The cloth ran over Freddy's face quickly, avoiding any cracks where the liquid might seep into a main wire area. He felt as if he could melt; it had been years since he was wiped down, let alone cleaned.
Red was focusing on his job, making sure not to accidentally hurt him. Going from the face down, he neared his legs in no time, looking up to him when he avoided any broken areas. "So, bud, where did 'ya come from?"
Freddy watched the other work, only now realizing how broken he was. He looked up at Clyde and T-Chi while being worked on, only to be met with an awkward little finger-wave from Clyde. Shrugging his shoulders, he sighed.
"I don't know." He watched Red rise from his spot once he was done cleaning him. Tossing the near-black cloth to Clyde, the bunny's ears fell to match his horrified expression. T-Chi laughed at him.
"I wasn't this broken down a few minutes ago," He muttered, looking at his missing kneecaps and the wires protruding out of various spots. "At least I think it's been a few minutes."
"Probably not." Red said flatly, making sure every part was stable for the most part. Freddy sighed, feeling awkward having a stranger so close. "I'll ask again, who are you?"
Looking at Freddy's face for a moment, he turned around and motioned his hand at the chicken and rabbit. A small look of pride came over his face, his voice confident. "These are my...siblings, I suppose you can call them. Toy Bonnie and Toy Chica."
T-Chi was first to walk over, grinning as she did so. Shaking Freddy's hand, she tilted her head a bit, trying to get used to his ragged appearance. "Hi, Freddy! You can just call me T-Chi."
"T-Chi?" Freddy asked, raising an eyebrow. "Do you all have special names I should worry about?"
A bit of sarcasm was present on his tone as he watched Clyde walk over. The bunny offered his hand to shake, but slowly balled it into a fist and awkwardly pulled it back to his chest when he spotted the remaining dirt. "T-Bone. Pleasure to meet you, hon."
Red stepped away from the other two, circling Freddy as he did so. Freddy turned his head around to watch him, frowning.
"Heard them calling you Red?" His voice had a questioning tone to it as he spoke. Red nodded in conformation.
"Yeah. Long story short, their programming was bonked up by lazy mechanics. Instead of calling me 'Freddy', they were programmed to call me 'Ready' for some reason." He shrugged his shoulders, pulling out his cigar, lighting it by creating a spark by flicking his fingers together. "Red was easier to remember."
Freddy nodded slowly in understanding, giving him a weird look for smoking. Rubbing his arm, Red looked at him, snorting in amusement.
"B.B.'s in the back. I don't know about M&T. There's also-...Never mind." Red faulted at the last part, puffing out a bit of smoke. Freddy didn't notice.
He wasn't sure where they came up with so many horrible nicknames, but he applauded them nonetheless. They were more original then he and his brothers had been, that was for sure. Nearly jumping out of his exoskeleton when he was grabbed by T-Chi and T-Bone, his ears flattened.
"Come on, Freddy! Are you hungry?" T-Chi asked, smiling at him kindly. He stuttered from their fast pace, nearly tripping a few times. He was being fully supported by them, so he didn't have to worry about actually falling.
"I bet your fuel tank is empty, you poor thing." Clyde chimed in, leaning in awfully close to Freddy. He winced, this was enough to make him feel uncomfortable. "We'll take care of that, dear."
Red chuckled at them all, watching them leave the parts and service room. Looking over at the original Bonnie and Chica, he frowned, raising hand to his chin in thought.
Freddy was taken on a basic tour of the restaurant by the chicken and bunny. He had to admit, it felt great to walk around again, especially since he had been locked into place for god knows how long. He couldn't stop smiling; the duo was hilarious to watch. They would break out into arguments over nothing, which would make the old bear laugh.
It was something sweet and light to watch, something very familial. It reminded him of Bonnie and Chica's interactions, only different. It was something he had missed seeing greatly.
As they entered the kitchen, Freddy's eyes narrowed and his ears swiveled. He heard some sort of odd, distant plinking, something familiar, but he couldn't put his finger on it. Blinking when Clyde handed him some pizza, his eyes nearly fell out. He didn't realize how starved he was until he saw the pizza.
His fuel tank had been empty for years, and he honestly had no idea how he was even running. Looking at Clyde in confusion, the rabbit simply laughed.
"Don't you remember how to eat, Freddy?" Clyde questioned teasingly, making the bear snort a little in amusement.
He smiled in gratitude, not wanting to speak at the time, just eat. Taking a bite without hesitation, the Toys watched in amusement. Even though he had only known them for not even an hour, he already felt as if he were at home. They were kind and welcoming, they didn't judge, and they treated him like an equal.
He felt like he didn't deserve it.
Looking at them from the pizza, he noisily and sloppily chewed, tilting his head. "So," He started, licking any extra cheese out of his teeth to avoid future spoiling of it. He took another bite, basically forgetting his manners. "Whss'at noish?"
Clyde and T-Chi looked at each other, trying to figure out what he was hearing. Their expressions fell once they realized just what he meant. The rabbit tilted his ears in the direction of the plinking, listening for any changes in speed.
"Uh, T-Chi..." Clyde said, quickly looking around. "I know it's Red's job, but can you go-...You know, just in case?"
"Yes." She interrupted him quickly without question, stiffening and speed-walking away. Freddy looked at Clyde in confusion, frowning.
"Do what?" The bear asked, resulting in a nervous fidget from the blue bunny. He laughed awkwardly, wringing his hands a bit. "J-just, um, just a music box."
About to respond, Freddy stopped when he heard the odd radio transmission again. Looking around, he yelped when he spotted the white and pink fox clinging onto the ceiling, staring at him suspiciously.
"Mangle!" Clyde said, his eyes brightening a bit at the torn-up animatronic. "Come meet Freddy, he's a real sweetheart."
The severed head on the body looked suspicious, but the main head seemed excited. It attempted to move forward, but was stopped by a short, loud noise from the extra head.
"Sweetheart, eh?" The head spat, the odd radio noises not letting up, even as it spoke. "He smells more like a sourheart."
Freddy growled at the comment, but was stopped by Clyde. He carefully lead the bear a few feet away, whispering to him as they went.
"That's Mangle," Clyde began, leaning in close to the bear. Freddy felt a bit awkward being so close to him, but tolerated it.
"The humans always referred to it as a 'he', but we still don't know the...um, actual gender." He shrugged, making sure Mangle hadn't followed yet. "It's kind of...um. Snarky."
"OF COURSE I'M SNARKY!" The head shouted from above them, making the main head on the body flinch. Both Freddy and Clyde looked up at it, the bear raising an eyebrow.
"Do you have a stupid, slacked-off nickname as well?" He asked in a slightly mocking tone, crossing his arms. The head rolled its only eye, letting out a low, garbled growl.
"Ugh, the fatso thought it would be a good idea to call me 'Tangle' ever since we got fully ripped apart. I hate that bear." Tangle's voice was annoyed and snippy. Clyde gave it a glare, putting a hand on his hip.
"Boss isn't fat, hon. Just a bit husky."
"Really husky." It replied, crawling down from its place on the ceiling. Standing up straight in front of Freddy, the bear almost cowered away from the unnaturally lanky appearance of the broken fox.
Mangle smiled at Freddy, reaching a paw out to shake his. Freddy was hesitant, but finally reached out to shake it. Tangle looked offended, quickly yanking Mangle's hand back with its mouth.
"BAD MANGLE! God knows what dark corner of the closet it crawled out of."
"You're not getting 'ahead' with these insults." Clyde said softly, smiling as he did so. Freddy laughed quietly at the horrible joke. It reminded him too much of Bonnie.
"Alright, Peter Cotton Tail. No need to get your 'hare' in a knot."
Mangle gave the head a stern glare, as well as Clyde. Freddy seemed mostly confused by the entire situation, but was laughing either way.
A loud hiss of steam echoed throughout the room. Red groaned in relief when he had unhatched a pipe valve near the ceiling. It let out hard, cold air straight onto his face, which kept his motors from overheating, which he almost did several times.
Closing the valve and wiping any of the air's moisture from his face, he stepped away from the pipe. Cracking his endoskeleton's spine back into place, he sighed. He had been working ever since T-Chi and Clyde had led Freddy away, and that was several hours ago. He was starting to run low on energy.
Picking up a wrench and a screwdriver that he had previously placed onto the floor, he put them back into a tool box. Deciding to finish his little project later, he wiped his hands clean on a rag and gave the broken animatronics one last glance before he exited the room.
Nearly slamming into T-Chi when he opened the door, he jumped back to avoid hurting her, eyes wide. She seemed just as surprised, stepping back a bit.
"God, don't scare me." He muttered, rubbing his face. Looking her over, he couldn't help but to notice something slightly off.
"What happened?" He questioned, standing up straight to make himself look more presentable. She looked away nervously.
"You weren't around, so I...w-wound it." Her voice was quiet as she spoke, her eyes darting around as if she was looking for any unseen danger.
Red's expression contorted into one of worry and anger. He kept his cool as he spoke, but his eyes told a different story. "You know that's my job."
"You weren't around, we got worried it might...stop." She trailed off, her usually loud and happy voice sounding defeated and quiet.
Red's ears fell a bit as he pulled her in for a hug, resting his face on her shoulder. She did the same, clinging to him with a near-mute whimper. She took a shuddery breath, closing her eyes.
"W-what has it done to you?"
The bear's eyes went wide at that. Carefully untangling himself from the hug, he frowned, looking around for a few seconds. He straightened himself out again, sighing. "Go find Freddy and T-Bone."
They stared at each other for a while, before she walked off, taking a few glances back at him.
"And T-Chi?"
"Yes, sir?"
"Never go into that room again. Understood?"
Red watched her nod and walk off quickly, most likely going off to fulfill his request. Shaking his head, he rubbed the back of his neck, walking out of the area quickly. Feeling exhaustion come over him, he shook it off, needing to complete the rest of his work.
Collapsing into the office chair, Red growled and rubbed his face. He didn't like doing the human's dirty work, but it was his job, now. If he didn't do the paperwork, not even the manager would do it.
Sitting up straight, he brushed himself off and grabbed a pen, shaking it a few times. Just as he began to work on a sheet, he heard the tell-tale clanging of somebody in the vent. Not looking away from the paper, he tilted his ears in the direction of the vent to let them know he was listening.
Hearing the animatronic clang to the floor, he shook his head a bit in amusement. His co-workers were going to be the end of him, one way or another.
"Hi, Red~" He heard the voice come from Clyde, which made him laugh quietly. Looking over at the bunny, he turned the chair around to face him.
"Hello, T-Bone. Where's Freddy?" He rested his head back as he spoke, letting out a harsh sigh. He knew the rabbit well enough to show his exhaustion around him.
"Oh, the poor dear fell asleep in the parts and service room after T-Chi found me. He was horribly tuckered out."
"Figures." He muttered, turning the chair back around to face the desk. Clyde walked over and placed a small pizza box next to his papers, sitting on the floor next to him. Tilting his head from side to side as he wrote, he smiled a little.
Red sighed in relief at the sight of the box, opening it without question. He took a few quick bites, subconsciously wagging the stub of a tail he had. Smiling a little at Clyde, he nodded.
"Thank you, I needed this." He ate with one hand and wrote with the other, much to Clyde's amusement. "You even remembered the tabasco."
"Wouldn't I?" The bunny asked, smirking lightly. "You'll overheat your motors someday, sir. Not that I'm complaining."
The two shared a small laugh before Red went silent. The sound of the music box straining and clicking for a moment made him drop his pizza back into the box. Placing his pen down, he gave a stern look to Clyde, leaving the office and going down the hallway.
"Don't even think about following. Stay here."
Clyde huffed, watching the other male awkwardly jog off. He couldn't help but to let his ears droop a bit, knowing that the leading animatronic was running himself ragged. He was afraid he'd fall into sleep mode and not wake up, just from pure exhaustion.
"You could really use a vacation, sweetie." Clyde muttered, taking Red's spot in the chair. He got to work on the papers himself, as fast and as carefully as he could.
Author's Note:
Heya, guys! Thanks for all of the loving support you've given me! I apologize for the late update, but I thank you for being so understanding. I've been sleeping a lot, but I'm still exhausted. It's gross.
Big thanks to Chillaid for beta reading, and helping me decide on keeping the last bit with Red and Clyde!
Sorry if some parts seem confusing/out of place, I'm gonna try to tie up any loose ends from these two chapters in chapter three. There's also going to be a flashback chapter or two of Red's past later which will explain his job with the music box (and his relationships with the other toy animatronics), so I'll have fun doing that!
I'd like to thank Unknown Forgotten Friend, LevitatingPiez, Anon "Me" (Not me, someone else! Haha!) Epic Skyshine, MikeSchmidt, The Ghost-Ninja Guy, Mumble the Penguin, seinnnnnn, MCHaunter, Purest of the Hearts, RiddledRose, MarmaladeBird, Anon Jules, Jenny Lockhart, Forzaguy, lolwilddude, and FadedMemories09 for the reviews! You guys rock!
Also, imagine a huge, robot bear with a top hat trying to do paperwork in a human chair. Amused yet?
Reviewer Spotlight: Today's reviewer spotlight goes to Unknown Forgotten Friend for being the first reviewer for BoC 2!
Song Spotlight: Today's song spotlight goes to "No Children" by The Mountain Goats. I think it explains an unwritten chapter of Freddy/Bonnie interacting in the basement from BoC. They were going to get into an argument. Followed by feels. Maybe I'll make it a one-chapter story someday after this one is finished!
Answered Questions!:
lolwilddude: "What is the scariest animatronic in your opinion?"
Answer: For FNaF 1, I'd have to say Chica. She was the only one who legitimately scared me and my mom. Pretty sure I almost cried from terror when I saw her in the window.
As for FNaF 2, it's hard to say. Believe it or not, I'm not scared by the sequel. The first one still terrifies me to no end, but. Eh, I'm rambling.
Chica. Again. Bonnie's a close second, but Chica's the most intimidating. I mean, seriously! For the love of God, her head (including her jaw) is bigger than Freddy's head. (Seriously! Look at the pictures of her alone in the Parts & Service room when she's alone with Freddy.) *SHUDDER*
