Chapter Text
"Mike! Dude you gotta see this!" A voice calls from one end of the room as a new set of steps fills the rather silent space. The owner of said steps takes a glance at the new room he’s never been into before and huffs annoyed.
"Nathan I swear to everything good in this world that I will end you if you mess something up again--" "Hey! I didn't break a damn thing you doofus, but I found a whole bunch of blueprints in this dusty room!" the cheery day guard said, lifting a few dusty boxes to put them on the working table.
After a whole night of struggling to stay alive among the horrors, spending a whole extra hour in the frigging establishment was not how he was planning this day to go. Mike Schmidt was legit so done with the absurdity of it all that he simply wanted to lay down, watch some morning cartoons and get some actual sleep. If he wasn't so desperate for money to stop being a nuisance for his sister, he would have dumped the ridiculous minimum wage this position paid him and get the hell out as fast as you could say "pizza", but alas, he was stuck with a bunch of murderous, nocturnal animatronics that just happened to be the mascots of a decaying pizzeria.
Mike didn't really know how some parents had the nerve to still bring their children here and let them near those gigantic and horrific tin can animals while eating slices of what it positively is the most disgusting pizza he's ever known to be made. And yet his sister, Helena Schmidt, was one of those parents. He pitied his niece for being brought here to watch the freak furry show perform their broken lines most of the days.
The Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria establishment was popular when he was a little kid, but nasty rumors about some children’s' disappearances filled the place with fear and abandonment, resulting in a nest of gore and terror that would eventually have to admit defeat and close its doors for good after more than 40 years of stubbornness. Getting a job here just confirmed the horrors all the adults were talking about back then were not simply a rumor.
He himself had to admit that, like the rest of the --very few-- employees, he felt a great curiosity about this pizzeria's history, wondering if the backrooms or the animatronics themselves would talk about what happened. And that was his big, big career mistake.
Both guards fan off the dust coming from the box with their hands, Mike approaching the table with little to no genuine interest. "So, what am I supposed to be looking at?" "Well," Nathan opened the box and gave him some of the old looking papers "you studied robotics and system engineering, right? Sorry that hadn't worked out for you yet, but-- I thought that-- well, you know..."
"No, I actually don't know, and you're making me worry about what will come out of your mouth next" Mike said with a confused, suspicious expression. It would always be a sore spot for him to be reminded of his failure at the big company he applied for after just finishing college. However, his passion for robots and computers was getting close to non-existent with each passing day because of this awful place.
"No, I mean... Haven't you ever thought you could work as a technician here?"
"Nathan..." "No, no, listen to me. It makes total sense! I found the key to this room a few days ago when the manager made me clean and do other stuff that were clearly out of my line of work. These blueprints go all the way back when this place was brand new and children would buy any Freddy Fazbear's merchandise they could lay eyes on. Ever since the incidents, those freaky things have been abandoned and poorly maintained. No one had been able to understand how to make them work properly again" Nathan suddenly shoves a big roll of almost faded blueprints on his chest. "Especially Foxy."
Now that was both a low blow and a power move. The night guard stared down at the papers in his hands, remembering a few good memories when he and Helena used to come here and play endlessly with the animal band. Foxy the fox pirate was his favorite at that time, but after a malfunction that ended in tragedy he didn't see him ever again, the reason of this incident along with the fate of the animatronic being buried into the unknown.
Maybe it was because he was a little child and his perception of things were not rational, but he always thought the band looked... Alive. With different personalities and patterns. He would talk to them and engage into a fairly decent conversation, unlike those cartoons that asked questions and would always have a programmed dialog, no matter what your answer was.
Growing up, he thought it was just a guy into a suit that was kind and patient enough to interact with him beyond performance, but working here provided him with the necessary knowledge to learn that besides a Golden Freddy suit in the storage room, there were never wearable suits for a human to use.
That realization gave him nightmares the whole first week of work.
"Ever since I have memory of the restaurant, these things proved to be a mystery to me. I mean, they looked so--" "Alive. Real." Mike finished, eyes still glued to the papers. "Yes! Like real friends! I mean, can you imagine the amount of invaluable info that you could find here? Maybe these are what you need to finally get out of this place. Plus, you get to practice with those things out there." Nathan concluded, pointing outside the room with his thumb as hope was evident in every fiber of his body.
"Wow, you want me gone THAT bad?”
"You know that’s not it, Michael...”
"Nate, I really appreciate what you’re tryna do, but there's no way on earth I would get close to those things, even if you paid me three times my salary to do it." The other man couldn't understand what he's been through with these robots, the constant dread filling his guts every time he heard a click or a jolly tune down the hallway. The graveyard shift position made you realize how trapped someone could feel.
"I know, you told me what has been happening all these nights, and being completely honest I would've expected something like this to happen given that... Well, they were strange since the very beginning. But please Mike, you'll be working with them during the day, meaning no more free roaming mode, no more night shifts, a better pay, and a brand new opportunity to redeem yourself and find a better job. You'll finally help Helena with Kathy and be a financial support instead of a load." Nathan insisted almost desperately. Mike had developed a soft spot for the guy in the time they've been working at the establishment, to the point he'd already invited him to have supper with the Schmidt family more than once. The night guard had no other close friends that knew what was really going on in his life, not even his own sister.
"I... I don't know, Nathan..."
The day guard merely sighed and pushed the box closer to him. "Not even the boss knows I found these. Just take 'em before he gets here and, I dunno, see if you can take the shot, yeah?"
If his dumbass coworker broke into a most likely off-limits room just to give him an opportunity to try and get something better, the least he could do was check these a little more, right? He sighed and nodded, taking the heavy box with him to his car.
"Gotta go, Kathy must be almost ready to go to school. She's been wondering when are you going to come back and tell her more of your reckless childhood adventures."
"Ha ha I like the little kid! Tell her I said hi."
"Sure thing. Ah man, I forgot my flashlight on one of the tables" Mike said as he headed back with Nathan following him back inside, only to realize it wasn't where he left it anymore. "The hell?"
"Don't look at me," the equally confused day guard said, "I didn't even know you had a flashlight.”
"It's a little trick I learned while taking care of a crappy building with not enough budget to even maintain its power source and keep it running all night long" Mike explained as he crouched to look under the table.
"You're quite resourceful for an underpaid guard. Seriously, you should leave the position to people who can't do better with their lives." And oh, how much it hurt Mike to hear someone as bright as Nathan say things like that. He looked briefly at his coworker crouching near the stage area and thought how it really wasn't fair to hear those words come out of his mouth. Taking a wrong turn in life didn't define who you were in the slightest, especially if you’re trying every day to redeem yourself, stay clean and search for a legit job like Nathan is doing. But that doesn't matter to big companies with better salaries and a ‘reputation’ to live up to.
"Yeah, that's why you should definitely quit this job." Mike said decisively. Nathan stopped on his tracks to glance at him before laughing loud and infectious, making both of them fall into a fit of wheezes and giggles.
It felt good to do silly stuff like this from time to time.
"Michael Schmidt, you sure know how to swipe a person off their feet. Didn't know you had it in ya!" "Get over it you dumbass, and help me find my--" then he saw it. His flashlight was at one of the animatronic's very own feet.
Bonnie.
Nathan was about to ask what was wrong before following his horrified stare to the place where his flashlight was resting innocently. None of them dared to move for a few seconds. Then Mike suddenly picked up a chair and raised it over his shoulder. The other man picked the closest thing he had and both guards slowly approached the gigantic metal bunny on the stage.
Mike signaled to the other animatronics, giving Nathan a heads up to watch out for the others as he slowly, oh so agonizingly slow, stretched his arm to pick up his flashlight. But then again, he made a huge mistake as he lifted his head up to look at the robot and noticed that it was LOOKING. AT. HIM.
In that same moment his hand fell on the flashlight, provoking Mike to freak out at the unexpectedly sudden contact only to fall backwards, stumbling on the other guard while both screamed in absolute fear. They crawled frantically a few meters away from the stage before falling on their butts breathing heavily.
They looked like a perfect mess: two grown ass men sitting on the floor in the middle of an empty restaurant, afraid of a big mascot and screaming like little kids at 7 in the morning. Helena wouldn't let them forget it if she was here. "I swear I didn't leave it there."
"Well, maybe you just forgot--" "You know damn well I wouldn't get near those things, Nate! Not even unconsciously!" Mike snapped.
"Right, right. Sorry, heh, it's just-- I-I don't want to believe that they can move freely in the morning as well, ya know."
Mike turned to look at the other guard and realized he hasn't taken his eyes away from the purple monstrosity. He felt a pang of guilt, because this was the closest his coworker has been to experience what he had to deal with every night. Mike tried to break the trance of the moment until he noticed something in Nathan's right hand.
"...A plastic spork? Seriously?" Mike smirked.
"Hey! It was all I found! Besides, when used correctly even paper can be a lethal weapon." the guard retorted.
"Against a giant metallic rabbit?" Mike straight up laughed at his silly coworker and got up to his feet again, offering a hand to Nathan who gladly took it.
"OK, enough action for one day. Now I'm really late to take my girls to school and work. So, see ya tomorrow.
" Yeah, yeah. Go ahead and leave me alone with these creeps, don't sweat it. Just know that if I end up dead it'll be in your conscience."
"Oh please, quit it you big baby. I'm still alive, aren't I? You have better chances of surviving than I normally do." Mike rolled his eyes as he took his jacket and hat off, heading towards the entrance.
"Wait! What about my goodbye kiss?!" Nathan whined. Of course, every damn time. Dammit all to hell. He was a cool dude to hang around with, ok? But the day guard always managed to tinker with his nerves in a way not even the animatronics could. So he acted with vengeful force and grabbed him by his tie, crashing their mouths together into a big, fat smooch.
"Ew man! What the hell? You're not even my type!" the other man complained, gagging and cleaning his lips on his uniform sleeve.
"Leave me alone, Nathan. Or one of these days the animatronics will be the least of your concerns." Mike called, looking at his coworker over his shoulder as he walked out. Nathan smiled and chuckled as he saw the grumpy oddball drive off before going back in to check everything was in place.
"I really hope he takes my advise, tho." he sighed, aligning the chairs back in place. Suddenly a clicking sound followed by a faint echo of metal groaning under the pressure of movement reached his ears and made him immediately turn around and face the stage once again.
Nothing was out of place; the animatronics were all in their positions and as still as a rock, not even minding the deplorable state they were in. Nathan narrowed his eyes and glared at who he believed was the responsible for the noise.
"Were you trying to get our attention back there?" He glared at Bonnie. The robot didn't do a thing, not a blink nor a sound.
"Fine, be that way, but you're not fooling anyone here. To be honest I don't think you even have a real restriction to move around during the day, and you're just pretending!" The day guard accused, pointing a finger at the huge purple rabbit.
After a tense second he sighed and walked back to the office. “What am I even saying? Mike said they only move in the night. Tho, I wonder if he's actually on something..." Nathan looked back at the gang and shivered, beginning to walk again. "Nope, that's not it. Creepy douchebags."
If he had stayed just one more second, he would have seen the curtains of the Pirate Cove rustling slightly before a yellow eye peeked through the little gap.
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Mike had to pinch himself twice on his ride home because of his heavy exhaustion.
The quiet streets were starting to get busy with cars, people heading to their jobs or parents taking their kids to school. The morning sunlight felt good on his skin and it filled his soul with relief, confirming he survived yet another night in hell. He hummed along whatever was on the radio, admiring the lovely view of gray buildings and clear skies ahead.
About 10 minutes later he arrived to his destination: a pretty little house in a pretty little suburb with a pretty little garden filled with carnations and and daisies, his sister's favorites.
He hopped off the car and opened the door, humming to himself when a delicious smell of maple syrup and home teased his nostrils.
"Uncle Mike! Good morning uncle Mike, I missed you!" the cheery voice grew louder and louder until he spotted his niece running to meet him. With open arms, he hugged her and soon enough both were spinning in the living room like in a silly ball dance.
"Mornin' Kathy. But how could you ever miss me? I was gone when you were asleep!" Mike asked, to which the girl responded: "Doesn't matter, you were gone when I woke up" the girl pouted.
Mike felt both loved and guilty. Normally he was asleep when the girl came back from school and they barely saw each other throughout the day, but the pure excitement on the girl's face every time she saw her loser of an uncle was enough to make Mike cut his sleep short and try to hang out with her more often.
"Mornin' captain! I see you got just in time to inhale your breakfast in five seconds before taking my girl to school." Said a voice from the kitchen, and even if he couldn't see her, he could hear Helena's signature cocked eyebrow in her tone.
He made a 'I'm screwed' face to Kathy and hissed, making the girl laugh before dashing back to her room. He stretched his arms over his head and walked towards the kitchen where his little sister was finishing his breakfast. Pancakes and bacon drizzled with maple syrup. His favorite.
Here we go again.
"Mornin' Leena. I'm sorry, Nathan was up to his nonsense again." he said as he sat down on the table. Suddenly a plate appeared in front of him.
"You don't say. He's quite fun to have around, tho." She sat down in front of him, no opportunity to avoid her gaze. Dammit.
"Mike, I... I know you needed to get a job as soon as possible, to help with the bills and what not, but--" "Helena, we talked about this and I already told you--" "That job sucks, Michael."
Wow, they really were siblings, huh? Mike groaned at the comment, to which Helena immediately tried to explain herself.
"I can see it in your face everyday when you come back. It's draining your life away--" "So what, Leena? You think I don't know what a miserable job I got myself into? You think I'm happy with the life I have right now?"
Shut up, Mike. Stop. Why don't you better shove your stupid comments where the sun don't shine and stop bringing them to the surface. “I am trying, Helena, I swear--"
"Why is it that you never let me finish my sentences, you dumbass. I wasn't talking about that, but clearly you seem to torment yourself enough anyway, so my input is not needed." Helena snapped. "I was going to say that, maybe, the best option for you right now, is to quit--" "what?" "and focus on your interview presentation at some other company that need your expertise--" "what?!" "Oh c'mon, it's the best course of action and you know it."
Yes he did, but his pride was too big to hold it in.
"Let me get this straight: you want me to stop bringing an income so I get more time to prepare for an interview presentation that every company has rejected again and again? Are you nuts?"
"You just need to make a new one! I know you can, but with this schedule you're working--" "I spent five damn years building that project!" "Well I can't fix everything, Mike! I'm giving you ideas, but if you insist on being stuck in the same failed project then--" "Excuse me, exactly WHO asked for your opinion?"
For the love of everything that's good in this world, STOP TALKING Schmidt, stop it.
"Just because I'm living in your house doesn't mean you get to tell me what to do with my life!"
The look on his sister's eyes was going to haunt his brain forever. She fell completely silent as her pursed lips trembled with the amount of emotions running through the room. She silently nodded and stood up, picking up her keys, purse, and sunglasses, putting them on almost immediately. Oh God please, everything but the sunglasses. She walked towards Kathy's bedroom to say goodbye. Confused, the girl asked "but mommy, isn't uncle Mike taking you to work today?" "We both need to clear our heads, sweetie. Remember to take your homework and give it to your teacher."
"Yes, ma'am."
"Love you honey, see you in the afternoon." and just like that Helena was out, walking a few blocks down to take a bus.
Mike stared at his breakfast in silence, angrier than before, feeling miserable and in need to blow off some steam. He took the keys and left his breakfast untouched." You ready to go, Kathy?" she nodded shyly and rushed to her room to get her homework before silently hopping inside the back of the car.
It was getting worse, he noticed. These outbursts of anger were becoming uncontrollable to the point he was hurting the only family he had left. He looked at the road ahead and got lost in his thoughts, concentrating on breathing deep and slow. Little did he know that his niece was a perceptive little person, and was soon doodling something in her notebook.
When they arrived to Kathy's school, he opened the door for her and took her inside as always.
"Uncle Mike?"
"Yes, Kathy-loo?"
She extended her little arm towards him with a piece of paper on her hand. When he took a look at it, he saw Foxy roughly drawn with a funny pirate outfit. Definitely more presentable than the real thing.
"Mommy says that when you were sad, Foxy always made you feel better. I hope this helps." Mike could just stare at the thoughtful gift, and how much his sister used to know him, even talked about him to her daughter.
"It's perfect, Katherine. Thank you so much." He smiled as sincere as he could at the moment. "have a nice day, my Sunflower." The surprised smile at her favorite nickname was by far the best medicine against anger.
After leaving Kathy at school he returned to change his clothes and rode off to a park, thinking a good amount of exercise would help his nerves to cool off. Putting his headphones on he got lost once again in the horizon as the music guided his steps forward.
Foxy used to make him happy indeed. All those afternoons inside the restaurant were the highlight of his days, playing around with the animatronics until the Pirate Cove's show started. He would sing and dance with them and the other children around the place without a care in the world. Maybe he even got to play with Nathan without knowing. Those days were easier and happier, free of disappointments and responsibilities.
One day though, a couple of bullies got a grip of him and gave him a black eye, leaving a 5 year old Mike crying and trembling with fear by the storage room, close to the Pirate Cove.
“Ahoy, lil matey! Care to tell this ol' fox what happened to that pretty face o' yers?" and there he was, his idol bent on one knee to see him at the same eye level when they spoke. It felt so reassuring at the moment, such an organic gesture coming from a metallic mascot.
"T-they hit- hit me in the face" Mike sobbed, pointing with a trembling finger to the bullies playing with Chica and Freddy.
"Well that ain't nice, now is it? Why did they hit ye, lad?"
"S-say I'm weird, because I like to b-build things instead of playing soccer, and my teeth are u-ugly too" Mike answered, embarrassed of his separate teeth as he covered his mouth to hide them.
Foxy stared at the main room thinking (thinking?) for a moment before saying with determination "that ain't true, Mikey. Yer not weird ta me."
"H-how do you know my name?" he asked, being effectively distracted from crying even more, just like how he does with Kathy now.
"That's because yer me first matey! First to arrive, last to leave. Yer parents seem to have a bituva trouble getting yer attention when we're playing." Foxy paid attention, heard his name, and learned it.
"A-am I?"
"Aye aye, lad! Yer a bright kid, always up to new adventures," the fox said, ruffling his hair carefully with his good hand. "and that's why ye shouldn't let anyone take away that sparkle o'yers."
Mike looked up at the fox's face and smiled relieved. He still had a friend.
A friend?
Like r eal friends.
Mike stopped on his tracks, sweating and panting heavily as something immediately clicked on his mind after remembering that specific day.
Normal animatronics simply couldn't learn things, unless they were being programmed into their CPUs.
So how the hell did Foxy learn his name?