Chapter Text
Life is hardly ever fair. That’s something that Gregory accepted as a fact a long time ago. If life was fair, he wouldn’t have been abandoned by his parents just because they wanted to give all their attention and care to his sister. If life was fair, he would have been taken in by a good foster family instead of rotting in a group home with kids he hardly got along with for a year. If life was fair, he wouldn’t have been living on the streets for two years now. He would have had a loving family. He wouldn’t have had to give up his already nonexistent childhood at six. And, lastly, if life was fair, he would NOT be trying to evade a hoard of murderous animatronics and a lady in a bunny costume right now.
Well, at least he had Freddy. As much as he didn’t want to admit, he has grown attached to the bear and has come to rely on him as a source of comfort in this ever worsening situation. Hell, he’s only been with the big guy for two hours, so why? He wasn’t supposed to rely on anybody but himself: a life on the streets taught him that a long time ago. It shouldn't matter that he’s already sneaked into the Pizzaplex quite a few times before this and has seen Freddy on multiple occasions. It shouldn't matter that he’s always been his favorite…
But, either way, he was just happy he could rely on somebody for once.
That’s what he was thinking as he was carefully treading through Parts and Service, with one clear goal in his mind: find a way to reunite with his only friend here. He’s only survived up to this point with his help, and Gregory was certain that without it he would surely be just another missing kid on the newspaper. Not that there’s anybody to even report him as missing... Regardless, he felt grateful to Freddy for providing the protection he needed. Though he was sure he could usually look after himself just fine, he couldn't deny that the safety net Freddy's presence provided was a much needed one tonight. If he wanted to solidify his getting out of here alive, that is.
And so, he continued making his way deeper into Parts and Service, keeping an eye on the Endos all the while.
~~~
Freddy was dreaming. At least he thinks he was. He was fairly sure animatronics are not supposed to have dreams or nightmares, and yet he occasionally still experienced them. He didn’t know why, obviously, he just did. And, interestingly enough, those dreams nearly always featured the same cast of people.
He didn’t know their names, or, at least he didn’t remember them when he woke up, but he did remember the vague details. Right now, in particular, the focus of his dream was a small child. He couldn’t have been much older than five in this dream, but Freddy did recognize him from some of his earlier ones. He looked a little older in those, sure, but it was unmistakably him. Brown hair, green eyes, same features, just… Younger, and lacking his usual teary-eyed expression. The sparkle in those eyes this time was not because of any liquid gathering in the corners, and the smile on the boy's face was emphasized with the little dimples in his cheeks. He was happy too, laughing and playing with the kid. A light and airy feeling of weightlessness not usually present in his dreams also made this one feel like home. It was nice to not experience a nightmare for once.
“You’re the best-“, he heard the child start saying, and…
And then he woke up. Well, more like he was pulled out of his sleep mode, and rather crudely at that. Almost as crudely as he was pulled into it at the end of the previous hour. In his grogginess, he thought that the boy reminded him of Gregory. He didn’t have much time to think about that, however, as he heard Officer Vanessa speak.
“Jeez, do you even watch your battery, Freddy?”, she said, each of her words punctuated with the noise of her shoes tapping on the floor. Under her breath, she added “You’ve just been causing trouble left and right today, as if there’s not enough going on tonight already besides your glitches.”
“I apologize, I do not know what may be the cause of all this,” he responded with an apology, which was so very typical of him.
“Just make sure to not let this happen again,” she let out a sigh, sounding like she was speaking through gritted teeth.
A moment of awkward silence passed between the two, before Freddy spoke again.
“And… What about the child? Has he been found already?”
“I found him earlier and locked him up in Lost and Found.”
Freddy should have probably been relieved hearing that, and yet he wasn’t. In fact, Gregory’s distrust of Vanessa somehow convinced him of the same as well. That, and he’s always had a strange feeling about her. Sometimes, she’d be completely fine, acting friendly with him and his bandmates. Much friendlier than some of the other human employees. He'd always remember the time she offered Roxy a quick fix after a particularly disastrous party involving some of their more ill-mannered visitors. She could always have left it up to the technicians coming in the next day, it wasn't in her job description at all, but she didn't, and the gesture was most certainly appreciated. And other times, well… She acted snappy and unkind, or even passive-aggressive. That could definitely be chalked up to her tiredness of course, but the poor security guard always seems tired, so that didn't seem to be very likely of a reason. It was a mystery for sure, but at those times the security guard seemed… Off. As if more withdrawn, as if she wasn’t really there. The contrast from one situation to the next was quite jarring to say the least.
So yes, in hindsight, the decision to trust Gregory’s judgement of Vanessa was much easier than it should’ve been. Maybe the reason for that was the subconscious distrust on Freddy’s part, however unnatural it may be for the ever forgiving and trusting bear that he was, his programming considered.
“That is great news. He can be returned to his parents,” he decided on saying, his suspicions kept to himself. Giving himself away was the last thing he needed right now. If he hadn’t done so already accidentally, that is.
“He can’t," the tapping of her feet stopped, leaving her voice and the hum of the lights in the cylinder to be the only sounds in the room. "Turns out, there’s no record of him.”
Somehow, that didn’t surprise Freddy as much as it should have. Gregory did not have a guest profile, after all, and while that in and of itself wasn’t enough to confirm or deny anything, the boy’s frazzled and unkempt appearance and numerous cuts and bruises did not paint a pretty picture. As much as Freddy didn’t want to believe it, he suspected the worst. And that is why he felt the need to clarify.
“Are you sure, Officer Vanessa? There is really no record of him?”
“Not as far as I could find,” she confessed, and he could just barely see her pinching the bridge of her nose out of the corner of his eyes. “Not only did I not manage to find a guest profile, but there also haven’t been any reports of missing children. And I'm pretty sure I’ve seen him sneaking around the Plex a couple of times before on my day shifts with no parents or guardians in sight. He always got away before I could get a clearer look at him though.”
That insight didn’t help much to ease Freddy’s worry. In fact, it only made him feel worse, as his fears seemed to be more or less confirmed.
“In any case,” Vanessa continued, and he could feel the intensity of her glare. “His name is Gregory… You know how I know that? His Fazwatch kept repeating it. In YOUR voice…”
The lie, alarmingly, couldn’t have had an easier time slipping out of his voicebox.
“Officer Vanessa, all the Fazwatches sound like me. It is the default voice option,” it wasn’t a COMPLETE lie, after all. Call it manipulating the truth a little…
“If you’re part of this, you’re scrap. Monty will run the shows, until Parts and Service can slap your casing on a new Endo,” Vanessa threatened, though her words didn't do much in wavering his resolve. Protecting children from anything they considered a threat has always been a priority for him, and the decision was already made in Gregory's favor. “Hang out here for a while. Can’t have you getting into any more trouble now, can we? I gotta find that kid.”
“Vanessa! Do not leave me like this!” Freddy started, but before he could say anything else the guard was already out of the room.
By his lonesome again, Freddy managed to make a mental note to ask Gregory of his situation when he was reunited with the boy, before not even ten seconds later said child made his entrance.
He’ll do that when he’s not a disembodied head.
~~~
Gregory knew the question was coming, and so it didn’t catch him off-guard at all when it did. He did overhear Freddy and Vanessa’s entire conversation. That didn’t mean he wanted to answer it though, but somehow he didn’t think his friend would let it go that easily.
After Freddy’s head had been reattached and they were about to make their way back to Rockstar Row, the animatronic, unsurprisingly, decided to make his inquiry in the current relative safety of P&S.
“Gregory, as you know I have had a… Conversation, with Officer Vanessa a little while ago,” he began, concern clear in his voice and even leaking into his expression despite his limited ability to emote. “I am not sure how much of it you have overheard before you entered, but a concern of mine seems to have been somewhat validated.”
“What do you mean?” he asked, trying to mimic confusion. It’s not too late to play dumb, right?
Freddy lowered himself onto his knees in front of Gregory, looking at him at eye level, a hand hovering over the boy as if asking for permission, and when he received no objections he gently set it onto the kid's shoulder. “I need to know, Superstar. This has been bothering me for a while now, and I cannot help you as much as I would like to when this is over if I do not know, nor could I in good conscience let you go on your way without being certain.”
He then imitated taking an unnecessary breath, a completely human habit he developed for some reason despite being an animatronic bear with no need of oxygen.
“Do you have a home or a family to go back to, Gregory?”
Gregory supposed that question was unavoidable. As much as his brain screamed at him to divert the conversation, the serious and concerned tone Freddy had spoken in made him realize he’d have to give his answer eventually.
Well, he figures, he better get the less than pleasant thing out of the way as soon as possible. No use delaying it now, lest they lose even more precious time.
“No…” Gregory answers tentatively. “Haven’t had one for three years now,” and with those eight words all of Freddy’s concerns were now completely justified.
“Superstar, I… Am so so-“ he began, only to be interrupted midword.
“No, don’t be,” the bitterness in Gregory’s words was palpable. “My pa-… Those rich assholes never cared about me anyway, they’ve only ever cared about my sister. The moment I became too much trouble they just left me and never came back. Nobody else ever looked for me, like I never even existed...”
That did not sound right to Freddy. Could a parent really just abandon one of their children that easily with no consequences, while keeping the other? And why didn't anyone look for Gregory? Something about this was very wrong, and none the less, he doubted the child would know himself, so he made the decision to drop this line of thinking for now. As much as it broke Freddy’s nonexistent heart, with the new information coming to the surface, he had to ask Gregory a different question. He also promptly decided to let the very nasty word that escaped the child’s lips slide, just this once.
“And what of the group home you resided in? Surely they would have noticed you missing, is it not possible to return there?” he asked, not daring to put any hope into his voice. Deep down he knew the answer already, but he needed to be sure.
“I ran away,” the child replied simply. "Nobody ever wanted a troublemaker like me, and I didn’t really get along with the other kids. The adults weren’t always the nicest either, so I ran... They never even went searching. Or at least they didn’t search well enough," he swung one of his legs back and fourth, looking down at it intensely. "It doesn’t seem like they cared much either, I was just one of many. Bet they were happy that they had one child less to take care of… I’ve been living on the streets for two years now.”
The admission rang through the walls of the large room clear as day. Despite the boy’s cool exterior, Freddy could tell that the child was clearly hurt about the indifference of the world. He was bitter and there was no mistaking it. As much as he wanted to seem like he didn’t care, and as used to it as he made himself out to be, he was still a child, and not even every adult would be strong enough to deal with something like this. Suddenly, Vanessa’s remarks about seeing the boy around the Plex before made sense: it has food, warmth and plenty of attractions very inviting to a nine-year-old like Gregory. Not to mention a good amount of gift shops littered throughout it, with warm clothes and blankets up for grabs-
Without giving it much thought, the bear pulled the child into a hug. A few seconds later he felt Gregory’s body start softly shaking, letting out quiet sobs. That made him hug Gregory tighter, minding his strength and the kid’s fragile frame. He must have been so terrified, putting on an act to seem stronger. He had to, he didn’t have the luxury of letting it out the entire night. And, from what he now knew, he has never had a shoulder to cry on before this either, putting on that same act throughout the years to survive the cold and unforgiving streets.
Somehow, Freddy felt like he could sympathize with the kid. Somehow, Freddy understood his peril. He understood the crushing feeling of having no one to rely on but himself, as if he’s been through a similar experience too. He could never imagine a small child such as Gregory having to deal with such a thing. Oh, how he wished to have a chat with his parents right about now. He’d have quite a few choice words to tell them actually, his child-friendly programming be damned.
He chose not to focus on it now, however. He could ponder on that later. Right now, he had a child to soothe. Said child was now hugging him back as tightly as he could muster, and, as the animatronic slowly moved down to fully sit on his legs, he gently let Gregory move into a slightly more comfortable position on his lap, rubbing circles onto his back all the while.
He would let the kid let his emotions out for as long as it was necessary, he knew he needed that after years of indifference from every adult around him. No child should have to carry all the weight of the world on their shoulders. Gregory had been an incredibly strong kid all this time, wonderfully smart and quick on the uptake, and the bear just couldn’t understand why anybody would not be immediately charmed by these traits of his.
It was at that moment that Freddy made a decision. If nobody else was truly willing to do so, he was going to have to make that decision himself. He wasn't going to let anything, in the Pizzaplex or out, ever harm this kid. His kid. If Gregory really was as alone in the world as it seemed, then Freddy was going to be the one to take him under his wing. From now on, Gregory was his Superstar.
He didn’t even register a passing thought that this might be his chance to make things right to someone whom he’d forgotten a long time ago. The thought was gone just as soon as it appeared.