Hello readers! Hope everyone is having a good summer so far. I'm back with a new chapter to Billy's story as we dive into an important day in the child's life that happens once a year and is despised by a certain reptile. I will be taking a break from the usual montages I write in this fanfic and focus solely on this particular point in Billy's life. Hope you all enjoy it. I do not own The Bad Guys, Fast and the Furious, Five Nights at Freddy's, or Tony Hawk. The Bad Guys movie is owned by Dreamworks while the books are the property of Aaron Blabey. Fast and the Furious is owned by Universal Pictures. Five Nights at Freddy's is the property of Scott Cawthon.
Chapter 6: Birthday Break-In
One Year Later
Billy's alarm clock gave a loud buzzing sound as the child shot up from his bed with a big smile on his face.
"It's here! It's finally here!" he cried.
After shutting off his alarm, the now 6-year-old did not hesitate to jump out of bed and get dressed. His signature outfit consisted of a grey long-sleeve shirt with a blue t-shirt layered over it. He wore brown cargo pants with a pair of blue, white, and black sneakers. Even though he wore a gray beanie over his head, Billy's messy brown hair poked out from underneath, making it visible.
The child's room still consisted of his various toys and games. But recently, the crayons and paper he used to draw have been replaced with tools and discarded mechanical parts he scavenged from the city scrap yard. Over time, Billy developed a knack for tinkering with various gadgets and electronics. Whenever he watched sci-fi movies with The Bad Guys, some of the highly advanced tools and vehicles he sees on TV inspired him. So far, he has had no success.
Regardless, Billy was not going to let such trivial worries get in the way of his birthday today. Every year, The Bad Guys would go out of their way to celebrate each other's birthday. With Billy, they would always do something special, whether it was robbing a whole toy store or stealing a truck full of ice cream. This year, he believed it was going to be extra special and could not wait to see what the rest of the group had planned for him.
As he left his room, Billy noticed Wolf and the others crowded around the table, whispering to each other.
"Good morning!" he cried.
The Bad Guys jumped and turned their attention to their youngest member. Wolf and Shark stood in front of the table while the rest stood beside them, acting casually.
The leader scratched his neck saying, "Woah! Billy, you scared the living daylights out of us, kiddo."
The child placed his hands on his hips and smirked. "I think you have something to say to me?"
The Bad Guys exchanged glances with each other in confusion.
"What?" replied Piranha.
"You know what," said Billy as he raised his eyebrows up and down his forehead with a smug smile.
"You completely lost us, squirt," said Webs with a shrug.
"Oh, come on! Don't play dumb."
"Can you give us a hint?" asked Shark.
"You know none of us can understand your kindergarten lingo, right?" said Snake.
Billy sighed and rolled his eyes before blurting out, "It's my birthday! You're supposed to say Happy Birthday!"
All of the Bad Guys responded saying, "Oooh! Right."
Suddenly, Wolf's eyes widened in dread. "Wait, your birthday is today?"
"Duh," replied Billy. "We always celebrate our birthdays."
The leader face palmed himself saying, "Dog on it! We completely forgot, kiddo."
The child's joy slowly deteriorated as he said, "You guys forgot?"
"Sorry, Billy. We've been up all morning planning our next big job," said Shark.
"And it has to be done tonight," said Webs.
"Tonight? But it's my birthday," whined Billy.
Wolf walked over and knelt in front of the child, placing a paw on his shoulder. "I know, kiddo, and we're really sorry. But we're going to lose our window if we don't pull this off now. We promise to make it up to you tomorrow."
Billy could not believe what he was hearing. His family forgot his birthday and they planned a last-minute heist when he was looking forward to a day of cake and fun. Billy felt his spirit deflate like a balloon from this unfortunate outcome. Usually, The Bad Guys were good at keeping track of everyone's birthdays, how can they forget his? This felt like a stab in the heart to Billy. He stared at the ground with his head hung low.
Wolf used two of his fingers to lift Billy's head so the child could look him in the eyes. The canine's own eyes were sincere.
"Hey," said Wolf. "I mean it. Even though we won't celebrate your birthday today, we will celebrate it eventually."
Billy was quiet for a moment, feeling a mixture of sadness and betrayal, but the leader's words managed to touch the child's heart
"You promise?" he squeaked.
"Cross our hearts," said Wolf as he smiled and performed the gesture along with the other Bad Guys, except Snake.
Piranha nudged the limbless reptile before he sighed and crossed his own heart with his tail.
Billy gave a weak smile, indicating he accepted their apology and the alternative to celebrating his birthday.
"Plus, you have the most important job on this heist," said Wolf.
9:15 PM
"Remind me again why I'm blindfolded for this job?" asked Billy.
Everyone sat in Wolf's car as the canine drove through the streets with the child sitting beside Shark in the back. A piece of fabric wrapped around his eyes.
Wolf gave his signature smirk saying, "It will all make sense once we put the plan into action, kiddo."
Snake turned to his friend from the passenger's seat. "I don't know why you dragged me into this, Wolf. You know how a feel about bir-"
Piranha quickly gripped his fins around Snake's throat, stopping him from finishing his sentence. The reptile coughed and gagged for air with his tail flailing as the tiny Columbian fish clenched tightly on his windpipe.
"Is Snake okay?" asked Billy, unable to see what was happening.
"Probably choking on that possum he ate earlier," said Webs.
Eventually, Wolf pulled the car into a driveway and put it in park.
Piranha finally let go of Snake's throat and the safecracker gasped for air.
The leader turned to face the rest of the group. "Alright, everybody knows the plan?"
The group nodded silently.
"Alright, Billy, you stay in the car until we come and get you."
"What? Why?" asked the child.
"Don't worry, it's all part of the plan," said Shark.
The large fish had a mischievous smile on his face as he held back his laughter. The Bad Guys crawled out of the car, leaving Billy all alone still blindfolded.
Unknown Location
A lone security guard sat in his chair as he observed the monitors while sipping his coffee. All seemed quiet until he noticed something strange. All of the animatronics on stage looked different. He never remembered there being a wolf, shark, snake, and tiny fish animatronics. Maybe they were new designs to attract more customers. It was about time they got rid of those old ones anyway.
When the security guard was about to lie back down in his chair, all of the monitors in front of him were covered in static. He quickly stood up and tapped one with his hands and fidgeted with the wires. Eventually, the screens became clear again, displaying the views of the entire area he was watching. But something was off, the animatronics were not on the stage anymore. To the guard's surprise, they were now in different locations around the area. How did this happen? Is this someone's idea of a joke? Suddenly, the monitors were filled with static again before clearing up to show the electronics had moved again. What was going on?!
His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of something crawling in the air ducts. The guard's eyes slowly looked up at the vent above his head. Everything seemed quiet now. Beads of sweat slid from his forehead.
Suddenly, the vent burst open as the tiny fish animatronic jumped down towards the guard yelling, "SURPRISE!"
Webs heard Piranha knocking the living daylights out of the guard through her communicator as she snickered. Her laptop was connected to the mainframe she used to interfere with the cameras.
"I always wanted to try that," said the hacker.
With security finally out of the picture, Webs got to work on turning on the power for the entire facility.
Meanwhile, Billy sat patiently in the car, waiting for the rest of the group to come back for him. Eventually, he heard the car door beside him open and the familiar paw of Wolf gently pull him out.
"Alright, Billy, you can take the blindfold off," said the leader.
The child pulled the fabric from his eyes to see a large colorful building with flashing lights and carnival music playing through the speakers.
Billy's eyes widened and his mouth hung open, for he knew where they were. He set his eyes on this place whenever they passed the building, an advertisement on the billboard, or seen a commercial on TV.
He was happy but confused at the same time. "This is Funtopia! I've been asking you guys to take me here forever."
Billy turned around to face The Bad Guys, who all smiled at the boy, except Snake. The six-year-old scrunched his face in thought, trying to figure out why the Bad Guys planned a heist at a kiddy restaurant.
Webs was perched on Shark's shoulder as she replied. "And for one night…it's all yours."
"What?" asked Billy.
At first, the hacker's words did not make any sense. But then Billy began to realize there was no heist or job, it was all a ruse.
His slack jaw slowly turned into a smile as his eyes widened in excitement.
Wolf ruffled the beanie on his head. "Happy Birthday, kiddo."
They did remember!
Unable to contain his excitement any longer, Billy threw his fists in the air shouting, "WOOOOHOOOOO!"
He gave a tight hug to each of them saying, "Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you!"
The child ran towards the large building as fast as a jackrabbit, with the Bad Guys following behind him.
Wolf leaned into Snake and whispered, "I told you he would love it."
"I still think we should have gone to the zoo. At least we could have left him with the monkeys when we were done," replied the safecracker.
Wolf just rolled his eyes at his friend's comment.
Inside was a large complex filled with arcade games, amusement park rides, and food stands all illuminated by the bright neon lights. The carpet, wallpaper, and ceiling were bright shades of red, blue, and yellow with retro eighties patterns.
Billy could just scan the whole restaurant with excitement, feeling as if he was dreaming.
"So, Billy, what do you want to do first?" asked Shark.
The child snapped out of his moment and said. "Oh! I don't know! There is so much here. Where do we even start?"
But then Billy's smile began to falter. "But what about the cops? They'll be here in minutes."
Webs cracked her eight legs. "Gotcha covered, squirt. I deactivated all the alarms in the building. They don't even know anyone is here."
"Why don't we play some of those games you are always raving about," said Wolf.
"Good idea!" replied Billy. "I'm definitely going to beat Piranha's high score on Wack-A-Mole!"
"Oho! I'm going to make you eat those words, chico," replied the tiny brawler.
They all wandered into the kiddy restaurant to celebrate Billy's birthday. Piranha busted open a token machine so they could play all of the different available games. Billy and Piranha ended up playing Wack-A-Mole, and the Columbian fish won by wrecking the machine with his psychotic strength. Wolf and Billy squared off in a dancing game where they had to step on the right tiles appearing on the screen. Webs beat everyone in a fighting game without breaking a sweat and played a side-scrolling beat-em-up game with Billy. Piranha cheated at skeeball by climbing to the end of the ramp and easily dropping the balls into the hundred-point hole as a mountain of tickets piled up.
Everyone gathered in a photo booth where they took funny pictures together. One of them was a sequence of Snake tricking Shark with a push-pop and the giant fish angrily tackling the safecracker in the booth. The flashes from the camera were too much for Piranha that he felt the familiar feeling in his gut. The photo booth became filled with obnoxious green fumes as the group ran out, coughing and gasping for air.
From inside the booth, Piranah shouted, "Sorry!"
They rode go-karts along the track, though Wolf always won due to being the team's getaway driver.
Billy, Shark, and Wolf were able to beat Piranha, Snake, and Webs in laser tag. But that was mostly because Snake hardly used his laser, leaving the Columbian fish and arachnid to fend for themselves.
9:45 PM
The group decided to take a break from having fun and get something to eat. Piranha turned on one of the pizza ovens in the kitchen and made several different pizzas for everyone to enjoy.
While eating their dinner, Billy chugged on his soda and let out a tiny burp. The six-year-old covered his mouth and looked at the rest of the Bad Guys with worried eyes, wondering what they were going to say about his table manners.
But Shark just smiled as he let out a louder burp and the six-year-old giggled.
Webs crawled up to them saying, "You bunch of lightweights, this is how it's done."
The hacker let out a longer burp, adjusting the tone of her belch as if she were singing.
When the arachnid thought she won, everyone turned their gaze to Piranha, who had finished drinking a whole quart of soda. He sat innocently at the table for a moment; nothing happened.
Suddenly, the tiny brawler's chest and cheeks puffed up before he let out a humongous, "BUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUURP!"
The force from the belch was so strong that Billy, Shark, and Webs were flung against the wall with their meal. Even the whole restaurant shook. Eventually, Piranha finished burping, leaving the other three dumbfounded by what just happened. For a moment, everyone was silent. The Columbian fish smiled sheepishly while Billy, Shark, and Webs stared at him with wide eyes. They all started laughing.
Wolf and Snake were the only two who grimaced at the others in disgust.
10 PM
Snake's eyes darted anxiously around as the roller coaster slowly rose to the top of the track.
"Uh, guys, I'm starting to think this was a bad idea!" said the limbless reptile.
"Come one, Snake, learn to have a little fun," replied Wolf.
The leader sat in the front car with Billy and Webs while Shark and Piranha sat behind them with Snake.
"I was having plenty of fun back on the ground before you knuckleheads twisted my tail to get on this death trap!" retorted the safecracker.
As they got closer to the top, Snake found it harder to compose himself from the sheer terror he felt inside. Everyone else stared ahead with big toothy smiles and wild eyes. Eventually, they reached the top, where they could see the entire complex down below.
"No no no! I want off! I want off!" cried Snake.
As much as the reptile struggled to pull himself free, it was no use. They were all fastened into the ride by the safety restraints. Gravity took its course as the roller coaster dived down the other side of the track. All of the Bad Guys and Billy had their hands in the air, screaming in joy, while Snake just screamed in terror.
Later, they admired the picture taken by the cameras, immortalizing their laughter as well as Snake's fear. The limbless reptile slithered out of the exit of the roller coast, looking greener in the scales than his normal yellow. The safecracker's body swayed from side to side due to the vertigo he suffered from the ride. Suddenly, Snake felt that sudden urge in his gut as he covered his mouth with his tail, but it was no use. He puked all over the floor, but instead of vomit, it was an assortment of things he stole. Some items included a gold brick, a diamond ring, a wad of cash, a deck of playing cards, a bone from a small animal, and his alarm clock.
10:45 PM
Billy and the Bad Guys gathered around the table again, for it was the moment of truth. The six-year-old wore a golden paper crown on his head while the others wore typical party hats.
"Now this year, we didn't just get any normal cake…" said Wolf.
Shark picked the large pastry from underneath the table with a big candle in the center in the shape of the number six. At first, it looked like any normal cake with icing and sprinkles. But upon closer inspection, Billy realized it was covered in a thin layer of ice crystals.
"An ice cream cake!" he cried. "Just exactly what I wanted."
"Go ahead Piranha," said the leader.
Snake quickly put some earmuff's over his head as the Columbian fish stood on the table and sang, "Ooooooooooooooooooooh, happy birthdaaaaaay toooooooooo...YOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOU!"
Everyone, except Snake, clapped at Piranha's vocals.
Wolf pushed the cake closer to Billy. "Go ahead, kiddo."
"Don't forget to make a wish," said Webs.
The child glanced down at the cake for a second before looking up at the strange group of thieves he considered his family. All of them smiled back at him, aside from Snake with his typical scowl of annoyance.
Throughout the years they have stolen together, Billy could never understand why everyone else was afraid of them. How the police and many others called the Bad Guys monsters. The same group that fed him, clothed him, gave him a roof over his head, told him bedtime stories, gave him toys, played with him, and went out of their way to reopen Funtopia so they could celebrate his birthday.
Billy closed his eyes and thought; I wish we stay a team forever.
The child blew out the candle and the Bad Guys gave a little cheer.
"What did you wish for, Billy?" asked Shark in anticipation.
"Now come on, Shark. You know if Billy did that, his wish won't come true," said Wolf.
"It could also mean bad luck," said Piranha.
"Thanks, guys," said Billy. "This was the best birthday ever! I don't care what everyone else says, you guys are the coolest. Webs is the best hacker and the best video game partner I've ever had. She even helps when beating the hardest boss battles."
"Naturally," replied the arachnid with pride.
"Piranah might be crazy, but I feel like I never have to worry about bullies when he's around."
"That's right! If anyone messes with our chico, they answer to me!" shouted the little brawler.
His eye slightly twitched as he gave a toothy smile.
"Shark might be a master of disguise, but he can never hide how fun he can be when I'm bored or how funny he is when I'm sad."
"Anything for my little buddy," said the large fish as he rubbed Billy's head.
"Snake…"
Billy fell silent as he looked into the deadpan eyes of the safecracker. He knew Snake never got along with him, no matter how hard the child tried. Billy could never understand why Snake was so mean to him. The six-year-old never did anything to hurt or anger the reptile. Granted, Snake would not treat any of the other Bad Guys better, especially the times he tricked Shark with a push-pop, always resulting in a brawl that destroyed the hideout.
Eventually, Billy continued, "Snake is the best safecracker. Without him, none of us would have been able to steal half the stuff we could."
The rest of the Bad Guys tried to add compliments to Billy's statement to make Snake feel better, but the reptile's face remained frozen in its scornful state.
Finally, Billy turned to the leader. "And Wolf...without him, we would not be the Bad Guys. He comes up with the smartest ideas for heists and knows how to make us all feel better when the cops or the city make us feel down, and he is a better driver than Dominic Toretto."
"That bald greaser could eat my dust," said the canine.
"Being bad is pretty fun, but out of all the stuff we stole and all the jobs we've done, I'm happy to have done it with all of you. Because, to me, you guys are not just a crew, you're my family."
"Aaaaaaawwwww, thanks squirt," said Webs.
"That was so touching, Billy," said Shark.
Piranha sniffed as he tried with all his might to fight back his tears. "I'm not gonna cry…I'm not gonna cry."
Even Snake's face slightly softened at Billy's speech.
Wolf placed a paw on the boy's shoulder and smiled down at him. "And we're glad to have you a part of us, kiddo."
The leader raised his cup in the air, "To Billy the Kid, our little rookie who has officially graduated into the title of apprentice!"
Everyone tapped their cups together, not only celebrating the child's birthday but his promotion within the group.
"Alright, before we dig in," said Wolf.
He pulled out his familiar polaroid camera and held it out with his paw, like a selfie. Everyone gathered around Billy.
When everyone was in the frame, Wolf said, "Everyone say, breaking and entering!"
"Breaking and entering!" said the group in unison as all smiled at the camera.
The polaroid gave a flash and a photo rolled out. Wolf shook the film as the picture came into focus.
"That one's a keeper," he said.
He turned to the boy with a loving smirk. "Happy Birthday, Billy."
"Can we just get to cutting the cake already? I want to make it back in time for my favorite show," complained Snake.
Shark held back Piranha from devouring the whole ice cream cake as Wolf used a knife to cut the first slice for Billy.
While eating the cake, Billy cocked a brow and asked, "What's an apprentice?"
"It means you leveled up, squirt," said Webs.
"You're no longer a white belt in the art of Bad Guys, young grasshopper," said Shark in a mock Asian accent.
"It means we're going start training you through the advance courses of being bad," said Wolf. "Basically, you're going to be treated a little more like the grown-ups from now on."
"Really?" asked Billy. "Does this mean I get to drive your car?"
Wolf gave a slight glare as his ears flattened.
"Don't push it," he said in a cold tone.
"But we did get you something that's almost as cool as a car," said Shark.
The master of disguise ducked underneath the table and pulled up a skateboard with a bow on it.
"Ta-da!" cried Shark.
Billy smiled wildly saying, "Woooow! A skateboard!"
"Stole it from Tony Hawk's collection," said Webs.
The six-year-old quickly unwrapped the bow and held the skateboard in awe. "Cool! I can't wait to do grinds on it!"
He got up from his seat and ran out onto the parking lot to try his new set of wheels. The Bad Guys followed behind as they watched their youngest member laugh while sliding across the asphalt on his new skateboard.
Unbeknownst to the Bad Guys, their tails, fins, and abdomens slowly swayed left and right again as they watched Billy play with his new birthday gift.
But their moment of joy was interrupted by the familiar sound of police sirens and the flashing of blue and red lights coming toward Funtopia. All of the Bad Guys stared dumbfounded at the armada of police cars coming up the road.
"I guess I missed a few encryptions," said Webs.
"Give it up, Bad Guys! I've got you right where I want you!" shouted Chief Luggins over a bullhorn.
"Time to go," said Wolf.
The group ran to the car while Shark scooped up Billy and the skateboard in both fins. Once everyone was inside, Wolf turned on the ignition and slammed his foot on the gas pedal. They were able to speed out of the parking lot before the police surrounded them.
Regardless of his birthday ending in a chase, Billy thought it was one of the best nights of his life. He could not have asked for a better group of thieves to call his family.
Happy Birthday to Billy! Hope everyone enjoyed the chapter. This was one of my favorites to write. Next time, we will start to see Billy's skills develop as a Bad Guy and what special talent he provides to the team. Feel free to leave a review expressing your thoughts on the chapter. As always, thank you so much for your patience. Until next time!
