Inside Job (FNAF: SB Rewrite)

Chapter 30 - While I Slept

NOTE: Yay! We've officially hit 100,000 words! I can't thank you all enough for enjoying my silly little rewrite. As a thank you, here's another short perspective shift, which takes place during the time where Gregory had fallen asleep in Michael's car in the middle of the previous chapter. I know it's a bit out of order, but I hope you'll forgive me for that.

Michael splashed his face with running water from the bathroom sink and waited for the redness and puffiness in his eyes to dissipate. He ran his fingers through his hair before putting on his old baseball cap. The longer he spent in this house, the more the walls closed in, but he couldn't let Gregory see him like this. Michael had to give him a good impression. He had to seem reliable and trustworthy if he wanted Gregory to like him. He hadn't expected him to forget about him, but he also hadn't anticipated him to have seen his breakdown tapes. He was surprised that Gregory had no issue following his orders, especially after seeing his videos, but his poor memory allowed Michael to have a clean slate and reconnect with him.

But his unfortunate mother... Michael regretted letting Gregory roam around on his own. He should've been by his side when he had found her, or maybe he could have found her first and prevented him from seeing her. Michael's breathing began to quicken as he remembered the state she was in. When the incident happened all those years ago, Michael had abruptly left without any warning. She tried to contact him for several months, but once he changed his phone number, he never heard from her. Still, he couldn't help but stalk her online pages as it was his only way of remembering her and Gregory. He remembered the panic that shot through his body when she posted his missing person poster.

Michael hit his chest to calm his breathing, and when he had finished pulling himself together, he left the house and walked to his car that was parked on the side of the road. He caught a glimpse of the passenger seat through the window and saw Gregory sleeping peacefully on the lowered chair. He had his blankets up to his chin and laid on his side, curling his legs close to his chest.

Michael watched as Gregory's shoulders moved as he breathed. When he realized how awkward this was, he shook his head to clear it and opened the passenger door quietly. He slowly lifted Gregory's seat and fastened his seat belt. If Michael planned on driving to the pizzaplex like he had promised, he was going to make sure he followed basic traffic laws. Once he pulled back from locking in the safety belt, he glanced up at Bowtie, who was sitting on the ledge between the two front seats and glaring daggers at him. Michael stepped back, startled from suddenly seeing it.

Before Michael could say anything to it, Bowtie put a single paw up to its mouth as if to motion "Shh!" Its face remained angry, but it wasn't willing to wake up Gregory. That was fine with Michael, as he didn't want to wake him up either. He peered to see the backseat. Gregory's backpack was thrown back there without any thought, but Michael knew there was nothing in it. He opened the door and quickly grabbed it. Michael had already packed things he believed he'd need; a flashlight, a water bottle, and some extra tools in case of an emergency, so he figured he'd give Gregory some similar items. Bowtie's arms flailed around trying to grab Michael's attention. He silently groaned, but reluctantly opened the door and took it as well.

When Michael was back in the house, Bowtie let out its frustration. "What is wrong with you? Why were you staring ? Oh, I knew you were a creep!" it bursted out, crossing its arms.

"That's not it," Michael replied, "I just never thought I'd see him again." Much less like this. Every interaction he had with Gregory was far from normal. Michael hoped this whole thing would finish soon so they could really connect with one another.

"Uh huh! Sure," Bowtie sounded unconvinced. Michael sighed, though he knew if he was going to get close to Gregory, he had to get along with Bowtie too.