Guess We're Lucky That They Don't Walk Around During The Day Anymore. [Nanashi Smiled, Simultaneously

❝ Guess we're lucky that they don't walk around during the day anymore. ❞ [Nanashi smiled, simultaneously proving that he'd listened to Steven's message and that he didn't at all grasp the severity of it. It really was two steps forward and four steps back with this kid.]

[Again, Steven seemed to doubt him after his playful salute -- okay, maybe he shouldn't be acting silly or goofy around a superior ( especially one he respected and wanted to impress ), but he really did know what he was doing. Treating it like a game made it easier for him to process and anticipate the danger in a weird, counter-intuitive way.]

❝ I know, sir. I promise I'll take it seriously. ❞ [Maybe he shouldn't make promises he couldn't keep, but to some extent, he was being genuine. He might joke around to himself just to stay calm and unaffected, but he knew about the danger this job posed. He was prepared and excited for it.]

[Steven monitored him for a bit longer, but was ultimately satisfied by the kid's performance; Nanashi smiled to himself, feeling proud and ready. Steven offered to leave him some coffee ( the drink of sleep-deprived champions ), then joked around about Nanashi opting to take this position permanently. It obviously wasn't a genuine offer, but Nanashi still considered it -- if he did well enough, maybe they wouldn't even need to "sacrifice" a new hire. He loved his current position, and maybe he could still stay on for any troubleshooting this place might need, but...he might be able to help that way, like Steven said. He'd remember that.]

❝ Sounds like a plan, boss-man! ❞ [He really needed to stop goofing around in front of his boss, but he was comfortable enough around Steven not to worry about it. Hopefully that came across as "respectful" and not annoying or alarming.] ❝ No more questions from me, sir. I'm all set to go. ❞

. . .

[Maybe Steven had been right. Maybe in treating all of this like a game, Nanashi had been too forgiving or dismissive -- in all honesty, he was caught off-guard by how active the animatronics were tonight. Balancing his power had wound up being a struggle-and-a-half with the frequency of visits to his door. He couldn't help wondering if this was like some cosmic joke, like he was being punished for his hubris. Maybe the robots were angry that he'd wanted to tamper with them. Whatever the case...]

[Nanashi's night had ended abruptly. The power had gone out, Freddy played a song, and next thing he knew...he was being dragged down the hall to Parts & Service. There was a yellow suit there, one that he'd never seen or noticed before; he'd been shoved into it, but to his surprise, there were no "crossbeams or animatronic devices." The suit was clean, like a hollowed-out costume. And right when he'd thought he'd been saved by the skin of his teeth....he heard clicking. It was almost like a symphony of clocks counting down to his death. Just when they slowed, he could have sworn he'd seen a kid staring down at him -- the kid smiled, and the ticking stopped.]

[There was a terrifying lull, then a chorus of snaps. One by one, Nanashi was impaled by animatronic shrapnel. After just a few stabs, he blacked out.]

[He awoke, dazed and confused, to the sound of his alarm. The events of the night prior had seemed so real, but he no longer felt the pain or the fear -- just echoes of it. It was the same sensation he got when he'd been hurt in a dream. For that very reason, he attributed last night's events as a vivid nightmare -- how else could he be at home, safe and cozy in his bed?]

[Thinking nothing of it, Nanashi hurried through his morning routine, not once noticing his marred reflection in the mirror. He felt oddly lethargic and slow, and his body ached with every movement; even his vision was unusually blurred, his head perpetually dizzy. He silenced every sign that his body was lashing out because he'd actually been hurt; he didn't have time to think or listen to it. He'd be late for work if he didn't push himself, and he was not going to tarnish his neat and reliable reputation.]

[He felt unusually motion-sick as he drove that morning, nearly pulling over to throw up -- but he swallowed that feeling down, too. He arrived at work, bright and early ( in the afternoon ), looking worse for wear. He got a few horrified stares; if he'd known what he looked like, he might have known why.]

[As always, he checked in with his boss before clocking in; he tried greeting Steven as he normally would, with a bright smile and a cheery "hello!", but his body revolted against him. He hadn't noticed it until now, but his throat was so sore that he couldn't speak. He tried again, but was overwhelmed by a nasty coughing fit -- he covered his mouth, choking and sputtering until his arm was splattered with red. As he looked closer, he saw a line of scars and scabbed-over wounds down the length of his arm. Okay...let's not think about that. Maybe he'd just come down with something without even realizing. It'd explain his weird fever dream, and maybe even these "hallucinations."]

[No matter the case, he squirmed in his skin, intimidated more by how Steven would react than how ghastly he felt.]

❝ S...Sorry, sir. ❞ [His throat screamed with his attempted vocalization, his voice scratchy and raw. Just push through it.] ❝ Just...wanted...to say hi. I think I...came down with something, m-maybe. Is...it still okay if I- if I clock in? ❞ [Again, that should be the LEAST of his worries, but he didn't want to call out sick now. His work-life balance had always been terrible, but this was a new low.]

Steven exhales, allowing himself to be reassured by the skill with which Nanashi navigates the cameras. Quick, efficient, and practiced. That's all it takes to keep on top of things. Nanashi will be fine.

"Great! We'd be in trouble if they weren't, heh."

Maybe this will work out after all. Nanashi is young, but he's capable, and he's been around the animatronics enough to understand their capabilities and the true strength of their mechanical forms. He knows what he's getting into, even if that salute is anything but comforting.

Steven hesitates, squinting at the other employee. Every time he starts thinking Nanashi gets it, the kid does something like that.

"This isn't a game. Just... keep that in mind."

He watches Nanashi for another few seconds before turning away, adjusting his cap. Prepared or not, this is happening; it's best to just put it out of his mind and trust that the boy will figure things out.

"Alright, I think that's everything. I'll leave you some coffee, and, uh... yeah! Maybe you'll end up liking it so much you'll take over permanently!" That's a joke. No one has ever enjoyed the night shift (besides maybe Steven himself), and for good reason. If the animatronics don't drive them away, the low pay and awful hours do.

"...did you have any other questions?" Last chance to get out, Nanashi. It's now or never.

[Steven remained adamant -- Nanashi was not getting into a car alone. Having Steven drive was the safest option, obviously, but it inflicted Nanashi with unwarranted guilt -- he was dragging Steven away from his work because he'd been irresponsible enough to show up after dying. In hindsight, yeah, he should have just called in -- but that wasn't like him. Not even when he was a shambling corpse.]

[A chance to heal up...that didn't sound good. How long would that even take? He'd have to hope for a miracle if he didn't want to go to the hospital ( and he didn't ). Maybe forcing himself to recover for the rest of the day would make him fit enough to return to work first-thing. That was definitely wishful thinking, but he didn't want to be out for longer than he had to...]

❝ ...Yes, sir. ❞ [Nanashi conceded in as few words as possible; it hurt to speak, and it would hurt even more to argue. If Steven insisted...he couldn't really say no.]

[Steven apologized upon seeing Nanashi stumble; it had been a direct result of Steven offering to help him balance, but Nanashi didn't blame him. Nanashi should be getting a grip instead of succumbing to his injuries.] ❝ S'okay. ❞

[Nanashi described the suit he'd been shoved into; Steven's face paled. Apparently, whatever had killed him last night was just as incongruous as Nanashi thought; he didn't know who they were, but Steven sure seemed to. Not only that, but their identity seemed to scare the living shit out of him. Nanashi didn't understand -- maybe it was just a discarded suit that was, for whatever reason, returned to Parts & Service that night. That's what Nanashi had assumed, anyway -- was the truth scarier than that?]

[Anything out of the ordinary...the only thing he could think of was the way the characters moved that night. They had been so aggressive towards him, even though the night should have been slow. It was his first real night; Steven had assured him they wouldn't get active until much later.]

❝ They were...really active. I-I followed what you said...but they never stopped gunning for me. ❞ [Was there anything else...? Nanashi fell quiet, but lit up as another recollection hit him.] ❝ There -- there was a kid! They were there. They smiled, a-and then... ❞ [SNAP. Nanashi cringed, as though he was being stabbed all over again. The underlying message would hopefully be inferred.]

[Really serious...? Was a new ( or even old ) character's appearance anything to be this concerned about? Nanashi clearly didn't know as much as Steven did, but it wasn't like he could question the man in this sorry state. It'd have to wait for later.]

[Finally, Steven reached out again -- without letting go or fearfully stumbling backwards. Nanashi appreciated it, but he might be better off just walking; being "carried" like this only aggravated his wounds. They stung at the touch, careful as Steven had been. Nanashi winced, but didn't say anything -- he could push through, at least until they reached his car.]

[If he remembered anything else...did he? He'd blacked out. He didn't have much memory of anything after the fact. Actually...how had he gotten home? Maybe he hadn't just passed out -- maybe there was a gap in his memory. Now, that was scary to think about.]

❝ I...don't remember m-much. S-Sorry, sir. ❞

"No, I can't let you do that." There's a distinctly nonzero chance that if Nanashi gets in that car alone, he'll never get out of it again. Whether he loses focus and crashes or just bleeds out before he can get home, it would be grossly irresponsible of Steven to let him try to drive.

"Don't worry about the car situation-- getting yours back to you, I mean. We'll figure that out later. The important thing is that you get the chance to heal up." ...jeeze. How long will Nanashi be out with injuries like these? Bell will probably start having to pull doubles if the machines are acting up, since his usual trainings won't be enough. Lucky him.

"Sorry! Sorry," he says, brows furrowed in concern when Nanashi stumbles. That was definitely Steven's fault.

He's concerned for a very different reason when the boy continues speaking.

"That's... not..." That's not possible. That's not good. That's not what he had hoped to hear.

He's seen flickers of the yellow suit himself-- Fredbear, not the other one-- but he's always chalked it up to sleep deprivation and misplaced guilt about the old protocols. He's never once considered that his visions might have been real, and even now he would assume that Nanashi had mistaken Chica for something else if the proof weren't etched there into the kid's skin.

Steven has never seen springlock scars in person. He's heard about them, of course-- heck, he voiced the training manual for those suits. But he's been lucky enough to have avoided being present for any mishaps. Until today?

"Did anything else out of the ordinary happen?" Like human movement on any of the cameras? This wouldn't be the first time someone used one of the classic suits to fuck things up, although from the looks of things, it seems they're no longer content with just tampering with the animatronics.

Tampering with the animatronics. Does this have something to do with--? Had Nanashi ignored everything Steven said and adjusted them anyway?

What an absolute mess.

"This is really serious, Nanashi." He almost sounds angry, but he's not-- he's confused and frightened and overwhelmed. There's so much about this that just doesn't add up, and it's hard to know where to start in terms of protecting the rest of the staff and the pizzeria itself.

First things first. Get Nanashi taken care of. Then he can worry about the mystery suit and what that means for them all.

"Okay. Easy does it." He gingerly reaches out for the third time, doing his best to avoid touching any blood or open wounds.

"If you remember anything else, please tell me. But-- but don't push yourself! Just, um... take it at your own pace."

The Krishna battle was bullshit but worth it just for this one moment

The Excessively Detailed Headcanon Tumblr Meme™️ Send me some numbers and a character name and I will tell you:

What does their bedroom look like?

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not sure if anybody could tell but MMMMMM love writing nanashi post-death (in any verse)

shut up dagda