A giant Freddy Fazbear loomed over the building, almost threateningly. It stood out, to say the least, infinitely more than its name. "Freddy Fazbear's Pizza Place". The building itself was tiny, almost resembling that of a bungalow from where he was standing at the bus stop and was smaller than the fright attraction. It made sense considering it was right on the edge of the city with only vast nothingness around it. With a sigh, he walked down the dirt path and past the falling-apart cage-like fence. Tangled bushes and shrubs decorated the trail, almost hiding it entirely until he reached the doorstep.

It was a mess. Dirty and smudged glass with old splintering walls, almost like an old woodland shack. The only sign that it was even the place was the big Freddy and the shoddy white sign on it that said its name. This was the place Henry wanted him to be? It would make sense for what they were planning to do, but…

There, right next to the door, was Henry's associate, at least if his waving his hand at him was anything to go by. The small boy quickly rushed over to him, carefully holding his arm sling close to his chest while his new partner fumbled about with a filled keyring from his place against the wall and a heavy look between a photo in his hand and between the green-haired boy's face. For a second, Izuku almost jumped back when he heard his voice. It sounded almost exactly like Springtrap's, only softer and smooth. It was just different enough for him that it didn't send Izuku into a blind panic.

"Yeesh dude, you okay? Take a second to breathe, alright? You look like you're about to throw up. How about we start with introductions, the names Michael; it's nice to meet you. I wasn't sure when you would arrive; Henry sort of dropped this on me out of nowhere with no warning and didn't say when to expect you. It'll be nice to have someone else to help out around here."

The grown man in front of him put out a gloved hand. It was thin and bony, and judging from how large the hoodie he wore looked on him, the rest of his body was in a similar state. All of that was fine; he had seen many people like that, but what was strange was the mask he was wearing. It was a highly stylised white cartoon bear mask, the paint on it seemed to be fading, and a layer of grime was deep inside the crevices of the mask, but it was well taken care of. Slight cracks that had been repainted over and sealed covered the edges, giving off the feeling that there was much more to the person in front of him than he had expected.

In all honesty, Michael gave off the feeling that the man was a walking corpse. Izuku was glad the man didn't comment on his shaking hand as he grabbed the offered limb.

"Izuku M-Midorya, its- uh, nice to meet you too. S-so, uh, what are we going to be d-doing? If you don't, um, mind me asking?"

"It's fine. I got everything sorted out beforehand, including something for the kids to do. Got a whole wooden stage and a couple; how do I say this, "Interesting" things setup. All I need to do is drag in the tables, and we should be good to go. OH! Before everything, you don't mind kitchen work, right?"

Michael quickly picked out the right key and slid it into the lock. It sounded like someone snapped their fingers as it came undone before he let out a sigh. Squaring up his shoulders, he dug his fingers between the sliding doors and took a deep breath. Both pieces of glass were forced out of the way, and Michael seemed hardly fazed by the effort made other than rubbing his fingers.

"Sorry about this; the power should be on after today, but if you have trouble with the doors, please call me. There are only two ways in; It's either this door or going through the back, and If Henry sent you, I'm sure you know what's out there."

With a single step in, almost the entire place seemed to stand in front of them. It was nothing too special, just simple and plain looking.

A large square wooden stage against a wall, with only a blue crate with foam hands and googly eyes on top of a stool, stood on the stage accompanied by an old microphone and a set of six long tables covered in colourful plates and cups. The only other thing that stood out in the room was a set of paper plates that looked to represent the classic Freddy's stage crew pinned to the wall. All in all, it looked like it was just barely put together and probably already violated several health codes.

For a moment, the realisation that this was happening took over him, at least until he felt a heavy weight on his shoulder.

His emerald eyes settled on the thin hand resting on him. It was surprisingly heavy, considering how thin the limb was. It got to the point where he felt the sling strap over his shoulder start to dig in. It didn't seem like the other co-owner even realised it until the green boy let out a slight cough. Michael's hand seemed to make faint popping and cracking sounds as it moved away (forcing Izuku to try and hide his cringing at the noise) and gestured towards a side room.

"Alright, before we get everything started, let's check out the office. There're a few things to put your name on, plus I need to talk about something."

The way the man said it was odd, like it left a bad taste in his mouth, but Izuku obliged and followed the masked adult into the room, which was the office.

It may have been small and rather plain, just like the rest of the restaurant, but it would be necessary for the business. Two basic wooden desks perpendicular to the wall held up all that they would need to write on, each one having its chairs behind it and a fan sitting towards the chair, and a double steel cabinet at the back right corner of the room. He shot a look towards Michael and found his way to the left desk.

Only the slow chopping of air and the fluttering of paper filled the room as he sat down. It seemed like most of the paperwork was already done; all he had to do was sign off on something that required both his and Michael's confirmation. Everything was starting to get too quiet until his fellow owner spoke up.

"I know that we have only known each other since this morning, and I got no place to ask this but… Did Henry rope you into this, even if you wanted to say no? I mean, look, let's say this-"

He took a small break to tilt his head up, and all Izuku could make out was a dim purple glow from the eye holes. It was haunting but also comforting that someone seemed to care about his well-being, even if it was for their own sake.

"Two of the animatronics out there are designed purposely to find, hurt and THEN kill children mercilessly, and a third, who you've met, might I add, was a murderer in life and is the creator of the two other's outback. If even one of them manages to get into the room, they'll, well; I'm sure you see what I'm getting at. Even with all of that, you're still willing to see this through?"

Green looked into the eye holes of the bear mask. Dim purple looked back. He couldn't help the melancholy smile that grew on his face.

"More than anything. I-I might not know them, but from what I've heard about them, they're mostly, uh, trapped souls that need to be f-freed."

A frown came across his face as he looked at the sling and the object inside it.

"I don't know how this will end, but if this will save people, then I'm more than willing to do it and... uh, while I haven't known Henry for too long, he has a plan. Sometimes, someone needs a hand or two to help them."

"Huh, I didn't expect that for a response. That's a very mature way to look at this whole thing but also stupid."

A sigh tumbled out of his mouth while Izuku looked over some of the papers in front of him. Izuku continued to look over the papers, fumbling with the sheets and biting the inside of his mouth in focus as Michael spoke.

"Izuku, I've known Henry since I was a brat, and if I've learned anything, it's that Henry is obsessed. It's only gotten worse over the past ten years. Always take everything he says with a couple grains of salt. Just remember, whatever happens, you can always back out. I don't mind picking up the slack."

What he thought would be a simple answer quickly turned into a short-lived ramble that Michael barely managed to follow.

"He- uh, probably wanted me to join because he thinks you might need some help, and I was the only other person he found that knows about the animatronic problem. I wouldn't be surprised if it were to lure Springtrap here as well; from what little I know of that monster, he doesn't seem like the type to let things go. It also probably helps that I'm seen as a twenty-year-old in the eyes of the law… so I have that going for me."

It took a second to process, but the moment he realised what the boy had said, he couldn't help but speak.

"That right there is a reason I'm trying to keep away from the man. All he said was to look out for a young-looking man, not an actual kid. I mean, it was fifty-fifty, really, nowadays there are so many people with quirks that make them look young, you know? I'll, uh, get the tables done, alright?"

Silence. Tense, absolute silence hung in the room as the grown man left. Only the spinning fan blade clattering and his pen drifting across a page were left in the room as he worked through the papers in front of him.

This was his life. A now eleven-year-old living like an adult, struggling to survive against an undead man stuck in an old animatronic suit and owning a business (If only partially and as a cover). What else was he supposed to do when he heard about the others trapped inside the animatronics? If they were anything like that creature… then it would be better to get rid of them, and if they really are just children like him, then it would be best to free them. It was just as simple as that.

This whole thing did give him a place to stay, at the very least, even if he knew to take what Henry said with a grain of salt. After all, why would it take so long to sort something like this out? Everything was a mess, and that wasn't even involving his dad- Hisashi. Considering Hisashi was the reason that he was in this situation, it was a sore topic that he didn't want to start opening that wound again today. At least it was probably better than staying in an orphanage. He heard horror stories about what they did in some of those places from runaways, and if they even did half of what they said to kids with quirks, He didn't even want to consider what they would have done to someone quirkless.

Getting lost in his head was a bad habit, but he had managed to get his muttering under control, at least a little. The same couldn't be said about the nightmares. Ever since Fazbear's Frights, every other night meant that he would wake up with a lump in his throat and sweat on his skin. At least doing this would keep him awake…

"I wonder how mom's doing…."

His hand was still scribbling away when he heard the office door open again; Michael stepped back into the room, this time with two plain paper cups. The clear liquid inside rippled slightly when one of the cups was put next to him, and the other went to the co-owners mouth. It was the first time he got a glance at the man's face, but what little of it he could see was distinct. His skin looked thin. Cracked and dry, but the standout feature was the dark purple colour. Interesting, but nothing extraordinary compared to some quirks. It wasn't his place to figure out why he hid behind that mask.

"You ready to start? It's almost eleven. Just know I'm not trying to stop you; god knows I'd do the same. Hell, I did, now that I think about it… I was just a bit older than you. The best advice I can offer is to try not to die and work on those social skills. We are trying to run a business, after all."

Only another stack to go. They could be done after service if needs be.

"Let's, uh, get to it if everything is done. We do have the pizzas, r-right?"


A beige monitor that probably weighed more than himself, the loud electronic hum of the computer and its struggling fan filled the small room. Thick concrete walls lined with metal bars for reinforcement and two wide-open vents on either side. Some metal plates lined the floor. There was enough room for the both of them if one sat in the chair. All they had to do was print pamphlets, keep an eye on the vents, order more supplies, and clean the toilets. Tonight was simple. Tomorrow, however, …

"Michael, if we get enough money, do you think we should have a janitor upstairs? J-Just to hurry the night along….

Izuku was sitting on the ground against the wall. There was nothing down there with them just yet, so at least he didn't need to be ready for anything. It didn't stop him from nearly jumping away from the dark.

"That should be fine, long as they don't come anywhere near this death trap and mind their own business. Either that or something to keep the noise we make down."

In the distance of the labyrinth, he could barely make out the echoes of a distorted childlike laugh. It was fuzzy, but it did sound familiar…

"Was that the-?"

"The audio from Frights? Yeah, it turns out that you can still make out the laugh even after the tape was mostly turned into molten sludge. Very helpful for luring out child-killing robots. It's antique, you know? The animatronic it came from wasn't exactly popular."

If the older of the two was trying to keep his voice quiet, he failed. Izuku could hear the annoyed- grumble under the humming machine.

"Thank god…"

For a second, the two went silent. The only thing they could hear in the entire underground area was the sound of the electronics and the loud fan. It was boring, but it had to be done.

It hadn't taken that long to complete the tasks, a couple of hours at most. Now, however, was the more challenging part.

Another small room just at the side of the building with a staff-only sign on the door, made specifically for salvaging and leading to the back of the building. There was a single dim light above, a table with a taser, and a tape recorder, and then there was the main reason for being in the room.

Metal tentacles twisted in knots and angles that looked like it was trying to make a rough shape of a body, with strange glowing orbs spattered inside. The only thing different was the "head", and that was a loose way to put it. Loose shards of dirty, bent and dented white and brown painted metal made up the resemblance of Freddy's head. It even had a tiny scrap metal top hat on top of its head. Honestly, it would have been a coincidently shaped pile of slumped scrap if he didn't know better.

Without a word, Michael handed him the taser and took a seat. A single click came from the tape recorder, and Henry's voice sputtered out. There was no inflexion, no emotion, just straight down to business.

"Congratulations on completing your first day. However, your job isn't over just yet. There is another aspect to your end-of-day routine, and that is inspecting and salvaging any animatronics found in the alley outside the backdoor. Things are found here quite often, and while we aren't sure why, what we do know, is that they can be used for parts, which can mean a much-needed revenue boost before starting your next day. Of course, as with everything else in this line of work, those benefits come with risk. The safest thing to do is to throw it back outside, but then, you get no money for the salvage. Choose to keep it, and you run the risk of certain negative consequences, namely death, should the item in question not be as docile as it first appeared. If you do decide to try to salvage it, then you must complete the Maintenance Checklist. During this testing phase, check on the animatronic frequently. If you feel that it is becoming unstable, use the taser provided to you. You can use it three times without damaging the hardware. Every use over three however will decrease the item's salvage value."

It was long-winded, but it laid out their options. It was only a formality. They both nodded to each other, and Izuku narrowed his eyes at the robot. It was subtle, but the orange bulb in its eye seemed to glow ever so slightly. It didn't move, not even a twitch like it was just watching.

"You have chosen to proceed with the Maintenance Checklist. Remember, use your company-issued taser to return the animatronic to a neutral state if you feel it is becoming unstable or aggressive. You can only use it three times before it begins to damage the animatronic and decrease its value."

"Begin audio prompt in three, two, one."

An incomprehensible babble of noise came from the device and not a single instance of movement. It was suffocating in the room and hot. Even without being in immediate danger, he could feel his hand start to sweat, both from nerves and how the dusty air seemed to stick to him.

"Document results."

A quick paper lift and a single pen drag across it, still no movement—another click.

"Begin audio prompt in three, two, one."

Another loud garble of garbage noise. No movement, but he swore that its 'eyes' were slightly brighter like it was deciding something and waiting.

"Document results."

Again, the paper was raised, and the pen drifted across its surface. The tape started again.

"Begin audio prompt in three, two, one."

More garbled noises came through, but it sounded clearer. Like childish laughter?

"Document results."

The flap of paper and the drag of the pen. It seemed to be sitting straighter, but Michael continued and pressed the button. Either way, he was ready with a firm grip from his slackened hand on the taser.

"Begin audio prompt in three, two, one."

This time it was much clearer, not perfect at all, but it started to sound almost like a fair or circus.

"Document results."

Paper cup, pen dragged, paper back down. Its wires were on the table, unlike before. Without even a moment of hesitation, the sound of electric buzzing came from the taser, and it withdrew itself as it resets. A single second and it was slumped over. A nod from Michael, and the man pressed the button again.

"Begin audio prompt in three, two, one."

It seemed to be a fuzzy sound inside a child's party. The robot seemed to struggle to raise its head back to its original position, twitching heavily. The slight movements of the inside wires were shuddering slightly, almost like it was breathing.

"Document results."

With a final tick in a box on the paper. They both rushed out to the employee door and slammed down on a lever. A metal grate fell just in front of them, and the sound of machines came from under the floor. Wires dragged across the floor as it clawed towards a shaft in the wall before falling in. It hung onto the shaft's side before laughing with a stuttering voice as its electronics continued to reactivate.

"T-Thanks for the In-In-Invitation bo-y-y-ys. Let's make this a FAN-fantastic party!"

All of a sudden, it dropped below. He didn't know how long he held his breath, but it was only when the wooden door closed, did he finally breathe again.

"Thanks for the save, Izuku. Man, that could have gone so bad. Imagine if it broke out into the restaurant."

That was bewildering. Did the man not care if he was hurt?

"W-What about you? It's important that they can't get in the building, but you could have died."

Izuku almost jumped out of his skin when his co-owner chuckled. It almost seemed like he was laughing at an inside joke.

"You would've been dead, sure, but you really shouldn't worry about me kicking the bucket. Let's say that death tends to take to my family like oil and water."

With a mix between a yawn and a sigh, Izuku continued towards the office.

"I-I… am concerned that you said that so cheerfully, but I'll take your word on it. O-only if you let me do the salvaging tomorrow."

There was a reluctant nod from the Masked Owner, but it seemed he agreed. Michael spoke up just as the boy was about to enter the office.

"You need a ride? The last bus came around an hour ago, and I really don't think it's a good idea for you to wander about the streets in the dark."

A nervous smile came across the boy's face before his voice left his lips with a stutter like usual. He changed it before looking at his fellow co-owner, just enough to make the smile more confident. It was clear that Michael didn't buy it.

"W-well about that…."

Realisation sparked in Michael's eyes as soon as he put one and one together.

"You're kidding. Staying the week here? That's…"

"Dangerous? Maybe, I-I, yeah… it's going to get more dangerous as well, but I don't have anywhere else to go. I got this, at least."

The taser was still in his hand, and it was clear that he wasn't willing to let it out of his sight.

"You can stay at my house if you want. There're a couple of empty rooms you can set up in if you don't mind the dust."

It was a nice offer, a really nice offer, but it wouldn't feel right. They had only known each other a day, even if the man seemed kind, albeit a bit strange. There was no way that he would be comfortable enough for it.

"Uh… n-no, thanks. I-I don't mean to be rude, just… we've only met each other today and-"

Michael raised his gloved hand, and Izuku stopped.

"I get it, don't worry about it. I don't want you to go from broccoli to cauliflower on my watch. It makes sense considering your background. Just know the offer's always open."

The glass door slid out of Michael's way, and Izuku headed to the office. It was faint, but just as he was about to enter the office, he heard the soft tone of his co-owner behind him.

"Night, Izuku. Stay safe."

Not even a second later, the sound of the closing of the front doors met the click of the office door lock. It was mostly quiet now. With only the sound of his breathing and night static filling his ears. At least until he heard clattering out the back and then the sound of metal dragging against stone and brick.

Instead of trying to fall into the hands of dreams, he got to work on whatever was left for him to sign, at least until it became too much to bear.

Sleep, while uncomfortable and fitful, quickly came and went. Tomorrow would be another day, and that was enough to see him off to rest.