Chapter Text
February 7th, 2021, 6:07pm
Gregory was no stranger to winter in Romania, it was one of his least favourite times of the year.
Winter used to be his favourite season, when he lived in the orphanage and his various foster families. Summer was just too hot— you could take all your clothes off and still be frying like an egg on cement. But in winter you could bundle up with as many blankets as you wanted, until you were content and warm. There was nothing Gregory liked more than falling asleep wrapped up in a cosy cocoon, feeling like he was protected and secure from the troubles outside his room.
But being homeless turned that warm love up on its head. He’d spent too many months of his life huddled in freezing alleyways, with nothing but a thin, raggedy sheet and his own meagre clothes to protect him from the biting cold.
He was amazed that he hadn’t died of hypothermia, but that was yet to be seen.
Even though he now had a van to shelter in, not to mention the warm arms of a huge robot bear, it was still a struggle to keep the cold out. The Fazbear Entertainment branded van (that they’d scraped the poorly applied adhesive sticker off weeks ago with a stick) was meant for travelling goods, it didn’t need to have a good, working AC system, according to the company, that was too much wasted money, apparently.
Gregory was currently glaring at said AC on the front console of the van, as if his furious gaze would ignite a flame and make the poor excuse for warmth coming out of the filters strengthen.
Snow was falling behind the fogged over windows, a watery sheet of dark blues and glossy white behind the veil, shining in the evening light.
Gregory shivered, rubbing his arms. He was wearing a thin shirt and shorts, not at all winter suited clothing, but his jacket was currently draped over the dashboard in an attempt to dry it with the van’s heat, after the incident he’d had in the snow earlier which had gotten it soaked.
He glanced longingly at Freddy, who was perched in the back seat, jumper cables clamped around his ears, watching the snow falling outside with a look of subtle awe, his glowing eyes glinting in the fading light. He was dressed in a comically oversized hoodie (though it was a near perfect fit for him) with a denim jacket overtop, and baggy sweatpants, a disguise that worked surprisingly well, Gregory thought, people these days must be really stupid.
He wanted nothing more than to curl up in the bear’s arms, he’d be warm there, but they had decided that it might not be safe for Gregory to touch him while he was charging with the jumper cables, unsure of what could happen if there was a surge or something. As much as Gregory wanted his dad’s warmth, he didn’t want to risk being electrocuted
The animatronic bear caught Gregory staring at him, the audible sound of gears whirring when he turned to face his boy, an amazingly human expression of concern on his painted features. “I am almost done charging, superstar.” He said, as if he could read Gregory’s mind. His voice was a deep rumble, edged with that robotic static, a voice that could calm Gregory from his most extreme panics. “In the meantime, would you like a blanket? I can grab one for you. Or perhaps my jacket?”
Gregory shook his head. “I’ll be ok.” He could wait, it’d make it more worth it.
It’d been just over two months since Gregory and Freddy had made their grand escape from Freddy Fazbear’s Mega Pizzaplex, leaving the horrors of corporate greed and rabbit themed serial killers behind. Though Gregory still had nightmares— he wouldn’t forget that night for as long as he lived. Sometimes he’d think he saw the flash of a knife in his periphery, glowing red eyes and a girly, maniacal laugh. Sometimes Freddy’s heavy, clanking footsteps would scare him, sending his senses on alert, preparing to leap away from Roxy or Monty’s gaping jaws or Chica’s deft hands.
If it wasn’t for Freddy, he’d be long dead. If it wasn’t for Freddy, he would still feel himself undeserving of love, of having a parental figure that actually cared for him in a way no adult ever had.
Never again would he have to suffer that place, or suffer the burden of being alone. Never again would Freddy be confined to one place forever, he could see the world, and Gregory took so much joy in seeing the bear react to the things one would never see inside the huge, yet cramped existence of the Pizzaplex.
Though Gregory was still technically homeless, at least he had shelter, even if it was the form of a shitty van. At least he had Freddy , he would be fine if they lost the van, all he needed was the bear…his dad, he was his home .
“Are you hungry, Gregory?” Surfacing from his reflection, the boy once again met his guardian’s attention. The bear’s ears wiggled up and down, the motion unimpeded by the jumper cables hanging off of them like bizarre earrings. “It has been some time since breakfast.”
Gregory spared a glance at the dashboard clock, ten past 6 in the evening. He glared bitterly at the wispy darkness surrounding the van. Yet another thing he disliked about winter, it got dark way too early. At least spring was right around the corner.
But Freddy was right, the last time he’d eaten was at 9:30 in the morning when he’d woken up. They were not short on food, per se, but stashing as much food as he could just in case he needed it for an emergency was a habit from his stretch of solitary homelessness he had not shaken, only eating when he deemed it necessary.
“I’ll grab something in a bit.” He reassured his dad, still wanting to take a small rest of sorts against Freddy before anything, just to bring a bit of warmth back into his aching, cold bones.
Freddy studied Gregory for a beat, and the boy knew he was trying to see if there was something he was missing in Gregory’s words. He bit back a sigh, if Freddy had one flaw, it would be that he worried too much.
“Alright, superstar. But I regret that I must inform you that I have decided I might need to go into rest mode for just a moment.” Regret made itself known on Freddy’s faceplate, and Gregory immediately sat up in his seat, gripping the cheap fabric, a sick, uncomfortable feeling suddenly rising at the back of his throat like bile. “What? Why?”
“Do not worry,” Freddy placated, raising a paw reassuringly. “It is nothing major, I have simply detected a small issue in the wiring of my left arm, I believe some snow may have snuck in there. It is a tiny issue, but I’d like to deal with it now so it does not become something possibly detrimental to my systems overtime.” If he were not hooked up to potentially dangerous batteries, Gregory knew the bear would have carded his claws through Gregory’s hair to assure him, and the boy ached for that touch now. “It is a simple fix, I estimate it will only take me upwards of ten minutes, is that ok?”
Gregory bit the inside of his cheek, and nodded wordlessly. Why was he getting so worked up about this? It was just ten minutes, Freddy had spent much longer in rest mode before. But Gregory couldn’t shake this sudden dark feeling choking at his windpipe; a deep sense of foreboding. Why? “Ok, Freddy…”
Looking at Gregory with an expression of such care and love that was almost enough to make the boy want to cry, Freddy leaned back. “Then I will be back momentarily, do not hesitate to grab a blanket if you are cold, or to start your dinner without me.” As if he could sense Gregory’s unexplainable unease, he added. “You know you can wake me if you need me with a simple click of your Fazwatch. I love you, superstar.”
Gregory wanted to hug him so badly, but he kept himself rooted to the tattered car seat, and opted to give an undeniably genuine smile in return. “I love you too, dad.”
With one last fond look at his son, Freddy leaned all the way back, and closed his eyes, the whirring of his motors audibly dimming just a tad.
Gregory stared at his new father’s dormant form for a little longer, before sighing, and turning back to the sad AC unit, already missing Freddy’s voice.
Little did Gregory know, that would be the last time he spoke to Freddy for quite some time.
He looked bitterly at his sodden jacket laying pathetically on the dashboard again, trying to stifle the ominous twinge still tickling his throat. At least they’d had fun today, though, he reminded himself.
They’d driven into a small residential suburb for the day, spending time fooling around in the local, snow kissed park. Gregory was glad Freddy appeared to be mostly waterproof, his disguise also acting as a buffer, since it meant he could throw snowballs at him to his heart's content, only to be scared shitless (in a light-hearted way) when Freddy would retaliate, creating unfairly big snowballs with his massive paws.
They’d kept away from the other people in the park, so people would not become suspicious of Freddy, thankfully, not many people wanted to be out in the cold, anyways. A small blessing.
It’d be so much fun, with just the two of them goofing around, not a care in the world. Gregory had almost forgotten about his dislike of winter in the midst of his joy. They’d made snowmen, and it was there that Gregory once again was reminded of the hidden cruelness of snow. He’d attempted to make the tallest snowman he could, Freddy had protested against it somewhat, worried about it collapsing, but his rational processors had fought against his desire to see Gregory smile more in the moment, and so he assisted his son as much as he could by lifting him when it steadily got higher as they piled snow onto it.
In the end, they managed to raise the snowy structure to just above Freddy’s height, but alas, it did not last. While kneeling down to collect more snow to slap on top of it next time Freddy lifted him, Gregory heard said bear let out an exclamation of worry, and looked over his shoulder too late to see the snow pillar barreling towards him.
He’d attempted to scramble out of the way, but was too slow (as was Freddy), and was effectively doused completely in snow. Freddy had freed his son from his snowy tomb, who was shivering with his teeth audible chattering, and hurriedly bundled him up against his warm chest, stomping through the snow back to their waiting van.
Now he was here, still chilled to the bone, in front of the pathetic excuse for an AC, waiting for his winter clothes to dry. He was upset that their fun had to end so abruptly, but he supposed there was nothing stopping them from doing it again tomorrow. After they got their weekly groceries first— chores had to be done.
Slouching back in his seat, Gregory sighed quietly, pinching the bridge of his nose. He wasn’t looking forward to having to skirt around people’s accusing glances as they tried to buy basic necessities.
Behind his hand, the boy caught a glimpse of something through the windshield that was gradually generating a thin sheet of snow. It was dark outside, but the streetlamps caught the snow in its glare and illuminated the world around them with a subtle dark blue haze. Something darker than the darkest night filtered past his line of sight, brief, and fleeting.
Sitting up rigid again, that previous feeling of dread stuffed Gregory’s lungs once more, cutting his breath short. The shape had looked humanoid, but it moved with a grace that not even the most agile dancers could achieve; an inhuman fluidity the sight of which rose goosebumps along the boy’s pale arms.
There was something out there.
His breath hitching. Gregory shot a desperate glance over his shoulder at Freddy. The animatronic was just as lifeless as he’d been when Gregory had looked at him last, blissfully unaware of the potential threat.
Gregory peered out the windows, trying to catch sight of the figure again, and he saw it, a flash of what looked like wings, black as night, and cruel, somehow.
It was moving towards one of the houses on the street they were parked on; a modest little two story. The kitchen lights were on, and once again Gregory saw the figure silhouetted against the light; slender, regal looking, but wrong . It slipped behind the side of the house, deft as a shadow, and out of sight.
Gregory felt fear creeping up his neck, the baby hairs on his neck rising like the hackles on a dog.
Something terrible was going to happen, something terrible was going to happen .
He usually didn’t care for other people, his trust in people, especially adults, was almost entirely stamped out due to his life experiences, but there was something in him that was telling him, begging him to bring some kind of warning to whoever was in that home.
Something terrible was going to happen if he didn’t.
Gregory could feel it as surely as the scars on his arms.
He gave one last, sorrowful look at Freddy, almost expecting the bear to wake up that second and console him as he always would. He could wake him up, but he knew he needed to fix that little bug, he’d probably be awake by the time Gregory got back.
Yeah, it would only take a second, the boy would warn the homeowners, and then they could deal with it from there. He tried to ignore the fact that there probably wasn’t much they could do against whatever that thing was, unnatural as it was, but he knew it’d haunt him forever if he just left them to whatever fate it would bring upon them.
Steeling himself, Gregory tightened his Fazwatch around his skinny wrist, just in case he needed to call Freddy to him. He inhaled, exhaled, then pushed open the heavy van door.
He was immediately reminded of how cold it actually was, the wind cutting at his exposed arms and legs. He wrapped his arms around himself, teeth chattering.
It’d only take a second, he assured himself, he’d be back in Freddy’s arms in just a matter of minutes.
Gregory hurriedly stumbled through the snow towards the house, oblivious to the rational, survivalist part of his brain that had kept him alive for so long telling him to stop to turn around , but he pressed on.
He had to do this— even if he didn’t know exactly why. It almost felt as though he were being drawn along an invisible string.
He stood at the doorstep now, shivering under the glowing porch light. It’d be quick, he’d warn them, then he’d be gone, Freddy wouldn’t even know.
After a moment's hesitation, he rapped a trembling hand against the door, apprehension and dread thrumming in his head, barely numbed by the cold.
A few quickened heartbeats later, the front door creaked open, and he was looking up at a woman with long, brown, pretty hair curling around her left shoulder. She wore a plain cardigan and flowered blouse, hidden partially by a pink apron.
Gregory noticed she’d looked vaguely wary as she opened the door, but upon seeing Gregory, her eyes widened into a look of deep concern. “Oh! Hello there, sweetie, are you alright?” She looked over his barely winter appropriate clothes with a frown. “Are you lost? It’s really cold out here.”
Trying to still his chattering teeth, Gregory shook his head, urging himself to speak. That thing was behind this lady’s house, he didn't have time to chat, and neither did she.
“I-I’m fine, I’m parked just down the road with my dad, b-but you need t-to listen!” The woman didn’t interrupt him, though she continued to regard him worriedly as he rambled.
He looked warily to the corner of the house he’d seen the shadow disappear. “I-I saw something, it went behind your h-house.” He stared up at her with big, pleading eyes, begging that she’d listen and not brush him off like most other adults did. “It l-looked dangerous, I w-wanted to warn you.”
By now, the woman had stiffened completely, a dark shadow falling over her face, she glanced behind her, into the warm light of her house, then looked back at the shivering child in front of her, expression grave. “Are you sure?” Her voice was quiet, grim, and held none of the accusatory tone Gregory was used to hearing from adults.
All he could do was nod, rubbing his freezing arms in a vain attempt to warm himself up.
She hesitated, opening her mouth to respond, but both of their attention was drawn to the vague sound of something falling over and breaking within the house.
It was followed by the sound of a baby starting to cry.
Gregory watched as the woman immediately went rigid, shoulders raising like hackles. “Rose…Rose!” Gregory completely forgotten, she ran back into the house, leaving the boy stricken, fear once again creeping into the edges of his mind.
He heard the woman scream, and that’s when he turned around and sprinted for the van.
He ran as fast as he could, pure adrenaline warming up his frozen limbs, his haggard breathing billowing like steam clouds from his throat. All his memories from the Pizzaplex came flooding back unbidden into his mind. Memories of being hunted through the halls, shadows at every corner, it made him run faster.
He fumbled with his Fazwatch with trembling, chilled fingers, tapping the button that would call Freddy to his location five different times. He was numb to everything around him, a result of his overwhelming fear rather than the winter weather— barely taking in his surroundings outside of his panic induced tunnel vision. Snowflakes spiralled past him, the only bright pinpoints in the dark evening street, but they did little to comfort him.
The van was in sight, and Gregory urged his legs to propel him faster through the gloom. But he misjudged how icy the tarseal was beneath his sneakers. His left leg skidded out from underneath him, and with a torn gasp he plummeted to the ground. He cried out as the rough cement ripped new scrapes against his tender skin. But instinct made him ignore it, made him not sit around in pain, he had to go he had to get to Freddy .
Tears pricked at the edge of his vision, the soft winter shapes blurring even further as he shoved himself roughly to his feet.
He’d barely been standing for a second before something grasped the back of his collar, his scream of terror cut off when a cold, thin hand that felt like it was covered in strange, hard edged jewelry slapped over his mouth.
The arm not covering his mouth wrapped around his skinny torso, trapping Gregory’s arms to his side, he felt his back being pressed against another larger body, a body that lacked any kind of natural warmth at all. All of his wild, animalistic survival instincts kicked in at that moment, sending him into a panicked frenzy. He thrashed wildly, screeching in fear into his assailant's palm.
He was going to die. He was going to die.
He was scarcely aware of a thin, low and menacing voice whispering into his ear. “ Hush child, you've had a little too much adventure tonight…sleep, now. ”
Gregory’s struggles were suddenly waning, and he didn’t know why. A dark fog was settling over his mind. He had to get away, he had to get away , he had to get to Freddy. But his consciousness was fading, an inky blackness pricked at his eyes, and he barely registered what looked to be dark wings curling around him.
“ Sleep now, child…everything will be alright. ”
There was no promise in those words, and Gregory knew it.
“ Fre…ddy… ” Gregory wheezed out his dad’s name, muffled by the frigid and terrible slender hand that silenced him.
As he slipped out of reality, the last thing he was aware of was a woman’s ominous cackling.
Something terrible was going to happen.