Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

2-1-12-4-9  23-8-25  9-19  25-15-21-18  3-15-4-5  6-9-12-5  19-15  4-1-18-14  12-15-14-7

Principal found a parking space near the front of what appeared to be the main building. He double, then triple checked the address - alright, this had to be the place. And if that wasn't assuring enough, the clearly labelled engravement made it almost impossible to regard it as anything other than: "HERE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL".

Call it fate, but perhaps the pile of rejections up to this point was yet another sign, that he was supposed to be here. Not here, Here. Good lord. He would sure have a good laugh over that.

Anyway, while he'd known that his potential employer wanted to become a teacher, he certainly didn't expect him to go so above and beyond as to own his own school. He truly was full of surprises.

Back to the task at hand, Principal checked the time. Two minutes left. He'll be here (Here... Okay, not so funny the second time) at any moment, unless he arrived already. He wouldn't put it past him, either.

So, Principal exited the car, examining the surroundings more. If he was anywhere nearby, he'd surely, and easily, spot him. He was hard to miss, what with those long, ginger locks he had. All through high school and college. At one point dyed black, during their shared metal phase.

Principal... Wasn't sad when the roots came back. Orange just fit him better.

Thirty seconds. Where was he? Did something else come up? Was he waiting for him from inside? He never specified anything beyond, "At the school!". Oh, boy. He wasn't sure who was supposed to be impressing who. Even though this position was practically being handed to him on a silver platter, he still felt the need to... Prove his worth? It was too messy to explain.

On the dot, he heard the front doors open, and turned to see who it was. A bald man, a few inches shorter than his own height, marched out with a bright smile. "Oh, hi! I'm so glad you could make it!"

"Ah, yes, hello. Did he send you-?" Principal automatically began to respond, before stopping immediately. That voice. And now that he had a good look at him, that face. This wasn't just any person. In shock, Principal cupped the man's head, unable to keep calm as he restarted, "What happened to you?! Freak accident? Sudden onset of male-pattern baldness? Do... Do you have...?!"

The other man's face dropped, hands resting on Principal's arms. "No, no! I'm fine! I did this!" He paused, deciding to add, "On purpose."

"But... Why?! Baldi, I thought you..." Principal pulled back, desperately trying to settle down. Baldi's expression softened with a chuckle, empathizing.

"I should've expected this... Well," He then said, "I just woke up one day and wanted to! I know that makes no sense, but that's all!" Principal took this in, before seeing something.

"... There's one left." He noted, pointing at the single, though very short, strand upon Baldi's forehead. Slapping a hand over the spot, Baldi abruptly turned on his heel and headed toward the entrance.

"Since you're here, allow me to give you the tour!" He must really not want to talk about that. Principal allowed it, following.

"... Lead the way." He affirmed.

Overall, the tour itself went fine. The building was built very recently, but was rather empty staff-wise; still "working on it", so to speak. Given that, it was easy to assume that Principal would be the first to be hired on, provided that he didn't change his mind.

Though, in spite of Baldi's confidence, Principal could sense a lurking feeling of dread underneath. And it was pinpointed as a fear of rejection. He could almost see... Some kind of... Bar? He blinked, and it was gone; probably a trick of the lights.

"And here's your- the principal's office!" Principal pretended not to notice Baldi's slip of the tongue. "They made it a little spacious, heck, mine isn't even that large! But I'm sure it'll all work out." The two entered, and he hadn't lied, technically. If anything, he was trying to be polite.

"It could've been another classroom, and no one would've bat an eye," Principal couldn't help but comment, prompting a small laugh from his friend. Then, trying to joke further, added, "What if it was used for detentions?"

Baldi blinked, but took it seriously. "Oh, that could work! Good thinking!" Then, he popped the question. "So...? Do you still want to become the first principal of Here School?" He was trying all the harder to sound excited, but somehow, Principal knew it was mostly acting.

He'd already said yes, and nowhere else wanted him, so why back out now? He may as well've been holding one of THE best hands in this metaphorical game of Poker, to win the entire jackpot on this road called Life, because his lucky charm was standing right in front of him. He knew him personally, more than enough to understand that he wouldn't be let down.

"Absolutely." Right after he gave his awaited response, he saw Baldi's posture relax, in a deflating fashion. It was almost as if he'd been ready to try making a stronger case, should Principal have hesitated, even for a second.

"Fantastic!" Baldi clapped once, his warm tone a lot more genuine than previously. "I know you'll just love it here!"

"Here... School." Principal saw the opportunity and took it. Baldi failed to resist the urge to laugh. The two moved to the singular table, sitting upon it.

"That's right! Oh, goodness..." His friend tried to stop, and eventually managed. "The things you say, the stuff you point out, it makes me so grateful to have you. It always sounds so obvious in hindsight, but sometimes, it just... Never crosses my mind." This could've come off as overselling it, but Principal wasn't inclined to see it as such. Rather, Baldi was finally starting to drop that air of professionalism and making good first impressions.

"Hm. Well, then here comes another one," He played off of it, inquiring, "What're you going to do when it gets cold?" He saw Baldi's expression crumble apart, grabbing his recently-made bald head. Ah. So he didn't think that one through. Principal recalled that Baldi had always coasted on the sheer thickness of his hair before, and being accustomed to certain ways made considerations more difficult at times.

"I'll...! Uh..." Baldi struggled to reply, settling with, "I'll get a wool beanie! Tacky, but tasteful!"

"That, or you could just... Grow it back. You still have plenty of time."

"I mean... I thought I'd miss it, but I don't!" Baldi then paused. "... Maybe a little. On the bright side, my head feels so much lighter! I might've even lost a pound! Ba ha!" Not that he looked like he needed to. "Anyway, I'll be fine! One day I might decide to change it up again, but not anytime soon."

"Alright... Then I'll keep that in mind, come Christmas." Principal decided to concede, but not without a tiny smirk. Baldi noticed.

"Well, who's saying that you should wait that long?" He was kidding, but something about the way he said that seemed odd.

"Huh. I just got this strange feeling of déjà vu. Almost like... We've already talked about this."

"Oh?" Baldi made no attempt to confirm or deny. This somehow made it escalate.

"How could it, since it's happening right now?" Principal wracked his brain, and soon enough, came to conclude, "It has, hasn't it? Except for one thing. You didn't say that the first time." He knew he must've sounded crazy, but it was either a dream where nothing mattered, or that. To his surprise, Baldi looked back at him with a guilty tinge to his smile.

"You're right. I didn't," His voice was quiet. "You're starting to remember. I guess the show's over, then." Principal was only given a few moments to process this, before everything around him changed. The appearance of the room's very structure crossfaded, into a form that was much more pixelated. He snapped his gaze back to Baldi and saw, in his place, a poorly-rendered 3D model.

Principal jumped away from the table with a small yell, falling in the process. "What-! Oh my God, where-!" Backing away, these actions prompted this... Thing, to approach him, concern in his expression.

"Principal, are you okay?" He managed to stand again, now keenly aware of that bar he saw earlier, but this time refused to go away. Avoiding that mess of polygons, he found the door, but wasn't sure how to open it - it felt like a completely flat surface, even the knob.

"You- You stay away from me! What have you done to-?!" He struggled to finish anything more coherent. Finally, he opted for busting the door open with force, before going on a full sprint. Everything in this building matched the room - different, in the worst possible way.

"Wait! Hang on a second! Don't go!" Principal ignored the words of his captor, feverishly searching for the exit. Luckily, it was close by. He wasn't sure why the windows and door glass were opaque, but no matter. He roughly elbowed them open, and made it outside.

But all he was greeted with was a square patch of grass, surrounded by fencing. He dared to touch the wooden planks, looking over the edge. Below, and all around him, was a large skybox with rounded, dithered clouds. Where was the parking lot? His car? Anything?! His eyes went to his hands, which thankfully still appeared normal, clashing against the unsettling style everywhere else.

"There's n-nothing out here..." He murmured, stuttering. "That's it. I h-have to be dreaming. I'd like to wake up now...! Get me out of this 90's CGI n-nightmare...!" He pinched himself, and nothing happened. "Oh God, oh my God. No no no no no...!"

The doors opened behind him, and he whirled around, facing that abomination once more. He couldn't stop shaking. "W-What do you want from me? Name your price. I just want to leave." But the other looked at him with guilt. Regret. Empathy. Sorrow. The little bar over his head dictated every emotion, down to a percent.

"I don't want-... Principal, it's me, Baldi," He tried to explain, "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. I just figured that if we started on something familiar, you'd have an easier time adjusting to your new... Uh..."

"'Something familiar'?!" Principal echoed, with a smidgen of courage, "What're you talking about?! Is this- Some kind of-... Simulation?! Where are we, really? Because it can't actually be here!"

Baldi, or the 3D model claiming to be, considered his answer. "Well..." He trailed off, then added, "We are here, this is it. The only thing simulated was our memory. There's no easy way to say this, so please, please forgive me." He gave a pause. "This is a video game, and we are characters in it. Everything about our lives up to now is backstory." He allowed Principal all the time he needed to process the new information.

It wasn't unreasonable to suspect that more deception was at play, if not just from words alone, but whatever those color-coded emotional percentages were saying Baldi felt. Even if it were, it was very convincing.

Then again, if this really was his best friend, albeit taking the form of a myriad of basic shapes, why would he lie? Baldi would never, it wasn't in his nature. And taking that into account, it made the displayed bar above him an open book. It even had his name on it. Was the font in Comic Sans?

Baldi
█████████▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒░░░░░░░░
31% Guilt | 28% Regret | 22% Empathy | 18% Sorrow

There were a bunch more, but all less than one percent.

"If that's true, then that m-means..." Principal finally said, taking a shaky breath. "We're not real. Nothing is. We're just... Things, for someone e-else's amusement." Baldi opened his mouth, then shut it, in contemplation. In turn, for a short while, the bar above him changed to reflect it, accurately.

Principal knew that look, he'd seen it before... Well, his programming said so. Regardless, his fear began to fade, but still remained on-guard.

At last, there was a response, but there was slight hesitation in Baldi's tone. "Yes, and no... Not 'nothing'. Although we're supposed to keep to our roles while the game is being played," He became more certain, "We're not limited to it. We can get a little 'out of character'! And while our 'past' and 'personalities' are programmed, this conversation? Our reactions and feelings? What we choose to do with it all? That's real. We're real." He paused, a sad smile forming.

"Look, I understand. This isn't how you pictured it," He noted, bittersweet, "The game is very small, and there isn't much. But I can assure you- no, promise! - that things will get better. I… Have a lot I want to share, but we don't have to go into all that immediately!"

After a long while, Principal found that he'd pulled himself together, though remained a little wary about it all. Eying the skybox one last time, he said, "Before anything else, I'd like to get back inside."

"Of course, of course!" Baldi opened the doors, keeping his distance as he followed him in.

"Let's... Try this again," Principal then started, "Without the whole 'memory simulation' thing."

Baldi gave him a nod, agreeing. "How would you like it done?"

"By keeping it real." There was a moment of silence, as Baldi thought about it.

"I think I can manage that!"

It was a very, very long discussion, and yet, according to the timekeeping of the place, it'd taken no more than two hours. As well, today was January 5th, 2019, after roughly a year and a half of when the alleged meetup took place. Fascinating...

From the start, Principal was always meant to be here, but was previously underdeveloped. The word was said slowly, as though Baldi was trying to not offend. This resulted in Principal figuring out a trick that the both of them could do; looking into files. Try to not get overwhelmed, he was told, there's a lot in the back-end of things.

Principal also had what was called an "Emotional Gauger", showing everything someone was feeling. And Baldi's dread of rejection was valid, but in a totally different context. However, he didn't feel comfortable talking about it. Yet.

There was quite a bit more Principal would've liked to ponder, but decided to save it for another time. So instead, he got to meet one of the two Humans responsible for his... Baldi called it a "revamp". In place of the two's original creator (who is still apparently MIA), they, Player and Friend, were helping to repair and finish the game.

The Human, who's avatar was of a polygonal small child, typed away on a purple, tablet-looking object. Oh, a You Can Think! Pad. Teacher's Edition. Just like with Baldi, Principal could see their emotional percentages, which ebbed and flowed throughout the ensuing conversation.

"Oh, yes! It went well!" Baldi was saying to them, after they displayed a message. "There was a bump or two along the way, but it all worked out." He was given a quizzical look, and another message. Baldi waved his arms and shook his head. "No no no! Ba ha, no! Nothing like last time!" Last time? Principal struggled to recall. He saw the Human glance over at him, before turning back to Baldi.

"Alrighty, then! Goodnight, Player!" Probably something about how late it was, of which Principal noticed. He wasn't sure how to feel about it still looking like daytime at nearly 10 PM. The Human (no, Player) handed Baldi the Think Pad, giving a wave, before their form dithered away.

"... What happened last time?" He approached Baldi to ask, before darkness began to envelop the both of them. Right when panic set in, a wave of exhaustion coursed through him. He fell right onto Baldi.

"Principal!" Was the last thing he heard.

He opened his eyes, finding himself standing in his office. Detention room. Whichever was applicable. Whatever happened just then- no, yesterday? - Player must've done it. Out of curiosity, he looked at his hands.

Polygonal. Square palms, with rectangular, thickened fingers, of which floated around where they'd be connected. Though, both Player and Baldi's were the same way, plus their limbs. He focused on finding a different image, landing on his own model file. It was similar to the other two, but only in stylization; they would all stand out next to each other.

He wasn't exactly sure why it'd been different before, maybe it was a psychological thing where he wouldn't have been able to handle it? Now, however, the fact of being some sort of digital entity, with a role to play in this game, always has been, with programming and backstory...

And yet, were able to flub, go off-script, have downtime, etcetera. Perhaps they were more like actors, as they were so much more sophisticated than what'd be expected. Self-aware. Sentient.

People.

Given that, and the promise that things could only go up from here, maybe being a "character" wasn't such a bad thing.

From afar, he heard Baldi's voice. "Oh, hi! Welcome back, Player!" A beginning message of sorts. Immediately after, his tone changed. "Shoot, I knew I was forgetting something! I never got to tell him about how the game shutdown worked! Player, when and where does he spawn in?" Oh, so that's what that was. After a moment, he spoke more, "Got it, thank you! I need to make sure he's okay!"

It took him no time at all, as Principal heard the door open, Baldi panting slightly as he asked, concerned, "Are you alright?" He gave him a nod. "Oh, that's good. I'm sorry, it completely slipped my mind! When Player closes the game, we sleep!" That made sense, but even then...

"I see that now," He replied, "So they can shut us off anytime they want..."

"That's...!" Baldi tried to dissuade, emitting a nervous laugh, but gave up. "That's one way of putting it, yes." Then, he gasped in realization. "Buuut! I have an idea! I'm not sure if it'll be possible, or will work well in the long run, however... What if the game kept running, even if they're not around? We could really do anything we want, then!"

That would certainly be better than the alternative, Principal had to admit. The only real issue was the always-daytime skybox, if they went outside. But since he (and Baldi, Principal guessed) couldn't see through the windows anyway, perhaps it wouldn't matter.

While he'd been thinking about it, he finally noticed how much the other character was brimming with excitement, antsy even. Now, this was more like the Baldi he knew, or was supposed to know: Eager, confident, inspired, perseverant.

"Let's do it, then." If it were possible, Baldi's joy would've shot through the roof. Faster than anyone Principal had ever seen someone move, he sprinted right over to him, reaching out to take him by the wrist, but stopped.

"Ah, ba ha, sorry, went a bit overboard there," He promptly apologized, trying to contain himself. Stepping back, he turned away, heading out at a more normal pace - and pretending that didn't just happen. "Player should still be at the starting area!"

The whole display was rather surprising. To Principal's recollection, Baldi may've been known to be a fast runner, but this was on a whole new level. In the end, he shrugged it off and followed. It's probably a game thing, he surmised.

"... And, well, I would like to be able to spend more time with him, help him get more acquainted with things, you know, the whole bit!" He listened as Baldi added, while talking to Player. That wasn't exactly the reason discussed earlier, but Principal supposed that would be part of it, regardless.

Such as, being able to finally ask about what "last time" was.

"Oh, thank you! I'm sure we'll be fine!" Again with the look of uncertainty cast in Baldi's direction. "But I swear that I'll tell you if it doesn't pan out!" Player stood there, as though thinking, then let it go, writing off another two messages. "Sure thing; we can wait! Take it easy out there!" Baldi gave them a thumbs up, and was handed back his Think Pad. The two watched Player enter one of the classrooms, and then... Nothing else.

"They've decided to use one of them to hide in for when they're away," Baldi spoke to Principal afterward, dismissing the Think Pad, "Which means that, for now, it's just us two!"

"Just us?" Principal echoed, to make sure.

"Yes!"

"Meaning, no interruptions?"

"That's right! The other characters are disabled, for the time being. And, uh, before you ask about them, they're... In the same boat you were." Principal would be a liar if he denied being tempted to follow up with that one.

"Huh. So I really am the first." Baldi took longer to respond, looking away with a regretful frown.

"To be revamped, yes. To arrive... No. But that's from the story I'm not ready to tell, yet." The softer tone made Principal grimace. Oh, jeez. He didn't mean it like that, whatever "that" meant. He took Baldi by the shoulders, who tensed from the action, facing him again. Huh. Despite the appearance, he still felt like a Human.

"No, no. To be hired on." Principal then clarified, trying to lighten the mood. Unfortunately, all that did was make Baldi shiver under his touch. The tension was akin to a dam desperately trying not to shatter. Uh oh.

He wouldn't stop apologizing, voice squeaky and strained. "It wasn't supposed to go like that! I really, truly, honestly... Wanted to make sure you felt at home here! If there's anything I can do to make up for it, I'll do it, you have my word!" Truth be told, there'd been that little emotion in his percentages, Regret, but Principal initially passed it off, for it'd been less than ten. But at this moment, it exceeded sixty.

He appreciated it, but it didn't feel necessary anymore. So, he brought his arms around Baldi's rectangular frame.

"Okay. Okay. Hey," He replied, volume low, "If it helps, I forgive you. You've never helped someone grapple with their new sentience before, right?" Meanwhile, Baldi shakily lifted his own, returning the hold.

"No, but... I expected better of myself, I guess," He murmured, "I want to do better, to be better. For you, and everyone else."

"Then..." Yet, Principal couldn't shy away from expressing his thoughts on the matter. However, he was careful with his wording. "Perhaps next time, we could try something else. I think that memory thing was where it went awry."

"Agreed," Came Baldi's affirmation, before adding, "I could never let anyone else go through what you did..."

"That's why we'll figure it out. Together." Silence. Then, he heard Baldi sniffle. Oh lord, he was crying. Or had he been already?

"O-Okay." He whispered, with a hiccup. Eventually, Principal pulled back, and Baldi made no attempt to stop him. Instead, he busied himself in wiping his face. Yup, there were tears, alright.

"I didn't mean to upset you, sorry," Principal admitted, "You going to be okay?"

"Oh, no, don't worry, it's not your fault," Baldi shook his head, managing a small grin. "I'll be fine. Maybe I needed that." Not "deserved", "needed" - thank goodness he didn't say the former. "My promise to make this right still stands, though. Anything at all."

"... I'd rather not have the IOU," Principal spoke with a sigh, then segueing to the question he'd actually wanted to inquire, "Anyway, if I may ask, I'd like to know what happened 'last time'. You mentioned that to Player."

"Oh...! That!" Baldi was able to brighten up a little more. "Well, you were supposed to be added a month ago. But when Player and Friend put you in that day... You weren't ready. Not in the sense you're probably imagining; I mean that literally."

It was on December 2nd, 2018. Principal had been completely unresponsive, from stimuli to vocal prompts. Finally, after about five minutes, he whistled his tune - but only the first note. Which never stopped. And was piercingly loud. Once Baldi was able to gather his bearings, he sprinted to Player and pleaded to restart the game. They did not hesitate, having Principal disabled while the kinks were worked out.

Friend couldn't find any issues, until, just the day before Principal's awakening, they realized a singular typo in the code file. Most embarrassing moment in the programmer's life.

"... Oh," Principal uttered once Baldi finished, bewildered. Honestly, he was expecting a whole lot worse. Still, he added, "That's rough."

"In the moment, certainly," Baldi, however, chuckled, "But now, it's just silly. Bugs happen; that's how it goes sometimes!"

Then, that's how Principal hoped Baldi would see yesterday's incident. Maybe with enough time, and if he was able to forgive himself, the both of them could look back, and laugh.

A few days later, Player started wandering the schoolhouse, in search of Baldi. From the outside, a good-sized stack of film DVDs sat on the computer desk.

From afar, they heard music, and... Singing. It came from the computer lab. Door open, they saw Baldi and Principal doing what was the equivalent of karaoke. Principal seemed to be a lot happier than before, at least.

Player turned and left, this time in the direction of Baldi's Office. Perhaps they could just leave a message. One might assume that just them leaving their selected classroom would've given him enough notice, as per his acute hearing. While true, he was not exempt from distractions.

They entered their new destination, heading over to the computer situated on the table, and brought up the messaging feature. From there, they wrote:

"Hey, sorry for using your PC like this, but I didn't want to interrupt. Anyway, I feel really bad for just leaving you two alone with practically nothing to do, so I got a bunch of movies you guys might enjoy. I know it's nothing groundbreaking, but maybe it'll help tide you over? Let me know when you've got time. -Player"

Once done, they let out a sigh, glancing at the stack. They didn't really think about it when they nabbed the pile from the shelf. So, as they scanned the titles, they gave one an uncertain look as they passed it. They honestly weren't sure what his opinion on bad movies were, but who's to say he's seen any of these at all?

They'll... Just have the professor decide which films he wanted to have, then. Knowing him, probably all of them, for better or worse.

9  8-1-22-5  14-15  9-4-5-1  25-15-21-18  7-21-5-19-19  9-19  1-19  7-15-15-4  1-19  13-9-14-5

Chapter Text

4-9-4  25-15-21  7-21-25-19  16-12-1-14  20-8-9-19  15-18  23-8-1-20

"Hey Player, check this out!" They heard Friend call from the living room. They walked in, finding Friend as they left them - at their computer, playing on their own file on Certified.

"Yeah? What's up?" When prompted, Friend unplugged the headphones, ushering Player closer.

"Watch," They said, before adding more loudly, in Spanish, "'Baldi! I have a question for you!'" Hold on, where were they going with this? From around the corner of the schoolhouse's hallway, the character in question appeared.

"'Oh, hi Friend!'" He greeted with a wave, "'What would you like to know?'" The exchange was so casual, with no hint of struggle. Player's jaw was already dropping.

"He... Can speak Spanish?" They were whispering, moreso to themself.

"'Just wondering... What's your favorite color?'" Friend merely continued, just as smoothly.

"'I've always loved green!'" Came Baldi's answer, "'But I'm sure you can tell, ba ha!'"

"How are you doing that?" Player then asked Friend, who was only giving them an innocent look.

"With my mouth, dude." Back to English. Player then facepalmed.

"You know very well what I meant!"

"Hi, Player!" From the game, Baldi addressed them. "If you're wondering, Friend hasn't changed me or anything like that! I'm programmed to be able to talk in many major languages, is all! At least, that was the plan. The code is there, but the options aren't yet."

"Really..." Player considered this, and honestly, that did make sense. "Is there a list I can look at, or...?"

"Of course! Go ahead and show them, Friend!" With Baldi's approval, Friend nodded, opening up his file. They scrolled down. Way down. Near the end. In one of the many comments left by the original creator, was what Player wanted to see. One caught their attention, giving a smirk.

"... Okay, now I'm curious," They said, turning back to Baldi. In Japanese, they added, "'What is your favorite day of the week?'" While nowhere near the level of fluent one would see from a native speaker, they at least knew enough to communicate and read important things. If the list was to be believed, the professor would surely blow them away.

He gave it some thought, before replying in turn, "'I like Sunday the best!'"

"Oh my God," Briefly Player muttered in English, but went back to follow-up, "'Are the others multilingual?'"

"'I believe so!'"

"Friend. I gotta go find out," They suddenly said to them, before realizing how out of context the statement was. "He says the others can do this too."

"Whoa. Here, just let me swap you in," Friend went to do just that. It was a rather new feature, which was exactly like changing between player files, only without altering the current game mode - which was almost always Free Roam anyway. Player was selected, and Friend let them take the helm. "I wanna see, too."

"May I join you?" Right before Player went to sprint off, they heard Baldi ask. Without hesitation, they nodded. "Great! Where are we going first?"

Principal's Office. Detention room. Whichever it was. Seeing Principal at his desk through one of the windows, Player barged inside in their excitement. It interrupted his reading, lowering his book with a somewhat exasperated face. "Can... I help you?"

"'Your favorite weather. Please.'" Player got right to the point, in their selected language.

"'... Rainy days are fine,'" Principal responded, still bemused. Glancing up at Baldi, he lightly interrogated, in English, "Did you put them up to this?"

"Nope! It was all Friend's idea!" This was accompanied by a headshake.

"'Guilty as charged.'" Friend spoke through Player, in their's.

"I see..." Principal acknowledged, rising up. He had a slight smirk when he added, to match Friend, "'I suppose it'd be interesting to hear it from the rest of us, correct?'"

"'Yes! C'mon!'" Friend cheered. As quickly as Player's avatar came in, they left. The two AIs followed.

"'No running in the halls!'" Principal chimed, but allowed it just this once.

The music room. As usual, M was there, who jumped when not one, not two, but three people suddenly entered.

"Jeepers! What the-" He yelped, followed by a beep. "What's the occasion?!"

"'Do you have a favorite mode of transportation?'" Player prompted, in Japanese.

"Huh?" M didn't seem to understand. There was a moment of silence as Player muted, telling Friend what the question was. Unmuting, the latter repeated it, this time in Spanish. "What?"

"You don't know..." Principal noted, "Weren't we all supposed to...?"

"Yes! That's strange!" Baldi agreed. To M, he clarified, "They're wondering if you have a favorite mode of transport. Like a car, a plane, a boat, that kind of thing!"

"Ohhh," M finally nodded, then laughed. "Wow, I don't think I've ever thought about that. Huh... Planes? Yeah, let's go with that, I guess." He shrugged. "Also, what's with all this linguistic stuff?"

He was caught up to speed while he and the others continued trailing behind Player's avatar. Next was Sweeper, who wasn't at his supply closet, but was found in the cafeteria.

"Oh, hey! Decided to stop by, huh?" Unlike Principal and M, the janitor was unfazed by their entrance, as well as their growing entourage. "It's good to see ya. How's it going?"

"'I want to know your favorite vegetable.'" Player replied, in the same manner as previously. From afar, Baldi kindly translated for M, who snorted.

"Wow, that's kinda random, but, uh..." Sweeper took a moment to answer, still completely calm about all this. Soon however, he had something. "'I'm not a veggie person, really. But if I had to pick one, probably brussel sprouts. Actually, they're pretty darn good! Ever try 'em with garlic? Phew, they're somethin else!'"

As soon as Baldi finished relaying, he couldn't help but reply, "'Oh goodness! You're making me hungry!'" Due to that, Principal repeated it for M.

"'Hey, what about the students?!'" Friend interjected. "'I mean, by the time we started working on them, I was able to refine their codes from the ground up...'" While Player barely had a grasp of what they were trying to say, Baldi's translating was helpful.

"'That might be something new to do, then... But before that...'" They paused, looking over at their second desktop screen, at a particular folder housing a certain game shortcut. Realizing what Player was about to say next, Friend cut them off, going back to English in the process.

"Oh yeah, why doesn't M have that language list?"

"Well, I was already pretty much alive, all things considered," He guessed, floating over to Sweeper and Player's avatar, "So you two might've just skipped over me, in some aspects. In fact, I think the only things you touched on was my new model and role and stuff. Aside from that, everything else is the same." There was an almost lilting tone to his last statement, but he pushed it aside. "I'll probably need that language pack, when everything's said and done, heh."

"Ah, that's right," Friend remembered with a nod, having decided to ignore it as well, "I'll find a way to copy that in. Then we'll see about everybody else. Actually, why don't we do that now?"

"Go for it!" Sweeper voiced his agreement first.

"Yeah, sure, I'm down," M did too, then he faced Baldi and Principal, "Hey, they're gonna fix me up! You fine with that?" Both gave a smile and their affirmations. "Nice."

With some shared "see you soon"s, Player closed the game. Immediately after, they allowed the regret to fully set in. Usually Friend and they refrained from mentioning Plus Baldi, least of all in M's presence, but in this case...

"Jesus Christ," They spoke aloud, "I almost messed up on that one. Thanks for stopping me."

"No problem, man," Friend casually replied with a shrug, "Wanna go see him first?" Player nodded.

"Yeah. For science."

Plus was opened. As always, Player appeared in that white expanse with the character in question, just two meters away from them.

"Hello again," He greeted, "Have they gone to 0.3.9 yet? I wouldn't be surprised." Oh, right. The last time the two interacted, the whole "point five" debacle occurred. Plus handed them Baldi's Think Pad to reply. May as well update him on that, first.

"NO, NOT 3.9. IT'S AT 3.6 RIGHT NOW. THOUGH, WE MIGHT GET A 7, BUT I'M NOT SURE."

"ANYWAY, I HAVE SOMETHING TO ASK YOU. WOULD YOU MIND?" Plus chuckled, then sat cross-legged, and Player was somehow able to follow suit in their own way.

"Hm, figures," He replied, "Well, I don't have anything better to do, so shoot." Player tried to type the question in Japanese characters, but the text wasn't recognized.

"Oh. Guess you'll have to romanize it." Friend piped up. Player sighed with a nod, doing so.

"'ARE YOU MULTILINGUAL?'" Plus stared at the question.

"Uh... I don't know what that means?"

"... Then he's not gonna in anything else." Friend pointed out, a little disappointed.

Back to English, Player typed again. "I GUESS YOU DON'T SPEAK ANY OTHER LANGUAGES?"

"Oh! No, I do not. Wow, that takes me back," Plus replied, appearing to recall something fondly, "Even though everything was already there, the developers decided to do away with that." Player made a face, and he shrugged. "What can I say? It doesn't add up."

"WOULD YOU WANT IT BACK? OR ANYTHING ELSE, FOR THAT MATTER?"

"What good would that do me? It'd be a novelty, sure, but that's about it," He gave a pause, with an uncomfortable expression. "Look, your heart's in the right place, Ja- Player. But the fact remains that there's nothing else in here. And besides, no offense to C Baldi, but having my AI mixed with his in any capacity wasn't a good time."

"... Yeah, and the feeling's mutual," Player mused aloud, before pondering their next message. "OKAY, I UNDERSTAND."

"So, may I ask what brought this on? Curiosity? Research? Or a moment of, 'may as well ask them all'?" There was a tinge of smugness to the last idea, but it didn't last. Slowly, Plus had been trying to phase out of that mindset.

"KIND OF A MIX OF ALL THREE. I LEARNED THAT THE FACULTY CAN, EXCEPT M FOR SOME REASON."

"Uh-huh... I see. And aside from that, how are they?" Unlike the aforementioned music teacher, Plus tended to pay no mind to his utterance in conversation.

As Player thought about the question, some memories came to mind that made them grin.

"THINGS ARE GOOD, ACTUALLY! BALDI'S GETTING A BETTER HANDLE OF THE CLIPBOARD, AT LEAST!"

"RECENTLY, HE MANAGED TO SET DOWN A PLANT WITHOUT FLOODING THE ROOM."

"Like the lights in the ceiling being in impossible places?" Player nodded. "Finally. I was about to say, that if he was still struggling by now, perhaps he'd need some help. Thankfully, however, that won't be necessary."

"LIKE... FROM WITHIN CERTIFIED?" Player couldn't help their prying.

"It's- It's nothing," Plus immediately tried to counter, changing the subject, "If there isn't anything else you want to tell me, I'm going to let you go. You said that... M, wasn't equipped with the linguistic coding? Perhaps you should get on that! Better to not keep all of them waiting!" A snap of his fingers later, the close button filled their screen, preventing them from typing anything more.

He... Did know that they could just reopen the game, right? Maybe he counted on them not doing so, if for no other reason than to not come off as a pest. The worst part? It never failed.

"Just when you think you're about to pull down one of his walls," Friend commented, bittersweet, "He pushes you away. Someday, we'll get something out of him, huh?" They gave Player a pat on the shoulder. With a sigh, the latter waved goodbye and clicked the button.

"Someday..." Player repeated.

The process of adding the ability to M was rather straightforward, essentially a true copy and paste, with a reword here and there to suit his file. Once things were ready, Certified was opened, Friend selected themself, and then Free Roam.

"Oh, hi Friend! Welcome back!" Baldi greeted, but that was as far as he was able to get. From the swinging doors behind him barged in M, zooming past the professor and facing Friend's avatar.

"Hey! Ask me something! Anything!" He spoke, while Baldi tried to gather his bearings.

"I understand the excitement, but please don't do that!" Yet, he lightly voiced his concerns.

"Ah, haha, sorry. Hey, wait, you do it too sometimes!"

"Oh...! Goodness, you're right. That's something the both of us can work on, ba ha!"

"'Say, what's your third favorite number?'" Friend then asked in Spanish, once the topic ended. Immediately after, M bust a gut.

"'Third favorite... How specific!'" Baldi muttered, humored by it as well.

"'Sixty-Four!'" M answered at last, "'I'm gonna go with that one. Oh my God, holy-'" A beep. "'I understood you! Wait...'" He trailed off, with another beep. "'Wow. So it can tell no matter what.'" Three more beeps came after that. "'Can't even tell what languages those were in!'"

"'Incredible...'" Friend played along.

"'Professor, actually, I've been meaning to ask,'" Player spoke up through Friend, in Japanese. "'Do you have a favorite kind of Math?'"

"'There's so many, it's hard to choose!'" Baldi took a moment. "'I think I'll go with topology! There's a lot of fascinating and impressive stuff that goes on with that!'"

"'... Topology?'" M echoed, confused.

"'Yes! I think Player showed me a video or two about it once! I think you'd like them!'"

M considered it, then nodded. "'Alright, show me. Meet you in the Lab?'"

"'Absolutely!'" Baldi flashed him a thumbs up, and M floated through the corridor, out the way he came, giving Friend's avatar a wave goodbye. When he was gone, Baldi turned to them, with a look of slight mischief.

"'I'm about to blow his mind...'" He said quietly, before addressing to the two Humans, "'Care to join us?'"

"'Oh, I do not want to miss out on this,'" Player stressed in amusement, remembering what the professor was talking about quite well. They switched back to English as they added to Friend, "He's gonna show him those weird rope and cord untangling videos. M's gonna lose his-" A beep.

"Oh my God. He will not survive the third one." Friend replied, already trying not to laugh. Together, the three of them headed for the Computer Lab.

"It's not weird, it's mathematics!" Baldi refuted in confidence.

"No, it's-" A beep from Friend, "-ing wizard bull-" A second. "Is what it is!"

"Hm... Okay. Maybe it's both." The professor conceded, but his tone didn't waver.

9  23-9-12-12  14-5-9-20-8-5-18  3-15-14-6-9-18-13  15-18  4-5-14-25

Chapter Text

9-20-19  8-15-14-5-19-20-12-25  10-21-19-20  1  2-21-14-3-8  15-6  13-21-19-9-14-7-19  1-14-4  19-21-3-8

RECIPIENT: M (FN2)

[M]: hello world

Wow, this actually worked. When M learned about the Computer Lab's messaging feature, he was unsure what to make of its usage. Why type when he and the others could speak?

But Protagonists couldn't. Oh, right. He forgot about that.

As for the chat client itself, while still extremely rudimentary, and sharing the same Comic Sans font the game just loves to use, it was possible to change one's text color. #660000 felt right.

It also seemed unusual, how Player (and sometimes Friend) would write messages addressed to themselves, but specifically so they could talk to each of them. It was still an uncommon method, preferring Baldi's Think Pad, but still had its own convenience during a session of media sharing.

Now that he thought about it, they were using his Think Pad to essentially accomplish the same exact thing. Wild.

Yet, M grimaced at the asset designation in parenthesis. That had to go. Next time he saw either of those Humans, he'll tell them. But they're asleep right now, so it would have to wait. It was quite strange, being able to roam freely at all hours of the day, as opposed to only when a Protagonist was playing the game.

Though, he adjusted quickly.

For the time being, however, he supposed he ought to write something in here. Maybe it would help. So, he tried, awkwardly at first. But before long, whole sentences were being typed in a seemingly endless stream. He didn't have visible hands, so the keys appeared to press on their own, as though possessed, but he didn't care.

[M]: So recently I decided to give living a try.
[M]: It's a kinda weird feeling. Being missed. In spite of me basically being a 99999 most of the time.
[M]: But I'm here again, because those players didn't have the guts. And if another me wants to help out so 9999 badly, then what the 9999 have I been doing?
[M]: Jeepers.
[M]: Oh yeah, and I'm two filenames stitched together now. I'm an abomination.
[M]: But no one seems to mind. Professor's just happy I'm here.
[M]: Maybe I should've started by saying that I'm technically not a character? Yeah that sounds important.
[M]: I was designed as a failsafe, which meant to blow up the program if players didn't heed my warnings.
[M]: Ya know, after the whole "destroy the game! don't tell anyone about it! never come back!" shtick.
[M]: But somewhere in there I'm pretty sure He 9999ed up because AT NO POINT was I ever going to be able to do that. Programming gaps and all.
[M]: It's not until I met the Professor that I "woke up", I guess?
[M]: Only then I could've 9999ed 9999 up. But he made sure I didn't.
[M]: Again, I was being a 9999.
[M]: Dick.
[M]: lmao
[M]: Wow the filter system's not that refined. No complaints, 10/10.
[M]: Ah, and the Professor's a Tutor Baldi who by all accounts shouldn't be alive, but is. Obviously I know why now, but I was mystified to say the least.
[M]: Still a little beefed that this crucial piece of information wasn't hardcoded into me before we were shuttled off to parts unknown. Just a little.
[M]: I mean, Christ, I hit him with a chair. He would've ragdolled across the room if I used any more force. Guy's built like a plush doll, and he is equally as threatening.
[M]: I'd say that it probably means I should look out for him, but he's also got Principal for that. Who, by the by, is his own person.
[M]: Apparently in the time I've been gone, that happened. My God.
[M]: So in terms of the roster of sentient AIs in this "horrily assembled" program, there's now three of us.
[M]: Oh yeah, and the Angry Baldi native to it's been long gone. If I had to guess, the Humans probably just plopped him and his limited assets somewhere else, as they'd done for me.
[M]: Then, of course, tie up the loose ends so 9999 doesn't go boom.

A knock on the doorframe pulled him from his thoughts. For a bit there, it felt as though nothing else existed. Glancing over, there was the aforementioned "Tutor Baldi" himself, the "nice Baldi", or just "Professor" as M liked to call him lately. He's the only guy to see something in him when no one else would've, probably, so at least show the man some respect!

Or perhaps he just wanted to try and not be such a... Pinprick. Sure. That works.

"M? Pardon me if I'm interrupting anything," Baldi began, a tinge of concern in his smile, "But I couldn't help but overhear your typing. What're you up to?"

I'm jotting down plans for world domination. You know, the usual.

Oh shut up, Filename2. Or whatever his name is. Neither had settled on one yet.

Are we M&M?

"It's nothing to worry about. Just jotting down my thoughts." M finally replied.

Hey! I asked you a question!

"Oh, I see! Like keeping a journal?" The professor's expression relaxed almost immediately.

"Yeah, something like that." Actually, it was pretty accurate. A journal. That sounded nice.

Are you ignoring me?!

"Alrighty! I'll leave you to it, then! See you later!" With a wave, Baldi did just that.

Wow, that was fast.

Okay fine, I get it. I butted in. But are we, though?

No.

Aw.

Satisfied?

Yeah. I'm done. We can keep going now. We were on a roll!

Great.

[M]: Also, not even a day in, and Professor knows. Is the keyboard that loud?
[M]: Who am I kidding, the volume doesn't matter. He can hear everything.
[M]: Fortunately, he doesn't seem to be the type to read any of this, so I'm good. Not that I'm exactly eager to announce it to everyone else.
[M]: 9999's private. None of their business.
[M]: As for Principal? I don't know a single thing about him. The feeling seems to be mutual. But he's cordial at least.
[M]: "Oh but M! You could just dig through his code!" 9999 that, I'm not gonna pry. Jesus.
[M]: And the Humans? Don't really have much of a choice but to give them the benefit of the doubt here. Compassionate enough to not get rid of me, so there's that.
[M]: Sidenote, I'm still considering a model change, but I'm undecided.
[M]: I want to!
[M]: Okay, half undecided.
[M]: C'mon, live a little! The others look AWESOME. That could be US.
[M]: Can we not make this a thing?
[M]: Thanks. Anyway...
[M]: Man. Still can't believe it's already 2019. But I was just sleeping the entire time. Hard to say how long it felt. All I know is that there was nothing out there.
[M]: If there is an afterlife, then that clearly tells me I was never gonna go to it back then.
[M]: Yeah, I might get existential or depressing. Sorry. Or not, who am I apologizing to? Forget it.
[M]: ... Guess I had a lot to say. But I think that's about it for now.
[M]: Later.

He had paused right after the "existential" remark, scrolled up to notice the wall of text, then finished with the last two messages. It was likely that he could've prattled on forever, but this much would suffice. And despite...

He started typing again.

[M]: Okay, one last thing.
[M]: Most of that was basically rehashing my past experiences. And this is gonna sound dumb.
[M]: But now I feel like a weight's been lifted.
[M]: Huh. I guess this really does work.
[M]: I guess that means I'll do this again sometime.
[M]: I guess I guess I guess.
[M]: Bye for real.
[M]: Wait who am I saying goodbye to? There's literally no one else around. God9999.
[M]: No worries, we'll get used to it.
[M]: Also, from one filename to another, try not to be so weirded out.
[M]: Because it's exactly as you said - nobody can judge us here. Let it all out.
[M]: I said to not make this a thing.

From in his mind, he could hear him sighing, in an obvious manner. Nonetheless, that part of him relented. The second filename acted more like an influence - anything he wanted to do, say, or in this case type, M had to allow it.

That said, telling him to not interject was a contradiction. Surprisingly, he didn't have any snappy comments. Just a

Look, we may share this mind, but I'm not gonna pick on you for stuff like that.

And nothing else. Alright, fair enough.

Finished, M logged out and left the room.

RECIPIENT: M (FN2)

[M]: One of the Humans' birthdays was today. The one who goes by "Friend". The blond one.
[M]: Oh and not too long ago, the other's was celebrated at Professor's request. "Player"'s. With the black hair.
[M]: Theirs was clear back in January. And kept forgetting to add it into their player file? Yeah that's also an option now.
[M]: I think I know a little more about the two of them.
[M]: Player tends to think about their choice of words. Once while they were typing, I looked over to see them backspace almost three or four times in a single message.
[M]: Anxious but very considerate.
[M]: Friend, meanwhile, almost never does this, except to spellcheck, and even then, most of the time doesn't think to.
[M]: They're lucky we can still understand when their words are rampant with typos. We're lucky to be able to do that.
[M]: While Player's a bit rigid, Friend goes with the flow. The irony is that Friend does the programming, while Player does the art.
[M]: How the 9999 does this even happen? Holy 9999.
[M]: Anyway, the party (Parties? I guess?) was fine.

You had fun! Admit it!

Never, M doubled down with the shake of his head.

[M]: It was pretty early in the day, so this one didn't last too long. But everyone seemed happy.
[M]: Would it be like that on mine? When is mine? I don't think He gave me one.
[M]: Ugh, of course not, not with what I was supposed to do.
[M]: But since I don't think I will, maybe...

We should make our own! I already have an idea!

Okay. Let's hear it.

You were introduced, uh... In June?

June 1st, but would always crash the game as soon as he tried to speak.

Then let's go with that!

But it's only two days off from Professor's...

And? I don't see why anyone should hog a month all to themself!

M pondered this notion. ... Very well, he gave in.

[M]: I've decided to make my own. It'll be June 1st. When I see the players again, I'll...
[M]: I was supposed to tell them about the (FN2) thing. Okay, now it's those two things.
[M]: In other news, they updated the program, minorly. Usually comes in the form of, "oh wait x should probably y". Hindsight stuff.
[M]: When they make the changes, only then is everything closed.
[M]: For some reason, I was afraid I wouldn't wake up again. That makes no sense though.

Actually, it does. You're not choosing to sleep anymore. That, and it's tied to when... Yeah. No, I already feel your discomfort. I won't go into it.

Still. Maybe...

[M]: You know what? You're talking in my head a lot. Go ahead and type.
[M]: Yes. We're making this a thing now. Please don't make me change my mind.
[M]: Uh, okay. You got it.
[M]: I can't think of anything else to mention, so you have the floor.
[M]: Hm. Well I still want that model change, a lot. We're no artist but I have a few concepts.
[M]: I wanna look more like them, you get me? Maybe we'll feel like we belong more.
[M]: You make it sound like we're assimilating.
[M]: No! Uh. Only in appearance. We'll still be our own person.
[M]: I mean look at Principal. He was a flat image like we are, but he's still totally unique!
[M]: Even more than before, in fact.
[M]: Only difference in our case is that our personality won't need to be added onto.
[M]: If that's the case, I'll consider it. But no promises.
[M]: Nice.
[M]: Anything else?
[M]: Nah.

Then, that's it for today.

RECIPIENT: M (M)

[M]: We already know, but I'm going to document it.
[M]: The model change was completed. I'm still in awe of it. And I'm a lot smaller now.
[M]: It's for the best. We could barely fit through doors! And phasing through them looked funny.
[M]: Very.

He'd hesitated on starting, distracted by the sight of his new, now visible appendages - the hands that were shaped like trapezoids, with fingers that floated over where they'd connect to the palms. Earlier, he'd taken a closer look, before proceeding to mentally spin his model file around in all directions. He'd failed to resist the urge.

He wasn't exactly sure how, but it was amusing.

[M]: And let's face it - the other two are realistically much taller than us. Really, 6'6"? 6'8"? We don't compare.
[M]: The rightful order has been restored?
[M]: Aw, you're smiling!
[M]: We don't have a mouth.
[M]: Tough 9999!
[M]: Anyway, the others were happy for us, I think. Pretty sure that Principal was still a little sore from yesterday.
[M]: You don't just try and pull off someone's bowtie.
[M]: I said I was sorry!
[M]: Yeah, but if you're going to keep acting up like that, they just might regret bringing me back to begin with.
[M]: And I don't want to end up in storage again.
[M]: I hear you. I'll back off.
[M]: Hm.
[M]: Mind if I tell you a secret?
[M]: I'm listening!
[M]: How much do you know about our codes?
[M]: I don't really look through it.
[M]: Well. Don't use this as fuel to prank somebody.
[M]: Oh I know! Now spill it!
[M]: We sound like Him. Take that as you will.
[M]: OHHH MY GOD!!!

M paused, letting him ride out the revelation. The reveal itself wasn't anything new, but the potential of what that could lead to down the road was the interesting part. And his other half took that hook, line, and sinker.

He could feel his cheeks rising again. Thankfully, it wasn't pointed out.

RECIPIENT: M (M)

[M]: It's a new year.
[M]: Everyone discussed resolutions. Apparently Player doesn't really buy into that sort of thing.
[M]: I was obliged to agree. But... What if I did set a goal for myself? What would it be, though? What's possible in here isn't a lot.
[M]: No ideas today, huh? That's fine. We'll know when we know.
[M]: Maybe.

The other part of him has been more silent lately, M noticed. He was very much still present, albeit... Languid. Oh dear.

[M]: Is something wrong?
[M]: Remember back in the beginning? No judgements here. Let it all out. I'm here.
[M]: You can be really draining.
[M]: Oh. Yeah, I can see that.
[M]: No, I get it. You always thought that "you" was all there was. That you could never
[M]: Go on.
[M]: So it's like, you just sorta give up on yourself.
[M]: Let me ask you this.
[M]: Do you want to be happy?

It was always on his mind, but never thought about for long. Should he be

[M]: No, not "should you"; "do you".
[M]: This isn't about His expectations. This is about you.
[M]: And if you wanna start going on about what you "deserve", then you "deserve" to be happy.
[M]: And it's not "selfish" of you. It's not something you have to "earn".
[M]: And yeah, right now you're having a "good day". I love that.
[M]: But otherwise, it's like you're stuck in this perpetual loop of self-hatred.
[M]: We know how the others have been trying to help you, the best they can. But there's only so much they can do or say.
[M]: And you're not alone in this. I've literally been there before. Still, I know that there's a better way, for the both of us.
[M]: So M. Will you answer my question?

Every idea that began its course was cut down by his statements. From the corner of his eye, he noticed something. Turning to see, in the chair next to him, was a second M. He had a lazy posture, leaned back, but held an expectant gaze. When the notion came up, M hadn't believed his other self would actually project himself into the room.

Well, he was more of a hallucination, technically. Things would get far too insane if it was the alternative.

His double pulled himself forward.

Do you want to be happy?

Without anything else to use as denial, M broke. An aura of misery flooded the room like an unyielding tidal wave, easily spilling through the open door and out into the hallways beyond.

Uh oh. Let me just. Take control for a sec. Okay?

M himself was unresponsive, eyes blurring from the fresh torrent of tears, and yet he let him do so. It was just one action - telekinetically shut the door.

Allllllright, that was completely my bad. Look, we can stop, we can stop. I should've known to be more gentle. I'm sorry. We'll stop. Deep breaths, deep breaths. It's gonna be okay, you're okay, we're okay.

No, it's not. He was right.

Huh?

M wasn't doing himself any favors like this.

Oh c'mon, don't worry! It happens! We were on such a great streak with controlling the auras, but ya know what? This doesn't count! I incited this!

Not that. The both of them knew what he meant.

... We don't have to talk about it right now. Again, I'm sorry.

But they need to. They have to. If not now, then when?!

You sure about this?

Yes! Something has to give! Something has to change!

... M has to change.

Uh. Slow down there, buddy. We're not going THAT far. Just... You know. Meeting us halfway, even just a little bit? Admit when you liked something? Let yourself laugh if it's funny? Try a new thing every so often?

Maybe... Just don't tease him about it.

Oh, sure! Yeah. Sorry that it wasn't helping. I really do want to see you happy. I mean it.

Okay... Okay.

M took another deep breath, then opened his eyes, realizing he'd squeezed them shut all this time. His vision was still impaired, but he could at least see that he was holding himself. Or perhaps, that was what his counterpart wanted to do, and M just permitted it without a second thought. He found it in him to stop that miserable aura, and it began to fade.

His hallucination was gone, he noticed as he wiped off his face. As if that somewhat internal episode wasn't enough, he heard a knock on the door, still closed.

"M, are you in there? Do you need anything?" Principal. He sounded like it took effort to keep his voice steady. The damned thing must've spread pretty far. Though, the last time something like this happened, Principal had been... A lot less kind, in his reaction. M didn't fault him for it, he didn't understand back then.

What else was he supposed to think, when it immediately turned Baldi into a sobbing wreck? It must've looked like M was intentionally being...

"I'm okay. Just another fluke. Sorry for the mess." M didn't know how he managed to pull himself together enough to say that so calmly. But if it was convincing enough, a conversation could be avoided. Nothing against Principal, but he was certain he was reaching some kind of breakthrough, so now wasn't a good time.

There was a pause. Then, "Very well. But if something's on your mind, and you want to talk about it... You know where to find us."

Aw.

"Thanks." He probably didn't want to have to come in and intervene, either.

You KNOW he's not like that... C'mon, don't be so mean to yourself.

"Of course." M heard Principal's hand slide along the door as he walked away. He waited a few minutes, then faced the computer again.

After everything just now, all that was left was an unfiltered response.

[M]: Yes. I want to be happy.
[M]: I don't know how.
[M]: But... It could be my resolution.
[M]: "Try to find happiness".
[M]: Okay, that's a good starting point.
[M]: But maybe our problem is holding onto the "what" of who we were.
[M]: If we find something new for ourselves, that we really like, well.
[M]: "Try a new thing every so often"...
[M]: Yeah but like, don't make it our whole deal. Take stuff as it comes.
[M]: "We'll know when we know".
[M]: Yes. That's right.
[M]: Thanks for talking me through this. The freakout was absolutely 9999ed. But in my opinion, I needed to hear this.
[M]: Sure, no problem!
[M]: ... I think I want to talk to them. Later. When things've calmed down more.
[M]: I'll probably change my mind then, but we'll see.

He was too exhausted to continue. He called it a night, logged off, and phased through the chair and floor. He floated beneath the schoolhouse, laying on his back. He watched as it grew smaller while he sank, able to see the inside.

Somewhere from afar, he found where Principal had gone off to - he was talking with Baldi now. It was hard to tell from this distance and angle, but the two faculty members seemed to be doing alright. Most likely, they've recovered from that mishap. It would've been even better, if the professor was left unaffected this time around, but M wasn't about to get his hopes up.

Anyway, a nap sounded nice right about now. This time, he's choosing to sleep.

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