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Violet brushed out her hair, thinking over her date that night. She was feeling very anxious at the idea, all of their other interactions she felt like could be passed as friendship only, something casual and friendly. But this… this seemed to be a date. And she was experiencing the duel emotion of looking forward to it more than any event in at least a decade, and wanting to call it off so she could hide under her blankets and watch bad monster movies with her brother.

Mickey looked sympathetically from the bed, putting on socks.

“Still have butterflies in your stomach?”

“More like huge battling scorpions.” She said and pinned her hair back with a barette, looked at it in the mirror for a moment, then removed it again. Mickey walked over and took the brush from her, smoothing her hair with a hand as he brushed.

“It's okay you know. I’m kinda proud of you just for managing to do this. I haven’t dated since High School… it's just too intimidating to open up to anyone new.” He admitted, rubbing her shoulders. She smiled a bit at him in the vanity mirror.

“Admittedly it's kinda hard to date… How do you explain that you started out as one of four kids in a happy marriage and ended up an orphan with a single emotionally stunted sibling?”

Mickey made a face. “Am I the emotionally stunted one or are you?”

“Yes.”

*

“Alright Deliah, you have my cell number, Violet’s number, the police, the fire department and the restaurant’s main line.” Nick said as he tried to remember how to do his tie. Deliah rolled her eyes from the couch.

“YES dad.” She said, trying to be patient. There was a Fleischer Cartoon marathon on TV and she was mostly absorbed into the strangeness of Betty Boop spanking a small dog. Springtrap was half watching the TV, half watching Nick attempting to strangle himself with the tie.

“I just worry…” Nick said.

“You always worry. I’ll be fine!” She protested. “Springtrap is here.”

“I know. And Mickey will be here soon…” He said thoughtfully. “But I haven’t had a date since…”

“It’ll be fine. I’m plenty of adult supervision.” Springtrap cut him off, standing up and tying the tie. “I really don't know why you got her a babysitter anyway…”

“We could be gone late, I just want her to be safe.” Nick said, annoyed but letting Springtrap have his way and do the tie.

“So you hire some strange man you met less than a week ago?”

“I let some strange man in a rabbit suit move into my house…” He said a bit sharply.

“Strange ghost, to be a man I think I would need some equipment.”

“It doesn’t take a penis to be a man.” Deliah said. Springtrap shrugged.

“I have nothing further to say because the fact you know what a penis is shocks and appalls me.” He said, then turned to look at Deliah. “You haven’t been seeing Harry’s have you? Did he try something? Was he a cad, I will deal with him…”

Deliah twitched. “Uh, no. I’ve had sex ed you know…” She said in a slow voice. “And Harry is a gentleman! We’re both not ready for anything like that yet…”

“Good! It's okay to never be ready you know. Just fine. Ideal in fact, children aren’t that great anyway, I should know, I had four of them.” Springtrap babbled, seeming a bit unnerved still. “And my daughter, she never had sex. Well, neither of them did really, but one never got the chance and….” He stopped abruptly. “Anyway, Lettie was always too busy for things like that, she had to learn the family machinery business…” he stopped, seeming to think he might have said too much.

“I see… That’s more about your daughter’s love life than I’d expect you to keep tabs on… but anyway” Nick said, speaking carefully. Springtrap had been careful not to talk too much about his past, and he was curious. “Were the machines very complicated?”

“More complicated than they should have been.” Springtrap admitted, sitting back on the armchair by the TV. “It was more a matter of ‘can I’ than ‘should I’...” He flicked a dust bunny out of his elbow. “Shouldn’t you be going?” His feverish display seemed to have made him tired and he was settling down again.

“Oh! Yes. I should go.” Nick said, noticing through the window Violet was walking up towards the house. “You’ll stay hidden from the babysitter? He’ll be here in half an hour or so.”

“Cross my heart.” Springtrap said as Nick left.

“Good thing I don't actually had a heart anymore.” He told Deliah after her father had left. She snickered.

*

Violet smiled when Nick came outside. She was in a purple shirt dress with a white collar and white lace gloves. He took a moment to take her in, he was becoming a big fan of purple as it turned out.

“Well Hello.” She said, kissing his cheek and making his face burn.

“Oh, you. I mean hello!” He stammered and she dragged him to her car.

“Come on, Smooth Talker.” She said with a smile. “Time to have a night out, hopefully with somewhat less torn clothing.” She said and he blushed harder at the innuendo. She was bright tonight, smiling and perky. He found himself drawn into her as ever.

“So, do you like steak?” He asked.

“Nope, I invited you to a steakhouse because I am a vegan and want to go torture myself.” Violet said with a bright smile and Nick turned red.

“You kinda have a sharp edge to your humor.” He said. Then thinking he might have insulted her he stammered. “Not that it's bad…”

“No. It can be bad. I’m not great at relating to people so I tend to be a bit sarcastic. Or more than a bit.” She admitted, still smiling at him. “Its hereditary, in case you wondered.” She walked down to his car and let him open the door for her, sliding inside elegantly. He smiled, shutting the door carefully to avoid catching her skirt.

“I kinda like it.” He said as he got into the driver’s seat. “You’re very genuine. I have to try to stay positive so much that I think I might have forgotten how to be more honest.”

“Lucky you. Seriously, you work with kids, I work with kids, we both need some sort of filter. I have nothing like that, I’m always kinda a half breath away from telling the kids something their parents would crucify me on FaceBook over. Probably in a post with those little twinkie things.”

“Minions?”

“Yeah those. Every post becomes harder to take seriously when those twinkie creatures appear.” Violet said with a nod. “I can’t stand them.”

Nick smiled slightly as he drove. She was emphatic about her opinion on this rather small matter and he was charmed.

“So… dinner. This is nice. I’m not sure when the last time I dated was.”

“I’m not great company… I mean I try. I really do. But I tend to get fixated on a topic and have trouble not talking their ear off about it.” Violet admitted, looking out the window. “It's usually my animatronics, but sometimes it's a tv show or the birds that land on my feeder.”

“You bird watch?”

“Kinda. I watch the birds outside the kitchen window.” She explained and he nodded.

“That sounds nice.” He said before turning into the parking lot. He opened her door for her and she stepped out, holding his hand.

“Do you mind if I grab a smoke before we go in?” She said, looking a bit sheepish. Nick smiled.

“No at all, need a light?” He asked, holding out the zippo lighter he had dug out of his late father’s belongings in the hopes this exact moment might occur. She gave him a different smile than her usual ones, this one spread to her eyes.

“Yes please.” She said and he lit her cigarette and leaned against the car with her as she smoked. This is going well, Nick thought.

This is going wonderfully, Violet thought.