#ch: glamrock bonnie

[incorrect-fnaf-quotes]

Because of all the AU’s, I finally decided to do more of an updated version. Little bits of descriptions for most of them, too:

—

(1) Swap AU: Hoping to both distract and cheer herself up from recent events, Cassie makes her way to the Mega Pizzaplex, located not too far away.

Except, when she’s suddenly trapped in the building, she’s quick to discover that there’s something up with Roxy and the rest of the animatronics.

However, it seems as if she may have a chance—thanks to a mysterious rabbit lady, and another, stranger rabbit, which she cannot understand.

—

(2) Fantasy Springtrap AU: Suddenly cursed by his closest friend, and thought to be the one for the ‘deaths’ by everyone else, Springtrap finds himself going on a quest.

Find the five, turn them back to normal. Prove his innocence. Track down Henry. Retrieve his sons. Keep Elizabeth safe. Remove the curse.

It... sure is a lot, he knows.

—

(3) Imaginary Springtrap AU: One day, her father was still around. The next, it was as if he disappeared out of thin air.

With her true father gone, but hoping for his return, Elizabeth finds herself creating a familiar rabbit, who brings her comfort.

She just hopes he won’t disappear, too.

—

(4) Science Experiment Springtrap AU: Created by humans, and held in a facility for over thirty years, the rabbit creature finally made his escape.

Except... the problems? He was unable to break the other three (Michael, Elizabeth, Evan) out, and finds himself injured.

But that’s where Y/N—a human(?) comes into play.

—

(5) FNaF AU/Own Take: Not much to say with this one. It is what it sounds like, and there’s a lot. Just my own version/spin of the FNaF series as a whole.

—

(6) Infection Springtrap AU: Alone for over thirty years, Springtrap finally finds himself able to escape the saferoom. Yet, something seems... wrong.

Something is able to affect both humans and animatronics. It isn’t before long that he reunites with his daughter. But, there’s another problem.

He needs to save her.

—

(7) Mythology AU: While not a full plot, many characters are gods/goddesses/etc, and there are a lot of shenanigans going on.

Glamrock Freddy, after hearing Gregory, is helping him as the god of protection, while searching for Glamrock Bonnie.

Springtrap, after finally becoming a deity, is doing a lot.

Etc.

—

(8) Rabbit Restoration Project: Y/N doesn’t have much knowledge about Freddy’s, including the recent attraction. They’re more focused on restoring things.

And the old, broken, rabbit animatronic that they just found? Not that far from the destroyed attraction? It would certainly make for something interesting to repair.

Yet, perhaps there’s much more to the rabbit...

—

(9) Puppet & Robo-Charlie AU: After so long of wandering, upon meeting a young girl, the spirit has a lot of questions for her father.

As Puppet, and the younger robotic version of herself, wander, and learn the truth together, it seems as if someone is giving chase.

Henry has to make one rest. He has to shut the other off.

—

(10) Glamrock Freddy & Lefty Duo AU: Possessing the newest Freddy model, Henry is thrown into a mission of protecting a boy named Gregory from the threats within the Pizzaplex.

However, he isn’t the only one. Repossessing what’s left, Charlie—Lefty, makes her way through the building, after learning of the situation.

Although the two agree to work together to help him, there’s a lot to be discussed.

—

(11) Susie AU: She was the first. It hadn’t been too long ago. She was the first, and the rabbit planned to get more.

Susie finds herself remaining in the pizzeria, and as the days go by, more and more people are coming and going.

Finding Cassidy and the others, the spirit will try to keep them safe.

—

(12) Lost & Found AU: Bonnie can’t recall a thing. He’s always been an animatronic rabbit, hasn’t he?

Jeremy’s parents remember everything, and haven’t stopped grieving, yet they don’t bring him up.

Jasper knows nothing.

But, when Bonnie stumbles into the home... things’ll change.

—

(13) MXES Swap AU: Cassie finds herself trapped in the Pizzaplex, and is quick to, also, discover a strange mask. Upon wearing it, she’s met with a hare.

With a mysterious rabbit lady roaming, while also trying to free something, the hare—MXES, is certainly going to try to keep Cassie safe.

—

(14) Van Escape Ending—Glitchtrap and Vanny AU: When the boy and the lead animatronic suddenly leave, that leaves the rabbits to continue their plan.

Although... Vanny has her own little plans—including against the rabbit who started this all.

—

(15) Reluctant Follower Jeremy & Animatronic Vanny AU: Under the control of Glitchtrap, Jeremy makes his way to the Pizzaplex, where an abandoned rabbit is quickly found.

Choosing to use her for the two’s plans, Glitchtrap sends Vanny to trick the bear and the boy...

...But as the night goes on, developments and changes may happen.

—

(16) ITP Springtrap AU: When a ballpit is suddenly installed in the attraction, the rabbit didn’t think much of it.

At least, not until he fell into it, and found himself back at the diner. Back in 1982. All of those years ago...

He missed his children so much. And, when the rabbit begins speaking to his youngest son... maybe, just maybe, the rabbit could change a horrible event.

—

(17) Glamrock Reunion AU: The damage done to the rabbit caused his memories to become malfunction.

After the rabbit disappeared, the bear’s memories were altered.

Leaving with Cassie, the bunny and the bear reunite, but there’s... nothing.

It seems like they get to restart.

—

(18) Ghost David AU: After his sudden death, David found himself wandering for quite a while, wondering what exactly could have happened.

Finding himself in a ruined Pizzaplex, he stumbles across a girl and a hare, both who are speaking about his friend—about The Mimic.

Surely the animatronic isn’t that dangerous? Maybe he could talk to his friend.

—

(19) Mad Scientist/Dr. Scraptrap AU: With his children Elizabeth and Plushtrap, and his reluctant assistant Spring Bonnie, Dr. Scraptrap worked on a lot.

Although, one night, everything takes a disastrous turn when Elizabeth’s consciousness is suddenly transported into his newest creation, Scrap Baby.

How can he fix this?

—

(20) Ensnared Within The Pit: A visit to the pit takes a disastrous turn when Oswald finds himself trapped in the past, at Freddy’s, and unable to go back through.

Continuing to deal with the yellow rabbit acting fatherly, as well as Bonnie pretending to be him...

Oswald must continue to search for his real father, while learning more of Freddy’s. All while a foxy mask and hook keep appearing around him.

—

(21) Memories From The Pit: After an incident involving the ballpit, Oswald finds himself believing that everything is alright—that the rabbit really is his father.

Except, a year later... his suspension returns, and Oswald must figure out what’s going on.

—

(22) Afton Team AU: All of the rabbits, with a vague idea of where they each came from, suddenly find themselves having to work together.

Except, there’s also a lot they need to worry about. Such as an angry rabbit lady, a vengeful spirit, an old friend, etc.

—

(23) Burntrap AU: After the Pizza Sim fire, the rabbit is split between two selves—one regretful, and one not, who wants to keep going.

Burntrap is quick to jump into action to protect the trapped boy, with a final plan on how to deal with his other version on the back of his mind.

But, how long can he keep the truth away from Gregory? How long before the boy figures out before he is?

—

(24) Funtime Show AU: Shenanigans with the Funtimes, connected to the Dr. Scraptrap AU.

There’s a lot that the group finds themselves pulled into, all while actually trying to bond, having only known most of the others for a short time.

Except for siblings Funtime Foxy and Lolbit, and best friends Funtime Freddy and Bon Bon.

—

(25) Unnamed Springtrap AU: Abrubtly springlocked by Henry, and then left wandering for two years... before being trapped for thirty years...

...Not to mention the few years of working at the attraction, which was actually enjoyable.

Traveling after the fire, with the spirits who are clueless about the truth, Springtrap is on a mission to find his wife, his son, and an old friend.

The one who springlocked him, and the two who trapped him.

—

(26) Game AU: After winning a game from a Freddy’s location, Crimson suddenly finds herself transported into the rpg itself.

There, she has a lot of teammates—such as Freddy himself, Dee-Dee, etc. Including Jack-O-Bonnie, who she obtains as a father figure.

She hopes she doesn’t have to leave soon.

—

(27) Spring Bonnie’s Timeloop AU: After the fifth, Spring Bonnie awakens on stage, before that. Before the fourth. Or the third. Or the second. Or...

Or the first. Before Susie.

Unsure of what happened, yet also relieved, the rabbit begins trying to think of a way to prevent Mr. Afton’s plan.

...It’s easier said than done, however.

—

(28) Follow the Leader: The rabbit lady, within the Pizzaplex, has begun to make herself known. She has quite a lot of plans.

Plans she’s coming up with herself. Plans that are nobody else’s. Plans that the rabbit lady has had on her mind for some time.

With nobody in control of her—with no yellow rabbit—with her working on her own...

Vanny wants to make sure she doesn’t fail.

—

(29) Story in Code, Gold is Eroding: All is still not well in Animatronica—Animatronic Village—Village-Tronica?... the name is still being worked on.

Fredbear has gone missing. Thing’s are becoming far more dangerous. New threats. Strange mysteries.

A worried Spring Bonnie wants to get to the bottom of it all—but they don’t want to be alone. And they won’t be, certainly not.

Not when the rabbit is joined by their team—Springtrap, Shadow Freddy, and The Puppet, among others.

—

(30) The Rabbit’s Mirage: Everything was going great at the Pizzaplex... well, at least for Vanny and the digital rabbit accompanying her.

However, when a boy by the name of Gregory finds himself within the building, thing’s take a turn.

Glitchtrap is acting strange, and he seems far more urgent in the capture of him. And, Vanny has one thing to wonder:

What makes Gregory so special?

—

(31) FNaF MLP AU: Very much what it sounds like—there are just quite a few of ideas here.

Another spin at FNaF, with different and newer ideas, all while the characters are unicorns, earth ponies, etc.

There are many things to be discovered.

—

(32) One Big Crumbling Family: Shortly after kicking Circus Baby out, Molten Freddy is struck with some unfortunate realizations.

One, his systems are becoming corrupted.

And two? Slowly, Funtime Foxy, Ballora, and Bon Bon seem to be disappearing. He can’t just let that happen. No.

Now, Molten Freddy must try to save them before it’s too late.

—

(33) Sitcom AU: A more comedic spin, if the name wasn’t much of a reveal.

Follows Scraptrap after the attraction, as he begins meeting up with the others—such as Scrap Baby and Molten Freddy, wandering together...

Before their inevitable arrival to the newest pizzeria brings even more comedic chaos that the pizzeria can barely handle.

Set specifically in Pizza Sim, but the past doesn’t stay buried.

—

(34) Robotic Remnant AU: A fun little AU that me & @universewolfpup have been working together on for a while.

Thanks to the help of a strange amulet, Styx finds himself in a new world, completely separated, and without a good chunk of memories.

At least a certain yellow rabbit stumbles across him.

—

(35) Fazbear Racers: In their small town, the annual races are one of the few, major things that everyone looks forward to. This year, however?

There’s no denying it—strange and mysterious events begin to occur—both in and out of the most recent races.

Especially at night. Now, Freddy and the rest of the racers must figure out just what is going on.

—

(36) Cassidy’s Lament: This couldn’t be it, could it? Something must have gone wrong during her visit with him. This can’t be the right place. That’s what her mind is telling her.

After an encounter with Old Man Consequences back in UCN, Cassidy finds herself thrown into a strange world, filled with the animatronics and strange creatures.

Stuck as Fredbear, and with old memories pulling themselves up, Cassidy makes it her mission to relocate OMC—while avoiding the dangers.

—

(37) The Rabbit’s Chance: In the rubble of a horror attraction, Spring Bonnie awakens, vaguely aware of recent events, and finally in control of their body once more.

With William having left for a new suit, Spring Bonnie wanders, taking in all of the changes.

What had happened all of those years ago cannot be changed. The horrific events happened, and the rabbit had been used.

But... perhaps they have a chance at fully stopping William—especially when meeting a familiar man with an idea.

—

(38) Rabbit Invasion: An alien resembling a rabbit, who calls himself Springtrap, has been traveling through space in stasis for over thirty years.

Upon crash landing, and awakening, the first person he meets is Henry Emily, who chooses to take him back.

Now, the alien begins to bond with the little family, while Henry tries to keep him hidden.

—

(39) After the Finale: Her fathers plan had worked. It had worked for everyone else. She was tired, but not gone.

Charlie knows that she should rest—it’s been so long. And yet... she can’t. Something doesn’t feel right. Something needs to be done.

Still capable of controlling the damaged animatronic that she possesses, Charlie begins to travel.

—

(40) A Shadow’s Quest: The five little spirits have been captured by a familiar rabbit, and in the process, were sent all over.

With Puppet too weakened to do much of anything for the time being, RXQ finds himself being given an important task from her.

The shadowy rabbit must travel through different realms, and find the five spirits.

—

(41) In Plain Sight/Vamptrap AU: He’s been there for so long—watching over everything, and living a small distance away... yet, everyone is clueless.

He even walks through the village under a disguise.

When the rabbit captures a girl named Elizabeth, and makes her his daughter, trouble begins to arise.

—

(42) Dr. Rabbit’s Tale: After using the van to escape with Glamrock Freddy, the boy thought that would be the end of it.

However, with a little bit of research, and the visit of from a strange rabbit...

Leaving everything else behind, Dr. Rabbit finds himself returning to the Mega Pizzaplex with his own plans.

—

(43) The Anomaly’s Freedom: Y/N was just a simple worker at the Mega Pizzaplex—and they certainly hadn’t come across anything strange.

...At least not until they find a strange game by the name of Princess Quest.

Releasing a strange, goopy, and sentient rabbit from within it is one thing—but said rabbit actively choosing to come home with them?

Well... thing’s are certainly going to be far more interesting.

—

(44) Hidden Fangs/Vamptrap AU: Escaping from the village where the truth was discovered, a wounded Vamptrap stumbles across Y/N.

Tended to by the human, Vamptrap knows he cannot let the truth be discovered once more, in fear of what may happen...

...While finding himself beginning to bond with Y/N.

Although, he knows he can’t resist blood.

—

(45) A Corrupted Tale/PQ AU: The Princess has dealt with quite a lot up to this point—but, this time, whatever is happening... it may be too much to handle.

Something once under the radar has begun to resurface, thing’s and people are beginning to change... including The Princess—physically, too.

What—and who—is ‘Malhare’?

—

(46) A Twistful Journey/Vamptrap AU: You were well aware of the fact that he was dangerous—you knew that about the vampire from the start.

After a successful capture, you must bring him to the man that the vampire had angered the most... he is the one that can finish this all.

However, it’s a long journey, and in that time... many thing’s can change. Thoughts, feelings...

—

(47) The Rabbit Below/Mertrap AU: You had only recently moved into the town, and everyone seems to want to share a strange tale about something that lurks below.

Although, after one dive into that water, and a stressful encounter with a rabbit-like creature, the tale seems to be true. But...

You aren’t scared. How about finding out more?

[unidentifiedseacreature]

They find you sleeping on the job

Ahhh, Ruin DLC... you rekindle my love once again.

This is actually old but I never got around to posting it. Inspired by:

I am on my phone and I am lazy so prepare for significantly worse formatting than previous posts ��️

Freddy 🐻

- He spots you across the mall and smiles and waves.

- He's confused when you don't react at all.

- Squinting, he realises you're asleep.

- He stands there, like 70ft (20m) away from you, trying to decide if he should wake you.

- 'They're at work, they should be working... I don't want them to get in trouble if someone else catches them asleep.'

- He decides it's best to wake you up.

- He walks over and gently shakes your shoulder.

- "Y/N?" Your eyes slowly open.

- "Superstar, you're still at work."

- Once you're up, he asks you if you've been getting enough sleep.

- For the rest of his shift, he keeps his eye out for you.

- He'll probably ask you how your sleep was every shift for the next few weeks.

Monty 🐊

- He's strolling past when he does a double take.

- He smirks when he realises you're asleep, ideas to prank you filling his head.

- Then Monty's braincells kick in and he wonders if he should wake you up.

- 'They should be working, right? But it's not my fault if Y/N gets in trouble.'

- He sits down next to you and leans his head back, glancing at you every now and then.

- Only a few minutes pass before another staff member walks past and he panics.

- "Y/N GET UP."

- You scramble to your feet and pretend you're doing something.

- When your coworker passes, you thank him, saying you had a bad sleep last night.

- He unsympathetically gives you a comment along the lines of "Get better sleep."

- "Oh yeah, great idea Monty."

- "I DON'T KNOW HOW SLEEPING WORKS."

- He decides he won't be able to use this against you in the future because screaming at you to wake you up wasn't his finest moment.

Chica 🐔

- She came looking for you to tell you something but immediately forgot what it was when she saw you asleep.

- Her first instinct was to take plenty of photos to document the occasion.

- She then plopped herself down next to you to hang.

- When you woke up, you were met with two purple eyes staring at you.

- She profusely apologises and insists she wasn't staring at you the whole time.

- You call her creepy.

- She promises not to tell anyone but she'll probably bring up the photos when talking to the other glamrocks.

- It's not like she told your boss.

Roxy 🐺

- When she sees you sleeping she's unsure if she should wake you or not.

- She sits next to you for a while, trying to think of what to say.

- She ends up nudging you awake.

- "Hey, you're still at work" she says sternly but not unkindly.

- She just awkwardly avoids eye contact until you walk off to continue your duties, trying to stay nonchalant.

- She doesn't see you any differently, but she might say "you snooze you loose" next time she beats you at Roxy Raceway.

Bonnie 🐰

- Bonnie didn't particularly want the awkwardness of waking you up.

- So he sat down next to you instead.

- Crossing his arms, he scans the pizzaplex like a watchdog, ensuring no one catches you asleep.

- "Morning, sleepyhead" he greets you when you eventually do wake up.

- "How long was I out for?" You ask.

- "At least half an hour".

- You swear and run off.

- The next time you see him, he says "Hello sleeping beauty" you glare at him but everyone else just seems confused.

- He slips you an energy drink every now and then, you have no idea how he's been getting into the vending machines.

Foxy 🦊

- I'm sorry to all Foxy lovers but he does not care.

- He'd see you sleeping in the strangest situations and would just walk past.

- You were asleep standing up, leaning on your mop and the wet floor bot cared more than he did.

- Though ever since, he has thrown a protein bar at you a few times. One of those times, he threw it full force and knocked you out, so he's not very good at what he was trying to do.

- His arm also came off when he did that if it's any consolation.

Sun ☀️

- Jingle jingle *he spots you* JINGLEJINGLEJINGLEJINGLEJINGLE.

- Unlike the others, he actually knows how to wake people up.

- "Wake up, friend! It's not nap time just yet."

- It's surprisingly pleasant to wake up to him jingling around the room, singing an original Fazbear Entertainment nursery rhyme about waking up.

- "Thanks, Sun."

- "No need to thank me, I wouldn't want you to miss out on play time!"

- 'Playtime, my ass' you think to yourself, getting back to work.

- For the rest of the night he hums the nursery rhyme tune to himself.

Moon 🌑

- To be fair to you, tidying up the lavender scented pillows and blankets from the daycare is hard to do without getting sleepy.

- Moon is used to being around sleeping kids, so he doesn't think it's weird when he spots you.

- That doesn't mean they know how to properly act around sleeping people.

- He just sits there and stares at you.

- Feeling someone's eyes on you, you wake up and practically jump out of your skin.

- "Holy shit, Moondrop."

- "Don't say that, Y/N."

DJ Music Man 🎵

- You seemed to have fallen asleep in the arcade.

- DJ Music Man retrieves a blanket and lays it over you, patting your head goodnight.

- In his hands, the blanket looks like the size of a tissue

- He turns off his music and the main lights in the room, then continues cleaning up or settles down to take a nap beside you.

- When you awake, you're surprised to see your manager was too busy reprimanding Music Man to be mad at you.

- It turns out Music Man is a repeat offender, and you aren't the first person this has happened to.

- He hangs his head in shame. But he will do it again.

[angelofrainfrogs]

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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[angelofrainfrogs]

Break My Mind: Ch. 3

~Coauthored by @zeitghest~

Fandom(s): Five Nights At Freddy’s: Security Breach

Description: Gregory must be dreaming this time. No sooner had he come to accept this strange reality where everyone is alive and well, than he’s sent back through time and space to the weekend he got trapped in the Pizzaplex. He’s supposed to help his family get on track for a better future, yet… didn’t he already succeed in his own timeline? Confused but relieved, Gregory drops back into his new life in the mega mall. In fact, who should be waiting for him but Michael, clad in a security uniform and searching for his missing family! Only—the night guard seems a bit more withered than when Gregory last saw him. Not to mention that cold look in his silver eyes…

Rating: T

Read on Ao3

Gregory sighed in relief at the sight of the familiar bear. Much to Charlie's dismay, Gregory unhooked his hand from hers and shouted: “Freddy! You're okay!”

Tonight, Gregory made far too many assumptions. He figured Michael would be the same, his jokes and manner of speaking to be just as he remembered—but even when proven wrong, he couldn’t believe that his dear Freddy could’ve suffered the same twisted moral fate.

Charlie quickly snatched Gregory's hand and start backing up. Simultaneously, William forced his way to the front and shielded the pair of them with his plush chassis.

“Don't talk to him, Gregory. Just another proxy for Michael,” he warned, wondering if the kid even had time to meet the more ruthless of the twisted Glamrocks.

At William's words, Gregory's heart sunk. It couldn't be true—Freddy was good. That glitch he had at the show should’ve saved him from any virus!

But… had any of that even happened in this world?

A deep-set frown invaded Gregory's expression as he looked to Freddy; there couldn't be any faults to him. It was impossible for him to lose two family members in the same timeline...

The ever-so-slight dip in Freddy's expressive eyebrows was the only sign of his annoyance. Otherwise he kept his face passive, that pre-programmed smile still curving up his jaw as he peered around William's shoulder.

“I do not appreciate your insinuation, Bonnie,” the bear remarked, hissing the name with a bit more venom than he'd ever used before.

Even though his stunning AI might not be able to handle the concept of possessed animatronics and ghosts without having one in his own head, he knew this old model of his companion was wrong. He hadn't needed Michael to tell him that—the look in Bonnie's eyes was full of nothing but sadness and anger, and Freddy knew the real bunny would never look at him like that.

“I am no proxy, rest assured,” Freddy continued, taking a step towards Gregory. When Henry stepped in his path as well, he let out a sigh. “Please move along—my child safety protocol dictates that I must take Gregory out of harms' way, and if you bar me from doing so I will have no choice but to consider you a threat.”

“Greg, do not listen to him,” Henry insisted, sparing a glance over his shoulder to the confused kid. “Remember what we told you? The Glamrocks are very advanced—their AI can be ruthless when put to the wrong use—”

“Again with the backhanded insults?” There was a hint of something in Freddy's tone—if not Michael's soul itself, then his programmed influence, surely.

And in this universe, that was a very bad thing.  

“No worries Fredbear!” William said, backing his friends towards the door. “As you can see, us and security guard Charlie are on the case! We’re already taking him back to the security room...”

William attempted to soothe in the southern twang he always put on for Bonnie, regardless if the accent change may mess with Freddy's friendly interaction sensors. Not that it mattered at this point; he clearly wanted Gregory, Michael’s influence washing over him with all its tainting toxicity.

“In fact, we were just leaving to take him there!” God everyone, William thought stubbornly, take the hint and get the fuck out of here!

Charlie only had one arm to work with; there was no way she would let go of Gregory's without this one being ripped clear off her body.

“I think I'll take the long way 'round!” Charlie said, the Puppet and Gregory both clinging for dear life as she twisted on her heel and sped off down the corridor they came from. William blocked the hallway, knowing he was no match for a pissed off Glamrock alone.

Freddy's eyes narrowed. Instead of chasing them however, he watched them go with a cold glare that he soon turned on William and Henry.

“You are going to regret that decision,” he remarked, his tone icily flat. “If you think a pair of original models stand a chance against us, you are severely mistaken.”

“Freddy, we're not trying to compete with you,” Henry insisted, knowing it was a lost cause to reason with the peeved bear. At least he could buy Charlie and Greg some time. “We all have the same goal, right? To keep Gregory safe?”

“Yes, and the way to do so is to take him to Officer Michael,” the Glamrock bear stressed.

Henry blinked at him, a lightbulb of understanding going off in his head. So they weren't just blindly rampaging—at least, Freddy wasn't. He was still working off his original programming, though it'd been warped by Michael's influence when he sent out that damn virus. At least it didn't seem like Freddy wanted to outright kill Gregory...

“We'll take him there,” Henry reassured, starting to back off now to join the others. He hated the thought of leaving them alone, although he was hesitant to turn his back on Freddy as well. “Just... trust us.”

The rockstar's head tilted at an odd angle before he let out a staticky sort of laugh. “Trust you?! I am not a human—I do not deal with things like trust. I will find that boy again, and when I do he is coming under my protection immediately.”

“Try it, Fredbear. See what happens.” Henry's voice was cold now, all false pretenses of kindness out the window. Grasping William's arm, he tugged him backwards towards the doorway.

Still, the newest Freddy didn't move, simply staring after them with that wide-eyed look of cleverly-composed mania.

William watched the tense exchange. It was obvious Michael put Freddy there to guard the supplies. Now they would have to scavenge tools and parts elsewhere.

Finishing their tense conversation with a very concerned Freddy, the two diner animatronics bounced from Rockstar Row. Painfully, William dragged himself just behind Henry, fearful of the bear following them. Michael certainly knew where they were now, and William's only hope was that both Charlie and Puppet were smart enough to run and find some cover.

***

The sound of light footfalls echoed, clicking hard against the tiles of the Pizzaplex. They dashed, unsure of where to go or where to hide.

“Gregory! It's, like, going to be totally okay!” called an airy valley girl's accent. There were more in pursuit of him; it was as if they all communicated silently to one another, letting one know where their target was heading. “We need to take you to Officer Mike! Like—please stop running from us!”

Charlie's brain raced, knowing she would only be harassed until Gregory let go of her hand. After all, they couldn't stop her when she was already escorting him. That was until Gregory snapped and stopped in his tracks.

“I'm hiding inside the hamper,” he said, but Charlie tried to pull him along.

“Gregory no! We have to keep running—” she attempted, but the shadow of Chica loomed just around the corner. In a hushed tone she looked to Puppet for help as Gregory dislodged his hand and crawled beneath costumes and rags in one of the utility room hallways.

The others had a good head start, but with Gregory stalling at the sound of the bird Henry and William soon caught up. Throwing out an arm to stop the rabbit, Henry froze at the sight of Chica coming around the bend. She barely paid them any mind, simply casting her gaze over the pair with a slightly disgusted look before moving on.

“We need to get away from here,” Henry murmured, catching sight of Puppet raised on Charlie's shoulders and looking around. “Ugh, but we need supplies, too... shit.”

So much for carefully-laid plans... Closing his eyes for just a moment to gather himself, Henry tried to come up with something else. “Okay, I think... one of us needs to be a distraction. If Chica and Freddy are here, it won't be long 'till the others show up.”

“Gregory won’t come out of the hamper!” Charlie would say, pointing then as Chica’s shadow grew closer. She would completely distance herself and the Puppet from the hamper as Chica approached.

The chicken thought Freddy said the kid was with the other security guard, but here they all were with no child in tow.

“Oh my goodness, what happened now?!” Chica asked without any shred of patience left. Since her last ‘tune up,’ she’d been acting differently. Some might call it giving others attitude or sass; she called it being assertive. “Like, really? You can’t hold onto ONE child’s hand?” She sighed, attempting to radio Mike to update him. “Mikey… They lost him. Again.”

William looked to Henry, then back to the bird with a nervous demeanor. If Michael showed up and searched the hamper, he would be the only one capable of defending their little group. So, acting fast, William gave Chica a stilted wave.

“He headed back towards the West Arcade faster than a speedin’ twister!” he attempted to convince, watching as Chica eyed the older model with high scrutiny. “Fredbear an’ I are far too slow now to keep up. You and your friends could still get him!”

“Yeah, we saw them heading towards the main atrium—you can make it, I’m sure, Chica!” Henry corroborated, putting on his best affect of the goofy Fredbear voice that matched this model. Encourage his friends, that’s what Freddy was supposed to do…

Chica considered this for a moment, trying to determine if they were lying… but she didn’t seem as in tune to their deception as her Glamrock bear counterpart. She turned slowly, making her way for the door and picking up speed as she summoned the others towards the West Arcade. Henry followed her to the exit, peering around a corner to make sure she wasn’t lingering behind. With no sign of Freddy either, he meandered over to the hamper and tapped it with a paw.

“Gregory!” he hissed, leaning close so the kid could hear his voice without him having to shout. “Coast is clear; come on, I’ll carry you for a sec.”

Gregory popped up, throwing rags and clothes everywhere to scramble back up into Henry’s waiting arms. With his good arm slung around Henry’s shoulder, he huffed.

“I’m sorry—I got tired of running,” he excused, jostled slightly as the group broke back into a run.

“Great. There goes our plan. I doubt Freddy's going to leave his post unless…” William stopped briefly in his jogging pace, the gears turning in his skull. “If we offer a distraction… We could lure him, away. Then, maybe we could lock him out as soon as we’re past him.”

There really wasn’t time for debate. Whether they chose to go with this half-baked scheme or not, they had to decide now.

There was the perfect opportunity to sneak back towards Rockstar Row as a split in the hallways came back up. A handy directional sign pointing them back towards the “fun” would guide them in a big circle essentially. William folded his knuckles into his opposing palm, cracking the joints much to Gregory's confusion. “Leave the distractions to me, everyone.”

It was all a matter of knowing your strengths, and William knew exactly how to get beneath people's skin. Luring Fazbear would be a cake walk. Sighing heavily, Charlie shook her head and exchanged a look with Puppet. She was going to be stuck with Will making sure he didn't kill himself while distracting Freddy, wasn't she?

“Guess that means we've all on watch duty. If things go south, we can meet up at El Chips—Gregory should probably eat something after our heist. Right, little man?” Charlie asked, steering the group in the right direction as she looked to her friend.

“Please. I need two everything burritos, like, yesterday,” mentioned the hungry kid. He could wait, of course; he’d gotten very good over the years at ignoring the hollow growling in his stomach. But after being on a pretty steady diet for the past week, the pain tolerance had ebbed away slowly.  

“Kiddo, when we get out of this you can eat burritos until you pop,” Henry promised, lifting the hand not supporting Gregory's weight to ruffle his hair.

Regardless of them being undeniably bonded because of such dire circumstances, Henry really liked this kid. He was spunky and somehow still retained a relatively positive outlook, even when the situation was dire. In a way, Gregory reminded him of Charlie before everything went wrong...

“Okay, this is where we split,” Henry announced when the time came. He reached out to give Charlie a hug—and Puppet, still clinging to her back—then gripped William's shoulder. “Good luck.”

This plan was going to work. It simply had to. William hardly cared that a Fredbear's mask was now permanently apart of Henry's face; the way he held Gregory reminded him so much of the good old times. Before the grave mistakes they both made, regrets they both shared... More so on William's end. He saw how they all could be happy again, even as their window of opportunity grew smaller and smaller with each passing day trapped inside the Pizzaplex.

“No need for luck, Hen; I've got it handled,” William replied, grasping Henry’s forearm in solidarity, a potentially empty promise depending on whether or not Freddy could catch up to him. Looking to Gregory—the kid who inexplicably resembled his Evan—he bent down a little to see him eye to eye. His floppy ears lilted to the side as William cocked his head.

“You've grown up so much...” The hint of something serious he was trying to communicate was lost as he smiled. “For now, you're the man of the group. Keep Henry in line, will you?”

At this, Gregory would crack a smile. Perhaps in another life, he and William could’ve been good friends... His chest hurt thinking about it this way. Giving Will a lazy salute, he assured: “Don't worry, I've got this on lock.”

With a final nod of determination, the group parted ways. Henry tried not to linger on how much William's words sounded like a goodbye.

But... it's not like they could really die, after all. In the worst scenario, he'd be incapacitated and unable to help take down his crazed son. Although, Henry doubted he'd let that happen—William had quite a few things to say to Michael before he left this plane of existence, after all. The old Brit always came back.

***

As Henry and Gregory snuck around to lay in wait for the distraction, Glamrock Freddy was currently pacing in the same spot he'd been at before. The bear was... well, annoyed wasn't quite the right word—he couldn't have that sort of emotion. But he was certainly feeling something about being put on guard duty.

His other bandmates were, to put it lightly, rather incompetent compared to himself. Bonnie had been on par with the leader, but ever since his decommissioning Freddy had been left to deal with the scrap. Chica was alright most of the time, though she tended to get distracted easily, but wrangling Monty was a chore—and Roxy drove him up a wall sometimes with her whining about being “the best.”

These thoughts ran on a loop through Freddy's mechanized mind as he swept the floor, no longer kicking up dust due to his frequent movement. Somehow, he had to get Michael to switch him out with someone... He doubted the others would be able to catch that kid without his help, and the longer they waited the angrier the night guard became.

Then, a familiar, amiable voice fluttered through the air. William had come to the threshold of Rockstar Row, big fuzzy ears peeking right around the corner.

“Freddy? Oh Freddy-Eddy!” he called. William could always slip right back into character. Maybe a part of him dearly missed performing with Henry; if he closed his eyes, this was almost like those little comedy skits they would do between shows for the kids. “Fredbear, where’d you go and run off to?”

He finally poked his head around the corner, finding Freddy alone in the hall. He could get Freddy to move; all it would take was some careful convincing. He stepped into the room, the slightly off-color fur on Bonnie's body shifting as he placed his hands upon his hips.

“Mike said that you were on guard all by your lonesome,” he remarked sympathetically, implying that he may have spoken to Michael in a non-confrontational way. Freddy locked onto the rabbit with a confused stare, stopping in his tracks and turning to face him.

“I thought you and Michael were not on speaking terms,” he said, his tone measured and smooth as always. “He told us not to pay you any mind, nor my old model.”

Blinking rapidly, Freddy searched his glitching database for the conversation he'd had with Michael about this scenario. Unfortunately, the virus took a big toll on the Glamrocks' internal systems, and some of his recorded memory banks were inaccessible. Still, Freddy couldn't deny that this rabbit was suspicious. Why in the world they'd chosen to allow such decrepit suits into his shinning Pizzaplex, he had no idea...

“...I do not recall anything that indicates that I cannot speak to you,” Freddy eventually added with a curious tilt of his head. “Although as you stated, I am performing a task that does not lend well to distractions. Please, tell me what you wish to say and move on so I can focus.”  

Smiles. William was all smiles as he posed against the busted glass of a display cabinet, trying to look casual despite the pained way that he moved.

“You're a real diligent man, Fredbear. You remind me a lot of my Freddy. Kind...” He strolled in further, moving slow as he didn't want to come off as threatening. “Dependable. Always looking out for the kids. That's why I'm here!”

It was a sad fact that Michael had learned such manipulation skills from watching his father. Another regret of William’s was being such a bad person throughout his eldest’s formative years. Looking at Freddy, he knew that tonight he was on the right track to making it better.

“I saw Mikey; he an' I got to talking. Y'see, my central processor needed a lil’ updating. Apparently I just didn't have enough CPU to understand what Mikey needed from me! I'm gonna help you out now, as per his orders,” he explained. “Right now he's looking for Gregory in the West Arcade. So he's asked me and Chica personally for complete radio silence. Poor kid's startled by the static!”

Though this Freddy's AI was certainly the most advanced in the business, he was still just a machine at his core. He didn't have the gut, human instinct to tell when someone was lying. Sure, he could determine it based on facial and body cues, though this was only useful on humans and animatronics like himself. These older models, with their static faces and limited movement... they were much harder to read.

Bonnie's explanation did make sense—perhaps the reason he and old Fredbear had been so difficult was because they simply hadn't been updated with the proper software.

“The West Arcade?” he echoed, glancing past the rabbit's shoulder as if he could see the attraction from here. “Ah, Michael should have contacted me before going dark...” Freddy let out a little simulated huff, his gaze soon drifting back to Bonnie. “Does he require my assistance finding Gregory? I believe the child has taken a liking to me, so I may be able to lure him out easier than the others...”

Maybe this was his chance to actually do something instead of standing around. This sort of job was much better for the likes of Monty than Freddy Fazbear.

William had to hold in the urge to laugh out loud. Oh, this was a cakewalk. Besides, it was better than coming in here aggressively and risk being brutalized by the larger, stronger machine. What did the American Southerners say? You'll catch more flies with honey than with vinegar...

“Say, that's a great idea Fredbear!” Bonnie encouraged, hoping the animatronic would process this as his own idea rather than William's. “Well, I'd be chuffed to watch Rockstar Row in your absence. After all, I'm no spring chicken anymore; I couldn't catch moss if it was growing on my knees.”

Which... William honestly thought there might be moss growing on him these days. But that was beside the point. Bonnie looked up to Freddy with an innocent look—one that mirrored the kind and thoughtful expressions of his later Glamrock model.  

Despite his older look, this was still Bonnie, and Freddy always valued his best friend’s opinions. His face lighting up in a bright grin reminiscent of the expression Gregory would see on his own non-infected bear, Freddy started for the door.

“Thank you, Bonnie; I would greatly appreciate it!” he told the rabbit, patting him on the shoulder as he passed. His brow furrowed at the squishy texture of the suit—it was a far cry from his sleek, metallic model. Still, it wasn't Bon's fault he was made like this. Times had been very different, back then—those suits were even designed to hold people, Freddy recalled, doubling as costumes when the owners decided they were better actors than the animatronics themselves. No wonder they were so odd.

“I will be sure to update Michael on the situation when I find him,” the bear called over his shoulder, then broke into a jog as he crossed the threshold of the door.

Nearby, Henry was clutching Gregory in a tight grip and watching slack-jawed at how flawlessly William's plan had worked. He remained in the shadows for now, waiting for either Will or Charlie's signal that the coast was totally clear before emerging.

Charlie was just as flabbergasted as her father. Now that Freddy was gone, they could work to fix the broken connection in her arm and patch up Gregory! Peeking out from behind one of the oversized potted planters, Charlie checked for a clear coast and came out.

“Dad? Gregory, come on!” she encouraged, hightailing it to the elevator behind Roxy's room. 

William nonchalantly leaned with his arms poised behind his head, looking pleased with himself that he had tricked Freddy so easily. It wouldn't be long before the irony set in: this wasn't the first time he'd manipulated his friend—or in this case, a rather diluted extension of his former best friend's personality. He opened an eye when Charlie asked in astonishment:

“How did you get him to leave?”

To this, William thought for a single moment, his content smile fading away into as hard of a frown as Bonnie could muster. “The way I always get people to do what I want. Come, Charlotte; we need to get you fixed up...”

He beckoned, working on helping her gather all the supplies necessary to fix herself as they made it to the treasure trove of Parts & Service. Gregory made sure to lock the magnetically sealing doors that led to Rockstar Row. He'd hate to think of someone disturbing them while they took this much needed rest.

“Henry?” Gregory asked, looking up to his newest guardian. “What... exactly are we going to do with Mike when we finally get the upper hand?”

Surely, even after everything they weren't going to kill him… But then again, if Michael hurt people the same as William had in another lifetime, would he not deserve similar punishment? Gregory had been wracking his brain with this puzzle for some time now.  

It was the same game board, just with shuffled pieces. Like Gregory’s own reality, there was one ruthless killer Afton and everyone else trying to take him down. To the Gregory this world belonged to, this was the only reality he’d know. Though he might balk at the thought of killing someone, after learning all that Michael had done—all the pain and torment he’d put his friends, family, and innocents through—he would accept that perhaps he did deserve such a fate.

…Unfortunately, this was not the correct Gregory Henry was speaking with. This was the immortal counterpart brought in to help push things along so Michael could be defeated and his alternate self could lead a semblance of a happy life after this traumatic weekend. This Gregory got so used to Michael as a caring brother—even a dad in another lifetime—he was having a hell of a time replacing him with the William in his mind.

Henry might not know these details, but he could tell Gregory still had a soft spot for Michael for some inexplicable reason. Therefore, he chose his answer carefully.

“We’re going to take him down, whatever that entails. We can’t let him hurt anyone else, Greg—and we’ve tried to stop him so many times before, but failed. That’s why we’re all here right now… but we’re tired of fighting. Once we get the upper hand, we’re going to end him.”

***

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!

[angelofrainfrogs]

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

Looking for more? Check out the Chapter Masterlist on Tumblr!

Or check out the entire Wires that Bind Us Series on ao3!

[angelofrainfrogs]

Spend the Night: Ch. 32

~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

Oh, what a shame that things turned out this way Forgive me But you really got to pay up for the suffering you're caused us Join into this children’s chorus

Crank those gears, the music is in me Been a real long day and we're dying to be free Don't stop now, 'cause I can guarantee When the silence drops we're the last thing that you'll see

~Showtime by Madame Macabre, MrCreepyPasta~

Out and into the unpredictable atrium they would go. Charlie planned on making a commotion with Gregory. They would do this outside Fazerblast, as it made more sense for William to be wandering near one of his lairs during the early portions of the night. With Charlie's skills in deception lacking, Gregory knew he'd have to bear the brunt of the acting work. All Charlie had to do was make sure no one untoward came close to him.

The walk there was somewhat tense, though Charlie tried to cut the air by reminding Gregory of all the fun things they’d get to do together once it was all over. It gave the kid the strength to keep moving. Everything had to go perfectly—it just had to. They couldn't afford to let William ruin anyone else's lives.

Turns out he wasn't so far away after all.

Tonight was the night. William refused to wait any longer—his family would be reunited or he’d let this whole place burn to the ground just like all the others. With Vanny missing and totally unreachable now just like the rest of those wretched, sorry excuses for animatronics, William was forced to wander the neon halls in search of Evan.

Michael was keeping them apart, which William found incomprehensible. Once again, his eldest son's reasons had eluded even his brilliant mind.

Michael had grown quite the rebellious streak that Will never had the chance to correct in him. Serves him right for spoiling the boy...

Then, he spotted them—alone and looking petrified were Charlie and Evan, standing hand in hand.

Charlie appeared... relatively the same as before she died. Taller, William noted. He walked quiet and slow from Bonnie Bowl as the two watched the doors of Fazerblast with dreadful gazes.

With a light tap in the vents as inconspicuous as mini-Music Man pattering around, Ennard signaled to Michael and Freddy that the game was on. The pair shared a resolute nod, then as one stomped towards Charlie and Gregory.

“EVAN!” Michael growled, hands clenched into fists at his sides.

Freddy walked inches behind him, acting the part of a robot who Mike had hotwired to do his bidding and his alone. The bear scanned the area with narrowed eyes, expression otherwise passive. He had no emotional stake in this event—he was simply here to follow Michael's orders, whatever those may be.

“Where the hell are you?!” Michael continued, emerging into the main atrium. He spotted Gregory and Charlie standing, freezing in his tracks as his eyes widened in rage. “Come here, Evan! Why don't you ever listen to me, you little shit?!”

As Michael ranted, Freddy caught sight of Bonnie stalking them from the shadows on the top level, peering through the glass-paneled railing with glowing purple eyes. Freddy blinked, tearing his gaze away to look back at the “terrified” Charlie and Gregory.

That isn't Bonnie anymore.

The thought echoed in Freddy's head as he shifted, articulating wires tensed as he prepared to move at Michael's command.

Gregory spun on his heel, with Charlie unable to even try to react before he grabbed onto her hand and yanked her forward into a slow jog. It looked as though he was trying to run faster, though appeared scared and uncoordinated.

“RUN!” he told Charlie, who was dragging her feet in an almost scared frozen position. She'd started to move voluntarily when she remembered the act they were putting on depending on her bolting towards the backrooms. In what was her most gripping performance yet, Charlie managed to scream in a scared and high-pitched tone.

“MICHAEL! Stop—stop chasing us!” she shouted as if trying to talk sense into her old friend.

“EVAN!”

The sound of a father in the throes of an adrenaline-fueled panic had caught Charlie off-guard. She wasn't sure if she’d ever heard William so worried. She could only remember that awful birthday party in ’83 as the only proof he had true, powerfully raw emotions.

William bolted down a flight of stairs, skidding in the oversized suit and having to place a firm hand on the floor to prevent himself from drifting too far off his own set track.

“Get away from him, Michael!” he snarled towards his eldest, in hot pursuit of the fleeing group.

Mike let out a growl of frustration, his head swiveling between the escaping duo and William desperately trying to right himself. After a split-second's hesitation Mike snapped his fingers and pointed towards Charlie and Gregory, calling to the animatronic at his shoulder without even bothering to look: “Freddy! Follow them!”

The bear took off, his pace quicker than a typical human's—though Charlie and Gregory were not typical in the slightest, nor were they entirely human anymore. Freddy didn't speak, eyes forward as he moved with the utmost confidence in his ability to nab his prey. Michael started to follow as well, though at a slower pace so he could address William.

Yes, they wanted to get him into the basement as soon as possible, but they also didn't want him to actually get ahold of Gregory—if Mike could stall just a bit to put some distance between them, that would be ideal. Despite the panic clouding William's brain, the Bonnie suit was still fast.

“Father, stay out of this!” Michael hissed, turning around so he was walking backwards whilst facing the purple rabbit. He glared hard, speaking through clenched teeth. “This is your fucking fault, as usual! I'm just trying to talk to my brother—honestly!”

The words were gnarled with a sickly sweet tone that set even Freddy's receding form on edge. It was clearly a blatant lie—the true intentions behind Michael's pursuit were obviously much darker than a simple conversation, and he wanted William to know it.

William was befuddled, both by Michael’s youthful appearance and his speed. The rabbit gave an almost worried expression as he jogged for his son.

“Talk? Michael, stop harassing your brother! You haven’t learned a thing at all, have you?!” he exclaimed, incredulous that Michael was acting this way after all this time.

What did he expect, really? Michael was completely psychotic. He never heard the end of it from other parents and kids his age—how he’d torment and mock for fun. Shoving his brother’s head into a pneumatic jaw for a “prank” was the icing on top of the cake. For all William knew, the boy probably meant to end his brother that day.

Now revived thanks to something Will didn’t yet know, but made immortal by the Remnant William did have a hand in, Evan likely came to his senses and escaped with Charlie. Still a bad choice, but the lesser of two evils.

“Stop! Before you hurt him worse than Remnant can repair,” William warned, paw outstretched as he attempted to grab Michael.

“Fuck off!” Michael snapped, slapping William's hand away and turning to run forward, picking up speed as he did so. “Evan pissed me off, and now I'm going to get him back—it's eye for an eye, Father.”

His tone was mocking and defiant, calling back to those days in the early eighties when Michael actually spoke like this. Though William still existed in a position of paternal trust and authority at the time, Mike was known to push the envelope with him every chance he got.

“Evan was always your favorite...,” Michael spat over his shoulder. This statement was the closest thing to truth he'd said so far; he always wondered if William favored Evan more, despite his claims of how proud he was that Michael seemed to be “just like him” in so many ways. Just more fodder to goad William into following them down the twisting pathways to the basement...

Such a claim had made William slow, a look of disbelief rounding over the rabbit’s face. That was before he sped up, growling once again.

His bastard of a son was mocking him. Michael had the nerve to break his father’s arm and gouge his chest the last time they saw each other, and blatantly disrespected him even now. Just as Mike reached the backrooms, a mechanical death grip grasped onto his shirt and pulled him back.

“Listen here, you shit!” The impact of William tossing Michael into the wall left a human-shaped indentation on the drywall. “You presume to know everything, don’t you?! You idiot; I don’t love your brother over you. Or your sister!”

William was never good at words. Everything came out wrong and calloused. His actions were cruel and imposing in order to get his children to listen to him—after all, they were like him in so many ways. Discipline was often the only thing they’d understand.

And still, he didn’t say it. William danced around the subject of loving his son, positive that even if he wanted to reiterate the truth, Michael would claim his hatred for him once more.

Michael wheezed, the wind knocked out of his mechanical lungs from the shocking impact. He hadn't planned on getting caught, but William was faster than him—always one step faster. Henry's androids were strong and sturdy, but they could still get damaged.

As Michael twisted painfully onto his hands and knees, an error flashed sheer white in the corner of his vision. A gyroscope in his skull needed recalibration, and he could feel a warm, wet trail down the back of his head from where it'd hit the wall. When Michael touched it his fingers came away red with sticky synthetic blood.

“You bastard,” Michael grunted, righting himself with shaky arms and legs as his body quickly readjusted to normalcy as best it could. He glared at the rabbit with nothing but fierce hatred, taking a wobbly step back in the direction of where the others had run and wiping the blood off on his pants as he did so.

William cocked his head, watching his son back up like a kicked puppy. It almost warmed his heart at the sight. Michael may have hated him, but William only saw his victory as a way of winning this argument. For every reversed step Michael took, William responded with an equal advance.

Seeing the blood run free, William blinked and looked down his nose at his son. “Watch your language—now, let’s find your brother before he gets scared.”

He spoke casually as if it was the old days. Like Michael had acted up and William employed some corporal punishment to get his point across. A rare tactic, and certainly nothing this extreme had ever been used… But desperate times called for desperate measures.

It almost made one wonder where William thought he was—or when.

Michael gently smacked the side of his head with the base of his palm, vainly hoping the gyroscope would realign on its own. This only made the notification blink faster and Michael suppressed a groan. Clearly, his injury wasn't pulling at his father's heartstrings. In fact, seeing a head wound that surely would have severely damaged a normal human seemed to make William a bit smug.

A shot of dark fear ran up Michael's spine. It was so familiar, the old feeling of horror at how cruel his father had become. Though Michael had searched for William in order to try and undo his wrongs, in the back of his mind there was always a tiny voice that hoped he wouldn't find him... He just knew this was no longer the man who used to be a parent, made abundantly clear when Michael saw the body melded to that golden Bonnie suit. Staring into those bright, silver eyes, Mike realized with striking finality that his father's humanity was well and truly gone. He was just a being driven mad by his own fantasies.

And now, it was time to put those fantasies to an end. Michael turned with a sneer, a little unsteady at first when he tried to walk at a normal pace. Thankfully the rest of his inner parts were able to overcompensate well enough despite the misaligned gyroscope, and soon Mike was leading his father down the predetermined path. He made a point to look around corners and pause every so often to listen, pretending like he had no idea where they were actually headed and searching for Evan, too.

William did very much differ from the man from his childhood when it was just the two of them, Mom, and the Emilys.

Before the restaurant.

Before Freddy Fazbear.

Before the unfortunate chain of events that lead to what culminated as finally taking Michael’s father off of spiritual life support.

“Bonnie” shambled behind Michael, eyes darting around for Evan and calling him every so often the further they descended. It was only after a five minute stretch of unbearable silence that William mentioned:

“Oh… You’re bleeding, Michael…”

He spoke slowly, as if Mike couldn’t have possibly realized that himself by now. It was matted in his hair and half-smeared over his forehead and cheek. Maybe William assumed he had brain damage now and couldn’t think for himself. Ah, well.

“DAD! CHARLIE?!” shouted the panicked voice of a child, startling William from his train of thought.

“That's him!” William perked up, ears twitching at the sound—so much closer to his goal now more than ever.

As they rounded the corner, the final piece of their ruse came into view: Freddy was waiting in the middle of the hallway just outside Henry’s workshop. He stood at attention, and clutched tightly in his grasp was Gregory. The boy’s arms were cinched behind his back, held firmly at the wrists by one strong paw. Freddy’s other claw laced through Gregory’s hair, pulling the boy’s head back at an almost painful angle in an effort to make him immobile.

Mike had to give the kid credit: Gregory looked utterly terrified.

“I have caught Evan as you instructed, Michael,” Freddy said, his tone unnaturally flat. Mike’s sour expression slowly morphed into a grin. He glanced towards his father, then back to Freddy. If William hadn’t thought he was psychotic before, he surely would in a few seconds.

“Perfect,” Michael said, starting to walk fast now towards the bear and his brother. He pointed to the workshop, his grin practically devilish at this point. “Take him in there—I’ve got some things I want to tell him that Father won’t be pleased with overhearing...”

Gregory thrashed his legs uselessly. It was no use. No matter how hard he “tried,” there was no budging Freddy's paws. Their locking grip over his wrists and in his hair made him feel like a wild animal trapped and hauled by the scruff.

“LET ME GO!” Gregory managed to cry, all pent up and red in the face as he kicked the empty air. “I'm sorry! Okay?! I said I was sorry! He's hurting me!”

He could only protest in vain as Freddy quickly ran them into the darkness. With hands on his head in shock at the state of his child and the intentionally murderous grin Michael bore, William watched at the horror his eldest wrought.

“You're being a damn monster again, Michael!” he muttered, unknowing to his own hypocrisy as he stormed the room beyond the storage area.

…It was dark. An all-consuming darkness, with no focal point to speak of. Not even Bonnie’s animatronic eyes could make out anything in the smoke-scented depths.

“Evan!” shouted an increasingly distraught William, attempting to feel his way around the room. “... Kids?”

That was when it hit him. The next part of the plan was in play, a combination of Henry’s tinkering and William’s own man-made depravity come back to haunt him anew. The already delusional bunny stood no chance—not when he saw a feminine frame standing underneath a blinking, red EXIT sign, silhouetted with a demanding posture.

And then it was William's turn to feel true fear, if only for a second.

“Who...” he whispered, barely audible from his overworked voice box.

“Will? I missed you, Will…”

The voice was soft, slightly distorted in a dreamlike way as the silhouette moved gracefully towards the rabbit. It never got close though, fading in and out of view as it disappeared into pockets of darkness between tiny string lights hung on the wall that seemed to flicker on in time with the figure’s approach. Eventually it stopped, the light above its head revealing her faint outline once again. Tall, matronly, and graceful, the aura stretched her arms out to beckon William closer.

“Don’t you miss me, too, sweetheart?”

Freddy and Michael were waiting in the opposite corner of the room with baited breath as William slowly began walking towards his delusion. Gregory had been shuffled out into the hallway during the rabbit’s initial confusion, leaving the boys to lie in wait.

Of course, it wasn’t his long-deceased wife calling out. But it was arguably the next best thing: a being made in her image, crafted with love and care—and a sprinkling of murderous intent. Without Ballora’s outer shell to hide within, this had always been the shakiest part of the plan. Yet thanks to a refurbished mind-altering disc Ennard had found within their wires, Henry had been able to fiddle with it enough to produce a solid approximation of the ballerina’s likeness. The closer you looked the more cracks appeared in the illusion, hence the lowlights. In near-darkness, it was hard to lock onto how the figure's outline fizzled and glitched on occasion.

Really, the biggest miracle was Ennard tapping into only one of their voice boxes in time to keep up the ruse.

“Yes—” William’s response was instantaneous as he shambled forward. For as much as he’d cursed her name for dying and leaving him alone with a murderous son and only the fleeting memory of their other children, he was surprisingly soft-sounding.

It felt as if it took eons to cross the floor and make it to her. Her outstretched hand waiting for his—

“Cynthia, you have no idea how—”

CLUNK

William whipped around, the lights cutting out in a jolt as an electric fizzle of static cut through the air. Behind him, the door locked and he was confined to a space barely wider than he was.

It was a damned charging pod.

William raised his arms and beat on the door to no avail. He shouted as his hands impacted glass and metal with no use.

“You tricked me! MICHAEL, YOU HORRIBLE LITTLE MONSTER, YOU TRICKED ME AGAIN!” William shouted, beating on the door to no avail. “Where is she?! Where’s Evan?! Michael?!”

He caught sight of his wife again—only she was wrong now, twisting into a horrible, writhing mass that seemed move up, crawling along the wall like a horrific insect. How could he be fooled by such stupid lies?

“MICHAEL!” William groaned, commanding him to: “LET ME OUT!”

“Gosh, he’s gotten awfully whiny with old age. Hasn’t he, Evan?” wondered a particularly posh tone. The unmistakable candor of his daughter had frozen William solid.

“Yeah… he’s kind of annoying now,” a smaller voice spoke up bluntly.

“Oh, you guys have no fucking idea how much trouble it is to take care of a senile old man,” Michael lamented with a heavy sigh, moving into place between his siblings. It was then that the half-shot overhead lights flickered on, revealing a group just barely able to squeeze in enough so they could all be seen through the charging pod’s porthole.

Front and center were the Afton kids, standing strong and solid in their androids, reborn again from Charlie’s quick soul-transfer. Charlie herself made up the fourth member of their stalwart quartet and lingering slightly behind their shoulders was the ghost of Cassidy, her excited rage palpable to all those around her. Next to her were Glamrock Freddy and Gregory, both completely unharmed and holding hands in a very non-opposing, rather affectionate way.

And then, finally, striding up to the charging pod was an older man with a face hardened by years of anguish. His eyes, though? They remained bright with unquenchable hope.

“Hello, old friend,” Henry Emily said, pressing a hand to the glass porthole as he looked proudly upon their prize.

William’s confused and lost gaze only turned to that of rage and betrayal at being tricked. They all worked together now?

That kid on the arm of the Glamrock Freddy wasn’t Evan at all—just some look-alike that successfully lured him into their trap with what little sympathy Will had left. And he’d even used up precious Remnant on the little shit… With his wife nowhere to be seen, he inferred that she too must’ve been a trap. Henry took up most of the view now, forcing William’s sight to lock on in contempt to his former friend.

“You… You tricked me—Henry, I was going to make it all right again!” William claimed, as if that was his plan the whole time: to bring back everyone he’d wronged at the expense of these strangers’ lives.

And maybe that could’ve been accomplished if given some time. Though none of the ghosts desired more bloodshed unless the blood they let was William’s, and his alone.

“Please, you need to believe me…,” he claimed, and Henry sneered at that voice. The meek sounding one; the one William would use to repeatedly get his way with anyone who just never knew better.

“It’s over! You lose again, shithead!” Cassidy interrupted, unable to hold herself together as the cacophonous giggles erupted forth. She attempt to cover her mouth and stay quiet, though the sight of William about to be slowly tortured was simply too funny for her to resist. “Now you’re going to go fishing foreeeever, Willy!”

“SHUT UP!” William shrieked at the girl, fear betraying in his smooth way of talking. “No fishing! P-please…! And don’t you dare put me in that god damn office—”

It was so odd, Gregory noted, watching the creature he feared most beg for mercy. Odd, but not unwelcome.

“I haven’t believed a word you’ve said in decades, Will,” Henry remarked, ignoring the rabbit-man’s plaintive cries. His once-soft eyes held nothing but pure hatred for the being in front of him, and he spoke in a voice unbecoming of his usual nature—low and powerful, commanding authority with every syllable.

Henry was holding back the urge to phase through the glass and strangle William with his bare hands, just like the disgusting murderer did to Charlie all those years ago. It wouldn’t be enough to destroy him, but damn would it be satisfying. Even in his ghostly form, he was sure the raw emotion backing his actions could snap a few animatronic joints.

“How could you?” Henry continued, locking onto those glowing eyes without an ounce of fear. William’s gaze shifted away uncomfortably, causing Henry to smack the side of the pod so loudly everyone in the room jumped. “LOOK AT ME, YOU FUCKING COWARD!”

The rabbit’s wide eyes snapped to his and Henry relaxed ever-so-slightly. “Yes, that’s right—you’re a coward, William. You couldn’t accept that you ever did anything wrong, so you had to fuck things up even worse.”

There was a slight pause for Henry to suck in a deep breath, steeling himself for the answer his next query was about to receive. Whatever it was, he knew he wouldn’t be satisfied—but he just wanted to see William squirm in discomfort.

In a cold voice, face twisted in a mask of accusatory hatred, he asked: “Why did you kill my daughter, Will? She trusted you—we all did. And you betrayed that trust forever in one night. I just want to know why.”

The silence grew over them as William’s head slumped. As soon as he retook eye contact, the shame and guilt had forced William’s head to hang. He would take anything over this confrontation with his only friend. Or rather, his former friend. He’d take fishing, old man consequences—hell, he’d take Mr. Fucking Hippo over this trial of his peers.

After a pain-filled eternity waiting with baited breath, they’d finally know why. William couldn’t look at either Henry or Charlie, so he chose to look past them instead.

“It was an accident. I swear it was! I came to the dinner, I drove there drunk… I blacked out on the highway, Henry…,” the disgraced Afton admitted, for the first time in a long time being genuine with the way he spoke. Henry’s disappointment and rage had gutted the truth from deep inside him. “I came to when… W-When she was on the ground. She was covered in rain water… My hands around her throat—I was jealous, I think… I wanted what you had. And I was a bad friend for taking it from you…”

Charlie had long-since covered her ears, though her wobbling lip indicated she could still hear everything. Even if there was a smidgeon of truth in that explanation, Charlie couldn’t forgive him.

What if he’d called an ambulance, instead of hopping back in the car and leaving her to suck in her last breath of rainwater? Would Charlie have survived?

She supposed it didn’t matter all that much now.

Michael moved to Charlie’s side, wrapping an arm around her waist and letting her lean on his shoulder as she vainly blocked out her killer’s words. He couldn’t be there for his dear friend on that fateful day, but he could certainly stand with her now.

“I took your trust and I squandered it, Hen; I’m sorry,” William said with finality, now looking Henry in the eye. The truth did not set William free; it burned coming out instead.

Henry was silent as he listened to William’s explanation. His heart ached for all the family he’d lost, blood-related and otherwise. He and William used to be like brothers, practically inseparable after their first meeting in college so long ago.

“…‘A bad friend,’” Henry echoed hollowly after a moment. He laughed, the sound choked with pain and hurt. “A bad friend… you MURDERED my daughter! And you couldn’t even fucking own up to it, you absolute bastard!”

The ghost was shaking now, nails scraping against the glass where they pressed in, trying so hard not to reach through and destroy William just as he’d destroyed his sweet Charlie.

“I wouldn’t have forgiven you—nothing could make up for killing an innocent child—my sweet girl. But if you’d have just let me help you before you—”

Henry cut himself off, squeezing his eyes shut and taking a shuddering breath. That opportunity was long gone; he’d offered William his shoulder to cry on when Evan died, offered an ear for his friend to scream his confused frustration into… but William chose a different path. He went on a route of self-destruction, the loss of one child clouding his mind to the other two he still had, as well as all those willing to stand by his side through it all.

Eventually Henry looked up again, glaring daggers at the Bonnie suit that represented so much heartache and torment.

“I’ll never forgive you,” he said with a soft shake of his head, then locked onto those glowing eyes with pure, unadulterated loathing. “I just have one more thing to say, and then I’m going to leave you at the mercy of those you’ve wronged far worse than me: I hate you, William Afton. I hope you rot in the deepest pit of hell for all eternity.”

And with that Henry stepped back, dipping his head in deference to whichever spirit wanted to speak to the horrible rabbit next.

Charlie began to sob unabashed into the crook of Michael’s shoulder. Hearing that all of this might’ve been prevented if William just opened up?

It burned her inside.

Her whole life was taken from her in less than three minutes because William self-destructed, unwilling to let anyone in after the death of his youngest child. She tried to remind herself that she was fine now, that the battle long-fought was now closing to its end.

But she wasn’t okay.

Charlie was dead, and that would never change. She could play dress up in a robotic skin and pretend to be happy, but it wasn’t the same without a pulse. For the dozenth time this weekend, Charlie was glad that Michael was there to hold her up. Without him, she might’ve fallen to the floor in a pool of her own tears long ago.

As Henry backed away from the glass William began to pound on the door, desperate for them to release the locks.

“HENRY!” he gasped out, moving into an unbridled panic. “DON’T! Don’t leave me with them! Please—I’m sorry! I’m sorry, Charlie! I’m sorry, Michael! I-I’m sorry—”

To cease his meaningless rambles Cassidy popped up in front of the window, face bloody and distorted on her command into something nightmarish. She’d often manipulate her appearance to frighten the old man back to place, as it was one of the only joys she had left in this world. William jolted backwards, his head and back hitting the pod wall as he screamed in terror.

Freddy had picked Gregory up by this point, holding him close as they listened to William’s anguished shouting. He wasn’t trying to hide Gregory—after everything he’d been through, the boy deserved to stay with the rest of the spirits as long as he could stand—but Freddy reasoned they could both use the mutual comfort.

As Cassidy tormented William Henry fell back into line next to Charlie, rubbing soothing circles on her back as she cried into Michael’s shoulder. He and Mike gave each other a grim, understanding nod, and at that moment the youngest Afton moved forward. Clutching Lizzie’s hand, Evan pulled his sister to the charging pod with determined steps.

“Cas, can you let us have a turn?” Evan asked in a surprisingly confident tone. For a moment Cassidy would disregard her former suit-mate’s request, but upon seeing his and Lizzie’s expressions she backed away so they could stand directly in front of the glass.

“Dad?” Evan called, standing on tiptoe to see William as he cringed away from the souls of his dead children. Evan tried to be strong, he really did… but all it took was one deep, shuddering breath to break open the dam of fresh tears he’d been holding in for almost forty years. Hot lines tracked down his cheeks, the sensation both foreign and all too familiar to the boy whose defense mechanism had been sobbing loud enough for his father to come save him.

It was combination of things that led to Evan’s demise that day in ‘83. There was Michael, of course—the initiating factor, there was no denying that even if Evan had forgiven him. William had been distracted during the incident, working with those delicate spring lock suits and trying to ensure that no one got hurt when finagling themselves into the fuzzy death trap.

But even if by some miracle he could’ve heard Evan’s cries from the back room, they weren’t loud enough—in fact, Evan had been so scared the moment he was lifted up and shoved towards Golden Freddy’s gaping maw that his vocal cords had fizzled out into nothing more than a silent scream.

Really, it wasn’t William’s fault he hadn’t got to Evan in time to prevent the bite. However, everything the man had done afterwards in the name of resurrecting his family was his responsibility and his alone.

“D-Dad, how… how c-could you hurt s-so m-many people?!” Evan sobbed, clutching Lizzie’s hand while his other squeezed into a tiny fist, free-flowing tears dripping onto his shirt to stain dark splotches in the fabric. “I-I trusted you… we l-loved you…”

The sound of William's heart breaking was nearly audible. He floundered for a reason—

Reasons? Or excuses? he thought bitterly to himself, realizing the weight of Evan's words.

Loved. Past tense.

Evan shared the same opinion as his brother now. No longer was Will his little boy's hero, but another monster that hid under his bed or lurked in the shadows.

“No—” William began, his voice coming out in a choking sound. “—No... Son, please don't say that...” His hand faltered slightly as it touched the glass, begging for a connection with the son he lost so long ago. “I did it for all of you... I just wanted you back so badly, Evan. I-I lost sight of what mattered...”

He realized it all too late. After the countless times he returned, rage inside his heart feeding his awful bloodlust… There was no turning back from it all; no need to deny it.

“Please, Evan? Y-You can't say you don't love me anymore...!” he fretted. William may not have had a proper throat, but it felt like he’d swallowed barbed wire. His actions meant nothing, as his children hated him now for what he had done.

Evan’s bottom lip quivered violently as he tried to hold in his crying while William spoke. He knew the man he called “Dad” out of habit wasn’t going to apologize—he couldn’t, not now—but Evan was still willing to hear him out. As expected, William was full of nothing but pleading excuses, and while the anguish in his voice twisted like a knife in Evan’s heart… he still couldn’t forgive him.

He opened his mouth to reply, but all that came out was a choked-off sob. Evan quickly shook his head, turning to bury his face in the comfort of his big sister that he’d been missing for so long. He cried openly into her shirt, clinging to the back of it with such force it was a wonder he didn’t rip holes into the fabric.

Michael couldn’t stand to hear his brother cry. He’d hated the sound as a kid too, though for entirely different reasons. Back then, it’d just been an annoying, almost constant noise—at least in Michael’s mind. It took him far too long to realize that Evan would cry far less if his big brother hadn’t turned so cruel over the years. Of course, Evan’s final birthday party quickly saw the end of Michael’s mean streak, and not a moment too soon—the worst thing would be for Michael to have turned out anything remotely similar to how his father was now, blindly indifferent towards others in order to achieve his own selfish goals.

Listening to Evan’s body-shaking sobs in this dim workshop spurred Michael into action. He carefully detached himself from Charlie, letting Henry hold onto his daughter as she recovered from her own emotional reaction. Within seconds he was at his siblings’ side, and at the gentle touch to his shoulder Evan looked up at him. He released his grip on Lizzie to cling to Michael’s waist instead, burying his face into the presence of the strong, safe big brother he used to have, finally returned after so many years of darkness.

“Liz, if you’ve got anything to say I’d suggest you say it now, because if we keep him around much longer I might very well do something that may go against our plan,” Michael murmured in a voice tense with poorly-controlled anger. He was keeping it together for his family, but if he had his way William would be slowly ripped apart limb by limb, and Michael would make sure he felt every second of it.

What could Elizabeth even say? She didn't want an apology from her father. It wouldn't do any good to her now. He had a chance to make things right when she found him years ago, and all he did was use her to further his plan—sending Mike in as a decoy and making them both suffer pain unimaginable both so close and so far apart.

She wanted to put that behind her. The fire that killed both Michael and Henry; those horrible years in the dank warehouse of Circus Baby's Pizza World; that one and only day the clown had been on stage... Elizabeth wanted nothing more than to forget as much as she could. Should she be unable to move on after all of this, Liz would want her memory to be wiped. All she wanted to remember were the Emilys and her brothers. Good and bad times, at least they wouldn't concern the man that asked her for ideas on a fun new character—only to have that same character churn her to bits inside its body.

Staring William in the eyes with the utmost calm, like she’d practiced for this very moment in her head, she murmured coldly: “I don't have anything to say to him. Come on, Evan.”

William watched as Elizabeth turned from him. It was like every good memory he had with his children played in his mind in rapid succession, only to be burned to ashes by Liz's indifferent words. She was the very last person he expected to snub him. And now, there was no one...

Gregory took in a deep breath. Now seemed as good a time as any... Letting go of Freddy's hand he approached the glass, staring up at the shaking rabbit inside with piercing silver eyes that seemed to mock William’s very existence.

“You awful, nasty... cruel man,” Gregory growled with furrowed brows. “You ruined my friends’ lives, and fucked over mine. I'm really gonna enjoy this.”

With that he walked towards a set of thick cables leading to a powered-down arcade box. He plugged them into the terminal, then typed in Henry’s special code to begin a direct download from the charging pod. In tandem, from a flush cavity in the pod emerged a two-pronged device which quickly snapped into place using the access points in the back of Bonnie’s skull before the rabbit-man had a chance to react.

“Do what?! Liz! Evan! What's the kid doing?!” William gasped, sounding as if he were hyperventilating. “Do you REALLY think that'll keep me trapped forever, you stupid boy? MICHAEL, MAKE HIM STOP!”

“Don't talk to him!” Michael snapped, stepping up to the porthole so William was forced to stare into his icy eyes. He let out a laugh, short and humorless as he looked upon the frail man who'd been so confident just hours before. “All that reincarnation made you stupid—do you honestly think I'd so much as lift a finger to help you? I've told you before, and I'll say it again: I fucking hate you. You've put me through so much hell I can't even begin to describe the depths of it.”

He paused, closing his eyes for a moment as he took a calming breath. Then he gazed upon William again, looking down his nose at the trembling creature in the charging pod who was losing just a little bit of himself every second.

“You know, I used to hate that I'd inherited your face,” Michael continued, touching his cheek as he recalled those long hours in front of the mirror regretting his very existence. “I cursed you and your damn genetics, and every time someone told me how much I resembled 'my dear father' I wanted to run into the nearest bathroom and just rip my fucking skin off.”

Michael's nails pressed into the false flesh, hard enough to leave faint indents. He shook his head, lips curled into a grinning sneer.

“But now... I'm glad I still look like you. I'm glad because now I can finally use this horrible face to do some good in the end. Even if I was too late for all the kids you selfishly took away, I can take you down in their stead—me and the one kid you just couldn't quite catch.”

He spared a side-long glance at Gregory, then pressed his palm up to the glass just as Henry had done. “And then, once you're wiped from existence, I'm going to be the nicest fucking person in this damn town and prove everything you could've been if you just got out of your own head and took a second to pay attention to your own fucking children.”

Mike needed to get it all out, Gregory thought, watching with intent as he slowed his furious typing.

William, who before had been frozen speechless... started to laugh. It was by no means confident. Nervous, certainly, and devoid of humor as he began to rant.

“You'll never be happy. I'll keep coming back as many times as I need to—”

Gregory wasn't going to sit idly and let William sow doubt in their minds. His fingers restarted their quick pace, the commands he entered poised and practiced, not missing a beat before smacking the enter key. A sudden flash of yellow sparked as the charging pod was redirected, taking energy from its subject and subsequently shutting William down with a loud spark. His download was quick, flying through ethernet cables and into the boxed arcade machine.

“Shut up, already. Old freak...,” Gregory griped, sounding bored as William's personality had finally drained into the little, half-burned game called Midnight Motorist.

What a weird choice, he thought. Though he supposed they’d only grabbed what was available. Gregory turned to look at the group of dead people, feeling their collective anxiety and animosity center solely on the game now.

Without prompting, Charlie stepped forward. She knew what she had to do, and made a beeline for the powered-down pod first. A pale hand was pressed to its stark red outer casing and Charlie closed her eyes, feeling with that special power lain deep in her being for any lingering piece of William’s soul. As expected, thankfully, she came up empty.

She hadn’t been able to sense his soul at all this weekend, in fact—at least, not in the traditional sense. Not like her father’s or the Aftons’; Cassidy’s or Hannah’s. William’s decrepit self was buried deep underneath something sharp and twisting. If Charlie had to describe it, she’d liken it to what she imagined reaching into the internet and grabbing a handful of code would feel like.

Cold. Digital. Like the man had been reduced to something that was more suited to the virtual world instead of reality.

The charging pod was empty of life. Charlie moved to the standing console, peering down at the dusty game. Now here she could sense… something. A tiny spark of blue fire that didn’t quite fit with the rest of the unassuming box. Breath shuddering, Charlie placed a palm flat against this and closed her eyes once more. She imagined a net encompassing the system, trapping anything and everything inside. She swore she heard the faintest, tinniest scream.

It made her smile.

“Alright, guys—we got him,” she announced, stepping back to join the others. There was a moment of silence as the weight of that statement fell upon the room.

“…Well?” Gregory asked, gesturing to the console now that there was no serial murderer to intimidate. “Anyone wanna take the first shot at busting this thing?”

***

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[angelofrainfrogs]

Spend the Night: Ch. 25

~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

Too late to hide away Too soon for one to repay Why don't you see what's comin’? I cannot stop what's comin’ There is no point in tryin’ Please read my mind, can't decide when I'm broken Every whisper is turning to voices That I only begin to discern in noises

Somebody save

Somebody save

Somebody save me

~Save Me by DHuesta, Chris Commisso~

While Michael and Charlie traveled down to Fazerblast, Gregory and Freddy were looking around the arcade in Bonnie Bowl. It was just a tiny room of random games, none of which seemed to be the one they were searching for.

“I am sorry, superstar—I do not see Princess Quest,” Freddy admitted, using his height advantage to scour the game titles in search of the aforementioned console.

Figures that they wouldn’t find it. With Freddy’s apologetic nature, Gregory couldn’t blame the bear even if he wanted to.

“We’ll find it eventually,” he replied, giving the entirety of the room another visual once-over before shrugging his shoulders. “We could bowl a little! You know, before Mr. Afton and Ms. Emily get back.”

Gregory’s tone was mocking, excited to pick on his siblings now that they weren’t here to defend themselves and retaliate. He glanced up to Freddy, eyes wide with hope that the bear would agree to hang out with him a little and do something normal. The two of them barely got to relax together since starting their quest, and if Freddy was indeed destined to be Gregory’s dad the kid wanted to spend some quality time with his ursine caretaker.

“That is a wonderful plan!” Freddy praised, grinning down at his son as he ruffled his hair. Michael and Charlie had told them to stay put unless they called after all, and Freddy saw no need to go against their suggestion.

Until now, respite was only found in Freddy’s room or the security offices that Gregory chose to nap inside of. If he could offer Gregory another place to associate with comfort, Freddy would jump at the chance.

The staff being in a tizzy over all the crazy stuff happening elsewhere in the Pizzaplex worked to their benefit, for there was no one wandering around the uninteresting bowling alley to bother them. It was completely empty save for the S.T.A.F.F. bots behind the food counter, ready to serve up some unhealthy concoction at Gregory's whim. Freddy was glad for the chance to spend time with his son without worrying about any watchful eyes, and this infectious happiness showed when he suddenly grasped Gregory under the shoulders and threw him into the air. He grinned at the boy's surprised shriek as he was subsequently caught in Freddy's safe, waiting arms.

“To the bowling lane we go!” the bear exclaimed, settling Gregory on his hip as they made their way towards the first available lane.

Gregory’s surprise toss in the air reminded him just how fast and strong his dad was. Thankfully he only had Gregory’s best interests at heart and wasn’t using that strength to try and rip his guts out. After the yelp, he devolved into a mess of giggles before holding onto his father for support that he seemingly didn’t even need.

“I’ve never bowled before! You just knock the pins down, right?” Gregory asked. The game sounded straightforward. Only two chances to knock every pin down, then it’s onto the next person.

Gregory already liked this attraction. The first plus was that it was quiet; the other being that there wasn’t anything lurking around trying to tear the boy apart. He was safe here during the day with his favorite animatronic at his side.

“Correct,” Freddy agreed, setting Gregory down when they reached the lane. “There are a few techniques to help knock down the ultimate number of pins, which I can show you. I will put our names into the scoreboard so it can keep track; how about you pick out a bowling ball?” He gestured to the rack of colorful balls nearby, all with different faces of various Pizzaplex animatronics printed on them along with numbers to indicate their weight. “Try to find one that is easy for you to pick up, but not too light.”

As Gregory did as instructed, Freddy situated himself in the bolted-down plastic chair in front of the lane computer. He plugged in his name first so he’d be able to show Gregory an example of how to bowl, and once the monitor hanging from the ceiling lit up ready for the game to start he met the boy at the rack.

“Any luck, superstar?” Freddy asked kindly, reaching over Gregory’s head to pick out a heavily-weighted ball. He casually tossed this in the air and caught it one-handed as if the thing weighed no more than a cotton swab.

Gregory had been feeling out the weight on many of the bowling balls while Freddy set up their game. But it was increasingly more and more obvious that the kid was… not very strong. The 10 pound, deep purple glitter ball wasn’t the heaviest, but it wasn’t the smallest weight they carried so Gregory saw that as a victory.

He flashed a smile to his dad, showing off the ball. When he caught Freddy oh-so gracefully tossing one up with such gentle cadence, Gregory looked impressed. He needed to get way stronger, or Freddy and the other bots were going to smoke him at bowling!

“Got one!” Gregory announced with a smile. It’d be fun to play with him, regardless.

“Excellent!” With a gentle touch to Gregory’s shoulder, Freddy urged him towards the lane itself. “Now, the basic things you should keep in mind are to line up your shot and try not to twist your wrist as you release the ball to ensure it travels in a straight line.”

Freddy demonstrated this, holding the sparkling red ball to his chest as he lined up the angle. He cocked his arm back, the ball hooked by the tips of his bright blue claws, then simultaneously took a step forward and released in one smooth motion. It sailed down the lane and smacked into the pins with a satisfying crack, knocking over all but a cluster of 3 standing on the leftmost side.

“You get two chances per turn to knock down all the pins, unless you hit them all in one go and cause a strike,” Freddy explained as he waited for his ball to shoot out of the return track.

Gregory was mimicking Freddy, all but letting go of the purple orb to watch Freddy expertly down seven of the pins. The screen over the alley showed exactly which ones remained as the track cleared the fallen pins away.

“Easy!” Gregory scoffed, figuring the game was fairly straightforward. It also seemed relaxed and casual, unlike the competitive streak he and Michael had earlier in the East Arcade.

Discretely, while Freddy was lining up his second shot Gregory reached into one of the roomier pockets. He’d rolled up the monster slice of pizza as to not stain his cargo pants with grease, and munched upon it as he watched the bear concentrate.

Another perfectly-angled throw, and the last three pins were down.

“Spare!” Freddy cheered, throwing his fists in the air as he watched the cheesy animation play out on the monitor above their heads. He turned to Gregory, his grin faltering into a mild look of confusion as he caught him chowing down on the pizza slice. It wasn’t a great leap in logic to figure out where it’d come from, and despite the questionable hygiene of eating pocket-pizza, Freddy opted to let it go this time. If anything about that hefty slice of topping-laden dough were to make Gregory sick, it wasn’t going to be the way it was transported…

“When you are ready, it is your turn,” Freddy said, stepping aside and gesturing for Gregory to take his place in front of the lane. Gregory was quick to abandon the pizza, sure it’d still be waiting for him on the tabletop when he got back. 

“Okay... So, keep your wrist straight—” Gregory aimed down the alley and hurled the ball as hard as he could.

It sure did go!

…And it continued, veering left before finding itself loudly clanging into the gutter. Gregory's jaw hung open, blinking as the ball passed every single pin to go straight for the return. When Gregory turned to glance back at his father, he gave the robot a thumbs-up.

“Now I know what not to do,” he said, trying not to be a sore loser.

“It may take a little practice, but I am sure you will get your skills up in no time!” Freddy said reassuringly, giving the boy a smile. He didn't feel the need to point out that his AI was designed to excel at games like this, nor that he just so happened to be the second best animatronic at bowling, beaten only by the rabbit the attraction was themed after. Their friendly bowling rivalry had been a major aspect of their relationship, and despite how worked up the usually-composed bunny could get when he lost, Freddy always knew it was in good fun.

Sparing a glance towards the closed, star-studded curtain by the food counter, Freddy allowed a wistful smile to cross his face. What he wouldn't give to have those days back again, before Bonnie went “missing” and this horrible virus infested the very building they called home...

Freddy flicked his gaze back to Gregory, who was watching him closely. The bear let out a huffing laugh, stepping forward to ruffle his hair. He really was too observant for his own good sometimes—although in the current circumstances, it didn't hurt to be overly cautious. Before Gregory could ask what was wrong, Freddy let him know:

“I am alright, superstar—just reminiscing. You still have one more try before your turn ends!”

He was sad about Bonnie...

Gregory could tell in the forlorn glance Freddy sent to the stage. They were made to be best friends, and that friendship was taken away in the blink of an eye so that one man could have a disguise. If the Glamrock bear hadn’t been gifted such realistic emotion, the secondhand hurt might not’ve felt so bad.

Even so, Gregory knew when not to meddle, instead leaning into his father's wholesome head-pats to try cheering him up instead. “Okay, watch me, Dad! I'm gonna knock 'em aaaall down this time!”

Today was their fun day, after all! And despite the fact he couldn't stop his siblings from crying earlier, Gregory may be able to at least keep Freddy from feeling any worse. Besides, Gregory was confident in the future after all the reassurances Charlie had drilled into the group.

They were going to beat William. And when they did, Bonnie would be back! Back on his stage, back beside Freddy and the Glamrocks, together again.

Gregory… couldn't relate. The only good friends he had were all right here, under this roof.

He thought about how close they’d all gotten while chucking the ball down its lane. The orb once again veered left, managing to take out a pin in its spinning whirlwind of destruction. Gregory would still celebrate this with a fist pump. Even the small victory was still a win to him.

“Well done, Gregory!” Freddy exclaimed, giving the boy a high-five as he moved past to switch places. A bit of an exaggerated celebration for one pin, but Freddy couldn't help it—he was more so cheering for the fact that his son was genuinely having a good time. As Freddy got into position, he gave Gregory some additional instruction. “See those little triangular markers on the lane in front of where you stand? Try and line up your shot with those—carry your arm through as straight as you can, and the ball should go in the direction you intend.”

With another well-positioned throw, Freddy's ball rolled forward in a rush of red sparkle. This time, he hit the pins square in the center, knocking them all down at once. The monitor proclaimed he'd gotten a STRIKE! in overly-animated, exaggerated text.

Gregory was a little jealous, but mostly impressed. He stood with his arms crossed as he watched his dad's technique. He'd have to hurry it up; Freddy was too good and was going to wipe the floor with him and this whole game soon enough. When Freddy explained the meaning of the triangular markers, Gregory sounded out a long: “Ooooh. That makes sense,” as he catalogued the tip away.

When Gregory's ball came back he had patiently waited for Freddy's turn to be over before lining up his shot. Every bit of advice from Papa Bear helped—this time Gregory's shot had hit the pins dead on! Though his throw did need some work, as he’d only put enough force behind the throw to knock down five out of ten.

“See? You are getting better already!” Freddy hummed softly as the boy waited eagerly at the ball return. “I wonder if Michael and Charlie are any good at bowling...”

Surely the pair had spent their fair share of days in a bowling alley back in their youth, though that didn't mean much for their current states. Still, it put another grin on Freddy's face to think of them joining their brother for a game, staring a friendly competition between the group that he had a feeling Mike and Gregory would get way too into before the day was over.

Michael and Gregory were sure to butt heads during a little friendly competition. Then while they’d be distracted trying to one up the other in the scoreboards, Charlie or Freddy would gain a leg up over the both of them. It was bound to happen, and Gregory could see himself falling into that trap.

“Guess we'll have to see when they're done!” Gregory remarked, looking towards the entrance as his voice took on a jaded affect. “I hope they didn't get stuck at Fazerblast. That was a freaking nightmare.”

“I am sure they are just fine,” Freddy reassured, willing the statement to be true. He handed Gregory the glittering purple sphere once it rolled back to them. “Your turn again, superstar—good luck!”

***

At that moment, three things happened simultaneously: Gregory's bowling ball struck down the remaining five pins, earning him a spare and ardent praise from Freddy; Michael finally completed the last area in Princess Quest III, freeing the princess from the glitching, shrieking rabbits; and Vanessa jolted upright in bed with a gasp as if she'd been submerged underwater for a very long time.

The night guard had been trapped in a nightmare—a strange, 8-bit style world where she was a little princess made of yellow blocks having to fend off purple rabbits that snapped at her everywhere she went. She'd had these dreams before, though this was the first time she remembered them. Usually she'd just wake up screaming, sweat drenching her pajamas and sheets as her heart hammered against her ribcage. She never knew what scared her until this moment, and while most of the memories were still vague and floating just out of reach, she was sure of one thing: she'd done something bad.

“Oh fuck...,” she breathed, pressing a hand over her mouth as a few memories made it through in flashes: a strange rabbit standing in an old Pizzeria—

No, it was virtual. Not a real location—at least, not the one she’d seen.

Vanessa used to be a beta tester. She... something went wrong, and she... she got infected.

Since then, she'd never been herself—she saw things through a purple lens, all false happiness and the need to bring a certain “family” back together, though at the moment she couldn't recall any names. And to do that, she'd been commanded to capture children, and—

Vanessa bolted out of bed, rushing to bathroom and promptly throwing up the contents of her stomach into the toilet. Groaning from the physical and mental weight suddenly thrust upon her, she coughed out a faint cry.

“O-Oh god... what the fuck have I done...”

***

“I did it!” Michael exclaimed, the furrowed lines of concentration on his brow relaxing as the console played a victorious jingle. This was quickly covered by an inhuman screech of pure rage that made him and Charlie flinch back, before the screen flashed ERROR in bright red text three times before shutting off completely. Glancing at Charlie out of the corner of his eye, Mike gulped. “I... hope that was a good thing.”

Charlie approached the console with a hand outstretched. She jiggled the joystick, pressed the start button. Suddenly the air became thick with a tension she only felt when William was around—specifically when he was angry or upset.

And yet, they were completely and totally alone in the neon attraction.

“Uhhh...” Charlie blinked, her brows furrowed at the now powered-down arcade game. “I... I don't know if that did anything...”

That wasn't what she expected to happen. Then again, what should’ve happened? Some blinding flash of light, or a sudden message from Vanessa thanking them for helping her?

When it became just their reflections staring back against an infinitely black backdrop of the game screen, Charlie moved away. Shuffling about the messy office instead, Charlie looked at the various notes on Vanessa's desk before grasping a yellow post-it. This had a list of passwords on it, something they needed to gain control of Fazerblast with.

“We totally left Sophie down there way too long,” Charlie pointed out. She twitched her head towards the exit, silently suggesting they leave.

“Yeah… time to go,” Michael agreed, grabbing her arm as grounding reassurance to both of them as they exited the watchtower. From their vantage point, he scanned the arena for any sign of pissed-off purple rabbits, and upon finding nothing quickly ushered Charlie down and back to the room where Sophie awaited them.

“Sorry—that office was a mess,” Michael said as way of an excuse when they arrived at the guard’s side once again. “We found the password, though.”

Before entering the game's lobby Charlie made sure to let go of Mike, still trying keep up the professional illusion. However, she was sure to give her best friend a reaffirming pat between the shoulders before parting ways to walk alongside him. Sophie raised a bushy brow at the pair, accepting their excuse of having to navigate the messy room easily.

“That reminds me—I should email Ness and tell her to straighten out the offices tonight,” Sophie thought aloud, taking the password from Charlie's silent but helpful fingers. “It's the least she could do for leaving us with all this other junk to clean up.”

It was probably how she ended up getting hurt, tripping over the cans and piled trash inside her office space. Plus it was always so dark in the Fazerblast location Ness seemed to favor... What the night guard saw in that tiny space was anyone’s guess.

“Yes—good idea.” Charlie pretended to know exactly what email was in order to give Sophie a nod. “Unfortunately, Mr. Afton and I have to make a run back to Bonnie Bowl and pick up his little cousin. Thank you for your help today, Sophie.”

“Yep—” Sophie turned, her attention now focused on logging into the terminal. She could just email Vanessa from there. “—I'll catch you guys later!”

“We’ll check that elevator damage on the way out,” Michael added over his shoulder, not wanting Sophie to think he and Charlie forgot the reason they’d gone to Fazerblast in the first place. By the time the androids trekked to the elevator in question Sophie managed to log into the computer and disable the attraction, letting it run on backup lighting and eerie silence. As they approached, the doors slid open a bit jerkily.

“Oof… they definitely can’t buff that out,” Mike commented with a grimace, examining what he could see of the dents and scrapes left by his last frantic escape with Gregory. He didn’t realize he’d caused that much damage—they’d need to replace the entire doors at this point.

Oh well… just another thing for maintenance to add to their list.

“I hope the other two are having fun, at least,” he said, pressing the button to take them up to the lobby once they were inside the elevator. He smiled, shoving his hands in his pockets as he looked at Charlie. “Do you think Freddy’s bowling fair and square, or do you think he’s letting Gregory win?”

Charlie had to take a moment to appreciate how Michael massacred the elevator doors. It would do well to remind Charlie that the same logic still applied from when he was a scrappy teen—never pick a fight with him. He was akin to a trapped animal in a battle, personified with his previous disguise as Foxy.

Charlie stepped into the lift after her friend and replied with a shrug. “Who’s to say he’s not beating Freddy? After all, he kicked your butt at Faz-Fighters.”

She may not ever feel inclined to enact physical violent on Michael (anymore), but sometimes it was too hard to resist poking fun at her best friend. Thinking on it, Charlie remembered Gregory saying that he desperately wanted to play at any of the attractions. The poor kid likely didn’t have much experience to against someone designed to be good at the themed games.

Charlie shook her head and replied seriously this time. “I’m sure Freddy’s going easy on him! Ooh—” Her eyes lit up with intrigue and a bright smile graced her features. “—I forgot Bonnie Bowl was where we got that pizza slushee! How do you feel about stealing another one with me?”

“Hell yes!” Michael readily agreed, eyes lighting up at the thought of yet another pizza-themed monstrosity. “Man, I’m so glad we can finally taste things again… I don’t know how I would’ve carried on knowing there was such a nasty drink just out of reach.”

Michael gave a dramatic sigh, doing his best to distract from the heavy air in the arena that faded with every foot the elevator climbed. They were soon deposited in the winner’s lobby, which hadn’t yet been replenished with a new Fazerblaster. It was unfortunate Mike hadn’t thought to snatch their old one from Foxy’s chest after he’d switched bodies… but then again, he’d have immediately shot at Ennard when they busted through that basement door, so it was probably for the best overall.

As much as Michael was loathe to admit, Ennard had been nothing but helpful this whole time. Creepy as hell… but helpful nonetheless.

A short walk and a few more elevator rides later, the sound of bowling ball impacting pins echoed through the air as Michael and Charlie slipped under the metal gate to Bonnie Bowl. Freddy and Gregory stood at the farthest lane, and Mike felt a smile tug at his lips at the sight of them. It was a weird sensation to see family that he actually loved after all his time of self-isolation—and he wasn’t ever going to give that up again.

“Hey, guys!” he greeted with a wave. “How’s the game going?”

Gregory was sitting on the bright plastic bench, turning around and gripping the backrest as he smiled to them.

“I suck at bowling!” he replied with a laugh. “It's been pretty fun though!”

“Glad you're having fun! I'm going to grab a drink, then I'll join!” Charlie said, ruffling his hair with a grin. Then she skipped over to the snack counter in search of the pizza slushee dispenser she found yesterday, ignoring the S.T.A.F.F. bot incessantly reminding her that customers weren’t allowed in the back.

“Bet—I got to find a bathroom,” Gregory announced, ready to wander off on his own for a moment. With things going so well, he’d gained a sense of ease that he knew would be sorely missing during night shift. Gregory was determined to take advantage of it, even for something as simple as a trip to the bathroom without worrying about being snatched by murder-rabbits. He opened his Fazwatch and glanced at the map, cross-checking the closest restroom on the bright interface as he began to walk.

“Gregory—” Freddy began, reaching a hand out towards him instinctively. He didn't like the thought of the boy wandering anywhere by himself, dayshift or not. Their overarching threat was far from gone, and it made Freddy uneasy to think of Gregory defenseless and alone without any of his family to help should something go wrong.

“I'll tail him,” Mike promised, immediately understanding the bear's distress. He echoed Freddy's unspoken sentiments to a tee, and though he figured Gregory might appreciate two seconds of peace without someone fretting over him, Michael wasn't quite ready to let him have that either. Still, he didn't have to stick close—just trail behind Gregory at a casual pace and keep watch.

“Let Charlie know we'll be right back, okay?” Michael told Freddy, giving him a reassuring pat on the back. He flashed the bear a grin and began lazily strolling after Gregory as the boy rounded a corner, for once feeling like he wasn't in rush to complete some potentially-traumatizing mission.

There was a customer's bathroom on the total opposite end from where they’d been bowling. It was closer to the counter, but Charlie had apparently decided to be nosy and snoop around the back out of sight. Shrugging to himself, Gregory pushed open the door with a Freddy silhouette and entered the boy’s room. He shot a cursory glance around, eying each stall as he passed—just in the spirit of being careful when Gregory perceived himself to be alone.

But then, he spotted it.

Sitting on the corner of the farthest sink, tucked against a long mirror was a plushie. Not just any plush random one that could be found in the Pizzaplex, either. No, this doll was clearly special.

The color scheme was different to any of the normal Glamrocks. This particular Freddy's satin was a pretty golden hue, accent stripes a vibrant purple instead of blue. Its shape differed as well, looking heavier with a sagging body like it was filled with more cumbersome stuffing. The sight of it had distracted Gregory from what he came in to do, all attention pulled to the toy.

It was odd—certainly out of place as well. When its eyes followed Gregory ever so slightly, he blinked and stopped in front of the sink.

No way is this an animatronic, Gregory thought. It was far too small. Though down the opposite trail of thinking, DJ Music Man shouldn't logically exist either.

“Uh… hello?” Gregory asked, hoping for the small robot to respond kindly if it even had a voice box.

***

Michael had parked himself just outside the restroom, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed as many a parent did when waiting for their kid. He wasn't worried about following Gregory inside, as there was only door and he doubted there was anyone waiting in there that aimed to do his little brother harm.

And there he waited, completely unaware of Gregory's discovery and what was about to happen.

***

The little plushie was tracking Gregory's movements, having eagerly awaited his arrival. It wasn't quite an animatronic—at least, not one with full, working limbs. It had some moving parts, but those weren't supposed to be revealed yet; not until the time was just right. The best it could do for now was swivel its eyes back and forth, which was enough to get its target's attention. It couldn't even open its mouth to simulate talking, the plastered on smile remaining still as a voice responded:

“Hi!”

The voice was... strange. Like someone trying to intentionally pitch themselves higher, and also putting on a weird accent. Or maybe trying to hide their original one? Either way, it was enough to keep Gregory's attention, and as the boy's eyes widened the bear beckoned him closer.

“I'm Fredbear! Do you wanna be friends?”

Oh, Gregory thought, taking a step closer. Not an animatronic in the traditional Freddy's sense, meant to sing and dance upon a stage. It was consumer grade—so small and harmless that a child could pick one up and bring it home with them. Probably even operated on double-A batteries. It was cute.

This must be the prototype, Gregory thought as he cocked his head to the side while listening to it. Its voice box left much to be desired, and he couldn’t help but wonder with a pang of sadness why this little guy was left alone in a gross bathroom of all places.

“Heh. I don't know,” Gregory replied with a smirk. “I've already got one Freddy to deal with... But I don't have a Fredbear.”

Even if the moniker was simply a nickname for his favorite bear, they were surely different. Still, he hesitated in picking it up. What if he was stealing this from some poor kid who lost their toy in the bathroom?

…He probably shouldn't have left it in there to begin with, then, Gregory concluded in his mind. He snatched the toy, holding it out at arm’s length to inspect it.

“Sure! Let's be friends, Fredbear!”

And this was the trigger the little toy needed.

Gregory had been so distracted by its novelty, he hadn't noticed the seam running straight down the center of the bear's golden torso. The squeeze to the plushie's sides upon being picked up spurred the internal mechanisms to action, which first prompted two sharp pincers to grasp the inside fabric of the bear's tummy and rip it apart, popping the seam’s stitches in less than a second. Before Gregory had time to react, the main function of the plushie was revealed.

It wasn't a toy at all—merely a device to serve another of William's twisted goals, as evidenced by the hypodermic needle full of glowing purple that shot out of the bear's stomach cavity and straight towards Gregory. The syringe immediately went through the boy's shirt and implanted itself painfully in the center of his chest. Not giving him time to struggle free, one of the metal pincers whipped out of the bear's torso and depressed the plunger, sending the Remnant directly into Gregory's body.

The long, medically sharpened tool had pierced through Gregory's sternum, beveled hole stabbing straight through towards his heart like a shot of adrenaline.

Gregory was forced back as the air involuntarily left his lungs. There wasn't even time to scream as the fluid from the hollow sharp emptied its contents inside his torso. It didn't take long for a reaction to happen after that.

Gregory's back hit the tiled wall and he fell onto the seat of his pants, silently grappling with the shooting pain throughout his body. Unable to move save for involuntary twitches and desperate gasps, Gregory met his own gaze in the mirror and watched as he floundered for air on the ground. He sucked in painful lungfuls, but the oxygen only seemed to set his body ablaze in a paralyzing burn.

Was this what dying was like? And did he really have to die alone on the bathroom floor…?

It was a moment before the needle slowly extracted from his chest. As Gregory slouched over, finally able to abandon his grip on the bear to now clutch the minute hole in his body, he ground his teeth down hard. The kid closed his eyes, trying to get a hold of himself and the pain that felt like it was ripping his very cells apart. After a bit longer, he could finally stand to breathe normally again. With painful tears pricking the corners of his eyes he opened them—only to find steely, devoid, silver irises staring back at him in his reflection.

This wasn't him.

At least, not the way he used to be.

***

Previous Chapter ~~ Next Chapter (Coming soon)

Looking for more? Check out the Chapter Masterlist on Tumblr!

Or check out the entire Wires that Bind Us Series on ao3!

[angelofrainfrogs]

Spend the Night: Ch. 24

~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

Between the lines I need to read So we can be released from these evil dreams

This RPG is hard to beat with so many secrets that they keep beneath

~Join the Party by J.T. Machinima~

There was an ugly pause in the group. As they let Vanessa go, a woman stressed and hindered by a hypnotic amnesia, Gregory felt bad. He regretted all the mean names he’d called her. It was Vanny being a psycho, not her real self.

And when Michael sprained her wrist... Given it was for self-defense, but still.

Gregory leaned against his father, staring at the door along with his family in pity. They'd have to fight this unaware woman again, he was certain. The thought only made his hate for William Afton grow.

“What time is it? Is there still time to find the last game?” Charlie asked, her urge to save Vanessa as well as Gregory swelling with the sadness in her chest.

Freddy blinked a few times, pulling up his internal clock. “It is 2:47 pm. We have time to look around, although I insist on getting Gregory some more food and water in the near future.”

“Of course; we can’t have Gregory crashing on us!” Michael flashed the boy a grin, playfully nudging his arm before ushering the group to start moving forward. He wanted to save Vanessa as much as everyone else. He might not have gotten to the kids in time, but at least they could try to save her along with Gregory.

“Are there any other arcades, Freddy? If that’s where the first two were found, maybe the next game is in a different one, too.” Michael grimaced, shoving his hands in his pockets. “Hopefully there’s only one more of these things…”

The worst thing would be to miss out on some consoles, making this whole mission for naught.

“There are two other, smaller arcade locations within the Pizzaplex,” Freddy replied, giving Gregory one last big squeeze before setting him down in favor of holding his hand. “One is in Bonnie Bowl and the other is in the Daycare.”

“I'm starving. I need like, a whole pizza,” Gregory said, willing to forget the uncomfortable feeling it brought when thinking on Vanessa's situation. The immortal serial killer piloting a bunny suit with a hobby for murdering children continued to haunt Gregory's thoughts, even in normal conversation. His hand slid into Freddy's palm and began for the door.

“What's the pizza topping tonight? I wanna know if the Hawaiian still tastes the same.” Charlie hoped to move on from the awkwardness of knowing something was officially wrong with Vanessa.

Just fill the uncomfortable burden of knowledge with entertaining the kid, Charlie thought, watching as Gregory's face turned up at the suggestion.

“Whaaaat? Who actually gets pineapple on their pizza?” he inquired, disturbed by the idea. Charlie sighed.

“You have much to learn, kiddo. The pineapple calms down the spicy pepperoni they use. And the ham's there just because ham is good,” she explained as if the anatomy of the Hawaiian pizza was a hard-hitting science.

“In some ways, Charlie, you were always wise beyond your years,” Michael said, patting her back as they squeezed through the door and emerged into the West Arcade proper.

“To answer your question, since the Pizzaplex is not currently open for guests, there are no specials today,” Freddy informed the group. Before their crestfallen faces could stick, he quickly added with a grin: “Which simply means that you can make whatever pizza you would like!”

“Whatever we'd like?” Michael repeated, sparing a look behind him to lock eyes with Gregory. They grinned in unison, already in unspoken agreement to use this power to their full advantage.

Freddy seemed to realize the potential monsters he'd unleashed, for he quickly followed up his earlier proclamation. “Within reason, of course—please do not make yourselves sick...”

“So... No ultimate everything pizza?” Gregory asked, hoping that he and his older brother had the same idea.

He envisioned it clearly. A sturdy deep-dish with every possible combination of crust plus all toppings. Charlie's stomach felt sick just thinking about such a monster grease-ball of a meal—the saddest part being that she had no stomach to feel queasy with.

“No way you'd eat all of that,” Charlie told him, unknowingly goading Gregory to want the mythical pizza even further.

“Hey, I still haven't felt any effects from that scary burrito meat earlier; I could always help,” Michael pointed out, fully on board with encouraging the Frankenstein-pizza. Never mind the fact that he'd only eaten a tiny bit of meat, and this meal would be far more damaging both physically and psychologically... but that only made him more eager to try it.

“The staff may get upset if they see you both messing up the kitchen to get to all the toppings,” Freddy said, trying to think of a way to dissuade the boys without straight up saying no. However, when Michael puffed up his chest, Freddy already knew he was about to use his “Afton bloodline” excuse to get away with yet another thing. As Mike opened his mouth to speak, Freddy relented slightly. “Alright, how about this—you can make an ultimate everything pizza, as long as you also make one that is actually edible.”

“Freddy, do you doubt my cooking skills?” Mike asked, putting on an exaggerated sad face.

“It is not your cooking I am doubting, Michael—it is your ability to legitimately consume this dish.” Freddy couldn't help but smile just a bit as Mike snickered, his obvious happiness both a rare and welcome sight.

“Is it bad if I doubt both?” Charlie remarked, having a strong suspicion Mike was about to bite off more than he could chew in more ways than one.

“You know you're gonna want some...,” Gregory said, egging her on. Still, he was happy his ursine dad would let them get away with making what he’d assume to be a record-breaking pie.

“We can go to the food court—it is the closest place to get pizza,” Freddy said, as the group descended the staircase that would take them to the Arcade exit. Instead of heading straight for the elevator, he continued towards the dance floor. “I would like to say goodbye to Music Man first, however.”

“Heeeey, you guys!” the huge animatronic said upon catching sight of the comparatively tiny group. He waved a back arm, as his front hands were currently occupied. “How're you liking the music?!”

“The 80s songs are much appreciated,” Michael replied, hands in his pockets as he stared up at the DJ. He couldn't help a dark point of anxiety burrowing into the back of his mind when he thought of how terrifying this thing would be if it was infected like all the others... Thankfully, they'd managed to avoid the West Arcade so far during night shift, and he hoped the trend continued through tonight.

The group could see how anxious he was. Charlie and Gregory couldn’t exactly blame Michael. If the DJ wanted to, he could just crush them and be done with it. For now, he was probably the chillest of the personalities inhabiting the Mega Pizzaplex. Charlie threw a wave at the guy—she tried not to think about tonight, if he’d go and try to find them now that he knew there was a child and two human adults waiting to be smushed or pulled apart.

“That’s a choice mixtape you got!” Charlie complimented regardless. “We’re gonna take the little guy to get something to eat! Don’t wait up for us.”

“Thanks for the tunes, DJ!” Gregory called to him after Charlie. He chose to stick by Freddy, as his guardian made him feel comforted as he spoke to new people, regardless of whether this artificial personality was made to be the most relaxed guy in the room. He had to agree with Mike that Music Man’s size was formidable.

“See you guys laaaaateeeeer!” the DJ called, waving every limb not currently occupied as the group walked off the dance floor.

Before long they were exiting the elevator into the main atrium, making a beeline for a now-working escalator to take them right to the food court. There were a few staff milling around, though most were long-past lunch break and had returned to work. This served the group just fine, as Michael prompted Gregory to use an access pass to slip into the back kitchens. There was a lone S.T.A.F.F. bot in a chef’s outfit meandering near the doorway, and though it tracked the group’s movements it didn’t actively try to talk to them or call for security.

Which was good, because if it did, Mike would’ve had to tamper with more company property so they could make their pizza concoction.

“Okay, let’s get this done!” he said cheerfully, excited by the thought of this monster they were about to create. He hoisted Gregory up and placed the boy on his hip, holding him securely with one arm and grinning down at his mildly confused face.

“Three hands are better than two when making this thing, right? Besides, you don’t want to have to drag a stool all around the room to see over the counters, do you?” Michael’s grin shifted into one of brotherly mirth at the teasing dig to Gregory’s height. “Just tell me what we need and I’ll grab it, then you can put as much on the pizza as your heart desires.”

Gregory never thought he was short until he met Michael Afton in all his android glory, towering over the poor vertically challenged lad. Though he wouldn’t admit it, having Mike hold him up while observing the pizza toppings was easier than dragging around a stool.

“First, we’re going to need the pepperoni. Classic,” Gregory began, starting the long list of the weird Frankenstein pie that he envisioned in his mind.

It ended up becoming a savory, meat and vegetable medley on one side. Then on the other, the Hawaiian pizza for Charlie—Gregory decided to add some hot sauce on her side after realizing she was craving something spicy. What he and Michael ended up concocting was a messy pile. They had only stopped adding toppings when they realized they still needed to see some of the thick layer of cheese.

“This thing would kill an old person if you fed it to them,” Gregory said in a half amused, half concerned tone.

“Good thing we’re all so young and spry,” Michael joked, though the slight crease in his brow betrayed his concern about the potential hospital visit Gregory might need if he consumed too much of this monstrosity. As if reading his mind, Freddy placed gentle hands on each of the boys’ shoulders.

“How about you each take one bite and see how you feel?” the bear suggested, unsure of it would be worse for Gregory’s human stomach or Michael’s mechanical one. While they’d been making their ultimate pizza, Freddy busied himself with crafting a standard cheese and pepperoni so his son could actually have something to eat.

Michael nodded, attempting to dislodge a piece of the meat and veggie side which proved nearly impossible due to the sheer amount of toppings. He managed eventually, handing Gregory a plate with the not-so-surprisingly heavy slice. After getting one for himself and a Hawaiian-themed one for Charlie, Mike held his piece up with a determined light in his eyes. “On the count of three, we take a bite. One… two… three.”

At Michael's command, Gregory and Charlie timed their first bites of pizza to his word. Attempting to get every individual piece of meat and vegetable inside his mouth, Gregory had to take a pretty gigantic bite. This took a while to chew, but that single piece had been a meal by itself.

As she managed to taste and savor the flavor of the customized pie, Charlie could feel so many memories coming back with just the taste. For a moment, it was 1980. She, Michael, and Evan were in the kitchen of the dinner making their own monstrosity and eating it out of the way of the chefs and wait staff. They hadn't changed the recipe at all, and everything tasted just as it did back in that wonderful, wholesome year.

Charlie hadn't even registered the warm tears that flowed from the corners of her eyes as she indulged in her food. They freely streamed down her face even as she went in for a second bite.

“Perfect...,” she complimented the chefs, dabbing the corners of her mouth.

Michael’s mind had traveled down a similar road, back to a day where Lizzie and Sammy were playing at friends’ houses and left their siblings under the care of their fathers. William and Henry were busy, giving the trio a perfect opportunity to slip into the kitchen and make the most abominable pizza they could. William was the one to catch them and had chided them for using so many ingredients for their silly experiment, although when he’d subsequently taken a bite of their creation with a shimmer of laughter in his eyes and claiming that they couldn’t let everything go to waste, Michael knew they weren’t in real trouble.

He didn’t notice his own salty tears until he instinctively moved to wipe them away, his gaze shifting to Gregory as he did so.

And there was that damn trauma coming back to haunt him yet again—the boy’s image flickered before Michael’s eyes, shifting between the brother he once knew and the one he had now. “God… why did I—”

Why did I become such an asshole? Mike finished the sentence in his head, covering his mouth with a hand and turning away. He looked like he was about to throw up by the way his eyes scrunched tight, though he really just wanted to scream. If only he hadn’t played that stupid prank, it could be Evan by his side right now…

“Michael…” Freddy’s tone was soft, though the man sill flinched as the bear touched his shoulder. They stared at each other for a moment before Freddy held out his arms, gesturing for the man to come close. He might not fully understand what Michael was going through, but he could still be there for him.

Mike let out a short, barking laugh, not missing the irony of Freddy being the one to comfort him from these memories… but it only took a few seconds for him to fall into the bear’s arms and hug him tight.

Charlie could tell Michael had been thinking the same as her from the glimmer in his eyes—about the way their families used to be. She was still angry, bitter at the life stolen from her. It was a tragic accident what had happened to Evan. Then that poison spread from Evan’s death and into the lives of the Emilys.

She was infected by that poison, too. And so she could never relent, vengeful forever until William’s tainted fountain ran dry. He would pay for making her best and nearly her only friend’s childhood a living hell. She wanted retribution for all those lost souls, including her own.

And justice for Gregory, who had been exploited and traumatized beyond what was reasonable for a child in two nights.

Gregory had felt the melancholy, leaning into Charlie and attempting to lighten the mood. “Wow, pizza’s that good?”

Charlie slung an arm around his shoulder and rubbed his arm twice—then squeezed him into a close hug.

“Just haven’t had pizza like this in a while. Thanks, kiddo.” She excused them both, silently apologizing for the tears that fell off her jaw and onto Gregory’s wavy head of hair.

It wasn't long before Michael shimmied out of Freddy's grasp. The bear wanted to hold onto him longer, as if he knew this short hug wasn't nearly enough to make up for whatever horrific thing Mike was thinking of, but they both knew they couldn't cling forever. They were on a mission, after all.

“Thanks, Freddy,” Michael said quietly, wiping away the remnants of tears with one hand as he gripped the bear’s arm with the other. Before Freddy could reply, Mike set a smile on his face and turned to his siblings. Seeing them in an embrace, he playfully fell onto them and wrapped his arms around Charlie in a bear hug, effectively sandwiching Gregory in the middle. “Yeah that pizza's definitely in my favorites list now!”

“This is almost exactly like the secret recipe pizza Mike and I used to make, you know,” Charlie told their new friends, laughing when Gregory started squirming.

“That's nice—Mike, you're squishing meee!” he lamented, unable to wiggle free from the cage that he and Charlie created with their arms.

Then, behind them came the sudden sound of radio static. It came in and out, breathing almost before a familiar voice rang out. “THAT LOOKS LIKE FUN...”

When Charlie whipped her head around, she was surprised to see none other than Ennard. They'd snuck in so quietly and appeared to have wrapped their limbs in random, ripped up carpet segments—clashing patterns and colors that made them even more of an eyesore. Charlie jumped in place and held onto Gregory tighter as she let out a briefly frightened yelp.

Freddy instinctively moved to the group's side, trying to push Gregory and Charlie behind himself as he stared at the mass of wires and carpet pieces. He recognized the voice as the one he'd briefly heard from the vents, although the sight of Ennard was certainly... something.

Freddy had many, many questions, but he doubted any of them would be answered now. He could feel Michael tense up like a startled cat on his other side, having let go of Charlie and Gregory the second the static entered the room to better protect his family.

“...What the hell have you been up to?” Michael asked slowly, his eyes roaming over the multicolored, 80s-style carpet pieces. However, the answer occurred to him before Ennard could reply, and Mike sighed heavily and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Oh—you're trying to be quieter. For god's sake...”

“Michael...?” Freddy began questioningly, although he honestly wasn't sure what he wanted to ask. This thing sure was intimidating, the fabric flooring only adding to the eeriness as their entire body swayed. A few tendrils moved of their own accord, and Freddy swore one was trying to inch closer to Michael.

Seeing everyone's expressions of wary confusion, Mike realized Freddy hadn't been told what to expect when facing this thing. Not to mention the last time Gregory saw Ennard was in the dark basement, lurking in the shadows as it literally ripped an animatronic apart in front of the boy's eyes. Ennard was quite different in the comparatively bright kitchen lighting.

Michael grimaced, eyes locked onto the amalgamation as he reassured the trio: “Don't worry, you'll be fine... What do you want, Ennard? And why are you out during dayshift?!”

As the group relaxed, Ennard stared at them with a fixed gaze from every visible eye. They were unmoving except for the metal and wires just barely inside Michael's comfort zone. How they twitched in longing to be near him again... The carpet was a nice substitute, though it certainly didn't feel as safe as Michael's own flesh.

“I WAS TOLD TO FOLLOW...,” they reminded, heterochromatic eyes staring holes through the group.

Gregory wasn't afraid of clowns, but he didn't realize Ennard was that huge. Once Ennard caught him looking, they became somewhat standoffish. Aloof, they turned their back to Gregory ever so slightly as if hiding from him.

“WE ARE QUIET NOW... WHAT ARE YOU GUYS UP TO…?” they inquired, looking around the group briefly.

“Eating pizza.” Gregory held out the gooey mess. “Do you want a slice?”

He regretted the offer slightly as Ennard moved in a hauntingly jarring way towards them, body jerking and ropey as strong metal moving under the carpet. The monstrous form barely visible under the thick 80's patterns.

“Absolutely not!” Michael and Freddy exclaimed in unison, swiftly putting themselves in-between Gregory and the approaching animatronic. The pair shared a look, silently in agreement that they did not want to see what happened if whatever made up Ennard's body got gunked up with cheesy grease and toppings.

“Ennard's, ah... components seem to be more like mine as opposed to Michael and Charlie's, so I do not think it wise for them to eat real food,” Freddy explained, trying to be as gentle as possible with his words. Ennard was clearly sentient and aware, but Freddy couldn't help but feel like they'd appreciate hearing the reasoning nonetheless since they seemed quite eager to participate in the group's activities.

And he also didn't want Michael to have another mental break when trying to speak to the amalgamation after he'd just recovered from the last one. By the way Mike's left eye was twitching slightly as he pushed Gregory even further behind him, Freddy could tell he wasn't far off from snapping.

Ennard had stopped mid-walk, the former child-entrapping animatronic eyeing both the slice and Gregory with unknown intent. After focusing their vision, Ennard's gaze landed on Freddy and Michael.

“THAT... MAKES... SENSE—SENSE—SENSE...” Their voice box glitched out, causing them to smack their own chest in frustration to fix the involuntary stutter.

“Ennard?” Charlie would ask, finding the clown face suddenly snapping in her direction to gaze down at her. “Have you been watching us this whole time?” She attempted to make friendly conversation all while trying to navigate and avoid the stalker-like behavior they portrayed. Ennard would shake their head, the motions more jagged than any animatronic the others had seen to date.

“NOT JUST YOU... WATCHING ALL... OBSERVING... HIM...” Ennard had replied honestly, a hint of malice dripping in multiple layers of voice boxes.

“'Him?' Do you mean... William?” Freddy asked tentatively, eyes narrowed in question. He didn't like the dark tone coming from that voice box and hoped it was directed towards the same entity his group was after.

Freddy caught Michael nodding out of the corner of his eye, though he kept his gaze fixed on Ennard, still unsure whether they could truly trust this thing yet. He'd caught the strange way it looked at Gregory earlier and didn't want to take any chances... even if it had saved the boy last night.

“Ennard hates him, too; I can at least tell you that,” Michael confirmed, one of the rare facts he was absolutely sure about regarding the amalgamation. Mike crossed his arms over his chest, observing the familiar way Ennard swayed. The movement seemed a little more cumbersome because of all the carpeting, but it was still just as unnerving at it'd always been. Raising a brow, Michael asked: “Have you learned anything from these observations? Maybe something he's plotting, or... Oh, anything would help, really.”

He seemed to deflate slightly, false confidence punctured by the stark reality of how little they knew of what William's actual goal was besides “get his family back.” They didn't even know where he was right now...

Gregory attempted to look at Ennard, observing their odd posturing. Both Freddy and Michael seemed to be aware of Ennard being much more dangerous than the others. If they wanted to, Gregory was positive that Ennard could and would tear through them all without hesitation. Their last run-in with Michael had left the man shaking while talking to the robot amalgamate.

Ennard looked around the room, eyelids darting and flicking closed, making shutter sounds as they simulated blinking for the boy's comfort.

“BUILDING... REPAIRING HIMSELF... SCREAMING. THROWING THINGS...” they listed off, thinking of all the things they heard and saw William doing during their recon work. “WILLIAM... STAYING BE-BELOW. UNSURE WHERE—DON’T W-W-WANT TO GET CLOSE, OR RISK BEING SPOTTED… HIDEOUT ABANDONED NOW...”

That made Michael perk up again.

“His hideout? The one in Fazerblast?” he questioned, and upon receiving a jerking nod Michael looked to the others with a hesitant grin. “If he’s gone… maybe we should check it out?”

“Are you sure it is empty?” Freddy asked, placing a hand on Mike's forearm to still his excitement. His gaze was still fixed to Ennard, wanting to make sure they would be safe before trying something so risky. The animatronic was strange, but it really didn't seem to mean them any harm...

Ennard shifted their weight, unnaturally leaning with hips jutting out at a sharp degree while answering Freddy.

“THE PAST NIGHT AND DAY... CLEAR OF RABBIT—S...” they replied. Ennard took a step back then, realigning their frame in a more natural standing position that made them look even taller. “NO ONE IN SIGHT.”

Gregory could see Ennard’s gaze drifting back to Michael, as if knowing the man would have the final say in whether they would go or not. He knew better than anyone that Ennard was capable of lying, after all.

Ennard sure was a liar... Or at least, they used to be. Back when Michael first encountered the amalgamation all those years ago, it'd lured him into the scooping room under false pretenses, and Mike had stupidly walked right into the trap.

However, in the Pizzaplex, Ennard seemed different. They'd been nothing but helpful to Mike and his friends, showing no sign of wanting to climb into any of their bodies or otherwise destroy them despite the unnerving stares and tendency to grasp at Michael's ankles. Hell, Ennard even saved him and Gregory from Roxy—a far cry from the last time Mike had been so close to the thing.

“...I trust them—on this, at least,” Michael said in a voice that was barely audible. Freddy finally turned to him, searching the man's face for any sign of doubt. Upon finding nothing but serious determination, he nodded.

“Then to the hideout we shall go,” the bear agreed. He looked back at Ennard, finally giving the mass of carpeted wires a genuine Glamrock Freddy smile. “Thank you for all of your help, Ennard. It is much appreciated.”

It was hard to tell what was going on inside Ennard’s head as they stared down the bear. Their demeanor seeming surprised, bashful even as Freddy thanked them. They belted out a quick rush of nervous static. Then, after collapsing their body slightly, wormed their way back into the vents without another word.

They weren’t used to the kinder treatments. In fact, they were far too comfortable with Michael yelling at them—it was almost safe in its familiarity, in a twisted sort of way. The sudden change in attitude towards the hulking robot had left them rather shy in response.

“That guy has issues,” Gregory said, less in judgmental and more out of pity for the monster as soon as he felt they were out of earshot.

“Gregory, you have no idea,” Michael murmured in a slightly strained voice, running a hand absently through the boy's wavy brown locks as he stared into the vent. 

“Well, I suppose we should put our search for the Princess Quest games on hold temporarily?” Freddy asked, looking between the trio. He still wore a smile, happy that they'd made some progress with their surprisingly helpful stalker and their search for William in one go.

“Yeah; who knows, maybe we'll find a clue about them in the hideout,” Michael suggested with a shrug. He slipped his hand into Gregory's, wanting to keep track of his brother personally until his latent paranoia towards Ennard subsided.

“Wait—did you have enough food, superstar?” Freddy questioned as the group started towards the door. Mike resisted the urge to roll his eyes, wanting to move on but understanding the bear's parental concern.

Gregory had just registered he was still hanging onto the heavy slice of pizza. Now that it cooled, its toppings were fixed in place by the thick layer of cheese. Gregory nodded and told his ursine father: “I’ll eat this slice on the way.”

Gregory was more tired than anything. He needed a nap before the night shift began. They still needed to play the next installment of Princess Quest—and hopefully collect those tickets for Charlie. Still he remained confused at their collective reactions to Ennard when DJ Music Man was so widely accepted. He decided for now not to question it, as his caretakers had done a good job at keeping him safe thus far.

“Let’s get a move on, then!” Charlie told the group, seemingly trying to force a positive outlook before sneaking into the Fazerblast security office. They would need the good vibes, Charlie felt. Who knew what terrible things sat in Vanny’s personal space.

“Hey, Freddy,” Michael began, sidling up to the bear as the group moved as one to the door. “The last time Gregory and I went to Fazerblast, we got stuck—I literally had to pry the elevator open to get us out because we couldn’t finish the game.” He grimaced at the memories. “Is there any way you can make that not happen?”

“You wish for me to override the attraction itself?” Freddy questioned, and Michael nodded. Freddy shook his head, giving him an apologetic smile. “Unfortunately, I do not have access to those types of override protocols. Perhaps a staff member might be able to help?”

“Ugh… the only staff we know is Sophie.” Michael glanced at Charlie, wanting her opinion on the matter. “I don’t know if we want to chance the extra attention… but I also don’t want to get stuck again. What do you think, Charlie?”

Charlie bit at the inside of her lip in thought, weighing the options in her head.

“You said you had to pry open the elevator, right? Tell Sophie there’s damage done to the internal doors and that you need to turn the attraction off,” she replied with a quick snap of her fingers. That had happened when Michael was in his Foxy get-up, so she could only imagine what that hook and claw had done to the door to get it to open. The likelihood of the elevator being busted to hell were high.

“Perfect—hand over that walkie talkie?” Michael took the device after Charlie unclipped it from her belt just as the group emerged into the main atrium. They walked at a steady pace, not wanting to seem in a rush even though they were all anxious to get to their destination.

“Hello, Sophie? Come in, please; this is Mr. Afton,” Michael said, pressing the button on the walkie to speak into the static. 

There was a crackle of static for a moment before Sophie responded with a simple: “Hi, Sir—do you need something?”

“Yes, actually—we’re heading over to Fazerblast. I’ve been informed there’s damage to one of the interior elevator doors.” Michael paused just long enough for the words to sink in, but not giving the guard time to freak out. “I’d like to assess the issue, and in order to do that can you turn the attraction off while my group is inside?”

“Hooo boy,” Sophie replied, followed by a cacophony of crackles. Likely her hanging up before cursing to her presumed boss. After a second of hesitation, her voice clicked back onto the feed. “I'll meet you there, Mr. Afton. Over!”

She knew no one else would volunteer to help out the admins. Most of the staff hadn't even met any of the owners besides Sammy Emily before, so working around the hired family members would be a nightmare for most. Though, to be fair Sophie hadn’t exactly heard mention of these mysterious heirs before today either.

“Freddy?” Charlie said, giving the bear a gentle nudge. “You and Gregory should hang out of sight for a little. Sophie might ask why we're bringing you both into a work area…”

“Good point,” Freddy agreed, holding out a paw for Gregory to grasp. He gazed around the atrium, looking for a place close by but still out of the way. His eyes settled on one of the many brightly lit signs on the third floor and his smile widened. “Would you like to try a round of bowling, superstar?”

Michael followed Freddy’s sightline to Bonnie Bowl. It wouldn’t take long for Freddy and Gregory to sneak down to the hideout from there if necessary. Of course it’d be ideal if they could prevent Gregory from returning to one of the places that traumatized him the most this weekend.

The more Michael followed this train of thought, the more set on it he became.

“I think that’s a good option,” he chimed in before Gregory could respond, cracking a tiny smile. “Didn’t you say there was an arcade up there, Freddy? You guys can see if there’s a Princess Quest console while Charlie and I do our thing in Fazerblast. We’ll let you know if we need you, don’t worry—otherwise, we can just meet you in the bowling alley when we’re done.”

Gregory had always wanted to try out bowling. Even if they didn't get the chance to play a full game, it'd be fun to unwind and get to do something with just Freddy for a change. Unfortunately, Michael mentioning Princess Quest brought him back to the current reality. He'd have to worry about having fun some other time. Right now, Vanessa needed them to find the source of her mind control. Hopefully it meant defeating these badly coded video games.

“Let's go check it out!” Gregory said, a good attitude about it regardless. He pulled on the bear’s paw, as if he had the strength to sway where Freddy walked.

Freddy chuckled quietly at Gregory’s obvious excitement, playing into it by pretending like the boy was somehow able to tug the half-ton metal bear along as if he were nothing more than a stuffed toy. As he pitched forward slightly to give the impression of being knocked off-balance by Gregory’s sheer strength, Freddy spared a glance over his shoulder and waved to Michael and Charlie with his free hand.

“…Damn,” Michael murmured once Freddy and Gregory were out of earshot in a tone of wistfulness. “I know Freddy’s designed to be good with kids, but… he’s really good with Gregory.” He spared a glance at Charlie then, raising an eyebrow to match his subtle smirk. “Good thing we’ve got a new, Pizzaplex-escaping body waiting for him, huh?”

“It's almost like he was programmed to be a dad—I don’t think all of them would act like Freddy,” Charlie agreed. That bear was truly one of a kind.

Perhaps knowing the presence of a human soul had given Freddy some awareness. That was the theory that Charlie would stick with, at least. Michael's own feelings seemed to imprint deeply into whatever learning feature had been installed inside the newest rendition of Fazbear. The already protective and nurturing side of Freddy had been amped up, and the line between what came from Freddy’s original code and Mike’s supernatural influence was now thoroughly blurred

“I still can't believe how lucky last weekend’s been for us overall!” Charlie remarked further. The fact they had a chance of carrying out their plans and possibly putting William away for good had her expectations sky high.

It really was a shame. Bonnie used to be such a cool character, but Charlie couldn't look at that rabbit the same. Not after all the things she’d seen William do with that innocent guise. She kept her vision focused ahead now, walking besides Michael with purpose.

“If it turns out to be a trap—” Charlie murmured as she leaned into him. “—and it turns out your Dad's there… I'll get behind him, then you push him down the stairs.”

“Deal,” Mike agreed, flipping a hand palm-up so Charlie could give him a low-five. Lifting his hand higher, Michael watched his fist clench and unclench a few times. “I wonder how much strength we really have. I know your dad said it should match a normal animatronic’s, but—”

Michael’s musing was cut short when he spotted Sophie hurrying towards them at rapid speed.  Mike straightened his back and gave the guard a slight nod of acknowledgement.

To Sophie, the pair of them looked nothing short of professional. Ms. Emily, in Sophie's opinion, was nice. Eccentric, but nice nonetheless. Mr. Afton was… different. Still just as strange as Ms. Emily, but with a frighteningly flattened affect. Regardless, he treated Sophie with respect and she had no reason to hate either of them.

Yet that didn’t stop Sophie from growing very curious at their antics. The day guard waved to them, seeing that they’d gotten changed straight into more merchandise from one of the many store-outposts.

“Mr. Afton; Ms. Emily,” Sophie acknowledged once the two came to stand outside the attraction. She held the door for them both, offering them to walk inside the lift before her. “I just have to unlock the main breaker. Shouldn't take long. Honestly, I'm really glad you both want to work on this. Our mechanics suddenly found themselves swamped right now.”

“Oh?” Michael questioned, putting on a tone of detached interest. “Have you heard anything about the missing animatronics? Last time we spoke, you said some of the others weren’t responding to their manual call buttons.”

On one hand Michael hoped they’d stay missing, if only for the fact that the sooner they were found, the sooner the techs would start fixing them up again. After all the effort they’d gone through to decommission them, Mike didn’t want the Pizzaplex staff to unintentionally make the robots a threat again.

But that begged another, more pressing question: if no one knew where the Glamrocks had gone… then where the hell were they?

Even though Roxy had been ripped to pieces, Ennard left her limbs in plain sight. If someone peered down that newly-created hole in the track—which Michael suspected a bunch of staff were frantically trying to assess and repair this very moment—they’d surely catch sight of the dismembered wolf.

The thought that they could’ve somehow still gotten up on their own or been snatched away by William while Mike and his family recovered was enough to set Michael’s nerves on edge. He tried to keep the emotions contained, keeping up the illusion of cool confidence despite the hard set of his jaw as his teeth clenched together. Hopefully Sophie would take this as him simply being annoyed at the prospect of valuable company assets being MIA.

Sophie avoided Mr. Afton's gaze, attempting to fix her tie in a casual manner before answering. This only made her looked even more exacerbated than she did already.

“We, uh... technically found one of them. It wasn’t one we were exactly looking for right now, though,” Sophie told them cryptically. “And then right after they found him, it just disappeared again. So... We're working on that. It's a work in progress. Everyone seems to be more worried about the structural damage to the raceway.”

Sophie sighed, placing a hand on her hip and shaking her head with a look of utter confusion. “Plus all that carpet suddenly went missing from the East Arcade? I feel like things are kind of coming unraveled, sir, if I'm honest...”

It was becoming increasingly obvious to Michael and Charlie what was happening as Sophie left out details to protect them from what they assumed to be managerial anger.

“I wouldn't worry about things like the carpet,” Michael said after a moment. The more he could keep them away from anything to do with Ennard, the better. “There's clearly more important issues to focus on, like that damage to the raceway.” He narrowed his eyes, internally grateful for the topic to snag onto. “Thank god it's under renovation anyway... if something was able to break the tarmac that easily, it belies some serious safety concerns.”

Under Sammy's guidance, in many ways the Pizzaplex was a safer place than any previous Fazbear establishment—but there was always room for improvement. After a brief pause, Mike asked: “You said the animatronic staff found disappeared? Who, exactly, was that?”

He was almost positive he knew the identity, but if it suddenly vanished like the Glamrocks... Well, Michael didn't quite know what to do with that information.

Sophie seemed to be similar in Charlie, in that they wore their emotions on their sleeves quite easily. Taking on a more distressed demeanor Sophie chuckled, looking away. Despite her wide grin, she was uncomfortable thinking about it. Again it was always some damn rabbit causing trouble...

“Oh, just the uh... The decommissioned b... bunny,” Sophie replied, fighting with the last word to exit her mouth. “It was odd—my team found him and told me he needed to be fixed. Said he’d been missing for a while, but no one talked about it anymore. I just wanted to leave the stupid thing back in storage but... You know policy. Making sure the animatronics are accounted for, even when the active ones are bigger priority. Anyway—”

The lift doors began to slide back open and Sophie dawdled inside, searching for the employee terminal to access the attraction controls. “—he just up and hopped away, I guess.”

Sophie didn't really seem like the type to become annoyed fast, yet speaking about the rabbit made her sound bitter and afraid. Like Vanessa, almost.

Oh, that was much worse than Michael expected. His mouth had slowly fallen open as Sophie spoke, unable to keep his prideful Afton demeanor as she talked so blatantly about the man-turned-rabbit animatronic they were on a mission to destroy.

Of course it was William. It always had to be William.

Michael snapped his mouth shut with an audible click as the elevator doors opened, staring down at Sophie with a mixture of guilty relief. The staff that found Will had no idea how close they'd come to losing everything. Clearly he wanted to keep a low profile, hence his temporarily immobile state, but if he'd had other plans—

“We'll keep an eye out for the rabbit.” Michael spoke quickly, wanting to put the topic at rest but also try and avoid the staff actively chasing his psychotic father. “Just... tell the others not to worry about him. There's still a few animatronics awake and functioning to appropriate standards, right? No need to worry about ones that have already been taken out of the lineup.”

Not to mention how much detailing Bonnie still needed. Cracks all over his outer casing, covered in a thin layer of dirt like he’d been crawling around the basement.

“If you say so, sir.” Sophie tucked an errant curl behind her ear. “I just hope we can find everyone in time for opening. I know Mr. Emily wants the Glamrocks together by Monday... I don't know who's going to tell him it's just not possible.”

It was probably going to be her. The staff just loved to put the harder admin interactions on Sophie, given that she was head of security during the day. Approaching the terminal, she swiped her card into a reader at the desk which logged her in immediately.

“Don't worry about that, either. I'll tell Sammy everything,” Charlie reassured, placing a hand on Sophie’s shoulder and squeezing. “Just do us a favor and leave Bonnie alone. He was decommissioned for a good reason.”

Huh. It was normal to be scared of Mr. Afton, though now there was something in Ms. Emily's tone that Sophie just didn't trust.

“Uh... Is that why you both decided to come in this weekend?” Sophie asked, feeling her throat run dry as the pair stared at her. “I-I just didn't expect to meet you both under such stressful circumstances.”

“Mr. Emily just asked us to check in on some things,” Michael replied smoothly, having regained his composure after Charlie added her two cents. He certainly appreciated the backup, which he was sure she knew. Mike shook his head, letting out another sigh.

“Admittedly we were unaware of the depth of the problems around here, but... we are here to help.” He offered Sophie a rare, muted smile. “Try not to stress yourself out too much, alright? You've done as good a job as you can so far.”

Michael wished he could alleviate all her tension by telling her to go home and take the weekend off, for the woman was clearly losing her mind with every new incident. But unfortunately she was becoming invaluable to his group as well—even if she didn't know it. Still, Mike could at least take off a bit of immediate pressure. Clicking his tongue in annoyance, he muttered: “It's really the night guard I'd like to speak to—everything seems to happen on her shift...”

It was now time for an inopportune blush to spread across Sophie’s face at the genuine compliment to her work capabilities. Sophie didn't receive much praise, nor did she seek it out. This was probably why it affected her so much as she focused her gaze on the computer screen.

“I'm really worried about Vanessa, sir...” She wasn’t quite defending the position Ness had put everyone in over the weekend, but Sophie cared about the grumpy night guard in a detached, logical way. “I told her she should just stay home. Heal from her injuries, you know? She's still determined to fix everything from her shift.”

“We told her the same thing. Vanessa’s given us all the run-around,” Charlie interjected. It wasn't Sophie's fault that Vanessa wanted to stay another night. “It is what it is at this point; if she wants to stay, so be it.”

As Charlie spoke, Sophie's expression grew from concern to annoyance.

“Guh...” She groaned, squinting at the screen. “The console has a password on it... Might be logged up in the security office? I can control the doors without it, but not much else.”

“Char—Ms. Emily and I will go,” Michael said quickly, shooting Charlie a look. He realized they didn't have Gregory's handy stash of access badges, but hopefully they wouldn't need one—and if they did, hopefully Sophie would readily offer hers. Looking to said guard, Michael told her: “We'll be back shortly. Walkie us if you manage to figure out the password or if anything happens, alright?”

He probably didn't need to include that last part, for surely it just added to everyone's paranoia. Without giving Sophie a chance to protest, Mike walked out of the room and gestured for Charlie to follow behind.

The day guard couldn't place the odd feeling she got around the two of them. Sophie wanted to offer them her assistance, thought simultaneously just wanted to be rid of them.

“Uh—of course, sir,” Sophie relented, watching as Samuel’s apparent daughter followed Mr. Afton obediently through the maze and towards the security tower steps.

Charlie's fear for Sophie’s safety was growing now. William knew people were looking for him, and he didn't think twice about killing children. Why not random adults, too?

At least Sophie was immediately and quite vocally perturbed by the Glam-rabbit. Charlie couldn't imagine her willingly going near Bonnie and disobeying their direct orders to leave William alone.

“Let's hurry. I don't have a great feeling about this, Michael...,” Charlie whispered, sticking close to him as she felt bad about leaving the day guard by herself within the belly of William's lair.

“You're telling me...,” Michael muttered, though his snapping tone wasn't meant for Charlie. He hated leaving Sophie alone just as much as she did, though if Ennard claimed the hideout was empty during the day, he reasoned the guard was relatively safe.

Michael absently looked around, in his steadily-increasing worry almost considering asking the amalgamation to keep an eye on poor, innocent Sophie—although Mike quickly scrapped that idea for many reasons. Besides, even if he did want to talk to Ennard, the ceilings and walls were far too high; he'd have to shout to be heard in the vents, and that would certainly not be a good look for his sanity.

Soon enough, the pair were at the door to the security office at the top of the tower. Michael peered inside, though it was pretty dark and hard to make out most things. He thought he could see a small cot in the corner, as well as a standard security desk, chair, and monitors, and—

“No way,” he breathed, pressing his hands to the glass as he fixated on the glowing screen of an arcade console in the middle of the room. The title “Princess Quest III” was emblazoned on the top, shining like a beacon of hope that cut through Michael and Charlie's bleak mood.

Charlie nudged Michael's shoulder, pushing him slightly as she pointed to the box with her other hand. “It was here this whole time!”

Right under their noses, here sat the final installment of William's glitched game. Just like last time, as they approached the arcade box a credit blinked onto the screen. It beckoned them to play it, calling their names with silent persuasion. If they could win this game, Vanessa may be saved yet.

“Come on—let's beat this thing fast. Sophie won't like knowing we’re up here playing video games,” Charlie remarked, pulling Michael by the arm to start the session of Princess Quest.

Michael didn't bother verbally responding, instead placing his hands on the control panel and starting the game. Thank god he'd watched Gregory play the first two, because this one was even worse than the others—both in terms of difficulty and glitches. Though the console acted like it wanted them to play, Michael was having a hell of a time getting the titular Princess out of danger. He wished Gregory was here with them, as Michael had to begrudgingly admit that the kid was more skilled than him at this particular game series. Steeling himself, Mike narrowed his area of focus to the little square screen in front of him. He wasn't going to stop until he won—no matter how long it took.

***

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[angelofrainfrogs]

Spend the Night: Ch. 10

Spend the Night: Ch. 10

~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

Now behave For the voices in the halls Will try to eat you up alive So before the show begins Please don't hold against our sins 'Cause by dawn you'll be crumbling in your skin

~Unfixable by Dagames~

“You haven't been a home to me in decades, Father,” Michael spat, releasing Charlie so she could get out of his way.

He honestly didn't know what he was going to do right now. There were so many options: claw William's eyes out? Slice off his ears first? Go for the legs and incapacitate him, then work on the ears?

But... no. Michael caught that gleam in the rabbit's eyes—that look of utmost confidence, like nothing in the world could hurt him at that moment. And then, the gravity of the situation finally dawned on the eldest Afton.

Gone was the greenish-yellow fur, decayed after years of being soaked with a combination of oil, mold, and rotting human remains. The outer casing, once torn enough to show literal human bones and mummified tendons poking through, was now bright purple and pristine. A golden, red-rimmed star graced his left cheek, reminiscent of a sticker a kid might press onto their favorite toy. This was still Bonnie, but not the version Michael had associated with his father for so many years.

In a hushed, horrified tone, he whispered: “You... you have a new body? How...?”

“Ah ah ah!” William tutted, gently tapping the side of his muzzle, the nose squeaking with each press. “I'm an entertainer, Michael. I can't give away every magic trick.”

He leaned against the wall and crossed his arms, Bonnie’s ever-smiling grin seeming to widen. The over confidence in his movements reminded Charlie of the day those angry little souls had cornered him, right before he ran into that bunny suit. This was what Charlie truly feared with William’s persistent immortality, and she tried to discreetly make herself smaller as she stood by her friend.

“Honestly—it would bore you two with how much you missed,” William sighed, looking to Michael and raising Bonnie’s dark eyebrows. “In a roundabout sort of way, I have a new body the same way you do.”

As usual, that answered nothing at all. William had never explained anything that was happening to them, only leaving clues in his wake for Michael to find and scrabble the mismatched pieces together.

“Now that I've leveled the playing field, I believe you both wanted to speak to me?” He gave them a lopsided smirk, knowing that Charlie was cowering. She didn't even look animate at that moment, frozen like a statue behind Foxy’s swashbuckling coat.

Initially, Michael could only growl in response. He took a threatening step forward, but it was half-hearted. He hated to admit it, but he was a bit scared. William was intimidating in this new form, so self-confident and sure—a far cry from the last time Mike had seen him, rotting and burning on the way to his own personal hell.

Well. So much for that plan, Uncle Henry, Michael thought with a grimace. Eventually he found the will to talk again, voice cold and hard.

“We want to do more than just speak to you,” he snarled through clenched teeth, flexing sharp claws and an even sharper hook. “Most of what we want to do doesn't involve words. But I do have one thing to say—I've tried to tell you for years, but you didn't listen.” Michael let out a mirthless laugh. “You've never listened, though, so I suppose I shouldn't have been surprised. But maybe you'll be more receptive with your new and improved ears.”

He locked gazes with his father and spoke in a tone that begged absolutely no question. “I HATE you.”

William didn't really expect anything different. Or, really a response at all. His ears twitched at the words, giving off a look of... remorse?

Surely not; it was doubtful that man was even capable of such an emotion anymore.

“Such harsh words for your father, Michael. My only regret is not telling you everything from the start. Probably would have made all this less confusing for you.” William turned, unconcerned by his son's threatening posture. He instead focused on fixing his bowtie in the mirror.

“—Got to say, this reunion is a bit disappointing. I expected at least a ‘thanks, dad,’” he went on, his reflection gesturing towards Charlie as his eyes locked onto Michael’s in the glass. “I understand that Charlotte hates me. What excuse do you have, Michael?”

“What excuse...?”

That did it. If Mike thought he was mad before, it was nothing compared to how he felt right now.

“What excuse?! You've taken everything from me, and killed so many innocent people in the process! Charlie, Lizzie... even Uncle Henry wouldn't have died in that fire if you hadn't forced him into making that stupid plan to get rid of you—and I'm so, utterly disappointed it didn't work.”

Sharp teeth were bared now as Michael completely ignored the others in the room. It was just William and himself. Father and son. Murderer and—

“You even killed me, you know.” Michael's voice was dangerously soft, an opposite reflection of the turmoil and pain he felt inside. “If it weren't for your atrocious Funtimes, I wouldn't have been scooped! Did you even know about that?! How the soul of my dead sister and her creepy robot friends thought I was you and tore my insides out, then piloted my body around for a week until they left me to die on the sidewalk?!”

Michael palmed at his metal stomach, a faint echo of the past and the shock he'd experienced that day.

“But unfortunately, my soul stuck around. Didn't you wonder why the fuck I was purple when I finally found you again? It wasn't just the uniform, dad—I was corpse, just like you. And it was all because I was cursed with your disgusting, murderous face.

“So, to answer your question: there’s quite a few reasons why I despise you with every fiber of my being.”

Finally Michael clenched his jaw shut, unwilling to say more. If he tried, he feared he might just start screaming. He glanced at Charlie by his side, and too late he realized that he wasn't sure how much she knew about his initial death and how he'd existed afterwards.

Puppet had her mouth covered. It was horrific. Michael had truly suffered through the years. The trial of watching everyone around you die, including yourself... Unable to stop the horrible cycle that William refused to end.

“Why?” Charlie asked, her voice box muffled by her hands. “William, why?”

Will was close to the mirror now, hand braced against it. Death had jaded him, certainly. His feelings long-eroded, the only thing left in his mottled brain was his original idea—to use the souls of children to reanimate his loved ones. When one dead child became another, in turn the universe sent another tragedy to rip his family away.

But despite all this, William persisted. When he found the world's best bandage for the nastiest boo-boo, how could he just sit idly by and let death win?

“I didn't mean to leave you, Michael. You're right, it's all my fault.” William turned, moving slowly as he stepped closer to them. Answering Charlie's question, he responded in a delusional voice. “Sometimes, you'll do crazy things for the people you care about. You can't stop me...”

“Killing kids sure is a funny way to show you care!” Michael yelled, shifting in front of Charlie protectively. “This ends tonight, Father.”

And with that he lunged, pirate hook glinting in the dim light as he swiped at William's face.

“No!” Vanny shrieked, finally spurred into action by the legitimate threat to her savior. She lurched forward as well, though she'd been lingering in the doorway and had a few feet to travel before she could reach them.

Charlie thought if she couldn't muster the courage to fight William, she'd keep Vanessa from getting herself killed while Michael fought his father. Sideswiping Vanny, Puppet attempted to grapple her to the ground.

“I'm sorry, Vanessa!” she yelped over the sound of them both hitting the hard concrete.

Vanny simply shrieked as she was tackled. She struggled valiantly, but though Charlie wasn't nearly as tough as her Glamrock counterparts she was still stronger than a human—even a pissed off one in a bunny suit.

William saw the attack coming, ducking his head as the heavy claw swung to pierce the metal casing on his face. A short gasp escaped his lips, surprised by his own speed before shooting a fist out.

“I did it to bring him back! I would have done it for any of you!” he explained fruitlessly. William had gone crazy, unable to understand how destroying all those naïve children’s futures would never make up for the death of his own family.

Michael grunted at the blow to his stomach, unable to dodge fast enough. Unlike his father with decades of experience piloting an animatronic that was far inferior to his new one, Mike had only been at this for less than an hour.

“Don't... don't you dare talk about Evan!” Michael yelled once he'd regained his balance. “I wanted him back, too, but I also needed you! My dad, who was supposed to help me, just... left me!”

Yes, William might’ve been physically there to make sure his remaining kids’ basic needs of food and shelter were met, but Evan's death unintentionally severed whatever emotional connection they'd had. A cross between a sob and a growl of anguish escaped Foxy's voice box as Mike tried another swipe at William, this time for his arm.

The emotional drain of this encounter was already taking its toll. Mike was losing focus, unable to think of how to outsmart this tricky, old soul as his mind narrowed to a pinpoint of:

Slash, maim, destroy, KILL

Vanny's anguished screams were freaking Charlie out. If she’d broken a bone, she was going to feel awful… Still, it was better than either of the enraged Aftons outright murdering her by accident. That was what she and Michael were trying to avoid in the first place.

The Bonnie suit was dexterous, but William could only move so fast. A light scratch marked up the paint on his arm as he dodged his son's second cutthroat swipe.

“I thought you were strong enough to be on your own! You hate me for having faith in you?!” Jumping onto a nearby workbench, William shouted at Michael as he kicked crates of spare parts to keep him at bay.

“How the hell was I supposed to know you had faith in me?! I was still a kid!” Michael snapped back, stalking closer to William and doing his best to either dodge or smack away the flying parts that came at him. “You might not have treated me like one, but I was! And I'd just watched my brother die in front of my eyes! Why can't you understand how horrific that was?! All the guilt I felt?! I know it was my fault, but you weren't even there to listen to me admit it!”

Vanny could see William steadily getting closer to her. Spurred on by this she redoubled her efforts to escape Puppet's grasp, ignoring the dull ache in her right arm; she'd probably bruised something, but to her relief it didn't quite feel like a broken limb. After a bit, Vanny managed to struggle her upper torso free and hold out her arms, hoping William would be able to snatch her up and take them both away now that he finally had a body of his own.

“Michael, I—” Will began, before he spied where Charlie was wrestling Vanessa on the ground.

She was the key for getting around in this damn place. Vanny was still useful, and so William hopped down from the table and kicked Charlie away like she was nothing more than an annoying gnat. The Puppet smacked the wall painfully, her skull beginning to emit sparks and a hard grinding noise as she attempted to silence her music box. Moving suddenly became harder now.

Scooping Vanny up and holding her under the arms, William brandished the patchwork rabbit towards his son. “Ah! Don't move! You wouldn't want to hurt my friend by accident, right, Michael?”

Vanny giggled deliriously. It seemed that the more unhinged William became, so did the lingering glitch in her brain. What Vanny perceived as a comforting hug and a friendly warning was Will mostly just using her as a meat shield—yet she was lax in his grip, letting most of her weight drape over the animatronic's arm. “Yes... We're friends~”

Michael froze in his tracks. Directly in front of him was his father, the man he'd been trying to take down for nearly his entire life. Again, William was using an innocent to further his own selfish needs. The orange eyes of the fox shifted. To his left was Charlie, clearly damaged and hurting. Mike could try for Will, and he might actually be able to do something about him once and for all...

But that was only a possibility. However, there was a guarantee that William would injure Vanessa without hesitation if Michael moved towards him. He couldn't risk another life lost—physically, at least. He didn't even want to think about the mental torment Vanessa was going through with a crazed child murderer in her head.

Michael turned away from his father with a snarl, rushing to his dearest friend. As he gently picked her up and analyzed the fresh damage, he called out in a strained voice: “Charlie! Charlie, are you awake? Can you still talk?!”

William happily squeezed Vanny, pleased that the plan worked as he attempted to shuffle out of the room.

Live to fight another day, he thought, knowing Vanny couldn't possibly disagree with how happy she was to be snuggling with her favorite pal. Though it hurt to leave Michael yet again, he knew his son just wouldn't understand yet. Clearly he’d been hanging around Henry's brat for too long, and she’d started to make Michael soft.

Charlie was having trouble turning her head and her music box drowned out any helpful words she may have had. All she could do was raise her hand and point at the troublesome bunnies escaping. She was more worried about William leaving than her own wellbeing.

“Ha-Have to s-stop—” Charlie sputtered in a garbled radio frequency. The harder she tried to talk, the worse the grinding noise became.

“Shh, shh, okay, just—relax,” Michael tried to soothe, knowing his words were probably useless. He could feel the panic and confusion emanating from the Marionette, and it took all his willpower not to turn around and stop William as he ran out the door with his human “friend.” Michael waited for the heavy animatronic footsteps to recede down the hall, teeth clenched and head hung in shame. Once he could no longer hear Will stomping he lifted Charlie into his arms, helping her wrap around his body as best she could.

“I'm sorry I let him get away,” he murmured in whatever was considered the Puppet's ear, rocking her slightly in a vague attempt at comfort. “But if I acted again, he was going to kill Vanessa, and I... I couldn't let him do that. She's still useful to him, so he's not going to try anything for a while. At least, I hope.”

He stopped shifting, squeezing his eyes shut as he took in a simulated, shuddering breath. “God, I can't... I-I let you get hurt again, Charlie. I’m sorry...”

“No—t you—your f-f-fault,” she corrected as her hand went out to weakly pet the side of his head.

They had fallen right into the trap. The bastard couldn't even fake being sincere before trying to kill her again, Charlie thought with a white-hot anger. Now Vanny and Gregory were in more danger than ever because she still wasn’t strong enough to stop him. None of this was because of Michael, though, and she needed him to know it.

“D-Don't bla—ame yourself,” her voice box strained to say.

Michael simply squeezed her tight for a good while. Then, he let out a determined huff and turned to the doorway.

“Right, no time to waste—let's get you repaired so we can track down those bunnies again,” he said, starting to walk back towards Parts & Service.

Repairing Charlie wouldn't be a problem at all with his technical prowess. Michael would get her fixed up and then they could check on Freddy and Gregory to make sure the pair were okay before resuming their search for William. In the chaos of their recent encounter, he'd almost forgotten about the other rogue animatronics, the boy hiding from them, and his steadfast robotic protector.

...Almost. Despite it all, Gregory was in the back of his mind. He couldn't let another child befall the same fate as those they'd already lost due to William's madness.

It was frustrating. Clearly her friend needed words of encouragement, but Charlie was unable to properly annunciate her feelings to Michael about how he couldn't be there to protect everyone all the time, no matter how hard he tried. Without Freddy, yes, Charlie would be furious that they’d left Gregory behind.

But thankfully, none of them had to do this alone.

The Puppet did attempt to console Michael some more, but as she tried to nuzzle against him her head snapped painfully to the side and her music box crackled slightly behind the mask. “S... sorry—orry.”

“Hey, I said relax!” Michael gently chided, hoping his light demeanor would detract from his obvious worry. He’d be able to fix her—he would. She’d be speaking normally in no time at all. He managed a small laugh. “You’re still not going to listen to me after all these years, huh? So stubborn…”

She was trying too hard, maybe. Charlie felt called out as he carried her through the darkness. Even with her dented skull, she’d fight tooth and nail to try and do things her way.

Still, it was hard to argue with Michael’s logic. Stressing herself out would only make the damage worse. For now Charlie would have to be content with being carried like a doll again. Giving Mike something close to a pouting huff, her hands fell uselessly to relax on her torso as she remembered all the times she took not being broken for granted.

“Much better!” Mike’s laugh was a bit more genuine now, eyes lighting up as he spied the repair cylinder. He wasted no time in rushing inside and locking the door. Moon had disappeared to who knows where after their last encounter, but Michael didn’t want to risk being caught by surprise should he or another animatronic return.

Righting the overturned chair, he gently set Charlie in it. “Okay! First thing I’ll do is check inside your faceplate to see—”

Whatever excitement has started to build was instantly quashed as Michael moved his right hand to begin working… only to remember that he now had a shining hook in place of fingers. That certainly put a damper on a fast repair.

“Well, shit.”

***

Freddy hadn’t had time to respond to Charlie before she and Michael rushed out of the security office in search of whatever wrote those taunting messages on the monitor. The bear stared after them, blinking a few times; at least they’d had the wherewithal to close the door behind them.

Freddy soon refocused on his most pressing concern: Gregory, who was still sitting in his lap. Now that the others were gone it was just the two of them, and by the look on the poor boy’s face it was clear their swift departure distressed him.

“Are you alright, superstar?” Freddy asked, looking down with concern.

Gregory shook his head. Whatever had gotten the two so worried now had completely vanished from the monitors. Lifting his eyes, the boy met Freddy’s gaze worriedly.

“Is there any way we can help them?” he decided to ask, wondering if this battle was something they could aid in or if they’d just have to sit back and wait.

“At the moment, I do not know,” Freddy admitted with a frown.

Of course he wanted to help, but Michael’s reaction had been so strong, Freddy knew that whatever they were up against was a far greater threat than he realized. If only they’d actually gotten to talk to each other before he and Charlie stormed off…

Freddy’s eyes snapped to Gregory’s. The bear might have been out of commission for a while, but the boy hadn’t.

“You can help me with something, though—there is a small gap in my memory from when I was powered down,” he explained. “Did you learn any new information from Charlie and Michael while I was out? Anything about them personally, or this situation as a whole?”

Clearly Mike’s soul had found its way into Foxy, but how much did Gregory understand about their true ghostly nature? Did he know that Michael and Charlie were more than just rogue AI programs like Freddy had indicated earlier? The bear needed to gauge the boy’s level of understanding before he could speak further so he didn’t overwhelm him.

Gregory looked to Freddy again with a heavy crease in his brow. Poor, innocent Freddy. He was going to be shocked when he heard this... It’s a good thing he was already sitting down.

“Oh man,” Gregory began, bracing himself by placing a hand at the middle of the bear’s chest. “I don’t know how to tell you this…”

With the concerned look the bear was giving him, he figured the best way to say it was to come right out with it. After a huge sigh, Gregory admitted: “I’m sorry… But I found out that Mike and Charlie? They’re ghosts—they’ve been haunting this place for a while I think. I know that might be hard to understand, but… but they’re just people, you know? I think they died super young.”

He hoped this didn’t change the way Freddy saw their friends in the long run.

“…Ah.” The bear nodded in understanding, not seeming shocked at all. “So they told you. I was aware of their ghostly nature, though I do not know how or why they came to be this way.” He gave Gregory an apologetic smile. “I am sorry we kept that from you—we were not sure how you would react.”

Then he frowned, processing something else Gregory said. “Wait… They are both young?”

This time there was a hint of shock in his voice. He realized just then how little he actually knew about the spirits. He’d seen Charlie’s face in Michael’s memories, but the man in Freddy’s head still remained a mystery. Whatever jumbled thoughts had slipped through when they were tied together still didn’t make much sense to the bear.

Then, something clicked: Michael and… Charlie. No—Charlotte. That was her full name. She’d revealed her identity earlier, when Freddy was still new to the concept of ghosts and his electronic brain couldn’t quite connect all the dots.

“When I was human, my father was the co-owner of the original Fazbear dinner.”

She was Charlie Emily. So then, if she’d claimed to know Michael for a long time the logical conclusion was that he was in fact Michael Afton—son to the other founder of Fazbear Entertainment, William, who'd been mysteriously wiped from every record possible for reasons unknown to anyone in this day and age.

But… that was impossible. Charlotte had died many years ago, and Michael had gone missing a few years after. Even Freddy’s simple history of the company told him that much.

So if they were somehow back from the dead… what did that mean?

Oh great! Gregory wondered what other secrets were being kept from him. While he pouted as Freddy told him the truth, he didn’t seem very mad—just annoyed at being out of the loop. Honestly, things could be a lot weirder. They’d already faced strangeness head-on together, as killer robots had seemed farfetched in Gregory’s arsenal of potential threats until this evening.

Back to Freddy’s question. How old was Michael really? Hard to say, coming from a kid who thought anyone over the age of eighteen was an “adult.” When Gregory saw Mike’s face—his real face—he looked pretty young. Whether he was still a teen had Gregory scratching his head, though he was willing to bet Michael was on the older side given his attitude towards himself and his apparent love of 80’s glam metal.

Gregory gave Freddy an undecided shrug. “I think he’s probably, like… like—if we’re talking about when he died? I saw his ghost, and he didn’t look super old. Maybe 20, 21?”

Gregory was terrible with guessing ages anyway, and he could only assume from the stuff he’d learned through movies that ghosts’ appearances were essentially “stuck” as they were when they kicked the bucket. Still, that left the question of how Charlie and Mike lost their lives and attached themselves to this place and the animatronics around them.

Even with Gregory’s haphazard guess of Michael’s age, Freddy’s assumption still tracked relatively well. He wouldn’t know for sure until he asked them, but combining all his scattered knowledge it did seem like their new friends were in fact Michael Afton and Charlotte Emily.

“…I think this mystery goes much deeper than you and I can hope to understand until we reunite with our friends,” Freddy eventually said with a slow shake of his head. Then he gave Gregory a smile and gently ruffled his hair. “But that is alright—as we do not know how long they will take, you and I can still make ourselves useful by getting the rest of those access passes. The more areas of the Pizzaplex are open to us, the better off we will be in the long run.”

He looked to the monitors again, his expression falling slightly. “And if we find a way to stop the other animatronics from chasing you along the way… so be it.”

Freddy hoped they would simply be able to avoid his infected friends while they wandered, but based on Roxy’s increasingly erratic behavior he had a feeling they might be on higher alert as the night went on. If things came down to it, Freddy would protect Gregory in whatever way necessary—even if it was at the expense of his once-lovable companions.

Gregory could think of a few ways to stop them from chasing him. Smash them; dismantle them; burn them. Really, if Freddy wasn't looking and one of his "buddies" was threatening him, the kid might just snap. If Freddy happened to find one of his pals smashed from a fall at a broken escalator, Gregory would own up to it if asked. Though he couldn't see himself regretting it.

After all, they could be rebuilt and downloaded back into new bodies; Gregory couldn't. Not unless he was like Michael or Charlie.

“I'm ready if you are!” the boy said, excited to get moving again. The faster they got those access passes, the quicker they could help the others and escape the danger of the Pizzaplex.

“Excellent! Now, the next two passes can be found in the Monty Golf and Fazer Blast offices,” Freddy explained. “I believe the easiest one to retrieve is in the golf course; however, we need Party Passes to enter both locations, so…”

He trailed off, staring straight ahead with a frozen expression of concentration, save for his eyes which rapidly moved back and forth. Freddy’s AI was calculating the most logical path to achieve their objective based on all the tasks needed to do so.

“Alright, here is the plan!” he announced after a moment, ready to make some progress. “Chica keeps a stock of Party Passes in her room; we will go there first, retrieve the passes, then stop by my room on the way to Monty Golf—I have a gift for you that I think will prove quite useful to both of us.” The bear grinned, knowing Gregory would be excited by this prospect. Hopefully getting a present would lighten his spirits a bit. “Then, we can head to Monty Golf, retrieve the next security card, and return here to figure out the next step. How does that sound?”

Gregory looked at Freddy like he’d put stars in his eyes. He’d seen the animatronics give gifts to children at their parties before—usually a company raffle or special ticket that a kid could use to receive an exclusive prize.

“Heck yeah! Let's blow this popsicle stand!” Gregory exclaimed, hopping off Freddy’s lap and rushing to the door. He seemed to bounce slightly from one foot to another as he waited for the bear to take his hand, anticipating the useful gift.

Freddy laughed at the boy's contagious excitement, quickly unplugging his charging cord and setting it on the desk. He debated carrying it around in his stomach hatch just in case of another power drain, but he'd much rather assure that Gregory had room to hide inside if needed. Besides, the path they were about to take was littered with charging pods, so Freddy should have no problem locating one if his battery started to drain a bit too low for comfort.

Taking Gregory's hand, the bear led him back to Rockstar Row. They looked around cautiously for animatronics, but it was eerily silent in the museum. The others must be on patrol elsewhere in the Pizzaplex—a concerning thought for later, but it suited their immediate purposes just fine. After a quick stop in Chica's room to snatch a few Party Passes, the pair were back in Freddy's abode.

“Let me see...,” Freddy murmured, rummaging around in the drawers of his vanity. “I know I had one in here—aha!”

With a triumphant grin, he held up a small object by the tips of his claws. It was a child-sized watch, made to resemble Freddy's color palate and even complete with a set of tiny ears and top hat. “Take this—it is a novelty Freddy Fazwatch. This one is particularly special, as it is synced directly to myself. This way, I will be able to communicate with you if we ever get separated.”

Gregory had never been given such a gift before. It was on his wrist in mere seconds as he admired the sturdy, rounded plastic edges. There were several neat properties of the watch, despite its size. He could write notes on the interactive touch screen and even pull up a map. With the ability to zoom in on any attraction or store to get his bearings, Gregory wouldn't have to worry about accidentally being separated from Freddy or the others anymore!

Testing out the watch Gregory raised his wrist to his face, feeling like a spy from a futuristic movie.

“Can you hear me? Over.” He chuckled, able to hear himself echoing somewhat from the bear’s close proximity. “Thank, Freddy!”

“You are very welcome, superstar!” Freddy replied, his voice coming from both the watch and the bear himself. “Now you can call for me if you are ever in trouble—or if you ever just want to talk. Over.”

His expression softened at Gregory's smiling face. He'd never seen the boy so happy before, since he'd mostly been running from things trying to hurt him from the moment they’d met. The bear was glad that he could provide some joy, no matter how small it was.

As he watched Gregory continue to check out the features of the watch, Freddy felt a strange pang in his chest. He wasn't quite sure what prompted it, nor what it really was... The closest point of reference he had was a file in his databank of simulated emotions labeled “affection.” He cared about all the children he met, of course—he was literally designed to.

But Gregory... he was special. Maybe it was simply because they'd been through so many tough things in such a short amount of time, or maybe it was due to the ghost that’d apparently lived in his head for who knows how long. Michael's emotions were strong, after all, so who’s to say they couldn't rub off on an incredibly sentient AI?

As Freddy stared down at this brave, resilient child, he realized that he couldn't let him go back to that foster home. Until they found a more suitable guardian, someway, somehow, Freddy vowed to protect Gregory until he could no longer function.

On the other hand, Gregory tended to keep those affectionate feelings down. Hell, he'd only just become comfortable hugging the animatronics after discovering which ones were friendly versus murderous—and even that was dicey with those like the Daycare attendant. If Gregory wasn't so stoic for a child, he'd probably gush about how Freddy was his favorite.

That he loved him...

Though if life taught Gregory anything, it was that good things aren't meant to last. He’d wait to tell Freddy that he didn't want to leave—and that if he had to leave, Freddy would be coming with him one way or another. By the end of the night, he wouldn't be surprised if a patrol car was waiting outside to pick Gregory back up, ready to corral him back to his foster family...

Still, he'd let Freddy know his immediate appreciation with a quick hug. Even if the gift was essential to helping them, it was thoughtful nonetheless. Gregory would probably be bothering him a lot should they be separated for even the smallest reason, if only to keep tabs on the bear.

“Monty Golf next?” he asked, curiously flicking between the maps as he scoped out the gator’s attraction ahead of time.

“Yes—the access pass is in the back staff area. We will need to cross through some of the golf course to get to it.” Freddy peered down at the watch as well. Those camera feeds were definitely going to be useful for traversing this place full of wild robots out for Gregory's blood. “I do not see Monty roaming around—we should move quickly though, in case he decides to show up.”

During the day, the animatronics defaulted to staying in their attractions unless performing on stage, attending a birthday party, or otherwise requested to make an appearance somewhere else in the Pizzaplex. Even on those rare occasions they'd been allowed to roam during night shift, the group usually hung out together in one attraction before splitting off to do their own things until summoned back to their rooms. It wouldn't surprise Freddy at all to see the gator's tail swishing just out of the camera's view the next time they checked.

Trotting down the hall with Freddy's hand enveloping his, Gregory was feeling more confident and less scared roaming the massive complex. He wasn't alone, and the chances of them running into something friendly had technically increased. His mood began to turn further as they entered the dimly lit, electric swamp-themed attraction. The ambient sounds promised a fun game, and so did the music playing automatically as the attraction sensors caught Gregory's movements upon entry.

“It really sucks that Monty’s sick,” Gregory sighed, almost melancholic as he looked across an indoor pond. “It would’ve been real cool hanging out with him here…”

“I think you and Monty would get along fantastically,” Freddy said, smiling down at him. Gregory's rambunctious personality was just the type of kid Monty adored—someone up for trying anything and everything, willing to check out whatever cool topic caught their attention next. If the gator was himself, Freddy knew that he'd probably have quite the time keeping Gregory and Monty apart.

“Perhaps once all this is over and everyone is back to normal, you can stop by for a round of golf,” Freddy suggested as they neared a door leading to the back staff area.

His tone was light and nonchalant, pointedly neglecting to mention the unspoken addition of “—and since you will be staying here, you will have all the time in the world to do so.”

The bear was getting ahead of himself again; how was he supposed to keep a human child in the Pizzaplex?

That was definitely a topic to dwell on later. For now, though, they continued through the faux-swap, keeping vigilant for any wayward gators that might be hiding in the foliage waiting to snap at them.

“You can stop by...”

Right. It was all going to end eventually, wouldn't it? There was the Pizzaplex, and there was reality. Sooner or later Gregory would have to come back to it all. His smile faltered thinking about it—how it'd inevitably end up with Gregory being punished for running away, and forbidden from ever visiting this place again. No real family to care about him other than being another government paycheck in their wallets...

To hide the sudden spike in anxiety, Gregory forced a smile and said: “Yeah! I-I mean, if I'm allowed...”

Even if he had to sneak out, Gregory would keep finding a way back. Just as soon as they made this a safer place to visit again—not just for himself, but for the other children, too. For the ones taken without explanation, never to return.

Freddy simply squeezed Gregory's hand in response. He hadn't meant to make the boy upset. Hopefully what they were about to find would bring that smile right back to his face!

“Here we are!” Freddy announced as they made it to the security office. Out of habit, they automatically locked down the doors upon entering the room—this one was the smallest so far, with barely enough space for the pair to fit due to the clutter of boxes and tons and tons of random toys.

“Ah... I forgot that this area is also used as a sort of Lost and Found,” Freddy explained, leaning over to examine one of the box's contents. “Well, it is more of a room to confiscate Faz Cameras—there is no flash photography allowed in Monty Golf, yet this is the only location that sells the cameras, so they get taken often.” He paused to frown, then shook his head and resumed searching. “It does not make much sense. However—”

With a bright grin, Freddy produced a novelty camera bearing his features and held it out to Gregory. “—now we also have this! Our eyes are very sensitive to the flash, so it might prove useful in evading the other animatronics.”

And there was another genuine smile as Gregory saw the camera as a new gift, too. The device was nice and sturdy and it doubled as a novelty flashbang. Not only could he practically blind the animatronics when needed, he’d get free pictures of them in the process! Usually those were $10 up front.

“That doesn't make sense—” Gregory agreed, grinning impishly at the weapon. “—but I won't question it because it's helping us out.” He turned around and took an experimental picture, mindfully facing the flash away from Freddy. When the Polaroid printed out and fell to the ground, an intrusive thought fleetingly sliced through his mind.

If tonight was Gregory’s last night on Earth—if Vanny or the robots killed him—a picture may be the only proof that he was there.

Freddy winced at the flash, still a little bright for him in the tiny space, but thankfully Gregory's forethought to turn the camera away saved him from the worst of it. His eyes reset as Gregory examined the Polaroid, and then Freddy shuffled past him to the cluttered security desk. He moved a few stacks of papers, trash, and confiscated toys before spotting the access pass holder.

“Excellent; here is the pass! Now we can return to—hmm?” The bear let out a confused exclamation as he took a good look at the ticket in his hand. It was not in fact a security access pass, but an entry ticket to... Mazercise? “What in the world—”

“Lookin' for somethin', Fazbear?” A loud, deep voice sounded from outside the room, followed by a roaring laugh.

“Hide!” Freddy hissed, automatically opening his stomach hatch for Gregory to hop into. As long as he didn't actually see Gregory, perhaps Monty would be a little less... feral. Maybe the animatronics could have two seconds of conversation before everything hit the fan.

Gregory had wanted to use the camera flash, but it looked like Freddy didn't enjoy the last picture he’d taken. So instead he was quick to jump into the safety of the surprise compartment, advising Freddy in a whisper: “Act mean! Like you're one of them!”

Who knew—maybe such a ruse would buy them some time. Gregory was afraid of Freddy getting into a fight with Monty. The bear would surely be scratched up by Monty's claws, and if the gator managed to pry Freddy open Gregory would only have the camera as his last means of defense...

Freddy's chest hatch closed him in complete darkness, and Gregory was alone and waiting as Monty banged at the magnetically locked doors.

“Montgomery Gator, stop that!” Freddy yelled, though he did take Gregory's words to heart and smack against the door in response. This action seemed to startle Monty, who paused his assault to peer in the window instead.

From what Freddy could see, Monty was messed up—far worse than Roxy, covered in dirt and grime and who knows what else. It really looked like the gator had been crawling around in the sewers, and one of the spokes of his prized star glasses had been chipped off. If nothing else, that was the biggest indication that Monty was too far gone.

Ever since Chica gifted him those glasses, Monty refused to take them off unless absolutely necessary, treating them with the reverent care of a prized possession. It was the first gift he'd been given by one of the Glamrock crew upon his initiation to the band, and it marked the first time he'd started to feel like more than just Bonnie's replacement.

But now they were dirty and broken, just like the rest of him.

“Freddy! I missed ya, big guy! Where've you been all night?!” Monty asked, his grin much too wide for the simple conversation they were having. At least it seemed that Gregory hid away just in time...

Monty's tone was friendly enough, Gregory decided. There was no need to fret while inside of his safe spot. As long as he spoke in a whisper, it was unlikely that Monty would hear him through Freddy’s chest and on the other side of the safety glass.

“T-tell him you've been looking for me. That you need the access pass to get to me...,” Gregory muttered, hoping Freddy could listen and take his advice without being too obvious.

“I have been looking for the child, just as you have,” Freddy replied, twisting Gregory's words to be his own. “I... believe he may be hidden in an area I cannot reach, so I was coming to find the higher access pass.”

He offered the gator what he hoped was an evil grin, though it was more of a pained grimace. Monty simply stared at him for a second before letting out a loud, barking laugh.

“You're a shit liar, Fredbear!” he exclaimed, and Freddy automatically gasped at the lack of profanity filter. Well, so much for that ruse...

Once Monty settled, he pulled down his glasses to glare through the window, tail swishing ominously back and forth. “Y'know what I think? I think you've been helpin' the little guppy... 's that true, Freddy?”

Freddy pursed his mouth tight, eyes narrowed as he tried to figure out how to answer. Clearly, Monty already knew he was doing just that—there was no point in lying. But the gator was impossible to figure out right now... the way he was talking didn't sound like himself. Not fully. It was just off enough that Freddy found it impossible to predict what he was thinking, let alone plotting.

Nope! No way. Monty was going to eat Gregory’s bones if they went out there. The kid sucked in a sharp breath, the memory of being thrashed around in complete darkness while Monty demolished the room around them still made him shake just thinking about it. The fact that Monty cursed at Freddy made Gregory believe that the real Fazbear bassist was long gone.

“Bad idea—bad idea!” Gregory muttered to himself worriedly.

Maybe he could try flashing the camera at him from inside the room? But that might just make Monty angry, and would also take Freddy out if the bear didn’t cover his eyes quick enough.

“Aw, man, they said you'd be difficult...” Monty gave a dramatic sigh when Freddy failed to respond to his question, then crossed his arms in front of him with a smirk. “You always act so sweet, but you're just as damn stubborn as the rest of us!”

“'They...?'“ Freddy echoed, his eyes narrowing. He took a hesitant step forward, still safe in the confines of the office but trying his best to appeal to the gator. “Monty, this is not you—you would never hurt a child!”

“But that's alright...” The gator continued, completely ignoring Freddy's plea. He let out a low, disturbing laugh, locking gazes with the bear. “I'm gonna get that kid first—I've got a plan. Unlike some stupid WOLF—” He snarled the word, jaw snapping in annoyance. His friendly, competitive nature with Roxy was amped up to dangerous levels by the virus. “—who chases things down and uses up all her energy, gators wait for their prey to come to them.”

His eyes widened excitedly behind his glasses, tail swishing every which way.

“If you want that access card, the kid's gotta come find me!” Monty instructed. “I was even nice enough to give y'all a hint—check the pass you do have.” Then he suddenly turned away, only to call over his shoulder: “See y'all real soon! HAHAHAHA!” 

And with that he ran towards the main golf course, off to wait in ambush for Gregory's arrival.

***

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[angelofrainfrogs]

Spend the Night: Ch. 9

~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

Be ready Something terrible is coming Tick, tick, tick, tick Everything I work for and everything I do… I do it for the thrill I do it for the fun You taught me there's a twisted usefulness in everyone

~For You by NightCove_thefox~

Charlie shuffled backwards as Gregory took his aim. When they were adjacent to the lift doors, it was the easier option to turn with Gregory in her arms and run. Thanks to the easy-paced elevator closing, they got the chance to watch as Moon recovered and attempted to catch them before the doors shut. Luckily, they were only left with frantic screeching and futile scratching at the metallic seams.

“That was a good plan!” Charlie praised when they finally began their ascent, giving Gregory a playful shove. The boy laughed and braced himself against the wall, recovering from the adrenaline rush.

“Yeah, great thinking, Gregory—you’re amazing!” Michael added, shifting the Glamrock on his back. He allowed himself one big, stress-relieving sigh before focusing on the next task. “Okay, so Freddy said we’re heading for the backstage security office in Rockstar Row. I think I remember seeing that door, so I can lead the way. Now as far as he goes—”

Michael jerked his chin towards the bear, fluffy mane flying every which way.

“—I guarantee these animatronics have a manual charging port, meaning that we should be able to plug Freddy into a power outlet instead of using a pod. We just need to find the right extension cord… there’s probably one in that storage area behind his room.”

That could be easily fixed. While Michael made sure Gregory and Freddy were comfy inside the bear’s room for a breather, Charlie could go search for that extension cord. And now that they were relatively safe inside the lift, Gregory could finally interrogate the ghosts freely.

“You used to work here or something, right?” he inferred. “I mean... How do you know all this junk about the robots?”

Charlie had been staring at Michael's new mane of hair, wondering how hard it could be to braid a mullet when Gregory's candid question popped her back to reality with a little jolt. The query interrupted Michael’s inner musing as well, Foxy’s orange eyes shifting from Gregory to Charlie and back again. They had to tell him something, though Mike still wanted to spare some of the darkest details. Gregory was tough, but he was only just a kid.

“That’s right,” Michael confirmed. “I… basically grew up in Fazbear restaurants, and when I was old enough I worked in them, too—for an actual paycheck, I mean.” He let out a huff at the memories of his father sometimes working him to the bone while he was growing up (at least by kid standards). Though his first paycheck was nothing to cheer about, at least it had been some compensation…

To quote William Afton in regarding child labor laws: “If you're old enough to throw parties and hold a pry bar, you can help your father remove Bonnie's face.” As soon as Mike had shown interest in the animatronics, the Afton patriarch began eagerly passing down useful information. In retrospect, it was one of the only things he'd done to really prepare Michael for his future.

“I’ve tried out pretty much any job you can think of,” Mike continued, adjusting Freddy again. He wasn’t uncomfortable, but it was hard to hold onto the sleek metal. There was the faintest smile in his voice as he added softly: “Though I like to think my specialties lie in technician work and night guard duty.”

Gregory looked impressed. Considering the animatronics were proven to be dangerous to work on, the boy wouldn’t hesitate to say Michael was brave in life. Maybe a little crazy, too—you probably have to be to willingly stick your hand inside the mechanisms of a Fazbear's robot.

Noticing the odd way Mike was holding Freddy, Charlie grasped and pushed up on their unconscious friend's legs to relieve some of the weight and make him less cumbersome.

“I like to remember you for the reason they put on your pink slip that one time,” Charlie snickered. There’d been quite a few reasons they used to can Michael—under various aliases, of course—but “Odor” had made Charlie bust out with laughter when she’d seen it for the first time all those years ago.

“Oh, leave me alone—you try being a human stuck in a tiny space with no air-con and huge robots that can potentially snap at any second…” Michael grumbled, though he nodded his thanks to Charlie for the physical assist.

“Anyway,” he continued, looking to Gregory again. “Needless to say, I know my way around these animatronics for the most part. I’ve been… sleeping for a few years while this Pizzaplex was created, I guess, so that’s why I’m not as familiar with the finer details of the Glamrocks or the building in general. But the robots are still the same mechanically at their core, so I’ve got an idea of how they work. Their AIs are super unique compared to everything else I’ve seen, though; what I wouldn’t give to check out that freaky Daycare attendant if he wasn’t going absolutely nuts…”

Michael’s mind raced with excitement at the thought. His prowess with animatronic technology was a double-edged sword: he had extremely mixed feelings of association with the machines, especially in recent years when forced to deal with their inner workings… but he was damn good at it, too. There was a reason Fazbear Entertainment kept hiring him back—well, besides their desperation for employees and Michael’s frequent name changes.

Gregory had a fair interest in computers, and the Glamrocks’ AI had fascinated him as well from the first time he'd spoken to one of the robots. He might not be the best at coding yet, but his rudimentary understanding of it all kept him coming back to this place every single time he got the chance.

“That guy’s unique, for sure,” Gregory agreed in response to Michael’s musings. As the lift doors opened, he glanced around cautiously to make sure there were no robot wolves prowling their rooms. When everything seemed clear, Greg stepped out and made way for the two carrying Freddy. “In the light he turns into Sun, who’s super friendly. Bet if he was that Sun guy again, he'd totally let you pick him apart.”

“You think so?!” Mike asked in a hushed whisper, then fell silent as they made the thankfully short trek to Freddy’s room. Once inside he deposited the bear on the couch, adjusting him into an upright position as best he could. The curtains were still shut from earlier, so at least no one could catch sight of Gregory while they were in here.

“Hmm… yup, just like I thought,” Michael announced as he located the charging port in Freddy’s side. It was hidden well, the little circular hatch almost perfectly flush with Freddy’s outer casing. A gentle press caused the hatch to pop open, revealing an outlet. “Charlie, can you run in the back and grab any cords that might fit? We’re looking for a hefty one with a three-pronged plug on each end. Gregory, you can stay with me while she searches, okay?”

Charlie was quick to slither out and into the back supply area. The shelving units in the dark backroom were fairly disorganized, so it’d take some time as she sorted through everything. She even found and old Bonnie magnet before locating a box with heavy duty extension cords to use.

Inside the room, Gregory put his hands on his knees as he leaned in to inspect the immobile Freddy.

“Any idea what battery percentage these guys power back on?” Gregory wondered. If he squinted at this angle, he could see scratches from Moon's long fingers as he hefted Freddy around.

“Normally they can be on standby with about 10% power, but for them to actually be interactive they’d need at least 25%,” Michael explained, noting Gregory’s interest with an unexpected sort of pride. Despite their rocky start, it seemed like the two of them were going to get along just fine. Then Mike shook his head lightly, lifting up Foxy’s eyepatch with his hook to reveal that he did in fact have two working eyes, which he used to look over the bear more intently.

“But Freddy said he’s in ‘Safe Mode,’ right?” It wasn't so much a question as the old mechanic talking through his thoughts aloud. “I’m not entirely sure what that entails, to be honest—none of the older models had a Safe Mode, at least not at any of the restaurants I worked at. He might take a little longer to boot up.”

Michael knew there were other Fazbear brand establishments hat he hadn’t set foot in, created by his Uncle Henry when he and William split ways. However, Mike had been so focused on tracking William and his legacy down he hadn’t given the other pizzerias more than a passing thought over the years. Who’s to say Henry hadn’t created robots with extra safety features?

Come to think of it… who was running this establishment, anyway? Had Henry escaped the fire, too? That is, if his soul still lingered on with the rest of them.

Hmm. A topic to dwell on later, preferably with Charlie.

And speaking of the old ghost, she emerged from the back room victoriously holding a charging cord in her lanky hands. While she and Michael worked to get the bear set up, Gregory reached forward and manually opened Freddy’s eyelid. It was only a little metal piece, likely connected to some tension rod that simulated blinking. It easily moved and Gregory was able to see a soft blue glow after Charlie plugged him in.

“Safe Mode is usually what you boot a computer up on to keep malware off your operating system,” Gregory responded to Michael, a little delayed but correct nonetheless. The extra protection was likely contributing highly to Freddy’s battery drain, which was an issue. Though if there was a virus going around…

Gregory’s head snapped to both Charlie and Michael, asking them: “…You don’t think someone knew this was going to happen ahead of time, right?”

Charlie and Michael shared a look, then Michael stood up to Foxy’s full height and rolled his shoulders back with a sigh.

“Unfortunately, that’s a question I can’t answer,” he replied. He was good with mechanics, but he needed some time to understand the software programs themselves. “All I know is Freddy saw something when he was on stage earlier that made him malfunction—I don’t know what it was exactly, but I woke up right afterwards while the techs were checking him out. Once they left Freddy on sleep mode so his system could run updates I was able to hijack his body, find Charlie, and the rest is history. By the time Freddy woke up and took back control, Safe Mode was already on.”

Michael looked to Charlie, cocking his head as he recalled a comment from earlier. “You mentioned a ‘bunny lady’—what are you talking about?” His frown increased. “You said it’s the night guard? I mean, she’s clearly messed up on the head, but I don’t see the rabbit connection besides—”

He cut himself off, eyes flickering between Charlie and Gregory. “…Never mind; let’s wait for Freddy to have that discussion. I think he needs to hear it, too.”

“It has to be. I can't describe the way her voice made me feel, but there was something about it that just screamed… him,” Charlie said, crossing her arms as she sat atop the rectangular vanity.

Vanessa was human—surely there was no way William’s influence somehow extended to her as well. But… her actions certainly pointed to this possibility.

Gregory took this as a polite way of asking for patience. He sat on the floor, taking respite in the gap between Freddy's legs. Watching Gregory sitting so peacefully on the ground near his new bear friend, an intrusive thought flashed through Charlie’s head.

“Gregory? Freddy's probably going to be a little tired when he wakes up. Why don't you go play on his arcade game?” she suggested, her reasoning not something she wanted to verbally acknowledge with the child.

The three of them had taken some time to fuse Michael in his new body. What if Moon used the moment to reset Freddy—turned off his Safe Mode and let the virus infect him, too?

Charlie didn't wish to worry anyone, letting herself carry the burden of such a heavy question as she always did. When Gregory shrugged and took her suggestion out of boredom, the Puppet kept her eyes glued to Freddy for any odd behavior.

Mike caught onto Charlie’s hesitancy, of course. At first he wasn’t sure what she was worried about, though as she watched the bear intently it dawned on him as well: they didn’t know what happened with Moon while they were away.

Freddy might not be Freddy, anymore.

As Michael moved into a slightly defensive stance, the bear’s eyes slowly blinked once, twice… Then he sat up with a jolt, nearly pulling out his charging cord as he looked around wildly.

“Gregory?!” he exclaimed, his voice frantic. “Where is—oh, thank goodness!” He pressed a paw over his mechanical heart upon catching sight of the boy playing with the arcade cabinet.

“Easy, big guy,” Michael soothed, not willing to relax just yet. That reaction certainly seemed to indicate Freddy was himself, and the fact that he hadn’t instantly tried to go after Gregory on sight was a good sign. But they couldn’t be sure he was safe just yet. “How do you feel? Are you still in Safe Mode?”

“Yes, I—Foxy?!” Freddy’s eyes widened as he took in his refurbished friend standing in front of him, perfectly functional as if no time had passed. “But… you were retired long ago—”

“It’s just Michael, actually,” the ghost corrected with a gentle pat to Freddy’s shoulder. “Sorry to disappoint. I’ll explain later—right now, we’re just trying to get you charged up enough to move to the next security office. We can talk more there.”

Charlie could relax. Freddy’s concern for Gregory had clocked as genuine in her eyes, so after hopping from his desk she told him earnestly: “It's good to see you're alright!”

Even if Freddy could be fixed later, Charlie would’ve felt awful if they failed to power him back on—or worse, infected him with god knows what sort of malware William and his lackey cooked up.

At the commotion, Gregory came over and hugged Freddy around the neck tightly, squishing his face into one of the bright red shoulder pads. He seemed happy the bear was sitting down, as clinging to Freddy's leg was beginning to make him feel a little short.

“Yeah! Taking care of Moon was fine; that guy keeps forgetting I have a flashlight,” Gregory scoffed, pretending as if the night-themed robot didn't make him have a full on panic attack at their first encounter.

“Thank you for the rescue, superstar,” Freddy replied with a smile, holding the boy close. He was used to clingy children, but when it came to Gregory the bear was just as guilty of wanting hugs. After a few more seconds of comfortingly tight squeezing, Freddy released him and smiled up at the group. “I do not detect any systems out of order, and my Safe Mode is still on. Once I reach 35% power in about 2 minutes and twenty-seven seconds, we can move to the security office and I will finish charging there.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Michael agreed with a nod, resting his paw on his hip. He moved to push some hair out of his one good eye—the eyepatch having flipped back down of its own accord—but only managed to snag a tangle on his hook. “Ugh, darn it—I appreciate the dedication to theming, but this thing is not very efficient…”

Charlie chuckled at Michael's tangled costume. Maybe it was all a matter of getting used to Foxy's more cumbersome design? Something told Charlie they were pretty lofty in their theming choices here at the Pizzaplex, and needed to cut back on a few things.

“Maybe lose the coat?” she suggested, pondering how they could maybe upgrade him later on. “The eyepatch isn't bolted to your head, right?”

“But then he's not a pirate!” Gregory would argue, a fan of Foxy's pirate aesthetic. He crossed his arms with a pout. “Then he's a one-armed, one-leg drummer.”

“What's wrong with that?” Charlie turned her static mask upon him, though it was clear she was raising an eyebrow internally. “Def Leppard had a one-armed drummer.”

“Maybe that's why they sucked, too...” Gregory chuckled, earning a gasp from Charlie.

“Language, Gregory,” Freddy chided automatically, though this was quickly overshadowed by Michael’s exclamation.

“Hey! I’ll let you get away with a lot, kid, but the will be no disrespecting 80s rock bands in my presence.” The fox’s eyes narrowed, staring Gregory down for a few seconds before Mike let out a laugh. “I’ve got to agree with you on the pirate look, though—I’d hate to lose any of it… But I might need to, at least for now.”

Michael took off his eyepatch and set it on Freddy’s vanity. He debated taking off the coat, too, but decided against it for the moment. He could deal with the clothes for a bit, if only for Gregory’s sake—at least he had full range of vision now, which was certainly useful in their current situation.

Gregory couldn't help it. He was a little troublemaker sometimes but never tried to cross boundaries. He would accept not making fun of any Glam rock/metal. Or just to be safe, he’d steer clear of poking fun at anything popular from the 80's—unless either Mike or Charlie made fun of them first, of course.

“Yeah, that still looks badas—cool. It still looks cool.” Gregory coughed, correcting himself from cursing again in front of Freddy.

“If we stop by one of the stores, we could find you a scrunchie,” Charlie pointed out, reaching up to run thin fingers through Foxy’s wild head of hair.

“Good plan,” Michael agreed, trying not to laugh at the chiding, parental glare Freddy was shooting Gregory at the near slip-up. He’d have to try and reign in his language now that the bear was awake, lest he face his wrath, too.

“I am charged enough to move to the security office,” Freddy announced, slowly getting to his feet. He unplugged the cord, then wrapped it up to fit inside his chest hatch before holding out his hand for Gregory to take. “Roxy will likely have a hair tie in her room—she does not wear them often, but I recall she keeps some in her vanity in case any children want to give her a makeover during Meet and Greets.”

Michael let out a snort at this. “Wow… I can’t imagine her letting anyone touch her hair, let alone kids.”

Though he had to concede, he hadn’t seen much of her true personality before the virus took over; there was probably a side to all the animatronics he didn’t know about. It was hard not to imagine Roxy as narcissistic, self-involved keyboard artist. Yet there was a time where the crew knew her more as the rough and tumble speed demon with a true heart of gold.

Sadly, that part of her was gone for now. It was hard to say if they’d ever see that side of Roxy again. Her central learning curve may be forever damaged from tonight, just like the rest of the Glamrocks.

Gregory got himself ready for the move, making sure his flashlight was within easy reach and holding the safety net that was Freddy's hand. Charlie was the first out the door, going back to her original job as lookout as she scanned the halls.

“Coast’s clear,” she murmured, encouraging them to come forth with a wave of her hand.

Now awake, Freddy was able to guide them to the door leading towards the backstage security office. Michael made a quick side-trek back to Roxy’s room and snatched up a few hair ties, then followed the rest of the group as Freddy used the new access card to unlock the door. After traveling up a set of metal stairs, they found the office in question.

“Whoa… this place is massive!” Michael commented, staring around the room in wonder as Freddy made sure the doors were locked—all four of them. This office was a far cry from the previous two, with a central hub full of monitors and additional desks on either side of the room for good measure. There were probably numerous screens, able to access cameras throughout the entire Pizzaplex. If there was ever a place to get a handle on where all their enemies were, this was definitely it.

“This office serves as a central hub; it is always manned during the dayshift, even if the others are not,” Freddy explained, sitting in a chair near one of the wall desks. He pulled the cord out of his chest cavity and plugged himself into an outlet, a faint blue glow lighting up his irises as the charge began again.

Gregory was content to stick besides Freddy, leaning against the wall as he watched the random feeds that surrounded them. The sight of Chica eating some garbage out of the kitchen stuck out, causing Gregory to feel sick. Where was all that garbage going to go? It’d just sit inside her casing and clog her endoskeleton…

“That virus is making Chica eat trash...,” Gregory remarked with equal parts sadness and disgust.

“Huh? I thought she always tried to do that,” Charlie remarked. “She's probably in heaven right now.” She patted the top of Gregory’s head in a soothing manner.

“Chica has a tendency to eat pizza, but not actual garbage…,” Freddy clarified absently, frowning as he watched his friend shove fistfuls of old food wrappers and plastic cutlery into her beak. He looked to Gregory, and upon seeing his expression automatically lifted the boy to set him on his lap, hugging a protective arm around his torso. “Here, superstar—you can see the monitors much better from this angle.”

While that was true, he also knew his presence comforted Gregory and wanted him to be as calm as possible before things heated up again. Though the boy had clearly been able to deal with Moon, Freddy didn’t believe his claim that it was “fine.” He recalled the look of abject terror on Gregory’s face when he’d been running around that Daycare, and couldn’t imagine the extra fear that came with one of his protectors being out of commission.

Gregory didn't complain, content to watch a different monitor in Freddy's lap. He relaxed against his metal guardian and folded his hands over the arm that held him in place. It was nice being around Freddy. He made Gregory feel seen—cared for, even.

Just like a dad would, Gregory assumed. If he ever got a real dad, the kid hoped he’d be like the sweet-tempered bear. The notion led Gregory down a road of thought he’d been trying to avoid.

Eventually, tonight would end. The lockdown would cease, and Gregory would be released from the hellhole that was the virus-ridden Pizzaplex. Gregory wondered if he’d even be allowed back after all of this...

A seed of doubt stuck itself in his head, burrowing fast and deep.

Leaving each other wasn’t an option anymore. Gregory would need to figure out a way to either take his friends with him, or a way to stay permanently.

While Gregory and Freddy got lost in their thoughts, Michael was currently typing away at one of the computers with his good hand. Charlie sidled up to him, a smirk in her voice as she asked: “Are you gonna geek out?”

“Too late—I’m fully geeked-out already,” he responded, grinning as widely as Foxy’s joints would allow while he analyzed the camera systems. If they could just stay here for the rest of the night, they’d be in the clear… though he knew something or someone would come and derail this plan eventually. For now, Mike allowed himself a few minutes of childlike wonder as he stared at the bright monitors.

Charlie laughed with her friend, clinging to the back of the office chair he'd managed to fit himself on. Marveling the sturdiness of the chair before directing her attention to the screen, she squinted at the corners of the monitor.

“Ah. Look at that—dead pixels...,” Charlie remarked, pointing out a cluster of black and purple spots on the camera's lens that glitched in and out of functionality.

“Huh… that’s odd." Michael pressed a few buttons in hopes of fixing the issue. Nothing worked though, and it almost seemed like the more effort he put in towards a resolution, the worse the pixels got. Eventually he gave up and sat back in the chair, ignoring the strained squeak it made under the shifting weight of his half-ton metallic body.

“At least you can see something,” he added, careful not to snag his hook on the long pirate coat as he crossed his arms in front of his chest. “One of the cameras was always out when I worked night guard shifts, no matter what restaurant I was in…” He shook his head at the memories, then leaned towards the monitor with a frown. “Where’s this feed from, anyway?”

Charlie wondered the same, curiously checking the side of the monitor for any indicator for the room it displayed. For the most part it was dark thanks to the main lights being off, although the shelving units indicated some form of storage room.

“Warehouse Cam 8...,” Puppet read aloud as she found the name. At the same instance, the corner of the screen began to pulse. Purple would invert to black, then back again as the pixels slowly spread.

Revealing itself in due time, a green splotch appeared in the corner the dead squares began on. To Michael and Charlie’s horror, that green splotch morphed into a small bunny logo. It jittered in place, as if it struggled to stay there to begin with.

“That… doesn't look good...,” Charlie said in a shaky tone, attempting not to lose her cool despite the fact William was currently laughing in their faces.

Michael’s reaction was instantaneous. He lurched forward, slamming his hook and paw on the desk and causing two sizable dents where they landed. Though his form was different, inexplicably digital and glitching, there was no question about who that little rabbit was meant to be.

“Father…” Michael hissed, sharp teeth clenched so hard it was a wonder he didn’t snap a few of them with brute strength. He knew William was behind all this, he just hadn’t expected to encounter an echo of the man so soon. Especially one so clearly mocking them.

His gaze remained fixed to the monitor, resisting the urge to smash the glitching corner to smithereens as he muttered to Charlie: “He knows we’re here.”

Freddy’s arm tightened around Gregory’s waist as he watched the fox. He wasn’t worried about Michael harming anyone in the room, but that reaction to a simple little glitch was so visceral… It begged a lot of questions, but Freddy didn’t feel equipped to calm Mike down just yet—Charlie would be best at that. Only then could the bear lay into the pair and make them spill everything.

Charlie had finally pieced together what was going on. It was so stupid and obvious that it was genius. Somehow that seemed to always be William's calling card: repeated stupidity that no one could decipher.

Standing, Charlie touched her hand to the middle of Michael's back and rubbed over the soft coat he wore.

“He didn't make the virus,” Charlie whispered in shock. “He is the virus...”

That was when the console command opened completely unprompted. Against the black screen, a bright purple text began to type out in glitching font:

“Hello k̶͈͘i̷̘̽d̸̙̎s̸̡̾.” [1]

“G̴̪͝o̶̜̍o̴͉̽d̴͓͘ ̷̯͝j̶̮̓o̷̭͛b̶̭͂ ̶̥͝ on finding the main office. I was w̶̯̿o̴̡͒n̸̨̒d̸̛̫e̶̢͘r̵͙̕i̶̝͒ǹ̵̬g̵̮͝ when you were going to stop running around like chickens without heads.”

“L̷̏ͅȏ̶̤l̷̘͠,̸̩̀”

“What's wrong, Michael? Y̶̙͘ȍ̸̟u̶̫̐ ̶̲̔c̴̜͗a̶̭͛n̶̩̈'̶̬́ṫ̷͓ ̵͔̐r̵͌͜ẻ̸̹å̴̮l̴̥͆l̸̝̓y̶͋ͅ ̴̠͗b̶̤͝e̶̘͝ ̴͔̅t̸̻̊h̶̩̀ä̶̦ẗ̷̺ ̶̖̊ṵ̸̔p̸̃͜s̷̜̓e̷͈͛ț̷̃... Come find me in the warehouse if you need to talk, s̵̗͛p̴͓̆ó̶͕r̷̡̀t̸̺̀.”

Charlie hugged Michael as the text started to beat out on the screen—not only for his sake and the anger William wanted to draw from him, but for her own. The casual way he was speaking to them, as if he wasn't the cause of every terrible thing that’d happened made her feel like she was nothing. Just another child in an endless circle of violence...

Gregory squeezed Freddy, silently watching them from afar.

“Don’t call me that!” Michael spat, venom in every syllable. Whatever comfort Charlie’s touch initially provided was overridden by his father’s insensitive words. Everything was still too fresh, even after all these years—

William’s bait worked. The sharp hook scraped against the desk as Michael stood, but even the shriek of metal gouging metal wasn’t enough to drown out Michael’s shout. “Why aren’t you dead yet?! WHY?!”

Without waiting for an answer, he tapped into Foxy’s voice box to let out a very animalistic snarl. His vision was overcome with white-hot anger and he shoved Charlie off as he turned to march for one of the doors. “If that bastard wants to talk, I’m ready to talk!”

Charlie fell prone to the floor as Michael lost his cool. Luckily the soft padding and stuffed layer around her limbs and body kept minimal damage, but the action still shocked her. Of course William knew how to get underneath Mike's skin! The family had been close at some point, before everything fell apart.

Gregory was positively frightened by Michael in that moment, choosing to stay by Freddy as the bloodthirsty fox left to confront whatever the hell had been looking for them.

Charlie was hot on his tail, not only excited to see William finally get what was coming to him but to make sure her fiery-tempered companion wasn't going to do anything stupid. Clinging by his side, she cast one last glance towards their new friends as Michael slammed the door lock open.

“I'm sorry about this, Freddy! I don't think I can calm him down—” Charlie said as the fox stormed for the backrooms. When the door lowered again she called underneath the closing metal: “Make sure Gregory doesn't leave your sight! We’ll find you later!”

The door cut off any further explanation and Charlie whirled on her heel, bounding after Michael and trying to wave him down.

“Mike! Dude, slow your roll!” her chirpy voice attempted to calm. “—he's got to be tricking you! It can’t be that easy—”

“I don’t care!” Michael snapped, completely focused on his mission. He barreled forward down the staircase, then back through Rockstar Row and Roxy’s room for the billionth time to reach the service elevator.

His horrendous father had been right there through that whole situation with Freddy and Moon, practically within Michael’s reach in the nearby warehouses. Hell, he’d probably been listening in and laughing the entire time. This thought enraged the eldest Afton child even more.

His pace only slowed when he was forced to stop in the elevator as it took it’s painstakingly long descent to Parts & Service. Only then did Michael take an unneeded breath and look at the Puppet who’d slipped in beside him.

“…I’m sorry,” he mumbled, hanging his head. “I know I shouldn’t have reacted like that—you’re right, it probably is a trap… Not to mention I’m sure I scared the shit out of Gregory.” Saying the boy’s name aloud caused the determination in Michael’s eyes to harden. He reached for his dear friend, pulling her into a side hug. “But we have to get rid of him, Charlie—we have to keep trying. I’m not going to let Gregory or any other child suffer like we have again.”

“Then you have to let me help,” Charlie told him gently, squeezing her arms around his waist until she felt the tension in his metallic body ease. Even then, she refused to let go.

The suffering that William made them endure would no longer stand after tonight. Even if William came back a thousand times, they’d stand vigilant through it all. Michael had matured, taking on this responsibility for so long by himself. Charlie just wanted him to see that he no longer had to bear the weight of such a heavy burden alone.

Not anymore.

“Gregory will forgive you... And so do I.” Charlie’s spoke softly, a smile breaking through inside her voice. “You're angry—believe me, I get it. But you don't have to feel like that alone anymore.”

Charlie watched the digital display of the floor level tick down further and further. Resting her head on Michael’s padded shoulder she continued, trying to be meaningful and give him hope. Witnessing any friend of hers suffering dealt Charlie a great deal of heartache, even after all these years.

“I know we haven't been close since… Well. Since I died. But it looks like we're stuck together now, and if that means we're kicking your dad's ass for the rest of time… then I wouldn't want to do it alone.”

Michael was silent for a moment, letting Charlie wrap her comfort around him mentally and physically. He tried not to dwell on the past, to focus on the task here and now, but… his mind was pulled back through the years, past decades of possessed, angry animatronics to a time when they were all just kids.

He and Charlie were best friends, and she’d stuck with him no matter what. Even when his brother died—that horrible, horrible sight forever burned into Michael’s mind—Charlie was there for him. Sure she blamed him at first, and rightfully so. Honestly, Michael wouldn’t have been surprised if she never spoke to him again. But she did—despite it all, she’d reached out when he was hurting and was one of the only things that helped him start to move on.

And then, just when their friendship began to resemble what it used to be… she was taken away. With no warning or explanation Charlie was wrenched from Michael’s life, leaving him without his best friend. After that, everything else completely fell apart and somehow Mike convinced himself that he was to blame. The guilt of it all nearly killed him time and time again.

“I-I’m… I’m so sorry…” Michael finally said, and his voice was absolutely broken. Thankfully the animatronics weren’t able to cry, or he’d be sobbing. Instead he shifted to wrap his arms around Charlie’s thin body, squeezing as tight as he could without risking a tear in the soft stuffing. “God, I missed you, Charlie. I missed you so much.”

She could remember the ghost of his hugs. How his arms felt around her after they'd gone days without seeing each other during the hot, Utah summers. This embrace felt closer to home than anything she'd encountered in decades.

Michael reminded her of bad things, yes. His brother's passing and how hard she screamed that night, cursing the very foundation Freddy's was built on. But he reminded her of the best things about life, too.

The cool feeling on ice cream on a hot day…

Finding an extra prize ticket you forgot you even had…

Or watching concerts with your best friends and feeling sick from drinking punch...

Sure, when they were alive they’d hang out with his friends sometimes. But Michael was Charlie’s only true friend, besides her twin brother. The children she'd given Gifts to were either scared of her, or resented that she’d tethered them to their own personal hells when Charlie just thought she was doing them a favor by trying to give them a second chance at life.

She laid into Michael, content to hold him until she felt the residual anger from William's careless words evaporate.  

“I was waiting a long time for you, you know,” Charlie murmured, nuzzling into his shoulder. “And I missed you more than I could ever tell you.”

In that moment, Charlie felt something—something wonderful that she hadn't experienced in a while. To know she too was missed by someone even after all this time brought back the sensation of being alive again, and it felt glorious.

Michael gave a soft laugh, the force of it lightly shaking her. He was going to be okay. They were going to be okay. Charlie was here with him again, she forgave him, and that’s all that mattered in that moment.

“I’m sorry I took so long,” he responded, the hint of a smile in his voice. “Trust me, your company is infinitely preferable to anyone I’ve met over the years… Man, do I have some stories to tell you once this is all over.”

When the elevator finally slowed to a stop, Michael released his friend. As the doors opened, he grinned down at her and held up a paw for a high-five, just like they’d done thousands of times as kids. “Alright—ready to take this nasty old rabbit down once and for all?”

His ambition was contagious. Charlie pulled herself off to raise her arm, meeting his hand with a mute clap. She could imagine William now: a withered old skeleton hiding inside of a decrepit rabbit. Too frightened to face them as he truly was—a corpse masquerading as a child's entertainment mascot.

“We're going to make him wish he was never even born,” Charlie agreed, grasping Michael’s hand. Together, they would egress into the darkness in search of the rabbit pulling the strings around them.

***

The basement portion of the warehouse wasn't any scarier than the rest of the Pizzaplex—at least, not for Charlie and Michael. Dust and cobwebs filled unused storage spaces alongside ancient parts or filing cabinets. The further they went, the less used this spot seemed to be. And, weirdly, the more a feeling of familiarity crept up Charlie’s spine.

Then the posters started springing up. Small, nearly undetectable as they searched in the dark, though their presence began to grow as a floodlight passed a small landing of steps showed missing children's posters—stolen duplicates that lined the floors like litter for a rodent. Charlie grasped Michael's coat arm, holding him back a second as she pointed out the table that a handful of old S.T.A.F.F. bots sat petrified at.

Michael froze at the sight, jaw hanging open as if the articulating wires had snapped. There was no doubt about what these bots were supposed to represent, all dolled up in clothes and “makeup” to look like the perfect, happy family.

Well, they would if one of them wasn't missing a head.

“Oh, that sick, fucking bastard!” Michael growled after recovering from the initial shock. He managed to rein in his anger better than earlier, though he couldn't help brush Charlie off again to stomp over and decapitate the S.T.A.F.F. bot wearing a top hat with a swift, pointed swipe of his hook. Then he turned to the rest of the room, calling over the railing: “Did you see that, old man?! We're coming for you, and you're not getting away again!”

Michael knew he probably shouldn't goad his immortal father too much, but he was pissed. It was one thing for William to try and get into his head by recounting their own relationship, but when the topic of his siblings was brought up Michael couldn't help but lose his cool. There was simply too much crippling guilt that he hadn't been able to save either of them from their fates, and anger at his father's response—a fact which he'd learned about far too late, which only added to Mike's internalized culpability. By the time he figured out the horrible things William was doing behind closed, star-studded curtains, Charlie and a bunch of other innocent children were already dead.

Charlie was more than acutely aware of how terrible of a person William had become. This? Telling Michael to come down to the warehouse basement just to show him his messed up little diorama made her shake with anger. This was a new low.

What had been the point? Was he even down here?

When Charlie begun to worry that they had indeed fallen into a trap, a familiar chuckle echoed in the hall, bouncing in the dark. Puppet slunk to Michael’s side again as she inspected the table. Old newspaper clippings of past restaurant openings only showed that William was still living in the past, unwilling to let go of his mistakes.

“He's nearby; we should hurry!” Charlie encouraged, being so close to retribution she could taste it

“Let's go.” With a resolute nod, Michael took the lead and marched into the dim hallway. His senses were on high-alert, and as his gaze swiveled to and fro he saw it—the faint, purple outline of a figure with long rabbit ears. He stopped in his tracks, holding up an arm to make Charlie pause as well.

“Wait,” he whispered, squinting at the sight. The figure wasn't very clear, and it only took a second for Michael to realize why. He frowned deeply, leaning his head towards Charlie. “So, another thing to talk about later, but I think Foxy's eyes can see through walls—don't ask me how or why, but there's someone right there, in that room.” He pointed to a closed door, barely visible in the faint light. “I can only see an outline, though... But it's not my Father. I... I think it might be that bunny lady you were talking about earlier.”

As if sensing this discussion, the feminine shape suddenly waved a hand, and Michael's eyes widened at the movement. That wave... it was unmistakable. Even if this wasn't William himself, he was certainly in control. Michael's hand clenched into a fist.

“Well? I'm here! Come out so we can chat!” he called, slouching into a defensive stance with Charlie slightly behind him, instinctively wanting to protect her like he'd failed to do that night.

Charlie felt useless being guarded in such a way, though this set up would likely help them out in the long run. While Puppet’s body was soft and easily broken apart, her strength mirrored that of the Daycare attendant’s. And while Michael may not be able to move as fast yet on his peg leg, he could slice metal in twain with a single swipe from that supposedly “child-friendly” hook.

“Vanny,” spoke that familiar and dulcet tone, echoing through the halls and no longer reserved for Vanessa’s mind. “We've got guests, funny-bunny. Would you mind…?”

Charlie seethed at the cutesy nicknames William had given to the unfortunate night guard. Whatever he'd done to Vanessa’s head equally disgusted and angered Puppet to her very core.

“Of course~” Vanny replied with a giggle, and a few seconds later she slipped into the hallway to join Charlie and Michael. They watched as she closed the door reverently behind her, as if there was a sleeping child inside that she was afraid of waking.

“Vanny?” Michael echoed as she turned to them. The glowing red eyes of her mask were unnerving, to say the least—but this was definitely the night guard. “Holy shit, what did he do to you?!”

“Hmm?” Vanny clasped her hands behind her back, tilting her head so that her patchwork ears flopped lazily to the side. “What did your dad do, Michael?” She giggled again at this, sounding like a schoolgirl who just revealed someone's big secret. “Well... he woke me up, of course!”

“What the hell are you talking about?!” Michael narrowed his eyes. He knew William was in that room; it would be so easy to take Vanny out and get to him—she was just a human, after all.

But that was just it: she was human, and more importantly, she was alive. Maybe whatever William was doing to her was somehow reversible... and even if it wasn't, they needed to know how she came under his control. She might not be the only one he'd infected, and that thought was terrifying.

Unbeknownst to them, it was all to buy time. Of course the Afton patriarch didn't expect his son to willingly hurt another living soul. Not after the incident with his brother, no. Vanny was just going to perform for them while he got situated and ready for company!

“This isn’t you, Vanessa—he's not your friend!” Charlie insisted, trying to appeal to whatever bit of Vanessa was still left under that mask. “He's using you… He wants us to hurt you!”

Charlie attempted to bring her back to her senses with the threat of force, hoping that sheer self-preservation would snap her out of it. Although with the way she just stared, maybe Vanessa didn't have any self-preservation left.

“Oh Charlie, Charlie...” Vanny sighed, shaking her head dramatically. “You poor, lost soul—you just don't understand what we're trying to do here! He'd never hurt me—I'm his confidant! His right-hand gal!”

She pressed an oversized paw to her chest, puffing herself up proudly. That's all Vanny wanted to be, after all: useful to William in whatever way she could, to repay him for bringing this consciousness of hers to life.

“But you're not,” Michael argued. “He doesn't care about you. He doesn't care about anyone—trust me, I know.”

“Mikey, you silly thing!” Vanny laughed again, the sound eerie and hollow behind the mask. “Of course he cares about you! You're his oldest son! The heir to his legacy!” The mask was static, but they could feel her grin widening behind it all the same.

“Did you think that Foxy model you're sitting to snugly in was put there by coincidence?” She shook her head, wagging a paw-padded finger at the same time. “I'm going to tell you a secret: it was a present for you, Michael! He remembered your favorite after all these years, and I fixed Foxy up all nice and pretty for you at his request! Wasn't that sweet~?”

At the admission that William and Vanny had fixed up the Foxy unit, the Puppet shook her head. It didn't make sense! Why would William make his son stronger?

Unless Vanny had been telling the truth. Whatever the reason, it must be twisted in some way that suited William. There was no other explanation. The perfectly crafted fox had been tailored specifically with Michael in mind—the hair, the piercings, the whole pirate theme screamed for the once-troublesome Afton. William couldn't possibly be so dumb as to think he'd win his son over after so long with another iteration of Foxy to control...

Charlie glanced to Michael, gauging his take on the matter.

As expected, Mike was absolutely livid after hearing Vanny's claim. His thoughts followed a similar path as Charlie's, though more focused on his horrendous old man's obsession with irony. 

“W-Well… What are you guys trying to do?! You're going to murder kids until what?” Charlie begged to know. She hoped Vanny would tell them anything before this all escalated into a potential fight.

“Ah, now that's a secret I can't tell you!” the bunny-suited woman exclaimed, wagging her finger again. Then she giggled, pressing a hand to the rabbit mask's mouth demurely. “All I can say is that he's so excited to see you both again—well, mostly you, Michael. No offense, Charlie... it's just that you were quite the problem child after your death.” There was a mocking note to her tone as those red, unblinking eyes settled on the Puppet.

“How did he get in your head, Vanessa?” Michael demanded, but she simply shook her head and clasped her hands behind her again.

“You don't need to know everything, Mikey~”

Problem child? Problem child?!

Yes, Charlie thought, already attempting to clamber over the animatronic fox to get to the patchwork bunny. She wouldn't kill Vanessa, just hurt her enough so she’d lead them to William. Just a few swipes of her pointy fingers across her flesh would suffice…

“Take it back!” Puppet screeched, already feeling herself grasped by Michael’s fast reflexes. How dare Vanny imply that Charlie being angry over her own death made her a problem?!

Beyond the door, in the cleared-out warehouse and makeshift workplace, a deep British voice finally called. “Vanny! Where are they? I'm ready to see my son...”

It was only then that Charlie realized what was really going on: Vanny was a distraction, not just a pawn. She may have been brainwashed, but she could still think—and what she thought she was doing was reuniting a family...

In a way she had. Not in any fun or heartfelt way, but the way that triggered something resembling nausea inside of Charlie's soul.

“Not her, Charlie,” Michael murmured as he held Puppet close against his chest in a bear hug. His eyes were fixed to the workshop entrance—hard, set and ready for blood. “We're going for the big prize now.”

“They're right out here~” Vanny called back, skipping over to the door and throwing it open. She gasped at the sight of whatever was inside, pressing oversized paws to her cheeks. “Oh, you look amazing!” She glanced back at Michael and Charlie, gesturing them over with excitement. “Come and see, you two!”

“Amazing? My dear, no, you're going to make me blush!” William cooed in a bad attempt to appear humble, though anyone who knew him would say that his ego always mattered. Now he finally had someone who’d feed into it whenever he pleased.

They had fixed up Bonnie—that much was clear. The revamped Glamrock stood tall as William tested the wide range of motion. He hopped from one foot to another, agile and fast. Then he turned, looking into a smudged and hazy mirror. Raising his paw, William slicked back his ears to sit flush against his head like he was smoothing back hair.

Charlie had a bad feeling about advancing on the psychotic Afton now. The man oozed confidence, and someone who didn't have a trick up their sleeves wouldn't want to go toe to toe with them... And yet as she looked to Michael for back up, it was clear that he needed closure.

Something. Anything.

Even if they only managed to wound his father, it may be enough for Michael right then.

So they slowly closed in on the old rabbit, who turned with a softened, half-lidded expression of content. William found it amazing how some bonds lasted beyond life itself. He watched as Michael protectively hugged Charlie to his side as they scurried in to see him. Placing his hands where his heart should've been, the Afton patriarch could finally greet them properly for the first time in decades.

“Welcome home, kids...”

***

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Looking for more? Check out the Chapter Masterlist on Tumblr!

Or check out the entire Wires that Bind Us Series on ao3!

[angelofrainfrogs]

We Found Him, Superstar: Ch. 20

Fandom: Five Nights At Freddy’s: Security Breach

Description: Since starting his new afterlife at the Pizzaplex, Gregory has managed to befriend the Glamrock animatronics and made a surprising discovery—Bonnie’s been hidden in the basement warehouse this entire time, badly decommissioned but still powered on. Along with Bonnie are the endoskeletons that, no longer under the virus’s control, seem much more sentient than normal animatronics… Gregory and his friends are determined to get Bonnie back into commission and figure out the mysteries of what exactly these endoskeletons are—and how to help them, too.

Chapter Summary: It’s finally time for the guards to officially meet the lost kids. However, what should be a simple trip to the basement turns into an encounter that no one quite expected.

Rating: T

Read on Ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/38728158/chapters/112832809

The day itself passed quickly, as everyone was excited for their upcoming trip to the basement. Eventually 12am rolled around again, which found Gregory and Freddy eagerly awaiting the knock on their door that revealed Thomas, Leon, and Bonnie standing outside. The guards were wearing their new matching shirts, which were long enough to cover their tool belts so they could still keep their equipment on hand just in case. Thomas had completely changed so the collar of his uniform shirt wouldn’t be visible, and pieces of his short, auburn hair were flipping wildly as they usually did when not contained in a hat. 

Standing behind Freddy in his matching shirt with the bear plush in hand, Gregory jumped excitedly. “They're here! Can we go now?” 

“You two ready?” Leon asked, taking notice of the floating shirt as he scrubbed a hand through his hair. Like Thomas, he’d left his hat resting on the desk in his office.

“Ah—shoes on please,” Freddy said, pointing to a pair of red sneakers the guards couldn’t yet see. “You are not going into that basement with just socks, Gregory…” 

“Wow, you really are a dad, Freddy…,” Thomas snorted. He couldn’t see anything but the shirt either, though he could make an educated guess as to where Gregory’s eyeline was. “You staying invisible to us tonight, kiddo?” 

Bonnie waited outside, hopping eagerly as he tried to contain both his excitement and nerves. He knew this would be great for everyone in the end, and Thomas and Leon really didn’t look like night guards right now… but the bunny couldn’t help but worry at how the kids would react to the new faces. 

Gregory was putting up some minor resistance, pouting up at Freddy in the vain hope the bear would let him wander around shoeless. However, he knew his dad wasn’t about to give in so easily. 

“Please, superstar,” Freddy said, although he couldn’t help but smile as Gregory clung to him. “Your clothes get reset when you switch layers, correct? Perhaps you should make yourself visible to Thomas and Leon and your shoes will come back automatically!” 

“What?!” Thomas exclaimed, his eyes wide. “That’s… actually really cool!”

Seconds later, Gregory was visible to the night guards—footwear and all. The sudden appearance made Leon jumped, though he huffed at his own paranoia. Something was making him on edge tonight, although he presumed it was simply the thought of meeting nine spirits trapped in creepy endoskeletons… 

“Oh, hey!” Thomas waved to Gregory as Freddy lifted him up, before turning to give Bonnie a thumbs up. “Looks like we’re all set now!”

“For your awareness, Mia will likely speak with you the most,” Freddy told the guards as the group began to follow the cheerful rabbit. “She is the oldest and serves as a protector of sorts to the other children.” 

“Yeah, actually, Leon and I wanted to go through a quick rundown of the kids before we get there, just so we don’t forget anyone,” Thomas said with a small smile. “Bonnie was saying that they all have a favorite animatronic, so we’ve got: Mia, who’s sticking with Bonnie; Ben—he was the first kid missing and loves Monty; Robin—he likes Roxy; Flynn—he’s friends with Ian and they like Sun and Moon.” Thomas gave a shiver at this, but continued on. “Then we’ve got Ella, who’s deaf and likes—” 

“She’s what?!” Bonnie exclaimed, stopping dead in his tracks and causing Freddy to run into him. Gregory was surprised by the bump, tilting his head curiously.

“She's death?” he repeated, unsure exactly why the rabbit seemed so surprised. “We knew that, though…” 

Leon seemed surprised by Bonnie's reaction. Then again, perhaps she wasn't verbal? 

“That’s what the missing person’s report says, at least,” Leon remarked, intrigued by Bonnie’s reaction as well. 

“Deaf—d e a f,” Freddy clarified. “It means that she cannot hear very well, if at all.” 

“Oh, I had no idea…,” Bonnie murmured, shaking his head. “Since the kids aren’t… typical, we’re not able to scan their guest profile and see if they have anything like that going on.” He let out a little sigh. “No wonder she never talks…” 

“Mia seems to be able to communicate with her,” Freddy pointed out, gently gripping Bonnie’s shoulder. “So she was not completely without interaction all this time.”

Leon sighed, wondering how much Ella even knew what was going on compared to everyone else. It broke his heart, honestly. “Well, I'm sure she's not angry with anyone because of it. Does anyone know sign language?”

“We do,” Freddy replied, inclining his head towards Bonnie. “The animatronics are programmed with basic conversation abilities for multiple languages, including sign language.” 

“Well, that works out great!” Thomas said with a smile. “I think the report said she can also read lips, so maybe we can help too?” 

“Yeah,” Bonnie agreed with a nod, then began walking again, the bounce back in his step. “We’ll be sure to talk to her a lot tonight!”

“Wait, wait—maybe that's why she likes Music Man,” Gregory remarked with a little gasp. “Because he’s super loud!”

“Gregory, t-that’s a good point!” Thomas piped up, trying not to shake as they stepped into the elevator and his nerves spiked at the thought of what they were about to encounter. “The bass from the DJ’s music is super heavy—maybe she’s still able to hear it, or at least feel the vibrations?” 

Leon let out a half-hearted chuckle, feeling his own nerves kick up a notch. “At least he has more than enough hands to sign to her…”

Thomas snickered, though this was swiftly cut off as the elevator came to a stop and the doors opened onto a dim hallway. 

“Yup… definitely not a fan of this place,” he murmured under his breath. Bonnie and Freddy stepped out first, and Thomas moved close to Leon’s side as the pair began to follow. However, he froze in his tracks at the sight of nine endoskeletons lined up along the walls, all staring at them with glowing red eyes. He gripped Leon’s arm tightly, whispering: “O-Oh my god…” 

Bonnie was completely unfazed of course, strolling into the hallway with a cheerful grin. He spun in a slow circle as he spoke to the room. “Hi, guys! Guess what? We brought some new friends! These are the ones I’ve been telling you about who are helping us and made sure I got all fixed up!”

Leon looked around nervously. He wasn't quite as scared as Thomas, but he was certainly on edge. “Woah…” 

Gregory waved at the endoskeletons with a bright smile as soft whispers began to fill the room. “Hi guys! They're nice, I promise! They're helping us get you out!” 

“...They're helping us?” Mia asked slowly, surprised to find the random humans here. She wasn't sure how they knew the two, but if Gregory and Bonnie said they were nice then she didn't question it.

“Yeah, they’re doing some research on how to get you all out and wanted to meet you!” Bonnie stepped back to the guards, patting each on the shoulder as he said their names. “This is Thomas and this is Leon.” 

“H-Hey…,” Thomas squeaked in a voice barely more than a whisper, raising a tentative hand. The other was still clutched onto Leon’s arm. “N-Nice to m-meet you all…”

Leon waved his opposite hand, clearing his throat. “Hello, you guys... We've, uh—we’ve been doing some research on your situation and just wanted to stop by to say hi. Maybe—” He swallowed thickly, trying not to look directly into those red eyes. “—maybe see if we can figure a way to get you guys out quicker.” 

“...Bonnie, they think we're scary!” Ian mentioned worriedly.

“No, no, they don’t think you’re scary!” Bonnie instantly soothed, glancing at the guards out of the corner of his eye. They clearly did think that, but he didn’t want the kids to feel bad. 

“Y-yeah, we’re fine! I-It’s fine!” Thomas said in a high voice, attempting a shaky smile. He was clearly trying to reassure himself more than anyone else. “We’re j-just not used to—ooookay, that one moved!” 

Thomas suddenly shrieked, his nails digging into Leon’s arm as an endoskeleton to his right pitched forward slightly, a hand slowly rising towards him. The endo froze at his scream, though Ben’s telltale snicker could be heard echoing from that direction. 

“Hee hee! ‘Fraidy cat!” he whispered, obviously more amused than offended at the guard’s reaction. A few other chuckles from various kids could be heard around the room in response to his comment. 

“Ben, please…,” Freddy said with a mild sigh. He was worried the guards—mostly Thomas—might bolt if things became too much, which would just make things worse. 

Leon groaned as he felt Thomas scratching at his arm, quickly prying his hand off of him. “First off, ow—” 

“It's gonna be your fault if they don't help us, Ben,” Mia snapped, her eyes shifting towards the direction his endoskeleton stood. 

“Sorry, sorry!” Thomas apologized, holding his hands up as he looked around worriedly. He took a few steps closer to Freddy and Gregory, eying the endoskeleton that apparently housed Ben’s soul. “I-I’ll be fine, just… give me some warning next time, okay?” 

Ben remained silent, although his eyes shifted towards Mia and he slowly raised a shoulder up and down as if trying to shrug. 

“Nothing’s gonna stop them from helping you, don’t worry,” Bonnie reassured.

“…Really?” Flynn piped up softly next to him, staring at Thomas and Leon. “You’re REALLY gonna help?”

“Yep. We’ve already been doing tons of research,” Leon explained, rubbing the back of his neck. He couldn't help but still be nervous around the endoskeletons. They might just be kids inside, but they were still freaky. With a weak laugh, he mentioned: “I bet you guys can't wait to get back into your normal bodies, huh?” 

Gregory looked over at Flynn, grinning softly. “Yeah, they already helped me with my powers! That way when you guys are out, I can teach you guys!”

There was an excited murmuring at the mention of powers. Freddy smiled, giving Gregory a little squeeze. “Well, that certainly got them interested!” 

“I wanna have my body back…,” Flynn replied to Leon, shifting his hand ever so slightly.

“Yeah!” Ben piped up, his endo rocking from side to side. “’Cause then we can have cool powers like Gregory and ALSO we can play for real!” He let out a small gasp, rocking even faster as he stared at Thomas and Leon. “Do you guys know Monty?!” 

“Yeah, we… we sure do…,” Thomas replied, breathing deeply to get his heart rate to calm down. He glanced at Gregory and gave him a tentative pat on the head, smiling slightly as he thought of how much better this would be when the kids all looked like him.

Robin perked up visibly, his endoskeleton rocking. “I want superpowers too!” 

“I'll teach you guys everything you need to know!” Gregory confirmed, puffing out his chest proudly. Leon couldn't help but smile at Gregory's persistence. 

“Yesssss… Gregory, you rock!” Ben chimed in, and Thomas smiled as well. The more they talked, the easier it was to understand that there really were just little kids inside these robots. They might look terrifying, but they were surely even more scared of their own situation deep down. 

While Freddy and the others gave their attention to this conversation about superpowers, Bonnie sidled up to Mia and patted her hand gently. 

“We’ll get you all out soon, I promise,” he reassured, then asked: “I’ve got a question for you though: where’s Ella?” There were a few endos unaccounted for as they hadn’t spoken up yet, but of course it was impossible to tell which kids they housed by looks alone. 

Mia hesitated before pointing to the endoskeleton right beside her. It remained still, although it faced the direction of where Thomas, Leon, Gregory, and Freddy stayed put. 

“Right here. Why?” Mia asked curiously, staring blankly at Bonnie. 

“Did you know she’s hard of hearing?” Bonnie asked, taking a good look at Ella’s endo. Obviously it was hard to tell much from the generic robot shell, but now that he really looked Bonnie noted the slightly angled way she held herself, as if really straining to tune into the other’s conversation. 

Meanwhile, Ben was chattering excitedly with Gregory, wanting to know more about the powers he’d get. 

“What else can you do besides go invisible?!” he asked, since that was the only thing he could remember Gregory ever mentioning. “Can you fly?!” 

Gregory hummed, tapping his chin. “I can sorta float! But not a long time.” He answered Ben as he thought for a moment longer. “Oh, and I can possess stuff—it's so cool!”

“You can?!” Flynn chimed in, suddenly lifting a hand in excitement at Gregory’s claim and causing Thomas to startle. “Whoa…” 

“So can you guys, when you get out; I'll show you!” Gregory grinned, reaching out to give Ben a careful high-five.

Ben leaned forward, nearly falling over with the sudden movement but he managed to catch himself with a laugh and return Gregory’s high five with a slower one of his own. Gregory was surprised, giggling quietly. “I hope you don't fall like this when you're in your normal body!” 

“Ummmm... not ALL the time!” Ben clarified. He wasn't necessarily clumsy, just excitable—which often caused him to become off-balance in one way or another. 

Freddy chuckled at the obvious excitement in Ben’s tone. He kept one ear on Bonnie’s conversation but felt like the bunny should approach Ella’s situation on his own first. He didn’t want her to be overwhelmed by everyone suddenly trying to communicate with her at once. Thomas seemed to have the same thought, sticking by Freddy’s side but sparing the occasional glance towards the rabbit.

Mia thought to herself for a moment before nodding. “Well, yeah! She told me. That's why I answer for her a lot. She always says it's hard.” 

“Thank you for helping her; I’m sorry I didn’t realize unitl now!” Bonnie said with a soft smile. He then moved to stand directly in Ella’s line of sight and gave her a cheerful wave. When he was sure she was looking at him, he lifted his hands and began to sign as he spoke aloud. “Hi, Ella! Can you understand my signing? You can just nod if it’s hard to respond otherwise!” 

Bonnie’s language program should be the most updated out of all the animatronics’ due to his recent repairs, but he couldn’t be sure it was working properly unless Ella confirmed. He also knew it was hard for the endos to move; maybe that’s why she hadn’t signed to him before? That, or they’d just never noticed her doing so… 

Ella slowly turned to face Bonnie, her endoskeleton beginning to shake with excitement. She gave a stiff nod, slowly signing Bonnie's name with loud creaks. Her joints were a little rusted, but the sign for Bonnie's name seemed to be a movement she was particularly good at. 

“Oh, that’s great!” Bonnie exclaimed, signing as he spoke. His robotic mind automatically catalogued that when speaking to Ella he must sign at all times, and now he would never forget. “I’m sorry I never tried this before; I didn’t know you couldn’t hear us very well! It’ll be a lot easier for you when we get you out of there!” He paused, pointing to Thomas and Leon before pulling his hand back. “Did you catch who these guys are and why they’re here?” 

Freddy, who was watching Bonnie and Ella from afar with a soft smile, noted how well she responded and catalogued the same language protocol as Bonnie. He’d be sure to tell the other animatronics the next time they saw them too. 

'Thank you. Yes—Gregory said they’ll help us.' she answered, soon lowering her hands to her sides. 

“They sure will!” Bonnie signed back with a grin.

While everyone was distracted, one endo had been sloooowly reaching towards Leon while its counterpart watched excitedly. She’d really wanted to go for Thomas since he'd made that funny scream earlier, but he was too far away... So, curious and having seen no reason to be afraid of the human, Lily carefully reached forward and gently tugged the bottom of Leon's shirt. She quickly pulled her hand back before he could see her move, giggling like crazy with Ivy. 

Leon was quick to turn as he felt the tug, although he saw the endoskeletons standing completely still behind him. He shuddered, immediately moving to the opposite side of Thomas. 

“These kids are a lot creepier than they look in their pictures…,” he mumbled quietly. 

“You two are so silly!” Gregory laughed at the twins. “They say my name wrong all the time, but it's okay because they're still learning!”

“Nu-uh!” Ivy piped up, though her endo remained still. “We talk GOOD, Gregory!” Though of course it came out as the usual “Gwegowy,” only emphasizing the boy's point. 

“Those are Lily and Ivy, the twins,” Freddy informed Leon as the guards huddled together. He tilted his head, intrigued by Leon's comment. “You have seen pictures of them?” 

“Yeah, they're on the missing person's posters,” Thomas murmured quietly, looking around for any sign of movement. “They don't hang them up in the Pizzaplex because, y'know, bad publicity... but we can show you and the other animatronics later if you want. Oh shii—OOT! Shoot!” 

He hissed the near-curse, instinctively latching onto Freddy's arm for safety as he caught one of the endos twisting its head to stare directly at him out of the corner of his eye. His fingers brushed against Gregory's back and the cold caused him to yelp again, though he only clung tighter once he realized it was just the ghost he was familiar with. 

“Their families posted lots of photos of them online, too,” Leon added, watching Thomas lose his cool yet again.  

“Perhaps we could see them sometime?” Freddy asked Leon in an equally quiet voice. “Once we are out of here, of course; I do not want to distress anyone…” 

“Sure thing.” Leon nodded with a sad sort of smile, patting his back pocket. “I'm pretty sure I can show everyone on my phone when we leave.”  

“They're not mean, Thomas—they won't hurt you!” Gregory insisted, noting that the guard was trembling again.

“I know, I know!” Thomas replied, letting out a frustrated sigh. “I don’t think they’ll hurt me, I-I just… startle easily…” 

“Here, Thomas, come spend some time with us!” Bonnie called, signing as he spoke so Ella could keep track of what was happening. Bonnie gave a small laugh, gesturing for Thomas to join him. “This group is a little calmer!” 

Mia smiled, nodding her head ever so slowly. “We won't do anything. I don't know about Ben, though…”

Thomas quickly stepped over to Bonnie, looking quite relieved already to be away from the endoskeletons that seemed to move the most. He gave Mia and Ella a wave and a small smile. “Hi; I am excited to meet you, despite how it looks!” He noticed Bonnie signing next to him and added: “I can’t sign, but are you able to read my lips, Ella?” 

Ella's endoskeleton slowly nodded in response, and she began signing the word 'hug' repeatedly. 

Bonnie’s expression instantly softened. “You want a hug?” 

Thomas was surprised, but this only lasted for a second—she was just a kid after all, and though they all went through some horrific things, Ella had another level of tough communication to get past. She was clearly missing the connection with others a lot. Thomas smiled as well. 

“A hug from m-me or Bonnie?” he asked, steeling himself with a couple deep breaths before holding his arms out hesitantly. “I dunno h-how well you all c-can feel, but Gregory s-says I’m pretty warm, s-so…”

Ella didn't seem to quite understand what Thomas was saying through his stutter, simply making the sign for hug once again. Although seeing Thomas open his arms up, the endoskeleton began shaking before slowly stepping forward. The arms couldn't completely wrap around him, but it was the best hug she could do in her current state.

Thomas froze at the embrace—quite literally. The endoskeleton was ice cold, much colder than Freddy had been when Thomas grabbed his arm a few minutes before. He reasoned this was probably due to a few factors, the most notable being the ghost trapped inside the metal shell. 

His immediate instinct to seeing the endo come towards him was to run, but Thomas resisted. Instead he let Ella take her time, getting close until she was doing all she could to embrace him. He quickly wrapped his arms around her—the positioning was awkward, but they managed well enough. 

“Aww… I want a hug too…,” Flynn murmured at the sight, shifting slightly. 

“Me too, me too!” the twins exclaimed, and they began reaching towards Leon who was the closest human.

Ian heard Flynn pouting, immediately turning his endoskeleton body towards him and holding his arms out for him. “Hug me, Flynn! Hug me!” 

Flynn quickly turned to Ian and attempted an embrace, though their endos sort of just clinked together as they tried not to catch on each other’s wires. 

Eventually, Ella pulled back and turned to hug Bonnie, her endoskeleton beginning to slightly tilt over. 

 “Careful!” Bonnie said with a laugh, setting Ella’s endo back up so it was steady before reaching forward to give her a little squeeze. He then moved to Mia, wrapping his arms around her as well. “I didn’t wanna pressure you guys until you were ready, but I’ve been wanting to do this for so long!” 

Ella didn't move, simply watching Bonnie sign. It wasn't long until she replied with a simple 'I’m happy'.

“Good!” Bonnie signed back with a bright smile. He’d heard from Mia that the kids were relatively content—well, as much as they could be given the situation—but it was nice to hear it from someone else. Bonnie soon turned to the one endoskeleton who’d yet to speak, conveniently standing on Ella’s other side. Bonnie reached towards it with a grin, murmuring as he hugged it: “Don’t think I forgot about you, Katie! C’mere!” 

Katie was usually quite silent, only because she was shy. However, she did have her moments when she became talkative. Nonetheless, the endoskeleton's arms lifted to hug onto Bonnie. 

Leon grimaced at the sight of the twins reaching out for him. He simply held his arms out and closed the distance between them to carefully hug the tall endoskeletons. The twins giggled wildly, grabbing at his clothes with creaking metal fingers in an attempt to get closer. Thomas watched this interaction with wide eyes, surprised that Leon would actually do such a thing and very entertained by the whole ordeal now that the focus was off him for a second. 

“You’re nice!” Ivy proclaimed, giggling when she saw the expression on his face after releasing him. 

Lily’s endoskeleton rocked slightly as she giggled as well and added: “Yeah! And you make funny faces!” 

Leon flattened out his shirt, sighing softly. “I guess I do make pretty good funny faces… Thomas’s are crazier, though.” 

Gregory looked around before giggling quietly and leaning against Freddy’s leg. “You guys must feel so tall!”

“We are used to it,” Freddy replied with a simple shrug. “Thomas and Leon are a bit easier to reach than the children we usually interact with, though!” 

Gregory clung to his metallic guardian, glancing down the hall. He went silent for a moment before suddenly posing a question in a soft voice. “Hey, Freddy—when can we leave?” 

The bear could tell Gregory was uncomfortable about something, though he wasn’t sure what it could be—he’d seemed perfectly fine just a minute ago. Freddy took stock of the room, then hoisted his son into his arms with a nod. “I suppose we can go soon, if you wish.” 

Gregory nodded his head quickly. “Yes please!” 

Freddy gave him a little squeeze, then turned to Thomas and Leon. “Gregory is ready to head up for the night.” 

“Okay!” Thomas said, quickly walking to Freddy’s side. He was a lot more comfortable with the endoskeleton kids than when he’d stepped into the basement, although they still unnerved him. Nonetheless, he waved to the room, giving the ghosts a smile. “We’re gonna do our best to get you guys out as soon as possible, okay? Just hang in there a little longer!” 

“…I think I’m gonna hang with the kids some more,” Bonnie said once he’d let go of Katie. He looked at Thomas and Leon with a huge grin. “Thanks for everything, guys! I’ll meet up with you before 6am, don’t worry.”

“We'll see you soon, then,” Leon replied as he waved around the room as well. 

Gregory waved goodbye, although he kept his face burrowed in Freddy's neck. All he wanted was to get out of the basement and get rid of that scary dream he kept thinking about.

After hearing a few murmured goodbyes from the kids, the group headed to the elevator. Once they were moving up, Freddy glanced down at Thomas, absently rubbing soothing circles on Gregory’s back as he talked. “Leon said that he will be able to show us pictures of what the children look like; would it be alright for me to call Roxy, Chica, and Monty so they can also view them tonight? We can show the other animatronics another time.” 

“Oh! Yeah, that’s fine,” Thomas agreed with a nod. Honestly, after what he’d just seen in the basement, Monty now seemed a lot less intimidating simply because he had an outer casing… even if it had a lot of teeth. Thomas gave a small laugh, shaking his head. “That was both better and more terrifying than I expected… but I’m really glad we saw them.” He nudged Leon with a grin. “Those twins really seemed took a shine to you.” 

Leon rolled his eyes, nudging Thomas back. “I guess. Not sure why kids like me so much.” He shrugged, slipping his hands into his pockets.

“You are very good with them, even if you do not realize it, Leon,” Freddy said with a smile. He then went quiet for a moment, staring into space and blinking a few times before coming back to himself. “I have contacted the others; they will meet us in our room shortly.” 

“Sounds good,” Thomas said as the elevator doors opened, then practically sprinted out into the hallway. Once in the open space, he let out a huge breath. “Ahh… man I feel so bad for those kids being stuck down there; that place is so claustrophobic—”

The poor guard barely got to speak before Monty suddenly jumped out and grabbed him by the shoulders, letting out a loud roar which even startled Gregory. Leon immediately hid behind Freddy, eyes wide with surprise as he held back a surprised yell. 

“HOLY SHIT!” Thomas screamed at the top of his lungs, instantly whipping out his flashlight and smacking Monty squarely on the snout. He wasn’t a violent person by any means, but the combination of residual nerves from the basement coupled with being grabbed by the huge gator was enough to send him overboard. His mind seemed to disconnect from his usual demeanor as he wrenched out of the animatronic’s grasp and gave him another slightly less aggressive smack on the arm. “MONTY FOR THE LAST FUCKING TIME, DON’T FUCKING SCARE ME LIKE THAT OKAY?!”

 Freddy’s eyes widened at Thomas’s language, covering Gregory’s ears a second too late. He was so focused on the scene in front of him that he barely registered Leon hide behind him.

Monty was surprised by the smack. Of course it didn't hurt, but now he had a small dent in his snout. He was frozen in shock by Thomas' choice of words more than anything. It seemed Chica had heard as well as she slowly rounded the corner, her mouth wide open with surprise. She figured Monty was the culprit of the scare, but what a reaction. Leon was silent for a moment before he suddenly started chuckling, turning away from Freddy to avoid being scolded for laughing at the string of cuss words.

“...Oops,” Thomas muttered once he'd calmed down, grimacing as he stared at the crowd around him. Thank god Freddy was programmed to be so docile, or else he feared for his life for what Gregory must've overheard. He quickly returned his flashlight to his belt, stepping back up to Monty and looking at the dent. “Aww, geez, s-sorry Monty...” 

Freddy did have something to say, but he didn't want to say it in front of Gregory. The boy had been exposed to more negative language in the last thirty seconds than Freddy wanted him to hear in a lifetime. 

Roxy rounded the corner with Chica, her mouth open in shock as well. However, as she spotted Leon trying to hold in his laughter she lost it—she busted out laughing, holding her stomach as she didn't even bother trying to contain herself. Monty wasn't planning to laugh, although with Roxy and Leon already doing so he couldn't help but giggle as well. 

“It's okay! Don't worry about it!” the gator insisted with a wave of his hand. “It's not gonna stop me, though!” 

Gregory wasn't sure what they were talking about now that his ears were covered, simply lifting his gaze to meet Freddy's. “What'd he say?!” 

Monty glanced over with a grin. “He said something along the lines of—”

“Montgomery Gator, do not even think about it!” Freddy said quickly, shooting Monty the fiercest glare he could, which made Thomas shiver. Even the friendly bear could be terrifying when he wanted to be... Thomas would hate to be on his bad side, although he had a feeling he was on thin ice based on the way Freddy's gaze soon snapped to his. 

“Aww, come on, Monty...,” Thomas groaned, quickly looking away. “Just give me a break, will you? For like... a week?” 

“Good luck with that!” Roxy said loudly, stepping up to Monty and patting him on the shoulder. “We scare you guys because your reactions are so fun! Leon's aren't as crazy, but we still get him pretty good.” She met Leon's gaze, flashing a mouthful of sharp teeth as her tail wagged slowly.

“Oh my goodness...” Freddy sighed heavily, then put on a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes as it usually did. “Shall we move to our room to avoid any further incidents? I believe Thomas and Leon have something to show us.” 

“Y-Yeah, let's go!” Thomas agreed quickly with a vigorous nod, turning on his heel and marching towards Rockstar Row.

Leon was quick to follow Thomas, smirking as he glanced at him out of the corner of his eyes. “Well, would you look at that… scolded by the animatronics once again. Potty Mouth.”

“Listen, I got overwhelmed, okay?!” Thomas muttered, jabbing Leon in the side with his elbow. “You try getting grabbed by a huge alligator robot with a billion teeth and see how you react!” 

“You guys must've had fun with the kids!” Chica mentioned, deciding a topic change would be splendid.

“Yes, it was a very good visit! The twins were raving about you, as usual—and I believe they have made a new friend!” Freddy inclined his head towards Leon, then shifted his gaze to the boy in his arms. He wondered if showing Gregory the pictures of the kids would upset him... Although he had a feeling he’d probably want to know what his new friends looked like.

Chica squealed with delight upon Freddy mentioning the twins, clasping her hands together. “Oh, that’s so wonderful! I'm glad they're coming out of their shells!” 

“Speaking of the kids, that’s actually why Freddy called you over,” Thomas said as the group all shuffled inside the slightly cramped space. “Leon and I have pictures that were filed with their missing persons reports—what they really look like, I mean.” 

“Really?!” Roxy exclaimed, her tail wagging excitedly. It was kind of weird that their pictures weren’t already in their databases, but then again… the virus had wiped a lot of stuff from their memory banks.

Gregory perked up, looking over at Leon as the guard pulled his phone out and began searching through the web. 

“There, that’s the article we found with all of them listed,” Thomas said, pointing at a link as Leon almost scrolled past it. When opened, the article contained a few short paragraphs of the situation at the Pizzaplex, though of course there was a startling lack of any useful information. Towards the end of the page there was a list of all missing children reported so far, containing a picture and a little blurb of important info that might be useful in finding them.

Leon quickly clicked the link and opened up the article. He scrolled down until the first picture popped up—the grinning face of a boy no older than Gregory, with a mop of unruly dark hair flopping slightly over his eyes. “Here's Ben.” 

Monty was quick to look over Roxy's shoulder, gasping quietly. “Aww, he's so darn cute!” 

“Oh, that’s Ella!” Thomas said as the next picture popped up, showing a girl with a light blonde bob and huge blue eyes. 

“That must be Ian,” Roxy said when the next boy appeared, sporting a frizzy blonde head of hair that rivaled the wolf’s. “Aww man, look at that cute little mane—Sun’s gonna have to get my advice on how to take care of that!” She threw back her head in a laugh.

“Oh! Ivy and Lily!” Chica squealed, resting a hand over where her heart would be. Identical curious faces as expected, with baby fat still clinging to their cheeks. “How precious!” 

“There's Katie!” Monty added, grinning softly, pointing to the only redhead of the group, her locks pulled up into matching pigtails. “Man, they're all so tiny and adorable!” 

Gregory remained silent as he watched then scroll through the photos of the kids. He was happy to finally see what his new friends looked like—they all seemed so nice and friendly. Still, seeing all the effort the people looking for them had gone through begged a question that’d been running through Gregory’s mind:

Where was his report? 

“And the last ones,” Freddy said, making sure Gregory could see the tiny screen as well. There was a girl with hair black as night, braided down to her waist, and a little boy with soft, ocean blue eyes and an even softer expression. “Mia, Flynn, and—” 

“There’s my boy Robin!” Roxy exclaimed, a huge grin on her face as she took in the bespectacled boy at the end of the list. “Aww, those glasses!”

“That’s… all of them,” Thomas announced quietly as Leon got to the edge of the page. He glanced up at Freddy and Gregory, seeing the slightly confused expression on the boy’s face. This kid really was a mystery to not be included with all the others…

Gregory was happy to finally see what his new friends looked like! They all seemed so nice and friendly. But still—

“What about me?! I wanna see my picture, too!” Gregory insisted, looking to Thomas as Leon exited the browser and shoved his phone back into his pocket.

“O-Oh, um…” Thomas glanced at his coworker, then to Freddy, before looking back at the boy with an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry Gregory, but we… we weren’t able to find any records of you. Like… anywhere.”

Freddy simply held Gregory close as Thomas spoke. It was just like Vanessa told him all those nights ago: Gregory wasn’t registered in any personal database system, let alone the guestbook at the Pizzaplex. It was like they boy just didn’t exist, at least to the rest of the world. The whole situation sent a pang of sadness through Freddy’s mechanical heart.

Gregory frowned softly. “...But that's not fair! Everyone else got a picture and I didn't.”

Leon hesitated before slowly pulling his phone out. He lifted the camera up to Gregory, taking a quick picture of him before checking it out in the gallery. He was definitely in the photo, although there were some areas of his body that were blurry. “Look at this—I got a picture of you right here!”

“Oh, how wonderful!” Freddy exclaimed, shooting Leon a thankful smile. “We can all take lots of pictures together, Gregory—how does that sound?”

“Yeah, and when the kids are out, we can take pictures with them, too!” Thomas said, pulling out his phone as well. He moved to stand next to Freddy and Gregory, angling his phone so that when he held it up, the three of them were in the shot. He grinned, finger over the button.

“Smile! Ooh, that’s a good one!” Thomas said, showing off the selfie. “We can pick up a photo album for you sometime—y’know, since you don’t have a phone to store everything in. You can just print them out the old-fashioned way!”

“I want one!” Roxy exclaimed, hands on her hips. “Me and Robin are gonna take a bunch of pictures too!”

“Perhaps you can pick an album for each animatronic?” Freddy suggested, looking at the guards. He then gave a small laugh. “Someday we could decorate them with the kids in the daycare!”

“We can definitely do that,” Thomas reassured with a smile. His eyes widened slightly as he caught sight of the time. “Oh, shoot—we’ve gotta get back to the security office; management actually asked us to check up on a few things tonight…”

“Alright,” Freddy replied with a nod. “Thank you for everything; the children were very happy to meet you!”

Gregory waved at the two before shifting back to his second and hiding away in Freddy’s embrace. Leon was going to wave back, although he noticed Gregory had already disappeared.

What an interesting kid.

***

It wasn't long until the entire group dispersed, leaving Freddy and Gregory in their room. Despite Gregory’s earlier desire for some down time, for some reason he just couldn’t keep still. They played some games, read some stories, and tried anything they could to ease his nerves.

Yet no matter what they tried, Gregory was antsy.

Eventually, the pair decided they might as well take a trip back to the basement to see if Gregory could work off some nervous energy chatting with the kids. It felt like they’d spent days in Freddy’s room, when it really hadn’t been more than an hour. The guards were back in their office, the animatronics were practicing their musical skills, and Bonnie was still downstairs with the kids.

As Freddy walked them to the elevator, a slow feeling that something was wrong crept up his mechanical spine. He looked around, trying to spot anything amiss, but saw nothing out of the ordinary. Still, he clutched Gregory tighter and picked up his pace. Maybe he’d swing by the security office later and ask Thomas and Leon if they noticed something on the cameras…

It wasn’t until they were a few feet away from the elevator that Freddy definitely heard a shuffling noise. He whirled around, holding Gregory against his chest protectively as he called out: “Is someone there?”

Hopefully it was just Monty trying to “greet” them again, but… this time, that turned out not to be the case.

Gregory lifted his head as Freddy spoke up, looking over his shoulder to check where Freddy’s eye line was pointed. Instantly, the boy started to shake.

“N-No… Freddy, I-I'm scared…,” Gregory whispered, a feeling of absolute dread washing over him in a suffocating wave.

A figure was slowly making their way out of the dark shadows. They were thin and ragged, but that striking blonde hair and exhausted expression were unmistakable.

Vanessa.

***

Masterlist of chapters on Tumblr here!

Please check out The Superstar Series on ao3 for all fics in this series: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2726401

[angelofrainfrogs]

We Found Him, Superstar: Ch. 18

Fandom: Five Nights At Freddy’s: Security Breach

Description: Since starting his new afterlife at the Pizzaplex, Gregory has managed to befriend the Glamrock animatronics and made a surprising discovery—Bonnie’s been hidden in the basement warehouse this entire time, badly decommissioned but still powered on. Along with Bonnie are the endoskeletons that, no longer under the virus’s control, seem much more sentient than normal animatronics… Gregory and his friends are determined to get Bonnie back into commission and figure out the mysteries of what exactly these endoskeletons are—and how to help them, too.

Chapter Summary: Now that Gregory’s starting to get a handle on his powers, the guards’ research has shifted towards Fazbear Entertainment’s sordid past. They hope to find some clues as to who and why would do such a thing to all those kids... Though the answers might be much closer than they anticipated.

Rating: T

Read on Ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/38728158/chapters/110516251

Freddy marched himself and Gregory over to the West Arcade, where Music Man was asleep as usual. They opted to let him rest this time and were soon knocking on the security office door. 

“Hello, Thomas and Leon? We received your note!” Freddy called, hearing a loud yelp followed by some muttered cursing which caused Gregory to giggle. Thankfully, the words were indistinguishable this time. After a few seconds Thomas came to the door, peering out the little window with narrowed eyes. 

“H-Hey!” he said, trying to sound cheerful even though something was clearly distressing him. “You, uh… y-you don’t happen to have the d-daycare attendants with you, d-do you?”

“Nope!” Gregory confirmed, leaning forward in Freddy’s hold to plant his hands on the window. On the other side of the glass, a small set of frosty handprints appeared. “Now let us in!” 

Though Thomas might still be terrified of the daycare attendants, he was totally cool with the little ghost boy practically glued to Freddy’s side. That didn’t stop him from gasping at the sudden appearance of the handprints, though.

“They are not with us,” Freddy reassured, smiling down at the guard through the window. “May we come in?” 

“…Sure,” Thomas replied with a nod, unlocking the heavy-duty door that was meant specifically to keep animatronics out. He tried not to think about why those sort of doors had been installed in the first place as he stepped aside and gestured for Freddy to enter. “Sorry about that; we, uh… we saw Sun walking out of the daycare and when the lights started going out so Moon could follow, we figured they were with you two…”

“Yeah... and Thomas had me put the note on the door,” Leon added, swiveling in his chair to glare back at his coworker. 

 “And I can’t thank you enough for that, oh wonderful pal of mine!” Thomas said, his expression flipping into a grin as he walked over to Leon and gripped his shoulder appreciatively. 

“Tell them they were meeting the kids!” Gregory insisted as he gently shook Freddy's arm to get him to speak up.

“I am sorry if the sight of them distressed you,” Freddy apologized, though he let out a small chuckle at the guards’ interaction. “We were taking Sun and Moon to visit the children in the basement.”

“Figured as much; no worries,” Leon assured, crossing his ankles and leaning back comfortably in his chair. “So, were you able to read through most of the papers we gave you the other night?”

“We were!” Freddy replied, his eyes lighting up with excitement. “Gregory and I believe we understand his visibility to certain entities, or lack thereof—the three ‘layers’ of existence that Gregory can switch between.” 

“Oh yeah, Leon was telling me about that,” Thomas said with a nod, crossing his arms in front of his chest and leaning against the desk next to Leon’s chair. “I’m not sure I get it a hundred percent, but the concept is clear enough…” 

“We deduced that the reason animatronics can see Gregory is because our eyes are cameras,” Freddy explained, blinking as if to emphasize this fact. “If he can figure out how to switch to the first layer, then he should become visible to you both! He has done it once before, though it was accidental.”

Leon nodded his head slowly, offering Freddy a small smile. “You know, I think I heard about a boy running around the backrooms, but no one could find him. I'm guessing he's the culprit?” He jerked a thumb towards Freddy’s seemingly empty arms. 

“And speaking of culprits, you won't believe the amount of shit we—sorry—stuff, we dug through while searching the history of Fazbear Entertainment,” Thomas went on, grimacing at Freddy’s glare. “It wasn't too much information since they know how to cover their tracks, but there’s a pretty good web forum with a lot of theories and the few facts we can confirm.” 

Leon slowly rolled his chair over to click around his monitor a few times. It soon opened up to a webpage with dozens upon dozens of comments underneath a photo of the original Fazbear's Pizzeria. 

Freddy stepped up to the computer monitor, holding Gregory securely as he bent to look closer at the screen. He tried to make sense of what he was reading, but without all the facts the pieces of information didn't quite connect. Still, one thing was abundantly clear— 

“So many children have gone missing over the years...,” Freddy murmured softly. There was a minor disagreement in the comments about just how many kids had actually disappeared and whether these children were also confirmed dead, but the results seemed inconclusive. However, a few dates kept popping up, some of which seemed very important: 

1983... 

1987... 

2012…

“Yeah, this place... it has some bad history,” Thomas commented, watching the animatronic's eyes scan the screen. He frowned, placing his hands on the desk and tapping his fingers as he thought aloud. “But one of the weirdest things is whenever a bunch of kids went missing, it seemed... consistent. Like, it was always the same pattern—one kid here or there mysteriously disappeared until it was starting to get noticeable, then things would stop for a bit, and then crazy stuff would happen at whatever restaurant was involved at the time... And no one ever found the bodies.” 

“There's a lot of theories pointing to one of the original creators of Fazbear Entertainment—William Afton,” Leon said, sighing as he slowly scrolled through the comments. “Police even arrested him at one point, but there wasn’t enough proof to prosecute him. Then he vanished, leaving the whole thing to his business partner, Henry… and then he went missing too and the name was taken over by some big corporate.” 

Gregory gasped, patting Freddy’s shoulder frantically. “So it is him! William’s the guy in the bunny suit!” 

“Yes...,” Freddy agreed with a grimace, standing up straight. “It seems as though he was telling the truth about his identity.” 

“...Who was telling what?” Thomas asked, tilting his head curiously. Then he gasped, patting his pockets until he found his phone. “Oh, Gregory, I'm sorry—I didn't set up the spirit box app! Give me a sec and you can talk to us, too!” 

“There is... something else we need to tell you,” Freddy said slowly as Thomas plugged in his phone and got things ready. Freddy looked at Leon, being the more focused of the two guards. “But first, I must ask: what do you know about the incident that occurred in the Pizzaplex just before you were hired? Besides what we have told you about the fates of the missing children, of course.”

Leon flashed Thomas with a worried look. What else did they have to say? “Well, I didn't know much at all. Like I told you, Fazbear Entertainment keeps things super hush-hush. I barely started figuring out about any missing children this week… And the previous night guard disappeared, so it’s not like we could’ve asked them, anyway; I don’t even know their name.” 

“Wait—can I tell them everything now?!” Gregory asked, figuring now would be the best time to say anything still relatively fresh in his memory. 

Freddy nodded. “I think they need to know; I will explain first and you can add anything I missed, alright?” 

“Freddy... y-you're really freaking us out now,” Thomas said, finally getting situated back his spot next to Leon, his phone at the ready for whenever Freddy gave the que. He stared up at the animatronic nervously, knowing that whatever they were about to hear wasn't going to be good. 

“Well, when the previous night guard was here—Vanessa, was her name—the Pizzaplex underwent a massive virus attack,” Freddy began, gazing down at the guards. “It infected most of the animatronics and caused them to become violent during nightshift hours, and anyone in their way would suffer the consequences.” 

He paused, remembering all that Gregory had been through, and held him even closer. 

“Thankfully, I was the only one unaffected, and Gregory managed to find me despite everything. That night, we worked together to uncover what happened and hopefully put an end to things. Admittedly, we still do not entirely know how the virus was created, but we do know why—there is an... entity underneath the Pizzaplex and he was trying to rise to power, using the animatronics to do his bidding with the help of his assistant—who we later learned was in fact Vanessa. I cannot call the entity 'human' because I fear he has not been that way for a long time, but... the cause of all this distress was William Afton himself.”

Leon simply sat and listened from start to finish, although his terrified expression told Gregory and Freddy quite enough. As the robot finished his explanation, Leon rubbed at his face with a heavy sigh. “You… you can't say that so calmly, Freddy. Are you seriously trying to tell us that William Afton is literally underneath the first floor of the Pizzaplex? And it's accessible?!” 

“He was so ugly too!” Gregory added, shaking his head as he nuzzled himself closer towards the protective bear. The mere thought of the man tangentially responsible for his demise brought back that deep-rooted fear inside his soul.

Freddy blinked. “I am sorry; it is in my programming to speak calmly in stressful situations so as not to enhance the negative emotions of those around me.” 

“Holy shit, Freddy, what the hell—ugh, sorry,” Thomas groaned, his knuckles white as he gripped the desk behind him, his phone long-since absently put to the side. “B-But... is Leon right—is William here?!” 

“Technically yes,” Freddy responded, still in his measured tone. Now that he'd had a few weeks to process everything, it was in his nature to explain the facts as they were. Besides, he worried if he started getting too emotional himself, it might bring back what he'd felt that night when they were underground... and he never wanted to experience fear or anger like that again. 

“Do you recall the old elevator shaft in Roxy Raceway that has been permanently sealed off from guests and employees? It leads down into the depths of the facility—the Pizzaplex was actually built on top of a restaurant called Freddy Fazbear's Pizza Place that burned down, and that is where William was hiding. As I said, I am not sure what exactly he was—it appeared that his human body was somehow melded to an endoskeleton, but... I do not think he will be coming back anytime soon.” 

Freddy shifted his gaze to Gregory, the memory of the blob clear as day in both their minds. Leon stayed silent as he listened carefully, narrowing his eyes. 

“’Melded to an endoskeleton...?’” he mumbled quietly, swiveling back to his computer to begin typing furiously. “Do you remember anything else about him? Anything at all?” 

“He was taking parts from Bonnie! And Vanessa was controlled by him, and she killed everyone!” Gregory explained, jumping between topics and unsure which to explain first. “And there were voices from the blob-thingy, and… and…” 

Gregory took a moment to catch his breath, reminding himself that the security guards couldn't hear him just yet.

“Yes, William was... taking parts from Bonnie,” Freddy explained, hearing Gregory's thoughts and trying to organize them as best he could. “The base animatronic of his body was a Bonnie-themed model, hence why ours was targeted. This is also why his follower, Vanessa—although I believe she went by 'Vanny' at the time—wore a rabbit-themed guise. She, ah...” He paused, his gaze shifting between the guards. “She is the one that murdered all of the children, including Gregory. William gave her the order to do so, as he was incapacitated and not able to physically do it himself.” 

“Holy shit...,” Thomas muttered again, not even registering his cursing at this point. “God, no wonder you guys didn't trust us at all, if the night guard was the one who—” He cut himself off with a shiver. 

“She was being manipulated,” Freddy felt the need to clarify. “Somehow, William was controlling her—it was as if she was infected with the virus, too.” Freddy shook his head, a haunted look overtaking his bright eyes. “And… William almost took control of me towards the end, but Gregory was able to stop him. He can likely tell you more.” 

Thomas took the hint and held up his phone towards Freddy's arms, honestly grateful he didn't need to speak again right at that moment. He pressed a button and the familiar static filled the room, ready for Gregory to communicate. 

Leon wasn't speaking at this point. Instead, he seemed to be searching for more answers, though he kept one ear on the conversation as he clicked rapidly through a backlog of photos.

Gregory perked up as he heard the white noise, leaning into the microphone. “She was going to use our souls to bring him back! But this giant blob took him, and I think they were other spirits!” 

“SHE.... USE... OUR... SOULS... BRING... HIM... BACK...” the little voice cut through the static. “BUT... BLOB... TOOK... HIM... THINK... THEY... WERE... SPIRITS” 

Thomas simply blinked at his phone, then shook his head lightly. “Freddy, you're definitely gonna have to translate that one...” 

“Vanessa said that William needed human souls to be 'revived,' and apparently children's souls are the most potent—hence their targeted victims,” Freddy explained. “However, as we were escaping the underground restaurant, we came across a mass of wires that seemed to be alive somehow... Thinking back on it with all we know now, Gregory and I believe it was possessed by human souls. It seemed their anger was directed solely towards William and they spoke in a whisper similar to the children in the endoskeletons, so we think they may be previous victims.” He shook his head lightly. “I do not know how they would have gotten down there though, nor why they would be in such a state... or even who they would be, since all the children that went missing in the Pizzaplex itself have been accounted for.”

Leon suddenly pulled back from the computer, turning the screen towards Gregory and Freddy. The image on the screen was of a golden-suited Bonnie and Freddy on stage, grainy but unmistakable. They were poised mid-performance, and a small crowd of kids in birthday hats were gathered around staring up at them in wonder. 

“…Do you two know who these characters are?” Leon asked slowly. 

“That's him!” Gregory immediately pointed out, shaking Freddy’s arm. “That's William!” 

“THAT'S... HIM... WILLIAM...” 

“Those are the original models of the Freddy and Bonnie suits, developed by William Afton,” Freddy clarified, the image on screen instantly pulling up a file from the depths of his databank. “They were referred to as 'springlock suits' because of their patented mechanism allowing them to be used as either a shell for an animatronic endoskeleton, or worn by a human as a costume. However, they were banned from employee use not long after their initial creation because of their potential hazard of the springlocks closing... while a human... was still inside...” 

Freddy trailed off as he finished his explanation, eyes growing wide as something started to click. 

Leon glanced over at Thomas, gently nodding his head. “So William didn’t just disappear… This whole time he’s been trapped in the suit. Who knows what happened, but… If kids’ souls can be bonded to endoskeletons, who’s to say that psycho’s whole damn body couldn’t be stuck in that death-trap, too?” He swallowed thickly, his face growing pale. “God… At least we can confirm he was responsible behind all those kids going missing, lack of ‘proof’ be damned.” 

Thomas’s breath notably hitched, his face nearly as pale as the ghost in Freddy’s arms. “W-What’s wrong with him?! Why… why the fuck would he…?”

“It seemed like this all started going downhill after his youngest son died,” Leon went on with a grimace. He certainly didn’t have any concrete answers, but thanks to the internet they had a place to start. “I was able to find his obituary online—Evan Afton was his name. Someone on the forum claims to be the kid of one of the witnesses for his untimely death and gave some more details: in 1983, Evan was put into the jaws of the Freddy springlock suit and it of course... you know.” 

He paused to let that information sink in, letting out a long breath. 

“Apparently his brother Michael did it as a joke. It was at his birthday party too, the poor kid… The person on the forum said their father was friends with Michael and attended the party, but never saw him again after that day—for obvious reasons, I’m guessing.” Leon minimized the picture, sighing softly. “I just wonder... was William forced into the suit, or did he put it on? Especially if he knew the kind of damage it could do…””

“Oh god...,” Thomas whispered, turning off the app as his hands started shaking too much to hold his phone properly. Instead he gripped the back of Leon's chair with one hand, pressing the other over his mouth as if he was about to be sick. “That's horrendous... I can't imagine climbing into one of those things, let alone getting...urgh—” He turned away, taking a few calming breaths before muttering softly. “And that poor kid—getting... g-getting killed by his own family... Even if it was meant as a joke, how the hell would his brother think putting his head in that thing was a good idea?!” 

“Michael was relatively young at the time as well; he likely did not fully understand the potential consequences of his actions,” Freddy defended, earning a look of surprise from the guards as a strange feeling he couldn’t quite identify washed over him. He'd never met the boy, of course—records from his databank showed that he'd gone missing just like his father, though at a later date—but for some unknown reason Freddy felt as though, as usual, people had been far too quick to judge Michael’s actions. 

However, he had no idea where this wayward thought came from, and this wasn't the topic to focus on right now. Instead, he met Leon's gaze. “Perhaps whatever William was doing, at least initially, was related to his son's death. Maybe he was trying to replace him, or...” Freddy glanced down at the ghost in his arms. “...Or bring him back?”

“Is that why I wasn't put in an endoskeleton, too?” Gregory asked curiously, scratching the top of his head. He wasn't sure how the puzzle was being added up; it didn't really process in his mind like it did for the others, but all he knew was this situation was a bad one. 

Leon shuddered. “I'm not sure, but if he's down there we have to make sure he stays there. We can't let him potentially create some other sort of virus again. Clearly he’s smart since he did this whole thing right under everyone’s nose—he could've massacred so many people on dayshift with all the animatronics under his control…”

“Good point,” Thomas said with a frown. “I mean, despite everything he's done he was a brilliant inventor to make all these animatronics, and if he was somehow able to survive all this time... kind of... he'd probably be able to pick up on the newer technology.” He gestured to Freddy with an attempt at a smile, which quickly fell back into a grimace. “But yeah, we can't risk him getting free again... what exactly did you say happened to him?” 

“He was grabbed by the mass of wires and... absorbed into it, is the best way I can describe it,” Freddy replied, shifting Gregory closer so he could rub soothing circles on his back. He could tell the boy was getting distressed again. “There has been no indication that William will be freed anytime soon, though that does not mean he can never do so. When we encountered him, he told us that he 'always comes back'...” 

Freddy then let out a small gasp and looked down at the boy in his arms, his eyes wide. “Gregory, do you recall your dream from the other day? You said that it sounded like the voices from the blob were speaking with you... what did they say again?” 

Thomas rushed to turn on the app again with a raised eyebrow, not knowing what Freddy was talking about but wanting to hear Gregory's answer regardless. 

“Um... They said something about someone still being here, I think…” the boy replied with a frown. “It scared me!” 

“SAID… SOMEONE… STILL… HERE… IT… SCARED… ME…” 

“I believe you specifically said ‘she’,” Freddy added, glancing at the guards. “Perhaps… Vanessa survived? We left her down there in our haste to escape…” 

“We haven’t seen any sign of her,” Thomas said, shaking his head. “But we’ll keep an eye out, I guess…” He shrugged, looking at Leon. “As long as William doesn’t get out, we can handle it—I mean, I’m sure we can handle it regardless; we’re Fazbear Security, after all!” 

Thomas grinned shakily and flexed an arm, showing off his not very prominent muscles. He brotherly instincts kicked in, wanting to add some lightheartedness to the conversation in case Gregory was getting scared; if only he could see the kid, he’d be able to tell how he was doing.

Leon sighed, patting the taser on his belt. “Unfortunately we can't really injure her if she's truly just a spirit… but if she's human, we'll do what we can to keep her away.”

“Thank you,” Freddy said, hugging onto Gregory comfortingly. “We trust that you will do your best, and we will let you know if we come across anything amiss as well.” 

“Sounds like a good a plan as any,” Thomas said with a small sigh. 

There was a lull in the conversation, and then the guard perked up again, his smile now genuine. “Okay, well, um… moving onto a better topic: we have a Bonnie update for you!”

Gregory lifted his head from Freddy’s shoulder, eager for any change in topic. “I wanna know!” 

“Yes, please share!” Freddy replied eagerly. 

“Great news this time—it looks like he’s going to be back in commission tomorrow!” Thomas announced. “That doesn’t mean he’s being reintroduced to the lineup, but the techs told us that they think they’ll be able to power him back on tomorrow night so his systems can get working again before they actually bring him out during dayshift.” He smirked mischievously, glancing at his coworker. “Leon and I graciously offered to keep an eye on him at night in case there are any issues… which basically means we more or less have the okay to take him out of Parts & Service for a bit!”

Gregory cheered, throwing his hands up into the air. “Yay! This is the best news ever!” 

Leon nodded in agreement with Thomas, turning his chair to face the two. “He's already in tip-top shape. They just want to make sure there aren’t any technical errors, but I doubt there will be after all that work...”

“Thank goodness,” Freddy said with a relieved smile. “We will all be happy to have him back with us!” 

“Our plan is to get him out of Parts & Service once our shift starts tomorrow and bring him to your room; then you guys can take him to the kids and do whatever else it is that you do,” Thomas explained, smiling softly. “I’m sure they miss him like crazy! The only thing we ask is that you get him back to Pasts & Service before dayshift—or at least back to us so we can take him there. We don’t want the techs to freak out and think he’s gone missing again the second he wakes up!”

Gregory looked back at Freddy excitedly, kicking his legs back and forth rapidly. “We'll get to see him tomorrow?! That's so great! I'll have to tell him everything!” 

Leon sat up a bit as he remembered something, beginning to look through a backpack at his feet. “I almost forgot—I bought something for Gregory on my way to work yesterday...”

“Oh?” Freddy questioned, feeling Gregory’s excitement grow even more as the idea of a present was brought up. Freddy chuckled slightly, watching Thomas’s face brighten into a grin as Leon searched. “That is very kind of you!”

Leon soon lifted out a thick book and held it out towards Freddy. It seemed to be a kids’ coloring book. “I figured he'd like this.” 

Gregory gasped, holding his hands out towards the book. “Ooh, ooh! Thank you! I wanna color in it now!” 

“Thank you, Leon!” Freddy said, leaning forward so Gregory could take the book. He watched as Gregory began rifling through it, grinning at its contents. “Gregory thanks you as well.” 

“Awesome!” Thomas said, chuckling as he watched the pages of the book rapidly being flipped through by unseen hands. “You should get a lot of use out of that, Gregory!”

“This is the best!” The boy grinned as he shut the book, hugging it to his chest. 

“It should keep him busy if he's ever waiting on Freddy,” Leon mentioned as he leaned back in his seat.

“Yes, there are some days that I am so busy I barely get a moment to charge, let alone spend time with Gregory!” The bear laughed gently, looking down at the boy in his arms. “It is much appreciated.” 

“And if you ever find yourself without Freddy during the nightshift and want someone to color with, you let me know,” Thomas added with a grin, pointing a thumb to his chest. “I grew up taking care of three little sisters, so I’m a pro at that sort of stuff if I do say so myself!”

Gregory rested his head back on Freddy's shoulder, smiling happily. “I'll let him have his own coloring page then!” 

“Gregory says you can have a page all to yourself, Thomas,” Freddy said, and the guard’s grin widened. Sparing a glance at the digital clock on the computer monitor caused the bear to gasp. “Oh goodness—it is nearly 5am! We should get Sun and Moon back to the daycare before it gets too late…” 

Thomas instantly grimaced at the mention of the daycare attendants, the knuckles on his clenched fist going white with tension. “O-Okay; we’ll let you handle that on your own!”

Leon shivered as he pushed himself closer towards his monitor. “…Yeah, you go ahead and do that.” 

After a quick farewell Freddy and Gregory exited the office, swiftly making their way back through the arcade. They stopped by their room to drop off Gregory’s new book, then headed back to the basement to find Sun sitting in the center of the floor. Most of the endoskeletons were gathered around him, some holding crayons, and there were papers with drawings and scribbles everywhere. 

“It seems like you all have been having fun!” Freddy commented as he set Gregory down, noticing Moon standing next to Flynn in the same spot they’d left them. 

“Oh, hi you two!” Sun exclaimed with a wave. “Yeah, we’ve been having the best time!” 

“He’s a natural with ‘em, that’s for sure!” Roxy commented with a laugh, walking up to Freddy and patting him on the shoulder. “And you’ve got good timing—I’ve really gotta recharge! Bye everyone!” She grinned towards the group of endos, giving them a wave before stepping onto the elevator.

“Bye, Roxy!” Robin called out, loud amidst the chorus of small voices.

“I got a coloring book!” Gregory mentioned as he walked over towards the endoskeletons and looking over their artwork.

“Ooh, how exciting!” Sun exclaimed, clapping his hands. 

“I made you guys something!” Ben piped up from within the group surrounding Sun. One of the endos bent slowly, grabbing a paper off the floor and holding it out towards Gregory. It was a drawing of four faces, two of which were clearly meant to be Freddy and Monty. The others weren’t as recognizable, though it was obvious they were kids—the name “Gregory” was written underneath the face next to Freddy, while “Ben” was by the last one. 

“It’s us!” Ben announced proudly. “’Cause we’re all friends! I didn’t have room to draw everyone else, but I’m gonna do it sometime!” 

“That looks so cool!” Gregory commented, lightly tugging Freddy’s hand to get him to look at the drawing. “Look at what Ben drew!” 

“Look at mine, too!” Ian said, holding his drawing of both Sun and Moon up with creaking joints. 

“These are wonderful!” Freddy praised. His gaze shifted over all the other pictures on the floor, intrigued to see what the other kids made—and how much they could actually draw in their current state; it was clear that some were more comfortable in their endoskeletons than others. 

“The children are so artistic!” Sun exclaimed, reaching over to gently pat the shoulders of the endos on either side of him. “When they get out, we’re going to have a huge crafting party with all kinds of coloring stuff and paint and glitter glue!” 

Gregory clapping his hands. He loved the sound of that! It seemed the kids did as well, some of them letting out small cheers and giggles. With a bright smile, Gregory remarked: “I can't wait for you guys to finally get outta here! That way we can play all the time!”

An excited murmuring took over the room as the kids started talking amongst themselves about all the fun things they’d get to do once they were free. Freddy watched them with a small smile, before turning his attention to Sun and Moon. 

“Unfortunately, we have come to take you both back to the daycare; it is already past 5am!” Freddy said, carefully folding Ben’s drawing and storing it in his stomach hatch while handing Ian’s drawing to Sun. “Moon, we will take you first since the lights are still out, and then we will return and take Sun back as Gregory lights up the Pizzaplex again.”

Moon nodded as he stood up straight, only to bonk his head on the ceiling. It didn't seem to faze him much, though. Looking back to Flynn, he gently patted the top of his head. “Of course. We’ll see you again soon, alright Flynn?” 

A few of the kids giggled as Moon made contact with the ceiling. Overall, they seemed to be much more comfortable with the night-themed animatronic than when he’d arrived a few hours prior. There were still some kids that felt a little uneasy in his presence, namely the twins, but even they’d made some progress. 

“Okaaaaaay,” Flynn whined, rocking forward slightly at the contact. 

Moon waved around the room before making his way over to the elevator, remarking as the doors shut: “Sun should be fine to go back on his own, by the way. He's a big baby about everything, ehehehe.”

There was the faintest “Hey!” as Sun heard Moon's comment, but the doors shut before the daycare attendant could respond further. 

“I am still astounded that you were able to keep the fact that you are two separate animatronics a secret for so long,” Freddy commented, then glanced down at Gregory. “To the rest of us, at least. It... does explain quite a bit though, admittedly.”

Moon looked over at Freddy, that eerie grin seeming to widen. “Oh, Sun didn't… I did.” 

“I tried to tell you!” Gregory huffed, resting his head on Freddy's shoulder. 

Freddy had no response, although his eyes narrowed slightly at Moon’s comment. Now that he could interact with them separately, he was already beginning to see how different the daycare attendants were… and not that he’d ever doubted it, but it was now 100% clear that Moon was definitely the trickster of the two. 

Freddy walked alongside Moon through darkness, his glowing eyes adding a bit of warm light to counteract Moon’s red ones. He wondered if the guards were currently watching their progress on the cameras and, if so, what they were thinking at that moment. Moon in fact seemed to focus on each and every camera as they walked by, as if he could sense the poor men in the office trying not to lose their cool each time he stared up at them.

Gregory let out a small yawn, gently squeezing Freddy's neck. “Man, I think I could sleep forever!” 

“I would advise against that; we still have so much to do!” Freddy replied with a chuckle. “But we will get you to bed soon; we just need to turn the lights back on after dropping Moon off at the daycare.”

“Thanks for helping me out of there by the way, Gregory,” Moon mentioned as the attraction came within their sightline. “Hopefully I can come out more often…” 

“I will speak with some of the staff when I have an opportunity,” Freddy replied. “Perhaps they can reconfigure some of the lighting so that it uses a dimmer function instead of just being on or off. That way, you and Sun can both spend an ample amount of time with the children!” 

“That's a good idea!” Moon replied, turning to face the pair and backing towards the first garage door. “Thanks again, you two; I’ll see you both later…”

“Farewell!” Freddy said with a wave as Moon scurried off, then turned on his heel and headed back the way they’d come. “Alright superstar, one last task before you can take a well-deserved rest!”

Gregory nodded as the lights soon started to turn back on one by one, another yawn leaving his lips. Though Sun should be able to get back to the daycare on his own, Freddy at least wanted to make sure he emerged from the basement and went on his way. Gregory was able to turn the elevator light on without actually going inside, and the pair waited to make sure Sun made it back up successfully. As the elevator returned to ground level, they heard a familiar jingling from inside. 

“Oh! Hi, you two!” Sun exclaimed as the doors opened. He stepped out, ducking to avoid hitting his head on the top of the door, and gave Gregory a pat on the top of his head. “Thanks for turning the lights back on, Sunshine! I’ll head to the daycare now; have a good sleep!” He began walking away, then paused and whirled back around, exclaiming: “Also, don’t listen to Moon—I’m not a baby about everything! He’s just a meanie sometimes!” 

“Don't worry, we won't!” Gregory reassured with a small grin. Sun gave a final wave and headed back towards the daycare, while Freddy walked himself and Gregory to their room. Once inside Freddy immediately tucked the boy into his usual spot on the couch, smiling down at him. 

“Rest well, Gregory; we have another exciting night tomorrow!” He gently ruffled the boy’s hair. “I will wake you as soon as I return.”

Gregory didn’t get to hear the end of that promise. By the time Freddy said his goodnight he was already drooling on the throw pillow. 

***

Masterlist of chapters on Tumblr here!

Please check out The Superstar Series on ao3 for all fics in this series: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2726401

[angelofrainfrogs]

We Found Him, Superstar: Ch. 17

Fandom: Five Nights At Freddy’s: Security Breach

Description: Since starting his new afterlife at the Pizzaplex, Gregory has managed to befriend the Glamrock animatronics and made a surprising discovery—Bonnie’s been hidden in the basement warehouse this entire time, badly decommissioned but still powered on. Along with Bonnie are the endoskeletons that, no longer under the virus’s control, seem much more sentient than normal animatronics… Gregory and his friends are determined to get Bonnie back into commission and figure out the mysteries of what exactly these endoskeletons are—and how to help them, too.

Chapter Summary: With each passing night, the kids open up a little bit more. Now all the animatronics want a chance to visit them—even those that virtually never leave their attraction unless it’s time for maintenance.

Rating: T

Read on Ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/38728158/chapters/109426134

It was a good few hours before Freddy woke Gregory up again. He wanted the boy to get as much sleep as possible, but as promised eventually it was time to get ready for their first show. Gently Freddy shook him awake, murmuring: “Superstar, it is time to get up; I must leave for the day…”

“Oh... Morning already?” Gregory asked as he slowly sat up, rubbing at his eyes to chase away the remnants of deep sleep.

“Yes; you had a good few hours of rest,” Freddy said, gently smoothing out Gregory’s hair and smiling down at him. “I must head backstage now, and directly after this performance I have a party scheduled. However, after that I am planning to stop by the basement.” He stood to his full height, holding out a hand to help Gregory off the couch and to give him something to cling to. “Ready to come with me?”

“I'm ready!” the boy chirped, mussing up his hair a little with a grin before taking Freddy’s paw. “I can stay with the kids for a bit when you go downstairs!”

The bear nodded and gave Gregory’s hand a squeeze, then led him backstage. It was still too early for patrons, so he didn’t worry about anyone seeing him holding onto nothing. Before long the band was performing yet again with Gregory watching excitedly from the crowd. After the show Freddy took Gregory to his first party of the day, though the boy was barely able to scarf down a piece of cake before they needed to rush off to the basement so Freddy would have a little time to visit. 

“I am sorry for moving so quickly today, Gregory,” the bear apologized as they rode the elevator down. “I did not realize I would be so busy!”

Still licking the icing from his lips, Gregory laughed and reassured: “It's okay; it's pretty fun—and the cake was super yummy!”

“Good!” Freddy chuckled as well, bending to wipe a few crumbs off the kid’s face. Soon, the elevator doors opened and they stepped into the hallway. “Hello, everyone; Gregory and I have come to stay with you for a bit!”

“Hey, guys!” Gregory waved with a bright grin.

Mia's endoskeleton shifted, slowly looking over at the two and curling a few fingers in greeting. “Hey, you guys!” 

“Hi!” Ben piped up, tilting his head as his eyes shifted behind the pair. “Did Monty come too?!” 

“And Moon…?” Flynn asked hesitantly from the other side of the room. Gregory gently shook his head before looking up at Freddy. 

“Maybe we can get Moon and Sun to come down tonight!” he suggested, quickly moving to the center of the room and taking a seat. 

“Yes, that is a great idea; I will be sure to stock up on snacks so you have continuous energy,” the bear added. There was a soft cheer from Flynn and Ian’s direction—they were clearly happy at the prospect of seeing their favorite animatronics. 

“Monty better come back soon, too; he said he would!” Ben chimed in. He was close to Gregory, which became clearer when he leaned forward to hold up a hand for either a high five or handshake—it wasn’t clear which. “But Gregory’s gonna stay for now, right?” 

“Heck yeah I am!” the boy remarked, jumping up to give Ben a light high-five before sitting back down. “Oh—I didn't bring my toys this time, though…” 

“Don't worry, we can always just talk,” Mia reassured, to which Robin piped up:

“Yeah! We can just talk!” 

It seemed the spirits were just glad to have some company again.

“Yeah!” Ben agreed enthusiastically. “You’ve gotta tell us allll about the stuff upstairs; I dunno how long I’ve been down here, so I wanna know if everything’s different now!” He paused, presumably in thought. “Well, Monty and Chica said things are mostly the same, but they don’t know EVERYTHING…” 

Two endoskeletons stirred at the mention of Chica, one of the twins giggling while the other rocked on her heels. Even if the bird wasn’t actually there, the thought of seeing her again was enough to excite them. 

Freddy simply watched these interactions with a soft smile. He was glad they were all getting along, but hearing Ben’s comments put even more perspective on their situation. Freddy tried to recall the date of the first missing child, but he wasn’t able to access that much information from his internal database. He wondered who’d been the first one stuck down here… maybe he could see if Thomas and Leon knew. 

“I have a ton of stories to tell you guys!” Gregory exclaimed, eager to share his experiences. “I'm not sure if everything’s the same as you remember, though—the night I got here is the only time I've really been through the Pizzaplex!” He shrugged, then pressed on with shinning eyes. “There's this cool slide in the daycare and you get to jump in a huge ball pit! Also, there's this salon in Roxy's Raceway, and Roxy gave me a makeover with a ton of glitter!” 

“I got a makeover there once too!” Mia recalled before going silent for a moment. “Ella says she did, also.” 

“I love the ball pit!” Flynn chimed in, a smile evident in his voice. “One time Ian tried to hide in the slide when it was naptime and Moon had to get him out!” He giggled at the memory, his eyes shifting towards the endo next to him.

“I don't like naps!” Ian stated matter-of-factly. 

“Man, I get that… Oh, also we can play bowling and golf and Fazerblast too!” Gregory added, then let out a sigh. “None of the other kids can see me, so I don't think they'll be able to see you guys when you get out either... It's really complicated, but I'll explain it later when you guys are finally free!” 

“...I’d imagine no one would see us because we're kinda... Ghosts. I mean, I've never seen a ghost before what happened, so...” Mia trailed off, thinking to herself for a brief moment. “B-But it's okay—we have each other!”

“You are exactly right, Mia,” Freddy finally spoke up, meeting the endoskeleton’s eyes with a smile. “You have each other, and you also have us—the animatronics will take care of you, just as we have been watching over Gregory.” He paused, turning his grin on the rest of the room as he placed a hand on Gregory’s shoulder. Mia was strong-willed, but she was also a child at heart just like the others and children appreciated reassurance. “I speak for every animatronic when I tell you that we already love you all more than you even realize!” 

“Thanks, Freddy... It means a lot to us to hear that,” Mia said softly, a smile hinting in her tone. “Without you guys, who knows how long we would've been down here. It already feels like a long time...”

“We are working hard to ensure you will not have to stay here much longer,” Freddy said, then abruptly blinked a few times as an alert flashed across his vision. “Oh, our next stage show is scheduled to begin in 15 minutes; Gregory, how about you stay down here for the rest of the day? You can tell the children all about your adventures!” He grinned down at the boy. “I will come and get you as soon as the dayshift is over—and do not worry, I will be sure to pick up some snacks!”

Gregory lifted his head up as Freddy mentioned the time for the next stage show. “Sure!” He leaned forward to hug Freddy's leg tightly, casting his gaze towards the darkened hallway. “...Just be back quick, okay?”

“I will return as soon as I can,” Freddy reassured, bending to return Gregory’s hug before hurrying off to the elevator with a wave. “See you all in a bit!” 

With that, he stepped into the elevator and returned to his hectic day with Gregory waving goodbye. Once the doors closed, the boy turned around to face the endoskeletons. “Hmm, where should I start… Okay, so basically I was only coming into the Pizzaplex to use the bathroom... Then that's when it all happened!” 

For the rest of the day, Gregory told the saga of how he ended up living in the Pizzaplex and adopted by the leader of the Glamrock band. He left out a lot of the harsher, gory details and pointedly steered away from the topic of his own death. He didn’t know what might set off the ghosts, and the last thing he wanted to do was upset them. 

***

Finally, it was closing time at the Pizzaplex. The animatronics went their separate ways for the night, and one made their way straight to the basement. Some of the endoskeletons turned as they heard the elevator approaching, waiting for Freddy’s return. However, it wasn’t the friendly bear that stepped out of the elevator but Roxy, looking around the room curiously until she spotted Gregory. 

“Hey, kid!” she called with a grin and a wave, which she then directed to the rest of the room with a laugh. “And other kids! How is everyone?”

Gregory was in the middle of explaining how Sun and Moon were two different animatronics when Roxy exited the elevator. He gasped, quickly running over to hug her leg. 

“Hi, Roxy! Where's Freddy?” he asked curiously, staring up at the animatronic. 

“Hi Roxy!” Robin’s quiet voice intoned, one of the endoskeleton putting their hands out as if reaching for the wild wolf.

“Your dad sent me to tell you he went straight to the daycare so he could ‘prepare Sun and Moon as early as possible’—I guess they’re coming down here tonight?” Roxy explained as she ruffled Gregory’s hair. “He said you can meet him at the daycare whenever you’re ready—looked like he had a whoooole bunch of food for you, too!” She threw her head back in a laugh and placed her hands on her hips, soon looking around until she spotted the endo with its arms outstretched. “Ooh, found ya! You must be the Robin I’ve heard so much about!”

“Yeah, that's me! I'm Robin!” he chirped happily, so excited his endoskeleton started to visibly shake. 

Gregory's eyes brightened. “Really?! Guess I'll be heading there right now!” 

“Okay; I’ll stay with the kids,” Roxy replied, moving over to Robin after Gregory dislodged himself from her leg and grinning at the endoskeleton’s obvious excitement. “Well, I can tell just by that voice of yours that you’re definitely a winner, Robin! Glad to meet you officially!” 

“Bring Moon here soon, okay?” Flynn piped up as Gregory passed. 

“I'll be as quick as I can!” the boy reassured, jumping in the elevator and smacking the button to ascend up to the first floor. 

Meanwhile, Freddy was currently talking to Sun in the middle of the daycare play area, trying to convince him that the basement wasn’t too dark. It wasn't long until there was a loud noise in the slide, followed by Gregory falling out of the exit headfirst. After a few seconds he emerged from the ball pit, stumbling in his haste to crawl out and see the animatronic bear. “Freddy, I'm here!” 

“Hello, superstar!” Freddy exclaimed, using they boy’s running momentum to pick him up and throw him into the air in one swift motion. 

“Hi, Sunshine!” Sun greeted enthusiastically, hopping from foot to foot as Gregory was safely caught in Freddy’s arms. “It’s soooo good to see you!”

“Hi Sun!” the boy greeted cheerfully. “I had so much fun with the kids and I learned a new knock-knock joke!” 

“Ooh, I loooove jokes!” Sun exclaimed with a gasp. “Tell me, tell me!” 

“Yes, what was the joke?” Freddy asked, chuckling at the tall animatronic’s enthusiasm.

“Okay, knock knock!” Gregory began, his grin remaining bright with anticipation.

“Who’s there?” the animatronics replied in unison

“Mustache!” Gregory had to stifle a giggle with his hands.

“Mustache who?!” Sun asked as Freddy simply waited for the punchline.

“I mustache you a question, but I’ll shave it for later!” Gregory finished, followed by a laugh so deep he had to hold his stomach.

Sun instantly burst out laughing, cackling so hard he nearly fell over backwards with the force of it, only staying upright by Freddy’s quick thinking in grabbing a flailing arm before Sun completely went down. Freddy joined in, more so at Sun’s reaction that’s the joke itself—it was so dramatic, but then again that was basically the definition of the daycare attendants!

“See? Wasn't it so good?” Gregory wheezed once they’d all begun to catch their breath.

“That was amazing!” Sun exclaimed, clapping his hands. “I’m storing that in my memory banks for later—you kids are so funny!” 

“It was very good,” Freddy agreed with a nod. “We will have to have the children teach us more of them!”

“I learned it from Ben,” Gregory told them, then began bouncing in Freddy’s arms. “Speaking of which, can we go now?!”

Sun instantly froze, then shifted his gaze to the ground. 

“Well, Sunshine, the thing is... I haven't actually ever left the daycare just to wander,” Sun explained, now wringing his hands nervously. “The only time I've been out is to go to Parts & Service, but that's always a quick trip and usually the techs come here if we need anything, so...” He shrugged, giving a nervous laugh. “Moon's been out before, but that was only when he was, you know... not himself, so he doesn't really remember that either.” 

“I have been trying to reassure him that it will be alright,” Freddy added with a small sigh. “I let Sun know about your offer to lead him, and that you will do your best to manipulate the lights if we pass through areas that are either too dark or too light...” He glanced down at Gregory. “Perhaps you can reassure him better than I can?”

“Hmm…” Gregory tapped his chin as he thought aloud. “Maybe I can turn on all of the lights leading to the elevator. That way Moon can just follow behind you while the lights turn back off, and that way you won't be scared!” His grin brightened impossibly more as he held out his arms for Sun to hold him. “And if you do get scared I'll just tell you another knock knock joke!”

“Mmph... well... I guess if Moon stays near me, and you and Freddy do too, it should be okay...,” Sun relented, reaching over to take Gregory out of Freddy's arms. Despite his fear, it didn't slip Sun's notice that this was the first time Gregory actually let himself be picked without the attendant just grabbing him instinctively. That definitely helped ease his mind and he hugged the boy close—though he was careful not to squeeze him too tightly. 

“Let us speak with Moon as well before we start moving,” Freddy said, watching Gregory for any sign of distress. To his delight, the boy finally seemed content in Sun's grasp. “Superstar, can you please turn off half of the lights like you did the other day?” 

It was obvious Gregory felt immeasurably more comfortable around the lanky daycare attendant than he had a few days ago. Sun had proven himself to be a kind friend, and after learning Sun's weakness on top of that Gregory realized that he truly wasn't all that scary. Gregory lifted his gaze to the other side of the room with a nod, and after a few seconds of focused attention half the lights shut off in a flash. There was an instant shuffling from the darkness, coupled with jingling bells. 

“...Oh, is it time to leave?” Moon's voice echoed from the shadows, followed by a quiet laugh. “How exciting!”

“Hello, Moon,” Freddy greeted warmly, seeing the red eyes approach until Moon’s outline was visible at the darkness's border. “Yes, we would like to take you and Sun to see the children; Gregory is going to manipulate the lights as we travel so that they will be bright for Sun, then dark for you. The basement should be relatively comfortable for you both, although it is on the dimmer side...” He glanced up at Sun, hoping that he'd be alright down there. 

“You have to stay as close as you can, Moon!” Sun exclaimed, his pitch slightly higher than normal as he thought over Freddy's last words. He met his counterpart's gaze, holding Gregory securely with one arm as he planted the other on his hip. “Do not leave me while we're out there, okay?!” He tried to be stern, but this was quickly overshadowed by a soft, slightly desperate: “...Please?”

“I understand. That sounds easy-peasy; just don't blind me, Gregory, ehehehe,” Moon said jokingly, then glanced at Sun with a tilt of his head. “Of course I will—it's not like I have a choice, anyway.” 

Gregory gave Sun's face a light pat before laying his head on his shoulder. “It’s not as scary as you think! And if you get scared in the basement, you can always sit in the elevator! It's really bright in there.” 

“Okay, okay...,” Sun said, then took a deep breath. “I'm ready when you are!” 

“Gregory knows the way, so I will let you lead, superstar,” Freddy said, reaching up to give Gregory a pat on the leg, which was the easiest part he could reach. He then moved over to where Moon was crouched, deciding to walk with their elusive friend. He wasn't sure what he'd actually be able to do to help if the lights suddenly came on before he moved past a certain area, but he hoped Moon at least appreciated the comfort. 

“Okay, I can lead!” Gregory agreed, kicking his legs back and forth until Sun set him back down. He took a hold of the lanky animatronic’s hand and began pulling him along. “We just have to be farther apart so I don't switch off the wrong light!” 

Moon stayed in place, looking over at Freddy with a wide grin. “What a smart boy…”

“He certainly is,” Freddy agreed proudly, waiting for the rest of the lights to dim. Sun simply followed Gregory along, glancing behind him to look at the pair in the shadows before focusing back on what was in front of him. He had to bend quite a bit to hold Gregory's hand but he didn't mind at all, used to it by this point after watching over so many children even smaller than him.

Gregory waited until they were outside the wooden doors before beginning to dim the lights behind him and Sun. Soon enough, Moon was able walking freely towards the exit as well. 

“See? It's not so bad!” Gregory reassured, keeping a tight hold on Sun's hand while the lights behind them started going off.

“Yeah...,” Sun said quietly, looking behind him again. The fact that Gregory was able to dim most of the lights but not completely shut them off was already a reassurance, and the sight of Moon following behind as close as possible was enough to keep Sun going for now. He squeezed Gregory's hand excitedly, turning back around and looking ahead. “Yes, this is amazing, Sunshine! Your powers are so awesome!” 

“Thanks! I get really tired after using them a lot, though,” he explained.

“I have sandwiches for you, Gregory!” Freddy called, knocking against his chest cavity to show where they were stored. 

“Oh yeah, a snack will be good after this!” Sun agreed, grinning down at the boy and appreciating his firm but comforting grip. Sun spared another glance over his shoulder, making sure the others were still close behind. “Are you okay, Moon?”

Moon perked up, his eyes glowing bright as always while he walked in the darkest areas. “I'm perfectly fine. Are you okay?” 

“Mm-hmm!” Sun nodded enthusiastically. Now that he was actually out of the daycare he wanted to take the time to examine the Pizzaplex and everything it had to offer, but he knew that would have to wait—tonight, they were on a mission. Plus, he wanted to check out the building together with Moon, so they might have to find another way to work the lights without solely relying on Gregory… but that was a problem for later. For now, he stared around in amazement, trying not to jump in excitement in case he accidentally tugged Gregory’s arm too much. “There’s so much stuff out here! I didn’t realize this place was so… big!”

“Yeah! I told you this place was awesome!” Gregory laughed, already feeling a twinge of exhaustion from such a focused use of his powers. With each light he flipped, his tiredness grew. Nonetheless he kept his pace, figuring he could eat when they reached the basement. As they approached the elevator, Gregory stopped in his tracks and raised a fist. “Woo, we’re almost there!”  

“Wonderful!” Freddy said, then hummed as he thought about the best way to get both daycare attendants downstairs. The elevator was brightly lit so Gregory would definitely need to ride down with Moon so he could turn the lights off, but that would leave Sun in the dim basement without Gregory or his other half… and Freddy wasn’t sure how much reassurance Roxy would provide, if she was still down there. 

“Do you want to go down the elevator first?” Gregory asked, smiling up at Sun. It’d be the easiest thing, he figured.

“Yes, I’ll go down with you!” Sun replied, then looked over at Moon a bit hesitantly. “As long as the lights aren’t going to turn back on once you go downstairs, Gregory; I’d hate for Moon to be stuck…” 

“I do not think that will happen,” Freddy reassured. His smile was hard to see, but it was clearly there based on his tone. “Whatever state Gregory leaves the lights in, they stay that way until he or someone else turns them on or off again.” 

“Okay…” Sun looked down at Gregory, giving his hand another squeeze. “Let’s go!”

Gregory nodded before hitting the button of the elevator, leading Sun inside. “I'll be right back!” 

Moon waved his hand at the two. “We’ll be here, ehehehe!” 

Sun waved back as the doors shut, needing to crouch again to fit properly. Sun shifted from foot to foot as the elevator went down, his excitement quickly overtaking his previous fear. 

“Oh, I can’t wait to see all the kids!” he exclaimed. “I just know we’re all gonna be great friends!”

“Mhm!” Gregory hummed, watching the doors soon open to reveal the hall before pulling Sun along. “We're here!” 

Soft whispers instantly started up as the pair arrived. The lighting was dim, but if Sun had any issue with it, this was quickly overshadowed by the sight of nine endoskeletons lined up on either side of the hallway, their glowing eyes all turned towards him. Sun wasn't bothered by the way the endos looked, of course—he and Moon had them too, though they were a bit different than those made for the Fazbear Band members. 

What really stuck out was the fact that—somehow—there were children in there, trapped and unable to roam freely like Gregory. Sun still didn't entirely know what happened to get them to this state, but it clearly wasn't a nice thing based on all the context clues he'd gathered. However, he didn't dwell on this for too long before his usual programming kicked in—his goal was to care for the children, which included making them feel as comfortable and welcome in his presence as possible. 

“Hellooooo, all you little rays of sunshine!” the daycare attendant exclaimed brightly, his loud voice echoing through the hallway. He tried his best to meet each endoskeleton's gaze, the grin apparent in his voice. “I've been sooooo excited to meet you! Ooh, we're gonna have so much fun together!”

Gregory let go of Sun's hand once he noticed that he didn't seem afraid any longer. It wasn’t long before Ian’s voice spoke up. 

“Hi, Sun! You really came!” His endoskeleton stuck its hand outward, trembling slightly with excitement. 

“Yup! And Moon’s coming down in just a second!” Gregory mentioned as he marched back to the elevator.

Sun let out a loud gasp, rushing over to the endo who'd spoken and grasping its hand without hesitation. “Hi! You must be Ian; I'm very, very glad to meet you!” 

Ian slowly nodded, the creaking of metal joints echoing through the hall. “Yup, I’m Ian! And that's my best friend Flynn.” 

“Moon's here, too?!” Flynn chimed in, his eyes quickly shifting upwards as Sun turned his attention to him. “Oh... um, I like you too, Sun, but... I LOVE Moon!” 

Sun simply laughed, gently patting the top of Flynn's head with one hand while still keeping the other holding onto Ian's. 

“The kids are excited!” Gregory remarked once he'd arrived back upstairs, making room for Moon and Freddy in the elevator and immediately shutting off the lights.

“That is wonderful to hear!” the bear said, following Moon into the elevator and pressing the button once everyone was securely inside. He smiled down at Gregory, though it was hard to see anything other than the animatronic's eyes in the darkness. “You've done so well tonight, superstar! We can take a break and get you some energy soon.”

The elevator was pitch black besides the glowing eyes, which was a bit unsettling in Gregory's opinion. The boy was quick to hold his arms up towards Freddy, hopping up and down so he'd be able to pick him up. “Mm, snacks!” 

As expected, when the trio emerged into the basement some of the children went silent in fear of Moon. Others didn't seem to mind him all that much. 

“You made it!” Sun exclaimed, rushing over to Moon excitedly and grabbing hands as he hopped up and down, coming very close to hitting his head on the ceiling a few times. “The lighting down here is perfect for you, right?! Oh, oh, and the kids are so sweet already; you’re going to love them!” 

“Moon!” Flynn called softly, stretching out a hand and shaking much like Ian had upon Sun’s appearance. 

“Ehehehe, oh yes. It's not too bright,” Moon answered his sunny counterpart before turning to look over at the endoskeleton and gently resting his hand against its own. “You must be... Flynn! Ah yes, no one’s ever this excited to see me, so you must be Flynn.” 

“Yes!” the young spirit exclaimed, trying to squeeze Moon's hand. The endo's eyes shifted to the side. “SEE, Ian? I TOLD YOU Moon wasn't scary!” 

“He still freaks ME out...,” Ben's voice came from right next to Freddy and Gregory, clearly trying to be quiet so Moon wouldn't hear.

Ian laughed at Flynn's comment, still looking up at Sun. “I just like Sun more 'cause we painted all the time.” 

Moon didn't seem to mind being called scary—he figured the kids would be intimidated. It was just his lot in life as the resident “creepiest animatronic in the Pizzaplex.” However, he certainly wasn't trying to scare anyone. At least, not right now. 

“It's getting crowded down here!” Roxy commented from the other side of the room with a laugh, speaking loudly to be heard over Sun's chatter and the whispers of the kids that had started up again. 

Freddy nodded, then placed Gregory down so he could open his chest hatch and retrieve the bag of sandwiches. “I grabbed whatever was available; there are five sandwiches in the bag, not that I think you will need that many at once!” 

Gregory was quick to take the bag and sit down, happily munching on a sandwich. “Thank you!” 

“You are welcome,” Freddy replied, staying by Gregory's side and watching the room. 

“OH! Ian, that reminds me!”“ Sun exclaimed, clapping his hands. “Freddy brought some art supplies down here a while ago; have you all gotten to use them?!” He wasn't sure how much the children were actually able to move the endoskeletons, since at this point all he'd seen was them shifting and occasionally sticking out a hand. 

“Yes! We've used them!” Ian replied, his head slightly turning to look over at Flynn. “I want to paint again!” 

“...Can we?” Flynn asked Moon, rocking slightly with anticipation. 

“Of course we can!” Moon assured with a vigorous nod.

“Yay!” Sun cheered, gently patting the heads of both Flynn and Ian’s endos in unison. “We’re all going to have so much fun!” 

Moon clapped his hands together, causing the wrist bells to jingle. “We'll have to get your little sleeping spots set up, too.” 

“We get our own spots?!” Flynn asked with a tiny gasp. “Like… a sleepover every night?!” 

“Exactly like that!” Sun replied, grinning at the pair. He wanted to hug them so badly but reasoned that would be best left until they were in Gregory’s state of being.

Ian squealed with delight, his frame trembling. “That's so cool! I wanna share my room with Flynn!”

“You can definitely share a room!” Sun reassured, then glanced at Moon. “Hmm… we need to figure out where their room could be, though—it’s going to be a tight fit if we all try cramming in our current one…” 

Moon waved a hand in front of Sun's face, as if trying to brush away his counterpart’s worries. “We’ll make it work like we always do, ehehe!” 

“Geez, they sure have a lot of energy, huh?” Roxy commented, gently nudging Robin’s endoskeleton in the side. “I don’t know how they keep it up!” 

“How is your energy, Gregory?” Freddy asked, glancing down at the boy.

Gregory lifted his head, smiling up at Freddy. “I'm okay! Just a little bit tired.”

“Alright; let me know if you would like to take a break and do something more low-key,” Freddy said, smiling down at Gregory. “At some point tonight, I would like to find Thomas and Leon and get an update on you-know-who…”

Gregory nodded, returning to his sandwich. “Sure thing. Oh, but do you wanna know something? Ben doesn't like the crust on sandwiches, so I told him I'll take them off for him when he eats.” 

Freddy pressed a hand to his heart. “That is very sweet of you, superstar!” 

“Yessss!” Ben cheered, raising his hands slightly. “I can’t wait to eat again… I’m gonna have lots and LOTS of cake and ice cream, ‘cause Gregory said we can eat ANYTHING we want!” 

“Yeah! I told 'em I never get full or anything!” Gregory exclaimed with a laugh. Despite loving the taste of food, he found that it wasn't nearly the same as enjoying it when he was alive. Still, at least he never had to worry about going hungry again… 

“I want pizza…,” Lily chimed in, and Ivy quickly added “Yeah, pizza!” 

“You two are already taking after Chica!” Freddy responded as Sun turned to face the new voices—well, new to him. 

“Oh, you sound so little…,” Sun murmured softly, clasping his hands in front of him. He tilted his head towards Gregory and Freddy, hoping either one—or anyone who had the information—could give him an answer to his next query: “You know, I don’t think you ever told us the age ranges for these sweet little rays of sunshine…”

“Mia’s is the oldest—she's 11! I'm the second oldest!” Gregory announced proudly, resting his hands on his hips. “The twins are um... four, I think!” 

“I'm eight!” Ian chimed in, giggling quietly as he looked over at Sun. “Oh, and Flynn is nine, but he's only older than me by a few months!”

“I’m nine, too!” Ben exclaimed proudly, and if he could he’d have his hands on his hips, quite similar to what Monty would do when boasting.

“Me too!” Robin piped up from the other end of the hall, rocking back and forth slightly.

“And I believe the last two are Ella, who is seven, and Katie, who is six,” Freddy added, watching as Sun swiftly turned to look at each endoskeleton that spoke. As expected, the daycare attendant was doing his best to make sure he gave everyone a bit of attention. 

“Wow!” Sun exclaimed once Freddy finished talking, grinning around the room. “There’s so many of you; you all have to come to the daycare for regular playdates with Moon and I! We want to spend time with everyone!”

“And play so many fun games, ehehehe,” Moon added with a laugh, and the room instantly devolved into excited chatter about what these games entailed.

“Hey, Freddy?” Gregory asked once the attention had been successfully diverted from him again. He looked at the bear with a curious expression and raised his arms. “Can we go talk to Thomas and Leon?” 

“Yes, I suppose—as long as Sun and Moon are alright with that,” Freddy replied, glancing at the pair as he lifted Gregory up. 

“We’ll be just fine!” Sun reassured with a wave of his hand. “You’ve just got to help us get back to the daycare sometime before day shift!” 

“I’ll hang here too, just in case,” Roxy added, placing her hands on her hips. “If anything goes down, I’ll come find you guys!”

“See you guys soon!” Mia remarked softly.

Freddy waved to the room as he and Gregory walked to the elevator. As soon as the doors closed, Freddy squeezed Gregory in a tight hug and rested his chin gently on top of his head. 

“You have done so well tonight, superstar!” Freddy praised, thinking over everything they’d accomplished both this evening and the day before—most of the time had been spent in the basement, and he could tell the kids were already much happier than they’d been so far. “I know everyone appreciates your kindness; it is clear that the other animatronics are overjoyed to see the children, and they feel likewise.”

Gregory was quick to hug onto Freddy, smiling as he nuzzled against his chest. “Thank you! I've tried my best. You know, it's gonna be even more fun when they're finally able to get out of those endoskeletons… And I couldn't have done any of it without all your help!” 

He couldn't take all the credit.

“We make a wonderful team,” Freddy replied with a chuckle. He readjusted Gregory to hold him with one arm as they walked, heading towards Rockstar Row since Freddy wasn’t sure which security office they guards would be in. To his surprise, there was a handwritten note taped to the door to his room. 

“Oh! It is from Thomas and Leon,” Freddy said as he picked the note up and began to read it. “They stopped by but we were not in our room, so they would like us to meet them in the security office in the West Arcade. Hmm, they are so far away today…” Freddy paused, wondering if this had anything to do with them potentially seeing either the lights go off or the daycare attendants moving. He realized with a grimace that they’d never properly apologized for that incident… maybe they could do so tonight. 

“Huh, I thought they would've found us with the cameras or something,” Gregory remarked with a light shrug of his shoulders. “Well, let's go! Maybe they have more cool stuff to show us!” 

***

Masterlist of chapters on Tumblr here!

Please check out The Superstar Series on ao3 for all fics in this series: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2726401

[angelofrainfrogs]

We Found Him, Superstar: Ch. 1

Fandom: Five Nights At Freddy’s: Security Breach

Description: Since starting his new afterlife at the Pizzaplex, Gregory has managed to befriend the Glamrock animatronics and made a surprising discovery—Bonnie’s been hidden in the basement warehouse this entire time, badly decommissioned but still powered on. Along with Bonnie are the endoskeletons that, no longer under the virus’s control, seem much more sentient than normal animatronics… Gregory and his friends are determined to get Bonnie back into commission and figure out the mysteries of what exactly these endoskeletons are—and how to help them, too.

Chapter Summary: Freddy is overjoyed to have his old friend back, even if Bonnie’s in a sorry state of disrepair. However, with a determined little ghost by their side, the animatronics are confident that Bonnie can be fixed and brought back up top with the rest of the band.  

Rating: T

Read on Ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/38728158/chapters/96832500

Down in the warehouse of the Pizzaplex where various animatronic parts were housed, Gregory and Freddy were in the midst of a very unexpected encounter. Freddy had just disappeared into the darkness in search of a mysterious “friend,” leaving Gregory surrounded by a group of endoskeletons. The robots were awake and staring at the boy with glowing red eyes, though they were now docile and calm—a far cry from the frenzied things that chased Gregory only a week earlier.

After finding this “friend” in the back of a tiny, unlit room, Freddy was frantically trying to find the light switch to confirm that he was actually talking to who this presence claimed to be. Soon, the room was illuminated from one dim, flickering bulb—which was more than enough to see the state of his dear friend, causing the bear to let out a gasp of surprised horror.

“Oh, Bonnie...”

“Heh heh... Y-Yeah, I'm p-p-pretty messed u-up,” Bonnie laughed, and Freddy knew that if he could, the bunny would be rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment. However, seeing as he only had one arm that was clearly nonfunctional, that task was impossible. Freddy crouched down beside him, assessing the damage.

Bonnie was missing his entire right arm and left leg. His friendly, purple outer casing looked as if it'd been literally torn to shreds, and inside wasn't much better. There were loose wires everywhere, and missing pieces throughout. However, the most prominent feature (or lack thereof) was Bonnie's face: the entire outer casing had been ripped away, revealing the endoskeleton underneath. He still had his eyes, though there were a few scratches in the glass, but his lower jaw was completely gone. Surprisingly, both ears were present to some degree, though they were torn and one was snapped off at the center.

“What happened?!” Freddy asked, still looking over Bonnie in shock. “Can you move?! Are you able to stand?! We must take you back upstairs—”

“Freddy, r-relax,” Bonnie said, his eyes shifting to meet the bear's. “I-I can't m-move too well, b-b-but I'm still h-here, so d-don't worry t-t-too much.” The one fully-formed ear tilted downwards. “U-Unfortunately, I-I can't hold a ch-charge, s-s-so I can't really b-be transported without h-help...”

Freddy glanced around the rabbit’s back to see that he was plugged into a power outlet on the wall. It was a very old-school method of charging that they only used in absolute emergencies, but seeing as there were no charging pods within easy access, it made sense why he was hooked up this way. Freddy shook his head at the state of his formerly-missing friend.

“What happened?” he asked again in a softer tone, although he had a feeling he already knew the answer.

Bonnie turned his head slightly, looking at the floor. Then, in a quiet voice he replied: “M-Monty.”

***

“So, you guys are controlling these scary robots...,” Gregory murmured as he stared around the room of endoskeletons, curiously looking at each one and trying to see if there was anything to differentiate them. “That's kind of cool!”

“...Cool? Thank you,” the childish voice said from an unknown spot in the room, finding Gregory's attitude amusing.

Gregory was going to reach out and touch one of the endos until its fingers twitched, causing him to flinch back. That was too much—he’d given staying out there alone his best shot, but his prior experience with the unnerving robots was still too fresh in Gregory’s mind… and the knowledge that Freddy’s protection was just around the corner was too much to ignore.

“Gregory? Freddy doesn’t want you down there…,” the voice called as the boy started wandering off down the hall.

“I'm not, I'm just... looking around!” Gregory insisted with a wave of his hand. He was really following the sound of Freddy's comforting voice echoing through the basement, which grew louder the closer he got. It didn’t take long for Gregory to locate the tiny room, and he soon poked his head around the corner hesitantly to see Freddy talking with… something.

Gregory squinted, staring hard at the thing before pulling back with a gasp. It was definitely an animatronic, and despite its disheveled state the purple color palate was recognizable from his posters alone.

That was Bonnie! Gregory thought he’d disappeared!

…Well, he did. But the boy never would've expected to find the rabbit in the basement of all places, so close to where he’d wandered just a few nights ago.

Gregory soon peeked further in, staring wide-eyed at the remains of Bonnie sat against the wall. The frightening sight was on par with the other “decommissioned” animatronics Gregory had faced off against during that fateful night. Even so, nothing could beat what he'd seen when facing the rotting corpse-robot calling itself William Afton.

Honestly, Bonnie’s state of disrepair saddened Gregory more than anything else.

“I-I know it w-wasn't Monty's fault, t-though!” Bonnie was saying, clearly trying to reassure Freddy. “H-He was being c-controlled b-b-by this w-woman in a b-bunny suit... A-After she got M-Monty to do the d-dirty work, sh-she put me in h-here and s-said to 'sit tight' because s-she might n-n-need me again... but she n-never came back.”

“I understand,” Freddy replied. “We have gotten rid of her—at least, the threat that was controlling her and everyone else.” The bear hung his head. “I am so sorry this happened to you...”

“A-At least y-you found m-me eventually!” Bonnie let out a short laugh, and then his eyes focused on something past Freddy's shoulder. “H-Hey... i-i-is that the k-kid that's b-been wandering around?! I-I don't w-w-want him to see m-me l-like this! He’ll b-be t-terrified!”

Spurred on by Bonnie’s words, Gregory popped out from behind the door frame, giving the animatronic a weak smile as he slowly approached.

“Hi, Bonnie! I'm not scared; I promise!” he insisted, settling himself at Freddy’s side and taking the bear’s hand. “From what Freddy’s told me, you seem… nice.” His gaze roamed over the rabbit’s sorry state, feeling a sympathetic twist in his gut that only made him smile brighter. “I've been wanting to meet you so bad!”

“Gregory, I told you to stay behind,” Freddy chided, though he couldn't blame the boy for being curious. The fact that he hadn't already run out of the room was a good sign, too. Freddy sighed, then gave Bonnie a smile and gestured to Gregory with his free hand.

“Bonnie, this is my—” He paused, realizing how strange this might sound with no context... but he knew his old friend would understand eventually. “This is Gregory, and he is the one that helped save everyone. He is... like a son to me.”

Bonnie would be grinning from ear to ear if he could. “Aww, F-Freddy, t-that's s-s-sweet! I-I'm glad I can m-meet such an important k-kid!” The bunny shifted his gaze to Gregory, tilting his head slightly. “W-Well, i-it's really nice to m-meet you, bud, despite t-the circumstances!”

Gregory smiled, waving his hand excitedly. “Nice to meet you too! I have so much to tell you, but I'll save it for next time I come!” He looked back up at Freddy to let him continue his conversation, knowing that the two of them probably wanted to talk more before he regaled Bonnie with their adventures.

“S-Sounds good!” Bonnie replied with a laugh, then looked to Freddy again. “I-I'm sorry I just d-disappeared... M-My connection w-with the network was c-completely s-severed when Monty g-got me, s-s-so I couldn't r-reach out. T-The only ones I-I could talk to were the e-endos, but they o-only became f-friendly r-recently... I-I'm g-guessing when you stopped th-that girl in the bunny s-suit?”

“Yes,” Freddy said with a nod. “It is a long story, but there was a virus that infected the entire Pizzaplex—including Monty, Roxy, and Chica. It seems you and I were the only ones unaffected, although you got decommissioned early on, so I cannot say what really would have happened to you...” Freddy grimaced at the memories of Bonnie’s disappearance. “There was a search for you, but the company did not look too hard, admittedly...”

“T-Typical,” Bonnie said, rolling his eyes. He tilted an ear in downwards in Gregory's direction. “S-So wh-what's the d-deal with G-Gregory? I-I mean, I-I'm glad you've g-g-got a new buddy, but i-is he...?”

The boy’s head swiveled back and forth between the animatronics as they talked, trying to take in as much information as he could understand. This was all interesting to him—sad, but interesting. As Gregory heard his name, a frown crossed his face.

“Yeah, I'm dead…,” he mumbled bitterly, folding his arms over his chest with a pout. “Vanessa got me, which totally wasn't fair! But… at least this means I can bother Freddy forever!” He giggled, trying to counteract the bad feelings the memories dragged up by thinking of his new family.

“V-Vanessa... i-isn't that the s-s-security guard?!” Bonnie exclaimed, and Freddy nodded somberly.

“She used to be, yes. Unfortunately, we do not know where she is now—if is even alive. But she was being controlled as well. She... she did some horrible things, and there are some that I am still not sure how or why she did them.” He thought of the children trapped in endoskeletons in the next room. That was definitely a mystery that would take time to unravel...

“Ah... w-well, s-s-sorry to hear th-that, bud,” Bonnie said to Gregory. “B-But you're r-right; now you c-c-can stick with F-Freddy forever! I-I know he'd l-love that. I c-can already t-tell how m-much he cares about y-you; y-you're r-really special to him!”

“So are you—Freddy talks about you still!” Gregory replied with another, slightly easier laugh. “Oh! I also had my own party, and since you couldn't come I saved you a seat. Maybe I can bring you something I saved from then!”

“Oh? T-That sounds awesome! Th-Thanks, bud!” Bonnie replied. “S-Since I'm k-kinda stuck d-d-down here for the foreseeable f-future, I-I'd definitely appreciate y-you guys s-stopping by!”

“Bonnie, now that we know where you are, we are going to find a way to get you repaired and back upstairs with us,” Freddy told him, placing his hand on a part of Bonnie's shoulder that was still in-tact. “But of course we will visit until then. I only wish we had a way to communicate with you; I do not like the thought of leaving you here again without being able to contact us...”

“It's okay, Freddy! We'll just make sure to visit a lot so no one gets lonely down here!” Gregory piped up with a bright smile. “And we can play games and draw when we come over!”

“Y-Yeah, we'll f-figure something out!” Bonnie agreed, sounding genuinely happy.

“Well... alright,” Freddy relented with a sigh. “Maybe I will bring you an extra Fazwatch; then at least you can contact me directly...” Freddy blinked, perking up. “Oh! Speaking of contacting, I should let the others know that you are alright! Maybe we will be able to come up with a plan once we are all together.” He paused, meeting Bonnie's gaze. “Are you sure you will be okay on your own?”

“I-I've been h-here this w-w-whole time and I-I'm still kickin', a-aren't I?” Bonnie laughed. “G-Go tell everyone t-the great n-news! I-I'll be w-w-waiting here w-when you guys come b-back!”

“Then we can have another party when you’re all better, Bonnie!” Gregory added with a bright smile, before glancing back at the doorway. “And we'll make sure to bring your friends, too!”

“I-I’ll look f-forward to it!” the bunny said, sounding excited as well. His gaze shifted to Freddy’s one more time. “T-Thanks again; i-it’s good t-to see you, F-Fredbear. I-I missed y-you.”

“I missed you too,” Freddy smiled softly, bending to gently pat the top of Bonnie’s head. He then stood, lifting Gregory in his arms. “We will be back before you know it!”

Gregory laid his head against Freddy's shoulder, waving at Bonnie with a small grin before they exited the room. As Freddy carried the boy down the hall, the familiar voice returned once again.

“Thanks for coming; we'll see you soon!” it said, followed by the sound of a few metal squeaks. Gregory perked up and waved both hands aimlessly, not really being sure where to focus his attention.

“Bye, you guys! I'll make sure to bring stuff so we can have fun next time,” he said, sounding much more confident with Freddy now by his side.

“Thank you for keeping my dear friend company,” the bear added. “As Gregory said, we will return soon!” He spun in a circle, waving to the entire room as well before setting off again towards the elevator. Once inside, he pushed the button before giving Gregory a tight hug. “And thank you, superstar; I never expected to find anyone down there, let alone Bonnie!”

“Me neither! I just hope we can get everyone up to the rest of the Pizzaplex soon! Then we can all have a biiiig party!” The boy was practically beaming with excitement. He'd finally have other kids to play with—he’d never really had that chance before, even during his life prior to the Pizzaplex.

“We certainly can!” Freddy agreed enthusiastically. “It will be the best party in the history of parties!” The elevator door opened and they stepped out, automatically walking towards Rockstar Row. “Would you like to tell the others the great news?”

Gregory thought to himself for a moment before quickly shaking his head. “I think you should do it!”

Freddy nodded and led them towards Chica’s room where they’d seen her, Roxy, and Monty earlier that night. Chica sat at her vanity while Monty lounged on the couch, listening to Roxy talking excitedly about something that happened earlier that day.

“Everyone, we have found something amazing!” Freddy exclaimed, opening the door with a grin.

Monty sat up after hearing Freddy's voice. He gave a hopeful smile and asked: “…A new golf course?”

“Not quite, Monty. As you know, Gregory went down into the basement to get your parts,” Freddy began, placing Gregory on the ground so he could talk with his hands as well. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been this excited to share something. “He discovered that there are entities down there that we did not know about… and we think they are the other missing children.” He paused, letting that sink in before he continued somberly. “Unfortunately, they were also fatally captured by Vanny. However, their souls remain just as Gregory’s has, although in a very different state—it seems they are trapped in the endoskeletons that are stored down below.”

“Whoa… That’s… that’s rough,” Roxy said with a grimace. That was a lot of information to process, even for the supercomputer that made up the animatronics’ brains. “Poor kids…”

Monty looked around, confused. Were the dead children the “something amazing” Freddy was referring to?

Chica frowned softly, gently shaking her head. “There has to be a way to get them out, though... Would that mean they'll be ghosts like Gregory?” She looked over at the boy, who shrugged his shoulders.

“I dunno... But they seem nice!” he said as he offered a smile, waiting for Freddy to get to the best part.

Freddy nodded in agreement. “Their circumstances are unfortunate, but so were Gregory’s; I am hoping that we can free them and give them some semblance of a happy afterlife as we have done for him.” He smiled down at Gregory, resting a gentle hand on his head. After a few seconds he looked back around the room, his grin now bright as the sun.

“We also made another discovery,” Freddy continued. “An old friend resides down there as well. He was hidden and is currently unable to move from his position, but he is functional!” His gaze landed on Chica, knowing she would be most excited with the news. “We finally found Bonnie!”

“You what?!” Chica squawked, shooting out of her seat with wide eyes. “How?! This is so totally amazing!” She clapped her hands, looking around the room excitedly. “We have to bring him back up soon! Oh, this is such great news!”

“How'd he end up down there?!” Monty asked, equally as happy to hear Bonnie was still functional.

“From what he can remember, Vanny and… someone else brought him down,” Freddy said, shifting his gaze away. Obviously, the gator didn’t remember what he’d done. Freddy wondered if he’d heard the rumors that he was the most likely cause of Bonnie’s disappearance, or if that part of the past was locked away in his memories, too. In the end, Bonnie had already acknowledged that Monty hadn’t been himself during the incident, so hopefully they’d be able to mend things in time. For now, though, Freddy didn’t want to spoil the happy moment more than necessary.

“Bonnie was never affected by the virus, just like me,” Freddy continued. “They used him for parts, he said, and now he cannot hold a charge and his connection to the network is severed—that is why he has been unable to contact us.”

“Man, and he was just sitting there the whole time while we were… ugh,” Roxy said with a shake of her head.

Freddy walked over and patted her on the back, not letting his happiness dwindle. “Regardless, he just needs some repairs and I am sure we can get him back to working order! Now that we have located him, he is excited to see everyone again!”

“That shouldn't be a problem for us!” Chica mentioned as she rested her hands on her hips. “We can get him all fixed up and bring him back! Not sure what state he's in, but we'll be able to do it, I'm sure!”

Gregory grinned, throwing his fists up. “Then we'll throw a big party!”

Freddy lifted the boy up and gently tossed him into the air, laughing as he caught him on the way down. “A wonderful plan as usual, superstar!” He hugged Gregory close, then walked over to Chica and pulled her in with his free arm. It seemed as if whatever residual tension he’d been holding from the virus takeover had been washed away at Bonnie’s discovery. Grinning, he looked over Chica’s shoulder and Monty and Roxy. “I am so happy that we can all be a family again!”

“Aww, c’mere, you sappy ol’ bear!” Roxy said with a laugh, rushing over to join in the group hug. Monty immediately grabbed a hold of Roxy's tail and tugged her back before rushing to hug others.

“Hehe, payback!” he told the wolf as he hugged onto Freddy and Chica.

Roxy made an offended noise, then half-climbed onto Monty’s back in an effort to get closer. Freddy could only laugh, enjoying the fact that everyone could come together like this. Eventually, the group parted and Freddy met Gregory’s eyes. “Well, what now superstar? We’ve all had an eventful day… do you want to rest?”

Gregory smiled, gently nodding his head. “I'm beat!”

The animatronics chuckled and the group said their goodbyes, everyone returning to their own rooms to prepare for the dayshift.

“I'm gonna take the longest nap ever,” Gregory announced. “And then tomorrow, I’m going back down there to talk to the kids. I'll teach them everything I know!”

“I am sure they will appreciate it,” Freddy said as they entered his room. He gently laid Gregory on the couch and tucked him in, ruffling his hair with a smile. “Sleep well, superstar; dream of all the adventures we will have tomorrow!”

“I will!” Gregory shifted to get comfortable, tugging the blanket up to his chin before shutting his eyes. Like always, the boy was out like a light.

***

Masterlist of chapters on Tumblr here!

Please check out The Superstar Series on ao3 for all fics in this series: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2726401

[angelofrainfrogs]

We Found Him, Superstar: Ch. 6

Fandom: Five Nights At Freddy’s: Security Breach

Description: Since starting his new afterlife at the Pizzaplex, Gregory has managed to befriend the Glamrock animatronics and made a surprising discovery—Bonnie’s been hidden in the basement warehouse this entire time, badly decommissioned but still powered on. Along with Bonnie are the endoskeletons that, no longer under the virus’s control, seem much more sentient than normal animatronics… Gregory and his friends are determined to get Bonnie back into commission and figure out the mysteries of what exactly these endoskeletons are—and how to help them, too.

Chapter Summary: Gregory wakes from a nightmare to an even more terrifying situation: the animatronics can no longer see or hear him. This strange invisibility seems like another one of his ghostly powers, but this time Gregory has to figure out how to get back to normal all on his own.

Rating: T

Read on Ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/38728158/chapters/99262308

“But... you have to go on stage, or else you'll get in trouble!” Gregory exclaimed, lifting his head to look at Freddy with wide eyes. He’d hate to get the bear in hot water, but… he had to admit that he really didn’t want him to leave his side so soon either. 

Monty shook his head, grinning brightly. “I certainly don't mind takin’ the lead, Fredbear. Although, are you sure you don't wanna join us?” 

“I'll think of an excuse; Gregory needs Freddy right now,” Chica assured as she walked over to open the door, gesturing for Roxy and Monty to follow her out. 

 “Just say that I did not have a sufficient amount time to recharge; I will deal with the fallout later,” Freddy said with a grateful smile. “I promise that I will join you for this evening’s performance, so the techs will not have to worry for long. Thank you again, everyone!” 

“No problem!” Roxy said, giving him a thumbs up, then waving at Gregory. “Hope you feel better soon, kid; see you tonight!” 

“Bye!” Gregory called after the animatronics, waving until the door closed behind them. Once they’d left, Freddy shifted Gregory into a carrying position and stood, holding him close. 

“Let us go down to the basement,” he suggested. “Staff will be far less likely to look for us there. We can stay as long as we need to—is that alright with you, superstar?”

“Yeah… I like that idea,” Gregory agreed, shutting his eyes for a moment and gently squeezing Freddy's shoulders. He felt bad for having Freddy miss his performance and really hoped he wouldn't get in too much trouble for doing so. “Can we talk to Bonnie, too?” 

“Of course!” Freddy replied. He peered out of the curtain and saw that there were some customers milling around and looking at the display cases in the main area of Rockstar Row. Suddenly they all seemed to turn at once and make a beeline for what Freddy assumed were the Glamrocks heading towards the stage, who’d unintentionally created the perfect distraction. He closed the curtain again and smiled down at Gregory. “I will wait just a moment for the coast to be clear; do you want to call Bonnie and let him know we are coming early today?”

“Mhm!” Gregory nodded, then glanced down towards his watch and pressed the button to connect with the rabbit’s. “Hey, Bonnie? We’re coming early today and we’ll be there soon—I hope you don't mind!” 

“H-Hey, bud!” came Bonnie’s voice through the watch. “I-I’m lookin’ forward t-t-to it; see you s-soon!” 

Freddy peeked out of the curtain again, happy to see that the area was clear. Still keeping a tight hold on his son, Freddy cautiously exited his room and quickly made his way to the basement elevator. Soon, the pair were riding the old metal box down to the basement once again. As they descended, Gregory let out a sigh and rested his head on Freddy’s shoulder.

“I think I used a lot of energy…,” he mumbled, feeling the exhaustion creeping up once again. It wasn’t as if he would fall asleep right then and there, but all that phasing through objects seemed to really put a damper on his energy levels.

“Hmm…” Freddy hummed thoughtfully, letting Gregory settle however he wanted in his grasp. “Well, I would usually suggest that you take a rest, but that seemed to be the precipitating factor for your recent disappearance.” He let out a small sigh. “Maybe food would perk you up; I should have stopped by the kitchens on our way here…” As if on cue, the elevator came to a stop. Freddy stepped out as the doors opened, immediately making his way towards the hall of endoskeletons.

“Cake?” Gregory asked, instantly perking up at the thought and lightly kicking his legs. He turned to look over his shoulder, immediately taking notice of the papers and crayons now either missing or scattered about the area. Some endoskeletons were still sitting in front of their scribbled drawings, while others were watching from where they stood. 

“You're back!” gasped the familiar voice, its tone clearly showing excitement with the pair’s arrival.

“Hello, everyone,” Freddy said, smiling kindly to the room. He tilted his head to Gregory, telling him: “Yes, I think some cake is well-deserved after what you have been through.” 

How would he get it, though? He couldn’t walk around with Gregory in his arms with customers about—especially if he was trying to sneak past staff while playing hooky. Normally he’d let Gregory hide in his chest cavity, but he worried the boy would accidentally drain his power due to how tired he was. The only option seemed to go by himself, but then he’d have to leave Gregory alone. 

Freddy glanced around the room again. Well, the boy wouldn’t be completely alone…

“They played with the crayons and the toys,” Gregory commented as he gazed around as well, to which the voice spoke up once again. 

“We love them. Thank you again; it's nice to finally have something to do down here...”

“You are quite welcome,” Freddy said, his expression softening. He walked over to the table where most of the papers were, curious but not wanting to invade the children's space. “May we see what you have been drawing?” 

Upon Freddy's question, there seemed to be quiet whispers before they went silent, save for the main voice. “Yes, you can.” 

Freddy bent over the table, scanning the papers for anything legible. Like yesterday, most of the drawings were just scribbles, and Freddy guessed this was a combination of having to maneuver endoskeleton fingers and kids simply having varying levels of fine motor skills. This time, however, there were a few legible words—what appeared to be names, all in varying colors and handwriting. Freddy glanced at a few of the endoskeletons sitting down, asking softly: “Are these some of your names?” 

It was silent for a little bit, until a quiet whisper stated: “…Yes.” 

Freddy looked behind him as he heard a faint metal creak, catching the briefest movement before an endoskeleton stilled again. The bear stood straight, grabbing one of the papers and holding it up to examine closely. 

“Thank you for opening up to us; I know it must not be easy,” he said, reading the scribbled words. “I can make out three names so far: Katie… Ben… and Ella.” He looked around the room, seeing if any of the endos reacted. “Did I get those right?”

Gregory turned his head as he spotted three endoskeletons suddenly shift, two of them on the floor and one standing—they must've been the three monikers called out. He gave them a bright smile, their previously-terrifying demeanor made instantly less so now that they had actual names attached to them. 

“Hi, you guys!” Gregory said with a wave, then giggled as Freddy bent to pick up some more papers, dipping him low in the process. It was clear from the bear’s grin that this was intentional, wanting to make sure they boy wasn’t getting stressed again.

“Now, let me see…,” Freddy continued once he’d righted himself and Gregory. “These are the last ones I can see: Mia, Robin, Flynn, and Ian.” There were two more names but they were completely unintelligible, which made Freddy believe the kids they belonged to were quite young.

“It is wonderful to get to know you all a little more,” Freddy stated, putting as much kindness into his tone as he could. Counting the two still unknown, they’d uncovered nine names total—with this information, any lingering doubt Freddy had about these actually being the missing children was instantly quashed. 

The animatronics weren’t supposed to be exposed to information about anything negative that happened in the Pizzaplex, although of course they’d managed to pick up on the missing children situation to a certain extent based on rumors and overheard conversations between concerned parents and staff. With the addition of his personal encounters with Vanny and William, Freddy was even more aware of their existence than the others, which in an ironic way helped him accept their presence more easily. 

Despite their unfortunate state, Freddy was so glad they’d found the missing children— even if their situation broke his heart. At least they were starting to open up more now, and seemed genuinely happy with their company. He held Gregory a bit tighter, thankful that at least one child got away before being stuck into a metallic prison…

“We came back sooner than expected so I did not have time to bring more supplies,” Freddy added, then gave a friendly chuckle. “But I promise that next time we will bring more things for you to entertain yourselves with!” 

“Yeah! We'll make sure to get a bunch more stuff for you guys,” Gregory agreed with a vigorous nod. As the pair spoke, the endoskeletons slightly fidgeted—only doing so when neither Freddy nor Gregory’s eyes were upon them, of course. Gregory looked back at the bear with a small smile. “This will be so cool! I've always wanted friends like me!”

Freddy resisted the urge to frown at that comment, instead shifting his gaze towards the back room. “Speaking of friends, how about we go and pay Bonnie a visit?”

“Mhm!” Gregory kicked his legs back and forth.

“Hey, b-bud!” Bonnie said cheerfully as they entered his room. The necklace Gregory had given him was still around his wrist, although it was now wrapped twice so it wouldn’t fall off as easily. “A-And hey, F-Fredbear!” 

“Hello, Bonnie.” Freddy smiled, noticing the bracelet. One of the children must have helped him secure it.

“Hi, Bonnie!” Gregory waved at the bunny excitedly. “We have lots to tell you!”

“Oh y-yeah?” Bonnie questioned. “Y-You are here k-kinda early… I-I guess you’re g-g-gonna tell me w-why, huh?” 

“It has been quite an eventful twenty-four hours…,” Freddy sighed, setting Gregory down.

“I disappeared! I don't know how, but I was completely invisible for a really long time after I woke up,” Gregory explained. “I was scared I'd never be visible again!” Bonnie shifted his gaze between the pair, unsure of how exactly respond for a bit. 

“Whoa… T-That’s crazy!” he eventually said, watching Freddy pat Gregory’s back comfortingly. “B-But I can see you j-just fine now, s-so I guess you figured it o-out!”

“Yeah, I just wish I could understand how these stupid powers work…,” Gregory mumbled softly, lowering his head. “It took forever to figure out how to get back to normal; I don't want it to happen again!”

“I have been saying that such powers may take time get a handle on; this is unfamiliar to all of us,” Freddy reassured, softly running a paw through Gregory’s hair. “Although today’s incident was concerning, you will learn how to control this; do not worry.” 

“Yeah, F-Freddy is r-right!” Bonnie chimed in, the smile evident in his voice. “You’ll g-get a handle on t-this b-before you k-know it! And if it d-does happen again, j-just think if w-what you did t-to get back to y-yourself today, a-and do it again!” 

“I hope so…” Gregory leaned his head against Freddy's paw, frowning softly for a few seconds before taking a deep breath and giving the pair a confident nod. “I'll try my best!” 

“Ah, that reminds me… how is your energy level, superstar? Would you like me to get you some cake?” Freddy asked. 

Gregory hummed, rubbing at his eyes. “Um, I'm kinda sleepy… but heck yeah I want cake!” He threw his fists into the air in silent cheer.

“…How would you feel about staying down here with Bonnie?” Freddy asked, a bit hesitantly. “I do not wish to leave you, but I would feel safer if you remained here rather than trying to navigate the Pizzaplex with me while the guests are around… and while I would normally suggest you hiding in my suit, I’ll need to put the cake there so I do not attract unwanted attention.” He met Gregory’s gaze, smiling reassuringly. “But if you really would like to come with me, I am sure we can make it work.”

Gregory lowered his arms, tilting his head as he debated his options. “Hmm… I’ll stay here. I don’t wanna get you into any more trouble!” He gave Freddy one last hug before sitting down beside Bonnie. 

“Thank you, superstar!” Freddy was honestly a bit surprised that Gregory agreed so easily—apparently, the boy felt even more comfortable with the rabbit than Freddy originally thought, which made him quite happy. He gave Gregory a final pat on the head and then began walking away, calling over his shoulder: “I will be back soon! If you have any trouble, call me on your Fazwatch!” 

“Y-You got it, b-boss!” Bonnie replied, saluting with his creaky arm. Once Freddy left the room, Bonnie shifted his gaze to land on the boy next to him. “S-Sorry I’m n-not that exciting r-right n-now, bud; I c-can’t do as m-much fun stuff a-as everyone else!”

“It's okay, we don't have to do anything crazy; I like talking to you!” Gregory insisted as he pulled his knees up to his chest, offering Bonnie a smile. “And also, now I can tell you everything about our party!”

“Oh y-yeah!” Bonnie said, the excitement evident in his voice. “I-I’ve gotta k-know what to l-l-look forward to w-when I get o-outta here!” 

***

Freddy paused as he entered the hall of endoskeletons. He knew that he shouldn’t take too long so as not to worry Gregory, but wanted to ask the children one more thing before he went on his mission. Smiling softly, he inquired: “Now that we know most of your names… may I ask which one of you has been speaking to us directly?” 

He reasoned that this would be the protector of the group, and therefore would likely be the one they’d get to know first. Freddy already felt a kinship with the soul who’d stepped up to take care of the others when they were scared and alone—in the most basic sense, it wasn’t unlike the way he’d taken Gregory under his wing.

It was silent for a moment before the familiar voice finally spoke up. They seemed almost reluctant to answer, but did so nonetheless. 

“I’m… Mia.”

 “Hello, Mia; it is nice to officially meet you,” Freddy replied as he gave the room a smile, glad to finally put a name to the voice. He resumed walking towards the elevator, nodding at the endoskeletons as he passed them. “I must run an errand, but I will return shortly; Gregory is still here, if you would like to speak with him while I am away!” 

“Thanks, Freddy; we'll see you soon,” Mia said in her usually hushed tone. By the time Freddy entered the elevator and turned to push the button all of the endoskeletons were turned to face him, some of them with their hands raised as if to wave him goodbye.

***

“Well, we went to Bonnie Bowl and we had the party there, and everyone really liked it!” Gregory explained to Bonnie, listing anything and everything he could remember. “I had your seat right next to Freddy's, and Monty was eating a plate.” 

Bonnie laughed, his body shaking slightly with the force of it. “G-Glad to hear t-that M-Monty’s back to his o-old self!” He gently patted Gregory’s foot, which was the easiest thing to reach. “It s-sounds s-super fun, though! I-I’m excited to join y-you next t-time.” Bonnie’s ear tiled questioningly. “I-I guess you c-can eat, since F-Freddy’s g-getting you some c-cake; d-did you have anything s-special at the p-party?” 

Gregory nodded his head as he folded his arms over his chest with a grin. “Grilled cheese sandwich! It was cold, but I still ate it!” 

“W-Well, we’ll definitely g-get you some c-cake next time!” Bonnie said with another laugh. “W-What’s your f-favorite f-flavor? If I c-could eat, I-I think I’d l-like c-chocolate!”

Gregory thought to himself for a moment before shrugging. “I've only tried chocolate and vanilla but... I really like vanilla! It was so yummy!”

“I b-bet! I-I remember the k-kids talking about s-sweets all t-the time.” Bonnie replied. “N-Not sure who t-thought it was a g-good idea to s-serve ice cream in a b-bowling alley, though… I c-can’t tell you h-how many times k-kids would come up t-to hug me w-with sticky hands a-and faces!” He let out a soft laugh as he reminisced. “I-I loved it, though; t-they were a-always so cute.”

Gregory’s smile fell slightly as Bonnie spoke about his fond memories. He couldn't help but feel bad that the animatronic had been stuck here for so long. 

“We’re gonna get you back in shape in no time!” he assured as he rested his head against Bonnie’s arm, careful to avoid any loose wires.

“T-Thanks, bud; geez, Freddy s-sure found a g-good kid!” Bonnie said with another chuckle, looking down at him. He went silent for a moment, then posed a hesitant question: “Hey, G-Gregory, speaking of r-repairs… since you’re s-such a great m-mechanic, I-I was wondering if y-you’d mind t-trying to fix m-my voice box? I-I’m pretty sure the p-problem is j-just that a s-screw got knocked loose w-when I was put d-down here; a-all you’d n-need to do is t-tighten it, and everything sh-should fall back into p-place.” He met the boy’s gaze, hoping Freddy wouldn’t be mad at him if Gregory agreed to do the repairs without him overseeing things. “O-Only if you’re c-comfortable, o-of course! W-we can always wait for y-your d-dad to get b-back.”

“Yes! I can do it!” Gregory perked up at the request. He wasted no time in reaching a hand into what was left of Bonnie's head, feeling around until he found the voice box. It reminded him of when he took Chica's out, although this time he had no fear whatsoever that Bonnie would snap at him and attack. 

“Oh, I this one doesn’t have dents or anything! I think you're right, it's just really loose,” Gregory mentioned as he began fiddling with the box, narrowing his eyes in an attempt to see where he was moving it.

Bonnie wanted to warn him to be careful, but didn’t dare speak in fear of accidentally zapping the boy with electricity or activating some wayward piece of endoskeleton to close on Gregory’s tiny fingers. He merely sat back and let the little mechanic do his work, staying as still as possible until they both finally felt the voice box snap into place with a satisfying click!

Gregory took a step back, pulling his hands out of the animatronic and rubbing the tiny amount of excess grease on his pants. “Um... Okay! Try saying something!” 

From what Bonnie could tell, the voice box felt like it was in the right place, and that clicking sound was a good sign. Tentatively, he spoke: 

“…Did it work?”

“Yes!” Gregory chirped as he hopped up and down, his eyes lighting up with excitement. 

Mia's voice soon rang out just beyond the doorway—clearly, the endoskeletons had been listening in. “It sounds like it works…”

“Yeah!” Bonnie cheered loud enough for the others to hear him, pumping a creaky fist in the air. “Thank you, bud! All that skipping was driving me crazy!” He lowered his arm slightly and held it out towards Gregory, instinctively trying to give the boy a one-armed hug. “You’re amazing!”

Gregory was quick to crouch down on his knees and hug Bonnie back, smiling happily. “You're welcome! What else do we need to fix besides... y’know, the obvious things?” 

“Hmm…” Bonnie hummed, checking his internal alerts—those that still worked, anyway—for everything currently wrong with him. “Unfortunately, I think everything else is more of a major repair; my arm and voice were really the only things that can be fixed right now, like Freddy guessed.” He paused, looking down at himself. “I need a new battery, and we still need to find replacement parts for my arm and leg before we can think about reconnecting them… oh, and my ear!” He pointed to the half-missing ear while wiggling the other up and down to show that at least one still worked. Gregory smiled, giving said ear a gentle pat. 

“Maybe there's more parts further in the basement?” Gregory glanced towards the doorway leading to the dark hall. “I can go look and see if there's anything! The kids told me there’s spare parts for all the animatronics down here, like when I found stuff for Monty’s snout and when they replaced Chica's beak—oh, um… oops.” The boy grimaced, realizing that Bonnie probably didn’t know all the havoc Gregory had caused days prior. 

Bonnie did not, in fact, know the extent of the damage to everyone else—nor did he know that Gregory was the one to cause it. 

“Chica lost her beak?!” he asked worriedly. “Geez, I hope she’s okay… Freddy told me that a lotta stuff happened while I’ve been down here, but he didn’t give me many specifics...”

Gregory laughed nervously, slowly nodding his head. “I-It happened a while ago... I kinda, um… She was chasing me, so I kinda pushed her in the trash compactor…” He paused, rubbing at the back of his neck. “B-But I used her voice box and put it into Freddy so we could have access to the lower levels! That's how we found that scary guy controlling everyone...”

Bonnie simply stared at Gregory for quite some time, processing this information. He didn't understand how anyone could hurt Chica, of all animatronics, especially not the sweet kid in front of him. But Bonnie had to concede that things were already going very wrong before he lost communication with everyone, as evidenced by him being stuck down here in the first place. He was sure Gregory wouldn't hurt anyone unless absolutely necessary, just as Chica wouldn't go after a child unless something was forcing her to do so. It just made him wonder what else happened that night. 

“Well... you've gotta do what you've gotta do, I suppose,” Bonnie eventually relented. “As long as Chica's okay now, I'm sure she understands, since I know that bird wouldn't hurt a fly. I can't believe she chased you...” He paused, tilting his ear. “Wait, Freddy got her voice box?!” 

“She's perfectly fine now!” Gregory reassured, then gave another quiet laugh and twiddled his thumbs. “Yeah, I kinda took the others’ parts and upgraded Freddy... But only because they chased me! I feel bad now, but... I never knew I was dead. I thought they were really gonna—” He stopped, wincing at the memories. It was times like these that he almost wished he’d never learned the truth; maybe then he wouldn’t have to relive the sight of sharp, open jaws rapidly coming at his face. “They… They managed to bite me a few times, but I always ended up somewhere else when they did and couldn't remember. Well, until Vanny told me I was dead and I remembered everything.”

“Wow... you've sure been through a lot, bud,” Bonnie commented after a moment. He wished he could smile reassuringly, but the best he could do was pat the boy's shoe again. “I'm glad everything worked out, though; I wouldn't have gotten to meet you, otherwise!” He chuckled brightly, not wanting the boy to dwell on such a dark topic. He’d have to ask Freddy for more details later, when it was just the two of them chatting. “And hey, now you learned so many skills about repairing us in case we get into any trouble! I'm sure Monty's gonna need some more fixing up eventually; he always liked to roughhouse...”

Gregory smiled at the praise, gently nodding his head. “You're right! I don't even know what I'm doing most of the time, honestly—I kinda just move whatever looks funky!” 

Bonne laughed, glad that Gregory could stay in good spirits despite the darker turn of their conversation. “You know, you had a good idea—this is where they store all our parts. You've just gotta know where to look for 'em.” He paused, then added. “I don't want you wandering or Freddy won't be happy, but maybe the kids can help you find something of mine?” He spoke a little louder so the others could hear. “Is that ok, everyone?”

It took a moment to receive an answer, which seemed to be loud metallic creaking coming closer and closer towards the door before Mia stated: “We’ll look.” 

A group of endoskeletons marched down the hall, whispering and giggling as they went, excited for the rare adventure. 

“That's a good idea,” Gregory agreed, happy he wouldn’t have to wander on his own. 

“I can look for stuff, I just… sometimes get scared still. That creepy bunny guy me and Freddy went up against... He's waaaay down below the Pizzaplex—even further down than here!”

“Creepy bunny guy?” Bonnie repeated, his ear tilting downwards. “I thought Vanny was the rabbit... and she was Vanessa?” He rolled his eyes, sighing loudly. “Everyone's trying to take my look, it seems.”

“He was so scary! He was the one controlling everyone and... And he wanted all of the souls of the children—even mine! That’s what Vanny said!” Gregory explained, soon lowering his voice to a near-whisper. “He... I think he was the creator of you, and the Pizzaplex, and everything!”

“The creator...?” Bonnie trailed off, pulling all the information he could from his memory bank. There was surprisingly little to go on, which he found odd since he knew that hadn’t been damaged by Monty’s attack, but he was eventually to pull up a basic script for when a guest asked about how the Fazbear Franchise was created. There were two founders, one with a much better reputation than the other: Henry Emily and— 

“Afton? William Afton?” Bonnie narrowed his eyes. “He was here?! I thought he disappeared—at least, that’s what my records seem to indicate. But even if he was back, he’d be old—like, really old.”

“Yeah, that’s him!” Gregory nodded at the familiar name. “We found the original Pizzaplex down below this one—or, well, an older one I think! And there were a bunch of animatronics melted into one giant pile!” The boy held his hands up, pretending to snatch something out of midair. “And it took William... I don't think he died, but it was scary. I saw him in this bunny suit, and he was all...  Zombie-looking.” He shuddered at the image of the rotting flesh and metal creature—those glowing eyes were forever burned in his memory.

Bonnie watched him carefully as he explained. Gregory had been through so much—more than any person, let alone a child, should be expected to handle. No wonder Freddy hardly set the kid on solid ground. 

“I'm sorry you had to go through that, bud,” Bonnie said, holding out his hand for Gregory to take. Again, he had the strongest urge to pull the boy into a hug and tell him that everything would be okay, but that would have to wait until he was all fixed up. “But even though it was scary, whatever happened down there freed all the animatronics!”

Gregory gently took his hand and leaned against Bonnie's side. “Yeah, I’m okay… As long as everyone’s back to normal, that's all that matters!” He sighed heavily, lowering his head to stare at the ground. “I just hope he never comes back... Neither should Vanny.” 

“Well, if they do, I'm gonna be right by your side this time—and I know the others will, too.” He chuckled softly, squeezing Gregory's hand. “And if they think Fredbear is gonna let them touch one hair on your head, they've got another thing comin'!”

“Yeah! We'll beat them up!” The boy said with a bright grin, giving Bonnie's hand a squeeze back. “…But I'm still never going back down there ever again!”

“Oh no, definitely not; you're staying here with us! And soon, I'm gonna be up in the main area with the rest of you!” As if on cue, there was a metallic shuffling outside the door, signaling the return of the endoskeletons. “Hey, guys! Did you find anything?!”

“We found plenty of spares,” Mia announced, followed by clanging of metal as they endoskeletons set everything down outside of the room. 

Gregory was quick to stand, making his way over towards the door and peeking out. “Wow! All new and shiny!”

“What parts did you find?” Bonnie asked curiously, trying to peer around Gregory to no avail. “Sounds like you’ve got one of everything out there!” 

“Exactly that,” Mia mentioned in her usual soft tone. 

“Thanks, everyone!” he called to the room of endos. “You’re a huge help! And thanks for leading them as usual, Mia!”

As the endoskeletons marched off to find their places once again, Gregory made a mental note that the main one that talked was named Mia. He grinned, hopeful that he’d be able to figure out the others’ names soon as well! 

“Freddy said he wanted to get you to Parts and Service with Monty's help,” the boy mentioned, stepping back to Bonnie’s side. “But I wanna help as much as I can, too!”

“You’ve already done a lot, bud!” Bonnie assured him, and at that moment he heard the faint sound of the elevator arriving back to the basement. He met Gregory’s gaze with a chuckle. “I think your dad’s back!” 

Freddy stepped out of the elevator, a couple of drawstring bags clutched in one hand. The bags were covered in a design of suns and stars, and Freddy grinned to the room of exoskeletons as he raised them up. “Hello again, everyone! I have brought you some gifts!”

Gregory froze for a moment to listen until he heard Freddy's voice, then ran full-speed out of the room and latched himself onto Freddy's leg. “Freddy! I missed you!”

“Hi, superstar!” the bear replied, patting Gregory’s head, since couldn’t bend down due to what he was carrying. “Please step back a moment and I will show you what I have!”

Gregory pulled away somewhat reluctantly, clasping his hands behind his back. He had a lot to update Freddy on, but he wanted to see what gifts were brought first.

Freddy set the bags on the nearby table. “I am sorry I took so long, but I stopped by the daycare and told Sun that I needed some arts supplies for a group of new friends; he made some care packages for everyone, so these should last you for a while! Also—” He opened his chest hatch to reveal an oversized vanilla cake, which he held in both hands and bent to show Gregory. “This is for you, Gregory!”

Gregory gasped happily at the sight, his eyes widening with excitement. “Thanks; this looks so good!” 

The endoskeletons shifted in place before Mia finally spoke up. “Everyone’s very excited and thanking you up and down, Freddy.”

“You are all very welcome,” Freddy replied, grinning from ear to ear. His favorite thing was making children happy—it was the core of his programming, after all. He held the cake up slightly before Gregory could grab it, knowing it would be a bit too heavy for the small boy. “Here, let us take the cake over to Bonnie’s room so the three of us can sit together; then the others can play as well.” He hoped that someday the children would gain enough confidence to move when they were looking, but he knew that would take some time.

“Okay!” Gregory chirped, turning to make his way down the hall and back into the room where Bonnie sat. “Bonnie, guess what? Freddy brought me cake!”

“Ooh! Vanilla, right? Your fave!” Bonnie said as Freddy held the cake in one hand and pulled out a set of napkins and utensils from his stomach hatch. Freddy laid a napkin on the ground and set the cake plate on top of it, then handed Gregory a fork. 

“Since there are no others you need to share this with, have at it, superstar!” Freddy said, gesturing to the enormous sweet. Normally, he’d never let a child eat cake this way, but since Gregory didn’t have to worry about what he ate, he might as well have fun!

Gregory happily took his fork and dug in. He soon remembered what he wanted to tell Freddy and swallowed his first bite down. “Oh, Freddy! I fixed Bonnie's voice box all by myself!”

“Oh!” Freddy met Bonnie’s gaze, still smiling. “I thought you sounded like your old self!” Freddy ruffled Gregory’s hair gently. “Great job!” 

“Yeah, your kid is amazing!” Bonnie added. “With him around, I’ll be fixed up in no time.”

“They also helped bring more spare parts for Bonnie!” the boy added, his voice muffled due to the mouthful of food.

 “Did they?” Freddy peered around the doorframe and soon found the pile of parts. “That is wonderful! Maybe we can try to get you walking again tonight!” 

“You sure?” Bonnie asked, his ear tilting downwards. “I don’t wanna make Gregory work too much…” 

“Roxy should be able to help as well, so the task will not all be on him,” Freddy replied with a smile.

“I wanna help, but Roxy does a good job, too!” Gregory insisted. He definitely wanted to get Bonnie back up and working as soon as possible, but he knew that there were things he didn’t necessarily want to try and fix on his own. “She’s the one that fixed up Monty the other day!”

“Did she?” Bonnie asked, not sounding totally convinced. “Well, if you guys say so…” 

“She is surprisingly adept at mechanical repairs,” Freddy replied with a chuckle. Then he paused, realizing another step they’d need to take to get their friend fixed. “Bonnie, I do not think I can carry you up to Parts & Service by myself, especially if your battery will not keep a charge that will allow you to hold on with your own strength… How would you feel about Monty assisting me? He can get you there the fastest, though I understand if you would rather see someone else.” 

Bonnie was silent for a few moments, then let out a sigh. “I’m gonna have to see him again sometime, so… might as well do it now! As long as you’re with me, Fredbear, I’ll be good.”

Gregory nodded, pushing his half-eaten cake aside. “We'll always be here with you! Besides, Monty is really nice!” He frowned, lightly tapping his chin in thought. “How will we keep the security guards off of our trail, though? We need a good distraction!”

 “Oh… right.” Freddy sighed heavily. He’d completely forgotten about those two… 

“Isn’t nighttime security usually pretty lackluster?” Bonnie asked curiously. “Excluding the previous guard, I mean—she was obviously a bad exception...” 

“Maybe I can scare them away!” Gregory suggested with a sly grin. The vague notion of possibly releasing Moon if things got desperate also crossed his mind… but he wasn't sure if the animatronic would scare the night guards or him more.

Freddy gave a concerned hum, thinking aloud: “That would certainly be helpful, but I do not want you to do such a thing on your own—at least not without someone nearby just in case one of the guards acts erratically... maybe Chica can help you?” 

Gregory huffed, crossing his arms. “Okay, fine…” However, his smile quickly returned at the thought of all the things they could do. “I'll think up a plan!”

 “Alright,” Freddy agreed, a bit reluctantly. At least if Chica was there, he knew she would keep Gregory safe. He checked his internal clock, realizing that it was much later than he expected. “Oh dear—Gregory, it is almost time for the final show of the night, and I cannot risk missing this one. Do you feel comfortable coming with me, or would you like to stay here until the building closes down?” 

“Whatever you wanna do is fine with me, bud; I'll see you again later tonight, anyway!” Bonnie added with an excited laugh.

Gregory was quick to stand and raise his arms out for Freddy to lift him up. “I wanna go with you!” He didn't have any plans on leaving Freddy's side any time soon—at least, not until it was time to put their new plan into motion.

“Then we should be off,” Freddy said, picking Gregory up and hugging him tightly. He shifted the boy to one arm, then bent to pick up the leftover cake. “I do not like wasting this, but it will not store well down here, so I will drop it off in the nearest trash bin; we can always get you another one later.” He locked gazes with Bonnie, grinning at him. “We will be back soon!” 

“Yup; see ya, Fredbear!” Bonnie waved, his ear seeming to wiggle in tandem with his hand due to his eagerness. Finally, he'd get to walk again! “See ya, bud!”

“Bye Bonnie, see you soon!” Gregory replied, waving his hand at the animatronic. As Freddy carried Gregory out, the endoskeletons were mostly back to their original places lining the hallway. However, the many goodie bags were opened and a few crayons were clutched in some spindly, mechanical hands. 

“Thanks again, Freddy,” Mia said, in a tone which indicated the bright smile on her face.

“Of course; let me know if that is enough and if not, Sun will be more than happy to make you some more!” Freddy replied, waving as they stepped into the elevator. As the metal box rose, he lowered Gregory to the ground and opened his stomach hatch. “The Pizzaplex is busy, so I would suggest hiding inside until we get backstage; then I will let you out and you can join the crowd, as usual. Is that alright?”

“Sounds like a plan, dad!” Gregory said as he climbed into the hatch and hugged his knees up to his chest. Despite his earlier tiredness, the cake certainly helped give him some energy back!

Freddy’s smile widened as much as physically possible. He didn’t think he’d ever get tired of hearing Gregory refer to him as “dad;” it just felt… right. Freddy was quick to deposit the remains of the cake in the nearest trash can as soon as he stepped out of the elevator. The Pizzaplex was indeed busy with guests rushing to get one last activity in before the place closed, and Freddy was glad that Gregory was hidden from the prying hands of kids that he ran across in his travels. He finally made it to the backstage area where the others were already waiting with a few minutes to spare. 

“Freddy!” a technician yelled as soon as the bear appeared in the doorway. “Where the hell have you been?! You missed the last show, and Chica said you were having recharge troubles!” 

“I am sorry!” Freddy apologized quickly, standing still as a flashlight was shined directly in his eyes. “Yes, I was too low on energy to safely perform earlier, so I asked Montgomery to take my place. But I am fine now!” He flashed the tech a big smile.

“It's all true!” Monty added, folding his arms over his chest and flashing a grin. “We wouldn't want another incident in the same week, so he that’s why he asked me to take over!” 

The staff member glanced at Monty and then back to Freddy, sighing softly. “Well, be careful next time. The managers won't be pleased if this happens again, and neither will the technicians.”

“Of course; I will be sure to charge properly from now on,” Freddy reassured them, happy when they started walking away. He waved as they left the room, calling after them, “I am sorry again for the inconvenience!” 

“Whew! That was a close one,” Roxy commented, hands on her hips. “They were not happy about you skipping, Freddy…” She looked around him, trying to find the child usually glued to his hip. “No kid with you this time? Oh no—he’s not invisible again, is he?!”

At the sound of Roxy’s voice, Gregory pushed the hatch open and carefully hopped out. He landed on the ground and threw his hands above his head with huge grin. “Ta-da!” 

“What a wonderful magic trick!” Chica exclaimed, clapping enthusiastically. 

“Hey there, squirt!” Monty said, patting the top of Gregory’s head. “You totally missed my awesome performance! It was so much better than Roxy's!” He gave the wolf a playful nudge with his tail.

“Thank you again for covering for me, Monty,” Freddy said, giving the gator a fist-bump. “I am sure your performance was wonderful; it is nice to change the line-up every once in a while!” 

“Yeah, except next time, can you let me take the front stage?” Roxy asked, flipping her hair back so it brushed annoyingly across Monty's face. 

“I will be sure to make that arrangement,” Freddy agreed with a laugh. Suddenly, the animatronics blinked in unison as an alert flashed across their visions, and Freddy smiled down at Gregory. “It is time to go on stage; we will meet back here afterwards, okay, superstar?”

“Sounds good! I'll go find a good spot!” the boy said with a nod, giving the group a thumbs-up before running off. He wanted to make sure he got the best spot in the house, after all!

***

Masterlist of chapters on Tumblr here!

Please check out The Superstar Series on ao3 for all fics in this series: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2726401

[angelofrainfrogs]

We Found Him, Superstar: Ch. 16

Fandom: Five Nights At Freddy’s: Security Breach

Description: Since starting his new afterlife at the Pizzaplex, Gregory has managed to befriend the Glamrock animatronics and made a surprising discovery—Bonnie’s been hidden in the basement warehouse this entire time, badly decommissioned but still powered on. Along with Bonnie are the endoskeletons that, no longer under the virus’s control, seem much more sentient than normal animatronics… Gregory and his friends are determined to get Bonnie back into commission and figure out the mysteries of what exactly these endoskeletons are—and how to help them, too.

Chapter Summary: Thanks to Leon and Thomas, Gregory and Freddy finally get some insight as to why the ghost seems to pop in and out of existence when least expected. If Gregory can master his powers, then it’ll help understand the kids even more.

Rating: T

Read on Ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/38728158/chapters/109017276

It didn't take long for Gregory to pass out. This time, Gregory slept in for quite a while to get proper rest, remaining curled up on the couch despite the hustle and bustle of guests passing through Rockstar Row.

When Freddy returned to his room at the end of the day, he was surprised to see Gregory almost exactly where he’d left him. He thought the boy would be down in the basement with the other children, but when Chica said she hadn’t seen him during her visit earlier during daytime hours, Freddy got a bit worried.

“Gregory?” the bear said quietly, taking a seat on the couch and placing a gentle hand on his side. “Are you awake, superstar?”

As he felt the hand against his side, Gregory's eyes slightly shifted before finally opening. He blinked a few times, rubbing at his face as he slowly woke up.

“Mm... Huh..?” he spoke up, stretching his arms towards the ceiling.

“Good morning.” Freddy’s voice was soft and quiet as Gregory regained consciousness, and he moved his hand to run it through the boy’s hair. “You slept the whole day away! How are you feeling?”

“Hm? The whole day?” he murmured softly, crawling into Freddy's lap and hugging onto him comfortably. “I feel a lot better!”

“I am very glad to hear that!” Freddy said, hugging Gregory close. “I did bring more food and drinks for you, which I can show you once we get up. But first, I have good news! I am sure the guards will be able to tell us more, but Thomas found me on his way out yesterday to let me know that Bonnie was successfully picked up by the technicians and taken to Parts & Service to be checked over!”

Gregory gasped happily. “Really?! That’s awesome news!”

“Thomas looked rather tired, but he assured me that he would come by our room tonight and provide more details on what is happening,” Freddy added with a chuckle. “We should stay here until he arrives.”

Gregory gently nodded before feeling his eyes widen. “Oh dang—I didn't get to hang out with the kids today! I slept in for too long...”

“That is alright,” Freddy reassured him. “Chica was able to visit during the day, and you and I can stop by tonight after we speak with the guards. How does that sound?”

As if on cue, there was a knock at the door. Freddy stood, scooping Gregory in his arms as he did so. Thomas stood just outside, alone for once and holding his cell phone up to one ear. He gave Freddy a wave with his free hand as the bear ushered him into the room.

“Uh-huh; got it,” he said, stopping near the couch but not sitting down yet. “…Cool, I’ll let them know. See ya soon!” He ended the call and slipped his phone into his pocket, then met Freddy’s questioning gaze. “That was Leon; he went to see what’s up with Bonnie while I came here first. He’ll meet us here in a little bit.” He smiled, seeing the familiar shirt in Freddy’s arms. “Hi to both of you!”

“Hi, Thomas!” Gregory replied with a wave, bouncing around in Freddy's arms with excitement.

“Hello, Thomas,” Freddy said with a smile, gripping his son close as his excitement kicked up so he didn’t fall.

“So, I’ve got some great news and some okay news,” Thomas began. “Nothing bad, so don’t freak out! The great news is that management was really receptive to Bonnie being found, especially because he’s in such a good state—so good job for fixing him up! I… wouldn’t want to know what he looked like before…” Thomas couldn’t help but grimace at the thought. He’d come across blueprints of various endoskeletons during his research and he was not a fan of seeing the animatronics without their friendly outer casings…

Gregory gasped with excitement, lightly shaking Freddy's arm. “He's gonna come back for real! Tell Thomas I said thanks!”

“This is wonderful news; we both thank you for all you are doing!” Freddy said with a grin.

“We’re happy to help!” Thomas replied with a bright smile of his own. He then paused, a slight crease between his eyebrows. “The only thing is that we thought he’d be able to roam around at night like you guys, but management is being extra cautious because of what happened a few weeks ago so they’ve apparently put Bonnie in sleep mode until they’re done checking him over… He’ll be totally fine, but unfortunately Leon and I aren’t animatronic-savvy enough to wake him up and don’t want to mess up anything the techs are doing in case they think there’s something wrong…” Thomas shrugged. “So basically all this means is that Bonnie’s MIA for a few days.”

Gregory let out a small sigh as he heard this, lowering his head against Freddy's shoulder.

“How long is a few days?! I want him to be better already…,” the boy mumbled.

“I am sure he will be back before you know it,” Freddy reassured, giving Gregory a little squeeze before looking back at Thomas. “Gregory is eager for Bonnie to return.”

“I figured; I am too!” Thomas replied with a laugh. “But like Freddy said, he’ll be back soon and anything you guys weren’t able to fix will be all repaired!”

Gregory seemed to feel a lot better after hearing Thomas and Freddy reassure him. His smile remained bright and cheery as he thought to himself for a moment.

“When is Thomas going to try to talk to me again?” he finally asked, tilting his head to the side.

Freddy laughed, glancing at the guard with a tilt of his head. “Would you like to speak with Gregory? He is eager to try again.”

“Hell yeah—er, heck yeah, let’s do it!” Thomas exclaimed, pulling out his phone. He patted his other pocket and made a face. “Oops, forgot my charger… let me text Leon to bring it, hold on a sec.” He lifted his phone and started furiously typing for a few seconds, then opened the spirit box app they’d had the most success with and grinned. “Okay, we’re good; let me know when you’re ready and I’ll start it!”

Gregory cheered with excitement, immediately leaning away from Freddy and towards Thomas' direction. As the security guard opened up the spirit box app, he quickly nodded his head. “I'm ready, I'm ready!”

Freddy stepped closer as Thomas watched the shirt frantically move around with excitement. The guard glanced at his phone’s battery meter and noticed that it did in fact tick down 2% right in front of his eyes, proving that Gregory’s excitement pulled electrical energy from nearby sources. Thomas pressed the app button and the loud static filled the room. He flipped the phone around so the mic faced Gregory and waited for him to speak.

“Hello?!” Gregory called out before giggling quietly. “Hi Thomas; thank you for being so nice and awesome aaaand...” The boy trailed off, trying to think of anything else he could say before finally pulling back to hear the final product.

“—LO… THOMAS… THANK… YOU… BEING… NICE… AWESOME… AND…”

Thomas clenched a fist excitedly as the voice started to come through, letting out a small gasp at his name. He then pressed a hand to his heart, waiting until the voice stopped to respond. “Aww, you think I’m nice?! That’s so sweet! I think you’re awesome, too!”

Gregory clapped as he heard his message go through. He found the device amusing, especially since his voice sounded odd to him when it was played back.

“At first you and Leon were scary, but now you’re super nice!” he explained.

“FIRST… SCARY… BUT… NOW… NICE…”

Thomas blinked a few times, then laughed. “We scared you?!” He laughed even harder, shaking his head slightly as he continued between gasping breaths. “I-I’m sorry we scared you, b-but… those first few nights I was terrified! I didn’t know what was going on around here! It all makes sense now, but…” His laughter subsided and he met Freddy’s gaze. “If Leon hadn’t shown up, I dunno if I would’ve made it much longer…” His smile softened, not wanting Gregory or Freddy to feel bad about anything. “I’m so glad I stayed, though!”

“Yeah, you kept screaming!” Gregory laughed. “You said ‘holy shit!’”

“YOU… SCREAMING… SAID… SHIT…”

“Did he just curse?!” Thomas exclaimed, looking in the direction of Gregory wide-eyed before shaking his head and tapping the side of his phone. “Nah, this thing must’ve picked up on some other radio channels…”

“Unfortunately, Gregory is learning quite the vocabulary around here,” Freddy admitted with a weary sigh, glancing down at the boy. “The last word you said was not a very nice one; Thomas should not have used it either.”

Thomas grimaced, scratching the back of his head. “Sorry… I try to keep it in check, but I didn’t know there was a ghost kid around until a few days ago… plus, some of the animatronics still really freak me out…” He shuddered, thinking of Moon’s leering red eyes chasing him through the play structures.

“Oops; sorry…,” Gregory apologized, twiddling his thumbs as he looked away from Freddy’s stern gaze. The whole “kids aren’t allowed to curse” thing had never seemed fair. How come Thomas and Leon could say those things, but he couldn't?!

“OOPS… SORRY…”

“Not your fault,” Thomas said, waving away Gregory’s apology. “Leon and I will try not to be such bad influences!” He chuckled again, then jumped in surprise as there was a loud knock on the door. He clutched at his heart, letting out a deep breath as Freddy opened the door to reveal Leon. “Oh, speak of the devil…”

“You talking crap about me, Thomas?” Leon raised a brow and tossed his charger at him, then looked over at Freddy and Gregory. “Glad to see you two.”

“Nooo!” Thomas replied quickly, pausing the app for a moment so they could talk at a normal volume. He returned Leon's glare as he failed to catch the charger and it bounced off the couch onto the floor. “Apparently Gregory heard us cursing the other night and picked up on some of it, so I was just saying that we'd try not to be such bad influences!”

“Oh… sorry about that,” Leon mumbled, moving to sit on the couch.

Freddy laughed at the pair, amused that such polar opposite personalities could get along so well. He then tilted his head questioningly at Leon, asking, “Thomas informed us that Bonnie is in sleep mode for the time being; how is he besides that? Have the technicians detected any issues that you know of?”

“Well, his connection to the Pizzaplex is completely severed, so they'll have to fix that,” the guard explained as he leaned back against the cushions. “They'll also have to fix up a few wires in his face for better facial expression, and they need to do a severe deep cleaning to make sure he's nice and shiny when he's back in business. They’re also going to replace his battery.” Leon folded his arms over his chest. “That seems about it—lots of stuff, but nothing out of the oridinary.”

Freddy hummed in understanding after Leon finished. “Hmm... His repair is a bit more in-depth than I anticipated, but not entirely unexpected; he was quite damaged, after all...” He sighed, shifting Gregory as he lightly shrugged one shoulder. “Well, this is all for his benefit. We will just have to keep watch over the children in his stead.”

Thomas was silent for a moment, before slowly asking: “You, uh... y-you don't need help with them, do you? I-I mean—” He gulped, thinking again of the endoskeleton blueprints he'd found. He really didn't want to see those things in real life for as long as he could help it, especially if they were alive. “—we're still doing our research, but we don't have to, like... go visit them or anything, do we?”

Freddy quickly shook his head. “No, you should stay away until Bonnie is back. They are not as easily accepting of new presences as Gregory due to their circumstances. And I do not think you—” Freddy cut himself off, realizing he hadn't told Thomas and Leon who had been responsible for their deaths. They certainly wouldn't be happy to learn that it was a former night guard.

Gregory let out a small sigh, lowering his gaze momentarily. All he could hope for was that the situation would be resolved soon and they'd get the kids out of the endoskeletons as soon as possible.

Leon nodded, seeming equally relieved they wouldn't have to do much around the children yet. “Well, whenever you need us, just let us know. You already know where we’re hanging out at night.”

“Thank you,” Freddy said with a soft smile. “In the meantime, we can work on Gregory’s powers! Thomas was just speaking with him before you arrived, in fact.”

“Yeah!” Thomas said with an excited nod. He grabbed his phone and turned to Leon. “You wanna try talking to him for a bit?”

“Sure.” Sitting up straight, Leon offered Gregory a small smile.

Gregory grinned back, wiggling around with excitement. “I wanna talk some more, but I don't know what I wanna talk about!”

“Perhaps you can talk about your favorite things to do around the Pizzaplex?” Freddy suggested, glancing at the guards for suggestions. Thomas nodded, unplugging his phone so he could move it closer to the ghost.

“Good idea! Or if there’s anything else you wanna know about us, we’re a pretty open book!” He then turned the spirit box app on again, filling the room with static.

Gregory hummed, tapping his chin in thought. He smiled, soon lifting his gaze to meet with Freddy's. “I like to be carried by Freddy and I like to watch him play songs on stage!”

“LIKE…TO… BE… CARRIED… FREDDY… WATCH… HIM… PLAY… ON… STAGE”

“Oh, the stage shows are awesome!” Thomas agreed, watching as Freddy grinned down at the boy who was presumably smiling right back at him. “I actually caught the end of one yesterday when I was waiting for Freddy; I hadn’t seen one in forever!”

“I am glad you all enjoy them,” Freddy said cheerfully. “Performing is one of my favorite things to do as well—I was designed to entertain, after all!”

Gregory had seen so many at this point that he was beginning to memorize the songs! He had so many that he enjoyed now.

“And I like... Lions!” he added, quickly nodding his head to confirm his answer.

“I… LIKE… LIONS…”

“Whoa, that one was super clear!” Thomas said excitedly. Their connection seemed to be getting better and better! “I’m a cat person too; I like tigers though!”

“I am sure you can guess what animal I am partial to!” Freddy said with a laugh, slightly wiggling his ears.

Leon gave a light shrug. “I like lizards.”

Gregory giggled, nodding his head as he reached up to play with Freddy's ears. “I like bears too because they're strong and brave and you're strong and brave too!”

“LIKE… BEARS… BECAUSE… STRONG… AND… BRAVE… YOU’RE… STRONG… BRAVE… TOO…”

“Ugh, my heart!” Thomas exclaimed, clutching his chest. He could tell Gregory was talking about Freddy by the way the bear’s ears suddenly started wiggling quite a bit as the shirt sleeves reached up towards them. “You’re such a good kid, oh my god…”

“Thank you, Gregory,” Freddy replied, grinning at him. “You are the strongest and bravest person I know!”

“You're such a sap.” Leon told Thomas, gently nudging his arm. Although, he would be a liar if he said he didn't have a soft spot for Gregory already, too.

“…Can we go play with the kids now?” the ghost asked after a moment, kicking his legs back and forth.

“CAN… WE… PLAY… KIDS… NOW…”

“Of course,” Freddy agreed with a nod, then looked at the guards. “We should go and visit the children; thank you for the update on Bonnie, and for speaking with us some more!”

“Sure, sure!” Thomas nodded in understanding, switching the app off and grabbing his charger. “We’ll let you guys go; talk to you again soon.”

Gregory waved his hands at the two before hugging onto Freddy, then rushed to the couch to grab his backpack. Thomas stepped out of the way, laughing at his enthusiasm before following Leon out the door.

“Would you like to invite another animatronic to come with us?” Freddy asked after the guards left, watching Gregory gather his things. “We should probably only bring one down at a time for the moment, but I am sure Chica, Roxy, or Monty would be more than happy to join if you would like more company.”

Gregory only took a few seconds to decide as he slipped on his backpack and grabbed Freddy’s hand. “Monty! Then we can visit Roxy and Chica later!”

“Sounds like a plan!” Freddy replied, squeezing his hand back. He led them out into Rockstar Row and turned towards Monty’s room. To their surprise the door was wide open, reveling Chica sitting on the floor a few feet away where Monty stood.

“Hey, you two!” the bird greeted warmly upon catching sight of them. “What are you guys up to?”

“Oh, hello Chica!” Freddy responded with a bright grin. “Gregory and I were on our way to see the children and were stopping by to see if Monty wanted to join us this time.” He hummed thoughtfully. “Although I am sure your presence would be welcomed as well, since you visited them earlier today!”

“Ooh, yes—I’ve love to see them!” she exclaimed as she slowly stood to her full height.

Monty grinned, pumping his fists before reaching out to ruffle Gregory's head with both hands. This of course left the boy's hair absolutely wild. “Heck yeah! I was just tellin’ Chica a story, but I guess I can always tell it later when everyone’s around!”

Freddy absently bent to smooth Gregory’s hair out, as was becoming a habit nowadays. He smiled as he fell into step with Monty, still holding Gregory’s hand as they walked. “If it is a child-appropriate story, I am sure the kids would enjoy hearing it.”

“Hmm... Well, I'll tell it another day then!” Monty laughed, lightly nudging Chica as she walked beside him.

After descending the elevator to the basement, Freddy called out as he stepped into the hallway. “Hello, everyone! We are sorry for not coming by sooner. But Gregory and I are here now, and we have brought Chica and Monty as well!”

Gregory held onto Freddy's hand, following close beside him. “Hi guys!”

There was a moment of silence before Mia spoke up. “Gregory, you're back! Hello, you three!”

“Chica!” the voices of the twins spoke up in unison, coming from the end of the hallway.

At the same time, a soft gasp sounded and Ben’s voice called out: “It’s Monty…!”

Immediately afterwards, an endoskeleton close by flexed a hand.

Chica smiled brightly at the sound of the adorable voices from earlier. When she came to check in on the kids, they were the first to give her their attention. Of course, she absolutely adored them already. “Hello, girls!”

Monty looked around as he heard his name, grinning widely. “Yeah, the one and only!” He chuckled, searching for which endoskeleton spoke up. “Which one of you is this Ben I've heard so much about?”

“Over here!” Ben piped up, now fully raising a hand and giving a slow wave. The excitement in his voice was obvious, and only made Freddy smile even more.

Monty was quick to turn as he saw the endoskeleton slowly wave, immediately walking over. “Wow! I finally get to meet ya! Looks like you're gonna be my partner in crime, huh?”

“…Really?!” Ben asked, a bit hesitantly. “I… can hang out with you?” There was a pause, the endo shifting slightly. It seemed like now that Ben was more comfortable, he was more willing to move around than some of the others. “You’re so cool!”

“Of course you can! You're my new little buddy after all!” the gator proclaimed as he folded his arms over his chest.

“Yessss!” Ben cheered excitedly.

“Bonnie will be back in a few days,” Freddy remarked, looking in the direction of where Mia’s voice had come from. “He is currently undergoing repairs, but everything looks promising so far.”

“Thank you, Freddy... I hope he'll be able to join you guys soon,” Mia replied with a bit of wistfulness in her tone. While she fully supported Bonnie's return to the company, she also couldn't help but wish he would've stayed with them. Nonetheless, she wanted the friendly rabbit to be happy, too.

Judging by his bright expression, Gregory seemed quite happy that Ben and the twins were enjoying themselves despite the morbid circumstances. Freddy felt much the same, the warmth in his heart blossoming a little more with each good interaction. He glanced around the room, noting that even the kids that were a little shyer seemed to be actively paying attention to the activity in the room. There were subtle clinking sounds as metal shifted while the other souls tried to see what was happening.

“Where's Roxy?” Robin finally asked, to which Gregory let out a hum.

“I… don’t know! But she'll come tomorrow, if I ask!” he replied, looking to Freddy for confirmation.

“She is likely at her racetrack; we did not see her on the way over, but as Gregory said we will try to bring her tomorrow,” Freddy added, smiling in the direction of the voice. “She will be happy to officially meet you, Robin; she already speaks highly of you!”

Robin seemed quite happy by this answer as his endoskeleton began wobbling with excitement. Meanwhile the twins were now chattering excitedly with Chica, although it was hard to make out what they were saying. Ben, however, was perfectly clear.

“Can I play golf, like… eeeeevery day?” he was asking Monty, his endo shifting eagerly at the thought. “I wanna stay there, too; I like all the glowy lights!”

“Of course, kid! You can play as much golf as you want,” Monty promised, placing his hands on his hips. “I'm always there anyways!”

“Heck yeah!” Ben exclaimed, then his eyes shifted to where Gregory and Freddy stood, and he lifted a hand to point. “I wanna play against THEM! I’m gonna be the winner though!”

Gregory gasped, looking over his shoulder. “Hey! No way, me and Freddy are gonna win!”

“Nu-uh!” Ben replied with a twitch of the endoskeleton’s head. It was clear from his tone that he wasn’t actually trying to fight, this was just playful competition between enthusiastic kids. “Monty runs the golf course so he’s gonna teach me, and then I’m gonna beat Gregory, Freddy, and EVERYONE!” The endo’s eyes shifted back to the gator. “Right, Monty?!”

Monty laughed loudly at Ben's response, quickly nodding his head. “That's daaa—ng right!” He let out a relieved sigh as he quickly corrected himself. “Man, you're too adorable! Once you're out of here, I’m gonna make you a golfin’ pro!”

Freddy chuckled, looking around the room. “Everyone is so much livelier now; it is wonderful to see!”

“Very! I'm glad to hear ‘em chatterin’ now,” Monty remarked.

There was a pause, and then an extremely quiet voice piped up from behind Freddy: “…Can Moon come visit too?”

“I want to see Sun!” Ian added, his voice just beside Flynn’s.

Freddy turned to face the voice, smiling softly. “Moon would love to visit, as would Sun; however, it is a bit difficult for them to travel through the building due to the lights.” He glanced down at Gregory. “Perhaps one night we can find a way to manipulate the electricity enough for them to be comfortable getting here and back?”

Gregory thought about Freddy's answer for a moment, laughing quietly. “I'll need a lot of apple juice.”

“Ella says she'd like to visit Music Man when she's able to get out,” Mia added, her endoskeleton leaning towards the one beside it like it was listening close.

Freddy nodded. “We will take Ella to the West Arcade as soon as possible; unfortunately, Music Man is the only one unable to come down here, for obvious reasons…” He gave Gregory a squeeze. “But we can help Sun and Moon when you are ready; Moon is the one we need to be most concerned about, as Sun will probably be okay in dim lighting as long as someone can lead him.”

Freddy thought that Sun would likely just cling to someone’s hand to get over his fear of the dark, but Moon was the one who actually had a vision problem and would need the lights dimmed. There was a slight clinking sound as the twins’ endos started to shake. Freddy looked towards them as they murmured in unison:

“N-no Moon… Moon is scary…”

“Nu-uh…” Flynn argued softly, his voice barely audible but insistent. “He’s NOT scary…!”

“He's pretty scary, Flynn.” Mia voiced, giggling quietly at his reaction.

“I don't blame you guys for thinking that…,” Gregory mumbled, grimacing as he looked to the floor.

“Hmph,” was all Flynn responded, but already knew it was a lost cause to argue. Even his best buddy Ian got a little creeped out by Moon sometimes… but that was just another reason that Flynn wanted Moon to feel like at least one kid liked him!

“Thank you, Gregory, I am sure that Sun would appreciate that,” Freddy said with a chuckle. “Hopefully he will be alright down here since we will all be with him! We can bring up the topic the next time we visit.”

Chica looked back at Freddy and Gregory, smiling brightly. “If you want, you two can head back upstairs. We don't mind staying down here with the kids for a while!”

“What do you think, superstar?” Freddy asked, glancing down at Gregory with a smile.

“Yes! I wanna go see Roxy!” the boy replied, lifting his arms for Freddy to hoist him up.

Freddy laughed, glancing around the room a final time. “We are going to head out for the evening, but I will stop by during the day tomorrow, as I have a break in my schedule. Have fun with Chica and Monty!”

“Bye!” Ben called, slowly waving a hand as Freddy and Gregory walked past him towards the elevator.

“Bye you guys!” Gregory said as he waved, soon using his opposite hand to wave at Ben excitedly. “We'll be back soon!” He said as Freddy stepped into the elevator. Chica and Monty waved at the two before returning their attention to the rest of the children. As the elevator doors closed, the boy grinned happily. “Then after, you gotta read aaall the papers Leon gave us! Your memory is pretty good, right?”

“Yes, my memory is excellent,” Freddy replied, reaching forward to press the button taking them to the main floor. “I may need to see the papers again as I only performed a cursory review earlier, but once I read them with my full attention I will be able to retain the information with 99.9% accuracy.”

“Wow, you're so cool!” Gregory told Freddy with a giggle, soon watching the doors open wide. “You're the best dad ever! With the best memory too!”

“Thank you, superstar,” Freddy replied, shifting Gregory so he could hug him tighter as they headed towards Roxy Raceway.

They tried the racetrack side first, but Roxy was nowhere in sight. When they entered the other half of the attraction, they could see Roxy in her beauty salon, fluffing her hair in front of the mirror. Freddy wasted no time in setting Gregory down and taking his hand, walking him into the salon and smiling as the wolf turned to them.

“Roxy!” the boy chirped as he raised his arms out towards her.

“Hey, kid!” she greeted warmly, throwing Gregory as high as possible without hitting the ceiling and catching him under the shoulders on the way down. “What are you two doing here?”

“We wanted to see what you were up to!” Gregory explained, his hands resting against her shoulders.

“Oh!” she replied, grinning at Freddy as he came over to stand next to them. She shifted Gregory to her hip, meeting his gaze in the mirror and fluffed her hair with her free hand. “Well, I'm glad you're here, because I could use your opinions; I've been thinking of changing up my look! Nothing too crazy, but maybe adding another color streak to my hair or getting the techs to change out the color of my nails. What do you think?”

Gregory stared into the mirror contemplatively, then gave a little shrug. “I think you look amazing just the way you are now!”

“I agree,” Freddy added, giving Roxy a pat on the shoulder. “You are... iconic!”

“Aww, really?” Roxy stared at herself a little longer, humming softly before nodding resolutely. “Thanks, guys... I guess I'll stay like I am for now!”

“That is probably for the best, anyway,” Freddy remarked with a laugh. “If you change your appearance, all of your merchandise will have to be rebranded, and you know what a ruckus that would cause...”

“Yeah, and you're so beautiful already! It makes you the best!” Gregory quickly added.

“You’re right, kid—I am beautiful!” Roxy agreed, pressing a hand to her chest. She certainly didn't need the ego boost, but she'd never been one to complain about compliments. “And you are super cute, as usual!”

Gregory giggled as Roxy pinched his cheek. “Thank you! Thomas said that too, but he was scared of me before!”

“Pshh, that guy's scared of his own shadow!” Roxy waved a dismissive hand, then glanced at Freddy. “He's helping you though, right? And the kids?”

“Yes,” Freddy replied with a nod. “He and Leon have been doing research on how to help free the children. They have also been looking into Gregory's powers and how he can better learn to control them and communicate with humans.”

“Yeah, now they're super nice,” the boy added as he reached his hand up to play with Roxy's hair. “And Robin’s excited to see you!”

“Ooh, I can't wait to meet him!” Roxy exclaimed with an excited grin.

“We said that you would visit tomorrow night,” Freddy said, and Roxy nodded enthusiastically, causing her hair to fall in Gregory's face as he messed with it. “Excellent. We would like to bring Sun and Moon down there eventually, although obviously that will take a bit of effort based on the lights.... However, some of the children are asking for them already, so it would be nice if they can see them soon.”

“I'll help if I can; you just let me know!” Roxy flashed a grin, then bounced Gregory slightly to make him laugh again as she turned her attention back to him. “So, kid, have you actually gotten to talk to the guards yet? I thought they couldn't hear you, which is why they were so freaked out in the beginning!”

“Well… yes and no,” Gregory began to explain, kicking his legs back and forth. “Thomas was writing stuff to me so I wrote stuff back! And he also had this cool thing where I could speak into it and it'd repeat what I said, but it's not that good at picking up my voice... I wanna use my energy so they can see and hear me, but I'm afraid it'll use so much power that I'll be asleep for like... ever!”

“I do not think that will happen,” Freddy reassured quickly. He couldn't fathom the thought of Gregory going to sleep and just... not waking up. It was impossible to process so he refused to, instead smiling brightly. “Leon gave me some information he found on Gregory's state of being; I am going to review it later tonight and see if I can gain any insight on how he might be able to make himself visible to humans.”

“Huh,” Roxy said, tilting her head curiously. She didn't quite understand everything they were talking about, but at least they seemed hopeful and happy. “Good luck! I'm sure you'll figure it out in no time; you're both super smart!”

“Everyone should read it, too! That way they'll know how to handle the other kids,” Gregory suggested. If he didn’t know what he was capable of, the other ghosts certainly had no idea of their powers either. “Ooh, and that means I can teach them everything I know too!”

“That's a good plan,” Roxy agreed with a nod. “If they're all gonna end up like you, it's good to know how to take care of them...”

“They will gladly take lessons from you, I am sure,” Freddy said, meeting Gregory's gaze. “Actually, I must admit that I am very curious as to what Leon found... would you like to go and read the papers now, Gregory?”

Gregory seemed to freeze for a moment before immediately nodding his head. “Yes!” He let go of Roxanne and held his arms out for Freddy. “Let's go, let's go!”

Freddy chuckled, quickly taking a hold of Gregory before he wriggled out of her grasp and fell onto the floor. As he situated the boy in his arms, he met Roxy’s gaze with an excited grin. “We will let you know how it goes!”

“You’d better!” she said, returning the grin before shooing them out of the salon. “Now get outta here before the kid loses his mind with excitement! I’ll see you guys later.”

“Bye Roxy! I'll tell you everything later!” Gregory told the wolf as he waved a hand at her, before looking back to Freddy. “What if I can fly super high?!”

“That would be quite interesting,” the bear replied with another laugh. “Who knows; maybe you can! We should probably focus on getting you visible first, though—then Thomas and Leon can work with you much easier and help you with your other powers!”

“I guess you're right…,” he huffed, folding his arms over his chest. “I just can't stop thinking about aaaaall the stuff I might be able to do!”

“I am just as excited!” Freddy agreed. “Whatever you can do, the other children can as well—we will soon have our hands full in the best possible way, I just know it.” He laughed cheerfully, clearly not upset at all by this prospect. Soon enough they were back in Rockstar Row, and Freddy set Gregory down as he opened the door to their room.

“Give me a moment to read, and then I will let you know what Leon found,” Freddy said, taking a seat on the couch and beginning to scan the papers. He read faster than a human would and within two minutes he’d rifled through the whole stack, his concentration never wavering. Eventually he flipped back to the first page, explaining:

“According to this, there are three planes of existence, or ‘layers,’ that a ghost can manifest in—layer 1: the ‘normal’ plane that humans can see; layer 2: invisible to humans, but ghosts can communicate through electrical sources; and layer 3: invisible to both humans and electrical sources. The last layer is nearly impossible to contact and ghosts that reside here are generally not interacting with the human world except on rare occasions.”

Freddy paused, a slow grin spreading across his face as he read through some handwritten notes scrawled in the margins of the page.

“Oh, Leon is brilliant!” he exclaimed, pointing to a particular note that caught his interest. “He thinks that you normally exist in the second layer, which is why you can interact with electrical devices. This is also why animatronics can see you when humans cannot—our eyes are literally cameras, which are electrically-based devices that can pick up on your ghostly energy!”

“Oh! I get it now! So all I need to do is move onto the first layer, right?” Gregory mused, tapping his chin lightly. “I mean, I did with that one lady… That’s probably why I disappeared that day, too—maybe I was in the third layer instead of the second!”

The puzzle pieces of his supernatural existence were slowly but surely coming together. Although, one piece remained missing: how exactly did he switch between planes?

“Yes, that is correct,” Freddy agreed with a nod, his mind on the same track as Gregory's. “You must have done something to switch between layers; it seemed tied to your emotions, specifically when you were under distress. However, there must be a way for you to switch without putting you under emotional strain...” He scanned the papers again, sighing softly. “I do not see anything in here right now, but maybe they will find something else to help. It definitely seems like they are on the right track, though!”

Gregory kicked his legs back and forth, pouting softly. “Aww... Well, at least now we have more answers! What other cool powers do I have?!”

“Well, Leon mentioned that you can possess things,” Freddy replied, looking through the papers again. “There is a bit of information here, with some additional notes as well—Leon thinks that if you focus your energy into an object instead of trying to take energy from something, you may be able to possess it. It should essentially be the opposite feeling from when you drained battery power from the flashlights.”

Gregory let out a gasp, lifting his Glamrock Freddy plushie up for the animatronic to see. “Do you think I can possess this?”

“Hmm…” Freddy stared at the toy, looking from it to Gregory and back again before giving a shrug. “Well, we will never know until we try, I suppose…”

“Then I can really look like you!” the boy remarked as he laid back across the couch, holding his plushie up in the air.

“Yes you can, superstar,” Freddy said, pressing a hand over his nonexistent heart. “Although you are just fine as you are; I will love you regardless of how you look.” He smiled softly, then gestured to the plushie. “Perhaps you should place the doll on the table. Focus your energy and imagine what it would be like to become it.”

Gregory got up, set the plushie on the table as Freddy instructed and stood in front of it with his hands outstretched. Focus his energy? How the heck would he do that?! Gregory didn't know—but he'd try.

Freddy sat up straight, watching intently for anything to happen. He didn’t want to distract Gregory too much, but also felt bad just sitting there, so he quietly murmured: “Remember, it is the opposite of taking energy from an object—use what that feels like and focus on reversing that feeling so your energy goes into the doll.”

Gregory shut his eyes as he continued trying his best to do as Freddy instructed of him. Yet, there was nothing. The boy tried a different approach by making physical contact with the doll. He stood there in silence for a moment longer, before suddenly disappearing into thin air.

Freddy jumped up as he watched Gregory just… blink out of existence. Panic instantly flooded his system, but he quickly pushed this down—hopefully this was supposed to happen.

“Gregory?” Freddy asked, peering down at the little plushie. “Are you… in there?”

Gregory didn't respond verbally. Instead, the doll flopped off of the table and onto the floor with a squeak as it landed face-first on its nose. Gregory had possessed the doll, but he wasn't able to control the body quite well due to its cotton limbs.

“Oh dear,” Freddy murmured, picking up the stuffed animal and gently holding it in his palms so he could look into its eyes as best as possible. “We will work on the coordination… but you did it, superstar! Wonderful job!”

Gregory was quite proud of himself, although now he needed to figure out how to get out... It was like his nerves had been muted by the stuffing—he couldn't feel anything, but he heard and saw everything around him. Trying not to panic so he could focus, the plushie's arm soon lifted before Gregory finally reappeared. He was right behind Freddy this time, taking a moment to process what just happened.

“Wow... I did it!” the boy exclaimed with surprised.

Freddy turned at Gregory’s voice, quickly setting the plushie back on the table so he could lift Gregory into his arms with a grin. “Well done, superstar! How do you feel?!”

Gregory raised his arms with a bright grin, letting Freddy lift him up. “I feel awesome! It was a little scary being in there, though... I don't think you were able to hear what I was saying.”

“No, I could not hear you speaking,” Freddy said with a shake of his head. “But this is certainly a good first step; the fact that you can possess things is promising!”

Gregory hugged onto Freddy tightly, snuggling close in his arms. “Mhm! So Leon was right—the kids aren't possessing the endoskeletons... If they were, they probably wouldn't be able to talk!”

“Yes, it is as we suspected,” Freddy agreed, thinking back through the notes he'd read, as well as his short discussions with the guards up to this point. “It seems like the theory that the kids are bound to the endoskeletons through some ritual or other event is the most likely... Now we just need to figure out how they came to be this way.”

Gregory tapped his chin contemplatively, a small sigh leaving his lips. “That Afton guy had a lot to do with it I bet!”

Freddy nodded, grimacing at the memory of the rotting corpse. “He was the reason behind everything, although...”

He paused, thinking of the logistics. Hadn't William needed the kids' souls to be “revived” in the first place? Meaning that he was probably stuck in that charging pod for a long time, likely until right before Freddy and Gregory found themselves down there with him. That meant someone else needed to do the dirty work... Someone like—

“Vanessa!” Freddy whispered, his eyes growing wide. “She was the one who...” He left the sentence hanging, but knew Gregory would understand what he meant. The bear let out a frustrated sigh. “However... we do not even know if she made it out of the old restaurant, so there is no way for us to ask how and why.”

Gregory looked around at the familiar name. Even hearing it sent chills down his spine.

“She couldn't have made it—everything was on fire and she was out cold!” he remarked, shutting his eyes tightly.

“Yes, it... it is very unlikely that she survived,” Freddy agreed slowly, although a nagging phrase tugged at the back of his mind. What was it that William said?

I ALWAYS come back!

Well, hopefully that was no longer true, but... who's to say that Vanessa couldn't have taken on that mantle? Freddy stared at the floor for a few seconds before shaking his head roughly. The boy was right; the building had been on fire. If she didn't get trapped in the rubble, the smoke surely would've taken her out.

“Let us not dwell on such things,” Freddy said eventually, rubbing soothing circles on Gregory's back. “Leon and Thomas have already proven themselves to be avid researchers, so I have no doubt they will find something soon.”

Gregory gently nodded, letting out a sigh. “Okay… I just wish Bonnie would be back sooner.”

“Just a few days,” Freddy reassured, smiling softly. He knew Gregory and Bonnie would become fast friends, but he hadn’t expected the boy to miss him this much. Checking his internal clock, Freddy hummed in thought. “We still have a few hours until day shift. If you are getting tired, perhaps you should rest now so you will be awake to visit the children with me during the day tomorrow?”

“I'm not really sleepy, but I guess I should go to bed… I don’t wanna be too tired tomorrow!” Gregory mused, smiling brightly.

“Exactly my thinking,” Freddy said with a laugh, ruffling the boy’s hair before setting him on the couch. He quickly tucked him in, letting Gregory get comfortable before sitting next to him and placing a comforting hand on his side. “I will wake you up before I leave so that you can spend the whole day with me—how does that sound?”

“Yes please!” he exclaimed, tugging his blanket up to his neck. “Ooh, can I have a piece of cake if you host another party?!”

“Of course!” Freddy replied with a grin. “I am in fact scheduled to host three parties, so you might get a few pieces of cake—that should certainly give you some energy!”

Gregory threw his fists up with a wide grin. “Yess! I can't wait!” After giving Freddy a quick hug, Gregory settled back into the couch. “…Can you stay here? Just for a few more minutes until I sleep!”

“I am not going anywhere, do not worry,” Freddy reassured. He picked up his matching plushie and slid it under the blanket, tucking it comfortably under Gregory’s chin. “Here; just in case you wake up when I am not sitting right next to you.”

Gregory smiled softly, hugging the toy close. “Thanks, dad—you're the best!”

Of course, despite his claim of not being tired it didn’t take long for his consciousness to fade into the depths of sleep.

***

Masterlist of chapters on Tumblr here!

Please check out The Superstar Series on ao3 for all fics in this series: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2726401