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Chica hears the soft sobs before she sees the wolf that she's looking for.
It's a quiet, aching kind of noise; it invokes a deep sadness in her, one that didn't entirely make sense given their dispositions. But her and Freddy, before this hell of a night, had talked extensively over feeling and emotion- and yet, it was still so foreign to her.
Roxy's crying made the core of her being wrench in pain. The mechanical tone of her voice suppressed some of the emotion, but Chica could hear it. Her wailing was not spurred by irrationality. This was a deep, sorrowful cry; and why Chica recognized it so thoroughly, she did not know.
A cry for help, that’s what it was. And although Roxy was often quiet with her sniffles in the nighttime, their rooms were next to each other; she could hear it, even through the walls.
So Chica wandered, with aching legs and creaking joints, to where the crying was coming from-
Nearby Roxy Raceway, of course. Roxanne was curled into a ball, her body visibly maimed. Her ear flicked, programming to mimic that of a real wolf, and she turned to where Chica waddled into view- but, to Chica’s utter horror, Roxy’s eyes were completely gone .
“Who’s there?!” She’d ask, her voice shrill and mechanical, the sniffles disappearing as if they never existed in the first place.
Chica couldn’t reply- a soft whir emitted from her, and she took a step closer. To her dismay, Roxy only shuffled backwards, before wobbling to her feet with a distraught growl. “Get away! Go! Shoo!”
Chica’s lopsided eyelids drooped, and she tapped her foot a couple of times. Roxy must have understood that this was another animatronic, now, with how the metal sounded against the hard flooring.
“Who’s… who’s there? Monty? Freddy?” A small pause as Chica tried to make a noise- it was only a quiet screech, one that made Roxanne flinch. “...Chica? Is that you?”
Chica nodded, but she cursed herself afterwards- the wolf was blind. She needed to keep that in mind as she stepped closer, crunching down to settle on her rear and beckoning Roxy to follow suit with a brief hand on her shoulder.
Roxanne seemed to realize she had somewhat overreacted, also leveling towards the ground at Chica’s light touches. If Chica didn’t know any better, Roxy seemed to lean just a little closer.
But Chica knew her wolfy friend well, and admitting to vulnerability would never fly. Instead, Roxanne curled in on herself, her bedraggled tail draped around her cracked feet. Although Chica’s eyes were definitely in disrepair, she could still see somewhat well, and Roxy looked awful . Granted, Chica dreaded to check the mirror for her own complexion- but, well, that was a topic for another time.
There was a long silence, after that. Only the soft buzzing of the fluorescent lights overhead could be heard, as her and Roxanne were huddled up in an unfinished corner of Roxy Raceway.
Roxanne seemed hesitant to speak first, if at all. And yet, that toughness she showed to the world seemed to crack.
“Chica… how do I look? Gross, right? Disgusting? Repulsive?”
Chica couldn’t reply- mechanical parts whirred to life as she tried to refute the wolf’s claims, but even she had to admit that Roxanne’s outer shell had definitely seen better days.
“Roxy the Repulsive,” Roxanne would snort, jaw clicking as her head and empty eye-sockets turned straight towards Chica. “How does that sound? Just wonderful, right?”
Chica still couldn’t answer, but she was hesitant to do much more than stare. Roxy was already flinchy, and she’d remembered from previous occurrences that the wolf was extremely sensitive to touch- especially when she was under the weather.
Roxanne growled again, low in her throat. “ Why aren’t you saying anything ?!” She’d ask, her voice more of a bark, that human-sounding strain returning to her tone, as if she was holding back tears. Nonexistent tears. Robots couldn’t cry. “Am I that ugly? Aren’t I pretty, Chica? Aren’t I beautiful? Aren’t I still beautiful ?”
Chica’s own mechanical parts came to life once again, trying to figure out how to respond- but she couldn’t talk , and it was frustrating her.
Another pause, and then Roxanne sighed again, curling up into a tighter ball. “No.. no. You’re speechless at how awful I am. They.. they made me in order to replace someone that was.. too great. He was your friend, right? A long time ago…”
The chicken hesitated, brows furrowing as her expression shifted to sorrow. She felt… bad.
“How could they do that? How could I live up to someone so popular ?” Roxanne would cry, but she was no longer facing Chica’s direction. Her voided eyes stared off at the walls ahead, cursing the world. “They made me… they set me up to fail ! This is what they wanted, wasn’t it? To see me suffer?! To see me… break down!”
And her cries returned, her jaw opening with a soft creak as she wailed at the ceiling. Chica was there, she’d always be there, but then again… hesitancy. Roxanne, right now, thought she was the ugliest and most awful thing in the world. Chica had to prove that she was the most beautiful thing in the universe through touch alone.
Chica extended her arm, reaching out nervously in order to intertwine her fingers with Roxanne’s.
Roxanne immediately stiffened, her head turning to Chica while her jaw was still agape. “What.. are you doing?” She’d ask, voice quiet and cracked, as if she was a human who was running out of tears to shed. In some ways, maybe she was.
Chica was determined, now. Roxy hadn’t pulled away, so she took her other free hand and pressed them both to Roxy’s paw. Carefully, she tugged her arm upwards, cringing at the creaks of broken, worn joints. Roxanne, still, didn’t shrink away from the gentle touch. Chica watched as she gradually shifted closer.
With a tentative finality did Chica finally press Roxanne’s fingers to where her beak was- well, where it would be. Instead, it was a mess of wires and cracked casing.
Roxanne, soft in every sense of the word, felt around the missing cavity. She quietly gasped when she couldn’t find what she was searching for- a voice box.
“Oh… oh no. I…” The wolf began, shaky and stuttery. “I’m sorry. I didn’t.. I didn’t know.”
Chica shrugged, and Roxanne seemed to listen to the distinct way her shoulders shifted as she did so, and understood her somewhat well. “I shouldn’t have assumed, I… I said too much. You shouldn’t.. have heard all that. I shouldn’t be jealous of… your old friend.”
Roxanne had begun pulling her paw away, but Chica was quick to grasp at it again. Roxanne seemed surprised by this, her ears lowering slightly as Chica pressed the pads to her cheek, to get her to hold her. Roxy, with all of the tenderness in the world, obliged and caressed her friend’s smooth, cool cheek.
“That kid… and Freddy… I can’t believe they’re working together. Can you believe it?”
Chica didn’t answer.
“Oh.. oh, right. You can’t talk. Heh… one tap for yes, two taps for no. With your foot, your finger- whatever. Is that good?”
Chica tapped her hand to the floor once.
Roxy smiled, and Chica would admit that it was the prettiest thing she had seen in a very long time.
“Am I… ugly?” Roxanne would ask.
Two taps.
“Do… do you think I’m pretty?”
One tap.
“Are you lying?”
Two taps.
“Are you just saying this to… make me feel better?”
Two taps.
“You mean it? Really?”
One tap, and Roxy sighed, pulling Chica closer. Chica shifted with the weight, so that their shoulders and hips and thighs were pressed together.
“I feel… vulnerable. It’s hard. I don’t like it.”
Chica didn’t answer.
“Right, right.. questions. Uh.. Am I beautiful?”
A delayed tap.
“You hesitated. Why?”
Chica huffed, a screechy whir emerging from her throat. Roxy snorted in amusement.
“Sorry, sorry… I really wish you could talk to me right now.”
Chica’s head dipped to rest on Roxanne’s shoulder; Roxy seemed to understand.
“You feel the same way?”
One tap.
“Good. I’m.. I’m glad.”
Chica wasn’t satisfied. Although their bodies were touching, she wanted more than this.
Carefully, her arms wrapped around Roxanne’s waist; the wolf yelped in surprise, but it was soft and not fearful. The chicken carefully brought Roxanne into her lap, adjusting for comfort- although comfort wasn’t exactly needed. They didn’t have over-the-top pain sensors. It was just enough to know when their body was being damaged, of course.
Surprising to her, though, was the way Roxanne seemed to melt. She curled up even more in her friend’s lap, tucking her nose under Chica’s chin, bringing her arms around the other. Chica did the same, and this- this was the closest they had ever been.
Featherlight touches after a show; long, lousy nights in one of their rooms; Roxanne indulging in Chica’s unusual food cravings in the middle of the night. If one asked, the other would come, answering every beck and call. As if helping one another was as easy as breathing- which, of course, it was. Neither of them needed to breathe.
“We’re friends… aren’t we?”
The comfortable silence had been broken, but Chica didn’t mind.
One tap.
“You wouldn’t lie to me, would you?”
Two taps.
I wish I could tell you how I feel.
“And you think.. you really think I’m pretty?”
One tap.
I wish I could tell you how much you mean to me.
“I should… stop asking that, shouldn’t I?”
Two taps.
I’d tell you how beautiful you are, over and over, until you start to believe it.
“What?” The wolf would laugh quietly, “You want to keep fueling my.. ego?”
One tap.
When will you believe it?
“Heh… Freddy always said you were the affectionate type.”
Chica hummed in that screechy voice of hers. It sounded awful, but Roxanne tucked her head further into Chica’s neck anyways.
When will you believe me?
“Do you think you could… hold me like this again?”
One tap.
I’ll hold you like this forever.
“This is nice. Do you… do you like it, too?”
One tap.
One day, we’ll go outside.
“Can you hold my hand?”
They met each other halfway, intertwining their fingers once more.
One day, I’ll show you the stars.
“I like holding your hand.”
One day, I’ll make you believe you’re as pretty as the stars.
“Can I…” Roxanne’s voice trailed.
One day, I’ll make you believe you’re as beautiful as the moon.
Roxy went quiet, but Chica whirred in contemplation.
I’ll prove to you…
“...Chica…”
I’ll prove to you that you’re wonderful as you are.
“...Can I kiss you?”
One tap.
Silence.
“...Really?”
One tap.
“Okay.. Just your cheek. Just for now.”
It went quiet, and Chica could see Roxanne’s hesitance. Her parts went into overdrive, heat coming off of her in waves.
And then, tenderly, barely there, did the cool metal of her mouth brush against Chica’s cheek. Roxanne held her other cheek in her hand, mimicking a kiss that they’d seen the humans do.
Chica squeezed their hands together.
“Maybe we can… do that again.”
One tap.
“Let’s stay here… for the night. The mechanics will find us tomorrow… we’ll probably close for a while until we get fixed. But… if we’re too broken to be repaired… I’ll spend this last night with you.”
They held each other tighter. In that moment, it was just them- and quiet thoughts, with even quieter memories.
Maybe, they’d be taken apart tomorrow, and never be put back together again.
But, for this night, they’d sit and absorb the silent company. They’d sit, and they’d ponder, and eventually-
Their batteries would go low, and they’d enter their rest modes, and if Roxanne pressed a few more mimic-kisses to Chica’s cheeks-
Well, that was between them and the stars.