#and Gregory is SO EXCITED to go to the pizzaplex every night to meet the glamrocks. | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

angelofrainfrogs · 10 months

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Spend the Night: Ch. 21

~Coauthored by @zeitghest~

Fandom(s): Five Nights At Freddy’s: Security Breach

Description: The familiar melody of Grandfather’s Clock chimes through the echoing halls of the Pizzaplex…

Charlie wakes up in her Puppet’s vessel yet again with one goal in mind: to stop William Afton’s reign of terror for good. She enlists the help of Glamrock Freddy, the emphatic leader of the newest iteration of the Fazbear Band. But there seems to be more to this bear than meets the eye—and the same goes for the mysteriously familiar kid the duo find tinkering with animatronics down in Parts & Service.

With some help from friends new and old, Charlie’s journey into the bowels of the Pizzaplex will unravel mysteries none of them ever expected.

Rating: T

Read on Ao3

My mind is searching for something that I call home

Cause my eye is blind to these endless floors But now I see that my time's all yours

~Take Me Far Away by DHeusta~

Charlie looked on, feeling the same sentiment as everyone else. As Gregory seemed unaware of his happy tears she wouldn’t mention them, but she did steal a swipe of the cake’s icing. Things were looking up for now.

Freddy had slipped into the only empty seat beside Charlie, his happiness at Gregory’s reaction turning to curiosity as he watched her eat a scoop of the sweet confection. When Michael did the same, he had to ask: “I am a bit confused… Your bodies are different than mine, but I thought you were still robots at your cores?”

“We are!” Michael replied, then licked the remnants of blue off his fingers while surreptitiously handing Gregory a napkin with his other hand. Whether the boy would use it to wipe off the food, his tears, or both was totally up to him. “At least, I think we are… For whatever reason, Henry designed these bodies with the ability to taste things, too. I’m not sure how exactly, but Charlie and I aren’t going to knock it!”

“Agreed!” the girl chimed in, savoring the sweet buttercream icing on her finger before grabbing herself a napkin. Across from her, Gregory took the paper from Michael to blow his nose in, having faced away from the group to be polite before stowing the napkin away in one of his pockets.

Gregory’s apatite for the cake didn’t stop him from wanting to be a part of the conversation as well. Looking to Charlie with a bright grin, he remarked: “I can’t wait to meet your dad!”

If the man was anything like his daughter, Gregory knew they’d be fast friends.

“He’s probably going to love you, honestly. He adopted like all my friends,” Charlie replied with a well-meaning roll of her eyes, thinking back on how every other day Henry asked if the kids could sleep over so her and Sammy wouldn’t be so bored and at the house alone during summer nights.

“It’s true,” Michael agreed, leaning back with arms crossed. He hooked one knee over the other, bouncing them slightly under the table. Could he get a sugar high from a few packets of granulated crystals and a scoop of sickly-sweet icing?

…Could he get a sugar high at all?

He had no idea, but this environment and these clothes were taking him back to his childhood—the good part, when he’d hang out at the diner with his best friend and siblings, daring each other to eat as much of whatever food they picked that day as they could. When it came to ice cream, things inevitably ended with Evan puking his serving back up—usually in the bushes just outside—and Elizabeth eating so much sugary goodness that she was bouncing off the walls long after her bedtime.

“I am excited to meet your dad as well,” Freddy chimed in, resting his arms on the table. Catching sight of the still-open gash, he quickly put his right arm back in his lap, though Michael saw it before he stowed the limb out of view. Ignoring the man’s narrowed eyes, Freddy added: “Henry sounds like a wonderful person.”

Charlie knew him and Freddy would get along. Hell, the character was based on her dad, even if just loosely. Henry used to reminisce fondly about how he and William came up with the characters.

“We were thinking up ideas in college—Uncle Will drew a bear for me, and I made him a rabbit. Just stuck around for so long, we made them into characters!”

It was so simple, and at the time, so wholesome... Charlie asked herself why William let it all end. Then, she asked herself why she even bothered remembering the fond things about him, after everything he’d done to those he supposedly loved.

She pushed it from her mind, attempting to be far away from even the good memories.

“You guys are similar like that,” she complimented Freddy, giving him kudos for everything he’d done for the three of them.

“Thank you, Charlie,” Freddy replied with a soft smile, understanding the intent behind her words. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her in for a brief side hug, hoping she realized how much he cared for her, too.

“I can fix that arm up, you know—now that I’ve got two working hands,” Michael pointed out, nodding towards Freddy’s injured limb. He gave the bear a playful grin, eyes shining with mirth. “Unless you’d rather get another lecture from the dayshift techs again…”

“I would appreciate your assistance, Michael." Freddy chose to ignore the jibe, turning his attention to Gregory once more. Blue eyes widened as he realized the boy had somehow inhaled nearly a third of the cake while he was momentarily distracted. Freddy reached forward to pull it towards him and away from Gregory, gently chiding. “Alright, superstar, that is enough for now—we can save the rest for later!”

Gregory reached for a scoop the moment Freddy pulled it away, looking surprised that he would dare try such a thing. The feral boy had a smattering of Neapolitan ice cream stuck in the corners of his mouth, and stains of blue that clung to his lips. Before he could protest, Charlie leaned from Freddy’s affectionate grasp to lick her thumb and begin wiping his mouth with the clean spots of her napkin.

“No! Yuck!” Gregory finally voiced as Charlie swiped her wet thumb over his cheek. She gave a meaningless eye roll, holding Gregory gently in place as she cleaned his face.

“You’re messy! Don’t be a baby,” she snipped before the job was finished. After letting Gregory go, Charlie leaned back again on Freddy’s shoulder, watching in amusement as the kid rubbed his palms in a flustered way over his face.

“Still!” Gregory grunted, falling back into the booth before looking to Michael. The man’s promise from yesterday rang through Gregory’s mind. “Are you going to show me how to fix Freddy’s arm?”

“Of course!” Michael heartily agreed. “I said I’d turn you into a mini-mechanic, didn’t I?” He slipped out of the booth and patted Freddy amiably on the shoulder. “Come on—let’s get you patched up.”

“You seem quite excited for this,” Freddy pointed out with a laugh, standing when Michael moved out of the way.

“Is it obvious?” Michael joked, helping Charlie detach herself from the sticky vinyl and pulling her to her feet. “I’m super interested to see what makes you Glamrocks tick!”

Gregory had almost felt silly for even asking. With the intensity that Mike answered him, it was clear he intended to keep his word. It was only because Gregory had been let down so much before that he expected to show up and then not be allowed to participate. Of course, he trusted Michael to be better than the previous adults in his life. Though force of habit to remind people that he existed had become habitual.

“If you're doing maintenance work on an animatronic, but you also happen to be a cyborg... Are you a mechanic or a doctor?” Charlie wondered aloud as the gang began their trek back to Parts & Service.

It had Gregory answering in no time flat, replying with a laugh “Oh! A doctor—easy.”

“...I guess I'm a doctor now, then,” Michael concurred, nodding in acceptance. He walked with his hands in his pockets, still keeping watch but much more at ease now that he knew the Glamrocks wouldn't be bothering them anytime soon. Although, he couldn't help peering with narrowed eyes into every vent they came across that might be big enough to fit a certain robotic amalgamation...

He was grateful to Ennard for the save, but that didn't mean he suddenly liked the thing now.

“It should not be a difficult repair,” Freddy commented, glancing down at his arm and analyzing the damage a little more closely. He was holding onto Gregory's hand with his non-injured paw, letting the boy drift at his side at an easy pace. The fact that the others were much calmer than before helped Freddy relax as well, still the most high-alert out of all of them. “I think it is mostly severed wires that can be soldered back together and then replacing the outer casing, which we have plenty of spares for.”

Tonight was no longer a mad dash for survival. It seemed that for now they would avoid the wrath of Michael's father.

For how long exactly? It was hard to say. The man had invented the original robotic mascots so surely he’d be capable of fixing himself in no time flat, even in a shiny new model.

Despite his happiness at the sugary pit stop, for Gregory there was no true peace in the quiet night. Where there was a pleasant silence, he knew William lurked just outside their field of vision. Still, he asked himself why he was paranoid when there were many things inside the Pizzaplex that wished to help them.

But then he looked to that healing cut on Michael's lip. He stared past the hole in Freddy's arm and felt the tightness of skin healing on his own back. Physical reminders that every moment William was alive, there was a chance that Gregory could die.

Before he knew it, they were almost to the Parts & Service when Charlie decided to ask him a question.

“Huh?” Gregory said, rubbing his eyes to feign tiredness. “Sorry, I zoned out.”

Charlie gave him a strange look, clearly unsatisfied with the answer. She decided not to draw attention to it. “Oh, you looked nauseous to me. I thought you might’ve eaten too much cake.”

The sentence was punctuated with Charlie’s easygoing laugh—a laugh Gregory always found so infectious.

Glancing down at his son, Freddy could clearly see his growing distress. At what specifically he wasn't sure, but he squeezed Gregory's hand in silent reassurance. A few seconds later the squeeze was returned along with the tiniest smile, and Freddy chose not to press the issue. It was also at this time that the group were exiting Roxy's service elevator and making the familiar trek towards the protective cylinder. Upon reaching the main room, Freddy released Gregory's hand so he could settle himself in the chair as Michael rummaged around in a box of parts until he found an extra outer shell casing for the bear's forearm.

“Alright, everybody pile in,” Mike instructed, pointing to the cylinder as he moved to the old-fashioned computer. After activating the timed safety seal, he slipped inside right behind Gregory and Charlie, then went to work strapping Freddy's arms down as door sealed shut. Once everything was secured, Michael hoisted Gregory up to sit on Freddy's lap so he could watch the seasoned mechanic work.

Charlie observed Mike shut down power to the arm as she leaned against the wall of the cylinder. She could see growing interest on Gregory's face, and was happy he’d been distracted enough from his own thoughts. The kid made sure to ask plenty of relevant questions to what Michael was doing, even addressing some to the bear.

“Could you feel this even if the power was on in your wrist? Or do you just get an error message if you get hurt?” Gregory wanted to know. It didn't hurt to understand the intricacies of how your robotic family member ticked, anyway.

Charlie had been curious too, seeing how she was yet to feel pain. Suddenly, she glanced away quickly from the group, attention pulled to Roxy’s elevator hallway as the automatic doors closed again. However, by the time she glanced over there hadn't even been a shadow. Squinting into the dark, Charlie crept along the wall of the cylinder and attempted to get a closer view.

“I do not have pain receptors, so put your mind at ease,” Freddy replied to Gregory, doing his best to smile down at him over Michael's shaggy hair falling directly in his sightline. “But yes, I could feel that something was amiss and I received an error message that there was a structural issue in my arm. I would have received a much more pressing alert if the injury was more severe, though—”

“Awwww! Family bonding time in the workshop, hmm~? How sweet!”

The syrupy coo broke Michael's concentration, and he hissed instinctively as his grip on the miniature soldering torch slipped and caught the tip of his finger. He quickly turned off the flame, thankful for the dozenth time that he didn't seem to have pain receptors either, and quickly turned his head towards the sound.

“Look at you two!” Vanny called from a corner of the room, her patchwork suit half-obscured by shadow. Notably, her injured arm was still cradled in its sling—if there'd been any lingering doubt that Vanessa and Vanny were one and the same, it had now been crushed to pieces. The woman pressed her good paw against the side of her rabbit mask with a gasp. “How in the world did you find bodies all on your own?!”

Of course. Nothing good lasts forever.

Gregory had jumped off of Freddy's lap at the voice, a pointed glare shot at the glass as if his first reaction was to fight the sound.

Already pressed to the window, Charlie startled when Vanny popped up. Of course she wanted to know where these bodies came from. Telling her the truth was out of the question. Charlie touched her collarbone, quickly recovering from the scare. “Hmm, I can't recall. Can you, Michael?”

Gregory stormed up to the glass beside Charlie, fists clenched. He was fuming—mad that once again, a calm moment was ruined for him. These stupid rabbits would never let him relax.

“Go away, Vanny. No bunnies allowed,” he griped, half tempted to blind her with the bright beam of his flashlight. Gregory shoved a hand inside his cargo shorts, grasping the item in question ready to quick draw it on Vanny at the opportune moment.

“So rude! Your dad wouldn't be happy hearing you talk to his dear friend like that!” Vanny chided, wiggling a finger at Gregory. Her chest was puffed up slightly, still convinced that William cared for her like one of his own.

Well, of course he did—why else would he keep her around?

“Go. Away.” Michael echoed Gregory's sentiment in a much harsher tone, angling his body fully to face the rabbit. Freddy could only turn his head to watch, still strapped to the table with one arm powered down. Vanny sighed heavily, shaking her head so her ears flopped every which way.

“Michael, Michael... I just came to say hi! Your dad wanted me to check in on you since your last visit was cut short—he was really looking forward to talking with you and Evan, y'know!” There was an obvious pout in her voice, combined with a hint of disappointment that Mike had a feeling wasn't actually from Vanny herself.

“Well you can tell my father that I still hate his guts, and we don't need to be 'checked on,'” he responded through clenched teeth.

“Oh, I know—you're a big boy now, aren't you?” Vanny giggled, the sound unhinged and disconcerting. “He just worries so much... you're still his sweet kids, after all!”

That made Charlie let out a barking laugh.

“That's rich! If Will cared about us, he wouldn't be doing any of this! He strangled me in an alley! He never gave a shit about us!” She protested the very notion, though she was speaking more directly to the man that controlled Vanessa then the guard herself.

Incensed, Charlie bent to pick Gregory up. Even if they were in a safety cylinder, she wanted to hold onto him to make the equally angry child feel safer. The more she thought about how William used her father—her whole family—the more Charlie wanted to get her revenge as soon as possible. They’d trusted William Afton, and he spurned that trust in one rainy night. Vanny's delusions only served to infuriate as her positive, rose-tinted view of Will only reminded Charlie of the downfall of the Emily family.

“What does he want with me, anyway?” Gregory felt the need to ask. He wasn't sure why Vanny was here.

Oh god, Gregory began to second guess. What if she’s bidding William time before the even more psycho rabbit does something unspeakable?

Gregory clung to Charlie, feeling more helpless as he realized that although they were safe, they were also trapped.

Freddy's eyes had widened at Charlie's admission of her death. He knew that William was the one responsible, but she'd never shared how it happened... Unfortunately, there wasn't time to dwell over how cold and heartless Charlie's unnecessary demise was. Gregory had asked a question that everyone was also very curious to know the answer to.

Vanny tilted her head, as if confused by Gregory's ask. It was quite obvious, she thought—maybe the poor kid had amnesia and didn't remember who he was anymore? To be fair, she hadn't realized that he was Evan at first either, so maybe all of their minds were being messed with.

She giggled at the thought, then answered: “Well, you're his youngest, of course—he just wants to make sure you're safe and sound, and won't have to worry about anything pesky like dying again!”

“Tell that fucking asshole to stay away from him!” Michael snapped, smacking a hand on the glass aggressively. The sparking, purple Remnant in that sharp needle was still fresh in his memory.

Vanny didn't even flinch at the loud bang, simply letting out another sigh.

“Your father said you had bad mood swings, Mikey... he hoped you grew out of them, but I suppose that isn't the case.” She shrugged. “Oh well—at least I can tell him the great news about your new bodies! He'll be so happy!”

Fuck, Charlie thought, her grasp around Gregory tightening. She might not really be protecting him from anything, but she could at least make him feel safer.

“Like hell we’re going to let you near him!” she threatened. The first image that wracked her brain was William trying to kill all of them. Then experiment on the—

Gregory hugged his friend, feeling her relax again as she glanced away from Vanny. In turn she tried to ignore the meddlesome bunny, and advised for Gregory to do likewise.

“Don’t pay her any mind. You’re going to be fine.” Charlie’s reminder was for everyone in the cylinder. Gregory was going to be fine, and so were they.

Vanny barely seemed to register Charlie when she spoke to her. If William didn't care to pay the vengeful spirit any mind, then Vanny couldn't be bothered to either. Her focus was solely on the Afton boys, and she watched Michael step closer to his brother as if to protect him.

“Aww, it’s so sweet to see you two getting along after everything!” Vanny cooed, pressing her good paw over her heart. A giggle escaped the rabbit mask as Michael visibly tensed, fists clenching at his sides. “Oh come on, Michael—it’s not like that was a secret... It might be old news, but there’s still tons of public records about what you did at that biiiiirthday partyyyyyy~”

“Shut up…,” Michael whispered, his voice barely audible. Vanny leaned towards the window, mockingly cupping her paw behind the patchwork bunny ear.

“Hmm? What was that, Mike—”

“I said SHUT UP!”

The lack of pain sensors made Michael unable to realize he’d balled up his fists so hard they were cutting into his palms, small rivulets of blood trailing down his hands from the sharpest points. He stared Vanny down with a vision that was quickly turning red. His mind was slipping back to a time when he wasn’t so much younger than this body—when he’d decided to play a cruel prank that had gone horribly, horribly wrong…

“You have no idea what you’re talking about,” Michael hissed through clenched teeth, watching as the rabbit shifted between white, gold, and purple before his eyes. “And you don’t deserve to even think about my brother, so shut your fucking mouth!”

Sensing she’d gone a bit too far in her taunting, Vanny decided it best to leave and started backing away. “Oops~ I can see I’ve overstayed my welcome! I'll see you all again soon; byeeee~”

She giggled again, then with a wave skipped off to some unknown part of the Pizzaplex and out of view.

“Michael, wait!” Freddy exclaimed, still strapped down but managing to catch the man’s hand with the tip of his claw as Mike began stalking after her. The man wrenched his hand away as if Freddy’s touch burned, staring down at the animatronic with a look of unquantifiable anguish.

No longer was this Glamrock Freddy—the bear’s orange, red, and blue motif had faded into rotten gold, chest soaked to the endoskeleton with dark red that would never come out, no matter how hard Michael scrubbed. A broken, choked-off sob escaped his lips as the memories of that horrible day flashed across his vision, senses amped up to the extreme thanks to this new vessel. Cupping his face in his hands, Michael sunk down against the glass window as, in vivid detail, he remembered everything.

Charlie felt cold, watching how Michael crumbled. She remembered that day, and the stressful months afterwards. She'd never seen the Aftons with such high tensions. Charlie recalled finding Elizabeth pounding against her older brother's chest with her tiny fists in the backrooms.

Charlie wasn’t even inside at the time it happened. She’d walked in from the back entrance with Evan's gift, immediately noting the spray of red on Michael’s shocked and pallid face with Lizzie screaming at the top of her lungs.

“HE DIDN'T EVEN WANT THIS PARTY! YOU AND DAD MADE HIM GO!”

The fight the three of them had... Charlie choked, cursing the tears in her eyes. When she was sad as Puppet, her vision was never impaired by realism. The wet sensation grounded her, pulling her back to the now.

“Michael—” Charlie prompted, setting Gregory on his feet as she crouched to her old friend’s side. Her hand ghosted over his shoulder, afraid to touch in his tightly-wound emotion.

To Gregory, watching Michael break down was heartbreaking—far too much for him to just stand aside. Mike had always been there for him, but Gregory didn't even know where to begin with helping him out. He began associating rabbits with cruelty this weekend, and witnessing one break the man with a few sentences was the solidifying factor.

“—Fucking bunnies,” Gregory muttered under his breath before moving besides Michael to comfort him. He had no clue what upset him so badly; he just knew he didn't want anyone he cared about to be this heartbroken over what Gregory only assumed to be a mistake...

Michael stayed curled into himself for a while, not registering the others' presences as his mind raced through all the screaming... the sinking, gut-wrenching drop in the pit of his very soul as he realized what his stupid “prank” had done... the blood—there was so much blood...

Blood that was on his hands, literally and figuratively.

When Michael finally took in a deep, shuddering breath and pulled himself back to reality, the feeling of sticky, synthetic red coating his face and hands from where he'd cut his palms nearly made him lose it all over again. He forced himself to look anywhere else, taking in his surroundings.

Freddy was in the maintenance chair—the good Freddy, this one had nothing to do with the past, and probably couldn't even fit a child's head in his mouth with this current design. Charlie stood by Michael's side, her hand hovering over him for comfort but clearly still afraid to touch so as not to shatter his fragile psyche all over again.

And then there was Gregory, staring up at him with terrified eyes.

But he wasn't terrified of Michael—he was terrified for him.

“O-Oh god...,” Mike breathed, pulling Gregory in for a tight hug and hoping the boy would forgive him for ruining yet another shirt. He held Gregory with trembling arms, feeling the boy's heartbeat as they pressed close together. He knew the answer, but he still had to ask in a small, stuttering voice: “Gregory... y-you're alive, right? P-Please... tell me you're alive...?”

Gregory squeezed back. He'd tried to emulate the things the others did for him whenever he was scared beyond belief. He rubbed Mike's shoulder, only stuttering in his movements when Michael asked him that question.

“I'm alive... Of course I'm alive.” He had to be. Gregory certainly didn't remember dying. There was no way.

And even if somehow had slipped past the veil of the mortal realm, Gregory was certain he’d lie just to keep this guy's heart from breaking even further. Where he should have felt a reasonable amount of fear in regards to Michael, Gregory could only sympathize.

Besides Michael, a form slid against his shoulder. Charlie found it hard to intervene, her heart still broken from the cruel reminder of the past. Michael's mistake being thrown in his face like that reminding Charlie how she had treated him that night.

Her first reaction had been a simple question:

Why?

When he didn't answer right away, stunned by grief and terror, she’d pushed him and asked Michael why he couldn't just have left his brother alone for one minute!

Charlie wished that anger wasn't her first response that day. The regret still weighed heavy on her mind.

Michael simply nodded in response to Gregory, leaning his head on Charlie's shoulder as he held on for just a little longer. Gregory was still alive, and Michael was going to keep it that way. He wasn't going to let his new brother's fate be the same as his other siblings'.

After a minute, Mike slowly pulled back to look around the room again, gasping when a blue-clawed paw caught his attention.

“Oh shit—Freddy!” he exclaimed, gently dislodging himself from the others to move to Freddy's side. The poor bear had been immobile this whole time, forced to listen to Vanny's taunting and Michael's subsequent breakdown without the chance to help. Mike wiped his face and hands off on a nearby rag and got to work finishing the last repairs. “Sorry; I didn't mean to leave you stuck...”

“It is alright—you were acting in everyone's best interest, and I cannot fault you for that,” Freddy replied, watching the man carefully. He was never going to forget the look Michael gave him, like together the pair had done something bad. Hesitantly, Freddy began: “Michael, are you—?”

“We can talk later, when we're back in the security office,” Mike cut him off with sharp headshake. He clenched his jaw tight, focused on repairing the animatronic's arm. If he couldn't make himself whole again, at least he could do so for Freddy. “Just... let me work for a minute, okay?”

“Do it; it’ll make him feel better,” Charlie assured, rounding about the chair to come by and pet the top of the bear’s head. She carefully maneuvered around his little top hat and focused by his ears as if it soothed him.

Meanwhile, Gregory had taken to watching the glass for signs of Vanny. The next time he saw her, it would be a matter of attacking on sight. He wouldn’t leave any room for the bunnies to torture them mentally or physically any longer.

As the simple soldering job finished, Charlie helped Michael in releasing the restraints from Freddy’s limbs.

“There you go; good as new,” Michael said with a small smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes, helping the bear sit up.

“Thank you,” Freddy replied, turning his arm over to examine Michael’s handiwork. He met the man’s smile with a grin of his own, which seemed to brighten Mike’s expression in turn. Michael had come to find mechanical work relaxing in a weird way, but he didn’t usually get thanked by the animatronics he fixed up. It was certainly appreciated, though.

“Alright, back to the office until dayshift?” he suggested, hoping the others agreed. He wasn’t sure if these bodies needed to sleep, but damn was he tired.

At Freddy and Charlie’s agreeing nods, Michael moved to Gregory’s side and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, looking through the window as well. In his best pirate impression, he asked the boy: “Arr, any sign of danger on the horizon, cap’n?”

Gregory was scared of going out there. In the minimal chance that Vanny was waiting around the corner, Gregory would say to proceed with caution.

“Aye—” He’d tell Michael, following his lead with the over the top accent. “—may be rocky seas ahead. We’ll need lifelines.”

Not too discreetly, Gregory slipped his hand into Michael’s. Pretending did take the weight of what just happened off of his mind. Under his youthful eyes, there were dark spots forming from the stress and lack of sleep. He kept himself awake with caffeine and sugar far too many times and now he had the telltale signs of restlessness.

“You guys heard the doctor-pirate,” Charlie chimed in, attempting to keep the mood light until they got back. “Let’s mosey.”

Once everyone shuffled out of the cylinder and there was actually space to move, Freddy grasped Gregory’s free hand and gave the boy a soft smile. He then took Charlie’s as well, creating a chain with her and Michael on either end.

In response to the questioning gazes, Freddy simply responded: “We all need lifelines, do we not?”

Michael simply chuckled in response, taking the lead in walking them back to the elevator. They did a pretty good job of holding onto each other despite the sometimes awkward positioning, only letting go once the security doors were locked down tight in the office. Freddy immediately grabbed the charging cord and plugged himself into the outlet, settling in his usual chair while his battery replenished. Michael rolled a chair next to the bear, idly spinning around once before finally settling with hands resting in his lap. It was a small gesture that put an equally tiny smile on his face, but it was just what Mike needed to release more of the tension threatening to make his anxiety go wild for the billionth time that evening.

Gregory would have curled up on Freddy like the other night, only now he couldn't sleep knowing he was just going to get nightmares. He watched Freddy plug himself in, and Michael did his spin in one of the many chairs. Gregory could try to pretend it was okay for everyone else's sake, but he felt tense and nervous. He wouldn't be able to relax if he didn't know the reason for Michael's reaction.

What could he have done that newspapers talked about?

As he watched Charlie, who seemed quiet and reflective sitting in the corner, he thought about asking her… Then quickly decided against it. It wouldn't really be right to talk about what seemed so personal to Michael with someone else, especially when Charlie still looked upset from the encounter as well. He knew her well enough now to understand it took her a lot to talk about things.

The fact she even mentioned what William did to her—

Gregory shook that thought from his mind, approaching Michael.

“Are you okay?” he asked, holding onto the office chair and stilling Mike in place. Gregory, above all else, wanted to make sure he'd be fine.

Freddy perked up as Gregory posed his question, watching Michael’s expressive face go through various levels of guilt, anger, and anxiety in a matter of seconds. Eventually, Mike heaved a large sigh and hung his head, looking down at his lap.

“As much as I want to say ‘yes,’ you don’t deserve to be lied to,” he replied somberly. He lifted his eyes to meet Gregory’s, trying a sad smile that just turned into a grimace. “Something happened when I was a kid, and… well, I guess I was more of a teenager, but I did something—bad, and sometimes all the details come back at once and I just sort of… freeze up because it’s too much.”

He was starting to ramble, the admission of his biggest regret still hard to contextualize into words even after all this time. He also needed to be careful when explaining this to Gregory and Freddy. It would certainly be better for Michael to tell them what happened instead of letting them find out from a random news article, but… how do you explain to your new family that you were directly responsible for the death of your sibling?

Charlie looked up, not expecting Michael to say anything to Gregory. She managed to speak up for him as a way of encouragement.

“Sometimes good people make mistakes,” she said as a reminder to both of them.

Gregory could understand the implications of what Michael had done as a teenager. More specifically, from what Vanny alluded it was his own brother he harmed. All he knew for sure was that it had, for one hellish time, captured the grotesque attention of the entire town.

“Michael,” Gregory said, finding it hard to speak about his emotions for a moment. Eventually, he settled on a few poignant words. “It doesn't matter what you did back then. That was like a billion years ago, and you... you've shown me you're a good person. You're my brother.”

Saying it out in the open for everyone to hear, Gregory made it known that he thought of everyone in this room as his family.

For a moment, Michael could only stare at Gregory with an expression of shocked confusion. He knew the boy cared about him—at least, he hoped he did after everything they’d been though—but he never imagined Gregory would care to the same extent he did… Not enough to call Michael that.

Hot tear streaks burned Michael’s cheeks as emotions flowed freely. He couldn’t remember the last time he cried… He’d been numb for so long that nothing could get to him enough to prompt such a reaction.

Nothing except his family, that is—but wasn’t that always the case?

“T-Thanks, Gregory,” Michael stuttered out, leaning forward to wrap his arms around the boy’s shoulders. It wasn’t the tightest hug, giving Gregory the choice to reciprocate or break free if he wished. Michael still didn’t feel like he deserved to be considered Gregory’s brother—but that was an issue he needed to work through on his own. Now that he’d officially been given the title, he sure as hell was going to live up to it and be the best damn big brother he could possibly be.

“It… means a lot to hear you say that,” Michael added softly, and there was a definite smile in his voice now. “You… you’re my brother, too. Don’t ever forget it.”

With the go-ahead to hug him, Gregory jumped at the opportunity to wrap his arms around Michael's shoulders. The reassurance that Gregory knew he was a good person relieved a bit of the tension.

“This was a rough night—” Charlie remarked, sighing heavily. “—we should rest up. You're both looking tired.”

She was one to talk. Charlie felt like falling over and looked like she was about to as well. Were she not already flush to the ground, she might have. With no internal messaging errors, Charlie felt like the only solution was to just lay down and shut her eyes.

“Speak for yourself,” Michael muttered as he took stock of Charlie folded onto the ground, the joking tone in his voice indicating that he was slowly returning to his usual self.

“I think it is best if you all rest,” Freddy chimed in gently, looking over the exhausted trio. Charlie and Michael might be made of metal and wires, but on the outside they looked like young adults who'd just been through a second night of hell.

“What time is it?” Michael asked as he and Gregory finally broke their hug, running an absent hand through the boy's hair when Gregory leaned heavily against his leg. It was clear that the caffeine and sugar crash was starting to hit the kid hard.

“It is almost 5 am,” Freddy replied, then unplugged the charging cord and stood up. Ever their stalwart protector, he hoisted Gregory into his arms and urged the others to stand as well. “Come on; I do not want you to fall asleep here only for me to have to wake you up in an hour. Let us return to my room and you can all rest. I will keep watch and make sure you are safe.”

Gregory had rag-dolled in Freddy's arms. No thoughts sat behind the kid's eyes as he felt completely safe when scooped into a hold like that. It was clear from the way he batted his eyes open that he was currently fighting the sleep.

He did not want to go to sleep. He dreaded something happening while he was unconscious and unable to fight.

Even Charlie was having a hard time finding the motivation to stand. She ended up using help from Michael's had to gather herself from the ground. She affectionately squeezed an arm around his back, giving him a brief and tired side-hug.

As soon as they dragged themselves to Rockstar Row, Gregory was out like a light. With his hands peacefully resting over his chest, he drooled as he finally surrendered to sleep. With no more worries for the night, they crept into Freddy's room.

Freddy set Gregory on the couch and pulled a blanket over him. When he seemed to frown from the loss of contact, the bear slipped his Freddy plushie into his arms, which Gregory immediately clung to as his expression smoothed into peaceful sleep. After a bit of prompting, Freddy was able to get Michael and Charlie to lay down right in front of the couch, moving the star table with its pizza and Fizzy Faz trash out of the way so the trio could sleep as close to each other as possible. Once Charlie and Mike were settled with their own blankets and pillows, they drifted into “rest mode” in less than a minute.

In their sleep, the trio looked more peaceful than they ever had. Freddy pressed a hand to his mechanical heart as he gazed down at them, feeling a sudden swell of what could only be described as violent affection—he realized with a mild shock that Gregory wasn't his only child anymore.

In the span of 48 hours, Freddy had somehow ended up with three to care for... and regardless of how Charlie and Michael felt about his paternal status, he vowed to protect them to the end of time.

******

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angelofrainfrogs · 2 years

Text

We Found Him, Superstar: Ch 15

Fandom: Five Nights At Freddy’s: Security Breach

Description: Since starting his new afterlife at the Pizzaplex, Gregory has managed to befriend the Glamrock animatronics and made a surprising discovery—Bonnie’s been hidden in the basement warehouse this entire time, badly decommissioned but still powered on. Along with Bonnie are the endoskeletons that, no longer under the virus’s control, seem much more sentient than normal animatronics… Gregory and his friends are determined to get Bonnie back into commission and figure out the mysteries of what exactly these endoskeletons are—and how to help them, too.

Chapter Summary: The daycare is the best place to gather for a meeting, and Gregory is determined to make sure everyone attends—even the most mysterious animatronic that no one believes is his own being. While the robots plot, the night guards’ research discovered an even better way to talk to the ghost boy quickly working his way into their hearts.

Rating: T

Read on Ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/38728158/chapters/108488095

As if summoned by Gregory's call, there was a knock at the door. Freddy opened it to reveal the trio of Glamrocks, Chica hanging back slightly as Roxy and Monty practically shoved each other out of the way to get in the door first.

“Move, gator!” Roxy exclaimed, making it in first with a carefully-angled jab to Monty's side. She ran up to Gregory and ruffled his hair vigorously with a grin. “Hey, kid! Freddy said you guys had some news!”

“Oh yes! The best news!” Gregory announced as he looked up at Roxy with a bright smile. As Chica entered the room, the boy cleared his throat. “The security guards are going to help bring Bonnie back!”

“Whaaaat?!” Roxy exclaimed, her eyes wide. She looked at Freddy, head tilted in disbelief. “Really?! Those two?”

“They are actually quite nice and helpful,” Freddy replied curtly, feeling bad that the guards were obviously still getting harassed by a certain pair of animatronics. “Perhaps if you take a moment to speak with them instead of trying to scare them every time they pass, you would find that out for yourself.”

Monty let out a loud laugh. “I don't try to, it just happens!" He paused in consideration. "…Okay, well, Roxy did ask to scare 'em with me the other night but... Anyways, that's awesome, squirt!” He picked Gregory up and held him close.

“But that means Bonnie will have to get checked by techs, so we have to take turns visiting the kids!” the boy added, which seemed to make Chica quite excited.

“Yes, we have already asked the children and they are willing to let the four of us take turns visiting them when we have opportunities in our schedules to do so,” Freddy explained, watching as Roxy narrowed her eyes and grabbed Gregory under arms to try pulling him away from Monty. The gator was holding on tight, but Gregory was smiling, so as long as he wasn't in distress Freddy reasoned he didn’t need to intervene... for now.

“Oh, I totally don't mind going in to check on them!” Chica exclaimed, then blinked a few times before clapping her hands together excitedly. “I don't see anything on my schedule for tomorrow either!”

“Wonderful! Gregory will stay down there for a while as well, so he will likely be there when you arrive.” Freddy’s grin widened as he remembered the tiny voices that had spoken up earlier. “I believe there is a set of twins that adore you, Chica—I do not know precisely how old they are, but I think they are quite young judging by the way one of them spoke.”

Chica let out a dramatic gasp before jumping up and down with a squeal. “Really?! Ooh, does that mean I can keep them both?!”

“That is likely, yes,” Freddy replied with a laugh. He'd predicted that she would be excited, but he didn’t realize she would be this happy. “If anyone were to take care of the young ones, I feel as though you would be the best fit!”

Roxy paused her attempts to dislodge Gregory from Monty's grip, looking at Freddy curiously. “...Did any of them say that I was the best?”

“Ben said that Monty was the best, but Robin said he liked you, Roxy!” Gregory recalled, to which Monty let out a loud laugh.

“So I AM the best!” the gator cackled, throwing a fist up into the air before pulling Gregory towards him again.

“No, you are NOT the best!” Roxy yelled, aggressively yanking Gregory in her direction. “It was just a word choice... you know how kids are!”

Chica looked over at the two, gently rolling her eyes. “Can't you, like, both be the best?”

“We are all the best in a different child’s eyes,” Freddy said reasonably, stepping over to the warring duo and holding out his arms. “And this one is mine—hand him over, please.”

“Urgh… why do you always have to make sense, Fredbear?” Roxy said grumpily, finally letting Gregory go and crossing her arms in front of her chest. “I gotta meet this Robin kid soon…”

Monty pouted as Freddy held his arms out, giving Gregory a light squeeze before handing him over. “Yeah, yeah, I guess that makes sense or whatever...”

“Once the children are free, you will no longer need to fight over who gets to carry them,” Freddy reassured the animatronics, then paused. “…At least, I hope not.”

“Yeaaaah, no promises on that front,” Roxy replied, playfully nudging Monty to prove that all their arguing was just for fun. “I’m excited to meet them all, though!”

“It'll be so cool! I'll be a dad, just like Freddy— but way more fun!" Monty said with a loud laugh, giving the bear a playful nudge.

“I'm getting twins!” Chica squealed, then gave Gregory a gentle pat on the head. “But of course we’ll all still have that soft spot for Gregory!”

“Hm? Oh yeah... ‘Cause I'm the best!” the boy announced, repeating Roxy’s catchphrase proudly.

“Heck yeah you are, little rockstar!” Roxy exclaimed, unable to stop herself from reaching over and aggressively ruffling Gregory’s hair, then immediately pinching his cheeks. Freddy chuckled at the display of affection, holding Gregory securely while the wolf “attacked.” Even if they couldn’t remember everything that happened while under the virus’s control, the animatronics would never forget all that Gregory had done for them. After the group’s laughter died down, Freddy spoke up.

“There are actually a few others that we need to tell this news to; how would you all feel about taking a field trip to the daycare?” He glanced down at the boy in his arms. “I know some of us would feel better speaking to Sun’s alter ego if we are all there this time.”

“Freddy, Moon is not his alter ego!” Gregory said with a pout, resting his head against the bear’s shoulder. “…Whatever that means!”

“‘Alter ego’ refers to another version of someone—such as how Sun turns into Moon when the lights go off,” Freddy explained, leading the way out of his room and towards the daycare.

“But he doesn't!” Gregory insisted. “They’re different!”

Freddy simply shook his head with a laugh, knowing he wasn’t going to be able to convince Gregory otherwise anytime soon. Eventually they made it to the daycare, pleased to see the lights were on. Freddy looked from Gregory to the slide, then back again. “Do you want to go and find Sun? We will meet you at the doors, if you would prefer to use the slide this time.”

Gregory nodded, immediately beginning to squirm in Freddy’s hold. “Yes!”

Once released the boy threw himself into the slide, going down headfirst and flopping into the plastic balls with an excited shout. His kicked around for a bit, before poking his head out and pretending to "swim" around a bit.

“Sun! You have visitors!” Roxy called out as the animatronics walked to the large wooden doors. Seconds later Sun popped out from behind one of the play structures, grinning as usual.

“Oh, hi everyone!” the daycare attendant exclaimed, waving to the group before turning to the ball pit. Upon spotting Gregory, he rushed over and lifted him up high. “HI, sunshine! Ooh, I’m so glad you came to visit again! And you brought everyone else this time, too!”

Gregory was going to jump forward into the ball pit once again when he was suddenly hoisted into the air. He gave the tall animatronic a nervous smile, remembering their most recent and slightly unnerving encounter. “…Hi, Sun!”

“We have something exciting to tell you!” Freddy said, picking up the pace as he moved to the attendant’s side.

Chica thought about the news once again before letting out a small squeal. “You better say it before I do, Fredbear!”

“Alright, alright!” Freddy held his arms out for Gregory as he explained: “We were able to speak with the children again tonight, and they revealed that they each have a favorite animatronic; once they are freed, we are eventually planning to let them stay with all of you!”

“You and your other half have kids that picked you!” Roxy chimed in with a grin, then added in a muttered voice: “Mine’s definitely gonna be the coolest, though.”

Sun gasped loudly, giving Gregory a tight squeeze before handing him back to Freddy and jumping up and down. “Oh, this is WONDERFUL! You know we’d love to take care of everyone, but I’m so glad the little ones already have others they’d like to spend time with.” He pressed a hand over his heart. “And there’s one for Moon, too?! That makes us so happy!”

Gregory figured this was as good a time as any to test his theory.

“Yeah, why don't you bring Moon out here to celebrate with us?” he asked with narrowed eyes, folding his arms over his chest. Monty tilted his head with a curious hum as Gregory spoke. Sun’s alter ego and him in the same place at the same time? Hopefully that didn’t make his wiring pop…

Sun froze, shifting his gaze from Gregory to the stage above the ball pit, then up to the bright ceiling lights. He gave a nervous laugh. “Ummm… that’s not going to work; sorry, sunshine. We can’t be in the daycare at the same time—the lighting only works for one of us whether it’s on or off!”

Freddy nodded in understanding. “I have told Gregory as such, but you know how insistent he can be…”

“I can get Moon, though!” Sun said, quickly trying to placate the child who was glaring even more ferociously as the minutes ticked by. “I just need a few minutes to get settled, and then you can turn the lights off like we’ve done in the past—how about that?”

Gregory tapped his chin in thought, looking around for another way to convince both animatronics to show themselves. His gaze roamed up to the ceiling and he had a brilliant idea. He scrunched his eyes together, clenching his fists as he held his breath.

“What is he doing? Is he gonna explode?!” Monty asked, wide-eyed.

Suddenly, the lights went out—only half of them, though. They remained on for the section of the room that the animatronics stood in, though the other was completely dark save for the glow stars around on the ceiling. Gregory gave a tired but proud sigh.

“Now Moon will be able to join us too!” the boy murmured before slouching forward.

Monty gasped dramatically. “Gregory... died! Again!”

“No, he did not!” Freddy snapped, worriedly lifting Gregory’s chin up to make sure he was okay. The boy was still conscious, though he looked exhausted. “He simply expended a large amount of energy to manipulate the lights…”

“Yeah, dummy—” Roxy chimed in, giving Monty a shove. “—if Gregory died, he’d disappear and reappear somewhere else! So obviously—”

The sound of bells tinkling made everyone freeze. They glanced at Sun, only to find him standing completely still and staring towards the dark half of the room. His grin seemed to widen as he murmured excitedly: “Ooh, Sunshine, you’re such a clever boy!”

“Oh, hehehehe... Sun, you're always hogging the audience!” Moon’s voice called out from the darkness, his bright red eyes giving the animatronics an idea of where he was.

“See! I told you they were two different animatronics...,” Gregory grumbled, looking around at the Glamrocks.

Freddy’s mouth had fallen open, his eyes wide as his gaze shifted between both daycare attendants. Their size and overall figures were completely identical, although even without the lighting changes it was clear which was Sun and which was Moon based on their different stances and eyes—specifically, whether they glowed red or not.

“Oh my goodness…,” Freddy eventually murmured, blinking rapidly as his mind reorganized everything he thought he knew about Sun and Moon. All of their weird comments and speaking in third person about the other finally made sense. He gave Gregory a gentle squeeze. “I… I am sorry I doubted you, superstar.”

“Yeah, you should be!” Gregory snipped, his gaze now swiveling between Moon and Sun. He couldn't tell whether or not to be fascinated or terrified with them both in the same room.

“I don’t try to hog the audience!” Sun whined in response to Moon’s comment. “It’s not my fault people prefer the lights on!” He jumped excitedly, pointing at Gregory. “But Gregory found a solution, so now we can both be out!”

“Yes, I've seen,” Moon said as he stalked closer, wanting to get as near to the group as possible without straining his eyes. “I've also heard him mention me so many times! For a boy who’s afraid, he seems to really like me, hehehe…”

“Huh… So you weren't just imagining it...,” Monty muttered, tilting down his glasses to get a good look at the daycare attendants. “That's... crazy! I thought y’all were just one animatronic!”

Sun tilted his head curiously. “Where did you get that idea?!”

“B-But… you never said you were different!” Roxy exclaimed, gesturing between the two. Sun simply laughed.

“You never asked!” He met Moon’s grinning gaze. “Well, you didn’t ask me, at least…”

“...It was fun to keep you guessing, ehehehe!” Moon added with a cackle.

“I said it!” Gregory piped up indignantly, then rubbed his eyes and let out a yawn.

“It is interesting that you both are so tied to the room’s lighting,” Freddy commented. He knew that Gregory was tired, but this discovery was so fascinating…

“Yeah, that’s… kinda weird, no offense,” Roxy added as Freddy began searching in Gregory’s backpack with one hand, soon pulling out a pre-wrapped PB&J sandwich and handing it to the boy. Roxy put her hands on her hips, narrowing her eyes. “Why is that?”

“Oh! Moon is very sensitive to light,” Sun explained, gesturing to his counterpart. Then he paused, before looking at the floor and murmuring quietly in a rush: “…Also I’m afraid of the dark.”

Moon nodded his head, pointing to his eyes. “My eyes are extremely sensitive, which is the downside for being able to see perfectly in the dark... Sun’s just a baby.” He cackled again, lightly shaking his head.

“I am not! It's just scary in the dark because I can't see!” Sun retaliated, completely proving Moon's point. He huffed, crossing his arms in front of him. “Anyway, that's why Moon is in charge of naptime and I'm not.”

Roxy snickered, clearly entertained by the pair's interaction. “I don't think I've ever seen you annoyed, Sun!”

Sun immediately perked back up, waving a hand nonchalantly. “Oh no, Moon isn't annoying! He's just... Moon!”

Freddy and Chica shared a look, unsure of what that comment meant. Still, at least there were no more secrets about the daycare attendants—at least, Freddy hoped so.

"I am Moon." The nighttime animatronic slowly nodded his head, then looked over at Gregory and hopped from side to side eagerly. “Now he can spend time with both of us!”

“Well, you guys are so fast... It'll be hard to play tag with two of you,” Gregory murmured between bites of his sandwich, not quite ready to agree to hang out with Moon yet.

“Ooh, there's so many other games we can play besides tag!” Sun exclaimed, hopping in unison with his counterpart. Even though they were two distinct beings, they were obviously still connected in a weird sort of way.

“I do have a question for you both,” Freddy said, glad that Gregory seemed to regaining his energy. He paused to put the empty wrapper back in Gregory's backpack and exchange it for his water bottle, before looking back at Sun and Moon. “This could be another misunderstanding, but from what you have said and from the layout of my map, it seems like you share one room—how can you stay there at the same time without being bothered by the light?”

“Oh, that's easy!” Sun replied. “We actually have two little spaces in there—one with the lights constantly on, and one with them off! Although someone still likes to make my side dark when I'm not expecting it...” He looked pointedly at Moon.

Moon folded his arms over his chest, standing up just a bit straighter. “They're better off than on—anyway, what else am I supposed to do when you won’t stop bothering me?”

“...I see,” was all Freddy could think to respond.

“It’s wonderful that all the kids have a favorite, though,” Sun said, clasping his hands in front of him as he brought the topic back to what they were discussing earlier. He looked at Moon, then back to the other animatronics eagerly. “Do you know when they’ll be coming?! Also, I hope you’re still planning to take them to the daycare first! We want to meet all of them as soon as possible!”

Gregory draped himself across Freddy's shoulder comfortably, feeling better now that he had something to eat and drink. Chica looked over at the pair and smiled.

“From what Fredbear said the security guards are working on it, but we're not sure how long it'll take,” she explained.

Moon hummed quietly, slowly nodding his head. “I see... Well, I guess that makes sense.”

“Mm-hmm,” Sun agreed with a nod. “Take your time; it’s better to be safe than sorry!”

“Thank you for understanding,” Freddy said, smiling up at them. “And yes, you will get to meet all nine of them once they are ready.” He paused, thinking for a moment. “If you are curious, I believe that Ian said you were their favorite, Sun, and Moon was chosen by Flynn.”

“This is fantastic news—even I’m going to get a little star!” Moon exclaimed giddily, the bells on his outfit jingling as he hopped again.

“My kid’s named Ben, and he'll be the best!” Monty claimed with a loud laugh, letting his tail knock against Roxy's legs.

“We have already had this discussion!” Freddy said quickly, wanting to stop the pair before they started arguing again. Roxy smacked the gator with her own tail but didn’t say anything, glaring at him instead.

“I’m sure they’ll all be adorable! Ooh, I’m so excited!” Sun exclaimed.

Gregory giggled quietly, simply laying his head against Freddy's shoulder. “I'll have new friends, too!”

Freddy smiled around at the group. They were all programmed to care for children, after all, and if Freddy could do it then he was sure the others would be able to as well.

“This’ll be so much fun!” Gregory chirped, looking over at Monty as the gator walked over and wrapped his arms around Gregory and Freddy.

“You guys... You guys are the best!” Monty said as he hugged onto them tightly. Freddy chuckled softly, leaning his head on Monty’s shoulder.

“GROUP HUG!” Sun shouted, throwing his arms in the air. Before he fell onto the animatronics he half-pulled, half-dragged them over to the darker part of the daycare so that Gregory and Freddy were now in shadow where Moon could reach. Then, Sun wrapped his long arms around the huddle, encompassing all three of them. Roxy soon rushed over and tried to wriggle her way in between Monty and Sun, although she ended up mostly hugging the gator’s back, trying vainly to shove his tail out of the way. Moon snuck in next to Freddy, though he was wary of Gregory’s hesitancy and didn’t get too close. He left that up to Chica, who sidled up next to Gregory and nuzzled her cheek against his until he started giggling.

When they eventually parted, Monty rested his hands on his hips with a wide grin. “Now this makes me excited to have my own lil' squirt! Speakin' of which—can I hold Gregory now?”

“That is up to Gregory,” Freddy said, noticing how everyone suddenly perked up at the mention of someone besides himself holding him—even Moon seemed interested in this concept, though Freddy had a feeling the boy wouldn't go for that for quite a while. Freddy shifted Gregory slightly towards Monty, tilting his head questioningly. “How about it, superstar?”

“Yeah, sure!” Gregory agreed without hesitation, to which Monty immediately held his arms out.

“See?! I told you I'm the best!” he told Roxy with a loud laugh.

“I’m next!” the wolf insisted as Gregory was handed over.

“Ooh, ooh, I want a turn, too!” Sun exclaimed, waving a hand excitedly.

“Hehehe… me three!” Moon insisted, raising a hand.

“Oh dear…,” Freddy sighed, looking around the room and realizing the situation he’d just put themselves in—he might not get his son back for a long time…

“Yeah, your turn will be in a few years, puppy!” Monty exclaimed, patting Gregory’s head gently as he held him in one arm. He really wanted to carry the boy around like a football but knew he’d instantly get lectured by a certain bear the second he tried it.

“Uh, no,” Roxy said, hands on her hips. “More like five minutes! I’m starting a timer now, Monty!”

“I am sure you are excited to have two children to look after,” Freddy said to Chica, keeping one eye on Gregory as he was fought over.

“Of course!” Chica nodded, turning to face Freddy. “I've seen a few sets of twins here before, and they're so precious!”

Freddy smiled, then hummed in thought. “We should let Leon and Thomas know that it is okay to tell management about Bonnie tomorrow…” He tapped his chin as he tried to figure out what else they needed to do tonight. “It would probably be good to inform Music Man on the situation as well… even he has a super fan!”

“You’ve got to go?” Sun asked, tuning into the conversation. He sounded a bit sad that they wouldn’t be sticking around longer.

Monty grinned, pulling Gregory closer towards himself. “Yeah, good idea! I'll come with you!”

Chica smiled, resting her hands on her hips. “I guess I'll stay in the daycare for a bit to keep Sun and Moon company—we haven’t hung out in forever!”

Roxy narrowed her eyes, looking between Gregory and Chica before letting out a sigh. “Fine, I guess Monty can have some time with the kid… I’ll stay, too.” She pointed an accusing finger at the gator. “But next time he’s mine first, got it?!”

“Yeah, yeah; whatever you say…” Monty waved a dismissive hand.

“I’m so excited you’re hanging out!” Sun exclaimed, clapping his hands. “We have sooooo much to catch up on! We can also color, or finger paint, or—ooh, let’s move the arts and crafts table over here so Moon can join!”

Freddy smiled at the group before reaching over to pat Gregory’s head. Monty seemed particularly gentle with him, likely because he subconsciously sensed the boy was still trying to get some energy back. As long as the Gregory was content in the gator’s arms, Freddy would let them be for now.

“I love crafting, hehehe,” Moon exclaimed, jumping up and down with excitement before waving goodbye to the trio.

“Have fun, everyone.” Freddy returned the wave as he led Monty and Gregory out of the daycare. He had to admit that it was sweet to see Gregory clinging to someone besides himself and Bonnie—not that he ever minded the clinginess, of course.

“I believe the guards are probably in the West Arcade security office,” Freddy commented, thinking of which office they’d need to be in to see the cameras in Bonnie Bowl. “Which works out perfectly—we can talk to Music Man on our way out after we speak with them!”

“Heck yeah; I love that guy! I always hang out with him—well, when he's not asleep,” Monty remarked. As they approached the security office, the gator cleared his throat to get Freddy’s attention. “Just so you know, I won't scare ‘em... this time.”

“I am sure they will greatly appreciate that,” Freddy said with a grateful smile.

Thomas and Leon were sitting at the desk with their backs to the door. This time, it was Thomas’s turn to search the internet while Leon checked the cameras. A knock at the door made the guards jump, eyes wide as they whirled around in their chairs.

“I-I sure hope that’s just Freddy…,” Thomas muttered. He didn’t move to actually open the door though, simply shifting his gaze to Leon in silent question.

Leon simply looked back to check the security hallway camera. On the monitor, he could see Freddy... and Monty? It seemed the gator was holding something, but the guard couldn't quite make out what it was—although he had a pretty good idea. Leon shuddered involuntarily at the thought of facing Monty, though he got up and made his way over to the door to open it.

“Come in, you three,” Leon said, shooting a mildly concerned glance at the large animatronic as he ushered the group inside.

“Hello again!” Freddy smiled as he stepped into the office. Thomas remained in his chair, gripping the armrests tightly as he stared up at Monty, fully expecting the gator to jump at him and scare him. However… as he squinted, he noticed the familiar shirt in the gator’s arms.

“Oh!” Thomas exclaimed, surprised to see the kid being held by another animatronic besides Freddy. “Hi Gregory! And Monty and Freddy, of course!”

Gregory waved at the two before leaning against Monty comfortably, hoping they’d at least notice his shirt sleeves moving.

“Did you need something?” Leon asked curiously, taking a seat in his chair again. Monty hummed, lightly nudging Freddy.

“He knows what he wants to talk about; I just came along for the ride!” the gator laughed.

“We have touched base with the other animatronics regarding Bonnie’s situation, and if you both are still alright with it, we are ready for you to present him to management tomorrow,” Freddy explained, smiling at the guards eagerly.

Thomas had jumped again at Monty’s loud laugh, but he visibly relaxed as Freddy spoke. He nodded, his own smile quickly growing. “Yeah, of course I’m up for it!”

“I think it should be perfectly fine.” Leon nodded as well, casually leaning back in his chair. “Actually, it’s good that you’re here—during our research into the kids and ghosts in general, we found some information on powers Gregory could possibly have. I might as well give you everything we’ve got now, since we're starting to focus more on freeing the children.” He held a stack of stapled papers towards Freddy.

Gregory visibly perked up, beginning to bounce around in Monty's arms. “Yes! That looks like a lot of words!”

“Oh, thank you very much!” Freddy exclaimed, taking the papers eagerly. “I will review these in depth later.” He chuckled at Gregory’s excitement, then looked back to Thomas and Leon. “What is the most interesting thing you both have found?”

“Like Leon said, we found a bunch of stuff,” Thomas confirmed, then raised an eyebrow at his coworker. “What’s the best thing you came across? It’s hard for me to decide!”

“Well… I had to look up possession first,” Leon started to explain. “I figured maybe the kids are possessing the endoskeletons, unintentionally or not. But based on what you guys have told us that isn't the case here, it seems.” He scratched his chin absently, eyebrows knitting into a frown. “The kids are bound to the endoskeletons, which is a whole different ball game. As for Gregory, being a ghost he probably has the ability to possess items and people. However, it seems like the more malicious the spirit, the more energy they have to possess things.”

“Well… guess it’s a good thing you get tired so easily, squirt!” Monty commented with a laugh, giving Gregory a little squeeze.

Leon nodded in acknowledgement, a smile crossing his face as he glanced towards the floating t-shirt. “If Gregory doesn’t have much stamina, he’d probably only be able to possess an item for maybe a minute before all his energy is spent. Humans are a completely different story, which he shouldn't even try to attempt. It'll not only hurt the person, but it could possibly corrupt him...”

“Fascinating,” Freddy breathed, staring at Leon intently as he explained. He figured that a lot of this information might go over Gregory’s head, but he certainly understood it—at least, enough to know what they should feasibly try or not. “Well, luckily for us I do not think Gregory would have an interest in possessing people, so that should not be a problem. Perhaps when he has enough energy we can work with some objects, though…”

“Also!” Thomas piped up, waving his hand slightly. “This isn’t really a power, but I was looking up more ways for us to communicate; since Gregory’s so tied to electricity, there are a few different devices we could try that he might be able to talk to us directly through. There’s official devices like spirit boxes and stuff, but those are probably expensive and since you animatronics can translate, we don’t need them…” He pulled his phone out of his pocket and waved it in his hand. “But I got a few apps that do the same kind of thing with white noise and radio signals, so maybe we could try one of them out! Worst case, I could always just record Gregory talking on the mic and see if I can enhance the audio later…”

Gregory had silently listened to the guards’ speech, looking over at Freddy every so often with a growing smile. Once finished, he squealed with delight and clapped his hands, unable to contain his excitement. He was about to ask if they could try something out right now when Leon spoke up again.

“Yeah. There's a lot more in the pages that go way more in-depth about communicating with humans—especially with the way he can reveal himself,” the guard added, adjusting his glasses. “I believe there's three 'layers' he can reside in, at least one of them undetectable to the human eye. Like I said, it’s all explained in my notes.”

Thomas nodded in agreement. “I think we’re really onto something with that. But the only thing is, the more intense stuff we try, the more energy Gregory needs, so…” He grinned, fiddling with his phone for a second before holding it up, showing that it was now open to the simple voice recorder app. “For now, wanna try just talking?”

Freddy looked at Gregory, his head tilted questioningly. “Would you like to? You do not even have to move from Monty’s arms, as the microphone should pick up on your voice.”

“Heck yeah, I wanna try!” Gregory said eagerly, wiggling excitedly.

Monty chuckled, looking over at Thomas. “The kid wants to do it! He's super excited.”

Thomas stood and took a few steps closer to the gator, holding the phone up to where Gregory seemed to be. “Mmkay, Gregory, you can taaaalk… now!” He pressed the record button on the app and fell silent. Upon hearing the key words, Gregory cleared his throat.

“Hello? HELLO? It's me, Gregory!” the boy shouted into the phone before letting out an amused giggle. “Did they hear it, Freddy?”

“Well, Monty and I certainly could,” Freddy replied with a laugh, then looked at Thomas. “He is finished speaking.”

Thomas stopped the recording and immediately played it back. However, the volume was too low and all he heard was silence until Freddy’s voice came through. He frowned slightly, adjusting the volume up to max, then played it again. This time, the faintest whisper could be heard before Freddy’s voice blasted through the speaker.

Leon didn't hear anything at the beginning of the recording, although he definitely caught something the second time. “That's crazy…”

“Yeah, that was cool but… also kind of creepy, not gonna lie. But at least it’s something!” Thomas’s smiled thinly, focusing back on his phone.

“Hey, I'm not creepy!” Gregory said with a pout.

“I do not think he meant you specifically,” Freddy reassured, ruffling the boy’s hair. Thomas couldn’t hear his complaint of course, eyebrows furrowed as he pulled up another app.

“Okay, try this one: it cycles through radio channels in the air and if Gregory tries to talk, it’s supposed to pull out whatever words he’s trying to say and make it clear to us.” He paused, realizing that might not make sense to a ten year old, so he added: “…Basically it’s just gonna make a loud noise and hopefully if you talk, the words will come through.”

“Ooh, I wanna try!” Gregory insisted, although he didn’t fully understand Thomas’s explanation. Monty noticed the boy starting to squirm around more than ever and immediately handed him over to his father, who supported Gregory with one arm so the boy could turn around and interact with the guards as much as he wished. Thomas watched the shirt be handed over, stepping closer to Freddy so the mic could hopefully pick up on Gregory’s voice better.

“Okay, get ready!” he announced, then pressed a button that suddenly filled the air with loud static, occasionally punctuated by nonsensical noises.

“HELLO! It's me, Gregory!” the boy repeated before looking back at Freddy. “Did they hear that time?”

There was a slight delay from when Gregory actually spoke, but eventually a few cut-off words came through, pulled from various garbled voices: “HELLO... IT’S… GREGORY...”

Thomas gasped loudly, shooting Leon a huge grin before holding the phone closer to the ghost. “Say something else!”

“Holy...” Leon trailed off with wide eyes, smartly censoring his language.

“It kinda sounded like I was underwater!” Gregory mentioned with a giggle. He cleared his throat before speaking again in a slower but louder voice. “Freddy is the best dad ever!”

Another delay, then from the speaker: “SOUND.... UNDERWATER.... FREDDY.... BEST.... DAD...”

“Ohmygodthisisamazing” Thomas muttered in one breath. “We are literally talking to a ghost right now!” He then paused, the words actually registering as he raised an eyebrow at the bear. “...Did he just call you 'dad?'”

Freddy chuckled softly, his adoration for Gregory obvious on his face as he replied: “Yes, he does that often.”

Leon had to process the words for a moment, running a hand through his hair. “This is insane...”

Gregory nodded his head quickly, snuggling against Freddy comfortably. “Yeah! 'Cause he is.”

Gregory's voice was too quiet to pick up on the first few words, but the app did manage to catch: “HE... IS...”

Thomas just blinked at the pair for a few seconds, letting the radio static fill the room for a while before muttering a quiet: “...Huh.”

A ghost boy and his father, an animatronic bear—certainly one of the weirdest things he'd ever heard, but somehow… it kind of made sense in the context of their situation.

Monty grinned, ruffling Gregory's hair. “Look at you, squirt! You're doin’ so good!”

Gregory clapped his hands excitedly. “Now they can hear me and I won't have to use my energy!”

“THEY... HEAR... ME… WON'T... USE… ENERGY”

Thomas nodded in understanding. “That's good! Sometimes these things are hard to understand, though, so it's not a perfect way to communicate... plus, they're super loud.” He glanced at his phone, his eyes widening as he saw that his battery had somehow been depleted from 95% to 64% in a short amount of time. “Wow, and they apparently they also destroy your charge! Mind if I turn it off for a bit, Gregory?”

Gregory looked over at the phone before turning back to Freddy with a grimace. “…I think I did that,” Maybe he got too excited?

Leon chuckled, tossing Thomas his charger with a light shrug of his shoulders. “This will have to do until you can get a stupid ghost box or something.”

“It’s not stupid—” Thomas began, but the app cut him off with:

“I… DID… THAT…”

Thomas stared at it blankly for a second, before slapping a palm to his forehead. “Oh, the electricity! Duh!” He finally turned the app off, returning the room to a comfortable silence as he shook his head. “Don’t worry about it, Gregory; that’s why we gave these handy things!” He held the charger up, then seemed to freeze for a second as a thought occurred to him. In a curious voice, he asked: “Wait—if you use electricity, wouldn’t that affect the animatronics holding you?”

“It did before we understood what Gregory was,” Freddy chimed in, since the guards could no longer talk to the boy directly. “But now Gregory can control this enough not to drain our batteries unless he is frightened—as I stated before, his powers manifest greatly with high emotion.”

Leon blinked a few times as Freddy explained Gregory's power, soon nodding his head quickly. “Oh, right! I found something about it earlier... Spirits can manipulate electricity for energy to keep themselves up. They can apparently manipulate open flames as well, although they probably won't get any energy from it.”

“I can play with fire!” Gregory gasped, to which Monty quickly shook his head.

“No way!” the gator responded at the same time Freddy exclaimed:

“Absolutely not!” They met each other’s gaze, in unspoken agreement not to let Gregory get his hands on any open flames. Freddy then looked at Leon, lightly shaking his head. “I do not think we will be trying to manipulate fire, thank you.”

“Fiiiine...,” Gregory pouted, kicking his legs back and forth.

“Yeah, man, he’s only ten,” Thomas added, rolling his eyes at Leon before moving to the desk and plugging his phone into one of the power outlets. “Just give him your phone if you wanna see him drain some energy!”

Leon rolled his eyes, holding his hands up placatingly. “I'm just explaining what was said on the internet—it wasn’t necessarily a suggestion.”

“Ah… I think we need to be off, unfortunately,” Freddy announced blinking a few times to access his internal clock. “We have another errand to run before the start of the day shift. Where should Bonnie meet you? I will pass along the message so you do not have to retrieve him from the basement.”

“Thank you,” Thomas said, looking quite relieved. “I know it’s just the kids down there but… I’ve gotta prepare for that a little more.” He gave the group a slightly shaky smile. “M-Maybe we can go down there another night once Bonnie’s been checked over? And as far as where to meet him today…”

“By the elevator is just fine,” Leon suggested, running a hand through his hair again. “He won't have to go far, and neither will we.”

“Alright, I will let him know.” Freddy gave the pair a nod. “Thank you both again.”

“It’s not a problem!” Thomas reassured with a bright grin. “Hopefully we can get Bonnie back in the lineup soon! Once we get things settled today, we’ll let you know.”

Leon nodded as he pushed his chair back to the desk, ready to get back to work observing the cameras. “Mhm. Hopefully everything goes smoothly.”

“Bye!” Gregory said with a wave to the guards.

Thomas saw the shirt sleeve moving and waved back, still grinning. “Bye, Gregory! And you guys, too!”

“We will be in touch,” Freddy confirmed, then patted Monty’s arm to signal the gator to follow him out of the room.

“So, off to Music Man?” Monty asked, stretching his arms up over his head.

“Yes,” Freddy agreed, smiling softly as Gregory snuggled up to him. “It should be a short conversation, and then we can return to our rooms before day shift starts. I would just like to make sure that everyone is aware that they may potentially be responsible for a child or two in the near future!”

“Okay, sounds like a good idea,” Gregory commented before letting out a tired yawn, rubbing at his eyes.

Freddy picked up his pace, noting Gregory’s exhaustion. Even if it didn’t seem like the boy was using energy, he probably was without even realizing it, especially when trying to communicate with humans. As they reached the dance floor Freddy paused, looking from Monty to the sleeping DJ. “Monty, would you mind waking him up? Gregory may not want to get too close; they are still getting to know each other.”

Monty gave Freddy a thumbs up and made his way over to the sleeping animatronic.

“Rise and shine, DJ—we have a visitor!” he called out loudly, giving the DJ a light shake.

“Huh?” Music Man said groggily, eyes lighting up as he slowly raised his head. He looked around the room, seeing who was visiting this time. “Heeeey, Monty! I haven’t seen you in a while! How’s it going?” He made one huge hand into a fist and lowered it for Monty to fist-bump.

“Hey, man! I'm doin’ great, but Fredbear has a little news for you!” Monty replied with a bright grin, gesturing towards Freddy.

“Forgive me for being brief, but we are running out of time before day shift,” Freddy said with an apologetic smile. “We just wanted to let you know that hopefully sometime in the near future, there will be a number of children like Gregory running around the Pizzaplex after hours. If you are willing, it would be a great help for you to watch over one of them.”

“Aww, a whole bunch of ‘em?” Music Man asked, then nodded slowly but eagerly. “Yeah, of cooourse—I’ll take as many as you need! They can have free run of the arcade and stay right back here if they get tired!” He used a back hand to pat the stage next to him. “I can also teach them how to be a mini-DJ!”

“Heh, mini-DJ... That's so cute.” Monty chuckled, setting his hands on his hips and puffing his chest out proudly. “But yeah, I'm getting my own kid too! How awesome is that?!”

“And a mini-Monty, too?!” The DJ laughed, the sound echoing around the room. “Oh Freddy, you’re gonna have your hands full soon!”

Freddy chuckled as well. “I think I will be just fine; besides, Gregory will have some new friends to play with!”

Gregory nodded quickly, seeming quite eager about this new fact. “Yes, and it'll be so much fun!”

Monty sighed affectionately, thinking about a future with a kid hanging around by his side like Gregory clung to Freddy. “I'm gonna teach my kid to be the best climber, golfer, Fazerblast player… pretty much the best at EVERYTHING.”

Freddy knew that, in his eyes, Gregory would always be the best… but Roxy was the one to argue with Monty about such things, not him. Instead, he just nodded, saying: “That is all I wanted to tell you tonight, Music Man; I will fill you in on the details once we know more. We must be off now!” He waved and turned to leave, then paused and looked over his shoulder with a smile. “Oh, I am not sure if you have met them yet, but if you see the night guards, please give them a friendly hello!”

“Okay, will do!” Music Man said, waving with his two front hands. “See you lateeer!”

Monty waved at Music Man before following after Freddy. He noticed Gregory’s eyes start to droop closed as they walked. “You look pretty drowsy, squirt!”

Gregory slightly lifted his head, yawning softly. After all, he had a pretty eventful day. “Hmm, yeah… I am pretty sleepy…”

“Yes, superstar, you seem very tired,” Freddy commented with a slight frown as they entered the elevator. “We should have gotten you more food …” He let out a sigh, hugging the boy closer. “Well, we will be in our room soon, and you can rest as long as you need.”

“I’m gonna meet with the gang at the daycare!” Monty announced as he leaned against the wall of the elevator until the doors opened. “I'll see you guys tomorrow, though!”

“Alright; we will see you again soon!” Freddy gave Monty a bright smile as they exited the elevator and parted ways. As he and Gregory walked to their room, Freddy connected to Bonnie’s Fazwatch through his internal radio and let him know the plan. Gregory couldn’t hear Bonnie’s response, as it was sent directly into Freddy’s head, but the bear soon looked down at him with a grin.

“Everything is all set,” he informed the boy as they finally reached their room. He wasted no time in setting Gregory on the couch, removing his backpack and letting him kick his shoes off before tucking him in under the blanket. “You did quite a lot today, superstar; I am proud of you for trying so many new things, especially with Thomas and Leon!”

“Thanks, Freddy!” Gregory said as he hugged onto his pillow, grinning up at the bear. “There's a lot I wouldn't be able to do without you…”

Freddy smiled down at him softly, “I think there are many things you can do just fine on your own.” He placed a hand on his head to gently ruffle his hair. “And you do not need to worry, as I will always be here for you. Sleep well, superstar.”

***

Masterlist of chapters on Tumblr here!

Please check out The Superstar Series on ao3 for all fics in this series: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2726401

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