Electric Light Orchestra
••• Mr. Blue Sky •••

mr. blue sky please tell us why

you had to hide away for so long

where did we go wrong?


•••••

YALL ARE SO FUCKING TALENTED WHAT THE SHIT

Artist: tomatosafruit

Artist: NANI?!?!

Artist: zekudoge

Artist: Domesticated_Person

Artist: delamities

Artist: Terrible job supershit /j

Artist: Skyler Sunrise

Artist: SugarWuffl

Artist: nebulaegem

  "Good morning, beautiful."

  "Shove a sock in it, Freddy."

  The bear grinned, unperturbed by my grumbled reply as I entered the Pizzaplex early Sunday morning. The sun was barely beginning to rise. A takeaway cup was in his giant hands.
  "I got you a coffee."
  I eyed him with a narrowed glare before slowly taking the cup from his offered grasp. It was still hot. 
  "... forgiven," I decided, and continued my way through the lobby with the drink in hand. He bounded along to keep up and fell in step.
  "Ready for a big day?" he asked, eagerly prying for conversation. I took a sip from the coffee and sighed in delight.
  "Absolutely not," I replied. "What about you?"
  "I have a specific song I'm looking forward to performing again."
  "Asshole," I muttered. My insult only succeeded in pulling a chuckle from Freddy as he pressed the button for the elevator.
  "Maybe I'll find you in the crowd," he hummed with a twitch of his ear my way. He was watching the elevator's numbers count down, but his entire attention was on my reaction. "I'm singing it for you, you know."
  "Oh, I am certainly aware," I grumbled as I stepped inside the elevator. "You're a dirty cheat, you know? I thought you were all polite and chivalrous but now your real colours are showing."

  "Am I?" Freddy asked with narrowed eyes. He leisurely bent down to my height with his hands behind his back, pistons hissing as he moved. Being face-to-face with such a tall robot made me feel dizzy, like it shouldn't be possible. "Then what are my 'real colours,' pray tell?"
  His muzzle must've only been a hair's breadth away; the proximity felt charged with electricity and something else that I couldn't quite place. I kept my cool and forced my flushed face into an unimpressed frown.
  "You, Mr. Fazbear-" I reached my hand up to bop the tip of his nose. "Are a jerk."
  His nose squeaked.
  His nose squeaked.
  And it echoed in the quiet elevator like a goddamn church chorus, basking in the cheery jingle and hanging in the air. Freddy's eyes darted to the side in embarrassment.
  I slowly moved my hand to my mouth.
  And I snorted.
  "Don't," he warned as his eyes shot back to me. "Don't- please, don't-"
  It was too late, for my fingers were already diving back to the rubbery material of his nose. The squeak bounced around the confined space and I giggled in elation at the discovery.
  "Miscreant," Freddy sighed. I barked a laugh at his grumble.
  "Says you!" I countered gleefully. I squeezed his nose again and his shoulders dropped in exasperation at the resulting honk. "Take this as revenge for yesterday."

  Freddy rolled his eyes at me - actually rolled his eyes - which was something I wasn't aware he could even do. Wasn't he meant to be the golden boy role model for the children that came and went? I'd have to grill Mandy for answers.
  He straightened to his full height in an effort to avoid my hand but I was determined, and began leaping to reach while keeping mindful of the hot coffee in my grip. He flinched away and gave me a stare as if I were crazy.
  "Hey- hold on-" I jumped again for his nose and he stiffened when the elevator gave a shudder. "This is highly dangerous!" I prepared for another jump and he slid a hand down his face. "My goodness, fine, just- here." He bent down to reaching height. "Stop jumping, will you?"
  "Yessir," I grinned and grabbed his nose. Honk.
  The rest of the elevator ride was spent honking Freddy's nose to the tune to the jingle, which he was wholly unamused of.
  "Joey! Joey, Joey, Bonnie, look!" I called when the doors slid open and found the two milling in the lobby. I honked Freddy's nose. He huffed.
  "Oh, ha-ha, yeah," Bonnie said stiffly. Joey was looking at something out of sight with great interest. "Mine does that, too."
  "It does?!" I squealed. I dropped my hand and skittered across the floor to the bunny.
  "Thank goodness," Freddy mumbled.

  Bonnie's eyes kept nervously glancing towards the direction Joey's interest was, but it was the handler whose words stopped me in my tracks.
  "Hey, Y/n," he called. "Isn't that your old boyfriend?"
  I felt myself stiffen, stop breathing and go freezing cold all at once. Freddy's footsteps paused. Bonnie clutched his ears.
  Joey was staring at a new exhibit in the museum section of Rockstar Row that was currently being assembled - a massive print of an old, vintage photo from the opening of Fredbear's Family Dinner, dated way back to 1981. Out the front of the diner was a group of people - two men, a woman, and four young kids.
  Henry Emily, co-founder, looking far more jovial and carefree before everything went down. His hands were on his young daughter's shoulders as they both beamed at the camera. Charlie. That was Charlie when she was younger.
  My eyes jumped to William Afton's warm smile. Back before his two youngest children died, back before he truly, fully snapped and murdered all those poor kids - he was supposedly an okay father. Not the best, Michael had told me, but certainly better than he was.
  Still, my stomach twisted at seeing his face. Beside him, an unnamed woman with blonde hair - Mrs. Afton, of whom I never got to hear anything about.
  Between them stood their trio of children; Evan with a plush bear in his arms and a smile that rivalled the sun (he must've only been five) and Elizabeth, Lizzy, beside him, her blonde hair pulled into pigtails with flowers in her hair. She couldn't have been much older than the youngest.

  And then Michael behind them, barely pushing on nine. His youthful face was so full of innocence and happiness before his family was struck by tragedy after tragedy, and the cruelness of his own father ripped that happiness right from his hands.
  His hazel eyes found mine through the camera that no longer existed and I stared back, paralysed, from my side of the lens. A wave of nothing but hurt hit my chest so hard that I felt winded, and I was vaguely aware of my inability to breathe.
  When was the last time I saw a photo of him? Years? I tried to avoid them to save myself the pain from seeing the face that I could reconstruct perfectly in my dreams. From every lash, to every mole, to every flick of colour in his prismatic eyes. He haunted me. He always has. 
  "Y/n?" The vague timbre of Joey's voice poked briefly through the rush in my ears. I was sucked in, rooted to the spot, I was suffocating. Can't breathe, can't breathe.
  Hazel eyes. His hazel eyes, and that happy smile that only returned years after. I could see it, him smiling, his lips pulling into his freckled cheeks and squeezing his face in joy. The crinkle of his eyes as he laughed. The morning smile when we woke.
  It had a chokehold on me, all of it. And it was squeezing, squeezing, squeezing. And I couldn't breathe.

  "Y/n." It was Bonnie this time, and he severed the stare-off by stepping in front of me. His heavy, metal hands grasped my shoulders and he waited until I was able to focus on his concerned face. "Hey, champ. You with us?"
  I stared at him blankly. His pink eyes stared and all I could think about was the little replica Bonnie we would spend hours fine-tuning together on hot summer days, blasting AC from the garage and listening to classics on the radio.
  "Y/n?" Bonnie asked and tilted his head. One of his ears flopped.
  Everything snapped back into place with a jolt and I gave a strangled, startled inhale as I resurfaced. A building sensation was billowing from the depths of my chest and it was pressuring behind my eyes and closing my throat.
  I could still see him, my Michael, who was really no longer mine. The refresher had me untangling myself from Bonnie and gasping, choking out an apology, and seeking seclusion in my office as I walked away from them as stable and quick as possible.
  Freddy was still staring at the print. Even later on, when my buzzing head had cleared, I still couldn't pick out what emotion was on his face.
  The moment the door shut behind me I was grasping at my oxygen-deprived chest and hiccuping in short, useless breaths. I felt as if I had just ran a marathon and was thrown into a fight with a dinosaur. My fight or flight was kicking in, my adrenaline spiking so hard that I felt sick.
  And then, when my breathing had finally regained some sense of normality, I curled into the corner on the floor behind the couch and cried.

  "Hey, Champ?" Bonnie's voice was muffled from the door. "Can you let me in?"
  My sobs hitched at his presence and I edged just around the couch to see him peeking worriedly in through the office window.
  "Freddy may be good at a lot of things, but I'm the therapy friend in the band," Bonnie continued as he leant his arms on the small lip of window sill. "At least, that's what Joey said. What's a therapy friend? I know what therapy is, and I know what a friend is, but this is an amalgamation I'm unaware of. It must be cool, though, if Joey says that I'm one."
  I pulled a watery smile at his jokes. Stumbling to my feet, I opened the door, and Bonnie poked his head around the door frame with a bright smile.
  "There she is!" Bonnie cheered as he stepped inside. The door shut behind him and his smile faded into something a little more gentle, a little more sympathetic, when another wave of overwhelmed tears dribbled down my face. "Do you wanna talk about it?"
  I shook my head with a sniffle, but then the image of Michael returned and I found myself desperately nodding as more tears bubbled from my eyes. Bonnie picked up my hands and guided me to the couch, to which I collapsed on and immediately covered my wet face.
  We sat in silence for a short while. Just a crying human and a rabbit animatronic. 
  "You know..." Bonnie murmured as he stretched his legs out in front of him and stared at his feet. "I'm still learning a lot about human emotions. I know that they're... messy, and... strong. But there's so much I don't know." He turned his pink eyes to me. "But I know that talking about your feelings helps, too, so... care to enlighten me?"

  I wiped at my face with the Roxy blanket that was folded up beside me. I tried to search for the words, but my head was nothing but a mushy mess. I didn't have time to mentally prepare myself for Michael, and it was severely hitting hard.
  "You loved him," Bonnie tempted quietly. My shoulders hunched. "Right?"
  "I still do," I croaked. His ears perked.
  "Oh!" he said in surprise before his expression folded into something sorrowful. "Oh..."
  "I was getting better," I murmured bitterly. I curled my hands into fists within the folds of the blanket and suddenly I felt annoyed at myself for allowing him to hurt me again. "Everything here reminds me of him, but I was getting better, dammit! Fuck!"
  Bonnie, bless his mechanical soul, didn't pry into asking what happened. But he did lift his arm in a clear invitation, and I took it eagerly. He was quiet as I slotted against his side in a trembling, raging, pitiful mess.
  I wondered what Michael would've thought of this scene; his ex, being comforted by the reboot of an animatronic his father made that tried to kill him night after night.
  The irony was astronomical.

  "It's been eight years," I hissed before choking on a sob that ripped from my throat. "Eight years. And he still... I'm never going to get over him, am I? I'll always be stuck, just like this, while he's - god, I don't know. Somewhere."
  Bonnie heaved a contemplative sigh and dropped his cheek onto the top of my head - hovering slightly, so I wouldn't crumple under his weight.
  "From what I know of love," he began, "is that it's maddening."  
  My eyes peeked up at the bunny. He was staring at the distance with furrowed brows.
  "It drives humans insane and it hurts," he continued. "But I've heard that it's also wonderful. That being with someone you love is like being complete."
  Bonnie lifted his head and stared down at me.
  "You're hurting," he said. "I know. But not everyone can say that they've loved someone so fully as you did, and that's a testament to who you are as a person. Not everyone is... capable of that. Some people don't even have the capacity to love."  
  My thoughts wandered back to William and I wondered if that's what Bonnie was hinting at, too. But that couldn't be right. No one other than a small group of us knew what William did, and Bonnie didn't have any memories from his possessed predecessors.
  "It sounds like you're speaking from experience."
  Bonnie smiled. It was small, and sad, but still there.
  "Not my own."

  I wanted to ask what he meant, but I had the vaguest of feelings that he wouldn't give a straight answer.
  "Let's go, champ," Bonnie said as he rose to his feet and held out his hand for me to stand. "We have a long day ahead of us and a massive crowd to please."
  I smiled at him and wiped away the last of my tears.
  "Thanks, Bonnie," I said sincerely, and he hesitated mid-step. "Thank you for listening and... you know. Just being here. Seeing him was just- it was unexpected."
  Bonnie broke into a caring smile and hauled me into a hug. I squeaked in surprise before giggling as he gently squeezed.
  "I'll do anything for ya, champ!" he beamed. "You're one of my best friends!"
  I felt my heavy chest lighten at Bonnie's declaration and I squeezed back into the hug just as tight. Best friends with one, another having a crush.
  These animatronics really were something else.  

  When we stepped back out into Rockstar Row, Freddy had disappeared.

⚡️🧸🤖🧸⚡️

  "Why do they have to have the employee after-party tonight?" Drake complained to Gabby and I as we entered the atrium half an hour after closing.

  "Tired?" Gabby asked with a raise of her brow.
  "Exhausted," Drake grumbled as he tugged on his tie. He'd forgone his jacket, claiming that he didn't want to wear a 'monkey suit.' "Aren't you guys?"
  I had to agree with Chica's handler. I had to stop myself from falling asleep at the bathroom sink as I applied my make-up along with a handful of other staff members. We all each seemed to be caking on extra foundation under our eyes to hide the bags.
  "At least the bots are happy," I said as we began taking the escalator down to the mosh pit, where the party was being held. Manny sat on the stage, the safest place for him to be without accidentally whacking someone to the fourth dimension when turning, while the rest of the animatronics mingled.
  Sundrop, by far the tallest, towered over the crowd at a nauseating eleven feet. I shuddered again at the eerie smile stuck on his face.
  "And they're playing normal music. That's a plus," Gabby pointed out. I agreed with a hum.
  "And there's alcohol," Drake said. Gabby and I snickered.
  Joey was at the bar, to which I made a beeline for an ordered something that would at least keep my eyes open. He cradled his cup and smiled in greeting upon seeing me appear next to him.

  "Don't you scrub up nice, Ms. Manager," he goaded. I glanced down at myself with a half-hearted look; it was just the first formal-wear outfit I grabbed, but the black dress with the sweetheart neckline seemed to be doing just fine.
  "It's wonderful what seeing someone not covered in stress sweat will do to one's perception of them," I said with a grin. I eyed his black suspenders with raised brows. "Are you meant to be matching Bonnie?"
  Joey's eyes shot to his shirt and he groaned.
  "I didn't even realise," he bemoaned and held his head in shame. I giggled.
  "Embarrassing," said a dry voice from behind him. We both peeked over and found a blonde woman with her arms crossed over her drink as she leant on the bar. She'd forgone the 'formal' part of the party, instead opting for jeans and a purple flannel.
  "This here's Vanessa," Joey introduced with a faux roll of his eyes. "She's a bitch."
  "You're a littler bitch," she counted with a half-smirk his way, making him scoff. Her green eyes must've been made from steel or something, because they sliced me straight through my chest when she looked at me.
  "Oh, hey." Vanessa stood up a little and brought her drink with her, swirling the brightly-coloured liquid with leisure. "You're the one who Sundrop made cry."

  My cheeks flushed at the memory. She waved me off with a smile more kind than I recalled her to be.
  "Don't worry about it," she reassured. "Sundrop always does that to the newbies. Y'gotta be hard on him or else he excites himself up so much that he doesn't realise he goes overboard."
  So that must've been why he didn't notice me crying. 
  "It's another bug that they can't seem to fix," Joey said when he saw my face contort into confused distaste. "He's really nice once you get to know him."
  "Debatable," Vanessa muttered into her drink as she eyed said animatronic as he laughed obscenely loudly from across the room. "He freaks me out. That smile? Shivers."
  "People here are split on him," Joey told me. "Either love or hate 'em. Same with Moon."
  "Moon?"
  "His counterpart," Vanessa answered. "When the lights go down, Sun transforms into Moon. Very on the nose but hey," she snorted into her drink, "the merch gets the company more money."
  "They're the same robot?" I asked in breathless shock. No wonder I saw all that advertising for a Moon character and yet never saw him around. I had trouble wrapping my head around even just the idea of an animatronic that could swap forms so drastically. Even Freddy wasn't that advanced. "What a feat. He must have some kind of light meter to activate transformation implanted into him. Isn't he a different colour, too? Something like... thin metal shingles that are double-sided on his pants could be possible..."

  "Nerd," Joey coughed into his drink, stopping my ramble. Vanessa elbowed him.
  "It's very different than how Fredbear's used to be," Vanessa said with a patient smile at my overwhelmed face.
  "Yeah," I hummed with a distracted nod. "Very."
  "I've gotta go," Vanessa grumbled as she tipped back the rest of her drink and downed it in one go. "Leo's been waving at me for the past five minutes."
  Joey and I bade Vanessa a farewell as she departed from the bar after ordering a fresh drink.
  "She's lovely," I said. Bit dry on the humour side, but still nice. Joey called the bartender over and ordered two shots.
  He pushed one to me with a mischievous grin. My fingers grabbed the thin glass of the full cup with a suspicious look at him - I didn't like the way Joey's eyes were glinting in the low, neon lights.
  "So..." he drawled. He coyly plopped his chin onto his hand and leant in close. "What's going on with you and Mr. Main Star?"
  "Oh, for fuck's sake," I groaned and took the shot with a swift flick of my head.
  "Hey, hey!" Joey laughed in defence and raised his palms as I grimaced at the burn of the vodka. "No judgement here! I'm not one to call people out on their sexual preferences."

  I cringed and raised my arm for a bartender.
  "I'm gonna need at least five more," I said seriously. Joey barked a loud laugh.

  "No, really," the handler insisted after he took his shot and gave a sharp shake of his head in response to the taste. "What's going on? Bonnie's been saying that Freddy's been real interested in you. And Mandy told me that you guys were... flirting?"
  I released a heavy breath that tumbled into a grumble. Flirting? Of course Mandy said that. I was gonna kick her ass.
  "It's not like that," I wearily snapped as I took another shot. "He just has a crush."
  "You're not seeing the severity of the situation here, Y/n," Joey said in delight. He put his hands together and pointed them at me. "Freddy Fazbear has a crush on you. He's capable of having being attracted to someone. Who knows, maybe that's why he's been malfunctioning lately. It did only start happening after you arrived."
  My back stiffened as his words sunk in - he was right, his malfunctions did only start after I joined the company. And- and! After I slipped up and called him handsome, Freddy put on the best performance that Dennis swore up and down had ever happened under the Pizzaplex's roof.
  "Are you saying that I broke Freddy Fazbear's AI?" I whispered in horror. Joey shrugged his shoulders and stole one of my vodkas, so I downed the remaining two in fear.

  "Holy shit!" Joey laughed as he grabbed my wrists and pulled them down before I could call for more. I shot him an irritated glare. "Slow down there, crazy!"
  "It's a night to get crazy, Joey," I snarled. "I'm sick of this bullshit!"
  "Ho-kay, you're angry," he chuckled nervously. "Let's let those shots settle before you pile more poison into your body, m'kay?"
  I groaned and dropped my head onto the bar table. I vaguely heard someone ask Joey if I was okay, but I was too preoccupied with thinking how fucked this entire situation was.
  Freddy's performances yesterday were astronomical, according to literally every staff member who managed to catch it. Today, however, he was a little more subdued, distracted almost. I had an educated guess that it, along with the near-frequent staring he was committing me to, was because of my little freak out when I saw that print with Michael on it.
  And not to mention his entire attitude shift ever since the whole 'handsome' situation yesterday - it was like something had flicked in the back of his metal head. It was almost as if became someone else.
  "God," I groaned into a table. "You call a guy handsome one time and their programming gets entirely recalibrated."

  "It's kinda cool, though, you have to admit," Joey said. He persisted with emphasis when he saw my dry stare. "I'm serious! Who can say that a sentient rockstar robot has a crush on them? It's major bragging rights."
  "You're looking at this through rose-coloured glasses," I pointed out sourly. "If Dennis finds out that it was me who caused Freddy to malfunction, I'm gonna get fired!"
  "No, you won't," Joey reassured. "Look at him-" he pointed across the mosh pit and I followed his finger. Freddy, still dressed in his slightly glowing blacklight gear, was conversing with a group of nicely-dressed staff members. He was engrossed in conversation aside from the frequent glances my way. He did a double take when he saw me staring and raised a giant paw in a sheepish wave. "He adores you. Freddy'd be crushed if Dennis fires you and you know how much Dennis likes to keep his stars happy."
  I quickly turned away with burning cheeks in an attempt to hide from Freddy's blue gaze, even though there really was nowhere to hide.
  "Has he been doing that all evening?" I hissed, referring to the staring.
  "Oh, yeah," Joey slurred smugly as he waved back at Freddy. "It's very obvious."
  "Ohhhohohofuck," I seethed and held my hands over my eyes in shame.
  "I think he's missing his ear again," Joey mentioned. "Oh, lookie! Your boyfriend in orange armour is making his way over."

  I lifted my head to the comedian's.
  "I need to leave," I said.
  "It'll just look more obvious that way," Joey sang, so I whined in defeat and remained in my spot at the bar. Joey slid me his shot. "For a confidence boost."
  I quickly downed it.
  "Joey, Y/n," Freddy greeted as he approached. Indeed, his left ear had broken off again and instead was snuggly tucked into his waistcoat's pocket. "Have you been enjoying the party?"
  "It's been very eye-opening," Joey said as he slung an arm over me and tightly squeezed. "Hasn't it, Y/n?" 
  "Leave me alone." I untangled myself from his arm with a groan. "You bastard."
  Joey guffawed at my pissed expression and dropped his chin onto my shoulder with a tipsy beam at the bear. I ugh'd in defeat.
  Freddy was watching with a concerned frown.
  "Your ear fell off," Joey unhelpfully pointed out. "You should get Y/n to fix it."
  "What the fuck?" I exclaimed in betrayal.
  "Oh," Freddy said and glanced down at the ear in his pocket. "I was going to wait until tomorrow's maintenance-"
  "No, don't be silly!" Joey slurred as he patted at Freddy's arm. The bear titled his head as he watched the drunk man in worry. "Y/n here can do it, right, Y/n?"
  "What are you doing?" I snarled under my breath.
  "Helpin' you to get some robot dick, Y/n, what do you think?" he replied with a deadpanned glare. I choked on my spit from my full-body flinch of revulsion. Freddy's eyes widened.

  "Okay, you're getting cut off," I said determinedly. I grabbed Joey's shoulders and sent him the shittiest glare I could. "What the fuck is wrong with you, Gonzalez? How'd you get so drunk so fast?"
  "Sowwy," Joey said with a sheepish giggle and poked his fingers together. I rolled my eyes.
  "I'm gonna call him an Uber," I huffed and slung Joey's arm over mine. He slumped his whole body weight into me and I stumbled with a squeal. "God, you lightweight! At least help me out!"
  "Let me," Freddy offered. My eyes shot to him and, after considering my options, I allowed Joey to slide from my arms to Freddy's. He lifted the fully-grown man into his arms like a baby.
  I snapped a photo for revenge purposes. Freddy was unfairly photogenic.
  Five minutes later, Joey and I were sat outside the entrance to the Pizzaplex as we waited for the car to arrive. Joey had his head on my shoulder as he rode the waves of intoxication that I was only just beginning to feel myself. Freddy remained just inside the entrance, unable to step foot outside.

  "I think it's sweet," Joey mumbled as we sat in the chilly night air. I hummed for elaboration. "Y'know, Freddy having a crush. Imagine doing the same thing everyday for seven years and being stuck in there their entire lives. And they're so smart. Then someone walks in and everything changes? Must be pretty scary."
  I stared at the stones beneath my shoes as his words hung in the air. Joey was right, it must've been scary. How could a robot comprehend such emotions? Even humans had a hard time juggling such intensity, and they had their whole childhood and teenhood to prepare for it.
  I closed my eyes. But why did it have to be me? I couldn't even get my cat to like me, but a robot can?
  The Uber pulled up and I helped Joey inside. He shot me a confused, dizzy look when I stepped back instead of getting inside. I hugged my cold arms.
  "I'm gonna help Freddy put his ear back on," I said. "One less thing for tomorrow."

  Joey smirked wickedly. "Get that Fazussy."
  "You are revolting," I said.

  Freddy fixed me with a surprised look when I stepped back into the lobby. His blue eyes glanced up and watched the car pull away.
  "Are you returning to the party?" he queried. I shook my head.
  "Let's fix that ear of yours."
  "I am certain that I can last until tomorrow," he insisted. "I cannot ask you to-"
  "You're not asking, I'm telling," I said with an edge to my voice that sounded more somber than ordering. All I could think about was Freddy waiting in his room all night, every night, with only the occasional handler to take the nightshift to keep him occupied. The thought had me feeling far too empathetic for my own good. "Now get your butt back to your green room before I start seeing double. I'm gonna get changed in my office."
  Freddy looked like he wanted to argue but wisely closed his jaw. He gave a nod and lead the way to Rockstar Row. We wisely avoided the photo print of Fredbear's Family Diner.
  After peeling off my dress and returning to my spare stack of fat pants and loose shirts that Joey once told me to stock up on (apparently, Bonnie liked pranking his friends by throwing them into the water at Gator Golf), I made my way to Freddy's green room.
  He was already inside, waistcoat unbuttoned, as he sat on his couch and awaited my return. I turned my gaze away from the material that hung loose - afraid of what scenarios my not-so-sober mind would create.

  He slid down to sit on the floor and I took his spot, perched on the couch to give me an extra little bit of height. I honked his nose for good measure. He sighed in defeat when I chuckled.
  "They really need to just get you a new ear," I murmured as I grabbed said object from Freddy's hand and began assessing the issue. "Surely this place makes enough money to build a new one. It's not even that big of a piece."
  Freddy remained quiet while I leant over his head and tried to hook the attachment back into its slot in his endoskeleton. I noticed the problem immediately - the latch was worn down, probably from years of wiggling his ears. I made a mental note to make Jenkins look at it on Monday.
  I caught Freddy's stare as his eyes peered up at me. I smiled softly, and his gaze jumped away. I had to keep myself from snickering at the bashful look that crossed his face.
  "I never got the chance to ask you..." Freddy's voice trailed off into a quiet murmur while I worked on hooking his ear back into place. I hummed for him to continue and I felt my intoxicated brain begin to sway. Freddy pulled a bolstering sigh. "Are you okay after this morning?"
  My hands faltered at his question and an uncomfortable twist in my stomach had me slightly grimacing.
  "I'm fine," I said. My lie was ineffective. "And what about you, huh? Someone a little distracted during their performances?"

  Freddy nervously shifted. "Was it noticeable?"
  I shrugged. "Only a little. Crowd wouldn't be able to tell, I'd wager. What's been on your mind, big guy?"
  And, without a beat; "you."
  My hands slipped at the confession and the ear, which was so close to latching on, dislodged. I rightened myself with burning cheeks and locked eyes.
  "Jesus, dude," I breathed, beginning to slur only a little. "Give a gal a little warning next time you spill your heart out, yeah?"
  "Sorry."
  "It's not your fault," I sighed as I knelt on the couch to peer better into his shell through his ear slot. "Can't imagine what it would be like for you. Learning emotions n' stuff was hard enough as a human."
  Freddy didn't respond. He pulled his knees up and fiddled with his fingers while I cursed and hissed under my breath as the ear refused to lock back into position.
  Eventually, he began a new topic of conversation.
  "Do you have a partner, Y/n?" he asked hesitantly. I exhaled slowly through my nose.
  "I have a cat," I replied dryly. I didn't want to know why he was asking if I was tied down or not. His one working ear perked.
  "What's your cat's name?"
  "Mike," I answered as I tugged more roughly at the endo ear-lock. "He's an asshole, just like the other one."

  Freddy's entire frame shuddered enough for me to sit back in shock. His head bent. He looked... so small.
  "Sorry." His voice box malfunctioned again, and that same British voice sparked through with static. I eyed him worriedly.
  "I might log you in for a full check tomorrow," I said in concern. "Are you doing okay, big guy?"
  "... yeah." His voice was shuttering and glitching with sharp electronic squeals. I winced.
  "Just a little bit longer," I promised as I returned to his ear. "I've almost got it." I paused to nervously chuckle. "Doesn't help that everything is kinda swimming."
  Freddy's eyes shot to me, hovering above his head.
  "Are you okay?"
  "Oh, yes," I said with an amused smile. "The alcohol's just about to kick in and I'm gonna be very drunk very soon." I patted his cheek. "So stay still for me for a sec, 'kay? 'Else m'never getting this done tonight."
  To his credit, Freddy remained totally motionless while I worked to hook his ear back into its mechanism with wobbling vision. When I finally heard the 'click' of success, I raised my arms in silent, teetering triumph.

  "Thank you for doing this, Y/n," Freddy said quietly after giving his ear a test wiggle. I felt my head begin to throb big time. "I realise-"
His voice glitched into nothing when I dropped my forehead onto the space beside his ear. I sighed in relief at the cool metal of his polished shell. It somewhat soothed the ache.
  "... are you alright?"
  "Mmmyeah," I murmured as I turned onto my cheek. It felt like my body was in a bucket of molasses - slow and sluggish, difficult to move. Exhaustion from such a busy month had hit me like a wrecking ball. "Jus'... tired..."
  "Will you be alright to get home?" Freddy asked worriedly. He turned around and jolted to catch my weary body when it began to slip. "Y/n?"
  "I'll just take a nap before I leave," I hummed. My headache, I was sure, would subside with sleep. My eyelids were basically already closed and I had doubts that they would open again for a while. "Do you mind?"
  "I- no, of course not, but-"  
  "Great," I hummed in tired glee. I pulled myself from his grasp and curled into a ball on the couch. "G'night, handsome."

  I wasn't sure how Freddy reacted to the return of the pet name, but after a few seconds, I felt his hand brush the top of my head just once. And then, I was out.

  "Sleep well, superstar."