NOTES
I have an interesting confession to make.
But first, hey. Sorry for the delay, this chapter was difficult to write, which paired poorly for how long it ended up being. This is Freddy's chapter, so I had a lot of Freddy to write, who's one of the more difficult characters to write. I don't mean to say he gets written poorly, I just mean it takes me longer to write him well, which resulted in this chapter taking quite a while. Thanks for the patience!
Anyway, here's something juicy for you. A rat's confession:
A long, loooong time ago, around when I was writing chapter 4, I noticed I was making a painfully obvious mistake.. At the time, the fic was still so short and 'whatever' that I thought it'd be funny if I just kept playing along and intentionally keep making that mistake until someone finally called me out on it.
No one ever did.
I'm 100% positive that at least some people have noticed the mistake, though. For instance, there's someone I've been chatting over PM's with who's been making the mistake as well, and I feel like that has to mean he's noticed and just hasn't said anything. While I thought that was absolutely hilarious, as this fic went on, deliberately continuing to make such a stupid and obvious mistake started to get really painful to do. So, think I'mma put a lid on it now.
This obscure-ass 'mistake' I'm referring too has been present in every single chapter, usually more than once. In fact, the chapters themselves aren't the only place I've visibly made this mistake.
I'm gonna save saying what it was until next chapter, just so I can give some of you the satisfaction of finally pointing this mistake out to me, or point it out to those who haven't seen it yet ;P
For those who haven't noticed the mistake yet, here's a tiny hint: I've fixed it in this chapter, and will no longer continue to make it for future chapters.
But, for those who do know what it is: Next chapter I'm gonna talk about it s'more, and after chapter 40, I'm gonna go back through the entire story and fix every single instance of the mistake in the whole fic.
I've already talked about it with a couple of you through Reddit or Discord, btw. But as of yet, I've still had no one reach out to me about it, so if you've been agonizingly keeping yourself from calling me out, now's your time to shine :D
ANWAY
Freddy's chapter.
A portion of the chapter near the end hasn't gone through a round of editing like I usually prefer to do, but I might do that in the future. So there's a heads up.
Sorry for the wait; making a deadline for myself was the worst mistake I could have ever made. Whoops.
Alright.
{32,474}
Enjoy.
- Freddy Fazbear -
(There's a spider on my ceiling. I cannot reach my ceiling.)
-.-.-
...
Hmm..
Trudge just sent me an article on the wolf Roxanne's based on. I bet I can squeeze an hour of entertainment out of this.. How fortunate that I just so happening to be heading to her place as we speak.
...
- Pshh -
"Hey, Trudge just-"
- Clack -
-woah.
As soon as the door to Roxanne's room opens, an expensive-sounding clack reverberates off the walls.
Understandably curious, I quickly lift my gaze from my phone and transfix on the wolf, who's sitting on her bed with my laptop in her lap and staring straight forward like she's just been hit by a flashbang.
...
...
..?
"..You alright..? What was that?"
...
..Another few seconds pass, and Rox only manages to respond by side-eyeing me in the doorway, like I'm doing something wrong by continuing to exist.
Soon after, curiosity draws my attention to the device sitting in her lap.
...
"..Was that the computer?"
"What are you doing here?" She asks, as if she doesn't drag me in here at every opportunity.
"Was that noise the laptop slapping shut?"
...
...
...
"Give me that thing." I respond to the guilty silence, sliding my phone back into my pocket and inviting myself in to make my way towards her bed.
"No." Roxy immediately refuses, finally turning her head to face me.
"Why?"
"I'm using it."
"What are you doing with it?"
"Nothing."
What a contradiction you managed to conjure out of just four words alone.
"Rox."
"Get out of here."
...
I reach her bedside and continue to stare down at her; trying not to let it show that I'm already thoroughly enjoying this interaction.
...
"What were you doing on the computer?"
"Nothing. What do you want?" Wolfie bites, gently placing the laptop on the portion of the bed behind her and crossing her arms.
"My laptop."
"Why? No, you can wait; I was using it first."
"Yes- I know, that's the problem." I begin, lifting a finger towards the computer in question. "I don't want to use it, I want to see what you were doing."
"Why?"
"Roxanne."
"What?"
Despite my best efforts, a chuckle escapes my breath while I cross my arms.
"..Playing dumb isn't usually your kind of thing." I remark, deciding to pull a role-reversal and bend down to her face level. "That's a 'me' thing, in fact. I'm better at it."
"Get the fuck away from me." Roxy responds harshly, though makes zero effort to move away.
"Give me the computer."
"No."
"Tell me why."
"Also 'no'."
"Rox."
"Stop."
"I'll be assuming the worst if you don't at least hint at what it was."
"Get out of my room."
"Give me my computer."
"Get out of 'my' room..!"
"Give me 'my' computer."
"It's not your computer, corpse..!"
"..Rox- Yes it is. What are you talking about?" I ask semi-rhetorically.
" 'I' use it more than you." Roxanne argues with notably less volume, presumably on account of knowing she doesn't have a case.
"So?"
"I use it more..!"
" 'I' bought it, Rox- I use it for work."
"No you don't, you have games on it."
"It's still what I need to use in case Coop or Arin sends me something important."
"Yeah? When's the last time something like that happened, corpse?"
..I silently mutter something about 'not since Cooper lost it' to myself, before standing upright again.
"It doesn't matter if it happens often or not. If it has a chance of happening at all, I need the laptop to take care of it."
"I still use it way more than you..!"
"You use it for fun."
"No I don't."
"Then show me what you're doing right now."
"No, Mike..!"
"Why?"
"Shut u-!"
"Look- I paid for it." I remind her, sounding like a parent.
"Fuck you- that's not fair."
"How is that not fair? I worked, made the money, and bought it with the money I worked for. Buy your own damn laptop."
"I can't buy my own lapt- Mike, I don't make money!"
"That sucks. Give me my computer."
"It's our laptop."
"It is not 'our'-, Rox.." I huff.
- Brr -
"That's fair..! Because I use it m-"
"Rox- I don't care how much you use it, it is my property in every sense of the word." I interrupt, sliding my phone out of my pocket. "I 'let' you use the damn thing, which is a risk in-and-of itself."
"That should mean I get to use it without you on my ass all the time, then..!"
"I'm not on your ass 'all the time'. Just right now, because you slammed that thing closed the instant I walked in the door."
"I get to use it privately..!" Rox huffs back at me, exasperating herself just as much as she's exasperating me.
"Way to word it the worst way you possibly could have."
"Mike-, fuck! Leave me alone..!"
"I'm not leaving that thing with you, if, um.." I slowly trail off, reading the notification on my homescreen with increasing interest.
...
"Mike."
"Hold on.."
...
_._._._._._._._._
SMS (2:32 AM)
..:
Arin: Is somebody using your computer..?
_._._._._._._._._
...
I briefly glance at the wolf, who has no idea what it is I'm doing on my phone, before bringing my other hand to up my phone to type a response.
...
_._._._._._._._._
Mike: Somebody else, yeah.
Arin: Is it someone you know?
Mike: ..Well yeah; they use it frequently.. Why?
Arin: There were a few searches that seemed uncharacteristic for you, is all. I just wanted to be sure that no one is using your property without your knowledge.
Mike: I see. 'Appreciate the concern.. You can see what people search?
Arin: Yes. Sorry, I didn't mean to poke my nose in other people's business.
Mike: ..Did you put something on my computer?
Arin: No, no. No one has tampered with any of your private property, it's just a feature of the Wi-Fi we have set up in the building. I never pay any attention to what others are doing; I'm aware it's none of my business. However, the system has a feature that automatically flags searches of a certain variety. I try to ignore the notifications that appear on my phone, but what little I read of them contained a couple key words I found uncharacteristic.
_._._._._._._._._
"Wolf." I enunciate, not looking up from my phone.
"What..?!" Roxanne barks back, putting her hands on the bed and desperately pushing herself fractions of an inch closer.
"Y-.."
..My voice starts, but I quickly cut myself off for a couple of different reasons.. Firstly, I don't think I could've gotten the sentence I was planning to say out of my mouth without laughing, and secondly, I should probably make absolutely sure that I'm not just misunderstanding something before making accusations.
...
"Mike, 'what'!?"
"Just a second.."
_._._._._._._._._
Mike: What kind of words get flagged?
Arin: If someone else is using your computer, I don't wish to violate their privacy.
Mike: Are they that bad?
Arin: It's not my place to judge.
_._._._._._._._._
"Wolf!" I huff in mild disbelief, failing to hold in a small chuckle this time.
"Stop! Stop saying that-! What are you looking at?!"
_._._._._._._._._
Mike: How long have you been able to see our searches?
Arin: We're 'capable' of seeing most of anything someone might be doing, provided whatever it is requires a connection with the Wi-Fi. I believe this has been a feature ever since the internet's installation has been complete, around the final moments of the Pizzaplex's construction.
Mike: Wow.
Arin: There's no reason to be concerned, though. It's just a feature neither of us have taken the time to figure out how to turn off. We don't check your data periodically; or ever if you don't count the small snippits we read before realizing what the notification is about and dismissing it. I highly doubt either of us have looked at your searches a single time before tonight.
Mike: 'We'?
Arin: Cooper, as the CEO, also has that level of authority.
_._._._._._._._._
- Brr -
Oh boy.
_._._._._._._._._
SMS (2:34 AM)
..:
Cooper: Nice
_._._._._._._._._
F-!
"Roxanne Wolf- Give me that thing!"
Roxanne's quick to extend an arm and plant a hand firmly on my chest as I approach, perturbing my attempt at reaching behind her to grab the laptop.
"No! What the fuck is wrong with you?!"
Trying to maintain some level of seriousness, I snuff another chuckle rising in my throat.
"Coop thinks it's me. Give me the damn laptop so I can see what-"
"Stop! Mike!"
"Rox."
"What the fuck does that mean..?! Cooper thinks what is you?"
"Whatever the hell you're looking up."
"What?"
"They can see what you're searching since my laptop's connected to the building's Wi-fi."
...
That's an expression I haven't seen from the wolf before.
"N-... No- no! Still 'no'! You can have the stupid computer if you give me ten seconds to-!"
"You know whatever you're going to close is the only thing I want to see."
"It's not!"
"You're either giving me the laptop or explaining to Cooper yourself that you are the one who's been searching around on my computer."
"Mike, stop!"
"I'm taking the damn la-"
"No, you are not! Y-... Mike, no- you still have to do what I say for a day! Remember?!"
"Uh-huh." I reply with a suffocating amount of sarcasm, extending my arm to reach over her again.
"You do! You said!" Wolfie replies in a brief panic, flailing to catch my arm.
"I sure did. Give me th-"
"Mike, you said!"
"Rox, I didn-"
"You 'SAID'!"
"Jesus christ- I 'said' what?" I begrudgingly retract my arm and look down at the wolf like the child she's being.
"Y... Fucking-..! Because Monty jumped in the pile, or whatever..! Now you have to listen to me..!" Roxanne desperately stutters out, still holding my arm above her head in case I try reaching for the computer again
"I said 'Monty jumped in the pile or-'?"
"No, moron! You said you'd do what I say for a day if someone fucked up the pile..!"
I only continue to look at Roxanne with the blankest of stares; finally deciding to humor her and wrack my brain for any mentioning of these seemingly random verbs and nouns Roxanne's spouting out at m-
Shit..!
I physically recoil an inch as the memory comes flooding back.
..Dammit- that did happen..! That was nearly two weeks ago now - I can't believe I'd happily forgotten..! I can't believe she 'hasn't'..!
"..No, Rox, wai-" I reflexively start defending without any idea of what I intend to say.
"You said..!" She interrupts, with significantly less force than last time.
Oh god..
...
..While taking a second to remind myself to think logically again, Roxanne's lack of 'oomph' in that last sentence strikes me as a bit peculiar.
..Roxanne's out of breath..
My eyebrows cock a centimeter while I watch the wolf huff 'n puff at me.
..Wow.. Can't believe a small stupid argument like this one managed to take so much of a toll on her that she's physically exhausted.. She must have really wanted to get her way this time.
...
"..You want to call upon that power now of all times..?" I ask through an inaudible nervous-laugh; deciding that I'd better shoot right into the bargaining stage if I want any hope of making it out of this on top.
"Yes..! 'Cause you won't leave me alone..!"
"Rox-, the night's already halfway over. You're really okay with only getting half a night out of this deal?"
There's a brief silence, which made me hopeful that logic had gotten to her.. But, I'm quickly met with the realization that Rox only paused to continue catching her breath for a second.
"Yes! Screw you-, you're not getting out of this..!"
...
"..You gonna be alright?"
"The hell does that mean?!"
"Last time I saw you this winded you were hunting me down in the field."
"Yes- I'm fine, you're just impossible to fucking deal with sometimes, and now y-"
"I'm impossible to deal with? That's my laptop, I have-"
"Shut up! And no it's not..! You don't get it anymore..!" Roxanne interrupts my interruption, angrily pointing down at the computer behind her.
...
"..Rox- I really need to know what's on that thing."
"You don't..!"
...
..Okay, might need to go back to trying to convince the wolf that this is a bad night for calling upon this power..
"..Look- It's already almost three in the morning, Wolf. You'd barely be getting half the value you could be."
"I said that's fine."
"All so that you don't have to show me what's on my computer?"
"Mike, stop it."
"There's still nothing stopping me from grabbing it anyway, I said I'd-.."
I cut myself off the moment I register how unlucky this situation really is.
...
..Mmmmnn.. I forgot the full deal was that I'd give Roxy the laptop if I failed to do what she says.. That was supposed to be the one part I could fall back on in case I truly found a command too extreme or unreasonable to abide by, but in this one scenario, that rule I meant to be padding for me to fall back on actually works against me.. The obvious, unspoken command she's already given me is that I'm not allowed to take the computer away from her, but if I break that rule, the laptop becomes hers, and I have no right over it anyway.
The laptop is in Roxanne's possession, and there's nothing I can do about it.. The best case scenario is that I get my computer back in three hours, when the morning comes and the 'game' ends.
...
Ughh..
"Yeah- fuck you; you lose. Now 'go'." Roxanne commands, pointing at her door.
"This doesn't seem very fair.."
"It's not supposed to be fair; it's not a game, it's a punishment."
...
..Sigh.. I guess that's reasonable..
I instinctively slide my hands in my pockets and shimmy back a step.
"..I'm telling Coop it wasn't me the moment it hits 6am.."
"Mike, I don't care what you tell him, or when. Just don't say it was me."
"Don't say what was me? How am I supposed to tell him what I didn't do something if you won't tell me what that 'something' is?" I lift my hands out of my pockets just enough to shrug with them.
"..Are you stupid..?!"
"Probably."
"Say 'I wasn't on my computer', dumbshit." Roxanne intones like I'm a toddler.
I return the 'are you stupid' gaze she's giving me, before taking four seconds to think about it and realizing that I am stupid.
..That would pretty much cover all the bases I'm most worried about, yeah..
...
"Fine.." I respond after a few seconds, already halfway through the process of taking my phone out.
"No-, not right now. Get the hell out of here."
Rox begins to physically push me in the direction of her door. An amused huff escapes my lungs as I slide the phone right back into the pocket it had just managed to emerge from.
"..I'm barely able to escape you for more than twenty minutes every day, and the moment you get any kind of power over me, you want me to leave?"
"Mike, stop it."
"Alright, alright, fine." I exhale, finally turning around and acknowledging the request.
"..And lock the door when you leave."
"Mhm." I hum, lifting my arm to brush against the lock mechanism before replaying what she just said in my head and whipping to look over my shoulder one last time. "No- Rox, please don't use my laptop f-"
"I'm not touching your stupid computer..! Jesus..!"
..My brain keeps screaming at me that she's lying and that she still intends to keep using the thing the very moment I walk out of her door, but giving her room a final once-over actually does calm my nerves a bit.. By the time I've turned around to look into the room again, Roxanne has actually taken the laptop from her bed and dismissively set it aside on the corner of her desk.
..Roxanne herself is walking the opposite direction of both me and the laptop, towards her greenroom's backdoor. Apparently she had already guessed I was gonna double back and look at her one last time, since she has her head tilted just enough for me to see her glaring at me with one eye by the time I even turned around.. Another three-second staring contest ensues while Rox waits for me to leave, while also wrangling all her hair up behind her head like she's about to ponytail it.
...
"..What 'are' you doing?"
"I'm going to take a shower, Mike. Chill the hell out already."
I continue to stare at her for a moment longer, trying to conjure up what it would look like if Roxy did decide to wear a ponytail with all that friggin' hair.
...
"..You waited this long into the night to showe-?"
"Mike, what are you still doing here?!"
"Sorry-"
"Get out."
"Going."
...
..Just finished sending Coop my excuses.. Don't know if he's even gonna care, or respond, but he obviously found whatever was being searched funny(?) enough to warrant a text message, so who knows.
...
Glancing up from my phone informs me I've only made it a total of twenty feet away from Roxanne's room, and have spent the rest of these last few minutes standing motionlessly in the middle of Rockstar Row while typing out my messages to the boss man.
...
..I guess if I need to get anything else done tonight, now would be the time to do it.. Doubt Rox is gonna be all that willing to let me wander in and out of her room once she's ready to abuse that power of hers.
There's not much that comes to mind when I try thinking of things that need to be done.. Need to do my lap around the Pizzaplex, but I can save just about everything else for later.
...
Oh-, I do need to pop my head in Freddy's room real quick. I've been wanting to check if he's made any progress with something.
...
With those two objectives set, and the knowledge that I likely wouldn't be able to cram anything else into this tiny time-frame, my feet start to carry me onward.
Freddy's room is just ahead, and already in the direction I need to be going.. So, I'll get the whole 45 seconds it'll take to ask him something out of the way before starting my rounds.
...
While I establish my pace, I look down at my phone one last time to make sure I said everything to Coop I meant to say before sliding my phone back in my pocket and focusing on these next couple of tasks.
..Confirming everything I said makes sense, I reach for the power button, but my finger stops halfway.
...
After an extra second to make sure I wasn't just misreading the lights on the LED screen, my pace slows to a halt again.
..Apparently, I have 7 other unread messages from somewhere..
...
Arin?
...
..The timestamp says he sent these messages only a few minutes after the previous ones.. I got pre-occupied with the wolf at the time, so I did kind of go radio silent for about ten or twelve minutes while I finished up my situation with her and starting texting Coop, but Arin is not the type to send any more than one message at a time.
_._._._._._._._._
SMS (2:35 AM)
..:
Arin: How did you do that?
Arin: Michael, what did you just do?
Arin: I'm sorry for insisting, but what did you say?
Arin: Are you still there?
Arin: You haven't done anything wrong, I just need to know.
Arin: I apologize for sounding desperate, but can you please tell me what you did?
Arin: Mike, please.
_._._._._._._._._
Red flag.
I stop and stand in the middle of the corridor again, rereading the texts and bringing my other hand up to hold the phone steady.
...
..I know there are a million things in these messages that scream 'problem', but one thing I can't help but notice in particular is my name.. Arin 'never' calls me Mike.. I've only ever heard him refer to anyone with their full name before.
...
I shouldn't stop to think about this right now; I'll have plenty of time to figure it all out while I respond.
_._._._._._._._._
Mike: Woah, what happened?
Arin: I'm trying to figure it out. Mike, how did you get him to say that?
Mike: Who?
Arin: Cooper.
Mike: You mean when he sent me a text..?
Arin: Yes.
Mike: All he sent me was the word 'Nice'.
Arin: What did you do to make that happen?
Mike: Nothing. I think he saw the search-notification thing on his phone like you did and found it funny. He texted me first.
Arin: Okay.
Mike: Why? Is everything okay?
Arin: I'm alright.
Mike: What's weird about Cooper sending me something..?
...
Arin: When's the last time he spoke with you?
Mike: I'm not sure.. Over a week, at least. It's been easier to come to you for things lately.. Has he been getting worse?
Arin: Cooper has not spoken to anyone in days.
Mike: ..What do you mean?
Arin: He won't respond to me anymore. Not even when talking to him verbally. I haven't seen him respond to anyone in around half a week. You're the first individual who's received any form of direct communication from him whatsoever.
_._._._._._._._._
...
...
...
..That bodes poorly..
_._._._._._._._._
Mike: ..Really? The last I saw him, Cooper wouldn't stop talking about anything to anyone. Did he randomly snap to the other end of the spectrum and stop speaking altogether one day..?
...
...
Arin: No. He won't stop.
Mike: ..?
Arin: Cooper won't stop talking, but he's never speaking to anyone.. Every time I'm able to catch up with him, he's mumbling or monologuing under is breath. I don't even know if he's sleeping anymore; because every time he lays in bed, he keeps himself awake with all the talking. I'm almost positive he's stopped going to bed at all. I can't get him to see a doctor or tell me what's wrong. I can see the bags under his eyes. His joints and movements are visibly getting stiff because he refuses to rest.
Mike: Woah.
Arin: I'm afraid of sleeping, because I'll have no idea where Cooper is when I wake up. He never stops; he's always 'doing' something or 'going' somewhere. I can't even tell what it is anymore.
Mike: Arin, we can't keep ignoring that anymore. There's a real problem there that's starting to hurt him. Call somebody, at least.
Arin: I tried. No one believes me.
Mike: What?
Arin: Everyone I call dismisses it after getting one look at him. They all say that he looks alright.
Mike: Even with him being as tired and achy as he looks?
Arin: Yes. Cooper doesn't look bothered by his condition, so they assume it's not significant.
Mike: He isn't bothered by the lack of rest..? None of the pain is making it through to his expression?
Arin: No.
Mike: Cooper doesn't look even a little upset?
Arin: No.
...
Mike: What does he look like?
Arin: I'm not sure I could describe it.
Mike: Is he just.. Forcing a neutral expression, or something?
Arin: He isn't forcing it.
Mike: So his condition really isn't bothering him?
Arin: I've never seen him look this happy in my entire life.
...
...
Mike: Oh.
...
...
Arin: I'm shutting down the Pizzaplex.
...
Mike: What?
Arin: Maybe just for a few days, I don't know.. As long as it takes for 'this' to stop.. Cooper can't take care of the Pizzaplex anymore, and I can't afford to focus any of my efforts towards anything other than bringing him back.
Mike: Wait, wait, what? When? Tonight?
...
...
Arin: No. We'll finish off the week.
Mike: It's Friday.
Arin: We'll wait until Sunday.
Mike: That's-.. What about the animatronics?
Arin: They already know.
Mike: What?
Arin: Freddy already knows, at least. If he hasn't told the rest of the crew, I'll do so shortly.
Mike: You told Freddy what's been happening..?
Arin: I only told him we were closing for a while. I don't know what Freddy would make of Cooper's situation.
...
Mike: Okay..
Arin: I'm sorry for informing you so late. I can compensate any amount you need to stay afloat while the Pizzaplex is shut down.
Mike: No that's alright, I've got plenty; I was just taken a bit off guard. I've got no issue with shutting down.
Arin: I'll find a way to bring him back.
...
Mike: Keep me posted on how that's going, then. Want to know if the worst ever happens.
Arin: It won't.
Mike: ..Right, sorry. Just in case, I guess.
Arin: I'll figure it out.
...
Mike: Hey. Maybe we can figure something out from Cooper texting me earlier. If he broke out of his trance to send that message, then maybe we can build off of that.
Arin: I'll look into it.
_._._._._._._._._
...
..I can't really help in that area if I don't know what the search Cooper found funny even was..
...
..I really hate to ask this again, but this time it's for a completely different reason..:
_._._._._._._._._
...
Mike: I know you don't want to breach the computer-person's privacy, but can you give me a hint towards what it was about the search Cooper might have found interesting?
Arin: I'm looking at the logs as we speak; one moment.
...
Arin: ..Was it one of the animatronics using your computer?
Mike: Yeah, actually.
Arin: That makes a bit more sense, thank you.
...
Mike: ..Sorry for being so blunt, but if the Wi-Fi automatically flags specific content, I'm led to believe that means it's a parental feature designed to discourage children from searching up sexual content. Was the search something that got flagged because it tripped that feature..?
Arin: Somewhat.
Mike: Most people would find that to be a 'yes' or 'no' kind of question.
...
Arin: I guess the answer would be 'yes', then. But I don't believe it was intentional.
Mike: How so?
Arin: All the searches that occurred around the same time a search got flagged took place all have similar terminology. When the flagging happened, a certain word was altered a bit, and it changed that word into one that can very easily be misinterpreted as a common 'slang' for a specific type of explicit content.
_._._._._._._._._
...
After a few seconds of staring at the message on my screen, what Arin said a few moments ago suddenly clicks with what we're talking about right now.
_._._._._._._._._
Mike: Oh-, I see why you thought it was one of the animatronics, then.. I doubt any of the gang know the 'slangs' for that kind of thing, so it's easy to think that they might have put it in by mistake.
Arin: Given the term, I imagined it was a mistake only they could make.
Mike: Clever.
Arin: If you say so.
...
Mike: I'm already planning on dropping by Freddy's room here in a little. I'll ask if he's told the rest of the gang about the closing while I'm at it.
Arin: Thank you. I'll inform everyone else if Freddy's forgotten.
Mike: I can tell the rest of the animatronics if he has. The day crew's up to you, though.
Arin: Understood.
...
...
Mike: I'll help, Arin. We'll power through these last couple days until we close, then we can focus all our effort on Cooper. Try to relax the best you can until that point.
Arin: I'll bring him back.
Mike: We'll figure it out.
Arin: I will bring him back.
_._._._._._._._._
...
...
...
I slide my back into my pocket, staring forward into the corridor at nothing in particular.
...
..What was only supposed to be a deep breath turns into a sigh somewhere before reaching my vocal cords..
It feels like there's a lot to go over there, but what else is there to say..?
...
...
..I'm still low on time..
I turn over my shoulder and glance at Roxanne's door only half a corridor away.
..That took more time than I hoped.. Can't sit here and worry about this right now..
...
Time to talk to Freddy, I guess.
...
...
..I don't think he heard me come in..
...
I silently carry myself a few more steps into the room, but keep my distance from the bear sitting at his desk.
..For a second, I thought he was sleeping.. Actually, I'm still not entirely sure.. The lights were only at half-power when I came in and found Freddy laying on his desk with his head in his arms. It's the same position you'd see a teenager sleeping on his desk in class, but Freddy doesn't seem like the type to accidentally fall into a power-snooze.. He usually likes to have the lights like this when he's tinkering so he can use his desk-lamp more effectively, so I doubt he dimmed the lights for the sake of sleeping either.
...
...
..His breathing is off..
It's not irregular, but I can see Fred's chest swell at a rate that seems just a little too quick for someone who's unconscious.
..But if Freddy is awake, that makes the fact that he didn't hear me coming in all the more peculiar.
...
...
"Freddy."
"Michael! Y-..!" Like clockwork, Freddy shoots his head from his desk and flails around for a second before setting himself up in (what he believes to be) a casual sitting position. "Good heavens..! Forgive me- I didn't hear you come in..!"
The bear takes the next several seconds to shoot me an unconvincing apologetic grin while haphazardly attempting to straighten his bow-tie with far more energy than necessary. All I can think to do in the mean time is return a curious stare from the other end of the room and hope an answer materializes in front of me by the time Freddy initiates a real conversation.
...
..However, Freddy appears unable to think of what to say either.
...
I've never stumbled into Freddy like this before.. If he didn't hear me come in, then he must have been seriously deep in thought about something. And if his head was on his desk, then that leads me to believe that whatever he was thinking about holds quite a bit of weight..
...
"..Hey. I wanted to see how you were coming along with.. the.." I lift a finger towards the desk behind him, but quietly cut myself off as I come to terms with the fact that this really isn't what we should be talking about.
"You wanted to view my progress on the endoskeletons." Freddy quietly finishes for me, uncharacteristically letting his gaze drop a bit to avoid eye contact.
...
"Did something happen..?" I ask, letting my hand fall back to my side.
"I have made-.." he begins, swiveling his chair and turning over his shoulder to look back at his desk. "..No, I apologize. I have made very little progress in researching them."
...
I want to interrupt and tell him that's not what I'm referring to, but Freddy isn't one to ignore an elephant in the room.. If he's still talking about this, then it must have some relation with the state he was in when I walked in here.
"..Why's that?"
"It's been difficult."
"Struggling to find anything?"
"No, not entirely, but I've-.." Freddy trails off again, pausing for a few seconds before spinning back around to face me.
...
"..Have you found anything?"
"I have not.."
..He hasn't found anything, but he also hasn't been 'struggling to find anything'.. What could that mean?
...
...
"Has something been in the way of your research?"
"No, no, nothing has been in between me and my work.." He dismisses, shaking his head and raising his hands to reassure me. "..Forgive me-, I'm finding it difficult to explain.."
"That's alright.. Have you been too busy?"
Of course, I don't actually care whether he's made any progress or not. I'm only continuing to prod Freddy for an answer because it seems to have something to do with his behavior.
..Still, Fred only again shakes his head and stares at the floor; trying to think of a way to explain whatever the issue is.
...
I slide my hands in my pockets; hoping that this game of 20 questions will eventually lead us to a conclusive answer.
...
"..Have you been unable to focus?"
Oh.
That was just another random guess like the previous questions, but as soon as the words leave my mouth, things start to connect.
...
"..It has been difficult to remain on task, I suppose, b-"
"Is it a more worrisome issue that's been distracting you?" I interrupt, only needing a 'yes' or 'no' answer beyond this point.
Freddy glances up at me, seemingly both understanding and apprehensive that I'm putting it together before he has a chance to decide what he wants to say.
...
...
"It's because there's no one coming to the Pizzaplex anymore." I quietly affirm, already plenty positive about my answer.
...
Freddy takes a painfully slow breath, before leaning back in his chair with his hands in his lap.
...
"I've heard we will be shutting down." He comments, apparently ready to move this conversation onward.
"Yeah. For a little while."
"I'm not mistaken in thinking that this is related to our guests count, am I?"
..I suppose.. I have to take a second and remind myself of how this all connects.
The guest count is declining because of the recent breakthroughs in the investigation Cooper instigated. The reason we're shutting down is because Arin simply can't divide his efforts between the Pizzaplex and Cooper anymore.. While those are two entirely separate reasons, they both stem from Cooper himself, and his decision to try getting the police to investigate the old Freddy's pizzeria one last time.
...
"It's correlated, at least."
"Then I need to do something." Freddy concludes, gaze lowering while he starts to think again. "..I need to get them to come back. They need to see the Pizzaplex for what it is, and dissociate this place from the history behind us."
...
"..Fred, what makes you think there's anything you can do at all?" I begin, lifting my hands from their pockets but leaving them at my side.
"I'm sorry?"
"What if the reason they're leaving isn't something you can fix?"
...
"Then perhaps I can overpower it."
"..What do you mean?"
Freddy remains silent for a few more seconds, before pushing off his knees to standing. A small gleam of resolve shines dimly in his eyes.
"There must be a reason our visitors are deciding not to return.. If I cannot determine that reason, or cannot do anything to remedy it, then the only option left is to create a reason to visit our location that's stronger than the reason to stay away."
Mmn.. The reasoning's fair, but I'm afraid that reason to 'stay away' has been years in the making..
...
"..What if their reason to stay away is insurmountable? Like, something too big for us to challenge?" I input, sounding about as pessimistic as someone possibly could.
"We do not know that."
"..What?"
"Maybe that reason is too much for me to combat, but we do not know that for sure."
...
...
"What if I do?"
...
...
"I still have to try.." Freddy exhales.
"Why?"
"Because I do not know what will happen if I don't."
"You don't know what will happen if you do, either."
"I do know that I will regret not-trying; I have regret things like that before. But I have never regret doing everything I could, even if I failed."
"You've never regret putting in so much effort for nothing before?" I respond with a light huff.
"Trying and failing means you were incapable of accomplishing a task. Quitting and failing means you chose not to. I would rather live my life knowing that 'I couldn't' rather than 'I didn't'."
...
Mm..
...
"..What outcome are you looking for?" I ask, forfeiting that previous train of thought.
"I want Freddy's to be remembered fondly, Michael." The bear hums, trying to get me to recall the discussion we had in the auditorium about a week ago.
"I know, but why..? What will you gain if you get that to happen?"
"There isn't much to gain. It's what I'm afraid to lose."
He sure has a way of phrasing things as dramatically as possible..
"Lose what?"
"Lose everything. The children, the respect, the happiness, the performances, the normalcy, the building, the friends, the guests. I do not want to throw it all away; at least not without fighting it first."
...
...
..The two of us stand and stare at each other in silence, failing to communicate our thoughts to one another with our gazes alone.
...
...
'Lose everything'
...
"Hey.." I mutter, remaining motionless for a few more seconds while I weigh out what I want to do.. Though after another short moment, I slide one hand into my pocket and point behind me with my other. "..I've been doing my rounds with Monty or Roxy lately, but Roxy's busy, and I don't even know where Monty is.. You wanna go do a lap around the Pizzaplex?"
...
"..It-.. Would it not be easier for you to wait for Roxanne? Or find Monty with your cameras..?" Freddy responds, evidently confused by this seemingly-random topic change.
"I don't have all the time in the world tonight, and don't want to waste any more by running errands instead of getting my job done."
...
Freddy stands still a little longer, though eventually looks over his shoulder at his desk.
"..Michael, I was-.."
"Maybe exploring the Pizzaplex one more time will help you find the reason customers are leaving; or at least give you some ideas for how you intend to bring them back."
...
I can hear him sigh before he turns to face me again.
"..You're asking me to come with you because there is a 'point; you wish to make." Freddy states, knowingly proving he's not oblivious to my objective.
"Yeah."
"One you cannot just tell me outright?"
"I don't think I'm good enough at talking to people to get my point across with words.. I figure showing you will be more effective anyway."
...
"Does this truly relate to our earlier discussion in some way?"
"It's related to what you're worried about, yes."
..Freddy responds with an exhausted chuckle; obviously seeing this situation as a bit ridiculous.
"..Do you believe I'm mistaken about someth-?"
"I think you're wrong, yeah." I respond, snuffing a snicker at the idea of telling this wildly intelligent Fazbear he's 'wrong' straight to his face.
...
..Judging by the bear's reaction, I reckon not many people have said that to him before.
"..I would like to see this for myself.."
"Sweet, follow me." I chime, dismissively spinning around and beginning my trek.
...
I can't believe how effective 'annoying the hell out of somebody' is when it comes to getting what you want.
...
...
"What are you doing..?" Freddy's voice emanates a few feet behind me.
"Checkin' somethin'.."
...
"Michael.."
"What?"
...
"..May we proceed?"
We made it ten steps from Freddy's room before I halted and started checking a few things on my watch.
"Figuring out where we gotta go, hold on.."
"Are we not doing your normal route?"
"I don't think I have a 'route'. Pretty much wing-it every time."
...
..I can feel Freddy staring at the back of my head like he's waiting for me to say I'm kidding..
...
"..Michael- I'm sure there is a way to minimize the amount of time your duties take if you were to just plan an optimal route first."
"This is funner."
" 'Funner' is not a word."
...
Okay, cool. I think I've got a good idea of how to take this.
"We'll start from the third floor of the auditorium and work our way downward." I advise.
"..I feel inclined to mention that starting from the entrance lobby would be the most efficient option, regardless of where you go from there.."
"I'm saving that for last."
...
"May I know why?"
"No."
...
"Very well..."
This is already way more fun than I anticipated.
...
"Oh-.." I blurt quietly, lifting my head from my watch and staring into space.
"..Are we ready to begin?"
"No, I-.." I start, turning around to look at Monty's room. "..Sorry, I need to grab something. You can head to the auditorium, I'll be there in a few seconds."
...
I look back at Freddy, anticipating some resistance, but it turns out the bear had absolutely no qualms starting his trek early and getting a few minutes of peace and quiet in the auditorium before I arrive.
I'm barely able to see the back of his head disappear into the doorway leading to the auditorium before it closes automatically.. Snuffing another snicker, I jog over to Monty's room.
...
...
After I'm finished thoroughly raiding the green gator's room, I toss his lighter to myself as I walk back across the corridor.
...
..I really *do* wonder what in the hell they were thinking when deciding to give Monty his own themed lighter..
I guess he's the only one not covered head-to-toe in fur/feathers. Giving it to Chica might've ended catastrophically in a matter of days.
..Part of me wonders if it really was one of the staff/management that decided to give Monty a lighter.. I can't think of a single reason he alone would need one.. I can't even think of a reason why any of the animatronics would need immediate access to igniting something.
...
..Birthday cakes?
I don't think Monty is the one who lights birthday cakes..
..I desperately hope Monty is not the one who lights birthday cakes..
...
What else would that mean, though? The lighter's design is unmistakably 'Monty-ish', so it's hard to imagine it wasn't meant for him.
...
..What if it was a gift from someone?
...
I hold the lighter up to the light, now invested in this artifact's mysterious origins.
If it was a gift, you'd think some form of engravings would be on it somewhere.. Maybe they didn't think it was necessary though, since the design does a damn-good job of screaming 'Monty' without the need of spelling it out.
..One of those 'To: From:' things would be outstanding right about now.. That'd save me quite a few hours of inevitable investigation..
...
...
- Pshh -
Oh Shit.
The noise makes me physically wince.. After slowing to a halt, I lower the lighter and turn over my shoulder with a grimace.
And of course, there she stands.
...
Roxanne must've saw me as soon as the door opened.. She's had all the time in the world to situate herself to leaning on the door-frame with her arms crossed stare back at me with a coy smile.
..Looks like the power's finally gone to Roxanne's head; that is some intimidating body language.. Every part of her expression is already telling me I'm nothing more than a puppet on a string for her to play with.. She's even wearing her favorite set of comfy-clothes as well, which means if she has me, she'll no intention of letting me go anywhere for a while.
...
Not now..
..Ugh- Damn it..! Rox..! Not now..! Something's up with Freddy, I need to make sure he sees that-..! Mmnn...
...
Roxanne eventually acknowledges that I haven't made my way towards her yet by snickering under her breath and beckoning me over with a finger.
I can't force myself to move, though. There's a choice to make..
...
..'Choice' might not be the right word for it.. It's already obvious what I'm gonna have to do..
...
..Predictably, the wolf once again can't help but notice I haven't started making my way closer. I can see Roxanne's contempt-filled eyes lid themselves a bit, and her already coy grin stretch even further across her face as she finally decides to address me verbally.
"Mike, it's adorable~ that you think standing there's gonna save you from me, but I'm not letting you go. So come here, hun. You and I have s-"
"No, sorry." I painfully interrupt, turning back around to face the door I'm headed towards. "You can have the laptop."
...
...
..Despite turning away, I can still vividly make out Roxanne's coy and fun-loving expression melt into curiosity; then melt even further into anxious confusion.
...
"..Huh?"
"Look- I really can't right now, Rox. Sorry.. This can count that as giving up, so you can keep the computer."
...
Roxanne shifts until she's no longer leaning on the doorway, staring at the back of my head like there's an answer written somewhere on it.
...
"..Wait.. Why d-..? Mike, I didn't even-"
"Sorry.."
"No- What?.. Wait, that's-..! That's not fair..!"
I'm not super surprised this decision doesn't seem to be sitting well with the wolf.. Despite the obvious disapproval in her protests, Roxanne doesn't sound 'mad'. It sounds like she's holding herself back so she can delicately 'reason' with me through whines..
"You can have the laptop.. Look, I'll even show you how to work a few things when I get back from-"
"No, I don't want th-!.. Wait-, Mike I-.. I didn't even get to *do* anything yet!"
"I know, but I'm busy. I need to help Freddy with something."
...
There's an almost 'stunned' silence, like it's only just now sinking in to her that I'm not kidding.
"..Wh-.. Freddy..?"
"I'm not choosing him over you, I just need to get this done tonight."
"Why..? Mike-..!"
"It's just something I have to do with him today."
"But you said you'd-..! Mike- What about me..?!"
"This is more important."
...
..Don't really like the way that came out.. And judging by the silence, I don't think she did either.. But it's true..
I understand Roxanne's upset that she didn't get all the fun out of this 'punishment' that she was hoping for, and I get why it's annoying to have that taken away, but I can't ignore Freddy right now.. Rox wants to do this little 'game', and Freddy is having some form of 'crisis'. Between those two things, there's just no way I can justify choosing the former to dedicate my attention towards.
...
...
"M.. Mike, I thought-..!"
"Rox, I swear, I'll be back in a little bit. We'll laze around like we always do once I'm done."
...
...
..I wait for an acknowledgement, but I'm not entirely sure if Roxanne's there anymore..
...
...
I take a deep breath.
..One thing at a time..
I'm sure she'll be upset when I get back, but I've dealt with an upset wolf countless times before. Roxanne's emotional, but not unreasonable; she'll understand why this is so important when I explain it to her.
So, for better or for worse, my legs continue to carry me towards the doorway Freddy left through.
...
..Might have to browse for a new laptop tonight..
Guess it couldn't hurt to spend money on something actually worthwhile for a change.
...
"Michael- this can not be the only method of completing this task."
"I don't know what to tell you."
"How many more times must I lift you?"
"Fred, out of everyone in this building, I can guarantee you I am the lightest."
"Trudge is a foot sm-"
"Except for Trudge."
...
"..Michael, are you done?"
"Yeah." I grunt, releasing the top rim of a wheelable-wall scattered all across the Mazercize room and hopping backwards off of Freddy's hand.
Freddy huffs as soon as I land safely on the floor. I take a step back and watch contented while the bear slowly pushes himself up from where he was kneeling.
"I find it difficult to believe that you find somebody to boost you over these walls every night.." He mutters, brushing his legs off.
"I always bring Rox or Monty with me."
"..I additionally have a hard time envisioning Roxanne doing a task such as this.."
"Wolfie's deceptively strong."
"Strength was not the concern."
"Mm." I hum, planting my hands on my waist. "Ready for the next one?"
Barely, just barely, I can hear Freddy groan under his breath while maneuvering to the next position.
"..I will ask the day-crew if they know any way to survey this attraction more effectively.."
"This is how I've always done it. No one else has complained." I assure for the ninth time, before a pair of unmistakable footsteps prompt me to look over my shoulder. "..Right, Friendo?"
By the time Freddy turns around, Friendo already has both his thumbs up like he has any idea what we're talking about.
...
"Where on earth did you come from..?" Freddy huffs quietly, displeased with the double-team.
"Friendoskeletons naturally spawn on the third floor."
"Michael."
"It makes them feel tall. They like to feel tall."
"May we please continue?"
"Yeah." I hum, delicately placing a foot on Freddy's hands.
...
After a couple moments of balancing, Freddy slowly lifts his hands and successfully boosts my head up over the wall. Not wanting to test this bear's physical limits, I waste no time peering down into the unused section of the room blocked off by the walls.
There's nothing peculiar, which isn't a surprise.. If there ever is something wrong, it's not gonna be behind one of these incredibly thin wheeled-walls randomly scattered throughout Mazercise.
...
"I have doubts the 'Friendoskeleton' was aware of what we were discussing before he agreed with you.." Freddy mumbles.
"Friendo's smart." I contend, hopping off Freddy's foot again.. Out of the corner of my eye, I can see the Friendo in question proudly place his fists on his hips.
"I am inclined to believe he simply went along with what you said because he found it 'funny'.."
"I'll ask him again, then." I arrogantly reply, backpedaling a couple steps until by Friendo's side. "Isn't this the only way to check behind the walls? Someone has to give me a boost?"
..Friendo stares at me like he's trying to figure out what the hell I'm talking about with the single most blank expression an endoskeleton could possibly conjure.. But, A few seconds later, he finally seems to catch on, and Freddy and I are once again on the receiving end of this robo's trademarked double thumbs-up.
Flashing Freddy a lazy grin, I lift a thumbs-up as well.
...
"I am.. starting to tire of these chores.." Freddy grumbles in defeat.
I huff quietly, raising my arm to look at my watch and sliding the other arm into it's respective pocket.
"Want to call it a day with this place?"
"..We have not finished checking behind each wall."
"I can check them with the cameras real quick."
"Ah.." Freddy exhales, pushing himself to a stand. "..I suppose it's convenient that the cameras eliminate the need to check behind all of the walls."
"Yeah."
...
"..Perhaps I can check with Arin if it is alright to install another camera or two, so we can see behind every wall, rather than repeat this tedious process every night." Freddy brainstorms out loud.
"He already thought of that. There's a camera in each corner of Mazercise." I explain, focusing on the watch to complete my task.
...
"Really?" Fred asks quietly, twisting to look at the corners of the room.
"Yeah."
"Yet there are still blind spots behind some walls..?"
"No."
...
"You can see behind each wall?"
"Yeah."
"But you still insist on getting someone to lift you?"
"No. You're the first to help me with that."
"..You have not asked for help with this before?"
"No."
"You do not need help seeing over each wall?"
"No."
"Why did you need help this time?"
"I didn't."
"Michael."
"What?"
"Why did you tell me to lift you over these walls?"
" 'Funny.' "
"Michael."
...
"Wanna move on to the next floor?"
"Yes."
...
..Mmm..
...
After staring at the piece of paper in front of me for a good twelve seconds, I delicately set my pencil down and glance at the bear, who's one seat over on the circular table we're sitting around..
He's got his head up with his arm, no longer bothering to hide how bored he is.
...
"You act like there isn't an assortment of colored pencils in front of you."
"Do you stop this often every time you take your lap around the building?" Freddy huffs, lifting his head an inch.
"Sometimes. Not all the time. I can usually get it out of the way in fifteen minutes if I try."
"We have spent more ten minutes sitting at this table."
"There's no rush."
Freddy lowers his chin back onto his palm again, using his other hand to drum on the table.
"..I am unclear what we are waiting on.."
"We're waiting for Friendo." I state plainly, pointing directly ahead at the small group on the other end of the table.
Namely Trudge and Chica, who are currently on either side of Friendo and very delicately drawing eyebrows on him.
"The endoskeleton looks to be content where he is.."
"He's sitting pretty dang still, yeah."
"That is not what I meant-.. Michael, I don't mean to sound impatient, but I would rather do other things with my day than watch our friends draw facial features on one of our endoskeletons."
"You can't complain about how bored you are when there is plenty of paper, right in front of you." I chuckle, returning to my drawing.
"I feel as if we are skimping on our duties."
"We'll get it all done, bear. There's nothing you can do right now to speed this up, so pick up a pencil and kill some time."
...
I hear Freddy sigh, followed shortly by the sound of a pencil rolling around before being picked up.
"..May I have a piece of paper?"
"Myep."
...
"Drawing is not what I spend my free time doing."
"Me either."
"I mean to say that I am not very skilled at it.."
I chortle under my breath, orienting my paper differently.
"Fred, I can't draw for shit either."
"Language, please."
"Sorry. I can't draw for anything either. Trudge is pretty good at it, so I just peek at his things from time to time."
"Trudge is?"
"Yeah."
I see Freddy's chin lift in the corner of my eye; presumably looking at the Trudge in question.
...
"..I do not wish to sound rude, but I am a little surprised that someone like him has the attention span required for drawing.."
"I've discovered that Trudge exists solely to obliterate predictions and expectations."
"Are those his drawings..?" Freddy wonders out loud; reaching over the table to snag a few filled out pieces of paper.
"I think so. Him and Chica were doodling when we found them."
The bear hums, curiously inspecting the colored sketches.
...
"Perhaps I stand corrected.. Trudge may have a gift for this sort of thing."
"That's a word for it."
"..Chica is equally impressive. I would not have guessed these to have been done by the liveliest members of our crew."
I continue to scribble for a second, only registering what Freddy said after taking a moment to look at what I've done so far.
"..Chica?" I repeat, gaze shifting to the piece of paper in Freddy's hand.
"I believe so." he cautiously confirms, holding the drawing towards between us so I can see.
...
"..Huh.."
"You were unaware of Chica's ability?"
"I guess so.." I admit, delicately taking the paper from Freddy's hand.
..This wasn't done by Trudge, but the artstyle is unmistakably inspired by the way he draws.. I guess by that logic, Chica's the only one who could have drawn this.
...
Peeking past this paper at the others across the table, it seems like Chica has a thing for 'group pictures'.. The one in my hands is one of the many drawings featuring everyone who's here at night, meaning all of the animatronics, me, Trudge, and the other two.. Cooper and Arin.. Who both resemble themselves before this whole 'investigation' ordeal began.
...
Guess it'd be better if I don't think about it..
But anyway, yeah. What Freddy's saying is the truth; this is pretty pleasant to look at.. Everyone's easy to distinguish, and shaped in ways that make it obvious who's who.
Though it might be the setting contributing to the 'who's who' part.. We're all in the auditorium, but everyone's doing something you'd only really imagine them doing in specific. For instance, Monty's leapfrogging over a distressed Freddy, Chica and Trudge are joyously running in unison from one side of the atrium to the other, and Friendo's standing proud on top of a table in the background.. Things get a little lower-energy as it approaches the right edge of the paper; where Cooper's chucking warmly at the chaotic scene, and Arin's watching curiously at Cooper's side.
It takes me a second to spot us, but Roxanne and I are there too; sitting next to each other and leaning against a pillar in the background. It's hard to make out with how far off we are, but it looks like Roxanne's asleep, and I'm working peacefully on my computer.
...
..Probably not the best thing for a night-guard to be portrayed doing on the job.. It's pretty charming regardless, though.
...
"..The first time I saw something Chica drew, it was barely more than chicken scratch." I explain absent-mindedly.
"Is that so?"
"I guess it's been a while since I saw the drawing in question, but it's been less than a year.. I'm kind of surprised she managed to improve so much since then."
"It seems likely that Trudge has been teaching her."
"That's gotta be the case.. Even so, learning so much from him couldn't have been effortless."
"Perhaps Chica's drive stemmed from her admiration for him."
A breathy chuckle escapes my lungs after hearing Freddy's overly-dramatic word choices while I put the paper down.
Still, he's probably right.. Not a lot's changed between those two ever since they became 'partners', but that's because they've never been happier than where they are right now. Sure, they could make it all dramatic by dressing up in fancy clothing and going on date-nights, but why would they when they'd much rather have fun running around the Pizzaplex and getting into trouble?
Ironically, I think it's that simplicity that makes them so perfect.
They know each other, and they wear their hearts on their sleeve. They never 'fake it'; they know what they want, and they don't hide it. There's not even hint of dishonestly or secrecy kept between them, and nothing short of absolute transparency; even if that transparency was easy to achieve with how relatively simple they are..
Regardless, that transparency proves that when they look at each other, they aren't seeing a facade. They're looking at the real 'them'. They know that what they see is what they're going to get. So, if they love what they see, they're gonna love what they get.
Trudge and Chica loved what they saw, and now they love what they're getting.
...
..That's what makes a relationship work.. Without it, any hope of romance between two people would crumble to dust.
I'm sure there's a better word for it that I'm not thinking of, but everything revolves around 'transparency'.
Transparency.. Meaning no lies.
Meaning no keeping secrets.
Meaning no hiding anything.
No hiding who you are.
No hiding what you are.
..No hiding what you've done.
No hiding what your story is..
No hiding behind misdirection and misconceptions, and hoping they never figure it out..
It means telling them who you are.
It means telling them the truth.
...
Mm. Oh well.
I set the paper down and casually lean back in my chair, toying with the pencil in my hand as I get lost in thought.
..It's for those reasons that I figure avoiding any kind of relationship is for the best. Since without the ability to tell my partner the truth, it'd be doomed from the start. That excuse falls apart, however, when I consider the fact that I've never had to deliberately go out of my way to avoid a relationship even once.
This isn't new information; or even remotely surprising.. That super deep and edgy 'motivation' to stay away from romance obviously hasn't come into play, on account of the fact that it would require someone finding me even remotely 'worth it'.
I mean.. Who wouldn't want a purple, unshaven, and 'annoying' bag of discolored flesh who lies to you constantly?
Doesn't get much hotter than that.
..Or 'colder', I guess.. Body-temp still ain't the healthy 90°F range it oughta be.
...
..I suppose it's a little better than it was, at least..
I lift my arms a little and look down at myself.
Purple's slowly starting to fade, as well.. Skin color is still pretty far from 'normal', but it's a step in the right direction.
Sweet. Scratch those two off the list in a year or two, and all I'll need to get others to look past is my unparalleled dishonesty and near-immortality. And only then will I finally get the pleasure of denying someone a relationship due to my personal issues.
...
Dunno why I'm even thinking about this. It's not like I've ever felt the need to get with anyone anyway. It was pretty damn easy to come to terms with the fact that I'd be alone most my life the moment my internal organs became external.
..Plus, I kinda like the solitude.. Perhaps it's stalkholm syndrome making me this way, but I started to really appreciate the pleasures of being alone back when I had to avoid everyone and everything.
The world sleeps at night, and if it's sleeping, it can't be busy pestering you.
...
..What the hell am I doing here again..?
I snap out of my trance and tilt my head towards the bear, who's pretending not to be invested in the little abstract combinations of colors he's making on his paper.
Huffing silently, I peek back at the trio on the other side of the table.
Apparently, Chica and Trudge's gameplan changed in the time I was zoned out. They aren't drawing on Friendo anymore. Instead, they're drawing eyebrows on thin pieces of paper they cut out with scissors, and seemingly intend to tape them onto Friendo's head when they're finished.
..Oh, I see; this way Friendo can remove his 'eyebrows' and reposition them however he see's fit. How dynamic.
...
..Not entirely sure if Friendo's realized that he doesn't have to be holding perfectly still anymore, since the other two aren't drawing directly on him.. I'm not gonna call him out on it, though.
...
Welp.
It's probably gonna take those two an extra second, since they abandoned their previous plan for the sake of this new one..
...
Grabbing a non-colored pencil and a new piece of paper, I don't bother thinking of a prompt, and instead just start drawing a couple of lines to see if they drag an idea or two out of me.
...
...
"Mike!"
Holy shit, that was right in my ear..!
Pretending like they didn't just violently snap me out of a trance, I lift my gaze to look at Chica, but my eyes are almost immediately drawn to where I should be looking.
The eyebrow-drawing duo are dramatically posing by holding their hands out, proudly revealing what's on the table between them.
Somehow, without me noticing, Friendo managed to clamber up and lay sideways across the table in a seductive pose; featuring the two new eyebrows being put to use taped above his eyelids, in addition to a Rose now taped to the bottom of his face as if he's holding it in his mouth.
Despite trying my very hardest not to react, a good chuckle escapes my lungs while I drop my pencil on the table.
"Hi Friendo."
Satisfied with his performance, Friendo remains in his pose but lifts a thumbs up; which is actually thumbs-left since he's laying sideways.
"This is 'Friendo 2'." Trudge asserts with overwhelming pride.
"'Cause of the two pieces of paper you added that'll fall off him in ten minutes?"
"Nuh-uh, not just that. It's also because of the Rose I taped on him, which will fall off as soon as he tries to move."
I lean on the table with an amused huff, watching Friendo pick at the tape on his face.
"Where did you get a rose?"
"You thought the rose was funny, so I don't have to tell you where I got it from."
"Not even remotely true."
"Well where do you think I found it?" Trudge intones like it should be obvious.
"..Where do I think you found the rose..?"
"Where's the one place you can find a rose in the whoooole Pizzaplex?" He huffs, like he's slowly working me through the logic so I can figure it out by myself.
...
"Trudge, I have no idea where you could possibly have obtained a rose."
"Cool." He remarks, finally breaking his pose and looking at Friendo with his hands proudly planted on his hips. "I can't believe you don't know something so simple, but it is what it is."
...
"..Gonna tell me where did you found it?"
"I dunno where I found it either."
"Okay."
...
My gaze hovers over toward Freddy while the other two are busy admiring their hard work.
..Noticing how fixated he is on his little drawing, I slowly creep a finger towards him until it starts prodding his shoulder.
"..Yes?"
"Friendo's ready for you."
Successfully breaking Freddy from his trance, he finally lifts his gaze from his paper to glance at me, followed shortly by looking at what's on the table in front of him.
Thankfully, Friendo caught on and had already re-assumed his sexy pose by the time Freddy looked in his direction.
Pretending not to be snickering under my breath, I lean back and continue to watch as Freddy simply gazed forward and furrows his brow.
"..Is that a flower?"
"Yeah, rose. Which is also the complete comprehensive list of flowers I can identify."
"A real one?" Freddy asks, now furrowing his brow at me.
"Looks like it. Thorns and all."
"Who found it; Trudge?"
"I think so."
"Where d-?"
"He doesn't know."
"Ah.."
Despite making a sound that suggests he understood, Freddy only stares off into nothing like his intelligence is being sapped from his brain as we speak.
...
"Is that Roxy?" Chica hums, jarringly announcing her in my right ear.
"..What?"
Instinctively, the first place I turn to look is the door; assuming what Chica means is that she saw Roxanne somewhere around here.
Soon after, I recall the peculiar stalking habit the wolf revealed to me a week ago, and very briefly twist to scan the room before deciding that it'd be much easier to find the wolf if I would just take two seconds and see where Chica's looking.
Looking back at the bird and tracing her gaze, however, results in my sights landing on the paper in front of me.
"..Oh.. I guess so.." I answer, also curious about the drawing despite being the one who made it.
"Oooh.."
It's crude, but evidently identifiable.. It took me a second to register that this is, in fact, the page that I was drawing on just a moment ago.
"..Cool!" Chica chirps, randomly bursting with energy.
"Thanks.. Didn't really know what I was drawing, to be honest; just kinda let my hand do it's own thing while I thought about stuff.."
"She's fuzzy!"
"Wolves are fuzzy."
Chica, (who materialized in the seat to the right of me without me noticing), props her head up with her hand and curiously hovers a hand over several parts of the paper.
...
The feathery fiend's finger eventually falls onto the drawing with a satisfying -tap-, presumably marking something of interest..
"Nose?"
"..That's her nose, yeah."
"Animal noses are, like.. Upside triangles, though."
"Mm. I guess so. I didn't try all that hard.." I hum back, eyeing the small un-even circle I planted on the end of the wolf's snout.
Without responding, Chica's finger lifts and hovers over the paper again while she searches for something else to point at.
I huff lightheartedly; setting the pencil in my hand aside.
"I appreciate you trying to teach me stuff, but I don't need you to point out all the things wrong in a pathetic little sketch I didn't even know I was drawing at the time."
" 's not pathetic!"
"Look at it."
"I am lookin' at-!" Chica whines, snagging the paper and holding it upright. "Trudge, tell Mikey this is okay!"
A strange, subtle pang of embarrassment pulses in my chest the moment both Freddy and Trudge turn to look at the drawing; moreso interested in what Chica's yelling about than the actual drawing.
...
..Huh..
..There's an emotion I haven't felt in a while.. It's already gone, but I couldn't tell you why I cared about them seeing the sketch in the first place.. I'm a purple man walking around with a metal arm all day long, so I could teach a class in how to get stares or conspicuous glances from people, but even that doesn't bother me anymore.. Honestly thought embarrassment was a thing of the past.
Neat, I suppose.
"..Oh- Roxanne. Yeah, that's cool." Trudge responds after a second, dismissively making an okay sign with his hand.
That has to take the record for 'most normal thing to ever come out of Trudge's mouth.
"See?" Chica chirps defiantly, laying the paper back down on the table.
...
Freddy actually leans in a bit to continue looking at the drawing, even after Chica's already put it down.. I fear that might mean he has something to say about it..
...
"Is this intentional..?" Freddy wonders out loud, interrupting Chica's stern lecture about the 'positive mindset' I need to have about drawing.
I blink and lean forward too, but can't immediately identify what the bear's referring to.
...
"..Oh-, that's suppose'ta be the same color." Chica explains, apparently able to distinguish what Freddy was pointing at before I am.
"..Color? I drew this with pencil."
"I mean, like, the shady part."
I lean forward a little more, having trouble seeing what they're talking about on account of two people pointing at one spot at the same time..
..Even after I manage to see the paper itself, I'm not entirely sure what the issue is.. I'm sure there is one; since my drawing ability is on par with that of a baked potato, but everything surrounding the two animatronic's fingers doesn't seem too horrible..
...
"..What do you mean?" I ask, sliding the paper my way an inch.
"Did you mean to fill in this portion of her fur?" Freddy finally elaborates.
"The part near the ankle? Yeah, why..?"
"Roxy's fur stays the same until it reaches the foot, goof." Chica chirps, happy(?) to educate.
"..Right there? No it doesn't." I quietly refute, still not completely positive that I'm looking at the right thing.
"Yeah-huh- Her foot's fur is a different color than the rest of her fur."
"I know. I drew it like that."
"Yeah but you also make it go on her ankle!"
"It does reach her ankle."
...
"..I want to say that I am fairly certain it doesn't.." Freddy responds, fiddling with his fingers while he racks his brain.
"It does. Her fur doesn't change color all at one spot; it bleeds into each other a bit." I respond, lifting my gaze from the paper.
I meant to look at Freddy, since he's the one I'm addressing. However, I can't help but notice that Friendo has somehow managed to inch his way across the table, getting closer to the drawing without breaking his pose.
...
"No- I'd remember that..!" Chica defends after a second of silent thought.
"..Why don't you, then?"
"I don't remember seeing that pattern before; and I've known Roxy longer..!"
"I'd get if you didn't see it very often." I begin, looking back down at the paper. "If Rox's expecting people or going anywhere, she likes to wear those long leg-tube-sock things, which covers that part of her leg."
"But I'd still remember..!"
"..Does that mean you can remember Roxanne's fur changing colors instantly when it hits her foot?"
...
There we go.. Putting it that way finally managed to get her to think about how much weirder that would be than if the fur colors were to merge like you'd expect them to..
...
After another couple of seconds, Chica huffs and crosses her arms at the paper like it's doing something wrong.
"Well how do you know that her fur does this weird thing?"
"I've seen it, plenty of times."
"No." Chica blurts, pointing at me like she just thought of something. " 'Cause you said Roxy wears those things around her legs that cover them up."
"Yeah, but only when she's leaving her room or expecting someone to visit."
"So she wears them because she knows you're coming!"
"Oh- Rox doesn't wear them around me." I hum, realizing that I probably should have mentioned this a while ago. "I'm in there enough that I think she stopped caring."
Out of the corner of my vision, I can see Freddy's head nod once he understands my point, followed by dismissively reaching for his drawing utensil.
"Aw- that's not fair, you get special attention..!"
"..I guess?"
"Freddy!" Chica huffs, acting like she's 'telling' on me. "Roxy treats Mike nicer then me!"
I lean back in my chair and glance at Freddy as well, who's deliberately ignoring the bird so he can focus on his doodle.
"..It's not 'special attention'. Rox doesn't take them off for me, she just doesn't prevent herself from taking them off on account of my presence." I reply, deciding to save the bear from his avian tormentor.
"Mean!"
..Starting to think the bird just doesn't like admitting she's wrong..
"Roxy does not treat me nicer than you, by the way; you'd be dead in a week if she treated you the way she treats me."
"You're mean!"
"Okay."
...
Dissatisfied by my willingness to let this conversation end there, Chica huffs again and decides to bring someone else into the fray.
"..Trudge- do you remember Roxy's fur doing this?"
"I 'unno. Don't even remember what color her feet are."
"Say I'm right!"
Trudge chortles under his breath, finally deciding to sit down at the table like a normal human being.
"I dunno."
"Please?"
"Kinda think Mike would know more about Roxy's legs than you do."
"Everyone's mean.." Chica 'hmph's', crossing her arms and leaning on the table.
"I get to be mean. Trudge Rhymes with 'Tryant', or something."
It does not.
...
...
*What* did you say?
"I know more about wh-..?" I begin, forcing myself to zone back in.
When I lift my head to look at him, however, Trudge is no longer at his spot in the table, and has seemingly de-materialized out of the room.
..Nonchalantly twisting to scan the area doesn't give me any answers either.. Guess he found something else interesting and wandered off after it..
...
...
..Fuck it.. It's probably for the best he disappeared before I tried asking him a question anyway..
...
"Alright, guess we should keep going.." I voice, letting my pencil drop on the table and pushing myself to a stand.
Freddy tears his eyes away from his paper to glance at me, then inspects the room around him.
"..Did the other two leave?"
I inconspicuously peer down beside me to confirm that Chica has, in fact, phased out of existence as well.
"Yeah, a couple seconds ago.. Think it's a good idea to keep moving anyway, though; it's been a good half hour."
"I see." Freddy responds, pushing himself up from the table as well. "..I did not expect to be so content here."
I exhale through my nose, sliding my hands in my pockets while the bear situates himself.
"It's hard not to finish something after you've started." I say, referring to the bear's drawings.
"We may not 'finish' our route if we waste any more time.."
"Fair enough.. Friendo?"
I tilt my head, and sure enough, the friendoskeleton's still contentedly laying sideways across the table.
Freddy's brows lift a little when I mention the bot's name, and he turns toward the table as well.
"Ah..I had forgotten about him.."
"I started mistaking him for a statue."
...
Both of us put our hands on our waists and look at Friendo expectantly, assuming that he'll keep walking with us once he sees we're about to leave.
..He doesn't, though.. Big guy seems content staring back at us from the table.
...
..As peculiar as the endoskeletons are, I find it hard to believe that he'd actually be happier laying on a table in a random room all by himself..
...
Oh- because Trudge said the flower'd fall off the instant he tried moving.
"The tape isn't gonna hold the Rose for any more than a minute or two anyway, let's go." I chide, beckoning the metal contraption over.
..A few seconds later, and Friendo starts very slowly shaking his head 'no'.
However, doing so ended up being too much for the incredibly frail scotch tape to handle, and the flower delicately falls down and plops on the table.. I do my best to snuff a chuckle while I watch the endo stare silently at the flower now resting peacefully on the table, but an amused huff still manages to escape my lungs. Feeling content, I look behind me to make sure Freddy's ready to leave.
..I'm never gonna get tired of the bear's 'utterly confused' face..
...
When I look back again, Friendo's already standing upright a whole foot-and-a-half behind me, holding a double-thumbs-up to communicate that he's ready to move on.
Cool.
...
...
- Tink -
Whoops..
...
..Taking that as a sign from god to 'stop touching things', I nonchalantly set the wrench back on the workbench and turn around to lean against the counter; casually sipping from a styrofoam cup while staring out into Roxanne's Raceway.
Just as I finish setting up my 'I wasn't doing anything suspicious' stance, Freddy's head pokes out from the left of the garage door.
"..Did that come from in there?"
"Did what come from in here?"
"I thought I heard the sound of metal hitting the floor.."
"Weird."
"..Well hold on for one moment, I need to check if it came from any of the other garages before w-.."
Freddy's voice fades out as he walks passed the garage I'm loitering in..
...
..I wait a few more seconds in case Freddy doubles back before lazily chucking the remains of a once-useful lug nut into the nearby trashcan, taking another proud sip of my mediocre Freddy's-brand beverage.
Usually don't care enough to check inside each of the mini-garages on either side of the Raceway, but I thought it'd be fun to poke my head in and see what Rox's been working on lately.
..To be honest, it doesn't really seem like she's touched anything in here for a while.. There's a single go-cart in the middle of the room, comically being held up with carjacks meant to hold entire cars; but a thin layer of dust around the thing seems to suggest that it's at least been a couple days since Roxanne's bothered to work on it.
Now that I think about it, I don't see Rox wear her mechanic uniform very often anymore.. Only ever find her in her uniform in the extremely rare occasion I visit during the day, and only ever find her in one of the few sets of clothing I got for her during the night. There was a little bit of everything in the few sets of clothes we got; like, some are intended to be semi-formal, others are intended to be similar to actual 'work' clothes; but I still have yet to see her wear anything but the lazy/lounge wear.
..Anyway, back on topic: Roxanne hasn't done much in the ways of 'working around the Raceway' recently.. It's not hard to believe that there simply hasn't been much to work on as of late, regarding the customer count and all, but I thought I remembered Rox going out of her way to find things to do in the past..
Well, whatever.
If the behavior was the result of an actual issue, I figure I'd have caught on by now.
...
..I guess she has been a little unpredictable lately..
Not worryingly so, though. At least not yet.. But Rox's reaction to certain events or scenarios has been a bit inconsistent.. Sometimes she'll laugh off something I thought to be a serious issue with her, while other times she'll have emotional fits about the smallest of inconveniences. Sometimes Roxanne'll be the most 'normal' person I'd ever met, and other times I'll learn that she's been stalking me because it was 'fun'.
..I might just be imagining it, though.. Roxanne's always been emotionally driven, which inherently means 'harder to predict' in some ways. Maybe she's been like this forever, and I'm just picking up on it now.
...
I should probably do something about that lug nut I just tore off the go-cart.
..Or, alternatively, I could stand here and sip at my drink like Egyptian royalty.
...
"..I always regret not just settling with the damn water.." I grumble, shaking my cup to hear the ice bounce around.
A few seconds of (obvious) silence pass before I glance over at the Friendoskeleton, who's been an unwilling witness of the crime I've committed over these last few moments.
..A potential witness, anyway.. Friendo's mindlessly staring down at the jack-mounted go-cart in the middle of the garage, looking about as 'zoned-out' as an endoskeleton could possibly look.
...
..Deciding this sugary liquid simply isn't worth the effort of drinking anymore, I silently hold my cup out to my endoskeleton acquaintance, for no other reason than to see what he might do with it.
Much like a monkey, Friendo doesn't even pause to register what's being held in front of him before delicately wrapping his hand around the cup; zoning back in only to gaze curiously at this new object he's found in his hands.
...
"You can throw it away.. Or not; I don't really care. I'm done with it." I finally elaborate, after way too much time of cup-staring has passed..
He glances up at me briefly, before staring out into space; seemingly defeated by the unfathomable scenario of a cup finding it's way into his clutches.
...
..A few seconds later, Friendo very slowly starts raising the cup up closer to his face.. After nearly 25 seconds of painstakingly slow movement, his straw finally bumps into the bottom part of his face, and it stays there.
...
"Michael."
Pretending like that didn't jar the hell out of me, I look back at the right side of the garage door until I spot Freddy poking his head in to look at us again.
"..Fred."
"I am not looking around the entire Raceway by myself."
"Didn't ask you to."
"Why are you still in there?"
"Friendo and I liked messing with Roxy's stuff."
...
"..You are not a good influence on him.." Freddy grumbles, walking into the garage with us.
Taking a second to register that he was talking about Friendo, I glance back over to find him mimicking my exact pose by leaning on the counter; in addition to holding the cup's straw up to the bottom of his face like he's drinking it.
..Friendo has also taken the time to remove one of the drawn-eyebrows on his head and stick it back on way higher to imitate cocking a brow; as well as half-lidding his eyes to create the ultimate 'smug-contempt' expression.
...
"That.. That is not what I look like.." I defend, hopelessly.
...
- Tink -
Fuck it. It went in. Calling that a victory.
" 'Yer gettin' it." Monty encourages delicately while I retrieve my ball.
Whatever you say..
...
"..Golf's probably my first choice if I absolutely had to choose a sport to get into.." I grunt, standing up and moving out of the gator's way. "..But it aligns poorly with what little I'm actually decent at."
"..Dunno' whatcha mean, but you said 'ya' like golf' somewhere in there, so I'm choosin' to be happy with them words." He hums, dropping his ball on the starting plate and lining himself up.
"That's alright. I rarely know what I'm talking about either."
...
I catch Freddy quietly sighing in the corner of my vision, which grants me a small bubble of amusement.
"..I believe Mike is saying that what he has an affinity for may not particularly line up with what he enjoys doing."
I chuckle under my breath, starting to lean on my golf-club.
"You make it sound so depressing."
"I didn't intend to. Though I doubt it's a pleasant feeling nonetheless."
"I was only talking about sports, anyway. My interests and my 'skills' aren't exclusive from one another; it just seems that way for something like this."
- Tink -
"Well I betcha we can find somethin' fer you to play that lines up with yer' likes. What do ya' think yer' good at..?" Monty asks, strolling across the green to grab his ball.
"Not much." I respond through an amused exhale, letting my gaze shift upwards as I think. "..Golf is a precision sport, which requires a ton of control and careful manipulation of your strength; however, the things I've gotten better at over time are things that include 'reaction time, adaptability, and keeping calm'.. They're enjoyable skills to have as a night-guard, I guess, but not a single one of those come into play with something like golf."
"M'kay.. Then why'sit 'yer first choice?"
"Because all the sports that *do* use those skills are quick and intense.. Got nothing against that, but I think I'd prefer to relax and play something like this."
"..I believe I recall you getting in a fight with Roxanne simply because 'it was fun'.." Freddy remarks, skeptically staring at the green below Monty's feet.
"Mm.. I guess that's true.."
"While I do not wish to 'condone' such activities, I also recall that you remembered that scuffle fondly.. I'm sure we can find a sport for you if we work off that occurrence. What did you enjoy about that 'activity' that you wouldn't in another high-contact sport, such as Football?"
I slowly drum my fingers along the grip of the golf-club, trying to recall what about the 'scuffle' was so refreshing.
...
"..I'm not sure.. Maybe it's something about the sheer strength necessary to compete in Football that I don't find relatable.. For instance: I pinned Roxanne down with my foot in the end. While that does require a very little bit of strength, I didn't hit her even once up until I got that to happen; so I don't think my 'strength' is what earned me that victory."
I can hear Monty chuckling at the end of my schpeel, followed shortly by muttering something like ' 'atta boy' under his breath while he putts..
...
Mm.. I know I was just brainstorming out loud, but that whole 'strength' lecture just doesn't sit well with me.. Maybe it's something else I found refreshing..
"..I don't believe strength is all there is to Football either.. It's hard to argue that it doesn't plays a significant role, however." Freddy responds, staring off into space.
"That's fair.. I dunno; I'm just brainstorming and hoping something I say connects the dots in my brain."
"Perhaps it stems from there, then."
"The strength thing?"
"I suppose. Follow that train of thought and see where it leads you."
"Mm.." I hum, pretending to watch Monty golf while I think.
...
- Tink -
"Maybe 'cause there's a million different ways'ta win a fight dependin' on what 'yer good at." Monty inputs, happily grabbing his ball from the hole.
Mmmm..
..I don't think that's it, but that thought did seem to be headed in the right direction..
"..Something like that.. There's a million ways to win a sport as well, though."
"Well 'n football, the only way ta' win is to get points. Like, y'can get a touchdown, kick it, and the whole bonus point thing; but those are pretty much the only ways t'get points."
"Yeah, but you could say something similar about fighting. Like, you ultimately 'win' by making the opponent either unable or unwilling to continue." I begin, letting the words fall out of my mouth while I walk through the thought process myself. "..It's how you reach the objective that makes a sport interesting, I guess."
"Mm, m'kay."
...
..Despite making the counter-argument myself, I can't help but feel like Monty was pretty dang close..
Something about 'a million different ways'..
There are a million different ways to win a sport too, provided what you do doesn't violate the rules.
...
..Rules..
...
"..I think it's because there weren't any rules.." I conclude, trying to conjure up the rest of that thought process before I continue.
"You didn't set any restrictions for a 'fight'?" Freddy asks, reasonably a little concerned about how poorly something like that can go if it gets out of hand.
"Not really.. I think the whole point of it was to mimic the fight we were having earlier; when Roxanne was just trying to get back at me for burning her fur. There weren't any 'rules' for the first fight, so we didn't set any rules for the next one."
"..That.. bodes poorly, Michael.."
I let out an amused huff, gently tapping my club on the floor a couple times.
"I think that was it, though.. There wasn't any preparation, there weren't any rules, there wasn't a dedicated 'fighting' area; we just went. We both wanted to complete an 'objective', and we try to complete it any way we wanted." I explain, pausing to scratch the back of my head after a while. "..I dunno; I guess I just liked the creative liberty. We could do anything, so there was no way of knowing what would happen next."
Freddy hums in acknowledgement, running the thought process back through his head before catching something.
"..I may be misremembering, but I recall you telling me that you did not fight Roxanne back.."
"Oh, yeah.. you're right, I didn't."
"Does that not count as a restriction..?"
I exhale slowly, trying to implement that fact into the logic I was using somehow.
...
"..I guess it would, but it really didn't feel like it.." I breathe, fiddling with the club's grip. "..Now that I think about it, there were plenty of boundaries we didn't cross, but I don't remember them feeling restraining.. Maybe it's because I didn't think of them as 'rules'. Roxanne and I didn't plan a single thing before the fight, so every single barrier we refused to cross was unspoken.. I had my reasons not to hit Roxanne back, but they were my reasons, not rules. I didn't avoid hitting Rox because I wasn't supposed to, I avoided hitting her because I didn't want to. So instead of having to repress an impulse, I never had those impulses to begin with."
- Tink -
"Didn' she bite ya'?" Monty wonders out loud, bending down to grab his ball again.
"Yeah.. Guess that means there wasn't an unspoken rule about 'biting', then.. Oh-, but the bite's gone now. It finished healing a couple days ago."
"That's good. Next time ya' see her, check if 'er burn's gotten-"
"Monty- what on Earth..?!" Freddy suddenly blurts, looking down at Monty's ball like it's doing something wrong.
"Whuh?"
"We were not playing this together a moment ago?!" The bear huffs, lifting his club and marching his way towards the gator.
..I stare at them for a couple more seconds, not entirely sure what Freddy's problem is..
When I lift my club to see if it's my turn, however, I can't help but notice that Monty is currently three holes ahead of the one Freddy and I are on.
Oh.
...
..Thinking back, those 'tink' sounds probably should have meant something to us.. I guess Fred and I were too into the conversation to notice..
Whoops.
...
Where the hell did Friendo go?
...
...
..I feel a disturbance in the force..
...
'Probably means 'Friendo'.
..Despite knowing how impossible it'd be for him to materialize in the moving elevator Freddy and I are in, I peer over my shoulder.
And yeah, it's Friendo; standing behind us and waiting patiently for the elevator doors to open like he's been here the whole time.
...
"Hey."
The endo snaps back into reality and makes a thumbs-up before he can even determine who was greeting him.
"Where'd you run off to?"
He stops and thinks for a second, before raising his other hand and holding up the Rose taped to his face a while back.
Freddy side-eyes me like I've truly lost my mind, before realizing I'm not talking to him and turning around to see what I'm looking at.
"..What on earth-?"
"Mm. Decided you wanna keep that thing?"
Friendo shrugs, shifting his gaze to the flower in his grasp.
"Cool. If you get bored of it, I bed we could find somewhere to plant a new-"
"Did he walk into the elevator with us..?" Freddy interrupts, pointing at the endoskeleton and glancing down at me.
The accused skeleton nods after a few seconds, sporting a look that says 'how else would I have gotten here?'
"Probably. I don't remember seeing him, but I wasn't paying much attention."
...
"..I am getting weary of people appearing and disappearing in our vicinity.."
"A lot of the crew does that, yeah." I agree, looking back down and discovering that Friendo's taken off his eyebrows and stuck them vertically near the bottom of his face like walrus teeth.
"A concerning habit; evidently visible in Trudge, Chica, Monty, and now our very own friendoskeleton.."
"Mm. Monty does it very rarely, though.. Chica didn't use to do it either, but extended exposure to Trudge probably taught her a few things in the art of dematerialization."
It's kind of fun to have Freddy concur with me over a topic as ridiculous as this one.
...
..Now Friendo's looking at us like we've lost it.. To be fair, he probably did just walk onto the elevator without us noticing, and now we're accusing him of witchcraft.
- Ding -
Hey. The elevator did the elevator thing.
...
"Will this be the last of your duties for the night?" Freddy asks, walking into the lobby behind me.
"Almost."
...
"..We have spent an exorbitant amount of time doing these tasks.."
"We'll be fine."
"Do you always find it necessary to join whoever you stumble upon in whatever they're doing?"
"No. Just felt like it this time."
"Perhaps some self-control would be valued among your superiors.." Freddy mumbles, locking his gaze on the giftshop.
"My 'superiors' consist of Arin and Cooper, if you don't count yourself and the gang.. Arin wouldn't mind me taking a break every now and then, and Cooper'd be too busy joining in along with me to complain about my productivity."
"I'm sure Arin would not be against some leisure time, but I'm equally inclined to believe that he'd prefer if you get your duties for the night finished before you do."
"I get them done before 6 sooner or later; that's all that counts."
"..I will have to ask Arin about that."
I chuckle, peering over my shoulder at the bear.
"Yeah? Gonna 'tell' on me?"
"I will not, but we have a business to run nonetheless.." Freddy huffs, firmly fixing his bowtie and pretending not to avoid eye contact.
"I'm telling Rox you got me fired."
"Do not."
...
...
My pace slows a bit once we hit the bottom of the lobby stairs.
..Shoot..
I forgot I needed to stop and grab something from-.. Hm..
...
After nonchalantly poking at my watch a couple times, I hold watch-arm out in front of Friendo as if I'm showing him a funny text.
...
..Need him to run a small errand for me while Freddy and I finish lookin' around the Lobby, as well as the gift shop in the area.. Luckily, Friendo's been eagerly waiting to put the expectations of him as an 'endoskeleton' to use and go do a couple things for people; so after staring at the LED screen for a few seconds, he perks, and hands me his Rose before scuttling off from whence we came.
...
I stare questionably at the flower in my hand, before realizing Friendo's probably gonna need both his hands to grab what I told him to get.. Robo obviously doesn't have any pockets to put something like a rose in, so I suppose it'd make sense for him to give it to the one person he knows he'll return back to.
...
"Michael."
"Freddy."
"If you'd be willing to pace across the remainder of the lobby, I will do the gift shop on my own."
"Where's the fun in splitting up-"
Freddy is already walking in the opposite direction.
...
Didn't take him long to figure out that the easiest way to deal with me is to deliberately ignore everything I say. Even Rox hasn't figured that out yet.
..Or, more realistically, Rox has figured that out, and is simply incapable of letting any jab at her go unanswered.
...
I glance over at the lobby elevator once it dings, indicating the departure of my metallic errand boy.
...
Still wonder what Friendo's whole 'deal' is.. I meant to make that a bigger concern, but I've been taking it pretty lightly so far.. Not to mention the difficulty the bear's been having regarding researching him whatsoever.
..I guess Freddy'll have all the time in the world to poke around with the endoskeletons once the Pizzaplex closes, so an opportunity to figure all that out is in the works, at least.
It's not like I have a deadline, either.. Just kinda want to figure it out 'eventually'.
...
...
..I'd better start snooping around before Freddy does my job by himself again.. He might actually get fussy with me if he sees I haven't done anything yet.
I turn around and plant my hands on my sides, watching the bear wander around the gift shop in a hurry.
...
..Would it kill him to be just a little lazier..?
...
...
"Michael."
"Good to go?" I ask through a grunt, lifting a sizable garbage bag off the lobby floor.
"What do you mean?"
"Ready to move on?"
Freddy's footsteps echo before settling a few feet behind me, keeping a cautious yet curious distance from me and my new belongings.
"..I recall you telling me we had saved the lobby for last.."
"Yeah, this is the easiest place to get outside from." I huff, securing the bag over my shoulder and turning around to make eye contact with the bear.
...
Freddy stares at me, and I stare at him back.. A few seconds pass, and he exhales slowly; reaching the conclusion that I'm intentionally avoiding the elephants in the room.
"..I don't remember any of your duties requiring you to leave the Pizzaplex.."
"They don't, yeah. This isn't part of the job anymore." I explain, trekking past him towards the lobby doors.
"Then must I-?"
"Yes, you're coming with."
"I only agreed to help you with your rounds tonight, Michael."
"Regardless, the only options you have are to keep wandering around with me, or to go back to your room with nothing else to do."
...
It takes some overwhelming self-control to prevent myself from chuckling once I hear Freddy's footsteps begrudgingly jog up behind me.
..I know I've been bugging the bear every second he's tagged along with me, but we both know he's been finding this outing as enjoyable as I have.. It may sound like he's responded to everything I've been doing with a tired annoyance, but that's also exclusively how he talks to Monty; his best friend.
Using that logic, I've started seeing Fred's 'exhausted/annoyed' responses as his subtle way of telling people he's having a good time. How cute.
...
"..What are you carrying? Are you taking that with us..?"
Despite not even remotely facing him, I can distinctly make out Freddy pointing at the bag slung over my shoulder.
"It's not as special or mysterious as I'm making it out to be. You'll see it here in a sec.. It's not heavy, just awkward." I exhale, shimmying the bag in question to get it resting a little more comfortably.
"Where did you get it?"
"I had Friendo grab it for me.. Forgot to ask him to put everything in a bag, so I'm glad he did it anyway."
"..Alright.." Freddy mutters, spinning his head around to look around behind us. "..And where is the endoskeleton now..?"
...
My gaze wanders to the right and left of me a few times, up until contact is made with the lobby doors.
"Mm.. Thought he was following us." I respond dismissively, continuing to push forward.
"That is.. Potentially concerning."
"Friendo can handle himself pretty well. Think he just acts airheaded for fun."
"There are too many of our cast that do that already- Michael, I'll get the door, hold on a moment.." Freddy huffs, reaching over me to grab the door's handle.
"Thanks, sorry. Bag's awkward."
"I can hold the bag, then. You just lead us to wherever you think you're going.."
I lazily swat the bear's hand away, pushing through the door and into the chill air outside.
"No, you'll figure out what's in it.
The door closes a moment after I hear Freddy's footsteps start clacking on the sidewalk pavement, fully ensnaring us in the unpredictable wilds of the Pizzaplex parking lot.
"..The implication that I would act differently if I knew the contents of the bag does not make me any less weary of your intentions.."
"Be as weary as you want; just keep followin' me."
...
Despite Freddy's complaints, the silence that follows our little banter is peaceful. All we can hear are car engines in the far-off distance, our footsteps changing as we walk off the sidewalk, and the sound of grass and trees blowing gently in the cool night air.
...
"It is.. Unhelpfully cold.."
"Shoulda brought a jacket."
"Mike- you did not tell me that we would be-.. Mmn.."
I chuckle under my breath, peering over my shoulder.
"Sorry. Can't help getting on your nerves from time to time."
"You are not 'getting on my nerves'.."
"Mm.. Well here." I begin, looking forward into the field. "You won't be cold much longer if we can keep up a good pace."
"Unpleasant implications."
"I'm pretty good at those."
...
...
..Huff..
..Wouldn't have made the campfire on top of a damn hill if I knew I'd have to run up and down it four more times..
...
"..Alright. We're calling this good enough, 'cause I'm not going back down there.." I say through a breath, holding two handfuls of dried grass up to my shoulders.
"Michael- You insisted to go down and grab kindling all four times, despite my protests." Freddy argues, cautiously poking the already lit fire with a large stick. "Do not say 'we' as if I am at all to blame for your actions.."
"You could've stopped me."
"I tried to stop you."
"You could've tackled me or something."
...
In a random moment of silence, I let the dried grass fall delicately across the far edges of the campfire.
...
"..I know you are deliberately attempting to incite a response from me, but you're disconcertingly good at it.." The bear grumbles, tossing his stick aside and plopping onto the ground with a huff.
"I've had a lot of practice."
My hands lift a bit as a small gust of wind invokes a temporary growth in the fire; waiting for the wind to die down before trying to distribute the rest of the grass.
...
"..Mike, we don't need the fire to last any longer than an hour or two; the establishment will be reopening before too long."
"I know, we'll snuff it out when we leave. The grass is just to make sure the flame gets big enough to feel from a distance."
Freddy crosses his legs and hunches a bit, evidently through with trying to remain looking formal.
...
"..I don't believe I've ever seen somebody organize firewood the way you have.."
"Mm. The way I did it isn't all that uncommon. It's called a 'teepee lay', or something.. You just kinda set the wood up like an upside-down cone." I begin, brushing my hands off of any lingering grass and looking contentedly down at the fire we've created. "What a fire is good for can change depending on how you organize the wood. This one in particular is super easy to get burning, and puts off a lot of heat.. The trade-off is supposed to be that it doesn't last very long due to how quickly it burns, but I figured that works out for us since we're not planning to stay out here for any longer than an hour or two."
"I have no choice but to believe you." Freddy hums, falling back on his arms. "..You seem experienced."
"I have experience."
"That would explain it, then."
I take a satisfied breath and begin to lower to a sit as well; making sure to ball up the trash bag I carried the wood out here with and cram it into a pocket.
"Somewhere on the tiny list of 'things I'm good at', I've managed to secure 'starting fires' a top spot."
"A questionable reputation to uphold."
"Uh-huh." I chuckle under my breath. "They called me 'the lighter' back in high school."
"Did they?"
"No."
"Good."
"Yes."
...
While the comfortable silence settles in, Freddy begins to rest his eyes and let his other senses experience the peaceful attributes of the night.
..Taking inspiration from him, I fall back on my hands and admire the scene as well..
...
..It's kind of hard to describe how this feels with words..
It's like I'm staring at three different settings that all fit together like puzzle pieces, and the contrast between them creates a masterpiece.
The black-lit sky is mesmerizing on it's own, but combine the picture-perfect stillness of the stars with the with the endless motion of the moonlit field, and it feels like a melancholic world is created.. A melancholic world that seems so fragile that you feel like looking away from it for even a moment would cause it to disappear entirely.
But I think it's the warm glow of the fire that really puts it all together.. With that final piece of the puzzle, the sheer difference in all three settings becomes unmissable.
The stars in the sky are further away than I could ever possibly hope to fathom, the reaches of the field exist as locations I can reach if I dedicate the time and effort to travel the distance, and the fire is where I am right this very second.
The sky is static and motionless, the moonlit field sways gently, and the fire is flaring erratically.
The sky remains unchanging throughout a thousand generations, the field is susceptible to change during the course of a lifetime, and the fire will no longer exist in a matter of hours.
..And yet, despite sharing little to no consistencies between them, they do nothing but compliment each other's beauty.
Neat.
...
...
"Oh-, Michael." Freddy blurts, destroying my immersion.
"Yep..?"
"Is this the last thing you had planned?"
"Yeah, this is it. Gonna head back inside already?"
"No, not at all." He shakes his head, breaking eye contact to stare into the field. "If this is all, then I was wondering what the 'point' was you were trying to make in doing all of this."
..I breathe slowly while the memory of earlier tonight replays in my mind..
...
..I think I got a little lost in the activities we were doing, to be honest.. We successfully ran into everyone during our lap, like I planned, but I kinda meant to stress a bigger point while we were doing so.. Heading outside was part of the plan, too, but now it doesn't hold as much weight as I intended..
...
Oh well. I've dragged Fred around with me all night tonight; the least I can do is debrief him.
"..Mm.. There was a point I was trying to make, but I got a little too 'into' everything we were doing and just ended up having fun.." I admit through a breathy chuckle.
"That's alright." Freddy hums, resting his eyes again. "I wouldn't mind doing it again, some other time.. It was nice to speak with everyone, and join in on their interests. I haven't done so in an embarrassingly long time."
"Yeah.." I agree, slowly pushing myself into sitting forward. "..Well.. If you enjoyed it so much, then maybe the point hasn't been entirely lost."
"I regret to say that I'm unsure what I was supposed to learn." Freddy softly chuckles.
"That's fair.. Maybe I'll just try using my words after all.."
"It would save us a considerable amount of time, yes."
...
..I stare at the fire for a few seconds, calmly trying to formulate a sentence coherent enough to get my point across..
...
...
"You enjoyed speaking and playing with everyone tonight, right? Me, Chica, Trudge, Monty, Friendo?"
"I did."
"Do you think of them as family?"
Ugh..
..Judging by the amused reaction, I reckon Freddy found that sentence as cheesy as I did..
"That is a strange question to ask, even for you."
"I know, it felt weird saying it.. Look, just roll with it. I swear I'm going somewhere with this." I huff, raising my hands defensively.
..Freddy exhales slowly; steeling himself to answer my dumbass question.
...
"It is difficult not to think of them as my own, yes.. I'm fully aware thinking of others as family is strange; potentially even dangerous.. Especially you and Trudge, who have nothing to do with our family other than the occasional paycheck with our name on it finding it's way into your hands.. However, I cannot think of another word that appropriately demonstrates that I think of everyone as 'family, even though they aren't'.. So, I will settle with 'yes', they are family."
"What an elegant response."
"Your teasing is not necessary."
"Fine. Anyway-.." I sigh, falling back on my hands again. "..I guess the only reason I ask is to make sure you know what the feeling's like. So you have a good reference of how the others feel when I say the others think of you like family, too."
"Mm..That is a pleasant thought.."
"Yeah, well now I've gotta connect it to what my 'point' was in all this, so buckle up."
"Riveting."
I chortle under my breath, falling into a contemplative silence shortly after.
...
"..I guess what I'm saying is that the 'family' bond runs in all of us. We all have a connection that's far too potent to be challenged by something as trivial as this company's success."
...
Freddy stares off into space, absent-mindedly picking at the grass.
"..I suppose.."
"..I guess that's the 'point' I was trying to make..."
"..It sounded like there was more you wanted to say."
"There is.. I didn't even get the current point across well.. I'm not great at speaking anything but casually, so bear with me.." I explain through an amused huff, staring into the sky while I think.
"That's alright. Take your time."
...
...
"..Alright.. What I mean to say is that the happiness you've felt today from chatting with everyone, as well as the happiness you're feeling right now; It's going to be around forever.. You said something about how you were afraid to lose everything, but what I'm trying to say is that you won't." I delicately argue, letting my gaze fall from the sky into the fire. "I understand why you're afraid of the guest count decreasing, but I don't think it matters nearly as much as you think it does.. Whether we get thousands of customers a night, or none at all, you can always do what we've done today. The Pizzaplex's success isn't what holds our bonds together, which means it's failure would do nothing to take your 'family' away from you."
I pause one last time, carefully choosing the last of these words that have been an entire night in the making.
"..Well, that's-.. That's what I'd like to say.. I truly believe that the Pizzaplex's failure wouldn't separate any of us, but.. We have no idea what's going to happen in the future.. I can't say for sure that you won't lose everything one day.. I don't know how this would happen, but I can't rule out the possibility that running out of customers won't trigger some wild chain reaction that ruins everything.. Who knows; maybe something bad will happen.. Maybe something absolutely catastrophic will occur, and your 'family' really will disappear from your life forever.. Maybe it's only a matter of time until the day comes where you truly lose everything and everyone you love... As much as I want to tell you it's impossible, I really can't say for certain that things won't turn out this way.. They very well might.."
...
..I take a deep breath, letting what I've said sink in while also letting Freddy know that I'm not finished..
"But look, even if that does happen-.. Even if you do eventually find yourself in a world where you truly don't have anyone or anything left-,"
I point outward into the moonlit field.
"You'll still have this."
...
...
..I lower my arm, setting it back comfortably in the grass..
...
..It'd probably be best to just sit and let the bear think, but I can't help taking the silence as a prompt to continue..
"There's a lot of things people can take away, sometimes without even meaning to.. I get how scary it is to think about how even one person could be all it takes to destroy everything you have.. But I find it comforting to remind myself that, no matter how hard people try, nobody can take away the millions of stars in the sky. Nobody will be able to turn each and every lush field into a lifeless desert. And nobody will ever take away your ability to sit by a fire and let the fresh air fill your heart.. So, no matter how hard people try and take everything away from you, you will always be able to sit out here and do what we're doing, right now."
...
...
"Oh- Hey~. This is kinda off topic, but I think I see the sun rising." I say through a chuckle, deciding it'd probably be best to end this off with something lighthearted.
...
"..Your decision to precursor this by saying 'I'm not great at speaking' was deceptively misleading.." Freddy muffles softly.
..Trying not to seem conspicuous, I manage to glance at the bear without turning my head, and see Freddy slowly rubbing his entire face with both hands.
"You really think so? That's good to hear.. I've been thinking about what to say for a while, so I was secretly hoping something I said would come out dramatic."
"..I am willing to admit that it caught me a touch off guard, yes.."
"Hey, maybe that means I'm improving.. Roxanne once said that I constantly fluctuate between 'wordsmith' and 'barely coherent fool'."
...
"..I have no choice but to agree with her on that.."
"Sweet." I huff lightheartedly, turning to watch the rising sun. "That's another name scratched off my list of 'animatronics I have yet to incite an emotional episode from'."
...
"..I feel foolish.."
...
"You good back there..?" I cock a brow, noticing that Freddy hasn't stopped rubbing his face yet.
...
"..I feel a bit ashamed for thinking the way I did.. I let myself believe that the things I enjoy most would disappear if I did not take the worrisome matters of the Pizzaplex into my hands, simply because my name is on on the front of the building.."
"That's a completely understandable misconception to have, especially in your case. It's natural to think that if 'Freddy's' failed, 'Freddy' would also fail."
"..It still feels as if I'm learning a lesson fit for nursery rhymes.. I acted as if my friends only continued to like me for the reputation this place upholds, despite knowing otherwise.." Freddy grumbles, slowly letting his hands fall from his face. "..I feel like I've wronged my friends for thinking of them the way I did."
"I don't think it's that big of a deal.. It's not like you've treated them any worse since you've thought of them that way, since everything you did was still out of a sincere appreciation for who they all are. You just mistakenly let your subconscious fool you into thinking that affection was one sided, even though you knew it wasn't." I elaborate the best I can, shrugging slightly afterwards. "Sooo, no harm done..?"
...
"..I have a suspicion that thanking you for this talk would only result in incessant teasing.."
"I would make fun of you until the end of time, yes. It would be in your best interest to 'don't.' "
"Very well.." Freddy sighs heavily and re-situates his sitting position; soon after staring forward into the sunrise.
...
"How you feelin'?" I ask on a whim.
"..I do not know.. A titanic weight has lifted from my shoulders, but I can't help but feel frustration towards all the time I wasted 'worrying'.."
"Nahh, don't feel bad about that. You've got all the time in the world, so a week isn't gonna set us back any."
Freddy responds with a melancholic chuckle, like something I said was funny..
"..I sincerely appreciate your reasoning as to why you don't believe I should be upset, but I can't help admitting that they're only making me feel a little worse.."
"Mm." I hum knowingly, breaking eye contact and looking into the sunrise. "I get what you mean, sorry. Didn't mean to imply that you should feel bad for feeling bad; I'll see if I can't shut my trap for a couple minutes."
...
"..That-.. You responded as if you've heard others say this before.."
"Ho-ho~yeah. Roxanne, all the time. I keep falling into this habit where Roxanne has a valid reason to be upset, and I reflexively do nothing but sit there and keep giving her suckass reasons why I think she's 'wrong' about being upset, which only makes her feel worse."
"You have good intentions. You're only trying to convince others to feel better."
"I know, but if Roxanne just sits there and lets me badger her because I have 'good intentions', we're both gonna feel worse about it in the end.. So, Roxy's gotten pretty good at calling me out when I try fixing a nonexistent problem like that."
...
"..How might she do that? 'Calling you out', I mean..?"
"Ah, well.. You see, there's a secret technique we have; one so frighteningly powerful that it has a near 100% success rate. Only a handful people in history have gotten as good at this mysterious arcane-power as we have."
"..Alright..?"
"Roxanne tells me to shut up, and I stop talking."
...
..I hear Freddy exhale while he picks at the grass in front of him, as if he was actually expecting some sort of secret power to be passed down to him..
"..I do not know what I was expecting.."
"It's shockingly effective. Here, let's try it." I hum, spinning around to face the bear.
"..Try it..?"
"I'm bugging the hell out of you, and you know I'm only trying to help, so what do you say?"
"..I suppose I'd-"
"If the answer is anything but 'shut up, Mike', you're incorrect."
"I do not wish to say such a thing to a co-worker."
"Roxanne has gotten physically violent with me on more than one occasion, and we're still good friends. I guarantee you that telling me to stop talking will not harm our bond in any conceivable way."
"..This is an incredibly idiotic 'game' we are playing.."
"Yeah. If only there were three little words you could say to make me stop insisting we 'play' it then."
"It is only two words."
"It's 'shut up, Mike'. Gotta throw my name in there; it adds weight."
...
..My plan to annoy the hell out of this bear until he says what I want seems to be working out pretty damn well, if his expression is anything to go by..
...
"Fine.."
"Go for it."
"Mike-, I'd appreciate-
"Don't paraphrase."
"Shut up, Michael."
"Perfect."
...
...
- Chunk -
"Mike- that is enough."
"Only adding one or two logs, just to keep the fire a decent size."
"No, stop throwing wood into-.. Michael, we need the fire to be small enough to smother in no more than fourty-five minutes."
"It'll die down a little by then."
"..Goodness gr- Where did the endoskeleton acquire all this wood?"
"We used real trees during Christmas. There were plenty of sticks left over to make a fire with."
..Freddy huffs, staring discontent at the rising flame before resigning himself to just sit back down on the grass and chill.
...
"..The structure of the wood will collapse if you add any more.."
...
..He, uh.. Might be right..
"..Probably, yeah.. Maybe I'll just grab a little more grass then. Get it all burning evenly-"
"Michael, I am begging you to stop throwing things into the flame."
"Never."
...
..Actually.. I don't feel like running up this hill again..
...
I stand and stare at the campfire for a few more seconds; admiring how it looks in the sunset.. Once I get my fill, I finally lower to sit a couple feet from Freddy.
"..I know you prefer to call people by their full name, but you rarely call Friendo anything but 'the endoskeleton'." I comment, crossing my legs and getting comfortable.
"It is an endoskeleton."
"Yeah, but he's different from the others. You've seen it for yourself a thousand times by now."
"Yes, I understand.." Freddy lifts his hands in defense. "It is not out of disrespect for him. It's..."
...
"It's because I named him 'Friendo'." I finish for him.
"It is because his name is 'Friendo', yes.. You named him that?"
...
"..If I said no, would you believ-?"
"Absolutely not; how on earth did you come up with such a name?"
"I said it as a joke, but he really liked it.." I huff, resting my elbows on my legs.
"It is a difficult name to mention in a casual setting.."
"Yeah. Unfortunately, it fits him pretty well.. I don't really know what his 'agenda' is, but more often than not, Friendo just likes to be 'involved'.."
"I've witnessed the same. Perhaps he just enjoys seeing interesting things happen."
"Maybe.." I agree through a sigh, deciding to rest my eyes for a few seconds.
...
"Are you getting tired?"
"Nope.. I've been staring at the sunrise for a while, and think I should give my eyes a break before hurting myself.. Permanently damaging my eyes because I stared at the sun for too long wouldn't be a proud thing to admit to people."
..I guess Remnant would patch that up for me, but y'know.. It probably wouldn't be pleasant waiting for that to happen..
Freddy acknowledges my thoughts with a hum, subconsciously picking at the grass again.
...
..Didn't expect Freddy to be a 'grass picker'.. That sounds like an insult, but I don't mean it that way; I just think it's interesting.. I wonder if he's susceptible to 'fiddling' because of all the pressure he's been putting himself under lately..
...
...
"Oooh speaking of Friendo~, Chica thought of a really cool idea. It'd be awesome if you bought a bluetooth speaker and taped it o-"
My eyes violently snap open once I recognize who's voice that is.
"Where the hell did you come from?" I interrupt, snapping my head to the side of me opposite of Freddy.
...
..Trudge freezes in response to my sudden outburst.. But after a few seconds of careful consideration, Trudge further decides that the only reasonable course of action to take from here is to slowly insert another handful of grapes into his maw.
"Stop it, you're going to choke."
Unable to prevent the current handful from reaching his mouth, I reach for the remaining stem of grapes in his other hand, and Trudge voices his disapproval by extending his arm in the opposite direction.
"Mffjf."
"I refuse to be the one that has to explain to your family that you choked to death under my watch because you wouldn't stop eating grapes."
"Mffjjbjf."
"Chew." I huff, damn near climbing over Trudge to try and reach the grapes in his hand.
"Rrrfffmbr jjrrrrrffrmbfj."
"Stop know you can't with your mouth that full. Give me the grapes."
"Frrphjr."
"Trudge."
"P"
"What?"
"Frr-fo!" Trudge cries heroically, mustering all his strength to hold the grape vine like a sling and absolutely wail the remaining grapes a thousand feet off of the hill we're on.
What I thought to be a noble sacrifice to prevent me from confiscating his grapes, however, actually turns out to be a united effort between two linked souls, as the very next thing I see is a gray Friendo-shaped blur whiz right by us and beeline straight for the fruit flying through the air.
...
"Was that Friendo..?!"
"Frr-fo~."
"Did you two plan this..?!"
"Fo." Trudge huffs, cockily shaking his head 'no'.
..That's actually a worse answer than if he were to say yes.. 'no' means Friendo clearly understood what Trudge wanted with zero communication between them other than the primate-utterance 'Frr-fo'.
...
Considerable damage has been done to my grip on reality today.
...
"Does that mean Chica's around..?" I exhale, exasperated.
"Frr-fo."
"Stop it. Chew."
"Frrrrrrrrrr..."
...
...
I twist to scan the area a couple times.. While I do joke about this a lot, I'm pretty sure Chica isn't actually capable of materializing in and out of existence.. That, combined with the fact that there's nowhere to hide in the wide open field we're in seems to suggest..
...
Chica's on top of Trudge's shoulders when I resign myself to look back at him.
Fuck it, whatever. I need to ask her something anyway.
...
...
"Chica, do th-?"
"Hiya Mika!"
"Hi- do the fruit bowls you have around your attraction have grapes in them?"
"Huh?"
"..The fruits bowls in your area of the Pizzaplex."
"What about em'?"
What the hell did I just say?!
"..Are grapes one of the fruits you can find in them?"
"Aw- No, silly! Grapes need to be refrigerated! We can only do fruits that you can leave out, like apples and 'nanas!"
"Where do you two keep getting grapes?"
"I 'unno, Trudge finds em!" Chica chirps, ruffling Trudge's hair.
Trudge is cackling menacingly when I look down to ask him the same question, which does plenty to tell me that I'm never gonna be able to pry an answer from him..
...
...
This is dumb..
...
..Feeling a premonition, I look back into the open field one last time to see if anyone else is planning to drop in..
Unbelievably, the search is fruitful.
There's a discolored green speck cartoonishly pumping his arms halfway between the distant Pizzaplex and the hill we're on.
..I guess Monty's energy hasn't been high enough lately to do this magical de-materialization bullshit everyone else seems capable of doing.. Little green gator has to leg it up here the normal way..
...
Ugh-, I know they're not actually frickin' teleporting, but I've earned the right to be superstitious with all I've seen..
...
...
I continue to watch the green gator gradually jog across the field, but another pair of erratic footsteps from the other direction captures my attention.
Friendo slows to a halt once he gets close enough; curiously holding his hand out and demonstrating that he has amassed a total of one (1) grape among the many that fell off the vine mid-air.
"Bff~." Trudge victoriously pumps both fists in the air, almost punching Chica off his shoulders in the process.
"Bff-? Why haven't you swallowed what's in your mouth yet?"
"Hffr-"
"No- Stop, nevermind. Chew, swallow, then talk."
..Completely ignoring my request, Trudge gratefully takes the grape in Friendo's hands and prompts the bot to sit next to him. Not being one to deny even the most pointless of requests, Friendo sits, and the four of us creating a semi-circle around the campfire.
"..Hbr."
After staring at the lone grape in his hand for a few seconds, Trudge makes a hum or resignation and lifts the grape in his open palm over his head, up towards the bird on his shoulders.
"Mhm?" Chica hums back, gleefully kicking her legs like a child on a swing.
"Hf-r."
"You can have it!"
"Jshb."
"Oh! No-, that's okay! I'm full already!" Chica chirps, gently pushing Trudge's hand back down.
"Bb.." Trudge grumbles, evidently uncertain on what to do with the rare delicacy in his hands.
...
...
..Soon after, Trudge shares a brainwave with me for a fraction of a second, and conjures up an idea I already had earlier today.
...
..Making sure Friendo's thoroughly entranced by the fire, Trudge slowly creeps his open palm in front of him,
Sure enough, the Friendoskeleton's body moves before his brain does, and he delicately takes the grape into his own hands without even pausing to see what he's grabbing.
...
...
This feels like a dangerous game.. I'm admittedly a little afraid he's gonna mush it against his face like he did with my cup..
...
Ah, nope.
After staring blankly the foreign object in his hands, Friendo decides it would be interesting to see what would happen if he held the grape in the middle of the fire.
..I expect him to yank his hand back as soon as a spark touches him, but he remains unphased..
...
Another couple seconds, and Friendo's hand is almost entirely in the center of the flame.. And sure enough: Everyone else, including Friendo, is completely entranced in solving the lifelong mystery of 'what happens when a grape is held in the middle of a fire'.
...
..Wasn't expecting this to go so smoothly..
Friendo's hand is in the middle of the fire, but he isn't reacting at all.. This wouldn't bother me so much if I didn't know for a fact that Friendo is capable of feeling pain. I've seen it before, like when he stubbed his 'toe' in the gift shop and agonizingly hopped around on one foot.
...
..I guess extreme temperatures are an exception..?
I get that doing something like this shouldn't do any physical damage, since he's made of metal; but that's kind of a weird thing exclude in whatever part of his programming that registers pain..
...
The grape melts, by the way. Who could have guessed.
With nothing left of the grape in his hand, Friendo retracts his arm.
His hand is visibly hot.. As in hot enough to tinge the metal a barely-visible shade of red.. Of course, the endo does nothing but stare at it, as if he's truly intruiged by the idea that sticking his hand into a fire made it hot.
...
..Friendo looks across the fire at me and points at his searing appendage with his other hand, like he's trying to show me how neat it is.
I choose not to respond out of fear of encouraging this behavior.
...
"I brought the bass."
...
"You brought the bass?" I blurt, whipping around as soon as I recognize the gator's voice.
"Reckon'd I'd bring the bass along." Monty chimes, already having managed to sit in between Freddy and I.
"That's a mile of field you just crossed."
"With me' bass."
"..You saw the smoke from a fire no less than a mile away in the middle of a field, and your reaction to that information was to grab your instrument?"
"No, I saw them two runnin' toward it and thought I'd bring some music along."Monty defends, proudly presenting his instrument to me..
"..It's not nearly as peaceful over here as you think it is." I huff, leaning away from the bass Monty's haphazardly extending his arms to show me.
"Thas' why we got one a' these~!"
"I'm throwing that thing into the fire if you hold it any closer to me."
"Take the dang instrument!"
"..Take it?"
"I made sure t'grab the leftie one."
" 'I' am not playing that thing."
"What? Nah- You's needsta' practice if we wanna-!"
"WAAH"
Monty and I drop what we're doing and turn toward the overwhelmingly feminine yelp, just in time to see the flailing Chica fall backwards off of Trudge's shoulders.
As the bird falls, Friendo becomes visible on the other side of her; with his searing hot finger hovering suspiciously close to where Chica's leg was just a moment ago.
...
..After sitting there and staring at the fallen bird for a while, Friendo decides to retract his arm into his lap and innocently twiddle his thumbs.
...
I make the executive decision to ignore all the sounds about to occur on that side of the campfire, and look back at the gator as if nothing happened.
"..As much as I appreciate you thinking of me, I might need to keep on my toes for the next few minutes, so you can keep the bass for yourself."
"D'aww.." Monty sighs, looking down at the instrument. "..I 'unno how to use a leftie one.."
"You can hold it upside down."
"Then all the strings'll be in the wrong order."
"Well yeah, but it's not like they're randomized; they're just reversed. I bet your muscle memory'll figure it out for you." I reassure, inspecting his instrument for any damage he might have done while running over here.
"Mmn.. It ain't gonna be good, though.."
"Now's as good a time as ever to learn."
...
"..I could run back 'n get the other one real quick."
"Mm.. I'm not sure if we're even gonna be out here for much longer. The sun's peaking over the horizon. It probably wouldn't be a bad idea to wrap this whole thing up pretty soon.." I mutter, staring at the distant Pizzaplex while I think.
...
..However, the moment Monty recognizes that I'm zoned out, the shadow of the bass being passed over my head snaps me back into reality.
"..What did you just-?"
"Trudge time." A suspiciously non-Monty voice responds behind me.
"You gave it to Trudge..?" I ask in bemusement, turning to find the day-guard with the bass in his lap.
"Trudge time.." He quietly repeats, giddily setting up the instrument.
...
"..Please don't get grape juices all over that thing.."
"I wouldn't be holding the bass if I was still busy eating."
...
"Don't throw it into the fire, either."
"Hehee.."
...
..In glancing back at the psychopathic day-guard, I also got the check up on how things are going between Chica and Friendo.
It's about what you'd expect.. Chica's lecturing the assailant through upset whines, and Friendo's making it worse by staring at the fire and pretending he can't hear her.
...
..I'm glad everyone's finding something to do out here, I guess..
...
...
..Freddy hasn't spoken in a while..
I lean back just enough to see around Monty, hoping to find that the bear hasn't wandered off on his own at some point.
Nope. Still there.. Not even zoned out, in fact. Freddy's still sitting upright and chuckling lightheartedly at the various interactions.
..That's good, I suppose.. Guess he's content simply spectating his crew for the time being.. It's probably been a while since someone dragged him around to interact with people all night, so it's not hard to believe that he's a little spent.
...
Oh- shit, I forgot I needed to-..
With a subtle mood shift, I turn to look back at the rest of the gang surrounding the slowly dwindling fire.. I've gotta decide whether I tell them all about the Pizzaplex now or later..
...
..Everyone's in such high spirits that I don't really wanna kill the mood, but there isn't gonna be another time tonight where everyone's all together like this..
...
Ugh- alright, here we go..
...
"Hey. Before you all go, I've gotta update you on what the plan is for the rest of the week." I begin, speaking over the fire to make sure everyone can hear me. "Arin let me kn-"
"Oh- Michael, hold on, excuse me-.." Freddy blurts, hurridly pushing himself to a stand. "My apologies, I had nearly forgotten.. I was assigned the task to inform them of the upcoming events, and I would like to hold my end of the agreement."
"If you want, sure.. Arin gave me the green light to say it too; so you don't have to be the one to tell them."
"I would like to."
"M'kay. Knock yourself out.." I hum dismissively, falling back on my hands and letting the bear do the work for me.
Freddy quickly brushes himself off upon standing, straightening his bowtie while deciding what exactly he wants to stay..
...
"Alright.. While I lack all the reasoning behind this decision, I was made aware that Arin has decided to temporarily shut down the Pizzaplex after we finish our regular procedures on Sunday."
"Oooh~, fer' how long?" Monty intones curiously, like we're sharing gossip with one another.
"He did not tell me. I'm not sure Arin himself has even decided yet."
"Oh- Uugh.. So like what we did on Christmas?" Chica whines, poking her head above the fire.
"I imagine it will be similar.. Though this was not an expected date like Christmas was; I believe there's an issue somewhere that is being taken care of.." Freddy confesses uncertainly, scratching the back of his head.
"Aw- Freddy, that was borrriing..! There was nothing to do all day..!"
"I understand.. Perhaps Michael will drop by once or twice to keep us entrained."
"That is not a promise you have the power of making." I cut in, failing to ignore the edged of the bear's mouth creeping upward.
"..Oh- Mike! Y'know what? You could get'cherself yer' own bass and bring it here!" Monty chimes, as if that's even remotely a reasonable idea.
"..I'm not buying a bas-.. Mont', I can use the left-handed one."
"If you buy me one, we can play together." Trudge hums, absent-mindedly drumming on the side of the instrument in his hands.
"You know how much those cost?"
"Do you?"
"More than I'm willing to spend on you."
"How much 'are' you willing to spend on me?"
"-$0.03"
"With tax?"
"Shouldn't *you* know about what's happening already? Did the day-crew not get a text about the Pizzaplex closing down yet?"
"We probably did."
"That is a terrible response."
"I don't check my phone very often."
"Anyway.." Freddy interrupts, clapping his hands. "..It is still only Friday, so there are a couple performances remaining. I don't believe we are doing anything special for our final performance, but I will inform you if plans change."
"Mnnn.. Coopy's the one who makes these rules-, why's Arin saying we have to close?" Chica huffs, obviously upset by the impending 'boredom'.
"I'm not sure if it was Arin or Cooper who made the decision; Arin was simply the one who informed me."
"Can we get games, 'r something?"
"..I have no control over that."
"Please?"
"Chica, I still have no control over where money goes. If you would like to request something to keep you entertained, I am willing to forward your requests to Arin."
"aww.."
...
"..Bird, I'm still gonna come bug you." Trudge assures condescendingly, setting Monty's instrument aside.
"What?"
"I'm still comin' over during the break, Chica-chonk."
"Really?"
"You think I wouldn'tve?"
"You don't work when we're shut down..!"
"I don't work the night shift either; 's just fun."
"Oh..!" Chica hums, staring blankly at the ground for a few seconds.. "..Okay..!"
...
Freddy and I both turn to look around at everyone, as if to ask if anyone has any questions before we wrap this up.
...
"When'sit gonna start?" Monty asks, falling back on his arms.
"After we finish performing, Sunday." Fred replies immediately, as if he was expecting that question.
"Ohh right, ya' already said that, uhhh.."
"I'm happy to repeat anything I said."
"Nah I think I was tryin' to ask somethin' else.." Monty mumbles, staring off into space.. "..Did'ja say why we were closin'?"
"We do not know. As far as I am aware, Arin has preferred to keep the details to-"
"Hey, actually-.." My voice escapes my throat before I'm able to register what I want to say..
...
..I've been meaning to tell Freddy the real reason behind the condition of the Pizzaplex for a while, but it never felt like the right time.. I never wanted to disrupt the peaceful atmosphere, or risk dampening his mood, but I'm starting to think that wasn't a great idea..
Uncertainty was a big part of what was eating at Fred when I walked into his room earlier.. He expressed an extreme desire to figure out what the 'problem' was so he could fix it, but I know that this isn't a 'problem' he can fix, so I've kept it myself to prevent him from worrying about it.. I think it's been having the opposite effect..
..Freddy told me he would rather know 'there's nothing he can do to fix a problem' rather than 'failing to fix a problem he think he can fix'.. Freddy kept putting an exorbitant amount of effort into trying to solve the Pizzaplex's problem, and when his efforts didn't show even the slightest bit of progress, it started stressing him out.. A whole lot of that could have been avoided if I just told him there's nothing he could do..
There's never going to be a 'right time', I need to sack up and tell him what's going on as soon as possible.
..But now all the others are around.. So is this a bad time to let Freddy know what's happening..? Should I wait just a little longer?
...
I'd be taking another risk in doing that..
What if the others start seeing the guest count as a problem? Would they try fixing it as well?
...
Freddy isn't the only 'helpful' one in the gang, he was simply the only one who really cared all that much about the declining guest count.. If these recent events somehow become an issue for any of the other members of the gang, I have no reason to believe they won't do the same thing Freddy did.. They'd probably do everything in their power to fix this 'problem' too, since they wouldn't know it's out of their control..
..I don't think I want to let that happen.. So I need to tell them.
I already failed to save Freddy from this burden. Letting anyone else fall victum to what Freddy's gone through would be inexcusable on my part..
...
Physching myself up to begin this lecture, I decide it'd be easier for me to explain it all if I avoid eye-contact, and start to stare into the fire.
"..I, uhm.. I do know why we're closing; and while it might not be directly related to the visitors dwindling, it's definitely correlated." I begin, crossing my legs and putting my hands in my lap. "I don't mean to be dramatic, but a few problematic seedling have slowly been growing into a real issue on several fronts.. Each of the issues are completely temporary, but they're very real nonetheless, so-"
"Mike- Is it somethin' wrong with you..?" Chica interrupts with an unexpected amount of confident concern, drawing my gaze.
"What..? No-, none of the problems have anything to do with me.. Why?"
" 're you sure..? Mikey- we'd love to talk about it if there' somethin' you need to-"
"No, Chica, I swear. I'm completely fine. The issues aren't related to me at all. I didn't mean to make it sound like I had any personal probelms."
...
..Chica only continues to stare at me with wildly unusual levels of concern.. I start to think I must've said something weird in front of everyone, but when I turn to ask what it is I said that was so concerning, I'm met with the realization that everyone else is staring at Chica like she's lost it as well.
...
"..I dunno', Mikey, you-.. I promise we won't get mad if you need to tell us somethin', okay?"
..What the hell is she talking about?
...
...
I've run the conversation we've had so far back through my head a million times, but I really don't know what it is I said that could've incited such a reaction from her.. Did she pick up on some hidden meaning in what I said somewhere..? If there was any 'hidden meaning', it wasn't intentional.. Plus, I find it incredibly unlikely that Chica would have caught on to it without Freddy doing the same.. Interpretation and logicality are the bear's specialties. In fact, Chica's 'strong points' are the complete opposites.. In contrast to Freddy: She's simple, and doesn't think too hard about anything she hears. Instead, Chica's empathetic, and deceptively emotionally intelligent. If Freddy isn't able to figure out anything wrong with what I said, then it's hard to believe Ch-
...
'Emotionally intelligent.'
'I promise we won't get mad if you need to tell us somethin', okay?'
...
..Chica didn't find anything wrong about what I said, she noticed my behavior while I was saying it..
She noticed something weird about how the words came out of my mouth. She noticed that I made the decision to deliberately avoid eye contact with everyone.
..She noticed my guilt..
...
..Huh.. I can't believe this is the first time Chica's 'gotten' me on something like this.. Now that I think about it, I guess her and I don't have 'heart to heart's' very often..
..That might mean hiding how I feel about certain things isn't gonna be so easy with her around..
...
"Man.. I can't believe you caught that.. I didn't even catch that.." I admit through an amused exhale, letting my gaze return to the fire while everyone starts looking back at me for an explanation. "Sorry. Chica noticed I was a little guilty.. I still promise that none of the issues surrounding the Pizzaplex have anything directly to do with me, but the truth is I've known about what's been happening for a while.. I tricked myself into believing it would be better if I kept it to myself for a while, but as always, hiding it from everyone didn't produce the overwhelmingly positive result I was hoping for. So, y'know.. Sorry, and all that.. But anyway, here's what's been goin' on..:"
..I have to take a second and remind myself what needs explaining, and what the order of events were.. There are some things I can't avoid, and some I can skimp over, but it all starts with one man.
...
"I don't know how long ago this was, but it kinda started back when everyone was playing a game that one night. It was the night we were split between two couches and pretty much just chatted the entire time while we were playing this weird game on a projector screen.. Cooper was talking to Arin about this old friend he had come into contact again recently, and how they worked in the sheriff's office. A few minutes later, we were talking about the old Freddy's locations.. I'm not sure I've told you this, but Cooper was able to get you guys constructed using plans he found left behind by the old owner of Freddy Fazbears.. The point I'm trying make in telling you this is that Cooper's motivation for creating this place absolutely stemmed from some weird 'fascination' with the old locations, and the story behind them."
I breathe for a moment, knowing these next few sentences won't go unquestioned by the animatronics.. One of them are going to ask me to elaborate on something.. And when they do, I'm gonna have to answer them..
...
"So anyway, the old Freddy's location Cooper was talking about in particular was once under an incredibly popular police investigation.. The investigation never ended up going anywhere, but it's still remembered to this day by many.. I can't remember exactly how our conversation went, but in a short timespan, the three things we talked about were: 'How Cooper was a little underwhelmed about how that old investigation went nowhere', 'How there had been a recent development in forensics; which means the police had figured out an improvement on how to investigate crime scenes', and 'How Cooper had come into contact with this old friend, who works in the sheriff's office.'... Unfortunately, I was the first one to put all the pieces together, and casually suggested that Cooper could try getting that friend of his to convince the police to restart another small investigation. The police had much more effective methods of investigating crime scenes now, so I brought up the possibility that if Cooper could get the police to re-investigate Freddy's, they might find something.."
..Saying it out loud makes me feel like an idiot.. That was the exact wrong thing to say to the exact wrong person, and I shot myself in the foot by letting my lips flap..
Maybe Cooper would have put those things together and formed that idea on his own, but since I did so first, it feels like I was the one who instigated this whole downfall of the Pizzaplex..
...
"..Look, I'm sorry, I really didn't expect that conversation to lead to anything, but it did.. Somehow, Cooper liked my idea and tried contacting his friend.. Somehow, his friend actually agreed to try and talk the police into doing the investigation.. Somehow, he succeeded.. Somehow, the police actually did drag themselves out into the long-abandoned and crumbling Freddy's building.. And somehow, they found something.."
"Whussat'?" Monty asks, invested the same way a child would be lost in a bed-time story.
"..I don't know what they found, if that's what you mean."
"Well what were they tryin' t'find?"
"What do you mean..?"
"Oh- You said Cooper really liked the old police thing..!" Chica chimes in, pointing at me to get my attention. "And you said he super-liked the story!"
"..You mean the 'story' behind Freddy's?"
"Yeah..! Did he like the police thing 'cause it was part of the 'story'?"
"I guess so, yeah.."
Chica hums happily, proud of herself for figuring things out on her own.
"Weeellll... Now's I wanna hear it." Monty commands playfully.
"The story?"
"Ayup."
"I'm, um.." I huff through a nervous chuckle. "..I'm kind of in the middle of telling a story right now, about the Pizzaplex.."
"Yer' a good storytellr'."
"This isn't really 'story time', either."
"Aw- Yes it is..! We're all gather'd 'round a campfire! This is the story-time!"
...
..I don't know what the hell I'm trying to accomplish..
Sooner or later, I'm gonna have to explain parts of at what happened in the old Freddy's locations.. I'm instinctively trying to stall, but it's pointless.. If I want to dedicate to this explanation I'm giving them right now, something's gotta be revealed..
...
...
"You're not gonna like what I tell you.." I warn, dis-comfortingly staring at the fire again. "But yeah, I should probably explain why Cooper found it so interesting.."
"What?"
"..Look- sorry for destroying the casual atmosphere, but to put it into perspective: what I'm gonna say is the entire reason I've been reluctant to explain what's been going on with the Pizzaplex."
"..Are we still talkin' about Freddy's..?"
"Yeah."
...
...
..Deciding it'd be easier if I just took a deep breath and bite the bullet, I carefully formulate the words I say next.
"..Old Freddy's weren't known for their parties and kid-friendly atmospheres. Freddy's past is.. Shockingly bloody.. I'm not gonna go over everything that happened, but to put it into perspective:" I lift my metal arm and point at the distant neon building poking over the hills of the field. "That building there; the Pizzaplex.. The Pizzaplex is the only Freddy's location someone hasn't died in yet.. Every other place has had at least one death to it's name. For some places, it was an accident. For some others, it wasn't."
I lower my arm, unable to look away from the comforting glow of the flame..
..Might as well just get it all out of the way now..
"Freddy's is infamous for it's tragedies, and it's mysteries. The investigation that occurred at the location Cooper talked about was by far the most famous one, because several children had gone missing in that incident. Some people thought everything that happened at Freddy's was infuriating. Some others thought it was depressing.. But most people thought such a tragedy was simply interesting.. People's fascination with it caused the case to grow viral, which caused Freddy's reputation as a ticking time bomb for tragedies to inflate exponentially.. Despite how incredibly popular the investigation was, however, the police never ended up finding anything, and the case was dropped."
I sneak a quick sigh in.
"..So when Cooper re-initiated the investigation years later, and they actually found something, everybody who's even heard the name 'Freddy' lost their damn minds.. Everyone's fascination came back full force, which inevitably led to Freddy's old reputation as a 'deathtrap' being dug up from it's grave and being stapled onto the Pizzaplex's forehead.. And when your establishment has the words 'missing children' written in every article it finds itself on, people stop wanting to bring their children.. That's why people haven't been coming lately.."
...
..I pause to await a reaction, but I soon realize I still haven't actually gotten to the part about why we're closing..
"Oh.. When I said 'everyone who's head the name Freddy lost their minds', Cooper wasn't an exception.. The whole reason this place exists is because Cooper was fascinated by those tragedies too, so when the case re-opened, nobody was more enthusiastic than him.. At first, he was just a little absent minded as he ran the Pizzaplex.. Then, he insisted that we scrounge up all of Freddy's relics so we could see what we could find. Then, he stopped coming to the Pizzaplex everyday to learn more about the investigation. Then, he kept getting worse.. I learned today that Cooper's almost entirely stopped sleeping and refuses to speak directly to anyone, simply because of how obsessed he is with the developing mysteries around Freddy's.. So.. The real reason the Pizzaplex is closing down is because Arin can't take care of it at the same time as he's trying to snap Cooper out of his insanity."
...
..I think that's everything..
...
I lift my gaze from the fire.
"That's where we are right now. People are intimidated by Freddy's past, so a lot of 'em have stopped coming. Cooper's not taking care of himself, and Arin can't watch over the Pizzaplex while keeping an eye on him.. As horrible as it all sounds, there's still a lot going for us. While we don't have a flat-out solution for either of these problems, they should all inevitably take care of themselves once this whole thing blows over.. It's a little rough, but it should all just a matter of time. I think that's the reason I thought it'd be okay if I hid it from everyone for a while longer.. I don't really have an excuse for that, to be honest, so.. My bad, I guess."
...
...
"Freddy." I hum after a brief silence.
"..Yes?"
"You probably deserve to know that the case has a lot to do with what I told you and Roxanne. They've been figuring a lot of it out, very quickly.."
...
"..The events of Freddy's past are being discovered, and is spreading like a wildfire.. Michael, you told me that was-.. That was exactly what you were trying to avoid.."
"Well.. Yeah.."
...
"I am sorry that things have turned out this way."
"It's not too bad yet. What I'm afraid of happening still hasn't happened." I explain vaguely, referring to my fear of copy-cat killers.
"..That is good to hear.." Freddy affirms quietly, adjusting his sitting position. "..I would like to know if it ever does.."
...
"I'll let you know."
"Thank you."
...
...
..The air is heavy.. I can barely bring myself to look around..
..Funnily enough, the 'damage' wasn't so bad.. Freddy already knew plenty about what was wrong with the old Freddy's places, so the only new pieces of information was how they were connecting with the Pizzaplex, as well as Cooper's condition. While those certainly aren't pleasant things to learn, at least the whole 'bloody past' wasn't something he had to digest right this very second as well..
...
Trudge also doesn't look horrible.. I've never seen him ponder so peacefully before, so it's clear I finally said something to catch his attention.. Trudge is just a guy, though.. I'm willing to bet he's already heard tons about Freddy's rumors before now, just like everyone else.. I suppose that means he was spared from the burden of acknowledging the bloody past as well..
...
A bit less expected is Friendo's reaction, who looks the least phased of them all.
..What I've told him has still absolutely caught his interest, since he's sitting and peacefully staring into the fire as well, but it's weird.. Friendo should be the least knowledgeable about all of this, but the way he's calmingly acknowledging everything I told him kind of reminds me reminds me of how Freddy's reacting as well.. So either this just doesn't mean very much to him, or he somehow already knew a bunch of this stuff like Freddy did.
...
Chica and Monty, the two I was most worried about.. It doesn't surprise me that what they've learned has hit them the hardest out of all of us.
..Chica's just 'innocent', really.. I was scared this would be quite an unpleasant reality check for her, since she's been exposed to the concepts of death and murder the least.. Combine that with the fact that I tied those horrible concepts to the company that she's been a part of her whole life, and that 'reality check' starts to get a little more relevant than she's probably comfortable with..
Uniquely, Chica's the only one out of everyone here who's not silently digesting this information while staring at the fire.. Her gaze never shifted away during my speech; she's still looking straight at me..
...
There's an interaction brewing between us, I can feel it already..
..While I still have the chance, I get a quick look at Monty.
Monty was a concern for an entirely different reason.. We've all seen before how poorly he reacts to violence and injury, so tying a history of death and murder to him seemed like a really bad idea..
..But I've noticed he's gotten better, lately..
The gator was a lot more sensitive in the past.. On movie night, he almost lost it back when Roxanne made a sound that resembled getting hurt..
Something still brews in his eyes for a moment when he sees or hears about an injury of some sort, but he's been so much better at controlling himself lately.. Monty refrained from getting angry when I told him all about the fight Roxanne had, including when I showed him that huge bite mark on my shoulder she gave me.. Hell, even just a moment ago, Monty watched Friendo hurt Chica with his scalding hot hand, and he didn't even mention it..
..I was scared there would be a limit, though.. I worried that telling him about numerous murders and deaths in the Freddy's franchise might be enough to break that limit.
...
It didn't..
..But it got close..
Monty's also quietly staring at the fire, but the 'pondering' going on in his head seems a bit more erratic.. I couldn't tell you what it is exactly, but it's something about his eyes.. Those are the eyes of someone who was on the brink..
...
...
..Man. Can't wait for ten minutes to pass, when everyone's digested this information fully and we're back to having a good time around a campfire..
Might've had to break out the moodkiller-Mike, but it was necessary this time around.. At least it's off my chest now. If nothing else, I can go home tonight knowing that I made progress somewhere..
...
..Maybe there's something I can say to help this settle..
I turn my head to look back at Trudge and his little crew of misfits, hoping to find an answer somewhere.. All I get, however, is a reminder that Chica's still staring at me.
...
..Speaking of Trudge, the day-guard just took an exaggerated breath, seemingly indicating that he's the first one besides Freddy to finish his 'pondering' session.
"M'kay, y'know what? That's weird, but it's also good to know." Trudge hums thoughtfully, falling back on his hands and letting his gaze lift upwards into the sky. "Mmmmaybeee, uhhh.. If Coop's goin' bonkers and we're shutting down 'cause of it, I might check with Arin and see if there's somethin' I can do to help speed up re-opening."
"Yeah, I was thinking the same thing." I respond lightheartedly, mimicking his casual sitting position. "Arin seems a little in over his head about him.. I'm not sure what Arin's good at, but it's hard to imagine that dealing with an insane old fool is one of his skills."
"Yurr. Can we-?"
"Wai- Mike..! I'm confused..! What's-..?!" Chica stutters, cutting Trudge off.
"..I know that was a lot to take in, sorry.. If you're confused, I'll-"
"Waitwaitwait, we don't hurt people..! Freddy's isn't dangerous!"
"I know, you're right. This place is different, nothing bad's happened here."
"But you-..!" Chica exasperates, starting to lift a finger in my direction before stopping midway. "..But you said people are leaving 'cause they're scared..!"
"Well.. Yeah."
"No- They don't needa be afraid..! We keep the kids safe!"
"Chica, no one's saying the Pizzaplex is dangerous; people are just afraid of it's track record." I hopelessly defend, lifting my hands to say 'calm down'.
"But we're not scary..! We never did anything..!"
"Listen, I know, I get it.."
"Mike, they think they're gonna get hurt..!" Chica huffs emotionally, flapping her feathers for a second.
"They won't."
"But you said they're scared 'cause they don't wanna lose their children..!"
Mnn.. I could see her freak herself out even further with that sentence..
"Yeah, but they won't. This place is different than the rest; just give it time, and people will see that they're safe here."
"They are safe! I wanna tell them they're safe..!" Chica whines, before her expression noticeably shifts a little. "They're-.. th-... Right?"
"..What do you mean?"
...
"Mike, th-.. they're safe, right..?"
"Yeah, of course they are."
...
"We're..! We're safe, right..?! Mike..!"
"Chica, yes. We're safe."
"Wait- what happened to the old places..?! People died?!"
"That's what I said, yeah.. Are you al-?"
"Are people gonna die?!"
"What? No, no one's gonn-"
"M-Mike, I don'-..! Why did they die?!"
"Chica, calm dow-"
"A-Are-..! People are gonna die?! Are we gonna be okay!?"
What the hell's gotten into you..?!
The bird's fully risen to a stand sometime during our interaction; now just standing there and fiddling with her hands emphatically.
"Why do you think we're in danger at all? No one's in-"
"Y-You said it happened at all of them..! You said someone died at every place, and now we're a place..! Does that mean someone's-?! W-Who's gonna d-..! I-I don' wanna die, I'm-..!"
"It won't happen anymore, Chica. There's nothing to worry about."
"W-Wait, but what if it happens again..!?"
"It won't."
"W-What if it doe-!"
"It won't"
"Y-..! You dunno! Mike, you dunno it won't happ-!"
"I do know. It won't."
"N-..Nuh-uh..! Someone could-!"
Alright, I've gotta make a point or two..
I push myself off the ground unexpectedly, standing straight up and addressing everyone as a whole; not just Chica.
"Listen, I'm not just saying things. I'm not trying to be hopeful or optimistic when I say that this place is different than the Freddy's of the past. I know it's different because I was there. I completely understand why you'd think Freddy's tragedies are connected to you, since you and the other animatronics are just the next entry in Fazbear Entertainment's legacy; but there's no one on the planet you can trust more than me to tell you that you're different. Because I was there. I know why those death's happened.. I really can't tell you all the details of everything, because it's something I'm trying to get the world to forget, but I need you to trust me when I tell you that I know the tragic story behind Freddy's is over because I was there when it ended. I know what happened. I know how each death occurred. I know the events leading up to them. I know which ones were an accident. I know which ones were murders. I know who did it.. But it's because I know all of those things that I'm able to tell you that they don't have any bearing on the present anymore. Freddy's 'story' ended with the location before this one, and when the Pizzaplex was created, a new story begun; one that's truly different than the others."
I breathe a quick sigh, but try to remain assertive to really get my point across.
"..I know that all sounds dramatic, but the only point I'm trying to make is that you don't have to be afraid. A lot of the guests have stopped returning to the Pizzaplex because they are afraid, but that's because they don't know the story like I do. They don't know it's over. But in time, they will. The only thing in the Pizzaplex that truly does have anything to do with Freddy's past is 'me', and I like to think I've proven by now that I'm not hear to hurt anyone. So 'no', the customers aren't in danger, you aren't in danger, and no one is going to die in the Pizzaplex, ever."
...
...
Finished with my monologue, I plop back down by the fire with a big sigh.
..I was expecting an argument from either the Chicken or the Gator at some point, but they're either still digesting what I said, or haven't been listening at all.
...
"Psst.."
"Trudge."
"Mike."
...
..Jesus..
"..I'm gonna be annoyed if the only response I get to that tangent is you whispering in my ear.." I grumble under my breath, begrudgingly playing along with the day-guard beckoning me over to whisper something.
"I think Chica's sad you yelled at her."
"I didn't yell at her- what?"
Unfortunately, glancing in their direction does reveal that Chica's sitting with her arms crossed, making a huffy face at the ground
"I think Chica's sad you yelled at her."
"That is really dumb-.. Is that the only thing she took away from the whole lecture..?"
"Well *I* liked it."
"It was supposed to make her feel better.."
"Well it did, 'till you yelled at her."
"I didn't yell at her."
"You did the Mike-equivalent of yelling."
"What does that even mea-? For the love of god, 'Chica'." I call out, refusing to let 'Mike yelled at me' be the only thing she takes away from all this.
...
She doesn't respond, but I know she heard me..
"Chica, what happened to you?"
"You're mean.."
"I'm not 'mean', you-.. Did you hear everything I said?"
"Yeah, 'cause you yelled it at me..!"
"I did not."
"You raised your voice and it sounded mean!"
"I was trying to sound assertive-. Chica, really?"
"Mean!"
"Y-.." I quickly interrupt myself, swinging my head in the other direction to call on Freddy's aid. "I wasn't yelling, right? I was talking loudly so everyone could hear me.."
"..Are you asking me?" Freddy answers after a short silence.
Dude, I really thought this would be taken a little more seriously..
"Did I even get my point across..?" I ask no one in particular, staring out into space briefly.
"..I appreciated it. It was nice to hear you waive us of any guilt so confidently."
"..Chica was having an episode not even five minutes ago, I bared my soul for a tiny monologue, and all she took away from it is that I spoke sternly?"
"She does not appear to be worried about our safety anymore, so I believe you got your message across to her."
...
"That felt underwhelming.." I exhale, crossing my legs and turning over my shoulder a bit more. "..Monty?"
"Nah, nah, I'm arright, I'm just.." The gator responds almost instantly, brushing a hand over his head and falling backwards to lay on the grass. "..Gimmie a minute, I'll be all good 'n a minute, I think.."
..I guess my monologue didn't have as much of an effect on him..
...
"You alright..?"
"Yeh! Yeh..! I'm jus'.. I'm jus' thinkin'.."
...
"..Sorry for dumping everything on you at once."
"Nope, yer' all good! I'm all good..! Mm.."
Monty rubs his face like he's got a headache, then lets his arms fall onto the grass while he stares into the sky.
...
..How strange..
Chica was really freaking out for a moment there, but she got over it in record time.. Monty's been less emotional about it, but he's still the least 'over it' out of all of us..
...
I look forward and stare off into space again.
..Everyone reacted very similarly when I told them about what's been happening around the Pizzaplex lately, but they're reaction to my monologue varied wildly.. It's like my words had an overwhelmingly successful effect on Chica, but failed to comfort Monty at all..
...
Maybe that's just how they are.. Chica's simple, so maybe her thoughts on something like this are super susceptible to change.. Monty's a bit more convoluted, so maybe he's just taking longer to internalize everything..
..Kind of a weird contrast to find between two energetic members of the cast, but stuff like that's proven to be pretty common recently.. Differences between each member of the gang are getting more apparent. Like how Monty's 'ideology' of keeping people happy if it means letting people do bad things is the exact opposite of Roxanne's, who'd prefer to get people to stop doing bad th-
Oh-, Fuck! Roxanne..!
"Shhhit, do you know what time it is?" I blurt reflexively, already halfway through checking my watch.
"Language, and no later than 6. Do you need to be somewhere?" Freddy responds quickly, uncrossing his legs like he's gonna stand up with me.
"I forgot-.. Shoot, I forgot about Roxanne.. I need to talk to her tonight, and now I have to tell her about all this, too.."
..Gh, I feel like such a douche.. The night's practically over, but I still need to talk to her before the night ends.. I even told her I'd be back, but I lost track of time.. I'm in for it this time..
...
..I still have a field to cross as well.. Shit, I can't waste any more time.
"..Hey, sorry to dump all this you and leave, but I just remembered something important.." I grumble, quickly rising to my feet. "If anything I said is still bothering you after a while, I'd be more than happy to talk about it later.. I don't really know what else to say besides reassure you that things really aren't as bad as they sound."
Freddy, Trudge, and Friendo all wave goodbye; acknowledging I'm trying to get out of here as soon as possible. Chica seems fine, but she only sits there and and huffs; still upset I had the audacity to stress a point about something.. Monty sticks a hand straight up as an informal goodbye, but remains laying in the grass and staring up into the golden-orange sky.. He must still have a lot on his mind..
..Maybe he'll be fine after he thinks about it for a while.. Even he it isn't, I can always come and talk to him later or something..
...
Alright, I've gotta go.. We're finishing this night off with a bang, apparently..
...
...
..Probably not gonna make a great first impression by barging into her room disheveled and out of breath, but I'm starting to think every second counts..
...
Here we gooo~..
- Pshh -
Fuckk..
I'm able to get a peek at Roxanne before she can register the sound of the door opening. She's in her bed with a cracked-open plastic case of make-ups in her lap, suggesting she's just sat down to start preparing for the day.. As I expected, Rox doesn't look incredibly content.. She doesn't seem furious, but 'annoyed' doesn't seem accurate either.. Like.. A fussy pout.. It's the kind of face I'd imagine someone wearing while winning fake arguments in their head.
The kicker(s?), however, are the barely-visible specks on moisture in the corner of her eyes. Like tears of frustration that never get big enough to fall.
..That's all I'm able to make out in the time it takes for Roxanne to recognize the sound of her door opening, though.. The very moment she does, her head snaps to look at me. Before I'm able to figure out what to say, Roxanne slaps the make-up container shut and tosses it onto her bed.
Here we go..
"Mike, what the fuck is wrong with you?"
"Nothing, sorry, look-.. I need to tell y-"
"You said you'd be back. Where have you been?" Rox interrupts, pushing herself up from her bed.
"I'm sorry, I've been busy."
"Busy doing what?"
"I had to help Freddy and tell everyone about what's been going on around the Pizzaplex; I swear I've been bus-"
"You had to help? Did Freddy need you to build a fucking fire for three hours?" Roxanne intones sarcastically, taking steps around her couch to confront me.
"What? No-, I've.. How did you kn-?"
Before I'm able to get the question out, Roxanne manages to close in and aggressively grab my arm and raise my hand in between our faces.
Nn, shit.. I was so pre-occupied with making my way over here that I didn't notice my good hand was ash-stained to hell..
"Where were you?"
"I.. Was out in the field, with Freddy.. Everyone else joined in on their own and-"
"Y-..! Mike..!" Roxy huffs in disbelief, throwing my hand back down. "You said you'd fuckin' 'chill out' with me, and then you went and 'chilled out' with everybody but me..?!"
"It was only supposed to be Freddy and I..; He was feeling down about something, so I took him along with me to see everyone, and-.." I slowly trail off, realizing I'm only making it sound worse.
"Mike, you-..! You didn't see everyone, you never saw me!"
"I know, I know, but.."
"You left me in the Pizzaplex, completely by myself, and had fun with everyone else..?!"
"I didn't think the others would follow us outside."
"Mike- what if *I* wanted to sit around a campfire with everyone? How come you didn't tell me everybody else was having a good time..?! I would've come out too, Mike! But I didn't know everyone was outside having fun, because I was too busy waiting here, for you!"
"Rox, listen..! I'm sorry I didn't call you or anything, but I thought you wouldn't want to join in with me because you'd still be upset about before..!" I lift my hands up in defense, referring to when I intentionally lost our 'game' and told her to keep the laptop.
"Fuck y-..! That too..! Mike- I showered and made myself look nice and everything! But you didn't even let me do anything..!" Roxanne whines, threatening to grab my collar at any moment.
"You showered for me?"
"Yes!"
"I'm-.. Look, I didn't want to lose my laptop either, but what I was doing at the time was too important. I swear it isn't because I didn't want to do stuff with y-"
"Mike, you went out and did stuff with *Freddy* instead!"
"I know, but that was important.."
"You-..! Why isn't doing stuff with *me* important?!"
"That's not what I mean; I already told you Freddy was having a bad night, so I-"
"Am *I* having a good night, dipshit!?"
"It's.. I don't know what to say; It wasn't the same.."
Roxanne makes a fussy growl sound, finally reaching out and grabbing a random part of my upper shirt.
"You're so, fucking-..! You promised you'd do what I said for a night!"
"Look- I know, but I also said I'd give you the laptop if I couldn't.. I couldn't do stuff with you right then, so I gave-"
"I don't want that thing-! I use it whenever I want anyway!"
"I'm.. Sorry, but.."
"Ugh, Mike, come on..! This was supposed to be a fun day for me..!"
"The bet was just so I'd have a consequence for assuming wrong."
"No, you made it 'cause I was pissed about how long it was taking to clean the big-ass pile of yours..! You made it to make me happy!"
..Nn.. That's-.. That's right..
"Rox, I'm sorry, alright..? I understand things were supposed to go differently, but-"
"Then you went out and didn't invite me to go have fun! With everybody else!"
"I know, I know, you said that. That's my fault, I thought you were mad at me and didn't want to tag along so-"
"I was mad at you! But I still wanted to hang out like you did with everybody else..! I can do both those things..!"
"Look, I don't-... I don't know what you want me to do.. I'm sorry for not inviting you, but what do I do about it now..?"
Mnn.. That might not have been the right thing to say..
"I-! 'd, fucking..! What was I supposed to do..?!"
"Nothing, you did nothing wrong."
"Then why am I the one shit-out-of-luck tonight?! I did nothing wrong, but I'm the only one who got cheated!"
"Rox, I'm-.. I didn't 'cheat' you, I just-"
"You-..!" Roxanne huffs emotionally, meekly trying to shake me a bit with the weak grip she has on my shirt. "Mike, you didn't-..!"
"Look, please calm down.. I don't know what else to-"
"You didn't spend any time with me today..!"
"..I'm-"
"You were busy until like 2:30, then annoyed me for fifteen minutes, before literally 'refusing' to come back..! Now the night's over, and we didn't-..! You didn't spend any time with me!"
...
"..."
"Mike..!"
...
"..Do you, uhm.. Do you want to make it so this bet didn't count?"
"What?"
"Do you want to save the bet for another day? I get my computer back tonight, and you get to choose a different night to do this whole thing?"
...
...
"fuck you.." Roxanne mutters, pushing her hand off of my shirt and turning around to walk somewhere else in her room.
"..So yes?"
"Fine.."
...
"Would it make you feel better if I apologized..?" I ask like an idiot.
"You don't know how to apologize.." Rox mumbles back, taking the make-up container off her bed and placing it on the corner of her desk.
"..I don't?"
"No, you don't.. Because you never stop talking.."
...
"I'm not sure what that means.."
"Dumbass."
"How am I supposed to do it?"
"Y'know what?" Roxanne huffs skeptically, putting down what she has in her hands and leaning against her desk with her arms crossed. "Try. I'll show you where you always fuck it up."
"Alright, listen. I'm sorry that I went out and had-"
"There."
...
"..I didn't get to say anything." I respond quietly, shrugging with my hands.
"No, moron. You already said too much. I hate it when you do that."
"Wait, wait, I didn't get to say what I was apologizing for."
"Why the fuck would you need to? You think I don't know?" Roxanne chides, unfolding her arms and extending them to highlight the entire portion of the room I'm in. "Don't say 'I'm sorry, but-'. Don't fuckin' walk through your thought process with me. Don't stand there and give me a formal list of things you're sorry for. I already know. So stop running your damn mouth."
...
"Look, can you just tell me what you want me to say?"
Rox huffs through her nose, kicking herself off from the desk.
"If I have to say it for you, it won't mean anything. Even birds can repeat whatever dumbass sounds they hear; that's too easy. Say it yourself."
"What am I supposed to do?"
"Try again."
"I'm sorry for-"
"What did I just fucking tell you?"
"Oh- right, sorry, I-.."
"Michael. Fucking. Afton."
"Oooh.. Full name this time.. Breakin' records-"
"You get one more try." Roxanne articulates, intimidatingly walking towards me again.
...
"I'm sorry..?"
"Yes, Michael. Jesus Christ." Roxy blurts through an exasperated exhale, shortly before making it within arm's length of me and yanking me sideways a couple feet with my sleeve. "I can frickin' forgive you like this more often if you'd just learn to shut the hell up every once in a while."
"..Why did you-?"
"Sit down, dumbshit."
"Oh." I hum, acknowledging the couch beside me.. I think she meant to throw me on it, but I didn't know that the hell the plan was, so I just stopped my momentum before I hit something.
I slide my hands in my pockets and watch the wolf pace around her room and put various things away, grumbling something that I'm sure has to do with how 'stupid' I am.
...
..Once Roxanne's finished, the forcefully slides a desk drawer closed and organizes her hair while she walks toward the couch I'm in front of.. When she makes it way closer to me than necessary, she simply stops and glares at me expectantly.
...
"..What?"
"Mike- What did I just tell you to do?"
"Oh. Si-"
"Sit. Down."
"..Well now I don't know if I should if you're gonna be so rude about i-"
I, *narrowly*, catch the hand shooting for my throat.
...
"..Seems.. Like an overreaction.." I mutter, watching the wolf carefully while I keep her hand from reaching any further.
Shockinly unphased, Roxanne simply stares back at me with lidded, unamused eyes..
...
...
Sighing through her nose, Roxanne bends down a bit and picks up a miscellaneous empty water bottle sitting on the coffee table with her other hand; before demeaningly holding it out as if asking me to take it.
..Uncertain what she wants me to do with it, I warily take the water bottle she's offering me with the hand not currently pre-occupied with holding Roxanne's claws from reaching my neck.
...
Shit-!
Realizing way too damn late what her plan was, Roxanne easily wraps her spare hand around my throat, and I'm not able to drop the water bottle in time to catch her.
Welp.
Having all the leverage she could possibly ask for, Rox shoves my throat downward, and I fall on the couch.
- Pompf -
"Dumbass."
I'm prevented rubbing my throat by the wolf, who's found some form of amusement of holding my shoulders down on the couch.
"Ow."
"The fuck'd you think I was trying to do? Give you an empty water bottle as a souvenir?"
"I don't know, what the hell are you trying to do now?"
"What does it look like?"
"Get off of me."
"No. We get to do a little bit of what we usually do before I have to work."
"What we 'usually do' has never included pinning my arms to the couch."
"We haven't started yet."
"I know, but we can start whenever, so what are you doing right now?"
"This is fun. I like feeling stronger than you."
"Rox."
"Mike."
...
..I just remembered something~..
...
"Are you done yet?" I huff, subtly poking the wolf to lay on my chest like usual.
"No."
"Why?"
"I want to hear you complain."
"You're a psychopath."
"I'm stronger than you."
"Wolf- I know you're prodding me to fight back, but I'm not doing that. I've been busy all day, and I'm sleepy now that the sun's up."
"You are, so boring."
"I've got stuff I need to tell you anyway, so get down here before you have to get ready."
"Fine." Roxanne huffs, releasing my shoulders and adjusting herself to line up properly.
"It's the same thing I told everyone else; it's about the Pizzaplex."
"I'm right here, dumbshit. Start talking alr-AAOw?! Mike!"
Success.
As soon as Roxanne finally relaxed and let her head fall on my chest, she immediately shoots back upwards, holding the bottom of her snout.
"Whoops."
"..Ow, Mike..! What the fuck was that- what did you do?!"
"Forgot to tell you there's something in my shirt pocket. My bad." I hum arrogantly.
"..What the fuck is this thing?!"
"Friendo gave it to me."
"Is this a Rose?!"
"Yeah. Trudge found it. Don't know where."
"Is it real?"
"Did the thorns going into your chin feel real?"
"Mike!"
"Whoops."
"Fuck you. Hold still."
"What? No."
"Hold still."
"No, let go of me."
"It'll look better if you hold still."
"Are you about to fucking carve me?"
"You want a circle or a triangle?"
"Rox- I am punting you off me if a thorn touches my skin."
"I would like to see you try."
Shit.