Mike roamed the halls of the establishment. No real reason why. He could say that he was just doing his duty as a night guard, but that would require he actually pay attention to his surroundings.
No, he was just walking. The only thought in his head was how that was the only thought in his head. Something just felt-
"Gotcha."
With that singular word, Mike suddenly felt his entire body suddenly lose all control. But it wasn't like the complete loss that he felt when Marionette took control. No, someone grabbed him and quickly whisked him through a nearby door before he had a chance to react.
He was spun around before finally having his back gently pressed against a slightly cold steel surface. He then felt two hands sweep past his neck and tie together as if locking in place. At the same time, something large and soft brushed against his chest.
Mike soon broke out of his brief daze and found himself face to face with Spring-Bonnie.
"Hey, Night Guard," she greeted.
The way she gazed at him was similar to when they first met. Perhaps it was because of circumstances, but this was the first in the short time he's worked in the establishment that he's seen that look again. Every other time, she acted in a more "cute" manner, but once again she was staring at him like a predator that has cornered their prey.
"S-Spring-Bonnie?" Mike weakly replied.
"No, 'evening'?"
Perhaps she was making up for lost time. She said she couldn't help but flirt with those she deemed cute and while she has hugged him any chance she could get, she hasn't flirted with Mike since she gave him a very painful embrace.
"Um…"
He hadn't realized this until now and as such hasn't heeded BB's advice on needing to learn how to converse with forward women.
"Well, anyway, I'm glad I caught you," the golden animatronic's face slowly inched closer to his. "There's something I need to talk to you about."
"Talk about what?"
"Well, it's more like a favor."
Trapped in between Spring-Bonnie and a steel surface, Mike had no chance of escaping her approach. Though he questions whether or not he would even try when he has just been requested of a favor.
"A f-favor?"
"Yeah… Can you visit Fredbear?"
All feelings of nervousness was washed away the instant Mike heard the question. "Fredbear?"
"Yeah."
Spring-Bonnie suddenly backed away from him. With his head clear and his field of vision no longer obscured, Mike could see that he was in a bathroom.
"You want me to visit Fredbear?"
"Mm-hmm."
Mike scratched his head. He remembered clearly how his last visit with Fredbear went. He couldn't possibly fathom why Spring-Bonnie would ask him to do it again.
"I'm not so sure, Spring-Bonnie. She already made it clear that she rather I not do that," he replied.
"Yeah, but she's like that with everyone," the golden animatronic casually refuted. "She'd be like that with me to if we didn't live in the same storage closet."
"I don't really think that helps your insistence."
"Oh, come on, Night Guard," Spring-Bonnie once again invaded Mike's personal space with the innocent eyes of a puppy. "Please?"
"Spring-Bonnie…"
"Please?"
"I really shouldn't."
"Please?"
…
Mike opened the door to the Storage Closet and walked inside. As he had expected, Fredbear didn't bother to raise her head up to him.
"Evening, Fredbear."
Fredbear remained silent. Mike didn't know why but he felt like scratching his right cheek.
"So, how was your day?" he asked.
Silence was once again the only response he received.
With all his conversation starters depleted, Mike simply crossed his arms as he waited for some miracle to happen.
"…Spring-Bonnie put you up to this, didn't she?" Fredbear finally said.
"Y-Yes," surprised by her sudden response, Mike couldn't help but answer honestly. Then again, he probably wouldn't have answered that question any differently under any other circumstance. The tone in her voice made it clear that it would be an insult to try and lie.
Fredbear glanced at the exit then looked up at him. Mike was sure that it was the first time she ever looked straight at him.
Her deep black eyes were mystifying. There wasn't a trace of emotion in them. It was like staring into a deep, dark abyss.
"She's standing right outside the door, listening," she said.
"I see…" Mike expected Spring-Bonnie would try to listen for any conversations but the way Fredbear informed him seemed like she was 100% certain. "Okay, I'll just leave you alone then."
Mike opened the closet door and looked back at Fredbear one more time. Her gaze was aready directed back towards the ground. "Have a nice night."
With those final parting words, Mike stepped out of the room, closing the door behind him.
Once again alone, the golden bear briefly glanced at her unused beanbag chair then looked back at the ground.
…
"She could have at least pretended to not know I asked you…" Spring-Bonnie pouted as she followed Mike throughout the convention/restaurant.
The golden animatronic then glanced at Mike. A big smile filled her face. "Then again, she did actually talk to you in a pretty casual manner."
Without saying a word, Mike stopped in place and simply stared at Spring-Bonnie.
"Gotta take the little victories, Night Guard. Especially since-" her cheerful face quickly distorted into one filled with sorrow.
Her head dropped forward, nearly thrusting her withered ears into Mike's chest.
Mike could remember how on his 3rd night on the job, Spring-Bonnie was able to refer to this mysterious event in stride, but now she seems even more bothered than what she was hiding that night.
He could theorize why, but social cues calls for an attempt to comfort his associate. Mike stretched his arms out for an embrace.
"Anyway!" Spring-Bonnie quickly looked up with a grin until she noticed Mike's outstretched arms. Her innocent smile was immediately substituted with familiar and somewhat scary variation. "Oh, how forward of you, Night Guard."
"I… did the same thing on my third night," Mike replied.
Though he was trying his best, it was hard to keep a composed presence in front of her when she looked at him like that.
"Yeah…" She slowly sauntered towards him. "I can see why Mangle got used to you so quickly."
The golden animatronic rested her chin in the palm of her hands as she leaned against him.
"You're really sweet, aren't you, Night Guard?"
"Not really…"
"Don't be so shy, Night Guard!"
Mike felt a metallic hand wrap around his shoulder and pull him away from Spring-Bonnie. His right cheek soon brushed against something soft, the sensation keeping him from registering the loud thud that rung throughout the hall.
Embarrassed and curious, Mike looked up to find himself in Foxy's grip. "Ye helped out Mangy and dueled with me. You're a sweet and courageous mate."
Mike glanced at Foxy's left breast then back up at her face. All he could think about was whether or not she had any idea where their physical contact was established.
"Foxy!" Spring-Bonnie bounced back on her feet. Her face displayed nothing but annoyance as she approached the pirate animatronic. "Why?"
"Why what?" Foxy tilted her head, wondering what the golden rabbit was referring too.
Her grip on Mike lessened as she slightly backed towards an open vent.
"We were possibly having a moment," Spring-Bonnie complained.
"Aye, but there are many moments for moments and I wanted to express my own gratitude to Night Guard for such moments," Foxy replied with a smile.
"Wait… Are we referring to the same kind of moment?"
"I know what kind of moment I'm referring too. Do you, Night Guard?"
The two turned their attention to Mike, only to discover that he was gone.
"He's gone," Spring-Bonnie said.
"Aye, still a slippery one he is," Foxy roared with laughter.
A disappointed sigh slipped through the golden rabbit's lips. But her frown soon formed into a smile as she remembered her original goal. "Well, at least he somewhat talked to Fredbear."
…
Mike's heart was still racing as he continued crawling through the vents after his quick escape. He had no idea where he was going, but he already wandered aimlessly around so far in his shift, so this was nothing new tonight.
Continuing his travels, Mike soon found encountered a sight he never thought he'd find in the metallic, cramped corridor.
"Charlie?"
Sitting in front of him was his boss. Her left index finger swept across the screen of her phone before she turned towards him. "Hey, Mike."
"What are you doing here?"
"You mean what am I doing in the vents or what am I still doing in the building during your shift?"
"…Both honestly."
Charlie motioned Mike closer. Following his boss instruction, he crawled towards his boss as she raised her phone for him to see. "I was kinda curious how a night was for you, so I snuck through the vents and started watching things from the camera."
"You… have access of the cameras from your phone?"
"Yep, but don't worry the app only works here. It's a beta."
"Oh."
"Saw you talk to Fredbear."
"I see…"
"Also saw that Foxy bailed you out of an awkward situation."
So her actions were deliberate… She's a fox.
Mike felt like kicking himself after such a lame pun. But even if he really wanted to, he couldn't in suc a cramped space.
"Actually, while I have you here and the conversation offered a good segway into it, I was wondering if using the cameras would be considered spying on the girls."
"Oh, that's a good question. Actually…"
A loud beep from her phone immediately kept Charlie from saying more. She glanced down at the small device, her eyes widening with surprise once she read the reminder she set for herself.
"Actually, I got to go," she quickly said. "Have a nice shift, Mike."
With those final parting words, Charlie slid one of the multiple vent paths, leaving Mike alone with his thoughts.
Seems life doesn't want to give me the answer to that yet.
He figured he should return to his office, but a familiar smell sifting through the air changed his objective. Mike followed the smell down one of the various metal paths before finding himself in front of a grate.
The source of the smell had to be on the other side. Imitating every stealth action hero he's ever seen, Mike slowly and gently moved the grate to the side and cautiously crawled out of the vents and into the kitchen.
In front of him was a familiar set of yellow feathers extending towards him.
"Chica?"
"Hm?" she glanced back towards the sudden voice. A cheerful smile crossed her face. "Hey, Night Guard."
"What brings you to the kitchen?"
"I could you the same thing," she giggled. "But to answer your question…"
Chica turned around and presented a few slices of pizza on a metal pan. "Warming up the leftovers."
"I see." Mike glanced down at the pan, then back at Chica.
"You don't have to ask; of course you can have a slice."
"No, that wasn't it…"
Chica raised the pan to his face, wordlessly insisting he take one.
"Thank you," Mike said as he picked up a slice.
"Mm-hmm."
The yellow animatronic then sat down and reached for a slice herself.
"Chica…"
"Yeah?"
"I was just wondering… Why do you eat?"
"Why?"
"Yes."
Chica wordlessly stared at Mike until a bright smile filled her face.
"'Cause I like eating."
Mike didn't know how to respond to that. His question was vague enough for that to be a legitimate answer, but it wasn't the one he was looking for. At this point, correcting her seemed potentially rude.
"I know I'm not human, but I can eat without it being an issue and I kinda like it. I can see why humans eat all the time," Chica added.
"I see," Mike noted.
It was if she knew what he was thinking.
"Can I ask you something, Night Guard?" she suddenly requested.
"Yes."
"Well, it's not really a question, so much an observation, but you seem to using the vents more than I thought you would."
"Those moments have been pretty circumstantial. I honestly prefer walking through the halls," Mike glanced back at the vent he came through. "They do make good escape routes however."
"Mm-hmm."
"I'm also a little surprised Foxy prepared one for me today."
"Foxy did?" curiosity rested on Chica's face before casually returning to her meal. "She must have felt like she owed you one."
"Owed me? For what?"
"Probably for trying to help Mangle. It's like an older sister thanking their younger sister's friend for sticking by them."
Those words triggered a strange feeling in Mike. It felt like his brain was trying to remind him of something, but nothing came of it like the last few times.
"Sister?"
His focus swiftly changed to that singular. He never really considered it, but the girls had to have some type of familial relationship. "Foxy and Mangle are elder and younger sisters?"
"Oh we're all sisters. There's just some heres and theres regarding it."
"Heres and theres?"
"Mm-hmm."
Chica stood up and walked out of the room. She returned moments later with a piece of paper depicting upper deformed depictions of her and the other animatronic girls faces.
"To start with, Fredbear and Spring-Bonnie came first, so they're usually regarded as our older sisters. Though you wouldn't really get that from how Freddy and Spring-Bonnie usually act around each other."
Mike knew it wasn't just when they were together. Even apart it would be natural to assume that Freddy would be the "older" of the two just by how they act.
Then again, he also knew that was a dated way of looking at things too.
"After them was Marionette, then Foxy, then me, then Freddy, then Bonnie then BB, then Mangle," Chica continued. "Usually, after Fredbear and Spring-Bonnie, age isn't really a thing, but our interactions with Mangle tend to be the exception."
"I see…"
"So, yeah Foxy and Mangle are elder and younger sisters. But other than Mangle, Spring-Bonnie and Fredbear, we don't usually designate older and younger sisters."
"What about Marionette? She seems like someone who would be designated an elder sibling."
"She prefers not be referred as one."
"Hm."
Mike took a bite out of his pizza as he contemplated the information he just received.
From what I can gather, the girls refused to establish a hierarchy regarding order of cre-birth. If that's the case then Spring-Bonnie and Fredbear still being referred to as older sisters must be a sign of respect. And though Mangle seems to unofficially be designated the "baby of the bunch", she's still treated with as much respect as the others.
I suppose I should have realized they view themselves as sisters just by the interactions I've seen since I was hired.
Mike scratched the back of his head as he began to wonder what Charlie's relationship with the girls was. Do they view each other as siblings too, friends or strictly professional. Due to the familial connections, he couldn't see it just being professional.
"Ice cream?"
A bowl of vanilla ice cream was thrust into his field of view. Scatter atop was rainbow colored sprinkles.
"Thank you," Mike said as he accepted the treat.
"Mm-hmm," Chica raised a can of whip cream over her bowl and sprayed some on top. She meticulously spun the can around in the air, building a triangular shape. "Want some?"
"Maybe not as much…"
The animatronic girl sprayed the whit foam like substance around the top of his frozen treat in the shape of a rose.
Incredible.
Mike was then handed a spoon and the two dug in. He couldn't remember the last time when just sitting down and eating was somewhat enjoyable. Then again, it's been awhile since he's done so in the presence of someone he knew and didn't fear.
Before he even realized it, he was already sitting down on the floor next to her.
A bright smile filled her face and, without ever realizing it, he flashed a small smile back in return.
