Mable: Late again but hoping it's worth it! ^_^ Enjoy!
Going Home in a Box
Chapter Thirty-Four
Throughout it all, Baby stayed on the phone. She kept the receiver to her cheek and listened to every moment, even when it was completely silent, even when it was her shrill voice, even when she heard strangers. She listened and waited, knowing there was a good chance that Charlie was not going to get back on, but too certain that the second she set it down, she would suddenly come back and need her.
This entire time Baby stayed silent, listening in on whatever she could over the phone. At some point Ennard must've caught on to something being wrong- she hadn't told him, elsewise she would have to speak and something waiting on the other side of the line could hear her.
Not that it helped. Eventually he caught on, which she figured out when he started jingling the van keys at the office door. Pulling on his jacket while giving her that 'I'm about to go get killed' look he always had.
She chose to ignore him. So much as a hand wave might get him jingling them again and then she might actually be tempted to drive over there and put that farm animal in her place.
No, she had to stay calm. Her going insane and doing something downright stupid was going to get everyone in trouble. She calmed herself down and continued to wait, and listen, until the silence was broken by the beep of the call waiting.
"Someone's calling. How do I switch?" she asked quietly. Ennard restrained himself enough to just point out the button and she switched lines. "…Hello?"
"It's me! Sorry it took so long," Charlie answered. She sounded tired but undamaged.
Baby made a little breath-hitching noise, but managed to reign herself in. "Thank goodness. What happened?"
"It's a long story… I'll give you all the details later, but the short version is that we got ambushed and it took us forever to lose them. I'd go more into it, but I don't have long."
"Are you still in danger?"
"No, I'm okay. I'm just…" She sent a glance towards Mike's legs kicked up on the desk and then out the window where Marionette was doing pacing loops; he permanent bodyguards. "…Not alone. So, it's best that we keep this short."
"I think I understand," Baby agreed. "But thank you for calling me back. I was worried."
Charlie wouldn't tell Baby that she had been the perfect excuse to dash off to the security office once questions started to crop up about why she went to El Chip's. She simply said that she had to call Baby back before Baby took the liberty of inviting herself, and likely Ennard, over and nobody argued when she hustled off. Those conversation were still waiting for her, but at least she had a little time to avoid them.
"No problem, and don't worry about me. Everybody does that enough already."
"Oh, don't be like that. You wouldn't have nearly as many people fussing on you if you didn't constantly put yourself in the line of fire."
"But what is life if not living on the edge?" Charlie asked. A little more jokingly, likely knowing how asinine of an excuse it was and just trying to rile her. Though it was hard to do that after how ruffled she got at hearing Chica.
"It sounds like something Ennard would say. He's been jingling keys in front of me for near twenty minutes and now he's just outright eavesdropping."
"Actually, it's something along the lines of what you said when we got back from that mall," Charlie said matter-of-factly. Baby had sort of hoped she wouldn't remember that. "And same."
"In hindsight, I should have known I would regret that eventually… Speaking of skirting disaster. Perhaps having Marion with you- I am assuming he's with you- will avoid any more unpleasant conversations."
"Uh… Yeah, we'll see."
She almost fiddled with her sleeves out of reflex, even though they weren't even there. The Sun still had her jacket wherever he was, but she wasn't planning on seeking him out. Maybe if it was her green one, but she wasn't up to tracking him down right now. Especially since the whole place was on high alert.
"Guess I'm going to let you go. You guys are going to be okay, right?"
"We've not coming over, if that's what you're worried about. Perhaps if you were injured… Definitely if you were injured, but since you are fine it seems rather silly to whip ourselves up into a frenzy," Baby said, trailing off at the end.
Charlie smiled to herself. Even with what she said earlier about everyone always worrying about her, Baby's concern was one of those things she knew had to be earned. She didn't take it lightly.
"I'll call you if anything changes. If I don't, assume everything's fine and I'll see you tomorrow."
"Very good. Good night, Charlie."
"Night, Baby."
Then the call was over. Baby didn't blame her for not wanting to chat when someone was listening. She could tell from her briefness and volume, especially after she mentioned the John thing, that this wasn't the best time. She also sounded uncharacteristically worn out- not necessarily physically tired, but mentally. Baby doubted she was going to get any rest; perhaps she should've said something, but it was too late for that.
But now she was left here to think to thank about it. At least, for a few seconds before Ennard stepped into the office.
"Sooo, what's the skinny?" he asked.
"She's safe. I'm not sure where she is or how safe it is, but she sounded convincing… Of course, they won't really be safe as long as they're there, but I'm sure she knows that well now," Baby murmured. Her fingers tracing the teeth of her claw.
"Hey, that's good news! Never doubted 'em for a second!... Probably 'cause I've seen ol' Mikey S's quickdraw with a taser up close and personal. You never forget your first…" Ennard mock-swooned, resting a hand on her shoulder. "…Or y'know, the first in recent memory. Too much voltage and stuff starts getting a lil- zzzzt! -foggy," he added, purposefully crunching up his voice. He patted her shoulder. "So! Just for my curiosity, which one was it?"
"It was Chica. I knew it from the tone… About as sweet as a shriveled-up grapefruit, including the thick coating of sugar to cover up the taste. Charlie said she would tell me more tomorrow, so that's all I know about it…" Baby's claw tightened, and she rested her other hand on it, tapping her fingers on the metal. "…I think I might I hate her."
"Hey now, that's no way to talk about your special friend," Ennard said cheekily. She sighed and sent him a look.
"Don't clown with me, Ennard. I'm not in the mood," she grumbled.
"Oh, I think this is the perfect mood for a little clowning around," he teased. He leaned in and bumped his nose to the top of her head with a squeak. "She's fine, Babydoll. She's going to be okay."
"Bold of you to assume I'm not worried about my younger brother," she pointed out with a tsk. She realized her mistake even before he could react.
"AWW! Being such a good big sister!" Ennard gushed. He squeaked her once more. "I think you deserve a treat. How about a frozen waffle?"
She almost turned him down reflexively, but after a moment of consideration she decided that perhaps it was worth knowing what got him so eager to pick one out of his teeth. A good distraction to briefly forget about the hours ahead.
"Perhaps… But I think I would prefer a warm one, please."
"I can do that! Gimmie three minutes tops!"" Ennard eagerly agreed. He popped back up and headed out of the office, and after a moment she stood up from the floor where she had been sitting and followed after him.
He was a good distraction himself, as a matter of fact.
Meanwhile, Charlie ended the call on her side by hanging up the office phone. Almost reluctantly, not quite ready to explain herself but knowing she couldn't stall with Baby longer than she had. She sent a look towards the office window to see Marionette doing little figure-eights outside, an arm across his chest and a hand to his chin in thought.
"He's not happy, is he?" she quietly asked Mike. He sat up to look for himself.
"Yeah, I think this whole situation has him on edge," he said. He lowered his voice and tilted his head in towards Charlie. "You should've seen the size of the Prize Corner upstairs. They've got bears bigger than me up there."
"I could see how that might upset him," Charlie sympathized. Mike stood up from the office chair and stretched, and it was the most tiredness he had shown all night. "…What about you? Are you upset?"
"You kidding? I'd have to be the world's biggest hypocrite to get on you for the same thing I do on a daily basis. I got sniffed out in a closet like two hours ago, I know how fast it snowballs," Mike explained. He watched Marionette looping around outside. "…So, yeah, it scared the hell out of me, but I should've been keeping an eye on things."
"I'm an adult. You should be able to trust me to take care of myself," Charlie admitted guiltily.
"I'm the night guard. I brought you kids into this world, and I've got to make sure nothing else takes you out," Mike reiterated.
"Still, it was a bad call. I just needed Baby's advice and I didn't want to wait…" Charlie inwardly groaned. To no surprise of hers, it came out as an off-tune rumbling in her chest as she turned to face him. "This isn't the time or place to talk about it, but John approached me about getting back together and I panicked."
Mike's brows shot up in surprise. That could've given the illusion that he didn't expect it, but he did. He just didn't expect it now, while they were trespassing in Freddy's trying not to their cover irreversibly blown. If they hadn't already.
"Makes sense to me. We don't have to talk about it. Not with your friends hanging out outside the door," he offered.
"Thanks," she said, relieved. "…Still doesn't excuse it, but I didn't want you thinking I lost my mind over nothing."
"No, I get it. Those are clearly grounds to get out of dodge," Mike said with a little smirk. She looked less than amused and his smile softened. "Tell you what: we'll blame Freddy. If he would've told me where you were the second he walked up, we could've gotten you two and got out long before Chica got there. Or Mari could've just scared her off ransacking El Chip's. Either's fine by me."
She smiled a little once more. "Okay, but only if we don't tell him we're blaming him," she said.
"Deal, unless I need to guilt him into getting us some chips," Mike quipped. Then gestured her towards the security door and followed her out. Marionette was pleased to see them and joined them on their way out.
As expected, John, Jessica, and Carlton were camped outside of the office door. John and Jessica both leaning on the wall while Carlton had sat down on the floor, likely because he was starting to get tired. Though John and Jessica were both showing more telltale signs of fatigue than he was, which made sense considering that both tended to get up earlier than he did. All three looked to attention when Mike came out.
"So, here's the plan. Before we do anything else, we should set up some sort of base back there where we'll spend the night," he instructed, aiming finger guns towards the back before burying them into the hoodie pouch. "So, if you guys want anything from the vending machines, I'd get it now and bring it with us."
"Aye, Aye, Captain," Carlton saluted. The others didn't require such theatrics to say yes and followed him into the back.
The safest and most comfortable area seemed to be the secluded section inside of the bounce house castle. There would be more than enough warning if someone was coming, and it was within walking distance to anything they needed. Mike himself wasn't exactly planning to hunker down and sleep anytime soon, but he felt better having everyone else in one spot for when he and Marionette inevitably went looking for the rabbit woman.
Once they got better, Charlie announced that she was going to call Jake and climbed into the bounce house nearby to get a little privacy. She crawled in and sat beside the door.
"Hey, Jake?" she asked into the radio. As before, he replied in seconds.
"I'm here. What's up?"
"Not much. We're settling in," Charlie explained. "I just wanted to thank you for helping us out. I know you and Sunny are putting your necks out for us."
"Don't mention it. We were happy to help!" Somehow, Charlie doubted that they were both happy to help. "You guys doing okay? If you need anything, we've got you covered. I could have a Staff Bot deliver a pizza."
"Thanks, but I think we should lay low for a while. We'll make do with the vending machines."
"Yeah, on second thought we don't want to give Chica any reason to go in there. She'll hunt a pizza down halfway across the building."
Charlie gave a little amused scoff, then asked, "Where's Sunny?
"Trying on your jacket."
There was a mechanical squeal in the background. "No, no, don't tell her thaaa-at!" was shout-whispered from somewhere in the room with him. Jake gave a little snicker of his own, his voice box whistling slightly.
"I'll make sure you get it back," he added on. Charlie wasn't too concerned.
"No rush. Whenever he's done with it," she quipped. She could hear fussy noises in the back, so apparently the Sun could hear her, and Jake seemed to get a kick out of it. "Hey, would you mind if I asked you a few personal questions? You don't have to answer if it gets too intense."
"Sure, no problem." Before she could ask, he asked for himself, "About why I'm out of service?"
"That's part of it. I heard from Wight- well, secondhand from Wight, that you were broken and replaced?"
"Yeah… It's a long story."
"I understand. Sorry to put you on the spot."
"No, it's okay, I'll tell you. I just wanted you to know what you were getting into," Jake said more assuredly. "You probably figured this out, but I used to be a daycare attendant alongside Sunny. I used to be the sun, actually, but there was a… It's a really long story, but I got damaged, and they decided that I was too expensive to replace. So, they fixed up Sunny so that he could play both of the daycare roles and scrapped me. Or they tried to scrap me. They don't know I'm here. The Glamrocks don't either. See… out of service animatronics are flagged as being dangerous. If they saw me, they'd come after me just like they came after you. Except maybe Freddy. He doesn't follow the rules."
"I noticed that. Freddy bent a lot of the rules for us tonight," Charlie agreed. Before she could ask more, a second voice chimed in.
"Oh, Freddy is quite a rulebreaker," Sunny tsked. "You're not the only friends he's let in after closing. Not the only bot either, no, no!"
"Sunny's seen Freddy hanging out with Foxy the Fox, who isn't a Freddy's character anymore. He's got his own spinoff chain," Jake clarified.
"But I think you would know about that…" Sunny said coyly.
"What?"
"She's from Foxy's pizza place. She's even on the cartoon!"
"Wait, really?" Jake asked Charlie.
"He's right. My stage name is Lottie," she agreed. That sort of confirmed that he had been listening in on at least one of their conversations with Freddy, or it was likely that he had. "Everything else I told you is right. I came to find out about the rabbit woman and check out the other animatronics, not to cause any trouble."
"I believe you, I'm just a little shocked. That's pretty cool!" Jake complimented. "How many living bots are over there?" He could hear her hesitate. "Don't worry, we're not going to tell anyone. We came from the outside too. We've been around for years; this Sun and Moon thing is pretty new."
"Well… I don't know how comfortable I feel talking about this over the radio, but there's about… I know of about twenty other animatronics who are awake and alert just like us, and most of them live with our friend Jeremy," she said.
"Have you seen the clown?"
"Uh… Which one?" Charlie asked vaguely.
"The one that hangs out at the dump."
"I think I've seen him once or twice…"
The conversation continued for a while. During which, Charlie was forthright but careful to not give out any information too specific. Not because she worried Jake would tell anyone, but because she couldn't be certain that the line was totally secure. Most of the time she talked about the Minireenas, using details and stories that, if ever prompted, someone could probably pretend were made-up for the cartoon or something of the like.
Jake was pretty sparse on details as well, though he didn't seem to be hiding anything. It seemed more like he had been secluded for a while and that the only real animatronic he had seen was, bafflingly, Ennard.
One detail did catch her attention:
"They found us like a year ago… Maybe? I'm not sure how long we were down in the basement. Time sort of warps once you get in this place and away from the windows. It's been months at least."
Which meant that when Jake said that he had been on the outside, he meant recently. This wasn't a matter of him wandering around five or ten years ago before getting stuck in a warehouse. This really was a new thing.
That was concerning, but she didn't make a big deal out of it to him.
Jake and Charlie talked for a while later before they decided to end the phone call. She said her goodbyes and sat the radio aside, laying back on the soft floor to rest. Though almost immediately as she did, she heard a knocking noise outside the curtains. Or the mimic of a knocking.
"Yes?" she called.
"Can I come in?"
It was Marionette. Charlie reached out and pulled the curtain for the door back. "Sure. Mi casa salta, su casa salta."
The other Puppet slipped inside. He had a cordial smile, so she wasn't worried that they were about to have an uncomfortable conversation. She laid back on the floor of the bounce house, resting her head on her arm, and he shortly after laid down alongside her.
"Just checking in. You were talking to Jake for a while," he said.
"Ah, so you've come to snoop," she playfully accused.
"Me? Oh no, I could never! I would never!" Marionette protested, raising his hands in defense. "…Unless you were talking about me. In which case I would have no choice but to take it as an open invitation."
Charlie jingled a little and Marionette took that as an invitation to slide in closer, gently bumping his forehead against hers with a trill.
"But I was really coming to check on you. I know earlier must've been frightening," he sympathized. She sighed and nodded in agreement.
"I was this close to avoiding her," Charlie said, pinching her thumb and finger. "All I had to do was hide a little better and I could've avoided the whole thing." He chuckled and she let her arm drop. "…It kills me that I can't protect myself."
That change in tone snapped Marionette out of his amusement right away. His features softened. "Charlie, you can protect yourself plenty. It's different when you have to stay hidden at the same time."
"I know, but it's frustrating," she confessed. She rolled to face him. "…What's the chance of me still getting powers? It's been a year and the best I've got are strings."
"Still? It's not on a set timer, Charlie. I'm not even sure how it works myself," Marionette said with amusement. "Yes, mine developed quickly, but I was forced to learn quickly. I wouldn't have been able to move without them."
"But what if the odds aren't in my favor?" she asked. "I sort of… In the beginning the idea of me suddenly not being in control scared me, but if I could move things or throw my voice, or anything I could've gotten away from Chica."
Marionette gave a thoughtful hum. She did certainly have a point. Charlie's disadvantage was that she lacked many of the abilities that he had inherited over the years. She didn't even have as many strings as him. He could only imagine how frustrating it might be to look so similar and yet not have the same perks.
"Well… Maybe we could practice!" he offered. She looked questioningly curious. "Now, I'm not sure how well it would work, but it's worth a shot. We could try to move things and practice with our voices- it would be like the college work you'll be doing with Mike, except you will be doing it with me, and instead of becoming a technician you will become a force of nature."
"That is pretty tempting…" Charlie agreed with a smile.
"It's worth a shot! I don't know the ins and outs of what chooses who is gifted with what, but everything I do know suggests that you should be in a good position. That maybe you just need to stretch that muscle."
"You know what? You're right. I want to practice," Charlie hastily agreed. She didn't feel like there was much need to debate it. This wasn't the first time she considered her lack of powers.
"That's wonderful! We'll start first thing-!... After I get home from the Pizzeria tomorrow," Marionette quickly corrected himself. "If I end up going in. Foxy gave me an out, but I'm afraid he'll be up all night and need the help," he explained. He contemplated it for a moment, looking up to the stars on the roof, then added on, "Don't be discouraged if your powers are weak at first. Especially with telekinesis. It can exhaust you."
"I can't imagine," Charlie agreed. She couldn't imagine where he got the energy to cause the ruckus in the Prize Counter, unless he was just going off of pure protectiveness- or frustration. "Mike said you guys saw the Prize Counter."
Marionette side-glanced at the ceiling again. "We did. It's very impressive."
"Size-wise?" she guessed. He gave a nod. "Same with the arcade, but it had none of the charm."
"Maybe not, but it's quite the spectacle. It doesn't need that old Freddy's charm. It may benefit them more if it didn't," the Puppet suggested. She frowned at the solemn tone his voice took. "And… No Puppets, as expected." His fingers tapped on the plastic padded floor. "I'm sure that wasn't a tough decision, even if they didn't have my rights."
"More like because they didn't have your rights. I don't remember them putting up that much of a fight for Foxy either," Charlie pointed out.
"Maybe so… but I was never a beloved character. Employees used to find me so off-putting. I'm sure those comments were passed along to the new Fazbear Entertainment…" Marionette suddenly gave a staticky huff and buried his face into his arm. "I don't understand why it suddenly bothers me now of all times. If anything, I should be much more upset that those two cornered you."
"Oh, don't worry. I'm pretty sure you were upset about that too," Charlie joked. She reached out and patted him on the shoulder only to notice something peculiar. "…You're hot."
"Why, thank you. I try to give the parents something to look at."
Charlie was caught off-guard enough to laugh. "You KNOW that's not what I meant," she said. She patted over his shoulder and arm. "It feels like you're overheating."
"I got a little worked up earlier and I'm still in the process of coming down," Marionette excused. His gentle smile returned. She felt his porcelain head with the back of her hand like feeling for a fever only to find the mask cool to the touch, which was why she didn't notice it earlier. He gave a content little chime at the touch as she reached for his arm between them.
His hands and arms were cool too. The only thing that felt a little warm was his middle, and on second touch it didn't seem nearly as hot as it was before. It was peculiar, concerning, but it looked like it was under control for the moment.
"We're going to have to keep an eye on this. You might want to get some rest too, at least until you cool off," Charlie suggested. He gave a nod of agreement before opening his arms to her. "…Okay, for a minute. It's going to be weird if anyone sees us."
"Somehow, I don't think they'll mind," Marionette said. He wrapped his arms around her in a not too clingy embrace and she tossed an arm back over him.
She really wasn't that concerned if anyone saw. Her friends wouldn't get the wrong idea, except maybe a little teasing from Carlton. If he was awake long enough to see it, and if they didn't separate before he had the chance. She was expecting a thirty-minute rest, not really intending to fall into a deep sleep. She just needed a moment to breathe. She suspected Marionette might've needed it too.
He was always protecting her, but she didn't want to have to rely on him. Or worse, be the reason he got hurt someday. She didn't want him to have to be her guardian.
…But honestly, it was nice that he was.
It was nice enough that she ended up falling asleep. Marionette intended to rest a while but stay awake, as he and Mike would soon go looking for the rabbit woman. That did not happen. He fell asleep even faster than she did.
They weren't sure of how long they stayed like that, but they remained uninterrupted for some hours.
That was, until there was a mechanical clatter from the ceiling of the spacious room and the overhead lights suddenly all turned on. They were dimmer when inside the bounce house, but they still managed to wake both puppets up. Charlie wasn't sure how long she had slept, but Marionette knew from a quick check of his clock that they had been asleep for hours since it was almost six o'clock.
"Ho ho ho! Goooood MORNING!" A voice called from overhead.
If the lights hadn't woken the group outside, then that surely would've done it. John, Jessica, and Carlton all woke in a daze and shot up with a start when a body swung in and suddenly landed in the midst of their little area outside of the bounce house. The only one who hadn't been awoken being Mike, who had been up all night and was leaning against the bounce house watching as the animatronic jester swung in and plopped down amidst them.
"Here we go," Mike mumbled. The Sun either didn't hear him or ignored him, too focused on the group around him. He was carrying a basket of goods and Charlie's folded up jacket over his arm.
"Rise and shine, New Friends!" Sunny greeted. He must've detected their obvious confusion, his points spinning around his head. "I was feeling bad about last night. Sooo, I decided to give you a surprise wake-up call! I brought all sort of goodies- super energizing Sunnydrops to help you up on your feet and Sky-Blueberry Fizzy Faz to get the pep in your step! Here you go!"
He dropped down into a crisscross between them and held up a bag of Sunnydrops, gesturing a hand to it as though introducing it. "Sunnydrops are packed with all sorts of sunshine-y goodness to keep you going all day long!" he explained. He tossed a bag to Carlton, who he deemed the most tired looking. "And this is special Fizzy Faz made just for the Bounce Park! It tastes like clouds and rainbows- and mixed berry- it's a bubbly berry blast!"
After this commercial, two of his teeth clicked apart, giving the impression of him having a gap in his teeth. He cracked open a can of the Fizzy Faz and held it under the gap, and after a few seconds a clear hose slid out from between his teeth and lowered down into the can before sucking up some the blue liquid through it. Mike couldn't see what he was doing, but he could see the looks on everyone else's faces.
"Thanks. That's sweet of you," Jessica said. She averted her eyes from the internal straw and down to the purple jacket hung on his arm, brushing back her messy hair before gesturing to it. "And thanks for bringing back Charlie's jacket."
"Mmm!" Sunny hummed like his mouth was full and stopped the flow of soda before continuing. "Oh, you are very welcome! I even threw it into the wash, so it smells so good! Like daisies~!" He made a slurping noise as he drew back in his straw, barely disguising the actual clicking of the mechanism in his chest. He popped back to his feet and looked around, swaying as he did so. "Where is Miss Puppet?"
"She's still asleep. In there," Carlton pointed out.
Just as quickly, Mike volunteered, "You can just leave it here. I'll give it to her."
"Oh, no, no. I should do it. Moony was so mean to her last night, so I have to be extra, extra nice. But I have something for you…" Sunny said. He reached a hand behind his back, fingers slipping into the hole on his back, then suddenly swung it forward again with three Sunnydrops caught between his fingers. "Little bites of sunshine! Here-you-go!" He dropped them into Mike's open hand and spun towards the bounce house flaps.
Mike decided to just shove the candies in his pocket and keep a close eye on the Sun as he drew apart the curtains.
"Well, hellooooo! It's your early morning wake-up call from-!" Sunny poked his head into the bounce house and cut off instantly.
He hadn't looked through the window. He hadn't peeked in, he just threw his upper half through, so he didn't realize Charlie wasn't alone until just then. Until his whitened-out eyes locked with the inky blackness of Marionette's own. His reaction was instantaneous, frozen in place silently. Or as silent as he could be with the sudden increase of ticking and humming throughout his body, fans whirring and humming throughout his frame.
It didn't take much to guess that the Sun, or the Moon, had lashed out at Charlie out of fear. He had made his trepidation of puppets very obvious, and it was clear that Marionette had to be the puppet he feared. Though what wasn't clear was how much he actually feared Marionette or if it was just a protectiveness for Jake.
That clarification was made the second Sunny crushed the soda can in his fingers. Fizzy Faz spurting out and pouring down his arm and splattering on the bounce house and plush floor below. A reflexive motion and an immediate crunch.
Marionette knew he was going to run. "It's alright. I'm not going to hurt you," he tried to assure in his gentlest voice. To no avail, as the second he lifted his arm, Sunny made some sort of scrambled clatter of noises and dipped back out.
"NONONO IT's fiiiiiiNE! I'll- I'll- I'll just leave it hERE!" Sunny raced out. He tossed the jacket sideways towards Mike as he backed away from the bounce house. He tried to swivel to turn away, but he seemed glued on the spot. "I'll just- I'll just- CLEAN UP, CLEAN UP!" He gave a frustrated cry and no short of turned his head away by the points.
He then broke into a short run, bounced twice into a summersault, and was caught by his line before disappearing over the castle wall. In the process of doing this, Marionette finally burst out from the flaps, desperately calling after him.
"Please come back!" he shouted. He could only watch helplessly as the other animatronic fled over the wall and sighed. "He's certainly one of mine, alright… But one of my 'whats' is the question."
"Greatest mistakes," Mike answered.
"And as for you-." Marionette turned towards him with his hands on his hips and a slight scolding look. "You never woke me up for rabbit hunting."
"No reason for both of us to get caught," Mike offered. At the frown he received, he clarified, "Actually, I thought it was better to have someone here to watch the group in case things got ugly. I took Carlton and Freddy walked us around."
"I see… Well, that's fine, I suppose. As long as it went well. Did you see anything?"
"Nothing. I got inside two other security offices too, including the one the Blondie's been holed up in. All of the camera feed was fine, no weird glitches, no rabbits," Mike said. He sounded as dissatisfied as Marionette looked, not just because he couldn't find the rabbit but because her lack of appearance the night they broke in could signal a bigger issue. "But I didn't come back empty-handed."
Mike walked over to the corner of the bounce house and reached around it, and brought out a familiar, over-sized Glamrock Freddy plush. It wasn't just the same size as the one Marionette cuddled, it was actually the exact same one. The Puppet gave a delighted chime despite himself and eagerly took it into his arms.
"Oh, Mike! You shouldn't have," he said with delight as he coddled it in his grasp. "I suppose I can let you off the hook, but you didn't need to steal a bear for my sake."
"Who said anything about stealing? I earned that bear," Mike bragged. "Freddy gave me a baggy of tokens he was saving for Foxy, and I just blew through basketball until I had enough tickets for it, and some to spare. Charlie, I got you something too." He reached back again and pulled out an orange shirt that he tossed to her. "A little reminder of the night that just keeps on giving."
She unrolled it to see a picture of El Chip printed on the front, with streamers behind his sombrero and the words "It's Fiesta Time!" underneath him.
"Jokes on you, Mike. I love this," Charlie said.
"I got some junk too," Carlton chimed up. He started to pull some stuff out of his pockets but was interrupted before he could.
"Head's up. He's coming back," John suddenly warned.
Nobody had to question who 'he' was. Not when they could hear the sound of the cord mechanism as it moved across the ceiling. Sunny was lowered down quickly, unhooking himself and dropping down onto the bouncy floor. There was a roll of paper towels, a spray bottle of cleaner, and a small white trash bag in his arms, so it was clear what he was there to do. He did not make eye contact and he was eerily quiet.
Well, save the muttering of, "Clean up, clean up," under his breath. He hastily dropped to his knees and frantically started to clean, tossing the crushed can in the bag and ripping off some paper towels.
This was likely the only chance Marionette was going to have to get close to him and while he knew he probably should've left him alone; he couldn't pass up the opportunity. Though he did have to be careful. He quietly passed the Freddy plush back to Mike and then gestured everyone to move back, which they did so while gathering the rest of their things. Marionette turned back towards Sunny before drifting towards him.
Sunny could feel him approaching. Marionette could see the slight shiver through his back as he came up on him and watched as he frantically continued to mop up the soda. There just seemed to be so much and it wasn't coming up- which was likely more a problem with cheap paper towels than the drink itself. Marionette gave him a few seconds before kneeling down on the floor beside him.
Sunny froze instantly, and it wasn't just fear now. The rigid way he was posed was an indication that he was likely preparing for a fight. Marionette didn't take it as a threat, not in these circumstances.
"If you don't mind me asking…" he quietly began. He kept his voice as gentle as possible. "…Why are you afraid of me?"
"I'M- I'm not afraid of you," Sunny injected instantly. His voice was tight, like coming through the clenched teeth of his faceplate, and worn with stress. It didn't sound as bubbly as before; it was low and grating.
"Okay." Marionette fell silent for about five seconds, waiting until Sunny felt comfortable enough to continue wiping down the plastic before continuing. "But you know who I am. Have we met before?"
The daycare attendant tensed up again. Marionette half-expected him to shut down the conversation at that point, but he did not.
"You- You wouldn't remember me," Sunny murmured. Suddenly he slung the wet napkin into the trash bag. His motion sudden, his voice equally tense. "But I remember you."
"What did I do?" the Puppet dared to ask.
"You shoved me inside a robot," the Sun answered. "I was alive and awake, and you shoved me into a stupid little robot!"
He barely managed to cut himself off after that rushed and rather loud tangent he almost continued into. Sunny ripped off a bunch of napkins and started to harshly rub at the remains of the puddle of soda.
Marionette was silent. Dumbstruck perhaps, but also equally filled with dread. That was what he was afraid of. One of his- but was it a child he had put into an animatronic or some employee who blacked out shoving into a suit? Either was very possible, and this amount of aggression and fear leaned more heavily towards the latter. That got him quickly ticking, lacing his fingers uneasily and considering his words carefully.
Really, he should've just left then, but he still couldn't. He had to know more and contemplated it a long moment, only finding his words right as Sunny drew up the squirt bottle.
"Did it hurt?"
The question caught Sunny so off-guard that his fingers clamped down and he sprayed blindly into the air.
"Wh-WHAT?!" he cried. He actually turned to face him, utterly stunned by the question, up on one knee and looking ready to bolt. Marionette's mask was softened by sorrow and sympathy, as was his voice.
"That wasn't what I meant. I meant; did you feel when I put you in the suit?" Marionette asked.
"…No," Sunny answered uncomfortably. His voice took a suspicious edge, his head tilting back similarly. "Why? What's it to you?"
"…Because that means you were almost gone," the Puppet answered. A tinge of relief making it into his voice at the revelation. "You were a child, not an adult. You were… You must've been one of his." One of the old victims back at Freddy's. "And I put you in a suit, because I was trying to keep you here…" he explained. The guilt still returned. "…I'm sorry. I didn't have a choice, but I didn't give you one either. That wasn't fair for you."
That actually got the Sun to stop. He was ticking loudly, and his fans were ruffling his collar, but he was silent and pensive. He just stared at Marionette, and the Puppet truly had no idea what was going through his mind.
Then, finally, the yellow face turned back to the mess.
"…Don't be," he said. Maybe begrudgingly, probably still reeling from the revelation. "I didn't want to die," he said as he began to wipe down more of the soda.
"You've been around a long time," Marionette sympathized.
"Yup!" Sunny chirped with faux perk that quickly dropped. "I still don't want to."
"I don't either," Marionette assured. His voice gaining a bit of strength. "I didn't come to hurt anybody. I came to find that rabbit woman."
He was building up to asking Sunny about it, since Freddy had said he mentioned it, but he suddenly answered his own question. Of course he would warn Freddy about a woman in a rabbit suit, because he was one of William Afton's victims.
Sunny didn't say anything. Maybe he wasn't entirely convinced, but he had gone back to cleaning. Though it wasn't a frantic effort to do so but a more slow and methodical motion. Marionette offered out his hands.
"May I help?"
Sunny paused to consider it before deciding that the offer to not be the one cleaning was a tempting one and handing over the paper towels and spray bottle. His points drew in with unease when their hands touched but he didn't recoil. He just rested on his haunches and watched as Marionette finished up cleaning the mess. Just watching it getting done managing to soothe his overwhelmed programming.
Unfortunately, it gave him time to think. He dug his fingers into his pants and twisted them, squeezing the fabric, considering his words carefully before they forced themselves out against his control.
"Was…? Tell the truth, was… was there… If I didn't go in the suit-?"
"Not everyone I attempted to put into a suit went into one," Marionette clarified. "But nobody I put into a suit would've survived not going in."
"Oh…" Sunny released his pants to wring his hands together. "…Can you take them back out?"
"No," Marionette looked to him slowly. "…Why?"
"No reason!" Sunny quickly covered, raising his hands in defense. "Woo, but that's a relief! That would be- oh good golly- that would be bad for us, wouldn't it?"
Remembering that one time in the warehouse when he lost hold of his body-.
"…Yes, it would," Marionette agreed.
He finished up the cleaning while Sunny began rubbing at his pants to work out his anxiousness. Once the puppet was done, he held the trash bag open to him, letting him throw away the used towels and gathering everything up.
"O-kay, guess it's time I get going. Daycare opens at eight on the dot and I've still got a mess I've gotta clean up," Sunny scrambled. He stuck out his leg and pointed at a blue stain on his lower pantleg. "And I guess it's time YOU got going too!"
"Consider us on our way out," Marionette agreed. It felt weird ending the conversation so abruptly after everything that was said, but Sunny seemed eager to go. He gave a one-handed wave and a tilt of his head before turning and walking back towards the wall, preparing to hop up and get carried off again. He got as far as one jump before Marionette called after him. "Wait!"
Sunny stopped and partially turned back. Still on guard, but not nearly as panicked as before. Marionette considered his words before coming up beside him.
"Our phone number is four-three-five-." He listed the number out, hoping Sunny was capable of remembering as well as Freddy was. His voice softened to a quiet whisper. "If you need anything, please call us. We'll do whatever we can to help."
"Oh, uh- oh WOW, thank you! I'll… I'll think about it," Sunny hesitantly agreed. Which Marionette translated as: "maybe if I'm seconds from the scrap heap." He could live with that.
"Alright then. Take care, and good luck with today's service," he said. Then he turned and headed back towards his group, putting aside any hesitation to give the Sun the distance he needed.
Sunny stole a quick look back at him before going ahead and making his exit back over the wall. Silent save the constant jingling from the bells at his wrists.
"Now that that's been taken care of, let's make our way back out to the lobby. We can wait until the security guard leaves and slip out the front door behind her," Marionette suggested, taking back his new Freddy plush from Mike.
"Sounds good," Mike agreed. Then lowered his voice to add, "And it sounds like they're not all as new as Freddy."
Marionette knew they must've all heard the conversation. The overhead music wasn't nearly loud enough to cover it up. So, he simply nodded.
"Anything we should do?" Mike asked. Marionette shook his head.
"I gave him our phone number for if he ever needs us. I don't expect him to use it, but it gives him the option. That's really the most we can do," he said.
"Maybe I'll pass it on to Jake too. Just so they both have it," Charlie suggested. He agreed and she got the radio, which she had stuck back in her jacket, out to make the call. Meanwhile Marionette turned to her friends.
"We should head to the lobby. Single file, Class, and stay close to your buddy," he instructed, ushering them with his free arm. The other all but taken up by the oversized Freddy. Jessica gave him a playful eyeroll.
"Does that happen often?" John asked. Marionette looked to him and he clarified, "Running into 'one of yours'?"
"Not as often as it used to," the Puppet answered solemnly.
At first John seemed satiated with that answer, but as they started to walk out of the bounce castle walls, he continued thinking about it. Until the point where he finally had to ask.
"Did you know a…?" He cut off before the name could leave his lips. After a moment he shook his head. "Never mind. Forget it."
Everyone was looking at him. Just from Jessica and Carlton's concerned looks alone, Marionette guessed that they knew whoever he was talking about. Like with Sunny he decided not to press, just to be honest and to console.
"I might've. Like I told Sunny, they didn't always become one of us. If they didn't then you can be assured that they moved on. If they did, then I likely knew them… even if it was a short time."
John lifted his gaze. "Even him?" he asked.
"I believe so. He was at Freddy's, in a 'little' robot… I think I know which one he was."
Mike made a mental note to ask him about it once they were out of the Pizzaplex and on their own. This time John didn't have anymore questions. Though that could've also been because they were out of the safety of their hiding spot and had to be alert for the walk back to the lobby. Though he did seem generally pacified by what he heard. Charlie got off the radio by time they made it to the security door, and they made their way out.
They made it into the lobby to find it empty and the parking lot looked clear, so they headed out through the now unblocked entrance doors. Mike spared a glance down towards where Natalie had parked and noticed that her car was still there, so he could only assume that she was still inside, likely waiting for them to leave before she did. They piled into the car quickly and drove off.
This theory was all but confirmed when Mike got a call on the way home.
"Hello?"
"I just want to let you know," Natalie said, "that that was the most unsmooth thing I've ever seen."
"What, us walking out?" Mike asked.
"No, I meant the whole night. I can't believe I'm saying this, but Foxy was more discreet than you," she said. It sounded like she was fighting to keep a serious tone, or to keep a smile back.
"Yeah, I know. Not some of my greatest work," Mike agreed. He paused, then popped his lips. "But you didn't notice I was in your office, did you?"
"…Sure, I did. I just thought it was Bunny Lady," Natalie said unconvincingly. She sighed. "So, I'm heading home now. I'll figure out what kind of report I'm going to write later."
"Do you have to write a report?" he asked warily.
"I wish I didn't, but I've got to do something to cover our backs. I can maybe use Sunny's stunt to shake Chica's credibility, but it's going to be a lot harder to explain what Monty and Roxy saw… If they talk, that is. I get the feeling that there's some distance between the human and animatronic staff."
"I got that vibe too," Mike agreed. "You can tell that none of them are dating the bots."
Natalie gave him a little scoff over the line. "Okay, I'm too tired for you. Go home and get some sleep, I'm going home and getting some sleep, and we'll figure out whatever else this afternoon."
"Sounds good. Careful driving home," he finished and ended the call. He noticed Marionette looking at him from the passenger's seat and sent a smile back. "She sends her love."
It wasn't too much later when they drove back into Hurricane and made it back to the house. John and Jessica's cars were still parked outside, and the neighborhood was still rather quiet. Jessica and Charlie exchanged a quick hug in the car before the blond got out and went to get in her car to leave. Carlton had already gotten out and John was in the process of following when Charlie stopped him.
"John, before you go… Can we talk for a second?" she requested. He caught on and handed his car keys off to Carlton so he could go get it started before sitting back down and shutting the door behind him.
Mike also caught on and gestured to catch Marionette's attention before pointing at the front door. Marionette nodded and was gone in an instant, managing to carry the bear off with him. Mike got out and headed to the front door, finding it already opening for him as he got up on the step. The sooner he was out of this hoodie, into the shower, and into bed the better.
This left Charlie and John alone in the car for the moment. As much trepidation as she had for this moment, she felt surprisingly calm once it finally came.
"John, I've been thinking about it, and I do want to spend more time together. I've missed hanging out with you… but I don't think we should get back together," she confessed. She could already see the disappointment on his face but forced herself to not look away. "It's not because I'm an animatronic now- I think it's incredible that you're willing to look past that but that's not it. The truth is… I wasn't ready when we got together, and I still don't know if I am. There's some things I haven't figured out yet… And I don't want to give you false hope, but I don't want to lose you either."
"You're not going to lose me," John assured with a small smile. A sad smile perhaps, but an honest one. "I meant what I said. I can live with going back to being friends, I just don't want to live without you."
"Are you upset?" Charlie dared to ask.
"A little. Not at you. Just, you know."
"I know," she agreed with a smile. "Thanks."
They sat there in a semi-comfortable silence for a few seconds. The sun not yet up but the sky slowly growing brighter with the soft light of morning. Still early enough for it to be quiet and safe, and to feel miles away from the waking world.
"Probably for the best," John finally said. "Carlton told me last night that if we got back together, Baby would break my ankles."
Charlie wasn't going to give Carlton the second-hand satisfaction of a reaction.
"No, she'd break her ankles getting to you," she joked.
"Should I make a run for it?"
"While you still can."
He was still smiling as he got out of the car and leaned back in to give her one more. "I'll see you around. Take care, Charlie."
Just like that, he was gone. Or walking back to his vehicle to drive Carlton home. Charlie felt relief that it was over, but also remorse for having to turn him down, and soon was second-guessing herself. She wondered if she had made the right decision. For the moment it took off the pressure so perhaps, for the moment, it was the right one. Maybe someday she would change her mind. She would only be able to hope that he wouldn't change his then.
She looked towards the house and noticed a separation in the blinds suddenly closing. She knew right away that it was Marionette peeking at her, probably checking to make sure she was coming in now that John was leaving. Which she was. The last thing she wanted was to get stuck out in the car after a night like that. She pulled her jacket up around her, securing her shirt and radio, and braced herself to run in.
Or perhaps, she considered, she could focus vary hard on the inside of the house and maybe she would pop inside just as easily as Marionette did.
…
…
…No, it looked like she was running today.
Foxy had to give him credit; if this was Jeremy plan to keep from running over to the Pizzaplex, it was a surprisingly effective one. He couldn't very well sneak out when the blond was currently weighing down his chest, completely conked out.
Jeremy had decided to stay over at Pirate's Cove tonight, but he hadn't come alone. The Minireenas, Bidybabs, Plushtrap, Max, and Balloon Boy had all come as well, and had been remarkably behaved. It took a while, but Foxy was finally starting to see some progress with them. Then again, he had seen significant progress right after one of the last nights the whole group had stayed over. When Jeremy wasn't quite himself and snakes and wolves terrorized them all.
They stayed up for a while, but Jeremy was down for the count not long after they moved to watching movies. They had made a palette on the floor, got together a stack of VHS tapes with comedies and family films, and even the tapes Foxy had been recording his cartoon onto, and started watching them all together. Foxy was leaning on his side, Jeremy reclined on him for a moment, and the next thing he knew he looked down and saw Jeremy sprawled beside him.
Which was probably a sign that Foxy himself fell asleep, but he wasn't too concerned. He was in and out for the rest of the night. Head propped up with his hand, hooked arm around Jeremy- with the hook turned out, peeking out of a would-be cave of blanket that he had formed around him in the last few hours. The Minireenas, Bidybab twins, and Plushtrap were sprawled around. Some awake, some pretending to be awake, though no doubt would wake right up if the TV turned off.
They were midway through some kind of Christmas movie that Foxy couldn't remember the title of when the rather calm evening was interrupted by the phone ringing. Foxy roused the rest of the way instantly, because six o'clock was still a couple of hours away and that meant any news now was likely a bad sign. He carefully climbed out from behind Jeremy and the blanket cocoon, listening to the phone ringing as he tried to hurry up.
He got to his feet and started to creep towards the kitchen door when Balloon Boy suddenly came scuttling out beside him, rushing towards the phone on all fours.
"Dontcha dare!" Foxy whispered. Then he broke into a sprint, quickly overtaking Balloon Boy, nothing short of hopping over him, and snatched the phone off of the receiver. Balloon Boy let out an ugly laugh and Foxy sent him a glint before bringing the phone up. "Yar, Foxy's Pirate Cove!" he said in his default 'automated' tone. Just in case it was a missed call and he had to cover quick.
"Hello! It is me, Freddy Fazbear!"
With no exaggeration, this was one of the last people Foxy expected on the other side of the phone. For a second, he almost thought it was a trick.
"That you, Freddy?" he asked in disbelief.
"That it is! My apologies for calling so late, but Mike assured me that you would be awake and baking," Freddy greeted. He sounded like he was bubbling over with joy. Foxy was growing increasingly confused but decided to keep his cool.
"Any pirate worth a deck sleeps with one eye open- or they be sleepin' with the fishes," Foxy remarked. He leaned on the wall, subconsciously posing nonchalantly. "How ya doin', Boyo? Ya holdin' up?"
"I am doing much better, thank you! Mike informed me that you knew about the… malfunction I had on stage," Freddy said shamefully. He perked up quickly. "But I am happy to report that my battery has been holding adequate charge since my collapse. Just as long as I charge it frequently and as soon as I start to notice any weakness."
Foxy took pity on him and changed the subject. "So, ya met Mike, didja? Ya ran up on him like ya did to me?"
"I almost did, in fact! See, Mike was cornered in a recharge station by one of the Staff Bots, and since it was located outside of Fazer Blast and Roxy Raceway both myself and Roxy were released from our rooms to investigate. However, when I got there I noticed a very familiar puppet character above us on the escalator, and an equally familiar hood inside of the charging station! We were able to convince Roxy and Vanessa to leave, but that was when the door opened and I realized that it was not you in the station, but Mike! We then went to the daycare where I met Charlie and her friends, Carlton, John, and Jessica. I did not formally exchange introductions with Marionette until about an hour later."
"Sounds like a busy night," Foxy said. It sounded like a rather close call too, but Freddy wouldn't have called if they were in danger… He hoped. "Where they be now?"
"They are now in the Over-the-Moon Bounce Park. Do not worry, Vanessa does not do rounds in there and the security bots cannot travel on the trampoline floors, so it is quite safe."
"…Ya got a bounce park too?" Foxy asked flatly. "The bloody 'ell even is that?"
"Have you seen a bounce house? Imagine a very large bounce house. Or bounce house flooring across an entire room and with other inflatable structures throughout it. Such as slides and a traditional bounce castle. It is quite charming!"
Foxy tried to swallow down the fierce competitiveness that made him want to suddenly demand that they buy a bounce house for Pirate's Cove even though it wouldn't fit anywhere.
"Sounds like somethin' I'd pop with me hook," Foxy remarked.
Freddy chuckled. "I was worried about the same thing! But it was able to hold my weight, so surely it would be thick enough to handle your hook." The bear then trailed off for a moment. Foxy took notice.
"Somethin' on yer mind, Mate?" he asked.
"Hmm, there is. There is another reason I called," Freddy said pensively. He considered it a moment before suddenly steeling his nerves. "Captain, I do not think you should sneak into the Pizzaplex anymore."
That felt like it came completely out of the blue. Something must've happened, Foxy decided, and he was about to ask as much when Freddy beat him to it.
"Instead, I would like to extend a formal invitation for you to visit the Pizzaplex. That way you can enjoy all of the amenities as myguest," Freddy warmly clarified. Then he asked, directly but with a tinge of trepidation, "What do you say? Would you like to come by tomorrow night after closing? I am sure I can collect plenty of tokens by then."
Having received proper whiplash from the conversation, Foxy still found the offer awfully tempting. He tapped his hook on the wall as he considered it.
"I'd have to ask me first mate first… Eh, I'll be there. Iff'n he has no qualms with it," he agreed. He swapped to a more competitive tone, "But don't start thinkin' I'll be goin' easy on ya just cause ya had a spill. I've fallen off stage plenty 'o times!"
Freddy chuckled rather suspiciously. Almost like he knew something. "What, ya don't believe me?"
"I certainly believe you, Captain, and I would not have it any other way," he said. There was a finality in his voice and for a second Foxy thought that would be the end of their call. "But enough about me. How was your pizzeria today? Any interesting stories to tell?" Or maybe not, maybe it just signaled another whiplash.
Well, he asked. It was only polite for Foxy to tell him, even if he did brag a little doing so. Freddy wouldn't mind; he was just happy to listen.
Mable: And as soon as they got off the phone, Freddy commandeered a computer and found the kiddie pool video. XD I hope you enjoyed!