Chapter Text
The smell of pizza was absolutely nauseating to you now. You liked it the first two days of working in this hellhole before it just made you sick and angry the second you stepped into your workplace. Of course, you can’t be too hostile about it. You are getting paid rather decently. You get to see one of your friends… well, sometimes your only friend given how busy college has made you. vanessa is so understanding though. She is a lifesaver too. Without her, you wouldn’t have gotten this job to begin with, and thus would have been stuck job searching for eternity.
The prospect of working here at Freddy Fazbear's Mega Pizzaplex was a bit daunting at first, then cool since you always wanted to check out the animatronics. Freddy and Bonnie being your absolute favorite from when you were a kid and used to visit the pizzeria. Now, they added more characters and you found it cool you would be able to see them. The best part? You were the designated face painter for the company. A brand-new position that they wanted to test out to see if the customers would like it and you were a hit. You managed to make the kids’ day by painting them to look like their favorite animatronic and the company agreed to add one or two more face-painters for the shifts you don’t work. All was working out well.
…that was just two weeks ago. That was when you did not get burnout from being in this place all the time. You were so happy the first few days then just as life is… you got so tired. So exhausted.
Now? You have to constantly remind yourself…
You are doing this for the money and of course, your friend who got you the job. You have to remind yourself that a lot of the times while you work. That working here is not so bad considering the pay is actually not bad either. That and if you meet a certain time period – The company will even pay for your tuition. Not bad at all. You remind yourself this as you try so very hard to ignore the stare of one of the animatronics that has not stopped looking your way since you sat at your station. Which animatronic? Montgomery Gator, the newest member of the animatronic team at Freddy Fazbear's Mega Pizzaplex. Who seems to have a problem with you the moment you started working here just two weeks ago.
He is the newest, but you have no idea what the company has planned for him. Maybe he will join the band with a different instrument? So far they had prepared for his debut at this pizzaplex. They had made Monty Golf and that was pretty interesting, the kids seem to love him but… you do not know how to feel.
You already met the animatronics and they all felt just like normal robots – their AI is pretty impressive but… with Monty? You get nervous. You can constantly feel his stare when you get to your designated face-painting booth in the atrium. The one your manager has you manage is of course, right near Monty’s Gator Golf since that attraction is Fazbear Entertainment’s newest one. Every once in a while you will get permission to move down a floor or up a floor in the atrium when the crowd dies down near the attraction but for now… you deal with the constant staring when Monty is not in his attraction. When you first met him… it was a bit nerving you admit. He is bigger than the other animatronics – even Freddy. Monty was a bit over 6 ft and like all of them had a loud robotic voice. When you met him on the tour with vanessa though… even she was a bit freaked out by a sudden silence that the animatronic gave you.
She was worried since this new one has an anger problem that the programmers can’t seem to fix – the company did not really care as long as he is good to the customers. So, Vanessa paid no mind to it after that. You on the other hand… you can feel it when he watches you the second you step into the booth at the start of the shift. It eventually stops until you move and go on your break… then you can feel him watch your every move behind those sunglasses until you are out of sight. You get a moment of relief on those breaks until you return and feel that same crushing gaze on you.
You really do wonder if he is planning your death or something especially since you have not really talked to him since you met. And you never feared the animatronics until you started working here. Even as a child you loved them. Though now you can understand why they are some people’s greatest fears.
“Looking good, Superstar!” a familiar robotic voice greets.
You smile as you put the brushes down that you were cleaning up after your latest face painting. Freddy is in front of you – towering over the booth but he kneels down to get a better look. You smile at the friendliness. Out of all the animatronics so far, Freddy has been the one to make it a real effort to be extra nice to the staff, especially the newer ones. He always says hi to you when he can. Bonnie is the next sweetest and personally, your favorite from when you were little. Though he tends to stick to his area or in the main level of the Atrium. Chica is a bit everywhere and honestly… she kind of nerves you but only because her whole energetic level can be a lot. Other than that, she is also sweet. As for Roxanne… much like Monty you barely talked to her, but it does not bother you that much since she tends to be literally a lone wolf.
“Thanks, Freddy. That is nice considering I look like I am dead inside,” you state.
Freddy shakes his head and states, “Nonsense, Superstar! And you have been doing a fantastic job! I haven’t seen the kids happier since Monty joined the team.”
Ah… yeah… Monty… you can feel a heated glare your way and you smile awkwardly at that, and Freddy notices the hesitation. Once more you are impressed that an animatronic can show “emotions” as Freddy manages to look concerned through his bear features.
“Are you okay, (y/n)?”
You shake your head yes. “Yeah. Sorry, I am just tired. College is kicking my ass – butt – sorry I forget I am not supposed to cuss here. Only the beginning of my shift today. I will have to try to find Vanessa when she clocks in.”
You are so lucky that there are no customers near you or that would have been reported. And you are lucky that Freddy seems to be a chillax robot. He once again nods his head and speaks in a caring tone. “I see. Please take care of yourself then (y/n). your health should come first before your job, Superstar. If you ever need a break to go nap, I will cover for you.”
You… blink in surprise. That is very nice? And not only that but he seems genuine. You are once again impressed by the AI implanted into him. A little bit worried since that means… he is willing to go against protocols since you are pretty sure cussing is in the handbook of things not to do at work, you would have thought he would have reported you. So despite the little mishap, this is… nice that there were no immediate consequences.
“Thanks, Freddy. Oh looks like I got a few customers headed my way for face painting. If you see Vanessa when she clocks in, tell her I need to talk to her on break,” you tell Freddy.
He nods and bids you goodbye, letting you get back to work. A shy kid and his parents walk up to you, and you quickly put on your working face. “Hello! I hope you are all having fun at Freddy Fazbear's Mega Pizzaplex! Try saying that five times fast. Is this the cutie whose face I will be painting?” you ask as you squat down to try and make the child come out of his shell.
The parents smile at your friendliness, probably preferring it over all the bots are grumpy coworkers you have. When the boy looks up at you with slight awe, you continue along the lines of the script you were given when you first started here. Of course, you have spruced it up to sound more genuine and like you despite the warning to stick to the script. The company did not care after hearing all the compliments the parents were giving you.
“What do you want to look like today, Superstar? Your favorite animatronic? Glamrock Freddy, Glamrock Chica, Glamrock Bonnie, or Roxanne Wolf?” You ask since those are the usual requests you get.
“Actually… we just came from Monty’s gator golf and our son loved it. A bit disappointed since the robot is out here and on the intimidating side so he didn’t have the courage to say hi but… he is our son’s favorite so far,” the mom says her voice soft.
This whole family seems sweet as the dad just smiles and nods to confirm his wife’s story. You smile and motion to the chair. “One Montgomery Gator painting coming up. And yeah, since he is the newest, the company has him on some time schedule for when he is allowed to move. It should be lifted in a few days,” you lie since you know damn well the gator animatronic does whatever the hell it wants.
You can still feel its heavy stare on you, and you hate it so much. This has to be the longest it has watched you. Since you started your shift, you were able to hear him greet the guests and call them rock stars every now and then, but it has been mainly a quiet start with him. Maybe there really is a malfunction going on with it? You don’t know, but… with this sweet boy being patient and so silent, but his eyes filled with excitement… you just can’t let him not meet Monty. You plan to introduce him right after the painting. Maybe it can earn you some points with the… robot… you are planning on earning points for a damn robot? What the hell is wrong with you? it is just a fucking robot and with that thought… maybe his odd behavior with you really is an error in his system. Now you definitely wish to see your friend sooner than later with your new concern for the gator bot.
You hide your sigh and slight embarrassment from your thoughts as you have the paint ready and begin to paint the boy’s face as an alligator, even painting Monty’s signature sunglasses around the boy’s eyes. It takes only five minutes for you to be done and the paint to dry and once you are done and show the boy in a hand mirror, the excitement grows. You smile as do the parents as the boy suddenly has the courage to hug and thank you.
“You are so very welcome, kiddo. Now how about I introduce you to Monty himself?” you ask.
Just like that, you swear it looks like the boy suddenly turned into a different one from how much he can’t contain his childlike excitement. He nods his head and jumps up and down. The parents start thanking you and telling you that this is the nicest thing someone has done for them today… and you can believe that with how crappy your coworkers, management, and the lower bots can be.
“It is no problem. Follow me,” you say as you leave your station for a moment to go closer to Monty’s Gator Golf.
Monty is just beside the door and really did look intimidating as he has barely said anything to the customers as they walk by. It is too weird. You need to talk to vanessa asap, or even your manager… but with your manager, there are already so many things they have to deal with. You sigh deciding vanessa is your best bet since she is closer to the technicians/mechanics in the basement and the other guards. All you have heard about Vanessa here is that she is friendly, and your poor friend gets caught shopping online quite a lot. You don’t blame her for that at all. You would do it too but on your private device and definitely not hooked up to their wifi. Who knows what creeps are trying to spy on you.
You get near the gator and do not hesitate in any way or form. You speak with confidence and ignore the bitter feeling in your gut that has been building the second you started walking near him.
“Monty, look who I have for you. This little guy may just be your biggest fan!” you say introducing the child to Monty.
The gator actually fucking moves now. The cold hard gaze is no longer on you and the atmosphere is no longer tense… you can actually feel warmth with the animatronic now. It reminds you of Freddy and Bonnie rather briefly as Monty kneels down for the kid. Still, a very terrifying height difference is going on between you and Monty. How the hell are kids not scared of these again?
“Of course, I am your favorite, little dude! I can smell coolness a mile away, you know? Hope you had fun in Monty’s Gator Golf!” Monty’s robotic voice is loud and slightly terrifying to you, but the kid goes nuts for it.
“Thank you so much, Miss,” the dad speaks to you.
You stay present as the kid gets a photo with the animatronic and the family leaves. The warm atmosphere slowly leaves with them, and you turn to see Monty already staring at you. fucking creepy. You decide to still be polite though, after all, maybe you are just too harsh on the gator robot. Maybe you are just playing favorites since he and even Roxy are the newer robots.
“Thank you for being nice to them. Stay cool, Monty,” you manage to say without sounding scared.
You barely miss his reply. It stops you in your tracks from hearing it, but you are surprised at how quiet he was when he is usually so loud, and his reply was as sweet as Freddy’s would be.
“You too, Rockstar.”
Huh. You would not mind it if Monty started calling you that. It has a nice ring to it just like when Freddy calls you Superstar. That is all it is, a silly and cute pet name that is programmed for them to say. With the fear leaving you, you realize that maybe, just maybe, you really have just not been giving the gator robot a chance. You decide to be more lenient then with him. Though you still plan to tell vanessa of the staring as soon as you see her. You can hear him actually go into Monty’s Gator Golf and with more relief filling you, you return to your station and begin cleaning up the paint and brushes before your next customer arrives.
“Hey (y/n). have you seen Nessa yet?” A familiar voice asks you.
You look up for a second to see it is Luis, he works in the IT department, and from your past few and short conversations with him, the poor man is crushing hard on Vanessa. You shake your head and then an idea pops into your head.
“No, but I did have a question for her but since you are here, and she would have come to you I want to know if something is going on with Monty? Or if vanessa brought it up to you at all?” you ask softly.
Luis seems to light up immediately. “Actually, yeah. Nessa told me that she was worried monty didn’t like you. I already told one of the techs and they ran a diagnostic on him last week. He is in perfect condition so maybe he just needs some time warming up to you. roxy is the same way ever since she replaced you-know-who.”
Foxy. Right. Apparently, that is why Roxy is so… odd in her thinking. She is supposed to live up to Foxy’s high expectations but… it all seems weird suddenly. Luis sees the look on your face and immediately smiles.
“Hey don’t worry. I know I work in the IT department, but I have quite a few tech friends. Between you and I, if something is going on it is just the AI learning. There is a small experiment going on with their AI chips to see how well the animatronics can adapt to scenarios for the kids. They are trying to teach them to better their empathy and sympathy since Freddy as the first one with the upgrade, has been spectacular. Anyway, I can’t speak more about that. If you see Nessa, tell her I am still offering her that coffee… or dinner…” Luis says suddenly growing slightly embarrassed.
You smile at him. “Give it time Luis. Vanessa is on the shyer side but she will warm up to you.”
He quickly looks away. Not wanting to dwell more on the fact that coffee or dinner is definitely a date in his mind.
“She should be clocking in soon so I will tell her. Then in a few short hours, I gotta get my butt to class. See you later Luis,” you say bye to him.
Though… you can’t help feel a bit worried now. You really do think Luis is a good guy for Vanessa so why is she a bit cold towards him? You already know through her that he is the one that warned her that he could see her private shopping since she did it on the computer here. And besides, Vanessa seems lonely lately – it doesn’t help that you rarely see her due to classes. She is a big part of the reason why you took the job other than it would pay for your tuition. You wanted to see your friend more again. That thought leaves you smiling as you prepare to tease her about Luis later.
It is infuriating for Monty. He was doing just fine before the new employee showed up. He does not understand these new emotions. He constantly asks himself ‘what are these unknown and frustrating emotions he is going through?’ He understands anger. He understands that very well. In fact, he likes anger. It is easy to let out steam.
What he does not understand is why every time he looks at the face painter… He gets this tension in his cold robotic body. He grows silent and he is NEVER silent. The trance he falls under is infuriating for him. It confuses him and makes him angrier since he feels like he can’t move whenever he sees the small woman. It feels like this… Protectiveness he gets as he does when one of the other animatronics enters his golf course. He gets this… Need. Thank goodness, he has reliable Vanessa to ask what the need is later.
For now… maybe he should keep his distance from (y/n). despite the logic in his program telling him that, Monty can’t help but want to get closer to the woman instead.