Bitter Brown, Harsh Hazel, Bright Blue

The Pizzaplex was closed for the night, it had been for quite some time now. Yet, they were still inside. They were meant to be, it was their job to be. Sat in a cramped security room, their tired face lit up dimly by the array of monitors, sat a person. Their elbow was perched on the desk that supported the screens, being used to hold their head up as it threatened to nod off for the night. Their not-very-firm leaning on the table came to bite them in the ass when their arm slipped, causing them to smack their face on the hard surface. They instinctively brought their hands to where they had been hit and cussed, awoken immediately by the throbbing sensation.

“What a send-off…” They muttered through gritted teeth, rubbing their fingers along the aching spot. This was their last shift, ever. They couldn’t be happier to leave this wretched place behind. They paused at the thought, raising their hand past their face to the hat upon their head, which they pulled down so they could look at it. They stared down at the Glamrock Freddy pin they had stabbed into the end of the word ‘SECURITY’, feeling a bittersweet feeling climb up their spine and settle over them as they ran their thumb over the cold enamel. Maybe they would miss this place… just a little bit. They shook the emotion away and put their cap back on, leaning back in their chair with a huff as they turned their attention back to the cameras before them.

‘Gregory? Are you there?’ Their gaze trailed over to the tablet next to them, fixing the colourful device with an extremely confused expression. Why was the Freddy Fazbear speaking through the device and who was Gregory? They picked up the tablet and peered at the screen, realizing that it was dialogue from a Fazwatch. They scoffed and shook their head, of course, Freddy wouldn’t be talking to someone at midnight, his voice was just the default option for the tiny watch that children primarily wore. What really caught them by surprise though, was a voice just outside the door.

“Yeah, are you almost done charging? I think Chica knows I’m down here.” The voice was very small and very clearly human, which left them dumbfounded. They were meant to be the only person here, especially at this god-forsaken hour.

‘Yes, the charging cycle is almost complete. Where are you? I will meet you once I am finished.’ Their tablet responded, though if they strained their ears they could hear the same voice and words from the other side of the door, whoever this ‘Gregory’ was, they were just outside. They got up from their chair, moving over to the door and standing beside it, they tried to peer out but they couldn’t see anyone.

“I’m going into one of the security offices,” Gregory responded, stepping into the room. “I’m gonna shut the doors though, so-” He was cut off by them pressing the glowing Freddy head-shaped button next to the door, closing it behind him. They hadn’t been able to see Gregory before because… He was a short child, sporting a mop of messy brown hair and a blue shirt, his pale skin was adorned with bandaids and his hazel eyes were wide and focused on the security guard who had trapped him inside the room.

‘I will see you soon, Superstar!’ Freddy’s voice broke the silence that had followed, coming from both the tablet and the Fazwatch on the boy’s small wrist. The sound seemed to snap Gregory out of his staring contest with the guard, as he drew his leg back and swiftly nailed them in the shins with his Fazbear-themed shoes. They let out a shout of surprise mixed with pain, subconsciously reaching to where they had been hit, which gave Gregory enough time to slam his palm against the button they had let go of.

“Wait!” They shouted after the brown-haired boy as he turned and made a move to sprint as soon as the doors creaked open, though he quickly came to a halt, his shoes skidding on the floor as he did so. On the other side, stood the tall and pale form of Glamrock Chica, who hissed his name and began to reach for him. He let out a high-pitched scream of fear and slammed back on the button as hard as he could, trapping himself back inside with the security guard.

He stood there, his small frame shaking as the adrenaline began to pump through his blood, his back facing the security guard who watched him nervously. They had no idea how to handle children, that’s why they were usually on the night shift. They flinched when Gregory slowly turned to them, giving them a very sharp glare that didn’t match his young face at all.

“Um…” They began, but the boy cut them off with a harsh tone

“I wasn’t here! Okay!?”

“Huh?” They gave him a confused look “Then who's that standing in front of me shaking like a leaf right now?”

Gregory’s resentful look deepened, his teeth gritting and his fists clenching. They took a step back and gave an awkward chuckle to try and show that it had been a joke, they didn’t want to get kicked in the shins again after all.

“Er- Anyway, what are you doing here?” They asked slowly, raising their hand to the back of their neck which they rubbed nervously.

“That’s none of your business.” The young boy responded snarkily, his nose wrinkled in disdain before he turned back around and crossed his arms tightly. It was pretty clear that he was checking to see if Chica was still out there, and it was pretty easy to see that she was from where they were standing.

“Well, it kinda is. I do work here ya know.” They said, earning another withering stare from the kid. Who knew someone so young could be so aggressive? They pursed their lips and just watched him, noticing that despite how stiff he was acting, his shoulders still shivered.

“Listen, Gregory, right? I heard your Fazwatch-” They explained once he turned around and looked shocked “Are you stuck here or something? I can help if you need me to, again, I do work here…”

“I don’t need yours or Vanessa’s help, okay? I have this under control!” His indignant tone faltered when he noticed the guard’s eyes widen, unable to help but tilt his head slightly at the expression.

“Vanessa?” They echoed, staring at the boy. “But- Only I’m meant to be on shift today- What’s she doing here?” They moved their hand toward the tablet on the table, wanting to contact her immediately and question her directly, but out of the corner of their eye they could see Gregory become tense, his expression morphing into one of fear. They hesitated, before they ended up moving their hand to their head, resting it upon their cap and letting out a small sigh. They closed their eyes for a moment, trying to figure out what they should do with this strange kid who was walking around the Pizzaplex at midnight. Their thoughts were interrupted by the sing-song voice of Chica on the other end of the door, though they could feel how fake her tone was as she tried to tempt Gregory with the promise of candy.

“Here, move over.” They shooed him away from the door, pointing for him to go hide under the desk. Despite how stubborn Gregory had been up until this point, he obeyed and scurried away, getting onto his hands and knees and crawling the rest of the way into the shadow under the table. They stopped to confirm that he was fully hidden, before turning to the door as it opened with a creak that showed its age, revealing Glamrock Chica on the other side. Her face had been scarily blank, beak slightly agape, until she registered that she was facing a member of the staff and not Gregory.

“Officer Hawthorne~ Hello!~” She greeted them sweetly, clapping her hands together in a cutesy way while her metallic face shifted into a smile. It was very different from the scary expression she had worn in the presence of Gregory. “I thought I saw an intruder enter the office! But you’ve dealt with them? Hm?”

“Uh- Sorta.” They gave a short, uncertain, nod to the robotic chicken, who gave a happy hum in response. “What are you doing anyway? Roaming around down here?” They attempted to change the subject, peeking their head out of the office and looking down the long hallways that stretched on either side.

“Officer Vanessa told all of us to go look for an intruder!” She informed them in her sing-song voice “But I can tell her you caught them!~”

“No- uh- Actually, they got away.” They backtracked with a nervous laugh, growing increasingly worried by the return of Chica’s blank expression that followed up what they had said. It took her a moment before she went back to giving them a bright smile. “I’ll look down here though, okay? You go back up. Don’t tell Vanessa.” They added at the end, forcing a smile of their own.

“Okay! Bye Officer Hawthorne!~” She gave them a cheery wave before skipping away, though they noticed that when she made it further down the hall she went back to stalking it menacingly. They gulped and ducked back into the office, relieved to find Gregory still crouched beneath the desk.

“Is she gone?” He asked, poking his face out from his hiding spot. His tone was tiny and fearful, and his expression matched, making their heart wrench in their chest. He was just a little kid! No wonder he had been so snappy, he was being chased around by giant robots who wanted to catch him!

“Yeah, I sent her back upstairs so the coast is clear.”

“Good.” Gregory got up, rubbing his hands along his knees to rid the dust that probably clung to them. He began to approach the door, but the security guard hastily stepped in the way, to which Gregory bristled.

“Gregory-” They began, it didn’t feel right sending a kid to face off with a bunch of animatronics that were twice his size, and quadruple his strength. But, they had been cut off by a light beep, and then another, and then another. Their eyes slowly fell to the Fazwatch, Gregory was tapping a finger against the screen without breaking eye-contact with the guard. His hazel gaze was narrowed, as if challenging them to stop him.

‘I am on my way!’ The voice came from the Fazwatch that was being interacted with, and the tablet on the bench. Their jaw gaped slightly, before they shook their head and stepped closer.

“Wha- What are you doing?” They demanded, searching his determined expression. “Who are you calling?”

Gregory didn’t respond though, giving them a smug smile as the thundering of footsteps sounded down the hallway not even a few moments later. They froze as the loud stomping came to a stop, knowing that whatever had just run here, was standing right behind them. They tried to force their rigid body to turn, succeeding in doing so much too slowly.

There, behind them, stood the star of the entire building. Glamrock Freddy Fazbear.

“Freddy!” Their panicked thought matched up exactly with when Gregory called the looming animatronic bear’s name, rushing past the guard to greet him with a relieved look on his face.

“Gregory!” The animatronic met the boy's enthusiastic call equally, spreading his large hands to catch onto the kid's arms as he stopped in front of him. Both looked very happy in each other's presence, leaving the security guard reeling in confusion. It took Freddy a moment to notice them, his face dropping into one that a child that was caught in the act of doing something naughty would give. He swiftly, yet gently, pushed Gregory behind him, as if they hadn’t already noticed his presence.

“Officer Hawthorne!” He greeted, very clearly forcing it to be as cheerful as possible. But they couldn’t respond, still frozen in the presence of the Pizzaplex’s main attraction. The fact that the bear even knew their name made them internally giddy, though they quickly shoved it down. They were part of the staff! It was probably programmed into him.

“F-Freddy.” They greeted nervously, clasping their hands in front of them as they tried, and failed, to make eye-contact. His eyes were too bright, or maybe they were just too anxious. “What… uh… What are you doing?”

“What… do you mean?” Freddy responded slowly, they knew he wasn’t programmed to lie, and he was clearly aware of that fact which made them give a small sigh and point to Gregory.

“Gregory, Freddy, what are you doing with Gregory?” They rephrased the question, trying not to let a quiver enter their voice as they attempted to be stern. They resisted the urge to look away from the big bear’s guilty expression, feeling guilty themself for even questioning his actions.

The bear exchanged a look with the boy behind him, who looked very uncertain, before facing them. “I am escorting him, the front entrances are closed so we are checking the rest-”

“None of the entrances would be open.” They interjected, internally screaming at themself for interrupting, but they didn’t let this feeling creep onto their face. Gregory gave them a look of dismay, and they had to finally look away as guilt began to sweep over them. “Uh- But- It might be good for him to stay in the daycare, at least until 6 am.” They tried to suggest.

“I don’t want to go to the daycare!” Gregory snapped, stepping out from behind Freddy as he stared daggers into the guard. Yet, his eyes appeared glossy, as if he might burst into tears if he wasn’t careful. “I want to get out of here!”

Freddy placed a hand on Gregory’s shoulder, causing the boy to stop in his tracks and look back, his face contorting from being upset to stoic as he tried to scrub the tears that threatened to roll down his face with the back of his hands. Freddy’s large hand moved from the boy’s shoulder to his messy hair, giving it a gentle brush with his clawed fingertips. He moved to be beside him, ducking under the door frame to stand inside the office that was quickly becoming too crowded. “Officer Hawthorne raises a good point Gregory, you will be safest there.”

“But I don’t…” Gregory began, before giving a frustrated sigh as the two adults- well one wasn’t really an ‘adult’ -watched him expectantly. “Fine! I’ll just sit around and do nothing all night when I could be escaping!”

“Do not worry Gregory! We will escort you there!” Freddy reassured him, his light brushing of Gregory’s hair turning into a happy ruffle. Gregory responded with a huff and a pout, trying to fix his disrupted hair.

“We?” They echoed, watching the two leave the room. It dawned on them what he had meant when the two turned to look at him, Freddy held an expression of optimistic expectation, while Gregory simply glared. They felt warmth blossom in their chest, nervously adjusting their cap and grabbing their tablet before rushing after them.

By the time he caught up, they caught the end of Freddy whispering to Gregory, who was looking irritated by whatever he was saying. When the animatronic noticed them approaching, they nudged Gregory’s arm, to which the boy responded with a dramatic sigh. He stepped forward to meet the guard as they came to a stop, extending a small hand out to them.

“Even though you already know it-” He cast an accusatory glare toward Freddy, who gave a grin and a thumbs up in response, “My name’s Gregory.”

They took Gregory’s hand and gave it a brief shake, as the kid immediately recoiled once the action had been completed.

“Officer Clay Hawthorne, but just call me Clay.”