You're No Good for Me

by StarDust3

Summary:

Evolution Academy, the most prestigious school for anthropomorphic animals to be accepted into. It has the highest amount of graduates that successfully evolve into a bigger, stronger, more powerful version of yourself and gain abilities you can only dream about. To be accepted is a rare honor.

So, why was Day selected to attend the academy? How is he supposed to survive until graduation?

Chapter 1: Prologue

Day sits in the uncomfortable plastic chair, waiting with everyone else. He watches as his classmates are called through the gym doors to the selection van. In alphabetical order they walk out one by one. A chilly spring breeze drifts through the open doors. Day traces the lines on the floor as his classmates’ voices fill the gym.

“I hope I get selected!”

“Same!”

“Everyone does, duh!”

“There’s no way you’ll get chosen!”

“I have a better chance than you!”

“Daylight Dog!”

Day flinches as his name is called. He’s glad he’s towards the front of the alphabet. He doesn’t do well with sitting still with nothing to do for long. He hurries over to the open gym doors where the teacher called his name. He’s guided up a ramp and into the back of a human sized semi truck. It’s cool inside as he follows a string of blue lights towards the front of the truck.

“Over here,” an elderly human calls from where she’s sitting in front of a curtain. It blocks the rest of the truck from view. In front of her on an anthro sized table is a crystal ball the size of a basketball, resting on a pillow. Day stops a few steps away from the crystal ball. The human smiles at him. “What’s your name, dearie?”

“Daylight Dog,” Day recites as his fingers start tapping on his thigh. The lady nods as she looks down at the clipboard in her lap. She writes something down and looks up with another smile for him.

“Just put your hand on the ball and relax dearie. It doesn’t hurt,” she assures him. Day swallows and lays his hand flat on the crystal ball. The ball warms up under his touch and starts to glow gold.

“Oh my stars,” the lady gasps. She stares at the light as it starts to grow brighter. Day can feel his ears starting to shift back as the silence continues. Did he do something bad? Should he move his hand? The lady is still staring. Day shifts awkwardly on his feet as he debates if he should wait or move his hand. His movement catches the lady’s eye and she quickly grabs her clipboard and pen.

“Stay there, dearie,” she says as she starts writing furiously before glancing at the crystal ball a few times. Day can’t quite make out what she's writing. He can see his name printed on the paper, but the lady’s handwriting just looks like scribbles to Day. She reaches the bottom of the paper and looks back up at him with a smile. “Congratulations, dearie! You have been chosen! You can take your hand off of the ball and go behind the curtain. They’ll get you sorted out from there,” the elderly lady points with her pen past the curtain. Day hesitates, she smiles at him and pulls the curtain back.

“Thank you,” Day says as he walks past her.

“Good luck, dearie,” the lady says as the curtain closes behind Day. He sees one other person sitting in the seats in this part of the truck. He sits two seats away from the familiar face.

“Hi, Aksha,” Day attempts to smile at the wolf. She looks him over before frowning and glancing away. Day can feel his ears and tail droop at the cold shoulder. He thought she would talk to him when they were alone at least. Does she really dislike him that much now? What did he do? Day fiddles with his fingers as the silence around them turns suffocating. He starts tapping his shoes on the floor to break it. He doesn’t know how long he sits there with Aksha, but it’s a long time. They must sit through all of their classmates getting tested too. Aksha must have skipped waiting in the gym and got tested first, but she has to wait anyway. Day tries a few times to listen for the elderly lady or any of his classmates, but he doesn’t hear anything. At some point, Aksha starts angrily muttering under her breath as she types away on her phone. Finally, a ram walks in and tells them they’re going to the capital. He guides them out of the truck into a shiny black car.

“Wait! Don’t we get to grab our stuff?” Aksha asks. She stands in front of the open car door with her arms crossed. Day glances at her tail tucked between her legs as she glares at the man holding the door open. Trying to hide the fear of leaving everything behind for something unknown. The ram’s polite smile grows cold.

“There’s no need to worry about that, Miss. Everything will be taken care of,” the ram assures her.

“No. I want to see my family before I leave,” Aksha growls. The ram's smile twists into a sneer.

“If you do not get in the car, you will not be going to the capital. Are you going to throw away this opportunity?”

“Why can’t I see my family?” Aksha asks him. Her ears pin back against her head. Day shifts away in case she lashes out. Wolves can get dangerous when they’re emotional, especially teenagers.

“Fine, go,” the ram tells her. He turns his focus to Day and his polite smile is back. “How about you, sir? This is the biggest opportunity of your life.”

“Don’t ignore me!” Aksha snaps. She growls under her breath as she gets into the car. Day gets in behind her, dreading the long car ride with an angry wolf he has ahead of him. Once Day is inside, the door shuts behind him and the ram gets into the driver’s seat.

“It takes eighteen hours to get to the capital. When we stop tonight to sleep, rooms will be provided for the night. If you need to stop at some point, knock on the glass,” the ram says before he shuts the glass that divides the front and back seats. Aksha pulls out her phone and starts texting furiously on it. Day wishes he had a phone right now…or someone to say goodbye to. He stares out the window as his hometown passes by. Will he ever come back here?

Day blinks as Aksha’s voice breaks the silence. She explains to whoever is on the other end of her phone that she couldn’t say goodbye in person, but she loves them and will stay in touch as much as she can. Aksha glares at him when she catches him staring at her. Day quickly looks back out the window. Aksha keeps talking and sniffles a few times as their town disappears behind them. The view of small buildings scattered among trees is replaced with a dense forest that casts large shadows over the road. Day closes his eyes as he rests his forehead against the car window, maybe he can get some sleep.

It takes them twenty hours instead of eighteen. The ram isn’t happy about it and Aksha doesn’t care. She purposefully delayed them as much as she could. Way more bathroom breaks than anyone would need, long food breaks, and she refused to get up before seven when the ram wanted them to be on the road by six. Day just wishes he had a toothbrush and toothpaste. His breath is not pleasant when he skips brushing them. His fur is short enough he doesn't need to brush it very often, but the feeling of a brush going through his fur is the most relaxing thing. He could have used some very relaxing moments on this trip. It finally ends when the car pulls up in front of a gray office building. Is that where they’re going? The ram pulls up to the curb in front of the building and parks the car. He opens his door and steps out just as Aksha opens her door. She and the ram stare each other down. Day gets out on his side of the car onto the sidewalk. He inhales the fresh air and stretches his arms above his head. He doesn’t want to get in a car again for at least a year. That is one of the most uncomfortable rides he’s ever had.

“Go through the front doors and tell the secretary you’re selected from Canine Hill,” the ram points to the front doors of the office building. He sends a glare at Aksha before sitting in his seat again and slamming the door. He drives away without another word.

“He’s going to pay for that,” Aksha growls at the retreating car. She flips her white hair over her shoulder and starts walking towards the doors. She starts texting again as they walk. Day follows behind her as he looks around and listens for other people nearby. It doesn’t seem like there’s anyone around right now. Aksha enters the building first and stomps up to the dove secretary. Day looks around at what could be the waiting room to the principal’s office back home. There are cushioned chairs, low tables, and magazines. Most of it is human sized, but there are a few chairs and tables that are small enough for anthros.

“I’m Aksha Wolfe, my father said he already took care of everything,” Aksha tells the secretary. Day sees a flash of annoyance on the secretary’s face before she smiles politely.

“Of course, Miss Wolfe. This is the key and number to your room. Just take the elevator up to the seventh floor,” the dove says. Aksha takes the key and walks over to the elevator. Day approaches the desk for his key.

“Hey, Day!” Aksha calls. Day blinks as she talks directly to him for the first time in a year. He meets her green eyes. “You better not fail the first week. We have to make Canine Hill proud.” It’s the nicest thing she’s said to him too. Aksha’s elevator arrives and she disappears inside. Day wonders if he’ll see her again soon.

“You must be Daylight Dog?” the dove asks. Day nods as she opens a drawer and pulls out a file. She stands and starts walking down a hallway on the opposite side from where Aksha went. “Please, follow me,” the dove says. She leads Day down the hall before stopping in front of a door and knocking. A voice calls for them to enter. The dove steps in first and Day nervously follows. Inside is a human with bright red hair and icy blue eyes. She’s short for a human, only a few inches taller than him. There isn’t anyone else in the room. The secretary sets the file down in front of the human and leaves the room, closing the door behind her. Day stands awkwardly beside the door as the human opens the file and starts to look through it. Should he sit? Or is he supposed to stay standing? His fingers start to tap his thigh as he waits nervously. The silence, again, fills the air. Day looks around for any kind of distraction. He is going to start shouting if he has to suffer through more silence.

“Would you like to sit down?” the human asks. Day’s hand stills as he realizes she's watching him. Day debates for a second. He really would rather not sit for a while, he’s been stuck in a car for the past two days, but it might be rude to stand when she’s sitting or something. Walking around a little helped his legs, so Day sits in the chair across from the human. He’s glad the table and chairs are anthro sized instead of human sized, even if the human across from him is still tall enough she has to hunch over. She glances down at the papers in front of her before meeting his eyes.

“You’re Daylight Dog?”

“Yes,” Day answers. That’s all anyone has asked him since the selection. The human nods as she flips through the papers. Day sees his school picture as she flips through the file. Day isn’t sure what’s in it, but how are there so many papers about him in there? He doesn't think he’s done enough to get such a big file. The human finishes reading and flips through the papers again to grab two. She sets them on top and looks back up to meet his gaze.

“The results of your selection show you have an enormous potential for magic,” the human glances down at the paper before glancing back up to him. “With the right training and support you could easily evolve into a guardian,” the human smiles. It’s a practiced smile that Day would not believe after what she just said. Him? Evolve? Ha! The doubt must show on his face, because the human’s smile fades. Day looks down at the papers and catches a few sentences. One of the papers has his magic results and the other has his list of misdemeanors. The human’s hand spreads across the page with his criminal record. Day glances up at her.

“I know your circumstances are…special. If you decide to pursue magic, I can help get rid of this,” she taps the paper her hand is on, “and I can support you.”

“Support how?” Day asks.

“If you decide to pursue magic, I’ll get you enrolled at Evol Academy and pay for all of the expenses. Equipment, books, clothes, and anything else you’ll need. I can get you the best opportunities avail–”

“What’s the catch?” Day interrupts her. He probably shouldn’t, but he’s tired and this seems too good to be true. The human glances behind him at the door, then the window lining the right wall. She turns back to him with a guarded expression.

“It’s not safe to say, here,” she says quietly. Day frowns and looks down at his hands. He should say no, there’s so much the human isn’t telling him. Not to mention what she’s asking him to do. Graduating from the academy is extremely difficult. He looked it up once for an assignment and sixty five percent of the student body never graduate. He doesn’t think he’ll make it all the way to graduation. Even if his magic is supposed to have an amazing amount of potential, the odds aren’t good.

…

He doesn’t have anything to lose. Day doesn’t have anyone waiting for him in Canine Hill. With his list of crimes growing, he knows it’s only a matter of time before he ends up in jail. He also knows an opportunity like this only happens once. Day weighs the pros and cons in his mind. As he does, a little glimmer of hope sparks in his chest. If he tries to do this…that would make Mom happy, wouldn’t it? She wouldn’t want him to keep going like he has been. He doesn’t want to keep going like this. He wants to change into someone better. This seems like his best chance to do it.

“Ok,” Day looks back up at the red haired human. “I’ll do it.”

Notes:

Hello, everyone! this story will be looong if I manage to stick to my outline. It will also get darker as we go, it might take a few chapters, but it will get dark. (For those of you who came here from Chasing Daylight, it's angstier than that.) The Mature rating is for gore. (I might try smut) This is all I can think of for warnings.

Thank you for reading!

Chapter 2: Orientation

Day fidgets with his gloves as the car pulls up to the academy gates. He can see so many other anthros like himself going through the tall gates of the academy. The humans are easy to spot where they tower over all of the students. The first visible building of the academy has tall gleaming towers, behind it the other academic buildings are partially hidden by trees. Poppy finds a parking spot and pulls in. She parks the car and turns to him.

“You can do this, Day. Just focus on learning everything you can,” Poppy encourages. Day watches a bus pull up and start unloading students. He jumps a little as Poppy gently lays her hand on his arm. She waits until he meets her eyes before continuing.

“Remember to have fun. There’s only so much work you can do until your body gives out,” Poppy smiles at him. “I’ll call you everyday, don't worry.” Part of Day is mortified at the thought of calling her everyday, but the needy part of him wants to hear her familiar voice at least three times every day.

“Let me call you, I don’t know what my schedule looks like yet,” Day manages a half smile. “I’ll miss you,” he admits.

“I’ll miss you too!” Poppy wraps him in a tight hug that Day affectionately returns. “Now, go conquer the school before I change my mind and we go home,” Poppy pulls away from the hug.

“Really?” Day asks hopefully.

“Go, you silly dog. We’ll talk tonight,” Poppy pushes him weakly towards the door. She could overpower him with her size advantage, but she doesn’t. Day chuckles as he opens the passenger door and steps into the bright sunlight. He takes a deep breath. He can smell the refreshing pine trees and faint sweat of many different people fill his nose. He shuts his door and opens the passenger one behind him. He grabs his suitcase and backpack.

“Bye, Day,” Poppy sniffles. Day chuckles as he reaches through the front two seats to squeeze her hand.

“We promised no tears,” he teases.

“I’m not crying,” Poppy sniffles again.

“Bye, Poppy. We’ll talk soon,” Day promises as he squeezes her hand again. He leans back out of the car and takes his bags with him. He shuts the car door and waves through the window one last time before he turns to walk through the imposing gates of Evol Academy. The tall gates shimmer in the sunlight and students stop to take pictures. Day has to dodge around a few people to actually make it through the gate into the academy grounds. He isn’t sure where to go, so he follows the crowd towards the front of the first building he sees. As he gets closer he realizes a stage has been set up at the base of its front steps. Students are milling around in front of it as they wait for someone to appear. Day glances at the big clock face on the front of the building. There’s still ten minutes left until the time their introduction letters said to be here. Day glances around the courtyard again. Most of the students are by the stage, but some have started wandering around the courtyard and behind the main building. Day grips the handle of his suitcase as he debates going to explore himself. It would let him stretch his legs or at the very least kill some time. He won’t go far, just behind the main building and back to the stage. Day’s feet are moving before he fully decides to go. His suitcase rolls behind him as he looks around at the other students–is that person a gecko? He’s never seen a lizard anthro before! Day wanders down the left side of the building, staying on the cement path. He steps to the side into some grass to let a large group of sheep pass by. As he waits in the shade, rustling starts above him.

He looks up and his eyes collide with a pair of bright yellow. A long tail flicks back and forth as a cat anthro leans against the trunk of the tree. His yellow eyes watch Day, but he doesn’t say anything. A breeze rustles through the tree making the leaves dance. Their shadows make a really pretty design on the cat’s face. As the leaves shift, the sun highlights purple fur, a cute nose, and tired eyes. One eye glows under a direct beam of sunlight. A laugh from someone behind him makes Day realizes he’s just standing there staring at the cat silently. He should say something. What should he say? What’s your name? No, hold on. He should say hi first. Yeah, that's definitely where he should sta-a growl fills the air between them. Day blinks as he refocuses on the cat. The cat blushes and refuses to make eye contact. Day stifles a chuckle as he digs through his backpack for a snack to give the cat’s growling stomach. All he has is a small bag of pretzels and one of the expensive water bottles Poppy bought for him that's filled with tea.

“Here,” Day offers the food up towards the cat. Yellow eyes narrow as the cat turns away from him.

“It’s for you,” Day tries again. The cat ignores him, his tail twitching where it hangs from the tree. Day frowns to himself. Should he give up? No, the cat’s stomach was loud when it growled just now. He must be really hungry.

“Catch,” Day warns as he throws the two items up at the cat. A long purple tail snatches them mid-air. The cat looks at the food and frowns at Day. It definitely isn't a cute expression on the feline. Nope. Not at all.

“Keep them,” Day grins as he turns and speed walks away from the tree. When he makes it a few feet down the sidewalk he glances over his shoulder. The cat is glaring at him. Day winks before turning and continuing back towards the front of the main building. There’s only a few minutes left until the clock strikes eleven. Other students have the same idea as they walk in the same direction.

Day stands among the crowd of students as the clock strikes eleven. Then he walks onto the stage. Freddy Fazbear. The strongest evolved anthro, the best singer in the world, and the most honorable president of Evol Academy. He’s as close to a legend as possible. Day’s tail wags excitedly as Freddy walks up to the microphone on the stage. He’s seeing Freddy Fazbear in real life! Freddy is much taller than the humans on stage and his sleeves are rolled back enough to show off the strength of his arms. Other students whisper in excitement at the sight of the evolved bear. As they should.

“Welcome students to Evol Academy,” Freddy’s hypnotizing voice commands attention as it echoes across the courtyard. “Today, you all will be starting your journey towards graduating. Even if you don’t evolve, there is much to gain from this academy. I wish you all the best of luck on your journey.”

The crowd erupts in cheers as Freddy steps back and a human woman takes his place in front of the microphone. Day watches Freddy walk to the back of the stage and down the steps that must be there. When the top of the bear’s hat disappears, Day’s tail calms down and he tunes back into what the human lady is saying. He hopes he gets to see Freddy again. Maybe even talk to him!

“–ight. My sisters and I are teachers here at the school. Each of us will be taking a group of students to their dormitories. Now, everyone with a last name that starts with the letter A to E, please follow my sister with your letters to your dorm building,” the human smiles as she motions to the right. Day navigates through the crowd of students towards the white sign with the A and E printed in big black letters. The teacher, wow these sisters are practically identical, waits a few moments before she smiles even wider and starts to walk around the main building.

“When we get to the dormitories, there will be tables set up with each letter that will give you a keycard and introduction packet. After that, you are free to explore the academy grounds! Lunch is served from eleven to two, I suggest stopping by to try our highly rated cuisine! I hope you learn a lot here, students!” The teacher maintains her smile as she leads them towards two brand new looking buildings right by the tall bars of the academy’s gate. A table with each letter from A to E are set up with a human sitting behind each one. Day gets into the line at the D table. He looks up at the shiny buildings. He thinks the columns of tinted windows are staircases. It looks like a nice place.

“Next,” the human calls in a bored voice. Day realizes he’s next in line and approaches the tall table. “Name?” the human asks as he flips to the front of their clipboard of papers. Day has to grip the edge of the table to stay balanced as he stands on his toes to see the human.

“Daylight Dog.”

“Let me see…there you are. Room eight,” the human shifts through a box Day has no hope of seeing inside of. The human hands Day a tiny envelope with an eight on it. Day takes it with a grateful smile. The human leans over and grabs a thick binder that has Day’s name on it. “This is your introductory packet. It has everything from the school rules to your class schedule inside. Don’t lose it or your keycard,” the human crosses Day’s name off the list. It feels like a dismissal, so Day slips the keycard into his hoodie pocket and holds the binder in one hand as he pulls his suitcase behind him with the other. It’s a good thing the binder is anthro sized, a human sized one would take two hands to carry. Day follows the other male students into the building on the right.

The lobby inside is nice, it smells new and clean. A little too chemically for Day’s nose. The fireplace and colors of the chairs make it feel welcoming. Day lets the elevator full of people go, he looks around for the stairs and takes them instead. It’s empty, like he thought it would be. Day hauls his suitcase up the stairs to the top floor. He can see a keycard scanner, so he stops in front of the door to get his keycard out. He carefully takes it out of the envelope and presses it against the scanner. Nothing happens. The little light stays red. Day tries going slower, it doesn’t work again. He tries a quick tap, then a slow tap. He tries swiping it up and down the screen. He checks the scanner itself in case he’s supposed to insert it like at a hotel. He doesn’t find a slot. He tries at least six more times to scan his card. He gives up with a sigh and slips it back into his hoodie pocket. Maybe he isn’t on this floor so it won’t let him in? He hopes it’s that and not that his card isn’t working. He’ll have to look up who to go to for keycard help. Day hauls his suitcase back down to the first floor and tries to scan his card again. The light turns green as the scanner beeps. Finally! Day is quick to open the door and enter the hallway. He doesn’t see anyone else, but he can hear them moving around in the dorm rooms. Day reads the numbers on the doors and realizes he did have the wrong floor. On his right is room nine and on his left is room ten. Day takes a few steps to the next pair of doors to rooms seven and eight. He taps the scanner to room eight with his keycard. It beeps and turns green. He did it! Day’s tail wags in success as he opens the door. What’s his roommate going to be? He can’t wait to meet them! Poppy offered to pay for him to have a single room, but Day doesn’t like being alone at night. He’s excited to have a roommate anyway! Day’s gaze sweeps the room and stops on his roommate.

“Hi!” Day smiles at him.

“Hey,” the chicken responds. He pauses from unpacking his suitcase as he looks Day over.

“I’m Daylight, but you can call me Day!” The chicken half smiles with a nod and starts unpacking again. Huh. This is going to be different than Day thought it would be. That’s ok, they’ve only just met. “What’s your name?”

“I’m Kickin,” the chicken sighs. He doesn’t bother looking up from his suitcase this time. Day studies the tense line of the chicken’s shoulders and the slight frown on his beak. Day doesn’t think the chicken is trying to be rude, he’s just uncomfortable. Day was really uncomfortable when he first moved in with Poppy, so he’ll try to help.

“Are you going to close the door?” Kickin asks.

“Oh, sorry!” Day apologizes as he moves out of the doorway into the room. He closes it with a gentle click and takes in his home for the next eight months. There are two beds, two desks, two chairs, and two wardrobes made of sturdy looking wood. Kickin has already claimed the left side so Day heads for the right. He’s glad Poppy insisted on bringing sheets and stuff. He wouldn’t have thought to bring any and the beds here are just frames and mattresses. Day lays his suitcase on the mattress and sets the binder and keycard on the empty desk next to him. He slides his backpack off and sets it on the desk chair. He pauses, lifting an ear slightly to listen to his roommate before starting to unpack. The room is silent except for the rustling of their things. Day doesn’t do well with silence.

“Kickin?” Day turns to the chicken.

“Yeah?”

“Do you mind if I turn on some music?”

“Go for it,” Kickin says without looking away from his task.

“Thanks,” Day says as he pulls out his phone. He gets some Freddy Fazbear albums going as he sets it down and gets back to unpacking his suitcase.

“You like Fazbear?” Kickin asks. Day looks over to see the chicken has paused as he looks at Day’s phone, confused.

“Who doesn’t?” Day says lightly.

“Cool,” Kickin says as he turns back to zip up his empty suitcase. Day turns to his own as he smiles. He and Kickin like the same music! Day’s tail wags behind him as he starts putting his clothes in the wardrobe. They have at least one thing in common! What else can they talk about? Day starts making a list of possible things to bond over as he finishes putting away his clothes and making his bed. He glances over at Kickin and pauses at the string of star shaped fairy lights the chicken finishes taping up on the ceiling. Kickin catches him staring.

“What?” the chicken snaps defensively. Day smiles slightly.

“I like your lights,” Day tells him, his tail still wagging happily. He turns around to start getting his pillow into a pillowcase. When Day puts the pillow down and straightens out his quilt he hears an amused huff behind him.

“Is it rude to ask about your tail?” Kickin asks. Day blinks as he looks back at his wagging tail.

“Depends on your question,” Day tilts his head curiously.

“I’m just curious if it wags all the time?”

“Nope! It wags when I’m happy or whenever I want it to,” Day answers. He glances down at the long yellow feathers that are Kickin’s tail. “What about yours?”

“Oh, uh, when I’m really happy or need to balance,” Kickin explains.

“It looks hard to get clothes on with such fluffy feathers. They’re really pretty,” Day admires. There’s a long stretch of silence that takes Day a second to process before he looks up at the chicken. Kickin has a feathered hand covering his face as he looks away from Day. Wait, is he blushing? Day runs through the last few sentences and realizes he called the chicken's feathers pretty.

“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to–I mean I was just–” Day scrambles for an explanation. He freezes as Kickin laughs. Day’s ears perk, his tail stills as he watches the other.

“No, no! It’s fine. Actually, it’s great! Complimenting my feathers like that is the most flattering thing to happen to me so far here!” Kickin grins at Day and Day’s tail starts to wag excitedly, his ears relaxing. “Where are you from, Daylight?”

“You can call me Day! I’m from Canine Hill originally, but my sister and I moved out here to the capital…” Day tells Kickin how different his tiny hometown is compared to the capital. They both relax as they share stories about what a big city the capital is. Kickin is from someplace called Roostera, it’s small like Canine Hill. Day keeps unpacking as they talk. When he has everything put away he looks excitedly at Kickin.

“Do you want to grab lunch and explore the academy with me? We can find where our classes are,” Day says as he stops the music on his phone and grabs the binder. He hasn’t read it yet, but he’ll do it outside while the weather is nice.

“You go ahead man. I had a long flight here,” Kicken yawns as he lays back on his bed. “I need a quick nap. I’ll see you later, ok?”

“Ok,” Day nods as he grabs his keycard before leaving. He’s a little disappointed, but he has to remind himself to not be clingy. He’ll be fine on his own. Day leaves the room quietly and turns off the lights as he goes so Kickin can get some sleep. Day sees the elevator shutting just as he shuts his door. It’s probably his imagination, but he thinks he saw a purple tail in it. Day shakes the thought away as he heads for the stairs. He needs to start reading through this binder, it’s almost one already. Where did the time go? Luckily for him, lunch ends at two. Day takes the stairs two at a time and pushes the door on the first floor open with a little more force than he meant to. He loses his balance and almost trips as he exits the dorm. He steps into the bright sunlight and watches the other students for a moment before he picks a path with more students on it than the other paths. Day checks his phone for any messages from Poppy and realizes he didn’t get Kickin’s number. Jeez, Day! That’s roommate one-oh-one. He’ll have to get it later. Day steps to the side whenever a big group of anthros get close to let them pass. He catches snippets of conversations as he gets closer to a building with plenty of foot traffic. It sounds like everyone is excited about officially starting classes tomorrow. Day tells himself he should be too as he holds the door open for two doves.

“Thank you,” one of them tell him.

“You’re welcome!” Day smiles. The two ladies blink before they hurry away. Day tilts his head a little at the abrupt exit, but shrugs it off. They must have been in a rush. Inside the volume skyrockets as a dull roar of voices assaults Day’s ears. He steps right back out the door and rubs the base of his ringing ears. Ok, this isn’t going to be that easy. He didn’t bring any ear plugs with him. Should he go back or is he going to be able to wait until dinner? Two deer open the door as they enter and Day flinches at the blare of noise. He can wait a few hours. Day sighs as he leaves the loud noise, but tasty smell of food behind him. He heads down a random path away from the cafeteria. It’s a nice sunny day out, he can find somewhere to sit and read about his new school. As he walks he can hear splashing and voices. Is there a pool? He loves to swim! Day’s pace picks up as he practically runs down the path towards the splashing. He turns a corner around a thick hedge and freezes.

“Stop! Plea–” the unicorn’s head is forced back into the pool of the fountain. She fights to free her arms from the horse girls holding them hostage.

“Should we let her up?” The tallest of them asks sarcastically. The other two snicker.

“How long do you think she can hold her breath?”

"Let's find out!”

“HEY!” Day barks at them. The three horses jump and let the unicorn go, she bursts out of the water coughing as she tries to suck in air. The tall one, she must be the leader, straightens her shoulders as she glares at Day.

“Mind your own business!” she orders him. Day narrows his eyes as he slowly approaches the three. They warily back away as he gets closer.

“If you don’t leave right now, I will report you for harassment,” Day threatens calmly as he steps between the shaking unicorn and the three horses.

“You wouldn’t!” the leader says. While she stands confidently, her cronies don’t.

“Try me,” Day bares his teeth at them.

“I can’t get kicked out!” one of the cronies cries as she turns and runs away. The other crony follows and it’s only the leader left.

“This isn’t over!” she snaps before running away. Wow, how original.

“Good riddance,” Day mutters. He turns his attention to the drenched unicorn and kneels beside her. He wishes he had his backpack, he has a towel and first aid kit in it for emergencies. “Can you move?” Day asks as he looks her over. The unicorn rubs her eyes as she looks up at him. He can see a bruise starting to form on her cheek and by the base of her horn as she sniffles. She brushes some of her long tangled teal hair out of her face as she nods. Her clothes are dripping on the ground and clinging to her.

“Thank you,” she whispers.

“Always!” Day smiles softly back. Some first aid, a change of clothes, and something to dry off with is in order for her. “How about we head for your room and the nurse’s office?”

“My room?”

“So you can change into something dry?” Day tilts his head confused. She rubs her arm with a watery chuckle.

“Cantera is my roommate, the tallest of those three. She didn’t even let me come in before they threw all of my stuff into the pool,” she wipes at her eyes furiously. “I don’t know how to swim.” Her face starts to crumble and Day is quick to scoot closer.

“Whoa, hey! Please don't cry! I’ll help you, ok?” Day’s hands stop before touching her. She blinks at him with red eyes.

“You will?” she asks warily. What has she gone through that she won’t accept help after getting hurt like this? Day’s ears lower as he gives her a small smile.

“Please? I want to help you,” Day tells her earnestly. Her teal eyes look between his before she nods again.

“Ok.”

Day pops up onto his feet, grabbing his binder as he does, and holds his hand out for her. She reaches out with one hand and wraps the other around her middle as she stands. Day is ready to lead the way, but he doesn’t know where the pool is.

“Do you know which way the pool is?” Day asks sheepishly. The unicorn grins weakly as she nods and starts walking in the opposite direction he entered from. Trees line the cement path as birds sing in them. Day inhales the clean air happily. It’s so nice to be out of the city.

“I’m Crafty, by the way,” the unicorn introduces herself quietly. Day’s tail starts wagging as he adds another name to his friend list.

"I’m Day! It’s nice to meet you, Crafty,” Day gives her a big smile when she looks up at him. She flushes and looks back down at her feet. How cute! Day’s tail wags happily behind him as they walk. It doesn’t take long for him to smell chlorine. Crafty leads him around another line of green hedges to a closed gate. Luckily, the gate is unlocked so they can walk inside the fenced area of the Olympic sized pool.

“They dumped everything,” Crafty explains. She rubs her arm nervously as they stop beside the pool. An open suitcase floats on the surface of the water with all of Crafty’s clothes and toiletries bobbing on the surface of the pool. At the bottom of the pool are a few blurry things that Day is assuming is a backpack and school supplies. How can people think this is fun to do to someone? How do they find this funny? He’s seriously thinking about reporting those three anyway. He doesn’t have names, but–wait. He does have one.

“I’m sorry,” Crafty stares at her feet. “You probably have better things to do. I can just–”

“Wait, hold on,” Day cuts off her negative spiral. He leans down a little to see her face. Her gaze flickers to him and away again. “I never said this bothers me and I want to help you, remember?” She looks at him again with a little furrow between her eyes. She doesn’t say anything, so Day keeps talking to try to reassure her. “Besides, I love a good swim,” Day grins as he stands straight again.

He sets his binder on a pool chair, then his keycard and phone too. He pulls his hoodie off, so the heavy material won’t drag him down. He should take his jeans off too, they are not fun to swim in, but…he glances at Crafty. She’s turned away from him and her shoulders are tense. He doesn’t think she’ll be comfortable with him in only his underwear. With that thought Day leaves the jeans on and his t-shirt on as he climbs down the pool ladder into the water. He wades over to the suitcase and grabs the clothes floating near it. He’s surprised by the black lace underwear. She doesn’t seem like the type, but that’s none of his business. He grabs all the clothes and other stuff floating on the surface. He wades to the edge of the pool where Crafty is with a full suitcase.

“Here, I’ll have to dive to grab the stuff on the bottom,” Day says as he lifts the suitcase out of the water.

“Thank you,” Crafty says again as she pulls her suitcase away from the edge. Day winks at her before he wades back towards the middle of the pool and takes a deep breath. He dives under the water and manages to grab the top of the backpack. He pulls up the waterlogged bag and gets it to the side of the pool. He dumps out some water, trying to be careful of the few things still inside of it. He lifts it up for Crafty when she reaches for it. Day turns back to look at the small things at the bottom and decides getting better height for the dive would help him reach the small items. Day wades over a little from where Crafty and her drenched stuff are to push himself out of the pool. He gets his knee over the edge and stands from there. His jeans are heavy with water, settling lower on his hips than he likes. It’s very tempting to shake the water off, but—

“S-sorry!” Crafty squeaks. Day looks over at her confused, but she turns away from him and buries her face in her hands.

“Crafty?” Day asks. Crafty just shakes her head.

“It’s nothing!” she kneels down and starts digging through her backpack. Day waits for a confused second before walking over to the diving board. His tail wags at the height of it as he starts to climb. This will be great to jump off of in better circumstances, and not in jeans. They’re already heavy and uncomfortable. His shirt is sticking to his fur too, but it’ll be fine. He can survive. Day takes a running start and dives up and towards the middle of the pool. The extra force takes him farther down than he could get before. He blinks water out of his eyes as he grabs everything he can in his hands. He kicks back to the surface to deposit the items by Crafty. He makes his way around to take another dive off of the diving board into the pool. He grabs everything else and swims them to Crafty with a smile.

“That’s everything!”

“Thanks, Day,” Crafty smiles a little brighter. “Really, I couldn’t have done this without you,” she holds out her hand to help him out of the water. Day’s ears perk as his tail splashes in the water.

“You're welcome! I didn’t mind at all, Crafty,” Day grins as he takes her hand. He pushes himself out of the water with his free hand. He squeezes Crafty’s hand in thanks before letting go. He slicks his heavy ears back out of his face. Hm, he’ll have to scrub the chlorine out of his fur and change into dry clothes later.

“So,” Crafty squeaks again before clearing her throat. “So, you don’t have to come with me to the nurse’s station. I’ll just find somewhere to dry everything out and it’ll be fine.”

“Crafty,” Day frowns at her. “If one of them is your roommate you need to see if you can switch rooms, at least.”

“It’s the first day, maybe she's just stressed–”

“Crafty,” Day takes her fidgeting hands in his and looks in her teal eyes. “There’s no excuse for hurting you, ever. Please, go to the office to switch rooms. You deserve better than a bully for a roommate,” Day pleads with her. Crafty’s eyes widen for a moment before her face turns serious.

“You’re right, I’ll go get my room switched,” Crafty nods seriously. It turns into a smile as she squeezes his hands. “I’ll take it from here. Thank you, Day. For everything.”

“Are you sure?” Day asks her.

“Yes,” she tells him. Her tone has enough confidence that Day just nods. He helps her get her soggy stuff together and waves until she disappears behind the line of hedges. Day puts some distance between himself and his stuff to finally shake the water off his fur. He feels lighter after, but still wet.

“Good job, you’re the knight in shining armor,” a smooth voice says. Day perks his ears and looks up at a thick branch that hangs over the pool’s fence. The purple cat is there again, lying on his stomach with his chin propped on his palm. His long tail sways in the light breeze. “The strip show definitely got you some brownie points,” the cat continues.

“I-I didn’t strip!”

“What else do you call taking off your clothes?”

“It’s–” Day can’t think of what to say, so he asks a question of his own. “Were you up there the whole time?”

“What do you think? Did I see you charm your way into a young maiden’s heart or did I just catch the last part where you kept flirting?”

“I wasn’t flirting!”

“Oh, please. It’s just the two of us here. Tell me, what’s your game plan? Sneak into her dorm tonight and have a little fun?”

Day flushes at the insinuation, he just wanted to help Crafty. He’s ready to defend himself and explain, but his gaze is caught in the cat’s bright yellow eyes. They’re cold and distant. Ah, Day realizes, the cat doesn’t actually care. He’s just here to entertain himself or something. Day shakes his head before he turns and walks back over to his stuff. It’s silent as he drapes his hoodie over his arm and carefully holds the binder and phone away from his wet self. Day heads for the entrance he came in with Crafty to retrace his steps. He has a good sense of direction. Day closes the pool gate behind him and starts walking down the tree lined path. The beams of sunlight that filter through the leaves are warm on his wet fur. It would be more peaceful if he wasn’t being followed.

“Why are you following me?” Day asks. The light footsteps behind him pause.

“You can hear me?”

“I’ll pretend I don’t, if you want me to,” Day glances over his shoulder at the cat. The feline’s footsteps wouldn’t be audible if it wasn't so quiet right now. The cat frowns and picks up his pace to walk closer to Day, but stays just slightly behind.

“Your hearing is good,” the cat says.

“Thanks,” Day says back. Silence falls between them, but the singing birds and rustling of leaves are enough to keep it from being overwhelming. Day checks the time on his phone and winces at how close to three it is. He’ll have to get out a blow dryer to dry faster. He hasn’t been able to look in the binder at all and he should wash these clothes. He’ll have to find laundry facilities and how to use them before dinner. Hopefully, Kickin goes with him. It’ll be their first meal together as roommates! The cat is leaning closer to look at Day’s screen. Lavender floods Day’s nose at the cat’s proximity. Day lowers his phone and meets the cat’s yellow eyes.

“Can I help you?” Day raises an eyebrow. What’s with the silence and the spying?

“What do you mean? I’m going this way too,” the feline says with innocent confusion.

“Where are you going?” Day asks. The cat doesn’t have anything with him. No backpack or binder. He’s probably going back to the dorms too.

“The library. Where are you going?”

“The dorms.”

“So, you are trying to get with the unicorn,” the cat accuses. His voice is teasing, but his eyes are still distant as they study Day’s expression.

“Do I have to get something in return for helping her?”

“Why would you help her if you didn’t?”

Day blinks at the cat as he considers the cat’s point of view. Why help someone if you don't get anything in return? A flash of Crafty’s small genuine smile flashes through his mind. The warm feeling he got when she did is still there. Day meets the cat’s yellow eyes.

“I like helping people,” Day smiles at the cat. “It makes me happy. That’s what I gain from helping someone.” The cat’s eyes narrow before he looks away with a huff.

“What a foolish reason,” he mutters. Day isn’t sure why, but he feels like he just failed a test. “Only an idiot would believe that.” Day suppresses a flinch at the insult. It’s fine, the cat doesn't seem like the type to hit people. The cat is watching him from the corner of his eye.

“Can I ask a question?” Day asks, looking ahead of them.

“You just did,” the cat instantly replies with a smirk. Day chuckles at the trap he set himself up for. The cat stops walking, his tail freezing in mid air. Day stops too as he tilts his head in confusion. They stand there staring at each other as a breeze gently ruffles through their fur.

“Are you ok?” Day asks. The cat relaxes as an amused huff escapes him.

“I like you, Day,” the cat grins full of fang. Before Day can say anything, that long tail swishes right in front of his nose. Day sneezes out lavender as he backs away. When he recovers, the cat is gone.

“Was that necessary?” he yells at the trees. He hears a soft chuckle, but it might just be the leaves rustling. Day rubs his nose with a huff as he keeps walking. What a weird guy. Very cute, but weird.

Day passes the deserted cafeteria and follows the short path back to the dorms. He steps off the path a few times to let groups pass him as they try to find certain buildings. He gets a few looks for his wet clothes, but makes it back to his dorm room without issue. He carefully opens the door and creeps through the dark room. Kickin is curled on his side and breathing deeply, he must have been really worn out. Day drops his stuff on the bed, wincing when they make a loud thump. He glances over at Kickin, but his deep breathing doesn’t change. Day grabs more clothes from his wardrobe and his shower stuff as he tiptoes towards their bathroom door. He closes it gently and flicks on the light. This must be a new dorm because everything is shiny and modern. There is only one waterfall shower, but two corners have built-in shelves for soap bottles. There are also two sinks and two hooks by each one. The toilet is inside a mini room with a lockable door. Day hangs his towel on one of the two hooks by the shower. He hopes Kickin doesn’t mind if he claims a side before they get to decide who gets what.

Day gets his stuff situated before finally stripping out of his wet clothes. His mind flashes back to the cat and their conversation about stripping. He still doesn’t get why the cat kept talking to him. He acted interested, but those yellow eyes were cold the whole time they spoke. Was the cat just bored and happened to find Crafty and Day? Wait, how did he know Day’s name? He must have been listening from the moment Day introduced himself. Day sighs and turns the water on. He needs to focus on his classes, not cold eyed cats. When he gets the water to the right temperature he steps in and closes the dark glass door of the shower behind him. Day scrubs his fur quickly with shampoo and then conditioner. He makes sure to be gentle with his ears. They’re sensitive and he has to be careful not to get any water in them. Usually, their length protects them from getting water inside. He also has to be careful when he lightly scrubs the fur of his face so he doesn't get any soap in his eyes, nose, or mouth. Kickin probably has an easier time showering doesn’t he? Water probably runs right off his feathers and takes any grime with it. Day finishes rinsing his fur and turns off the water. He grabs a towel and gently squeezes his ears to get rid of excess water before he ties them up with an elastic band. He uses a towel and blow dryer to dry himself off. He feels bad for using the blow dryer when Kickin is sleeping, but maybe the doors block noise really well? His last step is to start brushing his body fur into place. When he’s satisfied he slips his fresh clothes on. He’s glad the smell of chlorine is gone. He doesn't like chemical smells very much. When Day exits the bathroom their room light is on. Kickin glances over from where he’s lying on his back looking at his phone. He raises an eyebrow at Day’s bundle of damp clothes and tied back ears.

“Do you normally take mid-afternoon showers?” Kickin asks.

“Not normally, but I was in the pool earlier. So, I had to wash off the chlorine,” Day explains as he drops his damp clothes in the hamper and sits on his bed. He slips the elastic off of his ears and starts gently rubbing a towel over them. He’s tried the blow dryer before and it isn’t pleasant to blow hot air that close to his ears.

“Why were you in the pool?” Kickin glances at the hamper. “With your clothes on?”

“I made a friend!” Day grins as he drapes the towel over his shoulders and grabs his hairbrush.

“What?” Kickin asks, confused. Day chuckles as he carefully starts brushing his damp ears.

“I helped Crafty get her stuff out of the pool. Sorry, if I woke you. I couldn’t wait for my fur to dry naturally with dinner in a few hours. Do you want to eat together?” Day’s tail thumps on the bed in excitement at the thought of eating dinner with Kickin. Maybe they can eat outside away from most of the noise.

“You–who–sure?” Kickin says like a question.

“Great!” Day takes it as a yes. After that, he admits to Kickin that he hasn’t had a chance to look through his binder and find his classes. Kickin easily agrees to explore with him. The nap must have helped! They look through the rules and Kickin complains there are too many buildings as they look at the map of the school. Day says he’ll help the chicken as much as he can. They compare class schedules and Day’s ears droop when he finds out that he only has one class with Kickin.

“Don’t worry, we’ll see plenty of each other. We share a room after all!” Kickin grins. Day’s ears perk again as his tail thumps on the bed. He and Kickin take the map and their schedules outside to try to find their classes dispersed in different buildings across the academy. They make it to dinner just before the crowd gets there. Day remembers to get Kickin’s number at some point from his newest friend. It’s a great way to end his first day inside of Evol academy.

Notes:

There! A double update! I'm not sure when the next update will be. So, bear with me, please!

Thank you so much for reading!

Chapter 3: First Day of School

“Stay here, my little light. I’ll be right back with your siblings, ok?”

“Ok, Momma!” Day gives her a quick hug. She giggles and hugs him back. Day stays under the tree as Momma starts walking away. He watches her go, the wag of his tail slowing down until it stops completely. Momma disappears. Day waits and waits and waits. Momma doesn’t come back. Day promised her that he would wait. So, Day waits and waits and waits. He waits until the wolf pups show up. They laugh as they claw and kick him.

“Stop!” Day cries. They laugh harder, they claw more. Day curls into a ball. He hopes Momma will come back and help him.

“Stupid mutt!” a new, deeper voice says. NO. No. No. Day tries to get up to run, but he can’t move. He stares at the tall wolf as he lifts his boot. “Your whore of a mother won’t save you now.” The boot aims straight for his eyes–

Day wakes up choking on tears. He’s curled into a ball again. He keeps his mouth shut as silent sobs rack his body and tears sting his eyes. When he’s calmed down enough to take in his surroundings, he thanks the stars Kickin’s breathing is still deep with sleep and the little star lights cast a warm glow in the room. Day uncurls and reaches for his phone. Five fifteen in the morning, the sun isn’t up yet. He’s going to get ready anyway, he won’t be able to fall asleep again. Day grabs his clothes and hairbrush before taking over the bathroom. When he steps back out Kickin is up and stretching with a yawn. It turns out, Kickin is an early riser too. They’re both ready to conquer their first day by six. Kickin wants to find an exercise room they can use. There are four listed on their map, but only two are for first years like themselves. They go to the closer one and it’s packed. They walk to the other gym closer to the girl’s dorms. It doesn’t say anywhere only the girls can use it, but Day feels like they shouldn’t. Kickin tells him they won’t know until they get there. The early morning mist starts to clear and Day inhales the fresh scent of pine happily. It’s so nice outside!

“Are you usually an early riser?” Kickin asks.

“Yep! Usually, I have a run in the morning, shower, and then school,” Day says.

“I don’t think I’ve ever met someone my age that likes getting up before the sun. In our town it's a tradition that we were all begrudgingly taught,” Kickin comments as he checks their map with the numbered path signs. “Wait, this is it!” Kickin steps back in front of the building they were going to pass. He taps his card on the double doors to the building, the little light stays red. Kickin tries twice more before he gives up.

“You were right, we can’t use this one,” Kickin sighs. “What should we do instead? Walk back to the track and get a quick run in?”

“Sure! The track is inside the trees right?” Day asks as he leans over to look at the map. They find it inside a patch of trees close to the pool. Kickin drops his bag in the grass and starts to stretch. Day sets his bag beside Kickin’s and starts to stretch too. Just as he finishes his phone rings from inside his bag. Day only has one person on his phone, so he knows who it is.

“You go ahead, Kickin. I gotta take this,” Day tells him. The chicken nods before he starts a slow jog on the red track into the trees. Day answers just as Kickin disappears from sight.

“Good morning!” Day smirks into the phone. He gets annoyed grumbling that might be words in return. “Did you call me before you had your morning coffee?” Day chuckles. More grumbles answer him before a long sip filters through the call. Day starts walking towards the pool to get some sort of exercise this morning. Another long sip fills Day’s ears before a satisfied sigh follows.

“I don’t understand how you get up so early,” Poppy yawns.

“I don’t understand how you can sleep in until noon,” Day fires back. He glances around the hedge lining the pool to check for anyone. He makes sure to look up at a certain branch this time. He doesn’t see or hear anyone.

“It makes us even. Anyway, how’s it going?” Poppy asks around another yawn.

“Poppy, I appreciate the call, but you can sleep some more.”

“I missed your voice,” Poppy admits. It must have been a rough day for her yesterday.

“Ok,” Day agrees easily. “So, my roommate is a chicken. His name is Kickin…” Day tells her about Kickin and about Crafty. He doesn’t tell her about the cat. They’ve had one brief conversation and a moment where Day gave up his food. There’s not much to tell. So, he tells her a little more about the academy itself. He laps the pool a few times as he talks.

“It sounds like a nice big place. Unfortunately, I should go. You have class soon and I have meetings,” Poppy sighs. Day checks his phone to see it's almost seven already. His first class is at eight. “Call me later, ok?”

“Of course. Bye, Pops,” Day smiles as they hang up. He always has to stop himself from saying ‘I love you’ to Poppy. They haven’t known each other long enough for that and she hasn't said it to him, but she already feels like a sister to him–

“Talking to your dad this early?” someone yawns. Day whips around to see the cat. This time he isn’t in the tree branch, he’s leaning against the closed gate of the pool. “That’s not how I would start my mornings.”

“How long have you been listening this time?”

“How rude! I don’t eavesdrop on people,” the cat huffs. Day chuckles quietly as he walks back over to the gate. He notices the cat’s shoulders tense and how he backs away when Day gets close enough to touch.

“If that’s the case, why do you think I was talking to my dad?” Day raises an eyebrow as he unlatches the gate. The cat opens his mouth, pauses, and closes it again. Day can’t help another chuckle as the cat pouts. Day latches the gate closed behind him. “If you answer a question, I’ll pretend I didn’t catch you eavesdropping,” Day bargains.

“I didn’t eavesdrop…but what’s your question?”

“What’s your name?” Day asks as he starts slowly walking back to Kickin and his bag. The cat walks with him, a step behind and just out of sight.

“That’s what you’re going to waste your question on?” the cat scoffs. Day turns his head to meet the cat’s eyes over his shoulder.

“Knowing your name isn’t a waste,” Day smiles. The cat freezes, his yellow eyes wide as he takes in Day's face. The surprise turns into a scowl.

“You have to be doing that on purpose,” the feline growls. Day blinks before stopping and turning to face the cat fully.

“Doing what?” Day tilts his head curiously.

“That!” the cat points at him accusingly. Before Day can respond, Kickin’s voice echoes through the trees.

“DAY! WE GOTTA GO! DAAAAY!” Kickin yells in the distance.

“That’s my cue. Catch you later, sunshine,” the cat says as he turns to leave. Day hesitates as he watches the cat walk away.

“Next time!” Day calls after the retreating cat. The feline pauses and looks over his shoulder back at Day. “Give me your name next time!” Day realizes that sounds demanding so he adds, “Please!” The cat pauses and sends Day a wink over his shoulder, his purple fur highlighted in the rising sun’s light. Day’s tail wags as the cat disappears behind the line of hedges by the pool. Day is going to take that as a yes–

“DAY!” Kickin cries. Day turns just in time to get his arm grabbed and his body spun around to face a green rabbit. Her eyes widen and she tries to slide to a stop with her arms up to brace for a hard stop. Day gasps as her forearms slam into his torso. The air gets punched out of him.

“Day?” Kickin asks, alarmed. Day manages to inhale and gasps for breath. “Look what you did, you crazy rabbit!”

“Me? You’re the one that used him as a shield!”

“You were the one that hit him!” Kickin snaps at the rabbit as he leans around Day. The rabbit stomps her foot before reaching out to grab Kickin. Day intercepts her hand.

“Can someone explain what’s going on, please?” Day asks. The rabbit tenses and tugs her hand away. Day immediately lets it go. He looks from her to Kickin.

“She’s been chasing me around calling me a thief,” Kickin narrows his eyes at her.

“You took someone’s bag! Then, you started running like a thief!” the rabbit narrows her eyes right back.

“I told you, it’s a friend’s bag!” Kickin steps out from behind Day completely, his tail feathers starting to spread threateningly. The rabbit doesn’t back down, but her nose starts to twitch rapidly and her ears shift for any sign of danger. Day tries to figure out what bag could be causing this misunderstanding. Kickin wouldn’t steal something. Day spots his own bag in Kickin’s farthest hand from him. Is that what all of this is about? Day purposefully steps between them to reach slowly for his bag in Kickin’s hand. Day slips it out of feathered fingers.

“Thanks for grabbing my bag, Kickin,” Day grins. The chicken blinks before turning his head away.

“You’re welcome,” Kickin mumbles, his tail feathers relaxing. Day turns to the rabbit.

“Sorry for the misunderstanding!” Day apologizes. “I forgot my bag and Kickin grabbed it for me,” Day meets her emerald green eyes with an apologetic smile. “Can I make it up to you with breakfast?”

“I-uh-” the rabbit stumbles over her words. Kickin snickers behind Day. The rabbit glares at him before looking back at Day. “Sure!” she smiles. Her two front teeth peek past her lips. Day smiles back as his tail wags behind him. A possible new friend!

“What? Wait! We’re eating with the girl that just chased me through the trees?” Kickin asks incredulously.

“Please, you were fast enough to stay out of reach. It was honestly impressive,” the rabbit scoffs.

“...Impressive?” Kickin asks slowly.

“I’m a fast runner. I won’t know where I rank exactly in the school until trials tonight, but outrunning me is always impressive,” the rabbit starts walking back in the direction she and Kickin came from. Kickin leans closer to whisper in Day’s ear.

“I thought she was going to kill me,” Kickin admits.

“It’s still an option!” the rabbit calls back. Kickin flinches before gesturing at the rabbit like ‘See?’ Day laughs as he starts to follow the rabbit’s lead. Kickin grumbles as he follows Day.

“I’m Day and behind me is Kickin,” Day smiles as he catches up with her.

“Hoppy,” the rabbit glances at him. “Did you help a unicorn yesterday?”

“Yes,” Day says surprised.

“She told me about how you helped her yesterday. Thank you for that,” Hoppy grins.

“Wait, Crafty? She’s real?” Kickin asks behind them.

“There’s no need to thank me! Are you her new roommate?” Day asks. The rabbit nods and Day beams. “That’s wonderful! Will you tell her I said hi? And I hope she’s doing ok? Did she go to the nurse’s office like she said? Did she manage to save most of her stuff? I’m glad she switched rooms!”

“W-wait!” Hoppy lifts her hands up between them. “I said I would meet her at the cafeteria for breakfast. You can tell her yourself!”

“Really?” Day’s ears perk as his tail picks up speed. “Let’s hurry!” Day takes the lead. He gets to see Crafty again! He tries not to eavesdrop on the two behind him, but it’s hard not to when there’s nothing else to listen to.

“I feel like I just got steamrolled,” Hoppy mutters.

“Just wait, it gets way more dangerous,” Kickin tells her. Day tilts his head curiously as he tries to figure out what they’re talking about. Dangerous? What’s dangerous? They make it to the cafeteria in no time. Day sees Crafty waiting nervously by the doors to the cafeteria and waves his hand in the air to get her attention.

“Crafty! Over here!” Day calls as he weaves around people. Crafty jumps in surprise and looks around. When she spots him she smiles and waves back. “Crafty!” Day grins as his tail windmills. He makes it to Crafty first and makes sure he doesn’t try to hug her even if he wants to. Boundaries, Day.

“Hi,” Day grins. Crafty blushes and looks down shyly.

“Hi, Day,” she says.

"Did we have to walk that fast right after jogging around a track?” Kickin groans.

“It’s good for ya, crybaby,” Hoppy laughs. “Sorry for making you wait, Crafty. Let’s head inside.” Hoppy opens the door to the cafeteria and a flood of voices pours out. She flinches, letting go of the door and stepping away. Day winces in sympathy.

“H-Hoppy?” Crafty asks, concerned.

“It’s nothing. Just a little too loud for me in there. You guys go ahead,” Hoppy grins as she rubs the base of her lowered ears. Day unzips a pocket on his bag and grabs the brand new earplugs he made sure to grab this morning. He didn’t want to have to skip breakfast this morning, it's the most important meal of the day, afterall.

“You should eat,” Kickin tells her. Hoppy glares at him. “What? Is it too loud to eat? Seriously?” Jeez Kickin, Day sighs internally. It isn’t really the chicken’s fault. If an anthro doesn’t have sensitive ears, how could they understand how loud things can be?

“Here, Hoppy,” Day offers the earplugs to her. She looks at them before frowning at Day.

“What about you?” Hoppy asks. Day shrugs and holds the earplugs a little closer. “I’m not going to take your earplugs, Day. I was the one who forgot. You go eat,” Hoppy tells him. Her chin has a stubborn tilt to it that Day chuckles internally at. He slowly reaches out for her hand, making sure to give her time to pull away. He takes her rough hand carefully and spreads her fingers open. He put’s the tiny bag with the new earplugs in her palm and closes her fingers around it.

“Please, take them. As an apology and a thank you,” Day smiles. Hoppy stares at him. Day tilts his head. Is she ok?

“F-f-fine!” Hoppy stutters. “B-but only if you let me get your food!”

“Ok,” Day chuckles. Hoppy turns abruptly and rips open the bag for the pair of earplugs.

“Really, man?” Kickin sighs. Crafty giggles behind her hand. Before Day can ask what they mean, Hoppy opens the door. She holds it open for Crafty and points directly at Day.

“I’ll meet you on the patio,” she says before shutting the door. Day looks at Kickin who is waiting with him.

“Aren’t you going in?” Day asks him. Kickin shifts his weight awkwardly before sighing.

“Is the noise really a big deal?” Kickin asks as he runs a hand nervously through his feathers.

“Not for everyone. It depends on how sensitive your ears are. Hoppy and I have more sensitive ears. So, what seems like background noise to someone else can be overwhelming for us,” Day explains.

“I didn’t know,” Kickin meets Day’s eyes. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s not me you should be apologizing to,” Day reminds him. “Thank you, anyway,” Day grins. His tail wags behind him as Kickin smiles back. “Get some breakfast, I’ll meet you guys on the patio.” Kickin nods and slips into the building with a group of elk. Day makes his way around the side of the building to the outdoor patio. He finds an open table and sits down, setting his bag between his feet. He grins as he tilts his head back with his eyes closed to feel the sunlight on his face. He has four friends already and it’s only the first day of school.

The others find him and Hoppy sets down a tray with way more food than Day thought they were allowed. He’s about to ask how he can repay her, but she waves him off. The conversation is good, even if Kickin and Hoppy snip at each other frequently. Crafty smiles whenever she looks around the table and shows Day her new backpack. Day and Kickin have to run back to their dorm to change out of their workout clothes into the school uniform. They part ways as Day heads for his homeroom and Kickin to his. Day enters his classroom with minutes to spare. Luckily, he isn’t the last one to show and the teacher isn’t there yet. He looks for an open seat, but realizes they have assigned seating in alphabetical order. Day is in the middle of the front row. He glances at the names in the same row out of curiosity. The first person is called Bubba Bubbaphant. The next person is called Naperous Cat and then it’s Day. After him is Philip Ferreti and the last person in the first row is Holly Humbird. Day sits in his seat and waits for the bell to ring. The teacher, she might be the same one that took him to his dorm, comes in just before the bell rings.

“Welcome, everyone!” the teacher smiles as the bell rings for the start of class. She reaches out to close the door, but pauses. “Ah! Running late are we? I’ll let it slide today.”

She steps to the side and in walks the cat. Day’s ears perk as the feline yawns and makes his way to the desks. The cat sits in the seat for Naperous Cat. Day knows his name now! The cat meets Day’s gaze. Day grins at him with a little wave, his tail happy behind him. The cat tilts his head and winks with one sleepy eye. Day’s face feels warm as the teacher clears her throat for everyone’s attention. He turns to face the front of the room, hoping the heat will disappear from his face.

“It looks like everyone is here, excellent!” The teacher takes her spot in front of the class. “I am Miss Delight. In case you don’t know, I am a teacher here with my five sisters. We look similar and it can be confusing for students. So, we try to stay near our classrooms and wear these pins,” She tilts her head so the number one hairpin is visible. “ I have a number to show I am the math teacher. We each have one that is relevant to the subjects we teach. Understand?” No one says anything and Day notices Miss Delight’s smile twitch. The atmosphere gets tense as students shift awkwardly.

“Yes, Miss Delight,” Day breaks the silence. She blinks and her smile turns natural again. Day can feel the other students staring at him, especially Naperous’s gaze beside him.

“Excellent! Now, I’m going to explain a few things about the academy. First, your classes can be changed within this first week only. For example, you can switch your current math class for an easier one or to a more difficult one. Some of you will drop a class completely and will need to fill that gap in your schedule with something else. The sooner you make these changes, the better. Understand?” Miss Delight pauses. The students answer her this time and her smile brightens.

“Second on our agenda is the academy rules. You were all given a list of rules in your academic binders at orientation. If you break any of the rules, you will be held accountable. You are also expected to read everything in your binder, it has important information for your academic career. Do not lose it. Understand?” she asks again. Her voice has an intimidating edge to it that has more students answering her this time.

“Excellent! Third on our agenda is about clubs and other extracurricular activities. There are postings for all the wonderful clubs we have available on bulletin boards in two places. One bulletin board is in the cafeteria by the front door. The second is in the student council building also by the entrance. For those interested in joining the student council, a meeting will be held at five this evening. You can find out more about how to join and support the student council if you attend. There are also tryouts for many of our available sports every evening this week. I believe tonight is for track and field. The others are listed on the bulletin boards I mentioned previously. Any questions?” Miss Delight smiles again. There’s a pause of silence before Bubbaphant raises his arm.

“Yes, Mr. Bubbaphant?” Miss Delight asks.

“Are you going to tell us about the evolution class?” Bubbaphant asks.

“Ah, that’s the next subject we need to discuss,” Miss Delight’s smile turns sharp as she looks over the class. “Finally, the last thing on our agenda for today. Evolution. Most, if not all of you, have seen evolved anthros on many different media platforms. I am going to give you a brief explanation.” Miss Delight steps over to the desk at the front of the classroom and opens a drawer. She quickly tapes a picture of Freddy Fazbear when he was unevolved on the board. Day resists grabbing his phone to do his own search for pictures.

“This is one of the school's most successful graduates, Frederick Fazbear. Just like Mr. Fazbear, you have arrived here small, and unable to use any sort of magic ability,” Miss Delight says as she tapes up another picture. This one shows Freddy from a few years ago, before his fur started to gray. “Evolution will turn you into a bigger and stronger version of yourself. Everyone who evolves will also gain a magic ability. It’s something unique to the individual and will take time to learn.” Miss Delight looks over the class and the hands that are raised. “Now, now. I know you all want to learn more, but as first year students you need to focus on your classes. If evolution is meant for you, it will happen. Don’t forget you can graduate from Evol academy even if you don’t evolve. Now, our time is almost up, so I’ll let you all out early to find your next class. Thank you, students!” Miss Delight smiles again before making a quick retreat. As if she knows everyone has questions about how evolution works.

“That barely explained anything,” Bubbaphant mutters under the complaining of the students. Day glances at Naperous and his eyes connect with bright yellow.

“Hi, Naperous Cat,” Day grins.

“Hello to you, Daylight Dog,” the cat drawls.

“You can call me Day.”

“Then, you can call me Nap,” the cat grins back. Day has to focus to get his tail to stop whacking the back of his chair. He hopes the voices of the other students are enough to cover up the noise.

“What classes do you have, Nap? Maybe we share some,” Day pulls his schedule out of his backpack. He waits as Nap reaches into his backpack and digs around for a minute. When the cat pulls his hand out he’s holding a ball of paper. Day blinks in confusion.

“Whoops, it got crushed,” Nap says as he offers it to Day. Carefully, Day gets the ball to spread out almost flat. He sets it beside his class schedule and scans Nap’s for similar classes. They share homeroom…and chemistry! They have another class together! Day hands the paper back with a grin.

“We have chemistry together tomorrow,” Day says excitedly.

“Really?” Nap asks as he takes his schedule back. Day nods as he slides his schedule in between his laptop and history book. “Cool. Shall we go, sunshine?”

“Ok,” Day grins. He zips up his bag and stands, waiting for Nap to lazily pick up his own bag. Before Day can warn him the open backpack tips over and spills Nap’s stuff across the floor.

“Here, I’ll help,” Day is quick to put his bag on his desk. He crouches to grab runaway pens and notebooks. A long purple tail pushes stuff towards him. Day gathers the last of it and hands it to Nap.

“Thanks,” the cat grins as he shoves everything into his bag. Day debates mentioning how he was the only one grabbing the scattered stuff, but lets it go. All that really matters is that Nap got his stuff in the end.

“You’re welcome,” Day grins as he grabs his bag again. He turns around just in time to see Nap grab his open backpack in the same way as before, making it tilt dangerously. “Wait,” Day reaches out and zips up the backpack.

“Oh,” Nap blinks slowly at the now closed bag. “Thanks again.” The cat grins lazily, but his tired eyes have that distance in them again. Day doesn’t know what to do with that distance. He thought they were past it after this morning? His ears droop for a moment. He should know better, they’ve only spoken a few times. He didn’t even know Nap’s name until now. They’re just classmates right now, not friends. How do they become friends? The tip of a purple tail wiggles in his nose and Day sneezes again. He rubs his nose as he frowns at Nap.

“What was that for?”

“You weren’t paying attention to me,” Nap grins with his fangs displayed. “I don’t like it.”

…what?

“C’mon, our extra time is almost over and everyone is gone. Let’s go, sunshine,” Nap saunters out of the classroom. Day grabs his backpack as he hurries to follow.

“Wait, I can take you to the astrology building. It’s this way,” Day takes the lead and turns to the left hallway. Nap follows with a hum. “I wanted to take astrology this semester, but it didn’t fit into my schedule. My roommate Kickin is in the same class as you! He’s a chicken with really pretty yellow feathers–”

“Pretty?” Nap interrupts. Day pauses at the tone of Nap’s voice and looks at him confused.

“Yes?” Day tilts his head.

“He should be easy to find then,” Nap gives Day a lazy smile, his voice casual. Day doesn’t think he imagined that tone, but he isn’t sure why it was ever there. Just like he doesn't understand the cold distance in bright yellow eyes.

“If we catch him before your class starts, I can introduce you,” Day continues. He pushes the door open and holds it for Nap. “He’s nice and I think you two would get along–Nap?” The cat stands a footstep inside the threshold of the door. He glances from the open door to Day’s hand, to Day.

“You don’t have to hold the door open,” Nap raises an eyebrow.

“I want to,” Day adjusts his hold to open it as far as it can go. “After you, my lord,” Day winks with a little bow. He watches the cat’s entire face turn red. The coldness in his yellow eyes disappears. Nap refuses to look up as he walks through the doorway. His long tail twitches behind him. Day smiles brightly at the cat’s back as he lets go of the door. He finally got rid of that distance between them. He isn't sure what causes it, but he doesn’t like seeing it.

“I knew you were doing it on purpose,” Nap accuses.

“Doing what?” Day tilts his head.

“That!” Nap growls as he points at Day’s face.

“What do you mean?” Day asks, perking his ears.

“I swear to the stars, I will smack you,” Nap threatens. It’s not effective with a hint of blush still on his cheeks.

“Day!” Kickin calls. Day looks up to find Kickin and sees him dodging around people as he jogs towards them.

“Kickin!” Day waves back. “I do get to introduce you two,” Day smiles at Nap. The cat doesn’t say anything, his eyes trained on Kickin.

“Day!” Kickin stops in front of them as he sucks in a deep breath. “I thought I was in ok shape until I got here. Who’s this?” Kickin looks at Nap curiously.

“Kickin, this is Nap from my homeroom. Nap, this is Kickin, my friend and roommate,” Day introduces the two.

“Hi,” Kickin grins and holds out his hand.

“Hi,” Nap nods, but doesn’t reach for the outstretched hand. An awkward silence falls as Kickin drops his hand.

“Anyway, you both have astrology next. After that, should we grab lunch together?” Day asks as he walks towards the astrology building between the two silent animals.

“We promised to meet up with Crafty and Hoppy for lunch,” Kickin reminds him.

“We can all eat together,” Day’s tail wags as the thought of all of his friends together.

“Uh, Day,” Kickin scratches his beak awkwardly as he glances at Nap.

“Sounds good to me,” Nap cuts in.

“Really?” Day asks him excitedly.

“Yep,” Nap nods.

“Great!”

“Wait, don’t I get a say?” Kickin asks annoyed.

“Of course, Kickin,” Day turns with a smile. “Do you want to eat with everyone?”

“That’s not–whatever. I’d love to eat with everyone,” Kickin sighs. Day walks with them to the astrology building, filling the quiet between them with the story of their weird home room. He has to leave them there to get to the home economics building. He’s glad they have a half hour between classes, otherwise he would never have made it to class on time. He walks into the classroom listed on his schedule and is hit with the sweet smell of chocolate. The cooking classroom has six counters set up in rows of two with shiny counters. Day looks for names that assign their seats, but he doesn’t see any. No wonder it’s louder here, everyone can sit by their friends. He sees the two doves that he held the door open for yesterday. They wave shyly at him, he grins and waves back. He really needs to get their names. He would now, but the bell is close to ringing and he still needs to find a seat. Day only sees one spot still empty and walks over to one of the front counters.

“Hi,” Day smiles at his partner. “I’m Day.”

“I’m Picky,” his pig partner timidly smiles back. The bell rings and a hush falls over the room. Day perks his ears curiously as a large TV screen lowers from the ceiling.

“Hello, class!” Chica Chikatita smiles at them through the large screen. It’s Chica! She’s a member of the Fazbear Five! Another evolved graduate! Oh, wait. Day looks at all of the anthro sized equipment and ceiling height of the classroom. She definitely wouldn’t have been able to fit in here. Her height was…seven feet? He can’t remember her exact height, but she’s the shortest of the Fazbear Five. This classroom is probably six feet in consideration for the anthros with antlers or horns.

“I will be your cooking instructor this semester. In front of you on the counters is the syllabus and class rules. I’m supposed to talk about those today. I’m sure you all have heard that plenty already. So, I’ll get through them as fast as I can,” Chica grins through the screen and does a quick summary of the syllabus, the fastest of any class Day has had so far. Chica runs through the rules with the same speed.

“An important note I hope you all remember, you can pick your cooking partners for this class, but if your grades start to slip or you and your partner become a distraction during class, you will be separated. If it becomes a bigger issue we’ll deal with that when it happens, ok?” The class mumbles an answer that has Chica giggling. “The last thing for today, even if I am not physically inside the classroom with you, I will know if you break a rule. So, don’t try it. Trust me.”

That’s ominous, Day checks the edges of the screen Chica is talking to them through. He sees a little camera at the top, but that’s it. There must be more hidden around the classroom.

“I also made chocolate chip cookies for everyone! Only take two please!” Chica grins as the table in front of the classroom slides open and a plate of cookies is lifted out. “Now, it’s a little early to let you guys go, but you won't disrupt any other classes right?” The class enthusiastically agrees with her. Cookies and early dismissal? They’ll agree to everything she says. “Great! Oh, for those of you who can’t eat chocolate, don’t worry. I made these cookies special. You should be able to eat them if you want. Ok, byyyyyye!” The screen goes back and lifts back into place in the ceiling. Day debates going up to grab the cookies. Chocolate makes him sick, but Chica said it would be fine…he debates so long the other students clear the plate. Some people definitely took more than two. Day sighs as he slides his new syllabus into his backpack.

“Here,” Picky offers him two cookies. Day slowly takes them from her.

“Thank you, Picky, but I-uh…” Day trails off. Should he try to explain or just eat them?

“Don’t worry, Ms. Chica filtered the caffeine down to practically nothing. It should be ok to eat,” Picky assures.

“How did you know?” Day wonders.

“I assumed that as a dog, not that every dog is the same, you have difficulty digesting chocolate because of the caffeine. In the bite I took, I could tell the chocolate was different,” Picky glances at him and away. “Not that you have any reason to believe me. You don’t have to eat–”

Day takes a bite of the cookie. It’s good, soft and chewy. The chocolate practically melts in his mouth. His tail wags happily behind him. Even if he regrets this later, it’s so worth it. He swallows and grins at Picky.

“I trust you. I think I’m going to eat just one though. You can have my other one,” Day offers her his second cookie. Picky smiles as she takes it.

“Thank you, Day,” Picky says as she wraps his second cookie and hers in a napkin. Day gets an idea as she puts her stuff away.

“Do you have any plans for lunch?” Day asks, his ears perked.

“Well–I–uh–I have plans. Yep, I already have plans,” Picky nods.

“That’s too bad, what about tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow too.”

“Wednesday?”

“Yep.”

“Thursday?”

“...are you going to keep asking?” Picky asks him, a little frustrated.

“Sorry,” Day rubs his ear. “I like you and I think my friends will too, but I’ll stop bothering you about it.” Day’s getting ahead of himself again. He has to remember boundaries are a thing. It’s one of his worst traits, among many.

“Sure.”

“What?” Day asks her, his ears perking.

“I’ll have lunch with you and your friends…” Picky glances away as she mumbles. “...and cancel my plans.”

“Thank you, Picky!” Day grins. “If we go now, we can beat the rush.”

He and Picky pack up their things and head out of the mostly empty classroom. Day’s tail wags as he imagines a big table full of friends at lunch. They leave the home ec building and start walking under the bright sunshine towards the cafeteria.

“Hey, um, what are your friends like?” Picky fiddles with the strap of her backpack.

“They’re nice, don’t worry. Kickin is my roommate, he’s a chicken and despite his attitude he’s actually really chill. Crafty is a unicorn, she’s very shy, but nice. I don’t think it’s possible not to get along with her. There’s Hoppy, she’s very energetic, but I think once you get to know her she’ll become a good friend too. Last is Nap. He’s amazing,” Day finishes rambling just as they get to the cafeteria. He holds the door open for Picky and is glad they beat the rush so the volume level is down. Day walks into the mostly empty cafeteria. It’s big, with high ceilings and a balcony opposite from the entrance. At the end of where the food is served are glass doors leading out onto the patio. Day wonders if evolved anthros can walk around easily in here. The humans definitely can, he can see them setting out lunch. They aren’t hunched over like they sometimes have to be. Then again, evolved anthros are bigger than humans so, who knows? He follows Picky to the end of the short line.

“Um, excuse me?” a voice says behind Day. He turns and grins at the doves from his cooking class.

“Hi! Sorry, I didn’t get the chance to talk to you earlier,” Day tells them.

“That’s ok, we just wanted to introduce ourselves,” the dove with blue eyes grins.

“I’m Obsidi and this is my sister Saph,” the black eyed dove grins as she gestures to herself, then to the blue eyed dove. Day talks to them as he goes through the lunch line. They’re twins, but not identical like Miss Delight and her sisters. They’re also from the coast, Day has to say goodbye before he can find out where exactly. He guides Picky towards the patio.

“Sorry,” Day apologizes. He wanted to talk to Picky more before they met the others. “Anything else you want to know?”

“What is Nap? I don’t think you mentioned what he is,” Picky sits beside him. She doesn’t look very comfortable as she glances at the growing lunch line inside.

“I’m a cat,” Nap says. He plops onto the bench seat on the other side of Day. He slides his backpack between his feet and leans on the table with a grin. “Hi, sunshine.”

“Hi, Nap,” Day’s tail wags behind him. “Are you going to get in line?”

“And deal with that mess? No,” Nap dismisses the long lunch line inside. “By the time I get my food and sit down, I'd only have five minutes to eat it.”

Day frowns at the line and then the cat. Even if that’s true, Nap should eat. He’s almost unhealthily thin. Day looks at his plate and decides he can skip a meal. He had breakfast after all. Day puts his juice and an apple on his napkin and decides to give the rest to Nap. he feels a poke on his arm. Oh, he forgot to introduce Picky and Nap! Day is going to apologize, but Picky shakes her head and shifts her hand closer. Day looks down and sees a cookie resting on a napkin wrapped around fish sticks. She leans forwards as Day stares at it confused. He automatically leans over to hear her better.

“He can have my fish sticks and the cookie. Will you give him your carrots? He’ll have a variety then,” Picky whispers. That’s such a good idea! He glances over to Picky’s plate.

“Are you sure?”

“I don’t like seeing people starve,” Picky says as she shakes the napkin of food at him.

“Ok,” Day grins as he takes the napkin and wraps most of his carrots in his napkin and offers everything to Nap. The cat is frowning. Why is the cat frowning? Day tilts his head.

“These are for you, Nap,” Day sets the food in front of Nap. “Unless you want something else?” Nap looks around Day at Picky and Day almost pinches himself. “I forgot, Nap this is my friend, Picky,” Day leans back so the two can see each other. “Picky, this is Nap.”

“Hi,” Picky says.

“Hi,” Nap answers. They nod to each other and start to eat. Day sits up again as he looks between them. He thinks they’re good? The quiet doesn’t seem tense, but they aren’t talking? Maybe it’ll just take time. Friendships need time to grow. Everything will be fine.

“Day! Nap!” Kickin calls as he hurries over with his bag and lunch tray. He sits beside Nap. “You guys would not believe how crazy it is in there. Hopefully, it settles down after a few days. Who’s this, Day?”

“This is my friend, Picky.” Day leans back again so Picky and Kickin can see each other. “Picky, this is my friend, Kickin.”

“Oh, hey, it’s you,” Kickin grins. “Thanks for the other day.”

“No problem,” Picky grins and relaxes a little.

“What happened?” Day asks, his head tilted. Kickin launches into the tragic story of how he had been starving on the bus ride to the academy and Picky came to his rescue with a bag of sunflower seeds. Hoppy and Crafty join at that point. The rabbit immediately starts making fun of Kickin and it devolves from there. Day hears Picky ask Crafty where she got her water bottle and Crafty explains she painted it herself. Everyone is getting along and Day’s tail wags energetically behind him.

“Happy, are we?” Nap asks much closer than Day was expecting him to be. He’s almost touching Day with how close he’s leaning to Day’s arm. Day jumps a little in surprise. He meet’s Nap’s warm gaze, and smiles. Even Nap is enjoying himself. No cold distance in his eyes right now.

“Are you really that happy?” Nap frowns.

“Of course, Nap,” Day smiles brighter at the cat. “I’m really glad you’re here.” Nap could have easily never come to eat with them, but he decided to sit with them for lunch. Isn’t that just amazing? Nap looks between Day's eyes before he chuckles.

“Kickin and I sit next to each other in astrology,” Nap settles back down and unfolds the napkins of food. Day asks him about their astrology class as they eat. Lunch goes well, Day can’t wait to repeat it every day after. When he waves goodbye to the others as he and Kickin head for their physical training class. A few steps down the cement path Day realizes Nap lied. Their lunch is from eleven to two, it’s just turning one thirty now, he would have had plenty of time to go through the lunch line and eat after. Why…? Whatever. Nap ate some food and spent some time with everyone. It doesn’t really matter that he lied.

“I can’t believe we’re unlucky enough to have this class after lunch. Why couldn’t it have been this morning? We could have slept in,” Kickin complains.

“I think we’re supposed to wait an hour after eating before doing anything physically straining. It’s been about an hour since we finished lunch,” Day muses as they walk.

“I guess,” Kickin sighs. A peaceful quiet falls around them as they reach the training building. “Hey, Day?” Kickin asks.

“Yes?” Day asks as he holds the door open for Kickin. The chicken pauses and meets his gaze directly.

“Do you trust Nap?” Kickin asks. It’s the most serious Day’s ever heard him. What could have caused this?

“Why do you ask?”

“Just, please. Do you trust him?”

“I–” Day is cut off as a bull and a boar shove Kickin out of the way of the door. “Kickin!” Day cries as he slips past the two big anthros to help Kickin up from where he landed on the ground.

“Get out of the way!” the bull calls over his shoulder. The boar with him laughs obnoxiously. The door swings shut and Day helps Kickin to his feet.

“I’m fine. Just a few scratches,” Kickin dusts off his feathers. “I really don’t think I'm going to enjoy this class.”

Kickin is right. They did not have a good class. Even though their teacher is Foxirite Pirateer, another member of the Fazbear crew. He had them do physical tests and basically said ‘Don’t break the school rules and do everything I tell you’ instead of a syllabus. The other students singled Kickin and Day out as soon as class began. Day doesn’t know if it’s because they’re the smallest among the other students or what. Their classmates sabotaged their tests and skewed their results so many times their charts are useless. When it’s finally over Day and Kickin escape out of the large training building and into the end of class crowd filling the academy walkways.

“I’m definitely switching out of that class,” Kickin rubs his arm. Day saw the bull grab it. He must have bruised Kickin’s arm.

“Are you ok?” Day asks.

“Me? You were the one who had a dumbbell dropped on your foot,” Kickin looks down at the foot Day didn’t put his shoe on.

“Don’t worry, I’m going to the nurse’s office to check it,” Day assures.

“Did that jerk break it?” Kickin asks, alarmed.

“I don’t think so,” Day tries to reassure him. “Meet back at the dorm?”

“Are you sure?” Kickin asks. “I’ll go with you.”

“It’s fine, Kickin,” Day smiles. “I’ll tell you the results later, ok?”

“I guess,” Kickin frowns.

“Besides, what will Hoppy think? You two are supposed to try out for track and field soon,” Day reminds the chicken.

“It doesn’t matter what she thinks,” Kickin grumbles. “But you have to tell me if you're ok. Promise?”

“Yes, sir!” Day salutes. Kickin grumbles again before walking towards their dorms. Day turns towards the nurses office and wanders behind the building when he doesn’t hear or see anyone around. He slips his shoe back on as he takes his phone out. Checking his surroundings again he dials Poppy’s number. She answers on the first ring.

“I bought us about an hour,” Day leans against the back of the building. “Orders?”

Notes:

I really debated posting this one this early. I was going to wait, but I'm so excited to share this story with you all.

Anywho, thank you all for reading! I'll see you in the next one!

Chapter 4: It's Friday!

“I’m fucked!” Kickin cries. He slams his head on his desk. Day winces at the loud bang. It’s Friday and tomorrow is their last day of school for the week. Kickin should be pumped.

“What’s going on, Kickin?” Day asks as he turns in his chair. They’re both doing schoolwork at their desks. Day is working on chemistry and Kickin is working on math. Day was almost done with his, but Kickin hasn’t made it far at all.

“I don’t know what to do, man,” Kickin mumbles. He doesn’t look up from where his forehead is resting on the edge of the desk. “I don’t think I’m going to pass geometry and I need to pass.”

“You can still switch to algebra 1,” Day rubs the chicken’s shoulder. “The deadline for switching classes is tomorrow at six, remember?”

“First of all, the teacher for the algebra classes, Mr. Baldi, is terrifying. There are rumors of him chasing students down and beating them,” Kickin knocks his head on his desk again.

“The school wouldn’t keep a teacher who beats students, for a lot of reasons,” Day dismisses.

“Second of all, I can’t go down a math level,” Kickin lifts his head up and looks at Day desperately. “I can’t lose my scholarship, Day.”

“Your scholarship?” Day asks.

“Dude, now I know you’re a rich kid,” Kickin tries to tease. He doesn’t quite manage it. Kickin sighs as he folds his arms on his desk and buries his face in them. “If you manage to get selected, but can’t pay the tuition, there’s a scholarship that they offer you. The requirements are strict and failing to meet them is one of the biggest things to get students kicked out of Evol. I have to start at geometry and pass a higher math class every year. So, if I graduate, I should be finishing calculus.”

“Wasn’t there an easier math scholarship available?”

“They didn’t offer it to me, and there’s no way my parents could afford to send me here without the scholarship. If I lose it, I have to drop out. Being selected doesn’t do you much good unless you’re rich or a genius,” Kickin chuckles hollowly.

Day didn’t know. He’s in the school under…special circumstances. He probably wouldn’t be here at all without Poppy’s help. How many of his friends are in the same circumstances as Kickin? Maybe they should start having study nights together or something.

“Kickin, why not look for a tutor?”

“Don’t you have to pay for a tutor?”

“The school should have tutors on their payroll, we just need to find out what the system is. Why don’t we take a break and look it up?”

“You’re going to help me?” Kickin asks hopefully.

“Of course, I don’t want some stranger becoming my roommate,” Day grins.

“I should have known you had an ulterior motive!” Kickin cries dramatically. They both chuckle as Day pulls his laptop out. They spend the next hour looking at the school website. They do have teachers available to tutor the subjects they teach, but the amount you have to pay to hire them is insane. Kickin sinks into despair again, but Day looks a little longer. He does find a section where it says students are available to tutor other students, but who and on what subjects is listed on the school bulletin boards. Not the website, for some reason. Day checks his phone and sees it’s almost time for them to meet everyone at the cafeteria anyway. He’ll check the bulletin board there. Hopefully, there’s someone who’s willing to tutor geometry.

“C’mon Kickin, let’s head for the cafeteria,” Day encourages as he grabs his phone and keycard. The chicken mopes, but he gets up to grab his stuff too. Day hurries next door to room ten and knocks. He found out the third day of school Nap is in the room next to theirs. He paid extra to get the room to himself. Day hears a few thumps before the door opens a crack and a yellow eye peeks out at him.

“C’mon, Nap! Let’s go get dinner,” Day smiles.

“Fine,” Nap sighs deeply. He shuts the door and disappears inside. Day glances over at Kickin shutting their door and the loud click that means it’s locked. Day and Kickin wait by Nap’s door for a bit until it opens. Nap walks out with his school hoodie on and Day immediately notices something the cat forgot.

“Nap, your shoes?” Day asks. The cat pauses and looks down.

“Oh, right,” Nap leaves his door open as he walks over to his bed and starts pulling his shoes on. Day tries not to snoop, but he sees Nap’s keycard on his desk.

“Nap, your keycard,” Day steps into the doorway.

“Almost forgot that,” Nap yawns as he stands and heads for the desk. He slides the keycard into his hoodie pocket and turns to them. “Ready to go,” Nap declares. Day tries to bite his lip, but he can't let Nap go outside like this.

“Nap, you shoelaces,” Day points out. The cat looks down and shrugs.

“It’ll be fine,” Nap dismisses.

“You could fall and–let me do it then,” Day sighs as he steps into the room. Nap plops himself down on his bed and extends his untied feet. Day sighs as he rests Nap’s heel on his leg and ties the shoes. He thought the cat was just forgetful the first three days, but now he thinks the cat is ‘forgetting’ things on purpose. He never ties his shoes when they meet in the dorm, but whenever he meets the cat midday his shoes are tied. Nap has been eating, but he’ll complain he’s still hungry whenever Day finishes everything except his dessert. Day tries to resist, but those yellow eyes are powerful when they look directly at you. Day hasn’t had any of his own desserts since the first day of school. He knows he shouldn’t be encouraging this behavior, but Nap is still so thin. He needs the food to grow and Day can survive without dessert. Day just can’t figure out why the cat is doing all of this. What’s the point?

“There,” Day says as he sets Nap’s second foot down. He stands and reaches out a hand to help Nap to his feet.

“My hero,” Nap grins as he takes Day’s slightly bigger hand. Nap squeezes Day’s hand before letting go and heading out the door. Kickin is in the doorway texting with a small frown on his face.

“Ready?” Day asks him. The chicken looks up and nods. The three of them leave the dorm and walk to the cafeteria. The sky is clear and the sun is bright, making it a warm evening. Day would love to go for a swim today. He’s hoping Sunday, the one day they have off every week, will give him a few hours at the pool. When they get inside the cafeteria, Kickin beelines for the lunchline before Day can mention the bulletin board. Day sighs internally.

“You go ahead, Nap,” Day grins as he motions to where Kickin raced off to.

“Are you sure?” Nap hesitates. Day nods and gives Nap’s back a light push towards the dinner line. Nap slowly joins Kickin at the back of the line. Day turns back to the bulletin board and looks it over. Most of the fliers on it are for school club meetings and sport tryouts. Shouldn’t there be something for tutors by now? Day spies a paper covered by the others towards the bottom and lifts the other papers out of the way. There he sees a flier for students who are in higher level classes who can start tutoring for college credit.

This is the sign up sheet for students who want to tutor? Day looks over the list and finds a familiar name. Bubba Bubbaphant. Day has him in his homeroom and his physical training class, after he and Kickin switched classes. There’s a spot for phone numbers next to where you put your name on the sign up sheet. Day debates if he should call Bubba’s number. He should probably wait, right? Until this list gets taken down and the tutors accepted or something? He doesn’t know when that will be and Kickin doesn’t have time to wait…maybe Day can make a private deal with Bubba. Day takes his phone out and dials the number written beside Bubba’s name. He steps back outside as the phone rings.

“Hello?”

“Hi! I’m calling to see if you’re willing to tutor a geometry student?” Day cuts right to the chase.

“What?” Bubba answers uncertainty. “Who is this? How did you get my number?”

“Uh,” Day scratches the back of his head. “There’s a flier in the lunchroom where students can sign up to be a tutor?”

“I should have checked the bulletin board myself,” Bubba mutters. “Look, I signed up to be a tutor, but first year students aren’t allowed to be tutors, even if they are in a higher level class. I can’t officially tutor anyone without going against the school rules. I can’t tutor you in geometry, I’m sorry.”

“What if you tutored someone unofficially?” Day asks.

“You mean without letting the school know? That could lead to expulsion. No, I won’t risk getting expelled,” Bubba firmly denies. Day is going to have to pull out the big guns.

“Even if you get paid for it?” Day asks. He hears Bubba scoff on the other end. Day rushes out the rest of his offer before the elephant can hang up. “How about five hundred for every session?” Silence is his only answer. “We can meet up tomorrow to see if this will actually work out for both parties and then we’ll discuss payment. If it doesn’t work out, that’s that.”

“...make it a thousand for each session,” Bubba mutters quietly.

“Deal, see you in the library at five tomorrow?” Day asks cheerfully.

“In the first study room,” Bubba says, his voice full of regret. He hangs up before Day can say goodbye. Huh. This is either going to turn out really good or really bad.

“Day?” Nap asks from directly behind him. Day almost jumps in surprise. The cat is so silent sometimes.

“Don’t worry. I’m coming in, just had to take care of a family thing real quick,” Day assures. He flies through the empty line as the lunch workers begrudgingly serve him some food before they close up. Day apologizes and tries to be as fast as he can. When he makes it outside to their usual table everyone except Nap and Kickin are done eating. Day takes his usual spot beside Nap and apologizes as he gets interrogated. He says he got a call from his sister. Day eats fast as the others hang around to keep him company. They’re great friends for waiting. Kickin and Nap finish before he does. Nap still asks for his dessert and Day still gives it to him. When he’s done everyone has to disperse for their different clubs or to catch up on homework.

It’s become a tradition to eat their meals together on the patio. They can’t all meet up at the same time at every meal, everyday. Picky and Day were late yesterday because someone burnt their loaves of bread in cooking class. All of the students in their class had to get checked for burns or smoke inhalation. Things like that always seem to happen at some point. Hoppy has tried out for so many sports the school limited her to three and their practice should start soon. They’ve been meeting the last half hour of every meal because it's less busy and most of them usually make it. With Kickin and Hoppy starting practice on Monday those plans might change. Day waves to the others as he, Kickin, and Nap all head for the boy’s dorms. Kickin is in a better mood, but not quite back to his usual cheer.

“Do you guys mind if I chill in your room?” Nap asks.

“Yeah! Then we can watch Back to the Future,” Kickin perks up. Nap and Kickin grin at each other. Day never thought he would have to be the voice of reason, but here he is.

“Only after you both finish your school work,” Day pops their bubble.

“Killjoy,” Kickin mutters as he pulls out his keycard to enter the dorm building. Nap sends him a wink before he turns to Day.

“Please, Day? Can’t we watch a single movie?” Nap leans closer, his eyes wide and his head tilted. His cute triangle ears press against his skull. “Pretty please, Day?” Nap pouts. Day may be weak to the ‘forgetfulness’ and the food stealing, but he knows manipulation when he sees it. He lowers his own ears as he leans closer to the cat.

“I’m sorry, Nap,” Day whines, making his own eyes big and sad. “I want you to succeed. Even if–” Day sniffles, “–even if you hate me.” His tail lowers as his ears shift forward to cover his face.

“Oh my stars, fine! Nap grab whatever schoolwork you have left. Day, we’ll work for two more hours before we quit, ok?” Kickin sighs as he walks into the elevator. Day grins and barely avoids Nap’s tail in his nose as the cat gets in to.

“Why?” Day asks him, exasperated. He gets in and the elevator lifts to their floor.

“Don’t try to out cute me,” Nap scolds him teasingly as he walks to his room. “I’ll be there in a few.”

Day enters his and Kickin’s room, leaving their door open for Nap. Kickin kicks his shoes off and approaches his desk. He grips the back of his chair and glares at the math homework in front of him.

“I found someone who can tutor you,” Day breaks the silence as he slips his shoes off by the door.

“What? You did?” Kickin turns to him with wide eyes. “How? We literally went to dinner and came back. Wait, this is what took you so long to join us, isn’t it?”

“Yes, but I found someone and we’re meeting him tomorrow to see if you two are a good fit,” Day reaches out to put his school work away and clear his desk.

“Day, look…I appreciate it. I really do, but you shouldn’t have to find a tutor for me–”

“Kickin,” Day sets his books back down and turns to the chicken. “I want to help you and I want you to succeed. Besides, I haven’t done anything more than find someone to help. You’re the one who has to work for that passing grade, right?”

“Jeez,” Kickin rubs his beak. “I think you’re too nice, Day.”

“You really are,” Nap chimes in as he lugs his backpack inside their room. Day moves his stuff and purposely lays on his bed so Nap will sit in the desk chair. Nap claims Day’s bed every time they hang out. The only way he’ll actually do any school work is if he sits at the desk. So, Day makes sure that’s where Nap ends up. For some reason, the cat won’t sit or lay in Kickin’s bed.

“See? If Nap says it, it must be true!” Kickin says dramatically as he plops down into his chair.

“Thank you, Kickin. If only everyone knew that, life would be so much easier,” Nap plops down beside him in the other desk chair. They grin at each other.

“Easier for who, exactly?” Day asks as he rolls his eyes. Kickin and Nap chuckle to themselves as they start on their respective schoolwork. Day still doesn’t know what Kickin meant back on their first day of school. What did he mean, ‘Do you trust Nap?’ What exactly happened in that astrology class? What made it go away? Kickin and Nap are getting along great now. Day should just let it go, right?

“Hey, Day? Can you help me with this question?” Nap breaks Day out of his thoughts.

“Sure, what is it about?” Day asks. He helps Nap and Kickin with their schoolwork as much as he can, but he isn’t a teacher. He suspects Nap pulled out his math work because Kickin was working on his. They help each other as an hour passes. Nap’s study music fills the room and Day reads one of the books Poppy sent with him. When the lights flash in their room, signaling the five minutes before curfew, Nap packs up and heads to his room. Kickin takes over the bathroom first to get ready for bed. Day uses the chance to send a text to Poppy. Kickin comes out and Day takes his turn in the bathroom. They turn off their lights and go to bed, their usual routine. Day waits until Kickin’s breathing is borderline snoring before he slips back out of bed with his phone into the bathroom. He shuts the door as quietly as he can and calls Poppy.

“Did something happen?” Poppy asks as soon as she picks up.

“Nothing worth reporting,” Day keeps his voice low.

“Ok…” Poppy says, her unspoken question obvious.

“My roommate is struggling with his math class. I found him a tutor, but I need to take a thousand out of my account for each session to pay him,” Day explains.

“Day,” Poppy sighs deeply. “I know you like to help people, but I’m not a charity.”

“It would be from my account, Pops, please?”

“You mean the account I transfer money to every month? Day, that account is for the mission,” Poppy says tiredly.

“This is for the mission,” Day says thinking fast.

“Really?” Poppy says flatly.

“Yes, it is. I’ve already done what you told me to, but I can’t be everywhere at once. You know how big this place is and how many people there are. My roommate is the best person to be an extra pair of eyes and ears,” Day glances at the door. He doesn’t like talking about Kickin like he’s an asset, but right now it’s Day’s best bet of convincing Poppy.

“You think he would join us?”

“I can’t be sure of that until winter break at the very least. I’ve only known him for a week, but if I can convince him, I can convince the others. The more help I get in here the better, right?”

“That’s if he manages to pass whatever math class he’s struggling with,” Poppy mutters.

“By the end of the semester I’ll know for sure how things will turn out. Just until then, ok?” Day whines into the phone.

“You’re lucky I’m running low on sleep right now,” Poppy grumbles. “Fine, cover tutoring until the end of the semester. IF he passes we’ll re-discuss. If he fails, that’s the end of it. Deal?”

“Thank you, Pops,” Day smiles brightly, even if she can’t see it. “You’re the best!”

“LIke I said, you’re lucky I’m running on a low amount of sleep right now. Good night, Day,” Poppy yawns.

“Good night, Pops,” Day says. Poppy hangs up and Day sneaks back to bed. Tomorrow just needs to go well and everything will be fine. Day closes his eyes and manages to fall asleep. He doesn’t sleep well, he rarely does, that night. He’s up before Kickin and does his usual morning routine. When he gets out Kickin is already changed and scrolling through his phone.

“Mornin, Kickin,” Day smiles as he puts his pajamas away and grabs his backpack.

“Morning,” Kickin yawns as he gets up and takes over the bathroom. Day starts putting the stuff he’ll need for today into his backpack and sends Poppy a text with a good morning gif. She leaves him on read. Day grins to himself as he zips up his bag. Poppy isn’t a morning person at all, but it is hilarious to watch her stumble through the house before she has her morning coffee.

“Ok, so you mentioned you found me a tutor, but I need a few more details,” Kickin says as he tosses his pajamas on his bed and grabs his own bag.

“We’ll meet him in the first study room of the library at five,” Day says as grabs his keycard and checks his phone for the time. Kickin zips up his bag and narrows his eyes at Day.

“You are very suspiciously not mentioning a name,” Kickin grabs his keycard and phone too.

“It’s not suspicious, I just don’t think you know him. His name is Bubba Bubbaphant–”

“The elephant? Fuck me,” Kickin groans. They exit their room and knock on Nap’s door. “Day, that guy is the biggest jerk in our beginner’s painting class!”

“The one you and Crafty share?” Day asks. He knocks on Nap’s door again.

“Yes! He’s just so–ugh!” Kickin huffs as he crosses his arms. “I don’t think this is going to work out.”

“Hold on, it definitely won’t if you meet him with that mindset. Just try to give it a shot?” Day asks. He really needs this to work out for Kickin and himself. “I’ll be there with you just in case, ok?”

“Be where?” Nap asks tiredly as he opens his door. He didn’t tie his shoes again.

“The library. Nap your shoes aren’t tied again,” Day points out.

“Eh, it’ll be fine,” Nap dismisses.

“Fine, I’ll tie them, but this is the last time, Nap,” Day tells him. Nap sits on his bed and Day kneels at his feet to tie his shoes again. This is the last time he’s going to do it. Really.

“You’re going to the library today?” Nap asks as he switches feet.

“Day got me a tutor,” Kickin sighs. “He’s a jerk and I don’t think this is going to work out.”

“Try anyway,” Nap says as he stands up. He reaches a hand out to help Day to his feet. “Thanks, sunshine.” Day’s tail is not wagging from the nickname.

“Nap, I thought you would be on my side!” Kickin cries.

“Day got you a tutor without asking for anything in return right?” Nap asks as he leads the way out of his room. Kickin nods slowly. “Suck it up, buttercup. You have a tutor you didn’t even put in the work to find.”

“N-Nap!” Day gasps.

“No, he’s right,” Kickin sighs as he rubs his beak. “I’m sorry Day. I've been acting ungrateful for your help. I really do appreciate it and I will try tonight.”

“Really?” Day asks him. He was starting to think this meeting was doomed from the start. Kickin nods as they get in the empty elevator. It’s almost seven and most students are still in their dorms getting ready for the day.

“What subject is he going to tutor you for?” Nap asks as the elevator goes down.

“Math. Geometry, specifically,” Kickin answers.

“Yeah, math is a grade killer for me too,” Nap yawns.

“Do you need a tutor to, Nap?” Day asks. The elevator stops and the doors open to let them into the lobby.

“I might once our classes kick into gear next week,” Nap shrugs.

“What do you mean?” Kickin asks nervously.

“I’ve heard the upperclassmen talk about the first week being the easiest because students are switching and changing classes. Once the first week is over, and the students are locked into their classes, the real work begins. It’s also the first few weeks of every semester that has the most drop outs,” Nap explains as they walk through the lobby and out the dorm doors. The morning air is chilly and the sun isn’t very high in the sky.

“Fuck me,” Kickin says again.

“Language,” Day can let it pass once, but twice is a no go.

“Relax, sunshine. None of the other student council members are here,” Nap grins.

“Swearing isn’t a good habit,” Day defends himself. Kickin and Nap share a look.

“Of course,” Nap says solemnly.

“You’re right,” Kickin agrees just as solemnly. Day huffs at their fake serious faces. The rest of their walk is peaceful as they talk about what they want to do tomorrow on their day off. They get to the cafeteria, grab their food, and join Hoppy, Crafty, and Picky on the patio. Picky found out on the school website that the school does allow students to leave academy grounds on Sunday. As long as their grades are high enough and they haven’t gotten a disciplinary mark on their record. The school has a bus that arrives at seven in the morning and it returns at seven in the evening for students to use. If they have their own cars, they can leave anytime after six in the morning and must return before nine when the academy gates are locked for the night.

“I wish we were old enough to drive,” Hoppy sighs.

“Next year, Hoppy,” Kickin comforts her.

“I’ll get my driving permit this summer,” Day mentions right before he takes another bite of his pancakes.

“What? How old are you?” Hoppy asks him. Day swallows his bite.

“I’ll be turning fifteen in June. I can get my license after my birthday,” Day explains.

“You’re a summer baby,” Picky nods like she just figured something out.

“When is your birthday? We have to celebrate before school is over and we all go back home,” Hoppy declares. “Actually, let’s get everyone’s birthdays.”

They manage to get Day’s, Hoppy’s and Kickin’s birthdays saved in everyone’s calendars before the bell rings. Hoppy promises that they’ll get Crafty’s, Picky’s and Nap’s at lunch. Day walks with Nap to their chemistry class.

“Do you want to leave the academy tomorrow?” Day asks as they walk.

“I think I will. It’s probably a good idea to get out of here whenever you can,” Nap turns down the path to the science building. “Why do you ask?”

“Well, you didn't give a definite answer and Hoppy was too excited to make sure everyone wanted to go,” Day says as he waves to the dove twins on a different path.

“If that’s the case, you never gave a definitive answer either,” Nap points out. He picks up his pace and Day has to catch up.

“I have a student council meeting after lunch tomorrow,” Day says sheepishly. “Otherwise, I would love to go out with everyone.”

“I guess the second meeting is still a mandatory meeting, but you can skip the other meetings right?”

“That’s not how the student council works, Nap.”

“It should, it takes up too much time,” Nap says. He opens the science building door and holds it for Day. “After you, your majesty.”

“You’re never going to let that go, are you?” Day chuckles as he steps inside.

“Never,” Nap smiles back. Day can’t look at that smile directly. It’s too powerful for him. He’s saved by Miss Delight walking down the hall towards their classroom. They hurry inside and sit in their seats just as the bell rings and Miss Delight closes the door to the classroom. Amazingly, Day and Nap are lab partners because they were placed in alphabetical order that first class. Day has discovered he likes working with Nap. The cat is quiet during class and absorbs more information than his sleepy eyes would lead you to believe. Chemistry always feels like Day’s quickest class. It always ends faster than he expects it to. Today is no exception.

“See you later, Nap!” Day waves as he heads in the opposite direction than the cat. Nap waves back before he starts walking away too. The rest of the day flies by, an excitement in the air as the students’ only day off approaches. At lunch, they get the rest of the birthdays in everyone’s phones and start planning their group trip outside of the academy. Day gets booed as he explains he can’t come. Their final class ends and he meets Kickin in front of the library ten minutes before five.

“How are you feeling?” Day asks.

“Better, actually. This is just a meeting. If it doesn’t work out, no harm done. I just have to find a different tutor, right? Bubba seems really smart, he can definitely help me,” Kickin says confidently. They walk inside and Day thinks this might actually go well. Hopefully.

It’s not very busy in the library, most of the students are probably taking the evening off to relax. Day asks the librarian where study room one is. He hasn’t been inside the library before. It’s big and spacious with a fairytale vibe to it. Day can’t quite explain why. Maybe it's because of the balconies that make a second floor? Or the round orange lights that dangle from the ceiling and hang from the walls?

“Ok,” Kickin takes a breath. “Here we go,” He opens the door to study room one. Inside is a more modern room. It’s set up with sleek furniture that looks like a business meeting room on TV. Bubba is writing on the whiteboard at the front of the room when they come in. He turns when they enter and looks them over. His eyebrows scrunch in confusion as he looks between Day and Kickin.

“Hi, Bubba,” Day ends the silence. “I’m Day and this is Kickin, he’s the one you’ll be tutoring,” Day explains as he lightly pushes Kickin to the chairs closer to the elephant.

“Kickin is the one who needs tutoring?” Bubba asks as he looks at Day.

“Yep! I’m just here to do some of my own schoolwork. Don’t mind me,” Day grins as he sits in the chair behind Kickin.

“Hey, Bubba,” Kickin finally says.

“Kickin,” Bubba nods. “What do you need help with?”

Kickin relaxes a little and digs around in his backpack for his geometry work. Bubba shoots Day another glance over the chicken’s head. Day presses a finger to his lips, hoping Bubba will keep quiet for the moment. The elephant frowns but focuses on Kickin again. Kickin explains where he’s stuck and Bubba nods as he stands and erases the pre-calculus equations from the whiteboard. Bubba starts writing out the problem and explains how to get the answer. Kickin’s shoulders tense as Bubba races through the problem like Day does a plate of tofu steak. So, seeing the way Kickin’s shoulders slump, Day raises his hand.

“Uh, yes, Day?” Bubba sks.

“Will you go through that again, but slower? I got lost,” Day says. Bubba frowns, but he nods.

“I apologize, that wasn't really teaching was it? Sorry, I’m new to this,” Bubba admits as he erases his work and only the equation is on the white board again. While he’s turned away, Kickin glances over his shoulder. Day holds up his history notebook with a wink. Kickin mouths a thank you. Bubba starts again, much slower this time, and it gives Kickin a chance to ask questions. After a half hour they find a rhythm and Kickin is done with his math work within the hour.

“Thanks, Bubba,” Kickin looks away awkwardly. “Sorry about the other day in painting.”

“I forgive you, as long as you don’t do it again,” Bubba says as he erases the whiteboard. There’s a moment of silence that Day doesn’t know how to diffuse. What happened in painting? He’ll have to ask Crafty later.

“Hey, Bubba, have you had dinner yet?” Day asks as he slips his backpack over his shoulders.

“No,” Bubba puts the eraser down.

“You should eat with us,” Day grins. Bubba frowns.

“You should, Crafty will be there too,” Kickin adds as he slips his own backpack on.

“Fine,” Bubba sighs. “I guess eating with you guys would be a nice change of pace.”

“Great!” Day smiles at him. His tail wagging behind him. Bubba covers his eyes as he turns away.

“I think I just became a supporting character,” Bubba mutters under his breath. Day tilts his head curiously, but that's all Bubba says. He grabs his own bag and they head out of the library into the warm evening air.

“So, Bubba,” Day keeps pace with the elephant. “You, Kickin, and Crafty have a painting class together, right?”

“Yes?”

“Then, you can clear something up for us. Is Crafty really good at painting?”

“What? Of course she is, but somehow she’s in the beginner class. I think she’s painting poorly on purpose,” Bubba theorizes.

“See! I told you Crafty is better than she says she is,” Kickin immediately jumps in. “There's no way she could paint her water bottle that well and then make the messy stuff she does in class.”

“Ah,” Day rubs his chin. “The plot thickens.” Kickn and Bubba laugh at his terrible accent. They enter the cafeteria and grab their food. Kickin leads Bubba out to the patio where their friends are sitting around their usual table. Crafty glances up and sits a little straighter when she sees the elephant. Bubba relaxes a little and heads for the open space beside her.

“Hi, Crafty,” Bubba says as he sits.

“Hi, Bubba,” Crafty smiles shyly. Kickin sits on Crafty’s other side. Day sits beside Picky and looks around.

“Where are Hoppy and Nap?” Day asks Picky.

“We think their class is being punished for some reason. Hopefully, they make it for dinner,” Picky frowns as she checks her phone. Dinner stops being served at seven and it’s after six thirty now. “Should we get them food?” Picky asks.

“Let’s give them until six forty five, if they still haven't shown up, we’ll get them some food,” Day agrees. Picky nods as she takes another bite. Day finds it interesting how she separates her food as much as she can on her plate. She doesn’t eat all of it either, she’ll eat half and store the other half inside tupperware she sneaks into the cafeteria. Day wants to ask her where she puts her leftovers. Did she sneak a fridge into the dorms somehow? He doesn’t ask despite his curiosity, she can tell them when she’s comfortable. Bubba compliments Crafty’s water bottle and Kickin teases her about how well it’s painted compared to her class art. Just as Day and Picky’s time limit hits, Hoppy and Nap appear at the table. They both have their trays as they rush over.

“Sorry, everyone!” Hoppy apologizes as she sits beside Picky. “Someone in our class stole Miss Delight’s hairpin and we all had to clean the building until it was found.”

“Why would someone steal from the teacher?” Bubba asks her. Hoppy whips her head around and points at Bubba.

“Brainiac!” Hoppy gasps. “When did you get here? Did Day do it again?”

“Bubba is my new tutor and yes, of course Day did,” Kickin answers.

“What did I do?” Day asks, utterly confused.

“Don’t look so worried,” Nap chuckles as he sits on Day’s other side. “You do good.”

“Do what?” Day asks again.

“So, who for sure wants to go out tomorrow?” Hoppy asks the table. “Wait, Brainiac, we’re all going to meet and take the bus into the capitol tomorrow. Want to come with us?”

“I was planning to go already,” Bubba says.

“Great! So, let’s meet at the gates at six forty-five?” Hoppy asks the table.

“Works for me,” Kickn agrees. Crafty and Picky nod.

“Me as well,” Bubba says.

“Nap?” Hoppy asks as she leans on the table to look past Picky and Day to the cat.

“Eh, I think I’ll sit this one out,” Nap says as he takes another bite of his fish.

“But you agreed to go this morning,” Hoppy says confused. Day watches Nap frown as he chews and refuses to meet anyone’s eyes. Hoppy’s ears lower as she starts to glare at Nap. Day holds up his hands in a time out sign. Hoppy grumbles, but sits down to keep eating. Picky asks Bubba what his favorite food is and the others are distracted for the moment. Day pushes his tray away so he can fold his arms on the table and lean his head on them to meet the cat’s eyes.

“I know what you’re going to say,” Nap mumbles as sips his coffee.

“What am I going to say?” Day asks just as quietly.

“You’re going to ask me why I changed my mind and I’m going to avoid answering until you wear me down. Then, I’ll tell you that I…” Nap looks down at his hands that started wringing themselves together in his lap. “...that I want to go with you or not at all.”

Day buries his face in his arms as his tail takes off. He might be shaking with how hard it’s wagging. Nap just said he wants to escape the academy with Day or not at all. How is Day supposed to respond to that?

“Great, Nap broke Day again,” Kickin sighs. The others at the table start to giggle. Day’s face starts to feel hot as he tries to get his tail under control. When his tail is a little calmer and the heat in his face isn’t so bad, he turns to look at Nap. Yellow eyes meet his as Nap watches him.

“Thanks, Nap,” Day smiles at him. The cat blinks slowly back. “But I want you to go out and get blackmail on everyone,” Day grins.

“Everyone? Shouldn’t be too hard,” Nap’s eyes glint in the slowly fading sunlight.

“Wait, no,” Hoppy interrupts. “No planning against the rest of us.”

“Planning? What planning?” Nap asks innocently as he takes another sip of his coffee.

“Yeah, we aren’t planning anything,” Day says as he sits up again. “Anyway, I want you guys to show me pictures when you come back.”

“Of course, Day,” Crafty smiles at him.

“Knew I could count on you, Crafty,” Day winks. Crafty’s cheeks blush as she hides behind her sketchbook. Nap slams his coffee on the table. There’s a moment of stunned silence. Day looks at Nap confused. Crafty continues to hide.

“I think I’m starting to understand the dynamics here,” Bubba mutters.

“You get used to it,” Picky assures him.

“Anyway,” Hoppy says. ‘We’ll all meet at the gates at seven fifteen. We’ll see you there, Nap?”

“I’ll see you all there,” Nap agrees stiffly.

“Great! So, is there anywhere you guys want to go? I’d like to stop at a shoe store. I don’t think the old ones I brought are going to cut it,” Hoppy says. The others mention places they’d like to go and Bubba helps Hoppy plan everything out. It sounds like their day is planned down to every minute. They walk together back to the dorms and Hoppy declares a movie night in her and Crafty’s room. Crafty looks at her surprised and it quickly turns to dread. Knowing how shy and private Crafty is, she must not want everyone in her space.

“Actually,” Day says when he gets the chance. “Why don’t you all come over to our room? Do you mind, Kickin?”

“Let’s make this a party!” Kickin cheers.

“I can bring snacks,” Picky offers.

“Yes! Picky, you're the best,” Kickin grins at her. She blushes as she grins back.

“T-thanks, Kickin,” Picky steps away to take the path to the girl’s dorms.

“Actually, I’ll help you carry things,” Bubba says as he steps after her.

“Me too, I want to get rid of my backpack,” Crafty follows them.

“That’s a good idea,” Hoppy admits. “Fine! We’ll be at the dorms in ten. Don’t forget to let us in!”

“Bubba should be able to get you guys inside,” Day calls as Hoppy follows the others.

“Let’s go!” Kickin cheers as he leads the way to their rooms. When they get inside Day tries to straighten things up a little and hesitates when he grabs his bone plush. It’s the first gift Poppy got him. He really doesn’t want to risk it getting dirty or lost. Should he hide it under the bed? It’ll get dirty on the floor, won’t it?

“Let me,” Nap whispers as he places his hand on Day’s. “I’ll put it in my room,” Nap smiles softly. “I’ll keep it safe, promise.”

“Ok,” Day agrees with a little hesitance. He still can’t look directly at that smile. Nap takes the plush with him when he goes to his room to drop off his backpack. Day doesn't expect the wave of anxiety it causes him to see it get taken away. He calms himself down by listening to Kickin ramble and looking at Nap’s soft smile when he returns.

The others knock on the door ten minutes later and they all start to watch Back to the Future. Hoppy says they’ll marathon the series all night, but Day doesn’t think they’ll make it that far. When the first movie ends and a few minutes into the next one, everyone has fallen asleep except for him and Nap.

“Should we wake them up?” Day asks as he turns the movie off on Kickin’s laptop.

“If they fall asleep this early, they must need the sleep. Might as well leave them be,” Nap says as he yawns.

“I don’t think we can let the girls stay. They could get suspended for staying in the boy’s dorm overnight,” Day worries.

“What archaic rules,” Nap mutters. “You do have a point, but it’s five after the ten o'clock curfew anyway.”

“Curfew is at eleven Saturday nights,” Day says as he checks his phone to make sure. It’s the only night their curfew is extended by an hour. Holiday hours are a whole other ball game. “We’ll let them sleep until ten thirty.”

“Great,” Nap says as he spreads out on Day’s bed. “Let’s close our eyes for a while too,” Nap pats the space beside him.

“Nope” Day rejects the offer. He isn’t that tired and this feels like some kind of trap. Nap chuckles, but doesn’t push. He rolls onto his side and pulls out his phone.

“Here, let’s play chess,” Nap sets the phone on the edge of the bed. Day scoots over so the phone is between them.

“Ok, but you’ll have to teach me. I’ve never played chess before,” Day admits. Nap nods and teaches him as they play a game. Day thinks he gets the hang of it. He can’t be sure because he doesn’t get the chance to play against Nap without assistance. He carefully walks around his sleeping friends to wake the girls. Hoppy grumbles, but gets up without a fight. Crafty looks like she’ll fall over once she gets to her feet and she doesn't really answer when Day asks if she can walk by herself. Picky just flat out won’t wake up. Day sighs and lifts Picky in his arms. She sniffs and wraps her arms around his neck.

“‘Nilla,” she mumbles as she buries her face in his chest, squishing her cheek as she smiles. Day just chuckles, she looks so cute snuggled up like this.

“NO!” Crafty cries. Day whips his head around to see Crafty yanking her sketchbook and small bag of art supplies away from Nap.

“Crafty,” Nap reaches out to help the wobbly unicron. “I’m sorry.”

“No,” Crafty says again as she leans away. Nap lets his hands drop but watches to make sure Crafty doesn’t fall. The unicorn hurries over to Hoppy and hides behind her. THe unicorn very carefully puts her sketchbook in her bag.

“What happened?” Day asks.

“I accidentally ripped one of her drawings,” Nap sighs. “I am sorry, Crafty.”

“No,” the unicorn repeats for the third time. Nap’s shoulders slump.

“I’m sure you can explain when she’s more awake. Let’s get them to their rooms,” Day assures the cat.

“We don’t need your help getting back,” Hoppy declares. She walks over and opens the door.

“Hoppy, that’s the bathroom door,” Day tells her. Hoppy pauses and looks around the room before she shuts it again.

“That doesn’t mean anything!” Hoppy crosses her arms.

“Let us help you anyway? Please?” Day tilts his head.

“You won’t always win with that look!” Hoppy points at his nose before she heads for the correct door this time. “Keep up!”

Day and Nap manage to get all three into the elevator. Crafty sticks to Day’s side and refuses to look at Nap. Hoppy thinks this is some sort of race, and Picky keeps tightening her hold on his neck. As they walk to the girls’ dorm in the cool night air, Hoppy becomes coherent again. She gets her keycard out to let them in. They take the elevator up to her and Crafty’s floor.

“I’m not sure which room Picky is in,” Hoppy admits as she guides Crafty inside. Nap takes the keycard out of Picky’s pocket.

“Why don’t they have the number on the keycards somewhere?” Nap mutters as he flips the pig’s card over.

“Who knows? I think she’s in the hall below us. Do you want me to come with you?” Hoppy tries to stifle her yawn.

“You can help Crafty. Nap and I can try the doors on the next floor,” Day assures her. Hoppy nods and closes their door.

“What time is it?” Day asks as they head for the elevator.

“It’s ten fifty,” Nap says as he slides his phone back into his hoodie pocket. “We have ten minutes to get Picky to her room and return to our own.”

“I think we can do it. Do you think just trying all of the doors on this floor with her keycard will be faster than knocking?”

“And we’ll have to deal with less people that way,” Nap agrees. The elevator ride down a floor feels longer than it did going up. When the doors finally slide open Nap immediately starts trying to scan the keycard on the doors. Day follows behind holding Picky.

“Is she really that light?” Nap asks between door beeps. Day feels bad about potentially waking people up, but they need to hurry.

“Picky? She’s not that heavy,” Day assures the cat. Nap frowns as he scans the card at the next door and the light turns green as it beeps. Nap grabs the handle and opens the door.

“Wait!” Day tries to stop him. They can’t just barge into a girl’s room! Picky’s roommate reaches under her pillow and stands to point a taser at them. Nap and Day both freeze.

“Sorry, please don’t tase us,” Day says. He looks at the empty bed and sees Picky’s backpack sitting beside it. He focuses back on the roommate who’s lowered her taser slightly. “We’re just returning Picky to her room. Sorry about this guy, he should have knocked.”

“Is she ok?” the roommate asks. Day glances over the roommate, her fur is dull and more of her bone structure is showing than Day thinks there should be.

“Yes, she just fell asleep. We couldn’t wake her up, so we brought her here instead,” Day shifts his hold. “Can I put her on her bed?”

“Yes,” the roommate reaches over and pulls Picky’s quilt down and Day carefully lays the pig on the bed sheet.

“No, ‘nilla!” Picky mumbles as she tightens her hold around his neck.

“C’mon, Picky,” Day says softly as he tries to free his neck. “You gotta let me go.” Day gently unweaves her fingers. She grumbles, but settles down in her bed. The roommate pulls the quilt over her.

“What are your names?” the roommate asks as she places herself between Day and Picky.

“Why?” Nap asks grouchily. He looks like he might fall over from exhaustion too.

“In case I find out you guys hurt her. She never comes back this late,” the roommate narrows her eyes at them. Nap bares his teeth at her for the insinuation. Day can see the fight brewing. He knows Nap gets grouchy the later it gets at night. He steps between them, breaking eye contact and ushers Nap towards the door.

“Sorry about him, again. I’m Day and this is Nap. You can ask Picky about us in the morning. We’re friends, I promise.”

“Day and Nap?” the roommate relaxes just a little. “What were you guys doing tonight?”

“We watched some movies together. Picky will tell you it was Back to the Future,” Day assures. He hesitates in the doorway. “What’s your name? If you don’t mind me asking.”

“Bobby,” the roommate says. “I'll be checking your story with Picky. Hurry, it’s almost curfew.”

“Shit, Day,” Nap says behind him in the hallway. “We have three minutes.”

“Thanks and bye,” Day says as he and Nap run for the elevator. They sprint to the boy’s dorms and can see the security guards leaving their office just as the elevator closes. They sprint to their respective rooms and shut their doors right when the elevator arrives on their floor. Day locks their door and sighs.

“Cutting it close?” Bubba’s voice asks softly.

“Very,” Day answers just as softly. “Sorry to wake you.”

“No problem,” Bubba yawns. “Do you mind if I sleep here tonight? Security doesn’t check inside the rooms. They just check all the doors are locked and no one is running around the halls. We shouldn’t get in trouble.”

“Sure, your roommate won’t mind?”

“Don’t have one,” Bubba rubs his eyes tiredly.

“Let me find you a pillow,” Day heads for his wardrobe and starts digging through it. He’s pretty sure he has an extra that Poppy made him pack.

“Day?” Bubba asks quietly.

“Hmm?” Day thinks he feels the pillow at the very bottom.

“Kickin doesn’t know about our deal, does he?”

“Ah,” Day pauses. “He doesn’t. Please, don’t tell him?”

“Should I lie if he asks?”

“No, tell him to talk to me,” Day starts digging to free the pillow. “Thank you for helping him, Bubba. We can set up the payment when you’re more awake.”

“Don’t bother,” Bubba yawns. “I said that as a test. I won’t risk getting expelled for money I don’t need. That being said, I think I’ll need a few favors from you in the future, Mr. Student Council Member.”

“Like what?” Day asks hesitantly. Should he mention he’s a newbie and has very little power in the student council?

“Like students should not be punished so long they might miss one of a few meals they get served here?”

“You mean like this evening with Hoppy and Nap?”

“Yes, they should have been allowed to leave so they can eat before the last half hour of mealtime. What if Hoppy had to go to training right after that class? She wouldn't get any food tonight and the coach would not have been happy either. She would only have vending machine snacks tonight. There has to be rules in place for situations like that,” Bubba starts to get worked up.

“Whoa, hold on. I agree and we can talk about it more later, for now you should get some sleep. You have a busy day tomorrow,” Day hands the elephant the pillow and quilt from his bed.

“Thank you,” Bubba takes the items and lays back down. “You’re right,” he sighs tiredly. Bubba pulls the blanket up to his shoulders and turns on his side. Day smiles and grabs Kickin’s pillow and blanket from his bed. He manages to slide the pillow under Kickin’s head and pulls the blanket up to Kickin’s chin. Day nods to himself and turns on Kickin’s star shaped fairy lights. He tiptoes carefully to his bed to grab his pajamas and hairbrush.

“Hey, Day?” Bubba mumbles tiredly.

“Yes?” Day pauses in front of the bathroom door.

“Thanks for inviting me.”

“Of course, Bubba,” Day smiles in the dim lighting. He sleeps better than usual that night.

Notes:

Another critter has been added! We're so close to a full set! One left to go. This chapter ended up over 8,000 words when I try to stick to 7,000. I don't know what happened there, but more for you guys to read, right?
On a different note: I forgot to mention in previous notes that the title to this fic is a song lyric. I'm not going to tell you the song until much later. It feels spoilery but not really? You can definitely guess if you want!
Also, there will be time skips throughout the fic and I'll try to make it obvious at the beginning of the chapter like I did for this one. Unless a bunch of you message me confused about it.

Chapter 5: Day Off?

Notes:

WARNING: Remember how there are tags that say this will get dark? Here we go
Nonconsensual Kissing & Attempted Rape
It isn't graphic, but I put \\\\\\ around that specific scene in case you want to skip it. It might read a little clunky but I think it'll still make sense.

Be safe everyone.

A loud click jerks Day awake. He sits up and gets tangled in his blankets when he tries to stand.

“Whoa, easy, Day,” Kickin says. Day blinks and rubs the blurriness out of his eyes. He looks around to see Kickin putting his pillow and blanket back. Day’s pillow and quilt are neatly folded on his desk.

“Wha?” Day mumbles as he tries to wake up.

“Everything’s cool. Bubba just left to go back to his room. I’m going to shower before I meet everyone for our trip,” Kickin says as he pulls out some casual clothes. “You can go back to sleep.”

“‘K,” Day yawns. He lays back down and checks the time on his phone, surprised to see it’s a little past six. He’s usually up around five. He puts his phone back on his desk and decides he’ll try to sleep in a little more. He doesn’t have anything scheduled until the student council meeting at two. Day rolls onto his side and reaches out for his bone plush. He doesn't find it. He sits up and pulls his blanket back, still doesn't find it. He stands up and pulls his blanket completely off the bed. His heart starts to race when he doesn’t see it anywhere. He checks in the gap between the wall and his bed. He checks under the bed and still doesn’t find it. He looks over his rumpled bed and tries to think where he last saw it. Last night…Nap took it to his room so it wouldn't get dirty. Day sighs in relief. He checks the time on his phone and throws some clothes on. Nap probably needs a wake up call anyway. Day leaves his room and walks next door to Nap’s.

“Nap?” Day calls as he knocks. He doesn't hear anything for a few seconds, so he knocks again. This time he hears a thunk and the door flies open to reveal Nap. Day does not blush as he looks the cat over. He does keep his gaze up after the brief scan.

“Day?” Nap yawns. He leans against the door frame in his oversized shirt that shows off one shoulder and is short enough to reveal a generous amount of thigh. For Day’s own sanity he’s going to believe there are shorts under that shirt...and Nap’s bed head is not the most adorable thing ever.

“I-uh-I’m here for my bone?” Day keeps his gaze just past Nap’s head, trying not to cringe at his own wording. Nap looks at him in tired confusion.

“Ok? I’ll grab it,” Nap yawns again. He turns to walk over to the spare bed in his room and stretches his arms above his head as he goes. Day shuts his eyes and wonders why snuggling with Picky was easier than this. It’s silent for too long, so Day peeks an eye open. Nap is frozen in front of the bed, his hand just shy of touching the bone plush as he leans over to grab it. Day can see the side of Nap’s face is red. He keeps his focus on the cat’s face and not anywhere else.

“Day,” Nap says flatly.

“Y-yes?” Day shuts the eye he opened as the cat turns.

“What did you see?” Nap asks in the same tone.

“I didn’t see anything!”

“Correct, here,” the bone is pushed into his hands and by the time Day opens his eyes the door to Nap’s room is shut.

“Don’t forget you’re meeting the others at six forty five,” Day calls through the door. He hears a mumbled response and decides to walk back to his slightly ajar door. He closes it and presses his back against the sturdy wood. Something is fucking wrong with him. He shouldn’t see Nap that way. They aren’t completely friends yet. Day isn’t going to ruin that with…feelings. He has so many much more to worry about–

“Dude, are you good?” Kickin asks.

“Yeah, just forgot about this guy,” Day holds up his bone plush. Kickin nods as he walks to his bed and throws his pajamas on it. He starts sorting through his wardrobe.

“Do you think I need anything more than my phone and wallet?” Kickin asks. Day sits on his bed and presses the bone to his chest, feeling calmer already.

“Your keycard is the only thing I can think of,” Day says.

“Right, I’ll put that in my wallet,” Kickin says as he slides it in. He puts his phone in his jacket pocket and looks around at his other stuff. “I think that’s everything. Do you want me to get you anything while we’re out?” Kickin asks.

“I don’t need anything,” Day falls on his side as he cradles the bone against his chest. “Thanks, Kickin.”

“No problem, man. How long do I need to wait for Nap?” Kickin asks jokingly.

“It should be a few minutes,” Day says. “Is there something specific you want to get, Kickin?”

“Not really. I think I’ll look around at the shoe store with Hoppy, but I doubt I’ll actually get anything.”

“Just want to get out for a day?”

“Absolutely…actually, now that I’m thinking about it. I’m going to keep an eye out for souvenirs I can get for my little siblings.”

“Are you the oldest?”

“Yep, what about you?”

“...no siblings,” Day mutters. An old pain stabs him in the heart. Kickin starts to frown, but there’s a knock on their door just in time. Nap is on the other side, yawning again. Day notes the tied shoes on the cat’s feet.

“Ready?” Kickin asks. Nap nods and peeks behind the chicken to look at Day.

“See you later, Day,” Nap says with a hint of a blush on his cheeks.

“See you,” Day says with a matching blush. Kickin sighs loudly as he steps out and shuts the door. Day waits for a few minutes before dragging himself out of bed. He won’t be able to fall asleep again. He’ll go swim at the pool while he has the time. Day grabs his swim bag and stuffs a towel in there with his keycard, phone, and waterproof earbuds in a small sealed waterproof bag. He makes sure his goggles and swim cap are still in there. He doesn't think he’ll use them today, it hurts his ears to use the swim cap longer than a half hour. He slips some sandals on and leaves his room. He doesn’t hear or see many people as he takes the stairs down to the first floor and outside. Day doesn’t see anyone walking around. Most of the students must have gotten on the bus today. Day does kinda wish he could have gotten out today too, but orders are orders.

Day gets to the pool and opens the gate. Do they even lock this gate? It’s unlocked every time Day uses it. He sets his stuff on a pool chair and slips his sandals off. He checks his phone for a message from Poppy. She said she would call him today, but it is a little early for her to be up. He doesn't see anything except a picture from Nap showing the packed bus he’s in. Day chuckles as he responds. He sets it back in his bag and pulls his shirt off. He grabs his goggles and picks the lane against the wall on his side. He starts off slow to warm up and decides he’ll do a few laps alternating between different strokes. He hasn’t had a chance to swim since he got here and the water feels nice after he jumps in.

Day swims for an hour before he decides to head back to the dorm. He thought someone would have joined him while he was at the pool, but he had it to himself. As he walks back to his dorm he doesn't see anyone on the paths again. Almost everyone must have left for the capital. Day gets into his room and takes a nice long shower. If they had a balcony he would lay on a towel out there to sun dry. He spreads a towel out on the floor of their room instead and lays on his stomach. He thinks it should be late enough now that Poppy is awake. He calls her, wondering if she’s had her morning coffee yet. He gets her voice mail and hangs up with a sigh. She’s supposed to have the weekends off, but she’s too much of a work-a-holic to take any full days off. Day starts some music instead, realizing there’s only a half hour left of breakfast. Eh, he can survive skipping a meal. Day folds his arms and rests his cheek on them. He closes his eyes and tries to relax. Maybe he can get a small nap in……

“Day! You promised you wouldn’t skip meals anymore! Please eat something,” Poppy’s voice begs. Day sighs as her face in that memory flashes through his mind. It had been a bad day for him and he made Poppy a promise he hasn’t broken since. He won’t start today.

Day drags himself off the floor and heads back into the bathroom to plug in his hair dryer. He ties up his ears, blow drys off, and brushes his fur as fast as he can. He’s still careful with his ears. Day dresses, grabs his phone, and keycard, closes his door, and takes the stairs outside. He actually sees a few students this time, most of them are heading back to the dorms. Day doesn’t need earplugs in the cafeteria today, there’s only three other people inside. Day gets his food and heads outside to their usual table. It’s so different eating without anyone else, he hasn’t had to for months and if he lets it, the memories will get to him. So he texts the others that are in the capital. Nap is getting blackmail way too easily, Crafty is sending him photos of public art, and Kickin is complaining about how expensive everything is. Looks like they’re having fun out there.

Day finishes his meal and walks back to his dorm. He decides to spend the extra few hours until the student council meeting doing some research on the academy website. He tries to find anything about evolution. Day actually typed out a list of questions he and Poppy came up with together. Why was evolution only possible at Evol Academy until twenty years ago? Why does it seem like the academy is filtering out as many students as possible and still won’t have many graduates, if any, every year? What are the steps to evolving? How has the public never figured out how to evolve on its own? Unsurprisingly, the academy website is unhelpful. It just talks about its legacy and the amazing opportunities it has for students. Or how you can sponsor and donate to the school. Day tries a general internet search and there are a stunning amount of conspiracy theories. Then, he finds it.

The Prototype will save us. Day freezes up as he stares at the link. He hesitates before clicking on it. What if it’s a virus or something? Should he just copy the address and send it to Poppy? He takes a breath and clicks on it. The website is simple and dark colored. Day reads the little paragraph under the headline that caught his attention.

The Prototype has discovered the truth. The government and Evol Academy has been lying to you for centuries. It isn’t hard work and a potential for magic that helps you evolve. Those are just lies that the public has been fed so long they believe it. Just like you.

Don’t worry, poor child. You will be saved at the Hour of Joy. Let the truth be revealed!

Day frowns as he tries to click on anything else. There’s nothing else on the website except the creepy message. Day sends the link to Poppy and shakes off the unease. Are they trying to recruit people with that? Yikes. Day backs out to the list of his search results. He scrolls to the bottom of the page and the only thing that catches his eye is a news article about the celebration of another school where anthro students evolve. It popped up twenty years ago and has had six evolved graduates. Before that only Evol Academy ever had evolved graduates. It’s the source of a lot of the conspiracy theories out there. When school starts in the fall news outlets love to bring it back up.

Before Day knows it he has to leave for lunch and head to the student council meeting. Lunch is fast and quiet. Day has to look at his map to find the student resources building. He takes an elevator up to the room he was emailed to go to. Inside are beanbags, a TV, a mini fridge, and a pool table. The couch is occupied by two people, one of the beanbags has someone, and one person by the TV, a tiger, turns around holding game controllers. He thinks she’s the one who handed out the application forms on the first day of school.

“Hey, new guy!” she says as she waves a controller. “Join us on Rainbow Road?”

“Oh, come on! Can’t we play something else?” the iguana on the couch complains.

“You’re just mad you always lose,” the tiger with the controllers laughs. “C’mon in, sit anywhere you want. We have the rest of the day to party!”

“More like game, than party,” the owl on the beanbag says.

“Uh, this is the student council meeting right?” Day asks.

“Not what you were expecting, huh? Don’t look so worried!” the tiger says as she hands the controllers off. Day walks into the ring of bean bags and settles into a blue one.

“I’m just a little confused,” Day admits as a controller is shoved into his hands. “I thought we were going to discuss academy events or the council budget or something like that?”

“Budget!” laughs the hyena on the far end of the couch.

“Be nice, Jack!” the tiger tosses a controller at him. She turns back to Day with a big fangy grin. “Look, new guy, there’s no point in doing any of that stuff right now. So, kick back and enjoy yourself!”

“Wait,” Day says before she sits in a bean bag herself. "What are your names?”

“Oh, right! I’m Tigeria, but you can just call me Tig. The owl is Odette, the iguana is Iggy, and the hyena is Jack,” the tiger introduces them. The others wave when their name is called and Day waves awkwardly back.

“Let’s do this!” Tig cheers. Day spends the next hour playing with the other council members. He sits out after the first four games to process that the council is not what he thought it was going to be at all. HE feels like something is off about all of this too. Day gets to his feet and peeks at the drinks in the mini fridge. He immediately shuts it. Please, don’t let that be beer. Please. He opens it again and yep, there’s beer inside the student council room fridge.

“Don’t take one unless you drink all of it in here,” Odette says right behind him. Day shuts the fridge and his exasperated confusion must show because she nods towards the door. “Want to go to the vending machine?” she asks. Day doesn’t get to answer. “Hey, we’re going to hit the vending machines for drinks,” she calls to the others as she forcefully guides him to the door.

“Still too scared to drink, Odi?” the hyena laughs. Iggy joins in and that lets Tig win the race they’re playing on screen. “Tig!”

“Don’t call me Odi,” Odette hisses under her breath as she shuts the door behind them. She leads Day down the hall into the elevator. When the doors slide shut she relaxes.

“You never said your name,” Odette breaks the silence.

“I’m Daylight,” Day tells her as the elevator stops and the doors slide open. “What are you going to tell me?”

“There are cameras in every hallway and most of the rooms on the upper floors,” Odette leads him out of the elevator and into a dark classroom. “We can talk freely in here,” Odette says once the door shuts.

“Who has access to the cameras?” Day asks as he tries to figure out why she’s telling him any of this.

“All of the teachers have access to security cameras. The council members have access to security in this building, but not others,” Odette says in the dark room. She checks through the small window in the door before focusing back on him. “Let me explain this as fast as I can. The student council is nothing more than a hangout. They make a big show about signing up every year and do just enough to keep up appearances, but once new members figure out the council doesn't do anything, they quit or join in. The budget is used to fund their drinking and games. They push planning events onto other clubs and teachers. I don’t think the academy president is aware of what’s happening. I’ve been gathering evidence the last two years to bring the others down and expose some of the other shady things going on in this academy.”

“Ok, hold on,” Day rubs his eyes as he processes the info dump he just got. “You’ve been gathering evidence, but you haven’t gone forward with it yet?”

“Correct.”

“Why?”

“My brother joined the council a few years ago. He tried to change things and they ruined his life. He still has five years left to serve for something he didn’t do,” the owl’s feathers puff up as her orange eyes glint in the darkness.

“Don’t they know who you are?”

“Our last names are different and I don’t think they could tell a barn owl from a snowy owl. The problem is if I expose them, they will absolutely take me down with them. I can’t do anything until I’m absolutely sure they will go down for what they’ve done,” Odette explains.

“You’re willing to risk graduation?”

“Please, there are plenty of students who don’t graduate. Just being accepted looks good on paperwork. I’ll be fine.”

“I feel like you want to do this right now, but we should wait until the others get here–”

“Others?” Odette tilts her head at an angle only an owl can achieve.

“The other first years? I’m assuming they skipped this to go to the capital with most of the other students?” Day says like a question.

“You were the only first year accepted,” Odette shakes her head. “To make sure everything looks good on paper they only accept perfect students. Perfect grades, clean record, all of that. You were the only one that made the cut.”

“Are they allowed to accept only one student?”

“Are they allowed to have beer on academy grounds?”

“Point taken,” Day sighs as he rubs his eyes again. “Can we back track for a second? You have evidence about the corrupt student council, some other shady stuff, and you don’t think the academy president knows?”

“I can’t be sure if Mr. Fazbear knows or not. It seems unlikely. He doesn’t just run the academy, he also has concerts, fundraisers, training the evolved students, fighting natural disasters or terrorist groups and planning his wedding,” Odette lists off. Her head tilts just a fraction more with everything she lists.

“He accepted Nightmare’s proposals!?” Day is completely thrown off track.

“Nothing official has been said, but!” Odette leans closer. “There’s pictures of them on Freddy’s yacht during the summer.”

“They have to be back together!” Day gasps. Odette nods with her awkwardly angled head and it’s enough to bring Day back to reality. He sighs and thinks through what Odette has told him.

“Why are you telling me this?” Day asks her.

“I think this is my chance. This is the first time only one first year student was accepted. They definitely don’t have anything to get you expelled, yet.”

“Wait, wait. You really are going to do this right now?” Day asks.

“Mr. Fazbear tries to be here as often as possible and right now is one of those times. He could be gone for a month if we don’t go now,” Oddette’s head spins back to normal. “No offense, but you could also drop out by then. If you don’t, you can start the student council with a clean slate, make it into what it’s supposed to be.”

Day should refuse to take part in this. He can’t be caught in something that sounds like it’ll shake the school’s foundations. Yet...he remembers Bubba mentioning how the teacher’s actions have negatively impacted the students. How Nap and Hoppy almost went without food because of what someone else did. Starving people isn’t acceptable. If Odette has evidence of even more than that…

“Fine…” Day groans. He rubs his eyes and slides his phone out. “I need to text someone and we can go.”

“Walk and text, Daylight. The others might notice we’re taking too long and run before we can expose them,” Odette opens the door and starts fast walking to the elevator. Day manages to keep pace as he starts to text Poppy. They get inside the elevator and he finishes before it stops. That’s the only reason he’s able to keep up with Odette as she starts to run. She picks up speed when they get outside and jumps up. She spreads her wings and glides over the grass towards the front of the school. She lands a few times and has to pick up enough speed to glide again. She could definitely fly if she evolved.

“Hurry up!” Odette yells.

“Gliding is too fast,” Day pants as he stumbles to a stop in front of the administration building doors. Odette just opens the unlocked doors and heads straight for the human secretary.

“We need to see Mr. Fazbear,” Odette practically demands. The secretary plasters on a customer service smile.

“Do you have an appointment?”

“No, but we still need to see him!”

“Mr. Fazbear is a very busy man. You have to make an appointment to see him,” the secretary explains in a sickly sweet tone.

“What part of, ‘We need to see him,’ don’t you understa–”

“Sorry about her,” Day cuts in with a smile. “How soon can we schedule an appointment?”

“Next month, on the twelfth at three is an opening,” the secretary glances up from her computer.

“That won’t fucking work!” Odette snaps. The secretary just looks at the owl and Day can see the disconnect happening. Any chance of getting the employee’s help just disappeared.

“Why don’t you two take a seat? I’m going to make a call,” she smiles politely.

“Don’t bother security over this, Layla,” a deep voice says behind them. Day turns around. It’s him. Goldie Fazbear, twin of Freddy. The mysterious legend. The ace of the Fazbear Five. He’s seen so rarely, sighting him is considered a good luck charm. Day has been blessed with good luck!

“Mr. Fazbear!” the secretary, Layla, stands behind her desk.

“I’ll take care of these two. Why don’t you take a break? You work so hard,” Goldie Fazbear puts his hands on Day and Odette’s shoulders. “I insist,” Goldie must wink or something because Layla blushes and sits down with a meek nod. The huge hands on their shoulders squeeze gently and Goldie leans down to their level. “Close your eyes, kids.” Day doesn’t even think about it, he just does it. A second passes, but when it ends he feels static surround him and there’s a pop in his ears.

“Good job, kids,” Goldie chuckles and ruffles between Day’s ears. Goldie Fazbear just pet him!

“Goldie?”

Day’s eyes snap open and there’s Freddy Fazbear seated at a large sleek desk. Everything in the office is modern and sized for evolved anthros, judging by the high ceilings and huge wall of windows. Day sees some chairs against a wall with human and unevolved anthro sizes.

“Freddybear! I came to pick you up,” Goldie walks around the desk and pulls Freddy into a hug. “I was just going to kidnap you, but I was curious about these two.”

“Of course you were,” Freddy sighs, but hugs back tightly. “It’s good to see you,” Freddy says so quietly Day barely hears it. Goldie squeezes his brother tighter. Also, the Fazbears are hugging and being so cute right now!

“Cheesy reunions aside,” Goldie chuckles as he pulls away. “I found these two about to get security called on them by Layla.”

“Explain,” Freddy says tiredly as he looks over Day and Odette.

“Mr. Fazbear I have evidence of misconduct among other things for you to see,” Odette practically erupts. She pulls out four USBs from her bag. “This one has evidence of Mr. Baldi abusing his students,” Odette puts down a green one. “This one has evidence of Mrs. Haster selling drugs to her ‘patients’,” Odette puts down a red one. “This one has evidence of the corruption in the student council,” Odette puts a yellow one down. “Finally, I have evidence that most of the security guards in the school have stolen from the academy,” Odette places a blue one next to the others.

“These are serious accusations,” Freddy looks from the USBs to Odette. “Do you know what and who you’re accusing?”

“Yes,” Odette says firmly. Day watches Goldie scoop the USBs off the desk. Freddy sends him a look, but doesn't stop him.

“It will take me a few days to look through your evidence and verify it. If you were hoping for a result today it won’t happen,” Freddy explains not unkindly. Day’s ears perk as Goldie reaches up and pulls a white blind down over the wall of windows. Day’s eyes go wide as Goldie teleports a laptop into his hand with a zap of gold magic. Goldie inserts the red USB and after tapping away his screen projects onto the white blind.

“Goldie!” Freddy says exasperated as he stands. Goldie plays the first video while ignoring his brother. It shows Mrs. Hasten digging a pill bottle out of her desk and handing it to a student.

“Twelve grams of heats. I expect double for all the trouble I went through to get this,” Mrs. Hasten, the academy nurse, says as she hands the pill bottle over.

“Fine,” the student slaps a stack of cash in her hand. “If this stuff is as potent as you claim, I’ll pay double again.”

The video shows the student leaving and Mrs. Hasten counting her cash. She hides it in her purse just before a different student comes in. Goldie plays another one that shows the whole saga of her using something called ‘poppies’ on a student so many times over a year, he became addicted.

“This looks legit to me,” Goldie says after the third video. Day’s gaze is caught by Freddy’s hands curling and his stiff posture.

“How far back does your evidence go?” Freddy asks Odette.

“I started gathering evidence two years ago when I was a first year,” Odette answers. Goldie starts another video. He must have switched to the security guard USB. They only watch one of those, but they see enough. Two security guards sneak some of the school’s historic artifacts from storage and sneak it off the property.

“Another video shows the guards selling drugs too,” Odette says into the silence between videos. After that is Mr. Baldi’s USB. It shows him kicking a student so heard they’re leg dislocates. When the student goes down Mr. Baldi takes a long straight ruler and starts hitting the student with it. The student blocks it with his arms. The video ends after ten minutes of the student getting beaten and begging Mr. Baldi to stop. Day doesn’t realize he’s crying and shaking until his vision gets blurry. He keeps his breathing calm and subtly wipes away the tears. Pull yourself together, Day.

Finally, they get to the student council USB. Day thought he would see partying and drinking in these videos. He does on the first one. The second one shows them popping pills from an unmarked pill bottle. A raccoon student shows up after that and the council does what they did to him earlier. Invite him to play games for a while. The council offers the raccoon a drink, but the video caught them spiking the drink with something. The council members waited until the first year’s head lolled to the side before they got up and started dragging him out of the room. The camera cuts to the roof where the access door is opened and the group of students come out. The first year must have fought enough on the way that the council was being rougher with him.

“Just relax, Taro! You won’t feel a thing!” Tig laughs as she waits by the edge of the building’s roof. The two holding the raccoon, Jack and Iggy, shove him forward. Odette’s shout crackles through the laptop speakers.

“STOP! WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING?”

“Shut up, Odi,” a boar grabs her before she can stop what’s happening. Jack and Iggy shove the raccoon so hard forward he almost stumbles off the building. Tig grabs him by the back of his shirt before he does.

“Don’t worry, buddy. When you get up again, you’ll be one of us! Isn’t that what you wanted?” Tig smiles as she pats him on the head with her other hand. The raccoon tries to say something, but all that comes out is whines and garbled half words. He tries to make his body move but it’s uncoordinated and really making his body lean even farther over the edge. Tig holds him by the back of his shirt and watches him start crying as he struggles to back up.

“I’m kidding!” Tig laughs. The rest of them, except for Odette, laugh too. “Maybe,” she teases as she swings him back and forth over the edge. She laughs as Taro whines and tries to get his body to move away from danger. Iggy, Jack, and the boar laugh, egging Tig on.

“Ow!” the boar shouts as Odette bites him with her beak. She dashes forward and tries to grab the raccoon, but Jack shoves her away and they fall into Tig. The tiger loses her grip on the raccoon. The camera shows the raccoon fall and his garbled scream fills the audio. The video pauses. Day jumps at the loud bang. He looks over to see Freddy’s fist pulling out of his desk coated in splinters. He takes a breath and lets it out slowly.

“Who are they?” Freddy asks coldly.

“All of them are members of the current student council except for the boar. He was expelled last year,” Odette answers grimly.

“Was that student who committed suicide last year?” Goldie asks his brother.

“There wasn’t any evidence to prove otherwise at the time,” Freddy says as he heads for his desk. “I should have followed my gut and restaffed the entire academy,” Freddy growls as he starts furiously typing on his keyboard. He pauses long enough to dial the secretary. The room fills with light as the white blind goes back up and sunlight shines through the windows.

“Miss Lurette? Have security escort Mr. Baldi, Mrs. Hasten, and the student council members to my office immediately,” Freddy says as he rubs the bridge of his nose. Day glances at Odette, who looks like she lost a heavy weight on her shoulders. Freddy sets the phone down and meets Odette’s eyes.

“I’m afraid I’ll need you to stay here,” Freddy tells her.

“Whatever you need. As long as these people pay for what they’ve done,” Odette nods. Freddy’s attention turns to Day.

“I’m sorry for not asking earlier, who are you?”

“I-I’m Daylight Dog! A first year student,” Day tries to keep the excitement out of his voice. This is not the time or place to freak out about talking to Freddy Fazbear.

“He’s the newest member of the student council. He was going to be another victim of their hazing, but I got him out of there as fast as I could,” Odette adds. Day didn’t think she needed him, but couldn’t figure out why she asked him to come.

“Thank you, Odette,” Day tells her earnestly, lowering his head in respect.

“Of course, no one should ever have to go through something like that,” Odette says firmly.

“Seeing how that's the case, I'm going to have to ask unrelated parties to leave,” Freddy tells Day.

“I’ll escort him out,” Goldie volunteers. The laptop is gone and the USBs are back on the desk despite Goldie not leaving his spot. The gold bear teleports over and puts his hand gently on Day’s shoulder again. “Close your eyes,” Goldie says again. Day feels the same static surround him and another pop in his ears. Day smells fresh air and opens his eyes to find himself outside the fenced area of the pool.

“Hope you don’t mind, but there were some nasty people you would have had to pass by if I took you to the lobby,” Goldie leans down so Day has some chance of making eye contact. “The owl mentioned you were the newest member of the student council, and after today probably the only one. What are you going to do?”

“I...” Day pauses to put his thoughts in order. It’s fine, it’s not like he’s talking to a Fazbear or anything. “I need to get new members, at least two, and look through the council’s records. I need to see how much damage has been done and how to start fixing it.”

“Sounds like a lot.”

“It will be, but the students need the council to finally step up and do its job. I’m willing to put the work in to help them. It doesn't seem like anyone else will,” Day glances up at the end and is shocked by the warm smile Goldie Fazbear is giving him.

“You remind me of someone when he was this small,” Goldie chuckles and ruffles the fur on Day’s head again. “Ah, sorry kid. I have a lot of younger brothers. That was involuntary,” Goldie pulls his hand away and Day barely stops the sad whine from escaping him. It’s ok, he got a pet from Goldie Fazbear twice!

“Here, kid,” Goldie says as he holds out a small black lump.

“Thank you?” Day takes the lump.

“Keep this with you at all times. Trust me, kid. You won’t regret it,” Goldie winks and teleports away in staticky gold light. Day stands there beside the pool holding a black lump as the student council he needed to get into is taken apart. He should call Poppy. He perks his ears and looks around for anyone that could be listening in. He doesn’t notice anyone as he unlatches the gate and walks into the pool area. His phone rings twice before Poppy answers.

“What happened?”

“Odette showed Freddy the evidence,” Day starts to explain as he sits on a pool chair. “She had more than just the student council’s dirt. She also had evidence of the school nurse selling drugs to students and making them addicted in the first place. Mr. Baldi beating students who were failing his class. Most of the security guards were selling drugs and stealing from the school. The student council video showed the members hazing a student and it ended up killing him. It seems like his death was recorded as a suicide,” Day reports.

“I’m assuming they’re all going to be fired, correct?” Poppy asks. Day can hear her keyboard clicking in the background.

“I’m not sure, Freddy asked me to leave before anyone showed up. I assume he’s firing or expelling them as we speak, and getting them arrested,” Day stretches his legs out. “Goldie Fazbear was there and he teleported me to the pool. Then, he gave me a black lump.”

“A what?” Poppy’s fast typing pauses.

“A black lump, it might be coal? I have no idea,” Day lifts the lump closer to the sun and turns it back and forth. “I don’t see a symbol or anything on it. It smells like earth. I’ll send you a pic.” Day puts Poppy on speaker as he opens his camera and takes a few pictures of the lump from different angles.

“I don’t think it’s coal, but I’m no geologist. Do you want to send it to me too get it examined?” Poppy asks as her typing resumes.

“No, I think it’s just a souvenir or something. I’ll keep it,” Day says as he lowers his arm onto his leg. “I’m probably going to be the only student council member for a few days. I'll have to wait and see what they tell me about the status of the others. They'll also need to hire new people. You have a plan?”

“For an opportunity like this, my people are moving already. Speaking of, I have to cut this short. Thanks Day, be safe,” Poppy’s voice gets distant.

“Bye, Pops,” Day says just before the call ends. He sighs as he shoves his phone in his pocket and stashes the lump into the inside pocket of his jacket. Now what should he do? He wishes he could start trying to figure out the student council mess while he has some free time. He has to wait until he gets keys or something. Day stands up and stretches his arms over his head. It’s late enough he can grab a bite to eat from the cafeteria. The bus doesn’t come back until seven right when dinner is ending. He should text Picky and Bubba to make sure they get everyone, especially Nap, to eat something. Day pulls out his phone and it starts ringing in his hand. It’s Picky.

“Hello?” Day answers.

“Day? Sorry to call you all of a sudden. Are you going to dinner soon?” Picky asks somewhere echoey.

“I was just going to the cafeteria,” Day says as he opens and closes the pool gate. “Do you want me to grab something?”

“Yes, but it’s not for me. You met my roommate, Bobby, right?”

“Yeah, she seems like a good friend,” Day remembers the unwell looking bear.

“I’ve been trying to get her to eat the past few days because I haven’t seen her eat anything. I’ve been bringing food to her, hoping she’ll eat in our dorm. Will you bring some food to her? I feel bad asking, but I didn’t realize we won’t get back until eight tonight,” Picky’s quiet voice is disrupted as a loud bang and voices fill their call. “Sorry again, Day. I gotta go. Thanks and bye!”

“Wait!” tries to stop her, but the call is over. He sighs as he wonders how he’s supposed to get into the girl’s dorm. His keycard won’t let him inside the building, let alone Picky’s room. Maybe he can ask someone. Will the dove twins be in the cafeteria? No, they probably left for the capital with most of the students. Day starts walking away from the pool along the tree lined path towards the cafeteria. He looks at his contacts and while the list has grown, he doesn’t have anyone he can call to help with this.

Day pauses where he is on the path and perks his ears. Is that…crying? Day turns and approaches the trees. He stops on the little strip of grass that separates the cement path from the trees. He tilts his head and listens. He doesn’t hear anything except birds and bugs. Weird. He must be hearing things. Day glances at his phone again as he steps back onto cement. He should be able to find someone to let him into the girl’s dorm. He can’t let Picky or her roommate down.

Wait, did Picky say they were coming back at eight? Wasn't it seven? Day starts typing on his phone and walking down the path again. What time did the academy site list–

Day hits the ground. His nose is forced into the dirt and the wind is knocked out of his lungs. A clawed hand pins his head down and someone straddles his lower back. Every inhale Day takes comes with dirt and he coughs it back out. He turns his head to look at his attacker and successfully breathe. His eyes widen.

“Bobby?” he manages to gasp. She doesn’t respond to him. Her eyes are dilated into slits and glowing unnaturally. Her fangs are bared at him as she growls animalistically. “Bobby,” Day tries again. She just snarls at him. Shit. Day looks away from her for anything that can help him. As soon as he breaks eye contact, she lifts herself up on her knees and flips him onto his back with unnatural strength. Day lands with a grunt and tries to grab her hands to stop her from doing anything else. He avoids using his claws so he doesn’t hurt her. Bobby doesn’t have the same concern as she pins Day’s hands on either side of his head, just barely missing his ears. Bobby growls again from where she’s straddling his waist.

\\\\\\

“Bobby, please. What’s go–” Day is cut off again as Bobby’s lips collide with his. Their teeth clash and her tongue invades his mouth.

What. The. Fuck.

Day is too shocked to move. Bobby just attacked him and now she’s kissing him. Deeply. Roughly. This is not how he thought his first kiss would go. Her hands drag his above his head, scraping them on the rough cement and pins both of his wrists with one hand. Her strength never wavering when he tries to slip them out. He keeps trying to tug them free without hurting her, despite her claws breaking his skin. What should he do? She isn’t responding to him. Her claws scratch him where they’ve snuck to the button of his pants. Nope. Nope. Nope. Nope.

He lets his training take over and bites down on her invading tongue. She pulls away with a cry. Day uses the distraction to use his weight and roll them over. He breaks her hold, remembering to hold back so he doesn’t break any bones, and pins her hand beside her head. Day wraps his free hand around her throat and squeezes. Her furious growling is cut off. Her free hand lunges for his eye, her claws extended. Day tries to dodge and manages to save his eye, but not his face. Her claws tear open the skin under his eye down to his jaw. Day ignores it to grab that hand and pin it on the other side of her head. She tries to lunge forward and bite him, but Day keeps her arms locked in place and his throat far enough back she can’t get him.

\\\\\\

He needs to wait her out, she’ll get tired before he does. Day catalogs everything he’s seen like they taught him at training and comes to the most likely conclusion. Bobby is half succubus. Poppy mentioned that most of the students in the academy are half demons because the demon half boosts their potential for evolving. There must also be a few half angels among the students if half demons are here. He’ll confirm with Poppy later. Day focuses back on Bobby as her struggles stop, but tears and sobs start.

“I’m sorry,” Bobby whispers as she looks at his cheek. A drop of blood lands on her cheek. One of her eyes has changed back into a round pupil and the glowing is gone. Her other eye is still glowing and dilated, revealing her demonic hunger is still present. “I’m so sorry!” Bobby cries hysterically. “I’m a monster. I hurt you,” she starts to fall into hysterics and her claws sink into his hands. Her mismatched eyes dart around wildly. Anywhere but him.

“Bobby,” Day tries to get her attention by leaning closer. She closes her eyes and turns her face away.

“Don’t get close, please. I-I don’t want to hurt you,” tears streak through her fur. “I’m sorry. I don’t want to-to hurt you. Please. I-I’m sorry. Please–”

Day pulls her up by the hands and hugs her. Her hysteric apologies cut off. He rubs her back slowly, keeping his injured cheek angled away from her. Her arms wrap tightly around him as she buries her face in his shoulder and lets out what must be weeks or more of suffering. She sobs out more apologies and how she’s a monster. Day rubs her back and hums an old lullaby without saying anything. Her clawed grip on his back is strong, her body shaking in his arms. He keeps humming and rubbing her back in soothing circles. The lowered sun shines in Day’s eyes and his knees are starting to hurt from kneeling on the cement too long. He refuses to move until Bobby squeezes him and lets go. Day moves away and sits on the path beside her. His ribs ache from the tight hug. Bobby is hunched over, her hands shaking so much she grips them tightly to hide it.

“How do you feel?” Day asks as he takes a dry washcloth out of his back pocket. After what happened with Crafty he tries to remember to bring one with him even when he doesn’t have his bag. He presses the folded cloth against his cheek gently and clenches his jaw to stop a whine of pain from escaping.

“Me?” Bobby looks up at him incredulously. Both of her pupils are round now. “You’re the one who almost had his eye clawed out!”

“But I didn’t. Are you ok?” Day asks. The bear looks down.

“I’m fine,” she says with no inflection. Day leans forward to see her face better.

“Bobby, I promise I won’t tell anyone, but I need to know if you’re going to attack anyone else,” Day watches her reaction closely. She flinches and wraps her arms around herself.

“No, I won’t hurt anyone,” she glances at him again. “Do you know I’m…that I…” her face crumbles.

“That you’re half demon? I guessed from the fact you kissed me instead of…something else,” Day explains gently. Bobby sniffles as she scrubs at her eyes.

“I’m sorry. I thought I would be fine when I got here,” Bobby admits, ashamed. Day waits for her to say more, but she doesn’t. What should he do in this situation? The silence between them is dangerous and Day has to break it by saying something.

“Picky asked me to bring you food,” Day tells the hunched over bear. She remains silent. “Bobby, will you explain to me what you need? I don’t want Picky’s friend to get hurt or hurt someone else.”

“...she cares too much,” Bobby mumbles as she pulls her knees up and hides her face in them. “Fine. I’m half succubus, a lust demon. I don’t need sex like a succubus would. A half breed like me just needs physical touch. The more affectionate the more full I’ll feel…” Bobby takes a breath. “At home my grandma gave me enough, so I didn't starve or attack anyone. I was never full, but I didn’t hurt people. When I left home I thought I could do this. I didn’t expect interacting with so many people would make the hunger worse,” Bobby lifts her hands up to sink her claws into her hair and starts harshly pulling at her ears. “Stars, I hate myself so much.”

“Bobby!” Day reaches out with his free hand and gently tugs at her arm. “Please, don’t hurt yourself,” Day meets her eyes. “Please.”

“Ok,” she whispers. Her gaze goes to his cheek. She takes another deep breath, closes her eyes and slaps her cheeks. “OK! I’m better and I’m going to get you the medical care we should have started this whole mess with,” Bobby pushes herself to her feet and holds her hand out for him to take. Day takes it carefully as he stands. She starts to drag him by the hand down the path. Her grip is tight and the tremble in her arms is easy to see.

“Bobby?” Day asks.

“Yes?”

“Will you tell Picky?”

“No.”

“She’s really worried about you.”

“I know.”

Silence falls between them again. Day frowns at the back of Bobby’s head. He can understand not wanting to share something that personal, but Picky needs an explanation and preferably a reason to stop worrying. Bobby needs help and support so she doesn't get hurt or hurt anyone else. Day also needs to get the special bandages Poppy gave him onto his cheek. His fifteen minutes are quickly disappearing.

“Bobby?” Day asks again. She squeezes his hand this time instead of answering. “Will you let me help you?”

“What?” she stops and stares at him. “After what I did?” her voice rises an octave. “Do you realize what I was going to do if you hadn’t stopped me? Why are you helping a monster!”

“Bobby, you're a good friend to Picky. I know that you aren’t a monster. I know you regret what you did. You would have never done that if you were in your right mind. You don’t deserve to feel like a monster or starve,” Day squeezes her hand until she meets his eyes. “Please, Bobby.”

“How can you forgive me?” she asks weakly. “How can you be willing to help me?”

“It doesn’t have to be me, but let someone help you, Bobby. Please,” Day says again.

“I don’t understand,'' Bobby says as she lets go of his hand to wipe away more tears. “I don’t understand how you can even look at me right now.”

“I’m not mad or disgusted,” Day says as he carefully steps around her. “I promise I won’t mention this. Please think about finding some help and you should call Picky,” Day adds as he starts fast walking towards the dorms.

“Ok,” Bobby sniffles. He glances over his shoulder to check that she’s ok. Her arms have lowered and she stares at the spot he had been standing in. He feels bad leaving her like this, but his fifteen minutes are almost up and someone could walk by at any second. He doesn’t need his wounds to be discovered right now.

“Day?” Bobby’s distant voice asks as she turns in his direction. Day sends a thumbs up over his shoulder as he takes the turn towards the dorms. When Bobby is out of sight he breaks into a run and practically slams into the dorm door. He unlocks it and shuts it behind him as fast as he can. He takes the deserted stairs two at a time and rushes into his room. Day grabs his first aid kit under his bed and grabs the magic bandages Poppy stocked in it. He gets one out of the packaging and presses it onto his cheek. A whine of pain escapes him at the hot pain. He isn’t sure if he made it in the fifteen minutes needed for it to work.

Day leans against the side of his bed and reaches for his phone. His stomach drops when his keycard is all he finds. He checks all of his pockets for it, but the black lump is the only other thing on him. The last place he had his phone was right before Bobby attacked him. On the cement path in the trees. Shit, he’s going to have to go look for it. He has to wait at least an hour for the patch to work its magic, he has to wait until then. Day uses the hour to clean his other wounds, hide his bloody clothes, and discover he doesn’t have a flashlight he can use. How is he supposed to find his phone in the dark? He’s going to have to make something up and ask Kickin to help him find it when everyone gets back.

How did his day off get so hectic?

Notes:

Is everyone ok? I've never written a scene like that and wasn't sure how to tag it. I hope you're all ok. Let me know?
On a side note: This chapter ended up way too long again. 8k instead of 7 for the second time. I'm also posting it faster than I probably should be. Oh well
Another side note: I've been asked what my ships are for the other smiling critters and the answer is...I don't know. I wanted to try different ones from Chasing Daylight's but I'm not sure which ones to pick. I'm kinda hoping that as we go the critters will decide for themselves. I won't have to worry about it that way. Or I can see what people think in the comments about who should be with who. We'll see what happens.

As always, thank you so much for reading!

Chapter 6: The Busy Life of a President

Day closes his eyes to block the light shining directly into them. He steps to the side and blinks the spots out of his eyes. When he can see clearly, Day looks up at the light source. His eyes widen at the stained glass window that’s big enough to be a whole wall in a classroom. The colored glass is shifting, somehow. Day has to watch it for a second before he understands what it’s showing him. There are stars arranged into eyes, the pupils are yellow stars that shine brighter than all of the others. Is that the constellation of the…the…the prophet? It’s the only constellation he can think of with eyes. The glass shifts and the fake stars change into one big star that has light dancing along the edges. It shifts back to the eyes after a few seconds. Day didn’t know humans could make glass that changed images like that. He steps back and looks around more. It seems like he’s in a dark circular room and the only light is from the stained glass windows. Day takes a step under the window closest to him and the new angle reveals someone just barely shown in the colored light.

The person is in a wheelchair, bandages cover every inch of them Day can see. A blanket is wrapped around their middle, hiding most of their body. They’re hunched over in the chair. The…halo? What might be a halo over their head is shaped differently than any painting Day’s seen of angel halos. It drapes magic down like a veil and covers the person’s head and shoulders. Day looks around for anyone else in the room. A person this injured can’t be alone in this dark room. The person in the wheelchair starts to hum softly. It breaks the overwhelming silence. Day takes a cautious step closer, not wanting to startle the person. The singing cuts off and the person’s head snaps up. The magic veil thing disappears and Day stumbles back when he sees the bloody bandages wrapped around their head.

“This moment…no, no,” the person’s voice is painfully scratchy. They look directly at Day, bloody bandages getting darker. “Leave. Don’t watch this.” Day opens his mouth to ask–

Everything disappears. Day feels his senses return in an overwhelming wave. He groans as he presses the base of his ears down to block out the noise of Kickin singing in the shower. He takes slow deep breaths of the fresh laundry smell in their room. When his heartbeat slows he opens his eyes and scans Kickin’s bed across from him. Kickin left his covers down and his string of star lights are turned off. Sunlight filters through their dark blue curtains. Day stops pressing on his ears and listens to Kickin turn off the water, but he keeps singing along with the music coming from his phone. Day sits up in his bed and massages his throbbing temples. Was that a dream? He doesn’t usually have his senses rush back like that when he wakes up or remember his dreams so vividly. Day shivers at the scratchy voice and growing blood stains of the bandaged person. How badly were they injured to end up like that?

“Day!” Kickin’s voice cuts through his thoughts. Day looks up just in time for a tissue to be pressed against his nostrils. “You have a nosebleed. Are you ok?”

Day replaces Kickin’s hand with his own and pulls the tissue away from his nose. It’s stained with blood, Day can feel it start to drip out of his nostrils. He presses the tissue back against his nose.

“Don’t look so worried, Kickin,” Day keeps his voice light. “It’s just a bloody nose. Must be because the air is starting to get dryer.”

“I guess,” Kickin doesn't seem convinced as he pulls their small trash can and box of tissues closer to Day. “Do you want to go to the nurse?”

“If it doesn’t stop in a few minutes,” Day switches the bloody tissue for a new one.

“Alright,” Kickin agrees as he walks back to his bed to grab his towel. “After breakfast, we should check whatever they use for lost and found around here for your phone. Let’s hope someone found it,” Kickin says as he ruffles the longer feathers on his head with his towel. Day and Kickin looked up and down the path to the pool for an hour last night. Day could see Kickin was tired and called it a night. He’ll have to send Poppy an email for a new one. It’ll be inconvenient, but he lived without a phone for years. He’ll be fine.

“Sounds good,” Day agrees as he gathers his stuff.

Day takes over the bathroom next. He has to scrub around his nose a little longer than necessary to get the blood out of his fur once the bleeding stops. He moves the black lump he’s considering his good luck charm out of his pajamas and into the inner pocket of his school uniform. It’s a little silly, but he feels better having a gift from a living good luck charm with him. Day finishes up and leaves the bathroom to find Kickin and Nap talking by the door. Nap looks at him with this stare. Day can’t quite read it, but it isn’t the distant one Nap used to have. The cat did that last night too, after he found the bruises on Day’s wrists. Day had run out of time after he finished cleaning up everything else. Nap had seen the bruises almost immediately. Kickin had been right there and freaked out more than Day thought he would. Day doesn’t think they believed him when he said they were from training.

“You had a bloody nose,” Nap says in the quiet around them. Day breaks the stare down happening between them. Sometimes he wishes he could read the cat’s mind.

“Yep, but it's over now! Let’s get to breakfast with the others!” Day is quick to put his pajamas away and grab his school stuff. He fumbles for a second when his keycard is on his desk without his phone beside it like he’s used to. Kickin grabs his backpack and the three of them head out. Bubba catches up with them just before the elevator closes.

“Bubba, you made it!” kickin grins as he holds the elevator doors open.

“Why are you all such early risers?” Bubba asks as he rubs his eyes and joins them in the elevator.

“They’re insane,” Nap yawns.

“Makes sense,” Bubba fights back his own yawn. “It’s barely seven in the morning.”

“Don’t worry, Bubba,” Kickin grins. “I’ll be your guide chicken.”

“It wasn’t my fault!” Bubba immediately denies.

“Whatever you say, Bubba,” Nap smirks lazily. All three of them laugh. Day grins, but it was definitely a ‘you had to be there’ joke they’re talking about. Bubba had tripped over steps a lot yesterday, even when most of them had warning signs. He knocked over a waitress with a tray full of drinks one time and stumbled into a store window, scaring the lady who was dressing a mannequin a different time. Day still hasn’t seen the pictures Nap took of those moments.

They meet Crafty and Hoppy in front of the cafeteria doors. Hoppy starts filling him in about where they went and what they did as they all get in line. They started out at a mall to eat breakfast together before splitting into groups. Hoppy, Kickin, and Crafty looked at a few shoe stores. Picky, Bubba, and Nap looked around a few clothing stores. Everyone met up again at lunch and left the mall to walk to a nearby park. They spent the next few hours hanging around the park before walking around mainstreet. They barely made it onto the bus in time because Bubba had tripped over a curb taking Crafty and Picky down with him.

It sounds like everyone had fun. Hoppy’s steady chatter is a relief, especially when Kickin leans over to whisper something to Bubba and Crafty. Day has a good idea what was said as stares stab into his back. They’re really blowing this out of proportion. It’s just a few bruises and a bloody nose, it’s not like his legs were ripped off. Day keeps his attention on Hoppy as he asks a few questions here and there. They make it through the food line and sit at their usual table. Day asks the rest of them how it went yesterday. Just as Kickin is ready to launch into a story Day feels a tap on his shoulder. He turns to see Picky smiling nervously at him. Standing behind her is Bobby.

“Hey, Day-um,’’ Picky glances at Bobby awkwardly. The bear’s fur isn’t as dull anymore and her bones aren't as pronounced.

“Can I talk to you?” Bobby asks. Her eyes shift behind him and away. The table has gone silent around Day.

“Sure,” Day smiles as he stands. “I’ll be back in a bit,” he says to the table as walks down the patio steps. Bobby follows him around the corner of the building for a little more privacy. “Is everything ok?” Day asks as he turns to face her.

“I think so?” Bobby takes a deep breath. “I told Picky last night what I am. I don’t want to ever lose control like that again and she offered to help me. I didn’t tell her about last night, but she said I should find more people I can trust in case she’s not able to help me,” Bobby sucks in another breath when she runs out of air. “I feel like I can trust you, but after last night I’ll understand if you tell me to fuck off right now.”

“Of course I’ll help and I already told you I’m not mad about what happened,” day assures her.

“You should be,” Bobby frowns at him. “You should have reported me to security. Why didn’t you?”

“I guess, when I look at you I don’t see a monster,” Day meets her eyes. “I see someone who needs help. Will you let me help you, Bobby?” Day tilts his head, “Please?”

“Now I get it,” Bobby sighs as she looks away. She frowns and starts to rub her arm as she thinks. “If you’re willing to help, I really do appreciate it, Day.”
“Of course, Bobby!” He offers his hand out and she cautiously places hers on his palm. Day places his other hand over hers. “Friends?”

“Are you sure?”

“Picky gets to be your friend, but I don’t?”

“Fine,” Bobby weakly half smiles. She reaches her free hand into the pocket of her bag and pulls out Day’s phone. It’s cracked on the screen, but still in one piece. “I think this is yours?”

“Can I hug you?” Day asks as his tail wags happily behind him. He got a new friend and his phone back! Bobby nods and reaches out first. Day lets go of her hand to wrap his arms around her. “You should hang out with us. You can make more friends that way and Picky would relax when she sees you eating,” Day says quietly as they hug. Bobby squeezes him before letting go.

“She already convinced me to. I just need to get in line to grab some food,” Bobby looks down at their connected hands. “Will you come with me?” she asks nervously.

“Sure,” Day agrees easily. Bobby leads him by the hand back up the steps of the patio into the cafeteria. Day tells her about his friends as they make their way through the line. Bobby adds a few of her own observations, mostly from what Picky has told her. They get back to a very tense and silent table.

“Hey guys!” Day tries to sound upbeat in the weird silence. “This is Bobby, I hope you don’t mind if she eats with us,” Day takes his usual seat. “Bobby you can sit here,” Day pats the space beside him opposite from Nap.

“Actually, sit with me!” Picky pipes up on the opposite end of the table.

“Oh, uh, sure Picky,” Bobby hesitates. “Thanks, Day,” she smiles a little more naturally before she joins Picky and Bubba on that end of the table.

“Who’s she?” Nap asks flatly beside him.

“That’s Bobby!” Day grins as he focuses on Nap. His grin falls as he sees Nap’s butchered pancakes. “Nap, what happened?”

“Nothing,” Nap mumbles. He refuses to look at Day. At a loss Day looks up at Kickin and Hoppy, who are sitting the closest, for help. They both look away from him awkwardly. What happened? The only one who will look at him is Crafty. She hesitates before pointing her fork at Nap and then at her dessert and then to his plate. Is she saying…give Nap his dessert? Of course! The cat loves to take Day’s dessert, that will cheer him up right?

“Here, Nap,” Day scoots their trays together to transfer his frosted blueberry muffin to Nap’s plate.

“Not hungry,” Nap snaps as he shoves away from the table and takes his mostly full tray with him.

“Nap?” Day calls to the retreating feline. What’s going on? Did Day do something wrong? His ears press against his head as his tail droops. Is this Day’s fault?

“Jeez, what a mess,” Kickin sighs as he rubs his beak. There isn’t time for more to be said as the academy bell rings in warning. Their table of friends hurry to get rid of their plates and disperse for classes. Day didn’t have more than a few bites of his food. Just enough to keep his promise to Poppy, but way less than what he usually eats. Day doesn’t see Nap again until lunch. The cat sits between Bubba and Hoppy as far from Day as possible. Day sits in his usual spot. Picky and Bobby sit on one side of him and Crafty sits in Nap’s usual spot. The conversation is stilted and Day doesn’t have the energy to try and save it. He forces himself to eat a few bites of food again.

“Day?” Crafty gently pokes his arm. Day looks at her, but doesn’t have the energy to say anything. “Here,” Crafty holds out a small bag. Day takes it and opens it carefully. Inside is a lanyard with small cartoonish bones on the orange strap.

“Crafty, you didn’t have to get me anything,” Day says as he turns it over.

“Nap got them for everyone. He wanted us to all have something in common and since we all have keycards, he picked this,” Crafty smiles. Nap did this? He got everyone a gift? Nap got Day a gift…but he didn’t give the lanyard to Day himself. Crafty is the one giving it to him instead. Day’s lightly wagging tail falls again as he looks over at Nap. The cat looks away just before Day can catch his eye. Nap won’t even look at him, anymore.

“Thanks, Crafty,” Day manages a small smile for her. She nods as she twists one of her colored pencils in her fingers.

“I think all you have to do is talk to him, Day. He’s a good listener,” Crafty says softly.

“I know,” Day chuckles hollowly. “The problem is catching him long enough to talk.”

“I don’t think that’s as hard as you believe,” Crafty smiles reassuringly. Day tilts his head in confusion. He’s going to ask what she means, but the cafeteria noise erupts around them. Day and Crafty turn to look for the source of the commotion. Bonnie Bassisto steps onto the patio from the stairs and looks around. Now Day has seen all of the Fazbear Five! All within the first week of school! His good luck charm is working!

“I-Is he walking over here?” Crafty whispers nervously. Day snaps back into the present. Mr. Bassisto is walking straight for their table and he meets Day’s eyes directly. Day sits a little straighter in his seat.

“Daylight Dog?” Bonnie asks as he stops a few steps away.

“Yes!” Day stands from the table.

“I was asked to give you this,” Bonnie holds out a sealed envelope, “-and ask that you come to the president’s office after your last class today. Does that work for you?”

“Y-yes, of course. I’ll be there right after class,” Day takes the envelope carefully so he doesn’t drop it. It has his full name written on the back.

“Good to hear. See you there, kid,” Bonnie chuckles as he leaves the same way he arrived. His ears are easy to see over the patio’s railing as he walks away.

“Did you just get a gift from Bonnie Bassisto?” Kickin slams his hands on the table excitedly.

“He can still hear you!” Hoppy hisses as she pulls the chicken back into his seat.

“I better read this,” Day waves the letter. “I’m done eating so I’ll see you later, ok?”

“Ok,” Crafty says unsure.

“Be safe!” Bobby calls after him. He waves to her as he heads for a garbage can. He dumps his leftovers and leaves the tray. Day hurries towards the closest building to the cafeteria and finds a chair inside the library. He sets his bag down and opens the letter as fast as he can without ripping it.

 

Hi Daylight,

I don’t have much time to write this so I’m going to keep it short. All of the student council members, except for you, have been expelled and arrested. Yes, even me. Like I said before, they were going to take me down with them and had the evidence to do so. To get some of my evidence I had to…participate. Not like in the video, I refuse to hurt someone like that. Long story short, I’ll be in rehab for a few months and will have to find another school. It’ll be hard, but it’s about what I expected when all of this was finally revealed.

Anyway, I’m told by President Fazbear that he’s going to meet with you to figure out the future of the student council. It will be hard, I’m warning you now. Years of negligence and corruption will be difficult to fix. It would be easier to quit now. Just a thought.

One last thing, I have more evidence of the corruption inside the school. I didn’t bring it to Mr. Fazbear because it isn’t much more than rumors and suspicion. I don’t have hard evidence and I couldn't risk having Mr. Fazbear dismiss who I did have enough evidence for. If you decide to stay and tackle the mess that the student council will become, you can find my notes inside room five, the fifth file cabinet from the door, bottom drawer. The key to open that drawer is taped under the fifth step up from the bottom stairwell. I used black duct tape so it would blend in more. I haven’t shared this with anyone, you’re the first person I’m trusting with that information.

Also, will you destroy this? I don’t want to sound crazy, but there’s so much going on inside the academy. Even if you quit and never follow these instructions, please don’t let someone find this.

From Odette

P.S. I hope I see you evolve, Daylight. I think you’re one of the few who deserve it. Goodbye.

 

Day reads through the letter again. Was Odette some sort of spy? Day didn’t know her long, but he’s definitely glad they left on good terms. He mentally wishes her the best. His gaze rereads a particular line in her letter. She has even more evidence than what she showed Mr. Fazbear? Day needs to find the information and get it to Poppy. Now that he has his phone again, he can call her now. Day gets his phone out and discovers it’s dead. Of course it is. He’ll just ask Nap for his char–no. He can’t ask Nap anything right now. Not until he figures out how to catch the sneaky feline…

Anyway, Day should just head to his next class. He doesn’t have enough time to run to the dorm and grab his own charger right now. He makes it into class with plenty of time to spare. He finds it hard to concentrate on anything except the clock. He’s going to talk to Mr. Fazbear again! Class finally ends and Day is the first one out the door. His pace is just shy of running as he dodges other students on his way towards the admin building. When Day walks in he expects to find the human secretary again. Was Layla Lurette her name? That sounds right. Instead the secretary he finds is Bonnie. He has stacks of paper on his desk that he skims through and shreds most of it. Day approaches the desk a little nervously.

“Uh-Mr. Bassisito?” Day asks quietly. Bonnie’s ears perk and he looks up at Day. His face relaxes into a tired smile.

“Hey, kid. Let me just finish shredding this pile,” he holds up a few papers. “Then, we’ll go see Freddy.”

“Ok,” Day agrees. Bonnie turns his swivel chair around and the shredder starts again. Day stands in front of the desk awkwardly, not sure if he should sit or stand. His fingers tap twice on his thigh before he realizes what he’s doing and curls his fingers into his palm.

“Is the other secretary taking the day off?” Day asks just to say something.

“Not exactly,” Bonnie glances at him and sighs. “I guess you saw everything else, anyway. Just don’t share this with anyone, ok?” Day nods quickly. “Miss Lurette was also part of the criminal ring in the academy. She’s been fired and is waiting for her trial as speak.”

“She helped them cover it up?” Day guesses.

“Yep, and there we go!” Bonnie stands and stretches his arms above his head. He’s so tall he can spread his hands on the ceiling. “Thanks, for waiting, kid. I’ll take you up to his office.”

Day follows Bonnie to the elevator and they take it up to the top floor. The elevator here is big, it has to be to fit evolved anthros inside of it. It also plays music and has signs on the walls about the school’s history. Unlike the dorm elevators that are very basic compared to this. The elevator dings as it opens to an empty hallway. Bonnie leadsDAy towards the opposite end where the president’s office is. As they get closer Day’s ears perk as he picks up someone yelling from Freddy’s office.

“–know this needs your attention!” Goldie’s voice is loud and angry. “We are here to help you, dumbass!”

“Goldie, the students–”

“I don’t care! If you end up in the hospital again because of this–”

“Ahem!” Bonnie knocks loudly on the office door. There’s a moment of silence inside the office.

“Come in,” Freddy calls through the door. Bonnie opens it enough to peek his head in before opening it all the way. He steps aside to let Day through.

“It’s Daylight Dog, the student council president,” Bonnie says. Day only sees Freddy inside. Goldie is gone, he must have teleported away.

“Thanks, Bon,” Freddy sighs as he moves a stack of papers to the side of his desk. His paper stacks are even bigger than Bonnie’s were down stairs.

“No problem,” Bonnie walks in and snatches one of the huge stacks of papers off of Freddy’s desk.

“What? Bon–” Freddy says confused.

“I’m on Goldie’s side this time, captain,” the bunny says with what Day can only think of as a scary smile on his face. Bonnie leaves with the huge stack of papers. When the door closes behind him Freddy sighs and scrubs his hands over his face.

“They’re acting like I’m going to keel over any second,” Freddy growls in frustration. It’s said so softly he probably doesn’t think Day can hear him. Freddy lets out a breath and sits up behind his desk. A friendly smile on his face as he looks at Day. “Sorry about that, Mr. Dog.”

“I-It’s fine, Mr. Fazbear,” Day is quick to reassure. Overprotective family members can be frustrating sometimes.

“Please, have a seat,” Freddy nods to an anthro sized chair in front of the small coffee table by the wall of windows. Day doesn’t remember that set up when he was here yesterday. He walks over as Freddy grabs a file from his desk and a ring of keys. He joins Day in the other chair that faces out the wall of windows. Freddy sets the file and ring of keys between them on the coffee table.

“First thing we need to talk about,” Freddy says, “Do you want to stay in the student council?”

“Yes,” Day answers. He has orders to follow, afterall.

“That was a fast answer,” Freddy raises an eyebrow at him.

“Well, I-uh-I applied to the student council not really believing I’d be accepted,” Day admits. “I never thought it would end up like this.”

“No one did,” Freddy sighs. “As the only member right now, I’m glad to hear you want to stay. Unfortunately, that means we have a lot of work ahead of us.”

“Ok,” Day nods. Freddy’s lips curl up just a little. “The first thing we need to do is find new members. With the council’s history among the students, it will be difficult to get applications, but we have to try.”

“I remember Odette telling me that only perfect students were accepted before. We might have to lower those perfect standards while we look for more members,” Day adds. “Not to low, but enough that someone will sign up.”

“I agree,” Freddy nods as he opens the file. “Next is the budget,” he frowns at the stapled packet of paper on top before taking it out of the file and handing it to Day.

“Sweet stars,” Day can feel the stress start as he looks over the ‘budget’.

“That will take more time to straighten out,” Freddy sighs tiredly. “The main problem right now is that the student council is supposed to use their budget for fundraisers and special events for the students. A christmas dance or camping trips deeper into the academy forest, activities like that. I have a feeling you will have very little to work with this semester.” Day can feel Freddy’s eyes on him. “What do you think?”

Ah, this is a test. Day isn’t surprised. You have to figure out what kind of person you’re leaving one of the most important groups in the academy with. Day needs to pass whatever Freddy throws at him.

“I think…” Day frowns as he thinks about it. “I think we need to have a fundraiser as soon as we can.” Day looks up to meet Freddy’s bright blue eyes. “We’ll have a very small budget to work with, if we end up with anything. I know the school doesn't let the public inside the gate, so having a party here wouldn’t be a good idea. Does the school have other properties?”

“There’s the Playtime arena we could make a deal with in the capital, a ranch donated by a late sponsor, and Fazbear Hall is always open,” Freddy winks. Day grins and tries to keep his tail from thumping against the chair.

“Fazbear hall? That’s amazing, Mr. Fazbear,” Day smiles. Freddy is so generous!

“It’s the least the school president can do,” Freddy assures. “What are you thinking of doing?”

“Well, by the time we find more members and get the paperwork straightened out, it’ll be October or close to it. I’m thinking we can use the ranch for a spooky corn maze. Food and drink can be provided by the cooking club, we’ll have to split profits with them, but it’s a start,” Day glances at Freddy nervously before looking at the budget again. “If we have other activities we can attract more attention. Parents especially are always trying to find a way to connect with the academy.”

“Hm,” Freddy leans back as he looks out the windows in front of them. “I think it could work. I doubt you could get the funds for anything more than supplies for the cooking club and the materials needed to set up the maze. Even that is stretching it. We’d also have to hire someone to make the actual maze.”

“I’ll ask the new members once we get them,” Day thinks it over. “We’d need to actually see the property.”

“That would be fine, but it will have to wait until we get closer to October. A lot of this will depend on the budget when it finally gets straightened out,” Freddy explains. He holds his hand out and Day hands the packet back. Freddy puts it to the side and takes two papers from inside the file. He hands them to Day. They’re calendars from last year. One page is for the fall semester and the other page is for the spring semester.

“The last issue right now is the academy schedule. As I said before, the council is supposed to have fundraisers and events every year. That also means they’re supposed to have a calendar published every semester for the students and parents about all of the events related to the academy. It used to be a yearly calendar, but with how corrupt the council was, no wonder it switched to going by semester.”

“I think we’ll have to do it by the semester again this year,” Day admits. “I‘m not sure when we can get any sort of calendar out right now.”

“That’s fine,” Freddy assures him. “I will need a calendar to publish on the academy website and in the newsletter sooner rather than later, but I don’t expect you to have a year’s worth of events planned before you even find new members.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“Of course,” Freddy's smile is relaxed this time. “For now, I need you to put the word out about applying for the council. I can help you go through the applications,” Freddy holds his hand out for the calendars. “It can be overwhelming to go through that much paperwork, especially by yourself,” Freddy puts all of the papers back in the file. Day’s mind flashes to Goldie’s upset voice mentioning a hospital.

“Thank you, Mr. Fazbear,” Day smiles politely, “I’ll ask for assistance if I need it.” He immediately wants to take it back when Freddy frowns.

“Are you su–”

“Alright! Meeting over!” the door slams open. Goldie walks into the office like he owns it.

“Goldie,” Freddy sighs tiredly. “How long were you listening?”

“What are you talking about?” Goldie asks innocently. “Anyway, we gotta go.” Goldie pulls Freddy out of his chair by the arm.

“I still have to–”

“Bye, kid!” Goldie winks and they both disappear in a teleport.

“Uh,” Day looks around the empty office. Should he just go? Yeah, he should probably go. Day stands from his chair and the ring of keys catches his eye. Freddy brought this with him to the table. Are these the keys to the student building? Day picks up the ring and decides to ask Bonnie downstairs. He slides his backpack over his shoulders and walks out of the office. The elevator opens just as he’s about to press the button.

“Mr. Bassisto,” Day says surprised. Bonnie isn’t the only one in the elevator. “Mr. Pirateer and Ms. Chikatita,” Day grins nervously. Three of the Fazbear five at once! Be chill, tail.

“Hey, kid,” Bonnie smiles. “I was just coming up to let Freddy know we need to leave.”

“Well, uh, he left with Mr. Goldie Fazbear a few minutes ago,” Day explains. Foxy and Chica roll their eyes. “I wanted to ask before I leave if these are Mr. Fazbear’s keys?” Day holds up the ring of keys.

“Those are the keys we received from the last student council president. There are more keys on that ring than there are doors in the student building. Will you separate the ones to the building from the extras?” Bonnie asks.

“I will,” Day nods.

”Thanks,” Bonnie smiles again as the three evolved anthros file out of the elevator. Day gets on after them and pushes the button for the bottom floor.

“How are the students so cute?” Chica coos right before the elevator closes. Day sighs as he glares down at his excited tail. It has no chill.

After that, all of Day’s free time is swallowed by the student council. The first thing he does is get flyers out to let people know they’re accepting applicants. He uses the student council email as the one to contact if applications are sent online. Day also sets up a table near the bulletin board in the student building for paper applications. He regrets it as the week goes on because he has to check the box twice a day. He didn’t know when he put out flyers that the whole school knew about what happened to the old council members. Most of the hundreds of applicants are upperclassmen who probably want to take this chance as fast as they can. Day is glad he set up the application deadline for the Sunday following when he and Freddy spoke.

While he waits for the deadline he looks through the last ten years in the student archives. He wants to know how the student council functioned before it fell apart. He finds calendars and sees all of the big holidays have some sort of event scheduled. He notices the more recent calendars drop a lot of events. The only one he sees for the past three years is a christmas banquet. Day can’t imagine how that would have gone knowing how the council spent their money. Luckily, it gives him a few ideas for the calendar he’s hoping to get to Freddy before his application deadline hits.

When he needs a break and wants to walk around he’ll go through the student building and try all of the keys on his ring. He makes sure to label each one so he remembers. The first day he has free reign of the building, he follows Odette’s instructions to find her notes. The key is where she says it is, but the tape is the usual silver that is holding it to the step. Not the black she said she used. He opens the file cabinet drawer her notes were supposed to be in and finds it empty. He double checks her letter and he does have the right one. He looks through the other drawers in that cabinet and doesn’t find anything out of place. Did someone else find Odette’s notes? How else would they have known where to go for the key and the specific cabinet they were hidden in? Odette said she never shared those notes with anyone except for him.

Meaning that whoever got to the notes before he did had to have read Odette’s letter. The only ones who had access to it would have been the Fazbear Five. What could their motivation have been? Did all of them do it or one member? Day doesn’t have enough information about them to really believe they did it. If it wasn’t any of them, could it have been…the former secretary? She was helping keep the dark secrets of the school hidden. Did she have access to Odette’s letter before she was fired? Day sighs as he pushes the drawer closed. He just doesn't have enough information. He has no way of contacting Odette either, so whatever she had isn’t going to help him and Poppy. He’s at a dead end right now.

Saturday night he reminds himself he needs to clean out the rest of the junk that he keeps finding more of. Every time he thinks he finishes a room he’ll open another locked drawer and find beer or porn. It makes it nearly impossible to get everything out as the only person trying to clean it up. He should be able to get everything finally cleaned up and the applications sorted through with all of Sunday open. He might even get the calendar finished and sent to Freddy. Day locks up the office and the rest of the building before he leaves for the night. It’s almost two hours after curfew, Kickin should be asleep.

“Out late again, Mr. President?” a deep voice asks him. Day was only scared the first two nights Mr. Schmidt appeared out of the darkness.

“Sorry about this, Mr. Schmidt,” Day says a little embarrassed. He didn’t think he would be leaving so late six days in a row, but here he is. Mr. Schmidt is the new captain of the academy’s security team. He threatened to report Day if he was late to curfew again the first night. They both discovered that Day is exempt from a lot of school rules as the council president. The strict curfew no longer applies to him. It’s not fair and Day will look into changing it, but it is very convenient this week as he spends almost all of his time running around. He’d contacted the other club leaders to meet with them and discuss possible events they would be interested in. It’s a great source of feedback he didn’t realize he would need.

Day still hasn’t been able to talk with Nap, or any of his friends, the past five days. He manages to get in a few ‘hellos’ between classes and waves from a distance, but that’s it. He’s the first to leave the dorm room in the morning and the last to go to bed. He usually grabs his meals and takes them with him. He wouldn’t bother eating at all if Poppy’s promise wasn’t in the back of his mind when he’s supposed to eat. Day misses hanging out with his friends and talking to Poppy, but he has to get the council up and running.

“Kid!” His arm is grabbed and he’s pulled back a few steps. “Pay attention!” Mr. Schmidt snaps at him. Day blinks at the light post directly in his path. Jeez, he’s giving Mr. Schmidt even more reasons to follow him.

“Sorry, Mr. Schmidt. I just wasn't looking,” Day apologizes again.

“Or paying attention. C’mon, let’s get you to bed,” Mr. Schmidt sighs as he drags Day to the dorms. Day feels like a kid that was caught doing something bad. When they get to the entrance Mr. Schmidt walks Day up to the elevator. “I better not see you until the sun is high in the sky tomorrow,” Mr. Schmidt threatens.

“Of course, Mr. Schmidt,” Day assures as he gets in the elevator. He doesn’t mention how Mr. Schmidt should be asleep by then. He’s just glad the guard didn’t follow him all the way to his room. He doesn’t doubt the guard would. Day steps off the elevator with a yawn. He gets to his door and lifts the lanyard with his keycard. He needs to thank Nap for it. Granny would be so disappointed it’s taken him this long.

Day freezes as the door beeps and the little light turns green. He stares at the dot as grief starts to close around his throat. The dot turns red again and Day blinks away unshed tears. Shit, he needs to go to sleep. He's getting too emotional. Day taps his card again and opens the door this time. He closes it gently behind him. Day glances at the lump of blankets on Kickin’s bed to make sure he didn’t accidentally wake him. He uses the star fairy lights to put his stuff away and grab what he needs to get ready for bed. When he’s done in the bathroom he debates calling Poppy. Tomorrow he doesn’t have any classes to get to, but that doesn't mean he should stay up this late….but he misses her voice. They haven’t spoken for days. His vision starts to blur.

“Pull yourself together,” Day growls to himself as he scrubs his eyes. He’ll call her and if she doesn't pick up that will be the end of that.

“Day?” Poppy asks when she answers. “Why are you up right now?”

“Hi to you too,” Day quips. She did answer! His tail is way too excited right now.

“You haven't been sleeping, have you?” Poppy asks immediately.

“I have been!”

“How much?”

“Enough!”

Poppy doesn't say anything and Day is spilling his guts before he knows it.

“OK, maybe only seven or eight hours the past week, but it’s fine–”

“That many hours the whole week? Not every night?”

“...no?”

“Daylight, get your ass in bed. Do not get out of it until eleven tomorrow.”

“What! But I–”

“Sound like you're about to cry, stumbling over your words and, don’t tell me, feeling emotional. Am I wrong?”

“I’m not stumbling over my words,” Day mutters.

“Not yet, but we both know you will. Good night, Day,” Poppy says into the phone.

“Goodnight,” Day mumbles. His tail and ears droop. He wanted to talk more.

“I love you,” Poppy says softly. Day freezes, his eyes wide. Did she just say she loves him? She finally said it? She finally said it!

“I LOVE YOU TOO,” Day cries loudly into the phone. He winces at his volume. Poppy giggles and hangs up before Day can say anything else. Day looks into the bathroom mirror wide eyed. Poppy said she loves him. She said the words. She said ‘I love you.’ Day puts his cracked phone down so he doesn’t drop it. He can’t contain the happiness inside himself and jumps in a circle. He lets his tail windmill and his ears swish wildly back and forth. He does remember to cover his mouth to muffle his excited whines, so he doesn’t wake Kickin. Poppy said she loves him!

Day stops after a few seconds to catch his breath and all of that spontaneous energy disappears. He sways and catches himself on the bathroom counter. Shit. He really does need to lay down. Day slides his phone into his pajama bottoms and clumsily opens the bathroom door. He blinks confused at what he’s seeing. Standing in the doorway with his arms crossed is Nap.

“Are you real?” Day asks. He’s having trouble keeping his vision focused. Nap frowns, but doesn’t answer. He just takes Day’s hands in his and starts to lead them to Day’s bed.

“You must be real,” Day mumbles. “You're still mad at me. Why are you mad at me?”

“I’m not mad…anymore,” Nap says as they stop. Day stumbles and would have fallen flat on his face if not for Nap. The cat sighs as he holds Day up under his arms. “Bobby told us about what she is and how you want to help her.”

“That’s it?” Day asks. His head is so heavy right now.

“What do you mean?” Nap asks as he gets Day to sit down on the bed.

“She didn’t talk about the attack?”

“...what attack?”

“I can’t tell you if she didn’t tell you,” Day shakes his head and immediately regrets it. His vision is spinning now. He closes his eyes and takes deep breaths. Day’s eyelids are so heavy. He inhales sharply when his cheeks are cupped gently and lavender creeps into his nose. Day opens his eyes and all he can see is bright yellow looking back.

“Please, tell me?” Nap asks softly, tilting his head. The moonlight leaking through the curtains makes his fur glitter and Day could stare into his tired eyes forever…Wait, what are they talking about? Uh...Bobby! Day shakes his head just a little this time.

“You won’t tell me?” Nap says sadly. His cute triangle ears pin back and his lips pull into a frown. His wide eyes look so sad.

Oh no, Nap shouldn’t be sad. Day has to fix this! But, how? Poppy’s words that made him so, so happy echo through his mind. They’ll make Nap happy too, right? Day reaches up and mimic’s Nap’s hold on his cheeks.

“I love you,” Day smiles softly. Yellow eyes grow comically wide. Nap’s face heats under Day’s hands and then Nap is gone. Day blinks at his empty hands, confused, and looks around for the cat. He finds Nap pressed against Kickin’s wardrobe. His eyes wide, face bright, and his long tail is bent in a zigzag. Day blinks at it slowly a few times before he meets yellow eyes again.

“Are you happy?” Day tilts his head. Nap’s face gets so bright Day expects steam to start escaping from his ears. “I am,” Day smiles again. Poppy said she loved him! Nap makes a choking noise. A too slow blink later and Day is being pushed back onto his bed.

“Wha?” he tries to ask.

“Just lay down and sleep,” Nap huffs. His face is pink now.

“Sleep with me?” Day asks. The redness returns and Nap covers Day’s mouth with his hands.

“No more talking,” Nap hisses. “Sleep.”

Day lets himself get pushed back onto the mattress. He blinks slowly again. His legs are hanging off of the bed, that’s not comfortable. Day rolls and slides until he's on his side under the blankets. Nap holds out his bone plush. Day smiles as he takes it and manages to grab Nap’s wrist before it’s out of reach.

“Please,” Day whispers. He holds his bone against his chest tightly, some part of him ready for the rejection. Nap covers his face with his free hand and sighs loudly.

“If I knew you were this dangerous, I would have left this to Kickin–,” the cat cuts off and looks at Day. “No, I wouldn’t have…and it’s better than the floor.” Nap shoos Day towards the wall. “Fine, but move over.”

“Really?” Day can’t believe it, he smiles happily where his head is resting on his pillow. Nap is going to keep him company! Day scoots over, a thumping noise fills the room that he can’t focus on at the moment. Nap lays on his side above the quilt and faces Day.

“Don’t look so happy and close your eyes,” Nap grumbles.

“Ok,” Day smiles. He changes his grip so his fingers are threaded with the cat’s. “Goodnight, Nap,” Day mumbles happily. His eyes are closing now whether he wants them to or not.

“Good night, Day,” Nap whispers softly. His voice follows Day into his dreams.

Notes:

so, I think I'll share with you all that while writing this I was giggling and kicking my feet. I am also doing the same thing in the next chapter. Just a light warning for all of you.
Anywho, thanks for reading and May the Fourth be With You! (I was going to wait and post this chapter tomorrow, but thought I would on May fourth instead)

Chapter 7: With Friends Like These...

Day’s alarm blares and he frowns. His body feels so heavy and his eyes refuse to open. He searches for the strength to move and turn off the alarm. His arm is pinned to his bed and Day frowns at the weight that shouldn’t be there. The weight moves, taking some warmth with it and his alarm stops. Day reaches out and the warmth presses against his chest. What might be arms wrap around his middle. Before Day can fully process what that means he feels a rumbling purr against his chest and the warmth shifts. Lavender creeps into his nose as something nuzzles under his chin. Day should…do something right? He should…he’s so warm and…comfortable and…and…

…

 

BAM BAM

Day jolts up in bed, his heart racing as he looks for a threat. He flinches at the low growl that is way too close for comfort and something that weighs more than his blankets is on top of him. Hands land on his shoulders and shove him back onto the bed. Day blinks up as the cat leans forward, his ears pinned against his skull and the growling constant. Nap is…here?

“Open up!” Kickin yells and starts banging on the door again. “It’s time for lunch!”

Lunch? What time is it? Day tries to push himself up again, but Nap shifts his weight. The cat sits up straddling Day’s waist and his hands are planted firmly on Day’s chest. This…this position is…

“Fuck off, Kickin!” Nap leans back a little more as he yells. The cat is so close to touching a…certain area. Day needs Nap to move–

“I will kick this door down!” Kickin threatens as he pounds on the wood some more.

“Kickin, don’t break the door,” Bubba sighs.

“Get him out of here, Bubba,’’ Nap snaps as he shifts again. Day realizes at that moment, the oversized shirt has returned and lifts high enough he can see what is underneath–Day slaps his hands over his face. Stars, how can he be thinking about that? How can he be thinking about Nap that way? They’re still working on being friends and Day’s filthy mind is just–

“Day?” Nap shifts forward, lavender creeps into Day’s nose and the image of that damn shirt moving again–

“Move, please,” Day croaks.

“I-I’m sorry,” Nap’s weight disappears. “Was I too heavy? Do you feel ok?”

Day grabs his pillow and as fast as he can he smacks Nap across the face with it. Nap stumbles back with a surprised yelp and falls onto Kickin’s bed. Day bolts for the bathroom and locks the door behind him.

“What the fuck, Day!” Nap yells at him. Day stands with his back against the door, his whole body hot and covers his face again. He’s so ashamed. Nap would never see Day that way, but here Day is making problems(again).

…he needs a cold shower. Immediately.

Day’s plan is thwarted by the fact he didn’t bring any of his stuff, most importantly his clothes and he still doesn’t know what time it is. Day scrubs his hands over his face in frustration. He has a bathrobe in here he can use when he gets out of the shower. Day sighs and starts to get ready for the day. Half way through his cold shower, the memories of last night scroll through his mind. Day pauses as past him says ‘I love you’ and ‘sleep with me’.

Oh, stars! Kill him now. How could he say that? How could he have said all of that to Nap? Day flushes again and wants to pound his head on the shower wall. Why did he do that? Well, he knows why, but why!? Nap is never going to speak to him again!…Why did Nap get in bed with him? Actually, why was he in Day and Kickin’s room at all? Where was Kickin last night? Day stares at where he knows the door is through the dark glass of the shower. Something is going on here and Day doesn’t like it. He finishes up his shower and tries to listen for any voices outside of the door. He doesn’t hear anything. Day wraps his robe around himself and gently squeezes water out of his ears before tying them up. He slowly opens the door a crack and peeks through.

No one is there. Day opens the door a little more to get a better look around the room and no one magically appears. Someone made Day’s bed while he was in the bathroom. Day walks over to grab clothes and his phone. He pales at the time. It’s past noon. He slept in way, way too long and his shower just took up more time. He’ll be lucky to get through all of the applications today. Let alone clean out the student building or finish the calendar. Fuck, he’s letting Freddy down.

“Do you think he’s still in the shower?” Bubba’s voice asks. On the other side of the door.

“Nah, he’s probably still drying off. I don’t envy having to wash and dry all of that fur,” Kickin replies as the door beeps. Day grabs the pile of clothes, almost dropping his phone in the process, and runs for the bathroom. He closes it just as he can hear their main door open. Day stares at the handle and scolds himself for hiding in the bathroom, again. Sure, Day hasn’t spoken to any of his friends for almost a week and things with Nap are going to be awkward, but that’s why he should be out there talking to them. He's’ not nervous. Why would he be nervous? That's just ridiculous.

Day shakes his head at himself. He doesn't have time for this. He finishes drying off and brushes through his fur as fast as he can. He can hear muted voices through the door as he brushes his teeth. That sounds like more than just Kickin and Bubba out there. Day’s suspicions are confirmed when he opens the door and finds seven of his friends in the room. All heads turn to him as soon as he opens the bathroom door.

“Uh, hi?” Day grins weakly. Bobby not so subtly elbows Kickin in the ribs.

“H-Hey! What’s up?” Kickin smiles awkwardly. Bobby sighs in disappointment. “You can’t just toss this all at me,” Kickin hisses at her.

“I’m fine,” Day raises his eyebrows but doesn't comment on the second half of that interaction as he heads for his wardrobe.

“Say something!” Hoppy whispers to someone when Day opens his wardrobe.

“Why don’t you say something!” Kickin snaps at her.

“You’re his best friend!” Hoppy snaps back. Day shuts his wardrobe harder than normal. He sees Picky flinch in the corner of his eye at the loud bang. Day turns around to face the room.

“Ok, I feel like there’s something you all want to tell me,” Day looks from one person to another. No one says anything.

“It was Bobby’s idea!” Kickin points at the bear.

“My idea? We all agreed to this!” Bobby pushes the feathered finger pointing at her out of the way. She looks healthier than before, her fur isn’t dull, but she’s still a little thinner than she should be.

“Bobby is correct,” Bubba jumps in.

“We didn’t all agree! Some of you just assumed we did!” Hoppy cuts in. They all start arguing among themselves. Day looks at Nap, Crafty, and Picky, who didn’t jump into the argument. Day is going to ask them what in the world is going on, but his phone vibrates in his pocket. Day pulls it out and sees a notification that Freddy messaged him. Day opens it quickly.

Is everything going well? I would like to look through your final applicants before you accept them. It’s not that I don’t trust you, but the older students are used to how the council was run before. I’d like to avoid any more problems. Let me know when you can send your final applicants today.

–President Freddy Fazbear

Day practically chokes on his tongue. Freddy is expecting the applications today! Day hasn't even left his room! Fuck. Day hops over Picky who’s sitting on the floor and stumbles over Nap’s tail by Day’s pillow. Day snatches his backpack with his laptop inside and yanks it onto his shoulder as he scrambles for the door.

“Wha-hey!” Hoppy calls as Day flings the door open. He shuts it behind him and takes off for the stairs. He should be through at least half of those applications by now! He jumps down the steps and shoves the door open at the bottom. He’s sorely tempted to skip eating. He doesn’t deserve food after this mess up, but he promised Poppy and already missed breakfast. Day runs for the cafeteria, not getting on the cement paths so he doesn’t have to worry about running into anyone.

“Daylight!”

Day’s head turns automatically at the use of his full first name. He finds a very angry looking rabbit closing the distance between them as the others run behind her.

“Why are you chasing me!?” Day cries at the stampede behind him.

“Stop running and I won’t chase you!” Hoppy yells without slowing down at all. Day picks up speed just because of the scary look on her face.

“Stop chasing me and I’ll stop running!” Day is so focused on her he trips over steps and stumbles into glass doors. The doors give under his sudden weight and Day gets his footing back in the entrance of the cafeteria. He blinks and looks around at the not very busy cafeteria around him. O…k. That worked out really well. He made it to the cafeteria in record time. Day glances over his shoulder and dives to the side of the doors just in time to avoid getting bulldozed by a green rabbit. Hoppy catches herself on the thankfully empty lunch table closest to the door. A moment later, Kickin comes barreling through the doors and they both smash into the table.

“Are you guys ok?” Day rushes over to pull Kickin onto his feet.

“Ow,” Kickin complains as he rubs his side.

“Kickin,” Hoppy turns to glare at the chicken.

“Wait, wait. It was an accident!” Kickin backs up a few steps and gets whacked by a glass door as Bobby throws it open. The rest of the gang are breathing heavily behind her.

“How…they...so fast,” Crafty gasps. Picky sucks in air and just shakes her head. Nap has his hands braced on his knees as he gasps for air too. Bubba is leaning against the glassdoor Bobby is holding open, his breathing heavy.

“Is everyone ok?” Day asks as he holds the door open wider and motions everyone to step inside. They all trudge through and collapse at the table Hoppy and Kickin first ran into.

“Let me get some water,” Day hurries over to the cafeteria’s drink station and pours water into little plastic cups. He only manages to carry six back to the group.

“That wasn’t a bad workout,” Hoppy takes the cup. “You don't sound very winded, Day.”

“You were so slow I had more than enough time to catch my breath,” Day jokes.

“Oh, really. You won’t mind proving that in a race would you?” Hoppy’s eyes narrow dangerously.

“There’s no time for that,” Bubba takes his cup with his trunk. “We have more important things to focus on right now.” Bubba throws the water back like it’s a shot. “Thanks Day, let me help.”

Day hands out the rest of his cups and Bubba comes back with one more and his own refilled. They all catch their breath and drink their water for a minute. Day glances at the clock above the door and knows he needs to go.

“I’m going to–”

“Get some food!” Picky suddenly perks up. “That sounds like a great idea. Let’s go.”

Picky grabs Day’s sleeve and tugs him toward the small lunch line. Day glances at the others for help. Nap is right behind him, the others trailing after and Day suddenly feels like he’s a criminal being escorted to prison. He tries to grab what’s easiest to take with him when he’s in line, but Picky switches everything he grabs with something else.

“Why?” Day asks her baffled.

“You’re not eating right,” Picky replies as she places tofu steak on his plate.

“That’s too much–”

“Eat. It.”

“...ok.”

Day had no idea Picky could make such a scary face. He lets her put a variety of food on his plate. She actually keeps the amounts small, but it’s still going to take him longer to eat than he can spare. He’ll just have to eat a few bites of everything and bail. Day sighs and follows Picky to their usual table on the patio. Day sits in his usual spot, Crafty sitting beside him and Nap taking his usual spot on Day’s other side. Everyone settles down and an awkwards silence settles over them. Day doesn’t do well with silence.

“You didn’t go to the capital today?” Day asks the table in general as he starts to cut into his food.

“Nope,” Kickin answers.

“Why not?” Day asks casually. He’s pretty sure he knows why they haven’t left for the day.

“One of our dear friends has been so busy and stressed recently we want to help him out,” Bobby sniffles dramatically. Day sets his cup down with a sigh.

“Look, I’m sorry. I never wanted to ignore you guys. I’ve just been really busy,” Day looks around the table.

“With what exactly?” Bubba asks a few seats down. Day pauses his explanation as he realizes that he doesn’t actually know how much of the student council drama is public. When Day hesitates to answer Bubba continues. “Is it about the student council?”

“Yeah,” Day fiddles with his fork for a second “How much do you know?”

“President Fazbear announced that the previous student council and a few of the academy staff have been expelled or fired for their criminal activities on academy grounds. We’ve been advised not to interact with any of them,” Bubba glances at the others.

“We’ve seen the posters around the school advertising for new members to sign up for the student council,” Hoppy adds.

“There’s not much else to tell,” Day sighs. “I’m the only member right now and things have been hectic.” Day grins at his friends apologetically. “I’m sorry.”

“Apology accepted,” Kickin huffs as he crosses his arms. Bobby elbows him in the side.

“What he means to say is that we’ve all missed you and want to help,” the bear turns a worried look on Day. “We’re worried about you, Day.”

“Worried? There’s no need to be wor–”

“I haven’t spoken to you in six days,” Kickin frowns.

“I didn’t mean to–”

“You’ve only slept a grand total of seven hours and thirteen minutes the past week,” Bubba cuts in.

“How do you–”

“We care about you, Day–”

“STOP!” Day barks. The others all jump at the loud command. Day immediately feels bad. The stress must be getting to him. “Let me talk, ok?” All of the heads at the table nod. “Ok, I’m the only member and need to find more as soon as possible. Today I need to go through the council member applications so I can send them to Mr. Fazbear. I also have to clean up the mess the council left behind and finish the stuff they didn’t. I’ve been busy and didn’t mean to make you all worry. I am sorry about that. As soon as I finish I’ll have more free time again.”

“We’ll help,” Crafty looks at everyone else. “Right, guys?”

Everyone nods and Day feels a warmth bubble in his chest as his tail starts to pick up speed, but his mind starts to fill with guilt.

“I appreciate that, but don’t you all have plans today? It’s sunday,” Day asks. He’s taking one of their few days off from them.

“Sure we do!” Hoppy winks.

“We want to hang out with our friend,” Crafty smiles at him.

“I can’t let you guys waste today helping me,” Day tries to explain. He feels a tug on his arm and turns to the only person who can help him salvage this situation.

“I agree,” Nap nods. Day’s ears start to sag with relief, “–with everyone. We’re going to help you out today,” Nap’s eyes get a dangerous glint. “Whether you want us to or not.”

“Not that we’re going to force anyone to do anything!” Bobby cuts in. She frowns at Nap who looks down to take a bite of his lunch. Day looks around at his friends that easily start joking and eating like they didn’t just give up their one free day a week to help him. Out numbered and not really wanting to be alone anyway, Day doesn’t say anything else as he eats his own lunch. His tail is windmilling behind him.

When everyone is finished eating and their trays are taken care of, they follow Day as he walks to the student building. Day explains what he needs done today and what would be nice to get done.

“Unfortunately, I think you’re the only one who can go through the applications,” Bubba says as Day unlocks the back door of the building with one of the keys. “I would be willing to help with the calendar, it shouldn’t take too long.”

“I appreciate it, Bubba,” Day says as he taps his keycard over the second lock on the back door. He opens it and heads for the light switches against the wall as everyone follows behind him.

“I’ve never been in here before,” Crafty whispers. Her voice echoes through the cement hallway. Day flips the light switches on and starts leading everyone through the back hallway to the elevator.

“When we get to the lobby I have to grab any paper applications that might be there, I forgot to check it last night,” Day says as the elevator doors close. None of them thought through the fact that the elevator was not built to have eight people inside of it at once. Day ends up shoved against the panel of buttons and accidentally hits the button for top floor instead of the first.

“Ow!”

“Move over!”

“I am going to punch you, Kickin!”

“I didn’t mean to!”

“STOP MOVING!” Bubba snaps at everyone. Day doesn’t know who’s bracing their arms against his back. It’s calmer now that everyone has settled down. “Day, is the elevator able to carry all of our weight?” Bubba asks.

“I think so, it says we’re going up,” Day glances up at the digital floor counter above the elevator doors. There’s a beat of awkward silence.

“So…how’s everyone doing?”

“I swear to the stars, Kickin–”

The elevator jerks to a sudden stop, making everyone lose their balance. Day’s weight falls back and whoever was behind him is definitely not one of the guys. There’s a second where Day can catch his breath, before the elevator drops and jerks to another stop. Day is rocked forward and braces his hands on either side of the panel so he doesn’t hit any buttons on the elevator panel and make their situation worse. His laptop bangs against the elevator wall with the sudden moevement. Whoever is against his back falls against him and Day is doubly sure it’s one of the girls.

“Bobby–” Bubba gasps. More weight crashes onto Day’s back, pushing him against the wall and one of Bubba’s arms slams into the wall beside Day’s head. Day finches at the sound and turns his head to look behind him. Bobby’s front is pressed against his back, her face bright red as she stares hard at his jacket, her claws curled into the fabric. Bubba has his arm braced on the wall by Day’s head as he tries not to let all of his weight crush Bobby and Day. The elephant is focusing very intently on the wall of the elevator. His face is also starting to flush.

“Day,” he says through gritted teeth. Day whips his head back to the buttons. He has to push back against the two weighing him down to see them. Bubba’s arm disappears and Bobby gasps at something. Day pushes the button that opens the elevator doors. He glances up to see the digital floor counter is now blinking with a weight limit warning.

“We’re too heavy,” Day says in the too quiet elevator. He can see everyone else now that Bubba’s arm is gone. Picky is covering her face as Kickin tries to scramble away from where he’s braced over her on his hands and knees. He doesn’t make it very far before he runs into Crafty, who is trying to scramble off of Hoppy's lap. A purple tail catches Day’s attention. Nap is pressed against the wall, his arms wrapped around the hand rail and his weight on his knees keeping him low enough to the ground that he didn’t cash into someone like the rest of them. The elevator opens and no one moves.

“I-I’m out!” Kickin’s voice cracks as he practically dives out of the elevator.

“Me too!” Crafty’s voice squeaks as she follows him. Hoppy gets out of the elevator without saying anything, but her ears look a little red.

“I-I’m sorry,” Bubba says as he escapes out of the elevator as fast as he can. The weight against Day’s back disappears as Bobby steps away to kneel beside Picky who’s still lying on the ground and covering her face.

“Picky, are you hurt?” Bobby asks, her voice calm. If Day hadn’t seen her blushing so hard a minute ago he'd believe she wasn't affected by what happened.

“Kickin-he-he-my-” Picky isn’t making sense while Bobby helps her up. Nap untangles his arms from the rail and stands on his feet frowning.

“We are not doing that again,” Nap declares as he stomps his way off of the elevator. Bobby follows with a bright red, still babbling, Picky. Day sighs and resists banging his head on the wall of the elevator. That was extremely awkward for everyone, himself included. He’s going to have to hide the security footage of what just happened. No doubt if a teacher sees that they’ll all get called to a counselor's office or something. Day steps out of the elevator with a sigh to find where all of his friends ran away to.

When Day has all of them gathered together again inside the student council president’s office, he explains he needs every room searched for garbage or inappropriate items to throw away. Hoppy and Kickin take a roll of garbage bags with them as they head to the basement. Picky, Crafty, and Bobby take another roll and start on the top floor. Bubba gets on the computer at the president’s desk to look at the progress Day has made so far. Day notices that no one does anything with whoever they ran into on the elevator. He doesn't blame them, the atmosphere has been awkward every minute since they got off.

Everyone is working away at their tasks except for one. Day sets his laptop on the coffee table and looks over at the cat relaxing on a beanbag. Day walks over and purposefully blocks the sun shining onto it. Nap frowns and peeks an eye open.

“You’re blocking my sun,” Nap grumbles.

“Did you come here just to nap?” Day tilts his head curiously.

“I didn’t get much sleep last night. Someone kept me up,” Nap’s lips curl into a smirk.

“Who’s fault is that?” Day raises an eyebrow at him. He may have been loopy last night, but the cat is the one who started all of that.

“Hey, I wasn’t the one who was begging to sleep together.”

“How about I find a different computer,” Bubba stands abruptly.

“I don’t think there is another working computer in the building,” Day tries to remember and ignore the heat in his face. “There are old ones that aren't working down in the basement.”

“Fine,” Bubba sighs as he sits again. Day turns back to Nap whose eyes are closed again. Well, Nap can spend his free day however he wants, but why did he come all this way if he was just going to sleep? Day shakes his head, more amused than anything. He digs out the ring of keys and sets them on the desk beside Bubba.

“If someone finishes early or gets bored, I still have to find where half of these keys go. I’m going down to the first floor to grab the paper applications. Be back in a few minutes,” Day heads for the door.

“Got it,” Bubba nods without looking away from the computer screen. Day glances at the reclining cat again before he walks down the hallway to the stairs. He could take the elevator, but that feels too soon. He takes the box for paper applications and sighs in relief at how few there are in it. It’s a small thing, but he’s just glad the box isn't as full as it has been. Day carries it back up the stairs, all three flights make him feel better for getting some sort of exercise today. He’s really been slacking on his training. He’ll have to double his efforts during winter break. Day steps back into his office and only finds Bubba.

“Where did Nap go?” Day asks. As he takes the box to the coffee table he brought up from what he’s calling the TV room. He also brought one of the bean bags up so there was something he could sit on that was low enough he could reach the coffee table. He walks back to the desk and notices the ring of keys are gone.

“He said he got bored, so he took the keys to try them around the building,” Bubba answers without looking up from the computer. Day hides his smile and opens a drawer where the other paper applications are stashed. Day settles on the beanbag and starts some music on his phone. He picked ‘study’ music to help him focus this time. He keeps the volume low so he doesn’t distract Bubba too much.

Day decides to start with the paper applications. He uses Poppy’s advice and puts the applications that have mistakes or haven’t been completed in a rejection pile. Doing that decreases the amount more than he thought it would. Day looks through the rest and adds the applicants with too many disciplinary marks to the rejection pile. He keeps the ones that only have one or none. He goes through his pile again and takes out the applicants that are failing a class or close to failing. Freddy said they could lower their standards, but not by much. Day’s rejection pile is higher than his maybe pile now. Day flips through them to look a little closer and stops on a familiar name.

Crafty Corn. Day looks over her application closely. She isn’t failing any of her classes, but she doesn’t have perfect grades in any of them either. No marks on her record. Day’s gaze goes to a question he added to the applications. He found it by chance when he was going through the student council records. About eight years ago they stopped putting it on the applications. The question is simple, ‘Why do you want to join the student council?’

I want to join to help the students of the academy and to help the president. Both of them need support and I’m willing to give all of mine.

Day sniffles as he sets the application down carefully. Crafty wants to help him! He knew that already, but seeing it written down like this hits different.

“Day?” Bubba asks.

“I-it’s nothing,” Day grins over his shoulder at the elephant.

“Alright,” Bubba says unconvinced. Day focuses back on the two applications he has left. After he makes it through all of them, there are only two applications he’s willing to send to Freddy as possible candidates. Crafty and a panther named Amo Hijiki. Now that he’s done with the paper applications, Day sets them aside and pulls out his laptop. There are over eight hundred in the council email.

“Hey, Bubba,” Day turns to the elephant sheepishly. “Can I get your help for a second?”

“Sure,” Bubba stands from the desk and makes his way over. “What do you need?”

Bubba helps Day figure out how to filter the applications out on the computer. Day doesn't have as much technical knowledge that everyone else seems to. He’ll have to mention to Poppy that he needs to add that to his training regimen this summer.

“Ah, I shouldn’t have stayed,” Bubba mumbles. Day follows the elephant’s gaze and sees Bubba’s application.

“Bubba?” Day asks, surprised.

“I didn’t want my presence to influence your decision,” Bubba sighs. “I can still leave. Don’t worry, if you reject me I won’t take it personally.”

“Reject you?” Day asks and clicks on the application itself. He scans through the almost perfect candidate. Perfect grades, filled everything out, included everything that was asked–oh. Day can see on the disciplinary action sheet Bubba has a mark. Wait, two marks. Day looks at them closer. One case claims Bubba stole from his middle school principal and the other case claims Bubba punched a kid during basketball practice. Day’s eyebrows are high as he turns to look at the elephant beside him.

“The principal was embezzling funds. I just brought attention to it, but I still got in trouble anyway,” Bubba’s trunk curls into itself nervously. “The punch was because the basketball team bully had me in his sights the very first day of practice. I told my parents I didn't want to join basketball, but they said I needed to be in a sport. So, between my parents refusing to let me quit and the bully making every day hell, I kinda…lost my temper.”

“What happened to the kid?”

“I broke his nose and I have not been forced into joining any more sports,” Bubba doesn’t sound like he regrets it at all.

“The principal?”

“He made a big fuss about the trophy I stole and with all of that attention his embezzling was brought to light. No one thought the kid who started all of that ruckus did it on purpose, so I got the mark and no thank yous.”

“Did you apply for student council the first week of school?”

“No, I have some upperclassmen friends who mentioned what kind of people the council was and I expected to fill my time with other clubs. Did you know the mathletes at Evol are in the top five of the global leader board?”

“I didn’t,” Day smiles at the uncomfortable elephant. “Thanks for explaining, Bubba. I’ll try to keep this all fair.”

“Of course,” Bubba returns to the desk. Day keeps sorting through the applications and finds some more familiar names. He clicks on Hoppy’s first. Her record is clean, but her grades are a little too low for Day to be comfortable letting her join. He feels bad sorting her into the rejection pile. This is so much harder to do when you know the person. Day clicks onto Bobby’s next, she has high enough grades and a clean record. He puts her in his maybe pile. Day gets everyone sorted out that has too low grades or too many disciplinary marks. Except for Bubba. Day hovers the mouse over Bubba’s name. He has two marks, Day said he would only accept one mark at most...but Bubba’s grades are perfect and the marks happened years ago! Day rubs his eyes tiredly and looks at what has been his deciding factor so far. ‘Why do you want to join the council?’

I believe the students need someone to represent them, to stand up for them when no one else will. The council needs to be a voice for the students and I know I can help the council and its highly moral president achieve that.

Day sighs and sorts Bubba into the yes section. He’s just going to send the top five candidates to Freddy and let him decide. It does make him feel a little better to know that he doesn’t have to make the final decision. Day finds himself looking at the question he added more than anything else as he sorts through his maybes. He isn't satisfied with a lot of the answers he finds. Day finds himself flying through the applications as the answers don’t really say why they want to join the council. It seems like everyone just wanted to see if they could join more than want to join. It helps him eliminate a lot of people. He gets back to Bobby’s application. ‘Why do you want to join the student council?’

I believe the council can do good for not just the students, but the whole school. I want to help support my school as long as I can and what better way to do that than from the top? I don’t mean the very top. The president we have right now is amazing and I want to help him, not take the position from him.

Day sniffles again at Bobby’s answer. Why are they mentioning him? Why do they seem to think he’s such a good president? He hasn’t even done anything as president yet! Day sniffles again before forcing himself to finish the applications. He’s so close to the end now! Day narrows down the applications to three sorted out from the emails. Bubba, Bobby, and a gecko named Martin Gik. Day gets those three and the two paper applications ready to send to Freddy. He makes sure to reread his email for any typos and sends it to the president.

…How long is Nap going to stare at him?

“Can I help you?” Day asks as he turns to face the feline sitting beside the beanbag. Nap has his elbow on the table and his chin resting in his hand as he stares at Day. Day can’t read what exactly is in those yellow eyes. It isn’t the cold distance Day doesn’t like, it’s something softer. Maybe.

“I found a few more of the locks for your keys and labeled them,” Nap sets the ring of keys on the coffee table. “Some of the keys didn’t go to anything in the building.”

“You checked all of the doors?” Day asks impressed.

“And the breaker panels, all the file cabinets in the basement, and the elevator maintenance panels,” Nap yawns. Day looks at the tired cat and wants to squish him in a hug for all of his work, but hesitates. Can he hug Nap? They did sleep beside each other last night, but Nap hasn't said he would want any physical contact.

“Nap?” Day leans closer so the cat can hear his quiet question. Nap stiffens and Day thinks that might be answer enough.

“Yeah?” Nap says just as quietly, his body leaning away just enough to avoid contact.

“Nothing,” Day shakes his head as he pulls away. Nap frowns at him.

“Wha–”

“WE’RE DONE!” Kickin announces loudly.

WE BEAT ALL OF YOU AND FINISHED FIRST!” Hoppy matches his energy. They stand proudly in front of the door.

“You took it all to the proper bins?” Bubba asks them.

“Of course we did. We aren’t animals, Bubba,” Hoppy shakes her head at him.

“Good, then you can go help the others finish,” Bubba turns back to the computer dismissively. Day is surprised at the annoyance that flashes across Hoppy’s face.

“We should go check up on them,” Kickin agrees as he turns to go. Hoppy sends another glare at Bubba before she turns to follow. Day frowns as he closes his laptop and starts to put it away. He isn’t sure what that’s about, but he’ll have to figure it out later. He needs to get the paper applications put in storage and check on how everyone else is doing. What time is it, anyway? Day checks his phone and is surprised to see it’s almost four. Wow, time flew by today. Then again, he didn’t wake up until elevenish. Day grabs the paper applications and looks through one of the file folders behind the president’s desk. He labels the folder, puts the paper applications in it and heads for the door.

“Day?” Nap asks. He has his hand braced on the coffee table like he’s going to follow Day out of the room. Oh, right. Day needs the keys on the coffee table to get into the records room in the basement.

“I’m just going to put these in the council records, be back in a few.” Day snags the keys and heads back to the door of the office. He takes the stairs down to the basement. When Day unlocks the door and heads for the right cabinet to store these, his phone starts to vibrate. Day answers without looking at who it is. There’s only one person with his number that isn’t in this building.

“Hey, Pops,” Day holds his phone between his shoulder and side of his head as he sets the folder on top of the cabinet.

“I’m assuming you’re alone?” Poppy asks.

“Yes, why?” Day manages to get the cabinet unlocked after looking through the bajillion keys.

“I have news about that owl you told me about.”

“You mean Odette? Did she get out of rehab already?”

“No,” Poppy sighs. “She’s dead.” Day freezes mid reach for the folder.

“How?” he asks through a tight throat.

“One of his worshippers. The others who that owl helped remove from the academy are also dead. Everyone except the former council members. They have all gone missing.”

“You think they…?”

“I don’t know, but you need to be careful. I’ll keep you updated on what we find,” Poppy tells him. He can practically hear the frown in her voice.

“I’ll keep an eye out, Pops. You stay safe too,” Day puts the folder in the cabinet and shuts it.

“Of course, talk to you tomorrow,” Poppy’s side of the phone fills with voices. “Bye.”

“Bye,” Day manages to get through the phone before the call ends. He sighs and locks the cabinet. Poppy must have been about to start a meeting again. Day stares at the key in the lock for a second, wishing Odette the best wherever she ends up in the night sky. She was the feistiest bird Day ever met–

“Your dad, again?”

Day practically jumps out of his skin. “Jeez, Nap. We need to get you a bell or something.”

“I would rather keep the element of surprise, thank you,” Nap says from where he's leaning against the doorway. Day realizes he doesn’t know how much of that conversation Nap heard or how much Day might have said.

“How much of that did you hear?” Day asks sheepishly as he starts to walk through rows of file cabinets towards the cat.

“Just the end where you were being unbelievably corny with your dad. Again. Is he overprotective?”

“Something like that. Let’s find the others and get to the cafeteria,” Day plasters on a grin as he shuts and locks the records door behind them. “Thanks again for testing all of these keys.”

“Don’t mention it, sunshine.”

Day’s tail is not wagging from the nickname.

Really.

Notes:

Hello again! So, I'm posting this now, because I don't think I will have time to post or write the next few days, maybe even a week. So please be patient.
In other news, next chapter will be spooky times. Remember the gore tags and rating of the fic? Yeah.
One more thing. I've been asked for my socials and I'll share my tumblr here that also has fanart for my other fic Chasing Daylight.
Tumblr username is: starddust3
Anywho, thank you for reading and I'll see you hopefully next week!

Chapter 8: Spooky Maze

It turns out, Day was wrong. Freddy doesn't have final say. He gave his advice and told Day the final decision is up to him. It was an easy decision for Day to come to. Martin the gecko had forged his grades to be higher than they were, so he was disqualified. Amo, the panther, got a discipline mark the day after he sent his application and has gotten two more since then. Freddy advised against using either of them. So, Day picked Bobby, Bubba, and Crafty. He kept it professional and asked them in their acceptance emails what position they would prefer to have. Bobby picked vice president, Bubba picked treasurer and Crafty picked secretary. With all positions filled and no fighting for any of them Day finished finding his council members.

The first event they tackle together is a halloween themed maze, with very little money in their funds. Day is impressed with Bubba’s quick calculations of their budget and Crafty’s ability to get the cooking club’s help. Bobby told Day she already asked around and discovered Picky has made corn mazes before and is willing to help out, she just wants to have free admission into the maze. Bobby waited until she got Day’s approval before agreeing. Day knew getting new members would help shrink his work load, but he doesn’t really have anything to do except approve stuff and meet with clubs, for now.

It makes him realize even more how busy their group of friends has gotten now that classes, sports practices, and clubs have started to really take off. Picky is in the cooking club, it meets twice a week. Crafty joined the art club and they meet three times a week. Kickin and Hoppy have sports practices every evening. It works out because the different sports have to share a field so they alternate who practices on what night. Hoppy and Kickin are both on the track team and soccer team. Hoppy joined volleyball as well. Kickin said two sports was more than enough. He has to try and study with Bubba at some point. Bubba is in mathletes and Bobby is part of the debate club, a surprise to Day, but it also kind of fits her?

Classes also went up a notch. Day doesn’t know how he did any school work the second week when he was functioning on so little sleep. At the end of the third week of classes, Picky asked everyone if they wanted to pick a night where they all get together to study. Day was going to ask about a study night with everyone that first week, but the student council stuff totally distracted him from a lot of things.

Basically, Day has more free time than he thought he would and everyone else got busier. Even Nap joined a club. He wouldn’t tell Day what club it was until Bobby snitched on him. Nap joined the academy’s book club. Day can picture Nap curled up in his bed reading a book, his fluffy blankets around him and his oversized shirt riding up his thighs–Day buries his face in his hands. He has a problem. He thinks he could possibly, maybe, slightly have a crush on Nap. Half of him has accepted this way too easily. Nap is so cute and smart and nice and sometimes he just has this smile that makes Day’s heart flutter–and then Day’s other half interrupts. Nap isn’t interested in Day like that. Nap avoids touching him, but will begrudgingly accept hugs or fist bumps from their friends. Nap still does those little things where he ‘forgets’ about something that only seems to happen around Day. His shoes aren’t tied again or he forgot to grab dessert for himself or he steals Day’s pencils or laptop to use. Day hasn’t seen him do that for anyone else and he doesn’t get it.

“Day? Are you feeling ok?” Obsidi, one of the dove twins, asks him.

“Yeah, you’ve been spacing out the last five minutes,” Saph, the other dove twin, adds.

“Sorry, I’m just a little stressed about the halloween festival this weekend,” Day explains sheepishly.

“I’m sure with you in charge, it’ll be great,” Obsidi grins reassuringly at him.

“I’m so excited!” Saph smiles as she unplugs her camera. “I can’t wait to get there and see everything the council put together! Will there really be a haunted maze?”

“We finished getting it cut just last week. We have all of our supplies together and I hear the cooking club is going wild with treats for it,” Day winks. The girls giggle at his silliness.

“I’ll be the one covering it for the academy newspaper,” Obsidi says as she passes the camera bag to her sister.

“Really? I thought an upperclassman was going to cover it?” Day asks as he unplugs his own camera from his laptop.

“It was going to be covered by Sophie, but she dropped out last week,” Obsidi shakes her head.

“It’s scary how fast students drop out,” Saph says, a little quieter.

“Especially, when the upperclassmen tell you the second semester is harder,” Obsidi adds.

“It is jarring how sudden it is,” Day agrees as he carefully puts his camera away. He’s very careful with it because it costs more than most cars. Poppy really needs to stop sending him expensive things. He mentions joining the photography club once and his next package from her is this top of the line monstrosity. How is he supposed to blend in when she does stuff like this?

“Well, we better get to the cafeteria,” Obsidi stretches her arms above her head.

“I’m starving,” Saph stands and loops her camera bag over her shoulder. “Want to join us, Day? It’ll be a date!” Saph gives him an exaggerated wink. Day chuckles as he stands too.

“I can’t say no to such–”

BAM

They all jump as a water bottle slams onto the table beside Day.

“Oh, hey, Nap,” Day says as he relaxes. “Did book club end early today?”

“Yes,” Nap says simply. He glances at the twins and Day turns to see what the cat is looking at.

“W-well it was nice talking to you Day!”

“Let’s eat some other time!”

The twins wave as they make a hasty retreat out of the classroom. Day barely gets a bye out before they’re gone. He frowns and looks back at Nap.

“Did you do something?” Day asks suspiciously.

“You were right here, what could I have possibly done?”

“So, you didn’t do anything?”

“Did I say that?”

“Fine,” Day sighs. He won’t get a straight answer out of the cat. “Want to go to the cafeteria and get some food?”

“Sure,” Nap fiddles with his water bottle as Day puts his laptop away. “Were you…going to say yes?”

“Yes to what?” Day asks as he reaches for the laptop charger.

“To going on a date with that dove?”

“Actually, it was a dinner date with both–”

“Hurry the fuck up,” Nap snaps and walks to the door. Day pauses as he watches the now upset cat leave. That’s another thing the negative half of him likes to point out. Nap will get angry with him like this. Day thinks that maybe Nap is jealous. Day can’t blame him for that either. Nap is a strong introvert and making friends can’t be easy. With their shared friends busy most of the time, Nap’s social connections are suffering. Day knows he’s a social dog, so he can see why Nap gets mad at him for it. That’s the only thing Day can think of for Nap’s mood swings.

Day sighs and stuffs his laptop charger into his bag and zips it up. He slides his backpack on and the camera bag around his neck. He turns off the photography classroom lights as he leaves. He and the dove twins are the only ones in the photography club now. As the last one out, Day turns the lights off and locks the door. For some reason, teachers keep giving him keys to different buildings around the academy.

“I just got a text from Bobby, she said they finished debate early,” Nap says when Day catches up to him inside the door of the news building. “She’ll meet us at the cafeteria.”

“Cool,” Day says as he clasps the key back to his lanyard.

“Is the lanyard holding up ok?” Nap asks suddenly.

“Yeah, it’s doing pretty well considering all the keys I’ve added to it,” Day chuckles. They step outside into the chilly autumn air. Most of the colorful leaves are still hanging onto trees, but that won’t last long. All of the students have sweaters or light jackets on. It isn’t cold enough for gloves and scarves yet, but winter is right around the corner now.

“Hey, Nap?”

“Hmm?”

“Wanna hang out at the festival?” Day asks. Nap slows to a stop and looks at Day with raised eyebrows.

“Are you asking me out?”

“I-uh–no–I mean– if you want? No-wait. I didn’t mean it that way, but I wouldn’t be–opposed–”

“Hey guys!” Bobby calls as she meets them at a crossroads of the cement paths. Thank you, Bobby, for stopping his rambling.

“Hey Bob,” Nap responds as he turns to Bobby. The bear pauses and her eyebrows go up as she looks from Nap to Day. Silence falls awkwardly between them.

“Is there something you want to share?” Bobby asks as she looks between them. Day knows what she’s implying, but Nap doesn’t–

“Nope,” Nap says and keeps walking towards the cafeteria. Day is quick to follow his lead. Bobby keeps up with Day and he knows she’s going to ask something embarrassing so he beats her to the punch.

“Debate ended early today? What happened?” Day asks her.

“Carlos and Rodrigo got into it about the festival this weekend,” Bobby sighs.

“What is there to debate about the festival?” Day asks. Now he’s worried they missed something.

“Don’t worry, it’s nothing serious. They were debating about what the prize is for whoever gets through the maze the fastest. They asked me what it was because I have ‘connections’ with the council president.”

“Connection? They could ask me directly if they want. Not that I can tell them what the grand prize is, but it’s not that hard to find me, is it?” Day tilts his head confused.

“Finding you isn’t the problem,” Bobby looks ahead awkwardly. Day follows her gaze and lands on Nap’s back as he reaches for the cafeteria doors. What does she mean finding him isn’t the problem? He hasn’t done anything to scare people off, has he?

“Don’t look so worried!” Bobby repeats as she hooks her arm through his. “Let’s get some food and head to the library for a little studying!” Bobby manages to catch Nap’s arm with her other one and the three of them walk through the mostly empty cafeteria like Dorothy and her friends on the yellow brick road. About halfway through their meal, Picky joins them with some fresh baked blueberry muffins she offers them. The four of them find Bubba in the library on the balcony of the second floor. They wave wildly to get him to join them at a table on the first floor. He rolls his eyes, but hauls his stuff down to join them. Day and his friends work together on school work and Day manages to finish most of it. It’s a productive, fun evening with his friends.

Saturday afternoon, when Bubba, Bobby, Crafty, and Day have finished their classes, they get a bus ride down to the ranch the academy owns. Freddy said they can use all of the property except the main ranch house. Freddy didn’t say why exactly, but Day is assuming it’s being used for storage or Freddy just didn’t want to risk the house being damaged. It doesn’t really matter because they have a huge stable and shed to work with.

Day, Crafty, and Bobby put the supplies they need for the festival inside the shed last week while Picky and Bubba were cutting the maze. The amount of supplies they have is much more than what they were planning on. Originally, their funds would have been barely enough to help the cooking club buy supplies for the drinks and treats they were going to sell outside the maze. Then, mysteriously, someone donated a generous amount of money to the student council directly. A mysterious someone with red hair, Day’s almost certain. She denied it, but Day hasn't kept the council’s financial problems from her. She would absolutely throw money at a problem if she thinks it will help.

“Ok, we have a lot to do and very little time to do it,” Bobby takes the lead as they walk on the gravel road towards the shed. Day waves to the bus driver as the bus pulls away from the gate.

“We should have limited this to one night instead of two,” Bubba grumbles under his breath.

“We already discussed this Bubba,” Bobby shoots him a look over her shoulder. “We are trying to attract the general public to this maze and most of the general public has Saturday and Sunday off from school and work. We also need to fundraise, even after that generous donation. So, having this festival on Saturday night and Sunday night will bring in the most money.”

“And today is halloween, we have to have it today,” Crafty adds. They pass by the corn maze and the farmhouse towards the shed.

“Yes, I’m aware,” Bubba sighs. “That still means we have eight hands that need to set up an entire festival in a mere four hours.”

“Why do you have to be so negative?” Bobby frowns at him. Bubba turns on her and Day can see the fight brewing.

“C’mon, Bubba,” Day smiles as he steps forward to unlock the shed. (He ordered a separate key ring for all of the ranch keys he was given for this.) “We promise to catch you when you trip.”

“Hey!” Bubba snaps offended. Bobby and Crafty giggle as Day gets the anthro level lock open and the human sized door swings open. Day thought Bubba’s clumsiness was exaggerated that first Sunday of the year, but it turns out, Bubba is just clumsy.

Day grins as he heads for the control panel hidden behind a few hay bales. He pulls the lever that will open the big shed doors. A tractor attached to a trailer wait inside, ready to go. His friends start to pile some supplies onto the trailer attached to the tractor. Day heads over to help and claims the driver seat when they finish. As the only one of the four of them that has driven a tractor before he gets to drive it. The others jump onto the trailer and ride along as Day drives towards the entrance to the maze where most of the games and stalls will be. Day turns off the tractor and hops out. He looks at the stuff they were able to bring with them and starts to plan out in his head how they should do this. They only brought some of their supplies, there’s still more in the shed.

“Ok,” Day turns to the other three. “We should split into pairs. One pair will head for the road and set up the lights and signs to guide people here. We also need to rope off the parking area with lights. Those should be done as soon as possible, it’s the first thing people will see tonight.”

“Yes, boss,” Bobby salutes.

“The other pair will start setting up lights around here. I’m prioritizing the lights, because we’ll run out of daylight before we run out of time. The maze is our first priority after we finish all of that. If we start to run out of time, we’ll have to ask the other clubs to help set up the stalls and games. If we don’t get the hayride lights set up, then we can cancel it tonight,” Day explains. “I’ll take some of the lights down the road with the tractor, who wants to come with me?”

“I’ll go,” Crafty volunteers.

“Fine,” Bubba sighs. Bobby rolls her eyes, but nods to Day anyway. He hopes those two won’t fight while they’re alone. Bobby starts to pull some of the lights off of the trailer. Together they get the lights and some stall equipment set down on the ground for later. Bubba and Bobby start setting up a perimeter of lights. Crafty hops onto the trailer and Day drives the tractor down to the gates of the ranch.

“How should we…?” Crafty asks as they look down the fence on either side of the gate.

“I don’t think we need to wrap lights too far down the fence. How about we wrap until we reach the fourth post. Do you want to take the right or left side?”

“I’ll take left?” Crafty says like a question.

“Sounds good,” Day grins. He takes a wheel of purple lights and starts walking down to the fourth post. The fence surrounding the property is about the height of an anthro at four feet. It has metal posts and wire connecting each one. Day ties the end of the string of lights around the fourth post. He starts to loop the lights over the top wire and under the middle wire. He steps back to look at it. It will be easy to see in the dark, right?

“Hey, Crafty?” Day calls down the gravel road to her. She perks up and Day realizes they started at different ends. She started at the gate and is working her way down to the fourth post. He started at the fourth post and is working his way to the gate.

“Yes?” she calls back.

“How are you looping yours?”

“I’m only wrapping the lights around the top two wires,” Crafty steps back to look at the little bit he’s done. “Do you think we should change it?”

“There’s no time to experiment. We’ll just have to hope this is enough,” Day calls. Crafty nods and they keep wrapping. Day tries to rush, but that just makes his lights uneven and he has to remind himself that Mr. Fazbear is going to inspect their work tonight. He can’t have his first event as student council president be a sloppy mess. Day makes himself slow down and do it right the first time. He finds a rhythm, humming to break the quiet of the trees around them and reaches the gate before he knows it. He ties the end towards the ground so they can plug everything in where it needs to be. He turns to check on Crafty–

CRACK

Day’s head whips around to look behind him. He scans the trees across the road, looking for danger. His ears are perked, his body tense. He doesn’t see anything except trees and colorful leaves. What he heard sounded like a branch cracking in the woods, but…something doesn’t feel right.

“Day?” Crafty asks as her light footsteps stop beside him. Day scans the trees up and down the road for any sort of movement, but nothing stands out to him.

“Let’s keep moving,” Day says after another moment of silence.

“Are you ok?” Crafty asks, her expression worried.

“Yeah, just…thought I heard something.”

“What was it?”

“Probably just a bird,” Day shakes his head and smiles ruefully. “It must be because of the holiday. Let’s get those signs set up.”

“Ok,” Crafty nods hesitantly. She looks a little worried. Day pauses as he steps towards the trailer of the tractor. His original plan was to run it down there, set it up, and run back, but he has this…feeling they’re being watched. He debates not putting the sign up at all, but there’s no real reason not to. He heard a branch crack in some trees. He didn’t see anyone or anything. Just a creepy feeling and a noise. He’s being paranoid…still. “Let’s ride the tractor down together.”

“Are you sure? I could get started on the gate,” Crafty looks back at the gate they still have to wrap.

“I’m sure, with the tractor it should take us fifteen minutes at most,” Day grins reassuringly. He shouldn’t get Crafty or the other two worked up over a branch. He’ll just keep his senses peeled for anything dangerous.

“Ok,” Crafty says as she hops onto the trailer again. Day starts up the tractor and drives it through the ranch gate and onto the gravel road. He follows the road back where they came in and slows to a stop as they reach the intersection a mile down the road.

“I’ll do it!” Crafty hops off the trailer with a sign and the hammer. They decided to use reflective paint on the sign instead of lights so they wouldn’t have to find a way to plug in another extension cord. If they have a successful fundraiser then Day will have to look into batteries and solar powered energy sources for christmas and other events.

“Are you sure, Crafty?” Day asks as he swings his legs around to hop out.

“Day, I want to do this, please?” Crafty asks with earnest eyes.

“Ok, ok! No need to pull out those eyes!”

“Thanks, boss,” Crafty grins. She picks a spot far enough from the intersection it’s obvious which way to go, but not so far it could be easily missed. Crafty shoves the pointed bottom of the sign into the ground and lifts the hammer over her head. Day is about to step in so she doesn’t hurt herself, but Crafty hits the top of the sign with more precision than Day expects. Crafty slams the hammer down again and every swing seems a little more aggressive than the last. Her face is cold as she pummels the poor sign. Day takes a step back as Crafty works out some aggression. He thinks about asking, but decides to let her work it out. When the sign is impaled far enough Crafty stands and stretches.

“That was great!” Crafty turns a smile on him. “Let’s get going, Day.”

“S-sure, Crafts,” Day says. He climbs back into the tractor and waits until Crafty is secure in the trailer before he starts towards the intersection. Day checks all three lanes of the intersection for any other vehicles before he pulls out and turns. He flicks his gaze all around as he turns. The feeling of being watched hasn’t stopped the whole time they’ve been out here. Is he really being paranoid? Day gets the tractor turned and stops so Crafty can hop out again.

“This one, right?” Crafty asks as she points down the east road.

“Yep, that’s the road to the highway,” Day nods.

“I’ll put this down a ways,” Crafty runs down the road. Day puts one of his feet on the steps that lead to the driver seat of the tractor. He’s tense as he keeps his eyes on Crafty. His perked ears shift as he listens for anything unusual. He shouldn’t have brought Crafty with him, but he couldn’t have left her by the gate alone either. He watches her pummel the next sign before she jogs back to him and the tractor. He still has that feeling of eyes on them, but he doesn’t hear anything.

“Good to go, boss,” Crafty says as she hops back on the trailer.

“Let’s go,” Day nods as he sits back in the driver’s seat. He finishes the turn and drives the tractor back to the gate. Day pulls the tractor through the gate back onto the property and hops out.

“I’ll grab the ladder and you grab the lights?” Day asks Crafty as she hops off the trailer.

“Sure, do you mind climbing up? I...don’t like heights.”

“Sure thing, Crafts,” Day hauls the ladder off the trailer and sets it up so they can wrap lights around the gate to Evol Ranch. Day tries to work as quickly as he can without messing up. He has a bad feeling in his gut. He has no reason to, he heard a branch break and feels weird. That’s practically nothing to panic about. Maybe he’ll start to believe that if he thinks it enough.

“Hey, Day? Can you spread those two loops a little?”

“Sure, how’s that?”

“Looks good. Let’s hurry back to the others.”

Day climbs down the ladder and Crafty makes sure everything is plugged in. She runs the extension cord to the little generator they managed to squeeze into their budget that’s hidden in the trees. Day folds the ladder and slides it back onto the trailer and straps it down. He glances in the direction Crafty went and perks his ears. He can hear her muttering to herself as she gets everything connected. Day turns to look back across the road where he heard the branch break. His gaze is immediately caught by the dark spots on the road. Those weren’t there before. His gaze shoots to the trees behind the dark spots and sees only trees. His gaze goes up to the tree that curves over the road directly above the dark spots. He doesn’t see anything, except trees and leaves. Day takes a few steps closer and sniffs the air. The coppery smell of blood is weak, but undeniable.

Was there something right above him earlier? Day can’t remember if he looked up into the trees. He doesn’t think he did. He looked directly across from him, not up. Stupid move, Day. If there was something there–

“Day?” Crafty asks behind him.

“Sorry, Crafty,” Day grins sheepishly. “I thought I heard something.”

“Was it a bird, again?”

“Probably. C’mon, we need to get going,” Day says as he heads back to the tractor. They drive up the road again and hop out to rope off a big flat area by the ranch house as the parking lot. They also rope off a smaller section by the farmhouse for the students who can drive and the teachers who are helping tonight. Day doesn’t feel like they’re being watched now and relaxes a little. It must have been him making a bigger deal out of things. It was probably a bird and the dark spots were from a wound.

“How are you guys doing?” Bobby calls. Day stands and looks down the dirt road towards the maze. He can see Boby and Bubba finished with their lights and are setting up one of the stalls they brought out of the shed earlier.

“Almost done! We’ll go back to the shed and grab the rest of the stuff!” Day calls back with a wave. Bobby gives him a thumbs up. Day and Crafty finish up what they’re doing and hop onto the tractor to grab the last of the supplies from the shed. Day looks around for anything out of place, but nothing stands out to him. They haul it onto the trailer and Day drives to the maze entrance with Crafty riding on the back again. Day pauses to look at the work they’ve finished and what they still have to do. He slides his phone out and checks the time. Only an hour and a half before the academy clubs and volunteer teachers get here. There’s only two and a half hours before they’re officially open.

“Ok, guys, we need to get that maze set up first–” Day stops as a truck drives up the dirt road. On the back of it are four port-a-potties. The truck pulls to a stop just outside of the light barrier where the games will be. The doors of the truck open and out hops Foxy, Bonnie, and Goldie of the Fazbear Five. Day stares as the evolved anthros walk over. Why? How? What?

“Hey, kid,” Goldie winks. He leans down so he’s close to Day’s ear and whispers, “You got my gift on you?” It takes a second, but the lump from all those weeks ago flash into his mind. Day nods, a little confused. He's kept it in his pockets every day. Mostly because he kind of forgot about it.

“Good,” Goldie says quietly as he stands again. He ruffles the fur on top of Day’s head and makes his voice is at normal volume. “We’re here to help.”

“Help?” Day forces himself to pull away and look up at the golden furred bear.

“Yep, those two are going to set up the toilets and I’m going to supervise,” Goldie smirks over his shoulder at the fox and bunny behind him.

“Supervise, my ass,” Foxy growls under his breath. Bonnie elbows him and looks very pointedly at Day and the rest of the council.

“Anyway,” Goldie turns his back on them and focuses on Day. “How is set up going?”

“Oh, well,” Day starts to explain what they still need to get done and what they probably won’t get done by the time they open.

“Kid, don’t worry. We can help with that,” Goldie grins. “Hear that boys? We’ve got a lot to do, hurry up!”

Bonnie and Foxy grumble under their breaths as they start untying the port-a-potties. Day grins as Goldie waves the rest of the council closer. They look excited to be this close to someone who’s evolved. Day doesn’t blame them.

“So, what’s the plan, boss?” Goldie grins as he leans down with his hands on his knees so he’s a little closer to their level.

“R-right! Crafty and Bubba should start getting the maze set up, remember the exits need to have the green lanterns, but don’t make it too obvious,” Day looks at them and they nod. “Bobby and I will keep setting up stalls and games.”

“Got it, boss!” Bobby says and the other two salute. Day doesn’t know why they started calling him boss the last few weeks, but the salute always makes him grin.

“What about me, boss?” Goldie asks. Day hesitates. What could he possibly have an evolved anthro do? Day’s gaze catches on the tractor and the decorations stacked on the trailer.

“Can you drive a tractor?” Day asks. The gold bear follows his gaze and looks the tractor over.

“Sure can, but this one is too small for my size,” Goldie winks. There’s a beat of silence where Day summons a confused smile. Was there a joke in there?

“They’re kids, Goldilocks!” Bonnie yells.

“Save your dirty jokes for date night!” Foxy yells too. “We won’t tell Freddy if you replace one of us!”

“Please, I can handle Freddy,” Goldie mutters as he rolls his eyes. “Anyway, I can’t drive the tractor, kid. What were you thinking of having me do?”

“Well, we were going to have a hayride in the open field to the north,” Day points to the field hidden behind the tall corn stalks of the maze. “We got a few decorations for it, but if it doesn’t get done–”

“I can get the decorations out there in no time. How do you want them?”

“Crafty?” Day motions her forward. “You have the sketches still, right?”

“Y-yes,” Crafty almost stumbles as she stands beside Day. She reaches into the side bag she brought along and pulls out a folder. Day takes it from her when her shaky hands clumsily hand it to him. Day squeezes her wrist in quick reassurance as he does. He can only guess at how intimidated she is right now. Day flips the folder open and finds the sketch of the trail and the list of what decorations go where.

“This is what we were thinking of doing,” Day says as he offers the paper to Goldie. The bear takes it and stands up again, his fingers look so big holding that paper.

“This is the most helpful plan I’ve seen in a long time. Nice work,” Goldie grins at Crafty. The unicorn flushes and steps behind Day.

“T-thank you!” Crafty squeaks. Goldie chuckles as he hands the paper back to Day.

“I’ll get started on it, boss,” Goldie salutes to Day before walking over to the decorations on the trailer. Day is surprised he doesn’t just teleport to the trailer. Maybe he isn’t because he needs to save energy to teleport? Day wishes he knew more about evolution and the abilities that come with it. Goldie grabs the whole stack under one arm and teleports away. Day turns to his friends. Bubba is writing in the little notebook Day sees him writing in sometimes. Bobby is watching Foxy and Bonnie haul the port-a-potties like they don’t way any more than a laptop. Crafty has her face buried in her hands as she mumbles about how embarrassing she was while talking to one of the Fazbear Five. Day clears his throat to get their attention.

“C’mon, guys. We still have a lot of work to do,” Day urges them. Bubba and Crafty nod and grab a few things to start on the maze. Bubba explains they should start farther away and work back towards the entrance. Bobby and Day start assembling more stalls. How it went from one stall to five is still baffling. It was just supposed to be a stall to sell food and drinks, but now they have a stall for food, a stall for drinks, a stall for masks, and a stall for crafts. Then there’s the face painting table set by the games area. Not to mention Day still needs to check on the pumpkin carving area they set up the table for to the side of the shed. Bubba convinced Day to set up a few tables in the middle of everything for parents and kids to sit at if they need it. Luckily, they did that when they came out earlier for Picky to carve out the maze.

“Hey, kid,” Bonnie calls. Day’s ears perk and he looks away from the last stall they just finished. Bonnie and Foxy make their way over.

“Anything we can help with?” Bonnie asks as he looks around at the stalls Day and Bobby finished.

“Well,” Day looks back at the piles of games they have to set up still and back into the maze where Bubba and Crafty disappeared into. He hasn’t heard anything from them for the last half hour. His mind flashes back to the dark spots on the road and the feeling of being watched. “If one of you would go help Bubba and Crafty in the maze?”

“Sure, I’ll get them in and out,” Foxy grins and takes off with a burst of speed into the maze.

“What about me?” Bonnie asks as he looks away from where Foxy disappeared with a shake of his head.

“Will you help Bobby get the games set up? I’ll be back to help as soon as I get the pumpkins hauled to the carving table,” Day says as he nods to the pile of game supplies.

“I forgot about the pumpkins,” Bobby gasps.

“I did too,” Day chuckles. “Next year, we need better organization and get more hands to help.”

“Both,” Bobby nods. She turns to Bonnie and starts to explain where they want to put different things. Day leaves her to it and heads for the tractor. He unhooks the trailer so he can leave any other supplies needed on it where the others can find it. He also needs to be able to attach the cart of pumpkins to the back of the tractor. They put the cart of pumpkins in the stable because it wouldn’t fit in the shed with the tractor and trailer. Day drives the tractor to the stables that are farther from the maze than anything else. He turns the tractor around so he backs up towards the big doors. When he gets close enough he hops out and snags his ranch ring of keys. He shifts through them and finds the one for the stables. He unlocks the anthro sized lock on the human sized door and swings it open. He flicks the lights on and unlocks the big doors the tractor is in front of. The doors slide open and are a little heavy, but he manages to get them to far enough apart he can back up the tractor and attach the pumpkin cart.

Day hops out and starts to attach the two when he feels it, like he’s being watched again. He straightens from where he was kneeling to look around carefully. He doesn’t see anything by the front of the tractor so he takes a few steps farther to look around the corners of the stables. He doesn't see anything, but the feeling doesn’t go away. Day hurries inside the tractor and climbs inside to pull the cart of pumpkins out. As he drives he checks all the mirrors he has to look behind him. When Day is far enough from the stables the cart is out of the way of shutting the doors, he carefully hops out of the tractor. He had a small sense of safety in there, a barrier between him and whatever is watching him. Something has to be watching him, this feeling is too intense to be his mind playing tricks on him.

Day hurries inside the stables and drags the doors closed. He wraps the chain around the handles and clicks the lock shut, fumbling a little in his haste. Calm down, Day. He repeats that to himself when he almost trips on hay spread on the floor of the stables. He flicks the lights off and slams the human sized door shut. He winces at the loud bang from the door and looks around for anything that may have heard that. He doesn't hear anything or see anyone looking at him. Day takes a breath and sorts through the ring of keys for the stable key. A voice that sounds a lot like Poppy’s tells him to breathe, observe, don’t let the fear control you. Day shakes his head, takes a breath and tries to remember his training. He can’t keep getting scared like a kid from a mere feeling. Nothing has happened.

Day finds the key and locks the door. He hurries back to the tractor and climbs inside. When he gets the door shut he takes an easier breath. He puts the key into the ignition and something in his mirror catches his eye. He glances up and–

A tail. The tip of a scaly tail disappears over the edge of the roof. Day freezes as he stares at where the tail was. He turns in his seat and opens the door just enough to have a clear view of the roof. He watches for a few moments and nothing appears on the roof. Day drops his gaze directly beneath the tail and sees dark spots right in front of the door he was locking. He sniffs the air and smells blood.

It was right above him. Day didn’t look up again. Fuck.

Day shuts the tractor door and starts driving back to where other people are. The tractor wasn’t made for speed, so Day uses the time to calm himself down and keep glancing behind him. He’s fine, no one was hurt. He needs to remember the details and let Freddy or any of the Fazbear Five know about what he’s been experiencing. He’s fine. Breathe, don’t let fear control you.

Half way back to where the stalls are set up, and close to the maze entrance, Day is surprised to see Bonnie and Goldie running towards him. Day slows the tractor down to a stop and opens the door as the two evolved anthros slide to a stop by his door.

“Did something happen?” Goldie asks quickly. His eyes scan over Day.

“I heard a bang from the direction you just came from,” Bonnie explains as he looks at the cart of pumpkins and the surrounding area.

“Yeah, I just slammed the door to the stables by accident,” Day admits. He rubs the back of his head. “Sorry.”

Goldie frowns and Day can see him getting ready to ask questions. A horn honks in the distance a few times. All three of them look towards the entrance of the ranch.

“I think we left the truck in the middle of the road,” Bonnie mutters.

“That must be the other clubs and teachers who are here to help. I need to get up there,” Day says apologetically as he shuts the tractor door and starts driving again. The bear and the bunny stay where they are to talk a little longer. Day glances back once as he drives away to see Bonnie jogging behind him and Goldie is gone. Day parks the tractor to the side of the dirt road that’s been their main path around the ranch. He’ll have to finish getting the pumpkins to the carving table later. He should be helping get everyone where they need to be. Hopefully, he finds Freddy or Mr. Schmidt in the crowd and can tell them what’s going on.

“Day!” Bobby calls. Day looks over by the ranch house and sees her waving. He waves back and changes directions. He sees Bubba and Crafty there with Freddy and Mr. Schmidt on the front porch of the ranch house. Thank the stars Day isn't going to have to hunt them down.

“Hello, Daylight,” Freddy smiles when Day reaches the top step.

“Hi, Mr. Fazbear,” Day grins back. This isn’t the right time at all, but Freddy Fazbear spoke directly to him again!

“Day, the other clubs are here and arguing about who goes where,” Bubba cuts in.

“What?” Day turns to him. “Were the signs set up? Everyone has been assigned a stall.”

“Yes, but the crafts club claims we’re favoring the cooking club by giving them two stalls close to the entrance of the maze,” Bubba sighs. This is exactly what Day needs right now.

“Fine, put the food and drink stalls beside each other on one side of the path and have the crafts club moved towards the entrance,” Day tells him.

“Are you sure?” Bubba asks.

“If they still don’t like it, things will stay how they were originally. They have less than an hour to get set up.”

“I’ll let them know,” Bubba nods.

“Picky wants to know where they can store their extra supplies for the food stalls,” Bobby says next.

“It would be safest if they can store them in a car here at the ranch house. It’s close and won’t be easy to steal,” Day nods to the parked cars in front of the porch they’re all standing on. “It would be best if one of the teachers would be willing. If that doesn’t work, use the shed.”

“I’m on it,” Bobby nods as she hurries away toward the group of people swarming around the stalls. Day turns to Crafty next.

“Will you get our uniforms and the glowsticks ready? We can change in the shed, I still have to get the pumpkins up there. I’ll give the others a ride in a few minutes,” Day tells her.

“Sure,” Crafty nods. “I’ll help Bobby until you’re done.”

“Thanks, Crafts,” Day says as she hurries down the steps and towards the group of noisy anthros.

“Sorry about that,” Day apologizes to Freddy and Mr. Schmidt, who was standing there waiting on him.

“No need to apologize. There’s a lot to do here,” Mr. Schmidt waves it off.

“Are preparations going well?” Freddy asks as he looks past the cars in front of them to the source of voices and lights.

“The preparations are going great,” Day nods. He hesitates and looks around. The sun is fading and he feels silly saying this, but he needs to say something. “Actually, I was hoping to talk to both of you,” Day lowers his voice and takes a step closer. The human and the bear shift into business mode as they lean closer.

“What is it, kid?” Mr. Schmidt asks.

“Earlier, by the front gate, I felt like I was being watched while we were putting up the lights and when we drove down to the intersection to put up signs. When we came back there were drops of what smelled like blood on the road that weren’t there before,” Day starts tapping on his leg and curls his fingers into his palm so he stops. He tries not to get intimidated by the two adults staring at him. “When I went to get the pumpkins out of the stables I felt like I was being watched then too. Except this time I saw something in the rearview mirror of the tractor. It looked like the tip of a scaly tail that disappeared on the roof. I waited to see if anything would happen, but it didn’t come back. Then, I noticed more blood drops in front of the stable door.”

“You were feeling watched the second time?” Freddy asks as he stands up again.

“As soon as I parked until the tail disappeared.”

“I didn’t notice any blood on the road,” Mr. Schmidt mutters. Day can feel his stomach start to sink. They don’t believe him. “But I wasn’t looking either.”

“Take some guards to check out both places,” Freddy says to the human. “Call in reinforcements, we can’t risk anything going wrong tonight. I’ll let the team know what’s going on.”

“You got it, captain,” Mr. Schmidt heads for the stairs of the porch.

“Thanks, Mike,” Freddy calls after him. The human waves over his shoulder as he keeps walking. “Now, Daylight,” Freddy focuses back on him. “Leave security up to the adults, ok?” Day nods. “Good, will you walk me through everything before people start showing up?”

“Of course,” Day forces himself to focus on the festival and not the worry in his gut about the scaly tail he saw. If anyone can handle it, it’s the Fazbear Five.

Notes:

'Ello! I'm here again. I know there wasn't that much blood and no gore this chapter, I miscalculated. This was supposed to be one Halloween chapter and now it looks like it's going to be two. So, next chapter will have more blood and gore, promise.
That's all I can think of to say right now. So, thank you for reading and see you in the next chapter!

Chapter 9: Halloween Monsters

Notes:

WARNING: GORE and blood.
I've put \\\\\\ around the worst of it. The reading might be clunky, but you can skip that part if you need to.

I'm warning you not to eat anything while you read this chapter. The gore gets heavy.

Be safe. I'll see you at the end.

They don’t find the blood on the road or by the stables. Day went to both places to point out where the drops were. Instead, it looked like someone just scooped up the ground where the blood was and took it away. Despite his only evidence disappearing, Freddy says he believes Day. Even if the blood is gone, there are shallow holes left behind where they were. Mr. Schmidt assures him that his team will keep an eye out for any danger and the Fazbear Five will be around too. Day was whisked away as the first few families showed up and the festival officially started.

Everyone seems to be enjoying themselves. The games are the busiest area. They have a variety set up, cornhole, bobbing for apples, darts, a dunk tank, and a pumpkin toss. The hayride is attracting a lot of parents with little kids. Day didn’t get the chance to check in with Goldie, but it seems the hayride is fine. There’s a photo section set up for the costume contestants to get their picture taken, a last minute addition Goldie and Foxy whipped up. Bobby is in charge of that with the Miss Delight that teaches drama and directs the academy plays. Crafty is overlooking the face paint table and the games. Bubba is selling tickets for the maze and keeping track of how many people are inside. Day wanders back and forth, the flashing lights on his crown lighting up the darkness.

Back when they were planning this, Bobby proposed the idea that they needed to stand out as the ones who are managing things. Crafty had jumped in claiming to already have an idea. She would create simple costumes that would be easy to see in the dark. She came back a few days later with shirts that she drew on with glow in the dark t-shirt markers. She drew King, Queen, Jack, and Ace on the front and back in curvy lettering. She put a glow stick crown by each one, everything color coded to go with a certain shirt. Bobby added more colored glow sticks to go around their arms and necks. It wasn't hard to see what Crafty was going for. Day got the yellow King set, Bobby the pink Queen, Bubba the blue Jack, and Crafty the green Ace. They decided on these so it would be easy to find them as the ones who would be working the festival.

“Day? Is that you?” Hoppy’s voice asks. Day glances away from the stalls he was watching and smiles at his friends. Hoppy is dressed as a referee, Kickin as one of Freddy’s old concert outfits, Picky as a sushi chef, and Nap…Day chuckles.

“What are you supposed to be?” Day asks him.

“A stagehand,” Nap shrugs. At least Day thinks he does. The cat is in a black hoodie and black pants, with black shoes. He’s practically invisible in the dark, all Day can really see is Nap’s yellow eyes that glint from the lights around the stalls.

“We had to help him figure that out,” Kickin chuckles.

“Yeah, he told us he was a void,” Hoppy snickers.

“You’re lucky I dressed up at all,” Nap rolls his eyes.

“This is dressing up for you?” Picky asks, honest curiosity in her tone. Nap maybe shrugs again.

“Here, Nap,” Day chuckles as he unclips one of the glow stick necklaces he has on. He steps forward and reaches behind Nap’s neck to clip the necklace. He realizes his mistake as Nap’s breath ghosts across his cheek and lavender trails into his nose. Day, you should have asked him if he needed help before just putting it on him! “Uh, sorry,” Day apologizes as he glances to the side and steps away.

“No, i-it’s fine,” Nap mumbles. There’s a beat of silence around them, well, as much silence as they can get this close to the stalls.

“You two are just–gah!” Hoppy throws her hands up.

“We’re what?”

“Don’t worry about her,” Kickin cuts in as he starts to lead him towards the stalls. “Why don’t you walk us through this little festival of yours?”

“Oh-uh-ok,” Day glances back at Nap who’s glaring at where Kickin is gripping Day’s arm. He must be mad again. Day will have to apologize later. The others follow as Day takes the lead the closer they get to the stalls.

“I told them not to put one flavor at a time!” Picky growls under her breath. She stomps across the grass and busy gravel road between the stalls to the food stall. She starts talking to the students working it.

“That’s the food stall,” Day grins as the smell of food teases his nose. It smells so good. “Next to it is drinks, across from it is crafts and the other is selling masks. Did you want to stop by there for a mask, Nap?”

“Nope,” Nap pops the ‘p’ as he shoves his hands in his hoodie pouch pocket.

“I think I’ll look later,” Kickin eyes the stall as they walk by.

“Over here is the entrance for the maze,” Day motions to the lit up entrance that’s slightly behind them. Bubba is talking to a couple of humans with a little boy.

“What about these prizes I’ve heard so much about?” Hoppy asks eagerly.

“There’s a grand prize for whoever gets through the maze the fastest and there are plenty of prizes for whoever wins the games over there,” Day motions past the stalls to the game area.

“A prize for the fastest, huh?” Hoppy grins and snags Kickin’s arm. “Let’s go, Kicks.”

“Wha-wait! I want to eat first!”

“There’s no time, let’s beat that record!”

Hoppy drags Kickin to the entrance where Bubba is waiting to sell tickets. The elephant rolls his eyes as Hoppy practically bounces in excitement. Day turns to ask Nap what he wants to do and sees Picky first. The pig looks between them from where she rejoined the group.

“I’ll just-uh-go find Bobby,” Picky says awkwardly as she hurries away.

“Bobby should be by the photo booth,” Day calls out to her. Picky waves in acknowledgement before she disappears into the brief darkness between the stalls and games.

“So, what does the student council president think we should do?” Nap asks.

“Well, the president can’t go very far. That leaves out the maze and hayride. You can go in if you want, maybe you could catch up with Hoppy and Kickin,” Day glances at the entrance where the green rabbit and yellow chicken are long gone. Bubba is already talking to a frog family of four.

“I’d rather stay with you,” Nap’s lips turn up in a soft smile. Day’s heart does that thing again. It does that little skip in his chest. It’s either a crush or his heart is failing. He hasn’t noticed other symptoms for a failing heart, so it must be a crush.

“T-then, let’s go look around the games. Is there something specific you want to play?”

“No idea what you guys set up,” Nap admits.

“That’s ok,” Day grins and starts to lead the way across the busy street to the games area. Day gets called over to the crafts stall and has to help them for a few minutes. He turns around to apologize to Nap, but the cat is gone. Day looks around and sees the glow stick necklace behind the stalls in the darkness. Day weaves his way through the crowd until he reaches the cat.

“Sorry, Nap,” Day apologizes.

“It’s fine, but,” Nap holds his hand out and Day puts his hand in the cat’s, not entirely sure what Nap wants. The cat’s hand curls around his and he has this smug grin on his face. “Now, we won’t be separated.”

“B-but-” Day’s voice is close to cracking and his stupid heart is flipping in his chest so he shuts his mouth and just nods.

“Great,” Nap smiles brightly and tugs on Day’s hand. “Let’s go.”

Even though Day is supposed to be the one guiding them, Nap is the one that leads the way to the games area. His long tail gives a happy swish once in a while and Day feels like his face is hot the whole walk over. He really needs to get this crush thing under control. Nap hesitates as groups of people walk around and little kids dart between the adults. Day is glad to see humans and anthros enjoying themselves. Unevolved anthros, of course.

“Let’s start on this end?” Day tugs on Nap’s hand as he heads for the left.

“Sure,” Nap agrees easily. They walk past a bunch of different games until they get to the dunk tank. Inside of it is Foxy, he happily volunteered to be inside. He keeps taking jabs at people that walk by, just annoying things like how unoriginal a certain costume is. Foxy happens to say something along those lines to Nap. Day is going to pull the cat away, but Foxy has to push the issue.

“Better be careful the king doesn’t find a queen, little invisible serv–”

“Give me five,” Nap snaps at the student beside the dunk tank. She hurries to take the money from Nap and grab the rubber balls you use to hit the dunk tank’s target. Nap misses the first time, hits the target the second time, but the seat of the dunk tank doesn’t drop the fox into the water. Foxy is having a hay day getting jabs in everytime Nap misses. A small crowd has formed around them. Day wants to snap at the fox to lay off. Fazbear Five or not. Nap growls low in his throat as he steps back like a professional baseball player and throws his fourth ball. It hits the target close to the center hard enough that the seat dunks Foxy into the water. The small crowd around them erupts in cheers.

“Nice aim,” Day grins at Nap.

“He was going to get dunked no matter what,” Nap bares his teeth a little in a grin. Day glances back to see Foxy climbing out of the dunk tank as the seat rises.

“May I?” Day asks, holding out his hand. Nap raises an eyebrow and hands his last ball over. Foxy hangs his towel on a rod as he sits back on the seat.

“You too, president? Don’t risk your reputation,” Foxy snarks as he relaxes on the dunk seat.

“Don’t worry, my reputation won’t suffer from this,” Day grins as he throws the ball. It hits the target dead center and the seat dunks the fox again. The crowd around them cheers again. Day internally cringes at how much attention his throw got. He’s supposed to be under the radar.

“Day,” Nap tugs on his wrist excitedly.

“Yeah?”

“You got it on the first throw!”

“It was just beginner's luck,” Day grins back, keeping his nervousness hidden.

“It was amazing!” Nap laughs, his face relaxed and bright. Day finds himself staring longer than he should be.

“That’s it!” Foxy cries dramatically. “No more throws for you two. Leave this poor old fox alone!”

The crowd laughs at his theatrics. Day makes sure to smile and wave goodbye as he and Nap leave. Just to make sure no one thinks there's bad blood anywhere. They keep walking and Day manages to convince Nap to toss a pumpkin with him. Whoever gets it inside the bucket gets free tickets to the maze. Day wins a ticket and Nap just barely makes it halfway to the bucket.

“You didn’t even try,” Day accuses as he swings their hands back and forth. Nap’s hand is cool and soft. The limited lighting makes the cat look mysterious as they walk through the rest of the games.

“Eh, it was too much work,” Nap shrugs.

“Or you just want to use my ticket.”

“I wouldn’t say no…if you offered,” Nap looks up at Day with big eyes. Day sighs dramatically and hands it over. Day can’t disappear into the maze anyway. He has to hang around in case people need him.

“Fine! You convinced me,” Day pouts.

“My powers of persuasion are irresistible,” Nap smirks evilly. They look at each other and burst into laughter. It’s so silly and stupid, but that just makes it better.

“C’mon, silly cat,” Day chuckles as he tugs Nap towards the maze.

“You’re sillier than me,” Nap defends himself. They joke back and forth as they weave around other festival goers. Day looks around for Bubba and finds him talking to Picky.

“Bubba! Picky!” Day calls as he and Nap get closer.

“Are you going in, Day?” Bubba asks, a hint of disapproval in his tone.

“No, I was bringing Nap here. He won a ticket in the pumpkin toss. Are you about to go in, Picky?”

“Yeah, I was trying to convince Bubba to come with,” Picky explains. “I already know where the exits are, so it would be more fun with someone who doesn’t.”

“Luckily for you, Nap hasn't gone in yet,” Day grins.

“You’re not coming?” Nap asks. He sounds almost disappointed.

“I’m afraid the president must not disappear on us,” Bubba says. “We need him available in case something goes wrong.”

“Don’t worry, you and Picky will be through it in no time,” Day encourages. Nap has this stubborn tilt to his lips that Day knows means trouble.

“Whoever gets through the maze the fastest gets the president to themselves for an hour,” Bubba says suddenly.

“What?” Day asks.

“Let’s go, Picky,” Nap hands the ticket over and rushes into the maze. Muffling her giggles, Picky is quick to follow.

“Too easy,” Bubba slides the used ticket into one of his pouches.

“Bubba?” Day asks. “What was that?”

“Just some encouragement. Anyway, I think the head of security was looking for you,” Bubba waves in the general direction of the ranch house. A group of four human teens approach and Bubba’s attention is taken. Day stares at the elephant incredulously for a second before he rolls his eyes and heads for the ranch house.

He should talk to Mr. Schmidt, anyway. Day walks behind the stalls so he doesn’t get swept into the crowd. No one has a reason to be there except the volunteers. Day has just stepped past the last stall when pain starts to stab behind his eyes. He grips his head with a whimper of pain. What–

He’s in the center of the corn maze. The only illumination is from the lanterns they’ve spaced out to guide people. Day looks around. How did he get here? He hears laughter and turns just in time to see the four human teenagers from earlier. They laugh and joke to themselves as they walk, not paying attention to what’s around them. They get to the center and look around at the other paths they can take. They can’t decide on one. So, they split up, except for one of the girls. She anxiously glances between the two dark paths her friends disappeared into. Day steps towards her, his hand raised to help. He and the girl hear a loud thump at the same time. He spins to look at the corn stalks behind her. He freezes at the sight of dark liquid dripping onto the ground. He inhales sharply, the girl screams. Day looks up–

“Daylight!”

Day’s senses come flooding back, everything is too much and he covers his ears with a whine. He takes a deep breath as he tries to feel normal again. The girl’s scream echoes in his ears and Day jolts up.

“Kid?” Mr. Schmidt asks. He, Freddy, and Goldie hover around him.

“The girl,” Day panics as he scrambles to his feet. He can feel the horror lingering. He doesn’t know if what he saw is real, but he has to look. He has to make sure. He has to.

“Kid, hold–” Goldie’s words are lost as Day sprints away. He skirts past everyone waiting by the maze entrance. He hears Bubba call after him confused. Day runs through the paths, he's’ seen the map of it enough times he basically has it memorized. He slides around corners and stumbles to a stop in the center of the maze. He can see the human girl looking back and forth between the two paths. Day’s eyes shoot to the stalks behind her.

He watches it emerge.

The monster, that’s the only description Day can think of for it, steps out on all fours. Its arm is disproportionately long, its scales almost glowing in the lantern light. Another arm appears, but this one is small and anthro sized. It’s head appears from the shadows. A misshapen, horrifying face of Iggy, the iguana that used to be in the student council. His orange eyes bulge out of his head. His pupils are gone–Day gags as he covers his nose. Putrid rot emanates from the iguana as he steps closer. His back legs are both long, but not the same length, scales missing in patches. His tail is longer, scaly, but also missing in patches. It has to be the tail Day saw on the stables. Thick black liquid drips from his eyes like tears. Iggy laughs a deep, raspy sound as he jumps and lands a few steps away from Day.

“Newbie,” Iggy rasps. “Suffer,” a hand missing a few fingers lifts into the air. “Praise him!” The human girl screams and Day rolls out of the way. A crater forms under Iggy’s deformed hand. Day pops onto his feet and lets the training take over, this is what it’s for.

“RUN!” He shouts at her. She trips on her feet, but runs into the dark path she and her friends came from. Day takes off in the opposite direction, glancing behind him to make sure the monster is still following him. Day lunges to the side to avoid another hand trying to slam him into the ground. Day uses the momentum to roll onto his feet and dive into the corn stalks. They only used a third of the whole corn field for the maze, most of it is untouched. Day’s best chance of getting this monster away from innocents is leading it through the empty area and it should buy him time until help arrives. Day is hoping the stalks can hide his much smaller body, especially in the dark. He snatches the glowing crown off his head and tosses it up over the corn stalks to distract Iggy long enough to get more of a lead. Day takes a sharp turn towards the fence and away from where he tossed the crown.

“Newbie!” Iggy yells much closer than Day wants him to be. Day yanks the necklaces away from his neck, turns, and throws them at those creepy eyes behind him. Iggy hisses as he swipes them aside, black liquid spraying from his mouth. Day takes another sharp turn and heads straight for the fence. He can’t get over it in time to avoid Iggy–

Day is shoved onto his back, claws dig into his chest. He forces a wine of pain back down his throat. The rot smell is worse and Day meets dark brown, pupilless eyes.

It's the monster version of Jack, the hyena from the council. Somehow, Monster Jack is worse. His jaw is hanging open, revealing uneven, but sharp teeth. His fur is matted and stained black around his face. His breath is burning Day’s nose with its rotting stench. Iggy crashes through the stalks. The monsters look at each other and nod. It’s the oddest thing to see these horrifying versions of people nod like everything is normal. Iggy grabs Day just as Jack lifts his huge claws. Day doesn’t have the chance to escape. They both push up onto their back legs to stand. This gives Day a view of Jack’s legs. They might be the same length, but his knees have been bent backwards. His tail is nothing more than clumpy strings of fur.

“DAYLIGHT!”

“WHERE ARE YOU?”

“HERE!” Day shouts towards the direction of the shouts. He buries his claws into the scales keeping him trapped. Jack growls and Iggy brings his other fist down–

 

 

…

 

 

\\\\\\\

Day wakes up to screaming. He groggily tries to get up and look for danger, but he’s still trapped in scaly fingers.

“STOP!”

Oh no. Day recognizes that voice. He blinks the blood out of his eyes and forces himself to fight through his spinning vision.

“OBI!” Saph screams. Deep raspy laughing fills the air. “DON’T TOUCH MY SISTER!”

Day gets his vision to focus and oh stars.

Jack crouched over Obsidi, his unnaturally large hands pinning her arms to the grass. Obsidi’s legs look like they’re bent the wrong way. Jack laughs again, his loose jaw swinging and lunges. He sinks his teeth into Obsidi’s stomach and her scream is haunting. It’s a guttural painfilled screech. Jack digs his teeth into Obsidi and rips out her stomach. Obsidi’s screaming starts to gargle before stopping completely. Jack tosses the chunk of bloody flesh into the air, catches and swallows it.

“Tasty,” he rumbles in his distorted voice. Day doesn’t have anything in his stomach, but that doesn’t stop the need to vomit. The full moon provides just enough light into the small clearing that Day can see blood cover Jack’s mouth.

“Me next,” Iggy moves towards the limp dove.

“Mine,” Jack moves to stand protectively over Obsidi’s body. Day desperately looks for signs of life. It looks like her chest is moving, barely.

“Yours,” Jack jerks his head, his loose haw swinging, to where Saph is staring horrified at her sister. Saph isn’t being held down by anything, but she crawls forward with her hands to try and reach her sister, her legs dragging uselessly behind her. The dove’s blue eyes are wide and desperate. Iggy chuckles excitedly as he moves towards her.

No. NO. Not again. Day digs his claws into the disgusting hand holding him, but Iggy doesn’t react to it. His attention is focused solely on crying Saph. Day growls, he only has one option. Day reaches for his left bicep, digs his claws in, and rips the skin open. He digs his fingers into muscle and finds the small square buried there. He pulls it out and crushes it in his fingers. Now he needs to buy time. Day looks back at the horror happening and–

Both monsters are staring at him. Iggy’s tongue flicks in his direction and Jack’s nose is twitching. Iggy lifts Day closer to his unnaturally big mouth. Day dodges the first swipe of tongue, but the large hand holding him tightens painfully. The iguana's forked tongue, coated in black slime, licks the blood on his arm.

“Tasty,” Iggy rumbles.

“Me,” Jack growls and head butts the iguana.

“No,” Iggy growls. He raises Day above his head and uses his other hand to knock the hyena away. They immediately start to fight, the hand holding Day gets tighter. He grits his teeth against the pain. He needs to get out of this situation with Obsidi and Saph. A rustle of leaves is the only warning before something slams into Jack and the hyena flies into the trees, breaking them. A loud, thunderous roar hurts Day’s ears. He covers them and it barely does anything. Even after the roar ends, his ears keep ringing. What could have–

Tigeria. The former council president is crouched on all fours like the other two. Her back legs are bent back at the knees. Her arms are big and muscular, but her fur is clumpy and bald patches spread all over her body. It looks like someone pulled her head and feet apart to extend her spine. Day looks at her face and gags, not just from the smell this time. Half of Tig’s face is a mangled mess of blood and flesh. One eye and ear are completely gone. Her nose and mouth are hanging from her head. Her very sharp teeth are visible through the mess.

Oh, stars. Day can’t look at her as he tries to breath past the urge to vomit. The putrid smell of rot makes it nearly impossible. Day keeps his hand plastered over his mouth and nose.

“Mine,” Tig growls in a distorted voice. Day expects Iggy to fight her like he did Jack, but the iguana lowers his head and puts Day on the ground. Day sees the chance and barely dodges the fangs that lunge for him. He gets to his feet and runs for the nearest tree. He can feel hot breaths on the back of his neck. He makes a sudden dash to the side right in front of the tree. He hears a thunk and crack as Tig hits the tree and it breaks. Day scrambles onto his feet and runs to the mutilated dove. He stumbles to a stop by Obsidi. Blood is pooling around her. Day needs to make sure she’s breathing–

Iggy starts to laugh, putting Day on edge. He glares up at the iguana, but Iggy isn’t looking at him. He’s looking at Tig as she awkwardly pushes herself up from the remains of the tree. She lunges at the iguana, her mouth open and black liquid falling from her mouth. Iggy knocks her to the side with his tail. The two monsters growl at each other and the fight begins. Day needs to get himself and the twins out of here. This is his chance. He leans over Obsidi and checks for a pulse in her neck. He breathes a little easier at the faint pulse he finds. Day swallows and forces himself to look down at her wound. Her stomach is completely gone. He can see organs and her ribs–

“Obi,” Saph cries weakly. Day whips his head around to see Saph much closer than she was before. She digs her feathered hands into the grass and drags her body forward. Day stands to help her. He sees the blood trail behind her. One of her legs is shredded, the other bent and twisting in a way it shouldn’t.

“Saph,” Day hurries over and hesitates. How should he do this? Could he carry both of them? Not without making their injuries worse. He’s running out of time. There has to be a way–

CRACK

Day sees Jack just as his hanging jaw is an arm’s length away. The hyena is lunging for the injured dove not looking in his direction. Day throws himself over Saph and teeth sink into his back.

Day screams.

“Day,” Saph cries. The teeth dig in, pain erupts and spreads. Day tries to–

 

SNAP

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

\\\\\\

 

Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. PaIN. pAiN. PAIN.

 

 

 

 

 

PAIN

 

 

 

 

 

PAIN

 

 

 

 

 

Make it stop.

 

 

 

 

 

Please.

 

 

 

 

 

Please.

 

 

 

 

 

P

 

L

 

E

 

A

 

S

 

E

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day wakes up.

Maybe. He can hear noises around him and feel something covering him. That’s about as much as he can tell-wait. There’s something on his face. It’s over his mouth, blocking his nose. He doesn’t like that. Day tries to reach up to move it, but his body isn’t responding. He tries to move his hand. Nothing happens. Why can’t he move his hand? Why can’t he open his eyes? A beeping sound starts to get faster somewhere. It doesn’t matter because he can’t move.

“He’s panicking!”

“Add more to his IV.”

“Shh, it’s ok. Calm down, Daylight. You’re safe,” someone says soothingly. Don’t they understand? Day can’t move! Why can't he move? He needs…to…move…

 

 

 

 

 

Day hears screaming. He stumbles toward it and realizes he’s on the roof of the student building. Smoke is filling the air. Day looks over the edge of the roof and finds chaos. Students are running and screaming. Teachers and evolved anthros are trying to protect them and fight.

Their enemies look like Iggy and Jack. Deformed anthros are attacking everyone and destroying everything else. The astrology and music buildings have already collapsed. Day trembles as he stares, horrified. How can this be happening? He looks farther into the distance and sees bright colors rushing around. Are they–

“Stars, help us,” someone says behind him. Day whips around, bracing for an attack. He comes face to face with-himself. Day’s gaze darts over the other him, kneeling on the roof. Is…is he evolved? His arms look longer, his shoulders broader.

“There has to be a way to fix this,” the bigger him says desperately. “Or end it once and for all.” The big him bends over and coughs into his hand, blood spews out of his mouth. He wipes it away carelessly as he focuses back on the chaos. “There has to be something.”

Day realizes this other him may have evolved, but he looks sick and wounded. Blood has dried into his fur on his arms and face. His face is too boney to be natural. Bandages peek out from under his clothes. What happened to him? What is happening to the academy? Is this even real? Is Day losing his mind? Lost in his thoughts, Day doesn’t notice the way his other self freezes. His eyes lock on something on the edge of the roof behind Day. The bigger version glares at whatever it is, his lips start to pull back to reveal his fangs. Day does notice when his evolved self tries to stand, but his legs buckle and he falls back to his knees.

“Easy, sunshine–”

 

 

 

 

 

Day’s senses flood back. Voices bang on his ear drums. A chemical smell invades his nose, making him nauseous. The stiff fabric under him is uncomfortable. It’s all too much.

“Day?”

Poppy? Day tries to open his eyes, but his body won’t cooperate.

“Day, please say something,” Poppy practically begs.

“Excuse me, Miss Playtime,” someone else says. “He needs more time to heal. I must put him back under.”

“Fine,” Poppy says, upset. Day actually feels her lift his hand in both of hers. “I’m here, Day. I’ll make sure you get out of this situation better than ever.”

Day wants to ask so many questions. What's going on? Where is he? What happened? He doesn’t want to lose consciousness again. He can hear screams. He can smell blood. He can see Obsidi’s stomach getting ripped out.

“His nose is bleeding!” Poppy cries.

“What?” the other person asks.

Day tries to fight the darkness. He doesn’t…want…to…

 

 

 

 

 

He wakes up slowly. He becomes aware of voices. He can feel stiff sheets and the weight of a blanket. Chemical smells invade his nose as he breathes. The voices start to make sense to him.

“He should wake soon, Miss Playtime. Call if you need anything,” a stranger says. Silence answers her. Day feels a slightly bigger hand lift his up. Another one traces letters on the back of his hand.

I LOVE YOU

It’s just enough for Day to push his heavy eyelids open. Bright light has him slamming them back down. Ow.

“Day?” Poppy asks. Her hand squeezes his.

Day squints his eyes open. She’s standing over him. Their eyes connect and she smiles. It’s weak and her eyes are red like she’s been crying. Day tries to say something, but his mouth is dry and his throat clicks when he swallows.

“Here,” Poppy reaches for something and the bed starts to lift his top half until he’s sitting. Poppy is quick to adjust his pillows. “Is that comfortable? Do you need anything else? Water is right here,” Poppy lifts a cup and brings it to his lips. Day turns his head away. Why isn’t she letting him do it himself? His expression must say as much because she lowers it with a watery chuckle.

“Sorry, just, please? I’ll explain everything once you drink a little,” she lifts the cup again insistently. Day sighs through his nose and accepts a sip of water. He lifts his arm to hold it automatically, but he…can’t. Panic sets in. Why can’t he move his arm? What happened? Are Saph and Obsidi ok?

“Poh-s?” Day rasps out of his painful throat as he leans away from the mostly full cup. His tongue is too big and clumsy in his mouth. Poppy squeezes the cup too hard, water sloshes out and lands on Day’s chest. He looks down–

“Don’t,” Poppy cups his chin and forces his face to tilt up. “Just–let me explain first.”

Day feels his throat seal as Poppy’s face twists from panic, to sorrow, to fury. She closes her eyes, takes a breath, and lets it out. Her thumbs start to move gently over his cheeks.

“Ok,” Poppy says calmly. Too calmly. Day’s stomach somersaults with anxiety. “Ok. Let me start from the beginning.” Poppy pulls her hands away slowly, like she thinks he’ll look as soon as she does. Day is too scared to look down now. She settles on the bed beside him and covers his hand with her bigger one.

“The former members of Evol’s student council broke into the halloween festival. Two of them attacked the hayride towards the end of the night. Two Evol students were taken. Sapphire Dovely and Obsidian Dovely. Security and evolved anthros were focused on the incident.” Poppy stops, inhales sharply, starts again. “While attention was focused on the hayride, one of the former students snuck into the corn maze. He kidnapped another Evol student.” Poppy’s hand squeezes his. Day squeezes back, his throat clicking with another swallow. Poppy pulls her hand away to grab the cup and bring it back to his lips. Day lets her. He’s too tired and anxious and not completely present. He takes two sips and turns his head away again. He can feel his muscles stretch. It’s like they haven’t moved in a while.

“The first person to find those disgusting monsters and the kidnapped students was a volunteer from the school. The new head nurse used a flare to alert the searchers and–” Poppy grits her teeth, “–distract the monsters long enough for help to arrive.”

Poppy stops and glares down at the bed. Day’s mind helpfully reminds him of what happened in that clearing under the full moon. He needs to know that the twins are ok. Day squeezes Poppy’s hand.

“Wha-pen?” Day croaks weakly. He feels sick again. Please, let them be alive.

“By the time angels were able to help you and the other students, Obsidian Dovely was missing her stomach and most of her left arm. Sapphire Dovely was unconscious and bleeding out. You were–” Poppy sucks in a breath. “–were–” Poppy hides her face behind her free hand. “Your s-spine was r–r–ripped–” A sob bursts from Poppy.

Oh.

He almost died. It’s not as scary a thought as it should be. Day closes his eyes and shakes his head. He weakly lifts a hand to his ear and pulls sharply. The spike of pain reminds him why he’s here. Day lowers his hand and opens his eyes. Poppy didn’t notice.

“Th..tins,” Day gets out of his scratchy throat. Poppy lets out what might be a shaky laugh.

“Of course you’re worried about someone else right now,” Poppy mumbles. “Both of the twins are alive. Sapphire Dovely is physically healed and is almost done with physical therapy. Obsidian Dovely was woken from her coma weeks ago and will be recovering for a few more months.”

“H-ow…l-ng?” Words are a little easier the more he pushes them out of his scratchy throat.

“The festival was two months ago,” Poppy scrubs away her tears. “Evol academy is almost done with winter break.”

What? He’s been like this…for two months? Evol is almost done with winter break? Are his friends ok? Did the festival fail? Is the student council ok? Did they throw a christmas party? He missed Christmas. That thought hurts more than he thought it would. He wanted to give presents to his friends. He wanted to celebrate with Poppy. There’s so much he wanted to do.

He lost so much time.

“Do you want to go back?” Poppy asks quietly. Day blinks back into the room. “I won’t force you to go back there. Or stick to our deal.”

Day shakes his head, wide eyed. She can’t be serious.

“I can find someone else. I don’t want you to get hurt again,” Poppy admits. Day can't find any words and just shakes his head again.

“You almost died!” Poppy snaps as she stands, dropping his hand. “I don’t care about the risks or what’s at stake! I can’t go through this again–”

Day reaches out, but she’s too far to reach. Poppy glares at his hand, then his face. Day tilts his head and wiggles his fingers. She exhales sharply and takes his hand in hers again.

“Pops,” Day’s voice cracks and he clears his throat, ignoring the pain. “I want to go back.”

“Is it because of those friends?” Poppy asks, her shoulders slumping. Day nods. He wants to see them again. He likes being around them.

“Too–much,” Day pauses to suck in a breath. “-at st-ake.”

“I know,” Poppy sighs. “I know.”

There isn’t anything more to say. Day squeezes Poppy’s hand and finally looks down at his arm. It looks normal? His fur is a little messy–what? Day stares at his wrist. Confused and a little scared. What is it?

“Pops,” Day rasps. She looks up and follows his gaze to his wrist. Her expression twists with fury.

“The angels,” she says like a curse. “Put those on you. They refused to tell me why. I’ve had specialists try to remove them. I even asked a few demons. None of them were successful.”

Day stares at the shiny gold band around his wrist. It gleams in the light of the room. It’s tight against his skin, but not painful. He looks at his other wrist and finds another band. They’re exactly the same.

“One of the demons was able to make it invisible to anyone who doesn’t know they’re there. You should be able to hide them under clothing too. I’ll keep looking for a way to get rid of them,” Poppy promises. Day stares at them and feels…overwhelmed. He was in a coma for two months. He missed christmas. He has more recovery ahead of him. Angels put theses things on him and–and–

Day shuts his burning eyes and tries to get his breathing under control. Poppy wraps her arms around him in a hug.

“It’ll be ok, Day,” She says softly. “We’ll get through this.”

Notes:

Uh...hi? I'm glad you made it. I'm still unsure about the warning, but felt like I had to put something. At least you don't see anyone die, right? Right?

Anywho, I tried something a little different with the spacing to increase the tension. I think it worked? Let me know how you are after that rollercoaster of a chapter

And as always, thank you for reading!

Chapter 10: Lots of Questions and Very Few Answers

Day doesn’t do well with silence. The car ride is tense and silent, ready to explode. He keeps his gaze locked out the window, trying to ignore the reflection of Poppy sitting with her arms crossed and staring at him. Day’s fingers nervously tap on his thigh until he curls his hand into a tight fist. His muscles pull, bones creak. He’s become more aware of his body after being so close to losing it. The physical therapy has really helped, but it’s a slow process. Day won’t be out of his wheelchair for at least another month, his physical therapist says it’s more likely two. Day’s just glad he can rotate his shoulders again, but he can’t lift anything heavier than ten pounds.

“Day,” Poppy sighs. Day’s ears pin back against his skull. “Are you sure you don’t want to wait?”

“Pops, I’ve missed so much already. I’ll have to make up for the classes I missed this summer. I don’t want to fall farther behind,” Day forces himself to look away from the window and meet Poppy’s eyes. “I want to see my friends. I want to thank the people that saved my life.” Poppy flinches at the reminder. “I want to get out of the hospital or I’m going to start chewing on the bed.”

It’s a weak joke, but Poppy relaxes just a little at the attempt. Day relaxes too. He had to use every tool in his arsenal to get her to let him come back to the academy. It might be too early, but he’s not going to survive sitting in a silent hospital room being haunted by grotesque monsters for much longer.

“Fine, but I want you to text me every three hours.”

“I know.”

“No walking around, stay in your wheelchair.”

“I can stand for a few minutes.”

“Stay. In. Your. Wheelchair.”

“Pops, I won’t push the limits of what I can do. I’ll check in every three hours. I’ll set up daily appointments with the head nurse. I won’t go anywhere alone. I can do this.”

“I know,” Poppy sighs and uncrosses her arms. “I know you can do this, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to stop worrying.”

“You’ve been so worried about me, the rest of the world must be suffering without you.”

“There would be less work when I go back if they were.”

“Poppy.”

“I know, stop trying to distract me. Are you sure you don’t want a different wheelchair?”

“I’m supposed to be blending in. How would I explain the monstrosity you wanted?” Day asks, lifting an eyebrow. When they were looking at wheelchairs to buy, she went for the most expensive, high tech option there was. Day managed to convince her to get something cheaper with better reviews. He didn’t plan on using the chair for long and he convinced her by keeping it an electric wheelchair. That wheelchair was sold out everywhere they looked. Poppy tried to throw money at the problem, but the chair still wouldn't be available by the time classes started again. Day used the opportunity to get a manual one. He needs some form of exercise while he’s recovering.

“You’re lucky we’re on a time crunch,” Poppy grumbles as she looks down at her phone. She can’t argue with him there.

“Besides, this is still a good wheelchair, Pops. I can tilt it, adjust it, and it’s neon yellow. There's now way someone will run into me and it won’t tip over,” Day grins, trying to lighten the mood.

“It works for now,” Poppy relents as she puts her phone back down. “Just…be careful.”

“Of course, Pops.”

Poppy’s phone starts to ring and she glares at it as she checks who the caller is. “I have to take this,” Poppy grumbles as she answers. Day uses the chance to check his own phone. It’s a new one. Poppy found out his screen was cracked and bought him a new one. She asked him how long it had been like that and what happened, but Day isn’t going to tell her it happened back in August when Bobby attacked him. Bobby might go missing if he did.

So, his old phone never made it back to him, but the rest of his stuff did. Kind of. Not long after he woke up, Day asked the nurse to bring him his stuff and she brought a mostly empty bag. Inside was his cracked phone, the lump from Goldie, and the money he had on him for the festival. All of the things he had in his pockets. He asked where his clothes were, even his underwear, socks, and shoes were gone. The nurse said they were unsalvageable and Poppy had them disposed of. After hearing how bad his injuries were and remembering…pain, Day didn’t ask anymore questions. Poppy brought him new clothes, took his old phone, and gave him a new one last night. He woke up to find the new phone waiting beside him.

The car slows down and starts to turn, it brings Day back to the present moment. He sees the sign directing people up the short road to reach the academy. Day glances at Poppy who’s glaring out the window as she talks into the phone. He wonders who it could be. Probably a work acquaintance. The car slows down as it pulls up to the gates. No one is there waiting, but Day feels a little relieved. He’s not sure how to explain the wheelchair and all of the complications that come with it to his friends yet.

“Day,” Poppy sets her phone face down and scoots over to unlock where his wheelchair is secured to the floor of the limo. Day unlocks the other side and grabs his bag of supplies. Poppy wraps him in a hug, her grip strong around his shoulders.

“I better not get any reports about you pushing yourself,” she threatens.

“I’m sure your hidden spies would stop me themselves,” Day pats her back. “Love you, Pops.”

“Love you, Day. Be safe.”

They squeeze each other again and pull apart as the driver opens the back door beside Day. Poppy retakes her seat towards the front of the limo, hidden from anyone that looks through the open door. The driver pulls out the new ramp attached to the car and makes sure it’s secure before stepping to the side, holding the door. Day rolls out of the car carefully, he’s only done this once before.

“Thanks, Bron,” Day says to the driver.

“Of course, sir,” Bron inclines his head politely and waits until Day is far enough away before sliding the ramp back and closing the door. The snow has been thankfully shoveled off the sidewalk, so Day can wheel on the sidewalk easier.

Day looks up at the gates and wonders how he’s supposed to open the closed gates. Poppy said they knew he was coming back at eleven. It’s ten fifty-five now. Is five minutes too early? They didn't forget right? Thankfully, Day doesn’t have to worry for long. Staticky gold light flashes in the corner of his eye and he turns to find Goldie standing there. He doesn’t look any different than last time Day saw him, other than the obvious winter additions of a hat, gloves, and a coat. The bear looks around and his eyebrows go up when he sees the limo.

“What a ride,” Goldie whistles in appreciation.

“Y-yeah,” Day tries to brush past his stutter. “Are you here to open the gate?”

“Gates don’t open until tomorrow. I’m here to personally take you to the academy prescient,” Goldie grins. His eyes flicker down to the wheelchair and his smile twitches, but doesn’t disappear.

“Really?” Day asks. He wants to see Feddy, but he thought he might have to wait a while as the new semester starts up.

“Freddybear insists,” Goldie walks behind him and takes hold of the handles on the back of the wheelchair. “Close your eyes kid.”

Day closes his eyes. He feels the same static on his fur and hears the pop in his ears that he did before when Goldie teleported him. Day opens his eyes and looks around Freddy’s bright office. The bear himself is sitting in one of the chairs that face out the window, scrolling on his phone. Day is surprised at the casual scene and hesitates to say anything. The gold bear steers Day’s wheelchair over to Freddy.

“That better not be fucking Nightmare,” Goldie says cheerfully. Freddy locks his screen and sighs.

“Language and,” Freddy sits up more in his chair to glare at his twin. “It’s none of your business.”

“You are always my business,” Goldie snaps back. “Especially when you’re making stupid decisions.”

Day had been watching Freddy, not Goldie. So he saw the hurt that flashed in his blue eyes before it was replaced with cool indifference. Freddy turns his focus on Day, silently dismissing his brother.

“Hello, Daylight. It’s good to see you up and about,” Freddy smiles warmly. His voice is kind, completely different from when he spoke with his brother. Day nods, not wanting to be on the receiving end of Freddy’s glare. Goldie scoffs and plops down in the chair on the other side of Freddy, who ignores him.

“I wanted to talk to you about what happened during the festival. The authorities would like a statement and I would like to know the whole story from you,” Freddy continues, watching Day’s face closely. “I can hold the authorities off a little while longer if you need more time.”

“I…thank you,” Day can’t maintain eye contact and looks down at where his arms are still wrapped around his bag. He should tell them what happened now and get it over with. He pulls his bag closer to his chest, hating how childish the action is. “I want to get it over with, but,” Day hesitates. “I don’t think I can talk about it yet.”

The stench of rot, Obsidi’s body, and black liquid flash into his mind. Day cringes away from the memories and forces himself to focus on the room around him again. Freddy’s face is soft and Day feels like the bear is reading him like a book.

“Ok,” Freddy agrees easily. “We won’t talk about it right now. Do you have any questions for me?”

“The twins, Sapphire and Obsidian Dovely, are they ok?”

“Obsidian is still recovering and won’t be returning to the academy this semester. Sapphire will be returning to her classes with the other students tomorrow.”

“Did anyone else…get hurt?”

“Thankfully, no,” Freddy frowns. “We aren’t sure, but it seemed like the Twisted had a plan that night.”

“Twisted?” Day asks.

“Ah, yes,” Freddy hesitates before sighing, setting his phone on the coffee table. “Most of the population doesn't know about those creatures that attacked you. We call them Twisted. They’re people who have become what you saw that night. There’s only been a total of six the past twenty years. They are dangerous because of their strength and violent tendencies, but they’re mindless. They don’t talk, remember things, or feel pain and don’t live for very long.”

“What?” Day asks, horror making his stomach turn. If that’s true, then what…what happened on halloween?

“What’s wrong?” Freddy asks.

“The-the Twisted weren’t mindless,” Day tells him, a pit in his stomach.

“What do you mean?” Freddy asks, his gaze sharp. Day hugs his bag closer to his chest. Distorted voices and misshapen features flash in his mind.

“They were talking,” Day says into the silence. “They remembered who I was. The…Twisted that night weren’t mindless.” Day glances up at the bear.

“That's not–” Freddy cuts off. “Are you sure?”

“I couldn’t forget that night if I tried,” Day confesses quietly, his gaze fixed on his feet.

“Fuck!” Freddy curses and it’s so startling to hear Day’s gaze snaps up to look at the usually composed bear. “This…changes things,” Freddy runs a hand through his hair and takes a breath. “Ok, Daylight. Would you be willing to have a bodyguard with you in the academy?”

“A bodyguard? Why?” Day asks. He’s inside Evol academy, one of the most secure places on the planet. His mind flashes to his dream with destroyed music and astrology buildings. Twisted running wild through the academy. Day wonders when his dreams started to get so intense. It must have been on halloween.

“With this new information we have…a theory,” Freddy explains slowly. “This is merely speculation, but it seemed like they had a plan on halloween. They attacked the hayride and took the Dovely twins. They used the twins to lure most of the security force into the woods opposite from the maze. One of them snuck into the cornfield and kidnapped you. Our theory is they wanted to get revenge on you for getting them kicked out of the school. We didn’t entertain that theory because Twisted shouldn't be able to plan things. We assumed someone was controlling them somehow.” Freddy scrubs his hands over his face. Day can feel the stress start to radiate from the bear.

“One got away,” Goldie pipes up.

“Goldie!” Freddy snaps at him, dropping his hands.

“What?” Day asks, barbed wire wrapping around his lungs. His vision starts to blur.

“Look at me, Daylight,” Freddy says calmly. Day’s mind isn’t working, he looks at the bear desperately. “Good, now watch me,” Freddy inhales slowly. Day can’t get his body to copy at first, but he does manage to follow after Freddy does about ten breaths. They breathe for a minute and Day feels embarrassment creep up his neck. Right on its heels is panic. He squeezes Freddy’s hand that is somehow holding his.

“Better?” Freddy asks patiently.

“Please,” Day practically begs for an explanation.

“Two Twisted were caught that night. We didn’t know there was a third until Miss Angel and the Dovely twins informed us. Tigeria escaped before we showed up. The search for her is ongoing,” Freddy says calmly, his hand a reassuring warmth in Day’s.

“What about Iggy and Jack?”

“The government took them. You won’t be seeing those two again. Tigeria will be caught soon, she can’t run from everyone.” Freddy squeezes his hand again. “That’s why we’re asking if you want a bodyguard. She might be after you still.”

“I…no,” Day takes a breath. He’s already had to fight Poppy on this exact thing. “I doubt Tig will try to attack me again, especially inside the academy.”

“I can’t force you…but until she’s caught,” Freddy meet’s Day’s eyes. “It would be safer if you stayed inside the academy.” Day’s lips twist into a frown. “I don’t want to ask this of you, but it’s for your safety and it shouldn’t take long for her to be found.”

“Fine,” Day agrees. He doesn’t want to have another drawn out ‘discussion’ about this like he did with Poppy a few days ago. Besides, he can sacrifice a few Sundays. He has before.

“Thank you,” Freddy squeezes his hand and lets go. “On a lighter topic, the head nurse, Miss Angel, would like to talk to you. Whenever you are available.”

“Thank you, Mr. Fazbear,” Day says automatically. Their conversation feels finished, but Day has questions of his own. How is the student council? What happened while Day was gone? Was there a Christmas fundraiser of some kind?

“One last thing,” Goldie cuts in. He’s been so quiet Day almost forgot he was there. “Kid, we found you unresponsive on the ground that night. Before you ran into the maze. What happened?”

Shit. Day was hoping they wouldn't ask. He…doesn’t know. He kept thinking they were dreams, but what kind of dream happens when you’re wide awake? What kind of dream makes his senses rush back like he’d been out of his body? Day wants answers as much as anyone else. Would Freddy and Goldie know? Or should he just make something up?

“Well-uh-that was–”

Freddy’s phone goes off. Its siren ringtone has both bears sitting straighter as Freddy answers it. He turns to look out the window, phone pressed to his ear.

“Subject T sighted on the northern edge of the Capital. All evolved in the surrounding areas report immediately.” Day can barely hear the robotic voice through the phone. Freddy pulls his phone away, his face grim and stands.

“Apologies Daylight, we can continue this later, we need to go. Contact my secretary for anything you need,” Freddy grabs his coat from where it’s laid across the back of his desk chair. Freddy pulls his coat on, Goldie holds onto his brother’s arm and they disappear in a flash of staticky gold light.

That’s one way to avoid talking about things. Not that Day had any control over that. He sighs and starts to roll his way to the door of the empty office. He rolls down the hall into the elevator. The doors close and Day rolls to the side where the buttons are. After pushing the button for the first floor, he uses the empty elevator to roll backwards so he’s facing the doors when they open. He still has to practice going backwards and going faster. His turning is much better than it was. He exits the elevator and rolls towards the front doors of the building. He glances at the secretary’s desk when he passes, but no one is there.

Day rolls outside and wonders what he should do next. His body is telling him to go to his dorm and rest. As much as Day might want to go, go, go! His body is definitely not able to. His brain is telling him this is a great time to see what the head nurse wants and to thank her for helping him. His body is begging for a break after doing so much activity already. In the end he has to thank the head nurse. She probably saved his and the twins’ lives.

Day starts rolling on the shoveled paths that snake across the academy. He isn’t going to risk getting stuck in the snow by trying to cut through it. He did that once already and it was humiliating to have himself pulled out of snow because his stupid body isn’t working correctly…maybe he really should sleep after this. Day inhales the icy air as he travels along the empty cement paths to the nurse’s office. It’s very close to the administration building where he just was, so he isn’t in the cold for long. Day has to hit the handicap button so the door opens automatically. He’s tried to open a door on his own and roll through. It was frustratingly difficult. Day reads the sign and follows the arrow to the head nurse’s office. He knocks on the door and silence answers him.

“Hello?” Day calls. He waits and stares down the wooden door with no button he can push to open it automatically. He can’t even get through doors without help anymore! The thought has frustration bubbling inside him.

“Can I help you?” a soft voice asks behind him. Day turns as much as he can without moving his wheelchair again. The person steps closer, within easy view. A human smiles apologetically. Her dark eyes flicker from his face to his arms, his legs, the chair and back to his face.

“Hello,” Day smiles gratefully. “Can you, um, open the door for me? I need to talk to the head nurse.”

“Are you Daylight Dog?” she asks.

“Yes, I was told she wants to talk to me?”

“Of course, come in,” the nice lady opens the door and holds it open for him. Day rolls through and the lady props the door open before leading him behind the front desk to a hallway. Doors line one side of the hall and the lady leads him to the very end where a sign says ‘Head Nurse: Alice Angel’.

“Right through here,” the lady says as she opens the door and props it open as well. There’s no one inside and Day worries they just broke into the office. “I’m sorry you had to wait, Mr. Dog. I’m the only one here until tomorrow. I should have left a note.” The lady flips the lights on, hangs her coat on the coat hanger by the door, and stashes her purse somewhere behind the desk.

“Miss Angel?” Day asks as he rolls farther into the room.

“Yes, it’s a pleasure to meet you,” Alice Angel smiles. “I won’t take up too much of your time,” she says as she grabs a chair by the window in her office and sets it down across from him, her long black hair swaying. She grabs a water bottle from behind her desk and offers it to him. Not wanting to seem rude, Day takes the water bottle and Alice sits with her own. There’s a beat of silence before Day decides to just jump into this uncomfortable conversation.

“I was told you were the one who found us,” Day starts cautiously.

“Yes, I heard…unpleasant sounds and followed them. It’s a good thing I was so far away from where we were told to search. It didn’t take long for help to arrive. I’m glad you are better, Mr. Dog,” Alice says sincerely.

“Thank you, for saving us. I don’t want to think about what would have happened if you hadn’t,” Day shudders as ripping flesh echoes in his ears. “I also wanted to ask you something.”

“Of course, go ahead,” Alice smiles encouragingly. Her dark eyes are kind, the mole under her right eye making her seem more human.

“Why did you put these on me?” Day lifts his wrist. The gold band shimmers under the artificial light of the office. Alice’s eyes flicker to it and away guiltily. She doesn’t say anything.

“Why are there so many?” Day asks next. He discovered there weren’t just the two on his wrists. He has one on each ankle, one on each bicep, and one around his waist. He didn’t notice until the first time he showered because the bands are practically unnoticeable.

“I–” Alice takes a breath and lets it out in one big gust. “Why do you think I know anything about that?” Day notices she doesn't outright deny she knows something.

“I’ve spent the last two weeks smelling angel magic as I recover. You have the same smell,” Day explains. He meets her eyes, ready to pull tooth and nail to get answers about what’s happened to him. Alice studies him for a second, her eyes still kind, but tired.

“You are correct, I am an angel of heaven. Please, don’t tell anyone,” Alice asks. “The people who need to know what I am already do.”

“I just want to know why these are on me,” Day says, lowering his wrist back into the arm rest.

“You aren't going to like my answer,” Alice smiles ruefully at him. “I don’t know.”

“...what?”

“Heaven’s Council ordered the healers to put those on you. I was not one of those healers nor am I part of the council. Think of me as a soldier that has healing abilities. I’m given orders to follow, and people to save,” Alice glances at his legs again. “I will help you heal, but I don’t know why those are on you. I’m sorry.”

“Can you take them off?”

“Only the angel who put them on you can take them off,” Alice’s smile is small and apologetic. He should have known it wouldn’t be that easy. Day feels the frustration bubble up again. Just as quickly it turns into anxiety. “Did you put these on the twins? Sapphire and Obsidian Dovely?”

“No,” Alice shakes her head. “They are both healing well, but Obsidian has a ways to go. Speaking of, you should head to your dorm to rest. The day after tomorrow classes start up again and you want to gather as much energy as you can.”

“I know,” Day sighs. That’s all he’s done since he woke up. Sleep, exercise his body, sleep, eat, exercise, sleep. A dull cycle of quiet he had no one to talk to most of the time. Day glances out the office window to the cloudy sky and gets completely derailed.

“Is that the constellation of the prophet?” Day asks. The ‘dream’ he had months ago comes to mind where stained glass moved a pair of eyes as if they were blinking. He hadn't really thought about that ‘dream’ since then.

“Hm?” Alice follows his gaze to the painting beside the window. It has a dark night sky with stars scattered across it. Three groups of stars in the dark sky are brighter than the others. The top group of stars make a pair of feathery wings with a halo on top of them. At the bottom, the stars make skeletal wings with horns on top of them. In the middle, between the two constellations is a human hand on the bottom and an anthro hand on top, a bright star between their palms.

“The trifecta of existence,” Alice says. “I always remember how important balance is when I come to earth. That all three realms must exist together and maintain balance. The angels above, the mortals in between, and demons below.”

Day barely remembers a story about the trifecta, but it’s a dim memory from…before. Those three constellations weren’t what caught his eye. His gaze is locked onto the constellation above the angel, the eyes of the prophet that were painted so it seemed like the eyes are staring directly at you.

“What about the prophet?” Day asks, turning back to Alice. He can’t look into those creepy eyes any longer.

“The prophet was an angel that lived during the Angel-Demon war ten millennia ago. History says she was able to see the past and future, her visions were alway accurate. She knew almost everything that had been and could ever be.”

Visions of the future. Day stares at the floor wide eyed. He saw what was going to happen in that maze. And when he ran inside, it started to happen just like he saw it. Wait, the academy being destroyed by the Twisted monsters…and himself evolved…was that a vision to? Is the school going to be destroyed? What about…whoever called him sunshine? Day’s mind immediately goes to Nap, but Nap didn’t sound like that voice and Day didn’t see who it was that said it. It could be anyone.

“All of that knowledge drove her mad,” Alice’s voice snaps Day back into the office with her. “The prophet took her own life during the war.”

“That’s…horrible,” Day says. Alice turns to him and smiles softly.

“Yes, it is. Who knows what we could have learned from her?” Alice shakes her head and stands. “Sorry, Mr. Day. I didn't mean to start us down the road of history. I wanted to do a physical check up while you’re here and schedule future appointments for your physical therapy.”

“Right,” Day tries not to sigh. He can’t wait for his legs to start working and his arms to be able to lift a heavy backpack again. At least he can move his arms freely now. He and Alice work out a schedule and she wishes him goodbye as he rolls into the hallway. That was a productive conversation, but it doesn't feel like it. He didn’t get any answers about why he has these bands on his body, the whole reason he wanted to talk to Alice. Day sighs, his body feeling heavier than before and rolls out of the building into the cold air. He heads for the dorms, not liking how he needs so much sleep and knowing ignoring will probably make his recovery even longer.

“DAY!”

Day jumps in alarm and turns the chair around just in time to get tackled. The force has the wheelchair rolling backwards off the path. The anti-tippers squeak under the force so he doesn’t fall out of the chair. Day scrambles to grab the wheels before they roll back more and sends the chair into the snow. The weight in his lap slides off. Day meets bright yellow eyes. Nap stands there, his hands gripping the arm rests of the wheelchair, leaning down so his and Day’s faces are close.

“H-Hi, Nap,” Day stutters. Nap is as cute as ever. Day missed him, he misses all his friends.

“Day,” Nap whipsers and–fuck. Nap’s eyes start to tear up.

“Hey, hey, don’t cry,” Day practically begs him. Day can't handle tears!

“You were gone for months,” Nap sniffles. “They wouldn’t tell us if you were even alive–” Nap’s voice breaks and a single tear escapes.

“I’m here,” Day reassures as he lets go of the wheels. He reaches up to cradle the cat’s face and wipe away the tear. “I’m fine. Don’t worry about me.”

Like a switch is flipped, sadness is replaced with anger. Nap grabs Day’s wrists and pins them onto the arm rests. The cat leans over Day even more, his sharp teeth bared.

“Don’t worry?” The hands holding his arms extend their claws. “DON’T WORRY!? Fuck you, Daylight Dog! Months without hearing from you! Months of wondering if you were even alive!” Nap starts to growl deep in his chest. “Then, you come back without any warning,” Nap let’s go of Day’s wrists to grab the back of the wheel chair right by Day’s head. “You come back in a fucking WHEELCHAIR!”

Nap glares at him, all sharp teeth and angry growling. And Day realizes he’s a terrible person because–Nap is hot when he’s mad. Day swallows and looks away, fighting a blush. Does Nap need to be this close when he’s mad–

“Fucking look at me,” Nap grabs his chin and forces their eyes to meet. “Don’t tell me not to worry about you!” Nap snaps. Day is pulled out of his embarrassment at the wording Nap used.

“Wha-why do you care so much?” Day asks, baffled. They’re friends at this point, but Nap has gotten mad at him constantly and makes Day do all these little things like tie his shoes–

“Because I like you!” Nap explodes as he shoves away from the wheelchair. Day’s mouth clicks shut. “Stars damn you! The first time we met and you gave me food just because you heard my stomach. I thought, he’s taking pity, he doesn't actually care.” Nap starts to pace in front of the wheelchair. “You saved Crafty and helped her when you didn’t even know her. You helped Kickin find a tutor, even when it isn’t your problem if he passes or fails. You helped Bobby when you found her hurt. You help strangers whenever they ask. You tie my shoes when we both know I am fully capable of doing it. You give me your dessert every fucking time we eat and you’ve never told me to fuck off!” Nap stops pacing and rounds on Day. His yellow eyes bright with emotion, tear streaks in his fur. It’s enough for Day to unfreeze and open his mouth. Nap growls again and grabs the armrests pulling the chair closer to himself and gets right in Day’s face again.

“You can't be this nice,” Nap growls. “Is what I thought for months. I kept waiting for the mask to fall off. I kept trying to push for that break, but it didn’t happen.” Nap glares at Day, his long tail flicking in agitation behind him. “On halloween we have a great fucking time right before you run into a maze and disappear for months. To save some human girl.”

Nap glares at him, his eyes are still red and his breathing is heavy. Day can only think of one thing to do. He leans forward and presses his forehead against Nap’s. The cat’s breathing stutters as he stares back wide eyed.

“I like you too, Nap,” Day confesses quietly. He can’t help the bright smile that grows on his face.

“I just told you I’ve been trying to make you upset for months and you tell me you like me?” Nap asks, disbelieving.

“Actually, it makes more sense now that I know,” Day chuckles. Nap’s pretty yellow eyes stare into Day’s muddy brown. Nap’s breathing starts to settle. There’s an electric feeling in the air. Nap gently cradles Day’s chin again and tilts his head so their lips–

“DAY!”

“NAP!”

Kickin? Picky? Day starts to pull away, but Nap doesn’t let go of his chin.

“Just ignore them, they’ll go away,” Nap grumbles. He’s proven wrong as the voices get closer. Day chuckles and removes Nap’s hand from his chin, pressing a quick kiss to it and leaning around him. Kickin and Picky are running towards them from the direction of the cafeteria.

“Guys!” Day waves excitedly. He ignores Nap’s grumbling, too excited to see more friends. What are they doing here? Students don’t arrive until tomorrow. Nap walks around to grab the handles on Day’s wheelchair and starts to push him towards the chicken and pig. Nap keeps his pace steady. Kickin and Picky seem too excited to wait as they keep running to meet them. Kickin gets to them first and his grin is huge.

“Day!” Kickin lurches forward and hugs him.

“Hey, Kicks,” Day squeezes the chicken as much as he can, his tail wagging excitedly through the gap in his wheelchair. A growl starts up behind Day and he makes another connection. Nap was jealous all those times, but not because he was jealous of Day. He was jealous of everyone who interacted with Day. It doesn’t make Day’s heart do the weird flutter in his chest. He isn’t flattered that Nap gets jealous. He isn’t. Really.

“Day you’re back!” Picky gasps excitedly. Kickin pulls back and Picky replaces him with her own hug, both of them gentle and not applying any pressure.

“Did you miss me?” Day teases.

“Yes,” they say immediately, honestly.

“Oh,” Day sniffles at the punch of emotion that hits him. Nap’s palm presses against his spine, rubbing reassuringly. It makes the punch sting even more.

“We have a surprise for you,” Picky explains. She glances behind him and immediately looks away. “It’s in the cafeteria, c’mon.”

Picky leads the way back, Kickin walks beside Day, and Nap pushes the wheelchair. Despite the chilly bite in the air, Day feels warm. His friends are happy to see him! Nap just confessed! Day just confessed!

“Hey, Day?” Kickin asks.

“Yes?” Day couldn’t stop his tail from wagging even if he tried.

“Are you…ok?” Kickin’s eyes flicker to the wheelchair.

“Oh,” Day’s tail starts to slow down. “I’m fi–” Nap loudly clears his throat. Day sighs dramatically. “I am fine. I’m not completely recovered, obviously,” Day motions to his legs and the wheelchair. “I still have some recovery ahead of me, but I should be on my feet again in a few months.”

“And nothing hurts?” Picky slows down a little so she’s on his other side. Day doesn’t know how to explain that pain has been a constant presence he barely notices until it spikes.

“Picky,” Nap hisses at her. Making Day realize he took too long to answer.

“I-I’m sorry!” Picky apologizes.

“It’s ok, Picky,” Day assures her. He turns to shoot Nap a look over his shoulder. Nap just looks right back, not backing down.

“We’re here!” Kickin interrupts. The chicken hurries forward and pulls the door open, then pauses as he realizes there are little stairs in front of the doors.

“Oh, um,” Kickin says awkwardly. Nap sighs loudly and turns the wheelchair towards the zig zag of a ramp that’s off to the side. Its turns are sharp and the distance between are a little steep. Nap starts pushing him up without a word.

“Nap,” Day tries to tell the cat he doesn't need to do this.

“I’ve got it, sunshine,” Nap assures him. Day's mind flashes to the last time he heard that in his might be a vision. He forces it back out of his mind and helps Nap with the turns. They make it up in no time. Picky and Kickin are waiting by the doors, still being held open. Inside the cafeteria lights are off and he doesn’t see anyone.

“What–”

“SURPRISE!”

Day jumps in alarm for the second time that day. His friends jump out from behind tables and chairs that hid them in the darkness. Hoppy and Bobby blow loudly into kazoos. Bubba and Crafty wave colorful streamers around.

“Ta-da!” Kickin says as he and Picky wave their hands like they’re revealing a huge surprise.

“Guys!” Day says excitedly. His tail is probably hitting Nap, but the cat doesn't say anything. Day’s first instinct is to run over and hug everyone he can, but his arms tremble when he braces his weight on them. His legs are as uncooperative as usual. He recovers quickly and opens his arms with a big smile. “Bring it in!” To his surprise they all scramble forward and hug him one by one just as gently as Kickin and Hoppy did.

“Ready to party? We made a cake!” Picky says excitedly.

“Of course!” Day agrees. He can ignore the weight of his limbs and the drag of his mind for a few hours. He wouldn't miss this party for the world. Nap pushes him to the head of a table and his friends take seats around it. Day is served a whole banquet, not just cake. Picky and Bubba bring out the food and Picky gives Day the first serving every time. Everyone talks excitedly around the table. Some topics are carefully avoided to keep up the bright atmosphere. Day thought eating together was going to be the whole party, but his friends are the best. They roll out a round table with a small christmas tree surrounded by presents.

“Guys,” Day whines. “I don’t have anything for you.”

“That’s ok,” Bobby assures as she grips his hand. She’s been hovering close for most of the afternoon. Nap is sticking close too, holding his other hand hostage.

“You just have to get us twice as much stuff next year,” Hoppy calls as she pushes the tree closer.

“No, you don’t,” Bubba quickly corrects. He gives Hoppy a look and hers is twice as annoyed.

“We’re so happy to have you here,” Bobby cuts in as she stands to pull the table closer. Bubba and Hoppy resume pushing it without looking at each other. “Go ahead and start with whichever present you want!”

Day studies the presents and realizes there are eight instead of seven. “Did someone get me two?”

“Just open them!” Kickin grins.

Day chuckles and grabs a bright red present with little trees on it. It fits in his palm nicely. This one is from Bubba. Day rips open the paper, curious what the elephant got him. Day cuts the tape on the box inside with his claw and opens the box to find a watch inside. It’s a shiny gold watch with a leather strap and gold letters. Day turns to Bubba with raised eyebrows. Surely, this isn't one of those expensive ones. Bubba isn’t Poppy.

“It’s something I found on sale at the mall,” Bubba’s trunk curls nervously. “I know how busy you are and thought a watch might be easier than having to pull out your phone all the time.”

“Bubba,” Day holds his hand out. The elephant sighs, but moves away from the table to hug Day. “Thank you, Bubba,” Day whispers into his large ear.

“It’s nothing,” Bubba mumbles as he retreats, his ears just a little red. Day grins and looks around for where he can set his watch. His lap isn’t big enough to fit all of the presents. Bobby offers to take it and puts it on the table beside her.

Day opens every present and makes sure to hug and thank all of them. His friends didn’t have to do this, but they set up this party and made sure he got his christmas presents. Hoppy got him a new pair of sneakers, yellow ones for some reason. Picky got him a box of caffeine free chocolate that Day can actually eat. Kickin gave him a collection of rainbow hair ties. Bobby hands hers over excitedly and Day is quick to rip it open. She gave him an orange sun themed journal. When he hugs her she whispers, “It’s more helpful than you think to write your thoughts.”

Crafty tried to run away when he grabbed her present, but Bobby unforgivingly kept her locked in a hug. Day opened the box and found a framed drawing of himself. He’s leaning against the window in the student council president’s office, dressed like a king. An elaborate crown on his head and a cape with fur along the edge draped over his shoulders. His clothes are from sometime during the 1800s. His expression is distant as he gazes out the window, his arms crossed. Crafty drew him more handsome and mysterious than Day actually is. He chuckles and gives the shy unicorn a hug too.

“Where did you get inspiration for this?” Day asks curiously as they pull apart.

“When we were seeing if our ‘costumes’ fit. You’re very inspirational,” Crafty admits with pink cheeks. Day squeezes her again for being so cute. Nap’s almost growl behind him reminds him that there is only one person he hasn't gotten a gift from. There are two big presents on the table. Day grabs the one wrapped in night sky wrapping paper. Of course it’s from Nap. Day eagerly rips open the large box and finds a very soft, fluffy blanket with the sun and moon on it. Day feels the blanket with his fingers and turns to smile at Nap. He holds his hands out like he has for everyone else. Nap leans over the armrest and hugs him.

“Merry Christmas,” Nap presses his lips to Day’s cheek, hiding it behind his arm from the others. Heat erupts under Day’s fur and he knows it’s spread all over his face. When Nap pulls away the others roll their eyes and giggle. He wonders if they knew how Nap and Day felt about each other this whole time.

“Last one!” Bobby grins and hands him the last box. There’s no name saying who got him this one. Day opens it carefully, his friends watching eagerly. Inside the box is a collection of bone plushies. They’re smaller than the one Poppy got him and in a variety of colors. Day realizes the colors match with each of his friends. Red for Bobby, pink for Picky, yellow for Kickin, green for Hoppy, blue for Bubba, white for Crafty, and purple for Nap. Day’s throat gets tight and his eyes start to burn. He swears his meds are making him more emotional.

“We wanted to get you something that’ll remind you of us,” Bobby smiles. It’s the last straw. Day sniffles and the tears escape as he looks up at his amazing, bestest friends in the world.

“Thank you,” Day hiccups.

“Aw, buddy,” Kickin grins with suspiciously damp eyes. Day hugs everyone again in an awkward group hug. He loves them so much.

Notes:

Yellow again! I don't know how much this will heal you after the last chapter, but I hope you enjoy it anyway. Also, I've been reading the comments and-I think I've woken something up. I'm a little scared.
Thank everyone who's shown this fic love so far! See you in the next one!

Chapter 11: Tensions

The warm hearted fun has to end at some point. After the party is cleaned up, and a janitor comes into the cafeteria to kick them out, everyone ends up in Day and Kickin’s dorm room. The exhaustion is a very real and heavy weight. Day knows he shouldn’t fight it and just explain he needs a quick nap, as embarrassing as it is to need a nap like a little kid. He doesn’t get the chance as everyone settles down on the beds, desk chairs, and the floor. The tense silence doesn’t last for long.

“So, Day, um…” Bobby trails off, unsure how to start this conversation.

“What happened?” Bubba leans forward from where he is on the floor.

“Really, Bubba?” Bobby frowns at him.

“What? It’s what we all want to know,” Bubba keeps his eyes on Day and ignores Bobby’s upset frown.

“What do you guys know?” Day cuts in, hoping to avoid a fight. He also needs to know how much he can share, he isn’t allowed to talk about things the public doesn’t already know.

“There was an attack that night,” Nap says from where he’s lying across Day’s bed. “The official statement says protesters snuck into the festival to cause chaos. Destroy things, scare people, kidnap students so they will be taken seriously. These protesters attacked the hayride and took two Evol students.”

“They also say that…you went into the maze when you heard a scream to check on people. You got lost in the cornfield and were kidnapped by the protesters too,” Bobby adds.

“The problem with that story is none of the people on the hayride and a human girl who was in the maze agree. They claim monsters attacked them. There have been a few video clips online, but none of them have high enough quality to know what exactly was recorded. The official statement doesn’t say who the protesters were and what exactly they were protesting against,” Bubba frowns as he glances down. “If I didn’t know better I would think something is being covered up.”

It’s scary to see how smart Bubba is sometimes. He guessed correctly, it is technically a cover up. Not that Day knows who is doing the cover up or how they’re keeping things a secret. He just knows what really happened. How exactly is he supposed to respond? Anything he says can’t disagree with the official statement. He signed a contract. Day is quiet too long as he thinks.

“It’s ok, i-if you don’t want to talk about it,” Crafty says quietly into the silence. Day sends her a grateful smile.

“I didn't know about the hayride until after I woke up in the hospital,” Day starts. “I was kidnapped in the cornfield and they knocked me out. I woke up in the woods somewhere. Saph and Obsidi were there too. The ones who took us, they hurt–” Day’s throat closes as blood and monsters flash in his mind. He had every intention of trying to explain, but barbed wire is wrapping around his lungs again. Day closes his eyes and takes a second to breathe.

“I’m sorry,” he finally gets out. “I can't talk about it yet.” Maybe if he wasn’t so tired he could find more effort to put into explaining.

“That’s ok, Day,” Bobby leans over from a desk chair to take his hand and squeeze it. “Don’t push yourself. Take as long as you need.”

“Thanks, Bobs,” Day summons a weak smile. She rolls her eyes at the ridiculous nickname. Day sees Bubba lean back and cross his arms with a frown. He must really want answers.

“Can you tell us about your injuries?” Picky asks after a minute.

“I was in a coma from a head injury and I need a few months of therapy to get my body to fully recover from it. So the wheelchair stays for a few months,” Day tells them. It’s easier to talk about the injuries themselves than how he got them.

“We’ll help!” Hoppy volunteers everyone.

“Yeah! We’ll get you back on your feet in no time!” Kickin grins. “Anything you need, just ask!”

“Thanks, everyone. If that’s the case,” Day is so embarrassed right now. “Can I get two hours to myself? I don’t have as much energy as I did before and I might fall asleep at any moment. Sorry.”

“Oh, don’t apologize!” Bobby is quick to let go of his hand and stand. “We can talk more later, right everyone?”

Everyone agrees as they filter out of the room, promising to see Day later. Nap leans over the back of the wheelchair, his arms sliding over Day’s shoulders.

“Sleeping sounds good to me,” Nap sighs. “Need help getting out of the chair?”

“I’ve got it,” Day turns to grin at the cat. “Thanks though.”

“You are not staying here, mister,” Bobby cuts in. Day turns his head back to watch her walk over to stand by the bed, her arms folded. “Day needs actual rest. You’re coming with the rest of us.”

“Wait, me too?” Kickin asks from his own bed.

“Don’t tell me what to do,” Nap says dangerously as his arms wrap around Day’s neck.

“Then stop acting like a child,” Bobby snaps back. Whoa, ok. Tensions are oddly high. Day turns his head just enough he can see Nap’s nose.

“I’ll be fine. It’s only for a few hours,” Day soothes.

“I don’t want to leave you here alone,” Nap mutters.

“Uh, hello?” Kickin waves his arms.

“I’ll text you as soon as I wake up,” Day presses his lips against Nap’s cheek. “Ok?”

“...ok. Fine,” Nap mutters as his arms let go. Day turns to Bobby and smiles.

“Thanks for understanding, Bobby. I’ll see you later,” Day grins. She nods and follows Nap out of the room. She grabs the door handle and stops to glare at Kickin.

“This is my room to!” Kickin defends himself.

“You better behave then,” Bobby threatens. She closes the door with a firm click, interrupting Kickin before he can retort. The chicken crosses his arms as he glares at the door.

“Sorry, Kickin,” Day says sheepishly. “You don’t have to stay, I’ll just be sleeping, nothing too exciting.”

“I’m not going out there,” Kickin huffs. “I wouldn’t mind a nap either. It was a long plane ride to get here.”

“How is everyone here, anyway? I thought students couldn’t come back until tomorrow?”

“We all got a message from Bobby in our school emails a few days ago. It said Mr. Fazbear would be willing to let us come back a day early because you would be coming back today. I…” Kickin runs his fingers through the feathers on his head. “I said no at first.”

“Oh,” Day says, his tired mind not helping him think of anything else to say.

“I only said that because I wasn’t sure if I could get my plane ticket switched for an earlier flight for the same price. I knew I couldn’t afford anything higher. I also wasn’t sure how meals would go. During the semester every student is given a certain amount of money for their meal tickets and I barely scraped by last semester. I didn’t know how I would cover more meals on my ticket and I doubted they would let us leave academy grounds just to grab food.” Kickin explains and tugs on the long feathers. “It’s not that I didn’t want to come, I just...couldn’t.”

“I get it, Kickin,” Day smiles sadly. He remembers wondering how or when he can eat again. “That changed somehow?”

“It turns out I wasn't the only one who was in difficult circumstances. Picky and Crafty had to decline for similar reasons. So, from what I've been told, Mr. Fazbear would take care of our meals and stuff, today and tomorrow, but we still have to get to the academy ourselves. As you can see,” Kickin waves his hand around their room, “we all made it.”

“Kiiiikcin!” Day whines, his eyes burning. His friends not only got him presents but came all the way here just because Day was coming today? “All of that just to see me?”

“Hey, no tears!” Kickin grabs some tissues and hands them over. “Just rest, buddy. Everything will be fine.”

“Ok,” Day sniffles and takes the tissues. He manages to find the energy to stand from the chair, wobbling so much Kickin rushes over to help him. Day shuffles a step forward and with Kickin’s help lays down on his back. Day reaches out for his bone plush from Poppy and clutches it to his chest. Briefly he debates asking Kickin to grab his new bone plushies, but he still has to clean them and they’re so far away at the end of his bed.

“Sleep tight, Kicks,” Day mumbles. His eyes are heavy and closing. He doesn't quite catch what Kickin says in response. Day can feel the fear from his nightmares cling to him when he wakes up.

 

---

 

Day is not hiding in a music practice room. He wouldn't hide from his friends. Why would he? It's not like one of them is always around him all day and night. It's not like a certain cat has become Day’s self appointed wheelchair pusher or anything. Kickin and Nap have tried to help him shower! Day is definitely not getting frustrated he has to fight for any kind of privacy.

…ok, fine. He is hiding. Orchestra is the only class where his friends can't stalk him. The new music teacher this semester, Mr. Lawrence, is strict about any kind of disturbances during practice. He kicks out students who aren't supposed to be there. None of Day’s friends have a music class, so Mr. Lawrence will kick them out. Day feels bad because his friends are amazing, but sweet stars above he needs an hour to himself. Is that too much to ask?

The last half hour of class, Mr. Lawrence sends the first chairs into practice rooms to work on their solos. Day happens to be the first chair violin and happily takes the half hour to be by himself. He practices his solos for the spring concert in May. He missed the winter concert so he wants to make sure he nails his solo for the spring one. When he gets tired of that he wonders if he can practice a few of the songs they’re going to play for Valentine’s. A loud knock on the practice door makes Day flinch in surprise.

“Mr. Dog, I appreciate your commitment, but I do have other places to go today,” Mr. Lawrence peeks his head in.

“R-right. Sorry, Mr. Lawerence. I’ll pack up and go,” Day is not reluctant to leave. Really.

“Fine,” Mr. Lawrence sighs as he starts taking a key off his inkwell keychain. “As the student council president and considering your positive reputation, I’ll give you the spare key to the music room.”

“Really?” Day starts to grin.

“Do not make me regret this,” Mr. Lawrence warns as he sets the key on the closed piano in the small room.

“Yes, Mr. Lawerence,” Day grins. The human rolls his eyes and leaves just as quickly as he entered.

Day didn't know until after the new semester began that Freddy had basically fired a lot of teachers and hired new ones. Mr. Lawrence is one of the new ones. Day isn’t sure if Freddy decided to replace all of the old staff or is trying to recover from the corruption Odette exposed all those months ago. Day sighs and shuts his music folder. He didn't know Odette for long, but he sent flowers to her funeral as a last goodbye months ago. It’s the least he could do.

Losing motivation, Day decides he should pack up. He doesn’t want to risk his friends barging in here if they find out Mr. Lawrence is gone. The human seems like the type to ban people. Day packs up his violin and music. He leaves the practice room and stores his violin in storage. He puts his folder in the shelves with everyone else’s. Day wants to bring his violin back to his room, it’s expensive because Poppy got involved again, and he doesn’t want to risk it getting stolen. Unfortunately, Day is still in a wheelchair and the violin case is a hassle to carry around all day from one class to another. He also doesn’t want his friends to believe him completely helpless more than they already do. Besides the storage room has lockers with keys for students who are willing to pay for it. Day finishes putting everything away and locking up his violin. Just in time to see Hoppy and Crafty peeking through the little window on the door. Day rolls over and Hoppy pushes it open when she thinks it’s safe.

“IS he gone?” Hoppy looks around the hallway.
“Yes, Mr. Lawrence left a few minutes ago,” Day assures her, amused.

“OK, good. Are you done, Day?” Hoppy grins as she opens the door wider.

“Almost,” Day says as he turns the chair enough he can reach the light switches on the wall.

“I got it,” Crafty hurries over and flips the lights off. Day pauses for a second.

“Thanks, Crafts,” Day says as he turns the chair towards the door. At least he can wheel himself right now.

“So, tell me what exactly happened in the student council a few weeks ago. Everyone’s being tight lipped about it,” Hoppy demands casually.

“Hoppy!” Crafty squeaks horrified.

“What makes you think something happened?” Day asks her. He turns the wheelchair slightly to put his most recently acquired key into the door to lock it.

“Bobby and Bubba are doing this weird dance of glaring at each other one moment to apologizing and–dare I say it–flirting the next,” Hoppy reports, like she’s trying to get an inside scoop of hot drama. It isn’t too far from the truth. Day fumbles with the key as he pulls it out and shoots a look at Crafty.

“I-I didn’t say anything,” Crafty quickly assures him.

“So, it is a secret?” Hoppy grins, “I won’t tell a soul.”

“Hoppy, it’s really more of a student council issue, not something for the whole student body to know,” Day says as he pulls his ring of keys from his backpack and starts to add the new key to it. He’ll have to label it when he gets back to his room.

“I’m kidding, Nap already told me about it,” Hoppy dismisses as she starts to push Day’s wheelchair down the hallway.

“He what?” Day asks her. He shares another look with Crafty who seems just as surprised.

“He said the council had terrible infighting while you were gone. Bubba and Bobby were close to getting expelled and Crafty was planning to get rid of everyone to take over. That’s why the Christmas banquet was such a failure,” Hoppy sighs. “I had such high hopes for you guys.”

“Is that the rumor going around right now?” Day asks, trying to figure out how to do damage control.

“Don’t worry, it probably hasn’t spread to the upperclassmen yet,” the rabbit assures him as they get to the exit doors of the music building.

“If I tell you what really happened, can you do some damage control with Bobby?” Day sighs. He doesn’t have the energy to deal with this. Crafty holds the door open as Hoppy pushes him through.

“Of course, boss!” Hoppy agrees easily. Day glances at Crafty and she nods. She lets the door close and pulls out her phone.

“Ok, this is what really happened the first Sunday after classes started…” Day starts tiredly as they start making their way to the dorms.

 

\

 

“Say that again, Bubba,” Day asks from where he’s in the doorway of the meeting room. He had to have heard wrong.

“You’re still recovering from your injuries. Until you’re ready, we can take care of any student council business,” Bubba explains.

“We just don't want to stress you out. Leave everything to us,” Bobby adds on. Day looks at the last member seated at the meeting table, but Crafty keeps her eyes on the notebook in front of her.

“Look, sunshine, just leave it to them–”

“NO,” Day snaps. The audacity. “No, I will not sit around and leave everything to you. I am the president. I want to help. I don’t need you all to decide what I can and can’t do!”

“Day–”

“We’re sorry,” Crafty interrupts Bobby. Bubba and Bobby look at her surprised. “We wanted to help, but our actions did the opposite.” The unicorn looks pointedly at Bobby and Bubba. The other two apologize too.

“Apology accepted,” Day sighs. Just because exhaustion is a constant companion now doesn’t mean he wants to stop doing things. “And you,” Day glares over his shoulder at Nap.

“I’m sorry,” Nap immediately apologizes and Day believes him.

“You’re forgiven, now fill me in on what I’ve missed. What did you guys do for christmas?” Day asks as Nap pushes him up to the meeting table. Day reaches out for his bag and Nap hands over his council notebook and pen.

“We couldn’t decide so we ended up having a banquet again. It arguably went better than Halloween because we didn’t have to cancel anything,” Bobby says as she flips backwards in her notebook.

“We made more money on our one night of the festival than we did at the christmas banquet,” Bubba sighs as he rubs his eyes. “We barely made any more than what it cost to throw the banquet. We really need to have a successful fundraiser soon.”

“We have to do something for Valentine’s Day,” Bobby says to the table as a whole.

“I know, but what? We can’t afford having another party to fail,” Bubba asks her.

“How about we do a series of small things?” Crafty asks as she fiddles with her pen.

“What are you thinking?” Day asks her.

“What if we have students pay for us to deliver flowers and a card to whoever they want personally?”

“I like it!” Bobby grins at Crafty.

“Where will the flowers come from? Are we going to make custom cards? Will we even be allowed to deliver these gifts during class?” Bubba asks.

“Seriously, Bubba?” Bobby asks, annoyed.

“We can’t just throw ideas around and magically make them happen,” Bubba responds just as annoyed. “You never think about the details.”

“You always have to–”

“Stop,” Day tells them. Surprisingly, they do. “Listen, it’s a good idea and cheaper than throwing a party. We can ask the gardening club if they would be willing to donate flowers or we can come to an agreement on what percentage of the profits they want. The cards can be customized by us. I believe the basement has extra cardstock.”

“We will have to push for the gardening club to donate flowers,” Bubba says as he writes in his notebook. “I’ll have to check, but I doubt there’s much cardstock in the basement.”

“What if we limit how many are available?” Crafty offers.

“What do you mean?” Bubba asks.

“Like, if we advertise, but emphasize there are only twenty gifts available?”

“I got it! What if we have cards available for a cheaper price, but a card and a bouquet together are more expensive? Everything can be limited to whatever we need it to be,” Bobby leans forward in her chair, hands moving rapidly.

“That could work if we get the gardening club to agree and find enough cardstock and ink,” Bubba flips a page in his notebook.

“That wasn’t that hard was it, Bubba,” Bobby smirks. Bubba stops and glares at her.

“Don’t brag, it’s not like you figured it out,” Bubba snaps at her. Bobby stands so fast her chair falls over.

“Why are you such a fucking–”

Day’s water bottle slams onto the table loud enough that everyone flinches. Crafty lifts her note book to hide behind. Bobby and Bubba won’t meet his eyes once their surprise fades.

“Language, Bobby,” Day reminds her. “Explain what is going on with all of you,” Day says, smiling politely.

“Nothing,” the culprits mumble together. Bobby picks up her chair and sits down again.

“Crafty,” Day smiles at her. “Please, explain.”

“Uh-they-I mean-um,” Crafty flounders under the attention of everyone.

“It’s fine, Day,” Bobby cuts in. “Bubba and I will figure this out.”

“Somehow,” Bubba mutters. Bobby’s hands curl into fists that she quickly hides under the table. Crafty’s notebook shield starts to bend under her grip.

“I believe I asked Crafty,” Day says calmly. “Unless you two are suddenly going to explain?” Silence answers him again. Nap is off to the side where he claimed two chairs for himself. The cat frowns at them and shrugs when he meets Day’s eyes. He doesn’t seem to know either. When Day turns back around, Bubba and Bobby look at anything except Day or each other. The silence is long and tense. Crafty slams her notebook on the table, shattering the silence.

“They messed up the Christmas banquet!” Crafty accuses the other two.

“Crafty!” two voices warn. The unicorn ignores them as she keeps talking.

“They couldn’t make up their minds about what to do for Christmas. They just kept shooting each other's ideas down until they ran out of time. By then, all they could do was fall back on what the previous council did for Christmas and threw that banquet. When it wasn’t very successful they started blaming each other and nothing has gotten done. We don’t have anything planned for this semester!”

Day looks at the bear and elephant for their thoughts and they both stare at Crafty like she grew a second head. Day can picture Bobby and Bubba arguing and completely steamrolling over Crafty. He remembers what she did to that sign when they were setting up the halloween festival. This situation must have been boiling for a while. Day feels his constant exhaustion tug on him. He really wishes he didn’t have to deal with this right now when he’s recovering.

“Ok,” Day rubs his eyes. “So, the council fell apart and failed, is what I’m hearing.”

“W-we didn’t fail,” Bubba weakly disagrees.

“Are you calling that sham of a banquet a success?” Crafty snaps.

“Crafty!” Bubba stands from his chair to tower over the unicorn.

“Stop it, both of you,” Bobby stands again as well.

“Mind your own business!” Bubba turns on her.

“Don’t tell me what to do!” Bobby growls back.

“This is why we’re falling apart!” Crafty throws her hands up. From there all three start to argue. They vent about what might be months worth of frustration at each other. Day props his head on his hand as he watches.

“You aren’t going to stop them?” Nap asks quietly. He crouches beside Day’s wheelchair, something he does a lot recently.

“If I had the energy I would have as soon as they started. Right now, I think they need to vent, so unless they get physical, I’ll wait until they tire themselves out,” Day sighs as he pulls his notebook into his lap.

“I could stop them,” Nap offers. Day can see the mischievous glint in Nap’s yellow eyes and dangerous smirk flash across his face.

“I’d rather you talk with me,” Day chuckles.

“Really?” Nap braces his arms on the armrest of the chair and shifts his weight so he looms over Day. “I might keep you to myself.”

“Bold words for someone who can’t get up before seven,” Day tilts his head up to keep his gaze on Nap’s cute face.

“Is that a challenge?” Nap grins as he leans closer. It would be so easy to lean forward and kiss the cat. So, so easy. Would Nap taste like lavender? Has he kissed anyone before? Would he want to kiss Day? Sure they confessed, but they haven’t decided what they are officially. Wait, does Day’s breath smell bad–Nap kisses him on the nose. Day blinks. What just happened?

“Silly sunshine,” Nap chuckles as he pulls away. He leans over to grab the chair he was using as a footstool. “Why don’t we come up with some ideas while we wait for them?”

“S-sure,” Day stumbles through the word. He shoves the disappointment into a box and throws it into the pit of his mind. They weren't going to kiss this soon and in public. Get your head out of the gutter Day!

“What if we do multiple small things?” Nap asks as he leans on the arm rest. The smell of lavender is very distracting and it’s all Day can smell. He needs to focus!

“What do you mean?” Day asks.

“What if we have the valentine delivery as one thing available. Some people won’t care that it’s happening because they don’t have anyone to send a gift to anyway.”

“It could be sent to a friend, but I see what you’re saying. More options for different situations.”

“Yep,” Nap pops the ‘p’.

“What if...we have a crafting booth? Like one place where people could come learn how to make something? We could change the craft every night!”

“How would you charge them?”

“I think if we charge everyone a little more than one set of the crafting supplies costs, it should make up the cost. If we do it multiple nights it would be easier to keep the price the same,” Day muses.

“I can see that working,” Nap agrees. Day writes it down, his mind puzzling through different ideas.

“I think flower delivery is a good idea. We need to see how many flowers we can get from the gardening club and if they ask for some of the profit before we can really decide on something concrete. I think, as long as we get flowers, we can make something like ten bouquets. Those we would price higher and advertise as something exclusive.”

“Really get the show offs to put their money where their mouths are?” Nap grins.

“That’s one way to put it. We can use all of the cardstock we have to make custom cards and charge less for them. We would have to let people write whatever they want on them and who it’s for.”

“You’ll definitely have to check the student registry for names and faces.”

“Is that on the website?”

“I don’t think so, but I've heard the student council president has access to more than the average student does.”

“Rumors are wild aren’t they?”

“So wild,” Nap wiggles his eyebrows. A laugh bursts from Day and Nap quickly joins him. They giggle until Day realizes the rest of the room is silent. He checks on the rest of the council and they’re all seated again, they’re shoulders sagging, not looking at each other.

“Are you guys done?” Day asks them. No answer. “That’s fine, Nap and I have this while you guys figure yourselves out. Continue.”

“He’s not part of the council,” Bubba objects tiredly.

“That’s so weird, he’s been more helpful than any of you,” Day gasps.

“Day, stop it,” Bobby sighs.

“No, I don’t think I will,” Day’s grin turns sharp. “I have to fight to be included in council meetings. The president,” Day emphasizes. “That isn’t even the worst part. You want to know the worst part?”

No answer again. Day isn't surprised. His exhaustion is shortening his temper by miles and now it’s showing.

“The worst part is I just learned I can’t trust any of you. None of you were able to work together and now we’re all suffering for it. You can’t even own up to your mistakes,” Day turns on Bobby first. “I thought I could trust you to lead while I was gone or at least keep everyone working together as a team.” Bobby flinches and rubs her arm.

Day turns on Crafty. “You were so quick to blame these two, but what did you do to stop them? Did you even try?” The unicorn blinks rapidly as she stares at her notebook.

Last is Bubba. “I didn't know this was possible, but you’ve stopped thinking. Was there no way to compromise at all? Were there no other options but to argue with each other?” Bubba’s trunk curls as he frowns. Day looks at them, waiting for them to say something. They don’t.

“Honestly, I’m not mad at you guys,” Day sighs as he leans back in his wheelchair, rubbing his heavy eyes. “I’m just,” he tilts his head back to look at the ceiling. “Disappointed.”

“Day, we’re sorry,” Bobby looks at the other two. “All of us.”

“Sorry,” Crafty fiddles with her pen.

“I apologize as well,” Bubba sighs as his trunk curls into a tight spiral before relaxing. “We have things to improve on and need to start putting differences aside to work together. We can’t fall apart like this again.”

“I agree, we need some team bonding to happen. Are you guys ready to actually get planning now?” Day asks. He might be tired, but they need to get some sort of plan thrown together soon. They have less than a month until Valentine's day and Day is pretty sure the calendar for this semester hasn’t been published.

“Yes, boss,” Bobby attempts to grin. They really start discussing what to do, the atmosphere gets lighter. The teamwork that Day knows they're capable of shines through. How did they fall apart before? Nap settles in his chair beside Day as the discussion continues.

 

\

 

Day skips the specifics of what he and Nap were talking about. No one needs to know he thought they were going to kiss even when it was definitely the wrong time and place. He tells Hoppy everything else as they travel through the cold air. No snow has fallen for a few weeks now.

“So, basically, Day walked in and whooped them back into shape,” Hoppy says surprised. “Didn’t think you had it in you, boss.”

“He also has us doing some bonding,” Crafty adds as she walks beside Day, her phone back in her pocket. “That might be why you think Bobby and Bubba are flirting.”

“Bonding? How so?”

“Everyone has to have at least two one-on-one meals with the other members. Bobby and Bubba didn't think it was going to change anything, but they usually have breakfast together now,” Day says, fighting back a yawn. He wants to take his hour nap in his room before he meets everyone for dinner.

“Opposites attract,” Crafty whispers. Hoppy laughs.

“Good to hear that things are working out. I do have a question about Valentine’s Day. Will there really be a chocolate fountain?” Hoppy asks excitedly as they take a turn.

“Yep,” Crafty grins. “Ms. Chickatita insisted we have the entire cafeteria for two hours and a chocolate fountain makes every event better.”

“I have to go now!” Hoppy declares.

“Sorry, Hoppy. All of the tickets have been bought,” Crafty tells her.

“What? Already?”

“We didn’t think it would be such a success, but the tickets were all sold out the first week we made them available,” Day grins over at Crafty. “Next year, crafting nights will have to be part of the plan.”

“I’m going to make it happen,” Crafty promises.

“I can’t go to the special dinner? Not even to help?” Hoppy asks hopefully.

“The cooking club will be the wait staff and cooks. The council will be providing the entertainment and any other help we need that night,” Crafty explains.

“No! The chocolate fountain!” Hoppy cries. The dorm gets closer and gives Day an idea.

“Well, we could use help setting everything up and if the fountain is working by the time we’re done...” Day grins over his shoulder at the rabbit.

“You’re the best, boss!” Hoppy cheers as she leans over the back of the wheelchair and wraps her arms around his neck in a hug. Her chin lands on Day’s head over his hat. “Having the council president as your friend is great,” Hoppy says happily.

“Only the president?” Crafty asks.

“Well, he can veto the rest of you. So, yes, the president is the one you want to keep on your good side,” Hoppy explains seriously. Day chuckles at the explanation. Hoppy isn’t wrong about that, but Day doesn’t see a situation happening where he would need to do that. The council has been working like a well oiled machine the last few weeks.

“We should get going, Hops,” Crafty says as Day hides a yawn.

“Right, want us to help you to your room?” Hoppy asks as she lets go of his neck.

“I’ve got it. Thanks, ladies,” Day grins at them.

“See you at dinner!” Hoppy waves as she drags Crafty away. The unicorn waves back as they go. Day hopes Crafty got Bobby involved so Hoppy doesn't try to spread more rumors. He wheels the chair to the dorms and pushes the handicap button to open it. He wheels inside and heads for the thankfully empty elevator. The hardest part is when he gets to his room and has to scan his keycard, open the door before it locks again, and maneuver the wheelchair around so he can get inside. He manages it, but it’s exhausting. Kickin isn’t inside their room, he’ll be with Bubba and Picky in the library studying for at least another hour. Day rolls the chair over to the bed, ready to awkwardly crawl in and sleep for an hour…but he should really call Poppy in this rare moment where he’s alone. Day sighs and digs his phone out of his pocket, but realizes it’s the pocket with the lump instead. He shakes his head groggily and switches to the other side pocket and gets his phone out.

Poppy doesn’t answer. Annoyed, Day unloads his stuff onto his desk. He locks the wheelchair so it doesn’t roll away and carefully stands up. He shuffles forward a few steps and eases himself down onto the bed. He’s so glad the physical therapy has gotten him far enough he can take a few steps now. As soon as Day closes his eyes he’s asleep. It’s a wonderfully dreamless sleep and he feels well rested when he wakes up.

“Day?” Kickin asks.

“Yeah?” Day mumbles as he rubs his eyes.

“Oh good, you are alive,” Kickin says relieved.

“What?”

“Dude, it’s six thirty on Sunday.”

“WHAT?” Day sits up too fast and his muscles spasm at the sudden movement. He grits his teeth and breathes through it. He went to sleep Saturday afternoon, it’s already Sunday!?

“Easy, it’s ok. You needed the sleep,” Kickin says as he brings over Day’s water bottle.

“I was supposed to go to physical therapy last night,” Day groans. He takes the bottle from Kickin. “Thanks. Did anyone from the council stop by last night? I was supposed to go to our last meeting before Valentine's dinner tonight.”

“They asked about you last night, but I didn’t want to wake you up. They said they would catch up with you today.”

“Ok,” Day sighs and eases his body out of the bed, Kickin hovering in case Day falls. Day hasn’t fallen for weeks, but his friends hover anyway. Day tries to remember that when he gets frustrated with them they’re just worried. He stands for a few seconds on wobbly legs before sitting in the wheelchair again.

“Can I take over the bathroom?” Day asks to distract the chicken from Day’s trembling arms.

“Yeah, I’m done. I’ll be out here if you need anything,” Kickin says as Day grabs the few things he needs to take with him. Day’s shower routine takes twice as long as it used to. At least he’s reached the point where he can stand in the shower instead of sitting in the wheelchair. He’s kind of glad they picked waterproof one. Day finishes up in the bathroom as fast as he can and leaves the bathroom. Nap and Kickin are waiting when he gets out.

“Morning,” Nap grins. “Ready for breakfast?”

“Sure,” Day smiles back. “Will everyone else be joining us or will they be going out for the day?”

“They want to help set things up, just so everything is ready for tonight,” Nap grins.

“Let me grab my keys and stuff,” Day starts to wheel over, but Nap has Day's lanyard and keys in his hands. “Thanks,” Day says as he takes them from Nap. Day puts everything in his pockets. The keys and the lump in one pocket, his phone in another, and the lanyard around his neck.

“Let’s go,” Day says as he turns the wheelchair. He’ll have to come back later in the day to dress in something nicer for Valentine’s dinner tonight. Nap, as he has for over a month now, wheels Day around. They head for the cafeteria and find it busier than usual for a Sunday, but not loud enough Day needs his ear plugs. When they get inside Day waves at the table his friends have claimed as Nap pushes him into the breakfast line. Kickin leading the way. They get their food and Day gets to eat at the end of the table because it’s the only spot he can reach the table with his wheelchair.

“Morning, Day,” Bobby gives him and Nap a quick hug. The other suspects wave from where they are.

“Good morning, everyone,” Day smiles. He gets a chorus back of ‘good mornings’ and they start to eat. Those who aren’t in the council ask when they should be at the cafeteria to help. Hoppy loudly declares they can have some of the chocolate from the chocolate fountain if they finish fast enough. Picky says she’s so excited to cook with Chica tonight. Day hears Bubba mumble how he’s ready for all of this to finally be over. Bobby, who’s sitting right beside him jabs him in the side with her elbow. Bubba turns to her with a frown. Bobby raises her eyebrows at him. They stare for a second before Bubba sighs and nods. Bobby smiles and gives him a quick side hug. Bubba pats her head with his trunk. Maybe Hoppy had a point about them.

“Hey, boss?” Kickin asks a few seats away. They’ve called him that so much, Day responds to it easily now.

“Yeah?”

“What will happen to the leftover food tonight?” Kickin asks. Day raises his eyebrows and looks at Picky.

“Well-uh-the cooking club gets first dibs on any leftovers, but with how everything is portioned there should be little to none left over food,” Picky explains to him.

“We don’t get to try any of Chica’s famous pizza?” Kickin asks disappointed.

“Uh, no?” Picky says, unsure.

“The unfairness of it all!” Hoppy cries dramatically. She and Kickin lean against each other, hands to their foreheads.

“Clowns,” Nap mutters from his seat beside Day.

“I heard that!” Hoppy stands to point at Nap.

“Good,” Nap says as he takes a sip of his coffee.

“Be nice to each other,” Bobby warns them.

“Yes, mom,” Hoppy rolls her eyes.

“Good, I don’t have to get dad involved,” Bobby pats Bubba’s arm.

“Please, don’t get me involved,” Bubba tells her. “The divorce is almost finalized. I only have a week left of this chaos.”

“If only it would happen sooner!” Bobby huffs as she crosses her arms. “You never helped with the children anyway!” She leans away from the elephant. There’s a beat of silence before giggles erupt from everyone at the table. Day relaxes as he joins in. This is the best part of his time at the academy. Being with his friends.

They finish eating and walk towards the dorms to kill time until they can start preparing for tonight. Hoppy is ready to challenge everyone to a game of Uno. Kickin only ramps up her competitiveness. Day wonders how much blood is going to be spilled–bad thought. Day cringes at the horrifying memories of Obsidi’s stomach getting ripped out. Saph’s shredded leg. He’s been doing so well not being haunted by those memories.

Day thinks it would help him get over his nightmares if he could see Saph alive and well. One of the problems with that is she dropped out of the cooking class they shared. Day doesn't blame her, without Obsidi, her cooking partner gone, it would be awkward to stay in the class. Day would have offered to let her join him and Picky if she had stayed. The other problem is she seems to be avoiding Day. Whenever they would have crossed paths between classes or waved to each other by the cafeteria, she isn’t there. Day hasn’t seen her anywhere at all. How is that possible if she’s not avoiding him? Hoppy has told him she’s seen Saph in the exercise room every morning working out, so Saph is doing well. She just…doesn’t want to see him. Maybe she thinks seeing him will trigger memories of that horrible night. Or she thinks he failed to save her and Obsidi. That isn’t exactly untrue either, Day got caught, injured, and was in a coma for months. He didn't save anyone. He definitely needs to step up training this summer.

“Hey! Student council!”

Day blinks back to the present and turns to see Chica waving them down. Nap turns in that direction and the rest of their group follow. The evolved chicken grins as she eyes all eight of them.

“Yes, Miss Chikatita?” Day asks as Nap pulls him to a gentle stop. Has something gone wrong?

“Are you guys free for the next hour?” Chica asks.

“Yes, did something happen?” Day asks her, glancing at Bobby. The bear looks ready to tackle any problems.

“No, no, nothing has gone wrong. The cooking club can’t decide on a dessert for tonight. We need some outside opinions and who better than the student council?” Chica grins. Day tilts his head a little, confused.

“We decided on tiramisu and an ice cream sundae,” Picky says. “Why are they changing it?”

“Enough of the members decided they don’t want to do tiramisu anymore and it snowballed from there. As the group who’s in charge I came to find you,” Chica explains.

“Of course we’ll come help,” Day glances at Bobby.

“Would it be ok if our friends joined for the taste testing? The more opinions the better, right?” Bobby asks.

“The more the merrier,” Chica agrees as she starts to lead them to the cooking building. When they get inside one of the classrooms there’s a table set up in the front with a long line of desserts. The members of the cooking club are talking and cleaning the cooking stations. Chica motions Day’s group to stand along one side of the table, keeping Day on the end closest to the door.

“So, everyone with a dish come up and explain what it is and serve it to your judges,” Chica tells them. Day just ate breakfast so he isn’t sure if he can get through all of the desserts. In the corner of his eye he sees Picky walk over to Chica and whisper something to her. Chica grins and nods. Day doesn't quite catch what they say with the rising noise level in the classroom. Picky leaves the room quickly.

“O-ok, this is our chocolate cake, topped with strawberries and whipped cream,” a skunk says shyly as her partner, a mongoose, serves small portions to everyone. The mongoose hesitates when Day holds up a hand to stop him.

“Sorry,” Day tells him. “I can’t eat chocolate unless it’s caffeine free,” Day explains. Realization comes over the mongoose and he looks over at the skunk. She looks pale and it gets worse when Nap shakes his head as well to the chocolate cake. It looks and smells good, but he can't risk getting sick today. Day looks over the other plates as his friends try the cake. Most of the desserts on the table have chocolate and guessing by the way the club members start whispering to each other they’ve realized the situation too. It isn't uncommon knowledge dogs and cats can’t eat chocolate without getting sick.

The first dessert Day can actually try and is the fourth in the line up of desserts, is carrot cake with cream cheese frosting. It’s good, just a little dry. The next dessert is an apple pie that smells amazing. It tastes different from the ones at Canine Hill, but it’s still good. After that are brownies that smell amazing, but look rather boring. The last plate of dessert are three red velvet cupcakes with pink cream cheese on top and little heart sprinkles. There’s a little bit of chocolate in red velvet so Day passes on those too. Just as taste testing of those finishes, the classroom door slams open and Picky is standing there with a plate.

“I have one too!” Picky says and walks straight up to Day. “Sorry, I don’t have enough made for everyone.” Picky sets the plate down and it's a small slice of cheesecake. “This is new york style cheesecake, with a strawberry on top and chocolate garnish.”

The cheesecake looks like it could be on the cover of a food magazine. Day accepts the fork Picky gives him and takes a small bite, carefully avoiding the shreds of chocolate on top of the cheese cake. He almost moans at how good it is. It's close to the best thing he’s ever tasted. He passes it over to Nap next. The cat takes a bite and smiles too as he tastes it. Nap passes it down and Kickin slides it directly to Bobby. When Bobby is done she slides it to Crafty who also tries it. Crafty slides it to Hoppy and the rabbit sadly passes the last of the cheesecake to Bubba.

“Great! Now that the judges have tried all of the desserts, the bakers need to leave so they can come to a decision in peace,” Chica says as she steps away from the door. The club members file out the door. “That means you as well, Picky.”

“R-right,” Picky looks back at them. “I won’t be mad if you don’t pick mine. Just be fair with your judgment.” Picky hurries out of the door. Chica smiles and closes the door behind the pig.

“Well, judges?” the evolved chicken asks.

“We shouldn’t pick any of the chocolate desserts,” Bubba says immediately.

“What? Why?” Hoppy asks him.

“Two of the eight of us couldn’t eat it. Those aren’t good odds for tonight at the dinner,” Bubba explains.

“I get what you’re saying,” Bobby looks over the plates. “But it’s Valentine’s Day, we have to have some sort of chocolate dessert.”

“Which one would you pick?” Kickin asks as he pulls the chocolate cake over and rotates it. “I liked the red velvet cupcakes the most.”

“They fit the theme very well,” Crafty adds as she looks at the others. “They tasted good too.”

“Was it better than Picky’s cheesecake?” Hoppy asks them.

“That was the best cheesecake I’ve ever had,” Nap admits quietly.

“I wanted to try it so bad,” Kickin complains.

“What do you think, boss?” Bubba asks Day.

“Miss Chikatita,” Day turns to the chicken watching silently. “They were fine with the sundaes, right?”

“The club is fine with them,” Chica confirms.

“The limit is only two desserts, correct?”

“With our current time and resources, yes.”

“Ok,” Day turns back to the table of desserts. “We’ll use the red velvet cupcakes.”

“Are you sure?” Bubba frowns.

“There are two options for dessert for a reason. We have plenty of toppings available for the sundaes, so everyone should be able to find something they can eat. It’s Valentine’s Day and the cupcakes fit that theme the best out of all of these. All of you liked it, right?” The others nod in agreement. “So we pick the cupcakes for the second option of dessert tonight,” Day turns to Chica. She grins back.

“That was easier than I thought it would be for you guys to decide. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure they have everything ready by tonight, president,” Chica smiles as she opens the door for them. Nap is quick to roll Day out of the room into the hallway. The rest of their group follow behind. The club members wave and smile as they shuffle back inside the classroom.

“Where’s Picky?” Bobby looks around.

“I hear her,” Hoppy heads to the open door across from where they were. Inside there’s some banging pots and pans. They find Picky washing dishes when they get inside.

“Here, Picky,” Kickin says, making Picky jump. “Sorry, let us help.”

“Ok,” Picky agrees. Kickin helps her with the dishes, Bobby and Hoppy wipe down the counter and equipment at the station Picky used to make the cheesecake. Bubba and Crafty put things away, with Day’s help. He and Picky are the only ones who know where things go in the cooking classrooms. Nap wanders over and puts a few things away with Bubba and Crafty. They finish cleaning in minutes with all of them working together.

“Thanks, guys,” Picky grins, she looks at their faces and sighs. “Who did you pick?”

“The red velvet cupcakes,” Bubba answers.

“That makes sense,” Picky nods. “I would have picked theirs too.”

“We loved your cheesecake, Picky. It just wasn’t quite what we needed for this event,” Bobby comforts her with a hug.

“It’s all good, I’m not mad at you guys. Next time, I’ll win for sure,” Picky hugs back.

“Now that the dessert crisis is over, let’s get going to the student building,” Bubba says as he leads the way down the hall and out the door. When they get outside and a ways away from the cooking building, Day asks Picky a question.

“Why weren’t you there when they decided to change the dessert, Picky?”

“Oh,” Picky looks away and grips her wrist. “Those were all upperclassmen in the club. They exclude underclassmen sometimes because we ‘don’t have enough experience’.”

“That isn’t fair!” Hoppy immediately declares. “How do they expect you to get experience if they stop you from participating?”

As the others agree and assure Picky her cheesecake was the best dessert there, Day glances at Bubba who nods and pulls out his notebook. He starts to write quickly as they continue walking. Day tunes back into the conversation to see the topic has moved on to the best desserts for different holidays. They walk around the student building to the back door. Bobby has her key to the building out before Day can even reach for his ring of keys. They enter the door and flip on the lights. When they get to the elevator they go in groups of two. After the…elevator incident a few months ago, they’ve never had more than three people in the elevator at a time. Nap pushes Day in first.

“W-wait, I don’t have to go first,” Day protests.

“You’re the president,” Nap shrugs as he pushes the button for the third floor.

“That doesn't mean I have to go first,” Day denies. He turns to the others for help.

“See you in a sec, boss!” Hoppy waves as the doors close.

“It’s because of the wheelchair, isn’t it?” Day sighs.

“That might be part of it,” Nap puts a hand on the armrest to lean closer. “The other part of it is they respect you.”

“I wonder if that’s really the reason,” Day mumbles as he looks down to grab his phone.

“What other reason is there?” Nap asks.

“Nothing important,” Day keeps his eyes on his phone as he checks the time. He isn’t going to tell Nap that the cat has basically strong-armed everyone else out of doing things for Day when the cat is around. The only time Nap isn’t there is when someone else gets to push Day around. (It’s not like Day got this chair specifically so he could push himself around or anything.)

“Uh huh, sure,” Nap says doubtfully. He lets it go as the doors open and he dutifully pushes Day out of the elevator.

“Any plans for tonight, Nap?” Day asks as they get to the president’s office.

“No, unfortunately. I don’t have a hot date tonight,” Nap sighs. Day picks the correct key from his ring of keys.

“Poor you,” Day chuckles as he unlocks the door. He isn’t jealous. Don’t think for a second that Day is jealous of Nap flirting with someone else. He’s not. Really.

Nap pulls open the door and Day freezes at what’s sitting on his desk. There is a big, bright bouquet in the plastic vases they put all of the bouquets in, on his desk. Day is too shocked to move, so Nap rolls him forward. Day thought they delivered all of the bouquets a few days ago. The cat hands the vase over and Day realizes there's a card on top of the flowers. It’s one of the custom cards the council made for their bouquets. Day reaches up and pulls the card down so he can open it.

 

Be my valentine?
–from Nap

 

Day looks up at the cat with big eyes. He didn’t think Nap would have cared about things like this. The most Nap spoke of Valentine’s was during that council meeting weeks ago.

“You look surprised, sunshine,” Nap chuckles. His cool demeanor is ruined by his anxiously flicking tail behind him. Day realizes, Nap actually, really likes him. He knew the cat liked him before, but it must not have sunk in until now or maybe it’s the exhaustion. Doesn’t matter. Nap likes him! Day’s tail goes wild and his ears are perked as he starts to smile. Nap starts to blush and looks away.

“You didn’t answer the question,” Nap mumbles as he grabs his anxious tail behind him. Day very carefully puts the card and flowers on his desk and offers his hands out to Nap.

“Come here, moonlight,” Day smiles. Nap’s face gets a little redder, but he does. Day reaches up to pull the cat’s head closer to his level, making Nap brace his hands on the armrests as he bends over.

“My answer,” Day says and kisses Nap’s forehead. “Is,” Day continues before kissing the cat’s nose. “Yes,” Day says softly as he meets Nap’s eyes and hovers his lips over the cat’s. Nap starts to purr, his yellow eyes dilate as he leans closer. Day can feel Nap’s breath ghost over his lips as they–

“Did it work?” Hoppy loudly whispers behind them.

“Oh no, we’re too early,” Kickin whisper exclaims.

“Everyone, go,” Bobby whisper yells at everyone. “Crafty! C’mon, what are you even writing?”

“Reference notes,” the unicorn says in a real whisper. Day and Nap unfreeze. The moment is gone.

“I’m going to kill them,” Nap growls. Day chuckles and presses a kiss to Nap’s cheek. There’s always next time.

“Don’t kill them until this summer. I need the help until then,” Day grins as he lets go of Nap.

“Only for you, sunshine,” Nap purrs and leans forward to rub his cheek against Day’s. “I am going to kiss you today. No more interruptions,” Nap practically threatens in Day’s ear. Day’s face flushes so fast he has to be burning Nap where they’re still touching. The cat chuckles as he pulls away. Day wants to hide. Nap turns to the doorway and says in a very dangerous voice, “You are all going to pay for this.”

“W-we’re sorry!” Kickin immediately apologizes.

“It’s not our fault you took so long. We should have walked in on you both half dressed–hey! Hey!” Hoppy’s voice starts to get distant. “I’m sorry! Forget I said anything!”

“You alright, Day?” Bobby asks as she walks around to see Day’s face. “Oh.” Day covers his burning face.

“Bobby,” Day whines. “We almost kissed.”

 

“Yeah, we kind of saw that,” Bobby chuckles. “Don’t worry, Nap will kiss you at some point. I’m more surprised it hasn't happened already.”

“Bobby!” Day’s voice cracks.

“Alright, just take a second to calm down. I’lll go find the others,” Bobby giggles as she walks back towards the door. “Which way did they go, Bubba?”

“Towards the stairs,” the elephant answers.

“Thanks.”

There’s silence after that. When Day doesn't feel like his face is burning anymore he wheels himself closer to his desk and grabs the bouquet. He has to hold it between his knees as he starts to wheel around his desk.

“Let me help, Day,” Bubba says. He takes the bouquet carefully. “Were you taking this to the window?”

“Yes, on the cabinet right–there,” Day rolls closer as Bubba puts the vase of flowers down on the cabinet. Once it’s set down, Day takes a picture of it with his phone and sends it to Poppy. It’s his first bouquet!

“Ok,” Day slides his phone back into his pocket. “Let’s get going. We need to put the decorations together and get those napkins folded. Crafty?”

“Yes?” Crafty doesn’t look up from where she’s rapidly writing in her sketchbook. Or maybe she’s sketching?

“How long will it take to fold twenty of those napkin hearts?” Day asks her as he rolls closer to the door.

“With help probably an hour,” Crafty smiles as she shuts her sketchbook as soon as he gets close. “Kickin will help, right?”

“I-sure,” Kickin sighs.

“Ok, Bobby can help you guys and the rest of us will get everything else,” Day nods.

The three who ran off come back winded and in Nap’s case, still grumpy. Day isn't sure how to cheer him up so he wheels closer and gently rubs the base of Nap’s ear. Day isn’t sure if it works for cats like it does dogs, but it seems to work. Nap relaxes and leans into his touch. Everyone starts to work faster once the tension is gone. They leave to get lunch at the cafeteria. A lot of students stop by to ask Day and the other members questions. Usually, they’re making sure they have the right time for the dinner. Some ask what the dress code is. After lunch, Day’s constant exhaustion tugs at him, but he could easily push it away. Nap won’t let him.

“They can take care of everything else,” Nap tells him. The others nod and agree with him. “A few hours of sleep would give you more energy for tonight, right?” Nap raises his eyebrows like he knows that is a very smart logical observation. The cat is right and Day will only have to go back to the dorms one time instead of twice to change into a more formal outfit for tonight. Day just nods and waves goodbye to the others as Nap starts to wheel him away.

“Wait!” Day grabs the wheels of the wheel chair to stop their progress.

“What’s wrong?” Nap pulls the chair back abruptly.

“The dessert changed. We have to change the menu. You have to go remind Bubba we have to change the menu before we print them,” Day rushes to explain.

I-are you sure?” Nap frowns.

“They’re not that far are they?” Day tries to look over his shoulder and the back of the chair.

“No, fine,” Nap sighs. “Stay here, I’ll be right back,” Nap says as he starts to almost jog back to their friends. Day sighs. How could he forget that? He’ll think more clearly after he sleeps.

CRACK

Day freezes and turns his head to stare at the tall iron fence that surrounds the academy. His mind flashes to Halloween when he heard branches cracking. Only to discover later monsters were behind the noise. Now that winter is in full swing, the leaves are gone and the trees are bare spindly branches. Day thinks that would let him see better into the trees. It doesn’t.

Day stares at the trees and feels like something stares back. Are those eyes? Or just the bark of the trees? Day reaches down to roll his chair closer. He has to–

“Day?”

Day almost jumps out of his chair. Nap leans over, concerned.

“Everything, ok?” Nap asks as he turns to look through the fence where Day was staring.

“Y-yeah,” Day swallows. “Let’s go.”

Day will see Chica tonight, maybe other members of the Fazbear Five will be there. He hopes he’s imagining things and none of those monsters–the Twisted, are near the academy.

Notes:

You would not believe how much I STRUGGLED with this chapter. I wrote it, rewrote it, wrote something for Chasing Daylight Extras as a break, came back and mashed the two versions together. There were also parts that were deleted. I am so glad I'm done with this chapter. Not to mention it has somehow ended up being over 10k!
Anywho, I enjoy seeing everyone's love for this story. We still have a ways to go and I hope you all stick around for it! Byyyyyye!

Chapter 12: Valentine’s Dinner

Day kicks Nap out of his room while Day changes. The cat complains, but does leave. Like Day suspected, Nap turned off his alarm before Day was awake enough to do it, causing Day to sleep most of the afternoon. Day texted Bobby to ask how set up was going after his shower. She said everything was going well. The student council was leaving at that point to change into dressier clothes. Bobby made sure all of the student council members had the same outfit so they would be easy to spot by the students. Black pants, red button down shirt, and a black tie. She dragged Bubba and Crafty out of the school one Sunday to get measured and help her decide what color they should use. Day convinced her he would send his measurements with her, it would be easier than trying to travel anywhere with his wheelchair. She reluctantly agreed. Day hasn't mentioned to anyone he’s kind of been forbidden from leaving the academy.

“Are you done yet?” Nap knocks on the door. Day rolls his eyes as he turns in front of the mirror to make sure everything is in place. The gold cuffs are distracting, but Alice did something to them. She said she was only adjusting them. Now they’re practically fused to his skin, but they’re flexible and match his body heat. It’s easy to forget they’re there.

“Day?”

Day decides as he adjusts the tie he’s going to walk over and let Nap inside, not sit in his wheelchair to do it. He’s progressed enough in physical therapy he can manage walking to the door and back. Day’s tail wags as he does just that. Nap almost falls over from where he’s leaning against the door as it opens. The cat catches himself on the door frame.

“Are you ok, Nap?” Day asks as he holds his hands out to catch the cat. Day wouldn’t actually be much help, they’d both fall over. Nap stands again and his mouth opens as he looks Day up and down. Day tries very hard not to fidget. Does…Nap like what he sees? Nap closes his mouth with a click and looks away. “Nap?”

“I–you—” Nap stutters, his tail curling around his leg and his face turning red. “We should go.”

“Do you not like it?” Day’s tail slows to a stop.

“NO! No. I-I love it,” Nap’s flush gets deeper. “That’s the problem,” Nap mumbles. “We need to go before I keep you here.”

“Oh,” Day says intelligently. “Oh.” Day’s tail is windmilling and he can feel heat rising to his face. Nap really likes what he sees. It-its very flattering. Day is not considering changing his wardrobe to get the cat to blush more. Who would do that? Not him.

“L-let’s go then. The others will probably hunt us down if we’re late,” Day turns quickly to hide his blush. He carefully walks over to his wheelchair. Nap hurries over to walk with him, his hands ready in case Day falls. Day sighs internally, but doesn’t say anything. Soon, he’ll be able to walk by himself and everyone can stop hovering around him.

“We have to stop at the music building,” Day says as he checks he has everything he needs.

“We have enough time,” Nap assures him. The cat is in his usual hoodie and sweats. He always looks…soft dressed like that. Day does not have the confidence to ask if Nap wants to cuddle despite looking very comfy to cuddle with. The cat pushes him out of the room, making sure the door locks behind them.

“When do you think you’ll get back from dinner?” Nap asks as they get on the elevator. Day pushes the button for the lobby.

“Well, it’s from seven to nine. We’ll have to stay late to help with clean up and that will be at least an hour. So, ten?”

“That’s late for a school night,” Nap comments as they walk through the dorm lobby.

“We really had a debate about that, but Chica wasn’t going to be able to help yesterday. Today gave us more time to set up, so it isn't a huge issue.”

“It is for someone who’s supposed to be taking his meds at the same time every night.”

“Nap if you spam call me again to take my pills, I will block you,” Day warns. Nap just chuckles. The air outside has more bite as the sun lowers in the sky. It gets dark earlier this time of year. It’s not even seven yet and the sun is practically gone.

Day can’t help, but look into the distance as they follow a path parallel to the academy fence. He doesn’t see or hear anything outside the fence, but he’s farther away from it now. Despite his fears, he finds it hard to believe a Twisted would be able to get this close to the academy without being spotted...Right? Maybe if they snuck close the one time someone is looking away or something, it could be possible.

“Earth to Day,” Nap leans over to block where Day was staring at nothing. Day blinks and looks around. They're already at the music building? His medicine is really doing a number on him.

“Sorry, let me grab my key,” Day reaches for his lanyard and sorts through the keys for the music building. He ignores the yellow eyes staring at his face. Day gets the right key and reaches up to unlock the door. Nap holds it open so Day can roll through. Day sees the chance and takes it.

“Day!” Nap objects.

“You can’t catch me now!” Day yells as his wheels carry him down the long hallway so fast his surroundings blur. Day wishes he was outside for this, but he’ll take the short speedy ride anyway. A laugh bursts free as Day takes the turn and almost falls over. He doesn't, but Nap lets out a scared cry of his name. Day slows down after the corner, the music room is too close for another wild ride, anyway.

“Daylight, don’t scare me like that!” Nap stumbles around the corner.

“I’m fine, Nap,” Day grins at the cat, his heart still beating excitedly. Nap stares at him for a second before sighing and looking away. Day tilts his head. Is Nap flushed? It must be from the run.

“We should hurry. Bobby is going to call any minute,” Nap mumbles.

“Right,” Day wheels to the music room door and unlocks it. Nap opens it for him, but this time his long tail wraps around the armrest of the wheelchair.

“I’m not going to take off in here,” Day rolls his eyes.

“Good to hear,” Nap says agreeably. His tail doesn’t move. Day huffs and wheels himself over to the lockers, turning the lock on it to his code. Day gets it open and grabs his violin case. He closes his locker and turns the lock on it.

“Alright, let’s go,” Day turns the chair and keeps the ridiculously expensive violin steady in his lap. Nap, as usual, takes the handles on the back of the wheelchair and pushes Day around. Day locks the doors behind them as they go. He really doesn’t want to get on Mr. Lawrence’s bad side. When everything is locked up and they’re taking the turn in the hallway, Nap finally speaks.

“How long have you played the violin?”

“I think I started when I was seven? Maybe it was eight,” Day muses. His heart starts to pound just a little at the uncomfortable memories that try to rise. He pushes those back down. “What about you? Do you play any instruments, Nap?”

“I know a little piano,” Nap says uncomfortably.

“Really?” Day turns to look at him, his ears perked. “We should play together!”

“I don’t think I’m at your level, Day,” Nap looks away.

“That doesn’t matter. Playing with you at all would be wonderful,” Day’s tail starts to wag through the wheelchair’s gap. Nap would look so good playing the piano! Day can already picture it. The cat's yellow eyes focused, his long elegant fingers dancing over the keys–

“I don’t think it would be that wonderful,” Nap glances back up at him.

“Hey,” Day’s voice is soft. “Anything I do with you is amazing because I’m doing with you, not anyone else.” He reaches up to cradle one of Nap’s cheeks. “Remember that, moonlight.”

“You–” Nap’s cheek heats under Day’s palm. “You smooth talker,” Nap growls, removing Day’s hand. He holds it as he walks around the wheelchair. “If you don’t want this, tell me right now,” Nap says as he leans closer.

“Kiss me already,” Day grins. Nap leans forward and his warm breath ghosts over Day’s lips–

Nap’s phone goes off, making them jump. Day starts to pull away, but Nap growls and pulls him back with both hands. This time they actually kiss. Nap’s lips are soft and taste like lavender, just how Day thought they would. The kiss is hesitant, careful, barely any contact. Day reaches up to pull the cat closer, tilting his head for a better angle. He gets a little bolder. He wants more. He lets his tongue–

Day’s phone starts to go off. If Bobby is calling both of them this close together, something must be happening. Day pulls away, using his hold on Nap to stop the cat from trying to continue.

“Get back here,” Nap growls.

“Later, kitty,” Day chuckles. He reaches down for his phone as Nap reluctantly pulls away. The cat starts grumbling about too many friends as he resumes pushing Day’s wheelchair. Day answers the call.

“Day? Finally!” Bobby sighs. “Where are you?”

“We’re just leaving the music building,” Day assures her. Nap hits the handicap button and pushes Day through the doors. “Did something happen?”

“Day, we have a…few new customers,” Bobby whispers. A loud slam sounds in the background of her call. Nap pushes him outside in the cold night air.

“Who?” Day asks, wondering why she sounds so on edge. “If they don’t have a ticket, they can’t–”

“It’s Freddy Fazbear,” Bobby hisses.

“What?”

“With Nightmare Insomnium!”

“They’re both there?” Day’s voice cracks. “W-we didn’t get any warning about this, right? Are they there to eat or just look at how the dinner is going?” Day asks, hoping Freddy just decided to check on them. Please, don’t have them stay. Day doesn’t know if he has the guts to play in front of Freddy Fazbear. What if Day messes up? He'll never live it down!

“I don’t know. I’m waiting for Chica to come back from talking to them. They’re still by the entrance.”

“Ok, ok. We’ll be there in five,” Day tells her.

“Got it,” Bobby ends the call. Day lets his hand holding the phone drop onto his lap and rubs his eyes with his free hand.

“What happened?” Nap asks.

“Freddy Fazbear and his maybe date Nightmare Insomnium are at the cafeteria right now and no one knows why they’re there. I can’t perform with the greatest musician of our time watching,” Day groans.

“Hey, where did your confidence go?” Nap asks as they take the last turn on the cement path to get to the cafeteria.

“What confidence?”

“The confidence to perform in front of the other students? We both know all the tickets were bought by students from wealthier families. They are no doubt snobby and harsh when it comes to their tastes. You still volunteered to play songs tonight despite that.”

“Other students are different. This is Freddy Fazbear and his probably secret fiancee!”

“So? Make it worth their time to come.”

“You make it sound so easy,” Day sighs, watching his breath puff in the air.

“It is. My sunshine can do anything,” Nap tilts Day’s head back over the chair. Day’s eyes are wide as Nap leans over and kisses him again. Nap’s lips are still soft, but cold from the frigid night air. If it wasn’t for the uncomfortable position–

A camera flash breaks the darkness. Day and Nap jolt apart. They’re close enough to the building they can see people inside, but not close enough to be revealed by the light coming from the cafeteria. No one should be able to see them yet.

“Hey!” Nap steps around to stand between Day and the cafeteria.

“Sorry,” Crafty’s voice creeps out of the darkness. Her footsteps are loud in the quiet as she walks closer. “Day, you should hurry. Freddy was asking about you.”

“He was?” Day starts wheeling towards the cafeteria. “I need to get in there. What time is it?”

“It’s just after six thirty,” Crafty answers as she steps into a ring of light from the light posts along the cement paths.

“Students will show up any minute,” Day joins her in the circle of light, Nap right behind him. “Is everything set up?”

“We just finished,” Crafty nods as she walks with them. Nap’s tail wraps around Day’s bicep and starts pushing the wheelchair again. He doesn't say anything, but his tail is tight around Day’s arm.

“Ok, everything in the kitchen is working? Do they have everything they need?” Day checks.

“As far as I know. Bubba has everyone at their stations and was just about to dim the lights when I left,” Crafty reports. Just as she finishes speaking, the bright lights inside the cafeteria dim.

“Ok, has Bobby figured out everything that is going on with Freddy and Nightmare?”

“I haven’t had the chance to talk to her yet,” Crafty shakes her head. She steps aside so Nap can push Day up the ramp to the cafeteria doors. She holds the door open for Day and Nap when they get close enough. Inside the cafeteria, ten round tables are set up in the middle of the floor. The rest of the cafeteria tables are pushed up against the walls. The round tables are covered in red table cloths and pink flamed candles are carefully placed in the middle of each one. The lights are dimmed to ‘romantic lighting’ according to Bobby. There are roses in vases by the entrance of the cafeteria, their smell hits Day’s nose as they enter. Day thinks it looks very romantic inside, hopefully it’s enough to get more customers next year and encourage students to add a little money to the tip jars by the entrance.

Day scans the room for Freddy and whatever problem might be ahead of them. He sees Nightmare first. The half bear, half demon graduated two years after Freddy. Rumors say they had strong chemistry even before Freddy graduated. They were officially dating for four years, most people agree they were together before that, but no one can say for sure how long. Three years ago the tabloids went crazy with a picture of Nightmare taking a woman into his apartment on the coast. That one picture grew into a huge scandal where other pictures of Nightmare cheating swept through the internet. People claimed right and left that they slept with Nightmare too. The news started sharing news that Freddy sold most of the properties he spent time with Nightmare. The two bears stopped attending events together. Their engagement was canceled and the press went wild with theories and pictures.

Day always thought the timing was horrible. Freddy had just taken over as the new president of the academy. His reputation was in shreds. How could he be trusted to run the academy when he didn’t even know his fiancee was cheating on him? For years as everyone believed? Luckily, the tabloids have long since moved on.

“Day!” Bobby walks out from the kitchen and leans over the counter where students are usually served their meals everyday. Day glances from her back to Nightmare and Freddy. Shouldn’t he go over to Freddy first? Bobby practically runs around the counter when Day hesitates.

“Day,” Bobby says in a breathless whisper. “Mr. Fazbear is going to stay tonight.”

“No,” Day gasps.

“Miss Chikatita assures me she has extra food for them and she can serve them personally if she needs to. They’re going to eat up in the balcony. Don’t worry, I already have a table set up there.”

“Bobby, you’re amazing,” Day smiles in relief.

“Good job, Bobs,” Crafty grins. “Where’s Bubba?”

“He’s–”

“Right here,” Bubba interrupts as he walks back from the direction of the bathrooms. “I convinced the janitors earlier to leave the cleaning closet unlocked. I was just checking to make sure they actually did so.”

“Ok, while everyone is here,” Day looks at them. “We are going to make sure everyone enjoys themselves tonight. If you run into trouble, make sure to ask for help. Everyone ready?”

“Yes,” Bubba nods.

“We got this,” Bobby grins. Crafty nods too, a nervous smile on her face.

“The first guests are here,” Bobby says excitedly, looking at the door behind Day.

“Bubba, will you get them? I need to talk to Bobby for a minute. Crafty, will you make sure the kitchen is ready?” Day looks at each of them. They nod.

“I should go,” Nap mumbles, his tail squeezing Day’s arm before letting go.

“Actually,” Day hesitates. “If you want to stay, I need someone to record me while I play.”

“Really?” Nap asks, his tone lighter than it was a moment ago.

“Mr. Lawerence gives extra credit for students who play outside of class. I think this qualifies, but with everyone being busy tonight…” Day trails off and looks hopefully at Nap.

“Of course I’ll stay to watch you play, sunshine,” Nap grins.

“Thanks, moonlight,” Day grins back.

“This is adorable, but not really the time. Freddy is coming over here,” Bobby interrupts. She steps back to stand beside Nap as Freddy stops by them.

“Daylight, it’s good to see you,” Freddy smiles. “You definitely look better than last time we spoke.”

“T-thank you, Mr. Fazbear,” Day smiles. Nightmare stops beside Freddy and–he’s huge. He towers over everyone, he’s about nine feet tall. His teeth and claws are dangerously long and sharp. He’s one of the most dangerous evolved in the world, not just because of his looks. A step behind Nightmare is Mr. Schmidt–er, Mike as he insists on being called. Day thinks Mike is around six feet, but next to Nightmare and Freddy the human looks small. That means Day and the other students are tiny compared to them. It’s a good thing the ceiling is so high in the cafeteria.

“Is this the one you were–” Nightmare pauses. His bright red eyes scan over Day and his lips pull into a grin. “Oh, I get it now. No wonder!” the black furred bear chuckles deeply. Freddy rolls his eyes.

“I’ll apologize in advance for anything he does tonight. We plan to stay up on the balcony so we don’t cause any disruptions,“ Freddy explains.

“Of course. Bobby can be your server if you’re ok with that?” Day glances at Bobby who’s eyes practically sparkle. She nods excitedly.

“Whatever works best,” Freddy agrees easily. “We’ll head up now.”

“W-wait,” Day cringes at how loud that came out. He glances at the entrance of the cafeteria, but no one seems to be looking in his direction. Bubba and Crafty are getting people seated at tables. Freddy and Nightmare are being noticed by the students the longer they stand down here.

“Sorry,” Day lowers his voice. “I have to tell you that earlier today I thought there was someone by the fence around the academy.”

“Someone?” Mike takes a step closer. “Where specifically?”

“I could take you to the spot,” Day offers.

“I’ll come with,” Freddy frowns. Nightmare clears his throat.

“I think it would be better if the academy president stayed here,” Nightmare says pleasantly. Freddy glares at him and the other bear is unfazed. “After all, who else will protect the kids if we all go?”

“Your opinion is noted,” Freddy rounds on Nightmare, hand on his hip and expression hidden. Nightmare grins, his fangs glinting in the low light. “And will be dismissed. Chica is in the building.”

“All the way in the kitchen where sound doesn’t reach very well. Mike will be gone for a while to check things out. Foxy and Bonnie are off campus, it will take them precious time to get back here if something happens,” Nightmare sighs like he’s discovered an impossible puzzle. “If only the president could stay, he’d be able to respond instantly. It could be a matter of life and death.”

Day’s wide eyes catch Freddy’s hand flex, his claws never looking more dangerous. Nightmare grins wider, his height advantage clear as he leans over Freddy. The air crackles around them. Mike sighs and steps away from the two. Freddy turns away from Nightmare, a polite smile on his face. Day catches Nightmare’s disappointed frown flash across the bigger bear’s face.

“Apologies, Daylight. I’ll stay here. Are you sure you want to go out there?” Freddy asks. “You're still recovering and it’s going to snow tonight.”

“I’ll be ok, Mr. Fazbear,” Day’s tail is not excited about Freddy’s concern. He isn't happy about it. He’s not. “I won’t be out there long and all I’m really doing tonight is providing music. As long as I get back in a few minutes everything will be fine.”

“If you’re sure,” Freddy smiles a little. “I can’t wait to see your–” Freddy glances at the case in Day’s lap. The bear’s eyebrows go up. “–violin performance.”

“T-thank you, Mr. Fazbear,” Day thanks the stars his voice doesn’t crack. Freddy Fazbear wants to watch Day perform. He wants to see it!

“We should hurry before this place gets any fuller,” Mike says not so subtly.

“Right,” Freddy nods. “Let me know what you find.” He heads for the stairs to the balcony.

“Bobby? Will you hide my violin on stage? I don’t want to bring it with me, but I don’t want to risk it getting stolen either,” Day explains.

“I can keep it with me until you come back. Be careful,” Bobby takes the violin as Day hands it over.

“Thank you,” Day grins. “Nap?” Day turns to the cat. “Sorry, you could find a place to sit in the break room behind the kitchen if you want.”

“I’m staying with you,” Nap declares.

“But–”

“I’m staying.”

“Ok,” Day gives in. He shouldn’t want Nap to be there if there really is a Twisted, but Day doesn’t want to go without him either. “We’re ready, Mr. Schmidt.”

“Mike,” he reminds gently.

“Sorry, Mike,” Day corrects himself sheepishly. Mike nods in approval and heads for the entrance of the cafeteria. With students coming in, they have to wait for an opening to walk out. Day glances back to the balcony stairs and practically jumps out of his skin when his gaze catches bright red. Nightmare is still at the bottom of the stairs. Day is frozen as those intense red eyes stray to Day’s wrists and then to his breast pocket. Where the lump Goldie gave him is hidden. The big bear grins, exposing sharp teeth. A chill runs down Day’s back. Does Nightmare know? How could he know? A blink later and a purple furred hand blocks Day’s sight of Nightmare. Nap has his hand out as he stands beside Day. The cat glares in Nightmare’s direction. There’s a deep chuckle that manages to carry over despite the number of voices inside the cafeteria growing. Nap doesn’t move for a few seconds. When he does, Nightmare is gone and the students are all seated.

“Nap?” Day asks, confused. The cat returns to his spot to push Day’s chair. Before they start moving, Nap leans close to Day’s ear.

“Don’t go near him alone,” Nap whispers.

“Why?” Day turns to ask.

“You two ready?” Mike asks.

“Yes,” Nap tells him. Mike steps out of the cafeteria first, holding the door open. Nap pushes Day through the door, back onto the ramp. Day was starting to get hot inside the cafeteria with his coat and hat on. He definitely won’t now, on an early February night. Day tells Nap to go to the same place where Day had him tell Bubba about the menu. Mike walks beside them, his flashlight turned off in his hand even though the cement paths are always lit up by lights.

“Now that it’s quieter, what did you see exactly, kid?” Mike asks as they walk.

“When I was waiting by the fence, I heard a branch crack in the forest close to where I was. I looked in the trees for something and–” Day stumbles with his words. Flashes of pupiless eyes and deformed faces. He takes a breath and keeps going. “I thought I saw a pair of eyes, but it could have been the tree trunks. I’m not sure. Nap came back around then and I was distracted. I didn’t actually see anything, but last time I thought it was nothing serious…” Day trails off. He stops his fingers from tapping nervously on his leg. The silence that follows is heavy and Day tries to find a way to break it. Nap slows the wheelchair to a stop.

“Mike,” Nap says low, scared.

“Fuck,” Mike snarls. “Stay there, both of you,” Mike takes off towards the fence. He turns on his flashlight and Day gets a better look at what he hoped were shadows.

The fence is bent. The tall black iron, probably magic infused, is bent towards them. Something was bashed so hard from outside it bent the fence. As Mike’s light moves over the section, Day is relieved to see that the fence isn’t broken, but it’s close. Some of those bars are nearly bent in half.

“This is impossible,” Mike says. Day pushes his chair closer, staying in the ring of light from the path lights. Mike grabs a stick near the fence and pushes it against the iron, nothing happens. “This is supposed to electrocute anything that touches it. Why isn’t it on? Why wasn’t the silent alarm triggered?” Mike jogs back to the center of the dent. “How did no one hear this?”

Mike yanks his walkie talkie off his belt. He starts barking orders and turns to check on them as he does. Day shudders at the way the flashlight bounces off the fence, it makes it look like the bars are moving. Day’s breathing gets faster. Are the bars actually moving? Is there a Twisted monster waiting to attack? Day’s claws dig into his arm, the pain barely a thought. Mike can’t stay over there by himself, he’s just a human. He’ll get hurt. Day’s hand is gently lifted and fingers slowly massage it. Low humming starts to fill Day’s ears. Slowly, Day’s breathing settles back to normal. His shoulders relax. He doesn’t remember them getting so tense.

“Thank you,” Day whispers from his tight throat.

“Always, sunshine,” Nap says gently. He lifts Day’s hand and kisses the back of it. He shoots Day a soft, sweet smile. Footsteps rapidly crunch through the snow towards them.

“Ok you two,” Mike says quickly. “I’ve called for backup. You should head back to the cafeteria. Don’t tell anyone about this. Do not step off the path. Understand?”

“Yes, sir,” Nap stands and grabs Day’s wheelchair. Nap takes the path back to the cafeteria faster than ever. They get inside where laughter and chatter soothes Day more than the silence outside.

“Are you sure about this?” Nap asks as he wheels Day towards the piano placed in front of the patio doors. “You don’t have to perform tonight. As the president you could–”

“I’m ok,” Day turns to Nap. “Playing in front of everyone will help. Do you still want to record me?”

“I will,” Nap says with a frown. “Don’t push yourself, ok?” Day reaches over his shoulder to squeeze Nap’s hand with a reassuring smile. Day lets go to hand Nap his phone to record with. Day wheels over to the elevated platform that is their stage tonight. He wheels himself up the shallow slope of the ramp and up by the piano. He gets the wheelchair turned so he’s facing the crowd, but still has the piano in his view. When he’s settled Bobby steps up the ramp and hands him the violin case.

“Crafty’s on her way, she’s just grabbing water for you guys,” Bobby smiles. “Good luck, boss.”

“Thanks, hopefully tonight goes well,” Day sighs.

“It will,” Bobby says with enough confidence it spreads to Day. He grins and spies Crafty dodging around the cooking club members weaving through tables. The unicorn almost stumbles on the ramp, she's in such a rush.

“I-I’m a little nervous,” Crafty admits as she joins them on the stage.

“You will both do wonderful. Bubba thinks your practice sessions together were great. If he says it, it must be true, right?” Bobby grins.

“R-right,” Crafty fiddles with the cap on one of the water bottles.

“Hey, don’t worry, Crafts,” Day smiles, trying to cheer her up. “I’ll be right there with you.”

“Right,” Crafty takes a breath. “Ok, let’s do this.”

“You guys got this,” Bobby gives them a quick squeeze before hurrying off the stage and towards the kitchen. She stops next to Nap who’s leaning against the wall. With how far they are and the noise level, Day can’t hear them. He really hopes the noise doesn’t get too loud, it’s hard to play music with earplugs.

“We should do a quick warm up,” Day sets his case on the little table set up between them. Crafty places the water bottles on it. She sits on the piano bench, flicks on the lamp so she can see her music better, and opens her folder to get her music organized. Day takes his violin out to tune it. Crafty plays her scales and they both jump as claps happen behind them. Crafty freezes and Day looks over to see most of the students watching them. He waves and gets a few to wave back.

“Relax, Crafts,” Day says quietly. “They’re here to listen, not judge.”

“These are some of the richest kids at the academy,” Crafty whispers, her shoulders tense.

“We’re warming up and we just got applause. Imagine their reactions when we get to the actual songs!”

“I…I guess you have a point.”

Day grins and warms up himself, a series of scales that ring through the room. The bounce back of sound in the cafeteria isn’t the best, but it’ll work. Crafty does a few more herself. When Day feels warmed up enough he glances at Crafty to see if she’s ready. The unicorn nods, her face tight with concentration.

“One, two, three, four–” Crafty plays the first few notes and Day counts until his part starts. Piano and violin music fill the room. Day and Crafty have practiced enough they keep in time with each other. Day glances at the crowd once in a while, to judge reactions and make sure everyone is doing ok. Students eat and smile, a few have whispered conversations Day has no hope of hearing. Purple moves in the corner of his vision and Day’s attention strays to the cat recording this. Nap’s yellow eyes are wide and bright. Day wonders what the cat is think–he’s slowing down! Day slams his eyes shut and focuses back on the music. Adorable distracting cat. Day, thankfully, doesn’t mess up the song despite almost flallng behind. He and Crafty finish the first song, pause so Crafty can flip to the next sheet of music, and start the next one.

They only have three songs for this, but plan to play all three, take a break so the students can talk among themselves, and then play through the songs again. Day memorized a solo song just in case. They get through all three songs and the last note rings through the air. When it finishes Day lowers his violin. Applause erupts from their audience. Day smiles and waves at them. Crafty stands from her bench to do the same. The applause dies down as the second course is served. There’s three courses served tonight. The appetizer, entree, and dessert.

“We did it,” Crafty whispers as she waits for Day to roll down the ramp ahead of her.

“Only two more performances to go,” Day rolls down to the cat waiting by the ramp.

“You were amazing,” Nap smiles at Day.

“Thank you,” Day’s smile is a little shy. They smile at each other under the romantic lighting. Crafty clears her throat, snapping them out of whatever that was.

“Day was amazing,” Crafty agrees. She gives Nap this look that he frowns at, confused.

“You did wonderful, Crafty,” Day saves the cat.

“Y–yes, you were amazing too,” Nap quickly agrees. Day glances at Crafty and her offended look breaks into a smile.

“Thanks, Nap,” Crafty giggles. “I’m going to check in with the others.”

“Let me know how it’s going, please,” Day says as she leaves. Crafty waves in acknowledgement of his request as she walks away.

“How long are you going to take a break for?” Nap asks as he hands Day’s phone back.

“We were thinking for half an hour. We don’t want them to get bored of us and they should have a chance to talk to each other without having to fight to be heard over us,” Day starts to roll towards the kitchen, the smell drawing him closer. He hasn’t had the chance to eat since he woke up and hopes he can get a bite of something. He knows Nap hasn't eaten either, he’s been with Day this whole time. Despite his intentions, sneaking into the kitchen isn’t possible for Day. His wheelchair is easily noticeable and a large obstacle for the cooking club to get around. Day rolls to the edge of the main room with a sigh. Nap follows behind with a frown.

“I thought you were going to the kitchen?”

“I don’t want to get in the way with this big thing,” Day knocks his knuckles on the armrests of the wheelchair. “Besides, I should wait until the students are served before I eat anything.”

“I’ll go,” Nap immediately volunteers. He stands and despite Day’s protests, heads for the kitchen. Day sighs and leans back in his wheelchair, watching the students talk and the cooking club refill drinks. Bobby and Bubba are talking by the entrance of the cafeteria. Crafty is walking towards them with a glass of the sparkling champagne. It’s non alcoholic, this is a school function, afterall. A chill creeps down Day’s spine and he turns to his left. Walking towards him, cloaked in shadows, is Nightmare. He has a glass in his hand and offers it to Day when he’s close enough.

“T-thank you,” Day takes the glass, not brave enough to meet bright red eyes.

“I have questions for you,” Nightmare tells him casually. “You don’t have to answer, but I still need to ask.”

What could Nightmare Insomnia, a famous evolved anthro who Day’s never met before, have to ask him? Day’s expression must reflect his confusion because Nightmare chuckles lightly.

“The first question should be easy,” Nightmare glances towards the stairs that lead to the balcony. “Who is your mother?”

Day’s hand tightens on his glass, his eyes drop and fix onto the bubbly liquid in it. “She passed away when I was born,” Day answers a beat too late.

“My condolences,” Nightmare says gently. Day doesn't expect the soft tone he gets. He glances up and Nightmare isn’t looking at him. He’s frowning out at the patio. Day turns, but doesn't see anything outside except the dark. “My other question, I don’t think you’ll answer,” Nightmare continues. He focuses back on Day and his eyes stray back to the lump. “Who gave you that?”

Day doesn’t answer. He wasn’t told by Goldie not to tell anyone, but the gold bear has always kept quiet about the lump when others are around. There’s also the…rivalry between Nightmare and Goldie to consider. They've never gotten along and the news has more than enough evidence of the two fighting. It was especially bad when Nightmare and Freddy broke up.

“I didn’t think so,” Nightmare sighs. “Look kid, you don’t have to tell me, but–” he leans down and his huge hand lands gently on top of Day’s head. The bear’s hand is big enough he could toss Day’s head like a basketball. Nightmare’s voice is barely a murmur, but easily carries into Day’s eardrums. “–be careful who you trust. There’s more danger than you know around here.” The huge hand pats his head before disappearing.

“What do you mean?” Day blurts out.

“Eh, just keep an eye out,” Nightmare shrugs as he starts to walk away, his pace casual.

“Why did you warn me?” Day asks next, confused and hoping the big bear isn’t a danger.

“Sweetheart cares about you kids too much. I don’t want to see him lose you,” Nightmare’s quiet confession barely makes it to Day’s ears. Nightmare grins sharply over his shoulder before he disappears up the stairs as if he hadn’t said anything. Day stares at the shadows by the stairs, more confused than ever. Did Nightmare mean Freddy when he said sweetheart? He must have, but they aren’t that close anymore. No matter what the rumors say. Is Nightmare just trying to stir up trouble by doing this? Day sighs and rubs his eyes, fighting back a headache. He swirls the glass a few times. He’s going to have to contact Poppy tonight. Day isn't sure when he’ll have the chance.

“Day?” Nap returns with a tray of plates and silverware.

“Did you steal that?” Day asks, alarmed.

“No, silly dog,” Nap rolls his eyes. “Chica insisted I take this when I told her you haven’t eaten yet. Let’s go behind the counter to eat.”

Day follows Nap behind the counter where food is normally served and sets the tray down on a table. Day moves the plates and silverware off of it as Nap grabs a chair to sit in. Day’s stomach somersaults at the sight of spaghetti, tofu meatballs, and red sauce. The sauce and noodles look like…not appetizing. Day sets the plate down and grabs the other dish, a tofu steak that smells amazing. When Nap sits he pushes the steak towards Day.

“We only get one of each dish. You want the steak?” Nap asks.

“Yes,” Day agrees easily. Nap nods and they start to eat. It’s delicious. Day doesn't know if this was made by Chica or a member of the cooking club, but he would happily order seconds. Or maybe he’s just that hungry. Nap seems happy too as he eats the spaghetti. Day avoids looking at the food itself. When they’re almost done, Crafty comes in saying they should be getting back on stage. Day hesitates before leaning over to give Nap a quick kiss on the cheek. The cat stares at him wide eyed.

“Thanks, moonlight,” Day smiles. He follows Crafty out into the main area of the cafeteria and wheels back to the stage. A few students wish them luck. Crafty has a little more confidence after that. They get on stage and do a quick warm up. They start with a different song, but play the same three they did before. Day does not look for purple cats, not that Nap should be so close to the stage this time. Day has his phone back now. Crafty has more confidence this time and it seeps into her music as she plays. When they finish this time and the applause starts, they both smile and wave as they leave the stage. Bubba hurries over to them and promptly trips over nothing. Mike, who's a few steps behind the elephant, helps him up.

“You ok, kid?”

“Only my pride was hurt,” Bubba's big ears are a little pinker than they were before.

“Is everything ok?” Day asks them. Bubba nods as they get closer. Mike keeps his voice low.

“We have the fence situation under control. I’m going up to tell Freddy. Encourage the students not to walk to the dorms alone. It doesn’t look like anything got inside, but it’s better to be careful. The guards are patrolling as we speak,” Mike rushes to explain. He sweeps his gaze over the cafeteria and back to them. “I’ll see you later tonight.” The human hurries towards the balcony stairs.

“He told me there was an attempted break in to the academy,” Bubba says quietly. “Is it true?”

“Yes, but we can't tell anyone. We don’t want people to panic and I think Freddy will have an official announcement tomorrow,” Day explains.

“Ok,” Bubba nods. “There’s one more thing, Bobby told me to tell you that everything is fine on the balcony.”

“I know she has it handled,” Day nods confidently.

“She said you would worry anyway and shouldn’t.”

“She's right about that,” Nap chuckles.

“Fine, maybe I was,” Day admits. “Has anything happened with the students?”

“Nothing more than a spilled drink or two. I’ve also had requests for songs. Are you up for it?”

“Really? What are they?” Day asks curiously. Bubba lists a few and Day frowns. Those don’t all need to be duets and he isn’t sure Crafty would know how to play them. Day glances at the clock. It’s only been ten minutes since they quit playing, but he could play a few requests while Crafty takes her break. Don’t want to disappoint the people.

“You should rest more,” Nap crosses his arms.

“It’s playing the violin, not running a marathon,” Day rolls his eyes. “I can play a few songs just fine.”

“I’ll let Crafty know. Do you need the piano bench moved?” Bubba asks.

“Yes, and let her know she can take her full break if she wants to,” Day starts wheeling back to the stage. Nap sighs tiredly and follows behind.

“I’ll move the bench, Bubba,” Nap says reluctantly. Day doesn’t hear a response as they get on stage. Nap moves the bench towards the back of the stage so it’s out of the way. Day rolls over and carefully positions the chair where he can reach the keys, but won’t hit the piano. He locks the wheels and flexes his fingers. It’s been a while since he played piano. Day sees Nap sit on the piano bench in the corner of his eye. Day doesn't say anything. He plays a few scales to warm up. After he finishes he debates what to play first….he might as well start with one of Freddy’s and work his way through the list.

Day plays through eight song requests, grinning as lyrics are sung behind him a few times. When he gets through them he plays a few more from Freddy’s older albums before stopping. A thunder of applause fills the room as he unlocks the wheelchair to turn and smile. He glances at Nap and motions the cat over, wondering if Nap will play with him. Nap looks at the crowd and subtly shakes his head. Not wanting to push Nap out of his comfort zone, Day doesn’t force him. Crafty walks onto the stage and shyly waves at the cheers and whistles. She and Nap put the piano bench back. Day heads for his violin. He smiles at Nap as the cat walks off the stage. Crafty and Day do quick warm ups and finish off their last performance for the night. Day’s kind of glad. His body feels heavy and his mind is dragging a little. This is the latest he’s stayed up since he woke from the coma. It’s sad that nine is his bedtime now. Crafty hurries over to help Bubba, Bobby, and the cooking club clean up as students leave. Day is going to help, but Nap stubbornly holds his wheelchair in place.

“Nap,” Day warns.

“How about I go help them?” Nap says like it’s the obvious solution. He rushes over to help before Day can say anything. Day fights down his annoyance and smiles as some students walk over to talk to him. A few of them actually give him roses. More thank him for playing their song requests. Day smiles and wishes them a goodnight. Subtly, mentioning that no one should walk alone. Day doesn’t think it’ll be an issue as couples stick together as they leave. When all the students are gone and everything is being cleaned up, Freddy reappears. Nightmare just a few steps behind.

“Daylight, that was a good performance,” Freddy smiles. Freddy Fazbear thinks Day did good! Tail, cool it.

“Thank you, Mr. Fazbear. It wouldn't have been as good without Crafty there,” Day nods toward the unicorn who is lifting a chair onto a table.

“She did well,” Freddy agrees. If only Crafty was able to hear that. “Thank you, Daylight for telling us what you saw earlier. I’m going to look now. We’re going to have more guards out tonight just in case something happens, so rest easy.”

“Yes, sir,” Day glances at Nightmare and just goes for it. He thinks the black furred bear has good intentions. Hopefully. “Thank you, Mr. Insomnia for earlier.”

“Mr. Insomnia,” Nightmare gags. “Sounds awkward, call me Night or Nightmare if that’s too casual.”

“Earlier?” Freddy frowns at them both. “What happened earlier?”

“Nothing, sweetheart. Let’s go,” Nightmare turns to leave.

“Did he do something?” Freddy asks Day.

“He…warned me about something,” Day explains awkwardly. Freddy doesn’t look convinced. “Really, Mr. Fazbear. He warned me about something, nothing else happened.”

“Alright,” Freddy sighs. “Just let me know if something happens, ok?”

“Yes, sir,” Day grins. Freddy’s smile warms and he ruffles the top of Day’s head.

“Ah,” Freddy pulls away too quickly. “Sorry, I have a lot of little brothers, that was unintentional. Goodnight, Daylight.”

“Goodnight,” Day echoes as Freddy rejoins Nightmare at the doors to leave. They stand close together, but don’t touch. Are they back together or is something else going on?

“Ready to go?” Nap asks. Day almost jumps out of his wheelchair.

“We need to get you a bell,” Day tells the cat again.

“Maybe,” Nap grins. “Only if I get to–”

“Enough flirting, please,” Crafty complains. She, Bubba, and Bobby all look exhausted.

“It’s too late for flirting,” Bubba groans.

“It’s Valentine’s day. They can flirt until midnight, technically,” Bobby smiles tiredly. “Happy Valentine’s day everyone.”

“Happy Valentine’s,” Day grins and holds his arms out for a hug. One group hug later and they leave the cafeteria, not needing to lock up because Chica said she would be staying late. The cooking club is ahead of them on the paths, only seen between one circle of light to the next. When Day and his friends get to the intersection where they turn, they see Foxy slide to a stop on the grass near them.

“Aye, kiddos. Is Chica still in there?” Foxy asks quickly. He has a bouquet in his hand as he glances from them to the cafeteria.

“Yep, she's still in there,” Bobby smiles.

“Thanks,” Foxy takes off again, straight for the cafeteria doors.

“You think he forgot it’s Valentine's?” Crafty asks.

“I don’t think so, Chica really wanted to be the last one in the cafeteria,” Bubba shrugs. “I’m ready for bed. Let’s keep going.”

The walk is quiet, but not as oppressive as Day usually finds it. With his friends with him, he can almost forget about the bent fence just on the other side of the music building.

Almost.

Notes:

Omg, I didn’t think so many of you actually read my sill little notes. The amount of support for last chapter just- UGH. I melted under all that praise. Y'all got me blushing.

I do have a question for you this time: Should I make a list of characters & what games they're from? There's been confusion about some of them before.
(Also, Nightmare is from FNAF 4 if you want to look him up. My version of him isn't as scary as the game version. Appearence-wise.)

Finally, thank you all so, so much for your love & support!

Chapter 13: Playing for Fun

Notes:

WARNING: Blood, gore, and dismemberment in this chapter.
I'm going to put \\\\\\ around the worst of it for those who want to pass by it. The reading will probably be choppy, but understandable. I hope.

Be safe, everyone

A knock interrupts Bubba’s math lesson. They all turn to the door of the study room. With all of them here, who would be knocking on the door? The librarian?

“I got it!” Hoppy eagerly leaves her chair to get the door. She opens it and Miss Delight smiles at them from the other side. Judging by her hairpin, a connected comedy and tragedy mask, she must be the theater Delight.

“Mr. Daylight Dog?” she asks, looking at Day.

“Yes,” Day sets his notebook and pencil on the table.

“May I speak with you for a moment?” Theatre Delight asks.

“Sure, Miss Delight,” Day squeezes Nap’s hand that’s tightening around his under the table. Day untangles their hands and starts to wheel himself to the door. Nap, of course, stands up to push him. They get through the door and Day leans around Nap to look back into the study room.

“We’ll be back in a bit,” Day loudly whispers. He gets nods and grins as Miss Delight closes the door and leads them outside of the library. They move away from the front doors, so they don’t block any of the students walking to and from the library.

“I’m sorry for interrupting your studying,” Theatre Delight says once they’re close to a sitting area. She stops and sits on a bench, making her closer to Day’s level.

“It’s ok, Miss Delight. What can I help with?” Day asks.

“Would you be willing to participate in the spring play?”

“The play?” Day is very confused. “I don’t think I can be of much help, Miss Delight. I don’t even know which play it’s going to be.”

“I know you’ve been busy planning a Bloomshare event and graduation. I don’t need you to act in the play. We need a violinist to play some sections in it. The play is on the last weekend of April, after Bloomshare. I know it’s asking a lot of you to play in two weeks, and give up that weekend. Are you interested?” Miss Delight asks.

“Why are you asking me, Miss Delight? Aren’t there upperclassmen who can do it? Not that I’m against it, but I must be your last choice, right?” Day asks. Nap flicks the back of his head at the comment. Day rolls his eyes, there’s no way he plays violin well enough to be the first choice for Miss Delight’s play.

“The violinist we had was a third year student, but he has dropped out of the academy. We’re so close to the performance now it would be difficult to change the play to exclude the violin parts,” Miss Delight smiles a little tiredly. “I didn’t know who to ask except Mr. Lawrence if any students were capable of filling in for us. He said you were the only one who could pull it off.”

“Mr. Lawrence said that?” Day’s tail starts to whack Nap’s legs behind him.

“Yes. Do you think you can do it, Mr. Dog?” Miss Delight asks hopefully. Day, because he likes to help people, too much Nap tells him, agrees.

“I can if you don’t mind me being busy the weekend before when our Bloomshare event is happening. After that, I should be able to dedicate some time to just the play. Which play is it?”

“The seniors decided on ‘The Littlest Wish’ this year. I have the music for it in my office. You can stop by after your last class and grab them? Or should I leave them with Mr. Lawrence?'' Miss Delight asks, her shoulders more relaxed now.

“I’ll be seeing Mr. Lawerence tomorrow during my last class. Can I get the music then?” Day asks.
“I’ll get it to him before then,” Miss Delight smiles. “Thank you, student president. I’ll let you get back to studying.” Theatre Delight is quick to walk towards the administration building. She waves to students as she disappears from sight.

“Are you sure about this?” Nap asks. Day leans his head over the back of the wheelchair to look up at Nap.

“Yep,” Day grins. “Let’s get back to the others.”

“We could stay out here,” Nap’s yellow eyes teasing. “We could have a personal lesson,” Nap leans closer, his intent clear as he stares at Day’s lips. “Just the two of us–”

“Nope,” Day pushes the cat away, kissing him on the forehead before they completely separate. “The end of the semester is soon and we need to study.”

“That's boring,” Nap complains. Day sits up with a chuckle. His chair is pushed back to the entrance of the library. It’s one of the few buildings that doesn't have steps in front of it.

“How about this,” Day says slowly as he thinks it through. “If you pass all of your tests with a score over ninety five–” Day looks over his shoulder and smirks. “Our last night here, we’ll go skinny dipping.”

“You’re kidding,” Nap stops walking. “You wouldn’t do that.”

“Why do you say that?”

“You wouldn’t break curfew to go skinny dipping. Or risk us getting seen and expelled.”

“So is that a no?”

“...”

“Ok, I’ll have to find someone else to celebrate with,” Day shrugs and starts to wheel away. Or he tries to. Nap has a tight grip on the handles of his chair.

“You weren’t joking?” Nap asks so very confused.

“Doesn’t matter, deal’s off the table.”

“No, no. Go back. Explain.”

“Nope. The moment’s gone.”

“Day.”

“Nap.”

Nap gives in first with a deep sigh. He starts pushing Day again. They enter the library in silence. Day just needs to wait for Nap to ace all of his tests and demand Day hold up his end of the deal now. Despite never having agreed to anything. They get back into the study room and Bubba has moved on to geography. With finals approaching they’ve started having study nights three times a week instead of just once. They really should have had more than one all year, but it just didn’t work out that way. They help each other as much as they can. Even Bubba asks for Craftys’ help when it comes to their final artwork. Eventually, the intercom in the room turns on and warns everyone that the library will be closing in ten minutes.

“Already?” Picky picks up her phone. Day checks the time on his shiny watch that Bubba got him for christmas. It’s almost eleven already. The library has extended its hours to eleven instead of the usual ten because everyone is starting to study longer.

“Excellent job, everyone. We can pick this up tomorrow,” Bubba says as he starts to erase the board.

“Do we have to?” Hoppy groans.

“Hoppy, c’mon. You’re just tired. Let’s go to bed,” Bobby encourages as she puts her own books away.

“I don’t wanna!” Hoppy bangs her head on the table. “We still have to do regular school work on top of studying. It’s horrible!”

“Agreed,” Kickin yawns as he zips up his bag. “It isn’t even finals week and I’m already exhausted.”

“Same,” Crafty says around her own yawn.

“It’s good that you don’t get tired so easily anymore, right, Day?” Picky asks. She slips her arms through the straps of her back pack.

“Progress is great,” Day grins. “I’ll be running circles around you guys in no time, just wait.”

“You wish,” Hoppy scoffs. The others start to laugh softly as they walk back to the dorms. The laughter fades as they take a turn.

“Hey, guys,” Crafty asks carefully. “Will everyone come back next year?”

“Yes,” Bubba says so certainly everyone looks at him.

“How can you say that? Some of us could fail their finals,” Hoppy frowns at him.

“I will personally force you to study every single class you have to make sure you pass and come back next year,” Bubba deadpans. Day’s eyebrows go up at the serious undercurrent in his tone.

“Ok, Bubba,” Picky rushes up to hook her arm through his. “I’ll hold you to that.”

“Same,” Kickin says after a beat. He pats Bubba’s opposite shoulder. “We’ll take whatever you throw at us.”

“Excellent,” Bubba says mysteriously.

“Don’t go making promises for the rest of us!” Hoppy cries. She hurries to catch up with them trying to find out what exactly Bubba is planning. They get so loud Bobby steps in to try and calm them down.

“I hope we stay together like this forever,” Crafty says quietly. The lamps along the path highlight her horn as she walks beside Day.

“Nothing lasts forever,” Day looks up at the starry night sky. “It can’t if you want something better to come.”

“You have a point,” Craft glances up too. Day can feel a tail wrap around his wrist and Day squeezes it with his opposite hand, but his gaze doesn't leave the sky or the constellation staring back at him.

He asked Bubba weeks ago about the Prophet and the legends about her. Bubba gave him a bunch of books to read through and answered a few questions. Most things about the Prophet are just speculation. No one knows who the Prophet was before they were written about in the Angel–Demon war. Bubba also explains the Prophet is assumed to be an angel, but there’s no evidence to support that. They could also be a demon, history doesn’t clarify. It does say the Prophet went mad as the war progressed, so much so that she took her own life. Bubba thinks she was against the war and the longer it went on the worse her visions became. Day asked Bubba if her visions were as amazing as Alice told him when they first met. Bubba said that was the one thing all versions of history agreed on. The Prophet’s visions always came true and she could see the past and future. There have been other people throughout history that can see the future or past, but none of them could do both or be as accurate as she was.

All the research did was make Day feel more confident that he is having visions of the future. Or he was having visions. Day hasn’t had a vision since he woke up from his coma. Is it because of the bands the angels put on him? Are they stopping the magic somehow? Are the visions related to the lump from Goldie? Nightmare didn’t try to take it away when they spoke alone, so it should be safe? Or Nightmare really isn’t a good person and the lump is killing Day slowly. Or the lump is simply a rock. Day really doesn’t have answers and his questions keep multiplying.

Day’s attention is stolen by the final student council event until graduation. Their Bloomshare festivities on the academy grounds. Bloomshare is a celebration of spring and hope for new beginnings. It’s tradition for families to hide closed flower blossoms with little gifts inside. Day was taught by...someone how to make fabric blossoms. He mentioned making some of those for students who don’t want to hunt for blossoms. Crafty immediately jumped on the idea and it grew into a crafting table set up for anyone who would be willing to pay for the materials and lesson on how to do it. Bobby mentioned, because it was almost the end of the year, some students would be feeling sentimental. She said they could have a photo booth again and outdoor games like at Halloween. Day had to pay extra attention to his breathing when they spoke about Halloween.

Valentines’ was such a success, they have money to work with this time. So, they settled on the crafting booth, games, and the blossom hunt. Inside the blossoms could be one of three options. Different kinds of candy, a gift card for the school store, or a fully paid meal ticket for the academy. They came up with those prizes when Freddy asked Day what might raise the student’s morale. After Valentine’s day new rules were put into place. Once the sun sets everyone needs to be inside. Next, always travel with someone when on academy grounds. Finally, the one the upperclassmen really don’t like, no one can leave the campus unless it’s sunday or they’re a staff member that is escorted to and from their cars. No one has seen anything suspicious since the bent fence. That doesn’t make Day feel any better. A Twisted could have been trying to break in and no one would have known until it was too late. He wasn’t told how something could almost break through the fence without being noticed. Security has increased since then and Freddy told Day the Bloomshare event has to be in the academy for safety reasons.

The sunday of Bloomshare is warm, the last snowfall weeks ago. Day rolls around in his wheelchair to keep an eye on how everything is going and just in case people need to find him. Crafty got all the student council members flower crowns so they stand out. Day’s crown has orange flowers, Bubba’s blue, Bobby’s pink, and Crafty’s white. They all found a station to watch over except for Day. Bubba is making sure no one breaks any bones at the blossom hunt. Crafty is at the crafting booth helping whoever needs it. Bobby is watching over the games. They don’t really have any help this time because they don’t have any other clubs participating. They manage fine because students come and go throughout the day, not everyone at once. Teachers wander through once in a while and participate too.

Half way through the afternoon, Day is by the games trying to get Nap to go play something instead of pushing him around on his wheelchair. The cat refuses to leave him by himself and Day might be getting a little annoyed. Just a tiny little bit.

“Why not?” Day asks, exasperated.

“I’m not leaving you by yourself,” Nap crosses his arms.

“Why?” Day tries to ask, again. They keep going in circles in this conversation.

“Hey, Day?” Picky asks behind him. Day is so focused on Nap he isn’t paying attention to anything around him. He turns to see Picky and Crafty waiting a few steps away.

“Sorry, did you guys need something?” Day moves the wheelchair so it’s angled at the two instead of a certain cat.

“Did you have lunch yet?” Picky asks cautiously. Her eyes bounce from Day to Nap.

“No, he hasn’t,” Nap answers. Day sees the chance and takes it.

“I haven't, are you going to bring us something Picky?” Day asks innocently.

“I know you guys take small breaks, so I was going to bring some sandwiches,” Picky rubs her arm a little shyly. “If you want.”

“That sounds great, Nap will help you carry them,” Day immediately volunteers the cat.

“No,” Nap immediately denies.

“You won’t?” Day’s ears droop as he looks at Nap wide-eyed. At that moment Day’s stomach growls. “I guess I’ll starve,” Day whines, tilting his head down just a little. Nap frowns, but his arms drop. “Please, moonlight?”

“Fine!” Nap grumbles. “Don’t leave this area. We’ll be right back. Don’t go anywhere by yourself–” Nap is cut off as Picky grabs his hood and starts pulling him away. “Hey!”

“Day’s a big boy who can take care of himself,” Picky says as she continues to drag a stumbling Nap away. Crafty giggles and quickly follows them waving to Day as the three of them disappear around a building. Day realizes this is one of the few times he’s been left alone for months. He glances around to see if anyone is watching him. It doesn’t look like it. Day rolls towards the student building and around it until he’s hidden on the side away from the activities. He should make sure Bubba and Bobby are doing ok with everyone, but this is a great chance to make a quick call to Poppy. Day brings the phone to his ear and listens to the phone ring. His other ear twitches at a dripping sound. Day frowns and turns to look over his shoulder. He doesn’t see anything. The phone in his ear keeps ringing.

It falls right in front of his face. A drop of black liquid. The same liquid that was on the Twisted during Halloween. Day’s breathing stops as the phone goes to voicemail. Day doesn't make the same mistake he did back then and looks up.

No one is there. The dripping stops. If it wasn’t for a few drops on the ground Day would think he imagined the whole thing. Maybe he did imagine it. A Twisted would have attacked him, right? It wouldn’t have just left him here. Day’s ears perk as he listens for movement, his eyes fixed on the roof of the student building. There’s nothing around him except birds and a cool breeze. Day jerks out of his trance as the voicemail beeps at him. He slides his phone back into his pocket. He might be losing his mind. And should probably go back to where the people are just in case he isn’t. Day hurries back to the crafting area and no one seems to have noticed he left. He keeps rolling closer to the center of the tables and farther from the isolation he doesn’t feel safe in. He keeps his ears perked for any unusual noises and his eyes bounce around the edge of the crowd.

Nothing unusual happens. They have a successful event everyone seemed to enjoy. Day doesn’t get the chance to mention the black liquid to anyone because he immediately has to throw himself into practicing for the academy play. Day practices until almost curfew every night that week and every night Nap is waiting to walk him to the dorms. Until Friday night, the night right before the play. Nap trips over his own feet, his eyes more tired than usual.

When they get to their hallway in the dorm, Day heads straight for Nap’s room. The cat blinks slowly, confused as he looks between his door and Day’s. Day tugs the cat closer and lifts Nap’s lanyard up to tap it on the door lock. It beeps and Day pushes the door open.

“Go sleep, Nap,” Day coaxes the cat. Nap frowns and shakes his head, reaching out to pull the door closed.

“You first,” Nap doesn’t succeed. Day’s wheels are blocking the door from closing completely. “Day,” Nap complains and immediately yawns.

“Please, Nap. Go sleep. I’ll be fine.”

“No,” Nap pouts. He crosses his arms to glare down at Day.

“What if I sleep with you?” Day realizes how that sounds and heat fills his face. Nap’s smirk doesn't help. “Not like that! I mean literally sleep!”

“You sure? I’d love to have some fun,” Nap teases, his smirk gets wider.

“Offer expires in thirty seconds.”

“Ok, ok! Nothing, but sleeping.” Nap pushes the door wider and holds it for Day to roll into his room. Day has been in here before, with others, not just the two of them. He isn’t nervous about that at all.

Nap’s room can be described as comfy. He has plush purple rugs placed in trails that lead from his bed to the bathroom and door of the room. His bed has a different mattress than the one the academy provides. The mattress Nap is supposed to be using is pushed against the wall on the unoccupied side of the room. Nap’s sheets look silky, his comforter is soft and plushy. Nap has a mountain of pillows, some the size of a hand and others as long as the bed. All of Naps’ bedding is in different shades of purple. It fits the cat.

The lock clicking into place behind Day is loud in the quiet room.

“Do you need to grab anything from your room?” Nap asks. Day can’t find it in himself to say yes. He’s actually going to sleep with Nap and his nerves are a little high, but he’s also excited.

“I’m fine,” Day’s voice betrays him and cracks. Day sighs and buries his face in his hands. Nap chuckles and pets Day’s head comfortingly.

“Let me get ready. You can get on the bed if you want,” Nap scratches behind Day’s ear just right before pulling away. The cat heads for his wardrobe and then to the bathroom with what he grabbed. Day thanks the stars Nap did not change here right in front of him. He’s not ready for that. While Nap is in the bathroom, Day takes the chance to stand from his wheelchair, unlock the door, go next door to his room, sneaks into his bathroom so he doesn’t wake Kickin, and grabs his toothbrush and toothpaste. He hurries back and locks the door again to Nap’s room. Hopefully, the guard on duty doesn’t notice Day in the wrong room or him walking around after curfew. Day was only out there for a few seconds.

Nap is waiting with his arms crossed where he’s sitting on the bed. He’s in the same stars damn oversized shirt.

“You didn’t have to sneak out,” Nap drops his arms. The shirt shifts, slipping down to reveal a generous amount of collarbone. Day realizes this isn’t a good idea. He isn’t going to get any sleep tonight. “Day?”

“I’m just gunna–” Day swallows harder than normal, “–use the bathroom.” He escapes into the bathroom and wants to bang his head on the wall. He’s making this awkward and didn't really think this through. He just wanted Nap to sleep more. He sighs at himself and goes through his night routine. When he comes back out Nap is laying on his bed, tapping away on his phone. His ankles are crossed and the damn shirt is just teasing at this point.

“I’ll get the light,” Day volunteers. Anything to hide the damn shirt at this point.

“Should you be walking this much?” Nap sets his phone aside as he sits up. Day flips off the light and carefully walks back to the bed. The darkness of the room hides Day’s eye roll. He can walk around now, just not for too long. The sudden silence is suspicious.

“Nap?” Day asks instead as his eyes struggle to adjust to the darkness. He can only really see Nap’s phone screen.

“Right here,” Nap purrs to his left. Day barely gets a shocked breath in before he’s shoved onto the bed and a weight settles on his torso.

“Na–”

Lips cover his and Day freezes. His unresponsiveness gives Nap the chance to tilt his head back. Day gasps around the tongue that slides into this mouth. He’s surrounded by lavender, in his mouth, in his nose. Day hesitates before he tugs the cat closer, tangling their tongues together. Day slides his hands down to Nap’s hips and holds him close. Nap makes this-this noise that has Day’s face burning. One of Nap’s hands slides from Day’s jaw down to his chest and under his shirt. Day gasps at the claws that drag across his skin. All of his attention goes to Nap’s claws raking over his stomach. How can touch be so consuming? Nap kisses him a little harder. Day’s mind doesn’t turn back on until his pants are unbuttoned. Whoa,wait a second! Day grabs the hand trying to undo his pants and pushes Nap away with his hand on the cat’s chest. Nap actually growls at him and pushes aside the hand Day has on his chest. Day turns his face to the side and Nap kisses his cheek instead of his mouth. The cat’s growling gets louder. Day is breathing heavily as he lifts his hand to push the cat away again.

Teeth sink into Day’s neck and he yelps in surprise.

“Nap! Stop!” Day lets go of the cat’s hand by his pant buttons to push him away with both of Day’s own. The teeth sink in deeper. “Nap!” Day’s voice cracks and the teeth disappear. Day hisses in pain. His gaze connects with…red. Day blinks and the red is gone. Only Nap’s usual yellow.

“I-I’m sorry, Day,” Nap whispers. “I didn’t mean to–to–let me get a bandage.” Nap’s weight disappears, footsteps fill the room and the bathroom light turns on. Day tries to process what just happened. Nap kissed him, bit him, and his eyes were red…maybe. Like Bobby’s were when she attacked him all those months ago. Does that mean Nap is…half demon too?

“Here,” Nap says softly as he steps closer. “Do you want to–or I could–”

“You can see better in the dark than I can,” Day says just as softly, tilting his head to the side so Nap can bandage the bite. Nap makes some sort of noise, but quickly takes care of the bite. He pulls away and walks back to the bathroom, his figure is curled into himself in the light from the bathroom. Day rolls over and gets himself comfy on the side of the bed closest to the wall. He doesn’t pull the comforter or sheets over himself. He’s always run a little hotter than most people and removing barriers between himself and Nap doesn’t seem like a good idea. The bathroom light turns off and the footsteps hesitate before walking closer. They stop beside the bed.

“Are you sure you want to stay? I don’t…I won’t force you to.”

“C’mere, kitty. We need our sleep.”

“...ok.”

The bed dips under the cat’s weight and Nap awkwardly settles next to Day. His movements are stiff and he lays on top of the covers. The silence is tense and awkward. Day isn’t mad about the bite. Surprised and confused, yes. Angry, not so much. They are supposed to be sleeping right now anyway.

“Not going to get under the covers?” Day asks him. A beat passes.

“Are you trying to get me in the sheets?”

“I don’t want you to get cold with how little you’re wearing.”

“Daylight, were you checking me out?”

“Of course, you’re beautiful.”

“Daaaaaaay,” Nap whines. “Don’t just say that!”

“But it’s true.”

“Hush, you silly dog or I’ll keep you up all night!”

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep.”

There’s silence for a few moments until they both start to giggle. The tension disappears.

“What are we even saying?” Nap laughs.

“No idea,” Day shifts so he can free his ear from where it’s trapped under his shoulder, tilting his head uncomfortably. “Let’s sleep. We have a big day ahead of us tomorrow.”

“You have a big day ahead of you.”

“I have no doubt you will be there to push me around the whole time. So, both of us need to sleep.”

“Fiiiine,” Nap sighs and wiggles around until he’s under his covers. “Wait, you aren’t under here.”

“Is that why you laid on top?”

“...no.”

“It’s fine, I don’t sleep with much on me. I get hot easily,” Day grabs one of the pillows and wraps his arms around it to hug it to his chest.

“You are hot,” Nap agrees. Day can hear the smirk in his voice. Day grabs another random pillow on the bed and smacks Nap with it. “Hey! What is with you and hitting people with pillows?”

“Sleep.” Day commands monotone. Nap chuckles and they fall silent. It doesn’t take long for Nap’s breathing to slow down. He must be exhausted. Day should be, but with most of the medication he was taking no longer needed his energy is getting closer to what it was. Alice told him that by next month he shouldn’t need the wheelchair if he doesn’t run or wear his body out before it’s ready.

Day closes his eyes and listens to Nap’s breathing. He isn’t sure if he’ll get any sleep tonight, but he’s going to try. It doesn’t take Day long at all to be lulled to sleep by Nap’s warmth so close. His deep breathing not letting the silence creep in.

 

 

 

 

Day wakes up when something slides under his shirt. It’s cold and unusual enough that Day tries to move away from it. All that does is get another to slide under his shirt. He frowns and fights to open his eyes. There shouldn’t be anything cold in his bed. Day feels the bed shift, he’s pulled back against something that wraps around him. Day’s eyes fly open as a leg slides between his and a deep sigh brushes along his ear. Weak beams of sunlight creep through Nap’s blackout curtain.

Wait. Wait. Wait. They were not this close last night! Day wasn’t even under the covers. He hides his hot face in the pillow still hugged to his chest. Ok. Just sneak out of the bed. Try not to wake up Nap. Day takes a shallow breath and lets go of the pillow. He slowly reaches down and pulls Nap’s hands out from under his shirt. The cat grumbles and tries to pull his hands free. Day keeps his grip on them. He shifts his legs carefully to untangle them from Nap’s. Day realizes he did not help himself when he decided to sleep against the wall last night. Getting his legs free requires moving more than he should to avoid waking the cat beside him. The cat against his back starts to growl warningly. Day’s so close to freedom a few more tugs later and he’s out of the blanket that shouldn’t be on him. Day lays on his back and sucks in a breath.

“Stop. Moving.”

Day only gets a blink in before a grumpy cat rolls on top of him. Nap’s hands pin Day’s to the pillow and leans forward. His teeth exposed as he growls. Day does not find it attractive. He doesn’t! Day tries to roll them over, but he doesn’t use much force. He doesn't want to hurt Nap. All Day accomplishes is getting Nap shifted around until he’s kneeling between his legs. The cat growls again and shifts forward. His thigh brushes right between Day’s legs and touches there. Day makes the most embarrassing sound ever. Nap pauses, his face sleepily confused. Day panics. He uses a lot more force to roll them over, startling Nap enough he lets go. Day rolls again and lands hard on the ground.

“Day? Wha–” Nap is cut off as Day grabs a pillow that fell with him and smacks Nap in the face with it. Day bolts for the door of the room, grabbing his wheelchair with his stuff on it. Day barely remembers to stop the door from slamming as he escapes. He impatiently waits for his door to unlock and rushes in when it does. Day shuts and locks it behind him. His room has some sunlight peeking in from gaps in the curtain and Kickin’s star lights. Day’s whole body is hot as he presses his back against the cool door. He is never going to live that down. He slides to the ground and buries his face in his hands. He doesn’t move until Kickin wakes up.

When Day sees Nap again, it’s when they’re all meeting in the hallway for breakfast. Bubba and Kickin ask him how late he was out last night. Nap is the last to join them. They get in the elevator and make their way down. Nap, as he always does, starts to push Day’s wheelchair. Bubba and Kickin fall behind as they start talking about sports. Day feels a brush of air over his ear and Nap’s voice is a low whisper.

“Did something happen this morning?”

‘What do you mean?” Day asks carefully.

“I think we…spoke this morning, but all I can remember is you hitting me with a pillow. Again. What happened?”

Thank the stars, Nap was barely awake for that and doesn't remember anything.

“You wouldn’t let me leave,” Day complains. “I had to distract you.”

“Oh, sorry. I don’t really remember.”

“It’s fine,” Day doesn't look at the cat.

“Guys! Convince Bubba that the Crows are better than the Ravens!” Kickin interrupts.

“Hardly, the Ravens have the championship in their talons,” Bubba scoffs.

“See?” Kickin hurries around Day’s wheelchair to point at the elephant. “Tell him he’s wrong.”

“You’re both wrong,” Nap yawns. “It’s going to be a tie.”

“No, it’s not!” Bubba and Kickin disagree. Day relaxes as Nap purposefully disagrees with the other two. As long as they never talk about last night again, everything will be fine.

Despite his chaotic morning Dya’s classes go well and his friends all say they’re going to the play that night. Day tries to tell them he isn’t technically in the play, he just plays the violin solos and with the orchestra. They tell him students attend for free anyway, so they’ll be there.

Day is excited about the play, but…he’s being watched. Ever since Bloomshare when he saw that black liquid dripping from something, he feels like he’s being watched whenever he’s in public. He doesn’t notice anything out of place when he travels from building to building every day. He plans on telling Freddy tonight. He heard from Miss Delight that Freddy is bringing some future sponsors to the play. After Day’s last class he heads for the academy theater. He makes this trip by himself. Day managed to convince him to go back to the monthly meetings for the academy book club. His friends have their own activities to go to or they want to catch up on sleep.

Day smiles and waves to other students as he wheels closer to the theater. He doesn’t need to change for this because he’ll be hidden in the orchestra pit. The upperclassmen orchestra members will be down there with him, hidden from the crowd. When Day gets backstage to find Miss Delight, it’s chaos. The stage hands are running around getting things into place and the actors are trying to find this or that. It’s the first night and nervous anticipation is thick in the air. Day tries to stay out of the way as he looks for Miss Delight. He finally sees her as she talks to the stage hands that are huddled around her. Day rolls over and manages to catch her before she’s pulled away for something else.

“Daylight?” Theater Delight asks. “What can I help you with?”

“I just need to ask a quick question,” Day rushes to say as a few of the actors start to approach.

“Go ahead,” Miss Delight glances at the other students before looking back at him.

“It’ll be difficult to get my wheelchair down into the pit. Do you know where I can put it that’s close, but out of the way?”

“You don’t need it?” Theater Delight asks, confused.

“I’ll be sitting in the pit and the head nurse told me to walk around more. I‘ll be fine.”

“That’s excellent news!” Theater Delight smiles. “There’s a ramp in the back hallway. The hallway leads outside and up to the balcony. You can set the wheelchair on one of the ramp landings if you want. Otherwise, it’ll have to go into a storage closet so it doesn’t get moved during the play.”

“I’ll use the ramp if that’s free,” Day tells her just as the other students reach them. Theater Delight’s attention is taken and Day rolls away. He finds the landing by the exit door and locks his wheelchair in place. He makes sure to grab his violin, phone, and ring of keys. It’s annoying to have to bring all of that with him, especially the noisy keys, but there’s no way Day is going to leave it unattended. Day is the first one in the pit and finds his seat. As he gets his violin ready, the other orchestra players filter in. A half hour before the play starts, Mr. Lawrence has them do their warm ups and after that roll right into a song to play for the audience as they find their seats. Everyone in the play was told how important this night is with the future investors coming with the academy president. Day keeps his concentration on the music. The orchestra stops playing as Miss Delight says her introduction speech and officially starts the play. She looks good in her dark red dress and tied up hair. Day is very surprised when Mr. Lawrence watches her longer than he needs to.

The play the senior drama students chose, ‘The Littlest Wish’, is about a small shooting star. As it shot across the sky no one would wish on it, but the other shooting stars received lots of wishes. If the star did not get a wish it would lose its magic and disappear. Just before the star passes by completely, it feels someone wish upon it.

“I wish to be human!”

The little star did not disappear that night. It went to find the wishmaker and grant this wish. It found a bunny anthro who worked on a farm. The bunny was kind and beautiful. The star, as all stars can, transformed into a bunny and approached the wishmaker. The little star discovered the bunny wanted to marry a human prince that traveled past the farm to visit the ocean. The prince was nice to her, and sometimes brought her gifts. The bunny fell in love with him, but being different races meant their love could never be.

The little star wanted to grant her wish, but was not powerful enough to do so. It wasn’t sure what to do, so it stayed with the bunny for a few years. It fell in love with her and knew what it had to do. It asked her to marry it instead of the prince, but she refused. So, with the love inside for her the little star used all of its magic to grant her wish. Its light went out and it disappeared. The bunny married the prince and lived happily ever after.

There are different versions of the story. Day remembers being told the original one was much darker than the more kid friendly versions used today. He’s surprised the students wanted the star to die like in the original, most of the versions used have the star sleep for a very long time. Music was added to the fairytale over time. The music isn’t very difficult, but there are a lot of songs that go with it. Day doesn’t play with the orchestra that often. Violin is mostly in the solos and the finale. When Day finishes his first solo the curtains close and it’s intermission. The orchestra is quick to get up and walk around. Mr. Lawrence disappears backstage. Day climbs up the steep steps to the crowded seats in the audience. He sees Hoppy hopping towards the left waving her hand in the air. Day waves back with a smile and starts to walk over, weaving through the crowd.

“Day, that was amazing!” Bobby smiles and hugs him tightly. “You’re walking around again!”

“Your solo was so good,” Kickin grins as he raises his hand for a high five. Day doesn’t leave him hanging and suddenly he’s high fiving everyone. All of them congratulate him for walking on his own and playing his solo so well.

“Thanks, guys,” Day grins. “How did the play look? I can’t see it very well from the pit.”

“The painter did amazing!” Crafty gushes. “Whoever they were highlighted just right, so nothing was lost in the background.”

“The actors haven’t messed up yet,” Bubba comments as he steps out of the aisle. His foot catches on something and he starts to fall. Bobby is quick to grab his arm and haul him back up. They end up standing chest to chest. They freeze and stare at each other wide eyed.

“Bubba and Bobby sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G!” Hoppy singsongs. The others start to giggle. Day presses a knuckle against his mouth so he doesn’t. Bubba's big ears start to flush. Bobby lets Bubba to whirl on them.

“Don’t make things weird! I was just helping Bubba up,” Bobby glares at the rabbit.

“I’m sure that’s why you held on so long,” Kickin snickers.

“You two are going to pay for that,” Bobby smiles with more fang than usual.

“Ha! Only if you catch us!” Hoppy laughs. It cuts off as Bobby almost grabs her arm. “Hey! Since when can you move that fast?”

“You aren’t very fast, are you?” Bobby snickers and reaches for Kickin.

“I didn’t start this!” Kickin escapes behind a couple.

“You joined in!” Bobby is quick to follow him. Hoppy laughs and follows the bear. All three are quickly lost in the crowd.

“Do you think she means it?” Crafty asks worriedly.

“Bobby wouldn’t…I think,” Picky mutters.

“They’ll be fine,” Day grins. “Bobby wouldn’t hurt them…too badly.”

“In that case, let’s go find the concession stand, Crafts,” Picky loops her arm through Crafty’s and starts to lead her away.

“Uh, ok. Do you guys want anything?” Crafty calls to them. A few people in the crowd stare at Crafty as she passes by them.

“No thanks!” Day calls just as the unicorn and pig disappear. “Why are they staring?” Day wonders.

“Most people go their whole lives without seeing a unicorn. We’re lucky no one has tried to take a lock of her hair. That might be because the academy guards are everywhere,” Nap explains as he looks at the guards posted at every exit.

“Really?”

“Yep.”

Surprised that Bubba hasn’t jumped in yet to info dump about unicorns, Day turns to find Bubba holding his arm where Bobby grabbed him earlier.

“Bubba?” Day takes a step closer.

“Oh no,” Bubba whispers. His big ears flap shut in front of his face. “I-I’m going!” Bubba quickly disappears into the crowd. Day watches him with raised eyebrows before looking at the cat beside him.

“One of them finally realizes,” Nap rolls his eyes.

“How long have you known?”

“Please, coffee together almost every day? It was inevitable.”

“You have a point.”

The intermission must be half way over already. It’s only a half hour long. Day glances at the empty stage and the orchestra pit. Should he check on his wheelchair while he has the chance? He thinks there’s a less likely chance someone will try to steal the big heavy thing, but there is always a chance.

“Day?” Nap asks.

“Hm?” Day asks as he steps to the side to avoid a little kid that is definitely high on sugar.

“Are you sure you should be walking around?”

“Nap, we talked about this,” Day says more tiredly than he means to.

“I know, just…take care of yourself. You’re our best friend.”

“Am I just your best friend?” Day teases.

“No, well, yes. I mean–you’re my best friend and more,” Nap stumbles to explain.

“Isn’t that just a boyfriend?”

“Do you want to be my boyfriend?”

“Hey, I asked first,” Day frowns.

“You didn’t really ask,” Nap smirks back.

“How dare you!” Day gasps dramatically. “You know what? No. I don’t want to be your boyfriend anymore.”

“No! Baby, please. We can work this out,” Nap cries just as dramatically. They look at each other and start giggling. They get a few disapproving looks as people wander by.

“Does that mean…yes?” Nap eventually asks, trying to hide his nerves. His tail gives him away as the tip flicks anxiously back and forth. Day chuckles again before kissing the cat on the forehead. The lights overhead start to flicker in warning that intermission ends in five minutes.

“See you later, moonlight,” Day smiles as he starts making his way back to the pit. His tail wags happily behind him.

The other orchestra members return and the lights turn off. The audience goes quiet and act two starts. Day has two solos in this half and only joins the orchestra once. It feels like the second act ends a lot faster than the first act. Day joins the orchestra as they play the finale. The violin is the little star’s theme and is an important part. Day holds his note as the cello supports him and the song ends. Miss Delight gets on stage and makes her ending speech. When she’s done the orchestra plays another song as people start to leave the theater. The song ends as the crowd slowly filters out of the theater.

“Good job, everyone. Now put your instruments away and hurry back to the dorms so the theater can close sooner rather than later.”

“Ok, Mr. Lawrence!”

Day stands and his body feels heavy, but it works and feels like it’s in his control again. He’ll head back to his wheelchair and use it until he gets back to the dorms. He doesn’t want to risk getting stuck in it any longer because he rushed his body to heal.

“Mr. Dog,” Mr. Lawerence says much closer than Day is expecting him to be.

“Y-yes?”

“Good work on those solos. For the little time you had to prepare.”

“Thank you, Mr. Lawrence.”

“I will add this as extra credit. You were not originally supposed to play tonight, so it counts. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight, Mr. Lawrence,” Day says to the human’s back as he leaves. Mr. Lawrence thought he did a good job! That’s high praise coming from him. Day smiles as he gets his violin secure in its case. He makes his way backstage and past the chaos that is closing the play for the night. Day walks down the empty hallway to his wheelchair and eases into the seat. He sighs and slides the violin case into a pouch on the back of the seat. It’s not the most convenient place, but it’s easier than trying to balance the case in his lap as he wheels himself around. Day checks his phone before he unlocks the chair. He has a message from Poppy gushing about how he did such a good job. Day has no doubt she’ll be sending him flowers as a congrats. He doesn't want to know how she saw the play when she’s miles away. It’s better that he doesn’t know. The other message is from Nap asking where they should meet to head back to the dorms. Day texts him back that he’ll meet them by the front doors. Day can wheel around the building and get some fresh air.

Day hits the handicap button to exit the building, the nights are still a little chilly, but Day breathes in the refreshing night breeze. He rolls out into the little circle of light from beside the door. Day decides to go left around to the front. It’s a little longer, but it’s a paved sidewalk and he doesn't have the energy right now to fight his way through grass and mud.

Day stops just past the edge of the light’s reach. He hears footsteps behind him. They’re unsteady and stop when Day pauses. He turns his wheelchair to the side so his back is to the building and he doesn’t have to strain his neck to look behind him. He doesn’t see anything in the circle of light. Day stares into the shadows past the light. He knows he heard someone. Is it the same thing that was watching him on Bloomshare?

“Daylight…” a raspy voice says from the darkness. Day inhales sharply. He recognizes that voice. Why is–

“I can’t wait any more!” the voice screeches. The edge of the light is broken. A figure runs at him. Day shoves at his wheels and his chair jolts back against the wall. The figure stumbles past him and barely avoids falling over. This close Day can see black tears falling from her eyes. Saph’s pupils aren’t gone, but they’re unusually faded. She glares at him as she lunges again. Day can’t move in time to doge, he trapped himself against the wall. Saph’s hands aim for his throat, but Day grabs her wrists before they can touch him.

“It’s your fault!” She yells. “If it wasn’t for you my sister wouldn’t have been hurt!” Saph fights against his grip on her wrists.

\\\\\\

“Saph, what happened to you?” Day glances towards the exit light, hoping someone will walk through and get help. His distraction costs him. Saph’s beak snaps closed on his shoulder. Day yelps in pain as he lets go of her wrists to push her head away. One of her hands shoves his head back and her beak lets go of his shoulder. She lunges for his jugular, her beak open and ready to snap around his neck. Day raises his arm and her beak clamps shut on it.

“Stop, Saph!” Day tries to keep her beak open with his other hand. “This isn’t you. Obsidi wouldn’t want you to do this!”

Black tears gush from her eyes and her beak starts to squeeze shut. Day can feel his bone creak and panics. He tosses his head until her hand on his head is thrown off. He bites when it gets close to his face. Saph makes a muffled screech and snaps his arm. Day screams, his eyes burning as she rips his forearm off and tosses it aside. The watch Bubba got him glints in the emergency light.

“Don’t mention my sister!” Saph gets her hands around his throat this time. “The only reason we were taken was because they wanted to make you pay. Tig only wanted you! But, they needed a fucking distraction. I was so mad while healing. Why do you get to come back like nothing happened? My sister is still recovering and you get to walk around like–” Saph cuts off. She coughs from deep in her chest. Black liquid sprays over Day. “He showed me the truth. He told me what I had to do,” Saph says weakly. “Praise him!”

Day can’t say anything as his throat is slowly crushed. His one hand can’t dislodge both of hers. His vision is starting to turn black on the edges. Think Day, stop panicking. You still have one hand she isn’t even restraining.

“He doesn’t want me to do this right now, but I can’t let another chance just slip away!”

Day lifts his one hand and punches Saph in the eye. She cries out and lets go, stumbling away. Day sucks in a greedy breath. His dizziness doesn’t go away. He feels cold. Day risks a glance down at his arm and a hysterical chuckle escapes. His left arm is gone. He’s going to bleed out.

“You’ll pay for that!” Saph screeches. She lunges for him again, her beak dripping with blood.

\\\\\\

“STOP!”

Saph stumbles to a stop. She looks at the corner of the building on the other side of Day. Her uncanny eyes grow wide and scared. She glances at Day before darting towards the darkness she just came from.

“Don’t move,” Freddy commands. His footsteps quickly approach. Day can’t move as Freddy runs to him. The bear pauses and gasps. The footsteps thunder towards Day.

“Daylight!” Freddy is very close now, but Day can’t seem to focus on him. His head is really floaty right now. A strong hand gently lands on his uninjured shoulder. “Daylight, stay with me. Help is on the way.”

Saph’s vicious laugh echoes in Day's head. It echoes and echoes…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

echoes…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Notes:

So uh....how's everyone doing? Some of you were right to be suspicious about all the cute fluffy times you got the last few chapters.
You'll all survive the cliffhanger, right? I hope so. It won't last forever. Promise!
Anywho, thanks for reading and see you in the next one!

Chapter 14: Poisonous Revelations

“Poppy, please,” Day places his hand on hers.

“Don’t you dare tell me it’s fine!” Poppy jerks her hand away. “It hasn't even been six months since you got out of the hospital last time!”

“I was only out for two weeks,” Day tries to calm her down.

“Oh, good! No two month long coma–this time! No, this time you only lost your arm!” Poppy starts pacing around the hospital room. “You still need angels to heal your injuries. If it wasn’t for Freddy Fazbear showing up when he did, you could have–” Poppy cuts off. Her back facing him.

“Pops–”

“I knew I shouldn’t have let you go back!” Poppy whirls on him. “I’m pulling you out! You’re not going back to Evol–”

“Poppy!” Day cuts her off sharply. They stare at each other, breathing hard. “Pops, things are escalating too fast to put someone else in.”

“I can find someone,” Poppy says through gritted teeth. Day takes a breath before he continues.

“I have connections there and I did everything you asked me to–”

“You almost died!”

“–and all of that progress will be lost if you take me out now. This isn’t about just me or you.”

“I know!” Poppy stomps to the door, stops, takes a deep breath, and turns back to sit in the chair beside his hospital bed. “I know what’s at stake, but I can’t keep finding you critically injured in a hospital.” She picks up his hand and presses it to her forehead. “I don’t want to lose you, Daylight.”

“I’m not going anywhere,” Day huffs. “Once this arm is fully healed it’s back to training. I have so much classwork to catch up on now too.”

“...yeah,” Poppy sighs. Day can’t see her expression from where she's hiding behind his hand. A few seconds pass in silence as Day tries to find a way to comfort her.

“I don’t want you going outside without an escort.” Poppy says with more energy as she lifts her head. “A bodyguard will be with you everywhere except inside the mansion.”

“Poooooppyyyyy,” Day whines.

“You will check in with me every day at least twice.”

“Do I really need to if you’ll have someone watching me all the time anyway?”

“Don’t test me, Daylight,” Poppy squeezes his hand. “You’re lucky I’m letting you leave the mansion at all.” Day shoves the rest of his complaints back into his mouth. Poppy could very easily keep him trapped.

“Can I at least pick my bodyguard?” Day asks instead.

“I already did,” Poppy waves the matter away as she grabs a cup of water to offer it to him. Day uses his only working hand to take it from her. His left arm is…out of order. Day tips back the almost empty cup and finishes it off. Poppy is setting it back on the table when the door to his hospital room is knocked on twice and opened. An angel steps through and behind her is Miss Alice. She smiles at him as she walks in. Her eyes glance at Poppy and widen. Her shocked gaze bounces between Day and Poppy.

“Daylight Dog?” the other angel asks. Her voice is soft and melodic. She has half a mask covering the top half of her face. Her long black hair is braided and her black dress has white stripes. Day always pictured angels in white, that doesn’t seem to be the case. The angel is thin and tall.

“Who are you?” Poppy asks, sitting a little straighter in her chair.

“I am Marion Puppet. I am a friend of Freddy Fazbear and a healer sent by the council,” Marion inclines her head politely. “Forgive me for not using your title, Miss Playtime. I was told you wished to keep this private.”

“That is correct,” Poppy looks over them. “You are both angels?”

“Yes, this is my student, Alice Angel. She works at the academy as the head nurse,” Marion motions behind her to Alice.

“You’re the head nurse?” Poppy asks Alice directly.

“I started last semester. I have been working with Daylight for his previous injuries,” Alice explains. “Oh, apologies for being so casual. I mean Mr–”

“It’s fine, Miss Alice. If Day is fine with it, then so am I,” Poppy dismisses. The tension in Alice’s shoulders lessens a little as she glances at Day. Day gives her an encouraging smile.

“You were also the one who found Day on Halloween, right?” Poppy asks. Day’s hands curl into the blanket over his legs. You’re fine, Day. Just breathe.

“Yes, Miss Playtime.”

“Thank you, Miss Angel. For that night and Day’s recovery since.”

“O-of course.”

“Miss Playtime, will you be staying for Day’s check up?” Marion asks.

“Yes, don’t mind me,” Poppy scoots her chair closer to Day’s head. Marion approaches Day calmly.

“Hello, Daylight. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you,” Marion smiles politely. “Freddy has mentioned you before. Do you want him to come visit? He’s been worried sick.”

“Really?” Day’s ears perk.

“Yes, but it’ll have to wait. How does your arm feel?”

“I…don’t know. It’s numb,” Day’s ears pin back. “Shouldn’t there be pain?”

“About that,” Marion glances at Alice, then Poppy, and back to Day. “We need to check your wound for poison.”

“Poison?” Poppy sits up.

“Let me check Daylight first, then I’ll explain,” Marion moves around the bed to Day’s left side. “I’m going to check for poison with magic, Daylight. Tell me if you feel anything strange.”

Day nods nervously. Marion sits on the edge of his bed and carefully lifts his left arm. When Day woke up yesterday, two weeks had passed and where a stump should be was a weird glove. It’s a long white glove that stretches just past his elbow. In the right lighting he can see symbols on the glove. It reeks of angel magic and keeps his fingers spread. Day was told when he first woke up to not move it. He doesn’t think he could if he tried, all he feels from his arm is the end of the glove around his upper arm. If he stands his balance is off, like everything is shifted to the right.

Poppy scoots closer and offers her hand for Day to take. He does. Marion carefully helps Day remove the sling his left arm is in. Alice rushes over to remove the sling once it’s loose while Marion holds his arm steady. She carefully adjusts her hold so she can support his arm with one hand and free her other one. Marion holds her free hand over the back of Day’s glove hand and her hand starts to glow with white magic. The symbols Day could see once in a while light up and slowly shift around the glove. The smell of angel magic intensifies. Day feels warmth sink into his arm. He shifts uncomfortably.

“Do you feel anything?” Marion asks.

“I can feel your magic, it’s warm.”

“Good, you still have feeling in your arm.”

The warmth spreads up to the wound in his shoulder and Day watches the white magic trail up his arm with the warmth. It gathers right over where the bite in his shoulder is and sinks through the bandage into his wound. Day feels the warmth as it does. It slowly spreads and collides with a stab of cold. Day hisses through his teeth.

“Hold on, Daylight,” Marion warns. The warmth intensifies to heat this side of painful. Day squeezes his eyes shut as the cold disappears and the heat slides back out of his arm. “Hurry, Alice,” Marion urges. Day opens his eyes just in time to see a white magic bubble containing black liquid.

“That’s the…” Day trails off as the white bubble slides into a vial and pops. The black liquid inside sloshes as Alice quickly seals the vial.

“That’s what, Day?” Poppy squeezes his hand. Day hesitates, not sure if he should say anything in front of Marion and Alice.

“Please share, Daylight. We have been informed of both Twisted incidents you experienced,” Marion says as her focus remains on her magic. The warmth is slowly receding from his shoulder wound.

“I…when I was attacked by the Twisted, they all had black liquid like that,” Day nods to the vial. “Falling from their eyes or mouth.”

“Even Miss Dovely?” Marion asks. Her warm magic slides back to the glove.

“Yes,” Day’s voice is weak.

“What is that, Miss Marion?” Poppy cuts in, eyeing the vial suspiciously. Alice’s grip tightens on the vial.

“I should start from the beginning so everyone is on the same page,” Marion’s magic envelops the glove completely. She holds Day’s arm with two hands again and glances at the vial Alice is holding.

“Twisted were discovered twenty years ago. The first was found walking through the streets of the capitol one night. The creature didn’t survive testing and very few answers were discovered about it. Five more would be seen over the next two decades. Only one of those five were caught alive. It died within a few months. They were violent monsters, no trace of the person they were before they changed. Last Halloween was the first time there was more than one for a single attack and the first time the Twisted could…think. They speak, they remember, they can hold a conversation. The two who were caught are still alive almost six months later, the longest any Twisted has lived since being caught,” Marion pauses. Her white magic gets brighter before she continues. Day’s arm feels like it fell asleep, that uncomfortable prickly sensation all over it.

“The girl who was caught two weeks ago, Sapphire Dovely. She isn’t, exactly, a Twisted,” Marion says carefully. “Day, did you notice how Miss Dovely wasn’t mutated? Her body was the same size that it was before wasn’t it?”

“Yes, but,” Day’s hand curls around Poppy’s as he thinks back on that night. “Saph wasn’t normal either. Her walk was uneven, like her leg was injured and…and her eyes were close to what a Twisted looks like.”

“That she did,” Marion agrees, like they just decided what to have for lunch.

“Explain,” Poppy frowns at the angel.

“We believe the black liquid we found has something to do with turning into a Twisted. Sapphire is, to put it simply, not a complete Twisted. She had that poison inside of her. For some reason, the poison by itself isn’t what causes the complete transformation, but does affect a person to some degree.”

“Day was poisoned?” Poppy asks, alarmed. Her hand squeezes Day’s even tighter.

“Yes, luckily his resistance fought it off until we could remove it.”

“Resistance?” Day asks.

“Yes,” Marion carefully shifts her hands on his arm, her magic disappears. “Your angel blood is a natural resistance to this poison. That being said, it doesn't mean you’re immune. The poison we just removed is a cumulation of the attack from Halloween and the one a few weeks ago. It’s only because of your angel heritage you didn’t end up being affected like Sapphire Dovely.” Marion glances at him and pauses. “You didn’t know?”

“Poppy,” Day turns on her. “Did you know?”

“I…might have,” Poppy glances away. Day tries to wiggle his hand out of her grip, but she holds on tight.

“You didn’t think I should know?” Day glares at her.

“I was going to mention it…eventually,” Poppy still won’t look at him. Day exhales sharply, hoping the anger goes with it.

“I see,” Marion moves one of her hands again. “Daylight, Can you feel this?” Day can feel a poke on his hand. Surprised, he looks down and the glove is gone. His arm is back, but not exactly how it was. His fur hasn’t grown on his magically healed limb and his claws are barely there. His arm is skinnier than it should be, like there’s no muscles under his skin.

“Yes,” Day tells her.

“Good, can you move your fingers?”

Day moves his fingers and clenches his hand into a fist, flexing his arm. His movements are stiff and his arm tingles with every move.

“Excellent,” Marion approves. “Your arm will need time to fully recover. Try to flex your fingers and stretch your arm a few times a day. Don’t lift anything yet. Now let me look at your shoulder,” Marion stands from the bed and leans over to look at Day’s shoulder. She removes the bandages there with quick practiced movements. The room is silent as she does so.

“Daylight,” Alice says cautiously. “You really didn’t know you were half angel?”

“No, but I didn’t…know my parents,” Day mumbles. His throat closes after the confession.

“Enough,” Poppy tells them. “Marion, how is his shoulder?”

“With the poison gone I can heal it completely,” Marion says as her magic sinks into Day’s shoulder again. This time, her magic is there for a few seconds before she pulls away. “There.” Marion steps back and takes the dark bandages with her. Day’s skin feels a little itchy, but he doesn't feel the wound pull like it did before. There’s an odd breeze where his fur was shaved away so the wound could be cleaned and bandaged.

“Now,” Marion stands to throw away the badges. “I tried to tell him not to visit, but Freddy insisted on coming to see you. Is it ok if he comes in?”

Day looks at Poppy and she slowly nods. “I should make a few calls anyway. I’ll see you this afternoon, Day.”

“Ok, see you,” Day gives her a one armed hug as she stands up. Even if he’s mad, he doesn’t get to see her that often. He waves as she leaves quickly. Alice frowns in the corner of Day’s eye as she watches Poppy disappear out the door.

“Has Mr. Fazbear been waiting long?” Day asks Marion.

“No, he came with me. I’ll let him know he can come up,” Marion says as she pulls out her phone. As Marion texts away, Alice slides the vial into a padded box and slides that into her purse.

“Is she ok?” Day asks quietly.

“Who?r” Marion asks as she slides her phone back into her pocket.

“Sapphire, is she ok?”

“When we discovered the poison and removed it, she fell into a deep sleep for about three days. She is currently awake and weak. It seems her memories of the attack are spotty at best. They may come back over time, we have to wait and see.”

“She’ll live?”

“It looks that way, yes.”

“Ok,” Day sighs. A weight he didn’t realize was there lifts from his shoulders. “Ok.”

A firm knock on his door distracts him. Alice opens it and Freddy steps into the room. His eyes immediately go to Day and his shoulders relax a little. Day’s tail thumps lightly on the bed.

“Daylight, it’s good to see you up,” Freddy hurries to the chair Poppy vacated a few minutes ago.

“Hey, kid,” Goldie wanders in behind his twin. “Long time no see.”

“Hi,” Day grins at them. “I think I last saw you when the semester started,” he says to Goldie.

“Been busy. Besides, it’s not my academy. I don’t need to be there all the time like someone insists he needs to be,” Goldie elbows Freddy’s shoulder. Freddy elbows him back before focusing on Day again.

“How do you feel?” Freddy glances at Day’s shoulder and arm.

“Better than I did before Miss Puppet healed me,” Day nods to the angel.

“She’s helped us through injuries before,” Goldie grins. “Isn’t that right Mari?”

“We’re in front of a patient, Goldilocks.”

“So?”

“Do I need to call your boyfriend?”

“You wouldn’t.”

“If you two are just going to argue, leave the room,” Freddy sighs.

“Apologies,” Marion tells him and turns away from Goldie completely. Goldie crosses his arms, but doesn’t say anything else.

“Thank you,” Freddy sighs. “Daylight, will you tell me what happened that night? Before I got there? Everyone else can leave if you want.”

“I’m not your lackey,” Goldie mutters.

“I…I don’t think I can say it with an audience,” Day admits.

“That’s absolutely ok,” Marion nods. “Alice, we should check in with the other healers. C’mon Goldilocks.”

“Will you ever let that go?” Goldie grumbles as he lets himself get dragged out by the arm.

“Nope.”

The door closes behind them. Day sees Freddy seemingly lose all the energy he walked in with. His face looks thinner than before, his eyes red from exhaustion.

“Sorry about them, Daylight. Whenever you’re ready to talk, go ahead.”

“Mr. Fazbear?” Day asks, latching onto a distraction. Just to buy himself a little time. “Are you feeling ok?”

“I look that bad, huh?” Freddy’s mouth quirks up.

“W-wait, I didn’t mean it like that,” Day tries to back pedal.

“It’s ok, Daylight,” Freddy sighs and leans back in the chair. “I’m…sick. Ever since I was diagnosed we discovered I was getting weaker and…” Freddy scrubs his hands over his face. “I’m losing control of my ability. That night, when I used it to tell Sapphire to stop? It was supposed to affect her and not you. Do you remember not being able to move?” Day slowly nods. “That wasn’t supposed to happen and an evolved anthro who loses control of their ability is…” Freddy looks away. “I haven’t told anyone else I messed up that night, but I had to tell you I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to use my ability on you, Daylight.”

“I don’t blame you at all, Mr. Fazbear. I’m so grateful you were there.”

“Once I heard your…scream I got there as fast as I could.”

“Thank you, so much,” Day smiles and blinks back tears. “I don’t know what would have happened if you didn’t show up when you did.”

“You’re one of my students, of course I was going to come running,” Freddy smiles warmly at him. “Speaking of, now that classes are over and we aren’t on academy grounds, you can just call me Freddy.”

“Really?” Day’s ears perk, his tail thumps loudly on the bed. Did Freddy Fazbear just tell him, he can call him by name?

“I think we’ve earned it at this point, right?”

“T-then you can call me Day!”

“Day,” Freddy smiles brightly, his head tilting to the side. The sunlight from the window makes the bear’s blue eyes sparkle. Day’s tail gets louder, but he’s too excited to care. Freddy’s smile starts to fade as his eyes trail to Day’s shoulder and down to his arm. “Have you spoken to your friends yet?”

“Not yet, I haven’t really felt coherent enough to contact them until today. The mix of medication and magic had me asleep most of the time. I’m…not sure what to say to them. Did they see anything that night?”

“...yes,” Freddy’s jaw tightens. “I wasn't the only one who heard you. I made it there first, but they weren’t far behind. I don’t know how much they saw, but they knew you were injured. I couldn’t hide your…arm before they saw it.”

“Oh,” Day looks down at his new arm. His stomach sinks at the thought of them seeing his severed arm and the nightmares that must have been created. He still has nightmares from Halloween. He hoped they wouldn’t have to experience something like that.

“It’s ok, Day,” Freddy pats the bed beside Day’s hand. “I’m sure they’re waiting anxiously for you to contact them. They have to be worried.”

“Yeah,” Day rubs his healthy hand over his eyes. He might as well just spit out what happened. It won’t get easier. He struggled to finally talk about the Halloween attack for months. “Not much happened before you showed up,” Day starts. “I was leaving the theater and heard someone walking towards me. It was Sapphire. She said she couldn't wait anymore and attacked me. She…she said it’s my fault her sister was injured.” Day’s shoulders hunch. “She said the Twisted were after me, but she and Obsidi were taken as a distraction.”

“I’m sorry that happened to you,” Freddy covers Day’s hand this time. “Anything else?”

“She mentioned ‘him’ a few times.”

“Him?”

“All she said was ‘he’ showed her the truth and told her what to do,” Day pauses. “Saph said she wasn’t supposed to attack me that night, but she couldn’t–” Day takes a deep breath. “–let this opportunity pass by.”

“It’s over now. Mari tells me Saph has a chance of recovering from this. I don’t know if they’re going to come back to the academy next year. I wouldn’t blame them if they didn’t. I’ll let you know how their conditions are,” Freddy promises.

“Thank you,” Day sighs, leaning back against the pillows behind him. Saph has to survive this. He can’t imagine the twins being separated so permanently. Maybe they shouldn’t come back to the academy. They’ve only suffered since they arrived. Day hopes their lives get easier. He doesn’t want anyone to end up like Odette.

“Mr–Freddy, have you seen Iggy and Jack since they were captured?”

“No, the government has kept them under tight lock and key. Mari is the only person I know who’s seen them. Why?”

“They mentioned ‘him’ too. The same words that Saph said. ‘Praise him.’”

“Yes, I heard Saph say that. I wasn't there when they captured the Twisted on Halloween, but Mari has told me they speak about ‘praising him’.” Freddy’s free hand curls into a fist. “We need to find out what is going on. I can’t lose any more students.” Freddy takes a breath, his gaze so intense Day feels a little scared of it. “I won’t lose anyone else.”

Day doesn't know what to say to that. A knock interrupts them before he has to. The door opens before either of them tell the person to enter. Goldie saunters into the room, sliding his phone into his pocket.

“Let’s go, Freddybear. The chancellor is calling a meeting and evolved are required to attend. Glammy says he’ll meet us outside.”

“You aren’t going to teleport us?” Freddy raises an eyebrow at his brother. The tension leaking away from his shoulders.

“Please,” Goldie rolls his eyes. “I’m not immune to youngest brother privileges. Of course he won that debate.”

“You’re both too stubborn,” Freddy chuckles.

“I don’t want to hear that from you of all people,” Goldie crosses his arms. Freddy chuckles again before turning back to Day and squeezing his hand one last time. “I have to go. Be careful, Day. I’ll see you soon.”

“Bye, Freddy,” Day squeezes back and lets go.

“First names?” Goldie asks, slightly offended. “I should be on a first name basis too! I met you first!”

“Ok, Goldilocks,” Day teases. Freddy covers his mouth to stop his laughter.

“Who taught you that?” Goldie gasps dramatically. “It’s Goldie to you, kid. Remember that!”

“Ok, Goldie. You can call me Day.”

“You got it kid,” Goldie teleports closer and ruffles the top of his head. “See you up and about soon, ok?”

“Ok,” Day chuckles. The hand on his head disappears and when Day looks up the brothers are gone. As the silence creeps in, Day's smile falls off his face. He’s alone in an empty, suffocating silence. Day searches for a distraction of some kind. His gaze lands on his arm. It looks so strange without fur and as skinny as it is. He flexes his fingers and stretches his arm carefully. His muscles feel sore from just that. He carefully rotates his arm so the back of his hand is on his leg instead of his palm. A tweak of pain has him gritting his teeth and using his other hand to turn his arm back. When his palm is resting on his leg again, Day sighs in relief. Light catches on the angel band on his unhurt wrist.

There isn’t a band on his newly healed wrist. Neither Marion nor Alice replaced it just now. Did they forget or is it not possible for them to replace it? Didn’t Alice say only the person who put it on could take it off? So, the person who put these on him will have to come back and replace it right? Day can finally ask why they’re on him and what they are. He wants them off, but he doesn’t think that’s going to happen so easily. Day twists his wrist to watch the band catch the light. He still hasn’t found symbols or anything on it.

Eventually, he looks over at his bag of belongings on the table beside him. He should contact everyone, let them know he’s ok and just deal with the following conversations. Day reaches over and pulls the bag into his lap. His shirt was once again unsalvageable, but he gets to keep everything else this time. He reaches in to find his phone, but his hand connects with a rough texture. Day pulls it out and stares at the lump. It’s just a black rough rock, same as always. He lifts it into the light and turns it, wondering if somehow he’ll find something new this time. No hidden symbol or anything different appears. It is still just a black lump smaller than his palm that Goldie gave him and Nightmare was suspicious of. Day sighs and drops it back in the bag. He doesn't know if he should keep it on him anymore. Goldie told him to, but too many dangerous things have been happening and the lump might become one of them.

Day feels around in the bag and touches something smooth and cold. Day barely lifts the watch out of the bag. Poppy must have gotten it first because it’s shiny and clean. No drops of blood or scratches from what happened. Day shakes his head and puts it back in the bag. He searches until he finds his phone and lifts it out. He hesitates before trying to turn it on. He can do this. Day pushes the power button. It doesn’t turn on, the battery must be dead. Day is relieved and anxious now.

“Hey, Bron?” Day calls towards the door. It opens and Bron’s head peeks in. “Can you let Poppy know I need my phone charger?”

“Yes, sir,” Bron nods. He closes the door and Day is enveloped in silence again. He can’t even turn his music on to break it. Day lets his head fall back against the pillows and closes his eyes. His mind helpfully reminds him of Saph’s eyes and cruel laugh. He winces and sits up again. He might have something else in his bag. Day reaches into it again and his fingers brush against his violin case. With a distraction right there Day eagerly pulls out the case. He realizes the problem immediately. He can’t play right now. Mairon only said stretches for now. Playing his violin is probably not something she would be happy with. Day puts it back in the bag and growls to himself. He can’t just sit here in silence for the next however long before Poppy comes back.

Fuck it. He’s going to walk around. He was basically cleared from needing his wheelchair and his legs aren’t injured. Day puts his bag of belongings back on the table, throws the blanket off of his legs and swings them over the edge of the bed. He pauses there, glad he was given scrubs to wear instead of the open back hospital gown. Day gets to his feet and takes a second to get used to standing again. When he feels like he’s ready he takes a step towards the door. It’s a little unsteady, but he stays upright. Day takes another step, and another. Once he gets to the door. He’s confidently walking. Day opens the door with a grin.

Bron is gone. Day looks down both sides of the hallway for the dinosaur, but he doesn't see his red scales anywhere. Day steps out of the room with a shrug. Bron must be in the restroom or something. Day walks down the hallway towards the elevator. Most of the doors he passes are open. The other patients in this hallway are reading, napping or not inside the room. Day should ask Poppy tonight if she can bring some books for him to read. Something about the Angel-Demon war, the constellations, or both.

Day hits the elevator button and waits a few seconds before the doors open. A nurse and a kid in a wheelchair exit.

“Excuse us,” the nurse smiles politely. Day nods as he steps aside. When the duo are past him, Day steps into the elevator and hits the first floor button on the panel. He realizes the kid, a human, stares up at him with big brown eyes. Day smiles and waves at her. Her eyes get bigger. A huge smile is the last thing Day sees before the doors close. She was so cute! When the elevator opens again he comes face to face with Alice.

“Daylight?” Alice asks. “You should have someone with you and your arm should be in a sling.”

“Oh, uh, whoops?”

“Let’s get a sling on that, please follow me,” Alice starts to lead him away from the elevator and towards a storage closet. Alice opens it, steps in and some things thunk and slide. She steps back out with a fabric sling in her hands.

“Here, it’ll just take a second,” Alice steps forward and quickly gets his arm in the sling and the strap over his shoulder. “There.” Alice steps back to make sure everything is where it should be.

“Thank you, Miss Alice,” Day says as he adjusts the strap to rest more comfortingly on his shoulder.

“Of course, where are you headed? I can take you there.”

“I didn’t really want to sit around in my room, so I was just going to see if there’s a place I could walk around outside.”

“I was just headed to the hospital garden. Do you want to come with me?”

“Sure!” Day’s tail wags a little. His walk will be that much better with someone to talk to. They step around a few other patients and doctors through the hallway until they get to an exit door. Alice pushes it open and Day relaxes at the direct sunlight that warms his fur. He follows the angel down the sidewalk. On one side is a playground where a few kids are playing under supervision. The other side leads into patches of colorful flowers and a white marble fountain. A few benches are set up around the fountain.

“Daylight,” Alice hesitates. “...the person in your room earlier–Miss Playtime. Who is she to you?”

Day glances at the angel from the corner of his eye. Alice glances around nervously before focusing on him. Should he tell her the truth? Poppy already told him what the angels are aware of, so he’ll just repeat that.

“Poppy is my guardian. She was a close friend with my parents. After they died she took me in,” Day recites.

“...really?” Alice asks.

“Yes?” Day looks at her confused. The angel studies his face for a second.

“Ok, sorry for prying,” Alice looks at the benches with people. “Boris!” Alice calls and hurries over to a bench in the corner. “Henry!”

Day sticks close and stops slightly behind her as two people on the bench in front of them wave. One of them is a human man, gray streaks through his blonde hair, kind eyes, and honey colored eyes. He grins and stands from the bench to offer ink stained fingers to Day for a handshake.

“Hi, I’m Henry Stein,” the human introduces himself.

“I’m Daylight Dog,” Day shakes his hand.

“Are you from Canine Hill?” the other person asks. Day’s attention focuses on them, a black and white wolf.

“Are you from Canid City?” Day asks in return.

“Accent?”

“Accent,” Day confirms. “Same for me?”

“Only because I know what it sounds like,” the wolf grins. He stands and offers his hand too. “Boris Wolfgang, nice to meet you.” Day takes his hand and they shake once. Day leans forward just a little and his nose twitches as he sniffs for Boris’s scent. The wolf copies him. Boris smells like gasoline and…ink? Day leans away the same time Boris does and grins. He shakes Boris’s hand again before letting go. Once Day steps back beside Alice again he realizes the angel and human also have traces of ink in their scent.

“Canine Hill? Isn’t that in the Midwest somewhere?” Henry asks.

“It’s a small town by the Emerald Forest State Park,” Day tells him.

“Wasn’t that one of the places we were going to visit on our cross country trip, Henry?”

“Oh, yeah! We can still go someday,” the human smiles, the wrinkles on his face deepen, making him look like a kind father. Day notices Boris and Alice glance away from the human awkwardly. There’s a beat of silence where Henry’s smile fades.

“Do you all know each other?” Day asks to stop the conversation from dying.

“Yes,” Henry is quick to follow his lead. “Boris is an old coworker of mine and Alice is a friend I made a few years ago. We’re actually going to start working at Evol once classes start again.”

“Wait, really?” Day asks, his head tilting slightly.

“Yeah, I’m going to be a new mechanics teacher,” Boris’s tail wags slightly behind him.

“You mean a Technical Education teacher,” Alice reminds him with a slight smile.

“Sure, the teacher that gets his hands deep into a car’s hood and nails cabinets together,” Boris chuckles.

“I’ll be the animation teacher,” Henry adds. “I’m a little nervous about it honestly. I don’t know if I’m cut out to be a teacher.”

“You’ll be great Henry, you just need to work on your confidence,” Alice assures him.

“That’s so cool,” Day’s tail wags. “I can’t wait to see our elective options next year. Maybe I can get into one of your classes!”

“Can’t wait to see you there,” Boris grins, his tail picking up speed.

“Why don’t you tell us what it’s like at Evol?” Henry asks. “I don’t know much about it.”

“Sure,” Day agrees, trying to figure out where to start.

“Uh, can we get food while we do that? I’m starving,” Boris says sheepishly.

“I agree, Daylight and Henry should eat something and take their medication,” Alice starts to lead them back to the hospital.

“You’re injured?” Day asks Henry. He doesn’t see any bandages on the human.

“I had a few burns that needed medical attention,” Henry says casually. “I’ll be leaving in a few hours when the doctor clears me.”

Alice sighs without looking at him and Henry winks at Day as they walk.

“She gets all riled up when one of us gets injured. She’s the best,” Henry leans closer to whisper. Boris chuckles and Alice holds the door open to the hospital with a frown directed at them.

“Someone needs to worry about you troublemakers and I happened to get that responsibility,” Alice huffs at Henry. “C’mon, let’s eat.”

Boris takes the lead once they get inside the building. He walks directly to the cafeteria and hops in line. Day’s stomach growls at the smell of food. He’s right behind the wolf. Alice and Henry follow. They all eat together as Day tells them about the classes and some of the teachers. Eventually, Alice starts to insist Day and Henry need to get back to their rooms for medication. Day is trying to figure out how to stay with them a little longer, but Bron finds him before he can think of something. Bron doesn’t say anything, but Day knows he has to go back to his room now. He wishes the three adults goodbye and heads back to his room. Bron is a silent presence behind him.

“Hey Bron?” Day asks as they wait in the silent elevator. They’re the only two in it.

“Yes, sir?”

“Do you know who Poppy picked as my bodyguard?”

“I’m not sure who she decided on. She was still looking at private contractors and retired military agents last I knew.”

“Of course she was,” Day rubs his eyes tiredly. He knows she’s worried, but Day doesn’t see himself leaving the mansion often anyway. Everything he could possibly need is on her property there. Everything material anyway. Day doesn’t have anyone to really talk to like he does at school. Poppy is usually busy so the times they can spend together are few and far between. Day knows she tries but considering who she is…it’s just difficult. Maybe he can make a friend out of his new bodyguard, whoever that might be.

“She’ll be here within the next hour,” Bron says as he holds open the door for Day. “The nurse should be back in a few minutes. Please tell me next time you leave, sir.”

“Yes, sorry,” Day grins weakly to the dinosaur. Bron nods and shuts the door quietly as he takes his place guarding the door. Day walks back to his hospital bed. He plops onto it and sighs. He’s tired.

 

 

---

 

 

Day isn’t sure if he’s awake or not. His eyes barely open when he tries to look around. It’s dark and he only sees vague shapes. Is he awake? There’s a click and the sound of a window being slid open, but the window doesn’t squeal like it usually does. Day’s groggy mind doesn't realize what an opening window means until the curtain over it is opened and moonlight illuminates his hospital room. By the time he does realize this is probably real, a figure has landed in the room and stands beside his bed, blocking the moonlight. Day closes his eyes all the way and focuses on keeping his breathing steady. Almost silent footsteps walk around his bed to the other side where his injured arm is. Day’s vulnerable lying on his back, but it will look suspicious if he moves now, right? Maybe if he does roll around it would be more believable. He debates too long. The person stops right beside his bed and there’s no noise except for his own breathing.

“I have to show you something,” a smooth voice whispers. It’s so loud in the room Day’s breathing stutters. “I thought so,” the person chuckles. Day opens his eyes just in time for a gloved hand to cover them. He reaches up to move them, pulling air into his lungs to call for help. Pain stabs behind his eyes and a muffled whimper escapes instead of a call for help.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

He’s inside a big cave, flames dance on the wall from the bonfire lit in the middle. The wall of the cave has simplistic drawings of the constellations. Some of the stars are…falling? They fall into the hands of stick figure anthros. Suddenly, a drum starts to beat and voices start to chant. Day turns his head to look around, but hands land on either side of his head and firmly hold him in place. Day’s breathing stutters.

“Focus on him,” the voice whispers in his ear as a figure walks past them towards the fire. The figure is tall, his ears long like Day’s and his fluffy tail brushes the ground. His fur is white and bright under the light of the fire. This person is dressed like…like he’s from an ancient anthro tribe. Canvas cloth is wrapped around his waist and over his shoulders like a shawl. A collar of colorful beads are around his throat and strings of each bead color drape from the collar down the anthro’s front and back. His shoes look like a darker canvas with bead decorations on them. When the figure stops and turns around a faint jingle comes from his movements. The drums and chanting stop. Day’s eyes get caught by the headband around the figure’s forehead and under his floppy ears. The headband is black and yellow beads are sown on it in the shape of…the sun?

The evolved dog, Day is pretty sure he’s a dog, raises his hands. He says something in a language Day doesn’t recognize or understand. The dog motions like he’s asking someone to come forward. The people Day can’t look at, cheer as someone else walks past and settles on their knees in front of the dog. Day is moved by whoever is holding his head hostage, so they are to the side of the dog and the second figure, a squirrel. Day can see the teenage squirrel smile brightly at the dog, her tail twitching back and forth in excitement. She is wearing what looks like a big tent of canvas that pools on the floor around her. The dog’s smile is a flash of light under the flames before the shadows shift again.

The dog leans closer to the squirrel and his mouth moves as he whispers something to the teenager. She muffles her giggles behind a hand. The dog straightens up and motions to someone on the other side of the fire. An evolved black cat steps forward, holding a pillow with a rough black lump on it. The dog smiles at the cat and says something as he takes the lump. The cat grins back before stepping away, they smile at the squirrel before disappearing back into the shadows.

The crowd is silent as the dog cups both hands around the lump, hiding it from view. He says something that echoes through the cave and closes his eyes. The squirrel holds her breath and watches the dog’s hands start to glow white. The dog doesn't say anything else, but his hands flex like he’s crushing the lump. There’s a cracking sound in the silent cavern before the dog’s hands stop glowing. He slowly opens them, revealing a gleaming red sphere in the middle of his palm. Black dust spread on white fur around the red orb. The squirrel gasps when she sees the sphere. Her tail freezes mid twitch. The dog blows on the sphere before lifting it with his other hand to offer it to her. The dog curls the hand with the black dust like he’s trying to keep it from falling onto the ground.

The squirrel has misty eyes as she reverently takes the red sphere. The dog smiles as he says something to her. She nods, takes a breath, and swallows the red sphere. The squirrel has enough time to smile at the dog before she suddenly shudders. She starts to glow red and shake uncontrollably. The dog stands with a smile as he watches the squirrel on the ground, no one moves to help her. The glow suddenly erupts from her so brightly Day has to close his eyes.

“Look,” the person holding him says. “Look at her.”

Day reluctantly opens his eyes. Where the small teenage squirrel had been standing is a tall, strong, evolved anthro. Her eyes have turned into a sparkling ruby as she looks at herself, flexing her fingers. The canvas tent no longer pools around her, it hangs from her shoulders to above her knees. The squirrel looks at the dog. He steps to the side and motions her closer. The squirrel obediently does so. The dog says something gently to her and tilts his head towards the fire. The squirrel nods determined, reaches out and plucks a flame from the bonfire. She stares at it wide eyed and clenches her hand closed, putting the fire out. The dog says something with a big smile. The squirrel sniffles and falls to her knees again, her hands making a circle over the center of her chest. She says something loud and clear. The dog puts his hand on her head and says something that echoes through the cave. Cheers erupt, but no one moves until the dog removes his hand, turns to the crowd with a big smile and happily says something else. The crowd answers him with a loud short chant. The dog bows his head and quickly leaves the same way he came and out of Day’s sight. The squirrel stands and figures rush forward to hug her, they talk fast and happy. Day’s eyes are wide as the crowd fills his vision.

All of them are evolved anthros. There has to be close to a hundred in the cave. That’s-that’s–how? There are only twenty two evolved in the whole world right now. How can there be close to a hundred in a cave from centuries ago?

“Do you see? Do you understand now?” the voice whispers.

“Who are you?” Day asks them reaching up to remove the hands holding his head.

“You’ll find out, but not yet,” the voice pulls their hands away before Day touches them. Everything goes black.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day’s awareness registers voices first as his hearing rushes back. His nose is overwhelmed by the chemical smell of a hospital. His body is being shaken.

“Day, wake up!” Poppy says worriedly. Day groans and forces his heavy eyes open. It takes a second before his blurry vision focuses on Poppy’s pale blue eyes.

“Pops,” Day complains. He can taste blood on his tongue. Day coughs and pushes himself up with his right hand. He sits up and wipes his hand under his nose, it comes away smeared with blood.

“Day, take it easy,” Poppy’s hand lands on his back to help him sit up. “Bron, get a healer!”

Day glances from his hand to the open window of his room. Morning sunlight brightens the room.

“Pops,” Day asks through the unease in his chest. “Was the window open this morning when you came in?”

“What? No, it was closed with the curtain shut. Why? Did something happen?”

Day doesn't know how to tell her about what happened, he doesn't even know if it was real or if he’s losing his mind. Day looks down at his bloody hand. He shifts to sit back and his gaze snaps to his arm still in a sling. Poppy notices the same time he does. Day’s injured arm has regrown all the fur it didn’t have yesterday and his claws are the same length as his right hand. It still feels sore and his muscles still aren’t what they should be.

“Someone replaced it,” Poppy touches the glinting gold band around Day’s wrist. As if it had been there the whole time.

Notes:

'Ello again! This story is over 100k. Can you believe it? Think of this as the end of Act 1, next is Act 2! Buckle up, everyone. Things are going to go up a notch!

IMPORTANT: I have some life changes happening and updates will be slowing down. I'm going to keep updating, don't worry, but they'll not be as fast as they were. I'll probably go back and edit the 100k words we have so far when I have time. I hope I see you in the next one!

Chapter 15: Tigers and Ink

Notes:

WARNING: Gore as in Twisted being gross/ Dismemberment (Forgot that)

I put ////// around the worst of it

Be safe everyone

Alice rushes into his room, Bron right behind her. She examines him with magic, but doesn’t find anything unusual despite Day’s bloody nose. Poppy isn’t happy about that answer.

“I’m sorry, Miss Poppy. If I didn’t know better, I would guess that Day overused his magic, but that’s impossible,” Alice explains. “It could just be dehydration. I’ll bring a drink to rehydrate Daylight,” Alice makes a quick escape.

“You can't make her suddenly know what’s wrong, Pops,” Day says gently.

“I know that,” Poppy snaps. “That’s the issue! Marion Puppet is a highly skilled healer and her student will be too. They are both strong, talented angel healers. How can they not know why you’re having a nosebleed?”

“I…have a theory,” Day tells her. Poppy raises an eyebrow at him, her arms folded. “We should wait until Alice comes back before getting into that. Plus, I’m really hungry.”

“Of course you are,” Poppy rolls her eyes fondly. “That’s why I got your favorites. Breakfast sandwich, strawberry-banana smoothie, and blueberry muffin.”

“You’re the best, Poppy!” Day’s tail thumps loudly against the bed.

“That is correct,” Poppy nods approvingly as she rolls the table in his room between them. As she’s pulling the extra chair over, Alice returns to the room with a big plastic cup of clear liquid. Day would think it’s just water if not for the strange way it slowly slides down the sides of the cup.

“What is that, Miss Alice?” Day nods to the cup as he pulls his sandwich and muffin out of the fast food bag Poppy brought.

“This is made from a heavenly fruit called rainfruit. It’s hydrating and good for the body. Hopefully, this helps,” Alice offers the cup to Day, but her eyes glance warily at Poppy who is sipping her coffee.

“Thank you,” Day takes the cup and swirls it to watch the juice slosh lazily inside. He takes a sip out of the straw, curious what rain fruit will taste like…it tastes like rain, a thick raindrop gathered into a cup. Day doesn't know what he was expecting from something called rainfruit.

“It’s not bad,” Day says to break the nervous silence. Alice’s shoulders relax slightly as Poppy hums in approval.

“That’s good to hear. Marion told me that you’re free to leave after you eat if you want. Or you can stay here another day in case your nose bleeds again,” Alice tells Poppy more than Day.

“Already?” Poppy asks the angel.

“Yes, Daylight’s charts all look good. He’s had low pain since yesterday and other than the muscles in his arm and the nosebleed earlier, he’s in perfect health,” Alice explains to Poppy.

“We’ll go as soon as we finish eating,” Poppy nods politely.

“Of course, whenever you’re ready,” Alice agrees. She looks at Day with a hesitant smile. “See you in the fall, Daylight.”

“You too, Miss Alice,” Day smiles at the angel. Alice nods and makes another quick exit. “I could eat this in the car,” Day tells Poppy when the door clicks shut.

“Or we can eat here. We’ll be a half hour at most,” Poppy dismisses. She sets her coffee cup down and reaches into the bag to grab her fruit parfait. Bron slips silently out of the door. Day finds a way to break the growing quiet as they start to eat. He knows talking about his…vision from last night and the maybe real visitor should wait until they’re in the car. So, he looks for anything else that they can safely talk about. He glances at his phone for help and realizes the date.

“What should we do for my birthday?” Day blurts out.

“That’s coming up soon, isn't it?” Poppy tilts her head as she takes a spoonful of her parfait. “We need to get you a car…how about a road trip? What if we drive down to the coast? Or do you want to go towards the desert? We can spare a few days.”

“Can you disappear for that long?” Day asks after swallowing a bite of his sandwich.

“I should be able to do anything I want,” Poppy grumbles.

“Of course you can,” Day grins as he reaches for the rain juice. “The world just can’t function without you,” he winks. Poppy giggles as she scoops another bite.

“What should we do then? Not leaving the capital limits us.”

“How about we go car shopping and camp in Redburn forest?” Day offers up. He takes another bite.

"Not very exciting for a fifteenth birthday,” Poppy frowns. She takes another scoop of her parfait.

“You can still order a cake and help me pick out a car. I don’t know how to car shop.”

“Well, if you insist,” Poppy smiles brightly before taking another sip of her coffee.

They finish eating quickly after that and Day heads for the bathroom to change into the new set of clothes Poppy brought with her this morning. As Day digs through his bag for the watch Bubba gave him, he realizes he doesn't feel the rough texture of the lump. Frowning, Day takes everything out of the plastic bag. He doesn’t see it on the bottom. He lifts his clothes out and shakes them in case the lump is caught in a pocket or something. Nothing falls out. His shoes are empty too. He checks everything inside the plastic bag and doesn’t find the lump. He even checks the bathroom floor for it, even though he definitely would have heard the lump land on the ground. He turns the plastic bag inside out as a last ditch effort. Nothing. Day stuffs everything back into the bag and tries to remember where he last saw it. All he can come up with is yesterday he put it inside the plastic bag when he was looking for his phone. That’s the last time he touched or saw it.

Day leaves the bathroom and carefully strips the bed to look between each sheet and blanket for the lump. It’s not there.

“Day? What are you doing? Where’s your sling?” Poppy stands from her chair.

“I’m looking for something,” Day explains as he crouches to look under the bed and on the floor.

“What are you looking for?”

“You remember the lump?”

“Lump?” Poppy frowns.

“From Goldie Fazbear?”

“Oh, right,” Poppy steps back to look around on the floor at her feet. “I didn't realize it meant so much to you.”

“That’s not exactly why I’m looking for it,” Day says as he stands to look behind the bed. He and Poppy scan the whole room and don’t find it anywhere. “They must have taken it,” Day sighs.

“Who? Wait, does this also have to do with your explanation in the car?”

“And the window thing earlier. We should go anyway, so they can use this room for another patient.”

“Alright,” Poppy agrees as she grabs his smoothie and her giant coffee. Day grabs his bag of stuff and follows her out of the room. Day waves to the nurses as he leaves, they smile and wave back. Day isn’t sure how much of their friendliness is because of Poppy, but he should still thank them.

When they step out of a side door and walk around to a back access road Bron is already waiting with the door open. Poppy slides inside and Day thanks Bron as he follows. Bron nods and shuts the limo door. The cool air inside the limo is a relief from the summer heat that Day hasn't had the chance to bask in yet. After a minute, the limo starts to move. Poppy sets Day’s smoothie in a cup holder between them and cradles her coffee as she waits for him to start. Day sets his bag beside him on the seat.

“So, I thought I heard someone open the window to my hospital room last night–”

“Day,” Poppy admonishes with one word.

“I know, just let me finish, ok?”

“I am going to get you a bodyguard by tonight,” Poppy mutters. “Continue.”

“I was still half asleep and didn't know if I was really hearing correctly. Then a voice spoke to me. They knew I was awake even though I was pretending to be asleep. They put their hand over my eyes and I think I had a vision.”

“Another one?” Poppy frowns.

“Yeah, what I saw was a...ritual–I think?–of someone evolving, but it was from centuries ago. You know the anthro tribes? It seemed like one of those,” Day reaches for his smoothie with his left hand too fast and pulls his muscles.

“Here, put your sling on,” Poppy orders as she reaches into her purse and hands it to him. He didn’t even see her grab it. Day puts the sling on as he continues talking.

“There was an evolved dog anthro who took something that looked just like the lump, and he crushed it in his hands. When he opened them again, one hand was this black dust from the outside of the lump. The other hand had a red orb, it looked like a gem. The dog offered it to this squirrel–she wasn't evolved–and the squirrel swallowed it–”

“She swallowed the gem?” Poppy clarifies.

“Yes, she swallows it and starts to glow. I couldn’t watch for a few seconds because she glowed so bright, but the person wouldn’t let me turn my head and look away. So, I–”

“The person?” Poppy asks, confused.

“Right, I forgot–so, the person that snuck into my room? And put their hand over my eyes? They were in the vision too. I never saw them because they were behind me, but they held my head still so I had to look at the dog and squirrel the whole time,” Day says distractedly as he finishes getting the sling situated comfortably.

“They were there too?”

“Yeah, so the squirrel swallowed the gem and started to glow. When I opened my eyes again she was evolved. The dog led her to the fire and the squirrel was able to touch it with her bare hand. This all happened in a cave–and once the dog left all of these anthros seemed to congratulate the squirrel–” Day leans forward excitedly. “Poppy, all of the anthros in that cave were evolved. There had to be close to a hundred of them.”

“That’s–” Poppy looks down at the coffee cup in her hands as she thinks out loud. “That’s hard to believe.” Poppy taps her fingers on her cup. “Those tribes aren’t just gone, their descendants still exist. If the tribe you saw is from our history, were the stories about evolution just forgotten over the centuries? Or did someone pay the tribes somehow to keep them quiet? Why wouldn’t they evolve their own people if they still remember how to do it? Is it because of manifest destiny?”

“Manifest destiny? Why does that sound familiar?” Day asks as he grabs his smoothie.

“You should know it, if Evol's education is as good as advertised,” Poppy smiles weakly. “We need to look into the anthro tribes and their legends. They must know something.”

“Even if they did, do you think they would really tell us?”

“I don’t have connections with any tribes on the coast or midwest. I’m going to look into changing that at some point. There’s just too much to do right now,” Poppy muses as she look through the tinted windows of the limo at the cars passing by.

“...I know someone,” Day admits haltingly. He doesn’t want to talk about Canine Hill, but it seems like he’s going to need to. “There was a dog tribe that lived near Canine Hill,” Day continues. “My G–a friend knew the chief. I met him and his daughter a few years ago.”

“Thank you, Day,” Poppy says quietly. She doesn't know everything about Canine Hill, despite the paperwork and background checks she’s probably done. She does know it’s hard for him to talk about.

“Do you think…” Poppy hesitates. “Do you think you could talk to them again?”

Day’s breath leaves him in a sharp exhale. He looks out the window. Silence falls in the car and Day gets twitchy. He’s not going to break it this time.

“I won’t force you,” Poppy says into the silence. “Just–think about it? Please? It doesn’t even have to happen this summer. We can wait however long you need.”

“Don’t lie, Poppy,” Day says with more bite in his tone than he means to. “People are dying and Twisted are running rampant. I should be going right now to talk to them.”

“I can send someone,” Poppy reasons.

“Tribal people are private. They won’t just tell strangers whatever they ask,” Day rubs his hand over his eyes tiredly. “I need…can we wait until this winter? I just need to…” Day feels pathetic saying something like mentally prepare himself, especially for months, summer just started. How weak is he to need to wait until winter to talk to some people?

“Ok, whatever you need, Day,” Poppy agrees. “So, we might know the actual process for evolution,” Poppy steers the conversation to safer topics. “If it’s really caused by these rocks, why was it only possible to evolve at Evol academy until twenty years ago? Did someone steal the rocks from Evol and share them with the other schools that have popped up? Or did they discover rocks of their own? We need to find answers and I think Evol is the best place to look.”

“Why do you think none of the Evolved have said anything? Evolution has been around for a few centuries right? How could they keep all the evolved silent that whole time?” Day wonders as he looks out the window as they drive through the outskirts of the capital.

“We don’t have enough answers. Do you think Freddy would tell you if you asked?” Poppy wonders as she takes a sip of coffee.

“No,” Day mutters. His mind flashes to the other day when Freddy visited him and he realizes he didn’t tell Poppy about this. “Wait, I forgot to tell you. When Freddy visited he told me he didn’t mean to use his ability on me the night of the attack.”

“He used his ability?”

“He had to stop Saph from running away. His command affected me too. He said in the hospital it wasn’t supposed to affect me. Just her. He admitted he’s losing control of his ability. Do you think it’s because he’s…sick?”

“That could easily be. I’m not sure what he’s sick with,” Poppy glances at her phone as it lights up. “I’m going to have to go into the office this afternoon,” Poppy sighs as she starts tapping at the screen. “I’ll eat with you tonight, ok?”

“Sure, be safe, Pops.”

“Only for you,” Poppy coos sweetly.

“Gross.”

Poppy laughs loudly as they drive to the mansion. Day gets out with his bag and waves until the limo disappears around a group of trees back to the city. Day sighs and heads inside the mansion. The security camera beeps and the door opens for him automatically. When he gets inside it’s empty. The staff must be off today.

Day leaves his shoes by the door and heads upstairs. Poppy gets the third floor of the mansion and he gets the second. He asked Poppy when he first moved in why he would ever need a whole floor to himself. She was just as confused and asked how you survived without a whole floor to yourself. Day’s come to just accept it at this point. He gets to his bedroom and opens the door to realize his stuff is still at the academy. He’s a little surprised that Poppy hasn’t gotten it brought back here. Maybe she doesn’t want Kickin to panic or cause an uproar about it? Speaking of Kickin…

Day pulls his phone out of his jeans and stares at the time on the screen without processing what it says. He needs to call his friends and tell them he’s ok. Or should he do a video call? Should he call all of them at once? No, there’s no way to know if they’re all going to be able to answer anyway. He’ll just…send a text. Yeah, it’ll let them know he’s alive and that’s all they really need to know right?

…fine. He’ll call. He won’t do a video call, Day still has some fur missing on his neck and shoulder that won’t help reassure them he’s fine. Now the question is, who should he start with? Day thinks it over as he takes his stuff out of his bag, playing some music from his phone as he does. He puts everything where it should be. It doesn’t take him long, even with only one free arm, because there isn’t much in the bag. With that done Day forces himself to face the music.

He decides to start with Bubba. Bubba will be the least emotional of them all and Day can get a sense of what exactly they all saw. He hopes they didn’t see Saph doing anything to him. The dove was infected by something and not thinking straight. Day can’t tell them that because he isn’t allowed to talk about the Twisted or anything that has to do with them. What was the cover story for Saph’s attack anyway? He forgot to ask Poppy before she left. Maybe Day should just wait. He can call his friends tomorrow after he talks to Poppy tonight. Yeah, that’s a good idea.

Day stares at his home screen with a picture of his friends and sighs. No, if he were in their shoes he would be constantly worried about them. He scrolls through the numbers in his contacts, he has so many more now than he did at the beginning of the year. Day taps Bubba’s contact and paces around the room as it rings. Why is he so nervous? It’s not like Bubba is going to get mad at him…right? Why would he get mad? It’s not like Day provoked Saph on purpose or–

The call goes to voicemail. Day checks the date and time and realizes classes are still going. There was a month left when he did the play. He’s been asleep for two weeks. There are roughly two weeks left of classes. Jeez, he should have gone back to the academy. He still has two weeks of classes he can attend. He’ll have less to make up that way.

Day frowns at the time and how long it will probably be before he can talk to Poppy again. He has a few hours to wait until his friends are free from their classes too. There’s no staff in the mansion either. Poppy probably thought he would want some time to himself to recuperate or something. Day would prefer the opposite. He would want to hear another person nearby. Some signs of life would be great.

A car would be even better. He could just get in a drive wherever he wants. He can’t wait to get his own car. He still has to wait until his birthday for his license and Poppy will want to help him pick one out. Probably a shiny, insanely expensive sports car.

Day rubs his tired eyes and checks the time on his phone again. It’s early, the sun is shining, but he’s tired. Physically and mentally drained. He might as well sleep for a while. Day sets his phone on his bedside table and slips under the silk sheets that Poppy stocks through the whole house. He unhooks the sling from his arm and sets it on the bed beside him. He closes his eyes and relaxes. Sleep comes easier than normal.

 

 

 

 

 

His phone is ringing. Day frowns and rolls over to grab it. He squints at the too bright screen. Poppy’s picture pops up. Day answers and before he can croak out a hello, she’s talking.

“Day, get in the safe room. Stay away from the doors and windows. Be quiet.”

Day’s heart kicks into high gear and his sleepiness falls away like bricks. He looks at his open bedroom window, late afternoon sunlight shines through the open curtains. Day closed his door earlier and it’s still closed when he glances at it.

“Poppy,” Day says quietly, all his questions packed into it. He sits up and perks the ear the phone isn’t pressed under. “What’s–”

BAM BAM BAM

“The door–” Day gasps into the phone.

CRACK

Day stops breathing as a window breaks downstairs. Someone is inside the house. Who would be gutsy enough to sneak into a mansion this far out of the city with this much security around it?

“Day?” Poppy’s voice blares in the silence of the house. Day hangs up and holds his breath. His heart pounds in his ears as he tries to listen for movement.

It's running to the stairs. Loud footsteps pound on the floor. Day dashes for his closet. He opens the door and slams it shut behind him with one hand. He shoves his phone into his pocket where it starts to ring as Poppy calls him again. The heavy footsteps race up the stairs. Day presses on the secret panel and looks into the eye scanner. It only takes a few seconds to scan, but it feels so much longer.

Finally–finally, the wall slides to the side. Day doesn't even let it finish before shoving his way through the door and hitting the button to close it. The door to his room breaks after two heavy slams. His closet breaks after the first hit. The wall hasn't clicked into place. Day turns and runs down the concrete tunnel. His breathing is loud, but not as loud as the phone ringing in his pocket. The cement walls echo his exact spot–

“DAYLIGHT!”

Day doesn’t turn around as ear splitting screeches fill the hallway. He types a pass code into a small panel with shaking fingers. Another crash has him turning to see Tigeria. She looks worse. Most of her fur is gone, her skin is loose. The mangled half of Tig’s face is loose enough Day thinks he sees bone now. Black poison drips from her still attached eye and ear. When she roars more of the black poison spews from her mouth. One of her bent backward legs is stuck in the door. Day gasps as rot quickly fills the small hallway. He tries pushing himself through the too small gap of the iron door as it opens behind him.

“Daylight Dog,” Tigeria growls. Her distorted voice is barely understandable now. “You ruined my life!”

Day doesn’t know what to say, so he doesn't say anything. The door opens enough Day slips through and hears Tigeria's angry roar as her claws screech along the cement floor and walls. He pauses.

Don't do it Day. Don't talk to her…but if she could get free, she would have by now, right? How many chances will he have to talk to her after this? Day takes a breath and hits the pause button on the two thirds opened door. He turns around to face Tigeria.

“Playing with death?” Tig giggles haltingly.

“What happened to you Tig?” Day asks calmly. If he’s doing this, he has to stay in control of his emotions.

“Come closer and I'll tell you,” Tig bares her teeth in what is supposed to be a smile. It only highlights the ruined half of her face even more.

“No, I'm just fine over here. What happened to you?” Day repeats.

“Stupid dog,” Tig growls as the grotesque smile fades. “I can't tell you even if I wanted to.”

“Why?”

“Why?” Tig mocks in a high pitched squeal. “Why do you think?” Tig snarls and starts clawing at her stuck leg. Day takes a step forward to do something, but she keeps talking. “I would never betray him like that. He gave me a gift. PRAISE HIM!” 

//////

Tig lunges and snaps her large jaws over her leg. She breaks the bone. The stump of her leg hits the ground with a splatter of blood. Her foot hangs in the door, still stuck. The stench of blood mixes with rot.

//////

Day hits the button to close the door. It's too slow. Tig awkwardly runs down the hall, but her speed will beat the door before it closes. Day backs up and looks around the safe room. There's only one other opening in here. It's his only chance.

Day darts across the room and runs into the wall as he lunges for the ventilation cover. He doesn’t have time to look for tools, so he desperately starts to pull on the cover with his claws. He hears the thunk of Tig hitting a wall. Maybe the door did close in time and she’s stuck–

“Come here, puppy,” Tig's voice is so close. “Let's play.”

Day’s claws rip off as he finally pulls the vent away. Without hesitation he turns and chucks it at the door. He barely registers Tig crouched in the doorway ready to pounce on him. Day hears a light thunk and her angry snarls. He doesn’t stick around to watch. He crawls as fast as he can through the vents, not bothering to be quiet. She knows he's in here and hopefully her unnaturally big body can't follow him.

“Get back here!”

Day glances over his shoulder and lets out a relieved breath. Tig can't fit more than her shoulder and arm inside the vent. Her clawed hand scratches the vent as she tries to reach him.

“What kind of gift does this to someone?” Day pants as he shuffles a little farther away from her. “How can you praise–”

“SHUT UP!” Tig slams her fist into the side of the vent. “He saved me. He saved us! He will fix this disgusting world!”

Make her emotional. Day takes another breath.

“How?” Day sneers.

“He will reveal the truth. He will save us,” Tig's face pulls into a wide exposure of teeth. “The hour of joy will come!”

Tig pulls herself out of the vent and grips the sides with her hands. With newfound strength she starts to pull the vent wider. Day starts crawling through the metal tunnels with his own surge of adrenaline. How is she strong enough to pull apart metal? Day crawls around a corner and stops at an intersection in the vent shafts. Where should he go? The garage is his best bet for escape. Is it left from here? With the ominous sounds of screeching metal behind him Day picks a direction and goes for it. He hopes it’s the direction of the garage. The sounds of metal fades to nothing. He hopes that means Tig gave up and he can escape.

Day slows down from his frantic crawl. He tries to move more quietly. Tig might be trying to listen for him. Day finds another vent cover and peeks through the gap to look at where he is. Day relaxes a little. It’s the workout room right above the garage. He can open a window and pop the vent out to climb outside. It might be the second floor, but he can make it. Day pauses and holds his breath to listen. He doesn’t hear Tig echoing through the vents anymore. If he hurries he might be able to get into the garage and out of here before Tig can reach him. He’s about to make a lot of noise.

Day takes a calming breath and starts to pound on the edges of the vent close to where it’s screwed in. He puts as much weight as he can into every push. The vent cover rattles and screeches. One final push and it falls onto the floor with a loud bang. Day internally winces as he jumps down and rolls with the momentum to the window. He hears thundering footsteps on the floor under him. Day unlocks the window, his bloody fingers clumsy in his panic. He slides it open with a harsh yank and shoves the screen out with both hands. It falls after one push. The footsteps are running down the hallway to the door. Day dives through the window. The door to the workout room crashes open. Day grits his teeth as he falls from the second floor.

“Daylight!” Tig screeches. Day ignores her as he hits the ground and rolls forward onto his shoulder and ends up crouched on the ground facing the window. He looks up just in time to see the whole window break, glass shattering, as Tig pushes through it completely.

Shit. He has to go back to the house to reach the garage. Day pushes up from his crouch and starts running along the edge of the trees towards the front of the garage. Tig shakily gets back onto her weird four legged stance. She lifts one hand to stop more black liquid from pouring out of her head. Day uses the chance to run for the garage. He has a much better chance of escaping her if he gets a vehicle.

“Stop running!” Tig snarls. Her heavy breathing approaches him faster than he can run right now. He risks a glance over his shoulder to see her jumping at him. A predator taking the kill.

Movement from the road. Day doesn't have time to look before something hits Tig in the side and throws her into the wall. Day stumbles and falls forward. He catches himself on his hands and knees.

“You are disgusting,” a voice Day doesn't recognize complains. Day pushes up to his knees and a hand grabs his upper arm. Alarmed, Day shakes out of the hold and ends up on his butt again. When he looks up, a human is standing close to him. She’s tall, thin, and pink-haired. Her hand is outstretched, but not in his space.

“Sorry,” the human says, her light pink eyes watching him closely. “I didn’t mean to scare you. We should have gotten here sooner.” Day blinks up at her as he tries to get his mind to process what she’s saying.

“Where do you think you’re going?” comes the same voice that complained earlier. Day looks over to where Tig fell. She’s crouched on the ground, back to the wall as she growls warningly at the person standing between her and the road.

The very tall person that's about the same height as an evolved anthro. Black hair, black clothes, black inky magic that he lazily traps Tig in with a clench of his hand. Day sees the long thin tail with a weird pointed tip swish through the air and black horns gleam as the tall person turns to Day.

A demon.

“Daylight?” the pink haired human asks concerned. Day blinks out of his shock. “Are you injured?”

“N-no, I’m fine,” Day says automatically. He takes her offered hand and gets to his feet. Ouch. He can feel bruises start to develop. He’s scraped up his knees and palms with that fall. The worst injuries are his fingers, claws gone and fingertips bloody with how frantic he was to claw the vent off.

“You deserve worse–” Tig is cut off as more inky black magic drips from the cage above her to wrap around her disproportionate mouth.

“Behave,” the demon admonishes without even looking at the tiger. “Daylight, we’ve come to take you back to the academy,” the demon says politely. His bright sepia eyes are fixed on Day.

“Did Poppy send you?” Day asks. Shaking off the surprise of seeing a demon. He thought all demons had red eyes. Not that he’s met any demons before.

“She can’t come herself,” the demon explains. “There’s been an incident in the capital.”

“What?” Day tenses. “What happened?”

“There was a–” the demon stops and tilts his head. He turns to look at the mansion. Day hears it too. Loud footsteps running close to the back of the house. A lot of them. “We need to go. Come over here,” the demon steps close to the cage Tig is in. The pink haired human is quick to guide Day closer and Day doesn’t resist. The thunder of footsteps are speeding up.

“Don’t panic as I teleport us,” the demon says as inky black magic starts to swirl at their feet. It quickly grows big enough to swallow them and Tig. They start to rapidly sink into the magic. With the human’s hand still on Day’s arm he finds it easier not to panic. There’s a screech above them and Day looks up. On the roof of the mansion is a bird. A Twisted, disproportionate bird Day can only see a silhouette of. It screeches again and dives straight for them.

“No, you don’t,” the demon lifts a hand and black magic shoots from the circle like a wave and knocks the Twisted bird onto the ground. The wave turns into a hand that curls around the bird completely and starts to drag it into the pool of magic. Day, Pink Hair, and the demon are just past their shoulders into the magic.

A roar blasts nearby and Day doesn't see what makes the noise. He and the human are falling through the inky magic. He looks around as they float there. He sees Tig appear, but he doesn’t see her cage. She notices this too and lunges for him. The human pulls Day behind her, but black magic swallows Tig’s limbs before she can make it far.

“Ha, what a neat trick,” the demon’s voice echoes around them. Day looks around the void they’re in.

“Are you ok, Bendy?” the human asks.

“Oh please, it’s just a cut. It surprised me more than anything,” the voice goes from echoing to beside them. Day turns to it. All he can see is the demon’s–Bendy’s pale face and light sepia eyes. They seem to glow as he looks at Tig. “If I had to guess, they were trying to stop me from taking another one of them. Makes sense, more samples means more answers.”

“There were more?” Day asks. His voice echoes in the void and Day winces at the ring of it in his ears.

“Yes, but let’s save the explanations for after you get dropped off,” Bendy says. “I have to get this one where she needs to be before I join you.”

“We’ll see you soon,” Pink Hair nods. The void cuts off Day’s vision and he feels like he’s being pushed up. A second later the ink falls down like water. Day squeezes his eyes shut against the bright sunlight. He blinks again and looks around.

“Day?”

Day opens his eyes to reveal Freddy’s office. The bear himself is frozen by the windows.

“What are you doing here? Is that Bendy’s magic?” Freddy’s steps are quick as he approaches. The bear’s nose twitches and he looks at Day’s bloody hands. “What happened!” Freddy kneels in front of Day to gently take his hands. Day winces at the lack of claws and bloody ends of his fingers.

“Is there a healer close by?” Pink Hair asks.

“No, Miss Angel is off campus right now,” Freddy’s jaw clenches as he gently lets go of Day’s hands. The bear hurries over to his desk and digs through a drawer. “We’ll have to make do with good old fashioned first aid,” Freddy pulls a first aid kit out of the drawer.

“Always such a worrier,” Bendy says from right inside the door.

“Daylight?” Alice asks next. The click of her heels are loud in the room as she hurries over to him. “Are you hurt again? Is your arm injured?”

“It’s not that bad,” Day tries to reassure. Actually, now that the adrenaline is fading, his arm is throbbing in pain. He didn’t have time to grab a sling. He may have also been rolling on his shoulders and pushing against metal a few times.

“Miss Alice, please look at his hands,” Freddy backs a few steps away so the angel can get closer. Alice kneels where Freddy was and takes Day’s hands gently.

“It’s only been a few hours,” Alice looks at him. ‘What happened?”

“Uh,” Day glances at Bendy and the human. He needs to get in touch with Poppy first and foremost.

“Let’s start from the beginning,” Bendy cuts in. The demon walks closer to the windows watching them like he’s looking for something. “You should sit, Freddy.”

“I’m fine,” Freddy snaps. His lie is revealed through the slight tremors in his hand as he holds the still open first aid kit. Freddy realizes it too as he clenches his hand and hides it in a pocket. “I’m fine,” Freddy repeats more calmly. Bendy glances at him before sighing.

“Songbird?” Bendy looks at Alice. She frowns at Bendy, but nods and holds Day’s hands in hers. She bows her head and whispers too quietly for even Day to tell what she’s saying. The smell of angel magic fills the room. Warmth surrounds his fingers as white magic covers them. Pink Hair let’s go of Day’s arm and Day kind of misses the reassuring touch. He should probably ask for names from his rescuers. Freddy puts the first aid kit away after checking with Alice if she needs anything from it. The room is on this side of too quiet. Day tries to keep himself from blurting anything out, but he’s never been good with silence.

“Who are you?” He glances between Bendy and Pink Hair.

“You don't know them?” Freddy pauses beside the chair it looked like he was going to sit in.

“There wasn’t time for introductions,” Bendy grins at Day. “I am Bendy Darlin, a demon. Before you ask, yes the last name has been hard to get rid of so it is being used as my last name. For some reason, those on the surface are obsessed with last names. That reminds me,” Bendy waves his hand and black magic lifts from the ground beside Day. “Our friend wanted me to give this to you. She wants you to call her as soon as you can.”

“Ok,” Day nods. He doesn’t feel the weight of his phone in his pocket. It's not much of a surprise he lost it during that chase. Day can’t take the new phone yet because Alice is still healing his hands. The human steps forward beside him.

“I am Kissy. You’re bodyguard,” the pink haired human inclines her head politely.

“Bodyguard?” Freddy tightly;;y grips the chair he still hasn’t settled in.

“Yes, Daylight’s guardian doesn't like how often he’s been hurt recently,” Kissy explains. Freddy’s jaw clenches as the fabric of the chair is close to ripping. The bear exhales through his nose, his hands and jaw relaxing.

“Of course, I should get in touch with them as soon as possible. Discuss hat precautions to take. I should have done so much sooner,” Freddy says as he sits in the chair. He folds his arms over his chest. Day doesn’t like to think it’s to hide how both hands have a slight tremor to them.

“There,” Alice says as she loosens her grip on his hands. Day didn’t even notice the warmth fading from his hands. “Are you hurt anywhere else?”

“No, my arm is just a little sore,” Day doesn’t like how heavy his left arm feels now. Alice frowns and gently places her hand on his forearm. Warmth spreads from her hand for a few seconds before she pulls away.

“It’s been pushed to do things it’s not capable of yet,” Alice frowns as she glances at his healed fingers. Day doesn't have his claws or fur back from the healing session, but his fingers aren’t a bloody mess anymore.

“Here,” Bendy waves his hand and more black magic rises from the ground. This time there's a sling in its grasp as it waits beside Alice.

“Thank you,” Alice takes the sling and helps Day get it situated.

“You’re welcome, songbird,” Bendy drawls. Alice huffs where she is beside Day.

“There,” Alice steps back to look over their work and nods. “Now, we need to talk about what happened.”

Day takes the phone from Bendy’s magic with a thank you to the demon. Bendy grins at him and motions Day to sit in the other chair. As he does, Alice sits on the love seat. Day glances at Kissy who stands beside his chair.

“Alright, then to start,” Bendy steps away from the wall of windows as a padded chair rises from a pool of black magic. He sits in it, crosses his legs and folds his hands in his lap. “An hour ago, Twisted attacked a mall in the capital. There were six of them and part of the mall collapsed. Of the four thousand people inside, two thousand escaped, one thousand are confirmed dead and the last thousand are missing.”

“What?” Day gasps. How could that–all of those people–

“Yes,” Bedny nods. “The Twisted that attacked were gone within fifteen minutes of appearing. They didn’t go anywhere else to destroy and kill. By the time evolved showed up, the Twisted had disappeared back where they came from.”

“It was a test,” Freddy says grimly.

“It seems that way, but what were they testing? The reaction times of evolved? The strength the Twisted themselves had? Or something else?” Bendy asks calmly.

“If that’s true then things are much worse than any of us realize,” Alice says quietly. There’s a few seconds of silence before Freddy sighs and glances at Day.

“Were you there?”

“No,” Day glances down as he puts his thoughts together. He can’t mention Poppy, but how does he explain why a demon and his new bodyguard show up out of the blue?

“Daylight’s guardian asked me to find a bodyguard for him,” Bendy says after a beat. “You might not remember my cousin, Kissy.” Bendy nods to the maybe not so human bodyguard. Freddy glances at her and recognition flashes across his face.

“Right, the tournament a few years ago,” Freddy nods.

“We were on our way to meet them and get everything settled. When we got there a Twisted had broken into their house,” Bendy continues.

“It was a tiger, wasn’t it?” Freddy asks tightly.

“Yes,” Bendy says surprised. “How do you know that?”

“That tiger was a student here, she was expelled. She and two other students appeared last Halloween as Twisted. They targeted Daylight, specifically,” Freddy starts to massage his temples. “The other two were caught that night, but Tigeria evaded capture–did you catch her?” Freddy looks at Bendy sharply.

“Yes, she was distracted by Daylight and it gave me the chance to catch her. She’s been handed over to the government,” Bendy informs Freddy and Alice.

“Good, I hope she finds help there,” Freddy sighs. Day blinks at the thought. Saving Twisted? Is that even possible? Saph wasn’t fully Twisted and she was saved. Could a full Twisted be saved? If they were changed because of poison, shouldn’t there be a cure to?

“We brought Daylight here at the request of Daylight’s guardian. She wants Daylight to stay in the academy, at least until she recovers,” Bendy says to the bear.

“Of course, he’s a student and classes are still technically going,” Freddy unfolds his arms. “For now.”

“I’ll let her know,” Bendy nods. “That’s a summary of everything that’s happened so far. I’m sure more drastic things will happen after this.”

“I’d be more surprised if they didn’t,” Freddy says quietly as he looks out the window. Evening sunlight pours into the office.

 

Notes:

Ello again! Bendy has finally arrived! Some of you wanted to meet him way more than I was expecting. Kissy has also finally arrived! You will be seeing more of her, don't worry.

One of those life changes I told you about last time was finding a new job a mission was a success. I do have to get used to a new schedule and find time to write so updates will continue to be slow. Sorry!

Anywho, thanks for reading!

Chapter 16: Inside Evol Again

Day is not as fine as he or anyone else thought. Yes, he was cleared to walk more and not sit in his wheelchair all the time. He was not cleared to run, crawl through vents, or jump from a second floor window. His body lets him know as soon as he stands from his chair. His muscles spasm and his knees give out.

“Daylight!”

Kissy catches him before he can fall. Alice is there the next moment.

“Where is your wheelchair?” she glances around the office like it might be sitting nearby. Day actually has no idea. Last time he saw it was outside the theater weeks ago.

“I’ll get it,” Freddy hurries out of the office.

“What’s wrong?” Bendy asks as Kissy and Alice help Day sit back down.

“Daylight has not fully recovered from his last encounter with the Twisted,” Alice reports. She lifts Day's hands to look at his scraped palms. “Is there something you need to tell me?”

“He fell when we got there. Check his knees.” Bendy reports. Alice nods and carefully rolls Day’s pants over his knees. The skin is scraped and there’s a little bit of bleeding. It’s nothing serious enough for an angel to heal.

“Anything else?” Alice pointedly asks Bendy, not Day. It’s not a big deal. Day will be fine!

“Not that I’m aware of,” Bendy turns to look out the window again.

“Ok,” Alice nods. She kneels in front of Day and starts to heal his knees.

“Do you two know each other?” Day asks, completely baffled. Angels and demons are supposed to be enemies or something right? It’s only because Day is watching the demon that he sees the smirk flash across his face. It's gone as fast as it appeared.

“Something like that,” Alice mutters under her breath.

“Aw, songbird, you’re going to hurt my feelings,” Bendy puts a hand on his chest as he looks at the angel sadly. Alice doesn’t respond to his teasing. Not insulted at all, Bendy drops his hand and looks up to meet Day’s gaze.

“We’ve known each other for a long time,” Bendy grins widely. “I am much more interested in why a half angel is being hunted by Twisted. Care to explain, Daylight?”

“Um–” Day glances down to where Alice switches knees. “–I’m part of the student council at Evol. When I joined this year, one of the members took me with her to report a bunch of academy staff and the rest of the student council for their crimes.” Day glances up to see Bendy’s sepia eyes fixed on him. The demon's full focus is a little intimidating.

“The tiger today and two others were part of the council that was expelled. When they were seen again they had become Twisted. I think Tigeria is mad at me for getting her expelled,” Day glances back down with a frown.

“Even though you weren't technically the one who got her expelled?” Bendy asks.

“I-no. Odette, the member who had the evidence, exposed them and herself. I just happened to be there.”

“Does Tigeria know that?” Bendy leans forward. His horns gleam under the sunlight shining through the windows.

“I don’t know,” Day frowns. “I was dismissed before she and the other members showed up to be expelled.”

“Tigeria knows you were there,” Freddy cuts in. He pushes Day’s wheelchair through the doorway. “When they were officially expelled after you and Odette came into my office that day, it slipped out that you came with Odette to expose them.” Freddy stops pushing the wheelchair beside the chair Day’s in. Day does a double take as he looks at how shiny and clean it is. There was still mud on the wheels last time Day was in it. There probably should have been some blood after the last time Day saw it. Freddy notices his reaction.

“It was left behind in the chaos that night. I brought it here for safe keeping. Goldie and Foxy got a hold of it and fixed it up for you.”

“Oh,” Day smiles. “I’ll need to thank them next time I see them. Thank you for grabbing it that night, Freddy.”

“Of course, Day,” Freddy grins. “Back to the subject you were discussing when I came in,” Freddy looks at Bendy. “Why do you ask, Bendy?”

“Well,” Bendy has his hands folded under his chin as he gazes at the floor, thinking. “Logically, Daylight had nothing to do with Tigeria getting expelled. From what you’ve told me, he was there, but he didn’t do anything, correct?”

“Yes,” Freddy leans against Day’s chair.

“The Twisted that we knew before this year were mindless, almost zombie-like. Their only goal was to eat people. The ones that we’ve seen this last year aren't like that. They remember who they were. They think and plan, but,” Bendy looks up at Day and Freddy. “I don’t think they’re as high functioning as they seem.”

“What do you mean?” Alice asks as she stands. She holds her hand out to Day and he begrudgingly puts his scraped palm in her hand.

“Tigeria should know that Day didn’t get her expelled. Somehow, in her mind, it’s Day’s fault she was. That blame became obsessive. She’s been hunting Daylight since last fall? Almost a full year of trying to kil–” Freddy clears his throat. “–hurt, Daylight? That's almost demonically obsessive,” Bendy explains.

That…makes sense. Not that Tig blames Day, but that she blamed him. So did Saph when she was infected.

“I think you’re right,” Day says slowly. He looks up to meet sepia eyes. “When I was attacked by Saph, she blamed me for getting her sister hurt. It was months before she attacked me for it.”

“Saph?” Bendy furrows his neat black eyebrows.

“Saph is a student that attacked Daylight a little over two weeks ago now,” Freddy says tiredly.

“Really,” Bendy tilts his head with a grin. “Tell me more.”

Day hesitates, Bendy and Poppy have a connection, but he doesn’t know how much the demon is aware of or what the cover story is for Saph’s attack.

“Saph is another student, a friend,” Day says slowly as he puts his thoughts together. “She was kidnapped with her sister last Hallowen. They were taken by Tig and her friends. All three of us were injured, Saph’s sister more than herself. Two weeks ago, Saph attacked me, she said she blamed me for her sister getting injured.” Day takes a breath and looks out the windows at the slowly fading sunlight. “She wasn’t Twisted, but her eyes were similar to one.”

“Explain,” Bendy commands.

“Please,” Alice adds as she lets go of Day’s second hand. Bendy rolls his eyes and waves his hand carelessly.

“Twisted are…their body’s have changed from before, right?” Day asks. The adults nod, except for Kissy. She is quiet and still beside him. “They’re limbs are different lengths, they like to eat–” Day flinches at the memory of Jack, the hyena, ripping out Obsidi’s stomach and swallowing it. “They have black liquid dripping from them and if you get close enough, you can see their pupils are gone.”

“Gone?” Alice asks.

“It’s something all of the Twisted share,” Freddy fills in. “The Twisted before this year and the current ones. They all have missing pupils.”

“So, this Saph wasn’t missing her pupils? Is that the only reason you don't think she was Twisted?” Bendy asks Day.

“Her body hadn’t changed, or at least not enough for me to be able to tell. She got close enough I could see her pupils were still there, but they were faded and she had the same black liquid dripping from her eyes that the other Twisted did,” Day says without revealing the black liquid as the source. Or what they believe to be the source for making someone go Twisted.

“Interesting,” Bendy muses, his eyes focus on something far away as he thinks.

“You mean tragic. People are dying,” Alice glares at the demon.

“Yes, all that too,” Bendy says, distracted. “Not fully Twisted…a beginning stage? Is it a disease?”

“We’ve lost him,” Alice sighs. “Daylight, let’s get you some food and your pain medication.”

“Ok,” Day agrees. He’s sore all over and his arm is throbbing. He’ll happily take some pain meds. He wouldn't mind going back to bed either, but it’s too early for that. He should find his friends while he’s out and about anyway. Actually, he needs to call Poppy first and foremost.

“Yes, I need to get in touch with your guardian. The last class of the day is still in session. If you want to avoid a crowd, I would go now,” Freddy ruffles the fur on Day’s head. “Mike is waiting in the lobby for you.”

“Thanks, Fred–Mr. Fazbear,” Day forces himself not to lean into Freddy’s warm hand on his head. Day isn’t needy for anything like that.

“I’ll stay with him for a while,” Alice steps back so Day can get in his wheelchair. Freddy brings it closer. Both adults hover. Day thinks they’re being ridiculous until he tries to stand again. Stars, he didn’t know his whole body could ache like this. Please don’t let this be a sign that his recovery is going to be set back. Please.

“There we go,” Freddy says once Day is settled. “I’ll check in as soon as I can,” the bear assures him as he steps back. Day nods. Alice steps around to push his wheelchair, but Kissy beats her to it. There’s a beat of awkwardness. Kissy starts to push Day out the door.

“One last thing,” Bendy calls when the group reaches the doorway. “Don’t leave the academy unless absolutely necessary. She wanted me to tell you that.”

There's no need to wonder who exactly she is. Day nods to the demon. Kissy pushes him out of the office. Alice hurries ahead to call the elevator. The ride to the lobby is quiet and Day feels that need to break it. He tries to think of something safe to talk about. The doors open before he can think of something. Mike is leaning against the front desk, tapping on his phone when they get to the lobby. He grins up at them as he slides his phone into his pocket.

“Hey, kid. How are you?” Mike’s eyes flicker to Day’s arm in its sling.

“I’m just a little tired,” Day says as Mike joins them on the walk out of the administration building. “Are the last week and few days of classes going well?”

“Students are ready to leave, I’ve found a few beer bottles behind the dorms and a lot of the students that can drive are pushing the curfew limits,” Mike rolls his eyes.

“Really?” Day thought those kinds of things wouldn’t happen until the last two days at least, not the second to last week.

“Afraid so,” Mike says solemnly, the slight upward curve of his lips teasing. The four of them head for the cafeteria. “Are you excited to finish your first year at Evol?”

“I still have classes to catch up on before I’m officially done with my first year,” Day says sheepishly. “Once those are done? Absolutely!”

“You’re lucky, kid. My father would have given anything for his kids to go to a school as prestigious as this one,” Mike glances towards the front gate hidden from their view by the administration building.

“It’s definitely prestigious,” Day agrees. He’s confused enough he doesn’t know what else to say. Humans have prestigious schools too. Don’t they? Maye Mike means his family couldn’t afford to come.

“This isn’t anything like heaven,” Alice comments as they take the turn to the cafeteria.

“What is it like in Heaven?” Mike asks curiously.

“It’s…brighter, more peaceful. The surface is always so hectic. It’s overwhelming sometimes,” Alice looks up at the clear sky.

“Really? Think we can visit sometime?” Mike jokes.

“I doubt it,” Alice shakes her head with a rueful smile.

“I’d like to see it at least once,” Day adds.

“I agree,” Mike nods. “Maybe plan a trip to hell too.”

Alice makes a noise of disgust.

“Alice, have you been there?” Mike raises his eyebrows, surprised.

“We’re here,” Alice hurries ahead of them to open the door to the cafeteria. Kissy has to push Day up the ramp to get inside, so Alice ends up holding it open longer than she needs to.

“Thank you, Miss Angel,” Day says as Kissy pushes him through the doorway.

“You’re welcome, Daylight,” Alice smiles. The cafeteria is empty of students when they get inside, just as Freddy said it would be. Mike leads the way to the serving counter. Only one server is back there. She looks surprised to see them. Mike says they just need three meals on the director’s account. The lady nods and starts to get their plates together. Mike and Alice juggle the three plates and drinks between them as Kissy pushes Day to a table close to the door.

“There we go,” Alice sets Day’s food in front of him. Mike does the same for Kissy. Or where Kissy would sit if she decided to join them. Day tries to remember how Poppy interacts with Bron so he can communicate easier with Kissy.

“Sit and eat, it’ll be a while until you get another chance,” Day encourages her. He doesn’t want to order her around, but that’s what Poppy always does. He’ll order Kissy around politely? Is that an option? This situation is just weird. Kissy glances between Day and the food before nodding. She sits in the chair and starts to eat without a word. At least she’s eating.

“Miss Kissy?” Mike asks. Kissy looks up at him and nods. “Mr. Fazbear will get a pass for you by tomorrow so you can get wherever you need to on campus. There’s a room available in the security officer’s living spaces for you. You can’t stay inside of the boys’ dormitories. Academy policy.”

Kissy glances at the plate of food in front of her and back to Day.

“I’ll let you know whenever I leave the dorms. You can take me up and down as much as you want,” Day lays out as an option. It’s the only compromise he can think of. Kissy frowns, but nods in agreement.

“I’ll take you there when we’re done,” Mike says before he takes a sip of his energy drink. The security office must have a vending machine with energy drinks because none of the ones around the academy have them. The meal passes quickly as Alice asks Mike about his plans for the summer. Day is tired enough he doesn't jump into the conversation like he normally would. He doesn’t know what he would say anyway. His plans for the summer are officially up in the air.

As they leave the cafeteria and head for the nurse’s office, the bell that signals the end of class rings. Their pace is fast enough that they enter the building just as the doors open to let students out. Day kinda wishes he saw one of his friends and is kinda relieved he doesn't have to go through all of that yet. He still doesn’t know what the cover story is for Saph. Or how much anyone inside the academy has heard about the attack on the mall.

After taking his pain meds under the watchful eyes of Alice, Day asks to use the bathroom before they leave again. He reassures all three that he can manage on his own. Multiple times. The bathrooms in the nurse’s office is one room with the necessities. No stalls or swing open doors. It also has a lot of metal bars in the walls. Day gets inside and locks the bathroom door behind him. He sighs tiredly and glances into the large mirror. He doesn’t look as bad as he feels. He pulls the collar of his shirt up a little to cover where they shaved off the fur on his shoulder. Hopefully, the fur grows back quickly.

Day takes the phone Bendy gave him out of his pocket. He’s more surprised than he should be that it’s an exact replica of the phone he had a few hours ago. It’s not the same one because this one doesn’t have a case or the same background. Day pulls up Poppy’s number and waits for her to answer.

“Day!” Poppy’s relieved voice fills the phone. “Thank the stars you’re ok. You are, right? No one’s told me you’re in the hospital again–”

“Pops, I just pushed my body a little harder than I should have. Some rest will get me back in shape in no time.”

“Of course you need to recover. You jumped out of a second floor window!”

“Did you see all of that?”

“The cameras caught most of it. The east part of the fence has some damage. I’m told she must have ignored the electricity to climb over it. It shouldn’t be possible to just walk off that many volts. Records show that the fence was operating correctly.”

“That sounds like a similar situation to the academy fence back in February. Is there a connection? Day forces himself to focus on the incident at hand. He can’t be in here too long before someone opens the door to cheek on him.

“Tig made it into the second escape room, as far as I know the others are uncompromised. Did the other Twisted leave or were they caught?”

“They left as soon as you did. Bendy let me know what you all discussed in Freddy’s office too. Would you agree that the Twisted are obsessive?”

“I think it makes sense, but we aren't really sure of anything about them.”

“Yet,” Poppy says seriously. “They will not be a mystery forever.”

“I can’t stay here long,” Day continues. “What’s the cover story for Saph’s attack?”

“The truth.”

“What?”

“Too many witnesses saw you get attacked. With the Twisteds public knowledge now, you can just tell the truth. Not about the poison or what you discussed today, but you can tell them Saph was turning into a Twisted or something.”

“Was the whole attack on that mall recorded?”

“It was a public place with a large number of deaths. There's almost no way to hide the Twisteds now.”

“Ok,” Day says tiredly. “Ok, how long do you want me to stay here?”

“You aren’t going to like this, but except for your birthday, I think it would be best that you stay in the academy.”

“What?”

“There are multiple evolved anthros there to protect you and the mansion will need to be fixed. It will easily take a month or two.”

“Poppy,” Day complains. He’s already been locked inside the academy.

“I know, but this can also be your chance to look around and find out anything about rocks that maybe cause evolution. If nothing else, you’ll get plenty of rest and time to heal.”

“Sure,” Day rubs his tired eyes. “I’ll check in tomorrow. I’ve been ordered to bed by Miss Alice.”

“Good. Sleep and we’ll talk more tomorrow…be safe, please.”

“I’ll try,” Day promises. The call ends there. Day rolls the chair over to the sink and runs the water over his hands and dries them. When he opens the door, Kissy is standing guard very close to it. Day doesn't know if she heard anything, but even if she did, she’s on Poppy’s payroll isn’t she? Too tired to worry about it more than that, Day dismisses it from his mind.

He, Kissy, and Mike walk out of the nurse’s building, leaving Alice behind. As they walk to the dorms students wander on the paths. Day fully expects to see a familiar flash of fur in the mix, but he doesn’t. Day knows he will when he gets to the dorms and he’s still nervous about what kind of situation he’s going to face. They get inside the boy’s dorm, into a surprisingly empty elevator, and onto his floor where a neighbor across the hallway is just leaving their room. Mike pulls out Day’s lanyard with all his keys and his keycard.

“How did you…?” Dy blinks up at him. Mike chuckles and taps Day’s keycard to the scanner.

“That night was so hectic that your lanyard was found by your wheelchair that night,” Mike explains, the smile dimming. The human opens the door and holds it open for Kissy to push Day through the door. His room is empty. Kickin must be deep into studying with the others right now. They all have finals next week.

“Just beside the bed,” Day instructs Kissy. The human pulls the wheelchair very close to his bed and Day locks it in place. “Thank you both. I’m going to nap for a few hours until my roommate comes back. I don’t think I’m going to leave the dorm tonight.” Day looks up at Kissy. “I promise to text you if I change my plans.” Kissy has a slight frown, but nods.

“I can show you around, Miss Kissy,” Mike says as he holds the door open for her. Kissy nods as she leaves with him. Mike pauses to gently toss Day his lanyard. “Don’t forget you have to return those keys,” Mike reminds him jokingly before he shuts the door. Day sighs and his eyelids droop a little. He looks around the silent room and decides to change into something a little comfier, and find his brush in the bathroom to straighten out his probably messy fur. Day stands slowly from his wheelchair. His knees keep him upright this time, but Day can feel the weight of exhaustion. Day is quick to go about doing everything he needs to before finally laying down in bed. He’s glad no one is around to see the awkward, stiff crawl he does to get into bed and settle down.

Sleep claims him as soon as he closes his eyes.

 

Something is vibrating against him. By his…head? Is it…purring?

“You’ll wake him up if you get any louder,” Hoppy whispers loudly.

“He’s going to wake up if you keep being so loud,” Nap snaps back. Day can…feel the cat’s voice? Can you feel a voice? No, that doesn’t seem right.

“Hush, both of you,” Bobby whispers quieter than Hoppy.

“We all agreed only people who are quiet can stay,” Bubba says lowly.

“I am being quiet. The cat over there sounds like an engine,” Hoppy whispers sarcastically. Day shifts his head. Is this real?

“Hoppy,” Nap says, lower, more threatening. Day can still feel that. Why can he feel that against his head? He’s missing something.

“Enough,” Bobby cuts in firmly. There are a few mumbles before it goes quiet. Mostly quiet. There’s still a rumbling against Day’s head that his tired mind just can’t process right now. Day shifts again, just to open his eyes and look around. Or wake up if this isn’t real.

“Shh, sunshine,” Nap soothes. A hand gently starts petting his ears in long gentle strokes. Day relaxes automatically. A few pets in and sleep is taking him back.

“Did he wake up?”

Day doesn’t hear the rest.

 

Day wakes up slowly. He wrinkles his nose against the tickle in his nostrils. All he can smell is lavender. He blinks his eyes open a few times before they focus. He looks around.

Oh.

Day is laying on his right side, his other arm still where he forgot to take off the sling. Nap’s chest is level with Day’s head. The cat is curled around him. His arms are wrapped around Day’s head, one leg thrown over Day’s waist, and a long purple tail is wrapped tightly around Day’s thigh. Day is trapped by cat.

He carefully moves his hands, the one in the sling awkward, and carefully lifts Nap’s arms from around his head. Nap frowns a little, but doesn’t wake up. Day reaches down, just as carefully, to move the leg around his waist and meets exposed fur. Day full body freezes. Nap huffs and nuzzles deeper into his pillow.

Day looks down and there it is. The stars damn shirt, riding high enough Day can see Nap’s short shorts. There’s too much soft thigh under Day’s palm and he doesn't know what to do about it. He definitely shouldn’t do what he wants and touch–

“Need help?”

Day almost flinches hard enough to shake the bed. He glances up over Nap’s side to see Picky looking down at him amused. Day fights down the blush that erupts on his face. Picky must have seen all of that and the fact Day now has his hand wrapped around Nap’s thigh in a very not friend-like way. Day nods silently to Picky’s question. The pig disappears for a second and returns with a pillow that she slides between Nap’s arms. Day waits for a second to see if the cat wakes up. When he doesn’t, Day does what he should have from the beginning and pushes Nap’s leg off of him. He carefully shimmies down far enough he can sit up and scoot to the edge of the bed. He pauses where he’s sitting on the edge of it. He raises his eyebrows at the scene in front of him.

All seven of his friends are spread around the dorm room. Nap is in Day’s bed. Kickin is sleeping on his own bed, sharing with Bubba. Day raises an eyebrow at that. The girls are all spread out across the floor. Picky uses her foot to move some blankets out of the way between Day and the bathroom.

“You guys stayed here last night?” Day whispers to Picky. She nods and Day frowns. “You could all get expelled for staying in the boy’s dorm.”

“We weren’t just going to let the guys stay here without us. Not after–” Picky cuts off with a flinch. Her gaze shoots to Day’s arm in its sling and down to focus on the floor. “We weren’t just going to leave,” she finishes quietly.

“Thank you, Picky,” Day shoots her a small smile. He looks around again and slowly eases himself up to his feet. Picky hesitates before reaching out and hugging him carefully. She barely uses any pressure.

“Good morning, Picky,” Day murmurs as he wraps his arms around her, using more force than she is. Day isn’t breakable, she doesn't have to be scared.

“Good morning, Day,” Picky whispers and buries her face in his right shoulder. They stay like that for a few seconds. Picky sniffles again and pulls away from the hug to look up at him. “It’s good to see you.” A lot of different meanings are in her words. Day doesn’t know how he should react other than grin and pat her head.

“You to,” Day says quietly. He slowly makes his way to the bathroom. Picky hovers close with her hands out to catch him. Day feels refreshed and energized after his–wait. Day glances at the closed curtains of their window where dim sunlight peeks through the edges. Day sighs internally. He only wanted to sleep for a few hours. He didn’t want to sleep through the night. No wonder he feels so refreshed.

Day takes slow, but steady steps around Crafty’s legs. As he passes the blankets Picky moved aside, he can see a granola bar wrapper. Picky notices him glance at it.

“I usually eat when I get up. At home we have a lot of morning chores that prevent us from eating for a few hours,” Picky explains, her posture stiff. Day just nods as he steps past it. He pauses before he enters the bathroom. He should change now while most of his friends are asleep and he has the bathroom to himself.

“Do you need the bathroom?” Day checks with Picky. She can use it before him.

“I’m good,” Picky shakes her head. “Go ahead.”

“Ok,” Day says as he steps back to open his wardrobe and grab some fresh clothes for the day. He plans to attend classes, as long as they let him. Maybe he has to catch up before they’ll let him attend like normal.

Day takes over the bathroom, glad to brush his teeth because he didn’t last night. When he leaves the bathroom, he finds Picky and Kickin talking quietly. They stop as soon as he opens the door.

“Are we the early birds?” Day jokes quietly into the awkwardness.

“Only one of us is a bird,” Kickin grins. The chicken carefully steps around sleeping friends to hug Day tightly.

“Hi,” Day whispers.

“Hi,” Kickin says hoarsely. He sniffs loudly, pulls away to quickly grab clothes from his own wardrobe and takes over the bathroom next. Day smiles a little at the chicken’s quick exit. Day wouldn’t make fun of him for crying, but the chicken might not be comfortable anyway. Day glances at Picky to see her grabbing a blanket to start folding it. He steps over to help her.

“No, it’s ok,” she quickly reassures him. “I got it. Just sit down, please.” The please gets Day to do what she asks. He steps carefully over to his wheelchair. His friends moved it over to the door so they could all fit between the beds or as close as they could. Day pauses to look for his phone before he sits. He put it on his desk last night. Day traverses the obstacle course that are his sleeping friends to snag his phone and walk back to his wheelchair. Day sits down with an internal sigh. Now to wait.

Picky sets the folded blankets in a corner of the room that will keep them out of the way. They aren’t familiar to Day, so they must be Picky’s blankets. Everyone must have brought their own blankets, he doesn’t recognize any that he and Kickin didn’t already have on their beds.

Kickin comes out of the bathroom also in fresh clothes. He puts his pajamas away and turns to look at the sleeping people around the room with his hands on his hips.

“We should get them up,” Kickin says not very quietly.

“Are you sure?” Picky glances at the others, her voice still a whisper.

“They should sleep longer,” Day cuts in. “It’s just past six thirty. I doubt they want to be woken up yet.” The chicken and pig share a look that Day doesn’t have enough time to decipher.

“WAKE UP!” Kickin shouts. Day, Hoppy, and Bubba all groan and cover their ears. The others jerk awake and look around wildly.

“What happened?” Bobby mumbles as she rubs her eyes.

“Is everyone ok?” Crafty asks as she blinks blearily. Hoppy sits up next to the unicorn to glare at Kickin.

“Never do that again,” she warns him.

“What are you going to do about it?” Kickin smirks.

“I’ll help her cover up whatever she decides to do,” Bubba sits up slowly. His glare is very unfriendly.

“Oh, come on, sleepyheads. It’s time to get up,” Kickin rolls his eyes, unfazed.

“Day,” Nap says right before Day is engulfed in lavender again. He didn’t even realize the cat was awake yet. As quickly as Nap hugs him, the cat pulls away. “Are you ok? Does anything hurt?”

“I’m fine,” Day assures him. Nap’s hands hover over Day’s left arm where it’s in the sling. Nap settles for pulling the collar of Day’s shirt aside to reveal the patch of fur that was shaved off. It’s still weird to feel cool air on skin.

“Are you?” Nap asks quietly. Yellow eyes stare directly into Day’s. “Tell me what happened. Everything, from the beginning.”

“Everyone should eat and change first,” Day shakes his head. He’s not avoiding anything. He’s just…not sure how to have this conversation.

“No, we should talk about this right now,” Nap says with more steel in his tone than Day’s ever heard before. Thrown off, Day doesn’t know what to say. The whole room is silent as the others watch them, waiting for something. A tension starts building the longer the silence stretches on. A loud growling fills the room.

“Uh, s-sorry,” Picky curls into herself with a flush. Her ears lower to cover her face as much as they can, which isn’t much.

“Let’s change and eat,” Day says firmly. Nap frowns, but he looks over his shoulder at an embarrassed Picky. Kickin is quietly reassuring her, hand on her shoulder.

“Fine,” Nap growls. As he stands straight again. His hands flex like he wants to do something before turning back to Day’s bed to grab his purple phone. “Everyone has ten minutes to meet at the corner to go to the cafeteria,” Nap announces. To Day’s surprise his friends nod and quickly pack their stuff. Day wheels his chair out of the way of the door and towards his bed. To his surprise they hug him before they go. Hoppy’s is the tightest, Bobby’s is the longest, Bubba is a little awkward, but firm. Picky is quick and gentle again. Crafty sniffles in his ear, shaking a little. Day rubs her back.

“I’m fine, Crafts,” Day says softly. Craftys sniffles again. She pulls away and nods to him before leaving. Day is left in the room with Nap and Kickin.

“I’ll be back in a minute,” Nap promises. He doesn’t step any closer to the door.

“I won’t leave him for a second,” Kickin promises. Nap frowns deeper, his tail flicking anxiously behind him.

“He can hear you,” Day tells them.

“Stay here,” Nap orders. He keeps his eyes on Day until the door shuts to the room. Nap’s footsteps practically run to his room.

“Are they all going to be like this?” Day asks tiredly.

“Day,” Kickin frowns, “We saw your arm–we didn’t know if you were even alive.”

“I know,” Day rubs his eyes tiredly. “I know, I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize, just…try to understand if everyone’s a little…overwhelming.”

“Even you?” Day teases, trying to lighten the mood. The door handle jiggles, but doesn't open.

“It’s me,” Nap calls through the door. Kickin rushes over to open it. Nap stands there, fidgeting. His backpack nowhere in sight.

“Nap, you’re bag,” Day reminds him.

“No need, it’s Sunday,” Nap says confused.

“It’s only Saturday,” Day reminds him carefully.

“Whatever, let’s get outside,” Nap dismisses.

“Nap, you have to go to class,” Day frowns at him.

“Who cares about class?” Nap snaps. “It doesn’t matter right now!”

“Nap,” Day says firmly. “You need to go to class. You’re so close to finishing the year.”

“Day,” Nap grits his teeth. “I don’t want to go to class when you’re–” Nap cuts off and looks down. His claws extend as he flexes his fingers. Day glances at Kickin. The chicken is looking away awkwardly. Day rubs his eyes again.

Ok. His friends are all very worried. Nap, and maybe the others, don’t want to attend classes right now. It’s way too close to the end of the year for them to start skipping. They could get expelled for skipping just one class, let alone a full day. So, Day will have to talk to them this morning, before their classes, so they have no excuse to skip. Or he will have to force them to go to class. Day’s mind flashes to the glint of his watch as his arm flew through the air. The loud crunch of Tig’s bone as she bit her own leg off. It would give anyone nightmares. His friends should have another day free from knowing about the Twisted.

“Day?”

“Hm?” Day blinks into reality. Nap is much closer to him and Kickin is hovering anxiously. Day shakes his head and rubs his shoulder. He still needs to take his new regimen of medication.

“I’m fine, just need to take more meds again. Let’s hurry or we’ll be the last ones at the corner,” Day starts to turn the chair so he can reach for his lanyard and small bag with his pills. Nap is there first. He takes all of the bottles out of the bag. Kickin disappears into the bathroom and comes back out with a small cup of water.

“Which ones?” Nap asks.

“Two from the blue bottle, one from the green and one from the white,” Day answers as he takes the lanyard Nap holds out to him. Nap nods and reaches for the bottles. Day slides the lanyard into the small inside pocket of the wheelchair by his leg. His pills and the water are handed to him. Day takes the pills and returns the cup of water.

“Now we really should eat. I was supposed to take one of those with food,” Day says sheepishly.

“Day,” Nap scolds. The cat starts to reach for Day’s backpack. Day lets him, even though he isn’t sure if he’s going to be able to just walk into his classes like nothing happened. His bag is hooked onto his wheelchair like it’s just any other day of classes. Kickin grabs his own and Nap starts to push Day out of the room.

“Nap, don’t forget your bag,” Day reminds him. Nap sighs deeply, but unlocks his door to grab it. Day starts rolling towards the elevator, still not needing someone to push him around despite how often it happens. He pushes the button to call the elevator. Day hears Kickin hurry after him. The elevator dings and opens to reveal Kissy.

“Oh,” Day says surprised. He hears Kickin hiss out a shocked breath. “Good morning, Kissy. I was just about to text you.”

Day forgot about Kissy. He’s horrible for forgetting to keep his promise. Shit, Day. Get yourself together.

“Good morning,” Kissy says softly. She hurries out of the elevator to grab his wheelchair and wheel him into the elevator.

“Hey!”

Day looks over his shoulder, but Kissy’s back is all he can see. The human has placed herself between him and the perceived danger.

“Who the hell are you?” Nap growls.

“Language,” Day blurts. “This is Kissy, my new bodyguard. Kissy, this is my friend, Nap.”

“Bodyguard?” Kickin cuts in. Day can’t see anyone’s expressions, so he keeps talking to calm everyone down.

“Yes, my guardian wants me to have a bodyguard. After…what happened, she doesn’t want to take any chances,” Day explains. Everyone is silent. Day’s anxiety starts to rise.

“Fine,” Nap grumbles. Kissy turns around to push Day’s wheelchair into the elevator. When Day is facing the doors, Kickin and Nap get on. The cat is very unhappy and the chicken is a little anxious. The ride down is quiet, the walk outside tense. Day sighs internally at the awkward silence. Hopefully, things get better when he talks to everyone.

Notes:

Ok, I think I'm finding a rhythm with my new schedule. Thank you all for being so kind and patient. I don't know when or if I will get back to those quick updates. I still have some stuff going on.

On a different note, I am still so surprised how many of you were looking forward to meeting Bendy and his crew. Was he on your cameo bingo card or something? (Better keep that card out. We aren't done.)

Anywho, thank you all for commenting, kudoing, and just reading this far! I appreciate it all. See you in the next one!

Chapter 17: Friends Forever?

Breakfast is awkward. Everyone keeps avoiding certain topics, cut each other off at times, and glance at Day a lot. Day doesn’t blame them for it, but it’s slowly wearing his patience thin. He can feel the little independence he had slowly fade away. Joke’s on them, he’s going to be out of his wheelchair completely, soon. (Hopefully.) He’ll get a car that will take him anywhere he wants to go. (Poppy will have a tracker put on it. Day isn’t oblivious.)

“So, uh, should we go to a library study room to talk?” Bobby asks the table. Day glances at his phone with a frown. Classes start in twenty minutes. That’s definitely not enough time for him to tell them the whole story and answer their many questions before classes start. Day realizes most of them didn’t bring their backpacks either.

“We can get a study room after you’re all done with classes,” Day tells them firmly. Bobby glances from him to Bubba.

“This is more important than classes,” Hoppy folds her arms.

“That’s what I said,” Nap adds smugly.

“Listen, please,” Day looks around the table. “You only have a week of classes left. If you skip any now, you could fail or get expelled. Probably both. I will still be here when you finish classes. We can all meet up for lunch too. Please, do not fail because of me.”

“I agree with Day,” Bubba says after a moment. “Classes should have our focus, but Day,” Bubba looks at him very seriously. “You will tell us everything and you will tell us soon. If not today, then tomorrow on Sunday. Yes?”

“I already agreed to tell you what happened,” Day assures them all. His eyes catch on blonde hair stepping through the patio of the cafeteria. Miss Delight sweeps her gaze across the tables until she finds Daylight. Kissy shifts behind Day, but doesn’t stop the teacher from approaching. Day’s friends notice him looking toward the patio doors, they turn to look in the same direction.

“Hello everyone,” Miss Delight waves with her bright smile. “I’m here to steal Mr. Dog. You should all hurry to class.”

“Yes. We’ll go, Miss Delight,” Bubba agrees with the teacher. He and Bobby start ushering the hesitant group to dump their plates and walk towards the stairs that lead down from the patio.

“I’ll see you all later,” Day waves to them.

“You better,” Hoppy grins. Her tone is too serious to be taken as a joke. The group gets to the bottom of the steps and turns to disappear around the corner. Day’s ear twitches as they whisper and all stop around the corner of the stairs. Are they…listening? Maybe someone forgot something. Day glances over the table, but no one forgot anything.

“Mr. Fazbear wants to meet with you,” Miss Delight’s voice distracts Day from his confusion.

“Is it about my classes?” Day asks as he starts to push away from the table. Kissy is quick to start pushing his wheelchair. Miss Delight leads them back into the cafeteria so they can get to the ramp by the entrance.

“I’m not sure,” Miss Delight says as they cross the mostly empty room. As the chair is turned to go through the entrance doors Day glances back towards the patio. He sees green ears peeking around the side of the door. He huffs and faces the front again. Are they really trying to spy on him now?

“Miss Delight?” Day checks her hairpin. It’s theater Delight with him right now. “How did the play go?”

“Ah,” Miss Delight’s smile dims. “It went well, it’s what happened after that…We had to cancel the second night of the play. Don’t blame yourself,” Miss Delight quickly tells him. Day’s ears droop anyway. “It wasn't your fault that happened. Don’t take the blame for it from anyone.”

Day wants to agree with her, but Saph had a point. It was Day’s fault the twins were attacked in the first place. He doesn’t think anyone else will agree with him though.

“Right,” Day says without looking at the teacher. They walk along the path to an intersection and turn to the administration building. Day keeps an ear on the group following them. He wants to turn around and yell at them to go to class, especially the ones who still don’t have their backpacks.

“I didn't get the chance to tell you that your violin skills were magnificent. I can see why Sa–Mr. Lawerence recommended you for the solos. Thank you for playing that night,” Miss Delight tells him sincerely.

“Of course, I’m still surprised that Mr. Lawerence recommended me for it, but I’m glad I was able to help.”

“Where did you learn to play?” Miss Delight asks as they turn the corner.

“I was taught by…my grandmother. She was a very talented musician,” Day’s voice softens until it’s practically inaudible. His throat closes as his eyes start to burn.

“Did she pass?” Miss Delight asks gently.

“Y-yeah, a few years ago now. I learned a lot from her,” Day’s voice is hoarse. He clears his throat and plasters a smile on his face. “She would have gotten so mad at me for not dressing properly that night.”

“Oh?” Miss Delight asks, letting him change the subject slightly.

“Musicians are supposed to wear black, but that night I was wearing jeans. I’m still surprised Mr. Lawerence didn’t make me change.”

“He’s got a bigger soft spot than most people realize,” Miss Delight looks away, her cheeks a little pink as she realizes what she said. Day’s mind flashes to the way Mr. Lawerence was looking at Miss Delight the night of the play. Are they…a thing? Like together? Day internally gags. He doesn’t want to know what teachers do romantically, thanks.

“Here we are,” Miss Delight gestures to the administration building awkwardly. “I have a class soon. Goodbye, Daylight,” Miss Delight makes a quick exit. Day watches her go. When the teacher is gone, Day looks up at Kissy.

“Did you see that too?” Kissy nods, one corner of her lips turned up. She continues to push him to the administration building. Day doesn’t hear the group behind them anymore. He hopes they left to attend class. Bubba probably got them all going. Then again, the elephant was the one that started following Day and the two humans.

Inside the admin building, the lobby is empty. Day hasn't seen a secretary in here ever since the last one was fired for being involved with the academy’s drug ring. Did they hire a new one or has Bonnie been working as the secretary? He’s the only one that Day has seen behind the desk. Kissy gets them in the elevator and up to Freddy’s office quickly. She knocks on the door when they get there. A moment later, Freddy's voice calls them inside.

“Good morning, Day,” Freddy smiles warmly. He’s sitting behind his desk, a large cup of coffee and a very good smelling muffin on a napkin beside it.

“Good morning, Mr. Fazbear,” Day looks at the other occupant leaning against the bookcase behind Freddy. “and Nightmare.”

“Sup, kid,” Nightmare takes a sip from the smaller cup of coffee in his hand. Freddy rolls his eyes and motions Day towards the chairs and coffee table by the wall of windows. Kissy starts pushing Day over to the same spot he was in yesterday.

“Take it with you,” Nightmare says quietly.

“I’m not going to eat in front of a student and–,” Freddy’s voice lowers an octave. “Don’t tell me what to do.”

“I’m sorry,” Nightmares says at a pitch even Day struggles to hear. There’s a beat of silence as Feddy walks over to the table and chairs by Day. It’s not an awkward silence at all. Nope. Totally casual.

“Hey, Daylight,” Nightmare calls.

“Don’t you dare–” Freddy pauses.

“Are you alright with Freddy eating while you two talk?” Nightmare asks innocently.

“Uh,” Day glances at a frowning Freddy. “No?”

“Nightmare,” Freddy warns.

“Great! Actually,” Nightmare reaches into a drawer of Freddy’s desk and pulls out a bakery box. “Why don’t you have one too, so sweet–Freddy, will actually eat.”

“Nightmare,” Freddy’s voice is the closest to a growl Day’s ever heard. Other than when he used it in a music video. Those were always cool to watch.

“Daylight wants one,” Nightmare’s red eyes meet Day’s with a not so subtle hint. “Right?”

“Um, yes?” Day agrees. He doesn’t know who to listen to, but Freddy does look a little too thin, not unhealthy, just enough to notice the change. NIghtmare isn’t asking Day to do anything other than eat a muffin. The black furred bear sets another napkin and muffin down on the table in front of Day. Nightmare doesn’t say anything else or smile in victory, but there’s this air of triumph as he looks at Freddy and pats a chair by the coffee table.

“Fine,” Freddy sighs as he brings his coffee and muffin over. Nightmare sets the box of pastries down as he sits too. The bigger bear blinks at his hand before looking at the desk where he set his coffee down. He sighs and gets up again to grab it. Freddy glances at him, he looks amused as the big scary bear trudges over to grab his forgotten coffee and trudge back. With both bears distracted Day reaches forward to grab his muffin. He just ate so he isn't that hungry, but he can nibble on it. It smells really good. Where is this from? Day leans forward to get a better look at the logo on the pastry box.

“Tori’s Treats?” Day says excitedly. His tail wags in the gap of his wheelchair. Tori’s Treats is the best pastry shop in the capital, probably the whole country! Even Poppy has struggled to get some pastries from Tori’s Treats.

“Yep,” Nightmare smiles as he sits with his coffee. “They’re good, not as good as Freddy’s, but good enough.”

“You and your flattery,” Freddy mumbles behind his coffee, a hint of pink on his cheeks. Day looks away and fights down a gag. He does not want to be in the middle of these to being romantic, thanks. He’ll stick to censored gossip. Unfortunately, looking away makes Day's gaze pass Nightmare who has this smirk that Day never wants to see on his face again. Gag. This is gross. Day feels gross. Desperate for a distraction, he starts to unwrap his muffin. He’s about to take a bite and freezes.

“I’m so sorry, Kissy,” Day turns to her. “Do you want a muffin?” He can give her his muffin. It’d be a shame to give up the rare muffin, but he’s had Tori’s Treats before. Kissy probably hasn’t. She shakes her head. “Are you sure?” Day asks. Kissy nods and gently guides Day’s hand with the muffin closer to himself. “Ok.” Day surrenders. He starts to eat and after a few bites Freddy picks up his muffin and takes a slow hesitant bite. After he swallows, it’s like he discovers how hungry he is and takes a few much faster bites. Freddy doesn’t get messy, Day doesn’t think the music icon can get messy, and there’s no stray crumb at all when Freddy finishes the muffin before Day does. The brown bear blinks at the empty wrapper in his hand.

“How was it?” Nightmare drawls, idly swirling his coffee.

“Fine,” Freddy curls the wrapper so it won’t spill crumbs everywhere. If Day didn’t know better he’d think Freddy was embarrassed. There’s no reason to be, Day’s friends are way messier than that. Nightmare doesn’t say anything else, just takes a sip of his coffee. Despite not saying anything, he just seems…smug.

“So, Daylight,” Freddy clears his throat and turns in his chair to face Day, his back facing Nightmare. “There’s a reason I asked for you to come here.”

“Ok,” Day swallows his last mouthful of muffin and wipes his mouth for any crumbs.

“I talked to your guardian and we came to an agreement. She thinks it would be best if you stayed here in the academy for the summer.”

“The whole summer?” Day asks. His ears lower before he can stop them.

“That depends on how things go,” Freddy frowns. “While here you will catch up on your classes. If you finish those quickly enough and your guardian agrees, you can leave whenever you want. I don’t want the school to become a prison. So, if you need a day off or anything, just ask me or another teacher. We can make it happen.”

“Who’s going to be staying?” Day asks. Not all of the teachers would stay, right?

“Bonnie,Chica, Foxy, myself, and the Miss Delights. Everyone else will leave and return two weeks before classes start to get training in. Especially the newbies who will come back even before that.”

“Like Mr. Stein and Mr. Wolfgang?”

“How do you know about them?” Freddy asks, shocked.

“I met them at the hospital,” Day explains. Freddy’s eyes dart to Day’s sling briefly. “Miss Alice introduced us.”

“That makes sense. They know each other through Bendy,” Nightmare comments.

“You know Bendy?” Day asks the black bear.

“Yep,” Nightmare pops the ‘p’ and doesn’t say anything else. Day, very curious about this, tries to find a way to get more answers.

“Back to the topic at hand,” Freddy cuts in. “Day, do you want to stay here? I know what your guardian wants, but what do you want?”

Is…is Freddy offering to…go against Poppy? Does Freddy realize who Poppy is? No, maybe she used a voice changer or something. That’s still… Freddy’s offering to do what Day wants despite the risk to his reputation.

“I’ll stay,” Day smiles, cocking his head a little. “I would love to spend my summer with the Fazbear Five.”

“If that’s what you want,” Freddy smiles, something more real than any poster could be. “I can’t wait to spend it with you either.”

“Stop!” Nightmare covers his eyes with his free arm as he turns away. “Stop being so fucking bright!”

“Language,” Freddy and Day say at the same time. They look at each other and burst out laughing. It’s a real, deep belly laugh from Freddy that’s barely seen in public. Day glimpses Nightmare's warm smile as he watches Freddy laugh.

“Hey, Freddybear,” a golden shimmer appears with the voice. “Where is–” Goldie looks up from some paper in his hand to sweep his gaze across the room. His eyes zero in on Nightmare. Goldie’s expression turns to ugly fury. “You.”

“Me,” Nightmare says cooly. He sips his coffee again. Goldie’s claws rip the paper’s he’s holding. Day’s ears lower at the tight tension in the air. One wrong breath and it’ll snap.

“Don’t fight,” Freddy commands. Goldie and Nightmare stiffen and their jaws clamp shut. Goldie turns his furious glare onto his twin. Freddy ignores him and stands. The warm real laughter is completely gone from Freddy’s eyes and exhaustion fills in the empty space. Freddy walks over to his desk, tossing his coffee into the trash. He shifts through some papers, the only sound that interrupts the tense silence. Day glances back at Kissy. She has narrowed eyes on the gold and black furred bears. When she looks at him, Day subtly nods to the office door. Kissy nods slightly in return. Day doesn't think he or Kissy should be here for whatever is coming next.

Kissy grabs his chair and starts to turn Day’s chair around to meet Freddy at his desk. The bear glances at them when they get close to the desk. Freddy glances from Day to the other two bears and nods. Day’s relieved Freddy is letting them go, not that he suspected the bear to keep them there.

“Here, since it’s just you and the teachers who are willing to stay, they made a loose schedule for you. You can talk to them directly if you want to change anything.” Freddy hands the folder over.

“Thank you, Mr. Fazbear,” Day takes the folder.

“I’ll see you soon, Daylight,” Freddy’s hand ruffles the fur between his ears gently. “Stay out of trouble.”

“Ok,” Day smiles up at the bear. Freddy pulls his hand away with a small tired smile. Day looks at Kissy and the pink haired human starts to push him around to the office door.

“Actually, I should go to,” Nightmare stands from his chair. “Later,” he says to no one in particular. Day notices Nightmare pick up the pastry box and walk around Goldie to the door, keeping a generous amount of space between them. Goldie watches Nightmare closely, never exposing his back to the bigger bear. Nightmare gets to the door first and holds it open for Day and Kissy. Without another word the three of them leave the room. Nightmare closes the door and follows Kissy and Day to the elevator. The office behind them is eerily silent. When the elevator doors shut Nightmare finally breaks the silence.

“Selfish fucking sparkler,” Nightmare growls. The smell of magic increases, but nothing happens. Day doesn’t say anything about language this time. He doesn’t think it would be well received. Nightmare leaves the elevator first in quick steps. The pasty box starts to collapse under his claw’s tight grip and he pauses.

“Right,” Nightmare sighs. He turns back around and offers the box to Day. “Why don’t you take this? It won’t get eaten otherwise.”

“Really?” Day’s ears perk. Nightmare is just going to give away delicious muffins?

“Yep,” Nightmare pops the ‘p’ again. He hands the box over and leans closer, his voice pitched into a low whisper. “It looks like you’ve lost something.”

A flash of movement and Nightmare is a few feet away. Kissy is standing between Day and Nightmare. What just happened? Day tries to look around Kissy and can only see part of Nightmare.

“Not bad,” Nightmare rubs his jaw. “Anyway, I just gotta ask you kid. Where exactly did that go?” Nightmare taps a spot on his chest. It’s the same place Day hid the lump Goldie gave him during the Valentine’s dinner.

“It was…lost.”

“Lost how?” Nightmare’s eyes narrow. Day doesn't know how to answer. Should he tell the truth and say he woke up one morning without it? After someone might have broken into his hospital room? Day had a vision of anthro tribes evolving with a…lump…

“Did you know?” Day asks quickly. The big bear must know about evolution if he asked about the lump specifically.

“Know what?” Nightmare raises an eyebrow.

“What it can do,” Day meets bright red eyes directly.

“Aw kid,” Nightmare’s tone is casual, but his eyes dart around the empty paths around them. “You should know I can’t answer that anymore than you could tell me who gave it to you,” Nightmare sighs, his shoulders sag a little. “It’s probably for the best that it’s gone.” Nightmare turns and starts walking towards the gate of the academy. “See ya later, kid.”

“Wait–what do you mean!” Day calls after the big black furred bear. Nightmare just waves a hand casually and walks away. Day stares after him for a second before he has to lean back into his chair to relax his still recovering body. “Why is everyone so cryptic?” Day mutters as he rubs an eye. Kissy doesn’t say anything, she returns to pushing his wheelchair in the direction of the nurse’s building.

 

Day is stuck practicing with Mr. Lawrence for most of lunch. The music teacher explained that he wouldn’t be able to stay for the summer, so he wants to see Day learn and perform two solo pieces for his final. If Day performs to his standards Mr. Lawrence will pass him. It feels like a very productive lesson, even if it goes on for two hours. He’s so glad he texted the others where he was and he probably wouldn’t make it to lunch. He should have known they would try to come see him anyway.

“Mr. Lawrence, do you know how to play an organ?” Day asks curiously as he takes a break to drink some water.

“An organ? Unfortunately, no. It’s not a very common instrument and temples aren’t...friendly to some people,” Mr. Lawrence reaches for his own water.

“Do you think temples are the only places that have an organ?”

“Mostly, yes,” Mr. Lawrence takes a swig of water. “Enough questions, back to practice.”

Day nods and starts to play the piece from the beginning. The violin is easy to control under his hands. Day finishes the last note. From the open door, clapping and cheers come from the doorway. Day looks over to see his friends there cheering for him. He smiles and gives a little wave.

“You lot cannot be here. Go to class!” Mr. Lawrence stands and shuts the door in their faces. Hoppy, Nap and Bobby have experienced this before and wave at Day again before dragging the others away. Kickin, Bubba, and Picky look shocked at getting yelled at. Poor Crafty is already down the hall at the elevator.

“No respect for practice,” Mr. Lawrence grumbles before sitting in his chair again. “From the top, you keep rushing at the end and don’t crescendo enough in the beginning.”

“Ok, Mr. Lawrence,” Day agrees. He tries again, keeping in mind what Mr. Lawrence tells him. They eventually end the practice session a while later. A knock on the door has Mr. Lawrence ready to yell again, but Miss Delight peeks into the room.

“Sorry for interrupting,” Miss Delight apologizes. “Could you come take a look at the stage piano, Sam–Mr. Lawrence?”

“Sure,” Mr. Lawrence eagerly agrees. “Don’t forget to practice, I’ll see you tomorrow, Mr. Dog.”

“Ok,” Day gets out just before the door shuts behind them. Day blinks at their sudden departure before glancing at Kissy. “Why would the stage piano need to be fixed by Mr. Lawrence? Or right now when it won’t be used until next winter?”

Kissy rolls her eyes as she turns off her phone screen. She taps her wrist where a watch would be. Day glances at his wrist, remembers that he hasn’t been wearing his watch since that night, and grabs his phone instead. It’s almost three. His friends should be in their last class by now. Day already went to physical therapy this morning. Alice just added more arm specific exercises and told him he needs to continue with the others he’s been doing. He's also been limited to two hours of walking at most, not in one chunk but spread throughout the day. At least he isn’t stuck in the wheelchair constantly anymore.

“Let’s head back to the dorm and grab the muffins. I’ll let everyone know to meet us in study room two in the library. This is going to be a long conversation,” Day sighs as he starts to put the violin away. He still isn’t sure how to tell his friends about…everything. Poppy said a censored version of the truth. How is he supposed to do that?

“Ready?” Kissy asks in her soft voice. Day blinks back into reality. He shuts his folder of sheet music that he’d unintentionally been staring at.

“Almost,” Day says sheepishly. He locks his violin in his locker, puts his folder away and sits back in his wheelchair by the door where Kissy is waiting. Day stops before sitting down.

“If I walked out of the building, would you tell anyone?” Day asks her. Kissy blinks without a word and somehow Day knows that's her admitting she absolutely will tell Poppy. Day sighs and sits in his wheelchair. It’s fine, he’ll get out of it soon. He wasn’t set back in his recovery that much. Alice told him by the end of summer, he shouldn’t need his wheelchair at all anymore.

Kissy pushes him out of the music room and they make their way out into the bright sunshine. Day tilts his head up to feel the warmth on his face. It’s nice to be out in the sun again. Kissy is quick to get them to the dorms, grab the muffins and Day switches out what he needs in his backpack. He’s going to get some schoolwork done while he waits for his friends.

Day and Kissy are in the library, renting study room two for the next three hours. The librarian isn’t exactly happy with that whole time slot getting taken, but doesn’t stop them. Day offered her a muffin as an apology.

“Don’t eat these outside of the study room,” she reminds him with a small smile as she takes the muffin. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. I’ll make sure to clean anything up,” Day assures her. He closes the box and takes the key to the study room. When inside, Kissy pushes him to the head of the rectangle table by the whiteboard.

“W-wait, usually Bubba sits here,” Day weakly protests.

“You have something important to say. I’m sure he’ll understand you want to be somewhere you can see everyone,” Kissy says calmly. She takes the pastry box and sets it on the table. She unhooks his bag from the handle of his wheelchair to set it on the table in front of him.

“Thanks,” Day murmurs as he starts to dig out his school work. He starts with math. Logical number problems seem like a great way to relax right now. Day gets to work and Kissy sits in an extra chair against the wall behind him beside the whiteboard. “Would you mind if I played some music?” Day glances at Kissy.

“Go ahead,” Kissy glances up from her phone. “I don’t mind.”

“Ok,” Day says as he turns some study music on and sinks back into working on numbers. He loses track of time. He finishes math and was almost done with chemistry when a knock sounds at the door. Surprised, Day looks up at it, seeing Kickin’s yellow feathers through the small window in the wooden door. Kissy is quick to walk across the room and answer it. All of his friends file in behind the chicken and sit in the chairs around the table. Nap sits on Day’s right, Bobby on his left. The air is already tense, like they know this conversation won’t be pleasant.

“Hi, guys,” Day says with a small smile. He doesn’t need to help bring the mood down. “You can have a muffin if you want.”

“Hey, Day,” Kickin summons a similar smile as he takes his seat. The others mumble hellos, trying to smile to match his. Except Nap, the cat scoots his chair close to Day’s wheelchair and weaves their fingers together on an armrest. The wheelchair’s armrests are low enough their hands can’t be seen unless someone stands up to look over the edge of the table. Yeah, that's another thing Day should tell his friends, but he and Nap haven’t talked about what exactly they are. Day doesn’t want to assume too much.

“So,” Bobby glances at the others around the table. “Day, um, we want to know what happened.”

“I…think we should start from the beginning,” Day sighs, squeezing Nap’s hand.

“The beginning?” Bubba asks with a frown from Bobby’s other side.

“Well, after the attack on the mall a few days ago, I was given permission to tell you guys most of what's happened,” Day explains.

“How much more are we talking about?” Bobby asks. Day isn’t sure how to tell them that. Only two other attacks happened and they were spread months apart. They only know about the second attack. There’s also the third just a few weeks ago…should Day mention that at all? Two attacks are probably enough trauma.

“Ok, just let me get through all of this and ask questions at the end? Please?” Day glances round the table.

“Of course,” Bobby nods. The others nod too.

“Ok,” Day rubs his eyes. “Last fall, that first Sunday when I stayed behind to attend that student council meeting, is probably the best place to start.”

“That far back?” Picky whisper exclaims.

“Yep,” Day says with an empty smile. “That day, one of the previous members revealed she had evidence of the…darker things happening in the academy.”

“I remember a few students and staff being fired around that time,” Bubba adds.

“Yes, the former member took me to the president's office and revealed it all to Mr. Fazear. He was quick to dismiss everyone involved. That’s how I ended up as the only student council member and why the applications went out again for more members,” Day explains.

“I remember thinking it was lucky I got a second chance to apply,” Bobby murmurs. Day nods before continuing.

“That means the other members, all of them, were expelled from the academy. When we had our Halloween Festival,” Day glances at the other members of the council. “I heard something suspicious in the maze. I ran in to make sure no one was hurt. That was the first time I ever saw a Twisted.”

“Twisted, you mean the monsters that attacked the mall?” Hoppy asks, alarmed.

“It snuck into the cornfield,” Day nods. “I tried to distract it from hurting someone else and it chased me deeper into the cornfield. Another one appeared and I was caught. Those two Twisted were the former members of the student council.”

“What?” a few people say at the same time, in various emotions. Day continues before they get derailed from the topic at hand. He doesn't think he can do this gruesome storytime again.

“They knocked me out and when I woke up we were in the woods. Sapphire and Obsidian Dovely were there too.”

“The dove twins?” Nap clarifies.

“Yes. I didn’t know until later they were on the hayride that was attacked by Twisted too. The Twisted-” Day cuts of, unable to tell his friends the bloody horror of what happened. “It took some time to be rescued. The twins and I were all injured by the Twisted. That's how I ended up in this,” Day taps the knuckles of his free hand against the back of his wheelchair for the others to see.

“How?” Bubba asks. “How were you injured? Don’t think I didn’t notice you glaze over that.”

“Bubba,” Bobby hisses. Bubba meets her eyes defiantly, a fight brewing. Day sighs internally. He should have known Bubba wouldn’t be able to help himself. When the elephant wants to know something he’s relentless in his pursuit to know it. Day takes a breath. He’s fine, this was months ago. He’s totally over it.

“Bubba,” Day interrupts the brewing fight. “I’ll tell you at the end. Please?”

“Fine,” Bubba agrees after a beat. Day picks up where he left off.

“I had to heal for a while, so did the twins. I did recover enough to return and you all know what happened after that.”

“Not everything,” Nap frowns. Day isn’t sure if he should mention the fence from Valentine’s, so he pushes past it to the main reason they’re having this conversation.

“No more attacks happened until the night of the play a few weeks ago. What did you all see that night?” Day asks. If he knows what they saw, he can leave out details as needed. His friends look at each other. Nap starts to speak.

“We heard a…scream while waiting for you,” Nap’s hands tightens around Day’s. “We saw Mr. Fazbear run in that direction and decided to follow. We saw…” Nap swallows and he brings his other hand up to wrap it around Day’s.

“We saw Sapphire Dovely rip off your arm,” Bubba says flatly. Nap turns on him with a glare. Bobby puts her hand on the elephant's arm firmly. Bubba’s voice might be flat, but Day can see the turmoil in his eyes.

“Yes, she attacked me,” Day looks down at the table. “I was in a coma for two weeks as I healed. I came back here with a new bodyguard,” Day nods to Kissy. “And for the foreseeable future I will be staying here at the academy.”

“Staying? Why?” Kickin asks.

“My guardian thinks the attacks by Saph and the former student council members were for revenge because I helped them get kicked out. For my safety, I’ll be here for most if not all of the summer,” Day sighs. “To answer your first question,” Day looks at Bubba and keeps his tone calm and measured. He squeezes Nap’s hand for comfort. Just spit it out Day, it was months ago.

“On Halloween, my spine was ripped out by the Twisted. Saph’s leg was shredded, and Obsidi’s stomach was ripped out. I was in a healing coma for two months. That’s why I couldn’t get in touch with any of you. my phone was also damaged.”

“Was it…angel magic?” Crafty speaks for the first time.

“Yes, without their healing abilities I,” Day looks down at where Nap’s hands still surround his. “I probably wouldn’t be here. They healed me from the last attack too.” Day lifts his arm in its sling. “That’s pretty much it.”

“Day,” Nap whispers, his yellow eyes wet. Day blinks in surprise at the tears.

“We’re so sorry,” Bobby whispers. She stands from her chair and walks around to hug him. The others are quick to follow her lead. Day feels his eyes burn as he’s swallowed in a big group hug.

“Guys,” Day’s voice is tight.

“We’re so glad to have you here,” Bobby says softly. “Love you, Daylight.”

“Love you,” his friends chorus. Day sniffles, but nothing could have stopped the wall from crumbling. He can't even lift his arms up to wipe his tears away. His friends are there, some of their eyes misty as Day cries out more than he realized he needed to. He loves them for it.

 

For the next week, Day helps his friends study for their finals and finishes various projects for the teachers who won’t be staying for the summer. He chooses to ignore the way his friends hover and try to help him do things he can obviously do himself. They’re worried, it’s fine. He definitely doesn’t have to bribe a certain cat to actually study and go to his finals.

The week ends and dorm rooms are packed up. Day hugs every one of them as he waves goodbye at the gate. Kissy won’t let him slip onto the busy sidewalk on the other side of the tall imposing gate of the academy, but Day can still say his goodbyes and wave until his arm is sore. The first to leave is Bubba.

“I will be seeing you all next year, right?” The elephant looks directly at Kickin and Picky.

“I plan on it,” Kickin grins.

“We’ll let everyone know as soon as our results are back,” Picky smiles. “We couldn’t have failed under your teaching, professor.”

“Good,” Bubba nods. He hesitates and sighs, sets down his suitcase and opens his arms wide. “A hug for the road?”

“Yes!” They all happily surrounded the elephant with bubbling laughter. They have to pull apart when the bus that takes students from the academy directly to the airport starts to honk. A warning that it’s about to leave.

“We should go,” Crafty says worriedly as she pulls away from the hug.

“Everyone…be safe,” Bobby smiles at them all. “I want texts from everyone when they make it home safely.”

“I second that,” Day agrees with her.

“You worry too much, but fine,” Hoppy agrees as she squeezes them all.

“See you all soon,” Picky sniffles as she picks up her bags again. The bus honks one extended loud honk. Kickin, Picky, and Crafty hurry over to the bus waving goodbye. Bubba gets into the car that was patiently waiting for him by the curb. The windows are tinted so Day doesn’t know who’s inside the car. Another shiny car pulls up and Hoppy grabs her bags.

“This one’s mine, you guys better stay in touch, ok?” Hoppy says with suspiciously wet eyes. Day, Bobby, and Nap give her another hug and wave until the car disappears inside the crowd of cars. They watch other students in shiny expensive cars come and go, taking students with them until the crowd starts to thin.

“My ride is a little late,” Bobby says awkwardly as she pulls out her phone. She starts tapping away at it and Day looks away so she doesn’t feel awkward. His eyes end up on Nap. The cat is standing close, but not touching. Day reaches out and gently takes his hand.

“Hey,” Day smiles up at him.

“Hey,” Nap weakly smiles back. His gaze darts to Day’s sling and he frowns. “I want to stay with you…but my father wants me to come back,” Nap glares at the ground between them.

“Of course he does, he loves you,” Day says easily. “We can call, text. video chat, whatever we want over the summer. Right?”

“...yeah,” Nap says a beat too late. Day can feel the confusion fill his face. Why wouldn’t they talk to each other over the summer?

“Dammit,” Bobby snaps on Day’s other side. Day looks at her unusually upset face as she shoves her phone in her bag and looks up taking a deep breath.

“Bobs?” Day asks hesitantly. Bobby deflates immediately, looking over at him.

“Sorry, it’s–it’s my ride. They can’t make it here to pick me up,” Bobby says resignedly. She doesn’t look surprised at all, just disappointed and embarrassed.

“Oh, um,” Day reaches for his phone. Maybe he can get Poppy to send a car to pick up Bobby and drive her to the airport. Wait, is she even going to the airport?

“I can give you a ride,” Nap offers.

“Relly?” Bobby perks up. “You don’t mind?”

“I’m headed to the airport anyway.”

“T-thank you, Nap!” Bobby’s smile is small and sincere. Day slides his phone back into a pocket.

“You two be careful, ok? Let me know when you take off and when you land,” Day says worried.

“Sure, boss,” Bobby smiles as she hugs him again. Nap sighs deeply at another hug, but joins in anyway. A sleek black car pulls up.

“This one is mine. Let’s go, Bobs,” Nap loosen his hold on Day.

“Right,” Bobby lets go and turns around to grab her stuff. Day’s chin is pulled up and lips crash against his. He’s so unprepared the most embarrassing noise slips out. As fast as it started it’s over and Nap is walking away with his bags like nothing happened.

“Day?” Bobby asks as she steps past him to exit the gate.

“You better text me at least!” Day yells after the retreating cat. Nap looks over his shoulder with a wink, but doesn’t say anything.

“Don’t worry,” Bobby giggles. “He can’t stay away from you anymore than bees can stay away from flowers.”

“Sure,” Day doesn't really believe that Nap likes him that much. “See you in a few months, Bobby. Be safe,” Day smiles at her. She gives his head a quick pat to his head before rushing after Nap who is holding the door open for her. They get their bags inside the car and inside of it themselves. Day waves as they leave the academy parking lot until they disappear behind some trees.

Everyone’s gone. The other students had all left twentyish minutes ago. It’s just Day and Kissy right inside the academy gate looking out at a mostly empty parking lot. A gentle breeze rustles the trees.

“Well, that’s the end of the first year,” Day sighs as he leans back in his wheelchair. “Just three more to go.”

Notes:

'Ello again! I've finally gotten through the summer, it feels like its taken forever. Next chapter is year two! I hope. As long as nothing goes wrong...
Also, thank you all so much for your support and understanding. The love you give this story is what keeps me going as my life is changing. I am so grateful to all of you. Thank you so much for reading this. See you in the next one!

Chapter 18: Summer Break!

Notes:

WARNING: Underage drinking

Day dodges the punch aimed at his nose and uses the chance to flip over his hands and deal a kick to his opponent's jaw. The human lands on his back. A timer beeps, breaking the quiet of the room.

“Did I hit you too hard, John?” Day asks as he holds his hand out to the human.

“Nah,” John takes Day’s hand and gets to his feet. Day winces at the bruise already forming on the human’s jaw. He should have held back a little.

“Liar!” a loud voice yells across the room. “He smacked you silly!”

“I don’t want to hear that from you, Undyne!” John yells back. The fish demon breaks down laughing and the other students join her. Day rolls his eyes as he takes a towel from the clean pile to rub some of the sweat out of his eyes. He steps over to his bag to check for any messages from Poppy.

“Enough,” Gerson smacks his cane onto the ground with a sharp click. “All of you get out. I don’t want to see any of you until monday.”

“Yes, Mr. Gerson,” a few students chorus. The turtle demon scoffs and waves them off. The students head for their own bags and leave. Day sees a text from Poppy claiming to have his birthday weekend all planned out. He sends a text back letting her know he can't wait. Kissy walks over with Day’s bag from the side of the gym where she was mostly hidden in shadows. She hands him a water bottle once she’s close enough. Movement in the corner of his eyes catches Day’s attention. A red furred fox, the beauty of their self defense class, stops beside him.

“Hey, Daylight,” Vixi smiles at him. “Got any plans for the weekend?”

“Yeah, just found out,” Day slides his phone away. “I’m still up for our usual coffee break.”

“Not too busy for little old me?” Vixi exaggeratingly bats her eyelashes as they walk to the front doors. Kissy stays a few steps behind.

“Never,” Day chuckles as he holds the door open for her. The fox laughs as she steps through. They walk down the mostly empty hallway. The other students have already rushed out of the building.

“If you keep beating the older students,” Vixi says as she holds the exit door open for him. “You’ll have to fight Undyne next.”

“You say fight like we’d be on equal ground,” Day thanks her as he passes through the doorway. “But she will absolutely wipe the floor with me.”

“You say that like you haven’t skyrocketed through all the different class levels to the most advanced,” Vixi keeps step with him as they start to walk to their usual cafe down the street.

Vixi slides on sunglasses, a hat, and adjusts her jacket to cover her shirt a little more. Now she doesn’t look like the young popstar she is. The other students would have hidden their features in a similar way. All of them are famous for one reason or another. Vixi is still relatively new to the public, but her singing is amazing. Her beauty and personality are nothing to dismiss either. Day only discovered her music once he started talking to her in class. He usually listens to more rock aligned music than pop, but he wanted to at least listen to one of her songs before passing judgment.

They get inside the cafe, the barista instantly recognizes them and starts on their order. Kissy wanders over to look at the pastries on display. Vixi leads the way to a two seated table by the window. It’s a little cloudy today, but still summer hot.

“So,” Vixi props her elbow on the table and settles her chin in her hand. “How’s vacation so far?”

“Well,” Day glances at the bright car that flashes sun into the cafe as it passes by. “It's almost over. This is actually my last lesson of the summer.”

“What!” Vixi cries a little too loud to be acceptable in public. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“You’re in the middle of recording a new album. I don’t want to distract an amazing singer from her work,” Day grins. Vixi blinks at him like she can’t believe what she’s hearing.

“Silly dog,” Vixi looks away, her red fur shimmering under the sunlight from the window. Her amber eyes highlighted in the natural light. It’s no wonder she’s got half the country in love with her.

“Here you two go,” the barista places their drinks in front of them.

“Thanks, Cherry,” Day grins at the human.

“No problem,” she grins back at them both before going back behind the counter. She starts chatting with Kissy.

"How about we get these to go?” Vixi asks.

“Go where?”

“Anywhere,” Vixi grabs her coffee. “Let's go to the fair!”

“Which fair? There's at least two–wait! I can pay for my own!”

“Too slow!” Vixi calls back as she hands over a generous amount of bills. “Thanks, Cherry! See you next week!”

“Have fun!” Cherry waves as they leave. Kissy waves to the barista before quickly following Day and Vixi.

“Vixi!” Day is dragged behind the excited fox.

“This is going to be great! We can ride a roller coaster! And the ferris wheel! And no diet food!” Vixi’s tail swishes excitedly as she talks. Day might be a little jealous of how fluffy her tail is. His has some fluff, but it’s nowhere near as long or full as hers. A loud ringing pierces the air around them. Vixi cuts off and her shoulders slump.

“Of course, this happens now,” she mumbles and digs her phone out. “Raya?”

Day can’t tell what’s being said on the other side, just a voice saying something. Vixi’s shoulders lower the longer the call goes on. Her hand drops his to tug at a stand of her hair nervously. It ends with Vixi’s previous energy completely gone.

“So,” she turns to him. “It turns out, I already have plans for the afternoon. We’ll have to do this…later.” They both know later might never come. Vixi looks at the ground guilty and tired. She was so happy at just the idea of them hanging out. Day hates how she’s looking more and more weary every time they meet. The problem is, there’s only so much he can do.

“Hey,” Day says softly as he takes her hand. “I want to spend time with you. Even if today doesn’t work out, we can try again some other time.”

“Can we?” she asks. Her eyes flicker with suspicion that Day thinks must come from being a celebrity.

“I’m not spending time with you to get something from you. You're an amazing person,” Day says carefully. He can see now that he’s not been very clear about this. “I like you and all the time we spend together. You never have to give me more than some of your time,” Day squeezes her hand in his. “If I haven’t proven that yet, I’m sorry. I’ll try to make up for it later.” Day grins wryly, his head tilting a little to avoid direct sunlight in the eye.

Vixi looks at him…weirdly. Day must have said something wrong. He wasn’t clear again was he? How does he fix this when he isn’t sure what he said–Day turns his head. Soft lips land on his cheek. Not daring to take a breath, he meets Vixi’s eyes, shocked. She tried to kiss him. Her amber eyes study him, her hands on his shoulders. Silence stretches between them for a few seconds.

“There’s someone else, isn’t there?” Vixi asks softly. Her voice is soft and very close. She’s still very close.

“I–Vixi–what?”

“I shouldn’t be surprised,” Vixi’s smile isn’t happy in the slightest. She steps back and her amber scent goes with her. “You’re the type of partner people wait lifetimes for. Of course, you're already taken.”

“Wh-” Day can’t even finish the word. His face is overheating. Why is she saying–what does that–?

“I have to go,” Vixi says as her phone starts ringing. “See you again, Day.”

She turns and just leaves. As if she didn’t just say that! Like Day is–is–

“I’m not some treasure!” Day blurts out. Vixi pauses and grins over her shoulder at him.

“When that person breaks your heart, I will be there. I promise.”

She walks around the corner and disappears. Day is standing there so long it takes a second to register that warm tea is leaking over his hand where he was squeezing too hard. What was that? Vixi is interested in him? Why? What did she mean when his heart is brok–no. Day won’t think of that. He shakes his head and turns back towards the parking lot of the gym, tossing his drink into the trash. Kissy follows as quietly as always.

It’s not hard to dismiss Vixi’s words. Day isn’t some-some saint! He's gotten people hurt. There’s nothing good about that.

 

---

 

“What made you decide on a private cruise?” Day asks. He looks out over the waves and leans against the railing of the ship.

“Isn’t it perfect? Nothing but us, the open sea, horrible reception, and as many margaritas as I want,” Poppy plucks a fresh margarita off the tray a waiter offers out to her. More amused than anything Day rolls his eyes and settles on the lounge chair beside her.

“Water, please,” Day requests from the waiter. He nods and steps back to grab it.

“Get him a strawberry spritzer from the lower deck Add a little extra flavor to it,” Poppy says instead. The waiter nods and leaves before Day can correct that order.

“Poppy, I'm not old enough to drink,” Day reminds her, still amused.

“We are currently sailing through no one’s borders,” Poppy leans back and crosses her legs, drink swirling in her hand. “We can do whatever we want.”

“If I didn’t know better,” Day grabs one of the pillows from a nearby lounge chair and slides it under his head as he leans back. “I’d think you were running away.”

“How dare you!” Poppy gasps dramatically. “I am on vacation!”

Day laughs at the dramatic outrage as he settles down on the lounge chair. Under the shade of the umbrella, the soothing sound of waves and Poppy’s familiar scent is enough to pull him into a calm trance. Not enough to sleep, but enough to disconnect for a while. He hopes Kissy and Bron enjoy their weekend off while Day and Poppy are here.

Day’s drink comes a few minutes later, the waiter silently sets it on the table between Day and Poppy before making a quick exit.

“I thought the reception was terrible,” Day opens one eye to watch Poppy freeze where she was tapping away on her phone.

“It is,” Poppy taps again, locks her screen and puts it back in her bag. “Unfortunately, that doesn’t mean it’s completely gone or that I have ways to work around poor reception,” Poppy sighs tiredly. Day opens both eyes and reaches out to take Poppy’s slightly bigger hand. She looks back at him.

“Thank you, Pops. For everything,” Day smiles.

“You’re welcome, silly boy,” Poppy squeezes his hand. “Now, drink your spritzer.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Day chuckles as he lets go of her hand to grab the fancy glass. He sips the straw cautiously. He likes the taste, even though the alcohol in it doesn’t taste the best. Day wrinkles his nose as he swallows. There’s a little bit of a burn to. Do people really like to drink this kind of stuff?

“You should see your face!” Poppy laughs. “You get used to the taste. That’s the weak stuff you’re drinking. Imagine the harder alcohol.”

“How can someone drink anything stronger?” Day asks incredulously. He takes another sip to decide if he likes it or not. It’s not…bad. He could get used to the taste if he drinks this enough. “It’s fine.”

“Good! There’s a whole ship you get to try while we’re here!” Poppy grins widely.

“Not the whole ship, please.”

“...fine. Only because it’s your birthday. Happy fifteenth, Day.”

“Thanks, Pops. Love you.”

“Love you, Day.”

They clink glasses and drink peacefully together as the afternoon passes by. Poppy vents about work a little. Day complains about still needing to regain his strength from his injuries. It's a nice relaxing afternoon.

The dinner they have that night is an extravagant banquet. They sit side by side, surrounded by food. Day makes the mistake of debating with Poppy over which flavor is better. Funfetti cake or marble cake. Day, despite not winning against Poppy, gets funfetti for his birthday cake. It's a ridiculously huge cake for just the two of them. Day uses his birthday status to convince Poppy to give leftovers to the ship's crew.

Halfway through their cake slices the captain of the ship approaches. He leans down and whispers something in Poppy's ear. She grits her teeth and puts her fork down a little harder than necessary.

“Over an hour and he doesn't get that means don't disturb?” Poppy stands from her chair and shoots Day an apologetic smile.

“Sorry, Day. I need to take care of something real quick. There are presents up in your room. I'll join you as fast as I can,” Poppy says as she hurries out of the room. Day watches her leave and sighs at their half eaten cake slices. He doesn’t really have an appetite anymore.

Day sets down his silverware, grabs a different fruity drink Poppy suggested, and heads for his room. Knowing Poppy, he's going to have a mountain of presents to get through and depending on who’s calling he might get through most of them without her. Day smiles at any staff members he passes. He and Poppy might be the only guests, but they aren’t the only people on this oversized ship.

He decides in the elevator to not go to his room right away. Why? He isn’t sure. His head is a little light, he feels a little…giggly.

Day stumbles top a stop in the middle of the hallway and looks down at his empty glass. He already finished it? It was good, but there wasn’t enough alcohol in there to do this to him right? Wait, he had that one earlier and the one when they ate and this one…so he’s had three. Maybe he has had enough to get drunk. Is he drunk?

Hm. No wonder people drink this stuff so often if it makes you feel this bubbly and happy. Day looks around the hallway for a staff member to get another drink, but there’s no one else in the hall. Day frowns and turns back to the elevator. He’ll get another drink and text his friends. Oh, wait. He has a pile of presents in his room...whatever. They won’t go anywhere. Probably.

Day tries to hit the third floor button for the bar level of the ship, but his finger decides to change direction and hit the fourth floor button instead. Day giggles as his vision wobbles and his stomach flips at the elevator dropping. This is fun, he should totally ask Poppy to put in a roller coaster. Wait, he could get on the waterslide! Oh, but he’d have to change into a swimsuit…nah, who needs those? He can just go naked. Day bursts out a laugh. Poppy would be horrified! Good! Serves her right for making him try all of these drinks.

Day pauses in the middle of the hallway. When did he get off the elevator? He doesn’t recognize this hallway. Where is he again? Day looks in the direction he was walking. The hallway ends in an open balcony and Day can see the big waterslide and pool. Right. He was going to waterslide! Day starts in that direction. His feet don’t cooperate and he has to grab the railing to stay upright. Leaning against the railing, the cold ocean air blowing on his face, Day inhales the salty taste. Smell? Whatever.

It is nice to be here, no one around and out of that stars damn wheelchair. Luckily, he was able to convince Alice to let him officially leave it behind earlier than she originally planned. He’s going to get back to the academy and show everyone he’s fine! He doesn’t need to be coddled like a baby anymore!

“Can you believe her?”

“Shut up, Dave.”

“Why? It’s not like she’s here.”

“That doesn't mean the cameras aren’t working.”

“Uh huh, like she would care enough to even check the cameras.”

“Dave.”

“Why are you so worried? A few hours from now we’ll be traveling back to the mainland with Poppy and her pet dog. Then he will give us a nice reward for it.”

“Dave, shut up!”

A door in the hallway starts to open, panicking, Day looks for an escape. The immediate and fastest option is over the balcony. Day puts a hand on the rail and swings his legs over it and falls feet first. Oh, look at that. He’s right above the other pool. Day curls into a ball for the greatest cannonball ever. He lands hard and the wave must be epic. Day closes his eyes so he doesn’t see it, but when he gets his head above water, he can see the lounge chairs are wet. Ha! Hopefully, a camera caught that.

Day floats on his back on the water, catching his breath. That was fun, if only his friends could have seen it. Day wishes Nap had seen it. He’d probably give Day a big hug…or maybe a kiss. Not that Day would expect that from Nap. He’d never demand kisses from him like it’s Day’s right, but getting one would be nice from his…boyfriend? Are they dating? Nap hasn’t said anything outright and oh stars has Day been doing all of this like they are dating, but they really aren’t? Was that not even a confession on Nap’s part last semester? Maybe Nap just got a little emotional over Day coming back from his coma!

Oh, stars! Day’s going to mess up their friendship even more! He has to talk to Nap and clear this up...maybe he should talk to Bobby instead, she’s got a level head. Day flips over in the water and shimmies to get his phone out of his shorts. Why does water make everything so hard to do? Finally, Day gets his phone out. It doesn’t work. Day frowns and tries to turn it off or on. Nothing happens. Frowning, Day lifts it out of the water to put it on the edge of the pool. Waterslides off of it and Day realizes–phones don’t work when wet. Whoops. Giggling Day tries to push himself out of the water and ends up falling back into the pool. After the third try, he floats on his back again, still giggling. Everything is so funny!

 

 

...The stars are beautiful outside of the city. It reminds him of Canine Hill. Of Granny. He wishes she was here. He wishes that he could show her the academy and all of his friends. She’d make them her famous peanut butter bars. He hopes she’s resting peacefully in the night sky with her husband…maybe he can find a piano on the ship. He can play her favorite song. She’d like to hear it again.

Day flips in the water and swims to the shallow end of the pool. He has to hold onto the railing as the water tries to keep him in the pool. Day frees himself and heads for the other end of the ship. Poppy mentioned a concert hall or something in that direction. Day passes another staff member in the hallway and pauses. Wasn’t there something about the staff? What was it? Day tilts his head and tries to force his foggy mind to cooperate. He’s pretty sure it’s important, whatever it was.

Day shakes his head and immediately regrets it as he scrambles to grab hold of the wall. Whoops. Day stands for a second to wait for the room to settle. He starts walking again when it does and decides to wait. If whatever he’s trying to remember is really that important, it’ll come back to him. Besides, Day has a piano to find.

Day stumbles into an auditorium thing after looking in a few different rooms. On stage is a piano and Day heads straightish for it. The stairs for some reason, wobble, but he does get himself over and seated on the piano bench. Day carefully lifts the cover, makes sure his posture is ‘proper’ like Granny would expect and starts to play.

After he plays her favorite, his eyes are burning and everything is blurry. Day sniffles and plays the song again. He doesn’t have to see the keys to play Granny’s favorite. Day tries to stifle his sniffles as he plays. Can’t interrupt the music. Day finishes playing the song a fifth time and pauses. Clapping comes from the doorway. Day hastily rubs his eyes and squints to look at who is in the audience seats.

“That was wonderful, although, I think a little more professionalism is supposed to be used during a performance,” a smooth, hypnotizing voice comments. Day sees a flash of movement by an emergency exit seat.

“Who are you?” Day asks after clearing his throat.

“No one important,” the voice dismisses easily. “I must ask now that we have a chance to talk. Why do you follow that woman?”

“You mean Poppy?” Day clarifies. Why can’t he see this person better?

“Yes.”

“She helped me,” Day frowns. “I owe her.”

“Even your life?”

“There are many things worth more than my life,” Day says easily. He stands unsteadily from the bench. “Why are you here?”

“I heard some beautiful music and came to listen. I apologize for interrupting.”

“That’s…fine. Do you have any requests?” Day feels like he should be doing something else, but he can't think straight. Besides, he wants to play the piano right now.

“Oh? If you’re alright with it, how about ‘Starcrossed’?”

“Sure!” Day sits down again and pictures the sheet music from memory. It’s been a long time since he’s played this one. Day starts with the soft opening. He forgets about his audience as the dramatic second part fills the silence. When he gets to the slow melancholy ending he lets the last note ring. Or tries to.

“DAY!” Poppy yells right before the door slams open. “Where are you!”

“Poppy?” Day asks a little louder than normal. Poppy relaxes when she sees him and runs down the aisle to the stage. Day blinks confused as a security team follows behind her.

“Day, we need to go to our rooms until security has the chance to sweep the ship,” Poppy stops a few steps away from Day. “Why are you wet? And what are you doing in here?”

“I was playing for–” Day turns to where he saw his mysterious audience move earlier. Poppy looks in that direction and frowns.

“Mark, light,” Poppy points in the direction Day looked. One of the security guards shines his light and only empty seats are found. The other guards scan the auditorium with their lights. It’s empty except for Day, Poppy, and the security team.

“He was right there,” Day mumbles.

“Who?” Poppy asks as she holds a hand out to steady him.

“I don’t,” Day shakes his head and the room starts to spin with it. It’s less fun now. Why is it less fun now?

“C’mon, let’s get you taken care of,” Poppy helps him down the stairs and out of the auditorium.

“Wait,” Day stops when he sees a few staff members on the ground surrounded by security guards. “Pops, there was a plan to kidnap you.”

“Yes, we were watching them reveal guns inside some of the supplies crates. Now, let’s get you taken care of.”

“Oh, ok.”

 

 

 

“Pops?”

“Hm?”

“I need a new phone.”

“Luckily, it’s your birthday isn’t it?”

 

 

 

 

Day is never drinking again. Sure, it was fun at the time, but the next morning? Not worth it.

“Good to know you had fun last night,” Poppy doesn’t hide the smirk from her voice.

“No thanks to your influence,” Day grumbles as he closes his eyes. “Now that I’m kind of better, what happened last night?”

The lighthearted feeling evaporates. Day glances at Poppy from the corner of his eye. Her hands are tightly curled in her lap as she frowns at the floor of the limo.

“Pops?”

“There was another attack,” Poppy says solemnly.

“Where?”

“The national treasury.”

“That's only three miles from the Spire,” Day can feel his queasy stomach start to sink. “How did they even get close enough?”

“We’ve underestimated them,” Poppy clenches her hands. "We knew they had some sort of…organization, but for them to get so deep into government square means there are traitors in the government, someone far more powerful than we realize is behind all of this, or both. We have to start making changes...”

“What are you thinking?” Day asks warily as he forces himself to sit up from his slouch.

“We need a way to fight the Twisted. There just aren’t enough evolved anthros to be effective. Even as the others scattered across the globe come back.” Poppy meets his eyes. “We need information, as soon as possible.”

“I know,” Day says quietly. “I should be able to get it this year.”

“Good,” Poppy nods. “Now, enough of the doom and gloom. We’re going car shopping!”

“Where exactly are we going?” Day asks warily.

“You’ll see,” Poppy winks. That isn’t nearly as comforting as it should be.

Six stops and a pile of salesman cards later, they stop to take a lunch break. Poppy frowns at the pictures of his choices. Her issue, surprisingly, isn’t the model of car, but the color. Day didn’t even try to convince her to look at a pre-owned car. He isn’t feeling well enough to fight her on that.

“Here you go,” their waitress sets down their food and smiles at Poppy.

“Thank you,” Day says after a beat of silence from Poppy. The waitress looks at him and her smile turns stiff. She doesn’t say anything, just nods and leaves. Day sighs and reaches for his tea. It takes a second before Poppy refocuses.

“The food’s already here?” Poppy blinks at the plate in front of her.

“Yep,” Day takes a sip of his soup. Poppy said it would help with his hangover, so he’s going to try it. Normally, he would never order soup on a hot day like this, but he’ll do it anyway.

“What did she do?” Poppy asks immediately, setting Day’s phone on the table. “She was rude, wasn’t she?”

“She didn’t do anything,” Day tries to de-escalate the situation.

“So she was,” Poppy looks through the window back inside the restaurant. She and Day are outside by the resturant’s mini garden under a fancy umbrella.

“Pops, you know not many anthros are seen around here,” Day tries to calm her down.

“That’s no excuse,” Poppy turns back to her food. “This place is going on the list,” Poppy says coldly. Day sighs and gives up. There’s no reasoning with her sometimes. Poppy eats her salad with a look of disgust on her face the whole time. If they weren’t in such a time crunch, Day knows they would be leaving right now.

He glances around and debates taking a picture of some of the paintings they have as decoration on the wall for Crafty. Or some of the flower patterns. This place isn’t going to be in business much longer. Not with it being sentenced to join Poppy’s list of places that have offended her. Well, more like have insulted Day. Who knew that the upper class of the capital would be so close minded about anthros?

“I think you should pick the orange one,” Poppy’s voice interrupts.

“Orange?” Day asks incredulously, completely sidetracked.

“It matches you,” Poppy nods confidently.

“Orange matches me?” Day lifts an eyebrow.

“It’s better than black. That’s just boring.”

“Black doesn’t look like a traffic cone.”

“You look like a traffic cone.”

“Excuse you, I would make an adorable traffic cone,” Day puts a hand on his chest, offended. Poppy raises an eyebrow and they stare at each other for a second. Day cracks first. He bursts out a laugh and Poppy joins in.

“Fine!” Poppy gasps. “Fine, it doesn’t have to be orange, but there has to be color!”

“Black is a–”

“No.”

“Fiiine,” Day whines. He picks up his phone and swipes through the pictures. He stops on one and decides this will probably be a good compromise. He turns it to Poppy. “How about this one?”

“Hm, red works for now,” Poppy agrees. “Satisfied with a corvette?”

“If you want to go cheaper–”

“Nope.”

“Then, yeah. The corvette is great.”

“You are the only teenager in the world who wouldn’t want a corvette,” Poppy rolls her eyes fondly.

“What if I crash it? I’m still a new driver. It won’t be cheap to fix it.”

“If the damage is that bad, just get a new one. Better yet, we can try a different car brand completely. Do you want to stick to sports cars?”

“Let’s stick with what we have for now,” Day takes a sip of his tea. Poppy nods and starts tapping on her phone. Day is pretty sure his new car will be waiting at the renovated mansion for them. It would be a lie to say Day isn’t excited about his new car, but where he comes from, the first car is the most worn. So, when it crashes it’s less of a loss. He’s going to be so paranoid driving this expensive thing around the city.

“Did you like your birthday?” Poppy asks after a few minutes of comfortable silence. Day can hear the doubt in her voice.

“Of course,” Day grins.

Poppy frowns and moves her fork back and forth through her salad. Day swallows the spoonful of soup and sits a little straighter.

“No, wait. I didn’t want to bring the mood down,” Poppy quickly assures him. “I just…want to make sure I’m not messing anything up.”

“Pops, you’re doing great,” Day covers her hand in his. “Taking care of someone isn’t easy, especially with your situation. I think you’re doing amazing.”

“Of course you do,” Poppy relaxes. She drops the fork in her other hand. “Let's go somewhere else for dessert.”

“Please, do not leave the check unpaid again,” Day says as he takes a last sip from his tea and stands too.

“I would never,” Poppy huffs. Day sees the waitress through the restaurant windows rushing over to them. He follows after Poppy as she heads for the edge of the seating area. The waitress catches them and tries to navigate a frosty conversation with Poppy.

Day leans against a wall out of the way of foot traffic, ignoring the stares he gets from the high class customers wandering through. Instead, he looks over the birthday messages from yesterday.

Day doesn't want to play favorites, but Nap sent him a ticket to Freddy’s charity ball next spring. Nap has the other ticket. Day wishes all his friends could go, but getting tickets for the charity ball is super hard. Nap getting two and deciding Day would go with him makes Day’s chest warm and fuzzy. He’s got to figure out if they’re a thing. Maybe he’ll call Nap tonight.

“Let’s go, Day,” Poppy heads for the exit without looking back at the worried waitress. Day slides his phone into his shorts and follows her out the door. He hears someone’s whispered comment as the door swings shut behind them.

“Walking a pet around like it belongs here. Disgusting.”

Day doesn't say anything to Poppy.

Notes:

So, uh, some of you may have realized this chapter is a little shorter and a little later than normal. Sorry about that. Life is still crazy for me, but I don't want to stop posting and interacting with you guys. It really helps me get theses chapters out reading your comments.

As always, thank you for reading and see you in the next chapter!

Chapter 19: First Day of School, Year 2!

Four more attacks happen over the summer. The Twisted attack heavily populated areas in the biggest cities across the country. Most of the population is terrified and evolved anthros are being called to fight. Even if they are strong and powerful, there are so few evolved and so very many Twisted. The news estimates close to a thousand. There are less than thirty evolved. Things have to change.

Some changes, Day is seeing happen right in front of him. Something he’s going to be experiencing first hand.

“Thank you students, for your understanding. Best wishes to you all,” Freddy steps back and exits the stage. So similar to how he did last year. Day is beside the stage this time, he was asked to return to the academy early as the student council president. His other friends arrived a few hours ago too. They were the first ones to receive the news about changes happening throughout all of the evolution schools.

“Thank you, Mr. Fazbear,” Miss Delight smiles. Day can’t tell which one it is. “Now students, this year you will all be sorted into your dorms a little differently. As most of you have heard from the news, more attacks have happened recently and the country needs more evolved anthros to fight. To increase those odds, the government has decided to make magic more of a focus in the evolution schools. One of the steps towards those changes is having the student body sorted into their angel, demon, or anthro only bloodlines. This will determine which classes you take and which dorm you will be staying in.”

Miss Delight glances to the side and three of her sisters hold up signs right in front of the stage. On the right side a Miss Delight holds up a sign that says ‘Angel’, on the other side of the stage is ‘Demon’, and in the middle is the sign for ‘Anthro’.

“Please, everyone go through your registration line to pick up your binders with all the information you will need. Once you have picked everything up, please go to the sign with your designation. It will be printed on your new student ID. Thank you, students,” Miss Delight smiles a little brighter before she exits the stage too. Day glances over at the confused students as they shuffle over to the row of tables set up with humans ready to get them their binders of information.

“I still don’t like this,” Bubba says under his breath. Day isn’t sure he likes the implications of this change either, but if it’s going to help stop the Twisted…

“We should see if we can help anywhere,” Day says. There are a lot of second years, but there’s not nearly as many as there were last year. There might have been a little over a thousand in their class. This year there’s probably a little less than half of that. Somewhere around five hundred students.

“Yeah, let’s go help,” Bobby agrees and curls her arm around Bubba’s. “C’mon, glasses.”

“Still obsessed with them?” Bubba asks warily.

“Of course, they make you look like a very handsome teacher,” Bobby winks.

“Sure,” Bubba looks away. His big ears are a little pink. Bobby’s happy laugh trails behind them as they head for the lines of students.

Day turns to Crafty. Did she see that? The unicorn nods, a small smile on her lips. Bubba and Bobby haven't officially stated they're dating, but it looks like they are.

“Shall we head out to?” Day asks, holding out his arm. Crafty flushes a little as she reaches out to curl her arm around Day’s like Bobby did with Bubba.

“So while the cat’s away, the dog decides to play,” a slightly familiar voice grumbles behind them. Day and Crafty turn around. Nap. A slightly taller–are those muscles under his short sleeves?–still terribly attractive, purple furred cat. Nap has a slight frown on his face where Day’s arm is still curled with Crafty’s.

“Nap!” Day lets go of Crafty to go in for a hug, his tail windmilling excitedly. He hasn’t seen Nap’s face since last year! Day wraps his arms around the cat. Lavender trails into Day’s nose and he squeezes the cat. Nap hugs him back just as tightly.

“Hi,” Nap whispers in his ear, his breath ruffles the soft fur there.

“Hi,” Day whispers. He tries to step back, but Nap’s arms tighten.

“Just a little longer,” Nap mumbles against his fur. “Please.”

Surrounded by warmth and lavender, Day is willing to stay prisoner for hours.

“Ok,” Day buries his face in Nap’s shoulder, his tail still happy behind him. A second later he hears a huff and Crafty’s footsteps leaving. Oh, that was rude of him. Day should–

“Don’t you dare,” Nap growls. “You said you would stay.”

“I know, but Crafty–”

“Will be fine. Please? Just stay with me for a while. I really missed you.”

Those damn yellow eyes are really too powerful. Day sighs and lets his head fall again. They stay like that, arms wrapped around each other to the side of the academy stage as students and teachers try to bring order to the chaos. Kissy, who was waiting in the shade under the stage, clears her throat after about five minutes. Day has enough time to pull away from a surprisingly clingy cat before Freddy approaches him.

“Daylight, Naperous,” Freddy nods in greeting. Day’s tail slows a little. Freddy is still skinny, borderline unhealthy, but now he looks exhausted. His fur has a dullness to it that can only mean sickness. Day wishes he could help the bear somehow.

“President Fazbear,” Nap says politely.

“Hi, Mr. Fazbear,” Day smiles. “What can I help with?”

“I’ll need you and the rest of the council to be the first to get sorted. The students are wary about what this change will do. If they see the council go first, it should ease some anxiety,” Freddy runs his claws through the fur on his head. “The new teachers might also need a helping hand or two as they get their feet under them. I don’t like asking students to do things like this, but the council has proven themselves capable. Will you help?” Freddy’s mouth curls as if he tastes something sour.

“Of course, Mr. Fazbear,” Day nods. Goldie approaches and slings an arm around Freddy’s shoulders.

“See? That wasn’t so hard was it? Leave it up to the kid. He can do it,” Goldie winks at Day, like they’re sharing a secret. Well, technically they were. Day needs to talk to the gold bear about that secret soon. He just doesn’t have a way to get in contact with Goldie.

“Oh, really? Weren't you the one that said they should be assistant teachers without any kind of training and no diploma?” Freddy says with more bite than normal. He seems to realize it too. “Sorry, Goldie,” Freddy sighs and rubs a hand over his eyes.

“No harm done,” Goldie bumps their heads together and squeezes his arm around his twin’s shoulders. “Anyway,” Goldie turns a bright smile on them. “Hope you had a relaxing summer. It’s time to get to work.”

“Ready as we’ll ever be,” Day says just as lightly. Trying to help bring the mood up. Nap doesn’t say anything. Freddy takes another breath and drops his hand, public smile firmly on his face.

“Then, we won't keep you any longer,” Freddy smiles and leaves on quick steps. Goldie watches him for a second.

“Is he…ok?” Day asks cautiously.

“Are any of us?” Goldie mutters just quietly enough he probably doesn’t think Day heard him. “Don’t worry kid,” Goldie turns with a smile. “Anyway, I’d like to talk to you,” Goldie glances at Nap. “Alone.”

Nap’s hand tightens around Day’s and doesn’t move. A very obvious no. Goldie raises an eyebrow and crosses his arms. Day glances between them, trying to figure out why this is happening and how to stop it.

“Council President?” Miss Delight asks, interrupting the tension. “We need your help for a moment.”

“Oh, of course,” Day tells her. He turns back to the cat and bear staring each other down. “I have to go, ok?” Day squeezes Nap’s hand. The cat breaks his staring contest with Goldie to look at him with a small frown. Day frowns back before turning to Goldie.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Fazbear, I have to go at the moment. Later?”

“Sure, kid,” Goldie sighs. “Duty calls.”

“Thanks,” Day grins before letting go of Nap and entering the impatient crowd of students. He helps find the right binders for each student. Answers questions as best he can so no one starts causing problems. Eventually, everyone has a binder and their new student IDs. They all wait in a messy circle as the Delight’s with the signs separate. The Miss Delight that spoke before takes the microphone again and stands in front of the messy circle this time to talk.

“Ok, students. Will everyone with demon blood please go to the demon sign?”

The students hesitate. Bobby, where she stands by Day and the rest of the council, takes a breath and walks over to stand by Miss Delight and the demon sign. Nap joins her and after him is Picky. They look at each other in surprise. Day knew about Bobby, he suspected Nap after the cat’s eyes turned red last year. He thought they did anyway, Day was never a hundred percent sure. Picky, Day did not see coming at all. She’s half demon?

Students warily look at each other and slowly some of them walk over to stand under the demon sign. When no more students step forward, Miss Delight continues.

“Thank you, students. Now, will anyone with angel blood please walk over to the angel sign?” Miss Delight motions to it. Day is kind of glad that he knows he has angel blood now, but he still hasn’t cornered Poppy to get more information about it from her. Day and Crafty step forward at the same time. He looks at her with as much surprise as she looks at him. They hesitate before continuing over to the sign. No one else walks over to it.

“Thank you,” Miss Delight says quickly. “Now the rest of you are going to be in the anthro dorms. Please follow my sisters to the right locations. Remember to check your schedules. Can't wait to see you in class on Monday!” Miss Delight nods to her sisters and they start leading their respective students down the paved paths of the academy.

“Is there some sort of mistake?” Day asks the Delight holding the angel sign.

“Surprised?” she asks and lowers the sign. “Angels rarely leave heaven, having two of you with angel blood is already a big surprise. Luckily, you both get a lot of space for yourselves!” Miss Delight smiles and uses the angel sign to motion them to follow after her. As they walk, Crafty puts a hand on his arm and leans close.

“Did you know?”

“Not until a few months ago. You?” Day asks her.

“Well, I always knew,” Crafty admits uncomfortably.

“Really?” Day tilts his head curiously.

“Yeah, unicorns and angels aren’t…strangers.”

“What do you mean?” Day asks. Crafty glances from him to the Delight leading them and around at the disappearing crowds of students. “You don’t have to tell me,” Day assures her. He’s curious, but he doesn’t have to know.

“No, I want you to know. Especially now that it seems so…” Crafty frowns and glances at the angel sign. “...important.”

“I’ll listen,” Day glances at the sign too.

“Thank you,” Crafty smiles shyly before looking at her hands. “So, I’m a unicorn, obviously.”

“Obviously.”

“Unicorns and angels have always been…close. I was always told growing up that unicorns are one of the few types of ‘surface dwellers’ angels regularly talk to.” Crafty frowns and reaches into her bag, taking out a round eraser and rolling it in her hands nervously. “Because they interact so much, there are a lot of other half angels where I come from. Not that there are many unicorns or angels where I come from. Just more than there are here.”

Crafty pauses and squeezes the eraser. “I knew what I was for as long as I can remember. My mom told me not to let anyone know because it was dangerous. For Evol to suddenly make it so important…doesn’t seem like a good thing.”

“Thank you for telling me,” Day eventually says. He doesn’t know how to assure her that the government must know what it's doing, but he doesn’t know if that’s true. Why wouldn't they have separated the students like this from the beginning if there was a higher chance of evolving?

“Of course, Day,” Crafty looks up and smiles at him. “I should have known you were half angel too. It’s so obvious now.”

“Obvious? What do you mean obvious?” Day asks, baffled.

“Nothing bad,” Crafty giggles and doesn't elaborate. They walk a little farther before they see a different dorm building than what was here last year.

“Here we are!” Miss Delight smiles and gestures to the building. “The east side is the girls half and the west side is the boys. You both get a floor to yourselves. Isn’t that exciting?”

“Will there be more students joining us?” Day asks her.

“There are only two other students with angel blood. A third year and fourth year. I’m sure you’ll run into them soon. Don’t forget to put your things in your rooms!” Miss Delight smiles and quickly walks back the way they came.

“Oh,” Crafty says as she looks up at the front of the building. Day follows her gaze and sees the pair of wings above the lobby door. “It’s beautiful work,” Crafty says softly.

“Yeah,” Day agrees. It is beautiful, but he has a bad feeling in his gut about all of this. He shakes his head and focuses on Crafty. “Let’s get our stuff and see if we can meet with the others.” Crafty nods and they turn to follow Miss Delight from a distance back the way they came.

 

---

 

Thankfully, the cafeteria didn’t change. It’s still the same, letting anyone sit where they want, but Day can see the changes in how people are sitting together. The students with demon blood are separate from the full blooded anthros. When Day walks through with Crafty he can feel the stares on their backs. They get their food and walk out onto the patio, where they meet with everyone else.

“GUYS!” Day puts his tray on the table and opens his arms for a hug. A chorus of greetings and a big group hug ensue. Bubba and Nap sigh dramatically before they join in.

“It’s so good to see everyone,” Bobby says happily as she leans into the hug.

“Man, I actually missed you guys,” Kickin grins.

“What do you mean, actually?” Bubba says fake offended.

“Yeah!” Hoppy agrees as they part from the hug. “I think the most important thing we need to do is address the elephant in the room,” she turns and points directly into Bubba’s face. “Explain, glasses.”

“I have glasses now,” Bubba says deadpan.

“And you didn’t tell anyone!” Hoppy fires back.

“I didn’t realize I need to report everything that happens in my life,” Bubba raises an eyebrow.

“Fine, you’re forgiven,” Hoppy dismisses. “Now a bigger question,” she points at Picky, Nap, and Bobby. “Why didn’t you say you were part demon?”

“Same answer as Bubba,” Nap instantly replies. Picky doesn’t say anything, just lowers her head slightly and rubs her arm.

“That’s not an answer,” Hoppy denies.

“Does it matter, Hoppy?” Bobby asks, her shoulders stiff. Day can see Picky, Bobby, and Nap getting a little uncomfortable as Hoppy goes on.

“Yes, it does,” Hoppy doesn’t seem to notice the tension she’s causing. “You should have said something.”

“Why? So you could judge us sooner?” Nap snaps at her.

“What?” Hoppy blinks. “I’m not judging you! I’m trying to figure out why you didn’t tell us–”

“Why do we have to tell you?” Nap says a little harsher. His tone sets Hoppy off. Day can see the fight on the horizon.

“Don’t demand answers from us like you have the right to know–” Bobby growls as she stands beside Nap.

“Demand?” Hoppy slams her hands on the table. “It wouldn’t be a demand if you just answered the question!”

“Guys, chill,” Kickin rests a hand on Hoppy’s shoulder. Crafty stands there awkwardly, looking at the growing divide. Fuck that.

“Enough,” Day steps between them as they face each other beside the table. Day starts with the rabbit. “Hoppy, they have a right to share what they want when they want with us. They don’t have to share anything they aren’t comfortable with.”

“That’s different,” Hoppy shakes her head. “This isn’t something as innocent as dying your fur. This is way more important than that.”

“How so?” Day asks her.

“Demons are–” Hoppy cuts off. Her eyes get a little big as she looks up at Day and then her tense friends behind him. Day doesn’t know what expressions they have, but Hoppy slams the side of her fist on the table. “Fuck!” she snarls and storms off the patio.

“Language!” Day calls after her. He looks at Kickin. “Keep her out of trouble?” Kickin hesitates before nodding. He heads in the same direction as the rabbit. Day turns to the other three. Bobby has her arms crossed and glares at the ground. Picky is squeezing her arm even closer, not lifting her head at all. Nap would look completely unaffected if it wasn’t for the anxious flicking of the tip of his tail.

“Is someone going to explain?” Day asks his friends as a whole. A beat of silence passes.

“I have an idea of what that was,” Bubba eventually says. He steps forward to put a hand on Bobby’s shoulder. She shrugs him off and steps away. Bubba hides the flash of hurt quickly.

“Demons don’t have a good reputation,” Bubba starts as he steps away from Bobby, giving her space. “That reputation is passed down to any offspring they have on the surface. Even if the offspring have done nothing wrong.”

“That doesn’t explain Hoppy’s reaction,” Day frowns in thought.

“I didn’t think Hoppy was one of the people who don’t tolerate people with demon blood, but maybe she–”

“That's not it,” Hoppy interrupts. She bounces to a stop in front of Bobby, Nap, and Picky. Her expression determined, she continues. “I don't care that you guys are part demon or that you guys,” she looks at Day and Crafty, “are part angel. What I was trying to say and failed horribly at, was I wanted to know why you guys didn’t tell us because–” Hoppy frowns frustrated. “Because I love you and I know what this will do to you with the other students. I’m sorry it came out like I was one of those assholes.”

“Language,” Day reminds her.

“Will you forgive me?” Hoppy glances at her friends, long ears lowered. Day waits for a second before stepping over and elbowing Nap. The cat gives him an insulted look.

“Of course, Hoppy,” Bobby says first. “It was just…the way you went about asking wasn’t very nice.”

“I know, I’m sorry,” Hoppy says again, her ears lifting.

“Next time you want to ask something, try adding please somewhere,” Nap puts in his two cents.

“Wow, thanks, Nap. What would I do without you?” Hoppy rolls her eyes, shoulders relaxing. She looks at Picky who still hasn’t said a word.

“I, uh,” Picky glances up and back down. “I forgive you and…sorry for not saying anything. I was too scared to tell you guys.”

“I’m sorry, Picky,” Hoppy says again. She spreads her arms and grins warily. “Hug?”

Picky glances from Hoppy to everyone else, her expression worried. Day grins, loops a hand around Hoppy’s arm and drags her over to the pig.

“I say we all hug again,” Day looks at the others. “Right?”

“Right,” Crafty giggles. The rest join in and they group hug a second time. Day sees Bobby take Bubba’s hand and squeeze it, her smile apologetic. Bubba pats her on the head with his trunk.

“Ok, so,” Day settles into his usual seat and the others sit down too. “It seems like it’ll be harder to see each other this year. Have you had the chance to look at your schedules and see if we can meet up for lunch or something?”

“We should meet in a dorm and look through our binders together,” Bubba offers. “Or we can do it in the library.”

“Of course, you want to go to the library before classes even start, glasses,” Hoppy calls to Bubba at the opposite end of the table.

“I don’t see the problem with that,” Bubba says with just enough innocence to make it believable. Laughs erupt around the table and the tension disappears. Lunch goes smoother from there. They meet up in Day and Crafty’s dorm because there isn’t anyone else going in and out. That they’ve seen anyway. They discover on their schedules that there is now an angel magic class, a demon magic class, and an anthro training class. Everyone has their respective magic class at the same time. Day can see that the demon magic is being taught by Bendy and wonders what happened to make that reality. The anthro training has Nightmare as the teacher, and angel magic has…Marion? Day didn’t expect to see her again. She’s teaching here?

“These new classes,” Bubba frowns at his schedule. “I think they’re going to cause more problems than they solve. It didn’t matter if you were half blood or not before this, but now it seems like the most important factor in the academy. Will this really help us evolve?”

“Does having demon or angel blood make a difference?” Kickin asks. “There were so many students that didn’t get sorted into either of those groups.”

“Most students were in the pure blooded anthro group,” Bubba pushes his glasses up his trunk. “That doesn’t mean there weren’t quite a few students in the demon group. I think it’s more surprising that we have two friends with angel blood.” Bubba glances at Day and Crafty.

“It is a surprise that only the two of us were in the angel group,” Day agrees.

“No, I mean it’s more of a surprise that there were two of you at all,” Bubba clarifies.

“What?” Day asks him. The elephant leans against the edge of the bed where he’s sitting on the floor. Bobby leans against his arm. “I mean, angel’s are very rare to see and it’s even rarer for there to be half bloods at all. I thought there might be one student in our grade with angel blood,” Bubba glances at Crafty. “Having two is really against the odds.”

Is it? Day blinks as he tries to come to terms with that information. He didn’t think meeting Marion and Alice was such a big deal. Poppy didn’t act differently, but he really shouldn’t trust her reactions as normal anyway.

“...be careful,” Nap says quietly. He takes Day’s hand and squeezes it. “I think you’ll both be targets,” he looks from Day to the floor of the room where Crafty is sitting by Picky. The unicorn nods, her face serious.

“We should be fine in the academy,” Hoppy says confidently. “They wouldn’t have done all this if they weren’t prepared.”

“You’re right,” Day agrees with her. “Now, let’s get our group study sessions figured out. Then, the council and I really need to get the student club’s forms figured out.”

“Forms?” Kickin asks from on top of the opposite bed from Day and Nap.

“At the beginning of each semester all of the active clubs have to submit a form with their information. Like how many members, what they’ll do with their budget, that kind of thing,” Bubba flips the page of his binder to the next one. “Anyway, why don’t we do Saturday nights again for group study sessions? Most students wouldn’t study the night before a day off. Any objections?”

From there, they make study and meal dates together. Day notices there are very few classes he or Crafty have with their half demon blood friends. Are they being separated on purpose? Day doesn’t think Freddy would do that, but…Freddy isn’t at his best right now. Day could tell as soon as he looked at the bear earlier. The way he snapped at Goldie…it’s not a good sign.

The next day the first years come to the academy for their orientation, there’s so many of them. Day and the council help out like they did before. The next day, Monday, is the first day of classes. Day and Crafty meet in the dorm lobby. As they walk out, two more students rush after them.

“Wait!”

Day catches the door and holds it open as two ferrets rush out the door and stumble to a stop. One is taller than the other, but the color of their fur is exactly the same. Are they related?

“Thank you,” the taller ferret sighs as she stands. She turns a glare at the shorter ferret. “I told you to set an alarm.”

“We’re not even late,” the other ferret scoffs. He adjusts his backpack and starts to walk away.

“We would have been if I didn’t have to pound on your door!”

“If you keep standing there complaining, you’re the one that’s going to be late.”

“You’re so–gah!”

Day looks at Crafty as he lets go of the door. She shrugs, an amused smile on her face. The taller ferret stops and turns to them.

“Thanks for holding the door,” she says with a much calmer demeanor than she had a second ago. “I’m Ferri, that’s my little brother, Ferro. Are you Day and Crafty?”

“Yes, I’m Day,” Day nods and motions to Crafty. “This is my friend, Crafty.”

“It’s nice to see other students with angel blood. Even if it’s going to make this year a struggle,” Ferri sighs as she starts to walk with them.

“Are we the only four students with angel blood?” Crafty asks hesitantly.

“Yep, I thought we might get a first year to join us, but it doesn’t look that way.”

“What year are you both in?” Day asks. Ferro has slowed down to walk closer to them, but still a step ahead of them.

“I’m a senior,” Ferri sends a glare at her brother. “Ferro is a third year. You two are second years, right?”

“Yeah, how do you already know about us?” Day asks her.

“When we found out about the sorting, Ferro and I already knew where we were going to end up. Miss Delight told us two student council members were going to be joining us and I knew who one of them was,” Ferri grins at Crafty. The unicorn blushes and glances down.

“Are we that infamous?” Day chuckles.

“More like famous,” Ferro cuts in. “After the last council was swiftly disbanded, everyone was waiting for the new council to make a mistake. I guess the Christmas party last year was the closest you came, but it wasn’t really a failure.”

Day and Crafty wince at the reminder of last year. The Christmas party isn’t something the council talks about often, but they’ll have to tackle it this year. All together. Day does not plan to end up in a wheelchair again.

“I’m more curious who this Miss Puppet is going to be like. It’ll be interesting to meet another half angel as a teacher,” Ferro muses as they walk. Half angel? they don’t know that Marion is a full blooded actual angel? This will be a shock.

“Yeah, do you think she’s half human?” Crafty asks.

“Probably,” Ferro shrugs. “You guys want to have lunch together?”

“You can eat with us at our usual table if you want,” Day offers.

“Your usual table?” Ferro pauses for a second. “With the other student council members?”

“Yes?” Day tilts his head a little. Ferro and Ferri glance at each other.

“Sorry, we’ll have to pass,” Ferri grins a little awkwardly. “Maybe next time. See you in class.” She and Ferro pick up the pace as they hurry to the cafeteria ahead of Day and Crafty.

“And it starts,” Crafty sighs.

“I don’t like this,” Day frowns as the siblings open the doors and disappear inside the cafeteria.

“I don’t think they mean any harm, but now that lines have been drawn…” Crafty waves her hand at the cafeteria like that explains it. Day gets what she’s saying. Lines have been drawn between students and the academy seems to be encouraging it. Day’s gut has a growing pit. What exactly is going on?

After getting stared at in the cafeteria and managing to enjoy breakfast with his friends, Day and Crafty have their angel magic class. They arrive before the ferret siblings do. Marion is waiting inside, looking out the window.

“Hi again, Miss Puppet,” Day says when he gets inside the classroom. There are only four desks in the room, set up in a row.

“Mr. Dog,” Marion turns and inclines her head slightly. Her half mask is still on, but her dress is long and pitch black. Day keeps expecting an angel to wear anything except black. “It’s good to see you up and about. Anything uncomfortable?”

“No, Miss Alice has done a great job,” Day says instantly. She has done a great job and if Alice is a student to Marion, then Day is going to put in a good word where he can.

“Good,” Marion says in her same calm tone. The classroom door opens and the ferret siblings walk in. “Now that everyone is here, let's take a seat.”

Crafty sits closest to the windows, Day beside her, Ferri beside him, and Ferro takes the other end. Marion looks over them and steps back to the desk in the corner where papers are neatly piled up.

“To begin,” Marion scans a paper before focusing back on them. “Let us introduce ourselves to each other. I am Marionette Puppet. Please call me Miss Puppet while we are student and teacher,” Marion steps towards them and looks at Ferro.

“I-I’m Ferro Felali,” he stumbles. Marion nods anyway and looks to next in line.

“I’m Ferri Felali,” Ferri says much smoother than her brother.

“Are you siblings?” Marion asks.

“Yes, Miss Puppet,” Ferri says. “We aren’t in the same year. I'm the oldest.” Marion nods and focuses on Day.

“Daylight Dog,” Day unconsciously inclines his head like Alice and Marion tend to do when greeting someone. Marion’s lips twitch and she returns the gesture. The angel moves to last in line.

“I-I’m Crafty Corn,” Crafty stumbles over her introduction. Marion doesn’t comment on it, just nods.

“Thank you, students. Now, as this is our first class, I believe we should start with the very basics and work up from there,” Marion flicks her fingers and green magic dances on their tips.

“You may know this already, but we're going to go over it again,” Marion starts. “There are four different races in the world. In heaven, there are angels, on the surface are anthros and humans, in hell are demons. The four kinds of people used to be separated, but as travel got easier and new lands were discovered, the four types met and have been co-existing ever since.” Marion’s magic created an image of wings, horns, pointed ears, and human hands as a symbol for each race.

“Angels and demons are born with magic, they will have it their whole lives. One race can do things the other is not capable of doing. We will get into the differences in another class,” Marion’s magic lifts the horns and angel wings above the hands and pointed ears as she talks. The two symbols lower and the human hands lift next. “Humans are born without magic and they are incapable of using it like angels and demons do. Humans can, however, make tools to help them overcome this…weakness. They have made many types of technology, magic based and non magic based.”

The human hands lower and the pointed ears are lifted. “Last are anthros, born without magic and incapable of using any. Unless they evolve,” Marion gives them a pointed look. “Once evolution is achieved, the evolved anthro is capable of using an ability. That ability can grow stronger with enough practice.”

Day raises his hand.

“Yes, Daylight?”

“Does having angel or demon blood give us a better chance at evolving?”

“There is evidence supporting that,” Marion says calmly.

“How do we evolve?” Ferro asks eagerly.

“That is not a discussion for today. Today is about the basics,” Marion quickly ends that part of the conversation. “Back to the four types of races. There are physical features to each one. The anthros, when unevolved, are the smallest of the races. They reach a maximum height of five feet.” The round ears float to about five feet from the ground. “Humans have not yet reached seven feet, but enough of them surpass six feet to not consider it a maximum.” The human hands float up to what must be sixish feet. “Angels and Demons are usually around the same height as humans,” Marion’s magic floats the angel and demon symbols to the same level as the human one. “Finally, evolved anthros. They’ve been recorded from six feet up to twelve. As you know, they gain much more than height after evolving.”

Mari’s magic stays floating at the different heights for a moment longer before the magic disperses with a wave of her hand. “As you are half angels, the point of this class is to get you to connect with that magic. If you do, you should be one step closer to evolution.”

“How?” Ferro asks. He blinks and realizes he didn’t raise his hand. “Sorry, Miss Puppet.”

“You’re forgiven,” Marion says easily. She looks them over and sighs. “I suppose I will have to touch on the differences between angel and demon magic today.” Marion raises her hand and lets her green magic pool in her hand. “As an angel, I have–”

“You’re an angel?” three voices gasp. Marion raises her eyebrows as she looks at them. “Sorry, Miss Puppet,” those same three voices apologize.

“Yes, I am an angel. My magic specializes in healing, most angels specialize in healing. It’s an ability demons will never be able to perform. Instead of healing, they can do the opposite and poison people. This ability is something an angel will never be able to replicate.” Marion pauses and looks them over again. “Evolved anthros, from what’s been recorded through history, aren’t limited by what species they are or if they have another race’s blood in them. Their abilities are determined by something else.”

Ferri raises her hand. Marion nods for her to go ahead. “What would decide an evolved’s ability if not what they are?”

“It might depend on who they are instead,” Marion says mysteriously. Day can see his confusion reflected in the other students’ eyes.

“Regardless,” Marion tilts her hand and the green magic spills over and disappears before hitting the ground. “The point of this class is connecting with your angel side and being one step closer to evolution.”

Crafty raises her hand next. Marion nods to her. “Miss Puppet, if anthro magic comes from evolution, and humans don’t have any that they don’t make themselves. Where does angel and demon magic come from? Are they born with a certain amount of magic?”

“It’s believed, but there’s not enough research to know for sure, that angels can strengthen their magic the longer they stay in heaven. That is part of the reason why we so rarely leave. Demons are believed to strengthen their magic by absorbing…energy from other races. That is why they mingle frequently among humans and anthros.”

“I didn’t know that,” Ferro mutters.

“For your first assignment,” Marion steps back and picks up a marker by the whiteboard. “I want you all to meditate for twenty minutes everyday. I would prefer if it was in nature and almost complete silence, but I’ve been told student lives are a little too busy for that. So, get as close to those conditions as you can.”

Marion writes her directions on the whiteboard and steps back. “One last thing before class ends. Don’t go anywhere alone.”

Notes:

Yellow everyone! First of all, thank you all so much for the kind words. It means more to me than you will ever know.

Second of all, I want everyone to remember the tags and warnings for future chapters. I'll still put warnings at the beginning, but just be prepared.

Finally, thank you all so much. See you in the next chapter!

Chapter 20: Adult Drama?

“Our teacher is an actual demon,” Bobby says during lunch, her eyes wide and voice hushed.

“No way,” Kickin breathes.

“It’s true! Right, Nap?” Bobby looks at the cat. Nap is staring at his food as he eats, unhappy. Day tried to comfort him while they ate, but all Nap has done is wrap his long tail around Day’s wrist and eat silently.

“Right, Picky?” Bobby asks her instead. Picky jolts a little before slowly nodding. “See? The weird thing is he’s so small and cute. Not exactly what I picture when they say demon.”

“Small and cute?” Day repeats. Bendy was the teacher for the demon class wasn’t he? The tall, intimidating demon is as far from small and cute as you could get. How could they be the same person?

“He must have used magic to make himself appear less threatening,” Bubba muses. “Angels and Demons are usually able to disguise themselves to a degree. I wonder what he really looks like,” Bubba mutters as he swirls his drink. Day decides not to say anything. He isn’t even sure if the Bendy he met before was the real one either.

“Does that mean the teacher for the angel class is an actual angel?” Hoppy looks from Crafty to Day.

“She is,” Day confirms. The rest of the table’s eyes widen. A few jaws drop.

“An actual fucking angel?” Kickin whispers.

“Language,” Day reminds him before taking another bite of his sandwich. What would his friends think if they knew there’s been an angel here since last year? Alice hasn’t told Day any different about revealing what she is, so Day isn’t going to say anything.

“How are you so chill about this?” Hoppy accuses him.

“Chill about what?”

“We are being taught by an actual demon and angel!” Hoppy cries dramatically.

“Sorry, what should my reaction be?” Day widens his eyes, raises his voice several octaves. “Oh my stars! An angel and demon are in the school!” Day exclaims. He relaxes his expression to give Hoppy an unimpressed look.

“Something is wrong with you,” Hoppy immediately points at him.

“Hoppy!” Bobby scolds her.

“What? He’s just eating like we’re talking about the weather!”

“Hoppy,” Bobby sighs.

“Wait, angels were the ones that healed you weren't they?” Bubba asks under the loud voices of Hoppy and Bobby. Day nods and reaches for his drink. Bubba gets that uncomfortable expression they all do when Day’s injuries are mentioned. Nap’s tail tightens briefly before the cat leans against Day’s arm and rests his head on Day's shoulder. Still worried about what Nap won’t tell him, Day tilts his head to lay on top of Nap’s. Day’s long ear drapes over Nap’s head to cover both of his cute triangle ears.

“Don’t distract me from my questions with your cuteness,” Hoppy points at them accusingly.

“Alright,” Day would shrug, but that would dislodge the lavender warmth against his side. “I’ve been healed by angels a few times last year and I’ve met Mari–Miss Puppet before.”

“Miss Puppet was one of your healers?” Bubba clarifies taking out his phone and tapping away rapidly.

“Yes,” Day meets Bobby’s eyes and looks very pointedly at Bubba tapping away with a raised eyebrow. She shrugs and rolls her eyes.

“Anyway,” Kickin interrupts. “I think everyone is missing the big picture here. We get to do physical training together with Nightmare Insomnia! Can you believe it?”

“Not all of us will be together, but it would be nice to have some classes with everyone,” Picky adds quietly. The pig has been near silent since the students were sorted. Day needs to see what he can do for her. Maybe make her something?

“I think so too,” Crafty says just as quietly. The pig and unicorn look at each other and smile lightly.

“We should have two group study sessions a week,” Day offers. “That way, we might be able to use a gym or just the track outside to practice together. We shouldn’t stay in the library the whole time,” Day adds. He sees Bubba roll his eyes as he slides his phone back into his pocket.

“I don’t know,” Bobby says, unsure.

“We have tryouts this week and most of our evenings will be taken by practice,” Hoppy says as she throws an arm around Kickin.

“We still have to get the clubs sorted out and not to mention our own events to work around,” Bubba adds as he looks at Day.

“Whoa, hold on. I didn’t say right now or that we had to. I just think it would be a good idea. If it doesn’t happen at least we tried,” Day is quick to reassure.

“Yeah, we can still try to do it,” Bobby grins over at Day, who nods back.

The rest of lunch is spent talking about their teachers and impressions about certain classmates. What clubs they’re thinking of joining. Bobby doesn’t seem to be interested in rejoining the debate club this year. Day tries to think of what club she would join instead. If she does join one, the council takes up a lot of the member’s free time on its own. Day only managed to join the photography clu–Saph’s accusing eyes and Obsidi’s bloody body flash in his mind and Day unintentionally cringes. Nap leans harder against him and Day thinks he feels the start of a purr. Lunch ends before he can be sure.

Day has his regular classes for the rest of the day. His training class is tomorrow. Day briefly wonders how Goldie and Nightmare will be able to exist in the same school for a whole year. Especially because Freddy…isn’t doing well. If only there was something Day could do. Even if there was, Day has no doubt Freddy’s family would have done so already. His mind wanders as he goes through syllabi and rules in his classes. He's surprised Marion didn't give them a set of rules or anything. Then again, she is a new teacher. Maybe she forgot.

Day wishes his first day of classes were like last year. Now, he has to be aware of the unease of all the students. The half demons and regular anthros have been unfriendly to each other ever since classes started. When Day walks with them he can feel eyes on him. He isn’t sure if they’re hostile or not. No one has thrown insults at him or anything. Maybe being the council president is protecting him? He hopes Nap and the others are ok.

Day is relieved to have Kissy around. She might be why Day hasn't encountered any hostility. She always manages to blend into the background, but can be intimidating in most scenarios. Day has managed to convince her to take breaks when he's in class. She has no reason to sit through an over an hour long lecture and he rarely sees her eat or sleep. He thinks she still waits outside his class most of the time, but at least she’s able to wander and relax during those times.

Day’s last class of the day is orchestra. He hasn’t seen Kissy at all since class started. He glances at the clock and decides an hour of private practice is enough for today. He’ll text Kissy he’s done after he puts his stuff away. Day carefully puts the guitar away, not something Poppy bought him. It’s one of the school’s rentals. Day leaves the practice room to put it and his music in their proper places. When he passes by the director’s office Day pauses and takes a step back to look inside again.

Laying across the desk on his back, one leg crossed over the other is a small, round, innocent eyed demon with stubby horns and a suit on. The suit just looks like a cute costume parents would dress their children in. A short tail with the same odd tip on the end as Bendy lifts and swirls a mug of what smells like coffee and possibly a little something extra. Day’s mind flashes to his birthday and he fights down his embarrassment. Thank the stars none of his friends will ever know about that.

“Daylight? I didn’t think that was you playing the guitar. Not bad,” the demon hums in a higher, cuter voice. The tail lifts the mug, there has to be magic involved keeping it balanced, and tilts it just right so it slides into the demon’s mouth and he swallows without any difficulty.

“Bendy?” Day asks, unsure.

“Ah, right. You wouldn’t know about this form. It’s my disguise while teaching here. Don’t tell anyone, in the academy or outside of it,” Bendy orders easily.

“Ok?” Day agrees, still a little confused. Can he ask questions about this? Bendy takes another that-can’t-be-comfortable sip of his coffee and Day decides he doesn’t have to know. He doesn’t think the demon would answer anyway. Day hesitates before walking away. Should he wish the demon goodbye or just leave? Before Day can decide the doors to the orchestra room slam open and footsteps thunder around the corner.

A human pauses when he steps around the corner and sees Day, surprise briefly crosses his face. Behind him another human stumbles to a stop, another briefly surprised expression. Both of them have similar face shapes, but the second human has a bigger nose, blue eyes and blue hair. The first human has red eyes, red hair and a smaller nose. The redhead narrows his eyes on the open door Day is standing in front of.

“Is he in there?” the redhead demands.

“Who?” Day asks, looking back into the office where Bendy is still sipping his coffee.

“That fuck–”

“Cup, stop,” Nightmare’s voice echoes down the hall. The big bear himself appears around the corner and passes the two humans. He pauses when he sees Day before a grin pulls at his lips. “Daylight, I didn’t think I would run into you here.”

“Daylight?” the bluehead asks quietly.

Why would they know Day at all? Before Day can ask, Nightmare steps closer to look into the office.

“Bendy,” Nightmare says, tired and amused.

“He is in there!” the redhead, Cup, snarls. He stomps down the hall and pushes his way into the office to glare at the demon still lying on the desk.

“Oh no,” Bendy puts the back of a hand on his forehead. “I’ve been caught!”

“You fu–”

Nightmare loudly clears his throat and Cup glares at the bear.

“Don’t give me that! He ran, just like I said he would–”

“Cup, not here,” the bluehead interrupts softly. Cup’s eyes dart to Day and a heavy scowl settles into place. Wait, they might not be humans. This close Day can smell angel magic on the redhead.

“Fine, but we have to get this situation settled before someone,” Cup glares at Bendy again. “Decides to find more followers.”

The mug slams onto the desk and Bendy sits up, his cute face smiles sweetly at Cup. The angel(?) stiffens his shoulders, but doesn't move as Bendy hops off the desk to land on his feet in front of them.

“You think, after agreeing to do this,” Bendy’s cute smile changes as his lips pull back to reveal sharp fangs. “After making a contract, I would break it for mere followers? You underestimate my self control and if we weren't both bound by the agreement,” Bendy’s fanged smile widens unnaturally, more teeth exposed. “You would be suffering already.”

“I’ve faced your kind before, demon, don’t underestimate me,” Cup says steadily, leaning over the small demon. Day can smell the magic in the room rise sharply and he takes an uneasy step back. Bendy’s sepia eyes flicker to him. Day freezes under that stare, the sharp smell of magic making his fur rise the longer it invades his nose. Bendy’s dangerous smile disappears and he relaxes his shoulders. The magic smell drops. Cup straightens suddenly. He glances at Day and immediately looks away again, his shoulders tense.

“Good job,” Nightmare pat’s Day’s shoulder. What? Good job to Day? He didn’t do anything? “Now that you both have calmed down, let’s take this somewhere more private. I think the president’s office would be the best spot, don’t you?” Nightmare asks politely.

“Fine,” Bendy sighs. He pauses for a minute before sighing and waving a hand in Day’s direction. The demon’s black magic swirls at his feet before lifting up a small sketchpad. “Here, Daylight. As an apology for losing my temper,” Bendy explains.

“Oh, I–thank you, Mr. Bendy,” Day takes the notebook. His first impulse is to refuse, but he doesn’t think that would be the best move to make right now. Besides, maybe Poppy wants Bendy to give this to him?

“Of course. If something ever happens and you need to reach me, just write in that,” Bendy nods. He glances in Nightmare’s direction before sighing. “Let’s get this show on the road then.”

Black magic starts to swirl at everyone’s feet except Day’s. The smell of magic rises. Day wonders if he should move out of the way as the others start to sink. Cup keeps shifting uneasily as the magic starts to swallow everyone. The inky magic engulfs its passengers completely before sinking into the ground and disappearing, taking everyone with them.

Day glances around before making his way back to the storage room to finish putting away the guitar and music folder. He isn’t sure what all of that was about, but nothing bad came of it. Probably.

Day steps through the music room doors to close them behind him. He isn’t sure where Mr. Lawerence is, but the music teacher won’t be happy to find his classroom doors wide open for anyone to walk through. Day might have locked it if he had the keys. He only has his lanyard with his student ID right now. He's supposed to get the student building keys today or tomorrow.

“Day.”

Day almost jumps out of his skin at Kissy’s voice. He hasn’t seen her for over an hour. Kissy shrinks into herself a little when Day looks at her. “Sorry.”

“Sorry? Why?” Day asks her as he steps away from the closed doors and starts to walk towards the elevator.

“Left you.”

“It’s ok, Kissy. I should have sent you a text that I was going to stay and practice another hour.”

“Shouldn’t have left,” Kissy shakes her head.

“Ok, we’re both at fault. I won’t say anything to Poppy if you don’t,” Day offers. Kissy frowns and looks up at him. Day doesn’t know what she sees, but he doesn't want to cause a rift between them. Poppy wouldn’t be happy with either of them if she finds out about this. Whatever Kissy sees makes her relax a fraction and nod.

“Ok, good,” Day relaxes too. “Where did you go anyway?”

Kissy does the strangest thing. She blushes. Why would she blush? What could she have done that would—ugh. Gross. Nope. Whatever Kissy does is her business.

“Never mind,” Day starts walking to the elevator hoping to leave that awkward conversation behind him. Kissy follows him as silently as ever. The ride in the elevator is borderline awkward and Day can’t take this kind of silence. Luckily, the elevator opens and the front doors are in sight.

So is a purple cat that makes his way through those doors.

“Nap!” Day’s tail starts to wag. The cat blinks up at him, surprised.

“Day,” Nap’s smile is soft and Day’s chest is not warm and gooey because of it. It’s not. Really. “I was sent to get you. The council building is locked. No one else has a key yet.”

“A key?” Day takes the hand Nap offers him. “I don’t have a key either.”

“You don’t?” Nap asks as they walk back out of the building through the doors. “Bubba was sure you would have keys by now.”

“I’m supposed to get them today or tomorrow. I’m just not sure if I’m supposed to go get them or if I’m supposed to wait for someone to bring them to me. Do the others need inside right now?”

“Bubba wants to look through the club files for the submission forms from the past few years. So, yes, I guess?”

“Well, I can go to Mr. Fazbear now and ask him. It might take a while. I’ll text Bubba,” Day says as he reaches into his pocket with his free hand. He sends a quick text to the elephant and pockets his phone again. Hopefully, the group that Day ran into in the orchestra room is almost done in Freddy’s office. After a few steps, Day swings his and Nap’s hands where they're clasped around each other. It’s nice to just be with Nap.

“You look happy,” Nap says with another soft smile.

“Of course, I am,” Day smiles brightly. “I’m with you.”

“Smooth talker,” Nap grins mischievously. He leans over and their faces are so close. Day’s eyes dart to soft lips and they’re so close–

“Ahem.”

“I swear to the stars,” Nap growls as he turns to glare at Kissy. The human blinks innocently back at him. Day raises an eyebrow at Kissy. This wasn’t a problem before, but maybe Poppy has something to do with this. Day will have to talk to her tonight.

“It’s ok,” Day grins and leans his head on Nap’s shoulder. “We can always spend a night in my dorm. I have one all to myself now,” Day teases with a wink.

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep, sunshine,” Nap purrs. A shiver goes down Day’s spine and he realizes this is going into territory he isn’t sure he’s ready for.

“Wa-wait, I–”

“Daylight?” Henry Stein pauses on the cement path, surprised.

“You know each other?” Mike, standing next to him, asks.

“We’ve met,” Henry explains briefly to Mike. “I didn’t expect to run into you so soon, Daylight.”

“I didn’t either,” Day’s ears perk as he looks from Mike to Henry. “Do you two know each other?”

The two humans look at each other and a silent conversation happens Day can only guess at. Mike turns to them and shrugs. “We’ve crossed paths before. Anyway, I have something for you Daylight, but I need to get Henry to Freddy’s office as soon as possible.”

“Oh, ok. I can come with you,” Day loosens his grip on Nap’s hand. The cat tightens his grip refusing to let him go. Day looks at him confused. Bright yellow eyes just dare Day to try and leave. Day doesn't really want to, so he gives in. His smile might be a little brighter than normal when he turns back to the humans. “We’ll come with you,” Day says brightly.

“This shouldn’t take too long,” Mike says as he leads the way to the admin building. As they start to walk Day swears he sees an amused smile on Henry’s face as he walks beside them, his eyes glancing at their hands. Day isn’t sure what to do with that. Henry doesn't seem like the type to have issues with same sex couples like some people do.

Wait, no. Day, you and Nap aren’t a couple. Get that out of your head, stupid dog. Day flinches at the familiar tone the voice in his head takes. Think of something else. Think about Nap. That’ll help.

“Day?” Nap whispers close to his ear. Day jolts back into the present and manages to smile at the cat.

“It’s nothing. Anyway, do you want to hang out in the student building once we get it open? There’s not much for us to do yet,” Day grins.

“If I remember right, last year around this time you were working yourself to death to get things done,” Nap frowns.

“Last year, I had to clean up after the last council and I didn’t have a team to work with. Before school officially ended we managed to leave things set up for this year. Everything the council needs to do should go more smoothly.”

“You’re in the student council?” Henry asks. Day and Nap turn to look at him. Day almost forgot he was there. “Ah, sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt,” Henry quickly apologizes.

“Oh, no. I’m sorry, Mr. Stein. I haven’t even introduced you to my–friend,” Day stumbles over the word and quickly pushes past it. “Mr. Stein, this is Naperous Cat. Nap, this is Henry Stein. He’s the new animation teacher.”

“Animation?” Nap pauses. “I thought your name sounded familiar.”

“As did yours,” Henry smiles faintly. “I think you’re in my class tomorrow?” Nap nods.

“You’re taking animation?” Day gasps. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I mentioned it when we were talking about our schedules with everyone,” Nap raises an eyebrow at Day.

…did he? Day runs through those two hours where everyone went through their schedules. He doesn’t remember Nap having animation. Did he change it recently? Or…is Nap lying?

“Are you sure? I think Crafty would have made a big deal out of that,” Day huffs. He keeps his suspicion locked away. It doesn’t really matter if Nap lied to him, it just…hurts.

“Crafty was too busy discussing with Hoppy which three sports she should sign up for this year,” Nap rolls his eyes with an easy grin. Day doesn't remember that. Crafty is in animation too, she would have mentioned something about a friend being in the class with her.

“Can’t believe I missed that,” Day tilts his head and scrunches his nose.

“That’s ok, you’ve had a lot on your mind,” Nap bumps their shoulders together.

“True,” Day bumps the cat back before meeting Henry’s gaze again. “How is Boris, Mr. Stein? Have his classes been going well?”

“He was so nervous until he started interacting with the students. Now he seems to have found his footing. It probably helps that he’s got smaller classes than other teachers. More one on one time,” Henry glances in the direction of where Boris’s classes must be.

“That does help in a lot of cases,” Day agrees. He and Henry talk about classes and a few of the teachers. Mostly Henry asks questions and Day answers them as much as he can. Mike pipes up once in a while with a few comments of his own. Nap is mostly silent, but his tail wraps around Day’s forearm as they walk. It doesn’t take too long before they reach the admin building. Before Mike can grab a handle the doors slam open, the glass vibrating dangerously from the force.

“Cup?” Mike asks as the maybe angel storms through the doors. The redhead doesn’t look at them and stomps over to the nearest tree. Kissy steps between Day and the redhead, her posture loose, ready to move. Before the doors to the admin building fully close the bluehead walks out on quick feet. He sweeps his gaze over all of them before seeing Cup throw a punch, splitting the bark of the tree.

“Mugs?” Mike asks him instead.

“It’s just…adapting to the situation,” Mugs sighs. “Don’t worry about us. We’ll meet up with you in the security room.”

“Sure,” Mike says as Mugs walks over and says something quietly to Cup. Day can’t tell what’s said, but the redhead lets out a breath with a nod. The two maybe angels are quick to walk away without looking back.

“What is go–” Mike is interrupted again as the doors open for the third time. Nightmare and Marion leave the building much more calmly than the two before them.

“Mike, Henry, Kissy, children,” Marion inclines her head politely. Day copies without thinking. Marion hesitates before the hard twist of her lips relaxes and she nods to him as she leaves. Nightmare rolls his eyes and stops to shake Mike’s shoulder fondly.

“You should have seen that shit show–wait, don’t say it Day. I know, language,” Nightmare grins at him with more teeth showing than usual. “Still, what a mess this year is going to be. It’s still the first day!” Despite the casual way he moves and the humor in his voice, the display of teeth and tense line of his shoulders show he’s upset too. “Anyway,” Nightmare continues. “You better find your demon, Henry.”

“Shi–oot,” Henry corrects himself with a glance at Day and Nap. He refocuses on Nightmare. “Do you know where he went? I was coming to see him when I heard what happened.”

“Your guess is better than mine,” Nightmare shrugs. Henry sighs and turns to walk back the way they came.

“Thanks Mike, and kids. I have to go. Talk to you soon,” Henry waves as he hurries away and disappears around a building. There’s a beat of silence after he disappears before Nightmare breaks it.

“Well, I have things to do and like hell I’m going to stay anywhere close to sparkle ass,” Nightmare’s smile turns mean as he lets go of Mike, quickly walking away. The human hesitates and glances at them.

“I don’t think he should be left alone,” Mike blurts and curls his fingers nervously. “Will you two be alright on your own? Day, the keys I was going to give you will have to wait.”

“That’s fine,” Day reassures him. If Mike thinks Nightmare needs company right now, Day’s keys can wait. He’ll have to explain to his friends, but that’s fine. Mike nods and speeds up to catch up with Nightmare. Nap sighs and squeezes Day’s hand.

“They’ll be fine,” Nap quietly comforts him. Day relaxes a little at the warm yellow eyes that meet his. Nap has no way to prove what he’s saying, but Day is reassured anyway. “I do wonder what happened though,” Nap mutters as he looks back at the human and demon. He freezes.

“Actually,” Nightmare’s deep voice carries over the short distance between them. Mike stumbles a little at the abrupt stop, almost running into the bear. “I need to talk to you, kid.” Nightmare looks directly at Nap. Day blinks as Nap’s posture stiffens, his hand almost painful where it squeezes Day’s. Nap and Nightmare stare each other down. Mike and Day look between them confused.

“Nap?” Day asks quietly, wiggling his hand in the vice it’s trapped inside of. Nap jolts, like he’s surprised and glances at Day. Yellow eyes are swirling with more emotion than Day expected to see.

“Nap?” Day asks again, more worried. Nap closes his eyes briefly before smiling and pressing a kiss to Day’s forehead.

“I better see what he wants. I‘ll catch up with you soon, ok?” Nap lets go of Day’s hand and walks over to the two adults.

“Nightmare?” Mike asks, confused as Nightmare starts to lead them down the path away from the admin building. Day stands there watching them. Kissy is silent beside him.

“What just happened?” Day asks her. What could have happened that would upset so many of the academy staff? Was it just because Bendy was in the orchestra room? Kissy shrugs, but a small frown is enough to let Day know he isn’t the only one confused.

Day glances at the admin building. He didn’t plan to go inside, just wait for Mike to finish whatever he needed to and get the keys for the student building. He should leave to explain to his friends they’ll have to wait, but…Day looks up towards the wall of windows to Freddy’s office. He can’t in good conscience just leave without checking on Freddy. It just doesn’t feel right.

“I’m going inside,” Day looks at Kissy. “I don’t think anything will happen, but be careful, just in case.” Kissy nods and follows him inside the admin building. Day steps into the lobby and is surprised to find a secretary behind the lobby desk. A human with dark blue hair lifts his head when Day and Kissy walk in. The new secretary’s eyes immediately pass over Day and land on Kissy. Day raises an eyebrow as Kissy freezes for a second before calmly continuing to follow Day.

“Can I help you?” the secretary asks Kissy. She hesitates and looks at Day.

“I’d like to see President Fazbear,” Day says politely. The secretary blinks, like he’s coming out of a trance and actually looks at Day this time.

“Sorry, the president isn’t seeing anyone this afternoon. I’m afraid you’ll have to make an appointment,” the secretary quickly switches into work mode, very obviously avoiding looking at Kissy.

“He won’t see anyone?” Day asks, disappointed.

“I’m afraid so,” the secretary says with a nod. “I can get you an appointment.”

“That’s ok. Thank you, Mr…?” Day trails off.

“Mr. Wuggy,” the human says with a small smile. “Nice to meet you.”

“You as well,” Day says politely. “Kissy, let’s go.” Day walks a few steps before stopping to look back at the pink haired human. Kissy is looking between Day and Mr. Wuggy. “Kissy?” Day asks, tilting his head.

“I’ll catch up later,” Kissy’s quiet voice floats across the silent room.

“Ooooook?” Day lets the confusion coat his voice.

“Talk to Mr. Wuggy,” Kissy adds.

“Oh, do you two know each other? Why didn’t you just say so?” Day grins. “I’ll just head over to the cafeteria,” Day turns and exits the building. He casually walks to the side of the path like he is headed to the cafeteria before stepping off of the cement and darting to the side of the admin doors. Making sure he’s out of sight. He glances at his phone and waits for a full minute to pass by. He waits an extra thirty seconds just in case.

So, this is where Kissy has been running off to. Day should mention this to Poppy, but he’s not going to break his deal with Kissy until it becomes a problem. Especially if it works out in their favor like this.

When the extra thirty seconds are up, Day cautiously opens one of the front doors to peek his head in and listen. He can hear muted whispers and...thumping? Day gags as he realizes what that might be and hurries inside so he can leave those sounds behind him. Day calls the elevator and takes it up to Freddy’s floor. When the elevator opens, Day doesn’t hear anyone. He steps into the elevator and walks up to the president’s office doors. He lifts a hand and knocks.

“Mr. Fazbear?” Day calls. He knocks again and waits for a few seconds.

“Mr. Fazbear?” Still no response. Day steps back from the door and waits a few seconds before opening it. No one is inside. Day makes a split second decision and quickly shuts the door behind him. He walks over to the desk and glances at the papers neatly stacked on top. He doesn’t touch anything, just scans titles and some of the contents. Nothing he’s interested in right now. Day frowns and takes a step back to see if he can open a drawer. His weight leans on the bookshelf behind him and it moves from his weight. Day freezes and turns to look at the shelf that should not be moving. He turns and carefully pulls out the side of the shelf that’s not quite aligned with the shelf next to it. Day carefully pulls it open, relieved that it doesn’t creak as he pulls it open wider. All he can see in the opening is darkness. Day slowly extends a hand in. Lights flick on when he reaches past the edge. The light reveals stone steps leading down into more darkness.

Hm. Should he go or wait for another chance when he can prepare better? At the moment, no one except Kissy knows where he is and Day might never get back in here alone. The problem comes from Day only having his phone and lanyard with him. No flashlight, no keys, no food, and no idea how long he could be down there. He might never get out of whatever tunnel this is without a map of some kind.

He can walk down to the edge of the darkness and check it out before retreating. Kissy should have the secretary distracted that long. Day takes a breath and steps down onto the first stone step. The dust in the air makes him sneeze and Day pulls his shirt up to cover his nose. He makes it to the third step when he smells the sharp spike of magic. He panics and reaches up to grab the metal handle on the back of the shelf door. He pulls it closed and it shuts with a click. Day waits, frozen as the lights stay on and silence swallows him. He can’t hear anything on the other side of the bookshelf. The lights shut off. He jumps at the sudden darkness and the lights turn back on. Ok, they’re motion lights, good. Day looks at the door one more time before he turns and continues down the stairs. If he can’t hear them through the fake shelf, they probably can’t hear him either.

Day makes it to a landing on the stairs and pulls out his phone to text Kissy. She’ll need to erase him from the cameras. He hopes she gets the message with the spotty service Day has down here.

He starts walking and relaxes everytime the lights turn on and tenses again whenever they turn off behind him. It limits how far he can see in either direction. The tunnel has a metal ceiling, but the ground seems to be just dirt. Day walks through the tunnel for five minutes before he reaches his first corner. His only option is to go right. This might be in the direction of the library? Day isn’t sure of his orientation with the academy above ground.

After singing two songs from Freddy’s most famous album later, he reaches a three way intersection. The tunnel continues into the darkness ahead of him, but there is another option to his left. Day looks between the two and decides to go left. The path ahead of him seems more like a continuation forward and the left path more like an exit. Day keeps singing lightly under his breath to keep the silence at bay as he walks. And only one song later he reaches more stairs. Day goes up carefully, he wants to run up two steps at a time, but he doesn’t want to trip and lose his hold on the shirt over his nose. The dust is so thick in these tunnels it’s hard to breathe.

This staircase feels longer than the one by Freddy’s office. Day finally reaches the top and presses his ear against the metal door, hoping he can hear something on the other side. He can’t hear anything, just like by the office. Day braces himself and slowly pushes the door handle down, wincing at the creak it makes. When he hears a click he carefully pushes the door open enough there’s a thin gap. He doesn’t hear anything. Day waits for a few seconds, expecting another spike of magic or a voice to yell at him. He doesn’t hear anything. Day pushes the door open wide enough to poke his head around the edge and freezes. Is this–is this the room from his first vision?

No, no, it can’t be. This room is circular with small stained glass windows evenly placed around the edge. None of the windows move like they did in that vision. Day makes sure to look all around the room for bandaged wheelchair people in the shadows. Thankfully, the four windows shine plenty of light into the room, minimizing the size of any shadows. Day steps out from the doorway he’s in and shuts the tunnel door behind him. It’s not a shelf this time. This door perfectly blends into the wall.

Day frowns and glances around the room, but there’s nothing to set this section apart from the rest of the wall. He looks over the hidden door and his eyes catch a marking on the floor. Day blinks and steps to the side to look at the floor as a whole.

To the west, Day is assuming it’s west based on the direction of the sunlight beaming through the windows, are a pair of human hands sewn into a huge round rug. Opposite the hands, to the east, are pointed animal ears, also sewn into the rug. The northern part of the rug has angel wings and a halo. To the south, where Day is standing, is a pair of horns and sharp wings. These wings don’t have the fluffy depiction the angel wings do. These have sharp points and a smooth looking texture. Are they supposed to be demon wings? Do demons have wings?

Day takes his phone out and starts taking pictures of the rug and where the door is by the demon symbol. He snaps as many pictures of the room as he can. When he thinks he has a picture of everything he walks to one of the windows, none of them are over a symbol on the rug, and looks through the biggest piece of the stained glass he can. Oh, wow. He must be in the library’s tower. He wasn’t sure if it was even possible to get up here. He’s going to have to sneak through the entire library before he can get back outside. Day steps back to look for the exit. He sees a fragile looking wooden door that’s mostly hidden by shadows. Before he goes over to open it and maybe get caught, Day pulls his phone out to check if he has service. He does. He calls Poppy.

“Day? You’re early, did something happen?” Poppy asks tiredly. Day glances at the hidden door.

“Guess what I found,” Day says, a smile curling his lips.

“Did you…?” Poppy asks, her voice tight with tension.

“I think I found the path to it. We’re close.”

“Finally.”

Notes:

'Ello, everyone! You get this chapter a little early because I have time and wanted to reach the nice even chapter 20. Can you believe it? 20 chapters doesn't sound like a lot but the word count is insane! 136,000 before this chapter is posted. I never thought this would be over a 100k. That's good news for you. More to read, right?

Also, thank you all so much for the support. It really helps when I'm struggling through a chapter. I'm just glad people are still interested in my silly story. So, as always, thank you and see you in the next one!

Chapter 21: Am I Being Followed?

The next day, Mike finds Day on his way to lunch. The human stumbles to a stop on the path, breathing hard. Kissy hovers close to Day for a moment before taking a step back, practically disappearing in that way only she does.

“Finally caught up with you,” Mike pants.

“Are you ok, Mike?” Day asks and offers an extra water bottle from his backpack.

“Thanks,” Mike takes the bottle and chugs it for a few seconds. “Sorry. I wanted to get these to you earlier,” Mike holds out a ring of keys. “But whenever I was close to catching you something–” Mike rolls his eyes, “–always seems to happen.”

“Oh, uh, sorry?” Days says, unsure, as he takes the keys.

“It's not your fault,” Mike takes another swig of water. “It's all these new rules and tension between students. Freddy needs to get more guards,” Mike sighs. “But enough of that, I left extra keys for the other council members to get inside the student building.”

“Thanks, Mike,” Day hooks the ring of keys onto his lanyard and the familiar weight settles on his neck. He’ll probably have to get a new lanyard, this one is pretty worn after last year and Nap gave him this one. Day doesn’t want to break it. This Sunday he could go to the mall with them! They can all get lanyards together this time!

…no, he can’t. He has to explore those tunnels. He still needs to figure out how to explain that to his friends.

“Kid,” Mike says gently. Day blinks back into the present. Did he just lose focus while Mike was here? Jeez, Day. “If you need something,” Mike continues gently. “I’ll be happy to lend an ear–”

“Fuck off, demon scum!” a loud voice yells. Day and Mike look in at the cafeteria entrance. Two groups of students are growling at each other in front of the doors.

“Great, here we go again,” Mike mutters. “Later, kid,” Mike calls over his shoulder. He’s quick to step between the two groups and diffuse the situation. The half demons leave and the anthros go inside the cafeteria. Mike pulls out his walkie talkie as he follows the half demons from a distance.

Day frowns after them. It’s not the first time students have come close to fighting for no other reason than crossing paths. A few physical fights have even broken out. This divide between students keeps growing and it’s only the second day of classes.

Is…is evolution worth this? Fighting with each other over something none of them have control of? None of them got to choose whether they have half anthro blood or not. Fighting among themselves doesn’t help anyone.

Evolution is supposed to be an accomplishment. It’s supposed to be good.

Isn’t it?

“Day?”

“Nap?” Day grins at the cat holding a cafeteria door open. He steps outside to hold it for a group of elk to walk out. They don’t even look at him as they pass. Day frowns and decides this can’t go on and someone has to do something about–

“Chill, it’s fine,” Nap grabs his arm, stopping him from following the group of elk.

“It isn't fine,” Day tries to tug his arm out of Nap’s grip.

“Look, I can take a little silent treatment. It’s fine–”

“No it isn’t,” Day snaps, turning on the cat fully. “No one deserves to be treated as less. You never deserve to be treated as less! Nap you are one of the most amazing people I’ve ever met.” Day grabs the front of Naps hoodie because he needs the cat to know that he isn’t allowed to believe he’s less. “Don’t ever tell me to believe you deserve less. I’ll tell you until you believe me.”

Nap stares at him wide eyed. The following silence makes Day realize he just kind of made a scene in front of the cafeteria with plenty of students inside and outside hearing him through the open door. Day clears his throat, letting go of Nap’s hoodie and taking a few steps back. He avoids Kissy’s hard stare a few feet away as he gets his thoughts back in order.

“Uh,” Day tugs at his ear nervously. “I didn’t mean to grab you, but I meant what I said.”

The silence gets longer and Day’s courage fades the longer it goes on. The stares from the other students that heard Day aren’t helping either. He doesn’t realize he’s still pulling on his ear until his hand is gently grabbed. Day glances up sharply. Nap has this smile that makes Day’s stomach somersault and his chest heat.

“Ok, I believe you,” Nap keeps his soft smile focused on Day as he starts to tug Day back inside the cafeteria. “Let’s get you some food, sunshine.”

Day follows Nap through the lunch line, but the cat only gets a drink.

“Nap,” Day frowns, remembering early last year when he had to encourage Nap to eat food constantly.

“Relax, I already ate. I ate early so I could stop by my dorm before class,” Nap says easily as he swipes his student card to pay for the food.

“You don’t have to stay with me if you need to go,” Day says quickly. He swipes his card for his lunch. “Thank you,” he smiles at the lunch lady. She nods back. Day wishes he could remember her name. They walke to the patio.

“I would rather stay with you,” Nap’s grin is–dare Day believe it–flirty as he glances over his shoulder. Day fights his own smile, but fails. Nap is too funny and cute and cool and charming and–

“If you two are going to stare at each other the whole time let me leave first,” Kickin says loudly from their table. He and Picky are the only ones there right now. Their plates are almost empty of food, they’ve been there for a while. Picky hides her smile behind her hand. It feels like it's been years since Day’s seen a real smile from her.

“You’re just jealous,” Nap retorts.

“Jealous of you two oblivious loverboys falling over each other? Hardly,” Kickin shoots back.

“W-Wait–” Day puts his plate down as he tries to find where to even start on that comment.

“Loverboys? Please, at least use boyfriends or something,” Nap rolls his eyes as he sits on the bench. A cup lands hard on the table, making Day jump a little as he focuses on the chicken and pig. Kickin has his mouth hanging open as he stares up at them wide eyed. Picky is covering her mouth in shock. Silence swallows them. Without any idea what else to do, Day sits beside Nap.

“Pay up,” Picky turns to the chicken, holding her hand out and wiggling her fingers.

“Nope, Bobby wins all of it,” Kickin shakes his head.

“Fine,” Picky grumbles and picks up the cup she slammed on the table.

“Please, don’t tell me that you were all betting on Nap and me getting together,” Day sighs as he reaches for his drink and takes a swig.

“Of course not,” Kickin dismisses. “We were betting on when the big reveal would happen. Bobby and Bubba said there was no point betting on when you got together because that already happened last year. Can’t believe you didn’t tell me, you’re best friend and roommate.”

“I, uh, sorry?” Day says right before taking a bite of his sandwich.

“It’s not like a relationship is private or anything,” Nap says under his breath as he opens his drink.

“Well, now that the announcement bet has passed I need to change my bet on the wedding,” Kickin drops his napkin onto his empty plate. Nap chokes on his drink and Day drops his sandwich with a splat, wide eyed.

“We should go before they recover,” Picky stands with her stuff. They’re escaping right as Nap stands, glaring at them. It would be much more intimidating if he wasn’t blushing.

Day married to Nap? Like-like cuddling together on the couch after a long day at work? Or cooking together on the weekends when they don’t have any plans for the day? Or just sleeping side by side every night, warm and safe…

Day can only imagine.

“Now they’ve made it awkward,” Nap grumbles as he steals Day’s Napkin to wipe his chin. “Can’t believe they’re betting on our relationship. Some friends they are,” Nap keeps complaining. Day tilts his head just a little to get a better look at the cat’s eyes. Bright yellow orbs are warm, annoyed, and fond all at once. They glance at him and freeze. Day smiles, something warm and soft escaping from his chest. For all his grumpiness, Nap cares about so much, especially their friends.

“Yeah,” Day turns back to his own mess of food. His sandwich has completely fallen apart. Despite having to put it together and getting mayo all over his fingers, Day is in too good a mood to find it much of a chore.

“So,” Nap’s voice cracks and he quickly clears his throat. “So, you have physical training today?”

“Yep, it's just the half angels. It was only half demons for yours, right?”

“Yeah, lots of fun training with people who have egos bigger than the field,” Nap complains. Day imagines the class, and that leads to him wondering how Nightmare is as a teacher, and that leads to yesterday when Nightmare asked to see Nap alone. Day’s good mood shrinks.

“Hey, um, you don’t have to answer, but,” Day pauses and sets his messy sandwich down to look at Nap. “What did you talk to Nightmare about yesterday?”

Nap pauses from lifting his drink to his lips and slowly sets it down, his eyebrows furrowed. The plastic bottle in his hand creaks dangerously for a moment before he lets go of it.

“I might as well tell you,” Nap sighs. “It’s not like he would keep it from you if you asked.” Nap turns to face Day as much as he can with how they’re seated side by side at the table. “You know I’m a half demon, so is Nightmare. We are also the same kind of demon…halves.”

“Ok,” Day says encouragingly. Hoping the cat continues because Day isn’t a hundred percent Nap is saying what Day thinks he’s saying.

“Nightmare and I are both half dream demons. Dream demons eat dreams and nightmares. You can guess which Nightmare prefers to eat.”

Day blinks letting that sink in.

“He, for some star forsaken reason, has decided to start ‘teaching me’ how to control powers I already know and give advice I don’t want,” Nap growls a little at the end before shaking his head and meeting Day’s eyes. “Are you mad?”

“Why would I be mad?”

“I kept a secret from you, again.”

“Being together doesn’t mean I need to know every detail of your life you don’t want to share. I would hope as we get closer you would be willing to tell me. I would never force you to share things you aren’t comfortable with. All I want is the same courtesy in return.”

“I,” Nap blinks surprised before his face softens. “I agree. Why do you sound so old and mature sometimes?”

“I’m not old!” Day gasps, offended. Their conversation devolves into teasing from there. It’s not until Day is waiting outside the art building for Crafty that Day realizes he didn’t get to ask what ‘eating dreams’ entails exactly. Is it like Bobby needing physical touch to ‘feed’ her succubus side?

Crafty emerges from the building stumbling, distracting Day from his thoughts. He catches’ Crafty by the arm as she trips and starts to fall.

“Whoa, Crafts,” Day helps her get back on her feet.

“Day, I’m sorry,” Crafty catches her breath and stands straight. “I’m late, I know. I’m sorry.”

“We still have time to get there and change,” Day pats her arm and lets go. “We probably shouldn’t waste time, though. We don’t want to make a bad first impression on Mr. Insomnia,” Day jokes. He shoots a wink to Crafty and she slowly relaxes, a small grin growing on her face.

“You’re right,” she grins.

As they walk towards the training field Day looks around at the other students. He hasn’t seen the ferret siblings yet, but they’re probably ahead of Day and Crafty.

“I’m nervous,” Crafty whispers. She fiddles with an apple shaped eraser as they walk towards the gym.

“Because of who the teacher is or because of the class itself?” Day asks. He keeps his ears trained on the group that has been following them for a while now. Four half demons that Day thought would have turned to go towards the dorms five minutes ago.

“I guess…both?” Crafty sounds unsure as she looks at the gym they’re walking to. “Mr. Insomnia was so intimidating back on Valentine's Day, but he didn’t actually do anything to anyone. I know he won’t…hurt anyone. Not at school.”

“Crafty,” Day frowns at her. His attention diverted from the group behind them. Is Crafty assuming Nightmare is going to do something bad just because of what he is?

“I know,” Crafty hunches in on herself. “I know it’s wrong to think of him that way. It’s just that I was raised to believe that anyone related to demons are bad. That's something I need to work on. I don’t think I can see Bobby hurting anyone, even if she was starving. Or Picky. Or Nap. So, I have to try and stop thinking so badly of other half demons just because they aren’t my friends.”

“Crafts,” Day pulls her into a side hug. “I’ll help as much as I can. I know I still need to learn a lot about demons and angels, so let’s learn together!”

“You want to learn about demons?” Crafty’s ear flicks with her confusion.

“Of course,” Day releases her to grab the gym door. “We all live together and whether people like it or not, we have to find a way to co-exist. I think the first step to achieving that is understanding each other.”

Day looks behind Crafty as the unicorn walks through the doorway. The group that was following them darts behind bushes and trees. Day frowns a little before he shuts the door behind them.

“I think you’re right,” Crafty rolls the apple eraser as she stares at it. “So, time to look at things differently. Thanks, Day,” Crafty grins at him.

“Of course, Crafts. Now, I don’t want to rush you, but we still need to change and get onto the field.”

“Only five minutes left? Where did the time go?” Crafty checks her phone and rushes towards the girl's locker rooms. Day waits until her footsteps are blocked by a door before turning to look out the glass door of the gym. He doesn’t see the group that was following them, they might still be hiding. Who should Day tell about this? Freddy? Marion? Mike? Day shakes his head and starts to walk to the boy’s locker room. He can tell all three and they’ll take care of it from there.

Day makes it into the gym just as the bell rings. The other students are seated on the floor with Nightmare standing by them, looking at his watch. When Day’s footsteps echo across the gym, Nightmare looks up at him with a raised eyebrow.

“Cutting it close, aren’t we, Daylight?”

“Sorry, Mr. Ins–I mean, Nightmare,” Day apologizes. He hurries over to sit beside Crafty.

“I’ll let it slide today, but I expect better from you, council president,” Nightmare crosses his arms. If his lips weren’t twitching from trying to suppress a smile, Day would believe he was actually upset.

What surprises Day is the way Crafty, Ferro, and Ferri all tense and the atmosphere in the gym starts to tense. Do the others not realize Nightmare is joking?

“Loud and clear, Nightmare,” Day chuckles with a smile. The air loses the explosiveness and Nightmare nods, moving things along. Crafty reaches over to put her hand on Day’s. Day grins reassuringly at her. It’s fine, Nightmare won’t hurt them.

“So,” Nightmare looks them over. “The four of you are going to be training your bodies in this class. It’s necessary for you to get stronger and the more progress you make, the better off you’ll be if you evolve. Yes, Miss Felali?”

“Don’t our bodies become stronger after evolving, anyway? What’s the point of training them now?” Ferri lowers her hand as she asks, her tone off.

“Just because you get a certain amount stronger doesn’t mean training before evolution is a waste. Think of it like…” Nightmare tilts his head. “Like a glass of water. Right now you are small, empty cups. When you evolve or in this case, start to fill with water, your cup grows to accommodate the water. If you work at making your glass bigger before the water comes, you can hold more when it does. I guess your bodies are the glasses in this case,” Nightmare hums. “I should have had this answer ready, oh well.”

“Is there proof of that being true?” Ferro asks without raising his hand.

“Don’t want to take my word for it?” Nightmare settles his ruby eyes on the ferret. Ferro tenses under the stare, but doesn’t back down.

“You’re the only one who’s told us that,” Ferro continues.

“That’s because I’m the one teaching it to you,” Nightmare says patiently. “You can ask any evolved person in the academy and they’ll tell you the same thing. Ask Mari–I mean, Miss Puppet and she would probably give you the same answer.”

“You know Miss Puppet?” Ferri asks without raising her hand.

“We’ve known each other for a few years now,” Nightmare rolls his eyes. “Demons and angels are able to coexist. If nothing else, I hope you learn that.”

Ferro and Ferri frown and look at each other. It seems Crafty isn’t the only one who’s having trouble existing with those who have demon blood.

“Now that questions are over, I do need to go over a few rules and after that you all are going to take some physical tests so I can track your progress,” Nightmare grins. “This will be fun. Promise.”

The only person it’s fun for is Nightmare. He gets to laugh and yell at them to go faster or push harder for the next hour. Day thought Ferri was going to try and throw a ball at him at some point. Even if she had, Nightmare would have just laughed and thrown it back at her. He was enjoying this way too much. When the bell rings all four of them collapse onto the floor. Thank the stars this is Day’s last class. He’s so thirsty he could drink a lake.

“Oh boy, we have a lot of work to do,” Nightmare chuckles evilly. Or maybe it just sounds evil to Day. He gets to his feet and turns to look for Crafty. The unicorn is sprawled out on her back, eyes closed as she tries to catch her breath.

“C’mon, Crafts. We need to get to the student building,” Day encourages as he stands over her.

“I can’t move,” Crafty whines. Day huffs a laugh as he reaches down and tugs at her hand. Crafty complains a little more, but lets him tug her up until she’s sitting on the ground instead of laying on it.

“Ok, fine,” Crafty grumbles as the ferret siblings disappear towards the locker rooms. Crafty leverages herself onto her feet using Day’s hand. Day keeps her steady as she stands there for a moment. “Thanks, Day,” Crafty mumbles grumpily as she heads for the locker rooms too.

“I’ll meet you by the doors,” Day calls to her. Crafty waves a hand in acknowledgement and disappears around the corner. When the door shuts, Day turns to Nightmare. The big bear’s amused smile falls when he meets Day’s eyes.

“What happened?” Nightmare asks.

“Nothing’s happened, yet,” Day tugs at an ear as he tries to figure out how to word this. “Crafty and I were followed here by other students. It was a group of four half demons..” Day trails off. That sounds ridiculous. Nothing has even happened.

“Has this been happening since yesterday?” Nightmare asks, tone serious.

“I’m not sure. I only noticed this morning when I was headed for my first class. I’m not sure if Crafty and the others are being followed or not. I had to mention it to someone.”

“Good, these are the kinds of things we need to know,” Nightmare nods in approval. “I’ll bring it up with the president and Mike. For now, try to stay in a group, Day. Don’t go anywhere alone. Let the others know that too.”

“I will,” Day agrees. The same warning from Marion yesterday. Is this what she meant? Day heads to the locker room after that, his nervous energy lingering. He should hurry to catch the ferret siblings before they disappear. Day rushes through brushing the sweat out of his fur, and changing into his clothes before chugging water as he hurries out of the locker room. He only finds Crafty in the gym lobby.

“Did they already leave?” Day asks as he looks out the glass doors of the gym.

“The Felali’s? You just missed them,” Crafty looks to one of the side doors. This one has a small window. Day can’t see through it from this distance. Hopefully, the siblings avoid unwanted attention by taking a different door.

“Crafty have you noticed anything weird? With other students?” Day asks as he adjusts his backpack on his shoulders. Crafty tightens her hands on the strap of her art bag under her own backpack.

“It’s hard to miss the staring,” Crafty tries to joke as they walk through the lobby.

“No, I mean, yes, that, but have you felt like you’re being followed?”

“You too?” Crafty asks nervously, pausing steps away from the front door.

“With my hearing, I noticed them from the beginning of our walk here,” Day admits.

“I felt like I was being watched, but every time I looked around I didn't see anyone,” Crafty turns a little pale. With her white coat of fur it’s impressive. “Day, are we going to get attacked on campus?”

“Whoa, hey, no,” Day rushes to reassure her, offering his hand for her to take. “The academy is one of the safest places for us and I told Nightmare about our stalkers. He’ll make sure to take care of the situation. We just have to stay with someone when we walk around, ok?”

“Ok,” Crafty says shakily. Day tugs her hand and holds the door open for her.

“Don’t worry, we just have to tell Hoppy and she will absolutely kick some butts for us,” Day winks.

“Yeah, she would,” Crafty giggles, her cheeks a little pink.

When they start to walk, Day can hear heavy breathing and shifting in the bushes where the group following them hid earlier. Not liking the situation, Day tugs Crafty’s hand to take them off the path and walk over the grass. Crafty gives him a confused look, but follows along.

“Oh, I forgot I have some pictures to show you, Crafts,” Day pulls out his phone and finds the pictures he took at that one restaurant with Poppy on his birthday. “My guardian took me to a fancy restaurant for my birthday. I thought you might like some of the art there.” Day offers the phone to her. Crafty takes it carefully and her eyes widen. She lets go of Day’s hand to zoom in and move the picture around.

“That looks like a real Lenordi painting. Those are–Day, where was this?” Crafty asks excitedly as she keeps moving the picture around.

“I don't remember. Sorry, I didn’t take a picture of the restaurant's name,” Day apologizes. He doesn’t remember the restaurant's name, but he has seen the building for sale on Poppy’s laptop.

“I guess you did say it was an expensive restaurant,” Crafty sighs as she zooms out and holds the phone up for Day to take.

“Swipe left, Crafts,” Day grins without taking the phone.

“There’s more?” Crafty breaks into a big smile. She swipes and looks through the other two pictures in awe.

“I can send those to you if you want,” Day adds.

“Yes, please,” Crafty whispers, distracted. Day chuckles and tilts his head just enough to glance over his shoulder, but not enough to tip off their stalkers. There are six instead of four now. Why are they even following him and Crafty? What could Day and Crafty have that they would wait outside a gym over an hour for? Luckily, Crafty is too caught up in the pictures to notice as they walk to the student building. Bubba happens to get to the back door just as Day and Crafty do.

“Hey, Bubba,” Day grins.

“Day, Crafts. Is everything alright?” Bubba asks carefully. Day tilts his head behind them, silently asking if he means the group behind them. Bubba’s big ears twitch and he nods slightly.

“Not ready for the year to start again. it’s only the second day of classes and I’m already stressed,” Day sighs dramatically. He hopes Bubba gets the hint. They’re fine for now. Bubba frowns and waits for Day to unlock the back door of the building.

“I’ve seen the aggressiveness between the students with and without demon blood. I don’t think it would be a good idea for the students with angel blood to go anywhere alone. There’s only four of you in the whole academy, afterall. Be careful,” Bubba warns. Three people with the same warning, almost word for word.

Don’t go anywhere alone.

Day won’t plan on it, but expecting him to have someone with him everywhere again is not an experience he’s eager to repeat. Except for Kissy, but she doesn’t try to control him. Besides he trained this summer and he will be alone to explore those tunnels. The only two people he knows are involved with Poppy are Bendy and Kissy. Bendy has his own situation going on and Kissy would be Day’s lookout in the academy.

Day doesn't really want to crawl inside of dusty tunnels by himself, they’re really creepy, but he doesn't know how to explain Kissy’s disappearance if she explores them. At least Day can sneak out at night without anyone knowing because he doesn’t have a roommate anymore. Secretly, he wishes he did have a roommate again. He sleeps better with another person close by, but he shouldn't be needy like that. He's not a puppy anymore.

So, that weekend, Day uses Saturday night as his chance to get into the tunnels. If only he could find an entrance in his dorm. Scratch that, it would be creepy to find one that leads to his dorm building.

Wait. Could some of those tunnels lead outside of the academy? Could someone or something get inside through them?

Is the academy actually safe?

Day doesn’t know if Mike is even aware of the tunnels or if there is enough security to guard it if Mike is aware. Day’s mind flashes to the Twisted and away again. If Tigeria was able to find him at Poppy’s place, a very secure place, then it’s definitely possible they know where to find the tunnels into the academy. If that happens…Day remembers one of his visions. The chaos of the academy being destroyed, Twisted running free. Evolved desperately fighting.

“Easy, sunshine,” a stranger’s familiar voice said. Day doesn’t want to think about what that could mean. He shakes his head and focuses on sneaking into the library.

It would be easy to walk in, but the librarians would notice him and look to make sure he leaves before the library closes. Kissy is with the secretary, Mr. Huggy, again to get access to security cameras. It turns out, there are two places that have access to all of the security cameras in the academy. Inside the security building where the guards stay and inside the admin building. Day doesn’t know where exactly the cameras are, but he trusts Kissy to erase any evidence he might accidentally leave behind.

Day takes out the one key he has to a side door of the library. He carefully unlocks the door, going as slow as he dares so the hinges don’t creak when he opens it. He can’t take too long or the guards patrolling the academy will notice. He eases himself through the partially open door just as the last of the students leave the library. They talk a little loudly as they follow the lit up sidewalks. Day shuts the door using their voices as a weak noise cover for shutting the door.

He turns on the flashlight on his phone and starts to walk down the empty hallway. His steps echo around him, his breathing is twice as loud in his ears. Day’s fur starts to stand up. He hasn’t even made it into the tunnels yet, this is just an access hall in the library. Frustrated by his own unease, Day picks up the pace, keeping his flashlight trained in front of him. It doesn’t take long to reach another door. He leans his head against it, lifting an ear so he can listen for anyone on the other side. He waits for thirty seconds before carefully turning the handle. He opens the door and listens for a few seconds. He hears voices this time, but they’re far away. Day peeks his head through the gap the door leaves behind and looks in both directions. He’s in a maintenance room this time, a big one with shelves of supplies. Day steps through the door and shuts it quietly behind him.

He walks along the side of the maintenance room around the shelves and finds another door opposite where he entered. Day lifts his phone light to check the side of the room he didn’t walk along for another door, but there isn’t one. He turns his phone light off and pockets it. Day hopes his key will get him through this door if it’s locked. He lifts his hand and carefully turns the handle. With a slight pull opens. Thank the stars. Day listens through a gap between the door and the wall for people. The voices are louder now. He hears three people? There should be four librarians closing tonight. Someone is unaccounted for. Day waits a solid minute, hoping the fourth librarian will start to talk with the others, but his hopes don’t come true. That’s fine, Day can handle one rogue librarian. It’s better than having all four of them scattered around the library.

Day steps through the door and quietly shuts it behind him. He sticks close to the wall as he uses the book shelves as cover. He makes it to the stairs and has to crouch and crawl so the librarians don’t see his head over the railing. He makes it to the top and stops, listening for movement. The fourth librarian grumbles something under her breath. Day freezes as squeaky cart wheels move on the other side of the book shelf in front of him. Of course, the cart goes in the same direction Day needs to go. He frowns and focuses on listening to the librarians by the front desk.

They’re moving. Why are they moving now? Why can’t people just stay in the same place? Two of them are headed for the stairs Day is crouched on. He lunges off the steps and to the end of the bookshelf where the librarian with the squeaky cart was. She rounds the end of the shelf and heads for the stairs Day just left.

“Carol?” one of the librarians moving to the stairs asks.

“How long are we staying late tonight?” Carol asks as she stops at the top of the stairs. The end of squeaking wheels a relief to Day’s ears.

“It’s the first weekend, so not that long,” the other librarian coming up the stairs says brightly. Day steps as carefully as he can to the next shelf away from the stairs and crouches below their line of sight as he sneaks along the shelf.

“Still at least an hour, probably an hour and a half,” Carol grumbles again. Day pauses at the end of the shelf and listens to them. Are they going to start walking around?

“At least it’s not a guaranteed two hours,” the cheerful librarian says optimistically.

“Or the guaranteed three during test season,” the third librarian sighs. They seem to be staying by the stairs. Day darts over to a wall and follows it to the very back of the library. He steps behind the stairs and runs his hand over the bottom of the dark steps above him. He has to jump a few times before he hits the bump he can’t quite see in the stair’s shadow. Part of the wall pops out with a loud click in the nearly silent library. Day flinches at what must be an echo.

“Did you hear that?” Carol asks. The other librarians have fallen silent. Shit. Day pulls the door open, thank the stars it doesn't squeak as he does, and steps through the door quickly.

“It came from over here,” Carol whispers as footsteps start walking down the hall towards him. Day shuts the wall as carefully as he can, hoping it doesn’t click again. Day waits a few seconds in silence before a horrible thought hits him. What if they can get in here? Day doesn’t know who has access to these tunnels. He doesn’t think many people do and the only one he’s ninety percent of is Freddy. Does each entrance have someone guarding it? How many entrances are there? How many people know?

Day shakes his head and steps down the stairs turning his phone flashlight back on. He follows the stairs up to another door. He opens this one less cautiously and enters the tower of the library. Nothing seems to have changed. He checks the shadows of the tower again, scolding himself for thinking the person in the wheelchair will appear from the darkness like they did in his vision. He needs to focus, time keeps slipping away. It’s already been twenty minutes since he entered the library.

Day walks over to the demon symbol sewn into the large rug. He carefully feels the wall in front of him until one of the highest bricks he can reach pushes back under the pressure. The wall swings open with a mild screech that Day hopes isn’t heard outside of this room. He steps in and closes it quickly behind him. He turns his phone light off as the automatic lights flip on. Day doesn’t feel as intimidated this time as he starts down the stairs. The lights suddenly turning on are not as jarring. Day still doesn’t like the silence, but he didn’t bring any earbuds because he doesn't know who else might be down here. It’s just too dangerous to have his hearing blocked, even if he can’t handle the loudness of the silence as he walks.

Day reaches the bottom of the stairs and enters the same hallway he walked in before. He already knows going right will lead him to the president's office, so he’s heading left into unknown territory. The tunnel starts to curve gently to the right. The farther he walks the more he’s convinced it’ll lead him right back to the president’s office in a weird oval.

After twenty minutes of walking, and humming another Freddy album to himself, he reaches another turn off. Day turns left into it and, just like the library entrance, finds another set of stairs that go up. This one feels shorter as he walks up it. He carefully opens the door at the top, only enough for him to actually be able to hear anything. Crickets chirp and water splashes? Day blinks in confusion and eses the door open enough for him to poke his head out. It’s dark, but the sidewalk lights around the academy reach far enough that Day can see the outline of trees and bushes around him. He opens the door to squeeze through and hurries towards the lights to see where he is. Day pauses in the tree line. He’s beside the pool. Why is there an entrance here of all places? At least this entrance is closer to the dorms and hopefully easier to sneak into than the other two entrance’s he’s found.

Day sneaks back to the door and carefully shuts it behind him before taking his phone out. He types what he’s found in his notes app. He checks the time and hesitates. It’s just barely past eleven. He should keep exploring the tunnels, but he has no idea how long it will be until he reaches another entrance or if he will find another at all. He plans on going into town tomorrow with his friends. (He refuses to spend another year locked inside the academy, thank you.) So Day needs to get some sleep tonight.

…Fine, he can survive on a few hours of sleep and energy drinks tomorrow. Poppy won’t be happy if he doesn’t at least try to find out more tonight. Day walks back down the stairs, humming another one of Freddy’s albums, and hopes it doesn't take long to find something else.

It takes about ten minutes of walking and a familiar smell he can’t place, before he almost misses the door. The entrances he’s found are to the left of the ‘main’ hallway, this door is on the right where Day had almost stopped looking for anything. Good thing he didn’t. The wooden door doesn’t have anything on it. An iron ring for a door handle is just barely within Day’s reach. He isn’t sure how he will open this if it’s locked. He doesn’t see a keyhole anywhere. Day reaches out and carefully hooks his finger through the ring and pulls.

It opens with a loud creak that makes Day flinch. He freezes with the door only open a crack. He listens for any kind of movement. After a solid minute of his thumping heartbeat and uneven breathing, Day opens the door just enough to squeeze through. He might bring grease or something for those hinges when he comes back down because ouch.

Pitch black is all he can see. Damp soil fills Day’s nose. He digs his phone out and turns the light on. He’s inside a cave, complete with stalactites and stalagmites. The rock walls close to the door are smooth and the farther into the cave Day walks, the rougher the walls become. The carved walls lead him straight forward, but the floor slopes down slightly as Day walks. Day reaches a cavern that has to be as wide as four subway cars and as tall as three. In the middle of the cavern is a crate full of lumps.

Lumps like what Day got from Goldie. Lumps like what he saw in his vision about evolution. Day steps closer and picks one off the top of the pile in the cart. He shines his light on it and slowly rotates the lump. It’s just a rough black rock. Nothing special about it from sight alone. Day remembers the vision with the squirrel evolving and how the dog in that vision had to crush the rock to reveal the orb inside. Can Day do it with his bare hands like the dog did? It wouldn’t hurt to try, right? Day slips his phone into his pocket with the light still on and pushes his palms together with the rock between them. Day doesn’t accomplish anything more than hurting himself.

Of course, it wouldn’t be that easy. The dog in the vision was evolved, his hands glowed when he crushed the lump. There’s no chance Day will ever be able to do the same. He glances at the pile of rocks again and grabs another one. He pockets the two and brings his flashlight out of his pocket. He turns around and a shadow moves out of the light. Day freezes. The door he came through slams shut and clicks loudly as it’s locked.

Stupid dog that familiar voice snarls in his head. It didn’t even cross your mind that this seemed too easy did it? That every door would be unlocked? That no one would be around to stop you? How did you not smell a trap?

Stupid mutt.

Notes:

hi everyone! I am so sorry that I disappeared for two weeks. Trust me it wasn't intentional. I was at a family reunion in a campground without internet so even though I did have some spare time I couldn't write or post. I guess this was a good chance for the theorists to gather details? Or casual readers to leave a nice comment?

Either way, it's good to be posting again. Thank you all so much for your patience. You all keep me writing. See you in the next chapter!

Chapter 22: Run, Day, Run!

Notes:

WARNING: Gore, the Twisted existing in all their horribleness, and death

this chapter has a lot of moments, but I'll try to put \\\\\\\ around the worst of it. Reading might be a little clunky, but I think understandable, hopefully. Be safe, everyone!

Day shoves that voice into the corner of his mind where it should stay and tries to focus. Ok. He’s locked inside of a cave, in a secret tunnel system and only one person knows where he is and even she doesn’t know where exactly to go to find him. So, help might come for him eventually, but Day could suffocate before that happens. Or the cave could suddenly collapse on him. Or–nope. He’s going to start panicking. Focus.

Ok. Someone shut the door behind him and locked it. Somehow they got close enough to him to do that without Day hearing them. Shouldn’t he have heard something? Then again, he wasn’t really paying attention to his surroundings. Day swings his phone light around just to make sure he is actually alone. The person didn’t lock them in here together did they? After sweeping the whole cave with his light and finding himself alone, he releases a breath. He’s not going to get attacked by someone. That’s a small relief.

Day checks his phone for service, knowing full well that he doesn’t get any down here, and he’s right. No service. No keys on him except the one he used to get inside the library–wait.

If this was a trap, whoever set it knows he has a key to the library. They had to be watching him make his way down here. Who would be on campus and able to watch him and set this up without getting caught? Someone with a lot of access and knowledge about the academy…Mike Schmidt? The head of security has access everywhere, maybe even this tunnel system. He would definitely know that Day has a key for the library. Mike was the one who gave it to him with Day’s ring of keys. But…why? Is Mike secretly anti-anthro? He seems so close to the Fazbear Five, it’s hard to believe. Or he’s a really good actor. Both or possible. Day isn’t super close to the human.

Trying to figure that out is not going to help him out of his current situation. Day takes a calming breath. Ok. He can try the door and see if it really is locked. Or he can try and knock it off its hinges. It has to be a weak wooden door, right?

Day hurries to the door and pushes on it with both hands. The door doesn’t budge. Day rams into it with his shoulder, the door creaks, but doesn’t break or open. Day takes a few steps back and rams harder into the door with his shoulder. The door creaks again, but doesn’t break. Day rubs his shoulder with a frustrated growl. He could easily dislocate his shoulder if he has to keep ramming the door open like this. There’s one more thing he can try. Day takes a step back and roundhouse kicks the door right by the handle. The wood cracks enough weak light from the hallway leaks through. Day steps back again and kicks the same spot. The wood around the handle caves completely and it pulls the handle down to the ground. The door swings freely without a lock to keep it closed. Day sighs in relief and pushes it open.

The hallway is empty. Whoever locked him inside the cave seems to be long gone. Day perks his ears just in case he isn’t actually alone. He doesn’t hear anything except his own heartbeat and breathing. Day steps into the hallway and pauses.

He doesn’t know if he’ll ever be able to come back down here. Someone is aware that Day knows about this place. Chances are high that Day will be blocked from entering any of the tunnel entrances again or someone will be patrolling down here to look for intruders.

Day needs to study this cave like it’s the last time he’ll be in here because it probably will be. Day steps back into the cave, leaving the door open enough to let light filter in the cave entrance. He keeps his flashlight moving as he studies the carved walls for any signs of something on them. When he gets back beside the cart of lumps he slowly walks around it at the carved walls. Day glances up at the ceiling not expecting to find anything there and sees shapes on the ceiling. He isn’t sure if they're painted or carved, but he can tell there are shapes on the ceiling. Day lifts his phone and snaps a few pictures as clearly as he can. Trying to figure out what they are will have to come later. Day needs to get out of here before whoever locked him in here decides to check on him. Day walks back towards the broken door, but pauses. He looks at the cart of lumps.

He only took two because he assumed he would be able to come back and grab more if he needed to. Assuming he never comes back…Day scoops a handful of lumps from the top of the pile and stuffs them in different pockets. He doesn’t bother to count how many, he’ll do that later.

Day hurries to the broken door and doesn’t bother to shut it behind him. He runs back towards the tunnel exit by the pool. There is more cover and hopefully no people by that one. Day keeps his ears perked for any unnatural noises. He doesn't hear anything as he runs. When he gets to the turn for the stairs he pauses to catch his breath. He hears something. Day looks up in the opposite direction from where he came from. In the distance, barely visible around the slight curve of the hallway, the motion lights turn on.

Someone is down there. Day’s breathing hitches to stop as he freezes in place. He watches a long pick nose, stained with black liquid, slowly appear around the hallway’s curve. The Twisted turns its head in his direction. Half of its jaw is gone, so are its eyes. Only slits in the skin where eyes shoulde be. Its nostrils flare as it looks at him. Or maybe it doesn’t know he’s here yet? The head extends in Day’s direction, it’s neck longer than it should be as the head gets closer, but the body doesn’t. The head wobbles as it approaches, black starts to drip from where the other half of the jaw should be. Finally, the body appears. It’s practically skin and bones, patches of matted brown fur, and streaks of the black poison all Twisted have. Day takes a slight step back. The Twisted mole freezes, one leg still raised to take another step. The misshapen face of the mole shifts and–oh stars. It’s eyes. The slits where eyes should gush black poison as they open. Maybe there aren't eyes after all. Just pits of poison. The mole snarls, spraying more black poison on the walls and floor around it.

Day spins on a heel and runs up the stairs. He rushes up as fast as he dares without falling. He hears a screech behind him and the heavy thumps of the Twisted mole trying to follow him. Day has enough of a head start that he makes it to the door without hearing the mole get too close. He pushes the lever down and shoves the door open. The mole is closer now, Day can smell its stench. He glances over his shoulder as he stumbles through the doorway into fresh air–

Hands grab him by the shoulders and Day gasps as he looks up. Mike. The human has a flashlight dangling from his hand, the beam of light pointed at the ground. Two other security guards are standing on either side of Mike. Their flashlights are raised and focused on Day.

“Kid, what–”

 

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The stench of the Twisted becomes unbearable. Day shoves Mike with everything he has. The human falls onto his back with a surprised grunt. Day lands on top of him and rolls off just as one of the guards screams. Mike is on his feet with his gun drawn. The Twisted crouches in the doorway, Its head extended on its unnaturally long neck to bite on one of the guard’s shoulders. The human screams as it tries to pry the broken jaw off until a loud crunch silences him. The guard falls limp. The Twisted drags him back to the dark tunnel entrance.

\\\\\\

 

Day is pulled to his feet by Mike. The human has his walkie talkie raised to his mouth with his other hand. He starts pushing Day into the trees. The other guard starts to shoot at the retreating Twisted. Mike keeps shouting orders. Day gets enough sense back to start running into the trees away from danger. He feels Mike’s grip fall from his shoulder. Day keeps running until he reaches the academy sidewalks. He spins around to see who followed him. No one emerges from the trees. Day doesn't hear anymore gunshots or shouts. He takes a few deep breaths to calm down.

There is a Twisted in the academy. A Twisted got inside the academy. The academy is supposed to be safe. He has to tell Freddy. And Poppy. He needs to warn people. Day flinches as a branch breaks in the darkness of the surrounding trees. He tenses and tries to see into the thick shadows. Day can’t see anything. This is just like last halloween when–he didn’t look up. Day stills and slowly looks up towards the branches of the trees. There it is. Its beak glints in the light as it slowly leans forward on the branch it’s perched on. The raven’s feathers shimmer like they’re wet, black drops fall from it onto the ground. Its pale blue eyes are pupiless as it stares at him. Day debates what to do. Should he run? Can he outrun this thing? Can it actually fly or is it only capable of gliding?

Another branch creaks behind Day. He whips around to see another raven. This one only has the top of its beak. He whips back around as the first raven shifts on its branch. It spreads its wings and eagerly leans forward more, never breaking its stare. The second raven shifts on its branch behind him. How is he supposed to deal with two ravens? A distorted bird cry rings through his ears. Day watches a bigger raven land on the sidewalk a few steps away from him. This one is definitely the size of an evolved anthro, but with all the fun characteristics of a Twisted. Patches of feathers are gone, every move it makes causes black poison to drip from it. Its pale eyes, like the others, have no pupils and cry the black liquid poison all Twisted seem to. The big raven leans forward. Its cracked beak opens.

“Praise him,” it says in its creepy distorted voice. Day takes a wary step back. The big raven grins and lunges towards him. Day scrambles back–he isn’t going to be fast enough–something hits the raven. The baseball bat hits the raven across the beak a second time. The other two ravens in the trees screech angrily and dive towards the attacker.

“Run!” Day scrambles to his feet and grabs his savior by the arm. They run in the opposite direction from the ravens, towards most of the school buildings.

“What are you doing here?” Day pants.

“I could ask you the same thing!” Nap snarls at him. “Why are you out here in the middle of the night?”

“It's not like I would have been out here if I had a choice!”

“Oh, really? Why are you out here then?”

Day looks back to glare at the cat, but drops onto his stomach instead, taking Nap with him. One of the smaller ravens screeches in rage as it misses catching them in its claws. Nap gets to his feet and swings as another raven dives at them.

“We need to split up,” Day says as he gets to his feet. “One of us needs to alert the school–”

“No! We are not going to split up while the school is under attack,” Nap practically snarls at him. Day meets scared yellow eyes directly. The school…? He doesn’t get to say anything as another raven dives down to grab them with their claws. Day and Nap jump to opposite sides of the sidewalk instead of falling to the ground.

“Run!” Day shouts. Nap keeps pace with him, taking every chance he can to hit the Twisted birds. A loud alarm shrieks across the academy. Red lights start to flash from buildings once Day and Nap are close enough. They reach one of the academy’s intersections. Day’s blood runs cold as he looks around.

Students are running and screaming. Teachers are trying to fight off the big disfigured Twisted, but most of them aren’t fighters. Day gets close enough to see some bodies unmoving in the grass. Mostly students. Oh stars, are his friends out here?

“Nap! The others!” Day shouts. His voice cracks. Please, let them be alive. Please.

“The dorms,” Nap says determinedly. He takes Day’s hand and squeezes it. “We’ll find them.”

“Ok,” Day agrees weakly. They turn and take the blood splattered path to the dorms. Screams and shouts echo around them. Day forces himself to focus on the path in front of them. He and Nap have to dodge and weave around roaring Twisted a few times. Day notices some of the bodies don’t belong to the students.

“DAY! NAP!”

Day steers them in that direction. They run through the grass towards the side of the student building. Kickin is waving frantically. Day does a head count of the figures by him. Six. When he gets close enough to see them better he whines in relief to see his friends all there together. Kickin has black poison on his feathers. Bubba has parts of his ear shredded. Bobby is leaning against him, unconscious. Crafty is gripping Hoppy’s hand tight. The rabbit is laying on her back, unmoving. Blood and poison cover her stomach. Picky is standing with a butcher knife in front of them. Her hands shake as her gaze darts in every direction. The pig had raised her knife at them until Day spoke up.

“Easy, it’s us. Day and Nap,” Day says calmly. Picky blinks a few times before her shoulders sag.

“You’re here,” Picky says weakly.

“I thought you might have been–” Bubba cuts off. “Nevermind. We need to get out of here before the Twisted realize we’re here.”

“Agreed,” Day nods. He looks at Hoppy and Bobby. “Are they…?”

“They’re alive,” Kickin cuts in. “We need to get them help.”

“Ok,” Day takes a steadying breath. The academy is being attacked by Twisted. Sitting here and waiting for help is a death sentence. They need to get out of the academy completely. He doesn’t know about the others, but he has a car that they can use to leave. A small car that they will have to squeeze into, but it’s better than nothing. Day has to go get the keys from his room.

“We should split up,” Day tells them.

“What? NO!” Picky refuses, her knife trembling in her grip.

“Listen, I have a car in the parking lot. I have to get my key from my room. I can go get it and any medical supplies I might find for them,” Day tilts his head at Bobby and Hoppy. “The rest of you need to get to the parking lot. Nap and Picky, you are the only ones with weapons. You have to help Kickin, Bubba, and Crafty carry Bobby and Hoppy to the parking lot. I’ll be able to move faster on my own.”

“No, you shouldn’t go alone,” Nap tightens his grip on his bat. “Especially without a weapon.”

“There's no time to debate. The Twisted will be after us any moment. Go to the parking lot, it’s our only chance,” Day takes a step back. “I’ll go as fast as I can. If I take longer than ten minutes, leave me behind. Or if you find a better way. Now go!”

Day takes off before they can argue anymore. He hears shouts of his name, but ignores them. He veers towards the side of buildings to avoid running out in the open. The closer he gets to the dorms the quieter it becomes. The angel dorms look pristine compared to everywhere else in the academy. Shouts and roars come from the distance, probably towards the entrance of the academy. Day prays to the stars his friends make it.

He glances around, but doesn’t hear or see anyone around. He pulls his keycard out as he runs and clumsily taps it on the card reader. He hears heavy breathing behind him. Day pulls the door shut behind him and glances out into the shadows. Whatever was breathing is well hidden. Day turns and runs for the stairs. He doesn’t know if the elevator is working right now. He can’t chance it. He gets to his hallway and finds it empty. Thank the stars. He runs to his door and unlocks it, the beep of it unlocking loud in the silent hallway. Day winces and pushes his door open.

He scans the room quickly and sighs in relief. No one’s in here. Ok, he needs to get his keys, money and medical supplies. Clothes and toiletries would be nice, but he can buy some on the road. His friends will need some anyway. Day grabs his backpack and dumps everything in the biggest pocket onto his quilt. He reaches under his bed and grabs the medical kit hidden there. He stuffs it into his backpack. He throws his wardrobe open and grabs his jacket, Hoppy might want something to cover up with, her shirt isn’t going to be salvageable. Day stuffs that in the bag too. He opens the bottom drawer of his desk and grabs his wallet and keys. Knowing Poppy, Day should be able to get rooms for his friends at a hotel and whatever supplies they need until they get somewhere safe.

Is anywhere safe if the academy fell?

Stop, focus on right now. Day grabs his lanyard with the ring of keys and stuffs them into his pockets with the rocky lumps. He kicks the drawer shut as he stands and starts to zip his backpack closed. He looks around again for anything else. At the last second sees his phone charger. Day yanks it out of the wall and unzips a pocket on his back pack. He stuffs it in as he walks out the door. He has no idea what his phone battery is at and he absolutely needs to contact Poppy tonight. That is the last thing he’s grabbing. He needs to get out of here.

Day opens his door and checks both ends of the hallway. It’s still empty. He pulls his backpack over his shoulders as he jogs to the stairs door. He opens it and comes face to face with Ferro. The ferret blinks and black tears fall from his eyes.

“Day,” Ferro says quietly. “Do you hear him? It’s like-like he’s in my head.”

Day shakes his head silently. Ferro is infected. The thick black tears stain his fur as they fall, but Ferro’s pupil’s are still visible. Ferro opens his mouth to say something else, but his whole body twitches, a gush of black poison falls as his eyes roll. Ferro’s head tilts as he meets Day’s eyes again.

“Do you know what he made me do to Ferri?” Ferro whispers softly.

Day steps back and slams the door shut between them. Ferro slams into it, growling and clawing at the door. Day doesn’t know how to lock this door, it opens by pushing on it. The stairs were relatively safe to use because he could have jumped to another flight if it came to that. The only other way out for him now is the elevator. Can he make it down the hallway and close the elevator before Ferro catches him? His chances are slim, but it’s Day’s only option. He shifts as much as he can to run while keeping the shaking door shut behind him.

The elevator down the hall opens.

“Duck!”

Day throws himself forward and the bang of a gun fills the hallway. Day scrambles forward and away from the warmth that splatters on the back of his legs. He gets to his feet and looks behind him. Ferro has fallen onto his stomach, red blood and black poison start to pool around him. Day whips around as the shooter runs from the elevator.

“You have a gun?” Day asks.

“Move,” Ferri snarls at him as she passes. She falls to her knees by Ferro’s head.

“Fer?” she asks quietly. Ferro doesn’t move or make any kind of noise. Ferri reaches out and gently shakes his shoulder. “Fer, please.” Still nothing. “Why are you always so stub–,” Ferri cuts off, her unsteady breathing bordering on sobbing. Day reaches out to comfort her. He doesn't know what else to do to help. He barely skims her shoulder and Ferri jerks away.

“Don’t touch me!” Ferri snaps. Day flinches back a step. “I was bitten three times,” Ferri says after a breath. She lifts an arm slightly, revealing two uneven bites leaking blood and black liquid.

“Ferri,” Day whispers, horrified.

\\\\\\

“Ferro tried to fight it,” Ferri says softly as she strokes Ferro’s head. “Day, I need to ask you to do something,” Ferri whispers. “Shoot me.”

“W-what?”

“I saw Ferro get scratched a few times and bitten twice. You know he wasn’t acting right. I need you to shoot me before I start to lose my mind too.”

“But, Ferri–”

“Please,” Ferri turns to meet his eyes, her tears gray on her white fur as they fall. “Please, let me join my brother.” Ferri holds the gun out to him. Day looks between her and the gun.

“Day, don’t let me hurt anyone!” Ferri snaps. The tears falling from her eyes are getting darker. Day takes the gun.

“Are you sure?” Day asks her.

“Please,” Ferri says as she curls over her brother’s body. Day looks at the gun. Ferri is right. It’s better to kill her now before she can infect anyone else. Just like training. Day raises the gun, aims at Ferri’s head, and shoots. Her body jerks before falling sideways. Day sends a prayer to the stars for the siblings. May they shine together wherever they end up in the night sky.

\\\\\\

Not willing to delay any longer, Day hurries around the siblings and through the stairwell door. He jumps down the stairs and shoves open the door into the cool night air. He runs along the tree line, chills running down his back at the quiet that has settled over the academy. The screams and shouts from staff and students are gone. The roars of the Twisteds are silent too. Day really hopes his friends made it to the parking lot.

He tries to avoid crossing the wide open areas as much as possible. He doesn't know what might be waiting for him. He finally gets to the front of the academy. The big gates are open, both sides dangling from their hinges. Day slows as he looks around for anyone. Did he really manage to make it this far without running into a Twisted? Day relaxes a little as he steps through the gate. Now all he has to do is find the others–

“Going somewhere?”

Day stumbles forward a step and looks up to the top of the fence surrounding the academy. The big raven from before is perched there, staring at him. How did it get there? Day just scanned the fence as few seconds ago.

“Stay. He can help. The hour of joy is almost here,” the raven coos. It shifts forward, black splatters onto the ground under it. Day tries to listen for the other ravens, but instead he hears whispers behind him. He tries not to draw attention to them as Day distracts the raven.

“What is the hour of joy?” Day asks.

“The end and beginning. It’s his plan. Praise him!” the raven screeches. It dives with a thrust of its wings. Day lifts his gun and shoots the raven twice in the head. The raven falls. Day barely takes a breath before screeches and roars come from inside the academy.

Fuck.

Day turns and runs towards the whispers. He stumbles to a stop as Picky raises her knife at him. She lowers it as Day raises his hands.

“C’mon. We need to get out of here. More are coming,” Day says quietly. He gets his keys out as the others appear from the shadows of cars. Bubba is carrying a groggy Bobby. Kickin and Nap are both carrying Hoppy. Crafty has three bags with her. It’s at this moment Day realizes his car isn’t going to work. He has a small sports car. There’s no way all eight of them are going to fit inside it. Fuck.

“C’mon,” Day urges as the gates of the academy screech. Loud growls are too close for comfort. Day hurries towards his car and stops in front of a black van a few cars from his own. He turns to the others.

“Does anyone know how to hotwire a car?” Day asks quickly as he points at the black van.

“I’ll get this thing running,” Kickin carefully shifts Hoppy’s weight to Nap. The cat quickly adjusts his grip. Kickin opens the unlocked door of the van and climbs inside.

“Inside, hurry!” Day rushes over to help Nap get Hoppy into the van. Nap pulls her in as Day lifts. When Hoppy is settled on a seat, Bubba lifts Bobby inside where Nap lifts her up and settles her on a seat. Bubba climbs in with Crafty right behind him. Picky hesitates. She glances in the direction of the low growls and threatening whispers as they get closer.

“Go,” Day says with barely any volume. He pushes her towards the door and she reluctantly climbs inside. Just then the van turns on. Kickin’s triumphant ‘Yes!’ is drowned out by a roar behind them.

“Drive! I’ll be right behind you!” Day shouts as he slams the vans door shut. He runs the few cars down to his, unlocking it as he goes. He throws himself in and starts the car, slouching uncomfortably with how his backpack is making him sit forward. Day sees headlights flash across his car as the black van peels out of the parking lot. Day backs up and slams into something chasing the van. He shifts to drive and follows the black car. Something lands heavily on top of his car. Day growls under his breath and jerks the car around. He sees a shape fall from the top of his car. Day is facing the academy again. His heart stutters as his headlights illuminate someone. A tall figure covered in a cloak and hood. The Twisted have all lowered themselves to the ground around him in submission.

Day whips his car back around and races after the headlights of the van. He glances into his rearview mirror behind him, but without his headlights all he can see is darkness. Was that figure the one all of the Twisted talk about? When they say ‘praise him’, are they talking about that…shadow person?

Day takes a breath and focuses on driving. It doesn’t seem like any of the Twisted are following him, but it's better for them to drive as fast and far as they can. Day catches up to the van and pulls up beside them on the empty road. He rolls down his window and waits for Kickin to do the same.

“Follow me!” Day shouts to him. The chicken nods. Day pulls ahead of the van. He leads them onto the interstate. They pass a few cars and Day drives until he sees an exit he knows leads to a big truck stop. It’s one of those that has a lot of travel supplies for the truckers. They can get any necessities they need there. Day pulls into the parking lot and turns his car off. By the time he’s out of his car the van is just turning off. Day pulls the van door open. His conscious friends look at him, they're exhausted, scared, and worried. Day lifts himself into the van and scrambles over to Hoppy. He had hoped he was imagining the black poison on her shirt.

“She got bitten by one of those things to-to save me,” Crafty whimpers. “She’ll be ok, right?” the unicorn looks up at him with teary eyes.

Day reaches over and carefully pulls the ruined shirt up far enough to see the rabbit's wound. It does look like a bite, but only a partial one. The black poison and blood are smeared everywhere. Day doesn’t want to raise Crafty’s hopes, the last person that was bitten he had to shoot.

“I brought a med kit with me,” Day keeps his voice calm as he reaches around for his backpack. He pulls it off and takes the kit out. Bubba takes the kit from his hand with a serious frown.

“I’ll take care of them. We need others to get supplies and someone else needs to get help,” the elephant says, his voice flat and controlled.

“I’ll help you,” Crafty sniffles.

“No, I can handle–”

“I’m going to help,” Crafty snaps at the elephant. Bubba pauses and slowly nods.

“Alright, you two take care of them. Kickin, Picky, Nap, go inside and get supplies,” Day sets his bag down to find his wallet.

“Are we stealing? Cuz I don’t know about the rest of you, but I don't exactly have any money on me,” Kickin says with an unsteady tremor to his voice. Day pulls the card Poppy gave him out of his wallet and hands it to Nap.

“We need things like toothbrushes, tooth paste, food, drinks, and don’t forget a shirt for Hoppy,” Day says. Nap takes it and nods silently, his grip is tight on his bat. Day reaches down and carefully loosens the cat’s grip on the wood. Nap lets it go without a fight. Day turns to Picky and holds his hand out. The pig holds the knife away like Day is going to take it from her.

“It’s ok, they aren’t here. You can have it back as soon as you guys are done,” Days soothes. Picky’s eyes dart around before meeting his. Day keeps his posture relaxed as he holds his hand out. Picky slowly lifts the knife up and carefully puts it in Day’s hand.

“Don’t take too long in there, ok? We don’t know if those things are following us or not,” Day says quietly. They nod and hurry into the bright truck stop.

Day sets the weapons onto the floor of the van and pulls his phone out of his pocket. He dials Poppy’s number and hopes she’s available right now. He steps away from the van to the other side of his car as the phone rings. Day is about to hang up when she finally answers.

“Are you hurt? Where are you?” Poppy asks quickly.

“I’m not injured, but my friends are. We are currently at the truck stop off exit 23,” Day answers.

“How many of you are there?”

“Eight, including me.”

“Alright, Day listen. The academy has gone dark. No one can get in touch with anyone inside the academy. The capital is about to go into lockdown to protect the citizens. All the nearby cities are being put on alert. Most of the evolved are here in the capital. They are currently working on a plan to stop the Twisted.”

“All of them?”

“...The Fazbear Five are in the hospital. When they are back in fighting condition Golden Fazbear will be taking the lead. Freddy is…unconscious. It’s unclear if he will wake up any time soon.”

“Oh,” Day can’t help but whisper.

“I’ll try to get him as much help as I can. Stars know we need him right now. Do you need me to send you anything? Where are you going to go?”

“I, uh,” Day forces his mind not to worry and focus on what comes next. “We need somewhere to stay. Can I take them to the mansion? I assume you won’t be going there for a while?”

“That’s fine, but the Twisted are aware of its location. Are you sure?”

“No,” Day admits. “The only other option is to leave the area as soon as we can, but where should we go?”

“With as many friends as you managed to save, maybe ask them? Some of them may wish to be with family right now,” Poppy says calmly. That’s a good idea. Day knows how family oriented Kickin and Picky are, the others are probably worried too.

“I think, first we should find somewhere to recover. Then we drive to wherever they want to go,” Day agrees quietly. He wishes he could be with Poppy right now when everything is so crazy. They won’t be able to meet in person for a while, Day already knows. “Have you heard from Kissy? I haven’t had contact with her for a few hours,” Day turns to stare at the mostly empty interstate. He prays she made it out.

“Kissy will be fine,” Poppy dismisses easily.

“Are you sure?”

“There’s a reason she passed every test I had to become your bodyguard. I’d be more concerned about what she’s going to do when she finds you,” Poppy’s attempt at a joke falls flat. Day just doesn’t have the energy right now. “Is there anything else you need?” she asks, trying to move past the awkward moment.

“We need Marion or Alice. Everyone seems to have been in contact with the Twisteds poison. Angel healing is what we need right now,” Day says with a glance at the van. He can see Crafty’s horn catch light from one of the street lamps around the truck stop.

“Shit,” Poppy hisses. “Day, I’ve lost contact with Bendy. He would know where to find an angel. Or at least be able to track one down. I’ll see what I can do. For now, get somewhere safe as fast as you can. I’ll contact you soon.”

“Ok, be safe,” Day says quietly.

“You be safe, Day.”

The call ends. Day frowns down at it. He needs to get one of the angels here now. Day doesn’t know how to stop the poison from spreading. Kickin had the stuff on his feathers, Hoppy was covered in it. Day didn’t look too closely at the others yet. They could all get infected by each other. Day needs to hurry. Where could the angels be? Marion is probably with Freddy right now. Alice might be…with Bendy. Who gave Day a notebook to contact him with.

Day unzips the front pocket of his backpack where the small sketch book the demon gave him was put to keep it safe. Day is glad he was in such a hurry, he didn’t completely empty out his bag. Day flips to the first page and grabs a pen at the bottom of his bag. He hesitates before writing.

 

 

Bendy, I need your help. My friends have been infected by Twisted. If you know where Alice is, please bring her immediately. We’re at a truck stop off of exit 23 by the capital.

It’s Daylight

 

 

Day stares at the page when he’s done. He isn’t sure what is supposed to happen now. Will Bendy pop out of the paper or something? After staring for a few seconds Day slides it back into the smaller backpack pocket with the pen and hurries back to the van. He can’t sit here and keep waiting. He doesn’t know if the Twisted are coming after them or not.

Not to mention Hoppy is almost certainly infected. Who knows how long they have until she wakes up? If she’ll attack them when she does. Shit, this night can’t get any worse can it?

The universe, the very cruel universe, decides to accept his challenge.

“Hoppy, stop!”

“Quick, hold her down!”

Fuck. Day shouldn’t have thought that.

Notes:

'Ello! We haven't really had any gore for while have we? I fixed that. I just want to remind everyone about the tags. I try to warn about the worst of it, but I don't think I can get everything. Sorry if anyone gets ambushed by the darker tags. I'll keep trying.

On a different note, some of you may have noticed the chapters are a little shorter than they used to be. I am going to warn everyone now, I think that will be a more common as fall gets closer. It's still over 5k so it's not too short, right?

Finally, thank you all for being so understanding about the gap between the last chapter and the one before it. I felt bad for leaving you all hanging. I'm just glad this story wasn't deserted by you lovely readers. As always, thank you for all the love you've shown this story. See you in the next chapter!

Chapter 23: Planning for the Apocalypse

Notes:

WARNING: Gore

Not much, but enough to give a warning, I think. Be safe, everyone!

Day stuffs everything back into his backpack, but doesn’t bother closing it as he runs to the van. He doesn’t quite make it before Crafty stumbles past the line of cars into the open.

“Please, Hoppy!” the unicorn cries over her shoulder. With her attention behind her, Crafty doesn't see the pothole and trips over it. Hoppy lurches out of the shadows between cars, her body not moving naturally.

“Praise him,” Hoppy rasps as she darts forward. Day rushes at her and uses his shoulder to knock her over. Hoppy lands hard on her side. Day hurries over to Crafty and helps her up.

“Did she bite or scratch you?” Day asks quickly. Crafty shakes her head, her grip painfully tight on Day’s arm. He looks past Hoppy towards the van. “Where’s Bub–”

“Bobby, snap out of it!” Bubba practically begs. His voice is close to the van. “Please, I don’t want to hurt you.”

“Bobby is acting weird too,” Crafty whispers. She flinches as Hoppy jerkily gets back to her feet and bares her teeth at them. Gray tears are falling from her face. Day takes a step back, he doesn’t have any weapons on him. They're in the van. Not that he wants to hurt Hoppy or Bobby. What is he supposed to do?

“Bubba!” Day yells toward the van. He slips his backpack off and tosses it towards the cars to avoid getting damaged.

“What!” Bubba yells back, scared and frustrated.

“Lure Bobby over here!”

He doesn't get a verbal answer, but Bubba carefully backs out of the line of cars towards them. His attention is focused on Bobby who almost trips with how unsteady her steps are. Day grabs Hoppy’s arm to keep her attention away from Bubba. The rabbit immediately lunges forward and bites down on his forearm. Day grits his teeth, but doesn’t shake her off.

“Day!” Crafty cries.

“It’s fine,” Day tries to assure her. His angel blood will help fight the poison in his system. It’s better for him to get bitten than his friends. Bubba turns and stumbles to them, Bobby hot on his heels. Day reaches out to grab Bobby’s arm when she’s close enough. The bear turns, her fangs bared to bite him, but sways to the side when the ground under them starts to move. Instead of sturdy concrete, Day sees black liquid rising from their feet, swirling around them.

“Bendy,” Day whispers. His message did get through.

The black magic swirling at their feet shoots up and wraps around Bobby’s hands and feet, keeping her in place. More of the liquid magic wraps around Hoppy and pulls her off of Day. Day whimpers as a chunk of his arm goes with the rabbit.

A tall figure emerges from the swirl of magic, his horns glint faintly from the truck stop lights. Bendy’s sepia colored eyes sweep over them. He lifts a clawed hand and two figures are lifted from the black pool of magic. Alice, thank the stars, and Boris, the wolf Day met at the hospital. Alice’s gaze lands on Hoppy and Bobby. The angel rushes over to them. Boris stays close to Bendy, his ears perked, shoulders tense, his gaze scans over the parking lot.

“How long have they been like this?” Alice asks as she stops in front of Hoppy, her hands glowing with magic.

“The bite was forty-five minutes ago for Hoppy, she fell unconscious soon after getting knocked into a wall and woke up two minutes ago. Bobby was scratched forty-two minutes ago and was hit on the head. She woke up one minute ago,” Bubba says quickly.

“Has anyone else been hurt?” Alice asks as she puts her hand over Hoppy’s chest. The rabbit snarls and lunges at the angel, but more black magic whips out of the vortex at their feet and wraps around the rabbit, keeping her from biting anyone or moving much at all. After keeping her hand on Hoppy’s chest for a minute, Alice slowly pulls it away. Her magic surrounds the poisonous black liquid. Hoppy full body twitches before collapsing, the black magic at their feet catches her, keeping her from hurting herself.

“Bendy,” Alice says in a strained voice. The dark magic lifts up a vial that Alice carefully puts the black liquid into. The demon has yet to say anything. Alice takes a deep breath and hurries over to Bobby to repeat the process, the bear’s mouth is already covered by Bendy’s magic along with her limbs. Bobby snarls at Alice the whole time the angel has her magic coated hand pressed against her chest. Alice removes more poison. Bobby jerks like a puppet and collapses too. Another vial is lifted and Alice carefully puts it away too.

“No one answered my question,” Alice says as she turns to look at them.

“Crafty and Bubba need to be looked over for any bites or scratches. We need to get the others from inside,” Day is quick to tell her, nodding towards the truck stop. Bubba’s ears are scratched and Kickin is still has the poison on his feathers–

“Day was bitten,” Crafty says to the angel. Day shakes his head, the others should be first. His angel blood will hold off the infection.

“It can wait. The others should be checked first–”

“You’re bleeding all over the ground,” Bubba snaps. Day flinches at the barely restrained fury in the elephant’s voice. Bubba is the most even tempered person in their group.

“Day, let me see,” Alice says firmly. She doesn’t wait for an answer as she gently lifts the arm Day was clutching tightly with his free hand. Alice pushes back his bloody sleeve. Day winces at the wound that looks much worse than it feels. Or felt. The adrenaline must be wearing off. It’s starting to hurt the longer he stares at it. Actually, he’s a little light headed too. Shit. Maybe he lost more blood than he realized. A big chunk is missing from his arm.

“Day,” Crafty gasps, covering her mouth. Bubba’s hands curl into fists.

“I’m fine,” Day assures them. He’s just a little dizzy. Maybe the pain is starting to become the only thing he can think about, but he’s in better shape than Hoppy and Bobby.

“How many of you are there?” Boris asks as his attention focuses on their van.

“There are three more of us,” Bubba is quick to put himself between Boris and the van. A moment later, their three friends can be heard.

“Guys!” Kickin yells.

“We’re coming!” Picky says to no one in particular. Nap doesn’t say anything. He’s ok, isn’t he? Day turns to watch for the cat, but the world spins a little. Footsteps pound on the pavement as their friends rush over.

“Day, are you dizzy right now?” Alice asks quietly. She steps into Day’s view to meet his eyes. “Day?”

“I–” Day tries to look behind her, but the world spins some more. “I’m dizzy,” he whispers. He closes his eyes to keep the world from spinning. Alice sounds very far away when she asks another question. Day doesn’t catch her question either. He sinks into the darkness.

 

/

 

Day becomes aware slowly. The memories of the last few hours swarm his mind. He was exploring the tunnel system under the academy. Twisted attacked the academy, killed teachers and students, and it’s unknown how many people survived the attack. Poppy said the Fazbear Five survived and so did Bendy, Alice, and Boris. For all Day knows they’re the only ones who survived.

At least Day’s friends survived. Saving eight people has to be a good thing. Alice was able to heal them of injuries and the poison. Day managed to grab some lumps…the lumps. The vision in the cave where the squirrel swallowed a lump and evolved. They might…his friends might have to evolve to survive. The Twisted outnumber the evolved anthros. Cities are in lockdown. Evolution might be their only hope.

“Is he awake?” Crafty asks softly. Day keeps his breathing even as he listens to light footsteps approach.

“I don’t know,” Nap says even softer. A hand lifts one of Day’s and cradles it. Nothing more is said. Footsteps slowly fade away as silence fills the room. Day doesn’t do well with silence and he needs to know what happened after he passed out. Day slowly blinks his eyes open. Cute, purple triangle ears are the first things he sees. They twitch before their owner leans up to obscure Day’s vision.

“Hi,” Day croaks. His throat is dry, hopefully he can get some water.

“Hi,” Nap wobbly grins back. The hand holding Day’s squeezes. “Welcome back to the world of the living. Can I ask why you keep trying to leave it?”

“What do you mean? People are just dying to leave,” Day jokes. Nap gives him a frown as Day winces at the poor joke. It’s really too soon. “Where are we? Are the others ok?”

“Bendy teleported all of us into the Fazbear mansion. Alice healed everyone, but she’s currently recovering from overusing her magic. She’s going to be out for the next day or two. You’ve been unconscious since last night. It’s almost noon on Sunday.”

“The Fazbear mansion?” Day asks as he sits up. He’s in a small, but fancy bedroom. He and Nap are the only ones here.

“Bendy said this mansion is the safest place to be because all the Fazbears are here. You know how common it is in their family to evolve,” Nap rolls his eyes.

“Freddy?” Day asks, sitting up. Is Freddy better now? He squeezes Nap’s hand. “Is he still…?”

“I haven’t seen him,” Nap admits. “but he’s alive and in the mansion somewhere. He was in the hospital until it was attacked. His family brought him here. As far as I know he’s still in a coma.”

“He’s alive,” Day whispers, relieved. If Freddy died…

“Yes, so are Hoppy and Bobby. They can’t seem to remember much about what happened while they were poisoned. Hoppy is ready to run into the city, guns blazing and Bobby is trying to keep everyone’s spirits up.”

“Wait, the hospital was attacked?”

“Early this morning all of the hospitals in the capital were attacked by Twisted. Last I knew most of the patients were evacuated,” Nap looks down. He lets go of Day’s hand to rub his eyes.

“How could they attack hospitals?” Day asks horrified. “How could a hospital be a threat!”

“Maybe they were searching for Freddy,” Nap mutters. “It’s not like anyone knew which hospital he was in. They had to attack them all to find him.”

“That's no excuse,” Day snaps. “There is no excuse to kill thousands of people.”

Nap pauses and lowers his hands to look at Day. Those yellow eyes have a hint of distance in them for a moment before Nap closes them.

“You’re right,” Nap agrees before moving on. “Do you feel like getting up? You should eat and drink something. You lost a lot of blood.”

“I want to move,” Day throws the blankets off of his legs. It was harder than it should have been to crawl out of the very comfy king sized bed. If the situation was better he might have taken a nice long nap in it. With a certain cat. Maybe. Right now, with his injury still fresh he would rather be up and moving. He does not want to be stuck like he was in the wheelchair.

When Day stands from the bed he takes a second to stretch his muscles. He can feel a twinge from his arm that was bitten. He lowers it and carefully turns it under a beam of sunlight from the window. A patch of fur is gone and his healed skin looks pink. It’s sensitive when Day carefully pokes it. Angel healing is really impressive. Day is probably experiencing it more often than he should.

“Ready?” Nap asks, hovering close.

“Yeah, do you think we can see Freddy first?”

“Probably not until we talk to his family. Besides, the others want to see you. Hoppy feels terrible about what she did.”

“She’s awake already? Wait–who told her? She wasn’t in her right mind!”

“It’s hard to mistake the taste of blood,” Nap says coldly. Day pauses to turn and meet his eyes. Nap has been acting weird since school started. He’s lied to Day’s face and now he’s being snippier than usual. This might be the only chance Day has to figure out what is going on with the feline. Nap meets his eyes. They stare at each other, the usually warm connection between them cold and strained. Nap’s eyes start to get that coldness Day hasn’t seen since the beginning of last year.

“Like I said, Alice used a lot of magic to heal everyone. She spent most of it on Hoppy and Bobby. We hoped they could tell us about this mysterious him, but they can't remember much,” Nap suddenly explains. He stands from the chair beside Day’s bed and strolls to the door. He’s too casual as he walks into the hall. Day follows unconsciously, his mind trying to figure out what’s wrong. He doesn’t know what to say. He doesn’t know how to get rid of that coldness in the cat’s eyes now. He doesn't know what’s causing it.

“Daylight?”

Day pauses in the hall, turning towards the voice. Boris is walking down the hall with a basket of laundry in his hands. His ears flick as he takes in the way Nap and Day are standing. His tail slows down from its excited wag. “Is everything ok?”

“It’s fine,” Nap shrugs and steps around Day. “Is everyone mostly in the living room? I was just going to take Day to see them.”

“Nap–” Day tries.

“We definitely want to catch as many of them as we can to let them know Day is awake,” Nap continues. “C’mon, Day.”

The cat starts down the stairs without a backwards glance. Day stares after him, shocked at the abrupt dismissal. Nap has never done that before. Even when they weren’t even friends. He’s never been that cold. The shock turns to anger as the cat disappears down the stairs completely. Day knows last night was stressful and the world as they knew it has been turned upside down, but that doesn’t mean Nap gets to treat Day like-like Day is going to obey him. Screw you, Nap!

“Hey kid,” Boris steps closer. He shifts the basket to one arm and holds out his other in an invitation. Day stares for a second before the anger drains out of him. He steps into the one armed hug and shuts his eyes as he squeezes the wolf. He sniffs at Boris’s neck and Boris does the same to Day. The wolf still smells like gasoline and ink. After a second, Day opens his eyes and sees yellow eyes attached to a frown. Nap has his arms crossed where he waits on the top step. Look at that, he came back. Day ignores the cat to reluctantly pull out of the hug. He’s tired and would really like to see Freddy. To see the bear’s chest moving and feel the heat of life under his fur.

“Boris? Can I see Freddy? Just for a minute, please?”

“Sorry, kid, you should ask his family. It’s not my place to make that decision. I will tell you he’s not in any danger of…passing away right now.”

“Oh,” Day whispers. “Ok.”

“Remember, if you need to talk, I’ll be around,” Boris ruffles the fur on Day’s head affectionately.

“Thanks, Boris,” Day can’t help but lean into the touch. It’s relaxing to get physical comfort after all of this.

“Ahem,” Nap says loudly from the stairs.

“I better go,” Day says with a small smile. He pulls away from the wolf and waves as he walks the rest of the way down the hallway to the staircase.

“Later, kid,” Boris says as he shifts the basket around and continues on his way. Nap is grumpy when Day passes him, but the coldness in his gaze is gone now. Day has to get to the bottom of that, but it doesn’t look like it’s going to happen right now. He steps off the stairs onto a smooth wooden floor and a chorus of voices call his name. He steps through the nearest doorway into a large room with a giant TV and very plush couches. The room is modern in design, sleek and metallic.

“I’m sorry!” Hoppy cries and dashes across the room into his arms. Her grip is uncomfortably tight as she squeezes him. The worst thing starts to happen next. Hoppy starts to shake in Day’s arms and his shoulder gets damp.

“Whoa, hey!” Day quickly squeezes her back. “Don’t cry, Hoppy.”

“I’m sorry. I never–I can’t believe I–” Hoppy cuts off with a choked gasp. She buries her face back in his shoulder.

“Shh, it’s ok. I know it wasn’t you,” Day whispers.

“I-I can still taste the blood,” Hoppy hiccups, her body starting to shake. “It’s –I don’t–”

“Breathe, Hoppy,” Day murmurs. He rubs her back as she cries into his shoulder. Day really wishes he would stop seeing his friends cry. Especially Hoppy, arguably the strongest of them. Day glances up to see the rest of his friends hovering nearby.

“Well, come on,” Day tells them with a strained grin. “Group hug.”

No further prompting is needed. They all gather around and hug each other tightly. Hoppy sobs harder. Bobby can’t hold back, her sobbed apologies join Hoppy’s. There’s more sniffles and wiping of eyes. Day glances at Nap. The cat looks pained, but no sound or tears escaped him. The group stays like that for a solid minute, supporting each other. They were so close to losing each other last night.

“Stop being a creep and let them know you’re here, demon,” Cup drawls. Day and his friends jump at the sudden interruption. The doorway he walked through has Cup looming over a cutely disguised Bendy.

“I was trying to make some observations,” Bendy sighs. The demon walks through the room, giving Day and his friends space, and hops up onto the window bench to the right side of the room. Cup pinches the bridge of his nose and looks behind him.

“Mugs! We found the kids,” Cup calls down the hall.

“Coming!” Mugs calls back. A few seconds later the bluehead enters the room with a shy smile at them. Behind him is Marion, and two of Freddy’s brothers.

Theodore Fazbear, the second oldest of the brothers, born after the twins, sweeps his gaze over the room. His expression is so similar to Freddy’s, but Teddy’s fur is a few shades lighter, his features just a little more feminine. The other brother is Gabriel Fazbear, the youngest Fazbear, he’s only a few years older than Day. Glammy Fazbear’s fur is a shade or two lighter than Teddy’s. Somehow, he’s taller than all of his brothers, except the twins. A little more muscle shows through his clothes. Maybe it’s because he’s the youngest?

“Children, it’s good to see you,” Marion looks them over with a critical eye.

“We need you all to tell us what happened last night,” Teddy Fazbear says as he looks them over a little suspiciously. “And we need to discuss what happens next.”

“Teddy,” Glammy Fazbear frowns at him. “They’re just kids, take it easy.”

“In case you hadn’t noticed,” Teddy growls as he turns to his brother. “Cities are in lockdown. People are terrified. Our family and friends are going out there to fight with the odds stacked against them. Now we have a large number of students that somehow make out of the academy unharmed–”

“We weren’t unharmed,” Day can’t help but cut in. Teddy jolts and looks over at him. Maybe it’s because his friends are still close from their hug or maybe it’s because of how close his friends got to turning into a Twisted, but Day can’t stop himself from making sure everything is set straight.

“Hoppy and Bobby were infected last night, but Miss Alice removed the poison and healed all of us. We barely made it out,” Bubba adds, his voice cold.

“Teddy didn’t mean it like that. I’m sorry it seemed that way,” Glammy apologizes.

“Yes, I–” Teddy takes a breath–“am not functioning at my best, apologies,” Teddy rubs the bridge of his nose, his shoulders slumping. “We would like to hear what happened to you all last night and we will fill you in on the current state of things.”

“Ok,” Bubba agrees. Bobby takes the elephant’s hand and leans against his arm. Bubba takes a breath before he starts. “Kickin and I, we’re roommates, heard the alarms go off and ran out of the dorms with everyone else. Those…Twisted were outside, they attacked everyone they could. The only reason Kickin and I are here is because we were towards the back of the crowd. I wanted to get to the girls dorm so we could help our friends,” Bubba nods to their group in general. He shifts just enough to lean against Bobby’s arm.

“Yeah, they met us half way and we knew we had to get to some kind of shelter. We had to run through an open area and Nightmare–er, Mr. Insomnia, fought off the raccoon that attacked us. We went to the student building because Bubba had a key to the building, so we were going to hide out there,” Kickin continues.

“Hoppy was hurt when I tripped. She fought off the wolf that was going to bite me as we ran out of the dorms,” Crafty says quietly. She wraps her arms around herself.

“Bobby was hit after pushing Kickin out of the way of a hawk that dove to grab him,” Picky adds hesitantly. “I managed to grab a knife to use as a weapon. We were trying to figure out what to do next with two of our friends unconscious.”

“Then, Day and Nap showed up,” Bubba turns to Day. Day turns to Nap, wondering how the cat got to the pool of all places.

“Day and I were trying to study last night and heard the alarms too. We were in the angel dorms so there wasn’t an ambush waiting for us like there was for you guys,” Nap looks at the rest of their group. Day doesn’t contradict him. The false story works in Day’s favor, but why would Nap lie? What was he really doing?

“Why wouldn’t there be an ambush?” Teddy asks, frowning. “What do you mean angel dorms?”

“The academy had the students split by blood this year. Pure blooded anthros, half angels, and half demons were in different dorms. The angel dorms had four members,” Bendy explains from his spot by the window. Somehow, he has another mug in his hand that he takes a small sip from.

“What?” Teddy turns on Marion. “Why? How did no one think to mention this?”

“That doesn’t really matter anymore, does it?” Cup rolls his eyes. “I’m more focused on why those two-” Cup points at Day and Nap, “-didn’t run into the other angel students in the angel dorms when they were escaping. Especially a friend,” Cup points at Crafty.

“I-I was staying with H-Hoppy last night. We were going to meet up with everyone before leaving for the capital,” Crafty says with a hint of a flush. She takes a breath and continues. “I wasn’t at the angel dorm after curfew.”

“Why were you leaving for the capital?” Teddy asks.

“It was Sunday,” Hoppy crosses her arms. Teddy frowns in confusion at her. Glammy sighs and rubs his eyes.

“Teddy, the students get Sunday off from classes. A bus takes them to the capital for the day,” Glammy explains patiently.

“Well, some of us haven’t been in school for a few years, Glams,” Teddy rolls his eyes.

“Just a few years?” Glammy raises an eyebrow at his brother.

“You’re going to pay for that in training,” Teddy promises him with narrowed eyes.

“Whatever you say, old man,” Glammy grins mischievously. Day realizes he and everyone else has relaxed a little with the sibling banter.

“Anyway,” Teddy turns back to them. “How did you all get out of the academy?”

“We snuck out of the academy with other students as the teachers tried to fight the Twisted off,” Bubba takes a deep breath. “There were very few students who made it out of those gates. I don’t know what happened to the teachers.”

A beat of silence descends on the room. Day looks around and realizes Bendy and Marion, both teachers, are here. So are Boris and Alice, even if she isn’t technically a teacher. The Fazbear Five made it out, even though Day hasn’t seen them yet. There’s someone he hasn’t seen or heard a word about in Day’s mental checklist.

“Where’s Nightmare?” Day asks Marion. She pauses for a moment before lowering her head slightly.

“He and I were fighting to get students to the gates. We got separated by a pack of Twisted wolves. I couldn’t go to him, I had to get the students out of the academy. When I went back for him…” Marion closes her eyes. “I didn’t find him. I don’t know where he is and there’s been no contact from him.”

“They took down Nightmare?” Glammy asks, horrified.

“These terrible odds just keep getting worse,” Teddy mutters as he slips his phone out and starts typing.

“We can’t afford to lose any more evolved,” Bendy says quietly at the window. Everyone hears his voice anyway.

“They aren’t the only ones that can fight,” Cup snaps at him.

“The evolved are the only ones that are immune to the poison,” Bendy meets the redhead’s eyes.

“What do you mean?” Bubba asks. “Anyone who isn’t evolved can be infected?”

“Not exactly,” Bendy meets Marion’s eyes, setting his mug on the window sill. The angel sighs and nods to him. “The poison that makes Twisted,” Bendy starts, turning in his seat so he’s facing the room. “Only changes unevolved anthros into Twisted, but the poison kills everyone else. Angels, demons, humans, they get sick and die when the poison gets in their system. Evolved anthros aren’t affected by the poison.”

“Why?” Mug asks. Day kinda forgot he was here. He’s so quiet.

“We don’t know,” Marion answers. “The Twisted turned the world upside down before we could figure that out. We also didn’t get the chance to find a way to reverse the effects of those who were turned completely. We do know, thankfully, that the poison takes an hour to fully infect someone.” Marion turns to look at Hoppy and Bobby specifically. “If Alice had reached you both ten minutes later, it would have been too late.”

“Oh,” Bobby whispers. She leans more heavily on Bubba. The elephant wraps an arm around her shoulder in comfort. Hoppy sucks in a sharp breath and lets it out slowly. Crafty hesitates for a moment before taking the rabbit’s hand and squeezing. Hoppy looks at her and relaxes just a little.

“What happened after the academy was attacked?” Nap asks. The adults in the room glance at each other uneasily.

“All the major cities in the country have gone on lockdown. The public has been warned of the danger of going outside. The places that haven’t been attacked by Twisted are on high alert. The government is trying to put together forces of non-anthro groups to fight the Twisted, trying to stop more of those monsters from being created,” Teddy explains.

“We need more evolved anthros,” Bendy says to no one specific. He looks at Glammy and Teddy, the only evolved anthros in the room.

“I-it’s not that easy,” Glammy says, moving his hands nervously as he talks. “It can’t be done outside of the academy–”

“That’s why the Twisted took control of it,” Cup crosses his arms.

“–and we can’t tell you how to do it. Who would we even transform?”

“We have eight anthros right here who can evolve,” Bendy says as he stands. “I’m more curious why, in an emergency like this, you won’t tell us?”

Teddy and Glammy look at each other, a silent conversation happening Day can only guess at. Bendy chuckles, but it’s deeper than it should be. A large shadow is cast over the room as Bendy stops a few feet from the bear brothers.

“Even if we did, those children are not ready to–”

“You can’t tell us can you? Whatever oath you took or curse you accepted will physically stop you, won’t it?” Bendy says amusement dripping from his tone. His disguise ripples as he grows into the taller form Day recognizes. Magic starts to build in the air. Bendy leans over the brothers, his horns somehow not scraping against the ceiling.

“Demon,” Cup warns, his stance changing. Glammy holds an arm in front of his brother, his gaze meets Bendy’s steadily.

“We can’t say how it’s done or do it ourselves. What is needed for the transformation is in the academy. We can’t evolve them–” Glammy waves his free hand at Day and his friends, “–even if we wanted to. We need to come up with something else.”

“Evolved anthros are the best bet we have,” Bendy says slowly, as if speaking to a child.

“You would send eight children to their deaths?” Teddy snaps at the demon. Bendy flinches before growling. Unlike Teddy’s or anyone else's growls, the demon’s vibrates in the air around him. Everyone in the room tenses.

“Bendy,” Cup warns coldly. For some reason, he holds up his index finger like a threat. Mugs copies him, his face set in a frown. The smell of magic is overwhelming.

Day tunes out of the conversation. He slides his hand down and rests it on a pocket with the lumps. These rocks have to be the key to evolution, or at least part of the process. He and his friends are needed now more than ever. The apocalypse is knocking at their door. Poppy said she needs a way to fight the Twisted, so even if Day has to use all of these, it’s the right choice. It would be the right thing to show everyone he has the-the evolution rocks and he believes his friends are capable of protecting people. It’s the right choice.

Isn’t it?

“–without Freddy Fazbear and his group–” Mug is saying calmly.

Freddy. What would Freddy do? He wouldn’t want students to get hurt. He never wanted Day to get hurt. Freddy wouldn’t want his family to be hurt most of all and his family is in danger right now, all the evolved are. Even if Freddy wouldn’t like it, he would know that everyone, the students and his family, have a better chance in this fight if there are more of them. The odds would still be stacked against them, but there would be hope.

They need hope.

“Are these what we need to evolve?” Day asks, interrupting Teddy. Day lifts one of the lumps out of his pocket and holds it up for everyone to see. Glammy chokes on air and Teddy hisses out a breath. Neither of them say anything as they stare at the rock in Day’s fingers.

“Day?” Nap asks uneasily. Bendy turns sharpy to look at Day and the lump. Day takes a breath.

“I found these in a cave under the academy–”

“What the hell were you doing down there?” Teddy practically snarls.

“–where drawings showed an anthro swallowing this and evolving,” Day lies while watching the brothers closely. Glammy and Teddy glance at each other, panic in their gazes.

“Swallowing a rock?” Marion murmurs under her breath. Cup and Mugs glance at each other, also confused. Bendy steps forward and reaches for the lump, but stops. His claws hover just above the rock, but don’t touch.

“Is this true?” Bubba asks, wary.

“If the drawings on the cave walls are–” Day starts.

“No!” Teddy snaps. “None of you are going to s-swa–do anything with those rocks! There’s only one, anyway, so it’s not–”

Day moves the rock he’s holding to his other hand before reaching into the same pocket and taking out a handful of the lumps.

“No,” Glammy breathes, defeated.

Notes:

I don't think I've put this anywhere and some people might be confused. So here's a list of the Fazbear brothers from oldest to youngest:
Freddy & Goldie = Freddy and Golden Freddy from FNAF 1
Teddy = Toy Freddy from FNAF 2
Simon = Funtime Freddy from Sister Location
Glammy = Glamrock Freddy from Security Breach
I haven't mentioned Simon yet, but he will probably show up later. None of the other many Freddy's will be in this, that's just too many Freddys for me to keep track of in a Poppy playtime fic.

Second note, it isn't my fault this time that the chapter is later than I wanted it to be. When I was going to post it AO3 went down. I tried to post it again the next day and it went down again. At least it did for me. So I'm doing it now when things are probably working.

Third note, rough seas ahead! Good luck.

Chapter 24: Your Anthro Digivolves to...!

“Everyone sit,” Teddy sighs, sounding much older than he is. Glammy looks just as tired next to him. Day’s friends follow Day’s lead and claim their own seats. He puts the lumps back in his pocket as he moves to a seat. The room is tense and uncomfortable as everyone gets themselves situated. Day glances at Bendy, the demon’s expression is neutral. Is that a good thing?

“Ok,” Teddy mutters, scrubbing a hand over his eyes. “Ok, from the beginning.” He takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly, dropping his hand and looking over at Day and his friends seriously. Now the bear looking at them is not the exhausted brother of Freddy, but a soldier on a mission.

“Listen carefully, evolving is a permanent choice. Once you evolve there is no going back to how you are now. It can’t be undone. Ask yourself if you really want to evolve before you make a decision. Second, this is a choice. Your choice. No matter what anyone says, you get to decide if you want to evolve,” Teddy tells them seriously. “You can always say no.”

Silence answers him. Day looks at his friends, not sure if they really want to evolve. He always assumed everyone at the academy does, but that isn’t necessarily true. Day also knows that if it wasn’t an emergency, he would never have felt this kind of pressure to evolve. Not even after Teddy’s reassurances. His friends must be feeling the same pressure. Bubba and Bobby are looking at each other, a silent conversation happening. Kickin is looking around nervously, Picky reaches over to settle a hand on his arm. Hoppy frowns at the table, her posture tense, Crafty watches her for a moment before looking around like Day. Nap…Nap is looking at Day. His eyebrows are furrowed like he's trying to figure something out as Day meets his gaze directly.

“I will,” Crafty’s voice breaks the silence. “I will evolve.”

“So will I,” Hoppy is quick to agree.

“Us as well,” Bobby adds, taking Bubba’s hand in hers.

“Same,” Kickin sits straighter.

“Agreed,” Picky says after a breath.

Day, still watching Nap in the corner of his eye, sees the cat slowly nod.

“Let’s do this,” Day turns to fully face the Fazbears. They need to do this to save the world.

“Please, think about this carefully,” Teddy asks them.

“WE don’t have time,” Day shakes his head a little. “We wouldn’t be considering doing this so suddenly if it wasn’t for the Twisted. Losing any evolved is dangerous. Adding more will help our odds.”

“YOur still kids,” Teddy argues.

“Kids who have seen Twisted rip apart students and teachers. Kids who want to protect ourselves and others from the world ending,” Day tells him, carefully keeping any accusations from his tone.

Teddy looks at Day for a moment before sighing, exhausted and resigned. It looks like he didn’t want them to say yes. Glammy leans over and squeezes Teddy’s hand before focusing on them.

“As Bendy pointed out earlier, we can’t guide you through this. We’re…bound to silence. Day, you should use those drawings you saw in the cave as a guide. Plus, Marion and Bendy are here. Both are powerful and should be able to help you.”

“We just swallow some rocks?” Kickin asks. Day reaches into his pocket and pulls out one of the lumps. He doesn’t actually know what the drawings in the cave were about, everything he’s said is from the vision he had months ago. He needs to look at the pictures he took as soon as he gets a chance. Does this mean Glammy and Teddy haven’t actually been in the cave? Or was Day’s fib right? Something to figure out later.

In the vision, he saw the dog crush the lump so the outside of it crumbled off and the gem inside was revealed. They should probably do that. It’ll be easier to swallow at least. Would the bear brothers be willing to do it? Day glances at the uneasy brothers watching the lump in Day’s hand. Day looks around the room and his gaze lands on Bendy, the demon raises an brow when their eyes meet.

“Will you squeeze this until the outside falls away?” Day asks him. The demon’s second brow joins the first. He offers his clawed hand out for Day to put the lump on. Day carefully sets it down and Bendy curls his hand around it. Bendy’s fingers flex before opening. In his palm is a round sparkling green orb, parts of the lumpy rock surface still cling to it, but most of it has fallen into pieces in Bendy’s palm. Gasps fill the room. In the corner of his eye, Day sees the Fazbear brothers look at each other quickly, like they’re confused. Why would they be confused?

“Ah,” Bendy grins. He reaches down beside himself with his free hand and lifts it back up with a towel. He carefully chips off the rock clinging to the orb and wipes it free of dirt. The demon holds it out to Day.

“So, uh,” Day takes the orb carefully with his fingers. “Who wants to go first?” Day asks his friends. A moment of hesitation ends when Picky stands from her chair. She walks over with her shoulders back.

“I will,” Picky reaches out for the orb–

“Wait!” Glammy stands from his chair. “Let’s do this outside and get you all robes.”

Day watches as Marion and Glammy disappear out of the room. Teddy sighs and motions for the others to follow him towards a sliding door that leads out to a large patio with cushioned metal chairs and a fire pit. Past the edge of the patio is a beautiful garden with bees and butterflies drifting between flowers. If Day hadn’t seen the apocalypse start first hand, he would think it was just a nightmare and everything right now was fine.

“You might want to sit for this,” Teddy advises Picky, stepping aside to let her pass him for the chairs. Picky nods and steps over to sit in the evolved sized chairs. Picky has to hop up to be able to actually sit in it and her feet don’t touch the ground. Nerves start to slouch her shoulders as they all wait for Glammy and Marion to come back. Cup and Mug move so they’re standing between everyone and the garden. They look like guards standing watch. Actually, that’s probably what they’re doing.

“Ok, we grabbed what clothing we could,” Glammy says as he and Marion leave the house carrying large baskets over to a garden table on the patio. “We’ll have to take a trip into town for new clothes. I’m afraid you’ll all have to wait until tomorrow. Here.” Glammy holds out a large, evolved anthro sized robe to Picky. “You’ll want this.”

“Oh, uh, ok,” Picky takes the robe, confused. Day doesn't know how much help the robe is going to be. In his vision the dress the squirrel was wearing still looked tight, but it’s the best they have at the moment.

“Ok, are you ready, Picky?” Day asks, standing in front of her chair, the only spot where he could hand the orb over without metal armrests getting in the way.

“Yes,” Picky whispers, reaching up and carefully taking it from Day. She hesitates, turning it slightly in the sun.

“Hey,” Day gently squeezes her arm. “Just swallow it like a pill and don’t think about where it came from, Bendy cleaned it, promise,” Day winks. Picky smiles nervously and nods.

“I can do this,” Picky looks at the orb again. She pops it into her mouth without any kind of warning and swallows. Day takes a step back. Picky has enough time to look at him in confusion before she gasps. She full body shudders before curling into herself as much as she can in the chair. Green light erupts from Picky as she shakes. Day has to close his eyes and look away. The light disappears as quickly as it starts and Day turns back to make sure Picky is ok.

Whoa.

Picky is bigger and taller, as expected, but now she has tusks poking past her lips. Her pink eyes have turned leaf green and–her clothes are practically falling off.

“Uh, here, Picky,” day holds the robe that fell during the evolution, open to block Picky from the crowd. She definitely grew physically mature.

“Oh,” a deeper voice than Picky’s squeaks. There’s shuffling as the chair scrapes before Picky takes the robe from Day’s hands. “Ok, I’m–is that my voice?”

Day risks glancing back as Picky lowers her hand from her throat. She extends both in front of her to examine her bigger, longer limbs. She turns her wrists back and forth. The robe is made for evolved anthros, thankfully, so everything that needs to be covered is. That doesn’t stop Kickin from staring at where the robe ends at Picky’s thigh.

“It worked,” Bubba whispers.

“All that drama for this,” Bendy sighs.

“Here,” Marion steps beside the chair and offers a mirror to Picky. The pig takes it and turns her head side to side.

“I have tusks and-and my eyes are green,” Picky says unsteadily. Her eyes start to water and she hands the mirror back to Marion and covers her face with her hands. Day steps over to touch her elbow, realizing how much bigger she is now.

“Hey, what’s wrong? Do you not like how you look?” Day asks quietly.

No,” Picky’s unfamiliar voice cracks. She sniffles and looks at him, tears drip down her cheeks. “For the first time in my life, I feel beautiful,” Her face crumples. “How messed up is that?”

“You have every right to how you feel, Picky,” Day hugs her arm, there’s no way he can reach around her anymore for a proper hug. Picky leans her head on his until her breathing gets under control. She uses the sleeve of the robe to wipe away her tears.

“Ok,” Picky grins shyly. “Let’s see what I can do.”

“Ok,” Day agrees and steps back. He looks over at his friends who’s eyes get huge as Picky stands from her chair. Day blinks up at her, wow, she’s so tall now. Day’s head reaches her hip.

“Picky! You look amazing!” Bobby hurries over to hug Picky’s leg.

“Lookin good, girl!” Hoppy cheers as she bounces over. Crafty and Bubba follow them. Kickin is staring at Picky, his mouth hanging open until Nap drags him over by the arm.

“How do you feel?” Bubba asks.

“Do you feel strong? Can you break a tree with one punch now?” Hoppy can’t seem to stay still. Crafty follows Bobby’s lead and gives Picky a hug around the leg. Picky doesn’t say anything, just stares at them.

“Picky?” Kickin asks as the silence stretches on.

“You guys are so small,” Picky whispers. She reaches down and carefully picks up Bobby. “You’re so light too.”

“Not for long!” Hoppy declares and grabs Day by the shoulders. “I’m next. Hurry up, Day!”

“W-wait,” Day stutters out as Hoppy shakes him. “We need to find out what Picky’s ability is!”

“Oh,” Hoppy stops shaking him. “Right.”

“Do you know what your ability is?” Bubba asks Picky as Bobby is gently set back down.

“Uh,” Picky looks at her hands. “No?”

“Take a breath and focus on your core,” Teddy says from his spot by the patio doors.

“Your core is warm and tingly,” Glammy adds.

“Ok,” Picky takes a breath and closes her eyes. A full minute passes in silence before Picky’s shoulders sag. “I don’t know what I’m doing.”

“That’s ok,” Teddy walks over to them. “It takes time to figure out what your ability is and even longer how to use it. We can figure it out later,” the bear smiles reassuringly at Picky.

“Ok,” she agrees, defeated.

“How about we find some clothes that fit you?” Marion asks as she pulls one of the baskets closer to the edge of the table.

“O-oh, right,” Picky blushes when she looks down at her torn up clothes piled at her feet.

“A new outfit for a new look!” Bobby follows excitedly. The others gravitate after the pair. Day walks over to Bendy instead. The demon is reclining in a plush, high back black chair that does not fit in with the others. Day holds up another lump to the demon. Bendy takes it in his hand covered in a towel this time. He repeats the same thing he did earlier, crushing the rocky outside away.

“How many of these do you have?” Bendy asks as he starts to clean off the yellow orb in his hand.

“I don’t actually know,” Day admits. He reaches down to dig them all out, debating if he should leave one in his pocket to give to Poppy when he has a chance. No, he knows where to get more for Poppy. Right now, they need to be able to properly fight the Twisted. Day holds up the lumps with his hands and feels his stomach drop. Ah. This is what he gets for not counting. He only has six lumps, there are seven anthros left to evolve. He’s short one. Fuck.

“Someone’s not going to be able to evolve today,” Bendy hums as he holds the yellow orb out to Day.

“Yeah,” Day murmurs. He slides the lumps back into his pockets and takes the one Bendy is holding out.

“Is that mine?” Hoppy suddenly pops up next to them. “Give it here. I’m going to evolve!”

“Wait, hold on,” Day holds the orb away from her. “We should wait until we figure out what Picky’s ability is before we evolve anyone else.”

“Day, I-uh-I don’t know what I’m doing. If we evolve the others we can figure out how to use our abilities all at once,” Picky glances at them from where she’s hidden behind a towel Marion is holding up with magic as the angel hands her clothes to try from a basket. “If that’s ok with everyone?”

“It might be easier for some of you to figure out your abilities without pressure,” Glammy cuts in. “Freddy didn’t figure out what his ability was until two months after he evolved.”

“What’s your ability?” Bubba asks.

“Electricity, my friends use me as a charger,” Glammy rolls his eyes fondly. Bubba’s face turns curious and Day knows he’s thinking of a list of questions.

“Is that why you have blue lightning on your fur for your concerts?” Kickin asks.

“It fits and it looks cool,” Glammy shrugs, a slightly embarrassed grin on his face. “Anyway, some anthros can’t figure out their ability right away or need the right conditions.”

“Conditions?” Bubba’s hand reaches for his phone, pulling it out. He pauses, sighs, and slides it back into his pocket.

“Some anthros,” Glammy doesn’t seem to notice the elephant’s hesitation. “need to be around people if their ability influences others. Other anthros might need to be by fire until they learn to make it themselves. In most cases it depends on the anthro’s personality. Say a show off, like Foxy–”

“You're lucky he isn’t here to defend himself,” Marion smiles a little. Glammy smirks at her before continuing.

“–Foxy has always bragged how fast he is. He had no idea he had super seed until he was showing off for a bunch of classmates.”

“Hoppy’s should be easy to discover, then,” Bubba comments as he pushes his glasses up.

“Wha–hey!” Hoppy turns on the elephant. “I’m not a show off!”

“Someone protests too much,” Kickin grins. Bobby and Crafty start to giggle. A purple hand settles on Day’s arm and he leans into the touch, lavender gently drifting to his nose.

“Whatever!” Hoppy yells. “Day, I’m going next, give me the rock thing!”

“Not even a please?” Day pouts, joining in on the joking, his shoulders aren’t as tense anymore. Hoppy’s eyes narrow.

“If you don’t give it. I will rip it away from you,” Hoppy threatens.

“You can try,” Nap says beside Day. “Or you can sit in a chair and Day can give it to you.”

“Please sit,” Day says a little more seriously. “It looks like you’ll need it.”

“Fine! Just hurry up!” Hoppy throws her hands in the air and stomps over to the chair Picky sat in, but stops at the scraps of clothes still surrounding it. Hoppy changes direction and sits in a different chair. Day pats Nap’s hand before he walks over and hands it to her, their friends hovering closer this time. Hoppy takes the yellow orb and immediately throws it in her mouth.

“You are so impatient, Hops,” Bobby sighs.

Hoppy doesn’t get the chance to reply before she shudders and starts to glow. Everyone has to look away at the blinding light. When it fades, Hoppy is still sitting in the chair, lifting up her hands to examine them with her new yellow eyes. Hoppy, like Picky, is physically…more mature and her clothes aren’t really covering anything anymore.

“Uh, H-Hoppy!” Crafty squeaks. Day notices her gaze linger longer than it should. The unicorn’s hands twitch towards her drawing bag. Somehow she’s kept it over her shoulder through everything. Actually, where is Day’s backpack anyway?

“Oh,” Hoppy gasps before she winces and covers her ears. She waits a second before looking down at herself and lifting her legs up. “Guys, look how big I am!” Hoppy moves to stand, hands still on her ears, and a robe covered in green magic hovers in front of her as she gets to her feet. Hoppy ignores it and carefully lets go of her ears to stretch her arms above her head, bending side to side. The already visible muscles she had are more defined now. Crafty makes a noise at the movement, her hand sliding into her bag. Day rolls his eyes at the not embarrassed rabbit.

“I feel stronger,” Hoppy grins down at her body again. “I just wish everything wasn’t so loud now.” The rabbit frowns.

“It should get easier to filter out noises as time passes. Bonnie and his brothers were really sensitive when they first evolved to,” Glammy helpfully cuts in. Teddy isn’t on the patio anymore. Where did he–

“Cool,” Hoppy grins before turning. “Picky, this is absolutely amazing! Why didn’t you say so?” Hoppy distractedly pulls the robe on as she approaches the pig. Picky’s clothes are too tight and she shifts uncomfortably. Hoppy reaches over to dig through the basket herself, Marion sighs and moves the towel she’s levitating over to block Hoppy from view as she starts to drop the robe.

In the corner of his eye, Day sees Glammy shift closer to the patio door. He can see Teddy pacing on the other side now, his phone held up to his ear as he talks quickly with someone.

“So, um, who’s next?” Picky asks them. She fidgets from where she stands a little ways away from them. Day steps over to put a hand on hers.

“You feeling ok?” Day checks.

“Yeah, it just feels like something’s off,” Picky looks down at her hand that’s under Day’s.

“Don’t worry, once you use your ability for the first time that feeling goes away,” Glammy helpfully tells them. Day notices he’s standing between them and Teddy, blocking the other bear from view.

“Daylight,” Bendy calls from his shaded seat. “If we are going to get through all of your friends we need to get the rocks to reveal their orbs sooner rather than later.”

“Yeah!” Hoppy calls as she shifts behind the towel barricade. “You guys have to try this!”

“Right,” Day walks over and hands another lump to Bendy. The demon takes it and repeats the process of crushing the outside and carefully using the towel to clean off the orb. Day stares at the black dust on the towel. Something about it is bothering him, but he can’t place why.

“Here,” Bendy hands a silver orb to Day. “Might as well give me the next one.” Bendy makes a grabby motion with his claws. Bobby giggles at the motion, it sounds more nervous than amused. Day hands over another lump before turning to his friends with the silver orb.

“Uh, next?” Day asks. Bobby, Bubba, Kickin, and Crafty look at each other. Day glances at Nap beside him. The cat is frowning and shakes his head when he meets Day’s gaze.

“I can wait, we all get to evolve eventually, anyway,” Nap shrugs too casually. Day bites his lip at the reminder. One of them isn’t going to evolve. There’s no point in lying about it because they will find out, but should Day mention it now and cause them to fight or wait? What would he be waiting for? Until only two of them are left and a worse fight starts?

“Day?” Bobby asks gently. Day sighs and tugs sharply at an ear until Nap holds his hand down. Day clenches the silver orb tightly in his other hand.

“Not all of us can evolve,” Day admits.

“What!” Hoppy dashes over, still pulling a leather jacket on. "What do you mean not all of us?”

“There are only seven lumps. There are eight of us,” Day explains. “Someone doesn’t get to evolve, at least not right now.”

“What? I wouldn’t have–if I’d known–” Picky cuts off and curls into herself a little, frowning at her bigger body.

“Why didn’t you tell us before?” Buubba asks, not able to hide the accusation in his tone.

“I didn’t–”

“Day, you should have said something before we even started,” Bobby scolds, hands on her hips. Kickin crosses his arms but doesn’t say anything. Crafty fidgets with the strap on her bag.

“Enough,” Bendy commands. The others jump like they forgot he was there. “Daylight didn’t know he was short until after Picky evolved.” Bendy nods to the pig and continues to carefully clean off the current orb with his towel. “He didn’t get the chance to tell you then because someone,” Bendy looks at Hoppy who hunches her shoulders. “was pushing to go next immediately.”

“Oh,” his friends said together.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t say anything,” Day apologizes anyway. “Look, just because we don’t all get to evolve doesn’t mean the rest of us shouldn’t. We’re doing this to fight the Twisted and stop the apocalypse.”

“Apocalypse seems a little dramatic,” Bubba huffs.

“My point still stands,” Day looks at them. “If we need to, we can take a vote of who should evolve next.”

“No,” Crafty interrupts. Day looks at her as surprised as everyone else. Crafty squares her shoulders and meets Day’s eyes. “I won’t evolve. Give the orbs to someone else. I know I’m not much of a fighter and I think the rest of you deserve to evolve,” Crafty says firmly.

“You deserve this chance as much as any of us,” Hoppy immediately contradicts the unicorn.

“How about you decide by who has the most physical prowess first and then decide who ‘deserves’ it,” Bendy offers casually. He holds out the red orb he was just cleaning for Day.

“I think...” Bubba pauses and his gaze settles on Kickin. “Kickin should evolve next.”

“Me?” Kickin’s voice cracks. “W-why?”

“We’re doing this to fight. You and Hoppy are the most athletic of us all,” Bubba explains calmly.

“A-are you sure?” Kickin looks at all of them nervously.

“I think you were always going to evolve Kickin. With or without the Twisted pushing things along,” Bobby grins. Crafty and Picky nod.

“Please, as if the coolest in our group wasn’t going to evolve,” Nap huffs. Kickin, for some reason, looks at Day next. His expression is still unsure.

“We won’t force you, Kickin,” Day assures him. “But, I agree with everyone else.”

“I–ok,” Kickin sighs. “Ok.”

Day turns back to Bendy as Kickin shuffles over to a different chair than where Picky or Hoppy sat. They really need to clean up those clothing scraps. Day hands another lump to Bendy. He could hand them all over at once, but he feels better having them in his pocket. It’s better they stay there than sit out in the open. No one has asked him to hand them over either.

“You’ll be fine Kickin,” Hoppy encourages as she bounces on her feet beside his chair.

“Yeah, it only hurts for a little bit,” Picky says with an unsure smile.

“It hurts?” Kickin asks, a hint of alarm in his voice.

“No more than a sore muscle,” Hoppy waves away his concern. Picky looks at her confused.

“Was your experience different, Picky?” Bubba asks.

“It hurts more like-like hitting your thumb with a hammer, but only for a second,” Picky pauses. “At least that’s how it was for me.”

“Interesting,” Bubba adjusts his glasses. A whole catalog of questions are brewing in his mind, Day can see it happening.

“Anyway,” Day turns to Kickin and holds out the silver orb. Kickin hesitates, opening his beak and closing it again. He reaches up and gently takes it from Day, a slight tremble to his hand. He takes a breath and shoves the orb into his mouth.

“Don’t want to chicken out?” Hoppy snickers.

Kickin starts to turn to her, but shudders as light erupts from him. Day looks away before the light gets too bright. When it disappears, Day opens his eyes and his eyebrows go up. Picky gained tusks after her evolution, but Kickin’s is much more dramatic.

The longer feathers on top of his head and along his collarbone are a bold red color. The feathers on his hands receded to reveal scaly hands tipped with sharp talons. Kickin stares at them before lifting a leg to show off the same thing has happened to his feet.

“What the hell?” Kickin mutters.

“Language,” Day reminds him. Another robe is lifted to block Kickin from view.

“Oh, uh, thanks,” Kickin says to Marion as he stands to take the robe. He steps away from the chair unsteadily before he turns his upper body to look down. “Ok, that’s uh, that’s new.” Kickin takes the robe, but holds it to his front. He turns slightly to get a better angle at the feathery tail of red, orange, and yellow feathers. Hoppy whistles appreciatively. Kickin looks away to hide his embarrassment.

“You look so cool, Kickin,” Picky smiles at him. Kickin grins and glances up at the top of Picky’s head.

“Still not the tallest of us,” Hoppy teases as she wraps an arm around his shoulders.

“If you didn't have your ears you would be the shortest,” Kickin rolls his eyes. He walks over to Marion and the baskets of clothes.

“Here,” the angel holds out the mirror she gave Picky. Kickin takes it and turns his head this way and that.

“Why silver?” Kickin murmurs as he leans closer to the mirror, blinking one eye and then the other. Hoppy makes her way over to pester Kickin, her energy not letting her stay still for long.

“Ok,” Day lets out a relieved breath. “Who’s going next?”

Bubba and Bobby look at Nap, who looks at Crafty. None of them step forward. Picky fidgets as she watches them.

“I think,” Day starts slowly. “Next should be Bubba.”

“Me?” Bubba asks.

“If we think about who should evolve as who's more valuable fighting the Twisted, you have to be one of them,” Day explains.

“He’s right brainiac!” Hoppy calls as she leans against the basket table beside Marion. Kickin pulls a shirt over his head behind the towel held up by green magic.

“You should, I know you’ll do the right thing,” Bobby turns to Bubba with a soft smile.

“Really?” Bubba asks her, taking her hands.

“Of course,” Bobby smiles. They lean closer, as if to kiss, but Hoppy yanks Bubba away before that can happen.

“Nuh uh, you two are not going to start making out while we're doing the most important thing in our lives,” Hoppy sets Bubba down in another evolved sized chair. Bubba lets out a grunt of pain when she puts him down.

“S-sorry, Bubba! I didn't mean to hurt you,” Hoppy quickly backs off. She looks at her bigger hands with a frown.

“I’m ok, Hoppy,” Bubba assures her.

“Remember that when you evolve, your strength grows and you can easily hurt others with a careless move,” Teddy warns. When did he come back outside? “We’re going to have company soon, so you should probably hurry.”

“Twisted?” Cup asks, raising his index finger like a gun again. Day still doesn’t know if he and his brother are angels. It feels less like one every time he sees the finger gun, but they smell strongly of angel magic. Half angels, maybe?

“Goldie is sending Freddy’s crew here to help our new…recruits. We could use the support anyway to defend the house. Everyone else is busy out in the field,” Teddy looks at Hoppy, Picky, and the now dressed Kickin. The three freshly evolved anthros shift uneasily under his gaze. “Any problems?” Teddy asks.

“No?” Kickin looks at his talons. “I don’t think so?”

Teddy frowns and looks over at Glammy. His younger brother shrugs, a confused frown on his lips. There’s something they aren’t sharing about all of this, but Day will have to figure that out later. He steps around his friends and stops in front of Bubba.

“Ready?” Day asks him. Bubba frowns at the red orb. “You can always say no.”

“That’s not–are we sure this is the right thing to do?” Bubba looks up from the orb to Day.

“Right or wrong doesn’t matter at this point,” Nap pops up next to Day. “We’ve already started doing it. You don't have to evolve if you don’t want to, Bubba, but make sure the choice is yours. Like he said,” Nap tilts his head at Teddy, “this is permanent.”

“I know,” Bubba takes his glasses off and rubs his eyes. He drops his hand, looks at his glasses and sighs. He carefully folds his glasses and puts them on the garden table behind him. “Ok, let’s do this.”

Day holds the red orb out to him. Bubba takes it carefully and holds it up to the sun, turning it under the light.

“Hurry up!” Hoppy helpfully shouts.

“Hoppy,” Bobby sighs. Bubba rolls his eyes and carefully slides the orb into his mouth. He swallows it and his trunk curls nervously. Day takes a few steps back.

“Does it–” Bubba cuts off with a gasp as he shudders. Light erupts from him and, just like the other times, everyone has to block their eyes from the light.

“Bubba?” Bobby asks as soon as the light fades.

“Bobs?” a deep voice asks. Day has to tilt his back to look up and up to see Bubba’s face. Wow, he’s the biggest of them so far. His arms have to be thick as tree trunks! The big evolved anthro chair looks small now. Bubba’s skin is still light blue, but his eyes have turned purple. His tusks are longer now, sharper, they look much more dangerous. The elephant stands and a robe slides in front of him.

“Thank you,” Bubba thanks Marion as he turns to slide the robe on, it’s too small for him to close, so he keeps himself facing away from them. Marion keeps her eyes on the basket she’s digging through.

“Stop panting, Bobs,” Hoppy teases not so quietly.

“Hoppy,” Day frowns at her. Bobby flushes and hides her face in her hands. The rabbit just rolls her eyes but doesn’t say any more. Day takes the next orb from Bendy, a pink one, and hands over the second to last for the demon to take. Only three lumps left and four of them to evolve. Day steps back to see Bobby, Crafty, and Nap carefully not looking at each other.

“Ok, we need to make a decision,” Day starts warily. “Only one of us isn’t going to evolve, but the rest of us can.”

“That still leaves us with the problem of who,” Bobby sighs.

“You three should evolve,” Crafty says with an unusually stubborn expression. “If we go by who would be the best for fighting, I know I’m the last choice.”

“If we go by who should evolve, Day definitely should,” Bobby glances at him. Day frowns. He doesn’t like deciding who should get to evolve by how good they are at fighting. None of this would even be a problem if he’d just grabbed one more fucking lump. He glances at Bubba who’s fighting to get a shirt over his larger than they used to be ears and decides this time they won’t decide by who would be best in a fight.

“Bobby’s next,” Day announces.

“What?” Bobby gasps.

“Really?” Hoppy’s ears perk in surprise. “I thought you or Nap would be next.”

“Why me?” Bobby frowns at him.

“I don’t want to force you and Bubba apart because of circumstances,” Day says calmly. Metal screeches in their ears. Day looks over just in time to see Bubba catch the garden table with one hand before righting himself.

“Really?” he asks, his ears faintly flushed pink. “You’d let us–” he cuts off and hurries over to kneel next to Bobby, carefully hugging her. She giggles a little at the fact she can’t reach her arms around him at all and he has to lift her up to be anywhere close to a proper hug. Bubba sets her down and gently places a hand on Day’s head. “Thank you.”

“Of course, Bubba,” Day pats the elephant’s wrist. Bobby heads for the chair Picky used. Bubba follows her while zipping up his tight hoodie. The shirt must not have worked out for him. Day glances at Nap as the others eagerly follow Bobby to hover by her. Nap has a frown and that cold look in his eyes as he watches Bendy clean a black orb with his towel.

“Day! Hurry up! We’re losing daylight!” Hoppy bounces on her feet impatiently.

“Daylight,” Kickin chuckles. The others smile as Day sighs dramatically and rolls his eyes. Like he’s never heard that one before. Day steps over and gives Bobby a reassuring smile.

“Ok, Bobs, ready?” Day holds out the pink orb.

“As I’ll ever be,” Bobby says determinedly. She takes the orb from Day and cradles it in her palm for a second. Bubba reaches over to gently pat her head.

“You got this, Bobs,” the elephant smiles. Bobby relaxes a fraction and smiles back. She looks at the orb again and takes it like a pill. Seh swallows and looks down at her hands, waiting. A moment later she shudders and curls into herself as light erupts from her. Everyone looks away until the light fades.

“Bobby, you look incredible,” Bubba breathes.

“R-really?” Bobby asks shyly in her, well Day doesn’t know how else to describe it, sexy voice. Day looks over to see Bobby smiling at Bubba, ignoring the robe hovering by her. Bobby’s has physically matured like everyone else. Her eyes have turned light pink. Bubba grins and reaches out to take Bobby’s hands, also ignoring the robe. They lean close, reaching out their hands to each other.

“Hey! We aren’t going to let anyone start making kids,” Cup hollers at them. Bubba and Bobby jerk in surprise at the yell. Their hands bump into each other. As soon as they make contact Bobby glows pink for a moment. It isn't anywhere near as bright as the light from evolution. The light disappears and Bubba is sitting in her place. A second Bubba with the same clothes and everything. The two elephants stare at each other.

“Bobby!?” Picky stands in alarm, staring at the two Bubba’s.

“Congrats! You’ve discovered your ability!” Glammy says excitedly.

“I–what?” the sitting Bubba lifts his hands to turn them over. He lifts his trunk and lets go of it, the appendage falls limply. The kneeling Bubba is frozen.

“Whoo! Go Bobby!” Hoppy cheers. She hurries over to poke the sitting Bubba’s ear. It twitches away from her touch. “Let's find out what our abilities are guys! No time to waste! Uh–that ok, boss?” Hoppy looks at Day, for some reason.

“Might as well,” Day shrugs. “It’s going to take Bendy a few minutes to do the last orb.”

“Alright!” Kickin grins.

“I’m going to run around the house!” Hoppy announces before hopping down the stairs of the patio and taking off to circle the house.

“Hey! Get back here!” Cup yells after her. Hoppy disappears around the corner.

“Why did she run away if she wanted to figure out her ability?” Kickin folds his arms as he stares at where she disappeared.

“She always wanted to have super speed like Foxy,” Crafty giggles.

“I don’t think she was as fast as him,” Picky says with a frown.

“Ok, everyone take it easy as you experiment,” Day cautions the friends still here. Sitting Bubba is whispering to the kneeling Bubba. Picky stands uncertainly, looking around at them. Day catches Kickin’s eyes and tilts his head at the pig. Kickin winks and wanders over to talk to Picky. Crafty and Nap watch their evolved friends. Day steps away from them and back to Bendy.

“You know,” Bendy holds out his hand, offering the black orb to Day. “You could prove the school right and evolve yourself and the unicorn. Then there would be half angels in your team too.”

“Do you know if it’s true?” Day asks him as he digs out the last lump and trades it for the black one.

“My specialties are not in bloodline magic or evolution,” Bendy shrugs.

“What is your specialty?” Nap asks. Day flinches in surprise. Nap needs a bell or something. He sneaks up on Day so easily!

“What do you think it is?” Bendy grins, just a hint of teeth showing.

“Nightmare said you’re the Ink Demon, but that doesn’t make sense,” Nap frowns at the demon.

“Oh?” Bendy hums.

“What do you mean?” Day asks.

“All demons, supposedly, have magic based on seven different types of sins,” Nap tells him.

“The seven hellish sins,” Bubba interrupts. Summoned by info gathering as always. Day glances over to where Bobby was sitting, but the bear has moved on to the baskets with Marion.

“The circles include: greed, gluttony, wrath, sloth, lust, pride, envy. These don’t determine what kind of demon someone is, just what their powers are based on. Or so I’ve heard,” Bubba looks at Bendy eagerly. The demon focuses on wiping the red orb in his claws.

“So, Bendy is really an ink demon, but his powers are based off of one of those, uh, sins?” Day asks.

“Well, demons feed off of others. I’d guess that Bendy can control ink, just as his title implies, but he has to feed off of one of those specific sins to be able to use it.”

“So half demons don’t get the powers, but still have to feed like their demon parents?” Day asks.

“From what I understand,” Bubba reaches up, as if to push his glasses, but pauses when he doesn’t feel the thin metal. Day looks at Nap, a question on his tongue. He still doesn’t know how Nap feeds his demon side, but he doesn’t want to force the issue either.

 

“C’mon!” Hoppy yells as she slides to a stop in front of the patio stairs. “I’m not that much faster! Bobby!” Hoppy clears the patio stairs in one jump and runs across the patio to the bear. When did Bobby turn back into herself?

“Hold on, Hops,” Bobby’s feet are the only part of her that’s visible. Hoppy sighs loudly, her foot tapping on the patio.

“Chill, Hops,” Kickin walks over to put a hand on her shoulder. “They said it takes time,” Kickin motions to the Fazbear brothers. The bears look up from where they’re leaning over one of their phones in surprise.

“They don’t have an apocalypse to stop!” Hoppy huffs.

“Hoppy,” Day warns. “Remember where you are.” Day looks pointedly around them at the mansion, patio, and garden.

“Sorry,” Hoppy’s ear twitches as she apologizes to the brothers.

“You’re forgiven,” Glammy says after a beat. Teddy nods, but doesn’t say anything to her.

“Ok,” Bobby steps out with an ill fitting hoodie and baggy sweatpants. Hoppy perks up immediately. “I guess you want me to tell you how I did that?”

“YEEEEESSSSSS!” Hoppy cheers. Kickin lets go of her shoulder to cross his arms. Bubba hurries over, gently tugging on Picky’s elbow to guide her over with him. Crafty hesitates for a second before following.

“You should go,” Day bumps his shoulder into Nap’s. “Learn the secret now, so you’re ready later.”

“That’s assuming I am one of the ones who get to evolve,” Nap frowns.

“Even if it’s not now, I think we all will evolve,” Day tells him. “Now go, grumpy,” Day grabs Nap’s shoulders and steers him towards the group. He let’s go with a wink as Nap stumbles to a stop and frowns at him. Day mouths ‘go’ to him. Nap turns, probably to walk back to Day, but Kickin puts his big taloned hand on Nap’s back and makes sure he gets a spot in front of the group with Crafty. They excitedly talk among themselves. Day’s shoulders slump a little as he walks back to Bendy.

“Not the most elegant distraction,” Bendy holds out the last orb. A white one. Day takes it and holds up the one he hid in his pocket, the black one.

If I didn't know better,” Bendy says as he reaches over to drop the towel on the ground beside his chair. “I would think the white orb is for an angel and the black one for a demon. Which angel I wonder?”

Day stares at his open palms. One with a glistening white orb, the other with a shimmering black. Two orbs for three anthros. He closes his palms. Day doesn’t know what to do. Who should evolve.

Notes:

'Ello, everyone! Good to have you back. This will be a shorter note. I'm really tired, but I wanted to get this to you guys. So, just a reminder that the tags are there to help you and I wasn't kidding. Rough seas.

As always, thanks for reading and I appreciate all of the love you give this fic. See you next chapter!

Chapter 25: Revelations 1

“You and Nap should evolve,” Crafty fidgets with the strap of her bag. She, Nap, and Day are a few steps away from Bendy in his chair, under the shade of a tree. Their friends are by the garden trying to figure out their abilities under Glammy’s watch. Mari and Teddy are talking quietly to themselves by the table with the laundry baskets.

“Crafty, what about you?” Day asks. This doesn’t feel right. It’s too selfish to just take this away from Crafty. She’s in Evol academy for a reason.

“Like I said, I’m not a fighter, besides if Bobby and Bubba should evolve to stay together, so should you two,” Crafty gently pats his arm.

“I don’t–Nap?” Day turns to his boyfriend, not knowing what to do. Nap wraps his hand around Day’s loose fist cradling an orb.

“I’ll be honest,” Nap frowns, looking between them. “I think we should be doing this by who would be able to help fight Twisted the most. The problem is, we don’t know what our ability will be until we evolve. Even after we do, we still have to figure out what it is.” He looks pointedly where the others are trying to figure out their abilities, asking Glammy for advice. Even now that they’re evolved, they don’t magically know what their abilities are.

“I don’t think my ability would be better than either of yours,” Crafty admits.

“Crafts, don’t say that,” Day reaches out to take her hand, but stops when he realizes he can’t grab her hand while still holding the orb. He gazes down at it and opens his hand to look at it. If only he’d grabbed one more. Day looks at Crafty’s determined acceptance. Day can’t even argue with her because she’s right. If Bobby and Bubba deserve a chance to be together as evolved anthros, Day and Nap should get that chance too. Still, he doesn’t like how selfish that thought is. Just because Crafty isn’t a fighter doesn’t mean she should be denied the chance to evolve. Besides evolution would make her stronger and an ability that would help her protect herself. How does Day deserve that more than her?

Indecisive, Day looks at Nap again. His b-boyfriend has to have an opinion on this–movement.

In the trees. The Twisted crow crouches on the branch. Day turns, the crow jumps from the branch, Day shoves Nap down, the orbs fall from his hands. The crow’s talons are open and aimed right at Day. A bullet of blue magic hits the crow, sending the Twisted sideways into the ground. Day scrambles to pick up the orbs quickly and shoves them in a pocket.

“INSIDE!” Cup yells, turning to watch the crow struggle up to its feet. Its dripping black feathers spray poison everywhere as it ruffles its feathers. The crow is in good shape compared to other Twisted. Does that mean it was turned recently?

“Mugman!” Bendy calls, standing. Mugman turns and shoots at the second crow that was leaping from a different tree behind him. “Stop hiding and fight,” Bendy growls. He lifts a claw and dark magic rises from the ground in front of the trees. Bendy points with a very unsettling grin at the trees and the swirling magic shoots up into the trees. Yells and snarls fill the air as the black magic drags Twisted out of the trees. Too many Twisted. Fifty? Even with his newly evolved friends, they‘re not ready to fight. Day reaches down and hauls Nap up. He turns and takes Crafty’s hand. They need to get inside. Right now he, Nap, and Crafty are the weakest links.

“C’mon!” he urges them both to run. As soon as they start to run, more Twisted appear from the sides of the house. Bendy disappears into a swirl of black magic, but more inky magic appears where the Twisted have appeared. Cup and Mug stand strong facing the garden, they’re shots are quick and accurate. The adults by the house split to defend the sides of the patio. Glammy takes one side with Marion. Teddy takes the other side with–Boris? He must have come down to help. Alice and Freddy are inside the house, defenseless right now. Shit.

A nice cherry on top of this horrible sundae Day sees while running, more Twisted make their way to the house. The perimeter fence must’ve been torn down. There are too many Twisted. Are they trying to take out the Fazbear house and everyone in it in one attack? Or do they know more evolved have been made and want to stop them before they become a problem? Day is yanked to a stop and barely avoids the cheetah that runs right in front of them. It slides to a stop, its claws screeching on the patio. Day whimpers and automatically lets go of the hands he’s holding to cover his ears. The cheetah turns and charges at them again, but this time a metal chair slams into its head and the cheetah stumbles, its long spindly limbs wobbling as it shakes its head. Day looks at the direction where the chair came from. Kickin stands there gaping down at his talons.

“You did that?” Bubba asks.

“I-I think so?” Kickin stammers.

“Do it again!” Hoppy cheers. She shifts into a runner’s stance ready to bolt into the fray.

“Don’t!” Day yells. “Hoppy, behind you!”

She turns and comes face to face with a wolf, a pack of six that creeped up to block them from getting into the house. Hoppy punches the one in front of her without any hesitation.

“Bobby!” Picky cries, reaching out for the bear’s arm. Instead a vine shoots past Picky’s hand and grabs Bobby around the middle and drags her out of the way of a lunging wolf.

“H-hey!” Bobby says uneasily. “Picky?”

“Did I do that?” Picky gapes at the vine that’s extended from the garden all the way across the patio. A Twisted crow by the base of the vine snaps it apart with its beak. Bobby is caught by Bubba before she hits the ground.

“Picky!” Day shouts. The pig snaps her attention to him. “Kickin!” The chicken does the same. “Keep going! There’s no better time to figure out what your abilities are than combat!” The chicken and pig nod. “Everyone get in a circle, cover each other's backs! We’re coming to you!” Day yells as he starts running again. Crafty and Nap’s hands in each of his. He runs across the patio, every step closer to his friends is a step closer to safety.

A heavy hand lands on his shoulder.He doesn’t have time to shake it off. He lets go of Nap and Crafty, slices his pocket open and prays to the stars that the orbs fall out. Gold light fills his vision, he feels it dance through his fur, and a pop in his ears. The gold magic clears to reveal a large, modern bedroom that is similar to the design downstairs. The bed is empty, the medical machines beside it disconnected from their patient.

“NO! They took him!”

The hand on Day’s shoulder tightens. The gold static starts to fill his vision again, Day looks for something, anything he can use to fight, but all he sees is the Twisted head staring through the window at them. Static ruffles his fur and another pop fills his ears as the Twisted and the bedroom disappear. When the gold magic disappears Day lurches away from the hand on his shoulder. He glances around for more danger, but they’re on a rooftop in a city, somewhere. He doesn’t see or hear any Twisted so he takes this chance to confront his kidnapper.

“What is going on?”

“They fucking took him!” Goldie growls. His hands are gripping his ears tightly. He paces back and forth with quick, agitated steps. “We had a deal and that bastard fucking broke it!”

“Goldie,” Day tries to say calmly. The bear ignores him and keeps muttering to himself.

“Bring the kid and your brother will be fine,” Goldie sneers. “FUCK!” He spins on his heel and punches the only door on the roof. The metal crumbles like paper under his punch. Goldie stays like that, his fist still extended, his back to Day, shoulders heaving.

Day replays the words in his head. We had a deal. Bring the kid and your brother will be fine. No. Please no.

“Who did you make a deal with?” Day wishes his tone was more demanding than scared when it comes out. Goldie’s ear twitches, but doesn’t say anything.

“Did you make a deal with the Twisted?”

Silence.

“Were you going to hand me over?”

No response.

“Did they promise Freddy’s safety if you did?”

“Hah,” Goldie's fist drops. “Kid, he was going to cure Freddy.” Goldie tilts his head all the way back to look at the cloudy gray sky above them. “I don’t know why he wanted you, but one stranger in exchange for my brother’s cure? How could I say no?”

Day doesn’t–he stares at the bear he looked up to. Goldie was nice to him ever since they met and–and supportive. Like with the Halloween–wait.

“During Halloween, someone got rid of any evidence that the Twisted were there,” Day watches Goldie’s shoulders tense. “Valentine’s, when the cameras and fence were turned off,” Day says softly. Goldie’s head tilts down, his shoulders sag a little. “The very very first time we met?” Day asks a little hysterically. “When you got Odette and I into the office to talk to Freddy!”

“And,” Goldie turns to actually meet his eyes for the first time in a long time. “Leaving a bookshelf open. Shutting the door to a cave full of evolution stones.”

“How could you?” Day whispers. He knew, even if the thought was pushed down to the point of almost being forgotten, that there was a traitor close to them, but he didn’t think–the Fazbears are heroes!

“I’ll do anything to save my brother,” Goldie tells him as certainly as the sun and moon exist in the sky. “Anything.”

Day stares into dark blue eyes and sees the cold determination there. Day realizes he’d be dead already if that’s what Goldie thought would save his brother. Day inhales and what comes out is a bark of a laugh. What is he supposed to do with this information now? His friends are probably being hurt. Goldie’s friends and family are in the same danger, but that doesn’t matter to the bear in front of him at all! He’s willing to sacrifice all of them, even his other brothers, for his twin.

Fuck! Day wants to punch something, but…he still has people to save. Ok, breathe, let the anger go, it won’t help anything now.

“Why am I here?” Day asks Goldie without looking away from the roof under his feet.

“How the hell should I know!? I should be with my brother, but that fucker broke our deal!” Goldie snarls harshly. Day snaps his gaze up just in time to see the bear roundhouse kick the frame of the door. The whole thing bends in half, blocking the only exit. Day watches goldie take his frustration out on the poor door until the metal is in pieces at their feet. Still not satisfied, the bear starts to hit the frame of the door. Day tries to ask Goldie to stop, but the bear ignores him and the frame is slowly destroyed. Day pulls on his ears sharply. Great. Just great. His only way off of this roof is gone. Twisted are attacking his friends. Hopefully, Crafty and Nap swallow those orbs and evolve. Then they can defend themselves, at least. And Day…Day needs to get back to them. He needs to get in contact with Poppy. He needs to stop the Twisted. He needs to be able to actually do something other than run and hide! He needs……he needs to evolve. He will be stronger and faster and hopefully have a useful ability. He just needs to find an orb.

Day looks up at the panting bear that glares down at the mess of bricks and metal that used to be the exit. If Goldie gave him that lump last year, then he must know where to get more.

“Goldie, give me another evolution stone,” Day watches the bear turn sharply on him.

“Oh, sure,” Goldie rolls his eyes. “Let me just pop into a hidden cave heavily guarded by Twisted!”

“You can teleport!”

“And the Twisted move insanely fast. Not to mention their leader has probably moved the stones somewhere else entirely by now.” Day opens his mouth to retort when Golide narrows his eyes at him. “And no, I don’t carry one of the biggest secrets of the academy around with me.”

“Where can we get more?” Day asks after taking a calming breath.

“We can’t!” Goldie throws his hands up and starts pacing again, he turns sharply when he reaches the edge of the roof to pace in the other direction. “The cave under the academy has been taken. The other evolution schools get their stones from him and who knows where the hell he has a supply big enough to support two evolution schools the last twenty years!”

“He has stones? Do you mean the one the Twisted–”

“Yes, their leader! I don’t know his name, or what he looks like. He’s just a cloaked figure that doesn’t talk very much. Next time I see him, he’s going to pay–”

Day tunes out and decides he isn’t going to unpack that box of knowledge right now. The leader of the Twisted was giving evolution stones to the other evolution schools as soon as they were founded twenty years ago? Yeah, no. Day has too many problems to deal with that mess right now.

He needs to get an evolution stone and hopefully see a vision that can help him. It showed him the Twisted inside the maze and the vision of evolution in that cave with the tribal…people…

“How far can you teleport?” Day asks the pacing bear.

“The farther I go, the longer it will take me to recover and only to places I’ve been to before,” Goldie narrows his eyes at Day. “It’s not like I’m going to help you kid, no offense, but I need to get to Freddy.”

“Uh huh, because he’s definitely not heavily guarded by Twisted or hidden, right?”

“This is not the time for sarcasm.”

“Ok, look,” Day ignores the hypocrisy of that statement and meets Goldie’s eyes to hopefully get through to the bear. “It’s safe to assume the Twisted have Freddy. The only reasons I can see making them go back on your deal is if they were lying the whole time and were just going to kill him, or they want to use him to lure you into a trap. Having an enemy who can teleport around is too risky. So, why don’t you help me get an evolution stone and I’ll try to help you get your brother back?”

“Kid, already told you I can’t get more,” Goldie scrubs a hand over his eyes.

“I might know where to get more, but I need you to get me there, or as close as possible,” Day explains. “You can just drop me there and then go try and get Freddy. You don’t have to do anything else.”

“And where exactly are these other evolution stones?”

“Do you know where Canine Hill is?”

“Why the hell are we talking about a hillbilly town in the middle of nowhere?”

“I already told you why,” Day has to take a breath to keep the frustration out of his voice. “Will you at least teleport me to a parking lot around here?” Day waves his hand at the skyscrapers around them. “I can manage from there–”

“I didn’t say no,” Goldie narrows his eyes. The bear is focused on him, all the emotional turmoil packed away somewhere. “I asked, why Canine Hill?”

“I know some of the people on the reservation there. They have stories about evolution and they might have evolution stones with them. I won't know for sure until I get there.”

Goldie doesn’t say anything for a moment. He just studies Day like he’s waiting for a punchline. Day just stares back. What else is he supposed to do? He can’t even get off of this roof without Goldie’s help. It would be so easy for the bear to just leave him here.

“Luckily for you, I know where it is, but I’ll be out like a light for at least a day after we get there,” Goldie sighs and runs his claws through the fur on top of his head. “This is insanity.”

“Insanity is betraying everyone for a cure that didn’t exist,” Day can’t help but point out.

“They proved it,” Goldie snaps at him. “I wouldn’t have agreed if they didn’t have proof!” Goldie glares at him before exhaling sharply through his nose and relaxing his shoulders. “Looking back, they probably did use a trick I should have noticed, but I was so desperate to help Freddy.”

Day wants to stay angry, a small part of him will, but most of the fury leaves him at the barely hidden pain he can see in Goldie. Still to just betray them all like that! Day lets go of his ears and shakes his head to clear it. This is a mess Day doesn’t know how to deal with. Everything’s a mess. He just hopes the Fazbear five will show up at the mansion in time…oh no.

“Are the other members of the Fazbear Five going to the Fazbear mansion? Did you lie to Teddy?” Day asks in horror. Goldie doesn’t look at him, or answer. “How could you!”

“My family was promised safety and if your friends don’t fight back too much, they should be spared.”

“That’s a relief, my friends ‘probably’ won’t be hurt is very reassuring. Thanks, Goldie,” Day barely keeps from yelling.

“What did I say about sarcasm?”

Day has to clench his jaw shut to keep from snapping back. That won’t help them or get them to Canine Hill any faster. Day growls and stomps over, stopping just out of reach of the bear. There’s no time to fight right now.

“Whatever, let’s go,” Day can’t keep the growl completely out of his voice.

“Fine,” Goldie grabs his arm firmly. His grip is tight, but not painful. Day closes his eyes this time as static ruffles his fur and his ears pop. He opens his eyes when Goldie releases him.

“Alright, I’m getting a motel room. I will be out of commission until tomorrow,” Goldie mumbles as he unsteadily steps around the corner of the building to the front. Day recognizes the most expensive motel in town. Not that there’s much to pick from, there are only two. Day watches Goldie use the side of the building for support as he walks to the front doors. He should leave and let the bear suffer. He should.

He doesn’t. Day grumbles under his breath and hurries over to slide under the bear’s arm to take some of his weight. Goldie grunts, but doesn’t say anything. They get inside and Goldie straightens up from his slumped posture as the receptionist appears from a back room. Day’s just glad he doesn’t recognize her, so she shouldn’t recognize him, hopefully. Just in case, Day stays behind Goldie with his head down and doesn’t say anything. He’s so focused on hiding he doesn’t pay attention to what Goldie is saying to the receptionist. Goldie gets a room keycard and the two of them just have to turn left on the first floor to get to the room. Day’s mildly surprised there’s two beds inside.

“It was the only room left on this floor,” Goldie grumbles as he drags himself over to the bed closest to the door. Day raises an eyebrow, but doesn’t say anything else. He goes over to the side table where Goldie tossed the keycard. He slips the card out and raises an eyebrow at the second one in the little paper slip. Even if this was the only room, Goldie didn’t have to get two keycards. Day doesn’t say anything about it. Whether or not he does come back is up in the air, but it wouldn’t hurt to have a card just in case.

“Are you going to deadbolt the door behind me?” Day asks, just to see if he needs to find somewhere else to sleep. Keycard or not, a deadbolt will be hard to get through. Goldie doesn’t answer him. “Look, if you don’t want me to use the second bed then I need to know,” Day sighs as he turns to the bear. Oh. Goldie is out cold on the bed. Some drool is already starting to leak onto his pillow. Day rolls his eyes and turns to the door. He can’t deadbolt it behind him, so he just makes sure it locks when he shuts it. He hurries down the hallway to a side door to avoid the front desk and steps out into the dim sunlight. He pauses and takes a deep breath.

He’s back in fucking Canine Hill.

Day clenches his fists and fights down the messy ball of emotions that try to choke him. There’s a small curious urge to go check on a house a few blocks away. To see how the people living in it are doing after two years without him. Probably great. He’s stupid for even thinking about that right now. He needs to get out of town towards the rez. Not think about…them.

Day shakes his head and casually starts walking through the parking lot. He makes sure no one else is around when he tries a few car doors. The second car he tries is left unlocked. He slides inside with an eye roll. Typical Canine Hill, it’s so safe crime never happens here! Day hotwires the car and is relieved to see a mostly full tank of gas. This should be plenty for him to get to the rez and back. He just needs to avoid anyone who might recognize him.

Day drives through town with the sunvisor down and hopes no one pays attention to the random car driving through town. He easily makes it past the city limit and drives on a paved road for about thirty minutes. He turns right onto a gravel road that doesn’t stand out much among the open grassland around it. Day checks his mirrors frequently for, well, anything. Maybe someone did recognize him in town and the cops will be right behind him any minute. Or maybe the Twisted have already spread out of the cities to the small towns littered between them. Day doesn’t know which he would be more scared to see.

Another twenty minutes of driving later, a broken wooden fence separates a small run down house from the edge of the forest beside it. The rusted car that used to sit by the front door isn’t in sight and Day isn’t sure what that means. He hasn’t seen this family in many years. He doesn’t even know who would have the car or where they would take it. He parks to the side of the opening, but facing the road he used to enter the property.

He takes a breath and leans his head back against the seat. Ok. He needs to get information as fast as he can and, hopefully, an evolution stone. If not that then the stories would be of some help anyway. Day lets out a breath and gets out of the car. He works to keep his pace even as he walks up the rickety steps to the front door. He knocks on the door and winces at how it sounds like a bang. He didn’t want to be that loud. He steps back and perks his ears, waiting.

What he doesn't expect is to get a gun barrel shoved in his face as soon as the door swings open.

“W-whoa, hold on,” Day steps back with his hands raised.

“Wait,” the gun lowers and Day meets the yellow eyes of the black furred wolf holding him at gunpoint. “Daylight?”

“H-hi, Luna,” Day glances at the gun. “Maybe put the safety back on the shotgun?”

“Oh, sorry,” Luna flicks the safety back on and steps back and pulls the rickety door open a little more. “Come on in, Day.”

Day only really relaxes when the gun is propped back into the gun case in a closet. Luna looks at him with too much humor in her yellow eyes as she motions for Day to follow her to the kitchen. The wood carvings of her necklace clack gently as she walks through the small house.

“Want anything to drink?” Luna asks as she heads for the fridge.

“Oh, uh, if you don’t mind,” Day follows after her. When was the last time he ate? He’s pretty hungry now that he’s thinking about food. In a burst of betrayal his stomach growls loudly and Luna laughs.

“Don’t worry, I was about to start making lunch, anyway,” Luna smiles as she opens the fridge. As she starts moving around the kitchen to put some sandwiches together, Day studies the room. It’s barely changed from what he remembers and the comfort from that makes him ask.

“Where’s old Bright?”

Luna pauses, the knife in her hand covered in mayo half way out of the jar. A beat passes of tense silence and Day’s ears lower.

“He’s dead,” Luna says quietly. She takes a breath and spreads mayo on the bread slices.

“I'm so sorry,” Day tells her sincerely. He hasn’t seen her or old Bright for years now, but he did miss them. After Granny died he just didn’t want to come back to this house with all of its memories. Even now he has to force himself to focus on the present and not get swept up in the past. His friends need him right now.

“Don’t be, we all knew his health was declining. I just…I wish all of us could have been together those last few days. Granny would have wiped the floor with us while playing peanuts. Gramps would cheat like no tomorrow during poker. It would have been fun,” Luna says wistfully.

“Yeah, I know Granny didn’t want to be the first to go,” Day adds quietly. He doesn’t know what else to say. The silence is awkward as Luna finishes the sandwiches. Day starts tapping on his thigh and forces himself to relax. Now he feels even more awkward. He just barges into Luna’s home and says ‘Yeah, too bad about those two dead people right? Anyway, I need an evolution stone and any information about the Twisted you can tell me.’ Stars, what is Day supposed to say?

“What do you need, Day?” Luna sighs. She starts putting the sandwiches on their plates.

“I-I need information and–and I don’t want to ask for more than that after hearing about old Bright, but it’s really important.”

“Information? What information?”

“I…discovered that Twisted might be related to the history of the tribe. Or other tribes. Who’s the chief now? Can I talk to them?” Day asks.

“Who else would be the chief? My idiot brother, Solus,” Luna sets the plates on the table hard enough to clang. “Before you ask, no you can’t talk to him right now. He went to Summerset to meet his current girlfriend. I’ve tried to call him, but you’ve heard the news about the monsters in the cities.”

“Yeah,” Day trails off. What should he do now? He came all this way to ask about those secret stories, but Luna doesn’t know them.

“Day,” Luna narrows her eyes at him. “Take a bite of your sandwich and then talk.”

“I–ok,” Day sighs and bites into his sandwich. He barely swallows it before he’s ripping off another and scarfing down the rest. It’s after the third sandwich is choked down that he realizes Luna only has two and she gave him three. “Luna, you didn’t have to give me so much,” Day sighs. Luna rolls her eyes and pushes a bottle of water at him. Day didn’t even see her put it on the table. Was he really that hungry?

“Look, I think I know what you want to ask me. With the news and everything, but I need you to be honest with me. This isn’t just some watered down story to tell tourists, these are legends of the people,” Luna frowns at him.

“I know,” Day nods. “Eat, Luna. You look thinner than I remember.”

“You remember a plump kid that hadn’t grown into her claws yet,” Luna rolls her eyes and starts eating her sandwich. If the world was kinder, Day and Luna would be joking back and forth until old Bright came in to really add some chaos. Then Granny would come in and knock sense back into all three of them before stuffing them with food. But the world isn’t that kind anymore.

“Day, you might as well start explaining and I’ll decide whether or not to share my people’s secrets with you,” Luna prompts when she finishes her first sandwich and reaches for her own water bottle.

Day scrubs a hand across his face as he tries to put his thoughts in order. He needs an evolution stone and some questions to be answered. He has to get everything that’s happened since last fall in some sort of order that she can understand, but not all of it because there’s not enough time. There’s not enough time to sit here and eat with an old friend either, but Day feels better after some food. So, maybe, he should have taken a few minutes to eat something in town. Yeah right, like he’ll do anything more in that town than he has to.

“Day,” Luna prompts again as she twists the lid back onto her bottle. Day drops his hand and takes a breath. He looks out the window at the cloudy sky.

“Ok, um, you know the monsters on TV?”

“Day, everyone knows about the Twisted now.”

“Right, yeah, so the Twisted drip this poison that infects unevolved anthros and changes them into–wait. Now? Did you know about them before?” Day’s head whips around to watch Luna closely. The wolf sighs and frowns down at her second sandwich.

“I guess, grandpa wouldn’t mind if I told you,” Luna mutters to herself. She pushes her plate slightly to the side. “Day, what stories do you remember?”

“Only the creation story.”

“Well, this is a continuation of that. After the stars had aligned to create us and the world, they wanted to give us, anthros, the ability to protect and create. So, once a star chooses to, it will fall down to us. Ready to grant someone power. This is the origin of evolution stones, the cores of stars that have fallen down to earth.”

“I found a cave full of stones, under the academy. They were being mined. How could they have come from the sky?” Day asks, his head tilted slightly in confusion.

“My best guess is stars kept falling in that same spot and were buried underground as time went on,” Luna shrugged al little as she tapped a claw on her water bottle. “I don’t know, Day. All I have is our legends and history.” Day frowns but lets it go, he has far more important things to worry about right now.

“So, the stones come from stars, but how did evolution get discovered?”

“The stories say anthros swallowed the stars when they fell. Even if they were still painfully hot to touch. Some of the ones that did simply died, but some started to change. Their bodies would contort, their minds were lost, and they started to attack anyone eat them.”

“The Twisted,” Day breathes.

“We call them Star Cursed,” Luna nodded solemnly. “A meeting of clans was called, chiefs discussed for days what to do. How to save their kin. On the third night of this meeting, the chief of the owls had a vision. The stars gave him the solution to what was becoming the end of all people,” Luna paused and gently tugged at the star carving around her neck. “The stars that fell were supposed to be chipped until their core was revealed. The orb inside the rocky layer was meant to be consumed, not the outside. The owl chief shared his vision with the others. Carefully, the clans worked together to clean the rock away and reveal the orbs of power within.”

“Are you saying,” Day asks with wide eyes. “The Twisted are created from the evolution stones?”

Notes:

Hi! It's good to be posting again. Sorry about the three month long absence, I was run over by writer's block and had to take a step back from this story. I've rewritten this chapter at least three times and had to post it to get past it. Plot is happening, so hopefully the next chapter comes easier.

As always, thank you for reading, and see you in the next chapter!

Chapter 26: Revelations 2

Notes:

WARNING: Twisted in all their horribleness, but that's it I think

“Wait,” Day pushes away from the table and starts to pace. The rocky cover over the evolution stones make anthros into Twisted. Day only had the outer layer removed by Bendy because he saw it in a vision. He didn’t know–the Fazbears. When Day asked Bendy to clean off the rocky layer, they were surprised. Did they swallow the evolution stones whole?

“Is it possible not to be turned after swallowing a core whole? Without removing the outer layer?” Day turns to Luna, gripping the back of the chair in front of him.

“The legends say in rare cases, a few anthros were strong enough to accept the star’s gift without turning. It was a rare occurrence,” Luna picks at the crust of her sandwich.

“That’s why,” Day realizes. “That’s why there are less than thirty evolved around the world. Most of the people who tried to evolve turned or died.”

“I don’t think so,” Luna glances up at him. “If they were all turning into Star Cursed, why weren’t there more sightings of them? Why is the public only finding out about them now?”

“They would have been killed immediately,” Day whispers. His claws dig into the chair. “They had to be or the secret would have been revealed long ago.” Day stares at his empty plate. “If Twisted were killed right away, why are there any now?”

“If I remember right, the first few sightings started twenty years ago, right? Wasn't that when the other evolution schools were created?” Luna’s mouth twists in distaste at the mention of evolution schools.

Twenty years ago. Why does everything seem to connect to twenty years ago? The first appearance of Twisted. The creation of other evolution schools. What happened–

BAM

Day whips his head towards the front door. “Luna.”

“Come on,” Luna jumps out of her chair and rushes to the living room, grabbing Day’s hand on the way. The kitchen window behind them shatters.

“Who–” A long spindly claw scrapes against the floor as a Twisted starts to pull itself into the house. “How are they already here?” Day whispers as Luna tugs harder on his hand.

“What matters is they’re here now,” Luna turns into the hallway and opens a closet. She steps inside and shoves coats out of the way.

“We need to go–” Day starts to pull away. Luna presses her star necklace into a hole on the back wall of the closet. A loud bang comes from the front of the house. Luna whispers something under her breath. Day tenses at the bang of the front door falling. They have to be inside now. The back wall of the closet clicks and swings open. Luna charges into the darkness it reveals. When they’re both in the darkness Luna does something that swings the wall closed behind them. Day only hopes the Twisted didn’t see or hear them come down here. If it’s just the two Twisted, hopefully they can get away.

Luna grabs his hand in the darkness and starts to pull him. Unlike the tunnels under the academy with the automatic lights and maintained stairs, this passage slopes down suddenly and no lights flick on to lead the way. Even when Day’s eyes adjust, he can barely see Luna move in the darkness. She keeps a tight hold on his hand as they turn right and another steep slope leads them on. Day is just about to ask her where they're going when Luna pulls him to a stop.

“What–”

“Shh!”

Day frowns but perks his ears as he tries to listen. He can’t hear anything. A full minute passes before Luna’s death grip on his wrist ceases. Day rubs his wrist. She might have left a bruise under his fur. She has gotten stronger.

“I don’t think they found the passage,” Luna whispers. “Day, I’m not supposed to show this to outsiders, but I think this can be an exception.” A moment later her phone light illuminates her face. Day can’t remember where his phone is. At the Fazbear’s? In his car? How does he always go through so many? Luna taps away and her phone flashlight brightens the dirt tunnel. Luna points her phone flashlight at an old wooden door in front of them. She pulls on a string that works as the door handle and opens the creaky wood. They both freeze and wait for any sort of sign they were heard.

Silence.

“Don’t touch anything,” Luna whispers as she enters first. Day follows her closely, he has to depend on her phone light to see anything. In the quick arcs of light they enter a small dirt room with cracked cement on the floor. There are chests lining the walls and in the center is an intricately carved pedestal with glass over it. Day steps up to it and…stares down at the evolution orbs nestled on velvet.

“You do have some,” Day whispers. The room fills with light and Luna steps beside him with the lantern.

“Yes, but they’re useless to us. I wanted to show you something else,” Luna heads to the back of the room to one of the chests.

“Useless? We could fight our way out with these!”

“Only the chief can open that case and he’s not here.”

“Didn’t old Bright tell you–”

“Daylight.”

Day’s mouth snaps closed. Right, Luna isn’t the chief and whatever knowledge that comes with that position isn’t something she knows. Mentioning Old Bright isn’t going to magically give her the knowledge.

“Sorry, Luna.”

“It’s–fine. Come over here, I want to show you something.”

Day obediently comes over after one last glance at the case. Five evolution stones are just sitting there and he can’t get to them. Sure, he hasn’t tried to break the glass, but Luna wouldn’t lie about them being out of their reach. Why would she lie to him? Day kneels on the dirt beside Luna as she digs through the chest. She gently pulls out a roll of canvas, shuts the chest, and sets the canvas on the lid. She carefully unrolls the musty material and spreads it out. The canvas is cut in a circle with three painted images. Despite how old this canvas must be, the painter was skilled and the pictures clear.

“What is this?” Day asks quietly.

“This is what I told you before, how the stars would fall and grant us their gifts,” Luna points to the top picture. A night sky full of shooting stars that fall into the waiting hands of anthros. Luna moves her hand down to the bottom. “This is the Twisted, killing to consume other anthros. Their minds lost to madness. The stories say the more they ate, the faster and stronger they became.”

This bottom image shows a sheep without barely any wool. Their limbs are all extended and their bones are starting to stick out of drooping skin. The sheep is holding down a wolf anthro and tearing into its stomach.

“There was only one way to save them once they were cursed,” Luna says as she moves her hand away from the image.

“Save them?” Day asks sharply. “They can be cured?”

So far, the poison the Twisted spread can be removed before it fully infects someone. Marion said the angels didn’t have time to discover a cure before the Twisted attacked the cities, but there didn’t seem to be hope for a cure once the Twisted fully turned.

“No healers had been able to save the Star Cursed and they were far too dangerous to let live. Many clans saw the deaths of the Cursed as a mercy, their loved ones suffered no more,” Luna recites. “A young wolf became Cursed and his sister begged the evolved to spare him. Their family was lost to sickness the winter before. The siblings only had each other left. The evolved and the chiefs refused. They told her that her brother will be killed under the stars’ light. This was a mercy for him.” Luna rested her hand gently beside the painting in the middle. “The sister prayed desperately to the stars to save her brother. In answer, a star fell from the sky directly into her hands. The star shook and the outer layer fell off. The sister thanked the Star and swallowed it quickly. The sun was almost gone from the sky, her brother’s death was close.”

The image in the middle of the canvas showed an evolved wolf swallowing a star on the left half. The right half of the painting showed the wolf’s eyes only. Completely black with a white star shaped iris.

“Star Blessed,” Luna says reverently and bows her head, clasping her star pendant. “The sister was able to save her brother.” Luna removes her hand from the canvas completely. “The sister used an ability no one was able to before, or has been able to since, and removed the poison from her brother. Others begged her to save their loved ones that were cursed and she did. When the Cursed were all saved, the sister looked up at the sky and said something. Then, she turned and walked into the forest. The brother she was desperate to save tried to follow, but he would lose her to the night. For years he would travel into the forest when they returned to that spot until his body could no longer make the journey. He made sure the tribe honored her memory by sharing her story.”

Silence follows Luna’s voice. Day’s mind is reeling. Saving the Twisted is really possible? All those people can be saved?

“How did she do it?” Day asks.

“I don’t know,” Luna growls, frustrated. “This one doesn’t elaborate on what ability she had that cured the Cursed. The chief might know, but we still don’t have one here.”

“Then–then we just need to swallow more than one evolution stone,” Day says and turns to the case with five sitting inside it. Right there. This could change everything. He could help–

“Day,” Luna puts a hand on his arm. “We can’t get into that case and we can’t fight those Star Cursed without risking ourselves to poison. There aren’t any other exits, so we just have to wait them out.”

“We’re trapped,” Day says in disbelief. Why did the come down here if it didn’t lead anywhere?

“The Cursed will move on eventually. Their hunger will draw them away if nothing else does.”

“So we have to wait,” Day sighs and sits on the ground next to Luna. She carefully starts to roll up the canvas and a question occurs to him. “Was there only one Star Blessed?”

“There was only one wolf that was Star Blessed, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the stars found other members of different tribes worthy of being blessed. I was always curious about them after I heard the story, but grandpa would never say more than this legend,” Luna frowns. Day tries to imagine Old Bright clamming up, but he can’t picture the kind, comedic old guy doing that. Luna knew him better than Day, he’ll take her word for it.

“What else is in here?” Day asks, looking at the other chests lining the walls.

“Relics or paintings of other legends like what I showed you. There are the cores too,” Luna nods towards the case with the five evolution stones. So close, but out of reach.

“Are you sure we can’t break the glass?”

“With what? Your bare hands? Grandpa hit that case with his cane multiple times and I haven’t seen a scratch on it.”

“So I have to sit and wait, trapped in this cave with the solution to so many problems right there, and I can’t do anything about it.”

“Hey!” Luna lightly slaps his arm. “Where did this pessimistic person come from? What happened to Daylight, the most cheerful dog I know?”

“Sorry, it’s hard to stay positive sometimes. Especially now, when I had to leave my friends behind to deal with Twisted,” Day pulls his knees to his chest and just…breathes. It’s the first time he’s had a moment to just sit without something going on since school started.

He really hopes the others are ok. Nap and Crafty would have evolved right? It’s not like they have to fight about who gets to evolve anymore with Day gone. They must have evolved by now. How tall are they? Did their fur change color like Kickin’s feathers? Did their eyes change colors? What are their abilities? Most of his friends hadn’t figured out their abilities before they were attacked. Day sighs and looks down at his unevolved hand. Would his fur change color? Would that brown spot around his eye finally disappear? Would he be taller than Nap? What would his ability be? Something really cool or something lame?

With nothing else to do but sit in the dark room with Luna and a dim lamp, Day’s thoughts circle around and around. He worries about his friends, he worries about what to do next, and he worries about the Twisted. Around and around and around he worries–

“Stop it,” Luna lightly smacks his arm as she settles next to him. “Let out what’s bothering you. Don’t hold inside to fester.”

“It would be easier to say what’s not bothering me,” Day sighs. They stretch their legs out in front of them, just like when they were kids.

“Well, it’s been a long time since we could just catch up,” Luna hesitates for a moment. “How is the house? Has your father–”

“I don’t know,” Day snaps. He takes a breath. “Sorry, Luna. I–I don’t know anything about what is going on in that house anymore. When I was selected two years ago for the academy I was adopted by a human named Poppy. She’s been really nice,” Day’s tail wags weakly. It stops as Poppy is added to his list of worries. She should be fine. Many people will rush to help her if she needs it and she has plenty of resources for emergencies. Has Kissy met up with her? Has Nightmare been found? What about–

“What did I just say?” Luna smacks her again.

“Sorry,” Day gives her a tired smile. “There’s too much to talk about. I wouldn’t even know where to start. I was hoping coming here would be the answer to my problems. Not to say you haven’t helped,” Day quickly assures her. “I know more about the Twisted now than I did before and there’s a chance to save the Twisted!”

“I wouldn’t get your hopes up too high,” Luna pulls her legs up and rests her arms on top of her knees.

“What?” Day turns to face her directly, pulling his legs back to himself.

“I’ve seen the news. The monsters running around now are different from the star cursed from legend. Did you notice how the painting depicted the Star Cursed? There was no dripping or exposed bone. The legend just shows them as unnaturally shaped versions of themselves. I don’t think the same cure as back then would work on whatever has happened to those poor people.”

Day lets out a bark of not quite laughter. Of course. It was never going to be that easy. Every step forward is followed by two steps back…

…but he won’t give up. He can’t. There are too many people being hurt, especially those he cares about. Someone has to do something and he’s learned information that could be helpful. Marion could probably do something with it. There’s still hope.

After two hours of waiting, Luna leads them back towards the door. She turns her phone light off and does something that opens the door. Luna only opens it enough for the thinnest sliver of light to penetrate the dark tunnel. They both wait with their ears perked for noise on the other side. A few minutes of waiting reveals nothing. No noises like something is in the house, no shadow waiting right outside the door. Nothing.

Luna takes a deep breath and slowly opens the door. The closet has black smears of what must be poison. The door is hanging onto the doorframe by the bottom hinge. They wait a moment, ears swiveling to pick up anything suspicious. When Day moves to step out of their closet Luna puts a hand on his arm. She checks the hallway again before leaning close.

“They might be waiting outside. Run to your car as fast as you can,” Luna whispers.

“What about you?”

“Someone needs to protect the tunnel and–” she summons a teasing little smile, “I’m hoping you lure them away from here so I can get supplies. I really pray this won’t last longer than a month or two. We didn’t exactly plan to be stuck out here without being able to get food in town.”

“I’m sorry,” Day squeezes her shoulder.

“It’s not like you knew they would come here,” Luna lets go of his shoulder to pat his hand. Day doesn’t say that it seems like the Twisted were after him, but that can’t be right. Day is a mere unevolved student in the academy. Why are they so far from the cities? He isn’t worth that if they are after him. Maybe they’re looking for Goldie? He is a threat to them. His ability is a threat and he knows more about them than the average person.

“Thank you, Luna,” Day whispers as he squeezes her shoulder one last time before letting go. They leave the ruined closet and carefully make their way down the hall to the living room. More blotches of poison decorate the walls. The furniture has been tossed around and some of it broken. Luna nudges Day towards the front door and he nods. He moves as quietly as he can, ears still perked for danger. He reaches the door and glances behind him one last time. Luna has the shotgun out of its case and is taking out a box of ammo. Day can only hope she’ll be ok. Her brother will be rushing back soon, hopefully.

Day puts his hand on the door handle, takes a breath, and swings it open. He doesn’t see any Twisted in front of the house. He shuts the door quietly behind him and runs for the stolen car. He’s glad he took the extra minute to turn the car so it’s facing the road when he hops in. There’s movement in the tree line. Day doesn’t bother focusing on it as he starts the car and guns it off the property and onto the main road. He glances in the rearview mirror, but doesn’t see anything following him. He’s confident he will see anyone on the open grasslands when they start following him. He plans his next steps as he drives, looking behind him constantly for a disfigured silhouette.

He needs to see how many Twisted are in Canine Hill. Is it crawling with them or are there only a few? There aren’t any evolved in Canine Hill, so fighting them isn’t an option. Well, Goldie is there–oh no. Goldie said he’d be sleeping half the day to recover. Day’s only been gone a little over three hours. That doesn’t seem like nearly long enough for the gold bear to recover. Fuck. They can’t teleport out of Canine Hill. Day growls and checks his mirrors again. He still hasn’t seen anything. That’s starting to worry him more than actually seeing the Twisted would. Even if it took a while to catch up, this road has open fields past where the eye can see. He should be able to see the Twisted miles away from him. Where is it?

When Day sees the edge of town, he slows down and keeps an eye out for an attack in front of him. The Twisted might be waiting to ambush him. What he finds is emptiness. No one is outside walking or playing in the parks. No one drives by to the grocery store. Lights are off in the houses. It looks like the town is empty, but there’s no signs of an attack. No broken buildings, bloodstained streets, or anything like that. The town is just empty. Day’s gaze jumps from the road in front, to his mirrors facing behind, to his side mirrors, and back to the front as he drives. Nothing. This is making him more nervous than if a Twisted jumped at him. Where is everyone? Day was only gone for three hours! Sure, he wasn’t paying attention to how many people were outside when he was driving through before, but he was more focused on not being seen.

Day makes it back to the motel parking lot and all of the cars are gone. He winces slightly at the thought he stole someone’s car and they probably couldn’t get out of town. They probably got a ride. Hopefully. Day parks the car and checks all the windows and mirrors again, still expecting to see a dripping, disproportionate body running at him.

Nothing again. Day hurries out of the car into the motel, his fur rising in unease. The front door of the motel is unlocked, no one is in the lobby, the receptionist doesn’t appear when Day rushes through to the first floor hallway. Please, Goldie be ok in here. He clumsily gets the keycard out and inserts it into the card reader. It beeps and turns green. Day pushes the handle down and glances in both directions down the hall. No one. Day pushes the door open and quickly shuts it behind him, remembering at the last second to do so quietly. He locks the door and pushes the chain over, just in case.

“Be careful, sunny,” a deep voice says behind him. Day gasps and whirls around. Sitting on the motel chair, with his feet propped up on the desk, is a skeleton. A skeleton in black basketball shorts and an unzipped light blue hoodie with a white shirt underneath. His tennis shoes are untied as he flexes his foot to a silent beat. Day’s hackles rise as he stares at the stranger that’s much closer to Goldie than Day is. The still sleeping, vulnerable Goldie.

“Hey, don’t you know how to greet an old pal?” the skeleton asks as he lowers his legs from the desk. The smell of magic around him is strong. Almost overpowering. A demon?

“Who are you?” Day looks up from the hands suspiciously tucked in hoodie pockets to meet the skeleton’s face.

His eyes. They’re–they’re like the star blessed in the painting. Voids of black with white in the middle. How–why–what–

“Ah, don’t worry about these,” the skeleton winks. “There’s a lot more to worry about right now.” The skeleton stands and disappears in a flash of blue. Day gasps. Another flash of blue and Day’s arm is grabbed in a bony grip. Another flash and Day is suddenly by the bed. The skeleton grabs Goldie’s arm.

“Wait–”

Another flash and they’re in what looks like a small hospital room. Goldie is laying on it, still asleep. Day is let go and he trips as he tries to turn around to look at the skeleton.

“Don’t worry, kid. We’re probably going to see each other again,” the skeleton winks again and disappears in a flash of blue. Day stares for a few seconds before he reaches out to feel the space the skeleton was. Nothing except air. Who was that? How did they find Day and Goldie? Where did he leave them? How did he do any of that?

“Daylight?” a familiar voice asks. Day turns and there’s Marion, looking as shocked to see Day as Day is to see her. “How did you get here?”

“I–” Day turns in a circle to look at the whole room. The very empty room except for the three of them. “I don’t know.” Day’s shoulders droop and he shoots a shaky smile at Marion. ”It’s good to see you, Miss Puppet.”

“I feel the same, but I think the chancellor will be even more relieved to know you and Goldie have been found,” Marion steps over to feel Goldie’s pulse.

“The chancellor? Is there anyone else here?” Day asks excitedly.

“Yes,” Marion says right before she punches Goldie in the shoulder with a fist covered in green magic. Goldie jolts as the green sweeps over his body and his eyes fly open.

“What?” Goldie coughs. He looks around the hospital room with a very angry Marion looming over him. “What?” he asks again.

“You’re a fool,” Marion snaps. “Get up. We need to get everyone up to date on everything. Including whatever the hell you’ve been doing for the past few years.” Goldie’s lips pull back just a little to expose his fangs.

“Watch it–”

“Move,” Marion snarls as she turns her back on him and hurries to the door. “Don’t bother trying to teleport, we’re in the middle of the ocean.”

“We’re on a boat?” Day asks. Now that he’s looking, there aren’t any windows in here.

“Fucking great,” Goldie growls.

“Hurry up,” Marion snaps at the bear. “Daylight, you can go ahead of us. Glitterbomb, here is going to be a pain.”

“I–uh, ok.” Day feels like he should thank Goldie for taking him to Canine Hill, but then he remembers the bear’s hand clamping onto his shoulder as his friends are attacked and can’t quite get the words past his lips. He hurries out of the small room instead. He leaves the door open as he rushes down the hall towards an elevator. He hits the button and the doors slide open. Good, he doesn’t have to wait and hear the yelling happening in the other room. Day steps in the elevator and hits the second floor button. The doors slide close and he leans against the back wall of the elevator. He gently thumps the back of his head against it as the elevator moves.

“Ruff day?”

Day jumps as he backs defensively into the corner. The skeleton. He’s leaning against the elevator doors with his hands in his hoodie pockets. His posture is so casual, it’s hard to believe he hasn't been there the whole time.

“Who are you?” Day barely keeps the growl out of his voice. Despite the shifty nature of this guy, Day doesn’t feel threatened, but he doesn’t trust the skeleton either.

“I’m here to help,” one half of the skeleton’s grin lifts higher than the other.

“Help who?”

“Now you’re asking the right questions.”

The elevator jerks to a stop and Day stumbles down to a knee. The skeleton only looks at the doors he’s leaning against. The light in the elevator flickers twice before it goes out.

“What’s happening!?” Day gasps as he feels for a wall to help himself back to his feet.

“You know, it seemed like the evolved were the answer to this crisis didn't it?” the skeleton asks casually.

“What are you even saying? We need to get out of here!” Day cries. This isn’t the time for riddles.

“So, let me ask you,” the smell of magic is overwhelmingly close. Day looks up at a bright fiery blue eye looking down at him. “What happens when they become part of the problem?”

“That’s–they won’t! The evolved are protectors. They fight the Twisted.” Day defends. He forgets about finding a wall and pushes himself clumsily to his feet.

“Do all of them? Even the new ones you helped create?”

“Of course they do–”

“Even that cat?”

“Nap wouldn’t–”

“What do you really know about him, kid? About his family? Where does he lives? His favorite color?”

“I–I know Nap wouldn’t kill people or work for the Twisted!” Day snaps. Nap wouldn’t. He’s a little mysterious, but how could the person who cuddles with Day work for the Twisted?

“I wish that were true, kid,” the skeleton suddenly sounds so tired. “I wish this was going to end differently, but the chance to change it has passed.”

“What–”

Day’s shoulder is grabbed and the fiery blue eye flares bright. Day closes his eyes against the bright light. When the hand lets go of him, he opens his eyes again. They’re in a warehouse maybe? There's lots of machinery against the walls that connect to a globe of black smoke in the middle with tubes connected to it at the base. A large array of panels sits in front of the globe.

“It’s time to end this one too, kid. I’ll see you soon and…I’m sorry.”

Day jerks around, but the skeleton is gone. He doesn’t know what the riddle speaking skeleton was talking about. It didn’t make sense, but Day has more pressing issues right now. He doesn’t know where he is or how to get out. He still needs to find Poppy and his friends or find a way to contact them.

A loud hiss comes from the right and he spins in that direction. A door slides open. Day takes a halting step towards it. The figure that walks forward is tall, a hood hides their features, and a cloak sweeps the ground as they step forward. This is the figure from the night the academy fell, Day is sure of it. Is this the one the Twisted praise?

“Dad? What’s wrong?” Nap steps out of the doorway behind the figure. His bright yellow eyes land on Day and widen. “Day?”

“What?” From behind Nap steps out Kickin, Hoppy, Bubba, Picky, Crafty, and Bobby. “Day!” they smile at him and it would be such a nice reunion…

 

…If the docile Twisted behind them wasn’t Obsidian Dovely.

Notes:

Ello! I wanted to post this before Christmas, but having family around doesn't leave much time to edit things. Sorry about that. Also, we are in the final stretch of this story! I am so curious about the theories people have developed because after this chapter they will probably be adjusted. I am excited to reach the ending, this story was not supposed to be this long. I've enjoyed the journey, but wow this thing is a doozy to write. The longest I've ever written. I'm so glad you all like it.

Anywho, thank you for reading. I will see you in the next one! Happy Holidays!

Chapter 27: What now?

Notes:

WARNING: Twisted, death, dismemberment

I tried to leave \\\\\\\ around the worst of it. The reading might be a little choppy. Sorry about that. Stay safe!

“What is this?” Day asks. His friends look tired, but not injured or worried about what's looming behind them. Crafty has evolved. Her blue hair sparkles, her white coat is pristine. She's tall, curvier, her eyes sky blue. Day can’t see her tail, but it must sparkle too.

“Day, you're ok!” Bobby smiles, and a hint of fangs peeking through.

“Day!” Nap hurries forward. A tall, lanky, evolved Nap. A clean coat of deep purple fur and a very long tail. Nap makes it two steps when the cloaked figure puts a metal hand on Nap’s shoulder stopping him. “Dad?” Nap turns his head to look at the figure in confusion.

“What’s going on?” Day asks, his ears pinned back and fur rising defensively. Why would his friends be this close to a Twisted like this? Why isn’t the Twisted attacking? How did Obsidi turn into a Twisted? After what happened to her twin, Saph, weren’t they both healing?

“It’s–let us explain,” Bobby quickly spreads her hands to show she doesn’t mean any harm.

“Explain what?” Day asks, his gaze snapping back to Obsidi when her head tilts down to look at him better. A tear of poison falls from her eye and trails down her beak. His friends hesitate and look at each other. Nap steps forward again, but the same metal hand pulls him back.

“Why don’t I explain?” the cloaked figure asks. He steps forward, ahead of everyone. “Daylight Dog, I’ve been waiting to officially meet you. I am called Proto. It’s a pleasure.”

“You!” Day gasps as the voice brings a fuzzy memory to his mind. He knew that smooth voice sounded familiar! “You were on the boat!”

“Yes, thank you, by the way, for the performance. It's been a long time since I heard ‘Starcrossed’ on piano.”

“You're welcome?” Day says like a question. This…man is screaming danger, but he hasn’t done anything yet.

“Sadly, I don’t think our interaction will continue to be pleasant,” the cloaked head tilts just a little. “Why don’t we start with you betraying your friends?”

“What?” echoes from multiple sources around the room.

“Yes,” Proto says sadly. “I’m afraid Daylight is a spy sent by the chancellor. He was meant to find the source of evolution. What was your chancellor going to do with this knowledge, Daylight?”

“What is he saying, Day?” Bubba asks, his trunk curled nervously.

“I-it’s not like that–”

“Answer the question,” Hoppy says with unusual seriousness.

“I was sent here and my tuition was paid for by the government,” Day admits carefully, hoping his friends listen to him. “I wasn’t–”

“Lying to them? Working for the very people who keep anthros subjugated?” Proto asks, tilting his covered head. Day sees the way those few words make his friends change. Their body’s are stiff, their expressions a little more hostile.

“Wait, what–”

“Oh, your friends know all about the plan the government has for the evolution process now. How could you support it is the real question,” Proto tilts his head the other way.

“Wait, please–” Day flounders. He feels like he was just thrown into a fight with an overpowered opponent he didn’t have any chance to prepare for. What is even going on?

“Fine, play innocent,” Proto straightens up. “I’ll explain.” The tall figure turns to Day’s friends and his voice is soft and kind as he talks to them. Day can only shudder at the wrongness of it.

“Twenty years ago, there was a young anthro like you that just wanted to evolve and help people. That lucky anthro was chosen! He was taken to a secret place beneath the academy and the school’s president was even there. This little anthro was given a lump of rock to swallow. He was confused, but too scared of failing to question it. If this was a test he was going to pass!” Proto’s voice was animated and compelling. Day is uneasy just hearing it.

“After he swallowed the lump of rock, he could only feel pain. His body was changing, but in horrible ways. His limbs were longer and his senses stronger. He cried for help, but the school president merely had him thrown in a cage,” Proto glances briefly at Obsidi before continuing. Day watches, he teeth slowly pulling back, as the dove steps back and the door slides shut, blocking her from view. His friends don’t seem to notice.

“For months, he was tortured in that cage for their ‘research’. He only had the comfort of others being with him. He watched and waited for the moment to escape, because He. Was. Getting. Out. One day, he knew he would be free again. The day came when they brought in two monsters like us. Those fools were not prepared to fight like those two did. When one of them freed us, the fight for freedom was inevitable. Only two scientists survived that slaughter. The head scientists who were going to undo what had been done to us.” Proto pauses before slowly lifting his hands and pulling his hood down.

Oh, stars. Day can’t even see his face and he’s already horrified. The back of Proto’s head is a mess of black…skin. It’s oily, uneven and the smell of rot is too much. Day has to cover his nose briefly. His friends aren’t much better, except Nap. He reaches out and Proto squeezes the cat’s hand reassuringly.

“We took them somewhere secure and started to develop a ‘cure’. The people found and dubbed ‘Twisted’ were poor souls who were overtaken by madness and managed to escape the lab. The doctors were unsuccessful in undoing what had been done to us, but they did manage to get some of us our minds back. By then I realized the truth. We had been used and thrown away by the people we trusted. They kept doing it. Until we finally killed the president of the school four years ago. What a triumph that day had been,” Proto says wistfully. Day is still glad he doesn’t see any expression on that gross head.

“From there, we spread our reach. With other evolution schools in existence, more of us were being made. The scientists were able to help them so they wouldn’t lose their minds. Now, we finally have an army to bring justice on–”

“You’re insane,” Day breathes. Proto rounds on Day and–oh stars above. Proto’s head looks like someone was trying to make a Halloween mask and gave up caring halfway through. The black oily skin is pulled tight to the bone structure of his face, but the bones of his face are a jigsaw messily put together. One pupiless eye glares at Day, two gaping holes are where a nose might be, a slashed hole with no teeth might be his mouth. Was this really an anthro once?

“How can you justify all this?” Day asks, fighting down bile. “How can you think poisoning unevolved anthros and making them destroy cities be justice? How can killing someone ever be excused?”

“Still a child,” Proto sighs in disappointment. “This is war. Your friends understand that.” Proto looks over at the evolved anthros shifting slightly behind him.

“What is he talking about?” Day asks them. “What have you done?”

“We have to stop the fighting,” Crafty says softly, her voice more musical than before. She curls into herself a little with all eyes on her.

“Mr. Proto explained everything to us and-and he’s made some compelling arguments,” Bubba says, standing a little straighter.

“We evolved to stop the destruction,” Bobby agrees, taking his hand.

“Proto showed us how,” Hoppy’s stance is defiant. She and Kickin are glaring at-at Day. As if he’s the enemy.

“Picky?” Day asks, desperately.

“I’m sorry,” Picky says quietly. “But in Mr. Proto’s vision for the future, I wouldn’t have to hide my demon side or be ashamed of it. I will fight for that equality.”

They–they can’t be serious. How could their minds be changed like this in a few hours? His friends would never kill someone!

“You’re controlling them,” Day forces his gaze to meet the black orb of Proto’s eye. “Why? How?”

“Ah, Daylight,” Proto says with a sigh. “I don’t know what lies have been whispered in your ears, but I don’t control people. I merely show them a better way.”

“No! My friends would never kill people or hurt them! They wouldn’t do this!” Day refuses to believe it.

“I take it that means you aren’t willing to fight with them?” Proto reaches into a pocket and pulls out an evolution stone. “Even when offered this?”

“Keep it!” Day snaps. He isn’t going to start destroying the world for an evolution stone! This psycho will not turn Day to his side, never!

“I told you this would happen,” Proto tells Nap as he slides the evolution stone back into his pocket.

 

\\\\\\

 

“No, wait. Please!” Nap steps between them. “Let me talk to him, Dad. I can convince him.” Nap meets Proto’s gaze steadily. The taller hums before looking at Day and then past him, nodding. Day whirls around to look behind him. A beak snaps closed on his shoulder. Day shouts in pain as the sharp beak starts to close, his bones creak. Obsidi’s pupiless eyes stare at him as she crushes his shoulder.

“NO! You said he could join us!” Nap yells.

“And he will,” Proto says calmly. “I’m afraid there is only one way to do that.”

Something in Day’s shoulder pops, blood sprays, and Day’s ears are filled with his own scream.

“Stop, please!” Bobby says somewhere far away. Obsidi yanks and a chunk of Day goes with her. She tilts her head back to greedily swallow it. Day can’t feel his arm anymore. His eyes burn with tears.

 

\\\\\\

 

“No. No. No,” Nap fills his vision, tears of his own falling. “Hold on Day. W-we can fix you up. Please, just-just stay awake, ok?”

“You said you weren’t going to hurt him!” Hoppy yells somewhere else. Day can't focus on anything except yellow eyes.

“Why?” Day asks them. “How could you do this to me?”

A harsh, broken sound escapes Nap and his tears fall faster.

“It wasn’t supposed to go like this,” Nap says around a sob. “You were supposed to–”

“Evolve and join your friends in our army,” Proto finishes. His shadow looms over them both. “I am adding you to the ranks, Daylight, just not how I think your friends would have preferred. Why did you do this to them?” Proto says like Day stole a cookie. The shadow moves and cold metal fingers hold up his still attached arm. Through the pain in his other shoulder Day doesn’t feel the needle, but he sees the glint of it.

“There,” Proto says with a pat to Nap’s head. “Now, he will be joining us like you wanted.”

“This isn’t what I wanted!” Nap growls, pulling away from the metal hand.

Day hears Proto saying something in response, but it doesn’t matter. Not as ice starts crawling through him. It starts where the needle entered him. Is he turning into a Twisted? Is the poison spreading? His angel blood is supposed to resist it, at least for a while. What’s happening? The ice continues to spread. Day feels cold and the pain of his shoulder is burning. He turns his head to see Nap still arguing with Proto. Behind them his ‘friends’ are staring, horrified, but they aren’t helping him. Day’s eyes connect with Bobby’s.

“Day,” Bobby sobs, taking a step forward. Day moves his freezing, still attached arm just a little towards her and mouths ‘help me.’ Bobby’s breath hitches and she takes a few more steps toward him. That snaps the others out of there horrified stares. Hoppy is faster to approach, but Obsidi lunges at them, forcing them back.

“Ah, ah,” Proto says silkily. “You made your choice and so did Daylight.”

“No, this is wrong!” Crafty grips her head tightly.

“This isn’t what we wanted!” Kickin snaps, his beak making a loud clack. He glares up at the Twisted dove. Bubba rubs his temples, a fierce frown on his face. Proto was controlling them. That’s…funny.

Day’s throat spits ice out when he laughs. Black poison sprays into the air. He’s poisoned, he’s turning into a Twisted and…it’s so funny. Day laughs again, making more poison spray. His whole body is cold, he can’t feel his arm. Arms? How many does he have? His friends let this happen to him. Nap let this happen to him. Day can’t seem to stop giggling and he turns his head away from them all. He doesn't want to look at them. The dark catwalk above him is far nicer to look at. The others are saying something, their voices rising. Hilarious.

A fiery blue eye ignites above him. The skeleton leans out of the shadows over the catwalk, looking at him.

“Kill me,” Day chokes through the poison and immediately giggles. He’d rather die than become a puppet to this monster. The skeleton’s eye flares brighter. A bone surrounded in blue magic materializes. One end is sharpened into a deadly point.

“Day, I'm sorry,” Nap says in his ear. Day rolls his head to look at the crying cat with the pretty yellow eyes.

“Ha!” Day barks out a laugh and shoves Nap away with an unnaturally long arm. He barely notices Proto’s smug grin on his horrifying face. Day collapses again, eyes locked on . The bone shoots down straight at him.

“Day, please–”

 

CRUNCH

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sans watches the group of kids start to freak out. They charge at the Twisted dove. The cat kid lets out what is very close to a painful cry. Proto’s head snaps up and his one eye meets San’s.

“You,” Proto opens his slasher mouth and metal fangs peek out of the darkness. Sans flicks a finger to disintegrate the bone he killed Day with. The cat’s head jerks up to glare at him. Yellow cat eyes burn with hatred. Like father, like son, it seems. The cat kid stands, growling. His long tail lunges like a snake to wrap around the rail of the catwalk beside Sans.

“YOU KILLED HIM!”

Sans props his chin on his hand. The kid snarls at the action and uses his tail to assist in jumping onto the catwalk. Claws and fangs extended, aimed right for Sans.

The world freezes. The cat kid is frozen mid air, the fight on the ground pauses. A breath passes like this before everything goes black. Something more intense than teleportation presses on Sans for a moment–

–he’s sitting beside a river on a bright sunny day. He stares at the gurgling stream for a moment before looking up at a boat. A figure calmly stares back.

“Come,” Riverperson says softly as they bring their boat closer. It’s an unneeded action, but Riverperson does it anyway. Sans takes a shortcut onto the boat and sits in his usual spot. Riverperson starts steering the boat down river, the birds sing merrily around them.

“Will it work this time?” Sans asks in a moment of weakness.

“The dog cannot continue. The world may yet be saved.”

“How?” Sans asks, not expecting an answer.

Riverperson says nothing.

Notes:

There's one more chapter after this!

The reactions to Sans are not what I was expecting, I'll be honest. Glad everyone was happy to see him tho!

Thanks for reading and I'll see you in the next one!

Chapter 28: Prologue 2

Notes:

You might want tissues.

Day opens his eyes and stares at the high ceiling of his new–well, not exactly new–room in Poppy’s mansion. Memories are slamming around his head. The resets of time. Over and over and over and over and over and over and over and–

“Daylight.”

Day turns his head just enough to see the skeleton sitting in the padded window seat. His boney knees pulled up, arms around them, and his head resting on top, watching Day.

“Sans,” Day croaks. The skeleton’s expression softens with sympathy.

“Hey, kid. Ruff day?”

“You already used that one,” Day murmurs, looking back at the ceiling. With his memories, all of his memories, He can feel that exhaustion that haunts Sans. The weight of failure is heavy and hopelessness festers inside it. Neither of them move or say anything else. They wait.

Day wonders if Poppy has this room monitored somehow. In this timeline, he just signed the agreement between them a few hours ago. It’s the first time he’s slept in her mansion. This time. That last timeline was the shortest he’s ever been through. He didn’t even get to see her before he was killed. Again. He isn’t as upset about that as he used to be. Day’s emotions are so muted at this point he doesn’t even feel alarmed at how that isn’t a good thing. He’s just so…tired.

Tired of all of this.

When the full moon illuminates Day’s fancy bedroom in Poppy’s mansion, that person appears.

“Hello, Sans, Daylight,” the Prophet says softly.

“River,” Sans greets, tiredly. Day can’t find any words so he sits up and inclines his head in greeting. The Prophet is completely covered in thick dark blue fabric that drapes down to the ground.

“It’s time,” the Prophet says as they flick their sleeves. The world around them changes, becoming a circular room with nothing except a huge window that makes up a wall. The rest of the room is white marble wall. It takes a few seconds of looking around before he realizes why this place looks so familiar. It might be the room from one of his visions last year. The one with the moving stained glass and the bandaged person in the wheelchair. That wasn’t from one of his previous lives…was it? He has lifetimes of memories now. Maybe it hasn’t happened yet?

“Now, we must prepare,” the Prophet turns to him. Day chokes as a band, the same as around his limbs and torso, wraps around his neck. The Prophet’s magic revealed the bands for what they really are. Chains. White manacles are clasped around both ankles, both wrists, both upper arms, his waist, and now his throat. They drag him down to his knees with their weight. The chain links dangle and fade at the ends, as if what they are attached to simply can’t be seen.

“Each reset of the timeline you caused is a burden you will now carry,” the Prophet says in their calm, lilting voice. “It’s time to work, take these.” The Prophet waves a hand and a crystal case appears in front of Day. It opens with a click. Sitting inside of it on black silk are two evolution stones. One still lumpy with its outer layer, the other not. “The stars have plans for us all, it’s time you stop fighting yours.”

Day blinks back tears as he stares at the evolution stones, feeling the weight of the chains dragging him down.

“Was there any point?” he asks brokenly. “Wasn’t there something I could have done?”

“You saw for yourself, in each timeline, for every problem you fixed, a new one would appear. This last one shows just how much things are deteriorating,” the Prophet explains patiently.

“What do you mean?” Day asks, glancing at Sans briefly. The skeleton says nothing, just watches them with tired, empty eyes.

“It is easy to miss if you aren’t looking,” the Prophet links the end of their sleeves together in front of them. “In this last timeline, at the very end, was it not unusual that Obsidian Dovely would appear as a Twisted at that moment, in that place?”

“It…was,” Day was confused about her presence, but he was distracted by other things at the time.

“She was not supposed to be there and after previous events for that timeline, she shouldn’t have turned into a Twisted,” Prophet says gently. They continue before Day can ask what made that change happen. “There are other moments as well. In other timelines, that drug, ‘poppies’ spreads throughout Evol Academy and gets students addicted. This last timeline? They were removed before ever getting that far thanks to Odette, the owl that took the student council down your first year. The problem from this, is it made those student council members turn into Twisted far sooner than they had before. Odette died instead of turning. the separation of bloodlines among students didn't evolve like it has before either. This is all without mentioning how fast your friends switched sides. Time is unstable.”

“I didn’t even finish my second year,” Day says tiredly, not really listening. He didn’t see all of his friends’ abilities after evolution. Or save Freddy. Or at least say goodbye to Freddy. There are so many things he didn’t get to do this time. His eyes go back to the evolution stones. “I just wanted to save the people I care about. Why didn’t it work? I tried eight times and it never worked.”

“Kid,” Sans ‘shortcuts’ over to kneel beside him and his boney arms aren't warm, but they bring a comfort Day desperately needs at that moment. If anyone understands trying to fix this only for it all to mean nothing, it’s Sans.

“Stopping Prototype is not for any one of us to do on our own and it cannot be done without the Angel,” Prophet says, sympathetically.

“An angel that has yet to appear, even after all this time,” Sans says with a hint of accusation in his tone.

“They will,” Prophet says, certainly. Silence follows. Prophet’s eyes are hidden, but Day just knows they're watching him, waiting for him to swallow the evolution stones. Sans tightens his hug before letting go.

“I’ll stay with ya, kid,” Sans promises. They all know he can’t stay for long, but it gives Day the courage to reach for the gold orb resting on black silk. He takes a breath and pops the orb into his mouth. He tilts his head back and swallows it. Heat blooms from his chest and rapidly spreads through his body, it’s borderline painful. Day curls into himself. His forehead resting on the cold marble floor as he body starts to shake uncontrollably. The painful heat inside him bursts and disappears, the shaking stops. Day stares at the gleaming marble until his breathing is under control. When he sits up, the pajamas he was wearing fall off in pieces. He opens his mouth to ask for something to cover up with, but his hands bump into nicely folded clothing, white angel robes, right beside him that he knows wasn’t there before. Whether Sans or the Prophet teleported it there, Day doesn’t know.

Sans steps back to give him room as he stands. Day towers over both of them. This isn’t the first time he’s evolved, but the change always amazes him. Day’s hands are bigger, his claws sharper. He knows without needing to look that his light brown fur is only a shade away from gold, the darker brown spots the same shade as chocolate. The brown spot around his eyes has changed into a sun with his eye as the center. He has more, sharper fangs and his brown eyes have changed into gold. The manacles have adjusted to his new size, the chains attached to them are longer.

Day changes quickly, more to get it over with than because he’s embarrassed. When he’s finished he tilts his head down to meet the void that is the Prophet’s face.

“What does that one do? Give me visions like the one from the last timeline?” Day asks, his voice is deeper, smoother.

“That no longer matters, these two are your true stones. The first is only useful once the angel appears. The second one, you won’t be able to use until much later,” Prophet says as cryptically as always. Day sighs and watches the crystal case lift higher so the lumpy stone is within reach. He hoped he would have the same ability as he did in other timelines when he evolved, but that doesn’t seem to be the case now. Day reaches out and picks up the lump that is the other evolution stone. It’s hot in his fingers. A small part of him hopes it kills him for trying to swallow two stones and he doesn’t become a “Star Blessed”. He still isn't sure what that entails and he doesn’t really want to find out.

“Kid,” Sans reaches out and pats his thigh, the easiest place he can reach. Day uses that comfort to put the lump in his mouth and after struggling a little with the feel of it in his mouth, manages to swallow. This time the heat is instant and all consuming. Day gurgles out something as his knees give out and he lands hard on his side. The heat swallows him completely and dimly he hears the Prophet.

“The Angel will find you.”

Day loses track of the world as the heat scorches him. It burns through every organ, every thought of his mind. No part of him remains untouched. It has to be killing him. This amount of pain isn’t survivable. Just end it. Please. He doesn’t know who he’s begging, but he is begging. Desperately All the pain he went through, all of those attempts to make things right and this is what he gets for it. A slow, painful death. He…he…

He hopes, if this is really the end, people are saved. He hopes Poppy can find more people to love than just Day. He hopes his friends stick together and stay free. He hopes Freddy can live happily. He hopes Sans will lose some of that hopelessness. Day can only hope. The heat consumes everything. He burns for minutes? Days? Years?

It stops. As abruptly as it started, it does stop…eventually. Day just lays there, breathing. He’s still alive. He isn’t as happy about that as he should be and he feels…strange. After just breathing for a few moments, He forces his eyes open. Sunlight beams through the window onto Day. It doesn’t hurt to look directly at it either. Slowly, unnerved by the silence he’s never liked, Day gets himself up into a sitting position. He rubs a hand over his eyes and looks around. White marble walls surrounded him, the window is the only source of light. He doesn’t smell anything. He doesn’t hear anything.

“Sans?”

Nothing.

“Prophet?”

Nothing. He’s alone.

Day forces himself to his feet. He can’t be alone here. Day looks around again and steps in a random direction to check the shadows for a door. As soon as his foot is outside of the sunlight the chains jerk him back. They slacken when he's back within the circle of sunlight. No. Day lunges for the shadows and gets jerked right back into the circle by the chains. He tries again.

And again.

And again.

Again.

Again.

Day’s breathing speeds up. Where is Sans? He said he’d stay. Is this a punishment? Is this cage just an extension of the chains? Why? What did Day do to deserve this? All he ever tried to do was save people, especially those he cared about. Day stumbles from another jerk of chains onto his side. His eyes start to burn with tears as his chest spasms. He curls into a ball in the center of the sunlight. There’s nothing he can do but wait.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And wait.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And wait.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And wait.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And wait–

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Kid?”

 

–no more.

Notes:

...so, as some of you guessed, this is the end of, uh, part 1? Book 1? Act1? Whichever label works, but I don't want to fool you all into thinking the next part will be coming right away. I want to have enough time to work on it and be pressure free to make it the best I can. I also need to go through this story (How has it gotten over 180,000 words!?) to edit some mistakes and small details. Plus, there are a few chapters I need to post to the extras. So, yeah, it'll be a while until the next part. I wish I could give you an exact date, but I don't know when that date is.

In other news, I think my immediate focus will go to a story I was going to start for Freddy waaaaaaay back before Poppy Playtime chapter 4 stole my attention. So, if you want a Freddy-centric story, that's where I'll be for the immediate future. (And my Transformers story but I have no idea how much interest any of you have for that).

I'm actually getting a little emotional as I write this final author's note. It's been a long journey with all of you and I appreciate the support more than you'll ever know. It means so much. Thank you for everything. I hope to see you again.

Goodbye!