Finally the end of the day had come around. Working these open to close shifts may be the thing that will kill you before any one else does.
You wiped down a few tables during cleaning duty happy to not be disturbed. Most people may find cleaning to be tedious, but for you in this moment it was nice. No one bothered you unless absolutely necessary, you could be alone with your thoughts.
Your like circled back to your conversation with Freddy after helping that little girl get back to her mother. The look he gave you as you left. He had something to say, but never had the chance to say it.
It was starting to bother you honestly, you've never seen him look like that before. But you can't think about it too much, you just can't. You leaned over to reach the end of the table with a huff.
"(Y/N)." Someone called your name, causing you to crane your neck up from where you were hunched over. Vanessa stood awkwardly off to the side. She looked better than she had this morning. But her eyes were sunken in still, clearly laced with the exhaustion she mentioned earlier today.
"Oh hey." You leaned back folding the rag you were using to clean, stuffing it in your front pocket. You offered her a smile.
"What's up V?"
You placed your hands on your hips watching as she clutched the strap to her bag. Vanessa shifted partially on her feet letting out a breath. She smiled tiredly at you.
"Need a hand?" She motioned out towards the table, which had a bottle of cleaner on it at the moment. You followed her hand before looking back amused.
"I think I can handle cleaning a few tables. But I won't refuse any help if you're up for it." You laughed a bit slowly moving back from the table. She wasn't just asking to help you knew better.
"Though I have a slight hunch you're here for something else."
You crossed your arms watching as Vanessa picked up a piece of trash off the floor, tossing it into the nearby trash. She wiped her hands clean avoiding your gaze.
"I guess you could say that." Finally she looked up pushing the flap of her cap up so you could see her eyes better.
"I'm..not really good at this, but I came over to say you know thanks."
"Thanks?" You echoed her words back loosening your crossed arms.
"For what?"
"For you know," Vanessa let out a breath slouching, "covering for me and trying to make sure I was okay this morning."
You dropped your arms, she sounded so venerable at the moment. She really must be having a hard time right now, therapy must be new for her then. You smiled trying to lighten the mood.
"You know you don't really need to thank me." You took a cautious step forward taking her hands in yours. She gazed at you confused at the gesture.
"We're friends right? You'd do the same for me. You don't have to say thank you for someone caring about you."
Vanessa stared at you for a moment then a slight smile appeared on her face. She looked away towards the floor unable to maintain your gaze.
"I guess. I'm just not used to people helping me out. It's nice though." Vanessa slowly looked back at you feeling you taking your hands away.
"You know I'm not that popular amongst our coworkers."
You frowned a bit. You knew everyone had something to say about Vanessa. Some said she was fine, she worked that was all that mattered. Others complained. Wondered how she got the night guard position when she had talents elsewhere and no experience in security. Then the glamrocks didn't have many good things to say either.
"She wasn't at the beginning." Freddy's words rang in your mind from that night.
"She is a rule follower, anyone who disobeyed would be put in their rooms for "time out" as she put it at first. Lately how ever she had been more aggressive. She has threatened to dismantle us if we act out. I do not think she is bad though. I think she is a confused individual who is struggling."
It was hard to believe that he was talking about the same Vanessa. But maybe she treats them differently. She seemed the way Freddy described this morning.
You opened your mouth to speak but something stopped you.
Friend. Look. The eyes.
There was a voice. Something familiar whispering in the back of your head urging you to pay close attention to Vanessa's eyes. For a moment they looked unusual. Shades of purple swirled in the center of her green eyes. It almost stuck out, like the purple was glitching in her iris. You blinked and the moment you had it was gone.
What was that?
You let out a shaky breath. Maybe it was a trick of the eye, you're tired after all. Working open to close would exhaust anyone after all. That has to be what that was.
"(Y/N)?" Vanessa seemed worried about you and your staring. You shook your head coming back to reality with a light laugh.
"Sorry I zoned out for a second. Working open to close probably isn't good for me." You brushed your hair from your face.
"Going back to what you were saying though, who cares what people think? Everyone has their own issues going on and if they're so quick to judge you they're probably not great people."
Vanessa shrugged a bit at your words.
"Yeah well, it's hard to remember that." Her tone was quite. You turned to look at a few employees on their way out. You pointed towards one of them.
"Look at Nick for example." As you pointed Vanessa turned to see who you were talking about. Watching closely as the tall man walked.
"He's got a lot on his mind right now just like you. He's not a saint, if you pay attention to the way he walks and his body language you can see he's thinking. He's holding his bag too tightly and he keeps looking to his phone every time it goes off. My guess is either he's cheating and anxious to get caught or he's thinking about breaking up with his girlfriend and doesn't know how to go about it."
Vanessa stared watching as Nick disappeared from sight really listening to your words. Then she turned back to you eyes crinkled in curiosity.
"How could you tell all that?" She leaned back with a raised eyebrow.
"You're not like Sherlock Holmes are you?"
You laughed a little at her slight jab. You shook your head.
"No I'm not that good, I used to be a cop. Part of my job was profiling, I just looked into it more than my coworkers." You hummed.
"That sort of stuff always caught my interest. I wanted to be a detective you know."
Vanessa was quite. The gears in her head turning. It was then you realized maybe you said too much. You didn't want her putting two and two together after all.
"Is that the real reason why you're working here?" Vanessa's question startled you. She crossed her arms eyeing you almost suspiciously.
"What do you mean?" You smiled deciding to play dumb.
"I mean, is the reason you're really working here because of the stories about this place." Vanessa was careful with how she phrased it. Eyes sliding back and forth almost like she imagined someone was listening in on the conversation.
She thinks I'm working here because of the company's past.
You wanted to heave a sigh of relief. That was better than connecting the dots that you were a detective of sorts.
"Nah," you pushed a chair back into place now to seem productive, "the truth is I actually have a lot of good memories about Freddy's. I used to come here a lot when I was a kid."
A lie. You've only been to Freddy's maybe once. For a birthday party, but never again. (Your parent(s) found more entertainment in taking you elsewhere not because of any gruesome murders.)
Vanessa made an oh shape with her mouth nodding.
"I get it. They're so ugly there kinda cute in a weird way." She shrugged. Then her eyes dropped to the floor.
"Can I ask you something?"
"Yeah sure." You picked up the spray bottle ready to start on another table in case anyone else came around the corner. You may almost be off but you knew certain managers weren't all that nice.
"Would you think it's weird that someone is working here to know if the stories are true or not?" Vanessa shifted on her feet. You thought over her question, would you? No you don't think so. But it depends on motive.
"Well it depends. Are they working here for the actual truth or just for publicity to uncover some nasty past?" You twirled the cleaner in your hand. Vanessa furrowed her brows meeting your gaze.
"Let's say they want to uncover the truth behind something. Something that might have happened to them." Vanessa clenched her hands into tight fists. She seemed bothered.
"Well, despite corporates opinion, I don't think that's a bad thing to want. The truth is important, especially if you're searching for answers on something that could have happened to you." You smiled again at Vanessa, wondering now if she was asking this because it was her who was here for that reason.
Vanessa was quite going over your words in her head carefully.
"Can I tell you something?" She stepped a bit closer. Her eyes were heavy, and her expression read she was bothered about something.
"Yeah, you don't need to ask you know." You hummed. Vanessa looked pained. Like she wasn't sure how to phrase it.
Every time she tried to speak nothing but strained words left her. Mostly her starting with I. But she clamped her mouth shut every time. She looked like she was in pain. She shook under your watchful gaze and struggled to get the words out.
Rabbit.
There it was again. That lingering voice in the back of your mind. A whisper of something familiar trying to guide you in the right direction. But what did it mean? Vanessa sighed irritated looking up towards the ceiling.
"Hey." you reached for her shoulder resting your hand against it. She quickly looked back down at you.
"If it's that difficult to say right now that's okay. You don't have to force yourself to tell me. We can talk about it another time. That's what friends are for remember?"
You offered her a reassuring smile, which she lightly gave one back. She relaxed and looked more at ease.
"Friends?" She echoed the word back.
"Yeah, isn't that what we are?" You chuckled a bit. She fully relaxed.
"Yeah, yeah we are." Vanessa sighed heavily looking down to the floor.
"I've got to get up to my office. I'll uh see you later."
Vanessa didn't wait for you to retract your arm, quickly moving back to rush past you towards one of the security offices in long strides.
You turned to watch her leave with a frown. You wondered if she knew something that was going on inside the pizzaplex. That must be why she's so on edge.
Rabbit. Maybe that was about the white one.
You narrowed your gaze. She has to know something that could help the case. If you find the rabbit you think you'll find your missing person. Or least be led to her.
But if she did know something you didn't want her caught in the crossfire. If something happened she could get hurt. Not that you doubted her abilities, it's just that you cared too much.
For now you've got to finish cleaning. You hoped she was okay though. Something is definitely on her mind.
_____________________________
Him.
That's who he was. He was him. But who was him? Was he code? Strings of numbers linked together to create an artificial intelligence? Was he her? The girl with the broken brain?
No, he was a memory. Created in the exact image of his creator. William Afton. He was broken, fragmented as code. Trapped inside a single corrupted game hungry for release.
A poor unsuspecting beta tester tried to stop him. That's what made him complete now. His mission was only just beginning. He was always present inside his franchise. He was the reason that horrible things happened. And while the original William Afton was down in hell rotting and burning for all eternity he was designed to take his place.
So that he could remain immortalized in his own creation.
Being coded after a real person though meant that he had his memories. He may go by a different name now, but he knew who he was and remembered things from many years ago.
"That's what friends are for." Your words struck a cord in the virus's mind. Echoing inside his mind like a looping record.
Someone else said that to him a long time ago. An old friend. (Though friend was a strained word. For Afton it was a love hate relationship. He worshiped Henry some days. He was a genius ahead of his time with his heart poured into his creations. A passion that Afton lacked. Others he was a nuisance. Arguing with him over his designs and his motives. But despite it all he was still the closest thing he had to a real friend.)
"William, whoa! Buddy be careful." Henry chuckled from within the memory, helping to balance Afton as he almost toppled over from the sheer weight of the suit.
"Don't want to accidentally set off any spring locks there pal."
"I have to be able to move in this thing don't I?" Afton tested the knee joint. Flexing his leg, then moved to twist and move his torso seeing how the suit moved. (This was the start. An idea that sparked the franchise to be what it was. This was technology that was ahead of its time. Animatronic costumes that could also be worn by people so that it gave the illusion that the furry friends could roam around and chat with the boys and girls. Henry's idea. Sparked by his little girl.)
"That's the plan." Henry pushed William cautiously down to sit in a chair. Grabbing his tools he knelt at his side observing the creases and crevices of the yellow suit.
"I can't wait to see this finished. Seeing Fredbear and Bonnie walking around will be so magical for the children. I just know Charlie will love it."
"Think of the revenue we will get." Afton chuckled. But he didn't care about the money. He had bigger plans. Bigger robots in mind. They could branch away from the pizzeria business and go elsewhere.
But what would Henry think? Would he still want to be partners? Afton knew that Henry had something he didn't. He had heart in his creations. With out him he'd drown, he needed Henry to agree. To continue to be his business partner.
"Can I ask you something?" Afton looked down at Henry who was tightening a screw on the knee joint.
"Sure thing pal. Shoot." Henry grunted trying to tighten the screw carefully. Afton looked up towards a wall considering his words. How should he phrase it? He needs Henry to stay. He has to say yes, but he needs to figure out a way to make him say yes.
"Nevermind." Afton scoffed. Henry glanced up.
"Ya sure?" He raised his brow curiously towards his friend. Afton nodded with a frown. He can't ask this of him right now. It's not the right time.
"Okay well if you change your mind I'm all ears. Just remember we're friends. I'm always going to be here for you, after all that's what friends are for."
Friends.
The word felt bitter now as the memory faded. A bitter reminder that the man he called friend did not truly feel that way at the end. He said no to his suggestion. He refused to work any longer for him. In his fiery rage and frustration Afton killed his first child. (Henry's daughter.)
The rest was history after that.
But what about you and Vanessa?
Afton wasn't physical at the moment. Vanessa was his physical body for now, what she saw he saw when he desired to look. And you were an interesting person.
Maybe you could be the new Henry. Vanessa needed a Henry. She was smart, and she was almost ready to do what ever he asked with out her realizing. But she lacked heart in certain things. But you, you had that heart.
Perhaps you'll help her, whether you realize it or not. After all the way you two interested was like looking in a mirror, into a reflection of the past. Almost like two friends reincarnated.