A/N: This is a little story based on the one-word prompt, "Loop." In the (current) FNAF timeline, this takes place a few days before Circus Baby attacks the little girl.
A Mechanic's Musings
The man wrapped one shoelace around the other, pulling it through the newly-created loop of string. His fingers moved deftly, used to working with fine wires and small parts.
"You're doing it wrong, daddy!"
A high-pitched voice broke through the man's mind, shattering his elsewhere thoughts like a rock hitting a pane of glass. His grey eyes flickered to the girl sitting on the tabletop in front of him. Her blonde curls bounced as she crossed her arms and stuck out her lip in a false pout.
"If you pull it, it'll come undone!" she elaborated as the man stared at her, trying to bring his mental state back to his physical body. Slowly, he glanced down at the laces in his hands. Sure enough, with one quick tug the lopsided bow unraveled, the strings hanging over the tiny piece of footwear like dull, white worms.
"Oh... you're right," the man remarked, blinking. He met the girl's gaze. "You know, you could tie your own shoes, love-"
"No!" The girl's adamant shriek caused the man to wince. Heaving a sigh, he closed his eyes for a brief moment, refocusing his willpower on the task at hand. The girl uncrossed her arms and smiled, her innocently bright eyes shining. "I want daddy to do it!"
"Of course you do," the man mumbled to himself. Not for the first time, he wished to be in his workshop, the place where he could mess up as many knots as he wanted without fear of being screeched at by a tiny human. The only sounds he would need to worry about would be the whirring of motors and servos, and the occasional clunk of some piece of equipment moving in a way it shouldn't be.
But, alas, he was stuck in an office with hardly enough space to turn around. Adding a small, Elementary-sized child to the cramped room made it nearly unbearable. Needless to say, the times when the man's business partner insisted on having lengthy conversations about finances in the same small box nearly drove the mechanic insane.
He never wanted to talk money; he simply wanted to build.
"Daaaaaaddy!" The girl's sing-song tone cut through the man's mental reverie for a second time. He looked down at his latest shoe-tying attempt, suppressing a sigh. Yet again, he'd missed a crucial step in the usually simple process. His daughter began to babble, first instructing him on how to tie the laces before moving onto any topic under the sun that caught her attention. Eventually, the man was able to connect the strings into a nice bow with big loops that bounced as the girl excitedly kicked her feet.
Not for the first time, the man wished he could tie up every lose end in his life just like that beautiful, perfectly positioned bow.