NOT SUITABLE FOR ALL AGES

WARNINGS
Frequent cursing
Mentions of mistreatment toward a lesser being
Mentions of not respecting a lesser being and/or not treating them as an equal

DISCLAIMER
This is based upon the video game franchise Five Nights At Freddy's, all rights for the characters and the world they interact inside belong solely to Scott Cawthon. We own nothing but the writing.
This is based upon the novel The Borrowers, all rights concerning the concept applied belong solely to Mary Norton. We own nothing but the writing.
Please give credit to those who deserve it. Thank you.

Problem is, David believed he ran this restaurant. And running said restaurant stated that anyone or anything that couldn't pay for the hours they stayed inside his building were his.

Nothing could change that fact. The animatronics couldn't pay him so he owned them. The equipment couldn't pay him so he owned that. Customer could pay for the time therefore he didn't own them.

But. A certain little pest currently racing away was definitely unable to pay for a visit. And that meant said thing was his.

If only he could catch it.

Apparently it was smarter than he thought. Because in finding out the annoying little object that hurt his desk was in fact the little creature's annoying little object left him setting up various traps with that as the bait to lure them in. Problem was nothing seemed to work.

Mouse trap. Fly trap. Rat trap. Fatal rat trap. Glue trap. Peanut butter trap. Even a goddamn fish trap.

There were no signs of the creature even going near it. At least he still had what actually resembled a grappling hook of some sorts, meaning that weren't clever enough to find a way around it.

Or maybe they didn't even need it...

"ORVILLE!"

The elephant animatronic turns to the furious restaurant owner with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes, Mr. Harrison?"

"There's a pest here, and I need you to capture it," David growls, stalking in between the tables to see if everything was cleaned to perfection. He only grows angrier when his good for nothing dumbasses of employees don't even clean the tables right, filling a note inside of his mind to remind him to scream and fire them all. Hire someone else.

"Don't harm it. I need it in one piece or else its useless. Like some animatronics if they don't complete this task correctly!"

"What kind of pest is it, Mr. Harrison?" Happy questions, the frog animatronic watching their owner warily as he glares up at her.

"You'll know it when you see it."

Mr. Hippo then watches as the restaurant owner storms away after there were no other questions asked, phone being taken out and screamed into even before the office door was closed. They tried to tell him getting into such a habit meant the customers would hear it one day.

But considering how loud he got even with the door closed...

"What do you suggest we do, Orville?"

"It's a pest, meaning it can't be any bigger than a mouse," the animatronic muses, twirling his wand before glancing at the floor. "We'll search around once. After that just watch wherever you're walking. And don't hurt it if you find it."

"What do you think it might be?" Happy questions, eyes lighting up with wonder as she begins to hop in place. "Oh! Maybe it is a mouse! A really smart one, too!"

"He wouldn't have us looking for something like that," Orville begins, clearly unnerved by what was being said. Mice had giant ears and long yet wispy tails. And those beady eyes that stare into your soul as if trying to take over your mind...

Just the thought of them gave him shivers. Rats were no better.

"But-"

"Let's see what we can find," Mr. Hippo gently interrupts, taking Happy's hand and leading her off the stage. One pleading look at his friend drops the subject, moving to bounce across the room before quickly walking as not to hurt their 'mystery creature'. With the hippopotamus and elephant animatronic taking opposite sides, the three set to work.

Fritz can't help but smile at seeing the animatronics act so lively. It always fascinated him how sentient they seemed, something Mike said if he remembers correctly when the night guards came to visit.

That had been an...interesting night. The borrower had been safely inside the walls when not only Mr. Harrison came back, but along with seven other humans and at least twenty more animatronics came inside. He couldn't forget about the 'surprise guest' near the end when a human clad in purple threatened each and every one of them.

Fritz had to admit, he wanted to race out there and help them.

Even though it'd reveal he existed. Even though it'd put him in danger of being snatched away. Even though it'd make the same interaction of him and David meeting only this time with nowhere to go.

But he didn't. He kept inside the walls, safe, waiting for something bad to happen instead of trying to stop it.

Some borrower he was. His mum would say otherwise, that hiding and surviving was how to be the best borrower, but it wasn't the one he wanted to be.

One can't code from the walls.

Sighing the redhead turns to leave the three to their search before freezing, green gaze locked on Happy as she stands by the basement door. And she seemed...stuck.

The frog animatronic begins to panic when her systems don't seem to register the command to walk. Nor for the command to open her mouth, move her hand. Not even her speaker seemed to be working.

This was worse than glitching out! Now Mr. Harrison will find her like this, assume she's broke, and put her into storage for forever! Granted she might be broken, but he wouldn't even try to fix her! She's just another animatronic, 'sentient' or not, and he'll put her downstairs and the kids will forget about her and she'll never see them again and-!

"Hey! Calm down! Give me a moment!"

...who in Freddy Fazbear's name is talking right now?

"Just give me a moment, Happy, and I'll have everything working perfectly again! Even help you with the glitching voice!"

As the animatronic seems to calm down, Fritz continues with carefully climbing down to the panel for all of Happy's mechanics. It takes a bit of effort before he finally pops it open to drop safely onto. Once there it's only a moment for the homemade device to be plugged in and the borrower is quickly helping with coding an animatronic for the first time in his life.

Even the teenager had to admit this was an idiotic idea. He was exposed, vulnerable, and currently helping the very person who wants to take him to David. He should just unplug, scale back up to the vent, and pretend this never happened.

Pretend it never happened, and allow the caring frog to be sent to the basement, possibly even deactivated.

"I promise I'm not doing anything," Fritz begins, talking as his fingers dive into the coding language he mastered even with only three inches at most in height. "I'm just destroying any viruses, making sure a file isn't corrupted. Your movements don't seem effected by rust or anything, just a glitch in the system."

Happy doesn't respond, unable to. But even so, she didn't know what to make of a seemingly disembodied voice. That apparently had telekinetic powers to open her panel. And knew her well enough to know the questions she was asking.

"Oh, and my name's Fritz. Fritz Smith. It's really nice to meet you officially, Happy."

A few more keys words and the borrower smiles as he finishes up with the coding, saving his changes, unplugging his device, and then scaling back up his spare grappling hook, considering David was using his original as bait and was clearly not going to give it back.

"Uh, sorry for not being able to close your panel," he begins, wincing when he coils the fishing line before swinging it once more in the attempt to throw it up to the vent above him. "I wish I could but-"

"We can do that!"

Mr. Hippo smiles as he closes Happy's panel, looking over the frog as she seems to be reading over something before straightening up with a wide expression. "You okay, Happy?"

"I'm fantastic! Thank you so much, Mr. Smith!"

"Thank you," Orville begins, gaze locking on the absolutely tiny teenager standing on their friend's shoulder, a fishing hook dangling from his grasp as those wide green eyes stare at them.

"I-I, uh, just trying to, uh-"

"ORVILLE!"

Fritz feels a truck of fear slam into him when David Harrison suddenly stomps over to where they stand, the business man clearly needing something as he glares fiercely.

Not only were there three animatronics, each and every one of them extremely capable of killing him, considering they can snap a human's bones with ease, but now the human who tried to grab him was now going to spot him.

And there was nothing to save him this time. No wires. No surprise. No anything. He was done for. Finished. Dead even, just like his mother.

"What did I say about-!"

A sneer appears on the business man's face when he sees the little pest he's been working all week to catch standing on Happy's shoulder. The little insect, avoiding him and making him look like a fool, caught just for him.

"Well, well, well. Looks like you finally-"

"Actually, Mr. Harrison, but I believe we disappointed you once more."

David glares up at Lefty as the black bear emerges from the basement, soulless eye locking onto his owner with a smug expression as he sidles up next to Happy.

"Get the hell back down there. I have to take care of a pest problem now, thank you very much."

"Mr. Harrison."

Fritz can only watch as the animatronic apparently all the night guards were wary around steps in front of Happy and him, stopping the hand clearly wanting to snatch him up.

...were they really defending him?

"He's not going anywhere."

"And why the hell not!" David demands. He doesn't even realize the miniscule hands covering those little ears from his loud voice, doesn't even care.

They were his animatronics, damn it, and no way would they treat him this way! He owns them! Now Mike is fucking everything up and even Orville was wanting to stick by this bastard's side!

"Because he's much more valuable working as your coder. An employee of multiple talents, actually."

Fritz tenses as those giant hazel eyes glare once more at him, wanting to disappear as a new gleam enters that gaze. A dangerous gleam. Possibly even worse than the one that said he wanted to snatch the borrower up and possibly sell him for a healthy profit.

"An employee."

"He's wonderful!" Happy gushes, nodding rapidly at the business man and unknowingly forcing her new friend to steady himself as not to get thrown off. "He fixed all my glitches!"

"Polite, too," Mr. Hippo can't help but add, smiling up at the redheaded creature.

He had to admit, he didn't want this apparent pest disappearing into David's clutches. He looked human, and yet was so small, not even taller than their owner's finger. They had no idea where he came from, what he was like. But anyone who helped others was someone he wanted to know.

Even Orville seemed a bit on board with this decision. Even if it did originally go against David's wishes.

"Hard working too," the elephant says finally. He scowls at Lefty's knowing smirk before leaving the group alone.

As cute and clearly respectful this little creature was, he didn't care what decision was made. He being out on the stage, away from the basement and away from Lefty, and he didn't care about anything else.

...for now at least.

"That's better than what I have in mind?" David questions, scanning over the insect once more.

"He can offer more. Just keep him inside the restaurant and don't tell anyone about him. Unless, you want him to suddenly disappear from someone thinking he can help them with numerous things."

There's a long silence as the business man glances away, clearly thinking over the options being presented.

Sell the creature, only a one-time profit. Keep the creature, have a coder on hand. One that doesn't need to be paid for their services. And with its size, it can possibly do a lot more things. Dive into machinery, be an essential bug that can listen to conversations and relay it back to him. He could possibly even put it on a display case, have people pay to see it...

That would be the most profitable. But right now, the animatronics seem overly protective over this little pest. One day he can snag him and come up with a better way for profits. For now the creature might be useful around here. He'd have to wait and see though.

"Don't disappoint me, pest."

With that the human walks away, original anger having vanished. That leaves Fritz to quickly grapple hook onto the vent before scaling up in record time, panting as he stares down at the knowing look reflected in Lefty's good eye.

...what just happened?