Chapter Text
You give a sigh of relief as you spy the time, giving a nod to your fellow employee that’s just walked into the kitchen. You move away from your station and head as swiftly as your tired body would allow to the break room to clock out. Your shift has finally ended for the night, feet burning and head throbbing as you place your finger over the scanner and tap at the screen. Once it lights up declaring you’ve clocked out your shoulders relax with another sigh.
No more orders to be taken or heavy boxes to be moved around until your next shift.
You turn, running a hand through your hair while slipping off your hat as you take your bag and start making your way out of the restaurant, (if you could even really call this place that, it’s more like a health hazard.) You try your best to keep from stumbling as you head to your car, practically a square box of metal with a motor, it was the only thing you could really afford to have that was reliable enough to get you wherever you needed to go.
You drop into the driver’s seat, goosebumps crawling up your arms at the cool night air as you slump in the seat and take a moment to breathe some fresh air that wasn’t filled with grease and salt. The car itself had grown rather chilly from sitting out here, retaining none of the heat from the day. It takes some time to find the motivation to move again, eyes and head heavy as you sit up straighter, double checking you had all your belongings before starting the engine and driving yourself home.
Sadly there isn’t much parking space left as you arrive at the apartment complex, most people are already home sleeping peacefully in their beds at this hour. It must be nice to have their shit together.
After driving around for some time, lady luck seems to be in your favor, you find an open space not too far from your apartment this time around.
As you exit your car, double check that you locked it, of course, you pause hearing something strange. There are the usual sounds of crickets and the soft buzzing of electricity from street lamps…but there’s some quite sound you don’t recognize, maybe some animal? Curious, you try your best to follow the noise, leading you towards the community dumpsters.
It’s there that you spy what looks like something struggling inside of a plastic trash bag, limbs swiping and pushing at the stretchy plastic, the poor thing gets louder as it hears you approach, calling for help no doubt with its yowling.
You really couldn’t believe someone- no, no you could believe someone would do this, humanity was cruel. Still, it was disgusting.
You sigh and crouch down, fishing out your small handy dandy pocket knife, gently shushing the poor thing as you try your best to keep it still enough to cut away the string and plastic it's wrapped up in. Eventually, you’ve cut enough to create a big hole and pull out the animal, freeing the poor shaking thing from the confines of this trash. You set it gently right up on its feet where it proceeds to shake itself off and continue to shiver. It’s just a sphynx cat, possibly a calico judging by the different tones of its skin. The little guy was way too thin and boney to be healthy, covered in nasty cuts and bruises too, someone really didn’t like him.
You watch with furrowed brows as the little guy happily starts nuzzling into your legs giving light little chirrups instead of full meows. You probably couldn’t afford to feed this one on top of the cat you already own. Hell, you could barely manage to feed yourself half the time (though whether that's a money issue or just your issue is another story) You couldn’t just leave it out here either, it would surely freeze to death if it didn’t succumb to its wounds first.
You sit there petting the cat as you debate with yourself, cats are natural predators so surely it could survive on their own but if it was a house cat it wouldn’t know anything about that…
A sigh escapes you again, it seems like that’s all you can really muster doing tonight, and scoop up that cat. As you stand something on the ground catches your eye. Looks to be some flashy poster? It’s an advertisement for that big fancy pizza arcade, Freddy Fazbear’s pizza plex, looks like they were hiring again for more employees…with higher pay? Hmmm.
You hum and take the poster with you as you head home with your new cat. It wouldn’t hurt to check it out. What’s the worst that could happen, it couldn’t be any worse than working at Patty Knight.
With that you make your way to your apartment as planned, bringing your new tiny roommate with you and the trashed poster.
Your apartment isn't much, one large room functioning as both the kitchen and living room, a tiny bathroom, and then a single bedroom that you managed to fit a nice-sized bed in alongside a climbing tower for your cats and a dresser. It could use some TLC but it was functional and cozy.
You get to the kitchen sink pulling out the first aid, you didn’t exactly have anything for animals in particular but you make do with what you can and patch up the cat. You smile at your handy work, giving it a few scratches behind the ear, setting the little guy on the floor to explore while you heat up a frozen dinner for yourself.
It’s late and you should probably just get to sleeping, but despite all your exhaustion, you doubt you’ll sleep. You patiently eat your half-cold meal while scrolling on your phone, chuckling to yourself when Princess, your Persian house cat comes hopping up into your chair to sit in your lap while you eat. She almost seems betrayed by how she stares at you, not appreciating the new friend you brought home.
Suddenly remembering the poster you fish it out of your pocket, type up the link from the poster into goggle, finding the official site for the pizza plex. You search through the different positions they had open. Huh hey, look at that. They had a mechanics position open? You have some experience in that category, you got really into it when you were younger. You…didn’t exactly get a degree or any official teachings for it but it doesn’t say they need previous experience…
You squint at the screen, chewing on your lip as you debate with yourself, should you try and apply? Normally you have to have at least a degree let alone experience in the work field for a job like that…hm. You decide to risk it, the worst that could happen is they decided to put you somewhere else. You fill out an online application form and submit it before going back to your mindless scrolling. Reading up on their sigh about the establishment, the place was practically a mall…maybe they had taken over an abandoned mall. Who knows.
With that little curious thought, you clean up the table and change into something comfy for the night. Flopping yourself onto your bed readying to either sleep or find yourself staring at a wall for several hours.
Just as your eyes were getting too heavy to fight off and failing to keep your phone held up, you jump startled as it gives a little ding. An email? Your eyes widen opening up your inbox, they’ve already accepted your application?!
They must really be desperate for employees?
An interview and training period, in their words “To make sure you are the best fit for our family-friendly establishment.”
You accept a date and time out for the ones listed, an interview scheduled in just a few days after your college classes of that day.
You smile despite yourself, setting your phone down, and finally settle in completely for the night to try and sleep. You’ll be having a better job soon. One with fewer people and better pay hopefully.
It didn’t take the day of the interview long to get here, easily sneaking up on you, you had forgotten all about it till you got another email reminding you that in just an hour was the interview that would determine if you really held the knowledge and know how to survive working as a mechanic with no experience or professional education.
You curse quietly under your breath running for your car as soon as you see the notification pop onto your phone screen.
Despite this fact you make it to the pizza plex nearly twenty minutes early, dressing up in a nice shirt and proper jeans, your hair brushed for once so you didn’t look like the exhausted and broke college student you really were. You are a functional adult!
…At least for the next thirty minutes or so that this interview lasts.
The main entrance looms over you when you arrive, you approach the large doors that almost feel like an open maw waiting for you to enter. You continue on slowly, nerves growing with every step as you brace yourself against the sounds of screaming kids and obnoxious music, large amounts of people milling about and moving from destination to destination. It’s a bit dizzying.
The email stated someone would meet you at the door right? But you don’t exactly see any employe- “Y/n?”
Shit! Fuck! Who-
You jump whipping around to find an employee right behind you, an older gentleman with black hair that was graying early, and a couple of small moles scattered on his face. “You are y/n correct?”
“Oh uh yeah, yes that’s me.” You quickly nod and plead that your racing heart will calm down.
“Perfect, this way, please. We hadn’t expected you to show this early but since I’ve already finished the previous interview we can get yours started right away.” He leads the way over to the small food court right at the entrance, seating himself down at one of the tables and flipping through his papers passively.
You follow and take your seat, leg bouncing idly, and fiddle with your thumbs in your lap. Waiting silently for the questions to begin. You got this, you can do this. The worst thing to happen is you don’t get a new job, nothing serious to stake.
“Alright, so we’ve already completed a background check before the interview. I’m going to ask a few questions you have already answered on your online application just to confirm or give you an opportunity to elaborate on any information.” You nod as he pauses “Good, I am Samuel, I’ll be conducting your interview. Now, what are your previous employments and education?”
“Uh right, I am currently working at a Patty Knight, having worked at a Spacebuns cafe previously. I’m working part-time and taking college classes as of right now.”
He nods with a hum “So you are looking for a part-time position here then? Or are you hoping for a full-time position?”
You shake your head with a small chuckle nervously rubbing the back of your neck “Oh no, uh just part-time for now. I have morning classes through most of the year, so I’d need a late afternoon position.”
Samuel nods and writes down something on his clipboard of papers, so far so good it seems. “You also appear to be applying for our open mechanic position? Though you haven't listed any prior education or employment involving experience?”
Oh boy here we go. “Right yea, I uh have no formal education, but I’m a fast learner and hard worker, I took some hobby classes and workshops, along with teaching myself!” You try to sound confident hoping that may convince him further that it was enough to have a job in this field.
You don’t like the way he hums as he’s writing down on his paper again. Taking a moment to look over what he’s written and the overall documents. Taking all the time in the world to himself, letting you sit there and wilt in your seat, leg bouncing faster. You’ve started picking at the skin on your fingers. You probably failed to get that position already then, maybe you could still get lucky and at least get hired for a simpler position.
“How are you…in high-stress situations?” He finally glances back up from his papers to stare at you intensely. Observing every bit of your reaction. It feels like there are more eyes on you than just his.
Come on, you can answer this question, you can get through this one. Get yourself together. “I-” You’re interrupted just as you get yourself to attempt to answer without making yourself sound like a helpless fool when the employee's walky-talky on his belt goes off.
“We have a situation in the daycare! The Attendants having some kinda fit!”
Samuel’s eyes widened, giving a quick reply to the radio and hurrying off…were…were you just supposed to sit here and wait then?
…that or you could just follow, maybe offer some help and prove yourself as a valued employee material. Curious and hopeful you could prove yourself and of course not to mention you’d like at least a glance at some of the animatronics in this place without paying the expensive fee. They always came off in the advertisements to be something really impressive.
You couldn't tell exactly where in the pizza plex you were exactly following Samuel through, nearly having lost him three times, they seemed to have slowed just enough for you to keep following once they realized you were right behind them. The two of you make it to the daycare and observe the scene before you.
The kids were corralled to the side and several employees were trying to keep them away from the problem. The problem is a spasming animatronic sitting hunched over on the floor, one arm seemingly having the worst of it as it fritz and gears grind. You frown not liking the sounds coming from the pour thing.
Samuel hurries over to the group with the kids asking questions, possibly checking to make sure no one is hurt. You weren’t told it’s safe to approach or even if you could do so but well curiosity killed the cat right? Let's hope you don’t actually die from this though.
You were more concerned with the animatronics sounds and clear troubles than the children. They were fine over there out of reach of the poor animatronic, the animatronic is the one needing help.
You step up towards it, wandering around to its backside, you didn’t exactly have any tools but you're sure you could improvise. Digging out a spare coin from your pocket (good thing you forgot to employ them for spare change) You use it quickly as a makeshift screwdriver. Huffing as you try to get these dirty and rusting screws from the back panel of the animatronic. The thing makes a pitiful whine, head trying to turn towards you by the looks of it before another spasm causes its gears to grind together again. It’s like it was having the equivalent of some kinda muscle spasms.
You manage to get the back paying off flinching away and taking a step back as a few sparks fly out. You can hear some shouts from the employees behind you but hey you got this far and you ain't stopping now. It’s obvious what the problem is.
Some kid jammed some paper through one of the animatronics shoulder joints which when it tried to move caused the paper to slip deeper and knock around some wires. Easy fix. You didn’t exactly have gloves to make this safe…But you didn’t want to stand here waiting for someone else to fix it when it was clearly causing the guy pain. Self-preservation be damned, you stick your hand in there and yank out the papers, hissing when sparks land on your hands or wrist, the metal on the inside just a bit too hot for you to handle. You gently clasp the loose wires in one hand, slipping a spare bandage from your pocket and using it to tape the wires together, for the time being, you hadn’t exactly been carrying tape around with you.
You back up with a small smile and screw the back panel back on, only to freeze as you look up. The animatronic's face was staring intensely at you, unblinking at you and its backside, its head having turned around 180 without the rest of it moving. Its face lowered a smidge towards you, head tilting to the side. “Uh…your uh all patched up buddy.” You pat part of its back nervously, assuming since it works with children it would probably understand what that means right?
An employee rushes over, shoving you out of the way to look at what you’ve done, just as you straighten yourself so you don't fall on your ass you get yanked away from the animatronic by your interviewer. “y/n! What did you just do?! That was incredibly reckless not to mention you don’t have the authority to tamper with fazbear entertainment property! Will this be how you conduct yourself as an employee?”
You fizzle to the spot, voice falling to your stomach as you get reprimanded, you were kinda hoping for praise and a cheer…or something..though honestly this probably made more sense, you getting yelled at for helping fix a problem that you weren’t exactly hired or properly qualified for. I-you. But I ju-” You scramble to get your words out properly to say something only to sigh and run a hand down your face disappointed with yourself. You acted a bit impulsive you’ll admit but it fixed the problem! They were all busy with the kids and you got down to fix the problem quickly before any more damages could be done. The one time you had your mind made up an-
“I can let this slide this once…but you will have to follow through with the rules if you are to start working here. I think we can possibly fit you onto the list for mechanic positions.”
Wait..what?
“You managed to find the source of the problem quickly and get it solved just as fast, though I do not exactly approve of you have done so without any safety procedures. We would…rather not have any lawsuits…when's the soonest you can begin?”