#angelofrainfrogs
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Going Back: Ch. 21
~Coauthored by @zeitghest~
Fandom(s): Five Nights At Freddy’s: Security Breach
Description: Things are looking up for Gregory. After putting the soul of a formerly-immortal killer to rest, he and his new family can finally begin their lives anew. Sure, Gregory might have been cursed with mysterious Remnant in exchange for being involved in this mess—not to mention his caretakers consist of sentient robots and ghosts… But there’s no doubt that the bond they share is unbreakable. They love him, and he in turn.
All in all, life is finally starting to go right for once.
…Unfortunately, true peace is a hard-won battle. There are other things to contend with besides William’s decrepit soul, and Gregory will learn that his role in the lives of the Aftons and Emilys is far greater than anyone could’ve imagined.
Rating: T
Read on Ao3
After an uneventful walk back to the office, Michael found it somewhat alarming to find Charlie and Freddy inside waiting for him. Alone and without Gregory, Charlie was leaning against the wall with her arms crossed a worried expression on her face as she listened to their resident Papa Bear. Her pinpoint focus was distracted only when Michael’s familiar shape fell over the doorway.
“Speak of the devil,” Charlie remarked, interrupting Freddy’s quiet train of thought.
“Hey,” Michael greeted with a wave and a curious tilt of his head. “You gossiping about me behind my back? My office isn't exactly the best place to do that, y'know."
“Hello, Michael,” Freddy responded with a chuckle, expression softening at the appearance of the trustworthy night guard. “We were not talking about you specifically, although you are a relevant part of the conversation. We were discussing Gregory's future.”
“...Ah.” With a low exhale, Michael plopped into one of the swivel chairs. Just one thing after another tonight. At least this was far less stressful than trying to wrangle Ennard through the Pizzaplex.
Hopefully.
“Well, the kid's got a long future ahead of him,” Michael remarked, crossing one knee over the other. “Anything in particular you're fretting over right now?”
“For one,” Charlie said, her voice gentle as she didn't want to particularly stress out her family. Well—not overstress them. “His sleep schedule. The kid's eyebags have bags at this point... It’s just one more thing that could attract unnecessary attention.”
Numbering the items off on her fingers, she moved onto the next from her mental list. “His eyes glow now. You can kind of see it in the light, too, so… We should be prepared if more things change about him.” She grimaced. “Not just physical stuff, either.”
It was something she’d feared since the incident in the bathroom: if Gregory's mental state may begin to deteriorate just as William's had. She'd like to pretend that Gregory was strong—that he could fight and suppress any unhinged thoughts or urges. Michael had seemed to be alright in the end, if a bit more melancholy than she remembered... but those subjected to Remnant were so few and far between, they only had case studies to work from rather than standard bullet points of what to expect. It scared Charlie not knowing exactly what this Remnant serum was going to do to their little brother in the long run.
“...You guys noticed the eyes, too?” Michael asked.
“Yes.” Freddy nodded, unease returning to his features. “At first I thought it was just a trick of the light, but there is definitely something otherworldly about them. It does not bother us, of course, though it is certainly something to be wary of if we wish to reintegrate him into society someday.”
“Freddy... I think that kid is as far from 'reintegration' as one could get at this point,” Michael pointed out, and the ursine man had to concede with a sigh.
“I am aware. However, we can at least try and give his life some semblance of normalcy—as Charlie pointed out, his sleep schedule is a good place to start.” Freddy idly glanced at the cameras, catching sight of the Glamrocks yet again huddled together making plans. A faint smile ghosted over his lips. “On a side note, as much as I would love to provide him with a standard education, I simply do not think that will be in anyone's best interest. I have heard mention of 'online schooling', which I will look into. Tangentially, as far as his sleep schedule goes... until we figure out a few other aspects of all our lives, I believe he may be better suited to fully commit to a night-shift schedule.”
“Yeah?” Michael perked up at this. He'd been gearing up to accept only seeing his brother in passing, but if Freddy deemed the nightlife was Gregory's future, that would be fantastic.
“There is really no reason for him to be awake during the day—Charlie and I will soon be working come next week, so he will either be only with you or alone,” Freddy explained. “It is not safe for the children to roam during the dayshift, and since everyone except Sam and Gregory himself are robots or ghosts, we do not have to worry about sleeping nearly as much as he does. Therefore, I feel it would be more beneficial to his well-being to come here at night like we have been—at least for now.”
Charlie had agreed somewhat, though she was biting her lip in anxiety. She was clearly off-put by something but refrained from speaking of it until now so Freddy could get his thoughts out first.
“About the online school thing,” Charlie said, clearing her voice as she looked between the boys. “So, this is going to sound hypocritical and weird. Trust me, I know, but... We should try to encourage Gregory to make friends like him, and that might be a good way to do that."
He was already shaping up into an oddity, but what Charlie saw earlier that day had legitimately brewed worry in her, causing her to strike up this conversation with Freddy in the first place.
“I noticed he plays very roughly when he's with the twins. Cassidy, too. They can't feel pain so I’m not worried about their safety or anything, but... I just don't want Gregory getting the impression that hurting people is some kind of game. I don't know; maybe we can talk to him about being a little gentler?”
…What an awful time to be accidentally eavesdropping.
Gregory stood like a stone, back pressed firmly against the wall near the office door. He strained to hear everything they were saying with their hushed voices, and managed well. He almost wished he wasn't really hearing it though; it felt like he should just walk back to his friends and continue their hang-out session. But the way Charlie spoke about how he played made him feel like some sort of monster...
“...Ah. Right.” Freddy's face twisted in worry. “I am sorry, I got so caught up in the idea of trying to make things easy for him... but you are right. He must understand that he cannot interact with other children the way he does with those living in the Pizzaplex.”
He paused, chewing his lip in thought. “Perhaps we can shift his schedule so he does get a bit of interaction time with normal children, through whatever means we can. I will speak to him about roughhousing with the others.”
“I can try and talk to the kids, too,” Michael added, trying to help. “Or at least ask Henry to talk to them—not sure how well they'll listen to me.”
He gave a half-hearted laugh, though it only garnered a small smile from Freddy. Putting his feet flat on the ground, Michael leaned forward and grasped his hand. “Hey. It's gonna be okay, Freddy. We might not know exactly what that stuff's going to do to him down the line, but we can handle it. Alright?”
“I know,” Freddy nodded, squeezing the reassuring grip. “Of course I know we can. I just do not want Gregory to feel as though he is... not normal—not more than he already does.”
That cemented it. If he wasn’t a freak, they wouldn’t even having this conversation. Gregory needed to chill out. With no one to calm him down and run their fingers through his hair, it left only himself to do the job and attempt to self-soothe. Though it really didn’t feel right; maybe he was becoming too dependent?
They loved him now, he didn’t doubt that. But based on past experience, “love” generally came at a price. What would happen if his condition got worse? If it morphed into something they couldn’t deal with?
Inside the room, Charlie agreed with Freddy. “Yeah! Baby steps, you know? One day, Gregory’s going to want to be more independent. It’s our job to make sure he’ll be fine on his own when that time comes. But for now, we’re going to show him how much he means to us and be there as a family.”
It won’t be a long time from now, Charlie could see it. In four years, he’ll be able to drive. In six, he’ll legally be an adult. Soon enough, Gregory might not even need them anymore.
Charlie tried not to think this way. If they treated him well and raised him right, Gregory would always be their friend.
“Of course,” Freddy agreed immediately, frowning as an unfamiliar emotion burrowed itself in the base of his heart.
Charlie was right—Gregory was a child, and that meant that he was going to grow up someday. That had been their goal last weekend, after all—to keep him alive so he could have that opportunity. It was what they all wanted, and even though Gregory might not be “normal” anymore, he was still just a growing boy deep down. It was clear he cared for his surrogate family, of that Freddy had no doubt, and he loved the boy more than life itself.
So why did he feel a dull pang of hurt in his chest when he thought about the future?
It wasn't that far off—according to his records, children technically reached “adulthood” when they turned eighteen. That didn't necessarily mean they were all ready to set out in the world on their birthday, but it did for some. And Gregory was already such a resourceful, smart boy...
Freddy had literally given up his old life and body to take care of his son. Would there ever come a day when Gregory didn't... need him anymore?
“Fredbear? You okay?” Michael asked, watching the man have what appeared to be a major internal crises. Freddy had been staring at the ground for quite some time, looking utterly distraught. When Michael spoke he glanced up with a gasp, though he quickly composed himself.
“Yes, I am fine; my apologies,” the ursine man reassured.
No more thinking like that—we have many happy years together ahead of us.
Suddenly, a sound attracted Freddy's attention: the unmistakable squeak of sneaker against linoleum floor. His eyes flicked towards the open doorway, through which a tiny shadow could be seen ducking out of sight. “...Superstar? Are you out there?”
Wipe that sad look off your face now, Gregory thought to himself, pretending someone else was shouting at him to push down those emotions. You weren't about to see your dad and sister cry because of you. You were just walking over to ask for a few bucks for chips.
Gregory sure could play the part when he wanted to, poking his head around the corner and forcing an easygoing smile; he would pretend that he wasn't walking in on the most emotionally turbulent conversation he'd witnessed from his family.
“Heeey, can I get a few bucks for the vending machines? No one else had money on them.” Them meaning the dead friends his family seemed to suddenly have an issue with. “Surprisingly. Hahaha...” Gregory laughed at his own joke, throwing away the key to his feelings on this one.
The trio simply stared at Gregory for a moment, all of them looking very guilty. How much of that had he heard?
Soon, their gazes turned to each other. United in the face of not upsetting Gregory further, they telepathically agreed that Freddy would be the best one to handle this.
“I can get you a snack, Gregory,” he said in his gentle tone, pulling out a few bills from a back pocket that Sam had lent him earlier for this exact situation. Freddy didn't hand the money over though, instead holding it close to his chest with a questioning tilt of his head. “Do you mind if I come with you? I feel as though I have not seen you in a while, since you have been having so much fun with your friends!”
He gave a soft laugh, hoping the boy would agree to spend some much-appreciated alone time with his dad.
Gregory did tell the ghosts he'd be gone for a minute to catch up with Freddy and whoever else the bear may have been hanging out with. They shouldn't be expecting him back soon, but the kid couldn't help but think this might be a ploy for some lecture.
Gregory then thought that maybe he should trust his dad more, considering all they’d gone through together. Yet how could he when the things he was hearing behind closed doors was suspect?
The boy gave Freddy a pinched smile.
“'Course you can, Dad,” he said, attempting to be playful. Gregory hadn't heard a thing. “I was feeling one of those ready-to-eat taquitos by El Chip's?”
“Whatever you would like,” Freddy said amiably, pressing a gentle hand on Gregory's back to urge the boy forward. He sent a quick wave over his shoulder to Mike and Charlie, who gave him an encouraging thumbs-up when Gregory turned away.
The pair walked in silence for a short while. For once, the quiet was strained. They both knew that the other knew something was going on. Of course, it was Freddy who broke the peace, glancing down at his son while they strolled idly towards the main atrium.
“Gregory... I do not know how long you were standing out there, but I can guarantee you heard something of our discussion,” he remarked slowly, not wanting to push too much, too fast. Gregory had a tendency to shut down or turn his feelings inwards when pressured—it was something they were working on together, even if neither of them said it outright. Instead of being angry or upset at him for listening in, Freddy's gaze held only inquisitive concern. “May I ask what you were privy to?”
I'm a weirdo with no friends. I'm going to grow up and be a monster, and there's nothing anyone can do to help me. I'll be like my shitty foster dad. Or like William... Or WORSE.
Gregory appeared to gather his thoughts, when it was really just him trying his best not to shout the intrusive ones aloud. He didn't want to freak out his bear-dad. Gregory didn't even know if he had something to really worry about to begin with. When it came to his health, everything they mentioned seemed like a concern.
“I'm... different. Too different to have living people around,” Gregory said, not sugar-coating what he overheard. Gregory's arms came up to hug himself as he repeated what he interpreted from the chat he'd barged in on. He spoke with a powerful melancholy in his voice, like he already accepted that one day, he might wake up different or straight up dead altogether. “I might not live long as a real person, 'cause of that dumb purple stuff I was shot with...”
Freddy pursed his lips. He hated hearing Gregory talk like this—plus, some of his interpretations were just wrong.
“...Follow me,” Freddy said, leading the boy into an alcove nearby. Perching on a bench, he patted the open spot next to him. “Sit with me for a moment, superstar.”
As Gregory did as instructed, Freddy thought over how best to explain this. The last thing he wanted was for Gregory to feel unimportant or that he was a burden.
“First and foremost, please know that we were only talking about what is best for you,” Freddy reassured, grasping one of Gregory's hands in his own. “And I also want to assure you that I will never make major life decisions for you without consulting you first. Your siblings and I were simply discussing 'what ifs.' And speaking of—” His face melted into a kind smile. “—you are not too different to have living people around. That is not what we were saying. Yes, the Remnant altered your body in ways we do not fully understand yet—but that does not mean you are unable to be around others. It simply might be a bit of an adjustment interacting with 'typical' children due to your strength. That is all.”
Gregory was a little confused, so sure they’d been speaking as if he was too strange to be kept around less “specialized” kids. Not only was that the opposite of the truth, but they weren't planning on separating him from his old friends either. In that moment, it really hit Gregory just how much he may be overthinking things because of his former living arrangement...
“I... I think I get it now.” Gregory nodded his understanding to Freddy, his trembling hand clutched tight around his dad’s. Tears threatened to break as his lip wobbled while trying to work his way through his next question. “You promise you guys don't think I'm weird or that I'm going to turn into a monster?”
Freddy's face ran through a range of emotions in quick succession: confusion, understanding, regret, compassion.
“Oh my goodness... Gregory, you are not a monster,” he reassured, reaching over to scoop the boy into his lap and wrap him in an all-encompassing bear hug. “We love you so much and we would do anything to make sure you are safe and happy. No one thinks you are 'weird' or 'evil' or whatever other negative word you might come up with to describe yourself. And also—” He tightened his hold, pressing a quick kiss to the top of Gregory's head. “—you are going to live a long and prosperous life. If anything, you will live longer than expected due to the Remnant—so please do not speak of... of dying anytime soon.”
It was hard for Freddy to say the word aloud, as if that would somehow manifest the concept into existence.
Gregory relaxed against his dad quietly, time passing where it was merely him just trying to calm his breathing down. Freddy wouldn’t lie to him—in fact, he was almost certain that Freddy was incapable of leading him astray.
“I’ll be fine…,” Gregory said, speaking it out loud. He was fine physically, especially when he had his robotic guardian here to tell him that he was going to be a-okay. Even so Gregory didn’t know how to feel about the future. It was slowly approaching—soon he would be thirteen. While the changes in him had slowed down after the initial night he was injected, who knew what’d happen when teenage hormones were mixed with the chemicals flowing in his veins.
Still, Gregory had to let go of those fears for now if he was ever going to have hope.
“Thanks, Dad,” he murmured into Freddy’s soft sweater. “I feel a lot better…”
“Good; I know it is hard to talk about these things, but I am always here to listen,” Freddy let him know. “And I am sure anyone would lend you an ear, especially Charlie and Michael. They absolutely adore you, you know.”
For another moment they lapsed into silence, simply enjoying the company of family neither thought they’d ever have. Eventually, Gregory’s patience for sitting still was nearing its end, and Freddy smiled when he felt him start to wriggle.
“Alright—let us go on a little adventure,” he announced, shifting Gregory to his feet and grasping one of his hands. He shot the boy a look of playful chiding—
—not anger. Never anger when it came to Gregory’s curiosity.—
—and asked: “Now, were you actually hungry, or was just that an excuse?”
Most kids his age might be embarrassed at their parents trying to hold their hands. Gregory was just elated that he had one who cared enough to keep him at his side. Gregory wouldn’t ever complain about it; it showed him that Freddy cared.
“Oh yeah, I came up to ask for money for real,” Gregory insisted with an excitable nod. He was starving. “I have to get back to my friends right after. We’re playing Manhunt and they think I suck right now.”
Freddy chuckled, glad that Gregory was having fun with the others. Though it’d be good for him to make human friends as Charlie suggested, at least he’d always have the ghosts of the Pizzaplex to spend time with no matter what. As they climbed one of the powered-down escalators to reach El Chips, a flash of turquoise whipped out in front of them.
“Oh! Hello, Foxy!” Freddy called brightly. The animatronic had slipped out of Bonnie Bowl and was walking in their general direction. With a smile, Freddy waved him over. “I am sure you are busy getting the run of the place, but would you like a small break? I was just taking Gregory to get a snack—care to join us?”
Freddy knew the real reason the fox was rushing about, but he figured the party planning would be okay without him for a few minutes. Plus, Freddy had barely gotten to spend any time with his new-old friend without the Glamrocks, and was curious to know how he was coping with everything—especially with Michael’s influence ruminating in the back of his mind.
Foxy jumped, as if he was scampering about doing things he wasn’t supposed to. Which, technically, was true. Sun wasn't aware that Foxy plundered a lot of his candy or his Fizzy Faz supply. Though Foxy was sure that if he knew it was going as a contribution to Gregory’s party, Sun wouldn’t mind at all! Hiding the fat stack of soda and candy inside his chest compartment before turning on his peg, Foxy opened his arms wide with excitement.
“Absolutely! You’re both heading to Chip’s?” he asked, curious and trying to distract from the fact he was hiding something. If Foxy could get them to avoid walking through Music Man’s dance floor, the better. They didn’t need Gregory asking questions they simply couldn’t answer…
“We are,” Freddy replied with a nod. “Speaking of—here, superstar.” He pulled out a few bucks from his pocket and handed them over before sidling up to Foxy. He patted the pirate’s arm in a friendly gesture, grinning up at the animatronic brightly. “How are you adjusting to life at the Pizzaplex? I hope the others are not giving you too much trouble…”
Gregory was excited to see the familiar fox. While he knew that Michael no longer resided inside of the animatronic, Foxy had already proved himself to be a loyal friend. As the kid gave his leg a quick hug, Foxy carefully patted Gregory’s back while speaking to Freddy.
“Adjusting for certain! Been havin’ a few night terrors... Though Bonnie’s apparently been havin’ them, too,” Foxy replied with a casual and wholly unstressed shrug. “I think it’s my nerves! Having to perform on Monday and all—it’s going to be my first big gig!”
“Ah… I am sorry to hear that,” Freddy said empathetically. He felt a weird sense of guilt about the whole possession thing, especially the after-effects. Though he knew it wasn’t his fault in the slightest, Freddy’s intense involvement in the situation gave him an extra sense of responsibility towards those friends that were so greatly affected.
“Well, I am always here to talk if you need—but like you said, I am sure it is nerves,” the ursine man added calmly. Someday they’d tell Foxy what happened, but for now he could focus on his impending debut. Freddy patted the back of the pirate’s hook with a hearty laugh. “I know you will do fantastic, though!”
Talking about the band’s impending performance made him realize there was another factor he’d been meaning to discuss with Sam: what in the world were they going to do with his old model? They couldn’t just take Freddy Fazbear out of the line-up…
“It's fine—nothing more than my CPU keeping things interesting while I'm charging,” Foxy chalked it all up to be. Even if the deceptively smart robot had an inclination that the dreams really weren't normal, he was being coy about it.
Foxy walked beside his old friend, traveling with him as Gregory chose to run up ahead in search of his highly sought-after taquitos. He and Freddy moved at a leisurely pace, watching Gregory scamper in the distance.
“By the by, Fredbear...,” Foxy muttered quietly, lifting up his eyepatch to wink an unlit eye. “Make sure Gregory avoids the Dancefloor and DJ's place while we're setting up. We wouldn't want to ruin the surprise.”
“I can’t wait to hear you play drums!” Gregory remarked, Foxy’s attention snapping to the child mirthfully. He didn’t realize how quick it took Gregory to get back with his snacks, already pocketing Freddy’s change for himself and unwrapping the hot and ready taquito.
“I am excited as well!” Freddy said, his little smile signaling he understood the pirate's warning perfectly. “We have not had a drummer in the Glamrock Band yet, so I am very curious as to how things will work out!”
Yes, technically “working things out” on stage would soon be Freddy's job. But according to his employee log he'd only been hired a few days ago, so he was slotted to be trained for a little bit before he was given full creative control—despite the fact that Sam knew the former lead singer of the band could put on a better show than all the previous stage managers combined.
Sam had sort of found the dream team he always needed for the new admins of the Pizzaplex. With Michael and Charlie there to help, along with Freddy still leading his band from behind the thick velvet curtains, he'd have a lot less to worry about. After all that seemingly went wrong in one weekend, he couldn't risk another major loss.
“We'll have tomorrow morning to practice and figure it out! To be honest, Bonnie's had his head wrapped up in recent activities,” Foxy said with a flick of his wrist. “So we haven't been able to practice much! Aside from that, we're still technically missing our front-man.”
All this didn't help Foxy's nervousness, but he was programmed to be the best drummer ever conceived for the Pizzaplex.
“Roxy let me play her keytar! The ol' wolf got jealous over how much better I am than her at it. Now I'm not even allowed to look at it,” he half-joked, and Gregory could've sworn he'd heard this same story before though with the name changed from Roxy to Lizzie. Gregory found himself laughing at Foxy like he would at his brother for antagonizing their siblings.
“Sounds like you deserve it!” Gregory pointed out, munching on his taquito.
“—Yeah, you've got a point,” Foxy conceded, following the family on their lazy hike through his new home.
Freddy chuckled at the anecdote, happy that Foxy seemed to be doing just fine with his new companions. Michael's influence was strong in his personality, and Freddy idly wondered if Foxy would be able to sense the connection before it was blatantly pointed out.
“Ah, speaking of your missing front-man—” Freddy began, his brow creasing ever so slightly. “—I should speak to Sam about what exactly we are going to do come Monday. I do not know if he will have another animatronic up and running by then...”
It was weird to call the lead singer “Freddy,” and the ursine man knew it'd be even weirder when the bear was functional again. Looking to Gregory, Freddy inquired: “Do you want to come with me, superstar? I have a feeling Sammy may enlist your help when it comes time for it—this will be a slightly different process than re-activating the rest of the Glamrocks.”
Gregory had balled up the paper wrapper that the taquito came in, aiming for a nearby trash can as they passed. “Sure; if Sam needs my help, I'm there.”
“I'll tag along, too; that way I can report to the others later,” Foxy said, using his claw to brush through the long mane of hair on his head. Freddy was always the leader—even if this iteration of Foxy was new, he knew this intrinsically. It brought him to a state of unease not knowing what they’d do if they didn't have someone up there singing. Certainly they wouldn't let such a thing happen on opening day—that would just be irresponsible on Sammy's part.
“Of course—the more the merrier!” Freddy replied cheerfully. Now satisfied they had a direction, he led the charge to Sam's office. The door was closed as usual, which either meant Sam was working on something inside or he was out.
“Sam?” Freddy asked, knocking a few times. “Do you have a moment? I would like to ask you about something work-related!”
“Door’s open,” Sam called. This time he sounded wide awake, wired even. As the small group peaked in, Sam was clearly in the middle of something, though he wasn't so engulfed that he was unable to greet them with more than a passing question tossed over his shoulder. “Everything alright, Freddy?”
Sam was bent over the small work desk stowed into the corner of the larger office space, tinkering on the inside of a virtual reality headset. It looked as if he’d gutted the thing and moved on to reintegrating it's components with new parts.
“Yes, everything is fine.” Freddy led the others inside, making sure the door was closed behind the trio. He eyed Sammy's back curiously, wondering what in the world he was thinking up now. “Since the re-debut is fast-approaching, we wanted to ask you about your plans for my old body? I am assuming he will be up and running at some point, though I know it will be a different effort to get him to that level since I am no longer available...” He paused, tilting his head. “...What are you working on, if I may ask?”
Sam let out a small sigh. He was once again reminded of their deadline, and the clock was unforgiving.
“Remember when I said I was going to get some sleep?” Sam answered them with a question, finally turning around to scan the group.
“Yes?” Foxy answered, vaguely remembering Sam having to retire to his office to get some shut-eye. His sleep schedule was just as messed up as poor Gregory's at this point.
“—Right, well, I didn't.” Sam shrugged, heaving the half-conceived invention in his hands. “This is a Virtual Reality headset; it’s from an old venture that never panned out. I thought that maybe by taking some of its adapter capabilities and retro fitting it into Freddy—not you Freddy, but old Freddy; your old body—maybe you could control the empty animatronic!”
He spoke in an excited manner, which melted back into frustration with how long it'd taken him to even get this far. He sacrificed a lot of time on it—too much, really.
Sam carefully put the headset down on the workbench, eyeing it with a frustrated huff. “It's taking longer than I expected, though. The goal was to let you control your old body from offstage... If I can't get it working decently by tomorrow afternoon, I'll have to resort to plan B.”
Gregory raised his eyebrows, worried as Sam seemed to sway a little on his feet. He knew the feeling of nearly falling asleep while standing up all too well. Gregory helped steady his friend, and Sam looked surprised for a split-second before Gregory asked him: “What's plan B?”
Sam gritted his teeth and looked away, maybe a little worried about bringing it up. “Well! Uh... It would be re-downloading Freddy's old, basic programming back into the model. The issue with that would be obvious: two Freddies.”
“Samuel... you are a genius,” the redhead breathed, looking over the headset with wide-eyed fascination. If he could still control his old body and perform on stage that would be amazing.
His bright grin fell ever-so-slightly when Sam mentioned he was nowhere near done though. The man was right—it was a great concept, but they needed to have something Freddy-related working by Monday or there might be a riot from the patrons.
Helping Gregory steady his hard-working creator, Freddy listened to the alternative. There was a pause in which everyone looked at the ursine man, clearly expecting him to speak on the matter first. It would be his body double wandering around, after all.
“It... would be a strange circumstance, that is for certain,” Freddy said after a moment, his words slow as he processed his thoughts aloud. “But... our AI is made to learn and adapt to the world around us. Each day we are powered on, the more distinct our personalities become.” He gave the room a soft smile, pressing a hand lightly over his heart. “I think I can safely attest that due to my extraordinary experiences, I am nothing like the bear I was when first given life.”
Would it be bizarre to interact with what was essentially a past version of himself? Absolutely—but Freddy thought he could get over it. However, he wasn't the only one that would be weirded out by the situation. Sparing a glance down at Gregory, he asked: “Would you be alright with another Freddy wandering around, superstar? Our base temperaments are the same, though he may be rather, ah... stilted in the ways of dealing with people until he gets some practice in. It may be a bit jarring to interact with him.”
Gregory didn't really know if he could answer that. With everyone staring at him and waiting for an answer, he turned inwards to think. How would that make him feel? Two people who were essentially the same, only one doesn't know who he is at all. The other is the same guy, but also Gregory’s dad?
“Uhhh...” Gregory gave up a shrug. It would be cheesy for him to say it in front of everyone, but to him there would only ever be one real Freddy Fazbear. “Whatever you have to do, I guess! I’m cool with it.”
Foxy crossed his arms and shook his head. “No way! There can't be two Freddy's running about doling out orders!”
Besides, there’d be less opportunity to sneak around. Word has it that Fredbear used to be a real stickler for the rules.
Sam would give Foxy a playful role of his eyes. “Yeah, but then there's another bear for your pirate crew.”
Foxy considered this, scratching his chin in thought. “Aye, maybe then... Maybe...”
Freddy's lips had pursed at Foxy's mini-rant, somehow knowing the underlying meaning was that he wouldn't be able to cause as much trouble. It's not like Freddy wasn't any fun, though—he just wanted to make sure everyone was safe while doing so. It wasn't his fault Sam had given him the strictest child-safety protocols besides the Daycare attendant...
When Gregory and Foxy had given their agreement, Freddy looked back to Sam with a nod. “Then that seems to be the solution we must go with—for now, at least.”
They could always try the VR thing once it was up and running, although who knew how long that would take Sam to finish up once the Pizzaplex was actually open for business. Sparing a glance at his phone, Freddy's eyes widened at the time.
“If we do this, Sammy, when were you planning to port over my old programming?” the redhead asked. “If possible, I would like to be there to assist.”
And to assure everything is alright, he left unspoken. If there was going to be another Freddy walking around, the original wanted to make sure it was up to his standards.
“At the latest, noon on Monday. That's about as long as I can keep any kids from seeing you—er, him,” Sam replied, glad to see Freddy and Gregory were mostly unfazed by such a drastic change. He was also curious to see how the two bears would end up getting along. “From there, we can see what needs to be worked on; make sure that there's nothing screwy going on with his motor functions or programming.”
After all, it would be a real problem if even a smidgeon of William’s twisted soul was still hiding somewhere in a character profile... Sam and Gregory did a deep, comprehensive wide-scale purge of the Pizzaplex's entire data system, and while the chances of the old fuck hiding in there were very slim it didn't hurt to be careful.
“Hmm... alright,” Freddy mused, thinking of the timing of everything. “Perhaps we can port him over tomorrow night? That way you will not have to worry about such a big task during opening hours, even if the guest count is low. We may be able to get some of the other children to help test his interactions as well before letting him out on the floor come Monday morning!”
Some of the mild-tempered children, at least, like Evan and Hannah. Maybe Lizzie, if she begged to come along. Besides, Freddy would prefer he and Gregory have a little time to get used to his old-new counterpart before getting swept up in the hustle of entertaining kids and their demanding parents.
Seeing this place bustling again was what Sam wanted more than anything in the whole world. Foxy did in a way too, nervous the more that their afternoon shows went unpracticed for.
“The sooner he's awake the better,” the fox remarked, seeming just a little worried as he gently tussled the hair at the back of his head.
Without Freddy here all the time, the group barely wanted to get together and practice. While it was fun to slack off, playing video games and planning for parties, Foxy was aware that if they didn't run through the set list at least once before the real show they might eat it out there. Even if they were programmed to play perfectly, he’d yet to get a chance jamming with the band.
“You guys are gonna do great on your gig,” Gregory assured, reaching up to hold Foxy’s hand without a hint of the shyness he’d shown Monty and Bonnie.
“I sure hope you're right, bucko.” Foxy gave Gregory's hand a firm squeeze of appreciation, trying not to infect the others with his issues.
“Foxy—” Freddy began, one eyebrow quirked up to go along with the smile on his face. He'd had a similar thought to the pirate regarding the band's practice time, although he was a bit more confident they would do just fine. All the same, it certainly wouldn't hurt to have a test run. “—you do realize that I can still perform as I am now, right? It will not be quite the same as having my old body on stage with you, but my voice is still intact—and I guarantee I have not forgotten any of the dance moves.”
They still had some time tonight; maybe he could corral his bandmates and run through a song or two, for old times' sake. It would almost be like a send-off, in a way—not that Freddy couldn't ever perform with them again, but someday they'd be programmed with new routines that he wasn't privy to unless he specially requested Sam upload them into his android brain as well.
Yes... running around the stage with his old friends was just what Freddy needed to work off the lingering melancholy from earlier.
“FREDDY! That's why you're the leader—why didn't I think of just asking you?” Foxy laughed to himself, slapping a hand over his eye as the patch flipped up of its own accord. Holding his arm out for Freddy to latch onto, he offered to lead him to the others. It was about time they all hung out together without the kids around, anyway!
“Hey—I gotta go back to playing Manhunt anyway,” Gregory announced, knowing Freddy liked to be aware of where he went. Hopefully his dad would be cool with him dipping out for a few hours to finish the game he’d started with the ghosts. “See you guys back at the stage in the morning?”
“Of course, superstar,” Freddy replied, crouching down and pull his son into a hug. He let the embrace linger a bit longer than usual, silently reminding Gregory that he loved him unconditionally no matter what happened in their futures. When he pulled back it was with a wink and a grin. “Feel free to bring your friends by the stage tonight if you would like to watch part of the performance.”
With this out of the way, Freddy slipped his arm into Foxy's. “Alright, let us go round up the others. Goodness knows where they have all wandered off to... But first—” Before he started for the door, he was sure to grab onto Sammy's hand, sounding not unlike Mike when Sam refused to settle down despite how absolutely exhausted he was. “—we are taking a detour to the Daycare so you can get another rest in. And no, that is not a suggestion. Let us go.”
“Ooooh, you're in trouble, Sam!” Gregory teased, goading them on as they parted ways and Sam was forced to keep up with his creation’s pace.
“Yeah, yeah—have fun, Gregory!” Sam bid, waving a hand dismissively and ultimately deciding to listen to Freddy. He was certain that no one looking at him assumed he had his eyes open; they were squinted so bad behind his glasses that anyone would have reasonable suspicion to ask whether or not he was sleepwalking.
By the time they got the Daycare, poor Sam was practically being held up by Freddy, most of his weight slumped into the former bear's side. It seemed like all his exhaustion had hit him at once on the way over, and Freddy was happy he'd forced the CEO to take a break. After dropping him off with a quick check-in with Mari and Ennard—who were practicing “human conversation” over a plastic tea party, Freddy figured the best place to start looking for the rest of the crew would be Rockstar Row.
“So, Foxy—” Now that Gregory was no longer around, Freddy was free to ask: “—how is the party planning, by the way? I regret that I cannot take a more active role, but I need to be available in case Gregory needs me to keep up appearances.”
Foxy knocked a hand against his chest plate, watching it open and revealing the large cache of snacks and beverages he'd been smuggling throughout the Pizzaplex for Gregory's party.
“We've nearly got all the supplies ready! But no sweat, Fazbear—” Foxy replied, closing himself back up to clap his friend's shoulder in a supportive manner. “That's the reason why we're doing it! Bonnie said you, Mikey, and Charlie are all busy with everything, and we happen to have the time! We are professional party animals, remember?”
It only came natural to want to throw a huge shindig the moment that they heard a child's birthday was taking place, especially one so important. Foxy peeked inside Roxy’s room to see her doing nothing that he considered particularly important. Roxy was putting her hair into curlers for the night, carefully and strategically rolling the very last plastic tube into place before taking her silk cap and stretching it over her scalp (she didn't need to do any of this, of course, but it made her happy). Foxy looked bored just by watching it, so he quickly hoofed it over to her door and kicked it in, making the wolf jump and shout at the intrusion. Apparently this wasn't the first time Foxy had done this; Roxy even looked to be half expecting it.
“Foxy, get OUT OF MY ROOM!” she shouted, standing up and wholly embarrassed as they saw her nightly beauty routine.
“Band practice is in fifteen minutes!” Foxy shouted back, ignoring the wolf coming at him threateningly with a curling iron. Roxy gasped, yellow eyes flicking to Freddy and widening at his nod of confirmation.
“I'll be ready in ten!” she yelled, pointing the iron at Foxy's nonplussed head. “Now leave so I can get ready!” She may have sounded mad, but Roxy was fighting down the urge to smile very badly.
Having lived with the Glamrocks for his entire existence until a week ago Freddy had seen it all before, though some of their little quirks never failed to amuse him. While Roxy pointlessly curled her always-perfect hair, Monty was busy sitting on the couch in his room practicing his solos. This wasn’t necessary either, as he was literally programmed to play perfectly every time unless there was a major malfunction. Still, it made the gator feel better about usurping Bonnie as the bassist if he at least pretended to try and improve.
“Huh?” The sick guitar licks came to a sudden halt at the knock on the gator’s door. “Door’s open—come on in! Fredbear!” After placing the bass reverently in its stand, Monty stomped forward to give the ursine man a big hug.
“Hi, Monty!” Freddy laughed, doing his best to pat the gator’s arms until he was released. “We are getting the band together in fifteen minutes for a practice session at the main stage.”
“Oh! Well I shouldn’t’ve put my bass down then,” Monty remarked with a raucous chuckle. He snatched up the instrument and hooked it over his shoulder before following Freddy into the hallway.
Catching sight of Chica through her half-open window, Monty knocked a claw against the glass to get her attention. When she turned to him with a curious squawk, he pointed to his guitar and mimed playing it, then jerked a thumb over his shoulder in the vague direction of the stage. Freddy watched the pantomiming with amusement, wondering if Chica would have any idea what Monty was trying to tell her.
Chica herself had been doing jumping jacks. Exercising was… pointless. At least to her it was. No matter how much Chica ate, or how inactive she was, she would stay the same unless she was majorly junked up by some bad pizza. Still, Chica had to set a good example. Former versions of herself framed childhood binge eating as something to aspire to—and in turn, Glamrock Chica was given an interest in healthy habits despite her continued love for pizza.
Pulled away from her cardio, her eyes widened at what she was pretty sure Monty was asking of her. Ceasing her activities, she ran to grab her guitar. She’s been itching to jam with the band for a hot second. She held up her axe to make sure that was what Monty was actually asking for. Upon receiving an enthusiastic thumbs up, Chica’s smile brightened. With her guitar strap securely around her shoulders, she was the first to bolt out of the hallway, heading off to go tell Bonnie that they were putting on a show.
“Alright everyone!” Freddy said once they'd all gathered together, projecting his voice to be heard in the echoing atrium as he hopped on stage. The rest of the band lulled around in front where the crowd would stand, tuning instruments and chatting until Freddy made his appearance. Naturally, all eyes turned towards their stalwart leader.
“First, before we get to practicing I have an announcement to make,” Freddy said, grasping the wireless mic at the front of the stage and unhooking it from its stand. It felt both familiar and foreign in his hands—he’d been using a variation of this same mic forever, but it’d always been held in paws. Without a dragging cord, Freddy was able to pace the stage freely as he spoke.
“I am sure you all are wondering about the elephant in the room—or should I say bear.” There was a collective groan at the lame dad joke, though Freddy thought he heard a distinctive snicker from Bonnie and Foxy’s direction. “I spoke with Sammy about what we are going to do now that I am in this body. Unfortunately I cannot switch back and forth at will, so my old form will need something to keep it running to entertain the guests and put on shows with you all.
“We toyed with a potential idea where I would still be in control behind the scenes, but it is not quite ready yet. So… We have decided to upload the base coding of my original personality into the animatronic instead.” He paused a moment to let this sink in, awaiting the inevitable flood of questions.
Bonnie was the first one to respond. Perched atop a backless stool that he nearly fell off of with the news, the wide-eyed rabbit gasped at the idea of there being two of his best friends walking around.
“Wowee, Fredbear,” Bonnie exclaimed, all bushy-tailed and chipper. “That'll be neat!”
“I don't know, Bon-Bon,” Chica remarked, idly thumming the frets of her electric guitar. “It's sounds kinda confusing to me. Like… Two? How are we going to know which one's which?”
Roxy gave her friend an incredulous glance, holding in a laugh. “…Are you kidding me? One's going to look like a bear, and the other one is a human man, Chica!”
Freddy gave the group an easy smile, but when he opened his mouth to speak Monty chimed in.
“So... does that mean you're gonna be hangin' with us, or... not you?” The gator scratched his head, clearly in a similar boat to Chica.
“We will both be around,” Freddy tried to explain. “But as Roxy said, I—the Freddy you are familiar with—will retain this body, while the new one uses my old animatronic.”
“Huh...” Monty looked contemplative for a moment, the tip of his tail flicking ever so slightly from side to side. Then he shrugged, tapping an idle claw on the bass around his shoulders. “Alrighty then—as long as y'all don't team up to get on our cases, we'll be good!”
“If you do not cause trouble, we will not have to,” Freddy pointed out with a stern eyebrow raise.
Monty just huffed and looked away with a grumble to the effects of, “...still annoyin' as heck, that's for sure...”
“Aw heck, Montgomery.” Bonnie bumped the big gator's arm with his own, feeling that Freddy's tendencies to overthink and care about the wellbeing of his friends were a blessing in disguise. “Freddy's just a good pal! Making sure none of us get in trouble with the Boss, always keepin' us safe and up to code... In fact, where would we be if not for Freddy and the kids today?”
“Yeah!” Chica agreed, cocking her head to the side as she remembered the times Freddy had personally helped her out. Too many pizzas and the cheese could easily gunk up a girl’s voice box controls... “Like what Gregory says: he's got total 'Dad Energy!’”
Roxy and Foxy were a little smarter than to put in their two cents. Yes, they loved Freddy dearly, but those two always thought they could handle themselves regardless of whether or not Freddy was present. Still, it was obvious to everyone how much they always wanted Fredbear around!
“Alright, alright!” Monty held up his claws with a laugh. “I'm not sayin' it's a bad thing to have two Fredbears—'course I love him just as much as y'all, even if they're both lecturin' me in stereo!”
“Thank you, everyone,” Freddy chuckled once the commotion had died down. He had one hand pressed over his heart and a big smile on his face. He knew they all cared for him, but it was still nice to hear aloud. “I just wanted to let you know what would be happening so you are not confused when the bear starts wandering around and I am not in it.”
A tiny crease formed in his brow. “We will need to upload a base personality that had not been exposed to guests so it may take a bit of adjustment, which I am hoping Gregory can help with—and you all, of course. I am trusting you to show new Freddy the ropes!”
“Oooh man! Freddy's not going to know what's even going on! It'll be like when we first got activated...” Roxy reminisced, back when things were just a little more simple: few stores and places to eat, with one big stage to perform on. Now things were so hectic. They were local celebrities with a legion of fans now dedicated to them. “Hope we don't overwhelm the guy.”
Foxy gave an exaggerated shrug. “Doubt it; Freddy will know exactly what to do! It'll just take a second for him to get to know you all again. Just like me, remember?”
Only a few days ago did Foxy really “wake up,” yet he felt like he'd been here for a long time already. Accepted so instantaneously by his peers, Foxy was sure that new Freddy would fit in just fine.
Bonnie leaned back, paws behind his head as he thought aloud to himself. “I hope he likes bowlin'...”
“I am sure he will, Bon,” Freddy said with a bright smile. He clapped his hands together, wary of the mic still in his grip that he now spoke into. “Now, onto the real reason I gathered you here—just because my old model is currently deactivated does not mean I cannot practice with you!”
“Aw, heck yeah!” Monty exclaimed, pumping a fist in the air. “I've been itchin' to perform again!” He jumped to his feet, grabbing the closest robot and tugging them forward—which in this case happened to be Roxy. “No time to waste—let's goooo!”
“Bonnie, would you mind activating the sound booth?” Freddy asked as everyone took their places. While the rabbit might not be back in the lineup yet, he could still help them out in so many ways. Freddy looked down at his old friend with a preemptively thankful grin. “Pick whatever showtime set catches your fancy, and we will work from that lineup!”
“It'd be my honor!” Bonnie hopped up quickly from his seat, doing a little half jog to make his way off the stage—but not before smacking Foxy's good arm as he passed. “Break a leg out there, Foxy!”
“Too late, bunny-boy,” Foxy pointed out, sticking out his peg leg as he began to unscrew the hook attachment on his arm. He was quick to replace it with another tool: an attachable drum stick that made it a little bit handier as a drummer. That way he didn't have to sacrifice skill for speed while keeping the beat.
Bonnie threw back his head in laughter as he climbed towards the top of the sound stage, readying the lights and the fog machine to give it the appearance of a real show. Speaking into the microphone, he directed his friends. “Alright y'all—everyone's instruments tuned?”
Chica gave her guitar a quick strum before finding the right power chord for her amp, then sent Bonnie a thumbs up to the sound booth above. There was a test of the mic, and Foxy experimentally smacking the electric drums at the very back of the stage while Roxy warmed up her finger joints over the keys of her synth. Then, the sound of live music finally filled the long empty halls of the Pizzaplex...
It was a wonderful feeling to sing on stage again. Wonderful... and bittersweet. Freddy knew he could always have late-night performances like this with his friends, but it'd never be the same as before.
He wasn't the same as before. And while he'd certainly improved for the better, this truly felt like the final step in accepting that his life as Freddy Fazbear, official mascot of the Mega Pizzaplex, had come to a close.
But hey—he'd gained a family out of this whole adventure. And really, that's all he'd ever wanted.
***
Previous Chapter ~~ Next Chapter
Looking for more? Check out the Chapter Masterlist on Tumblr!
Or check out the entire Wires that Bind Us Series on ao3!
#fnaf security breach#fnaf sb#fnaf#fnaf au#five nights at freddy's#michael afton#charlie emily#fanfic#fanfiction#ao3#angelofrainfrogs#zeitghest#spend the night#going back#the wires that bind us au#gregory#glamrock freddy#glamrock foxy#roxanne wolf#glamrock bonnie#montgomery gator#glamrock chica#sammy emily
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made some good omens critters for @mogy199 and @angelofrainfrogs ~
#good omens#crowley#aziraphale#ineffable husbands#knitting#loom knitting#these were such a joy tbh they were so fun#shout out to boff for the surface crochet tip i'll never stop talking about it#critters
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Uh oh Impey...
(ft. @mogy199 @angelofrainfrogs)
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Have you read any TSE fics, or fics with elements from them, you would recommend?
I certainly have! This isn't a complete list because I don't have a pre-existing list of fics on standby but I'll keep updating this post every time I re-find one, so if you're not happy with the ones I've noted down so far or you've already read them, then I'll probably have some more listed by then.
Last Edited: 14/01/2024
The Buried Voice Trilogy by Mable is my favourite out of the ones I've read so far. It's an AU set in the TSE-timeline and follows Charlie as she tries to uncover the mysteries left behind by her father.
The puppet makes an appearance but Charlie isn't the one possessing it, and that's as much as I'll say without spoiling anything.
Two of the fics are complete and the third was last updated earlier this month.
The Wires That Bind Us by angelofrainfrogs (phantomhivemast3r) is another good one, it's set during Security Breach and follows Gregory as well as Charlie and Michael (who managed to survive the FNAF 6 fire).
It mostly follows the game-timeline of events but Sammy makes an appearance and Charlie-bot also comes into play, but - again - for the sake of not spoiling too much, that's all I'll say.
The first fic in the series is complete, and the second one was last updated earlier this month.
There's also A Step to the Left by thedistortion, which starts with game-timeline Michael waking up in the TSE-timeline after the FNAF 6 fire.
It only has a few chapters so far but I've read of it has been promising. Again, it was last updated earlier this month.
Five Nights at Freddy's: Ghosts Of Our Fathers by FanaticAo397 is a series I've recently had recommended to me. This AU is a sequel series to The Silver Eyes which ignores the follow-up novels. It has two plotlines, one following Charlie and John, the other follwing Carlton. It's a pretty good read.
The first fic in the series is complete, the second was last updated in November 2021 and the third was last updated in November 2023. I've also been informed that some parts are being rewritten.
That's all I have for now but, as I said at the start, I'll keep adding more as I remember/find them.
#five nights at freddy's#fnaf#five nights at freddy's novels#fnaf novels#the silver eyes#the twisted ones#the fourth closet#fnaf the silver eyes#fnaf the twisted ones#fnaf the fourth closet#security breach#fnaf security breach
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who would do something as cringe as cosplaying both characters in a crackship lmao couldn’t be me
📷 (Soseki): @mogy199 / @angelofrainfrogs / @marvelousmawn (it was one of y’all)
📷 (Evelyn): Elizabeth-Richelle Photography
#rune factory#story of seasons#harvest moon#sosievie#harvest moon soseki#rune factory evelyn#this will only grow more advanced with time#state of the tatertot
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Cycles
read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/3DvWrcF
by angelofrainfrogs (phantomhivemast3r)
Like other parts of life, relationships grow and fade. Sometimes, they grow again unprompted, and sometimes it takes a terrifying near-death experience to realize that what you felt for your childhood best friend might’ve been more than just a silly crush after all.
Words: 2023, Chapters: 1/3, Language: English
Fandoms: IT - Stephen King, IT (Movies - Muschietti)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Categories: M/M
Characters: Eddie Kaspbrak, Richie Tozier, Beverly Marsh, Bill Denbrough, Mike Hanlon, Ben Hanscom
Relationships: Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier, Ben Hanscom/Beverly Marsh
Additional Tags: Idiots in Love, Love Confessions, it takes them a while but they get there, mention of PTSD, Eddie Kaspbrak Lives, Eddie Kaspbrak Loves Richie Tozier, Richie Tozier Loves Eddie Kaspbrak, Adult Losers Club (IT), Alternate Universe, Sharing a Bed, Cuddling & Snuggling, Reddie, The Losers Club Love Each Other (IT), The Losers Club Deserve Happiness (IT)
read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/3DvWrcF
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Going Back: Ch. 20
~Coauthored by @zeitghest~
Fandom(s): Five Nights At Freddy’s: Security Breach
Description: Things are looking up for Gregory. After putting the soul of a formerly-immortal killer to rest, he and his new family can finally begin their lives anew. Sure, Gregory might have been cursed with mysterious Remnant in exchange for being involved in this mess—not to mention his caretakers consist of sentient robots and ghosts… But there’s no doubt that the bond they share is unbreakable. They love him, and he in turn.
All in all, life is finally starting to go right for once.
…Unfortunately, true peace is a hard-won battle. There are other things to contend with besides William’s decrepit soul, and Gregory will learn that his role in the lives of the Aftons and Emilys is far greater than anyone could’ve imagined.
Rating: T
Read on Ao3
Michael walked into the Pizzaplex that night with a sense of determination. While scouring the camera footage for the Smiths, he couldn’t help but notice another pattern of odd behavior: Ennard constantly traveling to and from the basement. Normally Michael wouldn’t give this a second thought, but the amalgamation was going there a lot—more so than ever before. The seasoned night guard couldn’t shake the feeling that the animatronic was up to something… and he was going to get to the bottom of it.
Thus, after checking in with Sammy, Michael’s first stop in his rounds was the Daycare. Charlie joined him to check on her “little sister,” though Freddy and Gregory seemed to have other plans and had parted ways on arrival. Mari and Sun were playing as usual, but Ennard was noticeably absent.
“Hey guys!” Mike greeted, though his piercing eyes scanned the room looking for anything amiss. “Where’s the third part of your trio?”
Mari clamped her mouth closed. She knew exactly what Ennard was up to, yet she’d been sworn to secrecy. Sun knew she was a horrible liar, and as the night guard caught them playing tea party Mari raised her pastel plastic cup to her mouth.
“Mikey—” she yipped, speaking into her cup before taking a frantic pretend sip. “—you’re here a little earlier than we expected! Ennard’s… Out? I think they’re in the vents.” Though she sounded unsure, like she was making excuses without really knowing the full extent of what was happening.
“Sun?” Mari asked across the table, lowering her tiny cup to her mismatched saucer. Batting her eyes, she silently asked Sun to help cover for their friend. “Did they tell you were they were heading?”
They may have mentioned something about intercepting Freddy and Gregory on their little adventure to come help them… Not that Mari would know.
“No idea!” Sun said, shaking his head. He mimed Mari’s action of taking a sip of tea, though it was a bit disconcerting when the plastic cup clinked against his wide grin. “I’m sure they’ll be back later! Do you guys want to play a game?!”
“I’ve got to finish my rounds—I’ll check back in a few hours though,” Michael replied, his expression growing even more suspicious. The pair were hiding something, he was sure of it… maybe he could get some insight on the cameras. Turning to leave, he waved over his shoulder: “Maybe Charlie wants to stick around? Or you can come with—I’m fine either way.”
“I have to help Sammy out with some paperwork biz—learning the new job and all that,” Charlie replied with a shrug. She’d love to hang out with all of them, but tonight seemed a little tight schedule-wise.
“I get it…,” Mari sighed out, visibly deflating. “We’ll see you both later.”
“I’ll walk with you to the offices,” Charlie offered, holding out her arm for Michael to hook his through. As they passed the threshold of the Daycare exit, Michael glanced up to a nearby vent.
“Ennard’s up to something,” he answered Charlie’s unspoken question. “When we were looking over the footage last night to get rid of the Smiths, I saw them going back and forth to the basement all night. I thought maybe they were trying to help with the plan, but… they weren’t a part of it.”
Not that he was complaining about that—if Ennard was involved, the Smiths would definitely have perished.
Charlie walked along with Michael, silently soaking in what he was saying. Now she was stuck between a rock and a hard place. Being truthful to her best friend was really important to her... yet despite Ennard’s plan being outwardly benign, she wondered if it'd make Mike angrier to tell him now or wait for the reveal as planned?
“Are you sure it’s something bad?” Charlie asked, not quite skeptical, but not jumping to conclusions about Ennard’s intentions. “I’ve seen them talking to Dad a lot lately. Maybe they’re just keeping each other company?”
The look on Mike’s face told Charlie everything she needed to know. He wasn’t going to drop this tonight. Who knows, Charlie thought; Ennard could be halfway through their “plan” by now. After a short sigh, she remarked good-naturedly: “If you’re not going to drop it, I’ll help you investigate.”
Someone had to be there when Mike eventually flipped his shit anyway.
“…Thanks, Charlie.” Michael offered her a little smile, amiably nudging her shoulder with his own. If there was anyone in the world he felt comfortable sharing his concerns with, it was her. With a little sigh, he looked to the vent again. “I’m just worried they’re plotting something. I know Uncle Henry and everyone else in this damn place doesn’t think they’re a threat, but I just can’t trust them. And they’ve been saying some weird, cryptic shit lately and I have no idea what it means, but every time I press them they just make things more confusing…”
He looked to Charlie then, his eyes holding a hint of genuine fear. “I think they might be thinking of trying to get a new body. Like… like how they got mine.”
Charlie had been well aware of this rising tension. With it all laid out in front of her straight from Michael’s anxious thought-train she could easily see how it was causing him a great deal of fear not knowing what Ennard was up to.
“You don't know that for sure, Mike,” she said, walking up the stairs to the main security hub. Sam would be patient with Charlie’s absences and delays, knowing that she was the unofficial babysitter to all the ghosts. “We should try to find their last location on the cameras. Then we’ll go and see what they’ve been doing.”
“Yeah… you’re right,” Michael relented with a nod. He took a seat in the chair, swiveling it 360 degrees before settling in front of the monitors. He flashed a grin over his shoulder, gesturing for Charlie to come closer. “Help me scope them out, will you?”
***
Down below the Pizzaplex where no cameras could be found, Ennard was indeed talking to Henry. They were in the ghost’s workshop, standing around Henry’s latest creation. Gregory and Freddy had been summoned down as well, and the quartet examined the sleeping android with great interest.
“Okay, Ennard, last chance: any more changes, or are you happy with this model?” Henry asked the amalgamation. “I can always alter things later, though it’ll be a more laborious process.”
Gregory, who'd never minded being near Ennard that much, was currently helping them peel away those grimy unwashed carpet samples they wore everywhere. All the while, Ennard meticulously scanned over their newest body to host.
“IT IS M-MORE THAN PERFECT…,” they insisted. As normal as a form as could be without sacrificing too much for some stylistic choices. “THANK YOU ALL FOR HELPING US…”
Ennard commemorated the moment by actually bending to give Gregory a limp hug—knowing they weren’t exactly the cuddliest, but still craving to show appreciation. Patting their arm a bit awkwardly and holding a cable in his free hand, Gregory escorted them to the charging pod.
“Dude, whatever to get my brother to stop worrying about you trying to kill people,” the young programmer said with a friendly shrug. After plugging into a power and datalink outport on Ennard’s arm, Gregory told them: “You’re going to get a restart prompt. Accept it and I’ll begin the download…”
Ennard did so eagerly as Gregory quietly closed the door on the pod. No longer would they have to fear breaking down or becoming the deadly thing they used to be. This was a fresh start for them; a new identity. They closed their eyes, collectively agreeing to transfer over as their power drained into the android on the ground.
“Man I hope this works,” Henry murmured, biting his nails in a rare show of genuine uncertainty.
“It did for myself and Mari,” Freddy pointed out, placing a comforting hand on Henry’s back. His creator needed to understand what a miracle he’d built, to transfer AIs with consciousnesses into bodies that suited them.
“Yes, but we’ve never tried it with multiple animatronics at once…,” the ghost retorted, and Freddy conceded that he was right about that fact. Even so—
“I think it is a success, Henry; look!” With a hushed exclamation, as if afraid to startle their freshly-transferred friend, Freddy pointed to Ennard’s android as it twitched a finger.
Ennard’s face twitched to life, nose scrunching as new sensations with realistic appendages allowed them a full scope of their surroundings. Their audio systems managed to boot up just in time to hear Gregory’s victorious shout.
“IT’S ALIVE!” he proclaimed, excitedly skipping over to examine Ennard a bit closer. “Henry—they’re so cool looking! I like the asymmetrical eyes…”
Ennard swallowed, feeling a bit under the microscope, but not uncomfortably so. The eyes in question—one blue, one a bright hazel bordering on gold—scanned over the room, taking everything in from the new perspective. Unfurling their lanky limbs, they got up from the floor and dusted themselves off. Base model repurposed from one of Henry's previous creations that was no longer needed by its intended host, the mechanic had been happy to add some more height to the limbs and remold the facial prosthetic to custom order.
“Only one thing left to do now…” Ennard’s voice was surprisingly calm and smooth. No stutters or skips in their speech now that everything was new and well-tuned, nor garbled static feedback now that consciousnesses had finally become one (for the most part).
“Firstly, thank you, Henry. I feel much better now.” They worked on rolling their sleeves up and down, trying to find a comfortable middle ground on where they liked the fabric to hang. “Freddy? Will you and Gregory help me find Michael? I’d like to see him now!”
Despite the excitement peeking through their words, Ennard’s face was still rather static—like Mari, there would be a learning curve in learning the finer mechanics of how to use their facial muscles.
“Of course we will!” Freddy replied without hesitation, a huge smile on his face. This was such a wonderful development! He just hoped Michael appreciated it as much as the rest of them.
“Congrats, Ennard—your new life starts now!” Henry laughed, stepping forward now that the android was officially up and running. The ghost moved slowly, not wanting to spook them as they got used to the new sensations. Ennard certainly had the biggest adjustment from his old form—arguably more than Freddy, since there was more than one soul-bonded AI in there that had to get along to make this work. Taking Ennard’s hand, Henry turned it over in his own.
“You look good, but let me know if you have any problems, okay? Also—” His expression became strained and he gave the hand a little squeeze of both reassurance and warning. “—take it easy with Mike. You know we kept this a secret for a reason. He’s… probably still not going to react well, but he’ll get used to it in time.”
“We will be right there with you,” Freddy reassured, reaching up to pat Ennard’s back. Now that the android was upright, Freddy realized he now had some competition in the height department. Of course, nothing like Ennard’s previous form, but that was obviously a feature the bot couldn't bear to part with.
“Yeah, luckily you have plenty of backup,” Henry added, almost feeling like he was sending one of his kids off to a playdate for the first time. “Good luck.”
“We’ll try our best not to frighten him,” Ennard assured. An odd, simulated feeling of being touched rippled through the synthetic nerve endings on their hand. It caused them to flex involuntarily, and Ennard’s mouth pulled up into a lopsided smile.
“Well, would you look at that…,” they marveled, experimentally scrunching their eyebrows while focusing where Henry’s and their palms met. Ennard tested their grip, lightly holding on for a second or so. Then they let go and turned to Gregory and Freddy. “We’ll follow your lead.”
***
Armed with flashlights and their walkie-talkies, Charlie and Mike trekked towards the backrooms. With Mike clearly on edge now that he saw Gregory and Freddy follow Ennard down into the depths of the basement, Charlie resisted the urge to sigh.
“I’m sure they’re fine,” she reminded her scowling friend. “Freddy would be flipping out if Gregory was hurt—Mari too, probably.”
“I know, but…” Michael let out a frustrated sigh. Something was going down that he wasn’t privy to, and it made him extremely antsy. Of course he trusted Freddy to keep Gregory safe, but the former bear was also a bit too amiable for his own good—especially when it came to other animatronics. Ennard had wormed their way into Freddy’s heart since day one, and Michael had a feeling he and Gregory could be coerced by the animatronic to do quite a few things.
As they neared the entrance to the basement, Michael caught sight of movement. He thrust out his arm to stop Charlie in her tracks, narrowing his eyes as he took in the figures. Freddy, Gregory… and an unknown. Tall, with jaggedly cut, soft white hair that trailed down their neck in what could only be described as a random set of layers. Wearing a sort of floaty expression, the person looked around the Pizzaplex with clear fascination in their mismatched eyes.
“Who the fuck is that?” Michael snipped, the hairs in the back of his neck standing on edge.
This was weird. Super weird. Why the hell were they walking around with a stranger?
And why hadn’t Freddy called or texted him about it?
Gregory didn’t seem to take notice of either Charlie or Michael as they ducked behind a corner for quick recon. However, the heterochromatic gaze of the unknown interloper had peered down the narrow hall at the sight of movement.
“So what are you gonna do first as a person?” Gregory asked in a curious manner, taking notes on how Ennard was adjusting to having a real face. Attention was brought back to the boy, they touched a hand underneath their chin in thought.
“I think I should like to try ice cream,” Ennard remarked quietly, attempting to blink in the synchronized way that humans often did. It didn’t come naturally or automatically at first—which was probably why Ennard never saw Mari blink much, either. This didn’t stop a smile from crinkling the corners of their eyes. “Cotton Candy looked like a good flavor to start with…”
Charlie squinted in the darkness, barely able to relate the person walking with their family to the blueprints her father showed her.
“Only one way to find out—” she whispered, content to let Michael hide while she jumped out and called down the hallway. “Fred! Gregory! What are you guys doing?!”
She noticed how the stranger’s glance snapped to her before she even yelled—almost like they knew she was there from the start.
“Charlie! God damn it—” Michael hissed, quick to follow. He grasped Charlie’s hand and gently tugged her to stand behind him. His eyes narrowed at the stranger, taking them in. At first glance, they seemed pretty normal—nothing outwardly amiss from a physical standpoint. However, the more Michael stared the more off they seemed.
The way they swayed ever-so-slightly in place.
The clear excitement spreading across their face as they stared at Michael with that unblinking gaze.
Those mismatched eyes—
“Oh.” The word escaped Michael’s lips in an exhale. His breathing hitched, speeding up as he started to tremble. “Oh… oh no…”
He knew those eyes. Somehow, he just knew there was only one creature that could possibly be behind them. Michael pressed a hand over his mouth as if he was about to be sick.
“Ennard… what did you do?” he asked in a soft voice. Then, Michael’s entire stance shifted to one of absolute rage. “What the fuck did you DO?! WHO IS THAT?!”
Ennard’s shoulders flew up instinctively, shrinking at Mike’s harsh words. Confusion, then some slight offense taken at the accusation formed silently over their face. Though Ennard wasn’t an idiot; they understood exactly why Michael thought they’d hurt someone else…
“It’s me!” Ennard attempted to say, hands up in surrender. “The body’s mine! Please don’t be mad with me, Mike; I just couldn’t stand living in the shadows anymore. I didn’t hurt anyone…”
Gregory stepped forward, standing between them. He still didn't have the full context for why Mike freaked out at the idea of Ennard's new form, but that explanation was absolutely horrible for calming the guard's nerves.
“Ennard’s telling the truth. Watch!” Gregory stressed, turning their latest addition to the android army around and pulling Ennard to kneel at the floor. They seemed obediently pliable to Gregory’s touch, perhaps not wanting to appear resistant for fear of stoking Mike’s ire. Despite any protests Mike may have about the pair making contact, Gregory lifted the flap of skin on the back of Ennard's neck to show a familiar set of input and output ports.
For a moment, all Michael could do was stand there as a wave of rage-filled confusion settled over him. Ennard was now… an android?
“So… that’s just a robot,” Michael said slowly, trying to process everything. He had the strongest desire to wrench Gregory away, but Freddy seemed perfectly content to let his son handle the creature. Well, Michael supposed Ennard wasn’t really a creature anymore. Now they were just as "human" as the rest of them. Michael groaned, raking a stressed hand down his face. “For fuck’s sake, why didn’t you tell me? I thought they’d—I thought someone got hurt.”
“We are sorry we kept it from you, Michael,” Freddy apologized, holding a hand out and helping Ennard to their feet. He then linked their arms together, showing that they truly weren’t a threat. “We planned to reintroduce them with a bit more, ah… tact, but you surprised us.”
Gregory shrugged, looking up to Michael with an honest expression of remorse “I just found out the plan the other day. But I figured you'd be pissed either way. We were still going to tell you.”
Ennard’s eyes and mouth pinched into a smile as they leaned into Freddy, comfortable and happy to be accepted into the group by the friendliest member so far. Though Ennard kept their eyes ahead, gauging Michael’s reaction with cautious hope. “What do you think, Mikey? I don’t have to stay in the vents anymore! ...Right?”
Michael heaved a sigh. Gregory had a point—he’d be upset with anything involving Ennard, that was just a fact. Admittedly, he felt bad putting his family in such an uncomfortable position, but if they knew what he’d been through at the hands of that thing… well, they’d probably be a little more wary. Still, it was clear that Freddy and Gregory were perfectly content with Ennard’s new form. Really, taking a good look at it Michael realized they could do far less potential damage than in their old state.
“No, obviously you don’t have to stay in the vents,” Michael snapped with a bit more venom than he meant. “It’d be even harder to explain why a ‘person’ was crawling around in there.”
Tentatively, Michael stepped closer—not quite within hugging range, but near enough to check out the android in more detail. As usual, Henry’s work was impressive; no one would think the person standing in front of them was anything more than a normal human.
Like Mari, they could stand to blink just a little more. Ennard’s gaze raked over Mike’s face, actually beaming when he told them they could finally come out with the general public (at least, that was the long-term goal). Still inclined to try and get into Michael’s good graces they put out a hand, encroaching into Mike’s personal bubble as they waited to shake on it.
“We’re sorry we didn’t tell you. We were… sort of afraid about your reaction,” they said with some regret. After realizing Michael wasn’t going to touch them, Ennard instead used their hand to brush away pale locks of hair from their face. “We promise to try and be on our best behavior.”
With their tone of voice, it was hard to tell if Ennard was being facetious or mocking. Though judging by their excited shaking in Michael’s presence, they truly meant every word they said.
“I think you should totally still climb around the vents,” Gregory laughed, then looked to Mike. “We had to figure out how to get all their personalities to download. Ennard, if you feel like you’re lagging, tell me; I can get you a better processor.”
Ennard smiled, kneeling down to meet Gregory eye to eye and patting an appreciative palm over his hair. “You’ve helped us a lot already. We’ll take it from here, Gregory.”
“So… what are you going to do now that you look like us?” Michael asked with a raised eyebrow. “Because if you think you’re sticking with me every night that's a definite no—although I’m watching you tonight to make sure you don’t glitch out or something…”
Freddy smiled as Mike took on the role of begrudging babysitter. Clasping just hands behind his back, Freddy peered at Ennard questioningly. “I believe they mentioned something about getting ice cream? Although I know Sun and Mari would love to see the new you, Ennard.”
Ennard was shaking again. Tonight, for the first time in a while, they could hang out alone with Michael. They missed their little one-sided chats, as there was only so much the guy could say after Ennard unintentionally and partially paralyzed the guy’s vocal chords. Then again, their own speech had been stunted for a time, too. Up until recently, Ennard found themselves unable to fully articulate themselves. Maybe tonight would be their chance to explain everything to their friend.
“If you take me to get ice cream, I’ll go right back to the Daycare!” Ennard suggested as a deal. They smirked, wryly holding their arms behind their back, the somewhat unnatural posing making them seem vaguely suspicious. “Mari, Sun, and I can finally hang around in plain sight, too. Won’t that be nice? Especially with the part—”
Ennard stopped themselves, glancing to their shoes and voice cracking as they remembered they couldn’t mention the upcoming festivities. “—time job I’ll be applying for in the Pizzaplex.”
“Okay… okay fine,” Michael sighed, looking around the expectant crew. He was still annoyed at the turn this night had taken, but at least Ennard was a familiar threat unlike the Smiths. If Ennard acted up, Michael could deal with it easily. “We get you some ice cream and then I drop you off at the Daycare because I have to do some work tonight.”
The schedule wasn’t up for debate. Stomping a little harder than usual, Michael began walking towards Bonnie Bowl where the ice cream parlor was. As he passed by Ennard he grabbed one of their arms and dragged them along, getting out some of his frustration with this simple action. “Let’s go.”
The others waved them off, Charlie whispering to Freddy with some concern in her voice. “How long do you think before Mike tries to dismantle them?”
To Ennard, Michael’s tough grip on their arm only came off as assertively friendly. Tugged forward and made unsteady by the sudden upkeep in their pace, Ennard eventually latched an arm around Mike's in return. Ennard could keep a better reign on him like this anyway; there were important things to discuss before the guard could slip away.
Instead of going straight for the tough topics, Ennard asked in an upbeat attitude: “What’s your favorite ice cream, Mikey?”
After all, in case they turned out to hate cotton candy, Ennard wanted a backup. Meanwhile, Michael’s phone buzzed, the family group chat going off with an alert from Charlie.
so does anyone else think Ennard looks a little like David Bowie now??? or is it just me?
“Huh?” Michael was currently distracted by checking his phone with one hand while trying not to shove Ennard away from where they clung. As he read Charlie’s comment he paused, holding Ennard still for a moment while he looked them up and down.
“Oh my god… she’s so right,” he muttered, unhooking his arm so he could type back his agreement. Only after slipping the phone back in his pocket did he fully register Ennard’s question.
“My favorite ice cream?” Michael’s brow furrowed, trying to remember. “Um… chocolate, I think.”
A wistful smile crossed his face as he recalled trips to the ice cream parlor with Lizzie and Evan. Cotton candy was his sister’s favorite and it’d grown on him over the years as a close second, too. With a raised eyebrow, he addressed Ennard again. “Why? Trying to figure out what you’d like?”
Ennard smiled, dimples forming in their cheeks as they answered Michael back. “I remember when they sold it at the restaurant. I always wanted to try the cotton candy flavored one... I’ll try all of them eventually.”
Ennard was pretty giddy and unable to hide it with their incessant fidgeting. They missed their more fluid state, being able to spill through small areas and change their shape to will. Though Ennard saw this as a fair trade off; a small price to pay to be able to walk freely amongst the living. Entering the parlor, Ennard broke away from Michael to go look at the flavors protected under a case. There, they tapped the glass with enthusiasm and almost psychotic happiness.
Michael watched Ennard curiously as they ran through the bowling area. They were forced to move completely differently in this new body, yet somehow it was clear they were still Ennard. When they frantically started tapping on the glass, Michael gave a resigned sigh and went behind the counter. The usual service bots were turned off for the night to conserve power and Bonnie was MIA, so there was no one around to serve ice cream but the two of them.
“Cone or cup—you know what, never mind,” Michael said, realizing that since Ennard had never actually eaten before, the less messy he could make this the better. Flipping up the plastic covering to the freezer, Michael grabbed a nearby ice cream scoop and rolled one ball of cotton candy up, soon placing it in a little paper cup. With the added touch of a plastic spoon, he reached over the counter to hand it to fresh android. “You’ve seen people eat, but in case you need a refresher you pick up the spoon, get a little ice cream on it, put it in your mouth, then swallow it. Don’t just… let it sit there. Got it?”
Ennard gratefully took the little dish. Firstly, they could already kind of smell the frozen treat, which was a new sensation they were still getting used to. It wasn't anything they could compare to before, as their functionality in their designs never involved the need for aromatic sensors. Despite the cool, air conditioned parlor's climate control, the ice cream beaded up slightly before they even got a chance to try it. So with eyes wide and unwilling to waste the frozen treat that Mike so nicely procured for them, they began their feast.
To no surprise, Ennard didn't eat ice cream like a normal person either. The bit the sweet, sectioning off a large chunk in their mouth and chewing as if it were mostly solid. Ennard found the flavor to be above excellent—with a thankfully soft texture. When they swallowed the first taste, it looked as though they just recently had an epiphany.
“We didn't expect ice cream to be this... wet. That's strange,” they remarked with an easygoing smile. “It's good, though!”
Michael had been staring at Ennard with a look of mild concern as they figured out how to handle the sweet. Of course they ate it like a weirdo—though Mike really hadn’t expected anything less. At least they took his advice with regards to how to get the food to stay in their system.
“Uh… yeah,” Mike responded, his brain trying to process that this “person” in front of him was the same thing that’d so brutally murdered him all those years ago. His lip curled slightly at the odd description. Ennard was still a little crazy, that’s for sure. But they were also, if one squinted... maybe a little nice?
Mike didn’t know if this was just some latent shock from the body transfer, Ennard trying to win his favor with good behavior, or if this was just… them, finally coalesced into one being.
The guard had to remind himself that Ennard didn’t start out being the stalking, psychotic abomination that tore him to shreds. It’d been a combination of latent Remnant and abuse from the technicians that sparked their desire to be free—not to mention the influence of children’s souls that left an invisible but potent residue.
Did this mean Mike would suddenly forgive them now that they could start acting more like a human?
Of course not. But maybe he didn’t have to be so aggressive all the time.
Grabbing a tiny white tasting spoon, he opened the ice cream case again and got a sampling of chocolate, which he held out over the counter. “Here—try this next.”
Excite by Michael's sudden willingness to share, Ennard smiled with teeth that seemed just a little too pointed to be considered natural. Another personal design choice—a trait that the robot collective simply could not part with. Instead of taking the tiny testing spoon, Ennard leaned their tall, wiry frame over the top of the counter and stick their mouth at the end of the spoon. When they pulled back, there were gnawing marks on the plastic utensil.
“That's chocolate?! Man, have we been missing out!” It was incredible, nearly indescribable with the happiness it provided.
“Ugh!” Michael reeled back, face twisted in surprised disgust. Trust Ennard to do something freaky just when Michael was kind of starting to get used to them. “Don’t do that! If someone hands you something, you take it.”
God, he’d have to teach Ennard a lot more about being human than he initially thought. Well, no—Charlie was going to help. He was not about to spend every waking moment with this thing by his side.
“Also—” Michael narrowed his eyes, having noticed the strangeness of their teeth. “—I’ve got to know: how much of… this—” He gestured from top to bottom of Ennard’s new android. “—was your choice and how much was Henry’s?”
Ennard was wholly nonplussed by Michael's reaction to them. After all, it wasn't anything far from their normal interactions. They were just happy to hang out and answer Michael's questions; finally, they could converse uninterrupted and with a clear voice box.
“A considerable amount! The hair, eyes, skin... Henry would ask our opinion on things, and then we’d tell him exactly the direction to take.” Ennard tilted their head. “Do you like it? I think it's an improvement. More... approachable this way now. I'd like to start being a people's person.”
“It’s, uh… different, that’s for sure,” Michael, roaming over Ennard’s features with a critical eye. Still, he had to concede— “Not nearly as freaky as your old form, so at least you’ve got that going for you.”
With a little sigh, Michael slouched forward and leaned his arms on the countertop.
“Look… you just make me nervous, Ennard,” Michael admitted in a serious tone. “I just can’t trust you after what you and Liz did to me—I mean, that was literally life-altering.” He grimaced, staring towards the floor though his vision was far off in the past. “I… I know why you did it—at least, I think I do—and I’m… sorry you were made that way. But I can’t risk you hurting someone else, and even if your body is different you’re still you.”
Finally, Michael’s heavy gaze lifted to the robot’s once more. “Your original purpose was to capture and kill children. How do I know you don’t still have those urges?”
Now that their body and its functions had changed, Ennard couldn't help but hide how hurt they looked when Michael told them this. Their fun ice cream time came to a halt fast at the guard's confession.
“We knew this was coming...” With a frown and a stare that met the floor tiles, Ennard sighed, self-soothing by rubbing their arms. “Mike... We get it. You can forgive your sister because... she's your sister.” It was an understanding approach that also called out the hypocrisy they saw at the same time. “And we get that you still don't fully trust us. We don't think we could trust us very fast either.”
Then, their mismatched eyes found the courage to look up to Michael, trying to put their thoughts together. It didn't take long, Ennard's hands gently coming now to rest on the glass of the counter. “We're in a different body now—the old models, it... it was a compulsion to capture kids whether we wanted to or not. We most certainly didn't want to kill children.”
Ennard's line of sight almost looked sharp for a moment, as if Mike’s implication that they’d collectively transferred to a new body simply to kill more was going to set them off. However, Ennard had more self-control than that. The feeling faded as fast as it appeared, no more than a twitch across their face.
“Circus Baby may be gone, but we remember that day... What she felt when your sister came to play with her. She never wanted to perform again after that. It was why he put in those remote controlled shocks...,” Ennard explained, the trauma of speaking about such a thing making their face scrunch in a flinch at the memories.
Mike was waiting for the pin to drop. Watching Ennard with a hawk-eyed gaze, he searched for any sign of deceit in their manner or tone. They’d lied before, and they could do it again.
But, to Michael’s surprise… it honestly seemed like they were telling the truth. If their compulsion to do harm was tied to their physical form, it made sense that getting a new one would essentially eradicate the issue. And they really did sound regretful…
The guard chewed his bottom lip in deep contemplation. Then, slowly, he reached out a hand.
“…Alright,” he said in a strained voice. Never did he think he’d be having this conversation, let alone saying what he was about to. “Fine. I’m calling a truce—for now. You take it easy around new people until you get a handle on acting more human, and I’ll… try to work through some of my own stuff. Deal?”
Whatever Ennard felt for Michael, it certainly wasn't hate. Not long after they started inhabiting his body did they realize that they scooped the wrong man. Their disdain for the technician soon twisted; Michael felt comfortable and familiar to Ennard in a world full of things they didn't understand—but they understood him enough.
Ennard's expression softened, and they moved carefully not to scare the person they considered a friend. Their fingers wrapped gently around Mike's, shaking it as if the man would fall apart at their touch.
“I'll make myself scarce; don't worry,” Ennard said, deciding to try mimicking Michael's blinking pattern. Fourteen times a minute was what they could calculate in their head, and a genuine smile crossed their face. “Please, come by the Daycare whenever you want. Feel free to shout at me, too; I know it makes you happy.”
“What?” Michael quirked a confused eyebrow. “I don't yell at you because I enjoy it—I do it because you annoy the shit out of me!” He pulled his hand back—gently, he was going to try and be gentle—and used it to pinch the bridge of his nose.
“I meant what I said when I’d keep an eye on you for the immediate future,” Michael said after a moment, glancing down to make sure all the ice cream fixings were put away. “Besides, Mari basically lives at the Daycare too, so I have to stop by anyway.”
Walking around the counter, Michael gestured for Ennard to follow him. “Speaking of, I’ve got to take you there so I can get back to the office. If you want more food, ask Freddy to bring you a pizza or something—wait.”
Michael stopped in his tracks, a sudden thought occurring that made him glance side-long at the lanky android. “Does Sam know about this? And if so, has he met the new you? I don’t want him running into you and flipping his shit because he thinks another stranger got in…”
Touching their hands to their chest, bunching up their clothes in the process, Ennard claimed: “Sam helped put this all together! Oh, I can't wait for Sun, Moon, and Mari to see me. Their processors are going to explode when they see my... Glow up.”
Ennard shut their eyes, envisioning the praise they’d receive.
“…Of course Sam knows,” Michael muttered with a twinge of annoyance, abruptly starting forward again. He knew Ennard would follow, so he felt no need to check behind him for proof. He rolled his eyes at Ennard’s comment, then lapsed into silence as they moved swiftly to the Daycare. The lights were bright overhead as they entered, and Michael heard the faint jingling of bells.
“Sun? Mari? I’ve got a—”
Gift? Surprise?
“—a something for you!” Michael called from near the entrance to the slide.
“Ooh! What is it, what is it?!” Sun exclaimed, rushing to the edge of the ball pit. Mari was on his shoulders to see better, holding on tight as Sun wriggled excitedly. Spotting the tall figure trailing behind the guard, he let out a gasp. “New friend?!”
Ennard followed on Mike's heels, close but not close enough to touch him and acutely aware of when he stopped and turned. Once inside the Daycare, Mari came rolling out from underneath an arch of stacked cans, rushing to the attendant. She remained wary of the newcomer, sticking to Sun's side like glue as Mike introduced the something that just walked through those doors.
“Wrong!” Ennard shouted, arms open wide and giddy with the reveal of the surprise he had for them. “Old friend! It's us—it’s Ennard!”
“OH MY GOSH! You look incredible!” Mari shrieked, running full speed and slamming into them with such force they knocked out the wind Ennard wasn't aware that they had.
“Oh wow!” Sun cheered, bouncing excitedly while he waited for Mari to finish her greeting. Ennard was only released for a few seconds before Sun scooped them up in a bear hug and swung them like a doll.
“You’re so light, friend!” the Daycare attendant laughed, holding the android out by the shoulders to get a good look at them. “And look at you—amazing! Everything suits you so well… Do you love it?!”
Michael hung back near the door, a little smile on his face as he watched. It was clear that Mari and Sun loved Ennard despite their eccentricities, and Mike was just glad the former amalgamation had someone besides him to entertain them.
Ennard laughed; Sun's insistence on hugging left them in a vulnerable position. Now that they were free from the confines of their slowly deteriorating body, Sun was the strongest robot in the Daycare. Denying him his daily intake of affection was not an option—though Ennard always seemed happy to revel in it.
“I'm not light! You're just strong!” Ennard laughed out.
Mari excitedly downloaded this new face for her security profile. Waving to Michael, she bounced on over to quietly ask him: “You're okay with all of this? I know how you feel about them.”
She was mildly concerned for Michael's safety, as he and Charlie's conversations did not go unnoticed by the suppressed Puppet inside. She was well aware of the things that Ennard did. While there was hardly a chance of relapse now that Ennard finally had a body to truly call their own, it may not always be 100% safe to trust them...
“We made an arrangement—we’re both going to try and… chill out in our own respects,” Michael said cryptically. He reached forward to ruffle Mari’s curly hair.
“Mike!” Sun exclaimed, rushing over to him and dragging Ennard along by the hand. “Ennard says they’re staying in the Daycare—is that true?!”
“Yup.” Michael nodded. “I’m asking you guys a big favor: watch over them for me when I’m not here, okay? Especially Mari—I’m sure you’ll be a big help with the whole android thing.”
“Yaaaaaaay!” Sun cheered, releasing Ennard so he could clap his hands together. “You get to live with us now—it’ll be like a permanent slumber party! Ooh, I’m so excited!”
What Michael didn’t know was Ennard’s gradual, long-term plan. When they figured out how to blend into society better, they would eventually follow the new family home, perhaps taking up residence in the attic (provided they were in a house, of course). But for now, Ennard was more than happy to kick it in the Daycare with all his new friends.
“We can even help out on Monday when everything opens up again! But… just for moral support. We shouldn’t actually be seen yet…,” Ennard said, as a part of their little verbal agreement.
Mari jumped excitedly, tugging on Michael's sleeve. “You can count on us! I’m so good at watching things! And Ennard’s the most watchable thing I know.”
Whatever that meant. Perhaps Mari meant that she found the animatronic interesting to be around—which certainly wasn’t a lie. Despite Ennard’s smile, they tilted their head in a confused way.
“Thanks, Mari?” they said with a pleasant uncertainty.
“This is going to be so fun!” Sun exclaimed, reaching forward to give Michael a hug as well.
“Oof—yeah, yeah, glad to hear it,” Michael murmured, wiggling a bit until he was set back down. His eyes roamed over the trio once more before he gave a satisfied nod. “Okay, well, I've gotta go back to work—I told Ennard I'd come by later to check on you guys, though. Any problems, just wave at one of the cameras and I'll see you.”
“Will do, Michael!” Sun replied with a vigorous nod. “Try not to work too hard!”
“No promises.” The guard flashed a grin, then after a final lingering narrowed-eyed gaze turned to leave. “Be good, you three.”
“Best behavior,” Ennard murmured, echoing their promise from earlier with a strategic hand over their heart.
Left to their own devices, the Daycare staff buzzed to finally have a coherent conversation with Ennard. Sure, Ennard and Mari were stunted in their social norms, but luckily Sun was patient—an excellent teacher to help them find some semblance of normalcy.
***
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#fnaf security breach#fnaf sb#fnaf#fnaf au#five nights at freddy's#michael afton#charlie emily#fanfic#fanfiction#ao3#angelofrainfrogs#zeitghest#spend the night#going back#the wires that bind us au#gregory#glamrock freddy#puppet fnaf#glamrock foxy#sun fnaf#ennard#henry emily
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Going Back: Ch. 17
~Coauthored by @zeitghest~
Fandom(s): Five Nights At Freddy’s: Security Breach
Description: Things are looking up for Gregory. After putting the soul of a formerly-immortal killer to rest, he and his new family can finally begin their lives anew. Sure, Gregory might have been cursed with mysterious Remnant in exchange for being involved in this mess—not to mention his caretakers consist of sentient robots and ghosts… But there’s no doubt that the bond they share is unbreakable. They love him, and he in turn.
All in all, life is finally starting to go right for once.
…Unfortunately, true peace is a hard-won battle. There are other things to contend with besides William’s decrepit soul, and Gregory will learn that his role in the lives of the Aftons and Emilys is far greater than anyone could’ve imagined.
Rating: T
Read on Ao3
Michael spotted the group about thirty seconds after they'd breached the surface. He was a bit surprised to see Cassidy and the blonde twins, though if there was anyone who could handle them all it was Charlie. Leaning back in his chair, Mike kicked his legs up on the desk and continued his routine of scrolling through the feeds.
The Daycare was bustling with its usual activity. Tonight the three friends were involved in a heated game of red-light, green-light, and were currently debating on whether one of Ennard's tendrils twitching constituted as them “moving” or was simply an uncontrollable action. At the sound of the metal door, Sun let out a cheerful gasp and watched the group of kids pouring into the room.
“Hello, hello!” the attendant greeted enthusiastically, waving both arms. He recognized a good chunk of them, although the little girl clinging to Evan's hand was unfamiliar. He also thought he'd seen the blonde twins before, but he needed them closer to scan for his internal databank. Sun rushed to the edge of the ball pit, ready to greet them as they all slid down. “Ooh, and we have some new friends! Come in, come in!”
“Hi, Sun!” Evan called from the top of the slide, then released Cassidy's hand and urged her to go first. As soon as she sat on the edge of the plastic tube she would hear a sudden burst of giggling before being unceremoniously shoved forward into the depths of the rainbow river below. Evan plunked down next to her seconds later, telling Sun through his laughing fit: “This is Cassidy!”
Normally, Cassidy would be the one pulling such a devious trick. She screamed most of the way down the slide, but they were screams of thrill and amusement rather than fear. However, the sight of Sun was something that changed her attitude and sent her eyebrows flying up near her hairline in surprise.
“Oh crap, you’re a lot bigger up close!” she said, caught off-guard at Sun’s appearance.
The twins were next, silently judging the play area and its saturated colors. This didn’t last long, as throwing the plastic balls and whipping them at each other provided them entertainment for the time being. Liz, ever the daredevil, ran from a distance to launch herself into the plastic tube slide. Diving head first, she came skidding out across the surface of the river, sinking below its surface after her third skip.
Above on the platform to enter the Daycare, Gregory watched his friends already enjoy themselves. Charlie clapped her hands to garner both his and Hannah’s attentions.
“Come on, you two!” she said, an impish smirk on her face as she herded both of them to the tube at the same time, even if Gregory protested slightly. “Fun and adventure awaits!”
“Oh dear—we must watch our language, Miss Cassidy!” Sun chided with a little finger wag, though he was quick to move past his anti-swearing protocols in favor of reaching into the ball pit and scooping the familiar Liz and Evan onto solid ground. “You've brought so many friends to play with tonight!”
“Mm-hmm!” Evan nodded, flicking off a piece of dust that clung to his shorts from the depths of the ball pit. He then pointed to where the twins were throwing the multi-colored plastic projectiles at each other. “That's—”
“Quinn and Cain!” Sun chimed in before Evan could reveal their identities. The Daycare attendant laughed brightly at Evan's questioning head tilt. “They're registered on the guest list, so they must have visited the Pizzaplex before; all animatronics have access to it, even if we haven't personally met each child.”
“Oh... like that facial-recognition thingy?” Evan's face scrunched as he recalled one of the franchises' failed efforts to avert more tragedy. All it ended up doing was making the non-inhabited animatronics go haywire too, allowing them all to team up and harass the night guards...
Quinn and Cain momentarily stopped their waring to wave at Sun. Even if they didn’t really visit the Daycare often, it wasn’t their first time meeting with its attendant. Surprisingly enough, they were familiar with the rules.
“Hi, Mr. Sun!” the two boys replied in tandem, and without looking Cain tossed a ball hard that ended up smacking Quinn between the eyes. Laughing, Quinn retaliated by pushing Cain over and the pair promptly started wrestling.
Pulling on Sun’s striped pants, Lizzie was curious. “Where’s Mari? Is she still around?”
As soon as he spotted the short-haired girl, Evan waved her over. “Mari! How was the hotel?! Was it super awesome?!”
The small bot came running up at Sun’s call. She thought she heard everyone, and that was exactly why Ennard stayed hidden for the most part. With Liz in plain sight, Mari sadly couldn’t get the carpet-covered monstrosity to move from Sun and Moon’s room.
“Hey guys!” she asked, throwing her affection onto the Aftons in a shared hug. “We’ve just been playing! Making sure Sammy’s getting enough sleep; Ennard got him some more pillows to lay on.”
“Poor Sammy's exhausted,” Sun sighed, shaking his head. “We've all been working extra hard to make sure he's as rested as can be.”
“Ooh, where is Sammy?” Liz asked, taking a cursory glance about the Daycare as she spoke. “We're not going to wake him, are we?”
He must have only been sleeping for a short time, given Charlie and Michael only just got to work. As for the other kids, right now they were entertaining themselves in the pit, or in Cassidy's case, exploring the labyrinth-like play structures in the middle of the Daycare.
Hannah crashed into the ball pit with a shriek of excitement, though she wasn't quite fast enough to avoid Gregory's impact—he ended up falling onto her legs as she tried to swim through the unyielding river. It only made her laugh harder, clutching her stomach as she slowly sunk deeper under the surface with each gasping breath. She was just so happy to be out of that basement; Henry was such a nice guy and her new friends were cool to hang with, but she was starting to get antsy being down there all day.
When Gregory fell over Hannah’s legs, he grunted and shut his eyes, the wind knocked out of him. He wheezed a hard laugh that hurt as he clutched over his ribs.
“Why are you so boney?!” he complained with a pained expression, only opening one eyes just to look at her reaction.
“I'm boney?!” Hannah exclaimed, wriggling free only so she could toss a ball at Gregory. “Your ribs are like sticks, dude! I think my knee's busted!”
“Wow—you don’t even care that you pretty much almost kicked me in half,” Gregory joked, flicking a ball from the surface of the river to skim across and barely miss his friend as he retaliated against her.
“I almost kick you in half, you almost break my legs... let's call it even,” Hannah suggested, throwing one last ball that intentionally arched high over Gregory's head. Her point made, she held out a hand for him to shake with a toothy grin.
Gregory extended his hand in what seemed like a treaty. As soon as her fingers grasped firmly onto his palm, he pulled her forward to stumble further into the plastic toys. While he really did put Hannah up on a pedestal more than his other friends, that didn't exclude her from being picked on. He couldn't help it—though the action made him fall over and lose his own balance slightly.
Hannah shrieked in surprise at Gregory's betrayal, though she was quick to right herself and snatch her hand back. As the boy recovered from his unintentional slip up, Hannah whirled around and threw a yellow ball that hit him square between the shoulders. What ensued was an epic battle that eventually got Cain and Quinn involved, as they couldn't resist such an exciting event for long.
The war only stopped when Charlie foolishly slid down right in the middle of everything, earning a plastic sphere right in the forehead. Everyone screeched to a halt, their eyes flickering between Charlie and each other until as one they decided the best course of action was to run. Hightailing it out of the pit, the kids split to scramble around the Daycare, knowing Charlie couldn't catch them all...
Charlie's eye twitched involuntarily as the ball smacked her in the face. A dramatic beat ensued, the ball pit-turned-battle arena growing tense with the silence. Then, suddenly, Charlie popped beneath the surface and came back with an armful of plastic spheres to whip at her friends.
“Cowards!” she shouted, laughing as they were chased off. Only one soul remaining... Poor Gregory was caught like a deer in headlights, corporeal and slow. His attempts to flee were stopped when Charlie promptly tackled him.
“No! NO WAIT, HELP, GUYS!” Gregory laughed, shrieking when Charlie picked him up, only to suplex him back into the river.
“I knew you still had it in you!” Cassidy shouted from the very top of the play structure, legs hanging off the side as she rooted for her longtime friend's somewhat violent streak. The twins popped up next to her, giggling about how Gregory deserved what was coming to him. Though Charlie obviously wasn't going to try and hurt him; she just loved picking on her little brother.
“Hmm...,” Sun hummed, observing Charlie and Gregory for a moment before making a decision. Stooping forward, he hoisted Evan and Liz up under each arm and stepped into the ball pit himself. He waded through the river and plopped the Aftons down near the action with a triumphant exclamation, Liz closest to Charlie while he stuck Evan at Gregory's side. Gregory and Charlie had momentarily paused to look at him, to which Sun responded:
“This looks like fun! I thought we should all join!” Turning to the rest of the Daycare, he called to the others: “Who wants to make the teams even?! I'll be referee—just no hitting each other in the face, or you're out!”
“...Does that mean Gregory's out already from that gnarly hit to Charlie's forehead?” Evan asked, tapping Sun's leg.
The bright animatronic shook his head, then leaned over the little Afton to pat Gregory on the back. “That was a practice round—the game officially staaaaarts... now!”
The rules of this “game” might be lacking, but Sun didn't doubt the kids would have fun.
Charlie would hold Gregory up now like a human shield, further serving to make her brother squirm harder. Kicking his legs in a vain attempt to free himself, Gregory told them: “Don't throw anything! Don't—”
There was hardly any time to react. Cassidy was fine with Charlie using Gregory like a human shield. He was just being belted in the stomach by Liz and Cassidy. Though their victory was celebrated too early—Cain popped into view just behind their babysitter, tossing a ball dangerously close to Liz's shoulder.
“Cain! Don't use Charlie as a shield!” Lizzie giggled, trying to sound madder than she really was.
Gregory pulled a long face and waved his arms at the girl. “WHAT ABOUT ME?! I'M AN ACTUAL MEAT SHIELD RIGHT NOW!”
Gregory wanted to be mad. But really, the circumstances were far too funny to be actually pissed over it. Besides, no one but him could probably feel the pelting to the extent that he, a living human could.
It was Evan that came to Gregory's rescue, the kinship formed from their lookalike appearance too great to ignore. He faked Charlie out by throwing a ball at her, though when she moved Gregory to deflect Evan disappeared and reappeared below his surrogate twin. With a firm grasp of Gregory's legs and an angled tug, Evan finally freed him from Charlie's grip and sent him crashing into the ball pit below.
“Nice, Evan!” Hannah cheered, clapping until a ball whizzed past her ponytail at close range.
“Too close, Quinn—careful!” Sun warned from his perch on the edge of the pit, swinging his legs idly as he watched the action. Hannah of course took immediate recourse, grabbing an armful of plastic and throwing it as hard as she could at both twins, not caring which one she hit as long as it hit one of them.
***
In the darkness of the movie theater, the sounds of screaming children began to filter through the cool air. The room might be fairly soundproof, but it was by no means an isolation chamber. With the increased shrieking from the play area as the Battle of the Ball Pit reached a new high, it would be hard for anyone to rest forever...
Sam smacked his lips and slowly cracked his eyes open. After of moment of lying there he jolted upright, wondering if he fell asleep for days instead of hours. Why were there so many laughs coming from the Daycare?! He couldn't be seen sleeping in the theater!
He quickly looked to his smartwatch from force of habit. When Sam found that it was still Friday night, he let out a sigh of relief. Thank GOD he didn't miss their reopening. He could lay back down and catch a few more Z's... Sam slid further into the comfy pillow pile that Moon fixed up for him, shutting his eyes and momentarily ready to slip back into dreamland. Then, he cracked his eyes open a sudden, second time.
Why were there so many children's voices?
He was aware that Evan and Liz were around. But there were plenty of screams that overlapped one another, too many he didn't recognize. Same got up, hurrying to grab his glasses and head out of the cozy theater. He couldn't rest until he knew who was out there.
Mari was quietly watching the kids from the jungle gym, when in the corner of her vision she spotted Sam walking over while rubbing his eyes.
“You guys! Sammy woke up!” she called, hands cupping over her mouth to announce the arrival of the second half of her favorite twins.
“Oh goodness... Sorry, Sam!” Sun called, quickly jumping up and rushing to where Sam stood frozen in apparent shock. “We tried to keep it down, but you know how kids are... we've been having so much fun, though!”
There was a slight pause, in which Sun tilted his head curiously. Sam looked... off. Like someone who'd just been unceremoniously woken up, but more. Clasping his hands in front of his chest, Sun realized Sam looked worried—and also like he might be sick. Luckily the CEO was close enough for Sun to conduct a health scan, and the attendant quickly concluded that Sammy was definitely distressed.
“Sam, why is your heart racing?” Sun asked in a soft, soothing tone. Something spooked the man, and they needed to get to the bottom of it. “Did you have a nightmare?!”
The kids had long-since stopped playing. They were all watching the CEO with varying levels of curiosity as Sam looked over the group of kids... Dead kids.
He recognized Cassidy from the diner, distress slowly over taking him as he looked over the other children. He couldn't believe what he was seeing; coming to terms with it meant that it was real—and Sam wanted nothing more than for the trapped souls to just be a fucked up nightmare.
“Please tell me these aren't more ghosts...,” Sam said, voice barely above a whimper, his hand half raised as if he wanted to wave and console them, but was too overcome with sadness and anxiety.
They're dead because you let this happen. You're just as bad as your father and William. The intrusive thoughts made his face scrunch involuntarily..
Charlie had placed Gregory down, hurrying to Sam as fast as she could.
“Keep playing, everyone! It's all good—Sun? Mind watching the kids while I'm gone?” she said with some urgency, hoping that her friend could read the room.
“Sure thing, Charlie,” Sun readily agreed. The Daycare attendant might have a robots’ naïveté about some things, but he could tell when a situation was getting out of his control—and right now, Sam needed Charlie far more than him. Sun turned to the kids, clapping his hands a tad aggressively to garner their attention with the loud noises of his palms and jingling bells.
“Okay everyone, get in a straight line by the security desk—we’re going to play taaaaaag!” He looked around, pointing to Cain. “The desk is the starting line, and Cain’s it first!”
Cassidy was never one to wear her emotions on her sleeve. Often she kept her true thoughts to herself. But with Evan, the one she shared a physical form with for so long, it was hard to hide such things. Her hand gripped to his fast, finding it hard to see Samuel in distress.
And why? It was because of them…
Gregory was thankful for Hannah’s reassuring tug towards the new game. In the last week, he'd been forced to mature quite a bit. Putting on a smile for their sake was imperative, so he swung Hannah’s hand in his once he caught up to her pace. The twins, Cain in particular, tried to forget Sam’s equally disturbed and saddened face.
Mari’s first instinct was to run after the Emilys as they retreated back to the theater, though she knew anything she had to say may only serve to fluster and upset her friend more. No, it was best to leave Charlie and Sam to talk it out. She had human a way of calming people down that Mari couldn’t fulfill.
***
Michael had been watching this whole interaction, of course. He tried not to spy on his family the whole time, but he couldn’t help his eye being drawn to them since that’s where most of the camera moment was from. When Sam appeared bleary-eyed from the theater, Mike had a feeling it’d be best to stick with that feed for a bit and see what happened.
And boy was he glad he did. The guard was currently speed-walking his way to the Emilys, wanting to provide back up for Charlie. Yes, she was perfectly capable of comforting her brother, but Michael just had a gut feeling this was going to be a tough conversation. He managed to slip into the Daycare undetected by the kids. Sun clocked his presence but smartly kept his mouth shut, letting Michael enter the theater and track down his friends where they huddled in Sam’s makeshift bed.
“…Hey,” Mike greeted awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. “I uh… it looked like something went down so I… came to check on you guys.” His pale blue gaze settled on Sammy. “…You okay?”
Sam looked like he'd just previously conquered the peak of a hyperventilation episode. Nervous, he wasn't yet in the position to speak and tugged on the roots of his hair as if to ground himself enough to answer. Charlie tapped his shoulder, reminding him that he needed to drink from his thermos she found.
“I told him when he's calmed down and drank some water, he'd be okay to talk,” Charlie informed Mike, speaking in a gentle manner as her brother was freaked out too much for her to want to raise her voice by accident.
Sam had gripped the insulated metal can and drank from its hidden contents, slow as to not hurt his scratchy throat further. When Samuel put the bottle back down, he still hadn't released the grip on his own hair. “It's my fault. Guys, it’s my fault... If I didn't open this place up—if I never even tried, they'd all still be alive...”
“No, Sam, it's not—” Michael began, then let out a heavy sigh and raked a hand over his face. He'd seen this reaction countless times before—though usually when looking in a mirror. It was survivor's guilt at his finest, and for as bad as Mike felt all these years leading up to now, he realized that Sam might have it even worse.
Though Mike wasn't really dead until the fire, there was no way for Sammy to know that. The poor man literally watched every single person he loved disappear, and then countless children on top of that. No wonder he was beside himself at the sight of Hannah, Cain, and Quinn.
“Okay, first of all—none of this is your fault,” Michael said, placing a hand on Sammy's forearm. “All the horrible shit that's gone down with these kids is William's doing—all of it. Even if you hadn't built the Pizzaplex, someone would revive the franchise and he'd just have another location to carry out his sick plans.”
Michael squeezed Sam's arm, trying to meet his gaze. “Sam, listen to me: you are not to blame. If it weren't for you making the Pizzaplex over the old diner, Charlie and I wouldn't even be here right now—and William would still be loose. So just think of it that way—it's because you tried to make things right that we defeated my father once and for all.”
It wasn't an excuse for nine children losing their lives, and Michael knew that. He just hoped putting the bigger picture into context might help alleviate a small bit of Sam's stress.
A few errant tears fell down Sammy’s cheeks, beside himself with the grief of having those poor kids trapped inside here. He couldn’t bear to look at Michael, too much the epitome of William in that moment. Heavy eyelashes collected his tears, where they subsequently dropped before Sam could swat them away. The man still found an excuse to blame himself and feel awful about an already bad situation.
“They’re here, though—they don’t have robot bodies where they can just roam around as they are now. Oh my god, their families—” Sam squeezed his eyes shut. “—and I can’t tell them a god damn thing! They’d blame it on me and put me in jail; even if they did believe me, the Pizzaplex would be ruined and then they’d have no place to go…”
It was guilt, fear, and anxiousness mixing into brutal turmoil inside poor Sam. He had to sip more of his water while Charlie attempted to comfort him.
“Sam… It’s bad, I won’t sugarcoat it. But… You made this place really fun.” Her try earned a half glare from her brother. “It’s true! Those guys are crazy for your robots and games. They still love it here, even after what happened. And I think they’d probably be upset to lose their new home…” Charlie watched as Sam deflated once more, contemplative as his head leaned on his sister’s shoulder.
“…I guess so,” Same replied blankly, eyes forward, clearly lost in the throes of anxiety and unable to show it.
“Charlie's right,” Michael insisted, latching onto the line of thought that seemed to be working in coaxing Sam out of his anxiety attack. “They don't shut up about this place! And the animatronics?” He laughed, a genuine smile reaching up to his eyes. “Holy shit, they're crazy about the Glamrocks—and it’s clearly mutual. I think Sun would keep them all in the Daycare forever and ever, if he could.”
There was a pause in which Michael carefully chose his next words. He spoke slowly, gaze shifting between the Emily twins. “Look, in all seriousness... no, this shouldn't be their resting place. They all died too young, just like everyone else involved in this fucking mess. But honestly, now that William's gone for good I can't think of a better place for a kid to be stuck in. They've got so many people to care for them. They're going to be as okay as they can be in this situation, Sam—and Charlie and I are right here for all of you.”
They were right, in a way. Sam couldn’t keep blaming himself or else he’d put himself into an early grave. He finally managed to let go of his greying hair and took another emboldening sip of his water, the scratchiness in his throat dying down now that it wasn’t so tight from holding back tears. The sensation of swallowing barbed wire faded with the help of his friends’ comfort.
“I know you are… I… I’m so grateful I have you both back—the others, too,” he said, unsure if he’d told them that recently. Charlie’s grip on her brother seemed to tighten at this, now more encompassing. She gripped his shoulders and rocked him gently like when they were upset as kids.
“I can’t thank you all enough,” Sam continued. “Not just for my sake, but for the kids as well…”
Charlie shushed him, knowing he needed to save his voice and just take the time to recover from his panic attack. She reached over upon Samuel’s shaking dying down and pulled Michael into their hug.
“We never left, Sammy. You’re okay… We’re going to be okay,” she reminded him gently.
“A-okay,” Michael confirmed, smiling as he was pulled into the embrace. “And hey, remember—you’ve just hired the best security guard Fazbear Entertainment’s ever seen. Not to toot my own horn or anything…” He made a show of examining his fingernails like he hadn’t a care in the world, hoping the minor theatrics would help pull Sammy out of his slump.
Sam’s arm came around Mike’s shoulder as a pained laugh escaped his chest. To Sam, Mike always had to sneak in a humble brag. His confidence and happiness was slightly contagious and Samuel told him, “You know, throughout all the locations’ history, you technically have the record for ‘longest period without injury.’”
Sam had gone snooping through hundreds of previous employee profiles after Mike told him his past aliases. His arm wrapped around the other’s neck, roughhousing and pulling Michael towards him in a loose headlock. “You also stunk really bad! Admin’s words, not mine.”
This made Charlie snort with laughter, hiding in her brother’s shoulder to try and mute the laughter ripping from her chest.
“Woooow. You’re a jerk, Sammy!” she managed, not trying to completely betray her best friend.
“Hey, that was not my fault!” Michael griped, struggling to free himself from Sam's grasp. The effort was all for show, since Mike knew he could easily throw the older-looking man off in two seconds flat. It was just nice to pretend like things were relatively normal sometimes, even if only for a few seconds.
“I still got the job done, didn't I?” the guard huffed, eventually giving up and letting Sam harmlessly harass him. However, Michael couldn't let Charlie get away with laughing at his predicament either, so he balled up a fist and slugged her playfully on the arm. “Rest assured—from now on I'll only come to work smelling fresh as a daisy. Promise.”
Sam looked towards the door, distracted momentarily by the sound of Gregory shrieking, it’s mirthful tone followed by more like his. Samuel no longer seemed burdened, though the melancholy lingered in his gaze.
“Hey, with your first paycheck, you can always buy some cologne,” he replied, playfully disengaging the hug before offering his hand to his best friends to help them to their feet. “I’ve got an idea—tell the kids we’re doing movie night!”
Rubbing the arm where Michael impacted it with his fist, Charlie beamed. “Oh, they’d love movie night! Let’s go tell the others, Mikey!”
“Hell yes!” Michael exclaimed, quick to follow Charlie out of the theater. The kids were still involved in their game of tag, screaming with joy as they chased each other around the colorful arena. Michael walked up to the netting, cupping his hands over his mouth as he called down to them: “Hey! Pause the game for a sec—we've got an announcement!”
“What is it?!” Evan asked, curious to know what sort of “announcement” he and Charlie had in store.
Michael simply grinned, waiting for the rest of the kids to settle. Once all eyes were upon them, he gestured to Charlie at his side. “Sammy had a great idea for something fun—Charlie, want to tell them the surprise?”
Charlie looked as if she would explode if she didn’t get a chance to speak. Waiting until all the kids quieted down and gathered near her and the other caretakers, she took in a big breath. “Sam asked that everyone join him in the theater for movie night! He’s going to play the old Fredbear cartoons for you!”
She didn’t expect Cassidy to grip onto Elizabeth and vice versa, both shaking the other as they let out a giddy shriek. Gregory was throttled by the twins as well, the boys unable to contain their excitement either. Gregory was practically hoisted into the air as they looped their arms in his.
“No wait! Put me down—CHARLIE! Mike!” Gregory managed to laugh out, but there was no room to argue. In tandem, Quinn and Cain rushed for the theater with him in tow.
“Cartoons?” Mari replied with a squeak in her voice, placing her hand in Sun’s and pulling him along.
“Oh, I love the old cartoons!” Sun exclaimed as he walked upstairs with Mari. Releasing her hand at the doorway, he confirmed the kids were already getting settled before stepping into the darkness. The transformation was quick: sun spokes being replaced by a blue sleeping cap; pants changing color in the dim light to their star-studded counterpart; eyes gaining a faint red glow.
“You’re going to enjoy them, Mari, ehehehe,” Moon cackled, finishing Sun’s thought from earlier. He was quick to take his friend’s hand again, keep easier pace with her short stature due to his slumped posture. Once they’d entered the theater proper, Moon took stock of the room. He allowed Mari to grab a seat as he instructed: “Everyone, find your places; once you’re settled, we’ll start the show!”
With everyone calm and gathered in groups, Sam dimmed the lights to near complete darkness. Sam cleared his throat and announced to the entirety of the theater with a confident voice. “Ladies and gentlemen—now presenting Fredbear and Friends: Foxy’s Treasure!”
The TV special was already locked into the projector. With a flip of the power switch, the old reel began to roll, bursting color and sound from the big screen. Sadly, the special was only 45 minutes. At the rate that these specials came out they might never make a full movie… Still, judging by the cheers of the kids, they were happy with what they had.
That was enough for Sam. He rejoined his place in the theater with Charlie and Michael and sat to enjoy the cartoon with them. It appeared that Gregory and the twins were a bit chummier now than before, huddled close together and whispering while looking around the room as the movie played, attention half on the screen and half on each other.
“Boys, good god, shuuuuush!” Liz scolded quietly.
For a split moment, Sam was transported back to 1981. Watching TV on the Afton’s couch, all of them huddled close to fit on the worn in sofa—hell, he half expected Ms. Afton to bring in some sweet tea and popcorn for them at this point. Though just being here with the “kids” right now felt like enough already.
The movie ensued, telling the tale of a lonely Fox set to guard a well-kept treasure off on the magical land of make-believe, where Freddy and his friends Bonnie and Chica were marooned after a storm…
Everyone clapped when the credits rolled. Even Moon’s raspy chuckle could be heard from the back of the theater, wrists jingling as he expressed his appreciation for the classics. Even if the Glamrock line hadn’t been around for that long in the grand scheme of Fazbear Entertainment, they knew a quality show when they saw one.
“I bet Freddy gets a kick out of these,” Michael murmured to Sam with a laugh, perfectly content to stay here for the night binging old cartoons.
…Unfortunately, his new job didn’t afford him that luxury. Stretching his arms above his head, the guard let out a sigh. “I hate to leave the party early, but if I want to keep up my reputation as ultimate night guard, I should probably get back to the office.”
He slung an arm around Sam’s shoulders, unable to leave him in good conscience if he was still in the throes of a secondary anxiety attack. “You going to be alright, Sammy?”
For now, at least, was the unspoken end to that question. None of them would ever be completely alright, but they’d just take things night by night if they had to.
Sam seemed to have calmed down for the time being. He was about to answer, chest puffed with a profound ‘yes’ locked and loaded—but Cassidy spoiled it, coming by to garner Sam’s attention by pulling on his shirtsleeve.
“Thanks for the movie night, Sam! It kicked ass!” She was over the moon with joy. “It’s been so long since I watched that one.”
Though she wouldn’t admit that she had to hold Liz’s hand towards the end, when it looked like Foxy sacrificed himself to save his friends. It would always make her tear up, it seemed. For the first time in a while, Cassidy displayed affection by hugging Sam tight. It confused him, seeing a ghost so tangible…
“Uh—Yeah! I’m glad you had fun, Cas,” he replied, remembering the girl well from her Missing Person’s Posters. It was almost nice to see her—not in the circumstances that she was in, but seeing her genuinely happy before zipping away to go back to the group of children still buzzing with excitement.
“Yeah… I’ll be fine, Mike. Have fun on your shift,” he said with a pinched smile.
The guard nodded, giving Sam one final squeeze around the shoulders before standing up. After giving Charlie a parting fist-bump Michael slipped out of the theater before any of the kids could register his absence. Samuel would follow suit, following behind Mike to get some paperwork done now that his nerves were settled.
“Alright, dorks—” Charlie announced, garnering the kids’ attention again. “—we still have a lot to see and only…” She paused to check the time on her phone. “Three hours to do it! What’s next on the agenda?”
“Monty Golf?” Evan suggested, latching onto Gregory's arm.
“Ooh, yeah!” Hannah chimed in, hooking her arm through Liz's and walking towards the theater exit. However, she paused after a few steps with a little gasp, whirling around to the darkness. “Thanks, Moon!”
“Anytime, ehehehe,” Moon replied, already starting the process of setting whatever cushions the kids had tossed around during movie time to rights again. “Have fun golfing—tell Monty hi for me if you see him...”
Gregory seemed a tad calmer, happy to walk hand in hand with Evan. The twins lagged behind, and Cassidy, with all the pent-up rage inside her, shoved them forward with the flats of her palms.
“Guys let’s move; I wanna kick your butts at golf already!” she said, knowing their more competitive nature would will them to start walking. Snickering, together the group finally moved as one unit with Charlie leading the fray. Mari was outside in the play area, looking under cans for some odd reason.
“Hey! Everyone, wait!” She popped up upon seeing the group of kids, wired and frightened. “Has anyone seen Ennard?! They’re not in their room or in the ball pit! Oooh, they know I don’t like when people disappear—”
The words sort of pulled at Charlie’s heartstrings, knowing exactly why Ennard’s sudden disappearance was frightening her. Charlie came over and touched the top of Mari’s head lovingly.
“Have you checked the basement? Maybe they’re with my dad; or they could be bothering Mike!” she suggested. This didn’t seemed to help the little security bot, as she fretted and pulled the tight sleeves of her shirt.
“M-Maybe. I’ll go look—oh this is just great…,” she moped, glancing around a quick second before sprinting into the theater to find Moon before starting her wider search.
“Oh yeah!” Hannah murmured, having temporarily forgotten all about Ennard's existence. She hadn't actually interacted with the thing since the night Charlie brought her back, though she'd caught glimpses of them in Henry's workshop from time to time. “They're... weird. But not bad, I don't think."
“See?!” Evan piped up, shooting a glare at Liz over his shoulder. “I told you they're nice now! Even Hannah thinks so!” He may have sounded a little smug, but he'd been trying to get validation for his secret interaction with Ennard the other night for a while. He just knew the amalgamation didn't mean any harm—at least, not anymore.
Gregory laughed, remembering all his interactions with Ennard to be pleasant if not a little awkward with Mike always putting himself between him and the big jigsaw puzzle of a creature.
“Oh yeah, Ennard’s a big puppy dog,” he agreed, much to Elizabeth’s ire.
“No,” Liz disagreed firmly, shaking her head at such a notion. “Ennard is a big, dumb jerk. Self-involved prick…”
Her words tapered off, sounding quieter the more she thought on the last time she truly interacted with them. Their big fight. No wonder Ennard avoided her with the way she spoke about them. It was hard to like the last people who abandoned you, especially when it was a reoccurring theme in her life.
“You’re still upset about that?” Cassidy asked in a rather oblivious fashion, which earned her a laser-focused glare. “I’m just saying! It was forever ago. Maybe you should just let it go.”
Elizabeth scoffed, loud and dramatic as she touched a hand to her chest. “Um, what? You have no room to talk. You and Charlie are the queens of holding grudges.”
Her smarmy look just begged for Cassidy to debate her on this. Where Cassidy was bound to argue, Charlie cut her off with a well-timed laugh. “Cas, she’s so right. Don’t even argue.”
She’d urge her to just let Liz be angry. Really, sometimes she thought that the middle Afton child thrived on her own rage.
As the group shuffled into the atrium, bellowing laughter could be heard echoing through the room. Striding over on a course destined to cross their path were a set of animatronics: Monty, leading the way and joking loudly about some anecdote from the past, followed by Roxy, Foxy, and Chica. The gator spotted them instantly, pointing with a loud exclamation as his tail rapidly swished from side to side. “Hey! Good to see you kids up top! Y’all takin’ a tour of the Pizzaplex?!”
There was a chorus of “hi Monty’s” from some of the kids, while the others stared at the other animatronics with wide eyes. Gregory, Hannah, Cain, and Quinn were familiar with all the Glamrocks of course, but the older kids had only met Monty before—and Glamrock Foxy was a new addition to everyone.
“Whoa… is that Chica?!” Evan muttered under his breath, amazed by how much of a transformation the bird had gone through over the years. This variation was definitely the most different, and even though her posters were all over the building nothing compared to seeing her in person.
“Oi, children off the port bow!” Foxy said to the girls, gathering their collective attentions as the entertainment modules in the Glamrock’s brains begun to activate. The vastly different-looking Chica beamed, latching onto Foxy’s arm and shaking him ever so slightly.
“Oh, Foxy, this is your chance to practice with the kids before the big opening night!” she suggested, both Roxy and her pushing the pirate forward. He stumbled uncertainly for a second with his hands folded and tail between his legs, before working up the courage to leave behind his stage fright.
“Ahoy there, kids!” he managed to say with a friendly demeanor. “And well, well, ain’t it my own first mate, Gregory! Have you all been exploring the mall?”
“Yeah! I’m showing all my friends around. Actually, we were heading for Monty golf!” Gregory told the fox, bringing Evan with him to the front of the group. Cassidy popped towards the front, waving to the big gator.
“Moon says ‘hi’ by the way!” she thought she would mention. Not that Moon would be upset if she had forgotten. Still, it would be a nice gesture regardless.
“Moon?!” Monty gave a low whistle, hands on his hips. “Man, I haven’t seen that guy in forever… guess I should stop by the Daycare sometime, huh?” He chuckled to himself, the question rhetoric, before his grin seemed to widen. “And I’d be more than happy to get y’all set up for a game!”
He glanced to Roxy at his shoulder, jabbing a playful elbow into her side. “My attraction’s the best, after all.”
“You wish it was the most popular, Gator.” With an exaggerated roll of her eyes, Roxy crossed her arms. Though it seemed to be all in jest, as a smile begun to reach her eyes when replying to her favorite alligator.
“It’s nice to meet you, Foxy! I’m Evan,” the boy chimed in, beaming up at the swashbuckling pirate. Though he’d long-since learned not to associate every Foxy model with his brother and that horrible mask, this Glamrock version gave him a weird feeling—like there was a bit of Michael in there somehow. Recalling Freddy's current predicament and the tale of Michael's robot-swapping soul, Evan realized this might actually be the case.
“You’re so cool!” the little Afton remarked in awe, stepping up to get a closer look at Foxy’s shining hook. Glancing to Roxy and Chica, he made sure to add: “You’re all super rad!”
Though he’d seemingly gained quite a bit of confidence over the past few days, he noticeably kept his hand locked tightly within Gregory’s.
“We’re the raddest!” Foxy insisted, his toothy grin matching Evan’s own. Foxy liked this kid; he found his outdated use of slang charming. He leaned in, as if keeping a secret between him and the boys. “They asked me to be drummer—someone had to keep Chica in time for her solos.”
This caused the chicken to squawk with hands defensively on her hips. “Excuse me! At least I have the option to play guitar.”
“Alright, alright, enough jabberin’!” Monty bellowed. He walked right into the group of kids and snatched Cain and Quinn under each arm, carrying them like footballs as he made his way towards the elevators. “We’ve got a game to play!”
Hannah giggled at the gator’s enthusiasm, seeing it was the perfect match for the excitable twins. She chose to go to Roxy’s side, tapping the wolf on the leg to get her attention.
“Roxy? Can we all go race sometime?!” Hannah asked excitedly. She’d never got to try out the racetrack during her short visits to the Pizzaplex before and she’d always wanted to see what it was like to feel the wind in her hair.
“Uhm? Is that a real question? Of course we can race!” the spunky wolf replied in a chipper tone. Looking around to the remainder of the ghosts, Roxy glanced to Chica. “How about... now, in fact? Girls’ day?”
In her mind it would be better to split up, as it looked like the boys were already heading to Monty golf. All with the exception of Charlie, who stopped Foxy for just a moment.
“You guys will be okay watching Gregory, right?” she asked in an easy going way, wanting to hit the racetrack with the rest of the girls, including some of the friends she hadn’t truly hung out with since returning. Foxy patted the top of Charlie’s head with the flat of his hook.
“Don’t you worry that noggin’ of yours, Charlie. The boys are safe with us,” he assured, confidently winking his one lit up eye at her in a way that reminded her of her old friend.
And so, the groups went their separate ways: boys to the golf course, girls to the racetrack. Both sets of twins had a grand old time with Monty and Foxy, and the crew spent half the night actually playing golf while the other was spent roughhousing. This mostly consisted of the kids being tossed into the ball pit rivers from varying areas of the golf course, always landing safely in the colorful plastic exactly where the animatronics calculated they should.
The girls at the racetrack were quickly suited up and ready to go, Chica and Roxy guiding a few go-karts to the starting point before securing their own helmets. Luckily no one needed a driver assist bot, for even though Cassidy and Liz looked a bit small Charlie vehemently reassured the animatronics that they couldn't get hurt, even if there somehow was an accident. Luckily, due to the special circumstances of the ghosts and androids, Roxy and Chica were able to override their child safety protocols on this occasion—at least as far as the assist bots went. Helmets were non-optional, though. Soon enough the girls were racing around the track at high-speed, shrieking at the top of their lungs and having the time of their afterlives.
***
While the children had fun with their respective babysitters, a set of intruders were lurking just outside one of the Pizzaplex's numerous back doors. They'd cased the joint beforehand and found the weakest entry point—a door with a manual lock that would be easy to jimmy open. With a determined nod to each other, the Smiths got to work. They were going to bring that useless child home tonight one way or another.
***
Normally, Michael would've spotted the break-in the second it happened, as such a strange movement on the camera would instantly attract his attention. At the moment though, he was turned away from the monitors, glaring at a rather unwelcome visitor in his office.
Ennard decided it’d been high time since visiting their friend Mikey. After swinging by Henry’s workshop, Ennard decided to bother their best friend as well, successfully pulling Michael’s attention with a low, gravelly tone.
“MIKEY! ENJOYING… THE JOB? DOES… THIS REMIND YO—YOU OF OLD T-T-TIMES...?” they joked darkly, slowly leaking from the vent and into the office space.
“Fuck off!” Michael snapped, quick and alert as he whirled around in his chair. His hand had instinctively flown to his tool belt and reached for the taser, though upon realizing who was calling for him the guard resisted the urge.
Oh, he sure wanted to taze Ennard alright, simply for scaring the shit out of him. They out of all creatures should know Michael's dislike of robots popping out of the vents... although the amalgamation clearly saw it as some form of weird bonding time, not a personal hell of reliving past trauma. Deflating back in his chair with a grumpy expression, Michael glared at the intruding bot.
“I was enjoying the job until you shoved yourself in here.” His eyes narrowed and he puffed up again, trying to seem as authoritative as possible. “By the way, this whole 'sneaking up on me through the vents during my shift' scenario? It's not going to become a thing—if I taze you on instinct, that's your own damn fault and I'm not fixing you.”
Ennard made a noise like a laugh. Or, as close to a laugh as they could conjure in this form. They had doubts that if Mike wanted to actually hit them with anything, it would be fast enough to impact them successfully. As Ennard straightened back up under piles of carpeting, they nodded in agreement.
“NO… NO MORE SNEAKING THROUGH VENTS FOR US,” they said, rather proud of the work coming along on their new body. It felt right—like they’d soon be something that could actually feel normal standing beside their friends. “YOU WON’T HAVE TO WORRY AB—BOUT US FRIGHT—ING ANYONE. WE HAVE IT ALL… FIGURED OUT…”
“...I hate when you say stuff like that, you know,” Michael remarked, his glare deepening to levels he didn't even think possible. When Ennard simply stared back at him with that eerie clown grin, he sighed heavily and massaged the bridge of his nose.
“Oh my god, I think I'm getting a headache...” He looked to Ennard again, his expression now annoyed more than anything. “You're actually giving me a headache—can you go away and let me do my work in peace?”
He wasn't really hurting—Henry had made sure they couldn't feel pain, and that feature hadn't seemed to change despite the androids' supernatural inhabitants. Still, Michael remembered what it felt like to have a migraine and he knew that if he could get them he surely would have a raging one right now.
Ennard stayed as quiet as a mouse. They promised Henry not to ruin the surprise and tell Michael exactly what they were doing down in the basement together. All according to plan, their new body would be ready soon. Then Mike could stop being so grumpy all the time…
“WE PROMISE YOU’LL LIKE OUR SURPRISE, MIKEY,” they replied with figuratively tight lips. Ennard shifted loudly, leaning on one side as their head tilted in an attempt to look non-threatening.
“BECAUSE PRETTY SOON—” Their voice shifted in pitch and tone, clearing attempting to mimic those “normal humans” who worked around the facility. “—we’ll be just like you…”
Ennard's words sent a hot spike of worry down Michael's spine. Everyone insisted he could trust Ennard—that they were good now, and they wouldn't harm anyone. They'd learned from their mistakes and genuinely just wanted to be friends with as many people as possible, like the non-murderous part of their original coding entailed.
But Michael would never forget what they'd done. No matter how many people proclaimed Ennard's new good-nature, they'd never be completely innocent in his eyes.
“Ennard, you listen to me—” Michael began in a low, serious tone. “—if this surprise involves touching a hair on someone's head, I'm going to be very, VERY pissed.”
He paused, wanting to say more, but he knew it wouldn't be satisfying since Ennard would just stand there and take it. Instead Michael let out a sigh, gesturing to the vent they'd initially slunk through. “Now, I have to get back to work, so will you kindly leave me the fuck alone?”
***
Unbeknownst to the guard, behind his back two figures stealthily slipped past one of the camera feeds. The Smiths were officially in the Pizzaplex now, heading for the central atrium. That was as good a place as any to start their search—that's where all the attractions were after all, so if their troublesome child was having some late-night fun this was their best bet to find him.
***
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#fnaf security breach#fnaf sb#fnaf#fnaf au#five nights at freddy's#michael afton#charlie emily#fanfic#fanfiction#ao3#angelofrainfrogs#zeitghest#spend the night#going back#the wires that bind us au#sammy emily#gregory#glamrock freddy#puppet fnaf#ennard#moon fnaf#glamrock foxy#roxanne wolf#glamrock bonnie#evan afton#crying child#elizabeth afton#cassidy fnaf#sun fnaf
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Going Back: Ch. 16
~Coauthored by @zeitghest~
Fandom(s): Five Nights At Freddy’s: Security Breach
Description: Things are looking up for Gregory. After putting the soul of a formerly-immortal killer to rest, he and his new family can finally begin their lives anew. Sure, Gregory might have been cursed with mysterious Remnant in exchange for being involved in this mess—not to mention his caretakers consist of sentient robots and ghosts… But there’s no doubt that the bond they share is unbreakable. They love him, and he in turn.
All in all, life is finally starting to go right for once.
…Unfortunately, true peace is a hard-won battle. There are other things to contend with besides William’s decrepit soul, and Gregory will learn that his role in the lives of the Aftons and Emilys is far greater than anyone could’ve imagined.
Rating: T
Read on Ao3
volume of Michael’s work, they’d opted not to pull the hood of Gregory’s new sweater down. Instead the boy allowed his dad to carry him, burying his face in the warm comfort of Freddy’s shoulder so no one would recognize him. Despite his new ‘do, the paranoia that the Smiths were lurking around the corner was too great to ignore until they crossed through the Pizzaplex’s entryway. Dayshift staff had long-since gone home, so it was eerily silent as everyone made their way to Sam’s office. With a hard knock, Michael called: “Sammy! I’m back and I brought the fam—is it okay if they come in for the big reveal?”
There was a few knocking and thudding sounds that seemed to shake the room slightly. Sam was kicking old parts and tools away from the door to throw it open with a fairly excited look in his eyes.
“I've been waiting for you guys! Come on in—he's finished charging!” Sam invited, patting the taller members of the group on the shoulders as they passed through the threshold as if to hurry them along. Charlie pretended to not even know the design already, managing a surprised expression. She let out a low whistle and shoved her hands deep into her pockets as she admired the newest installment to the franchise.
“You've outdone yourself, Sammy. A one-armed drummer is going to be so cool,” she remarked, understanding the reference with the obvious nods to a certain hair metal band in Sam's design of Foxy.
Sammy clapped his hands together, thankful for the positive criticisms. Looking to the rest of the group, he inched towards Foxy and unplugged him from the barebones charging stand. There, he flipped the robot's power switch into the 'on' position and stepped back to watch him boot up.
“Right—test run number one, here we go,” he said, seeing Foxy's bright eyes light up underneath his shut lids.
The fox blinked and looked around curiously, his slow gaze dragging over the members of the group. The faces of each employee already being downloaded into his mainframe, there was no need for most introductions. Though that wouldn't stop the friendly bot from introducing himself. He raised his hook, combing some of his mane from his face as he dramatically scanned the group a second time, personality chip taking hold as he felt a wholesome connection the people standing before him.
“Foxy the Pirate Fox, reportin' for duty!” he finally managed to say with a dramatic salute. The oddest part was his distinctly Brighton accent under the pirate façade, and how similar it sounded to someone else in the room.
Sam's jaw dropped and he immediately looked to Michael. Did he mess with his robot somehow? It’d certainly be a good if annoying prank, if so.
“Oh, no way…” Michael gave a short, stunned laugh. He pressed his fingertips to his lips, which soon curved up in a wry smile. “No effing way…”
Well, he’d managed to avoid triggering any profanity filters, though the close call made Freddy shoot him a sharp glare. This quickly morphed into a look of confusion as he gazed back up at Foxy, remarking curiously: “I did not realize you would be changing his accent, Samuel.”
“Uh, I don’t think he did,” Michael spoke up, rubbing the back of his neck. He knew this conversation would go right over the newly-activated animatronic’s head, but he remembered another piece of their weekend adventure they’d neglected to tell the CEO. “So… I think this was my fault—unintentionally!”
Michael was quick to throw his palms up, looking to Sam with wide eyes. “I promise I only messed with your animatronics when I had to! But speaking of that… You know how I told you I was trapped in Freddy’s head, which is how he got all that human sentience mixed in with his AI? Well… there was a step in between Freddy and this android I’m in now.”
Michael gestured to Foxy with ostentatious hands, as if to say ta-da! “I… might have rubbed off on him too, somehow.”
“Oi—” Foxy interrupted, confused by the nature of the conversation happening in front of him. “—be you some manner of imposter? You’ve got me voice, laddie.”
The fox carefully took one of Michael's hands and inspected it with his good eye. He then shook his head, deciding that Michael was fine, though dressed a bit too stuffy for his liking; not first mate material for sure. However, the kid with the mullet was certainly someone worth having aboard his pirate crew. With his entertaining protocols activated at the sight of both Gregory and Mari, he dropped Michael's wrist and waved to the children admiring him from afar.
“AHOY, children! You two must be friends of the good captain Sammy!” he compartmentalized, downloading their faces into his memory banks. The two kids were left giggling as Foxy approached, finding his mannerisms and way of speaking endearing. He bent down low, tail swishing and sweeping the floor as he stared the two down.
“Between you and me, he won't be captain for long,” he whispered theatrically, lifting his eyepatch to wink with his white, unlit eye. “We'll be startin' a mutiny by daylight. Stuff the captain in the brig and take all the Fizzy-Faz and pizza for ourselves! Then we'll rock out on stage and party until the sun goes back down!”
Sam hadn't said a word, taking in the fact that it'd been ONE minute and Foxy was already plotting to overthrow him on top of dealing with the fact that two Michael Aftons may be running amuck in his Pizzaplex. Gregory and Mari seemed pleased, raising their hands to give Foxy a crowded high five. Then, moving down the line Foxy spotted Freddy and saluted him.
“And you! Don't think you can fool a ship-spotter. I may be old, but my eye is as sharp as ever!” He pointed an accusing finger in Freddy's direction before sauntering up to the man, expression softening. “... It's good to see you, Fazbear.”
Though this was their first time actually meeting in the Glamrock iteration, Foxy knew he and Freddy were best mates in a past life. Those special eyes could see what was inside, and his soft spot might be the most surprising thing from the rough and tumble pirate.
“Hello, Foxy; it is wonderful to see you,” Freddy replied with his usual warmth, not hesitating to wrap his arms around the cerulean coat and give his old-yet-new friend a hug. It was brief but poignant, the surprisingly strong squeeze to Foxy’s waist letting him know that even though he’d been powered on not five minutes before, he was accepted into the Glamrock band with open arms.
“The others are going to be absolutely thrilled!” Freddy continued after pulling back, grinning up at the amiable pirate. “I think Roxy especially will take quite a liking to you—though they will all be happy to have you on stage with them, of course.”
“Well, he seems pretty great, all things considered,” Mike murmured, leaning sideways to bump Sam's shoulder. What part of the sea-faring fox’s personality was preprogrammed and what was due to Michael’s temporary residence within was anyone’s guess, though Mike liked to think the amped-up rebellious streak was solely his influence. Laughing as he caught the pale look of mild distress on Sammy’s face, he slipped an arm around the man’s shoulders so he didn’t fall over. “I’ll personally keep an eye on him, how’s that?”
It was a nice gesture on the outset, but the mischievous light in Michael’s eyes betrayed his true intentions—to make a new friend he could get up to trouble with. He might not have met Roxy yet, but Mike knew that together with her old counterpart they’d be an unstoppable force… especially if they roped Monty and Gregory into their antics.
Sam locked a strong arm around Michael in turn. He really couldn’t blame his friend for inhabiting the robot, especially if lives were on the line. He just sighed and told Mike in a half-joking manner: “That’s it—you’re responsible for anything he does.”
Across the room, Foxy was almost mirroring Michael unintentionally, his arm hooked around Fredbear and swaying slightly on his peg leg as he brightened to the thought of all the buccaneers he left in his absence.
“Those poor scalawags!” Foxy replied in a bark of laughter, his thoughts roaming now to their friends. “They must have all been so lost without me! Don’t you worry your fuzzy little head, this band will get whipped back into shape with someone to keep the timing now!”
He couldn’t wait to perform with them again. His skills were so obviously needed—or rather, he just assumed they were. “I’ll be excited to meet the new members of our crew as well! I’m sure together we’ll rock the heads off of our admiring fans.”
“Oh man, Roxy’s going to love him,” Charlie remarked with a laugh. Apparently Foxy was unaware of their names, and he had given Charlie a questioning, sideways glance. “You know… your sister?”
“I HAVE A SISTER?!” Foxy bellowed, eyepatch flipping up comedic ally as his ears stood up to straight points. “Goodness gracious! A little sister!”
Freddy’s heart warmed at Foxy’s obvious excitement. There was definitely a hint of Michael in there, he was sure if it—if the random accent swap wasn’t proof enough, the look of joy at having a younger sibling to care for certainly was.
“Roxanne Wolf,” Freddy clarified with a smile. “She is… well, a wolf! She plays keytar in the band and also has a raceway where guests can challenge each other around the track, as well as a beauty salon. Oh!”
Freddy let out a small gasp. He was getting really excited now, wanting to whisk the fox away right then and there and give him a tour of the Pizzaplex. He managed to keep his feet in one place, though he couldn’t resist gripping Foxy’s arm just above his hook and shaking it slightly.
“I am sure you have information about the Pizzaplex pre-downloaded, but we must give you tour once you are ready!” Freddy continued with a jovial laugh. “Your mental map does not do the place justice… Ah, and you must also meet Monty! His full name is Montgomery Gator and…”
Michael chuckled as Freddy rambled on. They’d witnessed him happy to see an old friend before, but this was a different kind of joy. With Bonnie and Chica, he’d also been flooded with relief—and disbelief, in the rabbit’s case—that they were back in commission and ready to return to all the fun they used to have. But with Glamrock Foxy being a totally new addition, Freddy got to take on the “mentor” roll tenfold and make sure he got acclimated as fast as possible.
“Guess he’s always had that streak in him,” Michael murmured, watching Foxy’s predictably dramatic reaction to the description of a huge, bass-playing alligator. Glancing side-eyed at Sam, Michael nudged him with an elbow. “So is Roxy going to be up and running tonight, too? Because we’ve definitely got to meet her sometime, if so.”
Foxy's attention was pulled constantly by the group. Now as Charlie and Gregory explained the group dynamic and where to bring Foxy first on his official tour of his new home, Sam was already smirking over at Michael. The boss crossed his arms and adjusted his glasses, vision drifting back to Foxy and watching how he interacted with everyone so fluidly—like he'd always been here...
“You'll be pleasantly surprised to know that Roxy's recovered and resting inside her room at Rockstar Row,” he said with some self-satisfaction, feeling he earned the right to be a little smug.
Turns out Roxy was a surprisingly quick fix overall. All of her parts seemed to more or less be pulled apart at the joints. Very little spares were needed, and after a wire-job here and there along with some final touch-ups, she was perfect again.
Foxy had to stop Gregory as he and Charlie ranted about their adventures—not that he wasn't interested, but their talk of the fun they had around the Pizzaplex made him yearn for the same.
“You two are torturing me! I need to see this place!” he said, snatching Gregory up when he strayed too close. There was no worry with Foxy—Michael had made it certain that Gregory wouldn't fear the old character when he had possessed him. Absently, the fox kept Gregory perched and giggling on his good arm. Another thing he wasn't quite programmed for, as parents didn't quite like the idea of the robots snatching up their kids...
“Well then, let us not waste more time!” Freddy exclaimed, though he made sure to pause when he neared Sam and give the man a strong hug. In his ear, he murmured his gratefulness for all his creator had done for them. “Thank you for fixing everyone up, Sam; I really cannot express my gratitude enough...”
“Fred, give him a break before he keels over,” Michael joked with a gentle tap to the redhead's shoulder. It was obvious that Sam basked in the praise, but even more obvious that he was in desperate need of another nap. Michael took it upon himself to hook his arm through Sam's, pulling him towards the doorway with the others. “Right—we'll stop by the Daycare first then head over to Rockstar Row.”
Moon was getting an ample amount of time out and about with the CEO's completely fucked up sleep schedule, that's for sure. As an excitable unit, the group left the crowded office and made a beeline for Rockstar Row, Freddy and Foxy in the lead—with Gregory still perched on his new friend's arm, of course.
Sam was barely keeping his eyes open by the time their group had gotten to the home of the main artists. It took some maneuvering, but the friendly Moon had taken the liberty of meeting both Michael and Sam at the edge where Rockstar Row met the exit to the Daycare. Carefully, the CEO was passed along into the waiting arms of his creation, nearly passed out already. The poor man needed to curl up in the theater room with some cartoons, a blanket and his favorite pillows...
“Oi, take good care of the Captain. He's still got his sea legs,” Foxy said in a hushed voice, mindful of Sam who looked asleep standing up. Mari quickly went inside with Moon to help put Sam to bed and to say hi to her friends, as they’d been sequestered the whole afternoon without her.
“Goodnight, Sam!” Gregory called, waving from on high. Only then did Sam show signs of life, waving lazily to the group and taking his leave.
“We'll make sure he gets a good rest,” Moon assured in his quiet, raspy voice. His head tilted ever-so-slightly as Mari slipped past, but otherwise he gave no indication of seeing the tiny android, his focus solely on Sammy who he'd lovingly picked up to cradle in one arm despite the man's weak protests. They'd have time to play games as soon as he put the nearly-passed-out CEO to bed. With a slow wave of one hand and a low cackle, Moon backed up into the Daycare.
By the time the door closed the group had already moved on, reaching Rockstar Row in a matter of minutes. Michael was pleased to see signs of Chica and Monty moving about in their rooms—now he wouldn't have to go searching the Pizzaplex to check on them before holing up in the office the rest of the night. Unbeknownst to Sophie and all the other staff members, there was a whole level to the gigantic mall that the animatronics could roam to... So far only Monty and Bonnie had been down to the old diner, but Michael didn't doubt the others would find their way into the burnt-out structure soon enough when they learned there was a group of excitable kids just waiting for a chance to play.
It was the night guard who knocked on Roxy's door, slipping between Freddy and Foxy to stand in front of them. He felt like he was probably the best one to lead the charge, as hopefully Sam had been able to upload his employee profile into the wolf's databank just like Foxy's. Now that he was officially working for the Pizzaplex, Roxy should recognize Mike right away...
“Roxy?” he called through the door. The curtains were drawn, so they weren't able to see what the wolf was doing, though she was definitely in there. “It's Michael—new head of security. I wanted to introduce myself and a few others you'll be seeing a lot around here.”
Roxanne had been fairly contemplative at her vanity, going through various metallic paints as she decided which ones to keep and what products for her mane were running low. The knock at the door interrupted her inner monologue and derailed her train of thought. She whipped her head around and called out to the person she recognized as familiar now that his employee profile was uploaded.
“Door's open!” she called, her more approachable demeanor a stark contrast from the outright unfriendly mask she wore when infected with William's virus. Roxy quickly teased at her mane with her claws, trying to prepare herself for people coming in as first impressions were very important to the wolf.
Outside the door, Foxy set Gregory down to wait. He wanted to go last and really think about what he wanted to say to Roxy. Maybe he should wait for First Mate Michael's signal before entering?
Was he overthinking this? Probably. Something in him wanted to impress her, to appear as a daring and lovable big brother. What if she ended up hating him…?
Foxy couldn't think like that! They were made to be family! Surely they’d get along just fine.
Michael strode into the room, immediately catching sight of Roxy at her vanity. Now that the bloodthirsty look was gone from her eyes, he could really appreciate how cool her design was. It certainly fit the profile of a speed-racer with a penchant for always looking her best.
“Nice to officially meet you, Roxy!” Mike told her with a smile, moving out of the way so the others could enter. Freddy was right on his tail, Gregory's hand now clutched in his own. By this point, Gregory was used to meeting the animatronics that'd been hell-bent on his destruction a few nights prior. Still, Roxy's attack and subsequent decommissioning had been pretty brutal—just like the others'—so Freddy took it upon himself to offer whatever small comfort he could. Squeezing Gregory's hand, he grinned at his former bandmate and opened his mouth to introduce himself, but Michael beat him to it.
“Your employee profile database says this is Fred, the new stage manager,” he began, having been through this spiel many times before. Despite the repetition, Michael's voice was measured and calm, unsure how easily Roxy's level of disbelief would be overcome at the human state of her friend. “That's true—but not the whole truth. He's actually your old pal Freddy Fazbear, just transferred to a new body. Check us out with your special eyes if you want—a startling number of us are robots, actually.”
“He is speaking the truth,” Freddy chimed in with a soft laugh, gently swinging his and Gregory's arms as they awaited the wolf's reaction to the news. “It is good to see you again, Roxy!”
Roxy's face was amazingly expressive just like the others—pure confusion took hold as Freddy sauntered inside the room. Well—it was Freddy, but not Freddy?
“Wait, is this a prank? Am I on camera?” Roxy asked, knowing that was definitely the unmistakable voice of Freddy Fazbear without the bear attached. She stood and went to inspect the redhead, noticing the child holding his hand was quick to scoot behind him at her approach. “Freddy?! Why are you a person now? They're not doing this to everyone are they—”
Taking notice of Gregory's fast glare from behind Freddy's thigh, she cocked her head in a confused way.
“...Did you steal a baby, too? What the heck is going on here?! How long have I been out?!” Roxy couldn't help but laugh as all the questions that seemed too ridiculous to be asking spilled forth from her muzzle.
“'m not a baby,” Gregory pouted, looking down and resisting the urge to nervously bite the skin around his nails. It was the first time the urge really hit him since last weekend.
“Ah—I think he needs a bit of space,” Freddy said, first and foremost putting Gregory's comfort above everything else. He took a step back while Roxy simultaneously did the same, not wanting to upset the clearly amped-up kid further.
“He has been through a lot recently,” Freddy added as way of explanation. The statement was vague, yet said all the wolf needed to know for the moment. Bending slightly to run his free hand through Gregory's hair, Freddy kept his smile prominent and his eyes trained on Roxy. “I have adopted Gregory as my son. I could not care for him as I needed to in my old form, and when an opportunity presented itself for me to transfer into this vessel I simply could not refuse.”
“Also, to ease your worries, Sam's not suddenly going to port you into am android, too,” Michael chimed in, a corner of his mouth quirked up in a smirk as he rested one hand casually on his hip. He was watching the interaction closely, ready to step in as a barrier between Gregory and his current stressor even though he knew Freddy was perfectly capable of handling things.
“Freddy's a special case. Er, I guess Charlie and I are, too.” Michael's blue eyes flickered to his best friend lingering in the doorway. “Oh, that's Charlie, by the way—I'm sure she'd love to get a makeover sometime. She definitely needs it...”
The last comment was muttered under his breath, although by the look on Charlie's face she heard him just fine. Despite his apparent death wish, his smirk widened at literally offering his friend to the wolves—well, wolf.
Roxy took her time scanning everyone in the room now, her eyes darting between them as they rattled off explanations for their strange states. When Freddy told her why he was like this, she smirked at him. “Oh, Fred, you’re such a softie… That’s really sweet.”
How could she blame him for adopting a skittish kid in need? Hell, Roxy knew that she wanted to whisk away every mistreated kid that wandered through the Pizzaplex. She just never thought they could until now…
Roxy decided it was best not to scare the kid any more than necessary—he’d come to her when he was comfortable. Instead she circled to the only girl in the room, Charlie, who socked Michael in his arm while unable to hide the grin at her friend’s joke. Feeling eyes on her, she stood upright at the inspection Roxy was doling out.
“Her? She doesn’t need makeup!” Roxy said with an exaggerated roll of her eyes. “But I really can’t pass up the opportunity to give anyone a makeover if they want one.”
“I’ve never really worn makeup before—” Charlie laughed; even when Liz wanted to give her makeovers, it was like pulling teeth to get her to agree. When Roxy grasped her shoulders and scanned her face, Charlie gulped nervously.
“I have 76 potential styles that would fit that cute face of yours! Just let me know—I’m itching to use my new brushes,” Roxy told the girl with a grin and a wink, tail wagging gently behind her.
Slowly, Foxy snuck inside the open door. His sister’s room was pretty cool. Why did she get an awesome pad like this and he had to stay at Kid’s Cove?
Roxy’s ears perked up at the sound of Foxy’s peg leg tapping on the tiled ground. When she whipped around, this strange fox character was sniffing around the stuff on her vanity.
“WOAH! Woah! Hands off my things, big fella!” Roxy protested, dashing over to stop the pirate from touching her hair gel or her perfumes. Foxy looked like a deer in headlights, turning around and stopping Roxy in her tracks as she was once again floored with confusion.
“I’m just lookin’, party-pooper!” he laughed, making Roxy’s head tilt with intrigue.
“What the heck’s going on here?” she asked again, recognizing the animatronic shell as a very familiar structure. Immediately, the concern they were replacing her next shot through her core.
“Roxy, Samuel has decided to bring back some of the older characters,” Freddy piped up, placing a hand on her forearm. The way her tail slowly flicked back and forth showed her suspicion at the intruder and Freddy wanted to assure her there was no threat immediate or down the line for her character. “Remember the mascot for Pirate’s Cove? Well, Sam has revamped him into a Glamrock style!”
“Think of him as your brother,” Michael added, placing a hand on Gregory’s shoulder as if to demonstrate what a sibling bond looks like. The kid clearly wasn’t totally on board with her yet, though Michael couldn’t blame him—that golden stare was intense…
“Foxy will be joining the lineup and staying in Pirate’s Cove for the time being,” Freddy said, already seeming to know the plan without having to ask. “But we wanted to introduce you first before he meets the rest of the band; he was just powered on tonight!”
At first, the air was tense. Like an unstoppable force meeting an immoveable object, the two stood defiantly until Foxy made a slow move. Roxy moved opposite, both animatronics circling each other carefully, two pairs of special eyes raking the other for any reason not to like their counterpart. In a way, it was like watching two dogs meet for the first time.
Then, Foxy side-eyed Michael and Gregory, learning quickly what it could mean to be family with someone. He scooted in closer, invading Roxy's space who passively allowed him to walk next to her.
“Frankly, I don't know what to say other than it's terrific to meet you, Roxy!” He smiled at her, not meaning to put her off by almost touching her things. This seemed to win the keyboardist over, the ghost of a smile pulling at her fang-filled maw. When Foxy hooked his arm around her shoulders and pulled her in for a hug, she reciprocated it in kind.
“Yeah, yeah, you're not too bad, either...,” she replied, looking away as she attempted to appear cool and calm about the sudden change.
She had a brother. And now Freddy had a son... Things were different, but she couldn't see a reason to fight the changes.
As the two stopped in front of the glass panel, a flash of purple sped past the viewing port. Bonnie Bunny was scampering through with what appeared to be an armful of wrapped presents and balloons in his arms.
“BONNIE!” Roxy shouted, at the window in a flash as she pounded the glass to get his attention. The scare issued to the poor rabbit had made him throw the presents and balloons into the air, losing the helium toys to the skylights.
“DANG IT, ROXY!” Bonnie cursed, jumping to try and save the balloons before they floated out of grasp, but it was already too late when he regained his composure. “Why'd you go and do that?!”
As Bonnie turned to scold the wolf, he got the full sight of Foxy standing beside his sister, laughing at him. “FOXY! Old boat, you’re here!”
“Oh goodness… alright, everyone into the hallway!” Freddy directed, grabbing Foxy’s hook—carefully—and leading him out first to meet Bonnie. It was far too cramped already in the room, and trying to add another animatronic would only increase the sardine effect.
Once fully in the cavernous museum hall of Rockstar Row, Freddy took his hand back only to throw his arms around Bonnie in a brief squeeze seconds later. The man’s face hurt from smiling so much, but he couldn’t help it. As of this moment, his whole family was here—his old friends were back in commission, and his new ones were as happy as could be in whatever bodies they chose to inhabit, ghostly or robotic.
“What in the world are you up to, you silly rabbit?” Freddy asked, a slight crease in his brow the only piece of his expression that changed as he started picking up the haphazardly thrown presents now scattered on the floor. Michael and Charlie had meandered out in the hall as well, though the guard’s focus was on the balloons far out of anyone’s reach.
“Wonder if Sam will want me to get those down… probably,” he murmured, crossing his arms as he tried to calculate how tall of a ladder they’d need to get. Then a thought occurred that had him snapping his fingers. “I bet one of the kids can do it! Float right up to the ceiling and grab them…”
He glanced at Charlie with a satisfied grin. “How do you feel about being a babysitter tonight? Maybe we can grab the kids and have them help before setting the little monsters loose; I’m sure you can rope some animatronics into helping you watch them while I’m working. Plus I’ll be keeping an eye on you through the cameras, so if you get into any trouble, I’ll know.”
He tapped his temple in both a promise and a warning. Any sign of trouble either towards or from the group, Michael would be on them like a hawk.
Bonnie returned the hug with enthusiasm, head knocking his friend’s ever so slightly until he pulled away to help with the scattering of presents. Some boxes heavy, some light. Others wrapped expertly, and some with a clear smattering of pizza grease on the outside... One noticeably had purple glitter glue closing its paper tabs. The tags on them read GREGORY in various handwriting styles.
Bonnie's guilty expression coupled with his eyes darting around for the unseen boy had the rabbit leaning in to whisper to Freddy. “Monty, Chica and I've been plannin' the surprise party! We were going to put these in your room.”
The excitable bunny was left giggling. He loved parties, and had always been a meticulous planner when it came to these things.
“It's the wee lad’s birthday?” Foxy asked, looking back over his shoulder to where he saw the kid inside Roxy's room by his lonesome. He didn't seem distressed, though. Maybe a tad bit tired as he laid on the ground, alternating kicking his legs up and letting them flop to the ground. If anything, he looked pretty bored.
Freddy sucked in a little gasp, eyes wide and sparkling as he immediately started towards his room with the armful of presents he’d collected.
“Yes, of course you can store things there!” he said in a hushed whisper, urging Bonnie to follow. Oh, Gregory was going to be so happy once this party came to fruition, he just knew it.
It took only a minute for Freddy and Bonnie to slip the presents away, making sure the curtains were closed so the boy couldn’t see the surprise they were cooking up for him. When they returned to the group, Foxy and his new sister were chatting quietly while Michael poked his head into Roxy’s room.
“Hey, kid—time to see your friends!” the guard called with a grin, gesturing for Gregory to get up and follow him. “I’ve got to start my shift soon; Charlie’s going to stick with you guys tonight.”
“I will go with you as well,” Freddy offered, raising a hand slightly. He looked to the other animatronics, explaining to those not in the know: “There are some children staying here with, ah… alternative circumstances. Sam has allowed them to remain with their guardian, though they may not all be in your guest profile list yet. We are going to visit them and see who would like to explore the Pizzaplex tonight—I am sure they will want to meet you both!”
Charlie popped into the room, having agreed to babysit tonight. After all, she was sure Cassidy and Liz were getting pretty fed up with her running around and not playing with them. So, she’d be the one to take the apparently bored Gregory away for another tour of the Pizzaplex with all of his friends. Hopefully, years of being attached to the security puppet's insides rubbed off on her and she could reign in all the kids well enough like Freddy or Michael did.
“You ready to go see Henry and your friends?” Charlie asked to hype Gregory up. At that, Gregory quite impressively pushed off from the floor and bounced up to his feet faster than a blink.
“Man, I thought we were NEVER going!” he said dramatically. With his tablet in hand, Gregory smiled down to the flat screen. “I finally finished that picture for Hannah.”
Bonnie had been curious to see, as he was the subject of the art piece. Carefully, the bunny knelt down behind the boy and looked over the colored sketch of himself holding a guitar.
“Wowee! You made my good side look even better!” Bonnie exclaimed, only adding to Gregory's smug look. He gave the boy a hug—hoisting him up, only to hand him off to Charlie.
Gregory at this point in his life just expected to always be passed around like a ragdoll between his robotic friends. Though it was hardly a bother, especially when bouts of sleepiness hit him.
Charlie walked over towards Freddy and told her brother: “Say bye to Mike and your Dad, kiddo!”
“See you later!” Michael said, giving the kid a high-five. “Remember—any problems, just wave at the nearest camera and I’ll come running.”
“Bye, superstar; have fun with your friends!” Freddy stepped in with a soft smile. Since the top of Gregory’s head was currently piled high with hairspray, his dad opted for pressing a quick kiss to his forehead. He then moved to Foxy and Roxy’s sides, slipping an arm through each of their own as he looked up at them with a bright grin. “Come on, we must go see the others!”
With that, the group parted for the time being. Michael headed for the central security hub, where he was quick to lock the doors and check all vents before settling in one of the swivel chairs. He ran through all the camera feeds, taking note of everyone as he scrolled. Freddy and his friends were now gathered in Chica’s room, where she and Monty were celebrating the reinstatement of Roxy and the concurrent arrival of her sea-faring sibling. A flash of Moon’s red eyes could be seen in the dark theater where he watched over Sam with quiet adoration, occasionally shooing away a cleaning bot that got too close and risked making a ruckus.
And then there were Charlie and Gregory, making their way to the basement where they’d soon disappear from camera view as they traipsed down to the old diner. Once satisfied he had tabs on all those he could, Michael leaned back in the chair with a sigh. Hopefully, tonight would actually be relatively calm… though his hope was minuscule at best.
***
At the sound of approaching footsteps Henry had quickly shoved the blueprints on his work desk into the nearest drawer, as was becoming habit. He was never sure if the visitors would involve Michael, and he wasn’t about to take any chances of his nephew seeing his latest project before it was complete. However, to their relief it was only Charlie and Gregory, who the old ghost immediately went over to greet.
“Hi, sweetheart!” A quick kiss was placed to Charlie’s cheek, then Henry chuckled as his eyes fell upon the boy in her arms. “And hi, Gregory—wow, nice ‘do! Very retro. Mike’s work, I presume?”
“How'd you know?” Charlie asked with a smirk. She lowered Gregory down from her hip, figuring she would let the kids all meet and mingle for a moment before taking the troupe of children above. Besides, she wanted to catch up with her dear old dad for a moment.
“Thanks, Henry!” Gregory smiled, not a care in the world as of recently. So far, Gregory had no idea just how actively his foster parents were looking for him—and really, there was no way to explain it in a way that wouldn't stress him out. It was better, in Charlie's opinion, to keep him blissfully ignorant of this fact. He scampered off to the back of the basement by the diner, hurrying to get inside as he knew that was where all of his friends were hiding.
“I'm back guys!” Gregory called, thinking how much easier it was to break into the diner than the first few times he’d attempted. In the darkness of the burned down interior, he saw a shadow creep out of sight.
“Oh my god,” he could hear Cassidy say with a laugh. “What year is this? And WHO did your hair?”
“My brother. Duh, who else?” Gregory asked, flipping the longer back ends of his new style out with emphasis.
“Yup! That’s Mikey’s work, all right.” Evan’s confident voice suddenly popped up next to Gregory’s ear as the ghost faded into existence, and he couldn’t help but giggle at the childhood memories the over-styled mullet brought up. Despite his laughter, Evan was genuine when he told Gregory: “I like it! It’s super rad.”
“Gregory got a haircut?” Hannah asked, peering out from a side room curiously. She took in his appearance with an appraising eye as she walked closer, humming and tapping a finger to her chin. She seemed like an art critic analyzing a piece to see if it was worthy of being in a museum collection or was simply utter trash. After a moment of tense silence, her lips quirked up in a little smile. “It’s cool! How’d you get it to spike up like that?”
In the workshop, Henry grinned widely as he pulled the blueprints back out of their temporary hiding spot. Splaying them out on the work table, Charlie got a firsthand view of just how much progress he’d been making with his latest android.
“Check this out,” Henry told her as their eyes roamed over the multitude of scribbled out drafts. “We’re almost done with the initial design, then I can really get to work! It’s been a little… tough getting a consensus of opinion though.” The ghost chuckled with a soft shake of his head. “Though I’m working with three distinct AIs here, so it’s to be expected… Still, take a look and let me know what you think!”
Charlie overlooked the blueprints with a curious hand, scanning all of the design aspects rather than the mechanical specifications.
“This is a really intricate design—did Ennard pick this out?” she wondered. Henry had a penchant for making the nicer-looking animatronics in Charlie’s opinion, and she didn’t doubt he’d be able to tweak Ennard’s base model into something good.
“For the most part, yeah,” Henry replied with a nod, happy as always to get a favorable review of his designs—especially from Charlie. Flipping back to the first page, he pointed out the original design he’d whipped up. The body type hadn’t changed very much from then to now, as it was the features that’d gone through dozens of iterations, tweaked less and less each time until they'd settled on what was hopefully the final draft pending Ennard’s approval.
“I started out with a base model, but I had a feeling Ennard would want more input on their design than Fred or Mari,” Henry explained, pointing to the original sketch. “Good thing I asked, because they definitely had some opinions! Once we got a rhythm going it’s just been a matter of me reworking the look from our last brainstorming session while they’re hanging with Sun, then tweaking whatever else I need to when they come down for a visit.”
“This is so cool, Dad!” Charlie said with a toothy grin, smiling at the consideration Henry had put into making Ennard feel more comfortable in their own skin. “So—we’re not going to tell Mike who this is, right? We'll just... Let him figure it out on his own?” She knew very well how pissed he might be at first when realizing everyone was helping Ennard slip into society in a way. “I hope he realizes we're doing this because it'll make the chances of them hurting someone else a lot slimmer...”
Henry gave a short, barking laugh.
“HA! Yeah, telling Mike’s out of the question for now.” He sighed, folding the papers back up and arranging them with the newest design on top. “I certainly can’t blame him for how he feels about Ennard—honestly, it’s a wonder he tolerates them well as he does right now. Still… that boy has a big problem getting stuck in the past.”
His face pinched into a grimace, knowing how ironic that statement was coming from a man who’d been making androids of his dead daughter for decades. Besides, Michael’s hatred and underlying primal fear of the amalgamation had been deserved. Too bad no one realized that by the time Ennard stumbled their way into Henry’s mock diner, they’d already come to terms with the fact that what they’d done to Michael was very bad… It was simply the guard’s instinct to slam the vents in their face and shock them with a taser if he thought it necessary.
Now though… Ennard had proven themselves to be trustworthy overall. Did they have some dark, underlying tendencies evolved from their original purpose that Henry was acutely aware of? Most certainly—hence the new body. As Charlie said, hopefully with this human form Ennard’s desire to blend in with society would be appeased and they wouldn’t go looking for alternate routes.
In the diner, Cassidy seemed excited about something other than revenge for once in her afterlife.
“I'm going to get the twins and Liz, then we can head out!” she said, eager to leave and explore with everyone. It sure beat the dour demeanor she normally kept.
“Uh—hey, Hannah?” Gregory cleared his throat, holding up the little digital art board. “By the way, I made something for you…”
Evan sensed that perhaps he should follow Cassidy to grab the others. Gregory had made it very clear to him in a whispered conversation yesterday between just the duo that this picture was specifically for Hannah… and while the image itself might not necessarily be private, the act of showing it to her was. With a lingering brush of his fingers on Gregory’s shoulder for good luck, Evan quietly floated away to follow his old suitmate in rounding up their companions.
“For me?” Hannah questioned, shifting to stand next to Gregory’s side and leaning in close. The red tint to her cheeks deepened as she took in the picture of her favorite animatronic holding his favorite guitar.
“Oh my god, you MADE that?!” Hannah gasped, clenching her fists and holding them up to her chest. The words could’ve been taken as condescending if not for the humongous smile that spread across her face. “Gregory, that’s so cool! Thanks!”
With a little squeal of joy, she slipped her arms around his shoulders and squeezed him in a grateful hug. And there it went—Gregory's ability to breathe, right out the window.
“I'm really glad you like it! I-I wanted to make you something because you're so nice to me...,” he said, managing to give her a fairly tight hug right back to match her energy as he spoke into her shoulder.
It seemed like Gregory and Hannah might never let go of each other. They stayed locked in a hug until the loud voices of the other kids cut through the air, upon which they quickly parted. Hannah let out a small, embarrassed laugh as she needlessly adjusted her ponytail, turning to the doorway as Evan led the group through.
“We’re ready!” the littlest Afton proclaimed, pointing towards the ceiling as if about to lead an army into battle. “To the Pizzaplex!”
Gregory cleared his throat, reluctantly letting go of Hannah. When he rose his eyes to finally meet the group and say hello, Liz gave Gregory a hug next.
“Love the hair, Mini-Mike,” she snickered, making Gregory roll his eyes as he patted her back.
“Good to see you too, Lizzie,” he replied, taking the comparison to Michael in a more flattering tone. He’d never admit it aloud, but in a way the boy had begun to idolize him just a tad. Following Evan's excited lead out of the diner, Gregory posed a question to the group. “Where do you all wanna go first? I'm down for whatever!”
“Ummm… the Daycare?” Evan suggested, knowing that was as good a place as any to start with.
“Oh, looks like the cavalry’s arrived,” Henry commented when the group filed into the room. He raised an eyebrow, noticing that all the kids were together this time. “You’re all going up tonight?”
There was a murmur of agreement, and Henry’s gaze shifted to Charlie. She’d barely gotten a week off and now she was the sole babysitter again… Her dad knew she didn’t mind, though. The look on her face made it clear that she loved watching over the little rascals, regardless of how much trouble they might be. Henry’s expression softened along with his heart—that was his daughter, caring through and through.
“Well, I couldn’t stop you even if I wanted to,” Henry laughed, stepping out of the way and gesturing to the door. “Have fun, and listen to Charlie! Make sure you’re back by dayshift.”
“You got it, Uncle Henry!” Evan sang, hugging the old ghost around the waist before moving to the door and eagerly awaiting Charlie’s signal to go. He couldn’t wait to show Cassidy all she’d been missing!
Cassidy caught up to Evan, instinctively putting her palm against his. She’d started out having to comfort Evan all those years ago, much to her dismay of feeling like she was “babysitting” him. Now, she just really liked his company. Joining hands when they walked just felt natural.
“Is the Daycare as lame as it sounds?” she asked, figuring there was a bunch of dumb baby shit there. Building blocks, toys made for learning versus having fun...
“Do you think we'd go to babytown to hang out if it wasn't fun? There's the biggest ball pit I've ever seen there! Plus it's got these two huge climbing gyms,” Elizabeth explained with a shake of her head, and that seemed to win Cassidy over.
Charlie watched as they started to wander up to the surface, following the lead of both Gregory and Evan for now. She felt safer walking in the back and keeping all of them in her sights. Even if most of the kids were dead, she knew they could still get into trouble...
“I'll see you later, pops,” Charlie said as she gave her dad a quick hug goodbye. An extra squeeze around the shoulders before letting him go, and she was off to herd the flock of kids towards the surface of the Pizzaplex.
***
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#fnaf security breach#fnaf sb#fnaf#fnaf au#five nights at freddy's#michael afton#charlie emily#fanfic#fanfiction#ao3#angelofrainfrogs#zeitghest#spend the night#going back#the wires that bind us au#sammy emily#gregory#glamrock freddy#puppet fnaf#ennard#moon fnaf#glamrock foxy#roxanne wolf#glamrock bonnie#evan afton#crying child#elizabeth afton#cassidy fnaf
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Going Back: Ch. 18
~Coauthored by @zeitghest~
Fandom(s): Five Nights At Freddy’s: Security Breach
Description: Things are looking up for Gregory. After putting the soul of a formerly-immortal killer to rest, he and his new family can finally begin their lives anew. Sure, Gregory might have been cursed with mysterious Remnant in exchange for being involved in this mess—not to mention his caretakers consist of sentient robots and ghosts… But there’s no doubt that the bond they share is unbreakable. They love him, and he in turn.
All in all, life is finally starting to go right for once.
…Unfortunately, true peace is a hard-won battle. There are other things to contend with besides William’s decrepit soul, and Gregory will learn that his role in the lives of the Aftons and Emilys is far greater than anyone could’ve imagined.
Rating: T
Read on Ao3
Terry and Rita tried to keep silent in each other’s presence. The acts they were committing here were felonious and could get them into big trouble—but the risk was worth it against the stakes of not finding Gregory. While his presence at the house was unwanted, it got the family more money at the end of the year. And now that there were eyes from the foster organization on them, having a solid answer for what the hell happened to him would also kept the Smiths out of jail for child neglect. A lot rode on finding evidence that Gregory was kidnapped and taken to this place… even if that evidence wasn’t entirely true.
Whatever happened, happened.
Terry couldn’t say he felt entirely bad for the kid. Gregory was a troublemaker and an attention-seeker in his eyes. He couldn’t help but feel somewhat responsible for the kid’s disappearance, but honestly he’d be okay on a personal level if they didn’t end up finding Gregory; in that case, all he and his wife could do was pick up the pieces and learn to forget about the horrible kid that used to live with them.
“Do you see anything?” Terry asked impatiently, poking his head around a corner.
“Not yet—and keep your voice down!” Rita hissed, shooting a glare at Terry over her shoulder.
They were on the second floor now, having bypassed the lower attractions of Fazerblast and Monty Golf. From the map they'd studied before their tryst, these attractions had elevators leading down to the main areas, which the Smiths did not want to get stuck in. Their plan was to check all the rooms on one level first, then move onto those more complicated ones.
So, the pair found themselves outside Roxy's Raceway, quickly slipping under the first garage door and out of the main atrium. Taking a minute to gather their bearings, Rita tilted her head to the side.
“Hey, do you hear... engines?” she asked tentatively, unsure if her mind was playing tricks on her. Despite the neon lights, this place was weirdly freaky at night. She raised an eyebrow at Terry. “...You think someone's on the racetrack?”
Terry slipped his hand over her back, right in the middle of Rita’s shoulder blades as he bent to look around a corner. Those were for sure the distinct sounds of engines roaring along the track.
“They have dummies to drive; they’re probably just doing some after-hours testing,” Terry mentioned. Though not a second later, the famed holler of Roxanne Wolf broke the monotonous sound of engines and tires skidding on the track. As the humans cautiously approached, Terry could plainly see Chica waving a little flag in her hand with Roxy’s face on it from the sidelines.
“GO, ROXY! Show those kids how to redline it!” Chica laughed, watching as the group of girls competitively flew across the freshly paved blacktop.
“What the fuck?!” Terry pulled his wife back, pressing themselves flush against the wall. “There are other kids here! Is this actually where they’ve been going?”
“What the hell are they doing around this place?” Rita murmured, though she knew her husband wouldn’t have an answer. This Fazbear conspiracy might go deeper than either of them expected. With a little click of her tongue, she shifted back into the shadows. “I knew this franchise was still fucked up..."
She pursed her lips, thinking of their options. It was impossible to tell what the kids racing around the track looked like due to their high speed and helmets covering most identifiable features.
“Hmm… that little shit would probably enjoy a high-energy sport,” she mused aloud, then stuck her head around the corner again to take stock of the situation. “Ugh, that stupid chicken’s sitting right there. Do you see anywhere else we can hide that's closer?”
It was a good question. Peering past where Glamrock Chica was waving her rally flag in the air, Terry noticed how the pit area curved back towards what looked to be a storage space for parts and tools. Careful with Rita’s freshly manicured hands, Terry grasped her wrist and nodded his head for the wooden dividers.
“We can sneak past the bird,” he suggested. How hard could it be? It was a robot, likely without peripherals. Slow and clunky, just like the old ones.
Terry started them off, hunkering down when the whir of tires and engines grew closer. Didn’t need one of those snotty kids ratting them out.
As soon as the Smith’s ducked out of sight, Chica’s head snapped up. Suddenly, she didn’t feel like shouting. She felt very aware that there were background sounds happening that didn’t make sense to the old bird. Turning at the waist, she looked towards the pit, bewildered.
Could it be Michael, checking up on them? Perhaps Sammy woke up from his nap?
But why would they hide? It one of the worst places to plan a surprise…
Chica could no longer stave away the curiosity. She staggered forwards, her legs seeming to have a mind of their own.
As Chica stalked the sound, Terry helped his wife get into a canvas cart, its insides stuck with oily rags to hide under. He chose the lockers nearby as a place to hunker down. When Terry heard the sound of mechanical feet stomping closer, he shut the metal door fast. Unfortunately, it was far too cramped to look through the holes in the locker and see what was happening—but he sure heard the robot’s approach.
“Hello? Is someone there?” Chica asked, wandering through the backroom and looking for anything out of place.
Rita held her breath underneath the rags, the intense smell of oil and grease making her lightheaded. How the hell had the bird noticed them?! Terry said the last time he snuck in, the alligator was completely at the night guard's beck and call—the robots shouldn't have minds of their own, let alone enough wherewithal to look for people...
Maybe Chica thought there were more kids around? It was clear to Rita the robots were being used to keep the children in check for whatever weird games whoever was behind this whole thing had planned. However, all the woman could do was stay silent, slowly pressing a hand over her mouth to muffle the noise of her breath when she couldn't hold it anymore.
Out on the raceway, the girls had finished up their last round and decided to take a break. After Roxy ran down the row of cars and gave everyone a high-five for their effort, Hannah took off her helmet and shook out her now-frizzy ponytail. Glancing to the sidelines, she was surprised to see the excitable chicken no longer waiting for them.
“Hey, uh... does anyone know where Chica went?” Hannah questioned, her gaze sweeping over the empty arena.
Roxy was the first to jump into action and investigate where her friend might be, sniffing the air as if that would actually help. Cassidy held her helmet under an arm, pointing out the dividers past the pit stop.
“Guys, she wandered back there during the last lap,” she elucidated, sounding somewhat confused as she said it. The chicken seemed invested in the race and had specifically sat out this round to play lookout, and it was odd that she chose to miss the very last portion and wander off. Roxy seemed to scoff at that, crossing her arms disapprovingly.
“I swear, that girl’s attention span needs a little tweaking,” she joked after a short sigh. “I’ll go check on her—Bonnie’s probably around and trying to get the big party all set up.”
In the meantime, as Roxy went to look for her friend, Charlie decided to keep the girls’ attentions by making small talk about the aforementioned party. Everyone in their rag-tag group was invited and expected to attend, after all.
***
Terry begun to feel sweat tickle the back of his neck as the bird repeatedly stuck her beak far too close to his hiding spot for comfort. If Chica found him, they’d be ruined. Not just socially, but financially as well with all the lawsuits they’d have to pay out for trespassing after being banned.
Chica didn’t know exactly what she was looking for, but when a hand grasped her by the shoulder she whipped her head back up in surprise. Roxy was smiling at her, brows pinched together slightly in concern.
“Chica?” she asked, back turned from both the lockers and canvas cart. “What are you doing? Party’s back that way, missy…”
Chica let out a relieved sigh, thankful that Roxy broke the cycle of thinking she heard the minutest creak and trying to investigate it.
“It’s so weird. Totally thought I was hearing someone walk back here. If it was Mikey, I was gonna ask him to play with us!” she replied with an embarrassed laugh.
Oh my god, just GO! Rita screamed internally, listening to the conversation between two animatronics way too close for comfort. Although, it seemed like the wolf had only shown up to find Chica, so at least they had that in their favor...
Unfortunately for Rita, it was becoming very stuffy in that cart. The fumes were getting to her, and the last thing she wanted to do was pass out. They would definitely be in trouble then—her husband wasn't adept enough to sneak in by himself, so there was no way he'd be able to maneuver the Pizzaplex and worry about her too. No, he needed her guidance to get through this whole fiasco.
And then, a rather unfortunate thing happened: unbeknownst to Rita, a rag that Terry had precariously shoved over her face had been slipping down by millimeters with each intake of breath. It finally shifted far enough that the end—stained black with gross oil—tickled the tip of her nose... and to Rita's horror, she let out a sneeze. It was a small, muffled sound, but by the sudden silence from the robots' chatter she knew she'd been found out.
Both girls tensed, Chica noticeably scooting closer to Roxy whose hair begun to stand on end at the sudden noise. Charlie didn’t sneeze, and the ghosts were incapable as far as they were aware. The bird’s eyes couldn’t see very well in this unfiltered darkness; Roxy on the other hand…
“Okay…,” she growled out with a frustrated huff. Whoever was sneaking around back here made Chica miss out on seeing her win the race! This had inherently enraged her. After making sure Chica could stand unassisted, Roxy dislodged from her and moved to the center of the room. With paws poised on her hips in an authoritative stance, she glared right at the canvas cart. “I want whoever is hiding to show their face. Now.”
When there was no answer or movement Roxy crouched lower, stalking towards the cart as she saw the heated mass hiding in plain sight. It was almost laughable how she’d missed it before.
“I’m going to start counting. You better be out here by the time I reach three,” she warned, coming closer.
Well, shit. This was probably the worst outcome Rita could've foreseen. Well, no—the worst would be if she let that wolf get her hands on her.
When Roxy's snuffling came just a bit too close for comfort, Rita acted. Jumping up with a scream for extra jarring effect, she threw a pile of dirty rags directly in Roxy's face. The woman barely had time to wonder why the hell a robot needs so many sharp teeth before she'd vaulted over the edge of the cart and made a beeline for the exit. She didn't doubt the robot would be able to catch up with her eventually, so rather than trying to run until Roxy lost her scent, Rita planned to slip out of sight as soon as the opportunity presented itself.
In her mad dash back through the raceway, she was able to sneak a quick glance at the people staring at her with mouths agape. They all had long hair, or short hair that wasn't the proper shade of her problem child—that immediately clocked them as not being Gregory.
Okay. One attraction down, a hundred more to go...
With a huff of determination Rita pushed herself forward, hoping Terry had enough sense to keep his big mouth shut so they didn't spot him, too.
Do not get up, Rita. Don’t fucking move—
Judging by the subsequent squawk of Chica and a low but frighteningly loud howl of the wolf, Rita had scared them both. Terry betted she was currently booking it and abandoning her husband for fear of those freak machines catching her.
“SECURITY ALERT!” Chica shouted, a domino effect taking hold of the entirety of the Pizzaplex’s new, updated security system.
First, any and all doors to the outside locked, their magnetized bolts latching and falling closed to keep the intruders inside. Next, the other robots were notified via their shared network. Now on high alert, they would act in accordance to their newest default settings: all banned civilians were to be held in the main security office—the same one where Michael received a bright flashing text on one of the flat-screen monitors.
TRESPASSER IN ATTRACTION: ROXY RACEWAY
With Roxy and Chica taking off in pursuit, Charlie knew what her duty was immediately.
“Girls, get to Monty Golf—you’ve got to find Gregory!” she ordered, standing in front of the gaggle of confused kids while Rita booked it to the door. “I’m going to help Roxy and Chica. If you see Mike, tell him the Smiths are back!”
There was no plan; no time to think. They just had to find Gregory before they did.
Elizabeth held onto Hannah’s hand, who in turn grasped Cassidy’s palm. Unquestioningly, Liz tugged them along and out of the attraction.
***
“Oh for—can I not have one calm night?!” Michael yelled, slamming his hands on the desk as he launched out of his chair like a rocket. His eyes had already been drawn to the movement of a very un-childlike figure dashing past multiple security cameras when the alert came seconds later. Bright red and flashing, it told Michael all he needed to know: there was a threat, and it was his job to help contain it.
Rita wasn't bothering with the whole “sneaking” aspect at the moment, so Mike was able to get a clear view of her face as she passed a camera directly outside the raceway. His jaw set in a hard line and he shoved away from the desk, slamming the release button on the security door.
“Those bastards...,” he snarled, moving as fast as he could towards the central atrium. Wherever the Smiths chose to go, Michael would be right behind.
***
Mini Golf just got weird…
Foxy, who’d been cracking wise with Monty and unabashedly cheating at golf to make the challenges harder for the kids, was now making sure the security gates to the attraction were pulled down and latched. Monty in turn was now circling the group of kids in an oddly defensive way, and it was clearer and ever to see that Sammy definitely took their animalistic into account when programming the Glamrocks.
“Oi—you lot ever play the quiet game?” Foxy remarked with a nervous laugh, teal coat swishing around his legs as he whirled to face them. “You win by being very quiet. We’re going to play that for a little bit…”
Gregory knew what that meant. That worrisome chiding sounded like something Freddy or Michael would tell him when they didn’t want to explicitly state the problem. Why did it feel as though something bad was about to happen?
“Evan?” Gregory whispered, his turn to hold onto his brother’s arm a bit too tightly now. “This is weird, right?”
He tried not to sound scared. Though Quinn and Cain looked equally puzzled and cautious, he'd rather they not make fun of him should this all be a false alarm.
Evan let Gregory cling as much as he wanted to, his focus on the suddenly hyper-aware animatronics. Monty in particular attracted his gaze, as the gator circled the boys with a menacing expression aimed at anyone who dared come near those currently under his protection.
“Someone bad is here,” Evan muttered, leaning in close to Gregory. He'd seen this reaction in animatronics many times before, although they'd usually been directed towards one man with a certain unfortunate face. “Their security protocols are activated... one of them probably sent out an alert and the others are reacting to it.” His eyes hardened into quite an unnatural expression for the usually good-natured boy. “I'm sure whatever it is, Mikey's on it.”
“Yeah, no need to worry a hair on your little heads,” Monty reassured, patting Gregory's shoulder as he passed during his rounds. “We'll get this all nice and sorted so ya can keep on playin' like before.”
With a high alert cranked to 10, it would be impossible for the Smiths to reach Gregory without facing off against at least two vicious animatronics. And while Gregory trusted in his new friends, he simply didn’t trust that things would be okay in general. The worst case scenario seemed to happen with every rough event at the Pizzaplex.
“Yeah! Captain Mike must’ve seen the alert; I’m sure once he’s done looking over the threat, he’ll swing on by to tell us it’s over,” Foxy assured the kids, standing like a stalwart statue by the entrance as he looked for any maniacs running down the halls.
The twins glanced at each other; fear of strangers just wasn’t in their brain chemistry, especially after they died. Not a moment later did the girls appear, Elizabeth leading the fray down the halls as their sudden appearance made Foxy jump a little.
“Girls—thank Neptune you’re all here!” He lifted the security gate, ushering them inside while counting heads. Concerned, he grasped Cassidy’s shoulder in passing. “Where’s Charlie?”
“She's chasing that lady who broke in; it’s awesome!” Cassidy replied, finding the chaos just a little bit enjoyable.
“It’s the Smiths! They’re back and looking for Gregory,” Lizzie revealed.
“Got it; come on in and join the party, girls,” Monty announced, trying to keep things light despite the way his jaw ground together. He was never programmed to maim anyone—unless a virus worked his way into his system, that is—but he was certainly able to rough people up, especially those on BANNED list. His claws flexed, itching for the chance to go at Terry’s weasel face.
Though the animatronics might not have the full picture of the depravity the Smiths put Gregory through, they knew these people had no business around children… and if their security protocols had been coordinated to amp up extra high for Freddy Fazbear’s kid, no one was going to comment on it.
Evan still kept his fingers laced through Gregory’s, though he was quick to slip an arm around Lizzie’s waist and hug her tightly. Hannah went to Gregory’s other side and held onto his forearm, a determined expression on her face.
“We’ve got a plan, remember?” the girl reassured, looking around to the other kids who nodded their agreement.
***
Mike had just entered the central atrium when he nearly ran headfirst into Freddy. As expected, the man was frantic with worry, wringing his hands together with nervous energy.
“Michael?! Bonnie suddenly announced a security threat and I heard the building go on lockdown!” he exclaimed, his eyes wide with great concern. “He ran off to search for the intruders—is it the Smiths?!”
Not for the first time, Freddy wished he was still connected to the internal network. He felt strangely inept right now, unable to get a full picture of the issue without asking security for details. Bonnie had just started pacing the outside of Bonnie Bowl where he and Freddy had been speaking. No words, just a hyper-vigilance that he hadn’t seen before in the bunny. Once Bonnie explained the situation, the old rabbit wasn’t surprised to see Freddy bolt away to find his family.
“Yup,” Mike replied simply, jerking his head indicating for Freddy to follow him. “I saw Rita hightailing it out of the Raceway, though Roxy and Chica were hot on her tail so I’m going back to case the area—I have a feeling they’re both around tonight, and I’m thinking Terry might still be camping out somewhere…”
“Did you guys see where they went?!” Charlie shouted, racing down a powered-off escalator two steps at a time. “The kids are at Monty Golf now, but we need to get them downstairs if our plan's going to work.”
She tried to remain at least a little cryptic in case someone was listening in on them. For all they knew, Rita or Terry were hiding just out of sight trying to see if security would mention their sweet, lost boy.
“No, I just saw Rita run out of Roxy’s place,” Michael reiterated with a shake of his head. “I was on the way over to check if Terry’s still there.” He glanced around the atrium, spotting Bonnie pacing on the top floor. Thinking over all their options, the night guard quickly whipped up a plan.
“Okay, here’s what we’re going to do,” he said, gesturing for Freddy and Charlie to come in close. “You two help Monty and Foxy get the kids downstairs. I’ll grab Bon and see if we can track down Terry; Chica and Roxy are already on Rita’s tail, so they’re covered. If either of the Smith’s wander into the Daycare, well…” He let out a dark little chuckle. “I’m sure Moon and Mari can handle it.”
As per security protocol, when the alert sounded the Daycare had gone dark, thus allowing Moon free reign to stalk anyone who dared intrude on his domain.
“Keep in touch with your phones,” Michael added, already beginning to move towards the bowling alley. “We’ll lead the Smiths to the basement when everyone’s in position!”
Looking around the group, Charlie nodded her understanding.
“I'll text you when we've made it—only call if it's an emergency!” she said as they parted ways. Her and Freddy split, heading down to find the others and lead them to the safety of Henry's workshop.
In front of Bonnie Bowl, the former bassist spotted Michael right away. He looked as if he’d been chewing nervously on two of his fingers, waiting anxiously for anyone to show up and let him know what was happening.
Right now, unbeknownst to the others, Terry was attempting to move from his hiding spot at Roxy Raceway in search of his now missing wife. This plan of theirs was quickly turning sour, and Terry wanted nothing more than to bail and go back home before anyone else realized they were there.
It'd be impossible for them to sneak home now. The band knew this—yet there was still a worry in Bonnie's mind about what the horrible humans might do to Gregory if they saw him.
“Mike! Ol' sport, it's good to see a friendly face! What's going on?” Bonnie asked, running up to meet with the head of security.
“Hey, Bon—security threat, as you know,” Michael began, wanting to make the explanation as fast and concise as possible. They could go over the sordid details later; right now, Mike just needed to make sure his little brother was safe. Grasping Bonnie’s paw, he tugged him towards the escalators to get him moving.
“Terry and Rita Smith are running around,” the guard continued, releasing the rabbit once assured he was following close. “Check your watch list of suspicious individuals if you need visual references. Long story short, they’re after Gregory—but we have a plan to get rid of them.”
The night guard glanced over his shoulder to flash Bonnie a brief, confident grin. The rabbit was clearly stressed more than he should be thanks to that pesky human soul influence, so Michael didn’t want him to get even more riled up. “You and I are looking for Terry, last seen at Roxy’s attraction. We’re going to find him and guide him to the basement, ideally by scaring the shit out of him—although we’ll use force if necessary. Got it?”
Bonnie clenched his hand in Michael’s, trusting him and his judgement before letting go. He pulled up the customer profile, finding Terry Smith’s name and face in a banned list, along with an associated profile for his wife, Rita.
“Force if necessary,” Bonnie replied, a bit calmer now that he knew the main issue and could help out with escorting this Terry fella. “It's only a matter of time. Do you think he was smart enough to use the backrooms to get around?”
Turns out he wasn't. If all of them were going after Rita, then Terry should be fine taking the normal way, right? If they caught her, then he'd pay for it later when—if—she made it home.
Right now, Terry had to get out and tell the police what he saw. Kids, all of various ages just hanging around unsupervised and clearly unrelated to the owner. Something weird was going on in this franchise, and Terry knew for certain that Gregory was caught up in all of it. It was the perfect distractor to cover up their own neglect of the boy.
Finding the fire exit locked, Terry cursed and knew he'd have to try for the front doors.
Michael answered Bonnie’s question by throwing out an arm to stop the bunny in his tracks. There was the man in question, trying to sneak through the shadows in the main atrium towards the entrance lobby. He still had a ways to go before he reached the exit, as his options were to either cross the main stage and be completely exposed to any robot or camera watching, or stick to the outskirts of the room and hope no one caught sight of him.
“Bonnie, keep an eye on him,” Michael instructed in a whisper, pulling out his phone. He opened the texting app to a group message between himself, Charlie, and Freddy, quickly typing:
We got eyes on T. Let me know when ur in position & we’ll lead him to u
Before slipping the phone in his pocket he made sure to turn up the vibration so there was no chance he’d miss an incoming message. It was imperative that everything go according to plan now.
As Michael and Bonnie waited for a response, they stalked closer to Terry. If he got too close to the exit they’d act regardless of where the others were, but hopefully it wouldn’t come to that.
***
Freddy was in the process of leading the kids down the twisting hallways to the workshop. He felt his phone buzz but was far too preoccupied with holding Gregory as tight as comfortably possible in his arms as they sped down below to answer.
No one was going to take his son. That was simply a fact, and the Smiths were about to come to terms with that once and for all.
“Charlie, did you get a message from Michael?” the ursine man called, speaking over the kids’ heads as Charlie brought up the rear along with Monty and Foxy. “I believe he may have texted the group.”
This is what they used by default, so it’d make sense for Michael to text them all at once—especially in this case.
“Texting him back!” Charlie replied in a shout, making certain with Foxy that no one in the group was lagging behind. Everyone was to be involved in their master prank, and they couldn’t afford to leave anyone in the dust.
It sure was hard to text and jog through this largely unregulated part of the building. Charlie nearly ran into a few support beams in passing before managing to send out the short message.
bring him down in 5 mins
Gregory clung onto Freddy, watching the trail of missing child's posters being kicked up from their escape below. If this all went well, Gregory would never have to hide again. He would be dead to the world with a new life waiting for him afterwards...
***
Terry himself wasn't confident at all in what he was doing. He knew the way, but there was no telling where those things were. Man, he swore he saw something, too. It made him hesitant to take the shortcut across the stage, though it’d afford him some valuable escape time. He eventually settled with his back against the wall, trying to maneuver around and keep his eyes on the room.
“I reckon I could catch him from here,” Bonnie murmured, low and slow for Michael to understand him.
Michael checked his phone, seeing it'd been just over a minute since Charlie texted him. With the time it'd take to actually get Terry down there, he figured this was as good an opportunity as any for action.
“Alright, buddy—I'm right behind you,” Michael said, giving Bonnie a nod. “Chase him down to the basement!”
***
“What's happening?! Is everyone okay?!” Henry asked, poking his head out of the door as he heard the cavalcade of footsteps approaching his workshop.
“The Smiths are in the building—we are putting our plan into action,” Freddy explained succinctly, and Henry's eyes widened.
“Oh! Okay, yes, go ahead! I'll wait in the wings in case you need back-up.” As Gregory passed in his father's arms, Henry was sure to brush his hand over his head in a reassuring gesture.
“Ooh, this is gonna be good...,” Monty growled with a wide grin, excited to see what these kids had in store.
***
Bonnie could act mean and vicious, even if he was a cuddly bunny rabbit by nature. The lumbering animatronic’s footsteps were suddenly audible when barreling towards Terry at a speed that made him freeze at the sight. In the middle of nearly pissing himself, Terry couldn’t even fathom which hulking creature approached and let out a shriek. “WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT—”
Like something out of the old cartoons, he ran in place for a moment due to the freshly waxed floors. He barely got five feet before Bonnie snatched him up painfully by the back of his shirt. There, Bonnie would hold Terry above the ground, the man listening to the hem of his shirt tear and stretch as he kicked his legs. There was no escaping, as Bonnie was quick to hold Terry across the chest.
“FUCKING LET GO!” the man cried desperately. “Give me back Rita and let us go!”
Bonnie thought it was pretty rude of Terry to try and boss him around. He shook him slightly, only serving to rattle the man further.
“Ill-mannered brat!” Bonnie scoffed, some form of strange ire peeking through his cheery façade that he refused to acknowledge. With Michael catching up, Bonnie begun their stride down to the basement. “We're gonna show you what happens when you don't behave around here.”
***
Roxy and Chica had been trailing the fairly clever Rita for some time now. Every now and then she made a noise that lured both of them ever closer to the Daycare entrance. Chica had been worried at first, as Moon and Mari were down there—though Roxy had to remind her there was a reason the Daycare attendant was in charge of the youngest kids here. No one really wanted to mess around with the hyperactive giant that liked to scuttle up the walls...
Moon was on hyper alert—even more so than the other animatronics due to his nature of caring for toddlers that could barely recite their name, let alone even fathom the concept of someone trying to hurt them. Right now, he'd clambered up one of the play structures and was clinging to the side, searching with glowing red eyes. Like Roxy, the Daycare attendant had special vision activated under certain circumstances—namely when a security breach had been announced. Whereas the wolf could detect body heat and movement, Moon was equipped with the most exceptional night vision technology this day and age could provide.
As he gazed around the Daycare, it looked to Moon as if he was seeing the room in the brightest overheads. Therefore, when Rita literally slid underneath the garage door Moon spotted her instantly.
“Well, well... Mari, we have an unwelcome visitor, ehehehehe...,” the attendant purred, his cackle no longer endearing. It had shifted to a tone of menace and he flexed his fingers in preparation to grab the intruder.
With Chica and Roxy in hot pursuit, Rita quickly took stock of the room and decided to throw herself face-first into the slide. Even if the play area was technically enclosed, at least there were many places to hide. Plus, she wasn’t too worried about that lanky Sun guy posing a legitimate threat. She fell into the ball pit with a heavy exhale, the remaining air in her tired lungs knocked out in a rush. Maybe she could just sink to the bottom and lay there for the rest of the night—
“WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT?!” she screeched, ironically echoing her husband in his simultaneous encounter with the no-longer-friendly Bonnie. Something was crawling along the jungle gym, eerie pinpricks of red locked on and staring into her very soul.
Mari could make out the shape at the slide entrance. A lady popped on through to their Daycare home! And not just any lady—she was Gregory's terrible foster mom. Mari may actually rip her apart before letting her get down to the basement, despite the plan. After all, there would be less chance in them finding Gregory if one was dead...
The little bot appeared behind Rita as if from thin air, having already been relaxed and lazing about the ball pit on her own when the security protocols were activated. Two arms latched around Rita’s shoulders and the unblinking Mari threw her whole weight onto the woman at once.
“Yay! Someone new to plan with me and Mr. Moon!” she giggled, pulling Rita down into the pit through sheer force of gravity. “You must want to stay with us real bad if you're here after hours!”
“What the fuck—huh?!” Rita was totally confused, her attention pulled away from Moon's stalking figure as a child wrapped herself around her shoulders.
Was this one of the kidnapped kids?! If so, she could totally use this girl to her advantage...
“H-Hey, are you... I mean, it's late for you to be here, too! Where are your parents, honey?” Rita asked, grasping the girl's forearms and trying to tug her off. She didn't use much effort at first but soon found herself legitimately struggling—why the hell did this kid have such a strong grip?
Rita thought she was real! Sophie had, too—as did any of the other staff she came across. Mari chalked this up as a testament to Henry Emily’s genius. She would answer Rita, honest to a fault and a bit proud as she revealed: “Oh~ I live here!”
There was no issue where she stayed, so long as she protected her target. Mari invaded Rita’s personal space, chin resting on her shoulder as she formulated a plan to lure Rita down to the depths below.
“O-Oh. Okay, uh, well—I'm looking for my son. I think he might've gotten lost in here some time ago,” Rita continued, voice straining from the effort of trying to rid herself of the sudden baggage. “I need to find him before he gets hurt, so it’s really important that you let me go—”
“Lying is against the rules, Mrs. Smith...”
The gravelly voice made Rita shriek and try to whip her head around, though she could only turn so far with the little parasite on her back. However, it was enough to notice that the tall, lanky figure had made it right to the edge of the ball pit and was staring down at her with an intense, terrifying grin.
“We don't take too kindly too rule-breakers, do we Mari?” Moon asked, glowing red eyes flickering to the little girl.
“What’dya say, Mr. Moon? Should we show her where the others are?” Mari giggled, like it was a little secret between them. Maybe this secret place would have Rita’s problematic son, living and breathing in a room waiting for their unwelcome rescue.
Or, his body could be stacked against the wall, cold and lifeless with other children just like him.
“Wait a sec!” Mari let out a sudden gasp, lips curling in a dark smile of faux innocence as her eyes grew dark. “I think I know where your son is~ Let me guess: fluffy brown hair? Hazel eyes? Covered in bruises and terrified of adults by default?”
For a moment, Rita felt like her heart legitimately stopped. The fucking kid was in on this, too? Although, pushing through the haze of panic Rita could see the resemblance between Mari and the CEO…
Shit. Somehow she’d ran right into a trap. All pretenses of being a concerned mother were gone. With a snarl of rage, Rita set her hand into a claw and reached behind her, aiming to grab the girl by her cute curly hair and throw her off. Pointed, manicured nails brushed the top of Mari’s head and—
She was stopped mid-action by thin fingers cinching around her wrist in a painful grip.
“How DARE you try and harm one of my friends?!” Moon hissed, giving her arm an experimental tug. It prompted a little moan of terrified discomfort from Rita, but otherwise she stayed intact. Excellent.
“Mari, my dear, please let go,” Moon instructed, and as soon as Rita was released he hoisted her in the air by the arm. The woman screamed as she felt the strain in her limb, sure that something was going to snap at any moment. However, William’s virus was gone—Moon wasn’t capable of seriously injuring a soul anymore.
Instead, he threw Rita over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, stalking his way to the exit where he could see Roxy and Chica watching the show. When he reached the girls, Moon shifted the kicking and screaming woman to hold her by the shoulders, staring deep into her eyes.
“You are BANNED from the Daycare—and the Pizzaplex! GET OUT!” he yelled, then casually tossed Rita at them knowing one would catch her.
As Mari fixed her immaculate curls, she enjoyed the show Moon made of tossing Rita to the wolves… And by extension, the chickens as well. Mari pulled down one of her bottom eyelids and stuck her tongue out at the neglectful mother to mock her. After watching Roxy grasp hold of her, Chica assisting her friend by holding up her legs, Mari shouted as the gates were closed.
“You get what you deserve~!”
“What now, Roxy?” Chica asked, none too bothered to help relocate the creep who snuck in here to begin with. She followed Roxy’s lead in keeping Rita restrained while she walked her backwards for one of the employee hallway doors.
“Charlie told me: take her down to the basement. We’ll hear them and know when to drop her off,” Roxy explained, grunting slightly when Rita struggled and treating the woman to a dramatic eye roll. “Hey, ma’am? Yeah—I’m trying to talk to my friend here, so can you please shut up? Rude…”
***
In the basement, the children were all in position. Henry had taken Freddy and Gregory into back room of the diner where they could hide—they might not be able to see the action, but they could sure listen in… and if they were careful, they could peek through the doorway and see the scared-shitless Smiths run past. The kids formed a gauntlet of terror, starting from Henry’s workshop leading all the way to the useless emergency exit of the burned-down restaurant
The basement was deathly silent, quiet enough to hear a pin drop… So it was abundantly clear when Bonnie and Michael appeared with the struggling Terry.
“Oh, will you stop screaming?!” Michael snapped, placing a hand on Bonnie’s arm to still his progress. They were just outside the workshop now, waiting for Rita’s arrival to release the horrendous foster parents into the worst haunted house of their lives. Rolling his eyes to settle on Terry with an eerie grin, Michael added: “Look, I’m not totally heartless… You wanted to find your son, right? He’s right around here! I’ll even give you and your wife the chance to look for him; isn’t that nice?”
Terry really wanted to stop screaming—god knows he didn’t want to die like this. A coward, even if that’s all he really was at the end of the day. Still, the animatronic gator and fox that’d started following them kept making scary faces over Bonnie and Mike’s shoulders.
Fuck! Terry felt like a scared kid and there wasn’t anything he could do about it.
“I can’t—I can’t!” Terry shouted with a cracking voice, hyperventilating between words. “TELL HIM TO STOP MAKING THAT FACE!”
When Bonnie turned to see what the human was talking about, he saw the old pirate fox hanging his jaw open, eyes rolled completely back as he twitched unnaturally. Bonnie let out a chuckle before dropping Terry on his ass, watching as he scurried to press his back against the wall.
“Stop your fussin’, now,” Bonnie chided impatiently. “The real fun will start when your wife gets here.”
“No more—please, we’ll leave and never come back! I promise!” Terry bargained. It seemed to be too late for that now. Foxy moved aside in the doorway as he heard two more sets of clanking footsteps against the tight-packed earth.
“Captain Mike! Our friends are back with another prize!” he alerted with a dutiful salute.
“Fantastic!” Michael flashed Roxy and Chica a smile. With one hand on his hip, he gestured with the other to where Terry cowered against the wall. “Set her down right there, ladies; thanks for the help.”
“Fucking get off me!” Rita shrieked, still fighting after all this time. She managed a pretty good kick to Chica’s sternum as the bird set her down, which caused Monty to suddenly lash out in a surprising burst of speed and grab the woman by the wrist, preventing her from running when she was set upright.
“HEY!” the gator snarled, tightening his grip as Rita started babbling nonsense in the face of the huge reptile. “Don’t be damagin’ the equipment, lil’ lady!”
Chica attempted to furiously wipe away the grime of Rita's footprint from her chest as Roxy inspected her for dents, briefly swatting away Chica's panicked hand to investigate the damage for herself. There was no impression made, but there was certainly a small scrape.
“Yeah, watch the merchandise!” the wolf snipped.
“Guys, relax,” Michael soothed, giving him a pointed look. “It’s time for them to look for what they came for.”
Monty sneered at Rita once more then let go with a shove, upon which she ran to the wall Terry leaned against and slouched next to him, trembling with rage and fright as she laced her fingers in his.
“Well, this is where we leave you,” Michael announced, pointing to the workshop door with a menacing grin. “The only way out is forward—unless you’d like to try and make it through all my friends back here…”
Jerking a chin over his shoulder to the line of animatronics, Michael indicated that this would be a very bad idea.
“T-Through there?” Terry asked, clenching Rita's hand tightly in his own. Who knew what was going to happen to them the minute they got up? In his eyes, they were all but kidnapped right now. “Wait—you sick fucks keep the kids down here?!”
“Shh!” Chica harshly scolded. The twinkle in her eye was sharp, implying she enjoyed messing with these guys as much as the others did. “Yes—and they have sensitive ears. No cursing... They might not like it.”
“Go on,” Mike prompted, raising a brow at the couple. He was getting tired of their whining and just wanted this to be over with. “If you need help getting up, I'm sure one of these lovely animatronics would be happy to assist you.”
For a moment, neither of the Smiths moved. Then, slowly, Rita got to her feet. She kept her hand tight within Terry's, not willing to let him go now that they were together again. At least if they died here, they'd go down together.
“I-I don't know what the fuck you guys are up to, b-but—”
“Cool it with the threats, will ya?” Monty chimed in, making a show of cracking his knuckles as he glared at the humans. “And get a move on—ya interrupted my golf game with all this mess...”
It was ridiculous. This whole thing was ridiculous. Whoever was behind this fiasco couldn't hold Terry and Rita against their will... Although the woman didn't miss the irony that she and her husband had done quite a bit of technically illegal and harmful things behind closed doors. Setting her jaw tight, Rita turned on her heel with a determined set of her brow.
“Just move as fast as you can and keep an eye out for... whatever the hell might be down here,” she murmured, leaning her head to Terry's. Feeling the glares of many pissed off robots on their backs, the Smiths finally stepped through the doorway into Henry's workshop, trying to imagine what horrors awaited them in the bowels of the Pizzaplex.
***
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Going Back: Ch. 13
~Coauthored by @zeitghest~
Fandom(s): Five Nights At Freddy’s: Security Breach
Description: Things are looking up for Gregory. After putting the soul of a formerly-immortal killer to rest, he and his new family can finally begin their lives anew. Sure, Gregory might have been cursed with mysterious Remnant in exchange for being involved in this mess—not to mention his caretakers consist of sentient robots and ghosts… But there’s no doubt that the bond they share is unbreakable. They love him, and he in turn.
All in all, life is finally starting to go right for once.
…Unfortunately, true peace is a hard-won battle. There are other things to contend with besides William’s decrepit soul, and Gregory will learn that his role in the lives of the Aftons and Emilys is far greater than anyone could’ve imagined.
Rating: T
Read on Ao3
Far too soon, a group message buzzed Freddy, Michael, and Charlie's phones in unison. It was from Sam, alerting them that dayshift had all arrived and it was time for their grand introductions. After a round of parting hugs and goodbyes, the trio headed back to the surface with Gregory, Mari, and the other Glamrocks in tow. Monty and Bonnie went their separate ways once they'd reached the top, leaving the rest of the group to walk to Sam's office. It seemed the CEO had successfully gathered all employees in one location, as the coast was clear of any humans along the way. Still, the group was cognizant of Gregory's position and made sure to keep him in the center of their huddle, away from any potential prying eyes.
“Sam?” Michael called, knocking on the office door. “We're ready—Gregory and Mari are going to hang in your office for a bit, if that's cool.”
“Come in!” called Sam, who once again was cleaning up around his office. All the spare parts he gutted and repurposed were put away in a recycling canister and Chica was standing, propped up on a barebones recharging station. Its fun casing was removed and a rudimentary stand kept her upright as her battery refilled slowly.
Sam had worked hard; now all that was left was Roxy. Tomorrow night, he’d get around to finishing her up. Then came the next project he planned on proposing at this morning's meeting.
Mari with her mask on had entered first, making Sam jump slightly, unable to recognize who was wearing the Puppet's face like that. That was until his sleep-deprived mind relaxed when the rest of his strange family wandered inside. Samuel rubbed his head, laughing to himself for being so silly. Who else would it have been?
“Yep! Make yourselves at home, you guys—I'll bring everyone back here in no time!” Sam might need to grab a coffee from one of the break rooms, unless he really didn't want to make it to the end of his own meeting...
Freddy had momentarily stalled at the sight of Chica upright and refurbished, hand pressed to his heart. He knew Sam had been working on her, but he hadn't expected her to be ready so soon. The Emilys were full of surprises tonight, it seemed. “Chica looks wonderful, Sam. I am sure she will be ecstatic to be active again.”
“Yeah, awesome job,” Michael praised, gently knocking shoulders with his old friend. He then reached up to pat Freddy's back, simultaneously to reassure him that he wasn't dreaming while also steering him back towards the door. “Come on—we can see her later.”
“Of course,” Freddy agreed, turning slightly to call for Gregory. “Superstar, have fun with Mari! Call Michael on his walkie talkie if you need anything, alright?”
There were a ton of spares lying around the office that the boy could use if necessary, though of course the group hoped there would be no further Gregory-related drama today.
Sam gathered a pen and a clipboard from his desk, grabbing for his own walkie. He was slightly embarrassed at how little sleep he’d gotten, and hoped the others didn't realize how exhausted he was. He had a plan to deliver to everyone and couldn't let them down. After all the chaos over the past week, the staff of the Mega Pizzaplex needed some direction.
“Thanks you guys; nothing some WD-40 and a soft mallet can't do,” Sam remarked said, really thanking his equipment more so than his own abilities. Quickly, he rose the walkie in his palm and spoke to the all-staff channel. “Meeting in 10 minutes, everyone—in front of the main stage.” Clicking off the mic, he patted Gregory's hair. “Be good. If you want to take a nap, there's the couch and a TV. Have fun, you two!”
Samuel tried to put an emphasis on be good. After all, this kid had quickly adopted a lot of Michael's habits and inclination for mischief. He gave Mari the same treatment, ruffling her soft hewn hair in his hands.
“Don't worry, Sammy! Gregory's under my watchful eye,” she said, lifting her mask and winking up to her old friend.
“I'm expecting a full report when we return, Miss Security Bot,” Michael told Puppet with hands on his hips. Then he realized she might take this seriously and added: “Uh, not really—just have fun and keep the kid out of trouble. Don't let him do anything I wouldn't do.”
“Ah, correction—do not let him do most of the things Michael would do,” Freddy remarked, raising a finger as he spoke to emphasize his point. Mike scoffed in offense, batting the redhead's arm.
“The he—eck, Fred, did Gregory give you an attitude update while I was working?” he muttered, barely catching his curse in time.
“I am happy; now that everyone is getting either refurbished or receiving new bodies, I feel as though everything is becoming right again,” Freddy replied simply, never one to shy away from speaking his positive feelings aloud.
The room was silent for a moment, before Michael let out a little sigh and hooked an arm through Freddy's, leading him out of the room before he could spout more pleasant commentary that vaguely made him feel like he wanted to cry.
“Let's go, sappy bear,” the guard said, a little smile on his face as he pulled his friend along to follow after Sam.
“Awh...,” Charlie murmured, thinking of Freddy still as a big teddy bear when it came to his more sensitive side. He cared so deeply for his friends; she was glad Freddy was beginning to feel better about everyone’s recovery. She gave both Gregory and Mari one big hug as she was able to fit the two comfortably in her arms before following the crew out.
***
Samuel felt a little nervous introducing everyone. In reality, not that many people came into work while they were closed. There was no need besides from a few shift managers and some specialized techs to help repair all the messed-up functionality around the Pizzaplex. Really, he wanted this staffing change to mostly spread by word of mouth.
Once arriving to the stage, the idle chatter around the group of people settled and Sam attempted to sound as unbothered and well-rested as humanly possible.
“Morning, everyone! Wow, what a weird few weeks, huh? It's almost time to reopen. And with the system repairs nearly complete, I've decided to hire a few more helping hands for plans going forward!” Sam spoke confidently, showing off the group that followed him. “This is Mike Afton, General Manager and new Head of Security. He’s also taking on some night guard duties. Before any rumors start—no, Vanessa is not fired. She's currently on a wellness retreat and won't be back for some time.”
Clearing his throat he moved onto Freddy, realizing he had no last name to introduce him with. “This... is... Fred Fitzburgh. New stage manager! He'll be helping out with detecting further issues in the band and coordinating the shows. And lastly, Charlie Emily! She'll be helping me out closely, so any questions or concerns you may have for me, you can always direct to Charlie.”
As Sam looked around the room, he felt that some people were confused with the abrupt staffing change—especially Sophie, who thought they already worked at the Pizzaplex.
The terms “stage fright” and “social anxiety” weren't even in Freddy's databank. Completely at home with all eyes upon him, he was the first to step forward with a winning smile, pressing a hand to his chest and giving the meager group of staff a small bow.
“It is wonderful to meet you all,” he said once fully upright again. It felt strange to be re-introducing himself to people he'd worked with, some of them for years. However, that'd been in a completely different capacity and while his animatronic friends might understand and accept the concept of data transfers and android bodies, he knew this would be a lot for most humans to handle. Regardless, he took the situation in stride, sweeping his gaze over the room. “I look forward to working with everyone to make sure that our shows and animatronics run smoothly. Also, please do not hesitate to ask me if you need extra assistance at any time; I am always happy to help!”
There was a hushed murmuring from the crowd as they stared up at the redhead, noting the confident stature and formal way of speaking. His formality was a bit unnerving, but he seemed like a nice person; reminiscent of one of their Glamrocks, in a way...
Before the crowd's attention was lost to speculation, Michael stepped up next to Freddy with a tinnier smile of his own. Unlike the bear, Mike disliked feeling as though he was on display with a passion. He didn't necessarily have a problem speaking to groups of people, but circumstances like these where he was literally forced to be the center of attention got under his skin.
“Hey, everyone,” he greeted with a wave, and the crowd instantly went silent. Whether it was his accent or the fact that he was an Afton that shut them up Michael wasn't quite sure, though he guessed it was a combination of the two. “Like Sam said, I'm here to keep things safe around here, though you can come to me with any issues you have. It's, uh... good to meet you all.”
Charlie gave a small wave before stepping forward next to her friends and brother. Easygoing, she gave off a similar energy to Freddy with her short and sweet speech that got right to the point. “Happy to be working here with all of you!”
She felt a little too closely inspected as the group watched her. She wondered if they were trying to figure out how exactly her and Sam were related. To Sophie, who knew the most out of everyone, Charlie was Samuel’s daughter. It wasn’t a secret that Sammy rarely spoke on his personal life. The Pizzaplex staff simply accepted that, while their CEO was nice for the most part, he wouldn’t get chummy enough with anyone to spill the secrets of his existence outside the neon-lit walls. Sure, the fact that he had a fully-grown daughter was a bit shocking, but with how odd Fazbear Entertainment had been from the get-go, it certainly wasn’t the weirdest thing about the company and its management.
“So—going forward, it’s going to be real busy,” Sam continued, scrubbing at the stubble coating his chin. “After making a deal with a few sponsors, I’ll be working on some new animatronics with my mechanics. I know a lot of you wanted a reintroduction of classic characters. So, in the spirit of trying to keep my own promises—” Sam let out somewhat nervous chuckle. “—we’ve already restored Bonnie to his former glory after his sudden decommissioning. Just know the vandal who ended up breaking him has been taken care of.”
He finished off strong and confidently, flashing his team a grin. “Any questions?”
Sophie immediately raised her hand. Sam was banking on no one wanting to ask in the group setting, but of course there was always one.
“I do—many, actually. Uh—” Sophie began, coughing into her fist to clear her throat. “I thought these guys already worked here?”
Charlie spoke up, giving lying another shot. “We were brought on to help out with the mess of last week. Then, Sam asked us if we wanted more permanent positions.”
Cocking her head to the side, Sophie raised an eyebrow. Considering how odd this meeting was and the timing of everything in general, she felt as if something was fishy about the whole debacle.
“Right…,” Sophie replied, pretending to believe them. “And the vents? Are we allowed to go near them again?”
“No, we’re still working on that rat problem,” Michael replied, unable to stop his eyes from flickering to one of the ducts high up on the far wall. To Sophie’s increasingly disbelieving gaze, he added with a shrug: “They’re really giving us a run for our money.”
Now that Ennard had Sun to spend time with, Michael hoped they wouldn’t track him as much… but he had no doubt in his mind he’d be subjected to the usual stalking at least once a night. Michael realized it would probably be in everyone’s best interest to have a conversation with Ennard at some point about how things were going to change once the Pizzaplex officially reopened—specifically, absolutely no wandering out of the basement when there were children present during the day.
“Just steer clear of vents for a bit longer,” Michael reiterated, managing to relax enough to flash the group an easy smile. “We’ll give you a heads-up when everything’s clear.”
There was another moment of silence until another employee spoke up with a half-raised hand. “So… you said Bonnie’s back?”
“Bonnie and Monty are back in commission, yes,” Freddy replied with an eye-crinkling smile, recognizing this man as one of the techs that often helped with animatronic repairs. “Samuel is working hard to get the others restored soon as well.”
Sophie blinked at this, unable to fully process that Bonnie and Monty were already up and running. The progress that Samuel had made in the past week would probably cripple a lesser man.
“Boss, have you been... sleeping? There's no way you did this all in a week,” Sophie remarked with a slight laugh to punctuate her sentence. The look on Sam's face told her everything.
With a slightly pinched expression and tapping the back of his clipboard, Sam responded with a shrug. “Oh no, not a lot.”
No need for his employees to worry about him, even if every time he shut his eyes Sam saw Redbulls and socket wrenches dancing in his vision.
“I aim to have Roxy finished by the end of the night Saturday; Chica's already on her way to a restart one she finishes charging. We should be ready to re-open next Monday without a hitch. Oh a-and Parts & Services is off limits for the time being. There's going to be some construction work as we move the department to a more convenient location...” Sam warned, knowing he was putting off the most important thing for last: finally sealing off that awful room.
“Like Sam said, any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us,” Michael chimed in, unsure if Sam had anything else he wanted to announce. If not, he was ready to get off this stage and away from the confused and mildly terrified gazes currently turned upon him. “If the person you speak to can’t help, they’ll direct you to someone who can.”
“We are so happy to be working with you all—” Freddy began, though Michael gripped his shoulder warningly. He didn’t want the sweet bear to lay it on too thick, lest the employees think the situation was fishier than they already did. He could tell that Sophie was very suspicious, although he couldn’t blame her.
“Anything else you wanted to cover, boss?” Michael intoned, glancing towards Sammy across the stage.
Sam answered with one last item on the agenda. After flipping through his clipboard, he held up two pictures from security footage for all the crowd to see.
“Yes—these two are named Terry and Rita Smith. Under no circumstances are they allowed inside the Pizzaplex. They're currently under a ban,” Samuel explained, though Sophie's eyes widened considerably once she recognized the couple from the local cable news.
They’d lost a boy—a younger kid with hazel eyes and brown shaggy head of hair. Sophie couldn’t remember the picture clearly as it’d only flashed for a second, but his visage tugged at her subconscious. Terry and Rita claimed that neighbors last saw him and a pair of twins heading towards Main Street. It led them to wonder if they were going to the Pizzaplex...
A murmured affirmation issued from the crowd. Banning people from the Pizzaplex wasn’t a common occurrence, but it happened enough that this wasn’t too strange. Of course some people recognized the Smiths just as Sophie had, but they weren’t going to question Sam’s decisions.
…At least, not to his face. There would be a lot of chatter in the break rooms over the next few weeks, that’s for sure.
“We greatly appreciate your understanding with all of these changes,” Freddy chimed in with his easy smile, though there was a hardness in his eyes imperceptible except to those standing right next to him. The mention of Rita and Terry made him uneasy, though he was glad that now Michael had legal reason to take serious action should they come traipsing around again.
“Absolutely,” Mike agreed, simultaneously clapping Freddy on the back and flashing his own confident grin. “Here’s to a successful reopening!”
With that, most people dispersed back towards their posts. It was going to take a few more days for everything to be as spotless and finely tuned as it once was. Come Monday, everything was going to at least look perfect enough for guests.
“Sam? Could I use the card to buy some hair scissors?” Charlie asked seemingly out of the blue. She’d recognized that some of them may have seen Gregory's wanted poster. So, she had an idea.
“Uh... Yeah—I suppose,” Sam replied, whipping around to look at her strangely. “Can I ask why?”
“I'm going to give Gregory a makeover! It'll make him less... noticeable,” his sister stressed.
“Charlie that is a wonderful idea!” Freddy praised, expression relaxing back into its usual calmness. Everything would be fine. Gregory would be fine. There were so many people looking out for him at this point—living, dead, and something robotic in-between—that it was hard to imagine a scenario where he wouldn’t be alright.
Still, while Freddy always tried to look on the bright side, he was rational and had a penchant for worrying. Changing Gregory’s appearance where they could would certainly help the situation.
“We should see what trouble those two got into… hopefully your office isn’t trashed, Sam,” Michael remarked with a snicker, starting the walk back to Sam’s office.
In the half an hour that the group was gone, Sam's office wasn't so much destroyed as it was a little unorganized. Gregory's drawing pad was in the middle of the floor. The TV played mutely inside the office as he and Mari sat inside a pillow fort made out of couch cushions. They’d created a mighty battlement with it, lining the bottom of the fortress with throw blankets Sam kept for long nights at work. At some point, Gregory had decided to curl up and fall asleep to the sounds of Freddy and Friends. Mari had tried to change the channel out of curiosity, but the remote needed fresher batteries to accomplish such a task...
The little bot still was sitting up, Gregory using her legs as a pillow while she watched the old reruns with a fixed gaze until the door began to crack open. Her head snapped to the sound, always alert.
“Hey, it’s just us,” Michael reassured, slipping into the office with palms raised. The look Mari gave the would-be intruder was calculating and menacing, despite the cherubic face. Mike laughed, taking in the pillow fort. “Wow, you guys have been busy!”
“Thank you for watching over him, Mari,” Freddy told her, stepping up to the pair and running his finger gently through Mari’s hair. His smile widened as the stalwart guardian seemed to lean into the gesture, then turned his attention to his sleeping son. With a gentle shake of Gregory’s shoulder, Freddy quietly tried to wake him: “Superstar, we are back. It is time to wake up so we can return to the hotel shortly.”
Just her friends. Mari's aggressive look dithered out and a smile replaced itself on her face. Leaning into Freddy's hand, she blinked up at him with an innocent look.
“It's no trouble; he's an angel,” Mari assured Freddy before he gently shook Gregory's shoulder's awake.
Gregory startled a bit, not quite used to falling asleep without Freddy around these days. Only when those glowing silver eyes batted themselves to full awareness did Gregory greet them all.
“Guys... Hey...,” he murmured in a groggy voice. With his eyes unfocused and sleepy, he raised a fist to rub the tiredness away. When he could finally see well again, he reached over and hugged Freddy around the shoulders. “How was the meeting thing?”
“I believe it went well,” Freddy replied, hooking an arm under Gregory’s legs and around his back to lift him up, letting the boy settle comfortably on his hip. “Samuel introduced us to some of the staff.” An amused smile crossed his lips. “Apparently I will be known as ‘Fred Fitzburgh.’”
“Yeah, we probably should’ve thought of an alias beforehand…,” Michael remarked, though he had to give the guy credit for coming up with a name on such short notice. “Some people are definitely a little suspicious of the sudden staff changes, but they probably just think it’s nepotism at its finest.”
As Michael spoke, Freddy wandered over to Chica’s resting form. Careful not to dislodge Gregory, he peered close to the meter on the side of the crude charging port. His eyes widened as he realized the bird’s power was at 97%. Looking to the CEO, he asked hesitantly: “Sam, is there a chance we can speak to Chica before we go? It is alright if not, I… simply wanted to ask.” His eyes flickered to the boy in his arms. “As long as it is okay with Gregory too, of course.”
Samuel wasn't super happy with how his staff might be viewing him right now. Then again, it was better than to have them know the strange, terrifying truth of what happened here this past week—not to mention the dark inception that’d started since Vanessa’s sudden “promotion” from beta-tester at a contracted company to a top position in the Pizzaplex.
As Freddy spoke, Samuel watched Gregory hide his face away in the man’s shoulder. He didn't seem too bothered by the prospect of Chica’s reactivation, too tired to really care. If Monty and Bonnie of all the characters were just fine, then Gregory could surmise the rest were purged quite expertly. With Sam's caring hand, the robots were free of this all-encompassing virus.
“Oh! Yeah, of course. She's probably almost done resting! I'll go power her on,” Sam agreed, careful not to step on Gregory's drawing tablet on the way over to the bird. With a swift hand he found her main power button, feeling under a panel at the side of Chica's neck. After pressing down and holding for ten seconds, Sam stepped back to watch the magic happen as she woke up.
Unsurprisingly, a few seconds passed by with no signs of life. Gregory peeked away from Freddy's shoulder with curiosity. Then, two bright blue eyes snapped open and immediately pierced back to Gregory's own silver stare.
"BA-GAWK!” Chica crooned, caught off-guard at the people watching her. Normally she would’ve woken up alone in her room...
But this was just totally weird. Why was she in Sam's office on the repair rig?
“Oh geez! Sorry there!” she apologized, blinking as she carefully moved her limbs off the sturdy structure. She gripped her head as if nursing some robotic hangover. “I must be out of it, man... I remember I was in my room last...”
“It is wonderful to see you back in commission, Chica!” Freddy was quick to speak up, pushing down the twisty feeling in his gut when she turned an utterly confused pair of eyes on him. He’d come to expect his old friends wouldn’t recognize him, but that didn’t make their blank stares any less hurtful. She’d understand his interest in her soon enough, but Freddy figured it best to give her a moment to wake up before regaling her with his body-swapping ordeal.
“You’ve been through quite a bit,” Michael informed the bird, stepping up next to Freddy. He gazed up at her with a satisfied smile, happy to see Sam’s efforts come to fruition. As a testament to how unafraid he was of the Glamrocks now, he thrust out a hand for Chica to shake. “I’m Mike, new head of security. I’ve been helping Sam fix you and the others up. It’s… been a crazy time around here, but everything’s getting sorted out now.”
He gave her a second to process, before adding on: “You might have some memory loss, but all your systems should be functional. How are you feeling? Any problems your internal diagnostics can detect?”
This was a lot to take in. The new guy was named Mike, Chica got that. But who was this dude with the little chick on his hip?
Wait—speaking of the chick...
She’d seen him before. The boy was definitely in her facial recognition bank, but strangely with no profile to match it.
Curious...
Chica shut her eyes, quietly running her maintenance folder before perking up. “Yeah, I'll be fine. Just, like... Totally out of it. Phew.”
She fanned a hand in front of her face dramatically. Her entertainment protocol was kicking in now that she recognized there were two kids in the vicinity. She bent at the waist slightly, looking down to both Gregory and Mari with smile in her eyes.
“And how are you two enjoying the Pizzaplex? You guys must be new pals of my good friend Sam!” she said, recognizing there must be a reason she was here with two tikes and the new staff members.
Gregory wasn't shying away from her, but seemed just a little hesitant before speaking. “Y... Yeah, Sam's my friend. My name’s Gregory...”
Chica cocked her head to the side. Gregory... She searched the name up in her internal hardware folder. A search on just the first name showed that, at one time, someone with that name was previously blacklisted. However, nothing came up in the present.
Weird. It must’ve been an error that was fixed by now. Even if she couldn’t actually recall meeting this kid, Chica reached out and gently patted the top of his head affectionately.
“It's tubular to meet you, Gregory!” she gushed regardless of his previous status in their computer system. It might not even have been for him, anyway—it was rare that children themselves were banned. Usually their parents were the troublemakers.
Freddy could feel Gregory’s tension at the sudden focus Chica gave him, made worse when the bird reached out to touch his head. Gregory flinched but didn’t give any indication of wanting his dad to whisk him away to safety, so Freddy allowed the interaction to take place. When Chica pulled back and Gregory did not look like he was either going to pass out from fear or punch Chica in the beak, Freddy allowed his own tension to ease. Things were going better than expected.
“Okay, I suppose introductions are in order.” Mike chuckled, giving Gregory’s hair a little ruffle of his own. He was proud of the kid for sticking his ground in the face of the things that previously tried to kill him—it was something Michael understood firsthand and made him appreciate Gregory’s resilience even more.
“You obviously know Sam,” the guard continued, gesturing to the older man who looked like he was about to fall over. As soon as this meeting was done, Mike was marching Sam straight to the Daycare for an extended nap… and if he refused, he’d get Sam’s loving animatronics to strong-arm him there.
Pressing a hand to his chest, he went on. “I’m Mike, that’s Gregory, and those are all the names you know. Now this is Charlie—” He pulled the girl to his side, gesturing to her smiling face. “—and she’s also a new employee. The girl with huge eyes staring up at you is Mari, and this is…”
Michael paused, looking to Sam and Freddy for direction. He didn’t want to overwhelm the bird and fry her circuits, although he could see Freddy practically vibrating with the need to let her know that her good friend was right here.
“Freddy,” the redhead piped up, his eyes shining brightly. “My name is Freddy.”
Perhaps she’d pick up the clues on her own and accept him immediately like Bonnie… or perhaps like Monty, she’d need some more convincing—and vouching from Sam—that this was indeed Freddy Fazbear personified as a human.
After waving hi to the girls, Chica was looking between Michael and the man that called himself “Freddy.” Then, she looked from the child on his hip right back to him, her eyes darting as it was clear the gears were turning hard in her head. Her first guess as to why he seemed so familiar didn't make sense.
He acted like Freddy Fazbear. Sounded like the bear, too. But Freddy wasn't a person...
That just couldn't happen. Not that Sam wasn't a genius—but how could Freddy suddenly become a human?!
Chica's hands were raised now, looking like she was halfway between pulling Freddy into a hug or pinching him to see if he was actually real.
“F... Freddy?!” she asked, eyebrows high on her head now as she tried to put it all together. “Like... our Freddy? Are you really real...?”
One of her oldest friends had changed seemingly overnight. But why? Chica would never tell Freddy what he could and couldn't be; only he could decide that for himself. She just wondered why and how he’d done it!
She ran her health diagnostics on the room. Only two people had a health signature profile pop up onto her interface, and that was when she finally nodded her head in somewhat of an understanding.
“You're all robots like me! Wow...,” Chica said, raking a hand through the lush feathers on the top of her head.
“I apologize for the unexpected change,” Freddy said, handing Gregory over to Michael with a grateful smile. As Mike set his little brother on his shoulders, Freddy stepped forward to slip his arms around Chica’s torso, squeezing tightly. Despite his tall android form, for the first time Chica beat him in the height department.
“So much has happened while you were asleep,” Freddy continued, clinging to his feathered friend as long as he could. He loved Monty and Roxy dearly, but there was just something special about finally having almost all the original quartet back that made his heart soar just a little bit higher. “I will explain everything over the next few days, I promise. I needed to take on this form to care for Gregory—as you can probably tell from the people he is around, he is quite a special child.”
“We’ve got a good friend that specializes in robotics who whipped us up a couple of androids,” Michael elaborated. “The rest of us also have, um… extenuating circumstances that necessitated these things. But we can guarantee that the guy hugging you right now is one hundred percent Freddy Fazbear.”
Chica sighed a simulated breath of relief. It was Freddy. She recognized the crushing hug style anywhere. No matter his size, Fred still managed to give bear hugs. Her arms gently slipped around Freddy's shoulders and hugged him close in turn.
“Freddy,” Chica crooned, happy that her friend was okay. Now that she was in her fullest mental faculties, Chica was able to finally express how worried he made her and the rest of the band that fateful night.
“You had us scared, you know—with your gnarly malfunction on stage. I'm glad you're okay...” she said truthfully, then let out a bright laugh. “And as for the kid? Freddy, that's so like you to take care of a little chick in need.”
She sounded so proud, always loving the chance to see the best qualities in her friends shine through, like Freddy's deep empathy for any and all people. And ever since Bonnie had been decommissioned, she was so fearful of Freddy being scrapped next and replaced with something new...
“You have to do what you have to do,” she said, knowing what that meant. Freddy had to leave soon and take care of Gregory. She didn't want to let go... Yet she made herself slowly unclench her hands from around his shoulders to hold him at an arm’s length and really look him over.
“You know, Roxy’s going to be bouncing off the walls when she sees you like this!” she laughed. The wolf might even be a little jealous knowing that Freddy could probably make it outside in such a form.
“I do not doubt that,” Freddy replied with a smile so wide his entire face hurt. “Monty did not put me down for some time when he saw me! And as for—”
Freddy cut himself off, eyes growing wide with excitement. Though he’d need to part with Chica far too soon for his liking, he could leave her with a surprise that would certainly distract her from any negative feelings she might have from his temporary departure. When Chica finally released him he took a step back only to grasp her hand between both of his own.
“When Samuel gives you the okay to free roam, I suggest stopping by the bowling alley. You will be very happy with the recent addition he and Michael have incorporated.” With a final knowing wink like they were kids sharing a secret, Freddy let Chica’s hand slip from his grasp and moved back to Mike, who returned Gregory into his waiting arms.
“It’s great to meet you, Chica,” Michael said, and he meant it. “Any mechanical or technical issues, you can come straight to me, okay? For the next few days we’re all working the night shift, though I show up a couple hours earlier to help Sam out. You let me know if anything feels funky, and I’ll get you fixed up in no time.”
Chica already knew she was going to like Mike. Sending him a thankful grin, she flexed her articulate hand in a wave to the “humans” and watched as the rather sleepy child was transferred back into Freddy's waiting arms. The way he immediately reached for Freddy, dependent like the patrons were for their parents told Chica everything she needed to know that their whole deal was for real.
“Thank you, Mike! I'm feeling pretty good—you and Sammy did a great job!” she praised, thinking that she'd have to go see what was so important down at Bonnie Bowl.
After all, she typically tried to avoid the whole place these days. She wasn't specifically designed to feel pain. Still... When she thought about Bonnie, her throat felt tight as if she just couldn’t sing or move in the ways she usually could. It was sadness—something she wasn't programmed specifically to feel, but had become a learned emotion over time.
“I'll probably head to Bonnie Bowl after I catch up with my good friend Sam!” she replied energetically. Too bad Sam was currently leaning into her like he was going to pass out. “Or... Maybe I'll take him to see Mr. Moon in the Daycare first!”
“I think a trip to Moon is exactly what Sam needs,” Michael murmured, his tone indicating that it wasn’t meant as a suggestion. He gave Sam a brief hug, speaking into his ear: “Get some damn sleep, okay, Sammy? I’ll be back to help with Roxy before night shift.”
Feeling it was time for their departure soon, Mari came over to the group, first silently hugging Michael goodbye around the legs and then moving onto Charlie and Freddy. She took Gregory's hand in hers and rubbed his palm on the top of her head.
“I'll miss you guys. Come back soon~” Mari asked of them, her voice sad to see them go. This must always be what she felt when she sees them leave, as though they'd never come back...
Discreetly, Mari slipped a little green band on Gregory's wrist. She’d insisted Henry make an extra before working on her new body and was determined to use it properly this time. Gregory was too tired to notice it, but was awake enough to rake his fingers gently through her hair in quiet response to her affection.
“We will see you tomorrow, Mari,” Freddy assured the little security bot, offering her his kindest smile.
“Hey, quick request—” Michael piped up as they set out. “—can we swing by the gift shop? I was looking around for cool merch during one of my breaks and I found something good.”
There was an eager shine to Michael’s eyes that was impossible to deny. Whatever he found must have amused him greatly...
“I am fine with that, as long as we do not take too long,” Freddy replied, holding his son close. “Gregory is already falling back asleep…”
“Five minute detour, tops,” Michael reassured with a grin.
Charlie had perked up at this. What on earth was Michael up to? She knew that grin well enough to know it could either be something that made him die laughing at some point, or something he wasn't expecting them to take seriously. Either way, Charlie was dying to see it.
Sam told them with the last remaining brain cells floating in his sleep deprived mind: “Go ahead; you know you can take anything you need—”
As he was interrupted by a yawn, Chica lovingly scooped Samuel up into her arms. She shushed him, and Mari went to get the door for everyone.
“Goodbye, everyone! We'll see you real soon,” Chica bid, happily waving farewell to the group with Samuel's limp hand.
***
When they reached the gift shop, Michael rushed to the storage area and pulled out the box he’d hidden away at the back of a far shelf. He was starting a little collection of things—some items he found cool, but mostly merch he thought his friends might like. It was always good to have a stash of surprise presents; you never know when you might need them!
Soon Michael emerged with a piece of clothing. Freddy instantly recognized it as his color palate, and his old databank of Fazbear merch pulled up exactly what this item was. He let out a little aww as Michael stretched out his prize, revealing one of the limited edition Glamrock-themed zip-up hoodies. This one was of course Freddy’s model, mostly orange with a cream oval on the chest and the signature blue lightning bolt in the center. The thing even had faux red shoulder pads, though arguably the most noticeable—and adorable—feature was the hood designed to look like Freddy’s head, complete with bear ears and a little black and blue top hat.
“Oh, Michael, how sweet!” the former bear exclaimed, his eyes wide with mild surprise. “I thought this sold out months ago!”
“Well, that explains why this was the only one I could find,” Michael replied. “Our biggest concern is Gregory’s face being recognized, so I figured if we can cover it with the hoodie it’ll be a little less stressful for all of us waking to and fro. If he’s in your arms like right now, you’ll just have a mini-Fredbear and no one will question it!”
“That is brilliant,” Freddy praised, and Michael rubbed the back of his neck with an embarrassed laugh.
“Okay, okay, it’s not that smart… Now come on, kid—” The eldest Afton lightly jabbed a finger into Gregory’s side. “—sit up so I can put this on. Then you can pass out for as long as you’d like.”
Gregory opened his eyes again, half attempting to pay attention to the conversations being had inside the waking world. When he processed what he was looking at, Gregory seemed excited to curl up comfortably with the fleece-lined hoodie.
“That's for me?” he asked in a groggy manner. Charlie chuckled at him; the poor kid was so sleepy he couldn't quite pay attention long enough to know. Still, he was good and stretched out his arms to allow himself to be dressed up.
After zipping the hoodie up himself, he flung the heavy hood forward. Then Gregory went right back to stuffing his face into his father's shoulder to try and catch up on some shut-eye. It was hard being a kid without a real sleep schedule sometimes, but Gregory made do.
“Alright, night...” Gregory yawned, grasping the front of his dad's shirt for comfort as he drifted back off to sleep. Charlie reached up, gently tugging the hood further in front of Gregory's face before giving the group a little thumbs up.
“This was a good idea, Mike,” she said, impressed at his little hidden plan to put aside the merch that would help Gregory in the long run.
“I figured he’d like it, what with his Freddy obsession and all,” Michael joked, though it was clear he found the whole thing endearing. No matter what form Freddy wore, everyone would always have a soft spot for the original animatronic bear look. With a chuckle, Michael patted the hoodie’s top hat on his way to the door. “He’s super cute though, I’ve got to admit.”
Thank god Gregory was too exhausted to fight back… Under normal circumstances Michael would’ve been attacked for such comments. For now though, the boy was content to rest in the safe warmth of his father’s arms as the group traveled back to the hotel.
Once they all got to the hotel room, safe and sound without any prying eyes to watch the family's every move, they entered and Charlie immediately went to draw the blinds for Gregory. The sun was far too bright outside, and might intervene with his nap. When she turned around, watching Freddy nestle Gregory on the bed beneath the covers, she couldn't help but smile.
“Look—he's a baby bear cub,” she remarked, knowing if Gregory heard her call him that, there would certainly be hell to pay. Though it was kind of true, being Freddy's kid and all.
Charlie had learned how to use her phone fairly quickly in the past 48 hours. She raised her camera and snapped a quiet picture to remember him like this: peaceful and sleeping in tranquil bliss before he was awake and running around everywhere again. “When he wakes up, I'm going to ask if he wants me to cut his hair...”
Freddy simply nodded in acknowledgement, a faint smile on his face as he ran his fingers through Gregory’s hair. They were both underneath the covers, Gregory still in his hoodie and curled up to Freddy’s chest as his dad rested on his side, one elbow on his pillow to keep his head propped up.
“M’kay, I’m going to follow Gregory’s lead and pass out for a bit,” Michael announced in a hushed voice, kicking off his shoes and hopping into the other bed. He didn’t even bother removing his security guard uniform, suddenly hit with a wave of exhaustion as the day caught up with him. Even these android bodies had their limits, it seemed. Still, it’d be nice to get some actual pajamas in the near future…
But Michael didn’t have time to worry about that right now. Dreamland was calling and he didn’t want to miss his appointment. With a huge yawn, he patted the empty spot next to him.
“You should guys should try and get some rest, too,” he advised, then promptly rolled over so his back was to the others, leaving it up to Charlie whether she’d take his suggestion and crawl into bed as well. Within a minute, Michael’s breathing slowed as he quickly drifted off to sleep.
With everyone having a fully messed up sleep schedule, Charlie had to agree with Mike. It wasn’t long before she was kicking off her shoes as well and flinging herself in beside him. There was hardly any time to argue; her robotic body needed some way to recharge, and sleep was the best answer right then. She made sure to cover them both with the cushiony comforter and took one last look over to her friends in the bed besides them.
She may be overthinking it, but the way Gregory slept had changed a little since that first night in the hotel. Where he was once curled in on himself and huddled in a tight ball Gregory now laid sprawled out, usually with one fist curled into his father's shirt for comfort. It brought a smile to Charlie’s face knowing he was becoming more comfortable. With all the stress in their lives, she could count her blessings that at the moment Gregory—for the most part—appeared to be just fine.
***
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#fnaf security breach#fnaf sb#fnaf#fnaf au#five nights at freddy's#michael afton#charlie emily#fanfic#fanfiction#ao3#angelofrainfrogs#zeitghest#spend the night#going back#the wires that bind us au#sammy emily#gregory#glamrock freddy#puppet fnaf
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Going Back: Ch. 3
~Coauthored by @zeitghest~
Fandom(s): Five Nights At Freddy’s: Security Breach
Description: Things are looking up for Gregory. After putting the soul of a formerly-immortal killer to rest, he and his new family can finally begin their lives anew. Sure, Gregory might have been cursed with mysterious Remnant in exchange for being involved in this mess—not to mention his caretakers consist of sentient robots and ghosts… But there’s no doubt that the bond they share is unbreakable. They love him, and he in turn.
All in all, life is finally starting to go right for once.
…Unfortunately, true peace is a hard-won battle. There are other things to contend with besides William’s decrepit soul, and Gregory will learn that his role in the lives of the Aftons and Emilys is far greater than anyone could’ve imagined.
Rating: T
Read on Ao3
“Oh shit…,” Michael breathed in a whisper, he and Charlie stopping in their tracks. The voices muttering from the darkness were completely unfamiliar, as were the way they snapped at each other. The closest Michael could compare it to was when he’d bickered with Lizzie and Evan as kids. With a grimace, he leaned towards Charlie to whisper in her ear. “I think these might be other kids who… you know.”
He couldn’t help but glance over his shoulder at where the endoskeletons stood, still and silent in their dismantled states. With a shudder, he also recalled the image of three small bodies wearing demented S.T.A.F.F. bot masks. Out of the trio, Michael had only recognized Hannah’s tiny, frozen frame.
“Hey, um… we’re not here to hurt you,” he said, trying to sound calm despite his racing mechanical heart. Charlie may have done this sort of thing many times, but Mike was still new to the whole concept of giving recently-deceased children her Gift. Keeping a tight hold of Charlie, he offered the voices a tiny smile, unsure if they could actually see it in the darkness. “I’m Michael, and this is Charlie. We’re friends.”
To the girl at his side, he whispered: “I thought you said Hannah was the only one that came back!”
Charlie gave him a hard shrug so he could feel her equal confusion.
“I tried to bring back three kids. I only got Hannah,” Charlie explained in a hush. She alternated into a louder call, adding a tense smile to her voice just like Mike. “Hello? I’m Charlie! We only want to help—”
Then, it was back to whispering with Michael. “—these must be the other two. I didn’t sense anything when we came in here today; they must’ve been hiding!”
It was the most logical conclusion she could draw.
“Can you believe they're whispering about us like we're not here?” sounded a voice from directly behind them, making Charlie actually jump in shock. “Hellooo? Do you guys work here? One of your stupid employees locked us in this shitty room!”
As one, Charlie and Michael whipped around and saw the two apparitions. Charlie took stock of the way they looked and it made her regret opening her eyes. They were two pale, fair-haired boys. Their heads from the crown to their jawline were leaking steady streams of blood, so vivid and dark that Charlie thought it was all a bad dream for a moment—too much at once to be real.
“Yeah,” the other agreed, crossing his arms and leaning against his brother, his crooked neck making him a little shorter than his sibling. “You guys sure took your sweet time finding us.”
It took all of Michael’s willpower not to scream at the sight of the ghosts. He was used to apparitions that were indistinguishable from living humans unless you looked really hard—these boys appearing as they did the moment they died was something else entirely. Their bleeding heads reminded Michael way too much of Evan’s mangled body after he’d been pried from the jaws of Golden Freddy…
Despite William’s instruction to stay in the back room, Michael couldn’t resist the urge to see the damage he’d done to his brother. That whole day was a horrendous blot of darkness in Michael’s memory, but the image of Evan’s bloodied, slack-jawed face with eyes rolled far back into his skull was the focus of his nightmares for decades afterwards.
Finally releasing Charlie, Mike pressed a hand over his mouth and tried to take deep breaths as he started to tremble. However, this only strengthened the scent of death and decay he inhaled from the bodies in the corner, so he quickly scrapped that idea, thankful androids didn’t need to breathe. He didn’t want to offend or upset the kids—it wasn’t their fault they looked like that—but Michael wasn’t going to be any help until he cleared his head first.
“J-Just give me a s-sec,” he choked out, meeting Charlie’s gaze for the briefest second before fully turning away.
“Yo, lady is he gonna throw up?” the first boy asked, peeking over to where Michael was taking a time out. Charlie tried her best to shield Mike with her body and distract the spirits.
“Him? Nah, don't even worry about him. What's your names?” Charlie begun to investigate, trying to figure out exactly how much they knew what was really going on.
The more dominant of the two brothers stepped forward and jabbed a thumb towards himself. “We're Cain and Quinn. I’m Cain; he’s not. Figure the rest out. I'm getting tired of being locked in this room, so can you tell your friend to hurry up?”
The snappy tone was not helping the situation, making Charlie narrow her eyes at the pair.
“Bad news, kid,” she said bursting the thirteen year old's bubble. “We don't work here. Besides, last time we checked that door could open...”
Now the children stirred uncomfortably, false confidence that was there before met with uncertainty. The two brothers looked between each other, concerned. Charlie, in the meantime, looked behind herself and took stock of her friend still recovering from the initial shock. It was how Hannah looked too, until she remembered. Then it was all a matter of keeping one's emotions in check to control their appearance. Something told her it might take a moment to help these stubborn kids, and with Michael still trembling they would get nowhere fast.
Charlie walked over and rubbed between Mike's shoulder blades as she spoke to the boys. “How long have you guys been in here?”
This only seemed to cause the brothers more confusion, sharing a quizzical look amongst themselves. Cain was the first to speak again.
“Like a week—”
“—You don't know what you're talking about.” Quinn rolled his eyes, his voice taking on a less ethereal tone. “It's been like a night.”
“No! Shut up; okay, like—we've been in here for a week. Quinn doesn't remember anything. Ass-hat...” Cain bickered back, adamant about how lost they were before, and how long they seemed to have been trapped in the darkness.
As the boys argued, Michael managed to pull himself together and straighten up. Luckily this was getting to be an easier task each time, the panic attacks less debilitating when he reminded himself of two important facts: William was gone for good, and Evan and Lizzie forgave him for how horrible he'd been as a snot-nosed teenager.
Speaking of such children, when Michael turned around he was able to get a good look at Cain and Quinn. Beneath the blood trail, they seemed like totally average kids—albeit pissed-off ones, though Mike certainly couldn't blame them.
“Sorry you got stuck here, guys,” he told them, offering a weak, sympathetic smile. He paused, then gestured awkwardly to the dark room. “Stuck in general, I mean, with... with what happened. You got brought back last night because of Charlie here.” He patted his friend's shoulder, also as reassurance that he was okay and she could now focus her concern on the ghost kids. “She was trying to see if anyone was still hanging around so she could help you out.”
Cain threw up his arms, exclaiming: “Yes! That's what I was trying to say! We need help—wait, what do you mean brought back?”
He’d been sidetracked, looking between the strangers with animosity. When Cain glanced to his brother, it was almost like he was seeing the blood for the first time.
“—SHIT! Dude, your head!” The boy pointed, cowering away from his sibling.
As Quinn looked back he gasped, seeing an equivalent shimmering dried blood on Cain’s horrified face. “MY head?! Dude, your head!”
The proceeded to touch each other's skulls without the ability to really feel the pain. It looked painful, but almost synchronically the twins found out nothing really hurt. Not anymore.
“Guys, you've been in this room for at least a week. How do you think you've been eating…?” Charlie asked them, allowing the truth to sink in silently for a moment.
“Damn it! I knew we shouldn't have followed that weird kid inside...,” Quinn griped regrettably. His arms crossed as they blamed everything but themselves. Why should they have trusted the grimy, neighborhood outcast to begin with?
…Because it’d been something to do, was the answer, ironic in its simplicity. The twins didn't have money to spend on games or pizza at the mall, so they snuck in alongside a boy who promised they could get free pies and games if they were careful about it.
Michael frowned at the mention of a “weird kid,” but decided not to question it right now. They needed to focus on getting Quinn and Cain to accept they were dead without them having a mental breakdown, if possible.
“Hey, guys?” Mike spoke up, calling the twins' attention to him. “Look, I'm not going to lie: this situation sucks. You don't deserve what happened to you—you were just in the wrong place at the wrong time.” He let that sink in, hoping the kids wouldn't be too offended by his more direct approach.
“But, unfortunately... you're not the only one this happened to,” Michael went on, his voice a bit softer along with his expression. He slung an arm around Charlie's shoulders, trying to sell the twins on their casual, friendly demeanor. He pointed his free thumb to Charlie, then to himself. “Charlie and I? We've been working to put things right, and we've found a few other kids that ended up like you. It's horrible and you have every right to be upset—but just know that you're not alone. If you want, we can take you to see the others; they're always up for new friends... Well, once we figure out how to get out of this room.”
He glanced sidelong at Charlie, hoping he hadn't overstepped whatever routine she had for dealing with these temperamental ghosts.
Charlie gave Michael a supportive nod, appreciating the help. Being essentially this company’s personal grim reaper was tiring. While she’d never had someone assist her in talking down spectral children before, she found it helped exponentially—especially when there was more than one lost soul to comfort.
“Just like that? Dude—right on our 13th birthdays?” Cain asked, arms bent at the elbows and facing palm up. When he looked to his brother and found him unresponsive, Cain nudged Quinn roughly. The sudden, jarring memory of a spike bursting through the top of his brother's skull, blood spraying out like an aggressively shaken can of pop had made Cain weak in the knees as he began to really shake his shell-shocked brother. “QUINN, ANSWER ME, I'M FREAKING OUT!”
It wasn't long before Charlie came over, touching the volatile kid's shoulder. She had some words of encouragement, but found she didn't need them as Cain turned and beat the sides of his fists against her ineffectively.
“No! Don't touch me! I-I'm not dead, okay?! I'm not and neither is he! Got it?!” The threat was vague and scared, coupled with Cain’s writhing as Charlie caught his wrists in her hands. She simply held them as Cain began to weep, all while his brother stared deeply into the rusted grain of the floor.
Hesitantly, Michael moved to Quinn's side, crouching slightly to look into his blood-smattered face. The boy's gaze was far away, and Mike could only imagine what horrors he was reliving.
“Hey...,” he murmured, reaching out a tentative hand and touching his shoulder. Quinn winced away, causing Michael to snatch his hand back with a quick apology. “Sorry! Sorry...”
He paused, rubbing the back of his neck as he glanced to where Charlie was trying to comfort the other twin. Eventually, Michael turned his focus back to Quinn with all the empathy he could possibly muster.
“Okay, so you guys had the shittiest 13th birthday ever... I get that. Mine sucked ass, too.” He offered a tiny smile, though it garnered no response. “But you want to know something kind of cool? You guys have powers now—Charlie can show you how to use them. At least that's something, right?”
“Powers?” Quinn finally perked up. Perhaps friends and powers could make up for the world’s suckiest birthday party...
Charlie eventually resigned that Cain, in all of his impotent rage, had given up the fight quickly and chose to sob into the front of her shirt. There she would pet down the back of his head, encouraging him to cry it all out as she watched his brother’s progress.
“Yep. You guys are going to feel a little silly for being so upset,” she said to hype up the only pros there were to being dead. “Floating, transparency, and did you know you can just possess things?”
Quinn gave a shrug, a small smile cracking at the corner of his lips.
“Cain? Hey... I-I'm sorry, lady—uh, Charlie. You know, for my brother...” Quinn pulled his more emotional sibling away and hugged him, their appearances becoming more normal and their features more clear. Not to her complete shock, Charlie found herself recognizing the brothers from one of the many missing person’s flyers that had found their way into the basement.
“Seriously, you don’t have to apologize,” Michael spoke up for Charlie, knowing she wouldn’t mind. He stood again, flashing her a relieved grin before looking back to the brothers. “Like we said, we’re here to help—both with the bad stuff and the awesome things like supernatural powers.”
Mike glanced around the room, his eyes settling again on the sliver of light coming from underneath the doorway. His grin brightened and he raised a questioning eyebrow at the twins.
“Actually, maybe you can test one of them out? We’ve got to get out of this room, but the button for the door is on the outside—do either of you think you’d be up for trying to phase through walls?” He shoved his hands in his pockets and gave a nonchalant shrug. “Personally I think that’s a great one to start with—it’s a classic, after all.”
Quinn wondered if he and Cain could go together. It took a minute to get his sibling to calm down, and though their words earlier were harsh to each other, the two appeared to get along better when the other was in need. As Cain wiped his eyes, his told his brother: “I know you want to go, you better not leave me here.”
The threat was empty, but Quinn seemed to appreciate it nonetheless and escorted Cain towards the door. With beginner’s luck, the two of them phased through the thick metal in a singular step. Their forms disappeared for all but a moment before the door was opened again.
“Good job, you both!” Charlie cheered, covering her eyes from the obnoxious glare of the light in the main room.
Mike leaned into Charlie again, placing a gentle hand on her back as he murmured in her ear: “I’m going to dismantle the last endo—give me two minutes.”
True to his word, Michael sped back to the last “active” robot and made quick work of decommissioning it beyond repair. Returning to Charlie’s side, he tugged her arm to pull her away from the kids. Thankfully, Cain and Quinn were involved in a heated debate over which ghostly power was the best so Charlie could spare a second to speak with Michael.
“We should definitely take these two down to Henry and the others like… now,” Michael stated, then gave a little sigh. “It’ll be tricky, but I don’t think we should let Sammy see anyone but my siblings and your dad today, if we can help it. He’s clearly stressed as hell, and it’ll be hard enough for him to deal with three ghosts he knows, let alone four more random dead kids... Maybe we take the twins down to Cassidy and Hannah, and give them a heads-up to keep a low profile? We can just keep Sammy in Henry’s workshop while we visit.”
The disturbed twins were distracted enough, walking on ahead and independently of Michael and Charlie. She agreed with her friend, feeling their best chances were letting Quinn and Cain hang out with Cassidy. Charlie was sure they’d get along with their comparatively abrasive personalities, and it was the best option not to stress her brother out as much as humanly possible.
“For sure—” she whispered back. Her dad could probably handle a bunch of kids running around, ghosts or not. After all, it used to be his job to keep them entertained. “—I'll tell them. Hey guys, wait up! We're going to take you to see Cassidy and Hannah!”
Quinn and Cain glanced at Charlie from over their shoulders, and Quinn pulled aggressively on his brother's arm to stop Cain's gait.
“Yo dumbass, pay attention!” Quinn scolded his more air-headed counterpart. When Cain turned around, he roughly shoved Quinn to make him lose his balance.
“Boys! Come on, stop being so rough! There's video games in the basement if you're good!” Charlie enticed, causing the two to speed back and latch onto her side in an attempt at obedience.
“Yup—tons of games that aren't even in the normal arcades!” Michael added to sweeten the deal. “You've just got to follow us and not wander off, okay? It's not too far of a walk.”
With that he would lead the charge, trusting Charlie to bring up the rear and occasionally checking over his shoulder to make sure that Cain and Quinn were walking between them. The boys were definitely rowdy, but their latent uncertainty of their situation combined with the small trust they'd built between themselves and these seemingly-friendly adults was enough to keep them from wandering out of their sight. After many twisting passages and downwards staircases, they made it to the hallway that marked the official entrance to the old Pizzeria.
“Alright guys, we're super close now!” Michael said, turning to face the twins and walking backwards a few paces. He could tell they were getting restless and hoped that seeing more kids and/or Henry would help ease their nerves. Turning back around, Michael was suddenly hit with the sense that someone—or something—was watching him. He pinched the bridge of his nose, resisting the urge to groan. How he could've forgotten about the other entity residing down here, he had no idea...
It was a toss-up whether kids would be freaked out or entranced by an amalgamation of animatronic parts, so Michael called out loud enough for his voice to echo throughout the cavernous space: “We'll go visit my Uncle Henry first—Charlie's dad. He's super cool and will take care of you guys. We can introduce anyone else down here later, so they should stay put until I call them out.”
As he spoke the last word Michael reached the door to Henry's workshop. He knocked, finding it unlocked and opening at his touch. He ushered the trio inside quickly, then turned to see his uncle standing by his workbench.
“Oh!” Henry exclaimed, his face immediately lighting up at the sight of Charlie and Mike, then softening into a mildly confused expression when he saw the boys at their side. “Hello, everyone; I wasn't sure when to expect you. I see you found some new… friends?”
“OOOH!” Lizzie gasped, popping out from the inner hatch of the charging pod she’d seen her dad finally die inside of. “More friends?! Hello! Hiiii, Michael~”
Lizzie waved to the group, seeming in good spirits. When she spied the two boys, Elizabeth turned her nose up; she’d been playing with Cassidy and Hannah, and felt it unnecessary to hang around the rough-looking twins.
“Evan! It's two boys!” she called, eyes widening when Quinn and Cain came to take an experimental wander around Henry's workshop.
“You’re Charlie's dad?” asked Cain, picking up various wrenches, unable to keep his hands to himself as Quinn meandered towards Elizabeth.
After clearing her throat, Charlie came over to greet her dad with a hug.
“Sorry I keep finding more!” she remarked in a jovial tone, not quite upset as long as the kids were okay. “We can't stay for long; we have to go find Sammy, but we'll be right back with him.”
“Oh, um—alright,” Henry said, looking a bit frazzled by the sudden influx of kids as he hugged onto Charlie. However, he certainly couldn't fault his daughter for trying to give those taken away by William's cruelty a second chance. After letting go, Henry turned to Cain and flashed him a kind smile, crouching down and thrusting out a hand. “And yes, I'm Charlie's dad—you can call me Henry. It's nice to meet you...?”
“Cain!” The boy pointed to himself, then to his brother, gesturing widely and attaching his name along with him.
Congruently, Quinn stared through Elizabeth whilst trying to figure out something to say. Eventually, he settled for asking: “So… do you like Foxy?”
He figured it’d be beneficial to see which Fazbear characters this girl favored as a way of getting to know one of the ghosts he might be spending eternity with. The question put sparkles in Liz’s eyes, and she felt less nervous with some common ground between them.
Meanwhile, Evan had been playing quietly in the corner with a couple of slightly-charred Freddy and Bonnie plushies, making a big show of Freddy absolutely kicking Bonnie's ass. He jumped to his feet at the sound of his brother's voice, dropping the toys and already rushing over before Lizzie called his name.
“Mike!” Evan exclaimed, latching onto Michael's leg and grinning up at him, completely ignoring the new faces.
“Oof—hey, buddy!” Michael laughed, ruffling Evan's hair until he let go. “How's everything been?”
“Good! I can run around so much now; it's awesome!” Evan had vowed never to be stuck inside a robot again, no matter what.
“I'm glad,” Michael replied, the anxiety he had about leaving his siblings alone disappearing with the words. They seemed just fine with Henry to watch over them, as expected. Placing a hand on Evan's shoulder, Michael turned him around to face the room and pointed to the twins. “Did you hear Lizzie? We brought some new friends—you want to say hi?”
Evan hesitated for a moment, biting his lip. Then he slipped his hand into Michael's and gave a little nod. Even after all this time, the kid was still a bit people-shy. With a soft smile, Mike walked him over to the new boys—he'd introduce them, then head back up top with Charlie to grab the rest of their ever-expanding group of companions.
When Cain spotted Evan, he looked to the younger boy with a slight smile on his face. At least they wouldn't be alone—even though they had each other, there was only so much comfort they could give in such strange circumstances. Now that the support group was larger, the twins felt a little safer at the resignation of their fate.
***
As Michael and Charlie departed, a spring in their steps after they’d rescued more lost souls, they slowed their pace in tandem upon hearing a metallic banging in the vents.
“WHY CAN'T WE-E SAY H-HI-I?” asked the pneumatic and coarse voice inside.
“Because you're freaky,” Michael replied without missing a beat, turning towards the noise. Sure enough there was a grated opening to the vents just overhead, through which a lone eyeball suspended on a wire peeked through. If Michael squinted, he could just make out a hint of the white clown mask lingering in the darkness. He sighed, crossing his arms over his chest.
“These kids just realized they've met a bad end and are trying to adjust—they don't need to see you coming at them on top of everything else,” Michael explained, gazing up at Ennard. He clenched his teeth for a moment, then pointed out a fact that he hoped would curb Ennard's desire to see the new kids. “Besides, they're with Elizabeth right now and I don't think you want to bother her, do you?”
Another pause, then Michael rolled his eyes high to the sky and muttered: “Also I'm sure you wanted to say hi to me the most, anyway, so... hi.” He lifted a hand slightly in a sarcastic wave.
Ennard shrunk at the sound of Lizzie's cheerful voice echoing through the hall, having to admit that Michael was right. Of course Ennard just came out to greet him.
“HI MIKEY...” Their eyeball batted affectionately his way. Then to some extent Ennard extended the hello to Charlie, their tone muter but still with a friendly nature to it. Charlie imparted a smile and a wave, but before she could say anything in return Ennard turned their focus back to Michael.
“WE HELPED OUT... ENNARD BROUGHT THE RABBIT AND THE FOX UP...” They pointed, trying to communicate that they moved the powered-down units for Samuel to more easily work on them. The other busted robots were already in Parts & Services, waiting for Sammy’s attentive hands.
“Really?” Though Michael was loathe to admit it, he did appreciate Ennard's desire to assist where they could, even when Michael himself wasn't present. “Uh... thanks, I suppose. I'm sure Sammy appreciated the help. Did Sammy actually see you? Or... have an actual conversation with you?”
Once he remembered Ennard's presence in the basement, Michael had already begun plotting ways to get the robot to stay away while they brought Sammy down so the poor man didn't pass out again from being overwhelmed. However, while Michael still didn't necessarily want them to interact, if Sammy was at least aware of his mysterious helper's presence it might make things easier in the long run...
“WE ARE SHY...” Ennard admitted. They were well aware that human adults would judge him more harshly than, say, a lone child. They elaborated, telling Michael, “WE... WROTE HIM A NOTE.” As Sammy would’ve been confused as to how all of the animatronics were found so easily, especially after Vanessa lost them so spectacularly.
“Oh goodie,” Charlie murmured, not trying to sound worried as she imagined how Sammy would’ve reacted to such a letter. Given Ennard’s vernacular and fractured thoughts, she couldn't imagine the text was particularly easy to comprehend.
“I'm sure he appreciated that. Thank you, Ennard,” she encouraged anyway. At least the letter was a nice thought to add in addition to the good deed.
“Great...,” Michael sighed heavily, echoing Charlie's sentiment. He then patted her back, urging her to start walking again. “Right, well, we're actually going to get Sammy right now and bring him down here, so keep out of sight, okay?” He turned to follow Charlie, throwing a hand up and over his shoulder in what could possibly be considered a slightly friendly gesture of parting. “We'll be back soon.”
***
Previous Chapter ~~ Next Chapter
Looking for more? Check out the Chapter Masterlist on Tumblr!
Or check out the entire Wires that Bind Us Series on ao3!
#fnaf security breach#fnaf sb#fnaf#fnaf au#five nights at freddy's#michael afton#monty#charlie emily#fanfic#fanfiction#ao3#angelofrainfrogs#zeitghest#spend the night#going back#the wires that bind us au#henry emily#evan afton#elizabeth afton#ennard
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Going Back: Masterlist
Below is a masterlist to all chapters in our FNAF: Security Breach fic, Going Back, coauthored by @zeitghest!
Read on Ao3.
Read Chapter 1 on Tumblr.
Read Chapter 2 on Tumblr.
Read Chapter 3 on Tumblr.
Read Chapter 4 on Tumblr.
Read Chapter 5 on Tumblr.
Read Chapter 6 on Tumblr.
Read Chapter 7 on Tumblr.
Read Chapter 8 on Tumblr.
Read Chapter 9 on Tumblr.
Read Chapter 10 on Tumblr.
Read Chapter 11 on Tumblr.
Read Chapter 12 on Tumblr.
Read Chapter 13 on Tumblr.
Read Chapter 14 on Tumblr.
Read Chapter 15 on Tumblr.
Read Chapter 16 on Tumblr.
Read Chapter 17 on Tumblr.
Read Chapter 18 on Tumblr.
Read Chapter 19 on Tumblr.
Read Chapter 20 on Tumblr.
Read Chapter 21 on Tumblr.
Read Chapter 22 on Tumblr.
Read Chapter 23 on Tumblr. [To be released]
Read Chapter 24 on Tumblr. [To be released]
Read Chapter 25 on Tumblr. [To be released]
***
Looking for more? Check out the entire Wires that Bind Us Series on ao3!
Or, start from the beginning and read the first installment, Spend the Night, on Tumblr here.
#fnaf#fnaf security breach#five nights at freddy's#fnaf sb#glamrock freddy#charlie emily#gregory#michael afton#marionette fnaf#puppet fnaf#glamrock chica#roxanne wolf#monty#montgomery gator#sun fnaf#moon fnaf#henry emily#sammy emily#evan afton#crying child#fnaf vanessa#elizabeth afton#ennard#fanfic#fanfiction#ao3#angelofrainfrogs#zeitghest#spend the night
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Going Back: Ch. 1
~Coauthored by @zeitghest~
Fandom(s): Five Nights At Freddy’s: Security Breach
Description: Things are looking up for Gregory. After putting the soul of a formerly-immortal killer to rest, he and his new family can finally begin their lives anew. Sure, Gregory might have been cursed with mysterious Remnant in exchange for being involved in this mess—not to mention his caretakers consist of sentient robots and ghosts… But there’s no doubt that the bond they share is unbreakable. They love him, and he in turn.
All in all, life is finally starting to go right for once.
…Unfortunately, true peace is a hard-won battle. There are other things to contend with besides William’s decrepit soul, and Gregory will learn that his role in the lives of the Aftons and Emilys is far greater than anyone could’ve imagined.
Rating: T
Read on Ao3
Hello and welcome! :) This is Part 2 of The Wires that Bind Us Series; although you don’t have to read the first part to enjoy this fic, it’s highly recommended to help contextualize the plot of this story and others moving forward. Here’s a quick summary of prior events:
While hiding out in the Pizzaplex, Gregory is discovered by Glamrock Freddy and an old animatronic known as The Puppet. Turns out the robots aren’t all they seem—possessed by children of Fazbear Entertainment’s original founders, Gregory winds up involved in a quest with Charlie Emily and Michael Afton to take down the digitized but still murderous soul of William. Along with some help from other spirits that linger in the burned-up diner down below, they managed to extract William from the Glamrock Bonnie suit he was using as a new body and trap him in a video game, which they subsequently destroyed.
The journey wasn’t easy, though. Along the way Gregory was injected with Remnant, the full ramifications of which are still unknown. What he is sure of however is that through the trauma he’s gained a new family that cares for him better than anyone—including a dad in the form of Glamrock Freddy. You see, human souls are a powerful thing; when bonded to an animatronic they can leave a lasting impression. Thanks to Henry Emily’s fantastic engineering, Charlie, Michael, and Freddy were able to possess lifelike androids to start their lives over anew.
Where we left off in Part 1, the quartet had just left the Pizzaplex to head for a nearby hotel and get some rest after their adventure.
***
It's going back, back, back, back
They've been through this before
It's going back, back, back, back
The final page of the lore
The sound of cheer
The need for fear
The souls of the kids are free
Rewind the tears
~Going Back by Kyle Allen Music~
It was a fairly large hotel. It made Charlie wonder how many people visited this town nowadays, what with the Mecca of Fazbear Entertainment standing tall and proud as its most notable landmark. Last she checked, this town had a population of a little over 10,000. Not a whole lot, but not a small number by any means. Sammy's draw of tourists had done wonders for the family businesses.
“We should order room service as soon as we check in. Gregory's going to need to build his strength back with something that isn't a pizza-flavored slushee,” Charlie pointed out, waiting before crossing the street. While she was sure Freddy knew not to linger in the road, Charlie grasped onto his free hand regardless to make sure he and Gregory were still trailing along.
The parking lot looked pretty full, and they approached with only Michael's shopping bag of clothes as their luggage. At the front desk, popping gum in his mouth sat a concierge manager typing things into the computer, digits nimbly pounding away at the keys.
“Be with you in a moment!” the overworked college student called, finishing his email. Getting up from the desk and walking towards the quartet, he put on his best customer service smile. “What can I do for you folks?”
Despite him never having interacted with another human outside the comparatively small bubble of the Pizzaplex, Freddy took it upon himself to respond. Beaming down at the young boy, he announced: “Hello! My family and I require a room to stay in—preferably one with 'room service,' as we are quite hungry.”
Michael bit back a groan. God, he could see it now—he thought catching Charlie up to speed with things would take a while, but it seemed like Freddy was going be the biggest problem. Quickly stepping in, Mike moved in front of the redhead to catch the concierge's attention.
“Sorry, ignore my—uncle. He’s... not from around here,” Michael said, reaching into his pocket to retrieve Sam’s wallet. Offering the boy an apologetic smile, he clarified: “We need a room for four people, at least 5 nights with the possibility of an extended stay. It doesn't have to the biggest; we don't mind sharing beds. Just preferably no smaller than queen-sized—two kings would be great, if you have it.”
“Do you guys have ping-pong or air hockey here?” Charlie asked, officially overloading the poor kid with too many questions.
His eyes flicked between the three of them, blinking. “Uh... Y-Yes! Yep, there's actually one available family vacation suite! That's a bathroom, two king beds with a kitchen and full amenities, too.”
The concierge leaned over and grabbed a pamphlet, handing it over to Charlie who presented it to the rest of the group.
“With room service, plus full spa, gym, and arcade access, that's about $250 a night,” he added, doing his best to answer all of their questions.
Charlie tried to hide her shock at how expensive things were. Sammy did say they could use his credit card on anything after all... And the room looked nice. Gregory deserved a good spot to be in and relax.
“We'll take it,” Michael said quickly, not in the mood to haggle. He was just happy they'd found something so spacious—he thought with all the cars in the parking lot, they'd have to settle for a simple room with just two beds, and a bathroom, maybe a couch if they were lucky. Though Sammy would probably appreciate a cheaper price, Mike knew he'd understand them wanting to indulge after so long being cooped up and handed over the credit card. “You can put the tab on here.”
Freddy, who'd only been exposed to the exorbitantly hyped-up prices in the Pizzaplex, had no frame of reference for what was considered expensive. He appreciated Michael taking charge, hanging back next to Charlie's side as Mike and the concierge moved to the front desk to get all their information and secure the room.
“Need anyone to take your luggage, Mr...?” the young man began to ask. Taking the credit card from the brunette, he couldn’t help but notice the distinctive name emblazoned on the metal rectangle.
Samuel Emily.
Anyone who lived in that area of Hurricane knew the Emilys. The boy then felt sort of stupid for not recognizing Mr. Emily's family—even if he couldn't quite recall ever seeing this group before.
“Nope! We don't have much,” Charlie responded, reassuring him with a grin. With that succinct answer, after charging the card the manager would put their names in as Emily for the time being.
“Uh—okay then, you’re all set! Here are your room keys, guys, and your recreational passes,” he explained, pointing to the number on the keycard. “Room service will call after 20 minutes; give you some time to get settled. Have a nice day, and enjoy your stay!”
“You have a wonderful day as well!” Freddy called over his shoulder as Michael firmly took his free hand and urged him towards the elevators.
Mike couldn't help but roll his eyes, a smile lifting his mouth at Freddy's endearing friendliness. At least that hadn't changed.
Before long they'd ridden the elevator up to the 7th floor and found themselves in front of room 717. The door opened with nothing more than a delicate press of the keycard against its sensor lock, and Michael led the way into the suite.
“Oh, hell yeah!” he exclaimed, staring around the room in wonder. True to the concierge's word, there was a little kitchen and sitting area at the end of the short entrance hallway they stood in.
Michael wasted no time kicking his shoes off, dropping the bag of clothes, and walking into the space, taking note of the two doors coming off of the sitting area that led to the bedroom and bathroom. The bathroom itself was shaped like an L and also had two doors so it could be accessed from either the bedroom or the main area, per whatever suited the guests' fancy. Michael spun in a slow circle, his arms spread out wide. “I can definitely get used to this place.”
Charlie had noticed on their way through the halls that things looked notably different from the last hotel she remembered staying in nearly fifty years ago. The style of interior design had changed from those homey patterns to something more minimalistic over the decades. Gone were the days of strange patterns and bright colored dishes, replaced by a more neutral palate. If asked, Charlie would argue and say that it seemed a lot more boring to look at.
But how could she really complain when their room had a flat television?
She was awestruck, and looked around Michael and Freddy at their temporary living space. It wasn't long before she found the bedroom and flung herself onto the nearest mattress. She sunk in almost immediately and stretched her arms out to the ceiling.
“It's like laying on a pile of angel hugs...,” Charlie groaned, feeling the stress she didn't know was in her back melt away the longer she reposed on the top of her bed's comforter. “Come on, Freddy! Put Gregory to bed and take a load off!”
While Michael went to explore the kitchenette and bathroom, Freddy followed after Charlie. At first Gregory didn't want to move, frowning as his father's warmth was suddenly taken away when Freddy detached the limp grip around his neck... Although this stopped as soon as Gregory felt the plush mattress underneath him. If they'd thought he was in deep sleep before, it was nothing compared to what the exhausted kid was about to experience as he instantly passed out again.
Freddy had set Gregory on the second bed, so in order not to disturb him he went over to where Charlie lay. He made sure to take his shoes off as he'd seen Michael do at the door, choosing not to comment on the fact that Charlie hadn't done so herself. She was clearly overwhelmed, and Freddy had to admit he was a bit stunned himself—not at the technology or the way anything looked, but simply for the fact that it was such a foreign environment to anything he was used to.
No longer would he have to enter “sleep mode” in a charging pod. Severely underestimating the cushiness of the comforter underneath him, Freddy promptly fell back onto the mattress with a surprised gasp, landing with his head on the pillow right next to Charlie's.
“Oh... this is very comfortable!” he commented with a laugh, turning his face towards her as he rested his hands on his stomach.
Charlie opened an eye, glancing over to Freddy as his weight shifted where she laid on the bed and rolled into her friend slightly. There, she would proceed to ask Freddy a question. “Have you ever actually slept before?”
Surely, sleep mode was similar, Charlie thought. But could Freddy dream? That was the important question.
Gregory certainly dreamt. Looking over at the tiny kid curled in the middle of the mattress would tell you that instantly. He twitched every now and then, having an active dream—maybe one where he was running...
“It's really easy. You just close your eyes and stop thinking of anything,” Charlie guided. Though she always slept better with music, Charlie wouldn't be needing it tonight. The excitement and terror of one action-packed weekend was enough for Charlie's mind to cringe at the thought of staying awake any longer. While Charlie was a side sleeper, choosing to roll and face Freddy as she shut her eyes, Gregory was in a tightly wound ball, laying on his right side and holding himself as he dreamed.
“I have never truly slept as you have,” Freddy replied, then listened to Charlie's instructions. He soon shut his eyes as well, staring at nothing but blackness.
And then he waited.
And waited.
He tried to think of nothing, but in doing so he was thinking about not thinking, which put Freddy in a catch-22. Still keeping his eyes closed, his brow furrowed slightly as he asked: “How do you... think of nothing?”
“You just don't,” Michael piped up unhelpfully, appearing in the doorway. Their one bag of clothes was slung over his shoulder again as he leaned casually against the frame, observing his family either passed out or on the verge of doing so. He too needed a rest, but first he really wanted to take a nice, hot shower and wash off all the gunk and grime from the past few days.
“Here, I found the room service menu on the coffee table,” he said, throwing the laminated booklet towards the bed where it landed next to Charlie's back. “I'm going to take a shower—you guys can handle it if they call, right?”
It was a simple task, answering the phone and giving them an order Gregory might like to eat, but Freddy and Charlie's unfamiliarity with everything made Michael a bit nervous—especially since the only one besides him who could help looked like she’d already drifted off.
To Mike’s surprise, Charlie opened her eyes to look at him standing across the room. With a grin, she reclined her arms behind her head. With the sheer technological advances of these androids’ existence, she was sure her father designed them to be waterproof. Even so, she was glad Michael seemed more than ready to test it out first.
“Sure,” Charlie replied with a shrug. “Don't worry so much; we'll be fine. We'll order Gregory something simple and a few other things for the room. By the way, if you happen to figure out if these android bodies need to use the bathroom, could you give me a heads-up?”
Charlie was half-joking. She hadn't exactly had the urge to go, but she couldn't help thinking about all that food she ate. It must go somewhere, right? Or maybe it just gets burned to make fuel inside her?
Charlie felt like the only thing these robotic forms were missing was an instruction manual...
“Will do,” Michael replied with a roll of his eyes. He fished around in the bag for a new set of dark wash jeans and tank top, this one black with a simple neon logo for The Fazbear Band emblazoned on the front. New outfit obtained, Mike dropped the bag on the floor and headed to the bathroom.
Like Charlie, he had a suspicion that their bodies were converting things they ate into fuel. How, he had no idea—that was another question for Henry the next time they met up.
After locking the bathroom doors, Michael was quick to throw off his dirty clothes, cringing at the messy pile on the floor they made. The group would definitely need to do a shop outside the Pizzaplex to invest in other items besides shirts and pants…
Michael wanted to take the hottest shower he could physically stand, letting the burning water eat away at his years of tightly-wound anxiety. However, he also didn’t want to damage any internal systems in this robotic body, so he opted for a temperature best described as “pleasantly warm.” As he scrubbed the dried blood out of his hair, he could feel his stress going down the drain right along with the crimson water.
While Michael commandeered the bathroom, Freddy and Charlie perused the room service menu.
“What do you think Gregory will like?” Freddy asked, curious of her opinion. “I would prefer it to be somewhat healthy, if possible…”
“Healthy... Hm...” Charlie looked over the kids menu. It was recommended for children 12 and under, so that seemed appropriate for him. It couldn't hurt to get Gregory more than one thing, considering how fast that kid ate. She wondered if a growth spurt was right around the corner. “Okay, hear me out. We get him this peanut butter and jelly smoothie, plus the broccoli mac and cheese. And a pulled pork sandwich?”
Charlie was initially going to get him the chicken nuggets, but she was afraid it wouldn't be enough to hold him over until dinner. She figured it was also about time to get him back on a healthy eating schedule. Just then the phone rang, prompting Charlie to jump up and answer it before the incessant noise woke up Gregory.
“Think about something you want to eat, okay, Freddy?” she said, answering the phone in a sing-song tone before reciting their order so far. She was glad to see Gregory was still asleep, out like a light and dead to the world in the middle of his bed.
“Me?” Freddy blinked down at the menu. Right; in this body he should be able to consume food as well. He roamed over all the options, not afraid to admit with a small laugh: “It is a bit overwhelming, if I am honest!”
Still, Charlie was expecting an answer. Freddy would like to just try a bit of Gregory’s food—and he was sure the boy wouldn’t mind sharing with him—but he knew Gregory needed all of it to make up for the nutrition deficit he’d been suffering for far too long. He really was a tiny kid for 12 years old…
“I suppose I will try a cheeseburger?” Freddy said it as more of a question. Burgers were quite popular at the Pizzaplex and Freddy had always wondered what the fuss was about.
Charlie nodded, holding her hand over the receiver as she listened to Freddy's request. “One cheeseburger with all the fixin’s, please—uh, medium rare!”
She figured that was a safe bet. That’d been her dad’s usual order if she remembered correctly, so perhaps Freddy would like it, too.
“Could I also get a 24 piece basket of the hot wings, bone-in?” Charlie curled the phone cord around her fingers, walking back towards the living space as to not disturb Gregory. She thought for a moment of ordering champagne, then decided against it. It would be nice to celebrate, but knowing Gregory, he'd try to get into the bottle and drink some for himself. “20 minutes? Solid, thank you... Yep, you have a good day, too.”
Oh man, she was adjusting to talking to people again. After hanging up the receiver, Charlie quickly jumped back onto her side of the bed before reaching over and hugging Freddy.
“Dude—you're gonna love burgers,” she assured him, almost excited to watch Freddy take a bite from his first meal.
“I am eager to try one!” Freddy replied with a grin, maneuvering his arm from underneath Charlie to wrap it around her back. He held her loosely as she hugged onto his torso, thinking back on how far they’d come from their initial, confused meeting in the ball pit.
Despite the strange circumstances, even back then they’d gotten along perfectly, becoming fast friends in a matter of hours. Perhaps, subconsciously, they knew they were destined to stick together for a long time.
About five minutes after Charlie ended the phone call, Mike emerged from the bathroom. He looked fresh and clean, hair a wet, slightly wavy mess as he’d decided to give it a brief towel dry and let the air do the rest. He was quick to jump on the bed next to Charlie, smushing her into a sandwich between himself and Freddy.
“So, what are we talking about?” he asked cheerfully, completely inserting himself into whatever bonding time the others were having.
Freddy could only chuckle at this, understanding Michael’s want to be close to them even if he had an interesting way of showing it. After all he’d been through, it was refreshing—and relieving—for Freddy to see the man's true personality peek through without constant anxiety pushing it down.
“Oh, you know,” Charlie began, playfully nudging her old friend as he scooted in closer. “Just talking about how much you smell. Yikes, dude; you sure you actually stood under the water in there?”
She shot a grimace at Freddy, which lasted around half a second before Charlie burst into twinkling laughter. Ignoring Michael’s offended scoff, she told him: “I ordered both of us hot wings, by the way; hope you don't mind.”
It was a strange dynamic they all shared. From Charlie's almost reserved demeanor when they first met to her now openly involving Freddy when she clowned on her friend, the three of them had certainly come far. The days of hiding in backrooms and away from the light were over.
“Oh my god… hot wings?!” Michael draped himself over her shoulders with a dramatic gasp. “Charlie Emily, you know me so well.”
“I take it you are a fan of that dish?” Freddy laughed, watching as Charlie tried in vain to push away Michael’s dead weight as he practically rag-dolled on her, grinning all the while.
“That and a good old-fashioned burger; those were some of my favorites,” Michael replied, and Freddy’s eyes widened in pleasant surprise.
“Well, what a coincidence! Charlie ordered me a burger as well—you are more than welcome to have a bite.”
“I’m taking you up on that for sure.” Mike gave Freddy a rather lackluster thumbs, attention now focused on bothering Charlie. He had a lot of years to make up for, after all.
Charlie effectively had her arms pinned as Michael rolled over her, essentially using her as a pillow. He totally ignored her as she attempted to wiggle from beneath him while he had his conversation with Freddy, but without the use of her arms there was no throwing him off easily.
“Are you comfy yet?” she asked sarcastically. Squished lightly between her two friends, she managed to screw one arm out from under Mike and poke his ribs with a bony finger.
Gregory was beginning to stir at the sound of fun. It was the oddest thing, he felt as though he'd gotten a full night’s sleep—though he was sure it still couldn’t be that late in the day. He almost felt jealous as he watched his family interact without him, but there wasn’t anything to stay mad at. Gregory would get up slowly, hoping to get a drop on them and ambush his family where they all hung out casually on the bed.
“I was, until my pillow stabbed me in the ribs…,” Michael grumbled, finally rolling off Charlie to lay on his back. He scrunched one leg up, hooking the other over his knee as he locked his hands behind his head. He could definitely still use a legit rest, but the shower seemed to give him a small burst of energy—enough to have trouble sitting still for a little while longer, at least.
Michael may not have noticed Gregory sneaking towards them, but Freddy had a second sense when it came to his son. As Charlie and Mike playfully bickered, Freddy’s ears perked up at the muted padding of little shoes against carpet. For a moment he ignored this, acting like he was completely unaware of Gregory’s approach as he laughed softly along with the others. However, just as Gregory reached Freddy’s bedside in preparation to strike the redhead acted fast.
Whipping around, Freddy was quick to snatch him under the arms and hoist him into his lap, hugging him close. “Hello, superstar! I am glad you could join us! How are you feeling?”
Gregory squawked as he was lifted, unable to mask the smile on his lips. Other than his pale eyes, there didn’t appear to be anything different about him—no major change in health from before the nap. Thank goodness.
“Better! I feel great, actually,” he laughed out, content despite his plan not exactly working. He leaned in, hugging Freddy around the chest as he took in his surroundings. “This hotel room’s pretty sweet!”
When he’d left that horrendous foster home a while ago, Gregory knew one of the things he’d miss most was sleeping in a real bed. Though he’d had some respite in Freddy’s room this past weekend, the itchy carpets of the Pizzaplex and hard flooring could only be comfortable for all of three minutes.
“I got you a big lunch to get your strength back, kiddo,” Charlie said, turned on her side again now that Michael quit using her like a backrest.
“We are staying in a family vacation suite,” Freddy added, gesturing towards the doorway leading to the main area. “As well as these extremely comfortable beds, we have our own kitchen and sitting area, and full spa, gym, and arcade access.”
He was quoting the concierge now, understanding the concept of an arcade perfectly but curious as to what the gym and spa entailed. He could make educated guesses of course, which weren’t too far off—he knew gyms were meant for humans to work out in and spas were meant to relax.
“Arcade?!” Gregory asked, surprised to know there was something he’d enjoy at this hotel. Well—besides from the free meals and beds.
“After you eat,” Charlie reminded him gently. Someone had to disappoint him a little, and she knew Freddy didn't enjoy telling his son no. Though as his big sister, Charlie could burst his bubble all she liked to a certain degree.
“We’re going to max out your poor brother’s credit card at the end of this, Charlie,” Michael mused, turning on his side to face the others and resting his head on his palm. He grinned up at Gregory, happy to see that he did in fact look chipper than earlier. “But yeah, we’ve got a bunch of food on the way—apparently your dad’s going to try a burger.”
Gregory's eyes widened at that, and he eagerly patted Freddy’s shoulders. “Oh man—you're gonna love it!”
All this talk of food made Gregory's stomach growl loudly. The lack of a proper diet was beginning to take its toll. If only he still had that blue ice cream cake, he thought. He could fill up on that right away.
As if on cue, there was a hard knock at the door as an unseen staff member called out: “Room service!”
“I’ve got it,” Michael assured, launching himself off the bed and heading for the front door. Opening it revealed a huge tray piled high with food, which he immediately brought inside with a careful balancing act. Charlie really had gone all out with Gregory’s lunch…
The others made their way over as Michael set the food on the kitchen counter. When Gregory tried to peer up and see their spread, Mike told him: “Looks like you’ve got a sandwich, some Mac and cheese, and… a smoothie?” Eyebrows furrowed curiously, he picked up the drink and read the label on the side. “PB&J flavored… huh. Mind if I take a sip? Thanks.”
Without waiting for an answer Mike took a loud slurp of the drink, his face shifting through an array of emotions as he processed the weirdness of it.
“Michael…,” Freddy chided gently, though he couldn’t fault him for being intrigued. Admittedly, now that he could eat Freddy wanted to try everything on the counter too.
Gregory laughed at his reaction. The smoothie was a mix of grapes, strawberry yogurt, and peanut butter. It tasted too sweet to be good for you. Yet it must have some nutritional value if it had fruit, right?
“Oh man, is it like the pizza slushee?” Gregory leaned over, snatching his smoothie out of his big brother's grasp. Immediately, Gregory went through similar stages of grief to Michael after taking a sip. It had an odd texture with the various seeds—he was almost positive this yogurt was just mixed with strawberry preserves to make it even sweeter. After processing what’d just assaulted his taste buds, he held the smoothie up to Freddy.
“Try this—” Gregory suggested without giving his verbal opinion. He didn't want to influence his dad’s decision to drink the odd smoothie more than his face already had.
Freddy took the smoothie, visually analyzing it before hesitantly putting the straw to his lips. He took the smallest of sips, more so trying to get used to the sensation of drinking before he could focus on the flavor itself. He swirled the smoothie in his mouth, giving the flavors and textures a moment to process before swallowing it down. The corners of his lips quirked up and down of their own accord, his expressive face unable to settle on how he felt. Meeting Gregory’s inquisitive gaze, all he could say was: “It is… odd.”
Meanwhile, Charlie popped open the large container of hot wings, its spicy aroma wafting over the table. Luckily they’d been given an array of dipping sauces along with a few vegetables. Charlie figured she’d end up sharing those veggies with Gregory, as her and Michael were likely just going to pig out on the platter of chicken wings. “I could cry, these look so good...”
Michael joined Charlie at the table, enticed by the mouthwatering scent of chicken. They each picked up a wing, clinking them together as if they were glasses before taking a bite.
“Oh my fu—reaking god…,” Michael groaned, curbing his swear at the last second when Freddy’s eyes snapped to him. It seemed like the former bear’s patience for cursing was at its end, now that he had time to worry about that sort of thing. Mike immediately scarfed down the rest of the chicken wing and deposited the bone on the empty side of the container. “I missed food so much…”
“Right?!” Charlie said, discarding a wayward bone. This hotel’s kitchen didn’t mess around with the wings. Satisfied for the moment, Charlie wiped her fingers off—now more attentive towards getting Gregory his sandwich and side dish. After she set Gregory’s plate at the table, Charlie retrieved and set Freddy’s burger down as well.
“I can’t believe I was fine with not eating for like forty years—never doing that again, that’s for sure,” Charlie scoffed, going in for a second spicy morsel.
Gregory wasted no time. Like a feral beast, he dug into his bowl of gooey homemade macaroni and cheese. The dish had been baked over with spiced bread crumbs, its broccoli snapping with roasted flavor as he munched on his pasta. It felt good to eat a dish with some vegetables in it. While Gregory's deathly pallor hadn't changed from the meal, he seemed more lively and aware with each bite.
Satisfied that Gregory was enjoying his food, Freddy picked up his burger. Again, he conducted a visual examination before digging in, taking note of “all the fixin’s” that Charlie ordered. Then he took a tentative bite, placing the rest of the burger back in its container while he chewed experimentally. His bright eyes widened as the satisfyingly greasy flavor washed over his tongue, and instead of giving a verbal opinion he simply picked the food right back up and took another bite.
“Good news: Freddy likes burgers, everyone!” Michael announced, though his words were muffled as he spoke through a mouthful of chicken wings.
Freddy nodded in agreement, swallowing down another few bites before offering Mike a bite. “I am sorry… Did you want some, Michael?”
“No—you’re good, big guy!” Mike laughed, shaking his head and grabbing another wing. “Enjoy your first official meal!”
Charlie snorted, covering her mouth as she dug out a napkin from their meals and tossed it Michael's way. The sauce on his face was making her mouth burn just by looking at it. If she remembered correctly, Michael had been far better with spices than her. She was always dipping her wings into the blue cheese sauce provided and powered through despite the pain it took to clean the spicy meat from the bones.
“Yeah! It's your first time eating, so take a wing—” Charlie offered, pushing hers and Michael's platters towards Freddy a little.
While Gregory wanted to part with some food to share with Freddy, he found himself on autopilot when eating. He wasn't paying attention at all, and had quickly finished off his pasta before starting on the pulled pork sandwich Charlie so graciously chose for him. It felt nice to eat real food.
When he heard his name being called, he finally looked up. The corners of his mouth were stuck with cheese and barbecue sauce as he listened.
“Gregory—is your food really good, little man?” Charlie asked, subtly pointing out how he hadn't spoken since they began their meal.
“Mhm—” was all Gregory could answer. Both cheeks were full and he foresaw himself spitting anywhere should he actually try to talk.
Freddy quickly realized that he wasn’t a fan of messy food. The burger was bad enough, falling apart towards the end and dripping a trail of grease down his hand that he quickly stopped before it reached his sweater. Learning quickly, he pushed his sleeves up before attempting to eat a wing, although the texture of the sauce coating his fingers made him grimace slightly. It reminded Freddy of children slapping their sticky hands onto every part of his suit they could reach, covering him with unknown substances and prompting a thorough wash at the end of each day. Still, he managed a surprisingly demure bite of the chicken wing that left little residue on his mouth and had to consent it was also delicious.
Having wiped off his own face, Michael grabbed a handful of clean napkins and threw them to Gregory. Honestly, now that he’d been fed the kid probably needed a shower more than anything—it would certainly make him feel even better to put a clean outfit on over a body not already caked in grime
Gregory read Michael's mind. He was a little surprised no one had commented on the sheer unhygienic state he was in. All of his bandages, once fun and brightly saturated colors, were coated in a generous layer of filth. He was sure were he to peel back the protective plastic, the healing skin beneath would be clean and lily white.
There would be a paradox with cleaning himself off. People would see how pale he'd become, and may worry and nag his dad about the matter if they were super nosy... Then again, people were going to complain if he smelled bad, too.
With his sandwich finished, Gregory pushed his emptied containers away, asking Freddy: “Can I be excused? I need to shower or I'll catch the plague or something...”
“Of course,” Freddy replied with a nod, already starting to gather the empty containers together.
“The bag of new clothes is in the bedroom,” Michael reminded as Gregory rushed off.
After Michael and Charlie scarfed down the rest of their wings, they helped Freddy collect the trash. Upon Freddy’s confused question of where to put things, Mike laughed and informed him that they could just return the tray to the hallway and staff would pick it up. It was interesting to figure out the little things Freddy didn’t know—Michael had to remind himself that what was common knowledge to him wasn’t necessarily as obvious to the former animatronic.
When Freddy bent to place the tray on the hallway floor, he felt Sammy’s business card crinkle in his pocket. Locking the door and returning to the living room area, he told the others: “We should call Sammy and let him know we successfully acquired a room.”
“Do you want to do the honors, Charlie?” Michael asked, watching Freddy pull the little card out of his pocket.
Charlie leaned back, the sensation of being full unusual and new all over again. While eating had given her a sort of tired demeanor, she could always talk to her brother. “Sure! Sam's probably already worried we haven't called already.”
Charlie didn't want to tell the others, but Sam had begged Charlie to stay. While she wanted to catch up with her twin, it was very clear that he wouldn't get anything done with her around to distract him. She'd return tomorrow, and the three friends could catch up—maybe reintroduce Sammy with Liz and Evan, if he was up for it.
And Sam still had to meet with his dad…
After taking the card from Freddy, Charlie wandered into the living area and dialed up his number. He voice grew dimmer as she walked, with Sammy picking up immediately.
“Hey! It's Charlie—” she started, unaware that he knew the hotel was calling him from the caller ID. Their conversation consisted of what room they were staying in, and how nice it was to be out and about again after so long.
Inside the bathroom, after Gregory dressed himself he took a good look in the mirror. Wiping away the fog from the reflective glass, he sighed deeply.
He was happy to be out of the Pizzaplex—even happier to be alive and with people who cared about him. Still, this ghastly appearance he had now just made him feel strange. It’s like he was looking at another person's face in every reflection he saw of himself. The shower didn't help with that; it couldn't wash away the effects of the Remnant on his body.
Feeling his mind grow foggy, Gregory decided to lean against the sink and stare dejectedly until his face looked normal again.
Of course, it didn’t take Freddy long to sense something amiss. After the water had been cut off for some time and the boy still hadn’t emerged from the bathroom, Freddy glanced towards the closed door with a pinched expression.
“Hey, we’re supposed to be relaxing, remember?” Michael commented, placing a hand on Freddy’s back. Despite his playful words, Mike also felt a nagging tug in the back of his mind as he remembered the last time he’d left Gregory alone in a bathroom… although he was quick to remind himself that William and his tricks were gone. Plus, Michael was in there last and hadn’t seen anything that might inject an unsuspecting child with immortality juice.
“…I should check on him,” Freddy murmured, and Mike knew not to fight him on the matter. He gave Freddy’s back a pat, then went to lounge on the couch and check out the TV, curious to see what sort of trashy shows were on nowadays. Knocking on the bathroom door, Freddy called out softly: “Gregory? It is Freddy; are you alright?”
Gregory was stirred from this odd depersonalizing episode. Blinking out of it and looking to the door, he called beyond the sturdy wooden barrier between them.
“Combing my hair!” he lied, quickly brushing his fingers through his bangs. Gregory held it out before dropping the still wet locks of hair, in desperate need of a cut soon. “Be out in a second!”
The last thing he wanted was to worry Freddy of all people. After making himself a little more presentable, halfway tucking his tank top and not caring if it was uneven, Gregory strode from the bathroom. Charlie had since taken her call out on the balcony, the cord to the hotel phone pinched between sliding glass doors. Between Michael's flicking through endless channels, you could hear the light chime of her laughter.
Gregory smiled up at Freddy. “What's up?”
There wasn't anything wrong. He was fine.
…Well. Fine enough.
Surely the strange apprehension he felt when entering bathrooms now would go away eventually. One day he'd forget the whole fiasco with that plushie even happened, Gregory told himself.
“I was just checking in on you,” Freddy said, returning the smile. Clearly the boy had been stressing about something—Freddy could see it in his pale face and shining silver eyes. “Follow me a moment, would you?”
He led Gregory into the bedroom and closed the door, just in case he didn’t want his siblings to overhear their conversation. Freddy hoped he'd open up and tell him what was bothering him, but if not he at least wanted to assure Gregory he was always there if he wanted to talk. The poor boy had been through so many traumatic events over the past weekend, it was honestly a wonder he could still be in such high spirits. Freddy half-expected some residual shock to hit at any moment—possibly even for Michael and Charlie, too, though they had years to deal with the situation compared to Gregory’s three days.
“Sit next to me,” Freddy instructed gently as he perched on one of the beds, patting the empty spot at his side. When Gregory clambered up and got settled, Freddy ran a hand through his wet hair, pushing it out of his face. “I just wanted to let you know that you can always talk to me about anything. You have been through a lot this weekend—more so than anyone should ever have to, let alone someone so young. If there is ever something bothering you, I will listen and do my best to help in whatever way I can.”
Freddy’s words and kind expression were backed with nothing but the utmost sincerity. Of course he could talk to Freddy about anything; Gregory knew this.
But what good was talking about how he felt going to do?
Maybe this mindset—this way of approaching things—wasn't good. But Gregory felt as though it was merely his self-esteem being affected. Or... perhaps it was a side effect of the Remnant.
There was a while where Gregory thought on this. That is until he realized his father was looking at him with increasing worry. He had to say something—whether it was a cover up or the truth it didn’t matter.
“It's my face... I just don't look like me anymore. I'm still getting used to it,” Gregory admitted, unsure how important it was that his mind left his body while staring at his own reflection. He would omit this little detail for now.
“Ah.” Freddy’s expression shifted to one of understanding. “Well, I can certainly empathize to a degree—it seems like it may take us both a while to get used to our appearances.”
At this point, Freddy still hadn’t gotten a chance to really look at this new android form of him—not while he inhabited it, that is. So distracted with the rest of the world, he’d been content to catch the occasional faint glimpse of himself in a passing glass window. However, he knew Gregory’s concern came from an entirely different and darker place.
“If it is any consolation,” Freddy continued with that eye-crinkling smile of his, gently cupping one of Gregory’s cheeks in his hand. “I still think you look just like my superstar, regardless of what you might see in the mirror.”
At least they weren't going through this alone. Gregory never thought he'd ever get to feel the familial closeness and pride of being loved unconditionally. But Freddy remained his papa bear; now he just happened to look less ursine than ever.
“That helps...” Gregory replied, leaning into his touch. “I'll get over it eventually. Like you said... I just have to get used to it.” He sighed in a resigned fashion.
And hey—maybe it would help him hide better from... them.
“It's probably for the best I don't look like myself, anyway.” Gregory reached up and grasped Freddy's hand where it rested on his face, glancing away momentarily. “Then my foster parents can't find me...”
Almost imperceptibly, Freddy’s fingertips tightened against Gregory’s cheek. This was a topic he hadn’t wanted to think of just yet, but knew this was a real threat on the horizon. For all intents and purposes, Freddy had kidnapped a child. Despite the well-meaning behind his actions, he knew there was a whole slew of issues regarding that he hadn’t the first idea how to go about dealing with.
“No matter what happens, I am staying with you,” Freddy reassured, wholly confident of at least that fact. He finally moved his hand, only to pull Gregory into a tight hug. “Now, how about we get the others and check out that arcade? I am curious to see how it compares to the Pizzaplex!”
Gregory had never seen such a collection of attractions than those at the Pizzaplex. He doubted the little hotel arcade could hold a candle to the might of the gaming library Freddy’s had. Still, it was totally worth it to go and see the looks on Michael’s face when Gregory beat him at fighting games again. It was a fun distraction.
And that’s what he really needed right now. Anything to get his mind off the silver eyes in his head, and those terrifying faces of people who only loved him for the paycheck he brought with him.
***
There were a few reruns of popular shows playing on some TV channels. The 90’s hit The Immortal and the Restless was having an anniversary marathon—all twelve seasons aired two times and followed by the dramatic movie conclusion. When Charlie was done with her phone call, she couldn’t help but notice the familiar theme song playing on the high definition television.
“Oh no, what season is this?” she asked, hurrying to hang up the phone so she could scamper back towards the couch. She didn’t want to miss anymore of the show than she already had.
“Season five,” Michael replied, shifting to make room. His eyes never left the TV, even as he felt Charlie sink in next to him. “You’ve missed so much… meanwhile I’ve seen this entire show way too many times.”
Mike couldn’t even begin to count the amount of hours he’d laid motionless in front of the TV, watching crappy soap operas with reckless abandon. It’d become somewhat of a guilty pleasure over the years, especially as time went on and it became more difficult for him to actually leave his apartment. What better way to get away from the troubles of his own life than to become invested in those of fictional characters?
As Charlie settled next to Michael, Freddy and Gregory emerged from the bedroom. Noticing the pair on the couch, Freddy walked over to their side and announced: “Gregory and I are going to visit the arcade and would love for you to join us!”
“Huh?” Mike was fully invested in the vampire drama, and it took a monumental effort—and well-timed commercial break—to tear his gaze away and look up at Freddy. Once he processed what the man said though, he was quick to brighten up with an eager nod. “Oh, sure! We can definitely explore the hotel a bit.”
Good thing they were playing the marathon twice, Charlie thought, grinning as she lifted herself energetically from the couch. That way they could start at the beginning tomorrow.
“I almost forgot about the arcade!” Charlie was going to enjoy being able to play a video game without the oppressive atmosphere of the Pizzaplex ruining all their fun. Remembering the bag stashed away inside her jacket pocket, she mused: “I wonder if this prize counter will accept three rolls of game tickets from Freddy's…”
“Great question,” Gregory said, already trying to get out of the door. He reached for the knob and opened up the hallway and holding it. “We'll find out when we get there!”
***
PREVIOUS INSTALLMENT: Spend the Night ~~ Next Chapter
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#fnaf security breach#fnaf sb#fnaf#fnaf au#five nights at freddy's#glamrock freddy#michael afton#charlie emily#fanfic#fanfiction#ao3#angelofrainfrogs#zeitghest#spend the night#going back#the wires that bind us au
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Going Back: Ch. 4
~Coauthored by @zeitghest~
Fandom(s): Five Nights At Freddy’s: Security Breach
Description: Things are looking up for Gregory. After putting the soul of a formerly-immortal killer to rest, he and his new family can finally begin their lives anew. Sure, Gregory might have been cursed with mysterious Remnant in exchange for being involved in this mess—not to mention his caretakers consist of sentient robots and ghosts… But there’s no doubt that the bond they share is unbreakable. They love him, and he in turn.
All in all, life is finally starting to go right for once.
…Unfortunately, true peace is a hard-won battle. There are other things to contend with besides William’s decrepit soul, and Gregory will learn that his role in the lives of the Aftons and Emilys is far greater than anyone could’ve imagined.
Rating: T
Read on Ao3
The pair traveled back up to surface level, picking up the pace the closer they got to their friends. When they emerged into the beautiful overhead lights of the atrium, Michael called Sammy on his walkie and asked to meet in Monty's room. He assumed Freddy and Gregory were still hanging out there, as they hadn't heard anything to the contrary.
Sure enough, they caught sight of the gator through the window, talking animatedly with Freddy and Gregory who laughed at his latest anecdote. To Michael's great relief, Gregory seemed much more at ease with the oversized robot. Knocking on the glass to get their attention, Mike waved when the trio looked his way. “Hey, guys! Let us in? Sammy's on his way over, too.”
“What's the password?” Gregory called through the thick panel of glass that separated them. He rose from his crisscross position on the ground, excited to see other company after listening to the robots getting reacquainted for who knows how long.
“There is no password, you little ding-dong!” Charlie laughed, watching as Gregory giggled before throwing open the door.
“Was your mission a success?” Freddy asked, standing from the couch as Charlie and Michael funneled into the room.
“Sure was,” Mike said with a nod and a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. “We found two more 'friends' that were apparently hanging around since Charlie's initial call the other night... they're with the others now, so no worries.”
“Oh... I see.” Freddy looked to the ground, giving the lost souls a moment of somber silence before perking back up. “Well, as long as they are being taken care of, then I am sure they will be alright. Gregory and I have been having a wonderful time with Monty!” He patted the gator's arm, and Monty grinned down at the newcomers with claws on his hips.
“Heck yeah we have!” the gator agreed heartily, letting out a loud laugh. “Gregory's a plucky lil' squirt—I like 'im!”
“As I knew you would,” Freddy chuckled, gazing between the gator and his son with a fond smile.
Gregory seemed to thrive in the praise. Where there was once animosity between him and the nearly seven foot tall gator, he was beginning to feel a bit of a soft spot for the guy again. As far as the remaining animatronics went, Monty was a close second to his favorite.
“Hold the door! I’m coming!” Behind the androids, the hurried shuffles of the CEO could be heard.
“Hey—” Samuel huffed, fixing his crooked glasses as he leaned into the doorway “—how’s everything going, guys?”
“Good—we've got one more piece sorted out, and one less thing for you to worry about,” Michael assured, grinning at his old friend. “We just came to pick you three up, actually—we're ready to show you the basement surprise Charlie mentioned earlier if you're ready to see it, Sam.”
Freddy visibly brightened at Michael's words, excited to see Henry and the other kids again. He peered up at Monty, offering him a fist to bump. “I believe that is our cue to leave. I will return as soon as I can; try to stay out of trouble, will you?”
“HA! No promises, Fredbear!” Monty cackled, returning the gesture. The comical difference in the sizes of their hands only made him laugh more, and Freddy shook his head affectionately. It was so nice to have his old friend back in action and returned to his proper self.
If Freddy felt this relieved from Monty being offline for only a few nights, he couldn't imagine what it must've felt like for Charlie and Michael to see each other again after so many years. It made his heart simultaneously warm and achy to think of.
Charlie seemed to empathetically cling to that same ideal. When she found out that Mike had been the one to save her from the ruins of the old pizzeria, her heart simultaneously broke and soared at the same time. Her one true friend had been the soul to help her, and in turn, she helped him. She could see that similar bond between Freddy and Monty. Though their parting was bittersweet, they’d all see each other again soon.
Gregory waited by Freddy, and in a sign of good faith, raised his hand to bump Monty’s fist. He couldn’t blame the gator for what that virus made him. Like the others, all he wanted at his core was to have fun.
“I gotta go visit my other friends but we’ll see you later, Alligator!” Gregory joked, giving the bassist a genuine smile.
“See ya around, squirt!” Monty replied, pressing Gregory’s knuckles against his own. His tail, previously laying still against the floor, slowly swished side to side in poorly-contained glee. Monty was over the moon that the kid was no longer terrified of him and hoped his loving—but comparatively stricter—dad would let Gregory out of his sight someday so they could have some real fun.
Once all partings were done, Freddy slipped his hand into Gregory’s as they followed the others. Charlie took the lead this time, with Michael and Sammy side-by-side behind her. As they walked, Mike nudged Sammy’s shoulder with a smirk.
“So we hear you’ve got a secret helper who brought up some animatronics for you,” he began, trying to keep his tone nonchalant. Same as Charlie, Michael was so curious to know what a note from Ennard was like, let alone how Sammy was faring with everything.
Sam brightened at this. The fact he had some competent worker who’d been willing to both locate and lug all of his heavy equipment up the freight elevator and into Parts & Service had sent him over the moon. Good help was hard to find… but then again, he couldn't afford to pay more than minimum wage until recently.
“Yes!” he answered, sighing in relief. “I couldn't really... Read the letter they wrote on my office desk, but I got the important parts.” He laughed off the oddity with a wave of his hand. “Thanks to them, I predict the Glamrocks will be up and running before the week's end! That, and the new additions I plan to add...”
After all, those robots were a part of his new business deal. Fresh characters always brought in bigger profit margins. If Sammy added them at the right times during the season, then they could get the second Pizzaplex built in the next decade.
The happy look on his face only faltered when Charlie asked Michael: “Are you going to tell him, or should I?”
“Um, yeah, so... that wasn't actually a new employee who brought the animatronics up,” Michael began, his smile slipping into a grimace. “It's... ugh, how do I explain this thing... Well, first off, their name is Ennard.”
When Michael paused again, Freddy decided to interject, quickly catching onto the situation. “Ennard is an allied animatronic that has been helping us most of the weekend. It sounds like they still wanted to assist where they can?” He tilted his head questioningly, to which Michael nodded.
“Yes—okay, so this is going to sound really weird, but they're actually four different bots melded together,” Michael tried to explain. His brow creased and he held up his hand, counting his fingers silently. “Er... maybe three? Depends on if you consider BonBon a separate entity.”
He huffed a sigh, realizing he'd spent far too long debating the finer details of the amalgamation. He looked back to Sam, feeling bad for confusing him even more.
"Do you remember that Funtime animatronic line William tried to start up a while ago? That's what Ennard is—all of them combined into one robot except Circus Baby. They're... probably going to pop out of the vents at some point; trust me, you'll know if you see them.”
That... didn't seem like it would work, realistically? Samuel had studied the Funtime blueprints a long time ago, and while many of their functions seemed vestigial, including an extending ice cream scoop that came from Circus Baby’s stomach, their programming would simply clash too much to form a functioning robot.
Sam rubbed his neck as he listened, then jumped high and bumped into his sister at the feeling of something wrapping around his leg.
“OH—Christ!” he yelped, shaking off the metal tendril that seemed to affectionately curl around his calf.
“IT WAS ME. HI,” stated the cacophony of four broken voice boxes speaking together in unison. “HELLO, PIZZARIA OWNER. HELLO, LITTLE MIKEY AND FREDDY... WE MISSED YOU GUYS...”
Charlie caught her brother as he clutched his chest with a tight fist, breathing hard as he got over the initial shock of being touched in the dim lighting.
“Ennard—” Gregory laughed, trying to make it seem less of a big deal than it really was. “—you scared Mr. Sam!”
“OUR BAD...,” they replied apologetically, receding back towards the vents with their many moving appendages.
“See?! You're freaky!” Michael exclaimed a big smugly, happy to prove his point from earlier. To Sam, he added: “I worked in their storage facility and they, um... got... attached to me. Charlie and I found them again in the basement a few nights ago, and now they won't leave me alone.”
He shot a glare into the dark corner, where a tendril was steadily inching its way back to Michael's foot. Instead of trying to kick it Mike simply kept walking, knowing it was pointless to waste energy on such a gesture.
“Hello, Ennard!” Freddy said with a bright wave, completely opposing to Michael's sullen pout. “Thank you for helping Sam with the animatronics. Have things been alright during our absence?”
“WE... MADE A... FRIEND,” they replied slowly, as if self-conscious. Still, they were proud of this feat. Despite Michael's warnings not to leave the vents, they had snuck out into the Daycare and found the friendliest robot—someone who rivaled Ennard in height and with a bubbly personality. “WE WANTED TO COME AND SEE... HOW YOU ARE ALL DO—DOING...”
After his initial fright, Samuel had found this animatronic fascinating from a scientific standpoint. “Oh, you have a short in your voice box. I could fix that for you... It's the least I could do for helping us out!”
Ennard shook their head, somewhat afraid of the attention.
“NO... WE WON'T NEED THIS BODY FOR LONG... THANK YO-U.” They spoke decisively, and in as polite of a tone they could muster through their intimidating static.
Michael whipped around, causing Charlie to run into him as his eyebrows shot up to his hairline.
“What?! What does that mean?!” he hissed. “Ennard, what the fuck does that mean?!”
“Michael...?” Freddy began hesitantly, and the man's gaze shifted to his.
“Ah, shit—I mean, crap. Ugh. Sorry, Freddy,” he apologized weakly, then ran a hand through his hair. “I don't like when they say things like that...”
Michael just had to remind himself that Ennard was smart enough not to try to that organ-removing tactic again in order to get a new body... At least, he hoped that was the case. Still, it didn't hurt to advise Sammy: “Hey, try to keep people away from the vents for a little longer, okay? For my sake.”
This raised alarm bells with Samuel, primarily because he couldn't have anyone else getting hurt. Not only were people’s lives at stake, but this could all come crashing down and ruin him financially.
“WE WILL NOT HURT ANYONE—IT'S A SURPRISE—Surprise!” Ennard rejoiced, voice seeming to fade away as they crawled backwards into the winding ventilation system.
After all, they couldn't have Michael finding out their plans! Being able to watch over and keep him safe to make up for all those years of torment they caused meant they’d have to be at liberty to leave the Pizzaplex. This couldn't be achieved given their current size and stature.
“You better be good, Ennard, got it?” Charlie remarked in an attempt to lightly threaten, though the intent was all but lost to Ennard who only saw Charlie as the harmless, plucky friend of Michael's. She let out a sigh, gripping Mike’s shoulder in to ground him to the present. “Why don't you go hang out with your new friend? We'll catch up with you later.”
At the dismissal, the group watched as Ennard's spaghetti-like limbs retracted back into the darker recesses of the air duct.
“Oh... That's... Neat...,” Samuel murmured, concern rife in his face and high-pitched voice. “Note to self: We'll hire outside contractors for air duct maintenance...”
And maybe add an NDA to the hiring process.
Michael sighed heavily, pinching the bridge of his nose with one hand while patting Charlie's reassuring grip on his shoulder with the other. If Ennard said they wouldn't hurt anyone, Michael had to believe them. It wasn't like he had much choice in the matter, anyway...
“...Perhaps we should continue on,” Freddy suggested after a moment of silence, to which the others heartily agreed and began making their way deeper into the basement.
***
Henry heard an approaching commotion in the hallway and had been frantically tidying up his workshop. He'd managed to convince all the kids but Evan and Liz to go play in another room, effectively keeping them out of the way for what was sure to be an interesting visit. The younger Aftons were still nearby in his workshop, yet again playing with the charging pod that served as the place of their father's demise—it seemed like they'd grown attached to the thing in a dark sort of way. As footsteps approached the door, Henry moved to open it. He was initially greeted by Michael's now-smiling face, then Charlie next to him, and just behind them—
“Hi, Sammy,” Henry breathed, his voice mildly choked with emotion at the sight of his son looking quite a bit older than when they'd last met.
Michael turned to place a hand on Sammy's back, still smiling as he proclaimed: “Surprise!”
Samuel's mouth hung open. Him, too? His father's soul must’ve been trapped here since the fire—
It was Sam's wishes that they completely buried the old Diner below the Pizzaplex. A fitting gesture, Sammy thought, as the firemen told him on that fateful night that they never could definitively say they retrieved the remains of Henry's body.
After adjusting his glasses, Samuel would see it wasn't a trick of the light, and that his father was here, tangible—but almost shrouded by a dream-like haze that made Sam squint as he petered forward. Moving towards the old ghost, Sammy wordlessly left Michael's hand to touch the air before falling forward against his father.
“Hey, Dad...,” Sam muttered into Henry's shoulder as he tried his best to keep from shaking.
“Hey,” Henry breathed into Sammy's hair, holding him close. He could feel his son trying hard to keep his emotions in check and was thankful that he could interact with him enough to offer comfort. “I'm sorry I left you without saying goodbye; I'll explain everything when you're ready to hear it, I just... I couldn't bear it if you tried to stop me and got caught up in all of this, too.”
Out of all the Afton and Emily children, Sammy was the only one to make it unscathed past his twenties—physically, at least. Yes, Michael was still around for quite a while after the scooping incident, but it was debatable to call that living... It was a marvel, a blessing, and a curse that Sammy had come out of their traumatic past with his body and mind more or less intact, and Henry knew he couldn't chance that by telling Sam his plan to end William once and for all.
It'd worked out for the better in the end, since William did not disappear as planned from the fire. If Sammy hadn't been around to create the Pizzaplex, William's software would have simply found its way into a different establishment far away from the only ones who could send him to permanent hell. Really, Sammy's decision to make this a “gravesite” for his father was fate at its best.
Sam was content to rest in the strong hold of his dad. It was funny—hugging him always made him feel like a kid, finding the times he’d been hugged the most was when he was young. Henry's embrace was kind and nostalgic; it made him happy. The first time in a long time Sam felt like things were going to be alright, and that he wasn't simply a bobbing head struggling above endless crashing waves.
Sam felt Charlie squeezing in, murmuring, “Hey, scoot over guys...,” as she quietly inserted herself alongside her twin. As Sammy tucked her against him, years of survivor’s guilt and pain were slowly left to be forgotten among William's ashes scattered around the basement.
While Sam and Henry caught up, Freddy noticed the Afton kids and decided to take Gregory over and say hello, giving the newly-reunited family a few seconds of privacy. Gregory was alright with leaving the Emily's to rekindle. After all, his friends were waiting for him! Gregory had a feeling he knew where they were, too. Silver eyes pierced the darkness, scanning watchfully for movement.
“Hey!” he shouted, wondering if they were playing a game as he wandered into the shadows by the charging pod. “Are you guys hiding? Helloooo?”
A set of deep brown eyes peered out of the porthole, watching Gregory stalk closer. Evan sat on Lizzie's shoulders, needing the height boost so they could lay in wait for their prey. They'd hoped to prank Michael first, but Gregory would do just fine. When the boy was close enough, Evan gave the signal by tapping Lizzie's shoulder, prompting her to throw open the charging pod door and burst out with a shriek.
“BOO!” Evan shouted, arms outstretched as the pair landed directly in Gregory's path, Lizzie clutching her brother’s legs so he didn't fall off.
“AHHH!” Gregory let out a short shriek, arms outstretched as he jumped and made this odd, pseudo-karate movement that ended with him lightly ‘chopping’ Liz in the shoulder.
“You guys!” Gregory breathed out, laughing. “You don’t have to scare me every time I come down here!” Though Evan stacked neatly on top of Elizabeth’s shoulders had given him an idea. “…Can I get in on this totem pole?”
With a bright, happy gaze, Elizabeth beamed at him.
“Totally! Climb on up!” she laughed, bracing herself as Gregory attempted to climb both their shoulders.
“Boy did I miss you two,” Henry admitted over by the workbench, then pressed a firm kiss to the tops of his children's heads before finally letting them go. He flashed Charlie a smile before focusing on Sammy, looking him up and down with a hearty chuckle. “Well, well... you're a chip off the old block, huh?”
It was crazy how Sammy mirrored his father more so in the way he held himself than by looks alone. Yes, there was definitely a resemblance between the men, Henry's body now frozen in time a bit closer to Sammy's current age. But Sam also had a bit of Charlie in him, which in turn meant their mother's features showed through as well. Yet to anyone that saw the family together, there would be no mistaking that Henry was indeed Sammy's dad through and through.
“M-Me?” Samuel sounded genuinely surprised at this, sounding nervous and prideful at the same time. “You really think so…?”
Charlie gave her brother a sideways glance, laughing as she asked him: “Sammy, you own a mirror at home, right? Especially with the reading glasses and robotics hobby, man; you're like a mini-Dad.”
“I guess I sort of forgot—it’s been awhile since I’ve had anyone older than me pinching my cheeks and telling me ‘Oh, you look just like your father!’” Sam gave a well-meaning chuckle, fixing the rim of his glasses to adjust from where he'd pressed his face into Henry’s shoulder.
“But you do!” Michael insisted, reenacting Sammy’s words and stepping closer to pinch his cheek with a wicked cackle. “Look at this face!”
“Michael, leave him be!” Henry laughed, playfully smacking the android’s hand away so he couldn’t harass Sammy any further. A far cry from when Mike was young, it was clear that his bothersome actions were only meant in jest.
Sammy’s embarrassment was minimal, though his face grew a wide smirk when Michael pinched his cheeks. He affectionately raised his arm and locked it around the back of Mike’s neck in a playful gesture. There, Samuel would go on to converse and question with his father and completely ignoring the indignant cries of protest from his old friend.
It was odd, reacquainting yourself with people you swore you knew your whole life. For instance, Charlie had been trapped in a puppet for decades—which would’ve been nice to know before Samuel went to make fun of said robot for years after Charlie’s death, cursing its oddly terrifying mask for not saving his sister that fateful day…
While this wholesome emotional bonding was taking place, a more physical display was happening on the other side of the room as Gregory clambered up the Afton kids to complete their totem pole. Using Lizzie’s body as a stable base, Evan helped Gregory get situated on his shoulders, holding his legs just as Lizzie grasped his. Freddy, who’d been watching the trio intently after Gregory’s initial scare, finally stepped in to add his two cents to the situation.
“Please be careful, you three…,” he advised, eyebrows creased in worry as he looked up at Gregory, now towering a few inches above him. Evan had been so focused on scaring and then subsequently helping Gregory, he hadn’t realized the red-headed android was even standing nearby until he spoke up.
“Whoa—Freddy, you look so cool!” Evan exclaimed, instantly recognizing Freddy’s voice despite its lack of mechanical feedback. Evan then flashed Gregory an upside down grin. “So did you guys actually get to leave and hang out somewhere else for a while?”
He figured they must’ve if it took them this long to visit, although the concept of stepping foot outside a Fazbear Entertainment establishment was still foreign to the boy trapped there the longest. As her brother mused on life outside, Liz carefully walked to show off the stack they had going. The android body left Liz with more stability than ever before.
“Dude! We live in a hotel and they have a POOL!” Gregory answered, like it was the coolest thing ever. “And an arcade. Just ask Mike; I kicked his butt at Mortal Kombat!”
He held a sense of pride at this. Michael would need a lot more practice if he wanted to get better than Gregory at fighting games.
Liz would laugh with a snarky, “Oh, I believe it,” as she paraded them slowly towards Freddy’s side. She got a better look at him, and decided his new form suited the robot’s kind and demure attitude.
To Gregory’s credit, Evan did think living in a hotel with those sorts of amenities sounded pretty cool.
“That’s awesome!” he exclaimed, trying to remember what it was like to swim in a pool. Their parents would always take them to the local community one when they could, although summertime with kids out of school also meant a welcome uptick in business for the restaurants.
William had been ecstatic when Michael got old enough to take Liz and Evan by himself, shoving a few extra dollars in the eldest Afton’s pocket to make up for him being appointed babysitter. Smiling at the good memories of hot summer days and ice-cold popsicles, Evan looked over towards his brother. He instantly tensed upon seeing an unfamiliar face, though as he squinted to get a better look he let out a little gasp.
“Is that Sammy?!” he asked incredulously, taking in the similarities between this man and his Uncle Henry. Even before receiving an answer, Evan knew his guess was correct simply based on the equivalent tones of the men’s laughter as they reminisced.
“It is!” Freddy confirmed with a soft smile. He glanced to the group, making sure they’d calmed from their initial meeting before adding: “You should go and say hello. I know he would love to see you both, too.”
“Yeah! Onwards!” Evan commanded, kicking his feet to start Lizzie moving again. Unfortunately this counterbalanced Gregory on his shoulders, but with quick action from Freddy their tower stayed upright and intact. Evan laughed an apology, and then they started the careful walk towards the Emily’s and Michael.
“Woah—” Lizzie gasped, giggling at how old their friend was now. With Freddy’s help, the totem pole made their way to Samuel. The kids called to him, and Gregory waved to garner his attention.
“Sammy Emily!” Elizabeth shouted, making their friend jump.
When he saw the Afton kids stuck in time, it gave Sammy a feeling he couldn’t describe. There was an intense happiness, followed immediately after by a pitting and hollow depression.
Look at how young they were, tortured for years from what he heard of Charlie’s account...
But Sam resigned himself to serenity, as their pain had seemingly ended and the smiles he loved so long ago had returned to their faces.
“Guys���” he replied instinctively, unaware of the tears falling from the corners of his eyes. “—you’re both here!”
And Liz was a lot stronger than he remembered! Though it was owed to the animatronic body she paraded around, he surmised.
“I just can’t seem to get rid of them,” Michael chimed in with a dramatic roll of his eyes, though there was nothing but affection behind his words. He moved forward to disassemble the totem pole when he saw the telltale wobbling of Evan’s bottom lip. Honestly, Mike was amazed his brother hadn’t cried even more during their last few encounters, though he reasoned Evan was probably still getting over the shock of the whole situation just like everyone else. However, now there were all-too-familiar tears running down his face, although this time they were from happiness.
"Sorry, Sammy,” Evan apologized, wiping ectoplasmic snot from his nose and giving Sam a little grin as Mike set him on solid ground. “I-It’s good to see you; Lizzie and I missed you a whole lot!”
Samuel was wiping his cheeks, trying to remove his own evidence of how much he truly missed this little group.
“No! Really, don’t be sorry guys!” he began to say, and when he felt Elizabeth hug his side, he was sure that he was going to burst into his own tears again.
Sam was relieved that despite everything, they weren’t mad he'd survived. He wanted so badly to grow old with those around him, imagining often what they could’ve been if given a chance at life… That was too painful, so instead he focused on the now.
“The only thing you all need to be sorry for is not finding me earlier!” he said, sniffling heavily. “I… I really missed all of you so much. Thank you…”
“No, thank you!” Liz replied, gaining Sam’s full attention. “You built this place; it's like a whole amusement park! Now all the ghosts can actually have fun!”
Liz promised not to mention it, but Cassidy may have been breaking the rules. She was hanging out in the attractions upstairs with the three new kids, but Elizabeth swore she wouldn’t speak a word if no one asked. Still, she assumed Samuel would be fine allowing them to mingle with the regulars upstairs from time to time. After all, they seemed normal enough when you didn’t pay close attention to the wavering outlines of their spectral forms.
“Yeah, this place seems so cool!” Evan agreed, knowing this to be true from the stories both Gregory and Cassidy regaled him with. He also knew Cassidy and the other ghosts probably weren’t supposed to leave the basement… But though Evan might be a scaredy-cat, he wasn’t a snitch.
“Well, maybe one night soon we can take you guys up top,” Michael suggested, looking to Henry and Sam with a raised eyebrow.
“I’m sure we can make something work—if it’s alright with Sammy, of course,” Henry deferred, patting his son’s shoulder. “We'll figure out the details later."
Samuel beamed at this. He could definitely make it work. "All of you are welcome above ground! Please, help yourselves to the attractions and toys.”
No one could complain about that arrangement. Satisfied at the prospect of exploring another time, Evan turned his attention go Gregory. He slipped his hands around Gregory's arm and shook it lightly. “Hey, are you staying for a while? You wanna play together?”
The adults shared a look, before Freddy responded: “Go ahead; we will call you when it is time to leave.”
When they’d collectively given Gregory the permission to hang around, he laced his arm through Evan's. “Let's go!”
Who knew when they were going to cut their meeting short and take Gregory away from his new friends? Lizzie followed where the two boys ran, speeding into the darkness with the energy that only excitable kids like them had.
“And BE CAREFUL, DARN IT!” Charlie called, hoping the voices she heard call back where that of their acknowledgement. The kids must’ve really been itching to hang out together. “That was fast—sorry they didn't stay longer, Sammy!”
Charlie apologized for them, but Sam waved his hand dismissively.
“I'm sure it won't be the last time I see them. Besides, I'm just glad I have you guys to hang out with. Plus—Dad.” Samuel pointed to Freddy and his android form. “I just want to say, this engineering is nearly flawless. How on earth did you achieve all this?!”
Henry gave a hearty laugh and clapped Freddy amiably on the back. The redhead gazed serenely down at the group, looking utterly content now that both families were together again.
“The androids?” Henry began, crossing his arms over his chest. “Those took a lot of time—I still don’t think they’re perfect, but as long as you’re all happy then I suppose I can be as well.” There was a murmuring of acknowledgment from the three robots, to which Henry grinned. “As for Freddy’s personality… that was all you and Mike.”
He hadn’t even fathomed the idea of a throwback 80s Glamrock line of animatronics, but Henry had to admit it was brilliant. Even more so amazing were the robotic AIs themselves; the old mechanic was so curious to see what the others were like without the influence of a human soul. From what he’d heard about them, his awe would likely be on par with how Sam felt about Freddy right now.
“Okay, but seriously, Uncle Henry—these bodies are astounding,” Michael said, his excitement palpable as he was finally able to talk about this topic in depth. “I’m not a huge fan of the bleeding, but I get why you made us that way—it’s to keep all the mechanisms lubricated, right? Less manual oiling of the joints?”
“Correct.” Henry grimaced, remembering the matted crimson state of Michael’s hair the other night. “I wanted to avoid you needing regular touch-ups as much as possible, so I developed the fake ‘blood’. Plus, it adds to the lifelike quality of the skin.”
It was strange for Michael to hear his current body spoken of like a machine, but that’s all it was in the end. Which begged another question that’d been on his mind since the other day: “So… how did you make it so we can eat?”
There was a moment of silence where Henry’s face fell into a confused, slightly mortified expression. As reckless as Michael could be, he thought the eldest Afton would at least have enough sense not to put human food into a robotic body—he’d seen firsthand the damage it’d caused Chica over the years.
“Are... Are you telling me you’ve been eating actual food? As in, the stuff that Sammy needs to live?!” Henry eventually asked, looking to Charlie for clarity.
Charlie shared a look between her friends before slowly glancing back towards her dad.
“Y... Yes?” she answered, unsure if that was a bad thing or not. “We had hot wings yesterday—are we not supposed to be eating?”
Well, now Charlie was somewhat worried about the quality and conditions of their new bodies. Should they mess them up somehow, Charlie would hate to have to put Michael or herself back into the character vessels or free-floating ether; not when they only had a touch of freedom and happiness. And last thing she wanted is to walk around and smell of rotting food or breakdown in front of someone... Surely that would be traumatizing for anyone to witness.
“I mean—why else would you give us taste buds?” she continued, looking to Freddy and Michael, wanting to make sure it wasn't just her who was able to savor the deliciousness of their food from the other day.
Henry opened his mouth to protest that he did no such thing, but the looks on Charlie and Michael’s faces gave him pause. He glanced at Freddy, noting the same expression of confusion creasing his brows.
“Freddy… did you eat something, too?” Henry asked incredulously.
“Yes; I had a cheeseburger with all the fixin’s,” the former animatronic replied honestly. “But if it is any consolation, I do not feel any distress from consuming physical matter as I did in my old body.”
There had been only one time Freddy was persuaded to try a slice of pizza when in his original form. In a rare moment of everyone ganging up against their band leader, Roxy, Chica, and Monty wouldn’t give Freddy a second of peace until they’d all taken at least one bite of the greasy pie. Freddy had regretted it instantly, feeling the heavy wrongness of a foreign object trying to work its way through his inner mechanics. However, he hadn’t felt anything like that when consuming the burger—in fact, he’d felt unexpectedly satisfied.
“…Huh.” Henry took off his glasses and wiped the lenses on his shirt, trying to fathom what the hell was happening. “I think, as per usual, there are things going on here far out of my control… I’d prefer to check one of you out to make sure nothing’s messing with your systems, but if everything looks good after that I suppose you can indulge every once in a while…”
“I volunteer to be examined,” Freddy offered, raising a hand and flashing the group a reassuring smile. “I am used to having technicians working around my internal mechanisms.”
He certainly wasn’t about to subject Michael and Charlie to being opened up so Henry could root around in their stomachs—they’d been through enough traumatic events already.
“Thanks, Freddy; can you hang back for a little bit whenever you all decide to go upstairs again?” Henry asked, patting Freddy’s shoulder appreciatively. The redhead nodded, trusting Michael and Charlie to watch over Gregory while they were apart.
Now more than ever did Henry resemble a doctor as opposed to a mechanic. Maybe it just seemed that way to Charlie due to their recent re-personification. Whatever the reason, Charlie smiled despite the worry that something may be wrong with their inner cogs and mechanisms. She absently laid a hand over her stomach, thoroughly investigating the robot's idle hard drive for errors. With nothing out of the ordinary popping out at her, she hoped if something was wrong, it was just a minor issue.
Samuel, who’d been intently listening to their experiences, had perked up at the chance to witness the inner workings of these robots.
“Would you mind if I stay behind, too?” Samuel wondered curiously. He didn't know how secretive Henry was about his creations nowadays, but Samuel was hoping to create more realistic human characters in the future.
“I do not have an issue with that,” Freddy readily agreed. Since the day he was powered on he’d been subjected to hundreds of tests and safety checks of varying levels of invasiveness, both planned and at random. Freddy was used to this sort of attention from multiple people at a time, so having Sammy tag along was nothing he hadn’t experienced before. Besides, Freddy would never deny his creators the opportunity to work with him if they thought it best—though it was certainly nice of Henry and Sammy to ask first.
“I don’t either,” Henry assured, wrapping an arm around Sammy’s shoulders. He beamed with paternal pride, excited to see how his son would respond to such an advanced machine. Hell, he’d even be willing to let Sammy fiddle with anything that needed adjustment, if he was up for it.
And Freddy, too—Henry had to remind himself that the former bear was basically a human now, and though he was blessed with an amenable personality, he still deserved the right to his own free will.
“I… think I’ll sit this one out, if that’s cool,” Michael said quietly, his face a mixture of tentative intrigue. Yes, he definitely wanted to see how these bodies worked, just… not right now. Thinking of what else they could do while Freddy was incapacitated, he recalled Sammy mentioning there was one more animatronic up and running besides Monty. “Maybe Charlie and I can take Gregory to visit the Daycare? If he’s willing to go without his dad, of course.”
Michael gave a soft laugh, glancing to where the kids had long-since disappeared into the darkness to play.
Charlie smiled at this. She’d almost forgot they still needed to visit the sunny Daycare attendant. She felt bad for leaving the freshly-made friend in there to the proverbial wolves and wanted check up on them. With Moon certainly having calmed down with the removal of that nasty glitch, Charlie could finally get his perspective on the situation, too.
“Great idea! Gregory—time to go!” Charlie turned towards the diner, cupping her hands around her mouth. “Gregory! Where are you, buddy?”
After a moment of no response, she bit her lip and began worrying the faux skin around her nailbeds. “Uh—Mike, I think that's our cue to start looking for him.”
While the threat of Gregory dying was severely lessened, he could still get hurt. So Charlie would always worry about her little brother to some extent.
“I’m telling you—those two are double trouble! And don't get me started on Lizzie…,” Michael muttered, shoving his hands in his pockets as he moved towards the darkness. “Gregory, where’d you guys run off to?”
“We’ll hang tight until you find them,” Henry said, shifting his weight to slouch casually to one side. He wasn’t very concerned with Gregory getting hurt, for he knew as long as the kids stayed in the designated area he’d told them to stay in, they shouldn’t come across anything that could potentially cause harm. Whether they would actually listen to Henry’s instructions was another story entirely, though… So he thought it best to stick around just in case.
Freddy remained by Henry’s side, though he did call out for his son in hopes that his voice might prompt Gregory to respond more than his older brother’s did. “Alright, superstar, it is time to go!”
Little did they know that Gregory and the others had taken to exploring the very site of Henry and Michael's last business venture: the burned down diner that managed against all odds to stay standing after nearly seven years of disrepair. Liz had shown them the way back inside, and together they’d been going through old photos hanging on the wall, vintage posters whose images all but faded from heat exposure.
Liz wanted to show Gregory where Puppet—the real Puppet—had been staying. She was right where they expected, hanging off the lip of the opened top of the scorched, oversized gift box. From there, Puppet watched the kids play inside the grody old dining area, content to let them explore to their hearts' content under her observant eye.
“Did you guys hear something?” Gregory asked when Freddy’s baritone voice just barely penetrated the old walls. Before he knew it the Puppet was behind him, scooping him up and gently carrying him towards the back entrance.
“Awh,” Liz fretted, throwing a rubber ball in a rebellious manner against an already cracked photo. “You have to leave already?”
Puppet offered her a shrug; she didn't make the rules. Carting Gregory off, she simply motioned for Liz and Evan to follow her out of the diner.
“There you are!” Michael exclaimed as the kids appeared back in the workshop. He snickered at the grumpy pout on Gregory's face from being unceremoniously carried away from his exploring. When he was finally set down, the android ruffled Gregory's hair. “Sorry to spoil the fun, kid. Your dad and Sammy are hanging out with Henry for a little bit, so Charlie and I are taking you to visit the Daycare—that cool with you?”
“I wanna go, too...,” Evan muttered.
“Soon—I promise!” he reassured with a grin, which seemed to satisfy Evan well enough.
“See you around, Gregory!” Evan wrapped his arms around his doppelgänger in the briefest bear hug, squeezing him tight before moving to embrace Michael's legs.
Mike smiled at the affection, and when Evan moved onto Charlie the eldest Afton quickly pulled Elizabeth into a side-hug as well. Before she could protest, he raised a fist and rubbed his knuckles against her head with a cackle, causing her already-curly hair to frizz every which way. “I've been waiting so long to do that again! HA!”
“Mike, you're a terror—let her go,” Henry chided with a roll of his eyes, feeling like no time had passed at all from when the Aftons were kids. Honestly, their whole interaction was kind of endearing.
Liz gritted her teeth and groaned at the sensation of knuckles being harshly dragged across her scalp. These robot bodies felt like an extension of her soul—the odd feeling had not escaped her. Though she smiled as soon as it was done. As much as Michael's torture hadn't been exactly missed, it was his charm that Liz felt like she had gone without for so many years.
“Oh, you're so going to get it later...,” Elizabeth warned, and fairly so. The next time Mike came for his siblings, there’d be a prank most foul waiting for him.
It wasn't long before the Puppet found Charlie, climbing up her leg and arm to hang around her shoulders. Charlie closed her eyes and hugged the musty old robot, feeling like she was embracing both her childhood doll and house at the same time.
“Hey—it’s okay, I’m here,” she soothed, sensing Puppet had been missing her by the strain of those noodle-like arms around her. So focused on comforting, Charlie hardly even noticed the little green bangle Puppet slipped over her wrist once more. Clearly, Henry had removed it from its cherished place around the endoskeleton spine when patching up the old bot.
When his little siblings' attention had been diverted to another round of stretched-out goodbyes, Mike stepped close to Charlie and the now tightly-wrapped Puppet. He offered the animatronic a smile, shoving his hands in his pockets. It was weird to see the robot and Charlie separated—even after being with Charlie's android for days on end, Michael still associated her soul with the creation designed to protect her.
“Don't worry,” he began, watching the stoic mask turn to him. The Puppet's eyes were nothing but hollow black holes, the pinprick light that marked Charlie's soul well and truly gone. Perhaps a bit more perceptive than before, she was just a robot once again—but a damn good one, that's for sure. “We're taking care of Charlie. She's got so many people to look after her now—she'll be lucky to get out of our sight for a few minutes.”
His laugh was a bit subdued, unsure if the Puppet would appreciate such humor; he couldn't even remember her original personality except for her tendency to follow Charlie around incessantly and occasionally hand out presents to excitable kids.
As Michael spoke, Puppet sought no comfort. In fact, she was comforting Charlie like a crying child, gently stroking her dark hair with a plush, spindly hand.
However, the Marionette remembered Michael well. She recalled everything he’d done—and the things she and Charlie had done to him.
After nuzzling Charlie's cheek with a matronly sort of affection, Puppet reached out, now transferring onto Michael's shoulders in greeting him. She raked her fingers through his hair, examining his face and committing it to memory.
Michael, she remembered, not William.
After patting his cheek softly, she climbed down and silently crawled to Henry, Sam, and the Afton kids, arms silently raised for one of them to pick her up. Puppet was a simple AI that’d been exposed for far too long to a human’s soul. Her feelings were just as indistinguishably real as Freddy's now, though she had no means to articulate it well without a real voice of her own. Though she had a voice box, she hadn't actually been given speech to go along with; the only sound it could emit was the melody from her turnkey music box. It was Charlie's voice that came through, never more evident than now as she slunk silently across the floor. Funny enough, she ignored Freddy completely—though Puppet saw the bear as a friend now, her facial recognition software hadn't registered who the redhead was yet.
“Wow, Charlie,” Gregory said, realizing where she'd gotten her nervous habit of needing to know where he was all the time. “You said that's your animatronic?”
“Yep!” Charlie answered with a sense of glee and pride. “I designed her when I was very young.”
Samuel felt a twinge of pain at the sight of the Marionette—how she recognized him and immediately scampered for the Emilys’ affection. However, he wasn't one to pull the attention to himself for such menial discomfort. He remembered particularly how bad he felt for telling Charlie when they were young how creepy her robot was.
Why did he have to be such a cruel kid?
“Hey there,” Henry murmured, lifting Puppet into his arms and allowing her to cling just as she had to Charlie and Michael. He gently patted her back, feeling the tension in Puppet's wires from moving around instantly relax as she registered him as both her creator and Charlie's father. “I told you she'd come back for you, didn't I? Stop worrying.”
Repairing the Puppet had been Henry's top priority after William's defeat. He'd been itching to get the robot fixed up ever since Charlie transferred bodies, but he'd had other things to focus on at the time—besides, he didn't want to risk her getting more damaged when she inevitably jumped in the crossfire to try and save Charlie like she'd failed to do that rainy night so long ago. It hadn't taken much to get the Puppet back in commission, being one of the more simplistic models. As soon as she rebooted and started to look around, Henry realized she was in a similar state to Freddy: much too aware of her surroundings for a simple robot.
It made total sense, though. If Freddy had gained sentience from Michael's comparatively short influence, surely the Puppet was alive after being bonded to Charlie for so long. The one thing Henry regretted was not programming her with a voice of her own, but they'd managed to figure out how to communicate just fine and she'd been content to rest in her oversized gift box until Charlie's return.
After a moment, Henry felt a small presence next to him. Looking down, he saw Evan smiling up at him, gently tapping the Puppet's spindly leg as he told her: “I'm super glad you're back online; you and Charlie helped us so much...”
He'd already expressed his gratitude when Henry reintroduced them, but Evan felt the need to remind Puppet that he recognized that it hadn't just been Charlie watching over him and the other kids all this time.
Charlie felt some semblance of pride in the work she'd done with the Marionette. As the Puppet clung to Henry, she reached down and excitably mussed up Evan's hair, softly tussling it between her hands. Lizzie got the same treatment upon her standing next to them.
By her own, the Puppet seemed to be just as friendly and affectionate as Charlie, likely picking up her affinity for the Afton siblings as a result of Charlie's love for them. After clocking Samuel’s vague reluctance to acknowledge her, Puppet gave him a brief pat to the shoulder before slipping down from Henry's hands.
“What do you think, Sammy?” Charlie asked, beaming at the well-deserved attention her old friend was receiving. “I was thinking Puppet would fit right in at the Daycare, or even the game counter in the arcade! She does need a good home and all...”
“O-oh!” Samuel registered the fact that Charlie would want the animatronic well taken care of. Though every time he looked at the thing it gave him flashbacks to finding his sister blue faced and long dead in an alleyway— “Maybe! Maybe I-I could... I could see what space I can work out for her! Yeah...”
“If I may put in my two cents,” Freddy spoke up, slightly raising a hand to get the group's attention. “I believe the Puppet would be a perfect addition to the Daycare. She and Sun would get along wonderfully, and I am sure he would appreciate an extra set of hands.”
Henry and Michael nodded in agreement. If there was anyone in the Pizzaplex that knew how animatronic personalities would mesh together, it was certainly Freddy Fazbear. He got the most exposure to everyone, and as a natural leader always made sure to pay attention to how his fellow robots got along—favorably or otherwise. Though no one outright disliked each other, there were clear lines between personalities that made it so some characters simply wouldn't do as well with others for an extended period of time. Sun, with his bright, bubbly demeanor, got along with everyone to an extent... but he could certainly be a lot. If the Puppet by her lonesome was anything like Charlie, Freddy could already tell that she and Sun would become fast friends—and Moon as well, by extension.
“Speaking of the Daycare...,” Michael prompted, raising an eyebrow to Charlie. “We should get moving so these three can have a chat.” Out of the corner of his eye caught Evan gearing up to ask something, and before the boy uttered a syllable Michael added: “It's boring work stuff—trust me, you don't want to stay with them. How about you and Liz go find the other kids and play with them for a while? I promise we'll stop by again before we leave!”
“Yeah! Come on, Evan! Leave the boring work stuff to the boring adults!” Lizzie snagged her younger brother’s hand, sticking out her tongue at Mike and Charlie. Feigning offense, Charlie touched a hand to her chest.
“—Liz I am hurt. So hurt I'm going to go play video games upstairs,” she said with a faux-snobby tone, as if said to one-up her friend. Liz blew a raspberry at her before imparting a hug to her, pulling a laugh from Charlie. “We'll be back tomorrow!”
Puppet immediately went back to hanging onto Charlie, having silently and almost undetectably snuck over her shoulders again. Looking to the newest addition to their crew, Charlie told the young boy: “Say goodbye to Freddy, Gregory! He's gonna get a little checkup from Doc Emily.”
Bouncing back to Freddy, Gregory would give him a quick hug, unsure how long this apparent checkup would take. “Later, Dad! Love you.”
“I love you, superstar; have fun!” Freddy replied, squeezing Gregory back with a smile. After a few more goodbyes were exchanged and it was agreed Sammy would call when he and Freddy were done, Mike slipped his hand into Gregory's and led the way out of the basement.
“I guess you're coming with us for a bit, huh?” he asked, glancing side-long at the Puppet were she hung off Charlie. The animatronic slowly turned to face him and gave a short nod, causing Michael to chuckle. “That's fine! We can introduce you to Sun right now, then—or, reintroduce, I guess.”
***
Previous Chapter ~~ Next Chapter
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Or check out the entire Wires that Bind Us Series on ao3!
#fnaf security breach#fnaf sb#fnaf#fnaf au#five nights at freddy's#michael afton#monty#charlie emily#fanfic#fanfiction#ao3#angelofrainfrogs#zeitghest#spend the night#going back#the wires that bind us au#henry emily#evan afton#elizabeth afton#ennard#sammy emily#montgomery gator#glamrock freddy#gregory#puppet fnaf
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Spend the Night: Epilogue
~Coauthored by @zeitghest~
Fandom(s): Five Nights At Freddy’s: Security Breach
Description: The familiar melody of Grandfather’s Clock chimes through the echoing halls of the Pizzaplex…
Charlie wakes up in her Puppet’s vessel yet again with one goal in mind: to stop William Afton’s reign of terror for good. She enlists the help of Glamrock Freddy, the emphatic leader of the newest iteration of the Fazbear Band. But there seems to be more to this bear than meets the eye—and the same goes for the mysteriously familiar kid the duo find tinkering with animatronics down in Parts & Service.
With some help from friends new and old, Charlie’s journey into the bowels of the Pizzaplex will unravel mysteries none of them ever expected.
Rating: T
Read on Ao3
Simon says I found myself
I cleaned the dust off of the shelf
What's your choice?
In the end I'll always be your friend
Well done, superstar!
Shine a light, we're fighting the dark
Well done, superstar!
It's my grand design
I'll never ever leave you behind
~Superstar by CG5~
Gregory had his fists balled in anticipation by his chest. Once Freddy moved his arms outward, Gregory belted out an excited shout before jumping into the arms of his hero.
“It worked! You look just like a person!” His face buried into Freddy's stomach, the softness of his sweater making Gregory even more tired than before. He felt as though he could pass out right then and there in a cloud of gentle comfort.
For Charlie, seeing a soul bound to a new body not of her own doing had been a little shocking. It would take some getting used to for sure, but really all that mattered was that Gregory didn't mind the change. To the boy, it was still his Freddy—this time with a noticeable heartbeat and a warm tone to his voice instead of a metallic echo.
“Look at us!” Charlie said with an enthusiastic laugh. “A bunch of totally normal people!”
Truly, it was a second chance at living for all of them.
Freddy held his son close and chuckled at his excitement, a deep, rumbling sound that echoed in his chest. Now that he had the facial features to do so, he pressed a quick kiss to the top of Gregory's messy hair, then looked to Charlie and Michael. He didn't think he'd be able to stop smiling for quite a while.
“Seems like you're happy in there, Fredbear,” Michael said, grinning back at him. It was endearing how Gregory clung, the boy's adoration for his father almost more obvious now that they looked just like anyone you'd pass on the street.
Well, except for the striking eyes.
Like father, like son, Michael thought, not feeling the need to point this feature out. Surely Freddy would see the faint electric glow as soon as he looked in a mirror.
“It will take some getting used to, but it is far from unpleasant,” Freddy confirmed, now rubbing soothing circles onto Gregory's back. The boy's grip had lessened, and when Freddy glanced down he swore the kid was actually starting to fall asleep.
Gently, he held him out by the shoulders so he could meet Gregory's utterly exhausted gaze. Automatically he tried to perform a health scan, but to Freddy's surprise no glowing light came forth from his eyes. Apparently that was just one of the many features specific to his Glamrock body.
“Gregory, you seem exhausted...,” he said softly. “Here, please get up for a moment so I can stand and then I will carry you, alright?”
“Huh?” Gregory was a little out of it, slow to respond when Freddy’s simulated heartbeat had him falling asleep right there. Getting the picture he rose up to his feet and held out a hand to his dad.
“Poor little man’s so tired he can’t even speak,” Charlie remarked, finding it simultaneously cute and heart-wrenching.
He must’ve been waiting until they got everything done to finally rest. Gregory’s mission for the weekend was complete, and now it was time to find a place for them to bunk out before starting the next leg of their journey into the future.
Freddy wasted no time hoisting the boy up, allowing Gregory's head to rest on his shoulder as he wrapped one arm securely around his back while the other supported him underneath. To Freddy's relief, the strength and effort used to lift him felt no different than when he'd done so in his old body. Perhaps the transition would be easier than he initially thought.
“Okay, time to get this kid a real bed,” Michael remarked, pulling Charlie to her feet as he got up as well. He patted his pocket to make sure Sammy's wallet was still there, then glanced side-long at Charlie. “Maybe you should see if Sam's still in Freddy's room? And if so, you can explain why a random man is about to come out of the storage area carrying Gregory... Also we should let him know that Glamrock Freddy's shell is back here now.”
It might’ve taken some time, but Gregory had fallen asleep against the animatronic’s formerly tough but smooth metal exterior before. However, now that Freddy resembled a soft human Gregory passed out immediately once tucked into his embrace.
Charlie reached upwards, fluffing Gregory’s hair without resistance for once. “Yeah—I’ll go and explain it. Maybe you guys should take the back way out of Rockstar row? I’m afraid of Sammy passing out again.”
She could see how stressed her brother had become over the years. He had the same round face as their father, though it had a gauntness Henry didn’t possess. Sam had also definitely grown into a more nervous demeanor over the years. Her carefree brother was now a suit, and a stressed-out one at that. Charlie wasn’t going to add on more than necessary unless she wanted to put Sammy in an early grave like the rest of his family.
“Yeah, that’s probably for the best…” Michael spared a mildly concerned glance towards the closed door leading to Freddy’s room. “We’ll swing by the gift shop and meet you at the front doors; we can get at least one new outfit before we’re out of here.” If they wanted anything other than Fazbear merch Michael knew they’d have to visit a store outside the Pizzaplex, but for now he was content to grab some more of the free stuff. He had a feeling the others didn’t mind, either.
“Please tell Samuel that I am sorry for leaving so suddenly, but my body is completely functional if he would like to use it for another Freddy model,” the original Freddy requested, trying not to think about the existential crisis this might cause down the line. He leaned his head ever-so-gently against Gregory’s, who was still sound asleep. “I would also be completely willing to tell the other animatronics about my, ah… state when they are online again, if that is the direction we chose to go; I feel as though the answers they receive from staff might leave them with more questions…”
“Charlie will let Sam know; come on, big guy.” With an understanding smile Michael patted Freddy’s arm, urging him to follow as he started to make his way through the twisting corridors of the back rooms.
Now that they had no threats to watch out for, their trip was smooth-sailing. Within minutes they emerged into the bright lights of the atrium and Freddy looked around curiously, trying to tell if anything was different now. Really, the only things so far that were altered from his original body were the lack of technological overlays on his vision—he could still pull some internal health indicators up if he tried, though these were completely different to the ones he was familiar with—and a slight shift in height, which he was already adjusting to.
Still carrying his sleeping son, Freddy followed Michael into the gift shop and perused the shelves for a new outfit Gregory might like. It seemed as though Sammy had given staff a day off after his staggering revelation; the Pizzaplex was startlingly empty, save for a few fleeting people that were rushing for the exits. Clearly, everyone needed a break.
Gregory was half awake, half asleep. Finally his exhaustion could be seen through the cheap façade he managed to keep up the entirety of the weekend. The boy had his eyes closed, spurring to consciousness every now and then as his father went through the clothing racks before dozing off again. He managed to open his eyes briefly as he watched Michael peruse the various outfit combinations. Managing the strength to speak up, Gregory pointed to another tank top. This one was a muted pink, and bore a smiling Freddy head on its chest.
“I want the Freddy one,” he murmured, hand dropping back down again to curl up closer to the former bear once again.
Outside the storefronts, Charlie was walking with her brother. The two were laughing together and she popped the CEO playfully in the arm, her knuckles brushing Sammy’s bicep as she laughed at his joke. Catching sight of the others emerging from the shop, Sam raised a hand. He wasn’t too eager to see them leave, but couldn’t just go back to work trying to clean up this mess without saying goodbye to his friends.
Soon enough, Mike had a large bag full of various clothing options slung over his left shoulder. They’d even picked out a new outfit for Freddy if he got tired of the sweater and blue jeans he currently wore. Michael didn’t change yet, though a crimson red beanie with a little classic Foxy decal had been pulled over his head to cover the dried, matted blood. He had a feeling their ragtag group might attract unwanted attention until they recovered from the shock of actually being outside, so Mike didn’t want his already-healed wound to summon more of it. As they stepped out into the lobby, they caught sight of Charlie and Sammy lingering nearby.
“Hey!” Michael called with a wave, walking over to them. “We’re all set if you are, Charlie. I was thinking of where we could go and I remembered there should be a hotel not too far from here—unless that’s gone now? I’m… wow, I’m actually not sure what year it is. Huh.”
While he and Charlie had quickly learned where they were, in all the chaos of the weekend they’d failed to learn when they currently existed. Michael looked to Sammy questioningly, although the man seemed fixated on the red-head carrying Evan’s look-alike.
“It is 2022,” Freddy responded, offering a smile which he soon turned on Samuel. Holding Gregory close, he gave a soft laugh. “I apologize if my appearance is jarring; I have not fully gotten used to it myself.”
Michael was now staring at the ground, trying to process the fact that he’d been literally dead to the world for six years. Freddy and Charlie weren’t the only ones who might have some whiplash when they left the Pizzaplex… although Michael knew he’d probably still be the most well-adjusted out of the group.
“Lucky for us,” Sammy smirked to them, pulling out his phone to show them the google maps of the area. “This location's close to the hotel people stay at before heading towards Zion—it was finished around the same time we opened. You guys should stay there!”
It was close, and easy for Sam to stop by the hotel and check up on them if needed. Besides, it was a tourist hot spot so people likely wouldn't bat an eye at a family staying there for more than a week if necessary. Charlie reached over, unable to help herself as she controlled the digital map with her finger.
“Woah. Portable interactive maps,” she remarked, impressed by the smart device. Samuel laughed at his sister, gently pushing her hand away as he repositioned the map.
“Lottie, stop,” he chuckled, showing them the address and where to go. Afterwards he give them his business card, holding it out for the redhead to grab from his fingers. “Call me when you all get there... I know you'll make me a proud old programmer, Freddy.”
It felt odd to be so supportive of a robot. Then again, Sam never expected his creations to become self-aware. From the short chat he’d had with Charlie, Freddy’s AI was on an entirely new level. Caging something that could think so deeply felt wrong.
“Thank you, Samuel,” Freddy replied, slipping the card in his pants pocket before wrapping his arm around Gregory once again. His gaze was soft and appreciative as he looked at the man who'd given him a chance at life. “For everything.”
“Alright, come on, you sappy bear,” Michael piped up, gently pushing Freddy's back in an effort to get him moving towards the door. He then reached out to firmly grasp Sam's forearm, the touch proving yet again that he and Charlie were actually here right now.
“We'll be back tonight,” he reassured, his gaze flitting around the bright atrium. “Once we rest up and clear our heads, we're coming back to sort things out, okay? We’re not going to leave you again, Sam.”
He wanted to reassure Sammy that he wasn’t about to lose his old friends so soon after he'd gotten them back... Plus, if he made a promise to return, it made Michael all the more willing to actually follow through instead of running as far away from any Fazbear Franchise he could.
He'd never do that, though. He couldn't as a kid, nor as an adult. Hell, he couldn't even get away as a zombie, and surely wasn't about to break that trend as a ghost-robot.
Samuel turned, placing a hand on Michael's shoulder. Maybe he was double-checking he could still reach out and touch the guy.
“We'll have a lot to discuss then—until next time, buddy.” Sam pulled him in, not shy about hugging his friend. He thought after all these years he'd become a little jaded with his loneliness. Apparently not. With memories flooding back, he never realized how badly he missed all of them until there was nothing left...
“Keep her safe when I'm not there, Mike,” Sam whispered quietly. Should his sister hear that he was begging Mike to look after her, Charlie would likely scoff and roll her eyes. Sammy felt as though his heart would just give out if something happened to her again after all this. Pulling back to see Michael’s face, Sammy waited, hoping to get an honest promise out of the old prankster.
“Not a hair will be out of place when you see us again—I promise.” Mike pressed a hand to his chest, a playful smirk quirking up the corner of his mouth, but the sincere light in his eyes told Sammy that he meant every word. Michael then stepped up to Charlie and hooked an arm though hers, leading her towards the doors where Freddy was already waiting for them.
“See you later, Sam!” he called over his shoulder, flashing his old friend one last grin. Patting his jeans pocket once more, Mike confirmed Sammy's hefty wallet was still there as he pulled Charlie along. He then let out a tiny snicker, glancing side-long at her. “It didn't occur to me that you've never experienced the wonders of Google... Or smartphones.”
So close to freedom, for so many years. While Charlie could’ve left at any time, she’d always felt trapped in the afterlife—never able to rest, always waiting for new victims to fall from William’s cruel blade of madness.
Now, her and her friends were finally free. Not only physically, but mentally as well. The guilt and rage she'd been exposed to began to melt away as she rested her head against Michael's shoulder.
“What makes the phones so smart anyway? And Google? That sounds gross.” She laughed, only imagining what that could be. Forty years without pop culture had put her in the dark about many things. Certainly Gregory would’ve gladly caught her up were he not resembling a melted pile of ice cream in Freddy's arms.
The automatic doors opened for them to reveal the parking lot, and further out the road and bright morning sun nearly blinded Charlie at first. But seeing the real world for the first time in a long while was a spectacular pleasure Charlie had missed so dearly.
Michael simply laughed at his dearest friend's comments, leading her out into the daylight. While he hadn't been trapped inside nearly as long as her and the others, as he stepped into the sun he realized he'd missed the outside world far more than he ever imagined he could. Once Mike and Charlie's dirty shoes were officially on the sidewalk, he turned back to see Freddy hesitating just inside the glass doors. Michael tapped Charlie's arm, pulling her attention to their formerly-animatronic friend as he geared up for the last few steps that would change his life forever.
Before he could walk through the doors, Freddy spared one final, lingering glance around the lobby of the only place he'd known for his whole existence. Even though he could still come back anytime he pleased, he'd no longer be able to call this place “home.” Although as his eyes fell upon Michael and Charlie now backlit by the rising sun, then to the sleeping boy in his arms, Freddy realized he was just fine with that.
Freddy took a deep, simulated breath, then stepped into the world he'd only been able to encounter through stories and pictures in his databanks. As the sun hit his skin, he was surprised to feel how toasty it was—not to mention how bright. He blinked rapidly, having to look at the dark asphalt for a moment while his eyes adjusted. Gregory remained in his arms this entire time, so calm and relaxed, and suddenly Freddy was totally overwhelmed.
He wasn't sure what prompted it. Maybe it was the sheer magnitude of all they'd accomplished, or the consciousness he was still getting used to. Maybe it was just a quirk of this new body that he'd have to ask Henry about later. But to Freddy's surprise a few warm, wet tears suddenly welled up in his eyes and rolled down his cheeks before he could stop them.
Charlie wouldn't call attention to it—she wondered even if Freddy knew he was crying. Instead, she’d cheer him on.
“We did it,” she reminded with a smile. “We got out safe with Gregory!”
It was a bit alarming to see Freddy with those raw emotions, when before he couldn't cry even if he needed to. It humanized him further, and suddenly Charlie remembered she wasn't talking to a personified bear anymore. Freddy was a whole person with emotions comparable to their own.
From the sounds of the birds chirping, to the occasional car passing down the road; the ants on the sidewalk, to a lone cloud that framed the blue sky—the summer air was buzzing with the energy of life passing them by. Charlie couldn't help but feel giddy. Today was the first day of the rest of their lives, and she couldn't hide the happiness it brought her.
“It’ll be alright,” Charlie added softly, echoing the words Freddy used in their first meeting as she urged him forth.
“Yes; it will be,” Freddy agreed without hesitation, smiling even as he lifted an arm to wipe the tear streaks away on his sleeve. Gregory shifted slightly, mumbling something incoherent, which caused Freddy to chuckle softly.
“You okay, Fredbear?” Mike felt the need to ask, one eyebrow raised as the bear joined him and Charlie in the parking lot. Freddy simply nodded and grinned even wider.
“Yes—very much so. Come on; let us go to this hotel!” Freddy's tone was eager and full of pure, unadulterated joy, not unlike that of the kids he'd formerly entertained. He still had an inch or so of height on Michael, and he looked over the man's head as he tried to take in as much of the area as he could.
Together they walked, heading towards a future that was unclear and uncertain—but undeniably bright.
***
Previous Chapter ~~ NEXT INSTALLMENT: Going Back, Ch. 1
Looking for more? Check out the Chapter Masterlist on Tumblr!
Or check out the entire Wires that Bind Us Series on ao3!
#fnaf#five nights at freddy's#fnaf sb#fnaf security breach#fnaf au#charlie emily#marionette fnaf#puppet fnaf#michael afton#glamrock freddy#gregory#sammy emily#fanfic#fanfiction#ao3#angelofrainfrogs#zeitghest#spend the night#the wires that bind us au
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