It's a constant loop of horror and pain. He can't escape, not while Cassidy has him locked away in this godforsaken office. He flips through screens, pulls on the mask, and closes the appropriate doors, but it's never enough. He's missed Funtime Foxy's show and died a horrible death. He forgot to check Toy Freddy's cameras and he's killed out of vengeance.
Molten got into the room.
Nightmare's patience ran out.
He is killed by his own two hands, the rotting hands tearing him apart, his own voice being the last thing he hears until it all starts over. Until he's back in the office again.
He tries harder this time, but he only lasts a few moments before Cassidy herself gets to him, the powerful jaw of Fredbear crushing his skull. Just like it had with his son.
Afton gets him just at the next of his next loop. It's not him anymore. He hasn't been William Afton for a very long time and the one he does see kills him with a raw hatred he hasn't felt since the first few loops. Now, he's just scared. Afraid of the pain he knows will come after every mistake. He's been killed so many times, but he never gets used to it.
DD shows up and he simply shuts down. He doesn't check the cameras. He doesn't turn on the flashlight as Fredbear starts to appear. He doesn't close the vent when the scratching of metal rings out, nor does he stop the others from crawling their way inside. He just hangs his head and cries out in agony.
"Please, give me another chance! I can change! Please, Cassidy!"
Balloon Boy starts laughing and it takes him back to a different time. Another life, where he was still so full of anger and the need to bring revenge. He remembers the lure and how the suit forced him to walk toward it, even though he could see the security guard through the window. Even though he knew it was all fake.
"Give me another chance!" He screams, his body tensing as he awaits his next death. The next scare before it all starts again.
His hell.
It does come eventually.
Orville Elephant gets him and it used to be insulting, getting caught by those cheap knock-offs, but now he just feels the pain. Orville grabs his neck and squeezes. He struggles out of instinct alone, his lips still moving in silent pleas for mercy.
As his eyes roll back and his heart slowly stops, he begs one more time for a second chance.
When he opens them again, he isn't in the office. It's enough to shock him into silence, his gaze turning to the figure in front of him. He expects to see that little girl, her smile wide with glee from the torture she's caused him, but to his surprise, it's not her.
It's Evan.
His face is in shadow as he stands there, looking just as young as he had the day he died. The day everything started falling apart.
"You want another chance?" The boy's voice is soft but strong. He holds power, though, it's not clear how much in comparison to Cassidy. It seemed like none of the animatronics really had free will either.
He nods frantically in answer, still unable to fully comprehend that he's out of the loop, if only for a moment. He wants a second chance. He'll do anything for it.
Evan doesn't move as the silence carries out. For a moment, he thinks the boy didn't see him nod, but we he goes to speak, he's interrupted. "Then fix it." Evan grits out, the anger clear in his voice.
It goes dark again but this feels different. He's been given a chance and he won't ruin it.
He wakes up as Springtrap. Immediately, the pain returns and he groans in agony. He never really forgot what this felt like, to be fused with the metal, but it's so much sharper now. He can't move for a long time, but it's okay. It gives him a chance to take in the world around him.
It's raining fairly hard. He can feel it land on the matted fur, making him even heavier. Droplets land on the metal inside and it hurts even worse. The springs react to the temperature and it pulls at his remaining pieces ever so slightly. It makes him cold, something he wasn't aware he could be.
None of this makes sense. Why is he outside as Springtrap? Did Evan send him to another hell with the promise of mercy? He never thought the boy was as vengeful, as ruthless as Cassidy, but he could be. The boy's last words ring through Springtrap's head. "Fix it".
"Hello?!" Springtrap shivers at the voice. He knows it. Has heard it through his torture, but it was different then. It was clouded with the anger of the puppet. But now, her voice is innocent and pleading, just as he remembers it from that night.
He looks to the side and can barely see the small figure in the darkness. She's standing in front of the door, her entire body shivering from the cold.
It hits him, then. What Evan meant. He's been sent back as Springtrap to fix it. To fix his own mistakes and save the lives he took. He has to prevent Charlie's death.
"Please, let me in! I promise I won't ask to join your game anymore! Just let me in!" She's begging, tears likely streaming down her face with hopeless desperation. She's cold too, but there's nothing Springtrap can do to fix that. He can't give her something he doesn't have himself. They're both soaked to the bone.
A car comes by and Springtrap forces himself to move. He's wasting time like this, sitting in pain. The person inside of the car won't hesitate and if he doesn't stop this, then his only chance is over. He'll return to the loop for the rest of eternity. Evan will lay him in Cassidy's hands.
He will save Charlie from himself.
Springtrap stands just as the car slows to a stop. He checks the garbage around him and finds nothing but plastic bags and rubbish. With no weapon, Springtrap starts stumbling toward them. He knows the conversation that will take place. It's short. He doesn't have much time before it starts either. He can already see himself getting out of the car, an umbrella in hand. There's a knife too, but it's hidden well.
"Charlie?" His own voice is nearly drowned out from the downpour. "What on earth are you doing out here?" He sounds so genuine and it makes Springtrap cringe. He knows what thoughts are circling his own head. There is no genuine worry for her because William Afton never liked Charlie. He was obsessive and wanted Henry all to himself. He was selfish and she paid the price.
But not this time. No, this time, William stops at the sight of Springtrap coming closer. The girl screams, which is to be expected, but he doesn't focus on her now. His eyes are locked on his own living ones. They're a sharp blue, wide with horror. He likely won't even recognize the suit as Springbonnie, not with the state it's in.
"You..." Springtrap tries, his voice scratchy and wheezing with the effort it takes to get words out. Thousands of needles stab into his throat as he tries to speak. "are in...my way."
He sees William stumble back, the umbrella dropped. If Springtrap had a chance to plan this, he would've brought something with him, something to kill William here and now, but it's too late for that. The man starts running to his car, just like he did in that storage room. He slams the door and drives away, leaving Charlie with the monster.
It's fine. If he manages to keep Charlie safe, then he'll find another time to get rid of himself. But for now, he has to find a way to open the door.
"Please, no!" The horrified voice brings him back and Springtrap turns to Charlie. She's on the floor, backed into a corner. Her body shakes violently and her tears mix with the rain. He needs to get her someplace warm soon. But as he steps closer, she shrieks again. "Don't hurt me!"
Springtrap stops, now realizing how difficult Evan made this for him. Why couldn't the boy send him in as a human? Why did he have to appear looking like a monster? What child would rather trust a monster over a human adult?
He kneels down and picks up the umbrella, shielding himself from the rain. It does nothing, since he's already soaked, but it's not for him anyway. "...Here." He offers the umbrella, even as she flinches away from his movement. He just holds it, ignoring the aches of his body and how it screams at him just for existing.
After a while, Charlie looks at him again. She stares at him, then the umbrella. He doesn't move, hoping that she moves closer on her own. And she does. Slowly, she gets closer, but still far enough he can't reach. "Are...did Daddy make you?" She asks in a quivering voice.
They lock eyes and he waits for her to prepare herself before he nods. Technically, Henry did make the Springbonnie suit, even if it was never meant for him.
"Are you nice?" She asks, a strange question for an animatronic, but perhaps she knows he's more than that. Perhaps she's smarter than he ever gave her credit for. He nods again and she seems to accept that as truth. He's not sure whether it is or not, but she has to trust him. He needs to make this second chance count.
She moves to stand under the umbrella, but she doesn't take it from him. She just stares. When he gestures with it again, she jumps but doesn't flee. It's progress. This time, she seems to understand and the umbrella is passed to her. Now, he can focus on the door.
He stupidly tries the doorknob and almost sighs when it doesn't budge. Again, he looks around for something to use, but when his search is in vain, he decides on his last option. Slowly, he reaches to touch her and she jumps away. It works.
He backs up a few steps, his legs screaming from the weight they hold, but he ignores it. This is going to hurt like a bitch.
His feet push him forward, propelling him toward the door. It's less of a run than a jump and his shoulder hits the door with a loud thud. The impact rattles his entire being and he sinks to the floor. The door hasn't moved an inch and Springtrap is already out of commission.
It was a stupid plan. He's in no shape to break down a door. He probably couldn't break it with his human body either. And now that he's tried, he can't even stand from the pain that courses through him. Fingers curl into fists as he just sits there in a half fetal position. He shakes with the effort it takes not to shout because that will only make it worse.
The rain stops hitting him at some point and he looks up at the blue umbrella. Charlie's standing right in front of him, her eyes sad as she watches him. They make eye contact but neither move. It's almost like a game, but he gives up quickly and lets his eyes shut again. It was stupid for him to believe he could protect her. Now they'll both die.
No. Death would be too merciful an end for him.
"Are you hurt?" Charlie asks and he doesn't answer. He can't nod, it'll hurt too much. There's a shuffling and soon, a small hand touches the fur on his suit. He opens his eyes again to see her kneeling in front of him, her eyes wide with a slight smile on her lips. "You're warm." She states, sounding just as surprised as he is at the statement. He wasn't aware the dead could be warm. Then again, he's not all dead, nor is he alive. He's stuck in the limbo between the two.
An idea strikes and Springtrap opens his arms to her. She jumps at the movement, her hand lifting off of him, but she doesn't run. She watches him with a questioning gaze. "What?" She asks at last. He doesn't answer. "Do...do you want a hug?" She tilts her head slightly, obviously confused. He lets out a sigh and regrets it immediately.
Painfully, he tries to get up. He falls the first two times, his limbs shaking, but then Charlie discards the umbrella to help him and he's shocked by it. How can this girl help a monster like him? But she does. She gets him into a sitting position so he can lean against the door. He then opens his arms to her again, still insistent on sharing whatever warmth he apparently has.
She picks up the umbrella and stands before him again, still shivering. She isn't going to understand. Not without words. "I..." He thinks he tastes blood. "I will...protect..." It's all he can get out. His arms threaten to lower, so tired from all the movement.
Charlie gets it this time, though. She looks at him hesitantly, then hands over the umbrella. He takes it and lets her crawl into his lap. Her skin is smudged with dirty every time she touches him, but the rain must make him smell more pleasant because she doesn't complain. She just curls up against his chest, trusting him completely. It reminds him so much of his own children and when he would comfort them from nightmares.
He stopped holding them after Elizabeth's death. He stopped being a human after that.
Springtrap wraps his arms around her, just tight enough to be protective. He sets the umbrella down over the two of them, preventing the rain from soaking them further. Then, they wait. Someone's bound to find them eventually. An employee will have to take out the trash after closing. Henry will have to leave eventually and he'll find Charlie missing. But not dead. Not this time.
As Springtrap sits there, he begins to realize how much he really misses being a father. He misses the way his children were before the horrors he caused.
He remembers staying awake with Michael one night. It was early into his marriage and they still had no idea what to do with a baby. Michael wouldn't stop crying no matter what they did, so he put on a random survival channel to hopefully fall asleep to. He remembers when Michael finally quieted and the look he got. It was the first time he felt in awe of his own child. The first time he realized Michael would be a person of his own.
"Don't fall asleep when you're soaking wet! You'll freeze."
Springtrap jolts, making Charlie look up sleepily. That's right. The special that night was about surviving hypothermia.
"What?" She asks, still sounding tired. She moves to lay her head down again, but he stops her with a gentle hand. "What?" She asks again, more awake now.
His throat aches before he even starts moving it. "Don't...sleep." It comes out a little mumbled, but she seems to understand as her eyebrows furrow.
"But I'm so tired." She shivers again and he holds her closer. She lays her head on his shoulder and when he shifts, she huffs. "I'm not falling asleep." Charlie sounds almost offended but he can't let her simply rest. If her eyes drop closed, then it's only a matter of time. Her heart needs to stay beating.
It hurts when he shifts her, but it's made easy when she doesn't protest. She lets him lay her down in his arms, similar to how he held Michael back then. Like how he held Evan after...
Now, he can see if her eyes drop closed. It's painful to keep the position, but it doesn't matter. He promised to protect her, to save her, and he will.
Her fingers play with the rough fur of his chest, her eyes staring lazily at it. "I'm really cold still." She says, her eyes going sad. He wishes he could do more, but anything they find would be just as cold. Evan really could've given him better circumstances. Even with this rotten body, he could've prevented her from getting locked out in the first place. Could've scared the brats that did it.
There are footsteps and Springtrap hears them too late. The door juggles and it's swung wide open. Springtrap falls and Charlie does as well, but he keeps her from hurting herself. The heat from inside radiates on them. Someone's come for them.
"What the hell is that?!" Henry shouts and Charlie is taken from Springtrap's arms. He lets it happen, his duty over for now. Now, he watches as a young employee and Henry stare down at him in horror. The poor teen will probably have nightmares of him, but he really can't bring himself to care. He's already pulled tight in his mission.
"Daddy!" Charlie cries, her relief sweet in the panicked air. Henry hugs her tight, leaving the poor employee to slam the door shut, not caring when it knocks against Springtrap's head painfully. "I wanna go home!" Charlie's voice is muffled from behind the door and Springtrap gets up just in time to look through the window. They're walking away now, tears in both Emily's eyes as they hug and kiss and share their relief.
Springtrap is left outside, on his own. He looks inside at the now dark room, hoping that Charlie will stay alive until he can get rid of William. Until he can ensure that nothing else will hurt her.
Hopefully, Henry won't mind her new guardian angel.
Did I think I would write so many FNAF fanfics? No, but I have too many ideas that I need to get out! This could become a series, depending on whether I get the motivation to write it out fully, but for now, this is it. Enjoy!