Chapter Text
Another day, another Faz-Coin. You wipe down the counter at Bonnie Bowl. It’s quiet, or at least quieter than you’re used to. Usually, your shift started at 2, but the plex is short-handed at the moment, and they needed help with opening prep. You weren’t complaining, you were being paid overtime for this. Plus, you could spend more time with the animatronics if you got lucky.
Speaking of the animatronics, you look up from your work to peek at Bonnie. Said bunny is standing on the other side of the counter, rambling on animatedly.
“I so wiped the floor with him! It was amazing.”
You put down your rag and look up at him. “Bonnie, I was there.” You smirk, leaning on the counter.” I watched you roll your first genuine gutter ball.”
“Did not! I totally meant to do that.” He crosses his arms and rolls his eyes. “I just wanted to give the guy a fighting chance, that’s all.”
“Sure, Bonnie. It definitely had nothing to do with Monty calling you ‘hunnybuns’ and grabbing your tail.”
“You saw that!” he screeches, tugging on his ears. “Whatever,” -he releases his ears- “it doesn’t matter. We were just playing around. That’s normal friend behavior.”
You raise your eyebrow. “Sure it is.”
“Shut up,” he huffs, stomping his foot. “I’m going for a walk before the plex opens.” He walks off, the ground rumbling under him. Maybe you should leave him alone, but teasing him is so fun.
“Say hi to Monty for me,” you call.
He wordlessly flips you off over his shoulder. You cackle at his antics, and he quickens his pace, clearly wanting out but not wanting to look like he was running away. Silence fills the bowling alley as you finish wiping down the counters. A good ten minutes pass when you feel the familiar rumble of an approaching animatronic.
“Back so soon, Bonnie?” you tease, never looking up from your cleaning.
“It is not Bonnie.”
Your heart flutters at the warm voice. You drop your rag and wipe your hands on your pants. Oh, please don’t look like a mess. “Oh, hi, Freddy. If you’re looking for Bonnie, he’s not here.”
“I know, I saw him on my way here.” He walks up to the counter. “I actually wanted to talk to you.”
Heat rushes to your face. Get it together. Please don’t look like a tomato. “Well, I’m all ears, big guy.” You lean on the counter. “What’s Up.”
“I was wondering if you would like to stay after tonight. I understand it’s last-minute. You do not have to agree.”
It’s been a while since you hung with the gang. Sure, you’ve talked to them, but the last time you all hung out together was about a month ago. You thought Roxy was going to beat Monty with his own club when he started rubbing it in her face that he beat her high score on that dance game. You giggle to yourself. Yeah, you wouldn’t miss this for the world.
“Of course I’ll stay. I love hanging out with you guys.”
“It will be just us tonight.” His ears droop slightly. ”Is that a problem?”
‘Just us.’ The words bounce around your skull over and over. While a small part of you was sad you wouldn’t see the others, what were the odds you would get an opportunity like this again?
“Yn? You’re experiencing an elevated heart rate. Are you alright?”
You cough into your fist. “It’s nothing, I’m fine. And it’s no problem at all. I’d love to hang out with you. Got a game plan, or are we winging it?”
His ears wiggle. “I’m happy doing whatever you want.”
“So we’re winging it? Sounds perfect. It’s a date.”
“Y-yes, a date.” He looks away. “I, I am sorry, but I’m needed elsewhere. Goodbye Yn.”
“See you around, Freddy.”
You watch him hurry off, a smile on your face. Wait, is his tail wagging? What a silly bear. You’re a little concerned, though. Was his voice box glitching? Maybe you should leave a note for parts and service. Oh well, better finish getting ready for the day.
Another twenty, maybe thirty, minutes pass. You stand in the back, reorganizing supplies for the next restock. Just as you put away the last box of Monty Mystery Mix, the floor starts to tremble in that familiar way.
“I’m baaaaack.”
You snort. What a ham. “Hey Bonnie.”
You come out of storage to see the giant metal bunny sitting on his stage. His eyes seem to glow brighter when they land on you.
He smirks, patting the stage next to him. “Sit with me, Kit. I’d like to talk some more before opening.”
You cautiously approach. “You sound better. You’re not still mad at me for earlier, are you?”
“Oh no, that’s in the past.” He smirks, leaning forward slightly. “Now get up here.”
You try to back up, but he’s faster. He hauls you up onto the stage as you squeal and squirm.
“Oh come on, Kit, don’t be such a baby,” he laughs. He forces you to sit next to him, his arm around your shoulders to prevent you from escaping. “Is talking to me really such a drag?”
“Fine.” You smile and roll your eyes. “What did you want to talk about?”
“Well, a little birdie told me you were having a little one-on-one with a certain bear later.”
Your face warms. “So what?” You roll your eyes, hoping you look unbothered. “He’s my friend. Friends spend time together.”
“Friend, huh?” He raises an eyebrow. “Then why do you practically turn to mush when he so much as looks at you?”
“Wha, huh!” You struggle in his iron grip. “You do that with Monty, you overgrown rodent!”
“One” -he raises a finger- “bunnies aren’t rodents. Two” -he raises a second finger- “don’t change the subject. You have a crush on Freddy.”
“Shut Up!”
You backhand his side, your hand making a dull thunk on impact. Ow. Maybe hitting someone made of metal wasn’t your best idea. You cradle your hand to your chest, tears pooling in the corners of your eyes.
“You ok?” He gently grabs your hand, examining it. You weakly try to pull away, and he looks at you, eyes softening. “For what it’s worth, I think it’s sweet. You two would be cute together.”
“You don’t think it’s weird?” You search his eyes for any signs he’s messing with you.
“No” -he lets go of your hand- “but I understand most people will. It won’t be easy, but I think you two could make it work.”
“Thanks, Bonnie.” You lean into his side and sigh. “But I don’t think he likes me like that.”
He wraps his arm around you again, giving you a gentle squeeze. “I wouldn’t be so sure of that.”
“What was that?”
“Nothing Yn. I’ve got to get to rehearsal. I’m already going to be late.” He hops down. “See you around.”
“Later, Bonnie.”
You watch him leave, his steps slow and lazy. You imagine he’d have his hands in his pockets if he had any. Just before he’s out of view, he stops, looking over his shoulder with a grin.
“Have fun on your date tonight,” he shouts as he disappears around the corner.
“It’s not a date,” you shriek.
His laughter bounces off the walls, slowly fading into silence. You sit on the stage where he left you pouting. Stupid bunny, it’s not a date.
You sigh. But what if it was? No, don’t think like that. You’ll only get your hopes up.
You jump down and gather your things. You’re not needed again until 2, and you plan to take advantage of it. Time for a nap. Maybe Sun and Moon will let you crash in their room.
- - - - - -
You’re back behind the counter, cleaning up after a long day of scooping ice cream. Bonnie stands on the other side, telling you about a birthday party from earlier. Huh, this feels familiar.
“Yeah, the kid was a sweetheart, but enough about parties.” He leans on the counter and smiles. “You excited about your date tonight?”
Your face flushes. “Bonnie,” you hiss. “I told you it’s not a date.”
“Sure, Kit.”
You consider smacking him, but you’d rather not hurt your hand again.
“Shut up,” you growl. “Don’t you still need to go to your nightly cheek-up?”
“Shoot! Vanessa’s going to lock me in my green room if I miss another one.” He practically throws himself off the counter. “Have fun, but not too much fun. But if you do, remember to use protection.”
“What the hell, Bonnie!” You throw your rag at him, and he catches it. “Where’d you even learn that?”
He shrugs nonchalantly. “An employee, whom I will not name, may have hacked our systems and given us unrestricted access to the internet.”
“The internet? I thought you overheard someone. Who gave you access to the internet? Was it Sam?”
“I’m sworn to secrecy.” He tosses your rag back and winks. “Now I really need to go.”
He strolls towards the alley exit. Right before he leaves, he grins back at you over his shoulder. Your stomach drops. That smile never means anything good for you.
“Hey, if things do get steamy tonight, I recommend the back corner of Fazer Blast, you know the one. It’s not visible on the cameras, and no staff bots are programmed to go back there.”
Your face flares. “Shut up!” You screech, voice cracking. “Shut up and leave me alone!”
He doubles over laughing, voicebox crackling. “Your reactions are precious,” he snickers, voice lined with static. “Teasing you is fun.”
He laughs himself out of the room at your expense for the second time today. This has to be karma for all the times you teased him about Monty.
Your company Faz-Watch beeps with a new message. Great, now what? It better not be Stacy again. Last time you did her a favor, you got stuck scrubbing vomit out of the Fazcade carpet. You consider ignoring it, but what if it’s important? You glance at your watch and smile. It’s from Freddy.
“I look forward to seeing you tonight. Please meet me in my green room when you are ready,” you read aloud to yourself. Aww, what a sweetheart.
You finish your tasks and head for the employee locker room. It’s empty when you get there. You change out of your uniform and wrestle your backpack from your locker. You glance at the clock. 11:45. That late already? Looks like you’ll be staying overnight. No problem, you already planned to.
You take a deep breath. Time for your totally-not-a-date with Freddy.
By now, most of the day shift employees have gone home. You rush through the mostly empty building, making a beeline to Rockstar Row while dodging the occasional staff bot.
Your mind wanders. This would be the first time you’ve been alone with Freddy for more than fifteen minutes. What if you make a fool of yourself? What if he finds out about your crush on him? What if he thinks you’re weird and he doesn’t want to be friends anymore? Stop that. He’s a nice bear. Whatever happens, he’ll still want you around.
No longer paying attention to what’s in front of you, you crash into something and stumble back, nearly falling over.
“Hey, watch where you’re going,” scolds a familiar voice. You blink at the woman in front of you. She puts her hand on her hip and raises an eyebrow. "Yn? What are you still doing here? You’re going to get locked in if you’re not careful.”
“Hey, Vanessa. I uh,” -you bounce from foot to foot- “I accidentally left something in Bonnie’s green room when I dropped off his spare drumsticks earlier. I just need to grab it, and I’ll be on my way.”
She looks you up and down. You can tell by the look on her face that she doesn’t believe you.
“What did you leave back there?”
Crap. “My uh, My phone,” you mumble, looking away.
Your traitorous phone rings from your bag. Your eyes widen, snapping back to her. She gives you an unimpressed look.
She crosses her arms. “What are you really doing here?”
Think, you idiot, think. “I’m, I’m-“
“Going on a date?” Her stance relaxes, a smile tugging at her lips.
You stare back, eyes wide. Did you hear her right? “What, how did-”
“I overheard Bonnie talking to Monty.” Her eyes sparkle with mischief. “Now what’s this about you going on a date with Freddy? I mean, I should have seen this coming. You’ve always had a strange taste in guys, even as kids. Not that that’s a bad thing.”
“Stupid bunny,” you grumble. “Nessa” -you put your hand on your hip- “it’s not a date. The bunny’s just being an idiot.”
“Well,” she smiles at you, adjusting her cap. “Whatever it is, have fun.”
You watch her leave to do her rounds. Her words drift around your head. So Bonnie told Monty about your “date”. Who else has he talked to? You’re going to dismantle him with your bare hands when you see him next.
Ok, breathe. You can think about this later. Freddy is waiting for you for your hangout. Yes, hangout, not date. Dumb bunny, putting ideas in your head. You take a deep breath and continue walking.