Laughing at Tragedy

by InkSpottie

Summary:

Michael Afton thought he was dead when the scooper ripped his insides open. He thought for sure this amalgamation of wires and metal would wander around his body like a literal meat suit.

But others have plans for him, and he’s ironically enough, stuck in the one animatronic he hid behind for so long as a child.

Except this one was a little bit different.

With a new body he must make the decision, either to rot in this new shell, or go and fix everything his father broke. With some help of course.

Notes:

It’s me! Haha fnaf joke. I’ve been in the fandom since the beginning and security breach hit me hard in the head with some plot bunnies. Michael has always been a favorite and I was discussing with a friend how Lolbits coloring is sort of similar to our purple friend. Purple and orange, black eyes with white prinpricks?

So it just came to me and here it is! So…yeah enjoy!

Chapter 1: Please Stand By

He knew panic all too well. The crushing stones that weigh hard against his ribcage, threatening to break the fragile bone and crush him. How it squeezed like a mighty snake, twisting around and suffocating him. 

The clamping of jaws onto a skull flashed in his mind. 

He knew panic all too well. 

She had tricked him. Lured him in like a dog. Michael wanted to help, he wanted to fix this. Elizabeth.. 

You can’t die. 

Surely the pain in his abdomen said otherwise. He was gulping for air as wet blood began to spill out of the large crevice that was his stomach. 

With one sturdy motion this machine was able to rip him open like a present. 

He could hear slithering of metal against the floor. This creature of wires and coils. A combination of all the freaky animatronics his father had created. 

“Eliza..” Michael gurgled coughing as his body was trying to stay awake. He didn’t dare to look at his organs splattered onto the floor. 

“We don’t need you anymore.” 

The thing whispered as it crawled near. 

“Don’t worry. We’ll take good care of your body.” 

The eyes all across the large being of meshed endoskeletons stared at him. Almost hypnotizing him. 

“We promise we won’t make too big of a mess..” 

He gave a whimper as he felt the thing lift him just slightly, wires and metal sliding into his skin with loud squelching noises. How was he still alive?! Why couldn’t he just die here and not have to deal with this torture. 

Elizabeth…how could you? 

He screamed in horror, his voice ringing across his own metal tomb as the thing crawled further inside him. It was in him. 

It was in him. 

It’s what he deserved. After all that had been done, this was his punishment now. 

He just…was trying to fix…

Spots scattered across his vision like crude paint being flicked onto a canvas. He could feel himself getting weaker as the thing inside nestled and settled. He couldn’t move, he couldn’t feel anything. 

This was it. 

He was going to die. 

Was this how Evan felt? 

Michael finally fell to the abyss, unknowing that his body had already gotten itself up and was shambling out of the room. 

Perfectly disguised.

 

…

 

He expected a bright light. This shining abyss and warmth that would encompass him. 

But instead it was cold. Unfeeling. He was numb from head to toe. Maybe this was hell, he never was a good person after all. All that tormenting, the fights, the anger. 

How many tears did he bring? 

How many suffered because he was an absolute jackass? 

It’s okay. I bring a gift.

A voice echoed in his ears, his mind. It was soft, familiar. 

I bring… life. 

He woke up with a jolt. Finding himself splayed out on the floor. His body awkward and heavy. Far too heavy. Like someone strapped heavy metal plates to his limbs. 

Up you go. 

He hears the voice again, finding it hard to focus. Static filled his vision and his voice didn’t want to work. He couldn’t move his arms. He felt so heavy

Michael. 

His vision clears and he sees a figure standing before him. Something he remembers. 

A white porcelain face stares him down. A mask of sorrow. 

Something he remembers when his father took him to the pizzeria to show him the new things they had. 

He remembers Uncle Henry, and then… 

Charlotte. Charlie.

His body suddenly spasms and he can’t move. It’s like he’s numb, and not in the correct place. Like something had ripped him out and placed him in a box. He should be dead. Dead as a doorknob after what those animatronics have done to him. 

Michael. 

The puppet before him whispers again, filling his mind and he looks up seeing it float closer to him. Without any strings or any wires to be seen. 

He panics, his heart should be thudding in his ears but it’s not. It’s silent. He can only hear the clanking of metal and plastic. Stay away- please!

He can see the puppet stop in its tracks, looking concerned, as much as the static face that the puppet had could give. 

It’s okay. 

This was Charlie. He forgot how she sounded, she visited every weekend with Uncle Henry before the incident. Before everything went to shit. 

“C-char—“ His voice is not his own, no longer this dry British accent. It’s metallic and sounds like the Funtime Foxy he had encountered. But different. Far too glitchy compared to the thing that chased him in the room.

You died Michael. But I’m giving you a second chance. This was the only animatronic left. I had to put the pieces together. 

Animatronic? Second chance? Died? 

Michael feels his blood run cold. 

He finally looks at himself, at his hand, to see a white shiny hand replacing his own. There were claws on the end of each finger, the metal gleaming in the soft light. 

“Wha…what-what happened to-“ His voice is coming from his chest, the static and glitching affecting him more from his distress. What have you done to me? 

What happens to all of us who die in these dreadful places. 

“Charlie…” He watches his claws flex, realizing he can move them and attempts to push himself off the ground. He sits up stopping fully when seeing himself in the reflective metal that covers the room he’s in. 

He’s Foxy. Funtime Foxy, but…not. No. That thing had Foxy in it. All of them were in there. This one…The colorings off. His eyes don’t have any coverings, instead are just two pinpricks of purple staring at him in a sea of black. 

His colors…they’re purple and orange. Colors that seemed ironic to him. 

Was this a backup animatronic? He couldn’t recognize it. Perhaps one of the many masks that were placed in the atrium? He didn’t have time to study them all, too busy following the siren’s call that was Circus Baby. 

Your body is gone, taken. But I gave you a new one. Michael. We need to stop them. 

Michael watches in fascination as the fox animatronic stares at him, face plates shifting a bit as if to signify that he’s thinking. It’s all sinking in. Not only did he die , but somehow his soul or whatever it may be was now in an animatronic. 

A Foxy animatronic. 

Was this supposed to be ironic? After all those years of hiding behind the red Foxy mask he now was forcefully one of them. One of his fathers creations? 

I know it’s a lot. 

“You’re tell-telling me.” He states, surprised at himself for snapping at the puppet beside him. Charlie doesn’t look fazed for she knew Michael. They grew up together before…before she..

“How-how is this possible. What-what happened? How did you get-get here?” His body twitches as his voice box stammers, the voice a bit too odd compared to his own. He wasn’t used to it. He wasn’t used to this, his body too big, his teeth sharp, claws…everything about him screamed dangerous. He knew better now. 

It’s a long story. One we don’t have time for. We need to get out of here before someone comes. 

Michael realizes that they’re still in the underground storage area, which looks like a back storage of sorts. She was right, someone would come in here and find them both and who knows what would happen. 

He didn’t want to go back into that scooping room. 

There’s a disk that you can use, it’ll cause illusions. You can disguise yourself. It’s in your chest

Michael looks down at his chest unsure just how or why he had such a thing. He doesn’t see any disc, just the circular voice box and orange belly of the animatronic. 

Why did an animatronic need to be disguised?

 “I do-dont…” He felt useless, this body was too clunky and unknown to him right now. He felt like a child just learning how to walk. 

It’s okay, let’s just get out of here. 

She is patient with him and Michael is grateful for that. He’s still a bit numb to this all, but follows her. Wobbling on his feet he finds himself to be a lot taller than he was. He didn’t know how tall Funtime Foxy was but this one seemed a bit taller. He could see the metal tail behind him swishing about. That would be some getting used to. 

This way . 

Michael follows quietly, finding it odd that there weren’t any clicks or noises that gave away his every move. Just the soft thump of metal feet against the equally metal floor. These animatronics seemed to be..so quiet. But why? 

He would have to think about that later. 

At least he wasn’t constantly falling on his ass in this larger, taller body of his, ugh it was hard to even think about it. 

“Charlie.” Michael starts, “How did you fin-find me?“ His face plating shifting in his frustration of his constant glitching voice box. 

You look just like him, you know? Or looked…

Michael tilts his head at that, “Who?” 

Your dad. 

Oh. 

Was she here because she thought he was his father? Why? He knew his father was…well..not the best person. After all the incidents he grew cold and Michael grew distant. The constant abuse was enough for him to leave home and never turn back. 

Until one day when he got a letter telling him to come down here and fix Elizabeth. 

Did he lead Michael to his doom? 

Did he know Circus Baby was Elizabeth? 

His body sparks, surprising him and making Charlie turn to face him a bit. “I don’t under-understand.” 

I’ll explain everything when we get out of here. Through this hatch.

Michael looks up and sees the ladder that Charlie isn’t even touching. Just floating upwards as if on a string. He remembered the puppet had strings when it was at the old pizzeria. This thing was meant to watch children… 

Charlie. 

Michael

Charlie’s voice wasn’t impatient, more so trying to stop him from falling into his thoughts. He shakes his head to shove away all the questions rattling his brain and lifts himself up onto the ladder. 

It’s surprisingly easy as he pushes away what he assumed was a trap door to find himself in a basement of sorts. Wait a minute. This…this looked familiar. 

“This is…” 

Your home? 

Michael hauls himself up and his eyes widen, or he assumes they do since he is now all mechanical. How did this tunnel lead straight to his basement? The place was worn from age, dust and cobwebs scattered across the room. 

He could see his old bike that he never rode after the incident. Reminded him too much of…

“This is insane. First I’m sc-scooped and then I’m in this body-body, and now-“ His body spasms, sparks flying out in his distress, the clicking of his face plates growing louder. 

He couldn’t take it anymore. 

We can’t focus on that right now, we need to find the entity that is in your body. They go by Ennard now. 

“How do you-you know this?” Michael asks, swinging his head a bit to look at her. 

I just do. I have my ways. 

The puppet is just suspended there, with the same chilling face. It’s a bit shorter than he is, but not by much. 

She doesn’t continue with the conversation, instead just opens the door and continues into the house. What if his father was still here? What would he think?

Surely you can’t mess this up Michael. 

He felt a sudden pang, he tried father. He really did. He wanted to fix her, but he failed. She wasn’t there anymore. Replaced by some malicious AI or what other. He didn’t know. Nothing made sense now. 

His world was turned on its axis and he was getting dizzy from it. 

Quickly he follows Charlie, crouched low as if his hulking slim form would be hidden from his father's sight. Just another failure. He couldn’t do anything right. 

He didn’t want to see that face of disappointment again. 

But the house is empty. Not a soul in sight. Papers on the floor and everything in disarray. It looked like his father left in a hurry. For what exactly? 

He pauses at the newspaper at his feet. Ignoring his metal clawed feet he sees the headline. 

Five Children Missing at Local Pizzeria

Kids were missing? Was that why his father was gone? Surely his father…

Michael. 

Once again Charlie disrupts his line of thought, this time a cold hand is holding his. He startles at that, seeing her face close to his. 

We need to keep moving. We need to stop this all. 

“Stop what?” 

Your father. Ennard. 

“My father? What-what does he have to do with all this?” 

He’s missing, and he holds the key. 

Key to what? He just wanted to scream, grip his head and shout that none of this made any sense! He didn’t understand what was going on. He had just came here to free Elizabeth and then died! 

“Charlie, I don’t know what’s happ-happening here.” He’s pleading at this point for some information. 

Michael. Your father killed me . 

The room grows cold, or rather, he feels like it would. He doesn’t have skin to feel anything, in fact he feels hollow. Like a pit. There’s nothing in here. Just his consciousness attaching itself to the mainframe. 

Her words spiral in his brain, just echoing louder and louder. 

He remembers Henry. He remembers him crying. Shouting at his father. Saying that the Security Puppet was supposed to keep her safe. That somehow she was left outside and someone… 

Someone killed her. 

He never saw Henry again. 

And that’s when things got far worse. 

Michael. Please.

He starts as the puppet is holding onto his hand, weird little spindly fingers wrapped around the slender paws of this Foxy knockoff. 

“Why.” 

His voice is deathly quiet. “Why did you save me? Why?” 

Because I know you deserve a second chance. And I know it wasn’t your fault. We need to stop the one who did all this. None of us can rest. 

“Us?” He whispers, “There’s more?” 

Yes. Your father…he’s been experimenting. He’s killed children, and I…I gave them life. They’re suffering, and you can help us. You have the illusion disc. You can go and stop him.

There’s silence before laughter breaks through like a mallet to a wall. It’s loud, glitching and it’s almost like Micheal can’t control it. His eyes are bright and burning. 

When the laughing fit settles he looks at her with purple glowing eyes, “I can’t do this. You should have let me die.” 

He didn’t need to deal with this, he didn’t want to be here. In this body. He was just trying to fix one mistake, not be trapped in this psycho killer story. 

You know you don’t mean that .

“How do you kno-know?! You don’t know me. You’re dead.” The last words just spat out like venom. Burning him on the inside. 

The puppet looks hurt, and Michael immediately regrets it. Once again he proved himself to be a horrible person. He just couldn’t keep it in. Always lashing out with gnashing teeth and burning anger. 

Just like his father. 

I thought you were different. But I guess not. Fine. I don’t need you. I can do this on my own. 

“Charlie, wait.” Michael starts but the puppet is already slinking out of the house. He follows opening the door to find the driveway empty, Charlie nowhere to be seen. 

Just him, in this large animatronic body standing on the porch. 

He stares at his hands dejectedly, white pristine metal looking almost like plastic. Lightning crashes and Michael glances up seeing that the clouds were starting to come in. What a perfect day to rain. 

“Da-damn it!” His voice glitches again as he flings the rocking chair that was on the porch to the side watching it smash into pieces. If he could breathe he would be panting. 

“You sure fu-fucked it up this time, idiot.” 

He was angry at himself, at everything. 

Had his father truly done all this? Killed Charlie? Those kids? Others? How many?

Micheal slumped onto the steps of the porch, thankful that they had a bit of land so there weren't as many people seeing a large animatronic sitting around and feeling sorry for themselves. 

Where would he go? Just sit here in this old house of his with too many memories? 

Or would he try to find Charlie? Ennard? His…father?

Quietly he stood, hearing the rain splatter against his hull. He couldn’t feel anything. What a terrible existence. 

Left to rot in some animatronic because of his own pride. 

No. 

He was done with being the selfish one. If his father was up to something, Charlie was right. He needed to stop this. Stop all of this. Help Elizabeth, help Charlie. Help those who fell to his fathers hand. 

He just had to start moving. 

…

 

The rain refused to let up, a part of him was grateful his father created these things to be so resilient. In the dead of night not many were out and about. He had time to roam and try to find his way. 

Michael didn’t have much to go on, since it’s been a while. He left for so long and now he was back. To fix what was wrong. He didn’t know how, but he would. He would figure this out. 

His feet trudged against an alleyway finding it harder to move. He didn’t know if it was the rain or if it was just him being exhausted. Could he be exhausted? He didn’t know. 

Charlie didn’t exactly give him the manual of being a ghost in an animatronic. Soul? Whatever. 

Michael’s vision was growing in static, seeing a particular figure behind him. Someone was following him, that he could tell. Trailing him for quite some time in fact. 

“For someone who-who’s stalking me, you’re doing a horrible job.” He remarks turning around, static making it hard to see just who was following me. 

He doesn’t get to say much after as electricity shakes his whole body, his face plates opening and exposing the Endoskeleton underneath. A sharp cry escaped his voice box and he shuddered, involuntary falling to the floor. 

He suddenly felt sorry for all the controlled shocks he had given the Funtime Animatronics. This hurt which was surprising that he even felt such a thing. He didn’t feel cold, but pain? Sure.

“Guhh..” He says a bit dumbly as his body twitches, everything fuzzy as boots stomp over to him. 

“You’re new.” 

That voice…

“…Hen-Henry?” 

Chapter 2: I Bet You Weren’t Expecting Me, Now Were You?

Notes:

Ahhh! I didn’t expect this to really hit off! Im so glad y’all are loving it. It’s a fun little idea and I just love the lore of this franchise it’s so fascinating to me.

Seriously thank you so much for all the comments! They really fuel me to work on this more!

Oh! And this isn’t beta-ed so I apologize if there’s mistakes or anything. Hope you enjoy!

Tasered. This man who followed him had just tasered him right in the stomach. Or what he assumed was the stomach of the animatronic he now was dwelling in. 

His vision is fuzzy; he doesn't see the perpetrator, but he knows that voice. Just like he knew Charlie’s. 

It’s been so long. 

“This has Afton written all over it…” The man whispered as he bent down to look at the large animatronic that was twitching and shuddering still recuperating over the shock. 

Afton. Michael hissed at the name involuntarily, he hated his last name with a passion. It only brought sneers and looks of distaste when it was in someone’s mouth. 

“H-hen-“ 

He gives another yowl, the sound more static and broken as it roars from his voice box. The electricity is making his eyes burn, his whole body is trembling. 

“That’s enough out of you.”

He saw him as a villain, he wasn’t. He just wanted..to…

Michael isn’t able to keep himself awake after that last shock. No wonder the animatronics were somewhat more docile after a few controlled shocks. It really messed with his system. Whatever his system was. 

Darkness finally pulls him under and he’s stuck in a sea of black. 

Come on birthday boy! Let’s go give Fredbear a big ol kiss! 

Michael please! PLEASE! 

CHOMP

What have you done. 

He wakes up panicked, suddenly finding he can’t breathe. He can’t move. He’s trapped. Help! Help! He screams only to find no one can hear him. He was encased in a metal casket. 

His body shutters as he is aware of himself again, activating once more. He jerks a bit, finding himself unable to move. What happened? Where was he? 

“Don’t move, or I’ll shock you again.” 

Henry. 

His eyes flicker down to the man, finally able to see him without the rain and painful fog. He’s older now, with grey streaking his hair. Stubble on his chin and wearing a flannel. He always wore flannel. 

Michael hasn’t seen him in so long, his heart clenches. 

“You’re definitely a newer model. No doubt from that horrid circus place he made.” 

Henry rubs his chin looking at him from head to toe. “And you know my name, so William must have..” 

“It’s me.” Micheal whispers quietly, “It’s me-“ He stops realizing that he doesn’t have any hands. He looks down at his arms seeing his clawed hands are missing. Just empty sockets now.  

“Wh-what did you do to me?” He asks, panicking. He couldn’t feel his hands. They were gone . 

Henry looks a bit confused at his reaction, “Interesting, you have sentience of sorts. I took them off to keep you from misbehaving. Easy fix. Once I get answers.” 

“Why…why wo-would you do this? What is WRONG WITH YOU?!“ Micheal roars, moving his whole body to lunge at Henry, his face opening to show the horrifying endoskeleton within. The plates shiver like a rattlesnake’s tail. 

He’s seen what it looked like, but he never saw the other side. The side that he had been in. Henry fell back onto his bottom, his eyes wide with fright as he had one hand up to his as if to protect himself, the taser sliding to the side. 

Immediately Michael pulls away, his face shuddering before it clicks back together. Oh no. He didn’t mean…he didn’t mean to scare him. You’re a monster now. He can feel his body trembling and before he knows it liquid falls down his face. Black oily tears secrete from his eyes, falling down in large plops. 

“I’m sorry. I’m so-so sorry.” He whispers between sobs and Henry just sits there. Mouth agape at this large animatronic crying. Actually crying. “Hen-Henry it’s me.” 

“It’s Michael.” 

This causes Henry’s green eyes to bulge, just about to pop out of their sockets they had gotten so wide. His mouth clicks shut as he stares. 

“Mike? Mike Afton?” 

Henry’s voice is tender, switching back to the parent he was. Back to the soothing voice that would comfort the boy after he had found another bruise that his father would lay on him. 

Henry was his sanctuary at some point. They were never hurt at Uncle Henry’s. Or when Henry was around. 

“It’s me. I’m Mike. I-I got trapped. In here.” 

Henry slowly stands, his hands hovering over the animatronic before him. He is hesitant to place one on its chest. Michael can feel it, but he also can’t at the same time. 

He knew Henry’s hands were warm, but he just couldn’t feel it. 

“Good God. What happened to you?!” He stammers completely concerned and Micheal lurches forward, his weird animatronic snout pressed against Henry’s shoulder. His body shakes as if he’s sobbing, but an animatronic can’t cry. Right? 

Henry freezes, expecting the thing to bite a chunk of his shoulder out. Instead it just lays there, like a child. 

How old was Mike now? 

Without hesitation Henry wraps his arms around the slim metal frame, gently rubbing the back of it up and down like he used to. There was no doubt this, this right here was Michael Afton. His godson. 

But how did this happen? When? Did William have something to do with this? 

“Michael, I need to know what happened to you.” 

He pulled away seeing purple glowing eyes on him, it was unsettling seeing just the pinpricks in that vast sea of darkness that were his eyes. 

“I di-died.” Michael’s voice doesn’t sound like it’s own, this weird high pitched accent that goes up and down in octave. Like it isn’t complete. He could tell it wasn’t. There were parts that didn’t seem to fit him. Like someone quickly was putting him together. 

Henry had to do a double take of that, he died ? 

“Elizabeth, she…she was there. Circus Baby. I think..she died and now she liv-lives in it.” His glitching is getting worse from his distress and Henry keeps a hand on the boy’s leg to try and encourage him to go on. 

“I just wanted to help, but they tricked me. The-they sent me to th-this roo-room. Scooped my in-insides out so they could es-escape as me . And the-then I wo-woke up in here. In this bo-body. I don’t eve-even know who or what thi-this one is.” 

Micheal keeps the information about Charlie to himself, the man already was dealing with the fact that his godson was now a walking talking robot. That could make tears for some reason. The poor thing was glitching like mad, his voice breaking and stuttering in his own distress. 

“I just wanted to he-help.” 

Henry feels his heart just about squeeze at this sight. The poor boy, constantly stuck in this weight of guilt after the accident. Nothing was ever the same after what happened, and now this…

It seemed the Aftons never got a break. 

“I know, kid I know. This isn’t your fault. We can fix this.” Henry places a trembling hand against the cold steel face, surprised that it’s wet with oil. He knew this was the real deal when the thing just started to openly sob. 

Micheal hiccuped despite having the lack of lungs. “C-can I have my hands back?” 

Henry just stands there for a moment before he blinks rapidly. “Oh. Oh! Yes of course! I’m sorry. Geez Mike I didn’t know. I’m sorry.” He stammers as he rushes to the table grabbing tools in one hand and tucking the metal hands under his other arm. 

The animatronic shakes it’s head quietly, “It’s ok-okay. I would too if a giant animatronic was lumbering aro-around.” He probably would have had a shovel to it’s head and just continued to smash it to pieces. 

But Henry was smart, he knew robots. He made them after all. So did his father. 

“Still, here hold still.” Henry gently takes his right arm and with a simple click and turn his hand pops back in and Micheal is in awe. He flexes his fingers watching them curl and wiggle. 

“And now the other one…” 

Mechanical clicks fill the air and now he’s got his hands back. He doesn’t take his eyes off them, staring at the claws of this machine. He could hurt someone with these. It was starting to dawn on him how terrifying these Funtime animatronics were. Why did his father make them this way?

A gentle pat to his shoulder shakes him out of his thoughts and he turns his head to see Henry looking at him, concern throughout his features. “You okay Mike?” 

“De-define okay.” 

Henry gives a low chuckle, “I suppose that was a dumb question. It’s a lot to process for sure. I can’t imagine what you’re going through. Why did you go to that place?” 

Michael is quiet for a moment, “Father.” His voice breaks through the default voice, this soft British accent that sounded like he was speaking through the radio. “He told me…I needed to fix her. That he counted on me to set her free.” 

There was silence, Henry just staring at him to the point it’s making him uncomfortable. His body slightly hunches, which is an odd sight. It was uncanny to see an animatronic act so human, but it made sense. There was a human inside of this. Not literally, God he hoped not. 

“I just wanted to fix-“ 

“That isn’t your job Michael.” Henry states firmly, getting Michael to look at him with slightly wider eyes. “That isn’t your job to go and fix others' mistakes. You are just a kid.” 

“I’m nine-nineteen.” 

“That’s still a kid! What happened was an accident, and no one should hold it against you like that.” 

Don’t hold it against us. 

Micheal shudders as he hears Circus Baby whispering in his ear. How gentle and calm she was while he was trying to survive. He came back just to try and fix things and now look at what happened. Elizabeth was gone and he was stuck here. 

Henry sighs seeing the distress the animatronic before him was in. 

“What’s done is done, and we can’t…we can’t change that Mike. No matter how hard we try.” 

Michael looks at Henry again, seeing that he too was in pain. He lost his child, and his friend. He knew his father wanted nothing to do with Henry after what happened. After Charlie… 

Was his father truly guilty like Charlie had said? 

“I think my father is killing kids, Henry.” 

Henry looks at him with wide eyes, “W-what?” 

“My father, I think…he’s killing people. There’s kids missing at the pizzeria. I think he did it. Remember when they shut down Circus Baby’s place? Said it was a gas leak? I think..it was because Elizabeth-“ 

“Died.” 

Henry swallows as Michael nods. “I think that was an accident, but he's hiding something. He wasn’t home. It looked like he was in a hurry. His car was gone.” 

“Do you think you know where he is?” 

Micheal shook his head, “N-No. I wouldn’t know where to start. I haven’t seen him…” 

For a whole year. He left as soon as he could, no longer able to handle the abuse and the cold house. The countless memories of Evan and Elizabeth searing into his mind. 

He couldn’t stay in that place anymore. 

“He could be anywhere, but for now I think we should figure things out about you.” Henry whispers, “As much as I would love to deal with William and everything, you’re more important to me right now. We should learn everything there is to know about this animatronic you’re in. How you got in there, how it works.” 

Michael looks down at himself and then to Henry, “Bu-but Father-“ 

“No. It’s time someone took care of you for a change Michael. Please.” 

He doesn’t argue, too tired to do so. He just wanted to sleep for a million years but Michael didn’t know that was possible in this body. He didn’t want all this. All this responsibility on him. Why couldn’t they be normal? Why couldn’t he be normal? 

“Okay.” 

Henry breathes a sigh of relief. “Good, now…I think the first course of action is me looking at you from top to bottom. Then I think we should visit your old house again, and maybe where you were before all this. In that place.” 

Michael shuddered giving a nod, he didn’t want to go back there, but he would if Henry went with him. He felt safe with Henry. 

“Alright. This might be uncomfortable. I need to get inside your hull. If we can find a name of this animatronic then we could probably find a blueprint.” 

“I think it’s some weird version of Funtime Foxy.” 

“Foxy?” Henry’s face looks surprised and then he smiles. “Wasn’t he your favorite?” 

He was. Michael loved Foxy, he had named him after all. His father had given him the mask when he first started to come to life. He never took it off. Until…Evan-

“Used to be. B-but that doesn’t mean I wanted to be Foxy.” 

Henry chuckles, “No I suppose not. But there is some irony to-aha!” 

Henry had his arms tracing around Michael’s hull and there was a button right on the back of the animatronic. He presses it and there’s a loud hiss and Michael pulls back in surprise when his chest just bursts open showing the intricate wiring and metal. 

This was very uncomfortable. 

“Okay, let’s see here…” Henry gently reaches over to grab a flashlight to peer inside. “Definitely William’s work. Never liked his endoskeleton design…” 

“Find anything?” Michael asks looking down awkwardly feeling exposed that his chest was just open like this. He would very much like it to be shut. He didn’t need evidence that he was indeed a robot. 

“Mmm…there’s a serial number here. Looks like…Lolbit? Is that his name?” 

“Their name.” 

Henry looks up at Micheal, surprised at that.

 “I don’t think they have a gender so to speak.” Micheal says awkwardly unsure why he had to correct Henry. 

“Sorry, their name. Looks like it was indeed a backup. A Funtime Foxy dupe. But there is something odd on your chest. Definitely looks like it doesn’t belong.” 

There’s a disk that you can use, it’ll cause illusions. You can disguise yourself. It’s in your chest. 

Charlie’s voice rings through his head, had she put this thing on him? 

“Is it a di-disk?” 

Henry tilts his head, “Sort of? It’s blinking..let me…” 

Michael allows him to move closer, the man’s head just about inside of the chassis that was his chest. He can feel fingers touching his wiring and it was so odd. Like he was having open heart surgery and he could feel everything. 

He almost felt sick, but knew it was redundant.

There’s a strange clicking noise and he hears a high pitch vibration echoing his chest. It’s unnerving and Henry pulls back cupping his ears. Michael can hear it too, but he isn’t affected by the noise. 

Henry falls to the floor making Michael stand his feet planted to the ground and reaches out only to stop when seeing his arms. 

Pale pink skin, human fingers. His body has a weird aura, like it’s shaking the more he looks at it. Watching it flicker in and out, between the pale white metal and human skin. It would shift so fast that if you blinked you wouldn’t be able to see it.

“Wha-what?” He stammers looking down at himself finding that he was human again. He…looked like himself. H-how? 

He doesn’t feel any different, still feeling hollow and empty. 

There’s a disk that you can use, it’ll cause illusions. You can disguise yourself. It’s in your chest.

Illusions? 

Was this an illusion? 

“Urgh..” Henry mutters and quickly Michael runs towards him crouching towards the older man. 

“Henry! Henry, are you okay?” 

Henry grips his head, “Ugh that noise. It was awful. Almost piercing my skull.” 

The noise? 

Micheal looks down at his chest, was it the disc? Creating some sort of frequency that makes him have the ability to look like his actual self? Henry didn’t seem like he could hear it now. 

“It’s…I think it’s the disc! Lo-look at me.” 

Henry unclenched his eyes and lo and behold there Micheal was. With his dark hair and slender face. He was all grown up, but the only difference was the eyes. Instead of the almost silver eyes like his father had, they were purple , a bright purple that almost seemed to glow in the light. 

“Michael. What- how .” 

Michael just looks at himself, “It’s a disc. It can cast illusions. I think the frequency is making me look like this? I-I’m not sure.” 

He was right, he certainly looked human. Though with the eyes and the very much added height, if you knew him you would notice something was just slightly wrong.

“This disc, it’s making my stomach churn. Do you know if you can turn it off?” Henry asks feeling nauseous, he still couldn’t believe his eyes that Michael was no longer the large animatronic sitting in his dining room. But the human boy he knew since he was a baby. 

Henry looked green at the gills, almost threatening to just vomit on the floor. That was bad. 

Michael looks at himself, “Is it making you sick? That’s not good…I don’t…I am not sure if I can..” He starts patting himself, feeling around his chest. To him he could feel the metal under his fingertips. He reaches into his open chest and feels the little disc. 

With a simple push the disc stops humming and the illusion breaks. Michael is back as the large fox animatronic, his hand hovering over the disc that was just about haphazardly placed on one of the metal frames of his endoskeleton. 

“Eugh I do not like reaching into my own chest.” He starts to laugh again, the noise glitching and making him spasm. The laugh settles and he clears his non-existent throat. 

Henry chuckles, “I can see why they're called LolBit then.” The laugh was a bit comical, completely out of place compared to the personality of Michael. 

The animatronic nods looking down at him realizing he was towering over Henry. Henry was at an average height, he remembers he was at Henry’s shoulders the last time he had seen him. Now he was a good foot or so above him. 

“Okay, so this disc…let me..” Henry reaches into Michael’s chest and pulls it out. It’s circular with a little blipping red dot, on the back it clearly states Afton Robotics, LLC.

That was it then, William did create it. But why? Why illusions. For what purpose? To make things look more realistic? 

But the way it made him sick, you couldn’t have that for a room full of kids. 

“It made me look Human.” Michael whispers, his voice quietly buzzing through the voice box in the middle of his chest. 

Henry just stares at the disc, “It did. I can’t fathom why these were created, but then again we may be able to use this to our advantage. Perhaps I could tweak it…so it won’t make others sick…I’ll need the blueprints so I can at least understand what coding was placed in here.” 

“Blueprints? Where would we find those?” 

“Your father’s place.” 

Michael stares at him, and then the disc. Charlie said they would need it, that it would help him. Them. 

They’re suffering, and you can help us. You have the illusion disc. You can go and stop him.

What did that even mean? How would this disc be able to stop him? His father? 

You’re an animatronic, but could look human. You’re stronger now. 

A voice whispered in the back of his head, and it was right. He could take a few punches no doubt about it. A taser would be a problem but he doubted his father had one at the ready. But where would he find him? Where would he even start looking? 

“I can use this…to move around like normal. I can go find Father. Figure this all out. Henry, this changes the game.” 

“Game?” Henry asks, confused. 

“The game in which my father is playing. And I’m going to stop him. I need to understand wh-why he’s doing all this. Why he lead me to the rental center. Why he told me to fix Elizabeth.” 

Henry is surprised at Michael’s determination, those glowing purple eyes burning bright. He wasn’t going to back down, and Henry wasn’t going to convince him. “I’ll help, however I can. I’m here for you Mike. You’re not alone in this.” 

He reaches towards him, shutting the compartment in his chest 

Michael watches his tail swishing back and forth, giving an awkward grin. It just looked so odd on an animatronic. To see it look so human. 

“Thank you Henry…” 

“Of course. No one should shoulder this alone. I’m in.” 

Michael felt relief. He already had destroyed his opportunity with Charlie, but he had Henry. Henry could help him. He needed all the help he could get. 

“I’m going to find you Father.” His voice crackles, mixing with the voice box of the animatronic and his true voice. 

He was going to, no matter what it took. 

 

Notes:

And so it continues! Thanks so much for reading! Do comment and tell me what you think!

I hope to be frequent with the uploads but life is crazy so I can’t promise anything. I’ll do my best though!

Chapter 3: Feels Bad Man

Notes:

Another chapter! A longer one this time! My good friend Doberart keeps encouraging me to continue writing so thank her for this.

I’m debating on having a side blog for all the shenanigans I have for this au on tumblr but we will see. Maybe I’ll just post them here?

Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter! It was a lot of fun to write. I love Henry and Michael so much, they deserve all the love and care.

“Okay, from the top. Circus Baby convinced you there was a way to keep her. A chip. She lured you to a room, and this…Ennard is standing there. And then..” 

“The scoop.” Michael says simply, as if it was just normal to have someone pull a lever and a claw-like  machine sweeping at your insides. 

“Scoop…” Henry looked pale, they had moved to the living room. Michael was sitting on the plush couch watching Henry pace back and forth almost burning a hole in his carpet. 

It was so vivid in his mind. The machine raked against his skin. Flailing him alive, blood splattering onto the floor as he stumbled backward. Watching the large mess of wires crawl closer and closer. 

The pressing of metal against his skin. Burrowing and burrowing deeper into his flesh. How the pain was so much. 

How he felt he deserved it. 

Henry sighs his hands on his hips, “And the next thing you know you’re like this, correct? With that disc attached to you.” 

“Y-yes.” 

That and his dead daughter had given it to him. Gave him life, she had said. And then he treated her like an asshole. 

Rubbing his chin Henry mutters under his breath. “I know little to none about these…Funtime Animatronics, but they worry me. With that technology…it doesn’t bode well.” 

“You’re telling me, those things were cha-chasing me for five nights in a row. I was st-stuffed into a springlock suit because of them!” He gives a huff crossing his arms. “They’re the worst I’ve seen of the bunch.” 

“They’re definitely not my bunch.” Henry said immediately. 

“No, they would never.” Michael whispered, the regular crew wouldn’t do such a thing. It was his father. How twisted he was and the animatronics he made showed it. 

His foot taps against the wood floors in his anxiety. He just didn’t know what exactly to do. He was stuck, he didn’t even know where to start with all this. 

“But the disc, the disc can be helpful. If I just tweak it a bit, make it less…” 

“Afton-y?” Michael supplied with a tilt of his head and Henry looks apologetic. 

“William-y.” He says instead. He starts to pace once more, “Then we can get you looking relatively normal. But until then I say we stay away from large crowds. Nothing too crazy.” 

The fox animatronic nods, “Yeah I kind of stick out like a sore thumb over here.” The chaotic laugh escapes him again, he never seemed to be able to control it. It jitters his whole body, almost like a weird tick of sorts. Maybe that’s why it hadn't joined the Funtime roster. 

“Alright, LolBit settle down.” Henry states with a quirk of a smile. 

Michael glowers at him as Henry snickers slightly at his own joke. He supposed it could be worse. He could be taking a backseat to this animatronic, or even his own body as Ennard wore him around like a suit jacket. 

He shuddered at the thought, his body was still out there. Charlie had told him that it was. He couldn’t imagine it living for long since you know, he had a gaping gash right on his abdomen. 

The thought of his body decaying while he was stuck in this metal tomb was horrifying. It was worse to hear that there were more like him. That he wasn’t the first to have his soul placed into an animatronic. 

“Michael?” 

Henry seemed to be talking to him and Michael lifted his head, his eyes flickering for a moment. “Huh? Sorry I was thi-thinking.”

“I could see that.” Henry breathes, “Something on your mind?” 

Michael shifts on the couch, his hands over his knees shaking his head. “No, just trying to understand it all.” He lies not wanting to bring up Charlie. He already burdened the man enough with his whole ordeal. Charlie would be another day. 

He hoped he could find her again. Whenever he got this illusion disc all figured out he was going to look. For her, for his father. 

He wanted to try and fix things, instead of always fucking it up. 

With Evan, Elizabeth..it had been his fault. If only he had been a better brother. Didn’t mess with Evan so much, watched Elizabeth more carefully. 

Maybe then…things would be different. 

“As I was saying. I think tonight we should rest, and then tomorrow we should head over to the house. I want to see if William left any blueprints lying around.” 

“You think we’ll find anything?”

Henry rubs his chin, “Mm William’s smart, but if we look in the right places…maybe. But that is for tomorrow. It’s late, and I think we both need some rest.” 

Michael glances at the clock on the fireplace. It was pretty late. Practically the next day. Had he been there a whole day suffering? Stuck until Charlie woke him up? 

“Alright kiddo.” Henry pats him on the shoulder, getting the animatronic to look at him. “You can use Charlie’s room. If…well can you sleep?”

Him? Sleep in Charlie’s room? 

“I…don’t know.” He says honestly. “I mean…I blacked out when you tased me.” 

Henry looks guilty rubbing the back of his neck. “Sorry, again. You can imagine me leaving from dinner and seeing this animatronic just walking around and getting a little worried.” 

Michael gives a shrug, the way his shoulders move is a bit wonky but he doesn’t comment on it. “Like I said I would’ve done the same.” 

“Either way, that's good food for thought. If we encounter another one of these Funtimes…” 

“We shock the hell out of em.” 

Henry frowns at his language, “Yes. But, the room is yours.” 

“You sure? It’s…Charlie’s room.” He says a bit hesitant and Henry gives a gentle smile. 

He pats Michael on the head, “I’m sure she would want you to have it.” 

Charlie…he missed her. She was always his savior. Asking things he couldn’t. Could he stay over? Could he spend the night? She just knew when he needed to get away. 

It broke his heart when he found out she was dead. He kept expecting that wide grin to pop out of the corner and shout Boo! 

He could practically hear it, and then hear Evan’s whining that she had scared him. 

“I’m heading to bed Michael. Do you need anything?” Henry whispers seeing the boy was once again lost in thought. 

“Nah…I think I’m okay. I’ll see you in the morning.” 

Henry nods, stretching his back with a small grunt before heading upstairs. 

“Henry.” Michael calls out, getting the man to stop halfway and look at him expectantly. “Um…thanks. For everything.” 

“Of course. Have a good night Mike.” Henry says, his voice honest, smiling at Michael. He walks back up the stairs and Michael gives a low sigh. 

He’s left alone after hearing a door shut upstairs. Surprisingly he could hear very well, despite being…well a hunk of metal so to speak. 

He glances at the disc that sits on the end table, watching it blink slowly at him. He was tempted to grab it, to try it again just so he could feel something. 

See himself instead of his father’s animatronic.

Shifting he moves to stand, heading up the stairs finding a mirror by the door. Quietly he steps in front of it, pausing at the sight. 

He could see himself perfectly now, and it felt wrong. So alien. Purple glowing dots stared at him, a fox with orange markings and purple cheeks and lips standing before him. 

It’s mouth opens and closes as he does, watching the face plates move on his command. 

He tested it once more, opening his face up and seeing the endoskeleton inside. 

His reflection flickers and for a moment he sees his own face under the thick metal staring back at him with weeping eyes. 

Michael pulls back in fright, his face plates clamping down with a loud clank. 

He’s panting, his voice box crackling from the sudden fright. 

Shaking his head he rips his eyes away from his reflection and heads up the stairs. The wood creaks as he steps up, finding it a bit hard to see in the dark. 

Without warning there’s a noise that comes from him, light flashing out of his eyes and suddenly he can see things. As if someone had given him sonar, seeing the objects across the hall, and Henry in his bed. 

He reels back, “What the fuck?” He stammered finding his head was about to spin from what just happened. 

Did he just get like…echolocation? He just saw everything with that light flashing? 

He steps into the hall and peers around and the light flashes again, showing him everything like before. 

What was odd that he could see Henry, Henry was in this…glowing yellow aura. Pulsating and glowing. Everything else was just covered in a small white aura that gave out weird little lines. Like vibrations. 

“Father, what the he-hell is this ?” He hissed looking down at himself. He could see…in the dark, and see people . 

Why. 

He would have to talk to Henry about this tomorrow, he didn’t want to wake the man up. 

The more he learned about this animatronic the more he felt sick. The more he worried about what was even the purpose of these abilities? Seeing in the dark? 

Why would an animatronic need to see in the dark?

His mind was just frustrated at the lack of answers, giving a low growl that turned into a glitchy laugh. He tries to hold it in but it just shakes his core. 

“Really starting to hate that.” He grumbled hoping he didn’t just wake Henry up. 

Quietly he shuffles to Charlie’s room, seeing the bright rainbow plate that was on her door. Quietly he opens it and winces. It was like walking into a time capsule. All of Charlie’s belongings were still the way she had them. All the plushes of the animatronics she loved still lined up on the shelf. 

“Charlie…I’m so so-sorry.” 

His father…

He sits on the floor too afraid to mess up the room, leaning against the wall. He can see Freddy and the gang just staring at him from their spot. 

Like they were staring at his soul. 

Take your stupid bear and get out of here! 

His voice echoes his brain as he remembers Evan walking into his room. Saying that Foxy was in his closet. 

He had told the boy to shut up and it wasn’t real. It wasn’t fair of him to act the way he did. His father had been quite…mean that night and Michael was taking it out on his brother who just wanted some comfort. 

God. How horrible was he? 

Don’t be such a baby. Aftons don’t cry! 

Michael winces curling his feet closer to his chest, it was awkward but he didn’t care.

It was an accident! I didn’t mean to! 

“Please.” 

He just wanted relief, not having to constantly go back to that moment. With the imagery burned into his brain. The blood seeping off the Fredbear animatronic. His brother’s feet dangling like a limp doll. 

The blood that wouldn’t wash off his hands and face. 

It’s all my fault. 

Michael feels the liquid start to leak once more, and he quickly begins to scrub at his face but it’s easier said than done. The oil or whatever is falling out of him is just watery and metal doesn’t work too well compared to skin or a shirt sleeve. 

He couldn’t cry. He wasn’t supposed to cry. He needed to be an adult. 

He needed…

He needed his family. 

Michael missed them so much. He missed his brother curling up next to him while they watched the soap opera his mother used to watch all the time. Or having Elizabeth drag him into her room to put makeup on him or have some stupid tea party. 

He missed their hugs, their smiles. Everything. 

Evan…Elizabeth. 

His mind starts to drift, feeling like he was falling asleep. But it doesn’t at the same time. It’s like darkness gripping at his head dragging him under. 

He finds himself in the pizzeria, the place is dark. No parties, no loud chatter. It’s quiet. And on the stage is a slumped down Freddy. But it’s fur has a golden hue to it, despite it being pretty dirty. 

“Hello?” He calls out hearing his own voice. 

You’re one of us now .

A voice whispers and Michael whips around trying to find the source. 

One of us. 

One of us. 

One of us. 

One of us.

The words keep rattling in his mind and he grips his head. “Stop, please…” 

Find us. Help us. Find us.

Freddy is shaking now, and Michael steps back only to smack into more animatronics. The original four. 

Chia, Bonnie, Foxy and Freddy stare down at him with dead eyes. 

Find us Michael.

“I don’t understand. Please!” 

He yelps when Freddy grabs him by the arms lifting him up to the point his feet are dangling on the floor. He can’t move, the grip is far too strong and Freddy is just walking to the slumped over Golden Freddy. 

Now let’s see how you feel . 

“Please! I’m sorry! I’m sorry! Please!” Michael wails as the bear gets closer and closer, it’s maw opening as Freddy pushes him towards the teeth. 

“I’m sorry! Please!!!” He cries trying to push himself out of the grip of the animatronic. 

It’s me it’s me it’s me it’s me it’s me. 

Michael’s senses are just exploding as a voice screams in his mind. Over and over again. 

He’s practically in the mouth of the Golden Freddy and without warning the thing chomps down on him. 

Blood splatters everywhere and he can hear them laugh as he’s spiraling down into a pit. 

Then his body jerks awake and he is in Charlie’s room. He’s breathing heavily, gripping the carpet of the room with one hand. 

He groans quietly, shaking hands touching his head as he tries to gather his bearings. God what a nightmare. What even was that? 

Was that a nightmare? Or a calling of sorts? He didn’t know. Michael couldn’t handle any more of this. He was no stranger of nightmares. Especially after Evan’s accident. 

He felt bad, for always making fun of Evan’s nightmares and how he would cry. Now that was all he did. He was the crybaby Afton. 

Michael sighs, well there wasn’t much else he could do. He obviously couldn’t sleep, unless he wanted to be plagued by some nightmare. He had enough of those. 

So he would wait, maybe find a pad and paper and see if he could draw with these clunky hands of his. At least he wasn’t in Funtime Freddy, he would have hated to be in that hulking monster of an animatronic. 

He shudders at the thought. The voice would’ve been awful too.

“Hey Bon-bon.” He mocked his own silly animatronic voice crackling through his voice box setting off another laugh. Could you tell he did not care for the pink and white bear? 

Why his father had this wacky combination of animatronics he would never understand. 

Finally deciding to stand he looked around and spotted a sketchpad and pencil on the desk. Perfect.

Quietly he sat back down and placed the sketchpad onto his lap and gripped the small pencil in his hand. He did his best not to snap the thing, since he was this much larger animatronic now.

He was very grateful he could still draw, albeit a bit rougher than he usually could. Oh well he would have to deal with it.

…

 

The morning sun slowly begins to rise, and Henry begins to go through his day. Getting up, taking a shower, getting dressed, the usual. 

He walked down the stairs humming to himself and headed to the kitchen to make some coffee. 

“Morning Henry.” 

“Goodmorning- Mike!” Henry shouts almost falling backwards when seeing the large animatronic sitting at the table casually reading some sort of magazine. Henry grips his heart when the boy looks at him tilting his head. 

“You scared me.” He breathed and Michael laughed, glitching and spasming from the Lolbit part of himself. Seemed that was something he couldn’t control. 

“Sor-sorry. Guess you forgot I was here huh?” 

Quickly Henry shakes his head, “No, no. I’m just not a morning person. I need my coffee before I can fully face the day.” 

Michael just stares at him while the older man walks towards the coffee pot. He definitely did not believe Henry. 

“Anyways, did you sleep well last night? Or at all?” 

The silence is deafening, and proving that Michael did not sleep well. “No,” He adds with a sigh. “Can't really close my eyes anyways. Stayed up all night.” 

Henry turns around frowning, “I’m sorry kiddo. I’ll have to find things to keep you busy. Can’t imagine how bored you were.” 

One thing about Henry was he was caring. Michael always felt so surprised whenever he would cater to him. Offering toys, books, sketch pads whenever he was over. Charlie seemed to always have things ready for when the Aftons would come over. 

“You don’t gotta do that for me.” Michael says quickly, “I can find things to do.” 

“Nonsense. You’re a guest here and I would hate for you to be stuck doing nothing for hours while I’m sleeping.” Henry says, “No arguments Mike.” 

He points a finger at Michael who winces slightly. He knew that tone. That was a shut up and nod tone. 

“Mike.” 

Michael looks at him seeing Henry lean on the table looking at him with soft eyes. “It’s okay to have others provide things for you. You don’t have to always do everything alone.” 

It’s quiet and Henry pulls away knowing that all the cuts and burns in Michael’s life would not be healed so quickly. William had done a number on him, and Henry wished he had been there for him. He wished he took Michael home that day Evan was in the hospital. 

He should have just taken custody there.

“Now, I think…we should go to your house today.” Henry says as he pours a cup of coffee watching Michael tap his foot anxiously. 

“How am I going to go around? I'm pretty big now.” Michael asks and Henry takes a quiet sip of his coffee. 

That was a question. Michael was taller than him now, he was slender sure, but he was large, and his tail was a big giveaway. They would have to find a way to hide him until they got to the house. 

Henry leans against the counter. “We can’t use the disc until we figure out how to stop making others sick. I certainly don’t want to be sick, but I also don't want you to be stuck in the house all day.” 

“I don’t want you to be sick either. There’s gotta be a way to tweak it. Maybe we’ll find the blueprints for it.” Michael’s ears suddenly wiggle as he looks up at Henry. “I found out something last night.” 

The older man immediately sits down across from him giving a gesture with his coffee to go on. “I..well I don’t know how or what it is, but when it was dark I couldn’t really see. And then all of a sud-sudden there was a flash! And then I could see everything . Like…how a bat sees through echolocation almost. Sonar even. But the thing was, I could see you. You were glowing .” 

Henry listens intently and then his brows furrowed together. “You could see me? Through the walls?”

Michael nods, “It was really weird. You glowed yellow.” 

It was quite distressing that Michael found out about this ability. Since when did an animatronic need to see through walls? And people of no less. 

“You have the ability to see things in dark areas, especially people…William what the hell were you creating?” 

Michael looks at him, his voice quiet. “You think it’s to…find people? I…I remember taking care of Funtime Freddy, and his chest was open…it was huge inside. Large enough to fit…” 

He stops, his eyes widening. “To fit a kid.” 

Oh God. 

“You don’t mean..” 

Michael would have swallowed if he could, “Were these Funtime…animatronics made…to kidnap kids? ” 

Henry shudders, “We don’t know that, the sooner we look into things, hopefully the sooner we make sense of it all.” 

“But it makes sense doesn't it. The disc, me seeing through walls? Why would an animatronic need that?” 

“I don’t know Michael. But it doesn’t look good.” 

How long was this going on? How many? Were there more victims? God, what was even happening. 

“We need to go to the house. I need answers. I-I need to find out. I…if my fa-father-“

Henry stands, his face concerned while Michael was starting to twitch and spark in distress. “Okay, we can do that. First we need to figure out how to hide you. I think my trunk can fit you, and maybe we can put a blanket on you until we get to the house.” 

Michael looks up at him and nods, “Okay. Whatever it takes. I can't really feel anything anyways so it’ll be fine if I’m all scrunched up.” 

“We’ll find a way that makes you comfortable. I'm not going to treat you like a machine Mike. You’re still human.” 

Why? Why must he make things so difficult? Michael didn’t want this treatment. He didn’t want to be dealt with all this pity, all this babying. Henry was just making it so hard, why couldn’t he just let Michael get the punishment he rightfully deserved? 

“You don’t have to do that.” 

“I don’t, but I want to. Mike, please…”

Michael just turns his head while Henry sighs, “Let me see if I have a large blanket or something.” With that he places his coffee down against the table and Michael is left alone to his thoughts again. 

A dangerous thing to do. 

Michael, I just want to see her! Why won’t Daddy let me see her? 

He shakes his head at his sister's pleas. He wished he could have been there to stop it. She went and saw Circus Baby and now look at her. She willingly killed him. 

If we looked like you…

Why couldn’t she just let him talk? Let him take them all away! He would have dragged them all out of there and took him back to his apartment. They didn’t need to kill him and then run off in his body! 

Michael slams his fist against the table, making a loud bang. He grumbled to himself as his body twitched in his frustration. 

Elizabeth…he was going to find her. He had to get Ennard and bring her back together. Properly. 

With Henry’s help, maybe he could. 

“I heard a noise, you okay?” Henry calls out from the other room. 

“M fine! Just banged my kn-knee.” He shouts back standing up with a loud melodramatic sigh. His tail swishes to the right as he turns around, promptly knocking over Henry’s coffee mug. 

“Shit, oh shit.” Michael stammers crouching down to pick up the shards of ceramic. “Shit sh-shit!” 

Pick it up before he sees pick it up before he sees

“Michael! I heard a crash!” Henry races in to see Michael hunched on the floor picking up pieces of a broken mug, the boy looks at him and startles trying to get up but slams right into the table. The table flies upward and Michael makes a noise scrambling backwards. 

“Michael! Stop, stop!” Henry shouts as Michael seems to go into a panic. 

He’s going to kill me he’s going to kill me

“Michael!” 

Michael freezes looking at him and Henry has his hands on his shoulders, eyes wide with concern. “Look at me, Michael look. It’s okay, it is okay.” 

“I-I bro-brok-broke your mug.” His voice box stutters and glitches, the panic oozing off his voice. It was clear he thought he was in trouble and was going to be punished for it. 

Henry shakes his head, gently taking the hand that doesn’t have crushed shards in them. “It’s okay, look it’s fine. It’s just a mug. I am not mad. It is okay.” He says slowly, trying to make sure the words sink in. 

“I would tell you to breathe, but I don’t think that’s an option now is it?” 

Michael nervously laughs and it rolls into the tic that LolBit seemed to have his whole body shaking from it. “I can’t breathe in here Henry.” 

The words were so solemn. Deadly and without context Henry would have been worried. He had seen inside Michael and thank goodness there was no dead body smashed between the wires. 

He would have had a heart attack. 

“I’m sorry.” Henry says quietly. “Now let’s get off the floor, yeah? I’ll sweep up the mess..” 

“N-no! Let me do it. I made the mess.” 

“It’s okay, you just sit down and put on the blanket I got you. Then we’ll head out.” 

Michael looks conflicted but nods, and Henry lifts himself up with a grunt while Michael eases himself up. “Careful of that tail of yours, I can imagine it’s difficult to get used to.” 

“Y-yeah I accidentally knocked the cup over with it. I’m so sorry.” 

Henry quickly shakes his head, “It is okay. I didn’t like that mug anyways.” A smile quirks on his lips as he gently guides Michael out of the kitchen after the boy throws away the pieces of ceramic he had in his hand. 

He picks up the large blanket he had brought, and throws it over Michael’s head. 

“Okay just hold it here..” 

Michael follows his orders and wraps his arms in the blanket. He wished he could feel the texture, feel how soft it was. Why did he have to feel so numb trapped in this hunk of junk? 

“Mmm well I mean…”

“This isn’t going to work…” 

Henry sighs, “No..but it’s all we got.” 

Michael looked very comical in the blanket, sure his face was covered, but his ears were slightly poking out of the blanket making it obvious that whatever was under there was not human.

And his tail didn’t help either. 

“Alright let me clean up this and then we’ll get to the car.” 

Henry grabs the broom and begins to sweep the rest up while Michael stands there awkwardly in his blanket. 

It’s an easy fix, three simple sweeps to the dustpan and then tossed into the trash. Didn’t even break a sweat and it looked like it never happened. With that reaction Henry knew William must have gotten angry if Michael had ever broken something, his heart clenches at that. 

This poor kid. 

“Alright! See! All better.” Henry states dusting his hands off with a few simple claps. He looks at Michael seeing the animatronic just staring at him while wrapped in a blanket. 

“Cozy?” 

Michael gives a look, almost as if raising a brow. “Sure.” 

Henry chuckles quietly, patting Michael on the back. “Let’s get going, follow me.” 

With that Michael shuffles behind Henry, holding the blanket close around him. His tail swishes back and forth as they exit the house and head to Henry’s car. 

Henry opens the trunk and Michael quietly crawls into it, curling into himself as tightly as he could without causing any damage to him or the car. Henry reached for the blanket gently tucking him in. “All good?” 

Michael gives a noise and then a thumbs up. “All good.” 

Henry nods, and gently shuts the car’s trunk and gets into the driver's seat. With a simple turn of the keys the car starts and they are off. 

Off to figure out just what the hell William Afton was doing, and could they even attempt to fix it all.

 

…

 

Michael’s house was on a hill, a bit away from the city. In the lawn was an old tire swing he’d use to swing Evan and Elizabeth all around in. And smack Evan in the face with it from time to time. His little brother never tattled on him, no, that was Elizabeth. 

She always had him doing silly things just so she wouldn’t tell on him, only to go back on her word just to get on father’s good side. 

She was such a little brat…but he loved her. 

The car stops moving and Michael lifts his head, he doesn’t feel cramped at all. And how should he? He doesn’t have any bones, muscles or anything to make him feel like that. At least he wasn’t a pile of scrap. 

Henry opens the trunk and Michael lifts himself out glancing around the old yard. It was uncared for, with weeds and the grass uncut. The flowerbed that his mother had was completely dead. The paint on the porch is chipping away. 

No one had time to take care of the house anymore it seemed. Michael always was the one to do so. 

“There we go, the ride okay?” Henry asks and Michael shrugs. 

“Perfectly fine.” 

Henry nods and walks up the steps to the house, finding it unlocked. “It’s been a while since I’ve been here…” 

“Me too.” 

Well he had been here the other day with Charlie, but only for a moment. Michael didn’t want to dwell on that. “I left as soon as I turned eighteen.” 

He had packed his bags while his father screamed at him. 

Fine! Leave me for all I care! You pathetic excuse for a son! 

Michael remembered slamming the door and sobbing the whole time he drove out to find his own place. Eventually he did, found a place, a job, everything was normal. Until his father gave him that letter. 

“You okay? Going in here?” Henry asks and Michael looks around the porch standing outside while Henry was in. “You can stay out here if you want.” 

“Fuck no.” Michael says, the words sounding so out of place from a child’s animatronic. “I’m not making you go in there by yourself.” 

“Language Mike,” Henry warns before sighing, “Alright but if you need to leave, just let me know.” 

Michael nods his head, stepping inside and it’s just like it was when Charlie was here. Papers all around, the place looking empty. There were still dishes in the sink. “He left in a hurry.” Michael notes shutting the door behind him. “Why wouldn’t he call me?” 

“Not sure,” Henry says, glancing around, “Your father was never the one to kiss and tell.” 

That was true, he never knew what his father was thinking. He was always on edge, not knowing what his father would do next. 

“Does he have a workshop?” 

Michael nods, “It’s in the garage, and he has an office.” 

“Why don’t you check the office and I’ll check the garage? We can meet back here if we find anything.” 

The animatronic shifts a bit, he didn’t really want to split up, but it was probably for the best that they did. Easier that way. Get more ground. So he just nods, watching Henry squeeze his arm before heading to the garage. 

He looks around the living room once Henry is gone and takes a breath, making his way down the hall. He could see all the doors were shut, with Evan and Elizabeth’s door plate is still on their doors. 

Quietly he peers into Elizabeth’s room seeing the bright colors and the toys scattered everywhere. The bed is neat, and everything has a fine layer of dust to it. There were many tea parties here, many makeovers and dress up moments. 

He takes one final look before he shuts the door again, and heads to Evan’s room. 

Like Elizabeth’s it was untouched, with the closet door still open and a little foxy plush sitting innocently inside. He sees the Fredbear plushie that rests on the bed, almost staring at him. 

Evan loved that thing, he never left anywhere without it. He remembers one time Michael had accidentally ripped one of the arms off when tugging on it, and Evan sobbed for hours while Michael did his best to fix it. The stitching was terrible for its time, and Michael often had to restitch it. 

There was no Evan without his Fredbear. 

Quietly he picks up the doll, looking down at it gripping its little body as it stares back at him. 

Fredbear talks to me, Michael. He’s my best friend. 

Michael shudders, throwing the bear back on the bed while he did his best not to break down and sob. Not thinking about the time he wailed on Evan’s hospital bed saying he was so sorry. That he promised he would be a better brother. 

And he still wasn’t. He made so many mistakes. What he would give to see Evan again. To truly tell him he was sorry. 

He would never get that chance. 

“I’m sorry Evan.” He whispers, the Lolbit voice dying down to make his own voice break through. He was sorry. So sorry.

He turns around and leaves the room, heading to his father’s office. He didn’t want to see his own room. He didn’t care. He half expected his father had cleaned it out once he had left. Michael didn’t want to confirm that. 

His father’s office was neat, orderly. Everything had a place. It was a place he was not allowed to go into. His hand hovered over the doorknob anxiously, expecting his father to shout at him and usher him away.

But he wasn’t here, and he needed some answers. 

So he readies himself and opens the door. 

It’s empty. 

Nothing but papers stacked on the desk, folders on the shelves. Miscellaneous things here and there. Parts and trinkets lying around. 

Quietly he steps in, feeling like he’s doing something highly illegal. He’s only been in his office if he was truly in trouble. 

“Okay father…let’s see what you are hiding…” 

He begins to search, high and low for anything that could make him understand just why he was doing the things he was doing. Why would he even remotely go to killing kids. Was this his way of dealing with grief? God he hoped not. 

They all should have gone to therapy like normal people. 

He stops when reaching a folder that had the initials F.A. on it. Funtime Animatronics? He picks the folder up and starts to look into the pages. 

“Here we go..” 

Blueprints. 

He sprawls out the blue paper seeing his fathers writing as clear as day. He peers at one seeing that it was Funtime Freddy. 

“Voice mimic and Luring? Proximity Sensors? What the hell?” He mutters as he’s reading them. “Storage…tank.” 

His body feels cold reading that. 

He looks closer and inside the Funtime Freddy design he could see a child, clear as day hiding in the animatronics large stomach. 

“You sick bastard.” Michael stammers as he goes through the others. 

“Ballora…audio activation sensors? Deter and misdirect? Father were these to lure children out? What so Freddy could just nab…” 

His father was stealing children . 

But why? 

The sound of footsteps gets nearer and Michael lifts his head to see Henry with a confused look on his face. “I could smell coffee. I was worried William was here.” 

“Coffee?” Michael questions holding the Funtime Foxy blueprint. “I can’t smell so I wouldn’t know.” 

Henry sniffs again and moves closer, “It’s you. You smell like coffee.” 

“Me? Why would I smell like coffee?” He lifts his arms as if he is looking for the smell. “Wait a minute…I’m a Funtime Foxy essentially…” 

“And according to this…the Funtime Foxy has the ability to secrete variable smells. Oh my God I’m a walking child lure!” Michael stammers, dropping the blueprint down and taking a step back. 

“I lured you in here without even noticing!” 

He looks horrified and Henry looks pale. “What do you mean child lure?” 

“Take a look for yourself.” Michael whispers gesturing to the blueprints scattered across the desk. “They’re evil Henry. Pure Evil…”

Henry reaches for the Circus Baby animatronic and the more he reads the more his eyes widen. His hands start to shake and Michael feels like his head is doing somersaults. 

He made her just for me Michael! 

God Elizabeth…had she been lured that whole time? Was her death not an accident?! 

“William, what were you thinking?” Henry whispers looking at the others. “Mimicry? Storage tank? Parental voice sync and replay?” 

“I have all that Foxy has, the light activation sensor. That’s what I was seeing last night.” Michael whispers with wide eyes. “I’m a walking death trap for kids Henry.” 

“No you are not.” Henry says firmly, “This can’t be your fault Michael. You didn’t know and you were placed there against your own will.” 

“Still, I’m a danger to kids! I didn’t even activate those stupid scent things! I don’t know how to!” 

Henry places the blueprint down, “Then we will figure it out. Put it to good use instead of bad. I’ll fix you. I can do that.” 

“You can?” 

“I’ll try. Damn it, I'll try.” 

Michael knows Henry isn’t lying, he’s just as torn up as Michael is about this revelation. That his father was actively trying to kidnap kids. 

“Why would he do this?” 

Henry shakes his head, “I don't know but I found a key, it leads somewhere. I also found the illusion disc prototypes. It looks like old code, emits a frequency that makes the brain see things. I think I could tweak it so it doesn’t make others sick. Then you can walk around freely if you’re careful.” 

“At least that’s some good news. I have no clue what the key would be for…” he stops and snaps his fingers. “The trapdoor! I came through the basement. That must be the key that opens it up! It leads right to the rental center.” 

“The rental center is under your house .” 

Michael nods, “Probably to make it easier to access. He was working on something I just know it. That’s why he asked me to help Liz. He knew something was up with her. How I don’t know.” 

It just lead to more and more questions than answers. 

“Mike, this, this is something else. I expected horrible designs but this…” 

“I know, tell me about it. That’s my fa-father doing all this stuff. I need to stop him, I need to find him. Who knows what he has planned!“ 

Henry nods, “Let’s take these folders, see what else we can find. Move to the living room and sort it all out.” He says scooping up the blueprints and Michael follows, taking a lot of the folders that were stacked about. 

“The thing is, I keep seeing this term. Remnant. I don’t know what it means but he puts it on everything.” Michael says as they walk into the living room. 

“Remnant? I never heard of such a thing.” 

It was all over the place, in his notes, the blueprint. Something about agony and souls, he couldn’t make it out. It was almost like reading excerpts from a serial killer. He supposed his father was at this point. 

“These were kidnappers. And people rented these things.” Henry says horrified. 

“And no one knew. Not even me.” Michael says, staring at the Funtime Foxy blueprint. He was made out of them after all. Charlie said she had to put him together, so he had to be made with a lot of their parts. 

He was a walking, talking child kidnapper. 

Shuddering at the thought he tries to make sense of it all.

There’s a good long moment of silence, about a good thirty minutes of them trying to figure out William Afton’s plans. Michael leans back against the couch giving out a sigh. 

“He’s kidnapping kids…in the animatronics. And then there’s something to do with remnants. Also he might be the one causing all the children at the pizzeria to disappear…” 

“He’s not allowed at mine, I made sure of that.” Henry had accused William of having something to do with Charlie’s death and the children who had gone missing. They couldn’t find evidence and Henry cut all ties from him. 

Now there were five more children missing. 

“William, what the hell are you doing? What is your plan for all this?” 

“And how can we stop him.” 

Henry hums softly, “I don’t see anything else that can give us a clue on what he’s planning on doing. It’s all jumbled and just everywhere. I think we should take this all home and figure it out from there.” 

Michael glances at him, giving a slight nod in agreement. There was no point of staying here when this was all they could find. No doubt he had things stashed everywhere, and probably not all of it was at the house. He wasn’t that dumb. 

Henry groans as he sits up, while Michael gathers all his things. “Next on this list is getting your abilities checked out. We need to learn to control it so you don’t put yourself into sticky situations.” 

“Yeah, I would rather not attract kids, period.” Michael says quickly, he still didn’t like the idea that all these so-called abilities he had were to lure kids out so Freddy could nab them. 

Horrifying. 

They make it out of the house and Michael takes one final look. “Henry, here I forgot something.” He says quietly and Henry nods, taking the blueprints as Michael quietly goes back into the house. 

He opens Evan’s door and there the Fredbear plush is sitting. Almost expectantly. He reaches down and picks it up, his chest opening as he places the plush inside the small pocket of storage he had. 

With that he turns his heel and gives one final look in Evan’s room before shutting the door. 

Fredbear didn’t deserve to be trapped in that awful place. 

He rushes outside and Henry helps him back into the trunk of the car, opening his chest cavity so he can pull the plush out while Henry drives them home. 

Michael was going to figure this out, for Evan, Elizabeth, Charlie and everyone else William Afton hurt. He promised. And he was determined to keep this promise. 

Notes:

Thank you all for reading! Hope you liked this chapter! Tell me all about it! Your comments fuel me~

Until next time!

Chapter 4: Try Harder Next Time

Notes:

Holy Moly! 1,000 hits and counting! Goodness you guys are great! I’m loving all the wonderful comments and thank you all so much for the feedback! I’ll try to reply to some of these, I just keep forgetting to ^^;

But thank you for your continued support! On with the chapter

It was late afternoon when they arrived back at the house. Michael was quiet, his thoughts consuming his every action. Everything was just overwhelming to him. The revelation that his father was potentially a child murderer and kidnapper shook him to the bone. 

How many times did his father tell him he was working late at the pizzeria? Was that to kill? To hunt? How many animatronic kidnappings had he done? Five kids were missing, and who knows how large his body count was. 

It was too much, making his head spin. He felt nauseous, wanting to puke his guts out but that wasn’t an option for him. 

He didn’t get that luxury anymore. 

The car stops and Michael lifts his eyes seeing Henry walk back to the trunk to open it up. His face hardened, and jaw looked like it was about to snap under the pressure he was putting it in. Henry, he couldn’t imagine how the man was feeling. 

How he was right . 

He remembers the betrayal when Henry accused William that he had something to do with Charlie’s death, and William had screamed and shouted to Michael about how much of a snake Henry was. That he was forbidden to speak or go to that man any more. 

Why would someone get so worked up like that? 

Because, it was true. His father undoubtedly killed Charlie. 

He didn’t want to imagine the betrayal of her beloved uncle ending her life. He knew she had been left outside, he wasn’t there when it happened, having been grounded and wasn’t allowed to play with anyone for an entire month. 

Had he been there, would he have gone to find her? 

Michael winces at the voice that whispered no. He probably wouldn’t have. Being an angry asshole, so mad at the world, at how he was being treated. He lashed out on everyone, only having bullies for friends who immediately dropped him when the incident happened. 

You’re a killer Mike, can’t be around you anymore. 

He remembered how shocked he was when his little gang of friends just said that and left him on the schoolyard. Left him, while he cried that it was an accident and that it was their idea too. 

It wasn’t his fault.

The trunk opens and Michael lifts his head seeing Henry give a smile to him. Despite being solemn he still had time to grace the boy with a smile. “Doing alright?” He asks and Michael just nods. 

“As much as a walking trap could be.” He mutters bitterly. 

“Come on now, you know you aren’t. You’re a good person Mike. You wouldn’t use those mechanics to do that.” 

How do you know? He wanted to scream. He wasn’t a good person. He was a murderer just like his father. He killed his own brother and now was getting what he deserved. Forever locked in this metal coffin, unable to die, unable to live. 

He was in his own personal hell. 

Henry gently holds his hand out for the boy to take, and with a hesitant look Michael reaches for him and grabs his hand. Wishing he could feel the warmth, wishing he could feel anything but just numbness on the inside. 

Stepping out of the car he pushed any and all thoughts away, he didn’t need to be whining and crying about how much his life sucked right now. 

Get it together Michael, cry one more time and I’ll show something to really cry about. 

His father’s voice hissing in his ear, he could feel his nails digging into his face, silver eyes glaring into his own. 

Cry one more time. 

“Michael?” 

Michael’s eyes flicker as if he’s blinking, looking at Henry. The man is staring at him with a concerned look, “Was that…your father?” 

“Huh? Where?” Michael stammers looking around with panic and Henry grabs his hand. 

“It was coming from you, Michael.” 

Me? 

“Cry one more time and I’ll show you something to cry about? Did he say that to you?” 

Michael feels his body grow stiff. How could he have heard that? He didn’t say anything. He didnt even- 

The voice mimicry the animatronics had. 

Synchronization with parent and relay. 

He was mimicking his father from his memories. 

“Michael? It’s okay, I’m here for you. It’s okay if you don’t want to talk about it. I just wanted to make sure..” 

“I don’t want to talk about it.” His voice states firmly. He didn’t want to deal with this right now. He didn’t want Henry’s pity. He didn’t need the stares of sadness. He was fine. It was normal, he was used to it. 

Henry looks at him, nodding quietly. He was doing his best and Michael wished he wasn’t. Wished he would just leave him alone and stop asking questions about things. He was fine. 

“Okay, but if you ever need to talk-“ 

“I don’t. Let’s-let’s just get inside.” He snapped getting Henry to nod quickly knowing when not to push. He knew Michael, it may have been a good couple years but he knew this kid. 

Filled with so much anger and sadness. How he pushed everyone away just so he wouldn’t get hurt again. Or hurt them. 

But in doing so did in fact hurt them. 

Henry just wanted to help. 

Michael pushes past him once the door opens,  a blanket still covering him. He drops it as soon as he’s in the living room. Henry places the blueprints down holding one in his hands. 

“Is this what got you?” He asks quietly, turning the blueprint over and Michael peers at the blue paper. 

“SCUP?” He relays and leans a bit to read it. “Wait a minute. Remnant injector? What-what the hell does that mean?”

What is bad is always left behind.

“They used that thing often. Circus Baby always talked about it. She said.. They always put us back inside. Was Father using this Remnant and just…injecting the stuff in these machines? By scooping them?” It didn’t make sense. Just what the hell was remnant? Why was his father so obsessed with it? 

Henry looks at the blueprints again, “I think we should look into this scooping device. It says it has a remnant reservoir. Perhaps if we look further…we might be able to understand it more.” 

His head was spinning, he didn’t know what to think. “God. That thing- that thing injected my body with it. I got scooped, so my body…my body must have whatever Remnant is.” 

“Hold on body? As in, it’s still around?!” Henry questions his eyes wide as he looks horrified. 

Right he forgot to mention that little detail. He stopped before he told the man that Charlie told him that Ennard was just waltzing around his body. Nothing like finding out your body is just prancing around with some animatronics melded into one being. Oh! And your sister is a part of that circus. 

Why, she’s the ringleader. 

“Right, um yeah. It crawled into me and apparently walked out of the rental center! Have no clue where it could be.” 

He says it so nonchalantly. Like it's no big deal. That he’s not just some soul trapped in this metal casing while his actual real body is just wandering around. 

“Not sure how exactly it’s alive , but that was their goal. To look like me.” To be human so they didn’t go through whatever torture his father was putting them through. 

“Good God.” Henry mutters, rubbing his face with a low groan. “So you're telling me, this Ennars is just, parading around as you?” 

“As me, but scooped. So I imagine guts and shit hanging out and the like.” 

Henry looks green, “Please don’t say it like that.” 

Michael shrugs, it was the truth. “Not sure if a wire monster can fix up a large scooping hole in my abdomen. So..” 

“Please Michael.” 

He can’t help but laugh, the sound echoing across the room. “What? I’m healing myself, with comedy. It’s my thing, remember? I’m LolBit.” 

Henry looks uncomfortable, “Mike. Please. I know this is a lot.” 

“Yeah? Is it?” Michael snaps with his eyes burning. “Is it Henry? That I died , that I have some freaky wire monster inside my body while I’m stuck here? Looking like a weird fox comedian? And not to mention that my sister did all that? That she tricked me? ”

“Oh and don’t forget my father is a killer. So who’s to say I’m not either? I already have one under my belt!” Michael shouts, his face opening with a loud hiss, and Henry winces. Michael is dangerously close to Henry, towering over the man. 

“Mike.” 

Henry's voice is quiet, and Michael looks down at him. Henry’s back against the wall and his eyes are wide. As if he’s expecting Michael to slam a metal fist down on him. 

The face plates shift clicking back to normal. 

“I'm sorry.” Henry whispers looking up at the boy. “I’m sorry you dealt with so much. I’m sorry that this is happening to you. You deserve to be angry.” 

The animatronic steps back, his eyes wide. 

“Nothing like this should have happened. If anyone is to blame, it’s your father. Not you. You are not your father. Do you think he would try and fix his mistakes? Or try to redeem what he has done?” 

There’s silence before Michael replies, “No..” 

“Who’s trying to make things better? Who’s working hard to fix what has been wrong?” 

“I…I am.” 

“Exactly. The fact that you are pushing to make things better for you and others, is good Michael. You’re not a killer, and you’re not a bad person. You’re broken, and haven’t been able to heal. This is the healing process. Trust me. I know. I was a mess with Charlie. And I should have been there for you. For all of you.” 

He places his hands around Michael’s arms, squeezing the metal. 

“Don’t you ever let yourself think you are your father.” 

“But what if I am. What if I’m just like him.” Michael whispers fearfully, his voice bleeding through the default voice. 

Henry looks at him, green eyes set on purple. “You are not. You are nothing like him.” 

There’s a moment of silence before Henry quickly wraps his arms around Michael, pulling the large animatronic close to him. His face was pressed into Michael’s voice box. Michael stiffens at the contact his arms lifted slightly from the hug. 

It’s been so long since someone hugged him. 

And he couldn’t even feel it properly. 

Michael leans down a bit, wrapping his own arms around Henry. The embrace was awkward but he didn’t care. 

“We will fix this. Together okay? You’re not alone anymore. I won’t let that happen.” 

Please Henry, don’t leave me. 

I don’t want to be alone anymore . 

He grips Henry’s shirt tightly, he wanted to cherish this. Wanted to finally feel loved. He was so tired. So tired of everything that had been thrown at him. 

This was a small moment of peace for him. 

Henry pulls away and gives the boy a pat on the back. “It’ll be okay Mike.” He tells him with a smile. “It’ll be okay. I’d offer you some dinner but..” 

“You get dinner, I’ll keep looking at these blueprints. Maybe I missed something.” 

Henry hums, “Well there’s the tv so maybe just relax and read them casually. It’s not good to constantly be on the grind. You’ll wear yourself out.” 

Michael wanted to retort that he was a machine. That he really couldn’t wear himself out. 

“Alright, but I’m putting on one of my shows.” He says and Henry nods. 

“Knock yourself out kid.” 

He had missed so many days, he was going to be so behind in the Immortal and the Restless. Damn it. He wanted to know what was going on with Vlad and the whole baby situation. 

That show was a work of art. 

While Henry walks into the kitchen Michael sits himself down, finding the remote on the side table. He leans back as the tv flickers on and he’s so happy he caught his show just in time. If only he could have some popcorn.. 

Oh well.

Grabbing the stack of papers they had brought from his house. He begins to flick through them as the theme begins to play. It almost felt normal. 

Almost. 

 

…

 

“Okay!” Henry says his meal was done and Michael was still watching television. The animatronic looks to him seeing Henry looking energized. 

“The disc. The disc. Aha! There it is.” Henry muttered as he reached over and picked up the illusion disc. “This little thing, it needs a makeover. One that will keep a good disguise and not make me want to vomit.” 

“Yeah no puking needed please.” Michael jokes as he looks over at Henry. “How are you going to fix it?” 

The older man purses his lips as he brings it up to his eye level. “Not sure, I have a theory…and I think if I can pull it though, it’ll be better than before. And not be harmful to children. Period.” 

There’s a sigh from both of them, they definitely had some work cut out for them. 

He’s stuck here until they can figure out how the illusion disc worked, and how to fix it entirely. 

“We’ll have to attach it to your person. Just so it doesn’t fall off or get any damage on it. I was thinking around your neck or head so you can click it on and off. From what I read these things are basically placed inside the machine so it activates when the machine activates. But since yours was just placed on you, it doesn’t work unless you activate it.” 

Henry rubs his chin as he starts to ramble. Michael was trying to keep up, but Henry was going far too fast for him. He was going a mile a minute and it took him back. 

Back when they were all together with his father and Henry were talking about their future for the company. All the different animatronics and what they could do. 

It was nice. 

“So, we place it on a certain area. You click it and then it draws power from…whatever you’re exactly running on. Soul juice?” 

“Soul juice.” Michael repeats and gives a laugh, his shoulders bobbing up and down. “Better than whatever I could come up with.” 

Henry chuckles alongside him, “Yes, well, this is not the machine keeping you alive. You are keeping it alive, and living inside it. So this is a whole new territory.” 

That was certainly true, soul juice it is. 

“But the bad thing is, it came from your death. So we don’t want to continue having it being brought into the world.” 

“Yeah…I would like to avoid anyone else getting this feat.” 

“Hopefully no one has to suffer like this…” 

Michael stays quiet, knowing there was more like him. Charlie told him there were many. One day he would have to tell him, but not now. He feels bad for keeping it from him. How was he to bring it up anyways? 

It was a topic hard to just slide into a normal conversation. 

Well as normal as their conversations could be. 

“So if you fix this, I’ll be able to look the part at will?” 

Henry nods, “In theory. Hopefully. That is the plan at least. Then we can go from there. One foot in front of the other.” 

Good. Then he could go and retrace his father’s footsteps. He had to be somewhere. Hiding away or taking kids again. Dealing with this remnant business. 

Henry is sitting on the armchair now, with a pencil in his hand and a pad of paper next to him. He’s scribbling things down as he looks from the disc to the blueprints that William Afton had created. 

Michael leaves him be, knowing that his father didn’t like it when he was disturbed while he worked. 

He sits and stares at the tv, just letting his mind wander feeling that strange crawling feeling again. The darkness seeping into his vision like little hands covering his eyes, yanking him backwards. 

He falls and falls and yet again he’s back at the place he dreaded the most. 

The diner. 

“Please, whatever this is, knock it off.” Michael shouts his body hunched looking around the place. It’s empty, much like the pizzeria last night. This had to be a nightmare. 

Michael .

A voice whispers so close to his ear that he stumbles back, falling onto the floor. His breathing heavy, he stands up shakily. 

“I’m here. What do you want from me? Charlie? Is this you?” 

It’s me. 

A spotlight shines bright on the stage, and it’s that slumped over Freddy. No, he should say Fredbear. Freddy was brown. Fredbear was gold. He knew that all too well. 

It’s me. 

“Who, who are you? Why are you messing with me?” 

Thought you’d get a taste of your own medicine. We know what you did

Michael feels frustrated, why was everyone so cryptic around here?! Why couldn’t anyone just be straight with him! He just wanted to understand what the hell was going on.

“Yeah well, you got me. Now why do you keep bringing me here? To these places?!” 

There’s a childish giggle coming from the bear, white pinpricks eyes staring at him. It was unnerving and he wondered if Henry felt the same when he stared at him. 

Find us Michael. He’s here. I want him gone.

“Who? Where?!” 

Find us! 

It’s ME. 

Michael shouts finding himself back in Henry’s living room, Henry no longer in his room. He breathes out a frustrated sigh. The hell even was that?! It certainly wasn’t a nightmare.

He stops pausing as he sees the bear, Fredbear, that he had taken from the house. It’s eyes staring at him. With that weird grin on its face. 

“I don’t suppose you’re the one causing all this huh?” Michael mutters wondering how the thing got there in the first place. 

“Find you huh? Why can’t people just shout where they are instead of just saying oh find me Michael, save me Michael. Come down to the rental place Michael, free your sister Michael.” He starts to laugh in his own frustration. 

Stupid Lolbit. 

He moves to stand wondering where Henry is, probably went to tinker with the illusion disc. The man was on a mission and who was Michael to stop him? This was for him after all, and he couldn’t be more grateful. 

Tilting his head he wonders if he could use that weird sensor, just so he could find Henry and not wander around his house like a weird cryptid. 

His face plates shudder as he thinks, focusing himself and blinked,  hearing the familiar flash and seeing everything light up. 

A golden aura shines brightly down the hall and Michael quickly follows it and knocks on the door. 

“Come in!” 

Michael enters seeing Henry at a desk, with a magnifying glass that is attached to a sort of desk lamp and pliers picking at the illusion disc. 

“Hey kiddo, did ya get some sleep? You kinda went dark on me.”

Michael tilts his head, “I..guess you can call it that. I think someone’s trying to communicate with me. It’s happened twice in a row now.” 

Henry stops turning his chair, he’s wearing goggles and pulls them up onto his forehead. “Communicate? Who?”

“Not sure, it's weird and I don’t know why it’s happening. Told me to find them, and stop him. I’m assuming it’s my father. But I don’t know who is reaching out to me.” Maybe one of his victims? 

“Wish people would just tell me things, instead of making it some crazy puzzle I have to figure out.” 

Michael sighs rubbing his face, feeling the odd circular cheeks and snout. This was so weird. 

“Well, I have good news nightmares aside. I cracked the code. Now I just need to recreate it. William made it complex, took me a while.”

Michael blinked, “How long have I been out?” 

“About five hours? At least?” 

Geez. Just for that? What the hell. 

“Nothing like a call that lasts five hours,” Michael laughs and Henry smiles at him. Here’s hoping that he won’t get called again. Seriously the next time he was going to start swinging at people if they started to be cryptic. He was starting to lose his temper at all this. 

Henry turns his chair and starts to work on the disc again. “I can imagine. But this thing should be fixed in a day or two, and then we can start planning for real.” 

Michael nods, “I need to get to the pizzeria. To check it out. Just to make sure. I think that’s what I’m being called to.” 

“Just be careful. With this disc you’ll look like a human, but your mechanics still might work. So try to stay under the radar. And if you see your father, call the police.” 

The animatronic snorts at that, “Like they’ll do anything. They didn’t the first time.” 

William had been arrested only to be let free due to the lack of evidence. He had told Michael it was because Henry was trying to slander him. “He threatened to sue you for that.” 

“I know,” Henry says with a huff, “He was up to something and now it seems I was right.” 

Right about Charlie too. 

“We’ll fix it.” 

“We will.” 

 

…

 

It did take them a couple days. Michael doing his best to help out and gather what he could. Henry worked day and night with Michael hovering around his shoulder. 

He also made sure the man would sleep and eat, not letting him work himself to death. He knew it was something Henry was prone to. Often Charlie and Michael would drag him out of his workshop so he wouldn’t sleep on the desk. 

Michael didn’t need him to be slaving away for something that was for him. 

“I did it! It’s done!!” 

Henry skids into the living room while Michael is watching his soap opera. 

“It’s done?” Michael exclaims standing up, completely ignoring the tv. It was fine since they had this whole B plot about a werewolf and his human wife adopting a vampire and Frankenstein’s monster. 

Henry nods showing the final product. Instead of the dark black coloration, it was white with an orange ring, the color of the light blinking a bright purple. LolBit’s colors. 

“All here. Introducing the Illuso Disc! By Henry Emily and Michael Afton.” Henry states proudly with a wide grin. “Will not make you sick! I tested it.”

“Amazing! Look at it! It’s a whole new device.” Michael states with awe, his eyes bright. 

Henry steps closer to Michael and places the device on his neck. “Alright, the moment of truth. Here we go.” 

With a simple click, Henry steps back as the device blinks rapidly. Michael can hear the sudden whirl of the machinery attached to him. 

His body flickers and he watches in fascination, seeing the white flicker to pale. His hands now fingers, not metal claws. 

To him he didn’t know if he looked human, if he stared at his body he could see it flicker back to normal. 

“We did it! We did it Mike! Look at you! Geez you’re tall!” 

Michael laughs, the sound his own, but a bit glitchy as he was still LolBit. 

“I’m so not used to this! But here I am. Human!!” He shouts in triumph and Henry takes Michael’s hand with a laugh of his own. 

“You gotta be more than six feet here! I guess the height transfers with how tall the animatronic body is.” 

Michael nods, he never thought of it that way. He wasn’t the tallest of guys, but now he was exceptionally tall. He towered over Henry with his gangly form. Taller than his father. 

“You did it Henry. God you did it. I ca-thank you. Thank you so much.” He whispered and Henry squeezes his hands looking happy with unshed tears. 

Henry just looks so proud, smiling widely at him. They finally did something that deserved a celebration. This was a win in their books. A opportunity to change the game. His father wouldn’t expect an animatronic disguised as his son now would he. 

“We did this Mike. Come on here let’s see if your reflection reflects this image.” 

Henry ushers the boy to the mirror by the stairs, Michael looking at it with wide eyes. He was there. Beside Henry. Dark circles under his eyes, thin face with brown hair curled just slightly. 

“Geez my eyes!” 

His eyes were a deep purple, almost glowing in the light. Goodbye silver eyes, he now had the glowing purple ones. 

“I suppose that’s one thing they can’t change. You’re still an animatronic under all this. But if anyone asks, just say it’s new contacts you’re trying out.” 

“Think it’ll work?” 

Henry shrugs, “I doubt anyone will be suspicious this thing is to make people feel like the illusion is real.” 

Right. 

“I don’t care let them think I’m odd.” Michael huffs. 

The older man laughs patting his back, “There ya go. Just try to be as human as you can alright. And you’re starting to smell like coffee again.” 

Michael looks at himself and sighs, “I’m really trying to fix that. I don’t know how to stop it.” 

“It might be connected to how you feel. Don’t worry we will figure it out. Tomorrows another day after all.” 

“Right.” 

Tomorrow he was going to call the pizzeria, or go to it. Now that he could properly walk around like a human. And he would keep an ear on the ground for any sort of odd things coming out of the woodwork. 

He would hunt down anything that his father created and put an end to it. Or a fix. 

“Tomorrow’s another day.” 

Notes:

Hope you enjoyed it! The stage is set and now the real fun begins. Time for Michael to go to work! Can you guess where he heads to first?

Also! I posted some art on my Twitter here: https://twitter.com/inkspottie/status/1486439941114580993?s=21

If you want more art you’ll probably see it there!

Chapter 5: Time to Start the Show!

Notes:

I’m on a roll and there’s no stopping this train! I hope you all aren’t bored of me!

Things are going to be picking up from here, and the timeline is gonna get a little skewed. It’s my au so I get to plan the events that happen lol

But things might get slower since I just recently got accepted into a job. It’s remote work so I’ll be at home, but idk how my schedule is gonna be. I’ll do my best to update when I can tho!

He couldn’t believe it. He couldn’t honestly believe it. There he was staring right back at him. Human. It was awful that he couldn’t pinch his cheeks, or rub his hands into his hair. Just to feel something, anything. 

The illusion disk, or illuso disc, only could do so much.

“How long does it last?” Michael asks, eyes looking down at Henry who tilts his head. 

“Not sure! Considering you’re running on something that isn’t electricity, I don’t know. This is unknown territory Michael. Isn’t it great?” 

Henry looks like he’s about to burst from excitement. The man was so happy and it was contagious. 

“Yeah,” He breathes, finding relief to hear his own voice again. “It sure is something. I can be me again! I can walk around! Not have to hide! It’s amazing!” 

He slaps Henry on the back making the man give a loud ‘oof!’ nearly falling to the floor from the hit. “Hoo boy, you got some strength to ya.” 

“Sorry.” Michael gives an apologetic look, laughing at how giddy he felt. “I’m just- finally things are turning around. We did it!” 

“We did!” 

They both burst out laughing. Henry kept himself steady by placing a hand on Michael’s arm. This was nice, good even. He needed more moments like this in his life. It all had just been a shitty life. Just one event after the other. 

But they still had work to do. 

“Tomorrow, I’m going to the pizzeria. I need to check it out. See if my father is sneaking around. Since I keep getting haunted calls from who knows what.” 

Henry nods, “You can take the car. Just be careful please. Don’t…don’t get into too much trouble.” 

He smirked looking at the man, “Trouble seems to find me Henry, I can’t make any promises.” He was always stuck in the middle of something, or having to deal with the consequences of his own actions. 

Watching Henry sit down on the chair by the couch, Henry puffs out a breath of air. “Just try to come back in one piece, yeah? I don’t need to be fixing you up.”

Michael nods, “That I can do. Pretty sure I’m durable as hell.” He pats his chest, surprised to not hear a loud metallic or plastic noise. “Geez this thing is a miracle worker. Not a single creak or sound coming from me!”

“That’s the point, it tricks everyone’s mind to think you are a human. Audio and visual is a part of that. Just don’t let people get too close or touch you. Things might not end well.” 

The boy nods, “I’ll be careful. I don’t want to get caught either. Who knows what would happen if people found out I’m a walking sentient robot.” He didn’t want to imagine that. Probably taken away for science. Stripped apart.

Shuddering he takes a seat and Henry leans forward watching the tv seeing that it was reruns of Immortal. “Now…explain this to me.” 

Michael lights up and soon begins to ramble about his favorite show. He could talk for hours about it. 

 

…

 

And he did talk for hours. Henry just listened intently as Michael explained the intricate web that was the story of Vlad and his wife. And the other creatures that came along with it. 

Halfway through Michael feels himself suddenly get sluggish and Henry looks concerned. 

“Mike? Are you feeling alright?” 

Michael feels exhausted actually. Like he had just ran three marathons or something. “I’m really tired? This hasn’t happened before.” 

Henry’s brows lift and he moves close, “Oh no, it’s the disc! It’s tiring you out.” He rubs his chin. “Maybe it only can work on so much energy before you start to feel it’s effects.” 

It definitely was draining his energy, he was surprised he was even feeling such a thing. “Guess I can’t stay this way for too long then.” Michael mutters as he clicks the disc on his neck and the thrumming stops, the thing no longer vibrating against his neck. 

He was back as the giant fox animatronic. His form no longer glitching about. 

“Well, it worked for a pretty long time. Almost eight hours.” 

Eight hours. Not too bad. He could handle that. 

“I just have to be careful then. Turn it off every once in a while so I can recharge my,” He snickers, going into a laughter, “my batteries .” 

Henry shakes his head, but the smile never leaves his face. “It makes a little sense. The disc is diverting all your power to make yourself look, sound and almost feel human. I’ll have to look into a bigger battery life, since it’s small it’s not the best power source.” 

“No it’s okay, this is fine. I am happy with this. I just have to be more careful with it. Only use it when I go out.” 

He didn’t want Henry to put himself through another day or so trying to make the disc better. It already was amazing. He couldn’t be more grateful. Michael didn’t want to imagine what he would’ve done without Henry. 

Probably just waste away at his apartment. 

“Alright, but I’ll still look into it. Just in case. I cracked the code so it should be much easier to make and upgrade if needed.” 

“Thanks Henry.” 

The man smiles, getting up with a groan. “Well I think this is enough excitement for today. I’m heading to bed. You gonna be alright?” 

Michael looks up to him and nods, giving the best smile he could give as an animatronic. “Yeah, thanks again Henry.” 

“You’re welcome kiddo. Have a good night.” Henry pat’s his head and heads up to his room leaving Michael alone with his thoughts. 

He was tired, the disc taking a lot out of him. Leaning back against the couch he stares at the Fredbear plush innocently sitting on the coffee table before him. With those weird little eyes, Michael always felt like they were watching him. 

Puffing out a breath he leans back looking up at the ceiling. He was feeling it again. The same call from the days before. So he lets it happen, the darkness oozing and taking him away. Pulling him into the abyss. 

This time he’s more aware of his surroundings. The four main animatronics are staring at him, all while the golden Fredbear is slumped in the back. 

“I’m trying, I’m coming tomorrow.” Michael explains trying to keep his voice steady. “You gotta just tell me. Don’t leave me in the dark, I want to help! Really.” 

If you really wanted to help you wouldn’t have done what you did.

The sound of a cracking skull echoes the room, and screams shatter behind him opening a new scene. 

He’s in his Foxy mask staring up at his limp brother who’s dangling from the mouth of the Fredbear, blood pooling off the mouth and onto the floor. 

“No. No no I’m sorry. Please, I'm so sorry. It-it was an accident.” Michael whispers as the animatronics step closer, he can’t take his eyes off the body. How it was just limp in its mouth. 

He reaches up to try and touch Evan. “I’m so sorry Evan! Please! I didn’t mean for it to happen! You have to believe me.” 

Then fix what is wrong Michael. You only have one chance . 

He looks down and sees the blood on his hands all while the giggling of children’s voices echo in his head. 

It’s Me. 

Michael looks up seeing Fredbear slumped against the stage, no longer back at that horrid day. 

“Evan?” 

It all clicks together. His mind suddenly understanding. 

The Fredbear shudders and shakes, white eyes staring at him. As if it’s trying to communicate but something is holding it back. 

“Evan please! Is that you ack-“

Foxy picks him up by the throat, dangling him in the air, eye burning brightly. The hook swings upward towards his stomach and then all he sees is red. 

Michael gasps for air thrusted back into reality. He’s shaking, panting heavily. His face plates shudder as his body bobs up and down mimicking deep breaths. 

What the hell was that? Was that…Evan? Was Evan calling to him? 

It couldn’t be, Evan was dead. Long before all this stuff even happened.

He grips his head trying to understand it all. He needed to go to the pizzeria. He needed to check it out. So many puzzle pieces and none of them ever seemed to fit together. It was frustrating to no end. He felt like he was constantly thrown for a loop. 

Always having to pick up the pieces of his own shattered mind and try to figure it out. 

Damn it he was going to keep trying. Keep pushing. He wasn’t going to let some weird nightmare call that could be from his dead brother knock him down. 

Tomorrow is where shit got real. 

 

…

 

“Okay, let’s go over this again. Just so we know the plan of action.” Henry says as Michael prepares himself to go to the pizzeria. 

Michael sighs, but finds it a bit nice that Henry was worried for him. He appreciated the concern. “I’m just going to go to the place, look around, see if I find anything. I’ll be careful. I promise.” 

Henry still has a concerned look on his face, “Alright, just…don’t hurt yourself. If anything happens, come right back. Please.” 

The boy smiles, placing his hand on Henry’s shoulder before he clicks the illuso disc on. “I’ll be okay.” 

“I know, I just worry. It’s what dads do.” 

Michael just stands there with wide eyes. Dads do. 

Why couldn’t his own father be like this? Worried for his son’s safety. Care for him? Love him? 

Henry squeezes Michael’s shoulders giving a grin. “Alright. Go get ‘em. Tell me everything when you get back.” 

He places the keys of the car into Michael’s hand, the disguised human nods firmly. “Will do. I’ll be back soon. Don’t get too caught up in your work.” 

Henry chuckles, “Yes, yes now get out of here brat.” 

Michael laughs and gives a small salute as he takes off heading to the car. It felt so nice. To just walk out of the house without a worry. No more panicking at the thought that someone would find him. 

Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria. 

A place he thought he’d never go back to. He stayed clear away from anything having to do with the animatronics. The atmosphere. It all just brought him back to that horrible day. 

The worst day in his entire life, and he’s had some pretty shitty ones. 

But these ghost children or whatever it was, called him here so he needed to investigate. Michael steps out of the car looking up at the sign and takes a deep breath. 

“Here goes nothing.” 

With that he walks up to the steps and opens the door. 

It’s the same as before, children everywhere screaming and laughing. The sound music fills the air. He could hear the animatronic laughter and songs they would sing. 

“Hi, I’m looking for-“ 

“Go talk to Jeremy, I'm off the clock.” An employee muttered brushing past him. Michael just stands there awkwardly wondering what the hell he was even looking for. His father mostly. Charlie maybe? Was she even here? 

Michael starts to travel down the main hall to the main stage and game area where he knew most of the people would be. He would just have to travel from room to room and try to find any clues. 

It’s not until he gets into the place that he sees all the children. All the laughing and running around while their parents were somewhere else. No doubt had just dropped them off and let them go wild, that’s what his father would usually do. He didn’t stay to chaperone unless it was one of their parties. 

The animatronics are different. He remembered they introduced these ‘Toy’ animatronics, ones that kind of reminded him of the Funtime line. Was his father just copying Henry’s designs? 

“Gee Mister, you sure are tall.” A little child states and Michael turns around with wide eyes. Three children are behind him, looking at him expectantly. 

“Err…” 

“Why you so tall?” A girl in pigtails questions and Michael feels himself panic. 

He was no good with children. 

“Because…because I eat my veggies every day, and drink all my milk.” He says with a fake puff of pride putting his hands on his hips. “And you can too if you do just that.” 

Or just be an animatronic in disguise. 

The kids looked at him like he just invented a new puppy and showed it to them. Their eyes sparkling brightly. 

“Now umm…shoo go play.” He stammers, making a motion with his hands, feeling a bit uncomfortable with all these little eyes watching him. 

“You smell like candy.” One blurts out and Michael’s eyes widen. 

Oh no. 

He was doing his weird scent thing again! Was LolBit trying to lure these children towards him? He didn’t know how he could stop it. It was something inside his subconscious or something. He did not want this. 

Panicking, he thought of an excuse. Children would believe anything right? 

“That’s because…I chew gum. Yeah, lots of it.” 

The kids just make an ‘ohhh’ noise and Michael wants to just run away. He wasn’t used to this attention, especially from kids. He was terrible with them. 

He breathes a sigh of relief that none of the kids question further. 

Okay, so he needed to find clues to this place. To see if his father had been here, or weird things had been happening. He peered around the arcade place, noting the carousel and weird balloon animatronic that was staring at him. 

Weird. 

Michael makes a surprised noise when he nearly toppled over from someone latching to his foot. He looks down to see a young girl with no front teeth smiling at him, her arms wrapped around his ankle. 

“Oh no kid get off, please.” He stammers trying to shake her off, surprised he was able to even lift his foot. The girl just giggles and laughs having a fun time with it. 

“I wanna piggyback ride!” 

“Me too me too!” 

Suddenly he’s surrounded by a gaggle of kids and he feels like he’s going to faint. No no, don’t come near me! He wanted to shout. 

“Please kids get off me oof-“ 

He had attempted to make a breakaway with the kid still latched to his foot when someone smacked right into him. Michael is sturdy enough that he doesn’t topple over, but the person who smacked into him fell right on his behind. 

“Gah, come on ma-“ 

He stops seeing the very tall young man who has kids latched to him, some crawling up his back, others on his legs and some holding his hands. 

“Wha- kids! Get off him! Freddy and gang are gonna start singing again and you don’t wanna be late for that!” 

Michael is relieved that this blond guy is getting them all off him, he didn’t need to attract children right now, but unfortunately he smelled like candy to them. And kids loved candy. 

It seemed his Funtime mechanics still were active despite him not wanting to lure anyone right now. 

The final kid gets off and Michael sighs in relief. 

“Geez they sure like you, I never seen them just flock to anyone. You’re just as popular as Freddy here!” The guy laughs and Michael puffs out a breath. 

No thanks. He did not want that. 

“Aha…yeah they just…tackled me! I just needed to see if-“ 

“Say, are you looking for a job?” The guy asks, tilting his head. 

Michael’s brows raise, “Huh?” He says a bit dumbly. 

“You looking for a job? We are hiring right now, and need more security people. One just quit on us and we are needing a night guard. I’m having to substitute and it would be cool if I don’t have double shifts anymore.” 

There was no way, this couldn’t be too easy. If he worked as a night guard, he could…search the place out! Without children, without any managers. It would be…

Perfect.

“You know what, I actually was. I just lost my job and I actually was a guard at another place. Circus Baby’s Rental.”

The guy nods, “Ohh, the sister location! That’s perfect! Oh! I’m Jeremy by the way! Jeremy Fitzgerald.” He puts his hand out to shake and Michael looks at it with a smile.

“Nice to meet ya, I’m…” Shoot he had to come up with a name, he couldn’t just be parading around as Michael Afton. Everyone knew that name. 

“Mike, Mike Schmidt.” 

“Mike! Cool, cool. Let me go get my manager and we can try to get you on board. Come with me.” 

Michael nods looking over his shoulder seeing the animatronics dancing and singing, but they weren’t looking in all directions, but just staring at him. It was unsettling but no one seemed to notice. 

But this was good! This was great even. He would get the job, and then he could sneak around, make some money. Try to find out what the hell was going on here. 

He follows Jeremy to the office seeing a large man talking to another employee. 

“Hey boss! This is Mike! He wants to work as a night guard.” 

The man turns around looking at Michael who stays still. Michael isn’t afraid since he’s the tallest in the room right now. Just towering over everyone at this point. 

“You wanna be a night guard?” 

“Yes sir. I worked at Circus Baby’s Rental, but I recently got laid off.” He told the man, well laid off wasn’t the correct term. More like terminated. 

The man just raises a brow, “You look familiar, what’s your name kid?” 

“Mike, Mike Schmidt.”

The man rubs his chin, “Alright. Name’s Trevor. You wanna work here? Perfect, we got an opening. Don’t mess with the animatronics, keep your nose clean and you’ll do fine.” 

Michael blinks wow, was it that easy to get to these places? “It’s that easy?”

“That easy. Here’s the paperwork, give me your number and I’ll call you when we need you.” Trevor passes a large stack of paper to Michael and then pats his back. 

“Alright kid, welcome to the team.” 

Jeremy looks ecstatic and Michael nods with a slight smile. “Happy to be here.” He writes Henry’s phone number on a paper and passes it to the large man. 

Trevor just makes a noise ushering the two out of his office and Jeremy just gives a laugh as they walk down. “Congrats! Welcome to Freddy’s.”

“Hey, uh thanks for ya know.” Michael says and Jeremy shakes his head. 

“Nah, ‘s okay. Trust me I’m glad we got someone else. These animatronics can get a little quirky man. Scott’s taking the night shift tonight but tomorrow I got it. Here’s hoping it doesn’t go too bad.” 

Michael tilts his head wondering just how quirky these animatronics were getting. Kill your own brother and kidnap children quirky? Or just wander around and spooky you quirky. 

“Well, now you have me on the team. And hopefully they can get me in as soon as possible.” 

The blond nods, “Me too. Well, I gotta get back to work, so you have a good day Mike! Hope to see ya soon.” 

Michael nods and waves awkwardly with the papers in his hands. 

“So far so good, now to bring Henry the news.” Sure he didn’t find Charlie or the one who called him here. But, being a night guard meant he could fully investigate without anyone around. Turn the cameras off so he could be in his animatronic mode. 

Quickly he rushes past the kids area, the new animatronics still playing their tunes. He did not want to be ambushed by little kids, no thank you. 

He’s free from the pizzeria and sighs, finding himself to be a little worn out but he needs to keep going. Just a little further. It was those dang scent mechanics that were getting him in trouble. 

He didn’t need to be a walking kid trap. 

Michael gets in the car and rushes back to Henry’s house.

…

 

“You what ?!” 

Michael winces pushing the button of the illusion disc, his body flickering before he appears as the animatronic. “Alright I know it sounds bad but think of it! I got the job as the night guard, and I can wander around looking for clues! It’s perfect Henry!” 

Henry is pacing around his hands behind his back. “Michael, that could be dangerous. What if they find you out? What would happen then?” 

“Trust me, I’ll be careful. I swear Henry. I just need to get some answers and that place seems to have them! Why would I get those freaky nightmares if something wasn’t going on in there?” 

Henry sighs rubbing his face, “I trust you, I do. I’m just worried, okay? I don’t…I don’t want you to get hurt.” 

Michael gives a small look, his tail swishing back and forth and ears flicking up and down. “I know, and I appreciate it. But I got this. Look at me. Even if something does happen, I’m pretty strong. I’ll be okay. And if I’m not, you can tell me I told you so.” 

There’s a moment of silence, and then Henry puts his hands up in defeat. “Alright, Alright. But you’ll bring the taser with you.” 

“If that makes you feel better, sure.” 

“It does.” 

Michael chuckles, which leads to a laughing attack. He clears his throat with a shake of his head. “Y-yikes. Come on now.” He mutters as if he’s scolding LolBit themself. 

“Anyways, I now just have to wait for the call. I put your phone number in, if that’s okay.” 

Henry nods, “That’s fine considering everything. You’re living here after all.” 

“I swear once I get everything figured out-“ 

Henry shakes his head, “It’s okay Michael. Just stay. Not like you need to have any substance or sleep. Not costing me a lot.” 

Well he was technically right on things. Michael was incapable of eating, sleeping and everything else. There was no point of him living by himself and paying rent if he didn’t really….live so to speak. 

Henry smiles as Michael gives in and nods to him, “Now I think Immortal and the Restless is on right now. Want to watch it?” 

Michael perks up, giving a wide grin, “Now you’re talking!” 

Notes:

Thanks for reading! You can catch me on Twitter as InkSpottie so if you want to hit me up with questions or anything I’ll be there!

Until next time!

Chapter 6: Never Underestimate the Cunning of a Pirate

Notes:

Another chapter! I had fun with this one, but I definitely had some trouble trying to…like portray how the game works into written form. So I apologize if it’s a little clunky. I did my best haha!

But thank you all for 2k hits! And all the wonderful comments. Seriously they make my day~

He was now officially a night guard. He was meant to work in three days considering the scheduling got a little messed up. He wished he could work immediately like Trevor had said, but it seemed the man was a bit lazy with his job as manager. 

Jeremy had explained everything to him, the guy was nice. A bit on the lax side, goofy but nice. It was…nice to have someone to talk to, aside from Henry. The guy called every time his shift ended to gossip. Boy did he love to gossip. 

Turns out the toy animatronics were made with special facial recognition mechanics that would identify criminals. They were a bit jumpy apparently but Michael wasn’t afraid of them. 

He would be able to handle them if they tried to get quirky. He dealt with the Funtimes after all. Like Ballora crawling around while he had to stay calm and wait for her. 

Plus, he was a giant animatronic now, he doubted those plastic things could even get a scratch on him. 

Jeremy gave him good insight about what was going on with the pizzeria. Kids missing and the management going haywire. It was crazy and Michael wondered if his father had been the security guard who had left already. Had he been too late? 

He would have to find out for himself, as it was the morning before his first shift. 

“I wish I could just power off until tomorrow.” Michael groans as he is sitting on the couch watching television. 

Henry chuckles from the table, he’s tinkering with something, the gears clicking as he tightens them with a wrench. “Have patience, young grasshopper.” He says with some silly accent. “The time will come. You’re just itching to go aren’t you?” 

“Yes!” Michael exclaims throwing his hands in the air. He decided to preserve his battery life for the illusion by staying his animatronic self. “I want to figure out just what the hell has been going on down there!” 

The phone rings and Michael leans forwards expectantly. Henry wipes his hands with a towel and goes to the phone. “Hello? No this isn’t him, yes I can put him on.” 

“The pizzeria.”

Micheal just about scrambled out of his couch knocking something over with his tail and slaps the illusion disc on. He jobs in place until the illusion starts to work and takes the phone. 

Clearing his throat he holds it to his ear. 

“Hello?” 

“Yeah hi Mike right?” 

“Yep! Is there something you need?”

“Yes actually. You see…it’s Jeremy.” 

Michael blinks, oh no. He swallows and holds the phone closer. “What about him? Did something happen?” 

He could hear Trevor shakily sigh and cough, “Yes. You see…Mangle malfunctioned and…well it bit Jeremy. Right in the head. We came in at six am and found him on the floor.” 

Michael’s eyes widened in horror. Holy shit. Mangle bit him? “Fuck, is he okay?” 

“He’s in the hospital, and you see he was supposed to be on the night shift for tonight. Scott’s already here for the day shift and I don’t have another guard. So, I need you to come in for the night shift. Can you do that?” 

This was awful, poor Jeremy. He couldn’t imagine having an animatronic take a chunk out of you. Wait a minute, he guessed he could. 

“Shit, well I can. I definitely can. I don’t have an uniform I was supposed to..” 

“That’s fine, just bring yourself and we’ll give you everything you need. I’ll have Scott pre-record some instructions. I need you here by midnight alright?” 

Michael nodded, “Yes sir, I can do that.” 

“Good. See you tonight Mike.” 

With that the man hangs up and Michael clicks the illusion disc off with Henry standing there expectantly. “It was Trevor. He needs me to come tonight. Jeremy. He got bit by Mangle. He-he’s in the hospital.” 

Henry grows pale, “Good God, that’s horrible!” 

Michael nods, “The poor guy, he was nice. I…I feel awful because I’m relieved to go tonight, but-“ 

“Maybe you can visit him in the hospital. Later I mean?” 

“Yeah. Hopefully he’ll turn out alright. I can’t…well I can imagine how he feels. They didn’t take a chomp out of me, but they did scoop my insides out.” 

“Mike.” Henry warns, Michael gives a low chuckle, entering his laughing fit. 

“I’m sorry I know you don’t like me talking about how I got soft served .” He laughs even harder, his head tilting back as Henry stares at him, a smile trying to crack through due to it being a dad joke. 

“You’re insufferable.” Henry mutters with a chuckle. “Using a dad joke against me.” 

“Come on! It’s funny! Even Lolbit agrees! You just don’t cone-done this behavior.” Michael goes into hysterics while Henry just shakes his head stepping out of the kitchen. 

“Oh come on Henry, not even a laugh at that one?! Tough crowd hehe…” 

 

…

 

“Okay, here’s your taser. I’m placing it in this bag for you to have. Since…” 

“I don’t have any pockets.” 

“Yes.” Henry says passing Michael a small satchel of sorts. “There’s also a flashlight and some other stuff If you need it.” 

Michael chuckles, “It’ll be okay! I’ll be fine Henry.” 

Henry just gives a noise at that, fretting over Michael. It was…nice. He certainly wasn’t used to it. It was to the point Henry was just about straightening his shirt acting like this was Michael’s first day at work and he wanted Michael to do his best. 

“Just…be careful. Promise?” 

Michael gives a small grin, patting Henry on the shoulder. “I will, promise.” He wasn't the best with promises, but he would try. He couldn’t predict what was going to happen tonight, but he knew he was going to do his best. 

Henry looked a little relaxed at that, but worry was still clear on his face. 

“Okay. You better go then. I’ll see you in the morning.” Henry was willing to stay up until Michael came back but the boy refused to let the old man stay up until six AM. He needed that sleep having been up late the entire time Michael had been around just to keep him company, and work on things.

With a hum, Michael gives a salute and taps on the illuso disc. His form once again trembling as the illuso disc forms his human body. 

“I’ll never get over that.” Henry says in awe, proud of his own work. Michael puts a hand on his hip smiling widely. 

“We are geniuses.” 

Henry just rolls his eyes giving a low chuckle at Michael's antics, it was so nice to see Michael out of his shell. Acting like he did when he was a kid, when he would smile and joke. Not filled with so much anger and hate. It was amazing to see. 

“Now get out of here before you’re late!” Henry says with a slap to Michael’s back.

“Oh shit right! See ya!” 

“Language Mike!” 

Michael just makes a noise as he takes off heading to his job, having a bit of excitement and anxiety swirling within him. What if he found something? Could he bring Charlie home? What about Evan? Was he the one calling him? He had so many questions, and hopefully by the start of tonight he can start answering them. 

Hopefully. 

 

…

 

The pizzeria was different at night. The neon lights shrouded the gloomy air. He felt a sense of dread as he looked at the large sign that had Freddy and his gang on it. All of them were staring right at him. 

He shuts the car door and takes a breath, okay. You got this Michael. You’ve been through five nights at Circus Baby, this shouldn’t be too hard. Just don’t get scooped. 

He chuckles at that and opens the door, finding the environment to be even more solemn. The place was dark, the lights low and the sound of laughter and children were vacant. It felt like a graveyard of fun. 

He almost wished the kids were back in here. 

Quietly he makes his way back to the office, avoiding the animatronics that stood in the party room and other places. He just needed to get to Trevor.

“Good you’re here. Now, here’s your light. Your mask, and Scott will explain the rest when I get out of here.” Trevor passed all these things to him and Michael looked at him seeing the man was obviously stressed out to the max. 

“Sorry to hear about Jeremy.” 

“Yeah well I’m sorry too. Cuz now I get to deal with missing kids and a potential lawsuit. It’s great.”

“Guess you could say Jeremy really lost his head .” Without warning he starts to laugh while Trevor just looks at him with almost horror in his eyes. Like Michael was an absolute crazy man. 

After the laughter dies down Michael’s eyes widen, what the hell did he really just do that . “I’m so sorry, it’s how I um…how I cope. It’s an awful habit.” He stammers, kicking himself mentally.

Lolbit this isn't the time for jokes, they look like serial killer now! 

“Right. I’ll see you at 6.” 

“Um okay. Bye.” Michael says as Trevor brushes past him muttering under his breath. Great way to go Michael, you just freaked your boss out.

“You just had to joke about someone’s head being chomped huh.” Michael hissed, shaking his head. He places the mask on the desk and sits down on the chair. 

“Alright fuckers! I have a taser and I am not afraid to use it!” He shouts down the hall hating that he couldn’t see anything down there. It was pitch black thanks to Trevor shutting off even more lights. 

Like a doorway to the abyss. 

There were two vents next to him and he could see the phone beside the mask had a button glowing. Right, Trevor had said Scott had recorded instructions. 

Scott seemed nervous, his voice trembling as he spoke through the recording talking about Jeremy and how the pizzeria was going into lockdown. That not only did they have to now worry about the person who used the spare yellow suit in the back, they had to worry about Jeremy. The guy seemed shaken up about it and Michael felt terrible. He really hoped that Jeremy would make it out okay. 

At some point he’d have to go and visit and see if he was doing alright, but hospitals weren’t really his thing. He never went back to one after Evan…

It gave him panic attacks. 

Scott explains quickly that the animatronics have been extremely antsy as of late so be on your guard. The flashlight was there to keep them away, and the mask was to keep the new toy animatronics from stuffing you into a suit apparently. 

Too late for that one. He already was in a suit. 

“There’s a music box over by the Prize Counter, and it’s rigged to be wound up remotely. So just, every once in a while, switch over to the Prize Counter video feed and wind it up for a few seconds. It doesn’t seem to affect all of the animatronics, but it does affect... one of them.” 

Music box?

Michael quietly taps the tablet seeing the different video feed. There was the prize counter, and the little button to wind the box. In the middle of the prize counter was a large present. He couldn’t see what was inside the present box but he assumed it hid whatever had to keep the music going. 

I bring a gift

Charlie’s voice echoes in his ears, and he shakes his head. She must be in there then. He didn’t know, he wasn’t used to the slightly new layout of this place. 

Scott’s instructions are finished and Michael just sits in the chair. Listening quietly to all the sounds. The place was pretty silent so you could easily tell if someone was making noise. 

Didn’t help that he was also an animatronic meant to lurk around and lure kids so another could literally scoop them up. 

This was fine. 

He was fine. 

Clicking through the cameras he found that everything seemed to be normal. Normal enough, they were all on their stage..

Wait. 

Where was the Toy Bonnie?

Michael leaned forward rapidly tapping on the tablet screen to search for the bright blue bunny. He pauses when seeing him in a different room. 

“Alright you little weirdo…”

He forgot that Scott mentioned they would wander at night having no offline mode. Why that was a good decision Michael would ever know. He wondered if Henry knew about all this? Considering that he had sold the franchise off, or at least that’s what he was told. 

A couple hours into the night, the animatronics weren’t going too crazy. Bonnie and Chica would move around but never come close to the office. Thankfully. 

Then there’s a noise down the hall, making his head lift up from the cameras. 

He narrows his eyes looking down at the hall. Taking his flashlight he turns it on, the room barely lighting up. He doesn’t see anything. 

Wait a minute. 

Could he use his little sensor thing? 

He blinks realizing he could be using that this whole time and quickly tries to figure out how to use it. He still didn’t have the whole commands down, which was annoying to him. You’d think he’d learn them by now, but no, it was easier said than done. 

He pictures the bright flash and suddenly the illuso disc beeps. He pauses, reaching for his neck finding it extremely warm. Whoa, since when could he feel temperature? 

Was this the disc telling him he couldn’t do the sensor check? 

Perhaps because he was using all his energy to make this illusion, some of his abilities were dampened? 

No doubt he would have to click the disc off if he wanted to use it. 

Grumbling, he moves to look at the tablet again, hearing soft giggling from the left of him. 

Immediately he lifts his head seeing an animatronic in the vents. 

“Hello!” 

“Holy shit!” Michael shouts almost falling off his chair, the animatronic was that creepy little balloon kid he had seen before. Balloon boy was that his name?

Quickly he shoves the mask on and the animatronic just stares at him. Michael taps the vent lights a couple times seeing the animatronic’s eyes flicker before it squeezed back into the vents. 

What the fuck. 

“God what is the purpose of that fucking thing.” 

Worst animatronic ever. 

Michael rips the mask off, giving out a heavy groan. That was horrifying! He didn’t expect them to go into the vents. 

He had two next to him. 

Great. 

Michael stands up, with his flashlight and peers into the other vent seeing that it was empty. 

“This is nuts. Absolutely nuts.” 

He hears another noise, and glances at the camera seeing that Bonnie was making his way towards the party room. The new Chica close behind. 

“I’m not a criminal!” He shouts to them down the hall. 

He remembers Henry telling him that he made sure the animatronics had facial recognition so nothing like what happened to Charlie would ever happen again. 

Now the only issue is that these animatronics seemed to have a vendetta on him. 

Did Henry put William in the database? Was that why? 

You look just like him. 

That was the one thing he hated about himself. He hated how he looked just like his father. The same eyes and hair, with the thin gangly face and build. It was like looking in the mirror almost. 

There were many times he slammed his fist into the said mirror, not wanting to see his father looking back at him. 

He hears the clanking of plastic and immediately puts the face mask back on, watching Toy Bonnie shuffle around the office. It’s bright green eyes staring right at him tilting its head. 

“No one here.” Michael whispered seeing Chica step forward, her beak for some reason completely missing. 

He does his best not to fall out of his chair, keeping the mask on until he sees them leave the area. Why did they roam? Couldn’t they just have their little stage area and not bother the nightguard. 

It went like that for a good couple hours, Michael having to keep himself prepared for any toy animatronic popping out and trying to see if they could catch him without the mask. That and keeping the music box all wind up.

What was he even doing? He should be looking around, not doing his actual job. Shouldn't a night guard be wandering around making sure everything was okay? 

Geez it was already 5 am and he was too busy fixated on keeping these animatronics away from him. 

See he told Henry he could handle it, but he wasn’t getting much done. 

He looks down the hall again, peering in the darkness. 

Michael.

He jerks up at the whisper in his ear. 

In here Michael. 

Michael as if in a trance follows the voice, holding his flashlight as he makes it down the hallway. 

It’s me. 

“Evan?” Michael whispers, opening the door that said ‘Parts and Service’. 

The room was empty, and Michael glanced around to find a familiar animatronic now sitting before him. Slumped over with its mouth opened wide, arms splayed out like a fallen toy. 

“You.” Michael whispers. 

It’s me. 

“You’ve been the one calling me here? What is going on? Why did Mangle bite Jeremy?” 

They’re a bit broken. We all are. We all are, Michael. 

Michael steps closer, his eyes almost hypnotized by the vacant stare. “Is that you Evan.”

He’s not here right now. I’m taking the lead. 

What? 

“Please, just tell me what you want. I’m tired of being jerked around. I just- please let me talk to Evan.” 

He doesn’t want to talk to you.  

The voice is like nails on the chalkboard for him and Michael hissed, gripping at his skull. 

I don’t blame him. After what you did. 

“I…I’m sorry. I said I was sorry. I don’t mean.” 

Sorry doesn’t cut it Michael. Sorry doesn’t keep him from dying now does it? 

Michael dips his head, they were right. He could say it all he wanted but it wasn’t going to bring back Evan. He couldn’t bring back his brother no matter how hard he tried. 

He opens his mouth to reply when something slams right into him knocking him to the floor with a mighty thud. He gives out a shocked gasp, despite not really having the air knocked out of him. He didn’t have lungs now. 

“Yar! Finally I got ye! Yer to be gut like a f-fish!” 

Foxy. 

Foxy was on top of him holding him down with his mechanical hand, while his hook was raised in the air. He looked beaten and destroyed, parts of right ear missing to show the endoskeleton in. He looked worse for wear. 

Michael grunts trying to push the heavy animatronic away only to see the golden Fredbear disappear from view. 

“Ack! Foxy! You can’t be doing this! Wait!” Michael cried to Fredbear wanting more answers. Evan was there! He needed to talk to him! No it wasn’t fair. 

“I know a face like yours. A pirate never forgets!” Foxy snarls and Michael uses his feet to kick up at the animatronic, the fox’s hook arm swinging and hitting his neck. 

Right where his illuso disc was. 

The thing sparks as Foxy is thrown off, and Michael scrambled up reaching for the disc. He could feel a small hole in the middle from the hook, the thing sparking. 

“Fuck! The dis-gah!” 

Foxy lunges at him and Michael immediately pulls out his taser. With a quick thrust the large animatronic fox shudders from the electrical hit falling backwards. 

Michael ducks out of the way racing for the exit only to stop completely when seeing the others. The older animatronics. What did Jeremy call them? 

The withered. 

“Listen, I’m not who you think I am. I’m here to help! Please, I just want to help!” 

Michael is shouting as the animatronics lumber closer and closer, all having vengeance burning in their eyes. They thought…they thought he was the killer. 

“No, no I’m not him! I’m not-“ 

Stop. 

All the animatronics froze in place, Michael pressed against the wall, his hand over his disc to keep it from getting more damage. 

He realized the music box had stopped playing. 

The puppet shifts between the large animatronics and stands before him and the four. 

“Charlie.” Michael whispers. 

Oh, it’s you. 

The voice is filled with disdain, betrayal. She doesn’t even look at him, instead at the wall where Foxy is hunched over. 

“Charlie look I’m sorry- I didn’t mean. Listen I’m here now and-“ 

You’re too late Michael. 

Michael freezes, his eyes wide. “W-what?” 

You’re too late. It’s already been done. He’s gone. You were too late. 

“N..no I…I was trying! Charlie I was, I swear. I had to figure things out and I am really trying to help! I want to help!” 

Charlie shakes her head, looking disappointed at him. Michael feels like he’s being dunked into a bucket of ice, just seeing the face of Charlie. Not as a puppet but as his friend, being disappointed in him. 

Get out. It is almost six am. Go. We don’t need you here. 

“Charlie please…” 

Get out. 

The animatronics shudder and shift, before they make a path for Michael to step on through. Charlie was mad, and rightfully so. He messed up big time. But why couldn’t she see that he was just trying to help. 

“Please Charlie come home. I…i-“

Don’t you see?! I don’t get to go home! 

Charlie screeched, turning to face Michael who winces curling his shoulders a bit. 

I have to stay here. And take care of them. Watch over everyone who dies here because of HIM. I have to Michael. Because no one else will. 

“That’s not true. I’m here now, I…I’m here to help. 

Some help you are. Just go Michael. 

“But-“ 

Go. 

Michael doesn’t get to even answer as Freddy steps forward and the boy wants nothing to do with the animatronic so he quickly rushes out. 

He could feel tears prick at his eyes. He was too late. Charlie hated his guts, these animatronics thought he was his father, and the toys ones no doubt did too. 

And his illuso disc was damaged. 

Every now and then because of Foxy’s hook, it would spark and his form would flicker like static on a television. 

That was not good. 

Absolutely not good. 

Henry was going to kill him. Not only because of the disc, but because Charlie. Charlie wanted nothing to do with him. He had failed her. 

Michael does his best not to punch a hole in the pizzeria wall. He didn’t want to cause more damage than he already did. 

He glances at the clock. 6 AM. 

Well this was a waste of time. Tomorrow, he will have to do better. Have to try and get Charlie to see that he was here to help. He knew he messed up, and he didn’t deserve another chance. If only Michael could show her that he was committed now. He had his bearings and he wanted to stop his father. 

He gathers his things and lifts his bag up looking down at the hall. 

“I swear Charlie. I’ll fix this. I swear.” 

He steps out of the pizzeria and onto the parking lot turning around to lock the door behind him. 

“Get on the ground!” 

Before he can react a bolt of lightning strikes his back and he gives out a shout falling to his knees. 

Men grab him by the arm and yank him up, Michael finding that it was hard to see. He guessed he deserved it for shocking Foxy back there. His hands pressed against his back, unable to properly move thanks to the hefty shock. 

“What’s goin’ on?” He slurs seeing a blurred face of a policeman who has a light flashing in his face. 

“You are under arrest for the missing and possible murder children of this pizzeria.” 

What?

Notes:

Uh oh Michael is in troubleeee! Out of the fire and into the frying pan. So sorry for the cliffhanger I couldn’t resist hehe

Also new art from my Twitter! Check it out: https://twitter.com/inkspottie/status/1487497464710111232?s=21

Be sure to follow me there if you wanna see more art and shenanigans haha

Chapter 7: I Asked You Politely to Please Stand By

Notes:

Hehehe what wonderful chorus of shouts at the last cliffhanger. So sorry to do that to you, I couldn’t resist.

But wow! I’m glad for the wonderful comments and kudos and everything else. Almost at 3K! I’m having so much fun with this story and I hope you do too.

A loud crunch follows a body slamming into the car. Face pressed into the metal, head spinning. He doesn’t notice the dent that he had made when they had hit him against the car to put handcuffs on. 

God, why? Why was this happening?! 

“Listen-listen!” Michael stammers trying to look at the police officers. “This is a big misunderstanding, I-I am not the killer!” 

“Keep quiet.” 

His mind is panicking. Shit. Shit! This couldn’t be happening! He couldn’t be getting arrested . 

“No, no you don’t understand-“ 

“That’s him, officer. You got him!” 

Trevor is walking out of the car, pointing at Michael who looks at him with wide eyes. “That’s the sicko right there! You thought you could hide from me? I know a criminal like you from a mile away!” 

“What?! Trevor I’m not-”

“You’re fired by the way! I saw you taser the Foxy animatronic! And you stink!” 

Michael doesn’t get to reply, grunting as the door opens and he’s thrusted into the car. His body flickers seeing sparks fly. Not good. Not good at all. He couldn’t just flee the police . He would rather not be a wanted man.

Trevor that bastard! Was it because of the joke?! He was just kidding! This was absolutely ridiculous. What criminal?! His father? He was not his father! 

Henry was going to kill him. 

The policemen got into the car staring down at him. “You’re in big trouble young man.” 

“Best stay quiet until we get to the station.” 

“Sir, please you have the wrong guy. I swear I didn’t-“ 

The policeman who’s in the driving place turned around with narrowed eyes. “Shut your mouth.” 

Michael’s eyes widened as he kept his head pressed against his shoulder to hide the illuso disc. He didn’t want it to suddenly go off and maybe if he kept some kind of pressure he could keep it working. 

It just kept getting worse, like bile rising up his throat,  laughter bursts through. He goes into a full fit, knowing full well that the police now fully agree that he was absolutely insane. It seemed the more stressed he was, the more the animatronic parts were able to break through and slip through the cracks. 

This was the worst possible situation, and he had no clue how he was going to get out of this. After his little laughing fit he watches as the car takes off and the pizzeria gets further away. 

He glowered at Trevor, the absolute bastard. Yeah he tasered Foxy, because Foxy attacked him! Broke his stupid disc. This was not good. 

Very not good. 

He wiggles a bit feeling the metal on his wrist. He pulls, hearing it click against his own metal, the disc giving out a stuttering whine instead of the normal high pitched thrum. It was not looking great here. 

Okay so he could yank himself out of this, but he would have to do it smartly. He couldn’t just launch himself out of the car, he would definitely damage himself considering how fast they were going. 

He wasn’t sure how much time had before the disc went completely out. He could not appear as an animatronic to the police. That would cause even more suspicion and would be worse for everyone. 

Michael feels extremely frustrated. He is so screwed. 

“I get a phone call right?” 

“Shut up.” 

 

… 

 

Michael is hauled out of the car by the policemen, it’s quite comical considering he is a good foot taller than one of the policemen. 

The process is simple, and thankfully everytime the policemen look the other way, the disc malfunctions and he’s stuck between being human and animatronic. But when they turn he smacks his neck with his shoulder and the thing starts to work again. 

He just had to keep doing that and hopefully he wouldn’t have to deal with it completely. He could call Henry and maybe he could get him the hell out of here. 

They toss him into a room, and Michael steadies himself so he doesn’t topple over. He glared at the police officer with a narrowed eye.

This wasn’t his first arrest. He had gotten into a fist fight in the mall and security had taken him in. William refused to get him so Henry had to come in. He was so mad. 

Now he was going to be extra mad. Michael had promised to be good, and now here he was. 

They tell him to sit and leave the room, leaving Michael by himself. Well he knew the next thing would be interrogation. They were going to see if he would confess. And he would not because he did not die just to have his father’s crimes pinned on him. 

No. 

The illusion disc is whirring loudly, sounding like a computer that was booting up. It was definitely on its last limb. 

Okay nope, he had to get out of here, now. 

Fuck the phone call. 

He grunts, lifting his arms and pulling them in opposite directions. He could hear the metal creak, and then snap, making one piece fling away hitting the wall. He shook his hands clenching them. The illusion was fading and fading fast. His body looked translucent, he could see through his long sleeve shirt, seeing the metal animatronic arms underneath. 

This wasn’t good. If they got too close they would see this too. So he had to be careful. 

The door opens and quickly Michael puts his hands behind his back as if they’re still handcuffed. 

“Mike Schimdt. That your real name?” 

“I would like a lawyer actually. I know my rights.” Michael hissed with a narrowed look. 

The police officer sighs sitting down across from him. “My name is Officer Burke. I’m just here to ask you questions alright. If we do this right, we can get you out of here with a little misdemeanor.”

That causes Michael to laugh again, his body bobbing up and down like an absolute madman. His head dips into his collarbone when it slowly dies off, his eyes narrowly looking at the police officer. 

“Misdemeanor?! I was doing my job . The damn animatronic attacked me! I had to protect myself.” He shouts slightly angered, his voice cracking as Lolbit is trying to make itself known. The illuso disc was doing its best after the damage it took, but it could only do so much. 

“So I’ve heard. But from what I’ve been told, those animatronics identified you as a criminal. One who has been banned from the premises. One named William Afton.” 

Michael bristled, snarling at the police officer, “That’s because he’s my father, you idiot. I’m not him! I would never kill anyone!” 

“So you lied about your name!” 

Michael blinked and sat back, feeling dread crawl up against him. Shit. He wasn’t supposed to say that. This man was playing him like a fiddle. He needed to shut his mouth. 

“I would like to speak to a lawyer.” 

“Kid, if this is your so-called father, why were you at the pizzeria?”

Michael shakes his head sitting back, no he would not answer him. He wasn’t going to spill his guts to the police. Like they would even help, they would just get in the way. 

“Fine. We’ll get it out of you one way or another. I can sit here all day.” 

Fuck he didn’t have time for this. 

“I have a right to a phone call. I know this.” 

“Mike, I’m not playing games here, this is very serious.”

Michael rolls his eyes looking at Officer Burke, “And I’m being serious. I’m not who you’re looking for. You’re looking for William Afton not me. He’s the one doing that, I just wanted a goddamn job. In which I’m fired from so! I have no reason why I would kill and kidnap kids!” 

His voice crackles and he attempts to hit his neck once more. The officer notices that and stands up. “What’s that on your neck?”

“It’s a medical device, keeps an update on my heartbeat.” Michael lies easily, Henry had rehearsed this with him. 

“Why is it making noise?” 

“Cuz my heartbeat is elevated.” 

The officer moves closer focused on the disc. No no, get the fuck away from him. He moves away, trying to keep away from the man. “Don’t fucking touch me.” 

“Stand still.” 

“No! Get away! ” Michael hissed and the illuso disc screeched, loudly smoke threading out of it. The illusion shudders and now he’s standing up, towering over the officer. His faceplates pulled away from his endoskeleton. 

Officer Burke shouts in horror as Michael is suddenly no longer a boy, but a large fox animatronic. He falls backwards hitting the wall, his taser skittering across the floor. 

“Look what you did.” 

“The…the hell are you.” 

“I’m getting out of here, I’m not your killer. I’m a goddamn victim!” He shouts his plates shaking in his frustration. “You all are useless! Letting a killer walk around when I’m trying to fix his goddamn mess!” 

He steps away from the officer, who is just laying against the floor with wide eyes. The man looks too shocked to even move, horror completely on his face. 

Good. He didn’t need this idiot pulling his gun out or tase him.

Michael reached for the disc and pulled it off his neck, seeing the disc’s light was completely dead. The hole showing the inside wiring. “Fucking Foxy.” He placed it back on his neck and turned around to face the shaken Officer. 

“I suggest you stay out of this, unless you’re going to actually do your job and get the correct guy.” 

He reaches for the door taking a deep breath. Okay now he just had to haul ass out of here. With a pull he opens it up seeing two officers getting up with wide eyes. 

“H-hey!” 

Great. 

The look they gave him was enough to solidify that the disc was pretty much dead. He had no idea how he’s getting out of this mess. 

“I’m not here to hurt you. Just let me pass and things will be okay.” He says quietly, his hands up for everyone to see. 

One quickly pulls out his gun aiming at Michael. “Don’t move!” 

Well this just got a lot worse. 

“I won’t, as long as you don’t shoot. I won’t hurt you.” 

Officer Burke stumbles out of the interrogation room, taser in hand. “Don’t even move a muscle freak.” 

Freak? Are you kidding me? Michael wanted to scream, to shout at them all and start punching some skulls. But he knew if he did that he’d be in even bigger trouble. So instead guess what he does, laugh. To the point his face plates are shaking like a leaf. This was really getting out of hand! 

He couldn’t just injure these guys, he just needed to run. Get the hell out without getting a bullet in him or tased again. He has already been through enough controlled shocks. Damn it. 

“Listen I just want to go home, I’m not your killer I know this looks back and I don’t want to explain myself. Please just let me-“ 

“Stop talking and put your hands behind your back.” 

Michael feels the rage boiling within him, bubbling to the surface and like a volcano it explodes. “ WHY WON'T YOU LISTEN TO ME?! ”

His voice is his own, British accent and all, but the sound is sharp and shrill. Making the police officers shout in surprise cupping their hands. The loud noise continues even after he’s done screaming, coming straight from his voice box. Like a steady scream echoing out of him.

The police station's lights flicker, and suddenly the tv’s and computers across the room have a strange icon on it. It’s quite the sight leaving Michael to glance around. They glitch and shudder with the same image all across each screen. Laughter echoed across the room, LolBit’s laughter.

PLEASE STANDBY

Lolbits Face is on it behind a checkered screen. 

Michael stands in confusion, was this…this LolBit’s ability? He looked down at his voice box seeing that the noise was continuing from him, sending out a terrible sound wave that was rendering the police officers useless. They all had to cup their hands over their ears, crouched down low. 

Get out of there! 

Michael doesnt think twice and immediately rushes towards the back door slamming it open. He runs, runs as fast as his metal feet can take him. The police station is hugged by woods on the edge of the city and Michael races towards it. 

They would never find him there. 

Panting, the voice box stops the sound when he halts for a moment, deep in the trees. 

Mist was low to the ground, the forest barely lit with the rising sun. He falls to his knees, hands gripping the earth. 

“Fuck! What the fuck was that?!” He shouts to no one in particular. He’s not tired from the running but he gulps in air, still pretending he could do that. “I never…I never saw that on the blueprint.” 

Well Lolbit didn’t really have a blueprint. They were a scrapped model after all. 

“Fuck.” 

What was he going to do, he had to get to Henry, but the man was in the city. He couldn’t be walking around. He didn’t have a goddamn illuso disc anymore. It was broken. And not to mention it seemed he had a new thing to worry about. That scream. It caused all the electronics to go on the fritz, and not to mention made the police officers practically immobile. 

Another thing to add to the list of shit he didn’t want to be able to do, but could. The worst part was, he didn’t do anything safely, correctly. He just wanted to help and now…

He failed Henry. He failed Charlie. 

Michael heaves himself up, giving out a frustrated yell. With a quick swipe of his claws he scrapes against the tree, watching bark fly. He does it again, and again to the point one side of the tree was practically stripped of all its bark.

He was angry. So angry. At himself for being so stupid! So so stupid. Now he would have the police looking out for someone like him. 

This was not good. 

He didn’t have any memory wiping abilities so that was the most unfortunate part of things. 

Michael was a wanted man. He needed to get a better disguise and a better name. He would have to lay low for a bit. Just until things blew over. No one had followed him after all. That was good at least. 

But the worst part of it all? Was that he couldn’t bring Charlie back. He couldn’t go anywhere near the pizzeria. He didn’t even know if she was going to be there since the place was locked down. 

Michael feels wetness on his hand, seeing oily tears streaming down his snout. He sobbed, falling to his knees again. He shuddered, holding himself tighter. Nothing could go right with him. It was useless. 

Useless. 

You useless fucking child! 

The vile words of his own father claw against his brain. He was right. He was useless. Couldn’t do anything right. He brought destruction and death with him. There was no redeeming himself. 

Why bother? Why continue when he would only make things worse. 

He just wanted to go home, go back to his family. Before everything got so bad. Before Remnant, the incident and everyone’s death. 

Why did they all leave him? Why couldn’t he just stay dead? He wasn’t needed. He obviously couldn’t do anything special. He was just some idiot who kept the fire burning brighter, dousing the flame with gasoline instead of trying to put it out.

“Why am I even here…” 

Charlie hated him, Evan wanted nothing to do with him, Elizabeth betrayed him, and his father, his father was killing people and due to the likeness of their nature Michael was getting blamed for it. It wasn’t fair, couldn’t they see that he was trying? 

Did they want him to be evil? 

Why couldn’t they cut him some slack? He was suffering too. It wasn’t like he got to rest after he had died. No, he was placed into an animatronic and forced to shoulder the responsibility that he had to correct what had been done. Without anyone to ask him how he was doing . 

No, he shouldn’t say that. There was one person that did. Henry. 

And now, Henry was going to be so angry at him. He could see the disappointment in the man’s face. He promised. He promised he wouldn’t get himself in trouble. 

He didn’t tell Henry about Charlie now, he certainly couldn’t. 

What if he just never left these woods, never came back to Henry or the pizzeria?

He was tired. Just so tired. 

Michael falls over, his face hitting the dirt hard. His body felt heavy like when he first woke up. He couldn’t move it, finding himself to be exhausted. Fine, he would lie here. Just to rest…

His vision goes dark as if he’s closing his eyes, letting whatever darkness take him yet again. Maybe this time it would be a dreamless sleep. But he didn’t think so. Haunted animatronics didn’t get to sleep. 

They got tortured. 

When his vision comes to he’s sitting at a table. There's a toy at every chair across the round table he’s at, and he realizes he’s smaller. Looking like he was when he was young. Long hair and the foxy mask on his head. 

“Hello?” He whispers and there’s giggling before it abruptly stops, a spotlight glowing on the Fredbear plush he knew all too well. 

It’s me. 

Evan. 

“Evan, Evan please listen to me don’t shut me away. I’m sorry. I’m, I’m so sorry.” 

I know. Cassidy told me everything. 

Cassidy?

“Please Evan, I’m not asking for your forgiveness, I just…I just want to talk to you. I-I-“ 

He feels tears bubbling out, and the fall in large wet plops on the table. His fists shake as he tries to get a hold of himself, but he can't. The dam was broken, and he was now sobbing. His body hunched over, and hands trying to hide his face.

“I miss you so much,” He cries through the sobs, his rib cage rattling as he hiccups and cries.

The sound echoes through the room, it’s so quiet and his voice just seems to be amplified. He couldn’t stop, crying wasn’t something he did often. And once he started it took a while to stop. 

It’s okay Mikey. I…I missed you too. 

He whips his head up, the bear no longer there, but a ghostly child sitting at the table. Red splattered across his forehead, but he wasn’t missing his skull or it didn’t look smashed like a grape. 

It was Evan. Dirty and bloodied, but it was Evan. 

“I’m so sorry.” It’s all he could say. 

I know. You’ve been through a lot. I’m sorry. 

Michael shakes his head, “I’ll go through more if it means that people like you don’t have to suffer. I’m trying Evan. I’m really trying. Everything I do just makes things worse.” 

It’s okay. Trying is the first step. Remember what mom used to say ? Tomorrow is another day .

Michael nods, wiping his face. Looking down at his childish hands, wishing he could go back to that moment and stop himself from being so stupid. 

You need to wake up now, I…I want to talk later.

The boy gives a small smile and Michael looks at him with wide eyes. “Please, I-I’d like that very much.”

Okay Mikey. Keep pressing forward. I…I believe in you. 

He doesn’t get to reply, light brightens around him to the point it blinds him. He doesn’t feel dread when he wakes up like the nightmares before. Instead it was peaceful. Like waking up in the morning to the warm sun. 

But he woke up to hands shaking him. 

“God please! Please be okay! Mike! Mike, can you hear me?!” 

Getting his bearings he feels his body finally starting to come through. Like waking up from a nap in the afternoon and wondering what time it was. He groans and lifts himself up, still on the forest floor. 

“Oh thank god!” 

Michael makes a noise as weight is thrown against him, feeling someone hug him tight. He looks down to see Henry hugging him with all his might, tears in his eyes. 

“H-Henry?!” He stammers, pulling the man away from him. “How did you-what?! How?” 

“I should be asking you that! Why are you in the forest! I was so worried! I called the pizzeria and they told me you had been arrested?! ” 

Oh shit, well there was no lying here. 

“I…I it’s not what it looks like, okay it is what it looks like. Fucking Trevor! He…he called the cops on me! Apparently the stupid toy animatronics thought I was my father, and he saw me tease Foxy through those stupid cameras. The thing attacked me! And…and then he ruined my disc.” Michael is rambling, his body tense and his voice crackling like static on a radio. 

“I tried Henry, I thought I could do it but I fucked up. I fucked up so badly,” Michael looks at him, big globs of oil leaking out hitting the floor as he shook slightly. “I’m sorry.” 

Henry just looks at him, and then gives him another large hug. Michael stiffens in surprise, expecting a lecture, a shout, anything to show that he was angry at him. The hug was not expected, Henry’s hands curling against his metal back. 

“I’m so glad you’re okay. I was so worried.” He whispers and Michael’s ears flicked up with his surprise. 

He was worried. Not angry. Worried.

But one question was on his mind entirely. “How the hell did you find me?” He asks with complete confusion. Yes, how did he find him? He was in the woods, way away from the town and the pizzeria. 

Henry looks sheepish, like he’s done something wrong. “I…well…uh…iputatrackeronyou.” He says the last part so fast Michael almost doesn’t catch it. Almost. 

“You put a tracker on me?!” He exclaims and Henry winces before he stands back up with his hands on his hips. 

“I’m sorry for being worried! And I was right wasn't I? You got yourself in trouble! And I was able to find you!” Henry argues getting Michael to stand up completely shocked that Henry had a tracker on him. He looked all around, circling himself before Henry cleared his throat. 

“You didn’t.” 

“It’s in your chest, but listen! It wasn’t because I don’t trust you, I was more worried and scared for you. I don’t…I don’t want to lose you again Mike. I’ve lost so many already.” 

Michael was about to rip his chest open to find this tracker, but stops when Henry says the final sentence. I don’t want to lose you again. 

“I’m sorry, you can be mad, but I-“ 

“I’m sorry Henry. I…I thought I could do something right and then-”

Henry shakes his head immediately, “No don’t say that. You are doing something right. You’re trying and that’s all that matters. You went there, and then you got in trouble, but that’s okay. It wasn’t your fault right?” 

“If you count looking like my father it's my fault then yeah.” 

The man sighs, rubbing his face, “The more things happen, the more I hate that man.” 

“You and me both,” Michael mutters quietly, plucking the disc on his neck. “He really fucked it up. That damn fox. I…I found Evan.” 

“Evan?” Henry repeats, “As in-”

“My brother. He’s…he’s in the Fredbear. Along with another person I think. Cassidy?” 

Henry just stares at him, “Good God, has he been in there the whole time?” 

Michael gave an odd shrug, “I don’t know. He just talked to me a while ago. He and Cassidy were giving me nightmares. Henry…I think people who died…by something horrific I think they stay here. I think that’s what Father found out. That Remnant stuff? I think that’s what’s keeping us all here. But I don’t know.” 

There’s silence and Michael doesn’t look at Henry, he failed him. Charlie was there, he could have grabbed her. He could have brought her back to her dad. But no, he was too much of an idiot. 

“We will figure it out. I'll fix the illuso disc. I think I can tweak it a little. I had it programmed to have the illusion based on what the wearer wishes for others to see, so perhaps if I go back to the original design and have it based on what others see…it would be a far better disguise. So then I see you and you see yourself, but others will form their own image of you.” 

That was pretty smart, and would help now that he was probably a wanted man. They didn't know his real name, but Mike Schmidt might not be the best name to use again. 

He would have to be more creative. 

Henry grunts standing up and looks around, “Well, this sure has been…something. Let’s go home.” 

Michael looks at him, feeling terrible. Henry was being so nice to him, failure after failure and Henry still wanted him to go home with him.

“Come on kiddo, we can go home. Get you all washed up, and then come up with a new plan.” 

“I'm fired from that job, and it’s shut down after Jeremy…I don’t think we can go back there.” 

Henry rubs his chin, “That’s okay. We’ll figure it out. But let’s do it at home, instead of the woods, yeah?” 

Michael sees his hand outstretched and quietly takes it. He lifts himself up, the metal creaking slightly. Henry holds his hand and starts to take a step but stops when Michael doesn’t follow. 

“Henry…I think…I think I should..do this alone. I’ve…ruined so much, and..I don’t want to keep dragging you along.” Michael whispers, getting Henry to completely turn and look at him. 

The man stares up at him with wide eyes, “What? No Mike you’re not ruining anything? Mike, this happening isn’t your fault. Please. You can stay, I don’t mind. It…it’s been nice having you around again. You don’t have to leave.” 

“I’ve caused so much trouble. You don’t understand I failed you.” 

Henry looks confused, “Kiddo you haven’t failed me. Why are you saying such things? It’s okay, we are bound to trip and fall, we just need to keep getting ourselves up and keep walking.” 

Michael dips his head, his fists shaking. “You don’t understand Henry. I-I…” 

“Charlie…she’s…she’s in the pizzeria.” 

There’s silence. The sound of branches swaying in the wind. The rustling of leaves and nature all around. Michael doesn’t look at Henry, his head bowed and form hunched. Like he was standing before a towering parent about to beat him senseless. 

“W-what? Michael what does that mean? What do you mean Charlie…she…” 

“She’s the one who did this to me. She gave me a gift, and gave me this body. She saved me…an-and I was trying to help. But she was so mad. I messed up, and she hates me now. An-and now I can’t bring her back to you.” 

Michael’s words were wobbling, static filling up his sentences as he gave small cries. “She’s the puppet Henry.” 

Henry’s word just crashes like a hammer to a mirror. Charlie. Oh Charlotte, the one who was ripped away from him. His precious little girl. She…was alive, but in the same position Michael was in. 

His sweet baby girl. 

Henry falls to his knees at the reveal. Throwing him back to that fateful night. The night he saw her mangled body outside the diner. Her glowing bracelet illuminating her corpse under the security puppet. 

How he held her in his arms sobbing for his little girl. 

“I’m sorry Henry. I’m so sorry.” 

Michael takes a step back, while Henry just looks vacant, tears pouring out of his eyes. He knew he wasn’t welcomed now, and he moves to leave, only for a hand to grab his own. 

He turns to see Henry, holding his hand tightly. “Is she okay? How was she?” 

Michael’s eyes flicker, “She’s stuck in that palace. She…she takes care of the animatronics that are haunted. She can’t leave. She’s not in any danger, but it’s…a fate I wish I could have freed her from. I..I don’t know how to free her.” 

Henry’s shoulders shook and he placed Michael’s metal hand to his face. “She always was the type to hold others. She cared so much for everyone, her heart was so big.” He whispers quietly, “Did she…tell you who did that to her?” 

The animatronic looks away, “My father.” He hissed clenching his free hand. He feels Henry’s hand squeeze his own, as the man screams in agony sobbing openly. 

His friend, his best friend, had ripped her away from him. Killed her. Killed her for what?! For what purpose? And now she was the puppet, stuck in a body that she could not escape from. 

“We will save her, Michael. We will save them all.” Henry whispers, his voice shaking, teeth clenched. “I’ll work to my grave to see that his actions become undone.” 

“Don’t leave me.” 

He pulls back slightly at the whispered statement. His uncle Henry, his godfather, begged him to stay. What could he say? He couldn’t say no, he expected Henry to be the one to push him away. To shout and scream about the injustice of his daughter being shoved into a puppet. 

But instead he pleads for the boy to stay. To help. 

So Michael bends down, and this time. He gives a hug to Henry. Wrapping his arms around the man, and pulling him close. 

They stay there a bit. Sobbing in each other’s arms. Feeling the grief that settled in their hearts. That his dear Charlie was murdered by his friend, that Michael’s brother was still around in the suit that killed him. 

Today they made a promise. Solidified by the wounds in their hearts, and the words that rattled their souls. They were going to fix this. No matter the cost. If they had to burn in a great fire? 

They would happily do so. 

“Let’s get you home, get all that dirt washed off you. And fix the disc.” 

Michael nods following the man out of the woods, heading back to the car. 

“I’m sorry, about Charlie.” 

“No, I’m sorry. I’m sorry I wasn’t there for her. For you. I failed you all. I didn’t push hard enough, but now…we can fix this.” 

“Okay.”

Notes:

And thus it begins, the ball is starting to roll and there’s no stopping it. I have a lot of plans for this au, and this is where things start to heat up. This is where the story truly begins.

And now strap in and enjoy the ride. It’s gonna be a bumpy one.

Chapter 8: Things Are Coming Soon

Notes:

Another chapter done. I was really happy with it, more Henry and Michael interaction and some nice closure to make things a little better after the last few chapters.

The ride was…well it was awkward. The silence was so tight and harsh around his neck, it felt like he was suffocating. Michael didn’t want to be more of a nuisance, considering he had just escaped from the police and no doubt was considered a wanted man. 

Well, he imagined it would be hard for those officers to explain what happened. 

Nothing like having a kid turn into a giant animatronic fox that was made to kidnap and kill kids. Imagine explaining that one to your boss. 

Maybe that would keep them busy so he didn’t have to deal with them. How annoying. It seemed like the police were absolutely incompetent. And he hoped Trevor tripped on his shoelaces and fell to the pavement every time he walked. 

Him? A killer? And he stank? 

No doubt thanks to Lolbit and their little scents they liked to secrete. Probably wanted to repel the man clear away from him. He wouldn’t know considering he didn’t exactly have a sense of smell after all. 

He really needed to get a hold of all these abilities. Not to mention the new one. What was with the electronics going crazy? And then the scream…it could be useful, but still..

There was always the worry he might not be able to control whatever programming was in place. After all, he had attracted all those kids to him, without his consent. 

His thoughts turn back to Charlie, hearing her words in his head. I don’t get to go home Michael. Why? Why couldn’t she? He just wanted to help, couldn’t she see he was trying? 

It frustrated him to no end that no matter how hard he tried, no one could see him trying to do what’s right.

You’re rotten to the core Michael. Just. Like. Me. 

His father’s whispers gripped at his brain, the angry thoughts of his own mind using his worst fear against him. His own father. How he would tremble in the sight of the lanky man who stared at him with those dead silver eyes. 

Pushing him away and snarling at him often. As if he was just some rotten fly on the wall that was just a nuisance. 

No, his father never cared for him. He was always stuck in the shadows. And then Michael would  take it out on Evan. Evan was the baby, and Michael didn’t like that. Michael wanted to be treated kindly, and fair. 

Elizabeth was the golden child, and he, he was the mistake. 

Elizabeth…he needed to find her too. He messed that up as well. She was stuck with all those horrid animatronics, fused into one body and no doubt still parading around as him. 

That would be next on his list. 

The car suddenly stops and Michael’s eyes flicker around realizing they were back home. Home. Henry wanted him to stay, after all this. 

The trunk opens and Henry is smiling softly. “Hey kiddo, doing alright?” 

Michael nods, “Yeah. How about you?” He accepts the helping hand lifting him out of the trunk. Henry gives a gentle pat to Michael’s back, before sighing. 

“I’ve been better, but…I'm mostly happy that you’re alright.” 

Michael frowns quietly, wishing he wasn’t worrying Henry so much. The man was going through a lot, and Michael was just making it worse. Why couldn’t he do anything right? 

“Mike.” He blinks rapidly when Henry’s hands are suddenly placed on his face forcing him to look at the older man, his ears flicking up, betraying his emotions. “Listen to me, you can’t put all this pressure on yourself like this. It’s not your fault about Charlie, about the job or the arrest. You put yourself into so much pressure trying to fit into this mold that everyone wants you in, that you hate yourself for it.” 

Henry’s eyes are soft, caring. Like a father talking to his child. “You’re an amazing kid, and have been through so much. Don’t beat yourself with the what ifs, or why can’t I do this.” 

Michael shifts, his ears lowering. “Why am I here Henry? Why did she give me this second chance when I clearly don’t deserve it.” 

“That’s the thing about Charlie. She always saw the brightness in others, even if they couldn’t see it themselves. She believes in you, and sure she might have gotten a little frustrated but that’s okay. I know she doesn’t hate you, it’s not in her nature.” 

“We’ll get her out of there Henry.” 

“I hope so. I wish I could help her, but I have a feeling if we tried right now…she still wouldn’t come home. She won’t rest until things are better, that I know for certain.” 

Henry pulls his hands away and takes Michael’s hand, squeezing it slightly as he walks through the front door. Michael shuffles behind him, hunched over like a duckling following their mother. 

“Alright, on the chair. We are cleaning you up. No ifs, ands or buts!” Henry says pointing to the kitchen chair looking at Michael expectantly. The animatronic gives a melodramatic sigh and sits down, his tail swishing back and forth. Henry begins by grabbing a bucket and sponge, letting the water run and pouring in some cleaning products to help get all the grime and dirt from the woods off Michael. 

“Henry, something did happen in the station though. I…I found a new ability from LolBit. It was weird. I was so angry that these officers were about to shoot me and then…then I just screamed. All of sudden the lights went wonky, and then the screens went black. Next thing I know, LolBit’s face was all over the screens and the officers couldn’t move. They had their hands on their ears from the noise that was coming out of me.”

Henry listens carefully, wringing out the sponge so that it’s nice and filled with soap, but not a lot of water. He brings the bucket to the table and begins to wipe Michael off. “Well I was reading up on some of the notes William had, it said that LolBit originally was going to be able to emit radio waves that could disrupt a child’s television, so perhaps that’s what it is. As for the noise, not sure. But…I suppose that could be useful.” 

Disrupt a child’s television. What the hell Father. 

“So I could, or can control electronics?” 

Henry stops after wiping some grime off Michael’s face, the boy making noises not really liking the feeling of a sponge on him. Well it was weird he could feel it, but also couldn’t. “Can’t say for sure. I think at some point we need to record all the things you can do. And how to control it. In the wrong hands these abilities could be deadly.” 

“You’re telling me. That’s what they were designed for after all…” 

Henry sighs, getting Michael’s chest now, “They were designed yes, but you’re in control. You’re not evil, and you want to do good. So that’s what we will do. Make them good. Same for any other haunted animatronic we find. We will fix what he has broken.” 

What he has broken. Michael didn’t know where to start. Those withered animatronics had a mind of their own, they had to be victims too. All of those kids…his father had shoved them in there no doubt. But why? 

“We need to understand this Remnant too. I think…it’s what’s powering me. I know my father said it was something to do with pure agony, and that it was so potent that it could achieve something, but that’s where things get blurry.” He seemed in a hurry when he wrote everything. 

“Whatever it is, it’s not good. It’s keeping everyone here when they need to move on. Tragedy is anchoring their souls and William is no doubt trying to harness that power.” 

“It’s…immortality.” Michael whispers with wide eyes, “The worst way to be alive without dying. Stuck in this…limbo.” 

It shook him to his core, was that what his father was doing? Killing children to see if he could produce this remnant? How long had he been doing this? 

Charlie knew, no doubt she could help figure this all out. If only he could talk to her. 

Evan. 

“Evan!” Michael shouts and Henry jumps in surprise. “I need to talk to Evan, and then maybe-maybe he can get to Charlie! They seem to be in able to communicate with each other, and then-”

He’s speaking rapidly, his words almost meshed together and Henry has to put a hand up to get him to stop. “Whoa whoa, you lost me kid.” 

“Evan, he can communicate with me. It’s happened so many times. If…if I can convince him, maybe he can talk to Charlie. Maybe not to get her home, but just to help us with all this. So we aren’t in the dark.” 

Henry just looks bewildered, all these kids and they’re strange abilities. Was this thanks to the Remnant? He didn’t know. It was making his head spin. “How are you going to even contact him? You guys have a specific channel or?” 

Michael laughs, shaking his head, “No, at least I don’t think so. Every time I fall asleep,” He puts quotation marks over ‘falling asleep’. “I see him, or Cassidy. I think she’s the one giving me nightmares. I don’t think she likes me, but…I don’t really blame her. I can’t imagine Evan giving me a good reputation considering…” 

Henry frowns at that, “I’m sure you can clear your name, you’ve changed kid.” 

The animatronic sighs loudly, his eyes dim, “I don’t know. I doubt he ever could forgive me. After all, he's stuck in there, no doubt because of me.” 

The rage of being killed, the sorrow and betrayal of his own brother…Michael did not blame him. He knew it would take forever to forgive him. May not even happen. He didn’t deserve that forgiveness. 

“If he’s the Evan I know, he’ll forgive you. He loved you so much Michael. You were his big brother.” 

Michael glances up at Henry, “A big brother who tormented him relentlessly. I was an asshole to him, Henry. A downright menace.” 

The man sighs as he washes away the dirt on Michael’s hands, “That’s what big brothers do. Am I excusing your behavior absolutely not, but you have changed Michael. Someone who hasn’t changed wouldn't acknowledge that they were bad in the past. You are willing to accept your mistakes. Not a lot of people can do that.” 

“You are siblings, and siblings sometimes…well they fight. They argue, they beat each other up. What happened was an accident. A prank gone too far. Fredbear’s jaws were not supposed to be that powerful.” 

Michael’s eyes flicker, hearing the sickening crunch in his ears. The blood splattering across his face. As he stood in horror, while his friends took a step back and ran like hell. How he shouted and screamed for someone to help him. To get his brother out of the jaws of that awful animatronic. 

How his father pushed him down to the ground as he tried to get to Evan. 

How he had to get Elizabeth from Susie’s party and tell her that her brother had died, and it was his fault. 

It was the worst night of his life, and forever haunted him. He stood by Evan’s bed until his final breath, clutching those small fingers with shaking hands. He was practically dragged out of the room by his father when Evan flatlined. 

If he could turn back time, if he could stop himself for being so stupid, he would. He’d beat his past self up, tell him he was making a mistake. That this would be the catalyst. The thing that starts the downward spiral of his life. 

But like Henry said, it would be fruitless to continue to keep himself in the past. He needed to own up to his mistakes, admit that he was a stupid fucking child, and try to do better. 

“If anyone is able to contact Charlie, it has to be them. I just don’t know if I can contact them.” He says it was all so confusing.

He didn’t know how any of this worked, there wasn’t a haunted animatronic manual for him to flip through. He’s tempted to bring out the Ouija board and just go from there. Wouldn’t that be funny? 

“Well, one thing is done. You’re all cleaned up. Shiny and sparkly like before.” Henry says with a bit of pride. Michael looked over his body, holding a hand out and beamed. 

His white chassis was no longer covered with dirt and grime, but was white as ever. “Perfect. Thanks Henry.” 

“And I’ll take this…” Henry says picking up the illuso disc that was still on Michael’s neck. “And start working on fixing it.” 

“You’re the best Henry,” Michael tells him, his voice serious. “I…I don’t know what I would do without you right now.”

Henry smiles and rubs his head, “Let’s not think about that. Now you get some rest, you’ve been through a lot after all.” 

Michael sighs. He definitely was, first the night guard shift, then the police, and having to tell Henry about Charlie. He had to admit he was exhausted. He was surprised he hadn't toppled over yet. Well he didn’t think he could do such a thing. 

The animatronic watches as Henry makes his way back to his little workshop he had. He appreciated all that Henry did for him. The man was amazing. He wasn’t used to it. A spike of anger hits him hard, wishing that Henry was his true father, and not the man who did all this. 

But no, life wouldn’t be fair like that, now would it? 

Michael gets up from the kitchen chair making his way to the living room, pausing when seeing pictures on the wall. He had been so busy with everything else he missed these. There was one of Henry and Charlie, bright smiles and laughter just emitting from the picture.

He reaches for the one in the middle, seeing his siblings and himself next to Charlie. He remembered that birthday. He scowled slightly at the crossed arms and smirk his own younger face had on it. They all were wearing masks of the Freddy gang. With Charlie having Bonnie’s mask, Evan having Freddy, Elizabeth having Chica, and Michael, well Michael always had Foxy. 

Foxy has always been around for as long as he remembered. He had so many sketchbooks of a pirate fox sailing away on some ship. Henry had found those doodles one day, and declared it was the perfect idea for their little gang. Foxy the pirate. 

Right now he felt he didn’t care for the guy so much anymore. Especially after breaking his disc. 

He pulls himself away from the picture and sits back down on the plush couch Henry had. 

The Fredbear plush was sitting on the coffee table innocently. With those white eyes staring back at him. “If that’s you Evan…please…I need to talk to you.” He whispers, he feels a little foolish talking to the Fredbear plush, but then again, he was a talking walking animatronic. 

How foolish could things get now? 

Plenty foolish, his mind replies. 

He sits back, leaning his head back against the couch staring up at the ceiling. This time he wills the darkness to come, practically begging for him to be taken back to the spot that the two communicate with him. Or torture him for that matter. Still didn’t appreciate him being dragged into Fredbear’s mouth, that was horrible. 

The darkness is welcoming, and he lets out a soft sigh, falling deeper and deeper into the pit. 

But when he wakes up, it’s different. There’s laughter and commotion. His eyes open and he finds himself wearing the Foxy mask yet again. He could hear snickering around him, and he looked at his hands, seeing the bandaged and calloused fingers. 

He was fourteen again. 

“C’mon Mike, you spacing out on us again?” The kid with the blue Bonnie mask asks with a hand on his hip. 

“What?” Michael stammers and the kids laugh. What the hell was going on?

“Look at him stammering just like his little brother! Guess that apple doesn’t fall far from the tree!” The masked Freddy shouts with a high pitched laugh. 

His blood boils at that, “You shut the hell up.” He snaps, getting them to laugh even harder. 

“There he is.” The one with the Chica mask giggles, “Your brother is really a crybaby though Mike.” 

Michael’s world freezes when he realizes that Evan is on the ground before him. His hands covering his head, curled into a small ball. He recognizes the floor anywhere, the sounds, the laughter. 

It was that fateful day. 

“C’mon Mike! We should show him that Fredbear wants a big ol’ kiss.” 

Michael feels his blood run cold, “No.” He states, his voice hard, firm. “You leave him alone.” 

The little gang of kids stop, all staring at him. Michael’s fists are clenched and his jaw feels like it’s about to snap from the pressure. 

“What did you say?” Freddy mask asks, stepping closer to him. Michael isn’t scared, he’s seen far worse than a bully. So he stands up to him, despite being smaller. 

“I said, you leave him the fuck alone.” Michael snarls, pushing the Freddy back with one simple motion. “All of you. No one messes with my brother except me. ” 

They all just stare, as if this was completely unheard of. It’s not before the Bonnie speaks up, “Fine we don’t need you anyways. C’mon guys. Let the fucking pussy be with his little savior.”

Michael steps in front of Evan making sure the kids don’t do anything stupid, all of them walking off to do something else. “Good riddance.” He mutters before glancing down at Evan, who’s now looking up at him with red puffy eyes. 

The boy’s heart clenches at the sight of his younger brother, cautiously crouching down. “You okay?” He asks quietly and Evan just stares at him. He’s not sure if it’s in awe, or if it’s pure disbelief. Perhaps a little bit of both. 

You really have changed.  

The party stops, the sounds just going silent and Michael looks around to find himself in a void. Evan is gone, leaving him in the darkness. 

“Evan?” He shouts, glancing around. He feels something hit his leg, and he looks down to see a dark hand grip at his calf. Michael makes a noise trying to move only finding himself sticking to the dark floor. More hands grab up his legs, pulling him under. 

“Evan?! Evan help!” He shouts his body hitting the floor with a splash, wet darkness covering him dragging him deeper into the abyss. He struggles, but like quicksand it only makes things worse. 

Soon the darkness is enveloping him and he falls. 

Down down down. 

And jerks awake, only to find the Golden Fredbear sitting before him. 

Take your stupid crybaby brother and talk to him. I have bigger things to do.

With that the right eyes glows and as if someone is pushing him, a ghostly Evan flies out of the Fredbear falling to the floor. 

The Fredbear disappears and Evan looks at Michael with wide eyes. Michael. 

“Evan…” 

Here…let me…

Evan cautiously approaches the animatronic, reaching into the chest of the thing, and with a small tug he feels something. Michael watches in awe as he’s suddenly yanked from the machine. His soul, his ghost whatever it is, is pulled from LolBit and now he’s himself again. 

Well himself when he died that night, judging by the large bloodstain on his torso. At least he wasn’t leaking guts and gore. Evan also sported his bloody head, his shirt still the same striped one he loved. 

Mikey…

Evan whispers and Michael just falls to his knees looking up at his brothers with wet eyes. He didn’t bother to question why he could cry in this form, or how Evan was even able to get him this way. Instead he hangs his head and sobs. 

“I’m sorry Evan. I’m so sorry.” He cries, not able to hold himself together. Everything was bursting at the seams, he couldn’t take it anymore. Couldn’t hold it in. 

All the pain and regret that he held for his brother was released. 

Evan just stands there, watching his other brother cry. It almost seemed like he didn’t know what to do. This wasn’t what he was used to for the most part. His brother never cried in front of him, never showed any emotion except anger and annoyance. 

But he supposed things were different now.

Hesitantly the child reaches for his brother’s shoulder, getting Michael to look up with wet tears. 

It’s okay Mikey. It’s…okay.

Evan has a gentle smile on his face, something he wished he saw more often. The boy crouched down to meet Michael’s level. 

I'm here now. It’s me. 

Michael gives out a sob, but it’s more of a happy one. A bittersweet one. His baby brother shouldn’t be here. He should be in Heaven, or somewhere that kids can be free and happy. But he’s here, stuck with him in the same situation. Never allowed to leave. 

“Evan, I-”

He doesn’t get to finish his statement due to his brother suddenly flinging himself onto him. Wrapping his arms around his frame, pulling him into a deep hug. He didn’t expect that. He didn’t expect Evan to hug him. He sits there stunned for just a moment, before he reaches up and returns the hug. 

It’s just like he remembers it. He’s grateful he can feel his brother’s hands grip his shirt, his head buried into his shoulder. The little bit of moisture. 

I missed you big bro. 

“I missed you too.” Michael does his best not to sob, not openly scream at the rawness his heart felt. How much he tortured himself over that night. He missed you . 

After all this time, he missed you. 

It’s quiet, just brothers holding one another. He doesn’t want to let go, but he knows he has to. They both know it, so he’s the first to break away. Seeing Evan’s tearful face. Immediately Michael reaches up to wipe away his tears. “You’re such a crybaby.” He says with a chuckle knowing full well that his own face is covered in tears.

So are you. 

Yeah, you got him there. 

Evan sits down in front of Michael staring at him with those big grey eyes of his. 

“I’m sorry Evan, that you’re stuck like this too.” 

Evan glances up, looking at Michael than at Lolbit, the husk of Michael slumped over and powered off for the time being. It’s okay. I was angry. So angry. I couldn’t move on. I got stuck. Then Cassidy came along, we both couldn’t move on. She’s more angry than I am though. 

He winces at Evan saying he was angry, he had every right to be. Brutally taken away from his life, by the hands of his own brother. 

“Elizabeth got me, if it makes you feel better.” Michael mutters gesturing to his torso, “Scooped me right up.” 

Evan makes a face looking at him. Scooped? 

Michael nods, “One of father’s inventions, scoops the inside of animatronics out. Doesn’t make any sense to me I know.” 

A lot of father’s stuff doesn’t make sense. Im…sorry it happened though. 

The one thing about Evan was that he was smart, articulate. Even for a nine year old boy, he knew how to speak better than most of the kids his age. Always watching and staring. As if absorbing everything he hears. 

The older brother shrugs, not really sure if he too was sorry. Maybe this was meant to happen, to give him a wake up call. “Just wish I could’ve helped her. Lizzie. Somethings wrong with her. I think it’s…the Remnant that father kept injecting them with. She said she couldn’t recognize me.” 

She’s probably long gone, Mikey. Remnants isn’t good. It’s what is keeping us here, though your remnant is different. 

He tilts his head at that, “What do you mean?” 

Evan shrugs playing with his shorts, It’s different. That’s what Cassidy says. You have full control over your animatronic. Every gift Charlie has given…doesn’t. They sleep inside the animatronic, make it do things, but they can’t speak or think like you can. 

Odd, why was that? Was it because of how he died? Or something else entirely. 

“What about you? You can move around, well not in the suit I’ve seen.”

Evan looks at him with a small hum. It's different too. Cassidy and I control it. But she can see everything while I can’t when we are together. We…can also communicate with those who have remnant. 

“Through dreams.” Michael states with wide eyes, smiling when Evan nodded. He knew it. 

But I can’t talk to Lizzie. I’ve tried. She’s too gone, or something is preventing me from doing so.

“She probably can’t because she’s with the others. They formed this…weird entity of wires and they well I won’t be gross but they’re using my dead body to walk around. At least that’s what Charlie told me.” 

Evan makes a face again. Gross. 

“You’re telling me, my own sister. Using my body as a meatsuit. I have to find her. Maybe Henry can help. Make her a body so she’s not trapped with all those weirdos.” 

The boy smiles at Michael nodding in agreement. That sounds like a plan. 

“Yeah, I’m trying Evan. I really am.”

I know. I yelled at Charlie a lot after you left. You got in trouble didn’t you?

Michael chuckles, nodding, “Yeah I got arrested.” 

That makes Evan’s eyes widen and he moves closer to Michael. Arrested?! That’s not good. You’ve only got in trouble like that once and Father was so mad…

“I know, but I scared them off with this guy.” He jerks his fingers at his animatronic form. “You should’ve seen their faces when I appeared looking like that. It was hilarious.” 

Don’t do it again. You don’t want to get into even more trouble…

“I won’t, I don’t really want to be a wanted man, err…animatronic.” 

Mikey, I gotta go soon. Cassidy will be mad if I stay here a lot. But…I can shift between here and there now, thanks to the plush. He points to the Fredbear plush on the table. It’ll keep me grounded so I can talk to you! 

Evan beams and Michael smiles, before his eyes widen. “Wait! Can I tell Henry about this? He’ll think I’m crazy…” 

The smile immediately softens and Evan sighs. Only people with remnant can see us, but you can tell him. He won’t be able to see me, but you can. 

Ah, those were the rules then huh. How dumb. But Michael couldn’t complain considering how Evan wanted to come back and talk to him. 

“Okay. I can do that.” He hesitantly reaches up and ruffles Evan’s hair with a slight smirk. “Thanks for coming by. And for torturing me with those nightmares.” 

Evan makes a noise grabbing at his hair. That was all Cassidy! I didn’t want to do that, well…

“Yeah, yeah I don’t blame ya. I was a real rotten kid. And I’m really sorry for it. I should have never done that to you. We should have stuck together as a family…” 

Evan places a hand on his and squeezes it. We can do that now. Even though both of us are…

Dead, yeah.. 

“I’d like that.” Michael whispers, getting his little brother to smile from ear to ear. He missed this kid so much.

Okay big bro. I gotta go, but I’ll be back to talk to you later.

“Wait! Before you leave, can you tell Charlie I really am sorry. And that I really want to help truly. I know I messed up, but..tell her that I am sorry. And I know it’s just a bunch of words, but I’m going to do everything I can to stop him.” 

His words are determined and Evan quickly nods. 

I can tell her. I don’t know if she’ll listen to me right now, but I’ll tell her. See you Mikey.

Evan moves to stand his form fading and then Michael is back in his animatronic form. He startles as his body gets used to the metal wiring and frame. Right. 

“Bye Evan.” Michael whispers, a smile on his face. 

Now how the hell was he going to tell Henry about this?

Notes:

The calm before the storm! Gonna try to give Michael a break every now and then. Hint on the word try lol

But hope you enjoyed it and thank you all for the kudos and comments yall! Love you all so much!

Chapter 9: Together Again!

Notes:

Woo! New chapter! I had loads of fun with this one. Hope you all enjoy it!

Thanks again for the lovely comments and kudos! 💛✨

Tap tap tap. Went his metal nails on the table as Henry stared at the plush before him. Michael staring at him expectantly, waiting for the man to react. 

“Run this by me again. Evan…is in the plush.” 

Michael sighs, throwing his head back a bit, “No, he is using the plush to communicate with me. He’s not here right now.” He knew it was going to be hard to explain this. If only he had Evan to help him out. But right now it seemed Evan was out of the picture. Figures.

“How?” 

He throws up his hands shrugging wildly, “Hell if I know! It’s a weird thing he can do. Same with Cassidy apparently. They’re not really corporal I think.” He remembers the Fredbear suit just lying on the floor, and then fading into existence whenever they wanted to. 

“So there’s two in Fredbear now? Evan and this Cassidy?” 

Michael nods and Henry puffs out a sigh, rubbing his beard. “This is a lot.” It was, he barely could understand this himself. 

“You’re telling me. I still can’t really understand it. I just know he can come and go, and communicate with me through the remnant I have. Which is different from the others? He didn’t really explain that. Apparently Charlie, Evan, Cassidy and I all have different types of remnant.” He really didn’t understand that at all. What was so different? He was still stuck in here after all. It’s not like he was able to get in and out of the suit. 

Evan was able to do that, he had pretty much astral projected Michael out of Lolbit. He certainly wished he could do that, though he would rather not see the big bloodstain on his shirt. 

Michael shudders at the thought. Right well, he was still dead after all. Of course he was going to look like that as a freaking ghost. 

“I need to write this down or something or I might forget it all.” Henry mutters, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “It’s definitely a lot to comprehend, let alone understand. Different types of Remnant? People in animatronics….” 

“It’s even worse thinking that my father understands it completely and is using it to do whatever the hell he is doing.” Michael replies bitterly clenching his hand. Had he discovered it all through Charlie’s death and just kept killing? “Trying to obtain immortality? Killing kids…it’s all too much.” 

He didn’t want to know. How could he even walk around with so much blood on his hands? The thought horrified him. How many late nights were William coming back from a fresh kill? 

It made him sick to his stomach. 

“Perhaps there’s a way to release the remnant. Since it seems to attach itself to whatever is near, or gifted I suppose. Since it can not perish there must be a way to release it.” Henry mutters tapping his chin.

“If there’s a way, then we could release all those kids. All of us.” 

Henry swallows, “Yes. That seems to be the only option. No one should have this fate…it’s too cruel. I want to prevent it before more suffer.” They may not know where William is at the moment, but they at least could start fixing his mistakes. 

“Pure agony, keeping them alive but wishing to hurt others…” Was that why he was different? Because he did not want to inflict more pain, but fix it? Charlie seemed to be the same, she was bringing them gifts in order to try and keep them alive. Alive but at what cost?

It was hell on earth. 

He appreciated the second chance, but man did it come with a price. 

“Ugh I’m so mad Henry! We are back to square one, again. If only I could find a way to track down my body.”

Henry sighs, “Well there’s not much we can do, since you looked at your place after all.” 

Michael pauses looking at Henry, who freezes before raising a brow. “You…did go back to your own apartment to see if they were there…right?”

“Right Michael?”

Boy he was pretty stupid wasn’t he? 

“Listen…”

Henry looks exasperated, “Michael, you didn’t look?” 

“Listen! I literally got out of the place and then I got tasered to the back! How was I supposed to go back there looking like this?!” Michael shouts feeling very dumb. Why didn’t he think of that sooner?! Would Ennard even be at his apartment? God he hoped so! Would make things way easier. 

Henry rubs his temple, “Well…we can’t go anyways because the disc isn’t fixed. But as soon as it is, you’re going to your apartment.” 

Michael places his chin on the table, “I’m dumb okay? I’m so stupid.” 

“You’ve had a lot on your plate right now kid, I don’t blame you for this. But, we aren’t at square one now!” 

The animatronic nods, “At least there’s that!” 

 

…

 

It takes two days for Henry to fix the disc. Two days for Michael to be banging his head on the metaphorical wall from his own stupidity. He should have done that first, and went straight to his apartment. 

Well in his own defense he was still trying to wrap his head around that he was a walking, talking animatronic and that he now had to work on fixing things, AND find his father. 

He had a lot on his shoulders, so a simple solution was completely out of his mind. He could almost hear Evan and Charlie laughing at him. 

“Alright, here we go. Illuso disc 2.0. Added a protective casing so no hooks will be embedded in them.” Henry muttered as he placed the disc right on Michael’s neck. There’s the click once more and the whistling noise starts again. 

Soon his form flickers, shifting from reality to illusion. Metal to skin, hair and clothes. He looks at his hands, watching the change shudder and blink under his eyes. He could never tell if it was working on himself. He supposed that was the point. “Did it work?” He looks up at Henry expectantly. 

“It did! Brain is seeing you in the flesh.” Henry smiles tapping his temple. “Now people will see what they think they see with you, instead of the other way around.” 

Michael nods, giving himself a good look in the mirror. Yep, there he was. Tall, lanky and still had the glowing purple eyes, but only if you squinted. He sighs in relief,  “Smart. Better that way if I’m honest. Thanks Henry.”

“I’m happy I was able to fix it! But, now you can parade around with those fake names without thinking twice.” Yes he would have to be careful about what names he used. Mike Schimdt might have to be one he would have to retire. 

Oh well. Mike Schimdt got arrested anyway. 

He smoothed down his illusion shirt with a small hum, “Well. You hold the fort down while I do some investigating. Maybe I’ll find some clues to where the damn thing went.” He was ready to encounter this Ennard and deal with whatever came with it. 

Henry frowns, “I should go with you.” 

“And have you be their next meat suit? I don’t think so Henry. Plus I don’t want you getting hurt. Please.” This was his time to be worried for Henry, this wasn't just his body. This was a malicious AI entity that was parading around as him. “You don’t know what could happen. They’re unpredictable…” 

He didn’t want it to hurt Henry. He would never forgive himself. The thing already had killed him after all. If it did anything to Henry…

“I will tie you up.” Michael threatens with glowing purple eyes staring at Henry. He’s not lying, and Henry can see that. So the older man puts his hands up in defeat. 

Michael smiles in triumph. At least he had the intimidating factor down. 

“Fine, but you have to be careful. You take the taser and keep it on you at all times. Anything goes wrong, you use it. I know it’s your body but-“ 

“Oh don’t worry. I don’t mind beating the shit out of myself. Especially since I deserve a little beat down.” Michael remarks looking at his nails. 

Henry just raises his brow, opening his mouth to reply, but shakes his head. He knows it’s a lost cause, there was no point in arguing with Michael. He had such a low image of himself, he couldn’t do much that would change his mind. 

“Anyways, I’ll bring the taser. It’s just to scope out the place.” Hopefully it would lead to a trail that he could follow, then he could find Elizabeth and her little friends. Ennard. “And if I find a trail….I’ll keep you posted. 

Michael grabs the satchel he had the night before and pulls it over his shoulder. “Okay. I’m off. I’ll be back as soon as I figure things out. I’ll be careful.” He doesn’t promise this time. 

He didn’t want to disappoint Henry this time around. So he just says he’ll be careful. And he would. Extra careful this time around. No getting arrested or having some animatronic ruin his illuso disc. He would take his steps cautiously. 

Henry gives a small pat to his shoulder nodding, “I’ll be in the workshop then. I’ll see you when you get home.” The man smiles and Michael salutes before stepping out to the car. He waves back to Henry watching the man close the door. 

“To home.” He muttered starting the car. 

 

… 

 

His apartment was out on the edge of town, he wanted to be far away from things when he had left. Though he didn’t leave completely. A part of his brain yearned for the thought that maybe, just maybe his father needed him. And he would come and beg for him to come back. To hug him, and hold him tightly. Like a true father should. 

But that never happened. 

Michael’s hands grip the steering wheel, his teeth slightly bared. 

Of course it didn’t. When he called Michael answered. Like a damn dog coming back to his vomit. And what happened to him? 

“Scooped like a goddamn ice cream cone.” He snarled to himself, trying not to break the wheel of the car. He needed to be careful. He wasn’t human after all. He was a metal walking fox with a terrible sense of humor. 

He steels himself, taking a deep breath. He needed to focus. Seething in his own anger seemed to make things worse. 

Vengeance is a fool’s game. 

He remembers Henry telling him that when he had gotten pushed off the swings by a bully and cried to him about getting back at him. Henry always knew what to say when he got frustrated. 

It wasn’t about vengeance. This was about making amends, fixing things. Sure, he would love to just…beat his father down. But things were far more important. He needed to get Elizabeth right now. 

He parks his car on the side of the apartment lot and looks up at the place. It wasn’t too shabby. For someone who left home and didn’t have a lot of money. 

Henry had given him a good amount of money after he had left them. Michael made sure to hide it from his father, saving it up until he was able to leave. 

Sighing, he opens the door and walks out, heading up the stairs to his apartment. This should be easy. He hoped. 

Glancing over his shoulder he noticed a few people peeking through their blinds before abruptly shutting them. Huh, weird. Why everyone on edge right now? 

Michael looked up, 301 that was his number. Ah, he didn’t have his key anymore. It would be in his body. That wasn’t anywhere to be seen. He huffs glancing about seeing a man coming out of his apartment. Oh good! Maybe he could question him and figure out things. 

“Hey, um sorry to ask. My friend is 301? He said he’d be-“ 

“301?! Jesus, that kid?” The man remarks and Michael blinks, bingo. “You better stay away from him, something ain’t right.” 

The last part was in a hushed whisper, his eyes darting from left to right. The man was hunched over, paranoid looking. Something was definitely not right. 

“You know where he went? I’m real worried. Hasn’t answered my calls.” Michael whispers and the man shrugs. 

“Dunno, and don’t care. Something ain’t right. I swear the kid’s gone purple. Walks around all creepily. I keep complaining to the landlady, but she ain’t doing anything about it!” 

Purple? 

“Oh, okay thanks.” 

“If ya want his key, go ask the front.” With that the man walks down the stairs a bit rushed and almost trips over himself. He sure was in a hurry. 

Goodness, what the hell was going on here? 

Michael looks down and watches him leave, looking around. Well he didn’t have time to go ask for a key. He could just pick the lock. Something he learned from his rebellious phase. 

Crouching he pulls out a little bobby pin from the satchel, and with a simple click and churn he’s in. Easy peasy. He was glad he kept one in his bag. When he opens the door he leans in seeing that it’s in disarray. Things scattered everywhere, clothes and claw marks all around. 

“What the hell…” He muttered looking around, picking up his sketchbook that was ripped to shreds. “Geez, rude…I was almost done with this one.” 

He sighs, it looked like Ennard had done a number on this place. Why he didn’t know. None of this made sense. Why were they trashing the place? He pauses seeing red speckling the floor. 

Blood? 

There were puddles of it in the bathroom, chunks of hair in his sink. 

“What the hell?” 

Now he was panicking. 

Michael needed to find Ennard and fast. This didn’t look too good. It looked like a goddamn crime scene. 

“You idiot! Your sensor vision!” He smacks his head and shifts his shoulders. 

Quickly he makes sure the door is shut as he clicks his illuso disc off, his body flickering. He’s back at his animatronic form and he opens his eyes, hearing the flash and his vision brightens. 

Immediately golden auras appear around him, but there’s one that’s different. It’s a bright orange color, shifting around and turning black and then pink. 

“There!”

He clicks his illuso disc and starts to walk out of the room. He glances in the direction of the alleyway. That’s where it was. It had to be. 

With the taser in hand, he rushes down the stairs and creeps his way to the wall, peering over the brick wall. Inside the alleyway there’s a couple of large trash cans and he can hear rummaging. 

“Garbage garbage garbage!” His own voice hissed from the figure, but it’s scratchier, hollow. There’s an echo to it. 

“Of course it’s garbage, this is a trash can.” 

It sounds like Ennard’s talking to each other, while they dig through the trash. Why? He didn’t know. 

“We need it! We need to find it…then we can move on to our true purpose. The one we were made for.” 

“Only you want to do that! This meatbag ain’t gonna last us long Baby! ” 

Michael steps forward, “This meatbag isn’t going to last at all. ” 

The figure whips its head up, with glowing purple eyes. Michael does his best not to reel back at his own body. Purple splotches all over its pale skin, flesh flaking away to reveal metal wiring and tubing. What the hell happened to him? 

His body was clearly wasting away, revealing the mechanical animatronic inside. 

Michael felt sick. He couldn’t imagine being stuck in there. Having his body looking like that. With fraying hair and skin stretched over his bones. It was a horrific sight. 

It sways forward, tilting its head with a manic grin. It’s face has rips in its flesh showing the mixture of teeth and metal. 

“Well, well if it ain’t Scoops Ahoy!” The thing laughs and Michael’s brows twitch in anger. “How is this happening right now? You a clone?” 

“Clearly. Digging in the trash are we?” He asks, stepping forward with annoyance. “Have plans for the day?” He crosses his arms, the taser tight in his hand that he can hear the crunching of plastic. 

“Nothing that concerns you.” Ennard’s voice switches and he can tell it’s Ballora speaking. Must have been Funtime Freddy before. 

Michael scowls, “It concerns me when it’s my body to begin with.”

Ennard laughs, throwing back it’s head, “What? You want it back?” It points to Michael giving a cruel smile. Michael wanted nothing more than to throttle his body and just start beating at him. But he had to figure out what the hell it was doing in the trash. 

“You’ve clearly worn it out, but I want to talk to Elizabeth. I know she’s in there.” 

Ennard shutters, eyes flicking from the ground then to Michael. It hissed, stepping back. “We don’t know anyone by the name Elizabeth.” 

Michael frowns, “You know you do. Circus Baby. I know she’s in there.” 

“She doesn’t want to talk to you. ” Ennard growls, shaking its head. 

“She’s going to have to. Since she killed me .” Michael snarls, “You couldn’t just listen! I was trying to help! I wanted to get you all out of there, and you scooped me!” 

“We couldn’t leave! No one would let us!” Ennard replies, throwing its hands about as it spoke, showing off the flesh that was ripping off it’s hand. 

Michael can feel his anger start to rise, “Are you kidding me? I saw what was down there. If you would have just talked to me, said Mike! We are being tortured down here! Get us out! Your sister is in Baby! You know what I would have done? GOT. YOU. OUT.” 

Ennard just stares with a vacant expression as if they’re all arguing on the inside. It twitches and moves before giving a snarl. “You liar.” 

“Why would I lie? Lizzie…I just want to help.” 

“I am NOT ELIZABETH!” 

Michael shouts as Ennard launches itself onto him causing him to fall to the ground, hands around his throat. It squeezes at his throat as if it’s about to choke him out. “Stop. Please.” He mutters making coughing noises. “You’re killing me!” He puts a hand over his face dramatically. 

Ennard stops with a look of confusion and Michael gives a wolfish grin, punching the doppelgänger right in the face. Ennard makes a garbled noise falling backwards, with Michael standing up. 

“H-how?!” Ennard hissed holding its cheek. It stutters upwards, the body movements wonky and inhuman. Like a snake is inside of him. It was far too freaky for his taste. 

“You killed me, remember? I was given a gift.” He taps his illuso disc, and the illusion shudders showing a bit of his true form. “I can’t die, didn’t you say that?” 

“Lolbit.” Ennard whispered with wide eyes. 

“The one and only, though Lolbit is a bit dormant right now. They aren’t here, so you’ll have to speak to me.” He puts a hand on his chest standing straight, purple eyes flashing. 

“Listen, I’m not here to hurt you. Though that did feel good hitting you. I’m here to help. I just want to help. Maybe I can get you all proper bodies. See, I’m with Henry, and we can make you better! No more scooping, no more kidnapping kids. You’ll be free.” 

Ennard looks at him, almost in disbelief. Like Michael was telling lies it just wanted to hear. “You-you’d do that? For us? All of us?” 

“No! I don’t want this!” Ennard’s voice changes gripping at its head, and Michael recognizes it immediately. Elizabeth. “We are supposed to do what Daddy told us! We promised!” 

“ You promised! Not us! You told us we would get out! And look at us! Darling we are a mess!” Definitely Funtime Foxy, they seemed to be arguing. Daddy? Oh no, not William. 

“Elizabeth please, you won’t be able to please father. He-he-“ 

“What do you know about pleasing father?!” Ennard hissed, it’s eyes flashing green at him. 

Michael is taken aback by that, wincing at the venom in his own voice. “Please, you don’t want that. That’s something you’ll  never fulfill. It will never feel that void. Please. Just come home, come with me to Uncle Henry’s…” He holds his hand out for Ennard to take, for Elizabeth to take. Please. Please Elizabeth. 

“No!” Ennard slaps Michael’s hand away from him. “We won’t go! You’ll just hurt us again! We have to do as we were made to do! 

“No! No you don’t! You don’t have to! Look- please just listen .” 

Ennard twitches and shakes, he can hear the wires squelching against his body’s flesh. It’s horrifying, and he wants it to just stop. “You listen. You don’t get to tell us what to do. No one does now.”

“So you’re free here? With this rotting corpse? What happens when it’s just a skeleton? What then Ennard? Elizabeth?” 

Ennard snarls, moving to swipe at him. Michael immediately grabs at their wrists with an angry snarl. “You can’t win! You’re a human after all!” 

“I’ll tear you limb from limb and then I’ll settle inside you once more!!” 

Michael snarls, “Not if I can help it! How about a controlled SHOCK!” He twists Ennard’s arm behind it with one hand and pulls the taser out. With a swift motion he slams it against their back. Howling Ennard spasms and Michael doesn’t stop until the body goes limp. 

He reaches for his own body, picking it up with ease. “It’s for your own good. I’m sorry, I really am,” He mutters holding his body close to him. “God this is so fucking weird.”

Quickly he ducks out of the alleyway, heading back to the car. He didn’t need someone to find him dragging back a corpse. His own corpse. This was not fun. 

He needed to get this to Henry, stat. Maybe he could make animatronics for this mottled crew and his sister. Hopefully they weren’t too far gone. He knew Evan said that Elizabeth’s remnant wasn’t right, but he still had hope. He wanted to keep them safe. They were in agony, just as he was. 

There had to be some relief to this.

Michael places Ennard on the passenger side, and gets into the car. 

“Here we go. Just stay passed out for a bit yeah?” 

With that he takes off, they wouldn’t be finding a rotten corpse walking around here anymore. 

 

… 

Henry jumps at the door slamming open and he rushes to the entranceway. He stops in his tracks when seeing Michael walk in. His hand immediately went to his nose due to the sudden smell. It certainly wasn’t Michael, but the thing in his arms. 

“Michael! What is that ?!” He shouts pointing to the purple husk that is limp in his hand. 

“My body.” Michael says simply, with a shrug of his shoulders. 

Henry just looks in horror, “Your what?” 

Michael looks down at the body and then to Henry, “Well technically this is Ennard, but yeah it’s my body. Looks awful right?” He starts to laugh, his shoulders shaking. “Zombodie took it hehe..” 

“Michael. You thought to bring this…rotting corpse that is an animatronic into my house?” Henry asks slowly, his eyes wide at the sight. 

Michael once again looks from the body to Henry. “Yes?” 

“ Why ?”

The boy looks exasperated, “Where else would I be supposed to bring it?!” He stammers with his brows pinched. 

Henry groans, “Not in the house! Maybe the garage! It stinks!” 

“Well yeah! It’s rotting! Cuz ya know! It’s a corpse!”

“Michael!”

“Okay! Okay! I’ll put it in the garage. I’m tying it up so it doesn’t do anything stupid.” Michael says with a melodramatic sigh, walking towards the garage. Henry follows with his hands clasped over his nose to avoid the rotten smell. He grabs an air freshener while Michael picks up a chair and places Ennard on the chair. 

While Michael searches for rope, Henry is spraying down the purple decaying body with a look on his face. The smell is absolutely disgusting. Like rot and metal infused, it shook him to his core that this was Michael’s body. How rotten it was. The little boy he held in his arms so many years ago now just this skeletal being of a man. With a horrible entity inside of it. 

How terrible it was to realize he was never going to see Michael grow up. Never see him find someone to love, to be happy and healthy. The thing inside him robbed him of that. 

Henry’s fists clenched, Henry wasn’t an angry man. No, but he was angry at the injustice of this world. Of the fates that were ripped away. The children snuffed out like a candle. 

There had to be a way to stop this. Completely. 

Michael quickly ties Ennard up, pulling away with a huff. He stands with his hands on his hips looking at Henry. 

“Well…what the hell do we do now?” 

Notes:

Nothing like having your corpse attack you and want you dead amirite? It was a lot of fun writing Ennard, they’re a spooky little guy.

Thanks again for reading and hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Have some more art featuring my scooped Michael design: https://twitter.com/inkspottie/status/1489659860304154628?s=21

Chapter 10: Do You Have a Gift for Me?

Notes:

Double post? Amazing! You can thank my friends for that. They’re helping with this brain rot idea and I couldn’t be more blessed.

So enjoy~

They just stared at the limp form of the purple corpse in front of them. Michael didn’t want to continue to look at it, it was making him sick to his stomach. 

That was his body. 

His body, who had died not too long ago, looked like it crawled out of the grave. A goddamn zombie. How did it get that way so fast? He wasn’t an expert on the dead, but he was pretty sure it wasn’t supposed to look like that.

It’s Henry’s voice that breaks the silence. It’s slightly nasally due to his hand pinching his nose. “This is certainly not how I expected my day to turn out.”

The smell must be really bad. 

“You and me both. I found them just…digging in the trash like some raccoon.” Michael looks at the body strapped to a lawn chair. “It’s a bit pathetic.”

He pokes at the body watching it twitch a bit. Ew. Why was it even moving in such a way? Did it need to be even more creepier than it already was? 

“Michael please, I don’t need you to make me vomit with that.” Henry pleads, looking a little sick. “It’s bad enough I have to see your corpse.”

Right. 

“Sorry, I didn’t know what else to do. I didn’t want to just leave it there! Who knows what would’ve happened…” He shuddered at the thought. 

Henry sighs, “You did the right thing. I just don’t know what we are going to do with it?” 

“I have no idea..” Michael can see that Henry is just about to lose his mind with Michael’s impulse moments. Just staring at him like he had lost his mind. “Listen, Henry, one of us in this room is an engineer and it’s not me.” 

“I suppose that is true.” Michael gives a small glare at Henry who just puts his hands up as if to say he wasn’t really wanting to argue about this. 

Michael certainly didn’t know what to do right now. He didn't expect to get this far. What could they do? Interrogate it? Offer it to stay here and help them fix things? Maybe get Lizzie back? How he didn’t know, but he wanted to try. 

“Maybe we try to see if we can get Lizzie out of there?” He turns to Henry who looks concerned. It was clear he was anxious about this all and Michael didn’t blame him. This was the thing that was living inside his rotting corpse. Like a goddamn parasite. 

His soul detached and he was just staring at himself. In absolute horror of his own fate. What could have been. 

The slithering of wires against his abdomen, the squelching of flesh, the shuddering noses as bones clicked. Walking like a puppet on a string. 

It was like he was in his own horror show. 

If Elizabeth wasn’t in there, he’d say burn it to the ground. Burn the damn thing until there was nothing but ash. 

But he had to try. For his sister. 

“Alright Lizzie…we need to figure this out. Civil like.” He muttered, bending down and shaking the corpse. Not too hard, he was too afraid that everything would just collapse. “But I won’t be afraid to punch you again.” 

“Be careful Michael.” Henry whispered his eyes slightly wide. Michael glances over his shoulder and nods. He wouldn’t let this thing hurt him or Henry. Especially Henry. He was half tempted to make the man wait in the other room.

The corpse shudders, eyes flickering upwards and gives a throaty grumble. “You shocked me.” 

“And I’ll do it again,” Michael says, his hands on his hips as he stands up straight. “You tried to attack me. I don’t want to fight you, but I have every right to defend myself.” 

Ennard just chuckles, it’s head swaying left to right, moving his body but finding that it was bound to the chair. “What is this?”

“Safety measures.” Henry states with a frown. “Can't have you scooping out any other people.” 

“So you’re uncle Henry huh? You think you can fix us old man?” Michael’s dead body twists slightly, his head moving in an unnatural turn. Like his bones weren’t even there, but it was all just flexible metal. 

Henry frowns, feeling the hairs on the back of his neck start to stand up straight. He didn’t like this, not one bit. 

“You’re talking to me, Ennard, not him.” Michael states standing in front of Henry. Eyes glaring at the thing before him he frowns. “You keep your grubby little wires to himself.” 

“Little ol me would want nothing to do with that.” Ennard chuckles, the sound was like a fork was being scraped against a metal table. He hated it. “Why, we are all practically family! Me and you Mikey.” 

“Don’t call me that.” Michael hissed his teeth bared. Only Evan and Elizabeth were allowed to call him that. “We are not family. You just have my sister.” 

“We are one in the same Baskin Robins.” Ennard remarks with a laugh. “Since we both have murdered a child before. Isn’t that funny?” 

Michael’s blood runs cold. His face falling into a wide stare. The entity just laughs, it’s head pulled back into a skittering guffaw that echoes the room. 

“Shut the hell up.” 

“But aren’t I right? You chomp-chomped someone’s little head off didn’t you. Like a bear trap. Hehe…bet that was a sight to see. How did it feel? Did you like it?” 

“Shut up. ” 

“Bet it felt reaaaal good. Got the attention you wanted and got rid of the competition.” 

Michael feels like he’s spiraling. He wants to clench his hands over his face and scream. No, no no. He didn’t mean to. He didn’t- 

It wasn’t his fault! 

“You shut up right now.” Henry states with a snarl. “You expect me to let you even get a remote chance of redeeming yourself after saying such things?” 

Ennard blinks innocently, “It was just a simple observation. Nothing more, friend.

“We are not your friends.” Michael laughs, his face red with anger as he tries to stop the rolling laughter that was bursting out of him. “I’m trying to help and you’re really starting to piss me off.” 

The wired corpse just hums, “You brought me here. What was it you think was going to happen? Michael, I will win. Daddy will find out I am the one to love the most.” It says with glowing green eyes. “I won’t let you take that from me.” 

Michael just wants to shake Elizabeth out of it. He knew she wasn’t like this. That all this remnant inside her was corrupting her soul. “Elizabeth, please, you think gaining father’s attention will fix this? He will never be satisfied with whatever you plan on doing.” 

The thing just sits and stares and it looks as if they’re arguing with each other in there. The way their eyes would dart and facial expressions would twitch. It moves so rapidly you’d blink and another expression would appear on their face. 

“We aren’t doing anyone's bidding.” Ennard hissed. 

“No you will listen to me, I'm the ringleader!” 

“Who’s to say we can’t just demote you?!” 

They’re fighting with each other, and Michael looks to Henry who hasn’t taken his eyes off the gross corpse. “Listen, we can do this together. I can help. We could make things for you all to settle in. To be free. And not follow anyones orders.” As long as killing wasn’t involved it shouldn’t be too bad. 

Ennard glances up with flickering eyes, it’s face pulled in a thoughtful frown. It takes a moment to respond, looking at Henry and Michael with an oddly tilted head. “You would make us all separate bodies?” 

Michael nods, “We can try.” And he was going to try. He wasn’t going to let them just waltz around with his decaying body. Next couple days they would be holding onto a goddamn skeleton. 

Henry suddenly puts a hand on Michael’s shoulder getting the boy to look over. “I need to talk to you, in private.” 

He gestures to the door and Michael nods. “Stay right here. Don’t move.” 

“I certainly don’t plan on it.” Ennard snapped in frustration as it attempted to shake out of the tight knots. It wasn’t going anywhere. 

Once out of earshot Henry turns to Michael, determination on his face. “Michael, as much as I know your head is in the right place, but do you think this is the wisest decision? Letting them be in new bodies? Look at them now, they’re not exactly-”

“I know, I know,” Michael interrupts with a sigh rubbing his forehead. He was starting to feel exhausted from this illusion disc running this whole time. “But I have to help. It’s Elizabeth Henry. She’s in there, I just know it.”

“But this is dangerous Michael! They killed you. Scooped you and then buried inside you. I’m sorry but that’s just….that is not something I think we can help right now. Say we do give them bodies, how can we trust them to be good? To not go back to their original programming?”

Michael stares at him, feeling anger swirl within him. “Just like you trust me. I wasn’t a good person but here I am! Trying to fix things. Are you saying bad people can’t change?” 

Henry is taken aback by that, immediately shaking his head. “That is not what I’m saying at all. You’re different Michael. These are machines, and obviously filled with something vile that makes them this way-”

“The more reason to help them!” Michael says his voice slightly raised, “We can make them good! I-I know we can.” 

“How? How Michael. We know next to nothing about these animatronics and the things they run on. They could be lying, which is something you said they could do. Elizabeth is in there, but it’s not the Elizabeth that you know.” 

Henry puts his hands on Michael’s shoulders but the boy pulls away, eyes flashing in anger. “I can’t let them suffer anymore Henry! I know their pain! This indescribable feeling of hollow agony that just eats and eats at you. Why can’t we take a chance? Why can’t we just try?” 

The man sighs, it was obvious that Michael was not understanding the situation. Too clouded by guilt to really get an idea of what he was trying to do. Henry was worried for Michael’s safety. They had fooled him once before and now, now they might do it again. Afton robotics were vile creatures and he didn’t know if he could fix them the way that Michael wanted him to.

“Please, Michael just listen-”

His sentence is interrupted by the sound of metal crashing. Michael and Henry lift their heads up and race back to the garage. 

When they get there they see the corpse of Michael on the floor, mouth opened and jaw unhinged. His face looked more ripped than before and then they heard it. 

Scraping of metal on the concrete floor. Wires and tubing shifted like a great snake as it squeezed itself under the garage door. 

Ennard was escaping. It ejected itself from its host. And it was getting out of here. Fuck! 

“Shit! Fuck the garage door get it!” Michael shouts as he races towards the slithering mess but he’s unable to catch it as it pops through the bottom of the garage. Damn it! 

Henry slams his fist on the button and with a groan the garage door slowly opens. Michael ducks under it and quickly chases after the creature crawling on the cement. It slides onto the payment and Michael slams onto the floor in an attempt to grab Ennard. He swipes his hand just barely missing it, watching in horror as it flees into the sewer drain. He could swear he could hear it laughing at him. 

“Elizabeth!” He cries seeing the wires disappear down the drain. He just lays there for a moment, hand out stretch with his face contorted into a look of pain. No, no no no! 

You failed. Again.

The voice of his father whispers in the back of his mind. Cackling and hissing like a madman. Michael slams his fist on the concrete. Damn it, damn it! 

Doing his best not to openly scream and cry in the middle of the sidewalk he stands up, looking over to see Henry frozen in place. 

Betrayal hits him hard, like a knife to the back. He didn’t even help. He just stood there. While his sister and that thing escape. He didn’t- 

He didn’t do anything. 

“Michael, I-”

Michael slams past him, his face dark and hands clenched into fist. “Don’t fucking touch me.” He snarls as Henry reaches for him. “Don’t touch me. Don’t even go near me!” 

The illuso disc shutters, showing LolBit’s face as the plates open up in Michael’s anger. He was burning with rage. How could he? How could he do this to him?

Henry takes a step back, “I’m sorry.” He whispers and Michael turns around, eyes brighter than usual. Staring right into Henry’s soul. 

“You’re sorry?! You wanted this to happen! She’s gone ! And you let it happen. ” Michael’s words fluctuate in pitch, showing just how upset he was. He failed. Again. Once again proving that he couldn’t do anything right. That no matter how hard he tried. 

He would never be good. 

Michael makes a noise, almost akin to him trying to hold back tears. He turns around and runs off, leaving Henry by himself. 

Henry falls to his knees, finding himself at a loss. He felt awful. He definitely didn’t mean to make it seem like he didn’t care about this situation. He was just worried. Michael didn’t see it, but this thing had killed him. His godson died and was no longer able to live the life that he deserved. 

He was stuck here. Henry wanted Michael to understand that not every creature in this world deserved a second chance. 

That these souls were far too gone to be redeemed. They were latched onto the hatred and agony of their creator, and were willing to lash out on everyone. Anything that came from Afton was a murderous mess, and he didn’t want anything else to happen to Michael. What if they infected him with that remnant. Took him away and brought this LolBit back? 

Henry’s eyes fall to the corpse on the floor. Seeing it dead hits his heart hard. Glass stabbing into his heart seemed less painful right now. 

His godson dead, his poor godson. 

One by one they all were falling. Like dominoes. He was the only one left. First Charlie, then Evan, Elizabeth and now Michael. 

He truly was alone in this world. 

Henry remembers when Michael first was brought into this world. He screamed at the top of his little lungs all the time, and only would calm down when Henry or his mother held him. How his little finger would clench into Henry’s. 

He was a little spitfire. Always was. Angry at the world, ready to kick and scream at anyone who dared to go near him. 

But he was always happy around Henry. 

Henry feels tears hit his eyes, staring at the limp body of his godson. He’s back to that night. 

The rain is falling down hard and he’s scrambling. 

Charlie, Charlie! Has anyone seen my daughter?!

He steps outside and a glowing green bracelet is in between the garbage and mess of wires. How his heart stopped for that moment as he rushed to the spot. Shoving the large puppet off of his daughter. How he cradled her in his arms, begging for her to be okay. 

The face of his own sweet little girl twisted into a look of surprise. How the rain plopped on her face making it look like tears. Her eyes wide. 

Henry never got that image out of his head. 

He held her tightly as one of the workers called the police. How he sobbed and held her tightly, his hands threading into her wet hair. 

Oh my sweet baby girl. I’m so sorry. 

Henry breaks down, holding the dead Michael in his arms. Not caring for the smell, or the gore. It was his godson. His little spitfire of a godson. Dead. 

Michael slams the back door stomping into the backyard. He gives out a strangled scream, his illuso disc stuttering from the sparks of emotions he was going through. With a swipe he knocks over a chair and watches it fly hitting the fence down the way. 

He glances over to the large treehouse in the backyard. He remembers Henry made it for Charlie on her birthday. Oh how much fun they had up there. Quietly, he climbed up the tree and pulled himself inside. His legs dangling down from the opening. 

All those memories. The faded papers sticking to the wall. The bean bag chairs. He smiled at the foxy plushie by the spyglass. The quartermaster of the crew. He remembers it fondly. How Elizabeth would cry and whine when he would shout no girls and crybabies allowed, despite Charlie being a girl herself. 

No, I’m a pirate yarr!

Her voice echoes his mind and he can’t help but smile. Eventually Charlie would let Evan and Elizabeth up and they would play pretend until Henry would usher them back inside. 

How fun those days were…

But his thoughts go back to Henry. 

How could he? 

How could he just let that happen?

They escaped and now how the hell was he going to find them? Elizabeth, why couldn’t you just listen ? He was only trying to help. He wanted to get you out of that amalgamation of horror.

But you wanted to please Father, and that was something no one ever could do. Michael knew that all too well. He did everything to try and please him when he was young, only to find out that William did not care. He did not care and would never care. 

Clouded by his own ambition, he would never see value in Michael. 

It was a void that could never be full. And Elizabeth was walking right into a trap that would clamp down hard. It was like that story of the man trapped to push a rock up a hill, only to have the rock fall when he thought he would finally get it over. 

It was futile. 

He gives out a muffled sob, crouching down holding at his head. He just…wanted one moment. One moment of triumph, a moment he could feel proud of. But everytime like sand it would fall through his fingertips. So close that he could taste it, only for the door to be slammed on his face. 

Why? 

Why couldn’t he be the good he wanted to be? He was trying! He was trying so hard. 

He grips his arms giving out a cry, his voice crackling and stuttering like a radio switching stations. He hangs his head. It would be so easy to just give up. To just say I’m done. Figure it out on your own. 

But he couldn’t do that. He wasn’t going to let Evan, Charlie down. He needed to do better, be better. 

Henry was trying to help, and he couldn’t stay mad at him. This wasn’t his fault. They didn’t think things through. Sure it wasn’t okay, but…they could try and fix this mess as well. 

After a moment of just sitting around and feeling sorry for himself he stands up, taking a deep breath. He needed to get back to Henry. Climbing down the treehouse he takes one final look at it. If only they could go back when it was just fighting make believe bad guys. 

He turns and opens the back door, walking into the house. Henry isn’t around so he assumes he’s still in the garage. No doubt taking care of the body. 

Michael opens the door and finds Henry clutching onto his dead body. His head hung low and tears streaming down his face. He looks as if he’s in some kind of trance. Whispering something over and over again. 

I’m so sorry. 

He feels like his heart is about to tear in two at the sight of his uncle Henry. It was hard to see this. A man broken from grief. From all that was taken away from him. He felt guilty. He yelled at him, bringing him into that state. 

Michael solidified to Henry that everyone he knew was dead, and he was the only one left alive. 

What a terrible godson he was. 

Quietly, he stands behind the man getting on his knees and places a gentle hand on Henry’s shoulder. The man jumps, getting pulled away from his thoughts by the touch. He turns his head to look at Michael with red rimmed eyes, tear tracks staining his face. 

“I’m sorry Michael. I should have done better. This is all my fault.” Henry whispers and Michael finds that he feels sick inside.

How dare he? 

How dare he let the one person who was helping him feel that way about himself? 

“This was never your fault.” Michael says firmly, “I was stupid, naive. Thinking that if I do this, finally maybe I’ll be able to be in Father’s light.”

How stupid he was indeed. 

“You can’t shoulder this responsibility.”

Henry shudders his grip on Michael’s dead body loosening, making the corpse fall slightly to the floor. “I could have-”

“Done what Henry? Save me? You didn’t know. You can’t expect yourself to know everything that is going to happen. I’m sorry. I’m sorry for yelling at you..” 

Henry just looks at him, green eyes watery and red. He didn’t like to see his true father figure cry. It made him feel awful. Michael wanted to never let anyone hurt him again. 

Even himself. 

So he goes to hug the man. Holding him tightly. Henry immediately wraps his arms around Michael. Gripping at his back and placing his face into the crook of the boy’s shoulder. He can feel Henry shake and shudder under his arms. 

Michael rubs his back, knowing this man needed to just let it out. He’s been through so much. When was the last time someone comforted him? Henry was so alone, and so was Michael. They needed each other. 

They couldn’t be at odds with one another. He never wanted to see his uncle like this. But it was human nature. To feel grief. To mourn. Michael didn’t mourn his body, he didn't need to. He was right here, knowing full well that he wasn’t alive. Just some soul clinging onto the gift that Charlie placed within. 

Holding on until they could make things right. 

But for Henry, this was seeing the proof. Proof that Michael was no longer truly around. Just some haunted animatronic that could think and feel for the most part. He was truly gone, never to return back to normal. Especially not now, since his body looked like someone had recently dug it up. 

Well…they should probably bury it at some point. Not like it had any use for them. Plus he didn’t want Henry to continually smell a full on rotting corpse. 

That probably would be the best course of action right now. And then…he would be back at the drawing board. Again. 

He gently pulls away looking at Henry. “I’m still here. I am not leaving anytime soon. I know…the thing behind you is me, but it’s not.” 

Henry nods, wiping his face, looking a little embarrassed at his breakdown. Michael wouldn’t dare comment on it. Everyone cries. He knew that now. He wouldn’t let something like that be made fun of. Not anymore. 

He learned his lesson.

I’m sorry Evan.

“I’m sorry Mike.”

Michael shakes his head, “It’s okay. Keep moving forward right? I shouldn’t have gotten angry. You were just trying to help. I was just…so set on helping that it was clouding my vision. They obviously didn’t want my help.” 

Especially since they escaped their little skinsuit and went down the stupid sewers of all places. 

He definitely wasn’t going down there to chase them. No way. He would find them. Eventually. But for now, he hoped they wouldn’t cause too much trouble. 

Hopefully. God he sure hoped so. He didn’t need them scooping other people out. Maybe they learned their lesson and wouldn’t use a host anymore. 

Just stay safe Elizabeth please. I’ll find you. 

“I think we should bury the body. Just so…it’s not rotting the place up, and Ennard doesn’t come back to ya know. Reclaim it.” 

Henry nods, giving a wet chuckle. “That is a good point. I have shovels in the shed in the back. We can take him to the forest, and then…” 

“We bury it. It’s late anyways so no one will be suspicious. We just need to get it out of here.” 

The man is in agreement moving to stand but in the corner of Michael’s eye. He sees movement. Fingers twitching, arm spasming. 

Without thinking he pulls Henry up, yanking them both out of the way. “Henry, look out!” He shouts. 

The thing… moved.

 

Notes:

Would you like some angst? A cliffhanger perhaps? >:3c

Yeah thanks to my friend we are doing another cliffhanger babeyyy! Don’t get too mad because I promise it won’t be long. I am planing on taking a break every other day so I don’t burn myself out. So you’ll no doubt see the next chapter on Monday. I’m sure you can handle the wait.

Until next time!

Chapter 11: The Dead Don’t Always Die

Notes:

My goodness you guys! So many comments on that last chapter! You all were buzzing like bees hehe

Thank you so much for such a positive response to all this. Truly. 6k hits! Crazy! And more than 100 comments! Wow!

So here it is, the chapter everyone’s been dying to read.

Also inspiration for this chapter is when Ed and Al from FMA bring back their ma. If ya know, you know.

It moved. The thing in front of them moved. Michael and Henry just stare as it twitches and groans. 

“What the fuck. What the fuck?!” Michael shouts, his voice crackling with panic. It’s not supposed to move. Ennard was gone. Had it left something in there? 

Elizabeth? 

The thing shudders, twisting it’s head unnaturally as it looks to the two just standing before it. It’s mouth opened and closed as it attempted to breathe. It looked like something out of a horror show. Like someone had tried to bring back something from the dead and it just wasn’t right. 

Instead of the white pinpricks that it had in those hollow sockets, there was nothing more than a void. Nothing but darkness. It trembles again before giving out a shuddery groan, twitching, but never clearly standing up. Almost like it didn’t know how to. 

“Zombie. Zombie!!” Michael yells as Henry slips out of his hold. He lands on his feet with a slight wobble but Michael is there thankfully to keep him from toppling over. His bones just aren’t what they used to be. 

“No, it can not be. How?” Henry takes a step, seeing the shuddering corpse take a breath, watching it click it’s teeth like some…horror film. 

“This is like the night of the living dead in here.” Michael whispered in horror, he steps close. “Anyone left in there? It's not funny to be playing games.” He reaches down and gives it a swift poke, expecting some robotic voice to just break through and laugh at them both. 

It would’ve been a great prank, had it not been a dead body laying around Henry’s garage. 

However, the corpse just shudders, taking in a gasping breath as if it’s having trouble breathing. No. Nothing was in there. It was just a husk. A husk that could…still move. 

Was it the remnant keeping it alive? 

“We can’t bury this.” Michael realizes with wide eyes, “if this…thing is moving then it’ll just get up. We can’t..we can’t have a zombie walking around here, Henry. Is it a bit of me? Or is it-“ God what if it was, what if his soul somehow split and some of it was still in this thing? Would he even be able to know? Would he feel it?

Henry swallows, “There has to be a way. Something is tethering it here. Keeping it from moving on…I don’t think it’s you. I think it’s just the shell of your body, it’s still functioning despite having no one in the pilot seat.” How horrific. 

“It’s remnant it has to be. Remember the scooper had that remnant injector. That’s what’s keeping it from dying. But it doesn’t have anything in it. There’s no soul. If…if I was in there…I wouldn’t of-”

He wouldn’t have died. He would have stayed like that. Just rotting away. The fate he would have had if Charlie hadn't given him that Gift. Dead, but alive. Stumbling around as his body crumbled away. He would have to thank Charlie the next time he saw her. He did not want to end up like that. 

“What’s a way to kill a zombie Mike?”

Michael looks at him incredulously, “What? Seriously? I…well, bashing it in the head usually, um fire? Fire sometimes works…” He lists trying to think back at all the movies he had seen, all the ones having to do with zombies. He never got to watch a lot of horror films when he was younger due to Evan having his nightmares. But he does remember The Night of the Living Dead, his friends and him had snuck into the theater to watch it. 

He would never tell anyone but he had nightmares for weeks about it. Evan would never let it go of it if he did. 

Henry rubs his chin, “I definitely don’t want to be squishing any brain today. Do you think…burning the corpse might…” His stomach churns, he does not want to kill his godson’s own body. Let alone ‘bash it’s brains out’ as Michael described. He refused to do that. There had to be another way. 

They look at each other, each giving their own look of disgust as the thing wheezes trying to shift.  It can’t seem to function correctly. There was nothing in there to pilot the thing like Henry had said, so it just laid there. Confused, empty. 

It was pitiful. Michael felt sorry for the thing, just this weird shell of a person unable to think, feel because there was nothing inside. It was hollow. 

Hollow like him. 

He couldn't just let this being exist. He had to let it rest. Had to release it from the hold of the remnant that settled in it’s bones. God this stuff was powerful then. Literally having the ability to keep something alive despite having nothing inside of it. No soul, no consciousness. 

“Fire, fire is good. Nothing like burning a corpse on a Wednesday night.” Michael remarks clicking the illuso disc off, feeling a bit of relief. He didn’t want to topple over. It was a full day of using it and he felt exhausted. He would have to click it on when they got outside. Thankfully Henry shut the garage door after Michael had yelled at him. 

Henry quietly grabs a tarp from one of the cabinets and then places it over the purple corpse. “Fire it is. I have some lighter fluid…we dig a ditch. Place the body in. Dose it with fluid, and then…” 

“Fwoosh! Like a birthday candle ahaha!” Lolbit cackles and Michael smacks his head to halt the laughter. 

“Sorry.” 

Henry swallows, “This is worse than we thought Michael. If this Remnant can settle in a body, and work without anything in there that makes a person, a well person…” 

“Who knows what else it can do.” Michael whispers, “Father what the hell did you find that you thought this was the key to everything.” Was it immortality? Was that it? Did he want to live forever? 

Why? 

Wasn’t this life enough for him? After all the pain and suffering he had been through? Losing his children? Why stay around?

What was the point? 

“Whatever it is, we need to find it and find it fast. This is not a pretty picture to look at. Here, help me lift this thing and we can put it in the truck.” Henry mutters gently tucking the tarp underneath the body, not daring to touch it in fear he might get infected by this remnant. 

Michael is quick to help, turning the illusion back on so it doesn’t look even more suspicious. Soon they’re hauling his corpse under the blue tarp and shoved it into the trunk of the car. They do their best to ignore the shambling moans of the corpse, it reminded Michael too much of him staying at Evan’s side in the ICU. How the machinery would pump and hiss air into Evan’s mouth while he laid there. 

Slowly dying. 

Quickly he shakes his head, the illuso disc already working overtime. He would have to stay in tomorrow and not do anything due to it basically draining whatever force that is keeping him here away. He had to be more careful. But he didn’t want to be seen as a large fox animatronic carrying a goddamn body. 

Henry brings two shovels from the shed, along with some matches and lighter fluid from his grill. “This should be enough…” 

Michael looks at him and gives a small grin to try and ease the tension. “And you kept telling me not to be an arsonist.” 

The man glares at him, though a little smile quirks his lips. “Not the time Mike. Not the time.” 

The boy pouts, but he knows it’s true. He had his corpse in his hands just moments ago, so jokes really weren’t appropriate right now. He just couldn’t help it. It was in his coding he supposed. Lolbit was a comedian after all. Or liked to think they were. 

“To the forest?” 

“To the forest.” 

 

…

 

The forest was a creepy place at night. He wanted nothing more than to dig the damn ditch and then get the hell out of there. He could feel his whole body on edge and it looked like Henry felt the same. 

Michael was in charge of carrying his body, while Henry held the shovels and the bag of things to light stuff on fire. The stuff being this damn corpse that kept wiggling every once in a while in the tarp. “We look like serial killers.” Michael hissed and Henry shook his head. 

“Please, please Mike. I do not want to be reminded of what we are doing right now.” Henry begs and Michael gives a nod, feeling bad that he was making Henry do this. Wasn’t it enough he had to bury Charlie? And now he had to bury Michael? 

“Sorry Henry.” Michael whispered and Henry just hummed quietly. They’re silent as they travel deeper into the woods, careful not to get lost. The trees were gnarled in this part of the wood, curling around as if they were watching Michael and Henry.

The moonlight peered under the canopy of the trees, almost like a spotlight exposing them of their crimes. Well, he thought of it as a crime, even though they didn’t kill his body. The host just decided to jump ship and leave a half animatronic half human corpse just lying there. 

Quietly he placed the tarp covered corpse on the ground. “Shovel me.” He mutters and Henry is quick to toss the tool towards him. Michael is the first one to start digging, and soon it’s both of them digging in silence. 

If this had been another situation he’d be excited. Digging in the forest at night, with Henry. It almost felt like he was in one of those supernatural mystery novels or shows he used to watch. Digging up the past to try and find the monster who was terrorizing the town. 

Only the monster was his father, and he was burying his own corpse. He supposed it would be an interesting story. If anyone were to believe it that is. He almost didn’t himself had he not seen the purple hand peeking out of the tarp. Twitching and clutching the ground as they worked. 

“Okay. This should be deep enough…” 

Michael nods, jumping out of the ditch and holding a hand out for the older man to take. Henry groans as he is pulled up by Michael, gripping his back. “I’m too old for this.” He muttered, rubbing the small of his back. Michael just chuckles as he drags the tarp a bit before scooping it up and gently placing it down into the ditch. 

“Okay body,” He snickers as he pulls open the tarp to see his dead corpse body all tangled up in its own limbs. “Time to put you to rest.” 

He hops back over the ditch and Henry passes him the lighter fluid. Quietly he pops open the lid and starts squeezing the fluid onto the body. Oh please work. He didn’t want to have to deal with some charred zombie corpse. 

That would be horrifying. 

Thank God Evan wasn’t here. He’d be screaming his head off by now. 

Michael just about dances around his corpse as he splatters the fluid all around. Ignoring the shuddering groans of his person. Just shut up and die already. This was traumatizing enough as it is thanks. 

“Okay, light her up Henry. Or him up I should really say.” He chuckles and Henry gives a withered look. He obviously wasn’t appreciative of the small jokes Michael was making. 

He didn’t blame him, but Michael just wanted a distraction and attempting to be funny seemed to be helping. 

Quietly Henry lit the match, his face illuminated by the yellow glow of the fire. He takes a breath and tosses it, watching the faint glare of the light fall and hit the squirming body. 

Immediately it lights up, and Michael winces at the sudden squeal of the body, as the fire licks at its remaining skin. He turns away as the flames roar crackling and burning what remains. 

“The dead, should stay dead.” Michael whispers, staring into the fire. Watching it melt and burn away. Flesh bubbling and hissing from the heat. It wasn’t a pretty sight, but he couldn’t look away. Like he had to watch it, to solidify his pact. Burning this body, it was the promise that he was going to fix it. Like the phoenix he would rise from the ashes, and stop his father. 

Henry doesn’t watch it burn. He puts his hands over his ears to cover the noises of the thing burning. It wasn’t alive, it wasn’t alive. 

It was just a husk. 

They sit in silence as the thing burns, watching the ashes and smoke billow up through the trees. The wires and whatever was left from Ennard eventually melted down as Henry kept fueling the flame. They needed to get rid of everything. 

Couldn’t have this thing crawling around doing who knows what. 

Eventually the flames subside and Michael leans down seeing nothing but ash in the small ditch they made. But one thing he noticed was there was this strange fluid pooling out of the ash. It was bright orange, like the flames, but more of a neon color. 

“What the hell is that?” He asks and Henry leans forward. 

“Is that-”

“Remnant?” They say in unison. 

With wide eyes Henry rushes back to the car, dumping out a water bottle and then passes it to Michael. 

“Try to grab some!” 

Michael nods, slowly getting into the ditch trying to avoid the pile of ash and soot, seeing bits of wires here and there. He’s so glad he can’t smell. Bending down he takes the water bottle and begins to try and gather some of the glowing orange stuff. 

“Didn’t the notes say when heated…” 

“Yes, it has to be it then. This has to be remnant.” 

Remnant. What was keeping him alive? This was how it looked? This orange ooze? He shudders not wanting to think about it at the moment. He does his best to gather all that he can, the bottle filled up with this odd liquid. On a closer inspection he can see that there’s flecks of pink and purple inside this orange liquid, not exactly fluid but not congealed either. It was glowing in the dark of the night. 

“This looks like slime man.” Michael reports with a slight face. He jumps out of the ditch and holds up the bottle to the moonlight. “So this is what father wants huh? How did he even find something like this?” 

Henry shrugs, “I don’t know and I don’t want to know. I hate that we even have some, but we need to research it. We need to understand it so we can use that knowledge to be one step ahead of William.” 

Right. He didn’t want to think about the amount of remnant his father was making. Or using for that matter. It was a horrifying thought. 

“Let’s fill this ditch up and head back home.” 

Michael nods, putting the bottle back into the car and picks up his shovel. “What a day.” He mutters and Henry hums in agreement. 

What a day indeed. 

Shoveling back the dirt, they make sure it looks as if no one has just made a ditch, burned a body, and then buried it. It took some time, and the moon was high in the sky by the time they were done. 

Henry wipes some sweat from his brow while Michael brushes himself off. “There we go.” He breathes and Henry leans against the shovel puffing out an exhausted sigh. 

They needed a break. That was for sure. Both of them. Michael just wanted to lay back on the couch and sleep for a million years. Wouldn’t that be nice. 

Unfortunately he couldn’t do that. Didn’t really have the luxury. Couldn’t exactly sleep in this body. He just would…zone off. Power down even. It didn’t feel like sleeping. Just floating in the void. 

He didn’t really have a corporal body after all. It was all just hard metal and plastic. 

Michael can feel the exhaustion build inside him, begging him to turn the disc off and just lay down. Just so he could regain his strength. 

“I think…we are good to go.” Henry muttered with a sigh wiping his face with his sleeve. He was hot from all that digging and his back was aching. “I need a hot bath…I don’t think I’ll ever get over that smell.” 

“Sorry Henry, glad I can’t smell at all.” 

Henry hummed patting Michael on the shoulder gesturing for him to follow. “Be happy that you don’t.” It must’ve been really bad, especially after the burning. Probably reeked something fierce. 

He takes one final look at the ground. This was it. The nail in the coffin. He couldn’t go back from this. He was truly dead. No body to go back to. Just him and his soul and whatever Remnant kept him here. The gift that Charlie gave that tethered his mind to this body. 

“Goodbye.” Michael whispers before following Henry to the car. 

So long, body of his. 

…

Getting back to the house was quiet. The two staring off at the distance, with the goop in the water bottle shimmering and glowing brightly. He didn’t want to look at it. Or touch it for that matter. Who knows what this thing could do? 

This pure agony that had settled into his ribcage, his bones like a parasite. Only to ooze out when the fires got hot enough. 

“Fire works.” Michael whispers as they get out of the car. “Fire, it releases the remnant. If we get it hot enough do you think we could just…evaporate it?” 

Henry opens the door to the house and rubs his face, Michael holding the bottle of remnant. “I don’t know, but it seems like an option. Burial through fire.” 

“So we’re aronists now aren’t we?” 

Henry turns to look at Michael, his face grin. “We might have to be, if we even want to save those souls.” He’s fully serious and Michael agrees. 

He grins from ear to ear. “I always wanted to burn that place down to the ground.” 

Henry chuckles and shakes his head, “Not yet. Not until we know for sure. Not until…we get Charlie first.” 

Right, Charlie. 

Michael feels himself start to wobble and he gives a small groan. 

“Mike? You okay?” 

“It’s the disc, it’s really draining me…had it on all day…” Michael mutters and clumsily slaps the disc off, the illusion shuddering and he’s back as the clunky fox animatronic. 

He sways a bit and feels a hand guide him back to the couch. 

“Get some rest kiddo, or whatever robots do. Dream of electric sheep?” He can hear Henry joke but he’s far too tired to answer. He leans back into the couch as Henry helps him down and gives out a loud sigh. 

The door to darkness is welcoming again, beckoning him to close his eyes. He does and down, down, down he goes. 

And when he wakes up he’s in a familiar place. Home? 

He opens the door quietly and the TV is on. He can hear the muffled sounds of the Immortal and the Restless. The house is quiet, lights aren’t on, but it’s…different. It feels welcoming, instead of the usual suffocating loneliness. 

He pauses when seeing a head of hair on the couch and tilts his head. “Evan?” He asks hoping that it isn’t some nightmare and he would see some horrific imagery. 

The head moves and bright blue eyes stare at him. It’s Evan smiling softly, despite the blood stained face and hair. Oh thank goodness. He really expected Cassidy to pull something out and scare him half to death. Well…he supposed that really couldn’t happen anymore now could it? 

“Mikey! You made it.” 

Michael feels all his worries melt away, and he moves to sit down on the couch. Ignoring the bloodstained uniform he’s wearing, he looks to Evan with a tired smile. “Sorry I’m so late…had to deal with Lizzie.”

Evan scoots closer with curious eyes, “She okay?” He asks and he can tell the boy is worried for her. Michael was too. 

“I…I dunno. I think the experimentation on Baby messed with her. She wants to please father. She escaped. Vomited right out of my dead body’s mouth.” Michael rubs the bridge of his nose giving a small sigh, “Just seems like I can’t do anything right.” 

He leans into the red couch, feeling sorry for himself. 

Evan moves even closer, still clutching that Fredbear he always loved. “That’s not true. You found her, and…you tried. Sometimes things happen. Remember what mom said? About things not always going your way?” 

“Things have never gone my way Evan…” Michael whispers looking at him with teary eyes. “I just for once…want to do something good. Just once let something happen that doesn’t end in failure.” 

Why was he telling him? This was his little brother, he couldn’t dump all his problems. 

Evan’s little face scrunches in some emotion Michael can’t place, his cheeks puffed out slightly. “You are doing good Michael. You’ve changed so much, and that’s good! I believe in you. Isn’t that something?” His blue eyes are shining, Michael was always jealous of them. Evan got the sky blue eyes, Elizabeth got the green, and what did he get? The silver. The same silver his father had. 

Michael’s breath gets caught in his throat, feeling the tears start to well up in his eyes, falling down in thick streams. He quickly goes to wipe his face, he didn’t want his little brother to see him cry. He was the adult, the big brother. They weren’t supposed to cry. They were supposed to fix things, make things better. 

Yet here he was, sobbing like a baby and Evan was comforting him. He wasn’t used to it. He should be stronger. For Evan, for Lizzie. But he wasn’t. 

He was a failure. 

But Evan didn’t think so, he believed in him. He wanted him to be good, to help him. To let him rest. They needed to rest. 

“Thanks Evan.” He whispers after a moment, watery purple eyes staring into blue. “Not many believe in me, so…thanks.” 

Evan smiles softly, “You’re my big brother. And even though you were a big jerk…I still love you.” 

“I love you too.” Micheal whimpers, feeling his chest ache at the sentence. He loved him. After all the torture he had put Evan through, his brother still loved him. 

Evan settled next to him, his head on Michael’s chest. He curls his whole body next to Michael and Michael is frozen. He can feel him, Evan is cold, but he’s warm at the same time. 

They both are. 

He places a gentle kiss onto the crown of Evan’s head and then looks at the TV. “Which episode is this one?” 

“The one with the Mothman and the Wolpertinger, where they find the werewolf in the woods? It’s that cryptid special episode.” 

Michael hums, looking at the tv and then to Evan. “That’s your favorite one isn’t it.” 

“Mhmm.” 

The older brother just smiles nestling himself into the couch, his head tilted back as a soft smile is on his face. “Can I stay here for a while?” He asks Evan quietly. 

“Stay as long as you want Mikey.” Evan whispers back and Michael just smiles. It was nice. Felt like he was back where it was nothing, but silly fights and sitting on the couch. Watching shows until Michael would pick Evan and Elizabeth up and take them to their rooms. 

William always came in so late, and Michael had to do everything. Ever since their mother had died from getting sick, everything relied on him. 

He had to be the responsible one. And it frustrated him. It frustrated him because no one ever asked him how he felt. How he was doing. They just expected him to take care of his siblings, take care of the house, all while his father would go off into his work never to be seen until late at night. 

So this was nice. To feel like he could leave his responsibility at the door. That he could just have a moment to breathe. 

Thank you Evan. Thank you. 

Notes:

Haha! So no, no Michael is not split in two. There is, or was no one in that body. It’s just a husk, and it definitely won’t be returning. So sorry to disappoint if everyone thought there was two Michael’s. I think the boyo has been through enough and doesn’t need a doppelgänger following him around lol

But! I am on tumblr now with this fic so if you wanna hit me up there I go by the same name! I posted some silly doodles there.

Tumblr: https://inkspottie.tumblr.com/

And bonus pic for ya'll cuz ao3 is trash with pictures: https://twitter.com/Inkspottie/status/1490841187653406722

Chapter 12: I Can Taste the Fear in Your Breath

Notes:

Another chapter this one is…rough to say the least. We’ve got some implied child abuse and some breakdowns so be prepared for some hard hitting stuff.

And ol Willy makes an appearance.

It was peaceful, Michael’s head lolling to the side as Evan was sleeping quietly next to him. His small hand was gripping Michael’s as if his other brother was going to disappear. 

His eyes begin to shut, and he could find himself finally going to sleep for a little bit. Drifting off into the darkness now that he has a moment to himself. A moment of peace.

Unfortunately that never was an option for Michael.

He could hear the TV. It was getting louder and louder, and the static was starting to make his ears hurt. Someone was shouting his name, he could hear it through the static. 

“Mik-”

“Mich-”

Michael’s eyes flick open and he’s on a different couch. He looks around quickly seeing Henry’s face as the man is gripping his shoulders, shaking him slightly. 

He was back in Henry’s house, Evan was nowhere to be seen. 

“Michael!” Henry is panicked, his green eyes wide with fright. 

“Henry? Henry, what's wrong?” He asks, sitting up straight, all the fog from his exhaustion clearing away at the sight of Henry’s face. Something happened and it had Michael worried. He never saw Henry this panicked before. 

“Someone…someone broke in. The blueprints, everything it’s gone.” 

Michael’s eyes widen and he stands up straight, feeling like he had just been shocked. Like a lightning bolt striking his very core. “..what?” 

“Someone took the blueprints, all of Afton’s things. They’re gone.” 

“Show me.” Michael whispers, and Henry quickly turns and races down the hall, Michael in tow. They get to Henry’s workshop and Michael freezes in place. 

It looked like a whirlwind whipped through the place. Papers strewn everywhere, things discarded onto the floor. Someone had been here, looking for something. 

“This happened while we were gone.” Henry whispered and Michael steps closer seeing the work table. He breathes in sharply seeing a knife dug into the table. It just sat there and Michael knew. 

He knew right then and there who did this. 

Henry was picking up things and Michael just stared at the knife. He could see his reflection in the cold steel, purple eyes staring at him. An image flashes and he can hear his father chuckling behind him. 

Only he would do something like this. It was a threat. He knew…and he was threatening Henry for it. 

“William did this.” 

Michael whispered, clenching his fist, his body shaking slightly as he glared at the knife. Henry turns to see the knife and swallows. 

“How did he get in? How did he know? Are you sure it was him?”

The animatronic turns to face Henry, his face grim. “Who else would only steal blueprints? Leave the house completely untouched. What kind of robber does that?” 

Henry just stares, taking in a deep breath. “He knows then. He knows that I know.”

Michael feels his body shake, the horror settling in. 

He knows. He knows. He knows. 

If his heart was there it would be thrumming in his ears. He was paralyzed. The sound of his father laughing in his ears. 

You’ll come crawling back to me Michael. You always do. 

William’s voice grips at his brain like a vice. This burning infection that seared his mind. It never left him. Always whispering things to take him down, drag him through the mud. If he felt good about himself somehow his father always crawled into his psyche to run it. 

If he knew he was working with Henry, he would kill him. He would find a way to burn his soul out of this animatronic. 

He feared only one thing, and that one thing was his father. It would strike fear and paralyze him. He would be thrusted back to his younger years when his father would push or shove him. Slap him and dig his nails into his skin. 

Why can’t you behave?! Why can’t you be normal?!

“Michael!” 

Michael is ripped away from his panic, seeing Henry holding his face. His whole body craned down so Henry could look him in the eye. 

“Breathe. Look at me.” Henry pleaded gripping at his cheeks, holding Michael steady. The boy just stares at him, his purple eyes flickering in his fear. 

“He’s going to kill us.” Michael’s voice is quiet, shaking in fear. 

It made Henry realize how frightened he was of his father. How the boy would be trembling at the thought of his father knowing. His father even entering this house sent Michael into a panic attack. 

“Did he ever hurt you Michael? Was he ever physical?” 

Henry knew William was rough with Michael. He had seen it with his own eyes. The way he would drag Michael off when the boy misbehaved. When he would come back how Michael would whisper he was sorry with unshed tears in his eyes. But he needed to know, he needed to confirm what he thought.

Michael shudders trying to look away but Henry is staring at him. Green eyes are hard, yet calm. He wasn’t angry at Michael. No, but at the man who abused him. To the point he was suffering. 

“Y-yes.” 

Henry knew it. He knew those bruises and scrapes were not just from him playing around as a child. No child was that clumsy. How Michael would flinch and hide away from his father when he was younger. How he would lash out on his brother because his father made him his punching bag. 

“I’m sorry. I can’t say it enough. You didn’t deserve the treatment he gave you. I should have-”

“It’s okay. I…I-he can’t hurt me anymore.” It’s almost as if Michael didn’t believe it, the way his voice wavered, the voice box growing with more static than usual. 

Henry swallows, placing his forehead on Michael’s nose. Feeling the cold metal against his skin. It wasn’t fair. He felt like his heart was being ripped apart. He just couldn’t handle anymore of this. 

He just wanted Michael to be happy. How dare his own father take that away from him? Making him deal with such things. No, a father should love, cherish and care for a child. Never bring harm, help him grow. 

How could William do this? 

“What are we going to do Henry?” Henry doesn’t see a large animatronic facing him, but a scared little boy. Afraid of his father holding back tears. He was doing his best to change the subject, not wanting to talk about the abuse that William had placed him through. 

How did you get that bruise on your arm Michael? 

Some of my friends were wrestling and I fell. 

How could he have been so blind? 

“We continue. William may be onto us, but that doesn’t mean we will stop.” He yanks the kitchen knife out of his workplace, his brows furrowed in anger. He places it quietly down on the table huffing. “He wants to play games? Then we’ll play right along.” 

“But he’s already three steps ahead of us! We don’t know what he’s even up to or where he is. How? How, Henry?” Michael whispers and Henry knows he feels defeated. Like William won already. No he wasn’t going to give up just yet. Absolutely not. 

He would not give up on this. 

“How? Like we’ve been doing. We found remnant, we have that, and we don't need those blueprints. We have each other Michael, that's one thing your father doesn’t have. We’ll continue to work. I won’t let this little display stop me.” 

Michael just stares at him surprised, slowly nodding himself. 

“And he must really be stupid because I recorded everything that there is about the blueprints.” Henry reaches into a cabinet pulling out a tape recorder. 

Michael’s ears flick upwards and a smile grows on his face. Thank goodness Henry was the smart one here. “Still, it means he’s onto us so we need to be careful. Keep everything out of sight just in case he tries to come back.”

“I should deck him in the face for intruding on my house. The damn bastard.”

The man grumbled as he placed the tape recorder down on the desk. “I say we keep our ear to the ground. In case we hear anything about the pizzeria and what not. Maybe go to the other locations. See if anything suspicious is happening there.” 

Right, there was still Chica’s Party World and El Chips. He never really cared for those, but it might be a good idea to check for any suspicious activity. Who knows if his father was doing anything at the other locations as well. 

It didn’t hurt to check. 

“Michael.” 

The boy flicks his head up to look at Henry, “Don’t worry. If he even tries anything…we will take care of it.” 

Henry’s voice was firm, and so sure of himself. That whatever happens with William they could take him. Could they really? He knew, and he was no doubt watching them. Did he know about him? About what happened? 

If he did, he probably would try to come and get Michael. Since the boy was a walking talking remnant machine. He could easily burn Michael to a crisp and no doubt free all the remnant that was sticking to him. 

He could practically hear him cackling as the fire creeped up his body. Melting him away. 

“I’ll keep you safe Michael.” Henry whispers as if the man could read his thoughts. “He won’t hurt you ever again. Not if I can help it. I should have years ago, and for that, I am truly sorry.” 

Michael just looks at Henry, feeling his chest ache. Like something was crushing his hollow cavity. “Why couldn’t you be my father instead?“ He whispers as the oil begins to leak out of his face. 

Henry’s face falls and he reaches to give the boy a hug. It seemed he was doing this so often, but the boy needed it. He needed the love, the support that was never given to him as a child. Constantly following his father’s shadow only for it to swallow him whole. 

“I’m here now. And I’m not leaving anytime soon. That you can count on.” 

Michael just leans into him, cold plastic against his warm skin. He wished for just a moment he could hug his godson, feel his heartbeat. His chest rising and falling. But nothing was left. This was just his hollow prison. One that his father gave him. 

He would never forgive William. For what he did to Charlie, to Michael, to Evan and Elizabeth, and all the souls he squeezed the life out of them. 

“Mike, why don’t you go back and rest, I’ll get this cleaned up.” He would be the adult here, let Mike just have a moment to himself. Let him relax. 

He looks at Henry wiping his face, “Y-you sure?” His voice box was crackling with static. “I can-can help.” 

Henry shakes his head, “Don’t worry. It isn’t much. Go on and get some rest. I did pull you out of your sleep.” 

Michael just stands there a moment, looking like he was about to argue, but then gives a small nod. He seemed drained from all that happened and Henry didn’t blame him. He felt exhausted too. He needed a good long rest before he would start working on things. No point in dragging himself through the trenches and working himself to death. He knew Michael wouldn’t allow it. 

He was grateful Michael was here, or else he was sure he would do nothing but work. Not caring for himself in the slightest. 

He can hear Michael’s soft clicking footsteps exit the room, the small goodnight echoing out of him before he disappears. Henry looks at the room and sighs, before he begins to reorganize everything. You just had to go and make a mess of things didn’t you William?

 

…

 

It’s late in the night and Michael can’t fall asleep like he normally could. Evan must be doing something or else he would be going right back to them. Something must be up. 

He would have to tell his younger brother later that his father had broken into Henry’s house. The bastard. Why? For the blueprints? What did it hold that was so important to breaking and entering someone’s home? 

Thank God the remnant was with them when it happened, or else they would have been in major trouble. Who knows what his father would have done with it? 

Michael stops his worrying when hearing whispers in the back of the house. He flicks his ears activating his vision to see if anyone was present. 

Henry was still up. 

Quietly he stands up and heads into the workspace. He leans into the doorway and Henry doesn’t hear him. The man is hunched over scribbling away on some piece of paper. His body seems focused and he’s talking into the recorder on his left. 

There’s a moment of silence as Henry drops the pencil and rubs his face, giving a shuddering sigh. Then he picks up the recorder and begins to talk. 

“I-It's only now that I understand the depth of the depravity of this...creature - this monster that I unwillingly helped to create.” His voice was shaking, but firm. Michael never heard such a tone from the man, it was serious. He felt like he was intruding into Henry’s personal thoughts, but he was curious. He couldn’t help himself but listen to the older man. 

“As if what he had already done wasn't enough, he found a new way to desecrate, to humiliate, to destroy. As if the suffering wasn't enough, the loss of innocence, the loss of everything to so many people. Small souls trapped in prisons of my making now set to new purpose and used in ways I never thought imaginable. He lured them all back. Back to a familiar place. Back with familiar tricks. He brought them all together. Are they still...aware? I hope not. It keeps me awake at night. I could make myself...sleep. But not yet. Not until I undo what he has done and heal this wound - a wound first inflicted on me, but then one that I let bleed out to cause all of this. He set some kind of trap. I don't know what it was, but he lead them there again.” 

Michael feels awful. How the man was putting the blame on himself for what his father was doing. Still doing. He didn’t know how the remnant worked, but it was enough to make Henry feel as if he had caused it all. That he was the catalyst and he couldn’t put a stop to the murders. How many kids? How many lives had William put an end to? He didn’t know. It made him sick to his stomach. 

“He overpowered them again. And he robbed them of the only thing that they had. Again. I don't know how those tiny breaths of life came to inhabit those machines. But they will never find rest now. Not like this. I have to call them all back. All of them. Together in one place.”

He clicks the recorder off, and begins to scribble on the paper again. 

“I’ll find you Charlie. And then…we’ll put a stop to it all. When I don’t know, but…this, this might be the key.” He holds up the paper, and Michael can see something that is the making of an animatronic, he can’t see the full details but it was something different than what Henry usually made. 

Quietly he steps back, finding that he had intruded enough as it is. 

Henry was brewing a plan, and Michael didn’t want to stop him. But, he didn’t want the man to work himself to death. That would be redundant at this point. They needed to be smart, calculating. His father was a smart man, so they needed to be smarter. 

“We will get you father. Just you wait.” Michael whispers with a hiss as he leaves the area to go back into Charlie’s room and try to rest a bit more. 

 

…

 

The next few days are quiet. They are working hard to understand remnant and figuring out what to do next. Tomorrow they were going to go to the other locations and see if they could find anything to help them get a lead.

Right now they were in the dark. With just the light of the remnant that may give them an idea what William might do next. 

Henry is quietly working on something in the kitchen while Michael is sketching in his book that Henry had got him. It kept his mind at ease, and his thoughts away from his father. Sure they needed a plan, but he needed a break. Just a moment to gather himself. 

Only a couple days ago did he find his sister, lose his sister and then had to burn his own body. It was a lot to process and left his mind reeling. He felt numb at this point, so much had happened he couldn’t really react to it all. 

But Henry was patient with him, and they would work on things here and there. It was nice, the setup they had. 

Then the phone rings. Michael lifted his head to see Henry get up from his seat and answer the phone quietly.

“Yes this is him, may I ask who is speaking.”

There’s quiet and Michael tries to crane his head to try and hear what the conversation was about. Henry is threading his fingers into the cord of the phone, twisting and moving it around absentmindedly as he’s listening. 

“Closed? Because of the accident right? Yes, I heard about the arrest.” Henry mutters and Michael slouches a bit on the couch as if him doing that would hide his shame. Stupid Trevor. 

“Yes, yes. I understand. What about the animatronics? What…what is going to happen to them?” Henry’s voice is urgent and Michael knows why. Charlie. Was the pizzeria shutting down? Oh no. 

Henry’s eyes begin to widen as the man on the phone is talking, “N-no a random location? Are they going to be scrapped? You can’t-you can’t scrap them.” He stammers gripping the phone. “No you don’t understand-”

“Where. Where are they?” 

Michael can tell that Henry’s angry. This couldn’t be good. Please, let Charlie be okay. 

“So I can not retrieve them myself because you do not know where they are?” Henry grits his teeth, his jaw tightening as Michael just listens quietly. “Fine. Thank you for telling me. Yes. Yes. No, under any circumstances are you to scrap the puppet animatronic. That is my only request. If you find it, send it back to the location. Please. Yes. Thank you.” 

He slams the phone so hard that Michael flinches. There’s a moment before Henry grabs his coffee cup and slammed it against the wall, shards shattering and liquid spraying everywhere. Michael just looks at him with wide eyes, his face plates clicking in his anxiety. 

“They’re…they’re shutting down the pizzeria. Because of the incident.” Henry whispers after a moment of heavy breathing. “They took the animatronics away from the location, Michael. Charlie…oh my Charlie..she’s gone. ” 

Henry slides to the floor and Michael immediately stands rushing towards the man. How broken he was at that moment. Charlie was gone, they took her away. 

“We can find her, we just- we just need…” How were they going to do this? They couldn’t just continue to go to every location, every little storage facility to find Charlie. 

“That animatronic…you told me it was for her right?” 

Henry nods, “It’s not finished. I need more time to even work on everything. I can’t get her now. I can’t…she’s gone Michael.” 

Michael shakes his head, “No, no. She’s not gone. Just lost. We will find her. Evan can communicate with her, maybe he can find her.” 

Henry looks up at him, watery eyes and filled with despair. He missed her so much, why couldn’t he hold her one last time? Was it too much to ask? 

“We will keep looking for her, Henry. I won’t give up.” He made the mistake of not bringing her home that night. He should have dragged her skinny puppet butt back with him. Shoved her right into his chest and just hauled ass. 

She’d probably kill him, but if it meant taking her back to her dad…he’d do it. 

Henry needed to see her. 

“She’s a tough girl, she won’t give up. You know that. And you shouldn’t either.” Michael whispers rubbing Henry’s back. “She knows that you would do anything to find her again.” 

“I would. I’d go to the ends of the earth just to see her once more. To say I’m sorry.” Henry whispers and Michael frowns. It wasn’t his fault. How could he have known? He had done everything to keep her safe but the one who she trusted killed her. 

“You’ll get that chance. I just know it. But she might be safe. Safe from William. If remnant is from those things, he might come back and try to harvest it.” He didn’t like the idea, but maybe putting this thought that Charlie was safe from William might make Henry feel better. 

Henry just swallows, he appreciates Michael trying to find the silver lining. He knew Charlie could take care of herself but she shouldn’t have to. She should be resting, not having to give gifts, or take care of dead souls. She should not have that responsibility. 

That was not her burden to bear. He wishes he could free her from her prison. The prison that Afton shoved her in. Killing her without remorse, and continued to talk to Henry like he was some friend. 

It made him sick. 

“This animatronic will find her, I will keep working on it.” Henry whispers as he gets up. Michael went for the broom picking up the shattered pieces. “Michael.” 

The boy stops as he’s holding the dustpan with a tilted head. “Would you be alright with going to the locations today? Just to…get it out of the way?” 

He nods quickly, “Sure, we can do that.” Michael can tell Henry doesn’t want to be in the house today. Together they clean up the mess and Henry apologizes for it every chance he got. He didn’t miss the flinch Michael gave when he did that. It wouldn’t surprise him to find out that William threw things. 

He would have to be more careful. 

 

… 

 

Chica’s party world was gaudy. This pastel pink and yellow place that was just…way too intense for Michael. He hated the colors, the bright lights. Elizabeth would have loved to go to this place. It seemed to be right up her alley. 

Unfortunately Chica’s Party world had nothing to report. He had lied and said he was a journalist out researching the missing children in the other locations and everyone did not have anything interesting to share. 

Most of them looked extremely uncomfortable, and Michael did his best not to ask questions around the kids. Despite a lot of them staring at him. He moved quickly from worker to worker that wasn’t busy. He didn’t need to be a nuisance and get kicked out of this place too. 

But he received nothing from this investigation. Everything he knew they seemed to know. Nothing new. It felt like a waste of time, but it didn’t hurt to check after all. They didn’t have much of a lead anyways. 

So back to the car he went, reported his findings and then off they went to El Chips. 

If he hated Chica’s Party world he, really, hated El Chips. The gaudy Mexican themed restaurant was just not good. He could tell that his father no doubt came up with this design because of how horrible it was. 

But he goes in anyway, Henry opting to stay in the car while he asks around. 

While Michael opened the door to the restaurant Henry laid back against the car seat. His eyes downcast as he couldn’t shake his thoughts away from Charlie. His poor daughter. He hoped she wasn’t stuffed in some box unable to move. He hoped she was okay. 

He would have to ask Michael to make sure Evan could talk to her. Get that she’s okay, and maybe find her location. 

Though his thoughts were ripped away from him when he heard a knock on his window. Quietly he rolls down the window expecting Michael to be there. But instead he sees a thin gangly man, a shocking resemblance to Michael. His face was gaunt, and a smile stretched his skin. 

William. 

“Well, well if it isn’t my dear old friend.” William says casually, leaning against his car. 

“William.” Henry says, his voice sharp. Deadly. “What are you doing here?”

The man chuckles, eyes wild, “Why I can ask you the same question you Henry.” He contests with a smirk. “I never thought you were the type to be snooping about.” 

“You don’t know anything about me then.” Henry says simply. “I didn’t think you were the type to break into my house William.” 

William just chuckles, “Taking back what’s mine, you know. But you can’t possibly prove it was me now can you? Just another false accusation. You sure love doing those.” 

Henry snarls about to get out of his car but William presses his hand on the door with flashing silver eyes. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you. You’ll make a scene, and we certainly can’t have that.” 

He was right, if he even started to shout people would notice. The parking lot was filled with cars and he couldn’t do anything. And William knew that. 

“I’m just here to relay a message, that’s all.” William continues leaning closer. Silver eyes that almost turned lavender in the sun glared at Henry’s own, almost like it was trying to burn his soul. 

“Stay out of my way Henry, if you know what’s good for you.” 

“You snake.” Henry hissed with his brows firmly set, “I won’t give up until you pay for what you’ve done.” 

William barks out a laugh, “Wouldn’t that be the day. I must be going now. You follow what I say and nothing will happen to you Henry. Can’t have another tragedy on our hands now can we?” 

He just turns his heel and walks off, Henry just sitting there in anger. Frustration rising off him like steam. He should have punched him, should have grabbed that greasy head of his and slammed it right into his car. But he just sat there and William played him like a damn fiddle. 

He grips the steering wheel and gives out a snarl hitting the dashboard. Placing his palms around his eyes he sighed in frustration. Damn him. Damn him to hell. 

Can’t have another tragedy on our hands now can we ? 

Damn that bastard. 

Michael makes his way back to the car, entering and placing the food bag to the side. “None of them would let me ask anything unless I got food, so here. But it was a waste of time, nothing but the same stuff. It’s almost like they’re forcing their employees to keep-”

He stops when seeing Henry’s face and watches him slam his fist against the steering wheel. “Woah, are you okay?” Michael’s voice lowered in concern, not ever seeing Henry angry. 

“He was here.” 

“Who?”

“Your father.” 

Michael freezes his eyes wide. What? His father? Here? Of all places. “Did he-”

“I don’t think he saw you,” Henry adds quickly, turning to look at him. “He threatened me to stay out of his way. The bastard knew I couldn’t do anything since we are out in public. If I even hit him, he could have called the police and I can’t get arrested.”

Henry breathes out, his breath shaky from his own anger. “Damn him.” 

“He’s smart and he’s playing with you.” Michael whispers in his own anger that his father would really stoop that low. Well he shouldn’t be surprised, he would do it often to Michael. 

Do you want me to hit you right in front of everyone Michael? So help me I will! 

He used that line often. 

“But he doesn’t know that I won’t give up. He thinks I’ll just lie low? Let him win? No. No, absolutely not.” 

Michael gives an apologetic look, “I’m sorry this was a bust.” He couldn’t find any lead, they all knew nothing that would remotely get them an idea of what to do. 

“It’s fine, not everything will be placed on our laps. Let’s go home, and just work on a plan.” 

The boy nods as Henry starts his car, driving out of the parking lot and heading home. 

Michael really hoped his father would burn in hell at this point. Damn this man and his ways. How he was so slippery, even the police couldn’t get a single mark on him. How, he didn’t know. 

But there always had to be a weak spot. William had to slip at some point. And they would be there. Waiting and watching. 

“We’ll find Charlie and stop him, I know we can do this.” 

Henry nods, gripping the wheel with a determined look. “And then we’ll burn him down to the ground.” He states his voice as cold as steel. 

Notes:

Thanks so much for the hits and comments guys. I’m on tumblr so if y’all ever want to chat hit me up! Same with Twitter.

Next chapter is all things William Afton so get ready to dive into the mind of the worse man. I hate him with a passion, but he’s such a fascinating character.

Until next time!

Chapter 13: Twisted Mind, Gnarled Metal

Notes:

Chapter 13, figured it would be fitting to have the unlucky number be the William chapter. It’s all things Willy and boy did I hate writing him. I mean I loved it, but it definitely made me feel sleazy lol

Hope you all enjoy this!

Psst read the notes at the end for some explanation and some awesome fanart!!

William Afton was a cunning man. He prided himself into being the man he was today. This genius, creating life out of circuitry and bolts. How he could make children dance and play with the machines that he created. 

Fantasy became real with his hands. Watching children marvel over his mechanical design was what he always wanted. 

Finding out that he could do much more…brought a shiver down his spine. Oh how the agony of a child could fuel such things. Watching them squirm under his grip and harvest what was within. 

Allowing drips of life to be embedded into his machines. 

Immortality. 

And it was so easy. Easy to bring the wonderful thing he called Remnant out of the shadows. Discovering it changed his life. He had a way to evolve. To become something far past any human being could be. One with the machine. 

All he needed was remnant. 

But unfortunately it was not an easy feat to harvest remnant without watchful eyes. Children gone missing, left everyone on edge. How he would lure them to the back rooms as the playful yellow bunny. Enchanting all who caught sight of him, and he would bring them their demise. 

It was quite exhilarating. 

He wouldn’t get caught, for people were far too stupid. How easy it was to slip in and out of places without a single notice. 

Like a shadow in the night. 

His life was going so well, despite the few hiccups. His children were caught in the allure of his deeds. Perishing at the hands of the very machines he created.

All except one. 

Ah yes. The one who had been a thorn in his side since the day he was born. 

Michael. 

William did not care for Michael. The boy was constantly trying to please him, constantly begging for attention. Attention to which he did not deserve. He was not special in any way. Constantly a chameleon who switched his colors to blend in with people. Just to be safe. 

Then he had to go and kill his own brother. 

William remembered that day. How furious he was. How angry he had been. The scared eyes of his son as he had gripped the boy’s wrist so hard Michael had fingertip bruises for a good couple days. His sweet Evan. Gone. No thanks to the failure of his own son. 

And now he wanted to leave? 

“I’m going father, you can’t stop me.” Michael said, his voice wavering and his body hunched. Just barely 18 and he wanted to leave ? 

“No. I forbid it.” 

Michael swallows and his eyes narrow just slightly. “You aren’t in charge of me anymore. I’m an adult.” He whispered, and William raised a brow. 

Despite his voice, the boy was trembling. Like a deer in the headlights. 

“Oh, so you’re all grown up, that it? Think you can just leave me?” William asks with gritted teeth moving close to Michael, the young man taking a few steps back clutching onto his suitcase. 

“Michael knows best after all doesn't he?” 

“Please father. Don’t do this. Let me go.”

William slams his hand on the countertop and Michael flinches, getting William to smirk. Oh how he enjoyed watching Michael squirm. Like a little worm in the dirt. 

“Fine! Leave me. But you’ll be back Michael. You’ll always come crawling back to me. Just you see.” 

Michael’s eyes harden as he stares at William lifting his chin up. “I won’t be back. You’ll never see me again.” 

“We’ll see about that won’t we!” William shouts, stepping close reaching to grab Michael’s arm, but the boy shouts and swings his suitcase. With a loud thunk! The suitcase smacks William in the chin and he stumbles backwards. 

Michael just stares as William rubs his chin, glaring at him with silver eyes. “Get. Out.” William snarls and Michael doesn’t even say a word immediately rushing out and throwing his things in the car. 

William throws a vase across the room as he hears Michael’s car screech out of the driveway. Good riddance. He didn’t need a useless son always peeking around his shoulder. 

“He’ll be back, and he’ll be crying to me. Just like he always does.” William states as he walks into his office slamming the door. 

 

…

 

It took one letter. A letter that described to Michael that he needed to fix what had been wronged. William knew the soul of his dear Elizabeth was attached to his Circus Baby animatronic. It had been made for her after all, and was the reaper of her own soul. 

All he had to do was to put her back together. A test to see if he truly was in the making to be a part of this family. To see if he had the right stuff. 

William traveled down to his little office under the house where it connected to the Circus Baby’s Rental Center. It held security cameras to his own home, along with others. The plush of Fredbear sat staring at him, holding the walkie talkie he would use sometimes to speak to Evan. 

If he was right, this would be Michael’s fifth night on the job. So quietly he goes back through the security tapes to see if he actually had done what he was told. 

He can see Michael in the purple security guard outfit, coming into the scooping room. He clicks a button and the sound goes through the small speakers to the right. 

“Elizabeth? I’m here. Please, just listen to me, I can help-ack!” 

William watches as wires grab Michael from behind, yanking him upwards so that he can’t move. He doesn’t look away as the boy shouts, calling out for his sister. 

With a click he changes the camera watching in fascination as a new animatronic makes itself known. It looks like wires and pipes and all sorts of scrap made its body up, using the clown mask he had placed in the main area of the rental center. A prototype. 

Then there’s the lights and William watches as the entity pulls the lever down. He doesn’t look away as his son gets hit by the scooper. With one motion his skin and flesh is torn apart. The wires loosen and Michael falls to the floor. 

Surprisingly he’s still alive, calling out for his sister still despite the thing creeping closer. 

There’s unpleasant noises and William watches in almost horror as the thing settles inside his own son. His son, was dead. There was no mistaking it. No human could survive a scoop like that, let alone an animatronic ripping inside and making its home in his skin. 

The feed suddenly goes black, and he just sees static. With a frown he clicks on the computer but there’s no luck. Odd. Had the creature that was now in his son do this? 

William huffs, not surprised that his son failed. He felt no remorse for his son’s demise. In fact he was almost relieved. Having not the worry to deal with the thorn in his side almost brought joy to him. 

It is what he deserved after he had killed Evan. 

But, there was one thing. The scooper would have injected Michael’s body, and if that thing was what William thought it was, that body…

It would be loaded with remnant. 

He never experimented on human flesh before with the remnant. Only infusing it with the machinery. He would have to find his son’s body, since it had shambled out before the feed had cut. 

Only problem is he wouldn’t know where it would be.

So he rushes off. Climbing back into his house and screeching out the driveway with his car. He had to find this body. To see what it held for him. 

Little did he know what a certain puppet was doing to try and put a wrench in his plans.

 

…

 

Between traveling from the pizzeria and finding his own son’s corpse William was busy to say the least. He had taken another life moments ago and now people were being suspicious. 

What idiots they were. Being able to pose as Dave Miller was such an easy feat. Change his hair, his step and he was a whole new man. 

But now the bodies were beginning to rot and that’s always what caused people to stir. 

He would be out of there before they even noticed. 

William would continue to do this again, and again until he figured out the solution. The solution to Immortal life itself. Now if he had Michael’s dead body with the wires inside of it, he would know how the remnant interacted with actual flesh. Would he decay? Would he be aware? Or was he dead and the husk of the body was just alive thanks to the remnant tethering itself. Fusing into his flesh like it would the metal William would bend. 

Traveling back home he notices that the door is unlocked. Huh, had he locked it before he had left? He swore he did. No matter, it was not like anyone would come by here anymore. All that was left of the Afton family was him now. 

He was truly alone. Good. 

Entering his home he immediately knows something is wrong. He can feel it in his bones. This heightened sense that something was astray. He reaches for the knife block on the counter and pulls out the knife with one swift moment. 

Holding a knife in his hand was second nature to him. He walked around the room carefully listening to anything that might be odd. Someone had been in here, he just knew it. 

He pauses when seeing his office door opened down the hall. Now he knew that had been shut. It always was shut. 

Don’t you ever go into my office, you understand me?!

William made it very clear that no one was to enter his office. 

He steps quietly down the hall, leaning against the door gripping the knife handle tightly. He whips in, holding the knife ready to attack but the room is empty. 

William straightens himself and notices his filing cabinet was opened. Stepping closer he realizes it’s empty. The one with the Funtimes Blueprints and his notes about the remnant is gone. 

All gone. 

This is the first time William feels panic in a very long time. His heart suddenly thuds and he can feel his chest compress. “No, no no no.” He mutters searching about his office, wondering if he had just misplaced it. 

He stops when smelling a lingering scent. 

Coffee. 

Only one man reeked of coffee so much that it would linger in his office. 

“Henry.” William whispers, his teeth gritting. How? How did he get in here? And why ? Why would he take the blueprints? What did he need from them? To try and prove he was the better creator? That was far from true. William was the real genius of this franchise. 

He knows. 

William’s eyes widen and he gives out a small hiss. Henry was the only man who accused him of murder. He was right, but there was no evidence. Of course there wasn’t William was no fool. 

He had killed so many brats that he knew just how to do it.

And he was proud to say that little Charlotte started it all. The way she gasped and gurgled under his hands. Hitting his arms trying to break away. But he was too strong for her, and her eyes faded. Oh how it brought such a rush.

How it started it all. How he found remnant in the first place. All thanks to little Charlotte Emily. 

Then little Susie with her stupid dog. He learned it was easier to lure children with the Spring Bonnie costume. You’d trust an animatronic right? Like the dumb child they were. 

William dug his hands into his hair, gripping at his scalp. This only meant one thing. Henry knew and he was onto him. 

What a nuisance. 

He didn’t suppose he could kill the man. No, that would certainly bring attention. Henry was still a part of the Fazbear name, even if he drifted away from them. 

They would suspect him in a heartbeat after the allegations. 

“Damn you.” William hissed, narrowing his eyes. He stops gripping at his desk, leaning on it just slightly. “Fine, you wish to take things from me? I’ll take them right back, old friend. ” 

 

…

When William arrived at the Emily household he was not surprised at how it stayed the same. The countless times they had visited during the production of the Freddy name. The Diner and the other locations. It was their dream. 

But Henry wanted a different dream. He became distracted, sloppy. His ideas were sub-par, and William found he had to be the one to pick up the slack. Henry may have been a good engineer, but he did not have the same spark that William had. 

No one could share that spark. 

It’s later in the night and William is surprised that Henry isn’t home. He would assume the man was a hermit by now. No wife, no child. All alone. 

A shame he had to get in the way of William’s work. A shame his daughter had been there at the perfect time. 

Uncle Will? 

He could hear her voice echo, and he held back a deep chuckle. 

“Why Henry, thank you for making this so much easier.” William mutters as he gets out of the car, his tools in his hands. Wouldn’t be the first time he broke into a place. Wouldn’t be the last. 

He pauses on the sidewalk noticing some odd wires here and there that were nearby the gutter. Must have been from Henry’s little workplace he had. 

Quietly he begins to pick the lock on Henry’s door, and it’s easier than he expected. He half expected Henry to fortify his door with the paranoid accusations he had placed at William’s feet. 

It brought joy when the police men couldn’t find any evidence. The look on Henry’s face as they told him they couldn’t do anything about it. Not without proper evidence. And he certainly wasn’t about to kiss and tell. 

With a click he opens the door and steps inside. 

Surprisingly it’s neat, the sound of a grandfather clock clicking in the air. He sees drawings on the coffee table and scoffs. Michael’s old work? He kept them just strewn about? What a waste of paper. 

William shuts the door behind him, flicking on the lights. He goes to the kitchen first pulling a knife out of the drawer just in case he had to deal with some sort of guard dog or anything like that. He had to be prepared for anything, he didn’t like to be surprised. 

Traveling down the hall with the knife in hand he hums quietly. As if he’s off to have a little fun, instead of breaking and entering. 

His free hand scrapes against the wall, looking for Henry’s workshop that he had. He knew it was in here. Not in the garage but… there . 

As if laid out as a little present there they were. He enters the room seeing his bluish-purple blueprints all about the workbench of the room. 

“Tsk tsk Henry. You know better than to steal.” William says quietly, grabbing all the papers he knew were his. “And making your own notes? Ah we can’t have that now can we?” 

He takes them as well, and begins to trash the place. Scattering papers and throwing objects. Nothing that couldn’t break, but just enough to leave a message. When he’s done the place is a mess. He looks at the knife in his hand and gives a low chuckle, slamming it into the workbench with enough force that it cracks some of the wood. 

“That should teach you.” William mutters, shoving most of the blueprints under his jacket and making his way out. Hopefully that taught him a lesson not to interfere with his plans. 

 

…

 

It did not in fact stop Henry. For the man seemed to be everywhere William was. He knew that car of his. Why was he at El Chips? Perhaps he knew that the pizzeria had been shut down. He couldn’t imagine why. William was disappointed that the pizzeria was now out of commission since he would not be able to get the Spring Bonnie suit. He would have to figure out another way to gather remnant. 

No matter, he could find a way to get what he wanted. 

But Henry being here was not a good sign, the man just sitting in his car as if expectantly waiting for someone, or something. 

Had he found someone else that might have information? No, it couldn’t be. 

Henry wasn’t that smart. 

So he strode up to the car, using broad daylight to his advantage. Henry couldn’t attack him here, not with so many people around. You could see countless people eating by the window so someone would have seen them if an altercation was to happen. 

He leans against the car, lightly tapping the window with his knuckle. 

Henry immediately rolls down the window about to say something, so he was waiting for someone. He stops however when seeing who was truly there. 

“Well, well if it isn’t my dear old friend.” William drawls, seeing Henry’s face go pale. He looked disheveled, his beard a bit too scruffy and his eyes had dark shadows under it. 

“William.” Henry hissed and William almost laughed at the venom in his voice. Someone was certainly angry at him. He couldn’t imagine why. “What are you doing here?”

The taller man chuckles, looking at his fingernails before taking a glance at Henry. “Why I can ask you the same question, Henry.” He smirks knowing full well he was ruffling Henry’s feathers. “I never thought you were the type to be snooping about.”

Henry is quick to respond. That was the one thing William liked about Henry, he had a quick tongue. “You don’t know anything about me then.” Henry pauses, “I didn’t think you were the type to break into my house William .”

Another chuckle rolls out of William’s mouth, he can see Henry’s brow twitch in anger. Oh he was so very much enjoying this. “Taking back what’s mine, you know. But you can’t possibly prove it was me now can you? Just another false accusation. You sure love doing those.”

That certainly struck a nerve, since the man snarls and makes a movement to get out of his car. William is quick to place his hand down, slamming it shut so Henry can’t get out. His eyes darken as he stares at Henry, tilting his head.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you. You’ll make a scene, and we certainly can’t have that.”

Couldn’t have a fight break out, Henry certainly would get arrested. All these people… Henry seems to get the picture as he sits in his car, fuming at William. William’s stomach twists with glee. He just enjoyed watching Henry get pressed like this. It was like watching an ant pop under the magnifying glass. The sun burning at it slowly.

“I’m just here to relay a message, that’s all.” William continues leaning closer. His teeth bared and eyes wild. “Stay out of my way Henry, if you know what’s good for you.”

Henry immediately fires back, his own teeth bared like a dog on a chain. Too far away from the cat that was harassing it. 

“You snake. I won’t give up until you pay for what you’ve done.”

That fills William up with even more glee. My, my Henry was certainly getting all worked up. It was almost too funny. He can’t help but laugh, throwing his head back. 

“Wouldn’t that be the day. I must be going now. You follow what I say and nothing will happen to you Henry. Can’t have another tragedy on our hands now can we?”

He lets it fumigate inside Henry as he turns to leave, not looking back. A chuckle boils inside him as he walks back to his car. 

Oh Henry, do stay out of my way.

 

…

 

The pizzeria was open again. It took a while but surprisingly the franchise still seemed to have a grip on the world. Revamping the old pizzeria and taking the old animatronics. 

The ones that had the remains of children in them. He wondered how rank the smell was now. How delightful. 

Unfortunately for him, he still wasn’t allowed around these places. Damn Henry and his meddling ways. The man constantly seemed to be throwing sand in his eye. It was of no consequence, William would adapt. 

He always did. 

But with those animatronics no longer hidden away in storage William could come out to play. Take things from them and burn the remnant out of them. He was needing more. More to experiment with. He was so close to a breakthrough. 

Soon he would evolve beyond the flesh. Beyond the mortal chassis that was his body. 

So he made his way back to the pizzeria at the dead of night, knowing full well that any nightguard would be leaving. There was always a gap between the dayshift and the night shift. That’s where he would go in and out. 

As he waited by the back doors he stops altogether when hearing a familiar voice. 

“Damn those things.” 

Michael? 

William eases his way to the front seeing Michael, his son. His eyes widened in surprise, he was alive? And well? Not a single blemish on him. His body seemed blurry and he had to blink rapidly as if the man was seeing a hallucination. 

But no, he was there. Locking up the place. 

How? 

Michael groans and rubs his neck, and William spots it. 

A strange disc on his neck that was blinking a dull purple. If you didn’t know what it was you wouldn’t heed any mind, but he knew exactly what it was. It looked different sure, but he had made it after all. 

Illusion disc. 

Why. Why did he have that on him? 

Henry. 

Was Henry using the disc to wander about as his son? No, his mind was making this illusion look like his son. He knew how it worked, but he noticed this was different. The twisting of his gut was not happening, and he was very close. Henry must have modified it. He no doubt stole it with his blueprints. 

William watches with narrow eyes as Michael gets into Henry’s car. There was no doubt about it, that, was Henry in disguise. 

“Clever, very clever Henry.” William mutters crawling back into his little spot so he wasn’t seen. “But not clever enough…” 

He makes his way to the pizzeria’s back, knowing a vent was always loose and he could easily crawl in and out without the cameras noticing. He steps down into the pizzeria and grins. 

“Let’s get this party started shall we?” 

 

…

 

People were starting to notice the demise of animatronics. Someone was breaking them apart, but who could it be? 

Why, him of course. 

He needed the parts, the remnant after all. They put up a fight like always, and William was always happy to do a little dance with souls. How children were easily tricked, even in hulking animatronics. 

But this time, was different. 

They were out of their shells, and their forms were angry. Black tears falling down their face as they stared at their murderer. 

For the first time in William’s life he felt scared. 

“Now, let’s not do anything brash, yes?” William says, holding his axe tightly. One of the children stepped forward black eyes staring into his soul, reaching for him. He takes a step back quickly, his shoes squeaking against the checkered tile of the pizzeria. 

“Stay back!” He shouts angrily, “I will not have some children-“ 

He makes a noise as one appears next to him, and he skitters to the left trying to find a way to escape. The door was blocked by the others, the one with black hair and blacker eyes staring him down with pure malice on her face.

She was the ringleader, he could tell. 

“Back!” William shouts, his heel hitting something hard. He pauses looking over his shoulder seeing his old friend. 

The Spring Bonnie suit.

It was decaying, but it was still working. If he put it on no doubt the children would be frightened. For this was the thing that killed them. 

Quickly he shoves the head of the suit on first, clicking the animatronic into suit mode, the springlocks groaning in response. Come on old boy, one last time. 

The children just watch as he quickly gets into the suit, laughing at their expressions. Wide eyed and frightened at the sight of the killer they knew all too well. 

“That’s right, fear me! I cannot die.” William boasted as the ghostly children cowered before him. He throws his hands out as a display of, I win . He laughs loudly, the sound echoing the suit and it crescendos in his own madness. Not noticing the puddle of water under his feet and the small drip drop above his head. 

It’s not until he hears a SNAP , then he truly notices. 

William knew springlocks, after all he had been the first victim of them. He knew how painful it was. The animatronic parts you see were pushed to the left and right, so the body could stick snuggly inside. But the wrong movement or some force could easily cause them to snap, making the animatronic forcefully crunch together. 

He survived it once, but this time, this time it was different. 

Rusted metal slammed into his flesh, a stream of blood splattering out of every part of the animatronic suit. It’s a moment of numbness that then follows absolute pain. He doesn’t get to hold back a scream as wires and metal pierce his body. 

His body is thrown to the ground, spasming as the springlocks hold tightly. He gives a cry trying to stop it from killing him but he knows it’s too late. 

“H-help!” He cries but all the children are around him. Staring at him with small upturned smiles. As if to say this is what he deserved. 

He was going to die. 

And here he thought he was immortal. 

His eyes start to fade to the darkness and in that small little glimpse he catches the Fredbear suit just sitting there. Twitching like a maniac with bright white eyes. 

One final cry is left from his mouth, his lungs brutally impaled by the metal. The animatronic just about fused with his skeleton from the pure force of the springlock. 

This was it. This was how he died. 

How foolish. 

 

…

 

But he didn’t die. No, he thought he did, until moments later his body jerked up. His breathing is non-existent. His lungs aren't functioning, his heart didn’t race. 

He didn’t die. 

He was alive. 

The remnant. 

The agony of his death fused his soul into this animatronic. He couldn’t move, barely able to twitch in this state. It exhausted him greatly when he tried. Just slouched over the wall, in a puddle of his own dried blood. 

It must have been a while since he came through then. 

He made a wheezing noise, trying to twitch his fingers but they wouldn’t obey. Nothing would, he could barely lift his head, his eyes. 

He would have to learn how to use this body. 

Stopping his struggle he listens to the sound, the pizzeria wasn’t bustling so it must be night. He couldn’t tell, it was all darkness to him. He knew light traveled in here, had they locked him away? Seeing his body did they not care to try and help? 

Was he stuck here?

“Huh, wasn’t there a door back here. Some sort of back room?” A voice echoes in the walls and William recognizes it straight away. 

Michael . 

He makes a groan trying to call out, but it sounds wheezy, filled with static from the voice box inside him. He couldn’t scream for help, despite doing his best. 

“I think so, but it looks like they sealed it up. Must have been a bad leak or something. Come on Mike, we have to keep looking just in case she’s here…” 

Henry's voice breaks through and William realizes they’re together. His son, was alive, and with Henry. Was Michael truly who he had seen before? Why did he have the illusion disc. 

Oh. Perhaps his body was a literal corpse and Henry gave him the disc to make him look more human. It seemed the most logical answer. 

“Mi-” His body spasms, wincing at the agony. He wasn’t numb. He could still feel metal in his flesh digging deeper with every movement. 

“Did you hear that?” 

“What? No I didn’t…”

“Sounded like someone groaning, wheezing even.” 

Yes yes, yes it was me, your father! William wanted to shout. Perhaps his son was not as useless as he thought. 

“It’s probably a spirit. Since they have no body to inhabit now.”

No. No! 

He wanted to scream, shout for Michael. Henry was a liar ! He was filling your head with terrible things! No doubt Michael was under his spell, working against him all because of Henry’s charms. Michael always listened to Henry. Always. 

“Right, maybe. I could have sworn…” 

“Mike we don’t have time, come on.” 

The sounds of footsteps fade and William is left in the silence once more. His body shuddered in anger, eyes flashing flickering light into the dark room he was in. 

How dare he. How dare he do this to his own father? 

Leave him here to rot. 

Michael you useless child. How dare you? 

William felt anger boil within, gnashing his teeth under the head of the animatronic. He would get out of here, and when he did…he would make them pay. 

He would make Michael cry, just like he used to. And then he would kill them. Kill them both. 

That he would make sure of. 

 

Notes:

*lays on the floor* I’m crying in the club yall. Your wonderful comments, the amazing fanart. I really didn’t expect this fic to get the praise that it has gotten. Truly I appreciate each and everyone of you.

As for the explanation in this chapter the last few events of William’s chapter is later in the future. The fnaf 1 pizzeria will not be opened just yet, but I wanted to include the springlock incident and try my hand at it. So just a fyi that has not happened yet, but it will. Just in future chapters when Michael eventually gets his job at the fnaf 1 pizzeria. So keep that in mind!

Also we have some lovely and I do mean lovely fanart from so many amazing people. Thank you all so much and please go check them out!

By Frixey on tumblr:
https://frixey.tumblr.com/post/675853713237229568/imma-be-real-laughing-at-treagedy-by

By Justawipp on tumblr/Twitter:
https://justawipp.tumblr.com/post/675803419947204608/i-have-been-reading-too-many-fanfics-somebody-save

By birdie-ghost on tumblr:
https://birdie-ghost.tumblr.com/post/675807669695725568/hey-just-fyi-there-is-spoilers-if-you-havent-read

https://birdie-ghost.tumblr.com/post/675594398105534464/i-plan-on-drawing-more-finished-fanart-tommorow

 

Seriously thank you all so so very much for the wonderful comments and fanart! I get warm inside just seeing all of it.

Chapter 14: Bitting Friendship

Notes:

Guys. GUYS. 10,000 HITS??? I am in absolute SHOCK over this. I still can’t wrap my head around it all. Three weeks! This thing is three weeks old…

I am so very very grateful for everyone who reads this and enjoys my little silly au. It really makes my day, I was in such a creative burnout that this really pulled me through and it’s amazing to see how many enjoy my work. So seriously…thank you.

Michael still couldn't believe it, that his father had the audacity to come and not only break into Henry’s house, but threaten him in broad daylight. 

William was a calculating man, but there was one thing Michael knew about his father, that he often overestimated people. That he believed to be the smartest man alive, always one step ahead. 

But they were close behind, William didn’t seem to know that Michael was indeed alive and trying to actively stop his plans. He counted on that one ace in the hole. 

Living in the shadows, and doing his best to try and reverse everything that has been done to innocents. It would be a hard task, but Michael was determined. Plus he was a soul inside of an animatronic he couldn’t really live a normal life anymore, even if he really wanted to. 

This was his path now, and he would continue on it until he eventually faded away from existence. 

Henry tosses his keys in the little basket he had, and shuts the door muttering about fixing the locks on them due to William’s little break in. 

“Henry,” Michael calls getting the older man’s attention, “I’m going to try and see if I can talk to Evan. See if we can get a location on Charlie. You…you going to be alright?” 

Henry looks at him, giving a small sigh. “I’ll be okay. I can work on the project. Just let me know how it goes. Say hi to him, if you can.” 

The animatronic stops him for a moment, getting Henry to blink looking up at Michael who flicks his illuso disc off. “It’ll be alright. We can figure this out.” He whispers and Henry chuckles. 

Michael was being very mature at this moment, trying to assure Henry when it should be the other way around. Henry wraps his hand around Michael’s squeezing the hard plastic quietly. “I know. Thank you Mike.” 

The boy nods smiling at him, it’s awkward in this animatronic body he has, but Henry can see it. The way those purple eyes would flicker and brighten. 

“Go talk to Evan, I’ll be alright. I promise.” Henry assures him and Michael nods. 

“Okay. I’ll try to be quick.” 

Henry shakes his head, “Take as much time as you need.” 

With a pat on Michael’s shoulder he leaves the room heading to his workshop to no doubt work on the animatronic that was meant to find Charlie. It was still in the prototype phase and no doubt wouldn’t be done until a very long time. 

Henry was determined and Michael knew he could do it. It just would be a while. Henry even offered when they got into the production phase to show Michael how he did it all. Michael had seen how some of the animatronics were made, he had been there since the beginning but actively having Henry teach him? 

That was exciting. 

Michael sighs, sitting down on the couch. He found it easier to talk, visit, he wasn’t sure what to call it exactly, with Evan on the couch then in Charlie’s old room. He usually just leaned back and stared at the ceiling until he would fall into the darkness. 

Hands on his chest he taps his fingers absentmindedly, hearing the click click of the metal against metal. The ticking of the clock and the sound of his own nails hitting his hull, it was like a metronome. Swinging back and forth. 

Click. 

Click. 

Michael feels his body growing heavy, the familiar feeling of free-falling. Traveling from one plane to the next, going down, down the rabbit hole. Falling, falling. 

Then he wakes up in a bed, with a start he sits up feeling a bit more panicked than usual. Squinting in the darkness he finds himself in a familiar scene. This was…this was Evan’s room. He knew that closet and doors, toys thrown about on the floor. 

Quietly he gets up hopping off the bed, hearing the creak of the floor as he travels to the right door. Reaching to open it, he pauses hearing what sounded like heavy breathing. With a frown, he leans against the door pressing his ear against the wood. 

Nothing. 

Weird. 

With furrowed brows he opens the door and is immediately greeted with a large animatronic. Teeth everywhere, with blood and viscera on its large claws and stomach mouth. It screeches at him and Michael screams falling backwards, scrambling away from the beast. 

He can feel his chest suddenly constrict at the sight of the large thing, it looked like some child’s nightmare version of Fredbear. 

Michael just stares in horror only to hear giggling all across the room. The scene melts away and he’s back in the living room sprawled out on the floor, panic gripping his mind. 

Got you .

A voice giggles and Michael looks up to see a young girl with long black hair staring at him, eyes dripping with some sort of black liquid. 

“Cassidy, right?”  Michael sputters standing up with a big frown. “That-what the hell?” 

She giggles again sitting on the edge of the couch. You’re so easy to scare. It’s almost funny. 

“Hah, hah. Where’s Evan.” 

Around. 

She grins showing black stained teeth, and Michael feels a little uncomfortable.

“Do you mind asking him to come out? I need..well I need to ask him something.” 

Why should I? What are you going to do for me?

Michael is getting frustrated, he had to realize he was speaking to a child. A dead one. That was no doubt unhappy with her demise, and her killer looked just like him. He didn’t blame her for being difficult, it was just annoying. 

“Fine, well since you’re a part of all this too. Can you see if you can find Charlie? The Puppet? The-”

Pizzeria closed I know. Everyone got taken away. 

“I’m sorry, I really tried to help. If Foxy hadn’t of-”

Listen loser, you didn’t help but you’re going to help now. I’ll try to find her, but I can’t make any promises. She often can get away from our sight. But your remnant is bound to your promise. Don’t break it. 

Cassidy’s black eyes burn into his, her lips curled in a frown. She obviously didn’t care for Michael too much, and he didn’t blame her. No doubt Evan told her everything he had done. 

He was just lucky he had a forgiving brother. 

“I’m doing my best. Really. I swear…I swear I’ll fix things. Just give me a chance. I-I know I’ve messed up, a lot, actually. But I’m really trying.” 

I know I hear it from your brother all the time. You better prove it. Or else I’ll make you wish you were dead in the ground.

Michael swallows at the threat. If Cassidy could bring out those horrible nightmares, Michael did not want to mess with her. Period. So he just mutely nods and Cassidy smiles, liquid pouring out of her face and dripping onto the floor. 

Good. We have an agreement. Bye now .

“Wait- no! I wanted to talk to Evan!” Michael shouts as the ground suddenly turns into liquid, grabbing at his wrists and legs, pulling him down like quicksand. 

Too bad. I’m in control right now so you’ll have to try another time. Bye!

Michael shouts as the house begins to melt away, pulling him down into the ground. Dissolving into nothing he shouts while Cassidy just watches. A cruel smile on her face as she waves goodbye. 

He gets engulfed by the darkness, settling back into his body with a jerk. Once his mind properly gets its bearings he shudders gripping his head. “Damn, that little girl is freaky.” He muttered, shaking his head. 

Well, at least he got his message through. Cassidy would probably seek her out, just so he could have some idea where Charlie could even be. Let alone give Henry some peace that his daughter wasn't heading to the scrap heap. 

Michael was positive Charlie wouldn’t allow that, and would leave if there was even a possibility that she might be in danger. Charlie was smart, she often knew how to get herself out of situations.

He believed they would find her. 

 

…

Henry was relieved when Michael told him about Cassidy keeping an eye on Charlie. It was weird to really speak about it, that these kids attached to animatronics could do such a thing. Communicate, give gifts, bring nightmares. 

Michael wasn’t sure how exactly it worked, he didn’t really want to think about it. Remnant was confusing already and they still couldn’t understand it completely. Henry was anxious about experimenting with it. It was Michael’s own agony in that remnant they had found, along with whatever remnant was in the scooper. 

Speaking of the scooper, Michael was curious about the rental place. He wasn’t sure if it would still be open after all the animatronics had vacated into their own little weird amalgamation. 

Perhaps it would be a good time to look around and try to understand just what his father was doing there. Without animatronics out to kill him of course. 

“Oh, Mike. Earlier I got a message from Fazbear. It’s about Jeremy.” 

Michael lifts his head looking up from his sketching while Henry was making himself lunch. It had been a couple days since the incident with William, the two settling down to get an idea of what to do next. 

“Jeremy? How’s he doing? Everything alright?” Michael had been worried about the guy, the man had gotten himself bit by Mangle after all. He really couldn’t ask any further since he well got arrested and fired from the place. 

Henry nods, “His condition is stable, just woke up actually. He’s…it’s a strange thing. I think he may have gotten remnant as well from the bite. Since his recovery has been faster than someone that took an animatronic to the head.” 

Michael looks away, tapping the table absentmindedly. If only Evan had recovered like that. Then maybe, maybe things would have been better. For all of them. 

“Sorry Mike, I didn’t mean it like that. I’m just saying he’s doing good. On the path of recovery. You…you should visit him. I wanted, well I was thinking you could give him this. It’s a check, since I know Fazbear isn’t going to do anything about his injury.” Henry says pulling an envelope out of a drawer and passing it to Michael. 

“You want me to go visit him?” He asks, tilting his head and Henry nods, smiling at him. 

Michael leans forward a bit, unsure. One thing he didn’t like was hospitals, not one bit. To the point he forced himself to know and learn first aid so he never had to go into a white walled room, with beeping monitors. It sent him into a panic sometimes, having terrible incidents in there. Two, while he was worried about Jeremy, he didn’t know if the guy would even remember him. He did get a chunk bit out of his skull after all. 

“Mike, it’ll be okay. You don’t have to if you don’t want to. I can just mail it to him. But I figured…” 

“N-no…I think, yeah I think I should go. It’ll be..okay.” His voice box starts to crackle and he hits his chest as if a way to stop it from showing his true emotions about it. It wasn’t that he didn't want to see Jeremy, no fat from it, he just didn’t like hospitals.

But he could do this, he faced down giant animatronics, got himself scooped and now was living in an animatronic. This shouldn’t be too bad. 

“Do you remember what hospital they said he was in?” 

“Oh, yes, here let me write it down for you. Thanks Mike…”

 

…

 

Michael didn’t understand why hospitals had the same sort of atmosphere. White walls, bright fluorescent lights, endless halls. Machinery clicking and beeping, and the quiet murmur of people.

He didn’t like it. 

Countless times he felt like he was back in the chair next to Evan, looking at his poor bandaged face as the heart monitor slowly beeped at him. Saying he was alive, and then…

The flatline and the despair of it all. How he had killed his own brother, just for a stupid prank. He wanted to scare him, but also show him that Fredbear just wasn’t scary. That Evan didn’t need to be scared of the animatronics. 

It just…went too far. 

And he paid the price. They both did. Evan died and he was pinned as a child murderer. Forever stained with that blood. He remembers the night he came back from the hospital. His father slamming the door, Elizabeth at a friends house because she refused to go home to an angry father. 

He remembers seeing his reflection in the mirror. Tangled hair greasy from the lack of a shower since he refused to leave Evan’s side. How it curled around his shoulders and in that moment he saw blood. Blood sticking to his hair, to his face. 

In a panic he started to cut his hair, snipping it all away. 

Only to despair that he now looked just like his father. 

Michael refused to let his hair grow out like that, not wanting to remind himself of that day anymore than he could that day. But the cost was having to be a splitting image of his father. 

Let’s just say he avoided mirrors a lot in his past time. 

“Sir? Are you visiting someone?”

Michael is yanked from his thoughts, right, he was at the counter and a nurse was looking at him expectantly. “Oh, sorry. Yes. I’m here for Jeremy. Jeremy Fitzgerald? I’m…I’m a friend.” 

The nurse taps something on the computer. “Ah the kid with the bite. Yes he’s in room 34B.” She gestured to the hall to his left. She seemed to be indifferent, brushing him off, more interested in her nails than the tall kid in front of him. 

He supposed it was good, because he didn’t want to deal with any authority right now. Stiffly he travels down the hall, making a note of every room. 

Nurses and doctors strolled by him and took a deep breath. An action he didn’t really need to do, but it was such a habit he really couldn’t help himself. He just needed to relax. Not go back to that day. 

He quietly opens the door to Jeremy’s room after a moment of talking himself up mentally. He would just go in, talk to him, give him the check and then get the hell out of here. Easy peasy. 

The room was an odd beige color, he could see the blue blanket of the hospital bed, a tv playing in the background. Then he sees Jeremy. 

His head was completely wrapped up, with only a tuff of blond hair sticking out of the large bandages across his head. They looked like they just had been redressed and Michael was flung back to that moment. 

Evan’s small body lying in the large bed, Michael gripping his tiny little hand. Begging him to be okay, that he was so sorry. That he would do whatever he wanted if it meant Evan came back to him. 

That was the day he lost it all. 

Michael is frozen in the doorway, Jeremy didn’t notice him, his eye glued to the tv, the other completely bandaged up. 

Maybe he could just leave. Quietly he turns his heel, only for the metal of his foot scrapes loudly against the linoleum. 

Jeremy jerks upwards, turning his head and he sees Michael turned slightly around. “H-hey….wh-who?” Jeremy asks, squinting his eyes a bit. He obviously can’t tell who Michael is and the boy panics. He could just toss the check and leave, but he should at least give Jeremy an explanation. 

“Hey, sorry. It’s Mike? Uhh Mike Schmidt, from the pizzeria…” Michael explains stepping forward. For a moment Jeremy just stares before his eyes widen and he gives a smile to the guy before him. 

“Mike! Man for a second I couldn’t recognize you. Hey! How you doing?” 

Michael chuckles standing a bit awkwardly, “I should ask you that. You’re the one who got…” 

“Bit? Yeah, I still can’t really remember what happened. It’s a bit hazy for me.” Jeremy admits and Michael gives him an apologetic look. He felt bad for Jeremy, the guy sitting in the hospital bed with bandages all over his head from an animatronic chomping down on his cranium. 

They really needed to stay away from heads, these animatronics. This was the second time too. Michael shudders, shaking his head not wanting to think about that right now. 

“I hear you’re recovering really well. I wanted to at least check up on ya and stuff. I know it’s a bit strange since we barely talked and all but-”

Jeremy waves his hand with a grin, “Nah, it’s nice of you to drop by, seriously. I’ve been bored out of my mind, they play nothing good on these televisions I swear.” He clicks the tv off to prove a point. “You can sit down if you want, don’t have to stand there like some flagpole.” 

Michael blinks and he was positive if he had his human body he’d be blushing in embarrassment. “S-sorry hospitals make me all jittery.” He explains and moves to sit down on the stiff chair next to Jeremy’s bed. 

“I getcha, never was a fan either. Anyone who is, they’re nuts.” 

Michael could definitely agree to that, that was for sure. 

Jeremy sighs leaning back against the multitude of pillows. “The pizzeria is closed down isn’t it? I don’t get much news here but I heard the nurses talking about it.” 

He nods to Jeremy, “Yeah. They closed a good couple days ago. Saw it in the paper.” Technically he did, but he heard it first from the call Henry had gotten. “Sucks, but understandable. You did get bit.” 

“I guess. Just means I’m out of a job, and well…I definitely don’t know how I’m going to find a new one. The bit ruined my eye, so I’m blind.” He gestures to the large bandage on his face. “Had they been any closer, my whole frontal lobe would’ve been chomped.” 

Michael can hear it in the back of his mind, the crunch of bone. The splattering of blood as it sprayed like a fountain. How it hit his face. The sheer gut wrenching terror that came with it. 

Pushing it all away he frowns at Jeremy. “That really sucks, I’m so sorry.” He wished he could help, but then realizes Henry had given him something. “Oh! I completely forgot…” 

He reaches over placing the check in Jeremy’s lap. “It’s for you. Um…the owner of the pizzeria contacted me, like the actual owner-owner, or was owner I guess…anyways he told me to give that to you. Since…corporate wouldn’t pay for…” 

Trailing off he sees Jeremy pick up the check, his good eye widening. “Holy shit! That…that’s amazing. You know him? Henry Emily?” 

“Kinda? He called me, after…um well I got arrested on my first night.” He admits rather telling Jeremy this than having someone like Trevor telling him. He could get his facts straight then. 

Jeremy turns his head slowly, no doubt to keep from hurting himself, looking at Michael with a wide eye. “What! Arrested? Why?” 

“They thought I was the one…kidnapping kids.” Michael says, rubbing his face. “I wasn’t of course, they let me go. But I was fired because I…well I tazed Foxy.” 

“Holy shit dude.” 

“I know, it was irresponsible of me but the thing attacked me!” 

“That’s so fucking cool.” 

Michael blinks seeing Jeremy’s face. He looked like he was just meeting his hero. His deep blue eyes sparkling at the mention of him tazing an animatronic. “I guess, but it got me in trouble, so Henry called and he apologized.” He was making this up as he went along, not really wanting to tell the true story on how he knew Henry. Or how his real name was Michael Afton. Not Mike Schimdt. 

“So yeah. Then he gave me this check, and figured I’d probably visit you, and here I am. Delivering it.” 

Jeremy holds the check in his hand, “This is awesome. Like damn. You’ll have to tell him thank you so much. I-I this is great.” 

Michael smiles, “Yeah, he’s a nice guy. I just hope it helps. I’m sorry about everything.” 

The blond just looks at him tilting his head, “You don’t need to be sorry. It wasn’t your fault. Not like you made Mangle do that. I should’ve been careful.”

Michael shakes his head, “No, but they shouldn’t have done that in the first place. Those animatronics…from what uh Henry has told me weren’t supposed to do that. Let alone attack people. Especially night guards. Like I get the whole facial scanning, but…that’s not supposed to happen.” 

“Technology gets buggy, it’s bound to happen sooner or later. I can’t imagine a kid getting bit. I’m just glad it was me and not some 9 year old.”

Wincing Michael turns his gaze. A kid did get bit, but it seemed like Jeremy didn’t know about the said bite. Michael did. Michael caused it after all. “Y-yeah, but still..”

“Can’t change the past man, it happened…and I’ll live. That’s what I’m grateful for. That I’ll live and sure yeah I’ll have a fucked up eye, and a gnarly scar, but people dig scars right?” Jeremy’s lone brow wiggles and Michael can’t help but laugh. 

“Sure.” 

Jeremy just smiles and Michael doesn’t know how he does it. The guy literally had his face bitten by a large animatronic and he’s over here joking and laughing about it. Michael wished he could have that same outlook on life. 

They talked for a while, laughing and goofing around. Michael was happy, Jeremy keeping him distracted from the fact he was in a hospital. It wasn’t until a nurse came in to usher him out did he say goodbye. 

Jeremy gave him his number so they could chat if they wanted to, and Michael appreciated it. He really hoped Jeremy would do well, and have a good life. The guy deserved it. 

He waves goodbye to Jeremy, feeling a lot better than he had in a while. It…it was nice to talk to someone that wasn’t Henry. Don’t get him wrong he enjoyed talking to Henry, but…this was different. 

Michael realized he was missing out on having friends, real friends. He missed that so much. Talking to people, enjoying their company. He was so trapped in his own problems that he isolated himself to the point that he was always alone. But unfortunately now that he was a dead soul inside of an animatronic he really couldn’t go out and make friends like a normal person could. 

He hoped Jeremy and him could be friends. 

Leaving the Hospital he plans to keep in touch with Jeremy, maybe it would be good for the both of them. Eventually he’d tell him his real name, but for now…he would just be happy being Mike Schmidt around him. 

He takes off to the car and heads home ready to tell Henry about his day. 

 

…

 

“I think I should go back down to the Rental place.” Michael says a day after the hospital visit. Jeremy had called him that night and they talked for a bit. It was nice to have someone to talk to, and Michael would just let Jeremy talk his ear off, happy to have someone to converse with that wasn’t Henry. 

“What? Back there? Why?” 

Michael shifts as they are sitting in the living room, the tv on but it’s volume is lowered so they could chat if needed. “I want to know more about the scooper, and the remnant reservoir it has. And see if I missed anything. I’ll be careful. It’s not like there’s going to be animatronics to harass me now. Plus I can take them. Look at me.” 

He gestures to his animatronic self, his ears flicking slightly. 

Henry sighs, “I suppose…it might be a good idea. But…I should go with you.” 

“No, absolutely not.” 

With a small huff Henry narrows his eyes at Michael, “What do you mean no? It could be dangerous and remember the last time you went without me? You got arrested!” 

Michael stares at him, well…he did have a point. But Henry was human, and could get hurt. Michael would not be able to live with himself if that was to happen. He couldn’t let anything happen to Henry. He made a promise, and he wouldn’t let Charlie down by letting her dad get hurt. 

“Okay, maybe…you can come, but you stay in the car? And I will bring a walkie-talkie so we can communicate?” Michael compromises and Henry looks pleased with himself. 

He smiles and nods to Michael, “It’s not what I had in mind, but I think that will work just fine.” 

Shaking his head Michael gives a small laugh, “Alright. Tomorrow then. We’ll go back and check the place out. Hopefully get some more answers about remnant.” 

The real reason Michael didn’t want Henry down there, was because he didn’t want to see the remains of the scooping room. He rather Henry didn't see the stained floor and perhaps some organs lying around. Hopefully they would have picked that all up by now, but knowing Fazbear Entertainment…

Probably not. 

Notes:

Jeremy is here! And he’s okay! I sort of made it where his whole frontal lobe isn’t jacked up, but his face and parts of his skull is. Cuz I just don’t wanna deal with the whole medical trauma of a frontal lobe being gone. I am not a smart cookie and I don’t wanna research a lot cuz it makes me queasy sometimes lol

But don’t worry Jeremy will be a character that does pop up every now and then. If you wanna see his design check out my Twitter or Tumblr!

Also can anyone guess who the next person they’re gonna meet is 👀✨

Now we have some fanart so here we go!

By Animatronicinnard:
https://animatronicinnard.tumblr.com/post/676087184246390784/girl-help-inkspottie-is-single-handedly-causing

By Artemistoonz:
https://inkspottie.tumblr.com/post/675922199952113664

Seriously thank you all so so much! Hope your Valentine’s Day is lovely! Until next time!

Chapter 15: Make Sure Nothing Gets Out

Notes:

Here it is! The next chapter. Gonna put it out right now that things get a little intense, I tried my best to not make it super graphic, but ya know. You can only do so much when it comes to the well you'll get it when you read it haha

But thank you all so so much for the comments and hits, it truly blows my mind. I am so glad ya'll are liking my crazy ass story lol

Enough gushing, on with the story!

Circus Baby’s Rental Center had many different entrances. Michael had found the blueprint with all of the location markings when they had gone into William’s office. Thankfully his memory was great and they were able to find the most inconspicuous entrance.

Henry refused to go back to Michael's home, worried that William might have some sort of trap laid out for them. Michael agreed, so here he was. 

In the damn elevator again. 

He knew the codes, they weren’t smart enough to change them after all. So down, down he went. Hearing the whirling of the fan, and the odd little jingle that played as he descended. 

This was a goddamn tomb. 

He could feel his own body start to tremble, with too many thoughts in his head. He didn’t want to go back to that horrible night. The night he died. 

The scraping of metal, the pain…

You won’t die.

Michael shakes his head, his sister’s words rattling in his skull. The elevator stops with a loud thunk and Michael gently slaps his cheeks to get himself focused. This wasn’t the time to get stuck in the past. 

You got this. 

The first place he traveled to was the scooping room. He didn’t want to, but he knew he had to. Might as well get it over with. The circular room was empty, the door open and not a soul in sight. He peers down the hall, he was sure his heart would have been thudding in his chest right now. This place gave him the creeps, big time. 

How did he even survive five nights of this? 

Quietly he steps into the scooping room, seeing the scattered remains of the animatronics. He remembers it all too well. Getting knocked out and then waking up to wires grabbing at his body, unable to move. Seeing Ennard hunched over in the other room. Telling him he wouldn’t die.

That they needed his body.

He glanced to the large claw, feeling cold. Only…the scooper was gone. It looked as if someone had torn it off, leaving nothing but wires and bent metal. 

“The hell?” Michael muttered looking further. Whatever this remnant reservoir was, it was gone. “Damn it.” 

Had William done this? 

He looks down at the discarded animatronics, noticing all the familiar ones. Ballora, Bon-Bon, Circus Baby…well parts of Circus Baby, he could see bits and pieces, but not her full hull like the rest of them. 

Funtime Foxy was gone, but he assumed it was because of him. Since Lolbit was essentially a recolored Foxy but with a completely different personality. 

“Where…where is Funtime Freddy?” Michael whispered to himself, noticing that the large bear animatronic was nowhere to be seen. 

That couldn’t be good. 

Michael rubbed his chin, that was extremely worrying. Did someone just take it? They didn’t seem to care about these parts, or that perhaps this was all to be picked up at a later time. 

He wasn’t sure. 

Michael crouched down only to hear a loud scream and a bang. He lifts his head up, listening but couldn’t hear anything. Turning off his disc he flashes his lights seeing everything that was in this facility. There was a gold aura, but it was muddled with black and orange auras. The hell? 

Quickly he taps the illuso disc back on and races to investigate. Whatever scream that was, it did not sound good. 

 

…

 

This job was odd, they immediately hired him without even looking at his resume. Saying the last person who worked had died of a ‘heart attack’ and needed a new guard stat. Don’t let anything out they had said. Which was weird considering the fact that it usually was the other way around for security guards. Going deep underground to watch for things to stay in the rental center. There was nothing here but scraps.

Stanley didn’t really care, he needed the money especially after his life was tilted on its axis due to a horrible breakup. He was down on his luck and this job was just handed to him. 

Unfortunately, his life was just getting worse and worse. The last four nights he had been at this job strange things had been happening, and he was having a terrible throat problem, and his limbs were just feeling numb and swollen. 

He didn’t know what it was, his doctor said it might be something caused by stress. Apparently, if you were stressed enough sometimes your body would just…attack itself thinking there was a problem when it was just your own mind panicking. 

Didn’t help the weird dreams he was getting, this odd fox-like creature appearing every now and then. First a taxi passenger and then a fellow nightguard. It kept following him and he was wondering what it even meant. Kept telling him to get out, to leave.  Why was he seeing these weird animatronics? 

Let alone these weird little dolls that kept appearing and talking to him, and then disappearing when he would nod off. He didn’t mean to, it was like someone was forcing him to sleep. Dragging him off to the dream world.

This time he was having a dream that this weird ballerina animatronic was placing him in a dentist chair telling him that everything was alright 

“Doctor Reena, your tooth hurty is ready.” There it was, the fox again. Purple eyes and strange orange and purple coloration. The thing cackled at its own joke placing its eyes on Stanley. “Run, get out. Get out of here…I will help you, I am coming to help.” His voice was different this time around. It sounded…British? 

But he couldn’t react because then came in the weird drawing figure ballerina he kept seeing. What were they called? Minireenas?? 

This time it was huge, no longer just the little doll on his desk. The thing pirouetted into the white-walled room practically pushing the fox away with the ballerina animatronic close behind, her blue and white coloring contrasting against the beige doll. 

“Now, now what seems to be the problem? Does your tooth hurt? Let us see then!” Before Stanley could even reply, the thing had its fingers in his mouth, yanking his jaw open. It giggled peering into his mouth. 

He gave a loud shout from the pain, not expecting to feel that. Geez! What the hell was this thing doing? Why did this feel so real? 

The thing moves closer and pries his jaw open even further to the point he feels like his jaw is about to crack from the force. 

“Stop stop!” He shouts in pain, the sound slurred and muffled over this large Minireena trying to pry him open. 

He startles awake, panting heavily. He feels pressure on his jaw and crosses his eyes to find a Minireena was holding his mouth open, just about to fit inside. He could feel its little leg on his tongue. 

Without thinking he swats the thing away, stumbling back out of his chair with heavy pants. “W-what the fuck?!” He stammers the thing skittering on his desk, twirling about as it gets its balance. He winces at the pain traveling up his body from the fall. 

“Aw, I was so close! Don’t move, it's okay! We just want to go outside. It’s not fair that the others got to!” The little voice whispers and Stanley feels his chest just about to explode, something shuddering underneath his skin. Squirming and twisting around. He looks at his arm in horror seeing his skin twitch and move. 

Oh, God. 

“You…you- they’re in me!” He realizes, each night he fell asleep…oh God. Oh, God.

“Don’t be scared Stanley, you have room for one more.” 

He gives out a cry and the ones inside him start to stir, little voices echoing out of his mouth in confirmation. They were in him. They were in him. 

“Get the fuck- get the fuck away from me!” He pants feeling exhausted, his body twisting and moving on its own from the Minireenas inside. He felt like he was in a horror movie. Like watching the Thing for the first time, the twisting body horror that made his skin crawl. But this was real, this was actually happening to him. 

“Just one more…it’s okay. We just want to be-”

“That’s quite enough.” 

Stanley looks up in horror, seeing a tall figure standing across the way. He couldn’t make out any features, he looked like the grim reaper, with a hood over his face and then he saw the eyes. Purple, glowing in the dim light. 

“Pl-please.” Stanley rasped, his voice shattered from this whole debacle. He was going to die here. 

He was going to die.

“Look who decided to come back.” The Minireena taunts and the hooded figure just give a small noise stepping forward getting the little thing to step back. As if it was scared of the figure before them. 

“I’ve had enough of you all trying to get out and make havoc. Haven’t you caused enough trouble?” The figure hissed, picking up the Minireena with ease.

“It’s not fair! It’s not fair we want to go out too.” 

“Let us out!”

“We want to be free!” 

Stanley gurgles as the voices echo out of his own throat, clenching his eyes shut. This couldn’t be happening, please…someone get these things out of him! 

He hears footsteps and flinches looking up to see the man towering over the desk. God, he was tall, this had to be the grim reaper. He was hallucinating from the stress. 

The purple eyes glow even brighter now that he’s closer. Stanley can’t move, his body trembling and he’s not sure if it’s his own fear or the things inside of him. Whoever this guy was, they did not like him. 

“There’s a far better way of doing so, but you’ve made that choice. Now you all will burn.”  His voice, Stanley…had heard that voice before. Was it…the thing in his dreams? 

He watches the figure clench his hand and the Minireena gives out a squeal snapping in half. They pull out a bag and shove the remains in there. Purple eyes turn to them and Stanley’s about to pass out. 

“No no no no!” All the Minireena’s inside him squeak and squirm making his body flinch and pull. He couldn’t help but shout in agony. It was a horrible pain he never thought he would feel. 

“Damn, they really did a number on you. Listen, I’m here to help. How…how many are in there?” His voice was soft, the same British tone he had heard in his dream. Nothing was making sense. The man is beside him, looking down with a featureless face, just those two glowing eyes burning into his soul. 

“I don’t...I don’t know. Please…please help me.” Stanley whimpers and the figure nods, crouching down to assess the damage. “Get them out-“ 

“I’ll help. Don’t pass out on me.” 

The hooded man reaches for him and Stanley can feel all the things inside of him spasm sending sparks of pain down his whole body. He gives out a horrified gasp spasming in pure agony. His mind can’t take it anymore and his head hits the floor. Passed out from exhaustion and just pure terror. 

Michael winces as the poor guy passes out, he can hear the Minireenas squealing and squirm inside this man. He tilts his head seeing the name tag. Stanley. So this was the one to replace him huh? His skin was a mottled grey, and his muscles twitching and moving, like something was alive under the muscle of his skin. This was horrifying to watch but Michael had seen it before. 

It’s what his body looked like with Ennard after all. With all those wires and pipes…

“Damn, damn okay…we have to get these things out of you.” But how? They were inside and Michael certainly couldn’t… 

Oh shit. 

“And here I was going to go and look for the scooper. I’m glad I came.” 

Shaking his head, he pushed those thoughts away. He needed to help this guy out. And he had a few ideas. “Okay big guy…you’re coming with me. Minireenas we are going to play operation.” 

He ignores the cries of the Minireenas, it seemed they didn’t know how to control the body like Ennard could. They were just sticking inside him, every now and then failing about. 

With a heave he lifts Stanley up, glad that his animatronic strength was there for him, holding him gently so he did not hurt the man. The guy was big, but Michael was strong enough to hold him. 

It was disgusting watching Stanley’s skin writhe and twist seeing parts of the Minireenas flutter under his skin. Thank God he didn’t have a stomach or else he might have vomited. Oh, Henry’s going to hate this. He was going to be so mad. 

 

… 

 

Henry just about faints when Michael came out with a security guard in tow. Why were there more people down in that place?! Who kept hiring guards when there weren’t any animatronics there to guard?

“Who’s that?” Henry stammered as he got out of the car to help Michael. 

“Stanley, don’t know him, but he..well there’s a problem.” 

“Good God what is wrong with him?!” Henry asks seeing the swollen limbs and trembling skin. It looked like something out of Alien. “Don’t tell me there’s an animatronic chestbuster in there.” 

Michael gives out a laugh hitting his head with his shoulder to keep it from escalating. This was not the time for Lolbit to be speaking. 

“Worse, it’s Minireenas. They’re inside of him. I was looking in the scooping room when I heard someone shout, and saw that one of them was trying to get inside of him! And then I find out there’s…an unknown amount. Inside. Of him.” 

Henry looks like he’s going to be sick. He just stares in horror, “I-Inside. Inside Mike?” His voice cracks and he is practically begging for Michael to start laughing and joking, saying it was some funny prank. 

“We gotta get them out of there Henry. They’re going to kill him. He’ll…He’ll end up like me.” Michael whispers and Henry understands the situation now. He was seeing himself in this Stanley and didn’t want the same fate. 

“We can’t bring him to the doctors, so…” 

“We’ll have to do it ourselves. Fire gets them out, right? What if we just smoke them out, or…or cut him open.” 

Henry wobbles gripping his head, “Cut him…we can’t waste any more time. We’ll have to extract them out. Some way or another. Mike, you know first aid right?”

Michael nods, “Sure I’ve stitched myself up from time to time, I know the basics.” 

The man doesn’t comment on that. Either it was the fear of his father or the hospitals that kept Michael from ever truly getting the care he needed. It was not good but this was a topic Henry would save for later. 

“Let’s go. Gentle..” Henry whispers, opening the car door and helping them put Stanley in the back. 

“Let us go! Let us be free!” He can hear them echo out of Stanley’s mouth and Michael hissed getting them to be quiet. They were terrified of Michael it seemed. 

“We should burn this place to the ground,” Michael muttered staring out the windshield. “Just light it all up so nothing like this happens again.” 

“Michael, as much as I agree with that, we can’t. It would cause so much suspicion, we have to do it right.” Henry says as he glances at the body behind them, Stanley was breathing but they didn’t have much time. They needed to be quick and get those things out of him. “This is far more important. We need to get home.” 

Michael just mutters under his breath, and Henry quickly drives out of the location and floors it to the house. They know what to do. They had to get them out.

The only plausible way was to rip Stanley open. 

Quickly they get to the house, Michael hauling the large security guard into the workshop, placing him on the metal table they had for when Henry was working on his animatronics. 

They had to get them out of him, stat. So they do their best. 

Michael did most of it since Henry was very squeamish at the sight of all this gore. He didn’t want to go into detail on how bad it was, the Minireenas were pretty embedded into Stanley.

He felt like he was playing a sick version of the game Operation, pulling each doll out with careful precision. Crushing their heads so they wouldn’t function as well before he would pass them to Henry. Henry had a bucket for all the dolls shoving them in there immediately when Michael pulled one out. 

Fifteen. There were fifteen of them in there. Stanley had a large opening in his stomach, his arms, and his legs from where they settled in. Now Michael was quickly sewing him up. Stapling his skin and using fishing wire. 

He remembers when he had gotten bitten by a dog really badly and he was so scared to go to the hospital so he had stitched it up with some of his father’s tools. It had gotten infected and he got really sick from it. His father was furious after Elizabeth had tattled on him. 

But he knew how to sew up a wound. 

“This isn’t good. I don’t…I don’t know if this can heal properly.” Michael whispered as the needle went in and out of Stanley’s flesh. “I…” 

“Michael,” Henry whispers as he placed a lid on the bucket, sealing the dolls in so they wouldn’t jump out and cause more trouble. “The remnant we had…” 

Michael stops looking at Henry with wide eyes, the remnant. Could…could it work? “But…that could mean-”

“We aren’t infusing it with another thing if we use it in a small dose. Perhaps…it will just heal the wound up or even quicken it. Remember Jeremy?” 

Right both of them had a suspicion that Jeremy had recovered so was due to the remnant from Mangle. All of those animatronics seemed to be charged with the stuff after all. 

“We can try. I don’t…I don’t want him to die from this. God, Henry…he’s a random guy! He’s not supposed-”

“I know, but we can at least try to help.”

With a nod he stepped away, not daring to look at his bloodied hands, the illusion disc whirring loudly meaning he would have to turn it off soon. Hopefully, Stanley would not wake up while he was recharging the thing. 

Henry has the glowing goo from Michael’s body, taking a small dropper and going inside, grabbing a good amount, and going to Stanley’s side. Michael watches as he drops some of the remnant onto Stanley’s skin, and they watch the orange liquid react. Sizzling into the flesh, and creating this strange orange web-like pattern under his skin, glowing slightly. It throbbed for a moment before disappearing. 

So far nothing, but Michael was sure it might help. Maybe a small dosage would keep Stanley from being immortal like Michael, but just…quicken the process of healing. They still didn’t know a lot about remnant. 

When Henry was done dripping the affected spots that Michael had sown up, they give out a sigh finding a moment of peace. Stanley was still breathing evenly, and he seemed stable now. The bucket behind them was giggling and moving about, but the seal was tight and they wouldn’t be able to break free. 

“I’m going to go and burn these things,” Michael muttered as he picked the bucket up. 

“You watch Stanley okay? Make sure he doesn’t wake up.” 

Henry nods watching Michael tap the illusion disc and he’s back into his animatronic form no doubt to use his scream just in case these little doll animatronics misbehaved. 

“Don’t forget to gather whatever remnant is in there!”

Michael’s response is muffled and Henry sighs looking at his hands, his workshop smelling of blood and iron. The poor guy was just laying on the slab of metal like he was some sort of experiment. Looking like Frankenstein with the stitching and staples Michael had done. 

They looked pretty good considering the fact that Michael wasn’t exactly a doctor. Henry did his best to help, doing one of the arms while Michael did the other. 

William and his animatronics. Why did they have such an obsession with looking like humans? Wanting to go outside. 

It was because of the treatment he supposed. How William would torture them. The allegory of his family did not escape Henry. All of the Funtime Animatronics were based on his family. Henry was certain of that. It concerned him greatly that William constantly shocked them for motivation, and scooped their insides with the remnant. 

How many pieces of souls were in these things? Were they aware? This hive mind of agony? Or did it just fuel these animatronics to inflict pain on others, as one did to them? 

It was an awful thought. 

Henry was grateful they were able to save this young man. Quietly he went through Stanley’s things, having to take his shirt off anyway so he might as well get some information. His ID confirmed that his name was Stanley. He was 25, so a bit older than Michael was. 

He was much bigger than Michael, though not taller. With curled brown hair that seemed a bit unkempt. Henry glanced at the man, noticing that the grey skin that he had once sported was now fading back to a tan color. 

“It must be working then,” Henry muttered looking at Stanley with a bit of hope. Maybe they could save this one, he was tired of people perishing under William’s hand, or his creations. For once he wanted a win. 

Quietly he begins to clean up, waiting for Michael to be done disposing of the dolls before deciding what to do next. It would take some time before they could let Stanley go if he recovered that is. 

He would have to make sure nothing was spoken about this, because one, who would believe him, and two if William heard the word…

Who knows what he would do. 

Henry could not have that. 

So this man would have to stay with them for a while, which meant Michael would have to keep his cover. Or they just tell him the truth. That would be Michael’s decision. 

He wouldn’t make it for him. 

“Guhh..”

Henry lifts his head up in surprise hearing Stanley moan immediately putting the mop down and rushing towards the man. 

Stanley started to move and Henry placed careful hands on him. “Woah, Woah there. Don’t move, we can’t have you moving right now Stanley.”

The man looks at him with wide eyes, panic settling in. “H-huh? Wh-where? I-that-the things! They’re- they’re-“ 

“Stanley, Stanley! Do not worry, we got them all out. I need you to breathe. Follow me, in and out. Yes, there we go. Careful.” Henry’s hand hovers over Stanley’s chest trying to make sure he wouldn’t leap up and rip open his stitches they had just done. 

Stanley just looks at him wildly, brown eyes blown in panic. His chest bobbing up and down and Henry’s doing his best to try and keep him still. “Wh-who are you? How do you know my name? What is going on here?!” 

Henry gently puts his hands up, as if to say he was not going to hurt him. “It’s alright. I know your name from your name tag, as for mine, I am Henry. We found you in the rental center, those dolls tried to use you as a host.” 

“Host?” Stanley rasps trying to sit up but Henry gently pushes him down.

“They’re not in you anymore, my…godson, and I got rid of them all. You need to stay still or else your stitches will burst open.” 

Stanley peers down at himself, his fingers twitching looking a bit relieved. No doubt they were stiff from all those Minireenas from hiding in his skin. “G-gone…whe-where is the guy?”

“Guy?” Henry asks tilting his head and Stanley nods. 

“He-he was this tall guy, with a cloak or hood or something. He-he had these purple eyes! And he had some kind of accent, British I think?” 

Henry blinks, “Interesting, that is what your mind came up with for him?” He rubs his chin, he probably thought Michael was here to take him away to the afterlife judging by his description. Poor man. “That would be my godson, Mike. Though he doesn’t really look like that.” 

Stanley looks at him confused, “Wh-what?” 

Waving his hand Henry quietly begins to reach into the first aid kit they had. “I'm going to dress your stitches so they’re not out and exposed. So far you seem stable.” 

“How…how am I even alive?” 

Henry looks at him with a small frown, holding bandages out, and gently takes Stanley’s arm careful not to jostle him. “Luck I suppose. And a little thing known as remnant. It is what made those dolls act the way they did. They wish to inflict pain on others, for they are nothing but pure agony.” 

Stanley just stares at him, watching Henry wrap his arm up. “Why…why did you save me?” 

He chuckles at that, “You’ll have to speak to Michael about that. Of course, I would hate for anyone to perish at the hands of an animatronic made by…” He shakes his head gently finishing up his right arm. “Anyways, it was Michael who brought you here. He would not let you die.” 

“I..well I appreciate it.” Stanley sounded sincere, and Henry smiled. 

“I am glad that you are okay Stanley. Perhaps you can tell me about you and how you got this job of yours.” Henry requests and Stanley looks up at the ceiling with a nod. 

He gives a small cough, Henry noticing that the man’s voice was raspy and rocky. No doubt from the Minireenas trying to shove their way down his esophagus. He shuddered at the thought not really wanting to think about it. 

“I guess I can, but if it’s alright with you can I call my family?” 

Henry stops and looks at the man, “Unfortunately I don’t know if I can allow that. Considering that this…whole event is something that needs to be kept under wraps. Could we wait until tomorrow to discuss?” It was already late as it is, and he knew they would have to talk to Stanley about this. 

“He’s awake.” Michael’s voice echoes in the doorway and Henry looks up seeing Michael holding a glowing purple jar his human form flickering. He looked tired no doubt because of having to over-exert his illusion. 

“Yes, Stanley this is Michael, Michael-”

“Yo-you’re the one who saved me. You…you’re just a kid.” Stanley stammers and Michael gives a huff passing the jar to Henry who held it tightly wondering why this remnant was a different color than Michael’s. 

“Not a kid, but yes I saved you. I'm glad I got there in time. You feeling alright?” Michael sounds worried, his purple eyes glancing over the man. Henry places the jar down and helps Stanley with his other arm bandaging it up quite nicely. 

“I feel like I should be dead. I…I really thought those things were gonna rip my insides out.” Stanley whispers and Michael shakes his head. 

“Not if I could help it. Those little things just wanted to go out but in the worst way possible. It seems they can’t ask nicely.” 

Henry snorts at that, while Michael crosses his arms. “We got rid of them so you don’t have to worry about it. You should be okay now.” 

Stanley gives a grateful look, “T-thanks..Mike was it? You looked hella scary back there. I think it was my mind playing tricks on me. Swear you looked like a grim reaper, not some tall ass kid.” 

The boy frowns at that, but a brow is raised. “Grim Reaper? Far from it, but it sounds plausible. You were pretty out of it. I was glad I got there when I did. Or else I-”

“I wouldn’t have made it.” Stanley fills in the dots. He felt his skin grow cold and his body was just on fire. His muscles aching and the cuts felt like someone had poured hot lava into him. He never felt this way before. 

Henry sighs, “That we aren’t certain of. But, be happy that you are here and alive. I can’t imagine how you are feeling.”

Michael looks like he’s about to comment but doesn’t say anything, instead opting to look at the ground. 

“It was crazy, I…I don’t know how they did it. I would be at my desk, doing my job, and then..those little things would just appear and talk to me. I was…I felt like I was being-”

“Hypnotized?” Michael leans in a bit his purple eyes staring at him, Stanley didn’t know how they looked so purple. They almost seemed to glow, something wasn’t natural about this guy, but he didn’t know how to explain it. 

Stanley nods, “Y-yeah, actually yeah. It felt like…I was entranced by them. That I liked them, I didn’t know why. And then…I would just fall asleep. Like something had drugged me. I would get these crazy nightmares… and wake up with a sore throat, the thing nowhere to be seen. Then my arms and legs got super swollen and stiff. I went to the doctor but they couldn’t find anything but blood in the back of my throat…” 

Henry and Michael look at each other and then back to Stanley. “Goodness, it sounds awful, I’m sorry you had to go through that Stanley. It seemed those Minireenas forced you to sleep so they could crawl into your body. They wanted to use you as a means to escape the facility. It seemed they didn’t know how to control you, however.”

The guy just looks at them both in horror, his brain not exactly processing what had just been saying. Host? Control? What the hell? Forced him to sleep?

“This is a lot.” 

Michael starts to laugh, the sound unnerving and strange. It’s not until Henry slaps him on the back that he stops and Michael clears his throat giving a low thank you. Okay, he was with a bunch of crazy people right now, but he supposed it was better than exploding with little dolls inside him. 

“You…okay?” Stanley tentatively asks and Michael nods. 

“Just a tick, once I start I can’t really stop.” He muttered, sounding more annoyed than anything. “But that’s not the thing we need to worry about. You need to rest, and we need to get you to a bed. I think you’ll be staying with us for a bit.”

Stanley stares at them, “Wh-what? Yo…you’re keeping me here? Why can’t I go to the hospital? Let alone contact my family!” 

Michael raises a brow, “And what would you tell them? Help! I have tiny animatronic dolls inside me and I need them out? Would anyone believe you?” 

“Michael,” Henry scolds, getting Michael to huff and shake his head. “What he’s saying is we are probably your best bet for the time being. We…have dealt with this sort of thing before and-”

“The hell you mean this-ah!” Stanley tries to sit up but the pain is too much and Michael places a hand onto his bare chest pressing him down against the cold metal. His fingers were cold, and weirdly sharp even though he didn’t see sharp nails on his hand. 

“Please Stanley, we aren’t here to keep you hostage. It’s for your own good. Tomorrow we will explain everything, but for now, Michael is going to take you to your spare room.” 

Stanley snorts, “This beanpole? Gonna take me?” He was a pretty big dude, and he was certain Michael’s little spine would snap under his weight. 

“You’d be surprised, how did you think you were carried here?” Michael questions placing his hands on his hips. Stanley just stares at him, unbelieving. 

But it’s not until Michael practically scoops up the man he’s convinced. Quickly he shouts grabbing onto Michael’s neck as the boy carried him out of the workshop. “This can’t be possible.” Stanley groans and Michael just hums walking into a room and gently placing the man down onto the soft bed. 

He hissed at the stretching of his stitching, and Michael gives a small whisper of an apology. 

“Geez kid, you’re like my savior or something.”

Michael just stands there, unblinking. “W-what? No, I just…err…” His accent suddenly grows thicker from his anxiousness. “I just don’t want anyone else to get hurt, that's all. You rest, okay. I’ll bring you back some water and then tomorrow, we’ll talk.” 

Stanley nods, “Please let me talk to my family Mike. I…I need to tell them that I’m okay.” 

He pauses looking to Stanley, “I’ll do what I can. But for now, just get some sleep. One that isn’t induced by some freaky doll.” 

Stanley smirks and gives a nod. “Thanks, kid.” 

Michael dips his head and quietly steps out of the room. With a sigh, he clicks his illusion disc off and feels like he’s about to pass out from the exhaustion of having it on for too long. 

But he couldn’t show Stanley his true form, he would have to keep it on until Stanley would sleep. That gave a problem since the illuso disc only had so much power before he would start to feel like he was about to wipe out. 

This just got a hell of a lot more complicated. 

Notes:

Surprise!!! It's Stanley! From Fazbear Frights, that's right folks we are bringing in some of the book characters. I had this though while the time jumps to have sort of the monster of the week, dealing with the books while we go through the timeline since there is a mighty big jump from each game. So Henry and Michael are gonna be out trying to save these poor book characters because they deserve good endings too!

If you guys ever want to see a character from the books, make sure to comment and maybe I'll include them! I'll do my best since I have a few ideas in mind for some of them.

So thank you all for reading! Tell me what ya'll think and talk to me on tumblr!

Fanart corner time!!

By Exittotheheartescape:
https://exittotheartscape.tumblr.com/post/676129806596947968/inkspottie-has-written-another-fic-ive-gotten

Until Next Time Byeeee!

Chapter 16: Guffawing Reveals

Notes:

New chapterrr! I had a bit of trouble with this one since some things have been coming up with my life. But in the end, I liked how it turned out, so I hope ya'll do too!

Thanks so much for the 13k Hits and 200+ comments! My goodness! I am so so happy that the last chapter had positive reactions, I was a bit worried about having the Fazbear Frights characters come in and just not click well. So I am glad to hear everyone enjoyed it!

Stanley couldn’t sleep. Well he tried but his mind was far too active for him to be catching some z’s. He had just been through something traumatic, and here he thought the break-up was the worst thing that could happen to him. 

Then he had little dolls trying to crawl down his gullet and live inside him. 

He couldn’t close his eyes, expecting them to crawl up his chest and open his mouth. He could still feel them, like this phantom pain. His body twitching, everything felt like pins and needles. 

At least his limbs weren’t stiff and swollen, in the darkness he peers at the stitches on his left arm. It was odd, he didn’t feel too much pain when it came to his stitches. The cut was weird, like it was almost…glowing. Like he had gotten a glow stick from his little nephew and it broke on him. The neon splattering against the fine line of the cut, spreading out with little veins. 

That wasn’t normal. 

He moves to sit up, a sudden spark of pain splintering through him and he groans loudly falling back against the pillows. Well this sucked. In some random person’s house dealing with cuts across his arms, stomach and legs from those weird little dolls. 

He didn’t know how he even got into this situation.

Stanley pauses when hearing voices whispers outside his room, he leans his ear up trying to listen in. Sure it was rude, but he didn’t know what the hell else to do. He certainly couldn’t sleep. 

“Michael, you can’t stay like this the entire time. You are going to exhaust yourself.” 

“I can’t let him find out, can you imagine? Me, being one of them ?” 

Stanley’s brows furrowed together, wondering what exactly that meant. Was it the reason why Michael looked that way when he first arrived on the scene? This dark figure with glowing purple eyes. He never saw a guy with purple eyes, though sometimes they would look silver if he looked at him a certain way. 

These two were odd, to say the least. 

Stanley couldn’t judge them though. He wasn’t exactly normal himself. After all, Amber dumped him. 

But what did he exactly mean, by one of them? 

“Please Michael, just…be careful. Who knows what will happen if you overexert yourself. I worry about you.” 

“I’ll be okay, we need to focus on getting Stanley better, and then we can figure out where to go from there. It’s obvious… his work is causing more problems than we thought.” 

His work? 

“It seems so. But for now let’s focus on the task at hand.” 

“Yes. Get some rest okay? I’ll keep watch.” 

There’s soft huff and Stanley can hear footsteps go up the stairs. He leans back against the pillow listening to any other noises. 

This Michael and Henry…He appreciated them getting all those dolls out of him, but man were they cryptic as hell. He hoped he would get an explanation, and be able to talk to his family. At least tell Melissa that he was okay. 

She kept calling him every night to check up on him. She must be worried sick. This was all too much, and he was actually starting to feel exhaustion seeping into him.

His anxiety was bubbling underneath the surface, the fear of falling asleep was evident now. He didn’t want to close his eyes and hear the giggles of the dolls. His chest shuddered, taking in a deep breath. He hears thumping and looks at the door.

“Who’s there?” 

The door opens quietly and Stanley can see the glowing purple eyes peering through the darkness. “Michael sorry, did I wake you?” 

Stanley breathes out a sigh of relief, “Nah, can’t really sleep…I’m..” 

Michael steps into the room, “I…I understand. Well…ah yeah I do.” He muttered looking at the floor and Stanley raised a brow. 

“You’ve dealt with little things crawling inside you?” 

There’s a chuckle, the sound rumbling into a full blown laugh. Michael hits his head with a shuddering groan, and Stanley just stares at him. Yeah this kid was definitely weird. He just would laugh uncontrollably and it was kind of uncomfortable for Stanley. 

“Sorry.” Michael mutters, “I don’t suppose it was little things, but to some extent I know what you’ve been through. Those things…they’re bad news. I…I’m sorry you went through that.” 

The larger man just stares. “You sure don’t like to answer questions. Both of you, just muttering cryptic lines.” 

Michael shrugs, scratching at his chin. “It’s..complicated. Like I said, I…we, will talk about it tomorrow. If you need company I’ll stay up with you.” 

He blinks rapidly at Michael, surprised the kid was even offering to stay awake with him. “Shouldn’t you be sleeping? Don’t you have a bedtime?” 

Michael frowns, glowering at the man, “How old do you think I am?” He asks, crossing his arms a little pout on his lips. 

There’s a chuckle out of Stanley who winces when the stitches stretch a bit. “Ow…ahaha, I dunno, like 15?” 

He watches with a slight smirk as Michael scoffs, shaking his head. “I’m nineteen.” He says with a hand on his hips and Stanley laughs. 

“Still a kid. You’re pretty serious for one. Geez you shouldn’t be frowning all the time. You’ll get wrinkles.” He remembers his mother saying that, and how he would laugh at her for it. The kid just seemed so uptight, and he wondered just why. 

It was like he was a tight rubber band about to snap. 

“Trust me, I doubt I’ll get wrinkles.” The statement sounds bittersweet, and Michael rubs his neck. Stanley could see this odd device on his neck, it was blinking in slow pulses every now and then. What the hell was that supposed to be? 

Stanley tilts his head, “Well, you should keep that in mind. Just in case. Why do you have something blinking on your neck?” 

Michael lifts his hand to his neck touching the disc quietly, “Oh, it’s a heart monitor. Regulates my heartbeat. Don’t worry about it.” He says it quickly as if he was trying to change the subject. 

Stanley gets the hint, closing his eyes for a moment, “Neat. You're dodging questions yet again. I’m keeping track, you know. I’m not stupid.” He huffed, getting a little irritated that this kid wasn’t telling the truth. He knew when people were lying to him, and Michael seemed to be doing just that. 

“Sorry, I’m not trying to lie to you. It’s complicated, and I rather you be awake for it all. Not half asleep.” 

“M not sleepy.” 

Michael chuckles at that, surprised that the laugh didn’t crescendo into the roaring laughter that he kept doing. “Sure. It’s okay, I won’t let anything happen to you. That I promise. The dolls are burned to a crisp.” He tells Stanley with a strange conviction, his eyes flashing a bit. 

“You’re so strange.” Stanley muttered and Michael hummed leaning against the wall crossing his arms quietly.

“So I’ve been told. Just sleep. I’ll keep watch okay?” 

“Why aren’t you sleeping?”

“You sure like to ask questions. I don't need to sleep.” Michael says as a matter of factly. “Sleep. Or I’ll make you sleep. And you won’t like it.” 

Stanley’s eyes widen but he sees the playful smirk on the kid’s face. “Alright…alright.” Stanley yawns, relaxing into the bed. “Thanks Mike.” 

He appreciated Michael coming in here to keep him safe. Even if those dolls were gone, he still was frightened of the idea that if he fell asleep something would come and crawl into his mouth. At least he had some security with Michael. He doubted the beanpole could do anything, but it was the thought that counts. 

Stanley feels his body growing more and more tired and eventually he falls asleep. His mouth completely shut, not daring to sleep with it opened and allowing little things to crawl into his mouth. Hell no. 

 

…

 

The next morning Michael was pacing back and forth, he was exhausted, feeling the toll of the disc being on all night. Well at least until Stanley fell asleep. He had slinked back into the living room when the man finally fell asleep. 

Michael knew how it felt, if he wasn’t able to sleep due to well being an animatronic, he wouldn’t have been able to. The idea of ennard inside of him was enough to keep him up at night sometimes. If it wasn’t the nightmare of dying, it was his own brother dying that haunted him as well.

So sleep was not an option for him, even as a walking talking animatronic. 

“Michael. Please, you're burning a hole in my carpet.” Henry muttered as he began to crack eggs into the skillet for breakfast. He hoped Stanley would enjoy his breakfast, it would be nice for someone to eat his meals since Michael couldn’t eat. “And turn off your disc! He’s not here, you look like you’re going to pass out.” 

Michael lifts his head giving a groan, “It’s okay, I’m fine, completely fine.” He muttered, “Plus I don’t want him to just walk out and here I am, LolBit.” 

“You’re not LolBit and I’m sure he’ll understand. He can’t be mad at something that isn’t in your control. You’re making things worse for yourself.” Henry’s voice is completely concerned and Michael just wants to shout that he’s fine.  

He didn’t need someone else mad at him, someone else expecting something of him only for him to fail. He had enough of that right now. 

“It’ll be okay. We just need…how are we even going to explain this to him?” Michael rubs his cheek thinking hard. “Not like we can just pull up a whiteboard and be like here’s William Afton and his crimes.” He puts out his hands gesturing as if he’s putting on a presentation. 

“Not to mention, I’m dead! And actually an animatronic!” He makes weak jazz hands and Henry sighs at that.

“Please Michael.” 

Michael huffs leaning on the counter, his hands on his head grumbling things under his breath. “This is going to be a nightmare.”

“It'll be fine.” 

“What will be fine?” 

Henry and Michael lift their heads to see Stanley standing before them. 

“Woah, woah Stanley you shouldn’t be up!” Henry says with wide eyes and Stanley looks at them both and then to his torso. 

“I…feel fine actually. No pain at all. So-somethings wrong with me. I…the cuts.”

Michael rushes towards him leaning down and seeing that the stitching had disappeared, along with the staples, all that was left was this shimmering scar across his torso. He was right, they were…completely healed up. 

“It worked, Henry. Henry, it worked!” Michael shouts and Henry just looks at Stanley. 

“I can see it. It…it definitely worked. Stanley, this is amazing!” 

“What did you do to me…I shouldn't, I shouldn't be healed..” Stanley stammers taking a step back, his eyes wide. 

Both of them immediately put their hands up, as a way to calm Stanley. “Stanley please, calm down. We did…we did what we could to help you. Here…I’ll be right back and get you a shirt. Michael, help him to the couch.” 

A cold hand is on Stanley’s back and it’s Michael gently ushering him to the couch. He could smell the breakfast, but his mind was more occupied with the fact that he didn’t have gaping wounds anymore. The stitches had just…popped out and the cuts were just…sealed up. Nothing but a shimmering scar that was much lighter than his tanned skin.

“What even is this?” 

“It’s called Remnant.” Michael mutters as he sits down in front of Stanley. “We used some of it, to help you. We didn’t know if you were going to make it. The situation was dire. I’m sorry. It was our only option.” 

Stanley just stares at him, and Michael knows this is a lot. “You aren’t immortal if that is what you’re thinking. It was just to heal your wounds. We used the smallest dose on you.”

“Remnant is the essence of pure emotion. Something concentrated into the purest form.” Henry adds as he brings in a shirt. “It is what the animatronics, what the Minireenas, are powered on. Especially the Funtimes.” 

“Is that why they were moving? Talking?” Stanley asks quietly, taking the shirt and gently putting it on. It was a bit on the tight side but he wouldn’t comment on it. He appreciated the gesture. 

“Essentially yes. While they were programmed to move around and interact, they had darker intentions.” Henry mutters as he goes into the kitchen to bring Stanley breakfast. He wouldn’t let it get cold, plus Michael could explain everything. 

They already had researched so much anyway.

“Wh…why are they like that?” Stanley stammers, looking at Henry and Michael, his head whipping back and forth. He looked completely confused. 

“Do you know anything about Afton Robotics?” Micheal asks, his arms crossed, his face in a full scowl. 

Stanley’s brows furrow, “Aren’t…they the ones in charge of Circus Baby? Like some sister company to the Fazbear Industry?” 

“More or less. That is the reason why they act the way they do. Because of their creator.”

“William Afton.” Michael’s teeth are bared, and his eyes glow brightly. 

Henry nods, frowning at Michael. The more he used that illusion disc the more he was worried for the boy. He was keeping an eye on him, that was for sure. He wouldn’t let Michael get reckless. 

Stanley raises a brow immediately sensing hostility, “Friend of yours?”

“Try father.” 

He might as well tell the truth, he promised Stanley that. No more vague answers. He was telling the truth. 

“Wait, you’re Michael Afton? As in the kid who disappeared?” 

Michael pulls back with a sudden look, his brows almost disappearing under his neat hair that fell into his face. “Disappeared?”

“Y-yeah, I heard it through the talk from the other workers. Technicians mostly. Said that the boss’ son went missing. Said you had some kind of accident. But I just assumed they were just rumors.” 

Michael frowns wondering why they would come up with such things. He supposed it was fine, considering that most believed him to be dead right now. Michael Afton didn’t exist. 

“Well, he has some of that right.” 

“Michael.”

Michael frowns at Henry, who gives a look as he brings plates in for himself and Stanley. Stanley gratefully takes the plate wondering why Michael didn’t get anything. Odd. 

“Anyways, he…William, is my father. And he has created essentially monsters. Monsters who want to hurt. To consume even. That’s why the Minireenas were like that. They’re filled with Remnant of the worst kind. Agony, hate. Fear.” He didn’t bother elaborating on his own problems. Did he really want to tell Stanley that he had died in the same place Stanley had been working. 

That he understood Stanley’s pain, because he too had an animatronic shove inside him. Painfully. Winces grabbing at his head not wanting to think about it. His body shudders for a moment, Stanley catching the odd glitch and blinks. 

What was that? 

“This…um Remnant, it…you used it on me?” 

“We had to, or else…you may not have made it. And it’s not the Minireenas’ remnant either..it..was mine.” Michael whispers, getting Stanley’s brows to raise. Now he was completely confused. None of this made any sense to the man. 

All he knew is that there were evil animatronics walking around trying to hurt people, and that there was this magical source that could heal people or in high doses make them immortal. 

“Yours? Hold on I thought you sai-”

“It’s not important, what’s important is that you're okay. Alive.” 

Stanley clamps his mouth shut, he did have a point there. “I'm not going to get some…weird bloodlust or anything right? No weird crazy thoughts?” He sounds very concerned and very worried about this new thing that was now in his body. Remnant. 

Henry chuckles, shaking his head, “No, I don’t think so. Do you feel any of those sort of things?” 

The larger man pauses, and then gives a small shrug, “I am more confused than anything. But nothing too crazy like wanting to shove myself inside another human.” 

“Good, we will keep an eye out if things like that happen.” 

Michael is quiet, staring off into space. “I’m sorry we dragged you into this, I know it must be a lot.” His voice is soft, apologetic, but also hollow. Like he was speaking through a tin can. 

“You saved my life Mike, I can’t be more grateful. I thought I was going to die back there. I…it’s definitely a lot to process but I’m not mad.” And he wasn’t, he was forever in Michael’s debt, the man had gone out of his way to save Stanley. He wouldn’t forget that. 

Michael gives a gentle smile, “I’m just happy I was able to do so, it…it feels nice. To finally be able to do something right for a change.” That was a very raw statement. Stanley didn’t know why, but he could tell that Michael was under a lot of pressure. No doubt because his father apparently made the things that caused this mess in the first place. 

He couldn’t imagine carrying that burden with him. 

“My father is a terrible man. We…we suspect he’s doing far worse things. His original line, the Funtimes…they were meant to lure, and collect. Children. We suspect this is not the first time he’s hunted down children. We…are trying to put a stop to it.” 

That…was a lot. Stanley just stares trying to process it all. Michael’s father was a killer? Of children? 

“Good God.” Stanley whispers and Michael nods, looking at his clasped hands. “I’m sorry, it must be awful to find out.” 

Michael laughs, the tone bitter and angry. This quiet decrescendo of pain. It was seeping into the atmosphere, suffocating Stanley. This kid…he’s been through so much pain. “He never was a good man, from the start.” Michael whispers clenching his fists. 

“And now I want to stop him. We…have been trying to. Looking for clues, for things that could lead him to us. But in our search we found you, which means…there no doubt are others that are suffering. These monstrosities vacant the night and look for people to hurt. I won’t allow it.” 

“Count me in.” 

This stuns Henry and Michael the both of them lifting their heads and looking at Stanley, who leans forward. “You saved my life, you want to help people? I want to as well. I’m tired of being the lazy guy who sits back and does nothing his entire life. So, count me in. I want to help. In any way I can.” 

“You….you don’t have to. You could leave peacefully, after we make sure you’re stable. You wouldn’t have to worry about things that go bump in the night.” Michael says quickly and Henry nods. 

“Stanley, this is not your fight, but I won’t force you away. Neither of us will. If you wish to help, we’d be happy to have you on board.” 

Michael looks to Henry concerned, but the older man just gives a nod. As if to say they needed help. Stanley grips at his slacks and nods, brown eyes firm. 

“I want to help. Whatever it is.” 

Henry smiles grinning from ear to ear, “Welcome to the team then Stanley…?” 

“Shelley, Stanley Shelley.” 

“Well Stanley Shelley, welcome to the team.” 

 

…

 

“Geez kid, you’re looking like you’re about to be dead on your feet. Are you sure you’re okay?” Stanley asks worriedly, his face filled with concern for Michael. It was a bit later into the day, Michael and Henry filling him in with everything they could. 

The deaths, the remnant, this William Afton guy. 

It was a lot, but Stanley was determined to soak it up like a sponge. He didn’t understand most of it, and for some parts he felt like Michael was some sort of conspiracy theory guy with how he talked. 

But now he was just worried. Michael looked exhausted, his steps looked like he had ten pound bricks on his legs, and his whole posture was terrible. The guy was taller than he was but he was slouching so bad Stanley’s back was hurting. 

“I’m okay. Just tired.” Michael mutters while Henry stares at him, a frown on his face. 

“You should rest, did you sleep at all last night?” Stanley asks reaching to pat him on the back. 

Michael immediately jerks away, as if Stanley’s hand was on fire. His eyes widened a bit and he gave a small shake of his head. “I don’t need to sleep.” 

“Michael, why don’t you just go up to your room and rest? It’ll be fine, me and Stanley can handle things down here. You’re working on fumes right now.” 

Michael shakes his head once more, “N-no. I am good. I can’t…I’m fine.” 

Stanley’s brows furrowed a bit. “Don't make me go and pick you up. I can do that.” Could he? He didn’t really know, but maybe Michael wouldn’t catch his bluff. 

“Please don’t touch me.” 

Ouch okay then. 

“Michael.” 

“Henry.” Michael hisses, his eyes narrowing at the older man. “Please. I’m fine.” 

“Young man you are not fine, I am putting my foot down. You need to rest, or turn that thing off. Now.” Henry’s tone suddenly changes, and Stanley immediately knew it. That was the ‘dad voice’ and Michael didn’t seem to be used to that. His eyes were about to pop out of his skull, and Stanley noticed an odd flickering. 

“You can’t tell me what to do.” Like an angsty teen Michael snaps back and Stanley feels extremely awkward. Maybe he could just get up and let these two hash it out. He certainly wasn’t going to get involved. 

Henry sighs, rubbing his hands with a towel as he had just finished the dishes. “Michael James Afton.” 

Uh oh, middle name. 

“Don’t you dare,” Michael hissed, “I am not a child.” 

“Then stop acting like one.” Henry remarks back his brows set into a frown, his glasses gleaming. This man was a father through and through, and Michael would not win. Stanley knew that gaze anywhere. “We are just trying to help you.” 

“I don’t need your help!” Michael shouts and suddenly the lights start to flicker and Stanley glances up with surprise. Woah, that was weird. “I don’t need…just-leave me alone.” 

Henry is out of the kitchen now and is walking towards Michael, the boy is gripping his head looking like he’s about to either pass out or have a mental breakdown. 

“Michael…” 

Michael takes a step back, gripping his head and gives out a scream. 

Stanley’s hands immediately go to his ears as the lights just turn off, and the tv turns on. There’s a strange noise coming from it, and he turns to see a fox. The same…fox from his dream. 

But the weirdest thing was Michael. 

He was glitching. His form suddenly shook and spasmed as he let out an ear piercing scream. He wouldn’t be surprised if it shook some of things off the walls; it was that loud. The electronics were going haywire and the tv was laughing.

“Michael! Stop!” 

It stops suddenly and Stanley pulls his hands off his ears standing up from the couch. There's silence, and then there’s a loud thud, but it sounds like something metal and plastic has hit the floor. A stuttering whirring sound echoes the silent room now before going back to quiet. 

“What the hell was th-” Stanley doesn’t get to finish when he comes over to Henry and sees a large fox robot on the floor. “Wh-what?” 

Henry immediately falls to the floor grabbing the fox and shaking it. “Michael? Michael!” He cries trying to pat the thing’s face but it’s obvious it’s not moving, like it’s powered down or something. 

That…was Michael? 

“Wha…what is going on?” 

Henry looks over at Stanley, and the poor old man has tears in his eyes. He’s obviously worried for Michael but Stanley is just absolutely confused. Michael…was the fox? 

The fox from his dreams? 

“I’ve seen this thing before.” Stanley whispers pointing to the animatronic. “It…it was in my nightmares, those dolls…it kept trying to help me.” 

Henry just stares at him, “Yo…you’ve seen LolBit?”

Lolbit? 

“Ho…how? What is going on? Listen, I'm… so confused right now? Is Michael…is he okay?” 

Could someone just explain this to him?! 

 

…

 

He was falling. 

Falling. falling, falling into the abyss. 

He could feel himself floating, things whispering into his ear. But no one was around. Just this empty void, and equally empty heart. 

He was so tired. 

What a mess he just made. 

Finally he lands, and he knows he’s not anywhere near Cassidy or Evan. No this was different. Different feeling, different atmosphere. 

“Well well!” 

Michael turns around in fright to see what had spoke to him, only to see nothing but darkness. 

“Show yourself.” Michael calls out only to get giggles, and then full blown laughs. 

“Aye, aye captain hehe!” 

With a bright light Michael shields his face and then suddenly he’s shaking hands with a very large animatronic. His arm was about to fall off from how much the thing was waving about. 

“L-Lolbit?” Michael stammers with wide eyes yanking his hand away. How was this possible? The thing…how? 

“That would be me!” The thing laughs, it’s tail swinging back and forth. “My oh my am I happy to see you. I finally get to talk to you, isn’t this lovely. Though the circumstances I may say are a bit on the sad side.” 

“H…how..” Michael is at a lost for words, and Lolbit is just going off a mile a minute, so much that Michael is having trouble understanding them at times. 

Lolbit turns their heel with a giggle, his voice just as goofy as Michael remembered it. “How indeed! I couldn’t tell you! Well, actually I can. You silly thing! You keep using that disc and brought me out to play! The more tired you get the easier it is for me to come out!” 

What? 

No…that couldn’t mean.

Could…Lolbit take over? Truly? 

“You want that don’t you?” Michael whispers, feeling slightly terrified. This thing was no doubt ready to just take over and leave Michael stuck behind the scenes. Just like the others. Oh no. No, no he couldn’t have that.

Lolbit just laughs at him, ducking beside him with a bit of grace and throws their arm over Michael’s shoulder. “Oh no! No no I don’t actually. I am quite happy being the one in the backseat! After all! You fixed me!” 

“Fixed…you?” 

“You see, that little remnant you got burning so brightly? It made me better! I am certainly not like my siblings now, all that angry feelings gone! Poof! Thanks to you.” Lolbit explains and Michael just feels even more confused. 

“I am on your side Mikey boy!” 

Michael yanks himself away from Lolbit, feeling a bit bad when their ears droop a bit. They even looked a little sad at his action, but Michael didn’t have time to comment on it. “But what…what about those little scent things? You did that not me! I could’ve…” 

Lolbit laughs again, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry I can’t help myself you know that.” They probably saw the look on Michael’s face, how annoyed he was right now. “I was trying to help you! You needed Henry at that time in the office! And the kids gave you good cover, did it not? You can’t just waltz into a pizzeria by yourself, you'd be so suspicious!” The way the animatronic talked just reminded him of the Mad Hatter. He was losing his mind, that had to be it. He was finally breaking. 

Michael pauses, his eyes widening. They…they were right. Lolbit…had helped him. “What about those jokes?”

Lolbit looks a little guilty, “Okay those were just for laughs. You gotta believe me I thought it was funny at the time.” 

“Yeah, really funny. Got me fired and arrested .” 

The fox just shrugs, stepping forward and smiling widely at Michael. “You got out didn’t you? Who helped you with the little intermission? Why me of course! Mikey I’ve been trying to help you this whole time! And have a little laugh.” 

“This is ridiculous, I'm dreaming, how am I even talking to you? We…we’ve never done this before!” 

Lolbit tilts their head, tapping their chin. “Well, I know we definitely can’t chat like normal, but I believe it’s all that juice you depleted to try and stop dear old Stanley from seeing you. Am I really that bad looking to you?” 

“What? No, Stanley just got mauled by your sibling animatronics. You think he’d be okay with me looking like this?” 

“How do you know what he’ll think? Mikey you think far too much. That brain of yours is working overtime. You should relax.” 

Michael stares at them, “Relax? How…how can I relax when all this shit is happening? My father, the kids, Charlie, Evan…” 

Lolbit looks a bit sad, placing their hands on Michael’s shoulders, “If you continue to burn, there won’t be much left Michael.” The fox is serious, looking at him with white glowing eyes. 

“And if there’s nothing left, I get to take over. I don’t want that, and you certainly don’t want that.” 

Michael swallows, staring at the fox. He was right. There was no point pushing himself past his limits. He was so tired, but yet he was afraid. What if Stanley hated him? What if he ran away and cried to someone and his father found out? 

He was just so worried about everything else, he forgot about himself. Henry and even Stanley were trying to help him. Even Lolbit was talking sense. He really had pushed it too far. 

“No need to be so hard on yourself Mikey!” Lolbit states their metal fingers squishing Michael’s cheeks with a wide grin. “Smile!” They attempt to stretch Michael’s face but the boy immediately swats the fox away. 

He gives a frown just for good measure, getting Lolbit to frown as well. Well as much as a large fox animatronic could. “You’re no fun.” 

Michael sighs, he felt like a parent dealing with his obnoxious child. But he supposed he was happy that Lolbit wasn’t about to try and take over and cause problems. He was grateful that the animatronic was trying to help, in their own weird way he supposed. 

“I guess I should say thank you to you then.” 

Lolbit smiles and shakes their head, “No thank you! You brought me to life after all. I was just coding on a screen until everything that happened. I get to be outside, and I don’t feel awful. I should be thanking you!” 

Michael didn’t really understand it, but he gave his own smile, making Lolbit squeal a bit, their tail wagging back and forth. This was so weird.

“Now, let’s get you back into the game! They’re waiting for you after all!” Lolbit says and immediately headbutts Michael. 

The boy falls backwards with a shout, watching Lolbit wave to him while they cackle like a hyena. He breaks through the floor and falls deeper into the pit of his own soul, watching Lolbit get further and further away. 

All he could hear was laughter echoing his mind, until it turned into shouts. 

“Michael! Michael!” 

Henry? 

His purple eyes suddenly flash bright and he is back. 

“Michael! Michael!”

He’s awake, purple eyes suddenly flickering on and he gives out a startled noise seeing Stanley and Henry hovering over him. “Hhh.” Michael just whines gripping at his head, could animatronics have headaches? He certainly felt one coming on. 

“Oh thank God! You’re alright.” 

“What…happened?” Michael muttered sitting up straight to find him on the couch. His vision was a bit more static than usual, and his body felt extremely heavy. 

“You passed out, or the equivalent of it. You scared me so bad. I thought…I thought-” Henry whispers gripping Michael’s shoulders tightly before giving Michael a swift hug. The animatronic gives a startled noise, but leans into the embrace gently patting Henry’s back. 

“M sorry.” Michael mutters as Henry pulls away. 

“Young man don’t you ever do that again. You scared me half to death.” 

“I’m pretty sure you gave Henry some more gray hairs right there.” Stanley jokes and Michael looks at him with wide eyes. “Nice suit.” 

Michael just stares before he snorts, and then gives a laugh trying to stop himself but Lolbit just rattled his system. He could feel the mirth rolling off him in waves now. Odd. 

“I think you’ve got some even more explaining to do.” 

The animatronic looks guilty, ears swinging downward a bit. “I do, don’t I?” 

“Yep.” 

Notes:

Dun dun dunn, Stanley knows! And Lolbit makes an actual appearance, I wasn't going to have them appear but a lot of you really avocated for them to be a character. So I will attempt, hint attempt to add more Lolbit reactions, but for the most part, they just watch and let Mike do whatever he needs to do.

As for the fazbear frights stuff, there are a few that I will not add so please do not keep commenting on it. That is In the Flesh, yes yes the MPREG one. It won't happen cuz one, uncomfy, two the whole video game/glitchtrap/etc stuff does not happen during this time so nope no. So sorry to disappoint but please haha no more of those comments asking about it lol

ANYWAYS, Fanart corner!

hibiscus-writing:
https://hibiscus-writing.tumblr.com/post/676317672010661888/so-i-wanted-to-draw-fanart-for

Thank you all so muchfor reading! Until Next Time!

Chapter 17: Restful Resolutions

Notes:

Wooo! Another chapter! You all know the drill by now haha. Thank you for the wonderful comments and everything. I am SO happy with how much people loved LOLbit. I was so worried that it wouldn’t end up well.

I had a bit of struggle with this chapter because I always find chapters where it’s just talking about things we already know and such is kinda boring and redundant but I think it turned out okay in the end. They’ve gone downhill and now they gotta climb back up.

A new arc has begun after all!!

The air was awkward. Thick and heavy as all eyes were on him. He felt uncomfortable, not really liking the attention. If he had been a kid he would have relished in it, always doing his best to try and be the center of the spotlight. Good or bad. 

Lately he rather be in the shadows. With no one to bother him. He didn’t need to have to deal with people's expectations of him if no one knew he existed. 

But now he had two sets of eyes on him. Expecting him to come up with answers. Well he had answers, he just didn’t want to talk about it. Not pleasant to say the least.

“So are you…a person or an…animatronic?” Stanley breaks the silence and Michael just stares. 

He can feel the laughter bubbling up within. Like a tickle to his throat and he knows Lolbit is doing this on purpose. He starts to giggle holding his animatronic snout to stop the bursting laughter. Now was not the time. 

“Is that normal?” Stanley asks Henry and Henry sighs. 

“For him, yes.” 

Michael stops laughing, giving out an exhausted sigh. “Sorry. It’s one of the things I can’t control. But…I am well,” How could he describe it? He wasn’t alive, he wasn’t necessarily dead. He was a ghost in the machine. “I died, and my soul, remnant, was placed in here.” 

He places a hand on top of the speaker of the animatronic. “This is Lolbit, and they are the vessel I live in.” 

“You..died? Are you a ghost? Are you just possessing this thing?” 

Michael shrugs, “I’m not a ghost, since I can’t leave this thing. My soul I guess, is fused with this body, but I did die. In the same place you worked at.” 

Stanley just sits there, and his eyes widen at every word that Michael spoke. It was weird, hearing this other voice of his instead of the British one he had heard. He supposed it was the actual animatronic voice and Michael couldn’t change it. 

“I died in the scooping room. But I was brought back. Because of a promise. To fix everything. To right the wrongs.”

  I bring you a gift, a gift that you must follow. 

Don’t break your promise, or I’ll break you. 

“So I’m here. In this machine. Henry made me a disc based on my father’s design and it allows me to look human. Sending sound waves to the brain, and then you see me. Or, in your case the grim reaper.” He chuckles at that and Stanley rubs his face. 

Okay so this was more than he even expected. The kid was dead? At only nineteen and he had died in the room that had been closed up due to complications? Was that the reason then? Why it was so easy to get that job, and not have any questions asked? 

“This is a lot.” 

“Yeah, it is. Sometimes I get lost in it too. Being what I am and all. I messed up, the disc only has a bit of power before it starts to drain on me. And I was using it for a good day which I usually don’t do.” 

Henry sighs, “I told you, and you didn’t want to listen. We need to be careful with that disc, I don’t want you to pass out again.” 

Michael sighed, dipping his head down in shame, his ears lowered. He can feel a phantom hand touching his back, as if it is an assurance. It seemed that this connection Lolbit and himself had made was now permanent. He couldn’t speak to the animatronic, but it seemed they could send weird waves of feelings. Little sparks of emotions. 

Nothing like an animatronic making itself home in his soul, or he supposed it was the other way around. Charlie placed his soul into Lolbit and with that they both gained something. 

Michael received a body to stop the monster that was his father, and Lolbit…they gained freedom. 

He wouldn’t fight LolBit, there seemed to be no point in the matter. He didn’t need to be butting heads with an animatronic that held his soul. He…would work together with them. 

That thought sent a strange warmth through his system, like a hug, but not quite. 

Okay Lolbit that is enough. 

“That’s fair. I…I’m sorry. I was being careless.” Michael finally says after settling back a bit, knowing that they were staring at him still. 

“But that’s what I meant by giving you my remnant. It was from my body. The dead one I mean.” He rubs the back of his neck and Stanley looks sick. 

“Y-your dead body?” 

Michael nods, “Er…yeah. We had to burn it and out came remnant. It gets…goopy in fire. A certain hot temperature evaporates it though.” 

Stanley suddenly starts to cough, gripping at his chest and the two look at him with concern. “What the fuck.” Stanley breathes, he must have choked on his spit or something. Michael didn’t blame him. 

This was a fucking lot. 

“So I have some of you inside me, is that what you’re saying?” Stanley wheezes his voice cracking a moment.

Michael makes a noise, he’s not sure how to answer that. “Yes? And no? I…really don’t know how it works. It’s complicated, we are still working on it. I just know…it’s what binds souls to machines. Makes you immortal. Forever to live in an empty shell. The ones at the pizzeria, the one that just closed? They’re like me, but not. They act like animatronics but…they’re not aware.” 

You’re different Michael. The others are like animals, but we, we are very aware. 

Charlie had told him that, and no doubt that is why she had to stay with them. So she could keep them safe. 

“You won’t have to worry about that. You just get healed up scars that kind of glow.” 

Stanley breathed out a sigh of relief, closing his eyes as he leaned back against the chair. “Oh thank God.” 

Henry chuckles, “Yes you’ll be fine. Aside from the whole…doll invasion that happened. But you won’t have to worry about that. But that is what happened to Michael. It is all true.” 

“Yeah I don’t think you could lie to me about that. I can see the fox right here. Is it weird?” 

Michael tilts his head, “A bit. I feel numb. Can’t really feel, eat, anything like that. Hence why I said I don’t need sleep. Can’t really do it. But, hey it means I’m here. I’m not dead, or a corpse for that matter so I can’t complain too much.” 

“Well…you are allowed to complain, kid. You died and now you’re a giant fox with a laughing problem, I think it’s okay to whine a little bit.” 

Henry nods, “Yes, I definitely agree.” 

Michael just rolls his eyes, giving a small groan. Don’t encourage him to complain. He didn’t need that right now. Why couldn’t they just say shut up Mike and suck it up? Was that too hard? 

“So you’re stuck as this…and you’ve been going around trying to find your dad and stop him?” 

“Essentially yes. It hasn’t been too successful since my father is a downright slimy bastard.” Michael muttered with a hint of annoyance. “Hiding in the shadows and coming out only to threaten Henry and breaking in.” 

Henry hummed, “He’s smart, but we’ll catch him. He’s bound to slip up. William always was so full of himself, thinking he was always one step ahead. Eventually he’ll trip and when he does, we’ll be there.” 

“Unfortunately we don’t have much evidence to go with. So the police are out of the question when it comes to getting justice.” 

They were just about incompetent, considering they let Michael free. But he also was a giant animatronic that could stop people in their tracks. So you know, there was that. 

“Well, I certainly can keep an ear to the ground. You’ve got another in your corner. I know they’ll probably fire me from the job since I kinda left…” 

“Don’t go back there.” Michael says seriously, “Nothing good comes from that place. You know how I said I knew what it felt like? To have things inside me? The animatronics…they tried to get inside me, to escape.” 

Stanley swallows, “Wh…what?” 

“They pulled themselves out to make this amalgamation of all of them, and then they scooped me. Shoved their wire body right into me.” 

“What the fuck!” 

Stanley looks like he’s about to pass out and Henry looks queasy, turning his head quietly. It was obvious this topic wasn’t the best thing to talk about, but Stanley wanted the truth. The whole truth.

Michael was going to give it to him.

“This is crazy. More crazy than the fact that you were in my dreams Mike. I saw you. This animatronic? It was in my dreams when I was sleeping on the job. Kept telling me to get out, to leave, or try to wake me up.” Stanley runs a hand through his thick hair and Michael just looks at him surprised. 

“Woah, dreams? Like the nightmares you told me about?” Michael shifts his head, and then he blinks rapidly. The sound of his eyelids clicking could be heard. “Cassidy! It must have been Cassidy, or Evan. No, Cassidy because she likes to torment you with dreams…” 

Michael starts to mumble and Henry looks to Stanley, “Cassidy is one of the children Michael can communicate with, she was placed in the animatronics. From what he’s told me, she can communicate through dreams. She must have tried to get you out of there by scaring you. Or trying to get Michael to come and find you.” 

“She can speak with others that have remnant. And since those Minireenas were inside of you, that’s probably how she was doing it. I’ll have to try and talk to her, see if she knows if there’s anyone else in that sort of situation.” 

Stanley just sits there lost, he can feel his head reeling. “I…I’m not going to ask actually. My brain can’t handle any more of this. I think it’s about overloading with all this information.” 

Henry chuckles, “It’s a lot, and you most certainly need to memorize it all.” He leans forward a bit, humming thoughtfully. “It will be good to have someone that can listen into conversations. Keep an ear out for anything suspicious. I should give you my number…” 

“Number, right! Can…can I please contact my family? If that’s too much to ask? I swear I won’t say anything. Just…my sister, she’s probably worried sick.” 

There’s silence, Henry and Michael looking at each other before Michael stands up. 

Purple eyes staring at Stanley as he steps forward, his claws out and Stanley leans back. “No, and I’m afraid I’m going to have to kill you Stanley.” His eyes seemed to glow brighter as he leaned forward, making Stanley pull backward with wide eyes. 

Stanley feels his blood run cold and then Michael starts to snicker, and then laughs, throwing back his entire head. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry I couldn’t resist.” He puts a hand out for Stanley to take. 

“Yes you can call your family. If you want I can drive you back to your place. Since you seem to have recovered.” Henry chuckles as Stanley lifts himself up thanks to Michael. 

“That was not funny.” Stanley breathes and Michael snickers his hand to his face. 

The animatronic just grins, showing off the toothy maw he had. “Sorry Lolbit likes to be funny, I can’t really control it. If it’s an opportunity to be funny, they’re going to take it.” 

“I’m just glad you’re on the good side.” Stanley muttered and Henry gestures for Stanley, holding the phone out for him. Michael steps out of the way, letting Stanley take the phone. 

There’s quiet, except for the beep of the phone as Stanley dialed. 

“Melissa? Woah, Woah! It’s okay, I’m good. I’m fine. I had…a little accident at work, and a co-worker took me to their house. No, no yeah I’m fine. Mel, Mel! I-…okay. Yeah. Um.” Stanley pulled the phone away from his ear and placed it against his chest looking at Henry and Michael. 

“She…ah…wants to pick me up. And she…doesn’t take no for an answer.” 

“Ummm…well she can come and get you, or I can take you to her house.” Henry offers while Michael kinda slinks back sitting on the edge of the couch watching them quietly. He didn’t want to strain himself, knowing that he was still pretty tired. He did not want to be back with Lolbit anytime soon. Not that he was saying that it would be bad to visit Lolbit. It would be bad to pass out. 

He didn’t mind Lolbit, he’s been through enough crazy that Lolbit seemed normal right now. 

Stanley goes back to the phone and repeats what Henry says, the guy pulls the phone away from his ear and Michael can hear her shouting. Uh oh. They may have a guest. 

“Okay, yeah okay. Um, his address..” 

Henry quietly tells him and Stanley relays it, there’s a moment of silence before Stanley sighs and nods. “Okay, okay. Yes. Love you too. I’m okay Mel. I am! Seriously. Way better. See, even my throat doesn’t sound bad. Yeah. It was just a cold I think. Yeah. Okay, I’m hanging up now! Okay!” 

He hangs up the phone and gives an awkward smile to them. “So she’s coming over, and wants to have a word….” 

Great. Well Michael would just have to deal with turning on the illusion disc, it would only be for a moment. He reaches for his neck and finds the disc isn’t there. Wait a minute. “Where’s my disc?” Michael asks with slight wide eyes. 

Henry turns and reaches into his shirt pocket. “This? You’re not using it. Not for a couple days.” 

“What?! What do you mean?” 

“Michael.” 

Henry’s voice is firm and Michael winces, his ears falling flat. That was a tone he did not like, he pulled his hands close to his chest, twisting them a bit as he clasped them together. 

Immediately Henry relaxes and reaches for Michael putting his hand on Michael’s chest. “It’s for your own good kiddo. Just for a couple days so you can get more energy. I’m not having you pass out again.” 

“As long as you’re out of sight, we should be fine.” 

Michael sighs, melodramatically but nods. Fine. “Fine, maybe I’ll try to contact Cassidy and Evan while you two talk to Melissa, right?” 

Stanley nods, “Hey, um thanks again kid. Seriously. You saved my life. Anything you need..I’ll leave my phone number and you call me. I’ll come running.” 

He blinks in surprise, he really didn’t expect Stanley to take this all so well, and still be grateful to him. It was weird. He half expected Stanley to just shout that this was crazy and run out of the house screaming. 

This was certainly a surprise. He could feel the thrum of energy against him, almost as if Lolbit was telling him they told him so . “Y-yeah. It’s nice to have someone on the team. Aside from Henry.” 

Henry just chuckles while Stanley gives a lopsided grin to the animatronic, “Cool. This will be the first, being acquaintances with a dead guy who’s living inside an animatronic.” 

That gets Michael to cackle, holding what he assumed was his stomach getting the others to follow suit the room filled with laughter. 

 

…

 

He was in Charlie’s room when they heard the car pull up. Michael didn’t want to even be in the area just in case. He didn’t need to explain to Stanley’s sister everything as well. The less that knew the better, and Michael was tired. 

He could feel exhaustion taking over, the soft whispers of rest were tempting his ears. If he kept standing he might topple over, so he curls himself against Charlie’s closet door and leans against it. Pulling his knees close to his chest and listening to the small whirls and clicks of the machinery inside of him. 

His eyelids grow heavy, and he gives out a tired sigh. Not that he needed to since he didn’t have any lungs, but it was one thing he couldn’t break the habit of. He still wanted to be somewhat human. Not just some machine. 

The darkness curls against him and this time it feels like a blanket. Like someone had pulled the shadows and draped it over his shoulders. He could hear soft mumbling in his ear but he’s not sure who it is. 

Then he falls, and this time he lands in the middle of the couch. He gathers his bearings seeing the familiar family room and tv. 

“Mike!” Evan’s voice rings through the room and he turns to see the boy looking at him with wide blue eyes. “You’re here!” 

“I guess so!” Michael says with a laugh scratching the back of his neck. “How are you doing little man?” 

Evan beams rushing towards the couch and hopped on the edge pulling himself up with ease. “Okay, Cassidy is having fun. She got into a mess with a guy, said he was being stupid, but she didn't tell me all the details.” 

“Did she mention his name was Stanley by any chance?” 

Evan’s eyes widen and he nods rapidly. “Yes! How did you know?” 

“Literally just talked to him. I-I…saved him Evan. He was being attacked by Minireenas. They were inside of him.”

“Ew! What?” 

Michael gives a laugh, “Yeah, they were in his legs and arms…it was gross. Henry and I had to take them all out. I used my remnant to fix him up. He's a nice guy…” 

“He had dolls in him! That’s so creepy.” 

“You’re telling me, I had to sew him up. And look like a fool. I got to meet Lolbit today.” 

Evan hummed tilting his head, “Right your animatronic has a personality. How was that?” 

Michael’s brows raised at that, he was pretty sure Fredbear had one too, did Cassidy push that out so they could both live in there? He didn’t know how it worked. “Okay. Weird. They’re a little crazy. I felt like Alice at the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party. But they…want to help so I can’t complain.” 

Evan falls onto the couch scooting closer to Michael, and Michael shifts so he’s facing his little brother a bit more. “That’s nice, they sound nice.” 

“Did you find Charlie?” 

His brother hummed, “Yeah! She’s okay. She didn’t give us her location but she’s doing okay. She’s really stubborn like that.” 

Michael sighed in relief, “That’s good to hear. I’m sorry the pizzeria shut down.” 

“It’s okay, we kinda are in our own plane of existence so it doesn’t matter too much to us. The others were panicking though. I feel bad. Wish I could do something.” 

He gives a frown and Michael gently pats his shoulder, “We’ll figure it out. I want to help them too. But…I do know how to release Remnant. Fire.” 

Evan leans a bit closer. “Fire? Geez. Well…I guess that’s one way to do it…How did you find out?” 

“Burned my own body.” 

His brother just makes a noise, his face clearly clenched in disgust. Michael can’t help but snicker, his brother was always so squeamish about everything. He remembered how easy it was to get him upset. Just talk about gross stuff and Evan would whine until Michael stopped. It was so easy, and Michael was always trying to tell him to stop reacting to it. 

Bullies tended to do it more if you got all worked up, Michael should know he was one. 

“You seem tired today Mike.” 

“Yeah…I wasted a lot of energy trying to hide from Stanley. That’s how I met Lolbit. Passed out and there they were. So I’m a little exhausted.” Michael admits quietly leaning back against the couch. 

“You should take care of yourself Mike.” Evan whispers quietly holding onto the Fredbear plush tightly, his little face squeezing against the golden fur. 

He should, he knew that. He never really did care for himself if he was honest. It was always taking care of his siblings, or trying to impress his father. He would push himself until he collapsed sometimes and he knew it was bad. He had to remember he wasn’t alone anymore. That he had people who wanted to support him. 

“I know, I’m just bad at it.” He admits his voice is soft and tired, looking at his bloodstained fingertips. He forgot that he looked this way when he was talking to Evan. The way he died. He did his best not to look at Evan because of the reminder that this was his doing. The reason he was even here was because of him. 

Evan shifts closer and he leans his cheek against Michael’s side giving out a small sigh. “Well you can rest with me. I don’t mind.” 

“Yeah? Sorry that I seem to just sleep whenever I visit you.” 

He just leans closer, his little hands gripping Michael’s shirt as if Michael was just going to disappear. “S okay. I like you being here. It’s nice.” 

Michael feels his chest ache, he didn’t know how he could be so lucky. That his brother whom he had tortured, harassed and killed even, forgave him and was being nice to him. After all he had done to him, he still loved him. 

He reached over and placed a gentle kiss to the crown of his brother’s head, “Thanks little man. I like being here too. I’m sorry.” 

Evan lifts his head, “What for?” 

“For…this. All this. This shouldn’t of happen…if I hadn’t of-”

“Mikey, I said it was okay. When are you going to forgive yourself?” Evan asks, and suddenly Michael turns to look at him. Since when was Evan so wise? So smart? 

He just gives a small chuckle, the sound barely escaping his throat as he tries not to sob in front of his brother. Again. “When did you get so smart huh?” He asks ruffling Evan’s hair, getting the boy to shout and try to straighten his hair up with puffed up cheeks. 

“You’re just stupid,” Evan fires back and Michael puts his hands on his chest. He gives out a melodramatic gasp and flops over onto the couch landing on top of Evan’s feet. 

“Oh how you wound me!” He cries giving out a fake whimper with his hand over his face. “My own brother! The betrayal of it all!”

“Get off of me you’re heavy!” Evan whines trying to push Michael off who just laughs loudly. He lets Evan push him off the couch, making a ‘oof’ noise when he hits the carpet. 

He just lays on the floor face pressed against the carpet until Evan jumps on him. Surprised he shouts and Evan bursts into giggles laying on top of his back. “You win! I surrender.” Michael says and Evan giggles even louder falling off so they both are on the floor. He turns his head seeing Evan’s squished face looking at his. 

This was nice. He felt like he was back at home. Just fooling around and laughing. 

“I’m just gonna lie here for the rest of my days.” 

“We can do that.” 

“Good.” 

 

…

 

He had woken up to the door shutting, he had been with Evan while Stanley was saying his goodbyes no doubt. Quietly he goes down the stairs seeing Henry giving out a sigh. 

“That sister of Stanley’s was very mad,” He tells Michael once he sees him coming down the stairs. “She gave me quite the earful.” 

“You’re the one who didn’t let him call her from the beginning,” Michael quips with a smirk. He steps down and follows Henry into the living room watching him sit down with a loud sigh onto the couch.

Henry gives him a look, taking his glasses off and rubbing his face. “I didn’t want things to get worse than they already were. And it was pretty bad.” 

Michael couldn’t argue with that, he knew that perhaps Stanley would have told someone if he had been treated far worse. They did their best, and got a pretty good outcome. He wanted to help, and Michael appreciated that greatly. 

“Now, I want to talk about what happened back then. With the passing out.” 

Uh oh. 

This was a lecture, Michael could feel it. He stands with his body hunched quietly. His hands clasped tightly, like he was a child. A child getting ready for a scolding. 

Henry noticed it right away, immediately not wanting Michael to feel like he was being punished. He was just worried for the boy. He cared for him greatly. He didn’t want him to get hurt. 

“Mike. It’s okay. I just want to talk about it, you’re not in trouble.” 

He could see the purple eyes flickering as Michael would blink owlishly. Like he was internally panicking. This probably wasn’t the first time William sat in a chair and shouted at Michael. He felt awful just thinking about it. 

“It was stupid. I just-I was worried. I freaked out…” 

Henry sighs, “I know kid, I know. It was a tough time. You didn’t want Stanley to freak out. But you need…you need to take care of yourself. We can’t lose you like that.” 

The animatronic dips his head, “Yeah. It was stupid of me. But…something new happened. It seems every time I find something else to add to the list.” He feels a sudden chill and he knows it’s Lolbit taking offense to that. 

“I met Lolbit.” 

Henry’s eyes widen and he looks at Michael in disbelief, “Wha-what? You met…Lolbit? H-how are they- are they going to…” 

Immediately Michael shakes his head, “No, no they won’t. They assured me of that. It was…strange. They’ve been helping me. This whole time. And…they have my back apparently. It was surreal.” 

Definitely felt like a dream, but he knew it was real. Crazier things had happened. Talking with a chaotic fox with a strange sense of humor was pretty low on the list of crazy at this point. He could practically hear Lolbit’s laughter in the back of his head now. 

“So they are…on our side?” 

“Yeah, completely. I apparently…fixed them. My remnant, it cleaned their act up. And…I don’t think they ever wanted to hurt anyone. Just…make others laugh. It was William who made them…bad.” It sounded right, it probably was the same for all the Funtimes. They were suffering and needed to lash out. 

He wished he could have helped them. But they were probably far too gone…but he still had faith. He would try. For Elizabeth 

Henry hummed standing up, “So I am assuming from the exhaustion brought them up?” 

“Mhmm…they warned me about it. I have to be careful or else we’ll switch spots. And they sounded like they didn’t want that either. Which is good…because I really don’t want to be backseat to any animatronic. Though I suppose it could be worse.” He gripped his head when a sudden tingle traveled up his spine and hit his head. Alright he got the point. 

“Well Lolbit? It’s um…great to have you on board as well.” Henry says reaching to grab Michael’s hand and gently squeezed it. 

Involuntarily Michael’s ears wiggle and his tail begins to wag giving the widest grin he could muster. “Lolbit is happy I think.” 

“Good to know!” 

…

 

After Stanley had left it took a couple days to recoup.

It was nice to have him on the team. Michael was glad it wasn’t just them working on this now. With Stanley being the one to get information around town without being suspicious or recognized things might end up being smoother. 

“This sucks,”  Michael mutters as Henry is looking at the purple remnant that was from the dolls, “We don’t have any leads, nothing to go off of. It’s like we are back to square one again.” 

It just kept happening. They take one step forward and then one step back.

And yet no William. 

It was frustrating. 

Henry rubbed the bridge of his nose, “We can’t give up Mike. We shouldn’t seek him out, but wait. He’s bound to misstep, and when he does. We will be waiting. Lurking in the shadows just as he does. With our ear to the ground. We have Stanley now, so our efforts are doubled. We can do this.” 

“You're right. I know searching for him might not be the best course of action, but just laying low. Keeping an ear out. Making sure we help anyone who gets affected by these…things.” Who knows what else William had put out there in the world. What experiments he was doing on things. 

Henry nods. “We have things to figure out. Like remnant, and how one is different from the others. Why are yours orange and this purple?” He held the two bottles up, now in mason jars seeing them sparkle in the light. 

“Yeah. It’s weird. Is it because my agony was different? The Minireenas were fractured like the Funtimes, so maybe this is the result?” Michael questions leaning forward a bit. “But we know…it can help. Others. So far no bad side effects with Stanley.” 

Henry places the jars on the counter rubbing his scratchy chin. “We shouldn’t use this as a crutch. This is for emergencies and emergencies only.” 

Michael nods, “Far too dangerous to use it repeatedly…I don’t want to ever use it like father has.” 

Both of them are silent, no they would never use it like that. 

Until then, they would watch and wait. Keeping an eye on this strange town and see if they could ever pinpoint William and his location. They would get him. Sooner or later. 

 

…

 

Days turned into months, and months turned in years. Always on the lookout for something, anything that could relate to William and his experiments. His creations. Michael even made a full effort to keep track of the other locations, as well as his father’s house. But no. Nothing happened, nothing of importance anyways. 

The trail was cold, gone. 

His father mysteriously disappeared. All was quiet. 

Until he gets a phone call. He is sketching up a little animatronic when the phone rings loudly. The little bear would have to wait, he stands up knowing Henry was in his workshop. He was working hard on the actual animatronic that was meant to find Charlie. To bring her home. 

“I’ll get it!” He shouts to Henry and picks up the phone, “Emily residence.” 

“Ay Mike!”

“Stanley! What’s going on?” He leans against the counter holding the phone while his tail swishes back and forth carefully. Jeremey and Stanley constantly checked up on him. It was nice. He considered them to be good friends at this point. He cared for them both greatly. 

Stanley chuckles, and then takes a breath, “Well you’re not going to believe this. But guess who decided to call me just now.” 

“…who?” 

“Fazbear Entertainment.” 

What? Why would they be calling Stanley? Fazbear Entertainment had been silent since the shutdown of the pizzeria, just selling what they could in merchandise and the other locations. Though he heard only El Chips was the one that was standing strong. A shame. 

“What did…they want?” Michael asks, carefully gripping the phone, feeling Lolbit stir within. They seemed to be just as interested as he was. 

“Well, they just offered me a job…at Freddy Fazbear’s pizzeria. As the nightguard.” 

Huh?

Notes:

Dun dun dunnn! The pizzeria has opened back up?! Could that mean…FNAF 1?! Yup! Time to get back to work Mike, and it’s gonna be a hall.

I apologize for the really long time skip but trust me it’s for the best. I didn’t want to write filler up until the pizzeria opens. I promise I know what I’m doing lol

Now for fanart corner!!

By aromaseraphy-lavender:
https://aromaseraphy-lavender.tumblr.com/post/676508746440228864/i-was-casually-working-on-this-when-for-some

By cowboykip:

https://inkspottie.tumblr.com/post/676497161031155712/ok-so-i-read-chapter-16-and-aaaaaaaa-i-love-them

By muffinb:

https://muffinb.tumblr.com/post/676505205742927872/trying-to-get-back-into-drawing-animatronics-ft

And that’s it! Thank you all for the wonderful comments and kudos. I cry everytime I see the number rising. It really fuels me to get chapters out.

Though I will say I am moving back to California by the end of the month so if things go slow, that is why. I will do my best to keep a steady schedule tho!

Until next time!!

Chapter 18: Is This Where You Want to Be?

Notes:

Woot woot! This chapter is just a set up for the events that are to happen. There should be three chapters on the fnaf 1 arc so it’s gonna be split up by the different nights. Ima TRY to do my best to replicate the game but in my own way so do forgive me if it is wonky lol

Also 15k hits!!! WOW! Thank you guys so much!! I enjoy each and every comment! I’m sorry if I don’t reply I am so so bad at it. I am way more active on tumblr if you truly have questions or wish to discus things with me!

Michael stood in the kitchen stunned. His mind is going a mile a minute. The pizzeria was open again? That couldn’t be, it had completely shut down due to multiple instances of injury, not to mention the missing cases. Why did they suddenly decide now? 

“Mike you there?”

He jerks up realizing that Stanley had been talking to him. He lifts his body a bit leaning into the phone. “Sorry, lost in thought. It’s open? Again? And they asked you to be a security guard?” 

“Yeah, apparently I was still on file. Even though I pretty much quit the next day after the ya know, incident.” 

Michael knew very well, and he was worried. Hopefully Stanley did not take the job. The man already had been through so much, and those animatronics…they did not like nightguards. Michael had an inkling suspicion that it was due to the fact that his father would sneak around as one. It seemed the most logical conclusion. 

He had done some digging and found that several night guards had gotten hurt, or died due to the animatronics and their little free roam abilities. 

“What did you say?” 

“I told them I’d call them back, since I wanted to run it by you first.” 

Michael sighs in relief, thank goodness. “I wouldn’t take it. Especially if it’s the same old animatronics. They hate night guards and you could really be hurt.” His voice is serious, and he grips the phone so hard he could hear the plastic creak under the pressure. 

He can hear Stanley chuckle under the receiver, “Naw, I’m glad you’re that worried about me. I won’t take it, but it’s odd. I don’t know why they’d call me. I told them I’d call back with an answer.” 

Michael snaps his fingers and grins, “I have an idea. Call them back and tell them you’ve got a cousin. He would be willing to take this job.” He needed to get back in there. If the pizzeria had opened up, that could lead his father back there. It was his stomping ground after all. 

Stanley hums, “Smart. Now who is this cousin I might ask?” 

“Me, or…” He glances around the room, “Fritz Smith.” 

“God, what a terrible name.” 

“Shut up, it's the best I got. Now just tell them, and then tell ‘em to call me.” 

Stanley laughs, which leads to Michael laughing. The man apologizes for setting Lolbit off and then properly hangs up. 

Well, looks like Michael had work to do.

…

 

Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria. 

He wasn’t expecting to come back to this place, that's for sure. It seemed they completely renovated the place, new walls and new windows…but it had the same old feeling. 

Henry was worried, considering that he was no longer truly a part of the franchise he didn’t know what Fazbear Entertainment had in store for the public. Michael wasn’t surprised, it seemed the company was in it for the money, and was doing anything to pull the company out of the ashes. 

Maybe if they didn’t cut so many corners and add more safety regulations it could be a good place to work. But this was Fazbear Entertainment. 

Quietly he opens the door, and is surprised to see people running about. Looked like mechanics pulling in parts, people in uniform setting decorations up. 

Everything was getting ready. 

It reminded him of the old place, the checkered walls, the party room. It was like being thrown back in time, but also not. He didn’t know how to feel about it. 

“Excuse me I’m looking for..” 

“He’s in the back.” 

Michael sighed knowing this was going to be a long day. At least with the illuso disc he looked different so people would not recognize his face. No one knew that Michael Afton still existed. Everyone now assumed the Afton line was gone. 

Deceased. 

If only that was the case. 

His father was out there and he would find him. 

That was his promise after all.

Quietly he moved deeper into the pizzeria, seeing people setting up the stage. The main three are already in position. He imagined Foxy was in his little cove. They always had him somewhere else. 

It kind of stung when he found out that Foxy, despite being a part of the main four, would not be on the center stage. But always in another part of the pizzeria. Was it a personal jab on himself considering that Foxy was that of his creation? 

He wasn’t sure, but it still hurt a bit. 

He felt like eyes were watching him, the animatronics not yet turned on, but yet their dead eyes just seemed to stare. Like they knew. They knew he was back and they were ready to play. 

Michael hoped he could deal with them properly. Try to make them understand that he was not here to hurt them. He wanted to help. He wanted to help them move on. 

But of course he looked like his father to them so all that was thrown out the window. Perhaps with the illuso disc they would just see him as a regular night guard. He didn’t know. 

Taking his eyes away from the animatronics he glanced around, seeing a man with a clipboard. Ah, he must be the new boss. Looks like Trevor didn’t come back. Good. 

“Excuse me, I’m here for the new nightguard position?” 

The man glances up and gives a wide grin, his eyes slightly widening at the sight of Michael. No doubt because he had to crane his head to look up at the tall young man that was Michael. Being an animatronic did that for you. 

“Yes, yes! You’re…” 

“Fritz, Fritz Smith? My cousin…” 

“Right! Yes hello, I am Wally. Wally McKinnon.” He sticks his hand out for Michael to shake, which Michael does, being extra careful so he doesn’t crush the poor guy’s hand. He wanted to make a good impression. 

Not like last time with Trevor. 

He rather didn't get arrested. 

Wally was rather excited for this all. He had red hair that curled around his ears and stuck out in every direction. His whole face was splattered with freckles, he looked like he was in his late twenties, early thirties. Odd, considering he’d expected someone older. Maybe he was a part of the Fazbear corporate circle and got placed here thanks to the nepotism that ran rampant in these sorts of companies. 

“Well! I can see all your paperwork checks out. I appreciate the quick reply, since getting a nightguard is a nightmare around here. With all the rumors and what not.” Wally says thumbing through paperwork on his clipboard. 

“The pizzeria doesn’t open until about a day or two. I have one nightguard already on duty, so you two will be switching around a bit. Sometimes you’ll have to do five nights in a row if that’s alright with you?”

“Five nights at Freddy’s? Sounds fun.” Michael jokes holding back a snicker with a lot of force. He could feel the waves of laughter rocketing through his system from Lolbit, and he did his best to try not to cackle like a hyena in front of his new boss. 

Wally grins from ear to ear. “That’s the spirit! Perfect. Well, we can have one of the employees give you the tour and then I’ll call you in when the schedule is all fixed up. Good to have you around Fritz.” 

He turns and waves over an employee he assumes. “Jeremy! This is Fritz, our new nightguard. He’ll be working with Scott, could you show him around?” 

Michael’s heart would have stopped beating as soon as the employee made his way towards the two. Blond hair, red jacket, he knew that man from anywhere. 

Jeremy Fitzgerald?! 

The blond blinks at him and immediately Michael makes a face that screams not to say anything to Wally. The man pats Michael on the back, “Welcome aboard! If you need something I’ll be in the office!” 

With a turn of his heel Wally walks off, Jeremy opens his mouth, and immediately Michael slaps his hand over him with a loud shush noise. “Jeremy!” Michael states with narrowed eyes, “What are you doing here?!” 

His voice is quiet so no one turns their head and Jeremy yanks Michael’s hand off him. “I should be asking you that! Dude, Fritz? The heck?” He looks confused, but also excited. Like he’s happy to see Michael here. 

This wasn’t good, very not good. His cover could be blown immediately. So he makes an impulsive decision, something that Lolbit sort of nudged into his brain, and picks Jeremy up. The man weighs next to nothing and Michael walks to the supply closet with Jeremy shouting in surprise. 

“Hey man what the hell?” 

Michael places Jeremy down and shuts the door behind them, the light flickering on. Jeremy is looking at him very much confused. “Why are you here.” Michael questions knowing damn well this place was not safe for the bite victim of ‘87. 

“Why are you here? And your name? What is going on here?! Nice jacket by the way.” 

Michael blinks looking down at himself, jacket? How…how did Jeremy see him? He didn’t know what he looked like to the eyes of others. “…thanks. That’s not the point! You got chomped by one of these things and you want to go back?” His whole face was scrunched in worry for the young man, he didn’t want Jeremy to go through this entire thing again. These animatronics were dangerous and they did not like people, especially adults. 

“You got fired!” Jeremy bites back, narrowing a blue eye. “Why does it matter to you? I need this job, no one’s gonna hire a half blind kid who has motor issues thanks to this chomp!” He pulls his bangs up to show the gnarly bite that was centered around his eye. His eyelid was closed, the obvious teeth marks showing on his skin where Mangle had swung down and got him. 

“This isn’t safe.” 

“I’m not the nightguard anymore. I’m just a dayshift worker. I work up front Mike. Or should I say Fritz.” 

“Stop, it’s only because I got fired that I needed to change my name.” Michael says with a groan. “I…listen this place isn’t safe. I’m being serious, you of all people should know!” He felt like a broken record trying to get it into Jeremy’s thick skull that this job was not a safe job. And that the people who were in charge did not care for your safety. 

“Sorry man but I need this job!” Jeremy says with a huff, “I appreciate the worry, but I have leverage here. Plus! It’ll be fine. They only roam around at night now.”

Michael pauses, they did? Interesting. No doubt from all the night guard incidents. “Still…”

Jeremy grins, placing a hand on Michael’s shoulder, “It’s all good Mike. I’ll be fine. Plus it’s you who I should be worried about. You're a nightguard. You’ve seen what those animatronics can do.” 

The taller boy huffs, “Nothing I can’t handle. I’ve learned a few tricks..” And he had. A stun gun was great, and not to mention LolBit’s scream. He could handle it, since he wasn’t a human to begin with now. 

“Just…stay away from the animatronics okay? For my sake?”

Jeremey just looks at him, his face scrunched up slightly. “You sure are weird. Why even come back to this place?”

“I have unfinished business I have to do.” He says simply and Jeremy crosses his arms. He didn’t want to explain this to the guy, he didn’t want anyone else to get involved. 

The more people got involved, the more chance they would get hurt. It was a curse to be acquainted with Michael. Everyone who knew him, either died or got hurt in some way. He couldn’t take it anymore if someone he knew got hurt because they were associated with him. 

He had to be distant. For their sake. Keep them in the dark as much as he could. Stanley already knew too much. He couldn’t involve Jeremy, the guy already had dealt with his own problems with the bite. 

“Sure, whatever. Just be careful man. I know how it is to be on the night shift. These things…they’re worse I think. They scrapped all the toy designs and brought back the old ones from parts and service. You know the original ones?” 

Michael nods, the ones that had the children’s souls in them. He knew that. Charlie had made it very clear to him. But…where was Charlie? She wasn’t scrapped, Evan knew she wasn’t. What was she doing? 

“Then I’ll just have to deal with the four instead of the rest of the crew. Good riddance, the toy animatronics really freaked me out.” 

Jeremy chuckles nodding in agreement, “I think it was the eyes. Too big and wide, probably because of the facial reading and what not.” 

Made sense, but Michael didn’t care for the stares. It was probably because he looked like his father. Wasn’t sharing your mad serial killer father’s face just the best? 

“Alright…well I am..gonna get out of this closet.” Jeremy says a bit awkwardly and Michael blinks before realizing they were very close in this small space. 

“R-right!” He stammers, “S-sorry.” 

Jeremy chuckles scooting a bit and opens the door so they both could get out. He’s the first to exit while Michael follows close behind. 

“S fine! But seriously Mike, don't worry about me. They won’t let me do anything super crazy cuz ya know. Ohhhh my aching head. It feels like it’s about to explode !” He groans melodramatically, gripping at the side of his head where the large scar was. 

That’s how he got the job then. 

Clever. 

He can’t help but laugh at Jeremy, who then follows suit making his insides warm from Lolbit enjoying laughter that wasn’t forced by the coding in their system. 

“Very clever of you Jeremy,” Michael tells him with a smirk, “I know you can take care of yourself, but I’m just…” 

“You’re a worrywart I get it. I appreciate it man. I won’t forget what you and Mr. Emily have done to help me out. So if you need me for anything, and I mean anything, I’ll be there. I am your guy.” He punches Michael in the chest and thank goodness the illuso disc was working its magic because you would have heard a very hard clang from the fist hitting metal. 

Jeremy pulls his hand away shaking it a bit, Michael doesn’t dare comment on it, but instead gives a small nod. “Alright. Thank you. So…are you going to give me the tour or not?” 

The blond beams brighter than the sun and they begin the tour of the new and improved Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria. 

 

…

 

It was a nice time, Jeremy offered to buy lunch but Mike refused not really wanting to explain that he could, in fact, not eat because he was an animatronic. There would be no point in him trying to shove food down his snout, because he could not taste it, and no doubt it would ruin his system. 

Well he didn’t know that, but still he didn’t want to take the chances. 

He appreciated the gesture, so he offered to stay with Jeremy while he ate. So he talked with the man while he ate, enjoying his company. It was nice to have a moment where it felt like he had a friend. Stanley was the same way, the both of them were. It had been so long since he had genuine friends. Ones that didn’t drop him like a hot rock when things got bad. 

He still remembered the betrayal as his group of friends pretended he didn’t exist because of that day. Calling him a murderer and everything else under the sun. 

He didn’t mean to. 

That wasn’t supposed to happen. 

Jeremy was as bright as ever. He didn’t know how the blond could be so happy. Even with the jacked up eye and now motor issues from the chomp to his head. He didn't completely lose his frontal lobe, but his motor skills now were a bit shaky. 

At least he was alive, Michael was glad he survived. Well if anyone was to survive a bite like Mangle’s it would be Jeremy Fitzgerald. This happy go lucky blond that felt like sunshine was constantly beaming on his face. 

As they said their goodbyes Michael headed home seeing that Henry was still in the workshop. Jeremy promised he would call later and make sure Michael knew everything about what was going on at the job. 

It was nice to have some intel since Jeremy would be working the dayshift and could keep tabs on everything. Maybe even tell him how the animatronics were doing. He just hoped that Jeremy would not get him into more dangerous situations than he needed to be in. He would rather not visit Jeremy in the hospital, again. 

He peered in seeing the man hard at work, creating what looked like to be a brand new exoskeleton. “Geez you’re still working, old man?” Michael teased watching Henry jump and glance over his shoulder. 

He beams at Michael, the boy clicking off his disc so he wasn’t wasting power. He learned his lesson that’s for sure. 

“Mike! How was it? Did you get the job?” 

“Guess who’s officially a member of the Freddy Fazbear team? This guy or fox!” Michael laughs, pointing himself with his thumbs, his tail swishing back and forth in his own excitement. 

Henry shakes his head, the smile still wide on his face, “Good for you! Hopefully this time you won’t get arrested.” 

“Oh I don’t plan on it. LolBit’s got my back with their scream. I will only use the stun gun if it’s a complete emergency.” 

Henry hums, swiveling his chair to face Michael, he looked tired no doubt working all day on this project. No doubt it would take a while until it actually came to fruition, but Henry was determined. He was talking about it the other night. Replicating noises and scents to lure her out. Since she obviously did not want to come back home. 

Michael hoped she would be alright with them tricking her.

But Henry was absolutely set on making this thing and Michael did not want to get in his way. “So when do you start?”

“Couple days, I think Scott’s working back there as well. The boss mentioned his name but who knows.” He never met Scott in person, just only through the phone recordings. Maybe he should make the effort to say hello. “But they were happy to have dear ol Fritz Smith on board.” 

He grins and Henry shakes his head, “You and your names.” 

“Not you too, Jeremy said the same thing.” 

“Jeremy?”

Michael nods leaning against the table, his ears flicking forward a bit, “Yeah! He’s working the dayshift. I swear that guy is crazy. He’d dance with death and say it was the best experience he ever had. I don’t know how he does it.” 

“Some people just have that ability to take things in stride. Did you talk to him, like you did with Stanley?” 

He shakes his head, “No, I don’t want him to get involved. He’s been through enough. Maybe…at some point, but not now.” 

Henry nods, he could tell Michael cared for Jeremy. He was happy that Michael was gaining friends. Good true friends. He deserved it. He deserved to be happy. Even as a possessed animatronic. 

“He’s crazy for working there, but he uses his head injury to do what he wants.” Every time the other workers asked for Jeremy’s help when he had given Michael the tour, Jeremy would just grip his head and tell them he had a headache and could only do the tour today. They all had gone pale and rapidly nodded because it seemed everyone knew he was the bite of ‘87 victim. 

Cheeky little bastard. 

“Smart way to have Fazbear under his thumb. Hopefully this time they won’t shove things under the rug.” Henry muttered shaking his head, he still couldn’t believe they would not investigate further on the murders. Michael had told him that the original animatronics might have had dead bodies shoved in there when William went on his little killing spree. 

What a horrifying thing. Those poor children. 

“Yeah. I just…I need to help those kids. Help them move on. I have a plan, so hopefully…they won’t try to attack me.” 

“Please be careful Mike, I don’t want you to get hurt.” Henry’s voice was serious, and Michael looked at him. He didn’t want to promise him that nothing would happen. These animatronics were unpredictable and without Charlie there to stop them, who knows what they would be doing. 

He just needed to appeal to their nature. Those victims were in there somewhere. He wasn’t the best with kids, but he would try. 

For their sake. 

And perhaps that would help them move along. 

“Oh, by the way, I saw that little animatronic sketch you had on the table.” 

Michael blinked glancing back at Henry, oh, he forgot to put that away. He looks slightly embarrassed toeing the ground with a metal claw. “Just a little sketch if anything.”

“No, no! I like it. He’s cute. Hey, I have an idea. Why don’t you help me with this? Then maybe we can bring the little guy to life.” Henry gestures to the parts and bits of animatronic he was working on. 

Michael just stands there, surprised. Him? Help with making animatronics? His father never let him near them, let alone show him how they were made. He was forbidden to enter the workshop while William had worked. 

“I don’t know…I don’t want to mess it up…” 

Henry shakes his head gesturing for Michael to come closer, turning his chair once again. “Nonsense. It’s about time I showed you how. It might be helpful to know, perhaps then you can know more about your own body and how it works.” 

“A…are you sure?” Michael whispers, and Henry looks at him with a gentle smile. Placing his hand on top of Michael’s own. 

“Mike, if I wasn’t I wouldn’t be asking for you to help me. I’d like to teach you, if you’d let me.” 

Michael just stares for a moment, feeling a gentle push of encouragement from Lolbit, his tail swinging back and forth. “Y-yeah…I’d like that. A lot actually.” 

He always wanted to be like Henry and his father. Making cool machines, designing cool things. But it was something he learned he could never do with his father. His father wanted nothing to do with him, or teach him the ways of his trade. Only Elizabeth got to see how it was done, since Circus Baby was meant to be hers. 

Michael had been so jealous of that. Sure he had Foxy but did he see Foxy come to life before his very eyes? No. He was there when they had the big reveal. He remembered Henry had crouched down and asked if he liked it. Of course he did! His idea, brought to life. The swashbuckling Foxy, it was amazing. 

Only for that fox to remind him of that terrible day. And it seemed he had it out for Michael because the fox always seemed to be terrorizing him in some way. In his nightmares and in real life. 

He supposed it was what he deserved. 

“Perfect!” Henry says with a clap of his hands, getting Michael out of his thoughts. “Now, take a seat, I’ll show you how we connect these parts here…” 

Michael immediately follows instructions, his eyes completely entranced by Henry’s work. The man was a genius, and he wondered why his father was so mean to him. He remembers all the times his father would bash Henry saying he wasn’t as smart as him. Or that he didn’t have the same spark. 

Which was nonsense because Michael was seeing an animatronic come to life right here and now. And Henry wanted him to help him. 

So they went to work, Michael soaking everything up like a sponge. Asking all sorts of questions and more. He never felt so excited, he felt like a kid again. It’s just what he always wanted. To have someone share a special talent with him, and maybe even teach him a thing or two. 

It was…nice, to feel wanted. To feel like someone really did care and wanted to teach him about things they were passionate about. 

Thank you, Henry. 

 

Notes:

Woo! Things are cooking up. Did you catch things that will be revealed later in the story? Hmmm? *wink wonk* hehe

Also I know, I know I mixed up Mike Schimdt and Fitz Smith so please have mercy on me and go along with it xD

As always thank you so much for everything and we have some lovely fanart coming your way!

Fanart corner!

By muffinb:

https://inkspottie.tumblr.com/post/676657761896038400/just-had-to-doodle-this

By killapunchaw:

https://killapunchaw.tumblr.com/post/676565637456379904/for-inkspottie-idk-how-you-write-that-amazing

By karmarp:

https://inkspottie.tumblr.com/post/676651284706803712/haha-i-like-your-laughing-at-tragedy-fnaf-that-i

That’s all for now! Until Next Time! :3

Chapter 19: Why Do You Want to Stay?

Notes:

Chapter 19!! I can’t BELIEVE I’m almost at 20 chapters with this thing. Holy moly. Crazy

That being said, this will be the last update for a bit. I am currently going to be moving back to California on Friday (at least that is the schedule) so I won’t be super active for a bit. I’ll do my best to try and get back on schedule as soon as I can but no promises.

Also?? THANK YOU FOR 1,000 KUDOS?! WTF

There will be a content warning for child death in here, so be prepared for that. I didn’t go into gruesome detail, but I just wish to warn you.

First day on the job, or should he say night. Here he was back again, entering the scene. Hoping that perhaps he would find his father lurking in the shadows. He knew what he wanted now. The remnant of these animatronics. 

After all he had stuffed those poor children inside and now they were stuck powering the animatronics. 

Henry had prepared him a duffel bag of things, stun gun, tools, anything to help these souls out. He couldn’t just burn them away, though it was an option he had thought of. There had to be a way. To release them that wasn’t a burial of fire. 

It tempted him greatly to just set the whole place aflame but it wouldn’t solve all his problems. What next if that had been done? William was still slinking around, who knows where he was by now. 

He just had to keep searching. To end it all. 

So here he was. Back at the entrance of the pizzeria. The wind was starting to pick up. Looks like it will rain tonight. Perfect timing. 

Quietly he opened the door, the pizzeria dead silent. The only sound was his feet against the tile, a mixture of metal clanks and the sound of actual shoes. Funny how he could hear both. One ear feeding into the illusion and the other completely hearing what is real. 

He grips the duffel bag tightly as he heads into the security office. Peering at the stage of animatronics that stare at him with those eyes. 

“I’m not here to hurt you.” He tells them quietly. “I want to help. I know a man hurt you disguised as a guard, but I’m not him.” 

He doesn’t know if it’s redundant to speak to them, as if they could understand him. Charlie said they were sleeping inside the animatronics, their pain and agony making them lash out when they were reminded of what had been done to them. 

How early they were ripped away from their own life. 

He steps into the office, finding it a lot different than the first one he went to. Two doors on each side. He sits down in the small rolling stool wondering if this was comfortable for anyone. 

Thankfully he didn’t have any muscles or bones to wear out anymore. If he did he probably would have complained about how his back was going to ache for this shift. 

He placed the duffel bag to the floor, pulling out the stun gun and placing it on the desk next to the many little TVs that were placed all over the top of the desk. He pauses when hearing the phone ring, reaching over to let it play. 

“Hello? Hello, hello?”

Michael can’t help but smile, Scott! Scott was back, the madman. How this man had not faced any sort of problems during this whole time was amazing. He was impressed. After all these years this guy was still coming back as the nightguard. 

He listens quietly, taking the tablet in hand and flicking through the cameras with ease. So far none of them had decided to walk around so, so far so good. 

Scott talks about the animatronics being ‘quirky’ at night and Michael snorts. Quirky indeed, Michael knew the real reason behind it, but sure Scott. They were definitely quirky. 

Then he goes and talks about the bite of ‘87, which makes him wonder did Scott know Jeremy? Why did he say something about the frontal lobe being gone? Jeremy barely got his head chomped, his eye was the most damaged part. 

Must be the rumor mill and they just couldn’t keep the story straight. That or Jeremy was hamming it up so he didn’t have to do a lot of work. Either way seemed plausible. 

He drums his fingers against the desk, hearing the fan whirl beside him as he keeps an eye on the cameras every now and then. 

“Geez the power sure does drain fast in this room. I wonder why that is?” He murmurs to himself glancing around. The buttons of the light and door faintly flicker and he huffs. This was going to be a long night. 

He flicks on the camera, noticing that Bonnie is gone. Of course. It was always Bonnie who caused trouble. He was always the first to step down from the stage and run amok. 

Michael isn’t worried however, they could try and come into the office as much as they want. Not like they could stuff them into a spare suit anyways. “Jokes on you, I’m already in one!” He chuckles, making him go into a small laughing fit from LolBit, feeling the warmth settle in his chest. No doubt the fox was happy he even made a joke. 

He can hear pots and pans being shuffled about and realizes that Chica is in the kitchen. Why did the bird have to go in there where the camera’s were out? Probably just to piss him off. 

He taps the screen seeing Bonnie in the back room where all the spare parts were, staring at the camera with those magenta eyes. 

“Yeah, yeah I see you.” Michael muttered, placing the tablet down. Freddy hadn’t moved a bit and Michael was grateful for that, he never did like any of the Freddy animatronics. Brought too much pain to look at them since…

He didn’t want to think about it. 

Foxy was still in his little cove and wasn’t seeming to be moving at the moment. 

No worries, stay in there Foxy. He really didn’t want to taze the animatronic again. He would have to be careful with that dang hook. It was dangerous. Why did they even have that on him? It could really hurt someone…

Well all of them were capable of killing. Big hulking animatronics with an angry soul of a child embedded within. Able snap bones, break skulls, rage against the ones who looked like the man who did that to them. 

Who snuffed their light before they even got the chance to live. 

He hears muttering and mumbling to the side of him, almost jumping out of his chair when seeing an animatronic suit slumped over beside him. 

“Fuck!” He stammered sliding away a bit with his chair and hearing a giggle come from the suit. 

“Evan, that is not fun-” No this has Cassidy written all over it. “Cassidy?” 

It’s me. 

Michael rubbed his face, “Yes, hello…Cassidy. Where’s Evan?” 

Asleep. 

“Voluntarily or forced?”

There’s silence and Michael just hums scooting his chair back towards the golden suit slumped over the floor. Obviously forced then. Cassidy seemed to like to take control over the suit more than Evan did. 

“So…you got a reason…why you're here?” He asks a little awkwardly as he keeps an eye on the cameras every now and then. He didn’t want some animatronic come in and jump him while he was talking to Cassidy. 

He’ll come back. Once the doors have opened, he’ll be here. 

Michael tilted his head feeling the anger in her voice. He had a suspicion that she was talking about his father. “I won’t let that happen. Not again. I swear.” 

Things are set in motion. Even if you wanted to, you can’t stop it. 

That was cryptic. “I’m going to try.” Michael wouldn’t give up. He didn’t know whatever Cassidy saw or knew, but he would help. He didn’t want to constantly fall flat on his face trying to help them. He really was trying. 

You can’t save them 

Michael looks at him and the bear suit twitches, it’s head turning and he sees the white eyes glow a bright red. He feels like he’s being pulled in, hypnotized by the light. He opens his mouth to say something before a white light flashes him. 

He blinks and suddenly he’s on the floor. He looks around wildly and finds himself tied up. With a sudden noise he tries to escape but hears a soft shushing. 

Michael lifts his head and his blood runs cold. 

His father was crouched down, with a sickly red coated knife in his hand. One finger to his lips, the rabbit costume on. Spring Bonnie. He’s in some sort of room, tied up and the smell of blood hits his nose immediately. He recognized the smell. 

His heartbeat was thudding in his chest and suddenly he realizes this isn’t him. But this is what Cassidy had seen. 

“Tsk tsk, such a little explorer. A shame you decided to come in when I was doing my little job. So I’m afraid I am going to have to kill you. It won’t hurt much, little one. Soon you’ll be able to visit with the others.” 

Michael’s vision turned to the gore filled room, seeing the other children ripped apart and stabbed. Blood seeping out onto the tile. It was horrific and he could hear himself scream, but the gag on his mouth choked him. Tears streamed down his face as he kicked and shouted. 

Please! Someone save me! Please! 

He could hear the laughter as the sharp cold blade came down on him. Red splattering everywhere as it continually dug up and down into his skin. He could feel the red hot pain searing his soul. The burning anger and terror boiling within. 

How it writhed inside. How hot and fiery it was. 

Then darkness came, until a soft light flickered. And he was back in the office. 

Michael fell out of his chair, panting heavily and suddenly black fluid splatters out of his mouth. Hitting the floor with a gruesome slap. The fluid was dark and he was choking out a sob. His fingers gripping the tile as Lolbit sent out a wave of panic. They probably didn’t know what was happening just now.

He coughed, wheezing, feeling the memories just rattling his soul. He could still feel the cold sharp knife digging into his flesh. Her little screams echoing his ears. It was too much, it was far too much. 

He had just seen Cassidy’s death. Her horrific demise. Michael just looks at the fallen suit, seeing the white eyes staring at him. He gave a look, as if asking why. Why did he need to see that? Why force him through that? 

He must be stopped. 

Her voice was harsh, like metal clashing together creating sparks. 

Michael took a deep breath sitting up, how he felt in such a way he did not know. This was the first time in a very long time he felt such a way, even in the animatronic body he was stuck in. Cassidy was able to make him vomit as an animatronic. He wipes his face looking down at the black substance stained on his white plastic hand as the illusion glitches from his stress. 

“I'm sorry.” Michael rasped, his voice static, soft. “I’m so sorry Cassidy.” 

His anger boiled within. His father, how could he? How could he take children’s lives with such pleasure? That smile never left his face as he jabbed the knife into her stomach. Laughing the entire way. 

Just do what you can, loser. 

It was almost her way of saying do not pity me. How could he not? She was just a little girl, a child who wandered where she wasn’t supposed to and met her end. 

He understood now. Her anger, her bitterness. Her hatred for him. 

He didn’t blame her. 

Michael stands up, his stance wobbling as he notices she is gone. The suit disappeared and he was left in his office. 

He glances at the time, trying to settle his thoughts and feelings. Lolbit resting in the back of his mind as they tried to soothe out the shaking feeling he had. 

4 am. 

He was almost done. 

Quietly he goes and grabs the mop from the closet and cleans up his mess. He didn’t want people to question why there was this black ichor staining the floor. He didn’t need to be more suspicious. It was odd but he would just have to do it. Lolbit seemed to be concerned and Michael took a deep breath. 

“I am good.” He whispers, giving a shuddering cough. It’s like his whole system was affected by the vision that Cassidy had thrusted at him. His head was reeling and he felt dizzy. This was a first, for a long time he did not feel such things. Always numb to pain, unable to feel anything human. 

He was used to it by now. 

Glancing to the cameras he takes a deep breath. The animatronics seemed to settle, no doubt thanks to Cassidy’s visit. They didn’t bother him, and he didn’t bother them. 

But he knew tomorrow, tomorrow would be hell and he would have to deal with it. Same with the rest of the nights. Hopefully he could appeal to their better nature, to make sure they understood that he was on their side. 

He didn’t want to hurt them. He wanted to help. 

The animatronics place themselves back on stage as the final hour clicks. He was glad nothing intense happened, well aside from watching a child die by his father. 

The sun starts to peer into the windows and that’s Michael’s cue to get the hell out of there. 

 

End of Night One 

 

Night two. Michael had explained everything to Henry when he had gotten back from his first shift. Henry had looked horrified when he had told him that he was forced to witness Cassidy’s death first hand. The image was seared into his brain now. The terrible crunch of metal and the sound of a knife piercing flesh would never leave him. 

He wished he could have stopped it, but how could he? How could he have known? He was busy dealing with his own issues at the time, being dubbed as a murderer and left to survive on his own after the disappearance of his sister. 

He had been the only Afton child left, and now all of them were dead. 

Look what he’s done to us. A voice whispers with venom dripping from its words. His father’s legacy. 

You bring death . 

There’s an uncomfortable shift against his mind, feeling gentle touches from Lolbit as they try to push those thoughts away. He appreciated it, the fox doing their best to keep him out of the darkness of his own mind. Funny how symbiotic their relationship had become. He depended on Lolbit, and Lolbit depended on him.

They worked well together. 

Lolbit beams at the idea, sending a shuddering wave of happiness as Michael steps into the pizzeria once more. He takes a deep breath, seeing the stage before he walks into the office, placing everything down like he had the night before. 

Once everything is on and ready, Michael shifts in his seat. His hands resting on his face, feeling the curve of the metal. A reminder that he wasn’t truly human, despite being able to look himself in the mirror and see the illusion vaguely. 

Only problem was, he was forgetting what he truly looked like. Everytime he glanced in the mirror with the disc on it felt like he was staring at a stranger. It had been so long since he died. 

He supposed it didn’t matter now. Why should he care what he used to look like? He was here, trapped in this machine trying to make things right. Lolbit gives a small biting coldness to his head, as if to say he shouldn’t think of such things. 

Funny how a comedian fox who had been placed in the back shelf of their little gang was helping him feel better about himself. 

He was grateful for that. 

But enough whining about himself he had a job to do. With a new vigor he clicks the phone and lets Scott talk to him as he readied himself for the new night. 

He had a feeling this one would be a bit bumpier than the last. 

Immediately he noticed Scott talking about a certain character who remained more active if the cameras were not checked in his little spot. Foxy. Well he was hoping for a rematch after the little bastard had hooked his disc. 

“Come and get me you dirty pirate.” He muttered, flicking between the cameras. Bonnie already was active, which again wasn’t surprising. He could see him staring at the cameras in the party room. That blank face stare just gave a shiver down his spine. 

Lolbit seemed anxious and Michael didn’t blame them. This was their siblings they were dealing with. But actual children's souls embedded into the machine thanks to Charlie’s gift. They were unpredictable and Michael would do his best to try and keep them from doing anything crazy. 

If he had the opportunity he would talk to them. That is if they wouldn’t attack him on sight. Michael already dealt with Foxy once, and that was enough for him. 

At this moment he wished Charlie was here, she could have helped him. She had been the one who was their caretaker after all. Where had she gone? Was she okay? 

He worried for her greatly and wanted to be on better terms with her. He wanted to say he was sorry, and that he was an idiot. A really big dumb idiot. 

If only he had grabbed her that day, then maybe…she wouldn’t have ran off. 

No one was able to find her, not even Cassidy and Evan. She hid in the shadows far better than any of them. 

Tapping the screen again he sees Bonnie has moved once more, and Chica is now off the stage. Lovely. He checks pirate cove once more, seeing that the curtain was pulled. 

“Out of order huh? Geez you can’t seem to catch a break now can you Foxy? For fox sake..” He pauses at the joke that Lolbit slips in and gives a low groan as the shuddering laughter breaks free. Michael gripping the desk as he barked out a laugh, tilting his head back and just letting the rolling guffaws echo the room. 

It only takes a minute before it stops and Michael hits his head on the desk multiple times. Lolbit seems proud of themselves for the pun, he could practically see the shit eating grin plastered on their metal face. 

“Horrible, absolutely horrible.” Michael mutters his British accent becoming thick in his own annoyance. 

Lolbit just settles down smug, knowing that they won due to the small quirk of Michael’s lips. 

All that is halted however when he hears the familiar thump, thump of animatronic feet down the hall. Clicking and groaning it’s easily heard from where Michael is sitting and he doesn’t need LolBit’s heightened senses to hear it. 

Someone was coming. 

Michael freezes checking the camera’s rapidly, before looking at the power. It wasn’t too bad, but Michael did not want to imagine what would happen if the power did reach zero. 

Quietly he pressed the lights and saw Bonnie’s face pressed against the glass. With a sudden jerk he slaps the door button down and with a loud clang it hits the floor. The rabbit animatronic just stares at him, it’s jaw opened wide just slightly and Michael can’t help but stare back.

“H-hello there.” Michael stammered, trying his best not to panic. He could feel anxiety welling up inside of him as the rabbit animatronic just stares at him. 

It’s not the only one who wanted to visit because he heard another thump of footsteps and Michael immediately pressed the door button on the other side not taking his chances. 

“Chica.” He greets seeing the yellow chicken animatronic peering through the glass. 

Not good. He was trapped here and who knows how long they were going to stay. He flicks his eyes to the power gauge seeing that it was draining fairly quickly. Not good, not good at all. 

Then they started pounding on the glass, making Michael flinch and step back against the wall. Bonnie’s face twitched and jerked while Chica was groaning loudly. 

“Fuck, fuck.” Michael whispered, hearing another loud footsteps and seeing a red blue whizz past Bonnie and slam right into the door. Foxy. They were all here, all except Freddy. 

Cassidy this would be a very good time to stop them from trying to get into this office. 

“It’s not what you think, I’m not…I’m not here to hurt you! Please listen to me. I know what happened to you, I know what has been done.” 

They’re suffering Mike, at least try to appeal to them. Please try. 

He could hear Henry’s voice ringing in his head. Henry didn’t want anything bad to happen to Michael but he also didn’t want Mike hurting these animatronics. 

Another bang makes him flinch as Chica is banging her head against the glass, mouth opened as she stares at Michael. 

His power was dwindling. And these animatronics didn’t want to leave. Foxy was scraping the glass with his hook, burning a hole through Michael’s soul with his glare. 

“Please…” Michael whispers and then the power shuts off with a loud noise, draining away everything by keeping the doors shut for so long. 

He sits in darkness and this time he’s not having it as the sound of Freddy’s little music plays. Quickly he reaches his hand towards the illuso disc and turns it on, Lolbit immediately knowing what to do. 

Once the illusion is gone, a hefty screech rips through his speaker and the lights suddenly flicker on as if they were given a hefty shock. The animatronics were now inches away from Michael hands outstretched but stopped when seeing the creature before them. 

They spasmed at the scream, the TVs lighting up to show LolBit’s face once more as the recognizable phrase is underneath. 

He stops after a moment staring the twitching animatronics down before turning to face them. All four of them were crowding him on both sides inches away from Michael ready to grab him and stuff him into the suit. 

“I’m one of you!” Michael shouts, getting all eyes on him. “I’m…one of you. Look.” His face plates shudder revealing the endoskeleton underneath. The animatronics almost look surprised, the loud click of their eyelids echoing the silence of the room.

“I was given the same gift. Charlie..the puppet. Remember her?” He says slowly, knowing that he’s speaking to children and he couldn’t just scream at them for all this. He needed to be careful. 

The four stay silent and Michael does his best to try and convince them. “I am here to help. Help you move on, help you leave. Please, believe me. I know what it’s like. To be trapped here. To forever wander in pain and agony. To have your life ripped away way too soon.”

“Ho…how die?” Chica’s voice suddenly rips through the silence. It’s quiet, gentle but filled with static. It was her voice box, but that wasn’t Chica speaking. But a little girl. 

He looks to her surprised, seeing her tilt her head awkwardly as if it’s hard for the spirit to properly control the animatronic. “By the same person who did this to you, one of his creations.” 

“Bad. Bad man.” Bonnie whispers and Michael frowns feeling his heart ache. These poor kids. He wished he could have done something to stop them from this fate. 

“I know, I…I am so sorry. I am so sorry this happened to you.” 

“Why help?” Foxy asks, “Why help? Hurt.” 

Michael gives a small chuckle, “You didn’t hurt me, do you remember me then? The night guard who you hooked? You hit this.” 

He gestured to the blinking disc attached to his neck, and Foxy straightened. “Bad guy.” 

“No, I just look like him.” Michael whispers bitterly. “I wish I didn’t.” 

“Here to help? How.” Freddy asks his voice much deeper than the others. “How?”

How indeed. He needed to know how to, he wouldn’t set them on fire. It wouldn’t be right. These were kids, not a husk of a body. “I want to help you move on. No longer be cursed to walk in these machines..” 

“How?” Freddy repeats again, his blue eyes staring at him. 

“I…I don’t know.” Michael winced, admitting. He wouldn’t lie to him. “But I made a promise. To Charlie. That I would help. That I would fix what’s been broken.” 

“Who?” Chica asks quietly. “Name?” 

He looks to her and gives a small smile, well one he could muster in this form. “Michael.” He places a hand on his chest, “My name is Michael.”

“Michael, ” Bonnie repeats and Michael nods. “Why nice?”

“Because you deserve it. You all are overdue to have someone treat you with kindness. I am going to turn on my illusion disc back on, just so I don’t get in trouble. I can’t be seen as this or else I won’t be able to help you.” 

He watches as the four give their version of a nod, hearing the metal crank loudly. Slowly he reaches up to touch his disc and the illusion crackles to life. It’s almost funny watching these old animatronics look at him with wonder. 

“Stay?”

Michael looked to Chica who tilted her head no doubt asking if he was going to stay here for a while. “Until we can figure out how you all can move on, I’m not leaving this job.” He promised. 

“Help. Hurts..” Freddy stated. “Stop hurting?” 

“I’m sorry, I’m going to do my best. I know you all are hurting and I don’t know if I can do anything to relieve your pain. But…I’m here for you. Whatever you need.” 

They four glance at each other before they glance back to Michael. “Weird.” Foxy stated, and gave a little huff like noise. “Tired.” 

“I can imagine, you ran pretty fast into the door. “ Michael replies and he watches Foxy give a strange sort of puffed out look as if he was proud of himself for that. 

“Fast.” 

“Yes, you are very fast.” 

The fox animatronic gives a chuckle sounding like the true Foxy he knew. 

“How long?” Freddy asks and Michael looks at the clock. 

“I have…two hours before my shift is done. I’ll stay here if you want and you all can roam around as long as you don’t break anything.” 

It was odd, he felt like he was talking to children. There was no mistake for that, but the animatronics themselves made things weird. He expected them to be talking like they would when the place was opened. It seems these kids were making a full effort to try and speak to him. He hoped they were not pushing themselves too harshly. 

“Okay.” Freddy says, and Michael immediately gets that he is the leader. He must be the oldest out of the four. “Going back to stage.” 

“Alright. You go and rest, or do whatever it is you do.” He didn’t know what children who possessed animatronics did in their free time. Aside from murdering security guards that is. “I’ll be here until I have to leave.” 

He watches Freddy stomp out of the office, and down the hall. 

“Hard to talk. Not good as you.” Bonnie muttered, “Won’t do it often. Hurts. Tired.” 

“I understand, don’t push yourself for my sake. Please.” 

The animatronic just shudders, and there’s a strange clicking noise. “Well there friend, it’s nice to meet you.” Bonnie suddenly says and Michael feels uncomfortable. It looked like the child who was in Bonnie just decided to fall back asleep or something. 

“Hi Bonnie.” 

“Yarr, ye be the one I fought. Ye scallywag.” Foxy says as his eye grew dim going back to the normal color. 

“Yeah and I kicked your ass.” Michael says with a cross of his arms smirking at the fox. 

Chica gasps, her hands going to her beak “Ooo don’t say naughty words.” Seemed like he was done talking to the kids for the night. Oh well. 

Michael chuckles, “So sorry.” This was so odd, but at least they weren’t out to kill him. He rather than having them try to rip him apart. Lolbit gives a rolling hint of annoyance, like they were mad that Michael would assume Lolbit would not let that happen to him. 

“It’s almost time nightguard. Better get ready for the day.” Bonnie chirps as if he’s excited to go back to the stage and play. He wondered how it was like to be stuck in a situation where all they could do was play a part until the lights went off. 

Stuck in a stage and meant to perform the same songs, the same routine. Only free when the night came around. 

No wonder they were quirky at night. 

Michael nods as Chica and Foxy begin to move back to their places. Hearing the clicking and groaning of machinery. Goodness they sounded awful, maybe tomorrow he could help fix their joints or something. 

“Goodnight Bonnie.” He says as a hint for the rabbit to go away so he could finish his shift. He watches with a slight smile as the thing jerks up and gives a wave before lumbering back to the stage. 

Michael puffs out a large breath, sliding down the wall and sitting down. “That was close…” 

Lolbit couldn’t help but agree. 

But look at the bright side, he got through to them. He made contact. Now it was just a matter of time before he understood their needs and wants, just so they could rest and move on. 

No one deserved to be stuck in this situation. Especially kids that were brutally murdered. 

“I’ll fix this. I promise…”

End of Night Two

Notes:

Woo! We did it. Two nights down! Three more to go. Crazy.

So thanks again for reading and I hope you guys can forgive me for going on a little break so I can get settled. If you still want to talk to me I am very, VERY active on tumblr lol so hit me up there!

Now for fanart corner, and FANFIC corner too! I’m so blessed!!

By abyss-of-infinite-void:

https://inkspottie.tumblr.com/post/676995041876738048/just-a-little-lolmike-i-drew-because-i-love-ur-fic

By animatronicinnard:

https://animatronicinnard.tumblr.com/post/676911700031717376/inkspottie-these-tags-truly-inspired-me

By Q-quadrum:

https://q-quadrum.tumblr.com/post/676629937094066176/i-forgot-i-have-taken-a-liking-to-this-certain

And fanfic! This one is Reality is a Joke which is a crossover between their au and mine and it’s very good! Highly recommend you check it out!!

https://archiveofourown.org/works/37319458?view_full_work=true

Chapter 20: We Interrupt Your Program

Notes:

Chapter 20!!! CHAPTER 20 EVERYONE!! I’m baaack!! I am in California now and everything is good! I couldn’t help but continue to write because I love this fic so much. I hope y’all had a good break from this lol

But I’m celebration I figured I’d give you a breather before we hit night 4 and 5. Gonna be a rough one. So have a super sleuth Jeremy episode!
Enjoy!!

Jeremy Fitzgerald liked to think that he was a pretty observant guy. He could tell when someone was happy, or sad. He knew ways to cheer up anyone, his mother always calling him her little sunshine, her little sunspot. 

He liked to try and keep on the positive side, with all that happened in the world someone had to! He would happily run up to bat, always with a smile on his face and a jump to his walk. 

Jeremy knew sad people, but then there were people who just were perpetually sad. Like Mike Schimdt. This guy who just magically appeared in his life and suddenly just couldn’t leave. 

This tall lanky boy who seemed to carry the world on his shoulders, looking like he hasn’t slept in days. With his odd British accent and his even stranger humor. 

Jeremy just couldn’t figure him out. 

The thing was, he was mysterious. Mike didn’t talk about himself a lot. Instead just let Jeremy ramble on and on about himself. He didn’t know his birthday, his favorite color…

Despite the fact he talked to Mike frequently, he didn’t know anything about him. 

Which was weird, because Jeremy liked to make an effort to know his friends. It wasn’t like Mike refused to give answers, he just changed the subject whenever the subject got to him. Like he was uncomfortable when speaking of himself, like he didn’t like himself too much and would rather listen to someone else ramble on. 

He was an enigma. 

An enigma Jeremy was determined to figure out.

For the sake of being friends, and maybe helping Mike loosen up a bit. The guy was so tightly wound up, every little thing seemed to spook him. Like he was expecting someone to jump out of nowhere and jump him. Always on edge, eyes darting around as if he was mentally mapping out each way to escape. 

He didn’t need that in his life, so Jeremy would take the torch and make this guy feel better. After all, he got in contact with Mr. Emily and gave him that check…he couldn’t be more grateful. He owed them both. 

One thing was strange about Mike. He was so pale, was only around on cloudy days or at night, and never ate… 

One night he was reading comics and suddenly it clicked. Suddenly it all made sense. Pale skin, aversion to the sun, why he was so articulate… 

This man….

Was… 

A vampire. 

It was the obvious choice! The only reason Jeremy could think of, why he had so many names, why he didn’t want to keep anyone close to him. 

Vampire. 

The more he thought about it, the more it made sense. And that’s when Jeremy decided, he was going to expose Mike, and then they could be true friends. He could tell Jeremy about everything! No secrets! 

He could tell Mike had a bunch of secrets. 

Now…how would he even expose a British vampire? 

 

…

 

First test. Garlic. It was easy enough. Mike, or Fritz, was here for orientation, along with the rest of them. The pizzeria was about to open and they all needed to be ready for it.

It was funny seeing Mike in the red and yellow outfit standing high above his coworkers. The guy was fucking tall. He towered over everyone, looking awkward as he stood next to Scott and Jeremy. 

“Alright folks that’s it for the time being! Now we can all go and have lunch. Just..stay away from the animatronics okay? They need their rest for the big day tomorrow alright?“ Wally calls out and everyone gives a chorus of yes sirs. He waves them away and a few of the other employees bring out pizza boxes for everyone to have. 

This was perfect timing! Everyone knew Freddy Fazbear’s pizza had loads of garlic compared to normal pizza. “Fritz!” Jeremy tugs on his arm getting Mike to look down at him, slightly purple eyes widening a bit. 

“Come sit and eat with me.” Jeremy begs with a wide blue eye and Mike looks uncomfortable before giving a small nod. 

Yes!! 

They head to an open table, Jeremy grabbing two plates, one for Mike and one for himself. “I hate that this pizza is so good.” He mutters and Mike chuckles in agreement. 

The boy sat in front of him, as he placed the plate down. “Come on, eat!” Jeremy tests taking his own bite of pizza. How this stuff was so good he didn’t know, but he was happy to get free pizza. 

“Ehh…I’m not hungry. Not really a big fan of pizza…” Mike muttered scratching at his cheek and Jeremy blinked rapidly. 

“How…how can you not like pizza?!” 

Mike just shrugs, “I just don’t I guess…haven’t had it…” he looks off into the distance and Jeremy wonders what he’s remembering. Since the 1800s? How old was he? He looked younger than Jeremy now. When they first met Jeremy was pretty sure he was younger than him. But Mike didn’t look like he aged a bit. 

“Why don’t you just take my slice, it’s better than me throwing it in the trash.” Mike offers, gently passing the plate to Jeremy. As if he was disgusted by it, like there was something wrong with it. 

Of course there was something wrong! It had garlic duh! 

“You sure?” Jeremy pressed putting his slice out and shoving it closer to Mike, who immediately pulled away and nodded. He looks a little sick, like it’s affecting him in some way. 

Jeremy pulls away after a moment, his suspicion confirmed. That would be a no to garlic. “Suit yourself!” He takes a bite and hums, all while Mike is turning the other away, his face set in a worried line. Like he’s trying to push some bad thoughts away. 

“Something wrong?” Jeremy asks after swallowing his bite of pizza. 

“Nothing, just…not a lot of good memories with parties…or pizza. Sorry.” Mike shakes his head as if he was saying he shouldn’t have said anything. 

“Aw man I’m sorry, that must suck. ‘S okay we can pretend…we are like at school! Yeah. Like it’s a cafeteria. So…” Jeremy looks up and then back to Mike, “That algebra homework huh?” 

Mike just blinks at him, his brow raised and then he starts to laugh. It’s odd, the way he laughs itches his brain in this weird sensation. Like it tingles through his mind, this laugh felt familiar but he didn’t know how or why that was. 

Jeremy just grins from ear to ear as Mike coughs, hitting his chest. “Sorry, sorry. Uhh,” He pauses and then gives a melodramatic sigh, “The homework sucked man.” 

This made Jeremy start to laugh and Mike joined in again, giggling like fools. He only stops when seeing Mike’s mouth, noticing something odd. For a brief glance he could have sworn he saw…fangs on the boy. But that couldn’t be. Could it? 

Jeremy and Mike have a wonderful conversation after that. Jeremy happily ate both his and Mike’s slices while he chatted the whole time. Mike would talk back every now and then like usual, and whenever he opened his mouth Jeremy stared at him just waiting to see those fangs again. 

 

…

 

The next time Jeremy’s theory was proven was a dayshift and they had a massive birthday party. So much so that it was all hands on deck, but some of them had called out. Jeremy had to call Mike in to help clean since Scott was still doing his nightguard duties. 

Mike came in quickly and he looked a little rushed than usual, his hair more curlier than Jeremy usually saw it. No doubt he had just gotten out of bed or something, the odd little device blinking on his neck. Jeremy asked about it before but Mike never gave a clear answer. So he had no clue what exactly it was. 

Probably some weird accessory British people had who knows. 

He didn’t know anything about British people. 

“Eyy Mike, we need you. Big giant party, need help cleaning up.” 

Mike nods, “I can do that.” He gives a slight smile and Jeremy goes to the main party room 

“W…where’s everyone else?” Mike asks and Jeremy gives a noise, like he’s sucking his teeth. 

“Just you and me…unfortunately.” 

Mike just stares at him, and then gives out a low groan. “Wouldn’t be the first time I’m cleaning up a party like this…” He mutters to himself picking up a broom. “You take care of the little stuff okay? Don’t push yourself.” 

Jeremy waves his hand, “Pssh!! I’ll be fine ! A little motor problems can’t stop me! I won’t let my friend do all the work.” 

The boy stops in his tracks at the mention of ‘my friend’, his mouth opens and then closes like a small fish. Words don’t really come out, but Jeremy can tell that he’s surprised at the statement. 

Like he never had someone call him his friend before. 

“I…um…just be careful okay?” Mike stammers quietly, gripping the broom a bit. His body was tense and Jeremy just grins from ear to ear. 

“Naw you worried about me Mike?”

Immediately Mike’s face falls, his eyes narrowed and lips pinched. “No, slip and fall for all I care.” He drawls he begins to sweep, and Jeremy starts to laugh. He began to pick up the plates and boxes of pizza while Mike worked on the floor. 

“Ah damn, we have to move these tables to the back room. This’ll take forever.” Jeremy mutters with a loud groan. 

“The worst part is that they weigh a to-”

Jeremy turns his head when hearing a scraping noise as Mike just about picks a table up with ease, his body not even hunched over from the weight. 

Mike stares at him for a moment before he suddenly makes his knees wobble and the table slightly falls and he gives a loud groan. “You’re telling me.” He grunts as he drags one of the tables making Jeremy just stand and watch him. 

Super strength. 

That was a vampire trait too!! And he totally just saw it!! 

No way a beanpole like Mike could just lift a heavy ass table like that. Without even a single grunt or groan! He didn’t even look like he was breaking a sweat! 

“How the hell did you do that?” Jeremy asked as Mike came back from dragging the table to the back room. 

“It’s all in the knees Jeremy.” He says simply and starts to drag the other table back, this time it seemed like he was making an effort to show that he was struggling a bit. 

This was getting intense! 

There was no way, no way that Mike could just lift that. He saw one of the mechanics who was pretty big have trouble with these tables. Mike looked as if he could be snapped over his leg like a twig, what was he secretly shredded underneath? 

No he doubted that. Then again, when he punched the guy it felt like he was hitting metal. 

“Are you going to just stare at me or help?” Mike drawls with a hand on his hip, brows raised expectantly. 

Jeremy blinks, quickly beginning to pick up all the scattered items that were left by the kids. “Right!” 

Super strength? Check. 

Attitude? Also check. 

 

…

 

This time he might be a little bit crazy. A little. Jeremy was dead set on exposing this theory of his. So he went to the extreme, stealing some holy water his religious aunt had. She kept little bottles of the stuff everywhere since her husband had died and she fell into a paranoid stupor of religion.

Everyone had to have a crazy aunt he supposed. 

So when he went to visit he nabbed one of the small crystal bottles and shoved it into his pocket to save whenever he saw Mike. 

He would just casually splash water on his face, no big deal. 

Mike had been called in to get his new security outfit and Jeremy was clocking out when he had brushed past him. Quickly he grabs the bottle from his bag and rushes after Mike. 

“Mike! Mike!” 

Mike turns around his face a bit pressed as if he was struggling with something, before it smoothes out when seeing Jeremy. “Oh hey, did you just get off?” Mike greets with a slight upturned smile rubbing his neck a bit. Jeremy could see the weird blinking device on his neck blinking more rapidly than usual. 

It was odd, was Mike’s skin sparkling in the fluorescent lights? Maybe it was the trick of the lights, or his eyes being strained from staring off at the distance while he sat at the front desk. 

“Huh? Oh! Yeah yeah I was just about to leave. Gotta walk back.” 

Mike blinks and then looks around, making a small noise, as if he’s debating something. “You’re walking home? I can give you a ride if you want? I just had to get my uniform for my shift tomorrow.” 

Jeremy grins from ear to ear, “Really? Dude that would be so nice! I had to let my cousin borrow my car since his broke down so I’ve been stuck walking.” He’s rambling at this point and he’s gripping the bottle so tightly in his jacket pocket he’s pretty sure he’s going to break it. 

Mike just chuckles, the sound low and dry as if he was a little rusty at laughing, which sounded odd since Mike tended to have these weird laughing fits. “Sure, I’m in the area anyways. Come on.” 

The blond beams, nodding. Mike opens the door and gestures for Jeremy to exit first. Jeremy practically skips out and Mike casually walks behind him, his hands shoved in his colorful windbreaker. 

“Geez the sun is sure bright today.” Jeremy says casually, getting a small grunt from Mike. The taller male just tosses his keys upwards and catches it. Before Mike goes to his car, Jeremy immediately flicks the bottle at the boy’s face watching the reaction very closely. 

“Gah! Wh-what the fuck? Did you just flick…did you just flick water on me?” Mike asks, his voice sounding a little odd as he tries to wipe the water off him. His face is obviously fuming. 

Jeremy just looks at him innocently, “You looked a little hot in the sun. Sorry dude.” 

Mike just stares at him, “Are you mental?” The boy asked, his tone suddenly spasming, but the British accent was thicker than usual. “Are you barmy?” 

He flicks water off him and Jeremy stares. No reaction other than anger. Maybe he shouldn’t have splashed him. Holy water was supposed to burn…he may have miscalculated here. 

“Uhh no?” Jeremy just says a bit dumbly and Mike’s eyes look like they’re glowing, his skin glittering a bit as the device is blinking rapidly. “What’s barmy even mean?”

“Mad, crazy.” Mike muttered with a small groan. “I ought to smack you for this stunt.” 

“You wouldn’t hit me. I have a bad eye.” 

Mike stares, “Maybe I should even it out.” He says opening the car door and getting inside. “Get in before I run you over.” 

Jeremy just grins, “You know you love me!” He bats his singular eyelid for good measure watching Mike’s face contort into a look of annoyance. He rolls his eyes at Jeremy and shouts at him. 

“Get in now you twat.” 

So maybe holy water was just a fad, but Jeremy wasn’t going to give up. No sir! 

 

…

 

Jeremy had been skating around the park, it was his day off and he was really trying to be more active all while not hurting himself. Sure he probably could be just jogging or walking, but he wanted to get back into skating. It took him a while to get used to him not having a full eye, so he was happy that he was still decent at his favorite pastime. 

While he was moving around the park with his skateboard he noticed his dear old friend Mike with a heavier dude next to him. They seemed to be chatting, quite animated in fact. Jeremy had never seen the guy before so he was curious. Was he a relative or something. 

The blond practically hauled ass to them, hearing some of their conversation. 

“They talked to you? Like legit?” 

“Mhmm, and they didn’t kill me so-“ 

“Mike!” 

Immediately the taller male lifts his head seeing Jeremy skating towards them, stopping before he toppled over them both. He still was trying to get used to his lack of balance sometimes thanks to the bite. But that wasn’t going to stop him! He refused to let his disability keep him down. 

“Jeremy? Wh-what are you doing here?”

“Skating! Duh, I got a day off and I was just chilling at the park. What are you doing here?” He asks, picking up his board and looking at the taller man in front of him. Was everyone a giant, or was he just extremely small? “Hi!” 

“H-hi?” 

Mike sighs, “Jeremy, this is Stanley, Stanley Jeremy.” He sweeps his hand between the two with a small smile on his lips. 

Stanley blinks and gives a quick nod snapping his fingers, “Oh! You’re the guy Mike works with. Uhhh the one with the bite?” 

Jeremy just laughs and lifts his bangs showing the massive bite scar  on his face. “That would be me! Nice to meet you.” He grins and leans forward a bit, “So how do you know Mike?”

Stanley looks a little uncomfortable, he rubs the back of his neck and Jeremy can see a thick scar peeking out of his sleeve. It almost seemed to shimmer in the afternoon light. “Uhh, well…” 

“Remember when I said I worked at Circus Baby’s Rental? He worked there too.” Mike immediately chimes in and Stanley looks grateful. 

“Oh nice! I heard that place was shutting down. Too many accidents apparently. Sucks, doesn't it.” 

Mike huffs, his thin brows narrowed slightly. “No, good riddance.” He says with full distaste in his tone. As if he hated the place. Jeremy never worked there so he wouldn’t know, but Stanley seems to agree. 

The blond just shrugs, tipping himself back and forth on the balls of his heels. He was like a hyperactive puppy compared to the two. “Anyways! You didn’t answer my question Mike, why are you here?” 

“I was taking a walk with Stanley.” Mike says simply and Jeremy wonders just what they were talking about. 

“Nice! Oh! Your first shift was a couple nights ago. How was it?” 

Mike shrugs, “It was fine actually. Scott helped with his recordings.” 

“Yeah…sucks that he just straight up disappeared. No one’s seen him. You know what I heard? He just dipped cuz of stress. Apparently the animatronics have been more nasty than usual. Banging on walls and shit.” 

Mike tilts his head quietly, pale lavender eyes scanning Jeremy for a moment. He could practically see the gears shifting in his head. “Scott’s missing? Right, he said he was going to be done after this week in the recording. Made sure that I knew everything before he left. Odd that he would just leave, especially since his week wasn’t over…” 

“Weird, hopefully the guy is okay.” Stanley muttered, he looked awkward no doubt because of the conversation he wasn’t really a part of. 

“Yeah, the guy was nice.” Jeremy frowns, “Anyways, do you guys want to get something to eat? There’s a nice little place not too far from here! My treat.” 

Stanley looks to Mike, who gives a small shrug. “I’m not too hungry, I should probably head back home. Got another shift tonight.” 

It’s almost like Mike gives a secret look because immediately Stanley nods, patting the taller male on the back. “Alright you stay safe. See you later man.” 

“Aw man Mike you’re no fun.” Jeremy pouts, getting a chuckle out of Mike. 

“So sorry. Some other time okay? I’ll see you two later.” 

Stanley nods, watching Mike give a short wave and turns to face Jeremy who is weirdly close, staring at him with one big blue eye. 

“How do you know Mike for real?” 

Jeremy watches as Stanley swallows thickly, “Uhh like Mike said, I used to be a guard at the rental place. I had a little…accident and Mike helped me out.” 

The blond pulls away, slightly narrowing his eye before he smiles. “Cool. I thought you two were cousins or something because I’ve never seen Mike close to anyone before.” 

“What? Nah I’m not related to him. But I getcha. He’s pretty closed off. It took a bit for him to actually tell me things.” 

Jeremy tilts his head, weird. Why wasn’t Mike close to him like this? Was…Stanley perhaps…his thrall? He leans a bit to the side staring at Stanley’s neck trying to see if he could spot any neck bites. Nope, nothing but tan skin. 

“You alright?” 

“Can I tell you something Stanley?” Jeremy’s voice is very calm, determined. His eye staring right at Stanley’s, blue meeting brown. 

Stanley swallows before giving a short nod, “Uhh sure?” 

“I think Mike’s a vampire.” 

“I’m sorry- what??” 

Jeremy takes a deep breath, “A vampire! I think Mike is a full blown vampire. He’s pale, he’s strong, he’s closed off, doesn’t eat! That all screams vampire! He is a certified vampire and I think he’s got you hypnotized!” 

Stanley just stares at him, his brows disappearing into his curly hair. “I think you're crazy.” Stanley says with a small awkward laugh. “You’re a funny guy Jeremy. I can see why Michael likes being around you.” 

Michael? Who called Mike, Michael? Weird! See vampire thrall. 

“I have proof, man! Seriously. How about this, we get food and I’ll prove it to you. I’ll pay for it and everything.” 

The big guy just stands there for a moment looking anywhere but at Jeremy. “Fine, I can’t say no to free food and I’m curious to see how you’re going to prove it to me.” 

Jeremy fist pumps in the air and grins widely, “Sweet! Let’s go Stan the Man!” 

“Don’t…call me that.” 

 

…

 

The place they went to was a nice little dinner. Jeremy was currently dipping his fries in ketchup while Stanley was listening to him ramble about. 

“Okay so the holy water was a bust, it just made him mad.” 

“Well yeah you flicked water on his face, I don’t think I’d be too happy either.” Stanley says as he takes a bite of his hamburger. “But vampire Jeremy? Seems a little bit out there…” 

Jeremy groans loudly, “I’m being serious! Why does he gotta change his name to Fritz?! I get cuz he got arrested but still. And tell me why when he’s on the security cameras they freak out! Vampire man. Vampire.” 

“He’s got a lot of issues, but being a vampire isn’t one of them. But I am pretty sure you might kill him with laughter if you told him that.” 

“Why do you know so much about him? What is your secret!” 

Stanley scratches at his stubble, “Trust me, it’s not something you’d want to go through. I mean…it’s complicated. He’s…he’s like a little brother to me now, and I care about him. One of these days he’ll open up to you, don’t give up on him. You know he talks about you often. So there’s something with that.” 

Jeremy blinks rapidly, “He does? Talk…about me?” He feels his face heat up just a bit before he shakes his head. “I….well I won’t give up. He went out of his way to go and talk to Mr. Emily and the man gave me a check for my injury. I owe him that much…” 

With a hum Stanley nods, “I getcha. We seem to be on the same team with this.” 

“Are you suggesting we form an alliance? A sort of…protect Mike Schimdt at all cost?” 

Stanley makes a face as if he’s confused for a moment but then something clicks and he gives a small ‘Ah’ noise. “Sure, someone’s got to after all. He’s done so much for us.” 

Jeremy thrusts his hand out to Stanley, making the man’s brows raise in surprise. “Perfect! Nice to meet you Stanley. Let’s take care of good ol’ Mike. Yeah?” 

Stanley reaches forward and gently shakes Jeremy’s hand. “Yeah. And maybe…layoff on the vampire stuff yeah?” 

“Never! I will prove it even if it kills me.” 

“Alright, but don’t be disappointed when it doesn’t come out the way you want it to…”

Notes:

Jeremy is so stupid but I love him. He’s an idiot your honor lol

Thank you all seriously for the amazing support. This community has been so much fun and I would love to hear from you in the comments and on my tumblr!!

Now we have some wonderful fanart for us all to see! As well as a great fanfic!

Birdie-ghost:
https://birdie-ghost.tumblr.com/post/677561689196150784/ah-yes-traditional-art-my-beloved-fanart-for

l-art-stuff-l:
https://l-art-stuff-l.tumblr.com/post/677560588501745664/helpy-and-his-absolute-dilf-of-a-dad-still

Saltyandsassy31:
https://saltyandsassy31.tumblr.com/post/677554296805556224/based-on-this-post-when-i-saw-that-post-this-was

The-bird-ghost-anon:
https://the-bird-ghost-anon.tumblr.com/post/677455401711730688/he-tired-inkspottie

Palladora:
https://palladora.tumblr.com/post/677289194922606592/i-love-birdie-ghost-s-gregory-fitz-afton-au-and

Voidsinol:
https://voidsinol.tumblr.com/post/677374810416922624/inkspottie-i-cant-wait-for-the-return-of-charlie

Exittotheheartscape:
https://exittotheartscape.tumblr.com/post/677036701410033664/some-more-sketches-for-inkspottie-s-story-its

And!! A lovely fanfic by my wonderful friend Gale! It’s beautiful and you should read it!
https://archiveofourown.org/works/37445443

Chapter 21: They Left You There to Die

Notes:

Wooo! Next chapter. You’re gonna be feeling emotional whiplash with this one. So sorry, actually no, not sorry. Suffer with me friends.

Anyways thank you all for your support, I love reading your comments, seeing your fanart, reading your asks! It fills me with such joy.

I love you all 💛✨

Enjoy!

Night Three. Things supposedly got a lot harder as the week progressed, but Michael hoped that making contact with the actual kids that dwelled in the animatronics he would not have as much trouble. 

He hoped at least. 

After telling Henry and Stanley about the kids they had suggested some things. So, instead of his usual duffel bag of things to deal with the animatronics he had something different in them. 

Stanley helped since he had a nephew after all. 

Pulling the bag off his neck he entered the room, making it look like he was ready for the day. He clicked the phone hearing Scott ramble on and on about things. 

Then he heard the click clank of feet. 

“I see you Foxy.” 

He shouts since Foxy was the only one with metal feet due to his condition. The poor thing wasn’t fixed up and made everything nice like the others. He didn’t find that fair. 

He can hear a shuddering noise and Foxy peers into the office, his golden eye a bright blue. “Mikey.” The fox’s voice is garbled and filled with static, meaning that the child was speaking to him. 

“That’s me,” Michael says, turning his chair to face the fox animatronic who steps in, staring at him. 

“Came back.” 

Michael nods, dipping his head, “I told you didn’t I? I’m staying here until they force me to leave. I want to help.” 

“Why?” 

That certainly was a loaded question. Why indeed. Because he wanted to fix what was broken? To stop his father? To at least help and try to make things right? 

“Because…I don’t want anyone to ever feel the way you and I have felt. To have life…just ripped away from you. It wasn’t fair, and if I can stop it, I will.” 

Lolbit stirs inside their shared space, he could practically hear the applause coming from the fox. 

“Plus, we Foxy’s need to stick together right?” Michael gives a wink, getting Foxy to give an odd smile, his hinged jaw creaking slightly. 

“Yes. Friends. Foxy friends.” 

He hears the child giggle through Foxy’s voice box. Michael moves to stand giving a small hum. “I have some things for you all, why don’t we meet everyone in the main room?” 

Foxy nods, and Michael follows him out to the main room. The stage was set with the main three, and Michael knew they would be active soon. He placed his duffle bag down onto the table, unzipping it quietly. 

“Mike!” Chica’s voice breaks through and he could see her twitch as she steps off stage. “Came back! Mike came back!” 

The little girl was squealing as she told the other animatronics who blinked and shifted, almost as if they were waking up. The children must have been resting during the day. The poor things. 

“I am here, nice to see you all.” Michael’s voice is gentle, calm. He does his best not to keep his eyes on Freddy, knowing the bear often made him freeze due to…well the bite. 

All he could see was the clamping of jaws and blood splattering out like a fountain. The sheer horror that entered his system and his father shouting at him. 

What have you done?! 

Michael clears his throat, feeling Lolbit try to push away the thoughts in his mind. Trying to get him back to the task at hand. 

“Mike.” Bonnie exclaims, stepping down from the stage, ears twitching and moving. “What that?” The animatronic lifts his hand to point to the bag. 

“It’s a surprise.” 

Chica gasps, “Surprise? Love surprises.” She whispers quietly and Michael can’t help but laugh. 

“Why look like that?” Freddy asks Michael and Michael lifts his head to glance at the brown bear. Brown, not yellow. Brown. 

He makes a noise, similar to an ‘Ah’ as he starts to dig through his bag, “Well I can’t walk around like you guys can. Lolbit and I have to be in disguise or else they’ll take me away. The cameras remember.” He points to one casually and the four glance up seeing the camera in the corner the red light flickering a bit. 

“Oh.” 

“Yep, but it’s okay. We aren’t ashamed of being like this, we just can’t walk around looking like a giant white fox.” 

The animatronics seem to understand now more interested in what Michael has in his hands. “I know you all haven’t had a lot of time to…well be happy. So I brought some things. To maybe make you feel better. Henry, the one…err who made the animatronics originally helped me out.” 

He places a few coloring books on a table along with crayons and other items that a kid would enjoy. Stanley and him had gone to the store and bought some cheap kids things for them to play with. 

“For us?” Bonnie whispers with wide eyes looking at all the things Michael had brought. 

“For you, we have all night. Enjoy.” Michael sweeps his hand showing all the things he had planned for them. Books, coloring pages, nothing super messy so he wouldn’t have to clean them up. But it was everything a child would want. 

Well he hoped considering that these were souls of children, that were in animatronics.

The large animatronics just stare at the stuff and Chica suddenly starts to shake, trembling and Michael immediately walks to the large chicken worriedly. “Chica?” 

“S-Susie. Name Susie. Not Chica.”

Michael blinks, looking at the animatronic seeing black fluid spilling out of her eyes. Crying. “Susie.” Michael says pulling out a handkerchief from the bag and quickly begins to wipe away the chicken’s face. “I’m sorry. Truly.” 

“Why nice? Why nice?” Bonnie whispers, and Michael feels his soul ache. He could tell that Lolbit was the same. The poor fox wanted nothing more than to scoop them all up and give them the mightiest of hugs. They didn’t deserve this fate. At all. 

Michael finished wiping the black tears from her eyes and looked to Bonnie, “You all deserve some kindness. Some moment to be happy. It’s been so long hasn’t it? I wish I could do more, but this is what I have.” 

“Thank you.” Freddy stated, he was the leader of the gang no doubt about it. Probably one of the older children, Susie and Bonnie seemed to be young. He didn’t know how old they were and honestly he didn’t want to know. 

He didn’t want to know what age his father preyed on. 

Coward. 

Lolbit seethed and Michael couldn’t help but agree. A coward indeed. Preying on the weak, the innocent who couldn’t fight back. William didn’t dare mess with adults it seemed, no doubt because he knew he couldn’t win a fight. 

Michael’s fist clenched and he took a deep breath, trying to calm himself for the sake of these kids. He didn’t need to bring back memories of his father’s rage because he was a mirror image of the man. 

“Anyways, this is for us to have fun. We don’t need to think about sad things.” Michael added after a small moment of silence. The animatronics nodded, he couldn’t help but feel a little bit of relief as the three began to look through the things he had provided. 

All except Foxy, which was okay because he had plans for the animatronic. 

“Foxy, hey come here.” He reached into the bottom of the duffle bag and pulled out some items. “Sit, sit.” He gestures for the fox to sit down on the chair he pulled out. 

The animatronic follows and quietly Michael begins to grab some tools. “So I told the creator of these animatronics that you haven’t had a good TLC moment and he provided some parts to kind of fix you up a bit. I’m no Henry, but I can definitely try to patch you up. Would that be okay?” 

“Fix Fritz?” Bonnie asks and Michael looks from the purple bunny to the fox. 

“Your name is Fritz?” Michael questions softly and the fox nods quietly. 

“A great name. I used that name to get in here. Looks like we were destined to be friends after all.” There’s a small moment before Michael smiles. Not too wide but enough to show that he was happy. 

Fitz’s ears wiggle as Michael pulls out some of the spare parts that Henry had donated to him. They’d be a different color, but he didn’t think it mattered since Foxy was out of order. 

Now you can’t sew this on them, probably better to use this glue. The casing should hold it together.  

He quietly begins to outline the piece of yellow casing with the special glue Henry had given him. 

“Alright, I’m going to stick this on your stomach so you won't look so damaged.” Michael instructs, “So you have to, you have to sit still!” 

He can’t help but laugh at Fritz’s metal legs jerking up and down. He doesn’t know if it’s because the animatronic is nervous or excited. “Relax, relax…” Michael croons, placing a free hand on Fritz’s leg to try and get him to stop bouncing about. 

And you said you were terrible with children

LolBit’s voice quipped and Michael rolled his eyes. He was a big brother, he knew how to deal with kids. After all, he had played parent for quite some time.

His smile is bittersweet as he gently places the casing on Fritz as the boy finally settles down. 

“Jeremy.” 

Michael lifts his head while he works, seeing Bonnie holding a marker and paper with its clunky animatronic hands.

“Jeremy…” 

“Is that your name?” 

Bonnie, no Jeremy, nods. “Used to be.” 

Michael frowns, feeling his heart clench. “A great name too!” He says as he holds down the part so it could seal properly. “I have a friend named Jeremy, he’s the blond one that comes in every now and then?” 

Jeremy’s eyelids lift, “Bite.” 

“Yeah, he’s the one Mangle bit, but he’s okay now. I swear nothing can keep that guy down. Not even a chomp to the face.” He chuckles quietly, getting the others to follow him. Their chuckles were wheezy and harsh, like they haven’t laughed in a long time. 

Lolbit feels sad about that. No child should be kept from laughing. Laughter was the best medicine after all. 

They would have to keep them happy then, just so they weren’t in a cursed existence. That was brought by his own father. 

He would fix this. 

“Gabriel.” 

Freddy speaks after a while, staring at Michael. “Gabriel….” 

“Gabriel, nice to meet you. You’re keeping them safe aren’t you? Since Charlie isn’t here?” 

The Freddy animatronic looks at him and nods his face looking stern. As stern as a big brown bear could look. He could tell that Gabriel was the leader of the pack. It made sense since Freddy was the leader of the gang anyways. He was the big bear in charge. 

His mind goes back to the small moment at the diner. Where Henry would walk around as Fredbear making that goofy voice of his. Bothering Charlie and Michael as they worked on their homework waiting for their fathers to finish their shifts. 

How he would try to act too cool for school with Henry, even though his Fredbear voice would never cease to make him laugh. 

“Make sure everyone safe. From him.” 

Him. Right. 

“That’s something I can get behind. You keep them safe Gabriel. Don’t let him hurt you again. I’ll be here to make sure it doesn’t happen.” Michael promises, he would not let his father slink around and mess with them again. 

He knew the man would come back, he always did. Slinking around in the shadows. Like a rat. He would come back for their remnant and Michael would be waiting. 

It wouldn’t happen again. 

Gabriel nods and Susie looks up to them both, “Play a song?” 

Michael lifts his hands from the casing, hitting it quietly with his knuckle. It thudded quietly, and didn’t seem to budge. “There we go, now let’s work on those arms.” He muttered quietly as Freddy suddenly starts to play a little tune, he assumed this was Gabriel’s doing. 

Susie begins to hum along and Jeremy follows. Michael glances over seeing the chicken animatronic on the floor, scribbling on the large papers Michael had brought. The bunny was on the floor swaying back and forth while the bear was sitting on the edge of the stage, swinging it’s feet. 

They looked like children at this moment. He couldn’t help but smile. 

He quietly fixed up Foxy, making sure he was all taken care of because apparently no one cared about him. A damn shame. 

It doesn’t take him long until Foxy looks somewhat better. The patches were obvious but he wasn’t creaking and groaning with every step. Fritz seemed happy with that, his ears wiggling about and he was pretty sure if he wasn’t in disguise Michael would be doing the same. 

He helps them color and draw, the animatronics marveling at him drawing them. 

“Had curly hair. Blond.” Susie whispers with a small sigh. “Mommy got me a pretty bow…” 

“My sister used to have one. It was red, she always wore it.” Michael says quietly, as he sketched with the animatronics all around him. “She had my grandmum’s hair, but it was curly like Mum’s.” 

“She nice?” Jeremy asks and Michael chuckles. 

“She was a brat, but…I loved her. She always knew a way to make me smile. We would have tea parties and I remember…she did something so silly that I snorted out the tea she made us. It was a mess but we didn’t care…” 

He smiles nostalgic of the times before everything went to shit. 

“Had a brother.” Gabriel whispers and Michael hums. “Bit like you.” 

“Yeah?” Michael asks looking over his shoulder, “Was he a jerk?” He couldn’t help but laugh at hearing Freddy’s signature laugh echo the room. 

“Yeah.” 

This makes Michael bark out a laugh, his whole body shaking as he laughs. His head throws back and the animatronics just stare at him while he grips the table to keep himself from falling backwards. Lolbit is in tears and Michael can’t stop himself. 

It’s not until Jeremy smacks him in the back with a loud thunk that he gasps for air. He shudders, shaking his head, “Sorry, that’s the animatronic in me.” He says with a wheeze, while Lolbit seems to still be on the floor laughing. 

“Laugh funny.” 

“I know it’s awful. I hate it.” Michael mutters pushing away the pout that he can feel in the back of his mind. He never liked his laugh, but apparently Lolbit thought it was endearing considering the amount of times he made him laugh. 

“Nice. I like. Make you look not so scary.” Susie adds and Michael gives a small huff. 

Right, he probably looked just like William to them. 

Smile a little bit more Mikey. 

Michael just pushes that away and continues back to drawing. 

“Mike!! Mike!” 

He lifts his head seeing Bonnie pulling out a book. The book is worn and a bit faded, but he immediately recognizes it. 

It’s the book Henry used to read to Charlie and him. The one Charlie demanded every night whenever they slept over. All of them huddled up in her room as Henry would pull out the different voices for each character. 

“Read?” 

Michael takes the book quietly, looking at the cover. His fingers gentle against the book. “Where the wild things are? Yeah, I can read it to you…” 

He glanced at the clock, geez time seemed to be zipping by. He supposed he had time to read it. Charlie probably would have enjoyed this.

Moving a bit so he’s facing the animatronics he clears his throat and begins to read the lines. Imagining himself back in Charlie’s room. With Evan leaning against him, Elizabeth settling next to Charlie and them all just listened intently to Henry as he read. 

Why couldn’t he go back to that time? Where everything was good? Where everything was okay? He would take the hits and shouting if it meant being with his family. 

He missed them so much. 

It takes everything he has in him to not openly sob in front of these children. Holding back tears as he read the story to them, it’s not until he’s finished that the animatronics suddenly lift themselves up. 

“Almost time to sleep..” Gabriel whispers and Michael nods, right it was getting to be the end of his shift. He reaches down and picks everything up that the animatronics have been playing with, shoving them back into the bag. 

“Michael.” Freddy calls and Michael turns his head. “Going to protect. Make sure he doesn’t come. Won’t let them.” 

Michael hums, patting Freddy on the shoulder. “Do what you can, but try not to kill any of the good people okay? Be careful.” 

Gabriel nods, and then steps back on stage. 6 AM. Time to head home. 

Immediately when he got home he gave Henry the biggest hug and just about sobbed into his shoulder for how much he missed his family. 

But thank God, thank God he had Henry with him. 

 

End of Night Three

Scott is missing. 

Jeremy had told him when he was briefing Stanley about what happened on the last shift. Jeremy was acting odd, but the more concerning matter was Scott. Scott had most of his messages pre-recorded so Michael wouldn’t know if the guy just disappeared. He hadn’t seen Scott since their little orientation when the pizzeria had opened.

Scott was going to go and work at another Fazbear establishment as a manager, he remembers the guy had told him when he had the orientation. A week ago was his last week. Scott had mentioned it on the first call. 

And then Michael would be working as the sole night guard. 

But he was missing for a whole week now. 

Jeremy said he just dipped because of stress, but Michael knew better. Lolbit did too. They had this sinking feeling, especially after Gabriel had told him he would protect the animatronics. 

Please…please don’t let anything happen to him. 

Entering his fourth night shift, he carried the duffle bag of things finding the air was different today. Perhaps it was just him with the whole Scott thing. Why wasn’t anyone worried about it? Even Jeremy seemed to just accept that Scott was gone. 

Really the guy who had been through the same thing Michael and Jeremy had would just up and leave? 

It didn’t make sense. 

He drops his bag down into the office, seeing the phone blinking quietly. Another message. He stares at the blinking red light. He stood there for a moment before reaching for the phone. 

Lolbit feels uneasy and Michael doesn’t blame him. Something told him that they might find out what happened to Scott in this message. A man like Scott wouldn’t just up and leave his post. 

“Here goes nothing.” 

With a click he lifts the phone to his ear, or what would be his ear in the illusion. He hears Scott’s voice and smiles quietly when the man congratulates him for getting this far. He appreciated it. 

But then the mood suddenly takes a turn. 

“Uh, hey, listen... I may not be around to send you a message tomorrow.” Scott’s voice is shaking, and Michael can hear banging on the door. The animatronics. 

“It’s, it’s been a bad night here. For me. Umm... I-I’m kinda glad that I recorded my messages for you…when I did…” Michael grips the phone so hard he can hear the crackling of plastic, his other hand threaded in the spiral cord clutching it like a woman with her pearls. 

Scott clears his throat, a wheeze leaving his mouth as he speaks, “Uh hey, do me a favor: Uh, maybe sometime, uh, you could check inside those suits? Uh, in the back room? Uh, I'm gonna try to hold out... until someone... checks. Maybe it won’t be so bad. I-I-I-I always wondered what was in all those empty heads... back there—”

Michael stands up immediately, hearing the tell tale Freddy song that Gabriel had played the other night. No. No no no. 

Gabriel what have you done? 

I will protect them. No matter what.  

He doesn’t hear the rest of the message, rushing out of the office and into the back room. He doesn’t acknowledge the animatronics making their way towards him. The door clicks as Michael jiggles the doorknob. It was locked. Why was it locked?! 

Michael gives out a yell and with a swing of his arm he rips open the door with the help of LolBit’s strength. 

What he sees, it’s horrific. Blood smeared all over the room, like someone had been dragged in. And then the suit sitting on the table. Blood was dried all over the spare animatronic suit. He could see the remains of a human, a human who had been shoved into a suit. 

Scott. Oh God Scott. 

He had been here this whole week. How-how did they not know?! How could anyone not smell this? Michael knew the smell, it haunted his dreams. The smell of iron, and the rot. God how did you not notice someone was rotting in here?! 

Michael just falls to his knees, his eyes wide at the eyeballs popping out of the dead suit.

“‘Michael?” Jeremy’s voice whispers and he doesn’t look at them. 

“What have you done…what have you done?” Michael murmured, his hand hovering over the dead body shoved into an endoskeleton. 

“Bad guy.” Gabriel whispered and Michael whips his head towards him, his eyes wide. 

“N…no! He wasn’t- he wasn’t him! That wasn’t William Afton! His name was Scott!” Michael’s voice is deadly still, looking at him with black tears falling down his face. “He was just a security guard. Why…why did you do this?” 

Gabriel just stands there, the other three stepping back not quite sure what was happening. “No…bad guy. He…he-…bad guy Michael.” 

Lolbit gives out a low whine, Gabriel didn’t know any better. They were just children. Just like their siblings. They wanted vengeance for the person who harmed them, and couldn't tell in their own rage. Attacking anyone who remotely reminded of their abuser. 

Michael doesn’t shout, he doesn’t scream at how wrong this was. How you couldn’t kill innocents. He could see the horror on Gabriel’s face, on Freddy’s face. He didn’t mean to, he was just a kid. He thought he was doing what was right. 

“He wasn’t Gabriel. He was a friend..” Michael didn't stand, just stared at the floor. “He had family, friends. You…you can’t do this. You can’t keep killing people like this.” 

He looked up at Gabriel, his illusion flickering, shuddering as black tears splattered onto the floor. “You don’t want to be just like him.” 

Was it a low blow? Perhaps. But they needed to know, that this? This wasn’t okay. Killing didn’t make you feel better. Revenge and vengeance didn’t stop the pain. It didn’t heal the scars. It wouldn’t bring them back to life. It wouldn’t stop William from killing. 

Gabriel takes a step back, and a noise escapes him. It sounds like a garbled cry. A stuttering sob. “No…no…” Gabriel whispers and Michael just looks at him watching the animatronic shake and tremble. 

“Gabriel, Gabriel.” Michael stands and moves towards Freddy. He couldn’t say that this was fine, because it wasn’t. Killing anyone, especially innocent lives, was not the right answer. “I know you want to protect them, I know. But this, this isn’t the answer. It never is.” 

“Didn’t mean…thought thought it was-”

Michael sighs and nods, “You thought it was him. And I understand, he’s an evil man, but killing…he deserves a terrible death. I won’t say that I don’t wish that upon him. But your anger blinded your judgment and you killed an innocent man.” 

“Want to go home, want to go home Mike.”

His gut twists into knots and he feels like he’s about to collapse from the pain Gabriel is in from this. 

“I know. I wish I could, I wish I could send you home. But I need you to promise me, promise me Gabriel that you and the others will stop this. Stop the killing. I know you’ve hurt others thinking it was him.” 

There’s silence before Freddy’s head moves. “Promise…” 

Mike sighs quietly, “I need to clean this up, so just…do what you do for the rest of the shift.” It’ll be their punishment, he would not interact with them. He was angry at them, so angry, but he couldn’t lash out. He just saw Evan’s frightened face when he thought about it. 

Gabriel just stands there, staring at Michael. As if he doesn’t know what to do. “Please Gabriel. Get out of here. Please.” He didn’t want to shout, he didn’t want to scream.

How was he going to tell Wally about this? This man was dead, there was no doubt about it. 

And he wasn’t inhabiting the suit. Lolbit could confirm it, there was no remnant in sight. 

He hears the clank clank of the large animatronic finally leaving, and Michael falls to the floor, the door shutting behind him with a thud. 

His vision is static and his disc is screaming at him from the sudden influx of emotions. The sudden wave of pain and horror. That an innocent man had died and he just let it happen! He didn’t check the back, it was obvious this man was gone for a whole week and no one even checked! 

He should have…

Michael feels like he’s drowning. This black ichor rose up and he was being dragged down to the depths below. Unable to stop the tide of raging emotions. 

Useless, useless! 

His father screamed in his ear, cackling like a madman. 

Such a useless child. 

He can feel Lolbit trying to grab him, he was suffocating. He couldn’t breathe! He was trapped! Someone let him out, someone please! 

Suddenly the world is black and metal hands grip at him, yanking him out of the inky pool under his feet. 

He doesn’t hear what’s happening, just that he’s coughing. Sobbing out incoherent words, as this thing holds him tightly. 

“Shh don’t cry Mikey. I’m here. I’m here.”

It’s Lolbit. 

He’s back in the abyss that is their mindscape, their soul room or whatever you want to call it. Lolbit is crouched down holding his face with gentle hands. They’re cold, but it’s grounding him. Giving him something to focus on. 

“It’s my fault, it's all my fault.” Michael whispers, his voice is different, higher, softer.

“Mikey no, you can’t blame yourself for that sweetheart. We couldn’t have stopped this, we couldn’t have known.” 

Michael pulls his head away, realizing how tall Lolbit is. They’re towering over him, and he looks down at his hands finding them to be small, covered in bandages. 

“Wh-”

“It’s your subconscious Mikey, you think yourself small and useless so your mind supplies your form just as that.” LolBit’s voice is quieter than usual. Their sunshine personality is dampened, and the mindscape reflects that. It’s drab and dark like a stormy day. He could practically hear the rain in the background. 

A useless child. That’s what he was.

He can’t hold back the tears and he lets out a sob, his hands covering his face as he cries. He feels Lolbit grab his hands, and Michael flinches. The fox pauses before gently wrapping their arms around Michael. 

“It’s okay to cry, sometimes crying is just as good as laughing. Let it all out Mikey. No one here but me and you.” 

And that’s what Michael does. He sobs and cries with Lolbit holding him gently, rubbing his back up and down. Lolbit had been watching, they took note of every moment of comfort for Michael, just in case this sort of moment happened. 

They would regret it later, since it took massive energy to pull Michael into this space. But he needed it. Lolbit would give up their coding just so Micheal could live on. They were determined to keep Michael safe, happy. 

“We could not have stopped this. You can not blame yourself for this.” 

Since when was everyone so mature? Why did he feel like he was the only one who had these moments? These breakdowns. He was supposed to be an adult. He was supposed to take care of others, but why couldn’t he take care of himself? 

He breathes in sharply pulling away from Lolbit, completely embarrassed that an animatronic fox was helping him. Lolbit of all people. 

He appreciated it, but he felt silly. 

“What are we even going to do? I don’t know what to do. Scott…God Scott.” He closes his eyes, seeing the image of Scott’s body shoved into the endoskeleton. 

Just like his father had done to those kids. 

God, he didn’t want to imagine the person who discovered that. Discovered the dead mangled corpses shoved into the chassis of these animatronics. 

It would forever be burned into his mind. 

“Chin up Mikey! Up up!” Lolbit lifts his chin to look at the fox. “We got this! Another hurdle to jump over. We can figure this out, and never let this happen again! We’ll find your father and deal him with proper justice!” 

Lolbit just beams and Michael doesn’t know how they can keep their sunny disposition. How anyone could in their situation. 

“Smile, Mikey. We can get through this. I can’t hold you here much longer so let’s get back to it.” 

Michael doesn’t get to answer when Lolbit just picks him up by his armpits and dunks him to the ground. He shouts as he falls through the layers of murky sludge and shoots back into his body. 

He pants heavily, seeing the stained fingers of his hands with a sigh. 

“Thanks Lolbit.” He muttered standing up, and walked out of the back room and headed into the office. He would have to call Wally, to make sure that he knew what happened to Scott. It was too late, who should he even call? The police. 

Yeah probably. 

He looks at the time, geez Lolbit took long enough. He felt bad for thinking that, but he didn’t know exactly what to do. 

Police would be the best option because then he wouldn’t be suspicious for cleaning everything up and then being like oh you know, found a dead body thought I’d pick it up and clean the place. 

He sighs and picks up the phone calling 911. 

“Yes, hello? I’m a night guard at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria…yes, well I found something while I was working my rounds. No, no…it’s a body. Yeah. Stuffed in the suit. The door had been locked so I- it’s still there. Yes. No, I didn't touch anything. Yes. Okay.” 

He set the phone down and took a deep breath. Well, the police were coming. And hopefully he did the right thing. 

Or else he would haul ass out of there and call Wally later. 

Notes:

Dun dun dunnnnn!!

I decided to split Night four because I worried that it would drag on and I’m just a paranoid child who freaks out on things. So haha sorry for the cliffhanger. Perhaps we will meet a certain detective… hmmm?

Anyways! Fanart time!

Muffinb:
https://muffinb.tumblr.com/post/677925487858827264/obsessed-with-their-little-outfits-in

https://inkspottie.tumblr.com/post/677822384641835008/leaked-scene-from-chapter-21-j

https://inkspottie.tumblr.com/post/677762955466637312/okay-so-you-gave-us-no-info-about-her-but-im-just

https://muffinb.tumblr.com/post/677677907378864128/holds-inkspottie-s-jeremy-he-is-such-a-good

https://inkspottie.tumblr.com/post/677669698801909760/i-just-had-the-mental-image-of-mike-falling-on-his

Salilaoceania:
https://salilaoceania.tumblr.com/post/677648017771380736/fanart-for-inkspottie-s-laughing-at-tragedy

The-Verbatim:
https://the-verbatim.tumblr.com/post/677715353362644992/some-doodles-the-fourth-one-is-an-au-by

Animatronicinnard:
https://animatronicinnard.tumblr.com/post/677712528634216448/inkspottie-sigh-im-having-laughing-at-tragedy

Voidsinol:
https://voidsinol.tumblr.com/post/677746408007352320/inkspottie-thats-your-faultthis-is-what-you-get

l-art-stuff-l:
https://inkspottie.tumblr.com/post/677818663878967296/a-ahh-indeed

Queenghostieart:
https://inkspottie.tumblr.com/post/677837842418958336/did-a-little-micheal-warm-up-sketch-thought-you

Killapunchaw:
https://killapunchaw.tumblr.com/post/677906466675523585/a-art-dump-that-i-made-in-the-span-of-2-days-for

Until Next time friends!!

Chapter 22: We’re Poor Little Souls

Notes:

Hehehe glad you all enjoyed that last chapter. A moment of silence for poor Scott…

ANYWAYS more emotional damage coming your way!

Enjoy!!

Michael was pacing back and forth in the office. He could hear the animatronics moving about and Michael hoped they wouldn’t do anything stupid. He didn’t know if he could handle one more stunt from them right now. It took every ounce of him not to just start screaming and breaking things. 

His anger was violent, much like his father’s. The many times the boy had broken his things because he was angry. Or the amount of times he had to dodge flying objects from his father as they would have a shouting match. Michael didn’t know when to back down when he was a kid, and would constantly contest his father until one of them stomped off. 

Henry said he got his stubbornness from his mum, the only person who ever stood up to William and his bullshit. 

It always made him beam with pride when someone would say he got that from his mother. So often people would compare him to his father, so it was always a treat when he would hear he was like his mum. 

He shook himself out of his memories, wondering how long it was going to take for the police to come. He really didn’t want to deal with this, but he didn’t want to be more suspicious than he already was. 

Lolbit is quiet, and Mike knows it because they had conversed. He knew it took a lot of energy for them to do something like that, so no doubt the fox was in a deep slumber to get their energy back. 

He would be on his own for that, which meant he wouldn’t be laughing like a maniac around the police officers. 

Maybe that was a good thing.

His foot taps against the tile as he watches the camera. The animatronics suddenly are still, they just sit on the stage eerily. Maybe Gabriel had said something to keep them quiet. 

He felt bad for treating Gabriel like that, but killing Scott was not okay. It was not the answer to this all. Even if he had thought that Scott was William, there should not even have been a remote thought of killing. 

Though he deserved a fiery death, or something worse. He refused to be like him. Karma would bite him in the ass, Micheal was sure of it. 

It takes a bit, but eventually he hears the knocking at the front door and Michael stands up, making sure his illusion disc is working properly and heads to the entrance. With a click he unlocks the door and sees three men before him. They all looked surprised at the tall man standing before them. 

“You the one who called?” One asks and Michael nods. 

“Fritz Smith,” He introduces himself, stepping out of the way so the three could enter. 

“Detective Larson, this is Officer Dunn, and Officer Lawrence,” The tallest of the three says firmly, he’s blond with wavy hair and blue eyes, a hint of freckling on the bridge of his nose. 

“Pleasure.” Michael says as Larson reaches to shake his hand. Michael shakes it and then looks down the hall seeing the animatronics still as stone. Good please do not move when these people are here. 

The three glance around and then Larson turns to him, eyes narrowed slightly. “Do I know you from somewhere?” 

Michael freezes feeling his blood run cold. He never saw this guy before, hopefully they didn’t have some sort of file on him. And there was no way the illusion disc would let them see him as Michael. “N..no I don’t think so?”

Larson just stares at him, “Your face seems familiar, though I can’t explain how or why.” 

“I…uhh get that a lot.” 

The detective hums quietly before he glances around, “Where did you find the body?”

Michael swallows, though he doesn’t really need to, regaining his posture as he looks to the detective. The back room, it’s where we keep the spare suits and parts. I was just entering my shift and I was doing the usual rounds and…” He makes a gesture for them to follow him traveling through the main party room. 

“Freaky.” The one that was introduced as Officer Dunn mutters as he looks up at the animatronics. “I would never take my kids to a place like this.” 

Michael just snorts at that, not saying anything else. Yeah probably not a good idea to bring your kids to this establishment. 

“Why is the door off its hinges?” 

“I…well it was locked and I accidentally pulled too hard. This place is just..it’s old.” He says with a shrug, and Detective Larson just raises a brow at him. No doubt he was wondering how a thin guy like Michael was able to pull a door off its hinges like this. 

Michael steps into the room allowing the others to follow and immediately they all put their hands to their faces. 

“Good God!” Lawrence says, making a gagging noise. “This reeks!” 

“We had a security guard missing for a week, I think…I think this might be him. I don’t know how we missed him, but…” 

“Jesus..” Dunn mutters as Larson steps forward looking at the body. “Who would have done such a thing?” 

Animatronics with dead kids inside of them. 

Michael doesn’t look at the spare suit, his hand to his mouth to mimic that he couldn’t handle the smell. He didn’t need to have one of the officers get suspicious due to him not being able to smell. He’s lucky he doesn’t have any organs or he probably would have vomited right then and there.

Detective Larson turns to him and pulls out a notebook, “While they’re working on this, I’d like to ask a few questions if you don’t mind.” 

The taller boy feels a burst of anxiety, he didn’t like the police. Especially since he got arrested, and none of them could ever find William after he did his little killing spree. But he couldn’t say no, for that would get this detective to immediately think something was up. 

“Sure.” He says after a beat, stepping outside and following Larson down the hall. 

“Alright Fritz was it?” Michael nods quietly, “What time did you arrive on your shift?” 

“12 am.” 

“And when did you discover the body?”

“I’d say….12:15? I don’t remember exactly. I was just walking down and noticed the smell, and I got suspicious and thought maybe something was spilled and you know with animatronics you can’t have that sort of thing around here…” 

Larson is writing things down quietly, listening to every detail. “And you noticed the door was locked?”

“Yeah I kind of panicked, I heard about Scott, the security guard had been missing and…I just had this awful feeling….”

“Understandable, he was your friend I assume?” 

Michael nods, “We used to work together in another location, so I knew him for a while. It didn’t seem logical for him to just leave like everyone had said. And then I found…that.” 

Larson rubs his chin, scratching the light stubble with a small noise. It was obvious the man was thinking. Michael was being as honest as he could, he knew who the culprit was, he just couldn’t tell them. Would they truly believe that an animatronic had done that? 

“I see, I can’t imagine how you must have felt discovering this. But we will find out who did this, don’t you worry. How long is your shift?” 

“Until six am.” 

“Pretty close then, well kid we will take it from here. I suggest you call your boss and get him down here. I’m glad you called us.”

“This has happened before, hasn't it?” Michael prods, wondering just how much they knew. Larson seemed perplexed and perhaps he knew something that Michael didn’t. Well he highly doubted it, but it didn’t hurt to check. 

Larson sighs quietly, “I’m sure you’ve heard the rumors by now. But a while back there was a case like this. Kids missing, animatronics having dead bodies inside. It wasn’t pretty and we never found the culprit. And now this happens…” 

Michael rubs his arm looking at the man, “Geez. Yeah I mean I heard about it but I never really thought…I always assumed it was some sort of urban legend.” He’s lying through his teeth but he didn’t need Larson on his tail. He holds back a snort at the pun, glad that Lolbit was dormant at the moment so he didn’t burst into full blown laughter. 

“It happened alright, but I suggest you don’t worry about it. A kid like you doesn’t need to be dealing with this sort of thing. We’ll handle it, and it looks like your shift is just about to end.” Larson glances at his watch and Michael nods. 

Yeah he wanted to get the hell out of here anyways. 

“Right, well..I’ll contact Wally, the manager and make sure he knows about all this. Thank you for coming at such an hour I-I.” 

Larson pats his shoulder, his brows furrowed slightly when he does so. “Don’t worry kid, clock off and get some rest. We appreciate you calling us.” 

He nods and gives a small dip to his head before turning his heel and heading out of the office. Immediately he goes and calls Wally, doing his best to tell him about Scott and the police. Wally was just about shouting in his ear in complete horror of everything, saying Michael could go home and he would be right over. 

Looks like Freddy’s would be closed for the day. 

Michael places the phone down before Wally asks him to come back the next shift since he was the only night guard they had. Michael didn’t mind, but he knew he would have to deal with the animatronics. 

He especially would have to talk to Gabriel. 

He hoped Scott was in a better place. 

 

End of Night Four 

 

He didn’t want to be here. Michael truly did not want to come back. He didn’t want to even be near the animatronics in fear he might do something stupid. Henry had been in pure shock when Michael came back and just sobbed at him. The second time he had done it, and he was getting tired of crying. 

Guess he really was the crybaby Afton. 

Henry had been there for him and it made him realize…no one was there for those kids. They had just realized they hurt an innocent man, and no one was there to console them. It was wrong, and they deserved to be punished, but they were kids. 

Kids that didn’t know any better. Kids who had their life ripped away from them. Snuffed out like a candle. Not to mention stuck in a terrible existence where they could not rest and forever was in pain. 

An existence he knew all too well. 

Michael couldn’t, he couldn’t give up on them. Perhaps if he could just…be there they could move away from their murderous ideals.

He just could only imagine Evan being in this situation. Being scared and alone, angry and hurting. How he must feel…

How these children must feel. 

So he wouldn’t give up. 

His hand hovers over the door, no doubt Wally got this place all cleaned up so he didn’t have to see the carnage of the place. It had been closed for today but they still needed a night guard. 

And that said night guard was him. 

Lolbit gives a thrum of encouragement now that they’re back in working order. It seemed the fox had more faith in him than he did himself. With a small breath he grips the handle and unlocks the door opening it quietly. 

He didn’t bring a bag this time, at the moment he thought he was going to give them the silent treatment, and not allow them to have fun. But…he knew that wasn’t a good idea. 

How many times did it work with him? 

It just made him angrier. 

His footsteps seem to be louder today, like he’s more aware or that the silence of the place is more thick than usual. He goes to the office to clock in and do his thing, noticing the blinking of the phone. 

Did…how? 

Quietly Michael reaches for the phone, tapping on the button and immediately pulls away once hearing metallic whining and screeching. 

“Fuck!” Michael hissed before he hears something between the static. 

Thank….you…

Then it cuts and Michael just sits there, stunned while holding the phone in his hand. It was as if this was Scott’s final message to him. A final goodbye. A thank you for finding his body, setting him free. 

Michael didn’t know but it sounded like Scott did not have any regrets, any ways to tie himself down to this plane. Any reason to stay. 

He was free, unlike the rest of them. 

“See ya around Scott.” Michael whispers before he places the phone back down. He leans over on his chair, his arms on his thighs as he gives a small sigh, head dipped into his collarbone. Or what would be. 

The warm settles around him like a blanket and he could tell it’s Lolbit trying to give him their odd version of a hug. He appreciated it. He didn’t like seeing more deaths, especially ones he could have prevented. 

But he couldn’t stay stuck here in the past, it would just make things worse for himself. 

He looks up seeing Foxy peering in the corner, his eye a bright blue leaning Fritz was out. “Mike..” He whispered as if he was in trouble, his body hunched over and Michael immediately felt bad. 

It looked too sad and it was pulling on his heartstrings. He could practically see the kids puppy dog eyes through the Foxy animatronic. 

“Hey Fritz.” 

“Know I am in trouble…but..something wrong. With Gabriel.” 

Michael lifts his chin a bit, and he looks at Fritz with a slight concerned look. “Something wrong? How…wrong?” 

“Not talking, just…blank. Scary.” 

Mike stands up and he takes a deep breath. That couldn’t be good. He didn’t mean for Gabriel to get like that. He just wanted them to know that killing wasn’t okay. 

“Okay, can you…take me to him?” 

Fritz nods and quietly hesitantly reaches for Mike’s hand. Michael allows it, suddenly feeling the cold hand touch his. He could practically feel the little hand touching his, like how it was with Evan when they were in the house that Evan made. 

He lets Fritz guide him to the main room, seeing Bonnie and Chica who look concerned. Blue and green eyes look to him, as if they’re in trouble as well. He felt awful, but he knew it had to be done. 

Fritz leads him to Pirate Cove and Freddy is sitting on the stage, looking down and powered off. 

“Gabriel?” Fritz calls out and Freddy doesn’t move, it’s just slumped over, like Fredbear was. It was an eerie sight. 

“I got it from here Fritz, thanks.” Michael gives a small squeeze to Fritz’s hand and the fox nods, taking a step back and rushes out of the room. 

Michael stands there awkwardly before he hesitantly sits next to the slumped over Freddy. “Hey Gabriel it’s me, Michael.” He says quietly looking at his hands, he takes a deep breath before glancing up at the ceiling. Geez this place needed some help. There were leaks everywhere and the whole place just looked like it was about to crumble. 

“I just want to say, I’m sorry. I’m sorry Gabriel. I’m sorry you have to deal with this. That you even have to be here stuck in this…machine. Taking care of kids when you don’t need to. I appreciate you stepping up while Charlie is away. It’s very brave of you.” 

Michael flicks his eye towards the slumped over bear seeing no activity so he continues. 

“I can’t imagine what you’ve all been through. The pain you’ve suffered. I…I know it’s terrible. Being stuck here and unable to move on. I wish I could help, I wish I could pull you all away from this.” He sighs quietly clenching his fist. 

“I hurt someone innocent too. Someone I cared for. I…I was foolish. And an asshole. And he got hurt because of it.” Michael whispered, feeling his emotions start to bubble up within him. “I didn’t mean to do it, I just wanted to scare him. Because he was my…” 

“He was my little brother and I thought maybe, if I showed him that the stupid bear wasn’t going to kill him that maybe he’d stop crying so much.” He remembers the day like it was yesterday. Lifting his little brother up with his friends and forcing him into the mouth of Fredbear.

“What happened?” Gabriel’s voice whispers through the tinny animatronic. Soft and warbling like he had just been crying. 

“He died.” Michael whispered looking at the floor. “I was stupid, and I forced my own brother into the mouth of Fredbear and it clamped down on him. Broke his skull. He didn’t make it.” 

“And it was all my fault.” 

He looks over to see Freddy, his eyes now a deep brown wide and unsure about the story. 

“You reminded me of that moment. How scared I was. How awful I felt. It haunts me to this day, something I could never take back. I regret it even now, being dead and all. The amount of times my chest aches seeing my little brother stuck in the bear that killed him, forced to stay in this plane and share it with another person.” 

Michael sighs, “What I’m trying to say is that, we make mistakes and sometimes they’re horrible ones. Ones that cause massive damage to our lives, to others. What you did, was terrible. It wasn’t okay, and I can’t say that everything will be fine. But what I can say, is that if you don’t do it again, you’ll never feel this way. Ever.” 

Gabriel looks to him and his eyes are filled with dark tears spilling down his face and onto the stage. “I didn’t mean to Mike, something-something..”

Mike nods, moving so he is facing Gabriel, “I know. I know this remant inside you can corrupt, it can shift and want to spread your agony onto others. You’re in pain and you want others to feel it. I’m sorry that such things are burning inside you.” 

“But you can’t do that. Not any more. You can’t be like him. Killing people. A good man once told me that vengeance is a fool's game. It doesn’t make you feel better. Did you feel better when you killed him? Even thinking that was William?” 

Gabriel pauses before he shakes his head, the animatronic head dipping into its chest, ears drooping a bit. He looks sad and Michael hesitantly places a hand on his back, feeling the same sensation he felt with Fritz. 

His remnant was reaching out to them, was that it?  He didn’t know. Nothing made sense anymore. He was attached to a fox animatronic with a laughing problem, talking to one of his father’s victims who was attached to an animatronic bear. 

So logic was pretty much thrown out the window for this. 

“Hurting others never makes you feel better. Trust me, I know.” How many times did he torture Evan thinking that maybe he would feel something? That he would feel good about himself after being yelled at or thrown around. 

It didn’t. It just made things worse. 

“I’m sorry Mike.”

“I know, I know you are.” Michael whispers, giving a small smile, “I can’t excuse your actions, but showing remorse is the first step.” That’s what Henry told him, that they weren’t too far gone. If they felt sorrow and remorse for what they have done, then it meant perhaps they wouldn’t do it again. 

“Won’t do it again. Won’t…wont..” 

Freddy leans towards him, and Michael just pats him on the back. “It’s okay. Just let it out. Crying is okay. We can figure things out.” 

Suddenly the large brown arms yank Michael into a hug, and Michael gives a surprised noise, almost like a squeak. “H-hey it’s okay big guy.” He says awkwardly, giving the boy a small pat every now and then while the hulking animatronic sobbed into his shoulder. 

Great now he was going to get goopy oil all over him. But he didn’t care. 

This kid needed a hug right now and he was going to provide it. 

“Gabriel okay?” 

Michael lifts his head peering through the large arms seeing Susie, Jeremy, and Fritz leaning into the doorway looking at them worriedly. “I think so, it’s all good, big guy.” He says patting Gabriel once more as if to say okay, you can let go now. 

Gabriel gets the message and he releases Michael who gives a small smile to the large bear beside him. “Alright let’s get on up.” He lifts himself off the stage and lands gracefully thanks to Lolbit, holding a hand out for Gabriel. 

He felt better now, and he hoped Gabriel did too. 

“Good…big brother Mike.” Gabriel whispers and Mike freezes for a moment. His eyes wide. He can’t help but give a smile, doing his best not to cry at that. God how much of a baby was he now? Just hearing someone say he was a good brother made him want to sob. He really needed to get a hold of himself.

Lolbit gives a whisper of confirmation that he was a good brother and Michael just shoves them gently to the side not needing another reason to just openly sob in front of these dead kids. 

“Thanks kid.” He whispers as Gabriel stands and all the others stomp into the room all cautious-like. 

“Okay now? Doing better?” Susie asks worriedly, looking at Gabriel and Gabriel nods. 

“He’ll be okay. But we need a talk about what happened. With Scott. I need you all to promise me, really promise me that you won’t hurt anyone else. Especially nightguards.” He had his hands on his hips, doing his best big brother voice he could muster. “It’s not going to help you, and it certainly won’t make you feel better.” 

“Yes, makes you feel bad..” Gabriel agrees, looking at the floor and Michael sighs. 

“I’m not here to lecture you, I know how that can be. But…just promise me this sort of thing won’t happen again. For me? Please?” 

The animatronics stare at him before they all nod. 

“Okay, good. Thank you for behaving when the police came.”

“Will pizzeria shut down?” Jeremy asks and Michael doesn’t know what to say to that. 

He didn’t know, but it meant another rumor, another terrible thing that happens with the franchise. Another black mark on the Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria. He couldn’t imagine it doing well if this got out. He already knew there were missing children, and who knows how many had died here. 

“I don’t know.” Michael mutters quietly, “But, I won’t let you all get scrapped like the others. If anything I’ll come back and kidnap you and you all can live with me and Henry.” 

The animatronics blink with wide eyes, “Really? Foxy friend take us?” 

“If I have to, yes.” Well he would have to tell Henry about this but he didn’t want them to be alone. To be scrapped and tossed aside. It would be a terrible fate and the last thing he wanted was for them to suffer even more so. 

Lolbit hums in agreement, and Michael was glad that the fox was on board with this. It seemed Lolbit was excited to try and see if they could make these kids laugh and be happy. 

“Thank you.” Gabriel whispers and Michael hums. 

“I’m trying to fix things my father broke, and you all are a part of this. Charlie…my sister, my brother…all of you. I don’t want any more suffering and if I can do something I will.” 

The animatronics step closer and suddenly he’s pulled into a large group hug of animatronics and he can’t help but give a laugh. The sound echoing pirates cove as Lolbit rattles his system. This one isn’t annoying, it’s genuine and he’s happy. 

The rest of the night is just them having a good time. Michael watches them dance around, play and even joins in. It’s a quiet peaceful shift and the animatronics almost beg for Michael not to go. 

But he has to, and he promises he’ll be back. 

So he heads out of the pizzeria with a small huff, “Damn, those things..I wish I could do more to help them.” He mutters as he locks the doors up. He rubs his neck with a sigh, it hurt him so much that he couldn’t do a lot in this situation. 

He would have to figure out something. 

Heading to his car he pauses when hearing something shift from around the corner. He may look human but LolBit’s senses are much stronger, and he turns a bit studying the place with a keen eye. 

Quietly he steps to check only to find no one is there. His brows furrowed when there’s nothing there, must have been some kind of animal. Like a rat or a raccoon. 

Oh well. He needed to get home before his illusion disc stuttered out on him. 

Getting into the car he heads on home, feeling a bit better now that he had talked to Gabriel and the others. Here’s hoping they would stay to their word. 

Unknowing that something lurked in the darkness, slinking around like a rat in the sewer. Once again causing problems for them all.

End of Night 5

Notes:

One more night friends! Dun dun dunnn (I’m not counting the seven cuz it’s a custom night and it’s my city so I can do whatever I want)

Anyways, hope you all enjoyed the chapter and now it’s time for some fan arrrt!!

_just.cat_:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CaM77AdgiLl/?utm_medium=copy_link

https://www.instagram.com/p/CaBdNMfIPlp/?utm_medium=copy_link

Galevonhjonkbringerofgoose:

https://galevonhjonkbringerofgoose.tumblr.com/post/677952105424764928/i-love-laughing-at-tragedy-sunshine-boi-and

https://galevonhjonkbringerofgoose.tumblr.com/post/678012371927760896/i-present-officer-george-hawthorne-getting-sassed

Voidsinol:

https://voidsinol.tumblr.com/post/677998478831550464/a-good-question-to-inkspottie-jeremys-use-of

l-art-stuff-l:

https://l-art-stuff-l.tumblr.com/post/678009817696272384/youre-my-friend-now-were-having-soft-tacos

Well that’s all for now, so until next time!!

Chapter 23: Breaking and Entering

Notes:

Wooo! We are breaching the end of Fnaf 1! One more chapter and this arc is closed! Emotional and rough this ride was, and it ain’t stopping anytime soon!

And ahh! Probably by the time I post this I’ll hit 30k hits and HOLY MOLY that’s absolutely crazy!! I cry! Seriously thank youuuu!!

Enjoy~

He had done a full five nights at Freddy’s. Hard to believe that so many things could happen in just one week. Scott’s death was still raw in his heart, he couldn’t show it to others, but Henry knew. After all, he had worked since Fredbear’s.

Mike knew the man since he was a kid, and even with the different aliases Scott still treated him the same. Almost as if he knew, he knew that this was Michael Afton trying to redeem himself and separate himself from his father. How? Michael didn’t know, and Scott never confronted him for it. Just always gave a grin and began talking about everything and anything. 

Henry and Scott had been there when the bite happened. Scott had called the ambulance when his father had stomped off. He was the one who helped clean the blood of him. All while Henry tried to talk to William. 

He knew Scott was in a better place now, and he hoped he could rest easily. Michael didn’t know what he would have done if the man had possessed the animatronic he had been shoved in. But it looked like remnant had some rules of their own in order to do such a thing. 

But here he was. The sixth night. 

The atmosphere continued to change, last night it was tense but tonight his metaphorical skin was crawling. Something was sending a shiver down his spine and it wasn’t Lolbit playing around. They seemed to be on edge too. 

He opened the door and quickly turned around to lock it, the place quiet. 

More so than usual. 

If last night had been bad, this night was far worse. The air was so thick Michael could practically taste it in his mouth. Tense and shrouded with concern he stepped into the security office to punch in before going to meet the kids. 

Only to find that they were not on their stage. 

They were nowhere to be found. 

“Kids?” Michael called, feeling worried, “This isn’t a good time to play hide and seek!” 

Where were they? 

“Mike…” 

He could hear Susie whisper down the hall and quickly Michael jogs and sees the animatronics standing there. Hovering over something. 

“What’s going on, why are you all-”

He freezes seeing a twitching bunny on the checkered floor, parts scattered about, face ripped off as he had been in the first location. Nuts and bolts were thrown about like blood splatter. 

Like a crime scene for a robot. 

“Jeremy!” Michael immediately shouts, rushing towards him getting on his knees, and lifting the poor broken bunny a bit to his lap. “What happened?!” He asks, looking at the three only to have his eyes widen. 

They all were shaking, with black eyes and white pinpricks, tears spilling down their faces, and their bodies tense. 

“Bad man. Bad…man.” Gabriel whispers, and Michael notices that his arm was limp. “Came in! Hurt! Hurt!!!” 

Bad man. 

“William,” Michael whispers, feeling everything grow cold, his fear spiking tenfold. William? Here?! How? How did he get in? 

“Came in! Saw him hide! Snuck out and attacked Jeremy! Sorry, so sorry.” Fritz whispers as if it was his fault he didn’t stop William from attacking Jeremy. 

“Hurts…” Jeremy whispers a feeble metal hand reaching up to Michael. His voice box wheezes and sparks fly as he twitches. He looked as if he was in pain. 

“It’s okay, you’ll be okay! I can…I can fix you damn it!” Michael cursed, letting Jeremy grab his hand. “It'll be okay, you’ll be okay kid.” He could feel the metal hand shake under his own. God, this kid didn’t deserve any more pain. None of them did. 

“Scary.” Jeremy whimpers, gripping Mike’s hand tighter. For a moment he doesn’t see Bonnie, but a scared kid, then a blink and it’s Jeremy. His friend sprawled out on the floor gasping for air. Blood on Michael’s hand. 

Lolbit reels him back, shouting that it was not his little friend and that they needed to focus! 

“I know, I know. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I should…I don’t know how he got here, but I should have-”

“Not your fault Mikey.” Susie interrupts him quickly. “Not your fault.”

“He’s my father! What he does, reflects on me! I should have known he’d come back! I should have stopped him…” Mike cries feeling useless yet again. He could do anything to stop this. He couldn’t…

Gabriel lumbers closer, placing his other hand on Michael’s shoulder. “Stop. No…can’t help him. Bad man. Got him to stop. Hurt him. Ran away.” 

Michael looks up, “He broke your arm didn’t he?” He whispers and Gabriel nods. 

“Broke his nose. Heard crunch. Felt good.”

He can’t help but chuckle at that, knowing it’s wrong to encourage them but he wished for violence on that man. He wished he would pay for what he’s done, and he kept coming back! He kept luring them and killing them again, and again… 

“That’s my boy.” Michael whispers and Gabriel puffs his chest out in pride. 

“Is he still here?” Michael’s voice is silent staring down the empty hall, the animatronics own heads turning with a creak. 

Fritz is the first to speak, his thin body hunched over and he was holding his hook. “Don’t know. Went to help…didn’t see him…”

The icy feeling in the back of his spin was hardening, frozen fractals of pain digging deep into his soul. Why? Why was his father doing this? To what did this achieve? 

“Remnant he’s here for the remnant isn’t he?” 

He wanted to destroy the animatronics for their remnant, he saw that there were missing pieces of the Bonnie animatronic. Fingers, a gear, who knows what else. 

That couldn’t be good. 

Would he come back? 

“We have to make sure, make sure he isn’t here.” 

The animatronics look at each other and then nod, Susie stepping forward staring at Michael with glowing blue eyes. “Help Jeremy. You go. Not good at fighting.” 

Michael looks grateful, carefully lifting up the broken bunny and placing him in Chica’s large arms, Susie immediately giving noises of comfort to the glitching voice box of Jeremy. 

This wasn’t fair. They didn’t deserve this. 

He turns to Gabriel and Fritz, his purple eyes glowing brightly. “We are checking every corner, every little shadow he can hide behind, we will make sure he’s not here.” His voice was unwavering, firm. Determination burned deep within him. 

Charlie wasn’t here to protect them, he would make sure they didn’t get hurt. He wouldn’t let this happen again. 

He would even stay the night to make sure William would not come. 

“Follow you,” Fritz says his hand reaching out to touch Mike’s hand. Feeling the cold sensation all over again. Gabriel steps forward determined and Michael nods. 

“Alright, good to have you two on my side. Susie, take care of Jeremy, I’ll do my best to try and fix him when we are done making the rounds.” 

Susie nods holding Jeremy close and waddles off. It’s almost comical with how the animatronics walk but he had bigger things to worry about. He stares down the hall and flicks his eyes to the cameras. He couldn’t turn off his illuso disc. 

It would immediately be seen on the cameras and he would have more explaining to do. Michael did not need more on his plate. He already had to deal with Scott and now this poor child was ripped to pieces from his original killer. 

He couldn’t imagine the trauma of it all. 

And these were kids. Kids . 

Kids father. Children, little souls that did not deserve your thin hands around their neck. Stabbing them with a sharp knife when you dragged them back into that room. Luring them…

He could feel the rage bubble within. It made sense why the Funtimes were the way that they are. They mimicked their creator's own actions. Doing what they only knew best, what father knew best. 

What injustice was this?

The loud thunk, thunk that followed Michael’s silent footsteps as they headed down the dark hall. He was grateful that Lolbit’s lack of eye coverings did not affect how they see, or else he would have to grab a torch or something to light the halls. 

He kept his eyes focused. Scanning every part of the place, making sure no single corner was unchecked, that every vent, room, nook, and cranny of the pizzeria was well checked. Michael removed coverings, slammed open doors, and peered into dark spidery vents to make sure his father was not hiding like the rat he was. 

Fritz and Gabriel were right behind him, their stances always ready for a fight. As if William would hop out from the shadows and attack them on sight. He wondered if his father knew he was here? That he was actively searching out his father and trying to stop his actions. Stop this all from happening. 

Would he be surprised? No, he doubted that. In fact, he was certain the man would shout obscenities at him and call him a dirty traitor. That seemed more likely, his father obviously did not care about him since he had sent Michael to Circus Baby’s Rental, to begin with. He wanted Michael to die, just so Elizabeth could be set free. 

It was obvious that he was not the child William cared for. 

The whole place was clean of William, not even a single trace of his father was here. He had come in hurt Jeremy and ran out, like a thief in the night. Was he caught on camera? Michael didn’t know, he wasn’t sure where they kept the security tapes. That wasn't a part of his job, after all, he would just watch the live feed. He assumed Wally was the one who reviewed the tapes every morning since he was the boss and all.

Perhaps he could say something about this, that someone came in and tried to dismantle Bonnie. 

Bonnie, Jeremy. 

Michael makes his way back to the stage where the Chica animatronic is hovering over the mangled body of Bonnie. He quickly jumps on stage and moves towards the twitching machine, careful of the sparks that flew every now and then, 

“He’s gone.” Gabriel whispers to Susie, her eyelids flicking down to a sort of sad expression. “Bad man gone, disappeared.”

“Will do better. Will find him! Will get him!” Fritz says his voice garbled as he rushes off, hook in air. The sound of his metal feet hitting the tile. Go, Foxy, go!

Gabriel reaches for Fritz and Michael shakes his head, “He’s made up his mind, us Foxy’s are stubborn after all.” A bittersweet smile grows on his face, then turns his attention to Jeremy. 

Jeremy’s red eyes are flickering like they would when they had been left to rot back at the old pizzeria. They look at Michael and give out a shuddering sigh. “Hey kiddo, you doing okay?” Micheal’s voice was gentle, quiet. He didn't want to scare the poor kid. No doubt he was already scared as it is.

“Scared…”

“I can imagine, I-I…I don’t have any tools but if I go to the backroom there might be a way to fix you.” Where was Henry when he needed him? Michael cursed under his breath, he couldn’t just call Henry, it was late and the man probably was already asleep. Plus if he invited Henry in, he might get himself in trouble with his superiors. He was really, really trying to keep himself from getting fired.

He was stuck in a hard place right now, and he would just have to jerryrig this poor animatronic back together. “I will put you back together Jeremy, I will try my best at least.” He gently stands up seeing Susie looking at her friend with her hands together as if she was wringing them. 

“And I’ll take care of your arm as well Gabriel. Just…Just wait here. I’ll be right back.”

With that, he rushed back to the backroom, where the spare suits were, and tried to find anything he could recognize. Arms, connecting parts, anything remotely that could help Jeremy. He reached for a spare Bonnie head, his arms filled with parts that he knew maybe could work for this job. Thank God Henry had taught him a little bit about these animatronics. 

With all that was in his hands and the thankful help of Lobit’s strength, he was able to drag the parts he needed towards the stage and placed them on the stage. He scanned the parts and began to work. 

“Why help, why?” Even now they were still asking him why he was doing this, after five days of trying to work with them. “Let me go?”

Michael stops halting his work, staring at the robot bunny before him. Let..him go? Was Jeremy suggesting to let him be just a bunch of scrap? “W-without you having a physical body, I don't know what will happen, kid,” Michael whispered slightly worried. 

“I know you want to be free, but taking away this body…might not be the answer. You could be just stuck to these bits of metal, unable to properly move?” He didn’t know if that existence was worse than that. 

“Tired…” 

“I know Jeremy, I’m sorry,” Michael whispers, “I’m trying, I am trying to find a better way to release you.” He didn't want to burn them, he couldn't imagine the betrayal they would feel. They had suffered enough as it is. 

With shaking hands he starts to just grab at anything, something that seemed remotely close to what Henry had described when he would get ‘mechanic time’ with making the new animatronic that was meant to find Charlie. 

But unfortunately, these parts were outdated. So old he didn't recognize them, nothing seemed to fit. Like he was forcing puzzle pieces into slots that were not meant to be. He was sitting there for a while, shoving, twisting, and pulling at the metal, trying everything to fix this. 

It was until the point that his vision was blurry because of his frustration, the tears pooling in his eyes and plip plopping onto the metal that he was gripping with such force he was surprised that he wasn’t snapping it in half. 

He couldn’t, he couldn’t do this. 

He couldn’t fix him.

Yet again the universe proved to him that he was useless, that he never could do anything right. Even with the tools and knowledge that he had…he still could not perform and do something good. 

It’s not until a thick hand touches his shoulders that he looks up with tear-stained eyes seeing Susie behind him, her eyes concerned. As much as an animatronic could give, he spent so much time with them that he knew how to tell what they were feeling. “Mikey..” She breathes, her breath wheezy, and it almost sounds more like a groan than a simple intake of breath. 

“You can't put him back together. It okay. It…okay.” That was the most coherent sentence Susie had ever given him, and he looks back at Jeremy who seems to have accepted his fate. The metal hand placed on his thigh as a way to say, it’s fine.

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.”

“You not to blame.” Gabriel whispered, shaking his head. “Please Mike…”

“Hurt yourself doing that. Helped us, and now we help you.” 

Michael feels his chest constrict like someone is placing stones right on his sternum. Adding more and more to the pile. What was this? Why couldn't anyone just yell at him for being useless? 

Why? 

Here he was, with children telling him this. First Lolbit and now them. Why couldn’t he be the adult in this situation? 

Because you deserve some comfort too Mikey. LolBit’s voice echoed in his mind. Maybe they were right, but maybe they were wrong? What did he do to deserve such comfort? He had failed, so so many times. 

“Mikey….it’s o-okay.” Jeremy whispers, gripping at Michael’s hand like a vice. Immediately yanking Michael out of his thoughts looking at the battered bunny. “Do-don’t need…to be fi-fixed. Free. You good b-big brother. Hel-helped so much. Th-thank you.” 

The voice box is filled with static, glitching from the damage. He could tell that William had just taken an axe and just slammed it on the animatronic. The way the metal bent…it was clear. 

“He’ll pay. He’ll get what’s coming to him. I won’t let this happen again. I’m sorry.” Michael whispers and the others just hum quietly. 

“Done so much. Much more than anyone. Thank you.” Gabriel says, and Michael nods, his head dipped a bit. 

“Fix Gabriel, okay. Be okay..” 

Maybe he would be, maybe the mechanics would see, they would see that Bonnie was messed up and maybe they could fix him. 

“I…okay. I’ll make sure you get fixed Jeremy. I promise. Don’t give up..” 

Jeremy gives a slow nod as he looks at Gabriel. The arm was just hanging limply at the side, and he was pretty sure if he just tightened the bolts and hinges he would be better. 

Quietly he moves to help Gabriel, and it’s hard but not as complex as Jeremy. Jeremy is just laying next to Susie while she gives a gentle lullaby to the boy. Fritz just kept walking around the perimeter checking in every now and then before rushing back out. 

With simple clicks and pushes the arm is back on its socket and Gabriel is able to flex and move it. 

Unfortunately the light was suddenly starting to come into the pizzeria. Signifying that his time was up. That he would have to go home, he already made a note to Wally that Bonnie had gotten destroyed by an unknown person. 

He did all that he could and quietly cleaned up, helping Bonnie into pirate cove so that if they did open up they wouldn’t see a broken rabbit animatronic on the stage. 

Fritz promised to take care of Jeremy, and the others were looking at him expectantly. “I’m going to stay. I’ll stay the whole day just so you all don’t get hurt.” 

Gabriel shakes his head and Susie does as well. “Go Mikey. Rest. Take care of yourself. We are okay. Going to be okay.” 

“No…but I-”

“Please Mikey…go.” 

Michael sighs, defeated. He couldn’t argue with them. They made their decision and he felt if he fought with them, it would just make things worse. 

There’s a gentle hand coming from Lolbit telling him that it was okay. That this was out of their hands now. And if something did happen, it wouldn’t be their fault. 

He moves to leave but suddenly he’s being hugged. Hugged from all directions from the large animatronics. Even Jeremy who’s leaning on the stage, is holding his hand. 

“Be good.” Gabriel muttered getting a wet laugh out of Michael, it doesn’t go into a complete fit. Lolbit restrains themselves, as he leans into the embrace. 

“I’ll be back tonight. Please…be careful.” 

He pulls away from them all, giving a look, “You all better behave and take care of Jeremy okay?” His hands on his hips trying to make it seem like he was extremely worried. 

They all just give their versions of a smile and a chorus of okay, all giving short waves to Michael. 

With a simple sigh he heads out, stepping into the light and hoping to all things good, that these kids do not suffer anymore. 

He wouldn’t be able to take it if they did. 

End of Night Six

He doesn’t even get into the house when Henry is at the door, looking like he was just about to leave. One arm in his jacket as Michael is stepping up to the house. 

“Michael! Michael I was just about to go and look for you! The pizzeria they called, they want you there. Now.” 

Michael blinks his brows lifting at Henry. “What? I just was there! Bonnie got destroyed. By William.” 

Henry pauses, his eyes widening a bit, before his hand suddenly clenches. “He’s back…” 

“He always comes back. He broke the shit out of Bonnie and dipped. And…I-I tried to fix him, but all the parts were so outdated that I couldn’t. I couldn’t do anything Henry! Again!” He feels so frustrated, angry at the world. 

He feels Henry’s hand grip his own, “Kid, you can not predict when William is going to strike. You can not burden yourself with what your father does. Or be mad when you could not magically appear wherever your father appears.” 

“I’m just so tired of him winning.” 

“Mike, we helped Stanley, you made contact with those kids and made them feel better. Those are wins in our book. Life isn’t going to make everything easy for us, and we need to just keep pushing.” Henry says with a sigh, rubbing his eyes, pulling his square glasses off. 

Michael nods, wiping his face once more, thankfully the illuso disc didn’t show the stained fingertips he would have when rubbing whatever fluid came out of his eyes when he cried. 

“We can figure this out, but first you go back to the pizzeria and see what they want. Then we can come back here and figure out the plan of action. If William is out of his little nest, then the killings will start again. I just know it.” Henry’s voice is firm, angry that William was showing his ugly face back in this town. 

How dare he? How dare he disappear for months, years and suddenly decide to cause chaos. And what for? To harass his original victims yet again?

“Okay, I’ll go back. Then we can figure out what the hell to do.” 

Henry nods, “Drive safe. Be careful.” He watches Michael get back into the car and back out of the driveway. He sighs, turning around and rubbing his forehead, walking back into the house. 

“I’m going to need a whole pot of coffee for all this..” 

 

…

 

It was not even thirty minutes of him off the shift that he was back at the place. He sees Jeremy’s car in the parking lot, along with Wally’s. Jeremy must have opened today. 

He steps into the place and sees Jeremy lifting his head with his uniform on. “Fritz!” Even though Jeremy was a little…on the oblivious side of things, he did keep his name correctly when he was at work. 

“Hey, Wally called me in? I just got off and..” 

“Yeah, he came in pretty upset. I dunno why. He’s in the office.” Jeremy jerks his thumb to the manager's office down the hall and Michael takes a deep breath. 

Alright then…

“Good luck.” Jeremy says and Michael nods, hoping that it was just to talk about Bonnie. He had given a note to the man after all. He did his best but he couldn’t fix Bonnie. 

Quietly he steps into the office, knocking on the door with his knuckle and Wally shouts for him to come in. Wally is leaning over his desk with papers thrown about and receipts everywhere. 

“You…wanted to see me sir?” Michael says and Wally lifts his head up, eyes wide, before narrowing at the tall boy. 

“Sit down Fritz.” 

Uh oh. 

Quietly Michael sits, thankful that the chair in front of him was more of a stool so he didn’t have to do the awkward shift of his tail to keep it from banging around. 

“I’m not happy Fritz, not happy. Want to tell me why I came to a dismantled Bonnie in Pirate Cove?” 

Michael swallows, his body feeling cold. “Sir, I left a note. Someone came in here, and really jacked up the animatronic. I am not a mechanic so I can’t really-”

“You shouldn’t be messing with them in the first place Fritz! It’s not your job. Your job is to make sure nothing breaks in, and that the animatronics don’t break out because of their free roam mode.” Wally says his usual cheerful voice is dead serious. 

“Want to tell me what you’re doing right here? And here?” Wally points a finger to printed out security cameras of Michael fixing Foxy and Freddy from the other nights. His figure was blurred and you could barely make it out it was him, no doubt it was thanks to him clocking in at certain times. He was the night guard after all.

“I…I was fixing them.” 

“Tampering with them is more like it. I’m not stupid kid. I know what you’re doing! Stealing bits and pieces to sell to some random buyer to get a quick buck! Then you have your little friend come in and completely destroy Bonnie and take a lot of his parts?” 

Michael freezes his eyes wide, “W-what? You think I had something to do with that? Are you kidding me? I was fixing Foxy! His chest was so messed up! And Freddy’s arm was broken last night!” 

“You are not supposed to be messing with the animatronics period!” Wally shouts, “And I know you let your little friend come in, leaving some vent loose or some back door open. Funny how he was able to come in undetected but yet had his fun messing with Bonnie.” 

Michael peers at the picture of William with the axe. Attacking Bonnie from behind and then grabbing items from the animatronic before slinking away. 

“We-I don’t know this guy! He is not my accomplice! I just wanted to fix the animatronics Wally! I wouldn’t have told you that Bonnie was broken if I was in with this guy.” Michael shouts, feeling his anger rise. Was this deja vu? Didn’t he just go through the same thing at the last pizzeria? 

“Fritz. The evidence is there. I can’t let you continue working with us. Tampering with the animatronics, letting someone break in. I appreciate what you’ve done for Scott and us, but I am going to have to let you go.” Wally passes a pink slip to him and Michael takes it. 

“You can’t be serious. I’m the only night guard you have! And the animatronics have been docile since I’ve been here!” 

“Don’t make this harder than it is, Fritz. You’re fired.” 

Michael just sits there, stunned. Holding the pink slip in his hand, eyes wide. “You…you can’t..please no. Sir I swear…I swear I’m not what-”

Wally shakes his head, red curls flying as he did so. “Fritz, don’t make this harder than it already is. You’re a great kid, but I can’t have this happen anymore. These animatronics are old, and Bonnie is broken now…I don’t know if we can even repair him. Just go. Go home.” 

He doesn’t move, just sitting there in pure shock. His system runs cold. Not this, not this again. He couldn’t be fired. He did everything he could. 

“Alright Fritz time to go.” 

Michael lifts his head seeing Rodger, the dayshift guard standing in the doorway. He was looking at him and Michael knew his time was up. “You’re going to regret this. Those animatronics…they're in trouble and it’s not me who’s doing this.” 

“Just go Fritz. Before I call the cops.”

Michael doesn’t answer getting up and Roger moves to try and grab him and Michael hissed. “Don’t fucking touch me.” He snarls and Roger puts his hands up but keeps his distance. 

He steps out of the office with pink slip in hand and Roger practically escorts him out. It’s not until he sees Jeremy he stops, the blond’s eyes wide and his lips open in a small ‘o’ shape. 

He heard. 

He heard everything. 

“Out Fritz.” Roger says and Michael huffs slamming the door open and steps outside. 

“Fuck you, fuck all of you.” He hissed under his breath wanting to just pick something up and chuck it across the way. Damn his father! Damn everything! Yet again he was blamed for something his father had done when he was just trying to help. 

Those kids were going to be targeted again and again, and he couldn’t do anything about it. 

He was once again losing this damn battle. Like a chess match and William constantly was knocking over his pieces. One by one. 

Michael gives out a scream clutching his sides once he steps out into the parking lot towards his car. The lights on the neon sign flickers and some of the cars’ alarms suddenly go off. 

He gets into his car and hits the steering wheel a couple times before taking a deep breath. He was stuck on the bench again. Pulled out of the game and he really didn’t want to get arrested again. He couldn’t go back there unless he wanted to get himself in trouble. 

So he drives. And Lolbit has to keep him from driving off a goddamn cliff. He didn’t really want to, but it was tempting. But then Lolbit reminded him of the people that cared about him. Stanley, Jeremy, Henry… 

They all would be devastated and Michael couldn’t let that happen. It would admit defeat. And he wasn’t about to do so. 

He gets home and the first thing he does is rip the illusion disc off him and slam it against the countertop. His tail thrashing about and ears pulled back as the illusion cuts short as soon as it’s off it’s person. 

“Mike? Mike what happened?” 

Michael says nothing, instead handing the crinkled pink paper that Wally had given him. He doesn’t look at Henry, instead he is staring at the wall. Angry. Burning in rage. 

Henry takes it gently and reads it over. 

“I got fired. Fucking fired Henry. Because I was ‘tampering’ with the animatronics. And the icing on top? On top of everything that fucking happened this week? They think I was in with my father. They caught him on camera, and thought that I let him in. That we were stealing parts to get money.” 

Henry just stares at the pink slip, “God what is with these idiots running this franchise? Do they not see what is right in front of them? You did nothing wrong!” 

“Apparently not to them,” He seethed, “And Jeremy heard everything! So now he’s probably thinking I’m some criminal!” 

“You don’t know that, I’m sure Jeremy wouldn’t believe such things.” Henry says softly, “Mike, I’m sorry. This is awful, truly awful. I know you keep being given a bad hand, but we can get through this.” 

“I'm just tired Henry! I'm tired…I’m tired of being lumped in with my goddamn father when I’m trying to do some good around here!” 

Henry shakes his head, “You are doing good! Those children? From what you told me, they love you, and appreciate all that you’ve done for them. You’ve given them kindness when they’ve been left in the dark for so long. I know, I know it’s tiring to constantly be kicked down. But we need to lift ourselves back up and keep moving.” 

Michael dips his head looking at his godfather quietly, “What if I don’t have the strength to lift myself up..” 

“Then I’ll get in there and help you up. We are doing this together. And you’ve done all you can. We still can do this. Perhaps Jeremy can keep an eye on things, he still works there.” 

“If he doesn't hate my guts..” 

Henry hums quietly, placing a gentle hand on Michael’s cheek. “I doubt it, he doesn’t seem the type. Let’s just…wind down for a bit and then come up with a plan yeah? It’ll be okay.” 

Michael leans into the touch, his voice soft and quiet. 

“Yeah. Okay…” 

 

…

 

They did indeed wind down, having just a break from it all. Henry and him played chess for a bit while they discussed what to do next. Michael was terrible at the game, but he wasn’t really paying attention anyways. 

More worried about what was going to happen next, about Jeremy and his father now out of the shadows. They couldn’t do much with him being fired. He wouldn’t be allowed around the premises especially with what he was fired for. 

Wally made it clear he wasn’t welcomed back at the pizzeria that was for sure. 

Henry was quietly sipping his coffee as they sat in front of the television when they hear a knock on the door. It’s loud and it’s rapid and Michael looks at Henry with a tilt of his head.

Mike! Fitz! Whatever the heck your name is! You better open up right now!” 

Michael stands up abruptly scrambling for his illuso disc and slaps it on. 

Jeremy? What the hell was he doing here? 

Notes:

Uh ohhhh Jeremy knows. He knows Mike. And what are you going to do?

We’ll find out on the next episode hehe!

Anyways thanks for reading and now for fanart coooorner!!

Askthedawnanddusk:
https://inkspottie.tumblr.com/post/678279963794980865/cats-because-i-cant-draw-humans-mikes-shirt-has

Queenieghostieart:
https://inkspottie.tumblr.com/post/678291171678748672/ill-preface-this-by-saying-that-i-have-no-clue-how

Manglesquest1987:
https://manglesquest1987.tumblr.com/post/678298035603783680/im-one-of-you

Killapunchaw:
https://killapunchaw.tumblr.com/post/678397266248253440/sooo-yesterday-i-got-two-wisdom-theeth-pulled

Thank you all so so much for the wonderful support and fanart!

Until Next Time!

Chapter 24: All My Troubles on a Burning Pile

Notes:

31k!! Ahhh!! Holy moly. It’s crazy to see my own story up there with some of my favorites! I am still in shock that we’ve come this far.

Thank you for everything and now, we close the chapter of FNAF 1. Time to buckle in for the next ride yeah?

Enjoy!

Jeremy was at his door. How…how did he find him? Michael had not told him where they had lived, let alone anything else about himself. 

As much as he enjoyed Jeremy’s company, he tried to keep the blond at arm's length due to worrying he would somehow get hurt in the process. Everyone seemed to get into some sort of trouble when around him. 

Like his father, he too brought death and destruction. 

Quickly the disc starts to work after a good moment of rest and not being on Michael. The illusion stutters before a moment as the knocking gets more and more frequent. No doubt Jeremy is just banging both fists on his door. 

Once he sees that the illusion was ready and not about to break he opens the door. Jeremy looks surprised to see him, his hands still hovering over the door. The blond takes a step back, his face in an expression Michael didn’t normally see. 

Anger, hurt, and a bit of betrayal.

“Jeremy..” 

“No no don’t Jeremy me!” He’s angry and Michael doesn’t blame him, he has just seen him get fired earlier and who knows what Wally had told him. “Tampering with the animatronics?! Letting someone in and breaking Bonnie? Was this your plan all along? Are you really connected to those murders from the first location?!” 

Michael feels like his world is crashing down. Getting fired and now this? Could he ever catch a break? Him? A apart of the murder? Please Jeremy…

“No…no it’s not what it looks like Jeremy.” He’s begging for the blond to listen. He was the last one that Michael wanted to think was a murderer or a criminal for that matter. 

“Then tell me what it is, Mike! If that even is your name!”  Jeremy’s face is puffed up, red speckling his cheeks from his anger. 

“Why don’t you come in, Jeremy, isn’t it?” Henry makes himself known stepping in front of Michael noticing that the boy was in slight distress from Jeremy’s confrontation. 

Jeremy stands there for a moment, his eyes looking from Michael and then to Henry. “W-wait a minute, I’ve seen you before. You-you’re…Henry Emily!” He points to Henry with a slight gasp. “You’re living with Henry Emily?!”

“I’m his godfather so yes, he is living here with me.” Henry says simply and Jeremy’s eye looks like it’s about to pop out of its socket. His mouth opened and closed like a goldfish. 

“Why don’t we discuss this in the house hmm? I’ll put on some tea or coffee and we can just talk.” 

Henry turns around, and Michael steps out of the way with Jeremy’s brows turn downward. “You didn’t tell me you lived with Mr. Emily.” He hissed, and Michael sighs. 

“I didn’t think it was relevant. I swear…Jeremy I’ll tell you everything. I’m sorry. For keeping things from you.” 

Jeremy’s face suddenly clears from the anger, “Mike…I just worry about you.” 

Michael winces, gesturing for Jeremy to come in. Jeremy follows him to the kitchen and Henry already has cups out for him and Jeremy. It had taken him a while to get Henry used to not making things for Michael. As much as he missed eating, it was better not to waste. 

“Start talking, Mike.” Jeremy says and Michael is surprised that his tone is so assertive, usually the blond was very calm. Chill. But this was a whole new side of Jeremy Michael has not seen before. 

Michael looks nervous while Henry is working on making a snack and coffee for them all. He appreciates the man coming to help him, he knew out of everyone he knew Henry always had his back. 

“First..my name isn’t Mike Schimdt. It’s…it is Michael, but my last name is Afton.” 

“Michael….Afton…like the Aftons who co-owned..” It seemed that name was often discussed in the franchise which did not surprise Michael one bit. 

Michael nods, “The very same. William Afton is my father. Henry worked with my father, I practically grew up with him.” He is fiddling with his fingers avoiding Jeremy’s gaze. 

“So why…” 

“Because my father…doesn’t have the best reputation around here. And…well..I don’t either.” Michael says awkwardly. “I’ve been searching for him, and he always seems to be around these locations. Hence why I wished to keep my name hidden.” 

Henry quietly poured coffee into Jeremy’s cup and Jeremy gave a quiet thank you. 

“Just…tell me everything Michael.” 

Michael takes a deep breath, and gives a small nod. “Okay, it’s the least I can do.” 

 

… 

 

“So…Your dad…killed people? And you’re trying to stop him? And the animatronics…at Freddy’s are haunted?” 

Jeremy looked like Stanley when he had first told him, though he kept some of the information quiet. Like him too being an haunted animatronic and essentially died back in the 80s. He knew Lolbit looked similar to Mangle, and Michael did not wish to bring up any more trauma with the blond. He already had a bad eye and terrible motor skills because of Mangle.

Lolbit understood, wishing that they could just be truthful completely, but the fox did not wish to scare their little friend. 

“Yes, due to what my father has done. He…he killed them and shoved them into the animatronics. That’s why I was angry when I got fired. There are children in there. And they were scared. That man that Wally said was my accomplice? It was my father. He snuck in because he knew that place and hurt one of those kids.” 

Jeremy just listens quietly, his eye flicking from Henry to Michael, his hand reaching for the chips absentmindedly. The crunch was loud in the air and he didn’t seem to be stopping anytime soon. 

“Shit man. And Wally fired you? You really were just trying to fix them huh?” 

Michael nods, sighing softly, “Yes, I didn’t want to be fired. I was trying so hard. I got in contact with them, they weren’t going to hurt anyone. They killed Scott Jeremy, thinking that he was my father.” 

“William used to disguise himself as a security guard, that’s what we believe to why they would attack the night guard especially.” Henry adds and Jeremy’s eyes widen. 

“Is that why…” 

“They were aggressive towards you and every other night guard? Yes…” Michael traces circles against the grain of the table trying to keep himself from not having a full on anxiety attack from reliving this all again, and again. He was so tired, but Jeremy had the right to know. 

Jeremy puffs out a breath, leaning backwards into his chair. Henry takes a sip of his coffee and Michael’s leg is bobbing up and down, he could feel Lolbit getting antsy as well no doubt because of how much anxiety Michael was feeling. 

He was so worried Jeremy was just going to stand up and leave, he had every right to. Tell him he was crazy and that he never wanted to see him again. 

Michael didn’t know if he would be able to handle that if he did. Jeremy was one of the few friends he had, and it would kill him if he just broke away from him because of this. 

“This is, well it’s a lot. And some of it I really don’t understand but, I can tell you’re telling the truth. This all fucking sucks, and Jesus I’m so sorry you’ve been dealing with this for so long. Why didn’t you tell me? Who else knows about this?” 

Michael takes a breath, “Aside from Henry? Stanley, but only because he got involuntarily brought into this. One of my fathers…creations decided to try and hitch a ride with him.” He didn’t need to give the gorey details of what happened with Stanley if anything Jeremy could ask himself about what happened. 

“Stanley? Of course Stan knows..I just knew it.” Jeremy mutters, crossing his arms. Michael just raises a brow at that. Had they been talking? Right he had met Stanley in the park, no doubt they talked more whIle Michael was getting ready for his shift. 

“I’m sorry Jeremy. I…I wanted to tell you but I was worried, worried that something might happen to you and you’re already…” 

Jeremy gives a pout, “I’m not a baby Mike, I can handle myself pretty well! I survived a bite from an animatronic after all! I think I can call myself resilient if anything!” 

Michael winces giving a small nod, he had a point there. But still Michael just worried something might happen. He wasn’t used to keeping people close to him. William made sure he never had any close friends because his father would often use that against him. Any weaknesses, be it friends, hobbies, dreams William somehow knew how to crush it right before his very eyes and watch it wither away. 

He was just so scared somehow his father would do that to his new friends. 

“I’m sorry.” 

The blond gives a sad look placing his hand on top of Michael’s giving a hesitant squeeze before pulling away. “S okay. I forgive you. It must be tough talking about this. I mean…I can’t imagine my own dad doing all this shit. And Mr. Emily he was your business partner too wasn't he? How awful!” 

Henry gives a small noise, “He was, and unfortunately I have to live with what he has done to what was our lives work and the franchise. It’s gone downhill ever since and I can’t even have a single say since I am no longer the owner technically.” 

He couldn’t do anything to try and pull strings to get Michael rehired. They truly lost this one. 

Jeremy frowns, “Well, whatever you need I’ll do my best to help! You can’t get rid of me that easily! I’ll be your little under cover guy! I’ll make sure the animatronics are okay.” He sits up straight giving the two a salute. “Jeremy Fitzgerald reporting for duty!” 

They both blink at the eagerness of Jeremy, not expecting him to want to hop on board with this. “Truly? You…you wish to help? I mean you don’t have to, seriously.” Michael can’t cover the surprise in his voice. 

“I want to! Let me in on this gang of yours, it sounds like fun. Plus I have nothing better to do anyways. Come on Mike, you need me.” Jeremy bats his eye giving Michael those big blue eyes of his. 

Michael blinks and he’s glad he’s not truly human or else his face would heat up so bad. He could hear Lolbit giggling behind him and he wondered if a giant hammer would stop this fox. 

Henry chuckles and gives a grin, “Well Jeremy, I am happy to have you on board. Michael definitely needs your optimism, that's for sure.” 

The taller male whips his head around glaring at Henry who just sips his coffee with a wide grin. His lips pursed he turns to Jeremy who blinks innocently at him. “A-are you sure about this Jeremy? It could be dangerous. And..I don’t know what I would do if you got hurt.” 

Jeremy smiles, his eye crinkling as he does so. “Hell yeah I am! Sign me up Mike. And if you don’t I’ll just keep harassing you until you do. I am very persistent.” He says the last part a bit seriously and Michael does not doubt it. The blond surely never knew when to give up. 

“It’s nice to meet you, Michael Afton! My name is Jeremy Fitzgerald!” Jeremy thrusts his hand out towards Michael with a lopsided grin. Michael blinks down at the hand before hesitantly reaching and shaking it quietly, a smile forming on his own face. 

“N-nice to meet you too.” 

Lolbit sends a warm rejoiceful sensation, no doubt excited to have another on the team. 

“Welcome to the team Jeremy.” Henry beams and Jeremy gives out a holler while Michael starts to laugh, letting Lolbit run their course. 

Jeremy joins in and soon all three of them are laughing. Michael only stops realizing he didn’t know how Jeremy found his address. 

“How did you even know I was here?”

Jeremy gives a chuckle threading his hands through his straw colored hair, “Oh I uhh..called Stanley. Said you forgot your uniform.” 

“You cheeky little bastard.” 

 

…

 

Jeremy stayed for dinner, he didn’t comment on Henry not making a plate for Michael. He was happy, the usual Jeremy. Taking everything in stride, he didn’t know how the blond did it. He wished he had the optimistic outlook on life that Jeremy had.

“I’ll try to make sure the kids know what happened, if I can even say anything to them. I don’t think Wally will let you back in, you’re lucky he didn’t go to the police.” Jeremy says as he pulls on his signature red jacket. 

Michael sighs leaning against the wall while Henry is cleaning up dinner. “I know. I appreciate you keeping an eye on things. I’d ask Stanley-”

“No!” Jeremy shouts with his face in a pout, “I-I mean…let me do this Mike, I can keep an eye out. I have one perfect one after all. I promise.” 

Michael’s stunned by that, surprised that Jeremy was so adamant on helping. “Oh…okay. I..sure. Keep me updated then.” 

“I’ll call you every time I get off? Sounds like a deal?” 

The taller male can’t help but smile giving a nod, “Deal. Thanks Jeremy.” 

Jeremy beams brighter than the sun before he just about launches himself onto Michael, wrapping his arms around the taller boy in a firm hug. 

Michael freezes but then leans into the embrace. Placing his head on top of Jeremy’s for a moment before Henry clears his throat immediately getting the two to break away 

“Alrighty, Ima head out. I’ll see you around Mike. Thanks Mr. Emily for dinner!” 

Jeremy gives an enthusiastic wave and Michael just stands there stunned. He was not expecting that. He was expecting more anger. 

He expected shouting, and maybe some throwing of chairs. 

Hmm, perhaps he needed to stop equating his father’s anger to everyone else’s. Not everyone would react the way his father would. 

Especially Jeremy. 

Once the door closes, Michael breathes out a puff of air. Lolbit thrumming a happy signal, it seemed they thought it went very well and Michael couldn't help but agree. 

“I like Jeremy.” Henry states and Michael gives a small look. “He should come around more, him and Stanley. They’re good friends.” 

There’s a look to his eye that Michael doesn’t really catch, an unknown emotion that he had never seen on his godfather. “Yeah, I…I..” 

“It’s been a rough day Mike, why don’t you just rest for the day. Go up and chill out.” Henry suggests putting his hands on Michael’s shoulders and then plucks the illuso disc off his neck. 

Michael is too tired to argue, he’s emotionally spent. He just wants to sleep for ten thousand years. Wouldn’t that be nice. Wake up and everything be fine. 

Henry gives a hum and pats Michael’s chest, “Go on. I’ll clean up here. If anything happens I’ll let you know. I want to contact Scott’s family anyways, see if they need any support for the funeral and what not.” 

The animatronic nods, his bright eyes dim from the exhaustion and he can feel Lolbit guiding him up the stairs. “Thanks Henry.” He mutters and Henry gives a small nod. 

“Of course kid. Have a good rest. Say hi to Evan if you see him.” 

Michael nods and slowly makes his way to Charlie’s room, finding the spot that he usually sits in and lays against the wall. The animatronic slides down the wall, pulling his knees to his speaker. Hearing Lolbit hum quietly behind him, as if they were trying to lull Michael to a deep sleep. 

It was working, and he was surprised Lolbit knew this melody. Then he realizes, it was what Ballora sang, her song..was his mum’s song she used to sing before they all went to bed. Same melody, different lyrics.

He gave a thankful wave to the fox as the familiar crawling void envelops him. It’s like a hug, and he lets himself fall. Fall deep into the abyss. Swallowing him whole. 

When he opens his eyes he’s outside the house, his house that Evan would make. It’s raining and he can feel the water soak his skin. Droplets catching on his eyelashes and falling down his cheeks. He’s wet, as if he’s just been standing outside for a good couple minutes. He turns the knob and opens the door feeling the warmth of the house. 

It’s dark, the only light was the tv that flickers static. 

“Evan? Cassidy?” He calls out, and steps into the living room. “Cassidy, we need to talk. About the kids, why didn’t you stop them? They killed-”

“Mikey.” 

He whips around seeing Evan standing behind him, his blue eyes staring up at him, and the only sound they can hear is static and the pelting of rain against the windows. 

“Evan,” Michael breathes in relief seeing a smile grow on his brother’s face. “Hey little man, is Cassidy here?” 

Evan shakes his head, “No, she’s sleeping right now. She’s pretty mad. About what happened. About you…and Father.” 

Michael sighs, “Damn him. Sorry.” He says immediately, biting his lower lip. “He just seems to always be there to ruin everything.” 

“Why? Why is he like that?” Evan asks, his voice filled with worry and Michael can see the unshed tears in his bloodshot eyes. 

Immediately Michael gets on a knee looking at his brother eye to eye, “I…I wish I had the answer for that. I wish I did. I wish I knew why he did that, why he treated us horribly. Why he’s the way he is. But I..I don’t have that answer. I’m sorry.” 

Evan looks down at his plush that he’s squeezing hard, “I get nightmares Mikey. Someone gave me them” 

Michale tilts his head, “Who? Who does?” 

“I…I don’t know but they’re so scary…” 

This gets Michael to blink, staring at his brother. He remembered that the boy was plagued with nightmares and Michael would often wake up to his brother sneaking into his bed to sleep with him. It annoyed him greatly since his father would blame it on him, not Evan and he would get in trouble every time he was found in his bed. 

To the point where he would try to scare Evan to get him scared of him, to keep him from going into his room. It was encouraged by his father, and he never knew why. 

“Nightmares? What..what kind of nightmares?” He was determined to do this right, to listen to his brother instead of denying it. He had seen what Cassidy had shown him, and he didn’t know if it was some half truth or something out of her imagination. 

Evan takes his hand and suddenly the room starts to melt, and Michael is in the bed with Evan. The boy has a flashlight in his hand and Michael is looking around confused. This looked like the vision Cassidy had shown him, but he wasn’t seeing it from Evan's point of view. 

His thoughts stop when he  hears Evan’s elevated breathing, and sees him rush off the bed heading to the door on the right. His ear pressed against the door before he opened it slowly and flashes the light down the hall.

What he sees is horrific. A tall animatronic with more teeth and claws than Michael can count, and it screeches at him. It looks like some horrific twisted version of Fredbear. He knew that coloring anywhere. Purple, gold. Those were Fredbear’s colors. 

Without thinking Michael jumps off the bed and stands in front of the large animatronic, his hands outstretched to protect his younger brother. “Fuck off! You can’t hurt my brother when I’m here!” He shouts his face tight in determination. 

The thing jumps on him, and Michael is ready for carnage. He’s ready to get ripped to shreds, but before it makes impact the room spins and he’s back in the living room. 

Evan is gripping onto his clothes like his afterlife depended on it, his breathing erratic. He’s sobbing loudly, making Michael turn around, and scoop his brother up, hugging him softly. Was that what he was seeing every night? Was that it? And Michael just was being the asshole who often would kick him out and tell him to suck it up?

“It’s okay. I’m here…I’m here. I won’t let anyone get you anymore. I won’t let it happen.” Michael whispers holding his sobbing brother, little fingers gripping his shirt as he cries. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you when you needed me the most.” 

He rubs Evan’s back as the little boy gives hiccups and cries, doing his best to soothe the aches and pains that his brother had. No child should ever be forced with such horrific nightmares. Michael pauses when he sees the Fredbear plush sitting innocently on the coffee table. It’s white eyes staring right at him. 

He always had that thing around…even when sleeping. It was like his security blanket. 

Michael always got the chills when it was around, by itself. It always seemed to be following him, like the eyes would move on its own. 

He leans into Evan, trying to comfort his brother, his little legs wrapped around his waist holding him like Michael would just disappear into thin air. 

“I’m not leaving, I’m not leaving Evan.” 

“They’re so scary. And they won’t leave me alone..” 

Michael feels like his heart is breaking in two, “Well let’s fucking kick some ass then. Let’s beat those fuckers right up! Me and you, didn’t you know flashlights hurt them real bad! Let’s go!” 

“Remember I’m a professional, I can take care of those nasty animatronics!” 

Evan pulls away his eyes wide, tears still free falling down his cheeks. “We…we can do that? Get rid of them?” 

Michael puts Evan down but still holds onto his brother’s hand. “It’s my duty as your big brother to get rid of monsters, and I’ve been slacking. We need to get the big guns. We gotta do this together. Exterminators! Remember that game?” 

They would play it as a way to get his sister and brother to clean their room, pretending to combat evil germs and other bad things by picking up items and cleaning away the monsters under the bed. He just stopped playing with them when he got older and he wished he didn’t stop. Maybe then Evan wouldn’t be so scared of things. 

“Can we…exterminate these things though?” 

Michael bends down and holds his brother's shoulders, “With you and me? We can take on anything. I’ll protect you I swear. I’m not going to let anything happen to you. Okay?” 

“I…I trust you.” Evan says quietly and it feels like he’s been shot in the heart. A bullet piercing his whole chest. Evan trusted him . Wanted him to help and take care of these monsters that harassed him.

He had been shirking his work when it came to being a big brother. It was time to step up to the plate and take care of this.

“Alright, me and you. Let’s kick some monster butt.” 

Evan looks at him like he is hesitant and Michael gives a smirk, “Hey kiddo. I won’t let anything happen to you. Okay? They’ll have to get through me first. Let me be the big brother, it’s my job after all. I gotta protect you guys, and I haven’t been doing a good job of it.” 

There’s a moment of silence, and then Evan squeezes Michael’s hand hard. Looking up at him with big wide blue eyes. “Let’s go get some monsters.” 

“That’s my little man!” Michael exclaims as the living room melts before his very eyes. It’s a weird sensation. Like he’s floating but also falling, his stomach churning. It was weird to get these feelings again, as Lolbit he felt nothing. A void. Just emotions brewing inside him, raging against the rapids. 

Somehow Evan was able to make him feel, and he relished in it. 

But of course like everything, the feeling disappears quickly as they’re placed in Evan’s old room. The two doors, the closet and they’re sitting on his bed. 

“They come in the doors, and the closet.” Evan whispers looking at Michael handing him the flashlight. “I can hear them breathing.” 

“They won’t be breathing when I’m done with them.” Michael mutters, “Stay behind me and we’ll show them who’s boss yeah?” 

The little boy just nods quickly gripping on Michael’s purple work shirt as they walk towards the left door this time. Michael holds the flashlight with a determined face, even though he’s scared as all hell. He had to put a brave face on for Evan. 

He leans against the doorway, listening for sounds. Anything. There’s a moment of silence and he supposes it’s thanks to Lolbit and their sensitive hearing that he’s able to hear something. He rips open the door and flashes the flashlight with a shout. 

“Get the fuck out of here!” He says flashing the light on this nightmarish Bonnie and he watches it hiss and cry as it fades away from the light. Evan gives a small gasp in surprise and Michael twirls the flashlight in his hand. 

“There. See. We got this.” 

Evan looks at his brother with sparkling eyes and it’s now a routine. They open a door, flash a light and get rid of the nightmare. Evan now is holding the light as they open the closet door, and Foxy jumps out with a loud hiss. 

“Get him!” Michael shouts and Evan holds the flashlight with such courage, and Michael is proud of him. 

“Go away!” And with a pop the nightmare Foxy disappears and then the room shudders. 

Evan looks at Michael with bright eyes, bouncing a bit. “We did it! We did it Mikey!” He exclaims jumping onto Michael who quickly grabs him, giving a good hard hug, and swung his brother around. 

“No more monsters, little man. They’re clean. This house is clean.” Michael says as the room drips back to the main living room, the place is a bit brighter now. The rain stopped and it felt like weight was lifted off his shoulders. 

“Thank you, thank you…” Evan whispers and Michael hums, noticing the poor kid looked tuckered out from his little extermination game. He was holding onto Michael but the grip wasn’t as vice as before. 

Michael places a kiss on the top of Evan’s head sitting down on the couch and gives a blissful sigh. Evan’s breathing settles down, his cheek pressed against his chest. It’s peaceful again and Michael is glad. He’s glad he’s able to help Evan get over his fears. He wished he had done it when he was alive, but…this would have to do. 

He can feel himself growing tired so he lets himself relax and finally settle in. Leaning against the couch he gives out a happy sigh and closes his eyes. 

The two just sleep peacefully, finally able to breath a bit and settle in. It’s comfortable. 

 

… 

 

He wakes up quietly, more refreshed than he’s felt in a long time. Was this how it felt with closure? He wasn’t sure. But he felt he had gotten somewhere with Evan. Finally able to soothe his nightmares away. 

Nightmares that got him thinking. 

Why those specific nightmares? 

Evan was always afraid of animatronics but why? They didn’t look scary, and the ones that he had seen with Evan were twisted. Twisted into horrific versions of themselves. Even Fredbear was horrifying.

You'd think he’d have a version of himself in there. In that room. 

Michael blinks in that realization. He…didn’t blame Michael. He didn’t even once have nightmares about him. All of them were the animatronics. Evan…did not have any horrifying version of himself despite the torture he had brought the kid. 

There’s a small noise coming from him, he stands and wipes his face realizing he had tears streaming down on his face. 

He sniffles and walks down to the living room. Noticing the plush on the shelf staring at him, with glowing eyes. He easily can tell Henry’s in the workshop no doubt working. 

Reaching for the plush he grabs it, giving a squeeze and suddenly a static noise goes off from the grip. He blinks in surprise tilting his head, and presses the plush’s stomach down. 

It’s hard. 

How…did he not notice this before. Something was inside it? 

Michael rushes to the workshop and Henry is hunched over tinkering with an animatronic hand. “You got scissors?” Michael muttered getting Henry to jump from his seat pulling the magnifying glass to look over at Michael. 

“Mike geez!” Henry breathes a hand on his chest, “I didn’t even see you…” 

Michael doesn’t answer, instead opening drawers to look for scissors and Henry furrows his brows. “Uh right scissors here.” 

He passes Michael the scissors and quietly the animatronic takes them and places the plush down with a little bit of force. “Sorry Evan.” He muttered and with a snip of the soft fabric, stuffing flies out. He would fix it later, but he needed to make sure…

“What are you-”

Michael doesn’t answer, carefully reaching into the plushies’ stomach. He feels something hard, and with gentle hands he pulls it out and what he finds shocks him. 

It’s a radio. 

A two way radio. 

“A radio?” 

Fredbear speaks to me, Michael. 

“He was talking to him, through this. William was talking to hi-”

He stops when he looks over the radio and finds something else. 

A grey disc attached to the back of the radio. Blinking a slow red light signifying that it wasn’t on.

“An illusion disc.” 

The radio falls down with a clank, and Michael steps back. His eyes wide, and he’s shaking. “Evan. He had nightmares. He had nightmares, and who gave him that plush? Who fixed him completely when it got ruined?” 

He remembers that night. Evan was devastated because some bully ripped apart his toy and Michael did his best to fix it. Only to have William pluck it away and scold them both. 

Then the next day here was Evan’s Fredbear good as new aside from a few stitching here and there. William had just chucked it into Evan’s lap without even saying a word.

Henry looks at Michael with wide eyes, “No…he…why? Why would he do such a thing?” 

The fox animatronic starts to pace back and forth, his tail trashing back and forth. “I don’t know. I don’t know Henry?! That’s an illusion disc! And it’s not on, so that means it had to be activated?! Was Evan tormented every night because of my father? Why? Why…” 

Henry looks at the disc, carefully inspecting it. “It’s not like yours. This…this is primitive. Like a prototype. See look…” He gestures to it and Michael steps forward leaning towards him. 

“It was a test.” He whispers in realization. “William…was experimenting on Evan? Why? God why? What did he deserve such treatment?” Michael bangs his fist against the table with a low hiss, his anger boiling within. 

“He was a child. A little kid, he didn’t deserve that. And I-I made it worse! God I made it so much worse!” Michael snarls, his chest burning in his own anger. Black smoke begins to spill out of his mouth as he paces back and forth, seething and burning in fury. 

“Mike. Mike stop. You’re smoking!” Henry exclaims and Michael stops seeing the black tendrils pour out of the maw of Lolbit. 

He breathes out and a heavy cloud expels out of him, and he realizes it’s because of his own anger. His remnant seemed to expel any sort of strong emotion be it tears or now apparently smoking. 

“I’m just angry.” Michael says, trying to calm himself down, blowing out thin streams of black out of his mouth. Lolbit was particularly excited to be now considered a fog machine with this new discovery. “Why Henry?” 

Henry sighs, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “I don’t know. I wish I knew. I wish I had the answer. It destroys me on the inside realizing how terrible things have been, and how I could have stopped it. I should have seen the signs. I should have-”

Michael shakes his head, “He would have killed you. I don’t think he would have let you do that. If he was experimenting on his kids…who knows what he would have done…” 

The two sit in silence for a moment staring at the radio and illusion disc. 

“I…have an idea.” Henry says with a hum. “Say we have a good ol’ fashion bonfire? Say…we burn some of William’s stuff that he’s left here that I never bothered to throw away.” 

Michael blinks, and then gives a grin. “Oh hell yeah.” 

 

…

 

They’re in the woods again, Henry has a bag of items. Most were random things that William had left or given to him for birthdays and what not. Michael held the radio and illusion disc as they prepared their little bonfire. 

“Ready?” Henry says and Michael smiles from ear to ear, his own illusion disc working as finished placing all the wood together ready to throw things into the fire. 

“Hell yeah I am.” 

Henry doesn’t comment on the language, instead he lights the match and throws it on the pile of wood. Immediately it catches fire and light flickers illuminating the two. 

“Fuck you father. For all the shit you put us through. All of us. The kids, my siblings, Henry, Charlie. Me.” With that he chucks the radio into the flames hearing the crackling of plastic. 

“Yes…fuck you William.” Henry says and Michael looks at him with a wide eyed glance as Henry starts to throw objects into the fire. Henry? Cursing? This certainly was an event! A day to mark on Michael’s calendar

“Fuck you William!” Michael shouts, throwing the illusion disc into the flames and Henry just laughs, throwing more stuff so the fire burns even brighter but not enough to cause a forest fire. He starts to laugh, the maniac laugh of Lolbit echoing the trees, and he does it freely. 

“Fuck you!” They both say to the heavens, the stars sparkling brightly in the night as the fire burns high. Cathartic it was to do such a thing. 

Henry pulls Michael into a small hug, his arm on Michael’s shoulder leaning against him. 

“That felt good.” 

“Yeah, yeah it did.”

Notes:

Thank you all for reading! I appreciate each and every comment, ask and fanart given! We are done with the fnaf 1 arc and we are chugging our way to fnaf 3! We are at the midpoint now of this story! Crazy huh?

Love you all so much and hope your week goes great!

Until Next Time!

Chapter 25: Haunting Hour

Notes:

Chapter 25! Damn. This is the longest fic I’ve ever written. Period. I’m sure you’re tired of me exclaiming that this is insane but seriously thank you all.

And thank you my friends on discord and tumblr for the wonderful words of encouragement and ideas. Especially my friend Syd and Elizabeth. I love you both so much and thanks for dealing with my bullshit.

Anyways! Enjoy!

It had been a whole week since the firing, both the bonfire and being fired from Freddy’s. It seemed everything was crumbling from the inside out now that Mike was no longer working. If he was petty, and he was, he was very happy with that discovery. 

He told them so after all. 

Jeremy continued to report and it was just getting bleaker and bleaker. The animatronics breaking down, and then the culprit still continuing to come in and break things. They were on the verge of closing because of all this. It was expected after all. Michael would be surprised if they were still standing. 

William was on a rampage it seemed, all of them slowly being torn apart and Michael couldn’t do anything. Even if he wanted to stake out the place and try to catch his father in the act he couldn’t. They seemed to have him on the do not interact list and if he was so even seen the police would be informed. 

Jeremy and Stanley even offered to do it for him and Michael refused. They did not need to confront his father, who knows what the man would do to his friends? Michael was an animatronic, he was stronger, faster, he wouldn’t let them get hurt. Especially by his own father. 

Plus Cassidy seemed to be very adamant on him not returning to the pizzeria. Said she had something planned for his father and Michael needed to stay out of her way. Evan didn’t know what it was, but Michael did not want to mess with the vengeful spirit that was Cassidy. 

He had enough nightmares with her as it is. 

So he would wait, wait until Cassidy gave him some clue on what to do. For now, he would keep his eye out for any remnant-based incidents. 

Like tonight. 

Stanley had called them, something about hearing that the Rental Center was closed, but it was having rumors of weird activity. Teenagers trying to sneak in to do their stupid dares. 

It was dangerous and Michael needed to sweep the area just so nothing like what happened to Stanley happened to anyone else. 

Who knew what else could be crawling around. Especially since William was harvesting remnant again. He knew that’s why he was breaking the animatronics. He needed their remnant. 

So now they were in Stanley’s van, Henry driving with Stanley in the passenger seat, and the other two in the back. 

“Our first mission! This is so exciting!” Jeremy chirps out the window, his face pressed to the glass. “What are we even looking for?” 

Henry chuckles at Jeremy’s enthusiasm, “Well it’s not a concrete thing we look for. Most of the time its animatronics. They usually are the ones who wish to cause pain and agony on others because of what William has done to them.” 

“Can’t you feel them, Mike?” Stanley asks and Michael gives a small noise. 

“Yeah, kind of. If there’s something around here…I’ll know.” He looked to Stanley, and Jeremy turned his head with a slightly wide-eyed look, his mouth agape. 

“That’s so sick man! How can you sense them? Is it some kind of…ability?” He whispers the last part and Michael shrugs, not really wanting to explain that Lolbit had a sensor that was meant to scan for children. 

Lolbit gives a scoff and Michael has to give them a mental pat knowing that their abilities were a sensitive subject. But without them they wouldn’t be able to find any traces of remnant so it was good, they were using it for good. 

The animatronic fox seems to be content with that answer and Michael shifts his attention to the outside, seeing that the place was fenced off now and had a lot of signs. 

“Park by the tree, we can walk from here. So we aren’t as suspicious. I doubt they have guards walking around.” Michael muttered and Jeremy whistled a low tune. 

“You guys worked here?” Jeremy asks with a slight wide eye. 

“Unfortunately.” 

“Wish I didn’t.” 

The two answer at the same time and Michael gives a chuckle and then it erupts into a weak laugh making him hit his head to stop it. Not the time to be doing this. 

“Alright. We have flashlights and stun guns, just in case. If you see something suspicious please give out a call, but not too loud. As we are technically breaking the law right now.” Henry says giving a small pep talk to them being the dad he was. “Stay safe and don’t go off on your own. If something is lurking around, it won’t hesitate to try and hurt you.”

All three of them nod quietly and Michael is the first to get out. He glanced around the center, seeing the thing looming before him. It would be nice to just see it in ashes, burned down to the ground but Henry would not let him do it. 

So he just glares at it while hearing Henry and Stanley gather their things. Jeremy is playing with his flashlight, shining it right at Michael who winces blocking the light with his hand. 

“Jeremy! Put that away.” He hissed, getting an apology from the blond, the light turning off immediately. 

“So what do we do boss?” Stanley asks, he’s got a utility belt on him and he looks prepared for whatever the hell they were out looking for. 

Michael tilts his head scanning the air, “What did you say people were hearing?” The night was nice, he wondered if it was chilly in the air. He didn’t feel a thing, but judging by all of them having jackets on it no doubt it was a bit cold outside. 

Stanley shrugs, “One of my coworkers was claiming that if you came around 1:35 am here, there would be some weird sort of noises you’d hear. But it just started with that, like the rumor I mean.” 

Weird noises. What crawled out of the center then? Michael tried to think back to all the different little animatronics he had seen at the center. There wasn’t a lot to go by, most of them were the smaller ones anyways. You wouldn’t see Funtime Foxy or Freddy lurking about. 

They were a part of Ennard now. 

“Great, well keep an ear out. We’ll just start doing a perimeter and go from there yeah?” Michael says and the three nod, letting Michael take the lead. 

“Ya know what we are? We are freaking Scooby-Doo over here! Look at us, hunting for things…this is so cool.”

Michael refrains from rolling his eyes at Jeremy’s enthusiasm, yes looking for haunted machines that had bits of soul inside them that would hurt people was so cool.

“Would that make you Scooby then?” Stanley jokes getting Michael to give a bark of a laugh, hitting his temple immediately to halt the laughing fit. 

Jeremy just gives a pout to the larger man, about to say something but Henry turns his flashlight on looking up at the sign. “Never thought I’d be breaking the law at this age.” Henry mutters and Michael steps toward, seeing a hole in the fence and pulls some of it open. 

“Nice.” Jeremy says as they all shimmy into the fence to get onto the property. “It’s so cool that you’re okay with all this Mr. Emily.” 

Henry just gives a chuckle, “Normally I wouldn’t, but there are exceptions.” 

“Like William and his creations.” Michael finishes getting Henry to nod. Yeah they both were willing to break a couple laws if it meant keeping people safe from William’s little experiments. 

They search the area, every nook and cranny they can see to make sure nothing was hiding within. Michael didn’t immediately want to use the sensor due to Jeremy not knowing. Lolbit was urging them to do so. It seemed they sensed something Michael did not, and Lolbit wanted to make sure it was something the boy would recognize. 

After a good amount of wandering and finding nothing, Michael decides to use it. 

He strays to the back for a bit while Jeremy is chatting with Henry, tugging on Stanley’s sleeve to get him to stop. The man turns around with a raised brow, “Keep Jeremy distracted, I’m going to use Lolbit’s radar. He doesn’t know about the animatronic…part of things.” 

Stanley looks surprised at that, “I thought you told him everything? Shit I said-”

“It’s okay. I think it was vague enough that he didn’t really catch on. But no, I didn’t. He…well the bite and Lolbit kind of looks like..” Michael says quickly not wanting to make Stanley feel bad. If the secret got out he would just have to explain himself further. Hopefully he did not have to.

Stanley nods, “Gotcha. I’ll keep him busy. You go on and do…whatever it is you do.” He didn’t question Michael since he still didn’t have a clue what Lolbit exactly did. Michael never really explained it, or maybe he thought the man already had enough information on his plate with everything that was going on. 

Michael looks appreciative, Stanley going up and jogging towards Jeremy and Henry, keeping himself in the middle and blocking Michael from Jeremy’s viewpoint. 

Michael doesn’t bother to hear the conversation, gently reaching for the disc on his neck and promptly turning it off. 

The noise dies down and the illusion fades, making him the giant fox he truly was. Lolbit immediately goes to work, flashing the sensor brightly with the accompanying whine. 

He sees a good distance, noticing the three around him. Stanley is a pale silver aura, but orange hovers over it like a strange protective bubble. Henry is gold and Jeremy is grey but flecks of pink and red are embedded in it. Like little splatters of paint. 

He scans the rest of the area and Lolbit immediately pings something. It’s faint but he notices it immediately. The violent violet color that the Minireenas had. Then there was another nearby, the color a faint bluish grey.

Not good. 

Quickly he hits the illusion disc back on, waiting until he knew the illusion was up and running before he raced off to follow the trail. Thankfully Lolbit was there to keep him from forgetting where the location was. 

“Geez Mike what’s the rush?” Jeremy says as Michael brushes past them, heading in a certain direction. 

Henry immediately knows that face, “You found something didn’t you?” Michael doesn’t reply and that worries the older man. All three glance at each other before they race off to try and catch up with the agile Michael. 

It was as if Michael was in a trance, his glowing eyes set on whatever it was that made that ping. Two entities.

Not good. Someone was near a remnant filled creature. They needed to get there fast. 

“Mike! Slow down!” Stanley yells but Michael just keeps moving as if he’s not even hearing anyone. “Geez this kid.” 

“Wait up Michael!” Jeremy shouts as well, jogging towards the boy but skidded to a stop when Michael halts.

There was a pipe, a large one in the middle of the ground and Michael was staring at it. Intently with his head cocked to the side. “Did ya find something?” Jeremy asks, hearing the other to rush up, panting a bit from the journey. 

“There’s something here. In the pipe.” Michael mutters looking around, “It looks rusty…I might be able to.. Stanley! Give me a hand.” 

Quickly Stanley steps forward and Michael grabs at an opening from no doubt the wear and tear of the weather since this pipe was unearthed for whatever reason. 

“On three…one…two…three!” 

Michael didn’t need Stanley’s help, but he rather not have Jeremy wonder how he could just rip off the top of a pipe with ease. Stanley grunts and the pipe creaks open with a loud crunch, Michael doing much of the grunt work. 

What they found was something that made the three gasp out loud. 

There was a woman, her body scrunched up in the pipe. Brown hair matted against her face. She was pretty, with a thin face but a slightly long chin.

“Holy shit!” Jeremy says and immediately Stanley reaches for her, placing his hand on her neck. 

“She’s got a pulse! But it’s faint! Mike..” 

“Way ahead of you, out of the way.” Michael immediately shifts to reach for the woman. She was thin, and there were bruises and bags under her eyes. As if she hasn’t slept for a while. He lifted her up with ease making sure he was careful not to hurt her. Her body was tightly pressed against the pipe, almost squished to the extreme. 

Had she crawled in there? Why? 

What was she doing in a drainage pipe?

“Is she alright?” Henry says as Stanley immediately takes off his jacket and lays it down on the grass so Michael could place her down. 

“Dunno, but I think whatever placed her in there…is nearby. I saw another signature.” He says quietly scanning the woman. “God…how long was she in there?” 

“I can’t imagine there was much oxygen in there! She looked completely stuck! How did she even get in there in the first place?” Stanley stammers kneeling on one knee and seeing if he could wake her up. 

Michale follows the pipe scanning to see where it was connected to. “It looks like this goes to the main facility. She must have found a vent or something and crawled in. Or someone forced her in.” 

“Who would do such a thing?” Jeremy asks as Henry kneels down next to Stanley to check for other injuries. 

“Machines that have living agony inside, unable to understand why they feel so horrible, so they hurt others to try and relieve that pain.” Michael whispers, moving to stand. “I need to find the other signature-”

He stops when hearing a small groan coming from the lady, everyone freezes as she takes in large breaths, her eyes opening wide. 

“Woah, woah, easy there.” Stanley says calmly as she looks around in fright, her brain no doubt trying to process all this. She probably passed out due to the lack of oxygen in that small pipe she had been in. 

“Wh-what? Where…where am I?” Her voice is raspy and she grips her head, her nails look torn to shreds no doubt from crawling in that pipe. 

The four look at each other, and then back to the woman. “You’re in an old facility. Do you remember how you got here?” Henry asks quietly, his hand hovering over her just in case she did something crazy. 

“I…I remember…I…” Her thin brows pinch together as she thinks. It’s obvious she’s having trouble. “Wh…what time is it?” 

“Time? Uhhh…” Jeremy quickly pulls at his jacket sleeve looking at his watch. “Almost one thirty am.” 

The woman’s face grows pale and she shots up like a firework, holding herself with a shuddery breath. “No, no no…it’s after me. It’s coming to get me, it won't leave me alone!” She cries, gripping her head. 

Immediately everyone looks concerned, Stanley gently reaching out to grab her back so she doesn’t topple over. “Hey, hey who’s going to get you? How did you get here?” 

She looks shaken, and Michael can tell that something was harassing her. Haunting her even. By the look of the bags under her eyes and the way her body shook, something was not right. 

“Please please…it’ll find me. It always does. It won’t leave me alone! It won’t leave me alone…” 

Michael stands up and everyone looks to him, the woman’s eyes wide as purple eyes stare into her soul. This man before him is tall, with an ice cold stare. Her body locks up in fright before the boy notices her terror, his expression softening. “Whatever it is, we are here to find it and get rid of it. If you could describe it…it would be helpful.” 

She just stares at the stranger, with wide brown eyes. “I…it’s…a doll. A really pretty doll, with a blue dress. I-I found it at a garage sale…and it won’t leave me alone. Every night at 1:35 am…it wakes me up and won’t stop. I can’t-I thought I threw it away but it just keeps coming back.” 

“Michael…” Henry whispers and Michael nods quietly. 

“You guys stay here. I’ll go looking for it. I have a feeling it’s nearby. Take care of…” He trails off, prompting the woman to give him her name. 

“Delilah. Delilah Estelle.” She whispers and Michael nods. 

“Don’t worry Delilah, we will find the thing and get rid of it so it can never harm you again. I’m Michael, this is Stanley, Jeremy and Henry.” He introduces them all, each giving their respective nods and waves. 

Delilah looks at them and nods, her body shaking in fright. The poor woman probably was sleep deprived and was apparently dealing with some haunted doll. 

Lovely. Just what he wanted to deal with. Dolls, clowns, what’s next on the list? Spiders? God he hoped not. 

His father just liked to use the most common fears a child would have it seemed. 

With a quiet turn of his body he goes and heads toward the signature he had seen. He hears footsteps behind him and sees Jeremy jogging towards him with a wide grin. 

“I think Stan and Mr. Emily got that, I’ll go with you so you’re not dealing with some freaky doll.” Jeremy says and Michael holds back a sigh. He didn’t want to yell at Jeremy for being an idiot and reckless, because he secretly appreciated Jeremy following him. 

He had to force himself to remember that he had friends now, and they wanted to help him. He wasn’t alone anymore, and he appreciated it. He just needed to learn how to rely on people instead of braving everything on his own. 

“Be ready for anything. These things are unpredictable.” 

Jeremy nods, “I should have brought my baseball bat. Then things really would look legit.” 

He didn’t know how Jeremy had nerves of steel. Probably from the bite to the noggin, but Michael purely believed Jeremy was always that way. Just able to walk headfirst into danger without a single thought in his head. 

Lolbit gives a joking remark about him not thinking a lot and Michael thinking too much and how perfect it was, but Michael is too busy trying to find whatever made Deliliah hide in that vent. If it was a doll, there was no way it could shove a grown woman into a pipe like that. 

She went on her own volition. To get away from whatever was tormenting her. She almost died. Just to get away from this thing. 

Michael stops in his tracks when hears something. It’s like a whisper in the back of his head, muttering something incoherently. Jeremy seems to hear it too because he stands up straight with his singular eye wide. 

“You hear that…” Jeremy whispers and Michael nods. 

“What time is it?” 

“1:35.” 

The doll was looking for Deliliah. He could feel a shiver run down his spine as he listened carefully following the whispers until it louder and louder. 

Wake up wake up wake up wake up 

It continued to sing in a high pitched voice. 

Come to play? I know you.

Michael narrows his eyes hearing the whispers starting to get more and more coherent. “Then you know I’m here to put an end to you.” He mutters as Jeremy is close behind, his hand on Michael’s arm leaning over to try and see who Michael was talking about. 

Don’t like naughty boys.

There’s a snort that leaves Michael, “Then you’ll really hate me.” 

He steps into the clearing and there he sees it. The doll sitting on the ground, staring at him with dark eyes. Brown curls are neatly draped over its face with pink cheeks as clear as day. She’s wearing a blue dress and looks oddly familiar to him. He’s seen this doll before. But where? 

“Holy shit.” Jeremy says as if he’s surprised to see the doll, like he didn’t truly believe the woman’s story. “What’s it even doing here?” 

“It’s following Deliliah. She’s it’s victim.” 

I just want to play. 

“Yeah by torturing her. She crawled into a pipe to get away from you!” 

The doll’s head clicks a bit, looking right at Michael. Michael doesn’t freeze, for he’s faced much scarier foes than a small little doll. 

I was taken, made awful. Don’t want this. 

Taken? Made awful? Michael isn’t sure what it meant. No doubt it was injected by remnant and its existence was just terrible. Endless suffering and it was lashing out like a wounded animal. 

“I can take that pain away. I can release you. If you’ll let me.” Michael says quietly, carefully taking a couple steps forward. He looks to Jeremy gesturing for the blond to move in a position so either one could grab the doll. 

“I can fix this, and you won’t feel pain anymore.” The two circle closer to the stationary doll, Jeremy behind it while Michael is in front. 

“Now!” Jeremy suddenly shouts and launches himself onto the doll. Michael is completely out of the loop with this plan watching the blond hit the dirt with the doll teetering forward avoiding Jeremy completely. 

Naughty! 

Michael rushes to Jeremy, turning around to find the doll was gone. He lifts Jeremy by the back of his jacket with ease, his head turning left and right. 

“Where did it go?!” He shouts as Jeremy shakes himself off. “Jeremy!”

Jeremy looks at him with a wide eye, “What?! I thought we had it!”

Michael gives out a frustrated huff, trying to see if he could find the doll. “Come out now!”

Come play with me, Michael.

“Oh fuck that!” Jeremy shouts gripping on Michael, who immediately shakes him off trying to focus on the doll. 

Count to ten and find me.

Michael feels his anger rising, but he had to stay calm. This thing was just toying with them. He ignores the chortle from Lolbit from his inward joke, trying to find this damn little doll. He didn’t have time for this!

“Alright, I’ll count to ten. One…two..” Instead of standing still, he slowly walks towards a large tree. He could feel the whispering get louder and that must mean the doll was near. “Three…four..” He makes a hand movement to Jeremy, hopefully, this one would be more clear.

“Five…”

He hears the sound of a turnkey clicking, and the music suddenly playing. 

“There!” Michael shouts pointing to the doll, watching it awkwardly make its way towards a certain direction. “It’s heading back to Delilah!” 

Jeremy tries to knock it over with a rock, shouting as he throws it and with a ding the rock hits the top of its head and bounces off. 

The doll spins and with a screech, it waddles towards Jeremy it’s eyes glowing a bright red. 

“Ahhh Michael it’s gonna get me!!” Jeremy shrieked, falling backwards onto his bottom. Immediately Michael came in grabbing the doll by the hair, and yanked it away from Jeremy. The blond just stares at him while Michael holds the twitching doll in his hands. 

“ This is what you’re scared of?” Michael laughs a bit exasperated at Jeremy. 

“It was going to rip my face off!” Jeremy argues standing up and brushes himself of, he looks at the doll that is twitching and shivering like a glitched-out animatronic. “What now?” 

“Now we burn it. Release the remnant.” Michael says simply with a wide grin. 

“You’re too trigger happy with fire man.”

“Oh shut up.” 

 

…

 

They get back to Henry with the doll in hand, staying a good distance so Deliliah isn’t freaked out by the doll. 

“Stanley with her?” Michael asks and Henry nods pushing his glasses further up the bridge of his nose. 

“Yes, she’s quite shaken up Stanley took her to the van. I recommend taking her to the hospital. It looks like she was there for a couple days in that pipe. She could have died.” Henry says worriedly and his eyes finally sweep to the culprit of this all. 

“We got her!” Jeremy chirped, “She almost ripped my face off Mr. Emily.” 

“Goodness, good thing you two got it.” He stops to look at the doll tilting his head. “Wait a minute. Ella? Th..this is Charlie’s old doll. I made it for her. I..I lost it when…” 

Michael looks at the doll and then flicks back to Henry. “It said it was taken. Made awful. Do you think…” 

Henry sucks in a breath, his fists clenched. “William took it and then, then he…” 

Michael’s hand clenched on the plastic of the doll, feeling awful. His father stole the doll and then experimented on it. No doubt lost it and then this poor woman found it. Or he unleashed it out onto the world. 

“Well, we have it now. And it seems content with being released. Just wanted to play…by you know..torturing the poor lady.” 

Henry nods gently, reaching for the doll, looking at it quietly. “I’m so sorry for what he did to you. We’ll let you rest. I promise.” 

The doll is silent but they watch as the black eyes suddenly click shut, and the doll goes limp in Henry’s hand. As if it’s accepting its fate. The thing just wanted to stop hurting and they would do their best to relieve it of the pain that was thrusted upon them. 

“Jeremy, pass me your bag. I’ll put the doll in there and then we can go and get Delilah and take her to the hospital.” 

Jeremy nods and quickly passes the bag to Michael. Gently he placed the doll into the bag, and swung it over his shoulder. They walk back and are greeted with flashing lights and Stanley leaning against the van talking to an officer. 

“Shit.” 

Detective Larson turns his gaze from Stanley and notices the other three. “These your friends?” Stanley just stares at him with a small look. 

He notices Michael first, “Fritz? The kid from the pizzeria?” 

Michael wants to kick himself in the head from this, of course he was here. Of course he just had to show up after a successful moment. Seems like this detective would be more of a thorn in his side than he thought. 

“Hey officer!” Jeremy says with a cheerful look, “Are we in trouble?” 

Larson just raises a brow, “You tell me. Trespassing on private property sounds like an offense to me.” 

“Then we definitely were not doing that.” Jeremy innocently gives a smile to the officers. 

“Sir, we got a friend that needs to go to the hospital. It’s why we are here.” Henry says quietly, “My son here lost contact with a friend and someone said that they saw her here. We found her in the pipe.” 

Michael blinks looking at Henry, surprised that he called him his son. He wasn’t expecting it, considering Henry usually introduced him as his godfather. 

Larson’s eyes widen and he looks to the woman who’s sitting in the passenger seat, a jacket over her leaning against the window fast asleep. 

“Jesus, I’ll get an ambulance right away. But you four. I'm going to need to take you in. For some questioning.” 

“Excuse me?” Michael asks, feeling annoyed that he was yet again getting harassed by the police. 

Larson turns to him with his hand on his hip. “Well it’s either I arrest you all for trespassing, or…you answer some questions and maybe then you get to go home.” 

Michael opens his mouth to argue but Henry steps in his hand gesturing for the boy to stop. “I think we can do that…” 

“Larson, Detective Larson.” He tells Henry, and Henry nods. 

“Come on boys, let’s not keep him waiting. Be civil.” He says the last part to Michael knowing how his godson was with the police. They never got along even when he was younger. Michael didn’t get along with authority too well. 

Michael holds the bag tightly glaring at Larson as they wait for the ambulance. Surprisingly the ambulance is quick and they're able to get the poor woman on the stretcher and take her away. 

He didn’t like that he had a remnant filled doll in this bag, and that they would have to go to the police station for further questioning. 

He hoped it wouldn’t lash out and be patient while they did this, or they would have a very, very hard time explaining this. 

“Alright. Follow me.” Larson says, telling them to get into the van. At least they weren’t in handcuffs. Or being slammed against the door of the car. He would be civil as long as they would. 

Or else Lolbit would be doing a little intermission of their own and he would be getting them all the fuck out of there. 

Now that was a promise. 

 

Notes:

Thank you all for reading! We have Deliliah coming in for a brief appearance! She’s from Fazbear’s Frights’ 1:35 AM! I tried to keep it vague so if you haven’t read it you won’t be super confused.

But she won’t be a full member of the team, just one who appears on occasion same with Larson haha

Anyways! Fanart corner!

The-bird-ghost-anon:

https://the-bird-ghost-anon.tumblr.com/post/678796661987950592/i-need-to-draw-something-for-this-new-chapter

Rainbowcake132:

https://inkspottie.tumblr.com/post/678905036377604096/fnaf-3-lat-arc-leaked-real-not-clickbait

Cowboykip:

https://inkspottie.tumblr.com/post/678931119977234432/ok-im-not-sure-if-this-is-gonna-submit-properly

Chapter 26: Arrested Development

Notes:

35k!!! Woooo!!! Thank you so much. And 1.5k kudos??? That’s absolutely nuts. Thank you guys and hope you enjoy this chapter!

Enjoy more shenanigans with the crew!

Hurricane Police Station.

 

2:30 AM - 1st Interrogation 

 

Everett Larson sits down in front of the young man who has his arms crossed. He knows this boy, the one from the pizzeria. He’s tall, thin, and angry. Looking like some delinquent, his colleagues would pick up on the street from time to time. He has an odd device on his neck, the thing blinking at random intervals, and sometimes if Larson would squint his eyes would go blurry and ache. As if he’s staring at a strange optical illusion. 

Perhaps it was because of how early it was in the morning. 

“Now, Fritz Smith. I heard you were fired at the pizzeria. Is that true?” 

Fritz just stares, silver almost purple eyes glaring at him with some sort of malice. It seemed that the boy was not fond of authority. Perfectly clear since he was combating Everett since the moment he told him he had to take them all in. 

“I don’t have to answer any of your questions,” Fritz says simply, looking at his nails. 

Everett sighs, “True, but if you cooperate with me, I won’t have to press charges on you. Or your friends. Now, just answer the questions so both of us can go home.” 

The boy just stares leaning back against his chair with a small huff, “I got fired yeah. For something stupid. What’s this have to do with anything?” 

“Just a question, that's all. What were you doing on that property?” 

“Helping a friend.” 

“This friend…she was the woman, yes?” 

Fritz nodded, his arms fully crossed and he was staring at the table. No eye contact, no doubt he wasn’t truly prepared for the questions Everett had for him. 

“And why was she there?” 

“I don’t know. She was missing. Haven’t seen her in days, then I heard she was last seen over there and so we went to investigate.” He answers, his voice low enough to be a growl as if he was getting increasingly annoyed with the detective. Everett doesn’t comment on it but continues his questioning. 

“In the middle of the night? Why?” 

Fritz shrugged, obviously not going to elaborate further. 

“This friend of yours…how do you know her?” 

The boy just stares, taking a moment and it’s all the evidence Everett needs for him to know that Fritz was completely making this up. “She’s a friend. Why are you so interested in that?” 

“Because trespassing on private property is not something one would do for a stranger.” 

Fritz snorts at that, a low giggle escaping him before he lightly taps the side of his head. Almost in a strange sort of tic-like fashion. “You definitely don’t know me then.” 

The detective just raises a brow, “And your friends? Did they know her too? I understand wanting to fool around and be teenagers but..having your father with you seems a bit odd.” 

Fritz pauses for a moment, his eyes widened just slightly when Everett speaks about his father. Like he’s surprised to hear such a thing. He leaned back into his seat, “So what? If he wants to be rebellious I don’t see any point in stopping him. Plus like I said we were looking for Delilah. End of story.” 

“You said that she was in a pipe? Do you know how she got there?” 

There’s silence. Just the two of them staring at each other. 

“Want to explain the doll in the bag you had?” 

More silence. 

Fritz just stares, eyes flashing. He’s not sure if it’s the low lighting of the room or just Everett needing a good cup of coffee but he could have sworn this kid’s eyes were glowing. 

Something about this kid was off, and Everett was determined to figure it out. He didn’t know what it was, but eventually, the case would open wide. If Fritz didn’t tell him, eventually he would find out himself. 

But for now, he could tell this conversation was over. He resisted the entire time, giving Everett nothing. A full 180 from his encounter at the pizzeria. He senses the boy did not like the police, perhaps from an encounter that ended badly. 

“I can see that this conversation is over. Thank you, Fritz.” 

He doesn’t get a remark, just a narrowed glare. Not budging just watching Everett. As if the detective was about to do something and Fritz was ready to react. 

Now for the next kid. 

 

2:45 AM - 2nd Interrogation

 

The blond walks in with a skip of his step, he seems unfazed by anything. Just glancing around with a wide blue eye. The left side of his face is heavily scarred, his eye sealed shut almost from whatever happened to him. 

“Sit on down. Jeremy was it?” 

Jeremy sits with a smile looking around, then to the detective. “Yup!” He pops the ‘p’ while he shoves his hands into his pockets relaxing into the steel chair. 

“And you work at the pizzeria as well? With Fritz?” Everett asks as he takes his notebook and taps the end of the pen on the table, clicking it quietly. 

“Yeah! He and I have worked together before! In the previous location.” Jeremy answers and Everett can tell he’s telling the truth. It looked like the blond had nothing to hide, and wasn’t nervous in the slightest. 

“That so? You both must be close then.” 

“Very!” He chirps, playing with his zipper on his jacket absentmindedly. Not a nervous habit, but perhaps a sort of way to keep himself from fidgeting. No doubt he was able to keep still. “He’s one of my best friends.”

Everett nodded, “I can see that. Now, do you mind telling me what you were doing on that property?”

“Oh easy, we were looking for cursed items. At least that’s what he calls them. More haunted but I guess it’s the same term right?” Jeremy taps his chin as he looks up to think. “We heard something about the place having weird activity so we went to investigate.” 

“C..cursed items? Weird activity? Interesting. So you didn’t know the woman at all?”

“I don’t, but I think Fritz might have. He seemed like it. We caught the culprit though! It was the freaky doll. Was making the lady all freaked out.” Everett is surprised at how nonchalant this boy was. Just talking about outlandish things. 

“Doll? The one in the bag?” 

“Mhmm! It chased me and Fritz.” He says quickly, “Real scary stuff.” 

“It…chased you.” Everett can’t help but feel like this kid was playing around with him. Just making up a tall tale to throw him off the scent. No way this boy was telling the truth. 

“It did! Turned it’s freaky little head and waddled right towards me.” Jeremy gestures largely and Everett just stares at him. 

What the hell was this kid talking about? 

“I…see and the woman…was being affected by this doll? Do you know why she was there?” Everett was curious to see what he would come up with. It was almost amusing. Almost. 

“Dunno. Fritz said it was torturing her, so she tried hide from it I guess? I didn’t get to speak with her.” Jeremy says with a hum. He runs a hand through his hair and then looks at Everett with a strange look to him. 

“Wanna hear something? I think…I think Fritz is a vampire.” 

Everett just stares, “A vampire.” His voice is dripping with a full monotone deadpan. “You think…your friend is a vampire?” 

Jeremy nods, his hair whipping up and down as he does so. “Isn’t it obvious though? Stanley doesn’t believe me, but I swear. I swear he’s some kind of creature of the night. Guy doesn’t eat, he’s hella pale, AND he’s super strong too.” 

There’s silence in the room. It’s very awkward as Everett is trying to understand just what was happening here. This boy, was either a great storyteller, or just out of his mind. 

Perhaps both. 

He’s not sure where to go next, considering that his questions were not answered. They just were made even more confusing with this talk of haunted dolls and vampires. Was he being pranked right now? It certainly felt like it. 

“So…am I free to go sir?” 

Everett blinks and gives a low sigh, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “Sure. Go on ahead Jeremy. Thank you.” 

“Sweet!” 

What the hell was he even doing here. He could be home. With a warm blanket and his little cat curled up on his bed. This was getting ridiculous.

Well, onto the next one. 

 

3:15 AM - 3rd Interrogation 

 

The other boy of the group walked in with his hands clenched together tightly. You could see a small sheen of sweat on his forehead as he sat down, brown eyes wide and glancing around anywhere but the detective. 

He nervous, plain and simple. 

Everett could understand, sometimes it was very hard to sit down and answer questions from the police. It made anyone nervous, and the guilty often more so than naught. 

“Stanley right?” 

He nods quickly, and Everett gives a hum. Quietly he passes the taller boy the complimentary water and opens his book yet again. 

“No need to be nervous, just here for a little questioning that’s all.” He says, trying to soothe Stanley’s nerves. “You did do something wrong, but we can look past it if you answer these questions okay?” 

Stanley looks like he’s about to explode with anxiety, his face giving a caught deer in the headlights look, with his leg bouncing up and down. 

“Alright, want to tell me why-”

“I’m sorry! I’m so sorry officer, I’ve failed to stop at a stop sign so many times. I mean I stop! But I don’t stop all the way. I know it’s bad but I do it anyways!” Stanley suddenly blurts out and Everett blinks rapidly. 

“W-what? Oh, that is…that’s is fine I just want to ask why-”

“I’ve even done u-turns I wasn’t supposed to do! It’s just so much easier to do them then go all around. I try not to but these roads are terrible sometimes!” 

Everett just stares at him, “Son, you need to obey traffic laws.” 

“I know! I know…and I accidentally went to grab the paper for my ma and I took two instead of one! I didn’t mean to and I didn’t notice until I was home! I swear it was an accident!” 

Stanley looks like he’s about to cry, the boy confessing to every single mistake he has ever done in his life. 

“I slept on the job all the time and it got me into real trouble! I never want to sleep again but I still do it! Even with what happened! It’s these night shifts they’re killer! An-and going back tonight, why would I do that? I don’t want to ever go back there!” 

Everett raised a brow, “Were you forced against your will to go back to that facility?” 

Stanley looks as if the color was drained out of his face and he quickly shakes his head. “No! No, Mike wouldn’t do that!” 

Mike? 

“Who is Mike?” 

Stanley slaps his hand over his mouth, “He…he’s my other friend! Yeah yeah…he didn’t come but he told us about…about Deliliah.” 

Interesting. Everett quietly begins to write that down and Stanley gives a low groan rubbing his face. Definitely something he wasn’t supposed to say then. This man was rambling up a storm, no doubt thanks to his own stress and anxiety. 

“I swear I’m not a bad guy, I don’t do things like this. And-and if I do they’re little things! Like a white lie, like…like telling Jeremy that chocolate milk comes from brown cows. Because the dude will believe anything you tell him I swear!”

Everett just rubs his face again. There was no point in questioning Stanley. The man was just oozing out anxiety to the point his brain was probably unable to answer proper questions. It would be a waste of time, and he rather not hear everything this guy has done in his life that he considered wrong. 

Felt like he was sitting in a confessional with a guilty man. 

Stanley is still rambling and Everett just puts up a hand, shaking his head. “Thank you, Stanley. I think I have what I need.” He muttered, rubbing his face. He was going to need a gallon of coffee after this. And a good book. 

He watches Stanely get up and leave, and he mutters into the radio to get the man named Henry. He rubbed his face with a loud groan. 

“Should have questioned the adult first.” 

 

3:45 AM - Final Interrogation

 

Henry Emily. Everett realized who this man was the moment he stepped into the light. This was the man who he worked his first case with. He was a rookie, and he remembers coming onto the scene. 

A murdered child. Strangled in cold blood. Left to die in the rain. With a strange animatronic laying on top. 

They couldn’t find the killer, they suspected one, but they didn’t have enough evidence to fully go through with the arrest. 

That case haunted him to this day. 

Henry steps in, calm and composed. He’s definitely older, they both are. They’ve both been through things it seemed. Everett didn’t know Henry had another child, considering what happened.. 

“Mr. Emily was it?” Everett asks politely and Henry nods. “The company you are with is quite something.” 

Henry chuckles at that, taking his glasses off and rubbing them on his flannel. “They’re kids, so they’re going to be a little eccentric.” 

Everett hums at that, “I just wish to ask questions if you don’t mind.” 

The older man nodded, good finally someone that was cooperating. He could tell Henry was level headed and just wanted to go home. Everett did too, but he wanted to get to the bottom of this. 

“Now, why were you at the property.” 

“Fritz, has a friend. Deliliah. He met her at the diner near here. She suddenly disappears and he got worried. Until Stanley heard that someone saw her on the property. Worried he gathered us all there, I went with them to make sure they weren’t doing anything..you know dangerous.” 

Everett nodded, “Why didn’t you call the authorities?” 

“Forgive me but the authorities have not really done much in my time. I lost my daughter and they couldn’t find the culprit so my relationship with the police is not exactly the best...” 

“I…I understand. Do you remember me Mr. Emily? I was the junior detective on your daughter's case?” 

Henry pauses looking at him, his eyes scanning the man before they widen. “That’s right! Goodness it’s been some time please forgive me. You’re the actual detective here now? Isn’t that great for you.” 

Everett chuckles and gives a short nod, “I can imagine you’re not too happy with that. Considering that..” 

Henry shook his head, “Sure I have some disdain about the force, but I know you worked hard to find out what happened to her. It would not be fair of me to hold you against what the rest of your force did.” 

This was true, considering that Everett refused to let the case go despite the captain telling them it was a lost cause. He even had to be transferred for speaking out against it. 

But now he was back, and there was something more pressing to speak about. 

“Your former business partner William Afton, it’s the reason I am back here. He’s missing. For quite some time actually. Do you know his whereabouts?” 

Henry’s face hardens and he shakes his head, “I haven’t seen him in years if I’m honest. I broke all ties with him after what had happened. He also threatened me a while back, so I haven’t really kept tabs on him.” 

Everett blinks, “He threatened you? Why?” 

“Just how William is. He doesn’t like anyone in his way, and I was apparently in his way. But after that I have not heard of him.” 

Everett shifts in his seat, he had suspected William Afton from the beginning and with this new information it seemed worrying. “We suspect that he is a part of the missing children incident, as well as other crimes. If you have any idea of where his location is, we would be very grateful.”

There’s a bit of a pause, Henry seems to be thinking hard and then he hums quietly. “The true reason we were out there was not because of Deliliah. We found her and knew that she was missing, but it was because of William’s creations. They…they have caused a lot of problems in the past few years, and my son and I have been trying to stop any more accidents.” 

Interesting. 

“I see. And your son, Fritz, correct? What is his relation to the man? Or is he just helping you?” 

“He is William’s son.” 

What? 

Everett blinks rapidly, lifting his head a bit. “I’m sorry?” 

“He is Michael Afton, but I took custody of him after his father disappeared. We had to change his name due to the negative connotation that it has. We are trying to find him, and deal with the messes he has made.” 

This was certainly new information. Fritz was Michael, and it seemed Henry trusted him enough to tell Everett about it. He was almost surprised considering the relationship Henry had with the police. Then it made sense. Stanley said Mike instead of Fritz. Everyone seemed to know Fritz as Michael then? 

“I…see.” 

“You have to understand Detective. Could you imagine your own son having to fix things because you have done something wrong? How much weight he has to carry because of the name he holds? He’s a good kid, just a bit hurt and damaged. He doesn’t trust easily, and I am sorry if he gave you a hard time.”

Everett felt a jab in his heart because he had a son of his own and he would never want his son to deal with such a thing. He understood why Henry did the things he was doing. It was for Fritz, Michael. 

“I would appreciate it if you didn’t speak about this to anyone. We’ve tried hard to keep him away from that name, and I know he would be furious if I told you.” 

There’s a moment between picking what he should do with the law, and with his heart and Everett decides to go with his heart. “I won’t tell anyone. I would like to work with you on this. I’ll allow you to search for the man, if and only if you contact me when you do. I’ll do my best to keep the heat off you all. But just please…don’t break too many laws.” 

Henry’s eyes widened and he looked at the detective with a gentle smile. “You’re a good man Detective, thank you.” 

“I wish to help, and whatever you need..” He reaches into his jacket pocket and passes Henry a pale card. “Here’s my personal number. Just call me and I’ll be there. I hope we can work well together Mr. Emily.” 

“Please, it’s Henry. Mr. Emily makes me feel old.” 

“Everett Larson then.” 

He moves to stand, reaching to shake Henry’s hand when he hears a loud thud against the glass of the interrogation room. He lifts his head and looks at Henry and then to the window. They can’t see through it unfortunately so that meant they would have to walk out. 

When he does he sees Officer Dunn crying out holding the small doll away from his face while the three in the cell were shouting at him. There was a loud screeching coming from the doll, it almost sounded like an alarm of some sort. 

“Dunn?! What the hell is going on?!” Larson shouts as Henry moves towards the office and quickly grabs the doll away from him. 

The doll immediately halts at Henry’s touch, slacking in his hands. 

“That thing! That thing attacked me!” Dunn says holding the side of his face, he had obvious scratch marks littering his face. Like the thing had just mailed him. 

“I told him not to touch it,” Fritz says with a slow drawl gripping the bars. 

“I’m sorry, this model is very temperamental. It’s a bit old and sometimes can just go into…” 

“Feral mode?” Jeremy calls out and Henry nods quietly. 

Dunn just shakes his head while Larson tells him to go get patched up. He travels back to the cell and slides the door open for the three. 

“Alright, you're free to go. Try not to get into too much trouble, yes?” Larson says as he twirls the cell keys in his hand stepping aside to let them all get out. 

“Sweet!” Jeremy whooped while Fritz pushed the smaller one out first. Stanley follows, not daring to look at Larson’s eyes, his face slightly flushed. He obviously was embarrassed by the things he had said in the interrogation. 

Larson wouldn’t hold it against him, maybe. 

“Oh Stanley?” They all stop when he calls out the larger man who whips his head around with wide eyes. “Try to stop completely when at a stop sign, yeah?” 

Stanley’s face turns a brighter red and he nods with the rest of them looking very confused. “Y-yes sir.” 

Larson gives a wink as he walks them out of the station. “If you need anything do not hesitate to call.” He tells Henry and the man nods. 

“Thank you Detective. We appreciate it. Sorry for wasting your time.” 

“Nonsense. This was eventful to say the least. You have a good morning. Get some rest.” Larson dips his head and Henry hums in agreement. They all enter the van and Larson watches them leave. Fritz’s eyes never leave his. 

Michael Afton huh? Interesting. Very interesting. 

 

…

 

They get home and crash. Everyone fell asleep on the couch while Henry and Michael went to deal with the doll. 

“You should go and sleep, I can deal with this.” Michael muttered holding the doll as they traveled to the fire pit they made back when they burned the Minireenas. 

“Nonsense Mike, I’ll help. Plus all that adrenaline of everything that happened is still pumping through me. I’ll hit the hay after this, and you should rest too. It’s been a while with the disc on.” 

Michael nods, holding the doll quietly in his hands. “I’m sorry Henry.” 

Henry lifts his head from placing the wood onto the pit. “Hmm? Why?” 

“That father did this to Ella. It was Charlie’s, and he…” 

The man shakes his head, throwing more wood into the pit. Had to make sure there was enough kindling for the flame after all. “Michael, you know you can’t blame yourself for what he has done. I know he’s your father, but your actions are your own. You are helping break this curse that he brought her, and that’s all that matters. I would only demand an apology if you had done this yourself.” 

Michael just sighs, looking at the doll. “I wish Charlie was here.” 

Henry pauses and then mutely nods his head. “Me too, kiddo. Me too.” 

There’s silence as they ready the flames, it’s almost a ritual at this point. It was almost a mournful silence between the two. Burning one of Charlie’s dolls that Henry made her. It was almost like a twist of the knife in the already sore wound. 

When did William do this? Before her death or after?

He didn’t want to know. 

Michael throws the match into the fire, and the orange flames light up. This powerful orange glow that flickers and burns. He just watches the fire lick at the air, almost in a mesmerizing dance. 

Release? 

The doll whispers and Michael nods. “You’ll be free.” 

He doesn’t toss the doll in. Instead gently place it down on the fire. It doesn’t scream like the Minireenas did, instead the flames just burned and covered it. Then there was a lofty sigh, this happy moment that it was pulled away from this constant pain. 

Thank you

“You’re welcome. Sleep well Ella.” Michael felt happy about this. About releasing the doll. About helping Deliliah. Another person saved. 

“So, son huh?” Michael whispered quietly looking to Henry, who glanced at him with a gentle smile. The fire lighting up their faces as they just stood there watching it. 

“At this point, you might as well be Michael. I always saw you as my son. I’m sorry I didn’t act on it sooner.” 

Michael feels his body start to shake, looking at him with wide eyes. He never expected Henry to say that to him. That he truly saw him as his son. 

“Thanks Henry.” He whispers, saying nothing more. Henry just nods, knowing Michael needs his space right now. They probably would have a bigger discussion about this later. 

It’s quiet for a bit until Henry breaks the silence. 

“Makes you wonder just how many times he’s done this. How many things he’s injected remnant with. How much are just wandering around and hurting people?” Henry whispers looking worriedly at the fire as the doll melts before their eyes. Artificial hair burning, the crackling of plastic and electronics sparking. 

“I don’t know, but we’ll find them.” 

Henry nods, “I was just thinking about that. What if we made a tracker. Like the one I have on you. But for remnant? We have remnant samples after all.” 

Michael turns to him, “That would make things easier. Then I wouldn’t have to hop out of disguise to try and use the sensor.” Lolbit stirs at not wanting to be useless and Michael highly doubted that. Lolbit would never be useless to them. 

Lolbit preens at that, appreciating the compliment which makes Michael roll his eyes. 

“I’ll get working on it then. I think I have an idea. Maybe we can even implement it into…your little buddy you have.” 

Michael looks at him with a raised brow. “Yeah? That might be a good idea. A little helper of sorts.” 

Henry chuckles, “I could see it. Let’s get this remnant and get back into the house and get some sleep. Then we can try and check up on Deliliah.” 

“Sounds good. Rest easy Ella.” 

 

…

 

Two days later and Henry had checked the hospital, she was in good condition and was able to have guests. 

So Stanely, Jeremy and Michael went to see her. Stanley brought flowers and Jeremy was snickering the whole way there. 

“Stop laughing, it’s annoying.” Stanley hissed as they walked down the hospital hall. 

“Why? Stan’s being a gentleman!” Jeremy sings only to get Michael to lightly hit him on the back with the roll of his eyes, his lips quirked in a lopsided smile. 

“It’s considerate Stanley.” Michael says honestly with a hum trying to put a hand over Jeremy’s mouth to keep him from jabbering on and on. The boy sure didn’t know when to shut his mouth sometimes. 

Stanley beams, “Thank you! Plus Mel said I should do it. Because it’s nice, and I imagine her life wasn’t so nice with the doll and all.” 

Both of them can agree with that, she probably was miserable with this thing constantly waking her up at 1:35 am and she had to crawl into a pipe to get away from it all. 

They get to her room and knock on the door. Deliliah is there looking much better. Her face isn’t pale and her hair looks healthy. 

“Hey, it’s…it’s you guys. I'm sorry things are a little blurry for me. I don’t remember much of what happened that night.” Deliliah says her voice soft, as they all shuffle into the room. 

Once again Michael was in the hospital and he just wanted to run and never look back. But he wanted to make sure she was okay, and that there were no side effects to Ella haunting her. 

He had to make sure of that since Stanley’s encounter didn’t go so well. 

“S okay, it was a rough night for you.” Stanley says, “We uhhh…got you some flowers.” He gestures to the flowers in his hand and Deliliah’s eyes brighten. 

“Aww thank you! They’re so lovely!” She reaches for them and Stanely awkwardly gives her the vase. She smells the lovely flowers and then passes it back to him. He quietly placed it on the table next to her and she smiles at them all. 

“Thank you, for finding me. I..I don’t know what came over me. I just had…I had to get away and find a spot. It wouldn’t leave me alone, and I thought if I hid in a spot…” 

Michael nods, “Well you don’t have to worry about that anymore. The doll is taken care of.” He assured her. She wouldn’t have to be scared anymore. Ella was gone. He made sure of it. 

“Yeah we beat the shit outta that doll!” Jeremy says excitedly. 

Deliliah gives a small laugh, her eyes crinkling a bit as she does so. “I’m glad. I…I don’t know how it even happened. I just felt…hypnotized when I saw her. I had to take her home, and then it just got worse and worse. I couldn’t sleep, I couldn’t get away. I even took night shifts…” 

“Understandable, it was set on making you miserable. And those sorts of things don’t really stop even if you throw them away.” Michael was trying to be vague, all four of them agreed that they would not drag her into this mess that they were in. She didn’t deserve that. She deserved to move on, and be at a normal happy life. 

She just looks at them, with a grateful happy look. “Thank you. Thank you so much. I-I…I don’t even know what to say. Can I at least get your names now that I am coherent?” 

They all nod, “I’m Stanley, this is Michael, and this is Jeremy.” 

“There was another one wasn’t there?” 

Michael nodded, “Yeah, that was Henry. He’s away right now, and wishes the best for you.” 

Deliliah nods quietly, “Well tell him thank you. I appreciate it. With all my heart. All of you. I don’t know what would have happened if you didn’t…you didn’t find me.” 

She starts to cry, and everyone just looks at her with wide eyes. Oh no, please don’t cry. Michael didn’t know what to do when people cried. Especially women. He always hated it when Elizabeth or Charlie cried because he never knew what to do. He just felt so awkward. 

“Hey, hey it’s okay..” Michael says quietly, surprising Stanley and Jeremy. “It’s better not to think about that. You’re here, okay and doing good. We all are glad that you made it okay, and you never have to worry about that doll harassing you.” 

She wipes her face and Stanley is quick to pass a tissue. “Yeah, we are here for you. Trust me I’ve dealt with some freaky little dolls before too.” He jokes and Jeremy looks at him with a tilt of his head. 

“If you ever need us, you can call any of us and we’ll be happy to help.” Jeremy says, and the two look a bit surprised at his mature statement. “We are here to keep people safe from the weird shit!” 

There it was, that was the Jeremy they all knew. 

Deliliah giggles at Jeremy’s enthusiasm, “You three are an interesting bunch.” 

“So we’ve been told.” Michael muses with a chuckle of his own and Stanley hits his back to make sure that Lolbit wouldn’t come out and make it awkward. 

“I like it. Nice to have an eccentric group of friends. But thank you. Seriously.” 

“No problem Deliliah.” 

They stayed and chatted for a bit learning that she was down on her luck with her recent divorce, and Michael noticed something about that. Both Stanley and Deliliah were both dealing with issues that led their lives down a certain road. 

Perhaps these encounters were attracted to them and latched on because they too felt horrible about their life at that moment? 

Michael wasn’t sure if this was a new discovery, but it could be something. 

He just hoped he didn’t have to keep in check with every depressed person in Hurricane, because that would be an absolute hassle of its own. 

But Deliliah seemed better, with this out of her life she could start moving forward. Happy that she didn’t have to deal with a doll that was making her paranoid. 

It made them happy, all of them that they were able to save someone from this. From his father. From the horrible things he kept releasing on this town. 

It made things worth it. It really did. 

Notes:

Thanks again for reading! And I hope you all have a great week!

Fanart corner!!

Muffinb:

https://muffinb.tumblr.com/post/679033492233961472/thinking-about-this-scene-from-chapter-25

Themosskid:

https://themosskid.tumblr.com/post/679205944090116097/they-are-friends-tttt-i-am-constantly-thinking

Thanks again! And until next time!!

Chapter 27: A Sadness Runs Through Him

Notes:

Another chapter is here! It’s a bit on the rough side, but more on the hurt and comfort side of things. Which is my favorite type of side if you ask me haha

Anyways, I recently got a job! Woo!! Finally after 2 years of unemployment isn’t that something. Idk how it’ll affect my schedule but I promise you I am finishing this fic. Things are going places and I am not abandoning this ship.

Enjoy!

A month went by quite fast. Time felt like nothing to Michael. Days would blur if it weren’t for Henry’s schedule. Watching him eat and get through the day was enough to keep him aware of what time it was, or what day it was. 

Like today, Michael was quietly sketching while Henry was eating a bowl of cereal on his favorite chair watching some show that Michael wasn’t paying much attention to. 

The phone rings and Henry quietly stands up, bowl in hand, and walks backwards into the kitchen, eyes still glued to the television. Ah, it was one of those intense detective shows. Henry seemed to love them. 

“Ello,” Henry says as he placed the bowl on the counter. “Michael, it’s Jeremy!”

Michael gives a hum placing the sketchbook onto the coffee table and heads over to the phone, switching places with Henry. “Heya Jeremy.” 

“Well, I got some bad news, Mike.” 

There’s silence and Michael leans forward a bit, “What’s wrong? Did something happen? Are you okay?” 

Laughter erupts from the receiver and Michael gives a low groan knowing that Jeremy was just tugging on his chain.  

“Hehe, I knew you worry about me. But seriously. Guess who got laid off today?” 

With a blink, he gathered the cord in his hand with a small sigh, “You did, didn’t you. They’re finally closing the place down?“ 

“Yeah, they just can’t fix the animatronics. Can’t really have Freddy Fazbear’s without ya know, Freddy. We all got slips today. Even Wally is leaving. He’s going to some other location out of state I guess.” 

Good riddance he almost remarks but holds his imaginary tongue. He knew the guy was doing his job, but he was an idiot. An idiot for firing him, and for blaming him for what his father had done. 

“So they’re closing down, figured I’d let you know.” 

Michael hums, “You’re out of a job then right? I’m sorry.” 

“Nah it’s fine! I’ll find something else to do. Maybe, Stan the Man has something I can pick up.” 

With a smile Michael shakes his head, “I don’t know how you do it, Jeremy. Laid off and still have a pep to your walk.” 

“Someone’s gotta be happy! Might as well be me.” Jeremy chirps and Michael doesn’t know what to say he didn’t understand the blond. Jeremy was an enigma. This sunshine of a boy. 

Almost blinded him to how annoyingly bright he was. 

“Anyways, I just wanted to tell you about all that. Gotta start doing the job hunt again so..” 

“Sorry Jer, hopefully, you find something more stable. And less dangerous.” 

Jeremy starts to laugh, and Michael follows. The laughter bubbling up within. He wasn’t sure if it was Lolbit or just Jeremy’s contagious laughter. Or perhaps a little bit of both. 

They stay on the phone for a bit, Michael just letting Jeremy go off on any topic, knowing that once Jeremy starts there is no way of stopping him. A motor mouth through and through, but Michael didn’t mind. 

It felt nice to have someone to talk to. One that didn’t treat him terribly, and didn’t encourage terrible behavior. Charlie would have been proud if she saw his friends. 

They had a big argument before her death about them after all. She kept telling him they were a bad influence and Michael refused to listen, telling her she was just jealous. But in the end, she was right, they had left him when he needed friends the most. 

Just made him wonder if she would have approved of Stanley and Jeremy. 

He hoped so. 

 

…

 

“Can’t believe we are back here,” Henry whispers looking at the abandoned building with a sigh. So many memories of this place, it wasn’t always filled with sadness and agony. He always hoped to make a place that was filled with happiness and love. It was his goal after all. 

He wanted to make his daughter and everyone else happy and have fun with their family. 

But then William soured it, just like everything else. 

Henry frowns at that as Michael quietly picks the lock on the back door. The boy’s eyes are focused on the lock, kneeling as he listens to the sound and moves the pick accordingly. 

 “Where did you learn that?” He asks curiously, and Michael flicks his eyes towards Henry, almost hesitant with his words. 

“When you face a lot of locked doors and really don’t want to break your hand, you learn a thing or two.” 

Henry swallows at that, not liking the implication. Did William lock him away at times? How horrible. Why would he do such a thing? To his own child? 

“But it comes in handy,” Michael hums, opening the door standing up straight, giving a sweeping gesture for Henry to come in. “LolBit’s nails make very good picks.” 

He snickers while Henry walks past him. 

“Indeed.” He supposed Michael was right, better than brute force. Less suspicious that way. 

Henry pulls his flashlight out of the satchel he brought clicking it on. “This place has seen better days.” He mutters seeing the cobwebs and the smell was not exactly pleasant. 

Michael nods in agreement, his glowing eyes sweeping around gathering all that he could. “It’s been a couple of weeks since it officially closed so I’m not surprised. Let’s see if Charlie is here, and check anything else quickly. I know Larson has our backs now, but I would rather not deal with any authority.” 

Henry can’t help but agree with that, “Sounds like a plan.” 

The sound of their footsteps echoes the pizzeria. Henry could almost hear the laughter and sound of animatronics in his ears, like some phantom pain. He missed his old restaurant, missed working on things that made kids smile. 

It just felt like another child was ripped away from him. He cared so much about this project and the people that worked with him.

It hit him hard when Michael told him that Scott had died, he knew the man after all. He clearly remembers the fresh face that was so excited to learn the trades and tricks of the business. Why, Scott was the one who convinced him to record his findings and messages on tape recorders after all. 

Always told him that it was easier than writing things down and Henry couldn’t agree more. 

He hoped somewhere that Scott was resting peacefully, and that his family was healing. The funeral had been some time ago, and he mourned deeply for their loss. Scott was a good man. 

But now they needed to make sure there was no trace of William and Charlie wasn’t around. They still couldn’t find her anywhere, Cassidy and Evan couldn’t pinpoint her location. She was hidden from the world. 

He hoped one day she would come home. 

His light travels from the walls, seeing the different pictures that kids have drawn on. Seeing Freddy and the gang all colored in a childish way. It was cute, and he loved things like that. Back when he played Fredbear he loved seeing the kids smile and pass little presents to him. Well not him but to Fredbear. 

It was always such a great experience. To see a child smile, have fun. 

Henry’s thoughts were pulled away when Michael’s voice rings through the hall. 

“Huh, wasn’t there a door back here? Some sort of backroom?” He calls out and Henry walks towards the area noticing that the doorway seemed to be almost sealed up. Hmm. 

“I think so, but it looks like they sealed it up. Must have been a bad leak or something. Come on Mike, we have to keep looking just in case she’s here…” Henry glances around with the flashlight trying to see any clues. 

“Right, this place was pretty drippy back here. I wouldn’t be surprised. They sure like to cut corners.” 

Henry can’t help but laugh at that nodding, that was for certain. If Fazbear Entertainment knew how to one thing, it was cutting corners. 

He turns to walk out of the little room following Michael but the boy halts. His head tilted up a bit, turning around and glancing about. 

“Did you hear that?” 

Henry pauses, the silence was loud. It almost felt like pressure in his ears. “What? No, I didn’t…” He didn’t hear anything. Perhaps it was something LolBit’s senses picked up. Like a rat or some sort of animal. 

“Sounded like someone groaning, wheezing even.” 

His brows pinched together as he tried to hear whatever Michael was hearing. Nothing. Maybe it was the little spirits that were wandering around. Didn’t they no longer have a body? 

“It’s probably a spirit. Since they have nobody to inhabit now.” 

Michael looks at him, thinking. He could tell the boy had heard something and just wasn’t sure what it was. Henry didn’t know so he couldn’t really help in this situation. 

He was just a human after all. He didn’t have the abilities that Michael had. 

So Henry starts to walk out of the room, feeling uncomfortable now. He felt like he was suffocating. The energy was just not right and he wanted to get out of there. 

“Right, maybe. I could have sworn…”

Henry turns his head to look at Michael, his voice pleading. “Mike we don’t have time, come on.”

As if pulling himself out of a stupor he nods and follows Henry out. Whatever it was back there, it was making Henry’s spine suddenly shiver. Perhaps there were spirits back there and they did not want anyone in there. 

You didn’t have to tell him twice. 

“This place is giving me the creeps,” Michael muttered as he travels to the stage. Seeing that it was empty. No animatronics to be seen. He wondered where they were. Where they were placed after William destroyed them all. 

Where were the kids? That’s what he was most worried about. 

Where did they go? 

Were they here? 

“I’ll find a way to let you rest. I swear.” Michael whispers as he placed a hand on the stage, unable to feel the wood grain. He missed the sense of touch. It was hard just being super numb to everything. 

He hoped the kids weren't stuck in this hell unable to leave the pizzeria. 

“Mike? I don’t see anything.” Henry calls out and Michael sighs looking over his shoulder. It seemed this whole endeavor was a bust. Great. 

“Me either. Charlie isn’t here, and I think the kids are hiding. Nothing to even bring back. I don’t know where the scraps of the animatronics are. So we couldn’t release them if we wanted to.” 

Henry gives a sad look, he knew how much Michael cared for the kids. He wanted to release them in the best way possible, and now they couldn’t even do that. Henry wished there was another way. “We will have to try and find them. Get them all in one place even.” 

Michael nods with a sigh, “Somehow. I feel bad. I left them…when they needed me. He came back and did all that to them.” 

Stepping forward Henry placed a hand on Michael’s shoulder gently squeezing it. “You’ve done so much for those kids Mike. You can’t blame yourself for this. You did everything you could and you still want to help. I imagine they appreciate it more than ever. You helped them.” 

There’s a small pause and then Michael nods, he looks slightly defeated. “Maybe you should talk to Evan and see where they are? Maybe that could help?” Henry suggests and that gives Michael a little bit of light behind his eyes. 

“Yeah, maybe either one of them knows. I still need to talk to Cassidy about what happened with Scott.” 

Henry nods, knowing that Cassidy was essentially in charge since Charlie left. “Well, I think we are done here. Want to head back?” 

“Yeah. Let’s get the hell out of here.” 

“Agreed.” 

Michael follows Henry to the back door, pausing for a moment when feeling a shiver down his spine. He glances down the hall, and for a brief second, he sees four shadows holding hands down the hall. His vision blurs and suddenly they’re gone. 

What was that? 

“Mike?” 

“Coming, coming…” 

 

…

 

When they get home Michael makes a beeline straight to Charlie’s room. It was time to converse with Evan or Cassidy. It was a mystery who he was going to talk to.

Well, he knew right away when he would be thrown into some nightmare that Cassidy would brew up. At least Evan stopped with his own versions, and they wouldn’t have to deal with those nasty nightmares that had been haunting his little brother.

He sits in his little spot and gives out a soft sigh. Lolbit gave a thrum of optimism because they did help Deliliah, and she was doing much better! Which was true and he was happy for her. 

He supposed he should try and be more optimistic about things. But it was hard for him. Negativity weighed hard on him, he never could brush it off like others. Like little needles constantly being stabbed into his heart and he couldn’t pull them out. 

But thankfully he had people to help him, slowly and surely the people around him were helping take these pins in his heart. He appreciated it more than they knew. 

Lolbit is happy for him, he can tell by the warm draping over his shoulders. The lull of darkness was starting to creep in and he could feel it take hold. 

He’s falling, diving into the abyss that is the little void that Evan and Cassidy had. 

When he wakes up he finds himself not in the familiar house. But in a large circular room, with checkered floors and red velvet drapery. Looking like had just walked into a large circus tentS This was…the entrance to Circus Baby’s Pizza World. 

He remembers having to come for the grand opening. 

“Mikeyyyy!” 

Michael turns around seeing his sister, Elizabeth dragging a younger version of himself into the place. He forgot how terrible he looked back then. Large eyebags, hair disarray, all choppy from him cutting up his mullet after the bite. How was this possible? Was this Cassidy’s doing? 

“Daddy said I couldn’t go and see her but why!” 

“Because he said so. Can’t you just accept that?” 

Elizabeth throws her foot down, her face in a full pout. “But why?! He said it was made for me! So why can’t I go and see her?” 

The past Michael sighs shoving his hands into his pocket, “You know those animatronics can be dangerous maybe he’s just trying to be cautious I’m sure you’ll be abl-”

“It’s all your fault!” She shouts poking at the younger Michael’s side. “You had to go and kill Evan! No wonder daddy says I can’t be around you!” 

He remembers this moment, how betrayed he felt. How those simple words cut him like a knife. That his own father had told his sister that she needed to stay away from him. Because he was a murderer. 

Please…don’t make him go through this memory again. 

He can see his own face pale and then grow angry, “You know what?! Go see that stupid Baby! See if I care! I’m going home!” 

Michael rushes to him, “No, no no..don’t do that!” He reaches for his past version, his hand just swiping through like he wasn’t even there. Watching his younger self just push his sister and turn his heel heading straight for the door. 

Leaving Elizabeth to shout and cry at him telling him he was a stupid brother. 

Michael regretted that moment, that was the last thing he ever said to her. The last thing she ever said to him was how she hated him, and that he was the worst brother ever. 

He just watches her stomp her foot before turning to Circus Baby’s auditorium. “Fine! I will see her.” 

Michael didn’t see this moment before, he had walked straight home. It was a long walk, but he did it. He had been so frustrated, and then when William came home…it got worse. So much worse. 

How he threw him against the wall demanding why he wasn’t there watching his sister. And this sister was gone and it was all his fault. 

“You’re made just for me, so why can’t I see you?” 

Michael follows Elizabeth through the curtain only to slam into a door. He doesn’t get to see what happens, as he slams his hand against the door. “Elizabeth! Elizabeth!!” He shouts trying to open it. 

Then he hears the scream. It haunts his ears, echoing louder and louder. 

He falls to his knees, banging his hand against the floor. He holds back a sob as the bright colors of the circus tent drip and fades to this dark void. 

Why couldn’t you save me?

Michael lifts his head up to see Elizabeth, her pink dress bloody and eyes dripping black. 

This is your fault, Mikey. 

“Elizabeth I-I…” 

Why did you do that to me? Why did you kill me, Mikey? 

Besides her little Evan appears, holding his plush, his head dripping with bright red blood. 

He doesn’t get to answer as another appears beside Elizabeth. 

You’re always too late Mikey. 

Charlie? 

Her hair was wet and her eyes constantly crying, the black hand on her neck was enough to make him sob. 

Please….please stop this.

You couldn’t save us…

Four more appeared around him all whispering words that just drilled holes into his mind. He tried, he tried so hard! Why couldn’t they just…

You did this Mikey

Cassidy’s voice rings through his head. 

“Stop…” 

You can’t save us. You can’t even save yourself. 

Michael feels the rage boiling within. He was so tired of this. Tired of constantly being harassed and brought into so much trauma when he had done nothing but help. He was doing his best! He couldn’t just fix everything, he was only human. 

A failure. 

“Enough.” 

Michael’s words are strong but soft. As if warning Cassidy not to go down this road. 

You killer. 

That was the straw that broke the camel’s back. 

He stands up, eyes burning, and shouts. “ ENOUGH!” 

A sudden wave of orange sparks out of him, hitting the illusions of the dead children around him. Like smoke they withered away from Michael showing the true culprit of it all. Cassidy is the only one left, her black eyes wide as she stumbles backward. Not falling, but it’s enough that she is surprised at him fighting back. 

“Enough. You do not get to treat me this way. I have done nothing but help you. Despite the torture and awful things you put me through I still press on to try and make things right. I could easily have given up and said fuck this. But I haven’t. I am on your side and yet here you are! Constantly being horrible to me!” 

Michael is shouting, letting everything out that he felt about this whole situation. “This is not how you treat others when they want to help. I’m doing my best damn it! And I can’t keep doing this if I constantly have to deal with my mistakes by someone who doesn’t even know me! You don’t think I feel guilty? Do you think I just brush off the fact that my sister and my brother died because of my inability to be the good brother I should have been?” 

He takes a deep breath, feeling his anger rage within him. “You don’t get to use that against me, Cassidy. I’m on your side. I am trying to help!” 

Michael only stops when he hears a whimper, his whole body locking up. Before him is Cassidy, she’s crying and her whole frame is shivering as she clenches her sides. 

He then feels like an absolute asshole. She wasn’t seeing him. No, she was seeing the man who killed her. William had shouted at her while she had died, and now he was making her relive that. 

So he quietly gets on one knee to look her in the eye. “Hey, hey I’m sorry. I…I shouldn’t have yelled. I know things have been hard for you. I know you’re angry, and you have every right to be. I’m sorry. For what happened to you. But…it isn’t fair. It isn’t fair for you to treat me like that when I’m just trying to help.” 

He hesitantly reaches for her and moves to wipe away a heavy black tear. “I want to help, and I want to work together but I can’t if you keep doing this to me.” 

Cassidy doesn’t flinch at the touch. She actually almost leans into it. “I miss my Mommy and Daddy.” She whispers softly, and Michael feels like he’s been hit with a sledgehammer. He had to remember this was just a little girl. 

A little girl who was killed and now was angry, oh so angry. 

“I’m so sorry. I know it’s just empty words, but I truly am.” 

He gently wipes her tears away, and Cassidy looks at him. No longer eyes completely black, but a soft dark brown. Black tears stained her face and she just looked sorrowful. 

“I’m sorry.” She says quietly and Michael just hums. 

“I get it. You’re angry and I’m the perfect target. I’m not saying I didn’t deserve most of those nightmares but it can really take a toll on someone. Especially when you’re working hard to help. That’s all I want to do. I know…I look like him, and I’ve done actions I’m not proud of. But I’m trying…I really am.” 

Cassidy stares at him, her brown eyes scanning him staring right into his soul. He doesn’t break contact, his eyes soft and he makes sure his face is in a gentle expression so she isn’t reminded of her killer. 

“I guess you’re alright.” 

Michael blinks and gives a low chuckle, “I’ll take it.” He wasn’t going to push it any further. He would have to take baby steps with this. 

“Why didn’t you stop them from hurting the security guard?” 

Cassidy just shrugs, “I can’t stop the rage. They aren’t like me and you, once they’re angry…they won't stop. It’s useless.” It’s so nonchalant as if just stating a fact. Like she had no control over that. 

“Charlie…” 

“Charlie let them kill too.” Cassidy snaps her eyes turning dark. 

Michael sighs, dipping his head, “I know. But you could have done something different. There’s no point in arguing about what is already done, but maybe just stay away from innocents.” 

Cassidy doesn’t say anything, instead just gives a small pout. It’s a start at least. 

He lets out a shaky breath, and Cassidy flicks her eyes away from Michael. 

“M sorry.” 

“It’s alright. I just ask for my sake, not to have these nightmares again…please. Or if you want to give me nightmares make them less…traumatic?” He tries hoping that Cassidy would at least give him that. 

“I’ll think about it.”

Right.

“Now get out of here loser. Before you start crying and wailing on me like a baby.” 

Michael frowns, “Hey.” 

Cassidy just grins as the world begins to melt meaning it was time to go. He watches her fade from view, the fallen Fredbear suit flickering for a bit before he is thrust back into the void of darkness. 

When he wakes he finds himself crying. The black oil spilled out of his eyes and splattered onto the metal. It sounded like rain hitting the windowpane. He takes a shuddery breath and all the emotions hit him at once. Dealing with the repressed emotions of what happened to his sister. 

This is YOUR fault! 

He grips his head, sobbing softly. He should have been there. He should have stopped her from going to that stupid animatronic. He never felt so alone after that night. His father tossing him around in anger before slamming his door and leaving Michael sobbing on the floor. 

Sobbing for his father, for his sister while he dealt with the wounds his own father gave him. 

He flinches when a hand touches his head, the only part he could detect more than normal. Those damn head plates. 

“Michael?” 

He looks over and gives a shuddering breath, “H-hey.” 

“Rough time? Cassidy?” Henry says quietly sitting down next to him. 

Michael mutely nods wanting to just hide in a hole. He was tired of Henry seeing him cry. His emotions were just a rollercoaster and he felt bad that Henry constantly had to go and comfort him like some child. 

Henry leans against him while Michael grips his knees. “Michael, as much as I appreciate what you’re doing for these kids, don’t you think you deserve a break too?” 

He looks to Henry, with black tear stains across the white metal faceplates. “I don’t deserve a break, Henry. I have to keep working. I hav-”

Immediately Henry shakes his head, “No, you’re wrong. You have been through so much. You deserve a moment of peace too Michael. It’s okay. It’s okay to rest. To breathe.” 

Michael just stares at him, unsure what to say. Did he deserve it? A moment of peace. To just take a breath? Figuratively of course considering that it was not necessary in this body.

“You’re wearing yourself thin over these things, and it worries me. I don’t want you to burn yourself out. You’ve taken care of so many people, please just be kind yourself every once in a while.” Henry’s voice is soft, gentle; he reaches over to wipe away his tears with a worried look. 

“Why do I deserve such a thing? After all that I’ve done..” 

“What you’ve done? Michael, that was an accident. Evan forgives you. Those kids back there, Deliliah, Stanely? You helped them. You have done so much to try and fix what your father has done? Isn’t that enough? Isn’t that enough to warrant a little rest?” 

“I…” 

“It’s okay, Michael. It’s okay.” 

Michael just sobs, leaning into Henry. It was nice, maybe it would be okay. 

Henry leans forward to give Michael a sort of awkward side hug, patting the large sniffling animatronic. They sit for a while, Henry rubbing the sleek metal of LolBit’s hull to try to calm him. 

After a moment Henry hums, looking around the room. “Why don’t we head downstairs, watch your show, just relax for a bit. We had a long day.” 

Michael looks to Henry, and gives a nod. “That sounds really good right now.” 

This makes Henry smile and he groans as he stands holding out a hand for Michael to take. Michael gratefully takes it, lifting himself up with a small click and whirl of his own body. 

When Michael gets on the couch Henry drapes a fluffy blanket around his shoulders. Immortal and the Restless plays in the background. It’s a re-run but Michael doesn’t care. 

He cares that Henry is trying to make things comfortable for him. Even avoided eating popcorn because he knew Michael loved it when he was alive. Henry did all these things, for him. Something his father never did. Never once bothering to care to learn what his son truly liked, and when he did, he used it like a weapon. 

So he hid it, but Henry somehow knew. He just knew. 

Like a good father should. 

Henry sits down on the couch while Michael leaned forward to grab his sketchbook while he absentmindedly watched his show. The sound of scratching of a pencil and the melodrama filled the room as they just sat in comfortable silence.

He glances over, seeing the sketch, and makes a hum at Michael. “Interesting, that a new design?” 

“Been thinking about it. Just…because you know. Eventually…” 

Henry looked at it, and his heart clenched. “I see. We could do it. Would be easy.” 

Michael glanced at him, tapping the pencil against the notepad. “You think so? You’ve got a lot on your plate already.” 

“It’s for a good cause. We can fit it in.” Henry muses and Michael nods, giving a small grin. Purple eyes glimmering at Henry. 

“Thanks, Henry. I…I appreciate everything you do for me. I…I don’t know what I’d do without you.” 

Henry gently clasps Michael’s shoulder, squeezing it a bit. “Anytime kiddo. I’m here for you. Always. You’re not alone anymore.” 

It was nice, feeling that he wasn’t alone. He made progress with Cassidy, and was able to help people. He was doing good. He just needed to let himself have the ability to rest and be happy for the successes he’s had. 

He didn’t find his father, but he finally found a little family to be around for the time being. 

 

How grateful he was. 

Notes:

Hhh there you have it. Some more good sweet Henry and Michael comfort, because I crave it so. It’s what Mike deserves after all the bullshit the universe (aka Me) puts him through.

Fanart corner time!

Aromaseraphy-lavender:

https://aromaseraphy-lavender.tumblr.com/post/677518422060531712/into-the-michael-verse-au-but-its-just-the-part

Well I hope you all enjoy your day and until next time! Bye!

Chapter 28: Let’s Go Crazy

Notes:

Chapter 28! Wooo!! Took a bit to write for some reason. Felt like I was constantly fighting with this chapter so sorry if it’s a bit wonky. We’ve got two more chapters until we get to Fnaf 3! >:3c prepare yourself friends.

Enjoy!

It was the middle of the night. Michael was up, and Henry had just gone to bed. Michael had been thinking, about the connection between most of the remnant encounters they dealt with. 

All lead right to Circus Baby’s Rental Center. 

All roads lead to that monstrosity of a place. It was the epicenter of everything horrible. Deliliah, running to hide, Stanley with the Minireenas… 

More would happen. He was sure of it. He didn’t know how many Minireenas were left down there, or those weird Bidybabs. He remembers hiding under that desk from them. Little fingers trying to open the shelf door while Michael held on it for dear life. 

Who knows what else still lurked in that location? What could be crawling out and causing chaos. They already knew the Minireenas were trouble, could you imagine something else that could creep out? 

Michael didn’t want to. 

So he decided after that memory of Elizabeth that Cassidy had so lovingly made him remember, that he would go and gather every single thing in that place and burn it. 

He just had to do it without Henry’s knowledge. He knew as soon as he brought it up to the old man, he would immediately have Henry coming with him. Henry already was dealing with making the animatronics that both Michael and him wanted to make. He was working himself daily and he needed a rest.

A good break from all this nonsense. 

Lolbit didn’t agree, considering that lying never got them anywhere good, but Michael refused to bring Henry down there. Down to the abyss where he died. Where Lolbit suffered. 

That place was both their reminder of a terrible event. A scar on their memories.  

So they needed to get rid of it. If they couldn’t set the whole damn place on fire, this was the next best thing.  

Lolbit reluctantly agreed, knowing that it was a potential threat to people if their siblings wandered around. They still had Ennard doing the same, but that was a problem for another day.

Henry and him had a plan to try and figure that one out. They needed to locate Elizabeth and her little posse. Who knows what they’ve been doing this whole time. 

Michael worried about her often. 

But he needed to focus on the task at hand. Getting to the Rental Center and breaking down each and every one of those animatronics and burning them down once and for all. 

He gathered his things, preparing himself for the final night at Circus Baby’s. This time…this time he would be ready. Anything thrown at him, both Lolbit and him could take. 

After all, what were little Bidybabs and Minireenas going to do? Attach to his leg? 

Please. 

He opts out for the stun gun knowing that Lolbit would be there to stop them all with their little intermission ability. He would be fine. He just needed an axe, and a bag to bring to carry back all the damn parts of his father’s creations. To end it all. 

Then Ennard would be next. He needed to find Elizabeth, help her. Release her even. Who knows what she was even doing. Said something about doing what she was made for. What Baby was made for. 

That was worrisome considering how the Funtimes were, and what they were essentially made for. 

Lolbit stirred within, upset that their siblings took that path. Wishing that they saw the light the same way Lolbit did. Unfortunately they didn’t have good remnant inside them. 

Would he even consider himself to be good remnant? Remnant wasn’t considered a good thing to begin with. And he wasn’t essentially the best of people. 

Lolbit scoffs at his inner monologue, a memory shared between them of how he had helped everyone he touched. How much effort he put into fixing things. 

Michael rolls his eyes as he taps the illusion disc, slinging the bag over his shoulder. 

Time to go to work. 

 

…

 

Getting out of the house was easy. Thanks to Lolbit he was pretty good at keeping quiet, his footsteps practically non existent despite being a walking piece of metal and plastic. All better to lure and bring children to their demise he supposed. But now it was used for sneaking out and going to a place Henry wouldn’t approve. 

He didn’t need Henry worrying more than he already was. 

He could handle it. 

Lolbit didn’t like it, but there wasn’t much arguing with the idea of getting rid of their siblings so no one else would be hurt. They’ve tried reasoning with them after all, and all they’ve done is cause trouble. 

Michael refused to let anyone get hurt while he knew what was down there. 

He hated going there, going back to where he died. Where Lolbit was stuck being a bunch of ones and zeros until Charlie brought both of them back to life. 

Both scrapped and then brought back into the game. Made to set things right. 

So down, down they went. 

Back down into hell. 

He remembers the first time he walked into this place. Wondering why his father made this place and why it looked the way it did. The controlled shocks, the crawling through the vents. What the hell was the point of that? 

He supposed it was for the animatronics. To keep them inside. 

They were far too big to crawl inside those vents, and thankfully Michael knew the place so well now that he didn’t have to use them. They had the blueprint after all and Henry was smart enough to make a copy of it. 

Quickest way was down through the hatch in his old home. Right in the basement. 

He couldn’t believe his father had a secret entrance. Had he been younger and didn’t know of his father’s crimes, he’d almost say it was cool. But then again his father was never cool. More like cold. Cold as fucking ice. 

Michael felt ashamed he ever looked up to his father, wanted to be like him. Then he saw everything. All those masks he would wear to hide how he truly felt. Did he ever love any of them? Any of his siblings? Perhaps Elizabeth. 

Her death shook William the hardest. Michael had so many bruises and aches from him coming home and just…attacking him. William had been like a wild animal. This madman picking him up until he was eventually worn out and Michael was just cowering on the floor. Clutching himself to try and avoid any real bad damage. 

William never hurt him enough to send him to the hospital, and Michael refused to go anyways. William was smart, he knew better than to really hurt Michael because then things would get suspicious.

No one really questioned a teenager with bumps and bruises. Easily could say he was rowdy and rebellious and liked to get into fights. Michael was so he played the part well. 

Shaking his head he travels down the ladder, his thoughts going back to the first time he discovered this entrance. With Charlie. How shaken he was. His whole mind had just been reeling and unable to even process just what the hell was happening. 

How Charlie was killed by his father, and there were more victims. How he was supposed to help when he literally had just died. 

And then how he immediately ruined his chances with Charlie because he was an idiot. 

But it wasn’t fair of her to do that. Wasn’t fair to just thrust him into some grand quest all while saying oh, you’re dead and I’m dead too. Your dad killed kids and killed me. 

But here he was. Back again and hoping to anything around him that there wasn’t another Stanley he’d have to come and rescue. 

This place had been closed down for sometime, just sitting and rotting. It was obviously abandoned. Nothing but cobwebs and perhaps some scrapped animatronics lived here now. 

He jumps down onto the hard metal sweeping his eyes around quietly. He didn’t need LolBit’s sensors to know that things were crawling around in here. 

It was just a feeling he got. This terrible crawling feeling on his metaphorical spine. Like pressure in the back of his head. Telling him to run. Was it panic? 

Terror gripping his head because this is where he met his doom? 

Probably. 

But he needed to ignore it. For the sake of this town’s safety. And maybe his own sanity. 

He knew this place like the back of his hand by now, it was almost second nature.  He was in parts and service and he just needed to travel to Funtime Auditorium and go from there. Seemed easy enough. 

He realized that there were actual doors instead of having to crawl through vents, thanks to the blueprint. He wouldn’t be doing any of that, and more importantly he was pretty sure Lolbit might get stuck in the vents. 

Lolbit gives a grumble and Michael has to just about assure them it wasn’t a fat comment. It was just the truth, Lolbit was pretty big. Not as big as Circus Baby or Funtime Freddy, but they were taller than Ballora and Funtime Foxy. 

Not sure why his father decided to make them so large. Oh wait, he knew why. The two largest ones were meant to hold kids, that was right. 

Shaking his head he steps into the Funtime Auditorium thinking annoyingly how stupid it was to have to deal with Foxy and the way he would have to manuever himself. 

He doesn’t dare look to the scooping room, not ever wanting to think of that place again. 

Thinking about how easy it was, how easy Circus Baby had tricked him. How stupid he was to think that he was helping. 

Lolbit whispers words of comfort, knowing that he was trying to help and that their siblings did not trust kindness. They thought Michael was him after all. No doubt wanted to give William their just desserts and parade around as him. 

Wouldn’t that have been a sight. His father walking around as that purple corpse that his own body had been subjected to. He was thankful to Charlie, that she was able to give him this gift and he wasn’t stuck in that immortal rotting hellhole of a body. 

Instead he was placed in Lolbit. Sure there were pros and cons, but a lot more pros than anything. Lolbit thrums in happiness, glad to be able to share such a thing with Michael. Yeah Michael was happy for it too. 

Shifting back to the task at hand he hears a giggle coming from down the small technician hall. The echo just about vibrating off the steel walls of the place. 

“Got you.” He muttered and quickly rushed to follow the little giggles. Bidybabs. He knew their voices anywhere. How they whispered in the darkness while he held onto the small sheet of metal. Begging for them not to find him. 

That’s how he met Circus Baby. Whispering words into his ears to help him through. The Handunit actively was out to get him, messing up his name, the reward. He still didn’t get his exotic butters and was very disappointed in that. Some company this was. 

Not that he could enjoy things like that anymore

Michael followed the sound of the giggles, hearing the pitter patter of metal feet against the metal floor. 

Look who decided to come back. Did you get bored? 

“No, I’m here to finally get rid of you all.” He muttered in the darkness glancing all around as he seemed to have entered their little gallery of sorts. 

It’s so nice of you to come and play. 

“I’m not here to play.” Michael snarled, not really in the mood for fun and games. “You better all come out or else I’ll make things real fun for you.” 

He just gets a giggle in response. His hand hovers over his illusion disc ready to click it off to work the sensor so he’s not in the dark. He didn’t need any more surprises.

“Come out now.” He’s just about done, ready to just rip these little baby animatronics apart. They were so freaky looking too. William really didn’t know how to make animatronics the way that Henry did. 

It seemed Henry just knew what kids liked, and William poorly tried to replicate it. 

Made him wonder just what Henry would have done with Lolbit’s design. 

Michael would have to put that away for another time. Right now he had to deal with these little monsters. 

Come out, come out wherever you are! 

Time to play! 

From the ceiling something lands on his shoulders, clunky hands wrapping around his head making him shout in surprise. With a swift motion he grabs at the thing on him, only to get a heavy shock that shatters through his system. He could hear Lolbit scream in surprise, it wasn’t like a taser shock. It was worse. He wasn’t going to pass out from the pain, but it was more like it was frying the inside of his system. 

Hurting Lolbit. 

He panics, throwing the thing off him, his illusion flickering as he grips his head. He sees the little thing scurry to the side. “L-Lolbit?” His voice glitching out as he tries to access what the hell this little bastard did to him. 

“L-Lolbit?!” Nothing. 

Fuck!

“Yo-you little bastard!” It must have fried Lolbit and they didn’t have any energy. Now he was by himself. Without…his little ability to keep them at bay. 

Oh shit. 

Spark spark! 

“You get the fu-fuck away from me!” He shouts, keeping his eyes peeled as he rushes out of the room after hearing a whole gaggle of giggles. 

He was in a bit of trouble. This was fine. He was fine! Lolbit might be out of commission for a little bit but he got this! 

The giggles don’t stop and he can hear all the little noises from the ceiling and the floor. These damn little things were chasing him. He didn’t know they could give shocks! What was the purpose of that? 

He turned his head to see some of the Bidybabs had glowing eyes and their faces were popping open as they stared at Michael. No doubt they were ready to just have their fun with Michael. He needed a moment to recuperate. 

And get the axe out and start swinging. 

He skids to a halt when he sees a door. A door he remembers Circus Baby telling him not to go into. He didn’t recognize it in the blueprints. Quickly he makes a straight dash, and yanks open the door with LolBit’s might.

There’s a garbled noise that starts, and it dies down. No doubt that was the handunit trying to tell him that he wasn’t allowed in here. It’s been a while so it makes sense that everything wasn’t exactly in working order. 

Nothing like remnant charged animatronics though, they stayed working forever. 

The door shuts but he can’t lock it, thanks to him ripping it open. 

There’s two doors to the side, a vent on the top. It’s an office. Like a little private office. 

Little monitors all sitting on a desk that flickered with static. But what caught his eye…was the bear plushie next to it, holding a walkie talkie. 

A bear that he knew all too well. 

Evan’s plush. 

“So th-this is where he would talk to him then.” Michael whispered, picking up the walkie-talkie. “He would sit in here and just…” 

He notices a keypad and tilts his head, seeing some of the numbers have faded. He wasn’t stupid, he knew that those numbers no doubt were some sort of password. 

Something clicks and he leans forward tapping in what he thinks is the password. He jumps when the monitors suddenly flicker and he’s seeing something familiar. 

He knew those rooms. Wait a minute.

This was the house? 

There….were cameras? In the house? Why? Was William…?

“He was watching us. He was…this was what he did when he was gone. Experimenting on Evan, talking to him through the radio….” Michael slams his hand on the desk, the whole thing shaking. The bear falls forward and Michael snarls.

He throws the bag on the ground, and reaches for the axe he had taken from Henry’s shed. At least he didn’t come super unprepared. He had an axe, and he was not afraid to use it. He was going to break each and every little animatronic still crawling in here. 

He felt he was back at the pizzeria. But this time he wasn’t dealing with kids. No, these were just hostile robots with agony and sorrow embedded within. 

So this was far different, and he didn’t know what else was lurking about. He had to be prepared. 

“This will be easy. Just like old times.” The doors seem to have the same mechanics as the ones in the pizzeria. The Bidybabs weren’t banging on the doors so they no doubt were wandering around doing something else. Probably causing havoc. 

He was more worried about Lolbit, the poor thing probably took the brunt of the electric shock. He couldn’t use any of Lolbit’s abilities if Lolbit wasn’t active. No doubt the fox was trying to recover from the hefty shock those stupid little baby animatronics.

His body was still buzzing from it. 

How annoying. 

He was frustrated by it all.

This was not how it was supposed to be, but he would make do. 

The cameras flicker off from the house cameras and move to the different locations across the rental center. He could see things even if they were a bit blurry or filled with static. 

Surprised that they even still worked he peered down seeing that everything was empty. Not a soul in sight. Hiding in the shadows were they? Of course. 

Now they didn’t want to play? Fine. 

He steps back, looking down one of the halls, seeing the empty metal walls. Nothing there that is remotely of interest. Just pipes and decaying metal. No doubt the smell of rust was filling the air. He glanced down at one of the monitors, seeing that one of them had the power level and oxygen.

Why?

Would these things mess with the oxygen? He wouldn’t be surprised. Damn little bastards. Thankfully no one truly needed oxygen in here. 

It was inorganic versus inorganic now. 

He focuses on the monitor, his eyes narrowing as he looks for any sign of those little bastards or anything else. 

Until he is suddenly grabbed and ripped away from the desk. He’s face to face with an endoskeleton with glowing yellow eyes, it swipes a massive hand at him and Michas pulls away almost tumbling to the floor. 

This thing was huge, like Funtime Freddy without its casing. But its eyes were bright yellow. It makes a low groan and stomps closer. “Alright big guy. I’m here to take you down. Bet your name is something stupid. Like Yenndo.” 

It doesn’t answer him, instead throwing itself against Michael. He hits the wall with this thing gripping him tightly. Michael grunts trying to kick at him, but this large endoskeleton was a bit more heftier than he looked. 

Lolbit was gone and now he was left to his own devices. He scrambled to try and yank the thing off him, but it seems he’s having a bit of trouble. He scrapes his nails against the metal, straining to pull it off him.

“Goddamn it!” He snarls, finally able to push the thing away, but it took some effort. It’s obvious he was going to struggle with this thing. He dashes towards the axe and grabs it. Quickly with a large swing of his hands it slams against the metal. Sparks fly and the large animatronic shudders but doesn’t move an inch. Just takes the hardest swing Michael can muster and it doesn't even flinch.

Well he supposed it didn’t due to it being a hulking monstrosity. A spare Funtime. Just without any chasing. Scrapped, like Lolbit. But was just wandering around. 

And now it was attacking him. 

Shit. 

Yendo slams it’s mighty shoulder into Michael, sending him flying into the hall hitting the wall with a loud clank. He falls to his knees, giving a snarl as tries to stand up. Damn it, Lolbit where are you? 

The large animatronic throws its shoulder against Michael, the scraping of Michael’s nails against the multitude of wires that made its endoskeleton. “Goddamn it get off me!” He snarls as the thing grips his arm and squeezes. The strength is enough that he can hear the plastic creaking. 

Shit. Shit! 

He punches the head of the animatronic multiple times, trying to get the thing off him. It wouldn’t budge, punch after punch it lifted Michael off the ground easily. Well, this was not good. Not good at all. 

“Die fucker!” 

There’s a yowl and it’s not from Michael. The grip falls and the large endoskeleton tumbles backwards. He pants looking at his savior. 

“Stanley?!” Michael shouts as Stanley fires the stun gun once more, watching the sparks fly off the thing. Immediately Michael slams his shoulder into the thing and it toppled over giving a low groan that slowly dies as the glow of its eyes fade away. 

“Hah! Sucker!” Stanley pants and looks at Mike, “The hell are you doing here?!” 

Michael blinked and then pointed to him, “Excuse me?! What are you doing here?!” 

“I…well…” Stanley stammers and Michael grabs him by his jacket and pulls him into the office. “Hey hey!” 

“This is dangerous! So dangerous!” 

“Yeah? Well you seemed to be having some trouble! And I came to help!” Stanley argues his arms crossed as he glared at Michael. 

How did Stanley know he was here? How did he find him? Michael wasn’t sure what the hell was happening but now he was extremely worried. These things could hurt Stanley. And they have.  

“How did you know I was here?” Michael says as he grabs the axe on the floor, looking at Stanley who glanced around the place. No doubt he didn’t know this part of the area either. Stanley told him that he was meant to stay at the entrance of the place and keep things from getting out. 

Meaning the rest of the Funtime crew. 

“I…I don’t know.” Stanley admits quietly, “I was heading to bed, and then…I suddenly got this, this feeling. Like you were in danger. At first I was just like weird, and then I was getting…images. Flashes of stuff. Like I was seeing things. And then I heard you. You were cursing and I just hauled ass. Almost like that same trance…that the Minireenas…but this one was different.” 

Michael just listens quietly, hearing every word. He didn’t know what to make of it. How Stanley was even able to feel, let alone see such a thing. Was it because of the remnant he held? Did they have a connection considering that was his remnant?

“And you decided to come? In here?! Where this place is death trap?!” 

“Mike!” Stanley shouted, “You came in here alone , so I don’t think you get to yell at me! I came to help your ass!” 

“Well I didn’t need it!” He shouts the face plates shuddering and Stanley winces but holds his ground, face angry. 

“Clearly!” Stanley yells watching Michael start to chop at Yendo, parts flying as he throws the axe down with all his might. 

Stanley sighed, knowing that arguing would just make things worse. He was worried for Mike. “I didn’t come here to prove that you’re weak in some way. I felt you were in trouble, so I came down. To help. You know I wouldn’t come back here unless it had something to do with you. You’re my friend Mike.” 

Michael just stares at him. It’s odd not to hear his little fox companion mutter something in agreement, it was worrisome and he hoped that Lolbit would recover from this. Surely they would. They’ve been through worse. 

“You don’t need to risk yourself for me. I…I-”

A giggle interrupts them both as it echoes through the vent above them. “Shit!” Michael says racing into the room. “The button close the vent!” He points to the button by the vent. 

Stanley looks at it and then slaps it with his hand, the loud clank can be heard as the vent slams close. 

“The…the hell was that?” 

“Bidybabs. They’re little…clown babies. Those things.” He gestures to the poster of Circus Baby, and the little baby animatronics that were around them. 

Stanley looks at Michael, his face looking absolutely disgusted. “No offense Michael but your dad is one sick bastard with these designs. Who would want to rent these for a birthday party?!” 

“That’s what I said!” 

He shakes his head, looking at the two hallways. “Well, now we have to gather the rest of them. You think you can handle this?”

Stanley swallows loudly, looking at him with wide eyes. He doesn’t look like he’s ready to deal with this, but they needed to get this done. Stanley was here now and he couldn’t just leave the guy alone. Eventually Lolbit would come back online and then they could deal with things much easier. 

“Shit. You’ve done this before. It’s just taking down these little shit heads right? We got the big guy, so it’s just the little ones?  Are there…dolls?” 

Michael glanced at the monitors. “If there are, I haven’t seen any. The little baby ones, they came by and zapped me. LolBit’s down, so I don’t have the intermission ability. The one that makes electronics freak out?“

“Well it’s a good thing I came by. Cuz I got this.” Stanley fires up the stun gun with a grin. “We just…dismantle them and shove em in the bag?” 

Michael nods, “That was the plan. I just wasnt expecting that thing to attack me.” He gestured to the trashed parts of Yendo, that he probably would have to take care of himself. Stanley could hold onto the bag of the other animatronics. There was no way he would be able to fit that big bastard in there. 

“We don’t need to be sitting in the office anymore. We just need to find them all. You ready?” He asks, picking up the axe once more.

Stanley nods, looking a bit paler than usual. It seemed he was on edge, Michael didn’t blame him. It was a creepy place and they were dealing with equally creepy animatronics. 

They didn’t need to be in the office anymore. Considering they could just travel down the place and just pick everything up. He didn’t need to force Stanley to have heart attack after heart attack with these things trying to come into the office. 

“Alright playtimes are over. I’m just about done with your little games.” Michael shouts as he steps down the hall axe in hand, his eyes burning in pure annoyance and frustration. 

Stanley is close, one hand hovering over Michael’s side just in case as if he would move to grab the animatronic in disguise if something was happening. “I can’t imagine you working here. Five days of this shit? God.” 

“It was hell.” 

“Why did you keep coming back?” 

Michael sighs, “I thought I was helping. I thought maybe…I could do something, fix her. My father said she was down here. Needing my help.” 

Stanley just stares at him, his brows lift and eyes are filled with concern and maybe a little bit of pity. “And you…” 

“Died? Yeah. This…this place is nothing but death. Two technicians died while I was here. They were hanging in the two auditoriums.” Michael says as he walks down the hall. “Wherever he goes, whatever he touches…death follows.” 

“Two died? Here? Jesus. What the fuck…” Stanley stammered chewing on his lower lip. He felt sick to his stomach. 

“Technically three. And who knows how many more.”

“I don’t want to talk about this anymore.” 

Michael nods, he knew it was a touchy subject considering the man nearly died here too. He would have if Michael hadn't been there. He didn’t want to think about it either. Stanley didn’t deserve the death that was planned for him, and Michael was happy to prevent it. 

He was a good friend, and he secretly was happy that he was here with him. 

Even if it was absolutely dangerous. 

They would have a talk about that later. But time to wreck up some animatronics. 

“Geez it feels like it’s hard to breathe. The damn thing was the same way. Like it was stealing oxygen.” 

Michael lifts his head, looking back. “Shit! Those little bastards must be messing with the oxygen. Follow me!” He rushes down one of the halls. He remembers that he saw one of the cameras had oxygen tanks. Were they operable? If Stanley couldn’t breathe than obviously so. 

“They’re fucking with the oxygen?! What the fuck?!” Stanley shouts following Michael, his voice cracking as it rises higher in pitch. If the situation wasn’t so dire he would have laughed at Stanley’s panic. 

“Isn’t it great?” 

“No!” 

Michael just gives out a laugh, without Lolbit it felt a bit hollow to him. He didn’t realize how empty it felt without feeling their constant presence. He hoped Lolbit recovered soon. 

He supposed he hasn’t felt alone in a very long time thanks to Lolbit. 

They come to a halt when Michael hears giggling along with sparks. He sees Minireenas all around the oxygen tanks tampering with them. 

Come to play again? Take us home!

Stanley freezes in place, and Michael steps forward, his eyes glowing brightly as he grips the axe. 

“I’ll take you home, in pieces!” He snarls starting to swing, chopping up the remainder of the little dolls. He even opted to stomp on some of them. He heard the crunch of plastic and it was music to his ears. 

“Why do they squeal? Like they’re alive?” Stanley asks as Michael begins to sweep up the pieces and shove them into the duffel bag. 

“They’re in a limbo. Like me. Not truly alive, but not dead. But don’t feel bad, they wanted to leave by getting inside you after all. Theyre filled with evil and just want to hurt others. They hurt both of us.” 

Stanley swallows, “Y-yeah. And fire? That’s what makes them feel better?” 

“Mhmm. It’s the only way.” 

Michael finished picking up the dolls and hummed. “Now we deal with the Bidybabs. Let’s go.” He walks off and Stanley just stares at him. How Mike was so calm with this all, Stanley didn’t know. He seemed numb to it. Like this was the norm. 

It shouldn’t be. He shouldn’t have to do all this. 

He shouldn’t have to hold all this responsibility and then refuse help.

So, Stanley was going to help. No matter the resistance. No matter the shouting. He would rather get yelled at then see Michael wither away into nothing because the boy didn’t know how to ask for help. Or he was too worried that he might burden them with it. 

He follows Michael without saying anything. Keeping an eye out for these weird little baby animatronics. God why? Why were these even a thing?! 

The giggling is a bit different. It’s not as high pitched and Michael is quick to follow the noise. Entering a dark room and Stanley takes an intake of breath seeing the little baby animatronics staring at them both. 

“How many are there?” 

“Enough to be a problem.” Michael hissed, putting himself in front of them. The electrobabs twitch sparking a bit with a small giggle. 

Care for a controlled shock? 

“Not from you sweetheart!” Michael’s voice spasms and the illuso disc flares leaving Michael’s form to switch to Lolbit. Their eyes are bright white. 

“Pardon the interruption but I believe an intermission is long past due!” 

Lolbit. They were back! 

Stanley covers his ears immediately after the screech unleashed from the speaker in the middle of the animatronics chest. 

The Bidybabs start to spasm and Michael doesn’t even hesitate gracefully swinging his axe around. “Shall I axe you a question?!” The voice is an odd mix between Lolbit and Michael instead of the two tones layering over each other. 

They were in sync. 

The laugh begins to echo as Stanley just watches Michael laugh hysterically as he swings at the Bidybabs. Heads flying and other parts just falling apart. He’s saying things that sound extremely garbled and Stanley can’t make it out. 

Stanley noticed that there were odd purple circles around Michael’s face, with his lips the same color. His eyes going completely dark. Stanley was frozen in place his mouth agape at the destruction that both Lolbit and Michael was doing. 

Well, this was one way to release some anger. 

“I think you got this one..” Stanley mutters, beginning to pick up the pieces and place them in the bag while Michael deals with any other BidyBab that tries to escape. 

The laughter dies down and Michael is panting, his eyes flickering a bit. One was a bright white while the other was purple for a small moment before they bleed back to the standard purple Stanley was used to. 

“You good?” 

“Huh? Yeah, yeah…real good. Lolbit kinda gave me an adrenaline rush back there. Just powered back on and went to town. It was weird.” 

“Yeah you both seemed to merge for a moment.” 

Michael puffs out a breath, the illusion finally stabilizing back to the normal human Michael. He blinks rapidly and then gives Stanley a loopsided grin. “I’d say that was a thrilling success.” 

“Yeah you got your ass beat by a naked animatronic.” Stanley teased as he shoulders the duffel bag.

Michael just laughs, gripping his head as he walks past Stanley giving a pat to his shoulder. “I’ll let that one slide since you did save my ass.” 

He beams in pride at Michael and follows him back to where Yenndo was. Michael easily grabs the many parts of the large animatronic and hums. 

“Let’s go shall we?” 

 

… 

 

It took a while to get the damn things on fire but after a good moment Michael and Stanley were watching the flames ready to gather the remnant once everything was properly burned. 

“Hey Mike. Next time…can you at least tell one of us that you’re doing something like this? Just so we can help? It’s what we are here for after all..” Stanley was sitting on a log while Michael was watching the flames intently. 

There’s silence before Michael looks at him, his eyes hard. It’s odd to see the full glowing effect of his eyes, burning brightly in the dark of the night. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean…I thought…”

“You thought you could handle it alone. I get it. I appreciate the concern, but…we want to help.

You’re not in this alone. I’m sure you hear this a lot from Henry, but…you’re gonna hear it from me too. You saved my life, so at least…let me help.” 

“I…you’re right. I worry. I'm so fucking scared Stan. That I’ll lose you. All of you. I’m so scared of being alone. I don’t want to be alone anymore.” 

Stanley stands up, giving a small smile to Michael. “Hey, it’s okay. It’s a valid fear to have. But I am not leaving you, neither is Jeremy, or Henry. We are right behind you. Don’t lose yourself in hopes of protecting us. We are your friends. No matter the circumstances we’ll be there for you. You just have to let us help.” 

Michael just stares at him and then nods, giving a small sniff. Immediately Stanley’s eyes widen, and he moves to give Michael a big hug. The boy leans into it, wrapping his arms around him. “Thank you…” 

“Anytime man. You’re like a little brother to me. I don’t want to see you hurt. Let us be there for you.” 

“I…Ima try.” 

“That’s all I could ever ask for.” 

They stand in an embrace for a little bit longer, Stanley is the first to break it looking up at Michael and gives him a brotherly pat to the back. 

“Don’t tell this to Jeremy. He’s gonna kill me if he finds out we went on a secret mission without him.” 

“Shit. Henry too…they’ll kill us both.” 

Stanley can’t help but laugh at that, and that leads to Michael following suit. It’s the first time he’s seen a large wide grin on Michael’s face. Something he wished he saw more of. The kid needed to smile more often.

Made things feel a bit more normal. 

“Hey, we might need you and Jeremy to help out. It’s to find…the thing that killed me. We think we can track it. With the remnant that we’ve gathered. They all came from the same sort of place after all.” Michael says after a bit of silence. “So…yeah.” 

“Whatever you need. I’ll be there.” Stanley hummed, looking at the fire. 

Michael just nods, giving a grin of his own. “Good…good.” 

They sit in silence for a little bit more, before Stanley finally taking a deep breath and hitting Michael on the shoulder. 

“Come on, let’s get home and get some rest.” 

“Yeah. Thanks Stan. For everything.” 

Stanley smiles, his grin going from ear to ear. “Of course. I’m here for ya buddy.” 

He wouldn’t leave Michael alone. Not after all that he had done for Stanley. He saw the kid as his little brother, and he would do his best to protect him. Even if he was just some human with a little bit of Michael’s soul glue inside him. 

He’d be damned if he couldn’t help the kid. He would do his best. That was his promise. 

Notes:

And there it is. Michael goes a little feral and I don’t blame him. He needs to get his frustrations out that isn’t tied with arson. Well they did burn things in this chapter whoops lol

Anywaaays more friendship between Stan and Mike. Lovely.

Fanart corner!!

Random-dragon-jtk:

https://inkspottie.tumblr.com/post/679447983410020352/okay-yeah-this-ones-much-better-looking

Nerdy-Valkyrie:

https://nerdy-valkyrie.tumblr.com/post/679558224497770496/i-want-you-to-know-that-i-havent-stopped-thinking

Killapunchaw:

https://killapunchaw.tumblr.com/post/679622857149513728/the-squad-lolbit-inkspottie

https://killapunchaw.tumblr.com/post/679732990966890496/inkspottie-sometimes-silly-ideas-pop-up-in-my

Birdie-ghost:

https://birdie-ghost.tumblr.com/post/679738672571187200/inkspottie-a-while-back-when-i-was-first-reading

Aa010000101:

https://aa01000101.tumblr.com/post/679854968670453760/was-listening-to-inkspottie-s-laughing-at

Chapter 29: In the Chest of Hostility

Notes:

New chapter alert! Sorry that it’s been a good couple days, I have a new job now so I’m trying to settle with a schedule so please for give me.

But ah! We are past 40k and steadily moving to 45k! Crazy! And the kudos and comments too! I can’t believe it. Thank you all so much.

Enjoy!

Days had passed after their little adventure. Michael was grateful for Stanley keeping quiet and not telling Henry where they had been. Henry didn’t seem to notice the extra jars of purple liquid that filled up the shelf, so that was good. 

Or perhaps he did notice and just didn’t seem to comment on it. 

Michael wasn’t too sure.

Either way he wouldn’t be actively telling Henry or Jeremy that Stanley and him did this sort of solo mission and Michael may have gone a little apeshit. Well Lolbit was mostly to blame for that. 

The fox had just about jump started their system when they went back online, sending a wave of energy that Michael was not used to despite being in this body for some time now. It was invigorating. 

It was the first time they had…well merged essentially. Instead of two beings, it was one. One singular soul. Organic and inorganic meshed together with one thought in mind. Pure hysterical destruction. 

He had a feeling they both kind of needed it anyways. This sort of cathartic release of pent up anger and frustration they had. 

Oh well, it felt nice and they were doing better than ever. Even with the stupid Electrobab shock that really jacked up their system. Michael would admit he had gotten a little bit too cocky with that. He should have been more careful. 

The task was still at hand, and Michael was quietly humming to himself as he was working with Henry on the many projects they had. 

“I think this is it.” Henry called, stopping Michael from screwing in some bolts into the small little animatronic he was making. He wasnt the best, but Henry was a good teacher. He looked forward to seeing the final product. Of all their little projects they had. 

“Yeah? Think you got it?” Michael turns his body leaning over Henry seeing the small device in his hand. It looked similar to a calculator, but with a screen and a little touchpad on the bottom.

Henry nods pushing his glasses up his nose as he reaches for the jar of purple ooze. “If this works correctly…I can drip some of the remnant from the Minireenas and it should try to scan for similar signatures. Much like LolBit’s ability, but more portable and less…revealing of your true nature.” 

“And then we can put it in…” 

“Essentially yes, once the kinks are all smoothed out. This is still a prototype after all. Now, for the first test.” Henry opens the lid to the jar, Michael watching with curiosity. He could see a wisp of what he assumed was the remnant residue release as Henry gently placed the dropper into the liquid, gathering as much as he could before turning to the device. 

A simple push of a button it powers on, and with a steady hand Henry drops a singular glowing purple droplet onto the little pad below the screen. 

There’s a noise and Henry pulls back watching the little radar suddenly pulsate and blink. It’s almost making a noise much like sonar, in and out with a slow rhythm. 

“It…there’s one! It worked, it worked! We got a reading Mike!” Henry shouts with a happy laugh shaking Michael’s shoulders in his excitement. Michael laughs, lifting his head back and letting the rolling laughter rattle his body before he looks at the device. 

“That’s great! But…that means, there’s a remnant based monster nearby. Shit. How close?” 

Henry leans forward looking down at the device. “It’s not too far, but it’s a good distance. It doesn’t seem to be moving…” He frowns as the screen starts to flicker, making Henry hit the device and it spasms for a moment. 

“It’s fickle so if we want to do a patrol, I suggest we do it now.” 

Michael nods, “Right. I’ll call Stan and Jer up. Bring the jar with us just in case it starts to lose the remnant signature.” 

“I’ll get the bag ready.” 

 

…

 

“So this…thing here is supposed to find things like the Minireenas, and that doll?” Stanley asks as Henry drives Stanley’s van, looking at the device that Jeremy had in his hand. 

“More or less. We placed the same remnant in and anything that shares this signature. Do be careful with it Jeremy, it's still a prototype.” 

Jeremy looks it over with an awestruck look watching the screen flicker and beep as they were heading for the signature Henry and Michael had seen. “So is this like some…ghost detector? Are we the ghostbusters now?” 

Michael gives out a cackle, gripping his head as he glared at Jeremy for making him laugh. “These aren’t ghosts. We are finding bad robots.” He simplifies it because it’s just annoying having to explain this to Jeremy for the third time already. 

“More like…haunted items?” Stanley tries as Jeremy makes a ‘ohhhh’ as he continues to stare at the device. 

Sure, yeah they could go with that too. He supposed he was the only true ghost here. Possessing the metal animatronic that was Lolbit. But Jeremy didn’t know about that. And hopefully he never will. 

He didn’t plan on telling him anytime soon. 

“So are we going to wander around the neighborhood until the signal gets stronger?” Jeremy asks and Henry nods. Jeremy leans forward, passing the device back to Stanley. 

“That is the plan, we are hoping it’s an entity that we’ve dealt with before. It’s name is Ennard. It’s dangerous so please, be careful.” Henry says looking at the rearview mirror seeing Michael glance out the window, his eyes narrowed. 

“It’ll look like a mess of wires. Sentient wires and pipes.” Michael says quietly, his eyes dark. His jaw is clenched, and he looks solemn. As if he’s trying to avoid any memories of the awful entity. 

“We got this! It’ll be a piece of cake!” Jeremy chirps just waving off Michael’s warning. “We can handle this!” He doesn’t seem to get the extreme danger they could potentially be in. Ennard was not a doll, but a terrible mess of wires and horrible animatronics shoved into one body. 

“This isn’t some fun field trip Jeremy!” Michael snaps getting the blond to look at him with a wide blue eye. “We aren’t here playing pretend! This is dangerous! People could die!” 

The curl of the machine against his flesh, the instant pain that followed by pure terror. Watching it slowly, crawl it’s way towards him. Burrowing inside him. Oh God it was inside him! 

Like an infestation he could feel the phantom wires digging into his flesh, only pulling away with Lolbit was quick to comfort him. 

The car is silent and Jeremy just stares at him, completely surprised at Michael’s outburst. “This isn’t fun and games.” Michael whispers finally, and Stanley looks over to see that Michael was scared. His face didn’t show it, but Stanley could see it in his eyes. 

Or maybe it was the weird six sense he had for Mike. 

“Geez, sorry Mike. I know we gotta be careful.” Jeremy says quietly, getting Michael to huff and look away. “I’m not stupid.” 

Everyone goes quiet after that, Stanley biting his lower lip to keep himself from retorting. It seemed Michael was having the same issue. 

“Let’s just be cautious, don’t jump in recklessly. Think before you leap. All of you.” There Henry was with the dad voice again. He was mostly looking at Michael knowing he liked to jump out and just rush into danger sometimes. 

“Uh…the signal’s gone.” Stanley says looking at the device seeing that there was not a blip in sight. Henry pauses looking over and makes a noise. 

They all just stare at the device expecting it to light back up, but it was blank. Not a single sound coming out of it. 

“We must have gotten out of range.” Henry says turning the wheel and making a u-turn. “Surely it must be in this area…” 

“We’ll keep looking. It has to be here. The thing wouldn’t just beep for no reason.” 

“Right.” 

 

…

 

They kept looking. For a couple days in fact. The device was doing the best it could for a prototype. They’d get a reading, drive around trying to pinpoint it, and then it would just…disappear. 

It was odd, but Michael wasn’t about to give up. Henry refused to let him go on his own, and Michael didn’t want to argue with him. He already went out on his own and didn’t need Henry mad at him for two things. 

So he would just wait until everyone was ready and they would head off searching for the signal. It was annoying, having to be so close, yet so far. 

Was Ennard playing with them? Or was the remant so fickle that the device couldn’t pick it up? Certainly not since they could scan it and keep the signal for sometime. It must be hiding, or trying to actively hide.

Michael suggested they go out late and try to find it. It seemed that nighttime was when things got more active, considering that the Minireenas and the doll were out in the dark of the night. The haunting hours he supposed. 

Thankfully all of them were night owls so they weren’t super exhausted lurking around in the dead of the night. It wasn’t super late, the sun just about to set. Left the neighborhood in this golden orange glow as they drove around trying to follow the signal that slowly blipped in and out. 

“It’s odd that it keeps blinking in and out. Is the remnant fluctuating?” Stanley asks as Jeremy is holding the thing with a curious eye.

“Not sure, it’s almost like it’s having some sort of interference.” How Michael didn’t know, he definitely was not an expert on remnant. He barely understood it himself and he was practically made of the stuff. 

Was he truly just this glowing ball of soul glue as Stanley called it? Just attached to the inner workings of Lolbit’s machinery? 

It wasn’t something he liked to dwell often about. He already knew his own morality considering the fact that he was indeed, well dead. Just a soul tethered to this world thanks to an old friend. 

He couldn’t imagine just what that looked like, nor did he really want to see his own soul. He was good. 

“Be careful Jeremy, it's a prototype.” Michael scolds as he notices Jeremy tinkering with the thing. He was afraid Jeremy might accidentally do something and cause the thing to just not work. Then they were back to the drawing board. 

Jeremy whines, not taking his eye off the device. “I know it’s just acting buggy again! The signal is gone!” He turns the device over and then begins to hit it repeatedly with his palm. 

“Jeremy!” 

Michael moves to grab the device when it begins to screech. The sound is loud, and Jeremy puts his hands over his ears immediately dropping the remnant tracker. 

“Gah why is it so loud?! Jeremy what the hell?!” Stanley shouts looking behind him while Henry pulls over so they’re not having to deal with this on the road. 

“The signal.” Michael muttered looking at the device. “It’s close! Like real close!!” He moves to hop out of the car and starts to follow the blip, the sound getting louder and louder as he walks in a certain direction. He ignores the shout of the others fixated on the signal. 

Immediately the rest pile out of the car rushing towards Michael . 

“I told you I could get it to work! Sometimes it needs a good hit or two!” Jeremy puffs out his chest with a wide grin while Stanley shakes his head, rolling his eyes. 

They all catch up to Michael as he’s following the signal, hearing it get louder and louder until it points to a garage in the middle of the neighborhood. “In there. Whatever it is, it’s in there.” Michael mutters pointing to the garage door. 

“I’ll talk to the owner.” Henry says quickly rushing to the front door. 

…

Stupid. How could she had been so stupid? She was so obsessed with how horrible her life was, how much she longed to be rid of this world..she never really thought how terrifying it was to die. 

How her heart raced and her body grew cold. Trapped in this cavity, this coffin with a sadistic monster staring at her. 

She thought of death as this handsome figure in the night. This persona of beauty, and she yearned for its embrace. But not like this. Not like this…

I’ll grant you your wish Millie. You want to die? Choose. Choose your death darling. 

The monster somehow became Millie Fitzsimmon’s judge, jury and executioner of her life. Showing her just how much she took for granted. How many people did care for her, but she was just so stubborn. 

And now? 

Now she was going to die. 

“Death by decapitation! What a marvelous choice!” The being shouted as it stared at her with their eyes changing colors every now and then. It was odd, the way this thing, Freddy they called themselves, spoke as if it was multiple personalities. Different ways of speaking, but all in the same voice. 

Millie sucks in a breath, seeing blue eyes staring into her soul. She didn’t want to die. She didn’t want to, she would be a better person. She promised! 

It wasn’t fair, but it was…wasn’t it. 

All her time here, in this stupid town…she had been nothing but ungrateful. 

And now she was laying in the bed she made. She should of never got into this stupid animatronic. Why did her grandfather have this thing in his garage anyways? 

“Now, now, we can’t have a silent birthday girl now can we? It’s your special day after all! Your death day!” 

Millie feels the tears start to fall down her face again, no doubt her makeup was runny and she looked like a trainwreck. She didn’t care. She was going to die, and she hoped that when they found her it was gruesome and terrible. 

“Are you ready Silly Millie?” 

“Please…” 

She had one chance. One chance to do this right. If she was able to duck as the blade would swipe at her…she might be able to make it. 

“In the spirit of the French Revolution I will now do a countdown in French before releasing the blade!” 

Millie stares at the eyes as they shift almost as if they’re laughing at her. Enjoying her pain, her suffering. 

Un! 

Deux! 

TROIS! 

She hears the blade, how swift it was and she’s too late. She wasn’t fast enough! No…no- 

“Get away from her!!” 

Suddenly she’s falling backwards, a strong hand pulling on her shirt yanking her away. She watches the blade swipe at her, bits of her hair cut from the rusted metal. It was so close that she could smell the metal, the rust of it. But these strong hands saved her. Pulled her out of the belly of this beast. 

“I got her! She was in Freddy!” A strong voice rings in her ear, her whole body shaking. It felt like her mind was spinning. Her eyes wide and she looks up at her savior. 

He’s tall, handsome. With piercings and an outfit that Millie is absolutely jealous of. But it was the eyes that captured her, these eyes like amethyst shining in a dark cave. They had eyeliner underneath, almost making it like his eyes were striking, almost glowing. His face was smooth and sharp, but oh so angry as others came by to help her. She felt like she was in a movie, being saved by a tall handsome dark Prince. 

“Holy shit! Why were you in there?!” A larger guy on her left asks as her savior is looking her over. There’s two more that are beside him. A blond and an older man, probably a bit older than her parents. All their faces are filled with concern leaving her mouth tongue tied. 

Who were these people? How did they know she was in there? 

“I…I…” Millie is unable to speak clutching onto the tall boy in front of her, his painted nailed hands gently helped her upward. He was surprisingly sturdy, for such a thin man. 

“You ruined my fun Dairy Queen!” Freddy whines, the thing twitching as if someone had fired a stun gun on it. Was that how they were able to get her out? Her head was reeling, her heart pumping. Everything felt like she was about to fall over. Did the thing know these people? 

“Shut the hell up.” He snaps, turning his attention to Millie, “Are you okay? What were you doing in there?” 

“She was about to have a lovely death day party! And you had to go and be a party pooper!” 

Millie is shaking, unable to hold back tears. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, I’ll never do it again. Please, please don’t let it kill me!” She never would go into animatronic’s stomach, let alone any small spaces. 

“Don’t let him near you, he’s a kill-” Funtime Freddy gives out a shriek as Stanley fires the gun once more, the thing spasm and eyes going dark. 

“Sorry, it was getting fucking annoying.” Stanley states with a frown. 

Michael gives a grateful look as Millie starts to sob. Quickly he moves to try and block Funtime Freddy from Millie’s view so the poor girl wouldn’t be more traumatized by it all. 

“Hey, hey…I won’t let it do anything to you. Henry, do you have something to wipe her face?” The boy asked, his voice soft, looking at the older man beside him who quickly pulled out a handkerchief and passed it to him. 

“Here dear. It’s okay, we’ll keep you safe. Is this your house?” The man she assumed was Henry asks and she nods. He passes her a handkerchief and Millie gratefully takes it. 

“I-it’s my grandpa’s.” 

Henry nods and gently places a hand on her back as she wipes her face off. The handkerchief was stained with her mascara and eyeshadow, she couldn’t keep herself from sniffing and sobbing gently. What a mess she was. 

“Okay, why don’t we go to your grandpa. Here Jeremy…help…what’s your name?” 

“M-Millie. My name is Millie.” 

“A lovely name. My name is Henry, that’s Stanley and Jeremy. And this is Michael.” He gestured to each one of the boys and Millie just stared at Michael. The boy however was too busy staring down at Freddy who just sat there giggling every now and then. It didn’t seem to move and Millie was glad it didn’t. She probably would of fainted if it did. 

Jeremy moves closer to her, helping her walk and Henry is right next to her. “Keep an eye on Freddy, and Michael.” Henry tells Stanley, the last part is a bit quieter. Stanley stands up straight and nods firmly, his brows narrowing in determination. 

“Alright here we go.” 

Michael gives a small glance to Henry and Jeremy as they help the poor girl out of the garage. As soon as he saw the Funtime Freddy slouched on the floor he knew things were bad. 

And then hearing a girl whimper he knew what he had to do. Thankfully Stanley also knew what to do, firing his stun gun leaving Michael the ability to rip open its chest cavity and yanked her out of it. He had seen the blade, it was going to kill her for sure. 

“Lovely to see you again, we’ve got Ben and Jerry over here!” Funtime Freddy giggles and Michael gives a low snarl, his eyes brightening. 

“Shut the hell up. Where’s Elizabeth?” Michael demands, making sure Stanley keeps his distance from the animatronic. The larger man had the bright idea to keep his stun gun aimed at the large animatronic. 

No longer this pristine white, but this mottled grey and yellow colored from no doubt wandering around, and the age too. It’s been a very long time since he saw Ennard, and now it was taking the form of Funtime Freddy again. 

Terrible choice really. 

“Elizabeth…Elizabeth…name doesn’t ring a bell!” The plates shutter on Freddy’s face as it laughs, tilting its head back a bit. 

Michael narrowed his eyes, kicking the animatronic hard in the chest. “You know what I’m talking about! Elizabeth! Baby!” He snarls his anger rising in the pit of his stomach. He could feel it boil within, bile rising up and burning him from the inside. 

“Ooooh temper temper. Careful there Dipping Dots, you wouldn’t want to end up like your old man with that anger of yours.” Funtime Freddy crooned, just knowing where exactly to stab Michael with their words. “Baby left a long time ago. We decided to vote her off the island.” 

Michael feels himself grow cold. Left? How? Where was she? How did she leave? What did they do to her? So many questions were piling up and he launched himself onto the animatronic slamming it against the wall. “ WHERE IS SHE?! ” His voice crackles, the static rising as black smoke billowed out of his mouth. Sparks fly as he swipes his hand across the bear animatronic’s face, nails scraping against the metal. 

He keeps swiping until Stanley is behind him. 

“Mike! Holy shit stop!” Stanley grabs Michael, pulling him off Funtime Freddy, smog just falling out of Michael’s mouth. “Stop, stop. You…you need to get some air. I’ll watch the damn thing. You’re gonna break it at this point!” 

Michael feels his anger start to fall as Stanley pulls him away from the cackling Funtime Freddy. It was obvious this thing knew how to get under Michael’s skin. It now sported dozens of claw marks across its face and chest from Michael. 

Stanley didn’t want Michael doing anything brash, the boy already was in distress. Considering this was the thing that killed him after all. And…having his sister in that mess. He didn’t know exactly what was going on, but he knew Michael cared about his family completely. Friends as well. 

Even the sister that had just about done this to him. He still worried for her. Stanley knew that. 

Michael is breathing out smoke, and Stanley gently squeezes his friend’s arm trying to comfort him and tell him that it was okay. 

“Yeah go and let some steam off. You too traitor.” 

Michael whips his head around his eyes glowing white, “You do not speak to me in such a manner!” He hissed and Stanley had to forcefully push Michael out of the garage. 

“Go and see how Millie is doing. And check up on things with Henry and them. I can keep this guy in check. I got this. You trust me right?” Stanley’s brown eyes bore into the white that bleeds back to the standard purple. “Look at me Mike. Look at me.” 

He placed his hands around Michael’s face feeling the cold metal despite seeing himself put his hands across what his brain thought was skin. Michael finally flicks his eyes to Stanley and gives out a low sigh. 

“I do. I do…sorry. I just..” 

“I know. I’ll be okay. I got my stun gun. I can handle a demented bear and it’s little friends. That’s what got you isn’t it? The ennard thing?” 

Michael looks over, staring out into the street, his jaw tense and form flickering no doubt from the plates of Lolbit moving in his frustration and thought. “Yeah. It had my sister, and now she’s not in there. So I don’t know…I don’t know where she is. What she’s doing.” 

Stanley frowns quietly, “Well…if we found them, maybe we can find her. It’ll be okay Mike.” 

There’s a sigh that escapes Michael, and he nods. “Yeah. Yeah….I’ll be back. Just be careful.” 

“Of course.” 

Michael walks off with Lolbit whispering apologies for the outburst. It seemed Michael’s anger was infectious, bubbling even into Lolbit’s coding. He didn’t blame them, considering that his siblings were trying to egg both of them on. It was hard not to stoop to their level. 

He travels to the front of the house where there is talking and he sees an old man and Millie behind him. Her face is completely ashen and she looks shaken. The poor girl. Michael couldn’t imagine being stuck in that cavity and then having the thing demand that she die. 

“Ah! There he is, Michael. This is my son, Michael, this is Gene Fitzsimmons.” Henry says quietly and the older man gives a gentle wave. “He was just talking to us about finding the animatronic, and that someone wanted to buy it off him.” 

Michael would of felt his heart flutter if he had one at Henry mentioning he was his son. This was twice now, and he still wasn’t used to it. It felt…so nice. 

He shakes his head trying to get back to the topic at hand. 

“Buy it?” Michael asks his brows raised, noticing that Millie was staring at him. He didn’t know the look she was giving him, but it made him a bit uncomfortable. 

“Indeed! I found the thing in the scrap yard, and I thought I might fix it up. Didn’t know it would trap dear Millie in it with those faulty wires! The man…his name was Hugo…Galloway I believe! Here let me get you his card…said he was looking for old Fazbear animatronics. Was going to make some…haunted house or whatever with them. I wanted to see if I could fix the thing up before I went and sold it to the man. But I think it’s best that it goes into your hands. Here I’ll be right back..” 

The old man walks into the house leaving Millie on the porch with Henry and the others. “T-thank you.” She whispers, her voice soft and quiet. 

Michael blinks and gives a nod, “You’re welcome. I'm glad I was able to get you out of there. I hope you’re okay. It didn’t hurt you or anything?” 

He noticed part of her hair was chopped off from the blade but other than that she didn’t seem to be hurt in any way. No doubt she would be mentally scarred though. Sitting in that thing for who knows how long. Michael himself hated closed spaces, too many times locked in a closet for punishment. 

“N…no. It just…it wanted to kill me. Wanted me to pick how I died. T-told me I had crimes against humanity beca-beacause I wanted…” 

“Don’t listen to anything it says. It just wants you to feel bad. To suffer. Okay?” Michael tells her firmly, her green eyes blinking owlishly at him. 

“Yeah! There’s a bright side to this! You survived! You’re alive and you can have a sick ass story.” 

“Language, Jeremy. But he does have a point. Think of it as a second chance. A way to make yourself a better person.” Henry says and Millie nods. She looks tired, but relieved. “Maybe take a few days off. Relax. It’s winter break for you all after all right?” 

“Y-yeah..” 

Henry hums, “Spend some time with your family. Just try to relax. If anything else happens that’s a bit like this, I’ll leave my number with your grandfather and you can call me. Anytime, okay?” Michael and Jeremy nod in agreement, Millie is playing with her long sleeves turning her attention from Henry to Michael. 

“Okay. T-thank you.” 

“Aha! Found it. Here it is.” 

He passed the card to Henry and the man quietly looks it over. “Fazbear Frights?” He repeats with a confused tone and Michael leans over his shoulder to look at the card. 

“Like I said, some kind of horror attraction, since all those rumors and what not.” 

Was this person, this Hugo…was he trying to rebuild the pizzeria, but as a horror attraction? Was he gathering scrapped animatronics and bringing them back to one location? 

Hmm…

“Do you mind if I keep this?” Henry asks, and Gene just waves his hand as if it’s not a problem.

“Sure, sure. I’ll be getting rid of that hunk of junk anyways. Might as well let you keep it so you can get in contact with him.” He says and Henry nods in agreement. 

Michael would definitely want to get into contact, especially if he had other animatronics. What if he had Charlie? Would he let them have her? Michael would take her with force if he had to. 

He wanted her to come home. She needed to come home. 

Henry needed her. 

“Indeed. We wouldn’t want more faulty machinery causing harm. It would be a terrible thing to hear.” 

“Gosh yeah! I mean I’ve had an accident of my own so you’re on our team Millie!” Jeremy says pointing to his scar. “Animatronic bit me right in the head. But I’m a-okay, and you’ll be too.” 

“Goodness, reminds me of that time they had that kid that got his head chomped on by one of the bears at that diner.” 

Michael stiffens, turning his head, gripping his arm tightly. His eyes close shut trying to banish the imagery away. The sickening crunch of metal and bone never left his ears, constantly playing like a broken record in his mind. 

He supposed it was his punishment, for doing such a terrible thing. 

Henry clears his throat seeing Michael in distress, looking at Millie. “I hope everything will go a bit smoother for you.” 

Gene smiles gently, placing an arm over Millie squeezing her a bit. “She’s a tough girl. I’m just glad she’s safe. Thank you so much for coming when you did.” 

“Yes we heard her screaming and had to investigate. I’m so relieved you weren’t hurt physically.” 

They all nod in agreement, that was everyone’s wish. To keep everyone safe from these damn things. Yet another creation out to hurt another. 

Michael turns to check on Stanley when hears a loud scream coming from the garage. 

No. 

No. No. No. 

Stanley!

Notes:

Dun dun dun!!!

Count the ways is here everyone! If ya guessed it congrats!! Heheh I had this thought since the beginning cuz I love count the ways so much. Millie deserves a good ending.

Welcome to the gang Millie!

Now time for fanart!

Ghostliest-ghosty-ghost-bastard:
https://ghostliest-ghosty-ghost-bastard.tumblr.com/post/680375383469817856/a-thingy-for-spiderman-gahlvonhjonkbringerofgoose

Random-dragon-jtk:
https://inkspottie.tumblr.com/post/680087881323364352/holds-a-sketch-page-out-as-a-offering

https://inkspottie.tumblr.com/post/680088557791150080/hehehehhhohohohohhoo

Cathlooky:
https://cathlooky.tumblr.com/post/680072914112069632/lolbit-doodle-dump-in-ms-paint

Rockstar-maniac:
https://rockstar-maniac.tumblr.com/post/680079651399516160/i-binge-read-lat-by-inkspottie-and-now-they-will

Glascor:
https://glascor.tumblr.com/post/680152178094178304/i-havent-been-active-here-in-a-while-currently

That’s all for now! Until Next time!

Chapter 30: How Much Can You Fit Under Your Skin?

Notes:

Happy Friday everyone!! I had a lot of fun with this chapter, makes my day hearing the screams of my readers. Sorry not sorry for the cliffhanger. You can blame my friends Syd and Elizabeth for that lol

But I will say there is a MASSIVE GRAPHIC WARNING here. We get to relive a certain moment and it’s not pretty.

Well enjoy!

Michael does not hesitate. His mind does not even think as he immediately turns around and rushes towards the garage, leaving everyone in the dust as he does so. 

Panic shakes his very core. 

Stupid! How could you have been so stupid?!  

Leaving it with Stanley?! 

There’s a grinding sound as Michael’s metal feet come to a halt at the garage. He sees the wires whipping about, like snakes thrashing in a pit. It’s on top of Stanley, coiled and wrapped around his arms, the body of Funtime Freddy slumped to the ground with the head missing. 

The head was now attached to this mass of wires and immediately Michael rushed towards it, slamming his foot right into the mass of wires. It doesn’t take much effort to kick it across the room getting it completely off Stanley. 

A thunk can be heard as the metal head of Funtime Freddy hits the concrete floor. 

“Get the fuck away from him.” Michael snarls, his eyes burning as smoke begins the rise out of him. The tendrils are as black as night as the thing laughs at him. 

He swipes at Freddy, hitting the thing right in the face. It flies back twisting and moving like the slithery snake it was. 

Freddy laughs, the plates clicking as it did so. It rises up, seeing that it gathered the wiring that was inside of Funtime Freddy as well, bits of the hands still attached to it. 

Michael stands in front of Stanley, making sure the thing didn’t hurt him again. He didn’t see what the damage was, knowing he couldn’t turn his back on this horrible thing. 

“Little Klondike Bar, thinks he’s so tough. What happens when that remnant of yours fades? Or even worse..corrupts? What then? You think your friends will keep you alive? When the sludge starts to pour out of your eyes and you lose that little brain of yours? Hehehe…it’s inevitable with your genes.” 

“Shut the fuck up.” Michael snarls and Freddy giggles as it shifts a bit, the wires scraping across the concrete, grating on Michael’s ears. 

“Temper temper. Emotions like that will ruin you.” 

Michael felt his anger rising and this thing was pushing all the right buttons. He wanted to destroy it, tear it wire from wire. 

It cackles and Michael falls to the floor with a startled noise, wires wrapped around his foot and yanked harshly. The entity was fast, swooping towards him, wrapping the piping and circuitry around his body like tight rope. 

He struggles against the pull shouting in anger. 

“My my…isn’t this familiar,” Freddy says as it leans forward close to Michael’s face. It’s plates hissing open to show Ennard’s face underneath. “Suppose you’ve got room for one more, don’t you Michael Afton?” 

He can’t breathe. He’s trapped under this creature squeezing and pulling him in like a net. His tomb. The metal room, the blood on his hands. The sick sound of gushing liquid splattering on the floor. 

Please. 

Oh God! 

“ I DEMAND YOU GET OFF HIM AT ONCE!” The sound booms from his chest as his illusion disc screams. His form shudders and Lolbit is quick. Suddenly Michael is pulled back, unable to move his own body. 

Lolbit screeches, their intermission ability taking effect. Funtime Freddy screams in agony at the noise giving Lolbit the opening to land a punch on the mass of wires. It flies to the corner of the room, as Lolbit hauls themselves up their eyes white and burning at the creature before them.

“Michael! Stanley?!

Henry's voice is shouting from afar and Lolbit turns their head, Michael hidden in the corner of their mind. Quickly Lolbit switches back, the illusion stuttering from the sudden switch. 

Michael breathes heavily, gripping the floor. He whips his head up seeing Funtime Freddy gathering itself up with a mighty chortle. 

“This is my cue to leave the stage, ta-ta for now! We’ll meet again soon, I can feel it!” 

With that, the being flings itself backward breaking open the window, and slithers out. Michael rushed towards the window, about to jump through it when he heard Stanley whimper. He stares off at the thing leaving the area with such speed he knows it’s no use. 

It was gone. 

And Stanley was more important right now. 

He shakes off the panic, the fear of what just happened. He doesn’t shout at Lolbit, instead giving a shuddery thank you. It was the first time Lolbit actually took control.

To save him.

You would have done the same. 

This…this was true. Michael would have, if Lolbit was in trouble, Michael would have done his best to try and get the fox out of the situation. Even if it meant putting himself in danger. 

He steps back down to the floor and goes to check on Stanley. His face and chest is covered with small lacerations and a long gash across his brow and near his cheek. 

Stanley must have hit his head and passed out from the impact. No doubt Funtime Freddy had just about catapulted itself against Stanley and the man didn’t even have a chance to react. 

“Stan…oh god Stanley. Please…please be okay.” 

He hears footsteps and looks up to see Jeremy and Henry. 

“Stan!” Jeremy cries jumping toward to help Michael as the boy lifts him up against his chest. 

“He-he’s out cold. Funtime Freddy attacked him, and then ran off.” 

Henry looks at the window and frowns. “It ejected itself from the body. How odd. Are you okay?“ He asks Michael, seeing that he was a bit shaken as well. 

Michael shakes his head not wanting to talk about himself right now. “I think it wanted to….use Stanley..” Michael isn’t able to finish his sentence, it’s like someone’s clamping down on his imaginary throat. He can’t escape the image of Ennard looking down at him, as it thrust its metal body into his skin. 

He gives out a shuddery breath and feels Henry’s hand on his shoulder. 

“You got here just in time. I don’t see any major injuries. The wires must have cut Stanley badly, he might have a concussion…” Henry says quietly as he looks Stanley over. 

“It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have left him…I-I..” 

“Hey, Mike..it’s okay. You can’t blame yourself for that.” Jeremy says quietly, a blue eye looking at him. “Stan wouldn’t want you to blame yourself anyway.”

“But-”

Both Henry and Jeremy shake their head, unable to add anything further when Gene and Millie come into the room. 

“Goodness what happened?!” Gene asks and Henry stands up. 

“Just a minor injury from the faulty thing. Looks like it’s wires just popped out and the head flew off somewhere.” Henry says not wishing to tell the older man that this vicious being was inside the animatronic and nearly killed both Stanley and Millie. “I think it would be best if we took this thing off your hands so it doesn’t potentially hurt anyone else.”

Gene quickly nods, “A wise idea.” 

“Is he going to be okay?” Millie asks quietly, her green eyes never leaving Michael’s. 

“He’ll be alright! He’s a tough guy! Just got hit in the head and it knocked him out. I think he just fell backward.” Jeremy says trying to keep Millie from worrying while Michael lifted the large man up with ease.

Millie looks at him, her eyes wide and mouth a bit open at the sight of this thin man being able to lift Stanley up with no issue. She didn’t expect that to say the least. 

“Is there anything we can do?” Gene asks and Michael shakes his head. 

“No, he just needs some rest if anything. I think we all do after this.” Michael says quietly and they all can’t help but nod at that. Everyone looked a little haggard. 

Gene nods, “Well thanks again. I sure hope you can find others like this. Would hate to see them hurting someone!” 

“If you find any sort of model like this, or anything remotely similar, please don’t hesitate to call us.” Henry tells him, “We appreciate you letting us into your home and taking this out of your hands.”

He holds out a hand for Gene to take, and the older man is happy to do so shaking it with a tired smile. “Anytime! Thank you for finding Millie! I never would have guessed she was in there!”

Millie looks pale, which is amazing considering her face was nearly a stark white. If they hadn’t come to save her, she would have been dead. That thing would have killed her. 

And no one would have noticed. 

“I’m just glad we were able to find it when we did.” Henry hums and looks to Millie, “And I am glad you’re okay.” 

“Thank you.” Millie whispers again, taking her eyes away from Michael to look at Henry. “I…I..” 

Henry just gives a gentle smile, “It’s quite alright. If you ever need anything don’t hesitate to call. We’ll get this thing out of your hands.” He gestures to the empty shell of Funtime Freddy which is just slumped over in the car corner of the garage 

Michael hauls Stanley into the van, quietly buckling him up before he goes to pick up the hollow animatronic. He was very, very relieved to get rid of this monster that was for sure. 

It’s tossed into the back of the van with ease, and Michael brushes himself off with a small huff turning around to see Millie staring up at him. He startles, his eyes wide. “Er…” Michael stammers unsure what to do. She just kept…staring at him. Those big eyes it was making Michael a bit uncomfortable. 

“You’re really strong.” 

Michael blinks at her, her voice is monotonous as if she’s forcing herself to speak like that. Must be a goth thing or something, Michael didn’t know much about the new styles due to him just being a recluse that only went out to stop his father and his creations. 

“Uhh…err…yeah.” Michael says a bit dumbly, “I…work out.” 

Millie just stares, her green eyes sparkling a bit. “Cool.” 

“I..uh I’m going to go.” Michael says pointing to the car feeling extremely awkward with this girl staring at him. It was like she was hypnotized or something. He didn’t know why she just kept looking at him. 

Maybe it was because he saved her? 

Henry saves the day by stepping through them, patting Michael on the back and bidding Millie goodbye. Michael gives a quick wave and jumps into the van closing the door. 

He’d check up on her later. Right now…Stanley was the top priority. They needed to get his cuts all taken care of. 

“Do you think Stan has his tetanus shot?” Jeremy asks as they drive off. 

“God I hope so.” 

 

… 

They all decided to stay the night at Henry’s. Well more on the lines of Henry saying it’s late and no one needed to be driving home in the dark. 

Stanley is out cold, and it’s worrisome. Michael is exhausted himself, having strained the illusion disc and his abilities dealing with Funtime Freddy. 

But since Jeremy was here, he couldn’t just turn the illusion off. Not until his friend went to bed and stayed in the guest room. 

Jeremy was worried, and rightfully so. They all were. Michael was quietly holding Stanley steady while Henry was gently placing bandages on the man’s face. Most were just small cuts, the only large ones were across his face around his eye. 

“He’ll be okay. It didn’t do any damage aside from his face getting cut a bit.” 

“He looks like a raccoon attacked him,” Jeremy says worriedly, passing Henry the things he needed to clean Stanley’s wounds. 

Henry hums dabbing antiseptic on the cuts to make sure they were cleaned. “He does, let’s just say that happened when asked questions.” 

“It’s all my fault,” Michael whispers quietly. “I shouldn’t have left him there with that thing. If I had stayed…” 

“Don’t say that Mike! You didn’t know it would happen. He’s okay, nothing broken or really hurt.” Jeremy is the first to say something, placing his hand on top of Michael's, giving it a squeeze of reassurance. 

Michael is grateful for him. For all of them. But he couldn’t help the roaring guilt that was bubbling within. He felt awful. Stanley already had dealt with the Minireenas and that thing was trying to do the same. 

He couldn’t imagine…what Stanley was feeling. It was an awful thought. 

“I should have been there,” Michael says, looking at Stanley. 

“You were Mike. You stopped Ennard. You got them off him before any real damage could be done. He’ll have some scars but…he won’t..” 

Michael winces, he won’t die. 

We’ll look like you. 

He takes in a deep breath, Lolbit pushing those thoughts away and trying to calm Michael down. This was a traumatic moment for him, but Michael felt guilty for even remotely making it about him. Stanley was the one who was passed out with cuts and scrapes on him. 

He wasn’t allowed to feel this way, not when Stanley was hurting. 

As Henry puts the final bandage on Stanley’s face he hears the man give a groan. They all rush to his side, making sure the man doesn’t fall over or hurt himself further. 

“Stanley, Stan can you hear me?” Michael tries worriedly, his hands resting on the man’s chest. 

Stanley’s brown eyes stare at him, hazy and slightly dazed. “Wh…what happened. Where?” 

“You’re at my home son, we took you home after you got attacked. How are you feeling?” 

Stanley groans holding his head, leaning back against the couch. “I…feel like I got into a really bad fight with a cat and I lost.” He says honestly getting Michael to give a small yip-like laugh, gritting his teeth to keep himself from fully evolving into a full belly laugh. 

“You definitely look like it. That thing really jacked you up! Mike was able to get it off you though. He saved your ass big time.” Jeremy remarks and Stanley glanced at Michael seeing the boy’s face was completely stricken with worry. 

Stanley gives a small noise, “Thanks…damn thing just launched at me out of nowhere. Said a lot of stupid shit, I wouldn’t believe it. Then it just…like a goddamn face-hugger..” 

Michael nods, “I came as soon as I heard you scream. Kicked it right over and then it ran off. I…I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have left.” 

He shook his head, “Nah. Mike I told you I’d be okay. Didn’t expect that shit to happen…but I’m okay. Just a bit sore.” 

Michael looks guilty, and Stanley knows he’s probably going to forever blame himself for this. It was inevitable for Michael. Shouldering every responsibility even though it wasn’t his fault. Stanley thought he could handle it, and apparently he couldn’t. 

He didn’t blame Michael for that. 

“Why don’t we let Stanley rest..and I think we all deserve some rest. Jeremy, you look like you’re about to pass out.” Henry notes and Jeremy’s eye blinks rapidly shaking his head. 

“No Mr. Emily…I’m alright..” 

“Get some sleep Jer. I’ll be okay. Don’t worry about it. All of you. I think I’m just going to rest here for the night if that’s okay Henry?” Stanley asks and Henry nods. 

“I’ll bring a blanket down, Michael why don’t you show Jeremy to the guest room?” 

Michael nods glancing at Jeremy who’s rubbing his eye with a yawn. “This way Jer.” He gestured, standing up and heading down the hall to the room that Stanley was in the first time they had met. It seemed so long ago. 

Time was so weird to him now.

He stops as Jeremy yawns entering the room. “Hey, Jeremy…” Jeremy turns facing Michael, his head tilting slightly waiting expectantly for Michael to say something. 

“I…um…I want to apologize for my behavior earlier today. I shouldn’t have snapped at you. It wasn’t…it wasn’t right of me, so…I want to say I’m sorry.”

He shouldn’t have yelled at Jeremy, he knew the blond was just trying to lighten the mood. He was just so tense from the whole idea of finding Ennard that he was making things hard for himself and for others. 

Jeremy just smiles gently patting Michael on the arm, “Pssh! It’s fine Mike. I couldn’t be mad at you. Plus it was my fault, I should have been more serious. I know this stuff is dangerous and I should try to be more careful of when to be silly and when not to.” 

“But…” 

“S all good! I forgive you! It’s what friends do right?” Jeremy beams at him and Michael can’t help but smile right back, shaking his head a bit. He just about launches himself onto Michael giving the boy a hug. 

Michael stiffens at the contact, before leaning into the embrace. 

How Jeremy could be so forgiving Michael didn’t know. He expected Jeremy to just give him the cold shoulder and not talk to him for a bit. But instead Jeremy was happy to forgive and forget. 

“Everyone makes mistakes or has their moments. I wouldn’t want to deny you that.” Jeremy’s words are surprisingly wise and clear,  despite being muffled against this chest. Michael sighs pulling away from the blond. 

“Thanks, Jeremy. For being there, and well being you. We need someone to have a good outlook on life.” 

Jeremy grins from ear to ear, and Michael feels like he’s being blinded by the sun. “Of course! Someone’s gotta be the chipper one and I’m happy to take the role. I’m here for ya Mike.” 

He appreciated it, more than Jeremy would ever know. “Alright, well get some rest yeah?” 

“Will do! See ya in the morning Mike.” 

Michael hums and gently closes the door, walking back into the hall and seeing Stanley had fallen asleep again. “He’ll be fine.” Henry speaks, startling Michael. “Sorry, but he’ll be okay. Just a mild concussion and those scratches.” 

“He’s lucky…” 

“He’s lucky because you were there. And you saved him. It’s okay, he’ll be okay.” Henry is there to assure him, and Michael is grateful. He appreciated the man trying to knock some sense into him. 

If anyone could, it would be Henry. 

“It’s gone. It left and now we have to worry about it moving about.” 

Henry sighs, “Well we can track it. Lure it even. After all…” 

Right. The animatronic. That’s what Henry was working on. They could potentially bring them all to one place. 

“Yeah..we’ll get it. Eventually. But now we have Funtime Freddy and we can keep it from hurting anyone. That’s all that matters.” 

There’s silence but they both obviously agree to the statement. The last thing they wanted was someone to get hurt. It seemed they were getting more and more of William’s  creations, and taking care of them properly. 

And who knows, maybe they could use some of the parts of the Funtime Freddy. Though he highly doubted it. 

“Go get some rest. It’s late.” Michael says as he clicks the illusion disc off, the weight of it all lifting just a bit. He always felt a bit better once the illusion disc was turned off. Like a sigh of relief almost. 

Henry hummed, giving a nod he looked tired and Michael didn’t blame them. They had been up for so long having to look around. “At least the remant tracker worked.” 

“It did. Now we can refine it and implement it into your little helper idea.” 

“Perfect.” 

Henry holds back a yawn and gives a gentle pat to Michael’s shoulder. “I’m going to hit the hay, you should rest too. Even if it’s just visiting Evan or whatever it is you do.” 

Michael nods, giving his own version of a smile in the animatronic form he was in. Watching Henry head up the stairs he looks to Stanley glad the man was getting some rest. He hoped it would get better, Stanley didn’t need to hurt anymore. 

He had been through enough. 

 

… 

 

Stanley wakes to the smell of metal. He’s standing in a long corridor, a familiar corridor. It’s covered wall to wall with sheet metal, he can feel his heart suddenly start to ram against his chest. Beating in his ears. 

This was…this was the sister location? 

Why was he back here? 

He opens his mouth to say something but it doesn’t move. He can’t speak, nor can he move. It’s like he’s just standing there looking about. What was going on? 

Go forward again. Ballora is behind you. 

Ballora? Who was that? 

His body takes a step and he realizes he’s not in control. This was so odd. 

She is afraid of the Scooping Room, she will not follow you.

Scooping room? 

The room where? 

His body moves forward once more, a hand placed against the metal doorknob pushing it open with a small grunt. 

“Alright, Elizabeth.” 

Stanley startled at the voice that escaped his mouth. It’s familiar. A British tone that’s quiet, but hard. It didn’t sound metallic like he was used to. 

He was…seeing things…through Michael? 

Was this another vision? 

“What is that you wanted me to see?” 

Stanley feels his blood run cold, he could feel his heartbeat like a drum against his chest. He wouldn’t be surprised if it just ripped out of his ribcage from beating too loud. 

Or if it would echo through the metal room. 

Was he experiencing Michael’s death? He knew the man had died here, that this thing ripped his insides out and the creature he had encountered buried inside him. 

Oh god. Why was this happening? 

He steps closer into the room, not really listening to the voice that is echoing in his ears. It was his sister speaking, or Circus Baby right? Michael said she had lured him into this place. 

But if we look like you, then we could hide. If we looked like you, then we would have somewhere to go. The Scooper only hurts for a moment. 

Stanley feels himself gulp, the lights flashing as he whips around seeing the sillouette of the creature Michael had drawn in his sketchbooks.

He tries to move but is suddenly yanked up in place, wires wrapping around his skin pulling him up a bit. He gives out a shout in surprise as the alarm gets louder and louder in his ears. 

You won’t die. 

No. No. No. No. 

He knew where this was going. 

“They pulled themselves out to make this amalgamation of all of them, and then they scooped me. Shoved their wire body right into me.” 

The large claw-like machine makes a loud noise and then he sees red. He’s experienced pain but not like this. This searing hot pain that just bursts like a firework on his gut. Sending his whole body to feel like it was on fire. He gives out a gurgling gasp as the wires loosen and he can see the splattering of his own entrails onto the floor. 

Oh God. Oh God. 

“Eliza…” Michael’s voice is slurred, blood spilling out of his mouth as he coughed. No doubt Michael couldn’t see his own carnage but Stanley could, as clear as day. 

What was even worse was the scraping of metal against metal on the floor. This slithering mess of wires clambering closer and closer. 

It’s eye glowing as it stared at Michael, shuddering like a zombie walking towards its meal.

We don’t need you anymore..  

It was whispering into his ear, stop please. Someone stop this. He didn’t want to see anymore of this. Please. God Michael, this was horrible.

Don’t worry we’ll take good care of your body. 

Stanley can’t move as the thing approaches, lifting him up and he can hear the splat of something hit the floor. He didn’t want to know what it was, what was falling out of him. Out of Michael. 

A whimper escapes his mouth, hands feebly trying to stop the thing from coming closer. He can feel the sharp metal press against his skin. Breaking it and pressing even further. He can hear the squelch of muscle and the crack of bone as it buries itself deeper and deeper into Michael’s body. 

It was inside them! It was crawling and squirming inside him. 

Resting itself on the top of Michael’s body, under his skin. Like it was some freaky body snatcher. Michael screams and the sound is horrible. It vibrates his very soul and makes him want to cry out. But he can’t. He can’t do anything. 

This was hell. 

His head rolls over signifying that Michael had passed out, or more likely died. And then he feels the warmth, something touching the innermost part of his chest. There’s a girl, holding something bright orange in her hand. Her eyes dark and tears constantly pouring down her cheeks. She looks worried, sad even as she holds the glowing orange ball close. 

It’s okay. I bring a gift.

Then there’s nothing, and Stanley jerks up his stomach suddenly twisting and he rushes to the bathroom, gagging and sobbing. His whole body aches, and his face stings from the multitude of cuts. 

He doesn’t release any contents in his stomach but he just gags,  feeling the sensation of Ennard piercing his skin. It wasn’t like the Minireenas. It was sharp, horrible. 

Clenching his eyes shut he gives out a whine, gripping the sides of the toilet, and sobbed loudly. 

God. 

God Mike. 

“Stanley?” 

Stanley lifts his head to see the animatronic fox staring at him with wide eyes. His hands clenched in worry, a thing Michael did whenever he was stressed or anxious. 

“You okay? Everything all right? You look pale.” 

“I….I…oh god Mike I saw. I saw everything.” Stanley whispers, his throat choking on each and every word. 

Michael moves forward, a cold hand on Stanley’s back. He’s sweating terribly, but his body feels so cold. He’s shaking and he can’t stop himself. “Saw what? Did you have a nightmare?” 

“Not just any nightmare. Y-you…I saw…you…scoop…you died. You died oh God it was horrible. So horrible! All that blood…that thing! ” Stanley is rambling hysterically and Michael just stares at him. His eyes grow larger and larger almost filling the black void that were his sclera. 

“You…you saw? How?” Michael doesn’t look convinced, but he’s worried. Very worried. He looks like he’s about to collapse and Stanley doesn’t blame him. God what he saw, it would absolutely be burned into his retinas every day of his life. 

How did Michael do it? With such a terrifying memory, how he died. Michael never talked about it, and for good reason. He knew he had gotten scooped, but to experience it first hand? Horrible. 

“I don’t know. But I saw it, I saw you get…scooped and-and…” 

“Let’s get you back to the couch..” Michael says quietly, helping Stanley up and gently guiding him back to the couch. Stanley is grateful for it, leaning onto the cold metal of Michael’s form. 

“There was so much blood…so much. God. Michael…how…” 

“I don’t know.” Michael whispered, his ears low and his eyes dim. “I don’t know how or why you saw that, and I’m so…so sorry you had to experience it.” 

“It’s the thing inside me? Isn’t it? We…we are connected somehow? Because of that glowy stuff?” 

Michael’s eyes widen, and he looks surprised that Stanley was able to connect dots that he didn’t. “I…I don’t know. It could be, but I don’t know why it would show you that.” 

“I’m so sorry. I’m sorry Mike. God, you shouldn’t have experienced such a thing. To die…like that.” 

Michael shakes his head, looking a bit shaken himself. “I…it’s not something I…like to talk about. It burns my brain, everytime hear scraping of metal, or alarm noises…it just throws me back to that moment.” 

Stanley swallows, “I can imagine. But still. Holy shit.” 

“Yeah.” 

They are quiet for a moment before Stanley pulls Michael into a hug. “I’m sorry Mike. God I’m so sorry.” 

“For what?” 

“Everything. You dying, having to deal with all this. The shit your dad did.” Stanley sucks in a breath, swallowing thickly. “I even let Ennard go, fuck…I’m so sorry. I should have been more vigilant.” He leans into Michael for a moment, relishing how cold Michael is against his warm skin. 

Michael pulls away after a while, shaking his head, “God I don’t care. I don’t care that it got away. I care…I’m so glad you’re okay. That’s the last thing that I care about right now. I was so…so fucking worried that you were hurt and it was all my fault because I left you there. I shouldn’t have left in the first place. I shouldn’t of-”

Stanley frowns, “Mike you seriously can’t blame yourself for that. You needed a break, and it was obviously making both of you angry. And I don’t want to even think about what would happen if you hurt yourself because of these bad emotions. I could feel the anger from where I was standing.”

Michael looks away, his mechanical fingers clenching tightly. “Still.” 

“Hey man. It’ll be okay. I’m fine. Sure I just witness your fucking death first person, but I…am okay.” 

“I am so sorry for that.” 

“I doubt it was your fault. I think it’s just the remnant inside me reacting to the remnant inside you. You were freaked out about it, so it must have bled onto me as well.” Stanley is just theorizing at this point, unsure if it was true. They didn’t have much to go on after all.

“You’re telling me I basically can Vulcan mind meld with you.” Michael deadpans and that makes Stanley snort, causing Michael to laugh tilting his head backwards as his body shakes. 

“Sorry, sorry.” Stanley immediately says knowing Michael didn’t like going into his laughing fits. Stanley seemed to be able to activate them a lot with his jokes. He seemed to be the contender for the most laughs. 

Michael just waves it away, finally dying down. “I’m more worried about waking Jeremy up.” He says quietly and Stanley nods. 

“Right.” 

“We can just sit and chat quietly. Apparently they’re making a new Fazbear’s. A horror attraction.” 

“No shit?” Stanley says with a wide eyed look. 

Michael nods, “Yeah. We got the guy’s number and we’re gonna call him and figure things out.” 

“We’ll, here’s hoping. Maybe I should be the next nightguard, so you know, you can catch a break and not have to deal with all this bullshit.” Stanley states with a slight chuckle and Michael just stares at him. 

Michael looks like he’s about to kill Stanley for even suggesting such a thing. “Absolutely not. If anyone’s doing it, it’s going to be me.” 

Stanley just puts hands out in defeat, “Alright, boss. Alright.” 

 

Notes:

And scene! Chugging along to the Fazbear arc and I am…so excited to show you what I have in store. So much fun stuff. Hehehe

Anyways thank you all for the lovely comments, hits and kudos. I love all of you and I will kiss everyone on the head like Snow White does to the dwarves lmao

Fanart corner!!

Of-ink-and-pen-tf:
https://inkspottie.tumblr.com/post/680534597228969984/hi-thought-customized-masks-would-be

Killapunchaw:
https://killapunchaw.tumblr.com/post/680633296109158400/little-art-dump-of-inkspottie-jeremy-because-i

Themosskid:
https://themosskid.tumblr.com/post/680642417415880704/thinking-about-goth-michael-from-chapter-29-of

Humangeode:
https://humangeode.tumblr.com/post/680654163868336128/her-eyes-wide-and-she-looks-up-at-her-savior

And a lovely absolutely lovely animatic from my wonderful friend birdie-ghost. I love you so much you wonderful talented thing you!!

https://birdie-ghost.tumblr.com/post/680974218034380800/the-animation-gods-were-on-my-side-and-i-managed

Chapter 31: Just Wait For What I've Got in Store

Notes:

It’s here! Hehe it’s the start of a new era and buckle up cuz a storm is brewing! Don’t want to have you all caught in the twisted now do we?

There’s a TW for death here, just a fair warning. It’s not real I promise but I just want to make sure everyone knows it does happen.

Anyways on with the show!

“Absolutely not!”

 Michael’s voice shouts in Henry’s living room as he paced back and forth. 

Stanley and Henry watch him, Stanley crossing his arms with a smirk wide on his face. He isn’t fazed by Michael’s anger, while Henry is just giving the boy a look. He didn’t really like it when Michael would pace around his living room. Jeremy was out babysitting his younger cousin and couldn’t make it, but demanded Michael tell him everything afterward.

“Too bad. I start work Monday.” Stanley grins from ear to ear. “Hugo’s already giving me an orientation tomorrow.” 

“How?! How did you even-” Michael looks to Henry who puts his hands up, he obviously wasn’t the one to give Stanley Hugo’s number. 

Stanley leans against the couch, “Henry had nothing to with it. I saw the card on the counter and put it on my phone before anyone noticed. Sorry, but you need a break. You went through so much with the last shit, and it’s been rough with everything else. You trust me right? Let me do this.” 

Michael looks conflicted, he trusts Stanley. He knows Stanley can do the job, but he also is worried. Absolutely worried that something might happen, something might hurt him and he wouldn’t be able to help him. 

He didn’t know what he would do if Stanley got truly hurt. The man already had thin scars around his face from Funtime Freddy launching itself onto him. 

The thing wanted to settle inside Stanley but thankfully Michael had come just in time. Nothing like that would happen on his watch. He had to protect them. They were still alive and breathing, Michael couldn’t die. 

“Mike, I think Stanley is right.” 

Michael whips his head to look at Henry, instantly showing a look of betrayal at the older man. “You too?” He stammered with hurt clear in his tone. 

Henry gives a frown, “Think about it, Mike. The last time you went to a location you constantly were drained, and fatigued. I can’t continue to see you like that.” 

What happens when that remnant of yours fades? Or even worse..corrupts? What then?

Funtime Freddy’s voice echoes in his ears, like nails on a chalkboard. 

“If you continue to burn, there won’t be much left, Michael.”

LolBit’s own whispers grow louder, drowning out the demented bear’s version. Maybe they were right. Maybe he was pulling himself thin, and potentially wasting away. He was constantly tired and it felt like he was dragging himself into thick mud. 

Maybe...maybe Stanley could handle this. 

“You’re right,” he admits quietly, getting both of them to look at him with pure surprise. They didn’t expect such a quick defeat from Michael. Usually, the animatronic fox would protest for a good while before finally caving in. 

This proved just how tired and stretched thin Michael truly was. 

“But, you have to promise me…that you’ll make sure that you call me and tell me everything. And that you'll be careful.” Michael says a bit sternly and Stanley nods. 

“Of course Mike. This isn’t just for me. I’m not trying to prove to you that I can do this. It’s so you can actually rest and let us do some of the work. Remember you’re not in this alone. We’ve been doing this for quite some time after all.” 

It was true. It’s been a good couple of years since this all even happened. It felt like it was just yesterday he was resurrected and all that. But now with his father long gone missing for years now, and this new place finally opening up after some time…maybe they could finally finish this. 

“Yes, perhaps find out where this Hugo has been getting his items for this horror attraction of his,” Henry suggests with a rub of his chin. “Are they affiliated with the Fazbear name, or is this just some person who’s oddly obsessed with the so-called legend of Freddy Fazbear’s.” 

Michael rolls his eyes at that, strange how true events could turn into things like rumors, or legends. These events happened, and people died but no, this was just now some scary story to tell your friends at a campfire. 

Be wary of Freddy children, he’s the worst out of all of them. 

“I’ll keep an ear out for anything.” 

“And anyone. If you see the one they call the Puppet, or the Marionette…tell us immediately.” Michael’s voice is serious, knowing full well that Charlie might be a part of this. They were nearly finished with the animatronic that would be set out to find her…but they needed to tweak a couple things at least. 

Stanley noticed the change in atmosphere, deeming that this animatronic was important. “Right that…that one is..” He knew a couple were important. The kids, Elizabeth, Evan….Charlie? 

“My daughter, yes.” Henry whispers, getting Stanley to nod firmly. Right, that was it. Charlie. The puppet who gave Michael a second chance. 

“I’ll keep an eye out for her, Henry. If I see her, I’ll let you know.” 

He wouldn’t just let something like that slip out of his hands. He already felt awful for letting Ennard escape, who knows what that bastard was even doing. Probably harassing more people. 

Damn thing. 

“Thank you, Stanley, I know I can count on you. I appreciate you taking the initiative. I know Jeremy was interested too, but I feel it might be best if he wait this one out. I plan on working on the animatronic so this could be a good way to show him how to work on them if there ever is a situation where we might need an extra hand.” 

Michael nods, knowing Jeremy would not be happy to be pushed to the sidelines. He was just as important as the rest of them. 

“Any help you need, we are here for you. Both of us. Delilah too, she’s been asking how you all are doing.” 

This gets Michael to raise his brow a slight smirk, “Delilah huh? How is she doing?” 

Stanley cleared his throat, looking to the side and avoiding eye contact. “Good, ah…good.” He muttered, having more interest in the floor than this conversation. “She’s doing a lot better. Finally, on a good sleeping schedule, ya know.”

“Wish that were me.” Michael jokes, getting himself to bark out a laugh and lean against the couch to try and halt the bubbling laughter that was settling in his chest. 

Stanley can’t help but laugh with him, “Me too man, me too.” He had insomnia, to begin with, and falling asleep was no easy task. Staying asleep was a whole other thing. 

Both Michael and Stanley could relate to being unable to sleep. Michael couldn’t because he was, well dead. Stanley just had issues with sleep considering that little dolls tried to crawl into his mouth while he was sleeping. Well…some of them succeeded. 

Stanley shudders at that, pushing those thoughts away. 

“Thanks, Mike, for letting me do this. I know it’s hard for you to step away. But I think you deserve a break.” He tells Mike and the boy looks at him. He’s worried Stanley can obviously tell. 

He doesn’t blame him, these situations could get serious and Stanley could potentially get hurt. He knew he was taking a risk, and he rather not put Mike under more stress. Well, he would be stressed no matter the situation. It just was inevitable.

Michael was just a ball of stress, simple as that. But he appreciates Michael letting him do this. He would not disappoint him. That was a promise. 

 

…

 

Henry offered to make dinner, and Stanley was happy to stay. Michael wished he could have a meal. Share it with them. Enjoy the taste. He forgot what it felt like. To eat, to taste. He missed his mum’s cookies, Henry’s soups, hot chocolate, tea even.

What did they taste like? Smell like? He forgot, after all these years of having those senses taken away from him. 

He missed it, but it wasn’t something he could dwell on. After all, he couldn’t just will it as if suddenly he would wake up and smell the fresh-cut grass, or the smell of Henry’s coffee.

So he would just sit at the table, listening to Henry and Stanley make conversation and add his own thought. It almost felt normal. Just chatting while eating, despite one of the members of the table being a large white and orange fox. 

Domestically was something he missed. Sitting at the dinner table, enjoying each other's company. 

It was nice.

How long had it been, since…

Far too long. 

The night was happy, and Stanley bid his goodbyes having to go to the orientation tomorrow. Michael made sure Stanley promised he would report every night. Just to be safe. He would not forgive himself if Stanley got injured at this job. Who knew what this Hugo had for this horror attraction. It could be anything.

Henry went to bed and Michael was quietly relaxing in Charlie’s room. He was feeling the lull, the tug of his consciousness. Was it Evan and Cassidy? He had just talked to them a while back, telling them what happened to Stanley and Funtime Freddy. 

But this felt different. This felt odd, this crawling sensation like someone had spilled thousands of spiders into his hull and he could feel them wriggling around. Crawling up his chassis, getting into his wiring. Dark lichen covers his vision, wrangling him away from his body and dunking him into the abyss. 

This was forceful, something Cassidy or Evan would never do. Like hands gripping his shirt and pulling him into an icy pool, he surfaces with a shuddery gasp. 

He’s in an empty room, for some reason he can feel the stagnant cold air, and smell the dank stench of the place. It's dark, with no single crack of light that can even penetrate the murky darkness. There is no entrance, but no exit. 

Then he hears it. This wheeze grips at his spine, sending waves of panic through him. He doesn't know why, but he's scared. Frightened even. What was hidden in the darkness that just plagued him with the ultimate fear?

He can't move, he can’t speak. Michael just stands there as the wheezing gets louder. This wet and gasping noise makes his imaginary lungs ache. Who was having such issues with their breathing? How was the hidden entity?

Burning white eyes suddenly pierce through the darkness, as it gasps and gulps for air. Like a dying fish, but it's metallic. Parts clicking and groaning like some clockwork being. 

“I hate you….I always hated you.”

The sound makes Michael almost fall to his knees, it’s disorienting and makes his head ache. Like the voice itself was drilling into his brain, infecting his very being. It wheezes coughing and the gears click slowly before it starts again.

“I’m going to kill you, and I am going to make it hurt.”

“I am going to get out, and I am going to find you. Then…I’ll give you a real reason to cry. I’ll make it hurt to the point you beg and scream.”

The two eyes are brighter now this burning white, and he can see a blurry figure rise. It shambles towards Michael, limping, gripping at the wall sparks flying as it does so. He cant make it out, this dark shadow that glitches and drips. He could hear liquid audibly plop onto the floor.

“You’ll rot, just like I have. YOU’LL ROT .” 

Michael doesn't have time to move, panic, or even react to anything. The monstrous thing that has trapped him here hurled itself onto him, arms to his throat. Its form is hard to make out, but the laughter burns into his being, this crazed noise that he's heard so many times but he doesn't know where, His brain can’t come up with anything as he’s lifted off the ground by the creature.

“Come on Michael, COME VISIT ME .” 

The grip on his neck is tight, and he can't breathe. He knows he doesn't need to, but the crushing feeling of his windpipe and the tightness of his breath says otherwise. He gurgles and the creature laughs in his face before he hears an audible SNAP . 

Michael wakes shaking, his whole body shivering as it had been through a blizzard. His face plates opened wide and he's gulping for air. Tears are pouring out of his eyes as he grips his face, trying to shove aside the imagery of his neck snapping under the pressure of some unknown entity that had a vendetta and knew his name. 

Was it Ennard? No…he would hear the dragging of metal on the floor. Just what was that? Was it Cassidy just having fun with him?

He calls for Lolbit but gets static. Weird, the fox must be resting themselves, or so deep into the coding that Michael could not reach them. 

Michael gives a cry, his eyes closing trying to calm himself. He starts to count down from ten. Trying to calm his shaking soul, he could practically feel it palpitate under the metal casing that he was attached to. 

He never felt his own remnant, but this nightmare for the first made him feel painstaking conscious of his mortal coil. This thing residing in him, powering him, keeping him on this plane. Showing that he was not quite alive, but not quite dead. 

Metal hands grip the spot where his heart should be, wishing to hear the familiar thudding of the organ. But inside he was just hollow.

Just an empty shell. 

He sucks in a breath curling into himself. Painfully immortal, unable to feel to touch. But that nightmare made him feel death all over again. Differently this time. Hands around his neck gripping hard, so much pressure that his bones snap. Fracture. 

Like a porcelain plate easily breaking under stress.

He pins his head into his knees and sobs softly, quietly. He doesn't dare try to wake Henry up for how would he explain himself. This must have been how Evan felt. How he couldn't tell others about his nightmares for no one would believe him.

An entity was after him, practically begging him to come and find him, just to hurt him. 

He needed to be careful.

So he weeps to himself, alone and terrified. 

 

…

Fazbear Frights was ugly. It was now a sickly green and the sign just screamed cheesy horror. Like going to a county fair around Halloween and they would come up with some corn maze or haunted house that was obviously cheaply made. 

With the actors that either worked too much or not enough. 

This little haunted house is on the outside of the amusement park, not too far from the original place. A perfect replica Hugo had called it. 

Stanley shoved his hands into his pockets, opening the door to see the place was dark, the whole atmosphere was this dark green. It made the place look greasy and old. The decor seemed the same, the paper plate decorations and the faded posters. 

He felt odd here, like something wasn't right but he didn't know what. 

Michael had called him earlier, warning him to be careful. He seemed more frazzled than usual, like something had happened. Eventually, the kid would tell him, or he would find out due to the connection they apparently had. 

“Ah! Stanley was it?”

Stanley turns his body to see a comically small man rushing toward him. His hair was wild like a bird had just attacked him, with a weird piece of hair sticking out. “That’s me.” Stanley says dipping his head a bit. “You must be Hugo right?”

“Yup!” His voice was very laid back, reminding Stanley of Jeremy a bit. But a bit more surfer dude. “Welcome to my masterpiece aint it great?”

Stanley glanced around, “Sure is something.” He wasn’t sure masterpiece was the right word. More like gaudy and disrespectful. Why would you make a horror attraction out of a tragedy that happened so long ago? Seemed a bit insensitive. But he wouldn’t say that out loud considering he didn't want to be fired. Especially when Mike was counting on him. 

Hugo beams not catching on Stanley’s obvious distaste for the place. “Right? I always loved the urban legend on this place and was able to get some money and make this place real! So many love the history of Freddy Fazbear’s so its a pure gold mine!”

Stanley decides to play along, looking around as Hugo started to walk through the place. “How did you find this stuff? Is it replicated or from the actual place?”

The small man sighs in response, “Most of it is replicated, the whole place itself was modeled off the real deal. We couldn’t get the building itself, but we were able to get the rights to the layout. As well as the scraped and salvaged that was just lying about. Most are just parts, not the whole animatronic you know? Like the foxy head up there!” 

He gestures to the Foxy head mounted on the wall, the light glowing out of its eye, looking a bit spooky if he was honest. That was Michael’s favorite, wasn’t it? It harbored the spirit of a kid named Fritz he believed. 

“And they let you have all this stuff?” He asks surprised, and Hugo nods with a bit of pride. 

“With a bit of persuasion and a lot of money yeah! Told them it might revive the company, after all, any press is good press right?”

Stanley shrugs, “I…guess....didn't they have like children die in that place? Why make it into a horror attraction?” 

Hugo just makes a noise, waving his hand as if it's no big deal. “Pshh! Don’t tell me you believe in that, they never could find the bodies, let alone prove that anything like that happened. Come on man, I thought you were well versed in the Fazbear lore.”

The larger man just stares at the man, wanting to just punt him a bit for saying such a thing. “My bad, I guess it’s an interesting theory.” He says instead, feeling like his tongue was being dragged across broken glass. People didn't die for this to happen. 

Thank God Mike wasn’t here, he’d kill this man. 

Straight up.

Hugo just takes him to what he assumes is the office, and he glances around, nearly jumping out of his skin at the empty Freddy just leaning through the doorway, 

“Scary huh? Too bad we didn't have the full thing. Imagine that thing walking around and scaring the shit out of people. We’d be rich.”

Or dead Stanley wants to retort as he scoots past the animatronic trying to hold his breath from the smell of the dusty animatronic. There was a box to the side of him just filled with all sorts of parts. Geez. 

He didn’t see the puppet thing that Michael had shown him. Maybe Charlie wasn’t here after all. Damn. 

“And this is the office! Where you will be for the nightshift. The dayshift gets to play around and pretend to get killed by one of our actors. You, however, get to watch and make sure vandals and whatnot do not try to ruin the place. You said you were a nightguard before?”

Stanley nods, “Yeah, I worked at Circus Baby Rental for a bit.” 

This makes Hugo gasp and grip at his shirt a bit, his green and blue eye sparkling brightly. “No way! That’s so fucking cool man! How was that?” 

Horrible, terrible, and everything else in-between. He almost died, there was that too. 

“Ehh just like every job I suppose. Just had to do about the same thing Ima do here. Just with less things since the animatronics weren’t really around.” 

Hugo groans, taking a step back and throwing his head back he yells, “Damn! We were so close to getting a Funtime Freddy model, but the owner apparently gave it to someone else! Ruined my chances of getting a sick ass animatronic man!” 

Trust me, Hugo, you don’t want that one. 

It had been disposed of immediately, and good riddance. 

“That sucks…but this is looking pretty good so far. I think it’ll do well.” He’s lying through his teeth, but Hugo doesn’t need to know this. 

Hugo beams, his mood instantly changing. “You think so? Sick! We’ll let me go get the paperwork and we can get you all set up for Monday! I’ll be right back!” 

He rushes off and leaves Stanley in the room by himself. Stanley quietly toes the box of animatronic parts trying to see if the Puppet was in there, just in the bottom of the box. He didn't want to start digging and have Hugo come back and catch him. Maybe he’ll do that on his first shift. Just to see. 

Sighing he leans against the desk, this wasn't too bad. The boss was somewhat of an idiot, but that was just every boss. He could handle this, and he remembers Hugo and his crew were going to go back to the pizzeria to double check and see if they missed anything. If they did find an animatronic, Stanley could report it and they could take care of it there. 

Easy peasy.

Right?

“Alright Stan, this is the job where you don’t fall asleep,” he mutters to himself knowing full well that he often dozed off due to his awful sleep schedule. He didn’t have as big of bags as Michael did, even with the illusion disc, but they were noticeable. 

Enough that Henry would constantly ask him if he got enough sleep. 

He appreciated the older man always checking up on him. It was like having a second dad. It was nice. He was glad Henry was around. Michael definitely needed good parental support considering the monster that was his father.

Stanley hoped that William Afton didn’t show his ugly mug around here. Or else he might slam a fist down on that gangly face of his. Give him a true beating for treating Michael like that, as well as you know…killing children.  

He furrows his brows, getting angry at the thought of William Afton. 

His thoughts however halt when he sees a shadow in the corner of his eye. He turns his head and just about falls backward. A black shadow lumbers across the large window that is in front of him. 

He recognizes the shape, it's Freddy. He knew that hat and shape anywhere. It walks past and just disappears into the wall. Stanley’s heart picks up speed looking up at the lights that flicker for a moment before becoming the steady low fluorescent color. 

What the fuck was that?

Stanley just stares with his mouth open as Hugo comes back with a clipboard and pen. “Alright! All set now you just need to sign all this and we will be good to go!”

“Right, right.” Stanley stammers grabbing the clipboard. It doesnt take long for him to place down all his information and sign the waivers they had. He’s careful to read them, not wanting to catch anything that basically said he sold his soul to this endeavor. 

Once he’s done he places the clipboard back into Hugo’s hand and walks with him to the outside. 

“Hey man, those effects you had? The Freddy walking down the hall? Fucking freaky!” He says as Hugo opens the door for him. 

The man stares at him, tilting his head at Stanley. “What? Effects? Nothing was on?” He looks at Stanley with an odd look. “Anyways, I’ll set up tapes for you in the classic Fazbear fashion, so I will see you…Monday!”

Hugo shuts the door, and Stanley just stands there. Nothing…was on? What…was that then? Was he just seeing things? He could have sworn he saw that Freddy walk past him! He wasn’t hallucinating, was he? 

What the hell was he getting himself into?

Notes:

Dun dun dun! Yes! Stanley is our nightguard for fnaf 3! Interesting betcha didn’t see that one coming hehe.

I got plans, big plans. I get so excited my stomach turns to knots from it hehe

Anyways! Remember to comment and tell me what you think! I love hearing your guy’s reactions!

Until Next Time!!

Chapter 32: All is Calm, All is…Fine?

Notes:

Wooo!! New chapter. We are crescendoing slowly to the climax of this arc. This low thrum that will vibrate into a loud clang. Ready your ears and buckle your seatbelts. This, is the calm before the storm.

Enjoy!

Stanley felt odd donning the uniform of the would-be pizzeria night guard. It was a slight variant from the Circus Baby uniform, darker purple he believed. He hated that this was an, and he quotes ‘an exact replica of the real deal’.

What was with the color purple? Did everyone just like that color at Fazbear’s? No doubt William Afton gave the executive decision since he seemed to enjoy wearing the color. 

As did Michael apparently but that didn’t count. 

He pulls his hat down further as he enters the place, it’s quiet. Eerily quiet. Stanley locks the door behind him and heads his way into the office with a careful eye. Glancing this way and that as if he might catch something. 

Or someone.

He felt like someone was watching him. Eyes on the back of his neck making him sweat a little.

Wouldn’t be surprised if someone was, it was Fazbear Entertainment. The damn place was known for being hella creepy now. 

This place wasn’t, but he wasn’t going to let that fool him. He needed to be careful, and completely on guard. 

Expect the unexpected with this shit, he had worked with Michael for years now, and it always had him on his toes. Be it freaky dolls, giant animatronics or just the weird shit that Michael called remnant. 

He still didn’t know what the hell that even was or how it worked. He just knew it was in him, covering his soul and connecting itself to the source.

Michael. 

It made him uncomfortable that he had a piece of Michael’s soul inside him. The essence that kept Michael here and not let him move on. Though he doubted Michael wanted to move on at this point. He always said there was work to be done. 

When would Michael get to rest? 

When it was all over? What signified it being all over? Destroying each and last thing that his father touched? Finding his missing father? 

Stanley didn’t know. 

His thoughts clouded over him like a heavy fog as he stepped into the office. The sound of his shoes hitting the tile was echoing throughout the place. God it was too quiet.

So far nothing was popping out. Nothing he needed to be worried about 

This would be fine! This would be easy! No problem. 

He sighed pulling up the chair and sat down, leaning back against it as he picked the tablet up. He sees the phone beside him and clicks the button. Hugo’s voice rings through, reminding him of when Michael had described to him what he may be doing as a security guard here. 

It was definitely a bit different to what he had done at Circus Baby’s that’s for sure. 

“Hey-Hey! Glad you came back for another night! I promise it'll be a lot more interesting this time. We found some-some great new relics over the weekend.” 

He leans back against the chair, stretching a bit and hitting his cheeks as Hugo prattles on about things. He listened to the list of things that they had found, drawings, parts, everything that just sounded like they were scavenging in some junk yard. 

Graveyard more like it. It felt gross, finding them just…making light of this situation. He couldn’t imagine how the parents of the victims felt. How their missing child was now a part of this gaudy horror show, with a man who acted like he was finding treasure on a beach instead of items from a potential crime scene. 

He wouldn’t go to the extent of calling the man a grave robber, but it was pretty close. 

“Uh, some guy who helped design one of the buildings says there was, like, an extra room that got boarded up or- uh, something like that. So, we're gonna take a peek and see what we can find.”

Stanley lifts a brow at that, were they going back to the pizzeria again? Geez they couldn’t just let the place rest. He wondered just how many things they needed until they were satisfied. The place was already open so why even bother gathering more.

They already had silly suits to scare the people so why need more? 

Well, Stanley didn’t really have much to say about it. It wasn’t like he could talk him out of it. Hugo said he invested a lot of money into it. 

Would be a shame if the place just….burned down. 

Stanley snorts a bit as he hears Michael’s words from the other night echo his mind. The kid had an affinity for just burning his problems away. Hopefully this one did not have to have him laughing maniacally with the building up in flames. 

It was Stanley’s turn to take care of things. 

He could handle it. 

Hugo is still talking, this time it’s about the controls and keeping the vent open. They apparently tried to make this place as vintage as possible including the mechanics and technology. Goodie. 

Nothing like retro tech, he would have to admit that this was reminding him back of Circus Baby’s place. Now he just had to remember all the controls. 

He quietly tapped the screen seeing that he would have to restart some of these things, great. Shouldn’t be too hard, but if the system was seriously old he probably would have to reset them often. 

“Uh, the most important thing you want to watch for is the ventilation. Look, this place will give you the spooks, man, and if you let that ventilation go offline, then you'll start seeing some crazy stuff, man. Keep that air flowin'. Okay, keep an eye on things, and we'll try to have something new for ya tomorrow night.” 

Stanley breathes in sharply. See stuff? What did they lower the oxygen or something what the fuck? He rubbed his face as the recording stopped, and he is left to himself. 

It’s quiet, and he’s tapping each screen to try and memorize them all. He sees the animatronic heads as lights, decapitated and hung on a wall. It was a good thing Michael wasn’t here. He probably would have been horrified. 

Seeing the husks of these once loved animatronics, what happened to the souls of these kids attached to them? If Michael were to be in this situation where Lolbit had been dismantled…what would happen. 

Would he be a ghost unable to properly move and interact? 

Stanley shudders at the thought. No thanks. He didn’t want to even think of what could happen to him. Michael would never ever get dismantled. He refused to let that happen. 

Henry had been teaching him the schematics of Lolbit, just in case something went awry and he needed an extra hand. He wasn’t much of a mechanic, but he would learn. For the sake of his friend. 

Curiously he taps one of the buttons hearing a child’s voice echo down the hall. 

“The hell is this button even for?” He muttered, pressing it again. It sounded like a kid saying hello, and it was creepy as all hell. 

Why even need such a button? 

He sighs, rubbing his forehead trying to keep himself awake. He did not want to fall asleep on the job, he learned his lesson with that. 

Stanley huffs at the memory of Jeremy jabbing at him about it, asking if he had narcolepsy or something for how he would just nod off sometimes. He just had a terrible sleeping schedule that was all. 

His body just seemed to hate his guts and wish to keep him up all night so he would be sleeping in the day at times. 

It’s because Mike made you his thrall isn’t it?

Jeremy and his idiotic theories. The blond had been absolutely mad when Stanley had told him he got the job. He felt bad, considering that Jeremy sometimes felt left out of things. 

Stanley did his best to try and tell him it for Michael’s sake and nothing more, he wasn’t trying to outshine the guy. He just wanted Michael to rest. 

Thankfully Jeremy understood that. After all they had a pact to keep Michael from wasting away. Even though Jeremy didn’t know the full truth about Michael. 

Stanley wished they all came clean. He hated keeping secrets, especially from good friends. He knew Michael’s reasoning and respected the guy enough to not just tell Jeremy anyways. But it was just awkward sometimes and he wished Michael would just tell him. 

They skirted around each other so much that it made Stanley dizzy sometimes. 

Stanley dips his hat closer down his forehead, planting his feet on the desk. This was easy peasy. Nothing bad was happening, no spooks, no freaky animatronics. 

He had this in the bag. He just needed to make sure that whatever Hugo thought he was going to find in that back room or whatever wasn’t like Charlie or something. 

Stanley would stay and keep an eye on this place. 

How hard could it be? 

 

Night One Report

Michael leans  against the receiver of the phone, still having a landline compared to the mobile phones that Stanley and Jeremy had. He didn’t need one, since he wouldn’t be out and about anyways. The computer was fine and kept him busy. 

Technology he fucking loved the stuff. It was amazing. 

“I’m telling you Mike, nothing happened I swear!” 

Michael gripped the cord of the phone hearing Henry tinkering in the background. The sound of the wrench cranking up and down as Henry worked. 

“Nothing? Absolutely nothing?” 

He didn’t believe it. Not one bit. There was no way nothing was happening. They had the damn parts of the animatronics, were the kids just dormant now? 

He can hear Stanley laughing at him, the sound making him frown immensely. 

“Mike, I swear. I literally sat in the office and did nothing. No spooks, no crazy animatronics just blissful silence.” 

“I told you it was fine!” 

Michael isn’t convinced, but he knew he was losing this argument. Stanley was determined to prove to him that nothing was wrong, and he was fine. But paranoia and anxiety would not let Michael rest. He worried for his friend greatly, and did not wish to see him hurt. At all. 

It scared him deeply. 

“Listen it’s late, I'm tired, I work tomorrow, but I swear it’ll be fine! Nothing bad is going to happen.” 

“Those are some famous last words, Stan. And it’s only ten in the morning.” 

Stanley makes a ‘pssh’ noise, “Yeah well not all of us are walking machines that don’t require sleep or charging of batteries alright? Don’t worry. It’ll be okay.” 

Michael is quiet for a moment before he nods. “Okay. Just…be careful Stan. Please.” 

“You know I will. Go hang out with Henry, read a book, play some video games. I know Jer gave you his old gaming console. Be normal. Well, as normal as an animatronic ghost can be. Can you do that for me?“

He sighs, “Yeah…I can do that. Call me when your shift is over?” 

“Yep. See ya Mike.” 

“Bye.” 

Michael sighs, closing his eyes as the receiver clicks and he’s just holding a phone that’s beeping in his ear. His thoughts go back to the nightmare, and Lolbit can’t help but feel worried as well. 

The fox was pushed away when his nightmare happened. Like something was holding Lolbit back, preventing his friend from interfering. Something was coming, but he didn’t know what. 

And both of them were on edge. 

“Come on Mike, the show's back on.” Henry calls out, breaking Michael out of his daze and he turns around heading back into the living room. 

“I’m coming…” 

Please be safe Stanley. 

 

End of Night One 

 

Night two. Stanley sits back down on the chair, humming quietly to himself. He sees that there are new little odd bobblehead-like figures on the desk. Hugo must have found things in that back room. 

Great. 

Stanley leans forward, hitting the button on the phone. The atmosphere was different; there was a chill in the air. He wasn’t sure what it was, but he didn’t like it. 

Maybe it was the hypersensitivity that he had with these sorts of situations now, he’s been through so much that he just knows when things might end up on the sour spectrum of things. 

He shakes his head, it’ll be fine. Things were fine. He needed to listen to Hugo. 

“Hey, man- okay, I have some awesome news for you! First of all, we found some vintage audio training cassettes! Dude, these are, like, prehistoric! I think they were, like, training tapes for like, other employees or something like that. So, I thought we could, like, have them playing, like, over the speakers as people walk through the attraction.”

Oh? Tapes…tapes? It was that guy, what was his name? Scott. Yeah! The one Michael knew that died. Geez even his shit was being plastered over the place now? Come on man. 

“Dude, that makes this feel legit, man. But I have an even better surprise for you, and you're not gonna believe this- we found one. A REAL one. Uh-oh-uh gotta go man- uh, well-well look, i-it's in there somewhere, I'm-I'm sure you'll see it. Okay, I'll leave you with some of this great audio that I found! Talk to you later, man!” 

Stanley feels something tug at his gut. A real one? Why did Hugo sound so nervous? Good God what did they find? Would he recognize it? Or would Michael recognize it? 

He leans over looking at the tablet trying to see if he could find this new animatronic. But so far nothing was here. He couldn’t see anything. Either it was still up and not put out yet, or it was in a blind spot. 

That was not good. 

The phone clicks but then a tape suddenly starts to whirl and he can hear another voice ringing through the office. 

“Great lovely, tell me you’ve got a new animatronic in here but you don’t tell me who or what it is!” Stanley shouts through the glass of the office looking around in annoyance. 

This guy was a great boss. Insert sarcasm here. 

“Uh, hello! Hello, hello! Uh, welcome to your new career as a performer/entertainer for Freddy Fazbear's Pizza. Uh, these tapes will provide you with much needed information on how to handle/climb into/climb out of mascot costumes. Right now, we have two specially designed suits that double as both animatronics and suits. So please pay close attention while learning how to operate these suits as accidents/injuries/death/irreparable and grotesque maiming can occur.” 

Stanley raises a brow, they used to climb into the suits? “I’d rather die than ever get in one of those.” He mutters as soon as Scott talks about grotesque maiming and accidents. 

He would have to talk to Henry about the decision on that. He knew Henry helped make the original ones, who thought it was a good idea to put a person inside. 

Scott talks on how to get in and out, and he hears people in the background. Talking. He’s not sure who it is, but he can tell the guy recording was no doubt in some back room while the place was open. It didn’t sound like the chatter of kids, but the sound of adults. 

Interesting. 

“Remember to smile; you are the face of Freddy Fazbear's Pizza.” 

Stanley involuntarily smiles, seeing his reflection in the glass. Right. The face of the place. 

He opens the camera again, this time hearing a whisper in his ear. A crawling sensation travels up his spine as he flicks the camera and sees a shadow. Something in the distance. It’s the thing. 

The animatronic that Hugo had been talking about. He couldn’t make it out, but it was sitting there. Yellow eyes staring at the camera. It didn’t move, it didn’t twitch. Just sat there leaning against the hallway wall, staring into his soul. 

He’s here he’s here he’s here he’s here

A pressure is on his brain, like someone is squeezing his skull tightly. He can feel his heart stammer in his chest at the sight of the animatronic. Something wasn’t right with it. 

Something was evil. 

You’re in danger

Stanley reels back when a face suddenly flickers in his vision, the lights begin to flash and he feels it’s hard to breathe. 

Jesus what the fuck?! 

He rubs his eyes and taps on the screen rebooting the ventilation system. The guy said it would make you see shit if you didn’t take care of it. 

The beeping of the system echoes in his ears, and he sucks in a breath. God what the hell was that. He glanced from side to side to try and see if could find whatever had spooked him. 

“It’s just your imagination. Like those damn doll dreams. None of that is real.” He breathes quietly, gripping the tablet in his hand. 

He got this, he could handle this! A little spooky image couldn’t scare him! He had fucking dolls crawl inside him for Christ’s sake! 

If he quit now Michael would come in and he did not want that. Period. 

A shaky breath escapes him and he leans forward in his chair, slapping his face slightly to keep himself awake. He refused to fall asleep, and needed to keep himself up. 

His mind was reeling on how his body wanted to sleep right now after just seeing whatever the hell that was. 

Stanley flicks through the cameras, finding that the animatronic was gone, not good. Where the hell did it go? 

Was that what the child voice was for? To lure this animatronic around, maybe thinking that it had to entertain some kids. He remembered Michael saying that the animatronics had the free roam mode that activated at night, so maybe this one had the same mechanics. 

He hoped so. 

He couldn’t make it out one what it is, but the thing looked damaged to all hell and back. Maybe some scrapped animatronic that had been thrown in some back room and got sealed for whatever reason. 

The lights were too low to even describe what sort of creature it would be. 

But he presses the kid lure button in camera nine and he hears the hello and slight giggle. 

He blinks, putting his tablet down and suddenly is assaulted by a black and green stained animatronic that launches itself right at him. Swinging from the ceiling it gives out a screech, a police scanner type noise echoing from the creature. 

He puts his hands up to protect his face but nothing hits him, the lights flashing again and Stanley nearly falls out of his chair. 

“Jesus!” 

He grips his heart, opening his eyes to flashing lights and his tablet screaming at him. “Give the guy a heart attack, why don’t you?!” 

Who is he even talking to? He didn't know but someone had to be the culprit. He was not imagining these things. He swore under his breath resetting the audio system. 

Whatever that was, messed with the system. Damn it. 

He glanced at the clock, seeing that it was 4 am. Michael was right, time does fly when working at Freddy’s. He was about to just hightail it out of here with the damn things that kept popping in his vision. 

He definitely wasn’t going to tell Michael about this. 

He was fine! He wasn’t hurt, just kept getting weird visions in his head from time to time. That was completely normal right?? 

Stanley breathes in sharply, locating the animatronic that was once again laying on the floor lifeless with its yellow eyes flickering a bit. 

Odd. 

Did it move or just phase out of existence? 

He didn’t know, but he did not like it. 

You again. He’s here and where is he?! You aren’t supposed to be here. He’s supposed to stop him. Not you. 

Stanley looks around for the voice ringing in his ear. “W-what?” 

Idiot. Why did he let you in here…I have to do everything myself don’t I? 

His mind is reeling and he’s feeling dizzy. He feels like someone’s watching him. 

This will keep you busy. 

He gives a noise as the pressure returns and his vision starts to go blank. Was he? Was he falling asleep right now?! No he couldn’t…he couldn’t fall asleep. 

He couldn’t… 

When he blinks he’s suddenly in a dark room, walking and moving without his permission. Wait, he's been in this situation before. With Mike! Seeing his death. Oh no. 

Oh no he didn’t want to deal with any of this again! He couldn’t handle it. Let him out! 

But he’s following something, this shadowy figure that beckons him. He realizes he’s in an animatronic, or he is the animatronic. 

He can see purple felt and fur, and he knows he’s Bonnie. He’s following something and he doesn’t know what. Almost in a trance the thing goes through the dark pizzeria, following the shadow that flickered in and out. 

Until he there’s pain, and terror striking through his system and he sees him. 

Stanley sees William Afton in the flesh. His axe is raised high as he swings hitting the metal joint of Bonnie’s ankle and the thing crashes to the floor. 

Afton doesn’t give up, thrusting the axe over and over wearing the familiar purple uniform. His face stretched with madness laughing hysterically as the robot glitches and cries out. As if it’s alive. 

Stanley knows it’s alive. A kid’s spirit was in there, and William was dismantling it. 

He doesn’t know how long it is until the pain and agony fades, the fear that follows him and then he suddenly jerks up at the sound of an alarm. 

He’s not in the office but a black void, holding a cake in his hands as a child is sobbing loudly. 

The child looks at him, he can’t make out their face. It’s blurry like staring at an old polaroid that didn’t develop properly. 

The table they sit at is empty, with masks all along the table. Ones he recognized. 

Stanley can feel the static growing louder in his ears, the pressure getting worse and worse as he passes the cake to the lone child. 

SAVE THEM SAVE THEM SAVE THEM SAVE THEM SAVE THEM. 

This time his body is finally pulled away as the child looks at him, with wet black tears and everything dissolves like water on a windshield. He pulls his head back finding he had fallen asleep on the desk. 

“Fuck!” He shouts his heart hammering against his chest from the assault of images that had hit his brain like a train. 

He couldn’t make it out, nothing made sense. 

His head aching he stops the alarm that his phone had telling him his shift was done. 

Six AM. 

He was asleep for nearly an hour. What the hell happened? Who was that voice? It seemed familiar. He couldn’t understand it, his head feeling like someone shoved a hot poker right into his skull. 

He shakily stands, and heads out of the office. 

“I need to get the fuck out of here..” 

 

Night Two Report 

 

“It was fine. I’m fine Mike.” 

“You’re late to call. I was about to haul ass to your house Stan.” Michael whispered worriedly hearing how tired Stanley was. That wasn’t good. He was worried and rightfully so. They had scheduled when Stanley would call and he was late. 

“I’m sorry. I passed out as soon as I got home. I was extremely tired. The place has terrible ventilation so I had to deal with some weird shit thanks to the lack of air.” 

Michael tilts his head, “What kind of weird shit…” 

“Oh the normal, sleep deprived hallucinations a guy can have. Oh, I forgot. They found an animatronic. I…it’s really busted up, I don’t know what it was. Couldn’t get a good look. But tonight Ima try and get a description. Hopefully it’s not one you have a vendetta against.” 

“As long as it’s not one of the Funtimes…I can’t think of anything that would warrant worry. If it’s busted up then I don’t think it can do much damage…” Michael whispers trying to rack his brain on which animatronic it could potentially be. Watch it be one of the knock off ones from the other locations. 

El chip would be hilarious. 

“Right, it didn’t move much. Just a boring shift if anything. If you don’t count me falling asleep at the end of it.” 

“You fell asleep?!” 

“Not by choice! I swear.” 

Michael sighs, shaking his head, “I don’t know how you do it. I guess things really are fine. Sorry for being anxious about it all. I just…” 

“I know, you’re worried. I appreciate it. But I’m telling you nothing is wrong. I promise if something crazy happens I’d tell you.” 

He hoped so at least, he didn’t want Stanley keeping things from him because he didn’t want Michael to worry. 

“Alright, I’m going to get some rest so I don’t fall asleep again. See ya Mike.” 

“See you.” 

Michael puts the phone away and looks to Henry who looks a bit worried. “He says everything is fine, they found an animatronic, but he doesn’t know which one. Could be anything.” 

“Here’s hoping it’s not something troublesome. I would hate for him to have to deal with anything like that.” 

Michael nods in agreement looking at Henry, “Hey, do you think…you could do me a favor?” 

Henry nods, tilting his head. “Of course! Anything.” 

“Cool, because I was wondering…” 

 

End of Night 2

Notes:

Dun dun dunn

Stanley’s in for it now! He’s fine, this is fine. We are all fine.

Anyways thanks for reading, thank you so much for the 50k hits and the kudos! My goodness. I want to thank my lovely friends that have pushed me to do this from the start. I love them so and wish nothing but greatness for them. And thank you lovely readers!

You make this all happen and I couldn’t have done it without your support.

Fanart corner time!

Maka3000:
https://maka3000.tumblr.com/post/681423307402330112/this-is-for-laughing-at-the-tragedy-i-have-more

Ateruchu:
https://ateruchu.tumblr.com/post/681826852411785216/hear-me-out-fritz-its-a-vampire-omg

Thank you and have a lovely weekend! Until Next Time!

Chapter 33: Piece By Piece I Build Your Fears

Notes:

Night 3! The chapter got far too long so I made the decision to cut Night 3 and 4 into separate chapters unlike the others. I felt it would be easier to digest and keep the tension rising.

Enjoy~

He was stupid. Yes, he knew every part of his mind was screaming at him to tell Michael. To relay everything that happened but…he couldn’t. 

He couldn’t because he knew, he knew that Michael would step in and do the job for him. Stanley refused to be the weak link. He had failed Michael before and he refused to let it happen again. 

Michael was going through so much and had been through enough as it is. He could handle this, he just needed to make sure the ventilation system was working properly. He needed air to avoid any more hallucinations that would creep into his mind. 

The voice whispering in his ear. 

Why did it sound so familiar?

He sets his things down on the table, a small bag of items. Water bottles, the stun gun, and batteries in case his stupid tablet decided to die out on him at the most inopportune time. 

It just seemed to be his luck nowadays. 

He cracks his knuckles and hits his cheeks, putting on his game face as the phone glows red next to him. Tapping the button he doesn’t hear Hugo’s voice, but Scott’s. 

He wonders how Michael would react to hearing the man talk again. It had been some time after the poor guy’s death. He knew Michael and Henry attended the funeral. 

“Uh, hello, hello. Uh, for today's lesson, we will be continuing our training on proper suit-handling techniques. When using an animatronic as a suit, please ensure that the animatronic parts are tightly compressed and fastened by the spring locks located around the inside of the suit.” 

Stanley shudders, not really wanting to imagine himself shimming into some animatronic and avoiding the very dangerous inner workings that apparently could just snap under certain moments. 

“Do not breathe on the spring locks, as moisture may loosen them, and cause them to break loose. In the case of the spring-locks come loose while you are wearing the suit, please try to maneuver away from populated areas before bleeding out, as to not ruin the customers' experience.” 

Jesus, don’t breathe? Yeah, you might as well die. Stanley can’t help but snort when Scott advises going to a less populated place so the kids don’t watch you die a fatal death.

He really wanted to talk to Henry about these design choices. Who came up with these suits anyways? 

“As always, if there is ever an emergency, please go to the designated safe room. Every location is built with one extra room that is not included in the digital map layout programmed in the animatronics or the security cameras. This room is hidden to customers, invisible to animatronics, and is always off-camera. As always, remember to smile; you are the face of Freddy Fazbear's Pizza.” 

Huh. Was that where they found this animatronic? The hidden backroom? Didn’t Michael say something about that part being boarded up? 

Speaking of, as soon as the phone clicks Stanley pulls the tablet out to search the cameras and find this animatronic. He was determined to see if he could get a better glance at the thing since Michael seemed curious about what it was. Stanley wouldn’t know, since he didn’t really grow up in this town, and he didn’t really care for this sort of thing as a kid. If he was honest they freaked him out, and he was pretty sure he would cry as a kid if one of them got near him. 

Michael knew these characters like the back of his hand. It was his world, he grew up with this stuff. He wasn’t sure if that was a good or bad thing. Hmm. Probably bad. 

Considering all that happened because of this franchise and a certain father. 

A certain father that was missing for so many years now. Hiding in the shadows doing who knows what. 

The thought made his stomach twist in anger. The amount of stress Michael went through each and every day because his father was still out there made Stanley sick. 

What kind of sick bastard went and did that and then hides like a coward. Yeah, he was certainly a coward. A grown-ass man attacking children. Children . 

His thumb angrily hits the tablet as he flicks through the different cameras. Brows pinched in focus, he scans each and every camera. Looking for a sign of the animatronic. 

Perhaps he could try to lure it out. The kid voice maybe activated its inner mechanics since these things would actually roam around at times from what Michael had told them. He remembers Jeremy calling it creepy, and Stanley completely believed him. 

Giant robots thumping around looking for kids? How did anyone think that was a good idea?

Forgive Stanley for raining on Henry’s idea for children’s entertainment but no thanks. 

He presses the button to hit the audio cue in the camera furthest away from him. If it truly was wandering around, he did not want that thing anywhere near him. No thank you. 

As the audio giggles, he checks the systems quietly tapping the reboot button for the ventilation. He was not letting any more hallucinations hit him tonight. Last night was enough to last him a lifetime thanks. 

Stanley breathes in sharply, he knows the air is thin in here. He hated how it almost seemed to squeeze his lungs. Pressure rose up his chest like bile. It was not a comfortable feeling at all. 

He listens to the beeping noise of the rebooting system, he almost wished he had some music to play while he did this.

Then the silence wouldn’t be so daunting. 

It was too quiet, he hated hearing the thudding of his heart against his ears, his own breathing rattling against his chest. He glanced at the clock nearby, it was barely thirty minutes into the shift and he felt like he wanted to give up right then and there. 

The hair on the back of his neck was standing straight up, and he could feel his forehead gathering sweat from his anxiety rising from within. 

Far too tense. That’s fine, he was fine. 

This place was going to drive him crazy, he could feel it. 

Stanley peers across the cameras hearing shuffling in front of him. He lifts his head up and there is a dark bear standing before him. Stained green with streaks of black traveling down it’s face, wires peeking out of the broken ear of the bear. It’s mouth hung open gaping at him. 

It’s eyes were bright yellow, staring straight into Stanley’s soul. His own eyes widen and he's frozen in place. Unable to move, his heart rammed into his ribcage. It felt like it was going to explode. 

It doesn’t blink. Doesn't move. Just holds it’s classic Freddy Fazbear microphone. Mouth wide as if it was ready to eat him. 

Mike? 

Stanley hears the voice echo in his head, not like the one before. No, the other was far more feminine. This one sounded like a boy.

“W-wha..”  He watches as the phantom, ghost? He wasn’t sure just what to call it, it just stares for a moment before it launches itself through the glass, and Stanley yelps protecting his face once more.

Nothing hits him, as expected from a ghost, but it is enough to make the lights flicker and the alarms go off for the ventilation system. Not good. He can feel it choking at his throat and Stanley coughs quickly tapping the reboot button yet again. 

He pants heavily, trying to think about what just happened. Did that Freddy just talk to him? Was it the kid that was trapped in there? It thought he was Mike, how he didn't know. He certainly didn't look the part. Stanley was not the pale beanpole that was Michael Afton, that was for certain. 

Taking off his hat he runs a hand through his hair, pushing out a breath. “This job is going to kill me. I just know it.” He just wanted to get this over with. Find the stupid animatronic and identify it for Mike. He had to make sure it wasn’t one they were looking for or one they had to deal with. 

The only problem was he couldn't find the damn thing! It was nowhere to be seen, and he wasn’t sure what exactly was happening. He bites his lower lip narrowing his gaze, the tablet just about inches from his face at this point. Should have brought a goddamn magnifying glass. His eyesight wasn’t terrible but he definitely couldn’t see the small details in the camera view.

He cant see a thing that remotely looks like the animatronic he saw last night. He leans down looking into the vent seeing that it was empty. He almost expected some gross mangled animatronic just peering at him with those dead eyes. 

“God, please…don't make any fucking creature come in these vents. I can and will have a heart attack.” He grips his shirt, putting his hat back on his head. Alright, game time. 1 AM. He had this. 

He had this in the bag.

“Alright fucker, where the hell are you?!” He is just shouting out into the empty hall, and he hopes no one answers him. He didn't need to have another jump at him from the shadows. 

Stanley notices a flickering in one of the cameras. Camera seven…that was the one in the hall that had the old arcade cabinet. He leans forward, trying to see what exactly was going on in the camera. The cabinet was flickering on, and he could make out a chicken face on the screen. 

But it spasms, glitching out to another face. This one was pure white, with striking red cheeks. Purple tears fell from the face, looking more like a mask than anything. He recognized it. That…that was the puppet. The one that Michael said to look out for. 

Was it actually here? 

She’s coming she’s coming. Save us, save us. He’s here he’s here. 

A quiet voice whispers in his esr, more high-pitched than the last one. Definitely a young girl. It was a warning, someone was coming and someone was here? Who exactly Stanley didn’t know. He blinks and the imagery on the cabinet is gone, and he's left trying to piece things together. 

Too many cryptic lines, and nothing quite made sense. 

He understood where Michael got it from. This damn franchise. 

Stanley’s thoughts are racing, he felt like a madman trying to connect the dots, and he was running out of red string. He wasn’t a detective that’s for sure. 

If he was, he certainly wouldn’t be here working as some night guard for a washed-up horror attraction. He’d be figuring out what the hell was even happening here. 

But alas, here he was. A security guard, in a haunted attraction. Fighting ghost children, and a potential walking animatronic. That may or may not want to murder him, it was still in the air what this thing wanted or did. 

Had someone told him that this is what he would have been doing with his life he would have sent the person to a mental ward. Because it was crazy, absolutely crazy. 

Stanley was officially crazy. 

Stanley’s inner ramblings come to a halt as a loud bang vibrated through the dark vent that was beside him. It sounded like something was crawling it’s way through the confines of the air duct, metal scraping against metal. 

Oh fuck.

He nearly dropped the tablet as he fumbled with the thing, trying to see just what was in the vent.

What he saw, chilled him to the bone. It was the animatronic. Bright yellow eyes staring right at the camera. It was worn, completely tattered, with rips and tears everywhere. But the thing that scared him the most was the black ichor that was falling from its eyes and mouth. Dripping constantly and the liquid even floating out of the many crevices of this broken animatronic. 

It was a disgusting faded green, with ears that looked rabbit-like despite the obvious wear and tear. 

Not Bonnie. 

Something else. 

Something else entirely. 

Stanley yanks himself out of his trance and quickly taps the button to shut the vents. “Get…get the fuck away!” He stammers, his throat starting to close in panic. It was growing dry and he felt like he was swallowing sand. 

Fear squeezed his very core. Like a vice grip on his chest, pulling the wires that were attached to his psyche. Tightening like piano wire, threatening to snap under a mere touch. 

What the hell was that. 

What was that thing. 

Stanley gulps for air, his chest rattling in pure panic. He never saw such a thing, and he encountered the damn devil in that Freddy animatronic. 

This was worse, far worse. It’s what his mind was screaming. That thing…that thing was pure evil. And, he…he was locked in here with it. 

“Oh fuck.” 

He hears laughter, and it's not the kid laughter he had been using to lure the animatronic. This chilling laughter that ended with a harsh wheeze. Like whatever was laughing was having issues with breathing. The sound of metal clanking down the hall is evident. The thing was coming after him.

“So many years…so many locked away, in this prison .” 

Stanley swallows, hearing the voice. It's garbled, sounding like harsh static as one tries to change from station to station on a radio.

“Finally free, and here we are…a game of cat and mouse. But tell me stranger…who is the cat? And who..is the mouse? Hmm?” 

Stanley can hear the clanks getting louder, the limping of the animatronic as it stumbled from place to place. 

“I have a name, do you? They called me many things, but I feel this is far more fitting. Springtrap, those little beasts that have been crawling around your vision like maggots squirming in rotten flesh…that is what they call me.” 

Springtrap. 

God, what the fuck?

Get under the desk. Now!

Stanley doesn’t even hesitate, diving under the metal desk, holding on to the tablet as he pulls his feet close to him. It's a tight squeeze but he doesn’t care. He wasn’t having this fucking horrifying creature catch him. 

It wheezes, hacking and coughing and he can hear it. It’s so close, no doubt in the hall where the window looked to. He can hear liquid splattering, the creak of metal and hardware. 

The sound made him freeze, this wheezing that sounded metallic and wet. Gulping for air, but yet it felt like there was no point. 

“You reek of familiarity. The stench burning my nostrils. How curious…” 

Stanley doesn’t move, hidden under the desk holding the tablet for dear life. This thing, this creature hobbling around scared him. He felt like he was back at the rental center, the dolls crawling up his chest, reaching into his stomach. Gripping at his heart. 

“Dear friend, why don’t you come out and play? I won’t hurt you…”

Lies. 

“I wish to see why you hold something like that…do try to not test my patience.”

Then there’s the sound of scraping. This horrid noise that screeches in his ears. Glass cracking under the pressure of the thing scraping its claws against the glass window.

Stanley puts a hand over his mouth, closing his eyes tightly. He can feel sweat dripping down the side of his face. 

The hell was he talking about? Reek of familiarity? The fuck did that even mean?!

This thing was talking to him like he was about to devour him whole. 

He needed to get out of here. 

Stanley looks at the doorway, he wonders if he can make an exit. Just run. He still had the stun gun on his belt. Could he stun the thing and then just haul ass out? He needed a better strategy, he was not about to sit in some office and let this thing just grab him. 

He wasn’t Michael, he couldn't handle the strength of an animatronic that had sentience. How, Stanley didn’t know. He certainly didn’t know about a Springtrap. It wasn’t on the roster that Michael had made. 

This was completely new territory. 

And if he wasn’t smart enough, he could get hurt, or worse.

He didn’t know what this thing was capable of, and it scared him. 

Michael was right, this was too much. He was going to get caught by this thing and they’re going to find his body in some suit. 

“Don’t make me angry.” Springtrap growls, the sound drilling into his ears. It’s an awful sensation, sending all his nerves to go haywire.

Don’t give up! 

Stanley hears the whispers again, and he takes a deep breath. They were right, he couldn’t give up. He strains his ears, trying to figure out where the thing was. He just hears silence, and Stanley swallows. Was it gone? In another part of the place?

“FOUND YOU.”

Stanley feels a metal claw grip at his ankle and with ease, he is pulled out from the desk with a sharp yell. The thing is large, and the smell is atrocious. It smelled like dried blood and rot. His eyes are blurry from the pure stench. 

With a scream he kicks at Springtrap, hitting him hard enough that the creature lets him go and Stanley rolls to the side standing up with a pant. 

“Clever, clever.” It wheezes, chuckling deeply. It’s eyes flickered from the pure white of the animatronic to a glaring red. It twitches, shuddering as if the animatronic is still active, moving like it was on stage. 

“Stay the fuck back.” Stanley stammers his hand to his belt, and Springtrap tilts its head creaking and black liquid falling out of him, some rising and dripping to the ceiling defying gravity. What the hell….

Springtrap just gives a weird noise, the voice is stuttering from the voice box. “You’re cornered…whatever shall you do? Careful friend, this place is awfully flammable…wouldn’t want to use that little toy and cause a fire now would we?”

It was right, Hugo even said it.

Foxy Friend! NOW!

Stanley hears a sharp scream and Springtrap turns to see a phantom Fox animatronic swipe at it. The hook clashes with the thing and sparks fly. This is the cue and Stanley fires his stun gun at the back of the rotten animatronic. 

It screams in agony and Stanley uses that moment to rush past him. He feels a hand grab at his shirt yanking him backward. Springtrap is spasming as the electrical current still flows through it, holding Stanley with a vice grip.

“GET THE FUCK OFF ME!” Stanley shouts and slams his fist against the animatronic hitting it right in the face. He cries out in pain as bone hits metal, it's enough force to send the animatronic stumbling backward still holding onto his shirt. The sound of fabric rips through the air and Stanley holds his aching hand. 

It was broken, there was no doubt about it. He had heard the crunch and felt it. He was no stranger to broken bones. 

The green and black stained Fox stands between Stanley and Springtrap, looking at him with a glowing yellow eye. GO FOXY FRIEND. GO!

Stanley doesn’t stay for the rest, cradling his hand as he skids through the halls. 

“Yes! Run, run! I shall see you soon!” Springtrap shouts as it deals with the Phantom. 

He doesn’t look back, rushing towards the door and opens it up…

 

…

Michael sits by the phone quietly his eyes staring at it waiting for Stanley. It was late, and he was worried. He couldn’t rest, and something was telling him that Stanley was not okay. This nagging feeling in the back of his head. 

Lolbit felt it too, so they were equally worried. 

“You’re going to burn a hole in my kitchen with that stare.” 

Michael looks over his shoulder seeing Henry looking up from his work. They had been working hard on things, and Michael was happy with the results. “It’s Stanley, something is wrong. I can just feel it.”

There's quiet before the sound of tools being placed on the table making Michael turning his body to look at Henry. “Well, if you really think so, why dont we check up on him? The shift is almost over anyways. I am sure he is okay, but if you truly think…”

“I don’t think, I know .” Michael mutters and Henry just hums wiping his oil-covered hands on a rag.

“Then lets go.”

It doesn’t take long enough for them to get to the place. The gaudy horror attraction looked even worse than the description that Stanley had given him. He gets out of the car with Henry following suit. 

“See there’s his van, I’m sure he’s just closing up…”

The doors slam open and Stanley doesn’t see them, scrambling for his keys as he locks the place up. 

“Stan? Stanley?!” Michael calls out and Stanley looks up with wide eyes, his face paler than ever. 

“M-Mike…” He stammers and Michael doesn’t get more than that, Stan’s large body stumbling and then toppling over. Michael is quick to catch him noticing the unnatural way his hand is bent, the start of a bruise on it. 

“His hand is broken!” 

Michael hauls him upwards, holding him carefully. He looks to the door and feels uneasy. Something was wrong, but he didn’t know just what. 

“Get him in the car! I’ll drive his van.” Henry shouts and Michael nods. He knew it, he fucking knew something was wrong. He didn’t know what, but it was enough for Stanley to get his hand broken. 

He places Stanley in the back of the car, finding this to be oddly similar to the first time they had met. Hauling him out of the place with some injury. 

They go back home with Michael glancing back every now and then, he was worried. So worried that something happened to his friend. He knew he should have gone in his place. This was all his fault. Had he just followed his gut, Stanley wouldn’t have gotten hurt. 

Again. 

Walking back into the house Michael is careful to not jostle Stanley, his eyes set as Henry rushes to get the medkit and make a homemade splint. They would go to the hospital when Stanley woke up. It was just a precaution at this point. 

“Henry…” Henry stops when Michael looks at him, his illusion flickering a bit. “Do you have it ready? The illusion disc…” 

Henry nods, “It is. Are you?” 

“Yes, I am not letting him get hurt anymore. I will go in his place.” Michael whispers clenching his fist. “With that one..I’ll look like Stan, and it won’t cause any suspicion. I'll be there and take care of whatever the hell attacked Stan.” 

Henry felt conflicted, he didn’t want Michael to go, because it would be dangerous, but it would be far more dangerous for Stanley. Michael could handle it, but the stress would be harsh on the boy. 

But he knew that Michael had made his mind, and there was no arguing with him. He had his mind set, and the stubborn Afton trait would never falter. 

“Alright, but you need to be careful. I will not let you get hurt as well.” 

Michael nods, as Henry begins to carefully wrap Stanley’s hand making sure it wouldn’t hurt the man. “What did this?”

“My guess? He punched the shit out of an animatronic.” Michael muttered his arms crossed and Henry looks at Stanley. Well, that would do it. Metal and bone did not mix too well, and he knew Stanley had a very mean left hook. 

Any sort of punch to a metal animatronic would certainly break a couple of bones. 

The way he had left the building as well gave evidence that there was something there that had attacked him. 

As Henry is wrapping his hand, Stanley jerks up panting heavily. He looks shaken, eyes flicking around in fright. “Woah there Stan! Careful, you hurt your hand. We are at the house. Michael thought you were in trouble.” 

“And I was right,’ He smirks only the smile fades when Stanley looks at him with wide eyes, tears starting to form in the corner of them. “What happened Stan?”

“There..there’s something in there Mike, oh God. It’s evil, pure evil…” 

 

End of Night Three.

 

Notes:

Evil! It’s pure evil! SpringTrap makes his debut! And boy, is he angry.

What’s going to happen now that Mike is planning to take Stan’s place? Tune in next time to see!

Fanart Corner!

Ateruchu:
https://ateruchu.tumblr.com/post/682113168553705472/mama-duck-and-her-ducklings

T4Tmichaelafton:
https://t4tmichaelafton.tumblr.com/post/681967110919962624/started-reading-laughing-at-tragedy-and-wow-i-love

DeadgurlXD:
https://deadgurlxd.tumblr.com/post/682383329377632256/fanart-for-my-good-friend-inkspottie-i-love-her

T4r0t-c4rd:
https://t4r0t-c4rd.tumblr.com/post/682779400106852353/i-drew-lolbit-for-inkspottie-lat-has-brought-me

Thank you all so much for reading! I hoped you enjoyed the chapter and have a great weekend!

Until Next Time!

Chapter 34: Whispers in the Dark

Notes:

Night 4! The climb to the top of the mountain and it’s gonna be a massive landslide from here on out haha

I’m sorry if this one seems a bit boring, I wanted to make sure this moment was solidified before the final night.

Be ready.

“From the top. Just…tell me what happened.” 

Michael knelt next to Stanley after they had gotten him a glass of water and calmed him down. He was obviously shaken, and it worried Michael just what the hell got him so spooked. 

Rambling about something that was evil. So evil. That sent a shiver down his spine. 

Come on Michael. Come visit me. 

The nightmarish laughter echoes in his mind and he shakes it away, there were more important things to worry about. Like Stanley’s health. 

“I…it was that animatronic. God Mike that thing…it was…somethings wrong with it. It just…it’s corrupt. It had just this black stuff dripping off it, and the smell..” Stanley takes a deep breath as Henry gently passes him the glass of water and the man greedily gulps it down. 

“What animatronic? The one they found?” Michael whispers and Stanley nods. 

“It was a rabbit…but it was just rotten. And it talked to me. Told me it went by Spring…SpringTrap.” 

Henry and Michael look at each other with tilted heads. The only animatronic that had the word spring in it was SpringBonnie. 

William’s animatronic. The one they couldn’t find. 

“Shit. Did Father do something to it too? Is there another soul inside there?” 

Stanley looks with wide eyes, “If there is, it’s evil Mike. It wanted to kill me. I…I think the kids helped me. One of them…thought I was you. Called me Mike.” 

Michael’s eyes soften, his heart aching at the thoughts of the kids seeking him out. They thought Stanley was him? Was it because of the remnant? That couldn’t be good. 

“So the children are there.” 

“And they helped me. One of them said foxy friend. They attacked SpringTrap and let me escape. I…punched the thing pretty hard though.” Stanley whispers looking at his bandaged hand. 

Fritz. Fritz had saved Stanley. He couldn’t help but feel a bit of pride, he had made an impact with the kids. Made them less…bloodthirsty. 

Henry swallows, seeing that Michael was deep in thought, his purple eyes flickering every once and a while. “Mike, we should take Stan to the hospital. I’m not a doctor and it could heal incorrectly.” 

“But what about my shift? I..I..” 

Michael turns to look at Stanley, his eyes burning brightly. “No. You’re not going back there. I won’t allow it. I’m taking your place. I'll take care of this…SpringTrap.” 

Stanley’s eyes widened, moving to stand but Henry holds him down. “What?! Mike you can’t they’ll know it’s you!” 

“Exactly. I won’t be me. I’ll be you. ” 

This makes Stanley blink. What was he talking about? 

Oh. 

“The illusion disc?” 

Michael nods pointing to the disc on his neck, it’s glowing a bright orange than the purple he’s used to. “Henry modified it.” 

Henry nods, “Just turn it clockwise and you’ll be Stanley, and then it’ll go back to normal if you turn it counterclockwise.” 

“You’re going to go? As me? Mike…” 

“Stan, you broke your goddamn hand. If you go back there it might be worse. It could have killed you judging by the way you talked about it. Why didn’t you tell me ?” 

Stan dips his head into his chest, and Michael feels bad for snapping. He didn’t mean to scold his friend, he was just worried and extremely anxious. Whatever this SpringTrap was, it tried to hurt Stanley, and he would not allow anything else to happen. 

“I thought I could handle it. I’m sorry Mike, I was so worried about putting so much pressure on you, and I just…I wanted to do something right. Instead of fuck things up. And yet…” Stanley bites his lower lip, looking away with watery eyes. 

Michael’s face softens, gently kneeling down to look at his friend. “Stanley, I’m sorry.” He whispers quietly, “Please for your sake, don’t get yourself hurt because of me. I…I’m not here like you and Henry are. I’m a ghost, a phantom, a spirit in the machine. You could have died…and I can’t. I can’t lose anyone else.” 

Stanley looks at Michael, he can feel the rawness of his heart mirroring Michael’s own... It wasn’t fair. It wasn’t fair that he was stuck in this world, carrying a burden, these sins that weren’t his.

Sins of the father, blood of the son. 

“I’m sorry Mike.” 

Michael doesn’t say anything but gently places a cool hand on his shoulder, feeling the phantom claws grip at his skin. Never breaking it, but more of a sort of assurance that Stanley was here. A bit bruised and broke but he was here. 

“You, Jeremy, Henry…you all mean so much to me,” Michael whispers looking at Stanley. “You are not a failure. And you haven’t fucked up. I am just so glad you’re okay, minus the broken hand.” 

Stanley chuckles at that, “I fucking punched it, Mike. Right in the jaw. That thing nearly spun at it.” 

“Good.” Michael gives a wolfish grin, his eyes sparkling in slight amusement. 

“Now I’ll give it a real lesson. It’ll pay for trying to hurt you. And I’m sure it’ll want to hurt others. An entity like that…it’s bound to do some damage.” 

Stanley sighs and gives a small nod, “I…I’ll go to the hospital with Henry. Just…just be careful. I’ve never seen anything like that before, and we had that awful fucking Funtime Freddy attack us.” 

Michael nods, “I’m not going in unprepared. I won’t let that happen again.” He ignores the confused look by Henry, but the older man stays quiet knowing this wasn’t his place to interject. “You just rest now. Three nights is good enough.” 

Stanley nods, “Yeah. I guess so.” 

Michael reaches for the illusion disc and you hear a click as he twists it just slightly. His form scatters for a moment, pixels and static spreading out before it bunches together. 

And Stanley is staring right at himself. 

“God that is weird.” Stanley stammers as the purple-eyed doppelgänger stares back at him. It was so unnerving to see those glowing eyes.

“I can imagine.” Stanley’s own voice echoes and Stanley just stares as Michael gives a smirk. “Thanks Henry for fixing it up.” 

“Of course. Be careful Michael.” Henry whispers as he helps Stanley up. “I’ll see you when I get back.” 

Michael turns off the illusion disc and nods. “Keep me updated, okay?” 

“Will do boss.” 

 

…

 

Something was in the air of Fazbear Frights. When he opened the door he nearly gagged despite having any organs to properly do such a thing. 

His remnant stirred within him, he could feel it. Wriggling around in his anxiety as he glanced around the green and black smudged halls. It looked awful. The place reeked of something sour. 

He couldn’t smell but he imagined it wasn’t a nice scent mulling inside here. 

The sound of his footsteps echoed the hall, following down the corridors seeing the horrid macabre of animatronic heads and parts all around the place. 

The broken arcade cabinets, the terrible decor, this was some cheap knock-off of the real place. The real place that had murders, not urban legends. The victims were real, and he wanted nothing more than to pour out gasoline and then strike a match. 

How he longed for the walls to be licked with flames, turned into nothing but ash. 

But he had to have some self-control. Michael couldn’t just set the place on fire. Not yet at least. 

Not until he met this so-called SpringTrap. 

He hoped he had an invitation to this tea party. 

Michael steps into the office, seeing the cracked window and the fallen chair. An obvious sign of struggle that was untouched. Strange. 

He picks the chair up and quietly sits down, turning it so the back was against his chest, so he could easily keep his tail from having any issues. 

Damn thing. 

Michael looks up at his reflection, seeing the face of Stanley staring at him, only flickering every so often when he stares long enough. It was odd, to see the stern expressionless face on Stanley. 

Stanley wasn’t the type to frown often, most of the time it was in a slight upturned grin. Not as big as Jeremy’s but enough to know the difference. 

Now he just looked mean, and angry no thanks to Michael’s own facial expressions. 

What was it that Jeremy called it? Resting Bitch Face? 

He can't hold back snorts and the comment of Lolbit rattling in his mind. Resting Emo Face. How the fox even knew that term was beyond Michael. 

He shakes his head, steeling himself back to the task at hand. 

He had a job to do. 

He notices the familiar phone on the side of the desk, reaching over and clicking it on. 

The voice was Hugo's. He only talked to the man once, but he remembers voices well. It’s all he could do most of the time. Remembering. 

“Hey dude! Sorry for the sudden interruption of the cool tapes, but I just had to let you know about the animatronic. I think it had a faulty wire or something cuz when I went to open it was glitching out all over the place. Not to worry man! It’s old I get it. Sooo I had a mechanic come and take it to the warehouse. Just to…you know, make sure it’s all good and nothing crazy happened.” 

Michael’s eyes widened, they took it away? To another location? To fix? 

Oh no. 

“So for the time being our little animatronic will be out of commission, I am not sure when it’ll come back but it didn’t do much anyway. Haven’t heard anything from my pal but I am sure he’s working hard to get the thing in working order! So just sit back and relax and I’ll let ya know when it comes back. Have a good night!” 

The sound of the phone clicks and Michael feels extremely frustrated. Stanley said he had tazed him but that wouldn’t do extreme damage to the thing. Henry told him it was good for three shocks with most of the animatronics. That’s when you should start worrying. 

What was this animatronics plan? To get juiced up so it could do it’s evil bidding? Whatever it is. 

Michael didn’t like the idea of that. This SpringTrap, it had to be some sort of thing from his father. A disciple, or just a terrible experiment with the animatronic suit that his father would wear. 

He always hated SpringBonnie. He hated how his father would dance around as the thing, speaking with that silver tongue of his.

It boiled his blood knowing that SpringBonnie was an instrument to lure children into those rooms so they would meet their demise. 

Terrible. 

Michael lifts his head when he hears the phone click again as if a tape recording suddenly starts to play. 

“Uh, hello? Hello, hello! Uh, there's been a slight change of company policy concerning use of the suits. Um, don't.” 

His body freezes, the sound of the voice hitting him like a punch to the gut. 

“Scott?” He breathes looking at the phone seeing the red button. They found tapes. Of Scott. He remembered the guy would always go to the back and record things to Henry’s request back in the day. How did they find it? 

Stanley did say that Hugo had been digging around all locations, Lolbit supplied and they were right. Did they find these at the diner then? 

“After learning of an unfortunate incident at the sister location, involving multiple and simultaneous spring lock failures, the company has deemed the suits temporarily unfit for employees. Safety is our top priority at Freddy Fazbear's Pizza, which is why the classic suits are being retired to an appropriate location, while being looked at by our technician.” 

Right. He remembers that day. The day the springlocks went off on his father. He remembers the blood and how worried they all were. His father somehow miraculously made it. But he had all those scars, it scared Michael greatly. He hated hospitals to begin with and seeing his father broken and angry…

It was horrible. 

He sits and listens to it, feeling something bubble within him. Anger, annoyance he wasn’t too sure. But it was enough for him to slam his fist right into the desk, the metal crunching from the impact. 

They had no right. 

No right to use a dead man’s voice for some stupid attraction. 

No wonder Stanley didn’t want to let him work here. It made him sick. The pain, the loss, all for some cheap trick to make money. They didn’t care about the victims, or the so called legend of this place. 

They just wished to defile graves and make a profit. 

He hissed in annoyance, turning his head to try and stop the black fumes from exiting his mouth in his own anger. He knew it was to keep his remnant from corrupting, too strong emotions could damage it. Break it like glass. 

He didn’t want to lose himself just because he was angry. 

Michael still was learning how to control his anger.

“Until replacements arrive, you'll be expected to wear the temporary costumes provided to you. Keep in mind that they were found on very short notice, so questions about appropriateness/relevance should be deflected. I repeat, the classic suits are not to be touched, activated or worn. That being said, we are free of liability, do as you wish. As always, remember to smile; you are the face of Freddy Fazbear's Pizza.”

With that the line goes quiet and he’s left to the silence of the place. Quietly he checks the tablet and the other panel beside him. So this was the vent thing Stanley was talking about. 

“Good thing we don’t need to breathe hm?” This gets a low chuckle out of Lolbit, laughing in agreement. The lack of air would not affect them. 

He glances around, checking each camera. 

The animatronic wasn’t here, so that meant he was alone. But he wasn’t. The kids were here. Two of them talked to Stanley. 

Would they recognize him? 

They thought Stanley was him. 

They thought I was you. 

He swallows, seemed everyone had a case of wrong identity here. But at least now when staring at the mirror he wasn’t looking at some bootleg version of his father. 

Lolbit takes offense to that, steering him in the direction that he was not his father and was nowhere near him now. He had gotten so far. 

Had he? 

Yes. 

Yes, he had. And there was so much evidence as Lolbit pulled memory after memory nearly making Michael grip his head from the sudden influx of images. All of the times he had helped. 

He was doing good, and he appreciated Lolbit showing him that he was. 

It just didn’t feel like he was. Maybe because he was so hard on himself. 

Perhaps. 

Michael tears himself away from those thoughts, not something he wanted to do right now. He didn’t need to dive into his own problems right now. Nothing like stewing in his own head with a comedic fox giving him encouragement. 

His life was a strange one. 

There’s a buzzing in his system, and it isn’t Lolbit. He can feel some sort of energy caressing at his metal hull. He whips his head to the side, his vision flickering for a bit seeing a shadow standing before him. 

He doesn’t move. Just stares at the thing in the doorway, it shifts no longer a blob but an actual form. He can see the top hat, ears… 

“Gabriel?” Michael whispers, 

It was Freddy alright, the entity a deep green, with black staining the coloring, like dripping lines of ink. Pitch black eyes suddenly brighten and Michael is staring at bright white eyes. They look surprised as if Michael saying their name was something they did not expect. 

Mike?

The whisper of a child’s voice echoes in his mind, he can feel the surprise, the worry.

Is it truly you? 

Michael cant help the gentle smile grow on his face, completely turning the chair. “Yeah, it’s me. Well, I don't look like me…but it’s me.” 

The Phantom stands there, just scanning him. Michael tilts his neck and shows the pulsating disc that is attached to his illusionary skin. The eyes widen and Gabriel’s mouth opens just slightly. 

Mike. You're here.

Gabriel’s form appears before his eyes in the blink of an eye, staring right at Michael. His limbs hover just around Michael’s body as if trying to reach out to him. To give a hug or something like that. 

“I’m here,” Michael confirms, his hands slowly moving upwards, making contact with the ghostly apparition. Trying to assure the boy in the shell of this form he was here now, that everything was going to be okay. “I’m here now, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry that I left you.” 

The ghost stares at the hands and reaches for him, with a start Michael feels the touch. It’s cold, sending a shiver down his spine. Remant making contact with remnant. 

Souls shifting and yearning for contact. 

Missed you. We missed you. 

Michael wants to sob, hearing Gabriel’s gentle voice telling him that they had missed him. Nothing about how mad they were that Michael left them. That he left them and now they were stuck in this horrible limbo. Trapped in this plane. 

It must have been so horrible for them. 

“I’m here now, I’m here…and I am going to help you all move on.”

Happiest Day? 

Michael tilts his head at that, “I…I don’t know what that is, but if it helps you move on…then yeah.”  

Thanks, Mike. 

“Wh..where are the others?” He asks and Gabriel looks behind him. 

Around. Sleeping, Drifting…hard to be active. 

“I can imagine. I’m sorry.” 

He’s here Mike. He’s going to…

“SpringTrap right? This…thing, what is he?” 

Gabriel shifts his gaze, looking shaken. His form phasing in and out as if he was terrified of this SpringTrap. What was it to cause such a stir?

Bad. Can’t say more, hurts to say. 

Michael frowns, feeling there is more to this. Gabriel wasn’t telling him everything. The boy was hiding something from him. 

Be back. Always does. 

“If he does, I’ll kick this guy’s ass. I’ll dismantle it and then set it on fire.” Michael growls getting Gabriel’s eyes to widen a bit. A smile grows on the Freddy’s face and a low chuckle echoes out of him. 

Know you will. Helped us so much. Thanks. 

“It’s the least I can do. After all…” 

Cant blame yourself. He did it. 

Michael turns his head and moves to stand up. “I know, but I am going to help. Help find you and the other's peace. That, I can promise. How about we go and find them yeah?” He tilts his head as Gabriel floats next to him, giving a short nod. 

It didn't take long to find Susie, she was by the arcade cabinet, well in it he should say. As soon as they walked past the broken machine a squeal rang through the hall. Chica’s ghostly form pulled out of the machine with bright eyes. 

Mike! Mike! You’re here! I knew it, I knew it!

Chica’s body rushes towards Michael, grabbing his hands and swung him a bit. Michael gives a shout in surprise not expecting a ghost to fling him about like that. “H-hi Susie.” He stammers gathering his balance while Gabriel gave a small chuckle sounding too much like the signature Freddy laugh. 

Mikey. 

Chica beams, despite the smoldered look. It was as if the two had suffered some sort of fire damage. Perhaps from the dismantling? They looked awful and it twisted his heart, making him wish they could have never had such a fate to begin. 

Bad things are happening, but he’s not here. 

“Yeah, and he won't do anything else,” Michael stated, assuming that she was talking about SpringTrap. This entity really scared them. But they didn't have to worry about that anymore. He was here, and he would take care of things. Make things right.

Why you look like this? 

“Ah, this is Stanley. He wanted to help, but SpringTrap hurt him. So I am here, to take his place. We didn’t know any of this was going to happen. If it was, I’d be here from the beginning.” He explains watching the chicken animatronic nod every once in a while. 

He okay? 

Michael puffed out a breath, “He will be. Just a broken hand, but I don't want him to get hurt even more so. I can handle deadly animatronics, he cant. He’s only human…”

Gabriel scared him. 

Gabriel makes a noise, giving a glare to the accusing chicken and Michael lets a roll of laughter escape him. Susie always seemed to be the one to tattle it seemed. He had to remind himself that these were just children here. Slightly powerful ghost children, but still children. 

Didn’t know he was with Mike. Thought he was with dummy. 

Ah Dummy no doubt was Hugo. Yeah, Michael didn’t blame him for that. Anyone who wanted to dig up old bones to scare people for a quick buck, were pretty much dummies. 

 “It’s okay, you didn’t know. I heard Fritz helped him out.”

The two nod and Susie takes his hand, feeling the ghostly chill travel up his arm. The first time he feels something and it's from a ghost child in a chicken suit. Lovely. 

He lets Susie lead him down the hall with Gabriel right behind him. She is shouting Fritz’ name and the Fox appears out of a wall with a tilted head. 

Mikey is here!

Fritz’s eyepatch lifts as two glowing white eyes stare at him. Foxy Friend? There’s a pause, and then the animatronic leaps at him with a happy laugh. Foxy Friend!  

Michael braces himself nearly toppling over at the sudden odd weight of this phantom hitting him. He gives out a laugh patting the ghostly fox on the back, as the thing holds onto him. His hook arm is missing so its a bit awkward, but he knew the kid needed some comfort and who was he to deny it? 

“What happened here little man?” Michael asks as he pulls away gesturing to the missing arm. 

Nasty man took it. I got his face though. Shing!!

Fritz makes a noise like a sword swishing in the air. Michael frowns slightly, surprised that the thing could do such an action. Pulling off a ghost’s arm? Geez, he needed to be careful with this thing whenever it came back. 

Hopefully, no time soon, because he would like to send these children to rest before dealing with this SpringTrap bastard. 

“That’s my boy. Good to hear, and thanks…for taking care of Stanley.” 

Fritz beams, his ears wiggling and mouth opening and closing. 

Michael looks around noticing that one was missing. Jeremy, the Bonnie animatronic. “Where…is Jeremy?” 

All three look sudden all of the sudden and Michael hopes nothing terrible happened to the kid. He could see hear the glitchy voice box as he held the poor destroyed bunny in his arms. How dare his father do that to the poor thing. 

He’s sleeping. Too afraid…SpringTrap scares him. Cassidy won't let him either. 

Cassidy. He hadn't heard from the ringleader in quite some time, same with his brother. It was worrying. He missed talking to Evan. He hoped they were okay. “I’m sorry. I hope he is okay. Is he here? Same with Cassidy?” 

Mhmm. Cassidy is fighting though…

Michael tilts his head at Susie’s answer, “Fighting? Who? SpringTrap?” 

The three shake their heads. No, the other boy. The one who lives within. 

“Evan?” Why was Cassidy fighting Evan? Was that why he hasn't seen either one of them? What was going on? 

That worried him greatly, he had no way of contacting them, unfortunately. They always were able to talk to him, but not the other way around. 

She did something bad, and he was mad…so they are fighting. I don't know anything else. Do you know him? He doesn’t talk to us a lot, Cassidy won't let him. 

Michael nods quietly, “He…he’s my brother. Why would Cassidy not let him speak to you guys? He’s as harmless as they come.” Well, he didn't know about that, Evan did play a hand in some of the nightmares that Cassidy had plagued him with. 

They just shrugged and now Michael is more confused than ever. Great more riddles to this never-ending pile. He just wished someone would just tell him how it was. No more cryptic lines, and no more keeping him in the dark. 

“Whatever it is, I hope they are okay. I am going to fix this. You guys deserve rest, and I am going to provide it.” 

Perhaps now, now that they did not have bodies…the burial by fire would work. They wouldn’t be hurt by the flames, and maybe just maybe their souls finally could rest. 

I know Mike, I know. We…thank you. 

Hope one day, you get to rest. 

“I won't rest until every single bit of my father is eradicated from this world. That is my promise.” 

They all look at each other, as if sharing some sort of secret. He tilts his head and they all hum quietly at his statement. They knew it to be true, after all the color of his remnant still burned brightly with promise. His work was not done. 

One day. You will be saved. 

“But it isn’t anytime soon. I don't plan on moving on until I know…that he’s gone.” 

And that was a cold hard fact. 

 

End of Night Four

 

Notes:

And that’s it! The kiddos got to talk to Mike and boy is Mike PISSED. He’s ready to face this SpringTrap guy head on, unknowing that it’s his dear old dad. Wonder how that’s gonna turn out.

Thank you again for all the lovely comments and kudos, I appreciate each and every one. Makes me write much faster when I get feedback that’s for sure haha

Fanart corner time!!

Darkelfie1:
https://inkspottie.tumblr.com/post/682891815709556736/a-gift-for-dragging-me-back-into-fnaf-with-lolbit

Killapunchaw:
https://killapunchaw.tumblr.com/post/683290639519137792/i-was-holding-hostage-this-drawings-for-weeks-and

https://killapunchaw.tumblr.com/post/683291126172712960/there-is-moree-but-for-the-cowboy-outfit-idk-i

Laf-e-taffy:
https://laf-e-taffy.tumblr.com/post/683270131113132032/gift-for-inkspottie-i-wanted-to-draw-her-dragon

That’s all for now, until next time friends!

Chapter 35: You'll Burn Alive, When You Hit Night 5

Notes:

Chapter 35. Night 5. I suggest you prepare yourself. This one is long and it is intense. I hope you all enjoy this chapter.

A big big big thank you to my friends Spacey and Dober for being there for me while I wrote this up. And Dober for drawing the AMAZING chapter art for it. If you haven’t seen it, go check out my tumblr. Seriously she did so good and I just about sobbed when she finished it.

So thanks.

Anyways! On with the show! Enjoy my friends.

He expected things to be easy. He expected to have another night where he was chatting with the kids. Trying to find a way to rest their souls without lighting everything on fire. 

But when Michael walked into Fazbear Frights thinking everything was going to be fine, that he would have a smooth night. 

He was wrong. 

Completely and utterly. 

The moment he stepped into the place he knew something was amiss. 

The air was thick, like heavy smog. If he had lungs he may have choked on the dense air. Lolbit was concerned, feeling the entity roll in the back of his head whispering to be careful. 

Michael takes heed of that warning, stepping down the hall eyes alert. 

Something happened, something was wrong. 

He steps into the office and all is normal, which doesn’t help his anxiety. He could feel his whole body growing tense. The stiff plastic hardening and his joints felt like cement. 

Sitting down on the chair he clicks the phone, the red button blinking at him at random intervals. 

The receiver clicks and he hears Hugo’s voice again. 

“H-hey man! Good news! Animatronic is back and fixed!” 

Michael’s eyes widen as he looks at the phone, quickly grabbing the tablet that was laying on the metal table. While Hugo spoke he thumbed through all the cameras, seeing if what the man was saying was true. 

“It arrived this morning, didn’t get a call from the mechanic but I assume everything is in working order! Strange he didn’t leave a message, but oh well! I ain’t the type to complain! Night five man! Doing great! I’ll check back in on Monday since I’ll be out of town for a bit! See ya!” 

It was here. Back in this wretched place. 

His remnant shuddered, something inside him shaken to the core. Why, why oh why did this thing invoke such fear into him? Just what was this creature and why was he absolutely terrified of it. 

He’s faced worse, and yet…

This unknown animatronic sent ice cold fear down his spine, gripping at his soul with a cold dead hand. His instincts scream at him to run. To never come back to this place. 

But he couldn’t. The kids needed rest and he needed to deal with this thing. It obviously was dangerous, and Michael refused to take the coward’s way out. 

He was done running from things. 

“Now where are you, you bastard…” 

He pauses remembering that Stanley said something about a lure, a way to drag the thing out. A button of sorts. He sees it after a moment of scanning the controls, quietly tapping it. 

He was glad that despite having cold metal claws he still could press buttons. 

His ears ring with the sound of laughter, hearing it echo down the hall into one of the rooms. A child’s laugh? Just why was that needed? He frowns, he definitely would like a word with the designer of this place. 

And by a word, he means a fist to the face. 

He was tired of this stupid franchise trying to make a quick buck on the agony of others. Too close to following in his father’s footsteps. It made his skin crawl. 

The phone is silent for a bit before he hears the clicking of a tape recorder. Scott’s voice echoes through making Michael clench his jaw. 

“Hello? Hello? Um, this is just a reminder of company policy concerning the safe room. The safe room is reserved for equipment and/or other property not being currently used and as a backup safety location for employees only. This is not a break room, and should not be considered a place for employees to hide and/or congregate - and under no circumstance should a customer ever be taken into this room and out of the main show area.” 

The safe room. He remembers that place it always had brought a weird feeling to Michael. It was one of the few places he could not go into. 

His father often monitored it and made sure no one entered. 

“Management has also been made aware that the spring Bonnie animatronic has been noticeably moved. We would like to remind employees that this costume is not safe to wear under any circumstances. Thank you and remember to smile; you are the face of Freddy Fazbear's Pizza.” 

SpringBonnie. Why was that thing moved? How long ago was this? 

His father’s animatronic. Henry was Fredbear and William was SpringBonnie. The yellow rabbit with piercing green eyes and a wicked grin. 

Michael hated SpringBonnie. 

The way his father would move around in it, it made children cry sometimes. He remembers all the times Henry had to step in because a child didn’t like how SpingBonnie acted. 

William was just too scary. 

But when it was in animatronic mode, the children loved the silly rabbit. 

He remembers Henry telling his father to stop being so intense and William snapping at him. It was odd, why did his father want to even be in this business. Sometimes he was good with children, able to make them sing and dance, and then other times…they would cry and run away. 

Easter was a big event for SpringBonnie and the number of children crying on his father’s lap while he wore the SpringBonnie suit was enough to show that children were scared of William. 

But yet, he was able to lure them in. Trap them with his friendly smile and then… 

Michael shakes his head. If there was one thing for certain, his father knew how to manipulate people. He could have them in the palm of his hand with that tongue of his. 

Able to fool them all, and perhaps even himself that he could not get caught. 

Then slink away into the night never to be heard of again. 

Bastard. 

Michael hissed in annoyance tapping through the different cameras. It was hiding, he knew that. He was half tempted to get up and look around. He moves to try and see if he can spot it when he freezes in place his ears catching something horrible. 

A laugh. 

This wheezing laughter shakes him, his circuits freezing and his body grew tense from just the sound. 

“Well, well, well. Back for more are we?” 

Michael feels every part of his body is now on edge as the thing’s voice breaks through the silence of the place. It’s grating on his ears, sounding like nails on a chalkboard, or a fork scraping against metal. 

It’s unpleasant and familiar because that’s SpringBonnie’s voice alright. He knew the duo’s voices like the back of his hand since they were his father’s and godfather’s voices after all. 

“I see you decided to stay. Terrible mistake really.”

The thing laughs again, and Michael can hear it’s thudding footsteps get louder. It sounds like it’s limping, shambling about. He’s thankful for the hearing Lolbit provided him, making it easier to pinpoint this SpringTrap’s location. 

And he finds him. Standing in the hall staring at him with bright white-yellow eyes. 

Stanley was right. 

This thing was horrifying. 

Through the greyed lens of the camera, he can see the disgusting rot of the animatronic before him. Pieces flaked off its hull, showing the inner workings of the thing. He wasn’t able to make a lot of the detail out, but it was decomposing like a corpse almost. 

Time would do that to you. 

The worse of it all was this black substance. It was oozing out of the animatronic, spilling onto the floor and dripping upwards as well. The liquid never splattered onto the faded tile, it just seemed to float. Like the liquid was on a loop of perpetual ooze. 

Disgusting. 

“I see you.” SpringTrap rasped as it jerked up, staring Michael dead in the eye, it’s mouth open slightly as if giving a look of glee. This gaze in the animatronic’s eye. He’s seen it many times with the Funtimes, but this was different. 

This was insanity. 

“I’m delighted that I was able to find you again. That idiot mechanic really thought he could fix me. A shame, I appreciated the little boost of energy. And the ability to crush his skull with my bare hands? Quite the thrill.” 

SpringTrap is monologuing at this point, Michael preparing himself for the worse. He was grateful to have the stun gun with him, but he feared it would not do much. It had killed that mechanic. Did it walk all the way here afterward? Or did someone transport it?

This thing…was a whole different species of bad. 

It stumbles forward, the clanks of its feet getting louder and louder. 

“Nothing like some fresh screams. It’s been so long.” 

Michael feels himself getting tense, standing up and preparing himself for the animatronic’s arrival. Hearing the scraping of metal on the tile was making his head spin.

This was bad, real bad. 

SpringTrap comes into view staring at him through the glass window getting the boy to face him with narrowed eyes. It’s own eyes illuminated against the darkness of the room, staring right at him. 

“It burns brighter than usual. How interesting. Tell me, boy, how did you gain such a thing? Do you know what you have attached to your soul?” 

Michael takes a step back, his hand gripping the stun gun. 

Was SpringTrap talking about remnant? Could he see it? Was that why he attacked Stanley? Because of his remnant?

“I distinctly remember your hand being injured, I heard those bones crack on impact, but yet here you are.” 

“Plenty more where that came from.” Michael snarls and SpringTrap laughs, wheezing and taking in deep breaths. 

“Indeed? Did you really think you could stop me? With that little toy?”

“I know I can stop you.” Michael hissed, as it stepped closer to the office. “Stay the hell away from me if you know what’s best for you.” 

SpringTrap’s heavy breath rattles his mind, the laughter sounding more like a choking frog to Michael. It shudders, with pants clicking and groaning as it walked. Michael can see it clearly now and he’s horrified. 

There was bone under that. He could see a ribcage peeking through the cracks and tears of the suit. It dripping and splattering with black goo that reminds him of the tears he would cry.

This thing…was loaded with remnant. Corrupted ichor that is spilling forth from this carcass, and it was secreting such agony Michael could feel it from here. Like a burning sensation to his nostrils despite being unable to smell.

“Such a brave boy aren’t you? Your friends won’t help you now. They’re scared of me after all.” SpringTrap tells him with a chuckle.

“And why is that?” 

SpringTrap just chuckles, gripping at the window it’s sharpened claws digging into the cracks of the glass, the material splintering like a spiderweb against its hand. 

“I don’t like to kiss and tell.” It croons, making Michael frown. One thing was sure, this thing liked to talk. Perhaps if he got it talking long enough…

He would be able to get the jump on him.

“Seems like you didn’t make it. Some words for a corpse hidden in an animatronic.” Michael taunts, he could connect the dots. A fool who died in the springlocks. Who, he couldn’t tell. Maybe some follower of his father who wished to follow in his footsteps. 

This gets SpringTrap to twitch, his body spasming flecks of the black liquid falling out of the crevices of the worn suit. It gasps, a low chuckle echoing out of the broken voicebox. It was crackling static that was placing such a pressure on his mind.

“Died? No, I evolved. I am immortal, this shell is nothing more than my way to regain what is rightfully mine.” Springtrap hisses, stepping away from the window. Immortality? No, this fate was a curse. Kept in this horrible limbo of life and death. 

It shambles into the office, Michael stepping back the chair falling to the floor with a loud clamor. He holds the stun gun tightly, the plastic groans from the hard grip. “Stay the fuck back or I’ll taze you again.” 

SpringTrap hums, its body swaying the tattered ears flopping a bit as it cranes its neck. “That little toy wont stop me. I am going to rip you from the inside out, and swallow your remnant whole.” 

Michael stays his ground, holding the stun gun up with slightly shaky hands. He refused to let this monster see how terrified he was. Lolbit was quiet, he couldn’t feel the animatronic. It was as if SpringTrap was repressing the AI friend inside of him. He was alone. 

Limping forward SpringTrap doesn’t show any sort of horror or fear of the threat of the stun gun. It’s clawed hand reaches for Micheal. Seeing that the once blunted fingertips of SpringBonnie were now sharpened into fine points, perfect for rending and tearing at flesh. 

Flesh he thankfully didnt have.

He rather not test it on the plastic that Lolbit was made of, if he was honest.

“Get the fuck away from me!” Michael roars, firing the stun gun when the thing is inches from him, his back nearly against the wall. 

Michael hears the shattering scream that exits Springtrap, the clicking of the stun gun mixes with the harsh noise. He watches in horror as Springtrap struggles for a moment, before it reaches for the prongs that dug into the casing of the animatronic. With some force it rips out the wires, electricity firing through it’s system. He can see the inner workings light up before Springtrap yanks the wires, pulling the gun away from Michael. 

He can feel the sudden spark from Springtrap’s contact with the stun gun causing a brief flicker of his illusion. Michael doesn’t notice the slight eye widening of Springtrap, too busy with trying to deal with the small pain of the electricity that flowed through him.

It pants heavily, twitching as the gun skitters across the tile hitting some piping that was laid out at the back of the room. Sparks fly from the device before Springtrap starts to laugh, getting Michael to turn his attention to the maniac animatronic before him.

Tilting its head it hums deeply, “I see now…” It breathes, black gunk spilling out of the animatronic’s teeth as it stands, still not moving closer to Michael. “I didn’t think you had it in you.” 

Huh?

“What the hell are you talking about?” 

SpringTrap scoffs, its yellow eyes rolling just slightly. “Please, dont act coy with me. I know remnant, I found remnant. You truly don’t think I wouldn’t notice… Henry Emily? ”

Michael freezes. How. How did SpringTrap know about Henry? There…there was no way, unless this person was once an employee or a big fan of the franchise…

“How do you know that name?! Answer me!” 

SpringTrap chuckles, and then it billows into a cruel laugh. The thing tilting back as laugher echoes out of him. It stops after a moment making Michael want to just lash out, to repeatedly slam his fists into this creepy face of this monster. 

“Don’t pretend you don’t know me old friend. I am hurt. The disguise is quite good, but even I can see through it. Take off that mask..” 

“I don’t know fucking shit about you! Now fucking tell me how you know Henry Emily’s name! Now. ”

This gets SpringTrap to stop. It stares at Michael, like those yellow eyes are peering deep within. Past Stanley’s face, past Lolbit. To his own. 

“Oh. Oh. I see now. I see.” 

“See what, fucking talk or else I am going to beat the shit out of you.”

SpringTrap growls, “Always relying on brute strength, seems you haven’t changed a bit. Michael .”

The world stops, he feels like time has froze as his own name is spilled out of the beast’s mouth. It knew his name.

“H-how..”

“Oh do stop, you’re such an embarrassment. Always the blithering fool you were. It is no surprise I would find you here? In this condition…now that is what surprises me. I saw you die, but yet here you are. The remnant burns brightly, perhaps brighter than my own. You couldn’t even die properly, thats how much of a failure you are.” 

Every word is like a dagger into his heart, digging deep and piercing his soul. SpringTrap was twisting the knife and he finally understood. Everything clicked. All the puzzle pieces fit in perfectly. 

“Father…” Michael whispers, his eyes wide as he takes a step back. He can feels his remnant twisting, writhing in his chest. 

SpringTrap…was William. William Afton. 

His father was here, here all along. 

Staring right at him in this decaying body. Rotten like his own heart. 

“ It’s Me. ” This makes Michael wince, his fist clenching, he finally found him. Finally was able to confront him. Now he realized why the children didn't tell him. They couldn’t, because this was the man who killed them. 

He was here, with the man behind the slaughter. 

“Amazing isnt it? Being able to transcend morality? I was left to rot for so many years, but yet here we are? Reunited.” William whispers almost as if he's giddy with this revelation. Michael just felt fear and anger gnash at his gut. How he wanted to scream. To shout and just slam the man who did this to him, to so many victims, against the window over and over again. 

“You’re speechless,” William crooned stepping closer. Michael can't move, his feet planted against the floor. Just staring at his own father. “Fear not my boy, for we…we can be more than what we are. Why with you and me…we could rule the world. Evolve far more than the metal and the flesh.” 

He gives out his hand. Rotten green, with decaying metal. SpringTrap grins, and the the jaw lifts showing something underneath. He can see it. The skull of the man within. Those weren’t just anyone’s bones, but his father’s. And his father’s rotten face was slightly peeking out of the animatronic’s.

“Join me, son. Do what you were meant to do. Join me, and together we can make this whole world rot and burn.” 

Michael stands there, stunned at the offer. Join..him? 

Had this been so many years ago, when he still looked up to his father and loved him. How he wanted to be like him. To step out of his shadow and walk side by side. He would have taken it, without a single thought. 

But now? After all that he had done? All that he had killed, all that he had hurt. The horror he had brought to his own family ? No. 

No. 

“No,” Michael whispered, and this gets William to pause. Tilting his head as if he didn’t hear Michael. “No. I refuse.” 

“You dont have a choice in the matter. Either you join me, or I destroy you like I should have from the beginning.” 

Michael doesn’t falter, his eyes flickering brightly. “Not before I destroy you first.” 

“I am your father , and you will listen to me.” William snarls and Michael doesn’t flinch for the first time in his life. He just keeps his ground, head held high. 

“You, were never my father.” 

This causes William to snap, the thing grabbing onto Michael’s arm and slams him forward. Michael hits the desk with a loud clang, hitting his neck on the corner of the desk. The illusion disc pops off and rolls onto the floor, spiralling until it hits the floor with a click. 

Michael stands to his full height, grabbing his father’s arm and hits the side of William’s face. He hears the crunch of the withered animatronic’s casing seeing bits flying from the impact showing the skull within. “You fucking monster! You did this to me! To our family! You think I would just join you after all that you have done?! What you’ve done to Lizzie?! To Charlie?! To the kids?!” 

 

He grabs William by the neck and flings him to the side, hitting the tile and the walls cracks from the pure strength Michael uses. 

He wasn’t some decaying animatronic, he was in pristine condition. Careful of his body and took care of it. Didn’t let it rot. He had the upper hand. He wouldnt let him win. Not this time. 

“Cheap trick, using my own creation as your little host.” William hisses as he moves to stand, the parts creaking and groaning. “The reject taking my reject…isn’t that ironic.” 

“Shut up, or I’ll rip your goddamn jaw off.” 

William laughs, his shoulders rolling as he grins at Michael. “You should have died back there. Like you were meant to.”

“That’s the thing about Aftons isn’t it? We just can't seem to leave this world, can't we?” Michael hissed, dodging a swipe from William’s claws, retaliating by hitting the animatronic with his elbow. SpringTrap stumbles, hissing loudly. 

Michael steps forward, unlike William the boy was agile. Quick on his feet, but heavy with his hands. He wanted to beat his father to a pulp. To the point he would be dismantled and then Michael could burn him alive. Watch the remnant fade, so he never could harm anyone anymore. 

Rage fills his very core, and he can see William start to retreat like the coward he was.

“You can’t escape, everywhere you go, I will find you Father. That is my promise.” Michael snarled getting Willaim to narrow his eyes at his son. Even with the goofy look of Lolbit, the boy residing inside was terrifying. He could see it in William’s eyes. The small fleck of fear, of the son sent to destroy his own father. 

William stumbles backwards, closer to the door. He moves to run out but is faced with the phantoms. They float menacingly at him, black eyes staring at him with black tears pouring out of their faces. They blocked the way.

WIlliam is trapped, like a rabbit in a cage. 

“Nowhere to go father. You made your bed, and now…I will make sure you lie in it.” 

The corpse animatronic turns to look at Michael giving him a sneer. “You couldn’t if you tried.” 

“Let’s find out then.” 

He watches as William attempts to push past the kids, but all of them launch themselves at their killer. The sounds of screaming pierces the air, rattling the window as William falls backwards. Michael takes this as an advantage and grabs William by the shoulder spinning him around and hitting him hard. 

The Phantoms fade, but he knows they aren’t far. This was his fight. As William hits the floor Michael gets on top of him and starts to hit his face. Over and over again. Pieces fly and ooze splatters onto his hand.  

“This is for Charlie!!” 

Punch. 

“For Elizabeth!” 

Punch. 

“For Gabriel! For Jeremy!”

Punch. 

“Susie! Fritz!”

Punch. 

“Stanley!” 

He pulls his hand back, “And this? This is for HENRY!” 

His fist hits hard, hearing the crack of the plastic and metal. He doesnt care if his own starts to flake away. Lolbit would understand. He was sure of it. He wouldnt stop, not until he was gone dead. This was his moment, his shot. To finally finish what he started. To prove that he wasn’t a fuck up. 

His body falters as every hit he gives William, it just makes the man laugh, louder and louder and the jaw creaks showing the skeleton within. It had a large grin, yellow eyes flickering to a deep red. 

“What’s so funny?! Me beating your ass amusing to you?!” 

He doesn’t realize he's crying until now. The black oil slipping down his fox-like face. He doesn’t bother to shake them away holding William up by the pieces near the man’s would be collarbone.

“Crying tears like you have a heart,” William rasps through the chuckles. “You know…we’re one in the same, stone cold, and the worse part is? Like me…you don’t want to change that. Deep down you know you like that thrill.”

Michael is stunned, “I..I am nothing like you..” 

“Please, you thirst for blood just like I do. You relish in hurting people. You enjoy the sound of your fist to their face. The blood splattering onto you. Just like your dear old man…isnt that right?” 

“You felt it before, that day. The day you killed your own brother .” 

Michael feels like he's just been electrocuted. Staring at his father with shaking hands, “ N..no..it was an accident. I..I..” 

“Was it? Was it Michael?! Or did you just want to feel that thrill? The thing that makes our hearts pump, and our skin crawl. That adrenaline. You enjoy it. Try as you might, you can’t escape it. You can’t escape the fact. You're. Just. Like. Me .” 

“I’m not! No..no shut up! Shut up!” He grips his head and William uses that moment to return a blow. The hit sending Michael to the side, plastic clacking against the tile. He groans attempting to lift himself up, only to shout when SpringTrap grabs at his ears lifting him high. 

“You foolish child! Did you really think you could kill me?!” William tosses him against the wall and Michael cries out. He may not feel it, but he knows he could potentially damage Lolbit. 

He didn’t want to. 

“I should of killed you myself. Felt the life fade away, just like your dear ol friend…Charlie wasn’t it?” 

Michael groans, trying to lift himself but feels a metal foot hit him hard. He tumbles backward and this time, this time SpringTrap is the one holding him down. 

Inches away from him he sees the red in the eyes, and the falling ichor. This slime spilling out of him, faster than before. 

“I wonder. Is your heart able to handle the power of remnant?” Claws grip at Michael’s shoulder keeping him pinned to the floor. 

“Get…off…” Michael cries out, but William doesn’t even bother to answer. His mouth opened wide showing the gunk and grime dripping him off like spit. He leans forward and Michael screams as the hot liquid falls down onto his face. 

“Fun thing about being in one of my creations I know how they work.” William hisses, and theres a noise as he touches something behind Michael’s back. The face plates opening to expose the endoskelton within. 

He tries to pull away as the black ooze starts to fall. Trying to avoid whatever corruption is pooling out of his father. But he feels it, slapping onto the metal. It’s hot, and burns. He can’t stop the screams as they dribble into his insides. Burning him within. Black smoke released as soon as the liquid hits metal. 

“Burn…burn with corruption Michael.” 

Michael can’t answer, he cant move. All he can do is scream. It hurts. Oh god it hurts so bad. What was he doing to him? Why couldn’t he move? 

Was…this the end? Was he truly..a failure.

“Get away from my son!” 

The sound pierces through the haze, and he opens his eyes to see Henry behind William. Axe raised high and with a single sweep he swings the axe and sparks fly. 

William screams in agony, the arm was completely cut off flying to the side. Sparks fly off him and William stumbles back. Black liquid splatters out of the wound like blood, never hitting the floor oddly. 

“Henry!” Michael shouts his face plates slamming shut, struggling to get up. Henry immediately rushes to Michael helping the poor boy up. Michael stumbles but he doesn’t fall, leaning slightly on his savior. 

His plastic face is covered with burn marks from the liquid hitting his face. 

William stares at them, eyes red and glaring brighter than ever. “Isn’t this interesting..” He rasps, his other arm hovering over the one that was now missing. 

“Why Henry…I didn’t think you could replace Charlie that easily, dear friend.” William sneers and Michael can feel Henry stiffen at the statement. 

“William. Why am I not surprised this is how you ended up.” Henry’s voice is firm, unwavering as he holds the axe tightly. 

“Guilty as charged…taking the scraps now are we? Always was the type to pick up strays.” 

Henry frowns his grip on Michael tightening, “I should have taken them all away a long time ago. Far, far away from you .” 

William chuckles at that, “Ah but you didn’t. And your little Charlie paid the price. I enjoyed squeezing her little neck. Hearing the snap. It was quite exhilarating.” 

“You monster.” Henry snarls, “You’re just a coward. A coward who preys on people that can’t fight back. Killing children because it makes you feel big, when you’re really just a small dumb man who thinks so much of himself.” 

William shudders, his body groaning in his anger. Michael watches as the liquid continues to pour at a rapid pace. As if William’s anger and agony was corrupting the remnant at such a pace it was trying to purify itself as quick as it could.

But it was no use.

There was no way to purify this man. 

“I’ll rip your heart right out of your chest for that!” William snarls, Henry obviously hitting a nerve. Michael doesn’t have much time to react, his body slowed from the corrupt ichor making contact with him. 

He can only watch as William throws himself at Henry. Michael just barely reaches out, grabbing Henry’s jacket and pulling him away from his father. Sharp nails scrap against the tile, creating sparks that fly. 

It’s an instant reaction, the stun gun that was continually going off hitting with the other sparks that rained from William’s attack creates an explosion that none of them expected. Michael feels himself get flung onto the desk and he cries out trying to call for Henry only for his eyes to suddenly grow heavy.

No. 

No!

HENRY!

Darkness takes him.

…

 

He wakes with a start, he’s not being dragged into the void. Or to visit Lolbit. All is quiet, until the sound of flames hits his ears and everything suddenly comes together. The fog clears and he realizes the desk is bent from him falling on it. 

Glancing around he sees the place is up in flames, thick smoke hovering above the ground. He can’t see William, nor Henry. The glass behind him was completely broken. 

“Henry!” He shouts getting up with a bit of difficult but he pushes through. “Henry!” 

He shouts again looking around until he sees it.

Glasses on the ground next to a pile of rubble, one of the lens is completely cracked. Rushing towards the item, he bends down to pick it up. “Henry?! Henry!” 

His ears twitch at the faintest sound of a groan, beneath the tile and rubble of the wall next to him. Without hesitation Michael rushes towards the debris and starts to dig. Pulling off plaster and piping until he sees a familiar face. 

“Henry!” 

Henry’s face is caked with blood and dirt from the explosion. He doesn’t make a noise when Michael calls for his name. Quickly the boy digs out all the debris and pulls Henry out of it. He holds the fragile human in his arms, his ear placed to his chest. 

“Henry..no..no Henry please. Please..” He tries to shake the human awake, but Henry is still. Nothing, not even a breath. 

“No…no please dont leave me. Henry please. PLEASE.” Michael begs holding Henry like a broken doll to his chest, gripping him tight but gentle at the same time. No…please… It cant be. He can’t be gone. 

He gives out a sob, his metal face pressed against Henry’s skin. Gripping him tightly. “Don’t leave me here.” 

“ Mike .” 

Michael lifts his head up with tears pouring down his face, he sees a familiar figure standing before him. The puppet. It’s long body floating aimlessly through the smoke and flame. Her porcelain face cracked and covered with grime. 

“C-charlie. Oh God, Charlie…” 

She doesn’t say anything, but quietly floats forward seeing her father in Michael’s arms. “Put him down Mike…please.” 

Micheal doesn’t ask any questions, quietly placing Henry down on the rubble and Charlie moves closer. Her spindly fingers trace her father’s face, touching as if she was trying to remember him. She then reaches inside of her, pushing through the stuffing and pulls something out. 

Its green, this bright green ball of light glows brighter than the flames around them.

Remnant. 

Michael only watches while she grabs the glowing ball of green with her hands and with a slight pull it snaps in half. He sees Charlie’s body slightly lean forward, as if the task had exhausted her. She…she was splitting her remnant. 

She was giving a gift.

Holding half of the glowing green ball, she reaches towards Henry. With gentle hands she places the light right at his ribcage and like magic the skin around him glows brightly. The remnant shudders, before dissolving into the skin. Wisps of green spread across Henry’s body and Charlie falls forward. 

Michael is quick to catch her, hands gentle as he looks into the crying puppet face. “Looks like…I came just in time.” She breathes quietly. “Hold me for a bit..I have to…talk to my dad.”

“I can do that.” 

 

…

 

Henry feels like he’s floating. Like hes underwater and the tide is brushing in and out. He doesn’t feel pain, and that gives him the conclusion that he is dead. 

That he didn’t make it. 

That he failed. 

It was bittersweet for him. A part of him was happy, to rest, but a part of him knew this wasn’t how it was supposed to be. He…couldn’t die, he didn’t see Charlie yet. He was supposed to find Charlie. 

But here he was, in the darkness. Not a light to be seen.

This was his fate.

He accepts it, leaning into the darkness. Ready to finally rest. 

Until a bright green light flickers, and then grows. This light that travels across the plane of darkness like a flare being fired into the sky. Exploding into a large firework, so bright he has to close his eyes. 

Then he’s standing. 

Standing in front of…

“Hey Dad.” 

Henry feels his knees grow weak as he falls to the floor. His hands outstretched unable to say anything.

“I’m here Dad…I’m here. You can’t speak, your body is getting used to the gift.” Charlie whispers and he feels her cold hands touch his. “I love you Dad, I have to go…But I want you to find me. I know you will.” 

Henry can’t even sob at the sight of his daughter. How much he wanted to shout and cry that he loved her so much. And that he would do anything to keep her safe. Like he was supposed to. He already made that mistake, he couldn’t let it happen again. 

“Stay strong, take care of Mike. I love you. See you soon.” 

With small smile she leans down and places a gentle kiss to his forehead, and everything goes blissfully dark. 

 

…

 

Charlie stirrs after a good minute of silence, Michael getting weary of the flames that were growing higher. Her long body twitches and lifts up, Michael’s hands hovering over her just in case. 

“Come home Charlie, please.”

Charlie looks to him, her mask slightly moving to what he would assume was a frown. “You know I can’t do that Mike.”

“Why…please Charlie. Please..” 

She shakes her head, her hand quietly wiping away his tears as Michael sat on the broken floor of Fazbear Frights. 

With a turn the puppet picks something up, turning it slightly before placing it back on Michael’s neck. “Take care of my Dad Mike.”

The illusion flickers and Michael’s human form stares up at her, and she gently places a hand on her father’s squeezing it slightly. “I have to go.” 

“Please…” Mike stops her by grabbing her hand. She easily slips out of the grip with the thin limbs she had. 

Charlie shakes her head once more and Michael knows he can’t stop her. Her mind is made up. She starts to float backwards, Michael leaning a bit to shout into the flames. “I’ll find you, I promise!” 

“I know Mike…I know.” 

She disappears with the plume of smoke and Michael is by himself. He doesn’t spend anytime crying or lamenting. He lifts Henry up and holds him close. Standing up to his full height he rushes through the fire, avoiding falling ceilings and bright flames. 

Well, he did want to burn this whole place to the ground. 

Michael kicks the door open, and looks back at the place seeing pieces falling from the ceiling. 

He halts for a moment, through the flames he sees four figures holding hands. They grow clearer the longer he stares into the fire. He knows them. He feels them. 

Thanks Mike. 

Voices echo in his mind, as the four wave at him before they disappear. Finally free. They..were free. 

He saved them. 

Michael holds Henry close, wincing at a bright light hitting his eyes. 

“MIKE! MIKE!” 

“Jeremy?” He mutters seeing Stanley and Jeremy jumping out of the car. Stanley has his arm in a sling 

They came…they came to help. 

He nearly broke down right then and there, but he held it in. Henry was top priority, even with the gift he didn’t want to risk it. “It’s Henry! We need to get to the hospital! Now!” 

Stanley nods, “You take the car, we’ll meet you at the hospital. You can explain there. You okay?” 

“Y-yeah…” Michael lies. He’s exhausted, tired and worried. But he knows one thing. 

SpringTrap wouldn’t have been able to survive that fire. There was no way. 

That he could relish in. 

Michael places Henry in the car and is quick to get out of there, with Stanley and Jeremy close behind. 

He looks in the rearview mirror watching the building go up in flames.

“Good riddance.” He whispers, turning his attention to the road. 

“You’ll be okay Henry. You’ll be okay.” 

 

Notes:

Hooo boy! They did it! They made it. Now will Henry survive? Dun dun dun

Don’t worry he’ll live. I can promise that.

But we are breaching the end of fnaf 3 arc! Amazing. Thank you all for the kind words, the kudos, and the interaction from my tumblr. I love talking to you guys there (I can’t do it here because I get overwhelmed with all the comments lol)

Fanart corner:

Birdie-ghost:
https://birdie-ghost.tumblr.com/post/683461817810419712/he-looks-a-lot-like-his-dad-when-hes-angry-a

Doberart:

https://doberart.tumblr.com/post/684073188537286656/new-chapter-of-inkspottie-fic-laughing-at

Thank you all so so much! Have a wonderful weekend and until next time!!

Chapter 36: The Bleeding of My Nose

Notes:

Hehehe I am so glad everyone enjoyed that last chapter. I absolutely had a blast writing it, and I’m happy with the reaction it gave.

Now we are not out of the woods yet some of you were able to guess what is to happen so good on you!

I want to say I apologize if this chapter isn’t as powerful as the last one. I’ve been having a rough week and I am surprised I even was able to write a coherent chapter. I hope you guys enjoy it and forgive me if it’s not as superb as the others.

Anyways! Here it is. Enjoy.

Ring

Ring 

Riiiiing 

Jeremy’s head flopped over to look at the phone ringing on his nightstand, one eye glaring as if he stared long enough it would shut off. 

As if like magic, it did, making Jeremy sigh softly and pressed his face into the pillow. Who was calling at this time. 

The phone vibrates again, making Jeremy groan and lift himself up answering the phone. 

“What!” He shouts, too sleepy to check who exactly was calling him. 

“Hey, sorry. Jer it’s me, Stan.” Stan’s voice breaks through the haze of sleep and Jeremy yawns looking at his alarm clock. 

“Do you know how late it is?!” He muttered, rubbing his good eye, swinging his legs off the bed. “It’s like 4 am, almost five…” 

Stanley gives a sigh, “I know. I know sorry. But…it’s Mike, somethin-”

“What’s wrong?” Jeremy says immediately, all drowsiness gone from his head. He was alert and his heart was picking up speed. What was wrong with Mike? Did something happen?

“I don’t know, I can’t drive cuz of my hand. I need your ass down here and we need to go check it out.” 

Jeremy is already out of the bed tugging on pants and pulling his jacket on. “I’m on my way. Be ready.” 

“Yep.” 

 

… 

 

When they arrived at the place, it was on fire. Bright flames bursting from the windows and smoke billowing out into the night sky as the sun was starting to peek through the horizon. 

“Shit, fuck!” Stanley shouts as Jeremy parks, seeing Michael breaking his way out of the area holding someone limp in his arms. 

“Mike! Mike!” Jeremy cries out, opening the door not caring about the fire, more worried about his friend that could potentially be hurt. 

He could hear Stanley follow suit and Michael seems surprised to see them rushing forward, his face covered in soot and ash. Henry is dangling from his arms, his glasses cracked and his face was splattered with various cuts and grime. 

“It’s Henry! We need to get to the hospital now!” Michael shouts with urgency. Something happened this the two knew but they didn’t have time to question it. 

Stanley’s the first to react, nodding. “You take the car, we’ll meet you at the hospital. You can explain there. You okay?”

There’s a pause, and Michael doesn’t properly look at the both of them. “Y-yeah.” The two know Michael well, they know he’s lying. But getting out of here was more important, they needed to take care of Henry. 

He needed immediate attention. Michael would be next to take care of. 

They rush to their own cars and race out of the driveway. Jeremy keeps close to Michael’s car and Stanely turns around looking at the burning car. 

“Oh I am so fired.” 

 

… 

 

The hospital was vacant for the most part, being so early you didn’t have the common hustle and bustle of nurses and doctors. It was bright and early in the morning and Michael was pacing around like a lunatic. 

His hand was to his mouth, eyes sweeping from side to side while they waited patiently to see what the doctor had to say about Henry.

Jeremy and Stanley didn’t get the full story, only that there was a mighty big fight between the entity known as SpringTrap. 

And Henry was caught in the blast of the explosion that caused the fire, and Michael was absolutely worried. 

Jeremy didn’t blame him, considering that this man was practically his father. Michael cared for him, and no doubt seeing him in the hospital bed worried his friend greatly.

“I’m sure he’ll be okay.” Jeremy says breaking through the tense silence. “He’s a tough old man.” 

“Yeah, I’m sure things will be fine.” 

Michael looks as if he’s about to break down, his eyes wide and a hand to his mouth hovering just a bit. Jeremy was surprised Michael wasn’t ripping his nails off in his own anxiety. 

“I…I hope so. I don’t..I don’t know what I would do.” 

Jeremy reaches for him, surprised his friend flinches at the touch, gently squeezing his arm. He always found Michael so cold, so firm. The vampire theory was starting to sound silly in his head, but it still seemed to be alive and kicking. 

But right now, Michael needed a friend. 

“It’s going to be okay. The doctors will take care of him and then you’ll get to rest yourself. You look like you’re about to pass out.” 

Michael gives a grateful look, his hand hovering over Jeremy’s before it falls limp to his side. “I feel like I’m about to pass out, but I just have to make sure…”

Stanley nods, “If anything we can stay here and keep you in touch. If you really need to go home.” 

Michael shakes his head, “No, no…I think I’ll be okay. I can handle it. It won’t be too long…” 

Jeremy didn’t quite understand what was going on, but he was here for Michael. 

The doors open to Henry’s room and a doctor with a clipboard walks out. “Are you…his son?” He asks Michael who hesitates but nods. 

“Your father took some heavy damage to his head, but it seems it only gave him a minor concussion. He has a broken arm and a couple sprained ribs. Nothing broken in that area. He inhaled a lot of smoke, but other than a few cuts and scrapes he’s going to be fine.” 

It was as if the tension in the room deflated like a balloon. Everyone’s shoulders fell and a sigh of relief left Michael’s mouth. 

“Oh thank God.” He breathes, and the doctor hums. 

“It was quite odd to see such a thing, but your father is very lucky. He could have very much died in his situation but I think that is all thanks to you.” 

Michael swallows, knowing it wasn’t just all him. But Charlie. He saw it happen, how she split her remnant in half to save Henry. 

Henry was alive, because of Charlie. 

“He’ll need some rest, but I say after a day and getting him all patched up, he should be free to go.” 

“Can we see him?“ 

Michael’s voice is small, soft and the doctor nods. 

“He’s actually up right now, so yes. Do try to be careful. His arm is broken after all.” 

The doctor takes a sidestep holding the door open, “Mr. Emily, your son and friends are here to see you.” 

“Thanks Doc.” Jeremy says as Michael rushes past the doctor making a beeline straight to Henry. The doctor smiles and dips his head before walking off no doubt busy with other patients and what not. 

Henry was laying in the hospital bed, he looked worn and ragged but had a smile on his face when he saw the boys all shuffle in. Michael was staring at him with wide wet eyes. “Hey boys.” Henry croaks, giving a small cough that leads to a wince. 

“Henry.” Michael breathes getting on his knees, his hands shaking and Henry with some effort reaches for him. He grips one of the boy’s hands, squeezing it gently. 

“Henry I’m so sorry.” Michael whispers, his head hung low, forehead pressed to their entwined hands. Henry looks confused at the statement, his brows knitting together before they soften again. A gentle smile breaks out on his face. 

“Michael, Michael look at me.” 

He lifts his head to stare at Henry, who doesn’t look angry or worried, just…happy. “Don’t apologize. We…we did it. We are alive. You’re alive. That’s all that matters. I saw…I saw her.” 

Michael nods, “She saved you Henry. She saved you.” 

Henry chuckles but it leads to a terrible cough getting all three to come closer to his bed. The man waves his hand as if to say to not worry about him. Which wasn’t going to happen, since they all cared for Henry greatly. 

“I hate to be the one to interrupt all this, but what…exactly happened back there?” Stanley asks his hands shoved into his pockets. 

Michael looks at Stanley rubbing his arm. “SpringTrap. The rotten animatronic?”

The two nod, Stanley had filled Jeremy in on the car ride. This rotten animatronic broke Stanley’s hand, all because the guy punched it, but you know. 

“He…he was my father.” 

There’s silence and Jeremy’s brain is trying to process what had just been said. “…wait what?” 

“That thing that was in there, it was my father. He…must have died some time ago in the SpringBonnie suit, and…the remnant he had kept him alive. But it was corrupted, horrible and rotten. Like him.” Michael grips his arms like a vice, his face hardened and eyes slightly glowing in the bright fluorescent light. 

“That…was your dad ?!” Stanley’s face is pale, his eyes horrified at the thought. “I punched your dad?” 

Michael nods, “He knew you had remnant, that’s why he was after you.” 

Jeremy makes a face, “What a way to die. In a bunny suit. Was it gross?” 

“So fucking gross man, and the smell was awful .” 

“Well yeah! It’s a corpse in a bunny suit!” 

Michael shakes his head, “He’s gone now. At least I think so. I don’t think he could survive the fire. We barely made it out. Fire would have destroyed his remnant. So…I don’t think we have to worry about him. Just the creations that are still out there.” 

He knew there were more. There had to be, he wouldn’t still be here if there weren’t. At least that’s what he thought. He didn’t know how remnant worked. 

But the kids were saved. 

They were resting, finally at peace. 

Thank goodness. 

“Whatever is out there, we’ll take care of it! Kick some evil animatronic ass.” Jeremy puffs his chest out, his hands on his hips as he grins with determination. 

“Yeah, not to worry. It’s one thing to check off the list. Good riddance.” 

Michael couldn't help but agree. His body was still buzzing from the adrenaline of it all, and the ichor that had splattered into his system was now just a faint throb. He was worried. LolBit wasn’t talking, no matter how much he screamed and shouted for the silly fox there was no answer. 

Something wasn’t right, but he didn’t know what to do. 

He couldn’t just openly say it, considering that Jeremy was here. 

He planned to tell him, but this was not the moment. Especially with Henry in the hospital. 

Michael just watched them quietly, watching Henry just smile and enjoy the company of Stanley and Jeremy. They were celebrating a win, but Michael didn’t know. 

Was his father truly gone? 

Try as you might, you can’t escape it. You can’t escape the fact. You're. Just. Like. Me. 

His father’s words are seared into his mind, he can hear the raspy horrible voice scratching and clawing at the inside of his skull. Rattling his psyche. 

Even dead the man still infected his life. Like an open wound never able to heal properly, leaving a terrible scar that burned and itched. 

Dead or not, he was still here. Still haunting him. 

He never would be free of the chains that his father had shackled him with. Forever to drag around the terrible things his father had done to him, to his family and this town. 

Everything was swirling like a storm in his mind. Too many things had just happened and now he was dealing with the aftermath of it all. He couldn’t focus on the task at hand, just staring off into space. Hearing the sounds of his friends and family talking. 

Was this it? 

Was it over? 

No, it couldn’t be. 

Could it? 

Was he able to rest? 

He didn’t know. He didn’t know what to do now. 

It was too much. Everything was overwhelming him. He felt overstimulated, he just wanted to scream. But he kept quiet.

“Mike? Mike!” 

Michael blinks rapidly as Jeremy’s voice breaks through the dark thoughts that were swirling around his head. 

“You okay?” Henry asks and Michael nods. 

“Just…tired. Relieved. Happy. Happy that you’re okay. That everyone’s okay.” 

“It’ll be okay. After this we’ll have a little celebration.”

“You’re not doing anything until that arm is healed, same for you Stan.” Michael says firmly. 

“What about you?” Jeremy asks and Michael blinks, turning his attention to the blond. 

“What about me?” 

“Who gets to take care of you?” 

Michael is stunned with the question. He didn’t really have that answer. He was so focused on everyone else that his own person didn’t matter. He didn’t care what happened to him, as long as everyone else was okay. 

“We do.” Henry answers for him. “We’ll take care of him, just as he takes care of us.” 

He doesn’t know what to say, as his friends nod in agreement. Jeremy stepping forward and wraps his arms around the taller boy, with Stanley following suit. 

Michael doesn’t pull away, instead he wraps his arms around the two of them, leaning into the embrace. He holds back the urge to sob, not wanting dark tears to flow out of him while Jeremy is here. 

He appreciates this gesture. He never realized how much a hug could do for someone. Despite not feeling the warmth, it brought warmth to his mind. 

Like a gentle caress to his soul. 

“Thanks guys.” He whispers. 

At least…at least he had friends like these. And a father who did actually love him. 

He was grateful for that. 

 

…

 

They stay in the hospital for a bit longer. Michael is worn out and he knows, he knows the illusion disc is taking more energy the more he stays with it on. 

But he just wanted a moment with his friends and family where he didn’t have to worry about being an animatronic. 

He supposed if he had just told Jeremy he could just turn it off, but that wasn’t an option. 

Not in broad daylight in the middle of a hospital. 

That would be a disaster if a doctor or nurse just walked in and saw a giant animatronic. 

So he would just wait, maybe after Henry recovered he’d tell Jeremy. 

Maybe. 

For now he would just talk, and be happy with his friends. 

That is until they heard a knock on the door. All heads turn and they see Larson. 

It had been some time since Detective Larson had shown his face to them, being that he had arrested them last time Michael wasn’t too fond of the man. 

Well he just didn’t care for the police in general. 

“Detective Larson.” Henry rasps, and Larson dips his head. 

“So sorry for the interruption, do you mind if I enter?” 

Michael holds his tongue as Henry makes a motion for the detective to enter. He didnt want this man in his space. He was tired and worn out already, he didn’t need him tipping the scales and making things worse. 

“Thank you. I suppose you all are wondering why I am here.” 

“I imagine it’s because of the fire.” 

Larson hums, “So it was you. Why am I not surprised?” 

“Listen, it wasn't on purpose. It was an accident. The place was already a fire hazard, the owner said so himself.” Michael mutters his arms crossed as he glares at the detective. 

The detective rolls his shoulders, “That is what I have been told. Was there a reason why you continue to shut down every Fazbear franchise establishment you encounter?” 

“Sir, with all due respect the place was not exactly a homage to the Fazbear name. More of a…” 

“Terrible money grab on tragedy? I understand, I wasn’t a big fan of it myself when I heard it had opened. But surely that couldn’t be the reason why the place caught fire.”

Larson is questioning them and Michael can feel his irritation rise. It was like static electricity building up within. He could feel it buzzing under his metal casing. 

Something about this man just made Michael volatile. Maybe it was because he didn’t trust the police, or any man of authority for that matter. They just caused trouble more than ever helping. He never met a police officer that truly wished to help.

They just got in the way. 

“One of William’s creations was in there. It attacked us. And then an explosion happened. Is that enough to get you off our back?” Michael hissed, clearly annoyed with the man.

Larson just raised a brow, “Creations? Like the doll…” 

“Bigger so much bigger. Scary rabbit man.” Jeremy explains getting Larson to just stare at him before turning his attention to Michael. 

“Perhaps, if I may say, we try not to commit arson? Or breaking any sort of law?” 

“Perhaps you could maybe do something so we don’t have to break the law.” Michael snaps back, his anger hitting a boiling point. 

Larson turns facing him square on. Dark blue eyes hitting purple as if ready to oppose whatever Michael had to say. “Do you have a problem with me son?” 

“Yeah, I do.” Michael snarls as Larson takes a step towards him. “You’re coming in here accusing us while my… Henry is recovering and doesn’t need the stress. So yeah, I do have a problem.” 

“Mike..” 

“No! You shouldn’t be in here creating more stress than we already have. I just had to pull him out of a fire and you’re over here acting like you’re about to arrest us all!” 

Larson blinks and puts his hands up as Michael’s words get sharper and louder. “Son, I’m not here to-”

“ Don’t call me that. ” Michael’s voice shudders, sounding different as the lights flicker just slightly. 

Immediately Stanley stands between them his hands out to both of them. “Woah! That’s enough! Everything is high strung right now but we need to calm down. Mike..” 

Michael looks down at him seeing Stanley stare at his nose. He blinks, his hand reaching up towards his nose and feels something wet. 

He pulls away seeing black smeared on his fingertip. 

“Michael,” Henry rasps, getting Michael’s attention. “I think you should go home. Rest. Please. I’ll have Stanley and Jeremy take me home when I’m ready. Please Michael can you do that?” 

Michael wipes his nose, before he nods. He couldn’t say no to Henry, not right now. Not with him covered in bandages and an oxygen tube in his nose. Henry saved him from William and he died , only for Charlie… 

He couldn’t say no. 

“Okay.” He whispers and Henry reaches a hand out to Michael and the boy steps forward reaching down and giving the man a soft hug. 

“We’ll take care of him.” Jeremy whispers and Michael nods. 

“Thanks.” 

He doesn't say anything to Larson, instead brushing past him with a large sneer on his face. The detective steps out of the way and Michael stomps out of the room. 

“He’s under a lot of stress right now, forgive him.” 

Larson sighs, “I wasn’t here to accuse anything, I just wished to know what happened. So I can help in any way I can. I’m sorry I caused a scene. I did not wish to agitate him.” 

Stanley crosses his arms, “He’s just protective over us. Really protective. And it’s been…a really rough week for him. He’ll probably apologize the next time we see him.” 

Larson looks guilty as he gives a nod, “Is there anything I can do?” 

“Coffee would be great right now.” Henry hums and Larson can’t help but chuckle. 

“I can agree to that, I’ll get us all coffee. On me.” 

They all beam brightly at the offer thanking the detective. 

 

…

 

Henry is able to go home after a full day of being in the hospital. He had sent the boys home when night rolled around to make sure they got sleep. 

He knew Michael would be okay, he just needed some rest and away from people. Henry was certain he was going home in a short time due to his injuries not being extremely sincere. 

His memory is a bit foggy, he knows he came to Fazbear Frights due to having a feeling. That something was wrong and he called a cab. Henry was right and the thing had attacked Michael. 

That thing being William Afton. 

And then…the explosion happened, and he doesn’t remember much after that. 

He knew he saw her, Charlie. She was there. She did something but he didn’t know what. But he had a feeling it was why he was recovering much better than he should. 

Something was different and he could feel it. 

Even the doctors were confused as to why he was recovering so quickly. Sure the broken bone wouldn’t just miraculously heal, but everything else was just fine apparently. 

He felt good, but sore. If that made any sense. 

The fire of the place must have rejuvenated his soul. Knowing that maybe, just maybe it was all over. That they didn’t have to worry about William. That he was gone, the fire burning out his corrupted soul. 

He should feel free? Shouldn’t he? That they did it?

Why didn’t he? 

Perhaps it was because of Charlie, or that things aren't really done. There were more out there. That Funtime Freddy was still out there, Elizabeth… who knows what else was wandering around no thanks to William. 

He may be gone, but his marks were still here. 

They needed to bring them all into one place, and finish the job. He had an idea brewing, but for now he wanted to rest. To finish his animatronic that would find Charlie and bring her home. 

So now he was on his way back with Jeremy and Stanley. He was grateful for these boys, for more ways than one. 

They took care of Mike, and were a great help. He appreciated their spirit and love for Michael considering the boy needed some real support in his life.

Not just from a father figure, but with friends. 

And he couldn’t ask for better candidates for Michael’s friends. 

Jeremy’s car comes to a stop at the driveway and he can see that his own car was parked so it meant Michael was indeed home. 

“Alright Mr. Emily did you need help?” Jeremy asks and Stanley leans forward to look at the older man. 

Henry waves his free hand, “Not the first time I’ve broken this arm, and probably won’t be the last. I can handle it. You boys get some rest. I don’t need any help.” 

“You sure?” 

Henry hums, “I’m sure. You’ve all done enough. But how about we have a nice dinner maybe later? Say around five? Just so Mike can get some rest and then we can celebrate. Does that sound good?” 

“Sure Mr. Emily! We’ll be there.” Jeremy chirps as Stanley steps out of the car to open the door for Henry. Henry thanks the man and heads towards the door giving a wave. 

It’s awkward with his keys but he finds the door is unlocked. With a tilt of his head he opens the door. Michael must have left it open for him. 

How thoughtful. 

“Mike? I’m home!” He shouts as he enters the house finding it dark. Worryingly so. Was he upstairs resting? 

“Michael? Why is it dark in here?” He moves to flick a switch but it doesn’t work. “Hmm..” 

Did they have a power outage? 

“Michael? You there?” 

He calls out trying to peer through the darkness, the light of the day doesn’t even seem to be poking through his house, making it feel like it was super late. 

It didn’t help that his glasses were cracked and he couldn’t see much through that. He would have to grab his spare pair. 

He steps into the living room when he hears a noise. It’s like a groan, this horrible shuddering noise. 

Henry pauses seeing a familiar silhouette. “Michael.” Henry breathes, putting a hand on his chest. “You scared the living daylights out of me! What are you doing in the dark? Why is the power off??” 

Michael’s body shudders, and then he makes a turn looking right at him. 

Henry feels like something cold is gripping at his spine. The way Michael’s eyes are illuminated and he can see black tar pouring out of his eyesockets and mouth. His body is spasming, twitching out of control. Like a malfunction. 

One eye is a flickering white and the other a burning red. 

“H…Henry,” This wasn’t Michael talking, this was Lolbit. He knew their voice by now.They were gripping their head, parts of their plates shuddering as more black ichor spills out of every orifice of their face. 

There’s a clicking noise as they try to get a grip on themselves. Hitting themselves, combating some invisible being. They’re trying to hold something back. Something terrible. 

“Henry, RUN.” 

Notes:

So sorry for the cliffhanger you can blame Dober for this one. Now before you start throwing things at me, everything will come together in the end.

We will have smooth waters after a good chapter or so, and ready ourself for the final hurdle.

Can you believe we are almost done? Crazy.

Fanart corner!

Humangeode:

https://humangeode.tumblr.com/post/684626530327035904/some-lolmike-doodles-check-out-inkspottie-s-fic

Thank you all for the comments, kudos and bookmarks! I appreciate it all and it fuels me to write more.

Until Next Time!

Chapter 37: Join the Party

Notes:

*avoids large objects* I know I know, the cliffhanger was rough. But it got your attention didn’t it?

Your comments fuel me hehe.

Here it is! The continuation.

I will be taking a break after this chapter. Hence why it’s here early. Two weeks nothing special! I just need a break from writing.

Anywho, y’all enjoy!

Michael stepped into the house frustrated. Anger was boiling within and he wasn’t sure why. Why was he so angry? Why was he feeling in such a way?

Sure he didn’t like Larson, but he didn’t really mean to snap at him like that. What was worse was the black stuff coming from his nose. 

He didn’t know what it meant and it worried him. 

He hissed, grabbing the illusion disc, and slammed it down onto the counter shutting the door behind him. He didn’t bother locking it knowing Henry would be back eventually.

“What is wrong with me?”

Is your heart able to handle the power of remnant?

He claws his head as a sharp searing pain hits his mind, like a hot poker piercing through his brain. His hands are clasped around the counter, he can hear the porcelain tiles starting to crackle from his grip. 

It’s drowned out by the laughter in the back of his mind, his body twitching suddenly as if he had been electrocuted. 

His plates spasm and Michael slams his hands down on the faceplates to keep himself steady. 

Something was wrong. 

Something was horribly wrong.

“L-LolBit.” He stammered hearing his voice break through the speaker, not the goofy fox voice that he heard often more than his own voice. 

LolBit where are you? 

His thoughts are interrupted by the sound of wet plops hitting the hardwood floor. 

With a crane of his neck he sees black liquid splattered on the floor. The same…liquid his father had been spewing out. It was dripping from his speaker. 

Corruption. 

“Fu…fuck.” Michael stammers trying to move but his body isn’t letting him. His metal frame just twitched like a malfunctioning robot. 

No…no! 

He’s trapped, the metal coffin lid shutting close. Locked in a closet, the walls grow smaller and smaller. 

Tendrils of black start to swarm his vision, like angry gnats buzzing around his eyes. Something is dragging him down, something is pulling him under. 

A deep laugh echoes his mind before he’s plunged into darkness. 

 

…

 

When he comes to, he finds himself in the void. It’s dark, bits of pulsating purple and red thrashing through the abyss. Glitching and spasming like lightning striking across the sky. 

He looks around, “LolBit! LolBit!” He cries out, starting to take a couple steps, his eyes looking around but only seeing darkness. The few flashes of light didn’t help, it was like he was walking through a thick fog. 

Audible splashes can be heard as he rushed into the darkness. He didn’t know where he was going, but he had to find LolBit. 

LolBit was in danger. 

The more he walks the harder it is to take a step, the watery ground turning into sludge as he grunts to lift himself up. It felt like he had concrete attached to his feet, trying to drag him down. 

“I’m coming, LolBit…” Michael whispers using all his strength to lift his leg and take another step. 

It was like walking in thick tar. 

He remembers back in school when they talked about the La Brea Tar Pits. Where prehistoric creatures got stuck and eventually met their demise in the sticky tar that spewed up onto the Earth’s surface. 

He looks down noticing that the sludgy water is gripping at his calves now, he sees hands forming out of the tar and slowly crawling up him. He couldn’t move now. 

He was stuck. 

“Fuck! Damn it!” Michael cries, feeling fear rise as he begins to sink. He tried to struggle but he knew it wouldn’t help. Just leave him further down into the abyss. Tendrils grabbing him like chains pulling and tugging him with such force. 

His body flings into the murky water and suddenly he’s flung to the other side. Like jumping into a mirror he surfaces onto another plane of their shared mindscape. 

Then he sees it. 

LolBit is fighting this massive writhing creature that is mostly this terrible goop in the shape of a large bunny with glowing red eyes. Purple veins and boils are splattered across this entity, pulsating with the neon coloring like it was alive.

He could see LolBit was struggling, the thing having a good hold on his friend’s arm dragging them further to the floor.

“LolBit!” Michael cries standing up and the creature pauses to look at Michael. LolBit takes that opportunity to jump away, standing in front of Michael. Ripping the tendrils that were attached to LolBit’s hull, they look to Michael with large white eyes. 

“Mikey! Stay back!” 

“So you’re finally here. I have to say, this little reject is quite strong. I suppose that’s due to them sucking up your remnant like a leech on someone’s back.” The thing sneers and Michael knows that voice anywhere. 

His father. 

“Father.” Michael hissed, “How is this possible?! That place burned! With you in it! 

“All remnant have little gifts to give my dear son. You’ve yet to find yours, but mine…mine gives me the ability to travel places my original body can’t go. Slinking into every crack, every crevice.”

The large bunny sludge creature shifts, and Michael can see just how deep it’s terrible tendrils go into their mindscape. It was infecting them. 

Like a virus. 

“Mikey…you have…you have to get out of here.” LolBit pants, obviously exhausted. Michael glances to see his friend, his companion covered in grime and tar. Liquid spilling out of their eyes and speaker. 

They were infected. 

“No! I’m not leaving you! We can get rid of this!” His hands hover over his animatronic friend, worry and fear clear on Michael’s face. 

William laughs, sending bright flashes of red down into the glitched world, LolBit falling to their knees making Michael rush to their aid helping them stand back up, not caring about the cold liquid touching his skin. 

“LolBit! Leave them alone father!” 

“Oh why should I? You see, once I get rid of this pesky little AI I can consume all. I can swallow your remnant and feed myself. Make me even more powerful. I’ll never die, continuing to split myself into more pieces so even if one dies, ten more will make themselves known.” 

Michael glares at his father, at the abomination that is before him. “Never! I’ll stop you!” 

“You won’t even be here when it happens. As we speak I’m getting closer and closer to the core, to where your soul resides. And once I get it, you’ll cease to exist!” 

LolBit groans standing up, holding their chest liquid splattering out of them. “Not on my watch you terrible cliche of a villain!” They snarl, “You’ll never reach him!” 

William laughs moving closer and LolBit forces Mike to take a step back. 

“You’ve done enough damage to this boy! And I refuse to go down without a fight! I will keep him safe! I made that promise!” LolBit shouts and Michael looks at them with wide eyes. 

William inches closer, and closer. The area they stand on is crumbling at the edge, and soon they’re backed against the brim. Michael looks over to see the dark red and black pit that is below them. This pulsating fire that was because of William and his nasty hands gripping on their mind.

LolBit turns around and grabs Michael by the shoulders, their white eyes burning into his. “Mikey, you are an amazing kiddo. I never will be more grateful for you showing me the ways of being good, being happy. I hope one day we will meet again.” The fox gives a gentle smile and Michael holds onto their hands trying to stop whatever they were thinking. 

“LolBit! What are you saying? No, this isn’t the end! We can do this! Together!” 

LolBit shakes their head, white milky tears falling down their face. “No, this is where my story ends. My final curtain. You need to be saved, not me. I made a promise, to keep you safe. And I’ll keep that promise. Even if it means sacrificing myself, to make sure you are never touched by this man ever again.” Cold fingers touch his face, feeling the plastic against his skin as LolBit attempts to say their final goodbyes. 

Michael feels tears in his eyes as he grips LolBit’s hands, shaking his head. “LolBit please. Don’t do this! Don’t give yourself up for me! I..I need you! You’re…you’re my friend!” His voice cracks, and he can feel a sob bubbling to the surface. 

The fox’s face brightens just for a moment. “I’m happy to be your friend. Happy that we got to spend so much time together. Happy to see you grow, to see you become something so shiny and bright. Remember me Mikey. Remember me Michael Afton. Goodbye, my dear sweet friend.” 

With that LolBit pushes Michael off the cliff and Michael screams for LolBit. His hand outstretched while LolBit turns to run and tackle the corruption that is his father.

Michael falls, and falls, the mindscape shattering like glass. 

Then it’s dark. 

 

…

 

Henry takes a step back when LolBit tells him to run. He knows something is wrong when that glowing red eye burns at him. 

He had seen that same color with the creature he had just faced.

William. 

Something happened with William that was making LolBit act this way. 

“LolBit, tell me what’s wrong. Where’s Michael.” Henry whispers his free hand outstretched as if trying to stop the thing from moving closer. 

“Safe…kept him safe. Won’t let…let him hurt-“ LolBit groans gripping their head. “Inside of me- hurts!!” 

This wasn’t good. 

“LolBit what’s inside of you. Where is Michael?” 

LolBit spasms, and gives out a mighty scream. The lights flicker and Henry reaches up to put his hand over his ear. The scream is distorted and horrifying, enough to make Henry dizzy. 

The animatronic screams for a good couple seconds before it rolls into maniacal laughter. “Y-you need to run. I can’t hold him muc-much longer!“ LolBit’s voice is glitching out, he doesn’t hear the voice of his godson intertwined within. It’s just LolBit. 

Something happened to Michael. 

Henry takes a step back, his hand going to the umbrella that was resting in a little container. He knew it probably wouldn’t stop a large animatronic like LolBit, but he had to do something. 

There was an off switch. He knew that much. He knew he could turn it off and perhaps he could fix whatever was happening to LolBit. 

“Stay strong LolBit. I’m here to help.” 

“Please Henry. P-please stop him.” LolBit begs and Henry grips the umbrella tighter. 

He didn’t want this. He didn’t want to hurt LolBit, and in turn Michael. Henry always feared this day. That LolBit would turn and attack him. 

He knew the fox wouldn’t, but it was an Afton machine. Forgive him for being weary of that. 

“Please stop him!” LolBit’s voice spasms and it now sounds like they are mocking him. They twitch and their head shifts to the left and right. 

“I would take their advice dear friend. It would be best if you run.”

“William.” Henry hissed and LolBit, no, William laughs. The sound is horrible compared to the laugh Henry is used to. Eyes were bright red and black liquid was dripping everywhere. 

“In the flesh. Yet again. Did you really think you could get rid of me that easily?” William tuts, looking himself over. 

“I’d have to say, this body is far better than my last. I think I might keep it.” 

Henry glares at William, “Not on my watch William. I’ll hunt you down until every last bit of you is destroyed. You took everything away from us, and now, we will do the same.” 

William grins, LolBit’s animatronic grin looking far more sinister than the usual goofy grin they would give. He never wanted this to happen. He knew LolBit wouldn't hurt them, Michael told him often that LolBit cared for the crew. 

This was William. 

It always was. 

“Run, run run…let’s play a little game. Maybe you’ll get to see your little daughter when I’m done with you. Wouldn’t that be nice?” 

“You sick bastard!” Henry snarls and William laughs, hopping over the couch with such grace. LolBit was always more agile than the other animatronics. With the sleek design, Michael wasn’t as clunky as the rest. 

Now it proved that this was dangerous. 

He was in trouble with William at the helm. William was a monster, and now was a monster in a machine that was meant to cause harm. 

Michael and LolBit chose not to harm, but William…William was the opposite. He brought harm to everyone. Leaving nothing but destruction and pain. Blood followed his every move, footsteps forever stained in red.

He killed so many for what? The chance at immortality? 

What a wretched existence. 

Henry jumps out of the way as a clawed hand swipes at him. He wasn’t fit for this, he wasn’t Michael able to weave through the punches. He was already dealing with a broken arm. 

“This is just like you, picking on those who can’t fully fight. You’re such a coward William.” Henry says as William turns around his whole body uncannily twisting while his head stood still. 

It was a horrible sight. 

Michael always moved LolBit like a human, but here William treated the body like a machine. 

“It’ll give me great pleasure to stain these walls red with your blood.” William hissed, “Always so jealous of my success. You couldn’t hold a candle to my prowess.” 

“Yes, like those Funtimes weren’t just blatant knock offs of my design.” Henry bites back slamming the umbrella hard against LolBit’s arm. It was futile since the thing did not feel pain like he would. But he had to keep William away from him. 

William snarls at the accusation, Henry knew the man had a terrible temper. If he could cloud William’s vision with anger, perhaps he might get the upper hand. 

He knew he had a taser in the kitchen drawer. Michael had placed it there before they had met Stanley saying that if LolBit ever tried to take over, to use it. 

LolBit never did, but because of William…he would have to use it. 

He leaps backwards from the living room watching William knock a lamp over from his anger, his whole body twitching much like that of a glitched out robot or horrible zombie. 

Shambling forward with such agility. It was horrifying. 

“You’re just a coward of a man who won’t stay dead and gone!” Henry shouts, “Blinded by your stupid ego that you destroyed everything and everyone around you! You killed Michael! You killed Elizabeth!” 

“I didn’t kill them! They died because they were weak !” William snaps back, “Just like your stupid daughter. Thinking she could try and stop me by placing souls into machines. She’s just as bad as I am dear friend.” 

Henry stops looking at the man, his eyes narrowed and they flicker a bright green for a small brief moment. “She is not like you!” 

“Isn’t she? Trapping poor innocent children into machines because she couldn’t handle being lonely? How many years were they trapped because of her?” 

“Because of you . You killed them!” Henry argues knowing that Charlie did what she thought was best. She was just a child! She didn’t know any better. She didn’t know the repercussions. 

But William was an adult, a man who killed children and shoved them into animatronics to hide them.

“How dare you, how dare you even equate what you have done to what she has done.” Henry whispers as William stalks closer, bright red eyes burning into green. 

William stares at Henry for a moment, before he starts to chuckle. Wet plops can be heard on the hardware from the ooze leaking out of LolBit’s speaker. “She did something to you, didn’t she. You got the gift that she likes to call it. Imagine that.”

“Yours will consume you whole William.” Henry whispers. “Look at you! You’ve already made this body crumble!” He gestures to the fallen panels on LolBit’s body, the thing was already breaking apart. 

William scoffs, ignoring Henry’s point. “I doubt it, it fuels me to be greater. I’ve evolved past the silly mortal coil.” William scrapes his claws against the wallpaper of the room, hearing it shred easily under the metal nails of LolBit. 

“Stop chattering, I wish to rip you to shreds Henry. Something I should have done a long time ago. Bye-Bye Michael, and Bye-Bye Henry.” 

William lunges at Henry, Henry ducking under the couch, his arm protesting at the movement. Henry holds back a cry from the pain shooting up his arm. Not good. He hears crashing sounds as William slams into some random bookshelf. 

“Quit hiding from me Henry…” 

Henry crawls under the table seeing the drawer where he kept the taser. He just needed to rush over and grab it, and then maybe he could apprehend this horrible man and purge him out of LolBit’s system. 

It was his only hope right now. 

“ Please Henry, don’t leave me alone… ” 

Henry closes his eyes as Michael’s voice breaks through the silence. He knows it’s not real. He knows William is luring him. William knew all of LolBit’s mechanics. He was their creator after all. 

To use Michael’s voice against him… 

He sees metal feet close by, stalking around. The sounds of machinery clinking and clacking, intermittent with wet drops of the liquid leaking out of the poor robot. 

Henry grips his injured arm, just about holding his breath. 

He needed to get out of this hiding spot and to the drawer. 

So he makes a run for it. 

“There you are!” 

Henry is on the floor crawling as he hears LolBit’s clanking feet against the hardwood floor. He doesn’t dare look around but keeps his eyes straight forward. He just needed to get to the drawer. 

William tackles Henry, sending them flying into the kitchen. He hits his head against the base cabinet, seeing stars in his vision and pain bursting through his arm. 

He lets out a cry and William chuckles, grabbing him by the shirt, lifting him up into the air. 

LolBit was far taller than he was, so his legs dangled, kicking back and forth as William held his shirt. 

“I win.” William says with a grin, the animatronic snout opening and showing the black ooze that was pouring out of their mouth. 

“Get-“ Henry tries to kick William but it’s no use. The animatronic wasn’t human. There were no weak points. He just needed to reach for the drawer. It was right there.

“Pathetic really. Your death will mean nothing but victory. Soon I’ll be able to consume everything in sight. Ridding those who dare oppose me. I think I’ll go for your daughter next.” 

“Not my daughter you asshole .” Henry snarls, while William is monologuing he reaches into the drawer with his good hand and grabs the stun gun. 

He stabs William right in the chest with the device, sparks flying. 

William yowls in pain dropping Henry to the floor. Henry grips the stun gun with determination. 

“I’m stopping you right here, right now. And then I’ll bring every single piece of you back to one place and make sure it all burns to the ground.” Henry’s eyes are glowing green as William grips at the place he was electrocuted. 

Henry immediately rushes out of the kitchen back into the living room. William thrashing about in the room, slamming into the wall to try and grab the man. He could tell that the stun gun did a number to him. William may consider himself immortal but his body was not. 

Like humans, machines could break down. And Henry knew just how to do it. 

He’s seen the insides and outs of LolBit, so he knew how to stop him. 

It just meant getting close, and William was proving himself to be a very large danger. He didn’t want to get close, for he feared the thing would hurt him. 

Or worse. 

Charlie had done something to him, but he didn’t want to test that theory just yet. 

Henry turns his heel to face William, seeing the animatronic glitch out a bit, liquid splattering on the floor. It was a disgusting sight, and part of him was annoyed that he would have to clean up this mess that William was making. 

“That was a dirty little trick.” William’s voice spasms, as his body twitches from the shock. 

Henry huffs, holding the stun gun tightly. “What? Don’t like it when others don’t play by the rules?” 

A low growl escapes the speaker of LolBit, flecks of black flying out as it did so. 

“No matter, it’s the thrill of the hunt after all. I think I’ll strangle you, just like your little daughter.” 

Uncle Will? What are you doing? Uncle Will? 

Henry closes his eyes for a small moment trying not to sob at the voice echoing in his ears. Charlie, his sweet Charlotte. 

Taken from this world by a monster. 

“You sentimental old fool!” William laughs, throwing himself at Henry. Then there’s a sharp pain that makes Henry scream in agony. LolBit’s large snout chomping down onto his shoulder. 

He could see his vision go white as William gnashed his teeth into his flesh. Henry can’t move his legs, but his arm is capable. 

With some effort he slams the stun gun into the neck of the animatronic, his face lighting up as the sparks fly and William screams in agony. Henry takes the opportunity to kick him, sending the animatronic backwards. He doesn’t fall but stumbles, shaking his body to rid of the sparks.

“Bastard!” William snarls only to get hit in the face by a metal bat, falling to the side. 

“ Step away from the old man! ” 

Henry looks up from his spot to see Jeremy with a metal bat and Stanley with a hockey stick in hand. 

“Did you really think-” William doesn’t get to finish his sentence as the bat is lodged into his head making the animatronic squeal. Jeremy is quick on his feet, despite the handicap of having only one eye. 

He hops over the couch as Stanley goes to help Henry up. “Shit! Henry!” 

“It’s not…it’s not him. He’s corrupted them.” Henry wheezes as Jeremy throws another hit on the animatronic, a plate flying off and exposing the metal skeleton within. 

Stanley swallows, moving Henry to a spot so he’s not in the way. 

“We’ll take care of this!” 

Henry groans, gripping his bite wound, right on his already afflicted side. He looks over seeing flecks of glowing green thrumming in his skin, spreading to the wound. 

He doesn’t have time to watch it, instead looking at Stanley and Jeremy who are taking care of William. 

“Get the fuck back! This is for breaking my goddamn hand!” Stanley shouts as he slams the hockey stick hard on William. The plastic casing is already falling off, bits of metal and wires flying as he receives hit after hit. 

It was like the corruption was also corroding the animatronic itself, making it brittle and weak. Henry just watched in horror as the two gave hit after hit not even letting William speak or do anything. They were trained for this very moment after all. 

But it hurt Henry’s heart seeing LolBit being destroyed in such a manner. He could see the tears in Stanley’s eyes. He knew what they were doing, that potentially they were hurting Michael. 

That they may have ruined any chance for Michael to have a proper body. LolBit was his host, and now…

Now it laid on the floor in pieces. 

Stanley pants, falling to his knees as Jeremy gave out a loud whoop in triumph. 

“Yeahhhh!! Take that you nasty animatronic!! What’s up? Who’s the winner?” Jeremy shouts as Henry just about crawls to LolBit’s destroyed body. The head is still intact but missing a singular panel. 

Eye sockets empty. 

They were gone. Everything was gone. They would have to burn this body, and rid of the corruption. 

Meaning Michael…Michael was gone.

Henry sobbed openly, holding the decapitated head in his arms, not caring for the immense pain that burst through him. 

Michael, his poor Michael. 

Jeremy pauses from his celebration, turning around to seeing Henry in anguish, crying softly as he holds the animatronic that had just attacked him in his arms. 

Stanley has his head dipped, his eyes cast downward.

It was like they were mourning a friend. 

“W-what’s going on?” Jeremy whispers, his eye wide as he steps closer. “We…we did it didn’t we? We killed the bad guy?” 

Stanley shakes his head gripping the hand of the animatronic not looking at Jeremy. “This is Mike, Jeremy.” 

What?

Jeremy just stares at them, “W-what? What do you mean this is Mike?” He stammers feeling the air grow cold as he looks to the stained white animatronic, the faded orange and purple accents. 

“Stanley, what do you mean this is Mike?” 

“He was going to tell you,” Henry whispers not letting go of the head. “He planned to tell you once he was back from his last shift. Mike…Mike was this animatronic.” 

Jeremy feels like he’s been hit with a bucket of water. Like someone just thrusted cold as ice water onto his face. He couldn’t think straight. This…thing was Michael? 

He…he wasn’t human? 

It all made sense. 

The strength, the inability to eat, the cold feelings and the hardness of Michael’s skin. 

It wasn’t because he was a vampire. But because he…he was an animatronic. 

“Why didn’t…why didn’t he tell me?” 

“He was scared, because of the bite. He said LolBit looked a bit too much like Mangle and he didn’t want to cause any trauma to come to the surface.” 

Jeremy doesn’t have a good look at the face of the animatronic, but he can see a purple circular cheek and lips. 

Mangle’s jaw swinging down and slamming into his face hits him but he doesn’t sway, he doesn't flinch. His heart just aches at the thought that Michael hid such a thing because he was worried he might hurt Jeremy. 

“H…how did he..” 

“He died, and was placed in this machine. When…when he fought SpringTrap some of SpringTrap’s essence made its way into LolBit’s system and corrupted them. That was a piece of William you fought. I…I don’t know what happened to LolBit, or Mike.” 

Jeremy crouched down, staring at the broken pieces. “Oh God…we….did we? Did we kill him? Will he be okay?” He was worried, his eyes staring to tear up at the thought of losing Michael. 

He had so many words to say to his friend, but now…he couldn’t. 

What had they done? 

“We had to, we had to do this. We can’t just let William walk around this world anymore. It…it’s what Michael would have wanted us to do.” 

They all look solemn, knowing that it was true. If it meant taking down his father and stopping evil…Michael would willingly sacrifice himself. But they all didn’t want that. 

They just wanted Michael to rest, and be happy. 

And now…they couldn’t. 

“Henry…we should get that wound fixed and then…clean up.” Stanley whispered seeing the blood covering Henry’s shoulder, still gripping onto the head of LolBit. 

“I’ve lost too many children because of that man.” Henry whispers, “And now…now he’s gone. And I don’t know if he can come back.” 

Stanley and Jeremy look at each other, sorrow on both of their faces. In front of them was a broken man, too many things taken from him, leaving him this shattered mess that he was trying to pick up all by himself. 

They didn’t forget that Michael wasn’t the only one damaged. 

“We’ll figure something out, we’ll get him back.” Stanley whispers as he helps Henry up, green eyes hazy and lost. As if he’s not really there. It’s what happens when you lose a loved one. 

You feel numb. 

Empty. 

But they had to keep moving, for Michael’s sake. 

 

…

 

It took only a few hours to clean up the mess. Henry rested on the couch with LolBit’s head still in his lap, gripping it like it was some teddy bear. 

Henry wasn’t sleeping, but his eyes were vacant. Just staring at the pieces they had placed on the coffee table, and the little Fredbear plush staring at him. 

The thing had fallen off the shelf and now rested next to the broken chest of LolBit’s hull. 

They planned on burning the body later tonight. 

“Henry, what do you think…happened to Mike? Do you think…he moved on?” Jeremy whispered quietly as he placed the mop down having cleaned up all the terrible ooze that had been spilling out of LolBit. 

“I don’t know.” Henry whispers, “The children didn’t have a body, but yet they were still there. As Phantoms Michael called them. Perhaps Michael…” 

“If we burned the body…would that mean…” 

Henry grips the head harder. “I don’t know.” 

I do. 

The three of them lifted their heads after hearing the voice echo the room. 

Henry’s eyes widen seeing a little boy sitting on the coffee table next to LolBit’s parts. In his lap was the Fredbear plush staring right at Henry. 

The bloodstained head and striped shirt gave it all away. 

“Evan?” Henry whispers, surprised he was seeing such a thing. 

Evan’s eyes glance to him, not pure black like Michael had described. But white pupils much like the bear he was holding. Black tears stained the boy’s face as he gave a small smile. “Hi Uncle Henry.” 

Jeremy and Stanley look around the room. 

“Tell me why the plushie is talking to us.” Jeremy whispers with a hint of fright in his voice. 

Henry looks confused and Evan is quick to answer. “You can hear me, but not see me because of the remnant inside you both. Henry has far more than you both have, so he can see me.” 

Jeremy blinks rapidly. “Remnant? That gross gooey stuff? I…have remnant?” 

“You do. Haven’t you noticed? How you haven’t aged? How you are able to heal faster than you normally would? How you didn’t die when Mangle bit you?” 

Jeremy swallows, everything was getting overwhelming for the blond. “Stanley has it too?” 

Stanley nods, “Michael gave me some of his…when we first met. I almost died because of…”

“Shit.” 

Evan hums at that, turning his attention to Henry. “You do know that Charlie did give you that remnant. She broke off her soul to help you. To let you live. Her final gift.” 

Henry places a hand on his chest. It made sense. Charlie…she truly did save him. 

“How are you here right now? I thought..” 

Evan frowns, his white eyes sweeping across the room. “I broke free, Cassidy…she was doing bad things. And I was tired, tired of just letting her do it. We fought and eventually…I found myself here. I got kicked out of the suit and had to recover for a bit. But I’m here now.” 

Henry nods, swallowing quietly. “Evan…Mike..” 

“Mike is still here. Henry…you have Charlie’s gift. You have the ability…to give and take gifts. You can save him.” 

This makes all eyes on Henry who’s brows lift upwards and eyes widen. Gift? What was the gift? Michael did say she had the ability to place souls in objects. Did that mean…

“Can I truly? Save him? Please Evan, please tell me what to do.” 

Evan stands up and gently takes Henry’s uninjured hand. Henry is startled he’s able to feel it, the cold little hand of this little child. This child who he had missed so often. He was so glad that Evan and Michael were no longer at odds. 

They didn’t deserve what happened to him. 

Henry lifts himself as Evan takes him to the coffee table the two boys watching quietly, not daring to even ask what was happening. 

They already had this bombshell hit them that this remnant was inside them was preventing them from aging properly. 

That would be a topic to discuss at a later point. 

“Just…reach for it. Imagine yourself reaching for his soul, and then pull. It’ll make sense when you feel it. Focus…” Evan gestures to the chest of Lolbit, and Henry stares at his hand. 

For a moment he feels silly, like this is some prank and he was about to get laughed at. His hand reaches for the cold plastic, feeling a sudden warmth hit his skin. 

Like putting your hands before a fire, feeling the heat lick at your skin. He can feel odd little touches at his hand and instantly he knows. 

Henry’s eyes glow brightly, and his veins start to glow as he reaches in. Not noticing that his hand is phasing through the metal and reaching within. 

He feels it. This warm entity that burns in his hand. He doesn’t pull away as the heat gets warmer and warmer, touching his skin as if suddenly realizing who he was. 

“Mike…” 

He grips at whatever this feeling was and gently pulls it out of the chest. His eyes widen in amazement when seeing an orange pulsating thing in his hand. Not quite solid, not quite liquid. 

Remnant. 

Orange wisps touch his skin, glowing brightly in the soft light. It looked as if it was alive, moving about just slightly. 

“Mike…” Henry whispers nearly falling to his knees but kept himself steady in fear that he might hurt the thing in his hand. 

He noticed that some of the tendrils are still gripping at the metal casing. Like it was holding onto something. 

“It…it has something in it.” Jeremy whispers looking at the orange entity in Henry’s hand.

Henry quietly moves it around, fascinated by the way it shivered and shuddered at the touch. He sees it immediately this orange and purple chip. 

“LolBit. It’s LolBit’s chip. Michael…saved it.” 

Evan nods, “It’s free from corruption…” 

“Michael saved them. LolBit protected him, and in turn..” 

“He protected LolBit. Sounds like Mike alright. But…is that really him? This…flubber?” 

Henry looks at Jeremy and Stanley immediately hits the smaller male in the back of the head. Jeremy makes a noise rubbing his head with a pout. 

“It’s Mike’s remnant, essentially his soul. You pulled him out of LolBit.”

Henry looks down at the orange entity in his hand. It almost looked like he was holding fire, or liquid flame with the strange texture it was. “Jeremy, in the kitchen there’s a mason jar. We can put him there until I can fix up another body for him.” 

Jeremy nods rushing into the kitchen. 

“Body?” 

“William is still here, I know he is. We have one final job, then all of us…can rest. Michael would never forgive me if I didn’t bring him back.” Henry whispers knowing their job wasn’t done. 

“We had a plan, to separate LolBit and Michael. Give them their own body in case…the job was finished and Michael needed to be set free. We didn’t want to burn them as well. So I came up with a little body. It won’t be able to hold both of them…but until I can fix a new body for them both…it’ll have to do.”

Stanley nods as Jeremy rushes in with the jar holding it open for Henry. Quietly the man slides the glowing orange ball into the jar, and it stays there looking more like a wisp of orange smoke instead of the goopy look like most of the remnant they had stored did. 

“Will he be okay? Is he…conscious?” 

“No, he won’t be aware of this. He’s in…a weird limbo right now. We can’t reach him, but once we put him back into the new body, he’ll be able to talk.” Evan whispered quietly, his eyes on the jar. “Thanks to you Henry, Mike is going to be okay. 

Evan just seemed to know so much, it made sense since he probably was the first to see everything being trapped in Fredbear. 

He always was a bright kid. 

“Henry.” Jeremy states looking at the jar and then to Henry. “I want to stay here until Michael has his body. I can help. I have two good hands and one good eye. Whatever you need to bring him back…I am capable.” 

“Me too. I know my hands broken but I can help just the same. You can’t do this alone. Mike would kill us if we didn’t help you.” 

Henry swallows holding the jar in his hand, seeing Evan smiling at him, and the two boys giving looks of determination. 

He was tired and sore, and hurt. If he was honest he needed all the help he could get. 

“Let us make Michael and LolBit’s new body, together.” 

“Make him…a real rockstar .” 

Notes:

>:3

Poor poor Mike and poor Lolbit. Things are not looking good, but Henry and the gang will fix it! They will put them back together again. That’s a promise.

So thank you all for the comments!! The more I receive the better the chapter xD (jk)

Fanart time:

Killapunchaw:
https://killapunchaw.tumblr.com/post/685101239682351104/inkspottie-i-cannot-stop-thinking-about-last

Soniccrazygal:
https://soniccrazygal.tumblr.com/post/684240719381151744/the-killer-remains-i-wonder-is-your-heart-able

Have a wonder weekend and I’ll see y’all in two weeks!

Chapter 38: Brought Back to Tragedy

Notes:

Im baaaaack! Did you miss me? Hehe thank you all for the wonderful comments and kudos! Almost at 70k hits!! Nuts!! I can’t believe it!

But I am back so let’s get this ball rolling. I do have somethings that seemed to be needed clarifying cuz I can’t reply to every comment (I had over 80 on the last chapter AMAZING)

So here we go:

1. GLAMMIKE? GLAMROCK FREDDY???

No haha Glamrock Freddy won’t be making his appearance in this fic. Remember what’s next! Pizza simulator and what line of animatronics are there? Rockstars. So Mike will be a Rockstar animatronic, not Glamrock. But don’t worry…perhaps there will be a SB sequel. If you all behave ;)

2. Will Lolbit and Mike be separated?
Yes and no. For the time being yes, but LolBit and Mike will reunite and they will stay until the end. I can’t separate them! And Lolbit will be more talkative as the fic continues that I can promise.

I think those two were the most prominent questions/theories.

Don’t worry, I swear everything will make sense.

I hope you all enjoy!

The Emily residence was quiet. This stale silence that built up in your chest. Afraid to speak in fear that something might break. The cracks in armor might splinter and shatter into a million pieces. 

Pieces that were already held by a thin thread. The stitching frayed and left nothing but strands barely clinging. 

Both Stanley and Jeremy knew Henry was a strong man. Facing so much adversity in his life. 

Not only losing his daughter, but his sons and facing the horrors of being an outcast by his own town. Everyone knew the rumors at this point. Jeremy remembered his father proclaiming he believed Henry had been the one to kill those children. 

Why did you think Henry stepped back from Fazbear entertainment? Not only to mourn the loss of his child, but to avoid the public eye and not be spit on because he was one of the prime suspects. 

A lot weighed down on Henry, and this was another stone onto the chest of the poor man. And all he said was ‘more weight’ for he wanted only himself to feel the pain of loss. 

He was tired, oh so tired of others hurting because of his mistakes. 

Had he taken care of this before things went downhill, perhaps nothing like this would ever happen. No possessed animatronics, no death, no remnant. 

In another life maybe, but here he was. Staring down the prototypes of yet another animatronic. 

Years had been put into one, but it was yet to be finished. Having stopped every now and then to help Michael. 

The workshop felt empty now. 

He felt like a ghost traveling between the walls. Michael was gone. No more hydraulic feet stomping by, or laughing ticks, or gentle hums as the boy worked. The silence of it all was killing Henry. 

He glanced at the jar sitting at his work table. The thing emits a steady glow, shuddering like a living flame every now and then. 

It was hard to believe this was what remained of his godson, no…his son. After all these years of being around him, he might as well admit it. He couldn’t really adopt a dead man, but in his heart this boy was already one of him. 

Something he should have done when the boy was young. Should have taken them all away. Elizabeth, Evan… 

Then maybe, they could have been happy. 

They all could have been happy. 

Henry feels the pang of his chest spread and the grief washed over him like a tidal wave. His hands to his chest as he leaned over his workbench and sobbed openly. 

The boys living with him now were fast asleep, Henry being an early bird by nature was already up. 

It gave him solitude, a moment to cry. To allow himself to mourn the losses that continued to hit him. 

William had taken everything from him. 

His life, his children, his work. 

So he wept. 

He wept for the children. He wept for himself, and he wept for the town. 

Henry would make it right. He would put things back together like he always did. 

He would bring them all to one place. 

That, you could count on. 

 

…

 

“So this is it. The place...where you kept all your stuff?” 

Henry nods as Stan lifts up the metal door, the loud clanking of metal hitting the roof as they walked in. Henry’s arm was in a sling, Jeremy was the first to go out and get supplies, making sure Henry got the best of the best. 

“It’s where I kept most of my work. Since the house is only so big. This is where they were created. Where Fazbear began.” The beginning of the end. 

They both glances around as Henry turned the lights on, surprised that it was this big. It wasn’t huge, but large enough to house many parts, many endoskeletons lined up on the wall. Some with casing, some without.

“Wow.” Jeremy marveled as he held the jar close to his chest. Henry refused to let Michael’s being out of his sight. They all took turns watching vigil for the soul in the mason jar. Jeremy felt bad, and hoped that Michael wasn’t conscious for this all. 

He couldn’t imagine what it must feel like having your mere soul shoved into a mason jar like it was homemade jam. 

The jar was warm to touch, signifying life. Sometimes he wondered if Michael could hear them, the way the tendrils of light would flicker and brighten with certain words. 

Or maybe it was just his mind playing tricks on him. 

“So what are we here for?” Stanley asks keeping close to Henry so the man wouldn’t pick anything up and hurt himself further. 

“Parts. Endoskeletons…casing. Everything to make a new body for Michael. And Lolbit of course.” 

After all, Michael kept the chip safe. Evan was positive no William remnant was to be found in the AI chip of Lolbit. All they had to do was slide it back into the mainframe and Lolbit would be there. 

Henry would make sure of that. 

Stanley nods, “Okay. Tell us what we need to grab and then we’ll load the van up. You don’t move an inch we got this.” Even with his sore hand Stanley was determined to help, as was Jeremy. 

Henry looked horrible. Dark circles were prominent around his eyes, his skin pale and he just looked tired. Defeated even. 

A lot had happened, and Henry was still grieving over Michael and William. 

That thing that he had encountered…was no longer the friend he once had. Corrupt and rotten to the core. William wasn’t a bad man, but that thing…was. 

What William had become in his path to immortality was something vile. 

There was no William Afton anymore. 

That piece of him was long gone. 

No doubt the moment Evan lost his life, that part of him withered away. Resorting to killing children and trying to become a god. 

The path of immortality was never a good one. 

Henry placed his good hand on his chest as he sat down watching the boys go to work as he instructed them to grab pieces and other things. 

They would sit down and make the blueprints first while Henry fixed up the prototype Michael and him had worked on. 

Project LEFTE would have to wait. 

“Just hold on a little longer Charlie. We will find you.” 

She would understand. She would want Michael back. She gave him this gift after all. It was what she would have wanted. 

Charlie was never a selfish child. Caring so deeply for others she often put them over herself. 

Much like her old man. 

“Say Mister Emily, do you think we could ditch the plastic that was on the old design? I know I didn’t see much of Lolbit…before but…I think these velvet type of animatronics might…suit them better.” Jeremy gestures to the white, purple and orange parts in a box. Some from Bonnie, some not painted and some from Foxy. 

“You’re right. I think it would be better to have the original feel. I was going to make another set. Charlie and Michael inspired me but they were scrapped after the incident. It was going to be a special event…” 

“The rockstars right? That’s what you called it?” Stanley asked looking at the blueprints Henry had in his hands as he hauled a box up with a careful movement. 

Henry nods looking at the blueprints fondly, “Charlie and Mike wanted to be in a band. So I thought maybe the rockstars would be a big hit with the kids. They might have some use for us.” 

Jeremy hums, “Ever think about Glamrock? I know Mike loved that genre.” 

“Well…I did have some designs for that sort of thing, but it’s mostly concept art. With the Rockstars…I have more concrete blueprints. For now I think we’ll stick with these designs.” 

Stanley chuckled, “Could you imagine? A glamrock Freddy? How cool would that be?” 

“You like Freddy?” Jeremy asks with a grin and Stan shrugged. 

“I like bears, and Freddy’s a bear…though I rather have the plushes than the animatronics. No offense but animatronics freak me out.” Stanley admits as he puts the box down into the back of the van.

Henry chuckles, “I will admit the old designs did look a little freaky…” 

“A little?” Stanley jokes with a chuckle. 

“I thought Foxy was always cool, and Bonnie…but now that’s kind of soured with the whole…bunny serial killer..” 

Henry sighs, “Foxy was Michael’s idea. He loved Foxy, always wore a mask that his father made for him. But…after all that happened..” 

Jeremy nods, he wished to know more but he could tell it was a sore subject. “I get it. Wish Mike would’ve told me more about his past. I don’t know why he wanted to keep so many secrets.” 

“He was worried. He didn’t you both to leave him, if you found out about things that happened to him. He cares…for you both so very much. He…never had good friends when he was young, and you two…have been very good for him.” 

Stanley and Jeremy give a soft smile, “He’s been good to us too.” Stanley says with a glance to the jar sitting on the work table near Henry. “Hell, I probably wouldn’t even be here if it weren’t for him.” 

“He’s done so much for us. That’s why we gotta do this. For him. Make him look awesome. Lolbit too. I hope I get to meet them properly.” 

Stanley chuckles, “You’ll like them. Quite the jokester. That’s why Mike would laugh all the time. It was Lolbit.” 

Jeremy makes an ‘ohhh’ noise as Henry gets off the stool he was sitting in. 

“I think that’s good for now, we’ll come back for more when things get more and more completed. After all, we still need to make a design for Rockstar Lolbit.” 

The two nod excitedly, Stanley helping Henry get into the van, Jeremy taking the jar, and they head off back to Henry’s house. 

They would put him back together. The both of them. 

 

…

 

Back at Henry’s house Stanley was on Henry watch duty which meant Jeremy was on watch for Mike. It didn’t entail much. Just him staring at the glowing jar as he sat in the kitchen. 

He could hear Stan and Henry tinkering away. We’ll mostly Stan since Henry couldn’t do much with his injury. 

Jeremy stared at the jar once more, blue eyes dark and solemn. 

“Why didn’t you tell me? Did you not trust me enough? I…I know I can act stupid…but I wouldn’t…” Jeremy sucks in a breath, feeling his chest ache. 

He wanted answers, but all he would get was silence. Maybe a flicker of light but it never was in response to him. 

“I’m sorry Mike. I wish…I wish you would have let me in. Henry’s doing okay, well…he’s suffering but I think he’ll pull through. He’s determined to get you back. Stan and me, we’re gonna help him. It’s what you would’ve wanted.” 

He hoped. In all honesty he didn’t know if he truly knew Michael. 

“When you get back, you’re gonna have a lot of questions fired at you. And I won’t go away until all of them are answered.” 

He leans his cheek against the kitchen counter tile, staring at the remnant of his friend. 

Remnant he didn’t even know what exactly that meant, he just knew…he had some in him. 

And it was why he still looked like he did when he first got bit. 

Age wise at least. 

Jeremy shuts his eye at the loud crunch that echoes his brain. He still remembers it clearly. The dark hall, the noises that made his head ache. 

And then one swooping motion he saw red. 

He didn’t remember much after that. 

Just that it hurt, and something was burning in his veins. 

He assumed it was the IV drip, but now…he supposed it was the remnant that Mangle had. 

“This is just too much. I wish you were here. Can you hear me Mike?” 

He can’t. 

Jeremy nearly falls out of his chair when a little boy’s voice echoes in his head. He gives a small yelp when seeing the plush of the golden Freddy bear sitting next to Mike’s jar. 

“It’s like he’s asleep. He’s dreaming, but he can’t hear you.” 

The bear was speaking to him again, this boyish voice ringing in his ears. A ghostly echo rattling in his skull. 

Jeremy just stares at the bear leaning against the jar. The white eyes staring right at him, almost like it was staring at his soul. Evan, that’s what Henry called him. 

The ghost of Mike’s brother. 

“This is so weird.” Jeremy whispered, leaning forward a bit. “So are you…like…in the plush or?” 

The child giggles, making the plush tremble just slightly. “It’s more of an anchor I think. I don’t really have a body, I’m kinda like Mike. Not the ball of remnant but here, and not here.”

Jeremy doesn’t understand any of it, and he is still trying to process all that happened in the span of two days. “Why haven’t you moved on?” 

There’s silence. 

“Well…I didn’t want to at first. I was angry, and then…I got angrier. It made things really bad. But..I found Mike again…and I feel better. I..want to help, instead of harm. I think we both do. Our dad…caused a lot of problems and it’s only fair we try to help fix it.” 

Evan sighs softly, the little boy holding so much on his shoulders. It seemed to be an Afton trait. 

“And I don’t want Mike to be alone in this. I…I love him, and I want him to be happy. That’s why I left the body. I left Golden Freddy.” 

“Why were you in there?” Jeremy asks quietly, “Were you…” 

“I died. On my birthday. I don’t…I don’t want to talk about it.” 

Jeremy immediately reaches for the plush, and feels a tingle up his spine. For a brief moment it feels like he’s touching someone’s hand, not the soft fur of the little plushie. 

He sees a flash of a little boys face covered in blood. 

“Your remnant is reaching out.” Evan says with a curious noise. “Do you feel it?” 

“I…I don’t think so? I don’t even know what it all means.” 

Evan sighs, “Mangle..was dad’s experimental work. At nights he would come in before the funtimes were created and shove…fragments of remnant into the endoskeleton of Mangle. It made the AI go haywire and often needed a release. Remnant would build up and..” 

“So their release was on my head.” Jeremy supplies and he can practically hear the kid wince. 

“If it makes you feel better you weren’t the first bite.” 

Jeremy swallows. 

You’re not the first one with that injury, apparently some kid had their whole head chomped down by one of the older models. It was crazy. 

He remembers the old boss talking to him about it. He remembers Scott wincing and Michael looking the other way. 

Oh. 

Oh. 

“Guess that makes us bite buddies huh?”

Evan is quiet before he giggles once more. “Mikey talked about you a lot. You’re really funny.” 

Jeremy feels his heart swell, Michael talked about him? “That’s cuz I’m the best there is. Best friend ever.” 

This makes Evan giggle even more. 

“Are you going to help Mikey get his body? The design?” 

Jeremy nods enthusiastically. “Yeah! I want to help make him look hella awesome. I think we owe him that much right?” 

Evan just hums, “Yes! I want to make sure he’s happy. We have to make him happy.”

“Couldn’t of said it better myself! Say….what do you think is going on in that little glob of slime of his?”

 

…

 

He was familiar with darkness. This darkness felt like when he had first encountered death. 

This cold, unfeeling nothingness. 

He was just floating in the abyss. 

This was it. This…was death. 

He didn’t make it. 

He didn’t try hard enough. 

William…had succeeded. 

Michael had failed. 

He supposed this was inevitable. He knew he was a failure. He never truly believed that he would be able to right the wrongs of his own family. 

His father won. And he was now drifting away in the abyss. 

What a joke. 

If he could laugh he would have. Laughed maniacally while he tried to hold himself together. That this was his punishment. 

He tried so hard and yet…he lost. 

How stupid was he? To even think…he could achieve something. 

His father was right. 

As he’s wallowing in his own sadness he feels a sudden thrum. This pulse of warmth hits him and it reaches for him. Like a moth to a flame his soul feels compelled to follow the warmth. 

When he comes to, he finds his face sticking to cool tiles. His eyes adjust and he remembers the checkered tiles anywhere. 

This…this was the pizzeria. 

Michael groans lifting himself up, seeing that he was in the security office of the pizzeria. He glanced around with a bit of panic in his eyes. “Lolbit? Henry?” He calls out, surprised to hear his own voice.

It echoed in the empty room, soft whispering overlapping the quiet British accent. 

Like he was a ghost. 

He gets a glimpse of himself, finding his eyes were blacked out, no blood to be seen on his security uniform. His eyes no longer glowed the vibrant purple, or the steely grey. This wasn’t Evan’s doing then. 

Evan’s place always showed you how you died. 

This…what was this place? 

He stops his thinking when hearing a giggle, and the sound of feet hitting tile. He leans out the door seeing a pink dress turn the corner. 

“Elizabeth?” He whispers, once again compelled to follow. 

He starts to jog down the long winding hall starting to twist and churn. Like he was falling down the rabbit hole, but instead he was running. 

Michael comes to a halt when the pizzeria hallway is gone from his vision and now he’s in a forest. The trees were thick with leaves and roots that were curling upwards. He looks back expecting the pizzeria to be behind him but it was just more forest. 

The forest was quiet and he could feel the crunch of leaves and dirt under his shoes as he walked. 

“Hello? Jeremy? Stanley?” 

He wondered what happened to him. What happened to them? Did…God did William…

He didn’t want to think about it. 

Walking deeper into the forest he notices that it’s oddly glitching at times. Like the world itself was this strange version of a video game and he was stuck in it. 

He didn’t know where he was, let alone how or why he was here. 

Was this heaven? Or hell even? 

Michael didn’t really want to know. 

He ventured deeper into the forest finding it to get more and more glitched out. The trees are now glowing white and spasming every now and then. The sky was covered in lines of code and bars that would flicker between the night sky. 

The further he goes, the harder it is to focus. 

Like he was walking through thick film, each step getting harder and harder until eventually… 

He punctures right through it and tumbles onto the ground. 

Wet grass hits his face, the smell of water is prominent in the air. He could hear the small splash of water as it hits the bank. 

He…was somehow at a lake. A lake that would sometimes glow a bright red as the world would shudder at random intervals. 

“So you finally made it. Took you long enough.” 

Michael scrambles to his feet after hearing a voice. “Who’s there?” 

“Hello, hello hello? You really can’t recognize my voice? I thought it’d be obvious by now.” 

Michael’s body freezes, and he turns his head seeing a man….no…something else is sitting on a log. He has a fishing pole in hand and a hat on his head. The line is deep in the water and he can see the bobber dipping up and down in the lake. 

“…S…Scott?” 

The thing smiles at him, looking like an alligator or perhaps a fox he doesn’t know. He’s definitely never seen it before. But he knows that voice. It’s Scott. The phone guy who had been…

“Hey kiddo.” 

Michael doesn’t move, he just stands there with his jaw hanging open. He doesnt know what exactly he’s seeing. “Am I dead? Like real dead-dead?” 

Scott laughs, “Not yet! You’ve still got a promise to fulfill but you have no body at the moment so we all 

took liberty to have you stay here for the time being.”

“Wh…why do you look like that?” 

Scott looks down at himself and then laughs once more, “Oh, this? Something the kids came up for me. Here..” With a sudden shake the strange animal glitches and he sees Scott take its place. 

Just like he had remembered him. 

Glasses, with wild hair and tired eyes. The eyes were blackened just like his. Like all the ghosts. But the smile is what he immediately recognizes. “Better? Sit, sit Mike.” 

Scott taps the space on the log beside him and Michael cautiously sits down still continuing to stare at him. 

“I can imagine you have many questions.” Scott says as he begins to reel in his line just a bit. “Don’t worry, I’ll do my best to answer them.” 

“Ho…how are you even here? What is this place?” 

Scott gives a gentle smile, “Well…when I died, I was..I guess its hard to describe. I was here, to watch over this place. I wanted to. And then…more came. I guess its a special place affected by…well..” 

“Remnant.” Michael concludes getting Scott to nod. 

“So I watch this place, keep things safe. It's peaceful. Not what I imagined to be heaven, but hey, it works.” 

Michael looks out at the glowing red lake, his hands clenched. “I messed up. You shouldnt have died…I-I..”

“Michael.” 

Scott’s voice is firm and Michael turns to see his darkened eyes staring at him. “You can't blame yourself for things you couldn't control. You’ve come so far. You've done so much.”

“But-”

“No buts. Beating yourself up won't do you any good. I am content with my role, and happy to help.”

Michael dips his head into his chest, looking down at the ground that clipped through his feet. He wanted to shout and cry, but found himself to be too exhausted. He was tired, but he refused to give up. “I have to go back, is Henry okay? Did Father? Lolbit…” 

“Slow down kiddo, everything is alright. Henry is a bit banged up, but he’ll be okay. Your soul hasn’t been released. You are just a visitor of the Flipside.” 

Visitor? Flipside?

“Evan is taking care of you, along with your friends. Eventually you’ll return. Look.” Scott had reeled his line back and flicked the pole to cast it into the water. As soon as the bobber hit the water, the ripples created a image. 

It was Jeremy sleeping, holding what he assumed was a jar. Inside was a glowing orb of…

Remnant. 

“Is that me? I…” 

“Your soul, yes, you won't be able to communicate with them, but rest assured everything will be okay. This role grants me the ability to see beyond, and I can promise you that you’ll get back to them eventually.” 

Michael deflates as the image disappears. He hoped everyone was okay, he was certain he was going to get an earful from everyone. He felt awful, that he was stuck in this place while they all had to deal with reality. 

How could he return? He didn’t have a body, nothing to anchor himself to. He knew remnant had to fuse with something in order to keep itself stable. And there was nothing left. 

By now LolBit’s corroded body would have been burned to try and rid of the Afton virus. 

Henry…he had Charlie’s gift. Did he use it to take him out of LolBit’s body? Was that why he was here? 

Did Henry…save him? 

They sit on the log for a while, Scott reeling his pole in every now and then only to cast it right back. The sound of gentle breeze and the line threading through the pole was the only thing to be heard. 

Then Michael heard giggling and Scott chuckled softly. “I wondered when they would show up.”

“They? Wh…who are they?” 

Michael turns his attention to the bush behind him as Scott turns. “You can come out, no need to hide.” 

The bushes rustle and Michael watches as children come out one by one. All of them look hesitant as they make themselves known. Michael feels a stroke of familiarity brush against him as he looks at the gang of kids. They all had different color shirts, and their faces seemed to be obscured by the glitching for a brief moment. 

He sees the little girl with a pink dress, and yellow curls step forward. An image flickers in his head. He knows this girl. He know these kids. How he didn’t know. Then another with thick coke bottle glasses follows, his fingers gripping onto the girl’s hand tightly.

Their faces are no longer obscured and Michael’s brows lift up, his eyes widening. The little boy with glasses is the first to speak. 

“Foxy friend?” 

Notes:

Come back from my break and give you a cliffhanger arent I just a gem hehe

Anyways thank you all for your continued support for this fic. I can’t wait to show you what I have in store! Check out my tumblr because I tend to be more active there! I go by the same name!

Fanart corner:

Smollfrnchfrii:
https://inkspottie.tumblr.com/post/685336269955432448/thought-itd-be-fun-to-draw-them-in-the-mason-jar

Soniccrazygal:
https://soniccrazygal.tumblr.com/post/685343244536692736/family-in-spirit-thanks-to-you-henry-mike-is

The-bird-ghost-anon:
https://the-bird-ghost-anon.tumblr.com/post/685345623131783168/inkspottie

Yun-shuten:
https://yun-shuten.tumblr.com/post/685419921186996224/inkspottie-this-was-chapter-37-right-right

Faerie-starv:
https://faerie-starv.tumblr.com/post/686812098651652096/inkspottie-fnaf-michael-afton-lolbit-fan-art

Birdie-ghost:
https://birdie-ghost.tumblr.com/post/687007484558344192/this-is-not-cannon-to-lat-dont-bug-spottie-about

Killapunchaw:
https://killapunchaw.tumblr.com/post/687058842364854272/inkspottie-i-love-the-new-designs-just

Chapter 39: We are in this together

Notes:

New chapter everyone! Sorry not sorry for these cliffhangers. I gotta keep y’all on your toes right? Make you come back for more himmmmm? ;)

But I hope y’all enjoy this one. Updated may be slowed down for a moment due to nearly my whole family contracting Covid. My dad and me have tested negative but ya never know with how fast this thing spreads. Here’s hoping I don’t catch it and forgive me if I can’t update because I get sick.

So here’s to the next chapter!

Michael stood there in absolute shock. He couldn’t form any words, his tongue seemed to just tie up in knots in the back of his throat. 

The children. 

The children he tried so hard to help. 

They…they were okay. 

It was as if both groups were hesitant. Michael was just standing there while the children were huddled against each other. Waiting for the other to move. 

He didn’t blame them, he no doubt looked like their killer. The one who did this to them all. With the illusion disc it let them see what they wanted, but he didn’t have it. He was just himself.

So he takes the first step. 

“You’re…you’re all okay.” Michael breathes and he feels like he’s about to pass out. They were here. They were free. 

No longer giant animatronics, but kids. Kids that…were released into whatever this place was.

“Thanks to you.” 

The tallest one spoke, with dark skin and a red shirt. Instantly Michael knew that voice. 

“Gabriel.” 

Gabriel was thin and lanky, with dark eyes and his hair short and trimmed but still had a bit of coil making the hair look more akin to a box. He had a small, hesitant smile on his face as Michael uttered his name. 

“I…I’m so happy…you all-”

He makes a noise as a sudden weight hit him full at full force, thin little arms wrapped around his waist head pressed tightly into his side. 

“You’re okay. We were so worried.” The little boy whispers and he knows it’s Fritz. The bouncy child that was trapped in the Foxy animatronic.

He can feel those little fingers grip at his shirt and Michael feels like he’s about to break down. His hand hesitantly is placed on the crown of Fritz’s head. “I’m okay.” He assures the boy, “I’m okay…” 

It doesn’t take long for the little girl and the others to follow suit and soon they all just about tackle Michael causing the older boy to fall into the grass. He gives out a small yelp that turns into a genuine laugh as he holds the kids tightly. 

They were okay. He…did it. He was able to help them. 

Warm hands and happy laughs embrace him, and he does the same. He holds them close as they all lean into the hug, happy. Happiness that they probably haven’t felt in years.

“Foxy friend crying!” Fritz exclaims, his blacked out eyes widening. 

The children pull slightly away to look at Michael who immediately puts a hand to his face, seeing the inky tears stain his fingertips. 

“Happy tears. They’re happy tears.” He whispers quietly with a warm smile on his face. “I…I’m just so happy you all are okay.” 

“It wouldn’t have happened without you Michael.” Scott says still sitting on his log, letting them have their moment. He turns to face the group, with a knowing look. 

“You gave us the happiest day.” The boy in blue whispers, and Michael knows this is Jeremy. 

Sandy brown hair and tan skin, he has a chipped tooth and slightly large front teeth. 

“Wh…where’s Cassidy?” Michael wondered and the four looked at each other, a bit uncomfortable at the question. 

“She didn’t want to come. She said she…had to stay.” 

Michael frowns at that. She didn’t release herself? Why? What purpose did she have in the real world? Why wouldn’t she rest like the others? 

“Her spirit is still angry, still vengeful. She won’t let sleeping dogs lie. She won’t for a while. I can see that perfectly clear.” 

Scott sighs, “But this is the path she has chosen. One day we will all get to rest.” 

“The Flipside…it’s like limbo isn’t it? Things aren’t finished so we stay here?” Michael asks as he moves to stand, holding Fritz’s hand, and the other holding Susie’s. Gabriel and Jeremy are on each side of him, surprisingly close to the taller boy. 

Scott nods, “As long as there is remnant in the world we will stay here. A waiting room if anything. Once everything is purged that was brought to the world by Afton and his followers…we can all rest. But for now, this is the closest thing we all have to a resting point.” 

“It’s okay here. We have our own bodies again. We don’t get tired and there’s a lot to do. We get visitors from now and then.” Gabriel says quietly, his eyes glancing up to Michael’s. 

“Mhmm, I got to see Mommy for a bit.” Susie says with her little hand squeezing Michael’s. Did that mean the others got to see their dead relatives? How did this all work? 

It was making his head spin. 

“So until this is all over, this is where you stay…I have..I have to go back. To finish this.” Michael whispers in realization and Scott nods. “I have to get back Scott.”

“You will, in time Michael. But for now, rest. Relax. Be with the children, properly.” 

Michael looks at the children in question seeing them all look at him with large black eyes. They all shared the same look, and Michael felt his gut starting to twist. He hated that they were here. That they were all here. 

Children shouldn’t be in places like this. 

“We didn’t properly get to meet on the outside I think.” Michael says after a moment. “I’m Michael. Without the Lolbit.” 

He can’t help but give a slightly crooked smile as the children beam back at him. 

“Fritz.” The little boy with glasses says holding his hand out while still being held, and Michael quietly takes it, watching the boy shake his hand vigorously making Michael laugh softly. Ever the energetic one, he was glad that never dulled despite being a ghostly child. 

“Susie!” She chirps, her blond curls bouncing as she looks up to Michael. 

“Jeremy.” The sandy haired boy says with a grin his arms crossed.

And finally Gabriel speaks up, his brown eyes bright with amusement. “Gabriel.” 

Michael smiles at them all, “Nice to meet you all.” 

“We are sorry Mikey.” Susie whispers quietly and this makes Michael’s heart ache. The blond girl with thick curls and a pink bow made him think of Elizabeth so much. He missed his sister dearly. He wished there was a way to help her rest. 

They needed to find her. 

“For what?” He asks, wondering just why the children would apologize to him. They have done nothing wrong. Well…they did do some bad things, but Michael wouldn’t condemn them for their actions. After all they did stop, it just was a bit later in their hauntings. 

Susie looks to the ground, her fingers clutching her pink dress. “Not telling you. About him. Cassidy…” 

Michael’s brows furrowed for a moment trying to rack his brain on what she was trying to say. 

Oh. SpringTrap. 

“I..it’s okay. I know Cassidy was the ringleader and prevented you guys from doing a lot of things, and maybe let you do things you shouldn’t have. But you’re just kids…and I can’t blame you for something like that. Even Cassidy.” 

He sighs softly, “I just wish it wasn’t him to begin with. Father..” 

The four wince, which leads to him doing so as well. He knew it was a touchy subject. “I wish I could say that he wasn’t always like that. I wish I could say that he once did love us…maybe he did, but what he is now…never will be the father I once knew.” 

He sighs quietly, feeling Fritz lean into his collarbone, the boy clutching at his shirt. 

“But…I have to stop him. He can’t continue this. I won’t rest until he’s gone from this world.” 

“We know. We’ll be here, to help. We can wait a little longer.” Gabriel says and the rest nod in agreement. 

Michael blinks in surprise, “I…I can’t-I can’t ask you to do that. You shouldn’t be here to begin with. This…this isn’t fair for all of you.” 

“But it’s fair for you?” Jeremy asks quietly, getting the rest of them to nod in agreement. 

Michael stands there awkwardly, Fritz giving him a small sad look. He felt uncomfortable just having these children hit him with hard questions. Was it fair? 

Sure. He deserved the fate given to him, didn’t he? 

He had done some terrible things and now had to atone for what he had done.

Right? 

“It’s not fair for any of us.” Scott says quietly, “But it is the hand that was given to us all. I’ll take care of these kids Mike, you can count on that. When you leave the Flipside they will be safe here.” 

“You just have to promise to come back okay?” Susie tells him with a small smile. “All of you.” 

Michael can’t help but smile at her, “I’ll do my best. I..I want to make sure all of us get to rest. To finally be free.” 

“Sounds good.” Gabriel agrees, all the little ones nodding in agreement. 

Fritz looks to his friends and then to Michael, “Can we show him the surprise now?” He asks quietly to the three and Jeremy gives a small glare as if to say be quiet. 

“Surprise?” Michael can’t help but ask and Susie groans. 

“Fritz! That’s the whole point of a surprise! It has to be a surprise.” She lightly scolds and Fritz bows his head, mumbling an apology. 

She takes Michael’s hand with a bright grin, “Come on Mikey! We have to show you something.” 

“Yeah since Fritz can’t hold it in any longer.” 

“M sorry!” 

“S okay, we were gonna take him anyways.” 

“Take me where? What do you four have planned?” Michael wonders as Susie starts to walk, leading Michael to follow her. 

“Have fun, I’ll be here when you get back.” Scott waved to the five and went back to fishing. 

“Where are you taking me? 

“You’ll see!” Fritz says excitedly walking deeper into the forest.

 

…

 

The forest was dense, and continued to glitch and spasm about. The trees just seemed to get bigger and bigger as they continued onwards. It led to nowhere but yet the children seemed to know where they were going. 

He felt like he was wandering through Neverland and these were the lost boys and girls. All lined up and led him to some fantastical discovery. 

“Alright, where are we even going?” 

Susie looks behind her, giving a giggle to Michael before starting to skip as she continues to lead Michael through the unknown. “You’ll see!” She chirps with a wide grin, Fritz giving his own gap tooth smile.

Michael just raises a brow looking at Gabriel to see if he was going to help him out. But the boy just smirks and gestures onward. 

Cheeky. 

They eventually get to a clearing and it’s a meadow filled with bright flowers and glitching grass. The sky still is dark with lines and coding, but it brings a strange feeling of peace. 

He recognized some of the flowers, remembering his house often had them in the flowerbed. He worked so hard to try and keep them alive, but eventually like all things in that house…they died. 

“This is where we can meet others. Just for a little bit.” Gabriel explains. “There’s someone…who’s been waiting for you Mike.” 

Michael raises his brow once more. “Me?” Who could be waiting for him? Elizabeth? No, she was still out there. 

At least that’s what he thought. Has she been put to rest? Was this the surprise? Was he going to see his sister again? 

They take him out of the forest and through the meadow, the glitchy flora brushing against him as they continue. He pauses when seeing a silhouette. 

He knew that silhouette. 

Susie lets go of his hand and Michael finds himself taking steps forward. Like he’s in some sort of trance, trying to figure out just who was the person before them. 

Thick curly hair was blowing gently in this artificial wind, it was a woman standing in the middle of the field. Her blue and purple dress flowed like some ethereal angel. 

He knew her. Someone he had missed for so long. Someone who he wished didn’t go leave him so soon. 

The woman turns around, her green eyes sparkling. 

“Mum..?” 

…

 

Henry sat in his workshop quietly working. His arm was feeling better, but it still needed a sling. Thankfully he was left handed so he wasn’t super handicapped. 

His shoulder still burned from the bite Lolbit, no, William had given him. 

His body was already healing at a good pace, no thanks to Charlie’s remnant now flowing in his veins. Her gift to him. He couldn’t die now, he couldn’t age. 

Now he truly knew how the children, Michael and Charlie felt. Being unable to properly move on no thanks to the thing tethering them to objects of this plane. 

Henry wished she didn't have to do that. She had done so much. His dear little Charlotte. Helping her old man even though she should be sleeping, resting and not having to deal with the horrors that William Afton had brought upon this world. 

It was a terrible thought. 

He took his glasses off rubbing his eyes quietly. He places them back on, glancing at the animatronics leaning against the wall. The black bear with a blacked out eye stared at him, along with his most recent project. 

A body for Lolbit, and essentially Mike. It was small, originally meant for Lolbit to be held once Michael was done with his duty. Whenever Michael was needed to put to rest, Lolbit was meant to reside in it. It was just made out of the spare parts he had lying around. 

But now, he had to use it for Michael until the newer body was finished. Until Rockstar Lolbit could truly walk on the stage. 

He was sure the boy would hate him for being placed in such a small little vessel. But it would work, for the time being. The quicker they can place him in a body they better. 

Henry didn’t wish to think about the ramifications of being just a soul in a jar, and how long would affect someone. The exposure of not having a body for so long, he hoped it didn’t cause any major damage to Michael’s soul. 

He just wanted Michael back, and if he had the ability to do so, he will. 

“Uncle Henry.” 

Henry jumps slightly seeing Evan peering at him with black eyes, the white irises glowing brightly in the dim light. The red blood contrasting with the pale skin of the little child. 

“Evan, you startled me.” Henry breathes, his free hand on his chest. He leans back against his chair while Evan gives an apologetic look. His little hands clenching, much like Michael would do when he was nervous. 

“Sorry. I tried calling you for a bit. You okay?” Evan stepped closer, Henry can see the plush sitting on the desk he was at. Somehow this little thing could pop in and out of places, no doubt because of Evan. 

“I’m alright. Just working on your brother’s body. The little one.” He gestured to it and Evan caught eyes with the shell of the little Lolbit body. 

“He’s going to hate that.” Evan remarks, his face scrunched up in amusement. 

Henry chuckles as he swivels his chair, facing Evan completely. “I know, but it’s only temporary. It was just for Lolbit after all. When…everything ends up well…finally being over.” 

Evan nods, “He’ll get over it. I think he’ll just be happy to be back here. I…don’t know where he is right now, but I can imagine he’s probably pacing back and forth in worry.” 

“I’m sure he will.” Henry sighs quietly, looking at the boy. It was so surreal. Seeing his little godson standing before him. It pained his heart that he was still here. Trapped in this world, unable to move on. “I’ll do my best to bring him back.” 

There’s silence and Evan begins to rock back and forth on the balls of his heels quietly glancing around. It’s been some time since the boy has been in Henry’s workshop. 

“I’m sorry Evan.” Henry whispers looking at the small boy. 

Immediately Evan turns his attention to Henry, tilting his head, confused. “Why are you sorry?” 

“Sorry that you are here. Trapped in this limbo. You shouldn’t be…you should be alive. Happy and enjoying yourself. Had I known…” 

Evan steps forward and gently reaches for Henry’s hand. He can feel how cold Evan was. The ghostly form of the boy somehow tangible no thanks to the remnant inside him. He was so happy he could see the little boy, see Evan after so long. 

The day he had died…it had been a terrible blow to them all. It was the beginning of the end, and Henry wished with all his might he could have changed that day. Stopped Michael, checked on Fredbear. Made sure that nothing like that would have never taken place. 

“It’s okay. We can’t change what happened. I’m happy that I can be with you all, instead of…inside a place I can’t see, or talk, constantly fighting for control.” Evan sniffles, the black tears starting to fall once more. 

Henry reaches up, touching Evan’s face, gently wiping the ever flowing tears that fall down his face. “You're here now, and I’m grateful for that. You shouldn’t have to deal with such things…but I’m glad you were able to get yourself out of that situation.” 

Evan leans into the touch, his eyes closed. “I missed you Uncle Henry.” 

A pain hits his heart as he sees the little boy, he reaches down and hugs Evan, feeling Evan stiffen then relax in the embrace. “I missed you too. I miss you all so much.” Henry whispered, as little fingers grabbed onto his shirt. 

He can hear Evan start to cry and Henry gently picks the boy up and holds him tightly. Like old times when the little boy was scared or hurt. Evan nestled into the small of Henry’s neck, and Henry quietly began to rub Evan’s back. 

This is what they both needed. A hug could go a long way. And Henry felt the boy had missed out on a lot of hug, he was determined to give them all back to Evan. 

It’s what the kiddo deserved. 

…

“Okay! Let us begin brainstorming.” Henry says as he cleans the kitchen table off, laying down a couple sheets of paper. He had replicated the original Lolbit blueprint thanks to his notes, since William had stolen the originals. 

Next to it were the new Rockstar designs, something that they would have to incorporate into the new Lolbit body. The Rockstars were to be a cheaper version of the original gang because they essentially were there as a front for the real plan. 

But this Rockstar would have more effort. He had to make it perfect for Mike. And Lolbit. 

“Oh this is going to be so cool. You here, little man?” Stanley asks as Jeremy places the plush and mason jar on the table. He always checked to see if Evan was in the room since he couldn’t exactly see the boy. Only Henry had that ability. 

Apparently both Jeremy and him did not have enough remnant to see ghosts. 

“I’m here!” Evan’s voice rang through, it still was odd to have a disembodied kid voice ringing in his mind, but Stanley supposed he’s seen weirder things at this point. Like dolls trying to inhabit your body, or a walking corpse inside a rotting rabbit animatronic. 

This was a lot better than the other two. He would take ghost kids any day. 

“Perfect.” Stanley beams sitting himself down next to Jeremy as Henry starts to scribble things down. 

“Now, we know the basic design won’t be changed too much, I know Lolbit won’t be happy if we completely changed their look. I say we take what was good about the funtimes and make it better.” Henry says, tapping the blueprint. 

“Which is easy cuz these things were uglyyy.” Jeremy remarks getting Evan to giggle. His face scrunches up at the thought of the funtimes. He had seen pictures of them and boy they were not fun to look at. Only Foxy and Lolbit seemed to be the cool looking ones. 

But maybe he was a little biased. 

“I think, we should give them a fluffy tail, and some hair.” Jeremy says, “Like Mike’s!” He knew one thing about Michael, and it was that he definitely cared a lot about his hair. It would be nice to be able to give him some. 

Stanley nods, “Yeah, and maybe give them like…a cool outfit. Like a vest? Since Lolbit is a comedian right? And they should have stars, since he’s gonna be a rockstar right?” He knew his vision of Michael wore an outfit similar to Ferris Bueller, so why not give Lolbit one like it? 

Henry nods, “Stars on his speaker…elbows and cheeks maybe? We can give them sort of a waistcoat look. It’ll be a fancy outfit. I think that will suit them both. Keep the color scheme of course. Purple, Orange and White. I think it suits them.” 

“Yeah! That would be cool.” Jeremy chirps in agreement. “This is gonna look awesome already.” He was in awe with what they had already come up with design wise. Now to see this in real life? It was just making him vibrate in excitement. 

“Um..do you think we could give him the ability to feel? Like touch stuff?” Evan asks a bit quietly, getting the three to stop chatting ideas for a moment to listen to Evan. 

Henry taps his chin with his pencil, the gears in his mind churning a bit. “I could definitely try. I know he always didn’t like that he couldn’t feel.” 

“He can’t grip a pencil, and I know he wishes he could touch things. Maybe make them like paw pads?” Evan suggests his hands gripping the table as he peered at the notes and designs of the new body.

Jeremy gasps, “Toe beans Mister Emily. You have to give him toe beans!!” He just about bounces out of his chair in excitement, clapping his hands with a sparkling eye. 

Henry gives a confused look, “Toe…beans?” He had a blank look on his face, but Stanley is quick to give him an explanation while Jeremy looks like he’s about to explode from excitement. 

“Like the cat, toe beans.” Stanley states as Jeremy shakes Stanley a bit. Stanley swats the boy away but can’t help and laugh at the enthusiasm. 

“Toe beans!! They need to be squishy.” Jeremy exclaims and Evan nods vigorously to Henry. 

“Please Uncle Henry? For Mike? It would be sooo cool!” 

Henry now sees himself being caught between three different puppy dog eyes. Oh no. “Alright alright!” He laughs putting his hands up. “I’ll do my best to give him these ‘toe beans’.” 

The three cheer in excitement and Henry looks at the ideas they have put on the paper. 

They talk and talk for a good hour, Henry quick to write and plan out things for Michael and LolBit’s body. It was really starting to look good for them. Henry was almost excited to start working on it once he was all healed up. 

“Well boys, I think Mike and Lolbit are going to be real rockstars.” He says with a satisfied grin. “Thank you all, so much. This…this is going to be great.” 

“But of course! We want them to look awesome! And we are going to do this, together. A joint effort.” Jeremy grins from ear to ear and Stanley nods in agreement. 

“Mike’s going to be so happy.” Evan whispered, it’s been so long since Henry has seen Evan excited. Henry had to admit he was excited too. 

Henry smiles down at Evan gently threading his hands through the boy’s hair. “I think so too. He’s definitely in for a real surprise. The both of them are.” 

“This is going to be so much fun.” 

Notes:

Ah yes the beginning of a new arc. Mikes gonna get a sick ass new body, and gets to meet someone he’s missed for a very long time.

Hope y’all enjoyed it and have a great weekend!

Until next time!

Chapter 40: We Dream in Stereo

Notes:

:D new chapter!! I am very happy with the things that are to come. I can’t wait to show you all what I have in store!!

Im glad y’all are liking the chapters so far!

Anyways, on with the chapter!

He nearly falls over, the sight of his mother is enough to bring him to his knees. It felt like his legs suddenly turned into water, and he was left stumbling down to the ground. 

Was this an illusion? Some trick of the eye? It couldn’t be. 

He lost his mother to sickness when he was fairly young, it was the reason anger and hate festered within. Why he attached himself to his father in fear the man would leave the same way his mother did. 

It hit him so hard in his heart that he feared everyone would leave him. Everyone he cared for. 

He supposed it did come true. Everyone left him, he felt so alone after all that happened. Henry gone, Elizabeth dead…Evan, Charlie dead. His father disappeared. 

He was just by himself, suffering his fate. Living out his worse nightmare. The fear of being alone, had he had a therapist he may have been able to help himself through some of the issues he had. 

But he didn't have such luxuries. 

This illusion was too good to be true. It couldn’t be his mother. It couldn’t.

But when she rushes to help him as he fell to his knees, her gentle face turns into a worried expression. Her hands touched his face, feeling how soft it was.

He could even smell her perfume. 

Michael just sat there, unable to process what was happening. Like he was about to wake up from this dream, finding himself back in Henry’s house. Or even worse his own. Finding all these years was just some elaborate nightmare that his brain cooked up. 

“Oh Mikey, I’m here. I’m here.” Her words pierced through the haze, the fog of everything. Her voice is soft and alluring, like a sweet song calling him. 

He always remembered her voice sounded like a tinkling music box. 

It was truly her. 

His hands shaking he reaches up to touch hers, and it’s warm. He can feel the warmth in her skin, feeling her soft touch. He’s been devoid of touch for so long, he forgot how it felt. To have someone hold you, to gently touch you and tell you it’s okay. 

As Lolbit he wasn’t able to feel anything, the only spark would be his remnant reaching out to another’s. So having this feeling, he was going to relish it. 

“Mum.” His voice is broken, a half sob bubbling out of his throat as she gently plays with his hair. 

“You cut your hair.” She whispers quietly, her thin fingers twirling around his brown locks. He looks at her with globs of tears falling down his face. “It suits you. You look so handsome. My sweet boy.” 

“Mum I-”

She just quietly shushes the boy, wrapping her thin arms around him and pulling him close. Close enough he feels her curly hair brush against his skin. 

He wraps his own arms around her, gripping at her dress like she was going to disappear. Like sand in his fingertips he worried she would just be an illusion. Just some trick done by the children. He had to convince his own mind that this was real, she was here.

“I’m here, I’m here.” She continues to assure him, as he sobs into her chest. Rubbing his spine, much like he would do when he was young and had a nightmare. 

Everything was falling apart. The tightness in his chest that he had surrounded himself with barbed wire and metal was crumbling. He couldn’t hold in the feelings that were trapped deep within. 

He never could with his mother. Somehow she always got into his heart and was able to get his feelings out. He remembers the first time he lied, how guilty he felt and how he sobbed to his mother unable to keep it hidden from her. He would tell his mother everything and when she left, nothing was shared. 

Nothing was ever talked about that related to him, or his feelings. 

All those were locked up tightly. 

But now that she was here, holding him. The cracks in his heart finally allowed what was held back to burst forth. 

“I missed you so much.” He finally whispered after a moment, feeling like he was a little child crying to his mother about some nightmare. 

But it was, wasn’t it? 

Dying, possessing an animatronic. Dealing with his father and his corrupted ways. The things he had done, and now he was here. 

Finally able to see his mother after all this time. 

She no longer looked sickly, no longer gaunt and withering away. 

She looked healthy, happy. No IV in her veins, oxygen tube in her nose. 

It was the reason he didn’t like hospitals, well the beginning of the reason. Evan’s death didn’t help either. 

“I did too Mikey, I did too.” She whispers, pulling away. Her green eyes sparkling, reminding him too much of Elizabeth. 

Her thick curls shrouded her face, but her eyes were striking. Unlike the children and himself you could see the pupils, the iris. 

She wasn’t affected by remnant, she was free. 

Good. 

Gentle fingers brush away the thick black tears on his face and she hums quietly. “Look at you. So big, so strong. You’ve done so much, I’m so proud of you.” 

It was like an arrow to his heart when those words were uttered from her lips. Like a stone in a glass window he feels like everything has shattered into a million pieces. 

“So brave, my brave boy. Look what he’s done to you. My poor children.” She whispers again, her fingers wiping away his tears and he leans into the touch. 

“I’m sorry mum, I’m so sorry.” He croaks, “I…I did some terrible things. I-I..” 

He killed his own brother. 

He was a terrible person. 

“I know. I know. What you did, I know.” She doesn’t elaborate further, but she knew. She knew about Evan. About what he had done. 

The biggest sin. 

“We have to move past that, you have to forgive yourself. It was an accident. You did not wish to hurt him, didn’t you?” 

“No! No..I just wanted…I just wanted to scare him.” Michael whispers gripping her hand, “I’m sorry Mum, I’m so sorry.” 

“Michael, you carry the world on your shoulders. Evan forgives you, I forgive you. You need to let yourself be forgiven. You were only a child. Your father should have watched you better, taken care of you so these things would not happen.” 

His head drops in shame, only for his mother to gently lift it up, her thumb rubbing circles in his cheek. 

“You love your brother, and your sister. If you didn’t, you wouldn’t be trying to make things right. You wouldn’t be here if you were a terrible person Mikey. You are good, it’s time you allowed yourself to accept that.” 

“You are nothing like your father.” 

Michael feels a sob trickle out of his throat, gripping her hands and laying his face right on her chest, sobbing hard. 

How many times would people have to assure him that he wasn’t a terrible person? That he was doing better, that he was making amends and trying to do what was right? 

It felt like he was constantly working to prove something, but…it seemed everyone else knew it and accepted it. The only one who hasn’t…was himself.

And here his mother was telling him that he was indeed good. He was doing his best. 

It’s what he needed to hear, the final stitch to his broken heart. 

“What you have done to help, has been more than enough Mikey. I am…so proud of you. There’s not a day that passes that I do not think otherwise.” She finally says as she pulls away. 

Michael wipes his face, giving a wet laugh. “I’m such a crybaby, I’m turning into Evan.” He jokes getting his mother to laugh quietly, gently helping Michael up to his feet. 

“You all were always so emotional, you get it from me.” His mother says with a slight smile, her eyes crinkling slightly. 

“No shame in crying, shows that you’re still human. Despite all that has happened to you, you’re still you. My strong son.” 

Michael dips his head once more, not used to so much praise. It’s been so long. Henry did it often but…he never felt like he deserved it. He still did, so it was hard to just take the compliment. 

“I believe that you all will see better days. All of you, and I’ll wait. I’ll wait until you come home. My dear children. If…if you see them again Michael, please tell them how much I love them. How much I’m sorry that their father has done…such terrible things to you all.” 

Michael nods, swallowing the lump in his throat. “I’m going to stop him. I won’t let him win.” 

“I know sweetheart, I know. But don’t destroy yourself in the process. Be kind, be loving, and most of all…take care of yourself. He will face his consequences don’t get dragged down with them.” She tells him, her words firm, quiet. 

“Vengeance is a fool’s game.” 

She nods, “It is. Stop him, but let yourself rest once it’s finished. There will be punishment for him, but you don’t need to stay to see it.” 

“I won’t, I don’t want to see him anymore than I have to. I’m tired Mum.” 

She sighs, gently placing her forehead against his. “I know. Stay with me, and rest.” 

 

… 

 

And they did. Michael stayed with his mother and told her everything that happened. 

They laughed, they cried, it was a good time. 

He forgot how much he truly loved his mother. How much she meant to him. There wasn’t a day where he missed her, and her being here definitely eased his heart. 

Made him feel better and ready to finish the task at hand. 

He was ready to return to the real world, ready to fight, ready to rid of the world of remnant. He didn’t know if his father was still alive, well he didn’t know if alive was the proper term, but he still needed to vanquish him. 

Destroy all the remnant once and for all. 

Then he could truly rest. 

“I think the children are calling you.” His mother whispered as he looked up seeing that he was resting in her lap, her long fingernails threading against his hair. 

He leans over seeing Susie and Fritz slowly making their way through the flowers of the meadow. 

“Go, I’ll be here.” She hums placing a kiss on his forehead before he stands up walking towards Susie. 

“Foxy friend! Mister Scotty needs you!” Fritz shouts as he rushes towards Michael grabbing his hand. 

“Sorry to interrupt your time with you mom.” Susie says apologetically and Michael shakes his head. 

“It’s okay. Thank you for giving me time, and letting me see her.”

Susie smiles while taking his other hand, “You missed her, didn’t you?” 

“I did…a lot.” 

“Hurry hurry! Mister Scotty says it’s important.” Fritz urges and Michael gives a laugh before letting the little boy drag him through the woods. 

He looks behind his shoulder seeing his mother smiling and waving towards him. 

“I’ll be back mum.” 

He knew she would be there, perhaps not soon but he would be able to visit her. It was just nice, to be able to have just a moment with his mother.

It had been years and yet, it felt like they had just talked yesterday. 

The hole that filled his heart was finally healed he felt. 

 

…

 

Henry was working hard, the workshop was busy with the sounds of mechanical whirlings and bolts being screwed in. 

Stanley was quietly turning a screw, the sound cranking louder and louder. Henry smiles softly, happy that he had some help from the two. 

It certainly took a load off him. With the blueprints done, all they had to do was finish the final touches on the smaller form of LolBit’s body, and then work immediately on Rockstar Lolbit. 

They sooner they got Michael out of that jar, the better. 

Jeremy enters the workshop with two glasses of lemonade and Michael’s jar. The boy was constant watching the jar, and Evan’s plush, making sure Evan was entertained and keeping an eye on Michael’s status. 

The remnant was burning brighter than usual, something Jeremy didn’t seem to notice as he placed it by the small tv that Henry had in his room. Kept the man focused. 

Plus hearing Immortal and the Restless in the background made it feel like Michael was still around. Even if it wasn’t true, it brought some comfort to Henry. 

“How’s LilBit goin’?” Jeremy asks as he passes the glasses of lemonade to the two signifying that they needed to take a break for a bit. 

“LilBit?” Stanley asks as he takes the glass, giving a grateful look. 

Jeremy smiles sitting on the stool next to the workbench, still keeping a watchful eye on the jar that held Michael’s soul. 

“Ya know, Lolbit, but tiny. So LilBit.” Jeremy explains as Henry looks at the shell of the small animatronic in Stanley’s lap. 

“I suppose you're right. Michael probably won’t approve of the name, but I think Lolbit would be thrilled.” 

Stanley chuckles, “I can’t imagine how Michael’s gonna feel. He’s gonna go from being hella tall, to hella small. The poor guy.” 

“Better than being goop…” Jeremy says quietly, and Stanley winces. 

“Right…yeah.” 

Henry clears his throat, “Maybe stay away from such topics like his height. I can imagine it might be embarrassing for him. But it’s the best we can do until Rockstar Lolbit is made. I just wish to have him out of that jar and back here.” 

It was understandable, they could wait until the final body was finished, but Henry seemed antsy and worried for Michael’s safety so they didn’t argue. It wouldn’t be fair to tell Henry no, or to wait. 

The man had done enough waiting.

“We just need to get the main processing component in, and it should be ready. Evan is resting until we can put Michael back into a body. He will be here to help.” Henry explains and Jeremy nods. 

“Can we keep Rockstar Lolbit a surprise?” Jeremy asks, Henry lifts a brow in response. 

“I…suppose we could. It would be a bit difficult since Michael does not take surprises too well…but I can have him work on the LEFTE project while we work on Rockstar Lolbit.” 

“That could work.” Stanley agrees putting the husk of LilBit down. “You think Lolbit is okay?” 

Henry takes a small sip of his lemonade and then gives a small sigh. “I don’t know. I imagine being an AI without having power they have no consciousness. So they do not dream nor exist until going back online. So they probably will think they are still combating the Afton Virus when we reboot them.” 

Perhaps there was a way to communicate with Lolbit. To give them a choice. Did they wish to stay in a separate body or continue to share with Michael? He would have to try and figure that out, but Michael was far more a top priority at the moment. 

He would have to apologize to the animatronic later, but his son came first. 

“It’s glowing brighter than usual. You think he’s dreaming of something good?” Stanley asks as he walks towards the jar, gently pushing it slightly closer to the tv so he can place his glass down. 

“I’m sure he’s thinking of something wonderful.” Henry hopes and they all nod in agreement. 

Hopefully Michael was okay, wherever he was at the moment. Henry hoped that he was having a peaceful rest. Something he truly deserved. 

They chat for a bit, enjoying their small little break until Henry goes back to working, leading to Jeremy and Stanely immediately following suit. They wouldn’t let the older man work by himself, not when they had capable hands. 

Jeremy was slightly humming a tune when the air changes in the room. It’s barely noticeable but Jeremy can feel it. He lifts his head and the others do too. 

They all noticed it. 

It’s like static, when you press your face close to the tv and feel the tingle of electricity. 

“-hear me?!” 

Jeremy stands up straight. That voice! He knew that voice! 

“Mike?!” He shouts, turning over to see the tv was on. 

“How did..” Henry stutters, about to move to turn it off only to stop when seeing the channels changing on his own. The noise of static fills the room, not too loud but enough to make Jeremy wince. 

Lines break through the static, like the end of a VHS tape and suddenly there’s a loud and long beep. Much like LolBit’s intermission noise when they screamed and all the electronics started to freak out. 

It stops after a moment and a purple and orange PLEASE STAND BY covers the small tv screen and they all step forward noticing that Michael’s remnant was glowing and flickering. The not quite solid not quite liquid soul was flaring in and out like a harsh flame. 

“Hear—me?” 

“Michael?! Michael??!” Henry shouts moving to touch the tv but the thing shocks him, sending him to jump back shaking his hand from the electricity. 

“I—cant—dont—have—time!” Michael’s voice is garbled and filled with static, as if speaking through a faulty old radio. 

“M—okay!” 

“Michael, can you hear us?! Please..” Henry cries feeling like his heart was being squeezed. The thrum of his remant is starting to make itself known, this squirming thing that settled in his heart. 

“With—friends—Going—get out! Stay—strong!” 

“Love—Henry! Take—care—Jer—Stan!” 

The remnant in the jar flickers and Jeremy reaches for it, gently moving it closer to the TV and like moving antenna to get a better signal the voice sounds clearer. 

“If you can hear me I’m okay! I’m with the kids! I am going to try and find a way back! Don’t lose hope! I’m okay!” 

Michael was okay. Somehow, some way he was communicating with them. No doubt a final gift from Lolbit, with the ability to push through electronics even on the other side that he was currently at. 

“Won’t be able to do this for any longer! The channel can only stay open for a little bit, I don’t know if you can hear me…but I miss you all. I wish I could be there, but I know…if I don’t find a way, you guys will. Don’t lose hope. We will finish this fight. Stay safe, please.” 

“We will Mike! We will!” Jeremy shouts, not caring that he’s just about screaming at the tv. “Henry’s going to get you back here! We are gonna make sure of it! We got this!” 

“Stay strong Mike!” Stanley shouts as well, Henry gently placing his hands on Michael’s jar watching the flame flicker and then brighten as if noticing who it was holding him. 

“I love you Mike, please…stay safe. I will get you back. I promise.” Henry whispers, a tear falling down his cheek. 

“The channel is closing! I don’t know if I can do this again! Please…oh God I hope you can hear this…I’ll be okay! And hopefully you all will too!” 

“Don’t go Mike..” Henry whispers but just like that the tv shuts off and Henry is holding a warm jar in his hands. 

“Mike…” Stanley whispers, all of them having sudden faces. 

He was okay. That’s all that mattered. Henry places down the jar and quietly walks out of the room. 

“Henry? Henry where are you going?” Stanley starting to follow the older man. 

“I’m going to bring back Michael. You ready?” Henry says turning around, his eyes flickering a bright green that it almost glows in the dark hallway. 

“Hell yeah.” Stanley states while Jeremy grins and nods. 

“Let’s get Mike back.” 

 

…

 

Days, it took days but they finally did it. Every wire, every nut and bolt, every plastic casing was in place. It was…adorable. 

All of them could admit that LilBit was very, very cute. This animatronic that was just barely at 4 feet tall was absolutely adorable. 

And it was going to be the vessel for Mike until everything was ready for Rockstar Lolbit. 

It would have to do, and they would have to deal with the shouting and screaming of Michael later. 

Henry was hoping that Michael would be more happy about being corporal again and being able to interact with them again then being mad at his new height. 

Hopefully. 

A man could dream Henry supposed. 

Doing the final touches he stepped back from their handiwork, the little thing sitting still on the chair. 

“They’re so cute!” Evan exclaims tugging on Henry’s shirt. 

Henry smiles and gives a nod, “Now that, is what a Funtime should look like. William if you made them look like this…I’d say you would of ran the pizzeria down to the ground.” 

“Good thing he didn’t. Could you imagine demented cute robots chasing after us? I had enough of that already with the Minireenas.” Stanley shuddered and Henry hummed. 

He did have a point there. 

“I am about to explode, this is really happening. All our hard work, and now Mike…he’s coming back right?” Jeremy asks with wide eyes and Henry nods. 

“Yes, Evan…could you help me?” 

Jeremy passes the jar to Henry, and the man takes it with a grateful look. 

Evan nods vigorously, “Just like before. Feel the remnant, let it guide you. Return the gift. Right in the heart. Then Mikey should attach himself on his own.” For someone so young, he sounded so wise. 

It pained Henry in a way, he shouldn’t know about these things. He supposed it was a good thing Evan was here. 

To guide Henry and help Michael get back to his body. 

Henry reaches into the jar, feeling the remant stick to his hand. He notices the veins in his own hand start to glow a bright green once the remnant made contact with his skin. 

It was warm, alive even. 

Latching on like a child would. 

“I’m here Michael. I am bringing you back now. I’m sorry, for the form you’ll have to take. I’m sure you’ll understand.” 

With a glance to Evan, the little boy gives an encouraging nod, gesturing for Henry to continue. 

He holds the bright soul in his hand, and as if in a trance he brings the remnant to the small body, gently placing it onto the chest of the little animatronic. 

His fingers go right through and his eyes are glowing a bright green, and then there’s a flash of light. 

Henry pulls his hand out, watching the sudden reaction of remnant meeting metal. Wispy orange lines thread through the plastic of LilBit, all spreading out to where the heart should be, beating in a rhythmic pattern. 

There’s a whirling sound as the remnant flows through the machine and then it goes silent.

“Mike?” 

 

…

The Flipside did not have day or night, no time could be read here. You did not know how many days went by, for a day could be a year even in this place. 

He was worried, but also calm. 

Michael had made contact with them, with the help of Scott. Turns out Lolbit had given his remnant a little parting gift. 

The ability to travel to the other side through electronics. He wasn’t able to master it at that moment, only making a one way channel, but at least he was able to do it. 

Scott said they heard it, and that was relieving. It took a lot of energy to do so, that was for sure. 

So he was resting, waiting for a sign or a way to get back to the real world. His mother had visited every now and then, but she couldn’t stay forever. It was understandable due to the rules of this place. 

Even he couldn’t bend the rules of the Flipside. 

Quietly he was allowing Susie to make a flower crown watching her work and talk about everything and anything. The others were playing nearby with Scott fishing. 

Until the red lake began to glow, and Michael’s form began to shudder. 

“Ah, looks like it’s time.” 

“I…it’s time? What’s happening to me? Scott?” Michael stammered watching his form glitch and spasm like a broken image on a screen. 

Scott just chuckles gently ushering him to the lake, “Looks like Henry found a way. You’re going back.” 

“He is?” Susie asks with a pout, “I was almost done..” 

Michael gave a gentle grin as all the kids come close watching him with sad eyes. “I’ll be back, and next time we all will be free. I can promise that.” 

“Be careful Mike.” Gabriel warns and Michael nods. 

Fritz rushes to give the older boy a hug, “Bye Foxy Friend. Gonna miss you.” 

“I’ll miss you too kiddo. All of you. Behave for Scott for me okay? I’ll be back soon.” 

Scott smiles as they all nod with promise in their eyes. “Alright Mike, ready?” 

Michael nods, giving his final hugs and goodbyes to the children. “Ready.” 

“See ya on the Flipside kiddo.” Scott says with a wink before pushing Michael’s body into the red lake and water hits him hard. 

He falls deeper and deeper into the code, seeing the children and Scott waving at him. 

And then…it’s dark. 

 

…

 

At first Henry thought it didn’t work, that he had done something wrong. He stepped forward to try and see if he could do something but Evan grabbed his shirt shaking his head. 

“Look Henry.” Evan whispers and the all watched as the slumped over animatronic’s eyelids suddenly flutter, before opening. 

There’s a gasp, as if the animatronic had surfaced for air. Fingers grasping at the chair as it took deep breaths, despite not really needing to. 

Purple eyes suddenly flicker on, and eyelids open and close rapidly, scanning the room for a moment before a familiar British voice echoes through the animatronic. 

“Henry?” 

Henry doesn’t hesitate, he rushes straight forwards to the little animatronic and gives him a big hug. “Oh thank God! Thank God you’re okay!” Henry cries holding the little one tight. 

He feels a small hand hesitantly pat his back. “I’m okay.” Michael breathes finally understanding just where he was. 

He was back home. 

Henry pulls away, tears streaming down his face as the other two step forward. 

“Stan, Jer..” Michael whispers, his ears suddenly lifting at the sight of Jeremy. Oh. He knew then. Oh. 

He must hate him. He didn’t get to tell him about this. He must be furious. 

“It’s so good to have you back Mike. You had us…so worried.” Jeremy whimpers, big tears falling from his eye. “You big jerk, making Henry and us go through that!” 

“I…Jer…I’m so sorry.” Michael whispers, unsure what else to say. “I…I didn’t want you to find out about..all this.” 

“I know, you had your reasons. They were stupid reasons, but you had them…” Jeremy sniffles, getting Stanley to gently pat his back. 

“We were worried about ya Mike, it’s good to see you back. God, I didn’t think it would work, but it did. You got nine lives, man.” 

Michael can’t help but chuckle, finding that it’s his on his own terms and not something forced by LolBit. “It’s the Afton curse. We always come back..” 

“I…it’s good to be back. I’m so happy you all are okay. I…I missed you all so much.” Michael whispers and this leads to everyone reaching down and giving him a hug. 

Even Evan joins and Michael is surprised to see him. “Evan?” He stammers, and Evan grins from ear to ear. 

“Hi big bro.” 

“How did you…how did?” 

“I got myself out of Golden Freddy…Cassidy…she’s not doing so well, and I was tired…tired of her actions and I couldn’t ever do anything about it. So I anchored myself here, with the Fredbear plush. So I can be with you, always.” 

Michael smiles gently reaching for his brother’s hand, only to stop when seeing that it’s much smaller. “Wh…Wha?” He says a bit dumbly looking down at himself. 

“Now…don’t panic Michael, but we had to get your soul out of that jar…so we kinda had to…put you in LilBit.” Jeremy says as Michael stares at himself with wide eyes. 

“Why am fucking TINY?!” 

Notes:

LilBit lilbit lilbit!! Mike is so smol now hehe

I got promoted for my job so yay!! But it means I’ll be working more hours, but getting that moneyyy haha xD

Anyways y’all have a great weekend!

Chapter 41: All Stay Strong, We Live Eternally

Notes:

New chapter! Whew this one is just a catch up with everyone, starting to build the foundation for what is next. I want to do some shenanigans with LilBit before we move with Rockstar Lolbit, so hopefully that’ll be next chapter.

Things are gonna pick up, so be ready!

I’ve been scheduled all week this and next week so I’m surprised I was able to get this out in time. Hopefully y’all enjoy it!

He stares at his hands with a wide eyed look, flexing them and seeing he’s missing a finger. He’s only got four fingers in this small little body. 

Michael suddenly feels how tiny he truly is. Once he towered over his friends and now they towered over him. He never felt this small before. Sure he was below average height when he had been alive, but this was ridiculous. He was miniaturized! 

“Now Mike..don’t freak out.” 

“Freak out?! I’m little! I’m-I’m-!” His body suddenly spasms, sparks flying as his little body shakes. 

“Woah! Chill out man, deep breaths..errr..” Jeremy stammers as they all move closer to Michael. 

It was overstimulation. That’s what he was feeling. This pressure that crawled up his chest and then felt like he was about to have his ribcage shatter into a billion pieces. 

He knew he wasn’t alive, that his body was long gone, but yet he always felt like he had one. His human instinct never left, despite being an animatronic for decades now. 

Perhaps it was the remnant. 

“Michael.” 

Henry’s voice pulls him away from his thoughts, cold hands on the side of his face. Purple optics staring into the deep green that was his friend, his father figure. 

Henry. 

He was okay. 

He was alive.

“You’re okay. I..I tried Henry! He just..he fucking-”Had the situation not been this bleak, the three may have cracked a smile at this small little animatronic spewing out curse words left and right. 

“It’s okay, I’m here. I’m alive…sort of.” Henry didn’t know exactly what his status was. Was he dead? Was he alive? Or somewhere inbetween? He could feel things, eat, sleep…

But he just couldn’t die. 

Not that he wanted to even test that theory. 

Michael looks relieved, pressing out a soft sigh as Henry quickly gave him another hug. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.” The last thing he had done was shout at the detective and then storm off. 

Then his father’s remnant had crept its way into his system, corrupting everything in sight. 

He had learned that remnants all granted abilities, and his fathers was the ability to infect and settle into things, essentially making copies of himself. 

It was a dangerous thing to have, potentially able to spread himself in every crack and corner of this world. That was how he would stay immortal. 

Not if Michael had anything to do with it. He would stop him no matter what it takes. If he had to face the man in another fire and burn themselves alive then so be it. 

He was willing to put a stop to it all. 

His thoughts fade, feeling Henry rub his back. He felt like a child, he was as small as a child now. This was humiliating. 

“It’s okay. We are here. Safe. And glad that you’re safe too.” 

“Lol-Lolbit..they saved me…Lolbit!” Michael pulls away, his feet clicking on the hardwood floor. “Where’s Lolbit?? Are…are they okay? Did…did they..” 

Henry shakes his head gently, standing up to his full height and reached into a drawer. He opens a container and gently passes it to Michael who takes it gingerly. 

“Their chip. Their AI, safe…because of you.” 

“We found it embedded in your remnant Mikey. Your last wish….” Evan whispers and Michael looks at the small orange and purple chip in his hands. 

“Guess we both are pretty small now. Why…why aren’t…they in here? With me.” 

Henry rubs the back of his neck, “Unfortunately because of the small stature it wouldn’t be able to process like LolBit’s original body. We tried, but we were afraid it might fry the chip completely.” He explains and Michael nods. 

It made sense. The smaller the animatronic the less you had to use to make it work. So of course Lolbit wouldn’t be able to rest within like they did before. 

“But..they’re okay?” 

“Yes, sleeping. Just like you were.” 

Michael’s eyelids audibly click together before he looks at Henry, “I wasn’t…sleeping. I was..in the Flipside.” 

“The wha? Sounds like a video game.” Jeremy questions getting Stanley to nod with him. 

“It…I don’t know how to describe it. Scott, he was there. He was watching over the place. And..the kids were there too.” 

“Kids?” Stanley asks, raising a thick brow. 

Michael nods, “Yeah. The main ones…that died. From you know.” 

“Oh. Ohhh.” Stanely connects the dots fairly quickly. “Did we just yank you out of heaven?!” 

Michael immediately shakes his head, “No, no! I mean, it’s more of a limbo. A waiting place. Everyone who’s been affected by remnant goes there, until all the remnant in this world is released.” 

“All…including us?” Jeremy asks quietly, right…someone must have told him about the remnant that was within thanks to Mangle. 

Michael looks unsure, “I don’t…I don’t know. I never got a straight answer from Scott. I’m just in the dark. But I know one thing for certain, we stop father…we stop all of this.”

Henry swallows, “He’s still out there. Isn’t he.”

“His remnant, he has the ability to just about cut himself in two, and then sink into another place. Like a hydra, you cut off one head and multiple pop out..” Michael grits his teeth, surprised Henry put any in this little kiddie animatronic. 

“Does that mean….dad can’t really die? We are all going to be stuck like this?” Evan whispers and Michael looks to his ghostly brother, seeing the worry, the concern on his face. 

“Not if I can help it. We need to find him. Lure him into a location and then burn him from the inside out. It’s the only way.” 

They’re all quiet from Michael’s statement. They knew the risk of this journey, the risks of what was to come. It seemed like a suicide mission. 

But it had to be done. 

To stop this evil. 

“I may have an idea, but…for now I need you in working order Mike. This is just temporary. We need us all to be ready and able. And we need to find Charlie, bring her home.” 

Michael’s ears perk at the mention of this form being temporary. “Sounds like you’ve all been busy.” 

“Very much so. It’s been hard without you Mike. We…we missed you. A lot.” Stanley admits and Michael gives a small look, feeling his heart squeeze. They missed him. Truly. 

It was nice to hear. 

“It’s just…it’s good to be back.” 

 

…

 

After the panic was settled and everything started to get clear for Michael, they all left him to his own devices. To give him space considering the fact that he had been in some weird afterlife limbo for a good couple weeks and now was finally back in the land of the living. 

That was not something he liked to dwell on too much. 

He already had accepted that he was dead. Long dead for quite some time.

He was just some ghost with the ability to possess machines. 

Particularly a comedic fox with bad timing on their jokes. 

It felt empty, being by himself. No thoughts trickling through the void to keep him steady. For so long he was used to the chatter of his friend that now, he felt like he was constantly missing something. 

A piece of himself was gone. 

His mind drifted back to that moment. To Lolbit holding him off the edge of their mindscape, seeing the disgusting tendrils of his father slowly infecting them both. 

Goodbye, my dear sweet friend 

Lolbit really thought it was the end. That this was their final goodbye. They were willing to sacrifice everything, to save him. 

I made a promise, and I aim to keep it! 

Lolbit… 

He feels a tear fall down his face and his little plastic hands tremble. No. He would find a way, find a way to communicate to Lolbit that this wasn’t the end. That he was okay, that they had saved him. Without Lolbit he probably would have been consumed by his own father. 

A fate worse than death. 

He owed Lolbit his life, again. 

“Mikey?” 

Michael nearly jumps out of the plastic casing, whipping his head around to find his brother looking at him with concern. Quickly he wipes his face off and gives a noise turning his whole body to face Evan. 

“Hey little man. Sorry, were you saying something?” 

“You okay?” He asks quietly, and Michael feels his heart start to squeeze.

He wanted to lie, to say he was fine and just was trying to get used to this new body, but he knew it wouldn’t be good to lie to his brother. Evan knew him, and could tell when he was lying. He was just like his mum with that. 

“I…I don’t know.” He admits instead, “It’s a lot you know. A lot of shit has happened.”

“You can say that again.” Evan hums and Michael gives a yip of a laugh repeating his sentence getting his brother to giggle just slightly. 

“So…Cassidy. She…kick you out?” Michael asks quietly, trying to change the subject. Evan’s brows twitch, noticing it, but doesn’t comment. Instead he wrings his little hands, his eyes traveling to the side. 

Evan shakes his head, gently gnawing on his lower lip, “I kicked myself out.” He says and Michael’s mechanical brows lift upwards and the audible click of his eyelids doesn’t hide his surprise. 

“She was mean, I tried…I tried to get her to stop. She wanted to hurt everyone, just so dad could get his punishment. Willing to hurt you to make sure dad…” Evan’s little hands clenched harder, a sign that the boy was getting more and more anxious. 

Quietly, hesitantly Michael reaches for Evan, gently placing his hands on top of Evan’s. Black and white eyes flicked up to his purple ones, a stream of black tears falling out of Evan’s right eye. 

“She’s so angry, and I was tired of being angry. She wouldn’t let me even talk to anyone, or do anything. I felt…” 

“Trapped?” Michael supplies and Evan nods. 

“I couldn’t let her hurt you, so I got mad. I shouted and said things maybe I shouldn’t have and she told me to leave, and I did. I found myself in the plush, and I was so tired…I couldn’t get up until…until what happened..” Evan’s voice starts to hitch as the tears begins to bubble out even more so. 

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry this happened to you. I’m…I’m glad your here. I am…so proud of you little man. You’ve been so brave.” 

Evan looks up at him with wide eyes, “B-brave?” 

“Braver than me! You stood up to Cassidy. She’s fucking scary!”

There’s a pause before Evan starts to laugh, it’s a happy laugh, one he hasn’t heard in a while. Michael can’t help but laugh with him, this time it’s not the uncomfortable tic that came with LolBit’s body, but his own genuine laugh. 

“She is scary.” Evan admits as the laughing dies down, “I just couldn’t take it anymore. Not after all that’s been done…she wants violence and the rest of us, we just want peace.” 

Michael nods, “I just want it to end, Father will get what’s coming to him. I just know it.” 

Evan swallows, stepping closer to Michael, “Why did he do all this? To us, to them?” 

There’s sadness in his voice, and Michael knows he too feels pain in his heart. That his own father, the one he looked up to, the one he cared about, loved even, had done such heinous things.

“I don’t know. And I don’t think we will ever know. Father isn’t…father anymore. He’s gone. Left with this corrupted husk. I’m sorry Evan.” 

“We have to stop him, stop him from hurting more…” 

“I know, that’s the plan. We’ll get him, and then…we can all rest. We have to find Lizzie, get her on our side.” Michael whispers and Evan nods. 

They had to get their sister back, and make sure they all were put to rest. 

“Lizzie, Charlie…all of them.” Evan says and Michael can’t help but agree. All deserved to be free. Released from these terrible chains.

“Couldn’t of said it better myself. We’ll do it. Together. Get you a better body, me a taller one, and then kick some ass.” 

“Me? A better body?” Evan stammers and Michael chuckles. 

“Of course! Can’t have you be a ghost when you can help us. You’re not a burden here, you’re a part of the team. Always has been buddy.” Michael gently reaches up to tousle Evan’s hair. It was so odd, not seeing him in the mindscape the boy had made for them. 

He was here, semi-corporal. 

Evan looks at him with giant black eyes, he looks like he’s about to burst out in tears. Like whatever Michael had said was enough to get the waterworks going. Michael was telling the truth, Evan was just as important as he was. He helped Henry, helped Michael and did a lot of useful things. 

He deserved to be part of the team. 

He deserved this, after what had been done to him. 

“You really need me?” 

“What?! Of course we need you! Evan, you are important. Without you I wouldn't be here. Henry told me what you did. You’re amazing.” Michael says trying to assure his little brother that he wasn’t some nuisance. That version of his older brother that hated his guts and never wanted to be around him, was long gone. 

“A-amazing?” Evan repeats in disbelief. 

Michael hops off the stool he was sitting on and stands tall, finding himself only a little bit taller than his brother. He doesn’t comment on it, and neither does Evan. “Amazing. My amazing little brother. Don’t let anyone else tell you otherwise. I’m speaking the truth.” 

“Pinkie swear?” 

Michael looks down at Evan’s hand, seeing his little pinkie out. He remembers Evan always did this when they were young. A pinkie swear was final, if you broke a pinkie swear…it was not good. 

Michael intended to never break this one. 

“Pinkie swear. On my undead soul.” Michael jokes getting Evan to quirk a smile as their pinkie’s hook, feeling a small spark between them. Their remnant’s thrumming against each other. 

“Thanks Mikey.” 

Michael smiles gently patting Evan on the back, “Of course. I…I love ya kiddo.” 

“Love you too.” Evan says with a wide grin. 

“I…I wanted to tell you about what happened when I was in the Flipside. I saw someone.” 

Evan’s brows dip slightly in confusion. “Who? You said you saw the others, are they okay?” 

“Fine, perfectly fine. Scott is taking care of them. But it wasn’t them. It was…well it was Mum.” 

There’s a brief moment of silence as Evan blinks rapidly, seeing his bluish form flicker for a bit. “M-mom? She…she was there…did she?” 

“No, she wasn’t affected by remnant, thank God.” Michael breaths shaking his head, he would never forgive his father if she was. It would be another thing on the list that kept growing. “No, she…she was visiting. I got to talk to her.” 

Evan just stares, Evan didn’t know his mother as well as Michael did. He was a bit young when she died, only remembering her sweet voice and soft touch. He knew Michael loved her, and that her death was a heavy blow to his brother’s heart. 

That’s when Michael got mean. 

“She wanted me to tell you, that she’s proud, and that she loves you very much. That you’re so strong, and to take care of each other. Well I mean us to ya know take care of each other I guess.” 

Evan listens, trying to imagine his mother whispering that in his ear. Feeling her warm touch. Almost like a lullaby that would instantly send you to sleep. “She…she said that?” 

Michael nods, “Every word.” 

His heart aches as Evan starts to cry, “I miss her.” 

“I do too. If we get this done, we can see her. We can be happy. We can rest.” 

Evan swallows his cries and nods, tears pouring out of his eyes as Michael gently hugs his brother. It’s odd feeling this plastic little animatronic wrapping it’s arms around him, but he knows it’s Michael. He can feel the warmth of his brother. 

“We can do this. Together.” 

 

…

 

Evan wasn’t the only person Michael needed to reconcile with. He knew Henry would wait until he was ready, and it seemed that Stanley and him were working on something and did not wish to be disturbed. 

As curious as it was, Michael would respect their wishes. 

But the person he did want to talk to, was Jeremy. Jeremy had been in the complete dark with him being a dead man in an animatronic suit. For so long Michael had lied to him, worried that he might freak out due to the likeness of Lolbit and Mangle. 

He didn’t want to bring anymore harm to Jeremy, but yet, it seemed he already had. He had hurt him by not telling the truth. 

So he let Evan rest, and walked out of the room noticing Jeremy sitting on the couch, quietly playing with his jacket. 

It was new, and Michael liked the colors. 

Jeremy’s eye flicks up to Michael’s and Michael freezes in place, swallowing his nonexistent tongue. 

“Hey.” Michael says after a long awkward pause of silence. Just rip the bandaid off Michael. It was going to happen sooner or later. He knew Jeremy may not be mad at him, but Michael owed his friend an explanation. 

“Hi.” Jeremy replies, and the tension is strong. “Look, I uh…I understand why you didn’t tell me. I get it. I’m just some…dumb idiot who gets in the way of things. I..” 

“What? Jeremy no, that’s not it at all!” Michael immediately says taking a step closer. “I…it was stupid, I should have told you from the beginning, but I was scared. I almost…I almost lost you when you found out about this stuff back at the old pizzeria. I didn’t…I didn’t want to lose you again.”

“Lying doesn’t help, lying doesn’t make friends.” Jeremy whispered, “I don’t care. I don’t care if you’re some goop attached to some machine. I…you’re my friend Mike.” 

Michael winces quietly, “I know. I didn’t want it to happen the way it did. It wasn’t what I planned. I wanted to tell you, I was going to…but then everything fell apart. And now I’m in some child robot looking like a damn fool.” 

Jeremy eye softens, and he leans forward just a bit. “You’re not a fool. And I don’t think any less of you now that you’re shorter than me. I think you look cute.” 

Eyelids flutter quickly and Michael turns his head glad that animatronics couldn’t blush. “I know…me lying hurt our relationship, but…I promise you…I won’t do it again.” 

He knew that was a lie, for he knew one day….one day he would have to leave, and Jeremy wouldn’t want that. But he had to rest, and that was inevitable. He was tired, oh so tired. 

“I know Mike. I know.” Jeremy replies, “You do these things to protect us. To try and keep us safe. Let us do the same. Let us take care of you. Please.” 

“I’m trying, I really am. I just…I can’t lose you. I can’t lose you all.” Michael feels like his insides are about to rip open, the pain of loss was so raw in his heart. His fear of losing everything, and once again being alone with his demons. 

“You won’t. You have to trust us.” 

Michael nods, not necessarily in defeat but in understanding. He knows that Jeremy is telling the truth. He knows Jeremy means everything he says. Despite his bubbly outlook, Jeremy was quite wise, in his own little way. 

“I trust you.” 

Jeremy beams at that, his eye crinkling at that. “Good! Now, you sit your ass over here and tell me everything. And I mean everything.” 

Michael can’t help but laugh, nodding as he walks over to the couch, finding it a bit awkward to hoist himself up glaring at Jeremy when the blond reaches over to try and help. 

“Alright…let’s start at the beginning…the real beginning.” 

 

…

 

It took a bit to get used to being back, the whole day was him getting caught up with what happened. He learned that they had to dismantle Lolbit entirely and had placed his remnant in a jar. 

While he was a bit disgruntled by the idea of his entire being stuck in a jar, he was glad he was not released with the flame. 

Michael wanted to make sure this was finished. He wanted to see the end of this. Completely wipe his father off this plane so he could never rear his ugly goopy head ever again. 

They just needed a plan. 

A plan that Henry was starting to brew up. 

“See the idea for Project LEFTE is to lure, much like Lolbit and Funtime Foxy did, but the opposite. Instead of luring a child, it’s luring a machine.” Henry explains as he points to the blueprints. 

The animatronic was large, with the same capabilities of a Funtime Freddy, but instead of luring a child, they were luring…Charlie. 

“Using father’s mechanics against the creations he made…that might work. What if…we made a signal that lured them all to one place?” 

Henry watches as Michael struggles for the pencil, his arm just a bit too small for him to reach. He gently passes it to him, and the boy gives him a small glare. 

“Only temporary,” Henry reminds him. 

“You did this on purpose. Payback for all those times.” Michael mutters but Henry can hear the mirth in his voice, he’s not as angry as Henry would expect him to be. 

No doubt Michal was just happy to be back in his plane. 

“Okay, but..signal goes off, lures everyone that has remnant with all the remnant we collected…and then boom. Fire. Torch the whole place.” 

Henry rubs his chin, looking at the sketch Michael was cooking up. 

“What if…we made a pizzeria. Revamped it, made a decoy and then…underneath we use it as a trap.” 

Michael blinks, “Oh shit. That’s…that’s brilliant.” He laughs, starting to sketch even more. The pencil scribbling away and Henry watches quietly. 

“It’ll be a labyrinth of sounds, scents and misdirections. Lure them in and trap them, then…when we have them all, it goes up in flames.” 

“The final resting place, the end of it all.”

Henry nods, “For now…that’s a good start.” Henry knew this would have to end, all of it. Including himself. He was tired, as was Michael. They had to stop this. Once and for all. 

“One thing at a time. Charlie is first.” Michael whispers and Henry nods. 

Yes. Henry wanted Charlie back, but Michael’s new body came first. He promised not to tell Michael for Jeremy and Stanley’s sake. 

He also had plans, for Michael to have a helper. Someone who could help him, like a service animal, but also be used to detect remnant. He knew there was more of William’s creations. 

He wanted to rid them all, and perhaps this little helper could help the gang go off and find them. Like they did with Funtime Freddy. 

“It’s a plan, an actual plan. Something we can work on. This big ol guy and then this.” Michael’s nail clicks on the sketch and Henry nods. 

“Perfect. It’s a start. It…it’s good to have you back Michael. I…I was so worried.” Henry whispers and Michael looks to him. 

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry that it even happened. I was…it was so stupid. He put all that gunk on me, and then…he was-he-” Michael shakes his head and closes his eyes. “I can’t believe he won. The bastard. He bit you.” 

“It wasn’t your fault. You couldn’t have known Michael. We got rid of him, and then you’re here. He didn’t win. He won’t win. We won’t let him.” Henry placed a hand on Michael’s plastic shoulder. 

“We won’t. You’re here. With us. We are one step ahead. He underestimated us, and he’ll do it again. That’s just how Will is.” 

“I’ll take him to his grave, Henry. I don’t want him here anymore. I don’t want him hurting anymore people.” 

“You and me both son, you and me both. We will stop this. Together. Don’t burn yourself out in revenge.” 

Michael nods, “Get me out of this tiny body and I’ll rip his eyes out.” 

“I think burning him to ash is a better way to do it.” 

“Yeah, you’re right.” 

Notes:

There it is. The ideas are brewing, things are starting to kick in gear! Hope y’all enjoyed this chapter!

Fanart Corner!!

Petrichordoodles:
https://petrichordoodles.tumblr.com/post/688721421964378112/hes-uuuhh-hes-fukim-tiny-your-honor-a-lil

Eldritch-demon-fox:
https://eldritchdemonfox.tumblr.com/post/684723899568685056/got-inspired-to-try-some-digital-art-after-reading

Have a great weekend and see y’all next time!!

Chapter 42: Ground Control to Major Lolbit

Notes:

Hoo kay, sorry that this is another slow chapter, I could tell y’all might be getting a little bored with this stuff due to…well the lack of comments. I know i shouldn’t rely on them, but it really helps me gauge on how well the chapter does.

And yeah lol

I’m gonna try my best to keep you guys interested, I know it’s a bit of a drag but trust me it’ll be worth it.

Rockstar Lolbit will appear in the next chapter, that I can promise.

Anyways! Enjoy!

Another dark night, another sleepless evening. Perhaps it was the remnant surging in his veins that kept him up, or it was just the pure paranoia of everything going wrong all at once. 

He’s seen his life crumble far too many times, oh how tired he was of picking up the pieces. 

Henry was a broken man, and too often was his soul chipped and cracked from the wear and tear of this world. 

Nights like this were agony. The clawing failure hit his brain. Of what he could have done, of what he could have stopped. 

He knew dwelling on such things was detrimental to his health, but it seemed his mind did not seem to care. What was worse, all the hissing whispers and terrible groans echoing his mind were that of his former friend, William. 

His voice seemed to play into the darkest part of his mind. 

To quiet it all, work seemed the only way to do so. And that was what he was doing. Keeping his hands busy and making his mind focus on the task at hand. Between Rockstar Lolbit and Project LEFTE he was constantly busy. Building and making things. It was the one thing that brought comfort to him now. 

While the others quietly slept or worked on their own thing Henry stayed up later in the night, working and working to try and put Michael back together. 

At the moment he was experimenting, trying to see if there was a way to communicate with the AI embedded in the silver chip that laid innocently in a plastic bag. 

If Michael had been able to communicate through the tv…perhaps Henry could communicate to Lolbit.

He wanted to make sure the fox was okay with the decisions that were to be made. If they wished to be separated from Mike, now that LilBit was in working order Lolbit would be able to have their own body. 

Henry wanted to give that option to them. 

They deserved the choice to live freely after all they had done for Michael. Saving him from the corruption, and in turn letting him live another day. Well not exactly live but survive he supposed. Instead of falling to the corruption that was Williams infection. 

So he quietly begins to work on a way to do it, wires and little cables attached to the chip, careful not to fry it with power or anything like that. Henry was glad he was capable of creating such things, it really gave him a leg up. 

He at least felt useful in this scenario. 

Quietly he pressed the button on the old CRV tv watching it power on, and begins to change the channels as he presses the wires close to the AI chip. It was the same one that Michael used to communicate when he was in the Flipside, so it was logical that he would attempt it again with Lolbit. 

The static starts to get more and more clear, with purple and orange lines filtering through. The glow of the tv gives off a soft light, as Henry is searching for the perfect channel to talk to Lolbit. 

“Lolbit can you hear me?” He asks quietly, doing his best not to wake the others. He leans in quietly as the static starts to dissolve and he hears a familiar voice. It was odd just speaking out into the air, but he’s done stranger things at this point. 

“Now this is a bit familiar…” The voice says thoughtfully and the screen flickers to a pixelated Lolbit staring at Henry. 

“Oh good, it works! Lolbit..” Henry says in relief. It worked! He was surprised but happy nonetheless that he was able to communicate with the animatronic fox. Lolbit looks around with bright white eyes. 

“Henry! Where’s Mikey? Is he okay? Did he..” 

Henry shakes his head, “No, he’s safe. Thanks to you.” 

Lolbit looks relieved, the pixels fluctuating between their expressions. “Thank the stars. I was so worried. That damn ape, coming into our system like that!” They give a huff and the static starts to fuzz the tv, glitching their icon a bit. 

“I know, we took care of it.” Henry and Stanley had burned the remains just like they had done with the others. The black ooze evaporated in the air just like the rest of the terrible remnant they’ve encountered.

“Judging by this form, I have a feeling our body didn’t make it…”

Henry looks sad, glancing off to the side, “Unfortunately we had to burn it, to get rid of all the corrupted remnant. That’s why I have you here. To talk to you.” 

Lolbit looks intrigued. “Oh? You wish to speak to little ol’ me? Color me surprised!” Their pixelated face suddenly beams with color as they laugh. 

“Yes,” Henry can’t help but laugh at Lolbit’s humor. He missed it. “I…Michael is in need of a new body. One I have crafted, but I wanted to make sure. Make sure you have the choice.” 

Lolbit raises a white brow on their vulpine face, “And what choice would that be?” 

“To have your own body. To be separate. Michael and I created an idea, to have you have your own body in case…Michael was ready..” He trails off not really wishing to talk about the eventual future. 

He already lost Michael so many times, he didn’t want to think about the eventual end of it all. It had to be done, they both knew it. 

It would be something they would have to work up to. 

Lolbit tilts their head before staring at Henry with large white eyes. “Henry, darling. You are such a sweetheart. But I made a promise. And I intend to keep it as long as I’m able to. I am not leaving that boy’s side until the canary sings. Or I suppose in this case the rabbit chokes.” 

Henry chuckles, seeing how serious Lolbit was. There was his answer. “I see. Then I’ll put you in before I put Michael back into your new body. So you two can have a proper reunion.” 

“He…he’s doing okay, not being super emo?” 

The older man snorts, “Not more than usual. He has a good support team. I’ll do my best to make sure you two are back together as quick as I can. And I want to thank you, for taking care of him. 

“Like I said, I made a promise. Don’t work yourself to the bone Henry. It seems to be a trait you and Mikey both share.” Lolbit snickers a bit and Henry can’t help but give a laugh of his own. Lolbit’s laugh still was as infectious as ever. 

“I know. I know.” He says after the laughter dies down. He reaches to turn off the connection but Lolbit stops him with a slight gasp on their side. 

“Let me at least keep you company for tonight.” They look a little pleasing, as if they don’t want to be put back asleep. Back to the void. 

Henry smiles, “I’d like that Lolbit. I’d like that a lot.” 

 

…

 

Michael finally was able to catch Stanley by himself, without Henry or doing something secretive. He wasn’t about to press at the moment, knowing no doubt it was something Henry was making him do. Or more than likely Stanley volunteered to do so. It seemed that Stanley became the one to pick up the slack when Michael had been out of commission. 

He knew Jeremy had done his fair share of work too. He was grateful for both of them, that was for sure. Even little Evan was helping! 

Stanley was quietly cooking, he could hear Jeremy snoring away on the couch. Henry seemed to be in his room no doubt sleeping since it was a bit early. 

“You’re up early.” Michael states as he struggles to get up on the kitchen bar stool, glaring at Stanley as his friend tries not to laugh. Damn this little body…

“You know me, sleeping isn’t my favorite thing in the world.” 

Ah. 

Right. 

“I don’t blame you there.” Michael mutters tracing the countertop with his nail. “How are you?” It seemed they both had sleepless nights. Unfortunate. 

Stanley pauses, looking over his shoulder, “I’ve been better, but I’ve been worse.” 

Michael nods, he supposed that was a valid statement. They had been through a lot, and it wasn’t about to end anytime soon. That he knew for certain. Scott had said that William was still out there. He didn’t die in that damn fire. 

“What about you?” Stanley asks and Michael shrugs. 

“I’m…I'm just happy to be back.” 

“What was it like? On the Flipside?” 

There’s a small bit of curiosity in Stanley’s voice. “Quiet. Weird. The kids were there, so it helped distract me from…well ya know. I guess being in limbo? It…it felt nice, but not at the same time.” 

Stanley raises a brow, “Why’s that?” 

“I guess…because I didn’t want to be there. I wanted to be back, with you guys. Wanted to finish this. So I suppose my soul was restless. My promise wasn’t fulfilled and that's why my remnant stayed here.” 

“Right…” 

Michael can feel the air get uncomfortable, knowing that Stanley didn’t want to talk about Michael eventually leaving them completely. They all knew it was coming, but none of them were ready for it. 

It was inevitable. Once William Afton was gone from this world, Michael would be finally able to rest. 

“Hey thanks, Stanley.” 

Stanley lifts his head looking at Michael with wide eyes. “Why?” 

“You really took the mantle here. I..I appreciate it. I know it’s been rough. With you and what happened back there…I could never thank you enough for all that you’ve done for me, and Henry.” 

Stanley smiles, “Naw don’t mention it Mike. You’re my friend. You saved my life, it’s the least I can do. I had to beat the shit out of your body and I really just want to ya know..make it right. 

Michael returns his own small little foxy smile, “Still…thanks. And sorry, for that…” 

There’s a pause before Stanley nods, “Anytime man. Anytime. I’m here for you. And so is Jeremy. We care for you. Greatly.” 

“I know, and I couldn’t ask for better friends.” Where were they when he was younger? Maybe then this all wouldn’t happen. 

“Same.” Stanley turns off the stove looking at Mike. “I would ask you if you wanted breakfast but…” He gestures to Michael’s body and Michael gives out a sigh. What he would give to just eat some nice breakfast. He missed how food tasted. How things felt. 

“It probably is amazing, but sucks that I unfortunately can’t eat.” 

“I mean…we could try.” 

“No, Stanley. No.” 

 

…

This form was not fun. This form was awful. This form was the worst thing he ever experienced. He hated it with a passion. 

He hated being so small, his height normally was small but he was so used to towering over people. Now he was small, like a child. 

Unable to grab onto things, unable to sit down on the couch without having to haul himself up to some degree. It was not fun, and he wished he could be back in his normal Lolbit body. 

Which was funny because he preferred to be human entirely but he rather have LolBit’s Funtime body before he would have this one.

It didn’t help that his friends decided this was the perfect time to constantly pick him up and swing him around like a ragdoll. 

Jeremy was the one to do it often, making Michael have to scramble away from the blond so he didn’t get picked up like a child and hugged and squeezed. 

He was not some doll. 

Even Evan was a traitor, telling Stanley and Jeremy where he was and laughing at his despair. He supposed he deserved it after all the times he laughed at him. 

Guess it was only fair. 

“Okay, okay question…”Jeremy begins to speak, looking at Michael who is quietly tinkering on something with the utmost focus. 

“You said he had a disc thingy? That made him look human right?” 

“Correct.” Henry says with a slight chuckle getting Michael to lift his head raising a brow at Jeremy. 

Jeremy beams, and leans forward a bit, “What if we put it on Mike? Like right now? What would he look like?” 

This makes Henry tilt his head, scratching at his stubbled chin. “Hmm…I’d imagine…he might look like a smaller version of himself, or a child? I am not certain.” 

“Oh. My. Gosh.” Jeremy says his blue eye wide while Stanley is laughing, doing his best not to choke on his drink. “Mr. Emily, we have to- for science!!” 

“Absolutely not!” Michael shouts standing up and Jeremy looks at him pouting. “We are not doing that, I have been subjected to enough torture as it is. I do not want to be seen as a little kid! This form is already humiliating!” 

He sounds like a child whining, but he doesn’t care. He’s been through enough and now they want to embarrass him further? 

“Aw come on Mike! It’ll be fun! We never get to see any of your past anyways! You owe us that!” 

Michael glares at Jeremy for playing that card. Sure he did not like to talk about his childhood much, he rather just not talk about himself at all. He didn’t mean to be shrouded in mystery, he just didn’t find himself that interesting. 

“Jeremy, please.” Michael begs and Jeremy sighs crossing his arms and throwing himself back onto the couch. 

“Where did Henry go?” Stanley asks as he takes a sip of his soda. 

Michael lifts his head, his ears flick upwards scanning the room. Huh, he must have left when they were arguing. Probably didn’t want to constantly be annoyed with Jeremy and Michael bickering. 

“Right here.” Henry hums holding something behind his back. “Now…unfortunately I do not have the illusion disc on hand at the moment…but I do have this.” 

Jeremy leans forward as does Michael as Henry pulls out a large brown book. Oh. The picture book. 

“Nope. I am not doing that, no thanks.” Michael says immediately not wanting to see any embarrassing pictures. 

Jeremy’s eye widens and he looks to Stanley. “Stan! Grab him! We are doing picture time and he’s gonna stay with us! Go go!” With that he jumps off the couch and Michael leaps forward dodging his arms. 

“No! Absolutely not!” 

“Come Mike let’s see those baby pictures!” Jeremy whines and Michael rushes towards the kitchen only to smack right into Stanley. 

“Noooo!” Michael whines as Stanley immediately sweeps Michael up, sticking him under his arms while the little fox animatronic tries to wiggle free. 

His little fist hit Stanley’s side but the man doesn’t even flinch, instead he sits on the couch and has Michael wedged between Stanley and Jeremy.

Henry sits down next to Jeremy and places the scrapbook in Jeremy’s lap. 

“Now these are pretty old, but good.” 

Jeremy looks like he’s just won the lottery and quietly was looking through the pages. “Is that you?” 

Henry looks over and sees the picture of him and William in college. “Yes, that’s when I met William. We both wanted to be engineers.” He explained with a hum, his eyes soft at the smiling duo. 

What happened? How did they stray so far from what was? 

“Is this your mom Mike?” 

Michael leans forward looking very disgruntled by Stanley keeping him on the couch. He sees a laughing woman with thick curly hair and a kind smile. “Yeah. That’s my mum. She…she passed away from cancer.” 

“I’m sorry.” Jeremy says quietly, “But she’s very pretty.” 

Michael just hums, looking at the picture of his mother. He was glad he at least got to see her, one last time. 

They turn the page and Jeremy gives out a small squeal. “Oh my gosh! Baby Mike! Look at him!” 

Henry chuckled, “Michael here was a screamer. He wouldn’t stop crying unless me or his mother held him. William had gotten so angry from that.” 

Michael can’t help but smile, it seemed even as a baby he knew. Henry had always been there for him. 

“Oh my gosh! Mike your hair was so curly! Look at him!” Jeremy taps a photo of a three year old Mike smiling at the camera with two of his front teeth missing. 

“It used to be like that until I got older. Around 16 is when it kinda just flattened.” Was it because of the trauma? Probably. 

“I think curly hair suits you more.” 

Michael just huffs at the comment rolling his eyes as Jeremy turns the page stopping when seeing a Halloween moment. He remembered that night. They all dressed up like pirates. Henry even had his own costume.

“Where’s your dad in all this?” Jeremy asks and Michael shrugs. 

“He usually was the one taking the pictures. Begrudgingly.” Henry tells him. 

“Is that Charlie?” Stanley asks, pointing to the little girl with light brown hair and a wide smile. 

“Yes. That is my daughter.” Henry has a bittersweet smile on his face as he looked at all the pictures of her smiling and being happy. 

Charlie was a happy child. There wasn’t a day where Charlie didn't have a large grin on her face. Michael’s heart squeezes, he misses her. 

“We’ll find her, Mister Emily.” Jeremy whispers and Henry nods still staring at the picture. 

They stay on this page for a little bit, before continuing through the book. Soon Elizabeth and Evan begin to make their appearances. 

Michael cringes at the pictures with him in the Foxy mask, looking away. 

“You had a fucking mullet.” Stanley says with a bark of a laugh. 

“It was a great mullet thank you very much.” Michael quips back. 

“Why did you cut it then…” 

Because it had my brother's blood in it.

“Just hard to maintain. Kept annoying me.” Michael says instead, getting Jeremy to hum in agreement. He remembers sitting in the bathroom sobbing as he cut and cut at his hair until all of it was just chopped off and he was left with a choppy mess of a haircut. 

Father had not been pleased and just gave him a buzz cut because of it. Michael was grateful his hair grew back fast and that was the style he kept it. 

He made sure never to have long hair ever again. 

“What happened to ya Mike? You look so happy in these photos…” 

Michael just looks at them, seeing his own face smiling. It felt like he was staring at an alien. Someone wearing his skin. He almost forgot what he looked like as a child because he was stuck in this animatronic body. 

“Life. Trauma, depression…need I say more?” Michael mutters and Jeremy gives a small frown. 

“No…guess not. Wish we could take some pictures with you now. So you could add those to these! But I guess you can’t unless you want to see a giant animatronic.” 

Michael feels bad that they can’t make any memories with him, with the illusion disc pictures never looked right, and being an animatronic it would just look like they were just playing around with a well animatronic. 

“You can still take pictures with me, even as an animatronic. I don’t mind. I know it sucks but…if you’re that adamant on it…” 

Jeremy looks at Michael with bright eyes. “Really? Can we take pictures with you? Like seriously?” 

“Yes, but not in this form! I don’t need you embarrassing me further.” 

Jeremy bats his eyelash at him, “Youre perfect in any form Mike.” He croons getting Stanley to laugh, Michael shoves a hand in Jeremy’s face giving a small disgusted noise. 

“We’ll have to make a little scrapbook of everything once you get your new body.” Stanley suggests and Jeremy snaps his fingers at his friend. 

“Yes! Absolutely yes. Perfect. We shall have an awesome scrapbook. Thanks Mister Emily for showing us this. It’s so cool to see a bit of Mike’s childhood.” 

“Of course! Happy to pull this out, it was collecting dust.” Henry says taking the thick book quietly. “It’s nice to go down memory lane. Think of the good times.” 

“Before everything went to shit.” Michael sighs and Jeremy reaches over giving the small animatronic a hug, resting his chin on the thick plastic of the little thing. 

“But it’s not now! You have us! And we are going to get Charlie! And kick your dad’s ass! We did it once and we’ll do it again!” Jeremy exclaims with his positivity radiating like the sun. 

“Yeah, you’re right.” 

“I’m always right!” 

Michael raises a brow looking up at him, “Always?” 

Jeremy laughs scratching his cheek, “Maybe not always .” 

Michael is about to say something before Jeremy yanks him up and swings him around while Henry goes to put the book away. 

“Jeremy Fitzgerald if you don’t put me down I will-!” 

“You wouldn’t hurt a guy with a bad eye now would you!” 

Michael snarls kicking at his feet while being held up in the air like some cat. “Put me down!!!” 

“Never!” Jeremy sings, “I’m getting this out of my system until you get your new body and I’m the short one again!” 

“I am going to kill you.” 

“Nah you love me.” 

“Jeremy!!!” 

 

…

 

It had been a good couple weeks since he was brought back from the Flipside. 

They were getting close to the completion of the LEFTE project. One step closer to setting it out to find Charlie. 

Henry was anxious for it, hoping that Charlie would go willingly. But if not, he had a setting just in case. He hoped she would be alright. He knew that she would probably have to be worked on, since Michael said she looked pretty rough for wear when she had talked to him. 

He had an idea for an upgrade and was sure Charlie would want to bring in her own idea for her body. 

They would work on it, together. 

He quietly penciled in some notes before hearing the door open and little feet click against the wood. Michael. 

“Henry. Please. Please Henry, I can't take this anymore.” Michael begs walking towards Henry grilling at his shirt with large purple eyes. 

Henry turns his chair and looks down at the little animatronic with a tilt of his head. “What’s wrong??” 

“This body, I’m losing my mind. Jeremy keeps picking me up like I’m a doll, and Stanley just constantly teases me. I can’t continue like this. I feel so useless!” 

Henry frowned, he didn’t mean for Michael to feel embarrassed or that he was now going to be treated like a child. He just wanted a body so he wasn’t trapped in the jar. 

“I’m sorry. You’ve been very patient Michael and I appreciate that greatly.” 

“When do you think this…other body will be ready?” Michael asks, looking at him with big puppy dog eyes. Or should Henry say foxy eyes. 

Henry leans back on his chair, rubbing his chin as if thinking. He knows the answer but seeing Michael so antsy was a bit funny. The boy has been waiting, albeit impatiently and now it was time. 

They were ready. Rockstar Lolbit was complete. 

He was just about to announce it to everyone after putting in Lolbit’s chip. It wouldn’t power on until Michael’s remnant attached itself to the machine. 

“Well, you’re just in luck Michael. Go get everyone and tell them its ready. Your new body is complete.”

Michael’s eyes widen, and his tail begins to wag. “R-really?! You’re serious?” 

“No I’m dad, but yes.” 

“I’m too excited to hit you for that joke, I’ll be right back!” Michael shouts, completely turning around and rushing off. 

Henry gives a small chuckle moving to stand, glancing over at the large sheet covering the project. 

He steps forward gently touching the sheet, “You ready for your debut?” 

Notes:

Woo! Chugging along getting everything set up. I hope y’all enjoyed this.

I just want to take a little moment to thank Doberart, she went above and beyond and gave me an amazing chapter art because I’ve been working all week and didn’t have the energy to draw one out. Thank you so much friend, I don’t deserve your kindness sometimes.

And thanks Spacey for helping me untangle this massive yarn that I have for a brain and get this chapter rolling. Love you both so much.

Fanart corner time!

Yun-shuten: https://yun-shuten.tumblr.com/post/689686703986851840/and-it-mooves-us-allllll-through-despair-and

Thank you all so much for the patience you’ve given me. I’ve been struggling a bit no thanks to work but I still want to at least provide you guys good chapters.

I really hope you all enjoyed this one and I promise it’ll be more interesting when the next chapter rolls around.

Chapter 43: Curtain Call

Notes:

Hello hello everyone, long time no see. I appreciate the patience all of you have given me. If you didn’t know on July 16 my mother passed away from a heart attack. It was unexpected and completely out of left field.

I had to take a little break as my family had to go and pick of the pieces. It’s been rough, but we’re strong, and I know my mom wouldn’t want us to give up on the things we love.

So here I am, with a new chapter for y’all. I hope you enjoy it, and I just want to thank everyone for the kind words and support you have given me in the past few weeks. I really appreciate it.

On with the show!

It was ready.

Rockstar Lolbit was ready. 

“Now Michael, we are going to do this properly. I made a promise that this would be a surprise so you won’t be able to see it right away.” 

Michael frowns as Henry leans slightly against the tarp covered animatronic. The man must have worked hard to keep it hidden for Michael didn’t see a single glimpse of what would be his new body. 

“I swear if you put me into something absolutely horrible, like a Hippo…” 

Henry chuckles, shaking his head, “No, no nothing like that. I’m surprised you even remember the hippo character.” 

“He’s terrible and you know it. That’s why he wasn’t a part of the gang.” Michael mutters. Charlie had made a little gaggle of animatronics she called the Mediocre Melodies and Mr. Hippo was by far the worst. 

She had made puppets out of all of them and boy did she ramble when playing as the purple hippo. 

“I for one would think it would be an upgrade.” Stanley teases, his brown eyes glimmering in mischief. 

Michael gives a short glare to the taller male, wishing he was at the height to smack him upside the head. Stanley was now brave enough to tease the boy just because he was smaller and not capable of hurting him with a simple smack of his hand. 

He was sure it would be over as soon as he was back in a proper body. 

This body after all was made for Lolbit, not for him. 

He hoped Lolbit was okay, Henry assured him the chip was not damaged but Michael still worried. It didn’t ease his anxiety. He wanted to thank the fox properly. For saving him. 

He hoped he would get that chance.

“So I’m guessing we are going to transfer Lil’ Mike like we did before?” Jeremy asks curious, you could tell he was excited by how he was moving his windbreaker jacket up and down making the quiet zip zip noise. 

Henry nods looking to Evan who sat on the work table quietly, his little legs kicking back and forth. “It should work the same yes?” 

“Mhmm. It’ll be just the same. Michael won’t feel a thing.” 

“How do you know all this?” Michael asks, a bit proud of Evan’s knowledge despite it all. 

“Charlie showed me. Well…I watched it.” 

Michael swallows his imaginary spit, his body a bit cold at the idea of Evan having to watch Charlie put spirits into machines. Taking remnant and giving gifts. 

“She’s a good teacher then.” Michael says quietly glancing over at Henry, seeing the man’s eyelids half lidded. Barely able to see the green iris that was haunted by the death of his daughter. 

Jeremy gives an awkward cough sensing the tension in the room. He was swaying back and forth at this point, rolling on the balls of his heels. He looked like was about to explode with excitement. 

“Right. Yes, well…are you ready Michael?” Henry asks, looking at Michael who takes a deep breath. 

Even though he was absolutely ready to leave this little body, he was still nervous about it all. He didn’t know how it would feel, having himself detached from one machine and placed into another. 

In the Flipside he was just dragged down into the lake, he didn’t think he would be brought there again due to being a fast and easy placement. 

Thankfully no jar was in sight to shove his soul in. Jeremy was very adamant to tell him that he took care of him in that jam jar. 

Horrifying idea, of your mere soul being locked in an old mason jar. 

He puffs out a breath, and nods. “Yeah. I’m ready.” He trusted Henry, and knew the man would be extra careful. This was his soul after all. 

Henry nods, quietly picking Michael up and placing him on top of the workshop counter right next to Evan. Evan quietly reached over and gave Michael’s hand a squeeze, a look of encouragement clear on his face. 

Just reminded him when Evan had to see the dentist for the first time and William had left Michael to take care of it all due to some work problems. Michael at the time was being a little jerk, but still reached over to hold his brother’s hand in order to calm him down a little. 

He did it to shut him up, but now he understood how much it helped. 

Michael squeezes his hand back and then faces Henry.

“See you on the Flipside.” He jokes and Henry shakes his head, a smile growing on his face. 

Quietly Henry reaches behind Michael, pressing the small button on the back of his head. Michael goes limp in his arms as the animatronic powers off. 

“Just like before. In, and then out…” Evan whispers and Henry nods. 

The rising sensation of static travels up his fingertips as Henry concentrates. He can feel the thrum of the remnant settled into his heart. Shifting and churning as it activated under his veins. 

His eyes flickered to the bright neon green, staring at the small toy-like animatronic before him. He gently, quietly reaches into the small chest of the animatronic once again feeling the warmth deep within. 

Michael's soul reaches out and it’s like a burst of sunlight. This warmth travels up his bones and latches onto his heart. With no effort he gently draws out the remnant. The orange flickering flame is attached to his skin, latching on like a child would hold his hands. 

He carried it gently, the odd mixture of not quite solid but not quite liquid soul cupped in his hand. Like he was holding a little baby animal, careful not to crush it or drop it. 

The rest of the gang all watch in fascination. Seeing this orange glow practically light up the dim glow of the workshop. 

Stanley quickly goes to unveil the animatronic resting in the corner, just so Henry doesn’t have any issues placing the soul in. 

Henry gives a thankful look, quietly opening the chest of the animatronic. Inside was intricate wires and pipes, all working together. This robot was made with love, and care. 

There’s a small compartment inside of the animatronic’s chest. It’s shaped like a heart with a little glass door. Henry opens it and quietly ushers the soul inside. 

Like magic it latches onto the metal of the machine. Filling in the heart shape slot, glowing bright orange the remnant surges thin webbing of glowing lines split out of the source. The gang all watch as every tube, every wire, every bit of the new body is being covered by this glowing substance before it settles quietly pulsating like a heart would. 

With a click the chest plate closes, Henry taking a slight step back while the others look at the powered off animatronic expectantly.

“Now, we turn it on…” 

 

…

 

He was starting to get used to the void, one moment he felt real, placed in reality and then now just waiting, bobbing in the void like a ship lost at sea. 

He couldn’t feel, he could see. Just darkness. 

Like before. 

When all this first happened, when he thought he was dead. That this was his demise. And then came Charlie.

Charlie…had saved him. And he never got to say thank you. Some friend he was. 

When they found her, that was the first thing he was going to say to her. Thank you, Charlie. 

She deserved a thank you, for all that she had done. To try and help, to try and stop his father. 

He feels a sudden thrum of energy. A small pulse of light hits his mind, veins of purple and orange code travels down like rain. 

He finds himself standing in the middle of the vast void, able to feel himself. His body, his mind. He’s not just some entity in darkness. 

The purple and orange lines flow through the space, splattering onto the floor like paint in water. Creating this artistic landscape. 

Was he now in the new body? 

He couldn’t tell, there wasn’t much of an indicator. He knew he wasn’t in the Flipside, that was for certain. 

“Mikey!!” 

Michael lifts his head at the voice, looking around the colorful environment. “Hello? Who’s there?!” 

“We were apart for so long you’ve forgotten me?! How tragic!” 

His chest feels light as he starts to run, “Lolbit?! Lolbit is that you??” He looks around as the laughter gets louder, closer. He knew that laughter from anywhere. 

Out of the floor a figure rises, covered in the glowing purple and orange substance. “Mikey! My boy!” The entity has their arms outstretched and Michael gives out a happy laugh. 

Relief fills his heart. They’re okay! They…they are okay. 

“Come here you!” With a single swoop Lolbit picks Michael up into a bone crushing hug, light sparkling off them both showing Lolbit in a brand new outfit. 

They looked as if they were wearing a suit that sparkled in the bright light and a skirt as well. Typical of Lolbit to break gender norms.

Lolbit’s laughter rings through the space, the animatronic holding Michael tightly, his legs just about dangling from how high the animatronic was hugging him. 

“You’re okay, you’re okay.” Michael says gripping the odd fabric of LolBit’s suit. “I was so worried. I-I..”

“I have you to thank for that.” 

Michael blinks as Lolbit puts him down, the fox smiling brightly. “Wh…” 

“Oh Mikey, you’re so cute when you don’t know what is going on. Your gift. That is your gift. To purify. You can clean out any remnant that is corrupted.” 

Michael just stares. What? 

“When your father got into my system, your remnant latched on and once they took my AI chip out of the body, your remnant was able to clean any and all corruption that your father placed.” 

He…he was able to do that? 

Every remnant has an ability, a gift. 

Was that his gift? 

“Then I could…could I purify Father?” 

Lolbit looks sad, their eyes downcast. “I’m afraid that would probably…not work. He is too far gone. You would just end up burning yourself out. The worse the corruption…the more you burn.” 

Michael deflates, wishing he could do something for him. He knew…it would be impossible. He wanted nothing to do with the man, but…yet if there was an opportunity to help him..he would take it. 

He supposed it was Henry rubbing off him. The man always wanted to help, and being with him all these years seemed to make Michael wish to help others to. 

Even his terrible father. 

But he supposed there was no redemption for him. He had dug his grave so deep even a helping hand couldn’t pull him out of it. 

So be it. 

Michael would just make sure that he stayed in that grave and didn’t hurt anyone else. 

“Guess it can’t be helped.” He looked down, noticing his new outfit for the first time. It matched Lolbit’s with a few modifications. 

“Lolbit…” 

“What?! We can’t match?? Oh come on Mikey, you look fabulous.” 

Michael rolls his eyes looking himself over, he looked way too flashy for just taste. “I haven’t worn a suit in quite some time.” He remarks with a laugh looking up to his friend. 

“I…thanks Lolbit.” 

Lolbit blinks tilting their head, “Whatever for?” 

“For…saving me. You pushed me when…all that was happening. If you hadn’t I…I don’t know-”

Lolbit quickly puts a finger to Michael’s lips stopping him completely. “It’s what you would have done, and you did. I made a promise, to your little friend who gave me this chance to help you, and I will keep it. Michael Afton you have brought such a bright light into this silly little AI’s life, I would save you a thousand times more. You are worth it.” 

Michael feels his chest tighten, it was so odd. When he first was placed in this robot he hated it. He hated the idea of this entity behind the scenes could take over and ruin everything. But then…he became friends with it. Enjoyed their company. Happy to see them doing okay. 

Lolbit was like a sibling to him oddly enough. 

“But what about your own body! You don’t have to stay here with me. I…we…” 

Lolbit hums quietly, “Henry asked me the same question and I’ll give you the same answer I gave him. I made a promise, and you can’t get rid of me that easily! I want to stay with you until the end of this. I know what lies ahead. Don’t worry about me.” 

Michael quietly stares at the animatronic not wanting to argue with them right now, so instead he just dips his head and smiles. 

“Thanks Lolbit.”

Lolbit beams, “Now Mikey, we’ve got a lot to do now. A whole list in fact. Henry kept me in the loop. We have a new body now! It’s time to get to work!” 

Michael nodded, letting Lolbit give him one last hug. “We are finishing this fight.” 

“We are taking this ugly rotten dinosaur down” Lolbit agrees and Michael gives a smirk. 

“He’s about to get his… jurasskicked.” Michael says and this causes Lolbit to burst out laughing, the sound echoing in their mindscape leading Michael to laugh as well as the word dissolves around him. 

Time to wake up.

 

…

 

The animatronic stood there quietly. No longer the threads of light flickering under the metal. It was just…silent. 

Henry felt like he failed. He did something wrong. Why was it just standing there? Where was Mike? Lolbit? 

He swallows the large lump in his throat feeling a sudden chill as a cold hand grips his own. He doesn’t flinch at the sudden temperature change, glancing down to see Evan holding his hand. 

Big blue eyes staring up at him, almost as if to assure him that this was okay. That nothing was wrong. 

Henry gives a hesitant smile to the little child looking back at the animatronic, it’s head tipped to the side resting against its plastic shoulder.

It felt like an eternity. Even Jeremy didn’t speak, they all just stood there…waiting. Worrying. 

Then it clicked. Then the machinery suddenly started to whirl, like a computer starting up. Gears and pistons firing as fingers twitched, limbs shuddered. 

There’s a heavy exhale and the plastic eyelids suddenly flick open. Bright white eyes, with purple in the middle, the rest a deep black. The LEDS matching the original Lolbit eyes, but with a little twist. 

The jaw clicks and suddenly the animatronic steps off its pedestal, looking around before it spots the four of them. “Goooood morning everybody!” The voice crackles in the speaker, LolBit’s voice sounding much more like a game show host than a goofy comedian like before. 

“This is Rockstar Lolbit coming to you live, from Henry’s workshop!” They do a little bow, laughing loudly. “My, my my! What a show, what an entrance. I do say you’ve outdone yourself on this. I look…fantastic!” 

Lolbit glances around themselves, marveling their new form at every angle. 

The animatronic had what looked to be a purple vest, and a orange and purple bow tie with the classic black and white checkered look in the middle. 

Stars adorned their elbows and speaker, along with their cheeks. Their tail was long and fluffy, and each fingertip had a soft padding. 

They even had a tuff of hair on the top of their head. 

“Lolbit. It’s so good to see you.” Henry breathes, wondering why Mike wasn’t the first to break through. 

Lolbit beams, stepping forward even more, their form towering over the rest of them. It didn’t seem fair to make them shorter than their original body. “It’s wonderful to see you! And finally meet you!” They gestured to Jeremy who seemed absolutely starstruck. 

“You’re amazing.” Jeremy just says his mouth agape. 

Lolbit cackles, “Oh I like you already. You’re so sweet. Though I couldn’t be the way I am now without the help of you all! It’s so nice to be back! Thank you.” 

Henry smiles, “Of course, wouldn’t have it any other way. Is…Mike…” 

“Yeah where’s Mike?” Jeremy adds, masking his concern for his friend with pure amazement. 

“There is no Mike, only Lolbit.” Lolbit says solemnly, their voice crackling through the speaker. 

Henry looks pale, and Stanely looks like he’s about to pass out. Oh no. 

But the silence doesn’t last, laughter bubbles out of the fox animatronic, swinging their head back as the four just stare at them with wide eyes. “Oh! Oh my goodness you should see your faces. Do I have the ability to take a picture? No…oh it’s so good. Heheh…don’t worry Mikey’s just getting settled. He’ll be here in three…two…one! Showtime!”

Lolbit throws his hands out and the whites of their eyes shrink, the purple enveloping it and glowing brighter. It seemed now to be an indicator of who was talking. The more white was Lolbit and the purple was Michael.

The eyelids flick up and down for a moment before giving a grin. “Sorry Lolbit couldn’t resist.” He jokes with a thin chuckle. 

Henry grips his heart giving a light smack to the boy’s shoulder. “Don’t do that to me.” 

“Yeah! I almost fainted back there! That was so scary, I thought you were gone for good!” 

Michael chuckles as they move closer, getting a good look at his new body. It was certainly fancier. And felt…better. Not that Lolbit’s original body was bad, but this felt right. Even Lolbit agreed. 

Henry did an amazing job. 

“Oh Lolbit wouldn’t do that. They just like to joke around.” Michael assures, “They rather be in the backseat anyways.” 

Michael startles when he’s hugged by Evan, the little boy clutching onto his thigh, and then is followed by Henry, then Jeremy, then Stanley. 

“Welcome back kiddo.” Henry whispers into the hull of Michael’s new body. 

Michael just hums, finding himself being able to feel the fabric of Henry’s shirt under his fingertips. “Whoa!” He exclaims getting everyone to step back. 

He looks at his hands, seeing the pads on his fingertips and the Star shaped one on palm of his hand. “Padding? I can feel..” 

“We gave you toe beans Mike! Henry was able to make you have the ability to touch again!” Jeremy exclaims and Michael looks at Henry with wide purple eyes. 

“Well, it was Evan’s idea. That’s why the body took a little bit longer than I wanted. We decided it would be nice for you to be able to touch and feel again.” Henry explains and this gets Michael to turn his gaze on Evan. 

“T-thanks little man.” Michael whispers, his heart clenching at his little brother. So many years ago Evan and his relationship was so strained, ripped to pieces. But now it was healing, the holes being patched up and they were stronger now. 

Evan just smiles widely, “You deserve to be happy Mike. And have a really cool body.” 

Michael laughs, the tic making him shudder but it’s not uncomfortable like before. It brings a wave of mirth into his system, was this how Lolbit always felt? 

It…was nice. 

“This body is..awesome. Freaking awesome Henry. Like holy shit. You…you did amazing.” 

Henry beams, “It wasn’t just me. Everyone helped. Everyone had a hand in this. This is for you Mike.” 

Stanley nods, “Yeah, as a thank you. Now don’t go destroying it okay?” 

Michael’s ears flick and he gives a smile, “I’ll do my best.” 

“Good. Now let’s test this sucker out yeah?” 

 

… 

 

Michael loved his new body, it was sleek, slim, tall and most of all it was made by the ones he loved. He couldn’t ask for a better gift. 

“So, what's the next course of action?” Stanley asks as Michael is testing his movement, swishing his fluffy tail back and forth. It was so much better than the thick plastic one. 

“Find Charlie.” He says stopping to look at the four. “Project LEFTE is almost done right?”

“It is. I’ll need some help with the calibrations. I need to test a few things on you Mike.” Henry says with a rub of his chin. 

Michael looks uneasy, “What kind of things…” 

“Well, since Charlie is an animatronic as well, I want to reverse Lolbit’s luring ability and instead of luring humans with scent…I want to lure an animatronic with sounds.” 

Smart, using their own abilities against them. Charlie would be the subject zero of course but they had to see if it would work and Michael was a animatronic after all. 

“Alright, that doesn’t seem too bad.” 

“Yes and then we’ll release the project into the wild and hope it finds Charlie.” 

Michael looks at Henry, seeing the worry in the man’s face. “We’ll find her, Henry. Even if I have to go searching for her myself.”

Henry sighs rubbing his eyes a bit, “I know, it’s just a lot of things will be out of our hands. That worries me.” 

“You’re a great inventor Mister Emily, it'll work!” Jeremy exclaims. “I know it will.” 

The older man smiles at the confidence they all had at him. He definitely appreciated it. 

“In the meantime, we’ll keep an eye out for any more remnant. Watch for any signs of others.” Michael mutters quietly.

“Wait what about your illusion disc? Will that still work? So you can walk around safely?” Stanley asks concerned and Henry hums. 

“That is taken care of. It’s now a system in LolBit’s mainframe. All you have to do is think about it and it should activate it. Or I assume Lolbit finds it and turns it on for you.” Since Lolbit was usually the one to turn on their abilities anyways. 

“Same for the scream, and your electronic abilities. I made sure they were still intact.” 

Michael nods, “Cool. Let me see..” 

He feels weird thinking about it, activating something within. Lolbit replies with a rolling chuckle and there’s a sudden click in his mind. Like a switch being flicked. 

“Eyyy!!” Jeremy shouts and Michael blinks seeing the all familiar static and glitchy human hand instead of the sleek plastic claws. 

“Nice. Hey, does he look the same to you? Black and white flannel…purple shirt with a tv on it?” Stanley asks curiously and Jeremy gasps, shaking Stanely. 

“We see the same thing?!” 

Michael blinks in surprise looking at Henry who rubs his scruffy chin. “Seems so, interesting…” 

“Maybe it’s the bond we share? We all see Mike the same way now?” Evan suggests getting Jeremy to snap his fingers pointing in a random direction, no doubt where he assumed Evan was. 

“Dude! That’s so cool! And awesome! Man Mike your little bro is so smart!” 

Michael smiles with pride, “Yeah. He is. But that’s really interesting now. Guess I wear flannel now.” 

“A little homage to Henry no doubt.” 

“Yeah, Mister Emily does wear a lot of flannel…” 

“I…I do not..” 

Michael can’t help but laugh at their interaction, God he missed this. He missed being with his family, his friends. 

“You do Henry, but you look good with flannel.” 

Henry huffs, crossing his arms. But a smile never leaves his face. He looked just as happy as Michael felt. 

Soon Charlie would join in and then they could work on ending this. Ending this for everyone. Making sure no one suffered, not by the hands of William Afton. 

The fox would eventually hunt the rabbit, and this time…Michael wouldn’t fail. This time…the man was going to burn. 

And if Michael had to go down with him, so be it. If it meant children wouldn’t suffer, adults wouldn’t mourn, or deal with crazy shit themselves. 

Michael was willing to make that sacrifices. 

“Mike?! Mike hellloooo?!!” 

Michael blinks looking at Jeremy who’s waving his hand jumping up and down attempting to try and get to Michael’s eye level. 

“Wha? Sorry, I zoned out.” 

Jeremy pouts his hands on his hips, “I was saying we should celebrate! I recorded all the Immortal and Restless for you. We could have a marathon.” 

Stanley groans but immediately stops when Jeremy whips his head around. 

Michael blinks, “Oh shit right! I’m so behind!! Last time was a cliffhanger too. Geez.” 

Jeremy beams, “Then that’s it! We’ll have a movie night, and then..it’s back to work.” 

“That sounds lovely.” Henry agrees and Stanley nods though he doesn't look too enthusiastic about watching the soap opera. 

“Yeah. I'd like that a lot. Thanks guys.” 

Notes:

Rockstar Lolbit makes their debut! I really hope everyone liked it, the ball will start rolling soon. Gotta build up the pieces before I knock them down. Have mercy on me if this isn’t the best chapter.

But, you all have a great weekend. I’ll do my best to try and keep to the schedule I had before but I can’t promise anything. Work has me really packed since two employees quit so I have to pick up the slack. Which leads me to be exhausted and not really want to work on anything.

But I won’t give up! I am going to see this through. So thank you for reading, please comment on what you thought about the chapter, it really does help.

Until Next Time!

Chapter 44: You've Got to Face What's In Front of You Now

Notes:

Another chapter down! I’m so excited for what’s to come. Thank you all for the wonderful words. I’m doing better than I was before, but it’s still sore. I’m going to keep pushing, and finish this fic for my mom.

So I hope you enjoy this chapter.

No longer did Mike feel like he was stuck in some alien body, no longer did he feel like he wasn’t supposed to be here. Wasn’t supposed to live within the walls of that metal and plastic prison. No offense to Lolbit but he never felt like he truly belonged in that body. 

Surprisingly Lolbit agreed, for they too didn’t feel like they were in the right body. It was a Frankenstein’s monster version of their old body and their sibling Funtime Foxy. Stitched together in a panic. He didn’t blame Charlie for that, she did what she could. 

Now, this body. This felt like home. It still was different but it moved smoother, felt safer. The actions of Rockstar Lolbit felt like their own. Not just a man in the machine, but a man of machine. 

He finally felt like he belonged in this body. Sure it wasn’t his body, but it felt better than the last one. 

Henry really out did himself. He made Lolbit and him something amazing. He was so happy, so proud of Henry. 

They really had gotten so far on this journey. 

So here he was, listening to Henry talk about his newest plan. A way to lure animatronics by scents and sounds, much like how Lolbit and the other funtimes would. 

“With this animatronic, it’ll be luring Charlie specifically. I have an idea what to use for sound.” 

Micheal leans against the counter of the workspace watching Henry begin to pace around grabbing objects left and right and placing blueprints down. Henry was already in the zone, wearing his special glasses and having his work gloves on. He even had his infamous ‘worlds greatest dad’ shirt that he wore whenever he had an idea. 

You knew Henry was going to come up with something good if he wore that particular shirt. 

“Let me guess, the music box?” Michael asks as Henry is going through his things, his eyes set on something but Michael didn’t know what. 

Henry pauses his searching to look up at Michael and nods, “You did say the puppet needed to have the music box winded back in the pizzeria box. I think…it calms her.” Henry says quietly. 

It made sense, after all she had so many in her room. All bought from Henry for her birthday, each with a different theme. She loved music boxes. 

“Right, so this thing..” He gestures to the nearly completed animatronic, “Will constantly be playing the music box or?” 

“No, only when capture. It will…well it’ll be noises only an animatronic can hear and it will make them want to come closer. Like a dog whistle.” 

Henry looks uncomfortable with the mention of the noises getting Michael to raise a brow. Uh oh. Just what he had planned? 

He never liked that look coming from Henry of all people. 

“What…kind of noises.” 

“Michael, it’s the only way.” 

“Henry..” 

“It’s children noises. She’s prone to help, so-”

Michael’s jaw clicks a bit, “Henry-” He stops seeing the look on his surrogate father’s face. Seeing how desperate he was, how much he wanted to see his little girl. He wanted to see Charlie so bad. 

So he backs down, and drops the subject entirely. “Alright, then when Charlie comes by..” 

“It will open its chest and grab her. Carefully. Gently. And then take her home. The music box will calm her and keep her from freaking out. I even put a recording in just to make sure that she knows it’s us.” 

Michael nods, “And you want me to help you test it. The frequency at least?” 

Henry nods, “Yes, that is the last step, then it’ll be complete.” 

This was all a bit complicated for Michael, sure he knew how animatronics worked now no thanks to Henry constantly teaching him the ropes. But this? This was new territory. Using these noises, these frequencies to rattle an animatronic’s system and bring them closer to them? 

It seemed a bit far fetched. 

But then again, he was a human soul inside a sleek metal and plastic design. 

So who was he to say anything? 

“Alright, I’m ready to help. Whatever you need.” 

Henry gives a grateful look, pushing his glasses up his nose and gently reaches into a drawer. He pulls out an old fashion tape recorder, placing in a tape that the lettering had LEFTE PROTOTYPE. It seemed Henry still didn’t care much for the digital age. 

He always was an old school type of person.

“Alright. Just…tell me how you feel when I press this button. I made a couple just in case, all different frequencies. This will be the base of the sounds that will emit from the animatronic.” He says as he holds the tape recorder waiting expectantly for Michael. 

Michael nods, feeling a bit uneasy. He could feel a bit of anxiety bubble within. He didn’t like the idea of something being able to control him, to provoke him to do things. 

He despised his father getting into their system, he would never let that happen again. 

“Ready?” Henry asks, looking at him expectantly and Michael swallows his imaginary tongue before nodding. “We don’t have to do this. I could-”

“No, I’m ready. Hit it.” 

Henry gives a quick nod, pressing down on the play button. There’s a click, and then pure silence. The lack of it was making his mind feel like something was pressing against it. Like two cinder blocks squeezing against his brain. 

Then the noise hit him, it was like…almost like when a cartoon would get hit by a cymbal. How the whole body would vibrate from the sound, the CLANG. But it was just garbled noises. 

Michael’s body twitched involuntary as the sound grew louder, Lolbit giving a whimper of discomfort and Michael couldn’t help but agree. It was not a pleasant feeling. 

It continued to crescendo, vibrating against his hull. Squeezing his thoughts. Louder and louder, shaking his skull, scratching at his mind. Like nails on a chalkboard.

He suddenly grips his head, his speaker giving out garbled cries, nearly falling to his knees at the sound. Was this how others felt like when he gave the Lolbit scream? 

He was shouting, he didn’t realize it but he was shouting and then suddenly the pain was gone. The noise cuts off, and Henry hands are touching his side. He can feel the warmth of his remnant briefly make contact with Michael’s sending a odd sort of wave of comfort. 

Shaking out of the fever, he groans, gripping his aching head. Ow. That was not what he expected, and he hated it.

“Fuck that was awful.” He groans, nails gripping at his head one eye shut with a painful expression. 

Henry looks worried, “I am so sorry, I didn’t expect it to have that effect. It seems that one almost deters you from working properly. It nearly made you malfunction heavily.” His words are going too fast, it’s almost hard for Michael to even understand him. 

But thankfully Lolbit is there to slow them down. The poor man looked as if he had stomped on Michael’s toe, apologizing profusely. 

“Yeah it felt like my ears were going to explode, and I don’t have ears!” He whines as Henry begins to write things down. 

“Definitely not this one then. I’m so sorry. I’ll get rid of it immediately.” 

“Yeah, not that one. But…it might be useful. Only problem is it affects me too.” 

Henry stops writing, “Hmm. We’ll have to figure it out, but right now-”

“I know, we need to get this done. Hit me with another one.” 

The older man looks concerned, “Are you sure? We don’t have to, we can take a break.” 

Michael nods, looking determined, “Yeah. A little buzzing in my ears won’t hurt me. We gotta get Charlie back.” 

Henry almost looks surprised at Michael’s determination, but then again the boy always had been stubborn. It was just his nature. So he nods, reaching into the case to pull out another one. 

Michael steadies himself this time, shaking out the stiffness of his body and nods for Henry when the man looks at him expectantly. You got this Mike. 

Lolbit sends a wave of encouragement and Michael appreciates it. They both had this. It was just some silly noises. Right? 

Three other tapes later and all had different results. He was surprised at Henry’s ability to make such noises that would mess with his inner systems. Something even Lolbit was confused by and didn’t know exactly what to do. 

It seemed instead of controlled shocks, maybe audio prompts would have been a better option, William. Why did they have to be shocked anyways, you were the one who made them behave in such a way. 

But, that aside they finally found the one. 

It was weird. Like a siren calling them. The audio did not hurt him like the others did. It was more of a…gentle nudge. His mind went blank and all he could think about was going to that sound. 

It wasn’t until Henry’s hand touched his chest plate did he stop and notice the sound was gone. He blinks rapidly, realizing he had walked quite a distance when following the sound. 

“Woah.” He stammers, shaking himself out of the haze. “That’s it. That’s the one. It was…that was so weird .” He didn’t know how to describe it. Like someone tugging on him, this invisible string pulling him closer and closer. 

He couldn’t even think straight. Like the sound made him one with the machine, instead of being separate entities. Just following the sound like it was his only calling. 

Lolbit rolled uncomfortably in the back of their mind, they didn’t like that. Not one bit. Especially with the thought if William ever got his hands on it. 

Yeah, that would not be good. 

“Then we will use this.” 

“Wait, Henry. If that’s being used…for the final project, I’ll be affected too.” 

Henry nods, “That’s why I have a thought. Two thoughts actually. If we are going to lure everything, and I mean everything to one place, you’ll need to be there to check and place them in the holding cells. So we need to give you something that will prevent you from hearing the noise, along with making the animatronics unable to see your face.” 

Michael tilts his head unsure what Henry was trying to say, “If William comes, he’ll know it’s you. He’ll know it’s us. But…if we have the ability to change your look, make you look different to only animatronics…” 

“Then he’ll expect me as a little goon that you hired, and his guard will be down. He’ll think that he has the upper hand.” Michael was starting to understand. 

Maybe then they could trap William and finally deal the final blow. Send everyone who was affixed to the terrible remnant William created back to where they needed to be. Finally let them all rest. 

Finally. 

“Exactly. I’m working on a prototype, but we’ll get this finished before we even start on the final project.” 

Michael nods, that could wait. Charlie first. 

“Whatever you need, these new hands are awesome. I can grip the wrench without any hassle.” 

“Perfect.” 

 

…

 

It was done. Complete. 

The large animatronic stood in the forest, while all of them stood behind. Evan held Michael’s hand tightly while he held the bear in his free hand. 

Michael wasn’t about to leave Evan at home. He was a part of the team. Henry had planned to try and find the boy a body, but things were getting a bit busy. 

After Charlie they would make sure everyone would be able to help. Evan could only do so much as a spirit. 

“Holy shit man. This thing is cool. Does it have a name?” 

Henry looked up at the large animatronic. It was a bit smaller than Michael, but still looked intimidating. It was black with red accents. Looked like Freddy’s disgruntled cousin. 

It had the same stars as Michael, with a microphone in its hand. No doubt that’s what gave off the frequency. It stared ahead with a blank stare. Michael couldn’t help but feel a little uncomfortable at it. 

It’s left eye was completely black, making it look just a little off. 

“Well Charlie didn’t have a name for it, but she always drew him in her little journals. I think she wanted him to be the star of the show if she took over the business.” 

“Lefty.” Evan mutters quietly getting them all to look at him. “I think he should be called Lefty.” 

Henry smiles looking at the boy, then to the animatronic. “Lefty is a fine name. I know you always liked the bears huh Evan?” 

Evan nods leaning closer to Michael, “Yeah..” Fredbear was his favorite even though William did everything he could to try and get Evan scared of the thing. 

William just was jealous Fredbear was the better one of the duo. SpringBonnie was far scarier. I think both Evan and himself could agree to that statement, especially now. 

He never wanted to see that thing again, but he knew he probably would have to. Considering that was the vessel for his dear old father. 

“Well, Lefty it is. Let’s get him powered on, yeah?” 

They all nod watching Henry work his magic, turning switches and knobs, and placing a little bit of green remnant into the system. The thing whirls and suddenly flickers to life, it’s whole body lifting up and turning around. It glances around with a blank face staring expectancy at Henry. 

“Alright once it gets a certain distance it’ll start to relay the frequency, once it finds the signature of Charlie, it will tell me and we can track it down.” He gestures to the small disc-like object in his hand. 

“So this will find Charlie?” Stanley asks and Henry nods. 

“Yes. She’s coming home.” 

“Good. Alright Lefty. Do your thing.” 

With a turn of a knob on Henry’s device the thing begins to move, in these fluid movements it stomps on the ground with glowing eyes. It walks through the forest trampling down fallen branches as if it was nothing. 

This thing was a powerhouse. 

“We should leave before it starts to lure Michael.” Henry mildly chuckles watching Lefty move through the forest. It was easier to release it here since the city might be a bit weary of this big animatronic stomping around. 

“Yeah I'd rather not have to deal with that thing.” Michael says with a small little huff. 

Henry nods, staring off at the distance. He gripped the device hard in his hands. His face drawn into a worried expression. He was worried. So worried. 

“He’ll find her Uncle Henry. I know it.” Evan assures him, watching the animatronic get further and further away. The little boy was doing his best to try and comfort his uncle. 

“I hope so.” Henry breathes, giving a small ruffle to Evan’s hair, and the rest of them move closer to Henry, Michael gently patting the man’s shoulder. 

“It’ll be okay. She’ll be okay.” She was a survivor just like her old man. They would find her, and bring her back home. 

“We got this Mister Emily, and if Lefty can’t find her we’ll find her!” Jeremy says with a puff of his chest. “We found that other one after all!” 

Henry just smiles at the gang, his eyes soft, but tired. “Thank you boys. For helping, without you I never could have-”

“Don’t mention it Henry. We are here for you, you and Mike. Happy to help.” Stanley says with a soft smile, “Now let’s get home. I can make dinner.” 

Jeremy grins from ear to ear, “Oh hell yeah!” 

“That…sounds wonderful.” 

Michael smiles at them all, gently squeezing Evan’s hand and the boy makes a gesture for him to be picked up. Michael is quick to do so, feeling his brother nestle his head against his chest. 

“Lefty will find Charlie.” Evan whispers gripping at his shoulder pad. Michael looks down before nodding quietly. 

“He will, she’ll be home in no time.” 

 

…

 

The workshop was quiet after a week. Michael had sent Evan to make sure that Henry rested. The man was working non stop and it was time for him to rest. Day and night he worked on Lefty, Rockstar Lolbit, and the potential new animatronics for the final project. Charlie’s new body was even in the works. 

Henry needed to rest, and Michael be damned if he wasn’t going to give it to him. 

Stanley and Jeremy went home, after the whole months of being here it was time for them to go back to their own lives. He was grateful they stayed to help Henry though. 

But they came around every so often. Jeremy often brought groceries or Stanley made dinner for Henry. It was a nice touch, and Michael appreciated it. He couldn’t ask for better friends. 

It pained him greatly that the next course of action would be one they would have to do alone. 

He knew, deep down, that this was the final moment. The final action that would finish this long fight. Henry and Michael would make sure of it. They had to lure them into one place, and then finally finish the job. 

At some point, he would tell them. But not right now. 

The gears clicked as he quietly tightened some screws in this little mechanical thing he was working on. It was meant to be a remnant tracker. Being able to search and find remnant like Lefty but on a smaller scale. A helper bot if anything. 

It had been his project for a good couple years and finally he was starting to get it finished. 

Sure it was the same colors of the funtimes, Lolbit suggested to make a better sibling, a good example if anything. 

Michael liked the idea. This small doll-like animatronic would be able to help, not hinder. 

Prove that the Aftons could do some good. 

But the thing was he wasn’t his father, he wasn’t Henry. 

No matter what he did, it wouldn’t turn on. 

The spark wasn’t there. 

Michael sighs leaning forward a bit looking at the husk of the little animatronic. “You’re supposed to help, but how can you if I can’t even turn you on? I can’t give you remnant like Henry can. I suppose if you had remnant I could purify it, but I don’t really know how to do such a thing…” 

He was muttering to himself, feeling a little foolish. He glances up at the jars that lined the shelves above his head. Each with different types of remnant they had gathered across the years. Most were the dark purple color, and then there was his. Just sitting there. He wondered if he could just…place the thing back into his own body, but he didn’t know. It was flecked with purple and pink, so he didn’t quite know if it was truly his pure remnant. 

Things got a little mixed in his corpse body after all. 

“I don’t want to experiment and put raw remnant inside of you. It might make you unstable, like Ella. I don’t want you to suffer. But…I just want to prove that maybe…maybe the Aftons can make a good animatronic. One that isn’t out to kill things.” He didn’t want to experiment with remnant. He wasn’t going to end up like his father, messing with things he shouldn’t have. 

“Oh Mikey.” Lolbit whispers in response, “You are good enough. We don’t need to prove to anyone.” 

Michael sighs, knowing that Lolbit was right. But he wanted something to give to the others when he was gone. This little guy would help them. 

But how could he if Michael couldn’t even get him working? 

“Why not ask Henry? He could help.” 

Michael sighs, hitting his fist on the table, “No! No…he needs rest. I…I can do this. Maybe not today, but eventually. I want him to work. I just have to figure out how. I can’t always turn to Henry for answers.” He mutters quietly standing up and holding the little bear animatronic in his hands. Henry had enough on his plate. He didn’t want to add more to it. 

“One day little guy, but for now…you’ll just be a secret.” He sighs, opening a drawer and carefully placing the little thing inside. 

For later. He would try to figure it out. Maybe look back on some of Henry and William’s old notes. 

He sighs, rubbing the back of his neck. This was going to be a rough time. But they would pull through. They always did. 

And this time, they would finish the job. 

He glances around the cluttered workshop, seeing Lilbits empty frame. “You think Evan would be mad if I suggested we gave him Lilbit?” It was just sitting there empty, so maybe Henry could place Evan in there. 

“Oh absolutely, plus he’s not a foxy type.” Lolbit hums and Michael can’t help but agree. Yeah, Evan wasn’t really a fox type, maybe a bear? He did inhabit golden Freddy, or Fredbear he supposed. 

The black and red bear comes to mind, and he tilts his head. 

“Maybe Lefty then. If Charlie..” If Charlie came home and wasn’t stuck inside the animatronic that is. Who knows how damaged her body was, especially after the fire. Her soul might just…latch on. Since she gave half of it to Henry after all. 

He didn’t know exactly how the remnant possession worked if he was quite honest. 

“Lefty…yes Lefty would be perfect for him.” Lolbit gives a small image of the little boy now in the giant animatronic. He could see Evan definitely taking that form. 

Michael can’t help but snort, “Maybe Lefty.” Evan then could really kick his ass in that hulking thing. Lefty was scary looking. But it was up to him, Michael wouldn’t force him to take a form he didn’t like. But judging on how he looked at Lefty, and gave him the name…maybe Evan would like to be in that form. 

Lolbit gives a mirthful giggle, which rolls between them making them both cackle like a hyena. It’s not garbled or static filled, but this smooth laughter. It felt nice. No longer forced like before. Lolbit beams in happiness, glad that their laughing tic did not make Michael uncomfortable. 

Finally they were settling into their skin, and they didn’t feel like separate entities. They felt more in tune with each other more than ever. He supposed Lolbit knew more about him, but now Michael knew Lolbit a bit better too. 

Siblings in arms. They had a strong bond now. One that was unbreakable. 

His laughter was interrupted by the door slamming open, making him jump in surprise. He turns his head, pressing the drawer completely closed so Henry couldn’t see the unfinished animatronic he was trying to make. He really didn’t want to have a discussion about it right now, he'll figure it out eventually.

Henry is in his night outfit, his glasses barely on and Evan is clutching his leg. Evan’s eyes were wide, but there were no tears falling out of the black pits. That was a good sign. But he was worried about Henry. No

“What’s wrong?” Michael asks, feeling a rising anxiety. He quickly rushes to their side, his arms slightly out to help Henry. Henry quietly waves away his concern, taking a deep breath. 

“It’s…it’s Lefty.” Henry pants, no doubt winded from going down the stairs. He takes another moment, leaning against the doorway, trying to grab some air. Michael didn’t know if Henry was just tired or he was having some sort of panic attack, but it was really freaking Michael out. 

“What about Lefty? Did it lose power? What happened?” Michael asks, trying to get an answer out of the old man. Henry swallows and looks up to Michael, his eyes glowing an acid green. 

“He…he found her. He found Charlie Michael.” 

Notes:

Charliiiiie!!! Y’all don’t know how excited I am to have her back. The gang is getting back together! They have one final show before the curtain falls!

Fanart corner:
The-Bird-Ghost-Anon:
https://the-bird-ghost-anon.tumblr.com/post/691898031541469184/if-there-is-a-god-how-could-he-be-so-mean-eating

Petrichordoodles:
https://petrichordoodles.tumblr.com/post/691979763030605824/inkspotties-rockstar-lolbit-hes-so-soft

Birdie-ghost:
https://birdie-ghost.tumblr.com/post/692064513674084352/rockstar-lolbit-joins-the-party-i-seriously

Nerdy-scifi-birdy:
https://inkspottie.tumblr.com/post/692164465277435904/had-to-draw-them

Chapter 45: It’s Been So Long.

Notes:

Charlieeeee is heeeeereee!!

I’m so excited y’all. Things are really hitting off and we are getting ready for the final hurdle. Got one little place to stop before finally arriving at pizzeria simulator. Can you guess which Fazbear Frights character I’m bringing into play?

Also, the first part of this chapter I’m going to give a major warning of child death and strangulation. We get a peek into Charlie’s death…and you know how that is.

Enjoy my friends!

It’s been so long. 

So long since the laughter and play echoed the halls. So long since the whirling of machines and silly songs coming from the stage. 

So long since the day that caused her so much grief. 

It was raining, she remembers it clearly. Despite all these years, she knew this day. The wet cold rain soaking her oversized jacket. It was her father’s and she loved it so much. 

It kept her warm, but now it was soaked. Her hair stuck to her face as she stared into the glass. Seeing everyone having fun. She banged on the windows, the green bracelet illuminating the dark outside. 

Oh how children could be so cruel. A simple prank leading to someone’s demise. 

How familiar it was, that an accident would be the cause of someone’s death. 

She hears footsteps and turns around to see a familiar face. 

Uncle Will. 

Uncle Will was scary, he was tall, lanky and mean. He reminded her of a snake ready to strike, one with glistening fangs and deadly venom. 

She wanted Uncle Will to like her, but she didn’t think he did. He always had a sour look on his face when around her. 

Like she was an inconvenience. 

A separation between him and her father. 

She got in the way of their friendship. 

Charlie had been so stupid to be relieved, to even be happy to see her uncle. She just about hugged him sobbing that she was left out in the rain and that she couldn’t get back inside. 

William was stiff, never returning the embrace. 

Then there was a slight pull away, William’s steely eyes glaring into hers. 

Uncle Will? 

He was mumbling, his eye twitching as he murmured how it wasn’t fair. It wasn’t fair that his child lived, and his didn't. 

She didn’t understand it then, but she understood it now. 

She begged for him to help her, to let her back inside. Told him he was scaring her and that’s when he snapped. Thin hands gripping at her neck. Squeezing and squeezing like a python. 

His eyes crazed, wide and frantic. Fingernails digging into her flesh. She tried to kick, to scream but it was no use. The darkness was crawling around her, she couldn’t breathe.

And then there was nothing but the image of William’s crooked smile before the darkness closed in on her.

She woke up trapped, confused, angry. Horrified that she was now stuck. Stuck in this too long of a body, stuck in this doll. She was supposed to move on, but she remained. 

Charlie tried, she tried to fix things. To help. To stop. But she seemed to only make an even more mess. 

Her body was failing her now. Too damaged to move on. Her stitching ripped, her soft felt body burnt. Her mask was cracked and she was tired. 

So tired. 

It took all her energy to move, to keep trying to find him. She knew he was out there. The man never could die. He always came back. 

Afton was a plague, and she was going to get rid of it. 

She had to. 

She was tired of giving gifts, tired of trying to make things right only to have it get worse. 

Maybe if she just let things be. 

But that wasn’t who she was. She would help. No matter the cost. 

So she keeps pressing on. 

Until she hears it. 

This static, this frequency that scrambles her brain. Sending it in a panic. Someone was hurt. Some child was crying. She had to save them. 

She had to. 

As if someone was pulling on her strings, her puppet body slithered forward, avoiding any sort of opening so that no one could see this withered puppet flying around. She was careful, never wishing for some weirdo to snatch up a sentient doll. 

The sounds got louder, clanging in her head, buzzing at her singed plush skin. A calling, this siren song bringing her closer and closer. 

It stops when she finds herself in a dark alleyway. The street lamp flickering above her, it seemed like a great place for a horror film to be shot. The rainy street below her, the darkness circling around her only to be blotted out by the dim light of the lamp not too far from her. 

She glances around in panic. 

There she was laying on the street, feeling the embrace of the puppet. Feel their souls merge, letting her have the freedom, dying with her body. 

There wasn’t a child in sight. 

Instead, thin metal claws grab at her limbs. Not so much yanking her away, but gently pulling on her. Like a hand quietly grabbing her wrist and taking her slowly away. 

She gives out a startled noise, loud thumps behind her. 

It’s him. He’s found her. 

He’s going to kill her. 

Charlie cries out, struggling against the metal clamps that tug and pull her closer to the monster trying to swallow her whole. 

She hears a hiss, and can’t look back thanks to a clamp around her spindly neck. 

She’s going to die. This is it. 

But it wasn’t. 

As the thing lumbers closer, she hears it. The tinkling that was all too familiar. It’s sweet music to her nonexistent ears. 

Like a warm blanket wrapping around her, her body stills. Just about falling limp in its grasp. Her mind cloudy with the soft music that plays, getting louder but not harsher. 

She sees it finally. 

This large bear with one red eye staring at her. It’s expression is soft, despite looking intimidating. The hatch in its stomach is inviting, as the music continues to play. 

It only stops when she gets face to face with the animatronic. A sudden click and whirl as something starts to play over the music. 

“My daughter, if you can hear this…it’s me.” 

Charlie lifts her head, “Dad?” She whispers feeling sudden hope blossom in her chest. 

“This will be the vessel that takes you home. Be kind to it, I hope it won’t be too uncomfortable. We are waiting for you. Sleep now, your time of wandering…is over.” 

The audio clicks and Charlie whimpers, wishing to hear more of her father’s voice. Wishing she could feel his scratchy chin and loving hugs. 

“You’re gonna take me home?” She asks and the thing slowly nods. 

She takes a deep breath, letting her body loosen entirely. “Take me home buddy.” 

The bear reels her in, gently holding her in his stomach. The hatch is large enough for her spindly legs to curl into themselves. She doesn’t feel them, everything has been numb for some time. 

“Take me home.” She whispers, as the music and the thudding of the large machine lulls her to sleep. 

 

…

 

They meet in the forest. This was the location it started and this would be the location it would return to. Henry was pacing, back and forth his boots crunching the dried leaves and twigs. 

He was nervous. They all were. 

“Henry, darling, we are all getting dizzy by your pacing.” Lolbit quips, their white purple rimmed eyes staring at Henry. 

The older man stops, instead decides to bite his thumb in pure anxiety. 

“It’ll be here Henry. It wouldn’t give off a signal if it didn’t find her.” Michael says. They found that it was easy to switch, like they both were sitting in a swivel chair, if one wanted to talk they would just spin around, and give the other the microphone. 

It was an odd way of doing things, but they made it work. Michael didn’t wish to leave Lolbit out of the equation. They were just as part of the team as he was. 

“But what if it doesn’t, what if-”

“Mister Emily if you constantly think about the what ifs it’ll make you sick.” Jeremy says, his tone a bit more serious than usual.

Stanley and Michael nod their head in agreement and Henry sighs, rubbing the back of his neck. “Yes, I do suppose you’re right.” 

Jeremy beams at that, sitting on a log next to Michael. “It’ll be okay, Mister Emily. Your animatronics are top notch! After all you made Rockstar Mike over here!” 

“Yeah. And if anything we can just track it down ourselves. It might have gotten stuck somewhere or something like that.” Stanley says with his hands in his pockets. 

Henry looks pale at the mention of it getting stuck and Stanley’s eyes widen. 

“I mean- I doubt anything like that happened. It’s probably nothing-” With an audible click of his jaw he stops himself from talking knowing that he’s making it so much worse than it has to be. 

Henry didn’t need more situations to make himself even more worried. 

“Things will be okay.” Michael supplied instead, “Lefty will bring her home just fine. You have nothing to worry about.” 

He didn’t know if he was telling Henry this, or himself. It was a bit of both he supposed. 

“Have faith in your creations Henry.” Lolbit adds with a smile, “You’d be surprised at how loyal we can get.” 

Henry gives a small smile to Lolbit, the pep talk seemingly calmed his nerves to some extent. It would be okay. Charlie would be fine. Lefty would do their job. They were made for this moment and this moment only. 

So they would just have to wait. 

 

… 

 

And they waited. Time felt like it was going in slow motion. Minutes felt like hours at this point. They all kept quiet not wanting to tip the balance on their own anxieties. 

The forest provided their own noises, the rustling of leaves, the swaying of the branches, and the small hoots every now and then from the local owl. 

It would be peaceful, had the air not be filled with anxiety and worry. It laid heavy on their hearts, damp on their bones.

Charlie had been through so much, wouldn’t it be fair to allow her to come home and be happy? Didn’t she deserve that? To have her own happiest day? 

They all deserved that. 

Henry rises from his spot, about to call it off. It was far too late in the night, and Henry just wanted to sleep now. He was tired, and his old bones were practically begging him to stop. To be allowed some rest, even if it was small. 

But Michael stops him, a gentle hand over his chest. He looks around, the taller boy’s head tilted upwards to the sky. Henry mimics the action, and he hears it. 

A rhythmic thump-thump. Stomps that traveled through the forest, branches breaking and snapping. It could mean two things, one they had company, or two, it was Lefty. 

Michael stands in front of them all just in case. He didn’t want some bear or other wildlife harassing them. It was the middle of the night after all. 

They wait in anticipation. The thudding gets louder, so much so that you can hear the parts of machinery. How they click and whirl. All in tune, with the march of heavy feet. 

Out of the brush, the large black bear animatronic makes its presence known. It’s red eye glowing in the darkness. 

It stands there once seeing Henry, eye flickering quietly. It doesn’t speak, but everyone knows what it’s saying. 

Target acquired. 

Henry is the first to move forward. Gently placing his hands on the large animatronic’s belly. “Did you get her? Is she safe?” He asks, and the animatronic gives a slow nod. 

Henry nearly falls to his knees, Lefty quietly having their hands out to help their creator. “Thank you, oh thank you.” The man whispers taking a step back and looked to Lefty. 

The animatronic just stared at him, waiting for an order. 

“Lefty. Open stomach hatch.” Henry says with some firmness as they all gathered around the large animatronic. 

With a click, and a hiss the belly of the animatronic opens up. And inside…

Was tangled limbs and a curled up body. Faded white stripes are seen and Henry gently reaches for the thing within. 

It was the puppet, through and through. 

Charlie. Charlie was home. 

“Is she okay?” Michael asks as Henry holds the doll close to him, his cheek pressed against her cracked porcelain face. 

“I think so, I think she’s just sleeping.” Henry whispers, tracing the large crack that traveled across her face. Her body was burned, singed, and smelled like smoke. 

Traveling through literal fire to try and help others. 

Michael breathes out a sigh of relief, the atmosphere suddenly changing. The weight pulled off everyone’s shoulders. Lifted like a curse. 

They all could finally breathe. 

Charlie’s limp limbs dangle around Henry’s hold, her head nestled in the crook of his neck. 

“Good job Lefty. Good job.” Michael breathes, happy to see his friend okay. Happy that she wasn’t destroyed in the fire. 

Lefty doesn’t say anything, Michael didn’t know if the animatronic didn't have a voice box like Lolbit did, or if wasn’t meant to speak. If it was, it chose not to. Just stood there silently. Watching. 

But they did their job, and that’s all that mattered.

Michael was grateful for that. 

“Hey, let’s get her home. Stanley, you can take Lefty in the van right? Meet us home?” 

Stanley nods, gently taking the large bear’s hand and the animatronic glances at him. 

“Go on, you’ve done an amazing job. Thank you.” Henry praised, holding his daughter like he was going to lose her again. 

Lefty just follows Stanley, the loud thumps with Jeremy following close behind. They understood that this was a moment between the family, and would give them space for the time being. 

Michael quietly walks beside Henry, making sure the man didn’t trip and fall. He was so focused on Charlie that he could easily trip over a root. 

They walk quietly, with Evan holding onto Michael’s hand, watching carefully. He was happy to see Charlie home. Hopefully she was okay, it didn’t feel like her remnant was fading. 

Her remnant was strong, now that Henry and Charlie were together. One half reuniting with the other. Father and daughter. 

The final reunion. 

Michael’s own stomach twists, wishing they could have a moment with Elizabeth. Finding her and being happy. Getting them all back together. But she was a ghost. Ejected from the Funtimes, who knows where she was. What she was doing. 

He just hoped she was okay. That she wasn’t being bad. That she wasn’t corrupting herself by thinking of what she could do to make her father proud. 

If only he had gotten to her sooner, if only he had stopped her from seeing Baby. 

Then again, he needed to follow Jeremy’s advice. Thinking about all this…it would make him sick. He needed to focus. Perhaps with this new plan, they may be able to bring her back. Help her. 

Maybe. 

Michael’s thoughts are halted to a stop when he hears a soft groan coming from the puppet in Henry’s hands. Henry stops all together, his grip never loosening. 

“Charlie?” 

The puppet’s face moves a bit, hollowed eyes staring at him, then at Michael. 

“Dad…? Mike?” 

“Hey kiddo.” Henry whispers his free hand gently cupping the porcelain mask. “Hey Charlotte, my beautiful baby girl.” 

“Dad!” Charlie whimpers her spindly arms wrapping around his neck burying her face into his collarbone. Henry hugs her tightly, giving out a hefty sob. “Oh dad, I missed you…so much.” 

“I missed you too, so so much.” Henry sobs, but it sounds more like a wheezy laugh. A happy sob. He was happy, she was here. Finally here. “You’re here now. You’re home.” 

Charlie gently reaches up, placing a hand over Henry’s face. Henry leans on the odd doll hand. “Don’t cry, I’m okay. I…I’m okay.” 

“I know, I am just so happy to see you. I missed you so much.” He doesn’t know how many times he was going to repeat that. How much of a hole was left in his heart when she was gone. “We kept searching, and now you're here….”

“Thanks, for finding me. I knew you could do it.” Charlie says, “That thing was scary though.”

“Lefty? Oh, yes he looks a little intimidating doesn't he?” Henry chuckles, “But it is your design. I took it from one of your journals.” 

Charlie tilts her head, and then gives a tinkling laugh. “That’s why he seemed so familiar.” She leans into Henry’s chest. “‘M so tired Dad.” 

Henry hums, gently rubbing her back up and down like he used to when she was young. He would hold her close, listen to her soft breathing. Marvel at how perfect she was, his little girl. Back in his arms, once more. 

“I know sweetheart, I know. Let’s get you home and all rested up.” 

Charlie nestles further into her father, her long lanky arms draping over his shoulders. “Mkay.” She whispers, no doubt extremely tired. She had been through enough as it is. Henry did not blame her, they could talk further. After all she was home. 

They had all the time in the world. 

 

…

 

Michael starts to walk a bit behind, Evan looking up at his brother with curious blank eyes. “Let them have their moment.” Michael tells him, and Evan understands.

It was their reunion. They deserved closure. Henry deserved some alone time with Charlie.

“Do you think she’s mad at me?”

Michael stops at the question, looking down at his brother, “Why would you think that?”

“Because of me not stopping Cassidy, she was really mean to her.” 

Michael hums, “That wasn’t your fault. Cassidy is…she’s angry, and lashes out at anyone. Even the ones who want to help. You can’t stop her, and you aren’t responsible for her actions. Charlie wouldn’t blame you for that.”

He knew Charlie, she was a forgiving soul. That was the difference between her and Cassidy. Charlie wanted to forgive, to let things go to rest, while Cassidy wished for the rageful flames to ruin everyone.  

Michael hoped she could forgive him, for him yelling at her in the beginning. Things would be far different if he had just accepted it, and followed her lead. He was just confused, angry and still in shock with all that happened. He felt stupid looking back at it now. 

But he was sure Charlie didn’t think much about it. It sucked, yes, but maybe they could move past that.

“I sure hope so.”

“I’m sure little man, no one can be mad at you.” Michael hummed and Evan looked uncomfortable. 

“You were..”

“Yeah well…I was stupid back then. Real stupid.” Michael says and Evan gives a gentle smile. “Let’s get on home so we can figure this all out.”
Evan lifts his arms up for Michael to reach down and pick him up, quickening his pace so they could go to the car and finally go home.

Mission accomplished.

 

…

 

The ride home was peaceful. No longer the dark cloud of worry hovering over them. The sun was starting to shine on the Emily family. 

The first order of business was getting Lefty back into his charging station. That's where he would stay until they needed him again. It was only for the time being, perhaps with the new place they would be able to put him to use. 

Now that Charlie was home, they didn’t really need another large animatronic stomping around. Michael was enough. 

He felt bad, but he supposed Lefty didn’t have the same sentience as Lolbit did. Lefty was programmed to do one thing, and that thing was accomplished. It had no purpose now. 

“Evan,” Henry calls out quietly as he brings in a blanket from Charlie’s room. Evan lifts his head from his spot. “Charlie is still sleeping, do you perhaps…want to try and get her…into the same place you and Michael shared?” 

Evan blinks and his eyes widen, “I can do that! Mikey, you can come with me. It’ll recharge her remnant a little bit too. It’s easy.” He grips Michael’s hand. 

“Oh! Perfect! I can help you Henry, make Charlie comfortable while they go talk to her.” Lolbit chirps, getting Michael to sigh. The boy can’t help but feel nervous. He didn’t know how Charlie was feeling about him right now. 

“Yeah, that sounds good,” Michael finally says, ignoring the push of Lolbit. He just had to bite the bullet. It would be okay. If he got a slap in the face then fine. He deserved it. Michael would take it. 

Evan beams and Henry looks grateful, “Let’s make her as comfortable as we can. If it helps then it’ll be good. Thank you.” 

Michael is guided by Evan to the couch. Lolbit settles in, ready to take over as Evan would take them to their little place. It’s been some time since he was there. Since Cassidy…

Since that nightmare. 

Evan squeezes his hand before he disappears, and Michael feels the sensation of falling. His body drifting away, watching Lolbit wave goodbye. 

The darkness blooms in his vision, and he falls to the void. It's not cold, but this warmth that embraces him entirely. 

When he opens his eyes he’s sitting on the couch, the house empty. He glances around, a bit confused. He expected Evan to be around him, but his little brother is nowhere to be seen. “Evan?” He calls out, only to see the sliding glass door is open. 

He gently walks out, seeing a figure on the hill thats past the fence of his yard. With minimum effort he leaps over the fence thinking that Evan was playing some trick on him, but once he gets further up the hill he sees her. 

Wet hair blowing in the wind, her outfit soaked. She stared off the distance, not noticing his presence. 

“Charlie?” Michael quietly calls, and Charlie turns her head, black eyes slightly wide. Her face is wet, and tears are flowing down her face. What Michael saw first was the large handprint on her neck. 

Michael freezes, seeing her staring at him. A soft smile grows on her face. “Hey Mike.” 

Michael can’t help but smile, feeling tears build up in his eyes. His best friend here, at last. “Charlie…”

“I’m guessing this is Evan’s doing?” She asks and Michael nods, shoving his hands into his pockets. “C’mere. Sit down next to me.”

Michael hesitates, but quietly sits down on the grass. He can feel the soft breeze hit his face. “I forgot how pretty the sky is. It’s been so long.” She whispers looking up at the sky, “Evan’s quite the artist, guess it runs in the family.” 

There’s a small yelp as Charlie waps Michael on the back of the head, the older boy reaching for his head giving a look of absolute shock. “What was that for???” 

Charlie huffs, “That’s for kidnapping me. Scared the absolute crap out of me.” 

Michael winces, “That wasn’t my idea. That was Henry’s.”

“Well I can’t really hit my dad now can I?” 

She had a point there. 

She gently nudges Michael who chuckles quietly, but his face falls curling his legs to his chest. “Listen…Charlie…I-I wanted to say I’m sorry. For-” 

Charlie shakes his head, “Mike, don’t be sorry. I shouldn’t have done that. But…I am glad I did, put you in Lolbit. You’ve done so much, and I shouldn’t have been angry at you. You were hurting, just as much as I was. It was stupid of me to think that you’d just follow me blindly.” 

He looks at his hands, “I…It was dumb. I shouldn’t have lashed out. I guess we both were pretty stupid back then huh?” 

She laughs, looking at him with black eyes, “Yeah. We were. You’ve been amazing. You saved those kids! Kicked your dad’s ass, saved mine…you’ve changed so much.” 

“Hopefully for the good.” Michael feels a bit embarrassed, not sure how to take all these compliments. “But it’s not over. He’s still out there. You feel it too don’t you?” 

“I always do. I was the first, the first remnant. If there’s remnant out there…I’ll be able to feel it. We have to stop him.”

Michael nods in agreement, “We have a plan, me..Henry. We’ve got a whole crew of people willing to put an end to this. Completely and utterly.” 

Charlie looks at him with determination, “Sign me up. I won't let him do what he did to us again. All of this needs to be put to rest.” 

“Charlie’s in? Now we are really going to kick butt.” Evan chirps from behind, getting the two to look at him. His eyes are bright with determination. 

“Evan! C’mere you! You got away from Cassidy! And look at this place! It’s amazing!” She reaches over, grabbing him and giving him a big hug. Evan squeals with laughter, making Michael smile widely. 

“Together, we make a damn good team.” Michael says and Charlie grins in response. 

“Ready to kick your dad’s ass?” 

“Thought you’d never ask.” 

Notes:

She’s home!! The gang is finally here! Well we are missing one member but they’ll come in soon hehe

Fanart corner time!

Stumphtown:
https://stumphtown.tumblr.com/post/692403864743395328/tragedy-incorporated-or-the-laughing-at-tragedy

Eldritchdemonfox:
https://eldritchdemonfox.tumblr.com/post/692411620022976512/inkspottie-s-fic-laughing-at-tragedy-had-taken

Nottoonedin:
https://nottoonedin.tumblr.com/post/692408186479722496/love-inkspottie-s-rockstar-lolbit-their-design

Smollfrnchfrii:
https://inkspottie.tumblr.com/post/692673421764624384/brainrot-goes-hard

Piomoxx:
https://piomoxx.tumblr.com/post/692901908150648832/man-lolbit-has-gotta-be-one-of-my-favorite

Nerdy-valkyrie:
https://nerdy-valkyrie.tumblr.com/post/679304807128940545/got-inspired-and-drew-some-fanart-of-lolmike-from

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend! Until Next Time!

Chapter 46: I Keep Trying to Find Me

Notes:

Another chapter!! Eee! I’m so excited for what is to come! I hope y’all enjoy this chapter.

We get a special guest added to our team. Did you figure out who it is? ;)

The house was calm. No longer this heavy feeling that settled like a thick fog. Rest came easy for the Emily’s. 

Charlie was home. 

Wrapped in a thick blanket resting on the couch, her thin arms curled together. Peaceful. It was almost endearing to look at. 

It was nearly like a weight was lifted from everyone’s shoulders. With Charlie here, they could finally finish it all. Finally be able to do what they needed to do. 

Call all the monsters that Afton created, touched, interacted with to one place. Hoping to catch the man behind it all as well. 

After all, he was attached to an animatronic too, and if Michael couldn’t resist the siren’s call, he wouldn’t be able to either. 

It was all starting to set into motion. Henry gathered all his life savings and now was waiting to hear the call that the plot he had placed his offer on. 

She was home. 

Henry felt his soul just about lose a good couple pounds. He was working diligently, right alongside Michael. Fixing a better body for Charlie. One she could move around in, one like Michael’s.

It had to be compatible. So like her other drawings Henry took from the source, and essentially was making a rockstar Puppet. 

Michael was quietly fixing Lefty, since the animatronic was a bit worn from its journey, but nothing too bad. He asked to add the paw pads that Lolbit had, which was odd to Henry. 

“Why do you want to install them into Lefty?” 

Michael looks up from his work, Lefty’s hand in his as he was installing the things. “Oh, well if that body doesn’t work out, Charlie will at least be able to feel in this one as well.” He doesn’t mention the fact that perhaps Evan could enter Lefty, he wanted to make sure it was okay first. 

“Plus, I think it looks cute.” Lolbit adds getting Michael to roll his eyes but the fixated grin of Lolbit never leaves. 

“That is a good idea. You think she will like this?”

He lifted up the puppet’s new body, sleek and plastic with fabric that Michael had sewn just for her. He had said, say no more when Henry mentioned it while Charlie rested. Evan was keeping watch making sure she got proper rest. 

Her remnant was still recovering from the split, but now that Henry and her were together, it would recover much quickly. 

“Henry, she’ll be able to move, to feel. And disguise herself so she can be normal, even just a little bit. She’s gonna love it.” 

“I think she’s going to look absolutely darling!” Lolbit agrees and Michael grins. 

Henry gives a quiet nod, “Good because it’s almost done. I want her to wake up in this new body, be surprised.” 

“You sly dog, hiding all this from me.” Michael comments and Henry just shrugs. “We have the team back together. Everything is fitting into place.” 

“Soon…we can finish this. Once and for all.” 

Michael hums, “We got this Henry. Finally, we can win.” 

Henry can’t help but smile, hope blooming in his chest. How good it felt to finally have some wins under their belt. No longer feeling the sadness and loss that weighed heavily on his heart. 

It was later than he wished, but he was taking action. 

He was tired of William striking again and again. Who knows what the man was doing. He knew William wasn’t dead, he wouldn’t just die like a normal man would. 

No, so Henry would have to smoke them out. Smoke them all out and trap them like rats. 

That was the only way. Both Michael and him knew what was to happen, Evan as well even though he was too young to completely understand. 

It was the only way. 

And he was certain Charlie would agree. She wanted this done as much as he did. She was tired, as was he. As was Mike, Evan, everyone. 

William’s reign of terror will be over. 

Henry would make sure of it. 

Even if he had to burn with the man to make sure he never returned. 

“There. Lefty has paw pads now.” Michael says standing up and dusting himself off with a satisfied grin. 

Henry turns to look at the handiwork, “Well done, you’re starting to become a real mechanic with this.” 

Michael looks bashful, rubbing the back of his metal neck. “Well, I have a great teacher.” 

Henry beams with pride, he was happy to teach Michael the ropes. The boy always seemed interested in robots and the business but it went downhill after everything happened. But he could tell Michael had a talent with machines, no doubt because he was one now. 

If only things were different, he could see Michael taking over the company and bringing such joy. But that was not an option now. 

He had his life taken away so long ago, and only lived on to fix his father’s mistakes. 

But soon, soon they would finally right this wrong. 

Soon. 

 

… 

 

“Charlie? Charlie, can you hear us?” 

Charlie feels her soul suddenly awaken, like she had just gotten up from a very long nap. It felt like ages since she slept. She didn’t normally have eyelids so the sensation of lids clicking together was enough to startle her up. 

Plastic and metal creaked with her movement and she feels gentle hands on her shoulders. 

“Woah there, this might be a little jarring. It’s me,” The voice is familiar, the audible clicks of her eyelids and the sound of tinkling bells are around her. 

Him… 

Who was he again? 

She reels back in fright. No, how could she forget?! How could she forget her own father? 

Dark hollow eyes stare at Henry, and she realizes where she is. 

Home. 

“There she is, you doing alright?” Henry ask, a hand gently cupping her chin. 

What happened? Why did she feel so strange? So energized? 

“Dad?” Her voice isn’t grainy, this whisper against one’s mind. She can hear herself much clearer. That wasn’t right. 

“Hey sweetie. You look a little lost, do you know where you are right now?” 

Charlie glances around, seeing a large animatronic leaning against the wall with a little boy next to him. Mike, Evan her mind whispers to her. They were here too. 

“Home?” She asks and Henry gives a smile, it’s a thin smile but filled with relief. 

“Good, good. The transfer went well then.” 

Transfer?

Henry looks a bit apologetic, “The puppet body, it was far too damaged, it was hurting you to stay in that body. I…I made you a new one, and put you in there. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you but you were very out of it.” 

“You were resting.” Evan supplies and Henry nods, “You needed to recover.” 

Just like he did when he was ejected from Golden Freddy. 

Charlie finally looks down at her hands, noticing the sleek felt instead of damaged cotton. Bright neon strings attached to her wrists, she saw she was wearing an outfit. 

“What…” 

“Rockstar Charlie, welcome to the team.” Michael whispers, a glint in his eyes. 

Rockstar.

Henry gently shows her a mirror and Charlie’s eyes widen, seeing a flicker of green in the dark eyes of hers. Star shaped cheeks, and a cute little nightcap with a bell on the end. 

She looked like a jester, and felt her nonexistent heart skip a beat. 

“I…I..” 

“I hope you like it Charlie, we all worked on it. Mike made the outfit. He’s gotten real handy with a sewing machine.” 

Michael huffs crossing his arms, and Charlie looks to her friend. It was so odd, the last time she talked to him he was so different. 

Now he was like a new person. 

“It’s amazing. This…this is amazing.” She breathes taking a stand, her body wobbling. No longer having to float, her feet now touching the floor. 

She had actual limbs, not wobbly noodles like before. 

Charlie flexes her hands, her body a mixture of plush and metal. It was a perfect blend, her outfit fitting to her. Not too girly but not too masculine either. A perfect medium. 

“You look fantastic my dear.” An unfamiliar voice calls out and Charlie looks over to see the animatronic that Michael was inhabiting was talking to her, complimenting her. 

Michael….did he-was he able to prevent such a creature from turning evil? How fascinating. 

“I-thank you. Lolbit, right?” 

Lolbit beams, “Indeed! I’m in your debt Charlie, you granted me a wonderful friend.” 

Charlie gives a smile in return, “Thank you for taking care of Mike. I’m glad things turned out well for the both of you.” She took a gamble placing Mike in a Funtime, but something told her that it was a risk that was going to reward them in the end. 

Turns out she was right. 

“But of course! Mikey deserves it.” 

Charlie can’t help but agree, trying to take a step, but she’s not used to her new body and nearly falls over. Henry is quick to catch her, even Michael takes a step forward, his eyes flickering from the bright white to purple. 

“Sorry, I’m so not used to having proper legs.” Charlie laughs leaning on her father who quietly holds her. Not tightly, but in a protective way. 

Michael hums, “It gets some getting used to, but you’ll bounce back. You always do.” 

Did she? She didn’t know if that was true, but decided not to argue. 

“You guys have been busy.” She comments instead, surprised at all the work. This was not the body she granted Michael with, and Evan was here. 

The three look at each other and Michael snorts, “That’s saying something. We can fill you in. Get you caught up.” 

Charlie looks at them with interest, “You have a plan. I remember that much.” 

Henry nods, “One that can finish it all. I will need all your help. Together.” 

Charlie grins wider than her mouth usually goes, “Well what are we waiting for? Tell me all about it.” 

 

…

 

Briefing Charlie was easy. She was caught up on most things anyways, but it was nice to fill the gaps. She didn’t talk much about what she did when alone, just telling them that it was all a blur and that she only acted on instinct. 

It was understandable, losing the pizzeria and the kids, nearly getting scrapped with the toys, and then ending up in the Fazbear frights place. 

No doubt it was jarring. 

Michael didn’t blame her for not remembering everything. 

At the moment Charlie and Henry were quietly talking, getting to reunite and Michael didn’t wish to intrude. He didn’t want to be the third wheel. 

Henry was Charlie’s father, and he deserved to have a small moment with his kid. 

Michael wouldn’t be the one to deny that, especially after all these years of searching for her. He needed, no, deserved this. The man was suffering all this time, and now he finally could have some closure. Some relief. 

So he was in the workshop, tinkering once again with his little project. He replaced the battery and was attempting to try and start it up, maybe thinking it was some sort of fluke. 

But there was nothing. It was making Michael frustrated beyond belief. 

“Mikey, maybe we should try something else.” Lolbit whispers gesturing with their left hand to the jars above. “You fail to remember that you too have a gift.” 

“But it’s not just my remnant in there. It’s got the Funtimes and maybe even Elizabeth’s. What would happen…and I don’t even know how to do it!” Michael groans rubbing his temples feeling the sleek material under his fingertips. Could robots even get headaches? He sure felt like he was getting one. 

Lolbit makes a noise, it was so odd. Lolbit’s voice spoke through the speaker, while Michael’s came from their mouth. Henry thought of everything. 

“You can always try. It doesn’t hurt.” Lolbit’s positivity was nearly as bright as Jeremy’s. Nearly. 

Michael sighs, reaching up to pick up the mason jar that held his corpse remnant inside. He could see the swirls of faded pink and purple intermixed with his own bright orange. 

It was as potent as the orange, but it was enough for Michael to notice it. He knew there was children’s agony, along with his own in there. It was a horrible thought. 

“Now what?” He snarks a bit annoyed that he didn’t know how to use his gift. Evan and Charlie, even Henry knew! How come his gift didn’t come so easily? 

“Because you have to work for it. Believe in yourself Mikey. They believed they could help, now you have to believe that you can help too.” 

“What, am I like supposed to clap my hands and proclaim I do believe in fairies? I do, I do.” He mocks getting a firm push from Lolbit. Funny how the jokester didn’t appreciate that joke. 

Michael stares at the jar for a moment. Could he? After all these years he was finally doing something right. Could he really help others without causing problems? 

“Yes Mikey. You helped Stanley, Deliliah, Millie…Charlie Henry. Me!” Lolbit gives a gentle nudge, the waves of encouragement hitting at full force. 

Michael sucks in a breath, “But what if I mess it up. What if I ruin everything by creating a monster of my own?”

“You won’t. You know why? Because you’re not your father. You are Michael. Not William. Michael. That last name means nothing to us. Don’t burden yourself with his sins.” 

Lolbit was right. He didn’t know how the animatronic was so wise, but the fox knew something he didn’t. 

They believed in Michael, despite the boy having little to no confidence in himself. 

With a deep breath he holds onto the jar, staring at the glowing remnant. The liquid swirling before him. 

He could feel the warmth of it, and the beat of his nonexisting heart. He swallows, closing his eyes. 

“Come on, come on…” He whispers, doing his best not to break the jar. 

He feels it. This warmth, this flowing energy that rests in his chest. The lines of orange spark from his chest, traveling up his arms and through his fingers. 

He opens his eyes when a bright flash erupts from the jar, a shuddering feeling hitting his very core. As if something was awakened from within. 

The orange remnant glows brighter than usual, pulsating like the beat of a heart. He focuses even more, eyes narrowed and feels it. 

This sudden pull, that threads between his core and his body. The brief connection between soul and machine. It sparks like fire and the warmth encompasses him. 

He’s left panting as the light fades, the glow of the remnant now just a dull thrum. He feels like he just ran a mile, Lolbit feeling a little drowsy himself. 

“Did…did I do it?” Michael breathes, noticing that the remnant was no longer goop, but this floating form of gas. Like a flickering flame. No purple and pink to be seen. It burned eternally, a beautiful display before him. 

“I did it! I…we did it Lolbit!” Michael remarks sitting down on the stool finding that he was getting tired. That definitely wore him out. Probably because he never truly did something like that before. 

He looks at the little thing and then to the jar. 

“I’m going to…take a nap, and then…then we’ll power this on.” He says leaning on the counter top, the jar in hand and the little bot close to his arm. 

Soon…

He was just so tired…

 

…

 

Charlie was getting used to her new body, she felt free in this form. Her dad had given her one that was meant for her. Not something she was forced to be in. 

She always liked the puppet, it was made for her after all. It was her animatronic. 

But she didn’t like being the puppet. This was another version, sure, but her version. Something to suit her . 

So she was grateful. 

Michael and Evan had disappeared and left Henry to chat with her. She was grateful for it, since she was now more coherent than ever. 

Henry sat across from her, watching her dance around and look at everything. Touch everything.

“You didn’t change the house much.” She noted with a small jingle as she walked. The bells on her animatronic was no doubt from Michael, she remembers she scared him pretty good when at the pizzeria. 

Henry chuckles looking around the place, “Wasn't much to change.” And it hurt to do so. “Deep down…I thought maybe someday…” 

He stops himself, looking to the floor. 

Charlie pauses her musings, looking to her father. He was so sad, she hated seeing him sad. “Hey, it’s okay. I’m here now.” 

Henry nods, a small sniffle escaping his throat. “I know. I…I am so sorry Charlie.” 

This makes Charlie tilt her head, “Why?” 

“For leaving you, for not being there for you when I should have, I should have-”

“ Dad.”

Henry stops looking at his daughter seeing her form gently step closer, thin hands grabbing his. “Don’t blame yourself for what happened. None of this? Was your fault. I don’t blame you. I could never blame you. And if you did try to stop him, I think…you wouldn’t be here either.” 

Henry’s throat bobbed up and down, trying to hold back the tears. “I’m so sorry.” 

“It’s okay. You came back, you didn’t run away. You helped Michael, you helped me. You’ve done so much. You can’t hold what he’s done, you didn’t do this. You didn’t cause this.” Charlie holds her father’s hand placing her cold face against his forehead. 

“I forgive you dad. If that eases your heart. I forgive you.” 

Henry hunches over and sobs into her chest, getting the animatronic to wrap her thin arms around her father. Rubbing his back gently. His arms grip her with a vice, as if she’s going to disappear. 

His sweet baby, now finally back in his arms. His little baby girl. 

“I’m so glad you’re here.” He whispers and Charlie hums quietly. 

“Me too dad. Me too. Can’t cry over me always. I'm here now.” She gently takes his glasses off and wipes his tears. “I love you. It hurts seeing you so sad. Maybe you should go to bed.” 

Henry chuckles, it’s wet but full of mirth. “Who’s giving the orders now?” 

Charlie grins, “Me. I say a full night's sleep is your punishment! I don’t even want to see you out of bed!” 

This makes Henry laugh a bit louder, getting up and places a gentle kiss on her forehead. “I love you sweetie.” 

“Love you too. Now get to bed, old man.” She teases, watching Henry look fake hurt at the comment, gripping his heart quietly. 

“Alright, alright I’m going.” He says as Charlie starts to push her father down the halls, giving small giggles as she did so, her bells jingling. 

Henry gives one final peck to his daughter’s forehead, climbing up the stairs and giving a small wave to his daughter. She waves back watching him disappear and listens for the door to shut before she turns her heel. 

She takes this opportunity to take big steps, seeing how far her long spindly legs could take her. This was so much fun! As much as she liked gliding around, it was fun but she liked having articulating legs. She felt like a little doll, instead of some plushie. 

Charlie peeks into the guest room wondering where Michael was. Since both of them were animatronics they didn’t need to sleep, though it was always good to just power off for the body’s sake. 

It seemed Evan would provide them a place to rest while everything recharged. Wouldn’t want a dying body, remnant could only power so much after all. 

She pauses seeing the blue outline of the little boy, he was peeking into the workshop. 

“Watcha doin’?” She asks, leaning down and looking through the door. Her whole body nearly draped over the little boy.

Evan yelps in surprise looking at Charlie with wide eyes. “Ch-charlie!” He stammers, getting Charlie to giggle just slightly. 

“Sorry sorry. Whatcha looking at?” 

Evan fidgets in his spot, “Mikey, he fell asleep.” He gestures inside and Charlie looks in, seeing the Lolbit body slumped over, completely powered off on the workbench. 

“Geez what did he do?” 

“Use his gift, didn’t you feel it?” 

Charlie blinks, looking at the little boy and then to the fox animatronic. “Huh, no I didn’t. He actually used it? Wow.” 

Evan nods, stepping closer, “The first times are always super draining.” 

“You’re telling me…oooh we should mark his face.” The idea of Michael with a pen mustache was just too good to pass up on. Plus she missed out on so many years of pranking Michael, it was about time she caught up!

Evan’s eyes widened, “W-what? Why?” He looks absolutely confused by the suggestion, getting Charlie to giggle even more. 

“Cuz it’ll be funny, c’mon it's time you pranked him. We’ll make sure it washes off.” She winks at Evan sneaking further only to stop when seeing the jar in Michael’s hand and the little bear bot next to his other hand. 

Oh?

“Who’s this little guy?” She questions looking at the papers around the area. There were tools and various items around Michael. He must've been working on the thing for quite some time.  “Helper bot? Michael…did you make this? It’s so cute!” 

Evan peers over the shoulder of Charlie, quietly floating behind her. “Oh! That’s the idea he had, it’s supposed to help us out and find remnant,” He smiled softly, “It is really cute. 

Charlie looks at the blueprints, “How cute, hmmm…I think I have a better plan. It looks like Mike can’t get it turned on. What if we activated it? Make it help Mike out, since he needs someone around to tell him to stop being stupid after all. Lolbit can only do so much.” 

The little boy looks to the little bot and then to Mike and smiles widely, “Yeah! He needs a little helper…but how are we going to do it?” 

Charlie grins widely, “With a little gift of course!” She holds the jar of orange remnant with a mischievous look. 

 

…

 

Michael felt exhausted, he didn’t expect it to drain so much of him. Was this how Charlie felt when she first gave a gift? Damn, he literally passed out. He groans softly, hearing a small tinkling tune next to him.

It was almost like a whistle. 

“Mmm…Lolbit why the whistling?” He feels little hands touch his face and half-heartedly waves them away. 

“That’s not me.” 

What?

Michael opens his eyes to see a white and pink bear waving at him, the little thing dancing around with a small whistling noise coming out of him. The helper bot…

It turned on?

Michael jerks up, nearly causing the little thing to topple over staring at the bot before him. “H-how…?” He gently pokes the bot, as if to see if this was just a dream that Evan was making him go through. 

But metal touches metal, and the little bear giggles like the pillsbury dough boy does. Michael’s ears wiggle and he gives out a shocked laugh. “Hah…hah! You’re alive! You…you turned on! Look at you!” He exclaims picking up the little thing with a laugh. 

The bear gives a happy noise, “You’re alive!” It repeats, playing back Michael’s voice. 

“Amazing…amazing! You’re amazing. My little helper bot! I did it! We did it Lolbit!” Michael exclaims with a happy laugh getting a ‘bravo!’ from Lolbit. He stops looking at the little bear before him. 

“We need to give you a name…hmmm..Helpy. Your name is going to be Helpy.” 

“Helpy!”

“That's right! Helpy.” His chest swells with pride as the little thing smiles widely at him, his little paws thumping against Michael’s hands. 

 “Oh man, Henry’s gotta see you! Charlie and Evan too!” He stands up holding Helpy close to his chest, like one would a child. Helpy chirps out a happy tune as the animatronic races out of the workshop. 

“Henry! Evan! Charlie! Look what I made!” 

Notes:

HELPYYYYY!! He’s finally here! Michaels son!!! Yay!!

Hope y’all enjoyed it, things are gonna be picking up from here because we now are officially in the pizzeria sim arc. Ready your tissues it’s gonna be a rough final hurdle.

Fanart corner!:

https://carogdraws.tumblr.com/post/693378392158093312/took-me-a-hell-of-a-long-time-but-here-we-go-the

Until next time!!

Chapter 47: Tell Me, Are You One of Us?

Notes:

I’m baaack! Thank you for your patience! Last week was my birthday and I was working all week so I really didn’t have time to work on the chapter. I didn’t want to give you some half assed thing.

So here it is! Thank you for waiting.

And!!! 90k?! 90k??? I’m literally screaming. I surpassed ENCORE?! Crazy! I have no idea what to do with this, but I’m working on it lol

Anyways, thank you all for the amazing support and lovely birthday wishes! On with the show!

Helpy was amazing. Michael was so proud of himself, as was Lolbit. The ability to create, and to bring something to life without the absolute destruction that followed. 

Something that was made to create, instead of destroy. 

Michael understood Henry’s passion now. 

It brought a smile to his face, pride in his chest that this little creation of his…was alive. Working and alive! 

It was truly beautiful. 

He didn’t realize how late it was when he traveled into the living room with Helpy in tow, Charlie raising a finger to her mouth. Oh, Henry must be asleep. 

“What's with all the noise? You lose a bolt or something?” Charlie teased getting Michael to roll his eyes. She seemed interested despite the teasing nature. It was just something the two did. 

He just brushes it off, with the widest smile both Charlie and Evan attentive to the excited fox animatronic. 

“Behold, Helpy!” He pulls the little bot from behind his back and the teddy bear like animatronic puts his little hands up in excitement. Tinkling noises came from the thing as Michael was just about to explode from excitement. 

Charlie gasped, putting her hands to her face looking closer at the little thing. “Oh my goodness! Isn’t he adorable! Hello there!” Her excitement was genuine despite obviously seeing the little thing before 

Helpy waves a small little hand and Charlie coos at the animatronic. She waves back nearly bouncing in place, the bells on her form jingling as she did so. 

“Did you make this Mikey?” Evan asks, looking over to Charlie seeing the mischievous look on her face that clearly said not to speak a word of what they did. 

“Y-yeah! He’s supposed to detect remnant! So Lolbit and I don’t have to, and ya know break our disguise.” He explains placing Helpy on the coffee table. “It’ll be easier when we go out on patrols with this little guy on our side.”

“Patrols?” Charlie asks, watching Helpy looking around and just being adorable. The bot was super cute, and she was surprised that a guy like Michael could make such a thing. 

She honestly expected spikes and flames all on it. 

“Oh right, you haven’t met the rest of the team. Me, Jeremy and Stan sometimes go out and check to make sure there’s not any stray remnant that father had been cooking up. We’ve caught a couple so far.” 

Michael holds his imaginary tongue about Ella, not wishing to upset Charlie further. 

Charlie looks pleasantly surprised, “Wow. You guys have been busy.” 

“We’ve been doing the best we can. Helping anyone that’s been suffering under well you know…if we can stop it..” 

Charlie nods, placing a thin hand on Michael’s shoulder, “You’ve done a great job, Evan was telling me about some of them. I’m really proud of you Mike.” 

She meant every word of it. Michael had grown so much, going from the angry child, who snapped and snarled like a rabid dog. To a kind and helpful man, with a righteous fire burning within. 

Charlie marveled at such growth. 

Michael looks embarrassed, his purple eyes flicking away as he rubbed the back of his neck. “Thanks, took a while to get where I am…still not exactly…” 

Charlie huffs, “Hey, no one can be perfect. You are doing just fine.” She gives a pat to Michael’s face, the fox making a small noise as if annoyed by her gesture but a smile is on his face. 

“Thanks..Charlie.” 

The puppet animatronic steps forward giving Michael a hug, her slender arms wrapping around his waist. Michael leaned into the embrace. “It’s good to have you back.” He says whispering and Charlie pats his back. 

“It’s good to be back.” 

 

…

 

“Oh. My. God.” 

Jeremy just about squeals when seeing the little bear held in Michael’s hands. “He’s so cute!” He says his hands shaking a bit and doing a little step in place as Michael laughs. 

Stanley chuckles, “I thought you didn’t like Freddy.” 

Michael frowns, “I don’t, he’s not Freddy. He’s Helpy.” The little bear gives a tinkling tune in response waving to the newcomers. 

“I see.” Stanley doesn’t seem convinced. Everyone knew that Michael didn’t have a good relationship with the bear animatronic. Any bear animatronic if he was honest. Lolbit was the one who suggested it be a bear when they started on Helpy. 

To maybe make Michael feel more comfortable around the bear animatronics. 

It wasn’t like he hated Freddy. It was just Freddy always causing him problems. 

Every rendition, starting with the first. 

“That’s not the point here.” Michael says placing Helpy on the counter watching Jeremy play with its stubby little arms. 

“I wanted you all to meet Charlie. Properly. She’s getting a tune up from Henry right now. Twirled her arm a little too much and it caused a jolt to get loose.” 

Stanley nods, leaning against the counter. “Is she doing okay?” He knew how much Charlie meant to Michael. She was practically his sister after all. They grew up together. They had a special bond. 

She was the one who gave him a second chance after all. If Michael hadn't been there…Stanely wouldn’t have made it. He was sure of that. 

“She’s doing better. She was out of it the first couple days, but the body and being around Henry has given her a good energy boost. I think it would be good to have a meeting, to get things started. Figure out a plan.” 

“We testing out this little guy?” Jeremy asks tickling Helpy’s stomach with a wide grin. The little thing giggles while Michael shakes his head, a smile on his own face. 

“That’s the plan. Get everyone acquainted and then do a patrol. Just us, and Charlie. I think it would be good to have her out of the house, and give Henry some time alone.” 

Stanley rubs his chin, “You think there’s still stuff out there?” 

“Doesn’t hurt to check. Plus it’s more to get Charlie out of the house, and to see that Helpy can do what he needs to do.” Michael replies with a shrug. 

“I can get behind that!” Jeremy chirps, “We haven’t done a patrol in a while.” 

Stanley looks uncomfortable, “I hate the idea that there’s even anything like that out there, even now.” 

“That’s why we are here. To make sure that we prevent any accidents.” 

Jeremy and Stanley nods, “Well…I think I might know a spot. It’s a little place. Where that Chica’s party world used to be. It’s got Fazbear’s name but none of the animatronics. I’ve been keeping an eye on it. There’s some forums that say it’s…a bit unsettling.” 

Michael nods, “Fazbear always poking it’s nasty little head, you’d think they’d be out of business with all this, but nope. Seems like they’re still thriving.” 

“The rumors and legends just make it popular. It’s so weird. I’ve seen kids still playing with some of the toys that used to be at the one we used to work for.” He shudders and Michael can’t help but do the same. 

He didn’t want to think about the chokehold that this franchise had on children. Was this Williams doing? He didn’t know. 

He can place himself in places he shouldn’t, I wouldn’t be surprised he crawled into the subspace that is that hellplace. 

Michale doesn’t comment on Lolbit’s statement, not wanting to think about anything having to do with his father. How he probably had his stained hands in every pocket of the land. 

He honestly wouldn’t be surprised if he was whispering in the ear of some bigwig up top of the fazbear entertainment industry. 

It would be something he would do. 

“It’s thriving, and I don’t know how. And I fear my father might have hand in it. Like before, I noticed something with all the incidents. A thrall. Something making you feel almost hypnotized to interact with these things.” Both Delilah and Stanley stated that they felt like they were in a trance. 

Something was forcing them to interact, to attach themselves to the spoiled remnant that was in whatever monster this company spat out. 

“We’ll have to keep an eye on them too. I hear they’ve come up with a new line of toys. Mel got angry with me when I told her not to buy anything for her son. I just…I don’t want Jack to get hurt by these things.” Stanley says quietly and Michael nods. 

“It’s probably for the best. Jack doesn’t deserve to be harassed, let alone Mel having to deal with it all as well.” Michael rather no one buys them but he was just one voice in a sea of fans.

Jeremy is tapping on his phone, “Yeah look at this line…have Freddy watch your child? Be his best friend? That’s a little freaky…” 

Michael tilted his body a bit to see the phone picture. It was Freddy alright, but smaller. And their eyes were a pale blue. Something about them didn’t seem right. It sent a shiver down his spine. 

Reminded him of the damn Fredbear his father used to spy on Evan, to scare him, experiment on his own son with the illusion discs. 

Michael’s teeth are bared at the idea of someone using this to get into children's heads. Who was even in charge of the company now? Certainly not Henry since the man stepped down. Wally? Travis? Hugo? 

He didn’t know, and he highly doubted he would find out. The company seemed to be shrouded in mystery, on purpose as well.

“We’ll check the place out tonight. Just a scope around.” 

Stanley and Jeremy agree, it was the only lead they had after all. They at least could check it out, see if it was truly causing problems or anything like that. 

They had to be careful, to make sure nothing was happening. 

“Aw man it’s going to rain…” 

Michael looks over seeing the clouds starting to form, “All the more better…” He grumbles, thankful that these animatronics were pretty much waterproof and every other proof. Henry had every precaution.

“Okay! All fixed!” Henry calls out from the hall, getting the three to glance up seeing Henry walking with Charlie next to him. 

She was gently moving her wrist watching with fascination. “I’m still not used to joints.” She jokes looking at the three in the room. “Oh! You must be the rest of the team.” 

Stanley nodded and Jeremy steps in front of Michael, “I’m Jeremy! And this is Stanley!” He chirps with a wide grin, “You must be Charlie.” 

“That’s me! Jeremy huh,” She glances at Michael giving an odd look before looking at Stanley. “Nice to meet you both, thanks for taking care of Mikey.” 

“Of course, I mean he kinda took care of us first so..” Stanley says rubbing the back of his neck, “It’s the least we could do.” 

“Mhmm! Plus, we want to keep all that’s happening from…well happening.” Jeremy says, they all knew that he didn’t want anyone else to get bit by an animatronic or anything powered by remnant. 

Charlie gives a small hum, as if saying she liked Jeremy’s statement. “Good, I’m glad you all are here then. The more help, the better. Things have been spreading, infecting. I haven’t been able to contact Cassidy, but she’s doing something. I just know it. And Afton….” 

Michael winces slightly at the last name, it’s been so long since someone had uttered his last name. The name that brought toxin to his mouth, poisoning his mind. 

The bile that traveled up his throat, all because of his father and the way he dragged their name through the mud. 

He poisoned it. 

Poisoned them. 

All for what? 

Immortality? Fame? He didn’t know. He didn’t know why William did the things he had done, why he decided to corrupt himself into oblivion. 

“Evan’s keeping an eye out for Cassidy, and we have a little plan for Afton.” Michael finally says, getting all eyes on him, “But..for now, Stanley has a lead, and we can use this opportunity to test Helpy out.” 

Charlie lifts up the little bear who made a music note, a small salute. “You’re going to do amazing things.” She whispers to Helpy, completely in love with this little animatronic. Who knew a guy like Michael could create something so cute? 

“Perfect. We can start looking around once everything starts to close. I was thinking I could get an insight on the inside of the place while you all snoop. Within the laws of course.” Henry glances at Michael knowing that they didn’t need another encounter with Detective Larson.

Michael rolls his eyes, but says nothing, opting to look at Jeremy’s phone to see more on this new Freddy toy line they had. 

Something about those eyes, the pale blue instead of the sky blue that Freddy normally had. It seemed off. 

Silver eyes. 

Michael swallows, a flash of his father’s steel grey eyes hitting him hard. 

“We’ll be careful. I just want to check out these…Lonely Freddy’s out. They just give…” 

“Bad vibes?” Jeremy supplies and Michael nods. Not exactly the same term he would use, but yes. It made him feel uncomfortable and he was certain Charlie felt the same way. 

“Wait, are we all going? How are we going out looking like this?” Charlie gestures to Michael and herself in their animatronic form.

Michael looks at her, and his form shifts. The fox is no longer there but the hologram of himself in his place. “There’s an illusion disc inside you, it’ll help you blend in.” He says with a slight smirk, repeating the same thing she had told her all that time ago when he first woke up in Lolbit. 

Charlie just stares and then looks down at herself then to her father, “I…have one too?” 

Henry nods, “You don’t have to always use it, but we wanted you to join us on these sorts of things.” 

Charlie looks completely surprised, and she looks to Michael. “Ho..how do I?” 

“Just focus on what you imagine yourself to look like, the illusion disc will do the rest.” He says quietly, encouragingly. He takes a step back, to give his friend some space. 

The audible click of her eyelids can be heard, and then accompanied by a small whirrling noise. Like a machine being powered on. 

When she opens her eyes, it’s Charlie. Or what Michael would assume Charlie would look like being his age. Her hair in a thick fishtail braid, with a bell on the end of the braid. A hat with many pins including the face of the puppet was on her head, and she wore a black and white sweater with a green heart in the middle. 

“Well?” Charlie asks a bit sheepishly, not quite able to see what she looked like. 

“Hell yeah you look so cool!” Jeremy says, always the first to make sure positivity was bursting from within. He did the same with Michael. 

Henry smiles, though his eyes are bittersweet. It hurt deep down that he never got to see his daughter grow up. Never got to see her look more and more like her mother. 

“You look amazing.” He says, his voice bursting with pride. 

Charlie beams, still giving the wide tooth grin she always did, “Thanks, Dad.” It was so odd, seeing her in a human form, but it was nice. 

Charlie deserved this, she had been in that body for so long…she deserved to have a little freedom of being in a semi real human body. 

“Okay! Now we are all set?” Stanley says after a moment. 

“What about me?” 

They all pause, Michael turned his head to see Evan looking at them with wide eyes. He stood there expectantly, waiting for an answer. 

Unfortunately Evan really couldn’t travel with them, unless they took the plush, and Michael felt it would probably be best if he stayed here. 

“Why, you get to hold down the fort little man.” Michael says crouching down. He places a hand on Evan’s shoulder. “Keep watch on the base, and Lefty. You can do that right?” 

“But I wanna come…” Evan whispers and Michael hums. 

“I know kiddo, but-”

“Evan, why don’t you and I stay here so we can work on a special project? Just me and you?” Henry steps in getting at Evan’s eye level. Evan looks at the older man with a tilt of his head. 

“Special project?” 

“Yes, a top secret one.”

Evan’s eyes widen, and a small smile grows on his face. “Okay.” His voice is quiet but holds anticipation for this ‘special project’. Henry knew how to get Evan excited when he was left out of things due to him being young. 

“Don’t worry, I’ll be okay here with Evan. Be careful you four.” Henry says standing up straight with Evan close by. “We can hold down the fort from here.” 

“Thanks,” Michael tells Henry, and then ruffles Evan’s hair. “You have fun kiddo.”

Evan grumbles at the hair toss, but smiles at his older brother. “You too. Don’t get into trouble.” 

Stanley and Jeremy snort at that, getting Michael to send a deadly glare at the two. They just snicker quietly while Michael promises Evan that he would do his best. 

“To the van!!” Jeremy shouts, grabbing Michael’s hand and dragging him along with Stanley and Charlie close behind. 

 

…

 

The new place…felt more like a McDonalds playpen than an actual pizzeria. Michael felt like this was the cheapest looking one yet, and he hated it. 

It didn’t even have anything that gave that old charm. It was just a husk. Like someone just slapped the Freddy name on the front and was done with it. 

Michael stepped out of the van with Charlie and Jeremy in tow.

“Could these places get any gaudier?” Charlie muttered looking up at the neon sign. They were here before closing, so there probably wouldn’t be too many children around. 

Michael gives out a bark of laughter, completely agreeing with the statement. 

“It looks like an off brand Chuckie Cheese…I prefer Chips over this.” 

“ Chips?” Michael asks Stanley and his friend shrugs. 

“The food is good there, sue me.” 

The rain was starting to pour, large droplets hitting them all. He was glad the illusion disc worked so that people didn't hear the tink tink of water hitting the metallic plastic that was his body. 

Michael shakes his head, opening the door and allowing everyone in. He notices a family is about to leave so he holds the door for them. 

A little blond girl passes by, looking a bit troubled while a blond teenager nearly barrels out of the door. As if he was going to get caught or something. 

He bumps into Michael, and the taller man just stares down with a raised eyebrow. Damn kids…

He stops in his tracks when seeing silver eyes staring at him. In a brief moment the world seems to pause. He can see the expression shift on the boy, and Michael feels like his body is growing in static. 

The same sensation of having the hairs in the back of your neck stick up. 

“Alec!” A woman shouts, getting the boy to look over a bit robotically, “Let’s go!” 

Michael watches the boy leave, traveling back to his family. 

Something was up with that kid. Those eyes…

“Mike!” 

Michael blinks seeing the two already inside, and Jeremy is tilting his head expectantly. He looks back over his shoulder before stepping into the building. 

“What was that?” Jeremy asks and Michael looks puzzled. 

“I don’t know. That kid gave me some weird vibes…” He replies honestly, he didn’t quite know why, but those eyes…they freaked him out a little. 

Jeremy chuckles at that, “Don’t all kids give you weird vibes?” 

Michael just rolls his eyes, following him further inside. It was pretty vacant with only a few workers cleaning up things. There was a wet floor sign nearby, no doubt some kid vomited or something. He knew all too well what that was like. 

“I hate being back in places like this.” 

Jeremy gently squeezes his arm, “I know but it’s just got a little bit. Just to make sure nothing suspicious is happening. You got this.” 

The taller male looks down at Jeremy, a thin smile on his face. What would he do without him? “Yeah, you’re right.” 

“Too bad that Lonely Freddy was tossed away, those things are pretty expensive.” A worker mumbles quietly and Michael lifts his head up to hear thanking Lolbit for their ability to hear better than most. 

“What you wanna go and grab it? It’s covered in vomit.” 

“Blegh no thanks.” 

Hmm. 

Michael looks to Charlie who had just come back from talking to some of the workers, “Nothing too suspicious, just that the Lonely Freddy’s sell out pretty fast. And they had a little outburst with some kid but it wasn’t too crazy.” 

Seemed normal enough. He didn’t like the Lonely Freddy toy, it just made his stomach churn. He didn’t understand why anyone would want that. Freddy was creepy enough, but as a small little toy? He would kick them to the moon so help him if they even attempted to come to life. 

“I say we look in the back, pull Helpy out and let him do his thing.” 

They all nod, quietly exiting with Charlie making it obvious that they wanted to find another place to hang out. 

It would be a bit odd for a group of adults to be loitering in a children’s pizza place. 

Michael wouldn’t even dare call it a pizzeria. 

Didn’t deserve that title. 

Jeremy swings the backpack off once they’re behind the place. It’s huddled between two other stores so it has a small little back alleyway. The large trash containers line up against the wall and Jeremy gently takes the little animatronic out of the backpack.

It salutes as it looks around, the blond passing it to Michael. “Alright Helpy, I need you to search around. Look for the same signature that we’ve tested before. Can you do that?” 

Helpy nods, “Can do!” He repeats, using Michael’s words. 

The little guy doesn’t speak normally, just using clips and phrases that he’s heard around him. Splicing them up so they match what he truly wants to say. Sometimes it’s music, sometimes it’s words from a show, or just conversations he would listen to. 

Helpy makes a small noise, his blue eyes lighting up. A sonar like noise echoes out of the bear, as Michael holds him in his hands. So far nothing, and it was really starting to pour. Stanley and Jeremy huddled under Stanley’s umbrella. 

“I don’t see anything yet…or sense anything for that matter..” Charlie mutters glancing around her hand out trying to peer through the fog, the cold rain splattering onto the pavement. 

“We’ll just do a sweep, and then head home before the storm gets worse.” The tallest kept stepping forward while Helpy continued to make the noises, until they were next to a large dumpster. He patted Michael’s chest, beeping loudly and then pointed to the thing. 

“He’s got a signal!” 

Michael passes Helpy to Jeremy, and Stanley rushes towards Michael to help. They lift up the lid and Micheal leans forward. The humans do their best not to gag at the smell that wafts up as soon as they open the lid. 

The rain drips down his face as he stares into the dumpster. Inside is garbage bags, and other things, but what catches his eye is the thing splayed out against the black bags. It’s a small Freddy, about the size of Elizabeth’s dollys she would have when playing tea party with him. 

It’s dim eyes stare at him, and he could see its velvet fur stained with what he would assume is vomit. Must have been tossed in there because of it. But it held remnant, Helpy detected it and Michael could feel it himself. 

But he knows what it is. 

The Lonely Freddy. 

Lightning crackles across the sky. 

“Oh shit .” 

Notes:

Now approaching the Lonely Freddy arc, choo choo! Next stop, Pizzeria sim.

Y’all don’t know how excited I am for this arc. I love the story of the Lonely Freddys and the parallels between Alec and Mike. So ready for some angst on that regard hehe

Fanart corner!

Doberart:
https://doberart.tumblr.com/post/694394784656310272/a-very-happy-birthday-to-my-dear-friend

Lurking-misnomer:
https://inkspottie.tumblr.com/post/694398739984564224/happy-birthday-inkspottie-submitting-this-in-the

Fullmetaldevil-blog:
https://fullmetaldevil-blog.tumblr.com/post/694412598002728960/happy-birthday-inkspottie-hope-you-have

Fairyfountyn:
https://fairyfountyn.tumblr.com/post/692679826369314816/woooooah-fanart-for-a-fic-yeah-i-drew-this

Until Next Time! Have a great weekend!

Chapter 48: You’ve Met with a Terrible Fate Haven’t You?

Notes:

Alec Alec Alec! I’m so happy y’all were bursting with excitement for him. He was one I had planned for the beginning and it’s gonna be a fun ride with his arc.

I hope you all enjoy!

Alec was an angry child. Ask anyone and they would say he was a troublemaker, a boy with a temper. Just a menace. 

A hateful soul. 

This bubbling rage that spewed out to the surface like ooze on a festering wound. 

He didn’t like to be angry. He didn’t like being mean. 

Alec just was. 

How unfair life was. Just when he realized that he was the problem, that he was the reason why everyone acted the way they did. It wasn’t the world, it wasn’t his sister, it was him . 

He was the issue. 

And how did life repay him for having this epiphany? 

In the worse way possible. 

It didn’t seem real. Like some horrible nightmare. Like at any moment he would wake up drenched in sweat and his mother would tell him to get ready for school.

The amount of times he wished he could live in a video game…but he never wanted it to be like this. 

He had stomped off into the secluded place in that dumb pizzeria after he broke the dumb doll. His sister’s sad look burned in his head. The anger and rage sizzled to pure hatred. Not for Hazel. 

But for himself. 

Why couldn’t he just be nice? Why couldn’t he have just taken the Foxy and be happy? She won it for him. She didn’t want it at all. 

She was just thinking about him, when all he could think about was how much of a fake sister Hazel was. How absolutely paranoid he was that his sister was out to get him. 

That’s when he found it. 

He found that little Freddy just standing there innocently, the grey blue eyes suddenly powering on and asking him all sorts of questions. At first it was just harmless little things, but then it got stranger, and stranger. 

What is your biggest regret Alec? 

It was like this thing, this little bear was trapping him. Holding him in place. Pulling him into his own mind, the colors swirling and mixing together. Like a blender.

The way those silver eyes glowed in the darkness, how he fell to his knees. Unable to properly move his body, unable to run.

Unable to think. 

Unable to scream. His mouth hung open as if he was going to, but no sound came out. Not even a whimper. 

It was too much, the pressure overwhelming him, crushing him. Then suddenly it went dark, his body slack and his mind blank. Like a flick of a switch he was gone. 

When he came too, he felt wrong. Oh so wrong. He had surgery before due to an accident with his skateboard, and it felt like that. 

Like waking up after being under the knife, and suddenly you didn’t know who you were. Or what you were. 

This was all so wrong. 

He was…in the Freddy toy. 

He was the Freddy.

And the Freddy…was him. 

How his own body winked at him, like it was some sick joke. Like some prank that this robot was pulling on him. But this wasn’t a joke, this wasn’t funny. 

It took his body, the universe cursing him for not being a good person. He was so bad that the world decided he wasn’t allowed to have his life anymore. 

A stupid toy now had it. And no one noticed. His mom, his dad. Hazel. Everyone liked this version of Alec, it brought a sickening feeling to his nonexistent stomach. 

They didn’t notice he was gone. No one cared to think that their child was an imposter. A fake. 

Was he truly that bad?

Now he was in a trash bin. Unable to move, to think. Covered in vomit by one of Hazel’s friends. He was slightly glad he couldn’t smell, but it just reminded him how numb he felt inside this shell of plastic and fur. 

His body was locked up, he didn’t know how to properly do things. He had been able to walk, but now it felt foreign to him. He wasn’t able to do anything. To talk, to cry out. To exclaim. IM ALEC! 

It was no use. Now he was going to rot here. 
Rot in this dumpster. 

He should have been a better brother. He should have been nicer. This was his punishment. 

This was his hell. 

The silence was deafening. He didn’t know how long he was in the dumpster, but he could now hear the plops of rain hitting the dumpster lid. The only sound to be heard. He couldn’t even hear his heartbeat or breathing anymore. 

He didn’t have any. He was just some robot. Some puked on toy. Left in the trash for no one wanted him. 

It’s what you deserve. 

The Freddy voice hissed in his ear, almost mocking him. He wanted to cry, but couldn’t. He couldn’t do anything . 

“He found a signal!” 

A voice echoes outside of the dumpster, Alec barely hearing it over the rain. Was someone coming to save him? No, certainly not… 

Why would anyone do such a thing? 

He was a monster. 

Help! 

The little voice inside his head was louder than the ones that told him that this was the end. 

Help me please! 

No sound came out of his mouth, but he hoped someone heard him. 

The lid opens with a creak and he sees an unfamiliar face peering in. Eyes glancing around before he spots him. Rain splatters against his hull but he doesn’t feel it, he doesn’t feel anything. 

It’s odd, Alec finds the man before him blurry. Like a smeared painting, or a photo of someone who moved when the camera took a picture. It was hard to make his features out. 

But he could see the eyes, purple. Glowing. 

It scared him. 

It frightened him. 

Everything in his body screamed to run, to hide, to not be caught by this person. He didn’t understand why he was so scared. 

“Holy shit.” 

The voice is like he’s underwater, barely catching the British accent and other voices following suit. 

Help me! HELP ME ! 

He screams not sure if it was someone to save him from this man, or for the man to save him. 

His body starts to weaken, and he can feel himself slipping. No no, he can’t! He must have used all his energy trying to call for help. 

No! 

Please! 

He didn’t want to be like this! 

Someone help! 

The darkness falls before him, and the last thing he sees is thin hands reaching for him. 

This was it, this was his final moments.

He just knew it. 

 

…

Michael stared at the Freddy toy in the dumpster. 

It had remnant. 

This thing had remnant, Helpy wouldn’t make a mistake. 

“Shit.” Michael whispers again. He knew it. He fucking knew those things were evil. What the hell. How did these new toys have remnant in them?! 

“Oh fuck, it’s one of those toys.” Stanley whispers, his voice a bit nasally from holding it due to the terrible smell. 

“No way…” Jeremy tilts forward, trying to take a peek but he’s a bit too short to see inside. 

HELP ME . 

Michael nearly reels back from the sudden shout, his eyes blinking rapidly. The scream echoing in his mind, scratching at his head. It was loud and it was harsh. 

Like someone screaming in his ears at the top of his lungs. 

It was coming from the toy. 

“You heard that?” Charlie asks, pulling Michael out of his daze. She looks a little concerned, squinting her eyes as she held Helpy. 

“I did…,” He pauses glancing back to the Lonely Freddy, “It could be a trap.” 

“It could be someone in need.” 

Michael swallows, taking in a deep breath. He wanted to just get this over with and set the damn thing on fire but Charlie was right. 

It could be someone who needs their help. But it also could be something very dangerous. 

They just have to be careful, who knows what lies ahead with this toy. It could be like Ella, a toy in need of release because of the evil within them, or like the Minireenas, wanting to inflict  pain because they too were in pain.

He didn’t know, so they had to be cautious. 

“Guess we are taking it home with us.” 

Michael reaches forward grabbing the thing. 

“Do be careful my friend.” Lolbit whispers and Michael gives a nod, knowing he had to be extra careful with anything filled with remnant. 

“Once we get home, we’ll inspect it and see what it’s deal is. We can’t do this in the open. Well done Helpy.” Michael says as he grabs the toy, lifting it out of the dumpster. Helpy chirps in response, their little feet kicking at the praise. 

The toy isn’t heavy, definitely like the larger dolls Elizabeth had in her room. It was limp in his hands, but there was a slight buzz to his fingertips thanks to the padding that Henry equipped him.

He could feel the energy from here. Why did it scream for help? 

“Eugh, poor guy.” Jeremy says gesturing to the toy’s front that’s covered in dried vomit. 

“We’ll clean that off. Come on, let’s get back to the van. You both are getting soaked.” He says giving a final look to the toy. It’s eyelids slack, face the neutral look Freddy had. It looked like a mixture of Funtime Freddy and the Freddy from the first pizzeria. It was just missing the cheeks, and the eyes were an odd color. 

Was Freddy’s eyes always green? 

He could have sworn he saw them a pale silver… 

Michael doesn’t question it for the time being, Lolbit rolling in the back of his mind that something was different about this remant. 

He knew it too. Lolbit confirming it was enough to solidify that something was up with this animatronic. This toy. They had to get rid of the remnant, but he surprisingly wasn’t itching to burn it. 

No, something in his gut was twisting, churning. Worry rattled his spine. That call for help seemed geniune. 

But then again, so did the calls that Baby gave. 

Don’t be afraid, I’m not going to hurt you . 

She had said and a day or two later his insides were scooped out to make room for Ennard. 

Michael shudders stepping into the van, holding the discarded toy against his chest. 

This was going to be an interesting thing to tell Henry. 

 

…

 

“Well…I can’t say this is the first time you’ve brought  something like this into my home.” Henry says as he looks at the doll on his kitchen table. 

Charlie grabbed some cleaner and was quietly scrubbing the thing clean. She seemed determined to get this toy back to a good condition, despite it having a chance to hurt them. 

It did hold remnant after all. 

“Sorry, we were suspicious already with the four of us just loitering around in an alleyway.” Michael says leaning on the counter, his eyes never leaving the limp Freddy. 

Henry hums, looking at it. “Can’t say I’ve seen this sort of model before. It looks a bit different than the usual design..” 

“That’s because it isn’t your design.” Michael muttered, “It’s some cheap knock off that’s meant to babysit your kids. Lonely Freddy, that’s the toy line.” 

Henry glances up, a bit horrified at the idea of an animatronic watching over your child. Though…he had thought the same for the security puppet, but this just seemed odd. “What have they done to you Freddy…” He whispers a bit mournfully. 

They’ve ruined everything for him. Taken his passion, his characters…and soured it. 

“Yeah the toy is pretty much meant for kids with no friends, or kids with busy parents. Freddy listens and talks, and remembers all your favorite things.” Stanely repeats the description of the toy from his phone looking a little concerned. 

“So why does this thing have remnant in it? Did someone…” Jeremy asks his tone a bit nervous. He was asking the question everyone wanted to know. 

Why did this thing have remnant? Was it a injection like Ella or the funtimes? Or was it…

Death? 

“It wasn’t a gift. That I know for sure. Remnant like that usually doesn’t give off a feeling like this.” Charlie mutters as she vigorously swipes at Freddy's belly to get rid of the stain. 

Henry turns his attention to Michael, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. “Wait, Mike you can see what color it is right? Maybe check and see.”

Henry was right, Michael did have that ability thanks to Lolbit. He could stare right into these machines and see just what kind of remnant 

So he flicks off his disguise and looks at the toy. His eyes flicker, a strange ping noise coming from his speaker.

His vision darkens and he sees the remnant lodged inside the toy’s body. 

It’s not purple, not like the others. Nor the hot pink like Mangle’s.

It was a steel grey, close to Evan’s own color. His brother’s was a light blue after all. 

“It’s grey. I’ve never seen this color…the kids were white. This is different.” 

Charlie stops her cleaning when seeing something in the plastic bow tie. 

“Mike..” 

Michael’s ears twitch and he rushes towards Charlie to see what she sees. 

Afton Robotics LLC. 

How. 

How. 

“It can’t be. How?! How is it possible!” Michael exclaims his body shaking a bit. “There’s no way, no fucking way.” 

“What? What is it?” Henry asks seeing the distressed look Michael was giving. 

Charlie looks up to her father, “It’s Afton made.” She whispered and winces when Michael’s fist hits the wall, nearly cracking it from the sheer force. 

Henry goes pale, and both Jeremy and Stan look terrified. 

“He’s still here. He’s still around this goddamn place. He’s making this things and I don’t know how.” 

“You said it yourself Mike, he can slink into places. Split himself from the source.” Charlie whispers, “He’s got his hand right in the pocket of Fazbear.” 

“There has to be a way, to fucking stop him.” 

“There is,” Michael turns to face Charlie, seeing her face determined, angry. “We burn his original form. The one that got away. We bring him to a spot and burn him.” 

“Woah, woah…I think for now we should focus on this thing.” Stanley stammers knowing that they couldn’t just go looking out for the old man Afton. 

They had to worry about the thing that was on the table first. 

Michael nods, his anger boiling under the plastic of his body. Lolbit sending soft thrums of assurance that they would find him and finish the job. 

“It called for help. Now that we know it’s from father. It has to be. It has to be bad.” 

“You don’t know that.” Charlie states getting a glare from Michael.

“Yeah? And how can you’ve so sure? Everything he produces is evil! It hurts people so how can we know this thing isn’t going to hurt people?!” 

Jeremy and Stan open there mouth to reply but Charlie is quicker, her thin body quickly swooping in front of Michael so she’s face to face with him. 

“Because! He produced you didn’t he? Lolbit too. We can’t just condemn things because he had a hand in it!” Charlie shouts back, getting Michael to pause, surprised at her outburst, seeing her eyes starting to glow bright green. 

Michael dips his head, unable to properly respond to her argument. 

“We are here to help, and if anyone calls for help, we come to that call. You know this. I’m sorry Mike, I’m sorry that your dad is once again the culprit for this. But we are here, to fix things. You told me that’s what you wanted to do right?” 

Michael nods, getting all eyes on him. 

“Then let’s fix this. Together.” 

After a long pause, Henry nods in agreement, “First, let’s see what makes this thing tick. To the workshop.” 

 

…

 

He hated the feeling, the sudden blip of unconsciousness. But it wasn’t like he was going to sleep, no. It was like he didn’t exist. 

Like he was gone from the world, stuck in this black void. Unable to think or feel. 

This horrible limbo. 

Alec was scared, frightened of what was to happen to him. Would he be stuck like this forever? Forever trapped in this hull, unable to move or think freely? 

This is hell. 

His personal hell. 

The darkness jostles, speckles of white filtering across the black canvas that was this void. Like something was awakening him. 

Alec sees the void fade away and he finds himself aware. Aware of the body he was in, lying on some table while a face was this close to his own. 

He didn’t dare move, too scared to do anything. He didn’t know these people, he didn’t know what was happening. Where was he? 

He does his best to glance around careful not to move his eyes. It was like his dad’s garage. Covered in tools and other things. What caught his eyes was the large black bear animatronic sitting in the corner. It’s gold eye staring right at him. 

What the hell was that? 

Where was he? 

“Interesting…” The man mutters, “Your make up is much like the funtimes, but just a smaller scale. Speaker, but no faceplates…there’s something here that I can’t make out..” 

The man pulls away and Alec gets a better look. He’s old, closer to his grandpa’s age with glasses and a thin scar across his cheek. His eyes are a bright green that almost look like they are glowing in the dim light. 

“Mike!” He shouts standing up and heads out of the room. 

This gives Alec time to look around, try to understand just where he was. 

He certainly wasn’t in the pizzeria. Or in the dumpster for that matter. He was in someone’s home. Someone took him home. 

Why? 

For what purpose did someone need a toy that was thrown in the trash? 

Alec’s body twitches, he can feel a bit of his little fingers moving. Like the feeling was getting back to his body, but not in the way he felt when he was human. 

It was a weird sensation. 

There’s a low whistle that comes from his left and he glances just briefly to see a little white bear staring at him. It was smaller than he was, he never seen anything like it. With a little top hat and a pink belly, it was just watching him curiously with bright blue eyes. 

Go away. 

Please go away. 

The thing chirps quietly, and Alec’s mind reels as words filter in his head. 

Can he understand this thing? 

Well, he was now a robot too, but this was all too much. 

Help? 

Yes. Yes! He needed help! 

The little bear stands up and he watches it give a small salute before jumping off the table he was on. 

Wait wait no don’t leave him! 

There’s a small crash and the thing hits the floor belly first before standing back up and rushing out the door. 

Get help get help! It exclaimed as it toddled off and Alec was once again alone. In a random place. With random strangers. 

With his body nowhere to be seen. 

He could be in a different state for all he knew. Some weirdo snatching him up. He knew a lot of people liked Fazbear things because of the rumors, of the legends. 

He didn’t think he would ever be apart of the said legends. 

Children missing, rotten animatronics, haunted pizzerias. 

This didn’t seem real. It didn’t seem like it was happening. It was a nightmare he wanted to wake up from. He wanted to go back to his family, he wanted to apologize to Hazel, to his mom, his dad. 

He wanted to go home. 

Alec shifts and his body jerks just slightly, as if he’s trying to move. It’s a stuttered movement and he can’t control himself so his body tetters to the side. 

He yelps inwardly and topples over onto the table his face planted on the wood. He couldn’t see, but he could hear footsteps. 

“Alright, alright Helpy. I’m here. Where’s the fire?” 

A mechanical voice echoes through the room and Alec can’t turn his head to see it. He can see the shoes of someone, he assumes was the old man from before but that’s all. 

Helpy, he assumes is the name of the white bear, gives a string of notes. 

“I know, we are doing our best. Henry’s trying to figure things out.” The voice is odd, this weird overlay of two different voices merging into one. 

It made his skin shiver, well he didn’t have skin now he supposed. Whoever this person was, it brought fear to his system. This terror he couldn’t explain. He wasn’t a fearful person by nature. 

Alec was scared of this voice. 

And he didn’t know why. Was it something with the toy he was inhabiting? Was the toy scared of him? 

“It asked for help?” 

Oh no…. 

Did this thing snitch on him? 

“Henry..” 

“I didn’t hear anything, but I wasn’t here. But I did notice something. It’s got the same mechanics as the Funtimes Mike. Luring. It’s meant…to hypnotize children.” 

There’s a dead silence and even Alec is surprised. What? 

Why would a toy hypnotize kids? 

“Fucking hell…I knew it. But what’s with this one? Why is it calling out? Is it trying to lure? None of us are kids, so maybe it’s reaching out?”  

No. No. He was in here! It already got someone. 

He didn’t know how to speak, he didn’t know how to communicate that he wasn’t the Lonely Freddy, but a 15 year old boy named Alec Orson! 

The speaker against his chest sputters, static echoing out and this causes the two to stop talking. He had to focus. He could do this. 

He got this. 

“Not-toy…help…me..” 

The words are muddled, mixed with static and crackled air, coming out of what sounded like an old radio. He’s doing the best he can and push his voice out. It’s not the same as hearing himself when he’s in an actual human body. 

There was no bone for his voice to vibrate on. He was just metal and plastic now. 

“Please…” 

He gives a whimper feeling something grab him, and lift him upwards. 

What he sees is the man from before, the one who peered into the dumpster. Purple eyes staring straight into his soul. 

“Who are you?” He asks quietly, his voice concerned. “If you need help, you need to tell me who you are. We aren’t here to hurt you, as long as you’re not here to hurt us, or anyone for that matter.” 

Alec was sure that his heart would probably explode if he had one. This man scared him greatly, and he didn’t know why. 

“Don’t hurt…me.” 

“I won’t.” The man replies, “My name is Michael. I, we, are here to help you. You have to tell me who you are.” 

Michael. This man with the British accent, and the strange little bear that gave small assurance that he was in good hands. 

“ Alec. Name…Alec. Not toy. Trapped…” 

Michael’s eyes widen, and his eyes even glow brighter, glancing at the older man. 

“Alec..” 

“This is a kid. There’s a kid in here Henry.” 

Henry’s eyes widen even further, staring at the toy. “It…it can’t be.” 

“I don’t know how, but I can feel it. It’s telling the truth.” 

Yes! Yes he wasn’t lying. Please. Please help him. 

“Freddy got me. Swapped…” 

Michael listens intently and he gives a strange noise, “Swapped?! Like…body swapped? As in the toy is in your body?” 

Alec tries his best to nod, but he’s still not used to this body. He didn’t know how to move it, after being thrown into the dumpster he was sure the employee locked his system or something. 

“Yes…” 

“Shit. Fuck!” Michael passes Alec to Henry, pacing back and forth in anger. 

“Language…Alec…that’s your name yes? I can tell it’s hard for you to talk. Can you blink?” 

Alec would furrow his brow if he could. Could he? He didn’t know. 

“It’ll be difficult but just think of it like your blinking normally. The more you accept that you’re not in the correct body it’ll work easier for you.” Michael’s words are odd, as if he knows exactly what Alec is dealing with. 

Alec does his best, concentrating on blinking. Just like he would as a human. Eyelids falling down. 

There’s an audible click and Henry grins. “There we go! Well done.” 

“Now, let’s get acquainted with each other shall we? Blink once for no, and twice for yes.” 

Notes:

Don’t worry Alec you’re in good hands. Err paws? Lol

And uh oh, seems like William is slinking into places he shouldn’t. Perhaps the start of Glitchtrap himself hmm!??? Hmmmmm…

Until Next Time!

Chapter 49: We Are Here to Help

Notes:

Tis here! Everyone getting excited for this arc makes me so happy! We are hitting the final stretch. After this arc is pizzeria sim. The end.

It’s been an incredible journey, and don’t worry there will be a sequel. Can’t miss out on the security Breach sequel, since ya know mister peepaw still is there. I’ve got plans, big plans.

I recently quit my job due to extreme stress and a toxic work environment so hopefully I will be able to work on these more often!

Anyways enough rambling. It’s time for the show to start! Enjoy!

It didn’t make sense. 

Nothing ever made sense anymore. 

He felt like he was falling down, down into this rabbit hole. The fox always chasing after the rabbit, but the rabbit was far too quick. 

Living in a home made of briars the fox would not be able to chase the rabbit for it would hurt itself if it did. 

Snapping jaws, and rabid breath he felt like an animal. Pacing around in his cage waiting for the moment to finally strike. 

Only to swipe at air. 

Every step forward, was a step back. 

And he couldn’t stand the people that got caught in the terrible wave that was his father and the evil he was spreading. Like an infection it traveled across this stupid city and Michael did his best to stop it.

But it seemed he was always one step behind. 

This kid, this Alec. He didn’t know if it was true. He didn’t know if this thing was lying to him to make them lower their guard. He hated that he had to put a guard up in the first place. 

But how could he tell it wasn’t a trap. 

Didn’t you hear the voice? That was no machine. That was a child.

Lolbit’s voice whispers in his head and he can’t help but agree. The sheer terror that echoed in that little speaker. 

He knew that feeling. 

He knew it all too well. 

The pure panic of not being in a body that belonged to him. So foreign and alien. Like he was trapped in a metal coffin. 

He assures Lolbit that he does not feel that way now, that he does not associate their body as a prison. But as a vessel. A vessel that was meant to correct, to protect and save. 

Michael did it before, and he’ll do it again. He rather potentially save someone and risk the chance of betrayal. 

If it meant extending a helping hand to someone who really needed it, he would take that risk. 

He would wish the same if he was in the same situation. 

“Okay Alec, let me get you all settled in.” Henry’s words lift the fog of his thoughts, his eyes peering at the limp toy that was now propped up against the back of the desk. 

Henry is gentle, like always. Careful with machines, and equally careful with children. 

How old was this kid? What happened? 

How did it happen? 

“Now…I need you to blink once for no, twice for yes. Can you do that?” 

There's silence and then two clicks of the eyelids. 

Henry gives a hum of approval, gently praising the toy, err boy and settles to sit on the stool in front of Alec. 

“Okay, let’s start with the simple ones. Are you younger than ten?” 

The silence is terrible to Michael’s anxiety but thankfully Alec answers with one click of his eyes. 

Henry let out a soft breath. Thank goodness. Michael couldn’t help but feel relieved as well. He didn’t want to imagine a young child trapped in a small toy. 

Hell, he hated imagining any kid from any age trapped in a machine. He already had to deal with the original missing kids after all. 

“Older than ten?” 

Click. Click. 

So a teenager then. Michael shakes his head, crossing his arms as he leans against the counter staring at the toy with a piercing gaze. Lolbit scolds him on scaring the toy but he doesn’t care at the moment. 

He wanted to make sure, make sure that Henry wasn’t about to get mauled by a miniature Freddy. 

“You said that the toy is in your body. Did you see it?” 

Click. Click.

“Jesus.” Michael whispers, “Do you know where it is?” 

There’s a pause. And then a small hesitant click. 

“Shit.” 

Henry glares at Michael for cursing in front of a child. 

“We’ll get you back to your body Alec. I think if we use Helpy we might be able to track it. See if we can pinpoint the residue of remnant.” 

Michael nods, “For now, we need to figure out all that we can. I can help you. Learn how to use this body. Henry is good with machines, but I know a thing or two about your predicament.” 

There’s quiet and then a garbled voice speaks back to him. “How…help?” 

The voice is getting more clear but not by much. 

“Trust me.” Michael says, “I know you probably are really scared right now. Rightfully so, but we are here to help you. We want nothing more than to put you back in your rightful body. So I need you to work with me on this. Work with us.” 

Henry gently reaches forward, “It seems whoever tossed you in the bin took some of your battery out. No wonder you’re having issues. Here let me…” 

The older man gets up, and he quietly begins to rummage around in boxes and other items. 

“It’s not the same…but it should work. It’s what you have powering Helpy after all. It should work the same. Okay, I am going to open your little stomach, it’ll be uncomfortable but it might solve your issue, especially with speaking.” 

Henry pauses as if waiting for a response, “Let me know if this is okay for you. Just a simple yes or no is okay, we can try another time if you’re not ready.”

Michael is grateful that Henry is so patient. He could never do something like this. He wasn’t good with children, let alone children that went through shit like this. 

Despite the whispers from Lolbit about the original missing children, Michael firmly believed he did not have a good hold on taking care of children and their needs. He was awkward and just slightly terrified of potentially hurting them.

Sure his new body wouldn’t allow such a thing, he still had that small fear that he might bring the same scared look Evan used to give him when he had tortured him. 

He didn’t want anyone to give him that look. 

He hears the double clicks of Alec’s plastic eyelids getting a small glance from Henry before the man gives a quick nod. 

“It shouldn’t hurt. I’ve done this plenty of times.” 

He has a screwdriver in hand and Michael starts to pace back and forth in his anxiety, wringing his hands as he tries to think. 

How were they going to fix this? Who knew where this kid’s original body was? 

How could they transfer this kid’s soul back into his body. 

This never has happened before. The ability to take one’s soul and shove it into something else was normally reserved for the ones who died tragically. Given the gift of second chance, despite most not wishing for such a torturous existence. 

This was from a machine, something that was completely out of their ballgame. 

There’s simple clicks, and turns of screws and Michael quietly is there leaning over Henry watching him fix the toy so Alec could properly move and speak. 

Anything to make him more comfortable. As comfortable as a kid trapped in a toy animatronic could. 

He peers inside the inner workings, watching Alec’s fingers slightly twitch a bit no doubt finding it extremely unsettling to have Henry reaching inside of the toy. 

It brought him back to the beginning of this all, him sitting on the table with Henry looking in his chest cavity trying to figure out just what animatronic he was now in. 

The beginning of the discovery of Lolbit. 

The start of it all.

The inside was normal, what he expected was some strange substance sticking to the machinery, something out of place but it looked like the inside of anything Fazbear created. 

Just a normal toy, with the ability to take a child’s body and swap them. 

Completely normal. 

The same wiring of the inside of a normal Freddy, as if they wanted to completely replicate the very design of the first rendition of the famous poster bear. 

Why was it always Freddy that caused problems? 

Henry tinkers with the inside for sometime, his face focused on the task at hand. Once Henry started to tinker there was no way to stop him. So Michael just let him do his own thing, taking a step back so he didn’t crowd the man. 

Soon enough there was a slight noise as Henry placed the new battery pack in, doing his best to coax Alec’s remnant to power the thing so they didn’t have any more issues. It was like Lilbit, the smaller the vessel the harder it would be to keep control. Hence why he didn’t put Lolbit in that body as well.

The processor wouldn't be able to take it. 

But this was just one soul, so he assumed the situation would be a bit different. Considering that Alec was not dead, but just…misplaced.

Henry holds Alec back up, having him in a sitting position. He moves the ball-like joints much like he would with Charlie’s dolls. “That should do it.” Henry wipes his hands off with a rag and moves the stool back to give Alec some space. 

“Alec?” 

There’s quiet, Freddy's eyes blank, before the body twists. Shuddering as the thing powers on, bright green eyes flickering to life. It wasn’t the neon green like Charlie or Henry’s, but this deep forest green. 

“Woah.” 

The speaker crackles to life, sounding much like how he did when he first was placed in Lolbit. How obscured and jumbled it was, unable to mesh with Lolbit’s silly voice. The broken british voice pushing through the static. 

Henry beams in pride at his work, noticing the green eyes looking around, and then at the fingers of the toy he was inhabiting. 

“It’ll take some getting used to, but..you won't be staying with this body for long. We are going to get you out of there.” Michael speaks up watching Alec’s eyes flick towards him. He was pretty good at reading animatronic facial features, having dealt with them just about all his life, and afterlife. 

The kid was scared of him. 

Why was that?

Try to smile Mikey, you just look like you ate a whole lemon the entire time. Lolbit quips and Michael inwardly rolls his eyes. He couldn’t help that, it was just how his face was. He didn’t mean to be scary. He was just tall and intense as Stanley would describe. 

“How..?”

Alec seemed unsure, hesitant, and maybe even a bit unconvinced at this promise. Michael understood, the outlook didn’t look that promising, but Michael was determined to get this kid back in his proper body. 

“Honestly, I am not sure. But..we dealt with these things before, and we don’t leave a job undone. We may not have…encountered something like this before, but this isn’t our first rodeo.” Michael replies, his voice soft yet determined. He didn’t want to scare the kid, but assure him. 

Assure him that he was not alone. Hell, half their crew was people trapped, or was trapped in animatronics. They knew his situation, but the thing about Alec was, his body? His vessel was still alive. 

He could get back in there, they could not. 

He wouldn’t place it on the kid, but he couldn’t help but feel a bit jealous. 

Lolbit gives a small wave of sorrow, and Michael immediately feels bad. He didn’t mean it like that, he rather be with Lolbit than to be in some decaying body that was ripped from the inside out from some mechanical monster. 

Henry is quick to add his own two cents, not wishing for Michael to be the one to take all the responsibility “Yes, we will help you. Do you…think you can tell us what exactly happened? So we can get a better idea of what exactly your situation is?” 

“A stupid toy took my body, isnt that enough?” 

Both raise their brows in surprise at the reply, seeing Alec look a little peeve, almost annoyed at that question. “Yeah, I get that, but if you want help you have to cooperate, kid.” Michael states, giving a hard stare at Alec. He didn’t have time to deal with some angsty teen. He just wanted to help. 

“We want to help, we aren’t here to judge you for what happened. We need to know more about this.I know it’s hard, and it might be rough to go back and speak about it…but the more we know, the better. Take your time, Alec.” 

A hefty sigh escapes from the toy, the little head tilting a bit. “It was…I was in the back. I did something stupid and ran away from my family. It…It was there…just..just staring at me. It started asking me questions..” 

Alec’s voice was quiet, echoing through the speaker. Michael felt bad for making the kid go back to that moment. He hated talking about his own demise, but Henry was right. The more they knew, the better. 

“Then...then it felt like I couldn’t move. All I could do was stare. It was like…I was being sucked in. Like those…stupid cartoons where they get pulled into a mirror, or a tv and get trapped. And then…I fell asleep. When I woke up…I was in the Freddy and there was an imposter at my family’s table.” 

How horrible. 

“I’m so sorry Alec.” Henry whispers seeing black tears starting to fill up on Alec’s eyes. “We will find your body. What did…do you look like?” 

Alec says nothing for a moment, his fists clenched before glancing back to Henry. “Blond..Green eyes…and I have braces. But, the Freddy…it had grey eyes. I think…it has them because it winked at me, but I couldn’t really see..” 

Michael’s eyes widen, as flashes of the boy that smacked into him hit him at full force. The almost glowing silver eyes, the expression it had, like it had been caught. That..that had been the Freddy? 

“Oh shit.” Michael whispers and Henry turns his body to look at Michael, and all eyes are now on him.

Michael looks uncomfortable, “I..I think I saw it. The thing that took your body. They ran right into me. I knew something was weird. Shit!” He cursed, he knew something was wrong. He had this gut feeling but yet he ignored it. 

“You just…let my body go?!” 

The boy sounds furious and Michael winces. “Well I didn’t know at the time! How was I supposed to know? I just thought it was a weird interaction, I didn't think it was an animatronic toy that took a kid’s body!” He argues feeling like it isn't fair that Alec was yelling at him for something he didn’t know.

“And it just..went off? With my family?! What…what if it hurt them?!” Alec’s body twitches with anger, and Michael feels his own start to rise. He didn’t like to be accused of things he had no control over. It has happened far too many times and he refused to continuously fall on this sword. 

“I didn’t know, okay?! You can’t blame me for not knowing this was even happening!” He’s raising his voice, getting closer to the toy that is glaring at him. 

Alec snarls back, “My family could be in danger and it is all your fault!” 

This makes Michael explode, the man just about launching himself towards Alec only to get stopped by Henry. “ENOUGH!” The man shouts getting Michael to step back, breathing heavily a bit of smoke rising out of his mouth every now and then. 

“That, is enough. Both of you, I think we both need to just simmer down. None of this is anyone’s fault and we will fix this.”

Alec doesn’t say anything, instead just looking away with annoyance while Henry has to practically drag Michael out so he doesn’t say anything he might regret. He knew Michael’s anger, and it seems this child had the same temper. 

“Stay here Alec, until I come back. We can figure something out. For now I think we just need to take a break from each other.” 

Alec says nothing, instead opting to glare at Michael who immediately glares back before he is taken out of the room leaving the toy alone in the workshop. 

 

…

Henry gently guides Michael into the hall, noticing that Charlie isn't there, no doubt doing some research of her own. Ever since she got acquainted with the internet, she was on it to check to see if any buzz of Fazbear and horrible tragedies ever made it to the surface. 

“I didn’t know Henry,” Michael whispers, dark fog billowing out of his mouth, his form shaking a bit. Henry quietly presses a button on Michael’s neck, and the illusion disappears showing Rockstar Lolbit looking very concerned. “I..I would have stopped him, if I just-” 

Henry quickly shakes his head, “It is not your fault. Remember Alec is going through it right now, he needs someone to blame and you were just there. Remember how angry you felt when you first were placed in Lolbit? That is exactly what he is feeling.” 

Michael glances away, taking a deep breath.

“He’s right Mikey. He’s scared, alone, and worried. You aren’t at fault for not knowing.” 

Lolbit interjects, and Henry can't help but agree. This was a child lashing out, and Michael shouldn’t take it to heart. Alec probably did not mean it, and was just angry and scared at the situation he was in. 

Michael just nods, looking a bit frustrated. “I shouldn’t have gotten angry, but I just…I’ve been blamed for so much shit. I am just..I am tired.” 

“Understandably so, you have every right to be angry, but just remind yourself of what the other is dealing with at the moment. You may be desensitized to these horrible situations..but he is not. Give him some space, why don't you find Charlie and see if she needs any help? I think the boys left already.”

Michael looks hesitant, glancing back at the workshop door and then to Henry, knowing it was for the best. Especially since he might explode and say something he might regret. The last thing he wanted was to cause more problems because of his anger. 

“Alright, just…keep an eye on him. If his emotions get high, he might hurt himself.” Michael mutters rubbing his arm and decides to walk past him. 

Henry nods, “That was the plan. Take a break Michael.” 

“Until that kid is back in his body, I can’t.”

 

…

 

Alec was furious. Angry at everything, the world, these strangers, and himself. Now that he could freely move and talk, he felt slightly better. But not much. It was starting to settle in truly how messed up this was. How this shouldn’t be happening. 

It was even worse that he now knew his body was just…out there. This Freddy was masquerading as him, and could do anything with his body. Who knows what it had planned. 

Did he feel bad for yelling at this guy named Michael? A bit. He didn’t mean to lash out but he was scared. So worried for his family. 

Why should you be? When they left you for good. 

Freddy’s high pitched voice echoes in his ear and he hates it, he hates that it is sort of right. His family did leave him, not even noticing that he was different. 

Or maybe they did, and liked this version better. 

That scared him the most. 

He gave out a hefty sigh, his body slack as he looked at his hands. No longer four fingers but three covered in a thin layer of felt. It was a bit rough due to him being thrown in the garbage, but it looked like these people did their best to try and clean him up. 

Alec glanced down at the floor. He was pretty far up, but he wondered being a mechanical toy now would he be able to handle the fall? He pulls his body up as if about to make jump when a voice stops him. 

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” 

Alec nearly jumps from the echoing voice that nearly rings in his head. He whips his head around so fast to see a little boy sitting on the feet of the large animatronic that is lifeless in the corner.

He has a faded blue coloration to him, but the sickly bright red that covers half his face is what stands out. There’s a constant drip, drip as black eyes with white irises stares back at him. 

“W-who are you?!” His tone demanding, as if asking for the stranger’s identification despite Alec feeling like his body was about to collapse in fear. 

The boy just tilts his head, looking at him with a strange sensation that travels up his body. This kid looked younger than his sister but not by much. Was he…some sort of ghost? 

“I’m Evan.” 

Evan. The name certainly didn't ring a bell, but then again he didn’t know anyone here. 

“Evan. Is that name supposed to mean something?” 

Evan just shrugs, “It’s my name, so it has some meaning. I was just trying to tell you running away isn’t going to help.” 

Alec just stares, starting to get a little annoyed with this ghost boy, “I wasn’t going to run away.” 

A small little noise comes from Evan, as if he’s saying he doesn’t truly believe Alec. “They wont hurt you, they're just trying to help. They know your situation more than you think.” 

Snorting Alec sits himself back down with a small thunk, painfully aware of how plastic and metal he was. Every movement creaked and churned, and he hated it. He hated it so much. 

“You have every right to be angry, but being angry is dangerous. It can really hurt you.” 

Alec glares at Evan,   “And what do you know about being angry huh?” 

He stops, wincing this was why he was in here in the first place, he shouldn’t be so hostile. 

“I let people die because I was angry, I helped kill people because I was angry.” Evan says quietly, his voice serious and his eyes burning.

Flashes of gore and screams hit his mind and Alec gives out a surprised yelp, gripping at his eyes as if that would cause them to go away. Whatever that was, it was horrific, and terrible. He shudders and Evan is just staring at him. 

“What the hell are you?” He asks fearfully. 

“A spirit, I want to help you Alec.”  

Alec looks a bit skeptical, “You talk pretty smart for a kid your age.” 

Evan just gives a small grin, “You could say I’ve been around  for a long time. I can’t do much…I used to be trapped in an animatronic like you, but since I don't have a body..” He looks a bit frustrated and Alec’s eyes widen.

Trapped in an animatronic? 

“There’s more…like me?” 

The little boy looks sad, nodding to Alec. “More than you know. That’s why we are here. To help so nothing like this ever happens.” 

Alec holds his tongue, wishing to bark that they were too late, and they let it happen to him. But that wasn’t fair. 

“Mikey means well, he’s just…not good with kids.” 

“Mikey? You mean that tall guy?” 

Evan grins, “He’s my brother, you…sort of remind me of him.” 

“Oh great.” 

“In a good way I mean. But truly, we do want to help. I can’t do much, but I know they will do everything we can to get you back to your body.” 

Alec tilts his head, looking at the large animatronic standing there. “You said you’re a ghost right? Why can’t you possess that thing there?” 

Evan glances up, “Lefty? I…well Henry was-I don't know. ” He admits fumbling with his fingers, he looks a little nervous, as if he was waiting for permission from someone. 

“Well, if it were me…I’d take him, he’s freaking huge! And looks like he can pack a punch. If you wanted to help, he’d be the next best thing.” 

The ghost looks thoughtful, as if he hadn’t thought about that. “I dunno…maybe.” He mutters, getting Alec to shrug. 

There’s a brief pause, silence filling the air as the two of them think. Alec is the first to speak, his eyes set on the spirit. “Do you…will you really help me get my body back? Truly.” 

Evan gives a small smile, “That you can count on.” 

All while this is happening, Henry has been leaning against the doorway watching the two. A proud smile grows on his face, watching Evan calm Alec and get him to understand that they were here to help. 

He couldn’t be more proud of Evan.

These Aftons sure have come a long way. 

Notes:

There it is, I know this one doesn’t have as much action, but I really wanted to get the interaction with Alec and Evan. I think Evan is really good at calming others since his big bro was as angry as they come.

Alec is getting his own character development thanks to the crew, and I really want to solidify that with these chapters.

Well! I hope you enjoyed! And until next time!

Chapter 50: The Jig is Up!

Notes:

New chapter! Chapter 50!!! Crazy!! Things are revealed and plans are made. Let’s get this party going. And thank you all for the 95k hits! If we hit 100k I do have a special fun thing for you all~

Enjoy the show!

Evan was grateful he was able to talk some sense into Alex. The boy was angry, rightfully so, but anger was not a good emotion for a remnant filled being to have. 

Agony burned and boiled within, and stronger emotions you felt, the worse the pain got. 

Evan knew so, having Agony for so long. This pain. This suffering. Wishing to inflict it on others so they too could feel just how he felt. 

How betrayed and angry, and hurt. 

But he knew now, it was useless. It didn’t make anyone feel better. 

We can hurt the people that did this to us Evan. You and me. Together. Right what was wrong. Use the gifts given to us. 

That’s what she told him when she first arrived in his space. Her hand outstretched to his, as he sat on the floor of their shared space.

He had been so alone, so angry and unable to do anything. 

But because of her, he could do things. He could bring so much pain and hurt and it felt good, but then…it didn’t. 

It just felt worse. 

Cassidy didn’t understand, her Agony clouded her judgment. She wanted everyone to remember what happened to them, and the pain and suffering they experienced. 

Killing innocents just for the sake of Agony. 

He didn’t want Alec to go down that path. He didn’t want the corruption to spread to him. 

When he saw just how much his brother changed, he had faith. Hope. That maybe, he could change to, maybe everyone could have a chance to turn a new leaf. That death wasn’t truly the end. 

Just a new chapter to their story. 

A story that they needed to end, but with it brought a new light to this world. 

So he had faith in Alec. If his big brother, the meanest person he had faced aside his father, could change…so could Alec.

And maybe, Cassidy too could find the light that she needed. 

He still believed she could be set free like the others. 

Alec talked for a while, it was mostly small talk. He learned more about what had happened to him. How he was angry at his sister, how his parents always saw him as the bad child. 

The more and more he talked the more Evan realized how close Alec and Michael were. 

Michael was always the troubled child, the one who got in trouble. The one who had to be sent to his room without dinner, the one who had to cook and clean for everyone. 

Evan didn’t see it then, but he saw it now. 

So much was shouldered onto Michael that it wasn’t fair. It wasn’t fair at all. Why did his dad do that? 

Why did he pit them against each other, scraping at their dad for just an ounce of love? An ounce of attention. 

It wasn’t fair. 

No wonder Michael lashed out, no wonder he was so angry all the time. 

Did it excuse Michael for doing what he did? No, but Evan understood why. It wasn’t just a random thing. No, he knew now. 

He understood, and now their bond was stronger than ever. 

He just wished…it didn’t happen after both their demise. 

But, now they could help another person avoid their tragedy. He knew Michael wanted to help Alec as much as he could, despite the anger that bubbled between them. 

They just needed to accept help, the both of them. 

And that’s where Evan would come in. 

 

…

Michael plopped down on the couch while Charlie was quietly tapping away. She loved the computer, and often used it, considering that she was a child who never got to experience the internet, or what came with it. 

The first time she got to hold Henry’s laptop and explore the World Wide Web, she was absolutely in love. 

Charlie didn’t look up from her typing, “Lemme guess, Dad kicked you out.” 

“No,” Michael muttered with a bit of a pout, “Stupid kid got me all riled up.” 

“Everything riles you up.” 

“Not everything!” He bites back, getting Charlie to look at him with vacant black eyes, despite the painted smile on her face, she gives a sort of look making Michael slouch further back into the couch. 

Charlie sighs, shutting the laptop, “He’s just a kid Mike, don’t take it personally.” 

Michael glances away, “Just because he’s a kid, doesn’t mean his words don't hurt. He blames me for this. That it’s my fault that his parents might be in danger.” 

Charlie blinks, “Why would he say that?” 

“I saw his body, I didn’t know it was him, and I would have stopped him if I knew!” 

“Mikey has issues being the target of blame.” Lolbit comments and Michael gives a low growl. 

“I don’t have issues! I’m just sick of being told it’s my fault for things I can’t control. How many times was I blamed for my father’s actions?” 

“Mike-”

“How many times have I been blamed for the suffering of others? How many-”

“Mike!” 

Michael turns his gaze to Charlie, who looks a bit sad. “I’m sorry.” She whispers, “It’s not fair to have all that on you, and I know I was one of them who did that to you.” 

He freezes, going back to the first time he encountered Charlie after being placed in Lolbit. 

You’re too late. It’s already been done. He’s gone. You were too late.

You were too late. 

The way she had placed the blame on him for not coming on time, despite having no idea where she was, or what exactly was happening. 

How devastated he was, trying to tell her he was trying. He tried so hard to make things right. 

He freezes when feeling spindly hands on his face, wiping the black tears that leaked from his soul. 

“Shit…sorry.” 

“Hey, we all cry. Even us haunted animatronics.” She gently punches his shoulder with a tilt of her head. “It’s hard to be the center of blame. I know the feeling.” 

She sits on the coffee table, her bells jingling as she does so. “Giving gifts, trying to right what was wrong, only to make a mess of things…” She places her round chin in her hand. “It can get overwhelming.” 

Michael sighs, “We are so fucked up aren’t we.” 

This makes Charlie laugh, her body leaning back, like she’s just a human, not this intricate jester sitting before him. 

“You think they have therapy for Ghosts?” She asks with a chuckle, getting him to laugh as well, the bubbling noise echoing through both Michael’s mouth and speaker. 

“I hear Delilah’s getting her masters in it, so maybe!” He remarks through laughter, after all laughter was the best medicine. 

He stops to smile at Charlie, happy to have her here. She had been his best friend, and missed her dearly. 

“So, change of subject, but that Jeremy guy…” Charlie asks, leaning a bit closer, as if expecting an answer. 

“What about him?” Michael asks with a raised brow. 

There’s a chuckle and she waves her hand, “Nothing, nothing…just thinking..” 

“Charlie…” 

She doesn’t get to say anything else, just gives a look, with raised brows as Henry steps in with a smile on his face. 

“Alec is fine,” He says, seeing the look Michael gave him. “Evan is talking to him.” 

Michael moves to stand his ears flicking upwards in worry but Henry makes a motion for him not to. “It’s fine, he’s fine, and Alec is fine. They’re doing good, have some faith in your brother.” 

“He’s right, you know! Evan is a smart little cookie.” 

He looks a little guilty, he really should have faith in his brother. He had done so much, and what could Alec do to Evan? 

Evan was strong, he could handle himself. He did before. 

“Right, yeah. I’m just…” 

“Worried.” Charlie replies with a hum, “You’re a worrywart and you care for your brother. Let him simmer Alec down while we figure this out, and try to find our next plan of action.” 

Henry and Michael nod in agreement, they needed to get Alec out of there. Back to his body, but now they were at a standstill. 

How would they be able to do that? 

“What do we do? Call his parents?” Henry asks, sitting down on the chair across from them, taking his glasses off and rubbing it on his shirt. 

Michael snorts, shaking his head, “Yeah imagine that conversation. Yes? Parents of Alec? Yes, your son is not your son, but a little animatronic bear that stole your son's soul and swapped bodies.” 

There’s a bit of silence and Henry sighs rubbing his face, “Yes…that wouldn’t be the best option.” 

“More importantly, how do we even get him back into his own body?” 

Silence follows them once more, as they try to think of a solution. This was out of their normal field. Normally they’d just snatch up the rogue animatronic and then get rid of it by burial of fire. 

But this was different. This was a kid trapped in the animatronic, and the animatronic wandering around as the kid. 

Charlie leans a bit forward, her arms slightly crossed after a moment of thinking she stands up. The sudden movement startles the two. She points to her father, jogging in place, “Wait…Dad! You can do it!” 

Henry blinks, pointing to himself in confusion. “Me?” He stammers, “Do what?” 

“Get Alec back in his body!” Charlie exclaimed brightly, waving her hands about. “Your gift! The one you share with me, I give gifts, but you transfer gifts. You did it with Mike, with me.” 

Michael’s gears start churning and he realizes what she’s saying. “She’s right! All we need is you to do the same thing with Alec.” 

Henry starts to understand, but he still looks a bit concerned, “But how do we get to Alec’s body in the first place?” He asks, trying to make a concrete plan rather than just him being the one who gets Alec back in his right body. 

“We have to somehow get Alec’s body, away from his house and a place we can swap the bodies. This sounds so freaking crazy…” Michael mutters shaking his head, “There was one thing. Alec’s sister. She looked troubled and I think…maybe we can contact her? See if she can get this Lonely Freddy away from his house and to us?” 

“It’s a step in the right direction. Maybe we can get Alec to give us his phone number. Maybe me and you can go and scope the place out, since we have illusion discs…” 

Michael nods, “Yeah, but first…we should get more information from Alec, just so we aren’t barging into some kids house and demanding to take their brother…” 

The silence gets louder, and they all are in agreement that wasn’t the best option. They needed to figure this out, and maybe with the help of Alec, they could do this without breaking any laws, or causing any harm to his family. 

Once again they didn want Larson to be the one knocking on their door again, Henry said he did come by every now and then to check on them, but Michael didn't want Larson to come by. 

At all. 

He didn't like the man, period. 

So they had to be careful, and make sure they did this properly. 

Get the Lonely Freddy, switch Alec back, and then dispose of the damn thing. Stanley and Jeremy were already looking into ways to get the damn toys out off the shelves. Nothing like that needed to be for kids. Especially since Afton robotics was now involved. 

"Right, so at least we know how to get him back to normal, but now we just need to worry about how we are going to do this." Michael mutters, annoyed that they couldn't just come up with something immediately. 

That's not how things work Mikey. We have to move the plot somehow! Can't have everything handed to us. Lolbit croons to Michael making  him absolutely confused, but decided to not question it. 

The fox said the weirdest things anyways, he just learned to deal with it honestly. 

"For now, we have something to go off of. I say we rest, and get started on figuring this out tomorrow. Give Alec time to himself, and us to think about what is the next course of action."

Henry dips his head in agreement, pushing his square glasses against his nose. "That sounds good, we all deserve a break. We can figure things out tomorrow. If anything I can contact the parents and ask about the party, maybe pretend I am the manager of the store." 

"That could work." 

Charlie beams, "Tomorrow then!" 

"Tomorrow."

 

...

Tomorrow came slowly, Michael wanted nothing more than to head into the workshop and ask Alec all the questions. He knew it would be redundant, and perhaps even a stupid idea. 

The last thing he wanted was for the kid to get angry at him. Michael didn't want to make Alec's remnant turn volatile, he noticed that the younger the child the more easier it was to create Agony within. 

Children's emotions often were far stronger than an adult's after all. 

Michael worries that Alec would lose himself much like the kids in the original pizzeria. But, then again Charlie didn't have any play in this, this was a whole new ball game. 

He hated feeling like he was walking on eggshells, but it was for the kid's safety. 

So, he waited. He practiced the patience that Evan said he needed to learn, and waited until the sun came up. He even made sure Henry had breakfast before he went to the workshop.

When he came in, he saw Alec looking at some comics that Michael had left here back when they were kids and he wished to reread them while they worked. 

Michael didn't like to be alone in the empty house while Henry worked on things, so most of the time he would just sit on a stool and read, helping whenever he was needed. 

Alec notices him, green eyes meeting purple. Michael made sure to keep his disguise up since he didn't want to spook the kid. He already had a hatred for animatronics (not that Michael would blame him for that), so he kept the illusion up for the time being. 

"You've got some really old comics." He says and Michael hums quietly. 

"They're not that old," He mutters with a hand on his hip. 

Alec gives him a look, "This one from 1985 . That's old." 

Wait until he finds out how old you are Mikey. Lolbit teases with a giggle, getting Michael to slightly swat them inwardly. 

"Sure then. It's one I had from when I was a kid." 

Alec raises a plastic eyebrow but says nothing, watching Michael take a stool and sit down. He just stares at the man, observing him quietly. 

"Look kid, I just wanted to apologize for yelling." Michael says after an awkward pause. "I shouldn't have done that, you've been through enough." 

The Freddy toy just stares, a bit wide eyed at the apology. He didn't expect that, usually it was the other way around. He was the one always having to apologize.

"First, I'm not a kid, I'm Alec. Second...it's okay. I guess it wasn't your fault and you didn't really know..." 

Michael does his best to keep the grin down, happy that the kid understood what he did was a bit wrong. But if he knew himself, he knew he didn't like anyone being all 'I told you so', or have some grin on their face after you acknowledge that you were wrong.

Instead he just nods, "Sorry, Alec." He replies with a slight smile. 

"You're...Mike right?" 

Michael nods, "That's me. Why?" 

Alec looks confused, curious even. "And that...ghost kid Evan...he's your brother?" 

"Yes." 

"What happened to him? How did he get like that?" 

This causes Michael to pause, his imaginary throat closing up. Hearing the metallic crunch and the muffled scream that dies down as wet blood splatters across his face.

Mikey get out of that memory, it was an accident. Lolbut urges and Michael takes a deep breath seeing Alec waiting for his response, with that little Freddy face looking a little weirded out. 

"It was an accident. He was...killed by an animatronic. The...death was so agonizing that his soul..stuck to the animatronic that killed him. But he broke free from his vessel, and now sort of roams around the house." He explains, not wishing to spill out all their dirty laundry. He didn't wish to tell the kid straight up that he was the one who caused the accident in the first place.

Alec just looks horrified, "Did...did I die? Is that why I am here?" 

Immediately Michael shook his head, "No, no your body is still intact. I think, it looked pretty alive to me." The only weird thing was the glowing silver eyes. That was probably what Lonely Freddy's doing. "Anyways, no, you're a...special case. We've never encountered something like this. Usually it's a rogue animatronic filled with...bad stuff that makes them go haywire, but it looks like this one was just...programmed to do this." 

Alec looks pale, well as much as a pale little bear could look. "What the fuck..."

Michael snorts, "Yeah, exactly. So that's why we are trying to figure out what to do. We can definitely get your body back, but...we don't know how to get there and do it without causing a ruckus." 

The Freddy stands up, albeit a bit shakily, and looks excited. "You know how to get me back to my body?! Well then let's go! Why are we just standing here?!" 

He moves to jump down, but Michael is swift to stop him. "Woah woah! We can't come in bursting into your house and shouting there's an imposter!" He hisses with a shake of his head. 

"Why not?! They should know it's me!" 

Michael sighs, wishing he didn't rile up the kid. He didn't mean to give him false hope. "Think about it, let's say I brought you to your house, showed you to your parents. What do you think would happen? The Freddy in your body could easily dispute this, and I could probably get arrested and put in the looney bin." 

Alec looks furious, and Michael rubs his forehead. "Alec, I know you think it's easy, but we don't need to find a way to lure your body out. I know how it feels to be trapped in the wrong body, one you know isn't yours and one you don't belong in, but we have to think about this logically." 

This causes Alec to slap Michael's hand away, glaring at the man towering over him. "You know nothing about what I'm going through. Youre just some dumb adult who thinks I'm just some asshole kid who doesn't know any better! You're just like everyone else in this damn world!" Alec screams, black fluid starting to spill out of his mouth getting the boy to start to almost gag, despite having no lungs or throat. 

"Alec, Alec please . I need you to stay calm, the more angry you are, the worse this will get for you!" Michael pleads, but Alec isn't done.

"No! No, I am tired, you don't know anything about me! You don't know what I've been through, what's happening to me. '' Alec snarls, as black ichor spills onto the floor in small plops. 

Michael stands there, his eyes bright, glowing and starting Alec down. Reminding him almost of the Lonely Freddy. "I may not know exactly what you're going through, but I too dealt with this. More than you would ever know." 

"Oh yeah?" Alec contests and Michael closes his eyes, and suddenly the room around him shudders. Lights flickering as Michael's body begins to warp, twist in itself. Like a hologram not quite working. 

Suddenly the tall human is gone, and in his place... is a very tall animatronic. 

A white, purple and orange fox stands before him, stars all over their body, a fluffy tail swaying back and forth. 

Alec steps back only to trip over himself and the creature steps forward as if to help. 

Help this thing is going to kill me! Alec thinks but this stops the thing from moving. 

"Alec." The voice is familiar, but yet...it wasn't. Two voices intermixed with each other to form one singular voice, and if you listened real closely, you could hear the difference at times. 

"Wh-who are you?" Alec whispers fearfully, and the thing sighs quietly. 

"It's Michael. This is me, meet Rockstar Lolbit. The vessel that I inhabit. Much like you being in this Lonely Freddy, I am in Lolbit." 

Alec blinks once, twice, three times before he looks at Michael trying to understand. "You're like me...? Is your body-"

"No, no darling! I would never want to switch places with Mikey, we share the body." The second voice speaks louder this time and Michael clears his throat. 

"What they are saying is, I was placed in here. A very long time ago. You...have a body to go back to, I...do not." 

Alec just looks at him in pure shock, unable to process just what he was seeing. "W-where's your body?" 

"The truth? In an unmarked grave in the forest. So...not something I can go back to. That's why I am so cautious about getting you back to your body. I want to make sure there is one to go back to. We have to be careful. I don't want you to be stuck in here like I am." 

Alec realizes it all makes sense, how he knew so much about this. How he was so adamant on being safe. He had been in this situation before. But…his situation? Michael died. 

This was another ghost he was talking to. 

"How are you still here?" Alec whispers, sitting up a bit.

Michael chuckles, "That...is complicated. But what binds me to Lolbit is a thing called Remnant. Imagine it like…soul glue. Anyone experiencing terrible, agonizing ends creates remnant, and sometimes remnant attaches itself to whatever is nearby. Be it a transfer or what they last touched when they died."

"Do...I have remnant?" 

He looks off into the distance, taking an imaginary breath, "With you, the trauma of having your mind and soul taken from your body caused you to form  remnant. It's what is keeping this little body going. Keeping you alive. But strong emotions can cause it to..flare and burn, hence the black stuff that was spilling out of you." 

Alec looks horrified, "What the fuck..." He wipes some of the smeared black ichor off his face looking at his plastic hands. Ew. 

"Yeah, it...it's a lot, but I think you deserve to know. You're in this situation and you don't deserve to be left in the dark. We will get you back into your own body Alec, I promise . It's why I am still here. I have to make sure everyone who suffers like this, gets to rest and is saved from the potential Agony." 

"That's what Evan was saying, but..how are we going to get my body out so we can do the switch? I don't think it'll willingly give my body back." 

Michael nods, "I don't think so either. Hence why we need to come up with a plan. Now, you mentioned your sister...do you think she would lure it out?" 

Alec blinks, "Hazel? I-I..dont know. I..the last time I was mean to her...and I made her cry." 

The fox gives a small frown, "Ah, well we can always try. Maybe...we could say she won a special tour to some Freddy VIP party...and she has to bring her brother along..." Michael rubs his snout and Alec's eyes widen.

"That...might work! We could get my parents maybe a nice dinner, and then say we are having a limo come and take us to some big time Freddy place. Not that crappy one." 

Michael laughs, Alec watches him cackle like a hyena before he slightly hits his chest and murmurs a small 'not right now' to who he assumes is Lolbit.

"Right, you sure your parents would be okay to have them go alone?" He asks and Alec makes a noise. 

"They've left us alone tons of times, I always was stuck with babysitting duty." 

This gets Michael to just smile, reminding him back in the day when he was made he too had to go and take care of his siblings while his father and mum were away. 

Now he wished for a moment to have his siblings in the same room as him, just like it was before all things went to absolute hell. 

"Okay, I think...I think we can do this Alec. Here, let me get you out of this place, and we can go and tell Henry and Charlie our plan." 

Alec gives a grin, which is much better than the constant frowns and snarls coming out of the kid. "Okay, I...thanks Mike. I'm sorry...for snapping at you." 

"S okay, I forgive you. Now let's go." He chirps gently, grabbing Alec, and they both travel out of the workshop to the living room to talk about their plans. 

“Why…are you wearing lipstick?” 

“Do not ask Alec.”

Notes:

Woo!! He knows the truth and now they have an idea how to get his body back! Woo!

Until next time friends! Have a great weekend!

Chapter 51: Never Be Alone Again

Notes:

Chapter 51, the finale of the Lonely Freddy Arc! One step closer to the end, guys…we are almost there. This is it. We are hitting the final lap.

Before I continue I want to lay out somethings so no one gets disappointed with what I have in store. I noticed some conversation and I want to just address it and make sure we are all on the same page.

The reason why Henry and Mike are going to go with the pizzeria sim is because it’s what they truly believe will finish the job. They firmly believe, as does Charlie and Evan, that if they cut off the source, aka SpringTrap, all this will end. Hence why they are trying to gather everything together and burn it all ground.

They do not know what happens in the future. They believe this will end it all.

So /you/ may know what happens next, but they don’t. They want to end it and be free, and this is what they think is the way to do it.

Don’t be upset if characters don’t do what you think is logical, because remember you have knowledge they do not.

Anyways! Just wanted to clear that up, enjoy the chapter!

“Alec, this is Charlie. Charlie, Alec.” 

Michael places Alec on the coffee table, making sure the boy is comfortable. He knew it probably was unnerving to have such a small body, no bigger than a child. It was even worse that it was just some plastic husk.

Not his own body, but someone else’s. 

Just what was the plan here? To have these little animatronics body snatch children? To what then? Lure them to whatever hole his father was hiding out, and suck the remnant out of them? 

A horrifying thought to say the least. 

Charlie waves her hand, Alec just staring at her due to her illusion disc not being on. She, unlike Michael, did not like to have her disc on. She rather be the animatronic, and only had it on whenever they needed to go out. 

For so long she was an animatronic, she was not used to being human. Or a human in disguise was the better word for it. 

“Are you…like Mike?” 

Charlie looks at him, her face in a constant smile but her brows lift up just slightly. “I am. As you can see we are a bit of an expert when it comes to human souls in animatronic bodies. Though the act of swapping is new..” 

She sits down on the couch, her long thin arms draping against the cushions. “But…I assume since you are out here, you came up with an idea.” 

“Yeah, it’s a start. We may need to get Stan and Jeremy on this as well. Considering it might be more convincing that way.” Michael says as Alec just stares at the Jester animatronic sitting before him. It was so weird. Two? Two animatronics here? 

Did she die as well? 

Charlie raises a brow, “Whatcha got?” 

“We call the parents, say they won a special Freddy Fazbear party for the kids. Parents get a nice dinner, and the kids…go to Freddy Fazbear’s. A special VIP tour.” Michael explains, “aka…Stanley rents a limo and we take Alec’s body to a location where we can do the switch.” 

“And…the switch will work right?” Alec asks, hating how tinny his voice is. How robotic and just…hollow it was. He didn’t like it, he wanted nothing more than to just wake up from this nightmare. 

But unfortunately…he couldn’t. He was stuck here, and his only hope was an old man, a robot fox with anger issues, a dead kid, and now this smiling jester. What a great team, these guys had his fate in the palm of their hands. He didn’t know if he should be worried, or not. 

“It should, we’ve done transfers before,” Henry rubs his chin, his green eyes concentrated on something that Alec couldn’t quite figure out. “But..that being said…we’ve never done something like this before. Usually it’s an empty shell, not taking one remnant and placing another in.”

This makes Alec a bit nervous, and Henry catches on to it right away immediately, waving his hands a bit to try and elevate his worry. “But!” He says quickly, “That doesn’t mean it wont work. There’s always a first for everything after all. We will get your body back one way or another.” 

Michael nods, his arms crossed, “No matter what that Lonely Freddy is getting out of your body.” 

“It better owe me some rent money, the bastard has been living in there without even a little bit of payment!” Alec grumbles, and this causes Michael to bark out in laughter. His shoulder shakes, leaning forward as he grips his stomach. 

He wheezes and Alec just stares at him, “You good?” 

Michael snickers, nodding his head after that little fit, “M fine,” He rasps, a wicked grin wide on his face. Charlie just shakes her head a chuckle of her own leaving the void that was her smile. 

“He has laughing fits thanks to his roommate.” 

“Lolbit..right?” 

“That would be me!” Michael’s eyes swell, the whites growing larger and the grin changes, its odd considering this thing was just an animatronic. He’s never seen an animatronic with such an expression. 

“Hi?”

“Hello to you! Ready for a fun ride?” 

Alec swallows, “N…no?” 

“TOO BAD!” 

Lolbit cackles, throwing back their head only for Michael to immediately smack his head causing the switch. “Enough Lolbit, we don’t need the kid passing out on us.”

Alec narrows his eyes, “M not scared.” 

Michael stares, purple eyes glowing as he doesn’t blink, just stares. “You sure?” He asks, his voice echoing in Alec’s mind.

“Yes.” Alec just about squeaks, his body slightly hunched and this causes Michael to break eye contact, a smirk wide on his face. 

“Good. Now, let’s get this parent trap plan started.” 

 

…

 

“So let me get this straight, you want me …to drive the thing that is in this kid’s body…to the warehouse? Bro…this is like…hella shady.” Stanley stammers, “Would the parents even let it happen?” 

“Well they’ll be having the former owner of Freddy Fazbears doing the ‘tour’,” Henry mentions getting Stanley to look at him with a slight nervous look. 

“I dunno, I don’t particularly like that I am the bait here.” 

“What? You’re not the bait! If you want we can have Charlie come with you, pretend to be an animatronic…” 

Charlie hums, “Buddy, I am an animatronic.” 

Michael rolls his eyes, “ Anyways . It’s just to get the Lonely Freddy in a spot where we can do the switch. We can’t just do it in the kid’s house!” 

“So having us drag two kids to a secondary location is a better idea? Mike…this is like To Catch a Predator shit.” 

Michael looks exasperated at Stanley, all while Jeremy is writing a script for what he’s going to say to the parents. If anyone was going to announce they won a VIP trip it would be Jeremy. “It’s not. Do you have a better plan?” 

Stanley just stares before glancing to the floor, toeing the tile. “No…” He dips his head while Michael sighs, rubbing his forehead a bit. “Sorry, Mike it just seems a bit…” 

“It’s all we got. Special tour of Henry’s workshop! Come see how animatronics are made, and then we snatch the damn toy and switch them up…” Michael explains, “If this doesn’t work then we’ll just have to maybe switch him at night…”

“It’ll work, we just have to make sure Hazel knows what’s happening. She might try to stop us if she doesn’t know what’s happening.” 

They all nod, “That’s why we make sure to talk to her and have her on board. If this goes smoothly, by the end of the night you’ll be back to your body Alec.” 

Alec nods, “Then we have to do this. We got this.” 

Stanley sighs, “Alright, then sign me up. I just have a bad feeling about this.” 

Jeremy glances up from his work, “You always have a bad feeling about everything Stan.” 

“I do not!”
“You so do.” 

 

…

 

Something was wrong. Something was wrong with her brother. She knew from the moment he walked back with that odd smile on his face. How he apologized for being mean. Alec never apologized. 

But her parents didn’t see it, in fact they enjoyed having this side of Alec with them. Said that maybe he finally grew up. 

Not that Hazel didn’t believe he could change, but this was not his brother. His movements are too odd, his face too weird. Like something wasn’t right. Uncanny valley. 

And he called her ‘dear sister’, which was something Alec never said. He always called her Hazel or Haze, never sister, or anything like that. 

She was watching him, watching him butter up their parents, be good and kind with a weird smile on his face. Even once offered to show her something so that she could ‘join’ him. Whatever that meant. 

This was not her brother. 

This was an imposter. 

And she worried for her own safety, for her parents safety. 

She was quietly doing her homework, seeing Alec was nowhere in the room. Her mother is doing the dishes and her father is off in his office. The phone rings and her mother is too busy to hear it. She slides out of her chair, “I got it!” She calls out getting a thank you from her mother. 

“Hello?” She answers, leaning into the phone. They were one of the few that still had a landline phone since her father refused to advance with their technology. 

“Hello, is this Hazel Orsen?” 

The voice is unfamiliar to her, and she tilts her head quietly. “Y..yes?” 

“Good, good! Okay, I know this is going to sound weird so just listen. Do not hang up please.” 

She can feel worry make her stomach tumble, fear starting to rise. She doesn’t answer so the voice continues. 

“Hazel, you are in danger. That is not your brother.” 

Hazel’s eyes widened, “W-what?” 

“I know, it sounds crazy but here.” There’s noise and it sounds like someone is passing the phone. Hazel is far too scared to hang up the phone so she just grips it tightly, her body starting to shake just a little bit. What did this person mean? How did they know? Was it true? 

“Hazel?” 

The voice that breaks through the receiver is familiar, but it's different. It sounds like someone speaking through an old radio, or some sort of device. Like GhostFace or something. But…she knew that voice. She knew it. 

“Alec?” She whispers and there’s a brief sigh. 

“Hazel it’s me! Please listen, that is not me. I can’t explain everything right now, but please…I need your help and I..I’m so sorry for what happened. I need to fix it, but not without your help.” 

Now this, this was her brother. How he spoke, the way his words sounded…it was him. She just knew it. 

“I want to help, where are you? What’s going on?” 

“I can’t say much, I don’t know if it’s listening…but we are going to get that thing out of my body. We are going to hang up, and then call again. Make sure Mom or Dad picks up. Trust me.” 

Hazel swallows, “I..I trust you Alec. Please…just tell me what’s going on.” 

“I’ll be able to tell you tonight, but just say out loud that you’re not interested and hang up. Then wait for us to call back and give it to Mom or Dad, okay?” 

Hazel nods, before she quickly replies in a small voice, “Okay,” 

“Okay, good. I…things will be back to normal soon, just play along okay?” 

She wants to shout, to scream and ask what was happening, but the fear of this imposter listening in is too much so she just whispers another okay. Then like Alec told her, she shouts, “No thank you we aren’t interested.” And with that she hangs up, glancing around and Alec, or not Alec isn’t around. 

“Who was that Hazel?” Her mother calls out and Hazel takes a shaky breath, steeling herself. This was for Alec, she had to play along.

“Just some spam call I think, the whole car insurance is out of warranty thing.” She mutters bringing the phone with her to the kitchen so her mother could grab it. She sits on the kitchen table, pretending to get back to her homework.

Every now and then she would glance at the phone, waiting in anticipation. 

She nearly jumps out of her seat when the phone rings, her mother sighing loudly turning around and wiping her hands off. “Boy aren’t we popular today.” She mutters and picks up the phone, placing it against her shoulder as she continues to clean. 

“Hello?” 

Hazel watches her, trying to see if she can hear whatever is being sad. 

“Oh my goodness, how wonderful! I didn't even know they had a raffle for that!” 

There’s a pause, and then Hazel’s mother is nodding and humming every now and then. “Tonight? That sure is soon…but I suppose since it is VIP…I think that will be okay!” She says looking at Hazel with wide eyes and a bright smile. 

“Yes, yes…6 o’clock? That will be just fine, no thank you! Yes, I will make sure they are all ready. You have a wonderful day!” 

She hangs up and Hazel glances up from her homework and her mom has the biggest smile on her face. “Guess what?” 

“What?” Hazel puts her pencil down and her mother beams. 

“You and Alec are getting a VIP tour of Freddy’s! Isnt that amazing! Apparently when they have birthdays they place you in a little raffle and you won this month! You will get to see how the animatronics are made and then you’ll get to eat pizza and have unlimited games!” 

Hazel gives a fake gasp, her eyes wide. “Really?!” 

“Mhmm, and it’ll make up for the little tantrum your brother made, I know he’ll be thrilled to just have you and him play at the arcade! Alec! Can you get down here?” 

Her mother calls Alec down, and Hazel wants to shout. Shout that this wasn’t her brother. That this was some sort of imposter. But she keeps her mouth shut, hearing Alec, or not Alec, step down the stairs. 

“What is it Mother?” 

There it was, Mother. Not Mom, or Ma. It was so odd. The imposter’s eyes were staring at their mom, never blinking. Just this odd movement they had. 

“You and Hazel are going to Freddy’s tonight! Hazel won a VIP tour to see the animatronics and how they are made! The creator will even be there to give you a full look on how things are made!” Her mom was just excited, maybe more excited than Hazel was. 

But the fake wasn’t looking too pleased. “What? No, I do not wish to do that.” 

This gets their mother to pause, “Well too bad dear, because I already said yes. You have to make it up to Hazel after what happened on her birthday. You did cause a big ruckus.” 

“But I dont want to go to Freddy’s.” 

“Come on Alec, it’ll be cool. Maybe you could see how Foxy is made, I know you like him.” Hazel says attempting to push this fake in the right direction. 

The imposter glances at her, and then an odd smile grows on his face. “Ah..I suppose it would be…cool.” The way he says cool is like how an old person tries to say what is new slang for the younger generation. It sounds so weird for a 14 year old to stumble over the word cool. 

Their mother beams, “Perfect! It’s settled, you and Alec will have fun, and they even paid for me and your father to go to dinner. How nice is that?” 

“Very!” Hazel chirps, glancing at Alec every now and then to see if she could catch anything. But he is as cold as ever, but in an entirely different way. 

“Now get dressed, you’ll have to at least look nice for Freddy. Go, go!” 

 

…

 

“Okay, are we all set?” Michael asks, grabbing his backpack and handing it to Jeremy. It had a few things just in case. First aid kit and things like that. Helpy chirps passing Michael a tool and he thanks the little one and places it in the first pouch on the side. 

“This is stupid. I look stupid.” 

Stanley is grumbling to himself, wearing a suit and tie with a driver’s hat. It was funny looking, but he did fit the part of a limo driver. 

“You look fine,” Michael mutters with a roll of his eyes, “I am going to take Jeremy and Alec to the warehouse. Keep me updated at all times.” 

Henry nods, “Will do, everyone be careful. We don’t know exactly how things are going to turn out. Just be prepared for anything.” 

“What? For a little doll? Please…” Michael snorts. 

“Little dolls can be dangerous…” Stanley mutters, getting Michael to wince. Right. He gives an apologetic look to the man, he knew it was a touchy subject. 

“We’ll be careful. Right?” Charlie puts her hands on her hips and waits for everyone to reply back. 

Now that they were ready, Michael begins to head out only to stop when Evan makes himself known. “I want to help..” Evan whispers and Michael sighs.

He gets on one knee to look Evan in the eyes, “I know little man, but you can’t do much in this form. You could really hurt yourself and I don’t know what I would do if you did get hurt. You and Helpy are going to stay here and take care of the house.” 

Evan looks frustrated and Michael feels terrible, but it was for the best. Evan was just a spirit, there wasn’t much else he could do. “But what if you get hurt? What happens then?” Evan whispers, black tears pouring out of his eyes. 

“I won't, I have Charlie, Jer, Stan and Henry. We will be careful. I promise.” Michael gently pats Evan’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, okay? It’ll be quick and I’ll be back before you know it.” 

“Yeah we’ll take care of Michael’s reckless ass. We got this.” Stanley replies with a thumbs up. 

“Don’t worry about a thing little dude.” 

“We’ll be safe.”

Evan pouts, frustrated but yet doesn’t argue. Instead he just disappears, getting Michael to sigh loudly. He would have to deal with that later. But right now he needs to focus on Alec. They needed to get this kid his body back. He was sure Evan understood why he couldn’t come.

There would be a moment where Evan would be needed, but this was not the time or place. 

He would understand. 

He hoped. 

 

…

 

Getting to Alec’s house was easy. Stanley was a good driver and Henry was able to navigate well. Charlie was going to play it up as the security puppet, she wasn’t mad at them for making her play an animatronic. She had been the puppet more than a human, so this was not hard for her. 

Henry rings the doorbell, looking at his daughter who shakes her body readying herself to play the part. “Ready?” 

“Yeah, I’m ready. Time to get this kid his body back.” 

The door opens and Charlie makes a large gesture with her body, making sure it wasn’t super fluid and more robotic looking. Henry beams at the adults, “Hello there. You must be Mr. and Mrs. Orson. I am Henry Emily, and this is my friend, the security puppet.” 

Charlie waves her hands, tilting her head.

“Oh my goodness! It looks so good. They are really amping up the quality of the animatronics! I remember when they looked so…” Mrs. Orson stops seeing that she was just about to insult the creator of the said animatronics. She clears her throat and gives a smile. “The kids are just about ready. Alec! Hazel! Mr. Emily is here! And he brought a friend!”

Henry peers inside seeing two blond children walk up to the door. One has her hair in tight braids and the other has hair that is slightly wild like a bird had made it’s nest inside of it. 

“You must be Hazel and Alec then.” 

“That’s us,” Hazel smiles, her eyes studying the old man a bit before she sees the puppet standing before her. “Oh wow! They upgraded the puppet! It’s been so long since I’ve seen this design!” 

Charlie waves once more and Hazel can’t help but giggle at the sight. 

“Perhaps we can get this over with?” Alec asks, his voice cutting through the air. Mr. Orson gives a click of his tongue. 

“Now Alec, you better watch that attitude. You behave and make sure you are right next to Mr. Emily at all times. I better not hear a single bad report from Mr. Emily.” He says with a hand on his hips glaring down at Alec. 

“Oh I am sure things will be fine. Not to worry, I have a couple children of my own so I know how much of a handful they can be.” Henry says not wishing to hear this father scold their child, even if it wasn’t exactly their child at the moment. 

“I assure you they are in good hands. Now shall we?” 

“Yes, yes! You two have a good time, please behave. No fighting.” Mrs. Orson gave a quick kiss to the both of them before ushering them out of the door. 

“We will be back in no time, you two enjoy your time off.”

“Yes we absolutely needed it. Have fun!” 

The door shuts and Henry quietly gestures to the limbo, “Shall we?” 

Hazel freezes looking at the old man, but Alec is the first to go. He walks robotically to the limbo. Stanley had the door open for the two. “Have you ever ridden a limo?” Henry asks as they walk, and Hazel shakes her head, her hands clenched tightly against her chest. 

“Don’t worry Hazel, we are here to help.” Henry whispers once Alec is in the car. “We are here to get your brother back. Charlie will keep you safe.” He gestures to the puppet beside him, and the animatronic gently nods. 

“O-okay, is..is Alec okay?” 

“Yes, he’s in good hands. Let’s go.” Charlie whispers and Henry helps the little girl into the limbo settling next to Alec. 

Now they just needed to get to the warehouse, and then everything would be back to normal. 

 

…

 

Michael is pacing back and forth, Jeremy sitting on a crate of parts while Alec quietly sat next to him. Michael hated waiting, he wasn’t a patient person by nature. He really wished he could just yank the kid up and put him back in his rightful body, but unfortunately that wasn’t something they could do. 

The Lonely Freddy was in this kid’s body after all, they couldn’t hurt it. He would have to be careful. Careful wasn’t exactly his forte, but he wasn’t about to kill some kid by accident. He winced at the thought. 

“How long is this going to take?” Alec asks, no doubt impatient as well. He looked just as antsy as Michael felt. 

“Not sure, any status?” 

Jeremy looked at his phone, “Haven’t got anything after the last text, I’m assuming they’re close.” 

“We need to get ready then, make sure everything is in place…” 

“Tell me why we can’t just jump it?” Alec muttered and Michael sighed. 

He looked at the solid doors, the warehouse was pretty decent size. Not too large but not super cramped. It was about the size of a garage. There were windows on both sides of the door, and the room was covered with parts of different animatronics. The start of the ones for the next project were on a makeshift stage. 

“Remember the plan, we are here to hide, and Henry will try to get him in that chair. When the signal is thrown we all make sure he is tied down and then Henry will do the switch. If we ‘jump’ him, it could potentially hurt your body. I can imagine you don't want any broken bones right?” 

Alec mutters to himself but Michael doesn’t get to answer as Jeremy stands up, nearly knocking the little toy over from the sudden movement. 

“They're here! Go, go!” 

Michael is quick to grab Alec, getting a surprised yelp from the toy. They rush to an empty spot by the work bench, Michael gently placing Alec down in a hidden spot. “Remember to be quiet and don’t move. If he even sees you, it might ruin the whole thing. I’ll be right here.”

With a nod, Alec does his best to hide himself watching Michael just about drape himself over some sort of machine, his illusion disc shutting off so he looks like a random animatronic that is in some need of some maintenance. 

The door opens and Henry walks in, seeing Jeremy waving to them, “Ah this is my assistant, Jeremy Fitzgerald.” 

“Hey kids! Welcome to the behind the scenes. Isn’t this awesome?” 

The little girl gives a small wow, while the boy is silent. Just glancing around with a slight look on his face. As if he’s cataloging all this machinery, taking note of what is in this place. “This is so neat,” Hazel whispers with slight awe. 

“It’s how these animatronics usually come to life, here I’ll show you some new ones we are working on.” 

Henry guides them to the makeshift stage showing a small band of animatronics, “These will be the Rockstars, they’re an upcoming project for the new pizzeria that is going to be in town.” 

“Oh wow!” 

She leans over seeing the head of what she assumes is Foxy. “You could fit your whole head in here!” She exclaims and Henry chuckles. 

“Thats what they used to be for, you would slip into the animatronics so you can walk around. These however don’t have the mechanics…” Henry pauses, his eyes widening for a slight moment as if he has an idea. 

“Here, I hear you like Foxy right Alec? Why don’t you sit here and hold it, then I can point out all the mechanics of the machine.” Henry gestured to the lone chair, the rest watching quietly, tense as ever. 

“Come on Alec, how cool is that? You should listen to Mister Emily.” Hazel says, immediately catching on. She grabs his hand, but Alec yanks it away. Eyes blankly staring at Henry. 

Henry just tilts his head, “It’s okay, you won't break it.”

“Do you really think I am that stupid. ” 

The voice is far different, this cold sharp tone rippling out of the child before them, green blank eyes now a bright silver shining brightly in the lowlight of the warehouse. 

“Alec?” Hazel asks, and Charlie immediately steps forward, her thin arms gently placed over Hazel in a protective manner. 

Alec just chuckles, the sound odd and grating on their ears. “Please, I know you know. There is no need for pretend now. I am not stupid.” 

“Then you know you're not in the right body, that you stole something that was not meant to be yours.”

Michael steps forward from his spot, holding Alec in his arms, the bear glaring at the human before them. The imposter hisses at the sight, silver eyes flashing. 

“Why I won this body fair and square. Why would I let some troublesome boy live when all he has done but caused havoc and brought anger to this world?” The Lonely Freddy says, as if its a matter of fact. That it was his right to take the body for his own. 

“That’s a lie! I-I…” 

“Your biggest regret… hurting Hazel right? You hurt her so much, and yet…you don't really care do you? You like to hurt.” 

“No..no I don’t! I didn’t mean-” 

“That’s enough.” Michael says quickly his eyes burning brightly, glaring at the child before them, they all surrounding the Lonely Freddy. There was no escape. “Give up, it’s over.” 

The Lonely Freddy takes a step back, but they all move forward. “I know you,” The thing whispers looking at Michael. “You’re the thorn in everyone’s side. Causing the worst amount of damage. You bring death with you, don’t you Michael Afton ?” 

“Your words mean nothing to me, you can’t hypnotize us here.” Michael snarls, “We are putting you back where you belong!” He reaches out to try and grab Alec’s body but the boy moves to the parts on the workbench grabbing a saw with a wicked grin. 

“Ah ah!” The saw is placed on the boy’s arm, “I wouldn’t move if I were you, wouldn’t want Alec to get hurt now would we?” 

Michael stops his eyes wide, “You wouldn’t..” 

“I always wanted to know what pain felt like, it’ll be a fun little ride. Get any closer and I’ll saw his own arm off.” 

The Lonely Freddy moves to stand on the crates where Jeremy had been sitting on. “Maybe I’ll even fling myself off this little place. Make Alec a nice little pancake. I don’t have anything better to do…after all my job’s done.” 

“What job?” Henry asks trying his best not to get the kid hurt, so his feet were planted on the floor. 

“Why, gather all my brother and sisters. Soon we’ll be doing exactly what Master Afton wants us to do. Gather all the children and bring their remnant to him. He’ll get stronger and finally be able to ascend.” 

Michael knew it, he was creating little servants to get his remnant for him. The bastard. 

“Let’s call them shall we? I think the Master will be happy to see his dear old friends being a part of the remnant feeding.” 

With that the Lonely Freddy pulls out a device. “What terrible parents you have Alec, they didn’t even notice you were different, that I was sneaking out and gathering my brethren.” It snickers while waving the device. 

“Let’s have a little party yeah?” 

 Michael snarls but the button is pushed and the Lonely Freddy starts to cackle. “Soon they will all be here and we will help the Master get the revenge he rightfully deserves!” 

A high pitched noise squeals, it's much like Lolbit’s intermission, hitting them hard. The sound pierces Michael’s mind, he never was on the receiving end of this, his whole body shaking in agony from the noise. Charlie yells in pain too, and the humans fall to their knees from the noise. 

“We have to get that remote!” Henry shouts seeing that Charlie and Michael were immobile from the sound. They had to stop this creature from bringing the others, and what would happen if they got loose into the city. 

With this Freddy in charge, who knows what mode was activated. 

“Stan! Try to grab the kid!’ Jeremy says his hands over his ears while Stan does his best to stand, feeling the blooming pain that shudders within the bond of remnant Michael and him shared. 

“I c-can’t it-” He groans his scars aching something first, seeing Michael on the floor curled up in a ball from the frequency just about frying their system. 

Jeremy can see they all are in pain, his ears are ringing. He glances around trying to find something to stop the kid. He reaches into his pocket, remembering he had his phone. If he threw it at a right angle, he could knock the device out of the bad guy’s hand. 

He just had one problem. 

He had terrible depth perception because of one eye. 

Jeremy swallows seeing how much everyone was in pain, deciding to take that risk he aims the phone and chucks it. 

Instead of hitting the device, it hits the Lonely Freddy’s hand, causing the imposter to drop the device. The thing skitters to the floor, it still is on but the device is far away that it brings some relief to the humans of the group. 

“Mike! Mike!” Jeremy shouts, rushing towards the twitching fox. His hands hover over the animatronic, unsure what to do. 

“Fuck, this is crazy, what the hell was he doing?’ Stanley pants and Henry glances over, hearing loud thuds from the window and doors. 

Henry stands up with wide eyes, “Calling his friends,” he whispers, seeing little paw-like hands hitting the windows. 

He didn’t know how many were there, the Lonely Freddy stepping down the crates and steps towards the door. “Say hello to the family..” He grins, pulling the door open and handfuls of Lonely Freddys just like Alec stumble in. 

Some completely ruined, others pristine as can be. They all stared at the group with glowing silver eyes, all behind the Lonely Freddy that is inhabiting Alec’s body. They spark and twitch with anticipation, waiting for an order from their leader. 

“Soon they will travel all across Hurricane, taking all the children and giving them to the Master. Then maybe we travel the state, then the world. All undeserving children will forfeit their life for the sake of a better opportunity. To evolve.” 

“You little bastards..” Michael rasps trying to get up, his system weak from that horrible noise. Lolbit was silent and that was worrisome. He was on his own, just like in the sister location. “I..we won't let you do this.” 

“Oh yeah? Try and stop us..” The thing grins from ear to ear pointing to the group that now was just finally able to gather themselves up and ready for a fight. “Get them.” 

With the simple command the little empty animatronics start to rush towards the group. Michael turns to Charlie. “Get Hazel out of here!” He barks, not wanting a child to be hurt in this situation. 

“But-” 

“Go Charlie, GO ! We’ll be okay!” Michael urges and Charlie understands. She gently picks up Hazel and starts to run, trying to find a good safe spot for the little girl. 

“Whatever you do, do not stare into their eyes!” 

Michael stands up and starts to kick at the animatronics swarming at them. There were so many, he didn’t know there were that many out in the world. Was this Lonely Freddy the only successful one? Or did they all already go back to his father to give them his remnant?

He didn’t have time to think, doing his best to get them off him and his friends. He soon finds another feature that was equipped with the Lonely Freddy’s. 

Electric shocks. 

This was the electrobabs all over again. The swift shock to his system hurt like nothing other. He wasn’t used to feeling pain, but damn did it hurt. He gives out a strangled cry as one of the Lonely Freddy’s shocks him. 

With a glance he sees Jeremy struggling with the Lonely Freddy’s hitting some with a pipe, but he catches a glance with one of them, his eye widening and turning a deep silver. “Jeremy! Damn it, get off me!”

“Don’t fight it, it’ll all be over soon..’ The Lonely Freddy croons, making Jeremy fall to his knees, tears forming in his eye.

Michael tries to make it over there, the sea of Freddy’s dragging him down. He is left to see all three are struggling with the hypnotic gaze of Freddy’s all staring with silver glowing eyes at the multitude of them. 

“You’ve lost Michael, just give up.” The leader says with a laugh, “They will soon be a part of us, and maybe we’ll spare you and your little friend. Though the Master wouldn’t like that too much…” 

“You little shits get OFF ME!” Micheal snarls, black smoke billowing out of his nose. It was like fighting a sea of electric eels. Every movement shocked and sparked him, making his movements go slower and slower. 

No, no this couldn’t be it…he couldn’t…lose. 

Jeremy...Henry…Stan…

“That is enough .”

The door flings open once more and Michael freezes to see a familiar animatronic. The darkness shrouds most of it due to the black fur, but flecks of yellow and blue travel down the animatronic like the paint is peeling, or it is veined with solid gold. 

“L-Lefty?” Michael can’t help but stammer, and the large animatronic stomps forward, eye boring into the leader of the Lonely Freddy’s. 

“Get off my brother.” 

Lefty swats the freddy’s with ease, smacking them out of the way, all of them thunking against the wall. Lefty was a powerhouse, he was meant to be this strong thing that could handle any weather just in case Charlie was in any place that was dangerous. 

It was large, and it certainly was in charge. 

And the one controlling it..?

“E-evan?” 

He almost couldn’t believe it, but one look at Lefty’s eye that isn’t blacked out said it all. It was a clear crystal blue, glowing bright in the low light. Evan..somehow was now possessing Lefty. 

And he was kicking ass. 

Plastic creaked and groaned with every punch, things falling apart with simple stomps. Soon the number of Freddy’s were dwindling. This gave Michael the opportunity to push aside the little ones that were messing with Henry and the others, grabbing them away from the hypnotic stare of these damn bears. 

“Wh..what happened?” Jeremy stammers as the bear was crushed, no longer locked in a trance. 

“Evan happened, let’s go!” Michael yanks his friend up, and they both go to take care of the others. 

Evan stomps towards the leader of the Freddy’s, eye burning brightly. 

“You have something that isn’t yours.” He said his voice deadly and cold, “Give. It. Back.” 

“Never.” The Lonely Freddy hisses, yelping when Evan yanks him down from his spot, his grip nearly crushing the boy’s hand. “Ow ow!” The thing cries. 

“Henry! Evan has the thing! Get the rope! Evan, can you put him in the chair?!” 

Evan glances up at his brother and then at the blond child in his grip, watching him hit and pull and yank, trying to break out of the animatronic’s hold. He just picks the boy up by his waist and tucks him under his arm stomping forward towards the chair. 

He doesn’t even acknowledge the angry cries and shouts from the bodysnatcher, slamming him down onto the chair. Michael and Stan are quick to tie him up, keeping the boy snug under the rope. 

“Holy shit kid, that was awesome,” Stanley breathes, his chest heaving from all this adrenaline. He glances at the carnage all around them, broken parts and pieces of plastic everywhere. 

Evan glances at Michael, “You promised…” 

Michael gives a loud sigh, “Later, we need to get this done.” 

Henry steps in, his green eyes glowing while Jeremy holds Alec in his hands.

“Ready?” Henry asks and Alec nods, “Okay..let’s do this.” 

This is the first time Michael has seen the transfer of remnant. Henry had been by himself with Charlie, so this was all new to him. He watched with fascination as Henry reached into the chest of the thrashing body of Alec and pulled out the goopy mess of silver remnant. It was gross looking, like this quicksilver slime compared to the somewhat fire-like remnant he was used to seeing. 

Alec’s body slumps over, and Alec closes his eyes when Henry turns to face him. He didn’t want to see what was happening. Or how it was happening. The older man reaches into the plastic body of the Lonely Freddy and pulls out the clear blue remnant that was Alec. 

With a simple push, he places the remnant back in the proper body, as well as disposing of the remnant in the usual mason jar they would place it in. Jeremy passes the limp body of the Lonely Freddy to Michael who immediately rips the head off with a straight face. 

Sparks fly and Michael tosses the body to the side, they would have to burn all these bodies, but Alec was far more important. 

The door opens and Charlie rushes in,with Hazel in tow. She is gripping the puppet with tear stained eyes. “Is he okay?” She whispers and Henry hums. 

“He might be disoriented at first, but his soul is back where it belongs.” 

Michael breathes out a sigh of relief, looking at Evan. “You…you did it. If you hadn't…” 

Evan shakes his head, “I knew you’d get in trouble..Henry wanted me to be in this animatronic, so he put my plush in there. I just finally…jumped in. And I think…I think I like it here.” 

The older brother gently pats Lefty’s, no, Evan’s shoulder, “You’re amazing, little brother. Truly.” 

Alec moans softly, and this silences all the chatter between the group. Hazel moves out of Charlie’s grip so she can see her brother. “Alec?” 

Eyes flutter open and there's no longer the glowing silver, but the deep green. “Hazel?” He whispers quietly, squinting a bit. Hazel gives out a happy cry, jumping onto her brother and gives him the biggest hug. 

“Ow, owww…” Alec whines but Hazel doesn’t pull away. She just hugs her older brother, happy that he is alive. 

“Welcome back Alec,” Michael smiles and Alec glances to the fox, to everyone. 

“I..I’m really back? I…it's over?” He stammers and they all grin, and Michael gestures to the broken Freddy on the floor. 

“It’s all over, you're back in your squishy human body.” Charlie jokes leaning on Michael, relieved that no one got super hurt.

Henry kneels down and begins to untie the ropes, “Do you feel anything weird?” He asks as he works. 

Alec tilts his head, and then shakes it. “No..I don’t think so? Just pins and needles, my wrist hurts a little but I think it’s better than being in a stupid toy.” 

Henry nods, getting the final rope off him, “Good, good. Let’s get you home then..” 

“To the limo?” 

“To the limo.” 

Notes:

Until Next Time!

Chapter 52: I'll Be a Better Man Today

Notes:

Im back!! Thank you all for your patience. My sister surprised me a trip to Universal Studios for my bday. It was a great time, but now I’m back and we are chugging along.

Apologies if nothing significant happens, gotta have the dialogue that leads to the events after all. Wouldn’t want to just skip to the good bit now would we?

So enjoy, and thanks again.

Getting Alec home was the easiest part of the night. He looked physically exhausted, his arm was a bit red from Evan’s hold on the imposter. But it wasn’t broken, thankfully. No doubt there would be a bit of bruising, Alec assured them he would tell his parents it was because he was messing around with the animatronics. 

Which was partially true after all. 

Both Alec and Hazel looked as if they were about to pass out, staring out the tinted window of the limo. Michael didn’t blame them, it was certainly a night. His system was still trying to recover from the multiple electric shots that ran through him. 

Why did they even have that feature? Did William add it? Who wanted a toy that could potentially shock you? 

Lolbit was hidden, no doubt recovering the damage while Michael kept a good hold on their body. He wasn’t about to pass out and leave himself useless, or prone for that matter. 

They all sat somberly until the limo paused, and Alec’s house could be seen. 

Hazel was gently sleeping on her brother and Alec looked like he was about to fall asleep as well. His eyes half lidded, trying to keep himself awake. 

Henry was surprised that they weren’t chatting, but then again with an experience like that, he didn’t blame them for keeping quiet. 

“We wore them out.” Charlie whispers to her father, gently reaching down and lifting Hazel into her thin arms. The little girl leans into the embrace, her face placed against the ruffles of the animatronic’s outfit. 

“Come on kiddo, time to go home. Time for you to get some rest.” Michael whispered to the sleepy teenager. He gently helps him out of the car, seeing that Alec was trying his best to keep awake. 

They get to the porch and Alec stops, gripping Michael’s hand which sends the animatronic to turn around quickly, his human disguise flickering slightly. He didn’t expect the teenager to grab him like that, doing his best to hide his surprise. He tilts his head and waits for Alec. 

“Thanks, Mike.” Alec whispers, gripping the metal fingers of Michael. He looks embarrassed, as if saying something like this was hard for him. No doubt it was. Michael was pleased that Alec was starting to soften those hard edges of his. 

It was a start after all. 

Michael gives a gentle smile, “Anytime Alec. If anything happens, call us. There’s a card in Hazel’s pocket.” 

Alec nods, “What happens now?” 

Michael shifts, glancing at the door. What did happen now? At this point he wished he could erase their memories, so they didn’t have this event burn into their lives. So they could live normally. 

He takes a deep breath, his eyes sweeping to Alec’s, the purple slightly glowing in the night.

 “You live. You be happy, take care of your sister. Live a semi-normal life. Things like that can be taken for granted. She cares about you, and you need each other. More than ever. This experience will make you stronger.” 

He knows that Alec will be better, with this experience this would make him learn just how much he truly was missing out on. He truly believed that Alec could change for the better. He had faith in him. 

“What about you?” 

Michael blinks at the question, once again caught off-guard, “Don’t worry about me. You enjoy your life for me okay? Graduate, become something amazing. Live the life you want to have. Don’t let anyone take that from you. Anyone.” 

Alec looks like he wants to say something more, but the exhaustion is finally taking its toll. So he gently leads the kid back to the house, he’s relieved to all hell and back that nothing happened to Alec. 

Those Lonely Freddy’s were a menace and they needed to figure out a way to get rid of them all. 

He takes Alec to the doorstep, gently letting Henry be the one to take them back, quietly moving to stand beside Charlie, a bit hidden from view. 

He did his best to hold his tongue, despite the urge to yell at them. How could they not notice their son was not…well their son?! How could they just allow him to walk around while their son was suffering. 

But yelling wouldn’t get them anywhere, and he probably would've sounded like a mad man. 

“Here we are, get some rest.” Henry says he rings the bell and after a wait the parents are happy to see their children well. 

“So how was it?” Mr. Orsen asks only to get a sudden hug from Alec, it was a sleepy one, but a hug nonetheless. “Woah! Where did that come from?” 

“Love you,” He muttered, gripping his father’s shirt. It’s as if he had been gone for the weekend and truly missed his family. Technically he was. 

Mr. Orsen chuckles after a moment of surprise, gently patting his son’s back. He places a quick kiss to the kid’s head before ushering them both in bed. 

“Love you too Alec, now get ready for bed.” He tells the two, he waits until they both are out of view, and turns his attention to Henry. “Thanks for the little party, looks like they had a blast.” 

“Oh yes. It was quite a time.” 

“Yes it was to die for.” Lolbit snickers finally back in the saddle, getting Michael to take a quick turn of the heel and tell them he’d be in the limo. 

The father looks confused, but thanks Henry and Charlie for the time they had, and for the dinner.

“Oh come on Mikey that wasn’t even a joke.” Lolbit just about whines as Charlie and Henry catch up to them. 

Michael rolls his eyes, “I don’t need another person giving us odd looks and calling the police on us.” He mutters and Lolbit settles down after that. Yeah they definitely didn’t need another police encounter. 

He was at least relieved that the Lonely Freddy’s didn’t fry Lolbit’s chip. The last thing he wanted was for Lolbit to get hurt because he was reckless. Lolbit thrums quietly assuring the man that he was okay, that a little electric shocks couldn’t kill them.

Michael didn’t want Lolbit to be killed in any way, shape or form.

This gets Lolbit to press against his conscience, making some sort of joke about Michael enjoying their company. This makes Michael push them aside, turning his attention to Henry as the fox laughs in the background. 

“That…was something.” Henry mutters as they step into the limo. 

“What it was, is done now.” 

Stanley glanced behind him, “I’ll drop you guys off and then take this limo back to the rental.” 

Michael nods, “Sounds like a plan.” He stares off at the house hoping to everything good and kind that the Orson family would not deal with any trouble ever again. Well, at least crazy animatronic trouble. 

 

…

 

Getting back was easy, Jeremy was already at the house with Evan in tow. Michael was the first to enter, making a beeline straight to his little brother. Evan turns around, his eyelid clicking upwards to show his surprise at how fast Michael was making his way towards him. 

Uh oh. 

“You mister…” 

Evan winces expecting Michael to shout, his large body hunched slightly. He’s ready for the anger, the snarling and hissing. The shaking of his shoulders and the face to face with bare teeth. The slamming of doors and angry words. 

But instead he’s greeted with a hug. It’s awkward considering they’re both made of heavy plastic and metal, but it’s a hug nonetheless. It’s the last thing he expected if he was honest, but it…it was nice. 

“You are amazing.” Michael finishes, pulling away his hands on Evan’s bulky shoulders. “Lefty! You took over Lefty, and you freaking kicked ass! Everything okay? Nothing broken? You transfer okay?”

Henry chuckles as Michael fussed at Evan, “He certainly did.” He says with a bit of pride, this time not scolding for the use of language. “And I am sure he’s fine, nothing seems wrong.” He takes a couple glances over Lefty while Evan is trying to process everything that just happened. 

There’s a pause, and Evan looks surprised, like he doesn’t believe what is happening right now. “You…you’re not mad?“ His voice echoes just slightly, much like Michael’s does, but there’s no voice intermixing. After all Lefty was left mute so it was all just Evan’s voice. 

Michael’s eyes softened, his face tilted slightly to the side, “Evan, you saved us. If you didn’t come in when you did…I don’t think…” He trails off and they all look a bit solemn. If Evan hadn’t of came to stop the Freddy’s, they all would be done for. 

“I’m not mad.” He says after a moment, to assure Evan that he wasn’t. He knew his anger got the best of him, and often led to him taking it out on his younger brother. 

He didn’t want to do that anymore. He was no longer that angry child. 

“You’re a hero Evan.” Charlie beams hanging off Micheal like a little monkey. Her head is leaning against Michael’s shoulder, eyelids clicking every now and then. 

“Hell yeah.” 

“The way you just were stomping on those things! It was insane! Way to go!” Jeremy chirps mimicking Evan smashing and squashing the Lonely Freddy’s. He even adds sound effects much to everyone’s amusement. 

Evan just stares, he’s not used to this. Not used to the praise and the pure joy everyone had for something he had done. 

The large bear animatronic. glances at Michael, “I told you to be careful.” His tone is scolding, but he’s obviously not angry. Worried? Absolutely. 

The animatronic winces, and gives a low chuckle. “I know, I know…I didn’t expect…that.” 

“I don’t think anyone did! Those little things crawling through the window…” Jeremy shudders, shoving his hands into his jacket. He hated the experience all together. Was that how Stanley felt when he dealt with those little dolls? 

He was safe to say he did not like that one bit, and would be happy to avoid any hypotonic animatronics from this point forward. 

They definitely would have nightmares about it, those hands gripping the glass. All the silver eyes staring at them. The whispers and downward spiral into their eyes. 

How they couldn’t move, stuck in place. Trying to take their soul. Switching places to them and then taking them to their master. How horrible. 

“Now, how are we getting these things completely off the shelf?” Michael asks, crossing his arms, his tail swishing back and forth as he thought. 

Jeremy leans against Michael, grinning from ear to ear. “I think I might know how. Bad reviews. If we can get a recall on them…then it’ll stop production completely.” 

Michael blinks, “And how do we do that?” 

Lolbit beams, “I think I, can help you there.”  

That’s right, Lolbit had the ability to enter electronics. They could hack into the mainframe and perhaps send out a recall on the Lonely Freddy’s. 

“I’ll get my laptop.” Charlie slips through the group with ease and bouncing down the hall, her bells jingling as she does so. 

Good, they could get these things off the market and get rid of any other potential body swap moments. They would have to make sure that nothing like this ever happened again. 

Even if it meant completely destroying the factory that these things were made in. 

 

…

 

Evan stomps off, as Michael is hunched over the laptop, well it’s not Michael but Lolbit. Something about hacking the internet, or whatever that meant. Evan wasn’t too sure. 

He left that to them, wanting to travel around the house figuring out his new body. Sure he walked all the way to the warehouse by himself. He was absolutely thankful for the tracker embedded in Lefty. 

He knew exactly where Charlie and Michael would be at all times. So he just followed their location and was led straight there. 

Only to find his brother and his friends were in danger. 

And he saved them. Him. 

This small little boy who was nothing but a crybaby. A weakling. 

Lefty made him strong. With Lefty, he could do things. And he was grateful for the easy integration. Lefty easily allowed him to settle into their hull. 

Evan quietly steps into the hallway only to step into darkness. 

No longer attached to the large bear, he was himself. In this long stretch of darkness that seemed to go on forever. He knew what this was, it didn’t scare him like before. So he keeps walking. Until he sees a figure, standing in the distance.

“Well, well, well if it isn’t the traitor.”

Evan sees her, the bright yellow shirt and overalls. The dark eyes boring into his own. “Cassidy.” He whispers seeing her face. Her black eyes narrow and her lips are pulled into a large sneer. 

She isn’t happy. 

“Evan.” 

“Cassidy I-”

Cassidy gives a glare immediately shutting down anything Evan was going to say, his jaw clicking shut from her angry aura hitting him hard. She was mad, even more so than usual. 

“Save it. I don’t care. You know what happens next, what needs to be done.” 

“Cassidy, come with us…together we can stop this, and be free.” 

“Free?” Cassidy hissed, stepping forward. She was a bit taller than he was, the anger burning brighter than the sun. “ Free? No, I won’t be free until he gets what he deserves. I will make sure he rots in hell, burning forever, and ever.” 

Evan winces knowing she was talking about his dad, “That won’t make you feel better.” He knew she wanted to hurt him so bad, but all those killings, all the ones where they thought they caught him. It never satisfied her. 

It only made her angrier. 

“I don’t care.” She snaps, “I hate him! And I hate you!” 

She stomps her feet in a tantrum like manner, showing her true age. How young she was to meet her own demise. How angry she was, and rightfully so. The space around them shifts, this deep red threading around them, like a faint neon light shining through the hall. He knew all too well that this was her boiling point.

Thankfully Evan knew how to calm her down, or at least he would attempt to. 

“You don’t hate me. You’re just angry.” Evan whispers, “Please Cassidy, I don’t want you to be mad. I just want this to end, we all do. We have a plan, and I think we can stop this. Once and for all.” 

“If you didn’t want me to be mad, you shouldn’t have left. You left me Evan.” Her tone sounds hurt, even though she was the reason why he left. They fought over many things before, but his brother was a sore spot. He was just tired of her being so mean to him. And just the killing in general. He couldn’t do it anymore. 

“I’m sorry Cassidy…” Evan’s voice is soft, guilty, but he meant it. He never meant to hurt her. He had to get out, she wouldn’t let him be with his family. She thought they were just as bad. It was a horrible thought, and Evan wished she would just try to listen. 

“No you’re not! You Aftons never are! You just hurt people!” Tears start to fall down her face, splatting onto the floor and angry red markings spill like food coloring in a glass of water. Tendrilling out, like angry branches in the wind. 

He keeps his ground, quickly shaking his head, “That’s not true! I don’t want to hurt anyone else! Please Cassidy just listen to me!” He pleads black tears falling down his own face. “I don’t want you to hurt yourself for something stupid like this.” 

“He’ll pay, he’ll spend eternity feeling the same way I do. He’ll pay and you can’t stop me. No one can.” Cassidy’s voice is low, angry. Her fists balled tightly. He knew that stance. 

He knew it all too well. 

“If you change your mind…I’ll be here. We’ll be here .” Evan finally says, turning his heel slowly. “I just want you to be okay Cassidy. I don’t hate you.” 

Cassidy doesn’t say anything and Evan doesn’t turn his head, instead walks away. Sometimes it was best to just let the angry person simmer in their own anger. He didn’t wish for things to get heated, more so than usual. 

Sometimes their arguments hurt people, and Evan didn’t want that. 

“Yeah, keep walking, coward.” 

Evan pauses, not looking back. He takes a sad breath, “I’m not the coward, you are.” 

With that Evan is back in the hall, eyelids clicking loudly. He feels sad, sad for Cassidy and her anger. How blinding it was. Unable to keep her happy, unable to make her rest. 

She wanted to hurt, but it never healed her scars. Never brought her peace. 

He couldn’t do anything about it. She would come around, poking her head into their business. He knew it, but would she willingly join their team? No, he didn’t think so. 

She had a long way until she settled down for peace. 

Cassidy wanted to see his dad burn, and she would take him straight to hell and potentially burn herself in the process. 

“Evan?” 

Evan lifts his head in surprise seeing Michael touching his shoulder, thin fingers gently gripping the plastic. “You okay little man?” 

“Yeah, I’m okay.” Evan whispers and Michael just stares for a moment. He doesn’t look convinced, but Evan gives him a slightly pleading look. He didn't really want to explain what just happened. 

“You’re crying..” 

Evan sniffs quickly reaching up and swiping away the oily tears that come from his eye. “I always cry, M okay I promise..” 

Michael looks uncomfortable, as if he is debating on calling his brother out, but instead he just sighs. 

“Okay, don’t get too lost, okay? Lolbit just got access to the Fazbear site, sent a message to the manufacturer. Charlie’s looking into the site entirely just to see if anything else is shady.” Michael explains leaning against the wall, his arms crossed slightly. 

Evan’s eye travels to the floor, “He’s not going to stop is he?” He sniffles, trying not to openly sob from all that has happened in the past few hours. It was getting too much. 

Michael’s ears lower, “No, no I don’t think so. That’s why we have to do this. We have to stop him. So he doesn’t hurt anyone else, and he doesn’t hurt himself any more. We have to finish this.” 

“I’m with you Mike.” 

“I know kiddo, I know. We can do this, together.” 

 

… 

 

A day passes, Michael just about ordered Stanley and Jeremy to go home and rest. They both had been through the wringer with the Lonely Freddy’s. The hypnosis really wore them out. He didn’t want to imagine what the Lonely Freddy’s were telling them. 

So now it was just the four of them. Sitting at the table while Henry was on the phone pacing back and forth. He had called them all in there only for the phone to ring. It was important judging by the looks Henry made every now and then. 

“You think it’s what I think it is?” Charlie whispers to both of them and Michael nods. He could hear bits and pieces of the conversation after all. 

“Yeah, it’s definitely that. He wouldn’t be pacing if it wasn’t.” Michael’s nails tapped against the wood, making a clicking noise as Henry mumbled quietly to the phone. 

Then there’s a loud sigh from the older man, they all watch as he slinks to the table, just about falling into a chair. He pushes out a sigh, rubbing the bridge of his nose careful of his glasses. He looks tired, worn out and ready to just sleep the night away. 

“Well?” The anticipation was killing them. 

“We did it. We bought the place. It’s available in a couple days.” Henry finally says after they all waited impatiently. “It will take a couple days to get it how we need it to be. Especially the lower parts. But, that means we can have it disguised as just a normal pizzeria until it’s completely finished.” 

Charlie cheers, and Michael grins glancing at Evan who looks happy as well. It was always a sight to see Lefty with a smile instead of the stoic neutral face the bear had. “Great. Now we can start the plan.” 

“What…exactly is the plan?” Evan asks, knowing that he wasn’t there for much of the talk. The ‘adult talk’ as Charlie, and Michael called it. 

“We lure them in. Trap them in a maze they can not get out, and then…and only then we burn it. The source is William, if we capture him and all his little toys, then and only then can we beat this. We can stop it. By cutting at the root, we destroy the weed.” 

Evan feels a sudden chill at Henry’s voice. At how serious he is. How dead set he is to end it all. They all are. 

“But this is where it all ends. All of it.” Michael whispers, “Including us.” He knew this was where it had to end, they all knew. 

“We are going to be there, to make sure everything burns.” Charlie adds, her voice quiet. “I can’t have this happen again. I just can't.” 

Evan realizes what this is, what this all was leading up to. Their own burial. Their own grave. 

“I want to help.” 

Henry looks uncomfortable, but Michael gives a gentle nod. “Okay. We need all the help we can get Evan. If you’re okay with this. I don’t want to force you with anything. This is your decision.”

Evan shakes his head, “I know. I don’t want to be here anymore. I want to see mom. I want…I want to rest. We all deserve it.” 

“We do.” Henry whispers. 

Charlie looks to her father, “You don’t have to Dad. You don’t have to be there. Me and Mike can take care of this.” She didn’t want him to burn, unlike the rest of them, he was human. He would feel the fiery flames. He would burn, while they would just…no longer exist. Or, she hoped they would. 

She would have to speak to Evan about that, maybe make them a safe place so they didn’t have to hear the flames and the screams of Afton being an absolute coward. She knew he would try and crawl at them begging for mercy. 

There was no mercy now. He made this grave, and now he must burn in it. 

“No, no…I couldn’t bear having you leave, I need to make sure. I want to stare him in the eyes and tell him this is the end. This, is the final moment.” Henry’s tone is firm, and Charlie doesn’t argue. 

She knew he would be in agony if he was left alone, and with the remnant disappearing with Afton…he probably wouldn’t make it. 

All the remnant would be pulled from the source of it all. Like a weed being yanked up by its roots. They all would be released, and the terror would end. No more evil animatronics, no more dead souls. No more murders. 

This was it.

“I have to say, I look forward to the curtain call.” Lolbit grins from ear to ear, “It has been quite a show and I do hope the audience is ready..” 

Michael chooses not to comment, sitting back against his chair and takes a deep breath. He then places his hands on the table, slightly gripping the edge. 

“Then we are all in agreement.” Michael states, his purple eyes burning brightly. “There’s no turning back now. This is the final curtain. Our final bow.” 

They nod, “We build the pizzeria, and then…we burn it to the ground.” 

Notes:

There it is, here we go. Buckle up and get ready my friends we are in the final lap.

It’s been a pleasure and I can’t wait to show you what I have in store for this final act.

Fanart corner!

Exittotheheartescape:
https://at.tumblr.com/exittotheartscape/a-new-batch-of-drawings-based-on-inkspotties/mpypxyrqc0sl

Until Next Time my friends!

Chapter 53: And Now We Face the Final Curtain

Notes:

Woo! Here we are another chapter. This one is a little shorter than the last so forgive me. Things have been a little hectic lately.

But in better news I have an interview next week so wish me luck!

It was starting, he could feel it in his bones. This static electricity that buzzed deeply. Was it exciting? Or was it anticipation that things were coming to a close? That the final curtain was about to sweep across the stage. 

 After all, all the world’s a stage, and all the men and women are merely players. 

The only issue Michael had before him was telling his friends. Telling them the plan. Of what was to happen. The burial of fire. The end of all ends. 

He couldn’t tell them. 

He knew they wouldn’t allow it to happen. He had to keep it secret. Michael hated that he had to, so many secrets he had kept before and now he would have to keep another one. 

An important one. 

He was sorry. 

He was so sorry. 

But it had to be done. No one would stop him, no one could let him not finish this. 

His father and his creations would burn, and so would he. 

 

…

 

A gathering took place the next day. Everyone was just about bustling with the new plan, ready for what came next. It felt so chaotic, but in the best way possible. Everyone was busy, no one sitting down and waiting. 

They had to build the pizzeria, and what lay underneath. 

Stanley and Jeremy got the simplified version of it, Michael made sure that he was the one to tell them. He didn’t want anyone else to accidentally have it slip of what was going to happen. He told Henry and the others that they knew of the plan, but in fact they knew some of it. 

He couldn’t handle the argument that would be before him if he had told them what they really had planned. 

After all, Stanley had dealt with many close counters. Funtime Freddy, Yendo, Minireenas, the list could go on. Jeremy too dealt with the animatronics and he knew these ones in particular would not be friendly in the slightest. 

He could not let them get hurt, he refused to let them get hurt. 

“So, we are making a fake pizzeria?” Stanley asks while Michael brought them both into the kitchen where everyone else was. 

“No, it’ll be real. Completely real. It will be a disguise, we can’t have an empty place after all. It would cause major suspicion. It’s what lies underneath.” Henry gently points to the blueprint that is laid out on the table. 

“The underground. This maze of sound and smell that will keep what we lure trapped. Once we gather them all.” 

“We light it up like a candle.” Michael mutters looking at the underground. Once again going below the surface to deal with the unknown.

“Then it’ll be over? Everything will…be somewhat normal?” Jeremy asks quietly, his eye peering at the rest of the gang. “No more of this?” He gestures to the small circle they had. No doubt assuming that it meant that they wouldn’t have to deal with any more psychotic robots out to get them. 

“That’s the idea, that is what we hope, we believe if we cut it from the source…everything will be put to rest.” Charlie says as she is resting on the counter, her legs swinging a bit. It’s firmly what she believed, she hoped that everything would rest after he was dealt with. 

They all sit in silence, the spark of hope that finally this could be all over. That this one final act could finish everything. All the suffering so many had gone through, could finally be put to rest. 

“Then what are we waiting for? Let’s get this ball rolling.” Jeremy pumps his fist, his face completely pulled in a look of determination. 

Michael chuckles at Jeremy’s enthusiasm. It seemed nothing could drag Jeremy down. He didn’t want to ruin that spirit by mentioning that the fire would take all of them as well. 

Well, not Stanley and Jeremy. They were alive, breathing and now could live. If the remnant dissolved with his father, that would mean they could properly age. That they could live actual lives and not constantly be worried about outliving their loved ones. 

They didn’t deserve that fate. 

So Michael would make sure they got to live properly. If it meant finally…being put to rest then, he would do it. All these years of living in this shell, living under the circuitry and wires of Lolbit, the thought of finally leaving… 

It did scare him a bit, but he supposed that’s just how death was. It was scary. The idea of just being gone from other’s lives, it was intimidating, but he had to do it. 

He had to do it for Jeremy, Stanley and everyone else affected by his father. 

They deserved to live a normal life. He didn’t get that choice, but if there was an opportunity for him to give that to his friends, he would take it. They deserved it, they gave him a life that he never thought he would even get. Loving friends, ones that truly cared for him. He felt like himself around them, never having to hide his true self from them. 

Michael felt guilty for lying to them, but it was what had to be done. For them. 

He snaps back into reality when Stanley leans over pointing to the blueprint. “Do we have this built yet?” 

Henry shakes his head, “Not yet. The plot is only bought after all. It definitely will take sometime, but it will be worth it.” 

Stanley nods, “I have an uncle who is really big in the construction scene. If you need him, he probably could do this for you. He’s a no question asked kind of guy, and he owes me a favor anyways.” 

Michael raised his brow and Stanley grins, “I babysat his kids for a whole month, so he definitely owes me.” 

Henry looks a bit relieved, “Good, that would be perfect. I have multiple blueprints here so if anything we can send them to your uncle and see if he is willing to back this project. Money isn’t an issue, considering Fazbear Entertainment continues to send me checks for loyalties. And no doubt to keep my mouth shut about the company.” 

Michael snorts, finding that to be absolutely ridiculous. He was fine with Henry getting money, but keeping him quiet? Just what else was Fazbear Entertainment hiding? The fact that his father had wormed his way into that company yet again was worrying. 

But once they were able to gather the true Afton and deal with him, he was sure they didn’t have to answer to that slimeball ever again. 

“So underground maze and then pizzeria on top?” 

Michael nods, “Yeah, it’s the perfect disguise. Since my father is drawn to children for their remnant, what better trap than a pizzeria? It’s a familiar place and, I know he’ll take the bait. He can’t resist it.” 

“Like with those children's laughter buttons…” Stanley muttered with a shiver. Right Stanley encountered his decaying father, and even punched him. Why they even had that button in the first place was beyond. 

“Exactly. I have this special frequency that will gather animatronics with certain signatures. It worked on Michael so it will work on the others.” 

“Which ones are you trying to lure?” Jeremy asks Henry, his eye focused on the man and the giant fox standing beside him. He looks a little uneasy at the idea of these things shambling around and walking towards the pizzeria.

“All. Every single one Afton had a hand in. The Funtimes, the little experiments…everything and anything Afton built or corrupted.” Charlie is the one to answer, her arms crossed. 

“If we gather them all, it’ll be easier to get rid of them.” Evan whispered, “They are hurting and we need to ease their pain.” 

Michael nods, he just hoped that it would work. And maybe, just maybe he would see Elizabeth. Get her the help she needed. Make things right. 

He had to try. 

“Will it happen in the daytime?” Stanley asks, rubbing his chin slightly as he looked at the blueprints once more. 

“No, it will be at night.” Henry doesn’t elaborate and Michael is thankful. In reality it would be at night and Michael would apprehend them and drag them into the labyrinth. At least, that was the plan after all. 

Michael sighs, “The only issue we have is getting actual people to work the dayshift.” He muttered, glancing at the blueprints.

“Yes, that will be tricky, but I’m sure if we put enough posters up and maybe share things online, we might find some people.” 

Jeremy quietly listens as they all talk about the potential of having strangers work at this fake pizzeria, and he is hit with an idea. 

He decides to keep his mouth quiet, knowing they already had enough on their plate. He could do this and then surprise them, it would be perfect. 

Jeremy already knew the perfect crew. He quietly steps away, phone in hand with a slight smirk. 

 

…

 

A few days pass and everyone is hard at work. The plan they had made so long ago was now finally coming to fruition. Finally they were getting somewhere, and Michael could feel the determination burning within everyone. 

Everyone was gathering their abilities to make sure that this didn’t fail. That there were no holes in this plan. No escape. 

Evan had told him he was still trying to contact Cassidy, though if Michael was completely honest he had a feeling that Cassidy would show up on her own. She had a way of appearing on the most inopportune moment. 

He just hoped that she could get on board and they could finally finish this. She didn’t have to be angry anymore, she could finally rest. Just like the rest of them. 

That’s all he wanted for them all. For the kids, for his family. 

He wanted them to just rest. 

Himself included. 

Michael gently knocks on Henry’s workshop, seeing Evan stomp by with Charlie trailing behind him, no doubt printing flyers to promote the opening of this pizzeria. They all were working so hard, Michael was so proud of them. 

“Come in!” Henry shouts from the door and Michael gently opens the door. He peers inside seeing everything was just about finished. Most of the animatronics were in storage, he could see Rockstar Freddy finally done in the corner. He looked absolutely amazing. 

Henry is going back and forth from his toolbox and his desk with Helpy holding a wrench and other tools no doubt for Henry to grab. 

“Hey little guy you helping?” Michael asks with a proud grin and Helpy gives a happy string of notes gesturing to the tools in his hands. 

“Good job.” He beams to his little animatronic watching Henry work. 

Michael leans a bit looking over Henry’s shoulder, “Whatcha making this time?” He asks a bit curious. 

Henry hums, twisting the screwdriver a bit into a little device that Michael couldn’t quite see. “Remember that little plan we had? For the nightshift?” 

“Right, making sure they stay in the labyrinth? I figured it would come up. You know I’m going to make sure no one else has this job.” 

Henry sighs, nodding. “I know, so I thought we could have a little trick up our sleeve. Perhaps William still believes that he’s won, that his plan to take over Lolbit’s body worked.” 

Michael raised a brow, “I’m listening...” 

Henry lifts himself away from the workspace, showing a small little device in his hand. It looks like a button, but it’s a little bear face with purple and orange cheeks. “This, is a disguise disc. A sort of reverse illusion disc. Instead of creating an illusion for humans, it does it for animatronics.” 

Michael gently takes the button looking it over, “So…you want me to disguise myself, so they don’t know I am…me?” 

“Imagine, we make a broadcast for these animatronics that promise a gift, a gift of their wildest dreams. And a stranger is the one to do the procedure and bring them down to the labyrinth.” 

Michael connects the dots, “They’ll be more willing, thinking that they’re tricking me by letting them in.” 

Henry snaps his fingers, “Exactly!” 

Michael looks impressed, “That…that’s genius Henry. Because then they won’t know that I’m Michael and try to do something stupid and I can get the final word out!” 

They both look excited, it was the perfect plan. 

“So how does this work? What do I do with it?” 

Henry gently takes the little device and smiles, “It’s quite simple. Much like the illusion disc you had before…it just attaches right here…” 

Henry gets on his tiptoes to attach the device. It slips right on top of the middle of the bowtie. It clicks easily, and Michael looks down unable to properly see it. 

“There. So now all you have to do is just click it like so…” 

Henry pushes the button, and the familiar static crawls up his system. It’s the same feeling when your foot falls asleep and you’re trying to get it to wake up. 

“Now for me, you will look the same…but for someone else…” 

Henry goes to the door of the workplace and opens the door, “Charlie! Can I get your help with something?” 

“Wish we had a mirror in here.” Michael says blinking rapidly at the sound of his voice. “Woah, that’s different.” 

Henry turns his head, “What?” 

“My voice, it’s different.” He was so used to how he sounded now, the accent gone, replaced with some odd american accent. It was definitely jarring to say the least. 

“Well, it is going to make everything change so no one can recognize you. We’ll put it to the test with Charlie, since she is..” 

“An animatronic?” Michael supplies, and Henry nods. 

They can hear the bells jingling as Charlie gets closer, “What’s up dad?” She crawls through the door, halting immediately when seeing Michael. Michael doesn’t move, instead just waiting for her response. 

There’s a bit of awkward silence, and then Charlie gives out a small screech, grabbing a wrench that was on the wall and rushing towards Michael. 

“Charlie! Woah! No it’s me!“ He shouts, holding his hands over his head, preparing for Charlie to get a good whack at him. Henry rushes to his daughter, scooping her up and yanking her away from Michael. 

“Who are you?! What are you doing here!” She shouts, swinging the wrench back and forth. She is just about in a frenzy and it’s taking all of Henry’s strength to keep his daughter from attacking Michael. 

“The button Mike! Push the button!” 

Michael scrambles for the little button on his bowtie and clicks it, the static disappears and the animatronic fox is back instead of the stranger Charlie had seen. 

Charlie pauses from her attack, the wrench sliding from her hand onto the floor. Henry’s grip loosens and Charlie just stands there a bit confused. 

“Mike? Okay what the heck is going on?” 

Henry puffs out a breath, adjusting his glasses. “Well, I think the disguise worked.” 

“Yeah you’re telling me!” 

Charlie puts her hands on her hips, “Want to tell me what’s going on?” 

“It’s for the nightshift, to prevent them from seeing who I am. So we can get the upper hand. Because I know as soon as they see me, it’ll go downhill. If they believe that this is just Henry’s work…they might lower their guard and think they have the advantage.” 

Charlie listens quietly, “That…that’s pretty smart.” 

Henry beams, and Michael leans against the table. “We pretend that I’m just some worker that stumbled across the job. Make it look like I’m just following instructions…then we get the jump on them.” 

“Are you okay with doing it? You could be hurt.” Charlie seems worried and Michael shakes his head. 

“I don’t care, and I have to do it. I don’t want anyone else dealing with these things. I have the most experience with them after all.” 

It was the truth, he’s been through multiple nights dealing with haunted animatronics, and terrible creations. He was experienced with it. 

“Plus I won’t be alone. I’ll have Helpy.” He gestures to the little bear who was sitting on the work table and the little thing waves happily. 

“Helpy.” She doesn’t look convinced, seeing Helpy puff his little chest out as if to show he was ready to kick butt. 

“Helpy is amazing, don't you discredit him.” Michael says with a huff. “And Lolbit will be here to stop any shenanigans anyways.” 

“I’ll keep him safe.” Lolbit agrees. They could easily use the intermission if needed. It would blow their cover, but it would be for his safety. He doubted these animatronics would play nice. 

It just meant he would have to play on the same level. 

“Okay, but I still don’t like it.” Charlie muttered, “I know I can’t convince you out of it.” 

Michael grins from ear to ear, “You’re damn right. Let me do this. This is the one thing I know how to do. I’ll get them all settled in, and then we can deliver the final blow together.” 

Henry nods, “I’ll keep working on the nightshift procedure. Thankfully production is going well, the animatronics are getting ready and soon we’ll open.” 

Charlie hums, “You know we all are going to need uniforms and everything.” 

“I already have an idea, I made some sketches earlier.” Michael says, as he begins to pick up things that Henry had left around the workshop. The man often was in a frenzy when it came to working. Sometimes he would be caught up in his work and leave things in places then completely forget where they were. So Michael figured he might as well tidy up while Henry was already beginning to work on yet another project. 

That man never stopped nowadays. 

“You’ve been busy.” Charlie muses her arms crossed. 

The fox animatronic chuckles, “We gotta make it believable right?”

“Of course! 

…

It was done, the building finished, the maze complete. The stage was set, and now the actors must fill the stage. The light will brighten and thus begins the final act. They just needed the players. 

The pizzeria was large, it was covered with neon lights, bright posters and the familiar faces of the franchise. But this time, they were rockstars. All here, even Foxy. Michael made sure of it. They all had their parts, and soon would be wheeled into the place to brighten it up. 

“Oh it looks fantastic!” Charlie squeals gripping Henry and Michael’s shoulder, excitement radiating off her like beams of light. She was the most excited to see the final product, she helped design the place after all. 

All of them did. It was their final masterpiece, each having their own help in this. 

This was their magnum opus. 

“Doesn’t it look great, doesn’t it Mikey?” Charlie just about shakes his shoulders, the man still staring at the pizzeria. 

“Huh? Oh, yeah it's fantastic.” He breathes as Henry begins to set things up outside. He still couldn’t believe that it was done. It seemed like it took decades to get to this part, he supposed it did. 

“It’s absolutely fabulous. A true stage for the finale.” Lolbit chirps getting Henry to chuckle. 

“In two days time, it’ll open and we will begin the plan.” Henry says as he gently smooths out a flier on the glass. “Did you see these Mike? The artist did a great job with your concept art.” 

Michael beams, “Yeah! He did an amazing job, we’ll have to thank him. Stein was it?” 

“I believe so, I might invite him and his children after all. As a thank you.” Henry says with a hum looking up at it. “Now if it weren't for the circumstances…I would be very happy for this..” 

Charlie gently wraps her arms around her father, placing her head against his shoulder, “You can be happy dad, it’s beautiful.” 

Michael nods, placing a hand on his other shoulder, “Yeah, you did a great job. We did a good job, and we’ll do an even better job by finishing right, on our terms.”

They both nod, and Henry sighs, “You’re right.” His eyes glanced at the sign. Lolbit was able to pull some strings and get Fazbear Entertainment to agree to this location. It was easy to even get such an agreement. They seemed to just be as money hungry as ever, which was good. They would take advantage of that greed. 

It meant as long as they made money, Fazbear would leave them alone, and lawsuits weren’t coming at them. The last thing he wanted was some letter that they were getting sued. 

“Now we just need people to fill it, staff and customers.” Michael muttered with a shake of his head. 

“I can help with that!” 

Michael whips his head around in surprise seeing Jeremy and Stan behind him. “W-wha- hey guys how did you..” 

“You needed staff members right?” Jeremy asks, rolling on the balls of his ankles, his face beaming with an unknown excitement.

“I think, I have you covered.” Jeremy and Stan step away and Michael is greeted with faces. Familiar faces. 

Before him was Alec, Delilah, and Millie. 

“When do we start?” Alec asks with a wide grin, showing off his braces his hands in his pockets. 

Notes:

The gangs all here! Exciting! They’re all apart of the dayshift. I have major plans for this arc, I’m very excited.

Well until next time!

Chapter 54: Preparing the Stage

Notes:

Here it is! New chapter yay!

I changed the schedule of the chapters, it’ll be every Friday from this moment on. Lot of things going on in my life, and I’m hoping (fingers absolutely crossed) I’ll be getting a job soon.

But I hope you enjoy!

Michael was shocked, his mouth hung wide open in pure surprise. He was absolutely flabbergasted on how this was happening. He didn’t expect to see them here. 

Let alone Jeremy being the one to gather them all here.

Well Jeremy wasn’t exactly an idiot, he was pretty smart. Despite his sunny outlook on things, he did prove himself often to be useful, even if his ideas were a bit unorthodox. 

“How did…wait…” Michael feels like he’s tripping over his own words, trying to connect the dots. 

Jeremy grinned from ear to ear, rolling on the balls of his heels. “You said you needed help, so…I made some calls.” He says it so nonchalantly, as if this was no big deal. 

But it certainly was. 

“How did you even…” 

“What? You don’t think I would check in and make sure things were okay? Come on Mike, someone had to keep an eye on the ones we helped!” Jeremy puts a hand on his hips, his face a little disappointed that Michael was in such a shock with this. 

Michael couldn’t process what was happening. His face is a bit sheepish, feeling bad that he had such a surprise from all that.He just stands there for a moment, getting Alec to chuckle, showing off his braces a bit. 

“Jeremy told us you needed a crew, and so…here we all are. Figured why not get one that have..some experience with the strange and unusual.” It’s a good sight to see Alec in his actual body, he seems healthy and well much to Michael’s relief. 

“I didn’t know others even experienced what I did.” Millie says with a small tilt of her head, “I always thought I was alone, and then Jeremy called me to check up on me.” 

Mille looks different from the girl they had saved. She’s grown up, with a loose bun that’s decorated with little skull pins. Her attire is the same, gothic and completely black with a little splash of red here and there. 

“You…checked up on them?” Michael asks, “I…”

“You were busy! Plus I figured it would be my job, checking in and then if anything strange would happen I’d let the gang know!” Jeremy waves his hand as if it’s nothing. 

But it wasn’t. He went out of his way to make sure these people were okay, and Michael didn’t even think about it. He didn’t even bother to check in on them. 

How careless he was.

That is why you have Jeremy, darling. 

Lolbit was right, he had been so busy with everything he didn’t think of such a thing. He would have to thank Jeremy for that. 

“Well, how is this going to work?” Alec asks with a hand in his pocket. “You’re lucky school’s out!” 

Michael blinks looking at Henry who seems to be relieved that he doesn’t have to interview any random strangers to take up this job. “It’ll be just like a job at a pizza place. Taking care of customers, making pizza. Watching animatronics, and having fun.” 

“So a normal job.” Millie monotones getting the others to nod. 

“Essentially yes.” 

The normalcy would be only for the dayshift. The nightshift however…

That was another story. 

It’s a job that only Michael would take. And a job that only he was allowed to have. Michael refused to let anyone else deal with what was to come. 

Michael refused to let anyone help him. With how dangerous things were before…it would be best if he did it. Alone. The less casualties the better. 

“You all will be paid, do not worry about that. I won’t say there won’t be any risks, it comes with the name after all.” Henry rubs the back of his neck, “I won’t blame you if you back out now.” 

“Nah.”

“You’ve helped us, it’s time we help you.” 

“I’m in.” 

All three of them agree, and Stanley steps next to them with Jeremy. 

“You got your dayshift crew.” Stanley grins with a cross of his arms. “There’s no turning back now.” 

“You guys…this is so great!” Charlie beams with a bright smile. She shakes Michael’s arm, just about yanking him back and forth. She seems more excited than ever. 

Michael huffs, “Welcome aboard. Luckily, we have the uniforms, just got them today.” He had just got the box and had it in the car thinking it would be good to place them in the little employees only room they had. 

Henry gestures for all of them to step inside, opening the double doors. The jingle rings through the place and they all crowd around stepping inside the pizzeria. 

The place is covered head to toe like a normal pizzeria. Black and white checkered tile, a giant stage placed in the middle with purple and orange stars splattered around the stage. 

Posters cover the walls, all in the design of the new rockstars. 

It was gorgeous, much better than the older versions. No longer smelling or looked like mold was crawling on the walls. The place wasn’t slick with grease or rot. 

It was pristine, and there wouldn’t be any accidents here. 

“Look at it all!” Charlie grins as she moves to look at the box that is placed behind the front desk. Her present box. The security puppet as Henry would jokingly call her. 

Michael grins as Lolbit just about squeals when there’s a corner just dedicated to Lolbit. It was a roller rink, all for Lolbit. Kids could skate, and listen to Lolbit’s jokes and have fun. 

Laugh like the way they were supposed to. Not be shoved in some corner left hiding in their brethren’s shadows. 

It was all theirs. 

This is ..

All yours Lolbit. All yours. 

He could practically feel Lolbit just about to cry, if the robot could even cry. 

“This place is huge!” Jeremy remarks startling Michael. “I didn’t think it would be this big! Roller rink…laser tag…the stage!” 

Well it had to hold something underneath. Wouldn’t make sense to have this large labyrinth below after all, so they had to improvise. 

“Can you believe it? Me! In charge of the laser tag.” Charlie squeals as Jeremy looks around even more. She would be making sure the kids were safe and had fun, and that no one cheated. 

“You’ll do amazing,” Michael grins, “I don’t know why Henry made a roller rink for Lolbit…I’m terrible at skating..” 

His voice is low so the others don’t hear him. He rather not reveal to everyone that he was actually a robot. He didn’t need to tell them, considering that wouldn’t be here for very much longer. 

“You’ll be okay.” Charlie pats him with a slight look as if to say ‘suck it up buttercup’. 

Lolbit gives a thrum, Mikey dearie, what if I took over for you for the dayshift? Let you rest and have you ready up for the nighttime? 

Michael ponders with that, it…might be ideal, considering the fact that he wasn’t good with children, and he was terrible with skates. 

Don’t worry I won’t embarrass you, you won’t have to burn your brain by coming up with puns! I’ll be good with the children, and you can handle the nighttime. 

“Yeah, that…actually sounds good.” Michael says it outloud getting Jeremy and Charlie to look at him. 

He blinks and looks over, “Lolbit is suggested to be working the dayshift. So I don’t struggle…with everything.” He gestures not really wanting to show that he was uncomfortable with being around the children and the potential of him accidentally hurting them. 

He trusted Lolbit. 

He knew they wouldn’t cause any harm. They cared for children and wanted to keep them safe. 

They would do a great job. 

“That’s a great idea! They’ll do amazing.” Jeremy says with a happy nod, “I can’t wait to help DJ with you!” 

Lolbit sends a warm wave, whispering that they were proud of the both of them. They both have gotten so far. From being an animatronic that was decommissioned for being too macabre with their jokes, to being an animatronic that puts their life on the line for others, children especially. 

They have grown so much. 

“Alright! Let’s go and get this all set up! The place opens in a couple days, we got to set the animatronics up.” Henry’s voice breaks his concentration, pulling him back to the pizzeria. 

They all gathered in the middle of the place, and Michael went to the box grabbing uniforms for each of them. 

The uniform looked close to a classic movie theater usher attire, with stars all over the uniform. Yellow and blue were the colors, and with a hint of red with the tie. 

Michael would have to get name tags ready for each one of them. 

He passes them all a uniform with a smirk growing on his face. 

“Welcome to Freddy Fazbear’s crew.”

 

… 

 

Getting the animatronics to the pizzeria was simple. After all, they were all ready for the stage, and it was easy to bring them into Stanley’s van. 

Henry was doing his finishing touches on them, making sure they were ready for the big day. It was closing in on them soon, and everything had to be perfect. 

The Rockstars. 

They looked amazing. 

“See Mike? Foxy is on stage.” Henry grins as Michael places the final box in from the van. Stanley was off in the laser tag with Charlie making sure all the lights worked. Jeremy was..somewhere. He didn’t know where the blond went if he was honest. 

“He is. As he should be.” Michael grins seeing Foxy next to Chica and Bonnie. He had a cute little bird and had the accordion instead of the drums. 

“A part of the gang.” 

Michael nods, happy to see his animatronic on the stage. No longer hiding behind a curtain, in the back, in the shadows. 

No, he was front and center with the rest of the gang. 

As he should be. 

Why he felt proud of that, Michael didn’t know. Maybe because he often felt close to Foxy, feeling like Foxy and him were one in the same. 

Though he supposed that was closer to the truth now more than ever, since he was in the body of a Foxy spin-off. 

He knew he was going to get some flack from Lolbit, getting an eye roll from the animatronic. He knew Lolbit didn’t like to be grouped with Foxy, wishing to be their own separate being. 

Michael didn’t blame them. 

“Hoo kay! Freddy is all set up. Mind pushing the button?” Henry gestures to the control unit they had for the animatronics, so they all could work under one main unit. 

Made it easier that way he supposed.

He picks up the controller and presses the button, watching the lights of the eyes turn on and the animatronics jump to life. 

“Hey there kids! It’s Freddy Fazbear!” 

“I'm Chica the Chicken!” 

“Yarrr! Foxy the pirate is on stage!” 

“And I’m Bonnie the Bunny!” 

They all pose before shouting “Let’s Rock!”, the lights turning on and moving about making it look pretty cool. My how technology had improved, even with these being the cheapest versions that Henry could ever make. 

It wouldn’t be smart of Henry to make such elaborate animatronics when they were going to burn with the pizzeria at the end of all this. Henry steps off the stage as they go into performance mode, swinging their arms and singing along. He looks at his handiwork, a proud grin on his face. 

“They look awesome.” Michael breathes standing back and watching them sing and dance along. Their movements were not as jerky as the ones Michael was used to, instead they smoothly moved around. They looked so good. 

Michael looks to Henry, seeing the old man’s eyes glittering, absolutely proud of his work. Happy to be able to put his animatronics on display. 

Even though this all would be burned to the ground….

Michael wouldn’t mention that to Henry. 

Henry deserved to have his moment. 

“Guys! Guys!” 

The celebration is cut short when Jeremy’s voice breaks through the room. Michael turns around to see Jeremy placing something on the table. He’s expecting the man to be dragging something that had broke but instead it was something that caught his attention. 

It was covered in a black cloth, and Michael looked a bit confused. The hell was this? 

“What? What is it?” Michael steps closer trying to peek under the cloth, only to get Jeremy to slap his hand. 

Michael gives a look, and Jeremy just grins. “My very own…animatronic crew!” 

Henry’s brows raise in surprise, “Oh?!” He looks intrigued while Michael looks unimpressed, staring at Jeremy with a sort of ‘really’ look. 

Both of them wait as Jeremy begins to replicate a drum roll with his hands, slapping the table. 

“Presenting…my animatronics!” Jeremy pulls the cloth away, showing… 

“They’re…trash.” Michael states seeing the assembly before him. It looked like a bucket with a face drawn on it, a trash can attached with a balloon, a vacuum cleaner, a pan with a broomstick, and a crate with googly eyes. 

Jeremy gasps, “They're not trash!! This is Bucket Bob, Mr. Can-Do, Mr. Hugs, Pan Stan, and….No.1 Crate!” He gestures to each of them and Michael just stares. 

What…

“I almost named this one Tiny Crate Cramblin but it seemed a biiit too wordy.” Jeremy says, his voice is filled with pride. 

“I love them.” Charlie says surprising Henry and Michael as she weaves her way to pick up the metal crate, or No. 1 Crate, holding it tightly. “They are absolutely adorable!” 

Michael couldn’t tell if she was joking around or being absolutely serious. He could never tell with her. 

“Adorable?” Michael looks completely unamused by it all, until he sees Jeremy’s eyes on him. His lip quivering just a little. 

This gets him to stiffen, scratching his cheek glancing away from Jeremy not wanting to see that face. 

“Y..yeah adorable.” He coughs, giving a straight up lie to the man. It was so hard, not wishing to see Jeremy’s puppy dog face. He always felt so bad when crushing Jeremy’s ideas or dreams. 

Pushover hehe Lolbit snickers, rolling around the mindspace laughing their butt off. 

Michael rolled his eyes at Lolbit, shaking his head. “Jeremy…” 

“Please…we could put them in the roller rink! Lolbit what do you think?” Jeremy has his hands on Michael, his blue eye glittering. “Pretty pleaaase?” 

Lolbit grins widely, pushing Michael out of the chair so they could take over, “Oh darling! I would love to have these adorable little things in my show.” They giggle loudly. 

Why are you doing this to me…

Lolbit snickers inwardly, and Jeremy looks like he was just told that he won a hundred bucks. He seemed so proud of this…Trash and the Gang he created. He gives a little fist bump, getting ready to gather them and bring them into the roller rink. 

Michael didn’t want to ruin his sunshine but they were…something else to say the least. 

“Looks like you have a business in animatronics.” Henry laughs, getting Stanely to follow suit. 

“Watch out Henry, you might have someone taking your job.” Stanley teases, but Jeremy is completely oblivious to it. 

“Maybe so!” Jeremy chirps, holding the No. 1 Crate in his hands, like it’s his child or something. 

Michael just stares at them all, “This is ridiculous..” 

“Ridiculously awesome!” 

“…sure.”

 

….

 

The pizzeria was empty, all waiting for the beginning of the end. The animatronics on stage, the room set, the maze ready. 

Once the doors opened, there was no turning back. 

Henry quietly stared at the screens before him, all showing camera footage of the underground. Showing the constant metal walls, eagerly waiting for the prisoners to make their way down to the depths below. 

While there was nothing to stare at, Henry’s mind was going a mile a minute. Tomorrow would be the opening, were they ready? Could they really do this? Would it even work?  

His heart was sorrowful. He wished this could be different. He wished he could have a happy moment of bringing back his dream. What he could give to have this all erased and start all over. 

To rewrite time, and try to fix things. 

But he knew that couldn’t happen, for going back in time to fix your mistakes only meant new mistakes could be created in their place. 

Henry’s thoughts drift back to the day the first diner was open. The smiles and laughs they had, the pure joy that they shared. How their future shines brighter than gold. 

The dreams they shared. When did it all go wrong, when did the rot begin to spread and decay their lives? 

When did the apple gather worms and fester? 

How blind he was. How he was unable to see the corruption of his dear friend. How it lead all to this. 

To this destruction. 

To this pain, to this sorrow. 

He couldn’t rest now, not when he knew that he was out there. Causing terror and loss. 

So many children gone, so many parents losing their treasure. 

He lost so much. And he knew others did too. 

Henry grips the back of the chair, staring off into the distance. Was this the way? Was this truly how it had to be done? 

He supposed there was no way. The last resort. It was all they had left. 

How he longed to rest, to finally allow his heart to no longer suffer over the thick guilt that was placed open himself. 

He did this. This was his fault. Had he been more observant. More understanding of his friend, not blinded by his own dreams. 

The stars in his eyes kept him from seeing the truth of it all. 

And so many suffered from it. 

Henry sighs, feeling his lungs ache with anxiety. He was so worried, so concerned that this wasn’t going to work. But it had to. They had to stop him and this was the only way. 

“Dad?” 

Henry nearly jumps out of his skin, whipping over to see Charlie in her animatronic form. 

She is leaning against the doorway, her porcelain face looking concerned. She is hesitant to step in, as if she was interrupting something and didn’t want to be rude.

“Charlie, sorry I was just closing up…” Henry quietly presses a couple buttons, the cameras shutting off for the time being. 

She gently steps into the room. 

“This is where it opens?” She asks, pointing to the hatch next to the console. It was a simple trap door, and if you opened it, it would lead to the underground maze. 

“Yes. This is where I’ll be when they are all here. Michael will be lower. And then the safe room is further down. We’ll all meet down there.” 

Charlie stares at the trap door, the room silent for a moment, “We can do this.” Her voice is determined, quiet. Henry knows her fury is silent, ready to strike at the man who did this all. Though he would hardly call Afton a man anymore. 

No, he was a monster. A monster who needed to be stopped . 

Henry looks over at his daughter, seeing her face. “I’m sorry Charlie.” 

“This again dad?” She turns, her voice echoing through the animatronic. “It’s okay.” 

“It’s not. You weren’t meant to have this life. You weren’t meant to take care of children and deal with such things…I…” 

“No, stop. You can’t keep beating yourself up for this.” 

Henry swallows, “I’m a terrible father.” 

This gets Charlie to grab her dad’s arm, pulling him to face her completely. Her dark eyes now glowing a bright green. “No! Don’t you ever say that. You are a great dad, what happened to me was not your fault. Please dad…” 

Henry dips his head, “I was supposed to protect you, that was my job. And I couldn’t…I couldn’t do that. I couldn’t protect any of you.” 

Charlie gently squeezes Henry’s hands, her face sorrowful. “Dad…please. We are going to finish this. You’re not alone anymore. You have me, Evan…all of us. It’s not just you and Mike.” 

“I just worry it won’t be enough.” 

“It will be. We will make sure of it. We can’t leave if it isn’t. That’s how the remnant works.” 

Henry feels his heart sting at the thought of all this being for nothing. “I don’t want you to suffer further.” 

“I’m not. I’m ready to leave dad, and…I know we can finish this. Together. We all are ready to take Afton down. Willing to finally end this all.” 

Charlie gently wraps her arms around her father, pulling him into a hug. “You’ll get to rest too. Take away that guilt you hold so tightly to. It wasn’t your fault. You couldn’t control him, and it wasn’t your obligation to do so.” 

Henry leans into Charlie’s embrace, “You’ve grown so much…” 

She nestled into his shoulder, pressing her cold face onto his chest. 

“We got this dad. We can finish this fight. Don’t worry. Mike has this. We have this.” 

Henry sighs, gripping his daughter as if she would melt away in his hands. So afraid that he would lose her again, that she would disappear and he would be left with a gaping hole in his heart. 

He lost so much. They all did. 

Charlie gently rubs her father’s back, knowing that he was suffering. That he was shouldering so much pain and guilt. All these years trying to fix what was broken. He never had time to heal all the wounds inflicted on him. 

She pulls away, gently wiping her father’s tears. “Let’s go, Mike’s waiting for us. Tomorrow is a big day after all.” 

Tomorrow marked the beginning of the end. The opening of the pizzeria. 

They already had many people wanting to host parties and enjoy the new animatronics. Unaware to what truly was going to happen. That deep below the surface a true evil would be lurking and hunting. 

“How does the signal work?” 

“Once the day ends, Mike will turn on the signal, and the signal will lure anything that has the special remnant signature we have gathered from the different sources.” Henry explains with a soft sigh, “The signal essentially describes a gift that will be one if they traveled to this location.” 

Charlie nods, gently guiding Henry out of the room. “So they’ll think they are receiving something, like a kid or?” 

Henry shrugs, “Much like the illusion disc, it’s whatever the user hears.” 

That made sense, it had to be alluring enough to get them to come after all. 

“They will be tested, to make sure things are working correctly, and then they will be placed into the labyrinth. The testing is a part of the illusion, making it seem like I am getting this worker to check for certain things.” 

“Oh, was that the recordings you were doing?” 

Henry nods, “Yes, since Michael knows what to expect we didn’t want to immediately put them in the labyrinth. So once that is done Michael will then deposit them into the maze and continue to watch them until we have gathered them all.” 

“We are basically waiting for Afton to make an appearance…” 

“Yes. That is the one we are truly waiting for. Once he is captured…we all gather into the safe room and the place will burn on my command.” 

Charlie looks determined. “It will work. I know it will.” 

Henry takes his glasses off, wiping his eyes a bit. “I hope so. God I hope so…” 

“I know so.” She squeezes her father’s hand. “It’ll be over soon. We can finally rest dad.”

“One can only hope.” 

They head out of the pizzeria, Henry quietly locking the place up. 

“Ready for tomorrow?” Michael asks, leaning against the car. 

“Yes. Let us get some rest for the big day.” Henry glances back at the pizzeria one final time before he gets into the car, ready for what is to come. 

There was no turning back now. 

Notes:

And there it is, the first night will be next! Y’all don’t know how much I am ready for this!

Until Next Time!

Chapter 55: We Are Opened for Business

Notes:

New chapter!!

Good news everyone, I got the job! I just need to get something’s done for the job and I’ll be working soon. I’m just ready to get working again, hate sitting around makes my brain go nuts.

Anyways, thank you all for the lovely support! Hope you like the chapter. The first night will be composed into one chapter, but after this the day shift and night shift will be separate!

“You ready?” Michael asks as Henry holds the keys in hand, ready to open the pizzeria to the public. Henry glances at his godson, seeing them all waiting expectantly. 

Their uniforms were clean, and their smiles wide. 

“It’s not like it’s some sort of clothing store, it’s just a pizzeria..” Alec muttered getting Millie to elbow him right in his side. 

“Shut up, it’s a big day for them.” She says with a narrowed look, Alec replying with sticking his tongue out and rolling his eyes. 

Looks like they were getting along swimmingly. Michael just hoped there wouldn’t be some crazy arguement between them all. 

Thankfully the team clicked pretty well. 

They did after all get it all done in less than a couple days. 

It was crazy with how many people already reserved birthday parties and other activities when they were barely open today. They were booked the whole week. 

Henry takes a deep breath, feeling Charlie and Michael’s hand on his shoulder’s Evan staring behind them with a small thumbs up.

“Okay, I’m ready. It’s time.” He says gathering all the courage he has to open the doors and let the public in. 

With that, he turns the lock and opens the door. 

Freddy Fazbear’s was open for business. 

 

… 

 

The place was bustling, which was surprising. Very surprising to Michael. He expected it to be a ghost town and had to agonizingly wait for the day to end so he could prepare for the nightshift. 

But there were children and families and everyone was happy in this place. It was filled with happy laughs, joyous sounds, and a few shouts every now and then. 

It was surreal. Michael was so happy. He could see Henry was too. 

The man was hunched over as they sat on the bench backstage. He was working on attaching something to Lolbit’s body, something they could pop on and off. 

“Okay, so we just attach these here like so…” Henry quietly clicked an attachment to LolBit’s feet watching the fox’s tail swish back and forth in excitement. They were so excited. 

“Oh these are wonderful my dear Henry!” Lolbit grins while Michael pulls away, letting the animatronic take control. The attachments were sparkly rollerblades, covered in stars with the classic purple and orange colors. They marvel with their new skates, just about bursting from enjoyment. 

Henry grins standing up and holding his hands out so Lolbit could take them. “Thank you, I figured it wouldn’t be Lolbit’s rollerama without you being unable to..well rollerskate. They should keep you upright and not cause you to topple.” 

Lolbit takes Henry’s hand standing to their full height and they don’t wobble, they’re as still as a statue. Lolbit was made for these skates. Almost like Henry knew what he was doing. 

“You’re definitely better than Mike, when he rollerskated..he looked like a spider on wheels.” Henry chuckles, getting a small withering look from Michael before Lolbit switches in. 

“Oh this is going to be so much fun! Thank you, thank you!” They reach down and pick Henry up, swinging him in a mighty hug. They laugh loudly, the sound glitching a bit as they do so. 

Henry wheezes from the sudden lift, patting the plastic back of Lolbit with a small chuckle. “Anytime Lolbit.” He says a bit awkwardly. 

Lolbit placed Henry down with a grin still wide on their face, stepping forward a bit. 

They look behind the curtain seeing Jeremy playing with the kids, rolling around despite having only one eye. He was doing amazing. 

“Do you think they’ll like me, Henry?” Lolbit asks, stepping back with their hands clenching a bit surprisingly nervous. It wasn’t like them to be reserved. 

Henry glanced up to the fox, a gentle hand on the taller animatronics back. “They’ll love you Lolbit. Every bit of you. This is your time to shine. Show them what you’re made for. I believe in you.” His words were absolutely genuine, and encouraging. He knew that the children would adore Lolbit. 

Lolbit looks to Henry, and Michael gives a thrum of his own encouragement. If anyone had this, it was Lolbit. 

They were made to make children smile, now free from the Afton programming, they could do so. “You are your own animatronic. Not Afton anymore. You can do this. The children will love him.” 

He smiles gently opening the curtain. 

“Get on out there. Your audience is waiting.” Henry encourages giving Lolbit a light push. He sees Jeremy catching their eye and gestures for Jeremy to do the introduction. 

Jeremy immediately grins from ear to ear skating to the little stage. “Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls! Introducing our loveable funny fox…Rockstar Lolbit!” 

“Go on, you got this!” Henry grins as the spotlight shines on Lolbit. 

Lolbit skates forward into the light, their eyes blinking a bit before they hear the squeals of children. Many hands reached to the sky in the delight of the funny looking fox. 

They’re cheering for you, Lolbit. Look at them all. 

“For me..” Lolbit whispers, their eyes glowing brighter and their smile growing even wider. They gather their courage, their love to put on a show and decide it’s time. 

It’s showtime! 

“Hello my little rockstars!” Lolbit shouts skating towards the sea of children that were just about squealing in delight. “Are you ready to have some fun?” 

They place a hand over their ear hearing the shouts, “Oh no no, that simply won’t do! I said…are you ready to have some fun?!” 

The crowd goes wild and Lolbit laughs brightly, doing a little twirl across the rink. “Good! Let’s have some fun! Jeremy sweetheart! Let’s play some music!” 

Jeremy gives a thumbs up and immediately the music starts to play. The kids and even parents start to roll across the rink, Lolbit coming around to help the children who were having trouble with balance. 

Soon they had a gaggle of little ones holding onto their tail as they skated around the rink. 

“How are you doing this?” One teenager asked as he rolled up to Lolbit. 

“Why my friend! I'm just wheely good!” Lolbit guffaws after giving a wink, getting the teenager to just look at them with absolute confusion. 

“Do try to keep up!” Lolbit says as a little girl grabs their hand, getting the fox to pause looking down at the child. 

“Hi.” 

The little girl is staring at them with big ol’ eyes and Lolbit can’t help but feel surprised that they were so approachable. No one ever wanted to get close to them when they had their old body. They were too scary. 

Now…this child was holding their hand. And not fleeing. Their mechanical heart swelled, feeling at home in this new place. 

“Hello there!” Lolbit says crouching down a bit getting all the children still on their tail to giggle and move closer. 

They see the large number of children and they are struck with an idea. They grin widely, gesturing for them all to come forward. 

“Oh what fun, we have enough to play FazGoo!” Lolbit makes their hands move a bit creepily, “How does that sound?” 

“FazGoo?” One asks and Lolbit nods. They have a little smirk on their face, crouching down low so their at the same height as the children all huddled near them. 

They clear their throat, smiling wolfishly. 

“It’s a simple game, I’ll be the terrible fazgoo, an icky creature that will attach to any surface. If I catch you, you become a part of the goo, all having to hold hands, and the last person to get caught wins! Does that sound fun?!” 

The children all nod with wide eyes, “Fazgoo! Fazgoo!” 

You just made that up didn’t you? 

Oh please Mikey, like we would bring such a substance into this story! 

Michael doesn’t comment, instead settling back to the deeper part of their psyche to get some rest so he was ready for the night, letting Lolbit have fun with the kids. 

Glad he didn't have to deal with them period. 

Lolbit had this, they were having fun. They deserved moments like this. 

Michael was glad, happy even, for Lolbit. 

Let them have fun. 

It wouldn’t be long until they all were burning in a fire, and he would rather Lolbit have their moments of fun.

 

… 

 

Henry was watching them all. Seeing all the children around, making sure no one messes with the animatronics. Well they were completely child proof but it didn’t mean there wasn't a potential accident waiting to happen. 

You could prepare for everything, and yet one thing could cause a catalyst. 

So Henry was keeping a sharp eye on everyone. He wasn’t going to let anything happen, he made that mistake. It wouldn’t happen again. 

He was essentially the manager anyways so he had to make sure everyone was doing alright. 

He checked up on Lolbit and Jeremy, they were doing just fine. Lolbit took to the job like a duck to water. He was glad Michael decided to let the animatronic be the one for the dayshift. He would have been so exhausted for the nightshift had he worn the illusion disc all day. 

It would have taken a toll. So because of this switch Michael got to rest, and Lolbit was able to have fun. 

Charlie was enjoying the laser tag area, being able to attach herself to the top of the ceiling and observe everyone from there. She freaked a couple kids out with her agile body, but it was all for safety, and her shenanigans. Pure mischief was her goal after all. 

Stanley and Delilah were working hard in the kitchen, making the pizzas and fixing the workings. Surprisingly no one really sat down for the pizza. It was almost like they wanted to be here for the experience alone. 

Not caring for the cheap pizza, but for the animatronics and the games, the liveliness of the pizzeria itself. 

Millie and Alec served the guests, cleaning up after the children and having them be seated when needed. This was Alec’s first job so he was a little more prickly than Millie was, so Henry had him work in the birthday area and just pass out cake. He could do that, right? 

Henry watched the scene before him, feeling an ache in his heart. It was just like old times, he almost imagined William standing behind him, saying something that was absolutely absurd before slinking off to get into the suits. 

If only things didn’t go the way they did. 

Maybe Charlie and Michael would have taken over the business, Elizabeth and Evan actually growing up to be the people they were meant to be. Eventually retiring and seeing his children, his family grow while he settled down. 

But that was just a dream. A dream that scattered like dust in the wind. 

“Excuse me?” 

Henry blinks out of his gaze, glancing to see a woman. “Oh, excuse me, is there something you need?” He asks, putting on his best customer service voice and smile. 

The woman had brown hair, all tied up in a bun. She looked a little disgruntled. She had her hands on her hips, no doubt trying to get his attention but he had been staring off into space like a fool. 

 

“Yes, actually…do you happen to know when the 3 o’clock performance is? I want my son to be able to see it.” 

Perhaps he was not the fool in this situation. 

Henry looks at her, almost as if didn’t understand what the question was. “I’m sorry? Did you ask when the 3 o’clock performance is?”  He almost put his finger in his ear thinking that maybe he needed them to clean them out. 

“Yes, did you not hear me correctly?” She is a bit perturbed by his questions. She crossed her arms, tapping her foot waiting for his answer. 

Henry just stares, had Mike been here he was certain he would call her an idiot. But he knew that would cause more trouble than what it is worth. So he just smiles sweetly. 

“It’ll start exactly at 3 pm Ma’am. So in about…” He glances at his watch, “Fifteen minutes or so?” 

The woman smiles, “Good, thank you.” And with that she turns and leaves. Muttering something but Henry doesn’t even bother to listen to what she had to say. 

Henry puffs out a breath, glad that it didn’t escalate. He knew there would be moments like this. Any job you would find the worst of people. Food service, retail… 

All paths lead to someone being treated like robots, instead of human beings. Back at the dinner he had his fair share of irate customers. He had a multitude of angry parents, kids that didn’t listen, breaking of animatronics..you name it. 

So Henry would call himself a veteran in customer service, he knows the ups and downs. 

However, some were not that experienced in this field compared to Henry. Henry lifts his head to hear shouting coming from the party room. He makes his way to the area seeing Alec staring down a woman who looked very very angry. 

That could not be good. Alec looked like he was about to explode with anger. If Henry knew anything about Mike and how alike he was to Alec, he would have to get in there, and get in there fast. 

“Listen lady, this isn’t a charity. You can’t just-”

“Excuse me! That is no way to talk to a customer!” 

Uh oh. 

Henry rushed towards the conflict, holding his hand out to stop the fight. “What seems to be the problem?” The last thing he wanted was for Alec to just launch himself onto this lady and start beating her up. 

He didn’t need a lawsuit on his hand on the first day of opening. 

The blond lady looks at him with a narrowed sneer, “It is my son’s birthday, and this young man over here will not give me the package we deserve!” 

Henry looks confused, “I am sorry, package? I do not follow…” 

“It is his birthday, therefore we should get a discount on the items. I know Fazbear used to accommodate their customers. You know, the birthday special.”

Alec looks like he's about to slap the woman for asking such a question. Ah, Henry knew exactly what she was trying to do. 

“I am sorry ma’am but I can’t give you things for free. If you want he can have front row seats to the performance that is going to start soon, but-” 

“That is unacceptable!” She just about screeches, and at this point the boy looks very uncomfortable with his mother shouting her lungs out. “It is my son’s BIRTHDAY, he deserves a discount!” 

Henry opens his mouth to answer, but is quickly interrupted by a snarl from the woman. “I want to speak to your manager.” 

Alec gives a devilish smirk, glancing up to Henry. 

Henry gives a sigh, “Ma’am, I am the manager, in fact I am the owner. I am sorry but we can't just give out discounts, if you’re unhappy with it you’re more than welcome to leave.” 

The woman is red in the face, breathing heavily. She looks as if she’s about to claw Henry’s eyes out for not giving her son a free cake, it’s obvious that this is just some ruse to get free items and Henry would not stand for it. 

“Ma’am if you continue to make a scene…I may have to escort you out of the building..” 

“This is by far the worse customer experience I have ever-”

She looks up above Henry’s head and pales, getting Henry to look behind him. Evan is standing there with one reddish blue eye staring at the lady. “Evan,” Henry exclaims with a smile, “Ma’am this is Evan, and he would be happy to escort you and your son to the exit, or to the stage to watch the performance.” 

“The..the stage is fine.” She stammers, holding her son’s hand. The boy looks up with wide eyes, more interested in the animatronic than the mother. 

“Perfect!” He says with a smile, stepping away so they can follow Evan to the stage. “Thank you and enjoy the show.” 

Evan stomps away leading the way, a small nod to Henry and Alec before he’s gone. Alec turns to Henry with a cross of his arms. “Ugh…can’t believe that lady. Yelled at me for a good couple minutes, I told her so many times that we couldn’t do that.”

Henry gives a simple pat to Alec’s shoulder, “It’s alright. You’ll deal with customers like that from time to time. Just send them to me and I’ll take care of it.” 

Alec grumbles, “Shouldn’t happen in the first place. What a freaking Karen.” 

“You’ll learn to get used to it unfortunately.” Henry says guiding Alec out of the party room to get him to do some other task. 

Note to self, do not have Alec interacting with guests. 

 

…

The day was chaotic to say the least. Nothing dangerous happened, but it was certainly a day. The place was busy, and it was filled with people until they were closed. There was not a moment of still, everyone working hard. 

Soon the guests filtered out, and they were left cleaning everything up readying for the next day. 

Lolbit was tired and happily switched places, leaving Michael ready for the nightshift to begin. He was quietly making a list as Henry rambled on about what they needed. 

“We need more paper cups and plates, more flyers for the place, it seems people keep taking them off the walls. I guess for memorabilia…” Henry muttered, rubbing his chin. “And some more menus as well.” 

“Got it, anything else?” 

Henry glances around, “Mmmm the signal, remember it will turn on as soon as lock up. Once you leave, turn it off. We don’t want it to be on during opening hours.” 

Michael nods, “Alright I can do that.” 

There’s a small moment and then Henry places a hand on Michael’s shoulder. “Be safe Mike.” 

Michael smiles, “I will. Nothing ever happens on the first night, remember?” 

Henry doesn’t look convinced, but Charlie is shouting for him. “Evan will be here with you. He’ll make sure you wont get into any trouble.”

Right Evan and himself would stay behind, it seemed redundant to constantly move back and forth, they would have a little moments of rest before the doors would open. 

“I know he won’t be able to go down with you since it’s a little of a tight squeeze…but he’ll be here in support.” Henry assures him, Michael just hums. 

“Go home Henry, I got this. Helpy’s gonna help out right-” 

He turns over to see Helpy jumping into the ball pit, only to slam face first into the floor with a loud crack. “Helpy! Geez, you need to watch what you’re doing!” He rushes towards the little bear, gently dusting him off and checking to make sure he doesn’t have any injuries. 

Helpy gives a warbled tune, gripping his head. 

“Careful that might be a hazard. Don’t want to be sued now do we?” 

“Absolutely not.” 

Michael confirms that there’s nothing wrong with his little bot, and looks to Henry. “Okay, now you can leave. We got this.” Helpy waves to Henry who quietly waves back.

“If anything happens, and I mean anything you call me. Okay?” 

“I will. I promise.” Michael says sincerely. “Go home and rest.” 

Henry stands there for a moment, as if he doesn’t want to leave. That he’s worried for Michael’s safety, and he understands. He knew what dangers lie ahead. 

He was willing to risk his life to make sure that this never happens again. He had to stop his father, he had to make sure he was destroyed. 

They all knew what had to be done. 

“Good night Mike.” 

“Night Henry.” 

Henry leaves the pizzeria, the lights are down low, the animatronics shut off. It was the first night, the start of it all. 

Michael travels across the pizzeria, checking to make sure there wasn’t any issue. He peered into the roller rink, the laser tag area and finally headed into the security office. 

He pauses seeing Evan quietly sitting in the birthday room, his giant form looking a bit comical. “Hey kiddo, you staying with me?” 

Evan glanced up, giving a bit of a smile. “Yeah. I’m going to patrol the place and keep an eye out while you’re down there.” 

“Right…it’s a bit crowded going down the ladder. I think Henry has another place of entry for the disposal so if you want to check up on me you can go down there.” 

Evan nods, glancing up at Michael. “Do you think he’ll come?” 

“We won’t take this place down until he does.” Michael says firmly. “We’ll finish this. Okay?” 

“Okay.”

Helpy gives a happy chirp, settling on his shoulder waving to Evan. 

Michael gently places a hand on Evan’s head, shaking it a bit, getting the boy to swat him away. “Go you butthead.” Evan whines as Michael snickers, stepping out of the room. 

“Hoo kay…” Michael whispers, placing the bear button over his bow tie tapping it quietly. He can hear the faint whirring of the mechanism, much like the illusion disc he used to have before it was built inside him. 

He sees the reflection in the mirror, this man wearing a teddy bear mask, with the uniform of the pizzeria. He didn’t recognize himself. 

“Clever Henry.” Michael muttered, gently opening the hatch and steps down into the labyrinth. 

It was a small little office in the middle of the maze, holding a desk with a vent above it. Below would be where he would step down as the flames would get higher. 

The others would have another way to get in, so this was his little place. 

“It’s like a coffin.” He muttered placing Helpy on the desk, watching him climb up the computer. 

He smirked, watching the little guy. “Leave it to Henry to get me the oldest computer known to man.” 

Helpy chirps a happy tune swinging his legs. 

“I know, why have a nice computer when it’s going to burn up..” 

He turns the thing on, seeing the different tasks he had to do. 

“Welp, here we go. Let’s order some stuff and get things going.” 

Michael sighs, tapping his fingers against the keyboard. With how old the computer is it would take a bit to get done with each task. 

He glanced over, seeing the two openings for each side. He noticed that there was a button to shut the vents, thank goodness Henry was somewhat looking out for him. 

The maze had quite the layout and buttons to lure whatever animatronic was in the maze. He would just have to deal with it for a couple nights until William made his nasty way into the labyrinth. 

Then they could burn this place to the ground. 

“Thankfully we don’t have to do the first process yet since there wasn’t anything in the back.” Henry and him had checked before they had exited the building. 

Helpy chirped and Michael nodded. “Hopefully, I don’t want to do this for so long. I just want this to be over. I want to rest. I…I know I’ll miss everyone, but it’s for the best.” 

He looks at Helpy, his eyes soft. “Helpy, while we are here…I have a job for you, for when this is all done.” 

Helpy tilts his head expectantly. 

“Here’s what I need you to do…” 

 

….

 

6 AM couldn’t come any quicker. He did all his tasks for the night, made sure everything was set up and ready for tomorrow. 

He checked the back alley, nothing this time around. But he knew eventually they would come. It would only be a matter of time. 

“Nothing?” Evan asks, peering over, and Michael shakes his head, turning off his disc. 

“Nothing. But we have tomorrow. Eventually we’ll get them. I just know it.” He shuts the back door and looks to Evan. 

“Alright, let’s get some rest before Henry comes back to open the place up.” 

“Okay.” 

END OF NIGHT ONE

 

Notes:

Nothings happened….yet.

Everyone knows that the first night nothing ever happens right?

Get ready, you luckily have a chapter to prepare before the nightshift really heats up hah.

Fanart time!!

Stumphtown:

https://at.tumblr.com/stumphtown/laughing-at-tragedy-doodles-2-traditional-art/9onhznqu89zl

Tskyeart:

https://at.tumblr.com/tskyeart/ive-been-enjoying-reading-inkspotties-laughing/w8ih9eb20t1e

Thank you all for the lovely comments, and hope you have a great weekend!

Until next time!

Chapter 56: Another day, Another Dollar

Notes:

Here’s the newest chapter for yall! It’s a bit shorter, but I wanted to separate the dayshift from the nightshift. Just so it’s not super bloated and long.

So you’ll have a moment of rest between the night shifts lol

Also I got my new job! I’ll be working at a school, very exciting. Unfortunately I have to go through a lot of stuff before I actually can start working but hey! I have a job now!!

“Nothing happened?” 

“Nothing.” 

Henry looked annoyed, disappointed even as he paced around the party room, Charlie, Evan and Michael sitting down while they did their ‘family’ meeting before everyone else arrived. Evan is sitting politely on a chair while Charlie is sitting criss crossed on the table. 

“Henry, nothing usually happens the first night.” Michael says with a hand on his hip. “I know we need them to arrive, but it would be a bit worrying if something happened on the first night…” 

“It’s for you to prepare for what is to come.” Charlie says as if it’s a matter of fact,  with a glance to Michael giving a little look. 

Michael just rolls his eyes, “Yeah like harassing the security guards is a great idea.” He leans against the table, careful of his tail. 

Charlie just shrugs, no doubt really having an argument for that. She had caused a lot of chaos with the old pizzeria. Her and the toys, and the kids did a lot. 

Jeremy was one of the victims after all. 

“I just hope the signal is working.” Henry whispers, chewing on a hangnail in his nervousness. He was just worried. Oh so worried. It was understandable considering the fact that everything relied on this signal. 

“It’s working Henry, we just have to wait.” Michael feels bad that Henry was freaking out, but they had to just deal with the fact that this was completely out of their hands. They couldn’t do anything about this. 

Charlie chuckled, “Michael Afton telling my dad to be patient, you really have grown up.” 

Michael gives a narrowed look, “I’m just saying, we can’t expect things to just magically work on the first day. It’s okay. We planned to keep this place open as long as we could. We just have to stay away from getting sued and lawsuits. Keep everything up to code, make sure everything is working.” He was determined, and he wanted to try and make sure Henry wasn’t too stressed out. 

The man had enough on his plate as it is. 

Henry sighs, “I know, I know.” Henry rubs the back of his neck taking in a deep sigh. 

“You’re just nervous Uncle Henry. It’ll be okay.” Evan speaks up, the voice echoing out of the large bear standing in the corner. 

“Also, maybe it would be best if we call me Lefty. Just in case. Michael goes by Lolbit and Charlie goes by the puppet so…” 

Henry glances at him, right he had called him Evan when speaking to the woman. Henry winces, “Ah yes, sorry Evan.” 

“It’s okay. It’s just in case.” Evan’s voice isn’t mad, and he was right. Who knows what could happen if someone knew about them, about their true nature. He really didn’t want to reveal that he had children trapped in animatronics to the public if he was honest. 

“Better safe than sorry.” Charlie agrees, getting a nod from Michael. 

“It’ll be like codenames!” Evan says a bit excitedly. It was a game they used to play when they were young, pretending to be spies and hiding from the evil Mr. Bunny. 

Seems fitting now. 

“Yes, codenames. Perfect.” Henry smiles, he looks a little less worried now. With them, things felt better. His godchildren and child were there to support him. He couldn’t imagine doing this by himself. 

Michael moves to stand stretching a bit. “Alright. Today is another day. We got this. Everyone is on the lookout for anything suspicious as usual, and just…” 

“Have fun!” Lolbit chirps getting the three to smile at Michael. 

“That too.” 

Charlie follows Michael draping her long arms around his shoulder. “We got this. No need to worry.” 

 

…

 

The second day was just as busy as the first, Jeremy watched with nostalgia as the kids ran about, parents chasing them and the music booming. It was nice, to just watch it all. He enjoyed people watching, seeing all the different types of people travel in and out of places. 

He had forgotten how fun it was, how much he missed the laughter and the excitement. 

He remembers when he was rehired, unable to do much since he was still in recovery. He supposed he had to thank the remnant in his veins for making things better. He always thought it was weird how quick he recovered. 

How easily he got back to normal. 

Jeremy just assumed it was his personality of just going with the flow. But he supposed it was the remnant mending things while he tried to go back ‘normal’. 

Normal. 

That was certainly not a word he would use for his life, or himself personally. 

The bite changed his life, in more ways than one. The bite brought him to Michael, to Stanley… 

He wouldn’t change it, even if the pain had been immense. The recovery was annoying, and the after effects even worse. 

His scar would still ache from time to time, and his depth perception was pretty terrible.  But despite all that he would continue to push forward. Continue to help and be the light some needed. 

He wouldn’t let his injuries get the best of him, even if he had days where it felt horrible. He wouldn’t deny that he had his moments. Moments his friends would never see, for they already had dealt with so much. 

Jeremy pushes those thoughts away, as he takes his skates off, ready to go on his break. 

He enters the employees only room, seeing that Millie was on her phone, blowing a very large bubble. 

“Sup.” She says as the pink bubble pops loudly, “You on break too?” 

“Yup!” He says with a pop to the ‘p’. “How are you doing?” 

“Ugh please, your sunshine is making me sick.” She muttered with a roll of her eyes. “M fine. This isn’t my first retail job.” She talks animatedly with her hands, which is a comfort since Jeremy did the same. 

“I bet this is a bit different.” Jeremy says, taking a seat across from her. Millie places her phone down, her face covered in piercings and black makeup. It looked nice, suited her even. 

Jeremy wasn’t a fan of blacks and reds, but they worked well with Millie. Even with the uniform she still somehow brought the gothic look. 

“A little bit, but…I think after all that's happened, this is somewhat normal.” She taps her long nails on the table. Her green eyes are dark, as she goes back to memories that weren’t pleasant. 

“Nothing’s normal with Freddy Fazbear’s.” He mutters with a sad smile on her face. 

She snorts at that, shaking her head. “Right.” 

Jeremy looks at her, feeling bad. She had her own experiences with things. “Still have those nightmares?” 

“Not as much.” She says quickly, “I try to stay away from the bears though…they..yeah.” 

Jeremy nods, “I get that…the foxes were the issue for me. I used to have little panic attacks for them. But I think Michael can relate…he doesn’t like Freddy that much.” Now he understood why. 

It was because of what happened to Evan. He didn’t know the full details, just that something tragic happened and it led to Evan’s death. 

Millie looks at him, “Really? Never would have thought…” Michael was still a mystery for her, this dark figure who sat in the back staring off into the distance every now and then. He didn’t show up during the dayshift. 

She wondered why. 

“Why haven’t we seen him around? I know he’s like Mr. Emily’s godson right?” 

Jeremy rolls his shoulders, “He stays around the nighttime! Fixes everything up and cleans the place, makes sure everything is working properly.” Jeremy did not blame him for wanting to be a part of the night shift, considering he didn’t do well around children and people in general. 

Millie nods, “Lucky…” 

Jeremy can’t help but chuckle, “No, trust me you don’t want to be a night guard here.”

All three of them had multiple bad experiences being the nightguard at Freddy Fazbear’s. None of them had a good experience with being a nightguard. 

“Right…” 

Jeremy leans his hand on his chin, glancing her way. “So, speaking of Michael..” 

Millie raises a brow, “What about him?” 

“Do you still…” 

Millie stared at him, there’s quiet before she laughs. “Jeremy, you won’t have any competition for Mike.” 

This makes Jeremy lean back, his eye wide. “Wuh? What do you mean?” He can feel his ears go hot at the statement. 

This time Millie is the one who is grinning from ear to ear, “Oh come on, I’m not stupid. I see those sparks..” 

“S-sparks?” Jeremy stammers, his face heating up. “I don’t…I don’t know what you’re talking about.” 

Millie just laughs, looking at her phone. “Well my break is up. And don’t worry your secret's safe with me.” 

“So you don’t like Mike?” Jeremy asks, as she stands up, putting her name tag on once more. 

Millie just stares down at him, “Jer, I’m a lesbian.” She says blatantly, and Jeremy blinks rapidly. This gets Millie to shake her head and clap his shoulder before walking out leaving Jeremy very confused. 

“Oh.” He says feeling his face heat up even more. He’s left alone staring off at the distance.

Well…he certainly was an idiot wasn’t he?

 

…

 

The party room was filled with children, Henry watching with Evan by his side. He made sure to travel between the rooms and check in on all the guests. Evan was traveling behind him, stomping about like a bouncer does, making sure no one misbehaved. 

It was funny to see the boy in such a large animatronic, the smallest and less outspoken one now being attached to the strongest and largest of the animatronics. 

Lefty was a powerhouse and could easily pick a grown up and haul them over his shoulder. The timid Evan made it comical with their sheer size, acutely aware of the damages he could do now that he was in Lefty. 

Henry stops when seeing a familiar face, both of them catching each other’s eyes. “Hello there.” Henry says with a smile, getting a grin from the other. 

It was a man around his age, with grey hair and kind green eyes. He wore a mint green button up with black slacks, a watch on his left hand. “Henry.” The man says with a slight chuckle. “Thanks for inviting us, the kids were just about thrilled when I told them.”

“But of course Mr. Stein! Your art really helped bring life to this place.” 

Mr. Stein rubs the back of his neck, a smile still wide on his face. “Ah thank you, though I just did what I could, you did send really good concept art.” 

Henry beams, “My godson is quite the artist, but you really made them pop.” 

“It was my pleasure.” He dips his head quietly, he glances to see a couple children running about. One is just about dragging a smaller blond boy who is holding a blue bunny all around the place giggling happily. “Oh, those are my boys, Hank and Harrison.” 

Henry glances their way, seeing how much fun they were having. It reminded him of his own, back when the pizzeria first came to be. How Michael, Charlie, Evan and Elizabeth would play, running around while William and him worked. 

It was nostalgic. 

“I am glad they are enjoying themselves, you are always welcomed to bring them here.” Henry tells him. 

“You’re too kind, I appreciate it. It’s a nice little escape from it all.” 

“I suppose so.” 

Henry wished it was a different circumstance, wished that he didn’t have to do all this. This place was just a front to the real horrors, bringing in evil to finally stop it all. Burning it all to the ground. For the sake of this town, for the children, and for himself. It had to be done. 

“Well, it was good seeing you, Henry. Gosh it’s a bit weird saying my own name, I won’t keep you from your work.” Mr. Stein shakes his hand, going back to his children. 

“Of course, you have a fun time.” 

 

…

 

“Hey! Give that back!” 

Evan lifts his head hearing a child shout from not too far from where he was, Henry didn’t seem to hear it too busy making a list for tonight. 

This obviously was a job for Evan since no one else seemed to hear the noise. 

He stomps away, Henry barely giving a glance. Following the noise he sees a bunch of kids forming a circle around a little boy, throwing an object back and forth keeping it away from the little boy. 

“Come on grab it tiny!” One mocks with a snicker. 

“Leave him alone!” 

Evan sees another boy being held back by two large boys.

Bullies. 

These two were the kids of Henry Stein. He recognized them from a while ago. Where was Mr. Stein?

“Come on you big baby, try to grab it.” 

“Yeah don’t you want your stupid little bunny?” 

Evan feels the rage boiling within, his own memories hitting him hard. The bullies with the masks surrounding him, calling him names. His brother being the ringleader of them all.

Your brother is such a crybaby. 

How weak he was, unable to fight back. 

But now he could. 

With Lefty’s body he could stop these bullies. Not hurt them, but scare them if anything.

So he stomps in, the large black bear making itself known. 

“What the- What’s this stupid bear doing here?!” 

“Stop.” 

Evan’s voice echoes through the machine, firm and strong. He is not wavering like he would. He was tired of bullies. Tired of people being mean, if he had the ability to stop them, he would. 

“What are you going to do about it?” 

Evan just stares stepping forward, reaching to grab the bunny toy from one of the boys hands. “That is enough.” 

“H-hey!” 

The bear stares at the group of kids, eye glowing menacingly. He just stands firm, not saying a thing. He didn’t need to, he knew he was scary. Words sometimes did not work, especially with teenagers, but the scary bear that was far much taller than they were…

It would definitely leave an impact. 

He makes himself twitch, as if malfunctioning, his eye flickering from red and blue staring at the boys. He opens his mouth, allowing a bit of himself to be seen, eyes appearing in the black void of the mouth. 

This causes the teeangers to scream, shaking in fear. 

“Okay okay! We’ll stop please!!” The leader cries, hunching over in fright. 

“Go.” He warns the teenagers, and they scramble about. “Bullying is not okay. Do not do it again.” 

They don't say anything, but they do make a run for it. 

The little boy that had been held back rushes to their brother, Evan watching him make sure that his little brother was okay. 

“Thank you.” The brown haired boy whispers, stepping in front of the younger one no doubt just in case this large bear was going to do something. 

Instead Evan holds out the bunny in his hand for the little one to take. Gently the freckled blond child reaches for it, and takes the soft plush. Wide blue eyes mumbling a thank you.

“Let’s go find dad, thank you!!” The older says, rushing past Lefty with the little boy in hand. Evan watches the blond turn around and give a little wave before following their brother out to find their father. 

Evan just stands there, a bit of pride bubbling within him. He felt good to stop the bullies from doing any harm. He did not want anyone to experience what he did. No more bullies when he was around. Evan would not allow it. 

Not any more. 

“Ev-err…Lefty?” 

He lifts his head seeing Henry, “You doing alright?”

“Yeah, I am okay.” He says making his way out of the room to start patrolling once more. 

 

…

“Alright folks, second day done. We’ve done well. I am so proud of you all.” 

Everyone beams as Henry speaks. “We all had some moments, but I think we’ve held together. It only gets up from here.” 

“Couldn’t have done it without ya Mister Emily,” Jeremy chirps, getting the rest to shout in agreement. 

Henry waves his hand, smiling softly. “You’re too kind. We work well as a team, and I hope we can continue doing well.”

He glances at them all, his heart aching softly these kids…

They were absolutely amazing. Willing to waste their summer on this. Henry couldn’t ask for a better crew. 

“Well, that’s all for tonight..you all drive safe and get some rest.” 

“See ya Henry.” 

“Bye Mr. Stein!” 

Henry waves quietly to them all leaving the pizzeria, Lolbit finally coming  out once the place was cleared. 

“Ready Mike?” 

Michael glanced up, a smile on his face. “Yeah, I am always ready. It’s all set up, I was just about to check outside.” 

Henry nods, putting his jacket on, Charlie waiting by the door. “Alright, have a good night. Be careful.” 

“Will do.” 

Henry gives Michael a tight hug, whispering words of comfort to the boy before he heads out with Charlie in tow. 

Michael sighs, locking the doors tightly. He notices the rain pattering against the window. It certainly was going to be a night. He can hear Evan stomping around no doubt patrolling the area. 

He places the illusion button on once more, activating as he goes to check the outside. 

Thundering echoes the dark hallways, his feet clanking against the tile. He was hoping to see nothing, but also he needed to have something outside. He didn’t want this all for nothing. 

So he opens the door, hearing the heavy rain splattering against the wet sidewalk. He peers outside looking down the small stairs and he sees it. 

This thing is leaning against the brick wall of the outside, wires and metal flashing when the lightning hits. 

Something was out there. 

When he steps down he sees it, recognizing it immediately despite the wear and tear. 

The frayed red plastic now split into strips, like they were hair. A metal crown was attached to their head. 

Michael takes an imaginary breath, his body standing still for a moment. 

It’s her. 

It’s…Circus Baby. 

 

END OF DAY TWO  

 

Notes:

Uh oh.

That’s right we are shaking up the order babey. Scrap Baby is on the scene and boy do I have things planned for yall~

Also I couldn’t resist putting some of my friends ocs into this so hehe

Hope you guys have a great weekend and until next time!

Chapter 57: Powered Down, Are You Feeling Nervous?

Notes:

I’m back! Goodness I know this one is late. First I had thanksgiving and it was the first thanksgiving without my mom so I just wanted to relax and be with my family…

Only to immediately get sick with the flu and had to deal with being sick for a whole week. My brain was just about mush so I couldn’t write a single thing…

But it’s here! Thank you for being patient! I love you all and let’s get this ball rolling!

The sound of rain is rushing in his ears. The echoing of droplets hitting metal and stone. He just stands there, as if in a dream. 

She was here. 

Laying against the wall, like a discarded doll. Her body decayed, scrapped. 

Parts stained with black, the plastic hair so frayed that it now in strips, like someone had shredded the plastic with a cheese grater. 

He steps, one, two, three... 

The puddles on the concrete splashing, standing before the limp thing in front of him. 

She was here. 

Elizabeth. Circus Baby. 

I don’t recognize you. 

Her voice echoes in his head. 

You won’t die. 

He crouched down, seeing her chest was open, but it looked like someone tried to repair her. Or tried too. Parts were sticking out, these little odd circles poking out of her decaying hull. Wires and pipes lined her insides, as if Ennard itself had dragged themselves into the carcass of the late Circus Baby. 

We voted her off the island. 

Michael goes back to the day he had returned to the rental station. He distinctly remembers that Circus Baby had been missing, along with Funtime Freddy. 

Somehow, someway, she had crawled back from Ennard and settled inside her old body. He wondered what she did all this time, where she had gone. What she expected to find here. 

His heart would be racing if he had one right now. 

Michael’s hand hovers over his sister, or what he assumed was left of his sister’s, body. The rain pelted his metal skin, hitting hers with heavy tinks. 

He swallows seeing the claw, this large claw that no doubt was from the inside of her stomach, part of it twisted and made into her hand. The other half…looked like bits of the scooper. The one that had killed him. 

The one that started this all for him. Brought him to Lolbit, to Henry. 

He feels his chest ache, feeling the burn across his chest, as the cold metal slammed against his chest. He shakes his head, closing his eyes for a moment. 

No. 

He had to keep moving, he had to keep doing his job. You got this Michael. 

“Let’s get you out of the rain, shall we?” He whispers, knowing full well that she just might be pretending and lash out on him. He was very much prepared for any funny business, having a toolbelt attached to his waist, a stun gun ready for use. 

He would hate to use it on her, but he would if she didn’t want to behave. He was not going to fall for her tricks again. 

Not this time. 

Quietly, he puts his arms around her, gently picking her up. She weighed nothing to him, like all this metal was just feathers in a pillowcase. He held her close, her decaying face laying against his chest, like he was picking her up from the couch to go and put her in her bed. 

He goes up the stairs, begging that Evan was not around. 

He didn’t want him to see his sister like this. 

Quietly he opened the door with his hip, moving to take her to the next step. 

The waiting room. A sort of limbo for the animatronics who traveled this far thanks to the signal that was being produced. 

It was a floor deeper underground, where things would be kept until they properly knew they were to be disposed underground. They had a procedure to all this, Henry and him wanted to be methodical. 

He goes down the steps, opening the door with a bit of a struggle, sighing in relief when he doesn't hear the stomps of Evan’s large feet. Good, he wasn’t around to see this. 

Now, it was time to start the procedure. 

He gently placed the inactive doll of Circus Baby on a chair, bringing out the equipment Henry had created just for this moment. 

A way to make things more authentic. 

He places them down on the table, and then sits looking across the table, a small frown on his face. She wouldn’t be able to see his expression, having the mask firmly set. Unable to recognize that her own brother was here. Here to try and fix her. 

“The years really did a number on you. You look more like a Scrap Baby than a Circus one.” He comments, prodding the animatronic to see any response. 

The room is silent, which is two indications. 

One, she was offline due to the storm she had traveled through, or, two, she was pretending. She sure did love to pretend after all. 

Michael was leaning more to the last option. He had done this before. He had been there when she laid still against the conveyor belt, whispering orders that he blindly followed. 

He wouldn’t fall for it. Not this time. 

So he begins the recorder, having the sheet in hand. 

Henry’s tape begins to play, his voice strong, firm. 

“Before you is an animatronic found in the back alley, we are…unsure of its origins..it is your job to complete the maintenance checklist before claiming it as salvage. Or, if you choose to, you can throw it back into the alley and forfeit payment, you can choose now.” 

Michael can’t help but smirk at Henry’s lines. Like he was going to throw this back out. Do you know how dangerous that would be? 

No, he knew better. 

He was going to make sure he could salvage this animatronic, and if he could…put her back together. 

He presses the tape recorder, fast forwarding it so he can get to the next prompt. 

“You have chosen to proceed with the maintenance checklist. Remember, use your company issued taser to return the animatronic to an neutral state if you feel it is becoming unstable or aggressive. You can only use it three times before it begins to damage the animatronic and decrease its value.” 

Ah there it was. Henry’s warning. To be careful. And to not hesitate with them if any situation arose where he could potentially be in danger. 

Michael glances to the taser beside the recorder, seeing it shine in the dim light. He takes another look at Scrap Baby, seeing if there was any other movement. 

The tape continues. 

“ Begin audio prompt in 3, 2, 1. ”

Michael prepares himself for the noise, they had just about trained him in every way they could so he wouldn’t be affected by the noise. It was a way of calming the animatronic, to try and get them from being aggressive from the start. 

This warbling noise echoes out of the recorder, making it feel like his skin was crawling. Peeling off the bone. It was very uncomfortable but he held perfectly still, his eyes never leaving his sister’s lone body. 

Soon the audio stops. 

“ Document results.” 

There was no movement, nothing. So he gently reaches for the pencil and crosses out the ‘No’ section. It had to be perfect, they had to catch them off guard. He had to follow every step, to look as if he was just some volunteer. Just some guy who got trapped in this weird job that was perhaps too dangerous for the average person. 

This, would be what truly caused them to be trapped. 

He places the paper back beside the recorder. 

“ Begin audio prompt in 3, 2, 1. ”

Another warbling audio comes from the recorder, this time a little bit lower in pitch. It brings a static to his skin, making it feel like he was touching the television back in the day. 

“ Document results.” 

Michael pauses, checking every little spot of Scrap Baby, making sure not a single thing had moved out of place. He goes to check the No section once more, only hearing a slight creak of rusted metal. A hand twitching from under the table. He could hear it. 

Immediately he fired the taser, a quick white blast of light sparking from the weapon. It sends a good shock down her spine, causing the thing to twitch just slightly. 

So sorry Elizabeth, but you kind of deserved that.

“If you don’t move, you won’t be tased.” He warns, not wishing to fire this thing on his own sister. But he would. He wasn’t playing any games. He would not let her take advantage of him. 

Not this time. 

Baby was slumped over, her dead eyes staring onto the floor. She didn’t move, she stood perfectly still after the controlled shock. 

“ Begin audio prompt in 3, 2, 1. ”

The recorder keeps playing, sending another weird wave of warbling audio out between the two, Michael clenching his fist under the table. 

I’ll put you back together Elizabeth. This time, I’ll make sure of it. 

He didn’t plan on putting her in the labyrinth just yet, he knew it was risky, but he had to try. He wanted to fix her up. But he had to do this procedure first. 

The audio stops, and Michael is quick to document the results once more. 

He is careful this time, hand hovering over the taser. He didn’t want to give more controlled shocks, he knew how painful they were. 

No doubt she was triggered by the shocks, how many times had they done that to her down in the rental facility? Just how many times had father caused her pain? He knew she was in there after all, he had told Michael to save her. 

What a joke this all was. A terrible terrible joke. 

“Well done. End tape.” 

He quietly finishes the procedure, gently putting everything away as he lifts her up and places her on the small bench that held any animatronics that were in need of repair. 

He reaches for his toolbox, gently places it on the bench. 

“Let’s see what we can do with all this…” Michael whispers, seeing how cracked open her chest was. The shining lights that flickered when he moved them. 

She lay dormant, quietly sprawled out on the bench. Different to how it was when she was on the conveyor belt. She wasn’t lying in wait to take over his body. 

“They really did a number on you, didn’t they.” He whispers gently, his chest aching at the sight. He wished this wasn’t how it went. How any of this went. 

What had she been doing this whole time? All these years? 

He can clearly see that on the ends of these little wires were illusion discs. 

She had been in disguise no doubt. 

Quietly, he begins to pull each one off the wire, it doesn’t take much effort to do so. He didn’t need her trying to trick him, though he was pretty sure he would see right through the illusion. 

He didn’t trust like that, especially now. 

He tosses the discs into the toolbox, it would be for the best. He wouldn’t dare let Elizabeth, more importantly Circus Baby, get the best of anyone. 

Michael takes a bit of the plastic that is from the side, Henry had left a lot of parts around from the animatronics in the new pizzeria. He looks for the same color that would match with the colors of the faded whites and red. 

“It’s not much, but it might fix some of these holes of yours. I know you’ve been through a lot…” He would do his best, he wasn’t sure transferring the remnant would be a good idea, considering the bit of corruption within. 

Corruption. 

If Lolbit was awake, they’d make a little lightbulb in the back of their head. 

Right, he could cleanse remnant to some degree. Take out the inky black gunk that swarmed within the souls of poor victims and make them feel better. Hopefully. Maybe. He didn’t know if it would work since he never truly tried it on another soul that wasn’t his own. 

Well, there was a first for everything he supposed. 

He gently glues some pieces together with careful hands, his eyes watching Baby to make sure she wasn’t going to do any funny business. He knew his sister, he knew Baby too. He didn’t know how the relationship was between Elizabeth and Baby, perhaps it was like Lolbit and him, and perhaps not. 

Michael wanted to believe that he was doing good, that somewhere, deep down that Elizabeth was in there. That she had suffered as much as he and Evan have. She deserved love, to be taken care of. 

What their father had done to them all, Elizabeth wasn’t given that chance. That chance to be somewhat happy. 

I’ll fix it. I’ll fix you Elizabeth. 

Or he would die trying. 

She wasn’t the villain, she wasn’t his enemy. She was just as much the victim as they were. 

Michael didn’t wish to condemn her, no doubt he would get in trouble for it, but it was the chance he was willing to take. He wouldn’t give up on his sister. Not in a million years. 

Hesitantly, he places a hand on her chest, looking at the small stains of black sludge that covered the half of her faceplate. The other half was completely stripped away, showing the inner workings of the endoskeleton that was underneath the old Circus Baby animatronics. 

It looked like a bit of Ennard had slinked their way back into Circus Baby to make this new Scrap Baby. 

Michael swallows, looking at the half lidded stare of the large animatronic. “I’m going to fix you, alright? Then maybe…things will get better. Maybe you’ll feel better.”

He placed a hand on her hull, taking a deep breath. He closes his eyes, drawing it from within like he had done with the remnant jar. Concentrating hard on removing the corruption, the terrible blackness that came with being around their father. 

Even if it gave her a moment of clarity, of realization of what she had done, and how horrible she had been. Much like the children in the suits, he knew she had done some horrible things. They all have at some point. But, she was a child. A child who was hurt, and still hurting. 

Craving her father’s attention only to receive pain, and agony. 

Michael wished to take all the sorrow, the agony from his sister. Purge her from the terrible ways his father had treated her. 

Come back to us Elizabeth, please. 

Light flickers around her chest, he can feel the warmth radiating off him, pooling around the metal. He was so used to being numb, but with the help of Henry he could feel things. The texture of the warped metal, the warmth falling out of his hands as he tried to purify the glowing pink remnant that was spotted with black. 

The eyes of Baby illuminate for just a moment, and Michael yanks his hand away. His eyes wide. Waiting for something, anything. 

But she lies still, and that is enough to discourage him that it didn’t work. He sighs, shaking his head and moves to stand. 

“I’m going to leave you here, and if you’re good…then maybe things won't have to go the way the old man wants it to be.” He says quietly, standing up and leaving her in the small room. There wasn’t much she could do, it was just a small room with a few lockers that led right to the labyrinth. 

He would give her a chance. 

A chance that maybe, just maybe she might get better. Join Evan and him, fighting against father. 

It was a shot, a shot he was willing to take. 

Michael gives one final glance into the cold room, peering over the desk that held the recorder. It would be…his little secret. He would keep her here, unless something was to happen. He wouldn’t mention it to Evan and the others. 

He closes the door, locking it up and placing the bar down to ensure no one enters. Not that this place was open to the public, it was underground after all.

You don’t really know who your employer is…do you?

 

…

 

 Michael travels up the stairs, closing the door and hears Evan’s steps. 

“Did you find one?” 

Michael shakes his head, “No, just doing a routine check.” He hated lying to his brother, but he wanted to make sure Elizabeth was okay before announcing that she was here, “Gonna go down and finish things up.” 

Evan just stares at him, eye half lidded giving him a look. Michael knows this look and does his best not to seem like he’s being shifty. “Okay.” 

Michael withholds the urge to give out a sigh, so he nods giving a tight grin to his brother. “Another slow night, but…I think it’s working. I imagine they have to travel a long distance…” 

Evan just shrugs, “I hope you’re right. You…you would tell us if you found something, right?” 

This nearly makes Michael wince, but he nods. “Of course, I’ll let you know right away.” 

He quietly steps away from the door, looking at Evan and gives the bear a pat with a hum. “Don’t worry little man. I have this.” 

Evan looks apprehensive, a bit worried at Michael’s posture and form. His brother was being weird, he knew his brother. He knew when he was lying, but he didn’t wish to call him out. Michael would just get angry and he would rather not deal with that anger at the moment. 

“Okay, you’re not alone, remember?” 

Michael pauses, and gives a small nod. “I know, you can trust me…right?” 

Evan hesitates, but gives a gentle nod. 

“I do. I hope…you can trust us too.” 

“I…I do. I swear.” 

This leads to Evan nodding, and stepping down the hall watching Michael leave. He glances to the door that Michael was just in, wondering if he should check out what was down there. But, he trusted Michael. If his brother was hiding something, there had to be a reason. 

He would wait for Michael to tell him. 

Eventually he would. 

If not, it would blow up in his face and Michael would go to them for help. 

He counted on it. 

So he leaves Michael alone, heading down the opposite hall and letting Michael finish his work. 

Plus, there was to be a surprise for Michael when he got home, he didn’t deserve to be stressed out at the moment. 

 

…

 

Michael heads down to the office, his head hung low. He felt so guilty for lying to Evan, but he knew the boy would be apprehensive about keeping Baby in the holding room. He would no doubt yell at him for keeping the dangerous animatronic in a room instead of in the labyrinth like they had planned. 

Helpy chirps a greeting, and Michael gives a kurt wave. 

“Baby is here, no…Elizabeth is here.” Michael whispers to Helpy, who gives a tilt of his little head. 

“I know, I should put her away…but I want to fix her. I want her to be better. She’s suffered just as much as we have. Father had done so much to us all…doesn’t she deserve a happy ending as well?” 

Helpy looks sad, a low small warble escaping his voice box. 

“Yeah, it’s dangerous…but I can’t help myself. I want to try. To fix her like I was supposed to.” 

Though, he wondered if ‘fixing’ her was being the perfect meat puppet for the Funtimes. He leans back against the chair, pressing a couple buttons on the computer to start to print out flyers for tomorrow. 

“If things go south, I just put her back to the labyrinth…I don’t want to, but if she’s dangerous it’s the only option I have. I can’t risk her hurting people. I’ll take the blame, but I…I want to give her a chance.” 

Helpy raises head, giving a string of notes. Michael rolls his eyes, “I am not going soft. I..I got a second chance, I’m here, doing things. Doesn’t she deserve one? Sure…she scooped me alive with the help of her circus friends…”

He glances at his little creation, “I won't give up on her. Father can’t be saved, but maybe…she can. She deserves it.” 

The little bear gives a happy nod, dancing around and trying to cheer him up. Michael gives a thin smile, watching the bear with slight amusement. It was nice to have a little distraction. 

“Thanks Helpy, you really know how to cheer me up.” 

Helpy puts his hands on his little hips looking proud. He gives a happy tune, and Michael then rolls his eyes, poking the small bear in the belly. “Yeah, yeah…” 

He glances to the side seeing the vent that leads to parts of the labyrinth. Eventually there would be things down here, and he would have to be prepared. To listen and be ready to deal with them before the night ends. 

Had to keep them occupied after all. 

It was his job as a security guard. 

Michael quietly taps the computer once more seeing that he needed to order more plates and cups for the next day as well. Simple. Easy little things to do. 

His mind floats back to Elizabeth, hoping that maybe, just maybe things would work out. He would be back tomorrow and she was there. And maybe Henry could fix her up. Maybe make her a rockstar like he had done for the rest of them. 

Hope swells within him.

Please, just this once…let me have a win. Give me my sister back. 

He prays to whoever can hear him, not something he ever did if he was honest. It didn’t seem right after all. But he was desperate. He wanted his family back. He wanted to be happy with both his sister and brother. 

Michael didn’t want to condemn his sister, he wanted her to rest just as much as they were. To be let go peacefully, instead of crying in agony from the surprise fire that was meant to come once William came into the scene. 

He just hoped she wouldn’t go feral on him. 

Time slipped by fast, Michael easily passed the time with Helpy, readying himself for the events that were yet to come. He had to prepare. Things were easier since Lolbit was just about dormant due to being active and taking control for the most of the day, so he was able to get things done without the fox peering within. 

Michael wanted Lolbit to live on, he would make sure the fox took care of the crew once they were gone. So he was going to have Helpy do things for him. 

Get everything ready for the finale. 

Because soon, soon everything would come to an end. 

And he was ready. 

 

END OF NIGHT TWO 

Notes:

Elizabeth is finally here and is Michael making the best decision?? Tune in next time to find out?

Aka Michael learns to deal with his own hubris, which is thinking Scrap Baby isn’t going to do some shenanigans. But you’ll have to see next time what happens lol

Until Then, have a great day and a even greater weekend!

Chapter 58: Why Not Join the Fun?

Notes:

Well…I certainly have some explaining to do. A lot of things has happened haha. I got into a car accident (I’m fine, the wind smashed a pole into my car so it just messed the car up if anything), got sick like a billion times, and then Mother’s Day and my moms birthday…

I am going to be honest I lost…a lot of motivation for this fic. But…last night I was just hit with it. I went and reread all your comments and man…I can’t believe what an amazing bunch of people you all are.

So…I stayed up until 4:30 am to finish this chapter.

I regret making the day’s separate because it’s hard to make a whole day with no idea what to put in it. Buuut I think I enjoy what I came up with. Sometimes going off the rails can really help haha.

But thank you all for your support, your patience. Laughing at Tragedy is back! So enjoy!

The whole day just seemed to drag on. The morning shift felt like eternity. While Lolbit was on stage, Michael was behind the scenes. Thinking, planning. 

He was working out ways to fix Elizabeth, or as Lolbit now called her, Scrapbaby. His sister, the one who caused them to fuse together in the first place. She killed him and Charlie brought him back. 

She was in there, deep down he knew his dear little sister was in there. 

And he wasn’t going to leave her behind. 

If he could change, so could she. 

He would break this Afton Cycle, even if it meant breaking him as well. 

He wanted to help, and maybe, just maybe this could bring her into the light. She could be sitting with them, laughing and enjoying their final moments as a family. Without the grip of remnant and agony plunging her into the depths of corruption. 

Michael would never forgive his father for what he done to Elizabeth. Even if it wasn’t his fault, he still created Circus Baby. Made her that way. Luring his own child into the jaws of his creation. What did he expect?

Her to be the exception to the killing? That Baby would just spare her because she was one of his? 

That’s not how programming worked. 

So he sits, and he waits. Piecing the puzzle pieces back together. Though they’re more like shards of glass, and he has to be delicate or else his hands will bleed. 

But he refused to give up. He was tired of losing. He was going to win. He was going to try. 

And that’s all that mattered. 

 

…

 

The pizzeria was buzzing with excitement. It always was. The environment was meant to bring joy and happiness after all. 

They made it to be loud, to lure the creatures of the night with practically a giant spotlight that said ‘CHILDREN MURDERERS COME HERE’. 

But at least out of all the employees of Freddy Fazbear’s New Pizzeria, one was having the time of their life. 

Lolbit was thriving. Skating around and playing with the children. Like they were meant to. Their programming was no longer sadistic and wild. The constant urge to kill, and take was no longer buzzing in the static of their code. 

They were happy. As much as a bunch of serial numbers could be. 

Could a robot truly be happy? They didn’t know, they certainly felt happy. Michael was able to grant them these emotions. The thrumming in their wires, the warm feeling in their chassis as they saw children grin ear to ear at them. 

Actually laughing at their jokes instead of being pulled off the stage because of the horrified looks. 

Always wondering what they had done, what they had said. 

Useless you are. You’re more trouble than your worth. The creator would hiss as they would be forced to shut down after a few parties with his sibling. They were supposed to be a double act. They made jokes and the other would play games. 

But then…they were left behind. Left to rot.

Until Michael came along and gave them purpose. Gave them a reason. They would forever be grateful.

Lolbit was meant for the stage, and this was their true environment. Mikey was giving him this, the ability to finally see what they could really do without the terrible hand of their creator constantly gripping at their mainframe. 

It thrilled him. 

And they were having a great time until Stanley rushed into the roller rink waving down both Jeremy and Lolbit. 

He looks worried, more so than usual, gripping at his vest as Jeremy and Lolbit skate towards him. The kids off  playing some game while the two went to see what was going on.

At least they had the ability to distract the children when there was trouble on their hands. 

“We have a problem.” Stanley pants, gripping at his chest.

The poor man is about to pass out, his face pale. 

“What is it? What’s wrong? You okay? You look like you’re about to pass out!” Jeremy asks, sliding closer his hands on Stanley’s arms. 

“Remember the exercises Mr. Stein taught us. In and out.” 

Stanley follows Jeremy’s breaths, while Lolbit makes yoga movements as they breathe. 

“It…it’s Freddy.” He finally says after a moment of gathering himself. 

Lolbit glanced to Jeremy and the blond swallows.

“Show us.” Lolbit states clicking the wheels off their feet so they can walk through the pizzeria. They didn’t like hearing that their brothers were in danger. This was their new family after all. 

They wouldn’t end up in the same fate as their other siblings. 

Stanley shakes his head, “Henry’s not here so I don’t know what to do, I’m sorry Lolbit but…I think Mike needs to be here.” He gives an apologetic look, “Not that you’re useless!!” 

Lolbit blinks, completely understanding. They wave their hands to try and calm Stanley down. “Righo! One angsty boy coming right up. Uno momento!” They wave their hand and suddenly their body slightly goes limp, eyelids clicking shut and Jeremy looks a bit worried. 

He never liked Lolbit going limp like that, always worried the fox would never wake up. That Michael would never wake up. 

But then the fox suddenly startles white eyes becoming purple as he glances around. “What huh?” He stammers, accent clear as day. “Stanley? Jeremy? Is it nighttime?” 

“Time to wake up Mikey! We have a problem on our hands!” This makes Michael’s eyes widen and glance to Stanley and Jeremy.

Stanley shakes his head, “N-no, it’s not nighttime yet.  But we have a situation and y-you’re the only one I know that can handle this sort of thing!” He stammers with hands up like he’s expecting Michael to smack him or something. 

“What’s wrong?” Michael’s voice is strong, but the worry is clear. “What happened? Where’s Henry?” 

“He’s out, went to get some supplies. I was supposed to watch Freddy but- just ah! Please can you just follow me!” 

Stanley grabs Michael’s hand, leaving Jeremy to take care of the children on the rink. When they get backstage Michael immediately turns on the illusion disc with a quick slap. 

“ Looks like you have a crisis on your hands. We are on our way.” Lolbit recites, Michael immediately rolling his eyes no doubt the fox was repeating some stupid joke that the children were making. 

“ The children make excellent source material! They are the future’s brightest after all!” 

“Not now, Lolbit.” Michael mutters as he looks to Stanley to see if he could give some insight to what was going on. 

Stanley immediately catches on, his voice a bit higher from his obvious stress. 

“So we have a party and they requested Freddy to be a solo act and it just suddenly started to act really weird! And I didn’t know what to do and Henry isn’t here and it’s just-“ 

“Stan, relax. Just show me where he is.” Michael soothes trying to ease his poor friend’s nerves. The guy looked like he was about to pop from the pressure he was putting himself in. 

They enter the room and immediately Michael notices that all the children are gone. 

He glances to Stanley who quickly supplies, “I told them to wait into the other room until Freddy got back to normal.” 

“Please deposit five coins. P-please deposit five-five-five-“ Freddy starts to glitch, twitching and stuttering. His arms failing about as sparks fly every now and then. 

“It’s always has to be Freddy.” Michael mutters as he walks on stage. “Can you grab me the toolbox, it should be in the back.” 

Stan is quick to do so, racing out of the room, Michael didn’t blame him. The last time he encountered Freddy it tried to get inside him. 

Michael shudders not really wanting to think about the Funtimes right now. 

“You are attempting to trick Freddy!” It cried, the spasming getting worse, mouth opening to show the smaller teeth that held is endoskeleton. 

“Huh?” What the hell happened? 

“Freddy my dear friend and I think you need to hit the paws button!” Lolbit remarks, sending the two into a laughing fit, and Freddy oddly joins in with his own goofy laugh. 

The rockstar then suddenly lifts its arms, twitching its head as the lights flicker in his eyes. “Freddy doesn’t like this.” He almost seems like he’s in pain. 

This for some reason pangs his heart, thinking about Gabriel. He wondered if the kids were okay. But he couldn’t think about that! He had to focus. 

He slaps his cheeks with a huff. Focus Mike. 

Michael says, his frown crawling further on his face looking a bit worried for the bear. “Alright Fred, we’ll fix you up. Just let me..” He does his best to reach at the brown bear, trying not to get caught in the flailing arms. He just needed to get to his stomach, the Star would open the hatch and let him see inside. 

“P-please deposit five coins!” Freddy glitches once more and swings his whole body nearly clotheslining Michael. 

The man jumps back, “Woah! Watch it Fred!” 

“ Be careful Mikey, he has the right to bear arms!” Lolbit snickers and gets Michael to groan at the horrible puns. 

“You’re unbearable .” Michael mutters getting Lolbit to bark out a laugh, sending Michael to grip his stomach. He leans a bit down and his eyes widen at what he sees. 

He notices a string dangling near the coin slot, the long cord seemed to be stuck in the mechanism. “Oh I see!”  

He waits for Freddy to stop moving for a bit and yanks on the string. Out pops a coin that he catches. He studied it finding out the coin was made of plastic. Someone was trying to cheat Freddy and get unlimited songs. A classic way to get free things out of coin machines. He used to do that when he was young with vending machines. 

Except his didn’t make animatronics go haywire. Freddy finally stops spasming, his hands falling to his side and head resting on his chest.

“Clever…” Michael tuts, examining the coin a bit further. Kids these days. 

“Did I break Freddy?” 

A little boy is peering through the door, and Michael whips his head around holding the fake coin with a small huff. “Did you do this?” He asks holding up the coin with a hand on his hip. 

The boy hesitated, before nodding. “Robert said it would work..” 

“Well, it made Freddy very confused. You have to be gentle with the poor guy.” Michael says as he goes to reach for Freddy’s reset button. 

The bear gives a noise like it’s powering down and this makes the little kid gasp as if Michael had just killed his best friend. 

“Don’t worry, I’m just letting him take a little nap so he can be back to his old self. Now, why did you think it was a good idea to do that to poor Freddy?” 

The child looks sheepish, toeing the floor. “I dunno.” 

“What’s your name?” 

“Tyler…” 

“Alright Tyler, you like Freddy?” 

Tyler nods, his eyes bright. “He’s awesome.” 

Michael doesn’t comment, not wanting to say that he made a terrible choice. Instead begins to work on getting Freddy in working order. “Well, imagine this. You’re doing your job and suddenly someone tries to trick you, over and over again. To the point you feel like you're going crazy. Now, that’s not very nice is it?” 

Tyler pauses, as if thinking. “No…” 

“That’s how Freddy feels by you putting fake coins in. If you wanted another song, you could’ve just asked one of the employees. They’d be happy to give some coins, that’s what they’re here for. Don’t take it out on poor Freddy.” Michael tells him, as he reaches inside to push the reset button. 

The little boy looks guilty, like he’s about to cry. “I’m so sorry.” 

“It’s okay, you know better now.” He grunts and pushes a button.

He stands up straight, taking a step back as the animatronic bear comes to life. His arms lifting and mouth moving. 

“Heya! Heya! It’s Rockstar Freddy!” 

“Freddy!” Tyler’s face is just about exploding with happiness to see that Freddy was okay. He jumps up and down excited that Michael fixed his friend. 

“And done. He’s all fixed.” 

“Mister fixed you! I’m so sorry Freddy!” The boy shouts as he rushes up to the animatronic. His eyes are glittering and he looks like he’s about to burst with excitement. 

“Oh goodie! Thank you Mister Mike!” Freddy says looking to the taller male, who blinks in surprise at the animatronic knowing his name. No doubt something Henry implemented. 

“Thank you Mister Mike.” Tyler parrots with bright blue eyes. 

“S-sure. Glad he’s all better.” Mike stammers with an awkward smile. 

Looks like Freddy loves you beary much! Lolbit just about caws into his head, cackling like a mad man. They were enjoying the surprise affection from Rockstar Freddy. 

Michael glares at a wall, not wanting to comment for there was a kid in here and he really didn’t want to explain who he was talking to. 

Thankfully he wasn’t stuck with the kid dancing with Freddy for too long as Stanley rushes in stopping when seeing Freddy in working order.

“I got it! I got the-oh. He’s back online?” Stan pants holding the toolbox. He looks like he’s about to pass out, sweat beading around his brow.

Michael looks sheepish, feeling bad he made his friend go and rush when it wasn’t that big of an issue. “Yup he’s good as new. Tyler was trying to trick him with this.” He shows the coin on a string to which Stanley goes ‘ah’. 

Tyler looks guilty, fiddling with his hands, “M really sorry.” 

“That’s okie dokie Tyler! My best friend Mister Mike made it allll better!” The animatronic chirps getting Michael to look at it with a scrunched face. 

“Oh, he’s your best friend now is he Mike?” Stanley teases. His eyes scrunch in mirth. He seemed to be enjoying that Freddy was calling him his friend. After all Michael didn’t really like Freddy. 

“He is not. He’s just being silly.” 

“ No, he’s your hunny !” Lolbit guffaws in his mind getting the man to shove Lolbit back into the code really getting sick of the bear puns. They were making him laugh way too much. 

“He’s not your best friend?” Tyler asks with a little pout and Michael freezes seeing Evan in this little child with how he looked at the man. Oh no. 

He couldn’t just say no, he wasn’t. 

“Ah..no…yes? Sure. Sure.” Michael stammers, not wanting to have a cry fest on his hand with this little one. 

“Mister Mike is my beary best friend!” 

Stanley snickers until Michael glares at him, getting Stanley to walk on stage and usher Tyler out. “Come on let’s get your party back in here so Freddy can do his favorite song.” 

“Okay!” 

Michael sighs as they leave, stepping down from the stage grabbing the toolbox. 

“I looove you Mister Mike, my best friend ever!” Rockstar Freddy sings and Michael glares at the bear. 

“Never say that again. Bear. I mean it.” He points at the bear with a small glare. He would have to talk to Henry about this guy’s programming. Goodness gracious.

This makes the bear just laugh and Michael rolls his eyes ready to switch so Lolbit could have their fun again. 

He had enough bears for today thank you. 

 

….

 

Evan steps away from the doorway when Micheal begins to walk towards him. He had been watching the interaction this entire time and something clicked within him. 

Michael had changed. 

He had truly changed. Not just for show, this was truly how Michael was. 

He was different. 

A tiny part of him felt jealous, angry that he never got to experience this side of him when he was alive. For so long all he remembered was the constant harassment and shouting from his older brother. 

But now, he was helping little kids. Without screaming or saying something vile. 

He truly changed. 

Evan felt pride seep through him. Proud of his brother. Proud of what he became. If only death hadn’t hit them both. 

If only they got to live together, grow up and love. 

His thoughts were pulled away when Michael’s footsteps drew near. He steps behind the wall watching Michael leave with a shake of his head hearing Rockstar Freddy’s laughter. 

Evan begins to start his patrol when the hall suddenly darkens. 

The hall grows longer and longer, spiraling into a checkered floor with a grimy gray wall with the same checkered pattern in a swipe down the middle. The scent of decay and pizza wafts in the air sending him back to when they first met.

He knew this place. 

He knows what’s happening. 

“Cassidy.” 

A spotlight turns on illuminating the room, and the hallway stops moving. Thrusting him into the dark void, no longer attached to the large black and yellow bear. He was just a little boy with a bloody head. 

“Hey bumblebear.” Cassidy’s voice echoes in his ears. It’s been so long since he’s heard it.

Evan is startled by the friendly greeting, seeing Cassidy sitting on the limp Golden Freddy’s leg. Her eyes downcast and hands gripping the mottled fur. 

“What do you want?” Evan asks suspiciously. 

Cassidy cuts to the chase quick, her eyes still on the floor. “You know what’s going to happen. Don’t you?” Her voice calm, quiet even. 

Evan tilts his head, “The fire?” He wasn’t sure what exactly she meant, so he just guessed on the final show they had planned. Did she know about it? She seemed to know everything. 

Cassidy’s black eyes meet his. “It won’t stop him.” Her voice is cold, but tired. As if she’s done with it all. Was she? Or was this some sort of act she was doing? Evan didn’t know. It was always hard to tell with her. 

“You don’t know that.” 

She frowns standing and the Golden Freddy dissolves into the floor. Leaving just him and her standing in the dark void that was Cassidy’s power. “I do. I see it. He always comes back.” She says, the rage slipping through the cracks of her facade. 

There it was. She was always so angry, she couldn’t hide from Evan. He knew her after all. 

“Then we won’t let him.” Evan finally says, his eyes not meeting hers. His little first clench as he bites his lower lip. 

She perks up at that. “We?” This surprises her, he can tell. He had been so resistant to everything she wanted to do lately. And how he suddenly wanted to work together? 

Evan swallows, his thoughts going back to how tired his brother looked. How long was he going to chase after his father? Why was he burdened with such a task? Because of the promise? 

“You know you can’t spare him from his fate. If he comes back, so will he. And the other who made the same promise.” Cassidy said firmly. 

Evan digs his hands into his pockets. He knows. He knows very well. “I don’t want that to happen.” He couldn't. Mike needed to rest. He wanted them to be able to be happy and not worry about this stuff. 

Cassidy steps toward, eyes hardening. “If we keep him down, it will never happen. I can’t do it alone.” She reaches for his hand, and he lets her take it. Feeling how cold it was compared to his. She’s been alone for some time stuck in the suit after Evan was forced out.

“If I help you, you can’t hurt my brother. Or my sister. Just him.” 

Cassidy nods, her pigtails bobbing. “Just him. Only him. Let me do all of it, but we have to chain him. Together. I’ll be the one to watch him.” 

“Cassidy…you have to let this go.” 

“And let him kill again? He will come back! You want your brother caught in an endless limbo?” 

“We all will be in an endless limbo!” Evan whispers, “But…I can’t…I don’t know what to do..” 

Cassidy gives a small look, “I’ll take care of it. You won’t have to do anything. Just let me in. I won’t be mean. I promise. Only to him.” 

Evan sees that she’s sincere but he feels like he’s making a deal with the devil. “You can’t let your anger hurt you anymore.” 

“I’m not mad.” She’s lying. 

“I just want things to end.” 

“I want him to burn. And I’ll burn with him. But I need your help to do it.” 

“Cass-“ 

“Please Evan. Please.” 

He’s never seen her beg, or say please. So he takes a deep breath. “But I’m in control of Lefty.” 

“I don’t want him anyways. You can have it. I’ll only come in when he comes and we are ready for the final show. Deal?” 

Her hand is out, and Evan looks at it with a wince. 

“Deal.” 

He grips her hand, and the world swirls feeling the familiar sensation of her remnant intermixing with his. He sucks in a breath opening his eyes as her giggles echo his ears. 

More of the black paint has peeled off Lefty, looking like stripes of a bumble bee. She’s within, planning and Evan is grateful he’s still in control. 

For how long, he didn’t know. But he was stronger this time around. And she knew it. 

“Don’t worry Mike. I’ll make sure you get to rest. Properly.” 

 

…

 

Once again the day ends and everyone gets ready to leave. 

All except Henry and Charlie. They’re talking to Evan and Mike is no where to be seen. 

“He’s hiding something.” Evan says quietly, “I know he is.” 

Charlie tilts her head, “Maybe he’s just trying to keep a strong face Evan. This waiting game might be getting to him. It’s getting to me. Everyday I think some monster is going to come in and ruin everything. Or something happens.” 

“I can’t help but agree. It feels like it’s going well. Knowing our luck something is going to happen.” Henry sighs, wiping his glasses off with his handkerchief. “But, we can’t lose faith. I’m sure if Mike has something to say, he’ll say it.” 

The puppet nods, looking to Evan. “And if you’re that worried about him, just keep an eye on him. I’m sure everything is fine.” 

Henry hums, “And we are just a phone call away. Heck if you want us to stay for a little bit we can even do that.” 

Evan looks uncomfortable, but gives a little nod. “Could you? I just…I feel like he’s lying to me. He promised…he wouldn’t keep secrets from me.” 

Charlie gently wraps her thin arms around his giant frame. “Aw it’s okay Ev, I’m sure Mike isn’t doing this on purpose. He just likes to shoulder everything. He has that stupid mentality that it’s better that it’s him than us.” 

Evan leans into Charlie’s embrace. “Yeah he’s pretty stupid…” 

This makes Charlie snort, shaking her head. “He is, isn’t he.” 

Evan nods with a slight eye roll. Charlie’s glad that his anxiety for his older brother has gone down a little bit, but she had a feeling that Evan wasn’t just making this up. 

Michael was acting strange when she got to the pizzeria this morning saying not to go down to the labyrinth because he made a mess. 

Did Michael find an animatronic and not tell them? 

No…he would have told them. 

Wouldn’t he? 

She glances at the employee's office, while Henry and Evan settle into their seats. 

“Hey dad, you always carry a taser on you right?” 

Henry blinks, reaching for his belt and holding out the device for everyone to see. “Always do, why?” 

Charlie just hums, glancing back to the two. “Just asking.” 

Something was up, she could feel it. Something familiar was in these walls, and Michael didn’t tell them. 

“Maybe we should check on Mike, just in case…” 

 

END OF DAY THREE

Notes:

And that my friends is why you tell things to your friends. It will always bite you in the ass.

Have mercy on me, please be gentle I’m a bit rusty with them since it’s been…several months since I’ve written something for these guys.

I hope you enjoy! And idk when the next update will be. I have two more weeks until school’s out so maybe the summer will give me some time to write!

Anyways, until next time! Have a wonderful weekend!

Chapter 59: You Know You're Nothing But a Pawn Here

Notes:

Another chapter! Thank you all for the wonderful support. Don’t worry I am focusing on my health I promise. But as it’s a three day weekend I’d thought to get a new chapter for you all!

I hope you enjoy it! I have four more days of school (I work at a school not currently enrolled in one lol) so that means summer vacation! I hope, fingers crossed, that I’ll be finishing this fic by the end of the summer.

You all ready for this ride?

Underground. In the darkest void. Crawling, slipping, hiding. Holding his breath and begging for the clock to strike. 

Gripping the sheet metal right as little things wanted to have a look at the new repairman. The giggles and whispers in excitement for a new plaything. How terrified he was hoping that he had enough strength to keep them at bay. 

Then he hears her voice. Like a angel saving him from disaster.

Her voice guided him through everything. Protected him. Kept him safe from the beings below. Her voice led him. 

Her voice deceived him. 

Welcome to the circus. 

She played pretend, whispered her song. And he listened. He followed. Right into her trap. Right to his own demise. 

Down, down, down he went, to the beginning of it all. The catalyst of his journey. How his insides were pulled out to make room for something more. Left to die, and only then was he brought back to finish what he started. 

A promise that he could never break. 

As he steps down the stairs, he feels he’s back in the past. Standing in the lift as it took him down to the pits of hell. Deeper into the mess that his father had made. 

He keeps his composure, assuring himself that he’s not back in that horrible place. That he’s here to fix things properly this time. He had the ability to do so now. He wouldn’t let it go to waste. No longer the man who sneered and snapped, but one who helped and protected the ones he loved.

He pauses as he gets to the door. Hand hovering over the doorknob, waiting for something. Anything. But there’s just silence. Michael opens the door, a deep breath leaving his lungs. 

The door creaks, and he steps inside. It’s quiet and there’s not any signs of disaster. Nothing signifying that the one he left in here broke free. 

No, the flickering light illuminates the limp broken animatronic before him. She hasn’t moved an inch, her tattered body making his heart squeeze. 

Elizabeth. 

She’s suffered just as much as the rest of them, perhaps even a bit more. The corruption inside made her crave the affection of the one who did this to her. 

Did his father know she was in there? Did he care? 

Or was it another part of his elaborate scheme to become immortal?

Where did the madness start? The day Evan died? Was it earlier than that? 

He couldn’t think straight, the memories and questions kept assaulting his mind. He had to focus. This was important. Steeling himself he steps closer to the animatronic limply draped across the bench he had placed her the night before. Her body was still broken, despite some of the things he had tried to fix her the other night. The years were not kind to her. 

The leaking of the black liquid seemed to stop, with the deep black stains being the only indication of the corrupted mess.

Perhaps it was working. Perhaps he actually was purifying his sister's soul. 

He steps closer, kneeling towards the powered off bot. He was cautious, knowing Baby liked to play pretend. How she would shut down but not really, listening to every word, every event that happened down underground. He looked for any indications, hoping that she wasn’t tricking him. 

Keep your composure Mike.

Gently he reaches for the thing, feeling the scarred metal, the jagged rips of plastic worn from age.  All the cracks and wires thrown about. She was after all nothing more than wires attached to a battered shell. Ennard had done that to her. 

“Time has not been kind to you,” Michael whispers mournfully. He wishes things had been different. He wishes he had taken Baby, taken his sister out of that rental. Maybe even all the animatronics that suffered. If he could fix Lolbit, then he could’ve fixed them.

Had he knew, he would have. 

“I’m going to fix this. You’ll see. I promise.” He wouldn’t be like his father. He wouldn’t let her suffer just so he could get ahead in this immortality race he was running. 

Trashing the ones he loved to achieve this higher evolutionary feat he so loved to brag about. His teeth grit, feeling anger bubble within at his father’s actions. 

How could he? 

No, he couldn’t focus on him right now. He had to work on Baby. On Elizabeth. His father would have to wait. He would be coming eventually. He knew he would. Michael could feel it in the deepest part of his soul. 

William Afton would be here soon. 

But now, he had to focus on the task at hand. 

So he gently reaches forward, grabbing her by the waist and lifting her up. He had forgotten Circus Baby was extremely tall. The thing was nearly seven feet in length. Lolbit was just a bit smaller than her. But it didn’t mean he couldn’t lift her up with ease. Henry had made it so he could carry animatronics like her without any struggle. It was quite useful.

He didn’t know why his father, no, actually he did. He knew why the Funtimes were the way that they are. It was no accident. Nothing ever was with his father. 

They were to keep children inside. So he could work on gathering remnant. Stealing children, forcing them to experience the worse thing their little lives could ever experience and then sucking the goopy liquid right out of them. 

Only to then ram it back into his creations. 

To make life? Or to lengthen his own. He supposed maybe in the beginning it was to bring his works to life. To create something more than just metal and bits of code. To have that spark of sentience. 

But now, it was just to kill, to murder and create abominations. Something corrupted him, and in turn corrupted the creations he made. 

Michael puffs out a breath, tired of thinking of what his father has done. He hooks her up to the machine that Henry had made to fix the rockstars if they had gotten damaged. It’s pretty much a metal frame that would keep her from toppling over. She fit in snuggly, looking like Frankenstein’s monster on the metal slab as he worked on her. 

He opted out on the restraints, wanting to make sure he fixed every last part of her.

He sees the large crack in her abdomen, along with the several patches and holes that cover her body. Odd little round lights were shoved into her hull, no doubt just random things she thought that would keep her together. She did have faulty illusion discs strapped to her. Clever girl. 

Her entire left side of her face is missing, showing a blank eye inside the odd endoskeleton that was tilted downward signaling that it was powered off. 

Maybe he could work on the faceplate first. At least try to make her look decent. That would be the easiest part of it all. He was grateful for Henry’s teaching, easily able to make his own animatronics now after all those years of watching Henry work. 

If he was going to completely fix her, she deserved the rockstar treatment too. 

So he grabs the toolbox, opening the many cases of items that Henry had lying around for the multitude of animatronics he had in this pizzeria. He moves the light closer to her, ready to begin. 

He takes one final look at his sister before nodding. There was no turning back now. He could do this. 

He would do this for her. 

“Alright. Let’s get you all fixed up.” 

 

…

 

He sits working, with no other animatronic in sight there’s not much else he can do with the night shift. He supposed he could just sit in that little area, but he had a job to do. 

Michael was going to fix his sister. 

He first starts by working on her face. Taking the battered faceplates, he works on making her new ones. Using Henry’s blueprints, he makes something Elizabeth would enjoy. 

Mimicking the rockstar look, her painted checks now have stars just like his. Eyelids that click, and eyelashes that flutter. They don’t open like the funtimes do, he always hated that. 

Having the ability to show inside. It just felt like his father made it to scare children. No doubt that was the reason. Everything about the funtimes just seemed off. This uncanny valley of scary and cute. He didn’t like it, and no wonder the place went out of business. 

Elizabeth wasn’t scary, and neither would he allow this animatronic to be. She always loved clowns, but this was one scary ass clown. 

So would do his best to make her a more comfortable body. Just like Henry did that for him, Charlie and Evan. 

She deserved the same treatment. 

He makes the cheeks pink, knowing it’s her favorite color. She always wore a bow or a shirt with that color. He remembers always making fun of her for it. Saying how girly it was.

How simple and stupid things were back then. 

Her hair was a bit tricky, so he decided to leave it for the time being, moving to work on her battered torso. There’s no surprise that there’s a giant gaping hole located in her midsection, seeing where the claw that snatched his sister would have been. 

That’s where they got scooped after all. Leaving their insides to break free and form Ennard. 

Only to then slither their way into Michael’s body. 

I’ll take my place inside you . 

Michael’s screwdriver falls to the floor, as he’s hit with the memories of his demise. He grips his head for a moment trying to stop the flashes of images from burning into his retinas.

The wires digging into his skin as he’s hoisted upwards, unable to move as the alarms go off. The way the creature was staring at him, waiting for him to die so they could make its move. 

Whispering how he wouldn’t die, that the pain would only last for a moment. 

It didn’t last for a moment. 

It felt like eternity. He had felt his insides fall to the floor like a cheap gorefest movie. How the wires had creeped in, wrapping around his bones, pushing through his skin ripping it in places. 

He takes a deep breath, closing his eyes. No, he couldn’t think about that. It happened so long ago, why was it still so raw in his mind? Why did it rattle him so much? He should be over this. 

The question of why always hits him hard, he opens his eyes staring at his sister. 

“Why did you do that?” Why did you kill him? 

He shakes his head, knowing she would never give him the proper answer. She thought it was the best way to escape. To use him as a meat suit, for the animatronics down below were suffering. His father had been hitting them with remnant after remnant, making them feel the agony of a child right into their core. 

If only he had paid attention a little bit better. If only he hadn't been a shithead for a brother. 

Then maybe, just maybe, his family would be alive. 

He sighs, picking up the screwdriver and hears a twitch coming from Baby. This causes him to lift his head, eyes widening as he scans the animatronic before him.

Michael notices it right away. The dark fluid spilling out of Baby’s new eyes. That wasn’t good.

“No, no no.” He whispers, eyes widening as he moves closer to her. “No, please. This can’t happen. Please, I'm trying to help you.” 

The fluid meant one thing and one thing only. The remnant was corrupted. And he had to purify it or else Baby would end up just like his father. Elizabeth would forever be stuck in the horrible agony and hatred that she would not care to think about how many she murdered. 

How many she would have to mow down to get what she wanted. 

Something she would never receive. 

Her father’s attention, his affection. 

His hand hovers over  her chest, looking at her new face and staring into those closed eyes. “Please, please let me help you.” He whispers, clenching his eyes shut. He just wanted to help.

Let him help Elizabeth. 

He can feel the thrum of his remnant. The pulsating warmth that seeps through the wires and pipes of his hollow body, like gentle wisps of fire dancing through the machinery of his soul.

Orange light emerges from his hand, gathering against the cracked plastic of Baby’s broken form. 

“Please Elizabeth. I am here to help. Just let me help…” 

Reaching for his sister’s body, hand glowing he hears a sickening crunch. 

Pain blossoms through his abdomen, and he can’t help but give out a gurgle of surprise when looking down and seeing the mighty bladed arm piercing his stomach. 

Stupid boy.  

Baby’s voice echoes through his mind again. Her eyes opened and narrowed at him. Pink eyes staring into his soul as she stands to her full height, the blade impaling him completely. 

“Eliza-“ 

You certainly are a dumb one. Letting me in, fixing me up. I suppose I should thank you for that. 

There’s a sharp twist and he’s flung to the side, his body crumpled over gripping at his open torso. He can hear alarm bells in his head, Lolbit stirring beneath the code waking from their slumber. 

I am here, to receive a gift. Not have some stupid mechanic think he can fix me. You can not fix me. 

She says as a matter of fact, as she moves towards Michael with a stuttering grace. The claw clamping up and down as she does so. As if it’s a warning that she will rip him to shreds once more. 

You don’t know who you’re dealing with. Who your employer really is. You really think this job just fell right out of the sky for you? 

You fell right into my hands. 

The others are coming, and soon we’ll receive what is ours. 

I’ll make you proud Daddy. Watch, listen, and be full. 

She stands over him, with claw ready to strike and he can’t move. He can’t say anything. Hes immobilized just like before. 

Like the coward he was. 

“I’m sorry to interrupt you Elizabeth, if you still even remember that name.” 

Baby whips her head up to see Henry, taser in hand staring her down.

You.

“ But I’m afraid you’ve been misinformed.”

“Michael we are here!”  

Out of the shadows Lefty appears, eyes glowing a bright blue. There’s a clicking mechanism and his head lifts slightly showing Charlie’s animatronic underneath. Striped tendrils whip out of the animatronic bear attaching themselves to Baby. Grabbing her arms, legs and head and pulling her away from Michael. 

She doesn’t move, frozen as she sees the man before him. How his form flickers. Then she notices the blood. It’s not blood. It’s thick oil. 

This wasn’t some random employee. 

It…it was her brother. 

Mikey?

She whispers trying to pull away but the wraps are far too strong, pulling her backwards. 

“Now!” Charlie shouts as Baby screeches in rage, only for Henry to thrust his tazer right into her back. 

She screams, trying to understand just what was happening looking at the body of her brother. What has she done? 

Her system fries, as the electricity courses through her. It’s painful and she cries out falling forward her eyes still locked on Michael. 

“Elizabeth..” Michael whispers as he grips his stomach, trying to keep his body intact as she stares at him, a hand reaching out, only to power off. Falling limp once more, this time she wasn’t pretending.

Michael can hear the stomps of others, all shouting his name. He feels Henry lift him up, seeing his worried face but he can’t hold on. 

He falls into the abyss, tumbling and crashing into darkness. 

 

…

 

“I knew something was up! I just knew it!” Evan whispers as Charlie slides out of his animatronic shell heading straight for Michael. 

The illusion was completely off, seeing the damage that Baby had done to his hull. She had pierced her ragged claw like hand right into his abdomen, hitting him straight through. 

“Will he be okay?” 

Henry looks up at his daughter, worry clear in his eyes. “I think so. There’s a lot of damage but it didn’t affect the remnant. It’s only his physical form that got hurt. That can be fixed.” 

“And Lolbit?” 

Henry swallows, “I think they’re fine. No doubt trying to fix up the inner workings and make sure there’s nothing damaged in there.” 

Evan stares at the fallen Circus Baby. So this was Elizabeth. He can see that Michael was trying to fix her. That’s why he kept it a secret. “He thought telling us would mean putting her into the labyrinth.” He whispers getting Charlie and Henry to look at him. 

“He wanted to fix her.” 

Charlie sighs, gently touching Michael’s fox-like head. “Oh Mike…why didn’t you tell us? If you wanted to help…” 

“We have to get her in there, before she wakes up. It’s the only option. She proved that she is incapable.”

Evan looks uncomfortable, “She called out for Mikey…” 

“It could be a trick. Look what she did to him.” Henry whispers, feeling more protective than ever. “I’m sorry but I can’t take the risk. More people might get hurt. Ones that we can’t fix.” 

He was talking about the human people that potentially were above them. The children. 

She after all said she was going to receive a gift. A gift the signal promised them. Who knows what she thought it would be, but Henry wouldn’t take any chances. 

“You’re right..” Evan feels terrible for saying it, but they couldn’t risk it. She had to be placed down below. For their safety and hers. 

Henry stands, gently placing Michael in Charlie’s arm. “Let’s do it now, before anything else happens.” 

Evan nods, his mighty form reaching down to pick her up. Holding her like a broken doll against his chest. He follows Henry to the steel door across the room. A large button is pressed and the doors open with a loud hiss. Inside is just darkness, a thick vent-like tube that would reach the labyrinth. 

This was the entrance of the maze. 

He places her down, and gently pushes her down the chute, hearing the metal clank and clamor before hitting the floor below. 

Henry pushes a button and the door shuts, a red light flashing as the mechanism readies. All is good. She is now in the maze. 

“I’m sorry Elizabeth.” Henry whispers before going back to Michael. 

“We need to get him home.”

 

…

 

Michael wakes up on a table, his body is numb once more. He can feel the mechanisms whir and click as the processors fire to life. His eyes flick open with an audible click.  

And he sees his torso is open for all to see. His plastic hull gone, nothing left but the endoskeleton and the gaping hole in between. 

He can’t move, only his head seems to be working. 

Don’t move Mikey we are in quite the situation . 

“Situation?” He croaks, feeling the fear rise. 

No no, I don’t mean a dangerous one. I mean one where we cannot move or else we might damage ourselves. Well, now I suppose that is a dangerous thing. I just mean our little circus murderer is not here. 

Circus murderer? 

“Elizabeth.” Michael whispers in realization. He can’t believe he fell for it. Again. She did it. Again. He felt so stupid right now. 

Don’t feel bad Mikey. You wanted to help. Not everyone is willing to accept that help. You cannot beat yourself up with that. 

“Where am I-we?” He asks instead, not wanting to talk about it. 

We are in Henry’s workshop. He just went out to get his tools. He’s going to fix us up, good as new. Though we will be absent for the dayshift tomorrow. He can’t fix that quickly. 

“And Elizabeth?” 

I don’t know Mikey. They didn’t tell me.” 

“They?”

He doesn’t get an answer, since the door opens and Henry piles in with Evan and Charlie in tow. They all are carrying items that no doubt are to fix Michael up. 

“Oh you’re awake! Thank goodness.” Charlie says slinking towards him with her long arms and legs. She has her hands on her hips looking a bit frustrated. 

He doesn’t blame her. 

“I’m sorry.” Michael blurts out immediately. 

“Why didn’t you tell us you found her?”

He turns his head as all eyes are on him. “I thought…I thought just maybe if I could show you that she is good, that I could fix her…we could let her in and she didn’t have to suffer like the others.” 

Henry sighs, “That was mighty kind of you Michael. But you could have been damaged far worse. If you had told us..” 

“I know..” He whispers, black tears filling up under his plastic eyes. “I know…I just wanted to make one thing right.” 

“You’ve made so many things right Mike,” Charlie whispers. “You saved so many people, helped so many with remnant. You let the children rest.” 

Michael says nothing, and he feels a hand gripping his. It’s Evan. 

“She’s in the maze.”

He nods, understanding why. 

“We’ll keep her safe there. Then she won’t hurt anyone, or herself.” Evan whispers. 

“Thanks. I…I’m so sorry.” 

Evan shakes his head, “I know. I know you didn’t mean to keep it from us. You wanted to help. But…she’s dangerous. She hurt you.” 

“She thought I was someone else.” 

Would she have hurt him if she knew he was her brother? 

“Doesn’t matter, she still hurt someone. What if that had been Stanley? Jeremy? What if you found them like this?” Charlie asks and Michael winces. 

He would have thrown her into the pit, no questions asked. 

“Her remnant is too corrupted. But the fire will cleanse it. It will set her free. Just like the others.” Henry says quietly as he begins to gather his things and work on Henry. 

“Get some rest Mike. We’ll take care of the dayshift.” Charlie says, her hand over Evan’s as they both grip Michael’s hand.

He nods, looking at the wall. His emotions swirling like a stormy sea, crashing and churning within. 

You did all that you could . 

Did he? Or did he just condemn his sister to the same fate his father was getting. 

Did she deserve that? 

He didn’t know, and his mind was too exhausted to think. 

I’m sorry, Elizabeth.

 

…

 

It’s cold, and quiet down below. She’s familiar with it. The metal walls and tight corridors. 

When she wakes up she’s crumpled on the floor, her body laid against the cold metal ground. She lifts her head, eyes illuminating the steel walls. 

“Mikey?” Her voice echoes against the hard surfaces. She’s alone. Again. 

Why did she do that? Her body twitches in her own thoughts. That was her brother. 

Her mind goes back to the surprised look the man had given him. At that moment she was preening in pride, wishing her father was here to see her gut a stupid security guard. 

But then the curtains were pulled, the wool lifted and she saw her own brother in a pool of black liquid. Betrayal written all over his face. 

She feels something tighten in her chest. For the first time in years she feels something that isn’t pain, that isn’t agony or anger. 

It’s sadness. 

What has she done? 

Gripping her face, she pulls back realizing her brother had been fixing her. Michael was trying to put her back together. 

And now, she ruined it. 

All for what? 

She didn’t know. Baby was no longer whispering in her ear. Telling her what to do. She was alone. 

Completely and utterly. 

She curls her large broken body together, and for the first time in a while she weeps. 

I’m so sorry Mikey. 

END OF NIGHT THREE

Notes:

And there it is. Don’t worry this won’t be the last you see of Elizabeth. I have plans. Big plans!

I appreciate all that you do! Hope you enjoyed this chapter and have a good week everyone!

Until next time!

Chapter 60: I'll Be Your Friend, Right Till The End

Notes:

Chapter 60. Holy shit lol. We did it folks. We are nearing the end. Two more nights. Are you ready?

Sorry for the delay, I’m on summer vacation and I just wanted to relax. Writing the dayshift is a little hard for me for some reason, I think it’s because I don’t want to make it boring for you all.

Anyways, here’s the next chapter! Enjoy!!

Stupid. 

He felt so stupid.

Betrayed, backstabbed and all the words that followed. 

He should have known better. Insanity. 

Wasn’t the definition of insanity doing the same thing over and over expecting a different outcome? 

He sure felt insane. 

Michael felt like he had just walked right back into that night. Walked right into her trap. Even got the same treatment. Body scooped right up. 

His entire torso had a giant hole because of that claw. 

Now he just felt sorry for himself. Sitting in the void that was his consciousness, feeling the thrum of remnant trying to fix what was broken. That or it could be Henry working on him. 

He didn’t know, and he was a bit too embarrassed to even show his face to Henry. 

The man had every right to scold him.

He couldn’t believe he did it, again. 

“Oh Mikey.” 

Michael flinches at the sudden appearance of Lolbit, the giant animatronic fox flopping next to him with the sound of plastic echoing his ears. Tail slightly pulled the man closer to him as bright white eyes looked at him. 

“You surely can’t be down in the dumps because of that.” Lolbit’s face is turned into a frown, something only Michael would catch due to the static look of the animatronic. Always seeming so cheerful…

Michael looks the other way, his face in a full scowl. His head buried in his knees as he glared at the void in front of him. 

“You did everything you could, sometimes…you can’t save everyone.” 

Michael clenches his hand, his teeth gritting. “How could I have let her do that? Again.” His voice muffled between the fabric of his outfit. 

Lolbit sighs, gently tapping on the void-like floor, watching the ever flowing electronic throb light up from their touch. “Because you have a heart. Because you're human.”

The young man says nothing so the fox continues. 

“You wanted to believe that there was good left in there. That it wasn’t rotten. I think so too, and I think…she may have made a mistake.” Lolbit says quietly. “You saw the face she made when she noticed it was you.” 

Michael looks at Lolbit, “But what if it was a trick?” 

Lolbit shrugs, “Then we do what we were meant to do. She’s in the labyrinth now. She can’t harm anyone, or herself down there. Maybe, just maybe you can appeal to her from the safety of that office.” 

“I just want to fix it. The one thing I haven’t been able to do. My family is in shambles, and she…she doesn’t deserve that treatment. She deserves the same thing that those kids got.” 

Lolbit gently puts an arm around Michael, the smooth plastic of the animatronic oddly warm to the touch. “I know. And you’ll do anything to help her. But you can’t do that if you put yourself in danger.” 

Michael sighs, his cheek resting against Lolbit’s shoulder. “What am I going to do?” 

“Do what we always do. Keep moving forward. Tomorrow is another day after all. Tomorrow will be better! Henry is working on us, we’ll be up and ready for the nightshift in no time!” Lolbit assures him and Michael can’t help but feel worried. 

“But what if tomorrow isn’t better?” Michael asks quietly, “What if it’s tragedy after tragedy and no one is able to rest?” 

Lolbit looks at him, with an odd expression, as if trying to think of the right words to say. It takes them a moment, finally finding the proper phrase. “Then…we continue to say it. Continue to manifest that tomorrow will be better. Not because of fate, or luck, but because of us.”  

The fox grins, “We’ll laugh at tragedy Mikey. We’ll guffaw and chortle until the pain is nothing more than a dull ache.” 

They almost sound like Henry. 

Michael looks at the animatronic before you, “Who taught you these words? These…wise sayings.” It certainly wasn’t him. 

Lolbit shrugs, a giggle breaking through their system. It causes their shoulders to bob up and down, with their ears tilting back and forth. “Who knows! I’m an enigma.” They beam with pride as they gently nudge Michael, eyes glittering.

“I think it’s being around such beings like yourself.” 

Michael scoffs at that, but he can’t help but smile gently.

“At some point, tomorrow will be better.” Lolbit whispers their words sincere. “I can feel it in my circuits.”  

He can’t help but wish it was true, his mind going back to Elizabeth and how she was suffering just as much as he was. 

Elizabeth was down there, all alone. It was the last thing he wanted for her. But…she did that. It wasn’t him. He had no hand in her acting up like that. 

It couldn’t be his fault. 

But even then, he wasn’t going to give up on her. 

No. 

He knew deep down, Elizabeth was in there. He could feel it. Feel it in his soul, his remnant. 

And he wouldn’t give up. 

Not on anyone. 

Especially his family. 

“Thanks Lolbit,” he finally says to the animatronic who just hums quietly, knowing that the fox was just about his sibling now. His friend.

They needed each other, and Michael appreciated every moment Lolbit was with him.

So he sits, resting in the aether with Lolbit, knowing full well that Henry would pull him out of his daze and settle him back into the real world.

 

…

 

Fixing Mike was easy. Had Henry been honest he would have told everyone that he had backups for backups for all the animatronic, especially for Mike. 

The man had a magnet for trouble, and Henry just knew something may happen to him before the final show. 

And he hated being right. 

Fixing the hull was easy. But the inner parts were a bit complicated. Thankfully the piercing was not completely through the middle, but more coming out of the side, leaving the spine and other parts mostly intact. 

It was just the little things that needed repairing. It wasn’t helpful that the impalement was a jagged one. Her serrated edge going through the plastic-like metal like it was nothing. 

How Elizabeth even got something like that worried him. He wasn’t an idiot. 

He knew that claw was half made of the thing that killed Mike in the first place. 

The scooper. Perhaps the thing that also killed Elizabeth as well. 

A horrible device that Henry didn’t know what William was thinking when he created it. Scooping out animatronic parts?

None of it made sense. 

Why not just open the casing and work from the inside instead of practically torturing your own creations? 

Oh, he knew why. 

Remnant .

The bane of Henry’s existence. 

It fueled him, and everyone he knew close to him. The reason for this all. 

The reason for the fall of his best friend. 

He cursed its existence, he cursed the discovery and the horrible ways to retrieve it. Agony so potent that it made you immortal. 

And children were the best candidates. He despised that. With a burning passion he wished that William never got to even glimpse at the idea of something that could bring his so-called dreams to life. 

But he couldn’t change the past. 

It was futile, for he knew the butterfly wing would beat another way if he tried. 

This was the path destiny chose for them. It was a beaten and rugged one. Covered in sharp thorns and rocky hills. 

He couldn’t count the times he scraped himself on his journey through this hell he called life. 

Henry wasn’t suicidal, but he was tired. 

Tired of seeing his family suffering. Tired of seeing children cry and parents be left without the ones they cherished. 

So he had to be strong, for them. For his family. 

The world was cruel, and he decided he wouldn’t be. 

He would care for the lost, the broken. 

He would grant them rest. 

And then, he too, would rest. 

Henry quietly continues his work, his thoughts clouded and filled with terrible fog, but he continues nonetheless. 

This wasn’t for him. 

This was for Michael. 

The gears click, the wires buzz, and it takes him nearly a full day to get Michael back online. 

For a moment he panics when Michael doesn't immediately turn on, but he knows the thrum of remnant. He knows the throbbing energy that beats like a broken heartbeat. 

Eyelids click open, and Henry stands there. 

Michael doesn’t say anything.

Instead he looks at him and eventually he says. 

“I’m sorry.” 

This surprises Henry, the man immediately sitting down and gently threading his hands through the soft fur of hair that is on top of the rockstar animatronic’s head. 

“Don’t be.” He says quietly, “I am glad you are okay.” 

“Thanks to you. I don’t know-“ 

Henry stops him, shaking his head as he pulls his glasses off to wipe his face. Hiding the fact that fat black tears are starting to spill out of his eyes. This isn’t the first time he’s cried for Michael, and it won't be the last. 

“I’m glad you’re safe, son.” He repeats again, and this causes Michael’s breath to hitch, his clawed fingers twitching as Henry gently takes off the straps that had been holding him down while he worked. 

“Is she..” 

“She’s in the labyrinth.” 

Michael nods, as if he already knows. He expects it. 

Henry looks to the fox as he lifts himself up, sitting up straight, purple plastic hands gripping the table. “How are you feeling?” It’s not the first question on Henry’s mind, but it’s the most important one. 

Michael grits his teeth, the sound of metal grinding makes Henry’s ears cringe but he doesn’t make any moment. It still fascinates him to this day that despite being a large fox animatronic, it’s still Mike. 

His mannerisms, his tone, his voice. 

It’s still him. 

It’s still his godson. 

“I feel dumb. Stupid. A bloody moron.” Micheal’s tone shifts, he only pulls out the british mannerisms when he’s truly stressed or angry. 

Henry just dips his head slightly, allowing Michael to continue. 

“I didn’t mean…I thought-“ 

“I'm not mad Mike. None of us are.” 

This causes Michael to lift his head up, his eyes slightly widening at Henry’s statement. No doubt the man truly believed he was going to get scolded. Going to get yelled and shouted at because he was what? 

Trying to save his sister. 

“If I’m honest, I would have done the same.” Henry admits hearing the rapid blink of Michael’s eyelids. He’s surprised, but Henry is not. “If that had been Charlie…I know I would do anything to try and bring her back to me. Even…if it meant putting myself in danger.” 

Michael just stares at him, and Henry swallows. “But,” This makes Michael wince, ready for the assaulting words. “But, you aren’t alone here anymore Mike. You haven’t been for some time. You can’t…you can’t allow yourself to shoulder all this responsibility. You can’t fill a cup that’s already filled with water. It’s going to overflow and leak everywhere.” 

This causes Michael to scoff, “I can take care of myself. I’m not…I’m not some baby.” 

Henry shakes his head, “Never said you were. But, you have taken care of yourself. You've been so alone…but now we are here. We’ve joined in, and now…we can take care of each other.”

He places a hand on Michael’s arm, gently squeezing it. “I won’t let you waste yourself away when I can help. We all can help.” 

Michael looks at the floor, his hand moving to sit on top of Henry’s. “I know. I…I’m not used to it. But…I…” 

“It’s a learning process. One you’ll have to fight with for a long time I’m sure. We’ll just be here to remind you each and every time.” 

“Thanks Henry.” 

Henry smiles, “Of course. It’s what I’m here for. You’re good as new, so you can get back to your job I know you’re itching to do.” 

Michael nods, “I just have a feeling…that was the start of this. That there’s more to come.” 

“Then we’ll be ready. Together.” 

“Together.”

 

…

 

The day dwindles to an end. The parties lessen, and the children’s laughter fades. Another day done and over with. 

Stanely is dragging chairs out to the middle of the main room, all in a circle as everyone begins to tidy up and ready for the next day. 

He has a plan, and since they have to wait for Mike to come back, might as well do it now. 

Delilah is helping, gently placing the chairs down getting a smile from Stanley. 

“What’s this supposed to be?” Alec asks as he pulls his jacket off. 

Stanley lifts himself to his full height, looking at the younger male. “Well, since we are waiting for the night shift, I figured we might…have a moment to talk. About things.” 

“What things?” Millie questions, a pierced brow raised at him. 

“We’ve all…been through stuff. And I mean a lot of stuff and I think maybe it would be best if we…talked about it.” 

Delilah nods, “It can help. Especially since…it’s a bit hard to tell others since I don’t think anyone would actually believe us.” She didn’t even bother telling others that a haunted doll chased her and nearly caused her to die in a pipe. 

“I think it’s a great idea!” Jeremy chirps sitting down, causing Alec to roll his eyes. 

“You think everything is a great idea.” He mutters but sits down himself, getting Stanley to beam. 

“So what…this sort of a ‘Traumatized by living animatronics’ support group?” Millie asks, still standing a bit unsure. 

Stanley nods, “Yeah. Sort of? It’s just here to talk, to let anything and everything off your chest. I even invited Charlie here too.” 

Millie blinks, “She’s traumatized too?” 

Right, Millie and Delilah only ever  saw her as a human. She wore the illusion disc around them. Alec knew due to his experience but didn’t seem to say anything about it. 

“Yeah. You could say she was one of the first I guess. But that’s her story to tell. She said she’ll drop by later. So for now…it’s just us. Delilah is becoming a therapist after all so it might be good practice.” 

Delilah gives a small noise, “Well…it’s not really good practice to do it with people you are friends with, but I can help in any way I can. As a friend, not a therapist that is.” 

Stanley nods, “Oh, okay that’s fine as well.” 

They all are sitting in the circle, and it’s awkward. The air is tense and no one really knows what to say. Millie is fidgeting with her millions of bracelets, Alec is looking anywhere but at the people around him, and Delilah has her hands in her lap. 

“Ohhkay…um does anyone want to start?” 

Millie looks up at Stanley, “Start with what? What do you want us to say?” 

He looks nervous now that all eyes are on him, “I dunno. Anything really. Anything you’ve been keeping in since it’s hard to talk about this to anyone.” 

Jeremy is first to raise his hand and Stanley deflates happy that his friend was catching onto the signals that someone needed to talk. 

“I can go! What do we just…say what happened?” 

Stanley shrugs, “Whatever you want to talk about Jer.” 

“You know you’re going to regret that,” Millie says with a chuckle getting a pout from Jeremy. 

“Hey! I can be serious.” 

This gets all eyes on him, all looking at him with disbelief. 

“I can! Watch.” 

He takes a deep breath. “I sometimes can’t fall asleep because of what happened. I get images and I go back to that night. It’s hard to sleep because of it. I usually take Benadryl and pass right out when I know I’ll have a bad day.”

This causes everyone to be quiet, they all know that Jeremy is the happy go lucky boy. The day of sunshine. It was almost hard to believe that he too was suffering just as much as they were. 

“Yeah…sleeping is a horrifying idea.” Stanley can’t help but agree. “I got special meds just for it…” 

After all, the last time he fell asleep, he nearly died. 

And his body felt it was always going to happen. “I just keep thinking that if I close my eyes…they’ll be back. Crawling on me.” 

Millie looks uncomfortable, “What even…happened to you guys. If you don’t mind me asking..” 

Jeremy hums, “I got bit by an animatronic called Mangle.” He says gesturing to the large scar on his face. The one that made his eye permanently shut. The scars that travel from his face to the back of his head. “They…went haywire on a night shift. And swung down and chomped right on my head.” 

He touches his face, “I definitely shouldn’t have made it. Or even be functioning the way I am…” 

He’s no idiot. He knows the remnant had everything to do with it. Keeping him from dying. 

Millie looks sick to her stomach. “God. So that was you? Back in the day? Is that…why you still look so young?” 

Jeremy shrugs, “I think so. Mike told me that…it was filled with remnant, you know…the bad stuff and it needed a release. And I guess it was my head.” 

He swallows, “But, I’m glad it wasn’t a kid. I rather it be me, than someone who could have died from the bite. I don’t blame Mangle, I know they were suffering.” 

They all are a bit solemn, the air quiet 

“But! I’m still kicking! That means something right?” 

This causes everyone to give their own chuckles, Stanley shaking his head. “Only you would have such high spirits.” 

“What do you want me to do? Mope? Cry? Pretty sure I’ve made some great friends and had the adventure of my life right now thanks to that animatronic.” 

Delilah nods, “That’s a great outlook to have Jeremy.” 

Jeremy beams, and Stanley nods, “I suppose you're right. Without all this…we wouldn’t be here. I wouldn’t have met any of you.” 

“Or Mike.” Jeremy says and Stan can’t help but snort. 

“Or Mike, definitely would of never interacted with Mike if all this crazy stuff didn’t happen.” It was true Michael was…he was definitely the type of person Stanley stayed far away from. Especially when he first met his friend.

“But, I will say I’m glad I met him. He saved my life.” 

They all nod, “He saved all of our lives..” Millie whispers, pulling her oversized jacket sleeves over her hands. “I hope he’s doing okay.” 

Jeremy and Stanley had told them that he had gotten a little stomach bug, Jeremy thought it would have made Lolbit laugh since…he had been impaled in the stomach. 

“He’ll be fine! Michael always springs back. It’s a family trait I think.” 

Millie raises a brow, but nods. “Oh yeah the whole Emily family thing.” 

“Right…Emily.” Stanley says before shaking his head, “Well thanks Jer for sharing. If you need someone to talk to at the asscrack of dawn I’ll probably be up.” 

“Me too…1:35 always makes me…” Delilah shudders. “I can still hear that doll’s voice sometimes. I have to wear earplugs but it still worms it’s way into my head.” 

They all frown, “Well if it makes you feel better…Mike did set it on fire.” Stanley offers and she gives a faint smile. 

“I guess that’s okay. I still feel bad for the poor thing.” 

“Why? It tormented you.” Millie says with a slight look. “Let them burn.” She knew about Delilah, and how the doll nearly killed her. A giant bear nearly took her own life, so she had a bit of a hatred for these evil animatronics. She hoped they all died in a fire. 

Delilah looks uncomfortable, “I know you had it worse I shouldn’t…” 

“Don’t be sorry for that. Glad someone can have some compassion for these things.” Millie mutters as she leans back against the chair. “It nearly took my head off.” 

“What did?” Alec asks a bit curiously and Millie narrows her eyes. 

“A freaky Freddy. I..decided to hide in it one day. I was being childish and dumb, thinking no one cared for me…and then it trapped me in there and nearly killed me. I would’ve been beheaded if Mike hadn't pulled me out.” Millie explains and Alec’s eyes grow wide. 

“Holy shit.” 

“Yeah.” 

“That’s how Stanley got his scar. He beat the shit out of that thing.” Jeremy gestures to the thin scars that were around Stanley’s eye and temple. 

“More like it beat the shit out of me. Those wires were razor sharp.” 

They all give a collective shudder, and Millie huffs quietly. 

“So what happened to you shrimp?” Millie asks the blond seeing the teenager whip his head with a sneer. 

“I don’t have to tell you.” He says pointing his nose up to the goth.

“Oh his is a real doozy, he got switched with an animatronic!” Jeremy shouts and everyone looks at him. 

“Jer!” Stanley hissed and Jeremy blinks realizing that it wasn’t his story to tell. 

“Oh, oops.” 

“I’m sorry what?! Switched? Like…body swapped??” Millie exclaims looking at Alec in pure horror. That couldn’t be true. There was no way. 

Alec scoots further down his chair looking a little embarrassed. Stanley didn’t blame him, all of these close calls were not something anyone wanted to remember, let alone talk about it. 

“I got better. Obviously.” He says a bit nervously.

“It was a wild case, to say the least.” Stanley says, clearing his throat. “But in the end things turned out fine. Alec is here, and the thing is long gone.”

Millie just looks horrified, “How does that even happen?” 

Stanley shrugs, “I honestly couldn’t tell you, Mike is more of the expert here.” 

“Mike doesn’t talk to anyone.” Millie mutters knowing Stanley meant she wasn’t going to find out if Mike had the answers. She remembers when she first met him, how like a dark prince he saved him. 

But she realized now, Mike definitely wasn’t her type. 

She was just infatuated with the idea of someone saving her from a near death experience. And maybe in her head death still looked like the tall British man with the purple eyes. 

Maybe. 

“Mike…he’s a special case. He’s been busy.” Jeremy says quietly, his hand threading the thick blond strands that were falling into his face.

“Really busy.” A voice piped in and they turned to see Charlie and Lefty stepped into the main room. Charlie had the keys swinging around her hand while Lefty just stared at the group with his odd dead eye look. 

“Don’t worry he’ll loosen up around everyone, he just gets all…scrunched up when he’s around a lot of people.” Charlie explains. Mike wasn’t like that before, but he was just worried about getting close to people. After all…the end was going to be them burning this place to the ground and he felt it wouldn’t be fair to rip their hearts out further. 

Delilah hums, “But we are grateful for him, and everyone here. For helping us. Without you all…” 

“We wouldn’t be here.” Millie finished while Alec nodded. 

“Well this place wouldn’t be here either if it weren’t for you guys, so let’s call it even.” Charlie grins sitting down quietly. “Did I miss anything?” 

“No, we just got started.” Stanley hums, “Did you have anything you wanted to say?” 

Charlie looks around, thinking quietly. “There’s so much that…I can’t really find the words. I..it’s been so long since I’ve been around people. Around friends I can count on.” She whispers gently, gripping her long braid. 

“Things were rough, and have been rough for what seems like ages.” And it was ages. She had been wandering for so long, trying to find every piece of the puzzle that Afton placed, only to find dead end after dead end. 

“But…I’m here now. We’ve got something great, and you guys are great. I…seriously can’t thank you enough. All of you. For taking care of Mike, my dad…me.” 

Stanley smiles, “Of course, we are here for you Charlie.” 

Everyone nods in agreement and this makes Charlie smile. 

“For once, I feel…like a normal kid. And…I feel happy.” 

It feels bittersweet but she doesn’t care. These people felt like she was her friend, and she could rely on them. 

It hurt her deeply that she would probably never see them again once this was all over, but…it had to be done. 

“Do you guys…want to hear some silly stories about Mike?” 

“Do I!” Jeremy just about jumps out his chair with wide eyes and they all laugh nodding in agreement.” 

 

…

 

He was working again, the day was rainy and Michael was ready for the next shift. He was prepared for the worse. Ready to deal with whatever fate had in store for him. 

Henry offered to stay the night and Michael didn’t refuse. He knew that he couldn’t do this alone, and it probably would be better to have Henry on standby just in case something did happen. 

They open the door and see that everyone was in a circle giggling and laughing. 

“Mike!” Jeremy stands up with everyone soon following. “You’re better!” 

Michael can’t help but give a shaky grin, “Y-yeah. Just a little bug. Nothing too serious. Did…did I worry you all or something?” 

“Nah we’d know you’d pull through. We’ve just been chatting.” 

Michael looks at the circle and raises a brow, “What, is this the Fazbear Entertainment Support Group?” He jokes and they all look at each other before laughing along. Mike’s voice the loudest out of the bunch. 

“Well, I should get going. I got a test tomorrow. Did you need a ride Alec?” Delilah asks as she grabs her purse, Alec shakes his head. 

“Stan’s gonna drive me home so I’m good.” He says with smile, getting up as well. 

“Thanks for the chat guys, it felt good.” Charlie tells them, surprised when Millie reaches up for a hug. She gently wraps her arms around the smaller girl leaning a bit into the embrace before letting go. 

“Bye guys. Bye Mike.” Millie waves and Michael gives a wave of his own watching them all shuffle out of the pizzeria ready to allow the night shift to take over. 

He looks to Charlie who stands there gripping her arm, “Good talk?” 

“Huh? Oh, yeah. A great talk even. They…they’re really good friends Mike.” 

“Yeah. Yeah they are.” 

END OF DAY FOUR

Notes:

Look at that they’re all bonding. I really enjoyed this chapter and I hope you did too. Get ready for Night 4 Baby!! I have some tricks up my sleeve haha.

Until Next Time Byeeee!!

Chapter 61: No Fun Times Today

Notes:

Another chapter! I am hoping things still make a bit of sense with this one. Ima be real it’s hard to write with what is given to us in pizza sun. Gotta twist things a bit to fit what I want to happen.

But hopefully all is going smoothly lol. I start work in a couple days but I am DETERMINED to have this fic done before this year ends.

Only two more chapters to go people.

Get ready.

The walls were cold, metal all around. Just sheets of metal on every surface. All the same, not a single thing looked out of place. No distinguishing features that would allow her to figure out just where she was. It seemed redundant to start wandering so she laid on the floor, her eyes flicking back and forth slowly. The loud audible clicks echo the room as she thought for the first time in years. 

It was almost as if she was suddenly aware. Suddenly she was awake and suddenly she knew. The fog finally lifted and now she was alive. Pulled out of the webs that trapped her, and now she could think. 

She was awake. She was real. 

It has been years, years without fully being in control. This sudden rage now trickled away and made her sick to her stomach. Was this what a coma felt like? Or was this far worse? 

Her body jerks forward as more ichor spills out of her chest. This horrible thick fluid expelling out, as if she had consumed something that immediately was being rejected from her system. 

Maybe it was all the bad feelings now suddenly being expelled from her. 

All the terrible things that made her do equally terrible things. 

Elizabeth finally rises, as a sob rattles out of her throat. Her wires and plates tremble as she grips the side of the wall, the only thing keeping her steady. Wet handprints smear against the sleek metal, but it doesn’t stay for long dribbling down to the floor and catching onto the metal grates below. 

Her steps echo the thick halls, constantly twisting and turning. She doesn’t know how long she’s been moving, how long she’s been walking. 

It feels like eternity. 

“Mikey?” She calls out, but no one answers. 

He won’t ever come to you now .

The voice whispers in her ears and she twitches, black liquid splattering to the floor. A giggle rises within, the voice switching from her own. It’s lower, more mature than her own. 

She imagines this is what her voice would have sounded like, had she grown up properly. 

She shakes her head, trying to stop Baby from grabbing control. She was strong, but not strong enough to completely expel Baby from her thoughts. 

You can’t get rid of me that easily Lizzie. I’m always here. I’m here to help you…

Baby’s voice croons, she can nearly feel the cold hand touch her cheek. The voice like honey and sweet to the ears. 

But she knew better. 

Elizabeth shudders, knowing now that maybe she wasn’t right. Maybe she was wrong this whole time. 

Father would be so pleased, if we find the gift that waits for us.

Gift? 

What gift? 

There was no present for her. 

She’s been…so horrible. Why would she ever recieve something like a gift?

But Baby continues to whisper in her ear, it’s quieter now. She’s coherent, she’s alive. 

And she chooses to ignore Baby. For the first time in a long time.

Elizabeth was in control now. 

 

…

 

She wanders, and wanders. The buzzing in her head is softer now. The more she moves, the clearer her head becomes. 

The worst part of it all, is she sees is her brother with every step she takes. . The betrayed look on his face when she slammed her mighty claw into his stomach. 

He wouldn’t have survived that. 

She killed him. 

No. 

No this wasn’t the first time. 

You won’t die. 

Elizabeth reels back, her body ramrod straight remembering more now. That day. Baby was certain it was her father. Certain that he was the key. The key to leaving and being happy. 

And they killed him. 

They…scooped him. 

The sound echoes her ears, the squelching of her brother’s flesh as the claw rakes his insides out. And she just stood there, the sickening glee rising within her. 

Blood licking at her feet, her brother's eyes wide with panic, betrayal. 

We’ll take your place inside you.

What has she become? 

Elizabeth looks down at her hands, seeing a rusted clawed hand welded together all by herself with the help of Baby. Clawed, sharp and ready to slice. One a giant weapon fused onto her. 

We did this. 

Baby whispers. 

He’ll be so proud. 

Proud? 

Who?

Daddy. 

Daddy….

“Now my dear, look, just for you. Her name is Baby, but she isn’t finished, you mustn’t touch her.”  

She remembers how happy she was. How excited that her father made something for her . How she wanted to play and have fun with it. After all this horrible sadness finally something brings her joy. 

But father wouldn’t let her play with her. Wouldn’t let her see the creation that was made for her. It wasn’t fair. It just wasn’t fair. 

Until one day, she sneaked off. Angry and crying because Mikey wouldn’t listen and he was being a jerk. They all were being jerks. 

But she, she would be her friend. Right? 

So she entered her room, seeing the gorgeous red and white outfit. The smiling blue eyes and pretty painted face. Just like the little dolls her mum used to give her. 

And she offered her ice cream. Her favorite. 

Reaching for the cone, and then snap! 

Blood splattered everywhere as a claw gripped at her stomach. She screamed and cried as the claw pulled her in at such speed everything went dark so fast. 

And then…she was in the dark. In the cold room, a voice was whispering to her. Guiding her, helping her. 

She was Baby, and Baby was her. 

They were one. 

Her claw clicks as she looks down at herself once more. No longer the pretty circus clown, but this horrible mess of wires and cables, shrapnel put together just enough that she could walk and somewhat function. 

She was always good at tinkering. 

Just like her father. 

Her father. 

She thinks back to the moments now that the haze is slightly lifted. Back to when she tried to communicate that she was here, that she was alive. 

But he continued to torture her and her friends. 

“Why?” Her voice echoes the dark halls, she didn’t understand and didn’t know what to think. Everything was crashing down on her and she felt terrible. 

Another splatter of liquid fills the air, she’s left a trail of the stuff by now. 

At least maybe this would be a marker for where she’s been. 

Not wanting to make her head hurt even further she continues forward. 

Maybe she’ll find a way out, and find Mikey. Maybe. 

 

…

 

She feels like she’s been walking for hours now. Every now and then look around only to find more and more corridors. Just long hallways that dip and turn into each other 

Elizabeth feels trapped, much like she did when she was underground with her friends. 

“Mikey…help me.” She whimpers, her head silent now that Baby was ignoring her. 

She always gave her the silent treatment when she didn’t like anything Elizabeth was doing. 

It felt odd, but Elizabeth didn’t really want to hear Baby right now. She just kept confusing her. Her voice making it hard to think. Was she wrong? Or was she just as lost as Elizabeth was.

She didn’t know who to trust. 

“Elizabeth?” 

Her thoughts stall, as another voice travels through the walls, through the vents. She whips around expecting someone to be behind her, but there’s nothing but steel and cold walls. 

It’s her brother, Michael, calling for her. Somewhere. 

She doesn’t know if it’s a trick so she stays still, pausing as she leans towards the source of the sound. Her body twitching slightly. 

“I…I know you’re in there. I know you like to pretend. You’ve gotten me a couple times with your tricks.” There’s a soft huff that follows, not quite a laugh, not quite a sigh. 

She looks to the floor, guilt flooding her system. How many times was it now? 

“But, I’m here to say I’m sorry. I…I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you. I’m sorry I couldn’t save you. I was a shitty brother, and you’ve suffered for so long.” His voice is shaking through the walls, trembling with guilt, sadness. 

Michael was apologizing to her? 

Micheal never apologized. He always stayed angry and would die on the hill he created. He never admitted to being wrong. 

Just like father. 

But she could hear the sincerity in his voice. He was being genuine, serious. 

“It’s almost over. The time is near, and I’ll make sure you don’t suffer anymore. If you’re even still in there.” Determination rises with syllables. He’s making a promise. One he intends to keep. 

I’m here she wanted to scream, but something kept her silent. As if she was waiting for him to say something important. If she made her presence known, he might do something. 

He might get angry and leave. 

“I’ll take care of you. And I’ll put you back together. The way I intended to in the first place. That way father can never hurt you again.” 

This confuses her. Why would father hurt her? 

But then again, why did Baby kill her? This was no accident. A machine with a giant claw in her stomach was not meant to just grab children. 

Something sinister hits her, and she realizes that maybe…

Maybe she has been wrong this whole time. 

 

…

 

Michael sighs, as he pulls away from the vent, closing the shutters on the thing quietly. 

He didn’t get a response from her, and honestly he didn’t expect her to reply. The clicking of the printer could be heard as he looked at Helpy watching the little guy move flyers from one place to another. 

It gives a low chirp to Michael, stopping it’s job to stare at him with those big blue eyes. 

“I don’t know Helpy. I don’t know,” He says honestly, the little animatronic asking if he was okay. He wasn’t. His insides were in knots and he felt like he was entering a haze. 

“I’m going to get some more paper…I’ll be back.” He says hoping this errand would clear his head. 

He resists the urge to enter the labyrinth. Resists breaking down the walls to find his sister. He couldn’t ruin this. He couldn’t be stupid. 

He already had one strike on his ledger for this job. 

Michael wouldn’t jeopardize his family’s fate because he wanted to play the hero. 

So he climbs the ladder, the rest of the pizzeria crew gone after Michael assured them that he would be fine. Promised that he would send a text every hour to show that he was okay. 

Evan was patrolling the place, he could feel his eyes on him when he stepped out of the office. This large bear just standing down the hall. 

“Just grabbing some flier paper..” He says as he heads towards the little supply closet they had. Trying to show that he was working and not wallowing in his own pity. 

“You okay?” 

Michael pauses, the door ajar as he grips the wood. “Everyone keeps asking that.” He grits his teeth, feeling like everyone always asked him that. Like he was always the one getting emotional, messing things up so they had to come and check on him. 

Make sure he wasn’t going to fuck things over. 

“I think it’s a good question to ask right now.” Evan’s voice echoes the hall, the half lidded look giving a creepy vibe. More so than ever. Something was off, but Michael couldn’t tell what. 

Maybe he was just not on his game. 

“I…I’m doing the best I can.” He finally says, leaning against the wood. “Why does everything crumble at my touch Evan?” 

Evan looks to the floor, and Michael shakes his head grabbing what he needs. “Nevermind, I shouldn’t even say this shit to you. You’ve had it just as bad as I have. Perhaps even worse.” 

“This isn’t a competition.” Evan states firmly, “I’m not in a race to see who suffers more Mikey.” 

Michael winces, his head dipped. “Yeah.” He shouldn’t be saying any of this, especially to his little brother. 

“Henry…he says it’s okay to feel like the world’s against you…because sometimes it is. But we have to get up. Tomorrow is another day.” 

Tomorrow. 

“We can do this….I…I can feel things are coming to a close. Don’t you sense it? He’s coming.” 

Michael looks to Evan, his blue eyes hitting purple. “I know.” 

He felt it too. The crawling sensation that suffocated him. 

Father was coming. 

“I left Helpy down there. I should finish this up and then-“ 

He doesn’t get to finish his sentence when there’s a mighty crash outside. The sound of garbage cans toppling over is loud in his ears, causing him to stand to his full height eyes wide. 

Even Lefty’s eyes look surprised as they both glance towards the back door. 

“Something’s here.” Evan whispers cryptically. 

“You go in the back. I have to get this.” Michael says immediately hitting the button on his neck, his form shifting shuddering to a different person. 

A man with a bear mask and a yellow and blue outfit, much like the pizzeria employee outfits the others wore. 

“Okay. Be careful. I’ll be here.”

“If I don’t come out before 6 AM…then somethings wrong.” Michael states making sure that Evan knew that this was his hand being outstretched, that he was asking for help in the most older brother way possible. 

Evan just nods, and Michael walks down the hall. Had he had a heartbeat, it would be thrumming in his ears. Pumping loud as he reaches for the door. 

The door swings open, the rain once again falling. 

He turns on the back light and sees it. 

Twisted wires are wrapped around garbage, looking more like barbed wire than metal string. Tubbing and cables warped around and immediately Michael knew what it was. 

Funtime Freddy. Ennard. The entity that created a mess for him. 

It was here. 

He steps down, seeing the collapsed form of Ennard. But it’s different. It’s deformed, warped and almost…molten plastic. It’s indescribable, he sees Freddy, but on one side of the bear’s cheek, Funtime Foxy’s broken head is attached, melted onto the worn plastic, and on the other Ballora’s top half is there. 

Molten Funtime. 

He can hear the trembling in Lolbit’s voice. If one thing scared them, it was their brethren. 

They merged as Ennard, but found the scraps of their other pieces and meshed them together. 

Without any hesitation Michael begins his job again, this time he doesn’t waste any time. 

He doesn’t give them a chance, going down the procedure like clockwork. He can see the thing clicking and twisting under it’s seat as the garbled noise escapes the recorder. 

In a flash Michael is quick to shock them, feeling no remorse, no mercy. 

This thing killed him, hurt his sister, and hurt his friends. 

He didn’t want a repeat. He couldn’t allow himself a repeat. 

So he gathers all the wires and tosses it down the chute without a second thought. 

“Now it’s really showtime. Father…I know you’re coming. If it’s here…then you’re next.” Michael whispers once the door shuts.

Now the shift truly began. 

 

…

 

It’s silent in the office. Unnervingly so. 

Michael is shaking his leg as he busies himself with work for tomorrow. They had some things to do before the shift ended. 

But the potential threat that lurked below the surface was making his anxiety rise and skyrocket into the air. 

Constantly checking each vent, making sure he had some of the audio cues play, trying to lure the thing far far away from him. 

He could hear the scraping of metal, and  giggling and whispers that followed. It was alive and on the hunt. 

Looking for him. 

He didn’t know if the Molten Funtime knew him, or just was sick in the head ready to kill anything in its way. He assumed it was the last one, considering Millie’s story. 

Michael lifts one of shudders of the vent, peering through the darkness only to slam it shut when he hears cackling down the hall. 

"Thanks for letting me join the pa-a-arty, I-I'll try no-ot to disappoint..."” The entity crooned, the sound mostly Funtime Freddy’s horribly warped voice. “Come out, come out wherever you a-are~”

 “I'm ev-ever so bored..” 

The tone shifts and Michael recognizes it easily. Lolbit and Funtime Foxy nearly had the same voice, despite Lolbit never truly wishing to admit it. They were practically twin animatronics. Just one was scrapped and left to rot while the other was constantly shocked, tortured and scooped.

Both were not treated kindly. 

Michael had to stop himself from feeling bad for the Funtimes. 

He couldn’t crack under pressure. This was dangerous to hold such a creature down here. If it even got loose…it would be a disaster and all their hard work would be for nothing. 

“D-do let us i-in.” 

Ballora’s voice is soft and quiet, different from the others. Sure it’s just as garbled but she always seemed the one to have the most sense. 

She was, after all, based on their mother. 

There was no denying it. She was a ballet dancer and so was his mother. It was her voice speaking to him. Just twisted and warped like the rest of William’s designs. 

He was happy his mother didn’t suffer the fate that the rest of them did. 

“Wha-what is this m-magnificent place? Is there a prize at the end of this ma-maze? Or j-just a stupid little nightguard that’s in w-wa-waaay over his head?” The Molten One cackles, the sound piercing Michael’s ears. 

He refuses to speak, letting the damn thing talk all it wanted. 

It couldn’t escape. Sure it could find the office he was in, but Michael would not allow it to leave this structure. Henry made sure that only the crew could get out and leave. Some sort of high tech thing that he designed. All of them had finger pads after all. It made sense. 

“Surprised that everything’s coming together. One big party. One big final show. The curtain’s calling. I have to take my final bow.” 

Michael shakes his head, continuing his task, as he hears the thumping of metal against the vents. He presses a button, the echo of a child calling out further away and the sound of wires scraping as the molten Funtime races to the alert. 

Still falling for the same tricks. 

“When we fi-find you, and we w-will, we’ll string you up and show you off to dear ol Henry. I bet he’d love another nightguard’s blo-blood on h-his withered hands. Hehehe.” 

This makes  Michael’s blood boil, gripping the pen so hard it snaps, ink splattering against his face and hand. He grits his teeth and Helpy looks at him concerned. 

A few more hours of this, then he could leave and let the damn thing talk to itself. 

But Elizabeth was there. 

Damn it. 

He didn’t know how he felt about Ennard, now Molten Funtime, wandering around potentially finding his sister and who knows what would happen. 

They’d probably gang up like before and try to kill him. 

Just like old times. 

Michael hissed, but knows it’s all he can do. Elizabeth made that choice, even if it was Baby he know part of her was still lashing out. Still wanting to be in father’s good graces. 

Still attached to the idea that father would love her the way he did before Evan died. 

His thoughts were pierced by a laugh, a laugh far too close to the upper vent that was just slightly above the computer he was at. 

Michael steps back his hand slamming over the button to shut the vent, but a clawed wired hand grabs it, lifting it up slowly. The man attempts to press it down only to get the error button sound over and over again. 

Shit. 

Shit!! 

"Knock kno-o-ock, I'm here!"

The vent door slams open, as thick wires attach themselves to the metal walls, somehow able to stick like a spider’s web. 

A slithering being slips from the cracks, this amalgamation of wires, parts and tubes. He can see plastic eyeball parts intermixed in the wiring all staring at him as the creature slides it’s way out of the vent. 

“We-well hello there! Mister shocks!” The thing greets and Michael holds to taser hard in his hand, the thing too high up for even him to reach. Thankfully the door above was sealed tightly. 

“Fuck right off. I have a taser and I will use it!” 

“Tsk tsk you night guards are always so-soooooo trigger happy!” The thing whines. “Come on I just want to have some fu-fuuuun!”

Michael glares, “If you don’t get back in the damn vent you’ll know the real definition of fun. Which is 50,000 volts, bitch.” 

Molten Funtime starts to laugh, going from a giggle to a guffaw and he knows it’s Funtime Foxy doing the action. Lolbit had the same laugh. 

“Aren’t you a livewire!” The thing exclaims, head moving in a complete 180, each time it takes the head shifts to the proper owner of the voice so the husk of Funtime Foxy was staring right at him. 

“You remind me of someone dear, I do miss him. You think he’s here?” 

“The only person is me.” He doesn’t talk about Helpy, who is pretending to be an action figure on his desk. Smart little thing. Was this not a dangerous situation, he would be so proud of his little guy. 

The thing hissed, curling up into a ball of wires holding its place in the corner of the room. “Boo you’re no fun!” 

“Exactly. So get the fuck back into the vents and I won’t have to set this thing off.” Why did he take the one that didn’t shoot the prongs? 

He had to be in close range with this one. Stupid stupid! 

“I don’t think we will. After all, it's been a loooong time since I had a chat. Especially with an official nightguard. I’m in the presence of royalty!” The sarcasm is like venom dripping out of that horrid mouth of theirs. 

“If I’m royalty, then you better listen to what I say.” He remarks, playing along with the entity’s little game. 

“Haah! That’s not how it works sweetheart. Unless you’re the cold stone himself I won’t do such a thing.” 

Cold stone. Really? 

Michael narrows his eyes, though he doubted the thing could see it considering his illusion made him wear a mask. 

“What’s with this odd get-up anyways? You're a little weirdo huh? The old man must be desperate.” 

“It’s all a part of the uniform.” Michael fires back, not wanting the funtimes to be speaking ill of Henry. 

“I’m just here for my gift cupcake. I know what lies ahead.” 

Michael swallows, “Well I don’t have it, so you’ll just have to wait. The party doesn’t have all the guests.” 

This causes the machine to twirl a bit, “Ohoho! So we are having a celebration. A little get together. Let me guess…a family reunion. I’m not letting him get our prize.”

He needs to stop talking, he couldn’t reveal everything to this creature. Who knows what they would do. 

“Then behave and maybe you’ll get yours before whoever this ‘him’ is.” He knows who exactly it is. William Afton. 

The Molten Funtime whines, “Why can’t we work together on this?” 

“Because you’re a nut job that’s made out of wires and plastic.” 

“I’ve had enough of your talk! Time to die, nightguard!” The thing hissed obviously not happy with the jab to its appearance. Wires launch themselves out and Michael is quick to dodge, but there’s only so much room in this tiny space. He had to be careful. 

“Do stay still! I’d love to see you squirm while I crush you to death!” 

The entity flies from one corner to the next, wires whipping at him as they attempt to try and grab Michael. Thankfully the man isn’t unprepared, and dealt with this sort of thing often so his reflexes were sharp. 

Molten Funtime gives out a frustrated shriek, flipping over to show Ballora’s empty face open up and show the bits of her endo skeleton head still there. They swing closer and immediately Michael uses it as his opening to attack. 

Michael thrusts his taser hard into the face of the creature, getting it to scream in pain, flying backwards into its corner. 

It stuns them for a bit leaving Michael to try and shove it back into the vent with the broomstick that was left in the corner of the office. 

“You little brat!” It screamed once the shock finally got through it’s system grabbing the broom with such force that Michael can't hold onto it and it flies across the room almost hitting Helpy and the computer. 

Michael steadies himself, watching the creature look like a writhing pile of snakes, it’s plates rattling rapidly. “You’ll be dead before your shift is over.” It hissed ready to launch itself onto Michael.

“I don’t think so.” 

Another voice breaks through, and Michael sees a claw reach from one of the vents grabbing onto a wad of wires. 

Elizabeth?

The Funtime screeches in pain, as the claw yanks it further against the wall, it’s practically floating in the air due to Scrap Baby’s strength. 

“What are you doing you traitor! We are on the same side!” 

“Not anymore.” 

Her hand reaches forward, both claw and hand gripping onto the wires as she just about tosses the Funtime entity into the vent. 

“Helpy now!” Michael shouts and the little animatronic gives a salute before falling onto the vent button watching it shut on the Molten Funtime, some of the wires getting cut off and he can hear the screams of the creature as it slides down the vent back into the labyrinth. 

Michael pants heavy, watching the claw and hand pull away and quickly moves to the vent. “Wait! Elizabeth!” 

It stops, “Mikey?” 

“No, please don’t say my name. They can’t know I’m here. We have to keep this a secret.” 

There’s a pause and Michael can hear the gears click and churn and the voice is barely a whisper.

“Why?” 

Michael winces as his stomach drops, he feels terrible but he can’t tell her. He can’t when the Funtime abomination could be listening. 

“I…can’t tell you. But know this-” 

The claw moves back even more and Michael in a desperate action goes on top of the chair to try and get his sister. 

“Wait! No Elizabeth please!” He begs trying to grab her hand but she’s too fast. He peers inside the vent. 

But inside the vent there’s nothing. Nothing but black ooze that is slightly dripping out of the metal vent. She was gone. 

Michael sighs, hitting his head on the wall. “Damn it!” 

Helpy chirps a low tune and the man slides down from his spot sitting down on the chair. “Fuck!” He shouts banging on the table which causes the poor little animatronic to nearly topple over but it catches itself. 

“Sorry.” Michael winces, “Damn it. I fucked up.” 

“She probably thinks I hate her…” 

Helpy soothes its creator, gently rubbing his arm. 

“I know. She did help. But she’s trapped in there and couldn’t even explain myself.” 

“Elizabeth…I’m so sorry.” 

END OF NIGHT FOUR

Notes:

Is Elizabeth good? Bad? Who knows? Mike’s losing his goddamn mind and Helpy’s being…well helpful lol

Hope ya like the chapter! And like Molten Freddy’s new design, felt it wasn’t fair that the rest of the funtimes take the backseat while Funtime Freddy got the spot light. They all deserve to be a crazy mess of wires lol

Until Next Time my friends!

Chapter 62: It’s Bright New Day…

Notes:

Hooo boy. I am so sorry for the wait. I had this chapter in the works for months man. I’m still working on it one part has me ripping my eyeballs out for some reason.

But I put a poll on tumblr if you guys wanted the full final dayshift in one chapter, or spilt it up for two chapters.

Y’all voted to split it so here I am.

Delivering the part I had finished for a long ass time.

Hope you enjoy!

Metal squeals under the tangle of wires that scrape against the cold walls. Like nails on a chalkboard, digging into the material and nearly leaving terrible marks from the whipping cords. 

A low growl escapes the creature as wires wrap around a metal hand, pulling the other being closer to them. 

“Tr-tr-traitor!” It screams sparks flying from its damaged hull. “Tra-traitor trait-or tra-a-a-itor!” It’s voice is broken, damaged as the words just about squeal out of their broken voice box. 

How was it still working after all these years? No doubt the remnant bubbling within, keeping the wires and scattered souls working. 

“Enough.” The cold voice echoes back to it, not moving as two colored eyes stared back at Molten. She doesn’t pull away, nor does she show any fear behind those eyes of hers.

One a bright green, the other, a light pink. 

“I ha-had him and you let hi-i-i-m go!” The Funtime entity wails, parts of it twitching and thrashing like live snakes were attached instead of the mass of wires and tubes. It’s almost like it’s throwing a temper tantrum. 

“Don’t be stupid,” She snaps back. “It’s all a part of the plan.” She doesn’t dare to show how scared she is, or how worried they might see right through her. 

She’s been with this crew for years, so she knew how to play into their clawed hands. 

Her words cause them to stop their tantrum, staring at her with glowing white eyes. 

She’s lying, but they don’t need to know that. Elizabeth was in charge now, and she wasn’t going to let Michael get hurt. Even if Baby was upset with it. But Baby wouldn’t say no to Elizabeth. 

They both knew that. 

“Ex-explain.” It hissed and Elizabeth rolls her eyes. 

“It’s called being a double agent.” She explains, the lies rolling off her tongue. She was good at it. Good at playing pretend. 

It’s the gift of our father  

Baby croons and she can’t help but agree. 

Father was always good at lying. 

It was something that was passed down to her, and perhaps all of her siblings had the gift of fibbing. They all had their ways of twisting the truth, convincing the other to believe in whatever they had to say. 

“We pretend. We want to be saved, and then…when their guards are down…we attack.” She says with a hum, her voice sickly sweet. “After all, there’s a gift for us.” 

“Y-y-you felt it too didn’t yo-o-o-u? He’s coming.” The thing hissed out and Elizabeth felt deep down a shudder travel up her spine. Was it from Baby, or from herself? 

He's coming.

Father. 

He’s truly coming, there wasn’t much time left. If she could keep the funtimes away…or perhaps even get them on her side. 

They hated him more than anything. After all he had tortured them, shoved souls and agony into them and caused their sentience to be nothing but a miserable existence 

Programmed to play with children at first, only to prey on children after the demented man decided he wanted to play God with his discovery of remnant. 

“Father won’t be receiving this gift,” she says carefully, her eyes glowing as the creature looks at her almost captivated by the glow. “ We are going to receive it. He can’t win.” 

Elizabeth doesn’t know who’s talking at this point, her, or Baby. Baby had an odd relationship with her father, it mirrored her own but was slightly tainted. But she seemed to want this ‘prize’ that was promised to them when they arrived. 

To the point she would be willing to betray her own creator.

She could use that to her advantage.

The animatronic clicks and groans, processing the command Elizabeth gave him. She found that she had the ability to command others, like a siren. And most followed willingly. How do you think she was able to trick Michael into following her? 

Remnant brought gifts, beautiful gifts for the ones who deserve it. 

And she deserved it. 

“What’s the plan then?” 

“We wait, and when he comes, and he will…We strike. Together.” 

“What a beautiful plan darling. It is so good to have the gang back together for one final encore.” 

Elizabeth hums, her eyes cast downward for just a moment. “It will be. And..I’m sorry. For all that…” 

This causes the funtimes to blink, all eyes embedded in the wires looking at her. The thing shudders a bit, surprise all over their terrible face. 

“We just wanted to be free.” It said quietly. “We want to be let go.” 

“And you will. I promise.” 

“Don’t make promises you can keep, little Afton.” A soft snarl escapes them, going back to the manic state they were once in. 

Elizabeth says nothing, as it slinks away no doubt to try and find an exit. She didn’t bother telling them it was no point. She would wait, and when father came…she would help Michael make sure that whatever plan they had, it would not be ruined.

Something told her this was the end. The final show, and her father was the final person to enter the stage before they could start. 

She would be ready, as would the Funtimes. 

 

…

 

Morning came and the shift was over, traveling back up to the pizzeria, Michael’s mind was going a mile a minute. Elizabeth was there and she saved him. It had to mean something right? 

It had to mean that she was worth saving. 

But how? 

He couldn’t just go into the labyrinth. Michael knew the schematics, he knew the plan. You weren’t supposed to leave. 

But he was willing to figure out a plan. To get Elizabeth out of there and make sure William Afton burned in hell. 

Until then he would have to wait. Slowly returning to the dark corner of his mind while Lolbit booted up and prepared himself for the day. 

Made things easier for Michael, he could think and be uninterrupted by any distraction. His mind was going a mile a minute, trying to piece together a plan that didn’t ruin everything. If he had to go facing the labyrinth himself just to save his sister, he would. He would get her out of there. 

Just when the time was right. 

He just hoped he wasn’t making a huge mistake by doing so. 

 

…

 

The day went on as normal. Children and adults having fun, laughing and playing as the pizzeria was bursting with guests. 

It was no surprise how many people were here, the Fazbear name had the town in a chokehold. The people enjoyed the weird animatronics that just seemed so real and alive. 

If this was a different situation, everyone would be happy for its success. Happy that the name of Freddy Fazbear might be redeemed after all that’s happened. 

But that wasn’t the case.

The roller rink was thrumming with music, black lights lighting up Rockstar Lolbit’s purple and orange paint, practically glowing in the lights. They were having a great time, at this moment showing off their new techniques on the skates Henry had provided them. 

That is, until a familiar animatronic makes his way to the sidelines, waving down Lolbit. This was a surprise to them, considering the animatronics weren’t usually meant to roam about. 

Breaking away from the children, Lolbit skates to the deep red fox, the bird squawking loudly. “My dearest friend!” Lolbit called as they slid to a stop. 

“Good ta see ya mate!” Rockstar Foxy shouted over the loud music. 

“What can I do for you? Why are you not at the kiddies cove?” 

Foxy looks a bit worried, eyes darting back and forth and you can hear the clicks of his machinery. “I am afraid there is something wrong. We lost a kiddo in the ball pit. We need…” 

“You need Mikey.” 

“Aye.” 

Lolbit sighs, knowing that the man was still recovering after last night. “Let me get off these skates and I’ll meet you at the Cove.” 

“Aye aye!” The fox salutes and clambers out of the roller rink heading back to the children’s area where he resided once the band would be finish doing their little numbers. 

The green parrot flutters behind him and Lolbit sighs. There were no breaks for poor Mikey. They could feel the deep sleep their psychic roommate was in and they hated that they had to jostle the poor lad up.

So they skate backstage popping off the rollerskate attachments and glances at the star shaped mirror. 

“I am terribly sorry Mikey, but we have a situation at the ball pit that requires your service.” With that they recede back into the core of the animatronic and pull Micheal to the front. 

Lolbit’s body slackens for a moment, as if powered off, but soon suddenly jerks awake, white eyes suddenly shifting to a bright purple. Clicks of the eyelids can be heard as they look around. 

“Lolbit!” Michael breathes trying to gather his bearings. “A little warning would be nice.” The demeanor of the fox changes completely, as he runs a hand through the thick tuff of hair on his head. 

So sorry! You’re needed in Kid’s Cove. We have a missing child.

This causes Michael to stiffen. Shit. 

“Where’s Henry?” 

Usually he was the man to take care of everything. 

I believe he is out on an errand. 

“Great.” Michael mutters, reaching for his bow tie and twisted it, activating the normal illusion disc and headed to Kid’s Cove. 

His worse enemy. Children. 

The door opens and he’s relieved to see that it’s been cleared. All that’s there is Foxy who is leaning over the large ball pit edge, with Delilah digging through the balls. 

“Ah! Thar be the cap’n himself!” Foxy shouts and the man can’t help but give a small grin to the red fox. 

“Hey Foxy, Delilah.” Michael greets, getting the young woman to lift her head, her thick curls flying everywhere. 

“Oh! Michael! I’m so sorry to bother you, we had a party and I was counting the children and ones missing. The last time they were seen it was in the ball pit.” 

Michael steps closer peering into the multicolored balls. “It can’t be that deep right? A kid couldn’t just…disappear like that.” 

Delilah bites her fingernail, “That’s what I assumed as well, but I don’t know where else he could be!” 

“Yar I saw the wee lad fall into the pit after another child pushed ‘im.” Foxy states as the bird squawks in agreement. 

“Thanks Foxy, we’ll take it from here. Keep an eye out for any kids, don’t let anyone in or out.” 

Foxy straightens, “Aye aye cap’n!” 

The fox steps off, hearing the metal of its leg and peg leg hit the tile as he does so. Michael can’t help but smile and shake his head. He enjoyed the programming the rockstars had. 

“Okay, what was the kid's name?” 

“Oswald I think.” 

“Oswald! It’s time to get out of the pit! Come on kid.” Michael shouts and waits for a reply, but nothing returns to him. 

Odd.

So he gently slid into the ball pit, surprised the balls reached his knees, which meant it was pretty deep for a child. He was just freakishly tall no thanks to Lolbit’s hull.

“Just start digging I guess.” 

Delilah nods, sweeping her hand back and forth as she tried to look through the balls. Calling out the boys name every now and then. 

Michael blinks, making a clicking noise as he uses his radar trying to see if he could find anything through Lolbit’s vision. 

He doesn’t see anything, but he hears something. 

It sounds like a cry for help. 

Michael immediately begins to wade through the balls, noticing it’s coming from the center of the pit. “Oswald?! Oswald you there buddy?” He calls out, trying to hear any other noise. 

He feels something grab his leg, and that causes him to yelp in surprise, reaching down to feel a small hand gripping at his ankle. He can’t see a thing thanks to the balls, but he gently grabs the hand and begins to pull. 

Soon another hand grips his arm and with a mighty heave he pulls out a kid. 

The boy is gasping for air, like he had just been submerged underwater. Tear tracks cover his face as he gulps in and out like a fish. His hands grip Michael’s arm tightly and the man quickly begins to pull himself out of the ball pit and place Oswald onto the chair. 

“Deep breaths! In…and out.” Michael says as Delilah gently wipes his face off. “What the heck were you doing down there?! How did you get that stuck!” 

“I wasn’t stuck!” Oswald finally says his breaths sharp and panicked. “I fell and then-then something grabbed me! It pulled me in and I saw-I saw-“ 

His shoulder length orange hair is sticking to his face, no doubt he had gotten hot from being under those plastic balls. The poor little kid was shaking black eyes wide as he tried to tell Michael just what happened. 

“A bunny attacked me! A big yellow bunny, it grabbed me and pulled me under.” He cries and this jerk’s Michael backwards. 

A big yellow bunny. 

“Like rockstar Bonnie? But he’s blue..” Delilah  questions. 

“N-no! It was yellow, with bright green eyes…” 

Michael feels like his heart was about to stop, well…if he had a heart. 

“Is it still in there?” Delilah asked looking over at the pit. 

“N-no it disappeared when I felt your leg.” Oswald whispers looking at Michael. “It was going to get me.” 

Michael feels like his body has run cold. He knew that bunny. He knew exactly who Oswald was talking about. 

He knew what his father could do, especially if he was close. 

“Michael?” 

He blinks seeing that he was clenching his hand so hard he could hear the creak of the metal. “Sorry.” He stammers looking at the boy. “And don’t you worry, that bunny won’t hurt you. We are going to trap it and make sure it never bothers you again.” 

The ten year old looks apprehensive but he’s too shaken up to argue. So he just nods and holds his arm, Michael can see a bit of a bruise where the bunny had grabbed him. 

“Why don’t Miss Delilah take you to the first aid station and patch you up? Give you a little something special for being brave. I’ll take care of that nasty rabbit.” 

Delilah looks to Michael and then to Oswald, “Yes here, I’ll take you.” She agrees sweetly, standing up and holding out her hand. Oswald quietly takes it and gives a small thank you to the grey eyed man. 

Michael stands as he watches Delilah take the poor child out, staring into the pit before him. 

It only meant one thing. 

Father was here. He was coming. 

He hears stomps and sees a familiar blue bunny stepping in, the eyes slightly wide when Oswald cried out and Delilah quickly took him away. 

“Something happen?” Bonnie asks curious, holding his guitar tightly. 

“You could say that, could you get Charlie please? And hurry. But don’t make a scene, make something up so the kids don’t get all freaked out. And if you see Lefty, bring him here too.” 

“Alright boss.” Bonnie says with a dip of his head, walking back out to gather Charlie and Evan. 

Michael grunts quietly, looking back to the pit. How did he get to a kid like that? Was it the remnant? He could split himself, since he was able to access Lolbit through the remnant spillage. 

He’s gotten stronger, Michael realizes with a bit of disdain. He’s able to make contact with others outside of dreams and one’s that hold remnant. 

That wasn’t good. 

Not good at all.

 

…

His eyes flick to the ball pit once more, feeling a sense of dread, he clicks the button on his bow tie once more, the illusion changing into the masked man that the animatronics couldn’t recognize. 

He travels slowly towards the ball pit. Fingers gripping the edge as he presses his face into the plastic, feeling anxiety crawl up him like a swarm of ants. 

Then…there’s nothing. 

Just darkness and the cold plastic touching his metal skin. 

As he pulls away, something dark grabs his face. Bright red and purple eyes smile at him. Laughing and giggling as he’s being yanked further down. 

Michael doesn’t let it win, gripping the edge hard and trying to pull himself up. 

The face is jagged but he can make out the bunny silhouette. It’s the same crooked smile he saw before Lolbit pushed him off the edge of their mindspace, throwing him into the Flipside. 

How can I resist, a promise, such as this.

The words echo his mind, the laughter rattling his brain. 

It’s not until two hands yank him out and the darkness fades but the laughter still burrows into his mind like an infestation. 

“Michael?! What the hell were you doing in the ball pit?!”

“Why are you disguised??” 

“Michael?” 

He doesn’t realize how much he’s shaking, but the noise of the plastic is rattling the air. He can’t shake the feeling of his father’s claws gripping at his mind, digging into his skin. Black hot ichor burning his skull. 

“Michael!” 

He feels soft velvet on his head, spindly black arms gripping his cheeks. Seeing the clownish mask flicks him back to the first moment. Alive but dead. Slumped over after death. 

He blinks rapidly as he feels a wave of calm hit him. Charlie’s remnant reaching for his, sparks of green touching the fiery orange. 

“Charlie,” he rasps as he finally is grounded, seeing Evan and Charlie crouched low holding him tightly in worry. 

“What happened? Bonnie came running towards me, said it was an emergency.” 

“He’s back.” 

This makes them freeze as his voice crackles through the speaker. Shaken and eyes wide Charlie slides down further. Her blank happy look is a bit unnerving in this situation making it hard for Michael to look at her. 

“Who’s back.”

It’s not a question, but a confirmation. She knows who he’s talking about. She can’t hide the fear dripping off her voice. 

“William.” 

Charlie just stares, her eyes no longer the quiet void, but showed piercing green eyes that glowed brightly. Evan looks nervous, as much as he can with the neutral expression that is Lefty’s face. 

“A kid fell into the ball pit, so Foxy went to grab me to help,” He starts to explain, trying to steel himself into a calm demeanor. Not a lot of things scared him, but his father did. 

He was always truly terrified of his father. 

“I went to look, and was able to find him. Then he started…to cry. Saying that a yellow green eyed bunny grabbed him and was pulling him under.” 

“SpringBonnie,” Evan whispers and Michael nods. 

The mascot that William loved so much. It was his baby, and now it was a part of him. He became SpringTrap, merged with his beloved animatronic that he used to wear with Henry when it was just Fredbear’s Diner. 

“He’s here. He grabbed me when I was…well I was trying to confirm..” 

“Can he reach this far? With just his remnant?” Charlie asks her voice cold, quiet. She’s thinking and Michael is too. 

“He’s gotten powerful. I remember I had a dream about him before Stanley worked at the stupid Fazbear Frights place. I didn’t realize it was him until it was too late. It’s…almost like a warning. A sign that he’s coming.” Michael whispers. 

Evan looks at the two, “What are we going to do?” 

Charlie glances from Michael to Evan, standing up to her full height, her thin arms crossed. “What we planned to do. Tonight. He’s coming tonight, I can feel it.” 

Michael nods, “Then we need to get ready.” 

Charlie and Evan look to him in agreement. “The final night. But we have to finish this dayshift before we can get started. Evan, can you gather everything? Like we planned?”

Evan nods, beginning to step out of the room. 

“I’ll call dad, he’s already out doing something for the end game plan. We are completely ready.”

Michael pretends to swallow, his eyes looking to Charlie’s own. “Are you ready?” 

There’s a brief pause, “No,” She whispers quietly. “But we have to be.” 

“We have to.” 

 

…

 

Henry sits quietly in the small diner, his finger tracing the mug’s handle, watching the stream rise and curl into the air. The coffee was strong, just how he liked it. 

He had made plans and sometimes he needed to have another adult in the situation to help these said plans. 

Another adult being the lead detective of the Hurricane police force. 

Everett Larson. 

If anything was going to go down, he’d like someone to know. The children didn’t deserve to deal with things, and he had trust in the detective. 

“Henry, sorry I’m late.” 

Henry blinks looking up to see the detective before him. The blond hair now graying, and blue eyes are tired, he’s gotten older and Henry has stagnated. 

All thanks to the remnant. 

Henry stands and holds his hand out for Everett to shake, giving a gentle smile. “Don’t worry I just got here myself. Shall we?” 

Everett nods, sitting down in the booth across from him. “I have to admit I was a bit surprised you called me. I assumed after the last time we chatted…” 

The last time, Michael nearly hit his head off.

Henry shakes his head, “It was a stressful moment, and certainly not your fault.” 

The detective deflates for a moment, “I have the feeling this isn't a social call.” 

“No,” Henry admits quietly. “It’s a favor. One I need for you.” 

Everett rubs his chin, a bit of scruff gathering around the area. “Just what is the favor?” 

There’s an uncomfortable air between the two, Henry quietly stirring the spoon in a circular manner, his eyes downcast, thinking and contemplating. Henry was a smart man, one Everett couldn’t crack. He seemed like an open book, but yet the pages were smudged and hard to decipher. 

Whatever he wanted, it was serious. 

“Things have been set in motion,” Henry begins quietly, green eyes hitting the detective’s own. “And I know it will cause a ripple in this town, always does. I…would like you to make sure it doesn’t cause a disaster.” 

These words were careful, like stepping on glass. Everett could tell that the man was letting him in on something big. He almost felt honored. 

“By disaster you mean…” 

“I mean something that may or may not end up with a pizzeria going down in flames.” 

Everett blinks, once, twice as the gears start to churn. “You’ve found him. Haven’t you?” The man had given him some information from time to time, to keep him in a loop and out of the public’s eye. 

“We might. I feel like it will be any moment now. So that’s why I’m here. To tie all loose ends. To make sure things on this side end well. To keep the ones who helped me, safe.” 

The detective nods. “And what will you have me do?” There’s no hesitation in his voice, he knows this is a man, a father getting justice for the years that were lost to him. 

Who was he to stand in his way? 

This makes Henry’s eyes widen ever so slightly in surprise, before a thin grin settles on his face. 

“Well, here’s what I need you to do…” 

…

 

It’s been sometime since Michael felt the exhaustion of a long shift. It certainly was a long shift, despite his body not really being human he still felt tired. Perhaps it was his soul itself that was tired. 

He certainly wouldn’t disagree with that. 

The days just seemed to get longer and longer, no longer feeling like a breath of fresh air but like a chore. 

Like he was forced to wake up, do his job and repeat. 

Well, he kind of was. 

It was what he had to do. In order to finally end this. With Elizabeth in the labyrinth with the Molten Funtimes and now his father making an appearance it meant that everything was starting to get to their places. The pieces lined up and the show was about to start. 

Michael gives out a sigh, rubbing the back of his neck. He was nervous, scared and everything in between. He worried that it wasn’t going to work, that all this was for nothing and his father would escape his grasp once more. 

The list was forming in his head as he continued through the pizzeria, kids no longer in the vicinity so the place was quiet. No doubt everyone was done and headed home blissfully unaware what was going to take place tonight. 

Heading into the main room his hand hovers on the door. A small bit of him hoped that they were here. That he could give his final goodbye. 

A deep breath and he opens the door and suddenly is greeted with a wad of confetti in his face, starling him greatly. 

“Surprise!” 

He looks from his spot seeing everyone was here, all wearing party hats and holding little confetti poppers with big smiles on their faces. 

“W-what?” He says a bit dumbly, getting them all to laugh as Jeremy steps forward with Henry. 

“Surprise, silly!” Jeremy says as he drags Michael forward with Henry giving an apologetic look. 

“Wha..what’s all this?” 

“It’s for you Mike!” Stan says with a grin, “We wanted to have a little party. It’ll be a little before the day ends, yeah?” 

Michael looks to Henry for an explanation. He had gotten back from his errand. His face was happy but his eyes weren’t. He knew Henry was putting a mask on. 

“Mike, do you remember? What day is it today?” 

Michael’s brows furrowed, “Um..October 7th?” 

Henry looks a bit sad. 

Mikey! It’s your birthday! 

Lolbit’s voice rattles him, and he blinks his eyes wide. “My…my birthday?” 

How? How could he forget his own birthday? The days just seemed to mesh into each other. All those years of never really celebrating it due to what had happened to his brother. He felt like he didn’t deserve a birthday after what happened to Evan. He didn’t like parties anyways anymore. 

“Wh…this is my birthday party?” 

“What else would it be? You never told us, so we thought we'd do something special for you.” Jeremy tells Michael and the man is absolutely stunned. 

He didn’t know what to say. 

“We didn’t get any cake, since it’s a bit late for that. But…we thought it would just be a fun time to hang out and enjoy each other's company.” Charlie adds, and there’s a look that Michael understands. 

One last time. 

A celebration that was not just for him, but for everyone. 

A final memory that was good. 

A happiest day. 

One final party before the curtains fall. 

Even Evan was here, smiling quietly, giving an encouraging look. As if to say it’s okay, that he was allowed to be happy on his birthday now. 

After all these years of never bothering to celebrate, let alone allow him to have a moment like this, Evan was giving him the okay. 

He did everything he could not to cry. 

Come on birthday boy! Your audience is waiting! 

“Happy birthday Mike.” Stanley says, clapping him on the shoulder. “This was all Jeremy’s idea by the way….”

He whispers it as he gently ushers Michael to the large round table they had set up. It was all decorated in the foxy decorations they had, making Michael’s heart swell. 

It had been so long since he appreciated the one eyed fox, and its silly pirate theme.

“You all did this…for me?” 

“Who else would it be for? The animatronics?” Alec snipped but a wide grin was on his face, the silver braces glimmering in the light. 

“Sit down and enjoy the party Mike.” Millie hums, she even had a party hat on a low smile on her own face. “You deserve a break from all that you’ve been doing, what you’ve done for us.” 

“Sit, sit!” Jeremy chirps and Michael does so, and he makes a noise when the man puts a paper pirate hat on his head, careful of his illusion. 

“I don’t know what to say…” He could feel his chest ache, this hollow emptiness that cradled his soul. 

“Then don’t say anything. Come and sit with us.” Stanley says with a smile and soon Jeremy and Stanley are gently guiding him to the head of the table. They all have wide grins and Michael feels terrible. 

Because this will be the last night he sees them. 

This will be the final show. 

The happiest day. 

Then let yourself be happy. For their sakes.

Lolbit was right. 

He would be happy. 

For them.

So he smiles, grinning ear to ear as they cheer for him as he sits down. 

“Happy Birthday Mike.” They all chime and he can’t help but give out a happy laugh, though it’s a bit wet here and there. 

He doesn’t care. 

For once he allows himself to feel joy. To feel the warmth of his companions. 

To feel happy. 

Notes:

Happy Birthday Mikey, tho it isn’t October yet in our timeline, it still is a good day.

Don’t worry the dayshift still has some fun left for you all. As well as some tears.

Y’all ready for the finale? Buckle up!

Chapter 63: And It’s Your Time to Shine

Notes:

I finally fucking did it. It had been eating away at my brain this whole damn month. I am so sorry for the delay. But thanks to the FNAF movie I was able to get my butt in gear and actually produce something for you.

Go watch the movie, it’s great and if you’re a fan you’ll love it even more.

Anyways time for bittersweet goodbyes and the final call for the finale. It’s gonna be a fun one. So hope you enjoy! And thank you for your patience.

“Are we really doing this?” Michael asks as Charlie puts a vest on him. The straps creaking from being placed the broad chested animatronic. 

There’s lights on his chest, shoulder and back and Charlie is humming quietly as she straps him in. 

“It’s one last night! Let’s have some fun.” 

“But laser tag?” 

Charlie steps back, looking at her handiwork. “Why not? You loved laser tag!” 

“Back when I was thirteen.” He snorted but instantly regretted it, looking at the floor. “Sorry.” 

“S okay. Guess you grew up.” She says quietly, as if lost in a memory.

Michael gently takes her hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. “Let’s do this, since it is our last day. Why not have some fun?”

Charlie grins, her eyes glowing slightly. “Good! Alrighty, everyone ready?” 

The rest of the team nod, holding their little laser guns and the vests blinking in tandem. 

“Rules! No actual hitting, kicking, biting or anything of the sort. You have three hits! If all your lights are off that means you’re ‘dead’ and you need to head back to the base. Last one standing wins!” She says and they all cheer while she grabs a remote. 

“Okay! Teams. Red, versus Blue. Classic I know.” She hums and begins to look around. 

“Alright. Mike, Jeremy, Millie and…Lefty you’ll be Red.” 

Michael looks to his new team seeing the enthusiasm in some and the others just pure blank stares. He holds back a snort when seeing the vest barely able to fit on Evan’s large body. The straps were not even connecting and it looks more like a bib than a vest. 

Even then, Evan looked happy, excited even to play. 

And that was enough for Mike. 

“Then it leaves Alec, Stan, Deliliah and me.” 

Michael blinks, “What about Henry?” 

Henry looks to them all, seeing that they wanted him to play and makes a noise. “Oh, I was just going to watch.” He says a bit sheepishly, “You kids have fun.” 

Charlie immediately shakes her head, “No, no! You aren’t sitting this one out dad. You have to play.” 

Henry looks a bit uncomfortable, not because he doesn’t want to play, or that he’s with younger people. He just didn’t want to be the one who causes the team to be uneven. 

“You take Henry,” Michael says after a beat. “I think we got this.” 

Jeremy grins from ear to ear, “Yeah! We got loads of firepower with this team!” 

“You’ll be regretting saying that when we wipe the floor with you,” Alec grins, twirling his gun around only to smack it right on his head. He gives a groan rubbing his face. 

Millie rolls his eyes, turning to her team. “Can we get this party started?” 

“Absolutely.” 

 

….

 

Laser tag was fun. It brought back a side of Michael he forgot he had. A fun side, competitive yet didn’t become the sore loser he was when the other team one. 

No, he was too busy laughing, watching Charlie and Henry play with Evan and his other friends. 

He had to say this was the final night, and it was good one. 

Part of him felt guilty. Guilty for not telling them. Not sharing that after this, he wouldn't be here. That they would have to pick up the pieces. 

And he wouldn’t be there to help. 

But if it meant getting rid of the evil that was his own father, he had to do it. They understood it. They knew the risks. 

He just hoped they wouldn’t be angry at him. That they would live on, since he couldn’t. Not in this form. He was cursed with a life he wasn’t meant to have. The day that scooper scraped his insides out like butter, that should have been it. 

He was on borrowed time. 

And it was about time he gave it back. 

Michael grins from ear as Charlie and the others hug him after a great game. He can see even Henry laughing as he holds his daughter’s hand tight.

He hasn’t seen Henry laugh like that for sometime. The old man’s eyes crinkling while Charlie would pretend to shoot at him, Henry making feigning death noises. 

It was nice. 

To see them all like this. For just one last time.

Evan leaning on him for support, he was getting good at sensing Michael’s emotions. The kid had grown, and Michael couldn’t be more proud. 

He would cherish this memory until he couldn’t. Forever happy that he was granted one last moment with them all. 

Thank you, for all that you’ve done. 

 

…

 

The night continued and soon everyone was just about partied out. It was around 9:30 when people began to clean up and get ready for the next day. 

Not knowing there wouldn’t be a next day. 

Alec was picking up trash and Michael began to help looking at the blonde. There wasn’t much, and Michael didn’t really care about the mess. It all would be burned away tonight anyways. There wasn’t much point in putting all this effort.

But, they didn’t want to seem suspicious. So all of them played along, helping with whatever they could do the dayshifts could go home and be blissfully unaware what was going to happen tonight.

So Michael decided he would do one last hurrah. He had texted Henry to grab a couple things for his friends before the man came back from his errands. He would make sure their last memory of him was a good one. Not a shitty one. 

“How’s Hazel?” He asks, Alec turns to glance at him. The boy shrugs, but there’s a small smile on his face. 

“Good, she decided she wants to do robotics. Guess what kind.” 

Michael raises a brow, “What kind?” 

“Animatronic.” Alec states with a slight roll of his eyes. He tosses a bit of trash in the wastebasket and wipes his hands on his jeans. 

“Oh boy, let’s just hope she doesn’t make any psychotic ones.” Michael says shaking his head, but can’t help but feel a bit of pride that she decided to go down that path. 

She had the knack for it after all. Maybe she could make some good animatronics like Henry did. She did seem interested in his work. 

This gets Alec to snort, “I wouldn’t let her. Plus I think that night scared her so bad…” 

“I think she wants to make one’s that help people.” He says toeing at the tile looking up at the star studded ceiling. 

Michael hums, leaning against the broomstick he had. “A good choice. Well she has my approval. And what about you?” He was curious about Alex’s own future since he wouldn’t see much of it. 

But he wanted Alec to live, have a wonderful life without remnant and all the bullshit it brought. 

Alec looks up at thought, his hands swaying back and forth, “Well…I kinda want to get into video games. Thought it would be cool.” He says this a bit sheepishly, like Michael wouldn’t approve.

“That would be sick!” Michael exclaims eyes a bit wide. He himself always wanted to try that route when he was younger, either that or follow William’s path of robotics. 

Alec looks surprised before grinning showing off his braces, “Yeah! Thinking of a fun game…maybe one that is based on Freddy. A good one.” He says his voice brimming with enthusiasm. 

This makes Michael chuckle, “Well you better put me in a good light.” 

“Oh yeah, I’ll make sure you get fired for something funny, like being stinky.” Alec snarks but there’s a glimmer in his eye, like he’s excited for his own future. It was a good look on him. He was starting to break away from the snarky brat that Michael had first met months before. 

He was proud of the kid. And he hoped the boy had a bright future ahead of him. He had grown so much. 

They all had.

Michael pats Alec’s shoulder, “I’m proud of you kiddo. You’re gonna make an awesome game.” 

“You think so?” 

“I know so.” 

“Hey, if you ever need anything, like equipment, books, whatever. Let me know. I’ll see what I can do.” Michael adds with a smirk on his lips.

Alec just smiles giving Michael a side hug before waving goodbye since his ride was now here to pick him up.

Micheal turns and begins to work on saying goodbye to the others. One down four more to go. He had this in the bag.

 

…

 

Millie was staring at him, with the pale green eyes thick with eyeliner. She looked surprised, despite her muted expression as he held out a large bag for her to take. He had caught her before she was about to leave from the pizzeria. 

“You’re giving this to me?” 

Michael shrugs, handing her a bag of dvds he had asked Henry to bring. “I’ve seen the series at least fifteen times. I thought you’d like it. Seems up your alley.” 

“Immortal…and the Restless?” 

Michael nods, “It’s cheesy and stupid, but it gets you hooked. No clue why.” 

Millie turns one of the dvd’s around looking at it carefully. “I’ve heard things about it but this is so rare to find! And you have the whole collection!” 

“And some of the special editions. Thought it would be fun to pass it down to someone, let them enjoy it.” 

Millie looks at him with a suspicious look, “You’re not coming onto me are you?” 

Michael nearly chokes on the imaginary air, before going into a laughing fit. “No! No…promise. This is just a friend gift.” 

“It’s your birthday, why are you giving me gifts?” 

“Because I can?” 

Millie just stares before holding the bag close to her, “Thanks Mike.” 

Michael just smiles, “Of course. I hope you like it.” 

She reaches over to give him a hug, and Michael gently pats her back before letting her go. 

“See ya tomorrow.” She says before waving goodbye. 

“Yeah. Tomorrow.” Michael says with a bittersweet grin on his face, one Millie doesn’t catch. 

 

…

 

Delilah was quietly putting away all the decorations when Michael came in. She was doing her best to help but Michael assured her he would get it all down before the morning shift. 

“You sure? I don’t have to go to school-“ 

“Positive Del.” Michael says with a laugh. “But I do have something for you. Stan mentioned you still had trouble sleeping.” 

Delilah looks sheepish, “O-oh I mean yes but I ..” 

“Here.” He gently places a bracelet in her hand. “It’s moonstone, its supposedly supposed to help with sleep.” 

She blinks looking down at the bracelet, seeing the almost shimmering stone that was shaped like a moon. “Oh! Mike this is…this is so pretty.” She whispers gently, running her thumb against the stone. 

“Yeah, Charlie was really into stones and she helped me and Stan pick one out for you. Figured it’d be a good thank you gift for being so helpful.” 

Delilah is quick to put it on, holding her hand out to get a good look. “Oh it’s lovely. Thank you, and I’ll tell Stan too. But…why the sudden gift? Are you going away?” 

Michael blinks, “Um…yes and no? I just been away from you all…thought I thank you with something nice.” 

She doesn’t look convinced but doesn’t pry. Out of all the workers here, Michael was the one she couldn’t crack. His armor was made of steel and definitely wouldn’t budge. 

“Well thank you.” She reaches up to place a kiss on his cheek before patting his hand. “Have a good night Michael.” 

“You too Del, hopefully it works.” 

“I usually don’t believe in this stuff, but you never know. Right?”

“Right.”

 

…

 

Stanley was sitting by himself looking out the window waiting for Jeremy to get his things together. They usually came together due to Jeremy not having a license because of his eyes. 

Michael quietly sits next to him staring alongside him. “Thanks Stan.” He says gently getting Stanley to startle. 

“What for? The party? Eh, it was Jeremy’s idea.” 

“No, just…for everything.” 

This makes Stanley’s brows pinch together, “What’s wrong?” He can feel something is up but he couldn’t put his finger on it.

Michael just laughs, shaking his head. “What I can’t thank you? Is it a crime?” 

“I mean no, but you’re all…weird. Something going on?” 

“Nah.” Michael says, shaking his head, “Just felt like saying it that’s all.” 

He turns to Stanley, “If I ever leave, you guys….you’ll take care of each other right?” 

“What do you mean if you leave? Mike what the hell-“ 

“Relax, relax it’s just me being sappy. Promise.” Michael says with a smirk. “Would you…though?” 

“Of course? You know I would, we would.” 

This makes Michael relax. “Good, good.” 

“You sure you’re good.” 

“I am. Better than ever. Thanks Stan. For being there. And everything else in between. Picking up my messes.” 

Stanley just smiles, clapping Michael on the shoulder. “It’s what friends are for.” 

“Alright I’m ready!” 

Michael lifts his head up to see Jeremy with his colorful backpack and a grin on his face. 

“Hey Mike!” Jeremy beams getting Michael to smile back at him. “You ready Stan?” 

Stan glances between the two, “I…forgot something in my locker, you wait here.” He says suddenly, catching the mood before Jeremy did. 

Jeremy just clicks his tongue shaking his head, “And they say I’m the forgetful one.” 

Michael just gives a breathy laugh while Jeremy flops down beside him. 

“Good party?” 

Michael hums, “The best I ever had.” 

“Makes you like parties again?” 

“Yeah..” 

Jeremy grins, triumphantly. “Sweet. Why are you all mopey then?” 

There’s a pause in the air, and Michael just wants to shout. Shout that he is leaving and never coming back. But…he couldn’t do that. Not to Jeremy. 

He didn’t want to see Jeremy sad. 

“It’s just been a long time since I’ve been happy at a party. Thanks Jer.” 

“Of course! I am the party master after all.” 

“You are indeed.” 

Jeremy smiles leaning his shoulder against Michael’s, “I’m just glad it was okay. I’m glad you’re okay.” 

“I’ll be okay now. Now that I know you guys will be.”

Jeremy tilts his head, “You sound like your leaving or something? You okay?” 

“I’m fine. Just nostalgic. Happy. Thanks for bringing the life back into my…unlife.” He jokes with a small bittersweet smile. 

Jeremy just stares at him, Michael looks happy, but something tells him that he also looks like he’s about to cry. “Of course man.” 

There’s a soft feeling in the air. This gentle thrum between two people. Perhaps in another life Michael would jump on it, tell him how he felt. But he couldn’t. He wouldn’t dare leave Jeremy with that sort of note. 

So instead he just opts for a, “You’re my best friend you know that right?” 

“And you’re mine! Always and forever?” 

“Always and forever.” 

Jeremy smiles leaning his head on Michael’s chest for just a moment, soaking in the warmth of Michael’s inner workings. He could almost feel a heartbeat under the thick metal hull. 

Just for a moment, they both are happy. 

 

… 

 

They are at the house for one final moment. One final sweep before the trap is set and the cage is locked. He could feel William’s gaze, feel his claws grip at his neck. The remnant was so strong it was choking him. 

Don’t worry Mikey, we can do this. 

Michael winces at Lolbit’s voice, confident and strong. He hated what he was supposed to do next. But he had to. For them all. 

“Lolbit.” Michael whispers and now he’s in the void, looking at the tall animatronic as the fox begins to stretch as if they’re getting ready for a run. 

“Yes my dear? What brings you to my humble abode?” 

“I…I have something to tell you.” 

This causes Lolbit to stop. Staring at him with curious eyes. “Oh? Is it to say how much butt we are going to kick tonight? How the final curtain is going to fall and the applause will be quite wild?” 

Michael looks at the floor, feeling terrible. “You…won’t be there for the finale Lolbit.” 

Lolbit blinks before starting to laugh, the sound echoing the space in their consciousness. Then it dies down, and Michael isn’t laughing. 

“What…what do you mean Mikey?” 

“I…I can’t let you. I can’t let you burn in the fire.” Michael whispers, his hands clenched as he feels tears welling up in his eyes. “You’ve done so much for me, and I can’t…I can’t let you do this with us.” 

Lolbit stands there stunned. “Darling why not? Am I not capable?” 

“No! You’re more than capable. But…you’re my friend, and just because I must burn. It doesn’t mean you have to?” 

“But wherever you go, I must follow. That is the rule.” 

Michael shakes his head, “No, we…figured out a way. I..I need you to stay here, to watch Stan, Jer and the others. Make sure this never happens again.” 

Lolbit freezes, white eyes wide. “You…you’re really going to leave me?” 

The smaller male winces tears dripping down his face, “I have to Lolbit. You have to understand. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” 

“But- But I have to go with you! We are in this together! Mikey please…don’t leave me.” 

“I won’t. I’ll always be here. You have Stan and Jer, they’ll take care of you. You deserve happiness. You deserve a stage where you can play with children, and make your stupid jokes.” He can’t hold back the tears that begin to free fall. 

“I can’t take that away from you.” 

Lolbit reaches for him, hugging him tightly. “I understand.” 

Michael blinks through the tears, “Y-you do?” 

“Oh sweetheart, you already gave me the second chance I deserved…and I have a feeling if I fought you, we wouldn’t have a good last goodbye.” 

Lolbit feels Michael’s head dip into their chest, “No…I don’t want that either.” 

“Then let’s not make it a goodbye. Let’s make it a see you later.” Lolbit pulls away wiping his face. “Come on one last smile for me? Pretty please?” 

Michael laughs, looking to Lolbit. “Okay. I’m going to miss you.” 

“I’ll miss you more. I’ll make sure that nasty old rabbit never shows his ugly face again.” 

A soft smile grows on Michael’s face returning to hug them once more. “See you around Lolbit.” 

“See you, Mikey.” 

With that there’s a sudden jerk, a glitch and he’s in the warehouse. Black tears falling from his face as he pulls the chip out from his chest, holding it gently. 

“Thanks Lolbit. For everything.” 

He turns to Helpy who is readying up things for the final job. Michael places the chip into the small fox animatronic that had been made for a placeholder until Rockstar Lolbit was finished. He makes sure the power is off and gently puts it in the box. 

“Alright Helpy…one final thing. You got your recording stuff ready?” 

Theres a small chirp and Helpy looks sad. 

“I know buddy. Thanks for everything. You’re doing a very important job right now. I need this message to be delivered.” 

Helpy straightens up, nodding vehemently. “Good boy.” Michael smiles gently, patting the little bear’s top hat. “Alright…begin the audio message.” 

 

…

 

With all that is done he readies himself to the door finding Charlie, Henry and Evan already there. What surprises him is the one in the middle. 

The police officer known as Larson. 

“What’s he doing here?” Michael mutters quietly, holding Helpy in his arms.

“Michael,” Henry starts with a bit of a warning tone, “He’s here to help make sure everything goes to plan. He’s here to take Helpy.” 

“I know you don’t have much faith in me…but I promise I’m here to help.” Larson says quietly, his tone is honest, sincere. 

Michael sighs, holding Helpy out and looking him eye to eye. “Alright buddy. Larson here is going to make sure you’re okay and you finish your duties. You take care of him. Got it?” 

Helpy does a little salute and a happy tune. 

“Thanks bud. Here.” Michael gently passes Helpy to Larson who holds the bear a bit awkwardly. 

“He has everything?” Henry asks, checking all his bases. 

“Keys and tapes are in the belly. Lolbit is on the desk for Stan and Jer. They’ll know what to do.” 

Henry nods looking at Larson, “Thank you.”

“Yeah you fuck this up, and I’ll come back and haunt your ass.” 

Larson swallows at Michael’s threat watching him get elbowed by the young girl who looks oddly familiar. “I swear I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure your final requests are taken care of.

Michael huffs, “You better.” 

“What he means to say is, thank you, and good luck to you.” 

Larson dips his head, “Good luck to you both. I’ll be at standby.” 

“6:00. On the dot officer.” 

“Of course.” 

With that the four begin to finish their job, their final curtain as Larson is standing with an odd animatronic bear on his hip. Holding him like he was holding a child. 

He gives a tight wave as the car goes by, leaving an empty house that would be given to the friends of the family, along with a lot of other things. 

“Alright..Helpy, let’s get ready to do our part of the bargain.” 

Helpy chitters in response, leaving Larson to mutter why the hell he was talking to a robot. 

 

…

 

It was 12 am on the dot. Michael grabs his things readying for everyone else to be at their stations. They knew the plan. They were ready for it. 

Michael clicks on the animatronics on the stage, “Activate final show protocol.” 

With a click and whirl the animatronics come to life, all staring at Michael. 

“I want a patrol on every corridor, every single place. One movement you radio it to me. Yes?” 

“Aye aye capt’n!” 

“You’re the boss!”

“Yes sir!”

“Yep, yep!” 

They all chorus together as Michael paces back and forth as if he’s a drill sergeant. 

“No one gets out of this place. I appreciate each and every one of your services. We end this tonight.” 

“One final show.” Charlie grins, looking at Henry.

“The big finale.” Henry whispers.

“Our happiest day.” Evan states eerily. 

“Good. Places everyone!” 

With that the animatronics begin to walk off the stage, Evan going to his spot and the rest doing the same. Michael was the one to lure William into the labyrinth, hoping that he would able to grab them like the rest of the ones that already decided to visit. 

Once the halls were empty, Michael begins to walk down the hall. The checkered hall seeming to get longer and longer with his own anxiety. 

This had to work. 

Oh God please let it work. 

He had to make sure William Afton never came back. Never tortured another soul. Never snatched a child away from their parents. 

When he steps out to the back, hearing the thunder roar and the rain pour. He doesn’t find a disgusting animatronic. 

The alley is empty. 

Michael hissed. 

Where the hell was he? 

He had to be coming. He had sensed it. 

Michael shuts the door, beginning to walk his way to the office to check on the cameras only to have the lights flicker above him. 

He freezes. Feeling a chill in the air. Had he been human he would say the hair on the back of his neck would be ramrod straight right now. 

The speaker above him crackles to life, a low grating voice echoing through it. 

“What a deceptive calling. I knew it was a lie, the moment I heard it obviously. But it is intriguing nonetheless.” 

He knew that voice anywhere. Knew that laughter, that shaking sensation that followed. How his body would go rigid and his remnant would squirm making him painfully aware of just what he truly was. 

William. 

He was here. 

He was right in this building. 

And Michael didn’t know where he was. 

END OF DAY FIVE

Notes:

He’s hereeeee…

I wanted to shake things up a bit, as much as I love the sequence with them being at the table and going through the whole recordings….I wanted something different with ScrapTrap. So here he is. Going to wander the halls and make chase.

Like a great peepaw that he is.

Hope y’all have a great weekend and enjoy. Also if you see any mistakes it’s probably cuz I wrote this from 11:30 pm to 2:30 am LOL

Until next time!!

Chapter 64: Connection Terminated

Notes:

*shuffles in* I know, I know its a long time coming. This journey has been a wild one for me. With moving, changing jobs, my mom dying and everything in between its finally done. The final chapter. Well, the epilogue will be next but it will take a little while to finish. To tie up lose ends and what not for the humans still alive lol

While I want to celebrate this, I do have things I need to address. I wasn't too happy with some of the comments I received about Michael and Jeremy. There is no romance in this story, a mere mention that perhaps PERHAPS in another lifetime something could have blossomed but nothing will happen in this story. The comments I received some were definitely borderline homophobic, and I don't appreciate that. If its not your thing, understandable, but please don't discredit all my work just because one sentence out of the millions that have been written. Its all I want to say on the matter, and I rather not have any more comments about it or they will be deleted. Simple as that.

Now that I have that out of the way, time for some thank yous. I want to thank Doberart, thatonespacytallgirl, deadgurlXD, birdie-ghost and galevonhjonkbringerofgoose for supporting me entirely through this journey. I could not have this story be the way it is without you. Thanks for dealing with my bullshit. And now THANK YOU, you loyal readers, artists and commenters. You made this possible, you brought this monster of a 63 chapter story to life. So thanks.

Without further ado, let's get this finished. Shall we?

He knew panic all too well. The crushing stones that weigh hard against his ribcage, threatening to break the fragile bone and crush him. How it squeezed like a mighty snake, twisting around and suffocating him. 

The clamping of jaws onto a skull flashed in his mind. 

He knew panic all too well. 

It gripped him like a vice, and he felt he couldn’t escape the feeling of dread. The feeling he had felt in the beginning of it all. Watching his body fade and grant a new one. 

Beginning of the end.

On instinct, he presses the bow tie on his chest, the illusion flickering to life. It seemed useless, to hide from his father, but if he could get the upper hand. He would take it. 

He didn’t know where his father was in this place, but he knew it was a locked cage. The pizzeria shut down and was never meant to be open again. But the question was, were they locked in with him, or was he locked in with them? 

Either way, he had to be careful. He had to lead his father to the labyrinth, and it meant potentially getting in a fight. 

If it was a fight Afton wanted, it was a fight he was going to get. 

Michael had unfinished business with the rotten corpse that was his father. He placed a virus into Lolbit’s original body and Michael was not going to let it happen again. 

He was going to stop his father, he would not let all this go to waste. He didn’t say his goodbyes to just let his father get away from this all. 

This ended here.

The lights flicker and he can hear the stomps of the animatronics as they patrol the area, ready to alert Michael at any point. Henry had made sure they were nearly identical to the Toy animatronics, with their security system, but now they would be able to register Afton’s corrupted remnant. And they wouldn’t go berserk if someone tweaked them in any way. At least they hoped. 

He slinks forward, his eyes scanning this way and that. The radar buried within his system flickers to life, a little blip shuddering in his head, showing where the remnant was. 

It was here. 

Hiding, sneaking. 

He could hear the scrapes, the metal running against the checkered floor. 

Michael doesn’t think about the last encounter, the burning corrupted remnant that caused him to attack Henry, causing the man to have a giant shimmering bite scar on his shoulder. 

He doesn’t think, instead he acts. 

He wasn’t going to hide, he wasn’t going to cower in fear. This was the end, people were counting on him. He needed to be strong, even if it meant staring at the maw of a beast that was his own father. 

Having to psych himself once more, he sets his goals before himself. 

Get his father into the labyrinth. Shut the door and then Henry can start the process. They all were waiting for his signal. 

He stands, scanning around, keeping to the shadows. Despite being a large animatronic, he still knew how to make himself scarce. How to sneak, to hide beneath the radar. Never made himself known. 

One of his many talents. 

The amount of times his father would scold him for sneaking up on him while the man worked. Of course, he had to be silent, if you were loud you were in trouble. 

It wasn’t until his teenage years that he decided fuck that. He was going to be a rebel. 

Maybe that was the reason why Lolbit and him got along so well. Among other reasons of course. 

“Well well, that was easier than I thought it would be.” 

The voice echoes the hall, splintering Micheal’s confidence. He slinks to the side, hearing the thumps of footsteps. They weren't the Rockstar animatronic’s stomps. No, these were stifled, like someone was shambling. Limping even. 

That was his father. 

“Dear friend, you've lost your touch. Bringing me here…I know it’s you. You’ve gathered some more helpers?” There’s a click, almost sounding like a disapproving noise. 

“Always quick to disregard, immediately adopting the next lost soul to help out. Do you think you’re righteous? That you’re the holy one?” 

William must be talking about Henry. The thought of his father once again slandering Henry’s name makes his blood boil. Why did the man have such an obsession with Henry? It confused Michael greatly. Was he jealous? Wished for something that Henry had? Who knew what William Afton wanted after all these years? 

This creature definitely wasn’t his father. His father was long gone, leaving nothing but a rotten husk. 

“Don’t worry, I’ll end this once and for all. I’ll end up on top.” 

There’s a pause. The silence thickened. Michael felt every single wire and bolt suddenly electrically charged. 

“I can smell your fear.” 

Michael turns and sees the creature down the hall. Gripping the wall with bright red eyes. 

Ichor splatters to the floor, but never fully reaches the tile. This perpetual waterfall of corrupted remnant splatters out of the holes of the ruined animatronic suit. The corruption was far worse the last time he saw him. There wasn’t an indication of what made the man-machine or corpse anymore, just a crude mixture of it all.

He can see the yellowed bones peeking through the metal, the yellow fabric of SpringBonnie was now this moldy coloration. If he had a nose, it probably reeked. Wires were spilling out, looking more like stray hairs tangled together to make the thin cables that dragged against the floor. 

His arm was missing, which is what was causing the largest drip of black liquid. It was spasming like it was alive. Squirming and writhing like worms in the dirt after fresh rain. Right, Henry had chopped it off when they had their last encounter. 

It was a horrifying sight. 

His father was a monster. Not just a decaying animatronic. 

A monster. 

And he was staring right at Michael. 

“Hello there.” 

Springtrap, no he was far too gone to be called that anymore…the more appropriate term would be Scrap trap due to how destroyed the animatronic creature was, rasped. The sound is garbled, like he was choking on the air he breathed. 

This thing was more dead than alive.

What had the years done to him? 

Michael felt no pity, felt no remorse. Instead, he felt anger, betrayal, and most of all confidence. 

He wasn’t going to let William win this time. 

They were going to have their happiest day. 

If he liked it or not. 

“So you’re the new little toy that he brought in. Do you know what you’ve gotten yourself into?” 

Michael inwardly smirks, a genius like his father still couldn’t figure out that his son didn’t die. That he was staring right at him. 

Aftons, they always seemed to come back. 

“I know one thing, and one thing only. You’re going to die tonight.” Michael says, his body unable to move, despite how strong his voice is. 

This causes Scraptrap to laugh, the whole body shuddering and shaking. The black liquid oozes out of him and the creature shifts, bones and metal clicking and scraping. 

“I’ve been yearning for something like this. Do you think you’ve trapped me? Locked me up in this shithole?” 

Michael bristles, knowing that they put a lot of time and love into this place. 

“Let’s see what you can do, little mouse.” 

With that Scraptrap screeches, the head of the animatronic lifting just slightly to show the purplish-red skull underneath. It spits out globs of black, shambling forward. 

He sees the broken arm with the waterfall of ichor spasms once more, the wet liquid forming a claw that is sharp and deadly. 

Michael knew he had to be careful, for that claw was made of raw corrupted remnant. 

Who knew what it could do to him? 

Immediately Michael turns, deciding the best course of action was not to fight, but to run. If he could lead him to the entrance of the labyrinth he may be able to push the fucker right in. 

Then they could carry out the plan, and destroy him from the inside out. 

No more Afton, no more remnant, no more dead children suffering. 

He finally could be free. 

So his feet scrape against the tile as he runs, hearing Scraptrap’s laughter echo the hall. 

“Run, run run!” The insane monster shouts, his tone laced with sickening glee. As if he enjoyed the chase, enjoyed the torture. It was a good thing the bastard was a shambling mess, he didn’t seem as fast as he was at the last meeting. 

Nothing like a rotten corpse chasing after you. 

There’s a mighty crash and Michael glanced behind him seeing a gumball machine being toppled to the ground, the rotten animatronic slamming it to the floor. 

Always one for dramatics. 

Michael skids around a corner noticing a yellow figure stepping into a room. 

“Chica!” He shouts, getting the bird to pause looking back at him with an almost curious look. “Operation Run Rabbit Run.” 

With a shudder, the bird animatronic’s purple eyes glow, shifting to a bright white. She turns sharply, standing before him. 

Michael sidesteps giving a large grin. 

“What’s this? Sending your little cheap toys against me? Foolish boy. I’ll destroy them, make them as useless as their creator.” 

“There’s no stopping this ol’ bird! Let’s tango.” Chica shouts her stance wide as if ready to tackle Scraptrap like a linebacker. 

Chica was the biggest out of the crew. She was the heartiest, and Michael had faith she could stall him until he could get the labyrinth door open. 

“Oh please, I’d like to see you try.” 

With a scrape, Scraptrap lunges, and Chica follows suit. Her large form stomps forward, slamming her shoulder into the creature. With such a hit he tumbles backwards, breaking into a table. 

Chica chuckles, “Nice try. What else you got?” She cracks her neck before shaking her maracas menacingly. 

Michael grins, “Don’t underestimate these animatronics. They were made for one thing, well two things. Protecting children, and stopping you.” 

Scraptrap chuckles, nails gripping the table as it pulls itself up, body moving in awkward angles. Not quite mechanic, not quite human. The rusted metal creaks and moans with every movement. 

“You think you're so clever. Little machines to do your bidding.” Scraptrap rasps, parts of the suit ripping, peeling away like rotten flesh. Black ooze drips out and intermixed with the horrible sight are red eyes, flickering from silver to red. He can hear screaming, shouts of agony and anguish.

“Hear that? The sound of agony, like a chorus. A toll of a bell. Death awaits.” 

The remnant is alive, writhing and screeching. His bones creak and moan as the remnant fills up in his abdomen, eyes and grasping hands spilling out. His ribcage snaps open, looking like a giant maw that holds a large singular purple eye, the iris rimmed with red. It seemed to be the source of the noise, staring right into Michael’s soul. 

And all he could think about was the children screaming and crying in his ears. 

All those children, all that agony. 

It paralyzed him, unable to move from the sounds of children crying out. 

Mommy, please! 

I want to go home! 

Someone save me! 

It’s too much. He can’t think, he can’t move. He doesn’t have Lolbit to stop the noises. It’s just him having to bear it all. 

He doesn’t notice he’s fallen to his knees, eyes unable to peel away from the terrible sounds and burning eyes within Scraptrap’s abdomen. 

There’s a crashing noise and Michael’s trance is broken. His hands gripping his head and he sees Bonnie before him, holding his guitar and ScrapTrap is on the floor. 

“What a horrible performance. Zero stars.” Bonnie snaps with a small little rift.

“Little brat.” Scraptrap snarls, pulling himself up seeing that Bonnie, Chica, and Freddy were surrounding him. He doesn’t move, almost as if he’s calculating what to do next. 

Michael stands once more, glad to be able to pull away. He pants, gripping his aching head. A cheap trick. 

“Good job guys,” He breathes, rolling his shoulders. “Take him to the holding cell.” 

The Rockstars nod and Michael worries this is too easy. Far too easy. 

And his suspicion is correct, once Freddy moves closer Scraptrap slams his mighty claw into the animatronics stomach. 

There’s a loud screech, and Freddy jerks backward as black lines spill through the hard plastic, peeling and ripping the paint away. 

Remnant. 

“No!” Michael shouts but it’s too late. Freddy falls, unresponsive, eyes and mouth dripping with the black substance. 

“Tsk tsk. Poor little things. Seems like they can handle some remnant, but not all.” Scraptrap rips his elongated arm out of Freddy’s body in a quick motion, the warping remnant now threaded with a thick red substance. 

 “Now then…where were we?” 

The other animatronics stare at Scraptrap ready for a fight. 

And unfortunately, the creature doesn’t care to even start one. Instead, he pulls back his body, the ribcage once again opening up and sharp spikes thrust out of the black void that was in his abdomen. 

All slam right into the animatronics doing the same thing he had done to Freddy. 

They spasm and cry out and Michael just watches in horror, watching his father chew and spit Henry’s creations out like tar. 

The animatronics crumble to the ground, twitching now and then. 

“A good solid try, but not good enough.” Scraptrap whispers, as his body goes back to its horrifying self, the rib cage snapping back into place. 

Michael had to be careful. Very careful. 

So he quickly begins to run, using all that he can to run as fast as he can down the corridor. If he could just make it to the holding cell, then and maybe then he can get Scraptrap into the labyrinth. 

It was his only shot, and the odds weren’t looking too good.

Scraptrap just laughs, the sound echoing and rattling his mind. 

Focus he had to focus! 

With the horrible creature on his tail, he just about bullets to the backroom. He’s got enough time that Scraptrap isn’t too close, so he can figure out a plan. 

Slamming the door open, it swings shut when he enters the room. He glances around and begins to open the large vault-like door. Grunting, it screeches open and he stares down at the chute-like entrance. 

He turns and crawls up on a locker right by the door, hoping that Scraptrap doesn’t see him and thinks he went into the labyrinth instead. 

It’s dumb sure, but it’s all he has. 

He’s grateful for Henry slimming Lolbit down, no longer the bulky clanky Funtime robot, he was lithe and agile as a fox should be. Still keeping the same height, he easily could hide on top of these lockers waiting for Scraptrap to make his appearance. 

For one thing, he knew about his father, despite all the bragging and manipulation he was one predictable asshole.

Michael knew his tricks, and it would be too good of a lure to make Scraptrap think he had gone down the chute.

He sees a backpack on the side of one of the lockers closest to the door, thanking his past self for throwing random shit in this place to make it feel more homey. With a swift kick the backpack flies and slides down the chute with a loud tumbling noise. 

Smirking he lays low, hearing the stagger walk of his father, followed by the shallow, ragged breathing. 

“You think you’re so clever…” Scraptrap hissed, falling for the trick. Seemed he couldn’t resist these audio lures. 

The horrid animatronic limps towards the opened vault, peering down with bright red lights lighting the chute up. 

“Gotcha!” With a swing of his body, he lifts himself off the lockers and slams his foot into the small of the creature’s back. 

With a garbled noise Scraptrap screeches, flying down the chute, his body slightly twisting as he sees Michael. Inky black tendrils spill out of his abdomen and instantly latch onto Michael. 

“You think I’d just let this happen?” Scraptraps snarls, his body falling forward and Michael is pulled with him by the thick remnant tendrils that wrapped around his ankle. 

He gives out a cry feeling the remnant burn against his own, like a hot metal rod poking right into his skull. He snarls, screams rattling his skull. 

“Shit!!” 

They slide down the chute, the loud noises of scrap hitting the metal walls. He digs his claws, watching sparks fly. The chute splits, for it was to keep the animatronics away from each other. 

Scraptrap tumbles to the left and Michael falls to the right. 

He slams into the labyrinth with a mighty thud, he’d imagine if he had pain receptors he’d be seeing stars. The illusion flickers and he realizes he hit the ground hard enough that it broke the disc that Henry had applied to his new suit. 

With a heaving groan, black ichor spills out of him, seeing the plastic where his father had grabbed him withering away showing the metallic endoskeleton underneath. His remnant burns, flaring up and nearly overheating his system, smoke billowing out of the vents that pop out as his body cleanses the corrupted liquid. 

That was far too close. 

Michael hissed, lifting himself his eyes providing light, he didn’t need to see no thanks to Lolbit’s ability to see in the dark. 

His purple eyes flicker from side to side, moving to hunch down, unable to reach his full height since the labyrinth wasn’t exactly made for nearly seven-foot-tall animatronics. 

He then wonders how Elizabeth is wandering around here, he knew Circus Baby was quite tall. 

Shaking his head he tries to focus. He needs to get the hell out of here. He got Scraptrap in the labyrinth and now he had to give Henry the signal. 

“Fuck.” Michael grunts as he starts walking, hoping that maybe if he just continued in one direction he would eventually find the office and crawl his ass in there. 

If he could fit that is. 

He can hear the clicks of his joints as he travels through the thick steel walls, the clank of his feet. He is on edge, hoping he didn’t encounter any of the other passengers in this maze. 

He didn’t want to deal with the Molten Animatronics, nor did he want to face Elizabeth at the moment. 

Though he probably would want to see her one last time. If she wasn’t still in crazy ‘I want to stab you’ mode. 

He didn’t need to have another claw to his stomach. 

His mind wanders to another way for him to get out of this place. Evan. The boy probably would be still heading down to the safe spot, he had planned to continue to patrol until the signal was given. 

“Evan. Evan!” He hissed, hearing his voice echo down the vent. He hated that it was just his voice now, not even an inkling of Lolbit. He hoped the animatronic would forgive him.

He couldn’t just condemn the animatronic, the fox deserved to make people laugh. To have fun. 

Michael was on borrowed time, and he was determined to hand it back. He didn’t want to live forever. He wanted to end this and get rid of the plague that was his father and his evil creations. 

He made that promise and he was determined to keep it. 

He attempts to reach his remnant out, he wasn’t perfect at it like Cassidy and Evan, but he wanted to try and see if he could come in contact with his brother. 

Evan doesn’t answer him, and he’s honestly not surprised. He was on his own now, and he had to keep moving. 

A ping escapes his mouth, feeling the static waves around him not detecting any remnant nearby. It was quiet. 

Far too quiet. 

Michael felt unnerved, but he kept his concentration. He wasn’t going to break down and give up. He had gotten this far. 

He couldn’t give up. 

Michael wanders around for a bit, scratching an ‘x’ into the metal in hopes that he wouldn’t be lost in this damn maze they had built. There was only one exit and it was the openings that were in Michael’s office. 

He needed to get there before Henry seemed it late enough to burn this place down. 

Michael supposed he didn’t need to be in the safe room, he would like to, but it wasn’t absolutely necessary. He would burn either way. 

His thoughts halt as he hears scraping behind him, metal hitting metal and his instincts flare sending an alert that rattled his system. With one single movement he watches a claw swipe at him, just barely hitting his snout as he moves out of the way. 

His back hits the metal wall, the space tighter than now with two entities close. 

With a simple glance, he sees pink and green eyes on him claw clicking and snapping. Her hull tattered and stained. 

Elizabeth. 

“Who are you?” She demands, eyes narrowing and Michael takes a step back. 

He moves to touch the illusion disc but the thing sparks, obviously out of commission from the fall into the labyrinth. He must have really fallen hard. He isn’t sure if she sees his animatronic form or his human form, assuming she asked who he was..

Probably the latter. 

“Elizabeth.” He breathes, his body hunched over ready to deal with her. He didn’t know which side she was on, or who she was supporting. He was ready to pounce, ready to fight. 

Elizabeth pauses, her eyes clicking loudly as the gears turn in her head. Sweeping up and down in a quick motion, mismatched eyes lay on him once more. 

“Michael?” She calls out, her voice quiet, suspicious. 

“It’s me.” He confirms, “Been sharing Lolbit for some time.” He feels so nonchalant about it, that it’s just normal. It has been for some time. 

What wasn’t normal was him standing face-to-face with Elizabeth. 

Her body was stained with black, but the fluid didn’t seem to spill out like Scraptrap. Almost like all the corrupted remnant had been flushed away. Did his cleansing work then? 

Elizabeth shifts, twitching as her claw snaps and clicks, eyes flashing now and then. Her face is half broken, wires and tubing exposed. She looks worse for wear, stringy plastic hair barely hanging on. 

“Why…why are you here?” Her voice is quieter, it isn’t the Baby voice she had been sporting, it was truly hers. One he hasn’t heard for some time. 

Why indeed, Michael glances around his purple eyes flicking between the vent behind her and the large animatronic that could definitely do some damage. 

“Father’s here.” He says solemnly watching Elizabeth shudder and he follows, the chill in the air suddenly gripping at his hull. 

“I know.” She whispers, fingers twitching. “You brought us here didn’t you?” 

Michael would have swallowed had he had a tongue, but instead, he just nods. “We are finishing this. Tonight. No more remnant, no more agony. We…we are resting.” 

“Resting?” 

“That’s the gift. Our happiest day.” 

Elizabeth’s eyes widen, the plastic covering lifting from the still intact side. She twists, her body failing for a moment, almost as if she’s struggling with something. “Rest.” She finally says, repeating the statement. “For all…of us?” 

“All of us. Everyone who’s been suffering with this fate. You, me, Charlie, Evan…Father…the Funtimes…Henry. All of us.” 

She listens, “Me?” 

“You. I’m so sorry Lizzie.” He whispers, wanting to reach out, but he isn’t sure if she’s stable enough for that. “You deserve it, you’ve suffered so much.” 

“I hurt people, Mikey. I hurt you.” 

Michael winces, not sure what to say about that. A breath leaves him, even if it’s not necessary. “I know. And I’ve hurt people too. God, I’ve hurt so many. You, Evan…” 

He feels his chest constrict, “But…I am set out on a mission, to right what’s wrong. You may have done some bad things…but it’s because you were suffering. It was wrong, but you were hurt. I..I want to ease that pain. I won’t rest until everything and I mean everything, is finished.” 

Elizabeth whimpers, “I’m sorry.” 

“Don’t be. Don’t you ever be sorry for what’s happened to you. God Lizzie, you were only twelve! Twelve and you were taken, taken, and forced to comply. To hurt. To fester in your agony. It’s all Father’s fault. He went too far. He got lost in this stupid world of immortality and agony to realize he killed every one of his children.” 

Michael clenches his fist, hissing loudly as smoke is released with a low hiss. His remnant burning bright beneath the skin of the animatronic, showing the inner workings, lighting up the walls. 

“And I couldn’t do anything. I'm a terrible brother. I promise...I promise Lizzie that you’ll be set free.” His voice trembles, not with fear, not with pity, but with vengeance. With anger that boils from within, bubbling and writhing like lava under the surface. 

She stands there shocked, shocked at the behavior of her brother. Her brother, the coward, the menace, but also the kind, the protective. 

She saw her brother as a knight, but also an evil man when she was younger. With a flick of a switch he would yell and push, but then come by and play tea parties, let her put silly things on his face. 

“Set me free Mikey. I..I’m hurting. It hurts Mikey. It hurts so bad.” She whimpers, a black tear spilling down her uncovered cheek. 

“I will Lizzie. You have to trust me. Together, which means you have to play nice. Baby can’t come out and stab me again. Can you keep her calm?” 

“She doesn’t want to hurt anymore either. We are done with birthday parties. We just want to go home.” 

Michael nods, stepping closer, his hand hesitantly reaching for her. Elizabeth takes it, seeing that it is mostly scrap and other items pulled together to form a hand. 

“I promise to get you your rest. The both of you.” Michael whispers as she places her head right on his chest, sighing in relief. 

 

***

 

It feels like they’ve been wandering for hours, he doesn’t know how long it’s been. Elizabeth was behind him, she had skates on so he was just dragging her along while she glided through the vents. 

She had remarked the office had been somewhat close to where they had encountered each other, so they had just continued going straight, turning right every chance they could. 

This place was a labyrinth for a reason but in the center laid the prize. 

The office. Where he would push him and Elizabeth through and get down to the floor below, readying himself for the fire. 

If only it was that simple, Michael didn’t want to complain but man it was annoying seeing only metal wall after metal wall. It was starting to frustrate him, but he needed to keep focus. 

The sound of Elizabeth’s skates kept him going, her hand gripping his tightly as they continued. He wouldn’t give up, because if he did, she would be left behind. 

In her final time, she deserved to be with her family. 

Not alone. 

A loud scraping noise stops Michael in his tracks, Elizabeth gently bumping into him as he stops. He lifted his head, a ping escaping his mouth as the radar started up. 

Someone was here. 

“My my, what an elaborate game we have here.” 

Michael feels his body run colder than it was, and he feels Elizabeth stiffen behind him. 

Wheezing and loud grinding get louder and right down the hall is Scraptrap. Leaning on the metal walls, red eyes glowing as he stares at them. 

There’s a pause before Scraptrap realizes just who is down the hall of the vent. 

“I didn’t expect a family reunion! Look at us…all here together. Isn’t that lovely?” He croons, stepping forward and Michael takes a step back. 

“Get the fuck away from us.” Michael snarls and Scraptrap just chuckles, continuing to get closer and closer. 

“You’re just like a little cockroach Michael. Never dying, always getting in my way of things. One of these days I’ll crush you, and you'll be dead and gone.” 

“Not before I crush you first. You made me this way, we aren’t allowed to just keel over, living eternally. Aftons just can’t seem to die now can they?” He steps in front of Elizabeth who is cowering behind him, not wanting her father to see her. 

But he does. “And little Lizzie. My beautiful girl.” 

“Don’t you fucking dare. She’s done with you Father. We are all done.” 

“Oh, does she not have a voice anymore? Or do I have to shut you up to hear it?!” Scraptrap snarls, his remnant claw slamming out of his broken and decayed arm. With a gust of speed he starts to rush towards them and Michael takes that as a run like hell moment. 

“Run!” 

Elizabeth doesn’t think twice, turning around and taking off. She was agile, thanks to the skates and Michael was easy to keep up with. They go backward, going left instead of right, with Scraptrap hot on their heels. 

“You can’t run forever! I’ll kill you, Michael! I’ll kill you!” 

Michael shuts his eyes, continuing to run down the vents. 

“Mikey! Mikey!” 

He lifts his head to hear somebody’s voice echoing down the vent. It’s Evan. Oh, thank God! 

“Evan! I’m in the labyrinth! Elizabeth is with me and we need to get to the office!” Michael shouts hoping Evan heard his brother. 

There’s a pause before Evan replies, “I’m in the office now! I was starting to worry, so I went to check up on you!” Oh, thank God for Evan. Michael smiled at the thought glancing over his shoulder and seeing Scraptrap was close behind, claw reached out ready to slam down on Michael. 

“I can hear you so you’re pretty close! Just keep going down this way! I’ll use your remnant to try and track you when you get closer!”  

“You don’t have to tell me twice! Let’s go!” 

Elizabeth nods, rushing down with Michael, the sound of their feet echoing in her ears. Almost there, almost there. 

“Don’t leave me, Lizzie! I missed you so much! Come and help your father! I just want us to be happy!” Scraptrap shouts to Elizabeth and the animatronic pauses looking behind her. 

Her father…wants them to be happy? 

“Help me Lizzie, help me find peace. We can find the gift together like we always do. You and me.” Scraptrap says, his voice sweet like before. Like when he would lift her in his lap and show her the new projects. Or when they would get ice cream together. 

“Daddy?” She whispers, stopping all together. 

Michael skids to a stop seeing Elizabeth turning towards Scraptrap, who’s hobbling closer and closer. 

“Elizabeth no! He’s lying! He’s trying to trick you! Please!” Michael begs, reaching for her hand only for Elizabeth to yank away, fully facing her father. 

“Yes that’s it, you’re daddy’s little girl. I’m so proud of you, look what you’ve become. You’re beautiful.” Scraptrap croons and Michael just stares in horror. No, no Elizabeth don’t fall for his tricks. 

“Daddy…” 

“We can go home, find the gift and we can live forever.” Scraptrap promises, “Me, and you.” 

“I want to go home.” Elizabeth whimpers and Scraptrap nods. 

“Of course sweetheart, let’s go home.” He outstretched his hands, as she walked towards him, eyes vacant. A cruel look begins to form on Scraptrap’s face, as she gets closer and closer to him. 

“Elizabeth please no…” Michael pleas once more but it goes on deaf ears. 

“That’s it, come to your father.” Scraptrap beckons, his voice crackling and body twitching. 

Elizabeth draws near, and Scraptrap makes a move to step forward. Michael winces closing his eyes but they fly open when a loud CRACK echoes the corridor. 

Without warning Elizabeth slams her fist right across Scraptrap’s face, the decaying animatronic flying down the hall crumbling once he hits the ground. Elizabeth’s eyes burn, shaking her hand as she glares at Scraptrap. 

“I’m not your little plaything any more father.” She hisses, eyes glowing a deep pink. “You won’t use me like some doll. I am not your Baby.” 

Scraptrap snarls, lifting himself unceremoniously. “Wretched little beast!” He screeches, “Look at what you’ve become. Little monster. Your brother has infected you with lies!” 

“He’s infected me with the truth! I know now! I’m done playing games. I want to go home! I want to rest!” She screams back, her stance wide and angry. Her claw snaps like an alligator, ready to attack once more. 

“You’ll never rest, not if I can help it! I’ll kill you all!” 

“Connection terminated.” 

Michael lifts his head, hearing Henry’s voice echo through the labyrinth. No. No! He started already? Had Evan told him they were close? They weren’t out of the maze yet! 

“I'm afraid you've been misinformed. You are not here to receive a gift, nor have you been called here by the individual you assume, although, you have indeed been called.” 

“Emily.” Scraptrap hissed and Michael grabbed Elizabeth’s hand. 

“We need to go! Now!” 

“Thank God you didn’t fall for his tricks Lizzie!” 

“I’m not stupid Mikey!” 

With that he rushes down the hall, calling out for Evan while Henry continues his speech. 

“You have all been called here, into a labyrinth of sounds and smells, misdirection and misfortune. A labyrinth with no exit, a maze with no prize. You don't even realize that you are trapped. Your lust for blood has driven you in endless circles, chasing the cries of children in some unseen chamber, always seeming so near, yet somehow out of reach, but you will never find them. None of you will.” 

“Is that Uncle Henry?” Elizabeth calls out and Michael nods. 

“Michael! This way! I couldn’t stop Henry from starting the process. I can’t reach him from here!” Evan calls out and immediately Michael turns to the sound of his brother’s voice. 

He can hear the whirling of machinery, the sound of the labyrinth closing bit by bit. It was meant to trap them, keep them in one place while the environment got hotter and hotter. If they didn’t hurry, they would be trapped too. 

Forced to stay and melt.

And perhaps not see their final resting destination. 

“What’s happening?” Elizabeth cries out, her eyes wide with fear. 

“It’s starting, the trap has been set. He’s going to burn us if we don’t get out of here!” 

“This is where your story ends. And to you, my brave volunteer, who somehow found this job listing not intended for you, although there was a way out planned for you, I have a feeling that's not what you want. I have a feeling that you are right where you want to be.”

Michael winces at him being mentioned, so much for them not knowing who he was. But he appreciates the sentiment Henry gives him. He didn’t expect some epic speech from Henry. 

Then again Henry was full of surprises. 

“This way!” Evan calls and Michael follows. And unfortunately Scraptrap is hot on their heels. 

“I will not lose! I’m so close to perfection!” Scraptrap snarls and Michael holds back a retort focusing on getting his sister out of this place. 

“I am remaining as well. I am nearby. This place will not be remembered, and the memory of everything that started this can finally begin to fade away. As the agony of every tragedy should. And to you monsters trapped in the corridors, be still and give up your spirits. They don't belong to you.”

Elizabeth winces this time, looking ashamed. Michael doesn’t comment, instead continues on. But the labyrinth is closing in, a panel sliding upwards making him unable to turn to the right. 

“Shit!” Reluctantly he turns left instead, his feet stomping like no tomorrow. 

“Almost there!!” He can see the light of the office, with Evan peeking through with Lefty’s stare. They were going to make it! 

“Go Elizabeth go!” Michael shouts forcing her to step in front. “Get to the office! Evan will take you where you need to urk-”

“I got you!” Scraptrap slams into Michael from another entrance, causing him to tumble and fall with a shout. He claws at Michael’s hull, nails digging into the plastic burning it completely. 

Michael howls in pain from the corruption hitting his remnant. “Get off me!” He shouts kicking his father, but the hold is strong. 

“Mikey!” Elizabeth shouts, rushing towards him but Michael puts up a hand. 

“Go! Go Lizzie get out of here!” He grunts fist flying into Scraptrap’s face watching metal and wires fly. 

“No! I won’t leave you!” 

With that she slams her claw down Scraptrap’s side, causing the decaying being to loosen his grip as black blood sprays everywhere. Their father snarls, pulling away from the two, Elizabeth reaching for her brother to help him up. 

Michael winces, realizing part of his hand and other foot was now just metal from the corrupted remnant eating it away. If he had stayed longer he probably wouldn’t have a hand or foot. 

He staggers upwards, slamming his foot against Scraptrap as the animatronic attempts to jump on them both, the robot scraping down the vents. He pants, bits of black ichor falling from his mouth as he does so. 

His remnant was strong, the burning orange orb starting to illuminate against the metal of his hull, lines trailing out and wishing around from the spot Henry had made for the remnant. His heart. 

“It’s over Father, it’s done. You lose.” Michael states as he glares at his father. He was tired but he was willing to go down fighting. He steps in front of Elizabeth, eyes burning a bright orange instead of the normal purple as the heat begins to rise. 

“I’m burning this place down, and you along with it.” 

“Ungrateful brat! I brought life to you! To you both and this is how you treat me! With betrayal?!” Scraptrap snarls, standing up his ribcage snapping open the sounds of screams causing Elizabeth and Michael to wrap their hands around their ears trying to block off the pure agonizing wails he had gathered from the remnant of those poor children. 

It was horrific to hear, but Michael had to keep steady. He pulls out of the trance with a shake of his head, claws ready as he swipes at Scraptrap, raking through the decaying metal, and leaving a large gash on his face. 

“I’ll kill you!” Scraptrap snarls, about to pounce but thick wires attached to his hand and arm yank him backward. He nearly tumbled back, but the wires wrapped around him, pulling him further away from Elizabeth and Michael.

“I don’t think so.” 

Elizabeth lifts her head to see the massive conglomerate of wires and pipes above her, with the animatronic faces of Ballora, Freddy, and Foxy attached to the entity. 

“Unhand me!” Scraptrap snarls as he’s being slowly lifted up by the Molten Funtimes. 

“No can do! I find it soooo unfair that you get some daddy-daughter time and we don’t even get a lick!! We thought we were family Afton!” The voices are intermingled, unlike the last time Michael and Elizabeth saw them. 

“You worthless pieces of trash!” 

“For most of you, I believe there is peace and perhaps more waiting for you after the smoke clears. Although, for one of you, the darkest pit of Hell has opened to swallow you whole, so don't keep the devil waiting, old friend.”

The Molten Funtimes chuckle, pulling Scraptrap further away. “Couldn't of said it better myself, ourselves. Let’s go peepaw. We have some catching up…” 

“Wait! You can still be free.” Michael whispered, seeing their eyes on him. 

“Thanks, Scoops, but this is our end of the show. You’ll be getting that encore, not us.” 

“Do give a good bow.”

“And rest easy.” 

Scraptrap screams are muffled by the wires tangling up as Michael stares at them. 

“I’m sorry, truly,” Michael says, and he’s honest. 

“Oh shut up before we vomit Dairy Queen. Go before we drag your ass here too.” 

Michael doesn’t argue, instead taking his sister and gently helping her through the hall. He sees Scraptrap being dragged away. Clawing at the ground with vengeful eyes.  

“Michael, don't leave me here!” He calls out his voice chilling his son’s spine. “Michael! Michael!!”  Metal scrapes as his nails dig into the vent floor, as he’s being dragged further and further down the corridor of this maze. 

Michael steps out of the entrance and pulls the panel shut, hearing his father scream and cry out for him. 

“Elizabeth!” Charlie’s voice rings through as the trapdoor below opens up. “Is..are…” 

“She’s good.” Michael supplies and Charlie lifts herself to get a good look at her old friend. 

“Hi.” 

“Hi.”

Elizabeth looks awkward as if she wants to say something, but Charlie doesn’t let her. Instead, she wraps her arms around the larger animatronic, squeezing her closer. 

“I missed you so much,” Charlie whispers, her voice threaded with tears.

“I did too.” Elizabeth finally says, letting out a sob of her own. 

“My daughter, if you can hear me, I knew you would return as well. It's in your nature to protect the innocent. I'm sorry that on that day, the day you were shut out and left to die, no one was there to lift you up into their arms the way you lifted others into yours, and then, what became of you. I should have known you wouldn't be content to disappear, not my daughter. I couldn't save you then, so let me save you now. It's time to rest - for you, and for those you have carried in your arms. This ends for all of us. End communication.”

“Oh Dad..” Charlie whispers, wiping her face. “We have to go, now. The heat is already rising. We have to get to the spot. Dad will be waiting.” 

“You guys first, I have to make sure. I don’t want any loose ends.” Michael whispers, he wasn’t sure if the Funtimes could keep his father in place. He had to make sure. 

Charlie nods, and soon all of them enter the ladder and disappear to the bunker below. Michael could see the heat was getting higher, the walls starting to turn red and all the pictures began to set ablaze. 

“Michael! Open this door!” He flinches at the sound of banging on the panel. It was sealed shut and there was no way to open it. He just stands there as his father bangs on the metal wall. He can hear the claws scraping and dragging trying to open it up. 

“Michael, don't leave me! Don’t leave me! I’m your father! You wouldn’t do this to your own father! Michael!!!” 

Michael almost feels sorry for him. He made this bed so now he must lie in it. He was reaping what he sowed. 

So he takes one final look at the burning office, feeling the flames lick at him while William Afton screams in agony, and gives one final sigh. 

“Goodbye, father.” 

He climbs down the ladder and descends to the bunker. 

***

William Afton lost. Burning in agony his body and mind melted into the void. His vengeance and agony struck out into nothingness only to get silence in reply. 

This was his end. 

He was to be floating in the ether, forever to sit in silence. To think of all his achievements dashed away before he evolved. 

All because of one loose end he never tied. 

His own brood turned against him. 

His family betrayed him. 

Darkness seeps into his soul, the void consuming him whole. This was the end. 

This was the end of William Afton. 

Get the hell up. 

William feels himself jerk awake, sitting on the floor of some void, able to feel and touch again. He grunts, lifting himself up, finding darkness all around him. He was still in the suit, so it had to be something. Something had happened.

He expected nothingness but instead was here. 

Did his plan work? Did he defy death again?

He chuckles, of course! He always came back! He always would rise against the odds. 

Moving to stand he realizes he sees something across the way. 

It’s a flickering mass. This yellow and black blob came into view, the closer he got the more sharper the image became. 

It was Fredbear, but it wasn’t at the same time. Like two images attempting to be on display at the same time.It laid slack against the void, mouth agape and body slumped. He saw this image before, when the suits were plopped on the floor after use. 

With cautious steps he moves closer, peering into the void of the dark mouth of Fredbear, only for a hand to grab him by his neck, yanking him into the suit. 

He falls, tumbling and crashing until he wakes once more. 

Silver eyes flicking right to left. 

I won’t let you rest. You won’t escape me. I’ll make you pay. Pay for what you’ve done. What you’ve made us into. 

The voice screeches in his ears like nails on a chalkboard. He can’t speak, he can’t move, finding himself practically bound to this checkered floor by some invisible force. 

He looks up once more, seeing black eyes staring at him. 

It’s her. 

I am the one you shouldn’t have killed. And now, we get to play my games. 

The checkered tile rumbles underneath him, and a large hand rips from the ground. It’s big and brown, reminiscent of Freddy’s paw. It grips at his decaying suit, pulling him down. 

Then another rip out of the ground, blue and round. Bonnie. It grabs at his mouth, yanking him further into the floor, which he didn’t think was possible. 

Another. Chica, gripping his leg. 

And then another. A hook slams down into his chest, it pulls upward revealing Foxy. The animatronic stares crawling closer to William, the man unable to move as he’s stripped from the SpringTrap suit, now just himself. 

He couldn’t hide behind a mask anymore. 

These children knew his face. 

Foxy’s jaw unhinged and then it snaps down, slamming into William who gives a silent scream, being pulled down and down with the little girl, and…a little boy that was much familiar stares at him. 

We’ll have so much fun with you. You’ll die over, over, over, and over for all eternity. Your own special little hell. You’ll feel every single death, every single crunch of your bones. 

Then, maybe you’ll understand the agony you put us all through William Afton. 

The last thing William hears is Cassidy’s laughter as he’s pulled into the void, animatronic hands gripping him as he’s yanked down, down down. 

Forever to suffer for eternity at the hands of a child. 

***

There everyone is waiting for him. Elizabeth holding Evan and Charlie’s hands, and Henry holding his daughter close. He sees Michael pulling the taller animatronic into the embrace as well. 

“Nice speech. Loved the devil part.” Michael comments getting a low chuckle from Henry. 

“Thought it’d be a nice touch. Always wanted to say that to him.” Henry murmurs as he puts his head against Charlie’s gently placing a kiss to her cheek, before he turns to Elizabeth who stares at him. 

A gentle hand brings her closer and he moves some of the frayed plastic that covers her face. “Good to have you back sweetheart.” He whispers and Elizabeth gives a small whimper wrapping her robotic hand around the man giving him a hug. 

“I’m so sorry.” 

Henry shakes his head, “You’re home, you don't have to worry anymore. All the bad things are gone. You are here.” 

She sniffles, nodding as Charlie gently takes her away and it’s Henry and Michael looking at each other. 

“We did it.” Michael breathes, his voice wavering as if he blinks he would be back at the sister location dead against the wall. 

Henry nods, “We did. I am so proud of you. So proud.” 

Michael can’t help but give a wet laugh, “Old man I’ve cried too many times in this lifetime. Don’t you dare.”

“Then let’s laugh.” Henry’s smile is content, happy even. It had been so long since he saw that smile on his father figure’s face, and Michael felt his heart was about to burst. The older man ruffles his head and finally goes to Evan who is sitting on a small stool his feet dangling back and forth. 

“You ready kiddo?” Henry asks, crouching to his level and Evan smiles softly. “You were so brave today. Good job.” 

He gives a big hug to the boy, much like the ones he would give the boy when he was Fredbear. Evan giggles leaning into the embrace, gripping his shirt with a happy sigh. 

Henry pulls away and looks at all his children, all brought back to him. All here. All happy. 

The smile never leaves, and his heart finally is healed. 

Fire starts to writhe around them. Michael glanced at Evan, this was it. This was the end. He couldn’t believe it. All this work, all that time and effort, and he was finally done. 

Evan nods, and the room around them changes. They’re back at Henry’s home, sitting on the couch, leaning into each other. No more animatronics, just them. 

Elizabeth is there, with her red curls and bright red bow. She’s leaning onto Charlie, her green eyes slowly falling shut. She looks happy, and relieved and so does Charlie.

Finally, they all were able to rest. 

Michael leans into the embrace of his family, his own eyes closing, thanking Evan for the distracting imagery instead of the burning demise they were truly facing.

He thinks back to the journey he had. The friends he made along the way. Jeremy, the bite victim that always had the sunniest disposition and a heart of gold. Stanley, his wingman and second in command, was loyal to the very end.  Delilah, the gentle soul who was ready to help at a moment's notice. Millie, the strongest person he's ever met with a heart maybe blacker than his. Alec, a spitfire with a bright future.

 And then…Lolbit. His buddy, his pal, his dearest friend. The one who stuck with him through thick and thin. The one who kept his sanity, despite being the craziest motherfucker Michael’s ever encountered. The jokes, the smiles, and the laughs he would never forget. 

Lolbit taught him one thing, and that was to laugh. To laugh at the face of tragedy and never turn your back to it. Pressing onward to the very end. 

He hoped that Lolbit would receive the love they deserved. He knew Stanley and Jeremy would take good care of them. 

After all the memories, he realizes he has a smile on his face and a tear in his eye. 

Thanks, everyone. 

And with that, he gives a final sigh. 

“See you on the flipside.” He mutters with a smirk, as the flames engulf them all. 

It was over. 

Completely and utterly over. 

End communication.

 

Notes:

There it is. The end. Thanks again for sticking around. I love you all so much, and this fic is near and dear to my heart. I have no clue if I'll work on a sequel at this point, but this is a good place to end, no?

Well I don't have much else to say but, catch you on the flipside ;)

Notes:

There it is, I hope you liked it. I’m sort of playing my own game of the timeline and how everything works so if it isn’t accurate it’s because it’s my au and I decide how things go lmao.

Thanks for reading, and if you have any questions feel free to comment and I’ll try to explain myself.

Also more art: https://twitter.com/inkspottie/status/1488218976509440009?s=21