Chapter Text
It was early in the afternoon and everyone was preparing for the night ahead. Davis was getting the bar wiped down and glasses ready, Bonnie was tuning his lute, and Chica was coming up from the kitchen. She was doing that more often now. During active hours she always stayed in the kitchen, but she was beginning to join the others for a bit now before the tavern opened. She'd gotten closer with the two bards, Foxy and Bonnie, after several months. Molten had seen Foxy escorting her home a few times, and recently Bonnie had joined them. They lived together; Molten had followed them one night. Not that he cared or anything, but if something happened to them like Freddy, surely the tavern close and be sold.
Currently, Chica was squawking to the bards about some new dish she was trying. Both of them were eager to try it, ever the adventurous ones. Molten tried to ignore it. Something about it made the cavity in his torso feel more hollow. Unfortunately, it didn't take Chica long to make her way over to him, the bards not far behind.
"Here!" she said, lifting up the plate. "Try it!"
Molten averted his eyes.
"No."
"It's a mighty fine dish, Spaghetti. Ye ought to try it." Foxy supported.
"Ya! It's the best thing I've ever had!" Bonnie practically yelled. His voice was always a bit louder than necessary.
"You're dirty," Molten tried.
Chica did keep a rather dirty appearance. Her feathers were coated with dirt and speckled with mud to hide their vibrance. Despite this, she kept her talons quite clean and was extremely careful with the food.
"Molten, you know as well as I do that Chica is clean with her cooking," Davis commented from the side.
Molten shot him a glare that Davis completely missed; too focused on preparing the counter. The trio in front of him didn't relent. Molten continued bickering with them and his ears slowly flattened backwards, in part because of irritation, but also because of how loud the trio was. His enhanced hearing didn't cooperate with him sometimes.
"Why don't you ever eat my cooking?!" Chica burst out. "It won't kill you to try it!"
"I can't!" Molten roared. "You think this plating is just decoritive?!"
He tapped the metal where his stomach should've been.
"It's not," he spat. "I don't have any organs down here to digest your shitty food with."
Molten paused. He shouldn't said that. He told them his stupid weakness. The Tavern was quiet. The trio in front of him were wide-eyed and had shrunken back. Davis was also staring at him. All their eyes in the silence of his spilled secret made him feel pinned to the floor. Just like back then.
Screams
Agony
Blood vessels snapping
His throat filling with blood
Trying not to make his movements look frantic, he grabbed the door behind him. He threw it open and stomped out of the tavern, slamming the door behind him. He heard the door crack under his enhanced strength, but it remained intact.
'Lucky me,' he thought sarcastically.