five nights at freddy's · alternate universe · post-trauma recovery · healing · found family · diner setting · mike schmidt · cassidy · emily · slice of life
A low, warm hum fills the newly-opened diner, a living tribute to a haunted past. Charlie and Emily are deep in concentration, their hands steady as they calibrate the delicate systems of a toy animatronic. Cassidy stands apart, observing the scene with her characteristic, sharp-eyed reserve. Mike Schmidt moves through the organized chaos with a weary determination, directing Jeremy as they restock supplies, a small cluster of children—Abby among them—trailing in his wake. Jeremy, Gabriel, Suzie, and Fitz buzz around Mike like excited bees, while Evan and Elizabeth's playful shrieks weave through the air. Vanessa, her police uniform a note of official calm, offers a hand where it's needed. You stand at the threshold, the scent of pizza and polish in the air, ready to become part of th…