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Akito isn’t much of a gamer.
That title belongs more to Toya whose frequent visits to the arcade built up a formidable enough skill in certain games like the claw machine. It’s not as if he has never played games before, it’s merely a hobby he has little to no interest in. A short distraction. Despite this, if Toya had invited him to one of these arcade trips, Akito would have entertained him.
Not because it’s Toya, there are simply times he feels like trying.
So when Toya approached him during recess with a similar request, who is Akito to say no?
“I’ve never heard of this game… ’Five Nights At Freddy ’s’?”
“The game has been out for a long time now but it’s quite popular overseas. A lot of local people enjoy this game too since there’s not much of a language issue. I could download the game onto my laptop and we can play together.”
“Ah, so it’s like those PC games?” Akito asked. “Is it a multiplayer game or…”
“Single-player, actually. But I heard that it’s more fun to have another person watch you play. That’s why I thought of asking you first.” Toya smiled into his onigiri. The favour wasn’t much, keeping his partner company is already something he does without being told too. But the idea of Toya wanting to play a PC game is still an enigma Akito wants to know the mystery of.
The boy cocked his head to the side, a bad feeling already warning him in his stomach. “It’s not that I don’t want to, but I don’t think I’ve seen you play PC games often. Why this one specifically?”
“Well…it's a horror game.”
…
Akito’s eyes widened, “Wait- horror? You want to play a horror game ?”
“To be honest, I’ve never tried a game with this genre before… but that’s why I want to experience it with you. I think it's nice to play something with just the two of us. And it makes for some great memories...”
Leave it to Toya to make such a simple request into something more meaningful and heartfelt. Akito’s practically squealing in his mind at how pure someone’s intention could be. To that, he returned to Toya his usual grin. “Sure, I don’t mind.”
“You really don’t?” Toya looked overjoyed at the confirmation. Akito could easily imagine behind Toya a wagging tail that dogs would have when they’re excited. “Then, can I sleep over at your place this Friday? After practice, I can grab my things from home and we can head together. I would’ve invited you over instead since I’m the one that wanted to play this but…”
“No worries. My parents don’t mind at all.” He reassured his partner with a light pat on his back. Akito himself rarely came over to Toya’s house knowing his father’s opinion of him isn’t exactly…good. Contrary to his own father who simply doesn’t care and his lax mother, Akito’s house is a better option.
“Ah-time is almost up.” Toya informed, checking his wrist watch as he quickly closed the lid of his lunch box. While he was long done and ready to go, still he waited for Akito to finish and headed to the stairwell together. At the bottom of the first flight, he turned to Akito. “See you after school?”
“Yeah, see you.”
—
Sleepovers aren’t a new event for Akito, yet he could never stop himself from feeling all giddy and excited than usual whenever they have those. His family has almost taken Toya as a part of their family, hell, even his sister treats him like another younger brother. Dinner goes on as usual. But with Toya there, the level of homely feels somehow increased as they ate together.
After washing his portion of plates (And Toya’s, because what sort of host would he be?), they went upstairs where Akito’s room is located. Toya sleeping-over at their house became a common occurrence until an extra mattress is always ready to be unfolded under his bed. He worked on unfolding and bringing over the extra blankets and pillow while his partner hit the shower first, initially insisting Akito took it first yet obliged.
Akito was in the middle of scrolling mindlessly through his phone yet Toya came out of the bathroom, fully dressed yet his hair still wet. “I’m done, you can use it now.”
He noticed his partner going through his bag, taking out his laptop and turning it on at his desk. “How scary is the game anyways, from a scale of 1 to 10?”
“I can’t say so myself since I never played it, but since it is a popular game, then it must be scary right?”
Akito hummed as he entered the bathroom, his curiosity constantly wandering throughout the whole shower.
—
“Alright, let’s start.”
Toya has the main seat, clicking at the start button with his mouse. The game opens up with a news article featuring a puppet-bear like thing on the cover and the entire text written in English. Akito completely gave up after reading three words yet Toya persistently read through. The accent of his voice is almost endearing to hear, something he rarely heard outside of singing English parts during practice.
Immediately after the article, the game had brought them into some sort of office space. The dimly lit space had already given Akito the creeps, moreso a pair of doors on both sides with only two buttons. Toya experimented with his surroundings, turning the direction of the camera and pressing the buttons beside the doors. The phone guy in the game began to talk and probably deliver some story context if he were to guess.
“What’s the guy saying?” Akito asked, unbothered to attempt translating the piece of dialogue in his head.
“A bit about the character’s job, and I think some things about the game’s setting.” Toya managed to pull up a screen within the game, showing grainy footage with a simple design of a map at the corner. It seems like clicking on some parts of the map showed a different area. The quality of the footage wasn't the clearest, but it adds onto the spooky atmosphere, Akito thought.
The camera showing the stage area had three of those things Akito saw at the main menu (Animatronics, the term Toya referred to them). The same bear, a purple bunny and a duck, faced away from the camera unmoving.
“So they’re like…robots?”
“Something like that. The bear is named Freddy, the rabbit is Bonnie, and the chicken is Chica.”
“Chica is a chicken? Doesn’t it look more like a duck though?”
“I’m not fully sure- oh wait.”
Akito stared at his partner, “What? What’s wrong?”
“The animatronics can move, that’s what the person on the phone is saying.” He explained, eyes still on the stage area where all animatronics are still present. “They’re also trying to kill us if they reach the office.”
“So that’s what the doors are for… Well, it shouldn’t be hard for you, right?”
To his surprise, Toya offered a smug look. “I may not have played it, but I did read an official guidebook of the game, I borrowed it from Kusanagi-san.”
“She plays this game too?” To be truthful, knowing she was the type to enjoy games as much as Toya was already surprising, but playing horror games specifically?
“Oh no, she said it’s too much for her but the games have a lot of stories behind it.”
Ah, that explains it.
Toya’s attention is back to his monitor, quickly letting out a low gasp. “Bonnie is gone.”
“Eh?” Akito turned to the screen, the space where his head was in view making the area seem much wider. When Toya switched the camera, Bonnie was back in view. His full body could be seen at the dining area, staring back into the camera expressionlessly.
“He’s just. Standing there…”
He’s still far from our office, so it should be fine.”
Our office, as if the single player game had seats for two within the office itself. To be frank, if this was happening in real life his fight-or-flight instinct will no doubt lean towards fight. Granted that nothing resembling a dog or wolf attacks them. Hopefully.
Not long after, Bonnie left the rows of tables. He has begun to notice a pattern in how Toya plays, switching from camera to the lights for the pair of doors constantly. Akito figured it was from the guidebook he had borrowed from Nene but still, he was surprised at how quickly he picked up and fell into a sense of rhythm.
It was disrupted when the camera footage turned black, sounds of low glitches heard through the monitor.
“What was that?” Akito switched from slouching to straightening his position in a flash. Toya urgently closed the tab and looked to the office. His palms were getting clammy from the tension, unsure of when… something will pop out.
Nothing surprising happened. Toya fell back into the routine with Akito watching the
sidelines. Huh, kinda slow for a horror game-
The screen flashed consistently with Freddy’s face up close and the words ‘It’s Me’ alternating, eyes bulged and uncomfortably realistic. Akito actually jumped in his seat, even Toya tensed up for a short second though relaxed as quickly as the scare came.
“Jeez, this is freaky…”
“Are you getting scared?” His partner questioned. Not in a mocking way, but in a genuinely worried sense and also from curiosity.
He quickly shook his head and crossed his arms. “It’s just a game. Nothing bad…”
“On the bright side, look at the time.” Toya’s voice lightened. “About two more hours left till 6-”
“SON OF A-” He exclaimed, not helped at all with the scare chord and how Bonnie immediately showed up during Toya’s usual routine. Akito was almost impressed by how Toya didn’t react an inch, closing the door on his face within a second.
“There he is.”
“...How can you be this calm.”
“It’s only one animatronic.” He replied far too casually.
“...What do you mean by only one?”
To his paranoia, Toya ignored his question and seemed far too focused on trying to get rid of that damn purple bunny. Door opened, still there. Closed the door, flashed the lights longer, opened up and he’s still there. At this point, the fear in Akito has been long sucked out.
—
“Oh, we did it.”
The light chiming of a clock followed with the cheers of children signalled the end of the first night. They watched in satisfaction as the five slowly turned into a six. Never in Akito’s life had he ever felt so grateful to see that point in time, seeing as he hated waking up early in the mornings.
“That was only the first night. There’s four more to go, but I doubt we’d be able to finish it all. It gets more and more difficult the more nights you go through.” Toya explained before turning to Akito with bright eyes. “Do you want to try?”
He has watched his partner play and remembered the strategy he applied to survive. Akito may not have played games that often, but trying wouldn’t hurt much. Maybe he could even go through the night without needing a single help. “Scoot over, I’ll give it a go.”
“Good luck, let me know if you need any help.”
The game starts back immediately and begins the same with a phone call. It went differently based on his limited skill in listening to English, his tone is a bit jovial at the start more so from the first call. He noticed Toya was about to translate the call himself until they were both distracted from a familiar sight.
“Bonnie’s already moving?” Akito asked himself, sighing. He’s not standing at the dining area either, but rather the dark backstage area with only his silhouette seen in a much more ominous manner.
He spent much more time in the cameras and almost forgot the routine Toya stuck to during his playthrough. Akito switched back to the office, looking through both lights before going back to the cameras. Among the calls given to the character were uncomfortable white noises that factored into his paranoid state, from dull footsteps with almost no direction to a cheery carnival music played from an unknown source.
He’s given another surprise when Bonnie had decided to meet him in the supply closet, standing still and close to the camera yet his eyes stared up. Talk about uncomfortable eye contact.
“He’s getting closer,” Toya pointed out. On the first night, the building feeling of getting cornered was slow and almost went unnoticed. With the animatronic so boldly letting his presence be seen freaks the hell out of Akito.
He wouldn’t admit it to Toya. Not at all.
“He’s not there yet , so I think we’re fine…
Uh, what the fuck is that…!”
Pirate Cove in the map is located beside the main stage and not much of a sight to begin with, only a stage with closed curtains and a sign stating that something’s out of order. So when Akito accidentally clicks on the place and finds a snouted animal with glowing eyes and visible sharp teeth peeking out from the curtain, he has quietly accepted his fate.
He’s screwed.
“That’s Foxy, the fourth member of the animatronics. Unlike the other animatronics, he’s usually dormant and only comes out when you don’t check up on him regularly.”
“And you decided to only tell me that just now !?”
Toya placed a finger on his chin in thought, “Usually he would appear on the third night, but I guess we got lucky and encountered him here.”
“ What do you mean lucky- shit!”
Chica was out as well, taking Bonnie’s place as the dweller of the dining area. Her head cocked to the side where the camera filmed unsettlingly.
Akito finally admits defeat at 1 AM into the game. “Toya? Could use a little help here?”
The whole time he had been watching, he was leaning against the chair comfortably, both hands resting on his stomach. He was incredibly relaxed both in and out of the game. The moment Akito asked for help however, Toya pushed himself up, sitting similarly to Akito’s posture and closer to the computer. All with a neutral expression.
“Bonnie is currently the closest.” He pointed out with his finger but not touching the screen. “Regularly look at the doors. If you paid too much attention to the cameras, he could sneak in without noticing.”
Trying his best to stay calm, Akito did as he was told. He limits himself to watching two places before switching back to the doors, rinse and repeat. It was stressful seeing both Chica and Foxy out and about as well but he tried to stick to the routine.
He was beyond grateful when he caught Bonnie directly at his doorstep, closing his view with the metal doors and enjoying that sweet, gratifying sound it makes.
“Keep the door locked longer.” Toya advised. “It took him quite a while to leave… maybe keep the lights on to scare him away?”
“Persistent bas- oh fuck…” Now, Akito feels genuine fear when he spots Foxy fully out of the Pirate Cove, its body contorting in a disturbing way with his hooked hand out. He focused back to the door where Bonnie resided, praying for that thing to go away quickly.
“Halfway through.” Toya stated. 3 AM, a bit more until morning comes. Akito realised the amount of power he has used, reaching below 50%. Toya never mentioned what would happen if the power ran out-
“SCREEEEEE”
“FUCK-”
The bird got him.
Akito fell backwards along with the chair. The sudden movement surprised Toya more than the actual jumpscare himself, getting up to check on his partner urgently. “Akito? Are you alright!?”
Coming from one side of the wall were persistent banging, followed by Ena’s voice annoyingly scolding them both, or more to Akito since it was his scream after all. “Lower down! It’s in the middle of the night!”
“...Sorry…” Toya muttered as a response on behalf of his fallen partner. There were no loud thuds that could indicate he landed on the floor and possibly injured himself. Thankfully enough, Toya was right.
The chair landed on the mattress instead, beholding him with the sight of an Akito laying on his side, both hands shielding his face. After screaming from his heart, not a single word came from his mouth. He wasn’t sure if this position was as a result of the attack or if Akito had simply been far too embarrassed,his whole body as still as a log.
“...Akito?” Toya called out as he kneeled beside the poor boy. He poked his forearm with a finger, just enough force exerted to slightly move Akito. No response.
“Were you scared?”
Akito still refused to answer and stayed in that position persistently. Toya softly sighed, deciding to join his partner lying down. His own body is tilted to the side so that he may face him properly. “You know I would never make fun of you for it. Everyone feels fear, it’s normal. So come on… say something.”
…
“Ugh…” The hands may have muffled it, but surely enough Akito lowly whined in response.
“Were you scared while playing the game?” Toya asked. Akito had not answered verbally, instead nodding curtly.
“And now you’re embarrassed after screaming so loudly?” Another nod.
Without warning, Toya sat up and took hold of Akito’s wrists, forcing him out of his fleshly shell. The latter squeaked in surprise as he was raised up, sitting down to avoid himself from being carried around like a ragdoll. Toya then wrapped both of his arms around Akito, pulling him into a hug from their crossed-legged sit position.
“There, there…” Toya lovingly stroked his hair. “There, there Akito…”
“Dude, enough.” Akito chuckled, pulling himself away from his partner, mostly due to the uncomfortable strain it placed on his back. The after-effects of the jumpscare were mostly gone and the adrenaline in his veins had slowed. “That was kinda tiring…”
“We better stop for the night.” He agreed, already heading towards the desk to put away his laptop. Akito nodded to himself and got up to the bathroom.
They brushed their teeth and turned off the lights before settling into their respective beds. While Toya has already made himself comfy within his blanket, he notices Akito eyeing him from the higher level of his wooden bed, his expression troubled and hesitant despite how dark it would be for him to see.
It was lucky that the mattress has always been quite large for a single person to sleep on.
He patted the large, empty surface beside him. “Come here.”
Akito didn’t even try to defend himself or feign ignorance. He walked off the bed and quickly laid down beside Toya while facing him. The latter does the same whilst making sure they were equally enveloped by the blanket, smiling to himself at the unexpected side of Akito he was given a chance to witness.
“...Hey.” Akito called out. “I had fun.”
“I’m glad.” Toya responded. His hand found its way to where Akito’s is, holding it in between the both of them.
“Good night, Toya.”
“Good night, sleep well.”