A/N: Another chapter, another day. I went back and fixed a few mistakes in the previous chapters.
Enjoy!
In almost no time at all John had unloaded both him and the box containing Freddy from the car. Mike felt a sliver of embarrassment at how rundown the house looked. Sucking it up, he awkwardly pushed his wheelchair along towards the door.
"So where do you want the mechanical monster?" John asked all too cheerfully to Mike. He hoisted the box up on the dolly, following him.
Mike blew out a mouthful of air. "I guess… Just put him inside."
John whistled. "Wow, you really do have a death wish. Are you sure you don't want me to just throw 'em in the garage?" He nodded towards the garage faded white garage door.
Shrugging Mike shook his head. "No the garage is full. If I had a basement I'd have you throw him in there."
His joke was met with silence and he ducked his head. Reaching the front porch Mike was at a small loss of what to do about the steps. John apparently realized this and with a grunt lifted him and the wheelchair up. Nodding his thanks Mike awkwardly pushed a pot with a dead plant aside and grabbed the key sitting underneath.
It was a little dark right in the entrance and Mike fumbled a bit finding the light switch. Flipping the light on, he illuminated a hallway with a set of stairs running parallel to it. Directly ahead of them was a kitchen and to their left the hallway opened up into a rather well decorated living room with a fireplace.
Mike led John forward into the kitchen, nodding towards the wall. "You can set 'him' over there."
As John was setting down the box Mike heard Julie in the living room. Nervous he wheeled his chair down the hallway to see her looking at the Bengal tiger skin rug in front of the fireplace.
She turned to him as he came closer. "Oooh, Is this real? I heard that these things cost a fortune."
Mike nodded. "Yeah, Jeff shot it and had it custom made." He nervously eyed Julie's semi-dirty shoes. "And he doesn't really want anything to happen to it."
Thankfully Julie seemed to pick up on his unspoken plea and backed away, choosing instead to walk over to the newer TV that Jeff had bought. Mike let out a silent sigh of relief as he looked at the rug. He knew that Jeff valued that thing more than him. The cost of the license to shoot the thing had been astronomical in itself.
John appeared with an empty dolly. "The box is in the other room. Let's go Julie."
"Wait," Mike said taking a deep breath. "Are there any rules or um, tips that you guys have for me?" The fact that he would soon be alone with Freddy, an animatronic that had killed people was making him nervous.
John rolled his eyes as if saying really? Julie caught the action and slapped him. flicking her blonde bangs out of her eyes she knelt down to Mike's level. "During the day you should be fine. They've never hurt someone durring the day. Night is a different matter. He saved you so I don't know if that means he isn't going to kill you or not, but I'd still play it safe."
John snorted. "She also doesn't know if it was just a fluke."
"I'm willing to bet that he won't kill you," She said glaring at John. "But I still wouldn't chance it if I were you."
"You say the've never hurt someone durring the day, but what about the bite of '87 I've heard about?" Mike asked. The phone guy's message was ringing in his head like an alarm.
"It was the kid's fault," John dismissed. "And that animatronic has been decommissioned."
Mike felt his chest tighten painfully. He had said he would take the animatronic, but he was starting to have second thoughts about it. "So what? I'm supposed to lock myself or him up at night?" Mike asked. He thought they might have given him some insightful advice. Instead they had just repeated what he already knew.
Julie shrugged. "This is just as new to us as it is to you. Like I've said before, this has never happened."
"If I were you, I would just keep the big guy locked up in the box," John said. "But he'll probably break out of there anyways. Treat this as if this was just another day on the job." Mike nodded feeling his heart racing. He followed John and Julie as they walked over to the front door. There was no way he could stay calm about this.
Julie surprised him by spinning around and giving him a quick hug. "Thank you for doing this," She said.
Mike nodded again. He watched as they walked out to their car before shutting the front door. Taking a deep breath Mike turned and wheeled his chair into the kitchen. The box sat against the wall and he eyed it warily.
What was he supposed to do?
He jumped as the box creaked and shifted slightly, its occupant obviously not pleased with his predicament. Mike moved over to the table, setting down the bag he had been holding the whole time.
Mike eyed the box. The thought of letting Freddy out scared him, but the thought of Freddy breaking out was even more terrifying. He didn't remember everything that had happened that night, but he did remember that Freddy had saved his life. That warranted some skeptical trust right?
But what if John was right? What if it had just been a fluke? Mike ran a hand through his hair. He was going to have to explain this to his brother too.
There was a sharp crack! And the box broke apart, making Mike reeled back in surprise. His heart sank as an upside down Freddy fell out. Okay, just take a deep breath he's not going to kill you.
The browned-furred animatronic worked his way to his feet surprisingly fluidly while one of his… paws, came to a rest on his neck. the confused Freddy slowly surveyed the room, his eyes stopping to take in certain objects, until his gaze came to a rest on him. Mike might have imagined it, but the grin on Freddy's face seemed to grow and he felt his heart thud in his chest.
Freddy growled to himself as he was jostled around in the box. He was growing tired of it. He wanted to see what was going on as well as see where Mike had gone. He had gotten into the car with them and he had briefly heard him talk, but he wasn't there now.
John tilted the box upside down causing him to rest all of his weight on his head. The gears in his neck groaned in protest and Freddy couldn't see anything through the crack. They were moving though and soon he heard his night guard.
"I guess… Just put him inside."
He heard John whistled directly above him. "Wow, you really do have a death wish. Are you sure you don't want me to just throw 'em in the garage?"
If Freddy could have he would be glowering at John. He had never really like the man and he knew that the feeling was mutual. He strained to listen as Mike spoke up. "No the garage is full. If I had a basement I'd have you throw him in there."
Freddy ignored the small tidbit about the basement as realization sank in. They weren't throwing him away. They were giving him to Mike! A strange excitement worked its way through his system and his chest thrummed with energy. Oh, this was too perfect. He was going to be all alone with Mike with nothing to stop him, or get in his way.
There was silence for a little while and then he heard Mike say. "You can set him over there."
Freddy felt the box be set down rather roughly and something in his neck cracked making his eyes flicker in pain. He heard John fiddle with something, on the box. "Listen up here you monster. I don't know what your motives are, but you had better not be planning on hurting this kid. You hear me?"
The only response Freddy gave him was a whine as he tried to take pressure off his neck. He heard John walk away and he pushed against the box walls. In his awkward position though it was harder to get any sort of leverage and it wasn't like he could call Chika or Bonnie to come help him. There were no other animatronics here.
It took several moments before the wood finally gave way and he was unceremoniously dumped out. Working his way to his feet Freddy cupped his neck. John had obviously broke something… the jerk. Freddy silently promised to find a way to kill the man as he looked around.
He was in a plain kitchen, the cabinets and walls all worn. He had never been in a house before, so he took his time looking at things. The dirty dishes on the counter, the back door, the papers held to the fridge by magnets. He stopped looking around though when he noticed the reason he was here. The reason the pizzeria was shut down. The reason he was missing his finger.
His night guard.
Mike.
He was dressed differently than normal and was sitting in some strange chair, but it was the same Mike as ever. Freddy was pleased that he hadn't gone through all that trouble of keeping him alive for nothing. He was even happier that he was alone with him. There was no competition to kill Mike, it was just him and he had all the time in the world.
He inwardly laughed at Mike's expression of apprehension. His mind already preparing the game, he took a step towards Mike.
And things didn't go exactly how he hoped.
Instead of popping up out of the chair like nearly everybody did Mike remained in his seat. The wheels on the side of his chair moved him back a few inches, but otherwise he remained sitting. Pausing for a moment Freddy took a more aggressive step towards the human and Mike scooted the chair back until it hit the table.
Freddy continued to walk forward until he was towering over the human and his confusion continued to grow. Mike was afraid, that was pretty obvious, but he wasn't trying to run away. The brown-furred animatronic ran a critical eye over Mike, waiting for him to bolt, expecting him to bolt.
Time passed and they remained in an intense staring contest. Freddy was surprised to see that Mike seemed to be calming down and collecting himself. With a deep breath he flashed an uncertain smile up at him and did something that shocked him. "Um, hi… It looks like you're going to be staying with me for a little while. I hope you don't mind."
Freddy was pretty sure if he was Foxy his bottom jaw would have fallen off.
When people talked to him it was usually one of two ways. The first was a dumb innocence. The young children that came into the pizzeria always talked to them that way adding things such as 'teddy bear'. It was annoying as hell, but after years of receiving that kind of talk he was used to it.
Then there was the night guards and adults talked to him, a mixture of fear and hate. John dished it out to him every morning, and the more vocal guards had let him know what they thought about him before he… fixed them.
The way Mike had just talked to him though… it was different. It was like he was talking to another person not the monster he was. There was still a healthy dose of delicious fear, but there was none of the hate he was so used to from the guards.
He was so shocked that he didn't move when Mike maneuvered his chair out from his awkward spot. When Mike started wheeling his chair down the hallway he shook his stupor off and followed him.
"There's a kitchen and dining room, the living room, and upstairs are the bedrooms," Mike said gesturing to each. "I don't know what you do in your spare time, but I can turn on the TV if you want. Otherwise there's not a whole lot to do."
Mike ran a hand over his chest and looked up at him expectantly for a moment. Freddy just stared his night guard, confused as to why he wasn't scared of him and why he had yet to stand up. Mike shook his head and Freddy heard him mutter "Right, you don't talk."
Freddy watched as the humans hand rubbed his chest again and felt a sliver of anger come up. That was where he had gotten hurt. Was he still hurt? And why was he not standing up?
He turned his head to look around and felt whatever was broken in his neck crunch against a bundle of sensitive wiring. A whine escaped his vocal box and he brought a hand up to his neck.
"Something wrong big guy?" Mike spoke up, watching him hold his neck. Not knowing how to respond Freddy simply stared at Mike. What was he supposed to do? This wasn't how he thought things would transpire. He was feeling a little lost without the codes telling him what to do.
Mike didn't know if he would ever get over the eeriness of Freddy staring at him. It was the only thing he had done since he had gotten out of the box. When Freddy hadn't responded to his question about his neck Mike let it be.
The rest of the day dragged along with Freddy following him like some sort of demented puppy and Mike trying to be polite to the said puppy. Mike didn't even know why he was trying to be polite to Freddy. But he was, carrying on a one-sided conversation with the animatronic as he tried to do things in his disabled state.
He was currently trying to watch TV after wandering around the house for a little while, but it was hard to enjoy it. He couldn't move over to sit on the couch, stuck in the wheelchair. He had to remind himself that he would be stuck in this wheelchair for the rest of his life.
It also didn't help that there was a ten foot tall animatronic watching him.
He was really trying to keep his cool, but it was unnerving the way Freddy was staring at him. It never strayed from him for a second and reminded him of how a cat eyed a mouse before pouncing.
Eventually he couldn't take it anymore and shut the TV off. Silence enveloped the room and Mike wheeled himself around Freddy who had been standing right next to him and down the hallway. A moment later he heard the thudding footsteps of Freddy following him and sighed. At least Freddy wasn't trying to kill him.
Looking at the clock Mike could see it was time to take some more medication. He wheeled himself into the kitchen towards the cabinet that held the cups. Coming to a stop at the counter he looked up. Normally he wouldn't think twice about what he was doing and grab one, but that was when he had been able to reach the cabinet.
Biting his lower lip he steeled himself and grabbed the edge of the counter. With a grunt he pushed himself up and held the counter with both hands. He grunted again, supporting his whole body with just his arms. It made them tremble and his chest ache.
In the back of his mind he knew that he must look silly, leaning part-way over the counter with his legs dangling uselessly beneath him, but he pushed it down. With one hand he managed to open the cabinet and grab a cup. Suddenly one of his legs slid backwards striking his wheelchair and causing it to roll away.
"Oh come on!" Mike snarled, pulling himself farther onto the counter. Now he was stuck awkwardly holding a cup and the counter with his wheelchair on the other side of the room.
He stayed there for a moment just breathing deeply before he became aware of Freddy standing off to the side watching him. Freddy almost looked amused at his situation and Mike shot him a look. "Is it too much to ask you to grab my wheelchair for me?"
Mike didn't really expect an answer, but Freddy looked over to his chair then back at him, then the chair. Mike shuddered at the unbidden memory that flashed before his eyes.
He watched as Freddy turned his attention towards his chest where the gun wound was leaking a small, steady amount of blood. Freddy turned to look at Mike, then back at his chest, then back at Mike.
Pushing it down Mike nodded. "Yeah the chair, can you grab it for me?"
Freddy seemed to think about it for a moment before he ambled over to his wheelchair. Mike let out a breath he hadn't known he was holding. Freddy stood behind the chair for a moment before he bumped it towards Mike. The chair came a stop just out of his reach and Mike looked at Freddy. "A little farther?"
To his disappointment the brown-furred animatronic didn't bump it towards him, instead he sauntered around the chair until he was standing between him and the chair. Furrowing his brows in confusion Mike looked at Freddy. Just what was he doing? Didn't Freddy know that he needed that?
Oh he knows, Mike thought. The grin that the bear always had had grown somewhat as he stood between him and what he needed. He coughed, trying to ease the soreness that was building in his chest. "Freddy can you move? I need to get to the chair."
The animatronic's only responds was to lift one of his arms.
Realization dawned on Mike and he gave Freddy a deadpan face. "You've got to be joking." When Freddy didn't move Mike sighed. He didn't want to do this. He didn't want to do this! He would rather crawl on the ground than what Freddy wanted.
"Okay, but if you drop me I'll send you back to the pizzeria."
Mike steeled his nerves before he reached over to grab Freddy's arm. The arm didn't budge an inch and he moved so that the animatronic was holding his weight. They didn't move for a moment and Mike resolutely stared at the cup in his hand, knowing Freddy was staring down at him. This was humiliating and it made it all the worse that he was having to rely on one of the animatronics who had tried to kill him.
Mike was sure that they stayed there for far longer than was necessary, him holding onto Freddy's arm and Freddy staring down at him before Freddy casually rotated so Mike could reach his chair. He eagerly let go of Freddy and awkwardly seated himself.
"Thanks," He mumbled, still not looking up at Freddy. He wheeled himself towards the fridge so he could fill up his cup, unaware that Freddy's eyes flickered for a second.