Chapter Text
Working security at Fazbear’s Mega Pizzaplex was basically customer service on steroids, but you supposed that it had its perks; The pay was nice, the benefits were better than what any other place in town offered, and you got one free meal from the food court per shift! This last item was more of a courtesy than anything else, but you supposed it was the least they could do considering the number of calories you burned just patrolling the massive facility. That being said, it was a good day if you only had to act as a stern set of eyes that threatened to witness any misbehavior. Today, however, you'd been called upon to actually act given that some kid just couldn't keep his hands to himself.
“I can't believe we're being treated like this… like we're criminals or something!" Kim (the mother of the brat you’d caught) narrowed her eyes at you, her cheeks rosy with rage as you kept your own emotions at bay. You nodded in faux sympathy as you pulled up your FazWatch to finish logging the report you'd started earlier. "This is absolutely ridiculous, he didn’t do anything, so I don’t understand why you’re wasting our time. I paid good money for Damien to come here with his little friends today, and for you to treat us like this…” She threw up her hands in disgust, apparently unable to bring herself to finish the sentence, your behavior was that appalling in her eyes.
“Ma’am, I know you’re upset, anyone would be after the day we've all had.” Your tone was gentle, soothing even as you looked up from your report once more. She didn't deserve your kind behavior, neither of them did, but you hoped that it would illustrate your humanity to her and she might find it harder to yell at you as a result. "I hope you can understand that we're just looking out for the safety and comfort of all our guests-" Your attempt to diffuse the situation was cut short as the boy who was cowering behind his mother suddenly burst into tears.
“M-m-mommyyyy, sh-she scared meeee!” He whined, fat tears squeezing out of the corners of his eyes as he clung to her leg. “I-I ju-just wanted to m-meet Fr-Freddy a-and s-she-” You wanted to roll your eyes in disbelief as he dissolved into dramatic sobs… Working this job had forced you to be around enough 10-year-olds to know that this was just a ploy to get you in trouble. If your wealth of experience weren’t enough, the way he screwed up his eyes and stuck his tongue out at you when his mom wasn't looking gave him away. Kim gave you an equally dirty look as she placed a protective hand on her kid’s back.
“I know sweetie, I’m so sorry, mommy will take care of this.” She cooed, staring darkly at you all the while. It was at this point that you realized there would be no attracting bees with honey today. You jerked your head down, looking at your FazWatch again. As you tapped away, logging the details of this incident, it was clear that Kim wanted your attention once more when she stepped closer to your desk and began tapping her fingers on the wooden surface.
"Hmm?" You acknowledged her with a hum, though you didn't bother to look up this time. The sooner you finished this report, the sooner you could get them out of here, so you weren't allowing her to interrupt you again. This had been going on for long enough… it had easily been over an hour since you caught the young man in front of you, and the incessant crying and whining was wasting your time while simultaneously giving you a headache.
“I can't believe they let you work with children.” Kim snipped, her words noticeably barbed, as though she thought that this was some sort of insult that would really cut you to the quick. You had to repress a laugh, knowing that there was a good chance she would physically attack you if she thought you were making fun of her. "You're obviously just working here because you can't get a real job… Any adult working in a place like this has to be a goddamn freak, not to mention that the way you've been treating us has been horrible… If you keep us here even a second longer, I'll sue you personally, I swear-"
“I promise, the moment I get your information and finish my report, you won't have to worry about staying here even a second longer ever again." You said flatly, your lips twisting into frown at her threat to punish you for doing your job. This wasn't the first time someone had said this to you… no one wanted to go up against Fazbear's generously paid legal team so they always tried to pick the easiest target possible - you. When you started here, that threat might have freaked you out, but you weren't a rookie anymore and you knew you didn't have to take this. "Ma'am, the security cameras caught your son vandalizing one of the map bots and due to the extent of the damage, my only option is to ban you-”
“WHAT??” She squawked, Damien's eyes going wide and his face going pale. “O-oh come on, the thing still works, doesn’t it??”
“Barely.” You replied, your expression pointedly unamused. “Beyond that, the situation caused a number of our other guests to complain due to the obscene nature of the vandalism-” This statement set Kim off like a bomb as she began to screech at you, all while Damien began to cry real tears, weeping to his mother that he couldn't be banned, he just couldn't. You ignored them, writing 1) Damage to Fazbear property; 2) Drew a penis on the map bot under REASON(S) FOR REPORT, and writing map bot sent to Parts and Services, perpetrator is BANNED under CONCLUSIONARY ITEM(S). Now, there was only one last piece of information you needed before you could send these two on their merry way… “Alright, Kim and Damien was it? I apologize for the wait, but we’re almost done here. Last name?” You asked, looking up at the two of them expectantly, trying to ignore the holes being glared into you at that very moment. Kim finally went silent as you waited for her response, staring at you unblinkingly.
“…Get your fucking manager. I’m done trying to reason with you” She finally hissed, her eyes bulging with rage at having failed to get her way. You shrugged, your investment in the situation nonexistent. Honestly, as annoying as it was for her to pull that card, you kind of appreciated it since it gave you a chance to get out. Hell, so long as you didn’t get fired for this shit, you couldn’t bring yourself to care.
“Of course. I’ll call someone and send them right in. Excuse me.” You stepped past the two of them, not even bothering to look in their direction as you exited the office, though you couldn’t stop the sigh that passed your lips once the door was closed behind you. You were too tired for this. Holding your FazWatch in front of your face, you pulled up your boss’s page in the employee directory and hit the phone icon next to her employee photo.
“(Y/N)!” Your boss answered cheerfully, far happier to speak to you than anyone else you’d spoken with all day. “What are you still doing here?? I thought your shift ended already-”
“Huh? Oh… Yeah, sorry about that Vicky, I got caught up.” You muttered, their comment having caused you to realize that they were right… No wonder you were so damn tired. You hoped you wouldn’t get in trouble for the unapproved overtime, but it’s not like you’d chosen to get involved in this shit. “I’m in security office 5. Can you stop by? I’ve got a Karen and her kid.”
“Nooooo…” Vicky groaned, her exasperation bleeding through your watch clear as day. “Ughhh… god, please tell me this isn’t about the dick on the map bot… I swear I’ve talked to a hundred parents about that today…”
“Sure is.” You chuckled, feeling some small amount of schadenfreude since her situation sounded like it might have been worse than your own. “But instead of someone just complaining about it, I’m trying to ban the kid who did it, and his mom isn’t happy.”
“’Course she’s not.” Vicky huffed. “Alright, I’m about five minutes away. Be there in a bit.”
“Thanks, Vicks.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
You clocked out the second Vicky took over, exhaustion dripping out of every pore. You slowly made your way to the employee breakroom – an offshoot of one of the utility tunnels by the main entrance – where the lockers were located. As you trekked through the blackened tunnels, the only light coming from your flashlight and the cracks around the edges of some of the doors down here, you contemplated for the millionth time just why the utility tunnels were kept so dimly lit. The rational side of you assumed that it was a shitty attempt on the company's part to save money, while the irrational side of you determined that they shouldn't do shit like this if they didn't want more rumors to pop up. You always felt like you were being watched when you were down here, but you shoved that cheesy B-list horror movie line out of your mind; You were being ridiculous.
When you got to the breakroom, you flipped on the light switch directly beside the door, squinting as the lights slowly flickered on above you. You opened your locker with the intention of changing out of your greasy, permanently stained work uniform and grabbing your belongings when an alternative idea struck you…
You sucked your teeth as you peered around the employee quarters… there was no one else in sight. This was no surprise to you, given that your lateness meant that you were leaving between the standard shifts and given that Fazbear hired a minimum of human employees (favoring mechanical ones whenever possible). There was one other perk that came with working here that that you enjoyed on occasion, and you were thinking of partaking in it right now. It would be just the thing to sooth and relax your aching muscles, but you were too much of a coward to enjoy if there were anyone else around…
Grabbing your phone, the aforementioned clothes, and a couple sizeable bottles that you kept stashed deep in your locker, you trotted deeper into the room, making your way towards the employee bathrooms. Though you were expecting to see no one, you kept your eyes open, fully ready to change your plans on a dime if things weren’t as secluded as you were hoping… For the first time all day, it seemed you were in luck! The bathrooms were empty, meaninngggg…
You could take a bath!
You felt a little strange for getting so excited about something so simple, but you didn’t have a bathtub in your own apartment, and the baths here were far nicer than any other baths you’d ever seen. Rows of baths in their very own room, with each bath partitioned with curtains for privacy. You were 95% sure you were the only person who used them, but even so (and even with the partition) you were only willing to bathe when you felt confident that no one else was here… the thought that someone else could just walk in at any moment set you completely on edge which was the opposite of what you wanted. You smiled to yourself when you poked your head into the empty bathroom and confirmed that it was empty. Then, you stepped inside and, even though you technically weren't supposed to do this, you locked the door. If anyone else wanted in, they’d have to knock.
You set your belongings gently near the edge of the bath and began to fiddle with the knobs, getting the temperature juuust right before stopping the drain. As the tub began to fill, you pulled up some music on your phone, settling for a playlist of yours that was a little old-fashioned, but familiar and sweet… great for calming you down at the end of a long, horrible day. And finally, finally, you stripped off the disgusting, sweaty uniform that you’d begun to loathe, dumping it and your underwear in a messy heap on the floor near the door.
You stepped into the tub and slowly sat down, your exhaustion turning into something comfier as the water continued to run and you were slowly submerged. Since you locked the door, you didn’t even bother closing the partitions. Once the tub was filled to the brim, you finally turned off the water and, humming along with your music, you slid down, down, down until you were laying on your back, your face barely breaching the surface. Due to the size of the tub, this position meant your knees had to stick up out of the water, but you were so warm and comfy everywhere else, you didn’t mind. You closed your eyes, taking a deep breath in… and out…
You couldn’t hear it right away, but as the seconds ticked by, you began to slowly pick up on the sound of your own heartbeat – a steady woosh-woosh, woosh-woosh beneath the water becoming clearer with each passing second. You could still hear the music, though it was slightly muddied by the water, and you continued to hum to it even as your fingers tapped the bottom of the tub in sync with the beating of your heart. There was something so peaceful about this… You felt in tune with your body as the stress that knotted your muscles began to subside. Allowing your tapping to stop, you loosely draped your arms around your middle, and you focused on how smooth your skin felt beneath them. You rubbed your hands up and down, soothing your muscles, relaxing your body, appreciating the texture of your own skin…
Nothing else existed when you did this. It was just you, and you never felt more in touch with your body than you did in these moments. Even your thoughts, distracted by music, slowly drifted away as the minutes ticked by.
You weren’t sure how long you laid there, but your fingers were noticeably pruney by the time a familiar song began to play, and you smiled to yourself as the familiar words echoed through the bathroom.
Fly me to the moon, and let me play among the stars…
“Let me see what spring is like ooon… Jup-it-ter and Mars…” You sang softly trying your best to match Sinatra’s jazzy rhythm and inevitably failing. “In other wooords… hold my hand…” You chuckled at your attempt, and slowly sat up in the water. You supposed it was time to actually use the bath for its intended purpose. “In other wooords…” You reached for the bottle of body wash that you’d brought with you. "Ba-by kiss me…" You squeezed the body wash onto your hand. "Fill my heart with song, and let me sing for… ever… more…" Your singing slowed and you paused as your attention was caught by something… unsettling… The door to the hallway was cracked open, and you could tell from here that the lights in the hallway were off… You were so distracted, Franky crooned the lyric "you are all I long for all I worship and adore…” all by himself. You would have sworn you closed the door, you distinctly remembered locking it… and you certainly didn’t remember turning the lights off…
“Uh… H-hello?” You asked, your voice squeaking slightly at the thought of someone else finding you here. You weren’t doing anything wrong, and you supposed it wouldn’t be the end of the world if another employee stumbled across you… but even you knew that this activity of yours was kinda weird, and the idea of someone else being present made you feel nervous. "Is someone… there?" You received no answer, other than the music continuing to echo through the bathroom. You swallowed dryly, deciding that you wanted to finish up quickly so you could get out of here, and you closed the partition, body wash in hand. You tried to relax as you washed up, but the bubble of comfort you’d created had been popped, and even though this was likely the fault of your own, overactive imagination, there was no recreating it tonight.
You sighed as you rushed through the rest of your bath when all of the sudden, the lights in the bathroom flickered on and off.
“Hello??” You squeaked again, a little more urgently than you had the last time, you opened the curtain in a flurry, holding it tightly against your body as you did so, but even so… you saw nothing… and no one responded. Your heartbeat was racing and you didn't need to be under the water to hear it. You took a shaky deep breath before swearing, “Fucking Fazbear and his fucking power outages…” Though frustrated, you couldn't repress the quiver in your voice as you came to the only rational explanation for this turn of events. “Thought those didn’t happen until after mid-night… faulty fucking wiring, I swear to god…” You muttered to yourself as you washed away the last few suds and un-stoppered the drain with a huff. You quickly pulled yourself out of the tub, scolding yourself internally for getting so jumpy over absolutely nothing as you dried yourself off and began to pull your clothes on.
It wasn’t until you were dressed and ready to leave that you noticed the door was closed once more.