FNAF: What's Inside

Chapter 13: The Whole Crew

Braedan

I straighten up and looked around the office. "Guess I better get going." I picked up my flashlight and walked out the right door towards the stage. I reached the end of the short hall and looked out into the pizzeria. The whole crew was waiting on and around the stage.

"He's here." Freddi said from the corner of the stage.

"That does seem to be the case, as I could hear you say that." I said with a smirk. Freddi growled in response.

"Freddi. Play nice." Chica said quietly. Freddi looked at Chica and nodded. I grab a chair and sit down.

"So… we're all here." I said with a small smile. "So what now?" Freddi glared at me. I grinned back. "Does Freddi need a hug?"

"If you try, I will hurt you." Freddi replied.

"You could try, but I'm a hard person to hurt." I smirked at her.

"I could manage. Steel works pretty well against bones." Freddi shot back.

"Stop it! Both of you!" Bonnie yelled as she stood up.

"I'll be backstage." Freddi growled as she got up and left.

"Freddi…" Foxy said.

"She doesn't trust me…" I said with a small laugh. "Oh how the tables have turned."

"What do you mean by that?" Chica asked as she looked at me.

"Nothing. It's too complicated." I replied cheerfully. They all stared at me.

"Um… can you tell us anyways?" TB asked hopefully.

"Please?" Bonnie said as she looked at me.

"Uh…" I froze. "Well…" TF suddenly tackled me.

"Please!" TF exclaimed.

"Another time. Alright?" I replied as I got up.

"Okay." TF said as she sat back down.

"I'm gonna go talk to Freddi. I'll see you guys around." I said quietly.

"Well, for what it's worth, welcome to the pizzeria." Foxy said before getting up.

"Thanks. Glad to hear it." I said as I headed backstage. "Freddi? I know you're back here."

"What do you want?" Freddi glared from the corner.

"To apologize. I've been pushing your buttons since I met you. I was letting my past experiences cloud my judgment."

"Past experiences? What, you can't hold a girlfriend?" Freddi sneered.

"One, I'm glad you think so highly of me," I sarcastically reply. "But that has nothing to do with this. Regardless, since you obviously dislike me, I'm gonna go." I turn and walk back out to the stage.

"Good riddance!" Freddi called after me.

"Ugh. Hopefully she'll warm up to me eventually." I mutter before sitting on the edge of the stage. I stared at the floor in silence. That did not go well. Although, I've had worse interactions with her…

"Hey." Chica said as she prodded my shoulder.

"Huh?" I looked up at her. "Chica? What's up?"

"What happened back there with Freddi?" Chica said quietly.

"… Well, even a friendly guy like me can't bat a thousand." I joke. Chica smiled slightly and sat down next to me.

"You shouldn't judge her too quickly. We haven't had the best…relationship with nightguards." Chica said.

"I know." From personal experience. "I get that. I haven't exactly done anything to foster trust though, so I don't really blame her."

"Freddi's just worried. She wants to make sure you aren't like Rex." Chica replied. I clench my fists.

"I get it." I unclenched my fists and stood up. "I'll be in the office if anyone needs me."

"… Alright…" Chica said quietly. I nod before starting to head back to the office.

"I need another root beer." I groaned as I sat down. "And some music."

"Maria would probably like that." I froze.

"Hello? Who's there?" I said as I looked around. Bonnie stood in the left doorway, leaning against the frame.

"Just me." Bonnie said with a smile.

"Bonnie." I sigh and lean back in my chair. "So Maria would like some music too?"

"Probably. She always listens to our shows." Bonnie replied.

"Huh. Figures." I murmured. "Some things never change…" I silently sat there. So many nights, blurring together. Bonnie snapped her fingers in front of me, causing me to blink.

"Braedan! You okay?" Bonnie asked as I focused on her.

"Huh? Oh. Yeah. Just got lost in thought." I replied before shaking my head. She stared at me.

"You seem a pretty out of it. What's up?" She asked as she leaned against the desk.

"I dunno. Just… thinking I guess. I haven't exactly been living the high life." I said with a small sigh. "Lots of injuries in my line of work."

"Injuries?" She questioned, seeming surprised.

"Forget I mentioned it." I said quickly. Bonnie just stared at me in confusion.

"… A topic for another time." Bonnie said with a small smile. "Alright?" I slowly smiled back.

"Yeah… maybe." I said quietly as I leaned back in my chair. "I really need to try and make nice with Freddi at some point." Bonnie nodded.

"You guys definitely need to smooth that out." She sighed. I nodded and sighed.

"Yeah... But that might be difficult. Some of the issues are hard to solve..." Like our constant battle to my death.
"Hey. Hang in there. Freddi will come around soon enough." Bonnie said with a small smile. I smiled back.

"You're probably right, but I need to set things straight myself. After all, I helped cause the issue." Bonnie grinned.

"You certainly did help." She chuckled. "At the very least you kept pushing her buttons till she snapped."

"That I did. And I wasn't really trying to enrage her. Didn't even think I could." I said absentmindedly. Bonnie's grin fell.

"What's that supposed to mean?" She asked, slightly defensive.

"I dunno. She just seems… solid. Up until that point, I thought it was just all in good fun. She threatens me, I crack a joke. She shrugs it off. I just didn't think I was actually digging at her. And now, I feel like a jerk because of it." Bonnie relaxed and sighed.

"Well, while you didn't mean for it to hurt her, it did." She said quietly. "And it's your responsibility to help fix it, but I'd let her be for a bit. She needs to cool off a little."

"... Alright. I'll let her go for now. I'll try to think of a way to make it up to her." I smiled. "Thanks for the advice though."

"No problem." Bonnie replied. "Thanks for actually caring about our feelings."

"Why wouldn't I? You're obviously women. There's ten of you. I'm out of my league. That means I gotta watch my step." I joked. Bonnie just laughed.

"Very funny." She said with a smile. "You're a good guy. Way better than the last night guard. I think you'll be fine."

"Think so? I'm definitely staying, but I'd rather have friends," I smiled. "And I feel like most people would be better than Rex Sidelo."

"Yeah." Bonnie nodded. "Not much competition."