Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

"Freddy? Freddy, can you hear me? Don't worry, I'll get your head back on in- gah!"

"Gregory~? Ready to have some fun?~?"

This was getting ridiculous.

Roxanne sighed to herself as she finished yet another lap around the Atrium. She could hear Chica and Monty stomping around on the next level, but she'd stuck around on the ground floor, convinced the kid was hiding somewhere in the massive room waiting for them to leave. Thirty minutes later, and it seemed the joke was on her. Not a single sign of the little troublemaker, not even the faint clanking of a closing door in the distance.

Face it. The kid's long gone. You screwed up.

Roxanne growled, making some nearby wet floor bots look at her in surprise.

No. No, the kid's still here. Just… not in this room.

The wolf gave the Atrium one last lookover, her eyes lingering on the thirty-foot holograms still rocking out at the other end of the room. She had no idea what possessed the kid to turn it on, but she was in no mood to figure out how to turn it off. Even if staring up at her hologram - bright and colorful and clean - reminded her that right now she… wasn't.

And who do we blame for that?

She was supposed to be recharging right now, preparing for another day of racing and rocking out. Instead, she was running all over the Pizzaplex in search of this one troublemaker, slogging through the grimy lower levels and backstage areas. She knew how much dirt and grime now covered her casing, and she didn't even want to think about the state of her mane. She feared the next time she saw a mirror, for more reasons than usual.

Roxanne shook her head. No… no, she was just working herself up for nothing. A little dirt wouldn't ruin her. Just a few minutes at the mirror with a buffer and some polish and she'd be right as rain.

Out the corner of her eye, she caught her reflection in one of the darkened arcade cabinets. She immediately averted her gaze, only to be drawn to the mysterious gunk under her claws.

... Maybe she could spare that time to do so now.

"Hey, Monty!" She yelled, looking up towards the level above.

"No, I haven't found him yet!"

Even without seeing him, Roxy knew the alligator was gnashing his teeth in frustration. She rolled her eyes, not wasting the energy to clarify. "Well, keep looking! I'm going to do a lap out by our back rooms. Where's Chica?"

There was a sudden clang from the opposite overhang, followed by the thudding of heavy footsteps. "I… I'm here!" The chicken bot appeared at the railing, waving to Roxy with way too much enthusiasm. She looked even dirtier than Roxy felt.

"Chica…" Roxy crossed her arms as she stared up at the chicken, instantly annoyed. "Are you looking for the kid or eating the trash again?"

Chica's brow went high, her eyes shifting back and forth. "Um… I'm looking for the kid."

"Ya got a slice of pepperoni hanging off your beak, Cheeks." Monty's voice rang out, barely hiding his mirth.

Chica squawked in surprise, going cross-eyed as she tried to see the offending slice. She snatched it with both hands, eyes darting down to Roxy before she ducked back out of sight. The smacking of teeth on teeth quickly echoed throughout the Atrium.

Roxy slapped a hand to her forehead, running it down her muzzle. "Ugh, we're all going to get scrapped." She turned towards the stage, now committed to putting some distance between her and her bandmates for a few moments, for her own sanity if nothing else. She made it all of five steps before something darted down by her feet, nearly making her jump out of her suit. For a split second, she thought it was the kid, before quickly noticing the lanky limbs and dark color palette.

"Naughty Boy…" Moondrop rasped as he scuttled across the floor, oblivious to Roxy watching as he darted between tables and arcade machines in a pattern known only to himself. "Rulebreaker. Troublemaker. Must be punished."

Roxy watched as Moondrop practically flew up one of the deactivated escalators, cackling softly under his breath. Her eyes darted to a nearby clock. If she could, she would have sighed in relief at the hour being almost up. Sundrop was annoying as all get out, but she could deal with him. Moondrop was just creepy.

As she trudged across the main floor towards Rockstar Row, Roxy tried not to growl under her breath more than necessary. Where the heck was Freddy? He was supposed to be the leader of this mess of a band, not her. And yet whenever he wasn't around, she somehow became de facto leader, if only because she apparently was the only one with a fully functioning processor.

He had to be helping the kid hide. She didn't want to believe it, and she had no idea why he would want to, but it was getting harder and harder to deny the possibility. Too many times had she or one of the others been chasing the brat around a corner, only for him to disappear and them nearly bowl over Freddy who was just… randomly standing there. That, and she'd yet to actually see him look for the kid himself. The next time she saw him, they were having some choice words.

... Come to think of it, it's been a while since they'd seen Freddy. What, was he hiding now too?

Roxy shook her head again, putting their missing bandmate out of her mind for the moment. First, get to her room and get cleaned up. Then, look for the kid, be the first to find the kid, and prove once again that she was the best.

She was the best.

She had to be-

Slam!

Roxy was torn violently from her thoughts when the double doors to Rockstar Row suddenly exploded open, just a few feet in front of her. She jumped back a step in surprise, only for her jaw to drop when she saw who it was.

The kid.

Finally!

"There you are!"

Roxy launched herself forward, arms outstretched to grab the kid before he could slip away again. The kid's head whirled around- strange, why was he looking backward as he came through the door?- and Roxanne froze midstep.

After a night of hiding in trash cans and crawling through vents, the kid was just as much a dirty mess as the animatronics, so that wasn't what surprised her. It was the look in his eye. He'd been afraid the first few times one of the bots had started chasing him, but after the third or so time of evading them, the fear had faded to annoyance each time he was seen, which in turn was riling them up. That fear was back now, possibly even greater than the first time Roxanne had charged at him. Tears were trailing down his cheeks.

(A traitorous little part of her programming screamed in protest. She was supposed to make children laugh and cheer, dammit, not cry.)

But what really brought her up short was the kid's body language. He looked wound tighter than a spring, sucking in deep gasps of air like he'd already been running away from something. Which made no sense, aside from Freddy they were all here in the Atrium. The kid was shaking with exertion, one hand clamped tightly over his shoulder, his arm hanging limply as his sleeve started soaking through with-

Was that blood!?

At a loss, Roxy started to slowly reach a hand towards the boy (bleeding boy, hurt boy, what the hell?). "Kid…"

She realized her mistake instantly. Whatever shock the kid was in broke as, with a panic glance behind him, he bolted, not to the side like she'd expected, but right at her. The change was so jarring that Roxy flinched, the kid ducking under her outstretched arm as he ran past her. She spun around at the waist, making a failed grab at him. "Kid, hold up a-"

Slam!

Crash!

Roxy let out of startled yip, her voice box barking static at the unfamiliar sound, as the double door burst open again and something slammed into her from behind, sending her stumbling to the ground. She felt the teeth of her lower jaw catch on something as she fell, a loud rip sounding as something heavy fell next to her, a light clattering sounding nearby. She lifted her head to see what had crashed into her… and wasn't quite sure what to make of it.

For a split second, she thought it was another animatronic, but it was too thin and lanky to be one of the spares from parts and service, and too tall to be a daycare bot. Their body was covered in cloth and fabric, a stitched patchwork of pinks and browns. Judging by the ears it was some kind of rabbit, their body shape seemingly female, with bulging red-orange eyes that seemed to glow.

Static burst across Roxy's vision as she stared at the mysterious arrival, a half-dozen warnings trying to pop up on her HUD before being wiped away unfinished. Roxy winced at the buzzing sensation that continued to build the longer she stared at the… whatever-it-was. The figure quickly pushed itself up, twisting its head to look at her briefly. Roxy gasped.

One of the rabbit's eyes had been torn in half, revealing pale skin and a single yellow eye narrowed at her in annoyance.

This thing's human.

"Stupid robot," the woman (adult woman) muttered under her breath. Her eyes scanned the floor around them, before widening. She lunged forward towards the-

Knife.

The creepy rabbit woman was picking up a knife.

A bloody knife.

Roxy's vision was swimming in static now, barely able to see properly. More warnings continued to pop up, slowly taking form. For a full second Roxy could only stare as the woman lept to her feet and took off running. Roxy followed her path, seeing the boy running… no, limping away as fast as he could, leaving bloody footsteps behind him.

Oh crap. Was… was this why he'd been running all night!?

Then… the woman let out a chilling giggle.

"Gregory~... playtime is over~"

The boy looked behind him, letting out a cry of fear when he saw the rapidly approaching rabbit woman.

Like a switch being flipped, Roxy's vision cleared instantly. Four warnings flashed onscreen in rapid succession.

INJURED CHILD

INTRUDER DETECTED

WEAPON DETECTED

CHILD IN DANGER

Any annoyance she had with the kid disappeared as Roxy put her volume at maximum. "ARMED INTRUDER IN THE ATRIUM!"

She faintly heard Chica's startled, "What!?" as she took off on all fours, claws clacking across the linoleum floor as she shot across the Atrium. She was just a few feet away when the rabbit woman managed to tackle the kid, knocking him flat on his back, pressing a knee to the boy's chest and raising the knife high.

Roxy snarled.

It's over.

Gregory didn't even have the energy to beg as Vanny loomed over him, ready to bring the knife down. Her ripped mask somehow made it all worse, because now he could see the glee in her eye at what she was about to do. He clenched his eyes shut as Vanny started giggling.

"It's been fun, Gregory~"

Gregory could only whimper. He felt Vanny shift above him and braced himself.

Freddy, please! Help!

A terrifying snarl echoed throughout the Atrium

Gregory heard Vanny let out a squeal of pain, and the crushing pressure on his chest vanished.

His eyes flew open as he heard a crash just a few feet away from him. He scrambled to sit up, expecting to see Freddy grappling with Vanny. To his shock, he was wrong.

It was Roxanne Wolf.

Gregory watched, stunned, as Roxanne and Vanny rolled on the ground, the wolf gripping Vanny by the wrists as she tried to pin her down. Vanny let out a scream of rage. "Stupid bot! What do you think you're doing!?"

Roxy let out a growl in response, her jaws snapping just in front of the rabbit woman's masked nose. "Drop the knife!" When Vanny continued to struggle, Roxy reared up and slammed her back against the ground. "Drop it!"

Vanny snarled in kind, straining and pulling against Roxy's grip. There was a sudden rip as her costume's stitching gave way, leaving Roxy clutching at torn fabric as Vanny got her hand free. Her arm flew forward, knife flashing in the neon lights as Roxy's eyes widened.

Gregory's heart leaped into his throat as Roxanne let out an agonized screech. The wolf clutched at her face in pain, allowing Vanny to slip out from under her. Roxanne's left eye sparked as it slid off Vanny's knife, bouncing as it fell to the ground. Vanny's head snapped up, and Gregory tried to scramble back as the woman lept to her feet and charged. His back hit the side of an arcade cabinet, and he threw his arms up in defense.

Just before she reached him, a shadow passed over him from above. Gregory peeked through his arms just in time to see something large and green leap down from the upper level. The ground shook, and Vanny let out a surprised gasp as Montgomery Gator landed between her and the boy. Monty let out a roar in her face, grabbing the woman by the shoulders and lifting her into the air.

Before Gregory could process that, he was suddenly grabbed from behind himself. He dipped his head back in panic and let out a scream when he saw Chica looming over him. But the chicken's eyes weren't on him. They were darting between Monty struggling to keep a hold on Vanny and a whimpering Roxanne trying to climb to her feet. Gregory felt the chicken's arms tighten around him as she took a step back.

There was a sharp clang!, and Monty let out a groan as Vanny lifted her legs and started kicking him in the face, shattering his sunglasses and knocking a couple teeth loose. Roxanne looked up at the sound, oil dripping down her face as she pressed a hand to her missing eye. She saw Monty struggling with Vanny, then saw Chica holding Gregory. "Chica, get the kid out of here!" She yelled, pointing towards Rockstar Row.

Chica's eyes widened, and she gave a sharp nod. "R-Right!" The chicken shifted Gregory in her arms, practically manhandling him as she started to run until she was holding him like a much younger child, turning him around and clutching him to her chest, his chin resting on her shoulder.

From this position, Gregory watched as Vanny managed to loosen Monty's grip enough to get her swinging arm free, burying her knife in the bot's elbow. Monty yelled out in pain as he was forced to let go, his arm going limp. But when Vanny tried to pull the knife back, it caught on something in Monty's arm. Between the strength of her grip and the weight of his arm, the blade snapped, leaving Vanny staring dumbly at the useless knife handle in her hand. Hearing Roxanne getting to her feet and seeing Monty struggling to remove the knife blade from his arm, Vanny looked frantically around the Atrium. When her eye locked with Gregory's, it narrowed dangerously.

Chica looked back when Gregory let out a frightened gasp, letting out a startled squawk at seeing the rabbit lady right behind them, arms outstretched. They were nearly at the doors to Rockstar Row, but what was the point when the woman was right on their heels?

"SECURITY ALERT!"

All three of them snapped their heads up at the sudden screeching yell. Sundrop dropped down from the ceiling, launching himself right at Vanny's head. The woman yelled in surprise as she stumbled under his weight, trying to throw him off.

Chica skidded to a stop at the doorway, she and Gregory watching in stunned bemusement as the daycare bot wrapped his legs around her shoulders and started raining slaps and punches down on her head.

"Bad Lady! Mean Lady! Kids are for caring and hugging and drinking Fizzy Faz! Not stabbing and scaring! Bad! Bad! Bad!"

"Get off of me!"

Vanny managed to grab Sundrop by the shoulders and started pushing him away. Sundrop gripped her shoulders to hang on, the two struggling against each other. Just as Sundrop's grip started to give out, the thudding of heavy feet sounded behind Vanny. Looking over the top of the woman's head, Sundrop gave a startled yelp and let go, purposefully letting Vanny throw him to the side.

Surprised by the sudden ease of her opponent's defeat, Vanny overextended with her throw, accidentally spinning herself to the side. There was a snarl and a roar behind her. Her eye went wide as she looked up, throwing her arms up in defense at the two forms running full tilt at her.

Roxy and Monty slammed into Vanny at the same time, carrying her with the force of the impact. Neither stopped running as they lifted her. Vanny didn't know what they were planning until her short journey ended with a bone-shaking jolt, the two bots ramming her right into the wall.

The sound of impact echoed throughout the Atrium, leaving an eerie silence in its wake. The only sound remaining was Gregory's rapid breathing and clanking of the animatronics joints.

Roxanne's remaining eye roved over the woman's form as she and Monty held her against the buckled outer shell of the Atrium wall. The woman was still breathing, but her eye had slipped closed and her arms hung limply at her sides. Roxy shared a look with Monty, and by unspoken agreement they let the woman drop. She slid down to the ground bonelessly, slumping to the side.

With the threat taken care of, Roxanne turned to face the kid, still held in Chica's grasp. The utter bane of their existence for the past few hours… and she couldn't even take any satisfaction at finally catching him. Not with him staring up at her with fearful teary eyes, blood still trailing down his side.

Sundrop apparently agreed. Before anyone else could respond, he scrambled to his feet, took one look at the kid, and promptly shoved his face inches from the boy's own, milky white eyes roving over his injuries. "Oh, those are big ouchies, friend. Big, bad, messy! They need fixing right now!" He didn't seem to register how the boy cringed away from his attention, instantly whirling around and running off further into the Atrium, in search of a first aid kit if Roxy had to bet.

Roxy shook her head. She was officially too tired to care about Sundrop's antics. The kid did need patching up. She looked to Monty, then back at the unconscious woman. "Monty, find some cables or something to tie her up."

Monty's brow rose, then he nodded. "Right. Now, uh… oh, that'll work!" The gator stomped off towards the sound stage, and Roxy only hoped he wouldn't break too many things in his search. Tomorrow was already going to be a nightmare, given all this.

She pushed that aside, kneeling in front of Chica to be at eye level with the boy. She hoped he didn't notice how unsteady she was on her feet with her new lack of depth perception. She doubted he did, given how he seemed terrified out of his mind at the moment. Not that she could blame him, considering how much of a mess she was, missing an eye and still having oil trickling from the empty socket.

(Broken, useless, ruined, worthless-... Don't think about it, don't think about it, don'tthinkaboutit)

She still tried to give him a smile. "It's okay, kiddo. I know we look like a mess right now, but we're okay. You're safe now."

The kid- Gregory, his name was Gregory- looked at her doubtfully, his eyes darting up at the animatronic holding him. "You… You're not gonna hurt me?"

Roxy's brow shot high. She shared a startled look with Chica, both of them looking at Gregory like he was crazy. "Kid, our whole job is to entertain children. Y'know, make them happy? Why on Earth would we want to hurt one?"

Gregory squirmed in Chica's grasp, looking defensive. "Then… Why have you been chasing me all night?"

Roxy fixed him with a flat look. "Kid, it's 3:00 a.m. You're trespassing, you're breaking and entering..." She looked pointedly at the security passes sticking out of his pocket. "And you're stealing. Why wouldn't we be trying to catch you?"

The kid blinked, a dumbstruck look on his face. "Oh… I thought… I thought you were…" His gaze drifted towards the masked woman, who Monty was kneeling next to with a jumble of wires.

Roxy huffed, letting some of her irritation show. "You thought we were in league with the crazy lady with the knife. Wow. Thanks, kid."

"Roxy!' Chica chided softly.

Gregory scowled at her, which would have looked more threatening if the kid wasn't, you know, nine. "Well, what was I supposed to think? You all started chasing me at the same time she did!"

Roxy rolled her eyes-er, eye. "Kid, the only person here we have anything to do with is the security guard. Speaking of which, we need to get a hold of her so she can-"

"Uh, Roxy?"

Roxy turned away from Gregory, whose mouth was already opening for some backtalk. "What's happened now, Mont-"

Roxy froze at the sight before her. Monty had successfully tied the woman up with all the cables - possibly excessively so - and then had the idea to pull her mask off.

And the woman under the mask… was the security guard.

Roxy could only stare for a moment. Then she put a hand to her forehead. "Okay… sure. Sure, why not?" She stood up, clasping her hands together with a tight smile. "New plan. We stick her somewhere she can't escape from when she wakes up, clean ourselves up, and let Dayshift figure out what to do with her."

Monty scratched the back of his head, thinking. "Uh… we could put her in a charging station?"

Roxy pointed at him with a smile. "Perfect! That's… yes! We'll do that! We lock it down, she shouldn't be able to get out. That's… good call, Monty."

As Monty smiled, Roxy turned back towards Gregory. "As for you…" She tried not to be annoyed when the kid flinched under her attention. "Kid, I don't know what you were hoping to do when you broke in here, but I think we've all had enough excitement for one night. Any idea how we get a hold of your parents?"

Oh, good, the scowl was back. Except now the kid wouldn't meet any of their eyes. "I can't."

Roxy struggled to reign in her temper. "And why not?"

"I… don't have any parents."

An almost oppressive silence fell over the group. "W-What?" Chica haltingly asked.

Gregory's scowl deepened, a blush tinting his cheeks. "I'm homeless, okay? I only broke in here to have a warm place to sleep."

Roxanne just stared, trying to wrap her head around the concept. She eventually gave up, both in finding a proper answer and in dealing with the situation. "Well, luckily for you, Rockstar Row is plenty warm."

She ignored the three gobsmacked looks she got, instead turning towards the Atrium at large and shouting. "Sundrop, any luck with that first aid kit?"

"Over here!" Sundrop's voice came from the DJ booth on the top floor. "I found one but- gah!" The daycare bot let out a yell of frustration, his head popping up over the railing. "They have it locked up tight."

"Why would they lock up a- oh, forget it. Monty, go help him break into whatever it is." Monty gave a hesitant nod, then moved towards the escalators. Roxy then turned to Chica. "Take Gregory to my room and get him comfortable on the couch."

"Why your room?" Chica asked with what passed for a pout. Gregory didn't exactly look thrilled either.

Roxanne gave them both a flat look. "Because, Monty's is trashed, yours is full of trash, and Freddy's has been locked all night."

Chica wilted under her stare, looking abashed. "That's… a good point."

"Yeah, so get moving. I'm going to lock up our friend here. Then I'll try to find Freddy and fill him in."

"Um…" The two look back down at Gregory, who now looked abashed as he hung in in Chica's arms. "He's down in Parts and Service. But… you might have to reattach his head."

"... Of course I will."

Two hours later, and the Pizzaplex was back to something resembling normality. A set of service bots were in the process of cleaning up the blood and oil in the Atrium. The security passes have been returned to their proper places, save a few extra ones that no one would immediately miss. And the animatronics were in the process of cleaning themselves up for the next day.

The only difference was Sun and Moondrop's watch just outside Rockstar Row. The daycare bot had found a new perch on top of the nearby charging station, hanging over the edge of it and peering through the window at its occupant. Vanny had woken up around half an hour after being knocked out, and was none too happy to be trapped inside the metal tube. Sundrop was having perhaps too much fun deriding the woman for her increasingly creative bouts of profanity as she struggled to escape her bonds. The four animatronics would periodically check on them to make sure nothing had changed, and Roxanne got a good laugh from Freddy's horror regarding Vanny's potty mouth.

As it stood, Roxanne was just trying to get the last bit of grime out from under her claws. It had taken almost an hour to buff out all the dirt and grime on her outer casing, and that was after the painful process of installing a new eye. It was pure luck there happened to be a spare down in Parts and Service, and now she had to figure out a way to let Parts and Service know they needed to make a spare to replace the spare. She fought with her ruined mane for all of five minutes before throwing in the towel and having Chica help her replace the fake hair with a different one. She was finally able to look in the mirror and see something acceptable.

As she scanned a critical eye in the mirror for any remaining flaws, she heard a whimper behind her. She twisted in her chair, seeing Gregory curled up on her couch, clutching at a Freddy Fazbear plushie. His eyes were screwed shut, his body tense.

With a sigh, Roxy got up and move towards him. Freddy was still recharging, so it seemed babysitting fell to her. She knelt next to the couch. "Gregory?" She whispered, as softly as her voice box allowed. "Kid, you okay?" She gave him a small tap on the shoulder, mindful of the bandages wrapped all up and down his arm (Sundrop might have gone a little overboard).

Gregory inhaled sharply, his eyes snapping open. He looked frantically around the room, flinching back against the couch when he saw Roxanne in front of him. The moment soon passed, and he looked down. "Oh… s-sorry…"

Roxanne huffed a laugh. "It's okay, kiddo. Nightmare?"

His cheeks tinged slightly, and he gave a small nod. "I saw Vanny." His eyes darted around the room again. "Is… is she...?"

In answer, Roxy picked up his Fazwatch from where it sat on the couch arm. She tapped a few buttons to bring up the security cameras. She stifled a snort as she brought up the one trained on Vanny's tube. Monty had stopped in to check on Sundrop and was just in time for Vanny's next round of insults and threats. The woman had her face pressed against the glass as she screamed obscenities, Monty just staring back at her, arms crossed and unimpressed, Sundrop draped across his shoulders like a bored cat. Part of Roxy wished they had sound on the cameras to complete the image. Instead, she just held it out for Gregory to see. "Still locked up tight. She ain't going anywhere."

Gregory relaxed minutely. He laid his head back down and tried to get comfortable again. "Good. That's good."

Roxanne grinned. "There's still a couple hours before the place reopens for the day. Try to get a little more sleep, eh, kid?"

"Okay." Gregory rolled over to face the couch, pulling the Fazbear-brand blanket over himself. Roxanne stood up to walk back to her vanity. She was halfway across the room when she heard his murmured last words.

"Thanks, Roxy. You're the best."

Roxanne turned around in surprise, her mouth partly open. But Gregory had already drifted off, snoring softly. Roxanne just stood there for a moment, watching him sleep. She smiled softly.

"And don't you forget, superstar."

Chapter Text

2 Months Later…

Another day, another successful show.

Roxy smiled as the last note of Chica's guitar riff echoed throughout the atrium. She waved to all the children staring at the foot of the stage, their little voices filling the air as the lights died back down to normal.

She jolted to the side as a great weight fell onto her shoulders, Monty leaning heavily against her. "Aw, Rox, ya hear that?" He said loudly, wiping an imaginary tear from his eye. "They like us! They really like us!"

Roxy rolled her eyes playfully as she pushed him away. "Yeah, yeah, watch the hair, Lizard Lips."

They both grinned at the children's giggling, Monty letting out a full belly laugh as he retook his place on stage, Chica hiding her own giggles behind her hand. Freddy smiled back at them before turning to the crowd. "Okay, boys and girls! Me and the band are going to take a short break before our next show. But just in case some of you have to go home before then, I hope you all have fun and wish you a Fazerific day!"

The cheers sprung anew as the floor shuddered under the animatronics' feet, the stage elevator descending back down to Maintenance. Roxy waved as all the children called their goodbyes, scanning the crowd until she locked eyes with one child in particular: on the upper level, a boy with brown hair and eyes watched them go with a grin, munching on a slice of pizza. Roxy grinned a little wider, waving his way. She saw him wave back with his free hand just before the stage sank too far.

"Aww!" Chica cooed as they descended. "Greggy saw the show!"

"He sees every show, Cheeks," Monty chuckled, plucking a few cords on his bass. He squinted through his sunglasses a moment, then pulled them off to squint some more. His thumb started moving to wipe away a smudge on the lenses.

Chica snagged the glasses out of his hand before he could accidentally snap them in half again. "Not since he started taking those online school classes!" She wiped Monty's glasses clean with the bow in her feathers before handing them back. Her eyes narrowed accusingly Freddy's way. "Which you made him take, by the way," she finished with a pout, putting her hands on her hips.

"It is important that a growing child gets a full education," Freddy said matter-of-factly. "And since Gregory lacks the resources to go to public school, online schooling is the next best thing!"

"Besides, Chica," Roxy piped in, crossing her arms. "He's only got to do it a few hours a day. And today's Saturday! We'll see him running around all day long."

Chica blinked, her face brightening. "Oh! Oh, yeah! Oh, we're going to have so much fun today!"

Roxy grinned at the chicken's enthusiasm. Then her ear twitched, hearing human voices just at the edge of her range. "Good, now zip it, you guys. We're almost at the bottom." They all stood a little straighter, facing the front of the stage. Roxy's voice lowered to a whisper. "We've pulled this off for two months. Let's not flub it up now."

"Yes, Mom."

Roxy shot a half-hearted glare over her shoulder at Monty, who met it with a grin. Chica's resulting giggle and Freddy's encouraging smile didn't help.

The stage finally emerged into the dim lights of Maintenance, the bots schooling their features before they were swarmed by mechanics for light cleanup.

Gregory waved until the band had fully sunk out of sight, polishing off the last bite of his pizza. He started walking back to the arcade machines, ducking and dodging the endless horde of children swarming around him. He managed to find a free Fazbear's Fight cabinet, snagging it before some other kids saw the opportunity. He grinned when he saw his name already at the top of the scoreboard, popping in a few Faz tokens to try and beat his old high score.

The last couple of months had been… a trip, to say the least. The morning after That Night, Gregory had done his best to stay hidden as Fazbear employees had run all over the Pizzaplex trying to figure out just what the heck had happened. He hadn't been there to see it, hiding in the vents behind Roxy's room, but Freddy had assured him that he'd watched two very confused but very real police officers walk a surprisingly quiet Vanny out the Pizzaplex's front doors.

Sticking to the vents, Gregory had overheard the day guards complaining that there was no security footage from That Night. Which, given Vanny had been the night guard, wasn't that surprising. It was annoying that there was no video of Vanny skipping through the facility, but it also meant that there was no proof of Gregory's breaking in either.

When the first kids of the day started showing up, Gregory braved leaving the vents and hiding in plain sight amongst the horde. During the band's first show of the day he'd stayed on the upper level as everyone else scrambled for the stage, eyeing the abandoned tables for any pizza or snacks he could risk stealing from. He'd just turned to head down only to find a piece of paper being shoved in his face, along with a constant drone of "Take a map. Take a map."

Gregory had finally snatched the map out of Mapbot's hands to avoid the aggressive map pushing making a scene. As Mapbot rolled away, however, Gregory was surprised to feel something solid hidden in the fold of the map: a golden Fazcard. On the map itself, written in pink pen, was the message, "STICK AROUND AFTER CLOSING." He'd looked up from the card and message, stunned, to catch Chica look over his way and wink.

The card was a godsend. All he had to do was flash it at any S.T.A.F.F. bot server and they just handed over whatever food he asked for for free. It was the first time he'd been able to fill his belly since… since…

It had been a while.

(If asked, he would forever deny breaking down in a tucked-away photo booth upon realizing that the unfamiliar feeling in his gut was a full stomach.)

(... he'd also then deny throwing up a good chunk of said full stomach from chasing one too many pizza slices with far too many Fizzy Fazzes.)

Once the day was over and the last children and staff had left (and the bots had convinced the staff that they could manage without a night guard for a while) Gregory had slowly made his way back to Rockstar Row, finding the four bots waiting for him in Roxy's room. There they asked, gently but firmly, to hear his story and what led to him breaking into the Pizzaplex That Night.

By the end of it, Gregory found himself on Roxy's couch, sandwiched between her and Chica as he leaned into the wolf's side, completely drained as Chica ran a gentle hand through his hair. Freddy had been in shambles hearing about his Superstar's constant hopping from orphanage to foster home and back again, each getting worse the older he got, before finally giving up and running away. Monty had just stayed leaning against the opposite wall, arms crossed as he glared at the carpeting, just muttering, "No wonder ya ran from us, Little Guy."

After some debating, the bots agreed. If he wanted, Gregory could live at the Pizzaplex on the condition that he:

A. Got some kind of public education. (Freddy's insistence.)

B. Ate enough from the salad bar to balance out all the pizza and snacks he'd be eating. (Chica's insistence.)

C. Keep his living situation secret from the human staff.

And D. He not enter any restricted areas without one of them present.

Considering his only other option to go back to the streets, Gregory jumped at the chance.

Two months later, Gregory was pretty sure it had been the best decision of his life. His belly was always full, he had a warm place to sleep soundly, and he had an entire mall at his disposal, day and night. His only price to pay for it was a few hours at a "borrowed" laptop and eating a couple of salads a day. He was even making a couple sort-of-friends out of some of the regular kids he saw around the Pizzaplex.

And at night, when all the other children and staff had gone home, not only did he have the whole mall to himself… he had the animatronics. He had people (weird, eccentric robot people, but still people) who chose to spend their limited free time with him. People who spoke to him. People who listened to him. People who… cared.

It was all he ever wanted.

After edging out a new high score in Fazbear's Fight, Gregory wanted to see how packed Fazer Blaster was. Unfortunately, he only made it halfway across the atrium when something small and fast collided with his legs, nearly knocking him over.

"Gah- what the-!?" Gregory jumped back as he felt something wet and ice-cold splash all over his front. He looked down to see an even smaller kid, probably five or six, staring up at him in fright, a jumbo-sized Monty Fizzy Faz splashed all over the floor between them.

The kid blinked up at Gregory for a moment, before running off with a hurried "uh, sorry!", vanishing into the crowd along with two more giggling kindergarteners.

Gregory watched them go, dumbfounded, before looking down at himself. "Ah, man…" Not only was his shirt soaked through, the stain went all the way down to his pants in the worst possible place. He could already feel eyes falling on him, hear the starting snickering.

Before he could run off, a hand came down on his shoulder. He flinched, turning around in panic, only to be met with the blank face of a S.T.A.F.F. bot, mop and bucket in hand. The bot tilted its head to the side as it looked down at him.

Gregory took a deep breath, letting out a sigh. "I'm okay. I just got to get cleaned up."

After a second, the bot gave a jerky nod, patting him twice on the head before starting its cleanup. Gregory darted away from the crowds, dodging around a wet-floor bot on its way to the mopping S.T.A.F.F. bot. Gregory waved at its beeping "hello!", before sprinting his way through the crowds coming in and out of the atrium until he reached the exit. He snuck his way through the Pizzaplex entrance (the only place where there was more than one human employee. He didn't want to risk them realizing that some kid was there every day from opening to closing) and made it to the hall leading to the daycare. He glanced around, thankful for the lack of crowds and cameras in this part of the building, then ducked into a supply closet.

He quickly found one of the duffel bags he'd stashed around the Pizzaplex just for emergencies like this. One change of shirt and pants later (the Lost & Found had a shocking number of clothes in his size, which… he tried not to think about), Gregory was back in action. Problem was, Fazer Blaster was now on the other side of the building, and the lunch rush was just about to start. He could try braving the crowds again, or…

His eyes drifted up to the grate above the supply shelves.

Freddy might disapprove, but Gregory couldn't deny; when you didn't have to worry about killer animatronics, crawling through the vents was kind of fun.

Certainly got you around quicker… so long as you didn't get lost.

Which Gregory currently was.

"Oh, c'mon!" He grumbled to himself as he backed away from another dead end. At some point, he needed to drop a map of the vents. He kinda knew where he was, given he could hear the screech of toddlers and Sundrop's obnoxious voice somewhere on his right, putting him somewhere near the daycare. But somehow he kept getting turned around.

A few minutes later and he started to hear voices coming from below. A glance through the grate showed one of the smaller security rooms, two guards inside making small talk. Gregory peered over their shoulders at their screens, trying to figure out what area they were covering.

"... really going to bring her back?"

"...says the shrinks gave her a clean bill of health. Freaking nuts if you ask me."

Gregory was only half listening, focusing on the screens when-

"... ya see that get up? Girl went cooky."

"I mean, can you blame her though? If I was stuck with only robots for company all night…"

Gregory blinked as the guards' words registered. His eyes snapped to the guards as he pieced together their conversation. Are they talking about-?

His thoughts cut off when something cold clamped around his ankle.

Gregory just bit back a scream, his head snapping back behind him. He was met with large black eyes and a wide flat toothed grin.

Gregory let out a deep breath, willing his heart to slow. He glanced back at the oblivious guards before shimmying back. "You guys have got to figure out a way to get my attention without giving me a heart attack."

The mini Music Man looked down, shuffling on its six legs as it rubbed a cymbaled hand behind its head sheepishly. Then the spideresque bot pointed both arms back the way Gregory had come from.

Gregory glanced back, seeing nothing of note. "What?"

The mini Music Man threw its arms down and looked skyward, shaking its large head. It then glomped its arms around Gregory's sleeve, gently tugging backward.

Gregory shifted to move with it before his shirt tore. The little bot was surprisingly strong. "Okay, okay! I'm going!"

The little bot released his arm, happily (and quietly) tapping its cymbals together before turning around and scuttling into the dark. Gregory reluctantly followed, though less annoyed than he thought he'd be. He was mainly curious about what was going on for a Music Man to tell him to follow. Usually, they just stopped him to say hello or give him some kind of trinket they'd found.

Gregory followed the little bot for a few minutes, taking several twists and turns through the vents he hadn't known about. He could still hear the racket from the daycare, but it was getting muffled rather than fading. Then, as they took a right towards a light source, Gregory heard something out of place:

Crying.

Gregory paused in surprise. Of the few things he'd expected, a crying child was not one of them.

The Music Man tapped its feet impatiently, urging Gregory forward.

As they drew near the light, the crying got louder. At the end of the vent was a second mini Music Man, peering through the flaps in the vent in a hunched state. It turned at their approach, perking up when it saw Gregory. It waved them over, looking back out the grate. Curious, Gregory crawled up to the vent and looked out.

On the other side was one of the party rooms built just outside the daycare. A long table was lined up inside, covered in party hats and plates of cake and pizza, but with no kids to be found. Gregory followed the crying until his eyes fell on the corner of the room; hidden behind a cardboard cutout of Freddy holding a birthday cake, a kid was curled up with their back against the wall, crying into their knees.

Gregory frowned at the sight. "Okay…" he said to the Music Men, eyes still on the crying child. "So what do you want me to do, go get Freddy or-?"

He yelped when the grate suddenly burst open on its own, making him flinch back in surprise. His eyes shot down to the Music Men, the two bots holding the grate open with one hand while they waved him forward with the other.

Gregory blinked blankly at them before realizing. "Me!? What am I supposed to-?"

"Hello?"

Gregory's mouth snapped shut.

Apparently, his whispering hadn't been quiet enough. The child's crying had stopped and they were shifting around, starting to crawl out from behind the cutout.

And the Music Men were just standing there in plain view.

Panicked, Gregory grabbed each of the miniature animatronics and tossed them over his shoulder, wincing at the loud clanging they each made as they crashed, flailing into the darkness. He grabbed the edge of the vent and-

"What are you doing?"

Gregory froze. Slowly, he looked down into the room.

Wide, wet hazel eyes stared back up at him. The girl was about his age, with darker skin and curly brown hair tied back into two buns. She hugged a Roxy plush against the front of her red jacket, brushing her sleeve against her eyes as she sniffled.

Gregory just stared dumbly at her for a moment. He tried to plaster a convincing smile on his face. "Uh… hi?"

Clearly, he failed as the girl's eyes narrowed. "Why are you crawling through the vents? That's against the rules."

Gregory grimaced, slowly climbing down to the floor. He wasn't thrilled to be A., caught, and B., at the mercy of some girl's anger, but he'd take it over listening to her cry. "I, uh…" he floundered for a moment as he met the girl face to face. "I was… trying to sneak into the Fazer Blast VIP room and got lost."

Not really a lie. Freddy always says honesty is the best policy!

Though, Roxy tended to roll her eyes at that one…

And the girl didn't seem too impressed either as her face darkened. Before she could press the issue, Gregory plowed ahead. "But, then I heard someone crying. So… here I am!"

In an instant, the girl's face went from angry to embarrassed. "You heard that?"

"...yeah," Gregory admitted awkwardly. Why, oh why, did the Music Men think it was a good idea to drop him into this? "So… are you… okay?"

The girl's face pinched, turning away from him. "I'm fine."

Gregory just nodded. "Good, good." He didn't believe her for a second, but what the heck was he supposed to say!? His eyes darted around the room for any hint of what was going on. He snapped back to the Freddy cutout. "So, uh… my name's Gregory. I'm guessing yours is Cassie?"

The girl's head snapped back to him, eyes wide. "How do you-?"

In answer, Gregory pointed over her shoulder at the cutout. Next to Freddy's head was a word balloon that said "Happy Birthday," with a dry-erase section below it, the name "Cassie" written in purple marker.

"Oh… right." Cassie turned away from the cutout, her cheeks red.

Still feeling way out of his depth, Gregory blurted out the first thing that came to mind. "So… when's the party start?"

This was the wrong thing to say as Cassie's face went right back to angry, her eyes flashing in the fluorescent lights. "An hour ago," she muttered, her voice tight and bitter.

Gregory blinked. "Oh." Then his eyes drifted back over the room. The untouched party hats, the uneaten cake and pizza… "Oh!"

Cassie, crying, all by herself.

"Ohhhh…" Gregory droned quietly as he put the pieces together, kicking himself for not doing so sooner. His stomach dropped as he floundered for something to say. "Why… how…?"

"Because none of the Band are here!"

Gregory left back as Cassie rounded on him, rage and her eyes as tears streamed down her face. She pulled back seconds later, looking mortified by her outburst. Gregory, though, was more confused than frightened. "What does that mean?" This was the Band's fault? How?

Cassie's cheeks tinted horribly, eyes falling to the ground. Gregory just waited, crossing his arms as his brow furrowed. Cassie's eyes darted back to Gregory as if surprised he was still there. She hugged the Roxy plush tightly against her chest.

"My dad works for the Pizzaplex," she blurted out, not looking at Gregory. "Employees are allowed one free party a year, and he used it today for mine. Problem is, he still has to work today and the free party has to be a 'basic tier' party."

"'Basic'?" Gregory looked around the room again. The decorations did seem on the cheap side compared to others he'd seen.

Cassie sniffled. "Yeah. Y'know, simple one-flavored cake, only one-topping pizzas... Stuff like that. And… no animatronics at the party."

Inwardly, Gregory cringed. He had a feeling he knew where this was going.

Apparently, his face reflected that as Cassie let out a disparaging scoff. "Yeah. I invited my whole class to the party, and they were all so excited to go to the Pizzaplex. But when they asked me which of the Band would be hosting it and I said 'none'..."

A sharp breath burst from Cassie's lips. She swallowed, trying to hold it together. She huffed for breath once, twice, and was suddenly kneeling on the ground, hands over her eyes as she started sobbing, her Roxy plush bouncing out of her grasp.

Gregory, lost, slowly picked up the plush, staring at the crying girl. He hesitated, then found his feet moving him forward, sinking down to Cassie's side. He started to put his arm around her shoulders in support, only to find his arms full of crying girl the moment he touched her.

Gregory did not know what to do with this. He just let his arm settle against Cassie's back and waited for it all to be over. He didn't like the hot, angry feeling coiling in his gut.

Thankfully Cassie's sobs didn't last long. After a few minutes, her cries died down to soft hiccups as the girl tried to get her breath back. Though her voice was muffled against his shirt, he still heard her mutter, "I thought at least a few would come…"

Gregory's brow furrowed. His eyes drifted to the sparse decorations, the small slices of vanilla cake lining the tables. He looked down at the Roxy plush in his hand. It was a little different from the one scattered around the Pizzaplex, its hair slightly matted and colors washed out from wear.

An idea popped into his head, one he jumped on before he could think twice, hoping he wasn't making a big mistake. "I know how you feel."

Cassie pulled back to give him a disbelieving glare, her eyes red and puffy.

"Honest!" Gregory's voice lowered, reluctantly thinking back on old memories. "I've had to spend birthdays alone before. More than one." He glared off at nothing. "It sucks."

Despite everything, Cassie let out a soft snort. "Understatement…"

Gregory grinned at the kinda-sorta-laugh. "So… what if I could make yours a little better?"

Cassie pulled fully away, wiping her nose with her sleeve. She gave Gregory a cautious-yet-curious look. "Really? How?"

"Oh, I have an idea. It does depend on one thing, though."

"What's that?"

Gregory jerked his thumb back at the vents, smirking slightly. "How okay are you with a little rule-breaking?"

Across the Pizzaplex, Roxy hummed to herself as she ran a brush through her hair. There was a new song they were supposed to perform starting the next day and she was determined to memorize it before night fell. She had to get it perfect on her first try.

She would get it perfect. Her performance would be perfect, just like everything else about her.

"Gah! Wha- oh, c'mon!"

…except, currently, her hair.

Roxy squinted in the mirror as her brush caught on a tangle. Seriously, what was the point of Maintenance fussing with her features when they were just going to mess everything up? She growled to herself, trying to keep her agitation down as went back to work.

Every few minutes she'd catch movement in the corner of the mirror, seeing a little face peeking at her through the curtains of her Green Room's window wall. She'd wait a moment before acting like she just noticed them and turning around in surprise. Some would run away at getting caught, while others would stand their ground and wave at her, wide-eyed. These braver kids earned a smile and a wave in return, making their little faces light up before they ran off giggling.

It was an… okay consolation of her time. Normally, with a few hours before the next show, she would be in the middle of meet-and-greets in her themed attraction like all the others. But with her raceway closed for repairs, she was left with only two options: either mosey around the Pizzaplex at random or wait in her Green Room for the show to start.

The former wasn't too awful. Sometimes the kids enjoy the novelty of Roxanne Wolf playing them at a game of Fazer Blast or Gator Golf. But usually, she'd just get odd looks for being out of place. So she settled for just resting in her green room, waving to any kids curious enough to check out Rockstar Row.

And that was fine. Really. She was still making kids happy, even if it wasn't… the best. It was fine.

She. Was. Fi-

Ping!

Roxy was torn from her spiraling thoughts by an alert to her system. She read through it quickly… then again more slowly. After checking that, yes, she had read that correctly, she looked into the mirror, seeing her confusion reflected back at her.

Her schedule had changed. What should have been a blank itinerary until the next show was now filled with "Reserved for VIP party" all the way to showtime. Which made no sense. A VIP party is the kind of thing she'd have been told about the day before, not 10 minutes beforehand.

Just as she started to truly panic, her HUD pinged again. It was a message from Gregory's Fazwatch. Roxy's eyes narrowed, a hint of suspicion forming as she opened it.

GGY- sorry! I'll explain in a minute! Sorry!

Roxy sighed heavily, her shoulders slumping as her eyes turned skyward. "Oh, what did that kid do now?" He was supposed to be keeping his head down during daylight hours. Renting her Green Room and her for a party was the opposite of that!

You better, she messaged back with a thought, getting out of her chair. Possible shenanigans aside, the party was on her official schedule so she had to prepare. From behind her mirror, she pulled an easel and a sign that said "VIP party in progress. Sorry!" She set the sign up in front of the window wall and started closing the curtains behind it. Right before she pulled them shut, she saw a little girl of about four watching her curiously with her thumb in her mouth. The girl waved a chubby-fingered hand goodbye at the wolf. Roxy gave the kid an apologetic smile and waved back as she pulled the curtains closed. She gave the room a quick once over, clearing off her coffee table and straightening the couch cushions, before sitting down to wait for…

Well, whatever mess Gregory had thrust upon her this time.

As the minutes ticked by, though, irritation gave way to curiosity. The kid had no reason to give himself a party like this. He had all the free food he could eat, and if he wanted to talk to her, messaging worked fine. And they could talk in person all he wanted after hours.

Just what was the kid up to?

Her confusion only got worse when there was a knock on her door, the one leading to Rockstar Row. She answered it, half expecting to see the boy in question, only to instead find a S.T.A.F.F. bot shoving a cake box into her arms before speeding away. The fact Gregory had ordered a cake for this 'party' wasn't surprising. It was the small size and type that threw her. It was one of the take-home sizes, meant for a family to share at home rather than a horde of children. And… carrot cake? She didn't even know they sold those!

Whatever. Roxy put the little carrot-decorated cake on the table and inserted the supplied one and zero candles, ready to be lit. Another question. Gregory had assured them that he was already ten. So why-?

"Uh… let's see…okay, yep, there it is! Knew I was going the right way."

Roxy's head snapped to the vent above her mirror. Her eyes narrowed at the landing thumps of hands and knees against metal. Of course the kid would show up through the vents.

She watched and waited behind her chair, arms crossed as a pair of brown eyes soon peered through the slats. She rose a brow when said eyes widened, tapping her foot as Gregory slowly opened the grate. "Hey, Roxy…" he said with a sheepish grin.

"Gregory…" Roxy ground out, half in reprimand and half in annoyance. "You better have a good reason for throwing yourself a party in my room."

"I do!" Gregory assured as he climbed out of the vent, stepping onto her vanity (careful not to step on any brushes or makeup tools. He wasn't making that mistake again).

Roxy put her hands on her hips. "And?" She droned expectantly.

"Simple." Gregory sat down on the edge of the vanity with a wide grin. He pointed upwards. "It's not my party."

Roxy cocked her head, not understanding, only to jump as the vent unexpectedly reopened. Her ears pinned back in fright, thinking some guard had followed Gregory, only for her jaw to part at the sight of a curly-haired girl poking her head out the vent.

The girl seemed just as surprised to see her, her mouth popping open and eyes bulging. Gregory looked up and snorted at her gobsmacked expression. "Told you I knew her."

The girl snapped out of her shock, shooting Gregory a dirty look. "You said she knew we were coming!" She hissed.

"I messaged ahead!" Gregory defended.

Shaking off her stupor, Roxy gave Gregory a flat look. "Kid, 'sorry, I'll explain later' is not a proper warning. It's barely a proper sentence." She turned away from Gregory's dismissive shrug, smiling at the girl. "Hey there, sweetie. Let me help you down from there."

The girl didn't argue, holding her arms up as Roxy grasped them to pull her from the vent (She was distantly distressed how, despite appearing similar sizes, the girl was noticeably heavier than Gregory. Two months on a mostly pizza diet and the boy was still underweight). She set the girl on her feet, Gregory jumping off the vanity to stand next to her. Roxy knelt to eye level, looking between the two children. "Not that I don't mind visitors, but one of you want to explain why I've been rented out for a party of two?"

The girl just stared at her wide-eyed. Starstruck, if Roxy had to bet. Which, yeah, was flattering, but didn't get her answers. Gregory side-eyed the girl, snickering silently, before taking the initiative. "Well…" He put a hand on the girl's shoulder. "This is Cassie."

Cassie quickly raised her hand in a wave. "H-Hello, Ms. Wolf."

"And… she's been having a really bad day."

Roxy quirked a brow. "Oh?" She gave the girl a proper look over. Her brow furrowed as she took in Cassie's reddened eyes, the way she clutched one of her plushies against her chest like a lifeline. Roxy hummed thoughtfully. "Could you please tell me why, Cassie?"

Cassie bit her lip, glancing hesitantly toward Gregory. At his encouraging nod, she spoke, staring down at her shoes. "I'm supposed to be having a birthday party right now." Her eyes darted up to Roxy, who was visibly confused but nodded slowly for her to go on. "But… It's just a basic tier party. Since none of the Band would be t-there… " Her voice broke a little, a sniff escaping her. "N-No one c-came."

Roxy's eyes went wide, her ears shooting high before splaying back down. She looked to Gregory for confirmation. The boy could only nod back grimly. "I found her crying in a party room all by herself." He flinched when Cassie shot him a dark look, cheeks tinting in embarrassment. "So!" He powered on, looking hopefully at Roxy. "I thought we could make her birthday a little better!"

Roxy took in his strained smile. Her gaze drifted to Cassie, just catching the girl peek at her with wet hopeful eyes before snapping back to the carpet. Roxy hummed to herself, glancing back at Gregory. "Well, in that case… Cassie."

The girl jumped, eyes blowing wide. "Y-Yes, ma'am?"

Roxy looked Cassie dead in the eye. "Before anything else, I need to ask you a very important question."

Cassie swallowed nervously. "Y-Yes?"

Roxy stared intently. Then…

"What's your favorite kind of pizza?"

Cassie blinked, dumbfounded. "Wha-what?"

Roxy stood up, putting a hand on her hip with a smirk. "What do you mean 'what?' You can't have a Pizzaplex party without pizza!"

Cassie's mouth parted slightly, her breath quickening. "You… I can really have a party with you?"

Roxy's smirk faded to a gentle smile. "Really really, kid. For the rest of the afternoon, you have my undivided attention." She then had a thought, bobbing her head side to side. "Till 3:00 at least. Then I have to go play another show."

Cassie's face lit up, her eyes sparkling. "That's okay! Dad's shift ends at 3:30, so I was going to have to go home then anyway!"

"Perfect!" Roxy's grin widened, more so when she saw Gregory's broad smile. "Then me and Gregory will throw you the best party we can, and you can end your visit watching me and the band rocking out. Sound like a pla- uh!" The wolf was cut off by a weight slamming into her front, two small arms crushing around her waist.

"Yes!" Cassie beamed up through her bangs, clutching herself to the animatronic. "Thank you, Ms. Wolf! Thank you, thank you…"

"Okay, slow down, Rockstar," Roxy chuckled, returning the hug. "First, knock it off with this "Ms." stuff. The name's Roxy, and don't you forget it."

Cassie pulled back, nodding sharply. "Right. Got it!"

"Second, since I bet you haven't had lunch yet…" Roxy glanced back at the carrot cake sitting on the table, smirking at Cassie's happy gasp when she noticed it. "How about a little snack before the real party starts?"

RXY - Hey guys. Got a second?

MTY - Make it fast. I'm setting up for another game.

CHA - I can talk!

FDY - Are you in need of assistance, Roxanne?

RXY - Sort of. Any chance you guys can spare a few minutes to help me with a party?

FDY - I was not aware you were hosting any parties today.

RXY - Yeah, you can thank Gregory for that.

MTY - Uh-oh

FDY - Oh dear

CHA - Oh boy (◔_◔) what did he do this time?

RXY - First, one of you double-check me. Do you see a guest profile for a girl named Cassie? Should have a party schedule today.

FDY - Checking… I have found her. She should be enjoying a basic tier party in party room 6.

RXY - Okay…. Now, how many guests are registered as attending?

FDY - That would be… oh… oh, dear…

MTY - What? What's the big… oh.

CHA - …zero? …no one came to her party?

RXY - Okay, so I wasn't glitching when I saw that. Sorry, just wanted to make sure Gregory wasn't pulling a fast one on me.

FDY - A fast one? What do you mean?

RXY - Gregory found Cassie crying at her empty party and used his gold card to rent me out for a VIP party.

CHA - He's giving her a better birthday party? Aww, that's so sweet! …a complete misuse of his gold card, but still, sweet!

MTY - Cool of the little guy, but what's that got to do with us?

RXY - Look, I want to give this kid the best party I can… but I'm only one bot. And I can only be so entertaining with what's in my Green Room. Monty, Freddy, any chance there's going to be an open window for your games soon?

MTY - You're in luck. Crowd is thinning out for lunch and no one's in the queue after this game. I can reserve a spot for ya in 20 minutes.

RXY - Perfect! Thanks, Monty. Freddy?

FDY - I'm afraid not, Roxanne. A youth group has rather taken over my attraction. I don't think there will be an opening until after our next show.

RXY - Darn it! Now what? The kids already said they don't want to go to Mazercize… er, sorry, Chica.

CHA - It's okay! I know it's not for everyone.

RXY - But what do I do now? Anyone have any ideas?

CHA - …What about Bonnie Bowl?

RXY - …

FDY - …

MTY - …Cheeks…

CHA - …yeah, I know. But the kids still love it. And there's always an open lane!

RXY - I…I don't know, chica.

CHA - Roxy, it's not disrespectful to go in there. If anything, you all know he'd want us to be having fun in his place.

RXY - It's… it's not that.

CHA - Then what?

RXY - I… It's…

MTY - Is this about how you suck at bowling?

FDY - Monty!

RXY - I don't suck at it! I'm just…not the best at it…yet.

MTY - Does it matter? We usually let the kids win anyway.

RXY - There's a difference between letting them win and actually losing.

CHA - Oh, come on, Roxy! It'll be fun! Tell you what: Mazercize is kind of empty today. I'll grab some pizzas and join you all for a couple games. We'll make a pizza party out of it!

RXY - I don't know…

CHA - Think about it, Roxy, which is more important? You winning at bowling, or you making that little girl happy?

RXY - …

CHA - ROXANNE.

RXY - All right, all right, fine! I'll do it. We'll finish up here, play a round of Gator Golf, and meet you to go bowling.

CHA - Yay! Oh, this will be so much fun!

RXY - Yeah… yippee…

FDY - Does Miss Cassie seem to be having a fun birthday so far?

RXY - I think so. She hasn't stopped smiling since I painted her face up.

CHA - Ohh, face painting? What did you give her?

RXY - She asked for a copy of my makeup. I'm in the middle of painting Freddy's on Gregory right now.

MTY - Wait, Little Guy let you paint his face? You offered that to him a while back and he said it was little kid stuff!

RXY - Cassie's got some pretty powerful puppy dog eyes. And… well, I insisted.

CHA - Oh, they must look so cute!

FDY - You are giving Gregory my face paint?

RXY - Yep. And I'm doing a perfect job of it, as always.

FDY - …could you take a picture after?

MTY - PLEASE take a picture! Hahaha!

RXY - Well, duh. You think I'm passing this up?

CHA - Oh, boy…

RXY - Like you don't want to see this.

CHA - …yeah, true.

"Okay, Cassie… bend your knees."

"Like this?"

"Perfect. Keep your arms straight… now, swing with as much power as you think you need."

Clank… CLUNK!

"I did it!"

Roxy grinned as Cassie hopped from foot to foot excitedly, beaming as a tinny speaker above them growled in Monty's voice, "Hole in one!"

"Hey, nice shot, kid!" Monty said that he and Gregory got ready for their turns. The gator reached behind his back, coming out with a pair of sunglasses just like his usual ones.

Cassie gasped as he held them out to her. "Thank you, Mr. Gator!" She said as she perched them on the bridge of her nose, pushing them all the way up so they wouldn't slide down. She and Roxy stepped off to the side so the boys could take their turn.

Monty chuckled. "'Mr.', huh? Wish all kids had your manners, girly." He turned his attention to the boy teeing off. "Speaking of which…"

"Yeah, yeah," Gregory droned dismissively as he eyed the course ahead. "Whatever."

"Aw, c'mon, Little Guy. Ya gonna stay mad at me all day?"

Gregory scowled as he positioned his club. "You laughed at me."

Monty snorted. "Can ya blame me?"

Gregory's eyes snapped up, glaring, not at Monty, but at Roxy. "No…"

Roxy met his glare with a grin. The kid might have been the tiniest bit intimidating… if not for the bright blue face mask painted across his eyes and nose.

Gregory just grumbled as he hit the ball. It rolled up the loop de loop… only to lose momentum halfway, falling and bouncing right back to him. Gregory groaned.

"Eh, tough break kid. Here, let me show you how it's done."

As Monty took his turn, Cassie looked up at Roxy, brow pinching in worry. "Did I… make Gregory mad, making him get his face painted?"

Roxy just smiled down at her, tussling her hair. "Nah, don't worry about it. He's just miffed cuz he thinks face paints are kid stuff, and we reminded him that he is, in fact, a kid." The wolf clicked her non-existent tongue. "Superstar forgets how to have fun sometimes."

Cassie's brow furrowed further. She looked back to watch Monty walk Gregory through the steps of a proper swing. Though the boy stayed pouting, he nodded along as Monty motions, taking the club when Monty offered. He stepped up to the ball and got in position. He stuck his tongue out in concentration, swinging just as Monty showed him. The ball went up the loop de loop, around it, and-

CLUNK!

"Yes!" Gregory fist-pumped as the ball hit home.

"There you go, Little Guy!" Monty let out a deep laugh, thumping Gregory hard on the back, sending the boy sprawling. "Uh, sorry."

Cassie heard Roxy let out a small amused huff. She looked up at the wolf curiously. Roxy's face, as she watched Monty help Gregory up, was… almost fond. Cassie's brow pinched further as she glanced between the boy and the animatronics. She hummed thoughtfully.

"I mean… it could be worse."

Roxy's eye twitched as she stared up at the monitor displaying their scores. "Not helping, Chica."

Chica half-heartedly put her hands up, rolling her eyes. "Fine, fine." She smiled at Gregory and Cassie. "I'm going to order another pizza. You two get another game started."

Gregory gave her a thumbs up, already tapping away at the console.

Roxy sank down into a chair, trying to keep a scowl off her face. Chica had been right on the money: More than half the lanes were full of kids and families, and despite taking the lanes at the very end of the alley, the fact that she and Chica were there bowling meant eyes were always on her. The "VIP Party" sign they'd set up behind them thankfully kept the animatronics from being swarmed by curious kids, but the attention meant she couldn't show her frustration outwardly.

Even though she really, really wanted to.

She was pulled from her fuming by twin cheers. She looked up at the lanes to see Gregory standing at the start of an empty lane, the sign above him flashing strike. The boy threw his hands up with a cheer, Cassie giggling at his antics as she readied her throw. The multitude of Glamrock charms around her wrists (courtesy of Chica) jingled as she awkwardly threw the ball. It bounced wildly between the bumpers all the way down the lane, only knocking down four pins.

Not that Cassie seemed to mind. The smile on her face never seemed to leave, more giggles bursting out as Gregory tried to show her what to do for a spare.

The girl's joy coaxed a smile from the wolf, pushing away her frustrations at her low score.

"Think it's been a good party?"

Roxy looked up at the question. Chica watched the two kids play, smiling softly at them as she sat a fresh pizza on the table between the seats, along with a covered bowl.

Roxy followed her gaze, chuckling. "Seems like. I think the kid made a good call."

Chica giggled. "Oh, definitely!" Her expression then turned pensive. "Though I hope no one notices that this party just kind of came from nowhere."

Roxy waved her off. "We ain't costing the company anything, so I doubt anyone will look too deeply into it. If they do, we'll think of something."

Chica gave her a bemused look. "I wish I knew where you got your confidence."

Roxy just gave her a smirk, leaning back in her seat. "It's a gift."

"Roxy!"

The animatronics looked over as Cassie came running up, beaming. "I got the spare! Did you see?"

"Sure did, Rockstar!" Roxy held out her hand for a fistbump, Cassie returning it eagerly. "Let's see if you can keep it up!"

Cassie nodded rapidly. "Yeah, I-"

"Youch!"

The two looked over in surprise at Gregory's Yelp. The boy rubbed his hand as he yanked away from the pizza box, looking up at Chica in betrayal. The guitarist just stared him down with a stern look. "You know the rules, mister." She held out the covered bowl, along with a fork and bottle of Fazer-Ranch dressing. "You got to break up lunch with at least one salad."

Gregory pouted up at her. "Chica…"

"Don't 'Chica' me." Roxy could tell by the twitch of her beak that Chica was fighting a smile. "Just finished this, and you can go back to gorging on pizza."

Gregory grumbled under his breath. He looked towards Roxy.

Roxy snorted. "Don't look at me, kid. I'm just a racing wolf. Nutrition is Chica's domain."

"Ugh… fine." Gregory pouted as he took the bowl out of Chica's hands, sitting down to begrudgingly eat his salad, though not without a comment under his breath about 'rabbit food.'

(Roxy felt a twinge in her chest, both at the feeling of loss… and at knowing such a comment would have elicited an explosion of laughter from the bot in question.)

Chica just gave Gregory a self-satisfied smile, turning to bowl her turn. Roxanne let out a sigh, getting out of her chair to do the same, resigning herself to another low score.

She didn't notice Cassie looking between her and Chica, eyes drifting to Gregory attacking his salad as she munched on a slice of pizza.

"So, did you have a good time, Cassie?"

Before they knew it, the hours had passed and Roxy was back in her Green Room to prepare for her show. To the wolf's utter joy, Cassie didn't seem upset in the slightest. Any trace of the crying girl from before was wiped away, replaced with an excited, beaming Cassie as she and Gregory went through the small box of goodies the birthday girl had collected throughout the day. It honestly wasn't much compared to other parties Roxy had seen, but the fact that she'd won/been gifted the plushies and t-shirts with Roxy by her side seemed to make them more valuable than gold.

Case and point, Cassie's sparkling smile as she turned to the wolf, clutching both her original Roxy plush and a brand new one to her chest. "Yes! Yes, yes, this has been the best birthday ever!"

Roxy chuckled as she put the VIP party sign away, leaving the curtains closed for the moment. "Glad to hear it." She glanced over at Gregory briefly, who was fiddling with his Fazwatch "Not how I thought I'd be spending today, but I can't think of a better way."

Cassie's smile dimmed a little bit. "I'm sorry that this got sprung on you so last minute-"

"Ah, ah! Don't even, kid!" Roxy cut in, placing a finger against Cassie's lips. "If I'd let you suffer through a bummer of a party, I wouldn't be doing my job."

Cassie pushed the finger away but held on to Roxy's hand with both of hers. "Still…" she said bashfully, looking up at the wolf. "Thank you, Ms.-" She paused when Roxy lifted her head a bit, raising an expectant brow. Cassie's cheeks tinted, her smile widening. "Thank you, Roxy."

Roxy relented with a grin, pulling the girl in for one last hug. "No problem, Rockstar." She gave Cassie as tight a squeeze as she dared, then pulled back. "Now, I'm sorry I got to kick you out, but I got a show to-"

Knock-knock.

Cassie jumped at the sudden thumping, Roxy's head snapping towards her room's maintenance door.

"May I come in?"

Roxy blinked, perplexed. She went over and hit the switch, the heavy maintenance door flying up. "Freddy? Shouldn't you be getting ready for the show?"

Freddy Fazbear himself stepped into the room, giving a wide smile. "I am about to, Roxanne. However, I have something to do here first." His eyes moved to Cassie, who looked up at him in surprise. "So long as I'm not intruding, of course."

Roxy gave the bear a quizzical look, looking at Cassie herself. When Cassie just gave a bemused shrug, Roxy stepped back to let him through. "Make it fast, boss bot. We're on a deadline."

"I shall not take long." Freddy stepped fully into the room, sending a quick smile Gregory's way. He then gave Cassie his full attention. "Miss Cassie, on behalf of myself and the Glamrock Band, I'd like to wish you a Happy Birthday and give you a parting gift before your party ends."

Cassie's eyes widened as Freddy's chest plate opened up, revealing a small purple wind-up box wrapped with a green bow inside. Freddy took the box in his large hands, kneeling down to her as his chest plate closed. He held the box out to her with a smile.

Cassie took it reverently, holding her Roxy plushies in the crook of her arm. "You didn't have to get me something," she said quietly, her eyes shining slightly.

Freddy just laughed lowly. "Every child should have a present to open on their birthday. Though, in truth, for this one, I am merely the delivery boy." He looked off to the side.

Cassie followed his gaze, eyes falling on Gregory as the boy waved his arms in front of him with a panicked look. He froze when Cassie saw him. "Uh… surprise?" He said sheepishly, getting an amused snort out of Roxy.

"Smooth, kid."

Now even more curious, Cassie started winding the small crank on the side of the box. A little jingle played as she cranked, until the box lid popped off in a puff of confetti (Roxy grumbling about cleaning up later). Cassie reached into the box, pulling out two objects the same size as her hand. One was purple with Roxy's head sculpted at the top of it, the other orange with Freddy's. "Walkie-talkies?" She questioned.

The Freddy one was suddenly snatched out of her hand, Gregory looking everywhere but at her as he said. "The range of these things goes for miles and… well, it sounds like you go to school with some real jerks, so…" He rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "I figured if you ever wanted to talk to someone who didn't suck…"

Cassie's eyes blew wide as she understood what he was saying. She looked down at the Roxy-Talkie. Her lips pulled to a thin line.

Gregory, seeing this, instantly looked worried. "Uh… if you hate them that much, I can probably think of something- gah!"

Before he knew it, Cassie had thrown her arms around him, pulling him into a bone-aching hug. "Thank you," she muttered into his shoulder.

Gregory went beet red. "Uh… you're welcome." He shot Roxy and Freddy a glare when he heard their chuckles at his expense.

Roxy, unaffected, just laughed harder. She then checked the time. "Okay, okay. Cassie, I'm glad you had a good birthday, but Freddy and I really need to get ready for the show."

Cassie pulled away from Gregory, much to the boy's relief. She sniffled into her sleeve, before smiling up at the wolf. "Okay. Thank you again, Roxy, Mr. Fazbear."

Roxy grinned. "No problem, Rockstar. Now, scoot, the both of you! We got a show to put on!"

Cassie gave her and Freddy one last smile before making for the door out to Rockstar Row, box of gifts in hand. Gregory waved at the two of them before following her out.

"Oh, and Gregory!"

The boy paused halfway through the door, looking back.

Roxy gave him a wink. "Good job, kid."

Gregory beamed at her, then ran after Cassie. Roxy and Freddy watched them go with matching smiles. "Gregory is a good boy," Freddy said proudly.

Roxy snorted. "He's a menace, more like."

"... he can be both."

The bots shared a grin at their young friend's expense. Then Roxy tapped the back of her hand against Freddy's shoulder. "C'mon, you big lug," she said, picking up her keytar before moving towards the maintenance door. "Cassie's party may be over, but the day ain't done."

"Right!" Freddy followed her down the hall, giving the mic in his hand a quick twirl. "The show must go on!"

The two made their way behind their Green Rooms. They soon joined up with Monty and Chica, the four making their way towards the stage to entertain an all-new crowd of excited children.

Another day, another successful show.