Mable: Hello! I know this chapter is quite overdue and I'm terribly sorry it was. I was a little overworked, largely because I was working on publishing my book. On that note- I published my second book! 8D A Fool's Golden Cage! I'm quite happy about it too. ^_^ Now, full disclosure, but because this chapter took so long, the next one probably won't be out by Wednesday- but I will be starting it as soon as this one is up and hopefully the schedule will be righted soon.
Thank you for your patience and Enjoy!
Going Home in a Box
Chapter Thirty-One
Charlie and Mike walked out of the Fazbear Theater with Marionette floating shortly behind them. He had a content smile on his face, glad that Charlie was safe, but his diligence showed exactly how protective he was feeling. Mike wasn't much different, with an arm thrown around her shoulders and keep a careful eye out. He even sent a suspicious glance at Nanny Bot once it started wheeling along beside them, but then shrugged it off, assuming that it was following Marionette.
They didn't make it too far before Jessica came hustling up the stairs with John closely at her heels. Mike barely pulled back in time to dodge Jessica's arm as she threw them around Charlie.
"God, you scared us to death," she muttered.
"I could've scared you more and brought you with me," Charlie said, hugging back. Jessica gave a little grumble and she squeezed tighter apologetically. "Sorry, but thanks for trusting me."
Jessica sighed but smiled. "Don't mention it."
They pulled apart and it was John's turn to step forward, during which the Security Puppet got a much more embarrassed smile.
"About what I said back there, you know I was-," she began to explain, only to be cut off by him lifting a hand and shaking his head.
"I know," he said. He then shot her a smile, and she knew that he did.
She was relieved once more, but that feeling was short lived when she started to hear a clanking and thumping noise on the stairs behind them. She leaned a little to look between Jessica and John and towards the stairs, and her eyes widened as she saw the towering form of Freddy Fazbear himself climbing up the steps. Both of her friends, and Carlton who was standing nearby, looked back at him.
"I'm assuming he's friendly," Jessica discretely said. She folded her arms across her chest with her fingers tightened, showing at least a little tenseness.
As he neared the top, Freddy lifted his head and somehow his and Charlie's eyes met instantly. He momentarily paused, then his eyes slowly widen and seemed to alight with interest, quite literally. For a second, she wondered if that was her signal to bolt, but with Mike, Jessica, and John surrounding her and Marionette behind her, she stood her ground. Even when he nearly ran up to her.
"Well, hello! I did not expect this at all. Sir, you did not tell me that there was an animatronic accompanying you," Freddy said. He sounded excited and greeted with a friendly and warm tone. Mike sort of shrugged and Freddy looked down at Charlie. His ears bobbing from the motion. "You must be Mari!... No, excuse me. You are Lottie! I should have recognized the point on your head."
"That's right. I'm Lottie, but you can call me Charlie," Charlie replied, a little taken aback by the forwardness and friendliness. She started to gesture back. "This is Mar…" Only to turn around and see that the other puppet was missing. She turned back quickly, looking up at Freddy. "I… guess Foxy's told you about me?" she asked, trying to save face.
"He has! But he has not told me much. I have seen you on the Captain Foxy cartoon though! I am aware that it is not entirely true to life, but I must say that they did a very good job capturing your likeness," he explained. He offered his hand, and she took it, feeling the claws carefully closing around her hand. His grip gentle but strong. His exterior peculiar, deceptively Afton Robotics-like.
"Laying on the charm a little thick there, Freddy," Mike said with a teasing smirk.
"Yeah. Flirting with Sun Clown wasn't enough?" Carlton chimed in. He shook his head. "Shameful."
Freddy chuckled good-naturedly. "I will try to restrain myself," he said in a joking manner. He looked around at the group as Carlton came over to stand beside Mike, putting them all in his sight- save for the lone puppet exception. "Now it is a pleasure to meet you, all of you! Welcome to the Pizzaplex… However, I believe this goes without saying, but you should not have snuck into the Pizzaplex after hours. Especially without paying!"
John made a hand gesture towards the others like he was going to make an excuse but then just let his arm fall to his side. There was no good excuse, really. There wasn't even a good counter or Mike would've thought of it.
"…But perhaps we can let it slide this time," Freddy continued. His serious tone brightened right back up. "Slide, because we are in the daycare, which has more slides than all the other attractions combined! Which is somewhat of a shame."
And though Mike found it quirky enough to smile at, he couldn't for the life of him understand exactly why Foxy was so hung up on hanging out with him. It had to be desperation because the Foxy he knew didn't have this much patience.
"Don't worry, we're on our way out of here. Can't risk sticking around until the lights go back off. Consider us gone," Mike said. He stuck to his word and began to usher the others forward.
"Where's Mari?" Jessica whispered.
Charlie gave a shrug. Mike gave a vague, "He's floating around somewhere."
But this news didn't exactly assure Freddy. Instead, his face fell a bit. "I assume you saw Moon," he guessed.
"You assume right," John agree. He still kept distance from Freddy but was willing to speak to him.
"Yeah, and on the subject," Mike interjected, stopping and turning to face the bear. "How long has this red light, green light thing been going on with the lights? From what I heard, there was a sun and a moon, and that one was scrapped. I heard that from Wight himself. We get down here expecting a sun and moon and we find Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde."
Now, Mike already knew about the separation of Jake and the Daycare Attendant, as he had been listening and peeking in from the top of the theater. This was more to find out what Freddy knew and see if either of them left anything out.
Freddy's face fell further. "He is correct. There used to be two daycare attendants," he said. He took ahold of the railing as he turned to look back towards the daycare proper. "…Perhaps you should ask Sunny. He will tell you."
"I don't think Sunny's going to want to talk with us. Considering that the last words out of his mouth were 'get out'," Jessica pointed out.
"Mine was 'bye-bye', but he closed the door so fast that I got the same vibe," Charlie added in.
The bear gave a hum and looked out towards the daycare again. He then made a motion like he was sighing with reluctance as he turned back and continued to explain.
"The first time I visited the daycare it was not yet complete, and the sun and moon were separate animatronics. I am not sure what happened, but the sun continued to fall into disrepair, until one day they were both taken to Parts and Service… and only one returned." Freddy's sorrowful eyes lingered back out at the daycare before he suddenly shifted tone. "…I am sorry, but I do not feel comfortable talking about this. I do not want Sunny to hear me. It'll upset him."
"We understand," Charlie said. "That's the last thing we want to do."
"He's already tried to strangle one of us," Carlton chimed up, gesturing towards John. Freddy looked disappointed to hear that.
"I will admit that these circumstances have not framed Sunny in the best light… you must keep in mind that this is not a typical situation. Every adult who enters the daycare must either provide a pick-up pass, show a theater ticket, or be registered with a party. It is a safety precaution. Having you all enter the daycare at once and without proper identification must have concerned him," Freddy rationalized. "Sunny may seem harsh, but it is only because he follows these rules. He is normally a warm and compassionate bot and is very good with the children. He is also very bright, and creative! You should see the get-well card he made for me after my recent malfunction. It is quite spectacular!"
"Starting to see why Foxy likes hanging out with him," Mike thought. Apparently, Freddy always spread it on thick. As if Foxy needed his ego inflated any more than it was. Also, "Were all of those puns intentional?"
Freddy smiled a bit. "I was hoping someone would notice," he said with a chuckle.
"So, you'd say what. Three weeks? Four weeks?" Mike asked. Freddy looked surprised, not expecting to circle back to the first question.
"I… I am not sure. There were periods of time when I was shut down for maintenance… It may have been longer than that," he answered uncertainly.
Mike gave a nod. "Alright, good enough," he said and then mercifully let it drop for the moment.
"We should probably get out of here," John recommended. Nobody disagreed and the ushering began again.
Unbeknownst to the ground, but someone had been listening in- other than Sunny himself, who was likely on the other side of the wooden door. Instead, it was someone who took an exceptional joy in the moment the friends reunited.
Jake really wished he could've been there for it.
Instead, he watched Charlie reunite with her worried friends through a little screen while sitting against a mound of pillows in the dusty corner of the room behind the balcony. It was comfortable enough and he could see what was happening, but it wasn't the same as being there. It wasn't the same as being amongst people and getting to talk and have fun, to exist as a person instead of some broken thing hiding in the shadows.
He couldn't blame Sunny for insisting that he come back here though. Like they always said: out-of-service, out-of-luck. The wrong person saw him, like the security guard, and everything would be over. He couldn't trust a bunch of strangers who just waltzed into the Pizzaplex… but how he wanted to. How he wanted to meet all of them and get to socialize outside of this room and these hollow Staff Bots.
Not to mention that it wasn't like any of them were ever coming back. In less than an hour they had established that he was untrustworthy, and that Sun was a ticking timebomb. He would be lucky if any of them so much as step foot in the Pizzaplex again, let alone the daycare. Finally, someone who would have it in their best interest not to rat on them and they had gotten ran out in minutes.
But they were going to have to go somewhere. There were ways out of the Pizzaplex, but none that a group that size would be able to reach. So, they would likely be staying overnight. Maybe he could make up for this little disaster.
He lifted the control unit sitting in his lap closer to his mask and pressed the button. "Hey Charlie?" he asked. He saw her react on camera. "Let me make up for all this. I think I know of a place that would make a good hideout…"
The sign over the door called it the Over-The-Moon Bounce Park, but it was less of a trampoline park and more like the biggest bouncy castle that any of them had ever seen.
The room was about as wide as the daycare but with only one floor, and that floor was nearly wall to wall in pillowy material- save two sections on the far right and left wall. The left section comprised of a trampoline section and on the right a foam pit section. The middle of the room was comprised of what looked to be an obstacle course of inflatable slides, smaller bounce houses, various ball pits, and a scattered array of square pillows, foam cubes, and various soft toys.
On the other end of the room was the actual bouncy castle, the quite literal castle in design and size. With rubbery gates pumped full of air and a couple of towers blown up in it. The inside of said castle couldn't be seen from this far away, but it was clear whose castle it was supposed to be from the twisty light and dark blue stripes up the towers and the star speckled deep blue roofs.
The floor was soft blue while the inflatable fixtures were a plethora of colors, and the entire curved ceiling matched the one from the hall outside the daycare, dotted with dozens of stars on a black background. Neon lighting kicked on as soon as they came in, illuminating caricatures and cartoon faces on the wall of Freddy and his band in space gear and dozens of much friendlier designs of the Moon. Along with one sleeping Sun near the entrance.
It was an impressive sight to behold, even to someone familiar with the Pizzaplex.
"This is fantastic!" Freddy praised. He scanned the room with wide eyes and took it all in just as readily as the others.
"You've never been here?" Charlie asked. She was a little surprised at that.
"Only once but that was before it was finished. All of this, none of this was here! The walls were completely bare!" Freddy gushed. "It really is impressive. I must show Foxy the next time he- Oh, erm, I mean if he returns," Freddy quickly corrected. He glanced towards Mike to see if the ruse took. It didn't, but Mike was too busy staring at yet another attraction and trying not to think about his disappointment at how impressive it was.
"Hey, but that's good, right? Maybe nobody comes up here?" Charlie asked.
"I do not believe so. This looks to be Moon's attraction and he, understandably, stays in the daycare. The rest of my bandmates are in their green rooms and the Arcade Attendant and DJ are both stationed in the West Arcade. So, I believe you should be safe here. I have never seen the security officer do rounds in this direction either," Freddy explained. "But it may be safer if you hide towards the back. Perhaps in the castle?"
"Sounds like a plan," Mike agreed.
"Good! Now if you will excuse me, my battery is nearing half charge and the technicians have recommended that I do not let it get any lower than that until they find the cause of my previous malfunction." He gave a two-finger salute. "I will return shortly. Please, take care- and have fun! But perhaps not too much fun."
"Will do. Or not do," Charlie said. "Don't tell anyone we're here?"
"Of course not! Your secret is safe with me," Freddy assured. He turned and headed back towards the doors, walking across the section of carpeted floor and past the check-in desk to the right of the doorway, which automatically shut after him.
Marionette appeared alongside Mike once the coast was entirely clear. He had a discontent look on his mask.
"I'm awfully tempted to follow him," he murmured. Mike hummed without obvious agreement or not.
"You really don't trust him? I didn't get any obvious vibes," Jessica remarked.
"Sometimes you won't… But that's not it. I'm not sure what it is," Marionette confessed. He thought about it for a long moment before clarifying, "His overt friendliness makes me cautious. I know he's been friendly with Foxy, but… I have trouble trusting it."
"After what we saw with the Moon, I'm hard pressed to trust anyone in this place. You can't tell when someone will do a one-eighty," John agreed.
"Agreed. Now if you all will excuse me," Marionette said. He turned towards the room like he was going to hover away.
Instead, he launched himself forward, throwing himself through the air and towards the bouncy floor. He dove headfirst, arms stuck out in front to catch him, with the residual bounce tossing him back up and over and landing flopped on his back arms spread. Somewhere in the process his mask had shifted into a playful smile, one that stayed when he rolled over onto his front to look back at the onlookers.
"Who's next?" he invited. "Oh, come on now. You're never too old to play in a bounce house. Especially not one of this size! Mike? Charlie? Jessie?"
"Okay, but only if you never call me that again," Jessica agreed and began to slip off her shoes.
"Messy Jessie," Carlton reminded in a low singsong voice. Jessica shot him a dangerous look.
"I'll be waiting until you fall asleep."
"Thankfully for you, Carlton, you won't," Mike quipped.
"Miiike," Marionette goaded. He looked to see the Puppet beckoning him with a finger.
Mike got an amused grin. "Thanks, but no thanks. One of us should be keeping an eye out."
"Now that's no fun! You can do that fine from over here- and we'll take turns!" the Puppet offered. "When will an opportunity like this drop into our laps again?"
"Considering we almost got caught twice? Guess it depends on if we get out of here at all," Mike answered darkly. The puppet tsked at him and he smirked back in return. "I don't know. Call it an intuition or a hunch, but for some strange reason I feel obligated to be the adult here."
"I'd be inclined to agree if you weren't wearing that hoodie," Marionette cheekily countered.
They hung on that moment for a few seconds. Mike looking rather unamused by the comment, quirking a brow like he was asking if that was a challenge, and Marionette smiling back with a tilt to his grin, suggesting that it very much was.
"…If we get caught, again, I'm placing the blame solely on you," Mike caved. He never thought he was one to be peer-pressured by his own puppet, but here he was kicking off his running shoes. "You're a bad influence. A menace!"
"Mr. Schmidt, no, I'm just misunderstood!" Marionette mock defended. "Oh, excuse me. Mr. Smitt."
"Hey, you try coming up with new names all the time. Eventually you stop being creative and just aim for something you can remember," he retorted. He stepped out onto the inflated floor and began to bounce a little in place. "Happy?"
"I always am," Marionette chimed. He spun his finger. "Now do a flip," he joked.
Mike would've brushed the comment off if not for that assumed challenge being batted back and forth between them. So, he instead considered how much air he could get and how soft the floor was. He wasn't necessarily out of shape either, he could probably land on his feet.
"You know what?" he asked, starting to bounce higher. "I'm going to do it. I'm going to do a flip."
Marionette's mask eyes widened. "I wasn't seriously suggesting-."
"Too late. Time to flip!"
Mike got in a few more seconds of gaining height, Marionette staring wide-eyed, Carlton calling encouragements, everyone else watching, and then he went for it. He took a deep breath and on the highest jump threw his whole weight back.
Technically he did land on his feet. His feet did get underneath him. Just not at a good enough angle to stop himself from flying forward and flopping flat on his face. He wasn't sure if Marionette dove for him or if he just cleared more distance than he expected because somehow, he landed partially on him, taking him to the pillowed floor.
Carlton gave a whoop and clapped as Mike pushed himself up with a muffled, "Ta-da." He probably should've been embarrassed, but the burning in his face was definitely from friction.
"This is the too much fun Freddy was warning about," Charlie teased once she was sure that Mike wasn't actually hurt. She clapped a little too, for the effort, and stepped out on the soft ground. It took her a few extra seconds to get her footing, almost falling over but managing to catch herself before Jessica had to. She looked across the room before affixing her gaze on the nearby obstacle course.
"I don't know if it's my inner child talking or child-friendly programming, but I really want to go climb on that," she confessed. She cracked her knuckles or made the motion to stretch her fingers. "Anyone up for a race?"
"I'm game," John agreed. Up until that point he hadn't yet pulled off his boots but did so readily right afterwards. Carlton sent him an unimpressed look.
"Did you see that hundred-meter dash she made earlier?" he asked. "…Or wait. You might've passed out by then."
"I really should've done something about that Moon," Marionette murmured, an edge of static in his voice. Mike rewarded his restraint with a sympathetic pat on his back as he stood back up.
"I'll go easy on you," Charlie remarked with a spark of boldness that was enough to get John's eyes back on her. She turned away quickly, looking towards the obstacle course. "Ready?"
"Hold on, hold on," Jessica said. She slid her bag securely behind her as she got on the other side of her. "I'm probably not outrunning you, but I can outrun both of them."
"Put your foot where your mouth is," Carlton challenged. Then proceeded to look just as confused as she did.
"That was almost clever," she replied. "Ready… Go!"
It went about as expected. Not only was running on the wobbly floor awkward, but Charlie was significantly faster than the others. Though John was pretty fast too, as she could hear him behind her, and he was seemingly keeping up.
That was, until she suddenly lost balance and fell to her knees with a painless little bounce. Harmless to everything but her dignity and she tried to push herself up quickly, expecting him to stop and ask her how she was. So, she was utterly blown away when he continued running by, looking back at her to make sure she was alright but not stopping to help her. Not checking on if she was okay. Not worried that she might've hurt herself or that something was wrong.
And something about that filled her with a relief she didn't expect to feel, and a determination to get back up and overtake him, and not care about her inhuman speed in the process. Not stopping at the obstacle course, eagerly climbing up the puffy handholds and over the first hill before sliding down the other side into the course proper. He wasn't too far behind, and neither were the others.
"Should we go after them?" Mike asked, watching the four high-tail towards the inflated structures.
"Yes, but first-," Marionette began and didn't finish. Mike looked towards him to see him now standing, legs barely touching the bouncing floor, and preparing for something. He figured out right before the Puppet suddenly threw himself upwards, pulling his legs in tight as he flipped and twisted back, doing two full rotations, no doubt controlled more by his levitation than propulsion. His legs barely scraping the ground when he 'landed', arms stretching above his head.
Mike clapped. "Impressive!"
"Thanks. I had to cheat a little," the Puppet confessed.
"I know." He watched as the other's striped legs tried to settle onto the flooring again. He could imagine that it was even shakier ground to stand on than normal with his weakness with his legs. It was borderline impossible for him to jump normally when his legs struggled even to stand holding his weight. "I've got an idea."
"Hmm?"
"Get on my back," Mike offered, turning to offer it up. Marionette was a little surprised and confused.
"Really? Are you sure?" he asked.
"Sure, I'm sure. You weigh practically nothing. And if we get seriously hurt, at least it'll probably be funny." He pointed his thumbs at his back. "Hop on."
Marionette doubted some of what he was saying but caved into the suggestion with a short laugh. He practically sprung onto Mike's back- though the way his weight was slowly added suggested he was still using his levitation- wrapping his arms around his shoulders and hooking his legs around his waist. It sort of resembled the hug in the recharge station if Roxanne hadn't appeared and Marionette just protectively climbed further and further onto him.
As predicted Marionette's full weight wasn't any issue. It was noticeable, but not uncomfortable. Mike could feel the faint vibrations of his chiming through his back and smiled, getting a comfortable hold on his legs.
"Hold on tight," he said. Marionette hugged a little tighter, resting his head atop his, and then the two followed after the others.
For nearly the next hour or so, their plans were set aside for indulgence. Having fun in a playground that wasn't theirs. Horsing around in a trampoline park made for children half their age. Nobody came in to investigate. Freddy hadn't even returned, which was noticed but, considering nobody else came in and suggested he told on them, the concern started to wane away.
For Charlie, it was like some bizarre blast from the past. Like she was reliving her childhood days playing with her friends at the diner, and the grandiose and wonder from her wide-eyed youth survived through the sheer size of this place. For a while she was able to experience that same lull that she could only imagine the patrons of this place would feel- a delight that numbed one's better judgement, and the memories of the tragedies that Freddy's was built upon.
It helped to remind herself that this was just a brief respite. That this was okay. That Mike and Marionette were having fun too, and they were definitely upset about this whole thing. A break wasn't a bad thing. She could let her guard down.
In fact, she let her guard down so much that the next thing she knew, she was alone with John.
It had been a gradual thing. They had moved to the bounce castle in the back of the room, and then Jessica went to get her bag and came back, and then Carlton was talking with Mike, and Charlie decided to get a breather, leaning back on a star dotted triangular pillow, and she looked over, and there was John sitting alongside her. Only then did she realize that they were a short distance from the others, though still in the castle's safer walls, but alone together.
Up until this point, there hadn't been too many exchanged words. The last thing he said was to compliment her on a cartwheel and she had said something embarrassing about her prong- or, no, maybe it was the fact that she referred to it as a prong- and then they were all good until now. Now when they sat together silently, taking in the view of a colorful plastic world, and listening to the faux-techno space rendition of the daycare music playing over the intercom.
He broke the silence first. "This is nice."
She wasn't sure what he was referring to, but she agreed.
He looked to her with a smile. "I'm glad I came."
But when she smiled back, she noticed his falter a little. He looked back towards the wall again even though there wasn't much there that he hadn't already seen. Remembering his silence earlier in the lobby, she decided to broach the subject
"What's on your mind?" Charlie asked.
He continuing looking ahead for a moment. His eyes lowered as though in thought, considering her words and his own and whether or not he really wanted to disrupt the moment speaking them. Finally, he decided to again break the silence.
"I'm sorry I haven't kept in touch," John said remorsefully. "I wasn't trying to avoid you, I just… I think I had a hard time adjusting to everything."
Funny enough but hearing that she was the reason he stayed away, confirming her suspicions, was somehow a relief. Maybe because she no longer had to wonder and worry, and because she could immediately identify with it.
"I understand. How could I not? Everything changed," she said.
"That's what I thought," he admitted. "…but I was wrong. Something didn't change."
He looked to her again and that smile had returned along with a familiar fondness in his eyes. A look she hadn't seen aimed at her in such a long time.
"You," John said. "You're the same Charlie I always knew. Maybe a little braver, but I don't know. I'd say you taking on the Moon alone was pretty gutsy, but you've always put yourself in front of others."
It took her every ounce of control to resist the reflexive jingle that nearly slipped from her music box, but she still returned that smile.
"That's what I meant. I'm glad I came. This is nice," he finished.
"I'm glad you did too. I missed you," she agreed.
For a moment it felt like the air had been cleared. Charlie realized that the confrontation about that phone call, the one she had dreaded, was not going to happen. That wasn't what was bothering him, but everything else. She could handle that; she herself remembered how long it took her to adjust. She much preferred that than him trying to accept it too fast and realizing that he couldn't.
That could've been the end of it, but she realized it wasn't when John sighed.
"There's something else," he said. She looked to him again. "I don't want to make this weird, but… you deserve to know. Jessica and I split up."
"It wasn't because of me, right?" she asked. She couldn't help it, it just blurted out even though it was the last thing she wanted to ask.
"No, it was because of me," John reassured. "We just… We're friends, and we were friends trying to be something we weren't. It wasn't ever going to work out."
"There's nothing wrong with trying as long as it doesn't get in the way of your friendship," Charlie assured. "…It didn't, did it?" To which he agreed that it hadn't. "Good! Glad to hear it."
"That's not too different to what we did, is it?" John asked fondly. "'Let's just try it out and see how it goes?'"
Somehow, Charlie did not foresee this direction in the conversation even though in hindsight the path led right up to it. She had that itchy tightness in her music box and wondered if she was going to start ticking with nervousness.
"Hey, we came out of it okay. No reason you and Jess won't," Charlie said jokingly.
John still smiled but hesitated a moment, glancing down at the floor beneath them before sliding a little closer. Not uncomfortably close but noticeably closer.
"Charlie, I came here to make up for lost time, but after everything tonight…" He dared to look her square in the eyes with a look of resolve. "I've been thinking about it and… I want to try again. If you want to."
"Want to-?" Charlie knew what he was saying but she was nearly dumbstruck, in full disbelief. "Wait, are you talking about- you mean, us?" She made hand motions between them. She didn't want to say the word 'dating'. They technically never did date, had they? They went on things akin to dates, but it was never official. At least, she didn't think it was.
"I know it's sudden. I wasn't planning on any of this happening, but tonight opened my eyes to a few things and… I do," John said with fully honesty and assurance. Charlie was a little less sure.
"John, I don't know. This is all a little fast. It's not like we're really picking up where we left off. There's a lot of things we'd have to consider before we jumped into something like that," Charlie said, slowly talking faster the further she got along.
"I think I've considered most of the big things," he said.
"Like the fact that I'm not-?" Charlie cut off and gestured up and down at herself. "I might be the same person on the inside, but things have changed on the outside. It won't be the same as it was before. It'll have to be a secret to everyone who isn't in the loop. And- And I can't be seen in public, so we won't be able to go out at all unless we're under cover of complete darkness. Our plans to hike in Zion? That's not happening unless we hike in the dark."
John's mouth tugged into a smile. Charlie looked less than amused. "I'm being serious. This isn't like a normal relationship. There's a lot more… maintenance work. No pun intended."
"Works for Mike and Mari," John offered with a little shrug. Though upon seeing that it hadn't helped, his face started to soften. "Charlie, I understand why you're nervous, and I don't want to trap you into this. If you don't think it's a good idea then we don't have to, and I'm not going to be upset if you don't want to," he said with full sincerity. "You were my friend before we were a 'we'. I can go back to that; I just don't want to lose you."
"You won't. I'm just saying… I need time to think about it," Charlie said apologetically.
"Take all the time you need. I know I dropped this on you at an awkward time. At the worst possible time," John reassured her, sounding equally apologetic towards the end.
"No, the worst possible time would've been while you were getting wrangled by the Moon," Charlie said. She sent him a timid little smile. "Thanks for holding back."
"It wasn't easy," John played along. She jingled slightly, more of nervousness than humor, but then they fell back into silence.
They stayed there for a little while longer before they headed back to the others. John kept his word and didn't press her on it, which gave Charlie more than enough time to make a decision.
…But Charlie didn't know what she wanted.
John and her relationship hadn't been as clear cut as he made it seem, made clear by her hesitance to say that they had been in an official relationship. He had been the one to ask her out and at the time she had been uncertain of it. It was strange enough reconnecting with childhood friends, some of which she hadn't seen in years, let alone to start dating on when her feelings on Freddy's were so complicated.
But it was quite clear that John was soft on her and that alone was enough to convince her to try. Not that she didn't like John and didn't start to soften for him too, but it was quite a jump from 'not yet ready' to 'suddenly into it'. Dating had been entirely foreign to her, but it felt like it had gone well enough. Things would've likely only continued to grow more serious as they grew closer together.
But they didn't, and now things were at least moderately different. Though while she presented it to John like it was just the fact that she was an animatronic, that wasn't it. Though she didn't want him getting the wrong idea from Mike and Marionette, that there wasn't some caveats and sacrifices that had to be made for a relationship like this. There was something else.
Only a year ago she would've been jumping at the chance to get back with John again- though she might've jumped at any chance to reconnect with her old life- but now she wasn't sure. She really liked John and did enjoy spending time with him, but something held her back.
All she knew was that when he said he wanted to get back together, her first reaction wasn't relief or joy; it was panic.
That's why she needed someone else's opinion. Not Jessica's, that would be too awkward. Not Mike or Marionette's, not while they were all staying overnight in a mall together. There was really only one person Charlie wanted to ask.
Which meant she was going to have to find a phone.
Charlie found Mike, Marionette, and Carlton hanging out at the circular bounce house in the center of the castle. Both men sitting in the opening, with Mike turned so that Marionette could rest his head on his leg, arm dangling across Mike's lap. At first, she thought he was asleep, but once she walked up, he tilted his head back to look at her.
"Hey," Charlie began, leaning forward against the bounce house. "I need to make a call, so I'm going to be looking around for a phone."
"Sounds good, but remember there's no cell service," Mike reminded.
"Right, but I saw a normal phone in El Chip's, so odds are that those still work… As long as they're not bugged… I'll cross that bridge when I get there. Point is, I'm going to go check the check-in desk for one. I won't be gone long."
"Want me to come with you?" Marionette offered, rolling over.
"No, I'm good. I've got my taser just in case," she said. He nodded and warned her to be careful, and then she was off.
Normally she would've gladly allowed him to come, even if it was just to have a second set of eyes looking out for her, but she needed this phone call to be private. It already was barely going to be chatting at the check-in counter.
Though that problem was quickly resolved when she got there and realized that there wasn't a phone at said counter. Papers, hand stamps, a bowl of yellow and blue candies, but no phone. Odd, but the more concerning part was having to hike up to El Chip's. After a moment to consider it, she decided to at least head out to the atrium and check on the situation out there. Then she could decide if it was worth the risk.
The Security door opened, and Charlie stepped out into the hallway only to come to an abrupt stop when she noticed Freddy sitting on a bench outside. He was already looking back when she stepped out, head raising upon hearing the door opening, with his hands rested in his lap like he had been lost in thought. They had wondered why he hadn't come back, she wondered now how long she had been out here.
"Freddy?" she asked.
"Hello, Charlie! I was just… sitting out here," he answered. Apparently, he realized how odd it looked too.
"Why didn't you come inside?" Charlie asked as she walked up to him. He lowered his head almost ashamedly.
"I did not want to overstep…"
"Freddy, we're the ones trespassing."
"I know. Foxy has told me many times that this is my pizzeria and that I should have a say in what happens here. Specifically, 'my head is the head above the door'…" He raised his head to look her in the eyes again. "Forgive me, but I noticed that they all treat you like… like you are another human. Do they treat Foxy the same?"
"Almost. Foxy likes being the boss if you get my drift," Charlie admitted with fondness. Freddy seemed to share it from the following chuckle.
"I think I do," he agreed. "Foxy had said that it was different in his pizzeria. Not that I did not believe him! I just wanted to hear it from someone else."
"Do they… I'm guessing they don't treat you like that here?" she guessed.
"They… treat us like valuable assets. Which we are, being the star attractions of our various attractions," Freddy said. In so few words effectively confirming her worries. "But enough about me. Where are you going?"
"I was just looking for a phone. Do you know if there's one nearby?"
"There is a security office against the western wall of the bounce park. It will have a working phone, though I may need to accompany you to get past the security clearance," Freddy offered.
"Would you have to stay in there?" she asked. "It's sort of a personal call."
"Possibly. But I would try not to listen."
It was a safer offer, but Charlie wasn't exactly sure if she wanted to go for it. "There's a phone up in El Chip's. Is it all clear out there?" she asked, pointing towards the atrium.
"Oh yes! I believe Monty, Chica, and Roxanne are still in their rooms, and Officer Vanessa did her rounds approximately twenty minutes ago," Freddy said certainly.
"And there's no other animatronics up there? You said something about an arcade attendant."
"In the West Arcade, not in El Chip's or its connected arcade, the Superstar-cade, or in the Prize Corner. Though there will be security Staff Bots patrolling on the third floor."
"I've seen 'em. I guess I'm just going to head up there then-."
"I will come with you!" Freddy eagerly volunteered while raising to his feet.
"No thanks. You don't have to do that, I'll be careful," Charlie assured. That excitement quickly fell from his face. "…But you can go inside if you want. Everyone was asking about you."
Freddy gave a pensive hum. "I may do that."
"If you do, could you do me a favor? If anyone asks about me, tell them that I'm just heading up to El Chip's to make a phone call and then I'll be back," she asked. He agreed but continued to stand there, so Charlie began to leave.
Once she was out of sight he sat back down on the bench and looked towards the security door with a sigh. It was clear from his look alone that he longed to go in, but he resisted. There were a lot of conflicted feelings going through his head, some he was massively unfamiliar with. It wouldn't been so much simpler if it was just Foxy.
That was when something suddenly clicked. In an instant Freddy straightened up with an idea and then quickly got up from his bench and strode up to the security door with a goal in mind.
He continued on until the edge of the normal flooring, where the ground became as unstable as walking on balloons. Freddy looked at it warily before cautiously resting a foot on it. Surely, they would've made the material strong enough to hold animatronic mascots. He began to slowly shift his weight until it was fully on the bouncy floor, which dipped far under his weight… but didn't collapse. Yes, they had built it with the animatronics in mind, maybe.
After a sigh of relief, and a hand to his chest, Freddy continued his journey across the bounce park. He still had to take care though. The uneven flooring sent him wobbling more than once. For him it was less bouncy and more like wading through melting floor- floor that at least regained its shape once he stepped off. He made his way to the castle, following the sound of voices, and stepped through the archway.
Jessica had noticed him before he noticed her- he was watching his feet very carefully- and walked up to him.
"Hey, Freddy. We were wondering what happened to you," she greeted with a cordial smile. He wouldn't have been able to tell she was feeling him out, spurred on by doubts Marionette had planted.
"Oh, hello! My apologies, I did not realize you were waiting for me," Freddy said. He stood with his hands on his hips and his legs spread enough to hold a footing he didn't have to look at. "That man in the hooded sweatshirt- I did not catch his name- where is he? I need to speak with him."
"Mike? He's in there," she said. She pointed her thumb at the center bounce house.
Looking over, Freddy realized he could see him and Carlton sitting there. That wasn't the only thing he realized either. So that was Mike! It was nice to put a face to the name after the stories Foxy had told.
"Thank you! I will be making my way over there," the bear informed. He began to slowly turn in that direction before pausing to look back at Jessica. "But before I do, I have a message from Charlie. She said she is heading to El Chip's Fiesta Buffet to make a phone call and that she will return shortly."
"On her own?" Jessica asked in disbelief.
"She said it was a personal call," Freddy explained. She hummed, believing it but not exactly sure if she liked the sound of that. In fact, she was awfully tempted to follow- to keep an eye out, not to listen in.
"I see. Thanks for warning me."
"It is no trouble! I will be seeing you later!" he said. He continued on his way, allowing Jessica to go on hers. He was still some ways from the bounce house when he cupped his hands to his mouth and called, "Hello? Mike?"
"Over here!" Mike called back. He was still sitting as he was when Charlie left and didn't seem too surprised by Freddy popping in. Not like Marionette, who was caught off-guard and rolled of his lap and further into the rubbery shelter. That was right when what Freddy said suddenly caught up with Mike. "Wait a goddamn minute…" He turned to face the approaching bear. "Who told you my name?"
"That nice young woman with the blond hair."
"Huh. I guess I can't fire her," Mike remarked. He turned himself to fully face the bear. "What's up, Freddy?"
"I was wondering if you could tell me: does Foxy have a phone? That is, does Foxy's Pirate Cove have a phone number and would Foxy be there to answer it?" Freddy asked.
"Yes and yes. Thinking of calling him?"
"I am!" Freddy said excitedly.
"Fine by me. He's probably over there doing donuts in the dining room anyway, waiting for us to call and say we accidentally set the place on fire and we're all going to prison," Mike joked. "So yeah, he's awake."
"I did not know Foxy baked," Freddy said innocently. "I know that Marionette does, but Foxy did not say he did too. That must come in handy."
"…You know about Marionette?" Mike asked. On the outside he kept that cool demeanor, but on the inside, he was starting to become increasingly alarmed. "The hell? How much did Foxy tell him?"
"Of course! I have seen the Foxy cartoon, as I have said before," Freddy remarked proudly.
Though then something happened that Mike was probably not supposed to notice. Freddy suddenly looked past him and around the inside of the bounce house. It was very quick, but it was obvious what he was looking for.
"He's seen Mari," Mike realized. "I mean, unless he's completely deaf he must've heard him back at the daycare, but I didn't even see him look back… All that noise and he didn't look back once. Christ, he DID see Mari." Which was quickly followed up with, "And he's been pretending this whole time that he didn't."
This whole time Mike was just silently staring at Freddy with a nonchalant look before giving a slow exhale, seamlessly covering up the alarm beneath the surface. "Do you have a pen or something? I'll write down the number for you."
"That is not necessary. I can memorize multiple names and dates, as required for Superstar VIP party rosters," the bear reassured. Choosing to believe it, Mike recited the phone number to him. "Thank you! If you would like, I can pass on the message that you are all safe while I am speaking to him."
"Go ahead. I guess it would be plain cruel to leave him in suspense," Mike said. He sent a little glance to Carlton before looking back, only to do the same thing Freddy had done to him earlier and look at something just past him. The bear didn't notice.
"Then I will do so! Thank you again," Freddy said happily and turned himself around.
He was instantly frozen in place when he locked eyes with Marionette behind him. It wasn't just the surprise of seeing an unexpected animatronic; it was intrusive, like the white dots in his eyes were shining into the back of his head. He could hear a dull humming in his ears as he silently stared, unable to speak, almost unable to move. He didn't feel the need to put up a fight, but for a moment the eye contact had him cemented in place. The lights searching his eyes for something.
Then the lights were gone, and the Puppet slipped back to put a few inches of distance between them. The hold on Freddy was released but he was rendered nearly speechless by the whole thing. He wasn't sure what had just happened.
"Hello," Marionette greeted.
"Erm, h-hello," Freddy returned.
"If you don't mind," the Puppet continued. His cordial voice contrasting with the moment beforehand. "I need to speak with you."