Mable: Hello there! I wanted to thank everyone for such wonderful feedback; I'm feeling a lot better now. I'll be honest, I fear that may have overreacted with the reviews... I knew that the possibility of some people getting upset was real, so I should've just took it. It's not been that good of a month for me, so I may have been a little sore already. Seeing so many people and knowing they're happy makes me happy, though, so thank you! ^-^

Also, Happy April Fool's! I had an April Fool's Day fic planned, but it's only half-finished. So, it might be a few days late. Not… Quite an April Fool's fic, but some sort of weird parody thing regardless. XD

Anyway, Enjoy!

Can't Go Home Again

Chapter Fifty-One

Jeremy wasn't expecting visitors.

To put it simply; Jeremy didn't ever get visitors unless it was Mike or Fritz, but even then, it was earlier than this. The man was halfway through cooking dinner when the knock came at the door. Instantly, the television shut off and there was a scampering noise through the nearby hallway. Jeremy glanced at couch as he headed to the door, seeing that Daisy was still on the floor in a basic stance, and guessed that the magician had rushed off. He sort of sent a perplexed look before opening the door. To his surprise, Mike was standing on the other side of the door.

"Mike?" Jeremy asked in confusion. "What are you doing here?" He started to move to let him in regardless.

"I need somewhere to hang out for a while. My family is casing the house and I don't want to deal with them," Mike briefly explained. There was some annoyance in his voice, but it was obviously aimed towards his relatives instead of his coworker. "Can I come in?"

"Sure!" Jeremy ushered him in and shut the door behind him. "What about Mari? He can't be doing well with strangers around the house." Mike just responded with a casual point and Jeremy looked back to see the Puppet standing only a foot behind him. He gave a slight jump, but suppressed the squeak that would've followed. "Oh, uh… Hey there."

"Evening," Marionette chimed back as he turned his attention to Mike briefly, then looked back to Jeremy. "At least I used the door this time." Mike now looked back with a confused expression, but shrugged it off and decided not to ask.

"I'm, uh, making dinner if you want some, Mike. Daisy's- Say hi, Daisy- and the magician is off somewhere," Jeremy quickly accessed. Daisy responded to the command by giving a small curtsy. Again, Marionette chimed in delight, and lowered himself to kneel in front of her.

"That'd be great," Mike answered and watched as Jeremy passed by into the kitchen. "It's a nice place you have here. Renting or owned?"

"Renting, but it's pretty cheap, and it's more than enough for the three of us. Daisy doesn't need much space and the magician doesn't really move too much once he gets comfortable," Jeremy reassured as he crossed to the stove. "You're okay with stir fry?"

"I'm okay with anything as long as I don't have to cook, buy, or drive somewhere to get it," Mike listed with a briefly cheeky smile. He shed his jacket and sat down at the small dining room table. "I didn't know you cooked outside of pizza."

"Well, yes, but not this. This came out of the freezer," Jeremy explained with slight amusement as he fussed with the stir fry. He poked it around with a spatula and kept a close eye so that it wouldn't burn. Mike, meanwhile, stayed mostly silent at the table until Marionette came to sit with him with Daisy in his arms. The Minireena seemed content in his grasp and Mike quirked a brow.

"Nothing like they were in Afton's," the security guard reminded and the Puppet nodded in agreement. He affectionately hugged the doll closer and she, like an eager child, bowed her head into his fabric chest. The Puppet chimed, but he noticed that the warbling noise was still exclusive to him alone. Even when he leaned down to press his mask against the Minireena's.

"Cute," Mike broke in with a playful smile. At first, Marionette chimed in agreement, but only then realized that he didn't mean Daisy. From his gaze, the compliment was clearly aimed to Marionette. The Puppet smiled a little more, though turned his face downwards in a shy motion. The moment Jeremy turned to face them again, the scene between the two immediately dropped.

"Speaking of Afton's…" Mike led into, glancing over at Jeremy. "We're going back."

The look on Jeremy's face was unbelievable. It was almost worth coming over just for that look alone. "What?" the man choked. "Why- Why would you go back there?! Mike, you were in the hospital! And you-," he looked to Marionette, but stunted his words. "You- You would be a mess if something happened to Mike!" Whatever he was going to originally say was quickly replaced.

"Thanks for the obvious. That's what we keep you around for," Mike jabbed back in amusement. However, there was a loss of amusement rapidly, as he did acknowledge the risks. "It's out of our hands, really. It's a long story, but if we don't get down there then we're risking repeats of what happened earlier." He glanced over towards Marionette, signaling what he meant. Jeremy's focus followed suit and switched to the Puppet.

"Are you doing better?" Jeremy tentatively asked. Marionette looked downwards at the Minireena, deciding not to look at Jeremy as he answered the question.

"I'm fine now. Don't worry about me," the Puppet quipped and turned his attention on Daisy. "She's so sweet. You've done well in raising her…" Suddenly he got a brief glint in his eye before questioning, "Have you ever wanted to take in her sisters?"

"You mean the other Minireenas? I'm pretty sure they were… They weren't working." Jeremy was clearly tempted by the question. At least, tempted by the conversation itself, but not seemingly willing to jump into the ultimate suggestion.

"We were sure that this one wasn't working either," Marionette pointed out as he held Daisy closer. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see that Mike was starting to catch on to his suggestions. "Come with us. I have no intention of allowing her, or them, to attack us. It should be safe enough."

"I don't think that's- that's a good idea," Jeremy responded with clear discomfort. "I don't- I was just saying that I thought you two shouldn't go!" Mike, meanwhile, couldn't tell if Marionette was playing with Jeremy or genuinely wanted him to join. The Puppet did have a habit of teasing the other man, perhaps because Jeremy was so squeamish.

"If he only saw earlier," Mike thought with a smirk. On one hand, Jeremy survived Marionette's hunting in the past. On the other hand, he had a music box to keep him at bay. Mike had been going on rules, sheer luck, and continuously reading and misreading behavior patterns. Marionette could be predictable, but he also knew how to be equally unpredictable. Jeremy would never know as much as Mike…

He could never find out what was going on behind closed doors. They would have to watch themselves while they were here.

Marionette brought it up two more times during dinner. While Mike and Jeremy ate, he continued to sit alongside them, occasionally quipping about how 'safe' Afton's would be the second time through. Though he was eventually distracted when the magician appeared out of the nearby hallway and started making rhythmic tapping noises. As though in some sort of communication.

Eventually it started becoming late and Mike wasn't making any effort to leave. He said nothing, but Jeremy started to get the idea that he and Marionette weren't leaving anytime soon. It wasn't exactly an issue, but he did finally ask once he was putting away the leftovers of dinner.

"Do you want to stay over? I don't think- Your family wouldn't stay all night, I don't think, but you're welcome to stay," Jeremy offered to Mike. Though Marionette knew he was included; after all, he hadn't been here too long ago spending most of the night.

"That would be great. I'm hoping you have a second bedroom?" Mike questioned.

"Just mine, but I can fix up the couch a little bit," Jeremy offered sheepishly. "I could make something in the chair for Mari."

"Mari sleeps in a cardboard box ninety-five percent of the time. We'll find something that can manage," Mike assured with clear amusement. Though this was mostly because he had a suspicion that the Puppet would probably end up on the couch with him.

Jeremy stared for a few seconds, considering this, and then dared to remark, "I probably could find a box…" He stared again, then quietly asked. "Would a box work?"

"It should." Mike shrugged off his jacket and tossed it over. "Just put this in the bottom. He'll be fine." Jeremy seemed only half convinced, but slowly headed off to find the box. Mike sent an amused smirk down at Marionette, who was knelt on the floor with the magician. The Puppet seemed to notice as he turned and looked back. There was a flash of a less than impressed look, which only got more amusement out of the security guard.

It didn't take long for Jeremy to return with the carboard box. It wasn't nearly as big as either of the Puppet's boxes, but it was enough for him to fit in. He sent it an almost leering look as Jeremy sat it down in front of the couch, beside the mostly apathetic magician. "I'm actually lucky I still have this. I threw out most of my boxes after my last move. This is the only one that's not buried in the office," Jeremy quipped as he brought the blanket and pillow out of the box and tossed them both onto the couch. "I also grabbed some cards. Just in case the night stared getting dull, we could play a game or something."

"Nothing like a night of gambling," Mike remarked as he took the box and opened it. "We could try making it interesting."

"Mike, you don't want to do that," Jeremy warned quietly. He seemed amused as he started putting Mike's jacket in the bottom of the box. "Are you… Sure you don't need more than this?"

"I don't think anything more will fit," Marionette pointed out. "I've slept in much more uncomfortable situations. I've spent a few hours in a vent or under a table." Jeremy lingered on that comment, but continued to try and make the box look nice. The jacket wasn't much to him, but it was quite possibly the one thing to keep the animatronic in the box.

"What, afraid you'll lose?" Mike teasingly asked as he toyed with the cards in his hands. "Come on, Jere. You've got to take risks sometime or you're not living."

"I'm not afraid I'll lose. As a matter of fact, I'm afraid you will lose," Jeremy responded in a surprisingly confident manner. "Mike, when I was serving my sentence all we did was cards. Even when we didn't have things to bet with, we were playing cards. I played more cards in that time than you have in your entire life; I know it."

Immediately, Mike's brows raised and his interest was piqued. "Huh, I keep forgetting that you have a record. You seem too quiet to commit any sort of crime. Except, I don't know, stealing candy or something." Indeed, Jeremy didn't seem like the type to be involved in any sort of illegal activity. Jeremy's face fell as he gave more details.

"I was with a bad crowd. We 'just happened to find' a car with the keys in it and went to drive around… Turns out the police were waiting for us. We all got time," Jeremy admitted, but then waved it off. "It's not a big deal. The important part is that I know my cards, so save your money and we'll play for fun."

"…I think I'm willing to take the risk," Mike warned. "It won't be the first one I made today." He knew that Marionette, at least, would get the nod.

"Okay, don't say I didn't warn you…' Jeremy caved.

It was a good thing Jeremy explained too because, in any other circumstance, Mike would've thought he was cheating. In the following games of cards, Jeremy played mercilessly, Mike lost repeatedly, and three animatronics observed with varying levels of interest. By time the two mutually decided that they should stop, Mike owed Jeremy fifty dollars, and this was with him winning the last game.

The evening continued to sluggishly pass. While both Mike and Marionette would've preferred to be home, mostly because of how careful they had to be, neither was willing to suggest checking a third time. Instead, they just tried to keep a form of distance from each other, in the form of communication with the other. Marionette kept his attention on the magician and Daisy while Mike kept a conversation with Jeremy. While Mike didn't know Jeremy as long as Fritz, he had gotten rather close to him. Which was a feat in and of itself, considering that he was dodging his own mother.

Everything seemed rather easy and Mike let his guard down just a bit. There was only a single hiccup, being when Marionette, who was sitting on the floor, slid back towards the couch. He leaned back against Mike's leg, affectionately offering the slightest bit of contact without being too obvious. It was Mike who absentmindedly reached for him. Then, realizing what he was doing, he stopped midway through the motion with his hand hovering in the Puppet's direction.

Mike continued to look at Jeremy, trying to read if there was any sort of curiosity or response. Instead, Jeremy seemed distracted with the Minireena who had decided to randomly start climbing the television. The security guard felt himself ease a bit more and let his hand move down to rest on Marionette's shoulder. He wouldn't notice; Jeremy was a little oblivious at times. It was perhaps this lack of noticing that had given Mike a false sense of confidence.

So, when Jeremy was eventually heading to bed, Mike's paranoia diminished at least a little bit. Especially once it was only him and said Puppet in the living room. Jeremy had taken Daisy with him and the magician had wandered of; which in and of itself was weird, as Mike had yet to see the animatronic moving more than its head or arms. Marionette was currently trying to adjust to the box, fussing with the jacket and trying to shift into a comfortable position before fiddling with the box flaps. He eventually gave a static huff of annoyance, and Mike chuckled in response.

"Why don't you give up on the box and move up here with me?" Mike suggested as he fixed with the blanket over his legs. He wasn't exactly comfortable either, being that he was stuck in his uniform for the rest of the night and confined to a couch. "Jeremy's going to sleep anyway."

"He won't be asleep immediately," Marionette reminded as he started to raise back out of the box, "and there's always a chance that he will come back out for something. It's not safe to assume that he will stay in bed all night." This was completely logical. What wasn't logical was the fact that Mike was feeling much less concerned, and that Marionette was getting out of the box regardless of his words.

"Natalie didn't think anything. All Jeremy will think- and that's if he wanders back out here- he'll just think that you gave up on the box. He's not like Fritz. He's too innocent to think of anything more questionable," Mike reassured. Jeremy had been the one pushing for them to get over their fighting, or whatever that was, and be close again. It wouldn't make sense for him to now be questioning how close they were. A smirk slipped onto Mike's face, "I should've just told him about some of the stuff you were doing earlier. That would've kept him out of here."

Marionette chimed in amusement, "But he wouldn't have slept very well at all."

"I intend to sleep well and I was the one going through it," Mike countered back as he tugged the blanket down invitingly. Finally, Marionette caved and moved beside him, eagerly clinging onto him and accepting the comfort that the couch provided, in contrast to the awkward and uncomfortableness from the box.

"If everyone keeps catching us like this then they're going to know what is going on," Marionette reminded. "It's not worth the trouble of you getting in trouble."

"I'd say it's worth it. It's not like there aren't strings attached," Mike quipped before teasingly nudging over his shoulder. "And they're attached around here." This roused another chime of amusement and Mike pulled the animatronic closer. Even after earlier, even after those few minutes where considered that Marionette was aggressively hunting, he still felt safe. If anything, it only made him want to be closer, to feel that pounding rush through his chest and heart. There was little danger- he knew this- but the thrill of the chase was still there.

For about ten minutes, Mike just held the Puppet close. Then everything briefly faded away.

Though it wasn't gone long. Mike roused sometime afterwards and, even though groggy, immediately noticed that Marionette had moved. He sent a glance at the box, but at this angle he could tell that it was empty. He sluggishly raised his head and looked around, before finally spotting the Puppet in question. Marionette was standing in this sort of storage area that was located near the bathroom. While he was facing and looking back towards him, Mike doubted that he had been watching much longer. It was more possible that he heard the human moving and responded.

"What are you doing awake?" Mike tiredly asked. He rubbed at his face and attempted to rouse himself further. It had to be past Midnight, but he couldn't see any clocks in the immediate area, so he didn't continue questioning. Instead, he focused on the Puppet. It didn't take him long to realize that Marionette was trying to stay awake again, regardless of what happened earlier. "You're not trying to stay awake all night again. You can't be," Mike muttered out and let his head drop on the armrest. "Mari…"

"I'm just not tired yet," Marionette tried to protest. He turned away and pretended to be looking at something else. Mike didn't buy the explanation or the fake distraction.

"Just lay back down. There's nothing that interesting over there anyway." Mike's mind was clouded, so he wasn't exactly in the mood to argue about it. Especially if they were going to Afton's at some undisclosed time in the future. It could be tomorrow, it could be next week; whenever it was, they would both have to be extremely careful. Marionette couldn't collapse in Afton's or it would risk both his life. Or whatever being a Puppet counted as; the lines were blurrier when Mike was half-awake. "Come on, Baby. We need the sleep."

He was awake enough to realize that wasn't supposed to slip out. It got a few moments of blankly staring out at the dim living room, but not much else. Marionette seemed quieter, though that could've been because Mike called him out. Eventually, the security guard decided to try again. "Mari?" At least he got the nickname right this time. "I know you're tired."

Marionette was nowhere near tired now. In a single instance, what was already an uncomfortable conversation changed to something much worse. That word, that single word, suddenly tightened at his arms, around his strings, and forced him to suddenly recall that dismal feeling. There had always been one feeling that that word, and variations of it, would trigger. It felt close to some sort of sickness; the feeling of an adrenaline spike followed by a fit of sobbing. It had been so long since someone, other than himself, other than the dream, called him that.

It took him a few moments before he could realize that Mike had continued speaking. "…What?" He tried to hide the wavering in his voice and was thankful that he was turned away, as Mike couldn't see what was probably a dumbstruck look across his face. The sensation had snuck past his confidence and, for a moment, he went to panic. Yet he didn't think that Mike meant it, he knew that he wasn't five minutes away from berating him for being a 'crybaby'. Marionette wasn't that out of touch; he quickly realized that it was a term of endearment.

The Puppet pushed back the more flustered part of him as Mike continued, "Come here." His voice was still gentle as he tried to coax the animatronic back over. Originally, Marionette intended to protest, but the surge of unexpected emotion left him defenseless. He returned to the couch and to his position beside Mike.

Mike pulled him in close; taking care to work the blanket around him. This was either to comfort him or to keep him from fleeing again; it could've been either of them reasonably or could've been both. As shaken as Marionette was, he covered his disturbance rather well, as Mike seemed to only recognize it as reluctance to sleep. He still made the attempt to comfort him. Mike let his hand gently caress his back and gave a soft sigh. "Better?" he inquired and Marionette didn't know how to respond.

Eventually it occurred to him that he was already feeling better and, even more noticeable, he hadn't shed a tear. As jarring as it had been, he hadn't broken down, he hadn't cried, and he was already feeling better. The memories, though still present, weren't bothering him like they used to. He wrapped his arms tighter around the human, his human, and let himself relax. "I love you."

He was waiting for her. He knew that she was going to be there regardless, so it was worth being prepared, so when he felt consciousness he braced himself. Shortly afterwards, she appeared in view. He was slightly surprised by her appearance, but not enough to show it. He wouldn't give her that much.

"Hello," she said in her soft and innocent sounding voice. It was very deceptive, but more appropriate now. She was no longer a monstrous amalgam of wires, hiding her face behind a clown mask, and bitter with every word. Instead, she was a familiar female clown, and her voice held a saccharine tone. "Look. I returned to my other body. I'm on my own again."

Marionette remained silent, but she knew that he was looking over her skeptically. "It feels so strange being back in this old body. It's… Smothering… But it's safe. It's familiar."

"What is it that you want from me?" Marionette abruptly inquired. His voice held apathy, which he was determined to try and keep now. She had been invading his dreams and he wasn't willing to allow her to suck him in. Her words were like cake; fluffy, sweet, but ultimately fleeting. "You continue to call for me night after night. What are you trying to accomplish…?"

"Call me Baby, please," 'Baby' asked. "I want to be Baby again. The others… I will miss them, but I can't stay trapped to them any longer. They want something that I can't give them…" Marionette emanated static, attempting to show his growing impatience, and hoping that the action will allow him to keep control. "…I was thinking about some things… I was thinking about my Pizzeria."

"The one that closed?" Marionette inquired.

"Yes… It was called 'Circus Baby's Pizza World'… But it was never mine. I only had one day… But it was a wonderful day!" Baby's voice gained a bit of light in it. "The music, the cake, the ice cream!… The children… I miss that day. I've been thinking more and more about that day since we met…" The Puppet had a suspicion of where this going.

"I want to go with you to your pizzeria," Baby admitted. "I said no before, but I wasn't thinking. There were too many voices speaking at once… But I know that it was a mistake. I don't care about a human body anymore, I just want that day back!"

"…I don't believe you," Marionette blankly stated. "I think that you did want a human body. I think you still want a human body. You just realized that you can't get ahold of one and that you want to leave your cold facility." He turned away, turning his back on her, and tried to shut her out. "You'll say anything to get out."

"That's not true," Baby protested. "I do miss the pizzeria. I miss making balloons and singing, making ice cream and serving cake, seeing children… Happy… I miss being happy." She sounded somewhat convincing, but he was managing to give her the cold shoulder. "Come see me, Brother. See how I've changed. See that I can be trusted."

"…Please, don't call me that," he sighed out. "Call me Marionette. Being called 'Brother' brings up memories."

"Then I will," Baby agreed, "Marionette."

"…I will come see you," the Puppet continued, "but do not mistake this as me coming to get you. I will come see you, but I still do not trust you, and I don't have any intention of bringing you back. You will need to earn that trust."

"I understand," Baby quietly finished.

"But until I get there, I want you to stop haunting my dreams. Your hounding is doing nothing except-."

"Hello," a third voice joined in. Immediately the Puppet recognized the voice and almost immediately afterwards, Baby was gone. Marionette turned to face the new, but familiar voice. Slouched in what was mostly a pit of darkness was a familiar child, who he recognized through animatronic association. "Hahaha, she left quick! I guess she didn't want anyone here who could ask her real questions. Like how it lives with itself." He was laughing as he looked upwards to the Puppet, "By the way, he sees you. He's watching you right now."

"…Who?" Marionette tentatively asked.

The boy quickly replied in a rather amused tone, "Jeremy."

Almost immediately, Marionette woke on the couch and, right afterwards, turned to see that Jeremy was standing at the foot of the couch. The Magician was also standing nearby, explaining why he had randomly barged in on the dream. It took the Puppet a few moments to realize that, again, they were caught, and, again, Mike was sleeping through it. This time he knew that he was spotted. Jeremy knew he was awake, unlike Natalie and Frisk. He had no choice but to somewhat deal with the situation.

"If Baby can be talked down, then Jeremy can be as well," Marionette reminded himself as he slid out of Mike's grasp. Thankfully, the security guard wasn't holding on too tight, so he escaped the hold and then stared down Jeremy like he was preparing to spring. Now it was just a matter of his reaction.

Jeremy shuffled back towards the hallway and Marionette, amused, followed along with him. They were soon in Jeremy's bedroom and Marionette had every intention to explain the situation in a realistic and believable way. The human led in with an awkward cough, "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course, if I can ask you why you are awake," Marionette quipped back. If he sounded casual, then this whole thing wouldn't be misread… Or read how it was; being that it absolutely wasn't innocent.

"Just- uh… It's like six o'clock. I usually get up around now," Jeremy quickly explained. He sounded a little anxious, but this wasn't anything unusual. He looked over at Daisy's box for a moment. This led Marionette to incorrectly assume that the question would be about Afton's. It wasn't. "Did you… Tell Mike about- you know- you?" Marionette knew exactly what he meant and he shrunk back.

"I have not… I wouldn't ever tell Mike that… Or put him in that situation." He averted his gaze to Minireena's bed. He hadn't felt badly being firm with Baby, but lying to Jeremy was shockingly hard to do. Especially since he did put him in that exact situation.

"I just- I noticed that Mike stopped mentioning Louise rather quickly, and… Well, that." Unfortunately, Jeremy was quick, and he was picking up the signs. "I thought that maybe you talked and Mike was-."

"Humoring me? No, no. That's not the situation at all." Marionette didn't know if Jeremy was insinuating that or something else. In a way, he felt better not knowing. "Mike and Louise just haven't been speaking as much. He hasn't said why, but it's probably because of the family issue, and as for that, well… I will be honest with you Jeremy." Partially honest, at least. "I've been having trouble sleeping and without my music box… Mike suggested I share the couch with him. That was all it was."

Surprisingly enough, Marionette wished that he could tell Jeremy the truth. Part of him truly wanted to tell someone about his adventures on cloud nine, but he couldn't. He couldn't tell any humans, he couldn't tell Foxy, Dream Goldie was unfriendly, and Mike already knew. This would have to be their secret.

"Oh, okay. That's fine… I just don't want you to get yourself… Too wrapped up… Yeah," Jeremy slowly trailed off. "I didn't mean to wake you up. I might head back to bed so I don't wake Mike up." He wouldn't say it, but he was afraid that the Puppet would get too close and get hurt. After that night, he had sort of put together part of what was going on, and he had concerns that Mike wouldn't be as understanding.

"Have you considered my offer?" Marionette questioned and Jeremy looked confused. "Coming to Afton's with us, I mean. I know you've been down there and I know it's dangerous… And I'm aware that Funtime Foxy does look like Toy Foxy did, but I think it will be safer with more people… I do worry about Mike." The Puppet shuddered, which felt rather odd to do. "I do worry, 'What if there will be an ambush? What if she lures me away and goes for Mike?' I think there's less of a chance of that if you and possibly Fritz accompany us."

"I… I don't know," Jeremy admitted. It wasn't a full 'no' any longer, but it was still uncertain. "I wouldn't turn down more Minireenas. Daisy's been wonderful to have around, so I would be glad to take in more… But I just don't think we should go back. I don't think you should go back."

Marionette let out a sighing noise and a low sound, then decided to be honest. "I have no choice. I must go," he revealed to the male. "You don't have to come, but I hope you do. I hope Fritz does. I hope Natalie does… Because I want to avoid a situation like last time, and I know she won't attack multiple people. Inside, she is afraid… But I'm rambling!" Marionette's emotions took an abrupt turn as his discomfort returned. He didn't need to vent about his issues. He wasn't a baby, he could handle this like an adult.

…Though he was Mike's 'Baby' now. What a conundrum.

"I'm going to let you rest or get up- Either or is fine!" Marionette chirped with friendliness as he headed to the door. "Just rest assured that, as it is, everything is under control." He was confident that it was as he left and returned to the living room. However, he was unsure if he wanted to risk laying down again. Though he did notice that Mike was laying in an odd position; face down on the couch. Marionette moved closer and nudged his shoulder.

"Don't worry, he doesn't suspect anything," Marionette tried, having a feeling that Mike was awake.

The security guard fidgeted on the couch and gave a muffled, "Thank God." The Puppet gave an affection chime and reached forwards to stroke through the human's dark hair. His chiming turned to a warbling before he pulled back and moved to kneel on the floor. Being that it was basically morning, or close enough, he decided to stave off risk by just staying awake. He turned on the TV and lost himself in the fleeting stories of a group of old women fighting over cake. It would numb him for a while and that was good enough for him.

As for Jeremy, he was still lost in his own decision. He didn't want to go back into that cold, dark, and empty facility deep underground. It was suffocating; he hadn't been able to breathe with his lungs being filled with dust and the odor of decay. It was a nightmarish place, yet here he was considering it. He sent a glance towards Daisy's box before standing and crossing to it. He peered down at her small form. She really was wonderful; he had been so lonely before she and, eventually, the Magician came to stay with him.

He didn't understand at first why Mike would choose to live with a possibly dangerous animatronic. It wasn't until Daisy that he realized the true joy of taking care of a creature like this. At first, they looked dangerous, but there was a very human-like personality hidden underneath. Daisy was mischievous and playful, but she was also affectionate and looked to him like a parent. Wasn't it worth the struggle to have more little dolls like her? Dolls that would have personalities, feelings, and were just as capable of love?

To his dismay, it was. He had his answer for Marionette… But for the time he had left, he had other plans.

"Daisy?" Jeremy quietly spoke to the doll. It wasn't until he tapped her hand that she turned her head to acknowledge him. "Do you… Want to stay with me in my bed?" Daisy pushed herself upwards and reached towards the human, who scooped her into his arms and carried her to his bed. She giggled as he held her close and shut off the light. There, holding her, he completely understood why Mike would agree to share a bed with an animatronic. It was so innocently perfect; he could hold and protect his little companion. Nothing could ruin it.

"…This would be pretty weird with Foxy, though."

Then he somehow ruined it.

Mable: Thinking about Foxy unintentionally ruins quite a few moods, I could imagine. XD Anyway, the next chapter will be posted next Saturday! (Hopefully an earlier time) I hope you enjoyed!