#the afton kids all inherited it from *someone*

[metamatronic]

(ignore that i fully missed the ask button on the first attempt in my eagerness and accidentally unfollowed and refollowed)

Love your WilliamWasFramed!AU! It's such a fun and unique take on all the characters!

I'm curious about a few things 👀 How did "Eggs" and Springtrap bumping into each other at Fazbear's Frights that first time go? What's Phone Dude's thoughts on Springtrap and also the nightguard he chats on the phone with who's toootally not the same person? And if someone were to, say, write a fanfic of your AU, what'd be your ao3 username so the work can be properly gifted over there-

First Impressions Are Tough

Will eventually managed to convince the night-guard to let him into the office, but it took some time to get through to him—something about ‘Eggs’ having a nasty run-in with a “friendly-sounding” animatronic in the past.

(Also, my AO3 is metamatronic as well! If anyone were to write me anything I would cry fr /pos)

[venomquill]

So, after reading @pixlokita's brilliant comic series (which has nothing to do with this above image) and finding they'd played with a winged AU, I had to as well. I just, I had to. It was required. Having written and then trashed a story about winged people (technically bird mutants???) and one with a human with wings, I'd already developed a lot of lore about winged humans. I won't upload my sketch at gunpoint, but I used their character sheet as a reference. I hate drawing humans. Kill meeee this took days. And I forgot the tail! Just look at the pretty wings and oooh cool mask! Ignore the awfully drawn child! Anyhow~

Crying Child (AKA, youngest Afton child, known in the fandom as Evan) Would be European Robin-winged. (Like this or this) Robins are aggressive, and CC is anything but aggressive. However, genetically speaking, he would take after his father, William Afton, who is robin-winged. He's currently flightless, even though he should be learning how to fly at this age. However, his lack of confidence and the bullying from his older brother has made it very hard. He fears failing now more an ever as he's scared it would just give his brother more ammunition against him. Also, in the back of his shirt, you can see those little strips? Those are straps built into the shirt that can be buckled/unlatched and buckled/latched at will. It's the only way someone with wings would be able to put on a shirt. He still needs help from someone to latch it on for him. His mom used to do it, and then William. Then when he forgot, he and Elizabeth would help each other. With Elizabeth gone, he just tries his best. He's learned how to move them around and just press his back against the wall to get them mostly on right. Michael will sometimes tug on his shirt. But Mike's done that to other kids at school, for reasons I'll list below.

Elizabeth Afton (AKA, middle Afton child, Dad's favorite) Would be European Robin-winged, as said above. She would still be learning how to fly by the time she gets turned into ice cream by Baby. I imagine she's William's favorite by the way he literally gave her an animatronic and modeled one after her. (It ended up killing her, but that's another matter) She inherits her father's more aggressive nature and bullies her older brother. Being Dad's favorite, she can get whatever she wants. Michael being an angsty teen and her being a sweet angel, she can blame whatever she wants on him and he can't do anything about it. So he has to do what she wants or else. So Michael takes it out on...

Michael Afton (AKA, oldest Afton child, Mike Schmidt) Would be a cassowary-winged! It took me a second to come up with this one, but it made sense to me. Cassowaries are incredibly aggressive, flightless, and seriously dangerous birds. They're also terrific fathers and the mothers don't stick around. So Mikey takes after his mom and gets to be a cassowary-winged. Mom's gone (Whether she left or gets killed or both is up to the imagination), his wings are so small he can hide them under his shirt by hardly even trying, and on top of it all his little brother will learn how to fly at half his height and his sister rubs it in his face. His wings are dangerous as he has a dewclaw and the quills on what would have been the primary flight feathers are sturdy and sharp. He doesn't need long slits in his shirts and has actually torn the shoulder holes with his dewclaws/quills before. So, as a teen, he's spiteful and lashes out. He has a huge fluffy tail that gets in the way all the time. But when he grows up a little, he grows into that more "protect the children" aspect of a cassowary's nature. I did sketch him out fully, but I spent literal days on CC. Instead, I drew his mask with the intention of a pre-withered Foxy look and referencing FNaF 1's crooked-jawed Foxy. I also found through Nightmare Foxy that he does indeed have a pale muzzle. (Withered, Nightmare, Foxy bro)

[brookiidookiii]

okay so i am having a lot of thoughts abt a killer elizabeth fnaf au.....

(in this au CC survived the bite of 83 but has permanent brain damage from the accident. michael never got scooped or changed his name)

im thinking mmmaybe elizabeth goes apeshit after learning that willy killed a few kids + charlie and murders then decides to murder him to avenge the kids. well elizabeths always been a little bit messed up even from childhood (like killing dead animals and the behavior was usually endorsed by william too) and this time she finalllllyyyy snaps and decides to actually do it then that leads her down a rabbithole of violent tendencies

and eventually she kinda gets driven to madness and needs to tell someone and she decides to go to henry bc she knows he hates william and tells him the truth that willy killed charlie (by now henry has abandoned the company and just makes animatronics as a side job). obv henrys pissed off and believes williams death is justified so he decides to help her cover it up so they stuff william in the spring bonnie suit and leave it behind a sealed off room to rot away

meanwhile because after a while william is pronounced death when nobody can find him and michael inherits the company against his will and is now the only owner of both fazbear entertainment AND afton robotics

basically kind of the evnts of sister location take place. michael goes into the weird underground place and finds old blueprints and realizes uh oh!!!! his dad is a psycho!!!! probably planning to kill kids with these robots!!! and then links the deaths of the 5 kids + charlie with william and comes to the conclusion ohhhhhhh so yeah he did it.

mike tries to contact CC (i call him evan buttttt yea) to ask him if he knows about any of this but CC basically is seperated from anything related to the afton family or fazbear so mike cant get in touch with him, so he goes to henry if he knew anything abt william being the killer and eventaully they meet up in person and henry tells him everything he knows and mike is just horrified beyond comprehension

basically he goes on the same journey of trying to find william but henry refuses to tell him the whereabouts of his location and just replies with stuff like "i cant tell you" or "its better if you didnt investigate" and mike gives up

soon after mikes got no clue what to do with freddys and needs money so he turns it into fazbears freights, finds springtrap but doesnt rlly theres a corpse inside and just thinks it smells from all those years of decaying, and decides to use it as display. while hes in the midst of construction and revamping, he doesnt have that much cash to hire a security guard so he decides to take up the position himself, and fnaf 3 happens from there

after that the rest of the timeline goes on. mike decides to reopen a new restaurant to lure springtrap and take him apart, and his original idea isnt to burn down the place, but instead, elizabeth hears that hes reopening a new restaurant, is infuriated, and burns it down herself with springtrap and mike inside, also killing herself in the fire as an act of suicide. henry kind of moved on from charlies death once he got total closure that will was dead and his death freed the spirits of all the kids

im stilllll working out the details idk if im gonna do anything with it (probably not) but i needed to get my thoughts out and have someway to make elizabeth follow in her fathers footsteps, intentionally or not

[crumbleclub]

Assorted Afton Family Headcanons

All three kids have dimples, which they got from William. They all have cheek dimples when they smile , and Michael has one on his chin, too. Elizabeth has one on her chin that only becomes apparent when she's older.

Elizabeth generally gives of an extremely confident, even arrogant energy. She's copying William.

Michael and Evan both call Elizabeth Libby, but her parents use her full name.

The Bite happens when Evan is turning seven, and Michael is almost fourteen. Elizabeth would have been nine.

Elizabeth disappeared when she was eight. William was actually nearby when it happened. He was still very protective at this point in his life, and he just took her eyes off of her for a moment when someone stopped to talk with him about the grand opening of Circus Baby's.

After that, he changed from being simply the controlling, overly strict type of Not Great parent to alternating between a worse version of that and being neglectful, disappearing for days, etc. He would essentially give up on parenting, panic and change his mind later, and then go overboard to the other extreme, not like the result, repeat.

William also had almost no temper; he wasn't attached enough to most things for that. He could be a very violent person, but it was usually premeditated and with an intended purpose (research, controlling someone's behavior, etc). This changed a bit later on; stressors in his life (mostly caused by himself) built up, moving his baseline from hard to piss off to already close to pissed off all the time.

He can be pissed off about what he IS invested in, which is largely his science and anything to do with Henry.

Telemarketers are an honorable mention. He would throttle them if he could. He is not a patient person.

William and Michael are both very tall due to Marfan Syndrome. In most timelines, they aren't aware they even have it, but I can see them having cardiac complications leading to a diagnosis. I'm not sure whether I think the other two would inherit this or not.

There are a few differences to Mike and William's appearances that aren't due to age. William's hair is wavy, Mike's is curly. William's hair is lighter, and he's one of those people who had blond hair as a kid that darkened to brown as they grew up. Other than that, they're near identical.

On that note, Evan has the curliest hair of them all, and Elizabeth's is very straight. Also everyone who draws her with blonde hair can fight me she is a REDHEAD

In any timeline where William raises the kids, they're all coming out of it with hella trauma disorders. It's pretty much unavoidable.

Michael having BPD is my bread and butter. I'm not sure exactly about the other two since they die quite young in the main storyline, but Elizabeth probably ends up somewhere in the formerly called cluster B range as well.

They present pretty differently in adulthood: Michael internalizes (he acted out as a kid, but flipped the other way after the Bite) and Elizabeth is very Loud about her feelings. Internally, they're pretty similar: rejection sensitive, very intense and volatile emotions, strong desire to be cared for but struggling with a tendency to self-sabotage.

Evan strikes me as more anxiousness predisposed. Mike has a lot of anxiety that presents as anger, and Elizabeth is actually angry.

The crying frequently thing was actually a new development for Evan after Witnessing The Horrors (re:Elizabeth getting yoinked by roboclown). It was a trauma response.

All three of them are extremely lonely.

William himself is probably too hard to categorize and would get labelled Personality Disorder Not Otherwise Specified.

I have no idea what I think William's past before having kids was like but the concept is wildly intriguing to me

Like I think he went to college and stuff, probably for business or even accounting (minored in engineering) but like. He was presumably a baby at some point, wtf is that about

Also William is scared of spiders. Just like, the standard amount. I just find it hilarious for him to commit atrocities and then go home to be like "MICHAEL! COME GET THIS SPIDER IMMEDIATELY"

The most technologically inclined is actually Evan. He would be a much more talented engineer than William if he went that direction

Michael is all arts, but he's learned mechanical things out of necessity. He *has* inherited the Afton Business Sense, but he a. doesn't realize it, b. doesn't like to rip people off, and c. doesn't feel strongly about the field. It's just sort of something he has the ability to do easily but never thinks about

Elizabeth has wit and charisma combined with just enough capacity to be cutthroat that she could be very successful in like. Law, politics, business, any of the sharks in suits professions. She could use it for good obv but she is BRUTAL

Also Evan can juggle. This is very important to me. Nobody knows how he learned but he's really good at it

Also, all of the Afton kids definitely showed super concerning behavior at school and nobody ever did anything about it.

Evan probably asked nice teachers to adopt him. Elizabeth would probably cry if she got an A- on a test. Michael definitely acted like a little shit for attention, + I can also see him being pretty vulnerable to dangerous situations bc of a strong risk taking tendency, and I truly believe the entire town of Hurricane stood by and watched kids act like this without doing anything.

Tbh I have so much of this in my brain feel free to ask questions if u want lmao

[soniccrazygal]

AS Mike Profile

Michael Afton is the first born son of William and had inherited the most from his father, including looks and demonic traits. He was always stronger and more durable than normal kids his age and ended up being a bit of a bully because of how easy it was to overpower the others. He does love his siblings, but that didn’t stop him from tormenting them before everything happened.

One day he accidently discovers William is a demon and tries to flee with his siblings, forgetting in his panic that Evan wasn’t currently at home. Because he wasted time looking for someone that wasn’t there, he wasn’t able to escape with Elizabeth. As punishment, William turned him into a demon and left him to suffer the transformation alone. In his last conscious human thoughts, Mike had hid himself in a tucked away closet in hopes he wouldn’t hurt anyone before he got lost in his new instincts. 

When Evan openned the closet door, Mike didn’t regonized him at first, just seeing a meal to satisfy his ravenous hunger. It isn’t until he hears Evan’s cry of pain that he snaps out of his instinctive bloodlust and registers in horror what he’s done. He begs Evan not to die and apologizes repeatedly, picking up his unconscious brother and running towards town to get help.

Henry finds them first, living in the area and recognizing the signs of a recent attack and was going to kill Mike at first, but is shocked to see Mike bow in submission, offering his neck to be sliced and saying whatever happens to him doesn’t matter as long as he helps his brother. Henry has compassion on Mike and takes the brothers into his home.

Because of the shock of that day and the pain of his transformation, Mike actually doesn’t remember exactly what happened during the ‘demon attack’, including the fact that his own father is the demon responsible. All he knows for sure is that the demon behind it took Elizabeth, that she’s most likely still alive in some form, and they have to rescue her. 

[that-darn-clown]

so. had this thought as i was going to bed last night. y'know those Tag Yourself character memes? that, but it's the Rewrite Fnaf Characters. and the descriptions are just the most heartwrenching shit.

so like it'd look something like this:

Which Fnaf Rewrite Character Are You?? 😆🤣😎

Michael Afton:

Your life has not been your own for a long time. You have faced countless tragedies, never given a break. You have felt unneeded guilt for ages, blaming yourself for something that was never your fault. You wish the cycle would stop, so that you may finally put yourself back together, but you also fear that stopping to finally fix yourself will force you to confront how broken you are. You just want peace, to finally rest. You just want to be your own person.

William Afton:

Your grief has been all consuming, and you never knew how to properly handle it. You have been trying to fix things the only way your broken mind can think to, but in reality, you have only made things worse. The train wreck you created ruined lives, including those closest to you, but you refuse to admit that it's mostly your fault. You may be forced to face those consequences sooner rather than later, though; Don't keep the Devil waiting, Old Friend.

Henry Emily:

Guilt has become a familiar emotion to you. Your fault that she died. Your fault those kids died. Your fault that this even happened in the first place. You've never been good at comfort, but everyone comes to you for it. So you try your best. Your hatred simmers beneath the surface, unseen to anyone else. But that begs the question: Is the hatred for the one who caused all of this, or towards yourself for not preventing this train wreck in the first place?

Charlie Emily:

You are tired. You were forced to grow up too fast, to care for those around you who were screwed up in the same way you were. It is in your nature. But you're tired. You just want to rest, but the others must be safe first. The others must be saved first. It doesn't matter how long it takes. You will free them and protect others from meeting the same fate as you for as long as it takes. You will lift them up into your arms just as someone should've done with you.

Sammy Emily:

Others would call your anger and obsession worrying, but to you, it is your only form of coping. You look over everything with a careful eye, over and over. Because there has to be a clue somewhere. Something to tell you what happened to her. Some clue of who had done it. That night replays in your mind, and perhaps guilt is an inherited trait. Perhaps, in a sense, your life ended with hers on the night of May 13th, 1982. You were twins, after all.

Cassidy Afton:

You were always the black sheep of the family. Scared of your own shadow in a way that your siblings weren't. Treated like a porcelain doll that would shatter if not handled carefully. Until you did break, and you changed. But not for the better. You have rough edges now, and you don't know how to go back to that child that everyone expects you to be. Eventually, it seems that it was decided that it would be easier to dispose of you rather than deal with those jagged edges. What once was love seems to have turned to hatred, at least in your eyes. So you lash out, angry at the unfairness of life and what was done to you and those closest to you. You are labeled some form of demon, some being to be avoided because of how volatile you are now. You are just an angry, scared child. That's all you've ever been. You just want justice. For you and everyone else. You are the one he should not have killed.

Tag Yourself!! 😆😎

(so yeah, Sad Boy Hours!!)

Ough... I am charlie tho

[dire-kumori]

I don't know why but I've always Headcannon all of the Afton kids to have this like really crazy maniacal laugh... Like full on crazy meglomaniac laugh that they all inherited from William.

You know, I've always kinda seen that with Mike and Elizabeth, but I'm just losing it over the image of little Evan scaring the shit out of someone with his serial killer laugh. You're absolutely right, these kids would have the scary slasher smiles as the default and to them that would just be how people normally smile.

[angelofrainfrogs]

Spend the Night: Ch. 6

~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

Prepare for the horrors This night will keep repeating over and over And over, until you make it to the end They hide 'round the corners You better peel your eyes and keep looking over Your shoulder 'cause you'll never be alone again

~Never Be Alone by Shadrow~

“Michael?” Gregory questioned, utterly confused. Had he stopped paying attention at some point? Why was this jerk messing with Freddy so badly? And why did Charlie know him? “Who the hell is Michael?”

The bear simply stared at the wall for a moment, slack-jawed as the two beings wrestled internally. Then someone got the upper hand, and the animatronic perked up to exclaim:

“I'm Michael! Oh my god, Charlie, I—” The bear flinched, clutching the sides of his head and speaking through clenched teeth. “Fuck, this AI is so strong—he really fights... I've been trying to—”

A sharp shake of Freddy's head cut the voice off in an instant. He blinked a few times before standing up straight, gaze swiveling between his companions.

“I... do not fully understand what is happening,” Freddy admitted slowly, frowning in confusion. “But we can discuss this after Gregory is in that security office. Now please hurry and open the door before this thing tries to come through again!”

He was right; it wasn’t a good idea to argue out in the open. Besides, Charlie had no doubts about who was inhabiting the Glamrock bear—that was absolutely Michael Afton’s inherited Brighton accent just as Charlie fondly remembered it. It’d been his soul all along!

With that realization, Puppet had no problem leaving Gregory with the possessed bear. She nodded, patting Gregory’s head reassuringly before crouching low and latching onto the vent. There was no time to waste as she inelegantly removed the vent cover and squeezed on through. The harder part was fitting the cover back and making sure it stayed before she made a beeline for the security office.

Gregory wasn’t positive he felt comfortable knowing that Freddy was slowly being put in second place by this… virus? Glitch?

Placing his hands firmly on the bear’s face, he looked into his protector’s eyes. “Who am I talking to right now?”

“Do not worry, superstar—it is Freddy,” he reassured with a smile. Regardless of what was going on with him personally, he needed Gregory to know that he was safe. “I am sorry about this. Something is happening that I have never experienced before, and my programming does not have any protocols to deal with it.” His gaze softened and he slowly reached a paw up to card through Gregory's hair, gently so as not to scare him away. “But for now, I can assure you that whatever this ‘Michael’ is, it only wants to protect you—just as I do.”

Not that this was any excuse for the thing trying to take over his body, but at least it might reassure the boy somewhat. And to that end, it now that Gregory was definitely not going in the vents the voice decided to back off for the time being. Freddy knew it wouldn't stay down for long, but perhaps it sensed the kid’s distress as well and smartly opted to let the bear comfort him.

Just cuddle into Freddy’s shoulder and shut your eyes, Gregory thought to himself. Things he didn’t quite understand were at play here. Tonight the strange mystery of the Pizzaplex thickened in its secrets. Hugs may not get rid of every problem, but that wouldn’t stop Gregory from trying his damndest to make it so.

Freddy appreciated the hug as well—more than Gregory would ever know. The embrace gave them both silent reassurance that as long as they were together and safe, everything was going to be alright.

It had to be.

***

As Charlie crawled through the vents, her mind raced with the possibilities. Did Michael know what was going on? If he never passed from this earthly plane, were there others who still tethered themselves to this dreadful place?

Her old friend had come back to her yet again. And for what?

She’d been under the assumption this whole ordeal had dealt him a great toll of emotional and physical damage. The fire severed Michael’s connection to his rotten husk of a body, and Charlie hadn’t wanted to curse him with a Gift. Not after everything he'd already been through. 

So why return?

Maybe he didn’t even have a choice, like me, she thought as she busted through the second vent covering, slithering onto the office tiles. It wasn’t long before the door to the Arcade opened, inviting the pair inside the security room.

As soon as the door opened Freddy rushed himself and Gregory to the office, smacking both locks for good measure. He wasn't going to leave the doors shut the entire time like they tried previously, but at least for the moment they all needed assurance that nothing else could get in. To Freddy's relief this office did seem to have a bit more power than the last one.

“Here, Gregory—please eat something,” Freddy said after setting the boy in one of the swivel chairs. His chest cavity opened and he took the bags out, handing everything to Gregory. Then, Freddy turned his gaze to Charlie. “...I feel there are some things that you and I need to discuss, Charlie.”

Just forget whoever Michael is and eat the grilled chicken, Gregory told himself. With his meal before him and eyes wider than dinner plates he tucked into the sandwich and soda, strategically saving his dessert for last.

“Thanks, Freddy!” he remarked before completely losing interest in anything that wasn’t food or his new toy. Preoccupied with savoring his meal, Gregory spun in the office chair and happily munched away, the plushie tucked right up against his hip.

Charlie came closer to the animatronic bear, thin fingers laced together in front of her in a rather guilty pose. She knew this virus by name—was apparent friends with it, too. They both had questions that could be exchanged.

“Here, to the back of the room,” she murmured, the shock still hitting her in waves as she took Freddy gently by the arm and guided him away.

“I am sorry about all of this,” Freddy apologized as they settled in a corner that had the least chance of Gregory overhearing them. He felt weirdly guilty about this whole thing, as if this was somehow all his fault. Logically, he knew this wasn't the case—he still didn't understand what was actually happening, so how could he be responsible for it?

Yet, the regret was slowly eating away at him... though he reasoned it was likely “Michael’s” doing.

“As you clearly saw, I am experiencing a major malfunction,” Freddy tried to explain as best he could. “The voice that came out of my mouth belongs to a virus that is trying to take control of my systems. I do not know how or why I was infected, but I can confirm that it does not mean Gregory any harm—if it did, I would never have endangered either of you by keeping it hidden.”

His gaze was measured and serious, locked onto Charlie’s pinprick eyes.

“It appeared earlier this evening and has only gotten stronger as the night has progressed. I... I do not know what its end goal is, though I fear it is trying to completely take over. It was only able to speak in my head until right after we left the charging pod. Ah—” Freddy blinked a few times as he recalled what happened then; it seemed like so long ago. “—but you were shut down during that time, so you did not hear.”

Charlie felt bad that Freddy was embarrassed about Michael causing these outbursts. She couldn’t blame him for feeling the way he did, patting his arm in consolation.

“Freddy you don’t need to apologize. It’s okay. I’m sorry to say I’ve…” Charlie paused, seeming hesitant—or just unsure of how to properly explain it. “I’ve been keeping secrets from you both. I know Michael. He’s my oldest, dearest friend. You can trust him.”

Her answer was all well and good, but it left a glaring question: how on Earth would she know a virus to begin with? This led to the first part of Charlie’s wild explanation.

“Michael isn’t a computer program. He’s a boy. Well, more like a man—an old, old man,” she went on, wondering if Michael was even aware of how badly she was burning him. She rubbed the back of her cloth-covered head. “He must not’ve had anywhere else to go, so he hitched a ride with you…”

“I'm not that old...,” Michael murmured, though still in Freddy's mind for now. The bear flinched, now weirdly sensitive to the virus—or, not-virus?

“I do not understand what you are saying,” Freddy admitted with a shake of his head. “I am experiencing a malfunction unlike anything that could be considered errant coding or a simple software issue. There is something inside my core programming that should not be there—and that can only be a virus.” He spared a glance at Gregory, who was still happily in his own little world, then lowered his voice even further. “Despite how our AI might make it seem to others, we are just machines.”

To explain something like this delicately wouldn’t be easy, especially to a being with logical processors for brains. Freddy’s confusion was understandable, as Charlie’s statement of facts was lacking so far.

“Well! I guess you could, uh… You could say Mike’s a ghost.” Charlie let the statement hang there a moment, glancing away from the bear. “I wanted to tell you eventually, but… I’m like Michael! A spirit with nowhere to go.”

She refused to look at Freddy. She hadn’t said it out loud in so long that the personality of the Puppet had become Charlie. Charlie was the Puppet, and vice-versa—they’d spent so long together that they began and ended with one another. Here Michael and Freddy’s merge was too new, and Freddy definitely wanted to keep his autonomy with his superior AI.

“I didn’t want to say it around Gregory,” Charlie whispered, hoping the bear would believe her.

Freddy simply stared at her for a good, long while, his gaze fixed and unblinking.

“A... ghost,” he echoed eventually, sounding wholly unconvinced. “According to the knowledge in my databank, ghosts are not one hundred percent proven to exist. And even if they did... what are you suggesting? That I am—” He thought for a moment, pulling up the correct terminology. “—possessed?! That you are possessed?!”

“That's the simplified version, yeah,” Michael chimed in with a resigned sigh. “Never thought I’d be in this position, and I can't say I'm happy about it, but at least—”

“Oh, will you be quiet?!” Freddy exclaimed loudly, the sound echoing through the enclosed space. He looked to Gregory again, who was now staring right back at him. The bear grimaced, muttering to Charlie: “...Ah. This is quite hard for me to process, but I suppose it would explain the distinct personality of this 'Michael,' if true...”

Gregory blinked at Freddy with a mouthful of food. He didn’t seem like the kind of AI to lose their cool in such a way. If Gregory learned anything from the foster home, when two “adults” were arguing it was best not to get into the middle of it. He kept silent, head bending down as if his sandwich was the most interesting thing in the world before distracting himself with the security feed blinking to life on the monitors.

“This is… really hard for me to talk about,” Charlie let Freddy know, unable to meet his gaze with her own empty eye sockets. “When I was human, my father was the co-owner of the original Fazbear dinner. Then, one day, I met with a terrible fate…”

It was too vivid. William had lashed out in a sudden rage, and Charlie spent so long blaming herself for something that seemed like an accident at first… Though she soon learned that the Afton patriarch was much more disturbed than anyone could’ve ever predicted, and perhaps his fit of rage hadn't been so unprompted after all. 

“My robot, the Puppet, found me outside. She was supposed to protect me, and something… something happened out there—something that bonded us together,” Charlie tried to explain to the best of her knowledge, sparing Freddy the gory details. “Michael must’ve latched onto you the same way, of his own free will. I definitely didn't help him...”

There was still so much fight in that broken man.

Freddy pressed a hand to his temple, feeling the animatronic equivalent of a headache coming on. This was… a lot. So much information to process out of scope of the robot’s preprogrammed understanding. His normal logic didn’t work in this scenario, and it honestly scared him.

But… even so, there was no reason for Charlie to lie about such a wild claim. Freddy knew there was a vast wealth of knowledge not in his databanks—maybe all this talk of ghosts was just part of that missing information?

“She’s right,” Michael spoke when Freddy failed to respond. His voice was soft, placating, and tired. He sounded like a man who’d been through hell and back again. “There are so many things going on that you have no idea about, Freddy, and I’m sorry I roped you into them. I didn’t mean to latch onto you specifically, it was just… God, it's still so fuzzy. All I know is that I didn't have many options at the moment and you were the best bet.”

“It… Michael… he says he did not mean to latch onto me specifically,” Freddy slowly parroted aloud, no longer wanting to keep the man’s thoughts to himself. “He had few options of who to cling to… there are things going on that I do not understand—wait.”

Freddy’s gaze snapped to the Puppet. Fazbear Entertainment made a point to upload as little of their sordid history as possible into their Glamrocks, only proving them with names of the founders and their children. Freddy didn’t even have reference pictures for anyone but William Afton and Henry Emily, but it was that second name that struck a chord.

Henry Emily… he had two kids—a son, Samuel, and a daughter named Charlotte.

“Yes, that’s it!” Michael cheered. He couldn’t exactly read Freddy’s thoughts, but he could sense the bear’s growing enlightenment. “Here, let me try something.”

After a moment of focused silence, an image formed in Freddy’s mind—warped and unclear at first, but it soon revealed a smiling, teenage girl wearing the fashion of decades past. Michael let out a tired huff. “It’s one of my memories; did it work? Again, learning as I go here.”

In response, Freddy’s face twisted in sympathetic confusion. “Oh, Charlie… you are… just a child?”

Charlie no longer thought of herself as a child. Yet it was clear from tonight and the comfort from the Daycare that she still felt like one. Her soul was young and carefree, weighed down with trauma and burdens too heavy for anyone to rightly bear. Though she knew that if she didn’t save those souls, no one else could.

How old was she when she passed away? It was a while ago, and the exact age was hard to recall. After a moment’s thought, she found the answer.

“I was… sixteen, yes.” Charlie replied with the garnered maturity that taking care of others had brought her. Freddy’s distress made her sigh. “I didn’t want to upset you, Freddy... You really are a sweet bear.”

She would leave it at that for now. But onto the worst detail of all—one that Charlie had especially dreaded telling her latest ally.

“The real virus—the one that’s controlling your friends—that’s the true threat. And if it’s the same reason we’re awake, it has to do with our shared aggressor: William Afton.” She even feared saying his name. If Charlie had a stomach, its contents would have turned from the pain and confusion the memory that simple moniker wrought.

Michael’s soul—yes, Freddy could admit that now—flinched violently at the name. Despite this immediate reaction, a vengeful, bubbling anger was quick to take over, making the docile animatronic wince.

“That… that is impossible,” Freddy murmured with a frown. He didn’t sound confident in his words, however. “William Afton disappeared decades ago—no one knows what happened to him. At this point, he is presumed to be… dead.” He hung his head in acceptance. “Ah.”

And there was the kicker: if Charlie and Michael were indeed ghosts of humans that perished years ago, who was Freddy to assume that William wasn’t in a similar situation?

But then… why was he doing this? What did happen to him? To Charlie… to Michael…

And what was going to happen to Gregory and his animatronic friends if they didn’t stop this virus soon?

All these heavy questions remained a mystery to Charlie. William had avoided her like the plague the moment he found out she was inhabiting Puppet. It was the only shaky piece of evidence Charlie had that William was remotely capable of shame or regret, yet it wasn’t anywhere near enough to sate her anger.

“I wish I knew why he even started doing this,” Charlie murmured, admitting her lack of in-depth knowledge even after all these years. Maybe that’s why she’d come back, for a sense of closure. “William was never the same since—”

Charlie stopped herself, remembering present company. It’d been decades, but she knew that Michael never forgave himself for the accident. Poor Evan. The lack of any sign of the old Freddy suit wandering the Pizzaplex likely meant that Evan was yet to return. It’d been Charlie’s goal this whole time to recreate their happiest days in hope that the pain and confusion would pass… yet the victims never ceased and Charlie’s work was never complete.

“I’ve stopped asking myself why. We have to prevent it before anything bad happens to Gregory.” She gave a little sigh then looked into Freddy’s eyes, finally coming to her first question for the bear. “Have you noticed anything strange happening in the Pizzaplex before tonight?”

Freddy was so preoccupied with trying to process and catalog information, it took him a moment to register that Charlie asked him a question. The sudden wave of crippling guilt from Michael didn’t help either, though the only thing the ghost offered was a mumbled: “Sorry, I’m… I’m sorry; I’ll explain later.”

“Anything strange?” Freddy repeated slowly, frowning in thought. “Well, the others have been a bit off at night, though nothing to the extent of the way they have acted towards Gregory this evening. Otherwise—” He paused, mouth slightly open as he recalled the confusion of a few months ago.

“Oh… Yes, one incident stands out: approximately four months ago, Bonnie went missing. It happened overnight and staff has never given us a satisfactory explanation. All I know is that I saw Bonnie leave his room shortly after 12 am, and when he failed to return the next morning there was a search for him.”

The bear’s frown deepened as he regurgitated all the details he could.

“I… I was not allowed to actively search, nor were the other animatronics. The human staff were responsible for that, though I feel they were… inefficient. After only a few days, they announced Bonnie’s replacement in the band was Monty—he used to be just a walk around character—and the following morning we played our first show without him.” Freddy let out a heavy sigh. “I feel as though this is when everything started going wrong—at least from my recollection.”

Charlie touched her face, rubbing it as if to self-soothe and relieve stress.

“Of course the bunny went missing…,” she sighed. Taking a second to calm down, she glanced back at Freddy, trying to look through him this time. “Mike? Did you hear that?”

Puppet wondered if he’d been thinking the same thing and her: that the rabbit character’s mysterious disappearance only made sense with the return of William. It was beginning to look like he needed a new vessel to possess; surely at old springlock suit was nothing but a pile of ash now. Yet that didn’t explain—

“And that bunny lady; what do you guys think of her?” Charlie asked, hand poised and propping up her chin.

“I sure did hear that,” Michael chimed in, snagging hold of Freddy’s voice box while the bear was distracted. Freddy’s eyes widened at the sudden highjack and he touched his mouth with a tentative paw.

“Oops—sorry Freddy, I should’ve asked first,” Michael apologized, now back to just a voice in his mind. He gave a wry, hollow sort laugh. “Still not good with the whole body-sharing thing...”

“For once, we are in agreement,” Freddy mumbled, then to Charlie he replied: “There is no ‘bunny lady’ in the Pizzaplex. The only active rabbit character was Bonnie, though as I just mentioned he has been missing for months.”

“But…” Charlie glanced away. Was she remembering things wrong? When she finally had the wherewithal to respond, she sounded adamant. “You were right there. You didn’t see the lady in the white, patchwork suit?”

It’d been the reason for her short circuit, too. This raised further questions that Charlie wasn’t sure they were equipped to handle.

“I did not,” Freddy confirmed with a shake of his head. “Although I will keep an eye out for one in the future.”

That didn’t sound like a character Fazbear Entertainment would instate, especially without any prior warning or marketing. But perhaps Charlie saw something before Freddy found her in the ball pit? He’d never figured out how she’d gotten there, anyway…

“I… have a small proposition,” the bear said after a moment, his voice uncharacteristically tired. “While I accept the information you are telling me, it is difficult for me to process many of these concepts. Now that I am assured Michael is not a threat… I am willing to let him have control for a short while so I can spend some time internally cataloguing everything I have learned.”

“Really?!” Michael sounded genuinely surprised. “Wow, you are advanced! Man, if I could actually get out of here and check out your AI—”

“Let us not think of that right now,” Freddy replied quickly. The last thing he wanted was the ghost messing with him more than he already was. The bear looked to Charlie again, offering a small smile. “Is that alright with you? The only caveat is we need to tell Gregory something first—although I have already been crafting an explanation that saves him many, ah… unfortunate details, so I can handle that before I step back.”

While it wasn’t exactly her fault for the sad backstory of their lives, Charlie felt guilty for overwhelming the kind-hearted bear.

“I understand Freddy. If you could talk to him before you take a break, that’d be awesome!” she encouraged.

As she turned to check on Gregory, he’d long-since scarfed down his sandwich and was working on demolishing the pack of Chica’s Cupcakes. Thankfully, the kid sat mostly unaware of the morbidity his situation involved.

Freddy nodded, then moved to Gregory’s side. His expression instantly softened as he looked at the boy—no matter what outlandish knowledge Freddy learned, Gregory was most important. Keeping the boy safe and sound was his only true goal right now.

“It looks like you are enjoying your meal, superstar!” the bear said with a chuckle, noting a glob of pink icing around Gregory’s mouth. “When you finish, I would like to speak to you about something.” He saw a look of guilt start to cross Gregory’s face and quickly added: “You are not in trouble; Charlie and I just need to explain what is going on with Michael, alright?”

Gregory’s tongue flicked to the corner of his mouth, catching the sugary paste and savoring its taste before swallowing it down.

“You mean the guy that lives in your head…?” he asked. This Michael was an enigma to Gregory right then, and he wasn’t sure if he could trust the glitch in Freddy’s AI. Discarding the empty plastic container his cupcakes came in, Gregory gave Freddy his now undivided attention.

“That is the one,” Freddy replied with a strained smile. “I can reassure you that Michael is not a virus, and is therefore not a threat.” The bear crouched, wanting to be more eye-level with Gregory so the boy didn’t feel like he was being talked down to. Freddy guessed he was antsy enough that the “adults” were having discussions without him, and didn’t want to make him feel worse.

“Think of it this way: you know how each animatronic has their own personality? Well, those are not stored in our bodies, but in our code,” Freddy continued. “If someone really wanted to, they could shut this body down and upload my personality into, say… a Chica model instead. It is a strange concept, but it is simply how we robots work!”

He hoped this was doing the trick; he wanted to make it as easy as possible for Gregory to accept that Michael was sticking around for the time being. “Though Michael is not quite the same as the animatronics, he is in a similar situation: essentially, his personality has been uploaded into my body and now we are sharing it. However, we are still distinct entities—I am still Freddy, and he is still Michael. Does that make sense?”

Gregory had nothing else to liken the situation to. Two consciousness’s sharing the same body… How something like this happened went beyond his computer knowledge, though the lack of knowing didn’t necessarily scare him.

“If you think Michael’s cool, then I trust it,” Gregory rationalized. After all, Freddy had been making all the right calls to keep them safe so far—he doubted the bear would suddenly decide to turn against him now. Freddy would still be Gregory’s favorite even if he had some stranger’s personality floating around inside his brain. Jumping off the creaking swivel chair to stretch his legs, Gregory offered him a smile. “I don’t see you any differently! Don’t worry, Freddy.”

“I appreciate you taking this so well, superstar,” Freddy said, gently patting Gregory’s shoulder. “Now, I am a bit tired, so I am going to take a brief rest and let Michael talk for a bit. However, I will be right here and listening the entire time, so if you need me for anything just call for me and I will come right back.”

He smiled expectantly, wanting a final okay from Gregory before letting the ghost take over.

Gregory fidgeted with the bandages wrapped delicately on his fingers as Freddy explained the current plan. Sure, Gregory wanted Freddy to rest, but he wasn’t 100% ready to meet this Michael… Regardless, he put on a brave face as he leaned forward and hugged Freddy’s neck.

“Alright… Feel better soon,” the boy said, giving him a hearty squeeze.

“Thank you,” the bear replied, squeezing him right back. Once Gregory released him Freddy stared straight ahead, preparing for whatever was about to happen. He didn't exactly know how a ghost took control of an animatronic, so he simply told the spirit: “Whenever you are ready, Michael.”

For a moment, nothing changed. Then Freddy's face went slack, not unlike what happened with the other Glamrocks upon sight of Gregory. However, he quickly perked up again before anyone could grow concerned, blinking rapidly and swiveling his head to and fro as he looked around the room.

“Did I... do it?” Michael's voice came through loud and clear, Freddy's mouth syncing to the words. Michael stared down at the blue-clawed paws in wonder, then let out a shout of excitement. He turned to Puppet lingering nearby and practically fell on her in a clumsy attempt at a hug—he didn't quite have the hang of moving the animatronic yet. “Hi, Charlie! Oh my god, I missed you so much!”

Before Charlie had even turned to face her old friend, she was sandwiched between a large metal body and the floor tiles. The surprise only startled her momentarily before Michael maneuvered Freddy’s arms to hug her.

“Michael! I can’t believe you waited this long to join the fun!” she exclaimed, sarcastic and chiding, though her sincere longing for her old friend was apparent. The gears in her joints could be heard working overtime as she squeezed Mike tight. “I have so much to tell you!”

Her mask was completely hidden as she nuzzled her head against him. How long had it been since she’d spoken to him when they were both in their right minds?

Gregory stood by and watched the happy reunion, his mouth twitching into a smile while he took his seat back in front of the security tape feeds.

“You and me both!” Michael said with a laugh. It took some effort on his part, but eventually he was able to make Freddy's body get off Charlie in favor of sitting on the floor, legs stretched out as he leaned back against the security desk.

“This thing is so weird to control...,” he murmured, looking down at his new metal body. Then he perked up with a gasp, the blue eyes bright and vibrant with life. “Oh, now that I can finally talk—my memory's kind of fuzzy, but I think I'm the one that salvaged you! I've been in Freddy for a while, just... dormant. There’s a big chunk missing, but I do remember waking up earlier tonight knowing something was wrong.”

He paused to grimace, not needing or wanting to discuss him right now.

Charlie’s hand flew to her head, amazed at Michael’s forethought. Whether he wanted to save the Puppet for sentimental reasons or because he knew that they would need Charlie, she pushed his shoulder out of joy. “Where did you find me?! I thought I burned up with the old diner!”

She’d been looking for everyone for such a long time. Cassidy was nowhere to be found, and Evan likewise—not one soul did Charlie see past the darkness. Perhaps they didn’t pass on yet, like Charlie had initially assumed... Maybe they were just powered down somewhere like she’d been, far out of her spectral reach.

“Um...” Michael thought hard, but something seemed to be clouding his memory. He couldn't quite remember the path he'd taken to get there, but he knew he'd found Charlie somewhere the animatronics probably shouldn't be able to go. “I'm... not entirely sure. You were in the diner, I know that—I was there, too. For... for the fire.”

Despite Henry's poetic thought process, Michael hadn't been a completely willing participant as his uncle claimed. Of course he wanted to move on, but he couldn't do so until he was absolutely sure that his father was well and truly gone. Unfortunately, the husk that was left of his body had succumbed to the flames before Michael could confirm this and, well... here he was again. The fact that Charlie's soul remained too only proved that William wasn't dead for good either.

“Anyway,” Michael continued, shaking his head. “Let's not dwell on that right now. Long story short, I found you, and now we're both here.” He spared a glance at the boy in the chair, raising Freddy's mouth in a small smile. “And so is Gregory, apparently. Hi, Gregory—sorry I hijacked your bear friend. I promise it wasn't intentional. Nice to meet you, regardless.”

He held out a hand, leaning forward so Gregory could shake if he wanted. Although, he wouldn't be offended if the boy was still wary—this was a lot to take in for a kid.

Charlie supposed that his memories would come in time. She found more about her previous life came back to her the longer she dwelled on it in death. She was just elated that her dearest friend returned to her—and that she’d regained enough control of her blind rage to see him for who he truly was instead of an unfortunate echo of his father.

Even if their situation was less than favorable, they’d be hard-pressed to find better company than those in this room together.

Charlie leaned into Michael, looking to gauge Gregory’s approach of the old ghost. The boy seemed a little shy but grasped Freddy’s hand nonetheless, likely in a sign of good faith. It was followed by Gregory’s next unprompted question.

“Why are you British?” he asked, excellently put for a twelve year old.

“No—” Charlie had done poorly at holding in a laugh as she gently reminded him: “—Gregory, we don’t just ask why people are British…”

Michael chuckled as well, though his was a bit subdued.

“One of my pare—uh… creators came from across the pond, so I picked up my accent from them; crazy how stuff like that can stick with you,” he explained simply, then flashed a grin. “You're quite a spunky kid, you know that? Charlie and Freddy are lucky to have you around.”

Gregory was stuck with them for the night whether he liked it or not, so Michael figured it would be best to let him know he wasn't a burden. He hadn't actually dealt with kids in quite a while due to his nightshift jobs and... other circumstances... but it this one was strangely easy to talk to.

And also very weird, too—despite his physical similarity to Evan, their personalities were completely different. Michael couldn't imagine his brother in such a high-stress situation and was glad that Gregory seemed to be taking things in stride.

Spunky? Gregory had become slightly bashful at the compliment. He pulled his hand away and shoved it inside his pocket with a smile. Gregory rarely received praise for his attitude, and it felt nice to be seen for once. Evan may have been one to crack under pressure, certainly, but Gregory’s whole life was pressure he’d already bent beneath. Though that timid smile and lack of eye contact did echo faint memories of Michael’s brother…

“Thanks Michael. Uh… Any friend of Charlie’s is my friend, too,” he relented, causing Charlie to relax on the floor at the interaction.

“Ditto,” Michael responded. He had the strongest urge to pull Gregory in for a hug, but he knew that would likely freak him out. Instead he turned to Puppet, his voice quiet. “You know, Charlie, I saw you in the old diner—before the fire, I mean. When I realized it was you I tried to reach out, but... I don't think you recognized me. Can't say I blame you.”

The bear's face grimaced, then his expression changed almost comically fast to one of wide-eyed fear. “Hey, you… you didn't see anyone else from the wreckage wandering around here, did you?”

Michael paused, taking a deep breath. He didn't want to scare Gregory with his clear nervousness, but he needed to know if that thing was also back. However, he realized there was a chance Charlie wasn’t aware of the other entities in the old diner either—or at least, that she hadn't actively conversed with them. The amalgamation was on an entirely different level than a wayward lost child's soul.

“Actually, let me backtrack—when you were stuck down there, did you talk to any of the other animatronics crawling around in the vents?” Michael cleared his throat, miming the gesture despite Freddy’s lack of lungs. “Specifically... one calling itself 'Ennard?'”

Charlie realized she had to help Michael through a stint of broken memories. He left her with something to mull over, so she attempted to fill him in as succinctly as she could.

“Ennard? Yeah, sounds vaguely familiar… That one had a whole lot of problems,” she recalled. Ennard had taken apart and put themselves back together more times than Charlie could count even in the short time she’d known them. She remembered specifically they were never satisfied with their shape or capabilities. They had an odd name, and an even stranger disposition.

“I haven’t run into anyone else from the restaurant, though. Not even Lefty…” Charlie pulled a sad sigh at that. Lefty had been a good friend—a dependable suit of armor that doubled as her confidant for those final moments. “Candy Cadet looked fine when I saw him, too! But he wasn’t online. I tried shaking him awake. Even tried using a burned quarter to get some candy. He totally stole my money!”

She pulled a face, then watched Gregory fish out the same trick quarter he’d used for his field trip in the arcade.

“Duh. You gotta use one of these if you don’t wanna lose your cash,” Gregory interjected, swinging the coin back and forth on its tether.

“Oh thank god,” Michael mumbled at Charlie's claim that she hadn't seen the amalgamation running around. Then he gave a loud, almost barking sort of laugh. “Ennard had way more problems than you even know... I'll tell you about it later when we're not in mixed company.”

Freddy's body gave a visible shiver, indicating that whatever Michael had to say about the strange animatronic, it definitely wasn't good.

“Anyway—neat trick, Gregory!” Michael addressed the boy, grinning at his ingenuity. “You know, I used to—er, I knew someone who did the same exact thing!”

Charlie patted at Michael’s shoulder, trying to quell the sudden anxiousness that she could see him battling with. When he admitted to Gregory that he’d known people skilled at cheating the money-laundering arcade set-up, she felt her inner soul smile at the memories. Sitting back with her arms crossed behind her head, she watched as Gregory scooted closer on his chair.

“How else do you get free sodas?” the kid asked. It was a tough world out there when everything costs money. Sadly no one at the Pizzaplex would give him a job when he’d first snuck in and asked.

Though the question was rhetorical, Michael decided to use his insider knowledge of literally growing up inside these establishments to help the kid out. Besides, it would further distract him from thoughts of weird clown masks and way too many wires...

“Hmm... well, the easiest way is to know a staff member who’s got the code that’ll make the vending machine spit out a drink—they use it to test that the machine is working after a jam,” Michael explained, ready and excited to teach Gregory how to best work the system. “Although I don't think that'll work for you, since the closest you've got is Freddy and I have a feeling he's not going to agree to something like that. Or, well... actually, I don't know.”

It was strange—this time it felt like one of the animatronic's fleeting thoughts popped up in the back of Michael's brain, the gist of it being that “hacking” the vending machine was such a minor infraction, it was easy to look past if it was done to help Gregory. Michael chuckled, then said: “Well, well, seems like we'll be table to teach ol' Freddy how to rebel a little bit after all. Gregory, try asking him to get you a free soda next time you pass a machine—see what happens.”

“Woah—that’s so cool...,” Gregory murmured, genuinely blown away that something in this place hated its surroundings enough to disregard any and all rules.

Mike knew more about Fazbear Entertainment than the others. Why he had such a niche understanding of how to steal from this place wasn't important—what was important was milking everything he knew for survival. And possibly, when all of this was over and done, Gregory could come back and rob the place blind with the help of the rogue AI known only as Michael.

“You wouldn't happen to know any other tricks, would you?” Gregory asked with a Cheshire grin, impish and ready to learn more of the secrets he knew Michael was holding back.

Charlie remembered well those hot summer days they’d forgotten bags of change in their rooms. Mike, being the oldest Afton, had been asked to help his dad at the diner so young—of course he’d been aware of those maintenance codes! Whenever their fathers weren't looking, Charlie would watch in silent awe as Michael worked the system around them to their benefit.

“You could teach him how to cheat at Ski-Ball next,” she suggested with a giggle.

“Oh my god, Ski-Ball!” Michael laughed heartily at the memories.

He’d figured out early on how to make the balls reset endlessly without feeding the machine quarter after quarter. He let out a wistful sigh, recalling the time he’d shown Charlie how to throw the ball at the perfect angle to fall in the highest-scoring hole—and when that failed, Michael simply walked up the ramp until he could throw it at close range. They’d done that for hours until his father caught them and chided them for wasting all the tickets… though he’d given them a choice of any prize from the counter for their efforts when Henry wasn’t looking—they had reached a high score, after all.

William had been nicer, then. The world had been nicer.

With a sudden pang of deep-seated guilt, Michael couldn’t believe things had gone so wrong.

“I’ll teach you some cool stuff soon, Gregory, okay? But enough about me for now—what about you?” Michael tilted the bear’s head curiously as he tried to distract himself from sinking into his regret. “Clearly you snuck in, but I don’t think you actually told us why you’re here after hours. Though, I certainly can’t blame you for wanting to explore everything you couldn’t get to during the day. This place is massive…”

Gregory knew this would come eventually. Sooner or later they’d ask him exactly what dire situation had brought him to this place. Gregory's back slid down the lumbar rest on his chair, slouching now as he thought on how to word it all. There was no need to worry his new friends any more than they already were.

“Oh, y’know...,” he began, nonchalantly reaching for the can of carbonated drink on the desk. He took an easy sip, forcing the bubbles down with a quick cough before continuing.

“I wanted a job! They told me I was too young. So, I figured if they wouldn't give me money, they could give me a free pizza,” he explained, looking away. “And some new shoes... A-And a place to sleep...”

Gregory wasn't dumb. He knew people were looking for him—or at least, they’d be looking eventually.

…Maybe.

“I'm not trying to go back home though,” Gregory made sure to say, flicking the metal tab at the top of his soda can balefully.

Michael narrowed his eyes at this. It was certainly not the answer he expected.

This kid was a runaway? Like, a real runaway, not trying to return to his parents at all? This only piqued his interest more, though Michael knew he had to careful about his response. Purely based on Gregory's demeanor, it was clear this topic was obviously sensitive and not one he liked to discuss.

“A job, huh?” Michael repeated with a nod. “Gotcha. Unfortunately, they don’t give jobs to kids under sixteen unless you’re good friends with upper management. Nepotism at its finest…”

He sighed and shook his head. Mike wanted more information though… And so did Freddy, whose counterpart to Michael’s verbal chatter in the back of his head was a low, mechanical hum. The AI was definitely attentive and listening in.

“But you’re not trying to go home? Any chance you’d tell us why?” Michael pressed, his tone calm and empathetic. He completely understood having a bad home life, more than Gregory would ever realize—and because of this, he also understood how hard it was for a kid to talk about. “And if you don’t want to talk to me, maybe you could tell Charlie or Freddy? I can bring that bear back anytime; he’s ready and waiting right in here.”

Michael tapped Freddy’s temple. He didn’t really want to give up autonomy yet, but he would if it meant Gregory was more willing to reveal his situation. The kid hadn't reengaged eye contact yet, still set on bending and ripping off the metallic tab to his soda can.

“Heh...” He laughed once, humorless and with his expression unchanging from that of ennui. There was no use in avoiding it. What would be the point in lying to these guys? They’d already spent so long proving that they’d keep him safe.

“So... I live at a foster home. My real parents aren't around anymore.” Gregory spoke simply, taking on the demeanor of someone much older than he really was. Content to kick up his feet on the desk, he discarded the pull tab, hearing it click on the ground before continuing. “They're not great parents… Actually, they’re super bad ones. They don't care if I get hurt, or if I don't eat. They don't care about any of their foster children. So I came to the last place I was happy...”

Though after everything that happened tonight, Gregory didn't know if those happy memories were going to be tainted by attempted child-maiming. As he spoke, his eyes flicked back to the camera feeds, worried that one of the crazed animatronics or even the night guard herself would appear around a corner.

“Oh, Gregory… I’m sorry,” Michael responded softly, too focused on Gregory’s words to notice his wariness towards the camera feeds. That certainly explained the kid’s avoidant behavior when it came to discussing anything about himself. There was a hardening behind Freddy’s bright eyes as Michael looked to the floor. “I understand, trust me; I… used to know someone with shitty a parent, too—ow! What, Freddy?!”

The bear had suddenly snapped in Michael’s ear, making a high-pitched ringing sound.

“Watch your language,” Freddy’s voice chided. “And please return control to me; I have come to terms with the situation.”

Michael sighed heavily.

“Okay, Freddy wants out—sorry for cursing. Don’t repeat bad words, kid.” Michael winked. “At least, not within Freddy’s earshot—okay, okay! Stop! God, stupid profanity filter…” Michael huffed, turning to the Puppet. “I’ll talk to you again soon, Charlie—it’s been far too long.”

He smiled and gave her a pat on one spindly leg. Then, the bear’s face went lax for a few seconds before coming back to life, looking around until it settled on Gregory. “Hello, superstar; I am back!”

While it was hard to speak about, telling someone about his abhorrent home life felt good to get off of his chest. Gregory would make sure to thank Michael the next time they could speak directly. As he patted Charlie's leg, one could see how she didn't want to let her friend go just yet. Unfortunately, she had to—Freddy needed his body back eventually, after all. To be a backseat passenger in your own head must feel odd.

Charlie was already thinking about a solution to their unique issue. Surely if she could move the souls of children, she wouldn't have an issue moving Michael's soul to a new vessel… She gently touched his hand, helping ease the transition as Freddy assumed charge once more. Gregory laughed at Michael's fumbling curses, his smile finally bursting through again as Freddy returned to them.

“Welcome back, Freddy! Feeling better?” Charlie asked curiously.

“Very much so,” the bear replied with a smile of his own, getting to his feet. He held his arms out to Gregory for a hug, a kindness in his eyes far greater than a simple robot should be able to express. “Thank you for sharing, Gregory; we will figure out a solution to your predicament of where to live. Do not worry.”

What that solution would actually be, Freddy didn’t yet know. He was just certain that Gregory could not return to that foster home, no matter what. Even staying in the Pizzaplex would be better—at least he’d have access to food, shelter, and two beings that cared for him (three counting Michael).

But… that wasn’t possible. It’s not like Freddy could simply adopt a human child. Plus, it was far too dangerous with the current virus situation. He’d have to think of something else before the night was out.

As Gregory reached over and pulled himself against Freddy to hug the big guy properly, Charlie slunk up to sit on the counter.

“We're going to make sure you get taken care of, okay, Gregory?” she added, rubbing the poor boy’s back as he sighed against his robot guardian.

It was rough for Gregory to admit he'd rather stay here. The feeling of danger was already familiar to him, even as his last smidgeon of self-preservation told Gregory this place would get him killed one day. He was too young to be around for the initial missing children's reports way back in the 80s, but he was aware that the franchise had mixed reviews from the public. There was always a sense of unease to Fazbear Entertainment that Gregory couldn't ignore.

And, for some reason, perhaps a part of him was drawn to it as well...

“I wanna stay here with you guys...,” he admitted, unable to let go of Freddy now that he’d shown true vulnerability.

Freddy looked sidelong at Charlie at this declaration. Even if the bear wasn’t aware of all the gruesome details, from context clues and Michael’s spiking anxiety he knew that staying here wasn’t safe for the boy. Even so, they didn’t really have much of a choice until 6am.

“We will stay with you as long as we are able to,” Freddy promised, and he meant every word. He hugged Gregory closer, running gentle claws through his hair. As he idly glanced behind Charlie at the monitor, his eyes widened in shock. There, only a few rooms away and heading right for them was the night guard. “Oh goodness, we were not paying enough attention—Vanessa is nearby!”

“She can’t get in with the doors locked, though,” Michael pointed out, then groaned in frustration when Freddy’s gaze shifted to the power meter. They’d forgotten to release the doors to lessen the power drain, and now there was barely a full bar left. “…Typical."

***

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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!

[ostebee]

It's important to say that I was there when fnaf franchise was establishing and I know, why lore is inconsistent. In terms of fnaf (which was born from accidental success) lore inconsistency is just fact. Not bad, not good. It's just a fact that Scott did it as his last effort to save his passion in making videogames and it was created by pure love (at least some of parts and fnaf movie). I didn't wanted to elaborate but here we are. I'm not trying to say you have a bad taste though, it's just a bunch of thoughts on william and his role in fnaf franchise.

I remember times when we had no info on William and it was great. Like, you know, faceless murderer who easily blended in and killed kids and disappeared afterwards, then got his punishment and that's all. Everyone had their own versions and some of them were pretty scary and realistical. As for me it's important for horror to create something believable. Just remember how many of them are insisting on "based on real events". It's easy to reconstruct events in reality and respectively it's easier to connect and to get scared. Add to here fear of the unknown and voilà, you have yourself pretty decent thing.

And what did we get for all this ten years of fnaf's existence? Mad scientist who wanted to operate with souls, really? Not just this but every single moment in fnaf is now about william and it's inheritance and damn, please, stop covering EVERYTHING WITH HIM. I don't need a man with thousands of gizmos which are created to kill kids. I'm tired of how much weight and almost cult is built around his posture. William is overwhelmingly overused. Springtrap shares the same fate. It's just a hollow shell with nothing inside and it's not scary, it's just...shitty? We also haven't got anything on victims to empathize them. Everything that is exists are in the books in form of foggy thoughts with no exact form. Even Charlie's writing isn't solid enough and we still have no idea if she's the first one or is it Cassidy. Movie got it's credit for remembering the tragedy these kids were put into but it does nothing significant to improve the situation. It's like Scott doesn't know what exactly is a crime, how to show it in media and what to do for writing it. It's not just a thing: in most of detectives for example you've got crumbs of victims lives before murder. Here could be the same thing making everything significantly worse (in positive meaning) from storytelling point. Mini-games are just too vague for this.

I want to hop back in time when william wasn't I-am-covering-every-single-plothole-because-Scott-has-poor-imagination. Such version is exists and it's Squimpus McGrimpus' William Afton, who is killing kids because he can't harm Michael because oh no, someone will notice if Michael will disappear. It's not just scary, it's terrifying and surprise: vhs by Squimpus aren't revolving only around william, they're exploring the damage he did and lives he took. For me it could be a perfect thing within fnaf universe. But no, instead of focusing on tragedy let's just use once more I ALWAYS COME BACK and continue iterating william's cringe. Thanks for reading my definitely not sleep-deprived essay.

William is biggest problem of fnaf franchise. I won't elaborate on it

[melaniedragon]

🐰Some headcanons I made about William Afton’s past/childhood.🐰

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He doesn’t know his father. His dad ran away when he found out he got someone pregnant.

William had an older sister named Elizabeth. They were inseparable and did everything together. He did name his daughter after her.

Him and his sister are from different fathers. Their mom really liked to party.

They lived in their grandfather’s old home. He was wealthy and inherited everything to Will’s mother when he died. Neither Will or Elizabeth met their grandparents.

His mother was very cold and distant. She only fed her kids, put a roof over their head and put them to sleep. She hardly ever showed any affection or talked to them.

His sister eventually died from suicide at the age of thirteen. The night before her death, she and her mother gotten into a terrible fight. William was the one to find her dead the next morning, and was clearly traumatized from this.

Will firmly believes that her death was was his mother’s fault because she was a lot more harsh towards Elizabeth.

William and his mother argued nearly everyday after his sister’s death. Her death took away what little peace him and his mother had. And by the time he was sixteen, he gathered up a lot of money he took from his mother and moved out.

At eighteen he moved to the USA to go to college and start a new life. The only time he heard from his mother after that was when she called him when to congratulate him for getting married a few years later.

William doesn’t seek out or reach out to his mother at all. He doesn’t want anything to do with her. He genuinely wants her to die alone.