"What do you hope to find in the forest?" Freddy's voice pierced the thick silence that had fallen between the two of you as you drove out back towards the abandon Afton home.
"I don't know," you gripped the steering wheel frustrated, "a new lead I guess."
Freddy fell silent again, you don't know why he was so determined to stay close to you but at the same time you think you appreciate the company. After dropping (F/N) back to her home you couldn't shake the image of the dead body from your head.
Mr. Burke's twisted body writhing on the ground blood still somehow spilling from his body. Even though that machine that thing inside him seemed to clean him of his insides. What if who ever engineered that planned to have it scoop his organs out before discarding the blood. But why? What was the point?
Human evolution?
You furrowed your brows in thought. It sounded just too close to William aftons death and you had a hunch that Michael was involved somehow. What way you're not sure but you're going to get to the bottom of it. Long before your slow coworkers.
"What do you know about the Afton family Freddy?" Your sudden question startled the man. His blue eyes looked at you with an unreadable expression.
"Just what I've heard from those two older ladies. Not very much, what makes you ask?" Freddy leaned back against his chair casually ignoring the passing trees as your car bumped along the dirt road.
"I was just curious." Your voice was soft now no longer curious. You're not sure why you asked, maybe you thought he'd know something about it. But he was an outsider how could he know?
"You know that they'll suspect your friends right?"
Freddy narrowed his eyes at hour statement.
"Say that again?" He leaned forward to get a better look at your face.
"Your friends from the circus. They're the only new people in town, there hasn't been a death like this since...since william Afton." You hesitated to say it but somehow found the strength to as the abandoned home loomed out in the distance now visible.
Freddy looked out the window deep in thought only humming in acknowledgment.
"You're my alibi though." Freddy grinned partially at the thought. Momentarily his friends didn't matter. (They could take care of themselves.)
"I'm not talking about you." The car came to a stop, parked with your hand now turning the engine off with your keys.
"I'm talking about your crew."
"They'll be fine." Freddy looked back at you.
"Shouldn't we be focusing on our own case?"
"Do you not care about that?" You gasped quietly frowning.
"Your friends could be prime suspects in a murder case. The first murder of the town."
"I do," Freddy unbuckled his seatbelt taking a deep breath, "but I also know how they are. They're going to be fine. There's no point in worrying about them, we need to focus on ourselves right now."
You removed your keys from the ignition, turning to fully look at him trying to get a read on him. Freddy was far different now than the man you first met. He was more serious than he led on and her occasionally he seemed to enjoy the chase of this investigation. He seemed unfazed by the body, but worried about you. He didn't necessarily lack empathy but there was a missing puzzle piece with him. One you didn't even know where to begin to find.
You got out of the car wordlessly staring up at the abandoned house in thought. The sun was still out, just beginning to disappear behind the tree line that seemed infinite. It almost seemed like a grave yard like this. A soft request to keep away, but not stopping you to come forth and offer your condolences to it.
In the light it looked worse than in the dark, it's spookiness was stripped away with realism. Just an old house left to rot. You closed the car door finding yourself lingering. Where do you even begin?
"The tracks are still here." Freddy stuffed his hands into his pant pockets looking down at the faint tire marks in the ground. Cocking his head to the side with narrowed eyes. He seemed distant.
"It hasn't rained yet so there's still a trail to follow." You walked over towards him ignoring the thought of how the house looked behind you. Like someone was stalking you waiting for the right moment to strike.
"There's a thought," Freddy glanced at you with a grin, "shall we follow the trail to wonderland my lady?"
Freddy offered his hand out to you a lingering excitement in his eyes. You hesitantly took it brushing off the fact he called you his lady. He was a flirt. Though now you questioned his motives. Something stirred within you as he pulled you along towards the direction the intents faded into nothing. Maybe it was just nerves. Worried about a killer being on the loose and that a man you've known your whole life died of unnatural causes. (You didn't want to admit the truth that lingered deep within now.)
"If there's enough of a trail to follow." You huffed taking the first steps into the woods. There didn't seem to be any traces of someone coming this way. The trees loomed tall above your heads as the two of you walked hand in hand. Maybe if the circumstances were better you could have enjoyed this.
Birds sang in the trees fluttering past the two of you on your seemingly meaningless search. It was quite as you and Freddy traversed. But it wasn't a bad silence, it was comfortable. It gave you time to think.
S t a y A w a y.
You turned sharply behind you. What was that? You shuddered feeling your heart sped up with anxiety. Freddy seemed tense. His hand squeezed yours and his eyes sharply looked around the trees.
"Come on out!" Freddy's excited whisper made you look at him confused. A smile was on his face like he just struck gold in a mine. As if sensing your gaze his blue eyes immediately snapped to your (E/C) one's with such intensity.
"Who are you talking to?" You raised an eyebrow, you feel like you keep doing that today.
"No one." Freddy shook his head smile falling partially.
"I didn't say a word."
You gazed at him in disbelief but said nothing continuing forward. There was a break in the tree line, revealing a river that broke the land in half. You could hear it rushing from here.
S t a y A w a y F r o m H i m.
There it was again. Like a voice drifting through the breeze just loud enough for you to hear but too quite to pin point where it was coming from. You looked around again trying to find it's source. Maybe it was Freddy trying a new ventriloquy act.
"I know you're there. Come on out." Freddy muttered again eagerly. You were a bit unsettled by his words and sudden enthusiasm.
Finally emerging from the trees you and Freddy stood at the shoreline of the river. It's water rushed undisturbed even by the new guests at it's side. You let go of Freddy's hand, much to his disappointment, to walk around and get a better look. It was empty. There was nothing here. Was this just another dead end?
No there has to be more here.
You took a moment to take in your surroundings looking down at the ground brushing leaves to the side peeking under them to be sure nothing was hidden from your sight. The area looked pretty untouched. Nothing but nature ran through here. You huffed standing up, then you saw it.
Something caught the suns fading light glimmering underneath a leaf. You rushed over to it plucking the leaf off the ground to see a screw of sorts. You crinkled your nose confused. It looked like a screw, but it had coil around it. It seemed tense like the coil could snap at any moment lunging at you. You stood up with it in your hand. (Of course after you put on gloves to preserve any finger prints to look into later.)
"Hey Freddy, come look at this." You offered him to see the screw like object.
"Do you know what this is?"
Freddy had been looking down into the river when you had called for him. But like an obedient dog he rushed over curious to what you've found.
"It's a spring lock." Freddy wanted to take it from you but you held it from his reach.
"You can't touch it, it could ruin any potential prints on it." You warned him with a slight frown.
"What's a spring lock?"
"Have you seem the Bitty Babies at the circus?" Freddy smiled excitedly at you. He was enjoying this you could tell.
"You mean those doll things that offered me popcorn a while ago?" You furrowed your brows examining the "spring lock" carefully.
"Yes exactly, those!" Freddy laughed excitedly.
"Circus Baby, she made them after a design her father had. He used these mechanical pieces called spring locks. What they were for was to secure the the suit on an animatronic go it's endoskeleton. Though if you ask me the design also left room for someone to potentially wear the suits. I have to say for a man who died in 1987 he was ahead of his time in robotics."
Freddy offered his hand for the spring lock again and this time you handed him some gloves to put on so he could handle it. Upon having it in his hand he bent the piece of metal, straining the coil before it suddenly snapped with a loud POP sound locking into place.
"I wonder what one is doing out here." Freddy mused over his thoughts looking down at the opened lock.
"Did you know if someone was theoretically wearing a suit full of spring locks if they all went off they'd instantly impale that person. It would be a slow painful death, you could feel them puncture your organs and yourself bleed into that suit until minutes later youd finally die. You could try to scream but they'd be so lodged in your throat the best you could make would be gurgling sounds."
You shuddered horrified at the thought Freddy had taking the spring lock away from him hastily to secure in a bag.
"Okay thank you for that." You huffed watching him shrug amused at your reaction.
"But you made a good point. What is one doing all the way out here."
"Maybe your rat had one on him? Maybe that's what was in the drawer. He could be our killer you know." Freddy hummed looking around. The sun now nothing more than orange and a faint red dusting the sky just out of sight.
"Maybe. I considered it." You lifted the bag up again to look at the spring lock.
"But from what those ladies you talked to said, and the fact that no one is inside the Afton hole I have a sinking suspension he was running from our killer."
Your mind flashed back to the images of Mr. Burke again making your stomach twist in sick knots.
"How well do you know your circus partners?" Your sudden question made Freddy narrow his gaze. He knew why you were asking.
"Well enough. We're a family." Freddy frowned at your silent accusations.
"Just because Circus baby knows about spring locks and uses them in her designs for our show doesn't mean she's your killer. Robotics isn't a trade known by one person after all."
You sighed stuffing the baggie into your pocket now seeming guilty.
"I'm sorry I just have to assume your friends aren't who they say they are." You looked back at Freddy prying your gloves off as he did.
"You're all just new to town."
"And tell me," Freddy stuffed his gloves into his jacket which he had put back on after the two of you traveled again once (F/N) was safe at home, "if that's your logic how do you know I'm not a suspect?"
You hesitated. He was right. And it made it worse being alone in the woods.
"You could scream all you'd like right now if I was going to kill you, you know. No one would hear you." Freddy drew closer making you back up. You were cautiously taking steps back careful of where you stepped as he drew in nearer and nearer.
"Do you know all the possible ways there is to die? Should I count the ways? There's so many choices. How about decapitation? Or how about impalement? If that doesn't suit your fancy there are other ways. Starvation? Should I lock you away for only my prying eyes and let you starve to death. You know you could live for about a week with out food as long as you have water, but that leads me to dehydration. You'd be dead within 3 days if that. So I'll ask again what makes you so certain I'm not your killer. Come on (Y/N) what makes you suspect my friends and not me."
You gasped startled as your back hit the back of a tree. You didn't see it when you backed up. Freddy's hands slammed against either side of your head as he towered over you his eyes wide in sick amusement. Then settled down in a calmer way at the sight of your fear. (That's not what he wanted.)
"I-I-" your words caught in your throat heart pounding against your chest.
"I-I just know you had an alibi with me for the time of death. And you said it yourself your friend Circus Baby knows her way around machines. It's not a crazy assumption. Don't-Don't make me suspect you too."
You didn't mean to sound so frightened but this was worse than the sexual harassment at work. It was just words you could tune out. They didn't touch you, even if their eyes wanted to. But Freddy was so close. His hands on either side of your head. You were alone with him far away from town. (By far it's not really that much far away, but decent enough no one would be out here.)
Freddy stared at you intensely again. Though this was different from his previous one. Something primal was stirred within him, making him lean down close to you.
"Does that mean you care?" Freddy echoed his words from just an hour earlier waiting impatiently for an answer. You couldn't hide the truth nodding fear still running through your body.
"I-I do." You confessed softly breathing heavily.
"I-I don't understand some of the things you do but-but these past few days you're at first unwanted company has grown on me."
Freddy seemed to think about your words looking up towards the tree branches. The sun had set now leaving a beautiful night sky in its slumber. The stars twinkled from above, some of them over shadowed by an occasional cloud. Finally Freddy looked back down at you, blue eyes almost glowing in the dark.
His lips brushed against your own suddenly, parting them with a long breath fanning against your skin.
"Have I ever told you how fascinating you are to me?" His voice was lower. Dropping an octave as he spoke keeping that same distance that was too close to be friendly.
"I meant it the other night. I want to devour you. You heard me. I know you did."
You swallowed thickly unable to help your eyes as they dipped to his lips causing a smile to stretch against them. He chuckled amused with your wandering gaze.
"You feel it too," Freddy whispered leaning closer, "you want to kiss me as much as I've wanted to kiss you."
You swallowed a lump in your throat again.
"Go on," Freddy urged, "kiss me detective."
"No." You finally found your voice denying your feelings. Freddy's smile twitched partially into a frown.
"Then I'll kiss you instead." With out waiting a moment more Freddy quickly closed the gap between the two of you. Instantly devouring your lips in his own arms dropping from resting beside your head to rest against your hips intent on staying like this for a while.
You were frozen. Shocked. Eyes wide unable to recuperate the kiss even if he was already so into it. You wanted to push him away in shock. Run away and back to your car and try and shake the fear out of yourself. But there was another part of you that spoke louder.
Kiss back.
You wanted to slap yourself for the thought but it was already influencing you. Your eyes fluttered close leaning into the hasty feverish kiss that Freddy was giving you. Hands grasping his forearms tightly almost as if you were afraid he'd slip from your grasp if you didn't hold on so tightly.
Freddy pushed you further back into the bark of the tree, it's grooves catching your shirt slightly tugging at it as the two of you moved. Captivated with the other. Why are you letting him do this? Was there something you didn't know you craves raging inside of you?
For now the world was fading away. Your case melting along with it no longer a worry of yours. Deep in the forest the two of you kissed unwilling to part, only long enough if needed for quick deep breaths.
You needed this kiss. Needed him to be this close. Fingers trailing you just arms to reach his hair running through it with an arched back.
"Freddy." His name left your lips in a breathless whisper. A sign he was doing good.
"(Y/N)." Your name was echoed back to you the same way his had been to him. Freddy was absolutely entranced by you. And there the two of you would remain outside of time just for a moment.