(A/N: To answer a question asked by a reader, in case anyone else might be wondering, this is how you should visualize the plushes. They are close to the size of their in-universe plush counterparts if a little bigger to appear more like children. But not so big that Foxy, as seen in the last chapter, can't easily lay on Mike's body and not "fit," so to say. However, they're not as dopey looking as their counterparts. But they don't resemble the animatronics either in the literal sense. The plushes look like the official depictions of the characters in the in-universe media. Posters, drawings, and other items in the games are what I've based their appearances on, generally speaking. I hope that helps if you weren't entirely sure.)
How did he get here? That was a question Mike was asking himself right about now as he sat in the security office, feet propped up on his desk, with a small anthropomorphic fox sleeping soundly on his abdomen. They'd been like this for thirty minutes now; the poor thing was exhausted from the surprise attack it pulled on him, as well as from the crying and being flung across a room into an arcade cabinet. Which Mike still felt awful about, by the way. Granted, he WAS in a state of fight or flight, but it still didn't make it any less upsetting for him.
Thankfully, there wasn't any serious injury to the child's back, from what he could tell, which WAS a relief.
"What a mess..." He thought while releasing a sigh, "I wonder why mister Afton didn't tell me about this? You'd think he'd want to warn his new security guard about a pint-sized fox that likes to bite people's shins..." He wondered as he looked down at the kid, "Furthermore, it looks exactly like that one mascot, even down to the pirate clothes and accent. It's almost like it's some kind of-"
The realization struck Mike like a lightning bolt. However, he resisted the impulse to move or jolt forward so he wouldn't wake up the child.
"The plushes! Or...the kids? I...still have no idea what they are, exactly." He continued to think, afraid that even if he whispered, it'd disturb the youngin, "...Wait a second..." He began, his mind slowly putting the pieces together, "Mister Afton only showed me, Freddy. But he said there were five in total. So...if that's true...then...Freddy and the other three...they're...somewhere in the building!" He concluded.
Reaching over to the desk and grabbing the tablet, Mike pulled up the camera feeds and started switching through them like a madman.
"Come on, where are you?..." He wondered, desperate to try and spot the other four children.
Now, albeit very slim, there was a possibility that the fox was the only one to leave the room behind the prize counter. And as Mike continued to switch between each feed, only to find no sign of the others, the likelihood of that being true steadily grew. But it was in the silence that surrounded both him and the fox that Mike heard a faint sound, a pitter-patter that seemed to be coming from one of the hallways outside his office. With a good idea of what that was, Mike set down the tablet, removed his feet from the desk, and turned himself in his chair to face one of the doors, expecting to see something appear before too long.
Sure enough, after ten more seconds of the ever-growing pitter-patter passed by, Mike discovered it was none other than Freddy Fazbear. Of course, this Freddy was the one he saw earlier that night, meaning it was just as cute as the fox. However, when both Mike and Freddy's blue eyes met, neither said a word for a short time, each wondering who would be the first to speak and start a conversation.
"...So...crazy night, huh?" Mike asked, hoping some levity would break the awkward tension in the air.
"..." Freddy remained silent, whether it was due to shyness or because Mike had come across as weird, the guard couldn't be sure of.
"...I'm Mike." He introduced, opting to go for the normal approach this time around.
"...Freddy." The bear responded.
"Yes! Progress!" Mike cheered in his head before continuing, "I'm...guessing you're here for him, right?" He asked while pointing at the fox.
"Is he okay?" Freddy asked immediately, concerned for his friend's well-being.
"Yeah. He's just sleeping right now." He answered, "What's his name?" He inquired. He assumed what it was but wanted to be sure.
"Foxy," Freddy replied.
"Alright, good to know. Thank you." He said with a smile to show his appreciation.
"You're welcome," Freddy responded, seeming to relax more as the conversation progressed, "Can I ask you something?" He requested.
"Of course." Mike welcomed.
"Where is papa?" He asked; despite his best efforts to be brave when giving the question, there was a noticeable look of worry in his eyes.
"Does your papa wear a bright purple suit?" Mike inquired, receiving a nod in response, "Thought so. Well, he's not here right now. He had to go and take care of some important business." He explained, "Were you expecting to see him when you woke up?" He asked.
"Mhm. Papa always wakes us up." Freddy answered.
Upon hearing that, Mike remembered when William showed him Freddy before he left, which made the tiny bear's statement confusing.
"Hey, Freddy." After giving it some thought, Mike spoke, "Do you remember meeting me before now?" He inquired.
"Um..." Freddy hummed as he cutely looked upward, "I...don't think so. I'm sorry." He apologized, assuming it was bad he couldn't remember.
"No, no. Don't be sorry. I was just curious." Mike told him before he closed his eyes to think, "So, Freddy wasn't awake, then. This means there IS a chance that mister Afton didn't intend for them to be up and about...could the person who messed with the video somehow be behind this?..." He pondered, thinking of a possible explanation.
"Mister Mike?" Freddy politely said, wondering why he'd gone silent, "Did you fall asleep?" He asked, which made the guard chuckle.
"Nope. I was just thinking." Mike answered as he reopened his eyes, "Sorry, a lot's happened tonight. My mind's trying to make sense of it." He explained.
"Oh, okay." Freddy accepted, now beginning to rock back and forth on his feet since he'd been standing still for so long, "So...I have another question." He admitted.
"Shoot." Mike welcomed again.
"Do...you maybe...want to meet the others?" He asked.
"Yes. I'd love to." Mike answered, which caused an ear-to-ear smile to appear on Freddy's face.
"Okay! I'll be right back!" He exclaimed before bolting out of the office and back down the hallway, excited as could be.
"Ngh..." Foxy groaned, that outburst managing to wake him a little.
"Shh, it's okay." Mike softly hushed, rubbing his back again, "It was nothing. Go back to sleep." He said.
Although Mike had no way of knowing, it was him speaking to the tired buccaneer that lulled him back to sleep, a sign that Foxy was quickly trusting him more. Sadly, Mike had little time to enjoy the sight of his red-furred little buddy going back to dreamland, as it took Freddy less than a minute to get back to the office.
"Wow. You sure can book it." Mike complimented when the bear popped his head into the doorway from the hall.
"Okay! So! You have to promise you WON'T scare her!" Freddy exclaimed, causing Mike to raise a brow.
"Why would I scare her? HOW would I scare her?" He questioned.
"Well, you kicked Foxy, so..." Freddy replied.
"Hey, I did not kick, Foxy. I...launched him at high speed after he bit me." He said in his defense.
"But you DID hurt him." Freddy pointed out.
"By accident! PURE. UNFORTUNATE. ACCIDENT." He stressed, making sure to cover Foxy's ears when he said that so he wouldn't wake up.
"He deserved it!" A new voice suddenly called out from the hallway, and from how it sounded, it was a girl.
"...Was...that the person I'm not supposed to scare?..." He asked, unsure of what to think of that.
"No. That was Goldie. She's going last." Freddy answered as he pulled his head out of view, "This is who I was talking about!" He exclaimed.
Following that was an adorable yet slightly amusing sight, which forced Mike to stifle a chuckle. A purple rabbit with a bright red bowtie, who was hiding her face behind her ears, was pushed into the doorway by Freddy; he needed to do that since the timid lapin wasn't budging.
"This is Bonnie!" Freddy introduced on her behalf.
"Hello, Bonnie," Mike said with a smile.
"..." The poor thing couldn't say a word; she was far too scared.
"Come on, Bonnie. He's not going to hurt you." Freddy urged, trying to help.
"..." Still, she remained silent, frozen stiff by her nervousness.
"How about I go first?" Mike suggested trying to get things moving, "My name's Michael. But everyone calls me Mike. I'm sorry if I scared you when we were in the arcade. I didn't mean to." He apologized.
"...I...I...I'm...B-Bonnie..." She whispered, almost to an inaudible degree.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Bonnie." He said, "Say, I like your bowtie. Did you put it on yourself?" He asked.
That seemed to be the right move, for when she heard the question, Bonnie moved her ears by a small amount so she could peak at him.
"Y...Yes..." She answered, a tiny bit louder, "Papa...he showed me how..." She explained.
"Well, if it means anything. I think you did a wonderful job." He complimented.
"R...Really?" She inquired, moving her ears a bit more, which showed Mike her magenta eyes and some of her face.
"I never say anything I don't mean sincerely." He promised, "Say, could you show me how to do it sometime? I've always wanted to wear a bowtie but could never figure it out." He confessed.
At last, Mike managed to break through her timid nature as she let go of her ears, and a smile appeared on her face.
"Y-Yeah! I'd love to!" She replied, excited that someone would want her help.
"Awesome. I can't wait." He said, which made her smile more.
"My turn! My turn! I want to meet him!" Another new voice called out from the hall, this one full of zest and energy.
"Okay, come on in." Freddy beckoned with a motion of his paw.
Unlike Bonnie, who'd been as unmoving as an anchor, the next munchkin hurried into the office as if their bottom was on fire.
"Hi! My name's Chica!" A little golden chicken with purple eyes greeted, a white bib with the colorful words "Let's Eat!" adorned on her person, "What're you doing here? Do you know papa? What kind of clothes are those? I've never seen them before. Why did you kick Foxy? Are you going to kick us? What is this room? Does it-"
Surprisingly, it wasn't Mike who stopped the rapid-fire assault of questions, but rather both Freddy and Bonnie as they each gently grabbed onto her beak.
"Chica. You're rambling again." Both said in unison before letting go.
"Oh, right, sorry." She apologized with a grin, "I'm just so excited! We've NEVER met ANYONE other than papa! And the first thing he did was send Foxy flying!" She explained.
"For as long as I live, I will be branded with the title of fox kicker..." Mike thought while releasing a sigh, wishing he had a time machine to redo that encounter, "I promise I won't kick any of you. Or send you flying. Or do anything else similar in nature." He swore.
"Aww, really? Because I wanted to fly too!" She responded as she held out her arms, "I asked if papa would give me wings someday, and he said maybe. So, I need to get as MUCH practice as I can before then so I won't need to wait!" She told him.
"Aren't you worried about getting hurt?" He asked.
"Nu-uh! I run into stuff ALL the time! I'm tough!" She answered while attempting to flex her arms.
"Huh, a tomboy chicken. There's a joke to be found somewhere in that, I'm sure." He thought with a smile, "Even so, Chica. You shouldn't ask for people to throw you around. You could get badly injured if something went wrong." He warned.
"That's what I keep telling her!" That voice from before exclaimed from the hallway.
"Goldie, right?" He called out, recalling the name Freddy used.
"Yes, sir!" She replied before she finally appeared.
Given her name, Mike wasn't surprised to discover that Goldie was, in fact, a golden bear, leading him to assume she and Freddy were twins. However, her fur wasn't the only thing that made them different, as Goldie's bowtie and top hat were a bright purple, similar to William's attire. Additionally, her eyes were the same color; perhaps their papa's fondness for it was greater than Mike initially believed.
"Hello. I am Goldie. It is a pleasure to meet you." She politely greeted, even going so far as to take a bow.
"My, you're very well-spoken for someone your age." He noted, for although Freddy was just as polite, he seemed more...casual.
"That's because I want to be like my papa. And to do that, I have to practice my manners, study, AND expand my vocabulary." She proudly informed.
"Ah, a daddy's girl. It's as clear as day." He thought, "Well, while that is a good thing to aspire to since your papa is so successful and is such a wonderful man. You need to make sure you don't overdo it and spend some of your time having fun." He advised.
"Papa says the same thing." She admitted as she crossed her arms, "But I LIKE to study. It's fun learning about new things all the time. Unlike SOME people who think throwing themselves off the top of an arcade machine is a good idea." She told him.
"I take it Foxy does this sort of thing often, then?" He inquired, noticing a bit of irritation in her tone.
"ALWAYS. It doesn't matter what is going on, what time it is, or where we are. Foxy's first instinct is to be reckless and stupid." She replied.
"Aw, come on, Goldie. That's a little mean." Chica said, sticking up for the slumbering canine, still undisturbed since Mike hadn't moved his hands from his ears.
"You're no better, Chica. Remember what happened that one time in papa's workshop? You knocked ALL of his tools off of the shelf!" She reminded.
"Hey! As you said, it was ONE time! I NEVER did it again!" Chica countered in a huff.
"Yeah, because papa started locking the door. I wonder WHY?" She rebutted.
"Alright. Alright. Girls, put your gloves down." Mike intervened before things escalated further.
"But...we're not wearing gloves?..." Chica questioned as both of them looked at him.
"It's an expression." He clarified.
"I don't think I've ever heard someone say that before..." Freddy commented.
"That's no surprise. I don't think your papa would allow you to learn about boxing just yet. If at all." He said, "But that's beside the point. Goldie, you shouldn't be so mean to Chica. The same goes for Foxy." He told her.
"Ha!" Chica exclaimed in triumph.
"And Chica, from how it sounds, you need to start being more careful. Otherwise, you might run into something someday that, much like your desire to get thrown across a room, will lead to potential injury." He said.
"Papa tells her that all the time." Bonnie shared, which caused a noticeable pink glow to come through the young chicken's face feathers.
"Bonnie...don't tell him that..." Chica whined.
"But he does." She replied with a slight tilt of her head, confused by why that bothered her.
"Hey, it's okay. There's no shame in having as much energy as you seem to, Chica." Mike assured her to make her feel better, "But what's important is that you not only control it but channel it into something." He told her.
"Like what?" Chica asked, curious to learn more.
"Well, there are all sorts of things. You could draw, make something with crafts, or play a safe physical activity that'll burn some of that energy away." He answered.
"Ooh! Let's do the first one! We haven't drawn any pictures in a while!" Chica excitedly exclaimed.
"Unfortunately, we can't. Not unless you have a bunch of paper and crayons, markers, or pencils on you." He responded.
"But we do! It's in our room!" She revealed.
"Your room? Do you mean the one behind the prize counter?" He asked, causing her to nod her head rapidly.
"Uh-huh! Come on! I'll show you!" She invited before running out of the office.
"Hey! Chica! Wait for us!" Freddy called after her before he gave chase.
"She does this all the time, too," Goldie told Mike before she followed Freddy.
However, as the twin bears left, Bonnie stayed behind.
"Is something wrong?" Mike asked since she was looking at him.
"Um...well...I wanted to...ask..." She began as she looked at the floor, nervous about what she was going to say, "W...Would it be...okay...if you...c...carried me...like Foxy?..." She requested, catching him by surprise.
"Ah, so that's what it is." He thought, "Well, Bonnie. I don't know if I could carry both of you since Foxy's taking up most of my body. But, if you'd like, you could ride on my shoulders." He suggested, which made her ears perk up and her eyes widen.
"R-Really?" She asked in the same cute way she'd done earlier.
Choosing to answer with actions rather than words. After Mike made sure Foxy was secure in at least one of his arms, he then stood up from his chair, gently picked Bonnie up from the floor with his free arm, and placed her on his shoulders.
"How's the view from up there?" He asked.
"I feel so tall..." She said as the sweetest smile in the world appeared on her face, "Thank you, Mike." She added afterward.
"You're welcome, Bonnie." He replied, smiling as well, "Now, hold on tight." He instructed before he walked out of the office.
With a snoozing fox in his arms and a content rabbit sitting on the back of his neck, Mike headed for the room behind the prize counter where he would likely be spending the rest of tonight.