Tuesday, February 14, 1995
Having dealt with interviews over the weekend and on Monday, both Evan and Mangle felt a sense of relief when Tuesday finally came around. It had been the one day they had declined to do any interviews, and the reason for that was that it was Valentine's Day.
Ever since Mangle confessed her true feelings for Evan last Christmas and the two discussed what their relationship should look like moving forward, both of them came to view the next Valentine's Day as the first major milestone and stress test for their new dynamic. And now that the day had finally arrived, they were both quite nervous.
Even so, they began their day like any other—they woke up, did their morning routine, ate breakfast together, and then Evan went off to school, leaving Mangle home alone.
Since Michael was going to spend the day out with Liam, and William was going to work late, Evan and Mangle had the house for themselves for the entire day. As such, the vixen got to work preparing things for when Evan came back home. She made a Valentine's Day card, placed candles around the bottom floor of the house, and then spent the next couple of hours in the kitchen.
While she didn't specifically mention her and Evan's plans for today to William or Michael, she did ask them to buy a number of things for her. She even managed to convince Michael to buy her some wine, and he got her a bottle of Prosecco, though he made her promise not to tell William about it.
After double checking that she had everything she needed, Mangle got to work making chocolate covered strawberries and a red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting, decorating the latter with chocolate hearts. With both desserts done, she placed them in the fridge and took a break to study for the next couple of hours. Then, around 3:00 PM, she went to the barn to pick out an outfit, deciding to go with a white and pink cropped camisole, pink leggings, a rose-colored scarf wrapped around her neck, and her golden hoop earrings.
With that done, Mangle returned to the kitchen where she began to cook some pasta carbonara, hoping that she had timed things well enough so that the food was done by the time Evan came home.
After getting permission to leave class early, Evan swung by a couple of shops on the way home. It had been a long time since he felt genuinely nervous and unsure of himself. He knew this day was important and would set a precedent for his and Mangle's relationship, and so he wanted to make sure that he did everything right.
He of course knew that one typically acquires a card, a box of chocolates, and a bouquet of flowers for one's significant other on Valentine's Day. However, he found it difficult to figure out what kind of card, chocolates, and bouquet to buy. The chocolates proved to be the easiest—he just picked the box that had the most variety since he knew Mangle liked to try out new flavors. The bouquet proved a little trickier—the most obvious choice was to go with roses, but that felt a little too cliché. Then again, perhaps Mangle wanted or even expected something traditional like roses? He then got the idea to forgo the classic bouquet of red roses and instead asked the florist for a bouquet of white and pink roses to match Mangle's colors.
The most difficult thing to pick out was the card. There were just so many to choose from! Ultimately, Evan decided to go with one that had a heart surrounded by flowers that said 'Happy Valentine's Day'. After adding a personal message to it, he left the florist and headed home.
Evan knew that Mangle was going to cook a special dinner for today, though he had no idea what it was, and so he made sure that he got home around the same time he always did. After parking his bike, he got his backpack and retail bag, and walked over to the entrance.
As he walked up the steps of the front porch, Evan took a deep breath. He knew how important this new relationship dynamic was to Mangle, and so he wanted to make sure that today went perfectly.
The first thing Evan noticed when he opened the front door was the mouth-watering smell of pasta, bacon, garlic, and cheese. Not only was the smell delicious, but it made him realize just how hungry he was.
The second thing he noticed was that the inside of the house was lit entirely by candlelight, creating an incredibly cozy and intimate atmosphere.
"I'm home!" Evan called out as he entered.
"Perfect timing!" Mangle called back from the kitchen. "Dinner's about done!"
The sixteen-year-old smiled to himself as he closed the door behind him, and set his backpack and bag down on the floor. As nervous as he was, he was really looking forward to spending the rest of the day with Mangle where it was just the two of them.
After retrieving the bouquet, card, and box of chocolates from the retail bag, Evan made his way over to the dining room, where he saw that Mangle had not only set the table, but also put out tall wine glasses and a bottle of what looked like Champagne.
Before long, the vixen came out of the kitchen carrying a big bowl and steaming hot pasta carbonara.
"I hope you're hungry," Mangle said with a welcoming smile as she walked over to the table.
"Oh, I'm positively famished," Evan replied with a smile.
Eyeing the items the sixteen-year-old was carrying, Mangle began to wag her tail. "Oooh!~ Are those for me?"
"Naturally," he replied.
Mangle set the bowl down on the table and then went over to Evan, who handed her the bouquet and box of chocolates. She let out a gasp upon seeing the white and pink roses.
"Do you like them?" Evan asked, though he could tell that she did by the fact that her tail was wagging even faster.
"I love them!" Mangle exclaimed and hugged him, nuzzling his cheek. "Thank you!"
Evan huffed a laugh as he returned the hug. "You're quite welcome, Mangle." As the two broke the hug, he added, "And I hope you enjoy the assortment of chocolates."
"Oh, I'm sure I will," Mangle replied as she glanced at the box of chocolates. She then gestured to the bouquet and said, "I'll go put these in a vase."
With that, the vixen returned to the kitchen. Though, it didn't take long before she returned and placed a vase with the roses in it on the dining table.
"I also have a card for you," Evan said, handing it to her.
Mangle eagerly took it and examined it. From the way she smiled, Evan could tell that he picked out a good card. She then opened the card to read the message within, her smile widening as she did.
"'Although our feelings for each other may differ, I nevertheless love you with all of my heart. Yours, forever – Evan'," she read aloud. She let out a delighted squeal and hugged the card to her chest. "I love it! Thank you!"
Evan smiled back at her. "I'm glad to hear that. I'm not exactly accustomed to writing these sorts of things."
"I couldn't have asked for a better card," the vixen replied as she regarded him with incredible fondness. "Speaking of which, I have one for you too!"
She rushed back into the kitchen and, before long, returned and handed Evan a card that she had undoubtedly made herself—the art and the calligraphy had both been lovingly crafted just for him. It honestly made him feel a bit guilty for going the easy route and simply buying her a card, though he reminded himself that she had a lot more free time on her hands than he did.
Evan opened the card and he couldn't help but to smile at the message within. "'To my star, whose light shone so brightly that it made me shine as well—may this Valentine's Day be the first of many, and may our love be everlasting – Mangle'"
"Do you like it?" The vixen asked.
"I love it, Mangle," Evan replied. "Thank you."
Delighted by his response, the vixen let out a giggle. She then glanced at the bowl of pasta carbonara she had placed on the dinner table. "Now, how about we eat before the pasta gets cold?"
"Yes, let's." Evan agreed.
The two then went and sat down on opposite sides of the table. The sixteen-year-old waited patiently as the vixen grabbed a serving for herself. Then, while he was putting pasta carbonara on his plate, Mangle busied herself with opening the bottle. She removed the foil and the wire cage surrounding the cork. Then, with a sudden pop, the cork was sent flying at high speed straight up into the air. A loud thud could be heard as it hit the ceiling before it came back down and bounced on the table, then fell down on the floor.
Mangle stared at the bottle with a startled expression on her face, which then turned into one of concern as she looked up at the ceiling to see if the cork had left any dent. Thankfully it hadn't. She and Evan then looked at each other and burst into laughter.
He couldn't remember the last time he laughed this much. The abruptness of the cork flying out combined with the look on Mangle's face was just too much.
Once their laughter finally died down, he asked, "Am I right to assume that's some kind of Champagne?"
"No, actually," the vixen replied as she poured herself a glass. "It's Prosecco. Apparently, it's somewhat customary to have it on Valentine's."
She handed him the bottle and he looked it over with curious eyes. It looked quite fancy, so he surmised that it had cost quite a bit of money. His eyes were then drawn to the percentage written on the bottom corner of the label, which read '11%'. He had never had any alcoholic beverage before, though this seemed like the perfect occasion to have his first, and so he poured himself a glass and sampled it. It certainly had a… unique flavor to it, but he found himself liking it.
Next, Evan dug into the pasta carbonara on his plate. It was delicious.
"I take it you like it?" Mangle asked with an amused smile.
"I love it," Evan replied. "I'd even go so far as to say that you've outdone yourself, Mangle."
The vixen giggled in delight upon hearing the compliment. "Thank you!"
The two continued to enjoy the good food and drink for a while before Mangle spoke up again.
"Hey, I was thinking that we could watch some movies after dinner," the vixen suggested.
Evan nodded and, in-between bites, replied, "I'd like that. Although…"
"Yes?"
"I'd prefer it if we didn't watch any romance movies," the sixteen-year-old continued. "I know they're more appropriate given the holiday, it's just that… they make me uncomfortable."
"... Oh." Mangle looked as if her plans had just been upended. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, she asked, "So… does that mean that you don't want to watch anything that has any romance in it?"
"No, I'm fine with it if it's merely a subplot," Evan clarified after taking a sip of Prosecco. "It just becomes too much for me if it dominates the whole movie."
"Ah, gotcha," Mangle replied, seeming somewhat relieved. She then thought for a moment and asked, "How about we watch some Disney movies, then?"
Evan regarded her with a nostalgic smile. "I would love to watch Disney movies with you, Mangle."
The vixen giggled in delight upon hearing that, and Evan could see that her tail was wagging behind her. He smiled and then continued eating the wonderful dinner she had made.
Before long, the two of them had finished eating. With his plate now clean, Evan quickly drank what Prosecco remained in his glass and then said, "Thank you so much for this wonderful meal, Mangle. Now, since you're the one who made it, why don't I do the dishes?"
"That'd be great. Thank you," she replied with a grateful smile.
Evan got out of his seat, but as he did, he noticed that he was suddenly feeling dizzy. Then, before he could react, he fell down on the floor with a loud thud.
"Evan!" Mangle gasped. She quickly got up and ran around the table to help him.
It didn't take the sixteen-year-old long at all to realize that he was inebriated, and he started to giggle profusely at what one measly glass of Prosecco had managed to do to him.
"Oh my god, are you drunk?!" The vixen asked in surprise, her worry replaced with a look of amusement.
"Evidently, I am," he said between fits of giggles.
Mangle chuckled as she regarded him. "Here, let me help you."
She effortlessly picked him up and carried him over to the living room, and then gently laid him down on the sofa.
"Why don't you stay here and rest while I'll go get us some dessert?" Mangle suggested as she stroked his cheek.
"That does sound quite lovely, Mangle. Thank you." Evan replied with a grateful smile before he suddenly started giggling again.
As the vixen left for the kitchen, the sixteen-year-old took a deep breath and tried his best not to think of anything even remotely humorous. As much as he was laughing, he was very much not enjoying this lack of self-control.
Before long, Mangle returned and placed a glass of water on the coffee table, as well as her own glass, which she had refilled with Prosecco. In this moment, he couldn't help but to envy her for her inability to get intoxicated.
She left for the kitchen once more, and while he waited, Evan slowly sat up and took a few sips of water. He was still doing his utmost not to think of anything funny. Mangle then returned carrying a tray with chocolate-covered strawberries and the box of chocolates he had bought for her.
She set it down on the coffee table and said, "Given your current state, I figured we'd start small."
Evan nodded. "Good thinking."
Mangle looked at him with a cocked eyebrow. "Are you okay? You sound kind of strained."
"I'm currently doing my utmost not to laugh," he replied.
The vixen snickered upon hearing that, and that was all it took for Evan to burst into another fit of giggles.
"Damn it!" He cursed to himself and pleaded, "Please, Mangle, don't make me laugh. I know it might seem like I'm enjoying it, but I can assure you that I'm not."
"Sorry. Sorry," the vixen apologized as she stifled a laugh. "It's just funny seeing you like this." She cleared her throat. "Anyway, when it comes to the movie, I was thinking that we could start off with Robin Hood."
Evan couldn't help but to feel incredibly nostalgic upon hearing that. Robin Hood was the very first movie they had ever watched together, and while they had rewatched it plenty of times since, it did feel especially appropriate to watch it again today.
"I think that's an excellent idea," he said with a smile.
Mangle smiled back at him, her tail wagging behind her as she went over to the VHS cabinet to fetch the movie. Then, after putting the cassette into the VCR and getting it to rewind it, the vixen approached him with a coy smile on her face. "Would you like to cuddle while we watch the movie?"
The sixteen-year-old murmured in agreement. A good cuddle did sound pretty nice right now, especially given his current state. "That would be delightful, Mangle."
With an excited giggle, the vixen crawled onto the sofa and laid down behind him. Then, as he laid down, she wrapped her arms around him and nuzzled his cheek affectionately.
Even though Evan felt somewhat uncomfortable upon feeling Mangle's sizable breasts rub up against his back, he nevertheless enjoyed the intimacy. Ever since he first brought her home, they had always enjoyed snuggling up to each other—at first it was because it gave them a sense of safety in a world that seemed frightening to both of them, and over time it became a source of comfort and familiarity. It was just… nice. And while he had gotten used to Mangle's hard plastic and metal exterior, the silicone casing on her new body was a massive improvement. He couldn't get over just how soft she was now. It really made cuddling with her all the better.
Smiling to himself and letting out a contented sigh, Evan waited for the movie to get fully rewound before he grabbed the remote from the coffee table and hit play.
As they watched, Evan and Mangle took turns feeding each other chocolates and chocolate-covered strawberries. While he found it a little weird at first, he actually found it quite enjoyable.
Once Robin Hood was over, Evan replaced its cassette with that of another movie, rewinding the tape while Mangle went to get the main dessert—a red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting that was decorated with chocolate hearts. They ate it while watching The Lion King, and it was absolutely delicious! And once they were done with the dessert, they got back to cuddling while watching the remainder of the movie.
The Lion King was one of the few movies that had a romance that Evan actually kind of liked, as Simba and Nala's relationship reminded him of his and Mangle's. The vixen also seemed to share this view, given the way she hugged him more tightly and nuzzled him more passionately during the 'Can You Feel the Love Tonight' segment. It actually got intense enough that he asked her to tone it down, which made him feel a bit guilty, but she reassured him that it was okay as she didn't want to make him feel uncomfortable, which he greatly appreciated.
With the second movie finally coming to an end, Evan asked, "So… what would you like to do now?"
Mangle, who was resting her snout against his cheek, replied, "Maybe… we could try dancing?"
"Um… sure," the sixteen-year-old replied hesitantly.
The vixen giggled in delight and nuzzled the back of Evan's neck. "Well, in that case, let me pick out some music for us."
They both got out of the sofa, with Mangle going over to his father's LP collection. She spent some time browsing the various records, making Evan wonder if she even had any idea of what kind of music to pick.
After a minute or two of browsing, the vixen finally seemed to have found something. Turning around, she showed him an Elvis compilation album named 'Elvis Love Songs'.
"I didn't know your father was into Elvis!" Mangle exclaimed.
"I don't think he is," Evan replied as he tried to remember when he last heard any Elvis song in this house. "I'm not entirely sure, but I suspect my mother was the Elvis fan out of the two."
"Oh." The vixen looked down at the album for a moment before she returned her gaze to the sixteen-year-old. "Do you think it would be okay if we play it?"
Evan shrugged. "I don't see why not."
Mangle carried it to the record player. "Okay then, here goes."
She pulled the big LP disc out of the sleeve, placed it on the tray of the record player, and then set the needle on the disc before switching the machine on. However, it seemed like she didn't do it right as it started playing in the middle of a song, but that was a minor issue.
Turning to him with an anxious expression on her face, Mangle asked, "So… shall we dance?"
He smiled at her. "Yes, let's."
They walked over to the area between the stairs and the living room furniture to make sure that they had as much free space as possible.
Having never danced like this before, and only having movies and TV to go off of, the two awkwardly got into a closed hold position, with Evan's left hand holding Mangle's right hand, his right hand on her waist, and her left hand on his shoulder. Then, following the rhythm of the music, they swayed from side to side and gradually turned clockwise.
They had danced a lot before throughout the years, but never like this. Never this close.
As they danced, Evan looked into Mangle's beautiful golden eyes with an awkward smile. She regarded him with incredible fondness, and while she kept her cool, he could tell how elated she was given how fast her tail was wagging.
Before now, Evan had been worried about dancing like this. Worried that it would make him too uncomfortable. However, while it did feel kind of weird, it was also kind of nice. It was intimate, but not as intimate as cuddling, and it also felt kind of dignified. He definitely wouldn't mind doing it some more.
However, Evan's train of thought was completely derailed when Mangle accidentally stepped on his foot, causing him to scream in pain and collapse onto the floor.
"Oh my god, Evan! I'm so sorry!" Mangle cried out.
The sixteen-year-old writhed around on the floor in pain, cursing to himself over and over. It hurt so fucking bad! And for all he knew, between the vixen's incredible strength and sheer mass, she might've just crushed his foot completely.
"Here, let me have a look!" Mangle said aloud, panicking as much as he was.
She knelt down and carefully removed his shoe, followed by the sock, revealing a foot that was mildly swollen and black and blue all over.
Evan groaned in pain. "How bad is it?"
"I… think it's just bruised," Mangle replied as she carefully looked the foot over. "The moment I felt your foot under mine, I pulled away immediately, so it's not anywhere near as bad as it could've been."
"So… So nothing's broken?" He asked between moans of pain.
"I don't think so," the vixen replied as she reexamined the foot. "Try to move it around."
Evan hissed as he did so. It hurt so bad!
"Okay, now try to move your toes," Mangle instructed.
The sixteen-year-old groaned as he flexed his toes and moved them around.
"I'm no medical expert, but I don't think anything's broken," Mangle said hesitantly.
"Oh thank god," Evan whimpered.
"Do you want me to carry you to the sofa?" The vixen asked, looking at the sixteen-year-old as if she was afraid of hurting him even more.
"Yes. Please," Evan gasped.
Mangle then gently, and very carefully, picked him up and carried him over to the sofa, where she set him down. After making sure that he was comfortable, she went to the kitchen and got an ice pack, which she gently pressed against his foot. Evan let out a sigh of relief as some of the pain was alleviated.
"I'm so sorry, Evan," the vixen sobbed. "This day was supposed to be perfect, and then I ruined everything."
"No. No, you didn't ruin anything," Evan assured her. "This little mishap aside, today was perfect, and I'm fairly certain that one year from now, we're going to laugh about this."
Mangle sniffled. "You're not just saying that to cheer me up, are you?"
"No, I mean it," Evan replied with a reassuring smile. "I really do. With all my heart."
Judging by her faint smile and the brief wagging of her tail, this seemed to have improved her mood somewhat.
"Now, given my current impairment, how about we spend the rest of the night watching Disney?" He suggested.
She smiled back at him. "I'd like that."
"And, uh, in the future, before we attempt to dance together again, we should probably learn how to do it properly," Evan noted.
Mangle chuckled. "Yeah, that'd probably be a good idea."
For the rest of the night, Evan and Mangle gently cuddled with each other as they watched Aladdin and The Little Mermaid, making sure to take occasional breaks so that the vixen could tend to his foot.
As midnight drew near, Mangle picked Evan up and carried him to the barn, where she helped him change into his pajamas before putting him to bed. And once she had changed into her nightgown, the vixen joined him, and they cuddled together before falling asleep.
Then, slightly past 0:30 AM, Mangle got out of bed, being very careful so as to not disturb the sixteen-year-old, and snuck over to one of the bookshelves. She browsed the books that Evan had gotten from the library for her—or rather, the ones she hadn't read yet—and then grabbed the one that most struck her fancy.
The vixen then snuck out of the barn and returned to the house. On the way there, she noted that Mike's car was still missing, which indicated that he was staying over with his boyfriend for the night.
Entering the house, Mangle turned on some of the lights, sat down in one of the couches, and began to read.
A little over two hours later, she heard a car pulling up into the driveway, and before long, William came in through the front door.
"Hello, my dear," he greeted as he approached her.
"Hi, William," she replied with a friendly smile.
As he did every night, William asked, "So what are you reading tonight?"
"'The Great Chain of Being' by Arthur O. Lovejoy," Mangle replied. "It's a historical analysis of the philosophical concept that all entities in the universe are arranged in a hierarchical order, from the lowest forms of matter to the highest form of spiritual being, and it traces the development of this idea from its origins in ancient Greek philosophy through its influence on medieval, Renaissance, and Enlightenment thought, demonstrating how this concept shaped Western perspectives on existence, nature, and humanity's place in the cosmos."
William regarded her with a proud smile. "That sounds quite fascinating. I would certainly love to hear more about it in the morning."
"And I'd be happy to tell you all about it," Mangle replied.
He chuckled. It was safe to assume that they both quite enjoyed this rapport they had developed. He regarded her with a smile. "So, how did Valentine's Day go?"
"Oh, it was absolutely wonderful!" The vixen replied as she reminisced about the day. However, her thoughts were then drawn to the incident with Evan's foot. "Well, except for one thing…"
"What?"
"Evan and I tried to dance like couples do… but I accidentally stepped on his foot," Mangle recalled with an embarrassed and guilty look on her face.
Looking somewhat concerned, William asked, "Is he alright?"
"I think so…"
William cocked an eyebrow. "You think so?"
"He could still move his foot and his toes around like normal, so I don't think I broke anything," Mangle clarified. "That said, it's bruised pretty badly…"
He let out a sigh as he rubbed his forehead. "Just to be safe, call the doctor the first thing in the morning, and then ask Michael to take you there."
"Will do," the vixen replied with a nod. Feeling incredibly guilty, she lowered her head and said, "I'm really sorry, William. I promise it won't happen again."
"What makes you so sure that it won't?" He asked pointedly.
"Because we're going to learn how to dance. Properly," Mangle replied. "Evan mentioned that he can take a class for it at school."
"And what about you?"
"Well… Once he learns how to do it, he can just pass on that knowledge to me," the vixen replied.
William thought for a moment. "No. No, that won't do at all."
"... What?" Mangle stared at him dejectedly, worried that he was going to outright forbid them from dancing.
"No, if anyone is to teach you two how to dance, it should be me," William finally said. "For one, I know how to do it, but I'm also able to comprehend and take into account the physics and practicalities of you dancing with my son."
Mangle blinked. "You'd… You'd do that for us?"
"Certainly," William replied. Then, with a smirk, he added, "Can't have you crushing my son's feet, now can I?"
The vixen huffed a laugh at that. She regarded him with a grateful smile. "Thank you so much, William. This really means a lot to us."
"Don't mention it, my dear," William replied. Turning away, he said, "Now, I bid you a good night."
She watched him walk towards the stairs, and was about to get back to her book, when she decided to speak up. "Hey, William?"
He turned to look at her. "Yes?"
"I know we didn't start off on the best of terms, but ever since you accepted me last Christmas, you've gone above and beyond to help me and make me feel welcome," Mangle said with a fond smile. "I want to thank you for that and to know how much I appreciate it."
He regarded her with an odd, lopsided smile, looking as if he was unsure of how to respond. Finally, he said, "To be honest, it's rather nice having you around. You…" He looked away with a nostalgic glint in his eye. "You remind me of what it felt like to have a daughter. I… didn't realize how much I missed that feeling."
Upon hearing that, the vixen was quite taken aback, but once she was able to fully process what he had just said, she couldn't help but to feel both honored and incredibly moved. "Th-thank you, William. You have no idea how much it means to me to hear that, especially since I've never had anything like a father myself."
He smiled ruefully. "Technically you do. After all, while Fazbear was behind your character design, it was Henry Emily who made you, so he's the closest thing you have to a father."
"Oh…" Was all Mangle was able to say upon hearing that revelation. It certainly made sense for Henry to be her father, however… it didn't feel right.
William turned away from the vixen and said, "Now, goodnight, my dear."
"Hey, William?"
"What?" He said somewhat impatiently, clearly wanting to go to bed.
"Thank you for being a better father to me than Henry ever was," she said from the bottom of her heart.
William didn't respond. He didn't even move. And as the seconds passed, Mangle couldn't help but to worry that she had somehow offended him.
Then, after what felt like an eternity, William replied with a broken voice, "You're quite welcome, Mangle."
He then walked upstairs while intentionally looking away from her, as if he was trying to hide his face.
Feeling incredibly warm and fuzzy about the notion of being seen as a daughter-figure for William, Mangle giggled in delight as she hugged the book to her chest before getting back to reading.