Flame in the River (Withered Fronnie Love Story)

Chapter One (Bothersome)

The last employee of the day turned off the main lights and locked the front doors. He left the building, leaving the crew of Freddy Fazbear's Pizza to wait in their places. The rumbling from outside signaled that a car was starting. As the sound faded, the three began to stir.

Bonnie was the first one to hop off the stage, and next was Chica. Freddy remained in his place, watching the two—although one a bit more than the other. Bonnie's ears twitched as his eyes caught something.

"Oh, look!" Bonnie exclaimed, reaching under one of the tables.

"What?" Freddy tilted his head to see what he saw.

"Somebody left their mobile phone," Bonnie said, picking up the blocky device and showing it off.

"They're probably looking for it. You should put it in the lost and found box," Chica pointed out.

"Oh, can't they buy a new one? There's nothing to do around here," Bonnie whined.

"Who are you gonna call?" Freddy sneered.

A mischievous smile slowly spread across Bonnie's lips, and he whispered, "Ghostbusters."

Freddy chuckled, putting his hand over his eyes. "I walked right into that one."

Bonnie laughed, and Chica rolled her eyes playfully. "You two are dweebs."

"That was all Bonnie," Freddy babbled, pointing at him.

"Are you tattling on me?" Bonnie chuckled, setting the phone on the table.

"Yes. I am." Freddy nodded.

"Yeah, I'll be in the kitchen, making something to eat. You children have fun out here," Chica scoffed, and Freddy and Bonnie laughed as she stepped into the kitchen and shut the door behind her.

Their chuckling soon subsided, leaving the two in an awkward silence. Bonnie gazed over at Freddy, to see him fixing his bow tie. Their eyes met for a moment, but was quickly parted as they looked the other way.

"Well, I'll be backstage, if you happen to need me," Bonnie mumbled, turning towards the room right of the Show Stage.

"O-okay. I'll be out here. On stage. Like always . . ." Freddy trailed off as Bonnie quickly walked away.

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I stepped in the room and shut the door behind me. My heart was racing. Did I really have to be that weird and awkward around him? It's just a crush. It's not like I'm in love with him . . . am I?

"No!" I answered myself. "I can't be. Freddy's the lead singer of the band. He's practically my boss. It's a cliché."

I sighed, sliding the empty animatronic head over and hopping onto the table. I strummed the strings of my guitar, listening for any off-tune notes.

A knock on the door made me look up. "Come in." I looked back down at my guitar.

"Hey, Bonnie." A voice made my heart lurch.

"Hey, Freddy," I stammered, looking up at him. "Do you need something?"

"No, I just wanted to come in here and make sure you're okay," Freddy replied.

"You, came in here to make sure I'm okay?" The butterflies in my stomach started to get restless.

"Yeah. I mean, I am the leader of the group, it's kind of my job to make sure my bandmates are in good condition."

The butterflies froze in place as I looked down at the floor. "Oh . . ."

"Are you in good condition?" Freddy sounded like he was worried.

"Yeah, I'm in perfect condition," my voice cracked a response as my ears twitched. I mentally scolded myself.

"Are you sure?" Freddy raised an eyebrow smugly; he knew when I was lying—it was pretty obvious. "You've been acting a bit queer the past few days. Is something bothering you? Can I do anything to help?"

"No," I chuckled—he really does care. "There's nothing, really, you can do to help."

"I can try," Freddy offered, tilting his head at me in empathy. "What's wrong?"

"Mm- . . ." I looked away, trying to avoid his gaze.

He pulled my chin up, forcing me to look at him. "I just want to make sure you're comfortable."

"I know . . ." I was glad my fur hid my blush. "I just . . . don't want to talk about it. Sorry."

"No, that's okay," Freddy assured me, patting me on the shoulder.

I looked over at his hand, and he quickly jerked it away. He gave me a fake smile as his grip on his microphone tightened.

"Well, I'mma go chill, bro. Smell ya later." Freddy made rock and roll hand gestures as he backed out of the room.

He kicked the door shut, leaving me to wonder what in the world was up with him.

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I kicked the door shut and immediately regretted every life decision I have ever made. I slapped myself in the face, groaning. Did I have to be so pushy with him? And what was with the lame teenager sayings?

"Way to go, Freddy."

Maybe I was what was wrong with Bonnie? I have been acting weird around him since my crush on him. My behaviour could be making him uncomfortable; and what I just did in there didn't help one bit.

I fixed my hat. ". . . 'Smell ya later'?" I cringed.

I heard the door behind me open, and I looked back. Bonnie walked out, looking down. When he almost walked into me, he looked up at me wide eyed.

"Hey, Bonnie." I cleared my throat—I need to act more like myself. "Is something wrong?"

"No. No, nothing's wrong. I just wanted to . . . I wanted to tell you what's been bothering me," Bonnie stammered, fiddling his thumbs.

"Yeah? What is it?" I wondered.

"Well . . . I've kind of- You know- . . ."

I raised an eyebrow. "What?"

Bonnie looked up at me, taking a deep breath, and I widened my eyes. "I've developed- I have feelings- . . . There's someone that- . . ."

"Bonnie, you're going to have to complete a sentence to get your point across to me."

". . . I've recently developed feelings for someone, but I'm afraid if I say anything or do anything about it, it'll end in a disaster," Bonnie rambled.

I took a moment to put together what all he had said. I paused and my heart followed. "You have feelings for someone?"

"Well, it's just a crush, really. Just a silly crush." Bonnie rubbed the side of his arm. "But, it's been affecting how I act. I can't do anything right, and I'm really awkward around them."

". . . Who are they?" I asked, swallowing a lump in my throat.

"Well, um . . . It's-"

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(Author's Note) Sorry about leaving this on a cliffhanger, but I just couldn't resist. I've got a few more chapters written for this, but after that, I honestly have no clue how to continue. I'll need your guys' help. Once I finish publishing what I've got—and I'll make sure to tell you when that is—I need some ideas. I'll explain to you what I've got planned, but then I'll need you guys to suggest how I could enforce that.