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it wasn't uncommon for gregory to tune into peoples' conversations. it gave him something to do, and sometimes it was useful. it was one of the few sources of 'news' he had.
so, unsurprisingly, he'd heard about freddy fazbear's mega pizzaplex. children and adults alike would excitedly chatter to one another; discussion of parties, animatronics, toys, playground equipment, food.
he listened much more intently now, more aware of how hungry he was. his ribs were poking through his skin.
"for a place that has so many customers and uses frozen ingredients, their food always tastes so good," someone rambles. gregory's stomach rumbled painfully; he didn't care if the food tasted like cardboard , he'd gladly take what he could get.
so he decided to sneak into the pizzaplex the following day.
a voice in the back of his head spoke.
it's a place for kids. you could be a real child for once.
he scoffed, picking away a scab on his hand. he wasn't a little kid anymore.
~
when the pizzeria opened the next day, he went in with a crowd of children. gregory blended in quite well.
though, he was extremely aware of his appearance.
he knew he looked and smelled bad. dirty, covered in bruises, no parents.
he brushed off the thoughts, focusing on the task at hand. he made a brisk beeline for the restrooms.
he shoved his head under the faucet of the sink, turning it on, then began to guzzle every drop that didn't spill out of his mouth.
it was so fresh, cold, and relieving. he thought he could cry.
big kids don't cry.
he turned the sink off and wiped the wetness from his mouth, then began to look for something to eat.
he noticed the food courts were packed, of course, so he settled on looking for the kitchens instead.
after not much searching, he snuck his way into an unguarded one. he saw that it was filled with pizza ingredients: raw dough, sauce, pepperoni, cheese, and something called "not meat".
he could care less what any of it was, so long as it was mostly edible.
he began grabbing handfuls of something , stuffing his face with it. he didn't even notice the security guard come through the door, catching him red-handed.
"hey, kid!"
shit .
gregory stumbled to his feet, new and old scrapes bursting open and gushing with blood.
and he ran. he ran and ran until he couldn't breathe, his lungs unable to keep up with his frantic movement.
gregory had made his way to a dip in the wall, donning a bear shaped icon. the door was open, so he stumbled into it and quickly shut it.
when he finally caught his breath, sharp and stinging, he was aware of a horrible pain in his leg.
walk it off .
he ignored the sensation, instead sparing a look around the room he'd come into.
his eyes soon fell on the animatronic plugged into the wall. he felt himself scramble over to the bear, childish excitement suddenly pumping through his veins.
it's... really him. it's freddy fazbear.
"it's just about showtime, let's go!" a voice called from somewhere outside.
gregory froze. he had to think fast. his eyes landed on the loose, open hatch of freddy's stomach.
some party favors and treats were placed neatly in the animatronic, and the child found his hiding place.
he made room for himself in the small cavity, pushing some items out in the process. he swung the hatch door closed just as he felt the robot power up.
gregory could see through the cracks of the glamrock bot's casing, and the robot began to move. the boy was pushed further back, his body making contact with freddy's endoskeleton. thankfully, the bot didn't seem to notice.
it all seemed to go by quickly. freddy left the room, got onstage with his bandmates, the crowd of people cheered, the bright lights shone in ever direction, the start of bass pounding music. it was too much. just as the child covered his ears, he felt freddy twitching.
gregory felt every movement as the bot malfunctioned, toppling over to the ground.
both himself and the robot passed out.
-
those events brought gregory to where he was now. locked in a closed pizzeria, animatronics and security bots alike trying to come after him.
his hands found his hair, and he tugged at it roughly. he was cramped into a child's stroller in a desperate attempt to get some space. it'd barely been a few hours, and he was already breaking down. it was a stupid idea to come here, yearning for a childhood he never had.
he felt horrible. he was being such a burden to freddy, someone who felt obligated to help him for no reason. he'd intruded, hurt his friends, and caused chaos in the building.
he shouldn't have come in the first place. merely thinking he deserved a childhood, fresh food, was selfish of him.
obviously he's been left to fend for himself as punishment. this was well deserved.
tears brimmed his eyes again, stinging, and he let out a quiet whimper. he peeled a bandaid off his leg, a bandaid freddy gave him, and began to scratch the skin raw. he repeated the same process over and over with every other bandaid plastered along his body. he was twitching, shaking, and crying.
he truly wasn't even trying to hide from anything anymore.
his arm jerked to the side, his fazwatch hitting a part of the stroller. a familiar beep rang out from it.
shit.
he'd just called for freddy.
in a desperate attempt to make sure the animatronic stayed where he was, he switched the microphone on to talk to him.
"sorry, freddy, i-i didn't mean to press that," he croaked pathetically, a quiver in his voice.
"gregory! i am on my way, you sound unwell," the bear responded immediately, concern evident in his voice.
how's that possible? he's a robot.
gregory didn't have the energy to protest.
-
the moment freddy found gregory, the boy was bloodied and snotty. he held his arms out, and the boy hesitantly nodded.
the animatronic did not put him into his stomach hatch. instead, he held him in his arms as he walked back to his room. gregory's arms were wrapped tightly around freddy's neck, face tucked underneath his muzzle.
once the bear had seated gregory on the sofa in his room, he'd pulled a first aid kit from a compartment in his casing.
"gregory... what happened?" freddy asked gently, pressing an alcohol soaked cotton ball to his scrapes.
the boy hissed through his clenched teeth, gripping the cushion below him.
"i picked them open." he said simply, focusing on the wall instead of freddy.
"on... purpose?" he pressed.
he nodded simply.
the animatronic began to press fresh bandaids on gregory's skin. to say he was worried was an understatement.
"are you homesick?"
the question caught gregory off guard. his face scrunched up, and his untrimmed fingernails sunk into the flesh of his palms.
"it's hard to miss something i don't have. but yeah," he mumbled.
he could hear freddy's fans whirring, as if the bot was in thought. maybe he was, gregory didn't know.
"you," he paused, "don't have a home?"
gregory shook his head.
"parents?" freddy was worried. his gears clicked, and he looked at the boy across him once more. he felt a horribly overwhelming urge to protect him, more so than the many other children he encountered daily.
"uh, no, but i have a box," he shrugs, rubbing the fabric of a bandaid on his knee.
"that is not okay, i cannot just send you out like that if you have nowhere better to go. i do not want you to be forced to fend for yourself that way."
gregory seemed unsure of freddy's reaction.
"you're- you're just programmed to say this stuff. you don't really care," he said aloud. "grown-ups don't say anything like that unless they're lying,"
"gregory, i have no reason to lie to you. if you need space, i will give it to you. if you need comfort, i will provide it. i want you to be okay," as freddy spoke the last words, gregory broke. he began to weep, rubbing at his eyes roughly. concern painted freddy's features, along with his vibrant colors.
"what can i do, superstar?"
gregory sniffled repeatedly, then weakly held his arms up. freddy understood quickly, and he carefully picked the boy up and held him in his lap. he wrapped him in a spare blanket, and hugged him firmly. his volume was low as he murmured sweet, reassuring things to gregory.
"you will be alright," the animatronic knew this was unprofessional and unacceptable in the eyes of many. but he refused to let gregory continue to fend for himself. if this was where the boy wanted to stay, with someone who could properly care for him, he was eager to provide that.
gregory's sniffling had lessened. he was comfortably warm, his head tucked underneath freddy's own, the bear's arms wrapped tightly around him. maybe he was right. maybe it would be alright.