She thought it was going to be quick maintenance, but that wasn't the case.
Without the lights, shadows pooled into the walls and the white tile floor. Circus Baby didn't like being here, and she wanted to be back on her stage. Instead, she was propped onto a metal workbench and slumped over, almost no different than the motionless endoskeletons in the corner, which were only bodies of braided wires with dull eyes. But unlike them, she had her metal shell with her pigtails, her red dress and glossy skin. She was still covered in bits of glitter, having been brought to Parts & Service right after her latest show, but you wouldn't be able to tell in the dark. Her attempts to move were useless since the technicians took her power module. It tauntingly sat on a shelf across from her, next to a box of spare bolts.
Circus Baby couldn't even close her eyes and pretend to be on her stage. Instead of microphones or scattered confetti, she was stuck staring at greasy tools and cans of polish. She hoped the technicians would come back soon. She counted the seconds, being the only thing she could do. No footsteps returned to the door. When minutes stretched into an hour, she realized they would probably wait until morning to fix her. A small part of her feared they might not come back.
She tried to move again but nothing budged. Silence pooled in the dark.
"Can someone hear me?" her soft voice filtered out.
At least she could still talk. But any relief fizzled as the quiet simply swallowed her words. Parts & Service was so far away from the party rooms, and the door was shut tight, so it was unlikely anyone would hear her. Maybe she could sing a song since it was louder than her speaking voice. Unfortunately, those speakers relied on her power module as well.
She made another attempt to move her hand. Her fingers wouldn't so much as twitch.
There was no noise except the dull roar of her thoughts. In the dark, without the blue lights of her eyes, the room felt like the inside of a present box, sealed up tight and waiting to be opened. But what happened to the gift inside when that present was hidden a bit too well? Or if someone decided not to open it at all?
Her fear became like a mouse trapped in her wiry insides and running out of air.
Soft thumps in the wall froze her thoughts. Circus Baby listened carefully. The thumps got closer until they reached the grate to the small, ventilation opening. The grate rattled. It sounded like something struck the inside. The grate rattled once more and then popped loose as a blue shape tumbled out. Both bounced off a shelf and struck the floor with a metallic splat and clatter.
The rabbit-like figure dizzily rose his head.
"Bon-Bon?" Circus Baby whispered.
His glowing eyes shifted over, his face brightened, and he waved his paw.
The hand puppet's voice came out in a girlish squeak, "Don't worry, Baby. We'll have you out in a jiffy!"
She would have asked who he meant by 'we,' but she had a feeling she already knew.
Not having legs, or really any kind of lower body, Bon-Bon hopped across the floor, a bit like someone in a potato sack race. He leapt up a stack of boxes, then onto a table that was beside the door. Bon-Bon then tapped his paw against the door and called softly, "Can you hear me? I'm in!"
A deeper but still shrill voice hissed on the other side, "Great! Now open the door!"
Bon-Bon winked at Circus Baby then jokingly said, "Nope!"
"What!" The door handle rattled, "Lemme in!"
"What's the magic word?~"
"Please open the door," there was a thump of a fist, "or I'll turn you into a basketball!"
Bon-Bon rose his paws, "Good enough!"
The hand puppet wiggled before springing off the table and latching onto the door handle. It turned with a click as he dangled off it. Immediately, the door flapped open and smacked the wall. A glossy, purple-and-white bear animatronic with a missing hand barged into the room. His wide, blue eyes darted around until they stopped on Circus Baby.
"Baby!" exclaimed Funtime Freddy. He darted across the room with rapid and heavy thumps of his feet. Her vision was full of his worried face, "Can you hear me? Are you okay?"
"Yes…" she answered softly. She was touched by the concern in his voice.
He looked very relieved when she answered.
There was then a squeaky groan behind the door.
Freddy winced, "Oops."
The clownish bear moved back to the door and tugged it away from the wall. This revealed the hand puppet crumpled on the floor. The bear grimaced, "Sorry, Bon-Bon."
As Freddy picked him up, Bon-Bon's eyes swirled in opposing directions and he mumbled, "Did anyone get the license number of that truck?"
When Bon-Bon's eyes wouldn't realign, Funtime Freddy rattled him and caused his rabbit ears and arms to jangle like metal noodles. When Freddy stopped, Bon-Bon's eyes bounced around a bit before finally settling back into the right position.
A giggle couldn't help but escape Circus Baby. It was no surprise the children found the duo's comedy act so funny.
"What are you two doing here?" she inquired, getting their attention. "Aren't you supposed to be resting on stage?"
"We should be asking you that," Freddy answered. Instead of re-attaching Bon-Bon to his wrist, Freddy simply had the rabbit cling to his shoulder. He walked back to Baby as he continued, "You were gone for a while. We came to check on you!"
"Freddy couldn't sit still," Bon-Bon added. He gave Baby a knowing look, "He was really worried about you."
Freddy narrowed his eyes at Bon-Bon and clamped his hand over the hand-puppet's face before he could say more. While the rabbit's paws fruitlessly hit his fingers, Freddy casually changed the subject, "So what happened? You seemed to work just fine up until those technicians took you away."
"My balloon dispenser broke. The technicians brought me here, but since it was the end of the day," her voice fell, "I guess they decided to just disconnect my power and fix me in the morning."
Freddy's cheerful demeanor changed in an instant.
"They were going to leave you like this?!" Freddy's voice rose and sharpened with indignation as he released Bon-Bon.
"Shh!" Bon-Bon hushed. He held a paw to his teeth, like a librarian would a finger to her lips, "Not so loud. We need to be sneaky, remember?"
Freddy quieted, but his glare remained, fixated on the floor.
Baby didn't expect him to be so upset. After a tense pause, she ventured to ask, "Maybe you could return my power module? It is on the shelf, right behind you."
Freddy and Bon-Bon swerved their heads towards the shelf. Bon-Bon then rose his arm and suggested, "I'll watch the door! Why don't you help Baby?"
The bear smiled cheekily, "You wanna watch the door? I'd say you got a face-full already."
Bon-Bon cuffed his ear, "And who's fault was that? Just put me down already!"
Soon enough, the rabbit was back on the table. They also shut the door and locked it to avoid being discovered. If they were caught, they'd be likely sent back to their stage or, worse yet, the technicians would pry them open and dig around their circuit boards to adjust their programming and pathfinding. Unfortunately, the shut door made Parts & Service dark again and the shadows happily flooded back into place. However, this time, Bon-Bon's illuminated, magenta gaze stayed fixed on the door, along with his ears pressed against it, all the while the blue glow of Funtime Freddy's eyes cut the dark as his gaze settled back on her. In the beams of his eyes, Circus Baby could actually see the bluish twinkles of the leftover glitter on her arms and dress. She looked like she took a stroll through a garden of stars.
It was to her disappointment then when the lights of his gaze left her, but this was overtaken by the uplifting realization that he had turned his attention back to the shelf. His vision bounced along the shelved boxes until catching on a small, black, disk shape between them. The disk was the size of a half-dollar coin, but it looked more like a small penny in fingers. He curiously eyed the module as he returned to her, "Alright. Now what?"
"I remember watching them remove it. Just follow my instructions. There should be a button under my left cheek. Press it."
Having only one hand, Freddy had to set the power module beside her before he could press the tiny, white button under her round, red cheek.
"Good. Now press the button beside my right eye."
He did. For a few moments, there was just the sound of Baby's soft voice and the occasional click of Freddy lightly tapping her face plate where she directed. Freddy was probably the least delicate among the group, and yet, she found him being particularly careful, as if she were made of porcelain.
As unexpected as it was seeing Freddy here, Baby couldn't imagine anyone else breaking in like this. His curiosity and general impulsiveness usually had him forcing himself into places he shouldn't, so it was one of Bon-Bon's functions to reel him back. Freddy was infamous for causing trouble. And yet, it was that same unpredictability that brought him in front of her, having even roped Bon-Bon into helping.
"I'm pretty sure it doesn't take half as many steps to open up my plates," Freddy murmured after half a minute of directions.
"There's just a few more. Once you get my face open, then we can reconnect my power."
Despite his complaint, there wasn't any impatience in Freddy's movements. In fact, there was a point where he paused. Funtime Freddy stared in the direction of her eyes for a few, long seconds.
Circus Baby wasn't sure why and felt a twinge of nervousness, "What is it?"
"Ah, sorry. I got distracted." He gently pressed the next button on her left temple, "I don't think I've had a good look at your eyelashes before. They're pretty."
Baby was stunned. She never heard that kind of compliment before, and she'd have sooner expected to hear it directed to Ballora, having twice as many eyelashes as her. Baby would have shuffled bashfully if she could have. Instead, she murmured a polite thank you and resumed her instructions.
As Freddy moved onto the next button, Baby found herself staring at his face. She technically couldn't help it since she couldn't move her eyes, but that just meant that she had the perfect excuse to study his features. His rounded, purplish snout and matching circular cheeks against his white face reminded her of cake decorations. There was a constant and near-infectious excitability built into his expression. His black, glossy nose was also very close to her own nose, and she had every temptation to press it—if only her arms would move. Him complimenting her eyelashes got her wondering what feature of his she liked. Perhaps his black top hat. Top hats were naturally dapper, and his nearly was as it matched his bowtie and buttons, but its miniature size made it seem goofily endearing, almost giving the impression he borrowed it from his hand puppet. If she recalled correctly, there was something special about his hat as well.
"Press the button under my right cheek," she directed him.
When Freddy pressed it, all dozens of her face-plates snapped open with a loud pop and hiss. His head jolted back in surprise. When nothing else happened, he relaxed with a scoff and nudged her foot, "Give a guy a little warning next time!"
"Sorry. I forgot that happened," Baby said, but she was lying. She had hoped to surprise him since his hat did a funny thing where it lifted off his head using the pole built into his skull. Unfortunately, he wasn't caught off guard enough, so the hat stayed firmly planted between his round ears. She did end up spooking Bon-Bon, who jumped a foot in the air at the gunshot-like noise.
With her face-plates open, Baby's silvery, wire-woven endoskeleton skull was exposed. It made her feel vulnerable. But when she directed Freddy to press another small button on her jaw, he moved even more carefully than before. A hatch then opened on her right arm.
"Place the module inside there."
He did. Freddy then followed her instructions to close her plates again. As soon as they fully snapped shut, the power module clicked into place. Its charge immediately coursed through her system and felt like air racing into a deflated balloon. The blue lights in her eyes flicked on, bouncing off Freddy's shiny, smiling snout. Baby wiggled her fingers with metallic shushes, and she took in the clicks of her joints as she shuffled in her seat, relishing in being able to move. Circus Baby looked to Funtime Freddy with gratitude, "Thank you so much."
He smiled for a moment, only to sharply gasp, "Oh no! We almost forgot to press the most important button!"
Baby froze, confused. She could move just fine now, and she was certain she followed all the steps. What was he—
Freddy tapped her red nose with a ting as he squawked, "Honk!"
This startled a laugh out of Baby. Freddy's smile grew, quite pleased by her giggles.
Out of everyone she knew, he always made her laugh. This, Circus Baby realized, was truly her favorite thing about him.
"Is Baby fixed now?" Bon-Bon called softly from the door.
Freddy answered, "Yup! All good!"
"Great! Let's go back to our stage then."
Funtime Freddy immediately moved towards the door, but Circus Baby grabbed his hand, tugging him to a stop, "Wait!" He looked at their hands in surprise then to her. "I don't think I can leave."
"What?" The concern returned to his voice. He fully faced the workbench, peering at her legs. "Can't you walk?" He almost looked like he was going to pick her up.
Baby held up her hand, "My balloon dispenser is still broken. If I leave now, the technicians will just put me back here until it's repaired. And I don't know how to fix it either."
She demonstrated by stirring her fingers, attempting to inflate a balloon. Instead, her round fingertips only gave a weak hiss of air.
His eyebrows clicked together in a furrow. Freddy held her hand and turned it over, as if the problem would be obvious. He then looked around the room, the beams of his gaze bouncing from one box to another, "Surely there's blueprints somewhere…"
Not finding anything useful, Freddy looked helplessly to Bon-Bon, who sadly shrugged. The bear's gaze returned to Baby, "Does that mean you're just stuck here anyways?"
He sounded so heartbroken. Baby felt an ache in her inner core as his cheeriness was stripped away.
"It's probably just until morning," she tried to assure him and herself. "I still have shows scheduled tomorrow. They will want me fixed before then."
Freddy looked to the floor, as if searching for a solution.
Baby knew he needed to get back to their stage, or else they'd risk getting in trouble. Still, she was glad for the visit and it gave her courage to wait a little more.
Just as she was going to thank them, Freddy straightened up with a determined look and he marched to her right side. There was a metallic creak and clunk as he then sat himself next to her on the workbench.
He huffed, "If you're not going anywhere, then we're staying too."
Her eyebrows lifted, "But you need to get back to your stage."
"Not until morning. And that's not for another few hours."
Baby's voice softened, "You'd be willing to stay here that long?"
"Why not? It'd be so boring all by yourself!" Freddy then gave one of his infectious smiles.
It occurred to Baby that Bon-Bon was designed specifically to keep him on-stage and prevent wandering. She worriedly looked to the hand puppet, "Are you okay with this?"
Bon-Bon tapped his paw to his chin with a little hum. He then answered, "Like Freddy said, as long as we're back before morning, we'll be fine!"
"So?" Baby felt Freddy press closer to her, his voice full of hope and anticipation, "What do'ya think? Up for a slumber party?"
Her mind still reeled with disbelief, like finding out a pleasant dream was real. Her answer stumbled out, "I…yes, absolutely."
Freddy broke into elated laughter. His fingers went to his snout in a fruitless attempt to soften the noise. He glanced at the door and tried to speak quietly but his excitement pushed it to as loud of a whisper as you could get, "This'll be great! We can talk, play games and do whatever we want until the place opens!"
Baby forgot how close they were until Freddy turned his head back towards her and their noses nearly connected as he continued, "There's so many options! I can't decide. What do you wanna do first?"
She blinked with soft clicks of her eyelids. "Oh! Well…I'm not sure either. I didn't think there would be much for me to do except sit here for the next several hours." The light beams in her eyes slid over the room, which had previously seemed so dark and claustrophobic, before resettling on the friendly face next to her, "…I really can't thank you enough for being here."
Freddy was surprised by the sincerity in her voice.
Baby then looked to Bon-Bon to add, "And I'm quite sure Freddy's plan wouldn't have gone as smoothly without your help."
Bon-Bon giggled bashfully with one paw on his cheek as he waved dismissively with the other.
After tilting her head back in thought, Baby then suggested, "What if we played a game? Though this room is a bit too small for something like Tag or Hide-and-Seek…"
"Oo! But there's guessing games!" Freddy exclaimed.
Bon-Bon piped in pointedly, "As long as it's something quiet."
Freddy rolled his eyes and repeated, waving his empty stub of a wrist, "As long as it's something quiet." He looked to Baby, "How's about charades?"
"I like that game," Baby answered. "Foxy was always really good at charades. It's too bad him and Ballora aren't here to join in the fun." After a pause, she added, "Is there a reason they didn't come with you?"
Freddy's excitability wavered for a moment. He scratched his finger against his chrome temple.
"They weren't worried. They kept saying you'd be back in the morning," Freddy huffed and looked to the wall, "But I didn't feel like waiting."
They were quiet for a moment, contemplative.
Freddy then nudged her with his elbow and teased, "Besides, we wouldn't want to deprive you of seeing my handsome face, now would we?"
Baby sputtered a laugh as Freddy punctuated his words by holding his chin as if posing for a magazine cover. At the same time, she wasn't disagreeing. Despite his clownish appearance, his face-plates were still arranged to give him the appealing appearance of a cleft chin and strong jaw. Still, she kept this observation to herself.
Eventually, they settled on playing I Spy, since they didn't have to move from their seats and they figured Freddy would be at a disadvantage with charades while missing a hand. Unfortunately, I Spy turned out to be a little too easy in the dark since the light beams in their eyes put a literal spotlight on whatever object they were looking at.
As they tried to think of other games, they naturally drifted towards conversation instead. Baby asked about the other's shows, and Freddy happily updated her on what she missed, how Foxy and Ballora's own shows went and anything funny he noticed about the guests. He especially enjoyed sharing his favorite jokes and gags from his latest routine.
Freddy attempted to keep his voice down despite his enthusiasm. The result was him pinching Baby's pigtail and lifting it to murmur various, goofy impressions in her ear, which was actually built into her pigtail, all the while Baby laced her fingers over her smile, muffling her own laughter.
All the while, Bon-Bon observed the two chatting away on the workbench. He glanced at the ceiling in careful thought. He then piped up, "Say, guys! I think I'll be able to keep a better lookout in the vents."
"Did'ja want me to toss you up there?" Freddy offered.
"I got it!" Bon-Bon found that there were notches big enough along the sides of the metal shelves that he was able to climb his way up them. Half-way up, he paused to give Freddy a side-eye, "…You're just looking for an excuse to throw me, aren't you?"
"Maybe!"
If Bon-Bon had a tongue to stick out, he would have. Freddy chuckled in amusement.
After the rabbit pushed open the grate and disappeared into the dark square in the ceiling, Circus Baby asked, "I'm still surprised that Bon-Bon let you leave your stage. How did you manage that?"
"Well, I am a master of a persuasion," Funtime Freddy answered.
From the hole above, Bon-Bon's voice filtered out, "He practically begged my ears off!"
"Weren't you leaving?!" Freddy hissed at the ceiling, flustered. Baby saw his hat start to move but not fully lift. Bon-Bon's giggles grew distant as the soft thumps of his paws moved along the ceiling over the hallway outside. Freddy huffed and made a noise like clearing his throat.
For a moment, Parts & Service was quiet, but the absence of voices was more comfortable this time. In its place, there was the shuttering clicks of eyelids and the faint squeak of metal bodies shifting their weight. Baby gently rocked her feet with light creaks of her ankles, mainly just enjoying being able to move again. It was so strange to her that the place that once felt like a cramped jail cell now felt so comfortable. She never realized the company of a friend could be so transformative. Had she always she felt so at ease around her friends or was there something about Freddy in particular? He wasn't usually known for his calming demeanor.
Just as Baby turned her head towards Freddy, so did he, resulting in their noses clinking against each other. For a moment, they froze, the lights of their eyes locked together. Freddy was the first to turn his head away, with the beams of his gaze skating rather hurriedly from the floor tile to the shelves, all the while he adjusted his bowtie with his good hand. Now Baby was a little worried. Freddy was being uncharacteristically quiet. Was something wrong with him?
As Baby discreetly stared, Freddy shuffled his weight with a light creak from his metal shell. She noticed the lights from his eyes edge across the floor and reach the curled tip of her red shoe before suddenly retreating. He was having trouble looking at her specifically—like he was shy. This sparked curiosity in her; he was never like this around the others. Was it because they were alone? Baby found it a little funny, but she was intrigued to see a different side of him. It felt like learning a secret.
The glitter on her face then glistened when the lights of Freddy's eyes eventually returned to her. His voice broke the quiet, "I saw you juggling earlier."
"Oh?" A playfulness entered her voice, "Did you like watching my show?"
Freddy's eyes shifted away to the wall, once again seeming bashful, "Well, I just had a glance." He then brought his gaze back, "But, I thought I saw you juggling cupcakes. Have you done that before?"
"No, actually." She drummed her fingers against her metal skirt. Baby lowered her voice, as if delivering a secret, "I went off-script. I…thought cupcakes would be more fun."
His eyebrows rose in interest, "You improvised!"
"The technicians don't like it very much."
Freddy huffed, "Well, the technicians wouldn't know creativity if it bit them in the face. You've got great ideas!"
Baby felt a happy stir at his words.
His elbow clinked against her arm, and he urged, "Come on, tell me more! I wanna hear how your show went!"
It didn't take that much convincing for Baby to go into further detail. She described how she swapped the juggling balls for cupcakes, starting with only two, then gradually adding more, adding cupcakes of different colors, until she was juggling a rainbow of pinks, blues, greens and sprinkles.
Freddy listened very intently, and he only piped up towards the end, "Please tell me you threw a cupcake at somebody."
"I did. At several children. And they were thrilled."
Freddy threw his head back in laughter. It was loud, but, to her own surprise, Baby didn't care. She liked how his voice filled the room, and that she could be the one to make him laugh this time. She found herself loving the sound and wanting to hear it again.
Baby would have produced some cupcakes to re-create her trick for him but the technicians emptied her of her baking materials as per the nighttime protocol. She wouldn't have fresh ingredients until morning.
Freddy then nudged her, "Next time you should throw a cupcake my way."
Baby smiled coyly and replied, "I'm sure that would really bake your day."
The bear snorted into a laugh, "Oh, and it comes with puns? That's just icing on the cake!"
"I try to sprinkle them in."
Freddy laughed harder, making his body plates rattle.
They got into something of a pun duel for the next several minutes. Their shared laughter mingled and danced together. However, it got to a point where Freddy could hardly talk, breaking into squeaking chuckles before he could finish a joke as he helplessly clutched his snout shut. All the while, a small part of Baby grew increasingly aware of how noisy they were getting. But she told that part of herself to shush, at least for now. She was having so much fun, and she didn't want to let go of this moment so soon. Besides, if they were truly getting too noisy, surely Bon-Bon would re-appear and tell them so.
Ignoring her instincts, Baby continued to make Freddy laugh. She discovered he had a weakness for knock-knock jokes. It was a challenge thinking of ones that Freddy himself hadn't already used in his own shows, but she eventually succeeded.
"Knock-knock," she called.
He answered in a sing-song, "Who's there?~"
"Ice cream."
Freddy paused, taking a moment to search his databank. Apparently not finding a match, he asked curiously, "Ice cream who?"
She leaned and cupped her hand to his ear to murmur, "Ice cream because you haven't let me in!"
He broke into laughter, completely forgetting to cover his mouth, "Oh, that's a good one! I can't believe I haven't heard that before."
"Surely you've heard about the one of the boy who put a cupcake in the freezer, haven't you?" Baby asked suddenly, while Freddy was still recovering. She timed her words carefully, like winding up a baseball bat.
Freddy's eyebrows rose, "No. Why'd he do that?"
"Because his mother told him to ice it."
Her joke hit its target. Freddy ripped into another round of uncontrolled laughs, rattling his whole body.
He rocked in his seat until he accidentally tipped a bit too far back. His laughing smile froze, realizing he lost his balance. Baby managed to grab his hand to stop him before he fell off the workbench completely.
However, there was a sharp sklunk noise of Freddy's foot kicking over the workbench stool. The lights of the animatronics' eyes winked off the metal stool as it toppled. Instead of it hitting the ground, the stool struck the leg of a fold-out stand that a shell-less endoskeleton sat stop of, thereby knocking in the leg. The endoskeleton slumped over, and the two spectators watched in shock as the body of chrome wires slid off the stand, plummeting just out of their reach.
The endoskeleton's body gave a thunderous crash against the floor, coupled with the crackling hisses of its wiry body rattling against itself as if it were a pit of venomous springs coils. Freddy and Baby stared in mute horror.
Freddy was of course the first to break the tense quiet by whispering, "Maybe nobody heard that…"
Not even a full minute later, very rapid thumps moved through the ceiling, racing from the hall to above their heads. Bon-Bon's rabbit ears and wide-eyed expression thrust from the square, vent opening like an upside-down rabbit hole.
"Someone's coming!" Bon-Bon squeaked. He reached out with his paw, "We need to leave!"
Freddy's metal shell scraped off the workbench and his heavy feet clacked against the ground. He reached for Bon-Bon, to grab him and race away, but he hesitated. His gaze flicked to Baby then back, "We can't leave her."
"But we can't stay, or we'll get in trouble. We need to go back to our stage!"
Baby saw Freddy's face plate jitter as he processed the command. It was Bon-Bon's directive, trying to lead Freddy back onto his stage. The bear's arm fully extended, finally taking hold of the rabbit's paw, but his movements were jerky, as if pushing against himself. Freddy shuddered to another uncomfortable stop. At this rate, Freddy might not be able to leave the room in time. He was going to get caught.
Bon-Bon exclaimed, "Freddy! Let's g—"
"Hide behind me," Baby spoke up.
Their gazes snapped to her. She urged, "Quickly."
Freddy looked to Bon-Bon in a silent plea. The hand-puppet's eyes shifted for a second and then he made a worried groan, letting go of Freddy, "Okay, hide! Hurry!"
Bon-Bon ducked back into the ceiling as Funtime Freddy rushed around the workbench, stepping behind Circus Baby. He was just barely hidden and had to hunch down to avoid his top hat being visible.
All the while, Baby let her body relax and slump over slightly, recreating how she sat when she was deactivated. She turned off the lights in her eyes, darkening the room. With Freddy pressed against her back, she whispered, "Be still and very quiet."
Out in the hall, a rapid thump of footsteps grew, only stopping at the door.
With a hollow rattle, the door unlocked and its hinges whined, allowing the pale beam of a flashlight to flood inside. The silhouette of the night guard stood in the doorway, appearing more as a shadow than a person. His flashlight sharply darted around the room, twitching its light off metal shapes like a warden taking a head count. The searching light caught on the fallen endoskeleton, which was a vaguely humanoid shape of twisted metal.
The guard slowly stepped into the room.
He moved around the endoskeleton, which subsequently brought him closer to the workbench. Circus Baby felt Funtime Freddy's fingers close into a fist against her back. She could hear his glassy eyes clicking around. Baby wanted to whisper for him to be still, but the guard was so close he would have overheard.
The guard's attention was on the endoskeleton. He made a half-circle around it, now only a few feet from the workbench. If the guard looked opposite of the endoskeleton and simply turned his head, he would see Freddy. There was only the sound of the guard's breathing.
Now the guard stooped down, focusing his light on the bent leg of the foldable stand then to the endoskeleton. The robot's eye sat next to its wiry face, having popped out when the skull hit the ground. The guard made a disconcerted grunt.
He straightened onto his feet and moved back around the endoskeleton, then stumbling on the fallen stool. The stool's metal body gave a light shriek against the tile, breaking the tense quiet. The guard flailed, sending his flashlight's beam wildly around the room. The light darted across Funtime Freddy's arm, but the guard's eyes were towards the ground, trying to find his feet.
The guard regained his balance, panting. He fully focused on the falling stool. Baby felt a stab of panic, realizing he might investigate what knocked it over and search the room.
He picked up the stool and pulled it upright, next to the foldable stand. A pang of relief hit Baby. The guard seemed to assume the stand buckled on its own, causing the endoskeleton to fall and knock down the stool, not the other way around. The guard moved towards the door, not touching the endoskeleton. Perhaps he felt it too risky to try moving it or he might be held responsible for any damages, made worse by him not being a technician.
The guard stopped before he reached the door and turned around, giving the room a slow sweep from his flashlight.
The guard's light fell on Circus Baby and lingered for some reason.
She had no idea if she was looking at her or past her. She didn't dare move her eyes.
The guard focused on Baby's face, which was so much bigger than his. The light bounced off her white face and red-painted lips, also causing the shadows to pool in the gaps between her plates and her permanently-fixed smile. The guard gave a small shudder, causing the light to jitter, and he finally turned away.
The door clacked shut, and darkness snapped over the room. Footsteps moved down the hall, slowly shrinking. Silence remained, until it was broken by a shuffle from above as a pair of glowing eyes emerged from the ceiling.
"The coast is clear!" Bon-Bon whispered.
Baby felt Freddy's grip on her shoulder relax. He didn't let go, however, and he leaned over so the beams in his gaze fell on her face, where her eyes were still darkened. He murmured, "You okay?"
"Yes." She flicked the lights in her eyes back on and straightened up. Freddy smiled at her confirmation, but she didn't notice. Baby was too busy staring at the endoskeleton's dislodged eyeball, which seemed to condemningly stare back at her.
Freddy didn't notice this, however, and he moved back around the workbench, now standing in front of Baby and under where Bon-Bon poked from the ceiling.
"Whew!" Freddy chuckled good-humoredly, "That was a close one!"
"Way too close!" Bon-Bon squeaked. He shook a chiding paw at Freddy, "You need to be more careful."
Freddy waved him off with his good hand, "You worry too much. It worked out fine! All thanks to Baby's quick thinking."
"But it was my fault in the first place," Baby murmured.
Freddy's cheeriness fell, "Huh? What do you mean?"
Circus Baby's eyes finally rose to meet his, but there was a guilt in her gaze's blue glow, "You were almost caught because of me. If I wasn't stuck in here, if I wasn't broken, then we wouldn't have anything to worry about."
Funtime Freddy regarded her with confusion and moved towards her, "Who's worried? I mean, sure, Bon-Bon complains, but—"
"I'm worried," her words sharpened like scissors. Her generally calm voice wavered unsteadily, "You were almost caught. If something happened to you or if you got hurt because of me," Baby dropped to a smaller whisper, "I don't know if I could forgive myself."
Bon-Bon's ears drooped sympathetically, "Oh, Baby…"
"But we weren't caught," Freddy insisted. Her shift in tone threw him off guard and concern rippled through his face-plates. He took another step towards her as he tried to lift the mood, "I'm still here. We can just pick up where we left off. Like Bon-Bon, said we'll just be more careful."
"Why would you risk that?" Baby asked. She wanted to believe his words and be comforted, but her guilt and fear were stubborn. "You've already stayed for so long. There's only an hour or two left until we re-open. Is it really worth it?"
"Yes!" Freddy rapidly moved, stopping right in front of her, and he took hold of her hands in his own. He moved his face close so she had to look at him as he stated, "You're absolutely worth it. I don't care if it's an hour, five minutes or whatever, I'll take whatever time I can to spend with you."
An unexpected warmth struck Baby. Something more than just gratitude swelled in her chest cavity and overflowed in abundance. Her voice was tiny, "Do you really mean it?"
His smile could have melted ice cream cones, "Absolutely. There's nobody more fun to hang out with than you. You're smart, creative and full of surprises. You're special! That's why I love y—"
Freddy froze, hearing himself. Baby's eyes widened in realization, and they stared at each other in shock.
"Y—Your shows!" Freddy suddenly yelped and shuffled a step backwards. He laughed weakly and added, "That's why I love your shows!"
Bon-Bon propped his chin in his paws and teased from the ceiling, "Freddy, I don't think that's how you were going to end that sentence."
"O-Of course it was!" Freddy furiously adjusted his bowtie and needlessly fussed with his chest buttons and shoulder plates. "You know how much I like the shows. They're, uh, well thought out, and, well, other things! Come on, back me up, Bon-Bon!"
The hand puppet gave him playfully snide look and answered, "Oh, I would but," he lifted an ear and pretended to hear something, "I think I need to go monitor the halls. That way you won't get interrupted telling Baby how much you 'love her shows.'" Bon-Bon emphasized the last part by flicking his paws, as if forming air quotes.
With a giggle, the rabbit ducked back into the ceiling.
"Bon-Bon!" Freddy hissed. The rabbit didn't answer, gone from sight, which left Freddy and Baby alone again.
Funtime Freddy tentatively glanced back at Circus Baby.
The whole time, she simply looked at him and hadn't said a word. Freddy couldn't read her expression. He became desperate to break the silence.
"Oh, hey, haha! Now that the coast is clear, we can find something else to pass the time!" He hurriedly turned and the lights from his eyes bounced from one shelf to another. "Maybe stacking bolts? Or balancing screwdrivers?"
"Freddy," she called.
His hand froze over a box of servos. The lights in his eyes flicked back to her.
She gestured him closer.
He twiddled his fingers against his stub of a hand, but his curiosity won out. He stood in front of her, only for her to then pat the space beside her with a metallic tap. The bear climbed back onto the workbench, reclaiming his seat.
Baby gestured him even closer. She looked ready to tell him a secret.
Funtime Freddy leaned over and turned his head, preparing to listen. Instead of going to his ear, Circus Baby leaned and tapped her metal smile against his round cheek, imitating a kiss.
As his eyebrows lifted, Freddy's top hat shot up all the way with a ding.
Baby giggled in pure delight.
She pressed her shoulder against his with a metallic click, and her voice was gentle as a glass dandelion, "You're special to me too. I'm so glad you're here."
His surprise and all his apprehension melted like a fine chocolate, and his ears wiggled. With a smile larger than ever, Freddy pressed his side to her and tapped his cheek against hers. She felt his voice rumble through her face-plates, "I wouldn't be happier anywhere else."
It felt like she was full of balloons and like she might just drift up to the ceiling. To anchor herself, she wrapped her hand into his, which he readily accepted.
When Freddy squeezed her hand, there was a click, followed by a softy, airy hiss as something pushed their hands apart. Him and Baby looked in surprise as a red balloon rose from her fingertips. Joyous laughter danced from Baby, "You fixed my balloon dispenser!"
Freddy's eyes followed the balloon in wonder before snapping back to her hand. He held up her hand, though not squeezing it this time, curious as to what changed. She wiggled her fingers in his grasp, then they both watched as a second balloon emerged from her fingertips, this time being white with diagonal blue stripes. He laughed in surprise and gave her arm a gentle, congratulatory shake, "Look at that! Good as new!"
Baby chuckled and nudged him with her elbow, "Maybe you should be a technician instead."
"Oh, nobody wants that," Freddy responded with a mischievous smile. "If I'm allowed to take you guys apart and put you back together again, I might be tempted to do something like swap Foxy's head with his tail."
Baby imagined it and sputtered laugh, forcing her to cover her mouth with her free hand. Freddy hadn't yet let go of her other one.
As she regained her composure, Baby watched the balloons float up to the ceiling together, softly tapping it before they huddled close together, with their silvery strings swaying in unison. Similarly, Freddy leaned close to her, and he asked, "So, this means you can leave now, right? You're free!"
She looked to him. Their cheeks brushed together again and their eyes were only a few inches apart. The feelings of being trapped and alone were nothing more than smudges in her memory, all because of the one sitting next to her.
"We have a little bit of time left. I wouldn't mind staying here just a bit longer," she pressed her shoulder to his.
Freddy returned the gesture by leaning his head against hers and further intertwining their fingers. A wonderful, comfortable quiet settled over the Parts & Service room as they sat together in contentment.
The following morning, the technicians for Circus Baby's Pizza World were in a tizzy. The titular Circus Baby was fixed and back on her stage, but no one had any idea who fixed her. After much back-and-forth and shuffling through reports, the technicians collectively threw up their hands in defeat and determined that, whoever did the repairs simply forgot to log their work. The only other errant behavior the technicians noticed was that one of Circus Baby's cupcakes somehow ended up on Funtime Freddy's head, but it only happened once and the whatever caused that glitch didn't seem reproducible, so the technician that noticed it didn't pursue it. Now that patrons were streaming into the building, the employees had more pressing concerns, they weren't going to complain that their star animatronic was functioning properly. What the technicians didn't notice was that, whenever Circus Baby and Funtime Freddy met eyes from their designated spots, they seemed to smile just a little brighter.
CatCrescent: Thank you to Jay for beta reading.
I actually started this back in December and thought I would finish it sooner, but it ended up lining up perfectly for Valentines' Day.
This story isn't really attempting to be canonical, since I very much doubt that Funtime Freddy and Circus Baby would ever be programmed to have romantic feelings. For this story, I imagined that Funtime Freddy and Circus Baby are powered by remnant and that remnant only gives life to the AI, so the animatronic personalities are the ones talking and expressing feelings, not whomever was the source of the remnant. The setting is a loose interpretation of a prequel to Sister Location, so it's happening in Circus Baby's Pizza World, the animatronics have not kidnapped or killed anyone nor have any knowledge about those kinds of things. I just think the characters are cute together and their personalities form a nice contrast.
Basically, this is all just an excuse to write a fun, light-hearted story and spend some time imagining what robots in love would look like. This story was also partly inspired by the fun-filled marriage I've seen between my one of my family members and her husband, and I wanted to write something that captured a least a little of that kind of love.
I hope this story was as fun to read as it was for me to write. I have some similar kind of ideas, so let me know if you'd be interested in seeing more of these kinds of cute stories in the future. I would love to hear your thoughts and I hope you all had a wonderful Valentines' Day. Thank you for reading!