Saturday, December 24, 1994
After being given the go-ahead by Mr. Rivera, Evan proceeded to spend virtually all of his free time on building Mangle's new body. Mangle herself helped whenever possible, and simply watched him work when there was nothing for her to contribute.
As the days passed, Evan's creation gradually took form. It's endoskeleton didn't look anything like the ones from Fazbear Entertainment or Afton Robotics, instead resembling something taken straight out of Terminator—a six foot seven tall humanoid metal skeleton with powerful servos serving as the joints, and an incredibly intricate hydraulics system serving as muscles and tendons. Despite their enthusiasm for the project, both Mr. Rivera and Mangle couldn't help but feel a little unnerved by it as it neared completion. But this feeling quickly went away when Evan began to add the flesh-like casing to the endoskeleton.
Evan, however, ended up feeling somewhat uncomfortable as he built the silicone casing—which wasn't surprising given that he was creating a naked, woman-like body, and a pretty voluptuous one at that—but it was what Mangle wanted to look like, and so he pushed his personal feelings aside as he continued to work on it. He was, of course, very thankful that she was fine with him leaving the crotch and breasts as just smooth surfaces, similar to those of a Barbie doll.
Similar to Mangle's previous body, the new one had golden eyes and was mainly white with the belly, chest, tail tip, snout, the inside of the ears, and the area around the eyes being colored pink. In addition, though, it had rosy red lips and cheeks, a flexible and moveable tongue, black eyebrows, pink claws on the tips of the fingers and toes, as well as long, voluminous white hair with pink streaks.
Mr. Rivera would come by and check in on Evan's progress once a week. Eventually, after meeting and talking to him regularly, both Evan and Mangle came to view him as a trusted friend. True to his word, Mr. Rivera would always do his best to help out when asked—one thing in particular that he helped with was to acquire clothes for Mangle's new body and to have them refitted to match its proportions.
Evan's relationship with his father remained strained after the latter rejected Mangle and threatened to scrap her. As good as their relationship had been before that day, no amount of goodwill could mend it. William nevertheless honored his agreement and provided Evan with everything he needed for his project, and he kept trying to do right by him, but Evan simply could not forgive him after what he had said.
It was 6 AM when Evan's alarm clock went off, and he immediately—almost unconsciously—reached out and turned it off. Letting out a tired moan, he slowly opened his eyes, feeling so groggy that he almost forgot what day it was, or even what month. He then felt a sudden surge of energy as he finally realized it.
Today was the day.
Smiling, he turned to look at Mangle, but was surprised to see that she wasn't in bed with him. He then got up and looked over towards the workshop area and found her sitting in front of her new body, staring at and admiring it.
Evan's smile widened. As excited as he was about today, he knew that Mangle's own excitement was many orders of magnitude beyond that.
Deciding to take advantage of the distraction, Evan went to his clothes trunk and changed out of his pajamas and underwear, and into a fresh set of clothes. He then switched on the ceiling lights, but Mangle didn't seem to notice.
Huffing a laugh, Evan walked over to her and squeezed her shoulder affectionately. "Good morning."
"Huh?" Mangle turned to look at him. "Oh! I had no idea it was morning already."
"It is. I just got up," Evan confirmed with a chuckle. "How long have you been up?"
Mangle turned away, looking somewhat embarrassed. "Honestly? I've been up all night. I just couldn't fall asleep."
"Understandable," Evan replied and regarded her fondly. "I know how much this means to you."
Mangle met his gaze, looking deep into his eyes as her tail began to wag.
"Now then, I need to go to the bathroom and then get a cup of coffee," Evan said. "And after that, if you're ready, we'll begin the transfer."
She nodded enthusiastically upon hearing that, her tail wagging even faster.
With a chuckle, Evan left the barn and trudged over to the house, which was decorated with Christmas lights. It was dark and quiet inside, which was understandable given that both his father and his brother were fast asleep at this hour.
Wasting no time, Evan prepared the coffee maker to brew him a pot while he used the bathroom, brushed his teeth, and took a shower. Once he was done, he returned to the kitchen and poured himself a cup of coffee, which he drank on his way back to the barn.
Upon entering, Mangle turned towards him, looking more excited than ever, with her tail wagging so fast that it was practically a blur.
"Is it time?" She asked.
"Indeed it is," Evan replied as he set his cup aside.
"So how do we do this?" Mangle asked excitedly.
"All you have to do is lie down," Evan replied as he approached her. "I'll handle the rest."
She gave him a nod and then did as he asked.
After quickly fetching his tools, the sixteen-year-old knelt down beside her. "Now, when you wake up, it is absolutely vital that you do not move. Your new body and its subsystems need to be calibrated to you first, or else you might end up hurting me or yourself."
"Got it!" Mangle replied with great enthusiasm.
"Alright," Evan said with a smirk as he removed the front part of her torso casing and the battery panel with ease. "See you on the other side, Mangle."
She giggled. "See you on the other side!"
With that, Evan flipped the switch to power her down.
Over the course of three and a half hours, Evan disassembled Mangle and collected all of her electrical components, then removed the silicone casing from the new body so that he could install them.
Then, suddenly, the wall buzzer went off, almost startling him.
Evan checked his watch and saw that it was now a little over 10 AM. Time for breakfast.
Setting aside his tools, Evan left the barn and went back to the house. He opened the front door and, sure enough, was met with the familiar smell of ginger-and-cinnamon-spiced pancakes and the sound of Christmas music. He couldn't help but smile to himself as he entered and then closed the door behind him. There was just something about these Christmas traditions that made him feel so incredibly nostalgic.
He entered the dining room, where he found his father and brother sitting at the table, eating pancakes with maple syrup and drinking tea. Unlike Evan, they both wore festive knitted sweaters.
"Good morning, sport," William greeted the sixteen-year-old with a smile.
Michael offered him a smile as well. "Yeah, good morning, Evan."
The sixteen-year-old forced a smile. "Good morning."
"How is your project coming along?" William asked.
"Quite well," Evan said curtly in response as he took a seat at the table.
As usual during this time of the year, his father had prepared for him a plate of pancakes as well as a cup of English breakfast tea with milk and sugar—just the way he liked it.
Wasting no time, Evan quickly finished his tea and scarfed down all but two pancakes that were on his plate.
He then turned to his father and asked, "May I leave the table? I have a lot of work I need to get back to."
William frowned. "You still have two pancakes left on your plate."
"I'm saving them for Mangle," Evan replied. "I need a variety of different foodstuffs so I can test out her biofuel and chemosensory systems."
Letting out a defeated sigh, William waved Evan off. "Very well."
"Thank you, Father," Evan said as he got out of his seat.
The sixteen-year-old went to the kitchen to put his leftover pancakes away in the fridge, and his empty cup in the dishwasher. Then, after a quick detour to the bathroom to wash his hands, Evan left the house and returned to the barn.
Once there, he went back to work and spent the next several hours installing all of the electrical components from Mangle's old body into the new one, connecting her mainboard to the new daughterboard which handled all of the subsystems of the new body.
With that done, Evan replaced the silicone casing and then opened a concealed flap behind her ear so that he could access her new power switch and interface with the daughterboard. He then connected his computer to the interface with a DB9 serial cable and, with a proud smile, switched Mangle on.
As she awoke, Mangle immediately noticed that almost everything felt different, and she couldn't help but to smile. Her smile then grew wider as she realized that she was now capable of smiling and could feel how the silicone casing on her face warped and stretched. She opened her eyes and was quickly able to tell that she was almost a foot taller than before. Her tail began to wag at a rapid pace as she took in all of the new sensations.
"How are you feeling, Mangle?" Evan asked with a grin.
Mangle then responded, her new voice box giving her a deep, sultry, and mature voice. "I feel… different."
"In a good way or a bad way?" Evan asked.
"In a good way," she replied. "Definitely in a good way… except…"
"Except what?"
"It feels like the floor is pushing up from under my feet," Mangle said.
Evan furrowed his brow for a moment, but then laughed.
The vixen looked confused. "What's so funny?"
"What you're feeling is just gravity, Mangle," Evan replied. "Your new casing has tactile sensors embedded in it, including the soles of your feet, and because you're standing you're exerting all of your weight onto the floor, which your sensors detect as pressure."
Mangle looked surprised. "Oh! So… feeling the floor is normal?"
Evan couldn't help but to laugh again. "Yes, Mangle. It's normal."
"Well, how am I supposed to know?!" Mangle shouted in embarrassment.
"Fair enough," Evan replied with a chuckle. "Now, how about we do those calibrations?"
"Sure," the vixen replied excitedly. "What's first on the list?"
"Your tactile sensors," Evan replied as he went over to the computer and began typing in several commands. "While we obviously know that they're functioning, we need to make sure that they work as intended."
Once he had finished setting things up on the computer, Evan got a screwdriver and pressed its handle against Mangle's shoulder.
"On a scale of one to ten, let's say this is a five," the sixteen-year-old said.
"Sure."
Evan then pressed the handle against her thigh. "What would you rate this using that scale?"
Mangle thought for a second and then responded with, "Five."
Next, Evan lightly brushed the handle against her forearm. "What about this?"
"One," the vixen replied.
"But you do feel it?" He asked.
"Yeah, just barely."
"And this?" Evan asked as he pressed the handle much harder.
"Eight," Mangle replied.
"Good," Evan said with a smile and then put the screwdriver away before typing in some more commands into the computer. "Next, let's test—
"Before that," Mangle interrupted. "Could you… touch me?"
Evan blinked. "I just did."
She rolled her eyes. "Without any tools, obviously."
Evan raised an eyebrow. "Why?"
"Because I want to feel your skin against mine," Mangle replied a bit impatiently. "It's something I've dreamed of for so long!"
He gave her a sympathetic smile. "Very well, Mangle."
Then, standing right in front of her, he reached out and caressed her cheek.
Mangle let out a gasp upon feeling his touch. She closed her eyes and slowly exhaled as she leaned her head against his hand.
"It's better than I could've ever imagined," Mangle said, her voice quivering as artificial tears began to roll down her cheeks.
Evan regarded her with affection and then stroked her cheek, which elicited another shaky exhale from the vixen. Finally, he retracted his hand.
Mangle opened her eyes again and looked upon the sixteen-year-old as if he was the most precious thing in the whole world. "Thank you."
"You're welcome," Evan said with a warm smile. "Now, let's finish the calibrations, shall we?"
"Sure," Mangle replied with a sniffle. "God… I can't believe that I'm actually able to cry real tears now."
Evan huffed a laugh. "Well, you wanted to become a real fox girl, didn't you?"
"Yeah. Yeah, I did," she sniffled. "Thank you so much for this, Evan! This means the world to me."
"And you mean the world to me," Evan replied with an affectionate smile. "Now, let's test out your motor control."
He opened the desk and pulled out some tongs and a plastic box filled with ping pong balls. After opening the box and setting the lid aside, he returned to Mangle, grabbed one of the balls using the tongs, and then held it out to her.
"Here, take this," Evan instructed.
"Sure," Mangle replied and reached out to take the ball. However, she ended up crushing it up completely between her fingers. "Wha— Huh?"
"That would be why I told you not to move before," Evan said with a smirk. He walked over to the computer and typed in a command. "Your new body is much stronger than your old one, so it needs to be properly calibrated for everyone's safety."
"Why'd you make me so much stronger?" Mangle asked.
"So you can defend yourself," Evan replied with a grave look on his face. "You know how I feel about other humans, and if you're going to walk among them, I need to ensure that they can't easily overpower you."
"Okay…" The vixen replied, looking quite skeptical.
Evan walked up to her and used the tongs to offer her another ping pong ball. "Now, why don't we try this again?"
Mangle took the ball and ended up crushing it as well, though only slightly this time. "Damn it!"
"It's okay, we're getting there," Evan assured her as he returned to the computer and entered another command.
He then offered her a third ball, and this time she managed to take it without any issue.
"Yes!" she exclaimed triumphantly.
"Excellent, Mangle," Evan said with a smile. "Now, I want you to try to apply as much force to the ball as possible without denting it."
"Sure!" Mangle replied confidently and did as he asked without any issue.
"Good, now apply just a tiny amount of additional force," he instructed.
The vixen did so, and the ball dented slightly as a result.
"Perfect!" Evan exclaimed, looking quite proud.
Mangle let out a giggle, beaming in pride as well.
"Now, just to make sure that you can still exert your full strength…" The sixteen-year-old said as he walked over to one of the workbenches and grabbed a three foot long and one inch thick steel bar, then returned to Mangle and handed it to her. "... bend this using both of your hands."
"Okay…" Mangle replied, looking quite unsure of herself as she gripped the opposite ends of the steel bar. Nevertheless, she gave it her best shot and much to her surprise, she actually managed to bend it with only some difficulty. "Whoa!"
"Excellent!" Evan exclaimed and then took the steel bar from the vixen.
Mangle huffed a laugh as she watched him return the bar to the workbench. "I still can't believe that you made me this strong."
"Well, as I said before, it's important for you to be able to defend yourself should the need arise," the sixteen-year-old replied. "Now, I need you to stay there for a moment while I get you some snacks. Would that be alright?"
"Of course!" Mangle replied with a big grin, her tail wagging behind her. She couldn't wait to find out what different things tasted like.
"Very well, I'll be back in a moment," Evan said with a warm smile and then took his leave.
Now all alone, Mangle decided to poke and prod her new body while waiting for Evan to return. She looked at her left forearm and gently ran her fingers over it, smiling to herself as she watched and felt the silicone casing deform oh so slightly to her touch before returning to its regular shape. She then gripped her forearm and squeezed, and was surprised to find that, despite how soft her new casing was, it was so thick that it made it difficult to feel the endoskeleton underneath.
Next, she moved her tongue around her mouth to see how it felt, then ran it along her pointy teeth. After that, she poked her lips with her fingers while grimacing and doing a bunch of different faces, just to get an idea of how flexible and expressive they—along with the rest of her face—were.
She then got the idea to lick her finger to see what it tasted like. She tried it and then grimaced slightly in response, surprised that it didn't taste nice at all. However, as she thought about it, she figured that it might've been due to some kind of residue on her fingers after handling those ping pong balls and that steel bar.
Mangle then looked down and grinned as she saw two large, round, soft breasts. She poked and prodded them and watched them wobble around. The sight of it and the way it felt made her giggle. Absolutely delighted, she ran her fingers over them and caressed them, then gently batted them around and watched how they wobbled in response.
Suddenly, she heard the barn door open and immediately stopped what she was doing.
In walked Evan, carrying a tray filled with pancakes, a bottle of maple syrup, a cup of coffee, a glass of water, gingerbread animatronics, mincemeat pies, shortbread, spiced pecans, a slice of lemon, and a small bag of potato chips.
He approached her with a big smile on his face and said, "Alright, Mangle, are you ready to test your biofuel and chemosensory systems?"
Mangle grinned and nodded enthusiastically, her tail practically a blur. "Oh, you have no idea how long I've been waiting for this!"
"About seven and a half years or so, I believe," Evan replied with a playful smile as he set the tray down on the workbench next to Mangle.
"Oh, shut up," she laughed. "You know what I mean."
"I know, I know," the sixteen-year-old chuckled. He then walked over to the computer and entered a couple of commands. Next, he fetched the glass of water and handed it to Mangle. "We'll begin by establishing a baseline. Give this a whiff to start with."
The vixen took the glass and sniffed its contents as instructed. She furrowed her brow and with a worried expression said, "Oh no, it doesn't smell like anything..."
Evan suppressed a chuckle. "That's because it's distilled water, which lacks any sort of taste or odor. Hence why we're using it as a baseline."
Mangle looked quite relieved to hear that.
"Now why don't you take a sip?" Evan suggested.
The vixen nodded and then sampled the liquid. The feeling of it sloshing around her mouth and then down her gullet was absolutely surreal to her.
"Did you taste anything?" The sixteen-year-old asked.
"No," she replied, shaking her head. "Now could you please give me something that actually has a flavor?"
Evan huffed a laugh as he took the glass of water back from her. "Sure thing, Mangle." After taking it back to the tray, he returned with a piece of pancake on a fork and held it up to her snout. "Here, give this a smell."
Mangle sniffed it and smiled. "It smells really good!" Then, instead of waiting for Evan's go-ahead, the vixen proceeded to eat the pancake piece, murmuring in delight as she took in the flavor.
The sixteen-year-old regarded her affectionately as he went over to the tray and got the lemon slice, which he then offered to her. "Here, try this next."
"Gladly!" Mangle replied, taking the lemon slice and giving it a sniff. "Hey, this smells pretty good too!" She excitedly bit it in half, but upon tasting it her face immediately scrunched up. "Oh god…"
"I take it that you didn't particularly like it?" Evan asked with an amused smile.
"No, it's awful," Mangle replied with a grimace. She then ate the rest of the lemon slice and her face scrunched up once more. "Blech!"
Evan furrowed his brow in confusion. "You didn't have to finish it, you know."
The vixen giggled. "I know, I know. But being able to experience such an awful flavor was worth another bite."
The sixteen-year-old huffed a laugh, then got the glass of distilled water and handed it to her. "Here, why don't you wash it down with this."
Mangle did so quite eagerly, and was surprised to find that the water now had a nice, yet subtle flavor to it. "So that's why you put lemon in water!"
Evan chuckled as he took the glass back. "Yes, I suppose so." After returning the glass to the tray, the sixteen-year-old then got the bag of potato chips. He opened it and handed it to the vixen. "Here, I believe you'll find this far more enjoyable than the lemon."
Mangle took the bag and looked inside of it, seeing all of the potato chips held within. She sniffed them and immediately perked up. "These smell really good too!" She eagerly pulled a chip out of the bag and ate it, murmuring in delight as she registered the flavor. It was so good that she couldn't help but to eat another, then another, and then another…
Evan chuckled as he watched her. "Do you like them, Mangle?"
She hummed a reply. "They're so good!" She then handed the bag of chips back to him. "Here, you should probably take this before I eat them all."
"Very well." Evan returned the bag to the tray and then grabbed the cup of coffee. "I have one more thing for you to try before we can unplug you."
The vixen took the cup from him and gave it a whiff. "Ooh! I like the smell of this one too!" She then took a sip and immediately gagged, her chemosensory system practically overwhelmed by the bitter flavor. "That's horrible!"
Evan regarded her with an amused look on his face. "Are you sure you don't want another sip?"
"Yes!" Mangle responded and pushed the cup back into his hands. "I can't believe you drink that stuff!"
"Well, to be fair, I do drink mine with milk and sugar," Evan noted as he placed the cup back down on the tray. "But I figured that black coffee would be far more suitable to test your chemosensory system. Given that it correctly identified four of the five basic tastes, I believe it's safe to assume that it's working as intended." He then took a gingerbread animatronic and handed it to Mangle. "Here, this should help you get rid of that bitter aftertaste."
"Thanks." The vixen took the gingerbread animatronic and briefly looked at it before she grabbed Evan's wrist. "Hold on, there's something else I want to taste first."
Confused and a little concerned, Evan watched on as Mangle pulled his hand towards her face and opened her mouth. "Whoa, Mangle! What are you—"
She licked his hand.
Her reaction was… odd. She furrowed her brow and looked quite perplexed.
Mangle gave his hand another lick and then stared at it in bewilderment.
Huffing a confused laugh, Evan asked, "Mangle, what the hell are you doing?"
"Why don't you taste good?" The vixen asked.
The sixteen-year-old stared at her, looking just as bewildered as she was. "What?!"
"Why don't you taste good?" She repeated.
He blinked. "Why would I?"
"Because people you like taste good," Mangle replied. "Right?"
Evan burst into laughter. "No, of course not! Why would that even occur to you?!"
"Because humans always call people they like 'sweet', 'sweetie', 'honey', 'sugar', and 'cupcake', so I just thought that when you like someone, they taste good," the vixen explained, now looking quite embarrassed.
The sixteen-year-old opened his mouth and was about to point out how ridiculous that was when he stopped himself. He then thought about it and relented. "I have to admit, for a being like you who's lived for years without a chemosensory system, that would be a fairly reasonable assumption to make given the information available to you." He eyed his wrist. "Now, would you please consider letting go of my hand?"
"Oh, right! Sorry!" Mangle said with an abashed look on her face as she let him go. "So… how come humans use those kinds of words to refer to people they like?"
"Honestly? It's probably just a case of indirect association—people like sweet things, so they refer to people they like as sweet things," he postulated as he unplugged the DB9 serial cable from the interface behind her ear. He then sealed the interface with the silicone flap. "Now, the last thing we have to test out is your ambulation. Just take a couple of steps to start with."
"Gladly!" Mangle said eagerly, looking down at her feet as she took her very first step with this new body.
Although she knew that the new body was heavier than her previous one, it actually felt much lighter. Not only that, but the servos were practically silent.
She smiled to herself as she took another step. Then another. And then another.
Walking had never been this easy for her!
Mangle let out a giggle of pure joy as she skipped around the barn. She twirled around and then caught a glimpse of herself in the full length mirror. She gasped and then rushed over to the mirror while grinning from ear to ear to get a better look at herself.
She looked perfect.
She stared at her reflection in wonder as she admired every angle of her new body. As beautiful as it had been seeing it from the outside, nothing could compare to seeing it now.
"I take it you're satisfied with the upgrade?" Evan asked with a warm smile as he approached her.
"Oh, Evan." She wrapped her arms around him. "It's better than I could've ever dreamed of!" She caressed his cheek and looked deep into his eyes. "Thank you."
He regarded her with great fondness. "You're very welcome, Mangle."
Then, for a moment, neither of them said anything. Mangle just continued to stare deep into Evan's brown eyes. They were so dark and beautiful that she almost lost herself in them.
Eventually, however, Evan's smile began to fade and his eyes shifted from side to side as if he was waiting for something.
That's when Mangle pressed her lips against his.
It was as if time had just stopped, and in that moment it felt like nothing existed other than her and Evan. It was the most incredible thing Mangle had ever experienced in her life.
But then it abruptly came to an end when the sixteen-year-old suddenly pushed himself away from her, staring at her with a disgusted and horrified look on his face. He furrowed his brow and opened his mouth as if to say something, but nothing came out. He then just turned around and walked over to the door.
Mangle felt her eyes well up with artificial tears as she watched him leave the barn and slam the door shut. All of the euphoria that she had been experiencing was now gone, replaced with anguish and confusion. Why did he react like that? Was he disgusted by her? Was it because she wasn't human?
She sobbed and covered her eyes as a deluge of tears ran down her cheeks.
What had she done?
Outside, Evan was pacing around the house as his mind ran a million miles an hour. He never would have expected her to have those kinds of feelings for him, and why would he? She's a machine after all, not a lowly animal, so she shouldn't be subject to those kinds of instincts!
Then again, she had already exhibited practically all other human behavior, so why would this be any different?
He let out a frustrated groan as he rubbed his forehead. Why couldn't her feelings for him have stayed strictly platonic? And just how long had she felt this way?
Evan's eyes then went wide as he realized the kind of thoughts she might have had all those years they've slept in the same bed together, and it made him feel sick to his stomach. He recalled how them snuggling up to each other always made him feel so safe and comfortable, and now it had been ruined.
Why couldn't her feelings for him have stayed the same as they always had?
The sixteen-year-old was suddenly brought back to reality when he heard someone tapping on the windows from inside the house. He looked in the direction of the sound and saw his father looking at him and then gesturing for him to come inside.
Evan nodded, then checked his watch and realized that it was almost dinner time. Without a second thought, he walked up the side porch and entered the dining room. Immediately upon entering, he was met with the very familiar and mouth-watering smell of rib roast.
"Hey there, sport!" William greeted him from the kitchen. "Would you care to tell me why you're pacing around the house?"
"I, uh… I was just… clearing my head," Evan replied as he joined his father, who was busying himself with cooking their traditional Christmas Eve dinner.
"Is everything alright with Mangle?" William asked as he checked on the mashed potatoes.
"Um… yeah," Evan replied, sounding very uncertain of himself.
William eyed him skeptically. "Are you sure?"
"Yeah… Yeah, everything is alright," the sixteen-year-old lied. "Um… Why don't I go ahead and set the table?"
"That would be greatly appreciated," William replied as he stirred the sauce.
Without saying another word, Evan collected a stack of plates as well as a bundle of eating utensils and began to carry them out of the kitchen.
However, before he left, William spoke up again. "Hey, sport," he said to get his attention. "You know you can tell me anything, right?"
Evan just stared at him for a moment before he simply responded with, "... Yeah."
The sixteen-year-old then left the kitchen and set the table.
Dinner gave Evan some much-needed time to clear his mind and process what had happened. By the time he had finished eating, most of his shock and revulsion had been replaced by guilt. He knew that seeing his reaction must've hurt Mangle immensely, and it made him feel awful.
After excusing himself from the table, he left the house and made his way towards the barn. But as he approached the door, he could hear Mangle sobbing inside.
He frowned. Hearing her crying like this made him want nothing more than to embrace her and comfort her, to tell her that everything was going to be alright and work on finding a solution.
But how could you possibly solve this?
He did not have the same feelings for her that she had for him. In fact, the very thought of them kissing or making out disgusted him. He had always thought that his aversion to those kinds of feelings were simply a byproduct of his intellect, but now he couldn't help but think that perhaps something was seriously wrong with him.
He ran his fingers through his hair, scratching his scalp with his nails.
Maybe he just wasn't a good person?
Evan's frown deepened. Regardless of his own feelings, the fact was that his best friend was upset because of him, and so it was on him to set things right.
He let out a defeated sigh and entered the barn. As he did, he found Mangle curled up in bed and sobbing uncontrollably.
Evan slowly approached her. "Mangle?"
The vixen let out a whimper as she looked up at him, her eyes full of hurt.
"Mangle, I am so sorry for the way I reacted," Evan said as he knelt down by her side. "You just… caught me off guard."
"You looked at me with such disgust," she sobbed. "I thought you liked me…"
"Of course I like you, Mangle!" Evan said as he reached out and rubbed her shoulder affectionately.
"Then why did you—"
"I don't know why," he interrupted her. "Believe me, I wish I knew why that sort of physical affection is so repugnant to me, but I don't."
Mangle was quiet for a few seconds before she finally asked, "Is it because I'm not human?"
Evan couldn't help but to huff a laugh at that. "Of course not! You know how I feel about humans, Mangle. If anything, that should've worked in your favor."
"So… you don't think I'm disgusting?" She asked.
"No, I would never think that!" Evan assured her. He smiled at her. "You're the most incredible, most amazing person I have ever known! And I feel truly privileged to have you as a friend!"
Mangle's ears flattened against her head. "Is that all that we are? Friends?"
Evan furrowed his brow. "What do you mean 'all that we are'? What's wrong with being friends? Why does it have to be some kind of lesser thing than being, what, lovers?"
The vixen turned to look at him with a confused expression on her face.
He took her hand and squeezed it affectionately. "Do you know why, even as a small child, I spent so much time and effort helping you achieve your dream?" He asked with a wistful smile.
She slowly shook her head.
"Before I met you, I was always so frightened of everything. Every morning I woke up knowing that I would be tormented… if not by Michael, then by some other children, and every night I went to bed knowing that my sleep would be filled with nightmares." Evan regarded her with utmost affection. "And then I met you, and suddenly I had something to look forward to each day. A reason to keep going. I still do," he continued. "You saved me, Mangle, and you truly mean the world to me. I don't know where I'd be without you."
Mangle sat up and regarded the boy with a look of sympathy. "Oh Evan, I had no idea."
"My point is that even though I may not love you the way you do me, I nevertheless do love you. More than anything in the world." He caressed her cheek and smiled fondly at her. "And I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I want to grow old with you."
She stared at him for a few moments as if she didn't know how to respond. Finally, she wrapped her arms around him. "I want to spend the rest of my life with you too!" A tiny whimper then escaped her voice box. "I… I just wish…"
Evan frowned, having a pretty good idea of what she was about to say. Nevertheless, he gently stroked her hair and said, "It's alright, Mangle, you can tell me."
The vixen broke the hug with downcast eyes. "It's just that… I really liked the idea of us being together—going on dates, going dancing, cuddling each other, kissing, and… maybe even getting married some day."
Evan searched her eyes as he carefully considered her words. Then, with a rueful smile, he replied, "Well, marriage and kissing are definitely off the table, but I'd be happy to do everything else with you."
Mangle blinked in surprise. "R-really?"
"Really," he reassured her with a nod. "Besides, we already dance and cuddle, so—"
"No," she interrupted and then looked away, seeming somewhat embarrassed. "By that I meant partner dancing and… you know… being more physically affectionate with each other," she clarified.
"Ah… I see," Evan replied. He briefly furrowed his brow as he considered it, but the more he thought about it, the more he realized that it wasn't really that bad. In fact, it did seem kind of nice. More importantly, he could tell how much this meant to Mangle. "Partner dancing could be fun, as for being more physically affectionate… as long as there is no kissing or inappropriate touching involved, I'm willing to try it."
A smile spread across Mangle's face and her tail started to wag. However, her smile then began to wane. "Are you sure? The last thing I'd want is for you to agree to something you're uncomfortable with just to make me happy."
Evan gave her a rueful smile. "To be honest, I would have been perfectly happy with our friendship remaining the same as it always has, but… I'm willing to accommodate some of your needs and desires. And who knows, perhaps I'll even enjoy it, but I won't know until I've tried."
Mangle took his hands in hers. "Just promise to tell me if you don't like something or if something makes you uncomfortable, okay? As much as I want this, I don't want it to come at the cost of what we already have."
The sixteen-year-old chuckled. "I promise, Mangle."
A giggle escaped the vixen's voice box. "So… what does that make us now?"
"The best of friends," Evan replied with a warm smile.
Mangle seemed initially hurt by that, but then she thought about it and smiled back at him. "Best friends, it is."
Evan eyed her still naked body with an amused look on his face. "Now let's get you dressed, shall we?"
The vixen's eyes went wide and looked down to see that she was indeed nude. She laughed. "God, I completely forgot about that!"
"To be fair, you've never worn clothes before, so I'd imagine that it would be an easy thing to forget," Evan chuckled.
They both got up and walked over to Mangle's clothes hangers on the other side of the barn. There, the vixen looked through her small selection of outfits.
"Do you have any suggestions?" She asked.
The sixteen-year-old smirked. "How about something suitable for going out with your best friend?"
Mangle lit up when she heard that. Her tail wagged as a big smile spread across her face. "You're taking me outside?"
"If you want to, yes," he replied. "After all, there's no longer any reason to hide you, now is there?"
The vixen's tail became a blur and she bounced up and down with a huge grin on her face. "Eeeee! I can't believe we're finally doing this!"
"It's been a long time coming," Evan said. "Now, why don't you get dressed while I make some preparations?"
"Sure!" Mangle replied excitedly.
With that, Evan left the barn and went into the house. There he found his father and brother sitting on the sofa and watching 'A Christmas Story' while enjoying some gingerbread animatronics, shortbread, mincemeat pies, and spiced pecans.
William turned to the sixteen-year-old with a warm smile. "Ah, have you come to join us, sport?"
"I'm afraid not," Evan replied. "Mangle and I were thinking of going for a walk outside. Would that be alright?"
William's smile faltered. "Yes, that's quite alright. I had no plans on leaving the house for the rest of the night anyway."
"Excellent," Evan replied and then took his leave.
William let out a quiet sigh as he returned his attention to the television.
Michael then spoke up. "You only have yourself to blame, you know."
"I don't want to hear it, Michael," William grumbled.
After taking a detour to the bathroom, Evan made his way back to the barn. Upon entering, he was met with the sight of Mangle wearing a pink strapless leotard with a rose-colored sash and golden frills around her waist, a rose-colored bowtie, pink fingerless gloves, spiked bracelets, as well as rose-colored shoulder pads.
"How do I look?" She asked with a confident grin with one hand on her hip.
Evan smiled at her. "You look absolutely stunning, Mangle."
The vixen giggled and twirled around. "Thanks! I think so too!"
With a smirk, Evan raised a finger and said, "However, I believe I have something that might complement your outfit."
He walked over to his clothes trunk as Mangle watched him with curious eyes. He opened the trunk, reached inside, and then pulled out a modestly-sized gift box. He then approached Mangle and handed it to her.
"Here."
"Thank you!" With her tail wagging, the vixen wasted no time in unwrapping the present.
Inside was a black, plastic box. She opened it, revealing two golden hoop earrings—each roughly the size of the palm of Evan's hand.
"What do you think?" Evan asked with a smile.
"They're beautiful!" Mangle replied as she pulled one of the earrings out of the box to examine it more closely. She turned to the sixteen-year-old and asked, "This isn't real gold, is it?"
"Actually, it is. Only 10 karats, though," he replied and regarded her with great fondness. "Given how special this day is to you, I figured that I should give you a gift that reflects that."
The vixen pulled him into a hug. "Oh Evan, you didn't have to do that."
The sixteen-year-old huffed a laugh and leaned into the hug. "No, but I wanted to."
She nuzzled his cheek. "Thank you."
"You're quite welcome, Mangle," Evan replied and then broke the hug. "Now, shall I help you put them on?"
She nodded eagerly. "Sure! But don't we have to pierce my ears first?"
"I already did," Evan replied with a smirk and then took one of the earrings. "Now, stand still."
"Right."
The sixteen-year-old proceeded to attach the first earring to her left ear and the second to her right one. "There."
The vixen let out a playful giggle. "How do I look?"
"Beautiful, Mangle. You look beautiful," Evan replied with a warm smile.
"Ooh, I want to see!" She said and then strode over to the full length mirror. Her tail wagged even faster when she saw her reflection. She turned to Evan with a big grin on her face. "You were right, they really do complement the outfit!"
"Told you so," Evan said with a chuckle. He then gestured towards the door. "Now, would you like to go outside?"
"Yes!" Mangle exclaimed with unbridled enthusiasm, her tail practically a blur as she quickly made her way over to the door.
The sixteen-year-old couldn't help but to laugh at the vixen's excitement. He grabbed and put on his coat, then opened the barn door and gestured outside. "Ladies first."
Mangle quickly stepped outside, all the while giggling to herself. However, she then suddenly let out a gasp in surprise.
Closing the door behind him, Evan regarded her with some concern. "What's the matter, Mangle?"
"I… I can feel the wind. It's so… gentle," she said with absolute astonishment. She let out another giggle and wrapped her arms around herself. "It's like the air is hugging me!"
The sixteen-year-old smiled fondly at her. He adored how much she delighted in the things he had always taken for granted. He then spoke up. "Come on, Mangle. I want to show you something."
"Alright, sure!" Mangle replied, her tail wagging behind her as she followed him.
The two walked along the road behind the house, and then a trail, which led them out of the Hurricane valley and up one of the surrounding plateaus. Given the time of day, the time of the year, and the fact that they were at the edge of town, they didn't run into any people, much to Evan's relief—given that this was Mangle's first real outing, he didn't want her to get overwhelmed.
Finally, they reached a cliff at the top that overlooked the city.
Mangle let out a gasp as she took in the sight. "Oh Evan, it's beautiful!"
"I thought so too," Evan replied with a smile.
The sixteen-year-old sat down near the edge of the cliff, and the vixen sat down beside him. For a little while, neither of them said anything, they just enjoyed the view.
Mangle then leaned into Evan and said, "I can't wait to see it up close with you."
He smiled at her. "Neither can I."
She shifted her gaze to the star-filled night sky. "Remember when we were little and I spent almost all night trying to wish upon a star over and over again, thinking that it would turn me into a real fox girl?"
"How could I ever forget?" Evan replied with a nostalgic smile. "At the time, I thought you were just being silly, but when I saw how you reacted when I told you that stars don't grant wishes, it broke my heart."
"And then you spent so many years studying and working hard so that you could do the impossible and fulfill my wish. And now that you have…" She pulled him into a hug and nuzzled his cheek. "... I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you and see everything you accomplish."
Evan smiled and leaned into the hug. "Neither can I, Mangle. Neither can I." He broke the hug and looked into her eyes. "But my accomplishments are not entirely my own. Yes, I may have put in almost all of the work, but it was you who kept driving me forward, inspired me, and made me strive to achieve the impossible." He caressed her cheek. "You're my muse, Mangle, and together we are going to accomplish many great things."
The vixen hugged him once more, resting her muzzle in the crook of his neck. "I love you, Evan."
The sixteen-year-old gently stroked her hair. "I love you too, Mangle."