Chapter Text
Gregory was so cold, it was only just November and he knew things were about to just get worse. He had survived his last winter with the help of a group of homeless adults who felt bad for Gregory. They spent a lot of nights huddled up, taking warmth from each other, in any other case it would've been extremely alarming for a nine year old to lay in a pile with adults, but you did what you had to do to survive.
Unfortunately when spring came, some people with drug issues joined the group and Gregory just wasn't safe with them anymore. The people got really violent with their withdrawal symptoms and Gregory was an easy victim. The boy had no other choice than to leave the group. He would never blame them, it wasn't their fault, but he was still pissed, now he had no idea how to survive.
The boy hugged his legs closer to his body, shivering with cold, fingers already numb. He had found an abandoned newspaper a few days ago, talking about how the weekend was gonna go below freezing and Gregory was honestly scared he was going to die. The winter he had spent with the group had been incredibly hard, he couldn't imagine surviving all by himself.
Gregory knew sleeping was a bad idea, that's how hypothermia got you, so he decided to get up and leave his alleyway, he had stayed there for too long already, it was important that he kept moving places. He had heard horror stories of people who had gotten too comfortable in one place and ended up getting abducted. Gregory knew what usually ended up happening to those people, so he made sure to be extremely cautious.
The boy walked around, the cold wind making him shiver in his ratty hoodie and sweatpants. His clothes were dirty, the white hoodie more like brown and ripped on places, they were also thin with use, giving no protection against the weather. His shoes only stayed together with the power of some duct tape he scavenged from the trash, they were starting to get way too small for him, his feet hurting when he wore them for more than a few hours.
The ten year old felt people staring at him, but paid them no mind. He feared that someone would come and ask questions, that they'd call the cops and he'd get sent back to home. That's why he avoided main roads and made sure to walk quickly, no matter how weak with hunger he felt.
When he starts feeling dizzy from hunger he stops walking in front of a huge building, with flashing neon lights and crowds of people walking in and out.
Freddy Fazbear’s Mega Pizzaplex.
Gregory had heard people talking about it, how the place was huge and so cool and had such good food, but even more he had heard about the animatronics. He was incredibly curious if they were as lifelike as people insisted.
Sometimes the boy wonders what it would be like to go inside, to be normal, have a normal family, to go inside that massive building and pay for all that overpriced stuff, to have fun, maybe even meet the animatronics.
But that wasn't his reality. He had shitty parents, he was homeless, he had no money and no chance to be a normal child.
Gregory shivered again, leaning to the side of the building, trying to get his head to stop spinning. He could feel the temperature dropping, his breath starting to fog. The numbness from his fingers had spread to his palms, he would have to get them warmed soon, he had seen what cold did to your fingers and the boy would rather keep them, fingers were quite useful.
Maybe he could try going inside, just to warm up a bit and maybe steal some food. He had seen a newspaper article about all the restaurants of the PIzzaplex, someone had gone through all of them and rated the food, Gregory could only wish he was that privileged.
Deciding that trying to go inside was worth all the risks, he started walking towards the front doors stumbling a little, even if his head had stopped spinning, he still felt incredibly weak.
When he arrived inside his first thought was that the warmth was incredible, Gregory couldn't help but to let out a happy sigh while stretching his fingers to warm them up. There were a lot of people and the boy felt anxious, but he pushed those feelings aside, now wasn't the time to get panicked. There were some robots a few feet from the doors, checking that everyone had guest profiles, but there were so many people that the bots missed some of them.
Gregory couldn't help the small grin he had, he might be able to eat today.
It was ridiculously easy to slip inside, his small stature helping him to blend in. He just slipped between two adults, their bodies perfectly covering him. The security in this place clearly sucked, but he had heard rumors about the multiple lawsuits Fazbear Entertainment faced all the time, so he shouldn't really be surprised.
Gregory looked around in awe, the multiple floors of the Pizzaplex were packed with people, bright neon lights everywhere and loud music that he was barely able to hear through the talking of people. It was awesome.
His stomach growling his what snapped Gregory out of his awed staring. Right. Food.
It was easy for him to follow his nose and quickly he found an abandoned pizza on one of the tables, he was barely able to resist it, but the placement was suspicious. Who would leave a whole pizza out there? He looks around, focusing especially on the shadowed corners, trying to see if there was some creep waiting for an unsuspecting person to walk into their trap.
He doesn't see anyone, but still Gregory decides to play it safe and goes to look for something he could see people actively eating and leaving behind. He wandered around for a bit, until suddenly a voice rang through the Pizzaplex.
“Ladies and Gentlemen, the Glamrocks will perform in five minutes, please move to the first floor to witness this mind blowing performance” the voice said, sounding extremely unenthusiastic, making Gregory snort.
Apparently that was something people really wanted to see, because in second he was surrounded by people, the crowd pushing him away from the front doors.
Gregory did his best not to panic, taking deep breaths trying to push against the crowd, but it was impossible. He gave up and went with the flow, doing his best to memorize where he was going so he hopefully wouldn't get lost.
Soon he arrived at a huge room with some tables in the back, but almost no one was sitting at them, instead everyone was squeezed to the front of the room, where there was a stage.
Gregory paid them no attention, instead he stared at a family standing up from one of the tables to move towards the front, leaving behind a half eaten pizza.
Gregory didn't hesitate to run to the table, not even sitting down, just grabbing a piece and showing it in his mouth. He was so hungry.
The pizza tasted like heaven, the feeling of warm food in his stomach almost made him want to cry. It had been so long since he’s last eaten something warm and fresh.
So busy with shoving as much pizza down his throat as he could, he didn't notice a security guard behind him.
“Hey kid, what are you doing?” the guard asked. Gregory froze, almost choking on the pizza. He knew he should pretend he's just a normal child, he knew he should just say he is waiting for his parents, but instead he panicked, like an idiot.
A voice from the speakers announcing that the show is starting covered the yell of the guard as Gregory kicked them on the knee and ran as fast as his little legs could take him.
He heard the guard yelling something, but he didn't look behind, focusing on running towards the front doors. The pizza and adrenaline gave him enough energy to outrun the guard. He almost cried with relief as he saw the front doors, until fear shot through him. The guard must’ve notified the other guards as there were two of them by the doors, looking around.
Gregory felt all the panic he had ignored come back ten times worse, making breathing impossible, his vision blurring and heart beating so hard he felt it all over his body.
Coming to the Pizzaplex was the worst mistake of his life.
The boy heard yelling from behind and he quickly turned left, running until he reached some doors. He quickly slipped inside and looked around. He saw a sign saying Superstar Daycare, some couches and desks and a golden statue, but he ignored all that, opting to run to what seemed like a security desk, he quickly slipped behind it, holding his breath.
He listened carefully for anything, footsteps, talking, anything that would mean someone was still after him. He felt his lungs burning, but he was scared of all the noise his breathing would make.
After what seemed like forever Gregory let himself slightly relax, finally taking the breath his lungs were begging him to take. He was pretty sure no one was coming after him. He was so close to getting caught, to getting sent back to his parents.
The boy's breath hitched at the thought. He felt tears stinging his eyes. Oh god he was so scared.
When his adrenaline came down, his panic quickly took its place and Gregory could feel himself falling into panic attack. He felt like his heart was gonna beat out of his chest, whole body trembling. He felt like he couldn't breath, tears streaming down his face.
Oh god he can’t breathe, he was going to die.
Gregory desperately gasped for air, but he felt like he wasn't getting any, the snot clogging his nose making everything worse. The boy let out a quiet sob, he wanted to wail and sob and yell but it wasn't safe to do so. Instead he took the hem of his hoodie, pressing his face against it to quiet the sobs that escaped him.
He was going to die. Oh god he didn't want to die.
Suddenly Gregory noticed a shadow from the corner of his eye. He let out a yell, quickly scrambling back, forgetting about the desk behind him, so instead he just ended up hitting his head against it.
He looked forward with wide eyes, seeing the sun themed animatronic from the statue in front of him, even though they were kneeling they still towered over Gregory. The boy let out a sob, the animatronic was going to tell security he was here and then he'd get sent to his parents and oh god, he didn't want that. His chest heaved with panicked breaths as he prepared for the worst. For going back home, pack to his parents.
The animatronic slowly reached towards Gregory, the bell on their wrist jingling slightly, the movement was as unthreatening as possible, but Gregory still panicked, kicking at the hand and scrambling as far as he could from the animatronic.
“Please just let me leave”, Gregory sobbed, his voice thick with tears. The animatronic slowly moved back, until they were at the other end of the desk, and then they sat down cross legged, Gregory noticed that they left him a clear way out and he was about to leg it until the animatronic spoke, their voice a bit electronic sounding but still human. The voice was calm and they spoke with a slow, even tone.
“I won't force you to stay, I would never, but I'd like to make sure you are okay”.
Gregory looked at them suspiciously, getting up to a kneeling position, ready to run at any feeling of danger.
“Why?” he asked. His brain was screaming that he was being stupid and that he should just leave, but the child in him wanted to trust the friendly and calm demeanor of the animatronic.
“Because it's my job to take care of children, it would go against everything I am for me to just leave you”, Gregory thought that made sense. That was probably in their programming.
“I’m fine”, the boy forced out, wiping his tears away with the sleeve of his hoodie, probably smearing dirt on his face, but whatever.
“I do not think you are” Gregory tensed, “I'd like to at least make sure you didn't hit your head too badly, but I won't force you to do that”, Gregory looked at the animatronic for a long time, they just let him, not trying to talk or move.
He guessed the animatronics were programmed with some first aid skills in case of an emergency and it'd be good to get his head checked out, head wounds were especially dangerous when you lived in the streets.
“Sure, but nothing more and I swear to god if you do anything suspicious I'll kick your face in”, Gregory threatened. It was a ridiculous threat as he was small for a ten year old and the animatronic was insanely tall. The animatronic just nodded seriously and Gregory was weirdly glad they didn't laugh at him.
“Thank you, sunbeam”, the animatronic said and Gregory felt warmth from the nickname, but he quickly shoved it away, no way he was getting attached to an animatronic.
Slowly the animatronic got up, absolutely towering over Gregory. They walked away from the desk, turning their back to Gregory, he was glad the animatronic didn't try to approach him.
The boy slowly stood, stumbling a bit. He felt kind of lightheaded, but it was probably because of all the crying he did. Slowly he walked behind the animatronic, making sure there was enough distance between them so that Gregory could run and not easily get grabbed if the situation escalated.
They arrived in front of some doors. There was a slide next to it, Gregory looking at it curiously.
“Behind these doors is the Superstar Daycare, I work there, that slide also goes there, but I’m guessing you'd rather the door”, the animatronic explained which Gregory appreciated. The boy nodded quickly and the animatronic opened the doors, walking inside, it looked like they wanted to hold the door for Gregory, but decided to just give the boy space, which he appreciated.
They walked down some stairs and then the animatronic slowly turned around.
“I have a first aid kit in my room, I can get there with a cable, will you be okay if I go get that?” the animatronic asked. Gregory was worried the animatronic would call for security when he wasn't looking, but then he realized they probably were connected to some sort of network and could have already done that if they wanted to.
“Sure” the boy mumbled. The animatronic smiled and a cable came from the roof, slightly scaring Gregory. It connected to the animatronic and soon they were flying through the air, landing on an opening in the wall.
Gregory was left to look around. There was a huge ball pit, some big play structures and a rainbow bridge. The place looked really cool and fun. If he was a normal child, he'd probably love to spend time there. Unfortunately his situation did not allow that, but he could dream.
After a few minutes the animatronic appeared by the opening, the same cable coming out and helping them land slowly to the floor.
“Okay sunbeam, am I allowed to touch your head to see if there is a bump?” the animatronic asks and Gregory slightly panics, but the animatronic seems to notice that.
“I won't force you to do anything, I promise”, the animatronic assures. Gregory stares at them. They were so nice to him, it was weird. It made him want to trust them. God maybe they were nice just to stab him in the back. Wouldn't be the first time that happened.
“Fine, but just that, nothing more”, Gregory grumbles. His brain keeps screaming at him about how dangerous this all is, but god the animatronic was just so nice.
They slowly moved closer to Gregory, the boy tensing and hugging his arms around his body, the animatronic kneeled next to the boy, slowly raising their hand to softly touch the back of Gregory's head. The boy flinched at the contact, but didn't move away.
“Does it hurt?” the animatronic quietly asks.
“Nuh-uh”, Gregory mumbles. He feels the animatronic softly press around his head, long fingers threading through his wild brown hair, the bell on their wrist gently jingling with their movements. Gregory almost relaxes at the soft contact. He has no idea when he last felt a positive touch.
“I feel a small bump, but nothing more, I think you're fine”, the animatronic softly says and moves away. Gregory can't decide if he's relieved or disappointed.
“Do you have a headache or do you feel nauseous?” Gregory shakes his head. The animatronic hums. Suddenly he feels his panic spike.
“Why did you get the first aid kit then?” he asks, oh god it has to be a trap. They probably contacted someone while getting the kit, or maybe there is something in there, oh no.
Gregory is just about to leg it when the animatronic speaks, voice still calm.
“I noticed you had some scratches on your arms and wanted to treat them too, I'm sorry I didn't explain it better”, they assure. Gregory looks at them suspiciously, they look genuine but when has that made a difference? He should just leave already. Every second he spends there gets him closer to getting caught.
But something about leaving this rare kindness, whether genuine or not, to leave back to the streets, hoping he doesn't freeze to death, feels impossible.
“Are you sure?” Gregory asks, narrowing his eyes.
“I promise”, the animatronic says, eyes soft. Gregory sighs.
“Okay, sure. You can… you can do that”, he mumbles. The animatronic nods and sits cross legged on the floor, opening the first aid kit next to them.
“Would you like to sit down?” they ask. Gregory eyes the floor, his legs were really tired from running for his life so much and he was exhausted from all the panicking he did. Sitting would be nice.
Cautiously he sits about two feet away from them. He looked down at his hands, they were indeed scratched, he hadn't even noticed. Maybe he did that while panicking, he's not sure.
“I'm gonna take your hand in mine now, okay?” the animatronic warns, Gregory nods and prepares himself. With a jingle of a bell, a long fingered hand came and took his hand gently. Gregory didn't flinch this time.
The boy watched the animatronic work, not even flinching when they cleaned the small wounds.
“My name is Sun by the way. I use he/him pronouns”, Gregory looked at them- him in surprise.
“I thought you'd like to know, but do not feel obligated to tell me anything”, Sun says with a gentle smile. Gregory looks back at his hands, the left one already wrapped up. He watched Sun gently start to wrap his other hand.
“Uh- I’m Gregory, he/him”, the boy whispers after deciding Sun can't do too much with that information. A wide smile appears on his face.
“I'm so glad you told me”, the animatronic squeals quietly, almost vibrating with excitement. Gregory looks at him with wide eyes.
“I’m sorry I’m so energetic, I'm usually like that, but I'm trying not to frighten you”, Sun explains while stilling again. Gregory was surprised, why would someone put so much effort in making him comfortable?
“It’s- it's fine, you can be, I don't know, energetic, just no fast movements”, Gregory says with a blush on his cheeks.
It was like a rubber band had snapped inside the animatronic, he started squealing and vibrating again, slowly flapping his hands, bells jingling with the movement.
“Oh aren't you just the most adorable little guy”, he giggles, making Gregory’s blush worse. His hands had been wrapped so he slowly stood up, looking at the door. He should leave now. He had no business here anymore.
He didn't want to leave. The thought hit him like a train. He really, really didn't want to leave.
“What's up, sunbeam?” Sun asks, getting more serious, but still moving around in kind of a swinging motion. Gregory looks up at him. He was so nice, Gregory had a hard time understanding it.
“I-I- I don't-” the boy stammers. God he was pathetic, he felt tears stinging in his eyes.
“You don't have to leave if you don't want to”, Sun says softly, making Gregory spin around to stare at him. His brain was screaming that this must be a trap, but the offer was so good. He wouldn't have to leave to the streets, he could be warm and relatively safe. He wouldn't have to stay forever, maybe just to wait for the cold weekend to pass. He ignored the part of his brain asking what he was going to do for winter.
“A-are you sure?” Gregory quietly asks while wiping his eyes, making sure that no tears would fall.
“Oh of course I am, I have just the place for you, you can stay here as long as you want to”, the animatronic exclaims, bouncing on his feet. Gregory looks up at him, he seems genuine and he could really use a place to stay.
“S-sure, if it's not too much work?” Gregory asks, Sun was so nice and Gregory really didn't want to bother him.
“No, no, not at all, I'd love to have you”, Sun assures, a bright smile on his face.
“Would you like to stay down here at the daycare, or up in my room, you can decide and both options are equally fine”, Sun explains and Gregory is glad, by the assurance that there isn't a right or a wrong answer, he hated when people asked a questions but there were answers they didn't want.
“Uh- probably down here?” Gregory says, the thought of being in the animatronics room made him anxious, especially because he would need to rely on Sun to get in or out.
“Of course sunbeam”, the animatronic giggles and starts walking towards a nook by the corner of the daycare.
“This is the daycare's naptime area, so it's perfect for sleeping”, Sun tells and Gregory looks around curiously, there was a huge mattress on the floor and on top of it were piles of blankets, pillows and plushies. It looked really comfortable. Although to be fair basically everything looked really comfortable after sleeping in boxes and dumpsters and park benches for months.
“Thank you”, the boy whispers, awe in his voice. He doesn't think he's been treated this well in his entire life.
“It's no problem sunbeam”, Sun giggles while slowly flapping their hands. Gregory had the feeling he would do it quicker, but did not want to frighten him, Gregory really appreciated it.
“You can sleep if you wish, it's getting really late and you'll have to wake up early because the daycare opens at eight and I’m guessing you don't want to be here when all the children come”, Sun says and Gregory quickly nods, he could really use some sleep.
“Okay, I'll leave you to be now”, Sun assures with a bright smile and Gregory nods shyly. A part of him wished he'd stay and another part was glad to be alone. He was absolutely exhausted, but he wasn't sure if he'd be able to sleep well in such a strange environment.
When Sun flew through the air with the cable to his room Gregory finally sat down to the mattress. He looked down at his wrapped hands, remembering how gentle Sun had been while wrapping them. He felt tears stinging in his eyes, the animatronics gentleness reminded Gregory of his loneliness, of how he'll never have parents or anyone to take care of him. He usually shoved it all away, but sometimes the loneliness, the desire to have someone to take care of him became so strong he felt like he was going to choke on it. Like right now.
The boy slowly moved backwards until he reached the corner of the nook. He pulled a blanket on top of himself and took one of the plushies that looked like the lead singer of the Glamrock band and squeezed it to his chest, letting tears drip down his cheeks.
Quietly the boy cried himself to sleep.