Chapter Text
When the bell for lunch rang throughout the middle school, kids eagerly left their classrooms and headed towards the cafeteria. This was one of Gregory’s favorite parts of the day, because he got to sit with friends for an hour and just goof off. Out of the four of them, his classroom was the farthest away, which didn’t bother him because he always brought his lunch and because the others got there first, securing their usual table. When he stepped inside, he made a beeline for their table, waving when one of his friends spotted him.
“Hey man!” Liam greeted when Gregory plopped down beside him at their table, smiling. Noah and Tesa greeted him as well.
“Hey guys.” Gregory smiled at them then dug into his backpack for his lunchbox as the group slipped back into their conversation about a science project.
“Speaking of projects,” Noah turned his attention to the brunette. “What’s your midterm for robotics? I bet it’s something cool.”
Gregory grinned. “Yeah, we get to start making our own robots and at the end of the year, we get to fight each other. My dad’s gonna help me, he’s really good at tech stuff and has built robots before,” he told them as he set his lunchbox down and opened it to pull out the sub sandwich he packed today, unwrapping the butcher paper from it.
“Whaaat that is cool!” Tesa gushed, then pouted. “Man, I gotta put together a presentation about parts of a cell. That’s way lamer than what you get to do.”
“Hey, I gotta do the same project!”
“Yeah, but you have a fun project too!”
Gregory shrugged as he took a bite of his sandwich. He couldn’t argue with her there.
“Oh oh, that reminds me.” Liam leaned forward with a grin. “My parents said we could go to the pizzaplex this weekend! Do you guys wanna come along? We could pick you up on the way.”
Tesa’s eyes lit up at this. “Hell yeah! That’d be so awesome!”
“I’m down. You don’t need to pick me up, though.” The brunette agreed. Hell, he lived in the pizzaplex. In a way, it was like his friends were coming over to his house to hang out. “They just added new levels to the Faser Blast course too. We could totally beat it, all together.”
Noah whined and pouted as he set his plastic fork down against his tray. “That sounds like so much fun! I wish I could go.”
Liam made a face. “Why can’t you?”
“My dad doesn’t like that place, says it’s dangerous.” The blonde shook his hands a little and deepened his voice to mock the words.
Tesa giggled, “Oh please, how dangerous can it be? Other than losing all your tokens in the arcade.” Gregory just took another bite of his sandwich and didn’t comment. It definitely wasn’t dangerous anymore.
Noah made a face and poked at his mac’n’cheese with his fork. “I don’t know, something about the animatronics hurting people way back in the 80s or something. He doesn’t trust them.”
Gregory paused in his chewing at this, his interest peaked immediately. Quickly, he swallowed and asked, “What are you talking about?” He asked.
“Yeah, I’ve never heard of anything like that.” Tesa added.
The blonde rolled his eyes and shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess the company’s got like a history of children going missing and even being murdered in their restaurants?”
“What?” Liam made a face at this. “No way!”
Noah leaned forward. “It’s true! Well I mean, I don’t know if it’s actually true, but that’s what my dad said happened.” He glanced between all of them then. “He even said the Bonnie animatronic totally ripped the front of some guy’s head clean off with his teeth.”
Gregory’s stomach suddenly dropped and he didn’t feel hungry anymore, lowering his sandwich. He could feel his anxiety start to slowly prickle up the back of his neck as dread settled in. Tesa gasped as she lifted her hands to her mouth. “No way! Bonnie would never do that! He’s so nice and really funny!” She argued.
“Yeah the new one is, but this was like years ago. I doubt it’s the same animatronic, especially after a malfunction like that.”
Liam pulled his phone out and started typing away. “I’m looking it up. If something like that happened, then there’s gotta be something online about it, right? News reports or something?” Gregory glanced over at his phone. He hadn’t even considered doing research into the animatronics’ pasts. It just didn’t feel right, since they were so reluctant to talk about it in the first place. There was a part of him that didn’t want to hear this, but he didn’t stop Liam from reading what he found aloud. “Holy shit, you’re right!” The boy cried in surprise then leaned forward. “Here, listen to this. It says the Bonnie animatronic attacked a day time security guard out of nowhere during a birthday party, bit the front of his head clean off, and the dude actually survived it!”
Noah looked between all of them. “See! I told you!”
“It even goes on to say here that back in the 80s and 90s, a bunch of kids went missing at lot of the different locations, too.” He gasped, his eyes flying across the screen. “And that they even found the bodies of the dead kids inside the animatronics! The smell tipped them off.”
Noah’s wide eyes lit up with curious sparkles. “Cool!”
Tesa made a face. “Not cool! That’s gross! That article’s gotta be fake. There’s no way you could fit a kid inside the animatronics. The biggest thing I’ve seen Freddy carry was a birthday cake.” She argued. Gregory gripped his sandwich a little tighter as he stared down at the table.”
“Uh huh! It’s totally true!” Liam turned his phone to show her the screen. “See, look! It’s a news website. They even have the names of the kids that died listed.” He pulled his phone back to read them aloud. Gregory felt his heart skip a beat when he heard one of the kid’s names was ‘Cassidy.’
He tuned out the conversation after that, biting into his lower lip hard enough to hurt, his mind reeling. He recalled everything he had learned of Bonnie and Freddy’s past, how they were “twisted” into people they didn’t want to be. He knew they had hurt people before, adults who had mistreated children, but did they actually murder people; children and adults alike? No, that couldn’t be right. He had seen how angry they would get just at the possibility of someone mistreating kids. There was no way they had anything to do with these supposed murders. It had to be that Afton guy, he had to have something to do with this. He already knew he hurt kids in the past, and the three oldest animatronics hated him with a burning passion. And then that child’s name, Cassidy… She was…? No, there’s no way the thing he met down in the bowels of the earth was the same Cassidy, it had to be a coincidence naming. There was no way the same little girl that died back then could now be an animatronic. He was pretty sure that wasn’t how it worked, but his stomach still twisted as he wondered. His heart rate quickened as his anxiety started to gain traction and physically affect him. He had to get out of here. Suddenly the lunch room was too loud and too crowded.
“Hey, Gregory.” The brunette blinked and looked up, seeing all his friends were looking at him in concern. “Are you ok? We didn’t mean to freak you out.” Noah asked.
“Yeah, we can stop talking about it, if you want.” Tesa added.
“I-I…” The boy started then quickly shoved his food back into his lunchbox. “I gotta go.” He stood and grabbed his things, throwing on his backpack over one shoulder.
“Where are you going?” Liam asked, scooting to the edge of the booth they had been sitting in. “I’ll go with you!”
“No!” Liam froze in shock when Gregory whipped around and snapped at him like that. The brunette’s eyes widened, instantly regretting his outburst, then shook his head. “S-Sorry, just- I need a second.” He told them then turned and hurried out of the lunch room.
As soon as he stepped outside, he gulped down cold air and made a beeline for the boys’ bathroom. He pushed into the stall farthest from the door and locked it, before moving to sit on the back tank of the toilet after dropping his things on the floor. He wrapped his arms around himself and curled forward as he whimpered, but tried to take some slow, deep breaths to calm himself down, just like Freddy had shown him. He tried focusing on counting as he breathed in and out, mentally noting when his mind wandered off and gently brought it back, but it was hard. He suddenly felt terrified, angry, and sad all at once. He wasn’t scared of what Noah had told them or what Liam had read, wasn’t scared of Bonnie all of a sudden because of what he might have done, but instead it felt like a second hand emotional experience. He couldn’t stop thinking about what it might have felt like to be in that situation, to be forced to live through something so terrible, something so against his nature. To… to be programmed to love children and take care of them, but then to have their dead bodies stuffed inside of them, rotting away. What kind of psychopath would do such a thing? He couldn’t even begin to imagine what something so disgusting must have felt like, how long they must have been like that. It was tearing him apart inside to just think about his parents having to go through something so awful.
He could feel himself spiraling. His attempts at calming himself down weren’t working. Quickly, with shaking hands, Gregory dug out his phone and called the direct line they had set up to Freddy. He never used it after testing it and knew he was busy, but he needed him right now.
The phone rang a few times, before suddenly the singer’s voice was washing over him, and it caused tears to come to his eyes. “Gregory!” Freddy said in surprise and delight. “Hello, my little superstar! I am surprised to receive a call from you. Is everything alright?” Gregory opened his mouth to speak, but his throat was so tight, he couldn’t get more than a whimper out. He sniffled and hiccuped a little as he rubbed at his eyes. Instantly, the singer’s tone changed to one of great concern. “Baby, are you crying? What’s wrong? Did something happen? Are you hurt?”
The boy shook his head, even though the other couldn’t see him. “Can you come get me?” He finally forced out in a tight and quiet voice. “P-Please?”
There was a very short pause before Freddy answered. “Yes, absolutely. Please give me just a moment to change, I have to find Bonnie. I promise I will be there as soon as I can, maybe thirty, forty-five minutes. I can stay on the line until the very last moment, if you want?”
Gregory nodded a little and whimpered out another, “Please?”
“Of course, love. Anything for you. I am here for you, always. Are you in danger at all?”
“No.” The boy whispered. “’M in the bathroom.”
Freddy sounded relieved. “Good, good. Well, I can talk about random things to fill the space, if you like? Or perhaps sing you a song?”
“Can… can you sing me something?”
“Absolutely.” So Freddy started to sing, pausing only to give an excuse to guests as to why he couldn’t stop for pictures or a chat, lying about having to get to a party happening soon. He also stopped when he found Bonnie. “I need you to transfer me into one of your androids, now.” He spoke quietly after the background noise faded away.
“Why, what’s wrong? Is it Gregory?” The boy could vaguely hear the bunny ask. At the sound of his voice, his mind flashed back to everything he had heard at lunch and he curled forward tighter, whimpering as he started to cry softly.
“Gregory?” Freddy spoke suddenly. “Hey, everything is going to be alright. I’m still here, ok? I’m still here.”
“Mhm.” Was the only response Gregory could give.
“What’s happening? Is he ok?” Bonnie asked, the sound of concern spiking in his voice.
“I do not know what happened, but he has asked me to pick him up from school, so I need you to transfer me right now, please.”
“Yeah of course, of course. Come on, it’ll take me just a few seconds. I’ll cover for you while you’re gone.”
Freddy went back to singing softly for Gregory, right up until he had to shut down. “I will be there in thirty minutes, alright sweetheart? Just remember to breathe and focus on the physical instead of the mental.”
“Ok.” Gregory replied and nodded a little. “Just… j-just hurry, ok?”
“Every moment I am on my feet, I will be running to get to you, I promise.”
The boy let out a shaky little sigh and nodded again. “Thank you…”
“You do not need to thank me. I will drop anything for you, at any moment. I love you.”
Gregory sniffled and rubbed at his eyes with the back of his hand, feeling his heart pull and warm a little at the words. “Love you too.” He murmured back, before their call ended.
When the bell rang, he didn’t move from his spot. He didn’t want to go to class and be around other people right now, where they would no doubt ask him what was wrong, which somehow made him feel so much worse. Plus, he didn’t like crying or being vulnerable in front of people. So he stayed locked in the bathroom for what felt like forever. He tried to distract himself by putting in his headphones and watching gaming videos on YouTube, which worked well enough for his body to calm back down. He put all his attention into it to get his mind off what had sent him into this spiral in the first place. He did get a few texts from his friends that he quickly swept away. He knew he left suddenly and they were no doubt worried when he didn’t show up for class, but he didn’t want to talk to anyone else right now. It would just lead to questions he didn’t want to answer.
Almost thirty minutes later on the dot, he received another phone call from Freddy saying he was in the main office and his heart jumped, then started to race as everything came rushing back to him. Gregory quickly gathered his things, shoving his headphones back into his backpack, and hurried out of the bathroom. He pulled up his hood and kept his head down as he walked, but thankfully the halls were mostly empty, since everyone was in class. He entered through the backdoor to the building and made his way towards the front, where he saw Freddy in the same vessel he had used the last time he came to the school, same clothes and everything, standing anxiously by the front doors. As soon as Gregory saw him, he felt the same rush of emotions as before and he darted towards him. Freddy turned around quickly at the sound of thundering feet, then knelt and caught the boy in his arms, hugging him tightly.
“I’ve got you, I’m here.” The singer murmured to him. Gregory buried his face into his neck as he wrapped his arms tightly around him, relishing in his presence and the warmth this vessel gave off. Tears sprung up in his eyes, but he tried hard to keep from making any sound in the lobby, where people would no doubt notice. Freddy easily scooped him up to carry and moved to push the front door open with his butt. “Come, let’s go home. You can tell me what happened whenever you’re ready to.” The boy just gave a little nod in response.
Unfortunately, the next bus would take about twenty minutes to arrive and it was cold out, so Freddy ended up taking him into a cafe nearby to wait. He set him down at a table tucked away in the corner and knelt to look up at him. “I’m going to get you something warm to drink. Will you be alright by yourself while I’m gone?” Gregory wiped his face with the sleeves of his jacket and nodded. “Alright, I won’t be long.” He reached up to gently take the boy’s hands away from his face so he could kiss his forehead, before standing to go to the order counter.
Gregory stared down at his feet after he left, not sure what to do now. His mind was buzzing with a million different thoughts and emotions. Slowly, he took a deep breath and tried to calm down again. Now that he had Freddy with him, he didn’t feel so helpless and alone, which made getting a hold of his emotions easier. He focused on slowing his heart rate, which would bring his body back down from its panic. It took a while and it wasn’t perfect, but he did feel his heart start to slow back down to a less painful and exhausting level. He propped his elbows on his knees and held his face in his hands, sighing. His mind felt like it was going to explode with all the thoughts that were running through it. He wished it could just turn it off for just a moment to get some peace.
“How are we doing?”
Gregory looked up to see Freddy had returned with a paper cup that he set down on the table in front of him. He reached out to take it and hold, humming at how it warmed his hands. The scent of chocolate fluttered up to his nose and he took a deep breath. It was probably too hot to drink now, but he was eager to try it. “I’m… better.” He answered, gazing down at it.
Freddy knelt in front of him and rested his hands on his knees gently, giving him a warm smile. “Good, I am glad to hear it. If there is anything I can do to help ease you further, just let me know and I will do my best.”
The boy smiled a little, feeling his chest warm at his words. “I know. Right now, I just want to go back to my room.” He paused, then glanced up at him, looking a little concerned. “Are you going to get in trouble for disappearing?” He asked.
The singer shook his head. “Do not think about something like that. Bonnie is covering for me. Besides, I will drop everything if you ask me too, no matter where I am or what I’m doing.” He reached up to tap under Gregory’s chin with his knuckle. “You are much more important to me than anything else I could be scheduled to do.”
His words had Gregory glancing down and rubbing his sneakers together as the warmth inside him grew a little bit more, but he did notice he didn’t answer his question, completely deflecting him away from the topic. “You will, won’t you?” He pressed as he looked back up at him.
Freddy frowned and tilted his head at this. “Well, there will be some questions, I’m sure. They might do a check up to make sure I am operating at peak performance, which I am, so everything will be ok. I will be just fine, don’t worry.”
Gregory frowned. He felt like he was still deflecting him. Were they… not treated as well as Bonnie had insisted? Were they still being abused? Not to the extent of what he had heard earlier, but were the human staff not nice to them? He knew all about talking around people to speak the truth, but not give anything away, and that’s what this felt like. He hesitated, gripping his cup a little tighter for a moment, then asked in a quiet tone, “Dad, are you…” He paused and bit his lip as he thought. “Are you treated ok at the pizzaplex? I mean… I know they want you to act a certain way and you’re not allowed to do things on your own, which sounds awful, to be honest with you, but like, they don’t… abuse you there, do they? Are the human staff nice to you?”
Freddy’s eyes widened at his question, looking startled. “Where is this coming from?” He asked.
“Stop deflecting me. I want you to answer my questions.” The boy said as he leveled him with a more serious look.
The singer’s mouth opened, then closed as he stared up at him. Gregory watched the shock melt away from his face and when he didn’t answer him right away, he felt something cold rush through him. “Abused is a pretty strong word, sweetheart.” Freddy eventually said, then shook his head. “I promise I’m telling the truth when I say this new complex is the best we’ve ever been at and we are in the best shape we have been in. We’ve never had such an extensive Parts and Services before, so we hardly ever break down anymore, and they’re always upgrading us. Plus, with so many parts lying around, Bonnie is able to make alterations to all of us to better fit how we see ourselves. It’s actually very exciting.”
Gregory stared at him and swallowed, feeling a lump form in his throat again. “That’s cool.” He ended up saying, giving in to let Freddy move the conversation however he wanted. He didn’t feel the need to press anymore. He was pretty sure he had his answer, anyways.
“Yes!” Freddy smiled up at him. “It’s very nice to have the option to switch out parts if we want to, and Bonnie makes fake work orders so no one questions it if they perform routine maintenance on us.” He then glanced back over at the counter. “Are you hungry at all? Do you want something to eat from here? They have pastries that look very tasty. Chica would be very excited.”
The boy shook his head a little, feeling his stomach twist into a knot. “No, I’m not really hungry right now, but thanks.”
The singer nodded a little then stood. “I understand. You’ve had a very eventful afternoon.” He reached out to gently take one of his hands. “The bus should be here soon. Let’s go wait by the stop. Make sure you drink your coco to stay warm, ok?” Gregory nodded a little and stood. He held his hand firmly as they walked out of the shop and back towards the bus stop.
The whole ride back to the pizzaplex, Gregory sat pressed against Freddy’s side, head on his shoulder, and deep in thought. So many questions and concerns were flying through his head now, but he tried to focus on what the next logical step would be to keep from getting overwhelmed. He decided he wasn’t going to get anywhere with his previous question about how they were treated at this complex if he was talking to Freddy or Bonnie. Based on how Freddy handled it before, he would say it wasn’t very good and he was hiding it from him to keep him from worrying, so asking about it again probably wouldn’t get him anywhere. Maybe he could ask one of the others, like Roxi or Monty. They were usually pretty honest with him, even if the truth was hard to hear. As far as what Noah and Liam had said at lunch, he knew he could probably get confirmation of if it was true from Freddy, since he had already agreed to tell him what happened once before. Of course, he could always refuse to talk about it, and if it was as gruesome as he thought, he wouldn’t blame him, but Freddy had never gone back on his word, so he didn’t think he would start now. This felt like a solid plan and it felt good to have a task to work towards, made him feel like he had some control over this wild situation he found himself in today. He decided he would change and put his things away, maybe take a nap, then tackle everything tonight after the mall closed.
At their stop, Gregory hopped off with Freddy and tossed his empty paper cup in a nearby trash can, before taking his hand to walk towards the entrance with him. There was a tiny part of him that hated the sight of it, now that he knew what was happening away from prying eyes. They walked in together, scanning their membership bands at the front gate, then started towards Rockstar Row. “Do you want me to stay with you a little while longer?” Freddy asked the boy as he looked down at him.
Gregory shook his head. “No, I’m ok now. I’m probably gonna take a nap or something. Besides, I don’t want you getting in any more trouble than you already are. You should probably change right away.” He told him, though there was a small part of him that wished Freddy could stay with him a while longer, maybe take a nap with him. Could androids nap? Probably not, but the company would still be nice.
When they reached Freddy’s room, the singer knelt down in front of him and took his hands to hold. “Are you sure? I don’t mind.”
The boy nodded a little. “Yeah, I’m sure. I’ll talk to you about everything later, ok?”
Freddy smiled and gave his hands a squeeze. “Alright, but do not hesitate to come and find me if you need me. I don’t have any birthday parties scheduled for today.”
Gregory snorted, “That’s rare.”
This earned him a laugh and a nod. “Yes, it is.” The singer reached up to place his hands on either side of the boy’s face, then pulled him down to place a kiss on his forehead. “Sleep well, little superstar.”
Gregory smiled a little at this, then hurried forward for one more hug before he could stand. Freddy was absolutely delighted and returned the gesture, giving him a comforting and firm squeeze. The boy hesitated for a moment, then said, “I love you and you’re really awesome. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.”
“Aww, that’s so nice of you to say!” Freddy twisted side to side a little while holding him. “I don’t know what I did to deserve you. You truly mean so much to me.”
“You deserve everything good, after what you guys went through.” Gregory thought, but didn’t voice aloud. Instead, he just gave him a squeeze before finally stepping back. “You guys mean a lot to me too.” He replied as he grabbed onto his backpack straps. “Now hurry up and find dad so you can change back.”
Freddy straightened and gave him a playful salute. “Yes, sir.”
“Good. About damn time I got the respect I deserve.”
The singer laughed at this and stood, then ruffled the boy’s hair before finally walking away to find his husband. Gregory sighed and then glanced around to make sure no one was looking in his direction as he backed towards the singer’s green room door. The pizzaplex wasn’t very busy right now, with kids still being in school, and this area was almost empty, since all the animatronics were at their respective attractions. It made slipping into an otherwise off limits area pretty easy.
Once in his room, Gregory sighed and tossed his backpack down, then rubbed his face. He flopped down on the edge of his bed to just decompress for a moment. Everything happened so fast today and things weren’t over yet. He still had to talk to the others after everything closed tonight. He wanted a nap, but feared he wouldn’t be able to turn his brain off enough to do so. On top of all that, his stomach was starting to ache from his spike in panic earlier. He hated it when that happened. Ginger ale tended to help with that, but he’d have to get up and trek all the way to the cafeteria to get one. The boy made an unhappy sound at this and wrapped his arms around his stomach as he leaned forward. “Stupid anxiety…” He grumbled.
He tried to ignore it and grabbed his backpack instead to dig out what homework he had collected before he left for the day. English seemed like the easiest, with just a few chapters to read out of their book, so he grabbed that, kicked off his sneakers, and scooted up his bed to settle in to read. This lasted all of ten minutes before his stomach became too much to ignore. He let out a frustrated groan and tossed the paperback away from him. “Fine.” He grumbled and stood to put his shoes back on, then grabbed his wallet before heading out the door.
It was strange to walk around the megaplex during the day and see it so empty. He kind of liked it though, especially now, when he wasn’t in the mood for screaming children and parents that didn’t do anything about it. He definitely did not share his parents’ love of kids, that was for sure. Gregory took the elevator down to the atrium level, where there were some small food vendors off to the sides. This area tended to be less busy than the actual dining level, but was more expensive for sure. Not that he really cared about that, since he had a food pass. He walked up to the self service station and swiped his card, then grabbed a large cup to fill with ice and ginger ale. With his drink in hand, he started back towards the elevator, then detoured to grab some peanut butter crackers, figuring they might be easy on his stomach and help to settle it. Plus, he only had a few bites of his sandwich at lunch, so he knew he had to eat at least a little something. With his goodies in hand, he started back towards his room, sipping on his soda a little.
He was almost to the elevator when he saw Freddy, now back in the animatronic body, and Bonnie walking across the atrium main floor, chatting to each other as they went. Gregory’s chest pulled at the sight of them, especially Bonnie. He wasn’t sure if what Noah had said about the bun was true, but he was pretty confident that if he had actually hurt someone, it was because he was defending either himself or a child. He had never seen him go off the rails for no reason, so he wasn’t going to start fearing him because of past actions. But still… for Bonnie to hurt someone so severely, he had to have been pretty scared, and just the thought twisted the boy’s already tender stomach. Gregory shook his head and started towards them, deciding that he wanted a hug and to give both of them one in return.
He only got about halfway there before a staff member, maybe a day time security guard, intercepted the two animatronics before he could. Gregory paused and watched as the man glared up at them, looking annoyed and irritated as he spoke. Bonnie and Freddy looked surprised at first, before the bear smiled and gave a cheerful response, paired with his usual bright smile. However, the man just made a face, said something, then turned and started walking.
His parents glanced at each other. Freddy’s ears rolled back as a touch of dread and worry came over his face. He hesitated and didn’t follow the staff member right away, fiddling with his fingers instead as his gaze dropped to the floor. Bonnie, however, looked a mixture of concern and pissed, like he had words for this human man walking away from them, but didn’t dare say them. He glared after him and balled his hands into fists, digging in his feet in just a little bit in defiance. The man looked back when he noticed they weren’t following him and glared in return. “Hurry up!” Gregory heard him shout. Freddy started forward and after a moment, Bonnie followed. The boy watched as they walked across the atrium and to a staff only door leading to the back maintenance halls, then stepped inside.
That… didn’t look good. Gregory stood frozen for a moment before he set his soda aside and hurried after them. That staff member looked pissed and he bet it had something to do with the fact that Freddy had been gone for the hour or two it took to get him from school. He kind of felt bad, because he had been the one to call Freddy in the first place, but a little bit of anger rose up and outweighed that. So what if Freddy was off the floor for a little bit? The pizzaplex was still standing, nothing had burned down while he was gone, yet he was still going to get in trouble for not making nice with guests. Did the staff here really not get to know the animatronics? Did they just think of them only as machines to entertain guests instead of actual people? The guy had looked mad at Bonnie too, and Gregory wondered if it was because the bun had been covering for his husband while he was gone and staff caught onto him. He wasn’t sure what Bonnie had said or done while they were away, but he knew for sure he hadn’t told them the truth, and lying to staff about where another animatronic was when asked was probably very much against his original programming.
When Gregory got to the door, he glanced around to make sure no one was watching, then swiped his security card to unlock it and slip inside. “Where the fuck were you? Do you have any idea what kind of mayhem you caused because of your little disappearing act?” Gregory could hear the man say down the hall. He inched forward silently, hugging the wall.
“I-I was not gone for very long. I did not think-”
“You didn’t think? You’re not supposed to be thinking at all! Just doing what you’re told, and I know for damn sure you weren’t told to disappear for two hours.”
When he reached the end of the hall, Gregory cautiously peered around the corner. He could see Freddy and Bonnie standing beside each other with the staff member in front of them, waving his hands as he spoke. “Freddy was running low on power.” Bonnie said in a cheerful tone. “He just went to recharge for a little bit. Besides, I entertained the guests in Faser Blast for him, so his absence did not result in any neglected guests.”
The man pointed at the bun. “I don’t want to hear it from you! You have been giving us nothing but excuses and running us around in circles! You’ve been covering for him this whole time! You should have told us exactly where he was the moment we asked you to, but all we got were guesses. I know for damn sure you stupid pieces of scrap can communicate with each other at anytime, no matter where in the complex you are.”
“I don’t know what you mean. I was simply-”
“I told you to shut up! God, what the fuck is with you freaks and not listening to commands today?” The staff member crossed his arms and made a face as he glanced the two animatronics over. “You’re supposed to be super advanced and shit, but dealing with you damn things is like dealing with children, and I don’t get paid enough for that.” Gregory couldn’t see Bonnie’s face from this angle, but he just knew he had to be seething right now. Much to his surprise, he didn’t say anything in response, didn’t even ball his hands into fists or twitch in the slightest. He was completely silent and still, and it felt so… wrong. Bonnie was never silent when something angered him, especially if it was an adult. Why was he just standing there? Why wasn’t he doing anything? There was no way he could be scared to speak out, right?
Gregory felt the anger that had been simmering inside him start to boil at the sight of this asshole talking to his parents this way. He could see Freddy shrinking in on himself a little, the man’s words clearly cutting into him. If what he suspected was true, if this was how the staff here usually treated them, then it had to feel like a knife cutting open an old wound. Gregory knew that feeling all too well. He could still hear his mother shouting at him sometimes when he was feeling low, swearing, throwing anything near her at him, then her hand against his cheek if she ran out of things to throw. He remembered hiding in anything he could fit in, curling up so tight into himself, trying to be as small as possible. Freddy looked the same way he had felt, and something snapped in him.
Before he even realized what he was doing, Gregory had grabbed a crowbar leaning against the wall nearby and rushed the guard, holding it up like a baseball bat. No one had time to say anything before he was swinging it as hard as he could into the man’s knee. He heard something crack and the man scream as he went down. As soon as he was on the ground, Gregory jumped on top of him and threw the crowbar away to punch him in the face with all his strength, his body trembling with rage.
“Gregory!”
The boy was suddenly being picked up into large arms and he started to struggle. “Let me go!” He shouted. When he was suddenly set free, he lunged back at the guard, who was dazed and bleeding from the nose and mouth. He got in two good punches before someone else grabbed him and pulled him off again.
“Holy shit! Baby, stop!”
Gregory struggled against this hold too, kicking and pushing at the arms around his waist, but they didn't budge this time. “Let me go!” He roared as he thrashed. “Let me go! I’ll kill him for what he did! I’ll kill all of them!” He glared down at the barely conscious man laying on the floor. “Who the fuck do you think you are to talk to them like that? To treat them like that?! You think you’re better than them?!” He worked his mouth then spat on the man on the floor. “Fuck you! I hate people like you!”
“Gregory!”
The boy finally noticed Freddy beside him, his eyes wide, ears perked, looking startled and panicked. He looked down at the man on the floor then up at Bonnie. The bun pushed Gregory into his arms. “Get him out of here and hold on this time. I’ll take care of this mess.”
“But-”
“Go! I can hear people coming.”
Freddy hesitated, then nodded and hurried down the hall. When Gregory continued to fight him and try to get away to finish the job, Freddy ducked into a storage closet and locked the door behind him, then set him down. “Gregory-” He started, but the child cut him off.
“You lied to me!” Gregory shouted as he glared up at him, balling his shaking hands into fists. His anger was starting to waver now, especially when Freddy looked at him with big, worried eyes as his ears rolled back, allowing confusion and concern to mix in with his frustration. “Why? Why didn’t you just tell me you were being treated like this?” He shook his head. “You’re always telling me I can talk to you about the shit I’ve gone through and my mom, but you didn’t feel like you could tell me you were going through the same shit?”
“I-I’m sorry!” Freddy’s shoulders hunched up near his jaw as he started to mess with his fingers again. “I did not want to worry you! We are supposed to be taking care of you a-and supporting you . We are supposed to be strong so you do not feel like you need to be.” He dropped his gaze to the floor as his brows knitted together and tears slowly appeared in his eyes. “I did not want to let you know what it was really like because we are supposed to be making this a home for you and it should not feel like your previous one. I wanted to make it perfect and everything you could ever desire. I wanted to be the parent you always wanted a-and deserved.” He shook his head as his tears started to roll down his face and he closed his eyes. “I-I was afraid that if you knew the truth, you would think I could not be a g-good parent and you would think less of me.” He started to wipe his face with the inside of his wrists. “You mean so much to me, I-I just could not bear the thought of you not liking me!”
Gregory stared up at him with big eyes, all his anger melting away to be replaced with shock, then sorrow as his chest ached . He had only seen Freddy cry once, but never in sadness, in heartbreak. He suddenly felt bad for snapping at him like he did, but he had been so high on a rollercoaster of emotion, that he hadn’t stopped to think about how Freddy must have felt about all this. It couldn’t have felt very good to be yelled at like that guard had done, then to have him shout at him too, and about something he so desperately tried to hide. Gregory remembered being scared that someone was going to catch on to him, too. Lying and saying he got into fights outside of school with other kids only got him so far before his teachers started getting suspicious. He never wanted anyone to know what happened when he went home in the afternoon. To admit it aloud made him feel like it would make him appear weak and worthless, and… Freddy felt the same way.
Tears started to well in Gregory’s eyes as his whole body grew heavy and tense, then he bolted forward to wrap his arms around the singer’s hips to hug him tightly. “I would never think less of you!” He told him and shook his head a little. “You and the others have made this the best home I’ve ever had. And sure it isn’t perfect, but it doesn’t need to be, because I have you and Bonnie taking care of me.” He sniffled. “W-We could be living anywhere, even on the streets, and I’d still be happier being with you guys than being where I was before.” He looked up at him, seeing Freddy was staring down at him in surprise. “Please don’t ever think I’d hate you for the baggage you carry. You’re doing such an amazing job being my dad and I’d never want anyone else!”
Freddy stared at him for a long moment, blinking watery blue eyes at him, before a fine tremble went through his body. Suddenly, he was kneeling and wrapping his arms tightly around the boy to return his hug. Gregory moved his hold to around his neck and clung to him as sniffled. “You don’t have to hide this from me.” He continued. “I’ve been through the same stuff, felt the same way. You can depend on me, too.”
“B-But you are so young and should not feel as though you have to support me. I should be supporting you.” Freddy argued quietly. “You should not have to worry about things like this o-or see me this way...” He hugged him a little tighter.
Gregory shook his head. “You do support me. I have literally never met people more accepting and supportive as you guys. You’ve never said no to me. Instead, you’ll ask how you can help me do what I want to do, or set reasonable ground rules.” Gregory smiled a little and sniffled again. “Hell, you guys said you’d let me have my own alcoholic drink at thirteen as long as I’m with you.”
“I never want to hinder you or hold you back.” The singer murmured. “You should be anyone you want to be and do anything you want to do, so long as you are safe doing it.”
“Exactly. Other parents aren’t like that. I never feel like you’re trying to control me, but I still feel like you’re taking really good care of me and teaching me things.” Gregory hugged him a little tighter and closed his eyes. “So please, please don’t think your circumstances are going to make me think less of you or make you less of a good parent. You and Bonnie are the best dads I could ever ask for.”
The arms around him tightened at this as his body shook. He let out a quiet little whimper and he turned his face into the boy’s hair, where he stayed for a long moment. Gregory didn’t mind and just continued to hug him. Eventually, after a few minutes, Freddy simulated a deep breath and pulled back. He produced a napkin from one of the small storage compartments on his person and wiped his face. “Better?” Gregory asked as he looked up at him with a little smile.
“Yes, thank you. This… is a very heavy weight off my shoulders, to be honest with you.” Freddy tucked the napkin in a different compartment before placing his hands gently on either side of the boy’s face. He pressed a lingering kiss to his forehead then brushed his thumbs against his cheeks. “I should have known better. You are the most amazing and remarkable little boy I have ever met. I should have known you would not… disown me for this.”
Gregory placed his hands on top of his. “Hey, don’t worry about it. I’ve learned that anxiety can make you believe the craziest of shit.”
The singer chuckled a little in his throat. “Yes, it can.” He agreed then sighed as he stood. “We should get you back to your room. It would probably be for the best that you stayed there until the pizzaplex closes for the night, just in case the security guards come looking for you. I am uncertain how Bonnie plans to handle the situation, but I must admit he is quite good at covering anything up like it never happened.”
The boy snorted, “Yeah, that sounds like him.” He hesitated and messed with the hem of his jacket before looking up at him. “Are you upset with me because I attacked that guard?” He asked.
Freddy gave him a soft, little smile and placed a hand on his head. “I do not condone violence and I do not think you should have acted out the way you did. However, if our roles were reversed, I know I would have acted the same way and done so in a heartbeat, so I can hardly reprimand you for your actions. Of course that does not make them ok, just understandable. I am not mad or upset with you, just remember that some problems can be solved without violence.”
Gregory relaxed, letting out a silent breath he didn’t know he was holding. “Good, because that guy totally deserved it.” This earned him another chuckle from the singer.
“Come on, climb into my stomach hatch and I will escort you back to your room.” Freddy told him as he knelt once more and the hatch opened. Gregory hesitated for just a moment as he eyed the space he had crawled into so many times. He remembered what his friends had said before, about those kids, but he quickly shook his head to get rid of the thought. Bonnie told him quite a few times that these animatronic bodies were brand new, so it wasn’t like he was crawling into that same space. Plus, this little nook had saved his life quite a few times the first night he had been at the pizzaplex and had become a place of comfort and safety for him. With those points in mind, he climbed inside and settled in without any further thought.
He was silent as the singer cautiously left the closet they were hiding in and started through the back halls. He used the maintenance paths for the most part, allowing them quick passage without being stopped by guests. Rockstar Row was still pretty empty when they arrived, allowing Freddy to slip into his room, then the back hall. Once in the boy’s room, he knelt to let him out. “If you need anything, please feel free to message any one of us.” He told him. “I promise I will return as soon as the mall closes for the night.”
Gregory nodded as he turned to look up at him. “No problem. How uh… how are you doing? Are you ok enough to go back out there right away?” He asked, not that he thought the singer had much of a choice in the matter, given how staff reacted when he had left to pick him up, but he still wanted to know how he was feeling.
Freddy gave him a little smile and ruffled his hair. “I am doing better, actually.”
“You’re not lying to me, are you?”
“No, I am not. I do not wish to go back to the floor right away, however, I am feeling a little better after our conversation. Like I said before, it is a huge relief just to know you still want me, even like… this.”
Gregory reached out to take one of his hands in both of his. “Of course I do. I’m glad you’re starting to get that through your thick head.”
Freddy chuckled and gave his hand a squeeze. “And how about you, love? Are you feeling any better after all of that? It was quite a lot.” He asked.
The boy sighed and nodded. “A little, yeah. I’m not so angry anymore, but pretty tired. Maybe I’ll finally take that nap.” He paused, then added. “Hey uh… if you’re up to it, maybe tonight we can talk about some stuff. I know you’re curious as to why I wanted to leave school today and I have a couple of questions for you, too.”
The bear nodded. “Of course. I am always here to listen.”
“You always say that and I appreciate it, really, but if you need some time to decompress, that’s ok too. You can say no.”
Freddy shook his head. “No really, I do not mind. It helps, to be honest. I love being there for you and helping you, and it actually helps me feel better just knowing I am making some sort of positive difference for you.” He explained.
Gregory nodded a little and moved forward to give him another hug, feeling some worth bubble up in his chest. Freddy was so kind, caring, and genuine, far too good for this world. A tiny little feeling of anger popped up at the thought that someone so amazing was being treated so poorly, but he pushed it away for now. Getting angry about it again was going to do them any good right now. He decided instead to just take some time to decompress himself, maybe take that nap, because he knew tonight was going to get pretty heavy.