During his time as a day-shift security guard, Mike made a few close observations: Children had absoultly no perception of personal space or respect for other people's property, Parents were always convinced that their child was the prime example of good behavior, and their kids seemed to always find new places to stuff their half eaten pizza.

He pulls out a cheese covered Bonnie plushie out from a vent as he thinks this, wrinkling his nose and tossing it in the trash. Maybe one day management would hire a janitor, but until then, he was stuck as an alternative.

His promotion began easy enough, given his previous position at Fazbear's. Making sure birthday guest didn't stray too far from the cake, the animatronics were left alone to preform on stage, which child belonged to which parent, giving screaming toddlers Freddy band-aids when they scraped their knees, and of course, being the ball pit's constant life guard.

Mike glared at the new addition to the play area and groaned. A new bouncy house was not going to help his situation.

It instantly became a favorite, kids practically flinging off their shoes once they passed through the front door, making a beeline for the brightly colored inflatable death trap. More often than what should be, Mike would find himself stationed by the opening, watching through the net for any sign of trouble with his arms crossed, a sour look on his face. The rules strictly stated for everyone to keep their hands to themselves, but as he eyed a laughing little girl push a boy to the side, he wondered if Fazbear's management was aware that these kids couldn't read the posters on the wall.

Fazbear had it's own holiday, everyday, one which Mike liked to call Fuck-With-The-Security-Guard-Day, and damn him if the kids didn't celebrate it to it's fullest.

He's lost count as of how many time he's sat down to clear his thoughts when he'd be attacked; mostly by one or two brats who've made it their entire purpose in life to make his shift absolutely miserable. One would attach himself to Mike's leg, the other would make a grab for his keys, giving a mischievous look as he snatched them from the hook of his belt, him and his distraction bolting away. Mike would spend the next half hour hunting them down, only to pry them from their chubby hands and give a stern glare, returning to his position.

The days passed slower as the weeks pressed on, and at some point he just stopped trying. Kids want to throw pizza everywhere? Fine. They want to barrel-roll on the merry-go-round? Fine. There's one swinging from the ceiling fan? Fine. Whatever, do what you want. Mike doesn't care anymore, and he frankly doesn't remember management ever have cared at all.

There would be times when Jeremy would come into the building at 10PM, walk passed the play room to get ready for his shift when he'd stop cold. There would be Mike, his usual security cap replaced by a party hat, his tie undone and marker scribbled on one half of his face, standing over what looked like a make-shift slip n' slide made out of melted ice-cream and pizza grease.

Mike would mutter his usual snark under his breath as Jeremy followed him to locker room, trying to keep the giggles in his voice hush.

Jeremy would help him, taking Mike's tie and scrubbing the sauce stain out best he could in the shabby sinks the restrooms provided while the guard would toss his shirt and slacks, grateful that Fazbear's had more uniform inventory in his size. Then Mike would go home, fall face first onto his couch and sleep like a dog, not even bothering to take off his shoes.

Though the rest didn't last long, since he'd find himself glancing at the clock and checking his phone with a certain nightwatch in mind. But it was the peace and quiet that counts, he guessed.

One night during a shift, Jeremy asked him if he liked playing with the children during the day, and Mike seriously had to restrain from breaking the tablet in half. What those children did to him was not 'playing', no. It was a constant headache of trying to do his job of keeping them safe while tolerating their bullying throughout the day.

He could think back to a few times when he'd be dragging a screaming toddler out from underneath tablecloth and he'd happen to glance in the direction of the animatronics, surprised at the almost sympathetic look he was given. Once, Fred started story time much earlier than he was scheduled to, effectively luring the children away from the guard to sit quietly at the foot of the stage. Mike, although stoic, made sure to give a tip of his hat in silent thanks before returning to work.

Jeremy would tease him still. "They just really like you" He would say, flickering the light down the hallway. "They must think you're a super hero or something" Mike's typical response would be an eye roll, but his facial expression remained neutral, keeping his thoughts to himself.

Jeremy smiled. He wondered if he would feel the same way if he had Mike's position. Whether or not the security guard over exaggerated a few details, being bugged by a couple of kids all day didn't seem like that big of a deal. I mean, as long as you keep them off stage and keep track of where they are, playing along with them didn't seem too hard of a thing to do.

He'd be harshly corrected later. Mike would lay back in his seat and name off a list of names of each regular kid that harassed him, and what their specialty was. Rachel was a booger nose, Thomas was a screecher and Harold didn't understand the concept of 'private space'.

As he ranted, Jeremy couldn't help but giggle. "For someone who doesn't like kids, you sure do know a lot about them" His response was a low mutter to 'shush' and 'check the cameras', followed by a playfull bat on the arm.

The rest of the night was spent with mindless bickering and avoiding a beak less chicken that popped her head in the office every now and then.The clock chimed 6AM and Mike offered Jeremy a ride home, ignoring the teen's show of protest and ushered him to his truck.

Half an hour later, Jeremy was turning off his lights and slipping under the sheets as Mike pulled into his apartment's driveway. The two immediately head off to sleep, thankful for the week passing by quickly enough and arriving with what the both of them felt like would be a long, enjoyable weekend.

A few hours later, there was a knock on Mike's front door.

The sound of shuffling and cursing faintly echoed from inside the apartment, it's resident obviously not very happy about being woken from his slumber. His visitor stood outside, nervously glancing around the lot as he awaited an answer. The other side of the door went quiet and he raised his hand to knock again when he heard the sound of a chain.

The door cracked open, pale, irritated eyes glaring from the darkness of the home. He sneered at the figure through his sleepy vision. "What?"

Jeremy opened his mouth to explain before pausing. Mike hardly looked decent. No shirt, coupled with a dark colored, unbuttoned jeans and a beanie thrown on at the last second. Even his socks looked like they've seen better days.

The younger male faltered. "D-did I wake you?"

Tired eyes blinked with recognition. "Jeremy?" A moment passed and Mike shut the door, leaving a slightly gaped teen on his doorstep. Then Jeremy heard the sound of something unhooking and it swung open again, revealing his co-worker's full body. "What are you doing here?"

"I need your help"

Mike raised a brow at the sentence, sharing Jeremy's pleading look with a baffled one of his own. "It's our day off. Fazfuck's isn't even open-"

"T-that's not it" He was cut off, "It has nothing to do with work"

Mike paused for a minute, leaning against the door frame with his arms crossed. The air was cool and windy, and it took a breeze against his chest for him to finally release that he was standing shirtless in front of Jeremy. Inappropriate? Probably. But it's not like Mike was expecting company or anything, so you could hardly blame him.

The same breeze hardly touched Jeremy in his loose sweater. Judging by that bed head of his, Mike could assume he'd gotten up himself not too long ago as well. It was adorkable, in another sense of the phrase.

"...Then what is it then?" Mike sighed. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw one of his old neighbors making her way towards her mailbox, glancing up in his direction in the slightest. She frowned at him before she spotted Jeremy, then it dropped. She carried on her way with a content look.

Mike raised a brow in her retreating direction. Jeremy tightened the grip on his backpack strap. "D-don't think this is stupid-" He stuttered, Mike waving him off. "It better not be" Although he meant it in a playfull sense, the tired rasp in his voice made it come off as more of an irritated growl than a tease. Whoops.

The security guard stood straight, eyeing the younger male as he fidgeted. Whatever 'this' was, it apparently wracked the nightwatch's nerves. "....Sorry, just...what's the big idea-?"

He cut short when he spotted something small and blond move behind Jeremy's leg. His eyes widened, craning his neck to peer at it. The creature only clung closer to Jeremy in response, tightly clutching the fabric of his pants leg.

Mike's eye twitched. "What the fuck is that"

"...it's a child, Mike-"

"-and why do you have it?"

"Her," Jeremy corrected, "And she's my little cousin"

"...What's that supposed to do with me?"

"I-I need your help watching after her..."

There was a moment of silence, filled in only by the faint sounds of birds chirping and cars driving a distance away. Then, Mike burst into laughter, holding a clenched fist to his mouth to try and suppress it. "That's hilarious" He chuckled, stopping cold when he realized Jeremy was staring.

"Shit... you're serious, aren't you?"

Jeremy glanced away shyly, proving Mike's suspicion. "I just need to study for a while" He held up his book bag "My grades are dropping and I need to bring them back up if I wanna keep my job" Mike inwardly huffed. Jeremy was right; a student has to have their grade at a certain average to be employee legally. But did he seriously want to keep a job at Fazfuck's? Hell, if Mike was him, he'd flunk without a second thought.

But he had bills to pay, he reminded himself. Mike pinched the bridge of his nose, stressed. "How'd you even end up with the brat?" He muttered, ignoring the disapproving face he received in response. "Can't your mom look after her or something-?"

"She and my aunt are going to a high school reunion in Ohio" The nightwatched answered. "They put me in charge of her-"He gestured towards the child for emphasis. "-for the entire weekend"

Blue eyes narrowed. "...That's fucked up"

"I-I could of taken care of her on my own, you know" Jeremy defended, looking away momentarily. "I-It's just that I-"

"No, not that" The older man cut him off, a half of a smirk gracing his features. "I mean, who the fuck goes to a high school reunion? In a different state too" He snickered. "Those things are fucking lame..."

Frowning, Jeremy leaned down and put his hands over his little cousin's ears. "Stop cussing, she'll repeat it"

Mike shrugged. "She's like, what? Two? She can't understand me-"

"Four" Jeremy dully interrupted, much to Mike's dislike. He shrugged again. "Whatever. Watch this."

The nightwatch watched in unease as Mike kneeled down to one knee, giving the little girl a warming smile. "Hi there," He spat, drowning his tone with as much baby-ness as he could muster. "My name's Mikey. Can you say 'fuck'?"

The little girl only blinked, confused. He smirked victoriously, standing up to gloat. "See?" He teased. "She has no idea-"

"Fak"

Mike's eyes widened as he looked down at the kid, a proud open smile on her face as she was acknowledged. "Faaak" She repeated, watching the security guards twist from victory to shameful defeat.

Jeremy face palmed. "Now look at what you did"

He received a snark in return. "Another reason not to bring her around me then" He locked eyes with Jeremy, ignoring the little chants from the child who seemed pretty content to have learned a new interesting word. "You know I don't like kids"

"Your entire job revolves around them-"

"-and it sucks shit"

"You watch over fifty a day, Mike. One won't hurt-"

"-On a Saturday? I beg to differ"

"...Please? I'll never ask for another favor again..."

"That's a stretch"

"M-Mike..."

"This was supposed to be my day off from these brats-"

"Mike" Jeremy pleaded. "I don't have anywhere else I can take her, and I can't just ignore her or my studies either. You know more about kids than me, and like it or not, they always seem to like you" He trailed off. "Even when you're a bully"

Mike opened his mouth to execute some sort of snarky reply, but came short. He couldn't see himself being the fatherly type, not with his history and habits. So how he always became a Fazbear regular's favorite was beyond him, past any level of understanding he was capable of.

He remembers taking a required home-care health class in highschool, something the school bored deemed important enough for every student to take at least one semester. Even being a required class, he'd catch himself day dreaming about caring for a child of his own. He kept it to himself. Being the tough jock he was, a rumor that he had a soft spot for children would spread around peers like wildfire, and being nicknamed 'scar-head' was enough harassment as it was.

That soft spot hardened a little every time he clocked into the pizzeria. With shoes, pizza, plushies and party hats being thrown from room to room, Fazbear erased all perceptions he had with kids.

Mike glared at the darkening bags under Jeremy's eyes and sighed. "Fine"

The nightwatch's demeanor lightened, a tiny smile erupting onto his face. Mike caught the beaming teen in a stare. "But you owe me" He added. "Big time"

He turned his back on the pair, unspokenly inviting them in. Jeremy ushered his cousin inside, ignoring the old women across the street giving them a suspicious glare. The town freak that everyone in the neighborhood avoided, known for his one incident with the garbage man, has a very young man and a small child knocking at his door with no clear reason. This would cause some talk, she thought.

Mike shuffled them into the living room, flipping on the lights. He happened to glance towards the window, spotting his shirtless reflection and muttered. He turned away from the two, buttoning his pants and plucking a navy blue t-shirt out from a basket of clothes that sat forgotten near the washing machine. If it smelt clean, it was clean. Good enough.

Jeremy sat on the couch, the little one scrambling after him. "I-Is your place always this...messy?" He asked, unzipping his backpack. "Well, yeah. I live here" Mike replied dully, plopping down beside him. "Home sweet home"

The nightwatch wrinkled his nose. "More like home sweet hobo..." He commented, flipping to a bookmarked page. He could feel Mike's glare burning into his cheek.

"Just a minute ago you were asking me for help, now your insulting how I live?" Mike swatted Jeremy's arm. "You pregnant or something? Or did someone just piss in your cheerios this morning?"

A pink tint rose to Jeremy face as he whipped his head around to a grinning Mike. "W-Why would I be pregnant? That's not h-how things work-" Mike laughed at his reaction. "I was kidding, geeze. Lighten up, will ya?" Jeremy was about to retort when tiny hands gripped the sides of his face, pulling his attention away from the security guard.

The little girl patted his face affectionetly. "Play"

Jeremy shook his head, giving a soft smile "Not now. Go play with Mikey"

Both she and Mike shared mutual reactions of dislike to the order. She turned to face Mike, whom slouched in his seat, hands stuffed in pockets and giving her an unamsued, uninterested stare. She scrunched her nose, sticking out her tongue before tugging on one of Jeremy's loose locks of hair. "Plaaay"

Jeremy pressed his lips into a line, turning to look at Mike with pleading eyes. "This is what I was talking about" Mike snorted, slumping even more so into the couch. "So? What do you want me to do?" He glanced at the textbook, sneering at the cover. Ugh, math.

"I-I don't know...d-distract her, do a jig, just do something" Jeremy rubbed a hand over his face, scanning over the textbook. Mike's eyes widened in the slightest, a little alarmed. He's never seen him distressed like this. Just how bad were his grades getting, exactly? Maybe...it was something other than his school work?

Leaning his head against the back of the cushion, Mike huffed. He wouldn't pry, it was none of his buisness, no matter how bad the thought knarled in the back of his mind.

He nudged the kid with his foot, grabbing her attention. "C'mere, kid" He beckoned, patting the cushion next to him. "Lemme tell you a story-"

"No!" She yelped, crossing her arms. "Wanna play"

Mike grit his teeth, sparing a quick glance to his side. "But it's a funny story about your cousin..." He cracked devilish smile as he heard Jeremy's pen scribbling abrupty stop. "I'm sure you'll like it."

The child stared thoughtfully for a moment, before climbing past Jeremy-kicking his textbook away in the process-and sitting comfortably beside Mike, the two sharing a grin of equal qaulity.

Jeremy flustered as he picked the textbook back up from the ground. "M-Mike!" He sent a pout in the secuirity guards direction. "Don't-"

"Once upon a time; there was a very handsome, very strong and very awesome man named Mitch" Mike spoke in an esagerated tone, inwardly laughing at the reaction spreading across his co-worker's face. "And then there was this nerd-" He pointed to Jeremy "-your cousin"

Said person bit his lip, twiddling his thumbs as Mike continued. "One day, Jeremy got captured, and was locked away in a prison-"

"Prison?" The girl tilted her head. Mike nodded."Yeah, one that was all white and smelled like grandma soap" She wrinkled her nose at the thought. "And they had these evil aliens too, and one of them cast a spell on Jeremy that made him go crazy!" Mike stuck his tongue out and rolled his eyes around, apparently imitating a 'crazed Jeremy'.

The teen frowned "T-that's not how it went-"

The younger male was cut off by a higher voice. "Then what?" Puffing out his chest and curling his arms, Mike imitated a superhero pose. "Good guy Mitch rushed in to save him of course." Jeremy face palmed for the second time that hour. And Mike said he wasn't good with kids, he thought.

The nightwatch felt his cheeks burn as the listening audience giggled, scooting closer to the guard. Picking up his bookbag, he stood from the couch. "I'll study in the kitchen..." He shuffled away from the two, Mike snorting as he passed. "Awww, what's wrong, Jeremy?" He chuckled. "Can't you stay for story time?"

A flustered yell came from the other room. "You're a dick, Mike!"

Instead of yelling back a better insult, Mike turned to the little one, a finger over his mock grin. "Did you hear that? Jeremy said a bad word..." The child pressed her cheeks together, eyes wide and giving a overly dramatic gasp. "Whadda we do?" She exclaimed. "Your not supposed to say bad words!"