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Gentle thumps that echoed against the hollow of his chest cavity made Freddy's ears twitch. The sound barely carried over the heavy thunks of his own footsteps as he crossed the atrium of the Pizzaplex, but the subtle vibrations moving over his endoskeleton helped identify where the sound came from. S.T.A.F.F. bots rolled along in their patrols, wheels softly whirring as they ignored the animatronic moving past them towards an employee entrance.
Freddy pushed the door open gently, glancing around as he moved into the next hall to check for any of his bandmates. Coast was clear. He stepped aside to let the door close fully and make space for the hatches of his torso to open and let the little boy safely tucked inside drop out to land on his own two feet.
"Aaah, feels good to stretch!" the brunet sighed in relief, throwing his arms up as he stretched onto his toes and arched his back before flopping forward with a huff. "Man, I'm huuungry. Is there anything around here I can get to eat?"
"All of the kitchens are closed until the Pizzaplex opens, Gregory," Freddy pointed out quietly as part of his processing stretched out to check the scheduled times, part called attention to his battery's charge level, and part checked over the boy's general physical condition visually. "However, there are a number of vending machines throughout the complex that dispense a variety of snacks and drinks. Perhaps you can make use of them, provided you have the required Faz Tokens for purchases."
Gregory gave him a flat glare, hands interlocked behind his head. The angle of his limbs gave Freddy a better view of the bandages wrapped around one arm; they had gotten filthy over time since they were first applied hours ago, likely the result of the boy crawling through vents and hiding in dark corners and nooks and crannies. They would need to be changed soon. He compared the condition of the bandages to the condition of Gregory's clothes and hummed internally. The whole wardrobe would need to be changed, to keep the fresh bandages cleaner longer.
"Uh, in case you haven't noticed, I don't exactly carry money on me. I'm just a kid," Gregory said in a dry tone, dipping his hands into his pockets and turning them out to demonstrate. "Where am I gonna get Faz Tokens?"
Freddy pinged the network with a query, sighing internally yet again as another connection error sound triggered in response. Whatever had caused his isolation from the Pizzaplex's systems was still running and he had yet to pin down where the intrusive code was lurking inside his programming. He turned instead to his own memories, searching through them quickly for any references to Faz Token acquisitions.
"Some guests toss Faz Tokens into the fountains of the Pizzaplex to make wishes. The janitorial service is responsible for collecting these Tokens and returning them to circulation at the end of each business week," Freddy reported, eyes darting back and forth as he 'read' over the files of what he could overhear of the employee gossips and complaints in the past. "You may be able to find some Tokens in the fountain at the Superstar Daycare or at the lobby." He sent a packet of data to the watch linked to himself. "I have marked both locations on your map."
Gregory's dismayed groan floated over him as Freddy considered the options himself.
The walk back to the elevator and ride down to the lobby was done in relative silence, the two of them moving as stealthily as they could to get past S.T.A.F.F. and animatronics alike. There had been a sighting of the human guards wandering around in their search on the upper levels of the Pizzaplex but neither of them had looked down so they were in the clear.
The elevator doors opened to let Freddy and Gregory step out into the lobby's second floor. From there was a safe path to the daycare and the fountain in that wing of the Pizzaplex. Freddy expected the boy to start walking that way, and was rightfully puzzled by Gregory turning instead to face him, arms raised to him.
"Boost me up, Freddy, I want to check the lobby floor real quick," the brunet said and Freddy squinted at him. Familiarity, distant and distorted, flickered in his thoughts for a moment before it passed and he bent to carefully lift the boy into his arms, hoisting him up to one shoulder.
"It would be easier to use your Fazwatch to check the cameras," he pointed out as Gregory peered out at the lobby from his new vantage point.
"Yeah, but this way's more fun and it gets me off my feet," Gregory told him with a sly grin before pointing down at the lobby's fountain. "It doesn't look like Chica is patrolling here anymore. Let's get down to the fountain and see if there's some tokens!"
The gates covering the entrances to Glamrock Gifts were still open for access. Freddy gave the large display windows of the shop a cursory glance as he headed down the stairs with Gregory still sitting cheerfully on his shoulder. A number of the merchandise on display were clothing and toys, some of which were to be cycled out for new items later in the week.
Once he reached the fountain, Freddy bent to let Gregory jump from his shoulder to the floor, one hand reaching up to give the boy something to hold on to as he did. Gregory murmured his thanks absently, already leaning over the edge of the fountain to search the water for coins. Another internal sigh. Freddy kept a passive watch on the time in his internal clock while standing by Gregory, ready to pull him back if it looked like the boy might tumble into the fountain.
"There's not a lot of tokens I can see," Gregory muttered, soft splashes sending ripples through the water as he dragged his fingers along the bottom of the fountain. Coins collected and were dredged up, laid out along the rim of the pure white basin. While Gregory counted out the number of Faz Tokens he managed to scavenge, Freddy looked up at the golden statue of himself displayed prominently in the center of the decorative water source. It wasn't the first time he'd seen the thing but the odd sense of discomfort at the sight was new, faint but present. He wasn't sure what the feeling was, but he considered the possibility of covering the statue with tarp as a solution and the concept seemed to soothe the strange discomfort.
"Okay, I've got seven Faz Tokens," Gregory announced, wiping his wet hands on his shirt and shorts. Freddy narrowed his eyes at the motions, humming in disapproval at the actions. "I think I remember seeing some chips in the daycare lobby.. and there were some vending machines there, too. Let's go back-."
"Those clothes are in poor condition. I can not in good conscience let you continue in them. It would be detrimental to your health," Freddy interrupted and turned away to walk towards Glamrock Gifts. "There is some Fazbear Entertainment brand merchandise that is being discontinued during the next restock. Discontinued merchandise is often returned to storage, so there is nothing in the policy against small donations." Soft taps against the tile sounded as Gregory caught up to give him a puzzled look.
"You're giving me clothes?" the boy asked, a strange tone to his voice. Freddy nodded, carefully flicking through the racks of shirts with the tips of his claws to find something roughly Gregory-sized. A colorful block print hoodie caught his eye and he pulled it out to hold in front of the boy staring up at him, gauging the size against his body; a bit too small, and the colors were too flashy. He'd stand out to the other animatronics in it. Freddy put the hoodie back and continued searching. "Can I say how weird it is to have you shopping for clothes for me while we're trying to avoid a bunch of killer robots?" Gregory asked dryly.
"They are not 'killer' robots as we are not programmed to harm guests," Freddy corrected quietly and pulled out a purple shirt that seemed a better fit before moving on to find some shorts to match. "I have heard people say things about me, bad things. That is not me, older models that were very flawed in their programming and craftsmanship may have been responsible for injuries in the past," he went on, flickers of sorrow and self-doubt making him falter briefly before pressing on, "but I am not like those models. I will not hurt you so I do not know why you would believe my friends will do so."
A pair of khaki shorts seemed sturdy and the right size; Freddy took them and placed the fresh clothes into a shopping bag. With the bag in one hand and Gregory's grip on his other, the animatronic bear began the walk back to the utility tunnels to reach the first aid station.
"This is kind of the opposite way to all those vending machines, Freddy," Gregory grumbled, hurrying to match pace with the distance covered by his longer legs. Freddy shortened his stride to compensate, listening as the boy fell into a more natural walking movement beside him.
"Your bandages are in need of changing, and they will stay cleaner with a fresh change of clothes as well," he replied firmly as they turned into the alcove with the first aid station. He disregarded the huff he heard as just general annoyance while Gregory took a seat on the bench in the cubicle. The boy held out his arm, wincing slightly as Freddy carefully took it in his hands to unwrap the bandages and check on the wound. The scratch that had bled and caught his sensors' attention at the start of the night was drying, blood flaking around the forming scab. A quick scan showed no further damage had been caused by all their activity.
There were cleaning solutions and sterile pads and cotton balls piled in the first aid kit left open from their last visit. Gregory protested in a halfhearted manner, barely any heat to his words, as Freddy opened one of the cleaning pads and gently swiped it over his arm, brushing away the flakes and disinfecting the wound once more. Soft cotton bandaging was unrolled and wrapped around Gregory's arm, then delicately tied into place with care. The boy seemed surprised by his fine motor skills and Freddy just wiggled fingers at him to show off his control over his joints in amusement.
Fresh plasters were opened and swapped for the dirty ones on Gregory's face and leg, Freddy clicking his tongue in mild irritation at the scrapes and bruises. Despite his attempts to keep the boy safe, Gregory still managed to collect small injuries like this. He would just have to try harder.
With new bandages and plasters firmly in place to Freddy's approval, he reached into the shopping bag and pulled out the fresh clothes, handing them to Gregory. "Change and put your old clothes in the bag. We may be able to find a way to have them cleaned on the premises," he explained when the boy looked up at him in confusion, "Our VIP party tables use fresh linen cloth instead of plastic or paper so there is an on-site laundry service for tablecloths and napkins."
"I guess that makes sense," Gregory agreed slowly, pulling out the clothes to snip off the tags, "This place has a lot of really fancy rooms for birthday parties, so they must be expensive to rent out and have expensive stuff in them." Freddy nodded, then held up his hands as Gregory pushed at his arm, slapping at the dull casing covering his body. "Okay, back out of my personal space! I can't exactly change with you staring at me; it's creepy!"
"Apologies, apologies!" Freddy chuckled, backing away and turning around to give the boy his privacy, ears wiggling at the sound of the drapes being drawn.
The trip to the daycare was done with Gregory tucked safely inside Freddy's stomach hatch, still grumbling over a desire for food that had him speed up his steps to get the boy to the vending machines that much faster. He kept an eye on his battery's charge as he moved. He wasn't sure why, but the idea of running out of power filled him with a sense of dread, as if something bad would happen if his programming chip went into hibernation while his body still had motion. If his systems were to shut down because his chip no longer had the power to stay 'awake', would his body also lose the safe mode setting he had in place for himself? And if so, what would it do without him in control?
Freddy shook his head to dislodge himself from the spiral of dark thoughts that could potentially follow. He had a child in need of food and drink and protection while he ate. Besides, there was a recharge station in the same area. He could regain power from that while Gregory got his snacks.
The brunet dropped gently out of him once they were safely in the fountain room and scampered towards the brightly lit vending machines. "Do not run so recklessly! You may trip and hurt yourself!" Freddy scolded through the Fazwatch, huffing in an unimpressed manner at the way Gregory turned to grin widely at him in response.
Kids. They never listen when he says not to do something, when he warns not to do something, and then when she didn't listen...
Freddy flinched hard at the internal shock to his systems, as though the memory -was it a memory? or fragmented data?- conflicted with his settings. One hand raised to his head, pressed against the casing and rubbed, like that would soothe the pain somehow. His vision of their surroundings grew hazy, a strange distortion that filtered purple-gray walls of metal in place of red brick and dark wood paneling. Visual error? Those walls were not part of the Pizzaplex aesthetic, too cold and sterile and dark underground...
"Freddy? Freddy! Are you okay? What's going on?" Gregory's frantic questioning was loud against the rapid taps of his footsteps rushing forward, even as the boy tried to keep his voice down. Freddy opened one eye in a squint, unaware he had shut them at all, and focused on the brunet looking worriedly up at him. He was closer than expected. Freddy opened his other eye to re-calibrate his vision, realizing belatedly that he had dropped to one knee in his confused state.
"I am.. I am alright," he murmured, rubbing at his head and glancing down at the bag of chips and can of pink lemonade in Gregory's hands. "You should eat and rest while we have the chance. I just need a moment to sort out some data fragments and then I will recharge before we continue."
The rustle of chips and the pop-fizz of the can opening were almost comforting sounds to hear. Freddy sat on the edge of the fountain beside Gregory, leaning against one of the decorative podiums as he watched the boy eat slowly. The bag of dirty clothes was set on the floor near his feet; Gregory would tuck it back inside his stomach hatch before jumping in when it came time for them to leave. It would look strange to the security bots for Freddy to carry around a shopping bag while on 'patrol'.
"What the heck happened to you anyway? You just kinda.. fell," Gregory muttered, the false disinterest of his tone conflicting with the concern in his eyes, "I thought something must have hacked you, like that rabbit lady did something to you while I was in the daycare."
Freddy winced at the mentions of a rabbit again; that grief was still there, lingering on long after the others accepted Monty into the band with only the most basic of questions as to what happened to Bonnie being answered. They recovered from the loss so easily; why couldn't he do the same?
"No, no hacking attempt has been made on my systems," he replied with a small shake of his head, "There was a sudden conflict in my data with the visuals I had scanned but it has been cleared. I am fine." But that wasn't all there was to it, was there? The way Gregory was looking at him, even the boy was aware he wasn't telling everything. But what could Freddy say? That memory fragments he didn't remember making were being recalled and activated because of things he said or did for Gregory? Images and thoughts coming forward that didn't feel like they belonged to him as Freddy Fazbear. That felt more like they belonged to something else, someone else.. but then how did they get transferred to him?
"I'm almost done," Gregory said suddenly, peering into his bag of chips. "You should get recharged before we go. I'll be fine for a little bit." Freddy nodded in agreement, pushing himself up to his feet and making his way to the gleaming red chamber. He stood inside it, letting the surge of electrical charge rise around him and soak into his battery.
He sighed in relief at the recharge and spent the rest of the time in the chamber watching Gregory finish his snack and drink through the viewing glass. Chips and lemonade aren't the most filling foods, but maybe they can gain access to the kitchens at some point and Freddy can make him a small pizza. He very carefully avoided lingering on the feeling of familiarity that came from thinking of ways to better take care of Gregory.
A soft ring in his ears let him know when the recharge cycle was complete and Freddy stepped out of the station, waiting while Gregory tossed the empty chip bag and can into one of the Glamrock themed bins. The boy pressed a button on his Fazwatch and Freddy picked up the call alert in his system, a marker appearing in his internal map and the icon representing himself pathfinding the most efficient route to Gregory. He hurried over, grinning at the boy's little jump and turn in reaction to his movement.
...and his? -too small, thin, pale, human- hands would reach down under the child's arms and scoop upward and swing around, laughter and giggles and black pixels vibrating over where the face should be and then white lines split the mass wide to reveal needle-point teeth, inhuman screeching rising from the depths beyond that maw, like drives spinning, whining, pushed beyond their limits...
The error cleared and Freddy's ears wiggled to shake off phantom echoes of some sound he wasn't sure he heard -yet another thing to run diagnostics for later- while his stomach hatch opened, exposing his chest cavity for the boy to pack his old clothes in and then climb in after. It was still a novel experience, proximity sensors picking up and mapping out Gregory squirming around to tuck himself into place, knees pulled in close and arms folded over his chest as he settled back and pressed his spine carefully against Freddy's endo while circuits and wires and the rest of the inner frame fitted around him. The same safety harness that kept cakes and pinatas level and stable inside him was now used to protect Gregory.
"This would be easier if you were wider," the boy complained lightheartedly as the hatches closed to hide him from sight. His voice was slightly tinny from being broadcast through the Fazwatch, and Freddy huffed in amusement as the marker in his internal map linked to the novelty item was moved to a new destination, El Chip's restaurant on the third floor of the atrium. He began walking as time ticked on; they had to keep moving so security would be less likely to catch Gregory or grow suspicious of Freddy's lack of 'patrol' routes.
"I think it would be easier if you just walked beside me to conserve my power," Freddy countered, jaw moving just enough to allow him a smile.
"You walk too fast! It's hard to keep up with you, y'know, stomping around all over the place with your big feet."
"It is not my fault you are so tiny! When we finally get you outside to your parents, I will lodge a request with them to have you eat more nutritious food so you can better match my strides in the future."
"Did you just Dad-voice at me?! To eat more vegetables?! Ugh!" Gregory declared and Freddy just laughed brightly at the mock-offended tone in the boy's voice as he walked on, S.T.A.F.F. turning their heads to stare in programmed reaction before returning to their duties.
It was strange that this felt right, like this was something he was meant to do and fit him alongside his roles as singer, performer, mascot. He meant what he said at the start of the night; he would keep Gregory safe, and long-term safety could be found in keeping him healthy in all the ways that matter, bandaged when injured, given healthy food to eat -his programming said three meals of pizza was healthy but he mentally kicked that code aside-, and kept happy with good companionship until he could be given back to his family.
Then maybe Freddy will be able to make it up to Bonnie this way, when he didn't press to be included in the rabbit's own attempt to escort a child out of the facility, and Bonnie's assurance that things would be alright would be the last he would ever hear his friend's voice. And who knows? Maybe in searching the Pizzaplex for an exit for Gregory, he might also find out what had happened to Bonnie and the girl he led away by the hand. The night was still young.
3 AM