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!"

Mike gave a slight shrug. "Well, I suppose we just won't play with him anymore" He suggested, throwing his feet up to rest where Jeremy had once been. The blond pouted at her sudden lack of space. "Why not...?"

"Cause he's in time-out"

"...Doesn't he wanna hear the story?"

Raising his arms to rest behind his head, Mike shut his eyes. "No. Storytime's over" He could feel the child's glare upon him. To emphasis it, he felt her bolt over his knees, dropping to the ground. "B-but you said-!"

"Listen," Mike interrupted, cracking open one eye to glare at her. "Just as long as you don't bother me or Jeremy, do what you want." Shuffling so she faced his back, Mike mummbled against the cushions. "I'm too tired for this shit"

"That was a bad word!"

"I don't care"

The security guard's ears peeked, zeroing in on the odd noises coming from the kitchen, which suspiciously sounded like pots and plates clanging together. It certainly didn't sound like Jeremy was studying in there; but was Mike going to get up? Nah, the couch had already accepted him as one of their own.

The child stamped her foot on the ground, unhappy. "You're nothing like Jeremy said you were"

She turned away from the couch, probably off to the kitchen or some quiet corner away from the bully when she heard him move behind her. "Whoa, hold up, kiddo..." Mike sat up straight, although irritated and grumpy as usual, found himself slightly intrigued. "What'd you say?"

Swiveling around, she stuck her tongue out. "You're not a hero" She spat. "You're not even nice...." Mike frowned as she insulted him, pondering over her words. He sloppily ran a hand down his face, groaning as he swung his legs over to the floor.

"Hero?" He repeated. "No, not a hero." He mused, resting his elbows on his knees. "Not a bit" The girl's cold attitude faded in the slightest as she watched him run a hand under his beanie, from his scalp to the back of his neck. Mike could feel the very start of the scarring a little above his ears, and he mindlessly let his fingers linger over the stitches before dropping them again.

"If you're not a hero..." She trailed off, green eyes glimmering in thought. "Then what are you?"

Mike shrugged, rubbing his temples "Something else..." He sighed. "Who knows...maybe I'm a villain"

"Jeremy said you were a pirate"

Mike's train of thought stopped as he swung his head up to stare at the now smiling child. Blinking, he opened his mouth to respond, but found himself short of words. The child only gave a innocent smile. "Pirate?" Mike voiced in disbelief. "Out of all the things" The throbbing sensation in his head began to numb. " ...a pirate..."

The little one nodded her head, and Mike felt the corners of his mouth tug upwards. "That's interesting..." He chuckled, his curiosity increasing by the second. "What else did he say about me?" He grinned, thoughts phasing momentarily to the nightwatch situated in the kitchen.

He could still hear the faint sounds of objects moving, the reason why still a mystery to him. But instead of investigating, he was aiming more for what the nightwatch had told his dear little cousin. Besides, the racket in the kitchen would overlap their conversation from Jeremy's ears anyway.

A tiny yawn brought him back to his current attention. Mike glanced from the child to the window, eyeing the sky. Although the sun was peeking through the distant trees, he could still feel the weariness from last night's shift weighing down on him. Jeremy should be feeling the fatigue too, he would guess, and from the looks of her, the kid looked like she was about due for a nap too.

"Not fair" The brat pouted "I didn't get a story..." She inwardly huffed as Mike rolled his eyes. Picking at the lint on his shirt, the security guard pondered the options."If I finish the story, will you tell me?" His response was an over enthusiastic nod.

Biting his lip, Mike pulled the victoriously giggling child next to him by her collar, plopping her carelessly on the cushion. He adjusted his beanie, distracted as he thought for a moment. The girl watched him fiddle with his cap with mild interest before he paused, thinking.

"Where was I...." Mike wondered out loud. He sighed. "Right. Jeremy's acting like a dork and Mitch decides to take him back to his little village. But for some strange reason, all of the villagers had vanished" He waved his hands for dramatic effect, watching the light in her eyes beam as he continued.

"So Mitch decided to take Jeremy to his awesome kingdom, where Jeremy ate all the food and fell asleep" His tone was rushed and non-caring. "He woke up and was all better. The end"

The excitement that had filled the girl's face was now replaced by a pan of disappointment. "...No more?" She whimpered, furrowing her brows."Yep. Now what did Jeremy say-"

She snorted and turned away. "Worst. Story. Ever"

"...Well what did you expect?" Seriously. Did he look like a librarian or something to her? Crossing her arms, she looked up at him with frustration. "Mitch is the worstest, too"

"First of all, kid..." The man sneered, mimicking her own childish stance. "Mitch is a freakin' boss. Second; 'worstest' isnt a word, and third; you got a story, so cough up the-"

"Are you Mitch?"

Her seemenly innocent question was laced with a hint of sarcasm. Pretty good for a four year old, he'll give her that. The security guard frowned, shaking his head. "No, I'm Mike" The blond narrowed her eyes, not buying it.

"Does Mitch like blue?" She asked, eyeing his shirt.

"Sure, why not"

Glancing around the room, she spotted numerous empty ramen containers, scrunching up her face in disgust. "Does he like noodles?"

"Yep"

Turning to stare at the walls, she squinted at a few symbols printed on a couple of posters. She didn't need to read to know what they stood for. "Does he like...boxing?"

"Loves it"

Mike took a deep breath, leaning back against the sofa. This was defiently turning into one of those question games, wasn't it? Letting his limbs go slack, he closed his eyes and rested his head, wondering why the noise in the kitchen had stopped.

The child scanned the room, taking notes. "Is he old?"

"Nope"

"Is he really tall?"

"Sort of"

"Can he fly?"

"Probably"

"Does he love sleeping?"

"Yeah"

"Dogs?"

"Sure"

"Pizza?"

"Uh-huh"

"Jeremy?"

"Yep"

The air in the living room went quiet as Mike registered the question, his eyes flying open to glare at the grinning brat. She basked in her victory, unfazed by his visual threat. The older man bit his tongue, trying to desperately think of something to back-peddle on, but found his mind lacked the necessary will and so forth, slumped in defeat.

His mouth thinned into a line as he stared at her with half-lidded eyes. "You hungry?" She opened her mouth in what Mike thought to be an answer, but instead a big yawn came out. The proudness from her accomplishment that had shined in her eyes was slowly being replaced by the grey of sleepiness.

He'll take that as a yes. "C'mon, twerp" He muttered, standing up. "Let's go see what the dweeb is up to..." He turned away from her, making for the kitchen and giving a silent gesture for her to follow. He heard tiny footsteps as she climbed off the couch, almost tripping herself as she rushed past him.

The sight that greeted him presented feelings of both confusion and hilarity.

The first thing he noticed was the his kitchen was clean for once, which is certainly not how it was when he came home from their shift earlier that morning. The counter's had lost their grease stains, the paper plates he had scattered were now respectively sitting in the trash, and half of the dishes he had left out were sitting neatly on the rack, drying as the other half sat in the sink, waiting to be washed.

The second thing would be the nerd fast asleep on his table, drooling all over his textbook.

Mike's eye twitched for a multitude of reasons, and he had to rub the sleepiness from them to gain control again. He could feel his mouth curve into a smirk despite his mood as he stared down at the mess of hair. Beside him, the child puffed out her cheeks, reaching out to tug on Jeremy's sweater.

Her hand was caught. "Let him sleep" He whispered softly. "Pretty sure he needs it" She puffed out her bottom lip in dislike, but surprisingly obeyed. The older man sighed, taking note of the teen.

One of Jeremy's arms hung loosely to his side while the other was propped up next to his head, holding a pencil in it's loose grip. He had his cheek pressed to the textbook, his neck bent. As adorable as it looked, it was going to leave him with an ache in his shoulder and kink in his neck if he continued to sleep like that. Mike would know, having taken many 'breaks' himself at work.

He turned to the child, putting a finger to his lips in the universal 'hush' signal. Then carefully, he plucked the pencil out from Jeremy's hand and set it on the table. One hand slowly pulled his torso back while the other went under the knees, hoisting the teen up.

Jeremy moaned and Mike froze, waiting as the nightwatch shifted in his arms and nuzzled into his chest. Breathing out a sigh of relief, he softly stepped back toward the living room, listening to tiny footsteps behind him.

Jeremy was laid onto the couch as gentle as he could manage, making sure his head was propped up on a pillow before stepping back. Mike exhaled, taking a seat on what room on the couch was still left. "Every time..." He murmured quietly.

Every time Jeremy came over, no matter the reason, there was a 90% chance he'd end up hogging the couch in the end. Including the kitchen just now, Mike was sure his friend took better care of his apartment than he did himself. Fuck, he might as well move in at this rate.

A tiny hand patted his knee, and he looked down to see glazed green eyes. "M' tired...." She voiced, frowning when all the earned was a shush. "We all are. Keep your voice down"

The child silently stuck out her tongue in response, her method of taunting morphing into a high-pitched yawn. Her face dulled, blinking as she pulled herself onto the couch besides Jeremy. Without warning, she laid her head back on Mike's leg, sleepily staring up at him.

Mike snorted. She and Jeremy was definitely related, no doubt.

She clutched her cousin's sweater, snuggling into the fabric as she looked up at Mike expectantly. "Sing a song"

"Do I look like a fucking pop-star to you?"

She frowned at his response. "Bad word...." She murmured. Mike shrugged, turning his neck to face the window. Thankfully, his curtains were closed, otherwise they'd have to suffer the full wrath of the bright afternoon daylight that seeped though the screens. It was comfortably dim.

Leaning back, he rested against the cushion, careful not to crush or wake the sleeping teen. His hands moved without his knowledge, one coming to curl around the child's head to act as a makeshift pillow, the other resting in Jeremy's hair. His OCD got the best of him, and he found himself softly brushing strands behind the teen's ear, listening to his quiet, even paced breathing.

Suddenly, Mike began to hum, closing his eyes and focused on the feeling of softness between his fingers. Whether or not she was fully aware of what he was humming, the little girl took a liking to it immediately, shutting her own green eyes to drift off to where pleasant dreams and pretty pictures awaited her.

A few minutes passed before Mike opened his eyes again, looking down at the situation he'd gotten himself into. From the way he was positioned, there was absolutely no way for him to get without waking at least one of them, if not both. He groaned at the realization, sinking in defeat.

With his eyes drooping heavily, he felt his agitation linger before seeping away from him as he relaxed fully with the pair.

This was nice.

He'll never admit it though.

Mike was just about to drift off himself when he felt something stir underneath him. He piped to the alarm, quickly retracting his hand from Jeremy's hair as the teen shuffled in place to face him. There was a flushed color to his cheeks, staring at him with glazed eyes and a smile with a hint of smugness to it's flavor. Mike swallowed.

"Hi, Mikey"

"...Mornin' Jere"

"So..." Jeremy mused softly. "Were you...humming, just now?"

Mike bit his tongue, cornered. "Nah, you're hearing things, dude." He coughed out the excuse a little too quickly, or casually, since the younger male raised a brow at the answer. The security guard glanced around the room, momentarily avoiding eye-contact. Though he'd like to leave the awkward situation, the child resting peacefully in his lap voted against it.

"How long have you been awake?" He finally asked, inwardly dreading an answer.

Jeremy thought for a moment. "N-not very long..." His emerald eyes were still glossed over from his nap, Mike noted. The teen tilted his head back to peer at the daylight shining through the window, sighing. "I needed to study..."

"You can do that later" Mike interrupted. "You need sleep"

"I'll be fine-"

"You look like you got hit by a truck"

The nightwatch pouted at the comment, his head sliding upwards on the armrest so his line of sight was at a much more perferable angle with the guard. "T-that's not very nice" He retorted. Mike grinned, back to his old self. "Yeah," He gestured towards Jeremy's cousin. "She said that too..."

His grin widened. "In fact, she said a couple interesting things, actually..."

He watched a flash of panic spread on the younger male's face before disappearing. "...Like what?" He asked with nervous laughter. Oh, how the tables have turned. Mike shrugged, "Nothing too important..." Jeremy gulped. His tone was full of tease. "Just you know, apparently I'm a pirate"

Jeremy blinked, before letting out a not-so-discreet sigh of relief. "That's it?" He breathed, not awaiting for an answer. He was expecting something a lot worse, to be honest. Mike furrowed his brows, surprised at the lack of reaction. "Maybe..."

The child snuggled closer to them, one hand clutching for Jeremy, the other somehow made it's way to Mike's own shirt, tugging him with her as she scooted upwards. Not wanting to wake the brat, Mike grudgingly leaned down, one elbow propped up for support.

There was a frog in Jeremy's throat, and he became increasingly aware of the closeness of the three of them. His cousin's grip on his sweater? Not an issue. But Mike's looming figure and lingering feeling of his fingers on his scalp was burning holes in his mind.

The little one snuggled herself into her cousin's mass of soft hair, having accomplished in shorting the personal distance between the two males without even having to be awake.

Mike rolled his eyes. "This was not how I planned to spend my Saturday..." Though, he didn't mind the change of plans one bit now.

The nightwatch bit his lip, guilty. "Sorry...." He murmured, the color in his cheek rising to a pretty pink. "I really needed to study." Mike snorted at this statement.

"I hardly call cleaning my kitchen a method of studying"

Instead of bashfully looking away, Jeremy frowned, taking Mike's stare head on. "It was d-distracting" He defended. Their faces being less than a foot apart, it was easy to tell how unbelievable his statement sounded, or at least to Mike. "...and I owed you anyway" Mike opened his mouth to retort but shut it, realizing he was right. He sighed, unsatisfied.

Suddenly, a tiny hand reached up and gripped the front of his beanie, dragging it downwards. Mike's eye's widened as his head was pulled forward, his mouth crashing into Jeremy's. Said nightwatch squealed, frozen and unable to process the action.

Laying on his back, he was unable to fully pull away, or even to turn his head in the position he was in. His hands rose to Mike's chest instinctively, torn partly between pushing him away or grabbing hold of him. Heartbeat hammering, he felt hot breath on his lips.

Mike wasn't any better. The tiny hand clutching his beanie held tightly, showing no signs of letting go. Reflexively, he began to curse, only to remember that his mouth was still firmly in contact with his co-worker's, and that moving it only made the situation much more...pleasant, though definitely awkward.

The initial shock wore off and his conscious kicked in, pushing himself away from Jeremy, his beanie coming off in the process. He scooted to the other end of the couch, his face tinted in uncharacteristically shades of pink, lost for words.

Jeremy, however, looked as if someone took a red sharpie marker and went bonkers on his face with it. He stuttered uncontrollably, his blush spread from the red of his nose to the tips of his ears. He was radiating the burning sensation, bring his hands to his face in some feeble attempt to hide himself.

Beside the both of them sat a grinning little girl, a grey beanie in her hands.

Mike spotted the article of clothing and sneered, reaching forward and snatching it from her grasp. Her gave her a stern glare, though it twitched and turned into something softer. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched and listened as Jeremy muttered apology after apology, his voice cracking in the slightest.

The guard grit his teeth. "...Don't sweat it"

Jeremy's stutters stopped, still hiding himself defensively behind his hands. Even his fingertips were getting red, Mike noted.

Taking a deep breath, he stood from the couch, reaching into his pocket and pulling out his phone. "I'm ordering pizza...." Dialing the number, he faced them at an angle. It was his weekend off from Fazbear's, and he's still going to end up eating one of those greasy heart-attacks. Figures.

He turned to them. "Cheese or pepperoni?" Jeremy didn't answer, his mouth still hidden behind his sleeves, staring down the grinning girl. Said blond tugged one of them down, giving him an expectant look. He hesitated, before looking up at Mike. Jeremy swallowed. "...Cheese..."

Nodding, Mike waved himself away as he walked into another room, excusing himself to make the call. Once he was out of view, he stopped himself. His thumb hovering over the call button, Mike licked his lips, pressing them together. Still feels like it, he thought. Holding onto the lingering sensation, he pressed send.

Jeremy shyly watched his retreating back, letting out a breath he didn't realize he was holding when he was gone from view. A giggled sounded from beside him, and he swiveled his neck to the noise. He tried to stare his cousin down, but found himself unable to match Mike's level of sternness. She only smiled and wiggled her toes.

"Mitch loves you"

---

Bonus:

The delivery boy blinked, staring down at who opened the door. A little girl, no more than four stood before him. She gleamed at him with mossy eyes, and he was about to ask where her parents were when another set of green eyes appeared. "...Hi, um...." The young male voiced, spotting the boxes in the other's hands. "Uh...let me go get-"

"Right here" Another man walked in, eyes of blue this time. He fumbled around in his pocket before pulling out a few wrinkled bills. "That should be $12.50, sir" The delivery boy received a nod in response, exchanging the money and pizza within the next second.

The olderman raised a brow as the boy hesitated. He eyed the two residents with a smile. "You two are a lovely couple." He voiced, watching as the green eyed male shook his head frantically, falling into a state of incoherent stutters and spastic hand moments. "W-We're not-!"

"Thanks, keep the change."

The beanie clad man reached for the door handle, shutting it in the delivery boy's face without a second thought. He heard bickering coming from the other side of the door, accompanied by the sound of a giggling child. Silent, he stared at the $20 bill in his hands before continuing on his way.

___

*flys into the sun*