Author: Timeless Tragedy
Rating: T
Words in Chapter: 2095
Written: March 9, 2015
Current Characters: Mike, Foxy, Bonnie, Chica, Freddy
Warnings: Humanized
Disclaimer: Characters belong to Scott Cawthon. Author owns nothing but the plot of the story.

"Welcome to Freddy Fazbear's Pizza, I'm your host, Mike. I'll be taking care of you for the rest of the night," the young man recited, forcing excitement into his voice as he looked past the guests to see how the rest of the serving staff was doing. It was this part of the job he hated most: greeting the ungrateful families that hardly tipped even after he took their ridiculously complicated orders and brought it to them without any mistakes. It wasn't the tips that made him hate working the tables, it was the disappointment from the kids that made him resent it.

They wanted the entertainers to serve them. But unfortunately for them, there were only four or five entertainers, and the rest of the cast were regular people like him. It wasn't his fault that they drew the short end of the stick. He did his best and it wasn't fair that it didn't reach the same level as the entertainers. Crowd pleasing was their job, not his.

All the same, it made him somewhat glad that he rarely, if ever, ran into any of them. They tended to be too busy working more tables than the rest to be able to stop and chat. And being the main reason the families even came, they didn't take breaks beyond stopping to grab something quick to snack on between shows. They were just so... dedicated. It was as if they enjoyed taunting him, pointing out how they were better at the job than he was. At least he didn't have to parade around dressed up like animals and do a song and dance routine on top of serving greedy kids who wanted everything on the menu. With extra ketchup on the side.

He heard a few kids cheer at a nearby table and knew without a shadow of a doubt that one of the entertainers was serving them. He wondered who it was that was taking the orders. Usually cheers like that meant Freddy, or maybe Bonnie. The children adored Freddy's humor or reaching out to grab Bonnie's long purple ears or red bow tie.

Mike could still remember the one time a boy had grabbed a fistful of ear and almost pulled them right off. Bonnie had turned red as a tomato, running off to get the fake ears reattached in the bathroom. Mike had joined in, laughing at Bonnie's expense. Yet another reason to be thankful he was forced to wear the purple server's uniform instead of the animal based ones Freddy and the others had to wear. He was fine with the lavender tee, long black pants, and pale purple apron equipped with all the pockets. While it wasn't his favorite color, it was comfortable and didn't look nearly as ridiculous as the brown suit Freddy wore.

Mike jotted down his table's order while half listening to the chatter somewhere behind him. The kids were asking questions now beyond the typical 'is it fun to sing with the others?' and 'why are you dressed like an animal?' that the entertainers normally got. A girl's quiet voice was in the middle of asking if it was scary sailing on the ocean.

Curious beyond belief, Mike used the excuse of dropping off the order to the kitchen to pass the table he was eavesdropping on to get a look at their server.

The man working the table wasn't one Mike recognized. Sure, he'd seen pictures of the crew from before he'd been there, seeing as the staff had expanded lately and with all the changes there wasn't an updated picture, but he'd avoided the entertainers since they tended to stick together. He'd never even spoken to one of them! But one look at the guy brought his name to mind, since he'd heard all about the man's show even if he had never seen it. And it wasn't like his costume didn't give away his role. Red fox ears poked through a tricorne hat decorated with the typical skull and crossbones. A seemingly crudely torn hole in the back of his long red coat let a white tipped tail freely fall down his legs, ending right about at the knee. A cutlass he assumed was fake hung from a thick belt halfway sliding down the man's hips, a gun on the other side just visible beyond the decorative gold trim of the coat and almost hidden by the poofy white shirt he wore. As if that wasn't intimidating enough, the already tall man was made taller with gleaming black boots. It was all finished off an eye patch over his right eye and a metal hook that seemed to be set into a wooden limb. One thing was for sure, the costume was nowhere near as lame as the rest of them. Even the server wear seemed dull compared to what Foxy the Pirate wore.

It took him a minute to realize he was staring, for Foxy happened to look over, an almost glowing yellow eye meeting comparatively dull blue ones. Mike scampered off to the kitchen, desperate to escape the piercing look. He dropped off the order and was about to return to the dining area when Foxy himself walked in.

"Liked what ye saw, did ye there lad?" the entertainer hummed, amusement dancing in his single exposed yellow eye. Mike nearly swallowed his own tongue. "I haven't seen ye 'round 'ere before. New?"

A new voice broke in, saying, "It's Mike, isn't it? He's not new, Foxy. We just never got properly introduced. You like to hide in the staff room on breaks instead of in the kitchen, don't you Mike?"

"U-uh yeah," Mike muttered, surprised when Chica joined them. She finished drying her hands on a towel then stuck one out to shake.

"It's nice to meet you. Formally, that is. You should come to see us sometime! I promise, we don't bite. Scares away the customers if we do," she said with a wink. Mike shook her hand, marveling at how warm her skin was. It looked like she had been at the stove for a while; her pale skin was flushed and her blond hair stuck to her forehead in places. "Why don't you come see us after closing? You could help us close up and then we could go out for a drink or something to get to know each other. How does that sound? Are you free?"

Mike hesitated, glancing between the two entertainers nervously. They were strangers to him, seeing as he'd never even seen Foxy in person before, which made him a little uneasy. Maybe they'd heard his comments about how stupid their costumes looked or how annoying their repetitive shows could get. It could be a prank, even.

Then again, they worked as performers for children and there was a chance Mike was only being paranoid because that hook looked sharp enough to gut him. Finally, he nodded, making Chica smile excitedly.

"You'll come too, won't you Foxy?"

"Someone 'as ta be there to make sure Fazbear doesn't get himself keelhauled by the women he tries to 'win over.' I can't stay fer long," he answered, moving past the others to pick up his order. Mike watched the man carefully get the plates balanced on his left arm, Chica rushing over to help. They got the plates steady, then Foxy headed for the door, nodding to Mike as he pushed the door open with his hip.

"We'll see you tonight, right after closing. Hopefully you don't mind if Freddy and Bonnie join us?" Chica asked. Mike nodded dumbly as she handed him the plates for his table that the cooks had prepared while they talked. She grinned and happily pushed him back toward the door. He stepped out into the dining area, moving toward his table.

He could see Foxy moving about the room, already tending to a few other tables to give the visitors the best experience possible. Over the noise, Foxy's deep voice asked each child what they liked and what they wanted to be when they grew up. They eagerly replied with as much detail as they could in the short time he was able to stay at their table. Mike could imagine just how special the kids felt under the warm gaze of the entertainer.

He found himself keeping an eye on both Foxy and the clock as closing time grew near. He was finishing up with his last table when he heard a few kids complain at having to leave when they were so busy having fun with the fox captain. After an assurance from the pirate that he'd be there the next time they came, the family cleared out, leaving the restaurant empty besides the staff members. Mike felt the prickles of nerves race down his spine at the idea of having to go out with the entertainers. From what he knew, the two groups rarely mixed after hours.

Chica rushed from the kitchen where she had been dropping off the last plates, grabbing Mike's arm and pulling him to a back room that had been fashioned into a change room for the entertainers. He'd never been back there, there had never been reason to be, so he was surprised to see the lockers against the back wall and a few benches that were already occupied by Freddy and the others. Chica motioned for him to take a seat then joined Bonnie on the right bench.

"Fred, lend me a hand, would you?" Foxy asked, struggling with the jacket's sleeve which had gotten caught on something. He held still as the other entertainer moved to help.

"So, Mike, what do you think about our little restaurant?" Chica chirped, pulling off her feathery wig to let her shoulder length hair out. It fell over her slim shoulders and she ran her fingers through it to ease out any tangles. She turned her magenta eyes on him and started to shrug off the dress she wore throughout the day to reveal the white clothes she wore underneath it.

"It's, uh, interesting at least. The kids love you guys."

"As they should!" Bonnie laughed. "We have the best routine you'll ever see, kid!"

"Dad's been at this so long he knows exactly how to make the money we need to keep this place running. Lucky for us," Freddy said. He gathered Foxy's jacket and hat into his arms, tucking the tail between them to keep it from getting lost. As he moved off, Mike couldn't help but stare at the 'pirate.' The wooden arm went up to just above where his elbow would be, abruptly ending where a black band pressed into the pale flesh of his upper arm. It suddenly looked so very real that Mike's stomach dropped. He glanced up, startled when he found that yellow eye focused on his face. He looked away sharply, watching from the corner of his eye as Foxy unhooked the prosthetic arm and took it off.

"The kids loved having you work the tables again, Foxy," Chica continued, getting the fake rabbit ears off Bonnie, being careful to be gentle with the front section that acted like a false bunny's nose. "Did you make enough tips?"

"Not even close. I'll figure something out."

"What did you need the tips for?" Bonnie asked. He went to dig out his wallet until a glare from the tall redhead stopped him. He raised his hands in surrender, offering an apologetic smile.

"I've got a job interview in a couple days, I needed to have enough for bus fares both ways. Rent's passed due."

"I'm free, I'll drive ya," Freddy said. He stood and clapped his hands, looking around the room with a grin. "Come on, we've a newcomer to welcome! And a fox to drive home once we've got him drunk enough. Foxy, we'll figure out what to do about your rent tomorrow. For now, let's just enjoy ourselves. Who's driving who?"

"I've got my girl, and I know you're takin' Fox. Where do you wanna go, Mikey?" Bonnie turned to Mike. The server looked between the rabbit and chicken then over to where Freddy stood. Though he was against having to choose between the two groups, he motioned to Bonnie and Chica since it had been her idea in the first place, getting a grin from the two of them. "Awesome! Let's go!"

Mike was dragged off to the car, suddenly wondering if he was walking to his doom.