(Fazbin Hotel Night 2 (AKA a Day In The Afterlife of Springtrap)(title changed because a friend came out with the pun.)
It has only been 2 days since his new afterlife began but William Afton knew one thing very well; Whoever decided to make the alarm clocks for his apartment building needed to be beaten with a crowbar. Preferably over the head. Repeatedly.
The mechanical rabbit demon was busy snoring away, mumbling "...Micheal no pranks at the table…." Into his pillow. Snoring like he was choking on something afterward. When the shrill BEEP BEEP BEEP of the electric alarm clock sounded.
Slamming on the snooze button only made it come back a few seconds later louder and more insistent than before, and getting louder the longer Afton ignored it. Finally, after a minute of ear-piercing mechanical shrieking, the rabbit demon finally hit the off button, got up, and began getting ready for the day. His boss, Overlord Theodore was kind enough to give him 2 weeks to get settled in before he would begin doing work for him. Two weeks to adjust to his afterlife in the pit of perdition and the myriad of vices and sins that sufficed every crevice of it.
William doubted he would be fully adjusting in two weeks. Especially when he was essentially stuck between and a hard place accepting the little rabbits offer of employment. But right now he felt the best thing to do was go along with whatever the other rabbit had planned, not like he had the resources to fight back at the moment.
The rabbit would bide his time, being in Hell meant he probably had eternity to plot and plan. Being stuck as a grunt forever would never do, maybe one day he'll rise to the top and be one of the "Overlords" Theodore mentioned. Turn his afterlife into one worth suffering for in life.
Heading into the less than 15-foot space that was his bathroom, Afton began a facsimile of a daily routine he was restarting after so long in that horrible Bonnie suit; splashing water in his face to wake himself up to start with. Normally after that William would then shave and brush his teeth, but he didn't know if the fake fur would grow, or if it did, how long it would take. Though he did use the remaining wetness to pat it down a small bit. The flattened fur empathizes Afton's scarred face but he practiced a friendly smile to contrast the scars. A look to put people at ease, make people less suspicious of him.
Brushing his teeth was a pointless endeavor though as his plastic teeth would probably be safe from cavities. Probably. The occasional sweet would be fine but no candy binges like his children used to do in the days following Halloween.
Stripping off the white t-shirt and thin pants he had been provided by his greyhound friend, William Afton prepped for his first shower in Hell. The steamy water was perfect for waking him up to start his first proper day down here. Having spent most of the extermination day yesterday in a bunker hiding from Angels, then hanging out at his friend Marcus's apartment upstairs. with the Greyhound demon telling stories of his exploits in the living world until Afton headed home for dinner around 7 pm to cook dinner with some food the other demon provided.
Marcus was a useful little tool, latching onto the rabbit quickly and acting all friendly. Trying to ease William into his new afterlife,while William acted the part of his new companion. Letting Marcus provide for him for now, loyal support was always valuable.
At least this morning Willam didn't experience the same confusion he did after he first woke in the bunker in the building's basement. Looking back, it might have explained the Sinner's confused reaction to his surroundings.
(Flashback)
William groaned as he awoke. Wondering how long he had been asleep if he had such vivid dreams. Of being killed by the Springlock suit and being trapped for so long in the backroom of Freddy Fazbear's. Of some stupid attraction called "Fazbear's Frights" based on the tragedies of the Pizzaria.
Attempting to rub the sleep from his eyes, Afton felt something, odd on his face. Wondering if he had fallen asleep in costume again. That would explain why he felt a muzzle instead of his own face and large rabbit ears on the top of his head.
But ,that didn't explain the Inhuman monsters all around him, the TV that showed mechanical beings attacking more monsters and OH GOD IT WASN'T A DREAM. W
William groaned as he saw the greyhound demon below him, still sleeping away. Everything that had happened in the past few hours caught up to him once again. He was in Hell, in a bunker, hiding from angels during a yearly extermination of other souls. This was his life, well afterlife now. His only thought upon it all coming together was-
["...FUCK..…"]
(End flashback)
But at least the water was hot, set to a temperature that would have almost scalded the rabbit demon or at least left his skin an irritated red, life. But because of his demonic body's hardiness and less sensitive sense of touch, it was almost soothing for Afton. Certainly better than being consumed by actual fire. Twice.
There wasn't any shampoo, yet, but Marcus had given him one of his spare bars of soap with the food. The packaging showed a fish demon surrounded by bubbles, with smaller text under the Scrubbing Scales logo proclaiming that it scrubs away blood and gore, leaving a demon squeaky clean.The minty fresh scent brought a small smile to the rabbit sinner, reminding him of his favorite cologne back when he was a living man.
Ending his shower after around twenty minutes, Afton felt much cleaner. With his new minty-smelling body, he could forget the fact he used to be a rotting corpse in a rusty animatronic. Good thing he didn't have a sense of smell inside that awful suit, or else he might have been too busy gagging on his rotting stench to accomplish anything!
Once he was nice and dressed in the jeans and waistcoat his boss had provided upon meeting him, his only real clothes besides the spares Marcus had provided for him to sleep in. The original clothes had been left folded on the dresser when he changed into his sleeping clothes.
The amount of stuff his new friend had given him had almost made William feel bad. Almost. But he'd been chided with a simple "The clothes were from the thrift store so no big deal. We'll get ya your clothes tomorrow." When he tried to protest. Marcus was far too generous for his own good, but clothes were clothes though were a little small.
Said offer was on the rabbit demon's mind as he got in the elevator to Marcus's floor. Hoping the other demon was awake and ready for their little trip today. Though with how creaky the floorboards were and how heavy his footfalls were, it was a miracle the entire floor didn't hear the rabbit demons approach.
Thankfully the greyhound was waiting by the door to his apartment when Afton arrived. Dressed in jeans and a grey turtleneck with a black jacket. Making him look quite stylish and almost handsome looking. Marcus was twirling his keys as he saw the other Sinner, giving a smirk and patting his new friend on the shoulder.
"Hey, big bun! Are you excited for your first real day? You lucky ya met me so soon, most people don't have someone to watch their back so soon after arriving unless someone they know also landed down here." The greyhound chuckled but looked away for a second as if remembering something he didn't like.
" So, where should we go first? I was thinking about the Mammanamart about twenty minutes away. Get ya fluffy butt some new threads and more food." Marcus added, patting the rabbit demon's ass which just made him snort in annoyance.
"Marcus, you seem like a good man but please stop trying to flirt with me. I've only felt that kind of attraction to one person, and that was my wife. After a year of being together. Heck, I didn't even see her naked until we were married. I'm just letting you know now so we can avoid issues.
I don't mind the flirting and the touching right now. But you're not going to get anywhere with me by doing it." Afton sighed and said, glaring at his new friend. The affection vaguely reminded him of the girls in secondary school who tried coming onto him. Who seemed almost offended when he ignored or rebuffed their advances. Marcus's attempts at flirting were a small bit annoying, but Willam didn't want to scare Marcus off by being too aggressive with his pushback. A small warning would suffice for now,if Marcus got too handsy a more forceful warning would be needed.
The greyhound demon didn't look upset so much as make a look of "worth a shot." And shrug before leading towards the elevator. After exiting the building, Marcus led Afton to a parking area in the back area and headed towards his mid-sized dark red car. The rabbit demon was careful to go in slowly, not wanting his heavy body to break something inside the car. Carefully putting on the seatbelt, William waited for Marcus to begin their drive. Letting his thoughts settle and enjoy the smooth ride of the comfortable plush seats.
This was a perfect opportunity to see the sights safely, a nice relaxing car ride without anything to get in the way. Afton remembered his old purple sports car,his fourth child in a way due to the maintenance work he used to do on it every other weekend.
Too bad this was Hell and good things like car rides didn't last long.
About ten minutes into their drive, the road started being shaken up by strange tremors. They were faint enough that the origin was a while away. But they were frequent and short enough to not be natural. It was only when Marcus checked the left-hand side that he groaned and pinched the top of his muzzle in annoyance.
"Ah great, Sir Pentious is trying to conquer the city. Again." He said, pointing towards the enormous airship in the distance that was blasting bombs willy-nilly.
"AGAIN?! Does this happen often?!" Was Williams's reaction, eyes wide with terror and confusion. His voice almost cracked with fear as well. Wondering who this Pentious guy was and why in god's name was he was doing this.
" 'Bout every other week. Usually. He's at least a dozen blocks away so we're fine. Hopefully." The causal yet nervous way Marcus said that told Afton everything he needed to know and made him tightly grip the handle above the door.
It wasn't until they were completely parked in the supermarket lot that he released his vice-like grip on the handle above the door. If the rabbit demon could be pale, he would have been white as a sheet as he stepped out of the car. Thankfully there were no more tremors around him and the airship was far enough in the distance that it faded into the horizon. Allowing William to look forward without fear.
The logo for Mammanamart was a strange gold and green jester's face grinning down at the people shopping at the establishment, a golden MM underneath. William took a few seconds to center himself after the ride, but being patted on the shoulder by his canine companion snapped him back to awareness. "Shopping carts are that a way big bun." Spoke Marcus, pointing westward.
Once the two were inside the supermarket, it was hard not to be amazed by the sheer size of the place. Aisles as far as the eye could see and most likely beyond. Endless stretches of fluorescent lights and green and gold tiles. Hundreds, maybe even thousands of demonic shoppers of all shapes and sizes mulling about as well. Filling the air with a cacophony of words, grun,t,s, and other assorted noises. A veritable maelstrom of consumers and goods.
The duo's first stop was of course the area for clothes. Probably the largest area because of the need to accommodate demons of all shapes and sizes. Even just the men's section was a maze of shelves and racks, piles of clothes designed for dozens of different body types and designs.
The clothing section, unlike most of the store, was carpeted. Allowing Afton to feel the plush green fibers under his padded paws and wonder if he should get a pair of shoes with the rest of his supplies. Though with how most demons, including Marcus, seemed to get along fine without them, maybe they weren't so necessary. Besides, there probably aren't shoes designed for his paws anyway.
Marcus held a couple of shirts from a stand to try and find Willams size, finally settling on a medium-large which thankfully meant they didn't have to move far from where they were to find appropriate-sized clothes.
After a while perusing the racks, William found a shirt that felt like it just, clicked with him; Gold colored with a black bow tie design. Reminding him of what Fredbear used to wear back when the Diner was active. Back when the Afton family was whole and happy together.
Then that party happened and everything spiraled downwards into bloodshed and agony. A snowball effect of tragedy after tragedy.
Folding the shirt up, William placed it in the cart while Marcus was checking out a shirt that read "Killer Rabbit" with a picture of a blood-speckled lagomorph on the chest. The "It's you!" The expression on his face just made Afton's mood sour a little more.
["Oh Micheal, what possessed you to think your little prank was a good idea!?"] Afton thought as he put the shirt in the cart and laid his hand on his fuzzy chin. Accepting the greyhound's shirt as well, finding it kinda cute.
After a half hour more of finding shirts, it was time to move on to pants. But as they walked, William decided to ask a question that had been bugging him since they came to Mammanamart.
"Why are you being so nice to me? We're in Hell. Shouldn't we be enemies or kill each other or something? Why are you helping a monster like me?" Even Afton was surprised that the last one slipped out. The question made Marcus stop in his tracks. Going almost uncomfortably quiet, head drooping as he spoke.
"We nobodies gotta stick together. Without someone to hold ya up and rely on, people like us would be turning tricks in an alley waiting for our big break or be chewed up and spat out by someone stronger." And went back to walking. Giving Afton the improvement that both of them and Marcus had parts of their past they look back on with regret.
"But hey, now you have me to keep you off the streets and not turn to drugs to numb the pain of knowing you're too weak to be more than gunk on someone's shoes!" Marcus's voice cracked a little as he spoke, clearly upset but trying to look strong. A tear almost formed in one of his eyes, growing bigger as he gripped Afton by the shoulders and said something that caused everything to fall into place.
"Please, don't leave me. You're all I've got."
"Marcus, did you lose someone?" Was Williams' response after a good minute of processing that statement, wondering if he could use this to keep Marcus in line. Grief was plain to see on the greyhound's face, a hole had formed in his heart and William was his attempt to fill it. "... I'll tell you back at the apartment. It's complicated." The greyhound sniffled a small bit and said, trying to change the subject. Though the light hug he gave as he did more than enough explaining.
The two shopped in relative silence for a good fifteen minutes. Allowing Marcus to calm himself and steady his nerves. Since they were only getting casual wear for now, the duo decided to stick to simple jeans and slacks. A dozen pairs would suffice for now, a size bigger than Afton to better fit his feet through the holes. Grabbing a belt to help mitigate the damage. Once all the clothes were together in the back end of the cart near the handles, it was time to grab food.
On the way,they passed by a few aisles of art and office supplies. Running in for a second, Willam grabbed two notebooks and bags of mechanical pencils. He knew his skill at design and blueprinting had fallen by the wayside,so getting back into shape was a must. Designs for new animatronics already beginning to form once they got to the far end of the store where the refrigerated food was kept.
William had never been too heavy a meat eater, so most of what they got was vegetables or grains. When Marcus tried to be a bit of a smartass and grabbed a handful of carrot bags and held them up, William just waved it down.
"Let's get some baby carrots instead, or maybe some celery. Have you ever had ants on a log? My mother used to make it for me as a snack when I was small. It's peanut butter on celery with raisins on top. I tried getting my kids into it but they hated the raisins." He added, trying to look happy about what Marcus must have considered a very odd choice of snack.
As he perused the many different varieties in the store, William began wondering where such vegetables were grown if this was Hell. Maybe there were farms outside the city. Or maybe they were grown in a different layer if Hell was similar to what Dante wrote. The "Wrath Grown With Pride" logo on a bag of lettuce supported the idea of multiple layers to this place.
When they passed by the pasta aisle, Marcus's eyes perked up when he saw the back of a sauce jar having a recipe. "Hey big bun, ever had Spaghetti Putanesca? My Nona made it a few times and let me tell you, it was the best spaghetti I've ever had!" The way the demon was wagging his tail and looked excitedly at the thought of making it, how could William say no? Besides, letting him have small things like this would ingratiate Willam in his mind as a friend.
"If you must. But do not make it spicy, I could barely handle spicy potato chips in life." Sighed Afton, making the greyhound do a happy little bark and grabbing the ingredients. Since Marcus was paying for everything, he had the final say in what they got. After that, it was mostly non-perishables they got. Boxes of rice, brown, and jasmine are the rabbit's preference. A few cans of chicken noodle soup, and one chunky pork stew in case William was in the mood for it one day.
As they moved towards the snack area, on one of the TVs marking each section, the jester from the logo appeared. Or rather, the full appearance of said jester. Dressed in green and gold motley, with a semi-ring of spikes around the waist giving him the appearance of a Christmas tree. With his dollar sign staff and greedy grin, it was clear that he was the boss of Mammanamart, this was
Mammon. The King of Greed.
"'Ello valued pigeons, I mean customers! I mean, we here at Mammanamart value your patronage. Especially after such a dangerous time as our yearly Extermination. Because you were stupid, I mean smart enough to take part in our Easter Week sale why not fill the void possibly left by your friends, family, or coworkers with some of the amazing products we have in stock for ya?
OR ELSE.
Don't leave here empty-handed! Ya, cheapskates. But beyond that, please enjoy our Post Extermination 10% off sale on weaponry! What better to defend yourself during the chaos of turf wars than a blade or blaster from Mammanamart!"
While. Afton had expected the demon king to be greedy and money-grubbing, he wasn't expecting him to be Australian. Or be quite so rotund and jingly as he moved around the screen. The sight of the dancing clown demon had left William distracted, making him run towards his companion to catch up and nearly run over a smaller-looking demon with black and white horns and red skin with a white splotch on his face.
"Watch it asshole!" Shouted the demon, but Afton wasn't listening. Marcus was busy checking out brands of soda, looking at an orange-flavored brand scrutinizingly.
"You prefer orange or blood orange? They got blueberry, watermelon, or peach if you want." Marcus went on, tapping different bottles lightly to provide an example. Though one thing caught the rabbit demon's eye more than others from the sheer strangeness of it: Coka Cola, now with 5% stronger cocaine!
"I heard they used to put cocaine in the sodas in the 1920s but I guess here they never stopped!" Laughed Afton, going for a box of watermelon-flavored punch cans instead of soda. Placing the box in the tray under the cart for convenience. After grabbing a box of Mack's Hard Lemonade near the bottom shelf, Marcus was almost ready to leave himself.
"One more thing till we're done big bun, you need something to defend yourself with!" He said, giving Afton ideas. It had been a while since he had a proper weapon, one that wasn't just his arm bone broken off and sharpened to a point. In hindsight that sharpened bone was almost pathetic, making Afton wonder why he decided to use it back then.
Mammanamart seemed to have shelved all kinds of different weapons, though not a single one was Seraphim Steel. Most likely said material was black market only. Keeping such things in a supermarket where it could easily be stolen was definitely not a good idea.
The one William checked had blades of all shapes and sizes, from small daggers and knives to enormous broadswords, a few even bigger than William himself! While the bigger blades seemed tempting, the smaller ones were more up Afton's alley. Better for precision and ease of concealment. The kind of weapon you could slip in your pocket and pull out in a moment's notice.
Perusing the knives, William came upon one that spoke to him; a six-inch knife-style style blade with a purple rubber handle. It felt, perfect in his thick grip. A few stabs and slices in the air showed it was perfectly weighted too. Yes, this knife could do some damage. He could already imagine gutting someone like a fish with this thing, slicing someone up, and watching them bleed.
Snapping out of his murderous desires, William placed the knife on the top shelf of the cart. The sight of it made Marcus nod and sound almost impressed with Afton's choice of blade. "It's a cool blade but, why purple?"
"I like the color. I used to wear a purple suit at my job when I was alive." Spoke Afton, remembering back when he was still fully human. When he used to wear his crisp purple suits when at work, no one suspected him of anything back then….
"Sounds good to me!" Was Marcus's response, not knowing his companions' full history with wearing purple.
Once they were on their way to checkout, William felt his stomach area begin feeling tight, and began racing for the bathroom. "You go to checkout, I'll wait for you by the door." He frantically said, before speed walking towards the front. Leaving poor Marcus blinking and shrugging.
After a good ten minutes, William finished and went to wash his hands. Enjoying the lemon-scented soap they used, and looking in the mirror at his fuzzy face. Wondering if he'll ever see his handsome human mug ever again, and not in a photograph from the living world.
But his reminiscing was cut short when he saw a large leering boar demon begin pressing up against a smaller sheep demon. Holding him against the side of the stall, the squirming sheep knew what the other demon had planned and was cringing and crying.
William just pinched the top of his nose at such a sight. Violating someone like that was something even in life he found disgusting. Violating another person like that was beneath him. But letting vulgarity go on turned even his mechanical stomach.
Hopefully, no one blabbed about what he was about to do. Being labeled some kind of hero was something William definitely did not want so soon into his time in hell.
"Why don't you leave him alone and pick on someone your size Pork Chops?" Afton tapped on the boar's shoulder and said. Not yet wanting to get violent and end up kicked out of the store. But it was that or let the boar do something unspeakable to the smaller demon.
"Piss off carrot sticks. Or I'll go after you next." Was the boar's response. Not intimidated by Williams's words. Snorting in annoyance at being inteinterruptedow that words were used and ignored, William could at least claim he tried settling this non-violently in case an employee started asking questions.
Grabbing the boar by the back of the neck and squeezing William repeated his command. "Leave him alone." The board still refused to back down, his thick neck making such a maneuver less effective than it normally would. All it seemingly did was make him snort in annoyance once again and attempt to push and knock Afton off.
Afton had now attempted to give a stronger warning, this was the third strike. Now it was time to get violent," I said. LEAVE. HIM. A. LONE." Afton pulled the demon boar back to free the sheep. Then slammed his face into the stall. Punctuating each word with a slam, hard enough that the boar had a bloody and most likely broken snout by the end. When he was finally released, Afton just snorted and left the bathroom. The boar standing there was left stunned by Afton's audacity.
"Tell no one," William said to the sheep,who nodded and ran as fast as he hooves could go. After that he went to wait for Marcus by the entrance area. As he walked,the boar from earlier attempted to sneak up and strike back at William, but he was as stealthy as a thunderstorm. His enormous hooves clack on the tiles as he stomps forward. The rabbit demon whacked him in the nose again with the back of his fist as he stood at the entrance area. Cameras now watched their every move, making the boar back down for now.
Once William was near the entrance he found a small-looking goat demon employee with black on on white fur standing by to check his receipt. Holding out his hoof and looking very nervous at the rabbit's lack of items. "It's not recommended to leave Mammanamart empty-handed sir! The boss doesn't like it when people are cheap or loiter inside..." He bleated, smiling at the security camera as if attempting to keep whoever was watching off his back.
"I'm with someone, just waiting on them to arrive." Afton brushed off the statement and said, making the camera zoom in on him suspiciously as if scrutinizing his statement. Thankfully neither demon had to wait long before Marcus came over and let the demon goat check the receipt for their trip.
"Thank you for legitimately shopping at Mammanamart! Thank you for not stealing from us! Lord Mammon doesn't approve of thieves…" the goat chuckled nervously and said. Tugging at his vest and exposing what looked like a shock collar underneath as soon as the two other demons couldn't see him any longer.
Once everything was packed up in the trunk and backseat of the car Marcus began the drive home. Though he went a different, longer route than before, stopping at a fast food place to grab something for the road. "This place is one of my favorite places to get food. Been that way since I came down here." The greyhound said, giving a happy smile as they pulled up.
The sharp pointed W over the "Wackdonalds" sign more resembles a pair of horns than ones found on earth. From the green tiling and gold trim, Mammon probably had his grubby fingers in this industry as well. Though most likely all businesses in Hell had some kind of connection to the King of Greed by their very nature. Though with how rotund the demon was, it was easy to see why he'd be connected to a place like Wacdonalds.
"I'll order the food while you find a table alright? I'll see if they have any kind of salad for ya Willy." Marcus joked as he went to wait in line. Seemingly comfortable with calling the rabbit by a different nickname than "big bun". "Please don't call me Willy. My brother used to call me that and I hated it." Was Williams' response as he went to look for an empty table after rolling his eyes.
"Hah! Willy! Used to call my wimp of a brother that . Wonder what happened to him after I left home." Said a voice William almost didn't recognize and wished he hadn't. One belonging to a voice he hadn't thought about since 1980 -
"... Johnny?"
William immediately attempted to back away after saying that when a hand-stretched like a vine and wrapped around his neck to pull him in for a headlock. Allowing William to get a good look at the other demon that was his older brother.
The older demon resembled a bamboo dryad with thick ridged hair and long tube-like fingers and skinny arms. Mottled green, black, and brown skin-like camouflage with chlorophyll green sclera and brown irises. He was wearing a similar green camo outfit, with a black dragon head medal pinned to the front. Giving the impression of a soldier who just died in battle.
"Looks like my Little Willy is all grown up eh? Got all nice and tall, but no matter how big you get you'll always be my little brother!" The dryad demon laughed in amusement. The panther demon sitting across from him, most likely Jonesy, wore similar camouflage and just smirked and shook his head.
"How ya been little man? Last I heard from Mum you were running a restaurant with some fancy tinker toys! How'd that work out for ya?" Johnny laughed and playfully noogied his younger brother. Making the rabbit grunt in annoyance and attempt to squirm free. Too irritated to fully listen to his brother's statement. William had all but forgotten what dealing with his brother was like, considering he hadn't had to deal with him in almost 60 years.
"It's complicated brother, a long and storied history I'd rather not discuss. Especially in public." Growled William, attempting to pull himself free of the other grip, but finding the dryad was stronger than he expected for someone that skinny. "Please let me go, I just came to eat with a friend." He added, pointing towards Marcus who was thankfully second in line.
"Regular friend or boyfreind hahaha! Is my little Willy in love?" The boogieing was back, now it was just getting irritating. The older Afton never passed up an opportunity to tease his little brother it seemed. "Ya gonna share a soda lover boy? Make eyes at each other as ya eat?" Johnny laughed harder, clearly finding his juvenile remarks funny. Though Jonesy didn't seem to find it that amusing. He was frowning and glaring at the dryad.
"Hey, lay off the jokes dude. You're not funny doing that. " The panther spoke, getting an amused smirk from Johnny and a "Come on Jonesy, he's my little brother. It's my job to tease him. I used to tease you and the others back in 'Nam remember? Kept ya spirits up when we marched through the mud."
Now William was getting annoyed at his older brother's antics, aiming an elbow right into the dryad's solar plexus. One good hearty jab and he released the rabbit demon.
"Please leave me alone Johnny. You are older than I am, you've been in Hell longer than I have, yet you remain the same juvenile bully who used to shoot me with a BB gun and hang me from the coat rack by the collar when I was small! All I wanted was to enjoy a nice lunch with my friend, but I guess good things don't last down here." William snapped, growling at his brother. Going to get Marcus and tell him about the change of plans.
"The fuck William? When did you get to be such a stick in the mud? I'm just fucking around with ya like old times." Exclaimed Johnny, standing up and making William growl harder now. Seeing his brother truly hadn't changed since the day he left for boot camp in 1963.
"I didn't become a stick in the mud brother. I grew up, brother. Maybe it's time you did too." Was the rabbit's only response, before finally walking towards the counter. The rat-like demon acts as a cashier tapping at the register's monitor.
"Will that be for here or to go?" Spoke the rat
"To go." Was William's response, stopping Marcus from overruling him because of the way the rabbit demon was glaring daggers. His good mood from the shopping trip soured, all he wanted was to get as far from his brother as possible right now.
The growl in the rabbit voices making both Marcus and the poor worker demon pull back. Not wanting to push his buttons more, Marcus let Afton go back to the car while he paid. Refusing to even look at his brother as he quietly stormed out.
"So what the hell was that about?" Asked Marcus once he had their food and was in the car. Tossing a salad and bag of apple slices to William and bringing out a large burger and fries for himself. Filling his mouth with food to allow the rabbit to speak uninterrupted.
"My brother was not a good man to me growing up. I'd say he made my life Hell but considering where we are that's not accurate. But he was a ruthless bully to me. Messing with my toys, doing "pranks" like pulling my chair back when I tried to sit, or tripping me when I had food. He also loved using his BB to harass me. Like the time I was washing the dishes and he shot me in the ass and made me drop Mother's fine china." The rabbit growled, still remembering nearly getting grounded for a month until his mother found the BB while cleaning. Making it clear who the real culprit was.
["Go ahead little dog,feel sorry for me. Your little pity makes it so much easier to lead you around."] Afton smiled internally and thought. While his experiences with his brother were terrible,most of his anger came from knowing he'd have to deal with Johnny sooner or later. The rabbit had just hoped he would atleast have the upper hand when they finally met again.
But for now he played the part of the angry younger sibling. Stabbing at his salad as if imagining it was Johnny's head. Piercing a poor tomato and getting juice on the lettuce. Marcus meanwhile just chewed his massive Big Wac burger and listened. Making a "go on" gesture with his hands after swallowing.
"He used to call me "Little Wille" because I was a tiny little twig when I was small. Then other people started calling me that and throughout secondary school that was my nickname. It was utterly embarrassing." The rabbit facepalmed and groaned, hoping none of his old classmates would recognize him in his current demonic form. Or at least,had forgotten all about it by now.
"I get the little part but what Willie is just a silly Version of your name dude," Marcus questioned, prompting William to whisper an explanation, and make the greyhound burst out laughing for a second. Before looking guilty about it and turning away in remorse.
"Then Johnny turned 18 and within a month he was signing up for the military. The Vietnam war was still raging on and he wanted to make Father proud. As if he didn't think Johnny was a better son already….
After the day he left, that was the last time I saw my brother, and hoped it was the last time I would ever see him." The contempt in Afton's voice was clear as day and sharp as a blade. He didn't even need to try very hard to make the part about his father sound convincing, though he'd stopped caring what the old man thought of him years before that day.
William empathizes his anger by stuffing his face with salad, seemingly to calm his nerves, enjoying the squish of the tomatoes under his teeth. Allowing a good several minutes to pass as he ate and let Marcus digest his statement.
"The day he left, my brother told our parents he would be back home as soon as he could be. He came home in March of '64. Our Mother was not happy seeing him back so soon though." William said, still remembering his mother's screams and cries of anguish, the wails of someone whose child will never be back in her arms again.
"Dishonorable discharge? Was he injured?" Marcus tilted his head and asked.
"He came home…in a box." Was the rabbit's response. Letting the words hang heavy in the air.
"Oh…..OH. Fuck."
The greyhound nearly dropped his burger when the realization hit.
"He was killed by a Viet Cong booby trap, he fell into a pit of sharpened bamboo spikes according to the report." Spoke Afton, shuddering slightly. As much as William hated his brother, he didn't deserve to die like that or so young. So far from home, possibly suffering a slow death all alone and in the dark and the mud.
After that, the two demons went back to eating in silence. Letting the weight of the statement hang in the air. Not saying a word until they began the drive back to their apartment building.
"After that, my life was at least marginally better. I didn't have to worry about my brother messing up my life or with my stuff any longer. I still had to endure that stupid nickname but it wasn't as prominently used anymore. After I graduated high school I went to college and just, never looked back. Barely had contact with my family aside from phone calls with my mother and barely spoke a word to my father."
In all honesty, the worst Afton Sr had been was cold and stoic. He had never raised a hand against William, but never offered one to him either. The only nice thing the rabbit could think about his father, was that William ended up worse than he ever was.
"So ya burned that bridge when ya left?" Asked Marcus, picking his teeth with a claw.
"Marcus, aside from my mother, that bridge was held together with spit and prayer. When she passed away in 1980, I had no more reason to associate with my father. Heck if Johnny is down here I'll bet dollars to donuts my father is too. Possibly my mother because of the uh, language she used."
"Speaking a language is a hell-worthy offense? Or did you mean like she used language in a Hell worthy way?" "... the latter. I'm not a racist person despite the era I grew up in but my mother….was. Very much so. When she had her garden tea parties I remember hearing about how the, N words were ruining the neighborhood." Afton looked almost embarrassed about this, voice going low and uncomfortable. It was especially uncomfortable when Marcus asked -
"N E word or N I word?" "...N I…." And made Marcus's eyes go as big as dinner plates. Ears flat and mouth tight.
"It was the 1960s. Everyone used that kind of language. I saw little girls casually use the N-word about one of the families in my neighborhood a few times." Afton hastily tried to explain, but even he knew there wasn't much justification for it. Heck, he'd even used the word a few times when he was young before growing out of it by the 70s!
To avoid a further awkward conversation, William decided to put on the radio. Searching for something, anything to change the subject. While searching channels he came across a few different stations with vastly different tunes
"Loo Loo Land Loo Loo Land!"
"Mustang dong!"
"Dreaming of Eden!" "Ah man, I love this song!" The last song got Marcus's attention and mind off things all right. He was singing along as they were near the building. Finishing just a minute shy of entering the parking lot.
Once the two were at the house, Afton went to grab his new supplies, but Marcus grabbed his box of lemonade and said "While you get your stuff, I'll bring this to my place then I'll come to help ya alright big bun?" Which was fine by William. Grabbing the stuff that needed to be in the fridge ASAP such as the veggies. The clothes and cans would be last as they could wait.
After long several minutes lugging bags back and forth, both men collapsed on the rabbit sits bed. After putting his box away, Marcus had placed two cans of hard lemonade by the end for once they finished unloading everything.
The rabbit's thick fingers made popping the tab of the can rather annoying until Marcus used a claw to sip under it for him. Allowing William to enjoy his drink, the slightly bitter taste of the alcohol mixed well with the sharply sour yet somehow sweet lemonade.
After a few minutes to catch their breath, William finally said "I told you part of my story, now tell me part of yours." William poked Marcus and said, causing the greyhound to sigh and say "Give me 5 minutes, I gotta get some things from my room. Then you'll understand." And left the room.
When Marcus returned, he was carrying two things, a picture in a frame and a strange squeaky toy that looked like a clown. Holding up the frame, Marcus used a thumb to point to the other person in the picture.
A Large, handsome Boxer hound demon in a white shirt with a gold apple on it and the words "I Had A Hell Of A Time At Lu Lu World." And his arm around Marcus. "This is Joey, he kinda, rescued me from the streets. When I first fell here I had nothing. The Mob didn't want anything to do with me because of my fuck ups, still barely want anything to do with me after all I've done but that's beside the point. Since I had no one to look out for me, I ended up on the streets until '86. When Joey found me, you wouldn't have recognized me when he found, I was a mangy, filthy mess with a major meth problem."
Regret and sorrow sufficed every word that came out of Marcus's muzzle. Taking a long sip of his drink as if to numb himself to his memories. Or maybe he felt too sober to talk about such painful times.
"I used to, sell myself to get by. I was a nobody, weak and pathetic until Joey found me. At first, I thought he was just another John, that's prostitute speak for a client, till he made me eggs and sausage in the morning. Let me take a shower before we, got frisky. He was the first person in so long to be nice to me, truly nice to me. I didn't want to go back to the streets so I begged to stay with him. Back to being alone and dirty and ignored. He agreed if I got clean and stayed clean. So I did and I moved in with him."
Marcus looked ready to cry a small bit as well, the memory of that day tainted by whatever happened to Joey. The day his Afterlife turned around, soured by what was to come.
"Getting clean was both easier and harder than you think. Because demons like us, we don't have a chemical dependency like on Earth. We don't develop tolerance to drugs or suffer stuff like that, because addictions, drunkenness, and such are all psychosomatic. Or at least that's what Joey said, I trusted him because he worked at a rehab clinic. Helped dozens of demons get off drugs, though this being Hell many relapsed rather quickly but that's not his fault.
Because of my demon physiology, I could go cold turkey and not worry about stuff like my body needing drugs and such. If I could get through the mental stage of withdrawal, I would be home free."
It all made at least somewhat sense to William, though one thing was odd. Pointing to the toy, an unspoken ask "Why him?" Was given. The clown doll is worn and faded, but still workable. An attempt to maintain it had been made it seems.
"So when Joey tells me to go cold turkey, I freak out. I had nothing to keep my mind off meth, to keep my addiction at bay. So he says to me "You only need meth because you think you need meth. So, whenever you feel like you need meth, squeeze Cody the Clown here! Squeeze him when you feel cravings to keep your mind off It. Fill your time with something else."
"You could say I Switched an addiction to meth to an addiction to Joey's kindness. He helped me through withdrawal every step of the way." The greyhound hugged the picture and began tearing up a small bit. Resulting in William wrapping an arm around the greyhound. Letting him breathe and continue his story.
"After a month or two, I was clean, after that, I was working for the White Rabbit alongside him. Then we kinda just settled together. Not quite roommates, not quite a couple. We did fool around plenty. But I was happy. I know it's Hell and happiness is not something you're supposed to have but, I found my little slice of heaven in Hell."
Marcus fully let a few tears fall now. Using the rabbit for support, who was just rubbing his back to try and help. He didn't fully know how to, comfort Marcus. Even in life he always had a bit of trouble with empathy and supporting others. But for now, just holding him seemed to help, rocking back and forth gently as well. The story had moved even Afton's black heart a smidge. Loss of loved ones was something he was intimately familiar with.
After a few minutes, Marcus's tears had dried somewhat. Wiped away with his sleeves as he took several long sips of his drink. Afton joined him a minute later. Letting him know his new friend won't be going anywhere. Once the rabbit was finished with his drink, he asked
"What happened to Joey." "He got iced in last year's purge. Rivals of the boss kidnapped him and tied him to a street lamp as retribution for killing one of their men. I was alone again after that. Till I met you."
A tight hug was suddenly around William. Almost crushing him at first but easing up after a second. "At least I have you. I have someone to watch my back again. We, nobodies, gotta stick together." He said, looking almost like a dog towards its owner. A smile grows on the hound's muzzle as he nuzzles against Williams's fuzzy chest. This time he wasn't pushed away and was allowed to continue as William was beginning to enjoy the affection. Almost finding it cute in a way.
After a few minutes, and another can of lemonade,Marcus was starting to get a little handsy. Rubbing all over Willams chest like he wanted to cuddle, while William went to turn on the TV.
Then Marcus opened his mouth and said "So big soft,my big bunny. Bet you were very handsome in life.",practically having hearts in his eyes. The buzzed demon enjoying Afton's fake fur, and getting the rabbit himself mildly annoyed.
"Marcus, please stop." William said, attempting a calm approach to not get the greyhound to push back too hard. But that didn't seem to work,as the greyhound just more.
"Stop,don't make me use my knife on you." William growled a small bit and threatened, pulling the blade from its sheath. Right now the rabbit was just planning on holding the knife up and scaring Marcus off.
"Don't threaten me with a good time~." The greyhound laughed, pressing against William,not caring as the blade pressed against his kidneys.
"Me and Joey used to get really kinky together. So this is nothing big bun." Marcus just chuckled and said, watching as daring him to actually do it.
So he did, pulling back and slamming the knife into the greyhounds side with a grunt of anger. Making him moan and shudder, his masochistic side leaking out.
Once the blade pierced flesh, a rush of pleasure began filling Willams body,leaving the knife in for a little bit to enjoy the feel of blood flowing because of him. The feeling of piercing flesh and ripping a body apart was something he missed dearly.
Springtrap growled as he pulled out, and plunged himself back in. Thinking about all the kills he had been denied because of his metal prison. Because of the people around him who got in his way.
The night guard at Fazbears Fright who used his own left over programing to make him run around like a chicken with no head.
His disappointment of a son Michael,who killed his own brother because of some stupid prank.
Henry for trapping in that maze of a pizzeria,luring him with fake audio and leaving him to BURN.
Yes, Springtrap envisioned those who had wronged him under the blade of his knife. As he was jabbing it into the fluffy dog man beneath him.
After the twelfth stab, the dog stopped moving. Most likely killed by Springtraps blade. After the rabbit demon slipped off the corpse,he stood up, enjoying his handiwork and going to clean off the blade. Breathing heavily as he shambled to the bathroom, turning on the sink and letting the afterglow of murder fade. Letting himself calm down and enjoy the release of a good bout of violence.
As the rush of murderous violence faded, William came to his senses. Clarity filled him as he saw Marcus bleeding out. The rabbit began panicking slightly,not wanting to lose his only ally in this God forsaken place. So he rushed Marcus to the Bathroom and slipped off the greyhound's shirt to assess the damage.
The stabs were In mostly not vital areas, and healing fast thankfully. Grabbing the soap and turning on the shower, William began trying to scrub Marcus clean. While the greyhound just looked limp, occasionally twitching a small bit as well.
"Are you alright?" The rabbit asked, gently holding up Marcus's head. Only to drop it when he felt it go hit and Marcus mumble "...more than alright." Leaving Afton mildly disgusted. A blissful smile on the greyhound's face as he laid under the water.
Within an hour Marcus recovered enough to sit up. Thank goodness demons healed fast or else Afton would have had to run up to the greyhound's room to get a first aid kit. Sitting on the toilet cover, Afton allowed his friends high to begin fading.
"Did I, go too far? I didn't seriously hurt you did I?" Afton said, trying to look guilty and remorseful,in truth he was more angry at himself. At losing control so easily and potentially seriously injuring the other demon.
"Nah don't worry. This isn't even in the top ten, maybe twenty worst injuries I've ever gotten!" Marcus waved his hand and said, managing to get out of the tub. Letting Afton breath a sigh of relief.
"In 74' I blew off two fingers and had to get them reattached because I held onto a firecracker while drunk. In '03 I got trampled so badly on Black Friday that I didn't fully regenerate until January and you don't even wanna know what happened to me in 97. So yeah, what you did was nothing." Marcus said, going into the main room, eyingthe bloodstains and saying "Like I said,me and Joey used to get REAL freaky. So I'm used to this kind of stuff."
"Gonna have to wash these though. Thankfully someone keeps leaving Crimson Eraser detergent in the laundry room!" He said, tossing the sheets into a corner for later. Making Afton slightly concerned about the amount of violence in hell that blood removing detergent is that common.
"Marcus, can I tell you something? I don't quite, remember the stabbing. Well,I do but it's a blur and a haze. I know I did it but It feels like I wasn't me at the time. Is that normal for demons?" Afton asked, plopping down on the bare mattress. This was the second time he'd been in that weird haze since coming down here, and only now did he realize it wouldn't be just a one off thing.
"Demons do have a thing where we can become bigger, meaner, and stronger but that only happens in like, combat. I remember Joey went into a state like that when he fought a few goons,he was full-on wolfing out.
But you kinda felt, different. Your eyes went all wonky, you were all silent and angry. It felt like you wanted to kill me! Or didn't feel like a demon going all out, it felt like a completely different person was wearing your skin."
Marcus said, making Afton stare forward. Wondering if he should reveal his, full history to Marcus. Then deciding against it, he would be told when the time was right. When Afton felt ready to reveal his crimes.
"I'm honestly scared now, what happens if I do that again? What happens if I lose control?" William sagged and said, hoping this strange state was just him adjusting to his demonic form and not something to worry about. Or atleast, something he could easily get back under control
"Just to be on the safe side, no more alcohol and weapons for you big bun!" Marcus just laughed and said, gently taking the knife from the floor and placing it in the dresser drawer. The clothes from earlier still unpacked on the top.
"Let's focus on something else if you have or can get it, I was thinking about cooking for you tomorrow. My youngest son used to LOVE it when I made chicken parmesan…."