AN1: Sorry for the wait. This one went through many revisions.
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Once things calmed down between Roxanne and Montgomery, Gregory became much more at ease once he realized that the gator wasn't going to go berserk anytime soon. Even if he did, he is fully confident that Freddy and the now present Chica would hold him back.
"How is your golf course during the day?"
"Very lively. Nice and relaxing when you want it to be."
"Huh, you don't strike me as the type to like that game."
"Yes, I get it. Big scary gator and all that." He looks off to the side with an annoyed expression.
"It's not that. From what I've seen, you seem to have far more energy than mini-golf requires."
"Hey, just cause I'm a bit wild doesn't mean I can't love the game. Besides, you should see me when I have the course to myself." Roxanne rolls her eyes.
"Why, what happens?"
"I go off course, sometimes even on the catwalks, and I'll shoot the ball from there. Just to see if I could make my target in one shot." He starts to grin. "I like to show off my skills to the birthday kids to impress them." His eyes widened as if he realized something.
"Now that I think about it, when is your birthday kid?"
"Um, why?" Monty tilts his head.
"What do you– so we know when to celebrate with you of course! Heck, maybe if we're lucky you'll be up and running before then!"
"A…a couple months from now, but if Vanessa's predictions hold any weight to them, I doubt I'll be able to even stand properly, nevermind run."
"That's quitter talk! You have to want it!"
"It's fine, one way or the other. You don't need to feel bad for me." He didn't sound sad, or even angry.
"...Why are you so casual about this? Surely you would want to have fun on your day?"
"I don't care about my birthday. I never have. Celebrating isn't even something I've ever thought about. At the end it's just another day." They're stunned. Chica spoke up moments after.
"What…what do you mean you never did? Surely you're making a bad joke, right?" She, along with the rest, are looking towards Gregory, bewildered and upset. Nobody could find light in the situation should he mean what he said. The child felt very awkward and embarrassed.
"Uhhhh no, I'm not. I didn't think it would matter that much."
"B-But, everyone celebrates their birthday! Literally everyone!"
"I'm sorry? I just don't care enough to. I mean, it's not like it would've changed anything. It's not that important."
It was dead silent, even the ambience had faded away. In all their years of existing, never had they met someone so apathetic about their own birthday. Chica runs her hand down her face and rests it on her beak, unable to say anything without it being a garbled mess. Roxanne then decided to fill in for her.
"Do you…want it to stay that way?"
"I don't know…"
"You know what? Let's start small, yeah? Do you like cake? Or any kind of dessert really?"
"Never had any, unless you count small pieces of candy as 'dessert'." She wants to say that she's surprised, but she sadly isn't. She took a deep breath to gather herself.
"How about you go try one, yes? There's such a wide variety here in the 'Plex. I'm sure you'll find something that tickles your fancy." The band each nodded in agreement, though they waited for Gregory to have the last word about it.
"I guess it wouldn't hurt. A first for everything, right?" Chica got very excited at the prospect of properly witnessing a kid's first bite.
"Ooooh I just know you're going to love it! There are so many flavors, combinations, decorations–you're bound to find one that just speaks to you! Are you allergic to anything?!" The moment he shook his head, she proceeded to bolt down the hall. The rest followed right after, amused by her antics.
Though Roxanne didn't show it, she was just as enthusiastic, maybe a bit more.
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Chica pretty much has broken the line of sight of the gang right away, leaving them in the dust all in the name of finding something sweet for the boy to nibble on. However, in her excitement, she has forgotten a tiny oh so little detail when it comes to the kitchens.
"Warning! Chica has entered the kitchen! Initiating lockdown…"
In an instant, every single pantry and fridge was sealed shut, along with the lights going dim.
"Wha–I…Grrr, come on! Why is that still a rule?! I already promised that it wouldn't happen again!" In spite of the lockdown, she still attempted to pry open anything she could, only to be met with a staggering amount of disappointment. "This isn't fair! Didn't past models of me serve food?!" At this moment her friends have caught up with her.
"They also didn't eat it all before it even got to the customer." Montgomery added. The hen grumbled to herself.
"Not my fault it tastes so good." The gator chuckles as Roxanne puts her hand on Chica's shoulder.
"Nothing personal, but we sort of need you to leave the kitchen. Just for a little bit so we can pick something out."
"Awww…well, if I have to." She felt bad for her, it obviously meant a lot to the chicken.
"Hmm…hey Gregory, how about you keep her company while we look around? Shouldn't take long." Chica is surprised at the sudden turn.
"W-Wait what?! You don't need to do that sweetie, it's just a sad limitation that I'm stuck with for now. It's my fault anyway." Like Roxanne, the child sympathized with the hen.
"I don't mind. We can both be surprised together." Chica held a hand to her chest.
"A-Are you sure?" He nods without hesitation. "Oooooh you're so precious! What did I do to deserve you?!"
After a bit of instruction from Roxy, Chica finally had Gregory in her arms, and it almost felt magical. She has never held a child before. The urge to protect pushed itself to the forefront of her mind, and with a vengeance she had never felt before.
'Is this what it feels like?' Roxanne snaps her fingers in front of her face.
"Hey, hey! Don't blank out on us yet, we still need you to exit the kitchen." The wolf reminds her.
"O-Oh, yeah. Sorry."
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"Chica has left the kitchen. Lifting lockdown."
"Hmph." The hen sat down on the nearby chair, maneuvering Gregory onto her lap.
"Wow, they really don't like you in there, huh?"
"Yeahhhh, it sucks. Really puts me down."
"What happened that made them decide to put their food under lock and key?"
"...Nothing special, I just like to eat."
"From what Monty said, I get the feeling that you're leaving out some details."
"W-Welllll I mean, I…maybe sort of snuck a few meals into my beak when I wasn't supposed to."
"There you go. You're eating their money."
"No I wasn't!"
"Yeah, not literally, but at the end of the day, someone has to pay for it."
"...I knooooow."
"Can you even, I don't know, 'digest' what you eat?"
"In a way, yeah."
"Wow, the wonders of modern technology."
"Why thank you. You're so sweet." She ruffles his hair.
"How long has it been since you were all created anyway?" She puts a hand to the underside of her beak, thinking of the day she was first activated.
"Let's see, it's beeeeeeen…I think a little over a decade. Of course that doesn't account for whatever tests we may have gone through before that point."
"T-That long?! You guys have been around more than I thought!"
"Yep! And we love every second of it!"
"I thought y'all were brand new!" She brushes her shoulder.
"What can I say? We're well taken care of."
"Obviously, I mean look at Monty!"
"Hehe, yeeeeah he can be a real daredevil, really gives the human staff a weapons grade headache."
"Isn't he afraid that they'll have enough? Like, they up and decide to replace him?"
"Deathly so. However, as long as his chip isn't destroyed, they can always make him a new body. Just don't tell him that."
"Doesn't that build up over time?"
"Surrrre, but our chips are worth more than the entire 'Plex. Maybe even the franchise. Our shells are replaceable, the chips however, not so much. They don't want to lose another one."
"Another?" Her eyes widened as she covered her mouth in shock.
"...I think we should leave that to rest." He realized that he stumbled on something that wasn't meant to be told, and slowly nodded.
"Sorry."
"It's okay, just don't mention that to the others, especially Freddy."
"These lips are sealed." He 'zips' his lips.
"Thank you…thank you…"
"...Back to the dessert thing. Uhhh, do you have any recommendations?" She smiles.
"Personally, I say try them all, buuuuut if I must narrow it down…something vanilla or chocolate. Just to start with, we can go from there."
"Okay, I like that idea."
An awkward pause falls between them for a moment. Both trying to get over the divulgence of sensitive information.
"...When the time comes, we'll give you a great 'first' birthday. Somehow, someway. Day, or night." She glances at his leg. "M-Mobile or not…if you want."
"Sounds…great." She frowned a little.
"Nothing is set in stone. If you want to leave it alone, I'll make sure the others know that."
"No, no. I'm not trying to sound uninterested. I look forward to it. I just don't know what to expect."
"That's alright. You don't have to know everything. Sometimes the surprise is part of the charm."
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Meanwhile in the kitchen, after a brief argument on what to bring Gregory, they finally settled on the more popular desserts with a couple of flavors. They made sure not to take too much so he could actually try them all in one sitting.
Despite appearing calm on the outside, internally Roxy is absolutely fuming, she didn't think one child could generate so much anger.
'You'd think I'd be used to it by now.'
Her demeanor became visible to the others once they finished their gathering, when she gripped the counter hard enough to leave claw marks.
"I think this is enough." Lying on their respective plates are pieces of cake, pie, and ice cream, with each having two different flavors sharing the space.
Freddy approached the wolf.
"Do you need a moment?" She sighs.
"...No. I'm fine. Let's get these to my pup."
"I understand how you feel, maybe it would be better to talk about it?"
"I said I'm fine." She firmly stated. Freddys ears drooped.
"Well, remember that I'm here if you need a shoulder to lean on."
"Noted."
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"Look, here they come!" Chica exclaimed as she stood up with Gregory in her arms. "Oh my, it all looks so tasty!" Despite the small portion sizes, she still couldn't help but crave the desserts that now rested on a table.
'No, no! I can control myself, I can! I'll prove them wrong!' The hen reluctantly allows Roxanne to take back Gregory.
"Did she treat you good little pup? She didn't yap your ear off did she?"
"We had a fun conversation about how she got banished from the kitchens."
"Heh, she is a gem." She then gestures to the desserts on the table. "As you can see, we came back with gifts."
He took note of the small selection, the most elaborate being the cakes, which were clearly made for both Roxanne and Freddy fans respectively.
"Didn't know they could get so colorful."
"Wait till you see the whole thing." Roxanne sat him on the chair then stood with her friends on the other side of the table waiting for him to have his first taste.
The first thing he went for was the ice cream, it wasn't fancy at all, and it just happened that they were both the flavors that Chica recommended to him. The initial chill hit his teeth hard, but once he got past that he found himself enjoying it immensely.
"It's actually very tasty, this would've made the hotter days so much more tolerable."
"I-I'm sure it would, I know it certainly does wonders to the kids who like to run around outside.
He looks to the pies next, something he has rarely seen. He lifts a piece to closely inspect it. The red filling is a bit more…liquidy than the others brown one, it also had round pieces of something oozing out slightly. It did smell nice though.
"Huh. What are these?"
"Those are cherries! One of my favorite types of pie!" Chica explained.
"I'm pretty sure every pie is your favorite, come to think of it, everything is your favorite." Roxanne teased.
"...It's true." She confirmed with a sheepish grin.
Gregory hesitated for a bit before finally taking the bite. His face contorted a bit before he finally swallowed. He is visibly displeased.
"I already didn't like cherries all that much, I think this made it worse." Chica was slightly disappointed, but ultimately understood.
"Awww. Well, not everything can be winners. I hope you like apple pie a bit better." He looked at the referenced piece in surprise.
"This is apple?"
"Yep!"
They could immediately see that he wasn't nearly as hesitant as he was with the cherry pie. He also had a more positive reaction upon consuming it.
"This one is much better, could do with a bit less cinnamon though." Chica suddenly produced a notebook and started to write down the results. Montgomery leaned over to her.
"You seem to be taking this seriously."
"Why wouldn't I? This will help make feeding him in the future much easier."
"I guess I shouldn't be surprised that the one obsessed with food is taking notes."
"Ooooh, bite me."
The child moved on to the pair of cakes, the last thing they brought him. To say the least they were colorful. One was a combination of red, purple, and green. The other being red, orange, and blue.
"Wow, these look special." He specifically looked at Roxanne and Freddy, who both didn't feel any shame whatsoever.
"Well why not?" He said.
"Fair enough."
Upon trying Roxanne's piece, he surprisingly found it to be mediocre at best, there was certainly too much of something in it, but he couldn't really figure out what it was. He couldn't even identify the flavor which further dragged it down. The Freddy piece had essentially the same problem, the only difference being that it tasted different.
Overall, it was below average.
"Yeeeah, this is a thumbs down from me. I don't exactly know why either. It's just…too much." Chica decided to throw in her two cents.
"Hmm, sometimes less is more. I think the basic stuff is more your style rather than the fancy colors and surplus of sugar."
"Well at least I know what I can tolerate then." Roxanne picked him up from the chair.
"Now we know what to avoid. I think we made good progress tonight." At this moment her pup let out a large yawn. She glances at her internal clock, one in the morning. "You haven't had a proper rest in a while, huh?" He sluggishly shook his head. The wolf locked eyes with the others, the message was clear, and they all agreed with a nod.
"Have a good night superstar." Freddy said
"You too…"
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Roxanne and Gregory were now on her couch, with him holding the plushie of her close. He is still fighting to stay awake a bit longer, but it was losing battle. Just before he went under, he suddenly remembered that he still wanted to show her something. He fished the folded papers from his pocket.
"Roxy?"
"Hmm?"
"I meant to show these to you earlier…but I hadn't got the chance…I hope you like them."
"What are these?" A tired grin emerges.
"Look."
Once she unfolded the paper, she was very pleasantly surprised. They were five separate drawings depicting each of them within their areas of expertise. Monty hitting a hole in his course, Chica spreading ingredients on a pizza, Freddy being swarmed by adoring children, and her racing across the finish line.
The last one was special. It was all of them on stage playing for the audience with their respective instruments.
"I…I love them." She looked towards Gregory with a full smile, only to see him leaning on her, fast asleep. She opens her chest compartment and stores them inside. She held him close.
"I won't let anyone hurt you." She whispered. "Goodnight, my little pup."
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AN2: A bit more mundane, but I hope you like it all the same.