Hello! I know it may seem like I've abandoned writing, but let me assure you that I have not! I've been busy these last couple months with college work, including my summer courses. Hopefully, this message here will quell any doubts of abandonment, but, like what they say, actions speak louder than words, and I think I've got something for all of you who have been waiting patiently.

A huge shout-out goes to Devil-Vox, who had accepted my commission and drew this fantastic splash-art for both this story and The Desire For Family! If you like kemono-style art, then I highly recommend you checking out his DA account.


Chapter 9

~An Introduction~

Bonbon and Jeremy talked with each other for well over an hour, and their moods had brightened up significantly since when the shift started. The night guard would occasionally glance over at the monitor screen to make sure everything was alright while the bunny sat there atop his desk with a smile wide across her face. The physical boundary of man and machine didn't seem to creep up to either of their minds, for both were simply enjoying themselves as they talked with one another.

For Jeremy, it was interesting to hear from the perspective of the bunny, for he had never really considered what life could be like for a sentient animatronic. The fact that Bonbon acted so lively and, well, human astounded the man. He grew more comfortable with her as time went on, for she didn't seem to act or behave like the troublesome animatronic his boss had built her up to be.

As for Bonbon, it was fascinating for her to ask about the world outside of the pizzeria. The only source of information the animatronics ever got was either from the TV they have inside their lounge room or from the small library of books that Fredbear had miraculously collected over the years. Bon may not have known how the bear had managed to garner so many books, but she was nevertheless thankful for them. However, neither of those could be as informative as Jeremy was when he explained the seemingly mundane tasks and inventions to the animatronic. There were so many things that she and the gang never knew or will never be able to see because of what they were, but, regardless, it was interesting to talk with the night guard.

Eventually, the two perked their heads upright when Jeremy noticed the three animatronics inside the kitchen were just about ready to head back to their hallway, prompting Bon to turn around and peer down the darkened hallway. A few moments passed and she soon spotted CC and Mangle leading Freddy out of the room, all three of whom were carrying plates of various dishes. For a second, none of them seemed to have noticed her down the hall when they left the kitchen, but soon enough, the white-furred vixen glanced over with a light smile before pausing in confusion, dropping her smile when she did so. Bon noticed this as soon as their eyes met, but her grin didn't disappear like Mangle's as the bunny responded back with a wave of her hand. Mangle, still looking bewildered, offered back a gentle wave of her own before disappearing into the hallway behind Freddy and CC, who both didn't seem to notice Bon.

When all three animatronics had left Bonbon's view, the animatronic peered back towards Jeremy and smiled. "Looks like dinner is ready, and, judging by the smell of things, Freddy hadn't burnt anything."

The night guard chuckled softly before nodding his head, "Oh well that's good. Let me do just one last check-up around the building before we head down, alright?"

Bon replied with a simple nod before hopping off the desk, "Take as much as you need. I'm in no rush."

The man nodded his head thankfully before taking one last check through the cameras to make sure there were no other animatronics outside. As he was checking, the guard then spotted the first three animatronics enter into their hallway, leaving Bonbon as the only one left outside their hall. Jeremy peered back towards the animatronic bunny with a small smile, nodding his head in acknowledgment. "I'm all set."

"Great! You can go ahead and take your flashlight with you since I know it can be dark at times," Bon responded with a smile as she waited for the young man patiently next to the hallway opening.

Jeremy stood up from his chair and swiped up his flashlight from the desk. He calmly walked over to the animatronic and smiled at her as the two then made their way down the dark restaurant. Although he still wore a smile on his face, Jeremy's heart couldn't help but pound inside his chest as they drew further away from the office. Were these animatronics really the menace that his boss had hyped them up to be? Regardless of what the answer might be, the man was about to find out.

...

Mangle had worn a frown the whole way to the lounge when she walked behind both Freddy and CC. Her concerned look remained as the three entered the room, with the vixen seemingly ignoring the grinning expressions when the rest gang saw the warm meal.

"Ah! It be 'bout time for supper!" Foxy announced with a toothy grin as he walked over to the dinner table, earning him several nods from the rest of the gang as they all took their seats.

"Well don't blame Mangle or I for taking so long," CC piped up. "It's not out fault we have to watch Freddy while he cooks. Otherwise, he might accidentally poison us!"

In turn, Freddy groaned in annoyance before rolling his eyes. "Oh c'mon, I'm not THAT bad."

This, however, earned him several more giggles from the gang before Chica then said, "Well... I wouldn't be too sure about that. It's pretty hard to mess up a simple thing like toast..."

"That was one time, Chica! One time!" the bear groaned once more as he and CC set their hot pizza dishes down onto the table.

Mangle paid no mind to the animatronics' teasing while she set her pizza dish down as well, only just perking away from her thoughts when she then heard Bonnie's voice then say, "Well. I should probably get Bon from her room and let her know dinner is ready. I'm sure she's just as hungry as we are."

"Um... Bon's not in her room," the vixen finally said as she glanced around the table, noticing the gang's raised eyebrows of concern when they took note of her own expression.

Fredbear was the first to respond. "What? She's not? Where is she then?"

Mangle paused for a moment as she tried forming her words, only to then be interrupted when a familiar voice spoke up from the lounge doorway.

"Heya everyone," Bon said with a gentle smile as she walked into the room, causing everyone including Mangle to turn towards her.

"Oh, there you are Bon! You're right on time for dinner!" Chica responded with a sunny grin.

The bunny paused for the faintest of seconds as she stood rather nervously at the doorway, her once confident demeanor she had with Jeremy now faltering. "U-Um yeah, about that... I-I was wondering if maybe..." The animatronic took a side step from the doorway, allowing the gang to then widen their eyes in surprise when they saw the night guard come into view. "I was wondering if Jeremy could join us for dinner."

...

Jeremy glanced at the colorful gang in anxiousness as he saw their eyes bear down on him. He had managed to form a weak smile while they stared, and he slowly raised his hand upwards to offer an awkward kind of wave. "U-Uhm... Hi." The guard's voice then fell silent, and he dropped his wave when none of the other animatronics waved back.

He could feel a dribble of sweat trickle down from his forehead as he felt their gaze pierce into his soul, similar to what they did on the first day of his job. The young man started to feel uncomfortable with the sudden tenseness, but his shaking stopped when he felt Bon's gentle paw calmly rest itself onto his shoulder. He quickly glanced back and relaxed a bit when he saw Bonbon's assuring eyes.

"I had offered him to come eat with us," Bon said as she broke the awkward silence. "He said he'd like to get to know you since we never really did get a proper introduction with each other, and I figured it would be alright for him to join us since we're all here."

Jeremy glanced back towards the quiet table of animatronics after Bon had said that. He watched as several of the gang members expressions' had changed to uncertainty, only to then divert their attention away from him and each other when the sound of a deep cough came from Freddy. Everyone's eyes then fell to the bear as he straightened himself.

"I see," the bear's gruff voice said as he walked towards the Bonbon and Jeremy, shifting his shoulders around until they comfortably slumped into a natural position. When he got right up to the young man, Freddy extended a hand to the guard before finally smiling, "Well then, let me be the first introduce myself to ya since we never did seem to get a chance to get acquainted with each other."

At first, Jeremy peered down at the bear's hand nervously as he contemplated on whether or not he should shake it, but his senses finally came together as he weakly shook it.

Freddy kept his smile as he then broke away from his handshake and gently nodded his head. "I am Freddy Fazbear, the proud figurehead of this fine establishment." The bear then straightened his body once more before shifting his arm towards the rest of the animatronic. "And this here is the Fazbear gang."

Jeremy followed the bear's arm towards the rest of the animatronic gang, who all had mixed emotions. Several of them still had uncertain looks plastered onto their faces, but the others only had to take one look between Bonbon and Freddy before finally giving the young man a smile of their own.

Bonnie was the first to speak after Freddy, offering the night guard a polite nod as he spoke. "The name's Bonnie. It's a pleasure to meet ya." Bonnie's head then tilted towards his left, to where the white vixen stood.

At first, Mangle said nothing as she merely gazed the guard and Bon, but her eyelids softened as her face formed a simple neutral expression. "I'm Mangle, First Mate of me Captain's crew," she finally said in a Scottish accent.

CC was the next one in line to speak, and, unlike most of the other gang members, her expression seemed to be a lot more cheerful in comparison. "Well hiya, there! I'm Chi Chi, but everyone just calls me CC! Glad to meet ya!"

Sitting right next to the somewhat ecstatic animatronic was Chica, who, unlike her counterpart, wore a calm expression as she simply nodded her head in acknowledgment. "I'm Chica," the wider chicken said merely.

Fredbear, who sat across from Chica, was the next one to speak, so he calmly collected his voice before politely nodding his head. "Fred Fazbear is the name, but please, call me Fredbear."

Then lastly, everyone's eyes turned to Foxy, who took a momentary glance around the table before widening his eyes, "Oh! Hehe, sorry! Didn't realize it be my turn," the pirate fox stated in a thicker accent than Mangle. With a quick nod and quirky smile, the fox flashed at the guard a toothy grin. "The name's Foxy the Pirate, captain of me own vessel. Or, well, I would be if Frank wasn't so much of a cheapskate."

Several of the animatronics chuckled at the comment, including Jeremy and Bon. The tension in the air seemed to have lifted up after everyone had finally introduced themselves to the young guard, who could feel a polite smile grow across his lips. His eyes drifted across the colorful animatronic gang, then back over at Bonbon, which made his grin grow a tad bit wider.

The bunny's own expression widened as well as her confidence started to come back to her. "Well then, now that we all know each other, shall we sit down to eat?"

The entire gang nodded their heads collectively, as did Jeremy, which caused Bon to giggle softly. "Let's dig in then!"


As always, I hoped you all had enjoyed this chapter. I've been trying to give each animatronic a distinctive personality, which I intend to bring into my revised Desire For Family. If you like how this story has been so far and would like for me to give each specific animatronic a specific chapter to interact with Jeremy, please let me know! Other than that, I wish you all a good day.

Oh and one more thing. If any of you happen to be a beta reader who'd be interested in reading over my rough drafts as I write them, it would not only help me in my writing and planning but also keep me motivated. If you are interested, feel free to PM me through the site and I'll get back to you quickly.