As the murderer entered the dining hall, Marionette appeared there as well, revealing himself.
The Purple Man's voice was a garbled mess that Marionette couldn't decipher. He clutched something in his hand and moved closer to the puppet, who gave a warning blare of music, alerting that he was willing and able to pounce. The only thing keeping him back was a mix of savoring the moment and hesitating to make sure that the man wasn't holding a weapon. As the Purple Man took a tentative step forward, Marionette's aggression peaked, and he started to move in. It was only now that the man raised his hand and he saw what he clutched.
It was a familiar, golden colored teddy bear. Marionette recoiled immediately at seeing the plush. How did he have it? How much did he know? It frightened him enough to stop his attack, to cause him to consider fleeing yet again, but the Purple Man came closer. His voice was still distorted, but a single, repeated word came through.
"Marion."
Marionette began to panic only further. Why did this monster know so much? How had it gotten his 'friend'? It stepped closer, murmuring in a low voice. With every word, they became more clear, with every step it moved closer. "Do you remember me?" Marionette remembered what he did. "It's me, Marion. I'm… I'm your father." The Purple Man started to hand out the bear towards him, coaxing him closer. "Do you remember who you were?" He did, but he didn't understand what was going on. His father?
It was then that the voice suddenly sounded more familiar and the distortion started to fade away. The purple on his skin started to wane and, for a second, Marionette didn't see the Purple Man. He saw his own father. He looked older, he looked thinner, he looked more tired, but he recognized his father. Instantly, Marionette buckled…
Marionette pulled out of his memory quickly enough. He was left in a sort of fog, but thankfully the children were more focused on the cake instead of him. To take a quick break from the constant job of being entertainment, Marionette lowered himself into a kneel between the seats of the twins. From the outside, it would look like he was keeping close to the birthday girls, while in reality he needed a few moments to fight back the growing thoughts that were poisoning his day. He didn't want to think about his father right now.
Thankfully, distraction came in the form of a random child stumbling into him and pouring a half-melted bowl of ice cream down his back. Before the twins' overly concerned mother could come pat him down with a napkin, which would've been even more uncomfortable than the ice cream, Mike sprung to the rescue and hurried over. After a quick excuse, escorted Marionette out of the room and to the prize counter. He then hurried off to get the cleaning supplies. The quicker Marionette got back on the floor, the lesser chance of the kids getting restless.
Meanwhile, the puppet was having restlessness of his own. He feared going back out with the children, knowing that any moment he could start dwelling on unsuitable subjects. He was about ready to spill his fears when Mike returned. The only thing that really stopped him was that the security guard entered and immediately spoke.
"You're doing great," Mike encouraged as he set down a box of wet damp, cleaning wipes on the counter. He then snatched one and went at the ice cream, hoping to get it out in case it would stain. "I didn't think there would be this many kids, but you're still balancing it better than Foxy would of." Of course, Mike didn't clarify if he meant normal or emotionally distraught Foxy, but Marionette took it as a compliment regardless. "Kudos to not losing it the second that kid dumped a pint of ice cream on you."
"I think you're exaggerating," Marionette playfully pointed out, keeping his voice low enough that nobody nearby could hear. Mike smirked in response and continued to tend to him, carefully cleaning him. It only helped that his praise was accompanied by the gesture.
"Still, you're doing great. This party's almost over and the next one isn't for a couple of hours," Mike encouraged further. "All you have to do is keep on like this. You're already halfway there."
The puppet chimed happily before quietly admitting, "I may have to spend more time out of the Prize Corner more often. Ice cream aside."
"Yeah, you need to keep away from the ice cream," Mike warned in a mutter. "Because I don't think you're going to get out of this twice without stains, and you don't look like you would react well to folding yourself into a washing machine." This got a chime out of the puppet as the man finished. "Alright, you're done."
"Thank you, Mike. I don't know what I'd do without you," Marionette admitted as he headed towards the door. He was already feeling better; Mike's praise making him feel a confidence that he didn't expect. If this was his reaction to the puppet doing his basic job, then the puppet could certainly keep doing it, and he would force out the purple that weighed him down. "…Other than learn how to wash myself in a washing machine."
Then they headed back out into the fray. Their long day was not over.
Mable: So, to clarify, Mari lived a day in the life of a party clown and experienced both the triumphs and downfalls. XD No wonder Foxy decided not to go in to work today; he probably just wanted to dodge the prospect of twins. Anyway, anyway, I hope you enjoyed! The next chapter will arrive next week, as planned. ^-^