Chapter 17: My Strength Has Been Found

Benji woke up from his alarm on his phone. Instead of succumbing to the familiar dread that accompanied the approach of the fourth night, Benji found himself filled with a newfound determination to conquer it. The anticipation bubbled within him, especially knowing that the following night would mark the conclusion of this thrilling ordeal. As he settled into his routine, his gaze drifted over to the Golden Freddy plushie perched beside him on the bed, a comforting presence in this journey.

"Night four, here we come!" Benji exclaimed with a chuckle as he playfully booped the plushie on its nose, relishing in this moment of levity amidst an otherwise tense atmosphere.

With renewed energy surging through him, he swiftly climbed out of bed and shed his pajamas. Making his way to the bathroom to prepare for the day ahead, Benji allowed himself to immerse in thoughts about what lay before him. As warm water cascaded down during his shower, his mind raced with strategies and ideas for how he would vanquish this impending challenge. Each droplet seemed to wash away any lingering doubts as he envisioned how he would navigate through the trials of that fateful night.

"Maybe the Originals could help me block off the vents or something", Benji pondered out loud to himself while he was rinsing off.

After thoroughly drying himself off, Benji took a moment to wrap the plush towel securely around his waist, ensuring that he felt comfortable and refreshed. With purpose, he stepped closer to the mirror and sink, ready to begin his carefully curated skincare routine. He meticulously followed each step, applying serums and moisturizers with precision until he achieved the radiant look he desired.

Once satisfied with his appearance, Benji made his way into his spacious walk-in closet, where an array of clothing options awaited him. After carefully surveying his selection, he chose an oversized black cable knit sweater that exuded style and comfort. He paired it with a light grey pair of pants for a subtle contrast that complemented the sweater perfectly. To complete his ensemble, he decided on a gold necklace that added just the right amount of elegance without overwhelming the outfit.

As he admired himself in the mirror one last time, Benji turned to face his cherished Golden Freddy plushie perched on a nearby shelf. With a warm smile gracing his lips, he leaned down and kissed its head gently before uttering words of encouragement. "I hope this will go over smoothly," he said softly to the plush companion as if it were capable of understanding his hopes for the day ahead. With that heartfelt gesture completed, Benji felt ready and confident as he finally left the room to embrace whatever lay beyond.

He reaches for his shoulder bag, ensuring he has his keys and phone securely in hand before making his way down the stairs to the first floor of his house. As he descends, Benji can't help but notice a loud growl emanating from his stomach, a clear signal that he's quite hungry.

"I suppose that means I've let my hunger get the best of me," Benji mused silently to himself with a light chuckle, acknowledging the humorous side of his predicament.

Benji carefully considered his options for a late lunch and ultimately chose to prepare a delightful dish that he had always enjoyed. He decided to make himself a cooked salmon sandwich, featuring succulent salmon fillets grilled to perfection. To complement the sandwich, he opted for a side of fresh green beans, lightly steamed to retain their vibrant color and crisp texture. The combination of the rich, flavorful salmon paired with the nutritious green beans not only promised an enjoyable meal but also provided him with well-rounded nourishment for the day.

Once finished, Benji washed his plate and placed it in the dishwasher. He grabbed his car keys and checked his shoulder bag one last time to ensure he had everything he needed. Sliding his phone into his pocket, he opened the garage door and climbed into his car, ready to head out.

His first stop was Aaliyah's coffee shop, a cozy little spot that always felt like a second home. The bell above the door jingled as he stepped inside, greeted by the warm aroma of freshly brewed coffee and the sight of his best friend working behind the counter. Aaliyah's face lit up when she saw him, even if it was like the thousandth time.

"Hey, Benji! How's my favorite night guard?" she teased, sliding a cup across the counter to a waiting customer.

Benji grinned as he approached. "Surviving. Night four tonight. Round two of The Game started out rough, but I'm determined to finish strong this time."

Aaliyah raised an eyebrow, leaning against the counter. "You've got this. I can tell you're in a better headspace now." She reached for a cup, already preparing his usual iced coffee. "What's different this time?"

"I'm more prepared," Benji replied, watching her expertly layer the drink. "I've learned from my mistakes, and I'm not letting the fear get to me. Besides, it's the second-to-last night. There's a light at the end of the tunnel."

Aaliyah handed him the cup, her expression softening. "I'm proud of you, Benji. It's definitely not easy doing that."

Benji smiled, the warmth of her words bolstering his confidence even further. "Thanks, Aaliyah. Hey, you should come by this weekend. The tension will be gone, and we can get you to meet the animatronic gang."

"Deal," she said with a grin. "Now go conquer that night shift. I'll see you soon."

With his iced coffee in hand and a sense of purpose fueling his steps, Benji left the coffee shop, ready to face whatever the night had in store for him. For the first time in a long time, he felt like he had found his strength.

12 AM

As Benji entered the pizzeria like he always had. However, he knew that Golden Freddy had given him more confidence in himself than anyone else had. Before he could go through the door to the second pizzeria, the night guard felt a presence around him.

A soft chuckle escaped his lips as he muttered, "Hehe, hey, Goldie." He turned slowly, already smiling at the golden figure he knew would be there.

Golden Freddy stood a few feet away, his faint glow casting warm shadows on the walls. His expression was gentle yet enigmatic as always, but tonight there was something more—an almost human warmth in his eyes. "Hello," the animatronic greeted, returning Benji's smile with one of his own.

Benji's grin widened as he stepped closer. "Thanks again for the plushie. I really needed it," he said, his voice soft but genuine as he wrapped his arms around Golden Freddy in a quick, heartfelt embrace.

"You're welcome," Golden Freddy replied, his deep voice carrying an undertone of affection. He gave Benji a moment to step back before continuing, his tone shifting to something more serious. "But I need to talk to you about something—while we walk."

Benji tilted his head, curiosity piqued. "What is it?" he asked, falling into step beside the animatronic as they headed toward the second security office.

Golden Freddy hesitated for a beat before speaking, as though choosing his words carefully. "Tonight and tomorrow... things will get more challenging. You'll need to be on guard. And I'll be more active during those shifts as well."

The weight of those words made Benji's stomach twist slightly. "Oh. Okay," he replied, his voice smaller than he intended. He looked down at the floor as nervousness crept into his chest.

Noticing this, Golden Freddy stopped walking and gently placed a hand on Benji's face, lifting his gaze to meet the animatronic's glowing eyes. "I promise, I won't hurt you. Ever. Okay? And the others—they'll be there for you, too, if you need them."

Benji's cheeks flushed slightly at the reassuring touch, and he nodded, a faint smile replacing his nervous expression. "I know you guys wouldn't try to hurt me anymore," he said softly. For a moment, his smile faded as a thoughtful look crossed his face. Something he'd been holding back for days, maybe weeks, stirred inside him. The words danced on the tip of his tongue, but fear made them stumble.

Golden Freddy noticed the shift. "Benji," he said gently, his head tilting. "What is it? You can tell me."

Benji's heart pounded. Just say it, he urged himself, clenching his fists slightly at his sides. "I-I have a question," he stammered, his voice barely above a whisper.

"What is it?" Golden Freddy's gaze softened further, his usual air of mystery replaced with genuine curiosity.

Benji hesitated again, his thoughts a flurry of uncertainty and embarrassment. "D-Do..." He swallowed hard, squeezing his eyes shut for a moment as if bracing for impact. "D-Do you have a crush on me?" The words tumbled out in a rush, and as soon as they did, he looked down, his face burning with a blush that crept all the way to his ears.

The silence that followed felt impossibly heavy. Benji's mind raced, imagining every possible reaction. His heart thudded loudly in his chest, drowning out the faint hum of the pizzeria's machinery. He risked a glance up at Golden Freddy, but the animatronic's expression was unreadable, his glowing eyes locked on Benji as though processing the question.

Benji's blush deepened. "I—I mean, I'm sorry if that's weird! You don't have to answer!" he added quickly, his voice rising in pitch as panic set in. "I just... I—" He trailed off, biting his lip to stop the flood of words.

Golden Freddy didn't move at first, the stillness almost unnerving. Then, slowly, the corners of his mouth curved upward in a small, knowing smile. Golden Freddy's smile lingered as he observed Benji, his glowing eyes narrowing ever so slightly with thought. For a moment, he said nothing, and the silence between them grew heavier. Benji's heart thudded loudly in his chest, his hands fidgeting nervously at his sides.

Finally, Golden Freddy broke the silence with a quiet chuckle. "That's a bold question, Benji," he said, his voice carrying a soft, teasing edge. "But you've always had a way of surprising me."

Benji's eyes widened slightly, and he swallowed hard. "S-So… is that a yes?" he asked, his voice trembling as he tried to meet Golden Freddy's gaze.

The animatronic tilted his head, his expression enigmatic but not unkind. "Feelings… can be a tricky thing," Golden Freddy said carefully. "Especially for someone like me. But if I didn't care about you, Benji, do you think I would've gone out of my way to make sure you were okay? Or to see you smile?"

Benji blinked, his blush deepening. "W-Well, I mean… I thought maybe you were just being nice…"

Golden Freddy's chuckle deepened a low sound that echoed faintly. "I don't do things just to be nice, Benji. Everything I do has a reason."

Benji tilted his head, a mix of confusion and hope swirling in his chest. "So… what's your reason for doing all of that for me?"

Golden Freddy leaned slightly closer, his glowing eyes locking onto Benji's. "Let's just say… you're important to me. Very important."

The words sent a flutter through Benji's chest, his heart racing as he tried to make sense of what they meant. "Goldie…" he began, but he trailed off, unsure of what to say.

Golden Freddy straightened up, his mysterious smile returning. "That's all you need to know for now, Benji. Let's focus on tonight, alright? You'll need your wits about you, and I'll be here to help."

Benji nodded slowly, his thoughts swirling. "Right… okay," he said, his voice soft but laced with nervous excitement. A small smile tugged at his lips. "Thanks, Goldie."

Golden Freddy placed a reassuring hand on Benji's shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. "Anytime, Benji. Now, let's get to work."

As they walked toward the security office, Benji couldn't help but glance at Golden Freddy, his cheeks still warm and his mind replaying the golden bear's words. Important to him. Very important. The thought made his chest feel lighter, and for once, he allowed himself to believe it. As the pair arrived at the office, the phone started to ring.

"Good luck, Benji", Golden Freddy softly smiled before disappearing from the office.

When the golden bear was gone, Benji picked up the phone.

Hello hello! Uh, hey there, night four! I told you you'd get the hang of it!

"I'm definitely getting the hang of it", Benji smiled softly at the phone.

Okay, so uh, just to update you, uh, there's been somewhat of an investigation going on, uh, we may end up having to close for a-a few days, I don't know.

"Uhhh, there was a fucking investigation at the second location as well?" Benji became stunned from hearing this information.

Uh, I want to emphasize though that it's really just a precaution. Uh, Fazbear Entertainment denies any wrongdoing. These things happen sometimes. Um, it'll all get sorted out in a few days. Just keep an eye on things and I'll keep you posted.

"These things happen sometimes?! What the fuck?! I'm so glad that Scott is the new CEO of Fazbear Entertainment." Benji became a bit more upset with the words he was hearing.

Uh, just as a side note though, uh try to avoid eye contact with any of the animatronics tonight if you can. Uh, someone may have tampered with their facial recognition systems, we're not sure. But the characters have been acting very unusual, almost aggressive towards the staff. Uh, they interact with the kids just fine, but when they encounter an adult, they just...stare.

Uh, anyways, hang tight. it'll all pass. Good night!

Benji sat there in silence for a bit from what he heard on that phone before he regained his composure, "I'm ready to take on whatever happens tonight".

2 AM

By the time the clock read 2:30 AM, Benji already dealt with almost every animatronic twice. Well, except for The Puppet, for obvious reasons. While Benji was rewinding up the music box quickly when he heard that damn annoying small animatronic from across the building.

HELLO! HI!

Benji really hated that stupid Balloon Boy. Why was he even made?

When he glanced up into the dimly lit office, the night guard was suddenly confronted by a shocking sight: a withered and frail version of his best friend. The eerie figure sat hunched on the cold floor in front of the hallway, his body slumped forward as if weighed down by an unseen burden, and his mouth hung open in an expression of disbelief. As this unsettling scene unfolded, the overhead lights began to flicker erratically, illuminating the room in a way that heightened the tension like never before.

"Oh shit!" Benji exclaimed in alarm, his heart racing as he hastily donned the spare Freddy head that was meant for emergencies.

Miraculously, just as quickly as it had manifested, the emaciated apparition of Golden Freddy dissipated into thin air, vanishing beyond reach. With a trembling hand, Benji removed the heavy spare head from his own.

"That was a close one," he murmured softly under his breath, a profound sigh escaping him as relief washed over him amidst lingering dread.

Benji really wanted this night to be over already.

4 AM

The night guard looked over at the clock again. This time it read 4:26 AM. Before Benji could complain, he heard loud, heavy footsteps approaching the office. When he flashed the light down the hallway, he saw Withered Foxy, Mangle, Withered Chica, and Toy Bonnie. Benji flickered the bright light down the hallway. However, it only made Foxy leave the hallway. Benji tried again flickering the light down the dark hallway. Chica and Toy Bonnie left the hallway this time, but it looked like Mangle was creeping closer across the hallway's ceiling.

"I knew you weren't going to give up so easily" Benji let out a soft chuckle towards Mangle.

Before he could do anything, Benji heard a sudden commotion coming from Party Room 2. Benji gave Mangle a confused look, who gave the night guard a confused look as well, and then left. Flipping through the cameras, he opened up the feed for the second party room. The night guard wasn't prepared to see what he saw on the camera feed. Benji saw both Withered Chica and Toy Bonnie arguing in front of the vent opening. He could hear the both of them from the camera more clearly.

"I got to the v-vent f-first!" Withered Chica shouted at the Toy animatronic.

"No, I did, you fucking bitch!" Toy Bonnie screeched back at the broken chicken animatronic.

"W-Well, l-ladies first", Chica gave him a smug look. Before anything was said or done, Chica jumped into the vent and started crawling.

"Oh hell nah!" Toy Bonnie exclaimed in disbelief and outrage at Chica's abrupt move, indignation filling his voice as he struggled to process what was happening. Toy Bonnie jumped into the vent after her.

Benji was trying not to laugh at the scene unfolding before him. He heard some banging around in the air vent, so he changed the camera feed to the right vent.

"Move your giant ass! You're in my way!" Toy Bonnie whined profusely while banging his hand on the back side of Chica. That made her stop crawling forward.

"H-How about no", Chica looked at the camera in the vent with a smirk and giggled.

That made Toy Bonnie even more frustrated and agitated while Benji was laughing so much that he was starting to tear up. However, he noticed the flashing symbol on the bottom right of his screen.

"Oh shit, the music box!" Benji quickly changed the cameras to the Prize Counter camera and started winding it back up.

When he was done with that, Benji saw that Withered Chica and Toy Bonnie both tumbled out of the right vent. He quickly put the spare Freddy head onto his own head, just in case.

"Ugh! You messed up routine!" Toy Bonnie scoffed as he stood up and brushed himself off.

"S-Sorry that w-we h-had the s-same idea", Chica had a fake sorrowful look plastered on her face. Toy Bonnie took the bait though.

"Don't ever fucking do that again! Hmph!" Toy Bonnie huffed and stomped away.

Withered Chica turned around to face Benji once again. "Thanks, Chica", Benji spoke softly through the spare head.

"You're welcome, Benji", Withered Chica tried to smile, but couldn't because of how broken she looked. Benji knew she meant well though.

Chica walked out of the office to give the others a chance as well. When Benji took the spare head off of his head again, he heard metallic footsteps coming towards the hallway.

CLANK CLANK CLANK

Benji also heard a distorted radio transmission from the hallway. He shined the light down the darkened hallway once again. Both Foxy and Mangle were back in the hallway together.

"Heh, you two can never let me catch a break", Benji chuckled before flickering the light again.

5:50 AM

Two hours had passed by, and Benji now had dealt with each animatronic, except for The Puppet, three times tonight. That included his best friend, Golden Freddy. Benji had a bit of time to breathe as he had like five minutes left. That's what he thought, at least. He froze as he heard movement coming from the left air vent. The night guard also had to do a double take because he saw the music box warning flashing on the screen.

Benji heard the dreadful animatronic in the vent as he was winding it back up. HELLO! HI! "You have to be fucking kidding me!"

His heart almost stopped when he looked up from finishing up with the music box. There in the office was that annoying Balloon Boy!

HAHAHAHAHAHA!

Benji started to freak out and tried flashing the light down the hallway.

click click click

"Oh no", Benji became filled with dread when the light stopped working.

HAHAHAHAHAHA!

Benji quickly looked at the time and the clock read 5:59 AM.

CLANK CLANK CLANK

"Shit", Benji muttered as he heard fast, metallic footsteps from the end of the hallway.

Just as the running footsteps were about to cross the threshold of the office, the chimes rang out into the building. The invisible children also shouted with cheer into the night.

6 AM

Benji sighed out a heavy breath of relief as he heard both Balloon Boy and whoever was in the hallway walk back to their original positions. The night guard started to pack up his bag to head out for the day. As he was going back to the first side of the pizzeria, Golden Freddy joined Benji for his walk.

"Hey Goldie", Benji softly smiled at the golden bear as they walked.

"Hello Benji", Golden Freddy replied with a smile.

"Did you see what happened earlier?" Benji giggled, trying to not laugh harder.

"Yes, I saw what happened", Golden Freddy replied with a deep chuckle, "It was just too funny, that I just TUMBLED onto the floor". This made Benji and Golden Freddy laugh even harder as they arrived at the front door.

The both of them faced each other when they stopped in front of the doors, their laughter fading into a comfortable silence. Benji looked up curiously into Golden Freddy's eyes, the soft glow of his gaze both mesmerizing and disarming. Unable to hold the contact, Benji's cheeks flushed, and he shyly glanced away.

Golden Freddy's gentle hand reached out, tilting Benji's chin upward so their eyes met once more. "This is my answer from earlier," the golden bear murmured, his voice low and warm, carrying a weight of emotion that made Benji's chest tighten.

Benji barely had time to process the words before Golden Freddy leaned in closer, his movements slow and deliberate, as if giving Benji a moment to stop him if he wanted to. But Benji didn't move. He couldn't.

Golden Freddy's soft smile never faltered as their faces drew closer until the space between them disappeared entirely. His lips brushed against Benji's—a tentative, delicate connection that sent a shiver down the night guard's spine.

Benji's eyes fluttered shut, his heart racing as he leaned into the kiss, his initial nervousness melting into something warmer, something he couldn't quite name. Golden Freddy's touch was impossibly gentle, his presence somehow both comforting and exhilarating all at once.

When they finally parted, Benji opened his eyes to find Golden Freddy watching him with a tenderness that made his breath hitch. "I've wanted to do that for a while," Golden Freddy admitted, his voice soft, almost shy.

Benji swallowed, his cheeks burning, but he couldn't stop the small, genuine smile spreading across his face. "I… I didn't know you felt that way," he said quietly, his voice trembling slightly.

Golden Freddy chuckled, his hand lingering for a moment before dropping back to his side. "Now you do."

Benji nodded, his smile growing wider despite himself. "I think… I'm glad you told me."

That's when the night guard began to yawn tiredly.

"Come on now, you need to go catch up on your sleep", Golden Freddy playfully booped Benji's nose this time and chuckled.

"Fine, I'll see you later, big guy" Benji tiredly smirked and kissed Golden Freddy on his cheek.

Benji smiled at the golden bear animatronic before leaving the pizzeria. After getting the car, he drove off peacefully into the now-rising sun.