#my guards

“R-R-Right…” Throat was cleared and Scott glanced down at his hands, fingers twitching with nerves. Repairing an animatronic sounded anything but easy, and he was certain there were far more suitable candidates to tackle the task. Why hadn’t they been cornered and asked? Why was it always him?

“I-I-I’ll uh. I-I’ll try..?” What else could he say? There was no weaseling out of the job. No way he’d be able to smoothly talk himself out of it or volunteer another employee.

His supervisor grinned, clapping a heavy hand upon his shoulder. “Attaboy! He’s back in parts and services. Make sure you keep the door closed so no one ends up wandering in. The last thing we need is some kid spotting Bonnie with his face mask up.”

“R-Right…”

Dress shoes clicked lightly against the tiles of the Pizzeria as he made his way down the hall, easing open the proper door and peeking inside. A hand reached sideways, fumbling for the light switch before catching it and illuminating the room in an abysmally dim light.

Of course.

A deep inhale was given, steeling his nerves before he eased into the room and shut the door behind him. Tools were strewn out about the tables–various odds and ends for repairing the animatronics and performing general tasks around the Pizzeria. Wires and pieces of gears–things he wasn’t entirely sure how to handle. Half-formed endoskeletons and mascot heads sitting pretty on the shelves. Waiting for their time to shine. Attention finally shifted to the over-sized rabbit positioned on one of the stools, the metal-reinforced to handle such a heavy weight. His red guitar was firmly grasped in over-sized paws and two bowl-shaped devices were placed to his right and left, the smell of some sort of cleaning solution filling the air.

Uncertain steps were taken forward and Scott was reminded just how small he actually was compared to the machine. It was easy to forget just how large the animatronics were when they remained on stage during the day. It was amazing–how he’d never truly been intimidated by them as a child.

At least…not until after…

Head shook, waving away the thought and he took a mental stock of the items around himself should he need them. The animatronics weren’t supposed to be aggressive during the day shift–he knew that. Knew they wouldn’t try anything. But the door was shut and he was alone; who knew what the bunny could actually try to do?

“H-H-Hello Hello Bonnie…I uh. I-I-I’m uh. I.” Fuck. Breathe Calder. “I’m s-s-supposed to be uh…finding out w-w-what’s wrong with your guitar today! I uh. I-I-I know I’m not really trained for this but..just bare with me. Okay–? A-And we’ll uh. We’ll get through this a-a-and you can be back on stage with your friends. I-I mean...they aren’t much of a band without t-th-the guitarist. You know?”

A nervous smile was offered and Scott let out a shaky sigh, unsure what he’d actually hoped to gain from the spiel but it felt…necessary. It wasn’t as if he’d want someone just leering into his personal space without an explanation.

Personal space…of an animatronic. Ugh. What was he saying?

Head swiveled, locating the cassette tape and player with the instructions on it and he took a moment to pop it into the device before hitting play. The same voice that did the majority of the Fazbear training filled the small space and he pulled up his own stool, plopping down in front of Bonnie’s looming form to wait out the beginning portion of the tape.

“…To re-calibrate Bonnie’s guitar in the case of any note being out of tune…” Scott perked up, leaning back and making sure he was paying closer attention. “First you’ll have to access his harmonization module located inside the secondary throat pipe. Please remember–these animatronics are sensitive equipment and should only be tampered with, tinkered with, or repaired by trained Fazbear personnel.”

“W-Well..that’s not happening t-t-today…”

“To access the secondary throat pipe both eyes must first be removed. You must be as precise as possible when removing the eyes from their respective sockets. First. Firmly grip Bonnie’s left eye and CAREFULLY remove it from its socket.“

Scott reached forward, pressing pause on the tape before swallowing hard and looking upwards at Bonnie’s face.

“R-Right…okay.” Hands flexed and he stood, taking a cautious step forward. Bonnie’s left eye–so the opposite of his own when facing the rabbit. “I’m uh. I-I-I’m going to be as careful as possible okay p-p-pal–? P-Please don’t uh. Don’t panic. D-Don’t panic.”

Despite his assurance, to both himself and Bonnie, his hand still shook furiously as he inched it closer to the animatronics face. Fingers curled around the ping pong-esque orb, obscuring pink and he moved to pull it out. Careful. Careful. Not allowing anything to touch the sides of the head–like a delicate game of operation. Only when it was a few inches from the Rabbit’s face did he back up and take a moment to glance down at it in curiosity, turning it over carefully in his hand. It was lighter than he’d expected…but he found he much preferred it inside the rabbit’s face when he spotted the red glowing dot staring out at him from its previous location.

His free hand reached to the side to resume the instructional tape.

“Great job!” The words were filled with falsified emotion and he shook his head, hoping he never sounded like that in his own training instructions. “Deposit the left eye in the cleaning receptacle on your left. You should only use the approved cleaning solutions as detailed in the Company Policy.”

Head tilted towards the bowls from earlier and he carefully sat the eye into the device, watching as it was swirled around and the smell of the cleaning agent grew stronger. Once it was done it rolled down the small ramp, waiting to be replaced.

“Well done. Now. Firmly grip Bonnie’s right eye and carefully remove it from its proper socket as previously detailed. If you feel the need to repeat the instructions, please rewind the tape.”

Again, Scott paused the tape before leaning closer to the large animatronic. Fingers grasped the right eye–a mumbled apology seeming too loud in the otherwise quiet room. The right eye was fished out and placed in the other bowl, swirling around as its opposite had.

Tape was resumed and a line of sweat broke out upon the man’s brow, deeply uncomfortable at the glowing red dots that greeted him from Bonnie’s sockets. The sooner he finished this up, the better.

“To open Bonnie’s faceplate, carefully press the two buttons located on either side of Bonnie’s lower jaw. Please be cautious of your finger locations, as we are not responsible for any resulting injury that may occur due to improper conduct. When done correctly, you should hear two small clicks.”

Odd.

He had never known the animatronics to have buttons along their lower jaw…it seemed far too obvious. What was there to stop a child from pressing them? Beyond height? Nevertheless, he moved forward once more, flexing his hands before carefully feeling along the surface and locating the buttons in question. Did he press them at the same time? One right after the other? The tape hadn’t been specific enough. It hadn’t clarified.  

His pulse was pounding in his ears as he pressed one of the buttons, followed immediately by the other, two small clicks given before Bonnie’s faceplate abruptly flipped up with a hiss of machinery. The entire animatronic shifted with the force and Scott let out a terrified yelp, scrambling back–arms coming upward to shield his face. He was so certain that he’d done something wrong–that he’d triggered the animatronic and it was going to attack. Leaving him to die in the back room, saving Bonnie the trip! How kind of him! There was no shortage of places to hide the body–no shortage of suits. His chest heaved with panic but nothing further ever came, even as the moments ticked into minutes. Long enough for something to have happened. When he peered out, Bonnie was still just sitting there. Guitar in his paws as the two glowing eyes stared out at him amongst the silver machinery of the rabbit’s endoskeleton face.

Hands scrubbed down his face as he straightened back up. How in the world did the actual mechanics manage to do this? It felt like a constant gamble and Scott was not a gambling man.

The tape had drone onward and he splayed a hand over his chest, willing his heart to calm its erratic beating before fumbling to rewind backward to receive the rest of his instructions. The sooner he got this done, the sooner he could close Bonnie’s face back up and return to the main section of the Pizzeria, no longer locked in with the same animatronic who saw fit to torment him during the Night Shift.

“Well done. You now have access to Bonnie’s harmonization module. Press the blinking button located inside Bonnie’s secondary throat pipe to enter calibration mode.”

“T-T-That’s it..?” Scott questioned, frowning and leaning forward to press the button in question. It indented with a click before the animatronics paw moved, strumming in pre-counted motions. One of the chords gave an uncomfortable twang and his frown grew as Bonnie stilled once more. Attention flickered towards the instruction tape--waiting to see what he was supposed to do in such a situation.

“If you encounter an anomaly in Bonnie’s pre-recorded audio, please direct your attention to the tuning keys and carefully twist the colored peg that is producing the incorrect sound. To confirm the recalibration press the blinking button located inside Bonnie’s secondary throat pipe again.”

Panic dawned on the male’s face as he paused the tape once more, the implication that he not only had to actually tune an instrument he knew nothing about but confirm the selection and deem it correct. Deem it correct for the animatronic to return to the stage and perform with the settings he chose. That’s it? Oh, he could punch himself for speaking such things out loud as if he just jinxed himself!

Fingers twitched, looking between the strings of the guitar, the tuning pegs, and Bonnie’s faceless head, the glowing button taunting him. The red pinpoints of Bonnie’s endoskeleton staring up at him. Waiting. Waiting for him to screw something up...waiting to surge forward and grab hold of his shoulders before shoving him to one of the empty suits.

Hands flexed and Scott let out a breath, reaching out and hesitantly giving the guitar an experimental strum, listening to the resulting sound each produced. Somewhere within the last few, the same uneven twinge sounded and fingers splayed across the guitar carefully, silencing it and following the length to see which pegs they were connected to before twisting it just slightly.

The actions were repeated several times, each done with an increasingly shaky hand. He was stalling...that much was obvious. He knew it was. But--it was a lot of pressure, knowing that whatever selection he input would be what Bonnie played now. If he screwed it up, what was to say he wouldn’t be here again? What was to say his luck would continue onward?

Worse yet, what was to say he wouldn’t be fired for messing up?

A prolonged inhale was given before he let it out immediately after, reaching forward and pressing the button. Bonnie’s paws moved, in the same pre-counted motions and the guitar played through the cords. No twang came this time and, once the last played, Bonnie’s form stilled once more. Waiting. Watching. Waiting. Watching.

Scott’s expression brightened and he raised a hand to his hat, removing the pink and white accessory. He used the brim to wipe the sweat that had accumulated on his brow during the whole operation away.

“T-Thanks for letting me help you, Bonnie. Let's uh. Let’s get you back in order…” The cap was replaced and he turned to resume the training tape. More instructions concerning the various things that could be wrong with the guitar were voiced and Scott gave a soft noise of discontent, hand moving in an ‘on with it’ motion. He could fast forward, obviously, but there was a chance he might miss what he was waiting to hear. Then he’d waste more time trying to rewind it back.

Never mind the fact that it was rude...to ignore someone’s work like that. He knew his own instructions weren’t always listened to. That some of the employees who...were no longer with the company had a tendency to mute his stuttering advice.

“Great Job! Bonnie should now be in tune and ready to return to the stage soon. Let’s close him back up.”

“Thank you!” He leaned forward, nodding in satisfaction. He was ready to get this over with.

“Simply replace Bonnie’s eyes in the order you removed them to prevent crossing his wires. Then close up the faceplate by pressing the buttons on the sides of the lower jaw once more.”

“T-That doesn’t really make sense…but uh. I-I guess...you’re the boss.” He turned to the containers with the eyes and fished the first up, standing before Bonnie and the unwavering crimson gaze that greeted him. Left eye to Bonnie’s left.

Inserted it back in was easier than he’d expected, pieces matching together like a puzzle. Right eye next. Somehow the eyes staring out at him along with the endoskeleton was worse. He shuddered before shaking his head. Fingers found the buttons he’d depressed earlier and he jolted back as the rabbit’s face came swinging back down with a heavy and dangerous click, hiding away the inner workings and revealing the familiar face of Bonnie.

“Well done. Bonnie is spic and span and ready to return to the stage. Thus concludes this audio-tape.”

Click.

He’d done it. He’d actually done it correctly. Hands were silently raised in a victorious fist pump and he righted the work space, placing things back where they’d been. He held down the button to rewind the training tape to the very beginning, for the next time or the next employee who might need it. Scott turned, ready to get himself out of the backroom. To tell his Boss the good news and return to the floor...keeping the animatronics a safe distance away. As he reached the door, a metallic clink sounded behind him and he froze, mind immediately rushing to the worst possible option.

He’d done something wrong; the animatronic would be in pieces. Bonnie must not have been pleased with his treatment. Strong grip would wrap around his throat--he wouldn’t leave this room. Slowly, like a child not wanting to face a nightmare, he turned his head and looked back...but the rabbit hadn’t moved. None of the tools were out of place. His head was still on his shoulders and his faceplate was still where it was meant to be.

So what--? What had made the noise? He paused, catching something glinting in the dim light that hadn’t been there previously. Cautious steps were taken forward and he stopped directly before it.

A token...for one of the arcade machines. Freddy’s face greeted him from the metallic surface and he arched an eyebrow, wondering just where it’d come from. He knelt to pick it up, keeping an eye on Bonnie all the while, before straightening back up and running a thumb over the imprinted surface as he turned it between his fingers.

It definitely hadn’t been there before. He would have noticed. Would have stepped on it beneath his feet while he worked. Brown eyes stared down at it before he blinked up at Bonnie, wondering, for just a moment if it was possible that it had come from the rabbit as a reward.

No...no that was just silly. How could he?

He pocketed the currency and turned from the work space, making it to the door and out this time. The sound of children’s laughter and brighter light spilled into the room as he retreated to the main hall of the Pizzeria, flipping the light switch to parts and services as he went.

♥ = Character’s preference for relationships (sexuality, type of person, etc.)

Scott is gay; but closeted due to stigma in the time period. He has a tendency to fall for those that aren’t the best for him…idk man idk he’s a hopeless man who falls for terrible terrible men who give him a smidge of positive attention. He falls hard when he gets caught catching feelings. 

Jeremy is straight; probably somewhere on the ace spectrum if he knew what it was. He tried to do the whole white picket fence lifestyle and shacked up with his highschool sweetheart but once they actually had a kid and started a life together he struggled to keep being the breadwinner of the family while she stayed home with their daughter. The divorce came hard and though he doesn’t miss his ex-wife, the thought of losing his daughter keeps him from rolling over and giving up.

He doesn’t have another romantic relationship after his divorce.

Maverick is pan and genuinely just here to have a good time. He knows he’s a lot to take in and long lasting relationships are not his strong suit. Most people aren’t going to stick around while he sinks his entire being into his newest Fright Scheme.

† = How the character feels about murder

I mean……..is this. A question that needs answering? LMFAO.

Scott is…morally against it and learning the truth behind the missing children incident genuinely broke his spirit and trust in the one person he’d given his heart away to.  

But on the other hand? Working at Freddy’s involves a lot of denial and grey areas when it comes to murder? I guess? Like he’s aware that the Night Guards end up getting murdered by the animatronics but he’s also like???? What am I supposed to do???? How can I help? Does this count as a natural cause? Is it really murder? It’s more like an accident? The Fredbear incident with his brother when he was younger also painted him as a murderer? So he’s. He’s just having a bad time all in all and knows his hands will never truly be clean. 

Jeremy is also against it but understands that self defense is a very much real thing. Much more open about the idea of a grey area but he isn’t about to go...chopping anyone up. 

Though Fazbear’s gets some very choice words and he earns a police escort away after the bite that claims his daughter. 

Maverick is very desensitized to the concept due to his fascination with gore but he does know when to put that on the back burner and realize that hey. Shit’s fucked up.