*Thoughts*

"Speech"

(Important announcement in end Author's Note)


"...Balloon Boy?"

Freddy's prompt was met with silence.

"...Balloon Boy."

The wolf gave no reply, focus remaining on the wall.

Freddy had been reading intensely on medical treatments and care; he hadn't even noticed the other boy enter at first, only realizing when he'd gone to look for another book.

The bear mildly understood why BB was in such an unresponsive state—he'd been that way since earlier, slowly slipping away from reality and eventually going completely silent as everyone was treated to the best of the kid's...rather surprising abilities.

He shook the thoughts away, glancing at the younger boy again; watching the usually overly rambunctious mess reduced to a dead silent statue set off a sort of...alarm bell in the bear's brain.

*This cannot be right* His brain screamed at him.*It is not normal. He is not being normal. This is not right.*

Freddy didn't realize he was crumpling a book page tight, to the point of his claws almost tearing through it.

"...Balloon Boy."

He recalled what Jack-o-Bonnie had tried earlier; it had worked at first, when he had first started drifting away.

He held out his claws and snapped his claws in front of the wolf's face.

"Balloon Boy—!"

To his surprise—and soon to follow, remorse—BB flinched back, hard, losing his bearings and falling off of his pillow chair.

Despite hitting his head on the floor, he didn't make a sound of pain; just an annoyed grunt as he sat up and rubbed his eyes.

"...Dude, you almost gave me a heart attack."

Relief washed over Freddy as he released a breath he didn't realize he was holding.

"Apologies...are you alright?"

BB shrugged. "Doesn't hurt—"

"That is not what I meant. You have been...er...in shock, I believe? For several hours..."

The wolf was silent for a moment.

"...Hours?"

"...Yes. Hours." Freddy's ear twitched. "It is almost night, I believe..."

"...Dang. That sucks, I guess."

*...He has been "out of it" for hours, and his only reply is "that sucks"—?*

"Don't look at me like that, Brownie. Your eyes'll get stuck like that." BB let out a hollow chuckle.

"...Pardon?"

"When I—or anybody, really—say something you don't get, your eyes go all—" He scrunched up his face, making one eye appear smaller and the larger having a smaller pupil. "You do it a lot. Sometimes they twitch, heh."

Freddy inadvertently made that exact expression at the wolf's statement.

"See? There it is again."

"...Why are you so concerned about my facial expressions right now?"

" 'Cause they're funny, duh."

Freddy found himself scratching the back of his head, completely lost.

"Hey, there's your 'which one of us is on drugs right now?' face—"

"Balloon Boy, do you really believe now is the time for jokes?"

The wolf's ears twitched as he paused; he looked down at his claws, clenching and unclenching his fists.

"...Why can't it be?" His response was quiet.

Quieter and more confusing than Freddy expected.

"...Are you...trying to ignore what just happened?" Came his incredulous reply.

"...Which 'just happened?' Me gettin' spacey, or..."

He trailed off; Freddy couldn't find it in himself to blame him for that,at least. Everyone was struggling to process the whole...ordealthey had just been through.

...Those who were fortunate enought to beawaketo process it, anyways...

"...This morning."

BB clenched his claws, digging them into his bandages.

"...Balloon Boy...?"

No reply.

The bear let out a mildly frustrated sigh.

"Balloon Boy, we cannot just ignore this..."

Claws dug deeper.

"It was a...traumatizing ordeal, yes, but...now is not the time to just play it off. We could not just laugh off the forest, could we?"

Bandages tore.

"In regards to you getting...'spacey', as you put it, that should not be ignored either..."

Blood.

"I am trying to figure out how to take care of the others...but I am not sure what to do...perhaps we should look for something, to take measures against you doing that again..."

Blood running down his hands. Eerily familiar, even though he can't feel any pain.

"...Balloon Boy..."

Blood. Blood. Blood. So much blood, blood, blood. Bleeding, bleeding, so much bleeding. Running, running, running down his skin,at least he can't hear their screams anymore—

"Balloon Boy!"

He was snapped out of his trance as Freddy hurriedly grabbed his arm.

"Ah, you tore your bandages—be more careful! We do not need to lose you, too!"

BB's ears twitches as he mildly registered the words.

*Thick bear hands, but really cold. Why? That makes no sense...*

Claws snapping in front of his face brought him down again.

Oh, fixed bandages.*Wait, already? That was fast—*

"Ba-lloo-n B-o-y." Freddy emphasized his name in a desperate attempt to keep the wolf's attention. "Will youpleasejusttell mewhat is troubling you so I may be able tohelp you fix it?"

BB looked up at the bear and stared into his eyes for a moment.

Dark eyes. Did he always have dark eyes?*

An absentminded blink.

...Yeah. But not quite like that.*

Inhale. Exhale.

But they're sad again. We're sad. My head is spinning. I'm tired.*

BB didn't realize the motion he began until Freddy's gaze shifted downwards; the bear stared at him for a long moment before rising.

Soon BB found himself in a...particularly tight embrace, which confused him at first, but he soon found himself relaxing.

...He's tired too.*

He closed his eyes and hugged the bear back.

"...Freddy?"

His voice came out quieter than anyone could imagine the comical creature's being.

"...Yes?"

"...I'm scared."

Freddy stayed silent for a moment.

"...I dunno what we're gunna do, and I'm scared."

His grip tightened.

"Everybody's hurt and everybody's upset andohConsequencesjust look at Bonnie and Fredbear,they're not waking up and what if they never do—"

He really shouldn't talk as much as he does.

But he keeps on because he doesn't know how to stop, in the same way as he doesn't know how to start.

All he knows is that he's here, in a library full of books and words and information he doesn't understand, in a house that nobody understands, hugging the one person he wants to pretend hestillunderstands.

"I don't want them to—I don't want anybody—I don't wanna lose anybody. I don't wanna lose you guys. I love you guys. We're—we're supposed to be a family. I don't wanna—we already got through that forest and stuff. Why does it have to get worse?Why?"

Did Freddy hiccup? That's odd.

"Why didn't Dad love us enough to let us stay? Why didn't he fight that magic thing that made us? Did he not care? Didn't he want us safe?Why did we have to come out here just to suffer?"

Is someone crying?

"I just wanna go back to the days where we could play in the clearing and have fun and be safe and be happy and we didn't have to be all afraid all the time. I wanna just go to sleep and wake up and this was all just some scary dream I had and everybody's safe and awake and we aren't being hunted bysomething trying to kill us every other day when we didn't even do anything wrong—"

He can't see anything. What's going on?

...Oh.

He's crying, isn't he?

...oh dear.

But Freddy doesn't laugh, or push him away—he actually hugs him tighter, staying silent for a moment before replying in a low whisper.

"...I am afraid, too."

He hates admitting it, but if BB could be honest, couldn't he?

"I do not know what to do. I cannot...I do not know how to help. It is...scaring me."

He sighs.

"It feels like...I ought to...we made it this far, did we not? Yet now..."

BB remains silent, rapidly blinking.

O/O/O/O

"...I'm afraid, too."

He tilts his head, watching the older boy with an interest he hadn't felt towards much of anything in a few days.

Said older boy shifts uncomfortably, tugging on his sleeve as he looks away.

"I fear for you all. Your safety. You all have it worse than me. And I—"

"Worse than you?" He tilts his head in an innocent fashion. "Whaddya mean, Fancy? You said yourself you got bad stuff too. I think everybody does."

There's a moment of silence again; th e cleaner one shakes his head—not in a "no" way, but rather a "shaking off thoughts" way.

"Can—May I tell you...how I feel? Completely?"

His head tilts the other way.

"Sure."

Silence, then a deep breath.

"...I know what people say about me."

"What's that??"

"...I have it all...I have no reason...to be...sa—upset...about anything."

He changed position and hugs his knees, staring down at the ground from his position on the wall.

"...Which...is true. But..."

"...Ya still are?"

"..."

The smaller boy scooted closer to his companion.

"...I feel like...I should be helping more. Your preni—predime—predicaments are getting worse, and..."

He grips his sleeve and accidentally tears it.

"...I don't know what to do. I should be...more...capable..."

"...Nah."

He turns his head back as the smaller boy looks up at the sky.

"Fr, you know you're a kid, right? We can't do anythin'. It's not yourfault."

"...I don't like being helpless."

"...Me either. It sucks. But..."

He scratches at a healing scrape on his arm.

"...We just gotta look out for each other, I guess. Do our best, yeah?"

His companion is quiet.

"...Is my best going to...be enough?"

A shrug.

"It's been workin' for me. The others, too, but you and I've been hangin' around each other longer, so I can say it best cause I'm clearly your favorite."

That earns a chuckle.

"Do you really thi—believe that?"

"Yeah. It helps me sleep."

He looks back at him again.

"We just gotta do our best, though. And I mean—I don't wanna lose anybody neither."

He's not a mind reader, despite what the older boy sometimes wonders—he just understands what his friend is too scared to say.

"I mean...we all made it this long, what more can ya ask for?"

"...Happiness. Peace. Clarity."

"Huh?"

"...Er...a clear path."

"Oh. ...That's a good one, yeah."

It's his turn to sigh.

"...Well...we'll be okay if we got each other, yeah?"

He holds up his fist; t he gesture is returned and their knuckles knock together.

"...I suppose you're right, B_."

O/O/O/O

The memory is shaken off with rapid blinking and a small shudder.

"...Yeah. I...get what you mean..."

He thinks for a moment, then sighs.

"...At least we have each other...still..."

"...Yes." Freddy tightens his hold. "We...perhaps we can keep trying. Doing our best..."

There's a lump in BB's throat and he attempts to hold back another sob.

"Yeah. That's all we can do."


It's dark.

It's dark, and empty, and he can't see anything.

...It's cold.

Chilly.

...So dark.

Fredbear shivered as he looked around the void; he waited for something to leap out and attack him, as what seemed to be the norm these days...but he'd been waiting for quite a while now.

...He had also called out for Nightmare several times, but alas, his brother was nowhere to be found...

"...What a poor, unfortunate soul..."

Fredbear jumped and whirled around in a panic.

"...What a harsh way to learn that there is no safe space."

He didn't recognize the voice, but...something was oddly...comfortingabout it, much to the bear's dismay.

"You've lost your way, haven't you? The ones pulling the strings...have pulled you astray."

Two glowing orbs appeared in the darkness; Fredbear shrieked and lept back, but was quietly shushed by the Creature.

"I am not going to hurt you. I have come to help."

It looked to the side.

"...I have been watching you for some time, child. I believe...we can be of aid to each other."

It looked back at him.

"This is a space between worlds—the waking and the dead. You are currently trapped in a coma; whether I intervened or not, you would not be awake for some time."

It inched closer.

"If we are successful," It murmured,"I can give you a gift."

"A...a-a g-gift...?" Squeaked the little bear.

"Yes. The ones you were given are...adequate. But...lacking. I can give you something far more valuable...it can save those you care about in the long run."

He didn't see, but he felt a soft touch press into his chest.

"But we must first find the keys."

It's eyes stared into his own.

"I will care for you to the best of my ability. Your body will remain with your family."

Its voice somehow became even softer.

"Will you help me, child?"

He wanted to go home.

He missed his brother.

He missed his friends.

He missed Old Man Consequences.

He wanted to play again.

He wanted to sleep at night without waking up and worrying he might die.

...But he couldn't have that, could he?

"...Even if I go home...I can't wake up?"

"I am afraid not, child...your injuries were very great. Your body could barely handle it...it needs to reset."

"...If I help you...I might be able to help my friends...?"

"Yes. And...yourself, as well."

"...How long would we be gone...?"

"...I will do my best to return you when your body is ready to waken."

...At this point, he feels like he can only trust his brother, and their friends.

But...

...What choice does he really have?

...If he can help...if he can be safe, one day...

"...Okay."

"Are you certain?"

The young bear nodded.

"...Thank you. We will begin soon. But for now...rest."

Fredbear's exhaustion finally caught up to him, and his eyes slipped shut.

"Rest, and fret not...they will still be your friends when you return."

It caught him as he fell asleep.

"...Sweet dreams, child."


Nightmare remained slumped over on the side of Fredbear's bed, hand clutching the little bear's.

He'd pushed himself to try and stay awake for so long...

But perhaps, all he had to do was sleep, and maybe...

Perhaps it would all be a dream, and everything would be fine when he awoke.

Or, at least, Fredbear would be up when he did, and everything...would be..

...okay.

Okay so the length of the chapter may not warrant the amount of time it took to finish, but...

Sorry as usual, things have been real messy for me. Senior year at a new school that actually takes shxt seriously and things not being great at home are takin a toll. I've wanted and tried to write but this is honestly the best I can manage for this fic rn. I still love Fnaf and this universe and my versions of the characters and I want to show what I have planned to everyone, but my pace is just...bleck.

Stupid depression making me have block instead of helping me dissapear into my writing to an unhealthy extent.

That is to say, thank you for waiting and sticking with this story, I couldn't keep it up without you guys.

...That is also to say...

Sorry guys, but...I think I'm going to permanently move this story back to just AO3. I love and miss my FF audience, but the glory days on here I think have come and gone. I love this site because it was my start and in a way it's like home, but...

Cross posting is a pain in the xss, man.

Especially on here.

It's just easier to...well...write elsewhere, be it a Google doc or AO3's (hell, even Wattpad—) chapter basis, but here? Oh my fxckin Hatsune Miku this place has become a nightmare for me. And not the good kind of Nightmare like my babies, like the kinds I have that make me try to pull all nighters. My docs either don't save at all or keep fxcking themselves up and it takes me an extra 10-30 minutes just to get a finished chapter ready for posting. It's so bad, I can't take it anymore.

Also, as I said...I love FF and I truly loved my audience here, but...time goes on. And whether we like it or not, change happens.

I've been considering this for a while, actually, but I wanted to at least finish this arc. Couldn't leave you guys on that big of a cliffhanger, haha...

...I don't know if I'll keep posting on here at all, honestly. My last attempt at posting another multi-chapter story that wasn't already on here from before flopped and again, a holy formatting nightmare. And my other stories such as Council of the Annoyed has finally wrapped up, but I think a lot of people had already moved on, haha.

So, with that...the rest of Night Life will be on AO3, if you're interested, but no more updates on here. Thank you for reading and sticking with me this far.

...I'll miss you guys.

Hope to see you on my other platforms (also discord server is still open, you can get notified on updates as soon as they happen—).

Hope you enjoyed! Love you all!! See ya on AO3!