Awake and Alive

I don't own Five Nights at Freddy's. Scott Cawthon does.

Summary: Mike thought he understood everything going on at Freddy Fazbear's Pizza, but, really, he has no idea. He never thought the animatronics might actually be capable of feelings, let alone have one of them actually…love him. Enough to turn him into one of them, perhaps?

Notes: Takes place in an AU where the kids aren't in the suits and the animatronics are just sentient robot…things

…

After twelve nights of all this, of being hunted and treated like prey, one could easily get used to everything that went bump in the night. The fan's humming as the blades spun had become as comforting as the cold air - albeit a small amount - it offered; the buzz of the lights having the same effect. Every thud of metallic feet no longer bothered him as much as it did on his first night, rather it just sent adrenaline pumping through his veins. So far, the most comforting noise, he thought, was the sound of the doors shutting. It made him aware of how he'd outwitted those damn things he was hired to watch over; made him know that he wouldn't be getting stuffed into a suit tonight at all. Or maybe the fan was the most comforting, weirdly enough. It made him aware of how alive he was; how he was still around to listen to it.

It was on night seven, the night where he first tampered with the animatronics' AIs (without getting caught, mind you), that he decided he could finally bring other essentials to work. Before, there were only the clothes on his back, a heart full of determination to live and get paid and a cup to pee in (hey, a guy's gotta piss, right?). Nowadays, he had taken to bringing packets of crisps, a small bottle of Coke or even a cigarette or two to work. A couple of times, he'd theorised 'accidentally dropping' his cigarette, which would 'accidentally' burn the place down. It was a good plan and one he could pull off easily, if it came down to it. It was better than getting stuffed into a suit like that poor soul who'd left him those messages.

Mike Schmidt dug his hand into the bag of gummies he'd brought with him tonight, plucking a cola bottle and popping it into his mouth as he checked the monitor. He'd already smoked his cigarette for the night and had forced himself not to smoke the other, for he'd promised his mother he'd try and quit. She worried about him a lot and he didn't like worrying her. He hadn't told her about what this job would involve him doing, simply said he'd gotten a job at that pizza place around the corner. She'd been delighted; she thought the animatronic crew was simply adorable. Yeah, he thought bitterly as he stared at Bonnie, who stood in the backstage area, freaking adorable alright. Nevertheless, he'd managed to get his hands on some vintage Freddy Fazbear's Pizza merchandise for her, including plates, paper hats, plush dolls, figurines and the odd cup or two. She adored them; the dolls were already sitting at the end of her bed and the figurines were on her bedside table. Mike gave a smirk at her innocence. Ever since she'd fallen ill, she'd been more accepting, passive and enthusiastic over the little things. A pizzeria she'd once visited with his father was the last thing he'd expected her to remember, given she often couldn't find the slippers on her own feet, but it was right there in her memory. When he came home, she'd ask him how the gang were. She'd tell him the things she liked about each of them; told him so often he remembered each one. She liked Chica's beak, Freddy's hat, Foxy's tufts of fur and Bonnie's ears.

He didn't like anything on any of them, personally.

Honestly, he'd always thought they were creepy. Not just because he knew what others didn't, but they just…stared. Those creepy eyes and those creepy - what? - smiles. The freaking things were the objects of his nightmares - literally. Maybe once, when he was a kid, he actually liked them. Now? Really hated them. Mike picked out a gummy ring and went to eat it, then paused. Chica was gone from the camera feed. Far too casually, he reached over and pressed the button for his light. There was a buzz as the light flickered out in the hall, illuminating the face of the wide-eyed and open-mouthed chicken at Mike's window. He punched the door button and his metal shield came flying down, keeping that thing from getting to him. Mike narrowed his eyes at it. He didn't know why, but Chica had become especially restless in getting to him the past few nights. Even setting her AI lower than normal didn't seem to do anything. She'd get there sooner or later. The only other animatronic that did that was Freddy.

Mike checked for Bonnie and Foxy, then clicked the light on his right again. Chica was still there, but that was fine. He had enough power, he was sure, so she could stay there all she liked. He finally popped the gummy ring into his mouth and chewed it slowly as he stared at the chicken before the light went out and hid her face from view. Damn thing had been hanging out here more often too. Before, she'd be gone rather quickly - he'd give it a minute at most - but now…geez. She hung around for quite some time. What was her problem? Oh, right. Unable to catch him. She was probably pissed off or something. If she even could. They were just robots, after all.

Mike didn't fully understand the whole 'they think you're an endoskeleton' thing, personally. Where would that ever pop up in their programming? Was it an intentional choice on the creator's part? Was anyone that sick in the head? That guy on the phone had tried his best to explain it, but Mike still found it a little…hard to believe. They were just there to entertain kids, nothing else. That's all they wanted to do, right? What gripe did they have with him? He was protecting them, damn it! Not that they needed it.

Mike checked the lights again, then released a breath when he noticed Chica was gone. He brought the door back up and took a quick glance at the clock. Three am. Fifty percent. He could make it. His brown hair was sticking to his forehead, so he removed his security guard cap and ran a quick hand through his hair, making it stick up at odd angles, before firmly shoving his cap back down onto it. The fan really didn't so much for cold air, but that was fine. Strangely, the warm air kept him in 'the zone'.

Freddy was gone from the stage now, making Mike frown considerably. Finally on the move, huh, big guy? Took your time. Mike checked the cameras, spotting the empty Pirate Cove. "Nope." He muttered as he punched the door button on his left. Seconds later, a banging sounded out against the door, "Piss off, Foxy. I don't want any." He called dryly. Up came the door once the banging had stopped. Flicking through the cameras, he checked the rest of the animatronics' places. Bonnie was down the hall, Chica was in the restroom, Freddy seemed to be in the dining area. He was easy to miss, but Mike was used to it.

Time went by rather slowly as he sat there, continuously checking lights, shutting doors and glancing at the cameras; just as Phone Guy had taught him. That guy was in the back of Mike's mind so often it hurt; he'd even cried over him once after ending his shift. Mike just prayed the guy had gotten a decent funeral. A burial, at the very least.

Mike chewed his gummies slowly. After twelve nights surviving the terrors that were the quartet of Freddy Fazbear's Pizza, Mike was considered some sort of expert. The other employees - some of which had had to fill in whenever a night guard 'resigned', if even for a bit - would pat him on the back and congratulate him on his work. The boss seemed particularly pleased. Probably just happy he didn't have to clean up the bodies anymore. Bastard.

Yes, an expert Mike was. But even experts can make rookie mistakes.

Mike had checked where everyone was. He knew - he knew. It was just a mistake. He'd checked the left hallway, but not the right, then he'd put up his monitor to check the cameras. It was when he was checking Pirate Cove that he realised what he'd done, but by then it was too late. Mike's heart stopped, his eyes widened so much they hurt and his body covered itself in sweat.

Footsteps. Footsteps behind him.

Everything felt like it was going in slow motion. Reflexes alone made him put the monitor down and begin to turn his head. Freddy met him there, screeching in his face and shaking; his eyes as equally demonic as his scream. Mike screamed back, out of fear and not whatever Freddy was doing it for, and strong hands clamped down on Mike's biceps. The monitor clattered to the floor, along with Mike's forgotten bag of gummies, and Mike was suddenly lifted from his seat. Freddy's hands had a vice grip on Mike's arms as the man was carried out of the office. Mike fought back, of course. He kicked and screamed and attempted to punch at Freddy's belly, "FREDDY!" He screamed. Hell, if these things were alive like some people thought, reasoning with them seemed almost logical, "PLEASE! PLEASE, FREDDY, STOP! YOU DON'T HAVE TO DO THIS! FREDDY! FREDDY!"

With enough punching and kicking, Mike managed to squeeze out of Freddy's grasp just as the bear was walking down the hall. He landed on his feet and immediately bolted, bypassing the bear and rushing toward the office to get inside. He sprinted through the doorway, only to almost crash into Chica, who seemed to almost grin at him as she shrieked at him. He screamed again, getting louder as hands grabbed his biceps again and he was hoisted up into the air and over a brown shoulder. Mike immediately began his kicking and screaming again, pushing at Freddy's shoulder and kicked him the best he could. "CHICA! CHICA! FREDDY, STOP! PLEASE! FREDDY, I'M BEGGING YOU!"

Freddy made no move to release him, rather continued his route down the west hallway. Mike didn't stop moving either, fighting against the grip Freddy had on him. His limbs were a flurry as he fought, but Freddy had tightened his hold. "FREDDY! GET OFF! GET THE FUCK OFF ME, YOU BASTARD!"

As Freddy continued down the corridor, Mike became aware of the shadow on the wall and immediately realised what it was. After all, how could he miss those ears? As Freddy passed his band mate, Mike reached out, "BONNIE! BONNIE, PLEASE! TELL HIM TO GET OFF!" (Hey, there could've been a chance…) "BONNIE! BONNIE, PLEASE!" He grabbed Bonnie's shoulder and held on as tightly as he could. Freddy was very momentarily halted but prevailed, and Mike's hand slipped from Bonnie's shoulder, doing nothing more than turning the rabbit animatronic slightly. "BONNIE! BONNIE!"

It was when Bonnie turned to look at him properly and actually watched as Freddy carried him off that Mike truly realised he was alone in this. The fact made his heart squeeze painfully and tears began flowing out of his eyes until he was bawling and sobbing like a baby at midnight. It was far too early for a lucky escape by six am too.

It was truly over.

Mike was carried all the way to the backstage area. Along the way, as they passed Pirate Cove, Mike had managed to grab hold of the curtain and beg for Foxy to stop Freddy, but the fox simply poked his head out and watched; his eye patch even flicking up to get a better view of poor Mike's demise. Tears were rivers down Mike's face as he was carried into the room marked EMPLOYEES ONLY. Heads of the animatronics were on all the shelves and, as Mike caught sight of a Freddy Fazbear head, he wondered which one Phone Guy had been put into. Did the robots even do that? Tear off someone's head instead of stuffing them into a suit? Did they know how? He didn't doubt they could.

Everything next was almost entirely a blur. He was aware that Freddy never once let go of him the entirety of collecting Mike's coffin and placing it on the table. He must've removed the head beforehand because it was already gone by the time Freddy was finally moving him off of his shoulder. Mike was held in front of the face of Freddy Fazbear, who stared at him with eyes that held a certain smugness. The game of cat and mouse was over; the cat had caught its mouse. Mike stared at him, tears cold on his face and he looked him straight in the eyes. They were, no doubt, the last thing Phone Guy saw too. "You bastard…"

Freddy made no response, only lifted Mike a little higher. Mike didn't have to look to know Freddy was holding him above his grave, so he instead shut his eyes as new tears flowed forth, "…Mom…"

Then Freddy suddenly shoved him downwards.

Pain. Pain was everywhere. It shot through Mike's whole body, through his nerves and his bones and his veins and his organs and every part of him was in pain. It burned - oh, hell, did it burn. It hurt. It hurt so much that he was screaming and sobbing the second it started. He distantly felt the suit become wet with, what he imagined to be, an array of different liquids; all from different places. The smell was horrid, but it was easily ignored under the burning and stinging pain. His grave couldn't even be coloured normal anymore; it had to be red by now. Deep red. Red like Foxy, maybe. He did like Foxy; when he was a kid.

Somewhere in the midst of it all, he became distantly aware that Freddy had actually released him ages ago and was simply standing there watching now. Sick, twisted…thing! Mike was sent in to a frenzy of twitching, twisting; a fit of shaking limbs. Perhaps it was a subconscious battle against his binds, perhaps it was an attempt to wring Freddy Fazbear's neck or perhaps it was simply the basic response of someone who was losing a lot of blood very quickly. Someone who, if not already gone, was going to die. Either way, Mike couldn't stop; his legs kicked like he was running and his arms shook and flailed around.

It was only when the flailing forced his head back that he caught the sight of his own reflection in Freddy's eyes. The bear hadn't stopped watching him the entire time. Was he really alive? Was he really getting a sick satisfaction out of this? Really? That was disgusting.

It felt like hours. It must've been hours; it must've been, he swore. His movements slowly came to a halt, the distant rattling of animatronic parts finally ceasing. He was stuck then, stuck leaning forward; slumped over like that golden bear he'd seen before. Mike's vision became almost completely obscured as Freddy placed a head over the night guard's. Mike could just barely see out of the eye holes, and what he saw was a very satisfied-looking Freddy Fazbear before blacking out entirely.

…

The burning and the stinging had stopped, it seemed, but now everything was heavy and numb. Mike's eyes flickered several times before, finally, he could see. He blinked a few times, groaning lowly for a moment. The night guard sat up properly. It didn't hurt anymore. Actually, no pain was felt at all. Well, that confirmed it, didn't it? It was a dream. Yup. It was all a dream; maybe even a hallucination. Either way, it wasn't real. He hadn't been caught; it was fake. Mike yawned, "Last time I fall asleep at my post…Damn. They didn't even try to get me…" Giving him a break, were they? How sweet. He reached up to wipe his eye, to wipe away tiredness and sleep, and paused. He was certainly doing this right; his arm was at the right angle, at the right height, so…why couldn't he feel it? He was rubbing, but no contact was being made. Something was touching his fingers. It didn't feel like skin, but then…it didn't feel like anything in particular. It just felt…there. Mike opened his eyes and held the hand out in front of him and he froze all over again, "W…What the hell…?" He muttered in disbelief, "…F-Freddy…?"

Indeed, before him was the right hand of Freddy Fazbear. He would've screamed and bolted if he hadn't realised it before. If he was seeing Freddy's hand…why was he looking at it from his angle? Like…like it was his own…

Mike gulped and reached for his neck. This couldn't be. T-This was still just a dream, then. It had to be. His hand reached his neck, albeit slowly, and felt around. He still couldn't feel anything for what it really was, but he could still find the outlines. Mike's eyes widened. No…no…no…

A bow tie. A bow tie was there. In the same place as Freddy's would be.

Panic rose up in Mike's chest as the strongest possibility came to mind, but he refused to let it surface completely to the top until he did one final test. Slowly, he reached up and touched the side of the thing on his head. Ears. He had bear ears. Taking hold of one in his left hand was a reflex, but the scream that erupted from his mouth was purely intentional. Mike pushed himself up from the table suddenly, immediately falling over to the floor. It was a rapid cycle of standing up, falling over, standing up, then falling right back over as Mike screamed and clutched at his new head; the old one firmly crushed to pieces. At least, he imagined it to be. There was some sort of rattling in there.

If Mike had still had human tear ducts, he would've started bawling all over again, but he couldn't. In that case, he settled for some simple blubbering as he firmly collapsed against the door, Freddy's knees drawn to his chest and head tilted back as he blubbered over his new fate. This couldn't be happening. It simply couldn't.

…He'd been caught. For once in all his twelve nights, he'd been caught. Oh, don't get him wrong, he'd had his fair share of close calls. He'd run out of power on his first, fifth and seventh nights and had come very close to becoming another one of Freddy's victims before the chime of six am rang out, leaving a relieved Mike and a no doubt pissed off Freddy Fazbear. Bonnie had almost caught him on night three and Chica had come close on night ten. Foxy had done pretty well for himself; he'd almost managed to succeed on at least three nights in a row.

He felt…he didn't know. Scared. Hopeless. Useless. Sad. Angry. Enraged. Confused. He just didn't know. All he knew was that he was no longer the expert of Freddy Fazbear's Pizza. Was he even that from the beginning? No, that title was better suited to the guy on the phone. He'd saved Mike's life, for the most part, and Mike could confess he'd listened to those recordings more than once. There was a certain comfort to hearing a human's voice when surrounded by killer robots, even if it was recorded prior to the man's death. In fact, he had the right mind to go and find that phone and get those recordings and -

"Do you think he's awake yet?"

Mike froze immediately. He was unsure at first if it was even real - it wouldn't be the first time he'd heard a voice in this building.

"Aye, lass, give the landlubber some time. Lad's probably still snoozin' back thar."

Pirate talk…? Mike thought confusedly as he tilted his head to listen better. There was no denying it; the voices were there. Right on the other side of the door.

"Should we go and look?" came the girl's voice again.

"Aw, calm down a little." This one was new. It was male, though not as deep as you'd expect a man's voice to be. "I know you're excited, but give it time! We scared him a lot last night; he's probably a little more than hesitant to come and see us."

"Aww…you think he's mad at us?"

"I would be."

"The rabbit's right, lass."

Rabbit?!

"Oh…alright…"

"Can't believe we caught him, though, right?"

"I caught him." came a fourth voice and this one was much deeper than the others. It startled Mike a little.

"Aye, we know, we know…"

"I helped!"

"You just scared him a little, Chica." CHICA?! "Gave me time to catch up."

"Peh. Cause you're getting old, that's why."

"I'm not getting old."

"You're getting old, Freddy."

F-FREDDY?!

"I'm not. Stop saying that."

"…Geezer."

Mike heard a sigh, then the less masculine voice arose again, "Well, no matter how old Freddy is - and I'm not saying you're old, don't give me that look! - we can all agree he did a good job last night. We all did! Even you, Foxy!" OH, GOD - FOXY?! "Isn't that right?"

"Arrr."

"Great answer. Chica?"

"Sure, sure. Just saying, you know -"

"Freddy?"

"Yeah, alright. You all did good. Well done. I just did better."

"I swear, Freddy…"

"What? Oh, come on, Bonnie," BONNIE?! "admit it! I did great!"

"Oh, God…" Mike muttered into the confined space of his new head, "…They're talking…"

"Well, regardless, we're a team. And teams, y'know…they congratulate each other. So, hug and be happy, guys, we caught the endoskeleton!"

"Oh, God…oh, damn…t-they really…he was…" Mike was muttering to himself, "he was right…Phone Guy…was really freaking right…"

"Tha' scurvy dog was no easy task, eh, Bonnie?"

"No. But that's fine. We got him all dressed up now, so it's fine! The kids didn't see him, so that's good. Don't want him breaking rules!"

"Yeah. Kids seeing naked endoskeletons - bad for business."

"T-They're talking…" Mike muttered again, "They're talking…the robots are talking…l-like…people…like friends…"

"Hey, you hear that?"

Mike's heart - uh, whatever had stopped - was firmly frozen.

"Hear what, lad?"

"Thought I heard a noise from inside."

"You mean he's awake?!"

"Chica, calm -"

"Oh, Mister Endoskeleton! It's okay! It's us! We're your buddies! It's okay, you can come out now!"

"I'm dreaming…" Mike whispered to himself, clamping his hands over the places where his human ears should be, "I have to be…they don't talk…not like this…some simple phrases to the kids here and there, but…not like this…not to each other…"

"Endoskeleton! C'mon out!"

"Chica! Relax! I told you: he's probably scared!"

"Bonnie's right, Chica. Leave it be."

"I'm dreaming…I have to be…" Mike held himself firmer, "They…don't…talk…"

"You've got to be gentler with it."

"The rabbit's still right, lass. Yer probably scarin' the lad more than yer wooing him."

WOOING ME?! "It…It's a prank…y-yeah…" He was resorting to his very last options by now, but it was worth it if he never had to face the terrifying truth. It was a prank. All of this was a prank. The suit stuffing, the talking, the 'wooing' - all a prank. His colleagues knew how much this place frightened him and how much he wanted to leave, so they were playing a cruel prank. A seriously cruel and sick prank. He'd go out there and they'd start laughing at him. They see and smell and know that he'd pissed himself the night before and they'd all laugh at him. Honestly, that'd be better than this. At least they could help him out of the suit. It really was very horrible.

Gulping, Mike climbed to his feet slowly and turned to face the door. Here it goes. Now or never. Truth or false. Either way, Mike would know that what was happening here wasn't in his mind; he wasn't crazy. But his colleagues would be so dead. The night guard took hold of the door handle and opened the door. For what must've been the ten thousandth time that day (night? Evening? He wasn't sure anymore), Mike froze as the four animatronics turned to face him. They stood in a line - Freddy, Bonnie, Chica, Foxy - and all looked…different. Maybe it was the lighting, maybe it was the context or maybe it was the smiles, but they all looked…more pleasant than usual. Mike stared with wide eyes at them all as they regarded him pleasantly, then Chica suddenly turned back to Bonnie, "Ha! See! My way worked! He came out!"

"Now, hold on a second." Freddy interjected, waving a hand to call Chica off, "He came out after Bonnie and Foxy (but mostly Bonnie) told you to relax. He was obviously listening to them (but mostly Bonnie) and not you."

"No! He must've been listening to me!"

"And why's that?"

"You know why, Freddy! You're just jealous!" Chica jabbed an accusing finger at the bear, who looked offended.

"Jealous?! Over what? Him? No. I don't shoot for guys like him."

"You shoot for guys like B -"

"Now, now, you're being rude!" Bonnie waved his hands at them, "Chica, you need to relax. Freddy! Stop being so darn aggressive with people. Sheesh."

"Not my fault."

"It kinda is, there, Fazbear."

Mike looked back and forth between all of them. Here they were, squabbling like siblings, and here he was, standing there like this was their dinnertime show. They weren't moving robotically at all; they moved as fluid as normal humans. He could see every little emotion in them; how offended Freddy was that Chica accused him of jealousy and how bored Foxy was with their arguing. He didn't know when the realisation had hit, but it had and it had hit hard.

This wasn't a prank. This was the real deal. There were no strings and no mirror tricks. This was real. The animatronics were really talking and really arguing and really conversing like they were all best buddies (were they?).

With no such warning, Mike let out another scream that cut through whatever Chica was saying. The scream was so sudden that Foxy and Chica both jumped, while Freddy and Bonnie simply looked over at him. All looked surprised, particularly when Mike slammed the door in their faces, effectively locking them out. The four blinked in unison, then Freddy frowned and looked to Chica, "Yeah, see? He ran off again. There you go."

"Oh, Freddy…" Bonnie muttered.

"Quiet, Fazbear!" Chica yelped, still rather shocked at Mike's actions, "He's just shy, that's all! I think it's cute!"

"You think everything's cute. Even him."

"Freddy!" Bonnie exclaimed, hands on hips.

"Aye…" Foxy shook his head and bypassed them all, walking down the corridor.

"Hey. Where're you going, Foxy?" Freddy called.

Foxy waved his hook like a white flag, "Yer squabblin's givin' me a headache. I'm venturin' back to me cove…"

"We can't get headaches."

"Well, then it be a darn miracle…"

Mike heard Freddy huff, "Come on, gang. Let's head back to the stage. The humans will be here soon." He heard the thudding of Freddy's footsteps as the bear walked away from the door.

"Right you are, Freddy!" Bonnie chirped, then turned to the door, "Don't you worry none, Endoskeleton! You come on out when you're comfortable! C'mon, Chica." Bonnie bounded over to Freddy's side, where he muttered, "Have a word with you while we go…" Freddy gave a huff, but otherwise didn't complain.

"Alrighty!" came Chica's voice. Mike trembled as the shock settled in, then he yelped when he heard Chica's voice right next to his ear. By the sound of it, she'd leaned down to speak, "Bonnie's right, Endoskeleton. You don't have to worry here at our home! We'll take good care of you and I'll make sure you're very, very happy. Okay?" Mike gave no response, but Chica seemed satisfied all the same as she turned and left. Mike waited until he was absolutely sure she was gone, then he curled up into a ball the best he could.

This was real. All of it. It was no dream, no hallucination, no prank. This was legitimate; this was really happening. The robots were talking and treating him like a friend, even though they'd killed him only a short time beforehand. Phone Guy had been right; they really didn't know any better. They really thought he was a naked endoskeleton was being a little bit too cocky with the rule-breaking. Even Freddy, who had watched him die and had seemed to smile as he did so.

Mike didn't know how to feel, how to react or what to do. All he knew was this one thing, "I am never leaving this room…"