Chapter 1 Bad First Impressions

Many years after the janitor had defeated Willy and his gang, the spirits of the the murderers that possessed them had moved on to the next Willy's Wonderland location. There, they continue to kill and eat humans, while abusing each other to entertain themselves, and pass the time.

Little do they know, their world is about to change forever. Their universe has caught the attention of the rest of the multiverse. They already started interacting with people from other worlds. One person by the name of GD started bring them gifts from another world, and had started messing with them. While in that world world, he told his friends about Willy's Wonderland. One individual from that world decides to make it his mission to find a way to make Wills and his gang get along better, before it's too late...

While alone in one of the party rooms, a mysterious figure stands in the shadows behind Willy. He came seemingly from nowhere. "Heya... Don't ya know how to greet a new pal? Turn around and shake my hand..."

The mysterious figure extends his hand towards Willy's back, waiting for him to shake it. Willy turns towards the figure, and scoffs. "New pal? HA! The only "pals" I need are the rest of the animatronics here! So, why don't you buzz off before and tear your stomach open and tear out your insides? Actually, TOO LATE!"

He jumps at the mystery person, and tries to strike the figure with his claws. That was a grave mistake on the weasel's part. The figure teleports a few inches out of the way, and Willy almost falls face first on the ground. Suddenly he turns purple and he stops touching the ground entirely. "Sheesh, the doc was right. I need to be more careful... Heya, I'm Fred. Fredbear the springlock bear! I'm from another world than you. I'm actually from the world GD was talking about! Ya know, the one where she kept bringing the gifts? "

Willy squirms in Fredbear's magic, trying and failing to escape. He feels slightly afraid, thanks to the situation he's in. "How are you doing that?! Let me go!"

Fredbear shakes his head and chuckles. He then gives the frightened and angered weasel a look. "How about na? You tried to kill me dude! Right after an offer of friendship! Because of that you're now in a situation you can't, weasel yourself out of."

Fredbear lifts him up higher in the air. "To answer your question, magic! Animatronics in my world are masters of it!"

He laughs a bit, watching Willy struggle. This only seems to anger him, and he grows more desperate. "If you don't put me down right now, I'll call in reinforcements!"

Fredbear rolls his eyes and turns Willy upside down. "Hehe you really think they'd actually be willing to help you? I'm stronger than you buddy! Plus, as long as I'm here they are safe from you... I've seen and heard how you treat your "friends". I actually came here to help with that!"

Fredbear sighs and gives Willy a judgemental and empathetic look. "...Looks like I have my work cut out for me..."

Willy shakes a little bit, but tries to stand his ground. He looks at Fredbear with anger, hoping to hide the fear in his eyes. "I-I've already broken them. They'll do as I say no matter what! Especially Gus and Knighty! They're 100% loyal!"

Fredbear chuckles, a bit more coldly. Making a shiver run down Willy's spine. "The fact you had to break them in order for them to listen to you, instead of actually being a good leader they're willing to listen to, should be a MAJOR hint that right now..."

Fredbear looks at him coldly, his voice coming out as a slight growl. "Heh heh heh... You're in trouble."

Willy shakes a bit more, before letting out a growl. "You know what? Fuck it! GUS! KNIGHTY! SICK EM!"

A knight and a gorilla animatronics quickly rush in to protect their leader. Before he can even react, Gus tackles Fredbear to the ground. Knighty gets his sword ready. Preparing to kill this threat. A threat to Willy is a threat to them all, right?

Fredbear simply teleports further away from everyone, making Willy falls face first on the ground. When Fredbear gains more concentration, Willy turns purple again and is thrown to the ceiling with a loud thud. He looks at the two new animatronics annoyed. "Heya, could you two just not? I'm trying to help with your thickendoskulled dictator! I don't want to use my magic on you two, but I will if I have to..."

Fredbear looks at them sadly, and with deep disappointment. Although the disappointment is more directed at Willy. "Like I said, I have my work cut out for me... Sheesh. Willy, you're making things harder on your friends, and yourself... I didn't come here to fight. YOU attacked me, and now you're making your so called "loyal friends" fight for you in your most vulnerable state... You're at MY mercy now Willy."

Fredbear turns back to Knighty and to the confused Gus. His voice is full of disappointment. "The fact you had to break them..."

Fredbear shakes his head, before looking back up to Willy. "You really ARE pathetic..."

Fredbear sighs heavily, before he looks back at Gus and Knighty with a pleading look in his white eyes. Gus did not take the insult to his leader and so called "family member" too kindly. He shouts at Fredbear, "He's not pathetic! He's our friend! Right, Knighty?"

Gus turns to the knight, who darts his hidden eyes away. He looks at the ground. He lies to him, knowing it would hurt the poor giant ape, and that there would be consequences from Willy if he said otherwise. "...Yes..."

Pleased with the answer, Gus turns back to Fredbear. A protective look in his eyes. "Now let him go!"

Fredbear sighs again, and gives them a pained look." If he really was your friend..."

Fredbear turns them both purple, stopping them from trying to attack him. Fredbear then teleports right in front of them and his expression changes to give them both an empathetic look "Why would he hurt you or even the others? He's manipulating you... From the way I've seen him treat you and the others... The things I've heard him do to you all..."

Fredbear looks directly at Gus. He noticed how differently he acted compared to Knighty, so he assumes that Gus' relationship with Willy is a bit different. Obviously Gus is close to him, but he doubts that Willy shows the same appreciation in return. "You don't deserve a friend like that. You don't deserve a friend that treats you like a tool. None of you do. I came here to try and help him see the error of his ways. To help him actually be your friend. To actually be real leader to you all... I tried to greet him peacefully, but he attacked me!!! When he realized he bit off more than he could chew, he threatened to call reinforcements."

Fredbear begins to growl, deeply angered by what Willy had said. "When I told him that you probably wouldn't dare for the sake of your own lives, because he's stronger than everyone in his gang, and I'm stronger than him, making me a bigger threat..."

Fredbear points the Willy still pinned on the ceiling. The weasel looks down on him. Slightly afraid that Gus would listen to this stranger about what he said, and how he treats everyone as a whole. He may be stronger, but he's only one weasel. "HE said, and I quote, "I've already broken them. They'll do as I say no matter what..." What kinda of friend says that? Either a friend that doesn't know how to be one, or worse..."

Fredbear looks to the ceiling and glares at Willy. Sending another chill down his metal spine. "...a friend that doesn't even bother to be one."

He shakes his head, and looks back to Gus and Knighty. "Sorry, I won't let him go until I feel like it's safe. He attacked, and I'm scared that he might continue to attack the others..."

Gus looks at him confused, thinking that there might be more with Fredbear. "Others? What others?"

Fredbear looks at him directly, searching his face. "The rest of your guy's gang... Most of them seem deathly afraid of him... If I can't get some sense into his thickendoskull..."

Fredbear's expression turns to fear and sadness. Like Gus, the lack of information and the strange wording made him draw false conclusions. "D-don't tell me he got you to see everyone else as low as he does...?"

Gus jumps back slightly in surprise. "What? No! Everyone else are my friends!"

Fredbear nearly falls, sighing heavily with relief, with his magic faltering for a few seconds before he regains control. "Oh thank their majesties on the throne! I was scared that maybe because you seem too loyal to someone like..."

He points to Willy. "...That , you might have shared a similar viewpoint..."

Willy lets out another growl, while Fredbear sighs heavily again. "ya know what? I'm going to give you two a chance..."

Fredbear stops using his purple magic on Gus and Knighty. Granting back their freedom. "You don't attack me, and I don't use my magic on you two. Capiche? Don't make me regret putting my trust in you... As for you..."

Fredbear lowers Willy to his eye level. "You didn't give me a reason to trust you. Ya actually did the exact opposite. So I'm going to keep a sharp eye on you... Please, for your sake and your gang's... Don't give me a reason to give you a bad time..."

Fredbear's eyes go dark. "...Trust me..."

Fredbear's left eye starts flashing purple and yellow. Fredbear begins to growl again. "IT AIN'T PRETTY..."

He blinks,and his eyes go back to normal. Leaving Willy feeling slightly unnerved. Fredbear moves Willy a few feet away from his face, still keeping Willy off the ground. "I'm not gonna let you go until you're calmer and willing to talk like a civil person. So have fun not being able to touch the ground... Or move that much..."

Willy thinks for a bit, before glaring at Fredbear. "...You know, I got several other "pals." Even with your powers, I doubt you can take em all at once."

Fredbear puts his hands together, making it look like he's praying. He takes a sharp inhale, and he points his closed hands to Willy. "Boi! I literally came here to TALK and YOU attacked me... Until I feel safer and you stop threatening to kill me, or threatening to send others after me, I'm going to continue to use my purple magic!!!"

Fredbear facepalms, and turns to Gus and Knighty. "How long does it usually take for him to calm down? I just want to know how long I'm going to stay here like this before I can actually talk to him, or if I have to use a different type of magic on him..."

Gus thinks a bit. "I don't know. I'm not good at time. It's usually a LONG time before he calms down."

Fredbear scratches himself behind his ear. "M'kay, so maybe a few hours..."

Fredbear thinks a bit, and then gives Willy a look. "I think I have an idea..."

Fredbear moves his hand out towards the wall slowly, and Willy is then gently pushed against it. "This is just so I can talk to the others without worrying about me getting burnt out using my magic on you."

Fredbear snaps his fingers, and a bunch of giant springlocks make a cage around Willy with just enough space for him to pace around. "I'm going to talk with the others..."

Fredbear gently puts Willy down on the ground, and stops using his purple magic. "I'm gonna check on you in a while. If I have to resort to talking to you through the springlock cage instead of you out here with everyone else, then I will..."

Willy growls at him. He's scared, and angry. "...Bitch."

Fredbear chuckles. "Eh, that's fair. But it's better that I do this then have you fight me... You're at pretty big disadvantage buddy. I know magic, you don't... Your lucky that I didn't come here to fight you... Because, well..."

His eyes go dark again, and his voice grows low and cold. There's a slight growl in his tone. "You'd been dead before you would've called them..."

Fredbear turns to face Knighty and Gus. His eyes go back to normal. "Sorry for causing you all so much drama... I was hoping to come here and talk with animatronics I don't already know, and maybe help you guys out with your abusive boss... This the first "Willy's Wonderland" AU I've ever been in!"

Fredbear rubs the back of his neck, awkwardly. "I say we try starting this on the right foot. I'm Fred! Fredbear the springlock bear!"

Fredbear extends his hand out towards them, waiting for either Gus or Knighty to shake. They both look at his hand nervously. "...Come on, shake my hand..."

Fredbear smiles warmly at them, making him look less threatening. "Heh heh I don't bite!"

Gus timidly shakes his hand. A fart noise comes from Fredbear's hand, and he starts laughing. "Heh heh heh heh heh!!! The ol' whoopee cushion in the hand trick! It never gets old!!!"

Fredbear puts his hands into the pockets of his hoodie. "I tried pulling that joke on your boss, and well..."

He takes one hand out of his pocket, and points over at the caged Willy with his thumb. "You two know how THAT went."

Gus started laughing. Knighty just watches them with the same deadpan expression. He wasn't as amused as Gus was.

Fredbear puts his hand back into his pocket, and closes his left eye in a symbol of trust. "Welp, since I've never been to an AU like this, do you two mind showing me around?"

Gus smiles at him childishly. "Yeah! Follow us!"

They start guiding him through the building. They meet up with Cammy, Tito, and Arty. Arty is biting onto Tito's arm while Tito tries to pry him off. Cammy is in the corner of the room, wishing to run away but not wanting to leave Tito behind. Fredbear groans at the sight. "I'm going to be here for a while... Aren't I?"

Fredbear teleports over to Tito and Arty. He then grabs Arty by the shoulder and teleports them both away from Tito and the others. "WHAT ZE HELL?!"

The french gator tries to attack Fredbear who holds him back. "You need a time out!"

Fredbear opens a random supply closet, and throws Arty inside. The alligator panics. "Attendez! S'il te plaît!" (Wait! Please!)

Fredbear shuts the door and he teleports back to Tito, and puts his hand on Tito's shoulder. "heya, you alright? Anything broken?"

The turtle nods his head. "Estoy bien, pero ... ¿Quién eres tú?" (I'm fine, but... Who are you?)

"Ah, you speak Spanish... Los nombres Fred. Fredbear, el oso springlock, ¡encantado de conocerte!" (The names Fred. Fredbear the springlock bear, nice to meet ya!) Fredbear smiles at him warmly and reassuringly.

Tito smiles back. "Encantado de conocerte, Fredbear. (Pleasure to meet you, Fredbear.)

He pats Tito's shell gently. "Avíseme si usted o los demás están en peligro. Voy a estar aquí por un tiempo y voy a tratar de ayudar con los problemas del resto de tu pandilla." (Let me know if you or others are in danger. I'm going to be here for a while and I'm going to try to help with the rest of your gang's problems.)

Fredbear turns his head and looks at Gus and Knighty. "Does stuff like this always happen? If so, do you or anyone else in your gang try and break these fights up?"

Gus rubs his hands a bit. "We try to, but not when Arty does it. He's is very strong. You're the only person I've seen who could stop him easily."

Fredbear shrugs, and adverts his eyes. "I just did what I thought needed to be done..."

"You're so cool!"

Fredbear laughs a little "...Heh heh heh, thanks. No one really thinks I'm cool, other than Spring... You should meet my little bro, he's a lot cooler than me! Honestly he'd probably love to meet all of you! If I can bring him next time, could you keep your guy's swearing to minimum?"

Gus nods. "Okay!"

Fredbear smiles for a few seconds. Then looks confused, and scratches the back of his head. "...Hey aren't there some others in your gang? A friend of mine has been coming to this AU for a while, and she bought a bunch of nice cream for someone named "Sara" to share with you all..."

"Oh , yeah! I can take you to her!"

Gus leads Fredbear to a forest area with a treehouse. Someone could be heard singing somewhere in the room. Fredbear whispers to Gus. "Let me guess, that's Sara singing, right?"

"Yup!"

"Should we just wait for her to finish singing, or do you know how to get her attention without making her mad?"

"We should wait."

"Ok , if that's the case, I might as well get comfortable..." Fredbear sits down and leans against one of the trees. He looks around a little bit, taking in the sights of the play area. "Heh, this place sorta reminds me of the woods in Snowfields back home, except less snow..."

Fredbear starts to doze off from Sara's singing, but fights to stay awake. He smiles a little, and then starts to softly hum along to the melody. Gus decides to sit next to him.

After a few minutes, Fredbear stops humming, and opens one eye to look at Gus. "I'm guessing you or the others don't have that much peace and quiet around here, eh? ...Or even the chance to feel safe enough to just sit down and relax..."

Gus sighs. "Yeah, this place can be crazy sometimes, but we manage."

"...that's why I came here. Having a day just to relax shouldn't be that hard to come by... ...I'm going to try and teach you guys how to keep things from getting too crazy here..."

Fredbear lowers his head. "There's another AU I've been to called "FNAFfell"... Honestly, you guys remind me of the people in that place... Animatronics in that AU only tolerate each other..."

Fredbear looks sadly at Gus. "The Fredbear in that AU can't even walk outside without seeing someone getting dismantled on his doorstep..."

Fredbear leans his head back and closes his eyes again. "...Thankfully some of you still care for each other... I just hope I can teach you all how to really be friends... I just hope I can teach Willy to see the gang as his family before it's too late for him to realize how much he really needs you all..."

Gus does a double take, and looks at Fredbear. Seems like he didn't pay too much attention to his rant about Willy from before. "Willy... DOESN'T see us as family?"

Fredbear looks at him with one eye. "From what I've seen and heard, no... When I first used my purple magic on him, he got scared and threatened to call you and the others... I assumed that you wouldn't help because he's obviously stronger than you, and I had defeated and captured him easily, which made me a bigger threat..."

He looks away again. "...That's when he said this..."

Fredbear growls a little at the thought of what Willy said "I've already broken them. They will do what I say no matter what..."

Fredbear looks at Gus sadly with an empathetic look, making sure that the gorilla pays attention this time. "...Especially Gus and Knighty, they are 100% loyal..."

Gus remains silent. Taking this all in. He starts thinking about all he had to endure for his twisted "family". Fredbear continues. "...He's been manipulating you all... ...He's been abusing you all... Simply because he thinks that he can... He thinks that he can take the risk of using you as tools just because he's your leader! You're only loyal to him because you all don't have a choice..."

Fredbear puts his arm around Gus, giving him a side hug. "I'm sorry you had to learn that from me... Willy isn't a lost cause though... If I can at least teach him how to be your leader... Your friend... Your family... Maybe he'll show you and the rest of your gang love he never dared to before... I just hope I'm enough..."

Motor oil starts dripping down Gus's face, like tears. Fredbear quickly shifts his position till he's sitting on his knees. He gives Gus a hug and starts gently rubbing the back of his head in an attempt to comfort him. "Shhhhh shhh shh hey, hey it's ok... Everything is going to be ok I'm here... I'm here for ya..."

Fredbear's voice starts to sound gentler,and dad like. "It's ok Gus, just... Just let it all out... This must be a big shock for you... It's ok to cry about this, I'm here..."

"...He was like a big brother to me... I thought the way he treated me was normal... I..." He hugged Fredbear and sobbed. Fredbear sighs sadly.

"...The way he treated you... It wasn't normal... I'm here to teach you all how to treat each other like a normal family that loves each other... I'm here for ya kid... "

Fredbear begins to hum a song, it's different from the one Sara is singing. It sounds like an unfamiliar lullaby. Fredbear begins to rock him gently, soothing him like a baby. They both stay like this for a while, and they don't notice Sara has stopped singing. Sara creeps up on them and watches from above the tree. She waits for Fredbear to look up.

When Fredbear notices her, he tilts his head up slightly trying not to make Gus feel the need to move. He gives her a sad look, and hugs Gus a little tighter. He puts his chin on Gus' shoulder, and sighs. "...It's ok Gus, I'm here... I got ya..."

Sara sighs and slides down from the tree. Fredbear rubs Gus' head to get his attention. "Heya big guy... Sara's here... You feeling a little better kid, or do ya want to stay here like this for a little while longer...?"

Gus snuggles closer to him. "I wanna stay like this..."

Fredbear pats his back. "...Ok kiddo, we'll stay like this for as long as ya like... Is it alright if I talk with Sara while I hold you, or do you want to wait until you feel better...?"

"You can talk to her..."

"...Okay big guy..."

Fredbear then gets an idea. "...hey... Kiddo, do ya mind if I just...?"

Fredbear slowly shifts Gus till he's slightly laying down in his arms. Fredbear cradles him like a child. He holds Gus tightly to his chest. "...There we go... ...Let me know if you want me to go back to holding you like I was before kid..."

Gus buries his face in Fredbear's fur. Fredbear turns his head to Sara. "Heya, you're Sara, right...? Nice to meet ya, I'm Fredbear..."

He gives her a small smile before looking back at Gus with concern and empathy. Sara rolls her eyes and glares at him. "Yeah, yeah, skip the small talk. What are you doing here?"

Fredbear is silent for a moment. "...I've heard about the way your leader, Willy, has been treating you all... I've seen some of the things he's done...It wasn't right..."

Fredbear wipes away some of Gus' tears with his thumb. "...So I asked a pal of mine to take me to this world, so I could try and teach Willy to stop being a dictator, and teach him to be your friend..."

He pauses again, thinking. " ...When I came to this universe, I greeted Willy with an open soul, and he attacked me without thinking of showing any mercy... My plan was to come here and teach you all how to get along better... Willy wouldn't listen to me, and threatened to send you all to attack me..."

Fredbear tenses up a bit, out of annoyance. "tsk ...I have my work cut out for me in this world..."

Fredbear looks back at Sara. "...I didn't come here to cause trouble or hurt anyone if that's what you're worried about..."

Sara scoffs, and looks at him smugly. "You REALLY think you can teach Willy to stop being a bitch? Hahahah! Wow, that's the funniest thing I heard all year! Seriously though, you'll never get through to him. He's been a bastard his whole life and he ain't gonna be stopping anytime soon. Best you stop living in your fantasy land, because not everyone can turn good."

Fredbear's expression is unreadable. "...I'm still gonna try... This isn't me "living in some fantasy land" as you put it... I know better than anyone else that not everyone can be a good person..."

Fredbear looks at her, with pain and anger. "...This isn't the only world I've been too, just the only "Willy's Wonderland" AU I've ever been in... I've met people that make him look like saint!!! An angel sent from heaven even!!!"

Fredbear takes a few breaths and calms down. "...In some timelines some gave those people a chance, and didn't stop trying to help them until they became better people..."

Fredbear lowers his head sadly. " ...Other timelines, it was to late... They only became better people because of regret... Then there are timelines where they become to dangerous, and had to be killed in order to protect others..."

Fredbear looks at Sara sadly. "...I'm pretty stubborn when it comes to hope... Hope is all us animatronics have left back home... I'm hoping to help you all, and I'm sure as hell not going to give up on that hope for the reason of "it's nothing but a lost cause"... My bro wouldn't want me to give up that easily on this..."

Fredbear gives her a determined look. "Let's just hope I can prove you wrong... Cause I'm going to go home until I do!!!"

Sara just laughs, and rolls her eyes again. "Hahah, Yeah. Good luck with that. I'm gonna go see what Cammy's up to."

Fredbear watches her leave. Once she leaves, he returns to comforting Gus, humming to him and telling him that everything is ok, rocking him gently like a small child. They are like this for a few hours. Gus eventually falls asleep in Fredbear's arms. Fredbear sighs. "...Ya poor thing... I promise you, as long as I'm here I'm going to treat you like I do Springbonnie..."

Fredbear keeps watch for a few more hours, and then falls asleep himself. So much time passes, the sun begins to set while they are both still asleep. A few more hours pass, and it's past midnight. Willy has been left in his cage this entire time, and Arty has been left in the supply closet. Fredbear wakes up, and chuckles at the sight of Gus still sound asleep "...Finally, someone that takes longer naps than me..."

Fredbear shifts Gus a bit, and stands up while holding him. Fredbear carries Gus the way a dad would carry a tired toddler. Fredbear teleports with Gus to a party room, and he gently puts Gus on one of the seats. Careful not to wake him up. Fredbear takes of his jacket and puts it on Gus as a makeshift blanket. He then sits down next to Gus' head and gently puts his head on to his lap like a pillow. He looks down on his sleep face sadly. "...What am going to do with you kids...?"

Fredbear sits and waits for either Gus to wake up or one of Willy's members to come looking for Gus. Gus eventually wakes up, still a bit sleepy. He rubs the tiredness out of his eyes. Fredbear gives him a gentle and kind smile. "...Hey kiddo, you feeling a little better...? You've been asleep for quite a while..."

Gus yawns. "Yeah, I feel better..."

Fredbear looks at him relieved, but still slightly concerned at the same time. "Ok, if you say so... I'm going to go check on Willy, he's been in that cage for hours... Let me know if ya need anything m'kay Gus...?"

Fredbear gets up and he gives Gus one last look before teleporting to the room with Willy's cage. Fredbear is greeted with quiet growls, and a very grumpy weasel. "Heya kiddo, sorry it took me so long to check on ya... Has anyone talked to ya while I was away...? ...I know an apology isn't going to make you hate me less, but sorry... Sorry I had to put ya in this cage, ya didn't give me any choice..."

He's met with silence, and a glare that could kill. Fredbear grabs a chair and sits down with the back between his legs. "Sooooooooooooooo... Are you gonna try to rip me to shreds if I let ya out, or can I try and trust ya? ...It's ok if ya not feeling up to talking to me, or if ya want to cuss me out..."

Willy growls at him, looking away from him. "...What do YOU think, piss face?"

Fredbear gives Willy a look of disappointment. "I think if I had any, you'd hate my guts and I don't blame ya for that... But do ya understand why I put you in this cage?"

Willy rolls his eyes, and gives Fredbear an evil look. "Because if you didn't, I'd maul you."

Fredbear shakes his head. "Well, you'd at least try to maul me. Ya got to think before you act kid. I'm a lot stronger than you because of my magic. If I wanted to, I could have killed ya then and there..."

He sighs, and pauses for a few seconds. He searches Willy's face, who's trying his best to look angry instead of scared. "I don't want to hurt ya kiddo..."

Fredbear gives Willy a very concerned look. "...You can't have that much faith in your ability to kill, otherwise you'll either hopefully get your ass handed to you, or worst case scenario, killed. PERMANENTLY."

Willy rolls his eyes, and snaps at Fredbear." Whatever. And stop calling me kid! I'm 35!"

"Your still a kid compared to me tho..." Fredbear slightly smiles, taking a guess what Willy's reaction is going to be.

Willy scoffs. "Should have known you were an old fart."

Fredbear chuckles. "Heh, shoulda saw that coming..."

He thinks for a bit, doing some mental math. "You said you were 35, right? That makes me exactly 8014 years older than you."

Willy looks at Fredbear with disbelief. He remains silent for a few seconds, before finding his voice. "...You're bullshitting me."