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After the incident at the Mega Pizzaplex had ended in the restoration of the glamrock animatronics, Gregory made a habit out of visiting Freddy every single day.
It was wonderful, for a while. Gregory hadn't had such a consistent method of staying warm and fed in this way for as far back as he could remember, so he was especially careful about blending in so as to not lose access. He didn't have to live in fear of her anymore, but Vanessa would still throw him out if she caught him sneaking in. It was her job.
One day, he stopped visiting.
Freddy became concerned, asking Vanessa if she'd seen him around, but when neither had seen him, they had to assume his parents had figured out where he was running off to and put a stop to it. After all, they'd been encouraging him with increasing sternness to talk to his parents about it just in case anything happened. They should know and care where their kid was, even if Gregory claimed they wouldn't mind his absence.
After several months, however, Freddy's initial worry for the child began to affect him. He wouldn't say this out loud because it was wildly inappropriate, but he had been thinking of Gregory like one would a son. He knew there was a lot that Gregory wasn't saying about his home life, but instead of prying further he'd opted to become a safe space for him to go when he needed it. No other child had come to the Mega Pizzaplex often enough before to form a friendship so close as theirs, and they'd been through a lot of stuff together the night they met.
Sometimes, Gregory had shown up with tears in his eyes, and had insisted on sleeping in his stomach hatch overnight, only giving up on the idea if Freddy asked too many questions about why he would want that.
Now that Gregory was gone, and there being no guarantee he'd ever come back, Freddy's anxiousness and sense of loss were skyrocketing. He missed him. Was he okay? Had he forgotten about Freddy? It was normal for kids to grow attached to him very quickly, and move on just as fast. Children don't stay children forever, and Freddy was used to being left behind. That was the way things went.
That was the way things went, but still Gregory had left an impact on him and now he stood in his room, staring at his reflection and wondering why he felt so empty.
It was then, that his door was knocked upon, Vanessa's muffled voice calling out, sounding exhausted. "Hey, Freddy. Someone's here to see you."
The instant he opened the door, relief flooded his systems. There, standing right next to Vanessa and looking down at the floor in guilt, stood Gregory. He was at least several inches taller, and his clothes didn't seem to fit him as well as they once had, but Freddy would know that face anywhere.
Freddy looked between the two humans in shock, unable to process why Vanessa would bring Gregory to him instead of kicking him out. However, he wasn't given time to wonder for long, as Vanessa lightly pushed Gregory into the room and gave the kid a stern look. "We're keeping this door locked until tomorrow morning. If you try the vents again, I'm calling the police. Got it?"
Gregory looked annoyed, but kept his gaze down and away from anyone. "Yes, ma'am."
"Good." Finally, Vanessa's attention flickered to Freddy, addressing him. "Chica will be by with pizza and blankets for the kid within the hour. Don't let Gregory keep you from recharging. I'll never hear the end of it if anyone finds out about this."
Still dumbfounded, Freddy nodded. "Of course. Thank you, Vanessa."
Once goodnights were given, Vanessa did exactly as she promised and Freddy was left alone with his unusually quiet little friend. Not one to let anything deter him, Freddy turned around with his best grin, laying his paw gently on Gregory's shoulder. "I am glad to see you again, Gregory! It has only been three months, but you sure have grown!"
The kid flinched out of his grasp slightly, but didn't fully pull away. "Yeah.. I guess. Whatever. It's not a big deal."
Clearly from his tone, it certainly was a big deal. Freddy just couldn't figure out what about the statement unsettled him so much. "Well, I am just glad you are safe. I was beginning to worry that you had moved away or forgotten about me."
This made Gregory finally look up at him, lip wobbling threateningly. "I- I wouldn't do that! I only left because.." His sentence trailed off there, as he remembered the vow he made to himself not to tell. It was too complicated to explain how he felt. His little growth spurt had been making it more and more difficult to fit inside Freddy's stomach hatch, and he couldn't confess out loud how sick it made him feel that he wouldn't get to do that anymore. Freddy had been the only place he ever felt safe, and it made him incredibly insecure to admit that even to himself.
What made it all worse was how Freddy didn't even want him around anymore. Gregory had known for some time that Freddy would eventually tire of him like everyone else, but that didn't make it easy when Freddy made a point over and over again to instruct him to go home to his parents. He wished Freddy was his parent. He didn't want to leave. There was nowhere to go back to, but there was no way he could tell Freddy that. That would be weak. He's not weak anymore. Weakness wasn't an option.
Reflecting on his reasons to leave only served to make Gregory all the more distressed, but he did everything he could not to make it obvious. He had to change the subject. "Whoah, that's cool, what is that?" He motioned toward a toy on the vanity and kept his voice as steady and upbeat as he could, but the tone change was too drastic to not be noticed by someone that knew him.
Freddy's eyes traced Gregory's point, coming quickly to understand which object was in question. "That is a prototype for a new Fazerblaster." He robotically responded, leaving out that the company had been sued for the original Fazerblaster hurting the eyes of some kid. The inner workings would not be interesting to Gregory, especially when it was so clear the question hadn't been particularly genuine. "You left because..?"
As time passed, it became clear that Gregory was not interested in answering. The unfamiliar quiet indicated to Freddy that he wanted to get something off his chest, but didn't know how. "You know you can tell me anything, right, superstar?"
The boy nodded sheepishly, but stayed silent as he sat down on the couch, curling himself up into a ball and trying to keep his tears in. It was hard to stop once it started, especially because the supportive animatronic sat down next to him to gently rub his back. He wasn't sure if Freddy was warmer than he used to be or if he'd just been so cold recently that the contrast was messing with his perception. Either way, he couldn't help but lean tentatively toward Freddy's massive form. "I didn-"
Gregory hiccuped mid-word, shutting his eyes so he wouldn't have to see Freddy as he spoke, "I don't wanna get bigger."
Confused, Freddy moved a paw to soothingly run through Gregory's hair, keeping his volume on the lower side. "Why not? Growing up is a great thing. I cannot do it, but I have been told it gives you special access to theme park rides, and it makes you stronger."
A response took several minutes with a distraught Gregory hiccuping more as he continued to force himself not to make noise, like he was afraid if he fully let himself cry the world would fall apart. Eventually calmed enough to speak, Gregory's empty eyes opened just to stare blankly down at Freddy's chest. "That stuff is stupid. Ugh, well, I mean- It's just not the same. You wouldn't get it."
It was then that the door unlocked from outside, in marching Chica.
The warning hadn't been enough. The sight of her alone threw Gregory into a panic. He couldn't breathe right, he reached his hands toward Freddy's middle, frantically trying to pry it open. "Le- Let me in. Let me-"
Chica and Freddy shared a look, a devastating understanding passing between them as Chica set the things in her hands down and quickly left the room, locking it back up as she went.
Gregory didn't notice that she left, having given up on opening Freddy's stomach hatch himself and resorting to holding on to his arm in a vice grip as he pleaded incomprehensibly. This was exactly what he'd been afraid of happening. He shouldn't have ever tried to return like this, but he missed Freddy so much. He knew why Freddy wasn't opening. He was too big. He wouldn't fit in there, anymore. Now, there was nowhere safe left to hide.
At this point, Gregory had lost reason and control, too tired and hungry and absolutely terrified to think properly, and for the first time in ages, he openly sobbed while clinging to the big robot by his side. "I knew I wouldn't fit anymore, -"
Although his words came out slurred and pronounced oddly because of the heightened emotions, Freddy could pick enough out to know what he was saying. Of course Gregory had felt safer there, of course it would be scary to lose that comfort. Pulling the boy further into a hug and applying just enough pressure to his back to make sure he knew he wasn't about to let go, Freddy did his best to give him back some semblance of security. "It's alright. You're going to be okay, superstar. I've got you. You're not trapped here anymore. You can leave whenever you want-"
This violently yanked Gregory out of his state, making him push away and get off the couch to cross the room, facing away from Freddy. "Shut up! I get it! You don't want me coming back here anymore. Stop telling me that." Although his words reflected a jaded outlook, Gregory was still just a kid. His voice wavered, his form trembling.
Freddy stood to follow, trying to rest his paw on Gregory's shoulder, only to be immediately shrugged off. "That is not what I meant. I love spending time with you. I only wanted you to know that the danger has passed, and if you do not want to see my friends anymore after what they did, you are free to go home where it's safe, or even bring your parents in. I only want the best for you."
Just as quickly as it had come, the anger bled out of Gregory as he turned toward Freddy, still unable to meet his eyes. Nearly too much of a whisper to be deciphered, Gregory finally told the truth, the confession hanging heavily in the air like a prayer that desperately needs to be answered. "Home wasn't safe. I don't have parents."
Something terrible clicked in Freddy as he absorbed the information. Gregory made a lot more sense, now. It was obvious. Somewhere deep in his code, Freddy hated himself very suddenly for realizing the revelation made him almost happy. Not for the terrible things Gregory must have gone through, but for the potential future it presented him with. If he had the ability to produce tears, he would have.
No time to waste, Freddy kneeled and pulled Gregory back into an embrace, this time holding as tightly as he thought the kid could handle without it hurting. "I am so sorry. You have been strong to keep your head up all this time on your own. You're not alone anymore. I will be here as long as you let me. I will protect you, no matter how tall you become. Do you understand?"
Gregory let out a shuddering breath, nuzzling his forehead into the plastic outer shell of Freddy's chest and allowing himself a moment to soak it in, begging for it to be real. "...But," He couldn't help but shoot himself in the foot, too used to nice things being taken away, "-you're programmed to be like that with all the kids. What if you don't have time? What if I'm..." He doesn't want to say it, he hates even acknowledging it, but he wanted reassurance so badly. "..a burden...?"
Freddy's head rested atop Gregory's, unrelentingly gentle. "Gregory. You could never be a burden to me."
This broke the final wall down, and Gregory wasn't sure for how long he cycled between quietly drifting to sleep as Freddy carried him back to the couch, and then back to crying for all the time he's spent wishing for this. No one but Freddy understood him. No one but Freddy had been there for him when the worst was happening. And now, no one but Freddy could soothe him to sleep like how a parent should.
He internally chastised himself for being a baby, but he was just too tired. At some point, Freddy had given him some pizza, but Gregory had only eaten a few bites before he fell asleep again. He didn't think he'd ever felt so safe. Freddy didn't leave when he slept, and he was sure of this because he woke up often to check. Every time, Freddy gave him a small squeeze, or smoothed down his hair. It was nice.
In the morning, he woke up with a huge Glamrock-themed blanket on top of him and Freddy still nearby, charging.
Everything was going to be okay.