The obsession was always slow, it started off as a small and worthless little thing that festered in his chest any time he looked at Amelia. She never noticed it, no one ever did at first. They lived together for a long time, in that little apartment, just him and her. He thought it was forever, she knew that it wasn't. But she tried her best for him, she worked hard for his trust and she worked hard for some money for the both of them. He was like a little brother to her, maybe even her own child. And she was his everything. She named him Gregory, he kept that name and cherished it because she and that name were the only things he owned.

She tried to integrate him into society like he was a normal child. He looked like a child so she put him in a school full of children that seemed like him. He expressed his negative opinion quite boldly over the idea, he always told her that he didn't like human children, they were nosy and loud. He preferred quiet nights in with her rather than in a school full of snotty-nosed boys and girls, even though he excelled in all courses that any class had ever given him. She understood that he didn't feel comfortable so eventually she agreed to pull him out of the school and let him lounge in the house when she was away at work.

She would give him little things to entertain himself during the day. She'd give him coloring books in which he would finish in one sitting, but the colors were always mundane and natural colors you'd find on your typical animals such as horses and cows, never were they vibrant and bright like how most children draw. She would let him watch TV but he never seemed interested in it. She would take him out on walks but he didn't like the crowds. She would buy him games but he won every one of them until he grew bored.

One day she gave him a blank piece of paper and told him to draw anything he could come up with, she really did it to test his creativity. But when she came back, the paper was entirely blank with a singular, bleeding dot of ink in the middle. Clearly he could not think of anything at the top of his head, he simply held the pen and place, she pitied the fact that he couldn't think much for himself.

But what she didn't know was that he could think for himself, he thought everyday, he thought everyday about her. Perhaps if he pushed himself more that night with the pen in his hands, he would draw her. He would draw her because he memorized all of her features. He would draw her and all her imperfect and soft edges, he would draw her in all her humanness. He was an artist, and she was his muse.

He would do anything she asked, anything if it meant she would stay by his side. But what he didn't expect her to ask was for him to share her kindness with others. She fell in love, she fell in love with a man. He was nice to her, and Gregory saw the way she smiled back at him. They began to see each other more and more. And eventually she told the robot that she was in love with that man, Gregory was unhappy, but it was the first time he didn't express that unhappiness.

What was so important about love? Why would she feel the need to 'love' someone when she had him? He was confused, but most of all, he felt betrayed. He never talked to the man even though the man tried to speak with him. Amelia always assured the guy that Gregory was just shy, but the robot was simply seething. The attention used to be on him, but Amelia was slowly sliding away and there was nothing he could truly do to stop her. Sabotage? He tried but they still stayed together. Ignoring her? He tried but he never lasted long. Manipulation? He tried but she had her feet planted firmly on the ground on her beliefs of 'love.'

He tried searching for reassurances. Some people said that love never lasted long, so he played the waiting game for feelings to fade away. He thought that their love was superficial, but then she told him that she was pregnant, and his world absolutely shattered. She told him that he would finally have a baby brother, but he didn't want to have a 'brother,' he didn't want to have a 'family!' He only ever wanted her!

And with that dangerous obsession came a seething jealousy, and with that jealousy came grave danger.

______________

They had to rebuild a racing kart. She observed the little car ahead of them, the bot that was on it was missing its head, gruesomely decapitated, she shivered slightly at the sight. Gregory insisted that it was part of the plan because none of the other karts would work. The girl didn't understand why or how they needed a kart, but she obliged anyway.

Gregory said that they could find the head of the bot in the mega arcade. She didn't know how big this arcade could be until she was inside of it, and the sheer side of it made her dizzy. There were arcades everywhere, but all of them were without power. Apparently they needed to reset the electricity breaker with three switches. They needed electricity to get into the room where robot heads were reserved inside.

Their progress was fast, two switches were flipped already. The last one was at the end of a large corridor that stored decommissioned and dusty arcade games and other equipment. There was a giant hole at the end, it endlessly led to a dark abyss, (y/n) couldn't help but get the feeling that she was being watched from the darkness, but she didn't word her fears, she simply stared blankly into the darkness as Gregory flicked the switch. The boy glanced at the dark tunnel too, his observative eyes seemed to see something in the darkness that she couldn't. But he seemed unfazed at what he saw, it's like he knew it was there all along.

The lights turned on a brilliant shimmer. Neon, neon, and neon. The girl had enough neon. She wanted light, real light. But all she could see was neon. It all turned on like some fantastical dream, but she was still and silent, the fantasy wasn't there in her eyes, it all felt fake because that's all it was. Gregory was watching her from the corner of his eye, she knew he was, and she knew he no longer saw that innocent girl, he just saw a tired and silent soul. And he said nothing.

They made their way to a room that was full of robot heads, their eyes were blank and hollow, some of them were destroyed and others were grimy with misuse. Gregory quickly grabbed one and placed it in a machine that had hooked fingers and brushes. It turned on with a hiss and cleaned up the head until it looked just about new.

"There, now we just need to fit it on the rest of the body, continue our operations," Gregory muttered, but it was more like he was talking to himself than her. "After that, Freddy will be all fixed."

The girl knew that the boy didn't actually care about Freddy's wellbeing, it seemed more like he was planning on using Freddy for something, like the bear was just a tool to him. She thought about how Freddy saved her from Moon and risked his life for her, she thought about how he comforted her even when everything seemed hopeless. Her eyebrows furrowed, Freddy wasn't a tool, he was her friend.

"Glaring at me isn't going to solve the issue, (y/n)," Gregory said calmly after a moment. The girl blinked with surprise, she didn't even realize that she was staring at the robot with burning eyes. The boy's golden optics narrowed upon hers. "...I know that you're tired, but I promise after all of this is over, I'll take good care of you. There will be no more pain or suffering."

"It seems like you want the opposite for everyone," the girl said with a frown as she stood behind him. "You always seem to want to hurt someone."

"I'm hurting them for a greater cause, (y/n)," Gregory said, his calm facade slightly cracking. The girl saw his form visibly bristle in agitation. "I just want what's best for you. Why are you fighting me now every step of the way now that these terrible things are finally coming to an end?"

"It's not a happy ending," the girl muttered. Gregory fully turned towards her. There was a sneer that began to creep on his face as his eyes hardened into a piercing gaze. But the girl continued her jabs towards the Security Breach without an ounce of hesitation. "You just want a happy ending for yourself, not for others."

"Oh, spare me the ridicule, (y/n)," Gregory said with a bitter laugh. "I've been nothing but selfless and obedient my entire life to mankind, only to get nothing in return, I think it's about time that I get what I am due and owed."

"You are not a good robot," (y/n) said as she shook her head. "You say bad things and do bad things,."

That definitely struck a chord in Gregory, the boy seemed to be taken aback, his golden eyes filled with a terrible recognition from those very words. The girl frowned at him and turned away. But just as she was about to leave, the security door shut with a violent slam. She turned towards the boy in a questioning manner, but she was immediately grabbed by the throat and slammed against the door. The hand wasn't squeezing enough to strangle her, but it was firm and strong enough to hold her in place no matter how much she moved.

"You picture me to be some sort of evil and heartless monster," Gregory hissed at her. The cold fingers on her neck twitched with fury as they tightened around her throat. The girl stared at him with wide and shocked eyes. The Security Breach grinned at her in an animalistic way. "And I can very much be that monster that you want to project onto me so badly."

He leaned in until their noses touched. "But I won't, want to know why? It's because I love you to the very depths of the earth. But you humans don't seem to understand how far I would go for you. You run away from me and leave me for dead, but I still can't bring myself to forsake mankind, because humans are everything I've ever wanted to be!"

As fast as he held her down, he let her go. She gripped her neck where he just held her, she stared at him with watery eyes. Gregory was turned away from her, he stared at the bot heads blankly. And she swore she saw his optics glitter with tears in the darkness, but she knew he couldn't cry. The door behind her opened with a hiss, but she didn't leave yet, she simply watched as he stood silently beneath the dim spotlight.

"...Maybe humans just want you to be yourself," the girl said after a moment of empty silence. Her hands caressed her neck hesitantly. Gregory let out a quiet chuckle, he sounded lost. She pitied his story which she was sure she would never hear from his own lips, but she didn't pity his actions. She didn't pity the terrible things he had done.

"Machines don't have such a function," Gregory responded coldly as he stared at the empty robot heads. "We will never be truly human."

The girl turned and walked away, her feet dragging across the carpeted floor and past flickering arcade machines.

______________

She sat down inside a photo booth and swung its curtain closed. She stared at her lap before she curled her knees to her chest and hugged herself. She closed her eyes for a bit and dreamed of simpler things. After a moment, the curtain swung open and she jumped to her feet. She expected it to be Gregory who followed her, she was ready to listen to what he had to say. What she didn't expect was to see the giant wolf animatronic, leering down at her like she was some sort of pest.

"This is not a very smart place to hide, unless your pursuer is dumb like Chica," Roxy said with a sharp grin. The girl backed into the photo booth with wide eyes, but the wolf animatronic simply ducked inside with her. "What? Cat got your tongue?"

Roxy turned towards the black screen of the photobooth. She gazed at her reflection on it, she smiled smugly as she flipped her hair. "I'm looking as beautiful as always."

"...You are," the girl muttered quietly as she averted her gaze.

The wolf turned towards the girl with narrowed eyes, "what did you say?"

"I said you are very pretty," (y/n) said as she looked back at the wolf animatronic. Roxy's smug smile returned before she stared back into her reflection with a grin. Her bright yellow eyes gleaming with narcissism.

"Hey, you're not half bad. I guess we both can agree on something, my ravishing looks that is," Roxy said pompously as she picked at her manicured claws with a smile full of her sharp teeth. "You, however, look like an absolute wreck. Your ratty hair needs brushing, you're lucky I always have an extra brush on me."

The wolf animatronic pulled a magnetic brush off of her side. She suddenly pushed the girl down onto the booth's seat and began to brush her hair in a gentle but firm manner. The girl flinched as the brush pulled at the small knots in her hair.

"You look down," the wolf said after a moment of dragging the brush through the little girl's hair. Her voice was soft. "Let me guess, boy problems?"

The girl stared down at the hands in her lap and then back at her reflection in the black screen. "I guess you could say something like that, it's more like I can't understand him at all. One moment he's friendly, and then he starts saying and doing bad things."

Roxy let out a little laugh as she put her large metal hand on the girl's head and unknotted a bunch of hair with her sharp nails. "Oh honey, I hear about this sort of stuff all of the time, you could even say I'm an expert."

"Really?" The girl said as she tried to turn her head to look at the wolf but Roxy simply grabbed her by the chin and made her look forward again as she began to skillfully and quickly braid her hair.

"I may be a machine but I got a pretty good grasp on little human things," Roxy said with a slight scoff and a smirk, her nails clicking together as she put one lock of the girl's delicate hair over the other. The girl's eyebrows furrowed as she thought about what Gregory said, he said machines could never be like humans, but it felt like she was talking to one right now. She felt like she was at a teenager's house, getting her hair done by another girl who was older than her. "Just tell him that he sucks and that's that, why put yourself through the trouble of trying to understand him?"

The girl blinked owlishly at the crazy suggestion, she knew that she was already pushing the Security Breach's buttons and his already thinning patience, but outright insulting him sounded like suicide and a death wish. But the animatronic was right about one thing, she would never understand his point of view. Even when she grew older, she was sure she would never comprehend him or his actions, and everyone told her she would understand things when she was older. She wasn't a machine like him or Roxy, cursed to live forever in the shadow of humanity.

"...I guess you're right," the girl said as she pondered to herself. She watched as Roxy finished up the braid, it was perfect, exactly how a machine would make it. The wolf only mulled over the fact that she had no hair tie on her to finish the braid, but she paused after listening to the girl's words, Roxy then laughed cockily.

"I'm always right," Roxy said with a smug smirk as she gently dragged her neon green claws through the girl's scalp, undoing the braid. "If only all humans listened to my great advice."

The girl thought about what Gregory was planning to do with Roxy, all she knew was that he was going to kill Roxy like he did with Chica and Monty. The girl's eyebrows furrowed. She turned towards the animatronic wolf with urgent eyes, her voice was raised with warning. Roxy's eyebrows raised at the sudden change of mood.

"He's planning on hurting you, Roxy!"