Something was moving inside him… something that wasn’t him.

He couldn’t see or hear it, but oh Scott, he could definitely feel it. The way it wriggled and writhed, squirming all over his insides, tearing up his body… or how fast it could move one second, and then agonizingly slow in the next. It invaded his mind, his person, continuing to grow more and more like some sort of parasite. A sickly, gross intruder that would never leave, never free him from its infection.

Oh, how he wished he could rid himself of it.

If there was some sort of cure, he’d take it in a heartbeat. No questions asked. Anything to rid himself of the pain and suffering he had to endure due to the corruption that overtook him. Anything to feel normal again.

But, of course, there was no easy way out.

Maybe, just maybe, if he had found out about it before, things would have turned out differently. He could’ve gone to one of the others for help, or he could’ve stopped its effects somehow before they turned physical. There was so much he could do before, but now? It’d take a miracle to even get close to normal.

He was doomed to live a meaningless existence for the rest of his life until he was fully taken over. And then?

Well, he didn’t know. That was the worst part, not knowing what would happen next.

Would he die? Would he be aware of his actions? He seemed to be now, but in the future that could change. If he was made to do things against his will… that wouldn’t be living, would it? Just… suffering with extra steps. He wouldn’t even be himself, just a product of delusion and the lack of a will to move on.

Mangle’s thoughts were brought to an abrupt end as he was startled by the echo of a child’s giggle, coming from the other side of the establishment.

Ah, he had been in there for a while, hadn’t he?

The fox looked around the room for a moment, trying his best to regain the awareness of his surroundings.

It all looked the same as usual. The walls were worn down and stained, years of being trashed by children evident. Pictures, decorations, arts and crafts, and other such things littered them, giving the atmosphere a cheery feel to it. It was almost hard to tell that any tragedies had occurred there, but then again, that’s what the company wanted right? They sure did their job well, even if it was a little… lackluster.

A couple arcade machines were scattered around to make it look less empty in the room. Mangle was sure they didn’t even work, but whatever. If it worked, it worked.

The occasional tickets, trash, coins, etcetera were left on the ground, and the flooring was far from perfect, but in the end he couldn’t help but feel at home. This was the place where he had lived for years and years, and as far as he was concerned, that was where he’d die too. It wasn’t the best looking, but it just had this certain… character to it. Like, it gave him a special feeling.

It was his home, his safeplace. He loved it there, even if it was pretty meh looking to an outsider.

With a sigh, he tapped his foot impatiently, remembering why he was waiting there in the first place.

His beloved Molten had said he wanted to show him something earlier, and like any good boyfriend, he agreed to wait until he came back. They were at the point where they could trust each other, and he knew that the other wouldn’t hurt him in any way. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have let him go alone.

He giggled at the memory of Molten’s excitement, he was pretty enthusiastic about this thing he was showing him wasn’t he? There was nothing he liked more than seeing him happy, he just loved him so much.

It was like… a fuzzy feeling, knowing that Molten was his. Mangle’s stomach felt warm at the thought, his face too. Was he blushing? Probably, that was the effect his boyfriend had on him. And he wouldn’t have it any other way. That’s how things would stay forever and ever.

Speaking of which… he sure was taking a lot of time, wasn’t he? A little too much time.

How long had it been? Five minutes? Eight? Just to grab something real quick??

Suspicious.

Mangle’s ears, very reminiscent of a fox’s, twitched briefly. He had a bad taste in his mouth, like something was wrong. Very, very wrong. The feeling was inescapable, like a black hole of uncertainty and unease slowly pulling him in and ripping his mind to shreds.

He needed to find Molten.

He needed to know what he was doing.

This was life or death.

The anxious fox-boy left his ‘Cove’ in a hurry, slightly ruffling up his white hair. It was fine, everything would be fine, it was all just… fine. He’d be okay, he was sure of it. Sure Molten was taking a little bit of time to come back. So what? Maybe he couldn’t find it, or maybe he tripped or something? He was prone to accidents.

Still, it was better to be safe than sorry.

Mangle rushed out of the room a little faster than he had intended, calling out to his boyfriend the first millisecond that he saw him out of the corner of his eye.

“ Hey, Molten, are you-! “

…

Oh.

Ohhhh.

Time seemed to stop at that moment.

The clock mounted on one of the walls clicked ever so slowly, treating seconds as though they were long, drawn out hours. He couldn’t breathe, he couldn’t think, all he could do was just… watch the sight before him. It was like a nightmare, and as much as he tried, he couldn’t wake up.

Mangle almost couldn’t process the sight before him. It was so… vulgar, so repulsive. The walls felt like they were closing in, squeezing the life out of him, or what was left of it. Was this the feeling of betrayal? Because oh, he felt it alright. He really did.

Molten was not too far from the Cove, cheerfully holding something small in his hands while talking to Fritz. They were just chatting and laughing, acting like such great friends together. Like they were pals, buddies, amigos. And oh boy, they were having so much fun, if their laughter was any proof.

Mangle felt the bile crawl up his throat, he couldn’t even stomach the sight of it.

Just… it was so...

It wasn’t fair.

It wasn’t fair, it wasn’t fair, it wasn’t fair, it wasn’t fair, it wasn’t…

He had shown Molten so much love, he was practically drowning in it, and this was what he pulled? Was he really that ungrateful?? No wonder his own father hated him, no wonder he was so pitiful, no wonder nobody loved him. He was such a little-

Ugh.

Mangle just stood there for a moment, disgust overtaking his entire body.

Molten continued to speak to him, quickly noticing the distressed fox and perking up. His fluffy bear tail wagged at the sight of his boyfriend.

“ Oh, M-Mangle! I guess you c-couldn’t wait, huh? “ he called out to him, his tone a little teasing.

Each sentence was accommodated by a glitch, his broken voice box not very subtle with its current state. Usually Mangle wouldn’t mind it, heck it made him fall for him even more, but now it just irritated him. Like the bear thought he was above him or something. Yet another flaw that he seemed to possess… he sure had a lot of them, didn’t he?

Molten smiled as the fox walked towards him, though it quickly dissipated when his hand was roughly grabbed by the other. Fritz caught wind of Mangle’s bad mood, and he wasn’t one to mess with him. So, he simply watched as his friend was dragged back to the Cove, wishing he could do something, anything. But any attempts at reasoning with Mangle would be futile. He couldn’t fight back, not anymore.

The sickness, the one that seemed to affect everyone in the establishment, was too far ahead. His once boisterous, determined personality was wiped out in an instant, replaced by his current one. It wouldn’t hurt so much if he wasn’t so aware of it. Watching your old self crumble to tiny pieces as you become just an empty shell wasn’t exactly the best feeling in the world.

He knew things were different.

He knew they were hurting.

But what could he do when his own thoughts had turned against him?

Nothing, and so he stood there pathetically as he watched his friend look more and more worried by the second. Something bad was going to happen, and unfortunately, he was powerless against it. He just hoped that at the very least the bear didn’t have to suffer too much. It may have been wishful thinking, but at least it’d help him sleep at night.

“ Are you serious right now? “

Mangle was at a serious loss for words, the amount of anger coursing through his body almost deadly. Molten could sense it, a slight shiver running down his spine, but he didn’t try to leave. He never did, even when things were much worse.

“ After all I do for you, after all I’ve lost… you do this? What is wrong with you?! “

Sorrow turned into acrimony as the fox glared at the other, bitter words slipping off of his tongue like it was nothing. He didn’t want to fully lash out, despite the amount of betrayal he felt, but Molten had to learn. He had to know that he belonged to him, and only him. His little act of defiance could cost Mangle quite a lot, and he wasn’t about to risk that.

“ I don’t know wh-what the issue is?? “ Molten started, genuinely confused on why they were even arguing. “ Fritz and I were just talking? What, did you wa-wanna be included or…? “

Mangle pinched the bridge of his nose, the black muck on his hands somehow not staining it at all. Weird, but not important at the moment. He was too upset to care.

“ For Scott’s sake, you’re so stupid it hurts. Haven’t we talked about this before? Like, two other times?? “

Molten’s expression went blank as he tried to remember any other arguments they had. It happened… quite a lot, actually. Maybe a little too much, but he was sure that it was normal. If anything, it proved that they had great communication skills and they were comfortable enough to voice their problems with each other. And there was nothing wrong with that.

“ Yeah… I th-think, but- “

“ But what? But you wanna go out and do it anyway? But my emotions don’t matter more than yours?? You’re so fricking selfish, Molten. I can’t believe you. “

Mangle crossed his arms, walking towards the slightly taller one before stopping a few feet in front of him. It was an intimidation technique that usually scared the other off from arguing further, but Molten still stood his ground. He wasn’t in the wrong just for having friends, much less talking to them.

“ Of course not! You kn-know I care about you! “ Molten stood up straight, determined to prove that everything was okay. Everything was going to work out just fine, they’d walk out of that Cove feeling better than before. They had to. “ I’m allowed to talk to others, you know! You d-do it all the time! You’re just being super controlling for n-no reason! “

His voice, loud as always, didn’t really give off an angry tone. It was more… confused, like he had no idea what was going on. And he really didn’t, everything had happened so fast. One moment he was just having a quick chat with a friend, and the next, he was having another argument with his boyfriend.

But he wasn’t really angry with the fox, he couldn’t be. It would just feel wrong. Bad, just… weird in general.

Mangle chuckled dryly at Molten’s attempt to fight back. Sometimes he just wanted to choke him, but he avoided the urge. Killing him wasn’t in his best interest, and it never would be. Despite all he did to him, he really was in love with him. Otherwise, he wouldn’t bother wasting any of his time hanging out with him.

“ You really think you’re some sort of saint, huh? Calling me sick just for looking out for you? Well guess what? You aren’t, Molten. You’re the real monster here. “

The bear shut up for once, listening as Mangle continued to speak everything that came to mind. No matter what, he couldn’t summon up the courage to deny anything he said, it was just… too difficult. All the things he heard sounded like they were true, even if they really weren’t. It messed with his head, like it always did, and by then he already knew how things were going to turn out.

“ I have done nothing but love you, and yet you still treat me like I’m trash. And I guess I am. I guess I’m just useless, aren’t I? “

Molten opened his mouth to say something, but Mangle shot him down before he could.

“ Shut up and just listen for once, please,” The fox pleaded, the desperation in his voice truly evident. All Molten did was talk, and talk, and talk, never giving him a chance to speak up. He always argued back like he was in the right, like he knew what he was doing. It was disgusting, absolutely disgusting. “ I know why you bothered talking to him. You just want attention, you always do. I’m sure he isn’t the only one, you’ve probably got everyone all over you! You want all of them to love you ‘cause you never got enough growing up, and I can see why. Have you looked at yourself? “

Mangle turned his back to Molten, looking towards the wall with a solemn expression.

“ You don’t care about love, you care about ‘getting around’. So fine, go. Leave me all alone. “ His voice cracked, like he would start sobbing at any second. Was that real or fake? Well, Molten didn’t need to know. “ You never cared about me, you never even thought about me. I’m just some disposable toy to you, aren’t I? “

“ No! Th-That’s not-! “

Mangle giggled lightly to himself.

“ You did it again, you keep trying to interrupt me. How can you be that annoying? “

Silence.

He liked that.

“ You can keep playing with my feelings, I don’t mind. I’ll let you mess with my head. But just know that one day I’ll be dead, and you’ll regret not being there when I needed it. That’s fine though, do whatever you want, I guess. “

An uncomfortable feeling swept the room, like something was horribly, horribly wrong. Molten didn’t know what to say at first, despite all the noise inside of his head, and so for a moment he stayed quiet. But he couldn’t stay like that for long, it just wasn’t like him.

“ I’m- Mangle, I do l-love you though! You aren’t useless or br-broken or… I promise that you’re perfect! I’m just… I don’t know… “

“ Horrible? “

“ Horrible, I’m h-horrible. “ Molten’s confidence and overall will to fight back from before disappeared, almost seeming like it wasn’t ever there to begin with. His resolve had grown weaker and weaker over time really, it wasn’t like this was the first instant in which it had happened. Though… it still wasn’t a very nice feeling, either way. If every person had a drive, and that drive was taken away… “ I don’t know how to get be-better, I’m trying but… “

“ You’re clearly not trying hard enough if you continue to pull stuff like this, “ Mangle seethed, stopping himself shortly after to calm down. He didn’t want to seem too upset with the bear, otherwise it’d be obvious what he was trying to do. Molten wasn’t exactly the most observant person, far from it actually, but he wasn’t stupid either. A poor choice of words could end everything he had built up. And right now of all times, he couldn’t let that happen. “ Listen, I’m a forgiving person, so… it’s fine, I guess. Just don’t do it again, okay? “

Molten nodded, unable to hide the smile that had started forming on his face. It almost made Mangle feel a little bad. He really never learned, did he?

The fox opened his arms up, inviting Molten for a hug. Despite his action being rather sweet, his expression was blank. Not sad, not angry, not even happy. Just… empty. Molten hesitated at first, standing in place for a little bit, before finally giving in. He walked towards Mangle, hugging him like he had wanted.

Now, a smile rested on Mangle’s face.

He had gotten what he wanted, it all worked out perfectly as always. It was actually a little too easy. Perhaps it was the corruption’s fault?

Either way, he really enjoyed it.

“ You know… “ He spoke, keeping his voice low since they were in close proximity. “ If you really cared about me, you’d do what I’m asking. Not just say you will, but actually do it. Afterall, I’d do anything for you, so you should do the same. “

Mangle ran one of his fingers along the edge of Molten’s left ear, or what was left of it anyway. Half of it was chopped off, his own sloppy work no doubt. He clearly wasn’t that great at doing a clean job, which was probably why his suffering was so prolonged, but oh well. That was his fault.

It brought back great memories just thinking about when it had happened. Well, maybe not for Molten, but definitely for Mangle.

It was proof that the bear would do anything for him. Even if it meant cutting his ear with just a normal knife, no pain meds or bandages to help. He wondered if the wound had even healed properly, seeing as it still felt a little open. It didn’t happen too long ago, but injuries didn’t exactly take that long to heal. Was his body really that weak??

Molten winced at the touch, clinging onto Mangle a little tighter. He didn’t make much of an effort to stop him though, there was no point. Either way, he’d do it. And anyways it brought Mangle comfort, so he didn’t mind. What was a little bit of pain going to do in the long run?

“ ...I’m sorry… I’m so s-sorry… I’m just-... “

Molten dug his face into Mangle’s shoulder, going silent once he did. As much as he hurt him, he gained a sense of comfort from the fox. He almost couldn’t live without him, even just being away for a little while seemed like an eternity. It was unhealthy and he knew it, but it wasn’t like it’d end anytime soon.

The fox liked when he depended on him anyways, so what was the harm in that?

Mangle ran his hands through the other’s soft hair, smiling softly as he listened to the bear apologize and stumble over his words. It was endearing, to say the least.

“ I know. I love you so much… even if you’re worthless. I don’t mind it, honestly. Not like the others. “ He giggled lightly, continuing to comfort his boyfriend. Well, in his own special way. “ Nobody loves you the way I do. “

“ I kn-know… “

“ They’re all liars. I don't want them to take advantage of you like I know they will. “

“ ...I know… “

Mangle grabbed Molten by the shoulders, facing him with a concerned yet stern look.

“ So promise me that you won’t talk to them ever again. Nobody. “

Molten stayed silent for a moment, nervously looking at the ground. That was a big promise, one that almost seemed impossible. He loved Mangle, he really did, but he couldn’t only talk to him. What would everyone else think? Heck, how would his brother feel about that??

After a slight moment of reluctance, Molten nodded.

“ Okay, I pr-promise. “

The bear’s once loud voice had quieted down, the only similarity to now and before being the glitches that appeared every so often. Mangle found it quite interesting how he could change the other’s whole mood just by saying a few words. Scratch that, it was exciting.

He had full control over Molten, and he absolutely adored that.

Things had been getting a little iffy earlier, definitely due to the advice of a certain someone, but now they were fixed. Mangle released a sigh of relief. Everything was going to be okay now.

“ You always make everything so tense, “ he said with a chuckle. Molten laughed too, though a little nervously if anything. He was obviously just trying to copy what the fox was doing, but Mangle didn’t mind. As long as he had his full attention.

“ Oh- W-Wait! “

Molten’s ears perked up as he reached under his mini cloak and grabbed something out of the pocket of his white button-up shirt. Then, he held it out in front of him proudly, showing it off to his boyfriend.

It was a peculiar looking piece of cardboard decorated to look like a blue rabbit. Its features were neatly drawn on with what looked to be crayon, and it even had a red bowtie wrapped around its neck made out of felt. There wasn’t really a mouth on it, or… any real details, but it looked passable. At least he could tell it what it was.

Molten slipped his wrist into it, making a peace sign with his fingers to form makeshift rabbit ears.

Creative, but kind of stupid looking. He seemed happy with it, despite the thing essentially being a piece of trash.

“ This is B-Bon Bon! I made him myself back in the L-Labyrinth! He’s not the real thing, of c-course, but he’s still special to me! “

He waved Bon Bon in front of Mangle’s face excitedly, happy to show his boyfriend the one thing that brought him the most comfort. There was a part of him that wanted to let him know how much he trusted him, and if this was the way to do it, then he would. Yeah, he was a little worried, but he loved Mangle. He wouldn’t hold anything back from him.

“ So, wh-whaddya think? “

Mangle glanced at the rabbit-thing, feeling a little intimidated by its presence. As silly as it sounded, he felt like it was… judging him. Sort of like it was saying, “ I’m his source of comfort, not you! “

It was dreadful, he didn’t like it at all.

...But, Molten wouldn’t like it if he said that. If he expressed his hatred towards it, the bear would just argue back, and then that’d just get messy. He wasn’t sure how much more anger he could take before he completely lashed out, and he didn’t want to test that.

At the same time, he couldn’t just say that he liked it either. That was lying, and while that really didn’t matter since he did it all the time, he felt like Molten deserved to know the truth. The last thing he wanted was having to be around that stupid cardboard rabbit any longer.

After a few seconds, he finally figured out the correct course of action.

“ Eh, what’s it supposed to be? “

Molten blinked.

“ ...A r-rabbit? “

Mangle nodded intently, like he was trying to decipher it or something. Molten felt uneasy under his gaze, like he had done something wrong. He looked at Bon Bon again, trying to find what was missing. But no matter how hard he looked, it seemed perfect. Was his eye not working? Was he being horrible again??

“ ...Do you l-like it..? I tried really hard- “

“ Molten, I love you, but that’s super lame, “ Mangle interrupted. He didn’t bother to hide his unimpressed expression, boredly looking at the cardboard in-hand. It wasn’t that badly crafted, but it wasn’t like it was a work of art either. The truth was, it was just kind of meh.

That, and a little condescending. Those soulless eyes were hiding something, he swore on it.

“ Oh. “

Molten looked down at Bon Bon, switching his gaze between the cardboard rabbit and back to Mangle. After a few seconds of consideration, he smiled dejectedly. It hurt a little to look at, but Mangle didn’t say anything.

“ Th-That’s fine, I didn’t need it anyways. “

He tossed it onto the ground, not bothering to look where it fell. It hurt quite a bit, since he had stuck with it for so long. Every difficult moment in his lifetime was helped by the tiny rabbit, even if it was a little stupid to admit. He had crafted it during one of the toughest times, and now it was discarded like trash onto the floor.

But as much as he wanted to, he wouldn’t pick it up though.

Because Mangle didn’t like it. And if Mangle didn’t like it, then he didn’t either.

Molten chose to give Mangle his full attention, tilting his head curiously.

“ ...So, wh-what should we do now? That’s kind of all I w-wanted to- “

The curtain separating the rest of the establishment from the Cove opened suddenly, revealing a tall, all too familiar bear. He peeked in with the left side of his face first before finding the couple and entering the room, both sides now visible. The whole entire right side was completely skinned off, flesh showing like it was nothing.

Despite being used to his overall appearance, Mangle couldn’t help but feel a little put off.

“ I’m not interrupting anything, am I? “ The bear asked, staring down at the two blankly. Despite only being about six foot one, he felt like a giant compared to them.

The air hung over them like a heavy blanket, ready to suffocate them at any second. The tension was so thick that a knife would definitely fail at cutting it, much less an axe. That was just the energy Lefty brought around with him, though. As much as he didn’t want to admit it, Mangle did feel a bit intimidated being around him.

It didn’t help that he was Molten’s brother, so he was constantly trying to get in the way. Unlike the younger one, he was actually smart. He knew exactly what Mangle was doing, it was so obvious, and unfortunately that put a few holes in the fox’s plans. How could he get Molten to believe anything when his brother was so good at disproving every word that came out of his mouth?

And he wasn’t even able to get corrupted since his resolve to protect his brother was just so… strong.

It wasn’t fair.

He just made everything more difficult.

“ Actually, you are, “ Mangle sneered, making sure that he and Molten kept their distance from the noirette. He was really glad that his boyfriend hadn’t said anything yet. Maybe their argument from before had actually convinced him? Hopefully, otherwise things would get more difficult. “ I’m trying to spend quality time with what’s mine. Mind leaving us alone? “

“ ‘Fraid I can’t, I’ve got to discuss something with him. “

He eyed the fox suspiciously.

“ Without you. “

Mangle snickered, looking up at him confidently. Like he’d back down from the likes of him, what did the bear think he was? A little coward??

“ And why do you think I’d allow that? “  

He was sure that he caught Lefty, really made him think. Or at the very least, gave himself a second to figure out what he was going to do. But, he merely rolled his eyes, no real emotion showing on his face or other features.

That was one thing he hated about Lefty, he didn’t emote at all. How could he trick someone who wouldn’t give any hints on how he was feeling? It was impossible, he hated it so much, and yet he still made an attempt to do anything. Because he was real determined to get what he wanted. And nothing, absolutely nothing, would stop him.

“ It’s not like you were doing anything anyways. I only need a few minutes. “

Mangle was about to speak up, but Molten decided to pipe in.

“ ...I’m fine with it, on-only for a few minutes, right? Th-That’s not too bad! “

He looked towards Mangle for confirmation, surprised when the fox actually nodded, albeit with a huff at first. Still better than nothing though.

“ Fine. Make it quick. “

Molten’s whole mood changed, his ears pointing upwards, as he gave Mangle a quick peck on the lips. Then, he followed his older brother out of the room, leaving the fox all alone in the Cove, just like earlier.

He really had a habit of making him wait, huh?

Mangle rolled his eyes, tapping his foot against the floor impatiently just like before. Despite them saying it would only take a little bit of time, he knew that they were lying. Or, rather Lefty was, he knew Molten was just gullible enough to believe whatever he said. He’d go looking for them later, maybe even blame it all on the older one.

Until then, he’d have to just stand there the whole time.

But that was fine. He was an adult, he was mature. He could wait a couple minutes, who couldn’t?

His ear twitched at the sound of a child’s giggle. Unlike last time, it was much closer. In fact, it actually seemed to be coming from-

For a brief moment, there was a sound of scurrying before a little boy dressed in blue overalls and a striped shirt ran out of the Cove from behind an arcade machine, giggling at Mangle’s annoyance. He was thinking about chasing the thing, but he decided not to. If Molten and Lefty really did only take a few minutes, then they wouldn’t find him there and who knows what would happen.

He didn’t want them spending any more time together than they already were.

“ It’s quite lonely over here, isn’t it? “

Mangle nodded absentmindedly.

“ Yeah, it’s really… “ The fox stopped mid-sentence, quickly becoming aware that he was supposed to be the only one in the room, and yet somehow he was speaking to someone else. Slowly, he turned to face the direction where the voice came from, noticing the tall rabbit man that definitely wasn’t there before. “ ...Really… What are you doing here, Afton? “

To be quite frank, he was in disbelief.
Didn’t Molten say that he died? There was that fire and the… the...

Said rabbit chuckled darkly, a not so pleasant, raspy sound. It made sense since he was sort of all… decayed and everything, but still. There was a line, and he sure was crossing it.

“ What do you mean? Is it a crime for me to visit my own son? My own flesh and blood? “ Afton feigned offense, looking around the room dramatically with a laugh. “ Oh wait, he isn’t here! “

“ Haha. Very funny. “

Despite his sarcastic demeanor, Mangle felt a little nervous. He knew all about what Afton had done, the manipulation, the lies, the years of trauma… he was even worse than the fox himself. Anything he said could be used against him, he had to be cautious. Though, he doubted Afton was that dangerous.

If anything, he was just kind of a jerk. A murderous jerk, but a jerk nonetheless.

“ Anyways~! I wanted to tell you that you’re doing a great job! I’m real proud of you, Mangle! “

“ How did you-!? “ Mangle stopped himself from sounding too shocked almost immediately, fake coughing to hide it. He and Afton hadn’t met before, heck, Molten didn’t even know he was there, so he couldn’t have known about him. And yet he did, because if he learned anything from Molten, it was that Afton worked in mysterious ways.

“ Ahem, proud of me? What have I done? “

“ Don’t play dumb, I can see right through your little act~. “ Despite the tone of his words seeming almost taunting, Afton’s voice was laced with nothing but sugar and honey. He was charismatic as heck, it was almost impossible to tell what he was thinking. Mangle had the faintest idea, but even then, he wasn’t sure if that’s what he truly meant. “ You’ve got him wrapped around your finger, it’s impressive! He listens to every lie that you tell him, internalizes every word. If I hadn’t achieved the same thing a long time ago, this would be a great accomplishment. “

Mangle listened to each word that was spoken to him, guilt slowly entering his body until he felt like he was going to vomit from the pressure. That wriggly feeling was coming back, the corruption seemed to have a taste for terrible timing… despite not even being alive.

“ Shut up. Just shut up. “

Afton smirked, staying silent as he watched Mangle grow more and more distressed. He was so easy to read, it was almost hysterical. The fox really made Molten look like he knew what he was doing. And that was saying something.

“ I don’t know what you’re getting at, but Molten loves me. He actually wants to be around me all the time, can you say the same? “

Yet another chuckle came from the mouth of the murder rabbit. He straightened out his tie and fixed up his olive hair, seeming to care so much about his appearance despite being a literal rotting corpse. Once he was finished, he hummed contently.

“ That’s rich, you think he actually cares about you? Awww~! That’s so cute. “ He ruffled Mangle’s hair, having to reach quite a long way down since he was nearing seven-foot while the fox wasn’t even close. The younger male backed up, annoyed and angry beyond belief, but Afton wasn’t phased. He simply snickered, continuing to speak. “ Have you forgotten that he’s infected too? Last I checked, emotions or feelings caused by corruption aren’t real. Tough luck! “

Mangle visibly shivered.

How did he…

… No… corruption was his own doing. Nobody knew about it but him, and yet somehow Afton was aware of its existence? That didn’t make sense, he obviously wasn’t infected himself, so he couldn’t have known. He… it was impossible…

“ How…? “

Afton smiled sweetly, tilting his head as he looked down at Mangle.

“ How what? “

Mangle clenched his fists, his ears prickling in pure irritation at the rabbit. He was sick, dastardly, how did Molten put up with him for so long? Any longer being trapped with him and he’d surely go insane.

“ Stop playing with me! You know what I mean! “ He seethed, unable to hide any of the emotions he was feeling in that instant. There was no way to be subtle when Afton was acting so… ugh. “ You’re a horrible person, I see why Molten hates you so fricking much. “

“ And you aren’t? “

Afton smiled smugly when Mangle went silent, glad that things were going the way that he wanted them to. The control that he had lost years ago was coming back to him. And he wasn’t about to let it go.

“ You’re no better than me, you know. We’ve both treated him the same, gave him false hope. The difference is that you have yet to betray him, while I already have. Funny, isn’t it? I do your own job better than you, and I don’t need stupid corruption for that~ “

“ I am nothing like you. Don’t even try to compare the likes of yourself to me. “ Mangle’s emotions became erratic as he started yelling all of a sudden, Afton’s words clearly getting to him. “ Without me, he wouldn’t be alive! He’d be even more worse off than he is now!! I’m doing what’s best for him! “

“ By making him feel worthless? “

Mangle stopped talking, much to Afton’s amusement.

He stared straight ahead, right at the murder rabbit. No words came out of his mouth, no tears came out of his eyes, and no thoughts came out of his head. There was just silence, agonizing silence.

The room was cold.

With a chuckle, Afton bent down and picked up the discarded Bon Bon from the ground. He inspected it, turning it over and eventually putting his wrist through it. The tube was only big enough for Molten’s hand though, so he ripped it until his could fit through too.

Mangle winced at the sound of the tearing and ripping, almost as if Bon Bon was crying out for help.

Afton then proceeded to laugh in amusement at the cardboard rabbit, waving it in front of Mangle’s face rapidly in an attempt to make him angry. But this time, it didn’t work. The fox-boy simply stood there and stared at him, unimpressed. Afton shrugged and took Bon Bon off, throwing what was left of him onto the ground.

Mangle glanced down towards it for a moment.

Was it weird that he felt semi-bad for it?

“ You know, you’re doing it wrong. “

Mangle looked up at Afton, flashing him a confused look. He had a really bad habit of saying random things out of nowhere, especially when they made no sense out of context.

“ If you want Molten all to yourself, you have to get his brother out of the picture. But not permanently, because believe me, he’ll know. “ He placed his hands behind his back, walking around the fox tauntingly before choosing to stay behind him. “ Take that as you will~ “

Out of the picture but not permanently.

Out of the picture but not permanently??

What did that even mean? How did Afton even know that?? He couldn’t just leave it at that, he needed to know what it meant. Or, what he was implying.

Mangle turned around to face the rabbit man, but he was nowhere to be seen.

He growled under his breath, gritting his teeth together despite hating the feeling. There was so much outrage that he was feeling… so much hatred. He wanted to punch the wall, scream, hurt something, anything. The feeling was overwhelming, he couldn’t stand it. If he didn’t do something quick… he didn’t know what would happen.

Without thinking, he left the Cove in search of Molten and Lefty. He didn’t know how much time had passed, but he needed to separate them. If what Afton had said was true… if Lefty really was that important…

No.

He was letting him do exactly what he wanted, mess with his head. That was what he did best, Mangle knew, and somehow he still fell for it. Sometimes he wondered if he was really that much smarter than Molten. Because for someone who claimed that he was, he often fell for the same tricks that the bear did.

There was one reason and one reason only on why he was going to find them, and that was because he wanted to. Afton’s words had absolutely no effect on him, no matter how much that seemed. It was all meaningless to him.

Upon exiting the Cove, he immediately fell flat on his face. It wasn’t that painful though, he was actually pretty numb at the moment. Whether that was the doing of the anger or the corruption, he couldn’t tell. But what he could tell was that it didn’t help to ease any of it at all.

“ What the… “

His ears flicked upwards in attention as he heard that SAME EXACT giggle as before coming from next to his head. Mangle looked up from the floor to see BB, the same annoying child staring down at him with an innocent smile. It was obvious that the brat was trying to be annoying on purpose, and he was not a fan of that. The little boy ran away giggling once he was spotted, disappearing into the background.

Mangle groaned in pure annoyance as he stood up, a little sore from the fall now, but still not feeling the full extent of the pain. That little brat was the least of his worries at the moment. Right now, all he cared about was his boyfriend and that stupid brother of his.

He started walking down the long hallways, his posture affected by his anger despite his attempts at hiding it. His fists were clenched, knuckles turning white from the pressure, and he was almost seeing red. It wasn’t evident in his voice though, so he used that to his advantage.

“ Molten! Molten, where are you? I’m- “ Irritation seeped through his words, so he stopped for a second. He had to be careful. “ -I’m pretty sure it’s been longer than a ‘few minutes!’ “

When his efforts to call for him weren’t working, he tried listening for the brothers instead. One way or another, he was going to find them. Even if it took forever, he’d go to any extent to keep Molten all for himself. Because he was the only one who deserved him, he was the only one that was truly enough for the bear.

And he wasn’t going to let him go.

Ever.

Mangle stopped walking, choosing to stand where he was while he placed his ears against the wall. Then, he paid as much attention as he could to all the noises in the establishment, trying to listen for Molten’s voice. He had a very… distinct one compared to the others, it wouldn’t be that hard to tell. Plus, he was super loud… in any way that it applied. If that wasn’t an advantage, then he didn’t know what was.

But… he couldn’t hear anything.

The sound of static overwhelmed everything else, like a wave of it had crashed over him. There weren’t any other sounds, just a constant kkrrr, louder than anything he had ever heard before. It was physically painful, actual torture to listen to, but he couldn’t stop.

Even when he stopped focusing, the noise still remained.

He covered his ears, trying to make sense of what was happening. But he couldn’t, his thoughts were so jumbled and mixed together, singular words turned into multiple and sounds growing louder as time progressed. It was impossible to understand anything, they all just danced around his head…

Waving…

Spinning…

Twirling…

And amongst all of the noise was a singular recognizable sound.

The giggling of a little boy.

…

He snapped.

Without a word, Mangle grabbed BB by the back of his cute blue and red shirt and slammed him against the wall. His porcelain exterior cracked and shrieked, making more noise than the boy did himself. It fueled Mangle to keep going, to keep hitting him against the wall until he shattered completely. He wondered what that’d look like.

He grabbed the back of BB’s head, hitting it against the wall over and over and over and over. Blood bursted out of it like a fruit losing its juice, the pressure increasing with each time it made contact with the wall. He squeezed and squeezed with each hit, using strength that he never even knew he had. The fact that BB was even still alive was surprising, Mangle hoped he felt all of it.

But he needed more. That… That wasn’t enough…

There wasn’t any hesitation, as soon as he got bored, Mangle threw the body onto the ground and began stomping. He jumped, kicked, dug his shoe into it, and did other such things, taking all of his built up anger out on the little boy. Better him than Molten.

After a little while, he just stopped. There weren’t any more attempts to hurt the body, he was calmer now.

Looking down, he made eye contact with BB.

The little boy smiled.

And that’s when he stomped on his head with all of his might, exploding it like a watermelon.

There was so much blood… it had gotten everywhere. His hands, his body, the walls, the floor… It felt great. He couldn’t explain it, but it was like he found a part of himself. The way the warm blood splattered all over his body, dripping slowly down until it hit the floor. Or the feeling of getting all of his anger and hatred out, the pain giving him that tingly sensation that he couldn’t quite understand.

He loved it.

He loved it so much.

Mangle glanced down at his blood-covered hands, holding them up to his face. The black gunk of the corruption wasn’t even visible anymore, like the blood had washed it all away. He didn’t know if that was his mind playing tricks on him, and it most likely was, but he didn’t mind. Anything to make him feel better, even if it was just for a little.

Then, without a second thought, he licked them.

The taste… THE TASTE.

It was indescribable.

The metallic taste clashed against his tongue at first, but then it just… blended so well with the rest of his mouth. Like that’s where it belonged. He needed more… HE NEEDED MORE.

He licked his hands again and again, taking longer licks as time progressed. It was addicting, he couldn’t help himself. He had to have more, there was no choice in the matter. If he didn’t get that delectable taste in his mouth anymore, he’d go insane. What if Molten’s blood tasted like this? What if it was even better??

The licking continued more and more until he finally stopped.

Mangle’s mouth was dripping with the substance, drops falling onto the floor rhythmically. Drip, drip, drip… it was a nice sound. Like the beats to a song, perhaps a symphony.

It was beautiful.

It was… beautiful…

It was…

It was horrible.

He felt sick to his stomach.

Mangle looked down at the dilapidated body of BB, the one that he had so carelessly destroyed. It was almost unrecognizable. Not just as him, but as human.

His head was reduced to a few surviving chunks, shriveled up with the amount of force applied to them. His skin was stringy, barely hanging onto his muscles. It reminded him of string cheese, but like, melted. Very, very melted. BB’s limbs were impossible to find. Mangle figured it was probably because he ripped them off during his little episode, but hey, maybe that wasn’t it. They could’ve flown off during his little head-plosion.

The corpse was gross, the hall was gross, his actions were...

He felt gross.

It was just a spur of the moment action, he didn’t know why he enjoyed it so much. Was it the freedom he felt? How he could act any way that he wanted? Or maybe the amount of control he felt?? All possibilities seemed to be the truth, he couldn’t tell which one was the correct answer.

Either way, that didn’t change anything. He had just killed somebody…

And then licked their blood right after, like some sort of weirdo. And then those thoughts about Molten…

Mangle decided to walk out of the room before he felt like tasting more. Sure, it was still on his body, but it was a little more dry than earlier. It’d be harder to lick off than straight from the source, and he knew that he couldn’t afford to try hard right now.

He left the body alone so that somebody else could find it. There was no way he was picking that thing up, especially not when he could easily get blamed for it. Which, yeah, he did it, but that didn’t mean he wanted to get caught.

He’d deal with the blood on his body later. Right now, he needed to find Molten. And this time, he wouldn’t stop until he was next to him, where he belonged.

Mangle walked up and down the halls, getting closer and closer to what he thought was his objective. He could hear the noises, the chatter. He was right where he needed to be. As he approached, he became restless. Time was moving way too slow, he needed to go faster. He didn’t know why, but he felt like he was losing time. The closer he got, the more he felt the need to rush. If he didn’t get there in time… well, he didn’t know.

That was the worst part. He always needed to know what was happening.

Suddenly, he could hear the clear sound of Molten’s voice. It was… he missed it so much. He never wanted to stop listening to it, he wanted to hear it forever and ever. And, in due time, he would.

Mangle walked towards the area where his voice came from, listening in to the conversation, or rather argument, that he arrived just in time for. He leaned against the wall next to the entrance of the room they were in, making sure that they couldn’t see him. Getting caught prematurely would not be fun in the slightest.

“ Are you serious? Molten, what do you not get about what I’m saying? I literally just explained it to you. “

“ And I’m t-telling you that you’re wrong! Mangle hasn’t done anything to m-me! It’s just-! What’s the word… “

Tough love?

Were they talking about him?

Mangle leaned in closer to the doorway, trying to get the context, or any information really. He didn’t want to be in the dark about a conversation that involved him.

“ That’s not tough love. He’s manipulating you, how can you not see the signs? Afton pulled the same exact thing. “

There was silence for a moment.

“ Af-Afton was different! He didn’t care at all, but I know Mangle does! I just- Sometimes I do st-stupid stuff… but I’m fixing it! I tr-trust him!! “

Silence again, Mangle was getting impatient.

“ No. “

“ No, wh-what? “

“ I’m not going to let you hibernate around him and get yourself killed. Do you know how vulnerable you’d be? Why don’t you just… think?? For once? “

Oh, so that’s what it was about. How did they even… were they real bears…? Sure they had the tails and the ears, but the rest of their bodies looked human.
Unless…?

Molten scoffed from inside the room.

“ And th-that’s why I’d do it around him! He wouldn’t hurt me, I know he wouldn’t, he could keep we-weirdos away! Duh! “

“ And what if he doesn’t? Then what? “

If it went silent one more time, Mangle was going to bust in there, no joke.

“ He w-will. “

The fox stopped peaking into the room and leaned his back against the wall, looking in front of him. He was weirded out by Molten’s amount of trust in him, despite how much he argued and fought with him. Why did he feel that safe? To just… leave himself that vulnerable around him…?

If he knew what he had done earlier, he’d definitely feel differently. Or maybe he wouldn’t, he was a little unpredictable. Maybe he’d kill someone too? This was why he didn’t leave stuff up to chance.

This was perfect, though.

All the pieces were fitting together, pieces that he once thought were impossible to solve. And from what he was seeing, the big picture in the end was absolutely beautiful.

If they went into hibernation, then he could keep Molten to himself. A much better Molten, one that acted the way he wanted him to.

A hibernating Molten couldn’t argue back.

A hibernating Molten couldn’t talk to other people.

A hibernating Molten just listened.

But that wasn’t the best part.

No, no, no.

There was something that made him feel all fuzzy inside, a certain excitement that he welcomed with open arms.

And that was that during hibernation, Lefty couldn’t get in the way anymore.

Afterall, how could he keep the fox away if he was asleep too?