Chapter Text
"Is.. that a yes, on bringing-"
"Yes, as long as it does not hinder your nightly tasks."
"It", huh? You huff in amusement, moving the phone away from your mouth so you wouldn't upset your new boss. You only realized a moment later that management actually hadn't paused, and at least caught onto the end of what they were saying.
"-and you may leave your child and belongings in the daycare until the lights shut off, then you must remove them before injury may occur."
"Injury? Wait, what woul-"
The familiar click of the phone further cemented your growing doubt of this job. Sure, it seemed great to take the job as a maintenance worker, doing odd jobs STAFF bots couldn't do, or jobs that should really just be done by someone who can use reasoning- shit, the pay was fantastic, the jobs seemed easy- fairytale wedding but, uh, a job. With maybe-dangerous robots. You put a hand on your hip and stared at Lapin- or, Bunny, as you affectionately called him- who was currently entertaining himself by throwing one of his rubber toys full force at the wall and watching it fly back and hit him in the forehead. That.. probably wasn't good for him. You sighed.
"Well, Bun, you're about to have quite the adventure, aren't ya?" You laughed, picking him up. He responded by cupping your face and very seriously staring you down, attempting to intimidate you into letting him stay awake.
"Oh my. I see. Well, no way to get out of bedtime. If no one's going to baby-sit you, you're comin' with me."
Outside the sky was nowhere close to darkening. It was maybe three o'clock, at most, but you knew from experience that Bunny was not going to be happy if he was tired all night, especially if you were working the graveyard shift, eleven to six. Bunny scoffed, throwing his arms and legs out into "star formation", which meant he either needed something or didn't want to do something. It got confusing when you were trying feeding him. You poked his stomach and he giggled, weak little toddler arms attempting to shove you away.
"No, nuh-uh, never."
"But we're going somewhere so cool later! For free! We're literally getting paid to run around in a huge place all by ourselves. Plus," you lowered your voice to entice Bunny into thinking what you were saying was very important. "I got us an extra employee meal, since you're coming with me."
"No you didn't." He rolled his eyes. "..Did you?"
"Yep. They have tons of treats there, and vending machines, and new friends for you to meet. You should be excited!"
You were sneakily carrying him to your bedroom now, and he seemed to be oblivious to your advances.
"How.. many, new friends?"
"Well.. Five, I think. The main band, and the Daycare Attendant."
"Oh, okay!" He smiled. You poked his forehead.
"Hey, you start kindergarten in a few months, so you have to start getting a little more out there. You can't be afraid of making new friends."
You tossed him a set of pajamas and he mindlessly started putting them on- wrong, but it was a nice effort. You pulled the pants leg off of his arm and he giggled. The rest of dressing him went suprisingly well, and he was tucked into the sheets next to you in no time, snuggling up with his stuffed horse. Even with the lights off, you could see him in the shadow of the curtains already asleep, arms spread out to the side as if he were trying to take up all of the bed. You sighed and rolled over, shutting your eyes to try and sleep before your shift. It didn't come for a long time, and at that point you settled for the on and off rest you got and decided to get up, maybe prepare something special for breakfast. You sighed, the dim light of the kitchen casting a yellow glow over the older appliances and style. The apartment was small, but the rent was cheap. The fridge was always happily stocked, and Y/N had enough ingredients for pancakes in the cabinets.
When Bunny wakes up he'll be so surprised! You thought happily. I can't wait to see his face this morning.
Two butterflies floated in the air, just out of your reach. The sky was not blue, but a shade of purple that reminded you of a blanket you saw at the store once. Across the blanket were stars of blinding yellow that cast spots across your vision.
----
"Whatchya doing back there?" You raise an eyebrow, watching Bunny play with the seatbelt next to him. His head shot up, messy brown hair poking him in the eye and making him squint with an offended scoff.
I'll have to remind myself to get that cut. Could scratch his eyeball or something. You thought, staring back at the road. It was a surprisingly short drive, for you to have never visited the establishment before. You were reminded of the price and shrugged to yourself. You realized Bunny was rambling on about something behind you.
You need to be more aware of that, Y/N!
"And then the purple dude popped into the gutter! Anyways that was pretty fucked-up dream."
"Lapin L/N!" You laughs in surprise. That was maybe the first time you'd ever heard him cuss so valiantly right in front of you. He giggled from the backseat. "Yeah, you laugh now. Wait until we get to the plex and I don't let you get anything."
"No! Not fair, not fair!" He gasped. You smiled.
"We'll see if I change my mind when we get there."
You took a turn and somehow avoided the traffic onslaught that was currently dominating as outpouring customers finally managed to get their kids in the car and on the road again. Bunny squeaked, singing down farther into his seat. You sighed, watching him in the mirror.
"Hey, these wackos out here could care less about you being in the seat, if not to feel envy that my child is so well-behaved." You threw in a bit of forced flattery, but he seemed to like it and scooted up some more. Maybe you were playing to hard into the "supportive parent" role. Was this even supportive? You were probably annoying him.
Oh well. Looks like that's his problem. You're doing your best!
You finally exited the car after parking it in the employee section (which was painfully empty, considering that day employees needed to stay after closing) and grabbing Bunny's backpack. He groaned as soon as he saw it.
"Oh, hush it. Would you rather I poke you around with a stick from one of the creepy trees here?"
"But-"
"No buts. Look, what if I get you a cooler one here, if they have them? Or I'll order one online when we get home." God I sure hope they have some. He's going to kill me if not.
"Okay!"
He chirped. You unbuckled him (though he was getting better on undoing it himself) and slid the yellow duckling bag over his shoulders.
"Fit?"
"Fits!"
"Good. My phone and stuff are in there, along with a few things for you if you're good." And the shit here is too expensive. Backup plans in the form of a backpack 101.
"C'mon, let's go!"
You managed to slam the car door shut and lock it before Bunny effectively dragged you away. You made sure your shirt was tucked into your pants and the employee badge was secured on your shirt. The uniform was simple- a light-blue button up and black pants. You managed to sneak a rainbow belt on, because you felt like it fit the theme of the pizzaplex, but there was a note along with your uniform that said "extras will be given when you start your third shift." What extras those were, you could not say.
When you were approaching the doors, Bunny shied closer and closer to your leg. You chewed the edge of your bottom lip and kept on going, pushing the door open as a STAFF bot approached it, apparently to lock it.
"The pizzaplex is now closed. Please leave any forgotten belongings until tomorrow, where you can pick them up at the service counter."
"Uh- I work here."
"Y/N. Let me escort you to your clock-in station."
"oh, uh, okay."
Bunny giggled at the way the staff bot moved, leaned forward and slightly off-balance. Were they supposed to move that way? You didn't have long to think about it before the bot stopped beside a wolf-themed kiosk machine.
"This is where you will start and end your shift. You will be provided your own staff code to clock in and out. You must clock in before you enter the main part of the pizzaplex, and clock out and make sure the menu is shut before you may leave the premises. If you are caught leaving the property for more than an hour, you.."
The bot continued rambling, but you weren't really paying attention. When you looked back up, the bot was staring at you with its creepy, unblinking eyes.
"Oh. What's my staff code?"
"Your staff code is a six-digit number you enter at the start and end of every shift. Your number is 111112."
Oh, well that's easy.
"Okay. Thank you."
"Check your emails from management to see your nightly tasks. Have a faz-tastic day."
The bot zoomed away on it's wobbly wheels and Bunny almost made a break for it, but was stopped by the leash grabbing at his shoulders.
"Ow!"
"Ah, are you alright, buddy?"
That was not your voice. You whirled in surprise to see Monty crouching beside Bunny, having a conversation with him. He glanced up at you and you turned back around, face red in embarrassment. You probably just looked like an idiot with your mouth hanging open like that! You typed in your code and found the interface very easy to use. Just clicking on a little clock icon displayed the time and when your shift started. You clicked in a few more things and boom, your phone buzzed from Bunny's backpack with an email.
"Stay still, Bunny."
"Bunny, huh? Nice to meet you Bunny."
"Wow. You are very big."
"Nah, I think you're just a small fry." Monty laughed. Bunny grinned, and you glanced at the two of them. At least Bunny already made a new friend.
Reading over the email it looked fairly simple. Check the cameras in the security office, fix the broken light in the customer service kiosk, and fix a broken generator in the daycare ball pit. There was another task for the daycare too, repainting the door and decorations outside the pick-up.
Huh, you thought. At least the daycare is already on here. I'll just do that first.
"Well, I've met the kid. Who's the new employee?"
You jumped, shoving your phone in your pocket and re-zipping Bunny's backpack.
"I'm Y/N. Nice to meet you, Monty."
"You too. Nice kid you got here. Didn't know he was comin'."
"Well, he'll be here as long as I am. Babysitters are expensive."
"Are you leaving him in the daycare?" Monty's eyes glinted behind his glasses.
I wonder how complex their emotion program is for him to look so jaded. You thought, almost defensively. Scratch that, pretty defensively. Was he trying to tell you how to parent your own child?
"Yes. I was told by management to-"
"Maybe you should just leave him with us."
The wolf piped in, appearing beside the gator, who had crossed his arms at the topic. You gave her a friendly smile, but it was interrupted by Bunny audibly gasping.
"This one," He whispered to you. "I like this one."
"That's great buddy. You can go talk to her."
"You should." Monty said again, bringing your attention back to the conversation. "No one trusts that guy after what happened."
"Well, I haven't met him, so I'll be the judge of what happens to my child, I think."
Roxanne was kneeling, complimenting Bunny on his backpack. He looked ecstatic, even when she changed the topic to herself. Monty frowned at you.
"Whatever you say. Just keep in mind- the guys creepy. Something's off with his programming."
"I'm sure he's fine. If he's not, then maybe you'll see a lot more of Bunny. We have to get going."
"Fine. Hey, Bunny, be good for Y/N, yeah?"
Monty grinned, but the way he glanced back at you made your internal alarms go off even more. Roxanne stood up again.
"I'll walk with you to the daycare."
"Okay. Thank you."
"Yes." Bunny whispered, pumping his little fist. Hey, at least he liked someone here.
"Is he yours? Biologically, I mean. You look young to have a child."
She commented absently. Bunny was holding her hand, but her long strides made him wobble and giggle slightly. Her tail flicked in amusement. You smiled.
"No, not biologically. I was his parents best friends."
"Oh. Did.." She trailed off. You shrugged.
"Yeah."
"I'm sorry." Roxanne said sympathetically. The daycare wasn't too much farther, and you'd be glad to escape the awkward conversation as soon as possible. She ruffled Bunny's hair, and you eyed the joints in her claws suspiciously. What if they got caught in his hair and pulled it right out? Luckily she pulled away without a hitch, but Bunny looked a little shaken. He was still smiling proudly.
"It's fine. His real name is Lapin- it's French, his parents were big on naming their child something unexpected, so they named him 'Bunny'."
"Oh, interesting. I totally would've believed they just named him Bunny. Oh, here's the daycare. I'll see you soon, little buddy!"
Thank the great stars, that was horrible.
"Bye Roxy!"
Bunny waved as you picked him up, making him more squirmy than usual. You laughed when he almost hit you in the face. Roxy shot him finger guns, then continued walking to her room.
The daycare reception area was surprisingly clean. You gave Bunny a bounce and he laughed.
"Well, we're here. Excited?"
"Mm. No."
"What?" You exclaimed in false surprise, pushing the door open. "You're not excited to meet a new friend? Wow." You drawled out the word, making Bunny giggle, then gasp suddenly. A new animatronic had practically appeared in front of you both, and on reaction you ducked away, protecting Bunny with your body for a moment. The suns head turned slightly more than what would be considered normal before springing up again.
"Helllloooo! Wow, you sure are up late, are we having a slumber party?"
"Hi.. there." You said, regaining a normal position but holding Bunny a little tighter. The animatronic was unsettlingly tall. "Are you the Daycare Attendant?"
"I am! My name is Sun! Wow, you must be a new employee. We haven't had a human employee in ages at the pizzaplex, let alone a lock-in."
"I, uh, don't know what a lock-in is-" You set Bunny down and slipped off his backpack. He wondered around idly and Sun followed him, so you followed Sun. "But I'm pretty sure we're not doing that."
"How long is he staying here?" Sun said, whirling to face you. You were still surprised, even though his entire neck had spun around several times.
"Just- Just an hour or two. Management said-"
"You are leaving before the lights go off?"
"..Yes?"
You said it more as a question, but Sun looked pleased anyways.
"So, what's your name, little friend? Oh, and you too, big friend."
Yeah, big friend. You thought. As if you aren't ten feet tall. The way he brushed from topic to topic so easy made a strange feeling crawl at the edge of your mind.
"I'm Y/N. This is Bunny- er, Lapin, but he likes Bunny."
"Lapin means 'rabbit', not Bunny." Sun pointed out. Bunny was attached to your leg again, with a similar unsettled look on both of your expressions.
"Well, I didn't name him," You moved on from that topic quickly. "He just prefers Bunny."
"That's alright! Bunnies are soft and adorable, like your son here. Is he shy?"
"If you couldn't tell already." You sighed apologetically, crouching. Sun did the same beside you and you had to will yourself not to move away from him.
"Bun? I'm staying here for a little bit, I have to fix something in the ball pit. If.." You leaned closer to him to whisper. "If you don't like hanging out with Sun, then I'll take you with me when I move on, okay?"
Bun nodded carefully, brown eyes flicking from you to Sun quickly.
Sun's smile widened slightly and you winced. The weird plastic they used on the animatronic's faces were easily moldable by the wiring in their endos, but it was still unsettling to see their faces change to match real emotions.
"New friend! We have lots of things to do here. We can finger-paint, tell stories, drink fizzy-faz, put on puppet shows-" He was listing the items off on his fingers ad Bun seemed to loosen up slightly in the presence of the jester-themed animatronic. You stood back up, but the two stayed on the ground. You noticed that Sun's voice had considerably lowered from when you both had first entered the daycare.
Huh, he must be good at his job.
"Sun, can you show me the ball pit?"
"Oh! Yes, I can."
He stood effortlessly, pushing off of the floor with just his feet so he rose somewhat creepily, but you could see why it would be effective to have such balance in an animatronic that had to react quickly to kids if they got into trouble. Bunny grabbed onto his pant leg and Sun extended one hand down in a peace offering. You smiled when Bunny took it, albeit hesitantly. Sun and Bunny led the way to the ball pit.
"Don't worry about wading through balls and mess. STAFF bots swarmed in here when all of the children left and emptied the whole thing so you could work."
"Oh, that's helpful. I was a little worried about that. What did they do with the balls?"
"Look above you!" Sun laughed. On top a little stage high out of reach there was a precariously balanced mountain of balls, and you could see where several had already fallen and were collected into their own mini-mountain. Another rolled as you walked and Sun caught it with one hand and held it out for Bunny. You watched in amusement as he went to the mountain and proudly set it down.
"Great job, now you're a certified cleaner." Sun laughed. "I can give you a sticker for that."
"Oh, uh, make sure it doesn't get on his skin," You said, turning away from the scene to examine the ball pit. There, in the bottom corner, one of the red panels were torn from the wall and a generator was exposed, lever switched in an awkward balancing position in the middle. "He has sensitive skin."
"Noted! Well, maybe we'll just give it to Y/N, so they can hold it for safe keeping." Sun shrugged and Bunny huffed quietly in amusement. You smiled at him again, patting his head.
"Well, at least it isn't very deep. I don't know why I thought it'd be like a pool."
You noted, taking the short step down into the pit. Despite being shallow, it was still a bit of a task to step down and you almost fell flat on your face. Bunny got a kick out of the way you swirled your arms to keep your balance. You rolled your eyes at Sun's own snicker.
"Graceful!"
"Well, I'm not quite the dancing queen." You shot back.
The panel at the bottom of the pit was a shallow little area under the floor that led to a whole array of problems is kids managed to get in there. Using your phone flashlight, you could see it stretched under the entire area of the daycare before stopping at the rough outline. You sat your phone back down and eyed the generators predicament. It made an ugly noise when you tapped one of the buttons.
Me too, buddy.
"So, does this affect the lights?"
"Yep. You can see why it's a problem for children to be ble to kick it loose."
"You have some troublemakers then. The panel seems to be practically ripped out. Do.. you know which way the lever has to go to keep the lights on?"
"Hm.. is it not marked?" Sun stepped down into the pit, keeping a distance away and peering over your shoulder. He seemed faintly annoyed. You shrugged, squinting at the crude masking tape indications.
"No. Both of the edges have a star drawn."
"Ah. Well, maybe you should just leave it how it is-"
"I can't. If I put the panel back on, and a kid kicks it again, the lever will switch one way or the other, so there's a fifty-fifty chance the lights will shut off during the middle of the day."
Sun's rays shrank slightly and Bunny appeared on your right, closest to the ball pit wall.
"Don't the levers usually go up normally, then down to turn something off? Like in the movie."
"Yeah, 'wrong lever, Kronk'. We'll try that first."
Before Sun could get a word in, you flipped the lever up. The lights fizzled out, and you flicked the lever the other way quickly. Bunny laughed as you leaned back on your knees and grabbed him, tickling his sides.
"You told it to me backwards!"
"Did not!"
"Did too!"
You glanced over at Sun, who had been unusually quiet the entire time. He looked paler somehow, and one finger twitched in the silence. You sat Bunny back down.
"Sun?-"
"Oh! Is it all fixed already?" He laughed. "I hadn't realized!"
"Yeah.." You pushed the strange feeling of dread that threatened to loom over you aside and eyed the panel at your side.
"Sun, do you by any chance have a stick or something?"
"Well, what for? Certainly we have something that can help."
"I need to pop this back in there-"
You picked the panel up and one edge slid easily into the slit on the inside. The other side, however, was bigger than the hole so it couldn't be popped in easily. It was like it had been torn out by something, really. Someone wants a death sentence. Imagine how much money it would cost the kids parents to replace a generator for Fazbear Entertainment!
"Oh yes! Would.. this, work?"
Sun trot over to a tote nearby and held out a plastic hockey stick that looked like it would make a great noise when it came in contact with skin. You smiled as he handed it to you.
"Yeah, this should work."
You used the edge of the stick to wedge the panel in with a lot of effort- it was heavy, and you didn't want to think about what would happen if you broke the stick. You fought with it a little longer while Sun and Bunny played nearby, listening more to Bunny's laughter than paying attention to the task at hand. I wouldn't want to hear the noise in the daycare when it was filled with kids! I'd rather just keel over.
With another shove, the hockey stick managed to shove the panel back in… and crash back into your nose.
"Motherfu-" You inhaled sharply, shutting your eyes and pressing your palm to the end of your nose.
"Language! What happened?" Sun held out a hand and you took it, stepping out of the pit. Tears brimmed in your eyes, because shit, a plastic hockey stick just hit you in the fucking nose. I was right, you thought idly. It did make a great noise.
"Sorry. I just- I hit myself in the nose with the stick." You laughed. Your voice was shaky and you internally beat yourself up over it. You big baby!
"That's not good. Is it bleeding?"
"I don't think so."
You scrunched your nose and winced. You'd probably leave today with a bruise, but nothing seemed to be seriously wrong.
"No, 'm fine. Just a little bruised, haha. Really, I'm fine." You added, seeing the way Sun and Bunny wore similar concerned expressions. You poked Bunny's nose and he giggled.
"Well, I think they have to leave soon?" Sun questioned, bouncing Bunny slightly, making him hold even tighter onto the animatronic.
"Oh, right. Bunny?"
He glanced between you two for a second, then bumped his head gently against Sun. "I'll stay with Sunny."
"Oh!" Sun exclaimed happily. "We're going to have lots of fun before Y/N has to pick you up!"
You were slightly amused by how excited yet nervous Sun seemed. Either he really wanted to make a good impression or Bunny made him nervous because of his shyness.
"You're gonna do great, Bunny. I'll see you soon, okay?"
"Okay!"
You kissed his forehead and waved at Sun.
"Thank you Sun! You're a lifesaver!"
"That's my job, lifesaver! Goodbye!"
Leaving the daycare felt oddly final, despite the fact you'd be back in an hour or two. You checked your email again to remind yourself of the tasks. All that was left was the kiosk light, painting the daycare door, and the security cameras. Shit, You sighed. I could have just painted the door and shit now, while Bunny was in there. Ignoring your own short-sightedness, you read the email again. There should be a ladder for the light in the staff closet directly after the security office.. Okay, then, you'd do security cameras next.
It was a quick walk to the cameras, and you weren't quite sure what you were supposed to do. You flicked through them, reveling in how many there were and trying to memorize where they all were, in the unlucky event you'd have to fix one, and finished up by tidying. The chair was flipped over and trash littered the floor. It was quick, and you thought the employee who had to work here would appreciate it.
If, anyone worked here at all. Thinking back to what Sun had said.. They haven't had a human employee in a long time?
You shuddered at the thought at being the only flesh and blood person to work here in forever, then remembered Bunny at the daycare and wondered if he counted as an employee. He did to you, at least. You exited the office to check the closet, but when you turned the door handle to pull it open the door didn't budge.
You furrowed your brows in confusion, using both arms to give it a good yank. Usually, you'd use your elbow to brace yourself, but with the hurt still echoing in your nose you decided against it. You could see dust and flakes of old paint crumbling around the door, and with another hard yank you stumbled backwards but didn't fall. The closet, after all of that, was empty. You exhaled in annoyance.
Well, it wasn't completely empty. It was like a tunnel, which seemed to lead to a few shelves of parts that didn't really look like what you needed. The shelf that was in the actual lit-up room was barren, except for a magazine with several pages ripped from it. You could see blue and purple and yellow on the ripped edges, and wondered what exactly had been in the Fazbear Catalog that someone hadn't wanted in there anymore. You realized you were procrastinating heading into the dark maintenance tunnels by standing here and tried to steel yourself and pop your head on. Still, it was absent of a ladder. You prepared to head farther in, but the door creaking behind you made you yelp in surprise. You whirled around, wielding the magazine- which you had rolled between your hands when you were lost in thought- and facing your "attacker". Freddy stood there, looking just as surprised as you, holding his arms up in surrender. You released a breath, relaxing.
"Jeez. You scared me."
"I can see that," Underneath the sympathetic expression he wore you could hear his amusement. "It was not my intention."
"It's fine. Why'd you sneak up behind me, though?"
"I didn't sneak," He said, smiling playfully. His teasing presence relaxed you further. This was the mascot, the face of Fazbear Industries by name. "I came up behind you rather normally. Why were you so on edge?"
"Ah, I.. Don't know the answer to that one. I think the maintenance tunnel was freaking me out a little bit."
"Oh, that happens to all of us sometimes. It happened to me yesterday. Those STAFF bots are so quiet, I almost ran right over one. What were you looking for?"
"Just a ladder. I have to fix the broken light in customer service."
"Huh. I did not know we had a new employee, but I should have guessed by your uniform. It's nice to meet you.."
You were quiet until you realized he was waiting for your name. "Uh, Y/N."
"Oh! Roxy was talking about you earlier. Something about your son?" He shook your hand politely, with both paws you noted, which were ridiculously smooth and weirdly soft.
"Bunny. That's- That's his name, Bunny. He's in the daycare right now."
"Well, I can't wait to meet him too."
"You should be able to see him when I pick him up.."
"Right, the lights go off soon. Are you picking him up before then?"
"Yeah," You glanced back at the maintenance tunnels for the (hopefully) last time tonight. "Hey, why does everyone say Sun's.. off?"
"Well.. he'll tell you, when he's ready. It is not my business to share. I hope you understand."
"Oh, yeah, of course. Bro code." You laughed awkwardly into the silence. "Uh, anyways, about that ladder.."
Freddy blinked, then straightened up again as if he had forgotten about the subject already.
"There is no ladder, sadly. It was left outside last week an no one brought it in. I'd be happy to help you, though, so you don't have to make the trip!"
"Oh, uh, that sounds great. Thank you."
"Of course. What was the ladder for?"
"The a light popped out in customer service, I just need to put it back and make sure it's more secure."
"Ah, yes. That."
Freddy winced as you shut the door to the closet, taking a small tool box that was left in the corner with you, him letting you lead the way to the kiosk.
"What? Is something wrong?"
"We're lucky we don't have human employees at the kiosks. The light fell down onto a staff bot and completely destroyed it."
"Oh," You said, hoping your tone was more level than what it wanted to be. Imagining the scene in your head with a human employee sent a shiver up your spine. Imagine the mess…
Freddy did not continue to talk, and the rest of the trip was spent in a silence that had your mind jittering around from corner to corner. Did I upset him? My first day and I already made someone dislike me. Say something! Lighten the mood! What do I say to a robot that's weirdly intimidating and seems way too emotional to be real?-
By the time your mind found something to say, you had reached your destination. It seemed the staff bot hadn't even been cleaned up.
"It happened at closing," Freddy said, voice full of reassurance that soared right over your head. You sighed heavily.
"Freddy, buddy-old-pal.. Can you go grab the maintenance cart for me?"
Freddy chuckled, nodding. "Sure can. It's in the maintenance tunnels, isn't it?"
"Right inside the door. I didn't know the staff bot was here, sorry."
"No problem! I'll be right back."
He left with a little wave, but the heavy tread of his footsteps further solidified the idea you had somehow done something wrong and hadn't realized. Maybe it was asking about Sun. You winced, then pulled a wheeled chair over, bringing your knee up to bounce it and see if it could hold your weight. The chances seemed unlikely, but since Fazbear didn't provide a ladder, maybe you could sue them. Yeah, that sounds likely, taking money on your first day on the job? You were about to try and stand up on it when the unmistakable sounds of a slightly left-turned front wheel assaulted your ears. Freddy appeared at the door again, grinning apologetically.
"Wow, sounds like that carts real excited to meet me."
"I accidentally hit the door frame pulling it out. I don't know if I caused the wheel specifically, but I'd like you to know."
"Yeah, no problem. Mind helping out with something else, too?"
You got Freddy into position, holding the light up so you could sweep the mechanical remains to another area for a proper clean up in a minute. Freddy held the light up with one hand as you screwed it in, using a little glue on the inside because you had no prior knowledge and were half-assing it as we speak. You and Freddy made several remarks, but the most prominent being his strength.
"This light is heavy. You must be really strong, huh?"
"Yes, it is company standard. Every animatronic here is very strong so all of us can handle any situation that is thrown our way."
"Physically or mentally?" You joked, enticing a small chuckle from Freddy.
"Both, if I were to answer honestly. Holding this light is nothing- like holding a couple of grapes."
"Have you ever held grapes?"
"Once, at a birthday party. I couldn't eat them so I just held them and pretended every once in awhile. It was a gift, from the birthday boy."
You gave him a short "awe", stepping down (with no casualties, you might add) and squinting at the light as you turned it back on.
"That looks fine, right?"
Freddy knocked on the cheap plastic carefully, and though some dust fell down nothing major happened, so you deemed that a win.
"Thank you, for helping."
"Of course. I'm always happy to."
"I've got it from here," Did that sound too rude? "but do you know where I should put the staff remains?" Staff bot remains, you winced inwardly but Freddy didn't seem to notice the comment.
"Out back, probably just in a dumpster. I saw trash bags were provided to you in the cart itself."
"Thank you," You mumbled, digging in the cart and finding a pair of gloves that were probably cut-proof, but you weren't too sure. Freddy pat your shoulder.
"Welcome to the family, Y/N."
The comment was endearing yet frightening at the same time. The way he said the words made a chill run up your back, stopping at the spot where his giant paw had touched you moments before. Now, he was gone, and you were standing there like an idiot looking at the door he left through.
Great going. Whoever reviews the video tapes is going to get a laugh out of that!
If, anyone does.
It took longer than you thought to clean up the bot. It was also way heavier than you thought it would be, and almost fell over when you attempted to pick up the head and just toss it into one of the bags. Sweeping it all up was hard too. There were tiny shards of plastic and rubble, and there was no "off" switch so sparks flew every time you shifted the body around, scaring you every time without fail. Your shoulders and neck hurt from how many times you'd tensed already, and you weren't even finished. After a long walk to the dumpster while pushing the now-super-heavy cart, you learned that if this ever happened again to double bag it. The ripping noise the plastic made when you did finally push it into the dumpster was satisfying, at least, and you felt a little lighter. Well, not for whatever unlucky raccoon tried to hop in tonight. It'd probably get fried.
Your phone buzzed with an alarm when you stepped back in the door, scaring the absolute shit out of you and making you yelp. That 's why you make bad comedy shows your alarm, because hearing a random person talk when you're alone really does get your attention. You checked the time beforehand and mentally cursed. It was time to get Bunny, and time for an even longer walk to the daycare. Did you have time to grab paint before the lights shut off? Yeah, you deemed, Yeah, I have time. The trip back to the staff closet was filled with hurried steps that were constantly tripping you and annoying you with the wheels on the sideways cart, and it faintly reminded you of a memory you had with Bunny's parents.
You had been at a tiny grocery store, picking your way around the aisles for the cheapest items on the shelf, or items close to the expiration date so you could get a discount. The cart squeaked behind you, as if someone was digging through it, and you turned, almost surprised someone else was in the aisle. Someone, who couldn't be much older than twenty, with sun-tanned skin and freckles across their nose, was staring at you like a deer in headlights. You smiled awkwardly, placing the bread that felt a little stiffer than needed in the cart. They blinked, clearing their throat.
"Sorry," she squeaked, pushing her curly hair off of her forehead, revealing the star-shaped birthmark on her temple. You stared at her for a moment, gears turning in your mind as your grip tightened on the carts handle. (Subconsciously, your hands tightened on the maintenance cart in your grip as well, frowning.)
"Lindsey?" You smiled. Her face flashed, then she put on a guarded expression.
"How do you know my name?"
"We- I went to- 6th grade, during the Summer, I'm the one that broke the water dumper at the pool."
"Oh!" Her eyes lit up. "From trying to climb it because kids were trying to pull off your shorts!"
"Yeah!"
The laughter was something you hadn't heard in awhile. Bright and cheery as always, but now layered with age. You smiled, genuinely, and enjoyed yourself with her.
You always had.
By the time the memory was finished, you had made it to the staff closet and turned the light on (with difficulty- you shocked yourself because the only way to turn the light on was by flipping a switch with exposed wires. There was a tiny welt on the edge of your finger) and started digging around on the shelf for the colors of paint you needed. Blue, pink, red, yellow, white.. pink again, because that one's almost empty.. This should be it. You dropped them in the cart with more force than you needed too, enjoying the sound of the metal clashing together. You grabbed a few paint brushes and a tin, and head to the elevator.
When you finally made your way to the daycare, the lights were already off. Just outside the doors was Bunny, happily climbing on one of the tables in the eating area nearby with Chica, who was wheezing (or as close as she could get with her voice box) and holding his hand as he balanced on the edge. She straightened up when she spotted you and picked Bunny up, tossing him in the air for good measure and holding him on her hip as he laughed.
"Hi there! You must be Y/N. Bunny talked non-stop about our newest employee!"
"That's me," There was a bit of an edge in your voice. Did Sun really just leave your kid outside? Who knows what could have happened. Bunny whispered something and Chica nodded very seriously.
"Right, I'll tell them. I said I would! Quit that!" She laughed as Bunny poked her sides, making her laugh. You sighed.
"Uh, sorry. I haven't introduced myself. I'm Chica! It's great to meet you."
"You too. Thank you, for watching Bunny."
"No problem! We all chip in to help around here. Oh, Bunny said he was hungry..?"
"Oh, right-"
You almost reached for the backpack, but when you turned to the door to see if it was there you caught a glimpse of it through the glass, teetering on the edge of the light that cast through. With an angry breath, you calmed yourself down and took Bunny from Chica.
"I'll run to the vending machine. Chica, can you run in and get his backpack for me?"
"Sorry, yes, I can. Sun said earlier to make sure to grab it and- No, wait. I can't. We're not allowed in after lights-out."
"What, like a curfew?" It came out meaner than needed and you bit the inside of your lip. "I'm sorry. I'm not mad at you. I'm just annoyed I got up here late. But also, my car keys are in there. I can't leave without them."
Chica gave an apologetic grin and glanced at Bunny, then at his sneakers. You narrowed your eyes at him and he bust into laughter. You sighed, giving him a bounce.
"Well, that's one problem solved. I can just.. grab my wallet tomorrow, I guess."
"I'll make sure to have Sun put it out of reach of kids when he comes back."
"Thank you."
You smiled, then sat Bunny down. There was a vending machine not too far away, by a second set of elevators and photo booths that all had a tacky roller-skating-rink-carpet kind of pattern. You grabbed his hand and found it faintly sticky and cringed in your head. Remind yourself to give him some hand sanitizer. That was in your bag. Now you'd have to wait until you both made it to the car. Chica stood around for a moment, then pat Bunny on the head and excused herself awkwardly. You could hear her muttering in a high-pitch as she walked away, sighing. Well, it was comforting to know she felt it was awkward too. Bunny gave a tug on your hand and you focused on him again.
"There's one!" He pointed at the vending machine.
"Oh, good job Bunny! Lead the way, captain." You put on a bad pirate voice for effect but he still gave you a soft giggle, yanking you along to the machine. He stood in front of it, then glanced back at the daycare.
"Your money-"
"Forget about it. Watch this."
You pulled a key from your pocket and dangled it for him, pulling it away when he reached for it, making him laugh again. You stuck it in the slot and the machine came to life. As a maintenance employee, you couldn't actually access the machine- you could activate it twice a week, though, by putting your key in. Bunny was still amazed anyways.
"You're awfully laughable tonight. Have fun with Sunny?"
"Yeah! We put all the balls back in the ball pit, then ran around in there for while. He thought I was a shark and kept swimming away."
"That sounds fun," You tapped a few buttons as Bunny rambled, watching two little chocolate cake things fall from their respective position and hit the bottom. Then, a pack of Cheetos, for Bunny. You debated for a moment if it would be worth it to grab a soda too, and if it would explode when you opened it. You shrugged. If it exploded, you'd clean it up. It was in your job title, after all. The Fizzy-Faz fell with an unflattering thunk where Bunny quickly pulled it out and examined it.
"This one isn't Roxy."
"You want a Roxy one?"
"Yes."
"You got it, sir."
You ordered a Roxy one and the machine finally quit letting you take items. A short message appeared on the screen. Your items will be sent in an email to management, so be wary of what you get and how many! Have a faz-tastic day! There was even a simple animation of a staff bot wearing a hat and carrying a box full of chips, who looked nervous and was zooming along comically. It disappeared before you could show Bunny, but you did look down in time to see him already running off to the eating area beside the daycare. You sighed, only seeing the Roxy Fizzy-Faz in his hand and crouched to gather the rest before trudging after him.
Sitting down at that table was heavenly. Your back hurt, your shoulders hurt, and you were tired, physically, which hadn't happened in awhile. Maybe I'll get some gains while I'm working here. As soon as the sentence left your head to sighed. I will never say gains again in a sentence. Except for saying it then.
"Food?" Bunny had widened his eyes expectantly as you opened the bag of Cheetos for him. He squirmed in his seat as you took one for yourself. It was slightly stale, tasted more like the chip than the cheese dust, but Bunny wouldn't know the difference. Probably. Maybe.
"Parent tax."
"That's not a real thing."
"Who says?" You put the bag of Cheetos down and he popped one in his mouth, squinting his eyes at you.
"I say. I'm the kid, so I make the rules."
"That is not how it works." You laughed, opening the Roxy Fizzy-Faz for him. He took a drink aggressively, as if he were downing a beer at the bar, and coughed when he swallowed, making a face between amazed and horrified. You choked on your laughter and had to look away, squeezing your eyes in an attempt to not laugh, digging your fingers into the plastic on the table. Bunny giggled.
"It's kinda gross."
"Can't be that bad. Here, let me try it."
"Parent tax?" He questions sarcastically as he pushes the drink to you. You roll your eyes, taking a drink. It tastes like lemons and oranges and battery acid and the smell of mechanical oil and mayonnaise. How they managed to get people to drink this was beyond you. You gagged discreetly and threw the can away. Bunny gasped in offense and you put one finger up to silence him.
"No way you're drinking any more of that. Here, try mine."
This one was a deep blue and purple swirl, with white instead of silver framing the top. There was no mascot on this one, just a cartoon of a purple candy. Bunny opened it by himself and some of it shot into the air and Bunny watched it, utterly amazed, as it flew in the air and landed on the table. You shook your head, smiling, and stood. You tore one of the dingy, low-quality brown paper towels from a roll on the side of the cart and wiped the spill down as he tried the pop in front of him.
"Wow, I like this one."
"What's it taste like?"
"Here!" He shoved it towards you excitedly and you raised an eyebrow at him suspiciously.
"This isn't going to kill me or anything, right?"
"Just taste it!" He whined.
The metal was cool on your lips, and you were almost surprised the drink wasn't actually fizzy, almost the texture of water but with a little more pop in it. It tasted of artificial blue raspberry, but it was much better than the Roxy one. You made a "hm!" noise, and took another sip before handing it back.
"You done with your Cheetos?"
"Yeah." He yawned. Was he tired already? There was still- you checked your phone - huh, only four more hours. You decided he could stay tired. He needed to get his sleep schedule in tact for your new shift. Both of you did. Tiredness had tugged at you for your entire life though, so you could handle a little more for tonight.
"You want a cake?"
"Yes!" There he was, all of a sudden perked up at the mention of cake. You slid one of the snack cakes to him and kept the other one for yourself, then proceeded to shove the entire thing in there when he wasn't looking to judge you. You tossed the trash in the can, mouth full of a dull chocolate taste and just the taste of white on the icing. You turned back to him once you were finished chewing and he was lying down on the bench, yawning again. You crouched down next to him and he smiled, reaching out to brush something off your face.
"Crumbs."
"Oh. Thank you."
"Yeah," he yawned. "It's kinda my job."
"Yes it is. You want to help me with mine? I can't let you take a nap yet."
"But I'm tireedd." He complained and you shrugged.
"Well, we're gonna be painting things. I mean, I can do it by myself I guess.."
"No," He squeaked, sitting up excitedly. "I can help! I like painting!"
"I know," You used your thumb to wipe a line of drool that was pooling on his lip and wiped it on your knee. You kissed his forehead as you rose, taking his hand and leading him to the doors of the daycare, sitting him down and setting the simpler, one-color decorations down in front of him, like the clouds and stars that hung up from the archway. He fidgeted as you grabbed the others, pulling at the hairs of a paintbrush until you sat down beside him with a huff.
"You ready, Freddy?"
"I'm not Freddy."
"It's an expression. You ready? We're gonna race- see who can paint the most things."
"Race?" He piped up again, blinking sleepiness away. You nod excitedly, faking energy to bring him up even more.
"Yeah! Just, don't make a mess."
"You got it, captain," He made a pirate voice and you gasped.
"No way you just stole my line. I am so going to beat you now."
"Nuh-uh! Go!"
You both laughed for almost two hours, egging each other on and "sabotaging" the other by stealing their paint can. At the end, now bringing upon five in the morning, you stole the victory by playfully pushing Bunny backwards and lying your back across his knees as you furiously fought off a wiggling toddler and painted a 3-D cloud in a white to rival that off a faking celebrity. Bunny finally sat up with a wheeze.
"That is so not fair!"
"So very fair it is," You stood, smiling at the paint splatters across both of your outfits. Your uniform pants were now going to have a spots of pink on the knees and a dash of white at the ankle, and a splash of blue on your hip. Bunny's outfit looked like he was rolled through clown makeup, which you guessed matched his face. He stood up and kicked at one of the decorations you painted in mock frustration.
"Can we go home now?"
You glanced at your phone. "Yeah, we can clock out early. We don't have anything else to do, so I guess it's warranted."
You snuck up on Bunny and threw him over your shoulder, making him squeal.
"Wave to the daycare, just in case Sun's in there."
He laughed, waving. "Bye, Daycare!"
"Alright, goodbyes all done? Let's get going, the cart won't push itself."
Bunny helped you load the paint and brushes into the cart haphazardly, and he walked somewhat behind you as you lead the way to the elevator. You let him press the button and he bopped his head to the music.
"This is very jazzy."
"Jazzy? Where'd you learn that?" You laughed. The phrase was now going to become a part of your vocabulary forever.
"Well Sun was talking about how "jazzed" he was to play with me, so I turned it into another word."
"Good job. You're going to do great when you start school."
He went silent and the elevator opened. You sighed, patting his head. He kept walking behind you as you made your way to the maintenance closet. You paused once, wondering if the distinct sliding noise you were hearing was the wheel, and when you stopped you heard the noise stop slightly afterwards. You glanced above you, but it was too dark to tell if some sort of animal was up there. If there was, it wasn't your problem. Bunny shrieked in laughter from behind you and you nearly screamed, whirling around. He snorted, then realized you were frowning at him and he collected himself with a guilty smile.
"What was that for?"
"What do you mean?"
"The laughter. See something funny?" Your spine tingled and your shoulders ached from tensing. You kept walking and Bunny trod along behind you.
"..Yeah. A staff bot fell down."
"You little shit. You can't laugh when-"
He giggled again and you glanced back at him. The noise hadn't stopped following you either, and you glanced up at the rafters again.
"If there's an animal up there, I feel really bad if they want food from the dumpster outside."
"Why?" Bunny questioned. He walked faster, holding onto your pants leg with one hand as he looked around. He kept glancing behind him so you did too, paranoid.
"No reason. The dumpsters are, uh, entirely empty. The trash was collected already."
"Huh."
You shoved the cart back into the closet, pushing it farther into the tunnel and parking it for hopefully the last time in awhile. You hated that thing already. Bunny had stayed outside, and you heard him laugh again. You put your hands on your hips and he giggled at your expression.
"Hey, maybe we should get your eyes checked. I see nothing funny." You teased. Bunny giggled again and just trot away. You scoffed and went after him, catching him quickly and swinging him up into the air and around, holding him like a sack of potatos. He giggled and it was loud in your ears, but you didn't make an effort to turn him around. The security kiosk was nearby and you grabbed your car keys from his shoelaces. as you typed in your code.
"Guess what my code is?"
"Uh, one-hundred million thousand."
"Nope, only six digits buddy."
"123456?"
"Nope. 111112. Crazy, right? Easiest thing ever."
"You should change it to 123456."
"Good idea, honestly. I'll see if I can do that tomorrow, how about that? Just for you."
"Yes."
He yawned as you exited the doors, casting a last glance over your shoulder, just in case. Nothing stood at the door so you took that as a win. You tossed him in the car seat dramatically and he laughed. The sun was starting to peek over the mountains, casting a pinky-orange glow to your car. You pulled your phone from your pocket and snapped a picture, just for fun, before getting in your car and pulling out of the parking spot. You could hear Bunny snoring from the back seat. Hopefully tomorrow I can pick him up before the lights go out. Hell, maybe Sun can get him situated for a nap. That'd be a lot easier