You Can't Fix What Is Not Broken
By: End of Grace
Chapter 13: "A Biting Tale"
"Honey Bear Please!" Goldie pleaded on his knees no less in front of Freddy, the rest of the animatronics, the guards and of course their creator "I thought it would be romantic to surprise you and join in on the fun."
Freddy snorted and turned his nose up in the air, fully intending to make the golden bear grovel some more. "Last time I checked it was "MY" name over the door of this establishment and while I do consider myself a leader of sorts, I never thought of myself as someone's "Better" Baron Goldie."
Everyone giggled as the gold bear flinched as he continued to crawl on his knees following his mate around the floor. Mike was sitting next to Bonnie and leaning against his shoulder, the purple bunny was almost glowing with happiness, oblivious to Mike's nervousness or to the sadness of some of the toy animatronics. Jeremy was sitting on Chi's lap, feeling slightly embarrassed, but it was a lot better this way since he couldn't handle Chi's weight, though Chi didn't mind as she hugged him around the waist. Foxy and Mangle sat side by side on the old cove stage, holding each other's paws, the rest sitting around a large table with Mr. Mcbear while the cubs and the twins were in recharge in the restroom.
"But Freddy… you did get to beat me up and I did all those photos with the kids liked you asked despite needing my afternoon nap and my midday snack too. Can't you forgive me after all that?"
"Poor Goldie, he sounds so hard done by that you almost believe him, before realising he actually being a selfish bag of stuffing." Mike muttered to Bonnie, only to duck his head when he saw Goldie glaring over at him. Bonnie kissed Mike's forehead as he pulled Mike closer to his frame. Bonnie was ecstatic, he was so happy that he was almost afraid that his face was going to stick into that one position if he wasn't careful, but it would have been worth it. Mike was showing him so much affection, spending more time with him and their son, that his pump could almost break with joy. He tried not to be smug about it, but he couldn't help but hold his head high and have a spring in his step whenever Mike was beside him. True he did have a slightly guilty feeling when Chica mentioned she missed having her alone time with Mike, but he was greedy when it came to Mike's affections and wanting them for his own. His pump always squeezed painfully when he saw the others sneak after Mike for their Maintenance, he felt like beating them into spare parts, but again it came down to what Mike and the group wanted to do so he would have to simply deal with it, despite not liking it.
"Well, as wonderful as today has been, my children, I best be going, I hear my bed calling me as well as my medication." said Mr. McBear as he rolled away from the table. "Try not to over do it tonight, you've all worked really hard today and I am proud of you, but you still have to work tomorrow so you all need some rest."
Mark put his hand up and gave a cheeky grin "Does that mean we can clock out early too?"
Mr Mcbear chuckled "Not on your life pinkie! In fact you should be given double duty for your hair stunt."
Mark gasped "Aw come on boss, The kids liked it, they all thought it was cool."
"That's because they all thought you were a hired clown." said Goldie making everyone but Mark laugh out loud.
Jeremy kissed Chi on the cheek as he got up and started to led Mr Mcbear out as he had promised to take the old man home, but the old owner stopped in front of Mike, his face slightly grim and upset.
"Mike, I'm sorry you didn't get a chance to speak to your parents, but they seemed very... uncomfortable being there."
"Don't worry about Mr. McBear, my parents aren't the type for kids stuff and well not to give them an excuse, but their in the middle of a really high class trail at the moment so I'm actually grateful they turned up at all." said Mike in a tight voice.
He knew his parents would most likely leave quickly, but he had hoped they would at least stay and speak to him. Shadow was upset that "nanny" didn't like him and Mike could only cringe as the mental image of his mother's face came to mind. "But hey at least they offered a large donation to the hospital, plus with all the other donations as well, the hospital is going to be able to buy some new equipment to help the kids."
The animatronics cheered happily, proud of their hard work, but mostly happy to know they helped the sick children. Jeremy took Mr. Mcbear home while Mark and Matt got ready to take the pirate crew back to the Cove restaurant, while Mike tugged on Bonnie's arm and started to lead him out the back while the others were busy.
"Mike… is something wrong?" Bonnie asked as he looked down at the long haired human.
"Um… Bonnie… er… well… you see… hmmm… well you know you're my favorite animatronic and such…" said Mike feeling his cheeks going neon red with every passing second.
Bonnie felt his pump starting to speed up as he leaned in a little closer to Mike. "Yes…?"
"Well… um… since coming back from my holiday and… ((Cough)) um… Jeremy pointing it out and then I started thinking about it. The more I thought about it, the more I wanted it that way and so… um…"
"Mike what is it?" Bonnie knew if his pump beat any faster his warning lights would start flashing, so he tried to control it, but Mike was looking so cute and flustered, it simply wasn't helping.
"Then… I thought we have Shadow already… and although I like the guys and such… they're not you… and… em… I've been refusing them Maintenance. Not the fixing kind, but the other kind and yes I know I'm babbling so… I'm saying… that… I… I like… no… I LIK… damn it… I LO...LO...sorry." Mike tongue simply didn't want to work as his face glowed with redness that he could almost swear he had steam coming out of his ears.
He looked up at Bonnie, expecting the large bunny to be confused or even upset, but saw that he was actually smiling so widely his jaw joints were most likely straining. He was suddenly pulled forward and crushed in Bonnie's fur as he felt the warm paws rubbing up and down his back as Bonnie leaned down and rubbed his head against his.
"Mike." he purred happily "MY Mike."
"Yeah… yours… I kinda like that." Mike muttered in Bonnie's fur as he hugged the purple bunny back.
"Is that why Blu has been sulking all day? Because you refused him?" Bonnie said happily, only feeling slightly guilty for it, knowing how much his younger sibling wanted Mike as well.
"Yeah… he and Fred… well even Net last night asked… I told them… I wanted to be yours… so that meant not sleeping with them or anyone else."
Bonnie squeezed him tightly, lifting him off the ground and spun around, leaving Mike dizzy and gasping for breath. "Mike, you've made me so happy, I love you so much."
"Yeah… back at ya, but I need to tell the others and… well… I could use the back-up."
Bonnie nodded as he took Mike's hand in his own and lead him back to the main room. Jeremy had already left with Mr. McBear and Mark and Matt had left too since they were both working tomorrow, leaving only the animatronics. Net saw them come in and his pump sank to his stomach, he knew what was coming, but that didn't mean he was ready for it. Blu saw Bonnie smiling and holding Mike's hand, his pump clenching tightly as his oil boiled, but he refused to be jealous or unhappy for Bonnie's sake, he was a bigger animatronic then that.
Mike coughed as if he was clearing his throat, but the gang clearly didn't hear him, so he gave Bonnie a nudge and the purple bunny whistled loudly, making everyone stop and look over at them.
"Er… hey guys… um… you might have noticed recently that I've stopped giving you guys your special maintenance." said Mike nervously. "Its because… well… I'm… I'm with Bonnie now…"
Chi and Chica gasped, Mangle and Foxy smiled and shrugged, Freddy titled his head while Fred, Blu and Net looked down on the floor.
"Congratulations you two. I assume that means special maintenance is now strictly for Bonnie now Mike?" Freddy asked just to be sure.
Mike blushed brightly as he nodded "Yep."
"Alright, but I trust it would be kept to after hours and not during working hours, I know I'm not one to talk…"
Goldie giggled behind his paws "When the honey-pot needs filling, its needs it and I've got more then enough to do the job."
Everyone glared at the gold pervert who continued to giggle while Bonnie walked over to Blu, who refused to look up at him.
"Blu…"
"Congratulations… you better take care of him… otherwise I will be the first one in line to terminate your worthless behind" said Blu still looking down not wanting Bonnie to see how hurt he was.
"I'll keep that in my memory banks." said Bonnie as he hugged his younger brother "Thanks, Blu."
Blu shoved him back hard and stomped off into the back rooms, Fred quickly following to comfort his old friend as Chica walked up to Mike, oil threatening to fall from her optics.
"Mike... I… I thought..."
"Sorry Chica… I feel like a jerk… I wasn't leading you on… I swear… and more than I was the others… but… I've always been closest to Bonnie…"
"I know… I just thought I might of had a chance…"
"You always had a chance Chica… it's just Bonnie was already there… I just didn't realize it until someone pointed it out to me."
"I get it… and I guess a part of me already knew… but… can you promise me something, can you promise that you always think that I'm the prettiest?"
Mike smiled as he hugged her "I don't need to promise something I already know Chica, but if it makes you feel better I promise to always think of you as the prettiest animatronic"
Chica hugged him back tightly before pulling away and wiping her optics with a smile. "Ok. I better get myself into the kitchen, otherwise there will be no pizzas for tomorrow."
Chica quickly made her way to the kitchen, with Chi quickly following her, sending a heated glare in Mike direction for breaking her sister's pump. Mike rubbed the back of his neck, he really did feel like a jerk, he hadn't meant to hurt anybody. Mike was about to go after Chica when a heavy paw gripped his shoulder and he turned to see Freddy standing beside him.
"It's best to give her some space Mike and maybe the toys as well, give them a little time to get use to you and Bonnie being together…"
"I didn't mean to hurt anybody Freddy… it's just…"
"It was kind of obvious that you and Bonnie would become a pair Mike and I have no problem with it and neither do the others really." then Freddy's eyes went black and his voice deepened slightly that made Mike's arm hair stand on end "Had it been anyone else, human or animatronic, well that would have been a different story."
It was almost six in the morning and Mike walked tiredly to the resting room and scooped up Shadow into his arms. His little bunny was due some major upgrades soon, so he would have to put in an order for the parts, in fact he better double up and get Sooty done as well. He looked around the room and saw BB and Betty still sleeping soundly and Sooty huddled on a cushion in front of the tv. But where was Springtrap? Wasn't he meant to be here looking after the little ones? He knew Springtrap was upset because Thomas hadn't shown up to the big show… could he be off sulking in the back? Mike place Shadow back down and started to look for his large golden uncle, looking in all the dark places he knew Springtrap liked to wallow in. He looked in all the usual places, even his office before checking out the back storage rooms.
"Damn, where is he? This isn't like him." Mike muttered to himself as he flicked off the light to the main storage room and shut the door.
"What isn't like him?"
Mike yelled and jumped at the sound of Springtrap voice as he saw the golden bunny looking at him in odd surprise.
"Shit! Spring you almost gave me a heart attack! Where were you?"
"I was doing the rounds since I knew everyone was busy partying and such. Nothing happened as usual but it's always better to be safer then sorry."
"Yeah, thanks Spring, I should have been watching the cameras tonight, but got carried away with stuff. Sorry to have left it all to you."
"It's fine Mike, I'm going to go and recharge now, I'm really tired. Night." said Springtrap as he started to make his way towards the main area to go in to recharge.
"Night Spring...see you lat..er…" said Mike as he noticed the floor. The floor was always cleaned twice a day and so it should have been spotless, yet, there was several large wet muddy footprints on it. Mike frowned as he looked up at the back of the gold rabbit. What was Springtrap doing outside?
-Line Break-
"Well Matthew, I can hardly believe you're the young man that was in my office just six months ago, the transformation is simply amazing." said the old doctor as he looked over at the young man that had been in his care since he was just a kid. "I won't lie when you told me you were going to work at the pizzeria I had some strong misgivings, but seeing you now…."
"I know right? I hardly have to wear my gloves anymore and this past week I haven't needed my gag ball either." said Matt happily. "And it's all thanks to that place… and my friends."
"Yes… you have friends now." said the doctor proudly, rubbing his eyes to wipe away a rouge tear. "I know it sound cheesy coming from me, but I am proud of you and for you my boy. You've found a group of people that except your condition for what it is and are willing to help, but… next comes the really tricky part. I'm guessing they don't know the full story?"
Matt froze slightly and shook his head "No sir…"
"Do you think they'll reject you if they knew?"
Matt paused for a moment and then shook his head "I'm sure they wouldn't, they all know the story of the bite, it's practically part of the history of that place. So telling them that I'm the kid from that story might shock them, but I doubt they'll stop being my friends because of it."
"There is also the matter of your family as well…"
"Oh I've already taken care of that...kind of of…"
"Oh…?"
"My brother is always inviting me to family get togethers and such, I never go, but this time he said I could bring my friends with me. It's a day we're closed for thanksgiving and the guys said they would come…"
"You sound worried…."
"A little, mom is bound to make a fuss of them and Tony will try and act laid back about everything, but no doubt be nervous. It's the other two that make me nervous…"
"Steve and Andy… yes… well we can only hope they behave themselves,... but remember Matt, you're not reasonable for their actions, if they act like jerks, it means they are jerks and it's not your fault. Have you told your friends about your relationship with your brothers?"
"Not really." said Matt in a soft voice, feeling bad that he hadn't done so.
"Its best you tell them Matt, not just so they know what to expect but also to give you back up if you need it." Matt simply nodded and watched at the doctor scribbled his notes. "Now about the nightmares… are you still suffering from them? Can you tell me about them?"
"Not as many now, the beginning of them haven't changed, my brothers being assholes and my step dad coming in to beat me, the only difference is Foxy."
"Foxy? Ah! The animatronic that you say saved you, but also is the cause of your odaxelagnia. So how has it changed."
"Well usually he comes out and tries to bite me, you know all scary looking and such, but the last couple of nightmares, he appears just like he does at work, all smart and smug and instead of attacking me… he just pats me on the head and then I wake up."
"Hmmm. What do you make of Foxy's behaviour in your dreams?"
"Well, he and I get along really well at work… could it be a reflection of that?" Matt asked as the doctor adjusted his glasses.
"Could be, though I also think it's your way of saying you've subconscious saying it's time to forgive yourself and your family and move on, which you're well on your way to doing."
"You mean I have to forgive my brothers…?" said Matt his tone filled with disgust.
"In a sense yes, forgive them for what they did and you will be free from their torment, don't and it will keep hurting you, even if it's only in your dreams."
Matt face scrunched up as if he smelt something really bad and in a way the doctor couldn't blame him. He had had the "pleasure" of meeting Matt's brothers sometime ago in a hope to find out whether or not Matt was exaggerating the truth and if they could help in Matt's therapy. Turns out Matt was actually downplaying most of his torment and left him, the doctor, to have some very firm words with the boys and their mother for what little good it had done. Still the "Forgiveness" part was essential to Matt moving on for once he forgave his brothers, he could then work on forgiving the heartless man that was his step father.
"Well, that's enough for today, I'm sure you've got enough to do then to talk to me all day." the doctor smiled "On your way out stop and make an appointment for next week."
"Next week? But shouldn't it be next month? Like it has been…?"
"Well my lad with this big family event I think you might need someone to vent out too." smiled the doctor as he patted Matt on the back "Though I have my fingers cross that it will all go well."
"Yeah, me too doc..." said Matt, his voice thick with an unusual fear and dread.
-Line Break-
The weather was at least nice for the trip, they could drive with the windows down, which was a good thing since four big hot stuffy guys stuffed in a small car was just asking for trouble. It had been Jeremy's idea and at the time it seemed like a good one, he would drive while the others would all pitch in for fuel, only Jeremy's car was a bit small and to be honest a wreck.
"Seriously I'm starting to think going by public transport would have been better, at least it would have been air conditioned." Mark moaned from the back seat, his knees pressed up against Matt seat.
"Are you kidding? I got the bus in to the town and it cost me $7 dollars return. It's disgusting" Mike muttered as he looked out the window.
"Dude try owning and maintaining a car then you have the right to complain." said Jeremy as he checked his wing view mirrors as he turned. "Am I going the right way Matt?"
"Yeah, just follow this road till the end and then make a left, then it's the third right and it's the first house you get to." said Matt giving the instructions from memory.
"It was nice of your bro to invite us as well, sure we're not going to be in the way Matt? I mean you said this was your first visit with your family for a while right?" said Mark as he leaned in a little closer.
"I'm sure, in fact it was his idea, he and mom are looking forward to seeing you guys. Though I'm surprised you guys didn't want to spend it with your families…?"
"Mine aren't going to be here until tomorrow so it's all good." said Jeremy.
"Getting the first flight out tomorrow to go to my mum's for two weeks. Can't wait to see everybody, including my babies." said Mark happily. The car violently swerved as Matt and Mike turned and looked at him in shock.
"YOU'RE A DAD!"
"Huh? Well kind of, my place is too small really, so it wasn't fair to her, so my mum is taking care of her until I get a bigger place. Want to see a picture? I actually named her Chica, after the duck at work."
"Chicken!" Mike, Matt, and Jeremy snapped as Mark fished out his phone and showed them a picture of a beautiful… golden retriever.
"Isn't she just the most beautiful puppy ever?" Mark squealed. Mike and Matt simply fell back in their chairs and sighed, feeling to hot and bothered to smack him.
"Hey Matt is this the place?" Jeremy asked as they pulled up next to a large house.
"Yep… this is mom place. Hasn't changed much." Matt muttered as he looked over the building he hadn't visited in years except for is nightmares.
"So it's just your mom and your bro right?" Mark asked as he got out the car.
"Well them and my two other brothers… my oldest brother is married, but he thought it would be best for me and you guys if it was just the immediate family." Matt explained though he privately wished Tony had brought down his wife and kids, at least it would give his other two brothers a distraction from bothering him. The house looked old and had seen better days, with its cracked walls, paint falling off and vines covering most of it.
"Something smells good though." said Jeremy as he smelled the air and licked his lips.
"Which is good because I'm starving"
"Jeremy didn't you eat a whole pizza that Chi made you before we left?" Mike pointed out.
"That was over an hour a go and it was like a kiddie pizza…" Jeremy argued but Mark cut in.
"Ah leave the poor kid alone, Mike. He's a growing boy, he needs to eat more if he's ever going to eat at the big boys table."
Mike and Matt laughed while Jeremy punched Mark on the arm as they approached the front door. The door swung open and a small frail looking lady stepped out, her arms out stretched out as she rushed over to Matt and pulled him into a hug.
"Matthew! My baby! Oh I'm so… ha… happy to…" Matt's mum tried to keep it together, but the tears started flowing and words caught in her throat.
"Hey Mom. Missed you too." Matt whispered back, his throat getting a little tight also, when he heard a cough behind him he quickly pulled away. "Er… mom, these are my friends. Mike, Mark and Jeremy."
Matt's mom shook their hands, tears threatening to fall as she smiled brightly. "This is the first time Matt has brought friends home. Welcome, please make yourselves at home, food's almost ready."
Matt waited until the guys went in to take his mom's elbow "Er… mom are… they here?"
"Yes dear, all four of them and don't you worry. I've spoken to them and so has Tony and trust me if any of them say or do anything, they'll be kicked out faster than your aunt Sally can whip up a truffle."
Matt tried to smile at his mom's favorite saying, but his nerves were starting to get the better of him, as he grinded his teeth.
Mike looked around the lightly colored ways covered in fancy artwork and pictures of family as he and the others went into the kitchen. The kitchen was quite large, with smooth worktops all round it with a large table in the middle. There were three other men there, older than they were, one standing over the oven cooking, one sitting on the worktop and the other at the table. The oldest, the one standing by the cooker turn around and gave them a warm smile.
"Hey, you must be Matt's friends right? Name's Tony, I'm Matt's oldest brother. The one of the counter is Nathan, that's Andy at the table."
"Hi, I'm Mike, this is Mark and Jeremy." said Mike as he shook his hand "Matt's just talking to your mom outside."
"Best to give them a little space then, they haven't spoken for a while, give them a chance to catch up." said Tony. "Can I get you any drinks? Beer? Andy get them some drinks will ya?"
Andy rolled his eyes and sighed heavily as he got up and got them all a beer.
"So is this all of us or are we still waiting on someone?" Mark asked as he took his drink.
"We're all here, though Phil is just in the bathroom, he'll be down in a minute" said Tony. "So you guys all work in the pizzeria right?"
"Both of them actually, though your bother mainly stays in the Cove, I mean the new pizzeria." said Jeremy.
"I'm surprised you can work with him, he's such a weird fr…" Andy started, but Tony slammed down a heavy cheese tray right in front of him, glare heatedly.
"Don't you dare!" Tony hissed before turning to Mike with a weak chuckle "Sorry about that, I'm sure you guys get along great with Matt…"
"Yeah, he's a great laugh, he's an excellent bowler, too." said Mark as he quickly side stepped as Nathan choked and spat out his beer.
"What? Seriously? He goes out with you guys… and socializes?" Nathan said with clear disbelief.
"Yeah man" said Jeremy frowning "He goes out for drinks with us, bowling, movies and helped out with the big event we had at the hospital recently."
Tony smiled brightly as Nathan and Andy shared a shocked look. Jeremy looked at Mike who simply shrugged, maybe Matt wasn't usually sociable before coming to the pizzeria. Then Matt and his mom joined them and Tony quickly embraced Matt in a tight hug, which seemed to bother Matt slightly. Nathan simply nodded and gave him an awkward smile while Andy wouldn't even look at him. Tony quickly got his brother a beer as their mom tried to keep up the small talk as she put food on the table. Mike kept sipping his beer trying to understand the weird atmosphere, Tony and Nathan were getting along with Matt, though Nathan seemed a little worried while Andy seemed determined to ignore Matt. He felt this uncomfortable atmosphere before, usually when he went home to his parents and he wondered if the other two had picked up on it. There was the sudden thumping of someone running down the stairs as a man about their age if slightly older than Matt came in, his face twisting into disgust as he saw his younger brother.
"So you actually decided to show your face then freak… thought you would do us all the favor of skipping out like you usually do."
"PHIL!" his mom snapped glaring at him furiously. "If you can't keep your tongue cival you can get out, this is your only warning, boy."
Phil snorted as he slid into the chair next to Andy, ignoring the glares from his two older brothers, as everyone else took their seats. Mike tapped Matt on the shoulder and lifted an eyebrow to show his concern, but Matt shook him off with a small smile, he was use to it, in fact it was better than what he was expecting. They sat around the table making small talk and laughing as they eat, Andy and Phil still keeping to themselves and avoiding eye contact, but then Andy noticed something.
"You're not wearing gloves!" he blurted out when he noticed Matt's hands, causing everyone to stop and look. Matt blushed brightly as he lifted his hands up for his family too see.
"Yeah… look I've even got fingernails growing again, too."
"How long haven't you needed gloves Matt?" Tony asked his voice sounding really proud.
"It's been a couple of months, I had a small slip, but I quickly got over it. I've even gone without my gag too"
"Oh Matt. I'm so proud of you!" said his mom, her grin wide and bright.
Phil rolled his eyes and Andy gave Matt a small smile before he went back to his food. Mark leaned over to Jeremy and whispered into his ear.
"Um...is it me or is the atmosphere here so thick you could cut it with a knife?"
"Not you, but it's mostly because of that little troll." said Jeremy as he jerked his head towards Phil. Once the food was cleared Mike insisted he did the dishes and dragged Mark up to help.
"Man! I ate too much, I'm just going to the john be back in a sec." said Matt as he got up quickly to run upstair to the bathroom.
"Don't be too long Matt, I'll be dishing up dessert soon." called his mom as she pulled a chocolate cheesecake from the fridge. Phil smirked as he got up too and quietly sneaked up stairs without anyone really noticing he had left, though Mark frowned as he dried one of the plates.
-Line Break-
Matt washed his hands and looked at his reflection in the mirror and a small smiled appeared on his face. Today had gone… so much better than he fear it would. At least three of his brothers were making an effort, he was really surprised with Andy reaction to his hands, like he was proud of him too. He had to admit it a little, it was nice to be home, eating his mom's cooking, he had missed it. Nothing had really changed in the house, he always thought it was odd that his room was in the middle of it with the two long hallways on either side to the other bedrooms and of course the bathroom. Mom even still had that annoying Grandfather clock that has never kept the real time. Quickly dried his hands and put the towel back on the rack as he reached for the doorknob….and couldn't turn it. He tried again but the door would not move. A cold sweat started to drip down his back, his heart started to race as he was suddenly flung back to years ago to when he was a small boy pleading to be let out of whatever room he had been locked in. He started to shake the door violently as fear gripped him, his breath becoming short as he started to panic, slamming his fist into the door.
"LET ME OUT!" He screamed over and over, his throat tightening as his body started to shake uncontrollably.
Suddenly there was a click and the door swung open and there was Foxy, but it wasn't the Foxy he worked with, this was the decaying Foxy with his sharp teeth that was out to get him. Foxy growled and lunged out at him, causing him to fall back screaming as he covered his head with his arms. Then came the laughter….he knew that laugh….that annoying horrible laugh..as he looked up and saw Foxy take off his head and Phil standing over him as he laughed.
"Hahaha, you still such a scaredy baby aren't you freak, you're just fucking wuss."
Matt glared at him, his hated boiling deep within as he clenched his teeth tightly, the need to bite was overwhelming. His eyes were burning into his brother, imaging ripping out his throat, when Phil was suddenly yanked back. Matt watched in shock as Phil cried out when Mark grabbed the back of his shirt yanked him back and turned him around to face him, Mark's face red with anger as he pulled his fist back and punched Phil in the face, sending him crashing down the stairs. He turn stomped into the bathroom and held out his hand to Matt to take.
"Jezz, when I saw that little turd bucket come up here, I knew he was up to no good, little shit! You ok dude? You look pretty shaken up?"
"I'm… fine… I think." said Matt his anger suddenly dispersing as quickly as it came.
No one had EVER stood up for him before. He took Mark's hand and got up as he heard a commotion downstairs, Tony's and his mom's voice shouting over each other. Phil was sitting on the bottom step holding his head, which was protecting him from his mother's slaps.
"MATT!" Mike cried out as he climbed over Phil and ran up the stairs to him, taking his wrist to monitor his heart rate as he looked into Matt's eyes. "You ok? You're pale, you might be going into shock."
"Maybe….but I'm ok…" and he was, his teeth stopped itching and amazing sense of calm had come over him.
"Everything ok up there?" Tony's shouted up as he looked concerned at Matt.
"He might be going into shock! You got any chocolate down there for him to take" Mike called down.
"In the kitchen, Nathen please? In the cupboard by the cooker" said Matt's mom looking up worriedly at her youngest.
"HEY! I'm the one that got punched in the jaw and pushed down the stairs." snapped Phil who was suddenly pulled up by a furious Tony.
"You little asshole! You couldn't fucking resist could you!" he yelled, spit flying, mostly over Phil's face. "You saw his hands! How much better he's gotten and you had to be a total shit about it."
"Tony, take him and yourself outside, I won't have that speech in the house." snapped their mom as she pointed towards the door. "Besides you're only going to upset Matt further."
"Sure! Always worry about that little freak!" Phil sneered "Don't worry about you other boy and how some random stranger just punched him down the stairs."
"Be grateful I only punched you, I would have quite happily have punched you and then kicked your ass down the stairs!" Mark shouted down as Tony started to drag Phil outside as Nathan bought up the chocolate.
"You ok Matt? Do you need anything else?"
Matt actually managed to smile at his brother "No… I'm good, but I think we should go…"
"No Matt, please." his mom begged "Don't let him ruin today please… Please! We still have dessert to go and I thought…"
"Mam, I think it is best for us to go, Me and Jeremy are both first aiders and we can keep an eye on Matt until we get him home" said Mike "It wouldn't be best to stay, I'm really sorry"
Matt's mom hung her head, trying to hide her tears as she nodded, she knew it was best for Matt's health if he left. Especially if Phil stayed. Mark rubbed the back of his neck and stepped forward looking slightly sheepish.
"I'm not sorry for what I did, but I shouldn't have done it in your house, especially after you fed me that wonderful dinner."
She gave him a watery smile "I swore if anyone touched my babies I would kill them, but Phil has been asking for it for a long time, besides, it just proves what a good friend you are to my baby boy and that's all that I could ever wish for."
Mark gave her a quick hug as did Mike and Jeremy before leaving the house to let Matt say his goodbyes in private. Matt hugged him mom tightly, feeling her wet tears on his shirt, as she hugged him as hard as she could.
"I'll call you mom, I promise and I'll try and come and see you when I can. Or you can come and see me at the pizzeria… I could introduce you to the gang."
"I'll do that! Matt… I am really am proud of you… you've come so far… keep it up."
"I will, see you around ok and tell Tony to call me when he calm down." said Matt as he held out his hand for Nathan to take to shake, hoping his brother would take it. Nathan did, but also pulled him into a quick hug.
"Keep in contact Matt, Mom will only nag and moan like nobodies business if you don't." he jokes lamely, but it makes Matt laugh nevertheless. He walked slowly down the stairs, feeling uneasy if not slightly surreal, as he nodded goodbye to Andy and started towards the door.
"Matt…?"
Matt turned back to Andy and saw his brother nervously holding out his hand. Part of Matt just wanted to walk away, as Andy was the one that started the whole locking him in rooms to begin with, but Andy was trying at least a bit more then what Phil was so Matt took his hand and shook it.
-Line Break-
"I can't believe you hit his brother Mark." said Mike in slight disbelief. "That could have gone so badly for all of us."
"But you didn't see how Matt was Mike, he was all curled up and shaking, the little dick deserved it and more." said Mark as he paced in front of the car.
"Do you think Matt should stay with one of us? Of even at one of the pizzeria's tonight? Just in case?" said Jeremy "I can call the cove and see if they mind?"
"We can offer, but not in force, otherwise it might just make matters worse, let's see what he wants to do." said Mike as he leans against the car.
"I get the whole not understanding the biting thing, but seriously why would his own brothers treat him like shit over it?" Mark asked.
"I think it was the other way around, it was Matt's way of coping with his brothers tormenting and bullying him." said Mike.
"Look all we can do is be there for Matt right? His biting thing… it's his business, if he wants to tell us about it, it's down to him, so no bugging him for answers, Mark." said Jeremy.
"Like I would" said Mark slapping Jeremy on the arm as he noticed Matt coming towards them. "Hey big guy, ready to get moving?"
"Yeah, let's get out of here, I can't wait to get back." said Matt softly.
"You want to ride up front with me?" Jeremy asked as he pulled out his keys.
"No way I called shotgun for the return trip." Mark moaned jokingly.
"Shut up, Mark." said Mike and Jeremy together making Matt laugh as he climbed into the front passenger seat.
The boys tried to keep up the playful banter for a while to keep Matt occupied, but he kept leaning slightly out the open window, seeming to space out while his mind wondered.
"Jeremy…" he suddenly spoke making the three other guards jump "Could you pull over please?"
"Why? You feeling sick?" Jeremy asked as he pulled to the side of the road next to a large grassy field with a stone wall around it. Matt got out and leaned heavily on the wall, his back to the car as the other three climb out of it, their faces etched in concern.
"Matt? you ok?" Mike asked as he came beside him. Matt turned around so he could face all of them, his face grim but determined.
"After all that's happened today, you guys deserve to hear the truth, but you gotta promise me you won't tell another living soul, not even the animatronics."
"Sure Bro." "Whatever you say." "Not a word."
"Ok then, you guys more or less know about the history about the pizzeria right? Like the murders of those kids and the bite of 87?"
"What's Freddy's got to do with you and your shitty brothers?" Mark asked, Mike quickly jabbing him in the ribs.
"When we were kids, my brothers use to pick on me a lot because I was the youngest and a bit of a cry baby, so they use to lock me in my room, the bathroom, but also in one of the back room of the pizzeria where our step dad use to drop us off while he went boozing. Most of the times Foxy would find me and look after me to make sure my brothers didn't torment me too much and use to make sure I at least ate something. Of course, my brothers started to make fun of the fact that I was friends with him and started to scare me… using Foxy's face"
"What about your mom? Couldn't see do anything?" Mike asked seeing how much this had hurt Matt and how hard it was to talk about.
"She was too busy trying to make ends meet and when she was home, it was all she could do just to put up with her husband being an alcoholic bum to notice what her older boys were doing to me. Besides even if she had told them off, they would have continued anyway, just out of sight from her. Anyway one day at the pizzeria, our step dad turns up drunk…"
The hairs on Mike's neck stood on end as his eyes widened in realization, though his brain was taking a while to accept the idea as the truth.
"He comes into the pizzeria, swearing and swaying and because he was such a big, heavy
guy, no one would approach him about leaving. He sees me… I was crying for some reason… most likely my brothers fault… and starts shouting abuse at me… calling me a bastard and a runt that should have been drowned at birth. That's when the animatronics came and started to circle around us, Chica or Bonnie was standing over me I think… because I could see Foxy was standing by my step dad, his eyes going black for some reason. Then my step dad started to shout abuse at them, calling them names, one of them… I don't remember which was twitching badly… clearly upset with being called those names when my dad raises his fist to hit me. Every thing went into slow motion at first, his hand coming down towards me, the animatronics and staff trying to stop him, I was so scared I had to close my eyes. I heard them scuffle, he was still yelling and swearing when I heard this crunch. It was really loud and inhuman sounding. Then there was a screaming and someone shouting out about blood. That's when I opened my eyes and saw Foxy, his teeth were dripping in blood, his muzzle pulled back into a snarl. I then looked down at my step dad, his body twitching uncontrollably in a pool of his own blood, his frontal lobe missing, so I could see all of his brains squishing out. That's when I realized that Foxy had saved me by biting my step dad and if I was going to get anywhere in this world I would have to bite my way though."
"So the bite of 87 was your trigger? That's where your addiction to biting came from?" said Jeremy in amazement.
Matt nodded "I started biting my brothers whenever they picked on me, I started biting plastics, cartons, and tins, enjoying making dents with my teeth. At school I was biting books, my desk, and of course any bullies that came near me. My mom took me to so many doctors, trying to cure me, but it's never worked. The nightmares continued as did my biting habit, my brothers start to ignore me or avoid me after that really, but of course still called me names only it wasn't baby anymore, it was freak. Thankfully they have seemed to have grown out of it."
"At least some of them have" Mark sighed. "Jeez Man. I'm surprised you wanted to work at the pizzeria with all that happened to you there."
"Why wouldn't I? Foxy saved my life. He's my hero. It's the least I can do now is to help protect the pizzeria and the children like he does." smiled Matt thinking of the Fox animatronic.
"Well you can count on us Matt, we won't tell anyone, after all we're like the four musketeers." said Mike as he patted Matt on the back.
"Musketeers? Dude that's lame! We work in a pizzeria for crying out loud, we should be the Ninja Turtles!" exclaimed Mark happily.
"Fine, we're Turtles, but what I'm getting at is, we're your friends and we won't let you down." Mike sighed "So are you ready to go home?"
Matt nodded as he and the others walked back to the car, he was feeling so much lighter than before as if some weight had been shifted but he didn't know why.
"So if we're going to be the turtles, I want to be Raphael, since he's the coolest" said Mark as he got into the car.
"Since you're dying your hair blue, you can be Leonardo instead, Matt can be Raphael." said Mike calmy.
"Well that make you Donnie Mike since you're such a nerd!"
"Shut up."
-Line Break-
Maybe this was a bad idea, in fact it was starting to look like a seriously bad idea, but that was not the issue anymore. They had come this far and there was no way they could turn back now. It was raining heavily outside, but thankfully it was still the light hours which meant they had stopped to rest. They had found an abandon building filled with rough yellow squares to sit on and stay dry, but their morale was low and tempers were starting to show, but still, it beat staying in a box for who knows how long. Mangy and Chloe were sitting close together, most likely trying to keep warm while Plush was sleeping in Bon Bon's arms, the large purple rabbit was fighting her sleep mode and failing. Fee, Fi, and Fum were also sleep curled up tightly inside of Freddy-Stein's belly, while said bear tried to ease his aching joints as he turned to the large black bear.
"You should rest Big Guy! You've been up longer than any of us, it's not good for your systems."
Nightmare smiled down at Freddy-Stein, his sharp teeth glowing red in the darkness of the barn, as he rested his paw on Freddy-Stein's shoulder. "You rest first, I'll stand watch for a while, then wake you to take over."
Freddy-Stein rested his head against his paw and gave a small purr as his optics slowly slid shut. Nightmare sighed as he looked over his family and wondered for the millionth time if he was doing the right thing. The human Mike had spoke of his work place a lot during his time with them and the other human, Jeremy, had shown them pictures of the two restaurants where they worked with other animatronics. After he awoke, he smashed out of his box and quickly tore the place apart, looking for his family and finding them one by one. He had thought about simply staying in the warehouse, maybe block of the back somehow and make it a hide away just for them, but they needed maintenance and looking after and the only person he trusted to do that was Mike. So they broke out, it hadn't been hard, he was strong and it only took a few knocks to make that hole. They all thought it was going to be easy, but they hadn't counted on the rain and cold weather, or the fact they would have to walk only at nighttime due to not wanting to be caught, or the fact that it was an incredibly long journey on foot. They had almost worn the fur off of their feet, that stones were starting to get in and rattle against their metal servos. Dirty and mud was sticking to their fur and their oil and water supply was running low and if it got any lower for the little ones it would be dangerous… at least that Mike had told them. The triplets were struggling most days to stay awake and Plush seemed to be having trouble speaking and would lose his balance walking as well. They needed help and fast, but Nightmare still had no idea where the pizzerias were, only the name of the town. They had been following the large signs over the long paths that the vehicles rode upon, but he still had no idea where to go and how long it would take to get there. He waited until the rain let up before leaving the barn, but made sure to secure the door so his family was safe before leaving. He walked alone through the fields, the dark clouds covering the sun, giving him shadows to blend in to. Then he heard the cry of a dog nearby and the shouts of an aggravated human. He crept closer and saw a dirty pathway where the human was walking his dog… correction beating his dog. The poor creature whimpered and cried in pain as the human kicked it hard and yelled at it.
"Stupid fucking mutt! You're worthless" the human snapped kicking it again. Nightmare came up to the human and growled deeply as he tapped the human on the shoulder.
"What the fuck do you… AAAAAAAAHHHHHHH" The human turned around to start a fight but as it looked up at him, it screamed in horror and fell back into the mud. Nightmare continued to growl as he picked the human up by its clothes and held it up to his face.
"You shouldn't harm creatures that can't defend themselves, it makes me very cross and when I'm cross…" he let out a roar, making the human whimper and cry, as he sprung a leak from it's pelvis joint. "Now, before I decided to eat you, maybe you can help me…?"
"Sure! Whatever you want! Just don't kill me!"
"I'm looking for a pizzeria… it's a special one that has a bear in it called Freddy… maybe you know it?"
"You mean the haunted one? Based on that weird game? Yeah… yeah I know it… it's in the next town… Freddy's something Pizzeria… The new place is closer though…"
"How far am I?"
"I don't know. By car I think an hour or more I don't know… I don't go there! Please… please let me go."
"You look tasty." said Nightmare enjoying watching the human squirm. "But I have better things to do tonight, so I'm going to let you go, but if I were you I better run… in case I change my mind."
He dropped the human and watched it scramble to its feet and run off screaming. He looked down at the ground to where the dog was laying, its dark eyes looking up at him, it's wagged gratefully. He sighed as he started back to his family, his pump a little lighter with the hope that they were almost there, when he noticed the dog following him.
"You wish to come with me? You're more than welcome too, though you might regret it when you meet Plush Trap and the cubs. Then again your a warm blooded, it might be best if they cuddle up to you for warmth." said Nightmare as the dog came up beside him and followed him back to the barn.
The next day, after a long night's rest, the Nightmare animatronics started their long track to the pizzeria. Dog had kept the cubs and Plush trap warm with it fur, it also helped to cheer them up to have something to play with and now while walking with them kept close to Freddy-Stein while the cubs slept inside of him. They had kept away from the roads but now had no choice but to get closer as they came nearer to the town. A lot of cars slowed down to look at them, some even honked their horns at them or even waved at them as they passed.
"Humans are weird." said Mangy to Chloe as another car full of humans waved as they went by.
"I don't know maybe their trying to be friendly." said Chloe as she shifted her cupcake under her arm. She looked up and gasped then squealed in a high pitch.
"Chloe! Stop that." Nightmare growled.
"But look up there!" she cried as she pointed to a large bill board. It was blue with dark blue writing with a small picture of a building and an even larger picture of an animatronic fox in a pirates outfit. "Come to the Cove! Home of Foxy the pirate! Mangy that's your dad! We're almost there!"
Mangy looked at Foxy and felt his pump starting to speed up. Mike had told him stories of Foxy, but he didn't say how intimidating he looked or the fact that he ran his own pizzeria, he had only mentioned Freddy. The Nightmare animatronics started to pick up their step ignoring all the odd looks as they past by. Quite a few humans were doing double checks and some even taking pictures, but they were use to that. Soon they were at a car park where cheerful pirate music was playing and children were running to get inside. There was a huge banner over it reading "HAPPY BIRTHDAY MR. MCBEAR" on it and underneath saying "Special guests today, Freddy Frazbear and co."
"Do you think Mike is here?" Bon Bon asked as she tried to look through the windows.
"Only one way to find out." said Nightmare as he led his family inside.
-Line Break-
Matt wheeled Mr. Mcbear into the cove, the old man chuckling to himself with a blindfold on, though he could hear the whispering and giggling of his creations and the children.
"Can I take the blindfold off yet Matt?" he asked
"One moment sir! I just need to get you into place." said Matt as he wheeled him to the large table were Goldie, Freddy, Springtrap and Bonnie were standing holding the cake with many candles. "Ok sir! Now!"
The old man quickly took of the blindfold and everyone cheered "Happy Birthday Mr. McBear!"
Various members of staff old and new were there and most with their kids, there were balloons everywhere thanks to BB and Betty, and tables covered in food thanks to Chica and Chi. Mark was in the security room and Jeremy was on present watch and there were a lot of presents and a certain little bear was trying to sneak one… or three.
"Jeremy, you got bad bear at 9 o'clock, I think he's going to make a dive for it." said Mark over the walkie talkie.
"Yeah I see him! He tries it, I'll be handing him over to Freddy or putting a leash on him." smirked Jeremy as he watched the little purple bear creep in and out of tables trying to get close to take one of the gifts.
Jeremy tried not to look over at him as he wanted the bear to get into reach. He waited for a few moments and saw Sooty make a run for it and quickly knelt down to scoop the little bear up into his arms.
"Ok, Sooty, I'm pretty sure OW! Hey! Quit it! Stop!" cried Jeremy as Sooty started smacking him with his magic wand (not that kind). He snatched the wand away only for Sooty to start smacking him with his paws.
'Great' Jeremy thought to himself 'Highlight of the day is getting beaten up by a teddy bear'
"Feddy! Goldie! Come get your trouble maker please?"
Freddy sighed and shook his head as he turned to Goldie "It's your turn, he's not listening to me, made you can talk some sense into him."
Goldie growled as he left his creator's side and walked over to Jeremy who was now holding Sooty at arm's length as the little bear squirmed and wriggled to get loose. Sooty saw Goldie and tried to curl up into a tight ball, but the golden bear grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and shook him.
"What are you playing at! You've been told and warned and told again about those gifts, now LEAVE THEM ALONE!"
Even Jeremy cringed at Goldie's tone and felt a little sorry for the small bear as large oily tears started to roll down his little face. Goldie saw them and instantly panicked as Freddy would see Sooty crying and think he was to harsh which meant no "honey" later.
"Er… um… er… Now stop crying cub… you'll get presents soon, but not til' Christmas, but you need to start being good otherwise Santa-Bear won't bring you any gifts."
Sooty looked both curious and suspicious at Goldie not sure whether he should believe him or not. Goldie looked almost pleading at Jeremy to help back him up. "It's true! Right Jeremy?"
"It's all true Sooty. Santa-bear comes down the Chimney and brings a sack full of gifts for good little animatronics like Shadow, so if you want in on the action you better start behaving."
The little bear nodded and rushed over to where Shadow was to tell him about Santa-bear. Goldie wiped his forehead with relief. "Thanks Jeremy, that was a close one, Freddy is one scary momma bear when he wants to be."
"Yeah but what are you going to do about Christmas? That little bear is going to get his pump broken if he doesn't get any gifts." said Jeremy.
"What makes you think he won't? Father gave me an allowance at Christmas to split between everyone so we can get gifts. Of course back in those days, we would just tell him what we wanted to get one another and he got it for us to wrap. Now we got the internet and order books we can do it ourselves. Besides this will be our first Christmas together in years, we're going to have to pull out all the stops."
"Er… have you told Mike about that? I mean he might have other plans… like his parents."
Goldie snorted "Father told me about them and believe me, Mike would much rather be with us then with them, trust me."
Mike was making sure everyone had a drink and keeping a close eye on the kids, to make sure they didn't go behind Foxy's stage or fighting over the ticket machines. Every once in awhile he would look over at Mr. McBear and see the old man laughing and smiling, surrounded by his mechanical children and the children they entertained. He was really glad they were able to pull it off at such short notice. Goldie was the one that mentioned it was Mr. McBear's big 70th and after speaking with Thomas a party had been quickly planned. Since the old man had never been to "The Cove" they used it as an excuse to get him out of the house. Freddy and Mike had put up signs in their restaurant saying they would be unavailable for the day to celebrate their creator's birthday, but the restaurant would still be open for food and the arcade. Though "The Cove" was still open to the public, the other guests could tell it was a private party and tried not to bother them, though the children didn't get it and still came up to the animatronics and Mr. McBear to ask him questions and to wish him happy birthday, because after all the man who made the favourite friends was automatically a very cool guy.
"Hey Net, How you enjoying the party? Need any oil?" Mike asked as he pulled out a large can from under the table which he kept out for the animatronics to drink.
"I'm fine thank you." said Net softly "If you like I can take over, so you may enjoy the party also, I noticed that you haven't spoken to Father yet."
"Ah Me and Shadow went and saw him before coming over to the pizzeria. I'm glad we did, he thought he would be spending his birthday on his own again, he was really happy to see us."
Net nodded, he has missed his creator when he agreed to step down and of course from that point on things went downhill very quickly and now things were looking up again Net was desperate not to let them slide back.
"Mike… have you heard… anymore about the spare animatronics that the police are meant to be giving back to us?"
"Hmmm? Oh that. Well I gave Thomas the papers and he says he's done them, but hasn't sent them off yet, plus it's got to been seen by a judge and a lot of red tape so we probably won't see them this side of the year. Shame really." said Mike as he handed a little girl some lemonade. "Why do you ask?"
"Just curious. I was just thinking it would be best to simply send them to the warehouse rather than having them clog up space in the restaurants. We don't really need them."
"Well...you are right there. But still I would like to get a look at them and maybe take a look at some of their parts, you know for just in case, if anything."
Net gave Mike a smile "Always planning for the worst Mike?"
"Hey with the crazy stuff that's happened this year I want to be ready for anything next year throws at me. The beginning of this year sucked, what with my Ex and all, and believing that Freddy was out to kill me and the worse of all, minimum wage." Said Mike dramatically shivering to make Net laugh. "So I just want to be ready, next year can throw what it wants at me and I'll be there ready for it."
"Lets hope the fate's are on your side then." said Net trying to feel a bit calmer than before but still could not shake off his bad feeling.
Mark flicked between the screens, humming a tune, and munching on some crisps he had swiped from one of the party tables. Everything had calm down now that Sooty had been reined in and he was starting to feel bored as he flicked from one camera to the other. Then he turned on the ones outside and almost choked on a chip.
"What the actually fuck?" he cried as he leapt up in his chair and started to zoom in. There was just no way! He quickly picked up his walkie talkie. "Jeremy can you read me? We've got a problem!"
"What's up? A pedo?"
"No! Just tell me if all of the animatronics are inside."
"Well yeah, no one has had permission to leave for any reason, why?"
"Because a group of very freaky animatronics that look a lot like ours are heading towards the doors!"
"Huh? What are you… HOLY FUCK!" Jeremy cried out just as his talkie went dead.
"Wha? Jere? Jeremy? Shit!" Mark quickly clambered out of the office and ran towards the party room as quick as he could.
Nightmare was almost blown away by the warmth and the smell of pizzas as he opened the door, the others quickly following him wanting to get out of the cold, but to also find Mike as well. BB was happily blowing balloons for the children when he heard the doorbell go.
"HI! Would you like a balloon?" he asked before looking up and then freezing in fear as Nightmare leaned down, his bright red eyes and teeth glowing.
"No Thank…."
BB screamed in horror and ran away as fast as he could, leaving the nightmare animatronics slightly confused, as other people turned to stay at them equally horrified. Nightmare coughed and politely took off his top hat.
"Please pardon us, we have come a long way hoping to find our friends, has anyone here seen Dr. Mike or Jeremy by any chance?"
"Big Daddy? Freddy-Stein? Bon-Bon? What are you guys doing here?" Mike asked as he rushed forward with Shadow in the crook of his arm. Before Nightmare could say anything Freddy-Stein fell forward, causing Mike to stop and catch him.
"Mike! Please help! The cubs are sick!" he cried as he opened his belly section for Mike to have a look.
"Right. The office here has a few items that I can use, just to get them out of danger but I'll need to take you back to Freddy's as quickly as…"
"ONE MOMENT THERE BOY!"
Mike froze as he suddenly remembered he wasn't alone with the nightmare animatronics. He turned around and so Mr. McBear sitting in the middle with all of his animatronics and their eyes black with anger.
"Perhaps you could tell us who your friends are? And why they're looking for you."
To Be Continued….
B/N: Oh boy, Mike's deep in it now.