"You have five minutes." Dr. Schmidt called out from the front of the lecture hall.

Freddy put down his pencil and breathed a sigh of relief, having just finished his engineering midterm. He stretched his right paw out, which had become extremely tense after writing frantically for the past 2 hours; the exam was long, and designed to be difficult to finish within the time limit. He spent the remaining time reviewing his test, while many of his fellow students rushed to finish around him.

Satisfied, the bear stood up to hand in his test, feeling a sense of accomplishment as he did so. He felt fairly confident in his performance, especially considering everything he had been through the past several weeks. As he left the classroom, several heads turned in his direction; Freddy pretended not to notice and kept walking, eager to get out of the classroom.

Freddy Fazbear had developed quite a reputation in his first semester of college. Fazbear University was a medium sized college, about 10,000 students, but everyone in the state knew Freddy's name by now, thanks to the Nero incident. Details were initially clouded in mystery, as the police didn't disclose much at first, but when Freddy showed up to his classes after being out for a few days with several burn marks and his arm in a sling, people put two and two together. Foxy and Bonnie got a lot of this attention as well, but they didn't mind it as much as Freddy, who had unfortunately dealt with unwanted attention all his life.

The only person who seemed to be able to fly under that radar was Chica. This was partially because she didn't show nearly as much visible sign of injury or trauma, unlike the three guys. Additionally, most people knew that one of the people who went to save Bonnie was his sister, but they wouldn't have been able to recognize Chica as Bonnie's twin at first sight. Chica was somewhat grateful for this, having seen the stares and pointing and whispers that her brother and friends endured after they each got out of the hospital.

Speaking of Chica, the yellow bird had just sat down in the dining hall, where she was planning on meeting Freddy for lunch. She and Freddy had been on surprisingly good terms the past couple of days, since the two had talked about their relationship with each other. The two definitely had romantic feelings for each other, but had decided that it would be better for both of them if they stayed friends, at least for now.

Chica looked up to see Freddy walk by with his tray, smiling and gesturing the bear over to where she was sitting. Freddy walked over and sat down, sighing as he did so.

"How was it?" the bird asked, taking a bite of pasta.

"Better than expected." Freddy replied as he dipped a french fry in the small bowl of ketchup. "I actually finished, which most people don't. But I also feel like I kinda rushed through it, so-"

"Freddy," Chica cut him off, giving him a knowing look, "we know you aced it, you don't have to be modest."

Freddy shrugged. "Fair enough. I'll shut up."

"That's better." Chica winked before returning her attention to the bowl of pasta in front of her.

Freddy took a bite out of his burger, chewing and swallowing before opening his mouth again to speak.

"Oh yeah," the bear began, "Bonnie and I are gonna watch some movies in our room on Friday night to celebrate the end of exams. You wanna come?"

"Sure," Chica replied, "I can't wait to be done with my French oral exam tomorrow. What all do you have left?"

"Just Physics tomorrow morning," Freddy answered, "thank God Dr. Smith isn't making us take a midterm in Biology."

Chica nodded in agreement. In Nero's absence, Dr. Smith had taken over his teaching load for the remainder of the semester, although he opted to not have a midterm exam, since the semester had been so hectic. The students didn't mind, especially since his lectures were less informative and helpful than Nero's, if not also less terrifying.

"Speaking of Biology," Chica began, "is Foxy gonna be there Friday?"

"I would assume so," Freddy answered, "I'll bet Bonnie's already asked him. Which reminds me, does it seem like they've been spending even more time together than usual?"

"You know, I'm actually not sure." Chica responded, setting her fork down, "The thing is, I used to see them together a lot, but now it's more like I never see either of them anymore, you know?"

"Yeah..." Freddy muttered, placing his paw on his chin, "you think Foxy's told Bonnie that... you know."

"Maybe." Chica replied thoughtfully, "has Bonnie mentioned anything to you?"

"No, and Foxy hasn't said anything either," the bear replied, looking down, before suddenly looking back up, meeting Chica purple eyes with his blue ones.

"Do you think their, like, together now, and don't wanna tell anyone?" Freddy asked softly, not wanting anyone to overhear.

"It would certainly explain a lot." Chica responded, nodding somewhat hesitantly.

"Ok, second relevant question," Freddy continued, "and I feel like an idiot for not asking earlier, but is Bonnie actually gay? You know him better than I do, and it occurs to me that I haven't even thought of that."

"Me neither," Chica admitted with a sigh, "The thing is, I really don't know. Bonnie's never really that open about that kind of thing, even to me, although with good reason; our dad's pretty prejudiced in general. Our mom would probably be fine, but she's not the one I'd be worried about."

"Now that I think about it, I guess we never really thought about that before now..." Freddy trailed off, a hint of guilt in his voice, "I mean, think about it. We were the ones pushing Foxy to tell Bonnie how he felt, and we didn't even think about all the ways it could end badly. If Bonnie's not gay, would he still be comfortable even being friends with Foxy knowing that he has feelings for him? Maybe Foxy's just been moping this whole time, and Bonnie's trying to avoid seeing him, which is why we haven't seen either of them except in class. I only see Bonnie at the end of the day, and he usually just shows back up and goes to sleep or studies quietly."

He looked up at Chica, sharing a slightly awkward glance before coughing and breaking eye contact, the scenario he described having been what had just happened between him and Chica.

"I mean, that is worse case scenario." Chica quickly pointed out, wanting desperately to break the awkward silence between them. "For all we know, nothing's bad's even happened; maybe Foxy told Bonnie he was gay, but they decided to just stay friends. There's probably nothing wrong."

"Yeah, probably," Freddy replied thoughtfully as he stared at his food, "I hope not..."

Foxy put his pencil down, almost done with his English exam. He used this opportunity to stretch his right paw, which, while now out of the bandage, still cramped up easily after not being used in so long, especially when writing.

The fox looked around the almost deserted classroom; Foxy was one of the last to finish, with Brad and Bonnie having already left. This gave the red canine some relief; he didn't have to deal with Brad today.

Finally the fox finished the final essay on Moby Dick and stood up to turn in the paper to the owl that sat at the desk. The owl nodded silently at Foxy as he placed the exam on the considerably large pile on the corner of the desk. Foxy slowly made his way towards the door, finally able to walk without crutches.

However just as Foxy almost reached the restroom across the hall from his classroom, he felt a paw on his shoulder. Hoping it was Bonnie, the fox turned around only to see the smug, light blue muzzle belonging to Brad.

"Have you seriously been camping outside of this classroom for 20 minutes waiting for me?" the fox asked, raising an eyebrow, "because, while I admire your dedication, I guess, your inability to take no for an answer really doesn't help your case."

"That's why I'm not asking you anymore," Brad replied, removing his paw, "I'm telling you; you are going to join Tau Alpha Nu."

"Are you threatening me?" Foxy muttered, his voice cold as ice.

"No, I would never threaten you." Brad replied with a mock-innocence that made Foxy want to punch him.

"Good," Foxy spat, annoyed, "since I can assure you that won't end well for you."

"What are you going to do, bite me?" Brad asked cockily, earning a low growl from Foxy. This unfortunately only seemed to amuse Brad more, since it was clearly the reaction he wanted.

"No, because I don't want to floss rabbit meat out of my teeth for the next month." Foxy snarled, baring his fangs to prove his point. This clearly intimidated Brad at least a little bit, but the blue rabbit tried his best not to show it.

"In fact," the fox continued in a much less intimidating voice, "I did a little research on your so-called fraternity, and it'd be kind of hard to join an organization that doesn't exist."

This got Brad's attention, as the smirk that was on his face earlier quickly vanished, replaced with mild shock.

"Yeah," Foxy shrugged, feigning innocence, "I checked the University's website for a list of student organizations, including fraternities, and Tau Alpha Nu was conspicuously absent from the list. A quick Google search revealed no such results, either. Now what kind of organization manages to have a house and members without officially existing? Care to shed some light on that?"

Brad glared at Foxy before speaking in a low voice.

"OK, Fawkes, no more playing nice. Yes, the fraternity isn't officially registered because it's a cover for something else. We didn't want any old person to go snooping around, since that something else isn't strictly speaking legal. The fact of the matter is, in order for us to execute our plans, a lot of people are gonna get hurt; I don't particularly like it, but it's a necessary evil. Fortunately for us, we have friends in high places who make sure that university officials look the other way while we execute our plans."

"And why are you telling me all this?" Foxy asked.

"Because," Brad replied, the smirk returning to his face, "you're already onto us, but it doesn't matter now since, as I said before, you will be joining us. You are a very importantly piece of the puzzle, and we have no intention of letting you go."

"Well, I'm not going to join a group that I know is doing something illegal, especially if people are going to get hurt." Foxy spat, appalled at the rabbit's smugness, "Now, I'm going to do the smart thing and call the police. If you seem to recall, the last time I took matters into my own hands, I was in a coma for two weeks, and it may surprise you to know that I have to intention of reliving that. Anyway, if that's all..."

Foxy turned to leave, feeling triumphant until Brad shoved a manilla envelope into his paws. Foxy opened it up, somewhat intrigued by what last ditch effort Brad had to get Foxy to join him in whatever he had planned...

It was a photograph of Foxy and Bonnie. They were standing in the woods with their arms wrapped around each other, their lips locked in a deep kiss. The quality was grainy, the camera clearly having been a long way away from the couple and zoomed in, but there was no mistaking it. Based on the outfits they were wearing, the photo had been taken the day before, just before sunset.

Foxy felt the color drain from his face, looking up at Brad with wide eyes. How had he managed to get this photo? Surely one of them would have heard someone in the woods near them?

"Ted is actually pretty quiet when he wants to be." Brad declared smugly, as if he had read the fox's mind.

"Have you been stalking me?" Foxy asked keeping his voice low, still trying to cope with the shock of his supposedly secret relationship being discovered less than a week after it began. "How long has this been going on?"

"Oh, not long," Brad answered matter-of-factly, "just since Tuesday. I mean, you could practically smell the pheromones between you two. God, it was sickening to sit with you two for an hour and a half. Oh, and for the record, you guys' little 'act casual' routine doesn't work too well when your tail wags like a puppy with new ball whenever you're in the same room as him. Although, in your case, I guess it's actually two ba-"

Brad was cut short by Foxy grabbing him by the throat and slamming him against they wall in a choke hold. The fox bared in fangs and let out a vicious snarl.

"Leave him out of this!" Foxy shouted, attracting the attention of a few other students and a professor in the hallway.

"You're not the only one who can do research, Foxy," Brad choked out, with a smug grin still on his muzzle, "I hacked into Bonnie's student record and looked up his parents and address. I tell you, Charles doesn't sound like a pleasant guy at all. I do wonder what would happen if he found out his son was a faggot, don't you?"

Foxy released his grip on the rabbit, letting his slide to the ground. Brad caught his breath before standing back up and looking Foxy in the eye.

"I'm giving you a choice." The lagomorph declared, straightening his tie, "If you don't join us, that photo ends up in their mailbox. And don't bother tearing it up or anything, since I have plenty of extras."

Foxy just stood there, feeling numb. He knew that Brad was planning something illegal, and more people could get hurt. He couldn't willingly help them, especially since he seemed to play an important role in whatever it is they were planning. At the same time, he remembered the pain in Bonnie's eyes when he had told him about his dad, and how scared he was to come out to him. Still, he had no idea what TAN was planning. It may not even involve hurting anyone, and Brad may be bluffing. But the risk wasn't to Foxy, it was to Bonnie, and who knows how many others, and Foxy couldn't bring himself to betray Bonnie's trust like that. But would Bonnie understand if Foxy explained it to him? Who was Foxy to decide between Bonnie's fate and the possible safety of countless people?

"Like I said," Brad continued, "I'm not threatening you. And I know this is a big choice for you, so I'll give you until midnight on Friday to decide. My number's on the back of that photograph. Give me a call."

Brad gestured to the photo that was crumpled in Foxy's paw.

"Anyway, I'll be seeing you later." Brad gave the fox a sly grin before walking off, leaving the fox standing there, defeated and alone.

Friday afternoon came, and Freddy walked over to the door to his and Bonnie's room upon hearing a knock.

"Hey Chica," he greeted the bird as he opened the door, moving aside to let her in.

"Hey Freddy," Chica replied as she stepped inside, removing her shoes and looking at how the room had been rearranged.

Freddy and Bonnie had moved the desk under Bonnie's bed next to the one under Freddy's bed, making one large desk that held a medium sized TV and a DVD player. They had set up both chairs across the room, facing the TV. On the ground, in front of the chairs, sat a large bean bag that Chica recognized from...

"Stole that from the lobby?" she asked, gesturing to the bean bag, which was big enough to comfortably seat two people.

"Borrowed, thank you very much." Freddy replied with fake indignation, "And we have every intention of returning it...eventually."

"Right," she said as she raised an eyebrow, "and the TV?"

"That one we got with permission from some guys down the hall who are gonna be out of town this weekend," Freddy dismissed her with a wave of his paw, "But the bag, yeah, definitely just took that."

Chica shrugged and plopped down on the beanbag chair before looking back at Freddy.

"You know what, Freddy," Chica spoke after a few seconds, "I'll bet this is the most you've ever acted out or rebelled."

"What gives you that idea?" Freddy asked, almost defensively.

"Oh, come on," Chica scoffed, "like you weren't Mr. Goody Two-shoes before you came here. You've really grown up a lot Freddy, and I'm proud of you."

"You say that like it's a bad thing, Miss I've-Been-Suspended-For-Fighting-Six-Times." Freddy quipped, sitting on the bag next to Chica.

"First of all, two times," the chicken retorted, lightly punching Freddy's arm twice as she enunciated the last two words, "and they had it coming both times."

"Did you win?" Freddy asked, turning to face the bird.

Chica raised an eyebrow as if to ask "Really?", eliciting a laugh from Freddy. This is what he had missed: being friends with Chica without any romantic ulterior motives. Bonnie was his best friend, sure, but with him and Foxy in the hospital for so long, Freddy hadn't realized how close he and Chica had become, especially after the had started fighting. Fortunately, though, it seemed that his friend count went from zero to three since he and Chica made up, and with Bonnie and Foxy back up to full health.

Speaking of which, the door to their room opened as Bonnie walked in with a stack of DVDs in his paws.

"Ah, Chica," he greeted his sister, "I see you've found our latest furniture addition. Personally, I really think it brings out the abhorrent lack of seating that these rooms provide."

"Yeah, the whole stolen-from-the-lobby-down-the-hall thing really adds to the, er, charm of the room." Chica replied, hesitating as she picked up an empty bag of chips beside the bag.

Bonnie shrugged as he kicked his shoes off, narrowly missing Chica's head, and flipped through the DVDs in his paws and read the titles aloud.

"Guardians of the Galaxy, LEGO Movie, X-men: Days of Future Past, Godzilla," the rabbit read aloud as he set each case on the desk, "I picked up all the new DVDs they had in the lobby. Which reminds me, Freddy, we should probably wait until the middle of the night to bring the bag back, since the RA at the desk asked me if I knew anything about it. It felt wrong to lie, but I know it's for the greater good."

"The greater good in this case of course being our comfort as we watch these not stolen movies." Freddy replied as he got up to browse the DVDs, "You see, Chica, we do have some class."

"Exactly," Bonnie affirmed as he walked over to Freddy's mini-fridge and grabbed a soda.

"Wait," Chica began, "aren't there security cameras in the lobby? And also an RA always on duty?"

"I overheard one of the RAs saying that the cameras were out and wouldn't be fixed until sometime next week," Freddy replied, "they're keeping that information quiet for obvious reasons, but they didn't count on me being incredibly nosy. Also, Rick always falls asleep during his shift, which just happens to be tomorrow night. There's a schedule posted on the wall by the desk. Sprite?"

He offered Chica a can of soda, which the bird reached up to accept until they heard another knock on the door. Chica was closest, so she got the door.

"Hey, guys," Foxy greeted the others as he walked in, carrying two large bags of chips and other assorted snack foods, "Stolen bean bag?"

"Yep." Freddy answered, almost smugly.

"Nice." Foxy replied as he set the chips on the desk before removing his shoes off and setting them by the door.

Freddy put the first DVD in the player and sat down in one of the chairs, while Chica sat in the other. This left Bonnie and Foxy on the bean bag, which made the bear and chicken nervous for a moment; fortunately, neither the rabbit nor the fox seemed to have any objection, which gave Freddy and Chica some relief.

About halfway through LEGO Movie, Bonnie set his soda can down and rested his paws behind his head, glancing over at Foxy. The fox was lost deep in thought, not paying much attention to the movie. This worried Bonnie, as Foxy had seemed pretty down for the past day or so. Bonnie had tried asking Foxy about it, but the fox only gave very vague answers. Furthermore, he had told Bonnie that he wanted to talk to Bonnie in private specifically about their relationship, which worried Bonnie. What if Foxy wanted to break up? What if he wanted to go public? Would it be OK if they did? It wasn't like his dad could keep watch on him here, but what if a stray photo of the two of them found its way onto Facebook? These thoughts plagued Bonnie for the rest of the movie, causing him to lose focus as well.

Foxy, meanwhile, was grappling with the ultimatum that Brad had left him: agree to help Brad possibly hurt a lot of people, or indirectly out Bonnie to his father. Foxy, of course, wanted nothing more than to be in a normal relationship with Bonnie, where they could kiss in public and go on dates and meet each others' families and no one would bat an eye or think anything of it, but he was smart enough to know that wasn't realistic, at least not yet. Eventually, Foxy had decided that he would tell Bonnie about Brad's threat, even though he knew that it would upset the purple rabbit, but wanted to wait until they could get some alone time. Unfortunately, Ted had been camping out in their room since Wednesday, most likely on Brad's orders; the blue rabbit no doubt wanted Foxy to face this alone, possibly as punishment for blowing him off so many times before. Freddy also rarely left their room, but of course for much more innocent reasons like studying or sleeping; the bear didn't have any idea, and Foxy wasn't sure how to ask the bear to give him and Bonnie some privacy without Bonnie finding out Foxy told him.

Foxy gave a slight groan of frustration as he looked at the clock next to the TV: 10:53. Only about an hour left until Brad's offer expired, and Foxy was aware of every minute ticking away; he was running out of time, and a private conversation with Bonnie seemed out of the picture at this point.

Freddy and Chica noticed the two Anthros' discomfort; clearly, there was more tension between the two than they had previously thought; Freddy tried to think of a reason for he and Chica to leave the room and give Bonnie and Foxy them some alone time, but that could make things worse. He opted to just sit in silence, as Chica did the same.

The end of the movie brought a relief for all four students, as it gave them a chance to get up and move around and break the awkwardness that hung in the room. Chica got up and turned the light on, squinting as his eyes were flooded by the light. Freddy picked up the empty bags and soda cans that had found their way to the floor and placed them in the garbage can under the desk.

This left Bonnie and Foxy to pick another movie from the stack next to the television. As they both reached for the cases, their paws touched for a moment, causing both of them to pause and look at each other. Fortunately, Freddy was bent over reaching for a can that had rolled across the floor to the dresser, and Chica had left the room to use the restroom. As Bonnie looked into Foxy's eyes, he saw hurt and pain and guilt, but love above all else. Whatever it was that was plaguing Foxy, it was only doing so because of how he felt about the rabbit. In that moment, Bonnie decided that whatever Foxy was stressed about, he wasn't going to have to face it alone.

As he looked up in the fox's yellow eyes, he smiled and took his other paw in his own before kissing the fox on the lips. This sudden act of affection caught Foxy off guard, but he still happily returned the kiss, not caring if Freddy or Chica saw them like this. The fact of the matter was that they were together, and Freddy and Chica already knew that he was gay. Foxy had assumed that Bonnie would want to wait a while before telling anyone, and Foxy was fine with that, but it seemed that was no longer an issue.

"We'll give you two some space," they heard Chica say from the doorway. The couple broke their kiss and turned towards the door way to see Freddy and Chica standing there, smiling at the two of them.

Bonnie gave a sheepish smile as his sister and roommate left the room and shut the door behind them. He then turned back to Foxy and placed one paw on his cheek, lightly caressing the side of the fox's face.

"I don't know what's bugging you," the rabbit began, "but I know that not being able to do that in front of anyone was bugging me more than anything. I don't want to hide who I am anymore, and I sure as hell don't want to you to think that I'm ashamed of you. I love you Foxy, and I don't care who knows it."

"What about your parents?" Foxy asked as Bonnie leaned forward to kiss him again, causing the rabbit to retract, his ears lowering slightly.

"Ah, yes," Bonnie muttered, a little annoyed at Foxy ruining the moment. Still the fox had a point, and was always able to think rationally. "I still haven't really decided yet. I mean, on one hand, I'd really like to be able to take you home to meet them, maybe go on vacations together. But, on the other hand..."

Bonnie's voice trailed off as he looked down, feeling as if he had disappointed his boyfriend by not wanting to face his father. Foxy, however, placed his paw on the rabbit's chin and lightly lifted his muzzle so that they were face to face again.

"I want all of those things too," Foxy began, "but I also know we have to be practical. If you don't think coming out to your parents is a safe idea, then you shouldn't do it. But, like I said before, they will find out eventually."

"I know," Bonnie replied, squeezing Foxy's paw, "and I've thought a lot about it the past week, and I am going to come out to them eventually. I just don't know when. I mean, two months ago, I would have been perfectly content to stay in the closet my entire life, and yet here we are."

"Well," Foxy assured him, nuzzling the rabbits cheek as he spoke, "I'll be right here when you do, no matter what happens. I won't rush you or pressure you to do anything, ever. You should wait until you're ready."

"Thanks, Foxy," Bonnie smiled as he rested his head against Foxy's chest, letting the fox hold him in a comforting embrace. This was what he loved about Foxy; he always seemed to have a plan or know what to do; he was confident in himself without being narcissistic, but he never tried to control anyone else around him. Bonnie felt that, no matter what happened, Foxy would be there to protect him and stand by his side.

As he held the rabbit, Foxy glanced at the clock on the desk: 11:49. After seeing how much Bonnie trusted him, he knew what he had to do. He released the purple rabbit and headed for the door, pulling out his phone as he went.

"I have to call my aunt," Foxy explained, "I promised her I would call her after my exams were over. I forgot earlier, and I want to call her before she goes to sleep.

Foxy felt guilty lying to Bonnie, but he had convinced himself it was for the best. Even though Bonnie felt more comfortable about their relationship in public, he should come out to his parents on his own terms, not Brad's.

He opened the door to see Freddy and Chica sitting in the hallway across from the room.

"We thought you two might be a while," Freddy explained as he stood up, "You heading out?"

"No," Foxy answered, "I just have to make a quick phone call, I'll only be a few minutes."

Freddy patted Foxy on the shoulder as if to say "good job" and entered his room, followed by Chica. Foxy waited until the door was closed and walked down the stairs to their first floor and stepped outside into the cold, bitter November air.

The fox scrolled through his contacts until he found Brad's name and clicked Dial. He held the phone up to his ear and waited for the blue rabbit to pick up.

"Ah, Foxy," Brad greeted in his usual sneering voice, "I was beginning to think that you wouldn't call. You know how much it hurts my feelings to be ignored."

Brad paused as if waiting for Foxy to laugh at his joke, but got only silence.

"Anyway," the rabbit continued, in a more natural voice, "I take it you've made a decsion."

Foxy looked up at the window to Bonnie and Freddy's room. He could see Chica hugging the rabbit, no doubt congratulating him on his new relationship.

"Yeah," the fox answered, tearing his eyes away from the scene, "I'm in."

Author's Note: Hey guys I'm back! And only 3 and half months later than promised! But in all seriousness, I got super busy with school right when classes started, and I really haven't had a break until this week. Furthermore, for those of you who don't know, writing is something that is extremely difficult to get back into after being away for so long; it takes practice to get back into the swing of things. However, I feel good about finally getting this chapter done, and I'm super excited to get back to working on this story semi-regularly again!

Anyway, Happy Thanksgiving, and as always I appreciated all of your favorites, follows, messages and reviews (yes, even the ones that bug me to get back to work on the story)! ;P

See you guys next chapter!