1pm
Minutes passed before booming footsteps were heard jolting up the elevator at a rapid pace. "My work here is done." Cooper quietly mumbled to himself as he saw a familiar top hat emerge from the not so distant horizon.
Gregory looked to the escalator and saw a familiar friendly figure emerge with a horde of children following.The loud, quickly approaching footsteps shook the balcony as several parents and kids had stopped what they were doing to find out what was going on. Gregory and Freddy made eye contact as the lovable bear figure became larger and larger.
Upon contact Freddy scooped up the boy and held him high, before bringing him back down to his chest for a lengthy hug. It was quite a scene, lots of kids formed a circle around Freddy and Gregory, putting them in a spotlight of their own.
Freddy must've been able to tell that Gregory wasn't exactly conformable with their reunion being center stage, so he grabbed a bunch of party passes and vouchers from his stomach hatch and turned his attention to the crowd.
"Who here wants party passes?" He asked. The crowd went crazy, erupting into a tidal wave of noise. He then very obviously threw them over the balcony. He chuckled when he saw how quickly the kids had dispersed. Not all of them bought it though, as a very small few remained. Neither Gregory or Freddy were bothered by their presence though.
"Is that better?" Freddy asked turning his attention back to his superstar. "Yeah!" Gregory replied. They went in for another, longer hug.
"I am so happy you are back. I wasn't the same after you had left."
"Believe me, he really wasn't." Cooper joked. "He was such a sook." he mocked lightheartedly.
Freddy looked at him. "That is very hypocritical."
"Saw that one coming a mile away." Cooper rebuttled. He embraced the bear's comeback. "Wait a second, you know what hypocritical means yet Roxy didn't know what therapist meant?" Freddy looked at him confused.
"What are you talking about?"
"Eh, forget it. You weren't there. I said nothing as far as you're concerned." Freddy shrugged and turned his attention back to Gregory, who he swiftly hugged again.
"It has been too long!" Freddy started.
The two reunited in much the same way Roxanne and Cooper had. Cooper mostly stayed out of it except when Freddy's questions involved him. Eventually Freddy succumbed to the same fate Roxy had, dragged away by the needy youth.
2pm
Time slowly dragged on, and 2pm eventually hit. An announcement came on.
"Attention guests. Our star animatronics are needed at their attractions, if you would like to visit them, or participate in any of our exciting attractions, pick up a party pass from your nearest convenience counter. Thanks, and have an awesome day."
"Gregory." Cooper grabbed his attention along with one of the party passes situated in his pocket. He passed one to him over the empty pizza box before getting up and exclaiming that he was getting a drink. "Go find Freddy."
"Like that wasn't what I was going to do anyways." He replied as he walked away in the direction of fazerblast. He was soon swallowed by the crowds of people that were on their way to the attraction as well.
When Cooper had finished his drink he looked around. He had barely noticed the atrium was around half the capacity it used to have before he noticed how quiet it had gotten. It felt lonely in a way, yet also peaceful. It reminded him of something.
Eventually, empty cup in hand, soon in bin, he walked over to Roxy Raceway. He had never actually gotten to race the wolf, despite the countless promises he had made that would have suggested otherwise. He decided it was finally time to fulfill said promises.
Coming into the raceway he could see that a race was currently in progress. Eight competitors fighting for the number one spot, Roxy was amongst them, in first place of course. Known to have never lost a race in her life, he watched as a kid began gaining on her, surely making her sweat bullets. Unless she had an ace up her sleeve, wasn't looking good for her. Cooper looked to the wall adjacent to him and saw it was the last lap. He continued to watch on in interest. He realised just how intense it was, and just how high the stakes were.
He noticed that there were several spectators, both future competitors and not. He heard the crowds begin to amp up their volume as the lone racer rode neck and neck with Roxy, surely the cheers acting like the fuel to the fire. With the finish line approaching quickly, the crowd roared chants of the kid's name, as the growl of engines only continued to grow in ferocity.
Only around half a meter of a gap to close, but with only around 10 more meters to the finish line, this would be over soon. He watched and heard as the yells and screams of the adoring crowd began to climax, for the two were tied, with the finish line barely a meter away. Roxy's undefeated title was put the the absolute breaking point, never before had she been a part of a race so close, such a worthy opponent. If this kid were to win, he'd be witnessing history.
Down to the absolute wire, the two racers crossed the finish line, with the others trailing on in. There was no decisive victory. To the naked eye it was a tie. an employee, with microphone in hand, announced that official adjudication would be required to determine a victor. As if awaiting marks to a test, both racers exited their vehicles nervously, unsure and nervous as to the outcome. Both were swarmed with their respected fans like paparazzi. This time Roxy was the least popular out of the two, she was not used to it. Cooper made his way off of the walkway towards the drama. If he were to race, he would not live up to the excitement of that.
He made his way to the crowd of people that swarmed both contestants, like news channels interviewing a celebrity. Things were getting slightly heated, as people began to talk over people, until everyone was shouting. There was no need for it. An employee came to break things up and send people on their way from the soon to be conflict. People still remained, they were still loud, but less so. Eventually Cooper was recognized by Roxy and the two found each other and talked.
"You are freaking out right now and I know it." He said quietly to the canine as he looked around at the crowd of people that still remained.
"You have no idea. If I could sweat there would be a tsunami." She replied nervously. "You have no idea how much I wanted to bump that kid. I could've done it so easily too. Just another easy win. Avoid all this..." She gestured to the riled up crowd.
"Probably a good thing that you didn't, would've caused the same, if not more outrage then this."
An announcement came on overhead after a few minutes. "Attention racers, a winner has been decided, although praise is deserved by both of you for such a close race..." Cooper comedically pat Roxy on the back as they awaited the grand reveal. "...Never in my life have I seen a race this close..." Get on with it... Both Cooper and Roxy thought as they eagerly awaited. "...A battle of the ages, the underdog versus the undefeated... The winner is..." A drumroll would have been fitting, but Cooper lacked the instruments.
"Roxanne Wolf!" Half the crowd cheered, half the crowd booed. "Oh thank god." Roxy placed a hand to her chest and breathed a sigh of relief. She looked as though she was about to fall over.
"If you need me to hold you, just say so." Cooper told her. Roxy didn't respond. Not funny. Cooper guessed.
"Ladies and gentlemen boys and girls, please, let's remember our sportsmanship and manners. Roxy, Jessica and Alex, would you three please come up and join me up on the podium here for a photo and a plasti- I mean, proper medal, hehe. Can we have a round of applause for our top three!" Applause ensued. The announcer spoke loud and fast, a perfect combo to grab people's attention.
"Coming in at third place, a valiant effort and an admirable outcome, we have Alex!" Applause ensued as a young boy walked to the underwhelming podium and received an incredibly light medal. Despite it appearing to have been mimicking bronze, it could have been mistaken for an enlarged penny. "Great job kid." The announcer told him without the microphone.
"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, consider yourself lucky, because you have all witnessed history, for another race like this may not take place until the next solar eclipse! Can we have a special round of applause for our second place champion, coming within a hair's length away from victory, Jessica!" Applause ensued, this time much more vigorous. A slightly older girl walked to the podium and received her medal. "Incredible job Jessica, I'm sure you had Roxy shaking in her boots. And that's a good thing, I'm sure she was getting bored of winning, and I hope you all placed your bets because speaking of winning...!"
"Ladies and gentlemen boys and girls, please, our undefeated raceway champion! You all know her, you all love her, Roxanne Wolf! Coming in first for the..." He pulled a piece of paper out his pocket and quickly skimmed it before putting it away. "four hundredth and twenty seventh time! Sheesh, some of you can't even count that high." He said the last part quietly, and for good reason. He finally approached Roxy before giving her the 'gold' medal. Weighed as much as butter. The crowd cheered, yet were somewhat disappointed the queen hadn't been dethroned from the throne she stood oh so high upon.
"What a race, what a race, I'm sure some of you are hungry and or thirsty after such a viewing. Or, maybe you want to prepare for the next one with a fresh batch of popcorn and a cool drink to accompany it. As usual ladies and gentlemen, a fifteen minute break where our food and drink are 15% off, make sure to act fast because it won't last..." He went on. Cooper tuned him out and walked towards Roxy whom had just left her podium. Roxy pretended she was wiping away sweat from her forehead as she drew closer.
"Won that by the skin of your teeth." Cooper began.
"If I had a heart believe me, it would have exploded."
"Uh... They don't usually do that..."
"Anyways, I'm going to talk to Jessica."
"...Ok. Don't do anything dumb. Please. Especially don't bite her, that happened once... actually twice. Yeah, frontal lobes are important to humans."
"I was going to congratulate her on almost beating me, but... Okay."
"Wow, you really have changed."
"You thought I was going to bite her?" She looked him in the eye, confused yet amused.
"Something dumb that you would have regretted more like. And biting a child falls under that category I feel." Roxy walked away without a response.
"I'm not wrong!" Cooper called out to her. She smiled and shook her head in disapproval. Why was it you. She laughed at the sarcastic thought.
She walked up to the girl who was in a conversation with the announcer. "For people that race exceptionally well, they get the offer to join the Roxy Raceway tournament, where you compete against the top tier racers in your age group. You my friend, have certainly got the qualifications necessary to enroll. Do you want to?" He raised an eyebrow.
The girl's parents came over to congratulate her, as anyone's would. "What's the prize?" She asked, oblivious to their presence.
"The prize? The prize. Money. Lots and lots of money." Jessica's eyes lit up like Christmas lights on the eve of the 24th. "Ha! Just kidding. Fazbear Entertainment would never do that. Its a bunch of free party passes and merchandise. Not too bad if you ask me."
She repelled slightly at his answer. "Yeah, I'll pass thanks. Appreciate the offer though." She said in the kindest voice Roxy had ever heard. It melted her heart.
"Suit yourself kiddo. The option is always there though." The man gave her what appeared to be a business card of some sort. He walked away swiftly after. Roxy thought it was shady as hell, although she knew the tournament was real, and she knew the card was legit. A token of entry, they called it.
Jessica turned to her parents and hugged them. They congratulated her on her race and offered to buy her an ice-cream, how sweet. She gladly accepted and the parents left whilst the kid stood oblivious to the animatronic that stood so tall behind her.
She turned around and was greeted with the wolf's stomach. "AAAAHHHH!" So familiar.
She jumped back out of instinct to look at the animatronic that loomed over her, like a skyscraper. "Oh, hi..." She said timidly.
"Did I scare you?" She asked with a blank expression.
"If I said no it would be a lie." She replied, intimidated.
"Don't worry, my boyfriend gets scared the same way." She told her, almost chuckling at her own thoughts. "I'm practising."
"You have a boyfriend?" She was slightly shocked.
"Eh, pretty much. Anyways. Came by to congratulate you. Thought it was checkmate for my title there for a moment. Really put the pressure on. Closer then I'd have liked." She admitted.
"Wow, ummm... Thanks."
"You know, you should try that tournament, it's great fun, and you have potential. I know the prize sucks, but to compete in it is an award on it's own. Honestly, some of the racers in it this month won't stand a chance against you. You have a good shot."
"You really think?"
"Yeah. Try it. It's fun. If it makes you feel any better, I watch all of the races, and I'd love to see you there." She didn't know Roxy could be so supportive, hell, even Roxy didn't know she could be so supportive.
"Well, if the one and only Roxanne Wolf thinks I should do it..."
"You'll make me blush. If I had a plushie on me I'd give it to you." Roxy replied. She rubbed the girl's hair then began to walk off. "Can't wait to see you there Jessica!"
She knows my name. She thought as she stared into empty space where the wolf once was.
3pm
Roxy walked back to Cooper, who had found a nice spot on the second floor with a great view of the racetrack, and hung around him. He checked his watch, a regular one this time. 3 o'clock.
"Are you going to race?" Roxy asked.
"I was, but then, how could I top a race like that. Also I would feel really out of place if I went to race with me being the only competitor with a single piece of facial hair.
"I'd say get over it, but I can understand."
"How could you understand? Do animatronics have their own weird puberty sort of thing?"
"No, I can just understand. Being different." She looked to the track as she said it. She spoke gently, seemingly unwinding from the events from the prior hour. Roxy placed a hand on top of Cooper's which was situated on the table. It was romantic.
4:55pm
Cooper and Roxy still sat together on the walkway, watching the races go on below them. Anything and everything that crossed their minds would have been blurted out with not a care in the world to make conversation. It felt like they were there for twenty minutes, in reality it had almost been two hours. An announcement almost identical to the first one came on.
"Attention guests, Freddy and the gang are almost ready for their final performance, the show will begin in the main atrium in five minutes. They can't wait to see you, and perform for you. During this time all convenience counters and restaurants are 15% off. Have an awesome day." Control 'c' control 'v' it seems. Cooper thought.
"That's my calling card." Roxy said as she got up.
"Break a leg."
"Just for you." She winked at him as she walked off, this time with no children following. That damn wolf.
Cooper figured he should go too, in order to get to Gregory before losing him in a swarm of people, he was lucky he hadn't before the first performance. He took off in the same way Roxy had, yet she was nowhere to be seen.
5pm
Cooper had found Gregory with plenty of time to spare and the two shared their experiences with their attractions. They sat on the second floor again, only this time on the right wing. Eventually, the exact same announcement came on.
"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, fazbear entertainment would like to introduce to you..." The same effects took place, the same smoke, the same spotlights, even the same music. The crowd was still enthusiastic, however it seemed as though they were tired, because compared the first performance they were practically whispering their cheers. The animatronics still played great, on par, if not above to their first performance. Cooper didn't think they could have done better, yet here he was.
Roxy did everything she did the first performance, but ever so slightly better. Only a keen eye would notice it. It was most likely due to her knowledge that the ex night guard being there, but who could say for sure. Freddy also seemed to have been signing better, for his pitches and tones were almost immaculate. Chica and Monty didn't really change in quality, but if they did it wasn't noticeable.
On several occasions Cooper swore her saw Roxy wink at him, but he himself was becoming very drousy and wasn't sure. Coffee time. Gregory on the other hand still couldn't get enough of them. It felt like they were at a real concert. Not that this wasn't 'real'.
Eventually the songs ended and the animatronics on stage soon found themselves hiding away in their elevator. It was around this time the pizza Plex began to empty out. Lots of families began to make their way to the exit, with only around one third of the original lot remaining. It was relatively quiet in the atrium for once. Peaceful. Magical, if you will.
6:30pm
Six o'clock was when the animatronic's green rooms would be open to the public and accessible via photo passes, but Cooper figured it would be smart to wait a while. He figured it was better to have no line and get quality time with Roxy at the expense of having to wait, rather than feel rushed and have to go without quality time, at the advantage of not having to wait.
The place was dead compared to the morning, with most of the screaming kids and parents gone. All that remained were the civilized ones, the teenagers, and the ones who wanted to get the most bang for their buck. Cooper had handed Gregory his photo pass and had basically given him free time until closing. His only instructions being don't get lured by weird rabbit women, and be back here by closing, which was eight o'clock. You know, the usual. In the back of his mind he did wonder if this was the right thing that a good patent would do.
7:00pm
After some time waiting, mindlessly scrolling through his phone he decided it was time to visit her. He got up and wandered the halls of the pizza Plex. He noticed the lighting had dimmed significantly. It was rather moody, with the neon lighting and surroundings giving off a familiar feeling. The only stark contrast to the feeling being the odd, out of place plastic palm trees.
Eventually Rockstar Row was reached and he pressed on to his final destination. A couple of people and families wandered the spaces, admiring the golden statues of the band, and all the relics from past restaurants. He noticed that Monty's and Chica's curtains had been closed. Monty's for an obvious reason, Chica's not so much. Perhaps she just had no more visitors, or maybe she had just been exhausted. Who knew.
Freddy's room still had a few people lined up along the velvet red seperators outside the room, nothing too unusual. The star of the show was bound to get lots of attention.
He saw that Roxy's room had no line, so he ventured forth only to discover faint sobbing sounds. Here we go. Like square one, only customer edition. And we have history. He thought. He knocked on the door, the same three knocks he had always done. He waited in anticipation for the door to open. He heard the sobbing cease and heavy footsteps approaching the door. It slid open, now face to face with Roxy.
"Why does this feel so familiar?" He asked, a smile encroaching his face. In reaction Roxy began to smile too.
"You have a pass?" She asked.
"Yep." Cooper replied as he put it in a drop box just left of the door. He entered and the door closed behind him. The two sat on the couch opposite to the door, not before Roxy closed the curtains.
"First up... Why were you crying?" He asked.
"Thought you weren't going to show up. You had me worried."
"I'd never." He said jokingly as he went in for a hug.
"So what are the rules with the passes? Do I like have to get a photo with you?"
"Ehh... No. They let you see us just in general in our green rooms."
"How long for?"
"Depends how long we want you to stay, and the queue. So in this case I guess you can stay until closing."
"Awww, thanks. You're so kind."
"Only because I'd be lonely otherwise." She buried her head into Cooper's shoulder, her long, thick, grey hair acting as her own personal pillow. Cooper was reminded of the first few weeks he spent with Roxy. Hand in hand, head in shoulder, the two sat in bliss, the silence only broken by the slow beat of Cooper's heart.
"What's you're new night guard like?" He had forgotten how badly he wanted to ask the question.
"She's okay. She isn't Vanessa, so that's a plus I guess. But she's not you, so."
"Heh. Can't win 'em all."
"She's nice enough. Doesn't treat us like a door mat, so that's good. What else..." She began thinking.
"What's her name? That's a good start I think." He said condescendingly.
"Emma."
"Generic." He said feeling superior in a joking way, if that was even possible.
"Rude. Cooper isn't exactly rare. And she can't help it."
"It was sarcasm."
"Mememememe." Roxy mocked in a high pitched voice.
"Out of us, who's better?"
"Well on one hand you are, you... Which I don't know if it's a good thing or not. And on the other, Monty's been doing better since you left, and there havn't been any insane killers on the loose. Yeah... I think Emma."
"Oh." The defeated tone of voice made Roxy laugh.
"I'm joking, obviously you." The two cuddled in each other's arms oblivious to the evil, horrible ticking of the unheard clock that was situated on Cooper's wrist.
"Have I ever mentioned how gorgeous you are?" He asked, at this point just sucking up to her.
"Glad you noticed." Cockiness written all over her response.
"Ooooh, watch the ego... It's fragile." they laughed as he stroked her hair.
7:50pm
They must've dozed off in each other's arms as they awoke to the heavy, familiar footsteps of an animatronic approaching Roxy's room. The two let go of each other in preparation for whatever was there. They both hated being separated, even if it was just barely half a meter. The door opened abruptly.
"Roxy have you seen my ba-" Monty walked into the room care free until he looked to the couch and saw who was there. "-se. Well I'll be dammed. You weren't lying. Not that I every doubted ya."
"Knock!" Roxy was pissed. She turned her attention to Cooper. "I swear, every god damn time. He. Never. Knocks. It pisses me off. Not to mention he is the only one in this band that consistently looses his instrument." She huffed.
"Well I clearly interrupted something. Uh... Good to see you again Cooper. I know you probably aren't the most willing to believe that... I get it. And I'm probably not going to be able to convince you otherwise, so just know I've changed for the better."
"And no, I have not seen you're bass." Roxy replied. She crossed her arms. "Just keep it in your room!"
"Roxy, look at my room. Oh wait. You can't. There are like no lights in there. I will step on it, without fail. Anyways. Good to see you Coop, and now I want to go sleep."
"It's probably in parts and service." Cooper replied.
"Eugghh. Knowing me. Probably. Hate it down there! It's like this place's own personal dentist!" He roared as he walked out.
Cooper turned to Roxy. "Yeah... You're going to have to bring me up to speed..."
"That's going to take a lot more than eight minutes." She tapped his watch.
"Ok. Every Friday afternoon. I'll be here. without fail... Unless I fail." He gave a faint salute as he got up off the couch and smiled. Roxy chuckled.
He got up and started walking, he was around the middle of the room when he stopped. He stared at the ground. Roxy looked up to see what was wrong.
He quickly turned around and dashed back to the wolf to kiss her. He wrapped his arms around her head as tightly as a boa constrictor and embraced her lips. He was certainly happy he was back. Roxy followed suit, returning the grip, and the passion. Her hair felt as soft as a cloud, and her lips felt as smooth as butter. They could both feel the passion as their mouths unwillingly separated. "So good to see you again." Cooper whispered to her.
They still held onto each other's heads. They looked each other deeply in the eyes. "Every Friday?" Roxy asked, as seductively as she could.
"Every Friday." He smiled and hugged her before he left. He turned to face to the door, which had been opened. In the space where the metal should've been stood Gregory. He dropped the Freddy plushie he had received and formed a disgusted look on his face.
"Don't say it... She is like your mother..." Cooper warned.
"Furry." Roxy began to laugh as the door to her room shut as Cooper exited.
"My mom used to teach me this trick, it involves a belt..." Roxy faintly heard Cooper say as the two walked away." She laughed hysterically. Why him.
Don't worry, no Gregorys were harmed in the making of this chapter.
Thank you all so much for reading this pathetic excuse for a story all the way to the very end. I hope you all had as much fun reading as I did writing. I learned so many things over the course of the months that this has been going on, but it had to come to an end. To some of you that's fortunate, to some of you that's unfortunate, I can understand both sides. Human x robot isn't exactly for everyone.
I did try to amp up the comedy on the last chapter, I hope I at least got a chuckle from you (I had way too much fun with the announcer). Also I hope the hour system I used made things a little less confusing for you all. It's more than likely I'll be doing more stories, with a different genre to be expected, however still fnaf related. I do love me a good romance story, but it's inevitable that it'll be corny at some points. I'll be ironing out the plentiful spelling mistakes and grammar mistakes but for the most part this story is done.
Once again, thank you so much for reading, have an awesome day/night and feel free to review.