Chapter Text
Sun claps his hands together happily, the resulting jungle causing the small group of children around him to giggle at the sound. It’s been a fairly slow day in the daycare as days go, and Sun is playing with a few of his charges while Moon quietly keeps an eye on the rest in the play structures through their proximity sensors. It’s a system they’ve all but perfected together.
It’s been a week since Star’s decommissioning, and while the daycare had to close the next morning in order to clean up the mess, they had it back up and running the next morning.
Sunny didn’t really know what he would do if the daycare wasn’t open, worrying about Star nearly 24/7 if he wasn’t with children (it was starting to drive Moon slightly insane). It was definitely for the best to get it fully functional as fast as possible.
“That sounds absolutely delightful, Lila, what a wonderful idea!” Sun exclaims, crouching down to boop the aforementioned child on the nose and earning a laugh. “I think a cartwheel competition is the perfect decision!”
“Thank ya, Mr. Sun!” The little girl rocks back on her feet with a huge smile, glowing at the praise, and Sun rounds the small group up, moving them towards a more padded area of the daycare.
“Of course! Now, who wants to go first?” He stops, straightening up to his full height and putting a hand underneath his head in consideration. The children shoot their hands in the air, choruses of “pick me!” ringing out as Sun hums.
“Hmmm,” he taps his faceplate, making a show of surveying the group. He points a long finger at Lila’s friend, who had been waiting patiently with a smile. “Jani! You go first!”
The little girl giggles and nods, letting go of Lila’s hand to take a position away from the group. She gives a little “hup!” before throwing herself forwards and doing an extremely lopsided cartwheel. She lands somehow on her feet, and gives a huge grin.
“I did it!”
Sun claps energetically with the other kids, his bells jingling wildly and his sunrays spinning around in happiness. “That was amazing!! How about you next, Kiran!” He turns to the little boy at his side. He smiles but shakes his head, tugging on Sun’s striped pants.
“I think you should go, Mr. Sun!” He exclaims, and Sun bows to him, more than happy to oblige.
“Of course! I should show you all how it’s done, after all,” Sun makes a show of cracking his non-existent knuckles and doing a small stretch before spinning in place, throwing his arms into the air. “Here I go! ”
He does a perfect cartwheel, using the strong springs of his endoskeleton to propel him into a flip, seeming to almost float in the air before landing with a flourish. “Ta-da!” He exclaims, bowing, and the group erupts into cheers and laughter.
“Why thank you, thank you,” Sun says, putting on a mock British accent as he shakes the hands of the little group, to many amused giggles. “I’m happy my show was exciting!”
-You should’ve fallen on purpose,- Moon comments, amused, and Sun mentally rolls his eyes. -The children never get to see how stupid looking you are when you fall. I think they deserve it,- he snarks, and Sun gets the distinct feeling of Moon digging around in their memory banks for something.
His question is quickly answered, as Moon pulls up a security recording of Sun getting tangled in the cables for the first time. -See?? I could watch this all day, it’s comedy gold. AFV quality, at least.-
What in the world is AFV? Sun shoots back, slightly distracted by the children continuing the competition.
-Oh, Sunny, you need to get on the internet more often. See some TikToks. Send some Tweets. It’ll be good for the soul,- Moon sends back with a hum.
Sun doesn’t know what TikTok is, and judging by his tone, probably doesn’t want to ever know, but he’s aware enough to know what Twitter is. He thinks, at least.
Moony, do you run a Twitter account? Sun sends back, thoroughly bemused, and Moon gives the impression of tilting his head suspiciously.
-Who’s askin?-
I’m asking, you oversized piece of styrofoam!
-Wow, that insult was incredibly creative for you, Sunny! Short answer, No, - Moon replies, shrugging. -Long answer, Vanessa leaves her phone unattended on the security desk far more than she should.-
Sun gasps out loud at that, crossing his arms. Moony!
-What?? Also, rude.- Moon scoffs, and Sun blinks, registering the weird looks the children are sending him at his outburst. The little boy Kiran just laughs, though, being enough of a regular to know when Sun is talking to Moon.
“Is Mr. Moondrop being mean, Sunny? Tell him I say hi!” He exclaims, and Sun crouches down to ruffle his dark hair, laughing.
“Nope, Kiran, Moony isn’t being mean. He just told me about something that surprised me,” Sun explains patiently, feeling Moon’s smug glee rise at the words. Sun’s eyes are milky white, and therefore, nobody can actually tell when he physically rolls them, but Moon knows, and that’s what counts.
A gentle chime goes off in the daycare, and Sun straightens up, ruffling Kiran’s hair again as he does so. “Speaking of, you’ll get to tell him yourself! It’s naptime!”
Sun does a fairly good job of rounding up all the children, showing the new kids where to grab their sleeping mats and blankets, and helping some of the younger ones choose pillows. Soon enough, everyone has chosen their respective spots in the area to lay down the little beds, and Sun skips over to the light switch.
“Everyone be good for Moony for me, okay? I’ll see you all when playtime is back!” Sun exclaims, before gently lowering the lights. Moon transitions smoothly to the front of their headspace, doing a small stretch out of habit and walking back to the group.
He takes his usual place in the center of the little area, perched precariously on some oversized blocks, his legs swinging slightly. He knows the quiet jingle of the bells helps some children to sleep, on good days.
Most days, Sun has done a wonderful job of tuckering the children out, and they often fall asleep without much effort on Moon’s part to make them do so. Some days, though, Moon is asked to read a story, or sing a lullaby.
As he recognizes little Lila pad her way to him in the dim light, he leaps lightly off of the blocks, thinking idly that it might be one of those days.
“Little sun, what keeps you up?” Moon says softly, kneeling and taking the girl into his arms as she stares up with wide eyes full of wonder. The blue glow of his optics illuminates her small smile.
“Will you sing to us, Moony? Pleasee? ” She begs quietly, a few of the other children nearby voicing their agreement as Moon gives a soft chuckle.
“Of course I will, Lila. Lay down for me.” He instructs, and Lila dutifully follows his request, laying her sleep mat directly in front of the animatronic and flopping down with wide eyes full of anticipation. Moon laughs again, combing a hand through her long hair and thinking about which lullaby he should sing.
-Oo, oo! You should do the one about dinosaurs!- Sun pipes up, and Moon resists the urge to shake his head.
Sunny, just because you say that every time doesn’t mean I’m any closer to writing a lullaby about dinosaurs, he sends back with a smile, the resulting pout entirely expected.
-Maybe you should! I’d stop asking,- Sun retaliates, and Moon rolls his eyes fondly, deciding instead on a classic, an iteration of Star Light, Star Bright Moon had added many lyrics to.
-Hah. I knew you were sentimental somewhere in that cold machine heart of yours,- Sun teases at his choice of song, and Moon doesn’t reply, only sending back a pulse of happy warmth as he begins the song.
It doesn’t take very long at all for all the children to be fast asleep, even little Lila, who had done her very best to stay awake for the entire thing. Moon just tucks her blanket closer to her form, retreating back onto his pile of blocks and crouching there.
Typically, he prefers to survey the sleeping daycare from a cable, hanging from the rafters and swimming around to make sure everyone’s alright. Sometimes, when the children are feeling extra merciless, they’ll tackle Moon to the ground and not let him go until he activates his internal heater and they all get to nap on him in one big pile. Sunny teases him relentlessly, but he rather enjoys the attention, sometimes.
Today, though, there weren’t enough children to justify swinging around— he can see them all perfectly fine from his position a few feet above the ground.
It gives him a wonderful view of the large wooden pickup doors that creak open after a few minutes, revealing a familiar woman who blinks, eyes adjusting to the low light. She waves Moon over, and he can’t help but internally smile, checking to make sure the children are resting before easily swinging over and landing in front of her with a flourish.
“Why, hello Miss Evergreen! What a lovely surprise!” He exclaims softly, bowing, and the mechanic laughs at his antics.
Kathy Evergreen had been making more trips to the daycare, recently, once she learned that Sun is usually left to his own devices during the night, during her shift. If she didn’t have anything pressing to do, she would come visit the daycare, and Moon would never be able to tell her how much it means to him that Sun gets more company than just him.
“Hi, Moon! I come bearing good news,” she grins, shoving her hands in her pockets. “Star is all ready to go, and I’m going to activate her tonight, as promised. I thought Sun might appreciate the heads-up for whatever party he’s been planning,” Kathy waves a hand, shrugging.
Moon claps his hands together happily, rocking back on his heels in excitement. “Thank you! Sunny says thank you, too. Quite a lot.” He adds, hearing Sun’s torrents of incomprehensible excited noises from within.
She smiles, and it’s so genuine, Moon doesn’t think he’ll ever get used to being the receiving end. “Of course! We’ve been working non-stop, so I’ll be excited to see her back in business. Oh, and there’s one more thing!” She exclaims, and Moon tilts his head curiously, putting his faceplate on his hands.
“What’s up?”
“Well, I’m extremely excited to announce,” she grins. “I’ve been promoted to your head mechanic!”
Moon blinks at her, not quite sure he heard her right. “Sorry?”
“Crazy, right!! Well, I’m yours and Star’s, but I’m the one you come to now whenever something is wrong! No more worryin’ about people in parts and services who can’t take care of you.” Kathy states kindly, and for once, Moon doesn’t really think before moving.
He captures her in a big hug, feeling her jump slightly but quickly relax into his padded arms. She laughs as Moon spins her around happily, depositing her back on the floor. “Oh, thank you thank you, Kathy! We don’t break often, but when we did, it was not fun,” he huffs, and Kathy pats his arm in understanding.
“I’m sure! I’ve seen how they treat S.T.A.F.F bots, I’m just excited to take care of you all! Alright, you two, meet me tonight at 12, and we’ll activate Star.” She states with a nod, and Moon does a lazy salute, nodding resolutely.
“You got it, boss-woman.”
“See you tonight!” Kathy gives them one last smile before waving and heading back towards the exit.
Moon watches her go, his mind absolutely buzzing as Sun’s excitement flows through their code, mixing with Moon’s and overall putting a skip in his step as he makes his way back towards the children.
He resumes his place at the block tower, and senses Lila stir from her sleep at the small noises of his bells. Moon crouches down again, watching the little girl rub her eyes and blink sleepily up at him.
“Who was that, Mr. Moon? You seem happy.” She mumbles, and Moon gently shushes her, drawing long fingers through her hair once again and watching her eyes close against their will.
“Nothing to worry about, little sun,” he mutters, giving a smile at her peaceful face. “Sun and I just learned we’re going to have a happy night.”
—-
For an animatronic, it would be hard to describe what she felt as her first protocols activate, as her processors switch online and the culmination of the work of many is suddenly brought to fruition.
One second she was not awake, and the next, she was.
For the second time ever in her short existence.
Her eyes snap open, quickly taking in a somewhat familiar face, giving her a distinct sense of animatronic deja-vu as Kathy Evergreen smiles above her.
“Welcome back to the world, Star!” Kathy grins, and Star blinks, taking in her surroundings and recognizing them as the interior of the same room she was activated in. She can feel her various processes slowly coming back online, and her memory catches up to her.
She shoots up, eyes wide as Kathy jumps back in surprise. “Oh my stars oh my stars, ” she breathes, bringing her hands to her face. “Where’s the kid? The child? What happened, is he okay ?”
“Whoa, Star,” a second familiar voice rings out, and her optics land on Moon who she didn’t notice before, moving from his place near the door to put a calming hand on her shoulder. “Gregory is fine, it was all taken care of.”
She breathes a sigh of relief, slumping back and shooting the startled mechanic an apologetic look. “I apologize Miss Evergreen. I was… unaware of the situation for a second.”
“It’s alright! I would be freaked out too, if I woke up after that,” she shrugs, waving the tool in her hands, and Star’s eyes widen again as she remembers.
That’s right. I was… I was scrap. She looks down at her hands with her head full of static, not quite sure how to process being alive after she was convinced she would never wake again. Much less with all my memories…
“How are you… doing?” Moon asks after a moment, fidgeting with his hands, the soft twinkling of the bells in response bringing her back to earth. She looks up at him.
“I’m… I’m okay, I think. Yeah. I’m okay,” she decides, nodding resolutely, and the relieved hunch of his shoulders is all she needs to really be okay. “I feel good, actually! Although, what happened while I was out?” She questions, realizing with slight alarm that it’s been a whole week since she was last online.
She wasn’t lying about feeling good, though, her endoskeleton free of wear, and her casing sparkling as if it were new. Moon shares a glance with the mechanic before tilting his head.
“What’s the last thing you remember?”
“Just being on the daycare floor,” Star replies easily, frowning. “Wait, you said Gregory. Who’s Gregory? The boy?”
Moon nods, his hat jingling at the motion. “The little boy’s name is Gregory, and there’s a lot to explain. But I promise he’s safe. We brought you here that night, and Kathy was able to fix you right up!” He states happily, and Star grins back, swinging her legs over the side of the table.
“I do seem to be good as new. Miss Evergreen, I can’t thank you enough!” Star turns to the blushing mechanic, and she waves her off, grinning.
“Aw, it’s really okay you two! It’s my job , after all. And please,” she turns to Star with a warm smile. “Call me Kathy!”
Star gives her a huge smile back, hopping off the table with a spring and giving the mechanic a small hug. Kathy wholeheartedly returns it, patting her head somewhat awkwardly, as Star is still a great deal taller than the human, but it was affectionate nonetheless.
She breaks the hug and turns to Moon, who rocks back on his heels and tucks his hands behind his back. Kathy lays a warm hand on her arm. “Now, if I’m not mistaken, Moon has a surprise for you.”
Star gasps. “A surprise! Really?” She exclaims, her mind buzzing excitedly with all the possibilities as Moon laughs, nodding.
“Really. And Sunny is getting impatient to see you, so we should get going,” he states with his ever-present smile, stepping out the door, and Star gives one last nod to Kathy before following him, an energetic spring in her step.
As they head towards the exit of Parts and Services together, Star turns to Moon with a small smile. “It’s so good to see you again, Moon. I can’t thank you enough for saving me.” She states, pouring as much gratefulness into the words as possible as Moon gives a wave and a shrug.
“It was no problem, really! You gave Sunny and I quite the scare. I’m just… happy to see you alive,” he admits with a chuckle, holding open the double doors for her. Star gives a silly little bow in response, giggling. “Sunny is absolutely dying to see you, but I’m glad I got some time too.”
If Star could blush, she would, but she settles for bumping into him with a teasing smile instead. “Awww, I’m happy I got to see you too! Speaking of Sunny, what’s this surprise? I’m assuming in the daycare?” She questions, and Moon winces, seeming to realize something.
“It is, and I just now realized that may not have been the best idea. Are you… okay with being in the daycare so soon?” He asks, somewhat hesitantly, and Star waves a hand with a scoff.
“Of course I am, especially if it’s for something Sun has planned! I’m so excited!” She exclaims, jumping a little as they walk, and Moon sighs in relief for the second time that night.
“Good. And listen, I know Sunny can be a lot, so if it’s overwhelming, just say something alright? I promise we’ll tone it down.” He states, and Star can’t help but feel a jolt of pure emotion , smiling as wide as her faceplate will allow. They care about me so much. I can’t wait to give Sunny the biggest hug ever! She thinks, knowing Moon despises physical contact, so she refrained from tackling him the moment she saw him.
“Can do!” She exclaims, bouncing every step as they get closer to the daycare entrance. After what seems like ages, they finally arrive at the rolling shutter door, and Moon waves her through with a small bow that earns a giggle.
She follows him a moment later, peering into the daycare as they go down the stairs and finding it curiously dark. Doesn’t Sun only turn the lights out if it's naptime? They’re usually on during the night, no?
“Hey, Moon? Why’re the lights out?” She questions curiously, but Moon just turns to her, putting a finger in front of his mouth and leaping the rest of the way onto the ground floor with a flip. Star claps happily, enjoying his antics as he does a few more bows, eventually stopping the pair in front of the large wooden doors to the daycare.
“Now, stay here for a moment, alright? It was so good to see you,” Moon nods, hesitating for a second before wrapping her in a quick hug.
Star is too startled to return it before he pulls away, but she grins instead, nodding happily. “It was good to see you too, Moony.”
Moon does a happy little wave before opening the doors and skipping into the darkness of the daycare, where he disappears. Star is left in silence for a moment, and she rocks back on her heels, messing with her tailcoat.
A second later, the daycare is illuminated with light, and the small “pop” of a confetti cannon nearby makes her jump, showering her startled form in confetti. Sun is standing in the doors, his arms open wide, with the Glamrocks standing behind him, all wearing matching smiles, also being covered in the confetti slowly floating from the sky.
“ Surprise, Star!” Sun exclaims, and Star runs to him, letting herself be picked up and spun around in an energetic hug. Sun deposits her back on the ground, and if Star could be crying with happiness, she would be as the animatronic does a happy spin. “Welcome back! Woo-hoo! Oh, it’s so so so good to see you!”
“Yeah! It’s nice to see you’re not scrap anymore!” Montgomery gator speaks up, and Star glances at him with a smile, laughing as his tail swipes across the ground in happy motions.
“Hi, Monty!” She waves, and the gator waves back, Roxy and Chica arm in arm next to him.
“It’s so good to see you’re okay!” Chica exclaims happily, leaning over Roxy’s shoulder to blow a kiss in her direction. Roxy nods in agreement.
“For sure. You gave us a scare, tour guide,” she teases, winking, and Star can feel her internal fans start to whirr at the rising heat. She’s not used to all this attention, but she certainly doesn’t mind!! I mean, the Glamrocks are here!! For Me!! I can’t believe it!
“It’s a pleasure to meet your acquaintance again, Sparkling Star.” Freddy’s voice rings out politely, and Star turns to him, freezing as she spots the child sitting in his arms, staring at her with shy eyes full of guilt.
It seems like for a moment, all of her processes freeze up, and she can barely think past the surprise of seeing the boy here, again, carried by Freddy as if it was normal.
He’s— he killed me, he’s not… he looked happy, he— her train of thought crashes as Sun places a grounding hand on her arm, and she looks up at him with wide, lost eyes, not sure where to go from here. Sun just squeezes her arm slightly, comfortingly, moving closer before giving her a nod, as if assuring her everything’s gonna be alright.
“Star, meet Gregory,” Sun states softly, gesturing to the boy shyly peeking his head out of the lead animatronic’s arms. “Gregory… lives with us.”
Star blinks up at Sun before smashing her fears into the depths of her hard drives and meeting the child’s gaze head-on. I don’t care if he killed me, he’s still just… a kid. He doesn’t deserve my anger.
“Hi, Gregory.” Star states, her voice coming out softer than she’d like, but with Sun at her side, she’s slowly gaining back the confidence to send him a kind smile. “It’s nice to meet you.”
Everyone seems to look between the pair with bated breath as Gregory slowly uncurls himself from Freddy’s arms, giving her a look she can’t quite read. “It’s nice to meet you, too,” he states, matching her softer tone. “I’m… so sorry for killing you.”
Star can’t help but flinch, but she nods in understanding as Sun keeps his hand on her arm. It was grounding, comforting. I know he had a reason, and I’m sure I’ll understand soon.
“I forgive you, Gregory,” Star states, and Gregory visibly perks up at her words, seeming incredibly surprised. “I understand I probably scared you.”
Gregory blinks at her before smiling, giving a small, happy laugh only a child can make. “It’s okay ! Hey, I'm the one apologizing here!” He grins, and Star can’t help but return the smile, truly unable to stay bitter at a child for long.
Must be something in my programming, she muses, feeling more at ease by the minute as the rest of the Glamrocks give a chuckle. Sun joins in and brushes his arm against hers, and she smiles , the tension broken by laughter, causing her to truly relax in the presence of friends.
The Glamrocks are quickly drawn into a conversation by the little human, and Star takes the moment to look up at Sun with a grateful smile. “Thanks for dragging them all here, Sunny. I really appreciate the effort.” She grins, and Sun’s rays spin in happiness.
“Of course, dear Star! Everyone was so worried, I had to plan something to make sure they knew you’re okay! And, well,” he looks at Gregory, laughing with the others. “I wanted Sunlight to be able to apologize as soon as possible. He really does regret it.”
Star follows his gaze, nodding. “I’m sure he does. There’s a lot you all have to explain to me,” she states, elbowing Sun’s chest in a teasing manner, but hard enough to make him rub at the spot slightly in apprehension. They did all lie to her, after all.
“I deserved that!”
“Mhm!” She exclaims happily, rocking on her heels. “You did. But , it’s all overshadowed by this wonderful party,” Star grins, and Sun seems to shine with the praise, straightening up and clapping his hands together.
“Good! I’m just so happy you’re back.” He states softly, and Star just smiles back, wholeheartedly agreeing with the celestial animatronic. “Nights in the daycare certainly aren’t the same without you.”
“I’m happy to be back. I’m… I’m excited to get to know Gregory.” She replies, matching his softer tone, and Sun squeezes her shoulder.
“I know you two will get along wonderfully! But don’t push yourself, okay? He’ll be able to wait until you’re ready.” He states fondly, and Star nods, a wave of sheer appreciation crashing over her at her friend’s thoughtfulness. They care about me, they really do.
“Thank you, Sun. Thank you so much. For everything.” Star sighs happily, and Sun wraps her in another gentle hug, one Star is easily able to return.
“Of course, Sparkling Star! It’s all up from here!” He laughs, and Star grins along with him, thinking that for once , his optimism may be right.
“Yeah, Sunny. It’s all up from here.”