Roommates - Mini #4 (Nurse Cheeky)

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Roommates - Mini #4 (Nurse Cheeky)
Inspired by Weaver's Five Nights at Freddy's Apartment AU: http://i.imgur.com/LnDJVNL.png
Part of an ongoing series written for the /5N@F/ General Discussion Thread at /vg/.
Sincerest thanks to Weaver (http://tgweaver.tumblr.com/) for all of the invaluable assistance in writing, proofreading, and editing this story as well as for illustrating the chapter title cards.
Questions or comments? Drop me an ask at http://roommatesau.tumblr.com/

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Heavy, deliberate footfalls alert me to his presence. Seconds later, the smell catches up to the sound. I give Faz a sympathetic smile as he trudges into the living room, and he nods back to me in kind as he slowly eases toward his usual chair. I stand up as he sits down, making my way toward the kitchen to prepare his afternoon snack as well as fetching fresh bandages and ointment.

Dude's a goofball but I have to give credit to Mike where it's due -- I can't think of anyone else who'd have been willing to clean Faz's wounds without a fuss after just a couple of days of knowing him. Even Bonnie shies away from it when they're a bit too much for him, citing that "such delicate stuff requires a gal's touch", and we've both known Faz for years. I can't blame him, since Faz and Bonnie clash here and there due to their opposing personalities.

Bon's constantly cheerful to the point of almost being obnoxious sometimes, and Faz hasn't got much patience for shenanigans anymore. Of course, that's not to say he's a scary guy or anything. He's actually kind of a softy once you get to know him, but every now and again he just kind of... well, he's more easily provoked than he used to be.

Then again, after the other night? Hell, I guess you could say that about all of us.

On a whim, I cut a slice of the remaining cake Mike brought over (memo to self, kidnap him and make him my personal baking slave) before putting it on a paper plate next to Faz's TV dinner. His eyes light up as I set the plate on his TV tray before moving in to change his bandages.

"Nice treat," he whispers, barely audible. "Did Bonnie stop by a bakery?"

"Nope," I reply vaguely, gently pulling the wrappings loose from his fur. The oozing is particularly strong today, but I'm hardly fazed by it at this point. Nothing I haven't seen before.

"Chichi, then?" he rasps, furrowing his brow.

"Sort of. Here comes the antiseptic, you ready?"

Faz nods, his eyes beginning to water a little in anticipation of the stinging sensation. He does a good job of not flinching as I clean his wounds, dabbing gingerly at the mess so that I don't make it any worse than it already is. His two most recent surgical scars look like they're healing well enough, which is good -- as close as they are to his heart, the last thing he needs is another infection.

After applying fresh gauze and wrappings I give his tummy a gentle brush with my feathers, and to my delight I notice the corners of his mouth turn up ever so slightly as he exhales air from his nose -- yep, still ticklish.

"You know I can't stand it when you do that," he chuckles good-naturedly through his speaker. I'm reminded of spending lunch breaks with Faz and Bonworth on the loading dock at work way back when, and us playing flag football in the parking lot. Faz was so athletic, but he'd always buckle whenever my feathers would brush against his side while trying to swipe his flag. Smirking, I toss the used bandages in the trash before rinsing my wings off in the sink.

"Gotta get you to smile somehow, ya big lug," I reply. "How about a movie while we wait for Bonnie to get home?"

Faz nods agreeably, ignoring his microwave meatloaf and going straight for the cake first. "Sure. You pick."

I make my way over to the bookcase where the DVDs are back on the shelf, and I can't help but laugh as I see Mike started re-sorting them while he was here earlier. Grabbing the first shrink-wrapped video I see, I tear the plastic off with my beak before shoving the disc into the player.

"Really good cake," he says, licking the frosting off the fork with his dry tongue. "Send my regards to Chichi."

"Actually, it was Mike who made it, albeit under her tutelage," I reply. He pauses mid-bite, eyebrows raised. "He came by earlier to apologize."

Setting the plate down on the tray, he looks at his half-eaten slice of cake with visibly mixed emotions. "Hey, no. You eat, now. You don't have to defend my honor, Faz," I insist. "I got the impression from how moony-eyed Mike was that he's already kicked his own ass enough. Besides, if he hasn't, you know Fred'll take care of things."

"He's still staying with them?" he whispers as the title credits begin playing. I mute the speaker system before turning back to him, wincing a little at a shooting pain in my side.

"Bonnie and I both offered for him to stay with us but I think he's too embarrassed, and to be honest, it's for the best. Guy probably needs to be around a more lively atmosphere anyway," I admit.

Faz snorts, pushing his plate away from himself. I narrow my eyes at him, wing on one hip. "Faz..."

"He was out of line," Faz snaps. "Badly out of line."

"Sure. And we weren't?" I softly counter. "He did leave without being asked, and he came back this morning and apologized. Besides, he baked us this really nice cake. You can't hate anyone who brings cake, it's like -- it's like some kind of a law, or rule."

Faz ponders my words for a little while before begrudgingly picking his plate back up. "Maybe you're right," he mumbles between a mouthful of meatloaf. "If he was mature enough to come up here and apologize, I'll let it go."

"That's the spirit," I say as he resumes eating.

Faz rolls his eyes. "Might give him a hard time about it anyway, though," he quietly adds.

Snickering, I softly nudge his bicep before turning the volume back up. "Oh, absolutely. He still needs his chops busted at every available turn, since he is the new guy and all."

"Have to keep him humble," he agrees with a strained grin.