NOTES
Heya. All I've got to say about this one is that I started getting sick about 2/3rds of the way down the chapter, which made my mind a little fuzzy. Still think it's alright, but thought I'd just slap this warning on here in case the way I typed dramatically changed.
Enjoy.
Shorties 2
3:00 PM
...
I snicker and hold my phone up to the wolf sitting next to me.
"Check it out."
She leans in and squints at the phone like a grandma.
"..What am I supposed to be looking at?"
"Apparently the female word for wolf is 'fae'."
"Fae?"
"You're a fae."
"I'm not a fae."
"You are a female wolf."
"I'm a wolf. Just call me a wolf."
I take the phone back, assuming she's done reading the article I found.
"I like 'fae'. Sounds like a fairy."
"I'm not a fairy either."
"Right, but you're a fae."
I'm awarded an incredibly satisfying sigh from the fae sat next to me.
"Mike, I don't like the word fae."
"How come?"
"It's cutesy; gives the wrong impression about me."
"What do you consider yourself, then?"
"Dunno. Not 'cute'."
I decide not to comment.
"Maybe there's another name, then."
"Anything but fae."
"Not sure you'd like the other word for 'female canine'."
"Why?" The wolf side eyes me, waiting for a response before figuring it out herself. "Oh."
"I'm not opposed."
"Something else, please."
Smirking, I continue to scroll through my phone.
...
"The only other name I see for female wolf is 'she-wolf'."
I can see Roxy's face scrunch up a bit.
"Bleh, definitely not that one."
"I agree."
"What do they call male humans?"
"Usually just 'humans'. Maybe 'guys'."
"What about purple humans with 'attachment' issues?" She points at my robotic arm while stressing the word attachment.
"Michael. Mike, if they're close."
"Anything else?"
" 'Dumbass' by one in particular."
Roxy laughs.
"Who might that be?"
"The 'bitc-' next to me." I cockily retort, referring back to that other name for 'female canines'.
There now appears to be a set of claws grasping at my collar.
For a moment, I think I'm in for another scar across my cheek. But turning to glance at Roxy reveals that she's grinning, thankfully finding my joke as funny as I did.
She doesn't let go, however. We just sit in the same spot we were sitting in with her paw close to my throat. Eventually, she sighs and hops off the guard rail of her racetrack she was sitting on.
"Fuck it, c'mere."
The fae walks past me and starts dragging me with her.
"Where are we going?"
"We're gonna work on that cart you said you'd help with."
"It's still the middle of the day. There could be a customer."
"There won't be."
Mm.. She's probably right.. Today is the reopening day from when we had to close down for a few nights, but apparently, Cooper never specified when exactly the Pizzaplex would open back up. Result of course being that there are hardly any visitors today. With the weird restrictions and requirements set on the raceway in particular, it's not hard to imagine we might just not get any customers looking to race tonight.
"It'll still be messy work, though. You sure you're fine getting oil all over yourself?"
"I get covered in oil almost every day."
"Yeah, but you put extra effort into how you look today, since it's reopening and all that."
"What?"
"..With the make-up and costume and whatnot? You look extra nice today."
Roxy's pace slows a bit as she looks over her shoulder at me.
"..How the hell did you know that?"
"..I looked at you? With my eyes?"
"You noticed that I..?"
"I see you almost every day. Of course I noticed."
She continues to glare at me before turning back around and continuing to walk.
...
"Shut up, Mike.."
I can just barely see the edges of her fur tint red. Why?
"Shut up, Mike!"
"I didn't say anything!"
2:00 AM
- Shrrk -
The door opening broke my trance, and I look over my shoulder to see who came in the office. The heavy footsteps gave me a good idea before they came within my field of view.
Monty's head peers in through the doorway.
"Hey Mike! Ya' busy?"
Well I'm currently leaning back in my chair with my feet kicked up, holding a controller in my hands that's connected to a laptop. You tell me big guy.
I do quickly fix my posture before addressing him, figuring that the way he found me doesn't really color me in the most professional light.
"Not at all. Everything alright?"
Monty takes a couple steps into the office.
"Yep! Just wanted to talk to ya' about somethin'."
Unexpectedly, he sits down on the floor next to my chair. I noticeably pause my game and set my controller to the side to indicate I'm listening.
"What's up?"
"Ahhh, nothin'. I just wanted to, y'know, apologize, for my behavior the other night.." Monty grins but scratches the back of his head nervously.
It takes a moment of thinking to figure out what he's referring to. The confrontation from a couple nights ago.
"You mean from when we talked about my arm?"
"Yeah, that one."
"You felt the need to apologize..?"
Monty shifts his legs to sit criss-cross.
"Yeah. Wasn't right of me to start actin' like that, y'know?"
"It's no problem at all. You were just concerned for me."
"Well yeah-, but I get the feelin' I took it a bit too far."
I don't think I've had an earnest and genuine talk with this guy since I started working here. The two of us have always just been messing or playing around. Hearing this level of sincerity took me a bit off guard.
"No, you're alright." I shake my head and relax in my chair. "It did take me a bit off guard, though. I don't think I've ever seen you like that."
"Yeeeeah.." Monty averts his gaze a bit. "Fred says I get a little too worked up 'bout that kinda stuff.."
"I find it admirable you care so much." I shrug. "Maybe it was a little excessive, but still, I don't think you did anything wrong."
Monty scratches his head.
"I shouldn'ta started accusin' Roxy, is the part I feel the worst about. I know the two of ya' didn't always get along, but I shouldn'ta started thinkin' she did somethin' that bad.."
My heart pangs just a bit. Monty felt so bad he accused someone close to the both of us that he came to apologize for making such an outlandish and nonsensical claim.. I want to tell him he has no reason to feel bad, but that would mean explaining that he was one-hundred percent correct in thinking what he did.
"It's alright. With what you knew at the time, it made sense." I snicker to lighten the mood. "And I won't tell Roxy if you don't."
Monty laughs.
"Tell ya what, actually. I was thinkin' of tellin' her 'bout the talk we had in a bit. Feels wrong that I said mean things 'bout her behind her back, and still doesn't know 'bout it."
I.. Cannot let that happen..
"..Then how about talk to her some other time? For the next few days lets just let everyone calm down, alright?"
"Y'think that's a good idea?" Monty acknowledges, rubbing his chin.
"Yeah. And here." I grab another controller off my desk and toss it to Monty, picking up my own in the process. "I need help with this guy, and now I don't need to come find you."
The controller plops softly in his lap, he wastes no time lighting up and scooting into position.
"Aww, 'course! Which guy is it?"
"The one down here."
I unpause the game and the two of us get the multiplayer situated before moving on.
...
"Mike gettem."
Sigh.
1:20 PM
I think the gang just got finished performing. I've already done what I came here early to do tonight, so I might as well go bug someone.
...
Or maybe I could get a little more sleep before I start work tonight. There's still an entire day before my shift begins, and god knows I could use the sleep.
...
Welp, just spotted Roxanne reemerge from wherever she runs off to after performance. A couple children have already started to surround her. Well I can't possibly just ignore this and go home now.
I inconspicuously traverse near the wall, trying to stay out of her sight as I approach. Before long, the children's comments to her are audible.
"That thing's awesome! You're awesome!" One of the boys cheers, referring to both her and her keytar.
"I know, thank you. Takes a lot of practice to get as good as me." The wolf proudly responds to the praise.
"You're my favorite!"
" 'Course I am. It's hard work being the best, you know." Roxy explains, writing the boy a signature that he didn't ask for on a piece of paper.
I can't stop myself from smirking. I bet she wouldn't be 'little miss ego' if she knew I was 20 feet away.
"Can I see your tail!?"
Roxanne reflexively swishes her tail in the opposite direction.
"No touchin'." She pokes the kid playfully. "Grow your own tail, then you'll know how hard it is to keep greasy little hands off of it."
The boy giggles.
"Roxy! Roxy can I hold your-!"
"That's 'Roxanne' to you, little man."
"Aww, but Chica calls you Roxy!"
"That's because you can't teach that little bird anything, but you can call me Roxy if you promise not to tell anyone."
The kid fist-pumps and hops in excitement.
"My auntie's name is Roxa! Can I call you that too?"
"Don't push your luck, little man."
"What about Fae?" Roxanne jumps a full foot in the air and whips around to see me standing behind her. "I've heard that's a good one."
The kids around wolf are too excited to really care who just spoke, so they continue to hop around and look up at the wolf.
Roxy, however, stares agape at me for a couple seconds before remembering that she's surrounded by fans and needs to uphold her reputation.
"Mike! No you can't call me-..! W-what are you doing here!?"
Despite how much I desperately want to continue messing with her, Roxanne does have a job to do, so I settle for a shit-eating grin and wave, then waltz off from whence I came. Ignoring the now crimson wolf's babbling after me.
That oughta give her something to think about for the rest of the day.
11:00 PM
The chicken-guard duo and I got the opportunity to sneak into the kitchen as the staff were finishing cleaning things up.
Trudge is standing proud in front of a sizzling pan, doing his best to demonstrate how to cook his 'world-famous' eggs. The man is also the one who called me over with them, suggesting that they needed me for a reason.
If they do, I have yet to see it. I've just been sitting on a nearby stool while Chica emphatically cheers for Trudge's cooking.
"Chica!" Trudge loudly calls out to the chicken right next to him.
"Yes!" Chica responds by standing up straight and saluting like a soldier awaiting an order.
"Cheese!"
"Yes!"
She runs out of the room in search for cheese.
...
I hesitantly take the cheese that was on the counter right next to me and delicately hand it over to Trudge.
"Good, Mike!"
"Where did Chica just go?"
"Dunno!"
"Alright.."
"Mike you're gonna lose your MIND when you taste these bad boys." Trudge raises the pan worryingly close to his face to smell the eggs.
"You're awfully confident."
"Damn right!"
"Who taught you to make eggs?"
"Youtube."
"Fair enough."
I watch Trudge toss the pan around a bit longer.
...
"Mike!"
"Yep?"
"What now?"
"..What?"
"Are the eggs done, you think?" Trudge now raises the pan worryingly close to MY face.
"I'm not-.. I thought you said you watched a video on how to make them?"
"I forgot to watch the rest of it."
"..How long ago did you watc-"
"Like an hour. But their eggs looked really good. I just gotta do what they did."
That's.. True, I suppose.. You should finish the damn video, though.
I peer over his shoulder.
...
"They're almost done." I note out loud.
"How almost?"
"A couple minutes. Keep stirring, though. Some of the cheese hasn't mixed all the way."
"Got it."
...
Chica barges into the room.
"Are the eggs almost done?" She asks without hesitation.
"Yep!"
Unsurprisingly, she seems to have forgotten about the whole 'cheese' thing.
...
"Done!"
I didn't say they were done-
Shockingly quick, there's a plate in my hands filled with at least 6 eggs. The other two seem to have the same amount on their plates. I hope to god Trudge brought his own eggs.
"Eat!" Trudge commands, and the two of them immediately start digging in.
..It's like they live 30 over the speed limit at all times.
Welp.
- clink -
The fork makes a soft dink as it collides with my bottom teeth.
...
I've certainly had better eggs before, but y'know what? I've also had significantly worse.
The other two are devouring their meal with expressions that suggest it's the best food they've ever tasted. I look down at my plate.
I guess it's 'cause it's homemade. Food tastes better when you're the one who made it, and Chica's lived with pizza for most of her time here.
Whatever the reason, it's endearing to see those two enjoy themselves so much.
...
- clink -
The second bite tasted considerably better.
As we all get our fill, we start to slow our pace, occasionally chatting while we eat. Mostly between the two of them. No qualms there.
...
"Oh, Mike!" Chica calls from a counter across from me.
Still chewing, I look at her to indicate I'm listening.
"Monty was scary!"
...Oh, right. Chica and I have talked plenty since that night, but now that I think about it, I never told her about what happened.
"Monty was just concerned for me. I told him there was nothing to worry about."
"Whuh happen' with Monty?" Trudge asks through a mouthful.
"He got concerned over how I injured my arm, and broke his usually cheery character when doing so. Big guy can be intimidating when he's not constantly reminding you how harmless he is."
"Mm."
"Ooh, but you were scary too!"
..Me?
"I was?"
"Yeah! But like, scary-cool!"
"I'm sorry. Didn't mean to scare you."
"Nonono, it's okay! I just meant when he like, uh..!"
Chica struggles to figure out what she wants to say. Both Trudge and I are reasonably curious as to what she could possibly talking about.
"Like.. Like when he looked at you with scary eyes, and you looked at him back with even scarier eyes!"
Huh..?
The best response I'm able to give is a blank stare. I don't remember looking at him with 'scary eyes'. I just looked at him.
"Mmph- hold on!"
Chica delicately sets her plate on the counter next to her, and she runs off again.
Trudge and I look at each other. He asks a couple basic questions like what night it was and when it happened, but before I can elaborate any further Chica runs back in with a paper in her hands.
"Look! I drew it!"
Raising my eyebrows at the thought that something I did was worth drawing, I take a long look at the picture she's holding in front of me.
Chica's gotten better at drawing. The picture isn't a masterpiece, but it's solid work done with a pencil compared to the crude drawing she showed me forever ago.
More importantly, of course, is the drawing itself. It's an outline of Monty towering over me, staring daggers into my soul. I'm considerably shorter, but Chica drew me staring the daggers right back up to the gator. The closest thing I can compare it too is like that Dragon Ball scene where Goku is having a stare down with Frieza. Remember those days?
"...You think that's what I looked li?"
"Wooooah!" Trudge's exclamation interrupted. He snags the paper from Chica's hands and looks up at it in awe. "You drew this!?"
"Mhm!"
"That's friggen cool! It's like a poster!"
"T-Thank you!" Chica sheepishly responds to the praise.
Trudge continues to hold the drawing up to the light, and Chica keeps explaining what she did to make the art work.
I lower my gaze to the floor in front of me.
Is that what I looked like? I mean, it was definitely exaggerated a bit, Monty wasn't about to fight me or anything..
I guess that moment was the first time in quite a while where I got truly focused on 'competing' with someone, for the lack of a better word.
...Maybe that's why Monty came to apologize a while back? I found it strange he came to say sorry again, since he had already apologized the day it happened. Monty's big and tough, but he's an even bigger softy at heart. Maybe I did accidentally glare, and he thought I was upset at him.
Oh well. Everything's alright now, I hope.
...That was a pretty cool drawing... I wonder if Trudge has been teaching Chica to draw.
2:00 AM
Rockstar Row is once again void of any life. Perfect for the dead to relax for a while and get some work done on one's laptop.
I've been trying to decide whether or not I should leave in the names of the children that died by William's hands. It's not really a necessary detail, so I can definitely work around ever putting their names in. If the parents of the children are still around, their names might be a sensitive issue if I want this 'book' to be published. On the other hand, just about everyone else who's ever been interested in the rumors around Freddy Fazbear's would much rather I use their real names, for the sake of legitimacy.
...I really shouldn't publish this anyway... If I was killed and stuck inside a horror contraption for years, I'm not sure how much I'd like someone writing a story about it and then labeling it as 'fictional'.
Well. I'll keep writing, and decide that later. I'm doing this to keep myself sane after all.
Perhaps showing just a couple close friends wouldn't hur-
- AAHhfucking-! -
..What the hell was that?
It was like a scream, but the length resembled more of a yelp. Whatever it was, it was 'loud'.
I'm pretty sure it came from Roxy's room, but I'm still not really sure what to do. It didn't sound like she was in trouble, just surprised.
...
A few seconds later and Freddy pokes his head out his door and looks around. He must've heard the scream too. Our gazes meet and we simultaneously shrug.
Should I go see if she needs help? Will she say something if she needs h-?
Oop.
Roxy's door slides open and her head pokes out of her room. Thankfully she doesn't appear troubled, but annoyed.
"Mike."
"..Uh-huh?"
"Come here."
"Why?"
She disappears into her door frame.
Freddy and I lock eyes again. Then he zips back into his room. As I'm rising from my spot, my Faz-Watch vibrates.
-.-.-
Freddy: What did you do?
Michael: I have no idea.
Freddy: Did you upset her?
Michael: Probably.
Freddy: Did you hear that sound?
Michael: Yeah. I think she's the one who made it.
Freddy: Oh my.
Michael: Wish me luck.
-.-.-
"Mike, get in here!" Roxy's voice penetrates my concentration.
I did my best to act as casual as possible when I entered. A few steps in and I'm a couple feet from Roxy, who's got her arms crossed and is looking at me with discontent.
"Hello?"
...
She doesn't answer, only continues to look down at me with a hint of expectation.
I have.. no idea what she wants me to do... Am I in trouble?
For the time being, staring back up at her is the only thing I'm convinced I should do.
...
What made her scream like that? It must have something to do with why I'm here now, right?
...
Wow, it.. It smells in here..
Breaking from the staring contest we had going on, I try to identify multiple things. Firstly, why she's mad at me, and secondly, where that smell's coming from.
Maybe they're one and the same. Did a sewage pipe break somewhere near here? Does she expect me to fix it?
Nah, it's not that kind of smell.. And it's strongest near her desk, where having a sewage pipe would make absolutely no sense.
Why around her desk? Is there something in that drawe-..
...
Did I remember to..?
...
I walk to her drawer to confirm, though I'm already almost positive of my conclusion.
...
Yep, that's.. That's my old arm alright.. Still wrapped in bandage and everything.. There's even a small tear where Roxanne must've opened it up to see what was inside.
I turn over my shoulder to look at Rox.
"...Sorry."
She decides to start talking.
"Mike, that's disgusting!"
"I know! I'm sorry. Must've forgot about it in the heat of the moment.."
"Why in my drawer!?"
"It didn't seem like a good idea to leave it laying around in the open when you woke up."
Roxanne glares at me a while longer, but her expression soon begins to soften. She probably expected sass or rebuttal, but I really don't have an excuse for this.
"..Whatever, just get it out of here. It's gonna take forever to get the smell of your.." She fails to ever finish the sentence.
I nod and grab what looks like the wrist. Not entirely sure what I plan to do with this thing, but if someone's ever rooting through the trash and finds a human arm, I at least have some good excuses to why it's there.
Well, even if I wanted to try stapling this thing back on, it's a bit late now.. It's only been a few nights, and it's clear the arm has started to rot pretty bad. I'm glad Roxy found it when she did, who knows what this thing would be like in a week from now.
I lift the arm from the drawer, and immediately notice some blood flush from Roxy's face upon doing so.
"Sorry, it 'is' pretty gross.."
"No, it's fine, it's just.."
I turn to listen, but keep the arm most of the way obscured by my body.
"..Sigh. Mike, just.. How?"
"How what?"
She grumbles like I asked a difficult question.
"I don't know, how the hell are you still 'anything'?"
"I'm.. Not sure how to answer."
"How are you still alive, Mike?"
...Huh. Seems a bit late to be asking a question like this.
"Got lucky. Didn't lose enough blood to die, I guess."
"I know, but fuckin'.. I just don't get it."
Getting the sense this conversation might last longer than another second or two, I lean back and support my weight with her desk.
"What don't you get?"
Roxanne also takes a couple steps back and sits on the edge of her bed.
"Mike, tell me the truth, alright?"
"..Alright."
"Did you go to the hospital?"
This conversation might end up being more uncomfortable for me than it is for her..
"...I did not."
"Did you get help after I was knocked out?"
"I didn't."
"What did you do while I was knocked out?"
"..You mean before or after I took you back to-"
"Everything. Make it short, but tell me everything."
"Alright.." I take a moment to recall everything that happened, then summarize it to the best of my ability without leaving out key details. "After you hit your head I went to check on you, then took you back to your room. After that, I looked at and took care of my arm with the emergency med kit behind your room. Once my arm was bandaged, I made sure you were alright, and tried to clean some of the blood off of you."
"Ugh- Do you see why that makes no sense?" Roxy asks through her frustration.
"What doesn't?"
"You took care of me more than you took care of yourself, Mike! All I did was hit my head, and you shrugged off losing an entire frickin' arm to make sure I was okay!"
"..I suppose so."
"My head was killing me when I woke up. The entire time I was talking to you I felt like my head was splitting open. If it wasn't for you being there, I would have gone looking for medical attention, but you..!" Roxy pauses to sigh and calm herself down. "You lost your 'arm', and it looked like you didn't even 'notice'."
"..."
"How is that even possible, Mike?"
"..."
"Answer me!"
"I don't know."
"You're lying!" Roxanne jumps to standing.
I'm not really sure what to do other than grimace and hope she lets me off easy.
"If it was just one thing, then.. Then whatever! But it isn't!" She starts counting off her fingers. "You're purple, you're constantly ice cold, you shrug off fatal injuries like they're nothing! It's just-!.."
"Rox, it's alright. Take a breath."
"You just-!"
"Just one deep breath, please."
The wolf glares at me upon being treated like a child, but after a couple seconds, she closes her eyes and breathes like I asked her too.
Thankfully, it seems successful in calming her down. She reopens her eyes and sits back on her bed.
"Fine.. Sorry for getting worked up, but Mike.. I need the truth from you just this once, alright?"
Despite every ounce of my body screaming at me to do otherwise, I nod.
"Alright."
"Do you know why you're so.. Damn.. Weird? Is there a reason behind these things?"
...
"Yeah."
Despite just making me promise, her eyebrows raise slightly upon hearing my genuine answer.
"Okay.. Then what is it?"
..If I were to tell her, then just about everything I've ever been trying to keep to myself would have to be let go. Roxy would never be content with just a single answer, I'd have to explain everything. Something I just.. Cannot do.
But I also promised I wouldn't lie to her this time. Whatever comes out of my mouth, I have to mean it with all my soul.
So I'll give her the only answer I can.
...
"I can't tell you."
...
"What?"
"I'm sorry, but I can't tell you."
Something in me feels changed. I might not have told her any secrets, but.. By saying this, I've proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that there is a secret that exists. That's more than I've told anyone, ever.
"..Mike, What is that supposed to mean..?"
Roxy picks up quick. The frustration in her voice is replaced by concern and confusion.
"It's a secret. Something I can't tell you."
A few seconds pass of Roxanne trying to comprehend what I mean.
"What do you mean you can't tell me?" Her usual confidence wanes for a moment. "It's something you can't trust me with?"
"It's not about trust."
...
"Wh-.. But we're friends, right?"
"We're friends."
"Are we not good enough friends?"
"That's not it, Rox. You know it isn't."
"Well then..! Why can't you tell me?"
"It's just a secret. Something I don't want getting out."
"Mike, I wouldn't tell anyone. You 'know' I wouldn't tell anyone!"
"I'm.. It's hard to explain, but that's still not really what I'm trying to avoid."
"Who's someone you trust enough to tell, then!?" Roxanne stands up again.
"What?"
"If you can't tell me, then who's good enough friends with you that you 'can' tell them?"
...That's..Not what this is about, right?
"Roxanne."
"What!?"
"You're my best friend."
"Wh-!?" As expected, this takes her aback.
"I'm not keeping it a secret from you because I don't trust you. I trust you more than anyone else. It's just that.. I can't. I can't let anyone know. It's something I refuse to let anyone else get involved with, I guess."
Roxanne stares blankly at me for a couple moments before shaking her head to snap out of it.
"Well, that's not-.. That's still not fair! You get yourself involved in my shit!"
"It's a different kind of problem. One that's already dealt with for as long as I keep my mouth shut, y'know?"
"No, I don't know!"
"Perfect."
I get an exasperated groan in response to my attempted humor.
...
The two of us continue to watch each other. Roxanne's deciding on what to do, and I'm waiting on her to decide.
"..Ugh.."
The energy drains from her limbs, and she once again plops down on her bed. She falls all the way down this time, though. Letting her back collide with the mattress, and bringing her hands to cover her face. Seems like I exhausted her.
"Sorry. I know it's not fun having a secret kept from you."
"It isn't. Especially one as fuckin' weird as why you're purple and immortal."
That one gets a chuckle out of me.
"I'm not immortal. I just don't feel pain as bad."
"Yeah, and can survive getting a limb ripped off without any medical attention."
It's hard to take Roxy's words seriously when they're muffled by her hands.
"That one might truly be luck. I didn't know I could survive something like that until it happened either."
She groans.
"Is that supposed to make me feel better?"
I snicker.
"Not really, but at least I'm still here."
"Yippee."
...
"Don't tell anyone else I have a secret."
"Fine."
"Thanks."
...
"You're my best friend, too." Roxy mutters through her hands.
Did she really just admit that to me?
"Thanks." Is all I respond with.
...
Her face is slowly turning red again. Think she mighta said that without thinking first.
"Shut up, Mike."
...
She's turning into a tomato over there..
"Shut up, Mike!"
"I didn't say anything!"