BlueyCapsules | VOLUME TWO

Table for Two

 "Mr. Emily!"

Henry felt his heart leap in his chest at the voice, straightening his tie nervously. This place was seriously upscale - nicer than anywhere Henry had ever been able to afford on his own. If he didn't know any better, Henry might have thought he was being taken out on a date...which was ridiculous, of course. Boseman probably had a lovely wife, and Henry wasn't ready for someone so soon after Emilie anyway. Nor did he like men, right?

Right?!

Regardless, when Boseman approached him, Henry couldn't help the warmth that invaded his chest. It was so stupid - he felt like a different person around the man.

"Hey, Mr. Boseman," Henry smiled. "Thank you so much for, uh, offering to pay for our dinner. You really didn't have to do this."

Henry attempted to open the door for Boseman, but he was a step ahead, taking one long stride across from him to hold the door open for Henry with a charming smile. Henry flushed.

"It's not a problem at all. After all," Boseman grinned. "This is the perfect place for business meetings!"

A waitress was immediately ready to seat them - good service, Henry thought. He followed behind Boseman as they were led toward a staircase, taking in his surroundings.

"I...apologize that your colleague could not attend, Mr. Emily," Boseman piped up suddenly. "He is rather...difficult to negotiate with. I didn't want any...unnecessary tension to arise."

"Oh, Will - don't mind him, please." Henry waved a hand dismissively, despite the nervous flutter in his heart. As much as he wanted to believe Will would get over it soon, he truthfully...wasn't so sure. "He's truly all bark and no bite. I know it's been a few months, but I think he's not quite fond of the change just yet...he'll get used to it. After all, this is what's best for our restaurant."

Henry found himself led up to a table on the roof. Man, this place was fancy. He moved to sit, and sputtered slightly when Boseman pulled his chair out for him with a charming grin. Wow. Henry flushed. What a gentleman.

"And also, please," Henry smiled sheepishly, his face feeling very warm, all of the sudden. "Call me Henry."

Henry let himself be seated by Boseman, feeling very strange and fluttery as the taller man sat down across from him. The moonlight hit his hair and his cheekbones in a way that, frankly, made him look very handsome - he had a distinct feeling that he might have trouble focusing on work, during this discussion.The waitress came by with a very impressive assortment of wines - which Boseman ordered all of - and Henry allowed himself a fancy little cocktail, because he thought it looked cute. And then they were alone.

"So, Henry," Boseman smiled. Oh, man. He didn't think he'd actually use his first name. Henry swallowed nervously. "You're clearly very fond of your establishment. How exactly did it come about?"

"Ah..." Henry straightened up. "You see, I met Will in my second year of college. We were both business majors and shared similar interests in engineering...I'd always wanted to open some kind of family-oriented restaurant, and Will seemed on board with the idea. So...when we finished up with school, we both decided to settle in my hometown and open our restaurant there." Henry smiled fondly, thinking of the story - he swore, he could still see Will's baby-face from back then. He'd been so full of life and kindness in college.

He wondered what had happened.

"I created the character Fredbear for the animatronic band. I wanted to have more than just one character, but at the time our budget only allowed for one or two...so Will created Spring Bonnie and we went with those two." Henry shrugged. "And it was enough, apparently, because the restaurant was a major success. Will also had the idea of making the animatronics function as wearable costumes to save some money, and he came up with a genius mechanism for it. Our business had been going smoothly since it first opened five years ago, but..." Henry shifted uncomfortably, looking down at his drink as he remembered the

michael its not your fault mike you didn't mean to it wasnt

accident.

"...Recent events have forced us to call for change." Henry smiled awkwardly, returning his attention to the man in front of him. "It's why I'm grateful you've taken a good chunk of the load off of our backs. We definitely need the help."

Boseman took a long swig directly from one of the wine bottles.

"Not a problem," Boseman shrugged, smiling. "I love the concept - it just needs a bit of expanding on, and I'm sure I can make those little robots print money for ya."

"So...what about you?" Henry probed. "What's your story, Mr. Boseman?"

"Ah, my story?" Boseman laughed, leaning back in his seat and resting his feet on the table. It struck Henry as a little inappropriate, given the setting, but he chose not to remark. "Well, it's not much, really. I was born and raised in Dublin. My parents were both wealthy entrepreneurs and I was lucky enough to inherit some of their fortune. After I met my wife, we decided to move to the states for some better business opportunities. I started up a pub near Las Vegas which, through a few strokes of luck, rapidly evolved into one of the biggest casinos in the area. Unfortunately, some problems arose and I had to shut it down a few years ago." Boseman hummed, taking his cigar from between his teeth and puffing out smoke. "We moved up into Utah and I started buying some local franchises...believe it or not, I own quite a few of the restaurants in and around Hurricane. I actually own this one."

Henry's expression dropped in shock.

"What?! You're serious?" Well, Henry supposed that explained his lackluster table manners - he'd kind of assumed the booze was just loosening him up a little too much.

"Yeah!" Boseman grinned. "I'm not even paying for this food!"

The waitress returned with her hands full and a smile on her face, placing Henry's meal down in front of him and awkwardly maneuvering Boseman's underneath his knees on the table.

"Your food, Mr. Boseman, sir."

"Thanks Karen." Boseman smiled brightly at her. "Y'know, I'm doubling your paycheck this week. Keep up the good work."

Karen walked away, looking much happier than when she'd arrived, and Henry balked at the display of generosity. His heart was aching in the most bizarre way - he hadn't felt like this, since...

"That's incredible," Henry said incredulously, feeling his face warm again. "You've got such a strong foothold in all these local businesses...but...what drew you to Fredbear's? It's...not like anything else in the area."

Boseman chuckled, fishing his wallet out of his pocket.

"Well you see, I have three kids." Boseman flipped his wallet open, and an array of photos unfolded. Henry leaned forward to look; Sure enough, they were various pictures of three different children, sometimes together, sometimes separately. "Spoiled rotten, they are. I've wanted to throw something together for them for the longest time, and I never really saw an opportunity..." Boseman tucked the photos back into his wallet with a fond smile. "But your little restaurant is absolutely perfect. I'm hoping to surprise them with it, once it's all polished up."

"That's...amazing!" Henry's heart swelled. "I'd always wanted to open a family restaurant because...I-I just love to see kids happy. Especially my own. I'm so...glad you feel the same way."

Boseman laughed, leaning forward a little.

"Henry! You and I, we're going to get along just fine!" Boseman winked at him, and Henry tried to pretend like that didn't make his head go blank for a moment. "I have a perfect vision for your restaurant, and I'm telling you - there won't be a single sad face in the place's proximity. Not as long as I'm in charge." Boseman extended his hand, and Henry was quick to grasp it, giving the firmest, most professional handshake he could. "Don't worry, my friend. Things can only get better from here on out." Boseman pulled back, but seemed to pause, studying Henry's face. "Another thing I've been meaning to ask...Henry, I noticed you shaved. You look great, but I kinda liked it. If I'm being honest."

"W-What!?" Henry felt dizzy at the compliment, his eyes widening. "Really?! I-I wasn't sure if -"

"Sure! It made you look...approachable, y'know." Boseman shrugged. "Like a dad. We need a little more of that at the restaurant."

Henry wheezed.

"O-Of course, Mr. Boseman! I'll fix it...as quickly as possible!"