Tempers
••• Capital Pains •••

i've got to chase whatever makes you feel better

i've got to break before i hit the line

tell me what did you decide, that is missing from my life?

crying sobbing hitting the ground with my fist

Artist: alter--sky

Artist: sunntown




edit notes: add freddy helping plan show

  Cat-Mike wound between my legs while I strolled down the hallway of my little house that sat on the outskirts of Hurricane.

  Eating apple slices off of a plate and entering the living room, I hummed to the tune of a Glamrock song in the empty morning silence. Night was still only just fading to dawn, dragging the star-studded ebony space with it.
  My lonely little home was beginning to lighten with the monday morning. I would have to leave for work soon, but I would wait for just that little bit longer; until the sun's rays began to milk the sky tangerine.
  It was a special day, after all.
  "What does this make it, Mike?" I hummed to the cat as he brushed himself onto the carpet and laid on his side with an agitated flick of his tail. I leant against the wall and watched the world grow lighter. The weight in my chest grew. "Eight years?"
  Mike did not reply.
  "Why can't I just stop-" I hit my head against the wood with a forlorn sigh. "Why can't I just forget him?"
  I wanted to. I found myself wishing that I never met him, pleading on my knees that time would rewind so that I never talked to him in that stupid hospital. That I saw a bunch of giggling girls calling a lonely boy a degenerate and just turned away. That I never offered my book, my friendship, my heart and soul.
  I wished I could take it all back, and yet... I wished that I could live through those moments again.

  I glanced down at Mike. His eyes had closed, and I found myself hating the name I had given the little forgotten kitten when I found him in the bushes outside of my house.
  It had been one of my darker times, caught up in the absence of not only my lover but my best friend, and I called him Mike because it felt like the only thing I could control. He had been all alone, just like me.
  Matt didn't approve of the name. And yet, Mike stuck. A poor replacement of somebody who'd been a solid constant.
  "I'm pathetic," I whispered as I lowered myself to the floor. Mike's tail whipped as I patted his soft fur. "I'm pathetic, aren't I?"
  I should've been angry. I was confused, but I should've been furious. And I think I was for a brief spell, a vile rage that had settled over me like a wave of suffocation for months. I walked in anger and fury, I breathed hate and resentment like fire.
  And then I just went back to missing him. 
  Missing the inside jokes and the history, the rock to lean on, the Sunday paper sudoku partner. I should loathe his very name for what he did to me.

  But he's just so hard to hate when I'm still in love with him.

⚡️🧸🤖🧸⚡️

  "Y/n? Come in, Y/n. Over."

  I lifted the walkie-talkie to my mouth upon hearing the staticky call come from the device on my desk. Party scheduling could wait.
  "Y/n here, over."
  "Package for the Glamrocks at the entrance to Rockstar Row, over."
  "On it, over."
  As soon as I ended the transmission, I rose to my feet and sped out of my office with a giddy squeal. I knew exactly what the package was - the costumes for the band that Elsa, I and the costume designer, Zarah, painstakingly worked on designing and refining over the past three weeks.
  Chica bawked in surprise when I raced past, zipping around her and Drake as I shot towards the entrance to the floor.
  "What's the rush, chickpea?" Chica called. I turned to run backwards and sent her a large beam.
  "The outfits are here!"
  Chica gasped and gave chase after me, ignoring Drake's pleas to not run anymore as they just had a pilates marathon (whatever that entailed). We skidded to a stop at a series of cardboard boxes, of which Monty and Arty were already curiously looking over.

  "This is so exciting!" Chica gushed as she flapped her hands with enthusiasm. "I love getting new looks! A fresh style is just what I need."
  "I hear ya, sister," I grinned as I scanned the labels. I picked out Chica's and held it out for her.  "Here you are! Try this on and get back to me."
  Chica gave an eager nod and rushed back to her green room to get suited up. Drake gave a tired sigh and followed. Monty picked up his own box with a grumble and left for his room, tail swishing along the floor.
  Elsa and I collectively decided on doing a clothing-sticker combo, something that hadn't been done in the previous seven anniversary events yet. It was fun playing designer, inputting ideas that Zarah would further refine into something cohesive and fresh.
  I drew inspiration from the futuristic tech-slash-80s theme that the Pizzaplex thrived on by suggesting stickers that glowed under blacklight. It would go over each of the Glamrocks' special deigns; Roxy's cheek marks, green fringe and ear piercing, for example, or Bonnie's three stars and suspenders.
  The clothing was more-so inspired by 80s street and formal wear, and I had flashbacks to my high school prom where a bunch of rowdy, awkward teens would don ruffled suits and dresses that you wouldn't be caught dead wearing present day.
  The decals on each set of clothing was shot through with material that would glow under the blacklight, too - buttons, blazer pockets, hemlines, zips.

  "I'm ready!" Chica's excited call had me turning from where I was buried in the box containing Roxy's gear. The chicken bounded up to me with a giggle and spun like a princess.
  Her dress was hot pink and off the shoulder, dotted with tiny orange cartoon pizza slices that would glow. The skirt of the dress was nothing but piles of ruffles. She looked like a barbie doll - if a barbie doll could be a giant robot chicken.
  "Wow!" I gasped. It looked better than I thought it would. "You look great, Chica!"
  Chica played with the pink ruffles gleefully at the compliment, giving me a closed-eyed smile. Drake gave me a nod and a thumbs up from behind her - which meant that the look really did have Chica's full approval; she couldn't tell people whether she liked something they made or not aside from her handler, as it made her feel too guilty and then she'd shut herself away for a week. She was precious.
  "Thank you for designing such a great dress for me!" Chica twittered. "Come on, Drakey, let's go show Roxy!"
  "Alright, okay," Drake chuckled when the over-excited robot grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the elevator. No doubt going to Roxy's Raceway, where the wolf usually was on a Monday.

  "You're Y/n, right?" A voice behind me made me jump. I whipped around to find a young man with expectant eyes, hoping he was right. "The band manager?"
  I placed down Bonnie's dress shirt and nodded.
  "I'm Crash, I don't think we've properly met," he introduced and right, that's where I knew his face from; he was Music Man's handler. "Dennis wanted me to get you for some last minute details on the dance floor mingling area. Said somethin' about finalising placements of bots?"
  "Oh, yeah!" I nodded and closed Bonnie's box. "Lead the way, Crash."
  Music Man was shuffling through a variety of songs from the playlist specially made for the event when we entered his domain. It was a mix of commercial (kid friendly) radio songs and his own beats, to which Crash nodded along to and shouted his encouragement to the tall robot.
  Music Man lifted a gargantuan, gloved hand from his equally massive headphones and gave a thumbs up in reply.
  "So, about Freddy's... situation," Crash began as he stopped in the middle of the empty dance floor with me. "I was thinking that we could have him set more towards the bar area. There's a whole platform there that doesn't trigger his bug."
  "Sounds like a plan," I agreed, quickly noting down the adjustment on my watch. "What about Monty? I heard he can get rowdy when he's around a massive crowd."

  "Rowdy?" Crash chuckled with a side-eye. "Or gets a massive ego and tries to show off? We'll put him next to Manny. He's big enough to grab Monty just in case he starts to get a little too in his head."
  "Perfect," I replied with a smile. The visualisation of Music Man just plucking the angry gator from the floor like he would a dropped toy had me thoroughly amused.
  "Bonnie, Roxy and Chica can roam?" Crash suggested.
  "Yeah, definitely," I approved. "They're all well-behaved enough. Unless someone challenges Roxy to a dance-off. Then we're perpetually fazfucked."
  Crash snorted a laugh at my pun and clapped my shoulder. Even Music Man held a hand to his keyboard-designed mouth in mute guffaw.
  "You're becoming part of this company more every day," Crash snickered. I passed a smile and wished that it was the case, and not that I had been around since near the beginning of it all. Would've been easier that way.
  "Y/n? You coming to the outfit check? Over," Elsa's voice came from my walkie-talkie. I stiffened and checked my watch.
  "Oh, shoot," I hissed through my teeth and began walking backwards to the exit of the West Arcade. "I'm late. Just give me a buzz if you need anything else checked, okay? Sounding good, Manny!"
  Music Man raised his hand in appreciation just as the elevator door shut behind me.

  "... only have four days until the event so if your outfit needs any adjusting, please tell Zarah now." Dennis' voice floated down the utility tunnel as I rushed to the rehearsal room. I slipped through the door while catching my breath.
  "Sorry, sorry," I puffed as I careened to a stop and rightened myself. "I was just- holy crap!"
  The Glamrocks stood in all their glory, dressed to the nines with their clothing fitted and stickers perfectly in place. I gave a laugh of disbelief at just how amazing the designs turned out.
  "You guys look wicked!" I gushed as I stepped forward to adjust Monty's sharp collar that lifted to the ceiling. He raised his snout for ease and I patted his chin in thanks.
  "Right?" Elsa agreed, chuffed with the end result. I stepped back and ran my eyes over the crew while a rush of giddy triumph had me feeling all tingly. "That's our hard work right there, hun. You should be proud."
  "Oh, I am." I nodded feverishly. Roxy's punk-rock aesthetic fitted her perfectly, all ripped fishnets and black leather. She looked pleased with it herself, brushing down her shoulder pads with a smug smile.
  "I'm very impressed," Dennis nodded with a giant smile. He looked ready to pop with how happy he was. "This year's show is gonna be one for the ages, I can feel it!"

  "Have you tried the blacklight, yet?" I asked. Joey perked up.
  "Wait, blacklight?" he echoed with wide eyes. Chica tilted her head.
  "What's blacklight?" she queried.
  "This!" Elsa said before shutting off the rehearsal room's industrial lighting, sending the area awash with darkness.
  I squinted my eyes as they adjusted to the harsh change in exposure, and then suddenly they focused on the neon stickers that illuminated the Glamrocks like futuristic pop stars. All was silent until Dennis let out a loud, shocked laugh in amazement, and Bonnie quickly followed with a yell of excitement.
  "I'm glowing!" Bonnie exclaimed as he began to jump circles around a laughing Joey in joy as he surveyed his new look. The ground shook with each bunny hop. Chica joined him, admiring her glowing pizza stickers. "JJ, look, look! I'm glowing, I'm glowing!"
  "I know!"
  "Whoa," Roxy murmured as she stared at the neon green stripes that covered her forearms. Gabby stared at them with appreciation. "Gnarly."
  "Hell yeah!" Monty growled as his tail thudded in approval. The purple lightning bolt on his snout gently illuminated his star glasses. "Rock n' roll!"

  My gaze drifted to Freddy, who was calmly examining his waistcoat with blue glow-in-the-dark stitching, blacklight cuffs and glowing claws. Mandy peeked at his back, where a massive Freddy-head silhouette was stitched in neon orange.
  His blue eyes caught me staring, glowing in the dark like the headlights of a truck. I tore my gaze away.
  "Oh, this is fantastic," Drake complimented as Chica twirled with an elated squeal.
  "The blacklight stuff was all Y/n," Elsa inputted, much to my abject embarrassment. She shouldered my flustered self with a cheeky grin. "Just giving credit where it's due, sweets."
  "You should give credit to my youtube recommendations then," I said with an awkward chuckle. "There was a clip of a blacklight performance from one of those talent shows over in the UK. That's how I got the idea."
  "This'll be the best event we've ever had," Arty said with a grin. "Y/n, Elsa, you've totally blown this out of the water!"
  "I agree." The deep rumble of Freddy's voice caught my attention. His stare was soft. "And not just with the costumes. Y/n has proven herself to be an invaluable manager. Well done."

  I found myself thanking god that the other humans in the room didn't have night vision, because I had no explanation for the way my face began to positively glow red with mortified gratitude. Freddy's abrupt and sincere admiration had me scrambling for composure.
  "... thanks," I finally managed to say.
  Dennis turned the lights back on and requested the performance of an old routine to double check the integrity and fit of the band's outfits. Freddy stepped onto the stage, his lingering gaze finally and slowly sliding off of me like thick, molten chocolate. 
  I took a seat and held my arms.
  It'd been near-on a month since Mandy told me about his crush, and things had been relatively running the same since. He'd still wait for me to arrive and follow around like an over-eager puppy, ready to drop everything if I so called.
  It was cute, in a convoluted way that I tried not to delve into when I couldn't sleep at night, but I generally just tried to ignore it. His stare was lingering, his touch growing more confident and regular, an almost constant companion.
  It was too hard to ignore. Too difficult to assure myself that I was just overthinking things, because certainly he didn't like me. Robots couldn't have crushes.
  He was proving me wrong with every passing day and I didn't know what to do.

  I was too busy thinking about blue eyes glowing in the dark to pay attention to the performance.

⚡️🧸🤖🧸⚡️

  "Thank you," Mandy breathed in panic as she shakily helped Freddy slide into his waistcoat. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

  "Hey, no stress," I reassured as I peeled off Freddy's reusable face sticker from its protective film. "That's what I'm here for."
  "I just don't understand where the time went," Mandy said with a trembling voice as she did up the buttons of the waistcoat. "I set an alarm and everything!"
  "It's a busy day, Mandy," I reminded gently as I stepped into her spot when she left to retrieve Freddy's special blacklight top hat from the back room. "Don't beat yourself up too much. Can you bend down for me, big guy?"
  Freddy knelt to one knee and I stepped closer, poking out my tongue and biting it in concentration as I lined up the blacklight sticker to his regular face markings. He watched me while I worked. I ignored his lingering, heavy gaze.
  "If he's late for the performance, it'll all be my fault!"
  "We won't be late." This time, it was Freddy who was reassuring Mandy. His metal eyelids fluttered as I smoothed my palm over the sticker to remove any air bubbles.
  "I'm going to get fired," Mandy sobbed as she gave Freddy the top hat, of which he placed gingerly atop his head. The magnetic hold snapped it to his shell.
  "You're not going to get fired," I vowed. "Where are his blacklight cuffs?"
  Mandy darted off to retrieve them with a cry and I sympathetically sighed in her frazzled wake. Stressful situations were really not her friend.

  "Excited?" I asked as I turned back to the bot to resume the sticker process. I carefully wrapped a roll of neon tape around his earring.
  "I am," Freddy replied warmly. "The crowd always does love a new song."
  I smiled, half-concentrated on peeling off the massive lightning bolt sticker that would go over the one on his chest. I glanced up at where it would go and noticed that Mandy had buttoned up the waistcoat over it.
  "Hold on," I murmured as I dropped the sticker film and began sliding my fingers down the material, popping the buttons. Freddy tensed, clawed hand flexing before curling into a fist that made his metal creak with strain. I felt my cheeks brush with subtle warmth, too aware of what he was getting worked up over. His bent leg brushed my thigh.
  Alright, thanks brain.
  I returned with the sticker and carefully placed it over the original bolt. His stare was unending and heady and I felt my knees begin to wobble under the weight of it. I gave the lightning bolt a pat that was a little harder than necessary, making Freddy's chest thud hollowly and for him to 'oof' through his nose.
  Swiftly, before I could do something I regret, like running for the hills or collapsing under this foreign, unexpected swell of self-conscious hyperawareness, I rebuttoned his waistcoat and smoothed the front from wrinkles.

  Mandy returned just as I spun away from Freddy, face growing imperceptibly warmer. I could feel his gaze as the handler fluttered around like an anxious storm, peeling off the stickers from the film for his claws. Her words sounded watery and far-away, inconceivable past the ringing in my ears.
  After putting the last claw sticker on, I stepped back and ignored the way my breathing was growing shorter the longer I was in the same room with Freddy. I was freaking myself out with how I was reacting - for fuck's sake, he's just a robot, and you're what? Suddenly getting all flustered from unbuttoning his waistcoat?
  Keep it together, Y/n, my god.
  Freddy walked behind Mandy and I as we rushed down the utility tunnels to the atrium's underfloor stage entrance, where the rest of the band was already there and waiting. Dennis let out a loud sigh of relief when we finally joined and hurried us away, wanting the handlers and other high-level staff members who worked their asses off planning to see the special event performance in all its glory from the VIP box.
  "Good luck!" Mandy said with a worried kind of grin towards Freddy. I noticed that everyone else was saying a form or another of encouragement to their charges and the sudden feeling of being rude had me inclined to put in my own words of support.
  Say something. Just say something.
  I was staring at Freddy. He was staring back. My tongue felt heavy in my mouth.
  Good luck. Just say good luck. It's so easy.
  I opened my mouth to speak then closed it unsurely. Opened. Nothing came out.
  Just say something. Anything. First thing that comes to mind.
  Freddy tilted his head to the side, waiting while I fumbled.
  Hurry up, you freak! You look insane!

  "Knock 'em dead, handsome."

  WHAT THE FUCK WHY.

  Mandy gasped a shocked laugh from beside me while my eyes widened and my face burnt a brighter, hotter red than I realised I was humanly capable of. Freddy looked just as taken aback by my choice of words as I was, but recovered quickly, pulling back his shoulders in giddy confidence and straightening his posture. His smile was blinding.
  Meanwhile, my entire body was on shutdown as I stared at him in frozen shock. Why was that the first thing that came to mind? Why did I have to admit that? I'd been ignoring his lingering stares and touches for weeks in hopes that it would die away and that it was just a brief attraction, and then I had to go and say that? Did I think he was handsome? Y/N, HE'S A ROBOT BEAR.
  I'm fucked. Officially, mentally and spiritually fucked.
  Freddy, overjoyed by my unexpected confession, tilted his chin down in a lidded look of debauched teasing. The mother fucker had the audacity to smirk. He was loving this sudden turn of events, quick to hop on the boat while I was still struggling in the water. Mandy was watching us like a damn soap opera.

  "I'll try my best," he said, just quiet enough to avoid the other bots' hearing. The pause he did made Mandy's eyes widen with anticipation. "Beautiful."
 
  Holy fuck. Now I've done it. I've singlehandedly made Freddy Fuckin' Fazbear into a flirt. I wondered what dear old peepaw Afton would say if he found out what I did to his beloved creation.
  What would Michael say? He'd probably tease the living daylights out of me and bring it up in public when he thought I'd forgotten all about it. It would be a weight I'd have to carry with me to the grave.
  Mandy, who had slapped a hand over her mouth in response to Freddy's lilted compliment, grabbed my wrist and began to haul me away. I stumbled blindly after her.
  "Bye, Freddy, good luck!" she called between gasping snickers. Freddy was still smirking after me, and when he turned to follow the rest of the band onto the platform, I could see that his short little tail was wagging a mile a minute.
  I looked to Mandy desperately as we turned the corner, leaving the rest of the handlers in our dust as she rushed us through the tunnels. Her grin was as wide and bright as the sun.
  "Did that just happen?" I whimpered. She barked a loud laugh and nodded wildly, making me whine in disbelief and regret.
  "Handsome," Mandy goaded. "You called him handsome. Oh, Y/n, you're so whipped for Freddy."

  "I'm not!" I denied hotly. "This is your fault! If you hadn't put the idea that he has a crush on me into my head, I wouldn't be overthinking everything he does!"
  "'Idea?'" Mandy echoed with a crooked beam. She shot me an exasperatedly humorous look as we piled into the VIP booth. A couple of other managers and head of departments were already there, chatting amongst themselves. "Honey, it's fact."
  I groaned in heartbreak as she pulled me down into the seat beside her. She giggled freely, eyes bright with amused joy at the witness of my downfall. The rest of the handlers and Dennis arrived, excitedly in conversation about the upcoming show.
  Deciding to pretend that what just happened never existed, I turned my attention to the stage, where a giant countdown on the LED screens was ticking the seconds away. The buzz in the air was excited, tingly, anticipating, and when the clock hit fifteen seconds, the massive crowd below began counting down in a deafening chorus.
  The lights in the atrium died, smothering the massive theatre with darkness. The screaming intensified and Joey and Mandy both grabbed at my hands with nervous excitement.
  The LED screens played a little cartoony animation of the band as it promoted the eighth year, and just as the cartoon band prepared to play their first note, the screens died and the coloured stage lighting returned as the actual band themselves played that blearing first note.

  Joey laughed beside me in breathless astonishment. His hand tightened over mine.
  "Holy shit, that's cool," he gushed. I felt myself grinning with him despite the niggle of embarrassment still scratching at the back of my neck.
  The crowd was in a total uproar, almost rivalling the ear-splitting instrumental opening of the first song. The band's energy was euphoric and contagious, passion through the goddamn roof as they moved around on stage. The screaming of the crowd only heightened when Freddy began to sing. His divine voice rolled over the atrium like a celestial blessing.
  I dropped my chin into my hands in delighted pride while an unfamiliar blossom of warmth had my chest feeling feather light. I was proud - proud of the band, proud of everyone who worked tirelessly to make this happen, proud of myself for what I put into the event.
  Taking the job at the Mega Pizzaplex was the best idea I'd ever had, nightmares or no, painful reminders or no, obvious absence or no.
  I leant back with an elated giggle when they hit the first of the new songs, the party anthem, and the lights shut off when Freddy began to sing. The neon blacklight details danced across the stage hypnotically as the exciting melody bleared. I felt like I wanted to dance, too. Even the instruments had blacklight accessories.
  Bonnie did some tricks with his glowing drumsticks, Freddy swung his neon blue mic stand around him with effortless skill.

  "Here comes your song," Mandy whispered in gleeful torment as the saturation of the lights began to fade into something more romantic and subtle. I sunk into my seat in a futile attempt to hide. Joey stared at me in confusion.
  The love ballad got just as good a reception as the more buzzy songs did, and I could almost hear the teens and adults swooning as Freddy crooned his little mechanical heart out. He belted his romantic desires, the softness of affection that he craved so dearly, and I wondered just how much input he had into the lyrics of this song or if it was all Sasha.
  The longing in his voice sounded almost real. That's what really frightened me.
  At the show's end, I followed the handlers back down to the underfloor stage area, where the bots were waiting for us. I wanted to escape to my office and remain there until the end of my shift but unfortunately the anniversary event was the literal worst week to do that. I avoided Freddy's still amused stare.
  "A- alright," I said shakily after the handlers reunited with their bots and gave their excited compliments for a job impeccably well done. "We have the meet and greets in your green rooms in twenty, then there's a half hour break before we head over to the West Arcade Dance Floor for the mingle. Handlers, do your maintenance checks when you return to your rooms and then open the curtains at half past."

  Freddy quickly sidled up beside me as the group of us made our way back to Rockstar Row through the tunnels. Mandy peeled away from his side with a stifled giggle, joining Joey and Bonnie instead. I had an itch of suspicion that she told them, too, because all three were whispering and giggling like schoolgirls.
  "Did you enjoy the show?" Freddy's low-voiced question made me tense. I was quiet for a good few seconds, formulating a non-embarrassing reply and looping it in my head so I wouldn't blurt something else catastrophic.
  "Yes," I said plainly. I willed my face to remain its normal colour but I could feel a pinch of heat in the apples of my cheeks. "It was very good. The blacklight routines were my favourite."
  Freddy hummed. The rumbling, almost bear-ish sound folded from deep within his throat. I subconsciously bit my lip.
  "And which was your favourite song?" he asked slowly, slyly, not at all concealing his true motive; to send me into another rosetted tizzy that had my head spinning. I snapped and shot him a severe glare.
  "You're doing this on purpose!" I seethed under my breath. Freddy's eyebrows raised in amusement; it seemed that he had expected my sharp response, had known that it was coming.
  "Doing what?" he innocently asked. The teasing glint in his blue eyes had me rocking in shock. Where had Freddy gone and who replaced him with this?
  I gritted my teeth, face twisting in blushing rage as I stopped dead and whipped around to face him. I was about to yell in front of everyone when Dennis saved me from further embarrassing myself.

  "Yes, yes, yes!" Dennis's loud voice made us turn. He was hurrying to Freddy with a look of utmost joy on his face, pleased as punch. He grabbed Freddy's arms and shook them excitedly - they didn't move an inch. "Oh, Fredstar, you beautiful bear! That was an amazing performance, absolutely impeccable, a true show-stopper!"
  "I certainly hope not." Freddy blinked. "The show must go on, after all."
  Dennis barked a laugh, making the bot crack a smile. He slapped Freddy's arm before discreetly hissing at the sting and giving his hand a shake.
  "Wasn't it the best performance you've ever seen, Y/n?" Dennis asked as he cradled his sore hand. I forced a pleasant expression onto my face.
  "Sure was," I said.
  "I don't know what you did to get Freddy back in his tip-top shape, but keep doing it, okay?" Dennis beamed in pride. I felt my chest crumple like paper.
  "She called me-" Freddy began to say, only to stop when I dug my elbow into his side and then, consequently, began to tear up in pain from driving the hinge of my arm into straight metal.
  Dennis cocked his head with furrowed brows.
  "What?"
  "Nothing important," Freddy said with a polite smile.

  When Dennis turned to congratulate the rest of the band, I shot to Freddy with a sneer.
  "You're dead, robot," I hissed in vehemently embarrassed fury as I shoved my finger into his chest. He stared down at me with wide eyes. "Don't you dare put me out like that again, you hear? Or you're dead."
  "But, manager Y/n," Freddy said with an affable tilt of his head. "I'm not alive."
  I huffed in annoyance before turning on my heel and storming down the hallway. I couldn't believe that one slip of a compliment immediately turned him into a teasing asshole. Who programmed him? Or was this just something he developed on his own?

  Either way, it was starting to fuck me off.

⚡️🧸🤖🧸⚡️

  I swiped my ID at the card reader at El Chips as I bought what would be my lunch - a burrito.

  I was emotionally exhausted and hungry, ready for the day to just end already. It was only one in the afternoon. It felt like it had been an eternity and a half since I arrived at the Pizzaplex that morning. I was one mishap away from crying over my burrito.
  "No beans," a voice jumped in before I could say the exact same words myself to the staff bot. It gave an affirmative beep before rolling away to prepare my order.
  I turned and, oh, what a surprise, it was Freddy. He was watching me with one ear tilted down, resembling that of a puppy. A giant, giant metal puppy.
  Ah, there's my mishap. Time to cry.
  I frowned and crossed my arms.
  "Are you following me?" I asked.
  "Is it really following if you're my boss?" he countered.
  "Yes."
  "Then yes," he answered smoothly. A toddler began to cling to his leg, so he bent down and picked them up in his arms. The little girl squealed in delight and he chuckled.
  My ire subsided somewhat at the sweet scene, so I turned away before he could notice the crack in my wall.
  When I got my lunch and turned back to Freddy, I found a small crowd of kids around him. He was bent down to their height, heavily conversing the serious topic of coloured crayons while a couple of pudgy little hands played with his ears, or his top hat, or his bow tie. He was so careful and gentle with them.

  I inhaled through my nose and turned to find an empty booth that I could hole myself away in for a mental break and some good food. Freddy found me not five minutes later.
  "May I join you?" he asked, gesturing to the seat across from me.
  "If I say no, will you leave?" I asked dryly. He dropped his shoulders and pouted, folding his ears. I quickly caved with a sigh. "Fine, whatever."
  With an accomplished smile, the animatronic slid into the booth. It protested under the weight of a robot but held.
  "How did you know that I didn't like beans?" I asked between bites. I didn't care for manners. If I could scare him away by my terrible table etiquette then my problem would be solved.
  Freddy hesitated. His blue eyes dropped to the table, where he was fidgeting with a salt shaker shaped like the original Freddy Fazbear wearing a sombrero.
  "... lucky guess," he said unconvincingly. I narrowed my eyes. "I would like to apologise."
  My brows raised, taken aback. "What?"
  "For how I've been behaving today," he elaborated. "I'm sorry if I've made you uncomfortable."
  Okay. That was... unexpected. Though, I suppose it was just as unexpected as his behaviour was towards me, anyway. I shrugged.
  "You're fine," I said, and now it was my turn to avoid his eyes. "Just... don't pull anything in front of my coworkers, please?"
  "Deal."

  I was just about to take another bite of my lunch when he started talking again.
  "You know... I've never been called handsome by a staff member before. By parents, sure, but-"
  "Dude, you literally just apologised and you already started doing the same shit," I complained.
  "Sorry," he chuckled, but seemed genuine despite the humour. My nose scrunched in irk before the rest of his sentence registered in my head.
  "Wait, parents?"
  "You'd be surprised by the requests I get," he hummed as he rolled the shaker in his grasp with nonchalant, lidded eyes. "They really shouldn't be saying those things where a child could potentially hear."
  "Do you flirt with them, too?" I asked with a snarky roll of my eyes. I felt my stomach twist when I unwillingly imagined a faceless woman pull the robot into the shadows of the Pizzaplex with a sultry smile. Was it from disgust or jealousy? My inability to differentiate had a stroke of fear slicing through my chest.
  Freddy silenced, watching the salt shaker in his gigantic grip. 
  "No..." he finally said, deep voice quiet. "Just you."
  I had to set my lunch down so I could drop my head into my hands. This is fucked. This is fucked. This is so insanely fazfucked.
  "I'm being sent straight to hell," I muttered to myself as I grabbed my drink and took a swig. I deeply wished that it was vodka, but unfortunately, it was only Roxy's themed Fizzy-Faz; a knockoff coke.

  Freddy stared at me with a hint of sombreness in his gaze as I ran my hand through my hair in stress.
  "We need to get to the West Arcade," I sighed. Freddy frowned when I stood.
  "Are you not going to finish your lunch?"
  I glanced down at the burrito and felt my stomach twist. I shook my head and pulled my cardigan back over myself.
  "I'm not hungry." I've lost my appetite. "Let's go."
  Freddy followed me to the West Arcade Dance Floor, bringing a crowd along with us from the spectacle that the animatronic himself was. We arrived just in time and the place was so crowded that I immediately got shoved into Freddy's side. His hand caught my back and it hovered there, hesitating just above contact, before finally biting the bullet and settling his palm against me.
  I felt the breath get sucked from my lungs at the contact, all too aware of his feelings and his metal touch. We were immediately swarmed, as I had expected, but my head was spinning from the hand on my back to register the fans that Freddy immediately began to converse with as best as he could.
  Mandy arrived not a minute later, eyes widening at the sight of me unwittingly pressed against Freddy's side. I mouthed for her help. She spun away with a smirk.
  "I'm going to throttle you, Amanda," I grumbled under my breath as I glared at her retreating figure.

  After twenty straight minutes of being imprisoned at Freddy's side, I found an escape when the crowd finally began to lapse. I darted off before he could call out for me.
  "Jesus Christ," I whispered as I found a secluded corner next to the DJ booth that I could calm myself in. Monty, standing close by, noticed me with a frown.
  "Ya alright there, short stuff?" he grunted as he watched me tangle my hands through my hair.
  "Yeah," I heaved. "Yeah, fine. I'm fine. I'm okay." 
  Monty crossed his arms. "Don't sound okay."
  I didn't reply, too consumed by resting my head on the wall and willing my anxious heart to slow. Monty pushed his glasses back with a grumbled, growling huff.
  "This 'bout the bear's crush?"
  My head snapped to Monty as he opened his chest cavity and tossed me a bottle of water. It hit my stomach and fell to the ground. He watched it roll by my feet with a dry red stare, as if insulted that his good deed had gone unnoticed.
  "What?" I asked in horror. "How do you- how do you know?"
  The gator shrugged. "We all do. Fucker's not subtle. Gets on my damn nerves."
  "'We?'" I echoed, feeling sick. "Who's 'we?'"
  "Th' band."
  The band? The whole band? Roxy, Chica, too? Bonnie clearly knew already, if his and Freddy's actions was anything to go by - but the rest of them?

  "Oh, Jesus fuck me," I said with a shaky laugh that toed the edge of sobbing. Monty picked up the bottle of water and held it out for me. I snatched it and began chugging.
  "Jesus probably won't," Monty said. "But Freddy might."
  I choked on my swallow and cried as a mouthful of water collapsed down the front of my shirt. The look I sent the gator was frazzled, embarrassed and a very clear look of 'kill me.' Monty laughed.
  "Ah, I'm just kidding, short stuff," he chuckled as my expression twisted into flustered annoyance. He backtracked in thought with a contemplative twist of his snout. "Maybe. I don't really know, t'be honest."
  I couldn't do it anymore. I sunk to my feet and cradled my head, staring with wide, dry eyes at the ground.

  "I am so fazfucked," I whimpered.

Chica's funky lil pizza dress :) <3