Schmelly

Schmelly is the het ship between Mike Schmidt and Vanessa Shelly from the Five Nights at Freddy's fandom.

Canon
On Mike's second night working as a security guard at Freddy's, the police officer Vanessa gives him a visit, talking to him in a friendly, easygoing manner. Noticing the wound on Mike's wrist, Vanessa comes inside and helps patch it up. She questions Mike's suspicious behavior, to which he replies it's been a "weird night". Vanessa cryptically tells Mike that he will quit, as security hires never last.

Vanessa also introduces Mike to the animatronics, activating their show. She asks Mike if he wants to dance, though the performance powers down before she can get a response. Mike also learns from her about the five kids that went missing in the diner during the 80s. She additionally gives Mike a Fazbear security badge, declaring him "official." At the end of Mike's shift, Vanessa advises him continue doing his job and not let the place get to him.

During the day, some delinquents hired by Jane break into the place. Vanessa goes to Mike's house and meets Abby for the first time. She then confronts Mike on his negligence, having found Mike's sleeping pills he uses during his job. The two take a walk to a lakeside, where Mike tells her about how his brother Garett went missing when he was a child, so he tries to dream of the event to find details on the culprit he may have forgotten. He comments that other people think him to be crazy for it, but Vanessa assures him that it's not. Mike tells him more about his family and childhood. Vanessa believes that he's lucky, as he and his sister have each other. At the end of their conversation, Vanessa throws the sleeping pills in the lake, telling Mike that he must be alert at Freddy's.

Due to Abby's connection with the animatronics, Mike learns that they are possessed by the ghosts of the missing children. On the fourth night, the two meet Vanessa at Freddy's, and Mike is annoyed that Vanessa appears to know about the ghosts yet didn't tell him earlier. Abby wants to build a fort with the animatronics. Mike is distrustful of them, but Vanessa decides that they should humor her. After successfully building the fort, the group lay down in it together. Mikes joins Vanessa in the storage room and starts growing suspicious of her familiarity with the place. At Vanessa's questioning, Mike admits that he is trying to identify Garett's kidnapper as the animatronics seem to know who it is though are only friendly with Abby. Vanessa, warns him to let it go, but Mike refuses. At the end of the night, Mike asks what Vanessa is so afraid of. Vanessa simply threatens him to never bring Abby back.

On Mike's fifth night, he is nearly killed by the animatronics. Vanessa takes him to a police supply outpost to treat his wounds. When he wakes up, Mike angry at Vanessa's lack of action. He explains that the animatronics wanted to trade for Abby, asking what they want. Vanessa replies that the murdered children were stuffed into the animatronics and are trying to make Abby like them, while controlled by their murderer. She reveals that the murderer is none other than her father, William Afton, and that he is the one responsible for taking Garett as well. Mike demands to know how to save Abby, so Vanessa gives him a taser and advice on how to infiltrate the diner. Mike insists she come, but Vanessa is too scared to as her father might be there.

Mike ends up facing William Afton, but Vanessa arrives in time to stop him. While trying to defend Mike and Abby, she gets stabbed in the gut. After William's defeat, Mike an Abby carry Vanessa away and she is subsequently hospitalized.

A few weeks later, Mike visits a comatose Vanessa in the hospital. He expresses appreciation for her saving them, hoping for her to get better soon. Mike also holds her hand before leaving.

Behind the Scenes
"We meet both Mike and Vanessa at really lonely points in their lives. They’ve both had to bury really significant childhood trauma deep down within themselves in order to get through their day-to-day lives. ... There’s something that those two characters see in each other, both said and unsaid, that is a recognition of trauma and a unique experience they both underwent in different ways. There’s been a shared path that they’re able to connect on in a way that is very unlike them being able to connect with anyone else. That yearning for companionship and a shared understanding of each other’s past is the main thing that draws them together."

- Emma Tammi (Director)

Fanon
Schmelly is the most popular ship to come out from the FNAF movie, as they are two of the main leads. Fans believe the two have some romantic tension in moments like when Vanessa asked Mike to dance or the way they gaze at each other. Shippers also find the ship endearing for the potential for a "girlboss x manfailure" dynamic. Abby is often portrayed as a daughter figure between the two.

However, there is also a large portion of the fandom prefers for Mike and Vanessa remain friends, feeling that romance between the two would feel forced. Another reason some may not like the ship is because of theories that Mike Schmidt is related to William Afton, as Michael is an Afton in the games. This has lead fans to want to avoid a potential LukeLeia situation in which they ship two characters that end up being siblings.

Fandom

 * FAN FICTION