Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

His son screamed when he came into the world. Bloody and covered in mucus and loud. His son cried all the way to the weighted scale and didn’t stop until he was swaddled and placed into his mother’s arms to nurse. A mother who would not love him as much as Michael already did. This boy, six pounds eleven ounces, had his mother’s big brown eyes and his father’s spitting image. When he was finally able to hold his son, he cried. Fat, silent tears fell down his face and onto the baby blue blanket his son was swaddled in. He had never cried so hard for another human being in life. His ex-girlfriend, the mother of his child, had watched him, silently, from the bed. She didn’t say anything. After a moment, she looked away to watch a late night Seinfeld rerun while he stood transfixed on his little baby boy. 

When Joan had gone to sleep and his son, little Gregory, named after his maternal great-grandfather, was fast asleep with a full tummy and a pacifier in his mouth, Michael finally left to call someone. He stood at the payphone just thinking. He wasn’t really sure who he could call about his son’s birth. Certainly not his borderline alcoholic father who didn’t even care enough to call after he left. He didn’t want to bother his brother that he had a lukewarm relationship with. His first thought was Charlie. She was reliable and she would be the best candidate for godparent considering he had no other friends outside of work. He faltered as he picked up the phone, one hand ready to punch in her number, as she surely would tell her father. Henry Emily wasn’t someone you tell a secret to, no matter how severe. It would always find its way back to father. 

Fuck . He called up Charlie. Knowing it was almost five in the morning and she was bound to be asleep. Even if she picked up, it would be a wasted call. She still lived in Hurricane. It was a five hour drive to Moab. He couldn’t really expect her to drive all the way here just to meet a baby she knew nothing about until now. He contemplated hanging up, but that’s when she chose to answer.

Yawning, she answered. “This couldn’t wait until a normal hour, Mike?”

“How’d you know it was me?” 

“You’re the only dickhead I know who lives in Moab.” She sighed. “You okay though? You usually only call now when you want to bitch or need money.”

“I know I don’t call often enough,” God knew he got it enough from Evan and the occasional lecture from Henry. “But, uh, look. I have this… I’m a father now and I put you down as godparent. Figured I should tell you and now I did. So I’m officially not an awful friend.”

He expected her to give him shit. To start yelling at him telling him that she should have been told sooner, but she didn’t. She hummed in thought.

“Is it a girl?” 

“No, a little boy. Gregory.” She hummed again. “He’s cute. And loud.”

Charlie laughed. Well, more cackled. “Yeah, babies are pretty loud. That’s a good thing though, right? It means they trust you enough to cry for you.”

“That’s comforting.” He was trusted. His son trusted his father to take care of him. “Anyway, I figured you’d wanna meet him at some point. Sorry for not, you know, telling you sooner.”

“I’m not upset with you. I’m just a little… surprised. I guess.” She chuckled. “This must be what Dad felt like when Uncle Will made him godfather. Shit, I feel old. Who’s godmothering at 21?”

“Well, I’m a single dad at 20.” He remarked with a yawn that he covered with his fist. Waving to a nurse who was passing him by. “I dunno which one makes me feel older.”

“Eh, good point.” Charlie yawned out. “Well, I have work in the morning- well, a few hours. So, I won’t be able to come visit until this weekend. Think you can stay sane that long without me?”

“I’ve done it before.” He scratched at his cheek that was covered in stubble he had yet to shave. “I’ll call you once Greg and I get settled. I, uh, I love you, Char.”

“Love you too. Get some sleep.” 

Michael had taken him home a day later and had yet to tell anyone but Charlie. He was happy with it being just the three of them knowing. He wasn’t going to apologize for that. His son, his son, who was staring up at him with this owlish expression while Michael waved a rattle in front of his eyes. A bottle of formula being slowly warmed. His eyes were all wide and curious. A bright green pacifier steadily being sucked on as he stared up at his father. He didn’t want to ruin this by exposing him to the poison that was William Afton. Not while he was in control of it. He had assumed if he told Charlie, she’d tell her father. And Henry Emily could not keep a secret from anyone. Charlie continued to surprise him by staying quiet about her godmother-hood. At least, he assumed as much because his phone had been quiet since Gregory’s birth.

He knew about his baby a month after Joan had. She had called, sobbing, telling him she was pregnant and had no clue what to do moving forward. She couldn’t afford a baby on a full-time college student’s lack of salary. Not that Mike could afford a child either, but he couldn’t stomach the thought of being without someone he helped create. Now he was holding that child in his arms. This brilliant, beautiful little boy who stared up at him with all the adoration only a child could hold for a parent.

His son relaxed in his hold as he drank from his bottle. His eyes fluttered shut and he nuzzled his cheek against Mike’s arm until he finally fell asleep. Michael could watch him sleep forever. He ran a finger over his son’s chubby little cheek and smiled down at the sleeping bub. He loathed the day his son would outgrow this. He already hated the idea of setting him down in his crib. He wanted to hold him forever and for him to stay this small forever. It was three in the morning and his son’s second day of living. It would be his little brother’s birthday in two weeks. 

He used to make attempts at going to Evan’s birthday as much as he could. They were all they had left after mom left and father checked out after Elizabeth’s disappearance. And now he had his baby. His little Gregory. He didn’t want to risk his father ever having access to his son. But he didn’t want to let his brother down. For some reason, Evan still looked up to Mike. He had to make an effort to stay in his brother’s life. It was exhausting.

Not that he didn’t love his brother. He did. He just hated his father that much. All their dinners consisted of passive aggressive comments on Mike’s lack of education beyond his GED. His lack of romantic partners. He's lacking a job better than a mechanic at the local garage. Nothing he did was ever good enough for his father. So why did he even try? Maybe he was just stupid that way. He was a stupid fucking idiot with a baby who would be everything he wasn’t. That was enough for him. Gregory was enough. 

Just Gregory and Michael. That’s all there was.

–

Mike chewed gum instead of smoking. His infant reached up to lay a hand over his constantly moving mouth. The gum had long lost its flavor of watermelon and he was only chewing it now to soothe the tingling in his fingers and on his tongue. He’d die for a smoke right now, but he couldn’t afford to. God forbid he got cancer and left Gregory before his time. 

Fuck. He could use one though. It was his brother’s birthday dinner. A special one seeing as Evan was turning sixteen. Father had never celebrated any of Michael’s birthdays beyond simple acknowledgment. Not that he was bitter. He was a little too old to be upset over forgotten or neglected birthdays.

“Ready to go, bud?” Gregory’s impossibly small hand was over Mike’s mouth before moving to pull at his hair. “Ow, ow. Don’t hurt papa. That’s not nice.”

Gregory released a lock of hair to nestle into his father’s chest. Early September air was always a little colder than expected. Utah only had two types of weather: bitter cold and unbearable heat. It was starting to turn bitter cold. Gregory was swaddled in a baby blanket that Charlie had purchased and sent to them through the post. He couldn’t tell if Gregory actually liked it or not. Mike supposed he was too young to have a favorite animal, let alone have it be frogs, but he still called to thank her. 

He ignored the itch to run away and entered the restaurant. Gregory fussed in his sleep at the sudden sounds of other people and the overhead speakers playing a cover of Hounds of Love in Italian. Mike shushed him, walking over to the hostess he recognized as an ex-girlfriend of his from high school. She directed him to the table reserved for the Emily-Aftons. 

He could already see his father’s familiar purple suit. He could see Evan sitting beside him with Charlie and Henry sitting across. Glasses of wine and water for each person present except for Evan. And the only empty seat reserved for Michael. He sighed and took a deep breath. He held it all the way until he reached the table. He never felt more like a lamb amongst wolves. His father eyed him with disinterest until his cold gaze fell onto the babe in Michael’s arms. 

Henry’s brown eyes widened before his face split into a grin. He rose from his seat with his hands hovered over Michael’s form. “Oh! Who is this?” 

Michael had almost forgotten how warm and kind Henry was. It had been a while. Not seeing anyone from Hurricane until now. Charlie couldn’t really make the trips out as often as she wanted to. He wasn’t upset or unhappy with the situation. It was what he wanted. But the unwavering attention from his godfather wasn’t unwelcomed.

“This is Gregory.” Michael gently peeled back the blanket from where it had covered his son’s face. Big brown eyes stared at the unfamiliar face before growing bored and looking around. “He’s mine.”

“Well, he’s just darling.” Henry had lowered his voice considerably in an attempt to coax Gregory’s attention back on him. “What a wonderful surprise.”

“Indeed.” Father’s voice chilled him to his core. Michael loathed hearing him speak around his child. “He seems rather young. How old is the dear boy?”

“A couple weeks.” 13 days to be exact. 

Henry was still gushing over Gregory. Promises of gifts and toys flew out of his mouth to a disinterested infant. Father had risen from his chair and strode over. He straightened his tie as if he were meeting with investors instead of an infant. He looked briefly to Michael before his gaze fell on the bub. He cleared his throat and reached out only to falter as Gregory began to violently cry. 

His baby’s cheeks were red and wet with tears. His cries turned to screams that didn’t relent until father finally stepped back in, what Michael could only describe as, fear. Gregory’s cries lessened, but his clear hatred for his grandfather was clear. As much as he hated seeing his son cry, he could use this fear. He’d never have to see his father again while his son was still alive.

Chapter Text

His apartment was getting too small. Gregory, now five months old, had started to crawl around with a reckless abandon. Michael thought it was endlessly cute and would record him whenever he could, but he could tell Gregory was growing bored of the same four walls. He didn’t even have a bedroom yet. It was a problem he didn’t want to become worse with time. He looked in the paper for an apartment in the area, but they all seemed lackluster. Any that really sparked interest were miles away. He had called Charlie for tips on house hunting only for her to talk about a new suburb being built a few streets away from Henry’s house. He'd be more than willing to look into it if it meant he’d be less inclined to spend time with his father. That wouldn’t be the case at all, he knew. 

Moving back to Hurricane meant that he’d be able to see his brother more, and therefore see father more. Which was the last thing he wanted. Gregory’s loud dislike for his grandfather was a good enough excuse to stay away from him and Mike was inclined to keep it that way. It was strange, really, how much his son hates his grandfather. He had no complaints. It meant he didn’t have to be in the same room as his father for very long. That was always a welcomed opportunity. 

Gregory babbled as his father picked him up off the kitchen floor. Charlie, being the dutiful godmother she was, decided to go house hunting with him. Despite them living five hours away from each other. That’s what he loved about Charlie. She was always such a bleeding heart. Ready to help anyone in need no matter what. She was lounging on his couch while he tried to wrangle up his child and get him presentable enough to drop him off at daycare. 

His son was all smiles as they got into his car. Charlie woefully telling him goodbyes as she entered her own. 

“Dramatic as always- your auntie.” Mike remarked, passing the stuffed Foxy toy to his son.

He originally wanted to trash the toy or donate it. Henry had poorly disguised the gift as something from himself, but Mike recognized it as his father’s handiwork. The poor stitching was a clear indicator. But Gregory loved it the moment he set eyes on the toy. He liked its big ears and the fact that he could chew on those ears as much as he wanted. He didn’t have it in him to get rid of it when Gregory’s eyes lit up every time he saw it.

He dropped Gregory off at the small daycare in town that was run by this old woman, Mrs. Yang, whose son coincidentally ran the Chinese food place next door to her daycare that Mike found himself eating more and more of lately. She was nice and Gregory liked her. She took him from Mike with a cheery grin that took up her entire face as she lifted him over her head. She exclaimed something in Cantonese, a language Mike had the loosest grasp on only so he could communicate with her better, while Gregory squealed in laughter.

“I’ll be back soon, Mrs. Yang.” She nodded and tucked Gregory onto her hip. Her free hand extended to pat Mike’s cheek. He pressed a kiss to each of Gregory’s chubby cheeks. “Be a good boy.”

“Good boy.” She pinched his cheek playfully, waving him off. Gregory tried to copy her movements, but his infant wasn’t coordinated enough for it.

Charlie was waiting for him in the parking lot. Her car was parked and still running beside his while she smoked outside. She waved the smoke away as he neared. “So, where to first?”

The first apartment was a bust. The building looked closer to a wet paper bag with the apartment itself being barely any better than the one he had right now. The two bedrooms the apartment boasted had been terribly tiny that were little more than just closets. The second one had a small community pool adjacent to the block of apartments and Mike could only think of Gregory somehow drowning in it.  He had never learned how to swim. Living in England for the first few years of his life where the beaches were mostly rocks and landlocked Utah meant he didn’t have many options for learning to swim. And his father never taught him. Mike was sure they were both too scared of drowning to ever learn. 

He was rather paranoid and Charlie, after smacking the back of his head to “knock some sense into him,” had given him a small stack of papers. The content of which just seemed to be various two bedrooms available for sale or rent to own in Hurricane. The houses were rather cookie cutter. The only variation between them being the color. 

“What is this?” He dropped the papers on the hood of his car. Ignoring the itch he felt to reach out and grab one of Charlie’s cigarettes. 

She shrugged. “Options. Viable ones. Why won’t you even consider it?” She knew why he wouldn’t consider moving back. The same way she knew, deep in her bones, that the bruises he had when he was a child weren’t from normal roughhousing. “Look, man. Dad would be more than willing to help you put down the deposit and you’d have a guaranteed nepotism job at Freddy’s. It’s better than how it is now.”

He didn’t want to consider it. It felt stupid. He felt stupid. Like some little kid who needed someone else to take care of his problems. He wasn’t a child anymore, but she had a point. Charlie was right. He’d have a decent job at any Freddy’s location because of his father. He’d have more time with the family he liked. And he wouldn’t have to listen to Henry ask him day after day when he was going to visit so he could see Gregory again. 

“C’mon. You know I’m right.” She teased in a singsong way. “Don’t you wanna see your best friend everyday?”

“I’d rather die, thanks.” He rubbed at the forming headache and groaned. “Fine. Fine. But I’m going to complain the entire time.”

“Hey-”

“I’m a single father.” 

Charlie rolled her eyes. “You get two more “single father” complaints, but then I’mI cutting you off.”

–

Gregory liked moving more than anyone Michael had ever met. He carried the boxes in with Gregory being watched over by Charlie and occasionally Henry who did little more than swoon over the bub. His son must have thought it was rather funny to watch his papa walk in and out carrying more and more of their stuff inside the house. Their furniture was the only things actually unpacked. It was only when Mike had actually placed all their furniture in the moving truck did he realize how little he actually had. His previous apartment didn’t have enough space for a kitchen table and he wasn’t that surprised that he’d ended up spending more money to buy whatever was missing. At least Gregory was having fun being the center of attention. 

“I almost forgot how cute babies are.” Henry remarked as he helped Mike set up the bassinet in Gregory’s room. “If I was being honest, I’d have thought you’d be the last person to have a child.”

“Well, you wouldn’t be wrong.” Mike reached across the collapsed bassinet for an allen wrench. “He’s only here now because I was young and didn’t use protection.”

Henry chuckled fondly. “You speak as if you're my age, my boy. You still have the agency of youth.”

Mike certainly didn’t feel very youthful. On a good day he’ll feel his age, but those were few and far between. He mostly just felt old. Most people he knew and went to school with were in college or getting married. Very few were having babies and doing it on their own. He mostly felt old. As he watched his son continue to have all the energy his little body could muster and want to play all day, he’d relish only wanting a nap and no longer having an aching back. 

He suddenly could relate to his father. The thought made him want to kill himself. He remembered in his childhood how often father would complain about his back or his steadily graying hair. Mike wasn’t so worried about his looks, but he did feel the exhaustion deep in his bones. He understood his father’s irritability now. He didn’t feel that excused his shit behavior, but he could understand him a little better now. 

“So, uh, I'll start at Freddy’s tomorrow, right?” Mike changed the subject with ease. Freddy’s was always a good change of topic. Henry and father both were always so eager to talk about their creations and how much money they make off of them. 

“Yes! Oh, but I won’t be sticking around for very long.” Henry stood to raise the bassinet to stand up on the legs they screwed together. “I’ll have our other day shift employee, Jeremy, be training you. He’s been there for a little over a year.”

Mike didn’t like the idea of having to talk to someone new. He wasn’t the kind of person that people liked to be around for very long. It was the reason why he only had one friend for all his life. He’d have to ask Charlie about this Jeremy person to see if they’d actually like to be around each other for the most of the day. A small part of himself hoped that he and this Jeremy person would be friends. He could use another friend. 

He could use a friend that had no previous connection to him. Charlie was a little too sympathetic to father when he just needed her on his side. He’d like to have someone just for himself now that everyone he’d known has begun clinging to his son. 

“Well, I’m looking forward to it.”

Chapter Text

He was already exhausted by the time he rolled into the parking lot. Gregory strapped into his car seat in the back, finally asleep, after he had kept Michael up all night. He was sure he had slept a total of thirty minutes while Gregory screamed and cried all night, restless after the move the day before. The fifteen minute drive of silence and a short nap for Gregory was not enough for Mike to recuperate. He arrived early, having already spoken to Henry after the man dropped by to hand off his uniform and an employee contract earlier that morning. Gregory hadn’t been happy with the visit and cried even harder when his father’s attention went to the older man instead of being solely focused on the bub.

At least Gregory liked Michael’s work more than his father did. That was to be expected though. Kids did always seem to love Freddy’s and any other affiliated chain no matter how creepy the adults thought they were. Henry, true to his word, had only enough time to hand him his uniform and fawn over Gregory before leaving. Some big important corporate meeting he had to attend. Mike would never be envious of them no matter how big their paychecks were. 

Michael’s uniform was a purple jumpsuit fit for the previous technician that was a few inches shorter than him as the pant legs didn’t even reach his ankles and he couldn’t even zip it up all the way. He had to cuff the ends of the pant legs and simply let the top stay unzipped and resting against his hips. He was happy he was allowed more leniency with the uniform as he wouldn’t be able to fit it any other way.

The only other person in the diner besides himself and his son was who he presumed to be Jeremy. This presumed to be Jeremy was blond with curly hair that was pretty long for a guy. Cut into a sort of mullet that he clearly cut himself. He wore a Freddy’s uniform that cashiers usually wore. The cheesy and goofy looking striped shirt and khakis combo. Mike remembered he spent many weekends and summers wearing that uniform when he was younger and still lived with father. Jeremy had turned to look at them after Gregory let out a fussy whine at the lack of movement. Jeremy had very pretty, very green eyes. 

“Oh! Hello, uh, sorry sir, but we aren’t open yet.” Jeremy jogged over and tucked his hair behind his ear with an anxious frown. Gregory cooed at the stranger, garnering Jeremy’s attention with a light gasp. “Aw, cute baby. I love babies. They’re so cute.” 

Jeremy reached out and wiggled his fingers in front of Gregory’s face. His son giggled and clapped his hands in glee. Jeremy laughed with the infant before straightening up in embarrassment. 

“S-Sorry, you can’t be here!”

“I’m not a customer.” Mike gestured with his free hand down to the jumpsuit. “I’m Mike. The new hire.”

It took Jeremy a moment before his eyes flashed with recognition. “Oh! Oh, right! Mr. Emily told me about you. Sorry.” Jeremy’s attention turned back to Gregory. A serious expression on his face as he booped Gregory’s nose. A delighted squeal escaped Gregory’s mouth as he tried to grab onto Jeremy’s finger.  “Mr. Emily didn’t tell me about you though, little man.”

“Yeah, that’ll be on me.” Mike adjusted his grip on his son. The squealing six month old wiggled in his grip in an attempt to get to his delightful new playmate. “My brother just started school and couldn’t watch him and there’s, like, no daycare in town so I brought him in. He’s not too bad! I promise.”

Jeremy chuckled, “Don’t worry. I’m great with kids. Thus the whole-” He gestured about himself. “Working at Freddy’s thing. Plus, he’s such a little cutie pie.”

Mike felt relief seep into his bones. Most people his age that he interacted with recently were very anti-kids. He didn’t blame them. They’re at that weird age where they desperately want to be children while treated as adults at the same time. He didn’t think anyone really knew how to act around children, but Jeremy seemed to have a handle on it.

“He’s usually really mean to strangers.” Michael remarked as he watched Jeremy play peek-a-boo with Gregory. “He screams and cries if anyone gets too close.” Jeremy peaked at Gregory between his spread fingers. A shriek of laughter erupted from the infant. “He really likes you.”

“Told you I’m great with kids.” Jeremy boasted before letting his hands fall to his side with a sigh. “Alright, little man, no more play time.” Gregory cocked his head to the side in confusion as his playmate grew serious. “Your daddy and I have to get to work. Why don’t you go play with Foxy?”

Foxy was actually creepy as fuck. Gregory didn’t seem to think so, but Michael certainly did. Foxy had turned into an amalgamation of spare parts, bare endos, and was missing her outer casing. Gregory, upon seeing him, had clapped his hands excitedly and made grabby hands at the pink and white animatronic. Foxy blinked her one eye at the sound of his son’s excitement. The rest of the body moved to greet the child with bouncy movements. She bounced from one foot to the other across the room to get to Gregory. She held a hand out expectantly. Michael wasn’t sure what the animatronic was waiting for exactly. 

Gregory, however, seemed to understand the animatronic and leaned away from his father’s chest to place his much smaller hand atop her’s. He squealed at the contact, a bright smile on his face, and raised his hand only to smack the cold metal again. He raised his other hand to smack Foxy’s hand in some sort of beat. 

“Not to sound mean, but, uh, why does Foxy look like this?” Michael wasn’t entirely sure if this was a conscious design choice or not. If it was, he was seriously doubting Henry’s creative abilities. 

“Some kids thought it was fun to pull him apart.” Jeremy explained while he set up what looked to be a small gated off area. He was placing down foam mats in various Freddy’s affiliated designs around the open space within the gated area. “It was getting to be a hassle for Scott - that was the guy before you - to keep putting him together. Mr. Emily thought it was too, I guess, so they just stopped fixing her. Now she’s sorta like this pull apart and piece together, uh, mangle thing to play with.”

“Mean kids.” Mike remarked, lightly tugging Gregory away from the animatronic as he tried to put a loose wire into his mouth.

“Eh. Kids are kids.” Jeremy placed the last mat in place before moving around to collect the various toys that littered the area. He put the bigger toys in the gated area and placed the smaller ones in a box atop one of the party tables. “Don’t tell me you never got up to random sh- er, crap when you were younger.”

Mike shrugged and moved to the finished play area Jeremy made for Gregory. He lowered himself into a crouch to lay a hand over the mats. He pushed to test whether it would be too hard for Gregory to play on until he figured it was fine. He lifted his son over the gate and Gregory, always so eager to explore, crawled around to find whatever toy Jeremy placed in there. The mangled animatronic hovered over the area with an occasional twitch of his head to refocus on Gregory. Jeremy left after the short chime of a bell to signal customers coming in, leaving Mike alone with his child and the mangled Foxy. 

The animatronic’s attention flitted between watching Gregory crawl around and watching Mike with a wariness that was unusual for an animatronic. Even if they are one of his father and Henry’s inventions. A squeal from his son caught the attention of the animatronic as he held up a small stuffed rabbit. Michael chuckled and took it from the bub. It was a relic from the seventies when father and Henry first opened Fredbear’s. The stuffed rabbit was yellow with a bright purple bowtie that was supposed to match the Fredbear plush that you could buy with it. Michael remembered his sister being in possession of the first Spring Bonnie plush along with Evan owning Fredbear. 

He lightly shook the rabbit left and right as his son followed the rabbit with his eyes. “You like old Spring Bonnie?” He turns the rabbit to face himself. “I always thought those older models were so creepy. I was more of a Foxy guy myself.”

The mangled Foxy turned to face him as he recognized her name being called. She blinked her one good eye within his Foxy face casing at Mike. The other animatronic head cocked backwards to watch Gregory. Mike was happy that Gregory was too preoccupied with crawling after a toy car that kept rolling away when he neared it. The bub let out a growl of frustration when the car rolled away again. Mike reached over the gate and picked up the toy car. Gregory had sat fully on his bottom with a fist in his mouth. He smiled around his wet fist as Michael handed him the toy. 

“Happy now, lovey?” Gregory was smashing the toy car into the foam mat beneath him. Mike tuted at the rough play. “Hey. Gentle. Don’t try to break it.”

He reached over the short barrier again to take the toy after Gregory had ignored his gentle command. He didn’t want some random child’s toy to be broken and Gregory was starting to understand good behaviors. Gregory made an indignant noise when he saw his father’s hand reach for the toy. He threw the toy as far as he could away from Mike. A sigh escaped his lips and he stood, a foot raised to climb over the gate. A heavy metal hand clasped his shoulder, however, keeping him firmly in place. 

The animatronic now fully faced him. The shiny pink and white plastic inches away from his own. 

“Let me go.” Mike ordered the machine. 

The mangle did not listen. Gregory, sensing that something was wrong, had whimpered with the intent to cry as loudly as he could. Mike turned his attention away from the animatronic to focus on Gregory. The bub’s face was red with his eyes brimmed with tears. His baby had his arms raised with pitiful whimpers leaving his mouth. The animatronic loosened her grip. Michael picked up Gregory, shushing him gently, and stared at the now stagnant animatronic. 

What the fuck?