AN: This is a little one-shot requested by (Red the Pikachu Master). I set it in the 'Unexpected Attachment!' universe so it may be better to read that first so that you understand everything that's mentioned. I hope you enjoy this little story. I'm going to mark this complete for now but if I ever write any other FNAF one-shots I will add them on to this. Let me know what you think and, as always, thanks for all your support!
Disclaimer: Scott Cawthon owns the FNAF series, I only write about what he made.
"AAAHHHHHHHH!" A scream ripped through the pizzeria startling the robotic residents into full alertness.
They knew that scream and to hear it now, after everything they had been through in the last month and a half, sent shivers down their mechanical spines. Without a seconds hesitation Foxy bolted from his cove, not caring in the least that he nearly tore the curtain down in his haste. Upon reaching the hallway leading to his little mateys office, the pirate fox met up with the rest of their mismatched family as another scream echoed though the halls... this one even louder than before. The swashbuckler caught a glimpse of the other animatronics faces as he put on a burst of speed. Freddy's expression was a mixture of anger and fear which Foxy guessed mirrored his almost perfectly, meanwhile the girls were near tears... fearing for the life of their youngest member. It only took a couple of seconds to reach the open doorway, which separated them from the young night guard, but it felt like an eternity.
"Ye better be alright Mikey... it be only slightly over a month since ya got out of the hospital." Foxy thought as he passed through the entrance, the other three right behind him, and immediately took in the sight of Mike sprawled on the ground holding his head.
"Matey, what be the matter? Where be the scallywag that be causing ya harm?" The fox cried, hurrying to help the injured boy up.
"Foxy is he hurt"?
"Where's the bad guy"?
"Oh my goodness, you're shaking Mikey"!
Mike looked up confused by the frenzied questions as the robotic fox helped him back into his chair. All four looked extremely upset and knowing that it was because of him made the young man feel terrible.
"Guys it's okay, no one attacked me, I was just..." He tried to explain but was cut off.
"Then why were ya lying on the ground matey?" Foxy demanded, the others nodding agreement.
The blue eyed boy sighed, frustratedly, before turning to glare at the fox.
"If you would be quiet and let me explain I'll tell you." He said, a little more forcefully than necessary.
"Okay Mikey, just let me grab some ice for your head." Bonnie stated as she headed towards the door. "It looks like you've got quite the bump and I want to make sure you don't have a concussion".
The young man slumped back in his chair, mentally preparing himself for when the purple rabbit returned and he was forced to tell his family what had happened. Just the thought of admitting it to them made him blush in embarrassment. It was only a couple minutes later that Bonnie returned. She gently placed the ice pack on Mikes head, instructing him to hold it there, then took her spot beside Chika to hear what their child had to say.
"Well... um," Mike began, slightly unsure of how to explain what had happened. "I guess it would be better if I just showed you".
"Showed us what Mike"? Freddy asked seriously.
The brown haired man slid his chair closer to the desk and a few seconds later turned the computer towards the animatronic animals.
"So, I was doing a bit of research online about the history of this place when I came across a weird website. It was by this man, uh... Scott Cawthon I think, and it had a game called Five Night's at Freddy's. I read the summary and found out that it's based on this place." The boy glanced around taking in the surprised looks of the four robotic animals before continuing. "So, being curious, I downloaded the game and decided to try it out".
"But that still doesn't tell us why you screamed and were on the ground, Mikey." Chika whined.
Mike blushed slightly, before glancing around the waiting animatronics and letting out a defeated sigh.
"It's a horror game and I was on the floor cause I fell out of my chair after being jump-scared by Bonnie while playing." He stated, shivering as he remembered. "I know you guys don't do that anymore and after experiencing it in real life the game is kind of comical. That's why it's embarrassing that I got so scared that I literally ended up shaking on the floor".
The four animatronics shared an amused look and then Chika asked the question that was on all of their minds.
"Can we watch you play?" She asked enthusiastically. "I really want to see if it's really as scary as you say it is".
"I be mighty curious as well." Foxy admitted.
"But what about Mikey?" Bonnie asked worriedly, placing a warm paw on his shoulder. "I don't want this game to bring back painful memories".
"I'll be fine, you don't have to worry about me." The boy insisted as he placed the bag of ice of to the side and booted up the game.
Suddenly Freddy spoke. This caught everyone's attention, seeing as the bear had remained silent since hearing the explanation.
"If I remember right, and I'm pretty sure I do, the first guard who escaped us was called Scott." He declared somberly. "That would explain how he knew enough about this place to turn it into a video game".
Mike stared open mouthed as recognition dawned on the other band members faces. Even after learning everything he had the young man still didn't like to think too much about the other guards who had met their doom at the hands of his adopted family. Even now he still had nightmares about the events that had occurred during his first few days of working at the pizzeria, yet he knows that those days are far behind them and will never return. But learning about the man who had turned his horrific experience into a successful game made Mike think. Was this Scotts way of dealing with what had happened. The brown haired man knew that even if the former guard had tried to tell someone they would never have believed him. Maybe this helped him deal with the trauma the way his family had helped him.
"Well are we going to do this or what?" Chika called impatiently, eyes reflecting the light from the monitor.
"Sure." Mike said somewhat uneasily as he turned to face to screen, starting up the game as the others watched curiously.
Night 1 appeared as the imaged changed to show a room that was frighteningly similar to the one they now resided in.
"Freddy, I think you're right about what you said earlier." Bonnie stated. "If not, how would he know what the office looked like"?
"Ooh!" Chika exclaimed excitedly. "What if we're actually in a game right now"?
The robotic animals looked at her sceptically as a phone began to ring and they turned their attention back to the computer, wanting to hear what was about to be said.
"You know, I actually did get a phone call similar to that." The boy admitted. "I didn't really pay attention to it. I believed that you guys would be just like I remembered, but... I was wrong".
Guilty looks passed over their faces as they remembered, once again, how they had failed their child. It wasn't until about a minute later that they focused back onto the screen.
"Oh crap..." Mike squeaked, frantically checking the camera's in the game. "Bonnie's gone... I can't find her"!
"I can't really be that scarey... can I." The purple rabbit asked unsure of herself.
Just them the guard clicked on the door light, illuminating a more demonic looking version of his gentle friend.
"Ahhhh!" Bonnie and Chika screamed, while all four robot animals startled backwards.
It didn't take them long to recover however, and Bonnie was now sending death glares towards the computer.
"They made me look like a monster!" She fumed, pink eyes glinting in the shadows. "I'm nothing like that at all".
The blue eyed boy looked up at the infuriated bunny before quickly returning his gaze to the game.
"It's about perception Bonnie." He tried to explain. "When you're stuck in the dark alone your cognitive functions tend to make things seem scarier than they usually would... add to that the fact that something is trying to kill you and, well, you end up with something like this".
They were all silent for awhile, just watching as Mike went on to night 2. Freddy thought about what they had just been told and cast a careful glance at the young man beside him before voicing the question that had been plaguing him since the boys explanation.
"Did we ever appear as... monsters to you?" The others looked at the child in horrified curiosity. They needed to know the answer, it would bring just a bit more closure to that chapter of their lives.
Their little Mikey froze before slowly hanging his head... to the animatronics it was all the confirmation they needed. Yet the child they loved so dear looked up once more, fire burning in his eyes, as he forgot all about the game to focus his full attention on his family.
"It's true, I did see you as monsters in the darkness when you were trying to get into the office those first few nights." He declared, deathly quiet. "I..."
"Oh laddie..." Foxy interrupted softly, reaching out to place his paw on the young mans shoulder.
"No, let me finish!" He shouted, jerking away with a look of pure determination on his face. "I know it may have seemed like that at first but... you did all in your power to prove to me that you still care and I know now that it's true".
Mike paused, taking in the sad yet relieved faces of the ones around him.
"Every family has skeletons in their closet..." The boy chuckled slightly as he continued. "Some more literally than others, apparently. But we just need to do our best to move on, that part of our lives is behind us now and it's best if we just leave it in the past where it belongs".
Freddy stepped forward, nodding. "Those are very wise words my boy and I suggest we follow them. Now, seeing as Foxy has ended your game, would you care to teach me how this works? I would like to try my hand at this so called... Five Night's At Freddy's".
"Huh, what do you mean Foxy ended..." Mike trailed off as realization dawned.
He glanced down, letting out a quiet moan at finding the game over screen boldly displayed on the computer monitor. The others laughed at the brown haired mans distress. Knowing the laughter wasn't meant to be mean spirited, Mike instructed Freddy to take his place at the desk.
He briefly explained the game mechanics to the bear before leaving him to it with a final message that he should pay close attention to the phone calls. The young man then took a step back to stand beside Foxy, ready to enjoy the show.
Freddy did pretty well for his first try, making it all the way till 4AM on night three before Foxy rushed into the office.
"Serves ye right ya old scallywag!" The Fox exclaimed, cheering for his in-game counterpart.
"That would never happen in real life you pirate wannabe." The leader stated, glaring at the swashbuckler.
Mike was about to step in, fearing the rivalry between his two male friends would start an actual fight. It wouldn't be the first time the two got on each others nerves and the boy was sure it wouldn't be the last, but even so... he'd try his best to keep the peace in his unusual family.
"Hey, I wanna try! Move over Freddy!" Chika broke in, effectively stopping the budding argument.
The bear staggered as he was forcefully pushed out of the way by the energetic chicken. Foxy, putting aside their differences, reached out to steady his friend before he could fall to the ground. The bear, in turn, gave a grateful nod as Chika booted up the game for her turn.
The easily distracted chicken only made it to 3AM of night one. She had become so busy wondering what her duplicate was making in the kitchen that she forgot to check on Bonnie.
"Oh darn, I wanted to beat Freddy." She pouted.
The others smiled before Bonnie stepped forward.
"I guess I should try as well." She said warily.
"Don't worry Bonnie, you'll be fine." Mike comforted, placing a hand on the purple rabbits shoulder.
With a worried sigh, the bunny took her place. She managed to make it all the way to 5AM on night four but then Freddy snuck in and it was all over.
"Great job lass, ye made it the furthest out of all of us." Foxy complimented before mumbling under his breath. "At least till I try me luck at it, that is".
The pirate finally stepped forward for his turn and Mike smirked at him.
"It's harder than you think Foxy." He warned. "You'll see what I mean. Just don't get over-confident or you've lost before you even start".
"That be mighty good advice matey." The buccaneer stated, smiling softly.
The pirate fox was doing all right until he glimpsed the poster in the west hall corner on night 2 before switching back to the office. He screamed as the golden bear appeared along with other hallucinations and the words 'It's me'. Without thinking, the pirate fox lashed out with his hook.
"Foxy, don't!" Mike called rushing forward, but it was too late and he flinched as the hook smashed into the computer monitor.
Freddy saw the shattered glass flying straight toward their child's face and quickly pulled him against his chest before turning around, preventing any damage from befalling the young man.
The realization that he had nearly hurt his little matey made Foxy's heart clench painfully.
"Mikey?" He asked, remorse clear on his face as he slowly made his way toward the brown haired man. "Are ye alright"?
Mike looked up, still slightly shaken by what had just occurred. However, before the boy had the chance to answer, Freddy angrily turned on the swashbuckler.
"Foxy! How could you be so careless?" The bear questioned trying in vain to keep his voice level. "You could have hurt someone, most likely Mike since he's the only one not made of metal, how would you have felt if that had happened"?
Foxy studied the floor, ashamed by his mistake. The game had just startled him and, as always, he reacted without thinking. He'd always been impulsive, there was no denying that.
"Freddy, that's enough." Mike stated, finally managing to find his voice. "I'm sure Foxy already feels terrible about what happened without you making it worse".
"But, if he'd just take the time to think." Freddy interrupted before shutting his mouth due to the angry glare he was receiving from the guard.
The blue eyed boy sighed exasperatedly.
"Foxy knows now that he needs to think things through." Mike explained. "Sure I'm down one computer monitor and I was nearly blinded by flying shards of glass..."
Foxy winced as the young man continued.
"But that's a small price to pay." He declared. "Next time something like this happens he'll know to think about the possible consequences of his actions before lashing out".
"Ye be right matey." The pirate fox agreed. "It be ending happily this time but we may not be so lucky again. This be a lesson well learned".
Mike nodded, glad that his message had gotten through.
"Why don't we go celebrate?" The brown haired man asked, eager to leave the heavy atmosphere behind.
"What would we be celebrating?" Bonnie asked, curiously.
"The fact that you guys are nothing like that game interprets you to be." Mike said decisively with his arms crossed.
"That's a great idea!" Chika exclaimed. "I'll bring the pizza and cupcakes"!
"And we be celebrating Bonnie getting the furthest as well." Foxy announced, following the girls out into the hallway.
Freddy lingered behind, keeping a close eye on the young man standing a couple of feet away from him.
"Are you sure you're alright?" He questioned after a couple of minutes had passed in silence. "You still look awfully pale".
Mike peeked up at the lead animatronic from under his bangs, knowing that the bear had seen the slight tremor still running through his body.
"I'll be fine." The boy stated truthfully, exhaustion clear in his voice. "I just need to rest".
Freddy didn't miss the way the young mans hand gravitated towards the still healing wound on his chest. He made a mental note to remind the others about the boys weakened condition after Mike left for the night... it was something they would have to get used to. After what the Hunter had done, their child's heart would never be as strong as it once was... but that just meant they would have to watch after him closer than before. As he watched the young man rejoin the others, a smile on his face, Freddy closed his eyes and thought of what the future would hold for their unique little family.
AN: So... what did ya think. This was originally meant to be mainly humorous but apparently my hurt/comfort flare took over and we ended up with this. I hope you enjoyed it. Let me know what you think.