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He hadn’t meant to fall asleep.
Really, he shouldn’t have.
There was too much going on, too much for him to run from. Nowhere was safe for long, and he had to keep moving. He had to make it out of here.
But he was just so tired.
Gregory tucked himself up in one of the cupboards near the daycare, the bronze statue of the daycare attendants right in front of him as he shut the cupboard to catch his breath.
He was small enough to fit easily in here, he’d just stay here until his heart rate had calmed at least.
That’s what he told himself.
The next thing Gregory knew he was opening his eyes blearily, his back aching slightly from being tucked up in such a small space. He rubbed his eye, then realized what had happened.
He’d fallen asleep.
How much time had passed? Where was Freddy? Could he get out of here now? Was it safe? Where were the other animatronics?
He raised his arm to check his FazWatch, only to find it pressed firmly to his side by something thin on top of him. Gregory turned his head,
And froze.
The daycare attendant. The creepy night one. Was cuddled right. Up. Next. To. Him.
They had an arm wrapped around Gregory, almost protectively. Their eyes were shut somehow, and the kid wondered if they were asleep. Could they sleep? Or were they just resting? Why weren’t they attacking Gregory, like they’d tried to do before?
Gregory watched them for over a minute, and nothing changed. They stayed like that, an arm around him with their eyes shut, their wide smile frozen on their face.
Maybe Gregory could just slip away, if the attendant was really asleep.
He slowly sat up more, managing to get one arm free and gently lift the animatronic's arm. He just had to climb over them and out of the cupboard, and then he’d be free-
“Naughty boy…”
Gregory jumped then froze, heart in his throat, looking down at the robot. Their eyes were still closed and they hadn’t moved an inch, but they’d obviously spoken.
He swallowed, unsure what to do. What would the robot do if he tried to leave? Chase him again? And then what? What would happen if he laid back down?
The kid leaned toward the cupboard door, reaching out a hand to push it open-
With a quiet jingle of a small bell a hand immediately closed around his outstretched wrist, and the small space was illuminated with a familiar glowing red light. Gregory screeched, jumping in fear again. He stared in utter shock as the animatronic eyed him. “Naughty, naughty boy. It is time to rest. Go back to sleep.”
“W-what?” Gregory stammered out.
The voice came out in an even lower growl than it already was as they slowly released Gregory’s wrist. “Go. To. Sleep.”
Gregory swallowed, before relaxing back down in the corner of the cupboard. The robot’s arm wrapped around him once more, and their faceplate rested back against the wall. The light in the cupboard went out as their red eyes closed.
“U-Uh… Moondrop-” That was their name, right? According to the poster just outside?
“Sleep. No talking.”
Heart hammering, Gregory made himself relax. He knew he wouldn’t sleep, but maybe he could hold out until morning…
Or maybe he could try another tactic. “Moondrop? It’s hard to sleep with you so close-”
“Uncomfortable, are you? Well, I must stay close to be sure you sleep, we can’t have you running away again.” The last three words sounded more malicious than usual in the robot’s scratched and raspy voice. “Would a song help?”
“N-no…?” Gregory just wanted to get out of here.
“Hm…” To Gregory’s surprise, the animatronic reached up and pulled their hat off, leaving them strangely bald-looking. Even more surprising, they proceeded to retrieve a small Freddy plushie from their hat before pulling it back on. Then they gave it to Gregory, and did all of this without opening their eyes. “That always helps.”
Gregory knew there would be no easy way out of this, so he gave in. He didn’t bother thanking the robot, but he took the plushie and settled down.
Holding the little Freddy close- which, he had to admit, he found nicely comforting- he swallowed and shifted slightly, trying to get more comfortable.
He’d just have to wait this out.