08 ★ can't wait to meet you

❝ ꜱᴏ ᴊᴏɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴀɴɪᴍᴀᴛʀᴏɴɪᴄ ꜰᴀᴍɪʟʏ! ❞

★

           SOMETHING wasn't sitting right with you.

"There aren't any others working down here?" You asked as you waited for the elevator to arrive.

One employee seemed like too little to operate parts & services, even if it was just the night shift.

Boss hummed in thought. "Just Dave, mostly. Sometimes Jerry and the other techs, and Vanessa. There used to be more people down there, but uh...I guess they didn't like it very much..."

Your mind flashed back to the dark and damp tunnels. The hanging endoskeletons. The rooms with broken glass.

Yeah. You wouldn't like it very much, either.

Ding.

"Well, here's our ride." You sighed as you cramped inside. For an elevator, there wasn't all that much space inside. It was clearly meant for a single person - or in this case, a single animatronic.

"So, is that why you keep Dave around, or is it his charming personality?"

Boss groaned. "Believe me, we've all had enough of him at some point. Me especially. But I just can't fire the guy. Who else will take his place?"

A light bulb lit up in his brain. At the same time, the doors closed.

"Actually, that's not a bad idea. What'dya say about switching careers to be a mechanic?"

You put a thoughtful finger to your chin. Just imagine; you, having to go inside of that creepy cylinder to play doctor on a robot every night.

"Hello, Mechanic Y/N," You imagined Freddy saying. "I have another issue with my wiring. Could you please fix it? Oh, and do be careful. Accidents can happen..."

"...I think I'd rather keep my own job."

He sighed. "Figured. Was worth a shot, though."

The elevator (finally) started ascending up.

"So uh, you good?" Boss cleared his throat.

You were about to ask what he meant, until you remembered you were literally just electrocuted.

"Yeah, I think so. I don't feel any...different."

"Oh, good." He sighed in relief, probably because it didn't mean a lawsuit. "Then we can probably save the ol' trip to the nurses office for the end!"

Man, Boss was...quite the character, huh?

Still, he was better than Dave, for sure.

Awkward elevator music filled the silence your voices left behind.

"Did you know that birthday wishes only come true at Freddy Fazbear's?" The handunit voice suddenly sounded. "It's true! Kids who have home birthdays have fewer friends and parents who don't love them. This has been another fun Faz Fact!"

You slowly looked sideways at your boss.

He cleared his throat again, then tried to appear more confident.

"Well it's true! Just look it up!"

Ding. You have arrived at your destination.

You would've expected the door to open straight into the mascot's rooms, and so you got yourself ready.

...only to be met with a dark, cluttered space instead.

"Huh. Well, this wasn't what I was expecting." You said.

"Heh, yeah. Greenroom's just beyond that other door right there." Boss informed.

It was a mess. Boxes all over were stacked on top of each other, like makeshift jenga towers.

A large tube-like object stood on the opposite end of the room. You've seen a few of them around the place. You just assumed it was one of those hurricane-simulator machines people can go inside of. But then why would there be one in here?

You asked your boss about it, and he explained that it was actually a charging station for the robots. Well, that explained the giant lightning symbols on it.

There was also a Chica trash-can in the corner he stared at for a bit.

"Heh, fitting." He threw the disappointment chip bag into it and brushed his hands free of crumbs.

"Better get rid of the evidence before she goes all 'coocoo' for food."

You didn't get what he meant by that. Probably best not to ask.

Muffled guitar sounds played from beyond the greenroom door.

It slid up. Your sight met the very bright, very pink room of Chica. Speaking of who, stood in the middle rocking out.

Chica wore a pristine white shell, unlike the chick yellow of her previous counterparts. Hair of the same color was tied in a sideways ponytail.

For her retro-inspired look, she was dressed in a baby-pink leotard, with hot-pink accents. Her legs were also encased in leg warmers. Mismatched, no doubt to highlight her quirky personality. One was a leopard-patterned lime, which went with her fingerless gloves and triangle earrings. The other was hot-pink, just like the bow in her hair and shoulder pads. Her forearms bore spiked cuffs, giving off the vibe of 'cute but will fight you.'

Her head twisted in your direction so fast, it would've given a person whiplash. Not to mention how their neck would've snapped from the impossible degree it rotated (180 degrees, almost!). You almost shivered at the unnatural movement, like an owl's.

Her beak opened with a 'bawk!' and she dropped her guitar to the floor. You cringed at the sound of the poor instrument falling with a clang, and the strings vibrating as if they were distressed, too.

"Ah, dammit. Chica, how many times have we told you to use the straps when you're playing?" Boss scolded like a disappointed parent. She didn't look like she cared, though. Her attention was locked on...

"YOU."

"M-Me?" You pointed a finger at yourself as she approached with very fast, very heavy stomps.

You didn't even have time to be intimidated by her height. She scooped you up in a bone-crushing hug. You wheezed as you were lifted off the ground.

"Yeah, you, with the cute keychain! I remember seeing you before, you were chasing after that silly staff bot and walked right by me! My system told me you came for an interview, and now you're here! I was rooting for you to get the job, you just seemed like such a rockin' person! Even if we never talked, but hey, we are now!" Chica rambled on.

She was so close. Too close. Her hard, metal body felt like it was digging into your flesh from how tight the embrace was. Your lungs begged for the air needed to sustain your adrenaline-fueled heart.

'Please, put me down' you wanted to say, but all that escaped were quick, struggling breaths.

Boss came to your rescue and ordered the chicken to loosen her literal iron grip. She complied, but still didn't release you. Chica clucked out a hasty apology.

You took deep breaths. "It's-alright!" You replied meekly.

From this close, you could see inside her mouth as Chica's beak opened in a smile. You noticed she had a line of teeth, but not nearly as creepy as the original Chica. At least the designers of these bots learned something. You could just barely see the jaw of her endoskeleton inside.

"My name is Chica, the chicken! It's totally nice to meet you, Y/N! I hope you last longer than some of the other new guys here!"

"T-Thanks?"

What does she mean by 'last longer than the other new guys?'

"Alright, you can let go of them now, Chica. I've got to show em' around more." Your boss spoke up. He knew your meeting had to be short, or else the chicken would take up your whole night.

Once again, she shook off his complaints. Instead, coming up with a much better idea.

"Oh, then we should all go to Mazersize, that'll be so much fun! You'll show them around, and I can get to know them more! I can even carry them there!"

What.

You both looked toward your boss with pleading eyes, but for separate reasons.

"We can do that some other time-"

"Pleeeeease?"

"Chica-"

"Pretty pleeeeease with a bow on top of it?"

"...Fine."

Before you knew it, you were getting carried around by the giant chicken while Boss struggled to keep up behind.

It wasn't a very comfortable hold. Her arms were painfully tight around your ribs, pressing into your back to squeeze you against the robot. You wanted to wiggle out of it, or at least adjust to a better position. But you just couldn't bring yourself to do it.

You also noticed something. While the majority of her was metal, the outside was covered by a thin layer of faux feathers. They made your nose tickle slightly. The cloth parts of her seemed to be encased in soft felt. You just felt the coolness of steel through it. She was clearly designed with the purpose of on and off-stage guest interaction, down to being comfortable to touch for clingy children.

But not adults. No, she definitely didn't know how to handle adults.

Chica was none the wiser to your misery (or just didn't care, or maybe both), continuing to the atrium and up escalators with levity. She talked the whole way. Different topics left her voice box, such as details about things you passed, some "fun facts" about her friends, but mostly about varying food items the plex offered.

Sweat dripped down your forehead.

I hope she doesn't get hungry, and has the urge to take a bite out of something!

(More specifically, your head.)

You heard the laughter of some other workers. You hoped in secret they would come and help out, but they didn't. They didn't do anything.

You doubted your boss would, either, considering he had got you into this.

You finally worked up the courage to say something.

"I can- I can walk by myself, y'know?" You laughed nervously.

Chica slowed her pace and tilted her head like a chicken. Unfortunately, she just took it as a joke instead of a sign to put you down.

"Oh, silly! You aren't getting away so easily!" She giggled menacingly.

You were going to have a panic attack.

Eventually, you got to 'Mazercize'. By then you were feeling like a little dog getting carried by a careless toddler.

"Could-" You wheezed. "Could you put me down now??"

"Of course!" She lowered you to the floor.

Well, more like dropped. You landed a little roughly, but at least you landed.

You didn't know who looked more out of breath. You, or your boss when he finally got there.

"Woo! Well, I sure got my workout done!" He panted. A giggle came from Chica. Her promotional programming seemed to kick in just then.

"Speaking of workouts, welcome to Mazercise, where you can work off the calories while you eat! We have nachos, fries, cookies, and of course, pizza! Employees get all sorts of cool perks here, too! You won't wanna miss out!" She winked.

It made you scratch your head. One minute they were 'sentient', and the next like...like actual robots.

A fitness center fit the retro theme of the pizzaplex. You just weren't sure how popular it would be among laser tag and arcades. Especially since the entrance fee already costs an arm and a leg. It probably catered more to the parents who dropped off their kids at some other attraction.

Chica seemed to disappear behind a counter, fiddling with some stuff. Meanwhile, you took in the room. It had a lot of fitness mats, of all shapes, colors, and sizes. Kid you would've built a sick fort with those (or a very unstable tower).

Chica skipped back in front of you, skidding to a messy halt. You had to lean back so she wouldn't bump heads with you. Something told you head-butting metal would not be fun.

"Wanna try one?!" Chica asked as she waved a slice of overpriced, greasy pizza near your face.

You weren't one to pass on pizza, but that ride to mazercize had made your stomach feel woozy.

...and you were pretty sure she just pulled that out of a trash can. It looked hours old.

"Uh- no, thanks!" You declined.

You noticed Boss becoming alert out of the corner of your eye. A surge of panic went up your spine as he spoke out "Chica, no!-"

"Suit yourself~" She cooed. Chica seemed to shrug...and proceeded to 'eat' the slice herself.

You watched in disbelief as the pizza disappeared into her casing. The only remnants left of it were some crumbs and tomato sauce on her beak.

"Chica!" Boss suddenly scolded. "You know you aren't supposed to do that."

Chica appeared 'embarrassed.'

"I'm sorry, Mr. Mark! I just can't resist it! It's-"

"Yeah, it's in your personality chip, I know." He pinched the bridge of his nose.

Oh. That's why he said that. Not because it was offended by your refusal and was about to...

Your body untensed. Well, now you understood that 'coocoo for food' comment earlier.

But still...why was she capable of eating? Where did it go after?

"Hey, newbie?" Your boss broke you out of your thoughts. You answered him with a 'yeah?'

"I asked if you wanted to try out the maze in the back. Can't have mazercize without the 'maze' part. Though no telling if you'll actually make it back out the other side..."

You passed on that too.

"Aw, maybe next time?" Chica hoped. "The maze walls can be changed so you'll never run out of paths to take! Super cool, right?"

You nodded frantically.

Then she lunged at you again, spinning you around in her arms and lifting a leg after like a schoolgirl.

She smooshed her cheek against yours. "Oooh! We should totally invite Roxy-poo and the others along!"

No, NO!

Just you is enough already, I'm sure 'Roxy-poo and the others' can do their own things!

"Alrighty, Chica. We came here, I showed Y/N all there is, and you chatted. I know you wanna coddle the newbie but we have other places to be tonight."

"Awwwww, already? But I wanted to talk more!"

"I'm sure you can do that later on in the week, right Y/N?" Boss and Chica glanced at you with expectant looks.

"Right!" You blurted out before you could think.

Stay on their good side, Y/N.

It worked, appeasing her for now.

Chica's beak suddenly slammed shut and her head flailed around while a weird sound emitted from her.

You thought you somehow broke her - but then she stopped and blinked.

"Chips! I smell chips! Does anyone else smell that?!"

Your boss coughed. "N-No. Chips? What chips?"

★

          You wiped your face with the sleeve of your uniform. Chica had gotten some pizza sauce on you back there.

"You know, you're the only one that didn't freak out and push her off so far." Boss chuckled.

Yeah, I wonder why.

It was hard to bid goodbye to Chica, considering she didn't want to let you leave. But now you were finally free on your way, ready to face whoever it was you still had to.

...oh who were you kidding, of course you weren't ready!

"Now, where to go next..." Your boss pondered.

"Perhaps Roxanne," He checked his own fazwatch. "Yep, looks like Ms. Winner's in her raceway right now. We can just-"

Out of the corner of your eye, you saw someone approach the two of you. It was another worker. He seemed quite nervous, playing around with a tablet he carried

"Ehm- Mr. M-Manager- Boss- Sir..." He stuttered. Your Boss jolted as he finally noticed him. In response, the worker got even more scared than him, and hid half his face behind the tablet.

"Geez, Fritz! A warning next time!"

"S-Sorry!"

"'S okay. Well, what d'ya want? I'm kinda busy with the new security guard here."

You two introduced yourselves, though his was considerably more awkward.

"Uh, well th-the thing is...there's kind of a situation a-at the- at the golf course..."

Boss clicked his tongue. "What'd he do this time?"

"I-It kind of...just ran in, and s-started chasing and- and throwing golf balls at anyone inside. Everyone there already le-left, and are waiting outside the elevator. It just kept growling at- at them when they tried to go back in. Th-They just...didn't know what to-to do, so they sent me to fetch you."

Boss inhaled deeply.

"Well, looks like we're taking a trip down to good ol' gator golf."

"You're kidding." You didn't believe it.

Unfortunately, he wasn't.

You followed Fritz down to 'Monty Golf'. Amidst the faux greenery and other decals imitating nature, a handful of night-shift staff stood idle. They looked lost, like a bunch of castaways or boy scouts without a chaperone.

Their attention drew to your Boss though, when they saw him approach.

"Your savior is here!" He called. "What's the big hold-up? You all have different places you can be. Get back to work, everyone! I don't pay you to stand around and stare!"

The eyes of the workers widened. Then, like nothing happened, they all started walking off to their regularly-scheduled program somewhere else.

"Are- Are you sure you wanna go in there?!" Fritz worried. "I mean- are you sure it's s-safe? Shouldn't we get Jerry?"

Boss waved him off.

"He's busy with the DJ. Don't worry, I've got some security to back me up." He said, referring to you. "Not that I'd really need it."

No, most definitely not. Why would you ever think that?

Fritz looked both happy and nervous to leave, but he still went with the rest. You stared at his back desperately.

NOOOO, COME BACK!! TAKE ME WITH YOUUUU!!!

But no. You just had to take up a security gig. And now here you are in another damn elevator.

"Bunch of wusses, too afraid to tell that reptile when to shut up. All you really gotta do is stand your ground." Boss ranted.

You wondered how much of that he'd still say if he went through what you have.

(and that the biggest wuss was in the elevator with him right now.)

The doors opened, and you entered Monty Golf for the first time.

You half-expected the animatronic to already be waiting by the entrance. To attack at the first chance it got.

Immediately, a loud hiss greeted you. You nearly jumped out of your skin, only to find out it was just background noise.

Okay, maybe the elevator wasn't that bad! You didn't want to leave, but duty called.

Under different circumstances you would have appreciated the environment better. The golf course was unlike any other place you'd seen thus far. Artificial rivers flowed around courses and under bridges, with tons of discarded golf balls contaminating the water. Looked like the pebbles from your very first aquarium.

The place was a jungle. Leaves and vines intertwined with the structures and lights, creating a harmonious blend of nature and technology. Even the details, such as the treehouse-esque seating areas matched the theme. The only thing that stood a little out were the ball pits. A hint of rainbow amidst the greens and browns.

A southern-sounding rock tune played from the speakers. Now this felt less like a mall in the middle of Utah, and more like a trip to the Everglades.

You trailed after your boss as you descended further into the