Can't Go Home Again
Chapter Seventy-Four
After the night they had, walking into Foxy's was almost a sort of blessing. Mike unlocked the back door and ushered Foxy inside with Jeremy in tow. As the fox animatronic headed over to the stage to sit down, looking mentally exhausted, Jeremy followed further and moved one of the dining room chairs to sit down. He didn't look to be in a rush to go home just yet, which Mike understood. After the night's events, he didn't expect to get home and sleep. He had a better chance of getting home to catch more of that pathetically goofy soap opera.
It was then that Marionette trailed his fingers over Mike's shoulder to coax him along before heading down to the Prize Corner. With one glance back at Foxy and Jeremy, Mike followed Marionette into the Prize Corner. The Puppet was currently opening his box, tracing his hand over the lid slowly as he did so. He almost seemed lost as he stared down into the box of his own.
"...I lost my first box at Afton's," Marionette revealed quietly as he opened the other half of the lid. "I didn't know it was Afton's. I probably would've if I looked hard enough, but I… Didn't have a chance." He gave a simulated sigh and a low tune of distress. His hand moved to rest on the edge of the box while the other lifted the plush so that he could study it. The plush mouse stared back with a stitched smile. "…I still remember that night… And I would like to tell you about it if you'll listen." He looked over expectantly, as though needing the assurance.
"Course I will, and I'm not going to judge you for what happened. I still stand by what I said," Mike assured and leaned against the counter. He waited to move in, not knowing whether the other wanted him to yet. He couldn't help but feel some amount of guilt for what happened, considering that he was the one that initiated going to the arcade in the first place.
"Thank you…" Marionette averted his gaze back to the box. He pulled the doll to his chest protectively. "We didn't really think of the consequences of our actions… We hunted him ruthlessly, leading to unintentional victims, such as Jeremy and Scott. Eventually this would lead to the closing of the restaurant, history repeating itself yet again, and we were deemed broken… I can only suppose that we all thought that we would be like the older animatronics and just be put in a back room of a new pizzeria. We were ignorant."
As he paused, Mike slightly furrowed his brows and murmured out a low, confused, "Scott…?"
"I was taken inside my box and we were all put into storage, deep inside the factory, and there we waited… Until they started taking us out one by one." Marionette shuddered slightly, "Bonnie was first. We could hear the tools and just assumed that he was being taken apart. The others were taken in one by one, taken apart, and then… There was only more left and that was me. It was going to be my turn." He could remember how cold his box had felt. As though it was made of cement; a gift box painted coffin.
"I remembered when I was a child and would be locked in my room. Being stuck in that box reminded me of that," he admitted quietly.
"You were locked inside your bedroom? Who was doing that?" Naturally, there was Mike's protectiveness coming back. He managed to stay calm, but it was obvious that he was more than willing to trudge out into the dining room and start pointing fingers at Foxy. Not that Foxy was innocent, but it was a long time ago and just another thing that Marionette was fine forgiving.
"It doesn't matter anymore. What does matter is that being there, trapped in a box, unable to escape… I couldn't stand it. I couldn't stand the thought that I had just began to be comfortable in my body and now it was being stolen away from me. I would be forced to stay dead, and I couldn't… I couldn't do it." He slouched forward in shame, tightening his grip on both plush and the box. "And so, I fled. I used all the power that I had- I didn't teleport much back then- and I made my way back to the pizzeria alone… I left the other toys to their fate."
With his guilt returning, now Mike stepped in and laid his hands on Marionette's shoulders. "You can't blame yourself-."
"But it's not even that I left that bothers me, I suppose. It's that I left… And then for so long I could live without thinking of it. For so long I haven't felt the guilt, not since that night and the days following it," Marionette insisted as he dropped the plush limply into the box. "Did I even mourn? How long counts as appropriate mourning?"
"Don't start mourning now. You carry too much guilt around as it is," Mike pointed out. He pulled the Puppet back against him so that he could wrap his arms around him. "You couldn't have stopped what happened. There's was nothing you could've done, so there's no reason that you couldn't save yourself." He felt the animatronic relax in his grip, growing more limp, and leaned back against the counter again. "…I don't want to dreg up more of this on you."
"No, it's fine, I need to talk," Marionette insisted. "I need it all out in the open."
"Just stop me if we go too far," Mike offered as he looked past at the wall. "Okay, let's see…" He didn't want to make this any more difficult than it already was, even though he wanted answers. "So… Did they recognize Jeremy? Is that why they were hunting him?"
"…I don't know," Marionette admitted. "Probably not. I think they would've attacked anyone… They may still see in purple, just like we did when Goldie was still with us." He then trailed into another thought. "I'll be honest, Mike, when you said that about Goldie… I felt this weird feeling, like I was suddenly exempt from what I did. It's been becoming more apparent to me that he wasn't such a wonderful person. I was completely in debt to Goldie and he knew that, and he kept me there to do what he didn't want to."
"Yeah, Goldie," Mike murmured thoughtfully. He wanted to ask more about the bear, about things he didn't know, but he didn't think it was the right time to encroach on the territory. He waited, but the Puppet didn't continue with the thought, so he moved on. "Do you have any clue what was up with the five-twenty thing? They would lose it at about five-twenty." There was a moment where the animatronic seemed lost in thought.
"…That must have been when I left. I didn't remember the exact time, but the other night I did have an alarming nightmare at the same time… No doubt connected to you at the arcade." This thought seemed to unnerve him. "They were working throughout the nightshift to dismantle- No. To 'refit' us for the arcade. That must be when they went to fix me, to change me, but couldn't find me," Marionette revealed with a slow sigh. "Because I had already left..."
"You thought you were saving your life," Mike pointed out.
"Yes, but it's not exactly the same, is it? I was only a child in spirit and my death would've been different. I suppose, perhaps, I would've had to move on. Usually, souls only move on once they have achieved some form of peace. An acceptance. Ready to let go and float away," Marionette revealed. "Like a child releasing a balloon and watching it raise into the sky."
Such a pleasant-sounding thing made Mike's stomach clench. It was as though one of the animatronics had punched him and he was only feeling it now. Then again, that very well could've happened.
"Just throwing this out there. What if…" Mike hated asking it, but the question started to leak out. "What if you came to peace with everything, wrapped everything up, would you just… Move on?" Marionette turned his head slightly in surprise. It wasn't like Mike hadn't asked a variation of this question before, but something was different this time. Mike sounded a bit too desperate in asking it. His grip tightened just a bit and he imagined strings slipping through his fingers.
Marionette decided to be honest, "A long time ago, yes, I could've just moved on if I did everything I needed to. I could've given up this life and moved onto whatever's beyond… But it's different now." He turned to face his human companion, cupping his face and drawing him in close. He was smiling again, at least. "I have you, so why would I ever want to leave?" He moved in to embrace him. "I love you."
Mike eagerly returned the hold and held on for dear life. He wanted to think that everything tonight had him rattled, but it was more than that. The Toys could've not been as forgiving. Or worse, they could've been so reassuring, so much of a comfort, that Marionette could've decided to slip away with them. Mike didn't want to think about it. He didn't want to lose him, not after everything they had been through.
The buzz of adrenaline died some time ago, but there was still that lingering pounding in his chest, the mix of fear and hope that came when he worked alongside the Puppet. He watched as Marionette drew back from his grasp and turned back to close the box. He looked a little happier and the confession seemed to have somehow helped him, but Mike still needed something more secure. He felt his mouth dry out, not content with the silence. He knew exactly what he wanted to do.
"I love you too."
Marionette came to abrupt stillness. It was almost reminiscent of his old issue about being seen and freezing in place. In any other situation, this would've been comical, but Mike was still riding off the sensation. It felt too good to just give in.
"Do… Do you mean that?" Marionette quietly asked. "You never said- I just thought you weren't ready to- if you're- you don't have to try and make me feel better… Are you?" His words were scrambled and confused as he started to look back. After all this time, he had become certain that he would never hear Mike say it back to him, but he had been content with the other ways that his affection was shown. "I didn't think…"
"I mean it," Mike assured. Then he said it again, "I love you." It was so much easier to say the second time. Marionette gave a small chime of surprise and Mike couldn't help but move in. "Come on, I'm not done with you yet," he murmured as he pulled the other back into his arms. Reacting immediately, Marionette grabbed onto him, clinging to him for dear life and squeezing him like a vice. It was just tight enough that Mike was on the border between comfortable and concerned that he wouldn't be able to inhale, but he wasn't about to push him back.
Then came that familiar trill, the delighted jumble of his internal music box, as Marionette caught the back of Mike's head and smoothly guided them together. The night suddenly didn't exist, and thoughts shut down as he became reacquainted with the fluidity of porcelain. It felt different; maybe because of the emotional rollercoaster they had just suffered through or perhaps from those words. Basic words that suddenly had such a tremendous impact. It made up for his lack of words earlier.
It was getting harder to watch Marionette's emotions pour out without being able to reach out for him. Earlier he couldn't, considering that the animatronics could've easily turned their anger on him. Now they were safe, and he had all the time in the world to kiss it better. They could alleviate it for the rest of the evening, holding his Puppet close, swearing that this was the last time that they were risking their lives for answers… If they were going to be stuck in another life or death situation, it was going to be through someone else's doing.
He pulled back briefly to catch his breath, rubbing his thumb over Marionette's mask and feeling the animatronic tremble in delight. "I don't want you going anywhere," he murmured to him. "Call me selfish, but I want you right here as long as possible." Then he kissed him again. It wasn't as though the other was protesting. He was rendered speechless, merely chiming with growing delight as he clung to his human companion. Mike didn't need any words to feel the happiness and giving him that moment after such a low point made him feel alive.
He truly did love Marionette and as much as it should have scared him, it didn't. He wasn't afraid to risk it anymore.
And as for Jeremy, he was stuck between being very confused and being very alarmed. He simply backed away from the door and headed back to Foxy, his face alit with warmth and redness spread from his cheeks to his ears. He gave an awkward cough as he sat back down at the chair, "They, uh… They aren't ready to go yet…"
Foxy noticed his odd behavior and cocked his head. "What is it?"
"Nothing!" Jeremy fought back as he looked towards the floor. He tried to get the image out of his mind as he took in what he had seen. He had known about Marionette's feelings towards Mike for a while, but he never thought it was anything beyond that. Especially not enough to walk in on it. "I just… They aren't ready."
"Uh huh," Foxy nodded slowly. He then clicked his teeth together, "Looks like ya seen a ghost… An' I don't mean the ones we were seein' earlier." Jeremy glanced over and sent him the same strange look. Suddenly, Foxy caught on, and he briefly looked to the Prize Corner in alarm before looking back. His ears twitched and his gaze looked a bit less enthused. "They're doin' that thing again, aren't they?"
Jeremy's eyes widened and his mouth started to drop open. "You- You know? You're okay with it?"
"'Course I know. I walked right in on 'em," Foxy complained with a huff. "But can I say anything? Nooo. Not ol' Foxy. He gets to toy around with me brother and I get to walk in every once in a blue moon."
"Ouch," Jeremy sympathized. Then it clicked, "This isn't new, is it?"
"That's why yer my first mate, Lad. You've always been the quick one." He honestly couldn't tell if the fox was being sarcastic or really did believe it. "What a night… Haven't had a night like this since, eh, maybe 'fore Freddy's went under? Sounds about right." He looked to the human again. "Yer goin' home soon?"
"Me? Uh, probably," Jeremy agreed. "If I don't, the Minireenas might actually hurt themselves. I told you they were fighting?" Foxy nodded. "Right, yeah, just… Oh wow, I did not expect to see that." Jeremy couldn't help but sputter out, much to Foxy's displeasure. "Not that there's anything wrong with… Animatronics and humans- I-I mean animatronics are humans, kind of. You know what I-."
"Jer'my," Foxy interrupted. "He's me brother."
"…So yeah, need to get home sooner than later," Jeremy recovered and the two fell into silence. After such a long night, it almost felt weird to abandon Foxy here. "…This… This is going to be weird, but would you-… It's practically morning anyways and we don't have work tomorrow… I could take you home with me." Foxy looked confused and tilted his head. "You saved my life! The least I can do is bring you to my house."
"To fight yer lil dolls? Meh…"
"No, really, it'll be fine! They- They fight each other. They're angels with everyone else… Except Forget-Me-Not. She's a little testy at times." Jeremy was suddenly babbling, but it was largely because he was so flustered. "Aren't you curious about where I live?" This did manage to pique Foxy's interest a slight bit and he gave a metallic hum. "You'd have to fit in my car, but I don't think that will be too hard, right?"
"Worst case scenario, I destroy yer back seat," Foxy offered and Jeremy's face suddenly dropped at the thought. The animatronic felt a smirk start to form, "Ya know, I may take ya up on the offer! Let's go before it gets morning." He stood and strode over to the Prize Corner. He didn't dare look in and instead knocked on the doorframe with the back of his hook. Marionette hovered out a few moments later. Without a word, Foxy suddenly reached out to grab the Puppet and tugged him into an awkward hug.
Marionette was a little surprised by the gesture, but then hugged back, nuzzling into his shoulder. He chimed happily with the motion and they drew back. Foxy patted his shoulder with assurance, silently thanking his brother for coming after them. He didn't need to say anything for Marionette to know he was grateful.
Though when Foxy then decided to speak, "I'm shovin' off to Jer'my's. Don't wait up."
Marionette got a slightly perplexed look and Mike watched from behind. Eventually the security guard gave a blunt, "No comment."
"I bet you don't," Jeremy thought. He was instantly horrified by the thought. "I sound like Fritz! Does Fritz know too?! Was I the only person who didn't know?!" There came the cycle of shock that left him staring blankly in the distance.
"You sure you know what you're getting into?" Mike asked with slight amusement. Jeremy responded with an uncomfortable sort of look. "Yeah, I'd recognize that look anywhere. I only see it when someone's about to die or Foxy's involved." He sent a slightly smug look at Foxy, who proceeded to give a good-natured chuckle. Mike did help save the both of them, so he could pretend like he didn't want to occasionally put a hook in him.
Jeremy gave few answers as he stepped out the back door and pulled his car closer to it. It was going to be strange and he was forced to retrieve the tarp to cover the animatronic, but he found a sort of excitement out of bringing another animatronic home. It made him feel a little less lonely. It almost made him feel a little safer. Mike came out to help him, noticing Jeremy's increase of awkwardness but thinking nothing of it, while Foxy and Marionette waited inside.
It was now that Foxy decided that he was going to do something very foolish. He looked to his sibling, who looked just a little weary and was probably much more so, and dared to ask a question that he didn't want to.
"Who were they?" Foxy asked. The Puppet looked to him with a static expression. He silently watched his brother, uncertain if he wanted to go through with telling him. "I can handle it, Marion. Who were they?"
"…They were the Toys," Marionette explained as he turned to look out the propped open back door. "They had been changed into new exteriors so that they could work the Funcade."
Foxy made an inhaling noise at the reveal. That was sort of what he expected. He had never been close to the Toys, but the slight familiarity had been undeniable when confronting the animatronics in Hickory's. Then another revelation clicked into place, "Wait… Was the sheep the Mangle?" Marionette gave a small nod and Foxy shook his head. "Course it was. It was all over Jer'my," he pointed out as he started to return to character. "Wanted nothin' more than to bite 'em. Don't tell the Lad. He's skittish enough."
"I won't," Marionette agreed. "He doesn't need to know… It's hard enough that I have to know."
"Ya got things squared up?" Foxy asked curiously.
"I tried to. We tried to fix their bodies a little… I can't think of anything more I can do other than what I did…" Marionette paused before adding, "Maybe I should see to their remains in the warehouse. Perhaps they were what caused the haunting." Suddenly, Foxy seemed a little too quiet, and Marionette looked to him with concern. "…You never said what you saw there."
"Perhaps some things are best left forgotten, for now," Foxy cryptically remarked. They lingered there a moment longer with the younger staring at the older, who was looking away.
"…You know that I'm going over there for sure now, yes?" Marionette inquired playfully. Foxy gave a huff and turned on him.
"Look, Lad, we've got a good thing-." It was now that he noticed Mike and Jeremy returning to the door. "Never mind. We'll deal with this later." While he still had questions, Marionette respected the other's decision and let the conversation drop. It was too late to fight about something so trivial, especially when Foxy was too stubborn to explain what he saw.
Foxy got into the backseat of Jeremy's car as fast as he could to avoid further questioning for the night. That, and to get the ride over with quickly, as he doubted he would be very comfortable fitting into the back. He wasn't surprised when it turned out to be much less roomy than the back of the van. Especially as he had the tarp shoved over his body. However, the ride wasn't long, and even being ushered into Jeremy's apartment didn't take more than a few minutes.
"W-Welcome to my hideaway," Jeremy introduced as he nearly shoved Foxy in. He then shut and locked the door as the fox nearly stumbled in and yanked off the tarp. "Just make yourself at home! Anything you-." Before he could properly show off his home to his 'guest', let alone finish his sentence, he was suddenly rushed by his three dolls. Their faces looked the same and their eyes weren't illuminated, but they made strange noises as they sprinted to him. Instead of the usual giggles, they sounded to be in distress.
"What's wrong? Daisy?" He knelt down as the closest Minireena, Daisy, eagerly climbed up into his arms. The noises she made were odd as she climbed up on him.
"Ugh!" Daisy fussed as she bent her hands to grip at his shirt. "Ugh!"
"Did you get in a fight? Is it- Is it because I was out late?" Jeremy guessed as he held the squirming doll. The door seemed to fuss more in response. As he was distracted with her, Rose started to climb up his right arm and perched on his shoulder. She began to grab at his hair and tug at his glasses. "Uh, Foxy?..." His glasses dropped into his lap and he could feel Forget-Me-Not now trying to climb his other arm. She scaled it much faster than Rose and started to mimic Daisy's disgruntled noises. "Foxy, I could use a little help here."
"Lad, I'd throw myself through glass, I'd ride in the back of yer car, but I gotta draw the line somewhere," Foxy assured with growing amusement. "Play dead, they'll think yer an empty suit."
"Foxy, that doesn't even-!" He cut off as Rose fumbled and fell into his lap. She let out a squeak and began to wriggle around, only fussing further. "Oh Rose…" He caught her around the middle and scooped her closer. Like Daisy, she clung to his shirt, and it became clearer that their frustration was from his absence. "It's okay. I made it home safe, and I'm not going anywhere else tonight." This seemed to calm down Daisy as she stopped making the discontent noises and instead fell into a content silence.
Forget-Me-Not held onto Jeremy's collar and dangled down his back, causing him to give a small cough and fidget with his collar. Foxy gave a small chuckle and stepped in closer, "Come on, Lad. Ya promised old Foxy a tour. How ya plan to do it with all yer lil dolls hanging on ya!" He reached out to remove the Minireena, seeing it as the only way to help the overwhelmed man. Right before he could touch the small doll, her head turned around and stared him down silently, eyes glowing with a strange, yellow glow. Foxy retracted his hand immediately.
"Well, hey there! How long's it been? Ha ha ha!"
Foxy felt the chill in his spine as he slowly turned his head to face the magician now standing behind the couch. There was something unsettling in the magician's telepathic tone. It sounded a little too fake. The two exchanged a look, but Jeremy didn't even seem to notice. He was too busy juggling the Minireenas.
"Alright, alright, I'm sorry!" Jeremy broke out with a smile. He managed to get Daisy and Rose calm in his grasp and made a grab for Forget-Me-Not, who proceeded to drop down to the floor and then hop away from his grasp. She watched him from a few feet away. "It's been a long night. I'll tell you all about it in the morning." He then stood with the Minireenas still in his grasp, grabbing his glasses as he did. Both Daisy and Rose were limp in his grasp and willingly let him carry them. "So, Captain, the tour. You can see the kitchen and living room. Over there's the bathroom-."
"It's kind of funny. You're acting pretty human today!" Foxy only partially heard Jeremy as Max continued to drill into his mind. "It's funny, because I bet you never acted this human when you were one! Ha ha ha!"
"Foxy?" Foxy's ears twitched and he looked over towards Jeremy. "Is everything okay?"
"Aye. Everything's fine, Lad," Foxy assured. "Yer lookin' tired. We'll save the tour for tomorrow, yeah? Ya need yer sleep." This surprised Jeremy, who had expected the fox to be a little more curious. He could only assume that Foxy was tired and simply didn't want to admit it.
"Huh, sure. If you're sure. I'll just… You'll be okay out here?" Jeremy quietly asked. He looked to Max, around the room, and back to Foxy. The animatronic gave a firm nod. "Okay, then… I'm going to get the Minireenas in their boxes and change." He backed out of the strangely tense room just as fast as he backed out of the Prize Corner, with the third Minireena leaping behind him.
Now it was just Foxy and Max left inside of the living room. Foxy immediately turned his attention on the shorter animatronic and stepped in closer, glaring down at him. "How human I act ain't no concern of yers," Foxy bluntly spat.
"Why so defensive? We're all friends in these bodies. We have to be," Max pointed out and turned towards the television, which was on some sort of infomercial. "Jeremy has never been this late. Something happened. Was is 'Baby'? Did he do this to him? Or was it you?"
"Nothing happened…" Foxy denied as he plucked a piece of glass out of his arm and tossed it towards the sink. "An' even if it did, I woulda protected him with my life. He's my Lad."
"He seems to think that. He idolizes you in his own way," Max pointed out. "If you don't tell me then Marion will. Might give us something to talk about. It's going to be a long night."
"…I'll be back." With that, Foxy decided to step out of the conversation and into the hallway. He immediately followed the sound of noise to Jeremy's bedroom. "Who does he think he is talkin' like that? He's actin' like he thinks I injured 'im! Probably thinks it. Everyone always thinkin' I caused a bite or hurt someone…" He paused in the hallway outside of the door. "…Thinking I bit someone, an' I didn't. Causin' a bite and biting a lad are two different things!" He continued to stand there, contemplating Max's suggestion. "…Wonder if this is how Mike feels?"
Not wanting to get to the point that he acknowledged the hypocrisy in his behavior towards Mike, Foxy barged into Jeremy bedroom without knocking and caught the man taking his shoes off. Jeremy still leapt back like Foxy had dove in with a cry and had tried to attack him. "Foxy?!"
"Just checkin' in on ya," Foxy assured as he stepped in further. "We had a long night, Lad. I knew yer not as put together…" He trailed off as he noticed the poster on the wall of himself. Maybe Max was right; maybe Jeremy did idolize him. It made him feel a little strange, but it was a good strange when it came down to it. It was a relief to know that Jeremy wasn't just putting on a front when he said he was his 'first mate'.
"Maybe not- Maybe not after that!" Jeremy coughed out and nudged his shoes under the bed. "Next time knock, please?"
"I like yer poster," Foxy remarked, gesturing with his hook.
"What?... Oh, that! That, uh, it's… You know, it's merchandise," Jeremy scrambled to explain. "Just a decoration. Nothing weird or anything… I don't stare at you all night or something creepy like that, so don't think I do that. I just have it there to remind me that… I have somewhere to go in the morning? Oh wow, that sounds so much worse." He needed to change the subject fast, "It's really late."
"Should I stay in here with ya?" Foxy offered. Almost immediately, Jeremy rejected this idea, because the swelling of embarrassment currently filling up his insides left no room for compromise.
"No, it's okay! You'll just get bored, sitting in here all night… I'll give you the tour as soon as I get up and we'll- uh- we'll do something, okay?" Jeremy stood up and tried to usher Foxy out. The Minireenas watched from their box beds, suddenly able to giggle again and doing so at Foxy's expense.
"Alright, I'm going, Lad! Ya don't have ta be so touchy!" Foxy chuckled as he stepped back out into the hall. He didn't know what was funnier; Jeremy's flustered behavior, or him actually thinking that he could push Foxy anywhere. He had half a mind to go still to see how he would react, but decided it had been long of a night as it was. "Don't get yer sails in a knot, I was just makin' sure me first mate was feeling fine." Then again, as shaken as Jeremy was, he was much more comfortable than he would've been if he knew who had attacked them.
Suddenly, Foxy was feeling restless again, but he decided to simply shrug it off. He would let Jeremy get comfortable, get changed, get in bed, and then he would return. The lad wouldn't even know that he was keeping an eye on him.
It was raining earlier. The concrete had a damp smell and the parking lot was vacant as he teleported into it. His body almost immediately rejected the straining of his powers. He didn't know how he had managed it, but after a few 'jumps' he had made it back, and he immediately collapsed onto the asphalt. No doubt he was in plain view of the outside cameras, but Marionette was too weak to even worry about it. It was so cold, so dark outside, and he felt almost entirely helpless as he laid there.
Eventually he pushed himself upwards to get his porcelain mask off the pavement. His energy was slowly starting to return and he struggled to hover once more. He stood unsteadily on his legs, only staying upright because of his levitation assisting in the movement, and then pushed off the ground the rest of the way. He moved in towards the front door; it was pitch black inside of the pizzeria. Nobody was watching the nightshift tonight. Maybe nobody would ever be watching for the nightshift again. The pizzeria was now in limbo.
Marionette fumbled with the doorknob and found it, predictably, locked. Here he was, stuck again. He didn't know if he was capable of unlocking doors and, even if he was, he was too exhausted to do it. He rested again against the door and tried to think of another way inside. Maybe a window was open. Maybe there was a weak vent. Perhaps he still remembered where they kept that spare key, if they still had one.
The dull clicking noise alerted him to the door unlocking on its own. Marionette opened it slowly and slipped inside, looking around at what had become of the pizzeria. It looked so empty in comparison to before. They had already begun taking down décor and had folded tables and chairs away against the walls. There wouldn't be parties for quite some time, to his dismay, if there were any at all.
He wasn't alone. Marionette only got little ways into the pizzeria before he felt that familiar sensation that signaled the arrival of his friend. Suddenly, there was Goldie, waiting in front of him. He said nothing and he made no attempt to ask any questions, as though he already knew what had happened. It wasn't too hard to guess when multiple animatronics were taken away and only one returned. The shame was immediate at Marionette began to cry, right in front of his friend. Then again, Goldie had seen him cry plenty of times.
The golden bear reached out his hand. He tried not to move when he didn't have to, usually slumped or standing stoic somewhere, but here he reached out for the Puppet. The Puppet loyally moved in and, ignoring his hand, he collapsed onto him, clutching to him. He knew Goldie's sympathy only went so far and that he was supposed to pull himself together, but he needed it. Surprisingly, Goldie didn't push him away and instead laid his hand on his back. He held him close and then spoke.
"You can't-."
"Ugh, not again."
Marionette roused immediately at the sudden voice. It interrupted the dream completely and he was suddenly back in the real world, staring at the wall that was illuminated by the morning sun pouring through the windows. It took him a few seconds to pull himself together enough to realize that it had to be eight or nine o'clock. Just late enough that the light was strong, but not late enough that he woke naturally. He could feel movement on the other side of the bed and Mike fidgeting around uncomfortably.
"For the love of God, not this again," Mike muttered under his breath and he reached upwards to push his hair back. His face felt like it was on fire, though it felt clammy with sweat. He was shaking and his heart was racing and pounding in his chest. He forced himself to slow his breathing even though he felt like he wasn't getting enough air. It was almost like every other time and yet, at the same time, it felt like a completely different experience. It always felt like it was the worst one.
He turned to face Marionette and wrapped his arm around him. He wasn't even thinking of waking him up, Mike just pulled him close and pressed his face into the pillow. Marionette could feel how fast his pulse was and knew exactly what was happening. He laid his hand on Mike's arm, "Mike?"
"I feel sick," Mike muttered out. The shaking was still present, but the heat in his face was starting to already alleviate. It didn't exactly make him feel much better. "I'm tired of this."
"It's almost over," Marionette quietly comforted as he turned over to hold the human. He wasn't surprised by the attack; after the night before, he was almost surprised that it hadn't come sooner. Yet Mike managed to keep his compositor during the ordeal. Someone had to, and Marionette couldn't really say that he was as mentally stable as he should've been. He held him tighter, "Slow breaths."
It didn't last much longer. He could feel as Mike's shaking subsided and his pulse finally started to even out once more. He was exhausted, but he was almost feeling normal again, and he was just about ready to fall back asleep and forget the incident ever happened when the phone began to ring from down the hall. He didn't make a move to answer. When the animatronic began to recede from his grasp, he tightened it.
"Just ignore it. It's nothing that important," Mike insisted. He knew that if either of them got up that they would actually have to begin the day, and he wasn't ready to do that. He much preferred to continue embracing his almost completely backwards sleep schedule.
The ringing halted and the house fell into silence for about thirty seconds. Then his cellphone began to ring from the bedside. This time, Mike knew that he couldn't ignore it. He gave a weary sigh and rolled over to answer the call. "Yeah?"
"Foxy's gone!" Fritz sputtered out over the phone. "I just got over here- He's totally gone!"
"Oh, right. He's at Jeremy's," Mike coolly answered in contrast to Fritz's franticness. "He took him over in the back of his car last night."
"…He did? You're serious?" Fritz's tone completely changed. He sounded instantly relieved, "You know, it might have been a good idea to leave a note."
"That would've required staying an extra five minutes. Last night was brutal," Mike explained. He could feel Marionette's mask press against his upper back. The slight coolness was solace after the heat of being so wound up. "If we could meet up later, Natalie too, I'll bring everything up to speed."
"What did you do?" Fritz flatly asked. There were a few moments of silence. "I'm not stupid, Mike. Everyone knows that you're pulling night hours somewhere. You didn't start sneaking around Afton's again, did you?"
"No, but close enough," Mike answered. "Just as bad, but I didn't bring anything back last night, except maybe Jeremy." He was still half-awake and decided now wasn't the best time to talk. "We'll meet up and I'll tell you what was going on."
"Alright… Get a little more rest, you don't sound too good," Fritz pointed out. The call wrapped up and Mike set the cell phone aside. He couldn't very well sleep now and contemplated whether or not to get up. Coffee sounded good right now. He could give or take breakfast.
"Can we go to the warehouse today? I want to see how it is now that things have changed," Marionette asked. He didn't want to push too hard after the attack. "I can go on my own if you would prefer."
"No, I'll go with you. Gives me something to do," Mike answered. He didn't want him going into the warehouse alone, even if he had never been attacked by whatever loomed inside. It would make sense that the Toys could be haunting their own remains, but part of him doubted it was them. There was something different about the warehouse in comparison to Hickory's. Still, it seemed appropriate enough to check.
Marionette pressed back against him thankfully, hugging him tighter and chiming in contentment. Mike reached to his hand and took it in his own. "Love you." Still felt fine saying it; still caused Marionette to warble and trill in delight. He could live with the attacks, he could live with the long nights, just as long as they had mornings like this.
A few hours later, they arrived at the warehouse. Marionette teleported inside first and Mike followed by heading through the front door. Fritz had given him a spare key some time ago, but he didn't need to use it, as his companion unlocked the door once inside. He easily opened the door and stepped into the warehouse, and almost immediately stepped back out.
It was like a freezer. The air was chilled and smelled strangely damp, and Mike swore that there was a sort of fog hovering over the room, though it receded as he turned the light on. He continued inside and headed to the box of the Toys remains, where Marionette was. It seemed to get warmer as he approached the animatronic.
"Notice anything?" Mike offered asked as he looked down at the Puppet, who was currently leaning over the box and shifting through the pieces.
"Nothing stands out. It feels a little cold, which could very well be the sign of a discontent soul… But I can't feel anyone," Marionette pointed out. Once again, whatever it was seemed to be hiding from the animatronic. Mike was already convinced that the Toys had no connection to the warehouse.
"Well, there's another open-ended mystery that we can't close the door on," Mike exhaled wearily as he pulled his security jacket closed. "What are we going to do with those?"
"I…I don't know," Marionette admitted as he lifted the Balloon Boy head. "I'm not sure what to do. I feel like we should do more for them, like I need to do more for them, but I haven't the foggiest idea what we could do." Talking about the Toys changed Mike's attention and as he watched Marionette, he suddenly remembered that there was something he had forgotten.
"I'm going to call Phone Girl and see what happened this morning," Mike forewarned as he fished his cell phone out of his pocket. "I think I remember her number well enough."
"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Marionette didn't sound jealous, thankfully, but he did seem concerned. "She may tell the others that you are alright, and they may come after you for the front door."
"But then, how do I pick up my check?" Mike playfully answered. He then insisted further, "Jen's not going to tell anyone. I almost have dirt on her, so it should work." He looked down at the phone, frowning at his reception, and then gestured down the hall. "I'm going to step outside. If anything gets tense in here, just teleport into the car and we'll let it settle for a few weeks. Last thing we need is to stir up something that plans on following us home." This was a joke that he instantly regretted making.
Once out in the parking lot, Mike had service again and, after a few tries, managed to remember Jennifer's number well enough to call it. After a few rings, the woman answered. "Hey, what's up?"
"It's me." Apparently, she either didn't notice the number or wasn't on a phone that showed who was calling, because she nearly yelped when she heard his voice.
"Oh whoa, I didn't- I never thought you'd be calling me. Where have you been?!" Jennifer suddenly became much more panicked. "They think someone broke in-."
"Nope, someone broke out," Mike somewhat lied, but it was not entirely a lie at the same time. Someone did technically break in, but it was to break someone else out. "An animatronic broke the door open and I just hauled myself out of there. They can keep whatever I made this week to pay it, but it's just not worth it." He paused, wondering if he should tell her more of what she knew.
"Well, I won't be telling them anytime soon… I quit," Jennifer announced. She let out an exhale that she seemed to have been holding, then took in a deep, strained one as she continued. "They were going to put me on the nightshift. I couldn't even give a two weeks' notice. I can't do two weeks when animatronics are breaking down doors and things… Though they- they probably aren't going to break down much of anything anymore."
This caught Mike's interest instantly. "What does that mean? What happened?"
"Something is wrong with the animatronics. This morning when Chance went to check them, some of them weren't responding right. He couldn't get them to come on properly," Jennifer explained. Mike felt his mouth dry out in response. "But I think Chance was able to get Hickory and Dickory functioning, and Doc may have gotten turned on. He was still working when I left."
"I couldn't have broken Bobby. I barely did anything except tighten its limbs, right? That couldn't have broken it, right?" Then he snapped out of this thought. "No, it couldn't have been me. I didn't work on the others and we didn't do enough damage... Maybe it's like Freddy, Chica, and Bonnie. Maybe they just moved on." The timing would make sense, but the thought of it happening so quickly was terrifying. "…No, what am I thinking? This is just the paranoia talking. They had a hard night like Mari; they're just not wanting to perform. That makes more sense."
"Still there?" Jennifer asked when she didn't get a response.
"Still here, just thinking it over…" Well, she had been honest with him. Time to share his honesty. "They're the old Toy models from Freddy Fazbear's Pizza. I found some of Afton's old files and he took them right out of there and dropped them right on you." Again, not technically not a lie.
"But didn't Freddy's close down because something was wrong with the- Of course! Why am I even surprised?" Jennifer gave a weary huff. "It's not my problem anymore. I'm washing my hands of this place and that place, and if I have to dumpster dive to make it, then at least I'm not working anywhere near an animatronics."
"That's the spirit. Remember, the good stuff always sinks to the bottom," Mike pointed out. He only now noticed the music box in the passenger seat floorboard and leaned over to grab it while ending the call. "So, what exactly did we succeed in doing? Reunited Mari with horrible memories, possibly breaking a bunch of animatronics, shredding by arm up like a block of cheese, and adding more to Afton's laundry list of garbage that he's done…" He opened the music box and noticed something amiss with the pieces inside. "And broke the music box."
At least he was generally sure he could fix this. "Could've been worse, really. Made a couple of animatronics less angry, at least…" Then there was that next step with Marionette. He could feel the smile returning; Marionette was worth it. Mike had him, so he could live with these questionable decisions.
Inside the warehouse, Marionette was still looking through the box. The pieces didn't give off any sort of energy, so the Toys were no longer attached to them enough to haunt them. This made sense, but was also rather unnerving. Just the thought of losing control of his body or being changed into something else did frighten him. Not that it would happen; he wasn't intending on getting himself stuck in a situation where anyone would want or need to take apart his body. He was quite happy with the one he had.
It was now that he felt a strange sensation spread through him. It was a sudden uneasiness, as though he was in immediate danger, and he felt static growing in the back of his mind. He wasn't alone, and suddenly he wondered if this was what the others had been feeling. He pushed himself upwards and drew his eyes away from the box. Now glowing, they started to scan the hallway beside him and searched along the warehouse. Something terrible was in here with him.
And then he heard the footsteps. They were swallowed by the static that grew inside and he turned his head, watching as the form stepped into sight. To his immediate panic, he was staring at nothing but purple. It was a heart stopping sight.
It was him. It was the Purple Man.
The Purple Man was standing at the entrance to the office, staring down at him. His face was broken open in a gaping, black pit of a smile, matching his equally hollow eyes, save the single pinpricks of light hidden in their depths. The purple dripped down his body and a distorted voice groveled out something that Marionette couldn't understand.
Without being unable to stop it, Marionette felt the 'Pop Goes the Weasel' rattling through his chest, even when he could only vaguely hear it over the voice and the static. The man took a staggering step closer. His hands were large and long, oozing towards the floor, and he moved closer. Marionette's frenzy began to grow and he twitched, barely holding himself back. The urge to strike was overtaking him. He wanted to lash out and tackle the Purple Man to the floor, to finish it once and for all, but he held back because something wasn't right.
None of what was happening made any sense. Marionette wasn't enraged enough to blindly strike; he knew that the appearance of the ghastly man was simply not rational. Even if it was him appearing as a spirit, why would it appear as this instead of as his father? He knew that William Afton was the murderer. This was just the disturbing form that they saw when hunting. This was what they saw when the Security Guards were taking the murderer's place, and their blinding anger made it a perfect target.
The Purple Man moved a step closer and Marionette hovered back. The music grew louder in warning that he could easily strike at any moment. The Purple Man just moved in quicker. He reached towards him with his long, distorted arm and continued to speak in the destroyed voice. It was as though he had no fear of the Puppet.
And he didn't, because…
…Because he was Mike.
The realization was sudden and Marionette's desire to lash out was suddenly gone. The fear, the forcible dread encircling him, was still there and he couldn't fight it back. Still, he knew that it was him. It had to be Mike who suddenly was the spitting image of the Purple Man. As much as he wanted to question it, the striped animatronic went with it immediately. He knew without a doubt that it was this place making him see this. Something foul and unnatural was tampering with the programming that he already had been fighting for years.
He needed out of the warehouse, now. Marionette threw out his arm and pointed in the direction of the front door, towards the office, and then abruptly vanished. Suddenly he collapsed onto the backseat of the car, still in shock, and stared at the roof of the car. He had managed to teleport himself out of the warehouse and immediately was back in control of his body. The static was gone, the fear had diminished- save the dread in reaction from what happened- and the music in his chest started to slow down. It fell out of tune, grew softer, and then he was left in silence.
Just as he was starting to get himself under control, the door above him was flung open. There stood Mike, looking normal except for the look of alarm. There was no doubt that he was the one who Marionette saw in the purple haze.
"What is it? What did you see?" he blurted out as he looked over the Puppet. He obviously was as startled by what happened as Marionette was, but also showed no fear towards him. "Is that it? Did you see something?"
Marionette's voice had broken down to chimes and dial tones as he slide over into the seat, giving Mike the room to sit down as he wrapped his arms around himself and fumbled into the fetal position.
"Damn it! I'm sorry," Mike shut the door behind him. "I knew it- I knew I shouldn't have left you alone. That warehouse is Hell's skating rink… Are you okay?" He shifted over closer, resting his hand on the Puppet's shoulder. "Nothing touched you, right?" He tried to coax him closer as the overprotectiveness returned. To him, he had just witnessed Marionette have some sort of fit, so of course he was concerned.
Marionette had certainly been touched by something. Something had reached inside and briefly poisoned his mind. "...I'm okay," he managed to get out. He tilted his head to rest against Mike's leg. "…There is something wrong with this warehouse."
"That's an understatement," Mike scoffed, but quickly returned to seriousness. He squeezed the animatronic's shoulder comfortingly before rubbing over the fabric. "Whatever's in there isn't going anywhere."
"…I think we should go home, Mike," Marionette assured. He shuffled upwards and held onto the security guard, and was comforted when an arm circled around him. "And to be entirely honest, I don't believe that I want to come back."
Mike couldn't agree more. They learned enough from the Funcade; they were going to avoid the risk for as long as they could. Some things were better left forgotten.
For now.
Mable: Do you know what's more terrifying than an obviously dangerous building far from home? A much less obvious, much more insidious building just next door… But hey, at least they're home now! And in the end, love pulls you through the hardships! (As long as you're willing to back down when the going gets tough, am I right?) I hope you enjoyed!