Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Sven quickly pulled a screw from the desk drawer, learning closer to see the gash. One of his bots had wandered off, leaving him with this unfortunate display. Wires seemed to be coming out of every corner, and he was sure this would take a while. “ What happened, my dear? “ Sven asked, raising a tissue to wipe the tears off the bot’s face. “ I went into the room- over there- “ They said through sniffles, pointing at a door with the ‘ Staff Only ‘ sign. “ There were a bunch of tools- a-and I remember falling- I’m so sorry I went in there! “ They belted, ugly crying into the cloth Sven had handed them. “ No- no, it’s okay! I’m just happy you’re not too injured. “ He shushed softly, taking the cloth and throwing it to the trash.

…

Sven smiled brightly as the final screw was bored into the metal. He grabbed another close-by cloth and wrapped it around the bot’s arm. He looked up just to be met by the closed eyes of Mars. chuckling it off he picked the small bot in his arms to bring them to a nearby charging station, swiftly connecting the port to a spot on the bot’s back. Sven dusted himself off and walked back to his room. When he had reached his closet and tossed his coat, belt, gloves, and boots off, and finally Shutting off the lights and heading to bed. 

…

A firm thump was heard in the corner of Sven’s room, immediately making Sven perk his head and flip on the bedside lamp. “ Augh.. “ Sven tried to focus his tired eyes on the figure, suddenly making out the uncomfortably familiar figure standing in front of him. “ Fucking christ.. “ Nao groaned, feeling the impact of the past fall. “ Why are you here? How are you here? “ Sven grumbled. “ How else would I be here.. I placed a portal in your room, don’t think too hard, might hurt yourself. “ Nao snapped back. “ You have a portal in my room.. ? “ Sven said, his tone reflecting disbelief and confusion. “ S-Scratch that.. Why are you here? “ He asked, sitting up fully in bed.

 “ Well, I’ve been meaning to ask you for something.. A small something. “ Nao said, walking closer to Sven. “ I want to.. I want to borrow one of your blueprints. “ Nao stammered out. “ What for? I thought you make your own? “ Sven asked. “ Unless.. “ Svens thoughts clicked. “ You need my help with them? “ Sven asked softly, teasingly to Nao. “ No. It doesn’t matter why I need them. Do you have copies or not? “ Nao asked, his tone clearly reflecting frustration. “ Will you let me get some sleep if I hand you them? “ Sven asked, his tone still lingering with tease. “ Absolutely. “ Nao responded eagerly. 

…

“ Could we hurry this up, I don’t have all night. “ Nao impatiently tapped his foot. “ It’ll only take a little longer.. “ Sven said, his back ached as he dug through several papers, his only form of stability being his knee. “ Ah.. here we are. “ Sven said, holding up a cardboard box, overflowing with papers. “ Here, you didn’t specify what kind you wanted so just take the whole box, I don’t need most of it anyway. “ Nao looked down at the box, lifting the lid and thankfully seeing what he had hoped. Several robotic blueprints and layouts were held in. “ You're welcome. Now, I better head off to bed. Busy day ahead of me. “ Sven said, walking straight past Nao.

…

Sven arose from bed and quickly got ready. He had scheduled for a maintenance check on his bots. His first maintenance check would be for Mars, the one lying injured on the inspection room floor. Sven quickly pulled out the port, and the robot started to stir. “ Good morning, my dear. “ Sven softly said, waiting for them to gain full consciousness before overwhelming them with words or touch. “ Huh? Good morning-.. “ They said, yawning and stretching their arms above their heads. “ Father.. “ They finished. “ It’s maintenance day, take as much time as you need to get ready. I’ll be getting the tools set. “ Sven said, walking to the table and taking out the t***b*x, setting tools in order while stealing glances at Mars, nagging if they were ready yet.

 Sven caught an annoyance stirring within him. He quickly shook it off, his mind circling with words of patience as he took deep breaths. The longer Mars took to fully awaken and prepare the harsher and depth of Sven’s breath had gotten. “ Are you finished yet?! “ Sven flinched at his own words, noticing his tone and volume. “ Sorry.. Are you done yet? “ Sven asked, softening his tone and glancing towards Mars. Mars looked confused at Sven’s past tone, their eyes seemingly begging for explanation of Sven’s irregular behavior. “ Yes.. “ Mars quietly said. “ Perfect. Hop onto the table for me please. “ Sven stepped back for Mars to reach the table.

…

Sven fell onto his bed and looked at his alarm clock. 11:02 pm. It was awfully late for Sven’s usual down time. Even with that fact, he couldn’t find a sign of rest on his conscious as he stared up at the ceiling, his mind circulated with thoughts about today. Had something happen yesterday to make him so irritable today? Well, obviously, Nao, but that couldn’t really be that impactful? Could it? Sven turned and twisted until he ended up with his face pushed into his pillow, and yet, his thoughts hadn’t ended. Maybe it was just the interruption of sleep that got to him today. It couldn’t have been because of Nao. Sven roughly pushed the pillow closer into his face, wanting to possibly silence these thoughts in any way possible.

 Soon he would’ve fallen asleep, at 1:19 am, thankfully not suffocating himself beforehand. 

…

Sven’s alarm blared as he groggily woke up, he swiftly shut off the alarm and stretched briefly before grabbing some items and heading towards his desk. As he got to the doorway he flipped the lights on and sat at his desk. Pulling out pen and paper, and tapping his pen against the table. He had planned this before, a letter to ask the people at FazBear for more supplies, as the last maintenance check had to be done solely on Sven’s budget. But as his foot and pen tapped he couldn’t find the proper words for his proposal. His core only kept down an overwhelming amount of irritation. What for? He wasn’t sure. A headache swarmed him instantly, he put a hand on his forehead and breathed heavily.

 The heat within his mind and body lingering, near making him sweat. Sven groaned quietly and stood up from his desk, his vision went blurry and his mind swirling in a haze. He quickly walked to his bed, instantly shoving his face in the pillow and groaned. 

…

Sven impatiently tapped his foot as he waited for Nao. He scheduled for Nao to show up, explain these mood swings, explain what the blueprints were for, explain what happened that night, explain everything. As Sven stayed in his thoughts, a loud thump was heard. “ I need to place that portal somewhere else. “ Nao said, dusting himself off. “ What happened that night? “ Sven asked, giving Nao no time to stir. “ That night.. As in when I borrowed some blueprints? What about it? “ Nao questioned. “ Yes. I want to know if you had done something extra, or wrong, or.. If something happened. “ Sven stammered. “ I’ve been acting more irritable and having these headaches, I just want to know if you have something to do with it. “ Sven said, lowering and steading his tone.

 Nao’s eyes widened and his shoulders stooped. “ It worked.. ? It worked! “ Nao said, his volume rising. “ Well, that’s perfect! “ Nao shouted, earning Sven a look of confusion and anger. “ What’s perfect? How is this perfect to you? “ Sven demanded. “ This means it works on humans, brilliant. “ Nao remarked, not noticing Sven’s voice. “ What? .. “ Sven went silent. Nao had mentioned the viruses before, but Sven didn’t think they could work. “ I see.. Well, how would we go about removing it? “ Sven asked, trying to stay calm while looking up at Nao. “ Ah, that.. Right. “ Nao looked nervously to the side. “ I haven’t made up any way to fix it.. “ Nao quietly said, his eyes bouncing to everything besides Sven.

 “ So you’re telling me there’s no way of fixing this. “ Sven said firmly, looking up in disbelief. “ I never said there wasn’t a way, I just said I don’t have a definitive way. “ Nao corrected, his tone still cocky and dismissive. “ So.. There is a way to get rid of this, but I’m guessing you couldn’t be pissed to find it. “ Sven said, gritting his teeth. “ I never suggested that either, I will find something to do, so calm down. It’s just not going to be immediate. “ Nao defended. “ So when will it be?! “ Sven yelled, his patience holding on by a thread. “ Like I said, I’m not sure. It’s not even that big a deal, so you're going to be a little angry and have headaches, what’s the problem? “ Nao said.

 “ I hurt my child recently, that’s what makes it a big deal! “ Sven shouted, the size of his actions making him feel lightheaded, like he was going to drop to the floor at any second. “ Alright, alright! I’ll give myself one week to complete it. No distractions, just making a fix for it. Does that finally make you happy? “ Nao sarcastically asked, waving his hands in front of himself. “ One week... I’ll be waiting for one week, maximum. “ Sven said, slowly raising his hand to negotiate with Nao. “ Yes. One week. “ Nao said, raising his hand to meet with Svens in a firm handshake. 

…

It had been two days since their little conversation, and Sven only sat in bed for the time being. Thinking constantly about the virus, the cure, and if Nao would even hold up to the deadline. A slippery one, he was. He has great intelligence, sadly he doesn’t always use it the best. Sven turned over on his back, as a past headache had faded, leaving him a bit more comfortable, at last. 

…

Nao sat at his desk, his stare boring into the paper in front of him. He never had to work on a human, he didn’t think the virus would work in the first place. He should’ve known that Sven wouldn’t just find a way to ignore it. This would take forever.. And take his focus away from technology. Nao minded was plagued with a storm of noise and contradictions. Why was he even doing this? For Sven? Really? What has he done for the Creator Council? Tuck his tail between his legs and never follow our instructions? Disgusting, his behavior was. But.. He could be treated. Nao just needed to put some pressure, or stakes on their plan. If the virus had worked on him, that proves he could be controlled the same way.

…

Four days. It was four days of the virus affecting Sven. It had become.. Manageable. He just needed to take breaks from talking when he got overly angry, and the headaches were becoming more of a background noise in his head. He was able to work normally, as before. He still had thoughts about how Nao was doing on the fix, now and again. He had explained what was going on to his bots, and thankfully they forgave him. And now he calmly sat at his desk, raising his coffee and feeling the warm sweetness spread down his throat. Staring at the small trinket in front of him. The engineers of FazBear were asked to do small, practice items. No one else did it, for one, they had to buy it themselves, and second, it was seen as a waste of time from other work.

 Sven liked doing it though. It was calming, especially when Sven’s days were always full and busy. 

…

Seventh day. Nao paced back and forth in his laboratory. Waiting for the alarm to sound so he can be as soon to their meeting as possible. He wasn’t sure how he would go about telling Sven he didn’t have a cure, and frankly, that he didn’t want to find it. The alarmed blared and Nao immediately bolted to the portal. 

…

“ I don’t have a cure. “ Nao said confidently, keeping his head raised and his voice firm. “ What.. ? “ Sven said quietly, his shoulders drooping low and his smile falling. “ I thought we had agreed on this- I thought you were- “ “ Listen, I have a plan for this. Just stay calm. “ Nao swiftly cut him off. “ You’ve been.. Okay to the council, so far. But don’t think that we haven’t noticed your behavior. “ Nao said, Sven’s eyes reflected his confusion and hurt like a clear glass window. “ Avoiding us, avoiding plans, always late on deadlines.. I could go on. And this virus.. It acts as a remedy for all of that. Perfect, isn’t it? “ Nao said, almost as a whisper. “ You.. You’re doing this over the council? “ Sven shakily said.

 “ Please, don’t act like this is shocking. You’d really think the council would let you just keep on with your defiance? Trust me, after a while, the virus will have made your life better, easier, even. “ Nao said, placing a hand on Sven’s shoulder. Sven tried to push it off but Nao was stronger. “ Just think about all the work you’d catch up on. With less things to carry you down, it would be glorious. For the both of us. “ Nao coaxed, leaning closer to Sven. “ You don’t.. You couldn’t mean that, right? “ Sven said, starting to tear up, besides knowing the answer. Nao ignored his words and walked back to the portal. “ I’ll see you in three days, I believe you’re due for a higher dosage. “ Nao said, walking through the portal.

 Sven quickly walked to the opening, but he knew he wouldn’t make it. Even if he had, there wasn’t a way to change Nao’s mind. And there wasn’t a chance in hell he could physically affect him. Tears dropped from his eyes as he collapsed to the soft cushion floor. He curled up on the floor, his eyes burning, eventually being ended by finally falling into rest. 

…

Nao arrived back in his lab, already filling a vial with more of the virus. Nao couldn’t stop thinking about their interaction, his brilliant plan, the pathetic look on Sven’s face.. It was all so amazing. Tears looked unbelievably good on Sven. Nao felt a sensation of pride, and maybe arousal at seeing Sven like that. Pain was the best teacher, and Sven had to learn. 

…

Sven woke up with a blanket placed on top of him, and Mars close next to him. “ Father! “ Mars cheered. “ What happened? Are you alright? “ Mars asked whilst Sven slowly picked his head up. “ Yes, yes, I’m fine. Just.. Got a little extra tired last night, my dear. Nothing’s wrong. “ Sven said, ruffling Mars hair.

Chapter Text

  “ Okay.. “ Mars' voice lowered.

…

Sven had his face pushed into his pillow, ‘ Higher dosage ‘ ‘ Three days ‘ .. Sven felt conflicted. How would Nao accomplish that? And more importantly, how could Sven avoid that? He knew he couldn’t hurt Nao, there’s no stopping Nao with his plan, and Nao would know when Sven was stalling for time.. He could tell someone, but then he would fear Nao hurting, or more realistically, killing the poor someone. Only one option remained. 

…

“ Can I visit.. It’s only for about.. five days. “ Sven asked. “ What for? “ Felix questioned, Sven never asked to visit him. “ It’s.. I just miss you sometimes. It’s getting boring around here. “ Sven said, keeping a believable amount of woe in his voice. “ I.. I guess you can? Not too much of a problem.. I suppose. “ Felix said, swiftly hanging up the phone. Sven’s arm dropped and he let out a breath of relief. He hoped this would at least let him gain some time before Nao would be back. Sven looked longingly at his bedroom window, praying to any possible entity there might be for everything to be alright, he felt like a child once again, praying to a mystery god.

…

Two wires connected with a spark, leaving a smile on Nao’s face. He had finished the repair on one of his test bots, the ones he put through hell in heavy military equipment. He felt so free, so content. His plan had come into full provision. The bots seemed to all be in order, and he’d have a new assistant in a few days. His- No, the council’s future was brighter than ever. Nao looked over to find his newly repaired bot already up and running. Gave him a shot of pride through his core. He never felt more powerful in his whole existence.

…

Sven knocked on Felix’s door, glancing at the nearby flowers growing around the hedge. Felix opened the door and gave a slight smile at Sven’s appearance. “ I haven’t seen you in a while. “ Felix said nervously. Beckering Sven inside . Sven placed down his bags and laid back on Felix’s couch. “ So.. Why did you come here again? “ Felix asked, walking across from Sven and getting a coffee cup from the counter. “ Just- felt kinda home sick, you know? Well, I guess it’s not homesickness.. I missed you, that’s all. “ Sven said, cracking a slight smile to Felix. “ I missed you too. “ Felix snickered slightly. Sven looked back down and wore a frown once again. “ Yes.. I miss those college days. Everything is so busy now. “ Sven sighed.

 “ Well, it’s nice to see you again. “ Felix said, sitting next to Sven and putting his hand over his shoulder. “ I can’t remember the last time I had some peace and quiet from life. “ Sven said. Felix's expression turned to perplexed, he never heard Sven complain about anything, no matter how bad things seemed. “ I-.. Yeah. “ Felix said, shrugging it off for another day. “ Why don’t you get settled in? I have a guest bedroom first left to the hall. We’ll talk afterwards, alright? “ Felix said, patting Sven on the back and pointing him to the hall. “ Thank you, Felix. “ Sven said, picking up his bags and walking to the guest bedroom. 

…

Nao packed the vial of essence and beelined for his portal. He fell to the cushioned floor with a loud thump, as he picked up his head he found himself disappointed and slightly amused to find the room empty. As he looked around he couldn’t help but to crack a smirk at Sven’s little getaway plan, it was pathetic and adorable, but it wasn’t very smart. Exactly how Sven was. 

…

Sven felt the cold breeze of air against his face as he opened the bedroom window, it felt nice. It felt free. Felix was off at work and Sven was left at 10:26 pm, on the third day since the incident. It felt hopeless, if this hadn’t worked what else could he possibly do? The only thing he thought to do was sweet-talk, Nao may have thought he was past human consciousness, but he was no god. He would still be affected by praise, it would still sway him, especially with his fragile ego and.. Infatuation with himself. It’s a shock how someone that gets so hot and bothered looking at himself is allowed in the council, almost comical. Sven tucked himself in his sheets, covering himself with the warmth of the weighted blanket. 

…

Nao trekked to Felix’s front door, his heavy boots echoing on the concrete deck. He tried to keep quiet as much as possible, don’t want his future assistant running away, at least not yet. He fiddled with the door, using a lock picker he had kept in his pocket. When the door opened, Nao swiftly walked in through the door, slowly closing it to avoid noise. He held the vial close to his hip as he walked to the first door he saw.

…

Sven heard his door creak open and the small whisper of a swear, presumably because of the noise. Sven’s heart raced. Sure, he had thought about what he might’ve done in this situation, but that hadn’t made it less nerve-racking. Nao’s heavy footsteps echoed through the room, each step making Sven panic and his head fog. He quickly closed his eyes and prayed this would all pass by smoothly. Nao swiftly put his hands around Sven’s chest, and pulled him towards himself. Sven's voice was quickly muffled by Nao moving his hands up to Sven’s mouth. “ I knew you weren’t asleep. “ Nao said, quietly chuckling to himself. Sven gasped for air when Nao had finally removed his hand.

 Nao stepped off the bed and pushed Sven to the floor. “ I’m not sure why you had thought to make this sorry excuse of an escape, but thankfully it has amused me. I’ll go easy on you, seeing how obviously clueless you are. “ Nao said, taking out a Schimmelbusch mask. He leaned down to push the mask on, and tried to push Sven to the wall with his free hand. But in the haze of squirming and struggle, Sven bit down onto Nao’s hand once he had been in a vulnerable position. Nao groaned and took out a bottle, swiftly swinging it across Sven’s face. Luckily, the bottle wasn’t made of glass or any fragile material. But the blunt, metal bottle still had injured him deeply.

 “ Oh my dear, why must you make me do these sorts of things… “ Nao said, cracking a smirk whilst taking advantage of the dizziness of the symptoms Sven had and pushed the mask to his face. 

…

Sven woke up in what looked like his laboratory, but it had felt unlike his lab. He could tell he was in another dimension, maybe it was the extra materials, or the unfamiliar bots roaming around, or the messiness of the space, but this couldn’t have been his. “ I see you’re finally awake, how did you sleep? “ Sven turned his head to the echoing noise to find Nao leaning against the upper rail of the lab. A sly smile covered his face. Sven sharply looked away. “ Why.. Why am I here? “ Sven asked quietly. “ Speak up.. “ Nao said teasingly. “ Why am I here? And not back at Felix’s house? “ Sven angrily shouted. “ I thought you said you would only heighten my dose, not take me away from my dimension! “ Sven yelled.

 “ I can see the dose is already working.. So angry already.. “ Nao purred. “ You really think I would just let you go back to your dimension? “ Nao laughed, stepping down the flight of stairs to get to Sven, who was tied to a chair at the bottom of the lab. “ Why not? It’s not like I find another person who knows about dimensional travel everyday. “ Sven grumbles. Nao scoffed. “ It’s still an issue- don’t argue with me! “ Nao shouted, stepping onto Sven’s foot and earning a yelp from Sven. “ That’s more like it. “ Nao said, giving Sven one last glance before walking to a desk and pulling a paper from the top. “ Since I have you under my influence, I’ve decided you will help me with various projects.. My main one being- “ Nao held the blueprint up.

 “ It would be nice to have someone at least a little closer to my intelligence around here. “ Nao snickered. “ Don’t you think you should knock it down a few inches, or.. Feet? “ Sven tried to hide a laugh. “ What? What are you talking about- “ Nao turned the paper towards himself, searching for anything wrong in the blueprint. “ I can see ‘ Nao-android A26 ‘ .. 7 feet tall? Really? You don’t even reach 5. “ Sven looked to the side, attempting to hide a chuckle. “ .. You talk a lot for someone who can easily be overpowered by robots right about now. “ Nao growled. “ I’d expect a little more complacency seeing your current situation. “ Nao said, pacing from side to side. Sven turned his head away from Nao and scoffed. 

…

Sven was left alone. Not completely, Nao’s bots had remained, spread out all throughout the lab. But if hadn’t felt like real company, not how Sven’s own had felt. They remained soulless, nameless, and only emotion being the code, and maybe a virus. Sven couldn’t imagine isolating himself like the other Creators seem to do. At least that one Creator, the one with an acolyte, seemed to give his robots some personality. He refused to say that he enjoyed any robotic company, which Sven couldn’t believe. He couldn’t believe that someone could not get attached to their own creation. They all felt like his children, which had went against the council, disappointingly.

 Nao walked in the room, an excited expression on his face and a box of what seemed to be scrap metal. “ I finally have enough material for another bot, and you’re going to help me with it. “ Nao said in a sing-songy voice, walking over to place the box on his desk. Sven looked down and held a conflicted expression on his face. “ I want to ask you something. “ Sven quietly said, looking to the side. “ God, what? “ Nao rolled his eyes dramatically. “ Does it ever get lonely without other people? Genuine question. “ Sven asked. “ No. Why would I want human filth around me? Even if I did crave company, I have the bots. But I would know better than to use them in such a childish way. “ Nao complained.

 “ What about the council? “ Sven tilted his head as Nao walked back towards him. “ That’s.. That’s clearly different. And I don’t crave company from the council, I crave glory from the council. “ Nao let out a low chuckle. “ Why? Think I have another intention with you? “ Nao asked. “ You- You know I didn’t mean it like that. “ Sven said. Nao snickered and paced around Sven’s chair, suddenly grabbing the backrest. “ It’s alright. I’m not gonna do anything like that.. Unless.. You’re asking me to. “ Nao paused for a second, before quickly switching the topic by whipping his head to the table that held the blueprints. “ So- uh- right the bot.. I decided to have you work on this, with my guidance obviously, but most of it will be done by you. “ Nao turned around to face Sven.

 “ And if you fail to complete the work, or resist, you will not be permitted food or water, got it? “ Nao said, carrying the blueprints to Sven. “ Take these. You start tomorrow. “ Nao said, turning away from Sven and walking back to his room. Sven looked at the blueprints, and back at Nao, confusion visible on his face.

 …

“ Here you are, this is where you will work on my projects. “ Nao said, pointing Sven to his desk, which had multiple papers messily scattered around and the box of scrap on top of it. “ I can see you weren’t expecting someone here.. “ Sven said. “ Ah, you’ll be alright with a little clutter. “ Nao mocked. “ I have the necessary tools and material for this project all in this room, if you need anything ask one of my bots. Work, dog. “ Nao said, shutting the door behind Sven and leaving through the hallway. Sven looked down at his material and tools, all of them were rusted or damaged. These must’ve been old tools, or maybe even trashed. Nothing he couldn’t do, but they sure would make it a challenge.

 He propped up one of the blueprints and tried to read the materials listed, but a headache had gotten in the way. He was able to ignore any other headaches since the dose was increased, either because he was too panicked by whatever Nao was making him go through, or because he wasn’t conscious long enough to feel it. But this one couldn’t be ignored with Nao or consciousness, he was just forced to bare with it. He could ask for ibuprofen? Nao did say he could ask the bots whatever he wanted. Sven called for one of the bots, asking them for Ibuprofen. “ We can’t permit anything ingestible currently. “ They said, walking away from Sven. He thumped his leg against the floor, sighing as he walked back to the room.

 As he walked through the door, a sting of pain spread in his mind, he couldn’t get anything done like this. 

…

The door clicked behind Sven. He pushed his hands to his head, trying to soften the ache. “ How much have you finished? “ Nao asked, placing a hand on Sven’s shoulder. “ I-I finished.. Gah.. The base, so far. “ Sven winced. “ Hm. I’ll let it slide for now, but next time, you’re doing more than that. Way more than that. “ Nao said, looking at Sven, he noticed the uncomfortable look in his position and the heaviness of his breath. “ What’s the problem now? “ Nao said, rolling his eyes. “ I’ve gotten an intense headache whilst you were gone.. I believe it must be a side effect of the virus. “ Sven slightly whined as he explained. “ Oh boo hoo I’ve handled star power with my bare hands. Anyways you’re joining me for dinner tonight so stiffen your lip and follow me. “ Nao said, giving Sven’s shoulder a pat and walking out to the room beside where Sven was.

 Sven stumbled around until he could reach the doorframe of the room Nao directed him to, he leaned against the frame and watched Nao for other directions. “ Sit down. “ Nao said, clearing a cluttered work desk and setting down two bowls of food. When Sven looked over to the food he saw that it was simple diced sausage and potato. “ Do you have a problem with something? Eat. “ Nao snapped. Sven shook his head. “ I thought I’d wait for you to sit. “ Sven replied. Nao’s expression fell soft, then to amused. “ Aw, isn’t that sweet? “ Nao teasingly said, sitting down across from Sven and grabbing the bowl in front of him. Sven followed his motion, and couldn’t help but notice the lack of seasoning in their meal.

Chapter Text

…

Sven sat at ‘his’ desk, looking down on his paper. The banging and loud crashes coming from the other room beside him continued to drive him mad. Nao said that the lab had sections, one divided for quiet work, and one for loud work. The ‘quiet’ sections were made for drawing blue prints and making robotic projects, and the ‘loud’ section was for robotic training, virus testing, and equipment testing. But Sven felt like they were far too close. Sven focused closely on his device, teetering with some barley one inch long screw. A shout shot through the air, making Sven flinch aggressively. The screw fell to the ground, and the screwdriver scratched the device from being swiftly swung down. Sven growled under his breath, placing the tools down, pulling up his boots, and marching down to Nao’s ‘loud’ section.

 He quickly realized the noise had been coming from, as he heard another shout, except this one was audible. “ Stop- Stop squirming! “ Nao shouted with a loud bang following. Sven quickly swung the door open, the scene Sven saw was a half tied down test bot that looked like those rollercoaster burlap sacks, and a blueish glitchy screen for where it seemed the face should be. Nao didn’t seem to notice Sven, he just focused on the bot in front of him. Sven coughed loudly, making Nao finally face him. “ Why are you here? Go back to the workshop! “ Nao said, pushing the robot down. “ Your shouting and banging around can be heard from space! I can’t focus on your project! “ Sven yelled. Nao walked up to Sven, his boots echoing off the concrete floor. “ Don’t shout at me again. “ Nao whispered to Sven. “ Be a good boy and march back to the workshop. I’m sure you’re strong enough to ignore some sound. “ Nao said, degradingly patting Sven on the back.

 Sven looked nervous, not with the confidence he had when he first stormed in the room. “ Please, Nao, just try to keep it down. “ Sven said, looking slightly down to the floor. “ I will make no such promises, now marche dog. “ Nao said, Sven puffed his chest out whilst walking, gaining Nao a chuckle as he watched Sven fake his confidence.

…

It was back to the makeshift ‘dinner table’ Nao set up in his own study. The day went by fine, Sven got enough work done for Nao to not ridicule him. Though Nao did point out the scratch made from the screwdriver. Now Sven ate the cold sandwich Nao gave him, for it was his only energy for constant work. But Nao hadn’t done it maliciously, he also sat eating the cold, sad sandwich. Clearly he didn’t care as much about taste as Sven. “ How was your day? I know the noise complaint earlier, but other than that. “ Nao quietly asked, facing Sven with a glint of interest in his eyes. “ My day was.. Fine? Why do you ask? “ Sven questioned, tilting his head as he looked forward to Nao. “ Just wanted to check.. “ Nao said, looking to the side. “ You’ve been more useful than I thought. And less defiant. You must enjoy it here. “ Nao said teasingly.

 “ Despite the yelling at me earlier, which I’ll write up as a virus effect, you’ve been very helpful. “ Nao said, waving his hand to the side. “ Thank you.. I suppose. “ Sven said quietly, sliding his eyes away from Nao uncomfortably. Nao looked at him in confusion and suspicion. 

…

Sven’s oxford shoes clacked against the hallway floor. Nao told him that when he finished his work, he would have to come through to the main laboratory. Nao said he had something for Sven, and that statement scared him thoroughly. What would Nao have for him? Would he be going back home, or would he be knocked unconscious? It was always a mixed bag when it came to Nao. Complimenting Sven to calling him a dog, it didn’t make sense. Sven made it to the balcony of the main laboratory, where Nao stood in front of him, his eyes glinting with an earnest expression. “ Ah, you’re finally here. “ Nao sighed. “ Why did you call me here? “ Sven asked, not even bothering to give Nao a proper response. “ No need for the feisty attitude.. “ Nao scoffed to the side, his words more teasing than truthful.

 He was glad the virus had such an effect on Sven , it just proved it worked. “ I brought you here to present you with a gift of sorts. “ Nao said. A gift? Why would Nao give him a gift? Nao walked forward to Sven and placed a remote in his hands. “ It works with voice commands, but I didn’t think you could handle that. “ Nao winked. “ I’ve made you a small assistant. It will help you with work and anything else. After I hand this to you, it’s all yours. “ Nao said, pushing a bot in front of Sven. Sven looked to the bot and back to Nao. “ I.. I see. “ Sven said, his eyes narrowing on the bot. “ What? Is there an issue? “ Nao asked, his expression reflecting confusion. “ No, no, it’s alright. “ Sven said, tears started welling up in his eyes. “ Well-.. Alright now. Scurry along back you two. “ Nao said, watching Sven walk weakly back to the workshop.

…

Nao placed down two bowls of thin tomato soup and a pieces of bread. Nao glanced up to Sven, noticing his tired and red eyes. “ So uhm.. How’s the assistant working out for you.. “ Nao asked nervously. He hadn’t seen Sven since he gifted him the bot. “ He’s doing fine. Thank you. “ Sven responded, hesitantly looking down at the soup in front of him. The days had seemed to have gone so slow, and yet, so fast at the same time. “ You know I can’t improve anything if you just sit and mope. “ Nao complained under his breath, rolling his eyes in the process. “ Sorry- Sorry I should explain further. “ Sven said, snapping out of his trance. “ He just-.. Reminds me of a son at home. “ Sven sighed, tears threatening to pour down his face. “ Hm. “ Nao remarked, he couldn’t come up with anything to possibly soothe Sven, even if he did he wouldn’t have used it.

 Sven was a dishonor to the council, to Nao himself. Nao wouldn’t waste his time trying to soothe him. After all, the bot was supposed to be a gift by itself, he didn’t owe Sven anything else. Sven and Nao finished up eating, as they stood in the doorway, Sven started to sniffle into his coat sleeve. “ I’ll see you later- “ Nao was swiftly cut off by a weight on his chest. “ I want to go home. “ Sven said, quietly sobbing into Nao’s chest, holding the cotton of Nao’s coat. “ Yeah, yeah, I can tell.. “ Nao said uncomfortably, holding his hands above Sven. They sat that way for a few more seconds before Sven sniffled one last time, followed by Nao pushing him off. “ Alright, alright, you’re getting fluid on my coat.. Filthy. “ Nao said, his face scrunching at the sight of dark stains on where Sven’s face had laid. “ Scurry off now. “ Nao waved Sven away, walking back to the ‘loud’ section and not looking back.

 Sven tiredly walked back to the workshop, collapsing as soon as he reached the corner of the room. He could barely keep his eyes open as he watched his assistant walk towards him. As soon as they reached Sven, his eyes fluttered shut.

…

Sven groggily opened his eyes, first noticing an unprecedented presence by his legs. He looked down to find his assistant curled up, almost like a feline, near his knees. It felt pleasant. Like when he was back home to his own bots. He hadn’t named the bot yet, he was reminded. He hadn’t even spoken to them yet. Sven nudged the bot awake, watching as it’s screen flickered on and began to stir. Sven hummed in response, cracking a slight smile towards the bot. “ Well hello. “ Sven said excitedly, holding out a hand to the confused bot. The bot rose to its feet, lacking a response to Sven. “ Are you alright? You haven’t answered me yet. “ Sven said with a concerned tone. The bot remained silent. Sven gave a slight nod. “ I see.. “ Sven said, shaking his head awake and heading for his work desk. “ Be a dear and fetch me that screwdriver over there. “ Sven said, pointing to an astray screwdriver.

 Sven reached out his hand for the bot to place it, in which he did. “ I never gave you a name.. How about.. Hycean? “ Sven tilted his head towards the bot. 

…

Nao sat in his study, thinking about what to do next. The bots were coming along fine, and Sven wasn’t as bad as he thought. There was one virus that didn’t seem to work though. It didn’t affect the bots as he had hoped, and it wasn’t cheap to make. It took too much time and resources that could go towards other parts of his cause. There was one vessel he hadn’t tried though. 

…

Nao cracked the door open, noticing Sven talking with the gifted bot. It pained Nao that Sven was talking instead of working, but he couldn’t complain about that until it stunted his work progress. Nao gently swung the door fully open. “ I’m reviewing your work. “ Nao densely said, trying to push away any extra conversation or questions. Sven went silent as Nao walked in, ordering the bot to sit in the corner, where Sven had set up a pallet. “ Not so talkative, whatever could be the reason. “ Nao whispered to himself, examining the half done device on the desk. “ Well done. Say, why don’t you take a break? For now, at least. You go to the main floor and wait for me there. “ Nao said. Sven raised an eyebrow in confusion, but complied. He walked to the main floor, confusion still plastered on his face and body language. “ Great. “ Nao said, turning to the bot, or Hycean, after Sven wasn’t near. 

…

Loud footsteps filled the main floor as Nao walked to Sven, causing Sven to immediately turn his head near the sound. “ Hello again. “ Nao said, placing a hand on Sven’s shoulder, Sven thought about pushing it off but went against it. “ I’ve been keeping you waiting long enough, How about a short walk outdoors for a break? “ Nao asked. Sven looked up and nervously smiled. “ That sounds pleasant enough. “ Sven said in almost whisper. “ Good, cause that was your only option. “ Nao said, walking towards the building's exit. As Sven looked up into the sky, he realized he hadn’t seen the outdoors in a while. Even when he was in his own dimension, he still kept himself indoors. The last time he saw any sign of nature was when he resided with Felix. How was Felix handling Sven’s disappearance? Dear god, Sven hoped to see him again.

 Would Felix be looking for him? Was he looking for him? Felix must’ve been worried sick. Nao glanced at Sven, noticing his disassociated look. “ What? Is there a problem? “ Nao asked, his boots clicking against the ground. “ Yes, yes, I’m fine. “ Sven said, looking to the side. Nao hummed, not amused by Sven’s words. “ I see. “ Nao mumbled. “ .. I’ve been wondering about something though. “ Sven said, looking up to Nao’s eyes. It was ridiculous that he had to look up when talking to someone his exact height. Nao and those damn boots. “ Will I.. Will I see my own dimension any time soon? “ Sven asked. Nao looked down at him, and honestly, he wasn’t sure. That night he took him out of his dimension, Nao originally planned just to intensify the virus, but out of a random urge, he took Sven back to his dimension.

 He had told himself he would return Sven after a bit, just scare him enough to work for the council, but Nao wasn’t sure if he would up to this point. It felt free to have someone close to his intelligence around. Nao sighed. “ I’m.. I’m not sure when. “ Nao admitted, looking down at his feet for a second. “ I guess it depends on when you start pulling weight in the council. “ Nao said, striding forward. Sven tried to seem shocked, but he didn’t have the energy to express it as such. 

…

Nao stretched his hands above his head, a soft groan falling from his mouth. “ Well, dinner might take awhile since I didn’t have time to make it beforehand.. “ Nao said, walking back to his study. Sven stared in the distance for a second, before heading to the workshop. Sven looked down at his assistant, noticing the still stature of the bot. Sven investigated for a second, looking for signs of damage dealt to the bot. Nao still couldn’t be trusted by Sven. Hell no. And Sven wasn’t going to let him damage or take the only thing that he owned, at least for now. After finding no defined scratch, dent, or gash, Sven decided everything was fine. He heard the door click behind him, Nao appearing in his view. “ Dinner’s ready. “ Nao said, returning back to his study. Sven walked through the hall, his head pointing to the floor.

 Nao placed down two plates of scrambled eggs, immediately turning his head towards Sven as he walked through the door. Sven looked down at the plate in front of him, his nose scrunching slightly. “ What? “ Nao asked, hitting the ketchup bottle in hand. “ I like mine fried. “ Sven said with a sigh. “ That’s too bad.. Next time you can make your own dinner. “ Nao said, mixing his eggs obnoxiously loud, his fork scratching against the plate. Sven ate the eggs in a small portion, half not liking the flavour, and half wanting to defy Nao. 

…

“ Oh and, before you leave.. “ Nao turned to face Sven. “ Come to me if your assistant starts acting odd. “ Nao said, smirking before Sven left for the workshop. Sven ignored his words, only being able to focus on sleep. The walk and crying had tired him out hard. Sven immediately laid down on his pallet, sighing as he fell into rest. 

…

Sven arose from the pallet, tucking the blankets back in place and heading to his desk. As he looked at the nearly finished project, a feeling of pride spread throughout his chest. He might have not known, and to be honest, not want or know what it would be used for, but it still felt like an accomplishment to him. Sven looked at the blueprints, ‘lag screws’ . Sven reached for the specific screw, but quickly noticed the empty container. “ Of course. “ Sven sighed, walking down the hall to ask for more screws. Sven knew he couldn’t ask his assistant, as they still wouldn’t arise from their position. As soon as Sven arrived where the bots usually were, he noticed that they weren’t around the area like usual. Sven shook hi s head and walked back to the only place he could think of to ask.