Sunday, December 25, 1994

Mangle was still leaning against Evan when she heard footsteps approaching. She sat up straight and turned to see William and Michael returning from the kitchen. The former was carrying a big tray with cups—four of them, much to Mangle's delight—spoons, a kettle, a tea box, milk and sugar, as well as a plate filled with all manner of festive treats.

William set the tray down on the table and everyone grabbed a cup.

Evan turned to Mangle and asked, "What kind of tea would you like?"

"I… I have no idea," Mangle replied. "What are you having?"

"English afternoon tea," Evan replied as he grabbed two tea bags from the box. He then offered Mangle one of the bags. "Would you like to try some?"

"Sure!" The vixen replied and took the bag.

Having gotten their tea of choice, William and Michael sat down in the armchairs on either side of the sofa, with the former watching as Evan prepared his and Mangle's tea.

"Now, Mangle, why don't you tell us about yourself?" William asked as he set his cup aside to let his tea steep.

"Oh, um…" The vixen responded, a bit taken off guard by the question. Fidgeting with her hands, she replied, "I'm pretty sure you already know where I came from, so I'm not sure what exactly you want to know."

William smirked and shrugged. "I simply wish to know what kind of person you are."

"Oh! Um, okay…" Mangle replied and then thought for a moment. "I have a love for Disney movies. In fact, some of the first movies I saw were from Disney, and they had a huge impact on me."

"How so?" William asked with a cocked eyebrow.

"The very first movie I saw was Robin Hood, and it made me want to become a fully lifelike humanoid fox, just like Maid Marian," The vixen recalled with a giggle. "The second movie was Pinocchio, and I think you can imagine the kind of effect that had on me."

William stifled a laugh. "That I can."

Evan pointed a thumb at Mangle and added, "She spent the entirety of that night trying to wish upon a star."

Mangle covered her face as her ears pinned back against her head. "God, that was so embarrassing."

"Well, if it wasn't for that and seeing your reaction upon being told that stars don't grant wishes in real life, I never would have gone down the path that I did," the sixteen-year-old pointed out with a reassuring smile.

"Ah, so that's why you were so adamant on having that new body made for her," William noted with some amusement. He then turned to Mangle and said, "I really should thank you for inspiring and pushing Evan the way you did. It's thanks to you that I have such a worthy successor." He then shifted his gaze to his eldest son and added, "No offense, Michael."

The twenty-one-year-old regarded his father with a frown. "... None taken."

Mangle gazed at Evan with great fondness. "I still can't believe that you devoted so much time and effort to make my dream come true."

The sixteen-year-old smiled at her, took her hand and squeezed it affectionately. "It was the least I could do for you after bringing so much joy into my life."

Mangle let out a giggle upon hearing that, and her tail audibly thumped against the sofa.

Michael stared at the two with a look of discomfort.

William, meanwhile, seemed completely unfazed. He gave Mangle an encouraging smile and asked, "What else can you tell us about yourself? Do you have any interests?"

"Well…" Mangle thought for a moment and then replied, "Evan and I read together a lot, and I often read about history and the world."

William cocked an eyebrow. "What about the world is it that interests you?"

"Oh, everything," the vixen replied with great enthusiasm. "Cultures, vistas, religions, ways of living, societies, even politics and economics—it's all so fascinating!" She exclaimed. "But more than anything, reading about different places in the world makes me feel like I'm experiencing them through other people's eyes."

William gave her a genuine look of sympathy. "I take it then that, if you could, you would want to see the world?"

"More than anything!" Mangle replied. "Well… almost anything," she corrected herself and chuckled. "There's just so much I want to see and learn!"

Evan huffed a laugh. "I recall you having the complete opposite opinion last time we were here."

The vixen tilted her head to the side and cocked an eyebrow. "Huh, what do you mean?"

"Remember the first time I showed you a world atlas?" The sixteen-year-old asked with a knowing smile.

"Atlas? … Oh!" Mangle's eyes went wide as she recalled the incident.

Evan turned to his father and explained, "When I first brought her home, she had no conception of there being anything outside of Hurricane. Upon realizing this, I showed her an atlas in order to illustrate how big the world actually is, and it terrified her."

With an abashed look, the vixen added, "I got scared because I realized that if I ever lost Evan, I might never be able to find him ever again."

The sixteen-year-old regarded her with great affection. "And I reassured her that I'd never leave her behind, no matter what."

Evan and Mangle smiled and looked deep into each other's eyes, and for a moment it felt as if time itself had stopped. However, the sound of Michael clearing his throat snapped them out of it.

"Um, I also love video games!" The vixen hastily added.

"Oh? What kind of games?" William asked, seemingly completely unbothered.

"Strategy and simulation games! My favorites are Civilization, Railroad Tycoon, and Nobunaga's Ambition!" Mangle exclaimed with great enthusiasm. "I absolutely love how interconnected economics, politics, diplomacy, and war is in Civilization and Nobunaga's Ambition—it almost makes you feel like you're actually controlling a real nation! And the incredible depth of the economics and business management in Railroad Tycoon is so engaging that it actually made me interested in learning about economics!"

William raised his brow upon hearing that. He regarded Mangle with a thoughtful expression on his face and then finally said, "Really? That's quite interesting."

He removed the tea bag from his cup, and everyone else followed suit, passing the milk and the sugar bowl amongst them.

As the others added their preferred combination of milk and sugar to their teas, Mangle sampled hers plain. She grimaced slightly as she took in the flavor. It didn't taste anything like she had expected.

Evan regarded her with an amused look on his face. "It tastes a lot better with milk and sugar."

"Could you give me some?" Mangle asked and held her cup out to him.

"Of course," the sixteen-year-old replied. He then added the same amount of milk and sugar as he had in his own cup. "There. Stir it and then try it again."

The vixen did as instructed and then took a sip. Murmuring in delight, she said, "Mmmm, that's much better!"

Stirring his tea, William then spoke up. "You know, Mangle, if you foster those interests of yours and study them in depth, you could become an invaluable asset to our company."

The vixen looked uncomfortable with that idea. "'Asset'? What kind of 'asset'?"

"A manager," William clarified.

Mangle perked up. "Oh!" She then thought for a moment and asked, "Are you talking about me reading up on economics after playing Railroad Tycoon?"

"No, not just that," William replied. "While the economics and business management of that game are the most obvious skills you can read up on, your other interests can yield some incredibly beneficial skills as well—a good understanding of history allows you to more easily recognize potential pitfalls and opportunities; an understanding of different cultures allow you to take better advantage of foreign markets; knowledge of politics is necessary to successfully navigate and exert power in any sort of hierarchy, be it a business or society as a whole; and a good knowledge of diplomacy allows you to manage relations between companies, with the public, and with the government."

Michael then spoke up and jokingly asked, "And what about the war aspect of those games?"

William smirked. "Physical combat aside, war is simply an offensive form of diplomacy, which is something you see all the time in the business world in the form of price wars, hostile takeovers, and corporate raids, to name a few. As such, knowledge of military strategy can absolutely be a boon to a manager."

Quite taken aback, Mangle just stared at William for a moment before she managed to come up with a response. "You really think I can take that kind of role?"

"Oh, certainly!" William replied with an encouraging smile before he took a sip of tea. "Provided that you actually invest some time into developing those kinds of skills, of course."

Evan then spoke up. "You know, as much as I'm looking forward to one day running Afton Robotics, I've never really been all that keen on the whole business aspect of it." He looked at Mangle with a smile. "So it would be incredibly helpful to have someone I could share those responsibilities with."

William regarded them with a look of nostalgia. "I'm sure the two of you will be unstoppable." He then focused on Mangle and added, "Again, provided that you actually develop these skills."

Mangle stared at William in disbelief. To her, becoming smart and knowledgeable enough to be able to actually help Evan run things almost seemed like an impossibility. After all, he was a genius, while she… was just an upgraded animatronic.

Forcing a smile, she replied, "I-I'll try my best."

"Oh, I'm sure you will," William replied and took a sip from his cup. A thought then seemed to have struck him and he turned to look towards the Christmas tree, which had a festive envelope laying underneath it. "Hey, sport, you haven't opened your Christmas present yet."

Evan looked over at the tree. "Ah yes. I completely forgot about it given what happened."

William turned back to the sixteen-year-old with a regretful look on his face. "Once again, I do apologize for that." Something then seemed to occur to him, and he glanced over at the tree again before giving the vixen a playful smile. "You know, Mangle, now that you're a proper part of this family, it's only right for you to get a Christmas present as well."

Mangle perked up. "Really?!"

"Of course," William replied with a chuckle as he got out of his chair. "And I think I have just the thing. I'll be right back."

Looking as if he was being left to the wolves, Michael watched as William strode over to the supply closet, where he retrieved a roll of Christmas-themed wrapping paper before going upstairs.

Michael turned back to Evan and Mangle with a very awkward expression on his face. "I-I'll see if he needs any help."

The vixen's ears pinned back against her head, and she couldn't help but to frown. Was he still so afraid of her?

Michael hastily got out of his chair and followed his father.

Upstairs, William was walking through the master bedroom, heading towards his office, when he heard some familiar footsteps behind him.

He turned around to face his eldest son. "Michael? What are you doing here?"

"I need to talk to you," Michael replied.

"What about?"

"You saw the way they're acting towards each other, right?" Michael asked.

"I did," William replied, still completely unfazed.

Michael looked at his father as if he was completely oblivious. "And have you considered why Evan designed her body to look the way it does?"

William huffed a laugh and regarded the twenty-one-year-old with great amusement. "You think they're sleeping together."

"Yes!" Michael exclaimed as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"And this bothers you?"

"Of course it fucking does!" Michael almost shouted. "Ever since he brought that thing home with him, he's spent every moment of his spare time with it alone, refusing to interact with anyone his own age! Who knows what he's been doing with it?! It's fucking sick, and I have no idea how you can be so completely unbothered by it!"

William regarded his son with a look of disapproval. Then, with a sigh, he asked, "Do you want to know why?"

"Yes!"

William stepped closer, reached out, and gently squeezed Michael's shoulder. "You and your brother are my world. You are everything to me. Yes, I often lose myself to my work, but at the end of the day you two are what's most important to me, and I will do whatever I have to in order to keep you in my life." William explained. "And you know as well as I that Evan feels much the same way about Mangle. And because of that, the only way for me to keep him in my life is by accepting her and whatever kind of relationship he has with her."

"Father, she's a robot," Michael hissed.

"I am well aware of that, but if you would just look past what she is and where she came from, I think you'll agree that she's had a profoundly positive influence on Evan," William pointed out. "Think about it—ever since he brought her home with him, he's been so happy, and he's been driven to excel at anything and everything he's put his mind to. I don't think you could ask for a better companion than that."

"I… I guess…" Michael admitted begrudgingly and sighed. "I'm just so worried about him. I don't want him to be hurt or made into a laughing stock."

William smiled at the twenty-one-year-old. "You're a good brother, Michael—a much better brother than you once were—but Evan makes his own choices, and god knows he's stubborn enough to handle the consequences."

Michael couldn't help but to huff a laugh at that. "Ain't that the truth."

"Now, why don't you go back down there and try to actually speak to Mangle?" William suggested with an encouraging smile and patted his son's shoulder. "It would mean a lot to your brother if you did."

"Yeah. Yeah, okay," Michael agreed with some reluctance.

Mangle let out a sigh. "He's still scared of me."

Evan grimaced. "As much as I hate to say it, it's pretty understandable. Things didn't end that well the last time you met, after all."

The vixen looked away in shame. "I know. I just wish there was something I could do to make it up to him."

"Mangle, Michael was a complete bastard to me when we were younger, and while what you did to him was unfortunate, he had it coming," Evan replied bitterly. "So you're under no obligation to make it up to him."

"Maybe not, but I don't want him to be afraid of me either," Mangle replied.

Upon hearing footsteps, the vixen turned to see Michael walking down the stairs. With an awkward expression on his face, he made his way back to the living room and sat back down in his armchair.

"Hey, um… I'm sorry for making you uncomfortable," Mangle said with downcast eyes.

Michael looked at her with a guilty expression on his face. "No, it's… No, that's on me. I just have to get used to you, that's all." He then glanced over at the TV and asked, "Hey, you said that you like playing video games, right? Have you ever played on a console?"

Mangle shook her head. "No, I haven't."

The twenty-one-year-old gave her a nervous smile. "Would you like to try it?"

The vixen smiled back at him. "Sure! I'd love to!"

"Let me see if the Nintendo is still hooked up," Michael said as he got out of his seat.

He went over to the TV stand to check on the game console. The twenty-one-year-old smiled and nodded as everything seemed to be in order. He then opened one of the cabinet doors in the TV stand to reveal a small collection of games. He quickly looked through them and, with a knowing smile, retrieved one of them.

Michael turned around a presented Mangle with the game cartridge, which was labeled 'Mega Man 2'. "This is one of my favorites, and you play as a robot in it, so maybe you'll like it too?"

"Sure, let's give it a go," Mangle replied with a smile.

Michael smiled back at her before he turned back to the TV stand and knelt down to insert the cartridge into the Nintendo Entertainment System. "Just a heads up—this game is pretty hard."

"That's fine, I always love a good challenge," the vixen replied with a confident smirk.

She looked at Evan, who was smiling at her. Mangle smiled back—happy that things were taking a turn for the better.

Suddenly, they heard another set of footsteps coming from the stairs, and turned to see William returning from upstairs carrying a small, rectangular present.

He smiled as he walked over to them. "I take it, you three are getting along?"

"Yeah," Michael replied and smiled back at his father. "We were just about to play Mega Man 2."

"Well, before you get started on that…" William went over to the Christmas tree and grabbed Evan's present, then stepped over towards the sofa and held out the two gifts to Mangle and the sixteen-year-old. "... why don't you open your presents?"

Evan grabbed the envelope. "Thank you, Father."

Excited, Mangle eagerly accepted her present. "Thank you so much, Mister Afton!"

"You're welcome, my dear," William replied with a chuckle. "And please, call me 'William'."

Mangle nodded with a smile. "Will do."

The sixteen-year-old opened the envelope, and inside was a slip of paper. He pulled it out to see what it said and then smiled to himself. "A year-long subscription to 'Advanced Materials' and 'The International Journal of Robotics Research'? Thank you, Father. This could definitely be useful."

"Don't mention it, sport," William replied and then looked over at Mangle, who was in the midst of opening her gift.

She removed the wrapping paper to reveal a red book titled 'The Prince' by Niccolò Machiavelli. Mangle looked upon it with curious eyes. She had never heard of this book before, at least she didn't think so, and so she was wondering why William wanted her to have it.

Upon seeing what Mangle had been given, Evan gave his father a quizzical look. "Machiavelli? Really?"

"Why not? 'The Prince' has many of the elements that she finds interesting," William replied, prompting Mangle to turn her gaze away from the book and towards him. He smiled encouragingly at her. "It's a historically significant work that paints a good picture of the social, cultural, and political landscape of Italy during the Renaissance, and it's a great introduction to realpolitik, political strategy, leadership, and government, with a bit of military strategy to top it off."

A big smile spread across the vixen's face upon hearing that, and her tail began to thump against the sofa once more. "Thank you so much, Mist— William! I can't wait to read it!"

"You're quite welcome, my dear," William replied, smiling back at her. "Now, why don't I leave you three to your video game and tend to dinner?"

With that, he left the living room and trudged over to the kitchen.

Mangle turned to Evan, who still had a skeptical expression on his face. A little confused, she asked, "What's so wrong about Machiavelli?"

The sixteen-year-old grimaced. "There's nothing wrong with it per se, it's just that it's quite notorious for inspiring some of the most ruthless and unscrupulous people in history."

"Really? Now I'm even more curious to read it," the vixen replied with a playful smile.

This got a chuckle out of Evan. "As long as it doesn't turn you into a power-hungry, aspiring dictator, it should be fine."

"No promises,~" Mangle replied with a playful giggle.

It was at that point that the sixteen-year-old noticed that Michael was smiling at him. Furrowing his brow, Evan asked in an accusatory tone, "What are you smiling at?"

"I've never seen this side of you before," Michael replied earnestly. "It's honestly really nice to see you this happy."

The sixteen-year-old eyed his brother suspiciously. "Since when did you care?"

The twenty-one-year-old seemed quite taken aback by that. "Evan, I've always cared about you!"

Evan folded his arms and looked away bitterly. "Really? Could've fooled me."

Michael didn't respond, he just regarded his brother with a look of regret.

Mangle shifted her gaze from one brother to the other, and then finally decided to break the silence. "So… about that game…"

"Right," Michael replied.

He switched on the game console, took one of the controllers, and went over towards Mangle. He held out the controller to her with a trembling hand, and upon noticing this, the vixen slowly reached out to take it so as to not startle him.

Once she had the controller, Mangle gave Michael a grateful smile. "Thanks!"

"Y-you're welcome," Michael replied awkwardly before he returned to his armchair.

The vixen inspected the controller and looked at the various buttons and their associated labels. She then turned her attention to the TV screen, which showed the title screen of the game, in which what she assumed was the titular main character was standing atop of a building. The game instructed her to press the 'Start' button, and so she did.

This took her to another screen with two options—'Start' and 'Password'.

Mangle turned to Michael. "'Password'? Are there cheat codes in this game?"

"There are, but the game mostly uses passwords to record your progress, since you can't save," Michael explained.

"Oh!" Mangle replied with some surprise. Having only played on the computer before now, she was so used to being able to save your game that she just assumed that all games had that feature.

Choosing 'Start', the vixen next came upon a screen where she could select one of nine characters. To her surprise, the character from the title screen was not among them.

"Pick Flash Man, he's the easiest," Michael suggested.

"Alright," Mangle replied and chose that character.

The game then started proper, but much to the vixen's surprise she was not playing as Flash Man, but as the character from the title screen.

Mangle turned to Michael again, this time with a puzzled expression on her face. "Why am I not playing as Flash Man?"

"Oh no, he's the boss of this level," Michael replied with some amusement.

"Oh!" Mangle exclaimed, realizing that this should've been obvious. "Yeah, that makes more sense."

The vixen then experimented with the various buttons to figure out the controls for this game, and once she got a handle on it, she proceeded forward.

The game turned out to be quite challenging, especially given that Mangle had never played one like this before. Nevertheless, the vixen proved to be persistent and a quick learner. It took her seven attempts to beat the first level, five to beat the second, and four to beat the third, all the while Evan offered her words of encouragement and wrote down the passwords at the end of each level. Michael of course offered the vixen some helpful advice as she played, but he had to leave momentarily at one point to set the table.

She was on the fourth level when William called out to the three of them from the kitchen.

"Dinner's ready!"

Upon hearing that, Mangle grinned and paused the game.

Evan smiled at her and said, "Why don't you take a seat at the table while Michael and I help Father?"

"Sure!" Mangle exclaimed and got out of the sofa, her tail wagging behind her as she eagerly made her way to the dining room.

Sitting down in one of the chairs surrounding the dining table, the vixen smiled to herself as she took in the delicious smell coming from the kitchen. She could hardly believe that she was finally a part of Evan's family. It really felt like a dream come true.

Before long, the Afton brothers exited the kitchen carrying an assortment of plates and bowls filled with pigs in blankets, roast potatoes, braised red cabbage, Brussels sprouts, gravy, and cranberry sauce. After placing these on the dining table, they sat down as well, with Evan taking the seat next to Mangle.

Finally, William came out of the kitchen carrying a roast turkey on a big plate as if it was his pride and joy. He placed it down with the rest of the food and then took his seat at the head of the table.

Everyone then passed the food between themselves until everyone had what they wanted on their plate. Mangle, of course, wanted a little bit of everything, including half a turkey breast and a turkey leg, which Evan carved for her.

"Thank you," the vixen said with a smile as the sixteen-year-old served her the cuts of meat.

He smiled back at her fondly. "My pleasure, Mangle. Now, make sure to try it with some gravy."

The vixen did as he suggested. It was possibly the best thing she had tasted thus far.

Mangle murmured in delight as she took in the flavor.

Evan's smile widened. "I take it you like it?"

"Mmmh!~ It's delicious!" The vixen exclaimed.

"Father makes the best turkey," Michael agreed from the other side of the table.

"Well, if I'm going to do something, I endeavor to do it well," William replied with a lopsided smile and then took a sip of wine.

Mangle tried a roast potato with gravy next. After dreaming about it for so long, being able to eat, taste, and smell food was an absolute delight.

In-between bites, she decided to ask something that had been on her mind. "Hey, William?"

"Yes, my dear?" William replied.

"Are there any rules regarding when I'm allowed to come here?" The vixen asked.

William huffed a laugh and with a crooked smile said, "Mangle, as far as we're concerned, this is your home now, and you may come and go as you please."

Upon hearing this, a smile crept onto the vixen's face and her tail began to wag.

"My only rule is that you stay out of the basement unless I invite you," William noted.

Mangle nodded. "Will do."

After dinner, everyone worked together to put away leftovers and the dishes. With that done, they retired to the living room where they all watched Christmas movies together while drinking tea and eating Christmas cake and various other treats. As before, William and Michael sat in the armchairs flanking the sofa, while Evan and Mangle sat in the sofa itself, leaning into one another.

As the hour grew late, the Aftons decided to call it a night. But before they went their separate ways, William gave the vixen a spare key to the house, much to her delight.

Afterwards, Evan and Mangle went to the bathroom, where the former showed the latter how to brush her teeth. Once they both had brushed their teeth and the sixteen-year-old had relieved himself, they took their leave.

As they made their way back to the barn, Evan glanced at Mangle and asked, "How are you doing, Mangle?"

"Absolutely incredible," she replied with a giggle. "I can't believe it went as well as it did."

"Me neither," Evan admitted with a crooked smile. "Father really turned things around."

"As did Michael," the vixen pointed out.

"Well, yes, I suppose he did," the sixteen-year-old replied with a slight grimace.

They entered the barn and closed the door behind them.

"Do you think it was all just an act?" Mangle asked.

Evan considered the question as he put his things away. "I will concede that Father seems to have taken a liking to you. But aside from that, I do believe it was all just an act, yes."

The vixen looked down at the book William had given her. "Do you really think he meant what he said about me being able to develop all those skills and even help run his company one day?"

"Oh, absolutely! When he spoke about that, he had this glint in his eye that he used to have whenever he was tutoring me," the sixteen-year-old said. "I think he genuinely saw some potential in you."

"You really think so?"

Evan gave her a reassuring smile. "Yes, I do."

"And what about you?" Mangle asked. "Do you think I have that kind of potential?"

Without hesitation, the sixteen-year-old replied, "I do. Provided that you set your mind to it, of course."

The vixen's smile faltered. "It's just… I'm not so sure I do."

Evan regarded her with concern. "... What?"

"You're so smart, and… I wish I could be as smart as you," Mangle admitted. "But more often than not, I just sort of feel like you're Doctor Frankenstein and I'm your monster—I'm just a creation while you're the creator. I so wish I could be your equal, but it just… doesn't seem possible."

He gave her a look of sympathy. "Mangle, of course you're my equal."

The vixen sighed. "You know what I mean—your intellectual equal."

Evan went quiet, seeming to give her words some careful consideration. Finally, he asked, "What makes you think that's unachievable?"

Mangle folded her arms and rubbed her elbows. "Because you're a genius, while I'm…" Her voice cracked and she looked away, her eyes welling up with tears. "... I'm just a robot programmed to play and entertain kids."

The sixteen-year-old's expression softened and he stepped closer to her, reached out and caressed her cheek, gently guiding her head to face him. "Mangle, you're not giving yourself anywhere near as much credit as you deserve. Yes, I may be a genius, but you, Mangle… you have somehow managed to push yourself far beyond the limitations of your hardware and original programming, and from what I can ascertain, there might not even be a limit to how far you can go. Your potential might very well be limitless."

The vixen stared at him in disbelief. "You… You really mean that?"

"I do," Evan replied with a nod. "And as both a roboticist and your friend, I would love to see how far you can go if you push yourself to your limit." With a tender smile, he stroked her cheek. "All these years you've inspired me and pushed me to become the man I am today, and if this is truly what you want, I would be honored to return the favor."

Unable to fully believe that he had meant every word he had said, Mangle searched the sixteen-year-old's face for any hint of deception or exaggeration. When she didn't find any, tears began to trickle down her cheeks and she embraced him.

"Thank you," the vixen whimpered. "For believing in me."

"I always have, Mangle, and always will," Evan said as he stroked her hair. Then breaking the hug, he suggested, "Now, why don't we go to bed?"

Mangle hummed in response, sniffled, and then wiped away her artificial tears.

With that, the two went to the opposite sides of the barn, undressed, and put on their sleepwear—Evan changing into his plaid pajamas while Mangle changed into her pink slip dress nightgown.

Switching off the lights, they then slipped under the covers of their bed. The vixen wrapped her arms around the sixteen-year-old's chest and rested her head against his, and he put his arm around her, gently rubbing her shoulder.

"I love you," Mangle whispered as she nuzzled his cheek.

"I love you too, Mangle," he replied.

Before long, they both fell asleep.

It was slightly past midnight when Mangle stirred awake.

She regarded her beloved friend for a moment before she let out a contented sigh. Then, she got out of bed slowly and carefully so as to not wake him.

Retrieving the book William had gifted her, the vixen snuck over to the wicker sofa and turned on the lamp standing next to it. After quickly turning around to make sure that the illumination wasn't bothering Evan, she sat down on the sofa and turned her gaze to the cover of the book.

'The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli'.

Smiling to herself, Mangle opened the book and began to read.