07 ★ not ready for freddy

❝ ʜᴇ'ꜱ ᴀ ꜱᴄᴀʀʏ ʙᴇᴀʀ! ❞

★

          "WELCOME...to this ultra-rare, mega-super, faz-tastic backstage experience!!"

"Uh...thanks!"

Your boss was really hyping this up. He was good at making a showman impression. He even wore a fancy suit (his "work uniform" as he put it.)

Since your tour the night before got interrupted, Boss had taken it upon himself to give you one...himself! He insisted that you should be grateful for this. That this was the opportunity of a lifetime, and that only the VIP-est of VIP guests get this sort of treatment...usually.

But based on his mirth while guiding you, you guessed nobody has bought an experience like that in a long while.

You were walking alongside each other through the atrium. Map bot hadn't scared you when you came out of the elevator, so you guessed everything was up to date with their network now.

"Have you tried our token attraction, Fazer Blast yet?"

"No, not yet."

He pointed to the big promotional structure of a planet with some rings around it and a rocket ship.

"Well, you gotta! Employees get half the price off."

Wouldn't be a pizzeria tour without some shameless self-promotion!

It sounded like a pretty good deal...but you still had to pay the other half.

"No offense, but I didn't think you stayed for nights. I thought managing was more of a dayshift thing." You commented.

"Well, don't get used to it. I don't usually stay after hours. But, because of yester-nights's little 'bumps' I figured I owe it to you. Just to show how great of a boss I am. And who better to show you around than me? I know the ins and outs of my establishment like the back of my hand!"

He even put a hand up in emphasis. "Again, just don't get used to this kind of treatment."

"If you say so," You humored him. "Then I'll take your word for it."

Whether you meant it or not, it caused another (probably unneeded) burst of pride for your boss.

He cleared his throat, putting on a showman persona again.

"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls! Tonight, we'll be going down below to the areas of the building exclusively meant for staff! Which are the boring parts, but they are essential to keep the place up and running!"

Just like the inner workings of any robot behind their shell.

"But before that, I have a very important, top-priority question for you...what do you want from this vending machine?"

You stared up at the foreign array of snacks. They were all Fazbear-themed (of course. You'd make a joke about it, if your manager wasn't right there). The chips and candy bars were held in place. Stuck like prisoners in an enclosure while people stared through the glass, leaning in with their big heads.

"I don't know. I never tried any of these before..." You trailed.

"Never?!" Boss exclaimed, appalled. "Well, that's about to change. Our stuff is way better than those knock-offs from your local grocery stores. If you want my advice, go with D3."

"D3?" You repeated, scanning the snacks lined up like inmates. D1, D2...Aha! You found it! Wait a minute...

You squinted at the label.

"Disappointments?"

Boss nodded. "Yup. That's the one."

You stared at him, and then back to the chips. You only had one question.

"Why?"

"It's my favorite! Reminds me of my dear employees," Boss exclaimed. "By the way, sorry if I miscommunicated and made it sound like I'm treating you. You're paying."

Whatever. It's worth a try.

You put change through the slot, selected the bag of chips, and it fell down, now finally free.

You picked the bag out of the machine. 'DATED AND UNORIGINAL. BORING, MILD, PASSABLE.'

The bag was opened loudly. You took out one chip to have and bit down with a crunch.

The name was fitting. It tasted like nothing. Absolutely nothing. Total disappointment.

"It's...unique." You cringed. "Not really my taste though."

"Yeah, Yeah, I get it. It's not everybody's thing...so can I have it then?"

Why did you feel like this was his plan all along?

You gave him the chips.

"Alrighty, so everyone's had their fill? Bathroom breaks? No?" Without waiting for an answer, he continued with a mouthful of chips.

"-Then on with the show we must go!"

Passing by another employee going through the atrium, Boss made sure to yell at them to go back to their job...even though they were already doing it.

Boss eventually led up to the main stage. He waited right in front of the console with the control button.

"Care to do the honors?"

Finally!

You hit the bright, red, and obvious button.

You felt the rumble of gears beneath your feet, and fought to keep balance as the stage slowly began to descend. Your feet steadied themselves to a better stance. Your Boss laughed at that.

You stared up. The view of the atrium slowly shrank while the elevator sank deeper and deeper. It left your sight completely when some metal plates sealed up the opening. It closed with a CLANG, catching you off guard.

All of the obnoxious color had vanished. Instead replaced with the gray of concrete, black of darkness, and yellow of small lights that illuminate your body as they passed by. Your eyes slowly adjusted to the new environment.

Yep. This was more like it. What you were expecting, that is.

"And as above, so below." Your Boss whispered ominously.

The lift slowed to a stop when it reached the bottom. Some doors opened for you, leading out to an employee hallway. It was much better lit than the lift shaft.

You could tell this was more heavily treaded than the other employees-only areas. It was run down. Both in the way abandoned places were, and the way that busy areas are when people don't have time to manage it.

The walls were mostly gray. Some boxes and random objects (construction materials, mechanical parts, merchandise, etc) laid against them out of the way.

A poster was taped to the wall, displaying Freddy's fangs in a grin.

'NEVER STOP SMILING. THE CUSTOMER IS ALWAYS RIGHT' it read.

Boss looked at it and turned back to you. He pointed to his face, making a smiling gesture with his pointers and flashing a big grin. Wordlessly instructing you to match him.

You smiled uneasily.

"Luckily, you won't have to see many guests. Unless we ever put you on a dayshift...but that's a scenario for another day!" He moved on.

At the end of the hall, red double doors awaited you. It led into a small sectioned off room with another two red doors.

"Now, drumroll please..."

Boss went ahead and threw one of them open.

"Behold! Parts and service!" He announced, hands outstretched as if showing off a grand attraction.

Parts and service. Where, in case of technical difficulties, was the place the robots had to be sent to. It should be patrolled by at least one person at least once a night. In case of emergency, you should be familiar with this area, and be able to perform procedures if necessary.

You recalled that from the security tapes you had watched on your first night.

The room? It looked like a crazy scientist's lair from a horror movie.

You could imagine yourself entering and never seeing the light of day again. It was a dark chamber of concrete and electronics.

"The beating heart of the Pizzaplex," Your boss went on. His voice echoed back loudly. "-which supplies all of the bots and animatronics you can see outside!"

It was cold. A chilling shiver went through you, but not just from the temperature.

Now, you didn't like a lot of the pizzaplex. But you really didn't like this part. Important, no doubt, but felt like someplace to avoid at all costs.

There had to have been at least a dozen OSHA violations here alone!

The back of the room housed at least a dozen endoskeletons. All shut off, and just...hanging there, ready to be the next Freddy or Chica or whoever.

That was your first nope with the room.

If there's one thing you hated more than animatronics, it was animatronics without their skin. Why did they have to look so creepy? Why couldn't they have been locked somewhere? What if they turned on by themselves?!

Small rooms were built to the side, with glass windows. Testing rooms or prison cells, you didn't know. They looked quite ransacked. The glass for all of them was broken.

That was your second nope. You didn't want to know what went down inside.

Most prominently, in the middle stood a massive cylinder, with protective glass sealing it from the outside world. Large tubes and wires connected to it from the ceiling.

No, because what in the FAZ-FUCK is that? This was your third nope.

It was all connected to a computer, and in front of the computer was a worker. They seemed to sigh upon hearing your entrance.

Just one guy running this whole place?

The man in the swivel seat rotated to face you. You both gawked as you recognized each other.

Fourth nope.

No way. This is the weird guy from last night who didn't believe you were a security guard!

"And this right here is Dave. Our...one and only maintenance man." Boss introduced.

No wonder. The role fit him. He was just as unwelcoming as everything in this room.

"Dave." Your Boss greeted, crunching on another chip.

"Boss." Dave returned it.

He eyed you with a scrutinizing gaze, crossing his lanky arms.

"Oh, great. You hired a new one. Again. What are they, the 6th now?" Dave complained.

Oh, you already hated him.

"Now Davey, that's not how you greet someone!" Boss retorted fast, avoiding the subject. He went behind Dave, patting him on the back a bit too rough.

"Save those complaints of yours and introduce yourself properly to Mx. Y/N, will you?"

Dave looked just about ready to kill him.

"I'm Y/N, the night guard. Pleasure to meet you, Dave." You made sure to say in a sickly-sweet voice. You were petty to a fault.

"Likewise." Dave scoffed and muttered something under his breath. You caught a few words. Namely 'won't last.'

"I hope it's okay we came to have a look around." Boss spoke up. "Or are you too busy?"

"No. No, I'm not that busy, I guess."

"Good to hear! But, you are busy just a bit, right? You have a...'patient' waiting for you, after all."

Seems like Boss had a knack for testing his employees. Not that you were complaining. Not if it was targeted at Dave.

Realization flashed across Dave's face.

He turned the seat back around to the computer, looking like he wanted to complain still but couldn't.

Anticlimactically, he pressed a single button, and the procedure was finished. A chime rang out from the prehistoric-looking computer.

Next was your fifth nope. Five nuh-uhs at Freddy's.

"Since you're getting a backstage experience, I also figured you might as well meet & greet the big band today! Though, photo fees still apply. " Boss said.

"And who better to start off with, than the one, the only..."

The cylinder door slid up with a hiss. Your heart dropped.

Soon, out came Freddy

"Manager Mark, what a surprise seeing you down here." His robotic voice addressed.

Then, his gaze fell on you.

On the outside, you seemed calm. On the inside? You were screaming.

This wasn't on tonight's schedule! Sure. you knew it would be inevitable to have interactions with the animatronics, but you didn't think you would start tonight!

But really, what else were you expecting?

"Nice to see you too, Fred. But I'm not the surprise tonight."

You didn't know who he meant that for.

It wouldn't try anything while others were in the room, right? They only targeted people that were alone! Like you were, last time...

...oh god, that time you were here, you got lucky!

Now that you think about it, you hoped he didn't remember you from the last time you two had 'met'

But then, he blinked, and his features changed to a smile of recognition.

"Oh!" He exclaimed, and you knew that was it.

"Good evening- or rather, good morning! You must be our newest security guard." He spoke with glee. You must be our next victim, you translated.

"Our head Faz-technician mentioned you before I was shut off." He stepped right up to you. "Welcome to the Mega Pizzaplex, the greatest pizzeria in the entire world! ThisistruefactualinformationprovidedbyFazbearEntertainment! I hope you have had a suitable experience so far!" Freddy proclaimed.

His voice boomed through all of parts and service, loud and clear, but still friendly. Not a hint of a glitch or physical neglect like those old machines had. He was perfect. A perfect personification of the image his company meant to portray.

Suppressing the urge to cower behind someone's back, you steeled your feet and stared up at the mascot.

Did...Did he get taller since the last time you came here!? It felt like he did!

The poor lighting of parts and service didn't help. The buzzing yellow bulbs from above casted a shadow over Freddy. His face was shaded antagonizing-ly, bringing out the glow of his eyes. Especially when the light flickered. The smile he wore wasn't so welcoming anymore, if it ever was to you.

He tipped his hat.

"I am Freddy Fazbear," He introduced himself, as if it wasn't obvious. "But please, just call me Freddy. All of my friends do."

Oh, goody. The murder machine wants to be bffs!

He leaned down to your eye level. A bit too close to your liking, but you already decided not to back down.

"It is a pleasure to meet you," A light from his eyes scanned over your face. His irises followed the movement. When it was done, he made eye contact again. Those eyes felt like they were staring straight through your soul.

"...Officer Y/N."

Boss pushed you forward with a "Go on, don't be shy!"

Your stomach churned. You figured it would be wise to stay on their good side - if there was one.

"It's n-nice to meet you, too, Freddy...you have a spiffy hat and bow-tie!" You said too quickly to realize how dumb you sounded.

Your tone was overly optimistic. It didn't sound like you - but hey, fake it 'til you make it, right?

Freddy's posture elevated in surprise (Same with Boss, while Dave raised an eyebrow). He went back to his full (horrifying) height with ears perked up.

"Oh, uh- why, thank you! Those are my trademark accessories!" He said humbly.

Without warning, he took one step closer to you. Arms stretching out, as if to incase you in their hold.

You instantly backed away.

Boss took notice of your reaction. He stood by your side, putting his arm out to tell Freddy to stop.

"Woah, take it easy big guy! They like their personal space."

If Freddy was hurt, he didn't really show it.

"Oh, of course. I should have known."

Instead, he just reached a hand out. It was only then you noticed the spiked cuffs around his wrists. Compared to the past, you never would have thought they would design him like this. Freddy always felt too classy for that. Yep, definitely suiting the glam-rock theme.

Then you remembered you had to act socially accordingly and shake his (huge) hand.

It's just a handshake, Y/N. It can't hurt...

Oh so reluctantly, you extended your arm and interlaced your hand with his.

That's when the shock of 87 suddenly coursed through your body.

While your bloodstream turned to static, your brain couldn't fully make out if that 'Z-Z-Z-Z-ZT!' noise was from the loose wire, or your vocal cords like a cartoon character.

You flinched away harshly, arm flying back.

You were wrong, you were wrong! It can hurt!

"OH MY STARS! Are- Are you alright?! I didn't notice that shock hazard before!"

You didn't believe it one bit. Especially with that fake stutter. It seems like this encounter with him didn't go any better than the last.

"Woah! Talk about sparks fly." Boss joked. "Looks like Freddy here has an unfinished procedure."

Yeah, and you were the one who had to find that out!

"Seriously, though, are you feeling alright? You're shaking. That shock must've been pretty bad."

"Oh." You hoped they wouldn't have noticed. "Yeah. That's why I'm shaking..."

"I can perform a check, if need be." Freddy said. "It's the least I could do. I am so sorry, Officer Y/N. I did not mean for that to happen!"

You backed up more, remembering how he held you in place last time. You didn't need to relive that while hundreds of volts shocked through you.

"No, no! It's fine! I'm fine!"

His stance drooped at your insistence, but Boss came to your aid.

"It's all good, Fred, don't you worry that rockstar head of yours. You should get back in the cylinder, so Dave can fix you up for real this time."

Boss gave a significant glance at Dave.

That still wasn't enough for Freddy. "But, what if it requires immediate medical attention-"

"If they're not screaming in pain, unresponsive, or bleeding out, then it's not serious." Boss waved him off. "Besides, I'll be able to show Mx. Y/N around more on the way and introduce them to our medical procedures."

It was slightly worrying that an animatronic cared more about your wellbeing than your boss did, apparently. But at the present, all you wanted was to get out of there.

Dave chuckled in his gravely, annoying voice. "Good idea. No telling what other type of injuries zappy-hands here will get."

You hoped he would be next in line for a shock.

Boss placed his hands on your shoulders.

"Respect your superiors, Dave. Mx. Y/N is a veteran to the company, after all! Now ain't that interesting?"

He looked down at you. "Said you used to be a guard, right?"

You hated all this attention on you.

Nonetheless, you nodded. "Yes...for a few locations over the years."

You didn't miss the look of surprise on Freddy and Dave's faces (before the latter started muttering angrily, instead focusing on the procedure rather than to give you any admirement. He acted as if you weren't there anymore).

"I bet Mx. Y/N could do that maintenance work in their sleep. But, we got until the end of the week to put that to the test, ain't that right?" Boss gave you a look.

Right. Your first five nights consisted of your training. Only then would you officially be a security guard.

And only then could you truly look into what you were here for.

"You are going to a first-aid station after this, then?" Freddy made sure.

Your boss nodded.

"Good. My programming can barely settle with you being left untreated."

"Ha!" Your Boss