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Glamrock Freddy hovered nervously in Roxy Raceway, ears twitching and glowing eyes flicking around. Why Gregory wanted to drive the cart, he did not know. But after all this trouble, finally the young boy had set off to drive, leaving Freddy to wait and watch the track. Freddy didn’t entirely know why he’d wanted this, though. Perhaps Gregory simply wanted a short time to unwind, or he figured he could gain something from racing. In the end, Freddy told himself it was simply a scared child, wanting some relief and excitement after the terror he had endured since the beginning of the night. And so, Freddy kept watch, letting his superstar enjoy himself, while making sure he had eyes on Roxy or could at least hear her.
Except…
He couldn’t.
Freddy glanced around more, taking a step forward. It wasn’t uncommon to lose track of the other bots and animatronics in the area. However, the fact he could not even hear her when usually her voice echoed through the cavernous room did give him pause. That and Gregory being out of his sights, as well. Within moments, his worries were proved valid, for a loud screech, followed by a deafening crash boomed through the room, coming from the direction of the track. Spinning around, Freddy ran his eyes along what he could see of it, but he could not spot wherever this noise had come from. He nearly called out for Gregory several times as he thudded to the entrance of the raceway, but he knew doing such a thing could reveal they were in league.
No matter where he looked, there was no cart in sight, not on the road, not at the starting line. Freddy’s ears drooped as he hovered at the top of the steps that led to the starting line. The need to run onto the track and search every inch of it tugged at his mechanical insides, but his programming practically blared in his systems, alerting him and urging him not to. For now, to not cause further disruptions to his functions, Freddy set to tracking the fazwatch and trying to contact Gregory instead. Clearly, something had happened, and if the boy was injured or in need in any way, he would run to his aid without hesitation.
First, Freddy’s censors came up empty, which meant the watch was either in an area that disrupted its signal, it was turned off, or broken. He couldn’t track it. Next, he tried to send a message anyway, asking Gregory if something had happened and if he needed assistance. Normally, Gregory replied immediately, or if he couldn’t, Freddy could tell when the boy heeded his words. This time though? Nothing.
And so, Freddy was left with one option, and he took it immediately. Charging onto the road of the raceway, he started rushing down it, eyes flicking around desperately. Gregory was under his care; he had sworn to protect this child with everything he had. So to let Gregory go alone and do something trivial, yet something that could so easily go wrong, left Freddy with a sense of despair and guilt, emotions he knew were only programmed to his personality chip, yet they overwhelmed his senses anyway. Freddy tromped around a bend, still looking around, ears low and joints tense with worry for Gregory, this boy he was supposed to keep safe, the child he had protected and received help from in return. Freddy had to admit, he’d grown incredibly attached to the rumpled gremlin of a child he’d discovered in his stomach hatch. There was something charming and adorable about Gregory’s sassy, rough nature, a true light gleaming through his snarky exterior, showing a determined, good center. Why else was Gregory staying here? He could be hiding, but instead, he was running around, trying to solve whatever nonsense was happening in the Pizzaplex to cause so many people to vanish and get hurt.
Freddy admired Gregory for that; he cared for him, in a way a robot like himself never expected to. So the fact some sort of accident happened on the track, when Freddy willingly let him go off on his own simply burned. It drove him to run and search along the entire winding road, a few times during which he actually called for Gregory, despite the risk such an action held. The area was already wrecked and unstable, and wherever Gregroy and his cart crashed or somehow ended up, Freddy could not spot. He soon found himself right back where he started. Shoulders lowering and head bowing, Freddy silently racked his mechanical mind for something he could do, a solution to this problem. It was certainly not the first time he and Gregory had been separated. Or even cut off from contacting each other, for that matter. The fact that Freddy knew where Gregory was supposed to be, though, and after hearing something happen in said area made this feel…different. And worse. So much worse.
Freddy stood there for a while, endlessly scanning the room, only to end up trying to rush onto the track again. He froze then, when finally he received an alert, the familiar call of Gregory’s fazwatch. Immediately, Freddy charged towards the area he’d been summoned to, following the signal with an undeterred loyalty, fear, and determination. He found himself near a set of stairs and the closed-off bumper cars. A deep sense of relief washed over Freddy entirely as he spotted Gregory and dutifully came to a halt in front of him.
“Oh, Gregory,” Freddy said, making sure not to shout, for fear of his voice echoing. “I was so worried. I heard something happen on the raceway, and…” He trailed off, his eyes widening. Gregory looked up at him, head tilted and eyes searching Freddy’s face, as if waiting for him to continue. Freddy lost all words, realizing just how much dirtier Gregory appeared now. Sure, both of them were quite filthy from all the running and hiding, especially in the dirtied utility tunnels and back areas. Even so, Gregory’s clothes and skin were tinged with dirt and soot, of all things. His hair appeared messier than before, sticking out at odd angles, with a few tangles visible in his fluffy locks. What alarmed Freddy more, though, was the fact parts of his clothing actually looked singed or burnt in some way.
Gregory blinked up at Freddy, and rubbing the back of his leg with his foot, he spoke with a rough voice, “Gotcha a new upgrade.” He shook the checkered bag slung over his shoulder, one of the various duffels he’d found around the mega mall.
“I see,” Freddy said, not processing this at the moment. There were more important matters at hand. “Gregory—” he knelt in front of Gregory, reaching over to gently tuck back a piece of hair with his claw— “where were you? What happened? Were you near fire somehow?” He couldn’t think of why he would be, or how he and his car vanished in the first place.
“I’ll explain later, we’ve gotta get out of here.” Gregory swiped at Freddy’s paw. “Roxy’s gone bonkers! And besides, six a.m.’s coming soon. Let’s just get you this upgrade, and then—” His high, but now rough voice suddenly broke off into a fit of coughs. He leaned forward, coughing raggedly into his elbow, with wheezy and hitched breaths in between each painful sound. Freddy immediately moved closer, rubbing Gregory’s back and glancing him over with concern as the boy shakily coughed and struggled for breath.
“Superstar,” he said, not ceasing in the soothing motion, even when Gregory’s fit subsided, “please tell me what happened. You seem unwell.”
“Gah, Freddy.” Gregory cleared his throat, rolling his eyes. “I’m fine, okay? There isn’t time to explain. Let’s just—” He cut himself off to cough and clear his throat again. “Let’s go. Gotta get you this upgrade before that creepy moon thing comes back.” And with that, he pushed past the worried bear and snuck into the more open part of the room. Freddy straightened, and hesitating, followed closely. He wished to carry Gregory in his stomach hatch, but at the moment, his battery was too low to do so. Gregory seemed to have this in mind, though, for he led Freddy into one of the small rooms connected to the large raceway. There stood a recharge station. Gregory turned and stood on tip toes to tap his knuckles against Freddy’s chest, as a request to enter. He willingly opened it, waiting till Gregory was settled and it closed properly before climbing into the station. After Freddy felt his power and energy charge back up, giving him a brief buzz, he stepped out. As he did, he made sure to run a scan of Gregory, in case of new injuries.
Unfortunately, as he expected, a few issues popped up. Firstly, Gregory was suffering from some damage to his lungs from too much smoke inhalation, proved by the fact the boy was shaking with rattling coughs again. This would likely clear up on its own; what gave Freddy more concern was the fact he appeared to be, well, injured. Putting aside the many scrapes and bruises Gregory had already received throughout the night, the animatronic detected a rather nasty burn on the palm of his right hand and the back of his left leg, as well as a lesser injury of the same nature on his lower back.
“Freddy!” Gregory knocked on the inside of his hatch. “Why’re you just standing there? I told you, we have to leave quickly!”
Freddy completely ignored this, his voice growing softer. “Gregory, why didn’t you tell me you were injured?”
“We can take care of it in a minute! There’s no time!” Gregory said, giving Freddy a strange sense of déjà vu, a reminder of the very beginning of the night.
“Leaving burns untreated,” Freddy said, “could result in horrid outcomes, such as infection, further irritation or worsening of the injury, or even—”
“Shut up and go!” Gregory kicked the front of the hatch, creating a loud ‘thunk’ and freezing Freddy in his words. The aggressive action was followed by a pained whimper, as obviously he’d used the injured leg. Freddy glanced down, the need to keep talking whirring in his systems, but Gregory spoke first, voice gruff and seemingly annoyed, “Just take me to parts and service. You need this upgrade to help me get out; me being hurt can wait. Go.” A small pause came, followed by a quiet cough and a just as soft voice saying, “Please.”
Against his better judgement, Freddy relented to Gregory’s wishes. He made sure to give himself an extra charge, then left the raceway, without so much as a word. It felt wrong, though. More than anything, he wanted to care for the boy in his stomach, but Gregory was right. The hour of the exit opening quickly approached, and though Freddy valued Gregory and tending to him over his own upgrades, at this point he didn’t want to argue. Gregory always seemed so dead set on those upgrades and all the little quests and investigations they had done throughout the night.
They reached parts and service soon enough, where Freddy once again reluctantly entered the protective cylinder and laid down to be worked on. The last thing he thought of before his systems were briefly shut down was Gregory and his obviously less-than-satisfactory condition. Then, the first thing he saw once he rebooted and exited the cylinder was Gregory himself, turning away from the computer and looking up at him with a small, tired smile. “How are your new eyes?” Freddy blinked several times as he tried to adjust to them, already noticing a significant difference. Everything appeared much brighter and colorful, and he could see certain objects outlined through the things around him. Occasionally, he spotted hints of movement or other objects through walls and even the ceiling over his head. It was jarring, to say the least.
“I am having a hard time adjusting,” Freddy replied, looking to Gregory again. “Almost everything looks different to me now.” He gave a small gasp, once again catching a hint of something passing behind a nearby wall. “I can see movement through the walls.”
“Really?” Gregory’s eyes widened with wonder and interest. “I didn’t know Roxy could see through walls.”
Freddy automatically tensed. “These are Roxy’s eyes?!”
Immediately, Gregory’s expression dimmed a little, and he gave a shrug. “Well, yeah. There was an accident in the raceway.” Freddy gave a hum, gaze flicking downward. It felt strange using his friend’s eyes, seeing things like she used to, how she probably couldn’t now. Just like how it felt wrong to have Chica’s voice box. More so, though, what concerned him was this apparent accident he had heard but not seen. What happened to Gregory and Roxy? Why had they seemingly disappeared into thin air, soon leaving Freddy with a dirtied, singed, and newly injured Gregory on his hands? Freddy was about to comment on this and the eye situation in general, but he didn’t get the chance. The time reached 5:50, glazing over his vision with stars and blue to alert him the next hour neared…and the daycare attendant roamed again.
“Gregory! You must climb into my stomach hatch now,” Freddy said, worry whirring in his system. “Six o’ clock is nearly upon us.”
“Then let’s get to the exit!” Gregory hurried closer to Freddy as his compartment opened. Making his usual noises and grunts, he climbed inside. Freddy nearly argued this point, wanting to find out what happened at the raceway, wishing even more to help Gregory out a final time before letting him leave. But, under the circumstances, things were too urgent. And so, he set off to the service lift of the main stage. The new eyes helped tremendously, aiding Freddy in catching any dangers that could come their way, keeping an eye on the approaching Daycare Attendant, and finding the safest route to the elevators as they went through the atrium. All the while, he battled with the unwanted feeling beginning to take over him.
Even as he stood silently with Gregory in the elevator to the lobby, both cringing and shaking their heads at Vanessa’s last attempt to coax Gregory to come, it didn’t leave him. Once Gregory left through those doors, Freddy knew he may never see him again. It was a lonely and anxious ache he experienced, and it made him feel selfish. Yes, he wanted Gregory to stay so he could help him after whatever incident occurred in the raceway, but it was mainly because he did not want to part ways with Gregory in the first place. The two had bonded, grown close in a way Freddy had never done so with a person before, perhaps even with his friends, who had slowly felt less and less like the fellow performers he once knew. Especially after tonight, when they were mindless hunters, with only fragments of their once vibrant personalities echoed in their repeated, droning lines to catch and lure out Gregory. Freddy didn’t even feel as badly about taking and using their parts as he wanted to. He didn’t understand why he needed them, but they did help him keep Gregory safe…safe from fellow animatronics he once considered friends, and now he saw that they weren’t even them, just shells of who they once were. Machines. Was Freddy simply a machine too?
No…
Gazing at Gregory as the elevator stopped, Freddy was struck by a realization. In a neon, commercialized world, where Freddy was set to perform and visit what sometimes felt like the same children every day, this was the first time he’d ever felt alive. Even with the bitterness of witnessing his companions reduced to violent security bots, seeing Gregory react and speak to him, having the duty to protect him, going through thick and thin together, growing close and depending on one another in the span of a few hours, well…
It gave Freddy a sense of purpose he had never felt before, a sense of life; the thought that he wasn’t just a machine, a performer, or the face of a brand. He was Freddy Fazbear, someone who could feel, someone who could care for and protect a child he had grown to love, like one does a close friend or even a son.
Any sense of this warm and life-changing realization vanished when he had to rush after Gregory, who darted through the lobby, past the security bots, and for the exit, which began to slide open. Six a.m. The night was over. And Freddy would have to say goodbye to any chance he had at figuring out what happened to his friends, to his life in this Pizzaplex…but more importantly, to his chance at truly living.
Freddy halted once they reached the front of the lobby, watching Gregory quickly and eagerly limp towards the exit. “Freddy! It’s open!” he called. “Let’s go!” He stopped there and turned around. Freddy’s image of the small child grew clearer as the effect of the approaching hour faded from his vision. Freddy gazed at Gregory, watching his tired yet ready and excited expression begin to fade.
Already hating that he had to do this, Freddy practically forced the words out. “No,” he said. “I cannot exit this facility.”
“Of course you can!” Gregory took a step closer to him. “Come on!” He motioned with his arm, then scurried closer and took Freddy’s hand, which was so much larger compared to Gregory’s small, ash smudged one. “We can hide you somewhere. We can leave, okay? You and me. I can’t leave you after everything we’ve gone through.” He gave Freddy’s paw a few pulls.
Freddy watched with a soft expression, rubbing his thumb against Gregroy’s hand. “Without a recharge station, my systems would shut down, within an hour. It is a safety precaution.” He gently pulled his hand away from Gregory’s, his voice growing quieter and sadder as he watched the young boy’s expression fall even more. “It is…my design.” Freddy’s eyes and head lowered, then lifted back up. “This is where I must stay.” And it was true; he couldn’t leave…and he knew Gregory shouldn’t come back, not after what happened, not after when Freddy finally noticed how much the place he once called home had crumbled. “Do not return. It will never be safe.” Getting down so he was more level with Gregory, he gently rested his paw on the boy’s shoulder, looking into his bright, orange-brown eyes. “I will miss you, Gregory. In our short time together, you have…opened my eyes, made me see and feel things I never thought I could. I am glad I could protect you, and I care for you dearly. I wish you luck in whatever you decide to do with your life, superstar.” He wiggled his ears a little, hoping to get a smile out of Gregory, who just stared with a tired, beaten expression. “My superstar.”
Gregory finally managed a small smile, placing a hand on the paw resting upon his shoulder. Eyes lowering to the floor, his expression shifted to something Freddy couldn’t read. “Actually, I…I’ve been thinking about that. I just—” He paused, biting down on his bottom lip. “I went through a lot tonight, and I…I do want to leave, but I don’t want to go back to…uh, what I have now. After everything, it would feel useless. If you can’t come with me, I wanna stay.” He looked back up at Freddy and set his jaw. “I want to stay and figure out what’s going on, once and for all. There’s a reason they’re hunting me, there’s a reason behind that rabbit lady and all the disappearances. I feel like I should figure it out.”
Freddy paused, a new sense of worry awakening, the thought at the back of his head that told him his superstar couldn’t stay. It was simply too dangerous, no matter how much it hurt to part. “I am sorry, Gregory,” he said, “but I do not think that is a good idea. You should be home, safe.”
Gregory paused, his face darkening for a moment, before this expression changed to a familiar determined, brave spark in his eyes. “No. I don’t want anyone else to go through what I did, and I want your home to be safe and good again for you. After everything, I…I wanna figure this out and stop it. Okay?” Freddy again briefly fell silent, eyes flicking over Gregory while he processed this. A strange amount of warmth entered his mechanical body, and he felt the sudden urge and tug to hug the child in front of him. He didn’t, just giving another happy ear wiggle.
“As dangerous as it is for you here, Gregory…” Freddy patted his shoulder softly, “thank you. I suppose we can do our best to accomplish this.”
“Great!” Gregory shrugged Freddy’s paw off, only to grab it and tug him farther into the front of the lobby. “Now come on. There’s a lot we can investigate and search.” Freddy plodded along behind him, but stopped once they neared the turnstiles, a thought coming to mind.
“Before we do that,” he said, kneeling down and gently turning the boy towards him, “I must ask we first tend to your injuries. I also would like it if you told me what happened at Roxy Raceway.” His head tilted, ears lowering. “I am worried for you.”
Gregory looked up at him, then down at his right hand, where a visible burn was. “Yeah, um, okay,” he said, “but we have to be quick.”
“Of course.” Freddy gave a nod. “And it would not hurt to find a way to clean ourselves up a bit.”
“Yeah, I don’t know how you got so dirty, like, in barely even an hour at first,” Gregory said, rubbing his thumb against Freddy’s darkened outer shell.
“I…do not know either.” Freddy chuckled faintly, straightening. “The utility tunnels are usually clear. We can head back to the first aid station I first took you to.”
“Right.” Gregory’s eyes drifted to the doors he’d come out of six hours ago, only to discover the exit shutting. Freddy followed his gaze. Now here they were, leaving the open exit behind and going back the way they had come. It was certainly strange and perhaps a little too risky, but at the same time, it felt right. Hand-in-hand, boy and bear headed through the various dirtied and colorful hallways, stairways, and dim corridors, though they stopped quite a while before the medical station. They now stood in a bathroom, the dingy place Gregory first discovered Chica eating trash at.
“Superstar, I believe we must first assess your burns by applying cool water,” Freddy said, guiding him to one of the sinks. “Not too cold, but enough to relieve some of the pain. How badly do they hurt?”
“I mean…” Gregory hesitated as he watched Freddy turn on the sink. “They’ve been really burning and stuff. I’m used to it, though. And it’s been a little while.”
“Used to it?” Freddy repeated.
“Yeah.” Gregory tested and adjusted the water with his finger, trying to get it to the temperature Freddy stated. “I’ve gotten pretty banged up with bruises and cuts and stuff in the past, so like, I’m at least kind of used to pain.”
“Why is that?” Freddy tilted his head, uneasiness jittering in his systems. He wasn’t sure why exactly.
“I don’t know, doesn’t matter.” Gregory tensed, and Freddy recognized the defensive tone to his voice. “It’s just, it’s not that big of a deal, okay?”
“Even so…” Freddy gently took Gregory’s right wrist, turning his hand over so the burned palm faced up. “We will tend to these as well as we can, under the circumstances.” He carefully eased Gregory’s hand forward, so it hovered under the gentle trickle of water running from the faucet. Gregory flinched and stiffened, but relaxed when Freddy assured him with a few gentle and encouraging words. After a moment or two, he released Gregory’s wrist and let him draw his hand back to himself. “There we go!” Freddy said. “We can bandage that when we get back to the first aid station. The problem will be wetting your other wounds.” He paused, then bent forward and ran another scan of Gregory, eyes glowing.
Gregory flinched as it shined in his own eyes. “A little warning next time maybe?”
“Apologies.” Freddy straightened again. “Your other burns will be a bit more difficult, as I suspected. You must remove any cloth from your wounds, which means—”
“My shirt?” Gregory’s eyebrows shot up.
“Yes.” Freddy nodded. “And that solves the problem of needing cloth to use for your other two burns, seeing as they are on your leg and back. It will be easier to simply use a wet piece of cloth for them.”
Gregory paused, then grumbling a bit, he slid off his duffel and grabbed his striped shirt to begin forcefully pulling it over his head. Freddy watched with worry, noticing Gregory seemed to be paining himself with how aggressively he removed the article of clothing. This concern only worsened, once the shirt came off and he saw how painfully thin Gregory was. No wonder he was such a small child; Freddy could almost count his ribs through his dirtied skin.
“Here.” Gregory shoved the bundled-up shirt into Freddy’s paws. “But I’m not roaming around the Pizzaplex like some shirtless weirdo.”
“Do not worry,” Freddy said, trying to emanate his usual upbeat nature in his tone of voice, but Gregory’s condition concerned him. “We can stop by Rockstar Row after the first aid station. I believe they sell merch in one of the connecting areas. We can get you a brand-new shirt!”
“Uh huh, whatever. Just hurry.” Gregory wrapped his arms around himself, eyes flicking around as he shifted from foot to foot. Noticing how uncomfortable and vulnerable Gregory felt, Freddy nodded and quickly set to work. He wet part of Gregory’s shirt, then stepped behind him and knelt down.
“I will be careful, superstar,” Freddy said and glanced over the burn on Gregory’s back. It didn’t seem as bad as the one on his palm, surprisingly enough, but the singed skin did look quite painful. Ears and eyelids lowering a little with sympathy, Freddy gently dabbed at the injury with care. Gregory tensed but didn’t make a sound or utter a word while Freddy tended to the burn. Occasionally, he wet the cloth again, only to return to delicately washing and cooling off the irritated, injured part of his back. “How about you tell me what happened now?” Freddy asked, hoping to distract Gregory from the likely painful tending of his wound.
“Um,” Gregory said, voice a bit shaky, “sure…yeah. I can do that.” He took a breath, flinching when Freddy moved onto the back of his leg, where this burn looked significantly more blistered than the first. Freddy wished he had a better way to take care of these wounds. “I was driving on the track, and uh, Roxy saw me and jumped in front of me.” He shrugged. “It all kinda happened in a flash. I freaked out, jumped off the cart and kinda made it spin out of control, I guess. It hit her in the face and launched her into a big hole in the wall.”
Freddy nodded and listened, carefully taking Gregory’s leg as he kept dabbing at it. Gregory leaned on the sink for support, forced to stand on one foot for the time being. “She was pretty messed up, and I took her eyes for you. You know, to help with escaping and stuff. But, um, she was still functional like Chica. She chased me through this weird back area place, that was even more wrecked. There was fire, for some reason, and she uh…yeah, chased me through it.”
“Fire?” Freddy’s right ear flicked. “I do not understand.”
“Yeah, neither do I,” Gregory said with a sigh. “It made it harder to get away. I was kind of in a hurry, wasn’t paying close attention. Touched something too hot; got my back too close to the fire a few times. Whatever.”
“I…am sorry I could not reach you, Gregory,” Freddy said, releasing his leg. “I don't think I should have let you go out on the track like that. I am sure it was fun at first, but…” He trailed off, a previous thought returning to him. “Gregory, why exactly did you want to drive on the track?”
Gregory hesitated, rubbing his arms as he crossed them tighter across his chest. “You done?”
Freddy paused at the obvious avoidance of the question. He chose not to comment on it and rose while he pondered the situation over. Reaching and turning off the faucet of the sink, he said, “Yes, I am finished.”
“Then let’s hurry,” Gregory said, glancing around himself. “I feel weird.”
Freddy gave a hum, rounding back to Gregory’s front. He once again knelt down and looked into Gregory’s eyes, which stopped flicking about to meet his. “Gregory,” Freddy said, “I want you to be honest with me. Can you do that for me, superstar?” Gregory blinked, some hesitance flickering in his expression, but he nodded. “Did you drive that cart with the intent to take out Roxanne?” Freddy asked, and the tensing of Gregory’s shoulders and face pretty much answered his question. He wanted to hear the answer himself, though, waiting.
“Yeah,” Gregory said after a moment, eyes lowering almost shamefully.
“Hmm.” Freddy hummed again. “And Chica…you planned to get her into the garbage compactor, didn’t you?” Gregory hugged himself tighter, nodding, not looking Freddy in the eye. “And you lied about both,” Freddy said, keeping his voice quiet.
“It was either them or me,” he muttered. “I needed more defense, and I thought they’d break and…and stop hurting me, if I hurt them back. But they just got worse and more aggressive.” He glared at the floor. “They still work somehow, so I…I, you know, whatever. They deserved it! They’ve been trying to kill me!” He turned away from Freddy and hunched over himself more. “I just didn’t tell you a-and…and, yeah, maybe I lied and went behind your back a little. I knew you’d be mad, I…I knew you wouldn’t like me anymore. But I don’t understand. How are they your friends?” His voice grew even softer. “They’re terrifying.”
Freddy tilted his head, and with a mechanical sigh, he edged closer and rested a hand on Gregory’s shoulder to turn him back to him. “I am not mad at you, superstar,” Freddy said. “I simply wanted a straight answer. In a way, I understand. They…are not my friends anymore. At least, not right now.” His eyes lowered. “It hurts me to see them like this, and to use their parts and leave them in such a condition. But something has happened. They are not Chica, Roxy, and Monty anymore.”
“Then you understand?” Gregory said, voice quieting to nearly a whisper. “I knew those upgrades would help both of us, and I thought I could stop them.”
“I do understand,” Freddy said, “but I still wish you had told me first. You put yourself in danger, without my knowledge, and you lied to me. And...it still hurts to see my friends like this.” He looked back up. “I do not hold it against you, but we are a team, Gregory. I hope in the future we can discuss these things first and work together. That is the only way we will succeed.”
“I know. I’m sorry, I know.” Gregory dove forward and did something Freddy did not expect. Gregory hugged him. Small arms wrapping around Freddy’s bulky frame, the small child embraced and clung to him. “I-I’m just so tired of being hunted. I wanted to defend myself, get back at them. But I didn’t want you to get sad and angry and hate me, so I—”
“Shh. I could never hate you, superstar.” Freddy gently shushed him, hugging him back, large arms wrapping around and shielding the quivering boy against him. “It is alright. I know, Gregory. I know. Tonight has been hard on both of us.” He rubbed his back, making sure to avoid his injury. “But I would not trade this for the world. I hope you know I am so proud of you. You have been brave since the beginning, and I cannot express how touched and proud I am to see you carrying on, even now when you could simply leave us.” He closed his eyes, joints relaxing, for he felt Gregory relax as well, sniffling a bit. “You are an amazing superstar, Gregory. You mean a lot to me, and I hope you know that no matter what happens, I will continue to do everything in my power to keep you safe.”
“I will too,” Gregory whispered, touching Freddy even further. “Things are, um, bad for me. Thanks for being there for me. No one else really is right now.”
Freddy’s ears lowered. “Bad for you?”
“Yeah, um, things happened,” Gregory said, tightening his hug. “I’m kinda on my own. I have to lookout for myself, you know? I can’t be weak, and I can’t really trust anyone right now.” Freddy nodded, a deep sense of sorrow coming over him. His lingering suspicions had been confirmed.
“Well, you are not alone anymore,” he said, speaking firmly yet gently. He drew out of the hug, gazing down at Gregory who looked back up at him with a tear-streaked face. Ears wiggling and expression brightening, Freddy brushed any tears away. “We are a team. And whatever comes next, we will face it together.”
“Yeah,” Gregory said, smiling, his dim eyes lighting up a bit more. “Together.” With that conversation wrapped up, they set back to the task at hand. Firstly, Freddy decided he would use Gregory’s shirt and the water to help him clean himself up a little, and in return, Gregory insisted on also wiping Freddy’s shell down. As much as they could, anyway. It didn’t do much, especially on Freddy, but it helped both feel more refreshed.
“Gah, stop.” Gregory giggled as Freddy kept combing his claws through Gregory’s hair, trying to get out all the tangles and mats that had formed.
“I do not have a proper brush or comb, Gregory,” he said. “This is the only way I can tame your messy hair.”
“That’s rude,” Gregory said with a scoff.
“I do not mean to be rude.” Freddy's ears flicked down in alarm. “I simply assumed you would like your hair to be—”
“I was just teasing you, dummy.” Gregory glanced up and smiled at Freddy, a lock of said messy hair falling over his eyes.
Freddy relaxed, and with a warm chuckle, he tucked back the piece of hair. “Alright. On to the first aid station?”
Gregory’s smile wavered, and he nodded, wrapping his arms around himself. “Then a new shirt?”
“Of course!” Without warning, Freddy carefully scooped Gregory off his feet and into his arms. He squirmed, rolling his eyes, but Freddy noticed he was still smiling.
“I can walk, you know,” he said, scrunching up his face.
“I feel better carrying you.” Freddy set out towards the next designated stop. There, he was able to wrap and cover Gregory’s wounds with bandages and gauze. Though they still clearly pained Gregory, they would be alright for now. And so, they then ventured back to Rockstar Row, and from there, one of the merch counters in the connected rooms. “Ah, here are some good shirts!” Freddy placed Gregory down in front of a rack of clothing. “Which one do you want, hm?” He tipped his head at Gregory, who ran his eyes over them.
“Um, I don’t know.” He jerked his shoulders into a shrug. “That one.” He pointed right at one of the shirts. It was of a dark cyan, similar to the blue in Freddy’s color pallet, with his exact orange around the edges. “Freddy Fazbear” printed right at the center, with two lightning bolts, the exact color of the one on Freddy’s chest. Said lightning bolts were also on the cuffs, this time orange against the same light, electric blue.
“Daaaww.” Freddy couldn’t help but coo over the choice. Gregory huffed and lightly kicked Freddy’s leg, while the bear pulled the selected shirt off its hanger, then held it out to him. The moment Gregory pulled it on, Freddy could tell he felt a lot better. “Refreshed and ready to tackle whatever comes next?” Freddy said with an enthusiastic fist pump.
“You’re acting like this isn’t some life-threatening situation.” Gregory’s voice was flat, but the tone vanished quickly. “But…honestly, yeah.” He beamed up at Freddy. “Thanks for helping out. I think we’re both in better shape now, and I’m definitely ready to keep going.”
“I am glad to hear it,” Freddy said and gave one of his usual ear wiggles. “Truly, Gregory, thank you.”
“Hey, we’re a team. Like you said.” Gregory nudged him, smile growing. “We got this.”
Freddy gave a content hum. “I rather think we do, superstar.” His voice grew gentler, happier. “My superstar.”
“Then let’s go, Freddy.” Gregory turned ahead, reaching back and taking Freddy’s paw. Gregory looked over his shoulder at him, grinning for probably the first time that night. “My Freddy.” Once again, Freddy experienced that freeing feeling, the sensation of being alive, having a purpose. Freddy smiled back as much as an animatronic could. Then, hand-in-hand once again, Freddy and Gregory dove back into the thick of the Pizzaplex, prepared for whatever Vanny and the animatronics threw at them next. And they were so ready for it, together till the end. Not just a boy and an animatronic, but rather, two friends. Family, even. Father and son, working to survive and stop whatever dreadful things were happening in the Pizzaplex.
Freddy wouldn’t have it any other way.