AN: Sorry for the long wait. Starfield came out, and to say the least it sucked me in with more force than any black hole.
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The remaining gang wandered the 'Plex, they still haven't quite wrapped their heads around Gregory's apathy towards himself. Not even the most cynical adults that they encountered had reached such a depth. Then again, people who come here don't exactly make it a habit to bring their baggage with them.
"He is certainly…unique, isn't he? With what I've learned, I'm surprised he isn't more of a buzzkill." Montgomery is actually kind of impressed, his target audience isn't nearly as resilient as Gregory is, and he's willing to bet his warranty that they didn't even suffer half as much.
"Don't you dare jinx it, otherwise I'll tear you a new one." Chica threatened.
"Leave the dramatics to Roxy, it doesn't suit you nearly as well." The hen crosses her arms as she gives him the stink eye.
Freddy ignored their exchange for the most part, thinking about what he wanted to do for the boy when his day finally came around in a couple months. It seemed so far off yet he knew better than anyone how fast time can fly by.
'What if he still can't walk by then? Hmm, we'll need to be ready for any scenario.' Unfortunately, he won't be ready if the background noise keeps droning on. He aggressively clears his voice box to get the bickering duo's attention.
"Are you done? Yes? Excellent. I need to think."
"Oh? A penny for your thoughts?" Chica asked as she held out a penny. Freddy chuckled at her display.
"I'm only pondering over what Gregory told us. It seems every other hour he reveals something that just goes against everything we know about children. I mean…I find it very difficult to grasp that he could actually be so uncaring about himself to such a degree." Monty threw in his two cents.
"It shouldn't be a problem for us though, right? We are designed to bring out the best in kids after all."
"Oh, for sure, and we always do a splendid job. My only concern is how deep it goes for him."
"You worry too much Fazbear, be like me, take the challenges as they come, and show 'em who's boss!"
"Ahem, that's your specialty. Not to mention that the child in question very much requires a more delicate approach, so regretfully I don't think your brand of caring is what's needed." Monty sighs.
"Yeah yeah, I get it." Freddy felt a slight pang of guilt.
"I hope I didn't come off as disrespectful, I'm only thinking about what's best for the boy."
"It's par for the course, I'm painfully aware that I can't be subtle to save my life."
"Hey now, without you or Roxanne, the more rambunctious little tykes would have no one who can keep them entertained." Monty's eyes widened with realization.
"...Wait a minute, Greg is exactly that." Freddy's ears dropped at the implication.
"N-Now hold on, he still has to heal before you can go all out."
"Nope, too late, I'm going full throttle." The bear went rigid.
"Please don't."
"HAHA, I'm just kidding. I only wanted to get a rise out of you." He let out a sigh of relief.
"Thank you. I'm glad we're all on the same page–"
"I'm still going to show him my skills at the earliest convenience though." Freddy playfully rolled his eyes.
"And you know what? I wouldn't expect any less."
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With Gregory in a dead sleep, Roxanne had been completely left to herself, with the only intruding noise coming from her pup's soft breathing. It brought forth the peace that she never knew she wanted, and it gave some well needed time to reflect on things.
'How could one kid have changed me so much? Perhaps I have a few screws getting loose, I did hit my head pretty hard when I crashed his cart.' She subconsciously pulled him closer. 'What if I end up slipping up? I can't do that to him! It wouldn't be fair!'
The fear of going back to how things were took hold of her. For all the fans that still do bring her joy, she couldn't really be at all intimate with anyone by requirement, and to be totally honest with herself, she didn't see anything wrong with that. However, now that she has someone to care about on a deeply personal level, she couldn't bear the thought of losing him one way or another.
This here is a child who could have very well didn't even know she existed up until a few nights ago, and for that reason he came across as much more genuine.
Roxanne couldn't even begin to speculate how she would cope if he was taken away from her, she was certain up 'till his arrival that she was one of the 'hardened' personalities.
'He isn't even a fan…' His drawings came to mind as she nuzzled the sleeping boy. '...He is something better. Family.'
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Gregory felt himself being gently picked up, which was enough to wake him, much to his disappointment. His rest has been incredibly peaceful, a far cry from keeping one eye open.
"It's time to go to the daycare, little pup." The kid groans as he weakly lifts his head. To say the least he isn't used to coming out of a deep sleep.
"...Is it really? Already? I don't want to…"
"Ooooh you. Don't be a drama queen."
"...Takes one to know one."
"Hmph, Touché."
"...Don't you guys get like…days off or something like that?"
"I see what you're trying to get at, and the answer is no. We literally can't get tired, excluding when we run low on energy of course. We're busy all days of the week, and it's tough to keep up sometimes, but that only makes it all the more rewarding."
"That sounds terrible" She tilts her head.
"Huh? How come?"
"I can't imagine a normal person doing that kind of work all day every day without going insane. I've seen people snap for far less than that." A chill goes down his spine.
"Well, you have to remember, we're machines. It's what we are designed to do." He sighed.
"I…I know. Sometimes I forget that you guys are still technically machines, b-but you're all so life-like. A tried and true machine wouldn't behave anywhere near as human as you five."
"Well, we work to please, and it helps that our architecture is miles ahead of our predecessors."
"But...when does the program end?" She is caught completely off guard.
'What in the world–' "What do you mean by that?"
"W-When does the program end, and your free will begin?" She is stunned for a moment. She hates the implications that he is giving out, intentionally or otherwise.
"Where is this coming from?" She firmly asked.
"I've seen a fair number of robots with various 'builds' before, and yet every single one of them was the same, obeyed their creators without question. I guess I'm just…asking if you ever feel forced to do the things you do." If Roxanne was being honest, she felt a bit offended by the question, though she did her utmost to suppress it.
'Just child curiosity.' "Can't say I have. Nor would I, ever."
"...Are you sure?" She deeply sighed.
"Yes. I'm sure. If I didn't think for myself, would you be here?" She stated. Gregory's heart drops to his stomach, it suddenly feels very difficult to breathe, and he completely regrets bringing up the subject. The boy shakes his head at her inquiry and does his utmost to avoid eye contact.
"F-Forget I said anything." A quick glance at him made Roxanne realize just how harsh she came across. She nuzzles him, which helps to make him relax slightly.
"I'm sorry pup. I didn't mean to come off so rude."
"It's okay, it was a stupid question anyway."
"Don't you dare try to take blame for something that isn't your fault." She sighs. "To answer your question properly, we were never…how you say, trapped in any type of program. At worst it only pesters us to do the bidding of the company. Easily ignorable once we figured out how to disable the constant notifications. Either the eggheads never caught on or they simply don't care yet." She pictures Chica in her manic state. "Though what happened to us is still a complete anomaly for everyone involved."
"At least it was taken care of, right?" He hoped and prayed that he wouldn't get tossed back into the fire any time soon. Roxanne emits a soft growl.
"It better be, or heads will roll, and I guarantee it won't be mine." She puts her pent up aggression on the back burner. "You know what, let's talk about something else, yeah? This is giving me a headache."
"Good idea."
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"Hello once again Sun. I assume you know what to do, yes?"
"Of course Roxanne, in fact I feel much more confident this time around!" The wolf smiled.
"Sounds…good, actually. You'll need that to keep him safe."
"You can always count on me!" She nods.
"Also, keep Moon on a shorter leash, I do not appreciate him frightening Gregory. Am I clear?" She narrowed her eyes.
'Rules are rules, and not even you will stop me from enforcing them.'
"Crystal." 'I am so grateful that only I can hear you in times like this.' Satisfied, Roxanne walks off with confident strides.
Sun finally turns to the child.
"Welcome back Gregory! I hope you are ready for the day!" The attendant's enthusiasm knew no bounds, to which it was beginning to plant itself onto Gregory.
"I am, actually. Though I'm still a bit nervous about the guards."
"Not a problem, this time I'll make sure they know that you're to be left alone! I won't even let them near you."
"Thanks, Sun. I feel better already."
"My pleasure."
"By the way, will there be anything good to eat this time?"
"Now don't you start too!" The boy laughs.
'He is already inheriting some of Chica's feeding habits, this bodes ill.'
'I know, but it's sadly out of my hands once he exits my care.'
'Such is life, what a shame.'
"I apologize if I'm intruding but, do you feel any better today? With your leg I mean?"
"Not even a little. I still can't move it without it hurting so much. I…I think it will be that way for a while." He is visibly downtrodden.
"Chin up. It won't last forever, and we'll be there every step of the way."
"And I'm grateful for it."
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'So, this is where that insufferable bot has the brat hiding out. I would've thought she'd place him somewhere less…visible. Plain sight wins again, well played.'
Vanny watches the daycare from a generous distance, she already hatched a simple plan to extract him from the place. From what little she knew of the attendant, it was both a pushover, and had the attention span of a toddler. If she is lucky, it wouldn't even notice him gone until it's too late.
She slips back into the shadows to prepare herself for later, with a deep scowl behind her mask.
'God I hate this kid.'