Chapter Text
The police were there in the morning, chatting idly as they leaned against their cars. Vincent exited his car the second he parked it, not even bothering to lock it as he rushed over to them.
“I’m sorry is there a problem, officers?” Vincent asked, brows pinched in worry as one of the officers stepped up to him.
“Are you the owner of the establishment?” The man looked over him, he looked… unimpressed as he studied Vincent; an expression Vincent found himself quite familiar with over the years. It vaguely reminded him of his mother.
Vincent gripped the hem of his shirt, trying not to fidget as he answered, “no. Not exactly, uh, my brother owns it. I help him through everything though, so I know we’re up to date with everything, there hasn’t been an accident or-”
The officer waved him off. “Sir, we’re not here about policies or anything like that. I’m officer Hudson and this is my partner officer Valerie, we’ve got a report on two missing children that live in the area. Their parents say they were headed on their way to this establishment before they went missing, we just want to look around to see if the little buggers are hiding inside. It’s quite the common occurrence in these situations.”
Behind him, the other officer frowned before pulling out a small clipboard and writing something down. “It’ll only take a couple minutes, as long as everything is in order you shouldn’t have to worry about delaying your operations today.” Valerie explained.
Vincent shook his head, gesturing the officers to follow as he headed towards the building doors. “I’m not worried about delaying our opening, gosh, how long have the kids been missing? We were closed the other day and I didn’t notice anything strange yesterday... Are they repeat customers? I try to keep our regulars in mind, ugh, I should’ve asked their names first.” Vincent went onto ramble off questions as he fiddled with the keys to the entrance.
Hudson grimaced, glancing over to Valerie who didn’t even look back as she responded back just as swiftly as he finished. “They’ve been missing for three days including today, so it’s likely they were on their way here the day you were closed. The parents reported that they do make it a daily tradition to visit at least once a week with their friends, usually after school on Fridays. However Susie and Fritz live closer than their friends and can afford to visit more frequently together. Susie and Fritz being the names of the children missing in this case.”
Vincent paused, listening intently as he managed to get the doors open finally. “This case?”
Hudson huffed, pushing past Vincent and stepping into the establishment. “Yes. This case, there was recently another reported missing child case a few days ago however considering the kid’s age and home life it’s more likely they ran off to one of their relatives.” He reported, circling the main hall.
Valerie stepped up to Vincent’s side, offering a slight sympathetic gaze at his worried expression. “Are you good to answer a few questions, Mr. Afton?”
“Of course, and please just call me Vincent. My brother is the only one interested in being called that.”
Valerie nodded, seeming to take note of that as she clicked her pen and went to writing. “Uh-huh, and how close are you to your brother?” She asked.
Vincent’s mind wandered for a second to the text his brother sent. Questioning his knowledge of the man he’d lived for almost his whole life. He bit back an ‘I don’t know’, there was no help in being vague at the moment. “I- I know him better than most people, I think. Honestly, I think the person who knows him best would be his ex-wife, Bella. She’s an… interesting person but William was… is really in love with her, I know that.” He informed her confidently.
“I see, and are they still close currently?”
He faltered a bit at that before shaking his head. “No. They communicate occasionally, but it’s very limited from what I understand.”
Valerie paused before glancing up to meet his eyes, her expression softening a bit. “Okay, now I understand if you’d like to skip these next few questions but I’m aware that your brother had a daughter with Bella, correct?”
Vincent’s shoulders tensed immediately and he gave a tight nod, keeping his head lowered down. “He did. Coella Afton. She had a middle name, but uh- William never really liked it, so…” He trailed off, uncertain on where he was even going to go with that in the first place. It was just something he remembered about her, one of the very few things.
“I’m assuming you were close with her?”
Vincent sighed, giving somewhat of a loose shrug. “I- yes. I babysat a few times, I would’ve done so more often but William wanted to be home with her more often and I encouraged it, so he put me in charge of the pizzeria for a while.” He explained, a faint tremor came over his body before he grabbed his arm to try and steady himself. “If I hadn’t… If I had more time… If I told William to just forget the damn pizzeria for a minute she-”
Valerie rested a hand on his shoulder looking over to him with the faintest understanding reflected in her eyes.
Vincent gave a shaky exhale, trying to squeeze all the sorrow out his lungs. “I’m sorry, I’ll admit I have a lot of guilt about the situation myself. I wasn’t… I wasn’t the most supportive towards William during… all of it, Bella’s pregnancy, Coella’s birth, her…” He shook his head, running his fingers through his hair.
“We both know how you really feel about all of this–God forbid I have anything you want.”
Maybe Vincent didn’t know William as well as he thought, but William sure knew him.
“Vincent?” Valerie called his name softly, squeezing his shoulder a bit.
He jolted a bit, startled by the sound of his own name before he quickly shook his thoughts away and rested his hand on top of hers gently removing it from his shoulder. “I’m sorry, what was the question again?”
She sighed. “We’re onto the next question, how has William’s mental state been since? Have you noticed any abnormal behaviors or has he said anything concerning?”
Vincent grunted, rolling his eyes as he crossed his arms. “He’s much more work absorbed. Sure it’s… helpful, for the business, but I’m worried he’s not taking care of himself emotionally, it’s nothing really new but I know it’s much more of an issue than he makes it out to be.”
She nodded, giving a small hum of understanding as she tapped the paper with her pen. “I see, and do you know when William will be coming in today?”
“Well, William took the night shift last night, so he’ll be in today, but he’s never really consistent with the time. He could be here in thirty minutes or three hours. He owns the place so I don’t really try bothering to put him to a stricter schedule.” He admitted, scratching at the back of his neck. “You’re welcome to stay if you’d like! We have a security room with the main hall in view. You can check out the tapes from there if you’d like.” Vincent offered, glancing over to find officer Hudson examining the stage.
Hudson tapped his foot to the stage, carefully watching the small bits of metal and gaps in the stage. “Is there a hatch to this thing?”
“Oh! There is actually.” Vincent walked over to the side of the stage, crouching towards the ends of the curtains and pulling them back to reveal a small door. “Without people inside, the animatronics have trouble moving, so William and his old business partner set this up to help them perform a lot smoother. There's a lot of mechanisms inside so I doubt anyone could really last in there without any accidents occurring and people would definitely notice that, but you’re still welcome to take a look!”
Hudson stepped off the stage and to Vincent’s side, taking out his flashlight before shining it into the small space. “William had an old partner?” He questioned, leaning into the space a bit more.
“Yeah, Henry was a good guy, but the two just never really saw eye-to-eye on a lot of things. His daughter loves this place though, absolute monster at the arcade games.” Vincent paused, furrowing his brow. “Huh, come to think of it, I didn’t see her yesterday… She’s usually here on Thursdays.” He mumbled to himself, before quickly dismissing the thought and looking back to Hudson.
Hudson grunted, pulling out from the space and standing up. “Seems clear enough. I noticed that parts and services room while I was looking around. Mind if we check that out?”
“Oh, um, well we usually keep that room locked so there’s no real need, but William really doesn’t like people looking at his incomplete work.” Vincent’s voice lowered, trying not to let his anxieties creep too far. To say William disliked people looking at his incomplete work was the understatement of the century.
Vincent was the only person William trusted in that regard. Hell, Vincent and William were the only people to do the night shift for that exact reason. The man was far too paranoid to leave anyone else here alone.
“Mr. Afton-”
“Vincent.” He corrected quietly.
“Respectfully, there are concerned parents and children’s lives at play here. Those things do not care about an insecure man's worries.”
Vincent tensed, gritting his teeth as he resisted the urge to scowl. “My brother is not-” He drew in a sharp breath, releasing it in a heavy sigh as he drew in on himself. “Look. We can wait until my brother gets here and then you can ask him if you can go in.”
“Mr. Afton, we can not sit and wait around for who knows long just for your brother-”
“Look.” Valerie stepped between them, taking a hold of her partner’s arm. “How about this? We’ll look over the rest of the place and if he’s not back by then we’ll glance over it, okay? We probably won’t even need to step in fully.” She looked back to Vincent, her expression still soft but a bit more firm on the subject.
Vincent frowned, grimacing a bit at the thought before giving a small nod. “Okay… As long as you don’t touch anything.”
Hudson rolled his eyes, shrugging Valerie’s hand off him. “Fine. Come on.”
Vincent trailed behind them as they explored the building, trying not to mumble too much as he answered each of their questions.
Valerie at least seemed to be understanding, asking pointless questions with her notepad tucked away, only gaining an annoyed huff from Hudson with each answer. Vincent appreciated it in some regards and despised it in others. William would not arrive on the time they wanted him to, and they would force Vincent into betraying his brother’s trust.
They didn’t understand, they couldn’t understand. That room was not his to enter on his own accord. As much as they shared it, all its contents, all its work, it was all Williams. He worked for it, he was the one that wanted it in the first place and the one who earned it through all he did. It was beyond breaking the man’s trust, it was betraying his brothers very core. It didn’t matter if nothing came out of it, if they left everything intact, it didn’t matter if something did come out of it, if the two children were tucked away inside somewhere and confessed to managing to sneak in.
William wouldn’t care about any of that. He would only care that he gave Vincent his trust and Vincent crumbled under the pressure of it at the first breeze.
“Mr. Afton.”
Vincent flinched at the name, turning sharply to Hudson looking at him expectantly. For a second he almost assumed the man to be referring to his father before he quickly remembered what was going on.
“Mr. Afton,” Hudson repeated, the words feeling like sandpaper against his very bones. “If you can’t open the door, give the keys to me.”
Vincent’s eyes widened at that. “No.” He snapped instinctively, tightening his grip on the ring of keys. The man might as well have asked him to just bury his brother alive while he was at it.
Hudson raised his hands defensively before Valerie elbowed the man’s side, earning a mumbled “ow,” as she swiftly spoke over him. “I apologize for him, Vincent. Please, take your time.”
“Yeah, preferably within the next hour.” Hudson added with a quiet disdain, gaining him another immediate jab into the side.
Vincent sighed, carefully going through the two locks and opening the door for the two officers.
Hudson stepped forward and Vincent raised his arm to block the entrance. “You said you wouldn’t need to step in fully.”
“She said ‘probably’.” Hudson snapped back, glaring at the man. “Plus, I gotta check out what’s under that sheet.” Hudson tilted his head in the direction of the covered machinery.
Vincent shook his head. “No. Absolutely not. Those are incredibly delicate prototypes. I’m only allowed to work with the- ugh, no, just- you’re not allowed near it. Okay? No touching.”
“Mr. Afton-”
“ Vincent .” He stressed pleadingly.
“If you’re going to remain to be difficult, Mr. Afton, we’re going to have to-”
“What the hell is this?”
All three quickly turned to the visibly enraged William looking at them from the entrance. None of them even heard him shut the door behind him.
Hudson immediately straightened, stepping away from Vincent and looking down at William skeptically. “I suppose you’re William Afton, then? The owner of this establishment?”
“Mr. Afton.” William bit, crossing the room over to them. “What do you want? We don’t sell donuts.”
Valerie sighed. “Sir, there are two missing children in the area. From what we understand this was a place they often frequented meaning-”
“Meaning shit.” William stepped between them and Vincent, allowing the other to lower his arm as instead William took to guarding the entrance. “This room is off limits. I keep it locked at all times, to all patrons.” He narrowed his eyes at them before glancing back to Vincent and vaguely gesturing his head back to the door.
Vincent picked up on the message quick enough and shut the door, locking it right back up.
“Sir-”
“Mr. Afton.” William corrected.
“We have a warrant.” Valerie continued. “If we have proper reason to speculate that the missing kids are in there we are in full right of the laws to check it out.”
William rolled his eyes, looking like he was five seconds from his hand to mock everything she was saying. Instead, he looked up to Vincent expectantly. “Who’s missing?”
Vincent blinked, taken aback a bit from being acknowledged. “Susie and Fritz. The blonde and red-head that hang out here on Fridays, the officers said they were on their way here Wednesday.”
William narrowed his eyes, bunching his nose in confusion as he turned back to the police. “We were closed. There’s no way they could’ve gotten in, and even if they did I was in this work room the whole day. If they snuck in, I’d notice.” He stated firmly, daring them to try and refute him.
“Sir-” Hudson tried again, stepping up to stand only a foot away from William. “It doesn’t change the fact that this is a place they’re known to frequent and where they were expected to be on the day of their disappearance.”
William glanced down at Hudson’s badge, reaching up to grip the man’s tag and examine it. “Look… Huddy…” William decided, releasing him and turning to glance elsewhere. “We’re a very popular pizzeria. We got brats running in and out of the place all the time. We know when something is squeezed into the walls, be it mice or unruly children, and I’ll tell you right now, we don’t have either at the moment. You’re wasting your time here, it’s more likely some creep pulled them off the street while they were on their way here.” William shrugged, looking back to Hudson. “Shit, we got a whole acre of woods behind us! Go look for your missing kids there, probably lost or trapped in a weird cabin.”
Hudson sneered down at William. “Sir, this is a very serious case. Children’s lives are at risk, I'd appreciate it if you gave this situation a lot more respect.” His tone balanced a thin line, cold and warning, threatening to snap into full aggression at the lightest tug.
And of course, William was going to tug. “Yeah, and I'd appreciate it if you left, but I guess we can't all get what we want.” He mused, the slightest hint of a smile appearing on his lips.
That only served to provoke Hudson further. He reached forward, grabbing the collar of William’s shirt and yanking him up until their noses were only inches apart. “Do you think this is funny? You understand if we find any evidence that could incriminate you, you’re going straight into the slammer, right? Because I don’t think you understand this full situation, you already have a file against you.”
William’s grin sharpened, a viciously delighted flare crossing his eyes as he watched Hudson. “You know… that sounds like a threat, officer, are you threatening me?” He teased.
“William.” Vincent warned softly, his eyes trained down towards William’s hands.
“Vincent.” William turned his head to him, his cheery aggression cooling just at the edges. The heat of Hudson’s next words were all it took for it to return to full fury.
“Here’s what’s really interesting about this,” William turned his head back to Hudson, “from how we see it, two kids go missing near this popular pizzeria… and the owner has somewhat of a record? Oh- wouldn’t you know it! Two important figures aren’t in his life anymore either… And one of them’s his young daughter, around the same age as the kids he’s required to work around all the time? Isn’t that just interesting?”
William didn’t get a chance to respond before he was being released and Vincent’s fist was flying across Hudson’s face.
“Fuckin-!” Hudson’s hand went flying to nose, catching a fresh spray of blood.
William let out a sharp bark of laughter before he went to grab Vincent’s arm, keeping him from pursuing the officer anymore. Not that the thought was anywhere near Vincent’s mind, the second Hudson went stumbling back, Vincent did too.
Valerie was stunned before she quickly went to Hudson’s side, checking over the man as he glared over at the two. “Alright, that’s enough then, we’ve seen everything we needed to.” She announced, taking a firm hold of Hudson’s arm. “Vincent, do you mind if I have a word with you,” Valerie turned to Hudson, narrowing her eyes at him, “while my partner waits in the car.” She stated firmly.
Hudson rolled his eyes, turning away from them. “We’re going to talk about this later, Valerie.” He grumbled before heading on his way, with a bit more urgency he had when entering.
Valerie sighed before turning back to Vincent, a small frown appearing when her eyes skated over William. “In private preferably.” She added.
William’s hold on Vincent tightened and any trace of his delirium was gone in a second, instead replaced with complete causality. “Oh come on, he’s not in trouble for that , is he?” He released Vincent, stepping over to Valerie and lowering his voice a bit. “He’s just a bit of a nervous wreck, he didn’t mean any harm. He wouldn’t touch anyone who he didn't think could take it.” He assured her easily, waving a dismissive hand.
Valerie huffed, shaking her head. “No, Mr. Afton, your brother isn’t in trouble. I’d just like to discuss some things with him. It’s clear to me that you have no clear connections nor interest in this case, so I believe it’d just be easier if you stayed as uninvolved as you wish to be.”
William hummed thoughtfully, hints of that sharp grin once again making a return. “Oh, well, aren’t you a clever cookie?” He stepped back, giving a singular nod. “Alright, I do have things to look over at the moment. Take all the time you need.” He shrugged, walking over to examine the rest of the room.
Vincent turned to Valerie once William was clearly much more absorbed in whatever his eyes were drifting over. “I’m really not in trouble, right? I- I didn’t know what else to do.” He mumbled, fidgeting with his hands absently.
Valerie nodded, giving a vague shrug. “No, I noticed. you’re not in trouble. Hudson overstepped, he knows that.” She sighed, crossing her arms.
“You noticed?” Vincent repeated.
Valerie’s mouth twisted up a bit, as if tasting something mildly sour. “Not quick enough, I guess. I can tell you mean well, Vincent, just be careful on your definition of that, okay?” She warned faintly, looking over him.
“My brother means a lot to me. I don’t take things concerning him lightly.”
She sighed, tilting her head to the side. “I know. I read your files. I’m sorry about what happened, but-”
“Don’t be, it wasn’t your fault. I understand that.”
“But I suppose William doesn’t?”
Vincent shrugged, his eyes following William absently as he walked about in the background. “He doesn’t trust easily. He trusted people like you once, and it didn’t work out, so he’s not going to do it again. That simple.”
“That’s a dangerous way of thinking, Vincent…”
His eyes snapped back to Valerie, he didn’t respond just simply watching her for a moment.
Valerie sighed again, Vincent wondered if she always seemed so tired. “Alright. We’re done here. It’s clear the kids aren’t here.” She reached down, pulling out her small notepad from before. She scribbled something down before tearing the paper out and offering it out over to the man.
Vincent blinked, taking the paper from her hands to note a number written down. “Um, I’m not really…”
Valerie narrowed her eyes at him, tilting her head a bit. “That’s for if you learn anything new.” She stated simply. “I’m at work, Vincent, I wouldn’t- nevermind. Just give me a call if you learn anything. I’ll be dropping by tomorrow when I’m off the clock. See you again, then.” She gave a short wave before turning to exit.
Vincent watched her leave, uncertain how to exactly feel about the whole ordeal. He tucked the paper into his back pocket, deciding to just keep an eye out for anything suspicious just in case.
William seemed to just be finishing up examining the stage as Vincent approached him. “So, when’s your date?” He teased, offering a sly grin to his brother.
He couldn’t help but laugh at that, shaking his head. “Never. She’s not exactly my type. Plus it’s kinda weird to hit on people while they’re working, especially as a police officer. God, can you imagine? You pull a guy over for speeding, hand him a ticket then ask for his number in return? That’s twisted.”
William snickered, leaning back against the stage. “I don’t know, some people might be into it. Takes a lot of audacity to do that, that kind of unbridled confidence can be appealing.” He grinned, his tone practically taunting Vincent.
Vincent hummed. “Ah, of course, forgot who I was talking to for a minute.” He crossed his arms, quietly taking in William’s attitude. It was relieving to find the man so lax after what had happened. It was at least one worry off his shoulders.
“She noticed, you know.” Vincent mumbled after a minute.
William blinked, tilting his head innocently. “Well, not as quick as you did apparently.”
Vincent raised a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose, repressing a heavy sigh. “You know that was stupid. Why would you do that?”
William shrugged, leaning off the stage and gesturing vaguely with a wide spread of his hands. “I thought it’d be funny, and Vincent, wouldn’t you know? It was. No one important got hurt, and those that did get hurt, weren’t really hurt so who cares.”
“You could’ve gotten hurt.” Vincent argued. “Or worse…”
“Then, thank goodness you were there to make sure I wasn’t.” William smiled, reaching over to pinch his brother’s nose. “Don’t work yourself up too much. We open up soon and the kids can practically smell when you’re anxious. It makes ‘em more bitey than normal.”
Vincent pulled back, swatting his brother’s hand away. “William, I can’t not be nervous when you reach for a cop’s gun.” He stated flatly.
“Maybe that’s something you should work on, then?”
“Or maybe! Crazy idea here, that’s just something you don’t do.”
William raised his hands innocently. “Hey! He threatened me first, you saw that, I felt threatened.” Despite his defensive tone, his smile only widened.
There wasn’t any way of winning this, William was always going to be William. The current factors of his life weren’t going to change that, and Vincent’s consistent worrying wasn’t going to either. Vincent knew that, he just wished his brother put more care into the concept of people’s lives.
“Besides, I know it felt good to give Huddy exactly what he was asking for from the second he entered our little establishment.” William added, stepping by Vincent as he headed towards his work room.
“What? Information on the missing kids?” Vincent mumbled, turning his mind back to those two for a moment.
Susie and Fritz were good kids. Susie would often get the suit slathered in pizza grease, and Fritz had slammed into him more times than he could count. But Susie just really enjoyed physical affection, and Fritz just had too much energy and too little prescription on his glasses.
Even if they weren’t, neither of them deserved to go missing.
William waved his hand dismissively. “Nah. He really needed a good knock to the face. I know it felt good to deliver it, you just need a little push to know that.”
Vincent frowned, shaking his head. “Don’t say stuff like that, William.” He warned, narrowing his eyes at William. “You know I’m not like that.”
“Like what?” William blinked innocently, his grin looking nothing but mischievous, cruel, almost. “I’m just saying, Vin Vin, you get so scared of sticking up for yourself. All those feelings are going to boil up, you know, and either you or someone else is going to get burned.” He warned, pointing towards Vincent as he spoke.
William waggled his finger, pointing up as he tone returned to its more jovial manner. “You should pick who it’ll be now! Get ahead of the game, maybe it’ll earn you points. We’re getting new prizes at the counter, if you tell me who you chose, I’ll let you pick one, half off!” William laughed, mostly to himself as he seemed to forget he was even talking to Vincent in the first place. He continued to slip inside the Parts and Service room, giggling all the way.
Even with William seemingly having the time of his life with the whole thing, Vincent couldn’t deny a tightness holding his shoulders straight. Between the missing kids, the police showing up, and William’s weird warning, Vincent could already tell this was going to be a long shift.
“Did you clean Fredbear?” Vincent blinked as he examined the suit, surprised to find its fur softer than normal.
“Duh.” William snorted, sitting back as he made sure Vincent didn’t die alone in case something went wrong while Vincent put on the suit. While William worded it in the worst way, it was a somewhat reassuring safety precaution. One William never really indulged in himself.
Vincent clicked the torso in place, trying to keep his attention on the springlocks as he continued chatting idly. “I thought cleaning day was today, though?”
“I got bored last night, and when I get bored I don’t take naps like some people. I actually do stuff around here, you know.”
The springlocks almost managed to pop out of place before Vincent quickly regained his composure. “Oh? Uh- yeah, I know that. Of course. Wow- who- who would be taking naps during work?” Vincent laughed.
William made an unimpressed hum, tilting his head. “Probably the only other person who takes the night shift would be my guess.” He stated.
Vincent faltered, quietly hiding himself under the cover of Fredbear’s head. “Come on, how do you even know that?” He grumbled.
William laughed, standing up from his seat and giving a light pat on his shoulder. He shook his head, grinning as he answered. “You’re way too well rested every shift to not be taking some naps now and then.” He shrugged.
“But that’s a good thing!” Vincent protested.
“Sure.” His tone completely conflicted with the word, sounding genuinely unbothered about the whole scenario.
It was as frustrating as it was meaningless. Only serving to remind him how little he often understood his brother. How he also needed to bring up the whole scene where the police poked their head around the Parts and Service room much more than he would’ve liked. Maybe he didn’t really need to, William seemed casual enough about it, but Vincent wanted to. Just to make sure.
For now, Vincent decided to leave it at that, keeping quiet while William picked up his microphone and went to get ready to introduce Fredbear to the stage.
Just keep the performance up, don’t mind the three kids still waiting for their friends that will never arrive. Don’t mind the empty arcade. Don’t think about the number in his back pocket.
Gabriel, a friend of Susie and Fritz, was excitable as ever at the sight of Fredbear. It felt nice to take their minds off their worry for a moment. Even if Jeremy seemed more clingy towards the boy than normal. Even if Cassidy, the oldest of the group, was not so easily dissuaded. She kept her eyes loyally trained on the door.
Vincent did not try to approach her.