INFORMATION
Written by: Pinkpony4
Chapter Word Count: 8'812
Published on FanFiction: 12th of July, 2022
Published on AO3: 12th of July, 2022

Chapter 3: Making a Room a Home

"I'm sure we can make it feel like home," Michael muttered at the sight of the place.

Renting a room had been difficult. Most apartments weren't cheap and staring at his phone for three hours had made him remember why he slept in his car in the first place.

As it turned out, his idea of 'cheap' was not the same as the modern world's.

He had figured that out by now – the inflation over the course of forty years had its toll, and his jaw had dropped the first time he saw that the minimum wage a person could get was nowhere near the amount you needed to live comfortably like it was back in the 80s.

But he found a place eventually and he had managed to settle a deal with the landlord. As long as he didn't complain about the conditions the place was in, he could stay.

From the outside, the apartment complex looked like a paper bag in terms of colour palette. Some windows were broken and the bottom floor was made up of broken tiles. Michael would have preferred literally anything else, but this was the best he was going to get for now.

They weren't in Hurricane anymore. While he was sure that everyone would have forgotten him by now, he needed to figure himself out before he was ready to go back. The property value of his old home had dropped drastically due to the rumours that surrounded it, so he didn't mind the idea of going back. It would be nice to fill it with good memories. Ones that weren't haunted by the looming shadow of his father.

But that was for another time.

"Beh!" Geh Ge huffed, clearly not impressed with the place. Michael was expecting it, but photos could only show so much. After all, who positioned the only window so that it faced the brick wall of the building next door?

The floor was covered with green tiles, the plastered walls were painted an off-cream colour that had started to peel away, and the ceiling only had one light.

It was made up of two rooms: the small bathroom, and the slightly bigger room they currently stood in. The basic essentials were there; a heater, a sink, and two counters that were shoved into the corner, with a mini-fridge and microwave sitting on top. At least the cabinets were high enough so that Geh Ge wouldn't be able to reach them.

The place was begging for restoration, and while he was limited with what he would be allowed to change, he could turn it into something better. Before that, though, he had a certain someone to take care of first.

Michael cautiously tested out the water in the sink and it had a foul, metallic taste – nothing like the sweet (and filtered) rainwater from home. It would have to do, though. Making sure the sink wasn't filthy (and it wasn't… it was just in desperate need of bleaching), he pushed the plug in and started to run it until the sink was partially filled with warm water. Taking Geh Ge into both arms, he took his nappy off and slowly placed him into the sink.

Geh Ge squealed in surprise, wriggling around in his hands until he let go. It took Geh Ge a few seconds for him to realise he wasn't in any danger, and that it actually felt nice. The water only reached up to the bub's waist.

Michael knew he didn't have the appropriate equipment to wash Geh Ge properly, but he needed a soapy bath. God knows how long it had been since the bub had been given a proper one. Making sure Geh Ge wasn't about to fall over, he dropped his backpack and pulled out a new bar of soap. Wetting his hands, he rubbed them until they were foamy before he carefully started to wash Geh Ge.

It was a little difficult – more than he remembered. Sometimes he had had to wash Elizabeth when she vomited all over herself, but at least his mother had been there to keep her still and stop the inevitable mess that came from washing an upset toddler. But it was only him right now and Geh Ge seemed determined to make that same mess. At least he was having fun, even if smacking his tiny hands weakly into the water over and over was causing Michael's shirt to stick to him.

He was successful despite the struggle. No soap in Geh Ge's eyes and he was happily making the water shoot into the air, filling the room with giggles, all the while smiling at Michael.

Michael smiled back, gently brushing his hand over the wet fuzz that was Geh Ge's hair. He waited until Geh Ge got bored of the water and started reaching for him before he pulled the plug and dried him off with one of his spare shirts. Once he was sure he was dry, he put the bub's nappy back on and carried him away. As he was wrapping him up in his jumper, a thought dawned on him.

He needed a proper wash. There was no way he was going to be caught walking around town looking the way he did now. He'd need to shave, cut his hair, wash his clothes, get some clothes for Geh Ge…

But he also needed to move everything from the car back upstairs. All while carrying Geh Ge. He sighed, resigning himself to the inevitable workload. His shower would have to wait.

-o0o-

The apartment didn't have many people living in it. Around five lived on the lower floors, but only Michael and a "little old lady named Olivia," as his landlord had said, were on the third. Despite that, Michael hadn't seen anyone else yet and he was grateful for it; he didn't want anyone to see him right now.

Puffing, he resisted the urge to drop the last cardboard box onto the floor, and instead set it down as carefully as he could so he could get the door open. He dropped his keys three times before he could shove the creaking door open, and by the time he made it inside, he wasn't in a good mood.

Dragging the box into the room he caught the door before it slammed shut, quickly looking at Geh Ge who had fallen asleep not long after his bath. He was glad that the bub was still knocked out; he didn't think he would be able to do all of this, otherwise.

Unpacking was always his least-favourite job. He learned that on the first day he had started working in a grocery store and had been tasked with putting away five boxes worth of products on the shelves. At least the outcome of turning this place into somewhere safe was a better end goal than a paycheck.

He stood up, cracking his back and neck. It offered some relief to his joints. Even though it was nine right now, he felt like he had just done one of his old nightshifts again.

With all of the boxes now sitting in the corner of the room he trudged back out and took the cleaning gear that had been dropped off near his door by his landlord. It hadn't taken much to convince them to hand it over; if he cleaned the place up, that meant they didn't have to hire anyone.

Michael was glad of that. He didn't want anyone intruding on his new home, even if it was for something as innocent as cleaning. Michael didn't trust a single damn soul to do anything right.

He slipped his backpack and shoes off and started wiping down the kitchen. The cabinets were mostly alright aside from a fine layer of dust that had slipped through the cracks. The fridge was sealed well and while it looked clean, he made sure to wipe it through anyway, doing the same to the microwave. The sink required a bit more work to get the steel shiny again, which meant that by the time he was done with the kitchen, his right arm was throbbing in protest.

Switching Geh Ge over to his other arm, he contemplated the floor. He was tempted to just leave it as it was but he really wanted to clean it because there was no way he was going to set his bub down on a filthy floor.

He ran the (thankfully silent) vacuum along the floor, walls, and since he was tall enough, the ceiling as well. His back and arms really didn't like the latter, but the satisfying crackle of dust being sucked up told him he was doing the right thing.

Setting it aside, he sighed when he realised he wouldn't be able to use his favourite cleaner because the rooms weren't ventilated properly. Well, he would just have to settle with good ol' soapy water.

Mixing the detergent, he took up the mop and got to work.

The cleaning process was natural to him. When he had been younger, being bent over or on his knees for hours was a normal occurrence. With his mother gone and his father more focussed on his work than on them, that left Michael with ALL of the household chores; washing, cooking, cleaning, drying, changing his siblings' clothes, brushing their hair, bathing them, helping them with their homework, walking them to school… all while having no free time of his own.

It was no wonder he grew to be so resentful of the two, even if it wasn't their fault. His anger should have been directed towards the one responsible for his labour, but it was hard to shout at someone that you were afraid of.

He'd give anything to have them back. Well… nearly anything.

He looked down at the little bundle in his arms, smiling at how peaceful he looked. Could babies dream? If they could, Geh Ge seemed to be having a nice one.

It took an hour to finish the floor and another to clean the bathroom. While every part of him felt like he was on fire, he was happy with his work. The place looked liveable aside from the lack of furniture and the flimsy little light. He could really make this work.

Now that the brutal part of his work was done, he could settle on doing the smaller work. He dragged all of the boxes over to the sink and set Geh Ge on the side while he filled it up with hot water. He dipped his hands inside, adding a bit of detergent and swirling it around until it was bubbly. Turning the sink off, he grabbed the box filled with kitchenware and started washing.

It was a relaxing process. He was careful, doing one at a time and making sure there was no grime left before sitting it up to dry on the rack. One fork, spoon, and knife at a time, then a plate, cup, and repeat. Every now and then, he would look at Geh Ge, but the bub hadn't changed one bit.

He was extra careful when he got to his mum's tea set, her rosary, his parent's wedding rings, and the general jewellery. If he was honest with himself, he didn't know why he had decided to keep those things. What was he going to do with a pair of wedding rings anyway?

Setting them up to dry too, he finally moved on to the toys. All of them were plastic aside from the wooden letter boxes, which he wiped down instead. It was nostalgic, going through them, the rattle in particular since it had been their favourite. He remembered having to break his siblings up whenever they fought with it.

Michael sighed from his spot at the kitchen counter, putting the knife down and washing his hands. What were they crying about now?

Stomping into the living room, he crossed his arms and placed himself in front of the couch, giving them his best 'scary face' like Daddy– Father did whenever they misbehaved.

"Stop it, you two. Or I'll tell Father on you!" he warned.

His little siblings weren't listening. They rarely did when they got like this. It usually took a good smack on their legs to get them to cut it out. Michael didn't like hitting them, though, since he couldn't seem to do it properly. Whenever their Father threatened to, though, they stopped instantly.

Another punishment was shoving soap in their mouths. His Father cut that one out of the list of punishments after Michael accidentally swallowed a bit and had to be rushed to the hospital.

If they listened to Father, then why didn't they listen to him? He's the oldest!

Elizabeth snatched the rattle from Evan and, much to Michael's horror, smacked it over Evan's head, making him let out an ear-piercing shriek. Oh, Father was going to be furious now! It was always Michael that got shouted at or hit with the wooden spoon.

After all, he was responsible for them.

Michael frowned. Well, that wasn't a pleasant memory, especially since it brought up one very outdated practice when it came to disciplining children. He was pretty sure it was considered to be abuse now if you hit your child for misbehaving, even if it followed the 'below the waist' rule.

In retrospect, why was that a practice anyway? He supposed fear was a good motivator, but it wasn't how you gained a kid's trust. He'd rather die than hit Geh Ge.

Sighing, he put the toys up to dry too, wiping his hands on his pants before picking the bub up just so he could sit on the floor to dust off everything else. He went through the photo albums with a tissue and gently dragged it over the plastic covering the photos. He didn't let his gaze linger for too long, since he had a lot of work to do after this. He did the same for all of the books, his foxy mask, and Evan's bear. When he was done he placed them in the cabinets for the time being, vacuumed the area again, and put the cleaning equipment by the door, along with the empty cardboard boxes and used tissues.

Now that all of that was done, he could finally have that shower. Retrieving the last of his 'clean' clothes from his backpack, he trudged into the bathroom.

Having nowhere else to place him, he set Geh Ge down in the laundry basket and stepped into the shower, nearly shouting when the freezing water struck him. The pipe rattled with the strain so he moved as quickly as he could to turn the warm water on and scrub himself clean.

Michael cleaned the grit out from under his nails and made a point of checking the parts of him that stung as he washed the soap off, spotting the cuts and scrapes he had gained from the fire. They weren't detrimental, so he didn't worry about them.

It was a relief to finally be able to run his hands through his hair and scratch the grime off of his scalp with the shampoo. It had been so oily for so long that it felt weird when it started to turn soft after washing the conditioner out. He was glad he had decided to buy more than he intended from that gas station.

Michael would have loved to stand under the water forever, but he didn't have that luxury. Reluctantly, he stepped out and immediately hugged himself as the chilly air dried him off almost instantly. He scrambled to dress himself in time, but it didn't do much. Shivering, he peered into the laundry basket and smiled as Geh Ge started to wake up, shifting around in his jumper.

Hmm… The first thing Michael was going to do in town was get some actual clothes for the bub.

Michael picked him up just as his eyes opened. Geh Ge smiled tiredly up at him and raised his stubby little arms, cooing. Michael lifted him up until the bub could touch his face and start exploring again.

Geh Ge started with his nose, tugging on it before trying to stick his fingers in his mouth and eyes, forcing Michael to keep both firmly closed until he was done. The bub's hands moved to touch his chin, curiously poking at his stubble.

"Feels funny, doesn't it? Do you think I should shave it?" he asked, stepping out of the bathroom to retrieve his razor and the scissors he had also grabbed from the station. Geh Ge babbled in response as Michael went back, watching him curiously and jumping as the razor began buzzing. Michael did his best not to smile as he stared into the mirror, not wanting to risk nicking himself. It had taken him far too long to learn how to shave properly, considering his father couldn't be bothered teaching him.

"I wonder if I'll be around to teach Geh Ge," he thought. It made him sad to think about. He was fifty-six. By the time Geh Ge would turn sixteen, Michael would be in his seventies. Well, on the positive side of things, Michael was glad he had made it past fifty, and if he reached seventy? He wouldn't be complaining. Especially if it meant he could keep taking care of Geh Ge.

Once he was done, he straightened up and looked down at his bub. "Well? How do I look?"

Geh Ge only giggled. Okay, he must look good then if he wasn't scared of him. He leaned back over the sink and began cutting his hair. It had gotten long enough that it was touching his neck and he really didn't like it.

He didn't do an amazing job, what with only one hand free, but it was better than the rat nest it had looked like before. Looking at himself in the mirror… felt good. It had been a long time since he had felt that way.

Everyone always praised him for how much he looked like his father. He hadn't been trying to, but whenever he looked into the mirror, he just saw him. Now, with Geh Ge in his arms, he didn't see him at all.

With a spring in his step, he vacuumed up the remains of his hair (because he refused to let this place get dirty under his watch) and washed the rest down the sink. He emptied his backpack and placed the toothpaste, toothbrush, razor, and scissors inside the cabinet above the bathroom mirror, and the soap, shampoo, and conditioner on the rack inside the shower. He made sure the sharp stuff couldn't be reached.

Cleaning out his bag, he found a bunch of rubbish that he dropped into the cardboard boxes before wiping out his bag. He intended to keep everything here spotless.

Suddenly getting an idea, Michael tore out a spare piece of paper from the back of his notebook and snatched the cheap pen up from the side pocket of the bag. Leaning on the counter, he began to write a to-do list while Geh Ge tried to touch the end of the pen.

To do:
Clean laundry
Clean out car
Pack away anything bought
Re-arrange room
Find a job

Have to buy:
Clothes
Mattress and bedding
Maybe furniture?
Food and water
Baby stuff
Medication

When he reached the end of the list, the bubbly excitement in him fizzled away.

This was going to have him forking out a lot of money – money which he didn't have an abundance of. When it came down to things like food, he could live with the bare minimum, but he couldn't keep doing that to himself if he wanted to keep Geh Ge safe. If he didn't keep himself in good shape, how could he protect him?

When it came down to the furniture, he didn't need things like a table and chairs since the floor was as good a seat as any, but a mattress, sheets, and proper clothes for the two of them were essential. Especially the clothes; if Michael even wanted the slightest chance of getting a job, he needed to look presentable. Times had changed and he knew jobs were tight – especially for single parents.

That thought only made him feel worse. If he managed to get a job, who would take care of Geh Ge? Michael didn't trust a single person on this planet to take care of him. Even the only friend he somehow still had wasn't fully capable of supervising a baby, so even if he offered to, Michael wouldn't hand him over. All it took was a second of neglect for tragedy to strike.

And then there were the papers that he didn't own: adoption papers, a birth certificate… he had nothing to prove Geh Ge was his own, and if anyone found out about it or something were to happen and the bub had to be taken to the hospital–

Maybe this had been a bad idea after all.

Michael shook those thoughts away. It was too late to turn back now.

To distract himself, he put all of his clothes and the hospital blanket inside the laundry basket and placed it by the door. He'd wash them with the new clothes when he came back.

Slipping his bag back on, he folded the boxes up and locked the door behind him.

He needed to get a lot done today.

-o0o-

The recycling lid shut with an echoing thump for the last time, making Michael sigh in relief. Cleaning out the car had been harder on his back compared to the room. Resting on his knees and being hunched over for thirty minutes with only one arm as brief support turned out to be a bad idea. Who knew?

It was worth it, though. He couldn't believe he had allowed the car to fall into such a state. It was disgusting! Sure, it looked fine on the outside, but it was filled with trash and had dirt all over the seats and floors. And he had had Geh Ge in there! What was he thinking?

At least he could think with a clear head again. The worries that had plagued him were gone now, and he was left being nothing but determined and stubborn.

Two of his father's most hated traits.

That made him smile, and he chuckled as he buckled up and made sure Geh Ge was securely in his lap. All he had to do now was hope that no one would notice him driving without a baby seat.

The streets he drove down were empty compared to what the radio was telling him. With Christmas only a few days away, people were scrambling to get ready. Michael saw that as a good thing – it meant no one would have the time to notice him or Geh Ge.

He started spacing out, just watching the cars go by every now and then, stopping at the lights as people crossed the road. He stayed vigilant, checking that his doors were locked and hunching over his wheel a bit when a man and his child looked at his car, the kid pointing at it and saying something in excitement. He hoped the father hadn't noticed anything odd about Michael.

Taking one last turn, he finally reached his destination. Finding a car park, he stepped out into the cold air. Locking the car, he walked up to the thrift shop that was (unfortunately) surrounded by teenagers. Some of them were smoking. He covered Geh Ge's nose as he passed, ignoring their watchful eyes, though he held his bub closer.

"They're just curious," he told himself, though he couldn't be too sure. He's pretty sure one of the boys had been eyeing his backpack and two of the girls were staring at the car.

In reality, they had barely looked at him for a second before they went back to their phones.

-o0o-

The store itself left him pleasantly surprised. It had been a long time since he had been inside a shop, let alone a thrift store. There were lots of clothes, blankets, shoes, hats, and toys inside, lined up and ready to be picked at.

Like always, he analysed everyone he saw, but he had to try and tell himself that it was Christmas soon so of course there were going to be a lot of people around. He just needed to relax. There was no need for him to be as stiff as a board 24/7.

Any attempts to calm himself down fell through the floor when he noticed it. Even with children clustered around the shelves, he could recognise Fazbear merchandise from a mile away.

It was mostly made up of plush toys, but that wasn't what bothered him. It was the fact that they were playing with them at all.

"They didn't live through it. Don't get too angry," he told himself again, looking down and setting a course for the baby aisle. To them, it must just seem like an urban legend. The mystery had never been solved, after all, and the company had done everything in its power to stamp out the truth.

Taking deep, steady breaths, he focused on browsing through the aisle, always keeping an eye on everyone else in the store and keeping his guard up when he passed them, even when he tried not to.

The bright colours from the array of clothes helped settle him down, especially with Geh Ge giggling and squeaking in delight. A lot of them were a bit big for Geh Ge, but they would come in handy in the future.

"So, Geh Ge," he started, rearranging his hold on the bub so he could see the clothes. "do you have a favourite?"

Geh Ge cooed, waving his arms around before pointing at Michael. He smiled. "I'm your favourite?"

"Behhh… myyy," he garbled, drooling again.

Wiping the drool off Geh Ge's chin, he redirected the bub's attention to the clothes. "Do you like any of these?"

Geh Ge looked between him and the clothes, mouth still open, before pointing at white and yellow daffodil-patterned pyjamas. He looked back at Michael, looking for approval. "Eh?"

"That one?" he asked, taking it off the rack. The rough imitation of clapping and kicking his legs was his answer. "You have good taste – I like it too. Anything else?" he added, putting it in the trolley.

They went back and forth like that as he walked through the store. Michael even let Geh Ge choose what he would wear, although he did have to draw the line at the hot-pink mini skirt his bub had randomly pointed at.

Michael ignored every single person that had been looking at him during their adventure. It didn't matter what they thought about him, all that mattered was how excited Geh Ge was. His squeals and giggles were banishing away every horrible thought that tried to worm itself in, and soon, he forgot all about the display of plush toys.

-o0o-

Michael left with not only the clothes, but also some sheets, pillows, and towels. He was rather glad he was doing this during the holiday rush because he was pretty sure all of that wouldn't have been under eighty.

The grocery store was a similar process, minus his paranoia and the Fazbear merchandise. With so many people crammed inside, it was pretty hard for him to worry about being spotted and judged. He just held Geh Ge close and made sure his bag was securely attached to him. He could hear some children throwing tantrums in the distance where he was pretty sure the sweets were stored, and there were people fighting over what seemed to be the last few legs of ham.

It was just hard for Michael to focus. He found himself always looking around, even when he tried to force his attention on the shelves in front of him. What little conversation he was picking up was irrelevant to him, but he kept catching one particular voice that had him nearly running out of the store.

A man was somewhere nearby, and his voice was low and smooth. It made him want to lock his door and hide under his bed. He had to find the source of it, just to ease his conscious. Slowly turned around, he peered over the tops of everyone's heads (bless his height), and was glad to find that the man looked nothing like his father. His eyes were brown and bright, with a round face and ginger hair. Nowhere close to that nightmare.

His racing heart slowed, letting him focus. Geh Ge didn't seem to like the sudden crowd around them and it was only Michael's shushes and head pats that were stopping the bub from bursting into tears. Michael didn't blame him – if he wasn't surrounded by people, he would have run off to a bathroom to cry in, as pathetic as it sounded.

He got out of there as fast as he could, more for his bub's sake than for his own.

-o0o-

His next destination wasn't any better than the grocery store, but he took solace in that it was his second-last stop before he could go back home.

Nevertheless, he hated pharmacies. Mostly because every time he had a prescription filled out, the assistant just had to squawk out what was wrong with him. Sure, he wasn't ashamed of it, but he would prefer if they didn't try and alert the whole store about his mental health.

The first thing he did was wait in line to hand his prescription in, analysing everyone in there. Most of the people inside were just standing around and waiting for their scripts to be done.

That was it.

Michael really needed to chill out. Not everyone was after his soul, but it certainly felt like it. He hated it. He wished he had kept track of his medication, but Geh Ge had distracted him. He just hoped it wouldn't hit him too hard – he'd never missed so many doses before.

If he was honest with himself, he still felt this way, even on his meds.

"How can I help you today?" the tired assistant greeted. He looked as exhausted as Michael felt.

Wordlessly, he handed over the scripts he had stuffed in his backpack and pointed. "Both, please."

They nodded, checking that they were both still in date. "Do you still live here?" he asked, pointing to his outdated address.

When he shook his head, he was given a torn piece of paper to write his new address down on. When he was done, the man took both away. "We just had a rush. Will you be waiting or coming back?"

"I'll wait, thank you."

Michael rounded back to the entrance of the store and took one of the baskets and was relieved to find what he was hoping to find there: a baby bottle.

He carefully put the bottle and other necessities inside, rearranging everything so it would be a little easier to carry. After that, he looked around the store, trying to find out where the nicotine patches were. If he wanted to be a parent, smoking had to be the first thing he put a stop to.

Michael hadn't always been a smoker. When he was little, his aunt (on his mother's side) was always smoking when she visited. So-much-so, that his father had to chase her out of the house when she had the audacity to smoke inside.

"I don't want that stench in here. God's sake, do that outside!"

When he was just about to turn sixteen, his… 'friends' had started doing it because they thought it was cool. Michael had resisted every time they offered him one. In retrospect, if they had even ever been his friends to begin with, they would have taken his first no as his final answer.

"Come on, Mike! It's not gonna kill ya just to have one," the one with the gold hair whined.

"Yes it will," he countered. His aunt coughed far too much after each smoke. His parents had warned him repeatedly not to follow her example. "Father told me not to."

"Not one?" the boy with the short, black hair added, smirking.

The one with the brown hair rolled his eyes. "And since when do you listen to anything that fucker says anyway? I can't believe he gets you to call him father instead of something normal. You know, like Dad?"

"I don't like the smell."

"Commmme oooon!" they all whined.

He caved in. "Fine, just one."

Michael had managed to wrangle himself out of it when he started going to the therapy he could barely afford. His therapist had said that while it may offer some relief from his stress, it wasn't good for him. That was obvious, but she tried to convince him to use gum as an alternative.

It worked for the most part. His instructions were simple: if he felt the urge to smoke, stick some gum in his mouth and chew while pacing around the room. Unfortunately, her advice had backfired because now he had a bad habit of smoking and chewing gum. Habits he wanted to break.

He was mostly okay for a while, but then Ennard had happened and he'd been worse than ever. He'd only just managed to wind down when he took up the job at Fazbear Frights, which was perhaps one of the worst decisions he had ever made.

The second the clock hit twelve and he was in his little rollie chair once again, he felt sick. There were no camera systems yet – the place was still under construction. Every day the team would add something new to the place, and his employer would tell him what it was before his shift started.

With nothing to look at, he patrolled instead. He had caught some teenagers sneaking in on his second week and had shooed them away. But he didn't like patrolling; it always felt as though one of the masks on the walls or the empty suits were gonna spring to life and grab him.

He turned the corner, going down what had previously been an empty hallway, only to see a light that hadn't been there before flicker.

And Freddy was standing in front of it.

He bolted down the hallway with a shriek, ducking into his office and slamming the door shut. Terrified, he shoved his desk in front of that blasted vent that hadn't been covered yet despite his complaints, and ducked under it, watching the doorway.

He could hear Freddy walking down the hallway, footfalls heavy. He could hear it wheezing, trying to breathe. Then the music box started. He began to cry, hugging his knees and hiding his face, rocking back and forth, just waiting for the lights to flicker off and for the music to reach its end.

He had lost power for the first time on his fourth night back at the old location, but the clock had saved him. Freddy and all the others that had gathered near the office had suddenly gone limp as soon as it struck six.

The clock wouldn't save him now.

"Michael? Your antidepressants are ready!" the assistant called for the whole world to hear.

Michael recoiled, quickly looking around. It took him a few moments to remember where he was and why he was there in the first place. He was glad he was at the very back of the pharmacy. No one was looking at him except for Geh Ge, who mumbled and weakly grabbed at the drawstring of his jumper.

He stood still for a few seconds, taking deep breaths and wiping away the tears that had fallen on the bub's face.

"Michael?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming," he barked, snatching the box from the shelf and dropping it into the basket.

He turned around and went to the front, frustration bubbling inside. Of course they had to tell the entire store. That got people looking at him, and he couldn't tell if the ones that continued to stare instead of minding their own damn business were judging him for having a child, or for his irritation.

Despite his attempts to calm himself down, the brief sneer the assistant had on their face when they scanned the nicotine patches nearly had him storming outside.

As soon as he paid for his things and they were bagged, Michael retreated back to his car and sat inside for a few minutes, leaning his head against the steering wheel and taking deep, even breathes. His head was foggy and his thoughts weren't coming through clearly. The embarrassment that washed over him at humiliating himself in front of so many people didn't help his racing heart.

"Just breathe," he told himself. Of course, he knew his memories wouldn't just disappear, but he wished thinking of simple things like reflecting on his smoking habits wouldn't lead to his nightmares.

"I'm okay Geh Ge. Don't worry," he whispered, brushing his thumb against his bub's face. Geh Ge gave him a big smile, and it helped ease his racing thoughts. Right… back to making a home for the two of them.

Just one more stop, then he could relax.

-o0o-

The large warehouse containing all sorts of old furniture was a little ways past the apartment and Michael was excited to see what was inside.

Old things had always been exciting. The designs were so cool compared to modern furniture, and while it made sense from a business perspective to make everything smooth to reduce how many resources were used, it didn't stop it from being boring.

That, and old things tended to last years. His grandma (on his father's side) had a vintage Singer sewing machine, and it had still been working smoothly, even after seventy years of use. He'd managed to fix anything his siblings threw at him with that thing. It was a shame it had been sold.

It was quiet out here and his excitement was replaced with worry. There were only a few cars around, and the flat land made the wind bite into him when he stepped out. He looked down and found Geh Ge had fallen asleep again.

For a place like this, he was prepared. He just knew that there would be something Fazbear related in there. That wasn't to say that he wasn't impressed with the inside. It was huge and he found himself staring in awe at the space. Furniture was spread across the place: cabinets, rugs, tables, paintings, windows, doors, bookshelves, bed frames, cots, lamps and candelabras, chandeliers, chairs, toys, and trinkets to put on a shelf, books, movies, CDs, kitchenware, jewellery, suitcases – it was like stepping back into a different time period.

Two families were clustered together in different areas, with their children squealing in awe and pointing out their favourite items, while the rest were either browsing or offering up things from their own households.

He walked around the place, getting lost in the familiar, cosy feel the place gave off. There were some creepy things inside like a large doll that was as big as him and some freaky-looking paintings, but most of it was amazing. But just as he thought, he saw the display.

An entire section was dedicated to Fazbear merchandise and memorabilia. While he may have been able to prepare himself, nothing could prepare him for what he hadn't seen before.

Empty suits, masks, grubby plush toys, bubbleheads, figurines, clothes, posters – it was terrifying. Especially the green container full of waist-high, grey, Freddy toys with eyes that weren't blue and speakers similar to the Funtime Animatronic models. There was a look in their eyes that told him that they were more than toys. He turned his attention to the second-weirdest thing there: the humongous brown bunny with cymbals. That thing wasn't doing anything for him either.

Who the FUCK approved of these?!

Michael didn't dare look back at the display, his heart racing again. He could not have another breakdown. He held Geh Ge closer, rocking the bub. Seeing how peaceful he was helped calm him down.

All he was looking for was a mattress and a dresser, both of which he had no trouble finding in the section displaying bedroom furniture. He eyed the mattresses, trying to deduce which one was the newest. Two were watermarked, one had too many broken springs so you might as well sleep on the floor, and the last was too short for Michael's height.

He sat on the latter, feeling for the springs. The ones at the bottom were broken, but the rest were fine. He could deal with it – all he'd have to do is just curl up into a ball. That didn't bother him since he liked to hold himself when he slept anyway.

Mentally marking it, he found himself drawn to the trinkets on the shelves. The lanterns in particular caught his attention. He liked lanterns; there was just something about them that made him happy. He used to have one in his car, but it broke after he smashed it against a would-be thief's head.

One in particular caught his attention. It was shaped like an old, orange, wine bottle, and had some slight rust to the metal. Its lid was missing, and it seemed like the lighting mechanism had been removed entirely. Maybe if he slipped fairy lights through the top, it could turn into a beautiful nightlight for Geh Ge. The warm glow would be soothing on the eyes.

Michael couldn't help but smile at the idea. Maybe this would work out after all.

-o0o-

Even when he made it back to the apartment's car park, his work wasn't done. He stayed in the car, lazily picking off the tags on their new laundry. He'd get the washing on first before he did anything else. Geh Ge and Michael yawned together, as he stepped out of the car, the paper bag in his hands and backpack over his shoulder. He locked the car, setting for the long walk up and down the stairs.

The world had gone dark faster than normal. The clouds had covered the sun completely so that the only lights left were coming from the streetlights and windows. People would be returning home soon. Maybe he'd spot some of his fellow tenants. He wondered if any of them were interested in meeting him.

He hoped they wouldn't be for today. He could gauge what they were like in the morning.

The door to his room appeared and it was a relief to finally open it. Flicking the switch for the light, the place was bathed in a creamy glow that wasn't very pleasant. He crossed the room to turn the heater on before taking the now full laundry basket down to the laundry room.

Throwing it all in, he picked the cycle he wanted and paid the machine, relieved when it started to run with no complications. Setting a timer on his phone, he stumbled back to the car to unload the groceries. He had to make two trips to get everything up there with one arm and as a result, his arms and calves weren't happy with him. Actually, nothing in his body was happy with him at the moment aside from his heart.

Because despite it all, he was excited! It was like turning over a new leaf. For the first time in forever, he actually had a reason to… do things. Not only for himself but for someone he cared about.

Michael placed Geh Ge down on the sink where everything was dry and ready to be put away. He put the kitchenware away first so that it wouldn't topple over if he opened the cabinets, then the groceries and his medication. It was satisfying to see the empty cabinets and fridge filled. It made it feel more… homelier.

But he still needed to drag the mattress and dresser up. Luckily, neither was bigger than him, though he'd need to take some extra precaution with the dresser – the last thing he needed was to fall down the stairs because the drawers had fallen out. On each floor, he switched to a different arm, much to Geh Ge's confusion. "Sorry, bub," he gasped, letting the mattress flop in front of his doorway like the dresser. "Just a little more, then we're all done."

Michael dragged both inside his room and cleaned them off, making sure to vacuum up anything left on the floor and in the wake of his escapade up and down the stairs. It was the polite thing to do.

With the mattress nice and clean, and every inch of the dresser brushed through, he was content. He dragged the mattress over to the corner of the room near the bathroom door so he didn't trip over anything in the dark. He was so lost in what he was doing, that he nearly jumped out of his skin when his phone went off.

Michael transferred the laundry over and set the time for ninety minutes. With the machine rumbling softly, he was almost tempted to fall to the floor and drift away. But not yet.

He cleaned out his car one last time and dumped the price tags from the day in the bin. He double-checked he had everything (including the new wine nightlight) before he locked his car and went back upstairs to do the job he was most excited about: turning that room into a home.

Michael went back to pushing everything around, setting Geh Ge down on the soft mattress. "Sorry, bub; I'll need both my hands for his." Well, he had needed both of his hands this entire time, but he wasn't going to sit his bub on the floor. Geh Ge whined, waving his arms as he pulled away. "No, no, shhh. It's okay, bub," he reassured, kissing Geh Ge's forehead. "I'm only going to be a few steps away, see?" he added, showing how far he was going to be. Really, the place was eight paces wide and ten paces long. It really wasn't much space.

Seeing that his bub wasn't about to start crying, he turned around to push the dresser across so that it was facing the mattress. He immediately retrieved the new nightlight and carefully unwound the small fairy lights he had made an extra stop for so that they slipped down the neck easily. With them bundled inside and the switch hanging out, he turned it on and set it on top of the dresser.

Geh Ge squeaked, and Michael grinned as the room was filled with a wonderful, warm glow. It was beautiful, especially with the way the lights pushed through the glass to create little golden stars on the walls. He rushed over to the sink, picking up Evan's bear and sitting it next to the nightlight. His bub seemed to take delight in his movements as he rushed back and forth, putting the precious trinkets in the top drawer for safekeeping and all of the toys and books in the bottom so that when Geh Ge was older, he could grab them without hurting himself.

With the Foxy mask being the last thing to be put away, he sighed in relief, nearly falling to his knees. He still needed to cook, feed Geh Ge, wash him, tuck him into bed, have a shower himself, take the laundry from the dryer, and put the cleaning gear away.

Well, he'd start with the latter.

"I'm surprised you haven't gotten all grumpy pants on me yet," he chuckled, feeling his own exhaustion starting to hit him now that they were nearing the finishing line. "My siblings… they always got so mean when they were tired," he muttered, packing the trolley with the cleaning gear and rolling it down the hall. The storage closet for their floor was locked so he left it outside, pushing it against the wall.

Geh Ge cooed, yawning again. Michael walked back to their kitchen and started to mix up some formula. "You haven't eaten since this morning. Aren't you hungry?" It wasn't really a question – Michael was going to feed him either way.

"Ahh, bree, uooo," he babbled, raising his arms up. Michael shook up the bottle and sat down on the floor so he could prop Geh Ge up a bit without straining himself. The second the bottle was up to his bub's face he immediately latched on.

"Don't drink too fast. You'll make yourself sick," he warned, lifting the bottle up a bit. Geh Ge whined, but Michael didn't give it back until the bub learned to take it slowly. Despite his efforts, when the bottle was empty, not soon after did Geh Ge start grunting. Michael straightened him up and laid the bub's head against his shoulder as he gently tapped his back with two fingers, burping him a couple of times.

"I told you. Are you feeling any better?"

"Brrrgh."

He smiled, pulling away to see his eyes drooping. He stood up so he could wash the bottle and start making his own food, wishing he could drift off that easily. Hopefully he could after today's workload.

His meal wasn't something too hard, or healthy. It was actually just mac n' cheese, but he wasn't up for anything difficult right now. Of course, the universe decided that once he had finished getting his food ready, the laundry had to be finished. Huffing, he put his plate back in the microwave and trudged back downstairs for the last time.

Their things were complexly dry and he nearly ran upstairs with the full basket, glad for it to be over. The sound of his door finally locking was a relief. It signalled the end of the day and told him they were safe.

He laid his bub back on the mattress and started folding the clothes, separating them in the second drawer. Geh Ge kept babbling behind him and he 'humm'ed and 'yeah'ed every now and then, as though the bub was saying anything actually coherent. He put the towels in the bathroom, laid the bed sheets down by the mattress, and picked out something for Geh Ge to wear for the night. Michael's jumper needed to be washed too, so the bub couldn't have it forever, even if he protested otherwise.

Yawning, he retrieved his dinner and wolfed it down, Geh Ge watching him. He swallowed, grinning at the bub. "Just because I'm eating quickly, doesn't mean you can. It's not good for either of us." Geh Ge only blinked at him, a smile growing on his face. Michael returned it, finishing his meal before he tickled his bub's cheek and washed his plate and spoon. He'd clean it properly after breakfast.

"I'm ready for a shower, and you need another bath," he said, taking him into his arms. He sniffed a bit and sighed. Nature had called for his bub anyway. He carried Geh Ge into the bathroom and started the process of wiping him clean and dropping the nappy in a nappy bag. He plugged the sink and started the warm water, gently rubbing soap onto his hands and getting the bub clean.

Geh Ge whined, clearly not enjoying his bath as much as before. Michael understood – he'd rather be in bed right now too. He didn't drag it out for his sake, and dried him off with one of the smaller towels, patting him down until he was completely dry. Laying him down on the towel, he gently rubbed some baby powder over Geh Ge's waist and legs to stop the nappy from causing any irritation. While there had been none so far, it was better to be safe than sorry with new clothes being thrown into the mix.

He tucked Geh Ge into his new pyjamas and took the bub into their little room before he remembered he had to make the bed. Groaning, Michael got to work, but by the time he was done, Geh Ge was sound asleep. Despite his exhaustion, he smiled and kissed his forehead. "Sleep well, Geh Ge."

-o0o-

A shower later and Michael was in his own pyjamas. Turning all of the lights off and curling into bed, he held Geh Ge close to his chest where he would be safe and warm.

He barely had enough energy to pull the blankets up before his head hit the pillow and he was out.

For the first time in forty years, he slept well.

TO BE CONTINUED…