Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Michael felt like he was about to float away in the worst way possible. Everything felt too light, even with all his layers of blankets. It made him squirm. He needed to feel just a bit closer to the ground, if only to make sure his soul wouldn’t just fly off and leave him for dead.

Then he felt something, a nice, comfortable weight on his chest. Now, Michael wasn’t an idiot. This wasn’t something he was doing, so obviously it was something else. Probably not an animatronic, since he was in his house, but that still wouldn’t be a pretty sight to wake up to.

He sleepily blinked his eyes open, blurry vision eventually clearing to focus on his little brother sitting on his chest. The spirit didn’t look angry, he actually looked pretty calm. The sight was startling anyway.

“Oh fuck!” Michael yelped in surprise, jolting forward a bit. “Wait- shit- I’m sorry-” He spluttered. His brain felt like it had just received an error message, and he needed a few moments to reboot. He got his bearings pretty quickly, calming down enough to properly look at his brother.

He looked the same as usual, dark, inky tears permanently stained his cheeks as they fell from his pitch black eyes. Other than that, he looked just like he did when he was alive. Before he died by Michael’s hands.

Michael swallowed back any dry sobs that may have left his mouth. “Do- um- do you need anything?” He asked hesitantly. The visit was unwarranted, after all.

The ghost of his little brother shrugged and sat back slightly, averting his eyes. “I don’t think so. Just felt like checking in on you.” His voice was airy and light, like a gentle gust of wind carried along his words. Maybe it was because he was dead, or maybe he had just always spoken like that and Michael just never cared to notice.

The boy scooted off Michael’s chest and stood next to his bed as he came down from the adrenaline high. His blankets fell when he eventually sat upright, relieving him of the smothering heat of the fabric.

“Well… uh…” Michael sighed as he planted his feet on the ground, “I’m gonna go eat something. If you need me, I’ll be in the kitchen.” He tilted his head to the side, producing a nice popping sound from the few working vertebrae in his neck.

The boy watched like a confused little kitten as Michael stood up and walked over to the door before he remembered why he was even here in the first place.

“Oh, uh-” He mumbled something quietly, unsure if he really wanted to say it.

Michael turned around immediately at the noise, watching his brother with expecting eyes.

“Can I come with you?”

Michael blinked a few times. That… wasn’t what he expected. But it wasn’t unwelcome either. “Sure. No problem.” The corners of his lips tilted up ever so slightly. “Just let me know if you need anything, okay David?”

The crying child looked at his brother in bewilderment.

“...What?” The brunette asked, worried. Did he say something wrong?

“Nothing.” David grinned, wiping away his tears and clutching Fredbear closer to his chest. “Nothing at all.”

***

The boy followed his brother like a puppy, sitting on the counter and swinging his legs while Michael talked on and on, making his way from food to groceries to energy drinks to robots.

It was an odd sight for sure. A ghost sitting on a kitchen counter listening to a zombie talk about animatronic foxes. It was pretty funny if you thought about it.

“Seriously, how did those kids tear up Mangle? Was it the material? Like, faux metal or bad screws?” The man questioned, glaring at the sausage he was cutting up as if it would help him in any way.

David shrugged. He didn’t know, and he couldn’t exactly go find out. He never cared much for the animatronics, anyway. “I’m surprised you’re eating an actual breakfast.” He noted instead, looking at the eggs in the pan, and then the sausage that would soon join them.

He was slammed with the realization that missed eating. He missed his stomach being full and the warm taste of food on his lips. Even as broken and miserable as their family was, he missed having dinner with them, too. Sitting next to his sister as she talked in detail about every part of her day, watching his brother pick at his food and drum his fingers on the table. He always felt safe in those short little moments.

Michael hummed, breaking the kid out of his trance. “I don’t think you can eat food anymore, but you’re more than welcome to sit with me.” He gestured to the wooden table a couple feet away.

David pulled his knees up to his chest and rested his chin on them. “Really?” He questioned hesitantly. It felt so strange to be… welcome.

“Of course.”

A tiny smile formed across the boy’s lips. “Thank you, Michael.”

***

“So… you never answered my question earlier.” The spirit spoke, looking up from across the table. He didn’t have much he could do, so he tried his best for conversation.

Michael looked up from his phone where he seemed to be reading something. “Hm? What question?”

“About you eating actual food.” The boy clarified.

Michael had always hated ‘regular’ food for as long as the boy remembered. He almost never ate dinner, instead hiding chips and gum in his room to eat later. He would sometimes even go downstairs at ungodly hours in the night to make some plain pasta or whatever.

David has once bumped into his brother during one of his little missions. When Michael asked why he was still awake at one in the morning, David told him he had forgotten his Fredbear plush in the living room and couldn’t sleep. The older boy seemed disinterested and just continued walking downstairs into the dark, leaving David to question how he was going to get his best friend back since there was no way he was going down there in complete darkness.

Before he could even come up with any kind of plan, Michael appeared back at the top of the stairs, tossed the plush at the boy, and disappeared again. David stood there for a few seconds, contemplating what just happened. Michael helped him. Willingly! The boy didn’t even ask him to get the plush, only said it was downstairs and he was too scared to get it. A warm feeling bloomed in his chest as he hugged his plush and went back into his room. He wanted to give his brother a hug too, but he’d probably tell him to go away and leave him alone.

Michael let an annoyed groan, bringing the kid out of his thoughts once again. Was he not paying attention and he just said something important? The man seemed to notice his panic and quickly reassured his unspoken concern.

“Oh, sorry. I’m not mad at you. It’s Vanessa. She’s the one forcing me to eat ‘normal’ stuff.” He said the word ‘normal’ in a mocking tone, which despite himself, David found pretty funny.

“I thought you liked Vanessa?” The ghost smiled, resting his head on the table. “Or- wait, are we talking about Vanny?” He questioned.

Michael shook his head. “No, I mean the other Vanessa. And yeah, I like her. I like them both.” He said firmly. “Vanessa’s a bit different, though. She’s like a-” He cut himself off so incredibly fast it was impressive.

“Like a what?” The spirit asked, genuinely curious.

Michael looked so insanely guilty, like a teenager who just got caught doing drugs or something. It was a bit unnerving.

“You can say it, whatever it is.” David shrugged. He didn’t know what he was going to say, but he was sure it would be fine.

“...She’s like a sister to me.” Michael sighed dejectedly. He sounded like he had just admitted to cannibalizing his roommate. The pain and shame in his voice made the boy squirm.

He understood Michael felt guilty telling this to one of his own siblings, who he had been so horrible to, but David wasn’t upset. Not by a long shot. “I’m glad.” He said, and he meant it.

The idea that Michael, the same guy had terrorized him for years on end, was willingly telling him this was oddly cathartic. It felt good.

Michael looked surprised at this, taking a few seconds to formulate a response. He opened his mouth, closed it again, and finally settled with a small smile. “Me too.” He whispered.

Silence for a few more seconds.

“Uh, anyway, what were you thinking about?”

The spirit leaned back in his seat and looked at his brother, confused.

“You zoned out pretty hard before we started talking about Vanessa.” Michael said, taking his plate carrying it over to the sink.

“Ah… I was just…” David stood up out of his chair when Michael came back. “I was thinking about that time I left Fredbear downstairs and was too scared to get him so you got him for me.” He explained, blushing slightly at the childish memory.

The older boy nodded. “Yeah, I remember that.” He let out a small chuckle and ran a hand through his hair. “Do you want to know a secret?”

“What?” The spirit asked, following his brother as he sat down on the couch.

“I don’t like the dark either.”

David blinked a few times and Michael laughed, probably at his expression. “You don’t?” He finally asked, bewildered.

Michael smiled awkwardly. “I’ve never liked the dark. I wouldn’t say I’m afraid of it, it just… makes me a bit uncomfortable.” He shrugged. “I turned the lights on every time I went down to the kitchen. I probably didn’t turn them on that night because I wanted you to think I was so cool and brave for going down into the dark like that.”

The boy snorted and held Fredbear right in front of him. “Well, it worked.”

***

He couldn’t stay for very long, both for his own personal reasons and also Cassidy would probably be checking in on him soon. “I’ll see you later.” The boy smiled, then paused for a second. “Uh, what’s up with your shirt, by the way?”

Michael looked down at his shirt. It was his purple ‘scooped’ shirt. “Oh, it’s good to cope! Like therapy!” He explained proudly. It doesn’t matter what Vanny thought, he thought they were awesome.

“...Sure.”

The boy took a deep breath. He had only been around for an hour or two, and though he really should leave, a part of him begged to stay. To stay for just a few more hours. Just a little longer. Anything at all.

“Um… I’ll be on my way now.” He nodded hesitantly and gave a small wave, ignoring the longing in his chest.

“Bye, David.” Michael smiled. There was a sad look in his dark eyes, like rain on a windshield in the dead of night.

Then the boy was gone. The brunette took a deep breath, in and out. He normally loved silence, but it had recently started to feel a bit… empty. He contemplated what he was going to do now, he still had the majority of the day to kill, but was quickly startled out of those thoughts when David came back.

He phased back into the room and ran towards his brother, hugging him tight around the waist. Michael froze. He didn’t really know what to do. In his defense, he hadn’t been hugged in a few decades. He eventually put an arm around the boy, across his shoulders. They stood there for a few seconds before the boy stepped back and disappeared once again.

He didn’t know what it was about those last few seconds, but it hurt so much more than their original goodbye. The bittersweet feeling ate him up inside. It hurt, but he didn’t hate it. He wished desperately he could rewind time, pause it, do anything to feel that same bittersweet hurt for just a few more seconds. God, has he ever given his brother a proper hug? Did that thought ever cross his mind?

Michael took a deep, shaky breath. At least no one was around to see him cry.

Chapter Text

“Elizabeth.” Michael hummed, shifting in his chair but not looking up from whatever he was doing.

The little ginger girl sat on top of a box on the other side of the room, but she wasn’t too far given how small the room was. She crossed her arms and didn’t say anything, watching him with judging eyes while he did… well… something at his desk. She didn’t actually know what it was. She was just bored and messing around, curious to see how long it would take for him to notice she was here.

Her record was five seconds.

He always knew, especially when it was her. Other ghosts could get up in the double digits, but he knew when it was Elizabeth. The spirit got up and decided to see what her brother was doing. She peered over his shoulder and was greeted to the sight of him stiching his arm back together.

She wasn’t squeamish, but seeing the needle pierce his skin made her stomach twist. The way he did it like it was a regular chore, as if he was just taking the trash out. The thought was a little funny. ‘Sorry guys, I can’t talk right now, I have to sew my arm back on.’

“Whatcha doin?” She asked casually, resting her head on his other arm and watching him work. It grossed her out but was also pretty cool.

“Had an accident.” Michael sighed, tapping the needle through the rough purple skin of his shoulder. The rest of his arm was loosely hanging on by a few threads, and it wasn’t very pretty. It looked like the limb had been chopped clean off, the bone perfectly severed and small drops of blood fell onto the table the same way a leaky faucet would drip into the sink.

The girl hopped onto his desk, sitting down and facing him. Many of his bandages were missing, including the ones that normally concealed his ripped cheeks. She could see his tongue between bits of skin, running around his teeth and occasionally slipping through the exposed holes. It was… interesting.

She turned her attention back to his arm. “What accident?” Not many things could cleave off an arm so cleanly. Then again, Michael was quite… brittle.

His phone then pinged with a message, and Elizabeth looked over to read it because she was nothing if not nosy. She could also see his lockscreen, which took her off guard for a second. It was the picture Abby drew of them and David. It was… touching. The message itself was from Vanny, but the girl didn’t get to read it before Michael took the phone and opened the message to respond.

He shifted awkwardly, leaning forward to keep his bad arm resting on the table while trying to read the message with his other hand. He typed on the phone for a few seconds before throwing it away, quite literally tossing it across the room, and picking the needle back up.

He looked annoyed, thumbing over the sharp end of the needle. He sighed and pushed it back into his arm, like he wasn’t allowed to go to a party because he had homework to do.

The girl tilted her head to the side curiously. “Can I try?” She asked, pointing at his half stitched shoulder. She didn’t have anything better to do anyway.

Michael looked up at her, turned to look at the wound, and looked back at her. Gears seemed to turn in his head, contemplating if that would be a good idea. Elizabeth entirely expected him to say no and they would just continue their (mostly one sided) conversation, but was surprised by him holding out the needle to her.

“Sure. I can teach you.” He smiled gently, quiet unlike his sister’s instant wide grin.

She took the needle and scooted closer as Michael gingerly grabbed her hand. “Surprised I can hold this.” She mumbled, concentrating on carefully poking through the skin.

Her brother was silent as he guided her hand, successfully piercing the shriveled flesh. It didn’t hurt, but his brain was currently occupied by a few too many thoughts to notice if it did. He was afraid if he opened his mouth, he would keep her here all day. So they sat in silence. It could have been twenty minutes or three hours. Elizabeth carefully sewed his severed arm back on while he supervised. She was doing surprisingly well for someone who shouldn’t have been able to touch the needle in the first place.

Eventually, Michael pulled back his arm, moving it around and testing for any pain or leftover string. It felt… good. Fine. Great, actually. “Thanks, Liz.” He smiled gently at her. “You did a great job.”

The girl puffed out her chest proudly. “I know. I’m just so good at everything to ever exist.” She gloated in a teasing voice, getting a chuckle out of her brother.

Michael got up out of his chair and stretched, a few gross popping noises sounded off, god knows from where. “Well, I have some other stuff I need to do. I haven’t gotten groceries in… too long.” He sighed and began walking to the door. “See you later, Liz.”

Elizabeth blinked a few times as she watched his awkward exit, a mischievous grin slowly blooming on her face. Oh. He’d see her later. She’d make sure of that.

***

The first thing Michael heard when he walked back into his house was his name on the lips of another. He recognised Jeremy’s voice, and hurried over to meet his friend. Jeremy was sitting politely on the couch, but stood up quickly once he saw Michael.

“Are you okay?” Jeremy asked, cupping Michael’s face with warm hands. “I heard from Vanessa that something happened at the Pizzaplex, but she wouldn’t tell me what it was. You aren’t hurt, right?”

Michael leaned into Jeremy’s right hand, bringing his own hand up to gently thumb over the other’s knuckles. His hands were cold and rough, wrapped in bandages and duct tape, a stark contrast to Jeremy’s warm and smooth hands.

A few seconds passed by before he responded. “Yeah… I’m fine. Well, I guess I got hurt, but I got patched up. It’s all good now.” Michael shrugged. The injury, despite originally looking horrifying, wasn’t that bad. The pain was already almost gone. Elizabeth did a really good job at putting his arm back on. He was almost jealous of her talent.

Jeremy slowly took his hands back, the warmth of his palms still lingering on Michael’s cheeks. “Okay, good.” He smiled, a grin that Michael would kill to see every day. Thank god he already did. “What was the accident?” Jeremy asked, walking over to the kitchen.

“It’s embarrassing.” Michael grumbled, following Jeremy into the room. “I made a stupid lapse in my judgement, and it almost cost me my arm.” He shrugged, rolling his shoulder.

Jeremy slowly turned around and blinked a few times in disbelief. “Almost- Michael, the fuck do you mean you’re ‘fine’? How’s your arm? Can I help?”

Michael shook his head. “No, I… had some help to sew my arm back on.” He wasn’t sure if he wanted to say that his dead sister was the help. His friend was already worried enough.

Jeremy looked like he was going to vomit. “Sew your- Michael, are you sure you’re okay?”

Michael squirmed a bit in discomfort “You should be used to this by now. You know I’m brittle.” Michael mumbled. He wasn’t used to people caring so much about his well-being. Most people just accepted that this was just how he was.

“How could I get used to watching someone I’ve known since we were kids get slashed, stabbed, and almost get their limbs ripped off?” Jeremy asked, laughing a little out of sheer bewilderment. “I care about you, Mike. I don’t want you to get more hurt than you already are.” He said softly, walking back over and cupping Michael’s cheeks again for a few seconds. “You aren’t disposable, you know. Please don’t take yourself so lightly.”

Michael blushed slightly as Jeremy’s hands left his face. “I know. I’m sorry.” He hummed the apology. Not for being uncaring of his own well-being, but of making him worry so much.

Jeremy silently nodded before walking over to the fridge. They spent a few seconds in silence before the fridge door opened. “You’re almost out of butter.” He noted offhandedly before grabbing a miscellaneous container.

“Oh, yeah. I was planning on going to the store today.”

Jeremy turned around, looking the man up and down. “Are… are you…” He searched for the right words. “Michael, you’re purple.” Were the words he finally settled for.

Michael snorted and had to take a moment to respond. “Yeah, I know. But the people at the store don’t care. And I wear a mask anyway.”

“A mask?”

“Yeah. Just- Here, I’ll get changed.”

***

“How do I look?” Michael asked, doing a little spin.

“Like you’re about to raise the rent of a single mother and her five children.” Jeremy smirked, and Michael made a noise of offence.

To be fair, he probably did. He was wearing black pants and a black vest with a white dress shirt underneath. He was also wearing a mask similar to the one he wore when he was managing his Pizzaria with Helpy. This specific mask was more reminiscent of Fredbear than Funtime Freddy or Helpy, though. It distantly reminded him of his old Foxy mask, but the thought was gone as fast as it appeared.

“Alright, well, stay safe.” Jeremy shrugged, a small smile on his face.

Michael smiled back behind the mask. “No promises.”

Jeremy laughed.

Michael loved that sound.

***

Of course, since nothing in his life could ever go smoothly, Michael heard his name being called out from a dark alleyway on his way to the store.

His first thought was that he wasn’t stupid enough to actually walk over. His next thought was overshadowed by confusion.

Scrap Baby, he’d recognise her mangled design anywhere, was politely sitting in the alleyway. But she looked… weird. Much more… normal? As if she were a robot cosplaying as a human. If he was a normal pedestrian, he might think she was just a regular girl at first glance.

Scrap Baby looked much more repaired than he remembered, her face plating especially. She wore a simple white t-shirt over her wired torso. He had no idea how she even got it on, considering one of her hands was a giant claw. She was also wearing simple jean shorts over her surprisingly restored legs. She still had rollerskates on her feet, but they looked less bulbous.

“...What happened to you?” Michael asked after a few moments of silence.

The animatronic laughed. “I got a bit of help.” She shrugged. “From Charlie, mostly. I asked if she could help me look a bit more human, and she said this was the best she could do.” She grinned, baring her sharp teeth.

Michael had to stop himself from squirming at the uncomfortable feeling of hearing his sister’s voice coming out of the robot. “Cool. Uh… what are you doing here?” He questioned.

Scrab Baby shrugged. Standing upright. She was normally much taller than him, but now she only stood over by a few inches. “You said you’d see me later. Well, it’s later, and now you’re seeing me.” She huffed a laugh, the voice of Michael’s little sister intermingling with the strange static all the robots seemed to talk with. “I’m bored, and I want to see what you’re doing. Catch up, y’know? Brother-sister bonding time.”

“Uh, I’m just going to the store.”

“Boring!” The girl said in a singsong voice. “Lucky for you, I’ll be there to spice things up a bit.” She grinned mischievously, skating her way over to the alleyway’s entrance.

Michael sighed deeply.

God, he hated it here.

But he loved his sister, so he supposed he had to humor her.

It was the least he could do, anyway.

***

Customers gave them weird looks, but didn’t do much else. Michael quietly grabbed different items while his sister skated around the store, picking things up, looking at them, and putting them back.

At one point while they were in the same aisle, a kid walked by, hiding behind his dad every step of the way. The animatronic noticed him, and the next thing Michael heard was screaming. The kid ran past him, loudly crying while his dad quickly followed, making sure not to lose his child in the store.

“Elizabeth!” Michael scolded, hands on his hips like an annoyed mother.

“What?” She whined. “I didn’t do anything. I mean, I looked at him, but that was it!” Elizabeth huffed, crossing her arms.

Michael shook his head disapprovingly.

It didn’t take him long to grab everything he needed, and he gestured for his sister to follow him over to the checkout counter. They stood quietly for a while before Elizabeth caught sight of something on the shelves. She carefully picked it up and held it in her palm.

“Mike, can we get this?” She asked, batting her eyelashes. He was originally going to say no, but all it took was the smallest, sweetest please he had ever heard in his life before caving.

The cashier looked at both of them suspiciously when they got to her. He gave her his cards and put his things on the conveyor belt, and she scanned them, looking back up at them occasionally, as if making sure they weren’t going to take their items and bolt.

“Have a nice day.” The woman mumbled as she handed him his items in a bag.

“Thanks.” Michael smiled gently. The woman probably wasn’t getting paid enough to deal with them.

Elizabeth rolled out of the store without a care in the world. She looked like she was having the time of her life. Or death, he supposed. “We should do this more often.” She hummed dreamily.

“You don’t get out much, do you?” Michael raised an eyebrow, trailing behind the robot.

“And who’s fault is that?” She asked accusingly, turning around and glaring at him.

“...Your own?” Michael slowly questioned, confused. What response did she want? Michael wasn’t the reason she was dead, unlike Dave. Father built Circus Baby, but had warned Elizabeth to never go near her. He supposed it was still their father’s fault for building kid-killing robots in the first place.

His sister opened her mouth to respond, but she couldn’t get the words out before something came flying at her face. A drink, probably coffee, in a plastic cup, struck her in the head. She stood up and stared at the people who threw it, her eyes gleaming with malicious intent.

The men were sitting a few yards away, laughing like hyenas. “Let’s leave.” Michael mumbled, but his heart rate spiked when Elizabeth started making her way over. To make a long story short, he had to convince his little sister to not shatter someone’s skull. She pouted and complained, but he was able to make her release her grip on the man’s head. It was fairly satisfying to watch him run away screaming, though.

“Wasn’t that fun, Michael?” Elizabeth’s voice was much clearer, her ‘disguise’ of Scrap Baby melting away to reveal Elizabeth simply standing there, looking up at her brother.

“No. Well, yes, but no.” He reprimanded, lips curving into a smile before remembering he was the adult here. Something about the chaos made him feel strangely at ease.

The girl crossed her arms. “Why do I even try?” She huffed. “I should just leave right now.”

Michael shrugged. “Well, you’re welcome back anytime.” He smiled gently, patting her on the head.

Elizabeth pouted. “I know.”

And then she was gone.

Chapter Text

The sound of shattering glass took Vanessa off guard. It rang through her ears like alarm bells as panic flooded through her body.

Shit shit shit.

She shakily looked down at the glittering shards that were now scattered across the kitchen tiles.

She dropped a glass.

She dropped a glass and it broke.

Oh fuck.

She pleaded with her body to do anything, to clean up the glass or maybe even run away, but she stood still as if paralyzed with ice cold fear. The sound of her heart beating in her ears was the only reminder she was still alive.

And there she stood until an unexpected warmth enveloped her from behind. Michael, although known for his hatred of the heat, was pleasantly warm as he gingerly propped his chin on Vanessa’s shoulder and snaked his arms around her torso. Her head was too scrambled to remember why he was here. She wasn’t sure if she should be grateful or even more terrified.

Neither of them spoke for a few seconds.

“What a mess.” Michael eventually hummed, his voice smooth and calm.

It wasn’t intended as a jab, and Vanessa didn’t take it as one.

They quietly surveyed the shards on the floor for a few more seconds before Michael gently pulled back.

“Vanessa,” He started, keeping his voice low and calm, “Can you go put some shoes on for me? I don’t want you stepping on any glass.”

The girl shakily nodded and walked away. Right, broken glass was dangerous. This was like, Life 101. She was a cop, for god’s sake. This should be obvious.

She speed-walked back to Michael after grabbing some shoes and saw he now had a broom. “Good job, Nessa.” He kindly smiled at her. “Come over here, please.”

Vanessa obeyed. “I’m so sorry...” She whispered as she stood next to him.

“It’s okay, don’t worry about it.” He rubbed her shoulder comfortingly for a few seconds before dropping his hand to grab the dustpan. “Okay, so I’m going to sweep up glass shards into the dustpan.” He said slowly, handing it to her. “Can you hold it steady for me?”

Vanessa nodded.

And that's what they did. They swept up the glass in silence, only the sound of the glass and broom across the floor coupled with the girl’s deep breaths. She couldn’t hear Michael breathing, and she offhandedly wondered if he even needed to. Did he even still have lungs? He obviously still had a brain, but did he have other vital organs? His heart? His stomach?

“Nessa?” Michael questioned in an amused tone, tapping her on the forehead. “We’re done, you can throw the rest of the glass away.”

“Oh, sorry…” Vanessa sheepishly blushed as she dumped the remaining shards in the trash before handing the dustpan back to Michael.

“What were you thinking about?”

The sentence left her mouth before she could think about it. “What organs you still have left.”

They stood in silence for a moment or two before Michael started laughing. His laugh was shy and quiet but almost melodical. “To tell you the truth, I don’t even know anymore. I stiched myself back up a few years ago and I haven’t looked back inside since.” He shrugged, still smiling.

Vanessa pushed away some stray hairs as a smile bloomed on her face. “Well, if you ever open up again, I’ll be here for a debriefing.”

The two laughed for a little bit before the man’s face turned from amused to concerned.

“...What?” The blonde asked, worry crawling up her spine. She brought her hand up to her face again before Michael grabbed it. The brunette gently pulled her hand down to reveal a rather bloody cut on her palm she didn’t even realize was there. The sight of it wasn’t pretty, and she could faintly feel the sting of the open wound.

“Ah… I must have tried to grab some glass or something.” She shyly admitted, a bit embarrassed she hadn’t noticed it earlier. She felt so… weird. Like she had just nearly died instead of simply dropping a glass.

“It’s not a big problem.” The brunette murmured as he inspected the wound. “Here, go sit over on the couch and I’ll wrap you up.”

“Yeah, sure.” She replied, but guilt ate at the back of her mind. He shouldn’t have to take care of her like this. He already cleaned up her mess, and now this? She was the paramedic. She should be more competent than this.

The two walked over to Vanessa’s couch. Right, this was her house. She lived here. At least she didn’t break anyone else’s property. They both sat down for a little while, just taking a moment to breathe.

“Do you want a bottle of water?” Michael eventually asked as he stood up.

Vanessa snorted.

“What?”

“It’s just…” She covered her smile with her good hand. “It’s just your accent. It’s really funny when you say certain words.”

Michael pouted at her. “Hey, it’s not my fault! I was forced into the accent, thank you very much.” He huffed in false annoyance, which only caused Vanessa to giggle even more.

The man rolled his eyes fondly and walked away, leaving the blonde still quietly laughing on the couch. He came back quickly with the aforementioned bottle of water along with a few more snacks and some bandages. He set the items down before taking the blonde’s hand and rubbing… something into the cut. She assumed it was a disinfectant, but it didn’t sting. She looked up at the man and raised an eyebrow but he just kept looking down. He quickly set the bottle down and started wrapping up her hand.

“Are they the same bandages you use?” Vanessa asked curiously.

“No, I just use duct tape.” The brunette replied, keeping his eyes trained on her hand.

The girl blinked a few times. “...Excuse me?”

“Well…” Michael tilted his head in thought. “I used to use bandages. But eventually I started getting too brittle to just use wraps and stitches. So, I just started taping myself back together.” He shrugged, unbothered, as if that wouldn’t be literally anyone else’s nightmare.

He worked fast, and Vanessa admired his handiwork. It was honestly really impressive. “Jeez. I know you’ve had a lot of practice, but this is really cool.” She grinned.

Michael grabbed the bottle of water. “I try my best.” He smirked and handed it to the blonde. She gratefully took it. It soothed her throat as she swallowed, feeling like the first drink she’s had in a century. The brunette took back her wounded hand and continued to inspect it as if there was something he just wasn’t understanding.

“Are you okay?” He asked slowly.

“Yeah, I’m fine now. Don’t worry about it.” She smiled, and they sat in silence for a little while. The sound of her own breathing was oddly comforting, and Michael held her hand, gently thumbing over the bandage. If she squeezed his hand, he would squeeze back. It.. felt nice. The part of her that was still calming down wondered how he had stayed so calm. She knew she panicked because of her… issues, but he should have felt the same, no?

“Michael?” Vanessa asked quietly, hearing a hum in response. “How… why were you so calm? I…” The words wouldn’t leave her mouth the way she wanted them to.

Michael shrugged. “You needed me to be.” He said simply.

“But how do you feel?” Vanessa questioned, turning to face him.

The brunette shrugged again. “Fine? I don’t know… it’s been a while since I’ve cared what father was going to do. The main thought in my head was that my sister was about to start crying and that I needed to help her.” The title left his lips smoothly, naturally. Vanessa didn’t catch it.

She squirmed in her seat, clutching Michael’s hand a bit tighter. “Whenever I broke something as a kid… he wouldn’t hit me, but it always felt like he would. He made me feel… grateful that he didn’t lay his hands on me.” She took a deep breath. In, out. “Uh… what about you?”

“Oh, he slapped me.” Michael responded causally. “I think he realized it only made me angrier, though, since I don’t think he hit my siblings. He knew it wouldn’t stop me or anything, but I think he needed to get some anger out.” He snorted. “He raised me like the son he didn’t want. Which is fair enough, I was completely ridiculous.”

Vanessa shook her head frantically. “Why are you calm about this? That was not ‘fair enough’, that was abuse! Did he even love you?” She asked, visibly distressed.

“Did he love you?” Michael parroted back.

Silence for a few moments.

“I…” Vanessa took another shaky breath. “I think he loved me… in a weird, twisted way.”

Michael hummed again and rested his head on her shoulder. “Well, you lucky bitch, now you have someone to love you in a not-weird way.” He smiled at himself.

Vanessa huffed out a laugh and laid her head on his. “Lucky me, huh?”

They sat there for a few minutes. Vanessa heard faint breathing from Michael, which only made her more curious about how this corpse of a human functioned. He might be a horrible person, law wise, but he was surprisingly good at comforting someone when they needed it. It gave her a small, warm feeling in her chest. It wasn’t too apparent, but it felt good, and she wanted to keep feeling it. It made her happy.

Michael leaned back after a while. “There’s a new episode of The Immortal and The Restless if you want to see it.” He offered.

Vanessa immediately grabbed the remote. Michael laughed again. She liked his laugh, the way he sounded genuinely amused. She loved it when he let his guard down and let himself feel.

“Thanks for taking care of me.” She hummed a few minutes into the episode. A gentle smile spread across her face. “You’re a better sibling than you give yourself credit for.” She said earnestly, pressing into his side and taking a sip of water from the bottle Michael got her earlier.

Michael was glad she was focused on the show so she wouldn’t notice the tears slipping down his cheeks.

Chapter Text

The Pizzaplex was an odd place. Unlike almost all the other Freddy’s locations, it actually looked like a place kids could enjoy without having to do too much stuff themselves. Of course, the other buildings were built decades ago in a very different time period, so Michael supposed he couldn’t be too sour about it.

Despite himself, Michael did look upon those days fondly. He had a lot of fun running around with his friends and probably causing heaps of trouble for the poor staff. They had to keep themselves entertained somehow, and just staring at singing robots wouldn’t cut it anymore.

As he walked through the grand building, he couldn’t help but take note of just how packed it was. Every other time he had visited, the only recognizable sound was the constant clicking of his shoes against the tile flooring. But now there were kids everywhere, shouting and dragging their parents behind them as they rushed around to look at everything.

Michael belatedly realized a lot of these parents were probably his age. He was physically stuck in his twenties but he was honestly closer to fifty or sixty. He was also stunned at the realization that he didn’t remember his birthday. He stopped in his tracks and took a moment to really think about when he was born. 1970? 1969? 1968? He was definitely a little kid in the seventies, and definitely a teenager in the eighties, but that was about all he could recall.

He was jostled out of his thoughts when a little girl bumped into him. He turned around and she whispered a quick apology before hugging her Monty plush tightly and running off. Right, don’t stand in the hallways. That’s where people are walking, Michael. He offhandedly remembered how he used to shove people to the side in school if they were standing in a walkway. Then another person bumped into him. Goddamit Mike, get out of the way. He turned around to apologize and was greeted with a familiar face. A little boy with brown hair and the most mischievous eyes you would ever see in your entire life.

“Hey Michael.” Gregory greeted casually, continuing to walk forward. Once he reached the outer wall, he opened up his backpack and started rummaging through its contents.

Michael walked over too, leaning against the wall and watching the boy pull out several miscellaneous items and put them back. “Are you looking for something?” He asked cautiously. He wasn’t afraid of the answer, but Gregory looked a bit… worried. Gregory always had this air to him that he didn’t care about much. He cared about himself first and foremost, then Freddy, then Vanessa, then Cassie, and not many more people. He’d leave plenty for dead if he didn’t think they were important enough. So, for him to be actively worried… Michael’s stomach twisted.

The boy grumbled something indiscernible and finally pulled out a pack of tissues and a hand warmer. It was… an odd combination.

Michael blinked a few times before questioning. “What are those for?”

Gregory zipped up his backpack and tossed it back over his shoulders. “Nessa’s crying.” He said simply, turning on his heel and walking away.

Michael was stunned for a few seconds before catching up with the boy. “Nessa’s crying? Like, Vanny? Is she okay?”

Gregory nodded and grabbed Michael’s hand as they maneuvered through the crowd of people. “She’s fine. I was just grabbing some stuff for her.”

The boy walked quite casually for someone with a crying sibling, skillfully squeezing between parents and children alike, making sure to never let Michael’s hand go. The boy led him through way too many tunnels, many of which Michael was sure they weren’t allowed, before arriving at an odd little door. Gregory opened it and gestured for Michael to go inside. Once he did, Gregory closed the door and walked towards the sound of quiet sniffles.

Michael followed and sure enough, Vanessa was sitting on the floor next to her bed (The other Vanessa bought her a proper bed and wouldn’t take no for an answer when she learned the girl only had a flimsy sleeping bag) with her head in her hands, crying. Even more surprisingly, Mike was there. He was sitting next to Vanny, not saying a word, only gently rubbing her back as she sobbed.

Gregory cautiously walked over to the girl and gave the tissues and hand warmer to Mike, who stayed silent. Vanny let out a few choked sobs and tried her best to thank him, but her gratitude was overrode with whatever was going on in her head.

The boy walked back over to Michael. “I’m going to go do something,” He whispered, “Tell me if anything happens.” He walked away, disappearing into the dark.

She used the tissues to wipe away her tears and wipe her nose and held the hand warmers up to her cheeks, possibly to comfort herself.

Michael walked over to Vanny, sitting on her other side. He waited to say anything for a few seconds. “What’s wrong?” He eventually asked. “Did someone hurt you?”

Vanny shook her head. “I’m just-” She hiccuped. “Fuck- I’m so tired, and Glitchtrap is so loud, and I have work in a few hours, and- Oh God, I have to watch Gregory because Freddy’s doing his shows.” She groaned loudly, continuing to furiously wipe away tears. “I can’t leave him alone, he’ll murder someone.” She whispered. She looked so… defeated. As if all hope of any kind of rest was floating away out of her grasp.

“I’ll watch Gregory.” Michael blurted. “I’ll watch him while you rest.” He said, rubbing her shoulder for a few seconds before dropping his hand back down.

Vanessa looked at him as if he had just offered to purge Glitchtrap from her mind. “Really?” She asked softly, blinking furiously as tears continued to roll down her cheeks.

Michael nodded. “Yeah. I’ll watch him. You just stay here.” He hummed, backing up to stand.

The corners of the blonde’s lips tiled up slightly and shakily. She took a deep breath and wiped away more tears and thanked him, then turning to Mike. “...Will you stay with me?” She asked shyly.

“I’ll take care of you.” Mike muttered, giving a small nod and taking Vanessa’s hand in his. She leaned into his shoulder and turned away from Michael, her despair finally seeming to let up.

He gave them an odd look before leaving the room. He had to weave his way back through the many hallways before arriving back in the main pizzaplex. He found Gregory relatively quickly, absolutely destroying everyone at some arcade game.

A warm feeling spread throughout his chest. It felt nice to see something normal in this god forsaken place. Just a boy having fun. “Hey kid.” Michael greeted, walking up to the boy.

Gregory immediately shushed him as he focused on beating the game. Michael was honestly a little impressed, the boy’s calculated movements and concentration had to have come from years of practice. He remembered when he and his friends used to go to arcades all the time. Jeremy was always the best, but none of them would admit it. He smiled at the memory. That was before-

A celebratory noise came from the machine as the initials GGY appeared as the top score. Gregory grinned and finally turned to Michael. “Some bitch got a higher score than me, and I’m not letting them stain my legacy.” He said proudly, putting his hands on his hips.

Michael decidedly ignored the boy’s swearing in favor of questioning how someone had managed to beat him in the first place, to which Gregory simply shrugged. “Anyway, is everything okay?” He asked, a bit of concern seeping into his voice.

“Yeah, you don’t need to worry about Vanessa. I’ll be taking care of you for a bit.” Michael watched Gregory’s expression turn to excitement. “She said you can’t kill anyone, though.” He warned, to which Gregory deflated slightly.

“Dammit.” The boy sighed, but seemed to recover quickly. “I’m really just trying to find something entertaining to do. It feels like I’ve turned this place inside out and now I’ve run out of places to go.” He sighed, taking Michael’s hand and leading him over to a nearby bench.

“How much time have you spent here?” Michael questioned as he sat down. It was a huge building with underground facilities and secret rooms. He doubted anyone could run out of places to go.

Gregory shrugged, climbing on the bench and putting his backpack on his lap again. “Been here as long as I can remember.” He mumbled, searching through the contents of the bag again.

Michael ignored the implication that Gregory has lived his entire life in this hellhole and instead took note of all the things Gregory had in his bag. A torn up pencil case full of art supplies, a notebook and sketchbook, snacks, mechanical parts, collectibles, bandages, a flashlight, several ID cards-

“Found it.” Gregory pulled out what seemed to be a small golden ticket, showing it off to Michael. “This is one of Chica’s party passes. I can show you the places people aren’t supposed to go.” He smiled, but his eyes glistened with mischief.

Michael raised an eyebrow as he took the card from Gregory, inspecting it. “What happens if they see us?” He asked. His plan was amusing, but supposed it did have some logic behind it.

Gregory snorted. “They’re already scared of me and I see the way people cower around you. They won’t do shit.” He smirked as he took the ticket back from Michael and slid off the bench. “Only have a few hours, right? Let’s go.” He grabbed the man’s hand and pulled him up a set of stairs and through an odd door.

Michael looked around the room. He didn’t know what he was expecting, but it… wasn’t this.

The place vaguely reminded him of Fredbear’s Diner. He walked across the red and white tile floors, looking around and seeing a chalkboard on the wall behind a food counter, several little tables and seats, and bright neon signs. He had to squint to make out the flashing words.

“Bonnie Bowl?” He questioned.

Gregory hummed, having already made it across the room and looking around. Searching for something. “I can never go here with Freddy.” He said absently, checking under tables, behind the counter, in things, everything.

“What are you looking for?”

“Parts.” Gregory shrugged. “I always find broken parts in here. This room is closed off, so no one cleans or whatever. Free stuff.”

“What will you use these parts for?” Michael asked, finding a poster with the titular rabbit. He looked… Well… Michael supposed the original was horrifying, so some changes were due. He ripped the poster off the wall, rolled it up and put it in his bag.

“Why are you taking the poster?” Gregory asked instead of answering the question. He was sitting on the floor next to a circuit box, pulling out wires and other things. Michael would never understand this kid.

“Uh, I…” He cringed at himself. “I just like collecting things.” He shrugged, not knowing what else to say.

Gregory nodded. “I like collecting things too. It’s fun, gives me something to do while Vanessa and Freddy are at work.”

“What else do you do when you’re bored?”

“Uhhhh…” The kid apparently had to think really hard about that, which didn’t give Michael good thoughts, but eventually said, “I guess I go hang out with Cassie? She has her own agenda most of the time, but we try to get some time together.”

That was good, Michael supposed. He at least had a friend to confide in.

And then the room went dark.

He heard a mumbled swear from Gregory before the boy pulled out his flashlight and flipped it on. “I pulled the wrong wire. Let’s get out of here.” He said in annoyance, walking over to Michael and pulling him out of the room by the arm.

The two exited the room to an… unusual sight.

“Gregory! You know that you are not allowed to go into that room anymore!” Freddy scolded.

Gregory, however, immediately brightened at the sight of the animatronic. “Freddy!” He exclaimed happily, hugging one of the bear’s legs.

Freddy seemed stunned at first, but quickly crouched down to return the affection. And Michael… Well, he just kind of awkwardly stood there until they were done.

“I’ve been exploring with Michael while you’ve been doing your shows.” Gregory explained once he was released from Freddy’s arms.

The bear looked Michael up and down, probably refraining from telling Gregory that the two shouldn’t be left in the same room together, lest they set the entire building on fire.

“…I see. Why have you not been with Vanessa? Wasn’t she supposed to be watching you?”

“Vanessa’s not doing great right now.” Michael butted in. “She’s taking some time to decompress in her room, and asked me to watch Gregory.” He paused for a moment. “Actually, it’s only been like… thirty minutes. Don’t you have stuff to do?”

Freddy glared at Michael before taking a moment to compose himself. “Well, I was, and then Monty slipped and fell when we walked onstage. I… do not know how. It’s almost like someone spread soap on the stage.” Freddy sighed and shook his head. “Now, we’re just trying to clean up the mess and make sure Monty’s okay.”

Michael looked at Gregory, who looked all too pleased at the story. “That’s so weird!” He exclaimed, rather unconvincingly.

“Gregory… did you have something to do with this?” Freddy asked slowly.

“Obviously not!” The boy put his hands on his hips in defiance. “I mean, when would I have the time to do all of that?”

“It’s whatever.” Michael said, trying to change the subject. “Well, he’s all yours now. I’ll go see if anyone else needs something.”

Freddy nodded and then turned to Gregory. “Let us leave. I have something for you.” He smiled as best he could and took the young boy’s hand.

Michael smiled as they walked away. He was happy for them, truly. They had a far superior relationship than he did with his own family, albeit it wasn’t a very high bar to cross. He turned on his heel and decided to go back to Vanessa. Maybe he’d stop by a store or something to get her a snack. It’s the least he could do.

Unfortunately, the next step Michael took led him hurdling into a nearby table, his left leg taking the brunt of the impact. He fell to the ground, a little hurt but mostly confused- At least until he looked over at Gregory, who was hiding his snickering beneath his palm and a look of mock concern. It didn’t take Michael long to connect the dots.

That kid was really such a dick.

Michael loved him.