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The One with Two Families
Garrett arrived at Freddy Fazbear’s pizzeria and immediately spotted Mike waiting outside the building. As he pulled up at the building, he gave Mike a little wave and watched as the man dragged himself over to the car. He knew that Mike was having more car problems but with the temperatures below freezing, it wasn’t much of a surprise. Mike pulled open the door, and Garrett felt the heat sapped from the car until Mike had closed the door. Only then could the heater start heating up the car again.
“You okay?” Garrett asked his brother. The man nodded before yawning. “Been out there long?”
“Only twelve minutes. Door was a bit frozen,” Mike admitted as he shivered in the car.
“Should heat up soon,” Garrett reassured Mike as he started to drive. He turned the radio on but turned the volume down so they weren’t sitting in silence. Garrett glanced at Mike every so often and found that the man had already fallen asleep in the car. The gentle humming of the engine with how smooth the roads were, Garrett wasn’t surprised that the combination had lured Mike to sleep. “I’ll wake you when we get home,” Garrett smiled as he focused on the road. The grit kept the roads safe.
Once he pulled onto his driveway, Garrett turned the engine off and unbuckled himself and stepped out the car. He didn’t bother waking Mike up just yet. He just needed to make sure that Abby was still fast asleep and not waiting for him. The coast was clear. Returning to his car he felt guilty forcing Mike awake but a bed was much more comfortable than the car seat. “Come on Mike, you can sleep comfortable soon,” Garrett gently shook Mike.
“Five more minutes…” Mike groaned, trying to shuffle away from Garrett but he was stopped.
“You can sleep properly soon, please? For me?” Garrett pleaded as Mike’s eyes slowly opened. The man looked exhausted but he sluggishly moved out the car, using Garrett as support.
As they walked, Mike was becoming more alert thanks to the cold air. Garrett knew that it wouldn’t last long. As soon as Mike would hit the guest bed, he’d be out like a light again. Reaching the living room this time, Abby was there with a bright smile on her face as she saw Mike. “He’s staying?” Abby asked Garrett hopefully.
“Until work…yeah,” Mike informed their younger sibling.
“I’ll open the guest room door,” Abby squealed as she sprinted off.
“How can she be so full of energy?” Mike asked Garrett.
“Remember when you were once full of energy?”
“Not really…”
“Let’s just get you to bed. You’ll be full of energy after a good sleep,” Garrett suggested and helped Mike to the guest room. He had been correct, as soon as Mike had kicked his shoes off, discarded the jacket and flopped onto the bed, he was out like a light. Garrett rolled his eyes, folded the security jacket and put the shoes together before he turned and left Mike to sleep. Garrett now had to deal with a very excited Abby.
Five Nights at Freddy’s
Garrett was typing away on his laptop while Abby was drawing on the table. Two mugs of hot chocolate within their reach as they did their own things. Garrett had requested to work from home to watch Abby while their parents were at work. Abby’s school had been closed due to the pipes freezing. With no running water the school had decided to close until the pipes could be thawed. Abby didn’t mind and was excited to spend the day with Garrett (and now Mike) who was working from home. He wouldn’t be working all day and had agreed to go out for lunch, claiming that fresh air would do them both good. If Mike was up then they’d pull him out too but if he was still sleeping, it was best to leave him. Mike knew how to look after himself.
“Garrett?” Abby spoke up after an hour of her humming while she drew. She had placed her colouring pencil down and was looking at him. Unfortunately, Garrett had reports to fill in so he couldn’t give her the direct attention she was seeking.
“Hmm?” He responded, his eyes still locked onto the screen and spreadsheet. They would need to order some more spare parts soon.
“What was Freddy’s like when you picked Mike up?” She asked him.
“Mike was already outside when I picked him up. Said the door was frozen though so he struggled to get out,” Garrett picked up his hot chocolate and sipped it. It would have been coffee but Abby had persuaded him to make hot chocolate for the pair of them. He’ll make one for Mike when he emerged from the guest room. Abby had her own room in his home, a space she could retreat to when she wanted space to herself. Mike had his own home to retreat to when he needed his own space. “Why do you ask?”
“Because I kinda wanna see where he works.”
“You are not coming with me when I drop Mike off at work. It’ll be way past your bedtime,” Garret finally looked at her. She pouted but it didn’t persuade him. “Abby, you won’t be coming.”
“Are you going to call a babysitter?” Abby challenged Garrett. His fingers hovered over the keys at that word. He never liked the babysitters that their parents had called when both he and Mike were younger. It was the biggest reason why he offered to look after Abby when their parents were too busy, had an evening planned or when Abby needed time away from their parents.
They weren’t bad parents. Garrett was pretty sure that they loved all three of their children, just in their own ways. They had all been punished when they broke the rules, they were mostly treated equally. If Abby got something, then so did the brothers. He still remembered their first babysitter, a young woman who worked in a nursery who needed the extra cash. She and Mike had clashed within the first few minutes of their parents leaving. Mike shouted that the babysitter was more for Garrett than himself, which Garrett had agreed with, but it of course it had been taken the wrong way by the babysitter.
Garrett was sure that the babysitters hired during their childhood was one of the reasons Mike left home as soon as he could. Once he found that taste of freedom, he never looked back. Garrett could understand why, he too enjoyed the taste of freedom and living on his own. His home was always open to both Mike and Abby while Mike preferred to stay alone, his home wasn’t large enough for more than one person.
“I’m not calling a babysitter. I’m going to trust that once I put you to bed, you’ll stay in bed.”
“Please? Just once?” Abby pleaded with Garrett.
“No, and that’s final.”
He knew that it wasn’t final. He was sure that Abby had learnt from Mike when to back down from a battle, and then when to start it up again. Just like how she learnt Garrett’s look when he needed or wanted Mike to submit to something he was suggesting. It seemed to be gifts that they younger siblings could use on their older siblings and never the other way around. Mike only had talents that both Abby and Garrett could never have. The one that made them both jealous was just how quickly Mike could fall asleep when he wanted. Neither Garrett or Abby could pull that off, nor could they handle their anger quite like he could. It always slipped out of their control while Mike could. The signs were there if one knew what to look for.
“You’re still so much better than Aunty Jane,” Abby admitted before she took her drawings and colouring pencils and scampered off towards her room. Garrett was just glad she didn’t stop past the guest bedroom; Mike wouldn’t stir even if she did.
“And I’m so glad I am,” Garrett admitted. Aunty Jane just didn’t understand her niece and nephews. She was hardly present in their lives and Garrett wanted to keep it that way. Knowing that both his guests were in their respected rooms, he cracked on with his work.
Five Nights at Freddy’s
Abby looked at the clock in her room and noticed that it was three o’clock. A bright smile grew on her face as she put her colour pencil down and jumped up from her chair. She had permission from Garrett that she could wake Mike up if he was still asleep at three. Their brother needed to eat, shower and basically start to function as a human being again rather than a log. She opened her door quietly and looked down the hallway, Garrett was still working and hadn’t noticed her sneaking out. She made sure to close her door quietly and to tiptoe to the guest room. Opening the door as quietly as possible, she slipped inside and moved to the bed.
As expected, Mike was still fast asleep. His back was too her as she crept further into the room, the covers were wrinkled under him as he hadn’t bothered to crawl under them. He was still in a deep sleep; his chest was rising slowly before falling just as slowly. Sleep was a vulnerable state, and Abby didn’t get to see Mike sleeping often. She wanted to feel guilty for waking him but she had a job to do. “Mike?” She said softly, leaning over him as best as she could. Reaching for his shoulder, she shook him gently. Garrett was always gentle waking Mike up, but Abby had her own way. When the gentle shaking didn’t work, she started to draw shapes on Mike’s back. That got a response from the sleeping log as he tried to move away from her. She followed before she quickly took her hand away as he rolled over.
Abby giggled before she started to draw shapes on his arms instead, only to get a growl from her sleeping brother. Raising an eyebrow, she watched Mike’s face, giving him another star on his arm. She got another growl from Mike, his eyes snapping open and pulling her into a bear hug. Abby screamed with delight as he tickled her.
Her scream had attracted Garrett’s attention as the door burst open on the scene. Abby continued to giggle as Mike continued tickling her before she turned to Garrett. “Help! He won’t stop tickling me!” She giggled. Mike looked towards their brother and smirked.
“Oh, we’re playing this game, huh?” Garrett asked while refusing to help Abby. “I’ll be back.” Garrett left the room and left the door open. Abby wriggled while being careful not to kick Mike in her excitement.
“Never wake a sleeping bear,” Mike growled, pretending to be the bear as he ticked his younger sister.
“I’m sorry!” She laughed in response, still squealing as her “bear” continued to tickle her. “Let me go!” Mike stopped tickling her but kept her in his bear hug as Abby caught her breath. “Mr bear, please let me go. Little girls don’t taste good,” she couldn’t fight the smile that dominated her face, looking at Mike with pleading eyes.
“Nope, this is your punishment~” Mike chuckled as the pair laid on the bed. The smell of breakfast wafting into the room which only made Mike’s stomach growl in anticipation.
“You’re hungry,” Abby giggled with Mike humming in response. “You must have been really tired…” She reached up and patted Mike on the head. “Its okay Mr. Bear, a trade will be offered soon.”
When Garrett arrived back in the guest room, in his hand was a freshly cooked breakfast. “I offer you, Mr. Bear a hearty breakfast with honey,” Mike looked at the cooked breakfast. Bacon, toast and scrambled eggs. “Let the girl go and this breakfast will be yours,” Garrett offered, wafting the breakfast near Mike so he could get the scent.
“The bear accepts the trade,” Mike started to laugh as he let Abby go. She scrambled away from Mike and giggled as she left the room. Garrett chuckled as he watched Mike sit up before swinging his legs over the mattress and got off the bed. “Thanks for breakfast,” he said as he took the plate from his brother and headed into the kitchen to sit up at the table.
“There’s a mug of hot chocolate there too for you. If I can’t have coffee, then neither can you.”
“And why can’t you have coffee?” Mike asked, turning around to face his brother.
“Abby persuaded me to make hot chocolate instead of coffee. So now you’ll have to suffer with me from no coffee.”
Mike shrugged and turned back around to have his breakfast. Abby was already there, drawing pictures from her imagination. She looked over at Mike and beamed at him. Everything was always felt right when it was just the three of them.
“So, can I come to Freddy’s when Garrett drops you off?” Abby asked.
“No,” her brothers responded together.
Five Nights at Freddy’s
Abby sat rather smugly in the back of the car while Garrett drove them to Freddy Fazbear’s that night. Both men had fallen victim to Abby using her puppy dog eyes are the pair of them. Both Mike and Garrett knew what had happened, but what confused both Abby and Garrett was Mike’s request to have some children’s books with him when they left that night. He promised that they’d be returned the following morning, he just needed them tonight.
“You really should be in bed,” Garrett muttered as he glanced at Abby in his rearview mirror.
“I know~” She was eager to see the building at least.
“Well, if she’s exhausted tomorrow then we all know who’s fault it is,” Mike smiled at Garrett.
“Yours,” he retaliated.
“I said during the day that I would have been happier to walk. You were the one determined to drive me there.”
“Mike, I was not letting you walk over two hours in this freezing weather. I’m picking you up too. But I’ll be dropping you off at your place.”
“Seven again?” Mike asked and Garrett nodded.
“Being there at six is ungodly.” Both Mike and Abby laughed from that comment.
The pizzeria came into view; the bright sign illuminated the sky with the animatronic characters waving at their guests. The carpark was empty once more. Garrett parked his car and turned off the engine. He turned to Abby. “Stay close, okay?”
“You got it Garrett,” Abby nodded as they unbuckled themselves and left the car.
“And be out before midnight,” Mike’s voice was stern. He was serious and the younger siblings knew it. The trio made their way towards the building, Abby and Garrett carrying the books while Mike unlocked the building. “Huh…they left the heating on,” Mike commented as he stepped inside.
The building was finally finished with its intense cleaning. Everything was brighter and not a single speck of dust could be seen. Not a single cobweb. Abby and Garrett looked around as Mike brought them towards the office. Abby was buzzing with excitement. She was finally seeing where Mike worked and it felt like she was stepping into the past. It made sense as this place was a building of the past. The office had been the only room not touched by Fazbear Entertainment. Another note had been left on the ground saying that they couldn’t get in. Yet when Mike turned up, the doors were always open and could get in.
“What do you mean they left the heating on?” Garrett asked Mike as they placed the books on the desk in the office.
“Usually during the night, they don’t leave the heating on due to the power limitations during the night,” Mike shrugged. He had long since gotten used to how the place ran. With the renovations from Fazbear Entertainment, had they finally sorted out the power issue? He’ll find out when he turned the monitor system on.
“Mike, who did those drawings?” Abby asked as she pointed to the drawings. Mike looked at where she was pointing to and couldn’t stop the smile forming on his face.
“Very special friends.” Abby looked between herself and Mike and accepted the answer. “Anyway, its getting close to midnight so let’s get you two back to the entrance,” Mike glanced at his watch and spotted the time.
“Come on Abby,” Garrett reached for Abby’s hand and she took his. The trio started to head towards the entrance.
“You work in a pretty cool place,” Abby commented as they walked through the west hallway and past the parts and service room.
“Thanks Abs,” Mike ruffled her hair and reached towards the door. He gently pulled…but the doors remained closed. He pushed but the doors remained closed. The keys came out again and Mike tried to unlock the doors but found that they were already unlocked.
“Mike…?” Garrett said his brother’s name. Mike looked towards his younger siblings and had an idea. He took a few steps back and gestured for them to try the doors. Abby was the first to try, but once again the doors refused to move. Garrett tried too, but the doors remained closed.
Mike glanced at his watch and noticed the time. Midnight had snuck up on them. He looked at his siblings. “Abby, looks like you’re meeting my friends.” Reluctantly Mike returned to the doors and locked them. He knew the animatronics wouldn’t try and leave but he couldn’t let anyone else in either.
“You’re locking us in?” Garrett asked him as he heard the lock click shut. Abby tilted her head at Mike.
“Company policy,” Mike replied before he pocketed the keys, turning back to both Garrett and Abby. “We’re going to the office and you two are going to stay there until I come back, okay?” Mike asked the pair of them.
“Why?” Abby asked him.
“Trust me, you don’t wanna know,” Mike pointed towards the buttons on the side. “You hear anything coming to you, press the door button. It’ll cause a door to drop down. If the door is down, I’ll knock on the door. Okay?”
“Are you going to be okay?” Garret asked Mike.
“Trust me, I’m safe,” Mike gave them a thumbs up before signing into the system and leaving Abby and Garrett in the office.
Abby grabbed the tablet and flicked between the cameras until she found Mike making his way towards the dining room. She showed the tablet the Garrett and together they watched Mike approach the animatronics.
Five Nights at Freddy’s
The animatronics were starting to wake up, their servos were unlocking as their free roaming mode was unlocked. The animatronics blinked as their vision became active, their eyes glowing as they looked around the dining room. Their eyes locked onto Mike, and it wasn’t long before the animatronics made their way off stage and approached Mike. Foxy made his way over towards Mike from Pirate Cove.
“Okay, so…I’m not alone tonight BUT before you go and try and kill them, they’re my siblings,” Mike said, much to the surprise of the animatronics. “They’re currently in the office and I’m happy to introduce you to them, but only if you promise not to stuff my brother,” Mike crossed his arms across his chest.
“You have siblings?” Bonnie asked, bouncing on his large feet before looking up at the camera, waving.
“Will you tell us more about them?” Chica asked, and Mike knew that he had everyone’s attention.
“If you all stay here…I’ll go and get them both?” He asked, pointing in the direction of the office.
“We’ll stay here lad,” Foxy stood over with Bonnie as Mike got off one of the tables and started to head towards the office. It was time to introduce his siblings to the animatronics.
Five Nights at Freddy’s
Golden Freddy stood in front of the doors that lead to the outside world. He wasn’t looking into the night, what had caught his attention was the strings that covered the doors, preventing Mike from opening the door earlier, along with the other two. Golden Freddy ran his paw over the strings.
“You okay, Golden Freddy?” The bear jumped and turned around, seeing Mike standing behind him. “Sorry for the jump scare,” he apologised to Golden Freddy as he approached the animatronic.
“Y-yeah…” Golden Freddy replied to Mike and watched as he came over. The bear lowered his yellow paw but kept his eyes on Mike. A question he had been wanting to ask for so long had surfaced with a vengeance.
“Come and meet them, I’m sure you have lots of questions.” Mike offered to Golden Freddy. The offer was tempting, far too tempting. It was finding more about the Schmidt siblings or grow lost on what to do about the strings. “The choice is yours.” Mike placed his hand on Golden Freddy’s shoulder before leaving to head towards the office.
“Are you suffering from hallucinations?” Golden Freddy asked before Mike could go too far. The security guard stopped walking before looking back at Golden Freddy.
“For once no, there’s no hallucinations from your presence. Should I be worried?” Mike asked the bear. Golden Freddy quickly shook his head.
“No, maybe now I can play with you all.” Golden Freddy didn’t miss the smile on Mike’s face before the guard turned around and headed back towards the office where his siblings were. Golden Freddy continued to watch as Mike walked before he looked back at the strings on the door. If they stayed there, Golden Freddy guessed he could hang out with everyone. Unless he caused hallucinations for the other two people in the building. If he did, then it would be back to not having a physical presence. “Is that really a good idea…?” Golden Freddy asked himself after watching the golden string on Mike’s uniform spread and tighten slightly. “Just what are the strings?”
Five Nights at Freddy’s
Garrett and Abby had watched Mike on the cameras. The way the animatronics advanced on Mike but it looked like the security guard had put his foot down about something. Abby was fascinated by the animatronics, their movements were robotic, they were animatronics but there was just something about them that made them feel different. As soon as Mike turned up, she wanted to go and meet them all. Garrett held the tablet and followed Mike through the cameras, watching as he stopped and talked to…something by the main entrance. He reached over and placed his hand on something Garrett couldn’t see, but Mike could.
“He’s coming~” Abby squeaked as Mike headed down the west hallway towards the office. “I hope he’ll let me see the animatronics.”
“I don’t know Abby…something doesn’t feel right,” Garrett voiced his concern to his younger sister. She pouted and looked up at him.
“They’re just animatronics.”
“Yeah, and Mike was just talking and comforting thin air,” Garrett responded to Abby. She stopped hopping on her feet as she stared at Garrett.
As they heard the footsteps of Mike, Abby bolted out the office and pounced on her older brother. Her arms wrapping around Mike while peeking out to see if there was something following him, only to look disappointed that nothing had followed him. It was then that they both heard the sound of animatronic feet sprinting down the hallway. Mike knew who was running but the scream from the office meant that Garrett had also seen who was running down the hallway. Mike couldn’t get a word out before he felt Foxy wrap his arms around Mike.
“Yar har har~” Foxy laughed, before his eye landed on Abby. “Who be this young pirate?” Foxy asked, letting Mike go to get a better look at Abby.
“What happened to staying put in the dining room?” Mike asked Foxy. Foxy did look guilty until Abby came out from behind Mike to look at Foxy.
“Sorry Mikey, just…be curious,” Foxy said while trying to look innocent.
“Mikey?” Abby giggled as she looked up at Mike.
“That’s a first for me too,” Mike shrugged before Garrett poked his head out from the office. With the animatronic this close to Mike and Abby, Garrett knew that he couldn’t remain in the office all night. So, the animatronics were capable of full conversations, their AI must be high tech for them to function without anyone controlling them.
“Abby and Garrett, this is Foxy. Foxy, my younger brother Garrett and my younger sister, Abby,” Mike introduced the pirate fox to his siblings.
“Would ye both like to join me crew?” Foxy asked the younger Schmidt siblings. “I can tell ye plenty of stories from my trips across the ocean!”
Mike knew that he could take a step back and simply watch as Foxy started to entertain Abby. She had already been captured by the animatronic fox, keen on hearing the stories the fox had to tell. Garrett was still wary and Mike didn’t blame him. It had taken Mike a long time too to fully trust the animatronics would keep their word and not stuff him if they got into the office. Before Foxy could really get into his stories, Mike spoke up “shall we go to the dining room?”
“I want to meet the others too!” Abby exclaimed.
“Then follow Captain Foxy! He’ll guide ye through the dangerous oceans to the dining room~”
“Did Foxy really give you a hug…?” Garrett asked his brother.
“I don’t think Foxy could resist the temptation any longer,” Mike chuckled as they followed Foxy back to the dining room where Freddy, Bonnie and Chica were waiting patiently.
Five Nights at Freddy’s
Mike was sitting on the show stage watching Abby interact with the animatronics and them with her. While he didn’t know just how old the spirits were before they died, they immediately bonded with Abby. Abby had gravitated towards Chica the most out of all the animatronics. The two had become fast friends and Garrett had somehow gravitated towards Freddy. Bonnie and Foxy bounced between the two siblings, listening to Garrett talk or playing games with Abby. Mike doubted that the animatronics would want to play their game tonight but that didn’t matter. They were interacting with his family, and everyone seemed to be getting along. Even Golden Freddy had decided to join, but he remained with Mike, the only human who could see him. Abby felt that there was something there but unfortunately couldn’t see or hear Golden Freddy.
“Everything seems to be going well,” Mike commented, not taking his eyes off Abby as she drew pictures with Chica.
“It is nice…” Golden Freddy replied, watching the animatronics closely. Much like how Mike was watching his siblings. “I just have one question.”
“What’s that?”
“Why did you never mention them?”
“That’s something I’d like to know too,” Bonnie jumped into the conversation and soon the other animatronics had stopped their socialising and had all turned to Mike. All were eager to get an answer.
“Just…never came up?” Mike shrugged.
“Hey Mr. Schmidt, do you have any stories about Mike?” Bonnie asked Garrett.
“Hey! We’re both Mr. Schmidt!” Mike reacted but Garrett smirked. It was time for him to get revenge on Mike.
Bonnie looked at Mike and shook his head. “Nah, you’re Mike or Mikey as Foxy has started to call you.”
“Just Garrett is fine, and yeah. I have plenty of stories to tell,” he looked at Mike as he said that. That had snagged everyone’s attention.
“Don’t you dare!” Mike tried to leave the stage before Golden Freddy wrapped his arm around Mike, effectively trapping Mike there so Garrett could tell the stories.
And Garrett told plenty of stories from their childhood, before Abby was born and before the camping trip. The animatronics were hooked onto the stories as Garrett told them. He told everyone how Mike went to school once as his favourite superhero, his whole body had been painted green which earned him strange looks while walking to school. Everyone laughed as Mike only looked embarrassed. A few stories of how Mike stood up to bullies to stop them picking on Garrett, only to become the target but he never backed down. The bullies moved back to Garrett who then stood up for himself and the bullies moved on.
When the camping trip came up…the mood dropped. The animatronics noticed immediately as both Garrett and Mike fell silent, Garrett looking down at his hands while Mike had shut down.
“Things…changed after that camping trip…” Garrett admitted as he looked towards Mike. The animatronics glanced at each other before looking at their guard.
“Our parents still love Garrett and Abby but my relationship with our parents never recovered. It’s okay because I have the best siblings in the world. I’m sure to them, I’m nothing but a disappointment. They didn’t approve of my job here but I’m not leaving,” Mike’s hands curled into fists. “I’m just…going to go to the office for a bit. I’ll be back before six,” Mike felt Golden Freddy’s arm leave him, allowing Mike to leave. All eyes were on Mike as he left down the east hallway towards the office.
“Should one of us follow?” Chica asked but Garrett shook his head.
“Our parents are a sore topic. Since that camping trip, Mike’s perception on the world shifted. Our parents…well, no matter what Mike does, they’ll always seem disappointed in him. With him having gone through so many jobs too, he doesn’t exactly have a great reputation, so a lot of people look at him with disappointment. He’s like a magnet for it now but that’s not true!” Garrett’s voice had gotten louder. Not yet shouting but getting close to it. “He’s not a disappointment; he’s the best brother I have.”
“He’s your only brother,” Bonnie said before he was nudged by Freddy. “What?” Bonnie asked confused.
“Not now,” Freddy whispered.
“People just know him as the man who’s gone through so many jobs…they don’t know him. They judge him before they even know Mike. Then he started working here…and he’s been happier. Even with the dark history of the franchise,” Garrett missed the way the animatronics looked down at the mention of their franchise’s history and continued, “I can tell that you all care about him. Foxy couldn’t resist giving him a hug so…I was scared when midnight came and you all came to life. You’re exactly what he needs, and it seems like he’s someone you all need too. Just like me and Abby do.”
“Should…one of us go and check on Mike?” Bonnie asked.
Garrett shook his head. “Mike has signs when he’s wrestling with his anger. Just give him time and when he’s ready, he’ll come back. Thanks for the concern though,” he smiled at the large rabbit. “He knows what to do.”
Bonnie nodded as Golden Freddy stood up on the stage.
“I’ll watch him,” Golden Freddy informed the animatronics. They nodded and watched as Golden Freddy walked off the show stage and down the west corridor. They all knew that Mike was in the office as the light on the camera was on, they were being watched. Bonnie turned to Garrett.
“Mike’s the best guard we could ever ask for. No other guard can compete with him,” Bonnie spoke and the other animatronics nodded.
“Want to hear stories from us about Mike?” Freddy asked.
“I do!” Abby’s hand shot into the air and waved. Freddy laughed before he started to tell the tales from the pizzeria. Garrett and Abby listened to the bear with the others adding more to the stories Freddy told.
Five Nights at Freddy’s
Golden Freddy reached the office and found Mike sitting in the chair, the tablet clenched in his hands as he watched the camera feed. The stories from Garrett had put the jigsaw that was Mike Schmidt together for Golden Freddy. Mike’s empty house made sense now but for now, Golden Freddy was simply going to watch Mike. If he wanted to talk then Golden Freddy would be here to listen, he wouldn’t push though. Mike was working through some breathing exercises, inhaling deeply, holding his breath while maybe counting to ten before exhaling once more, counting and then repeating.
It also meant for Golden Freddy that watching Mike meant that he could watch the strings that were attached to the uniform. The light blue strings weren’t trying anything this time, but the other five coloured strings had changed once more. They were all thicker, covering most of the security top with a mixture of red, indigo, yellow, brown and gold. How Mike couldn’t feel the strings constricting him, Golden Freddy would never know.
Golden Freddy thought back to what Garrett had said, how that one event had damaged Mike. An unpleasant thought had crossed Golden Freddy’s mind hearing the story. He wanted to leave the pizzeria and torment their parents. But doing that would mean hurting them and he wasn’t sure Mike would approve on that. His paws curled into fists before he felt the suit shift slightly to match his mood. Tiny claws had emerged from his paws. Once he had spotted it, Golden Freddy knew that he needed to calm down. He would hopefully never meet Mike’s parents, their guard needed them and allowing anger to consume him wasn’t an option. Mimicking Mike, Golden Freddy took a deep breath and counted to ten before letting it go. He felt his suit change once more, his tiny claws had vanished and his normal paws were back with him. No, he wouldn’t allow himself to be consumed by rage, not anymore. He looked at Mike after he had calmed down and what he saw had scared him. The golden string had become thicker, no longer contained to just the shirt, his string had attached itself to the trousers.
It wasn’t just his…the other colours were starting to as well.
Golden Freddy knew that he should stay back. He should stay away from Mike and simply watch the strings to see what made them grow, but when Mike said he wasn’t suffering from the hallucinations, a spark of hope had filled Golden Freddy. He could maybe start to join in with the others when Mike brought new games and activities for them to do, leave again when they played their nightly game of Capture the Guard. Even now, he didn’t have to follow Mike, yet he did. The longer or thicker his string became the more he struggle to distance himself from Mike. Were the other animatronics…were the other children feeling the same? Or was it just him?
Something had changed this night and Golden Freddy was sure that it wasn’t just because Mike had brought his siblings here. The light blue strings had forced the younger two to remain here, why? What was the goal of those strings? Their colour strings had only gotten worse after hearing Mike’s past, they had all probably felt the spark of rage and fierce protectiveness that had struck them before. Their coloured strings…when had they latched onto Mike? What fed them?
Mike stood up from his chair and placed the tablet back down on the desk. “Okay, let’s enjoy the rest of the night before my shift ends,” Mike told himself. Taking one more deep breath before he stood tall, looked at the pictures from the animatronics and left the office. Ready to rejoin the others once more.
Five Nights at Freddy’s
“Hey Chica, can you do me a favour?” Abby asked the animatronic chicken.
“Sure, what can I do?” Chica asked, letting Abby change the crayon in her hand with another. After the crayon exchange, the chicken continued to colour.
“It’s very clear that Mike likes you all and you all like him back. So…can you look after him when he’s here? I know that Garret and I can make him smile, but it’s rare that someone else does.”
“It would be our honour,” Chica placed her hand on her chest as she said that. Seeing the bright smile from Abby made it all the better. Little did Abby know, Garrett was asking Freddy the same request.
The animatronics were the first to notice Mike returning to the others. Silently moving through the room until he had taken his spot back on the show stage where he and Golden Freddy had been before. Bonnie gave Mike a small nod, letting him know that they were aware he was there. Mike huffed and rolled his eyes before Foxy approached him.
“Can…we play?” Foxy asked.
“Bonnie, are you going to play too?” Mike asked Bonnie. Bonnie stood tall at his name being called, drawing the attention of both Freddy and Chica.
“Capture the Guard?” Bonnie asked.
“It’s like capture the flag, harmless,” Mike quickly informed both Abby and Garrett.
“Can we dip in and out?” Chica asked and Mike nodded. “Good, because I want to try but I’ve really been enjoying colouring with Abby.”
“There’s an hour left before the shift is over.”
“Only an hour?!” The animatronics all cried out in shock which made the humans laugh.
“Yeah, so who’s in?” Mike asked and all four animatronics raised their hand, along with Garrett. “You as well?”
“Games are fun,” Garrett shrugged before turning to Abby. “You’ll be okay on your own?”
“Its only for an hour,” Abby replied, not looking up from her drawing.
“I’ll explain the rules while we head to the office,” Mike hopped off the show stage and started to make his way to the office. Garrett followed him as Bonnie, Freddy and Foxy went to their starting positions. The game was going to be more interesting with another player in their game.
“Its nice…like Mike’s got two families,” Abby watched as the other three animatronics went to start their game. Chica stopped and thought about it.
“Yeah, I guess we are two different families.”
Five Nights at Freddy’s
When Mike unlocked the building after six, he attempted to open the doors and found that they did indeed, open. Whatever had stopped them from opening them before his shift had gone. Mike breathed a sigh of relief as Garrett came over with Abby on his back. She had fallen asleep before the shift ended, the brothers knew that she could sleep in the car for a bit while Mike did his morning clean of everything they did that night. There were so many drawings from the animatronics and Abby, some were to go home with Abby and the rest would get stuck onto the wall in the security office.
“The night wasn’t that bad,” Garrett admitted sheepishly to Mike. “I don’t plan on doing this again though,” he laughed which Mike joined in.
“Don’t blame you. You’re not semi-nocturnal like I am,” Mike joked which only made them laugh louder. Abby mumbled something in her sleep as Mike held the door for Garrett to leave. Garrett left the building with Abby while Mike closed the door. He remained inside the building as he watched Garrett juggle Abby and unlocking his car at the same time. Mike couldn’t help but snigger as Garrett dropped his car keys on the floor and scrambled to pick them up. Shaking his head, Mike left the door and headed to the dining room. The animatronics weren’t in their usual spots when his shift ended. Instead they were helping to tidy up the mess they all made.
“Is what your brother said, true?” Bonnie asked.
“Hmm?” Mike looked towards the large purple rabbit.
“About your parents…and how others seem to view you?”
Mike didn’t respond but it confirmed what Garrett had said was true. It wasn’t like they didn’t believe him but just seeking confirmation from Mike himself. “I won’t disappoint you, any of you. I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure I don’t.”
“Mike, I don’t think you can disappoint us. You’ve given us so much fun,” Bonnie came over to Mike and ensnared him into a hug. “And you’re getting better at receiving hugs~” The bunny giggled.
“Only when its people I know,” Mike rolled his eyes as Bonnie let him go. “I should get going. Garrett has offered me a lift home, and he needs to put Abby to bed…and probably himself too. Thanks for an awesome night though.” He waved as he left the animatronics. The dining room was tidy once more and soon the animatronics returned to their positions on their respected stages.
Golden Freddy was waiting near the main entrance. He knew that he shouldn’t be doing this. He should be trying to stay away but he found that he couldn’t. The light blue strings weren’t anywhere near him or Mike, this was all on Golden Freddy. “Leaving?” Golden Freddy whispered before mentally slapping himself. Of course Mike was leaving! His shift had ended.
“Golden Freddy, its six-forty-five. I should have left ages ago according to the company. Something wrong?”
“No! There’s nothing wrong!” Golden Freddy took a step back. Mike gave the hallucination a weird look, confused at their actions.
“If there’s nothing wrong…then why were you waiting for me here?”
Golden Freddy could leave. He really could. Something was grounding him here, with Mike. “I wasn’t waiting,” the bear replied, looking away from Mike.
“…Right…” came Mike’s reply before he pushed open the door to the pizzeria. As Mike took a step out, Golden Freddy reached out to grab Mike and crossed the threshold of the building.
Mike stepped outside but was stopped by the sound of a honk, the same honk that Freddy makes when you boop his nose. He stopped and looked down and spotted a small plushie bear. The fur was yellow with hints of gold, the plushie wore a black top hat a small black bowtie. Their eyes were completely black with tiny white eyes, a large black nose with freckles on the cheeks. Mike reached down to pick up the plushie and examined it. With a shrug, he kept holding the plushie while he locked up. He carried it to Garrett’s car. His brother didn’t even question what Mike had brought with him, not after the night he had just had.
“Ready to go?” Garrett asked and Mike nodded.
“I’m ready.”
“When I’m getting home…I’m crashing,” Garrett chuckled looking at Mike. “How do you still look wide awake?”
“I’m used to it.”
“Fair enough.” Garrett started the engine of the car and drove back home. Making sure to drop Mike back at his home before he carried on back to his.
Mike watched Garrett drive off from the doorway, his brother had made sure that he was inside before leaving. Tonight had been a weird night. He looked down at the plushie in his hand and placed it on the settee in the living room.
“I really didn’t need to worry about tonight,” Mike rubbed his face. He had been worried about how the animatronics would have reacted to his siblings but was glad that nothing drastic had happened. If anything, Abby would be pestering Mike to take her back to see them. Something he wasn’t planning on doing again, last night had been a one-time event. He looked at the plushie before he yawned. He could sleep on the settee today, the light wasn’t a bother. Laying down, Mike closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep. Unaware that he had brought an animatronic home. Weakened, but still very functional.