.

.

Nothing terribly noteworthy happened for the next few days. They were days which Bonnie spent helping Aoki choose a room that would suit him, and days Aoki himself spent personalizing it. Bonni, of course, gave him a bit of pocket money to help, despite Aoki's humble protest.

Why did a hundred dollar bill matter so much?

In any case, time passed by quickly, and by the time Aoki and Bonnie had finished decorating the former's new bedroom, they'd both come to an agreement that their efforts had paid off.

It was a small room- at least, compared to all the other rooms in the house- but Aoki was happy with it. The walls had been repainted, a light turquoise color with subtle dark pink butterflies, masterfully painted along the trim. The floor was of a darker brown wood, barely visible from beneath a plush pink rug. The bed was a queen-size, with a turquoise spread, and pink lacey pillows. The window was lined with white curtains, also decorated with pink butterflies, and beneath said window was an oaken desk, for writing. Directly across the room from that was a large wardrobe, filled with all manner of clothes- wintery coats, formal suits, sparkling dresses, and breezy swimsuits. Beside that was a matching dresser, in which was underclothes- women's and mens'- along with a rainbow of socks, and ties in all different shapes and colors.

There were a few tastefully chosen knick-knacks atop the dresser, as well, but most important of them was an inkwell, screwed tightly shut. Underneath it, a thick sketchbook and beside it, an array of ink pens.

As a whole, the room looked…somewhat childish. Though Bonnie would say that Aoki had a good sense of color coordination- better, he believed, than his own.

But that's not important- not really.

The interior of the house was decorated with reds, blues, and greens, giving it a good deal of color, whereas the exterior of the house was plain and homely- but not necessarily in an exciting way.

The best part of it, in Aoki's opinion- besides having a bed he could call his own- were the gardens. Naturally, nothing was growing now, but they still looked beautiful, and he enjoyed going outside to just relax in the peaceful silence of winter. When spring comes, he told himself, I'll be sure to plant all kinds of fruits and vegetables!

When he was younger, before Franklin, before the market, he loved helping his mother tend to the tiny garden tin the backyard of their house. Those memories, he could remember vividly, and found himself lost in them more often than not, especially back…there.

Thankfully, Bonnie didn't seem to mind much when it happened. But then, he was rarely ever around, and actually spent most of his time working. He was a bass guitarist, and spent all day every day playing at a local café, and didn't come home until just after dark. At that point, Aoki would usually just be getting started on dinner for the two of them. It was a sort of routine they'd just fallen into.

And today, being a Monday, was another day Aoki spent alone at the house. He'd usually find a book to read, or he'd be out in the garden, drawing or writing poetry- like he was now- and really just amusing himself until Bonnie got back. It was a little lonely, but he wasn't going to complain. He was grateful to even be there at all, and was still a little afraid that he'd wake up and be back in a cardboard box, in a back alley with some random person forcing themselves onto him while he tried to keep himself from freezing.

Nowadays, those memories jumped up on him, too, no matter how badly he wanted to forget them.

But now was not the time to worry about such things.

Now, in the safety of the front garden, in front of an isolated house, Aoki had only his artistic thoughts in mind. Or, he did until he heard heavy footsteps approaching the house. He looked up, cautious. Bonnie wasn't supposed to be back for another few hours, and he hadn't mentioned any guests coming over.

Aoki was worried until he saw the man's face.

Franklin Fazbear was a chubby man- not fat, but certainly not small. He was always smiling- always- and his cheeks had a natural flush to them. His eyes were a brighter blue than his cousin Freddy's- with whom Aoki was somewhat acquainted- and his skin was just a bit paler. His hair was a lighter brown- but not much- and if one didn't know better, they could be mistaken for siblings.

Aoki was one of those who knew better.

He grinned widely, happy to see Franklin again. Franklin himself looked surprised for a moment before he returned the gesture.

"Blue! What a grand surprise to see ya! I was real worried y'know- didn't think you'd make it out there…" he looked apologetic, but somehow, also proud, "I guess ya proved me wrong. An' ya even got Bon to help ya, too. Gotta say, I'm impressed."

His voice was loud and cheerful, and made Aoki want to cry. It'd been so long since he'd heard that voice…

Instead, Aoki stood up, clutching his sketchbook to his chest, and looked at the taller man with, perhaps, a small amount of adoration in his eyes.

"Franklin…I…I missed you…"

Franklin pulled Aoki into a tight and comforting hug, his large hands massaging his shoulder blades.

"I know Blue…I know…I missed ya too…"

He pulled away slowly, giving Aoki a second to breathe before he spoke again.

"Now, how 'bout we go inside an' get some tea? We both got some catchin' up to do."

Aoki nodded his assent and led Franklin inside- not that there was really a need to, since it technically was his house, but it was just something Aoki felt would be appropriate.

The two men removed their shoes and Aoki put the kettle on to boil. He knew Franklin preferred Earl Grey, and so prepared the ground up leaves for both their cups. Franklin talked to him as he worked.

"Y'know, things haven't been so good after you left. Mangle was real mad at me- still is, I reckon. 'e said somethin' 'bout me takin' you away? I..uh…I guess he thought you two were pretty close? I dunno how 'e got that in his head. Anyway," he paused as the kettle began to whistle and Aoki began pouring the hot water into their cups, "Mangle's mad at me, but 'e stopped tryin' to kill me."

Aoki didn't blame Mangle, he supposed. He would be pretty angry too if his friend was forced to leave him.

"Guy's gettin' better. I was thinkin' I'd bring'im along next time I pop over."

Aoki smiled as he gingerly passed a teacup into Franklin's hands.

"I think…I'd like that very much."

XxX

Bonnie returned home just as Franklin was leaving. They exchanged a quick greeting before parting ways again, and Bonnie found Aoki in a cheerful mood. He figured Franklin's visit had something to do with it, but wondered how to bring it up without making it seem like he was being jealous. It's not like he cared if Aoki and Franklin were a couple. Not really.

That's what he told himself, anyway, before deciding it really wasn't worth mentioning. Aoki was happy, and that was good.

Bonnie helped him finish preparing dinner, and they ate while telling each other about their day. It was a comfortable routine, and not one either wanted broken any time soon.