Freddy Fazbear's Pizza - Thursday, December 9th, 1993
Mike Schmidt felt like a bag of lead, yet he couldn't place why. Regardless, he dragged himself to work and stopped by the staff room before his shift to make a cup of coffee, if one could even call it that. He hated the bitter black beverage, so he would dump three or four spoonfuls of sugar into the bottom and pour coffee in until the mug was half full. He would then proceed to fill the remaining half with milk. Mike was suddenly glad he worked the night shift, so he wouldn't need to explain his embarrassing coffee habits to anyone. He grabbed his mug and got settled at his desk.
Unfortunately, he began to feel his anxiety act up once more as he waited for his shift to start. No matter how much assurance he received, he couldn't make himself feel comfortable working around the animatronics.
Mike was thankful for the job, but not for what he was guarding. It was almost as bad as asking him to guard clowns. At night. In the dark. Alone. It would've been easier to manage if Fritz had been able to work that night, yet he hadn't been there as of late. His mind raced with possibilities of what could have happened to the man. Mike shuddered and took a swig of his 'coffee'. Despite the excessive amounts of milk and sugar, he still didn't find it to be too pleasant. At least it had caffeine. The bitterness also made a useful distraction from his thoughts.
The clock struck twelve. Mike sat up in his seat and clicked the monitor open, selecting the Show Stage first. Freddy, Bonnie, and Chica were standing in their usual places, motionless. If he hadn't already known the animatronics would move, he would've almost felt at ease. It would only be a matter of time before one of them would come to his office, and he could only pray that it wouldn't be Bonnie. He even feared him more than Foxy, and the fox had sharp teeth and a scary hook.
Mike then remembered he needed to check Pirate Cove. Scrolling over to that camera revealed that the curtain was still closed, indicating that the pirate fox was still on stage. He heard footsteps coming from another camera, quickly took another sip of his 'coffee', and clicked to the Dining Room. Chica stood there, smiling up at him. She waved politely to him and walked off camera.
He tensed as she left. Hearing the footsteps coming closer prompted him to wait by the door buttons. It occurred to him that Bonnie might have been moving as well. He eventually found him Backstage, grinning up at the camera in an intimidating manner. The footsteps continued to draw closer. Mike threw the monitor down and clicked the door light on. Chica was standing near the door, so he shut it for his own safety. He could see that she began to frown when he did. She gently tapped on the window to get his attention, but despite her attempts to appear non-threatening, Mike still shrieked.
Chica raised her voice so she could be heard through the door and window. "Mike! Open the door, please?" She was only met with trembling and a wide-eyed stare. "I'm not going to hurt you!"
He took a moment to think. Eventually, after concluding he would be safe, he shakily pressed the buttons to open the door and turn off the light. Chica wandered in calmly, staying close to the desk to not cause the night guard to feel more uncomfortable than he already was. Mike held his legs close to his chest, clutching the monitor in his hands.
"Mike, it's alright..." Chica smiled. "You're perfectly safe, I promise."
He still looked uncomfortable, but lowered his legs into a normal sitting position. He raised the screen in his hands and tried to hide behind it. Checking the image on it, he saw that Bonnie had moved to the West Hall.
"Are you alright?" Chica asked.
Mike peeked at her from behind the monitor. "B-Bonnie's coming..." he squeaked. As he spoke, the footsteps from his left got louder. It was clear that his suspicions were accurate.
"I'll handle him. He needs to accept that you're a human, just doing the job you were paid to do."
The guard nodded and sank down in his seat. Chica made her way to the other doorway and waited. Before long, Bonnie appeared.
"I got ya, endo!" he exclaimed. Mike let out a blood-curdling scream and fell out of his chair.
"Bonnie, calm down! He's human, remember?" She wandered over to his side and helped him to his feet. Mike jumped when touched, scrambled into his seat, and attempted to take cover behind the monitor again. "His name is Mike, and he's our friend. Right, Mikey?"
He continued to cower. "I-I-I, um..."
The rabbit shrugged. "Where's his costume?"
"He doesn't have one," Chica explained. "He's a night guard. You know, just like in the old location. Remember?"
He paused for a moment. "... You mean like Jeremy?"
"Exactly like Jeremy. Jeremy is a human too, except Mike doesn't wear a mask."
"Why?"
"M-Mr. Fazbear didn't give me one..." Mike mumbled.
"He doesn't need one with the hydraulic doors they have at this location."
"Oh... Uh, okay." He bounced over to the night guard and offered his hand. "The name's Bonnie. Nice to meet ya!"
"Uh, Mike Schmidt..." He cautiously shook the rabbit's hand.
Chica clapped. "Come on, let's par-tay!" She pushed the young man to his feet, causing him to stumble. Bonnie helped to steady him, then Chica took Bonnie and Mike's hands and took off down the hall toward the Dining Room. Mike was relieved to not see any signs of aggression from the periwinkle animatronic or his friend.
When they entered the room, Freddy was sitting with his feet dangling off the stage. He smiled when he saw the night guard with them. "Ah, there you are!" Looking to the young man, he said, "I see you brought Mike. How are you doing?"
"U-Um..." Mike stuttered, feeling sweat trickle down his back.
"You don't need to be afraid," Freddy said. "We don't want to hurt you."
He lightly touched his throat where Bonnie had grabbed him the month before.
"It was an accident," Bonnie dismissed.
"Why don't we put the past behind us?" Chica suggested. "It'd be nice to have a new friend, if you're okay with it!"
"Please?" Freddy asked.
Mike sighed and nodded. Despite still being terrified of the animatronics, he opted to give them a chance. Maybe they were like Fritz: scary on the outside but nice on the inside.
Chica cheered and hugged him. He smiled uncomfortably but didn't move away.
"Welcome to Freddy's," Bonnie said.
"T-Thanks, I think..."
"Come on up, we'll show you around the stage."
Mike made his way over and Freddy gave him a short tour of the restaurant, despite having already had one lead by his boss. Rather than mentioning it, he listened attentively as the bear proudly introduced him to the various places.
When the two of them had returned, Bonnie and Chica were sitting near the stage together. The two of them were holding hands while Chica rested her head on his shoulder. Bonnie had an arm around her as they spoke quietly.
Mike gawked, squeezed his eyes shut, pinched himself, then checked again. If he were dreaming, pinching himself to wake up hadn't worked.
"Mike, are you alright?"
He made various stunned sounds, gesturing wildly at the two animatronics.
Freddy turned his attention to them, narrowing his eyes. "What are you two thinking?"
Chica's eyes widened as she jerked her head upright; Bonnie quickly took his arm back from its place around her. They simultaneously released each other's hands and stared at Freddy and Mike.
"Sorry, sir..." Chica said.
The night guard still appeared awestruck at the odd sight before him. It was quite possibly the strangest thing he had witnessed in his entire life. Mike figured he would be pressed to find something more bizarre.
He rolled his eyes. "Just call me Freddy." He sighed. "Anyway, didn't we make this clear years ago?"
Bonnie snorted. "Yeah, but why?"
"In case someone got caught!" he snapped. "You idiot, Mike's right here! He just saw all of that!"
Mike looked from one animatronic to another. "What's going on...?"
"Nothing. Nothing at all," Freddy grumbled.
He frowned. Despite wanting to know what the fuss was all about, an image of him being stuffed into an animatronic suit in the back room came to mind. Satisfying his curiosity wouldn't be worth risking his life.
"Go back to your office, Mike. I need to talk to them. Alone."
He did not question the command. Mike departed for his office and didn't dare to look at his monitor to observe them, too afraid of what would possibly happen if he were to be caught.
Once Mike had left, Freddy sat Bonnie and Chica down on the stage. He paced back and forth in front of them as he lectured.
"How stupid can you two be? Did you really think I wouldn't find out about your relationship?" He let out a sharp sigh. "It's even worse now that we have a night guard... Our entire existence is now in jeopardy because you two couldn't be bothered to follow the rules!"
"F-Freddy, please calm down..." Chica pleaded. "We're sorry..."
Bonnie rolled his eyes. "I'm not. Look, I'm not stupid, Fazbear. I know better than to show my sentience during the day. We're free at night, so I'm going to do what I want. You're overreacting."
Freddy glared at him. "That's not the point."
"But we're not just sentient. We're more than that..." she said.
"Exactly why you two need to follow the rules. Why is that so difficult for you? I know you're both much smarter than this."
"Why is it so difficult for you guys?" Bonnie retorted. "You all still have that stupid delusion you hold onto!"
"Bonnie, shut up. I don't want to hear it."
The rabbit crossed his arms and glared at the floor.
"Why don't we just tell him?" Chica suggested. "What's the harm? Mike seems like a nice guy."
"Chica, you know that's against the rules."
"Why do we have to follow them?"
"It's too dangerous. No one can know the truth."
She frowned. "Have you ever thought that maybe James is wrong?"
Freddy sighed. "I'm getting him. Don't you so much as move while I'm gone." His tone carried a weight of aggression that ensured that neither of them would disobey.
The bear left the two of them on the stage and headed to Prize Corner. James, having been at the restaurant longer than any of them had been, would surely have a solution. He was responsible for making the rules in the first place, so Freddy was certain that he would have been the best one to enforce them. Although he himself felt tempted to break the rules on occasion, he understood the importance of them too much to dare to try.
The large gift box at the Prize Counter remained closed as the tune on the music box beside it continued to chime. It played a repetitive line from My Grandfather's Clock that James could never seem to tire of. Freddy approached the box and gently knocked on the lid to get his attention. The puppet slowly lifted the lid and poked his head out, almost appearing to be surprised.
"Freddy?" He sat up. "What are you doing here? You don't usually visit me like this..."
He furrowed his brow and tapped his toe quickly. "We have a problem."
James frowned. "What kind of 'problem'?"
"Bonnie and Chica broke our 'no relationship' rule," Freddy spat.
He was met with a blank stare.
"Oh my gosh…" Freddy sighed. "The one we put in three years ago. No animatronic was to have a romantic relationship under any circumstance. We all agreed it went against the family environment of the restaurant. It also puts our identities at risk."
"Ah, right. That one." James relaxed a little. "What's the harm? As long as we make sure they only spend time together like that after closing, it's fine, isn't it?"
"No, it isn't!" Freddy shouted. "Don't you ever leave that box? We have a night guard again, and he already caught them together. Don't you see how bad this is?"
"I do, actually. I've met him," James said. " Anyway, I can see the cause for concern. It isn't good…"
"Exactly why I need your help. At this rate, Mike's going to discover our secret and we'll all be scrapped."
James' glowing eyes dimmed. "We can't all end up in that back room…"
"So, come out and help me. We're having a meeting."
He nodded and climbed out of his box, replacing the lid with care. James glided down the hall after Freddy to the Dining Room. Freddy noticed that Bonnie had darted his hand back from Chica's when he'd entered. She looked away shyly to avoid Freddy's wrathful gaze.
"Both of you. Pirate Cove. Now." Freddy demanded.
Bonnie hopped off down and lead the way to the other stage. Chica followed, staying closer to Freddy and James as she did, afraid to risk being near the rabbit alone.
The group found Foxy sitting on his stage with the curtains open. "Huh? What are ye doin' here?" he asked.
"We need to talk." Freddy sat on the stage with the others, intentionally sitting between Bonnie and Chica. James spoke up first.
"I hear a rule's been broken…"
"There has?" The fox looked alarmed. "Which one?"
"The 'no relationships' rule," Freddy answered, shooting Bonnie and Chica a dirty look.
"W-We said we were sorry," Chica mumbled.
Bonnie rolled his eyes. "I didn't. It's just a stupid rule. Why do we even have it?"
"For the resta-" he didn't bother finishing his response. "Sometimes, Bonnie, you really know how to anger me."
"Wait, yer together?" Foxy exclaimed.
"Yeah, we are," he replied. "Freddy's just jealous that I managed to sweep her off her feet."
"I am not!" Freddy protested. "I'm furious that you two would risk getting us all banished to the back room. Or worse: scrapped!"
Foxy's exposed eye widened in worry. "Nae, we can't be…"
"And we won't, but Bonnie and Chica need to put an end to this 'relationship' of theirs immediately." Freddy sighed and took a deep breath before he continued. "It's not that I'm 'jealous', Bonnie. It's too dangerous for us to have relationships. Period."
"Why?" Chica inquired, sincerely. "We know better than to act out of character on stage…"
James folded his hands in his lap and looked down.
"Mike's getting too close to the truth. You saw how he reacted yourself," Freddy explained. "A relationship wouldn't be in our programming; it's just a little too suspicious."
"Yeah, so what if he does find out?" Bonnie asked.
Freddy rolled his eyes. "You really are stupid, aren't you? I already told you: we'll get shut down."
"Shut up!" he yelled back.
Chica's hands balled into fists, which she kept folded in her lap. "Stop fighting, you two… Y-You're supposed to be friends, aren't you?"
"Aye, ye are." Foxy added. "What's gott'n inta both 'a ye? Ye used ta be close."
Freddy frowned and looked away. Bonnie tried to narrow his eyes to appear tough. However, his ears drooped, betraying him.
James cleared his throat. "We can settle that later. Right now, we need to figure out how we're going to ensure Mike remains oblivious."
Bonnie snorted. "Wasn't he always like that?"
The puppet sighed. "He's easily startled, not stupid."
"Maybe we can let ta lad find out. I'll make 'im walk ta plank if he won't keep 'is trap shut."
Chica brightened a little. "Mike seems like he could keep a secret! B-But I wouldn't make him walk the plank."
The group sat in silence for several awkward moments before James broke the quietness. "I guess it's… worth a shot. At this rate, he'll find out anyway. Unless we tell him not to, he'd probably tell Thomas, and it'd all be over."
Freddy drifted into deep thought, contemplating the possible outcomes of Mike finding out their secret. He couldn't guarantee that they'd be scrapped, as he feared they would. Mike could help him with something he'd been ill-equipped to do for years. He mulled it over, realizing he could use the situation to his advantage. It was a risk, but one he deemed to be worth taking. He had settled on it; they'd tell Mike.
"I really don't care. He might wet his pants before we even get to talk to him," Bonnie teased.
Chica frowned. "Bonnie, stop it..."
"Well, I guess we're telling him," Freddy said. "We'll have to deal with whatever comes of this."
"It's settled, then," James said. "We'll tell Mike tomorrow night. We'll need all the time we can get to explain it all to him."
The animatronics generally seemed at peace with the conclusion. They'd all smiled more than they ever had in years, knowing they would be free of their burden. Freddy still worried for their safety, but understood the benefit that came with the risk.
"So… Does this mean I'm allowed to have Chica as my girlfriend?" Bonnie asked smugly.
Freddy sighed wearily. "Yes…"
He grinned. "Score!" He rushed over to his girlfriend and kissed her cheek.
Freddy lowered his face into his palm. "What have I done?"