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He hated it here.
Hated fleeing away from killer animatronics that promised him safety—only to stomp towards him and gnash their plastic maws; hated the way that Vanessa stalked him, promising him that he would be in great trouble if he managed to get caught. Hated being hunted by some maddened lady dressed in a rabbit suit—and ultimately, hated feeling anxious all the time underneath the PizzaPlex's roof, with uncertain terror running through his veins, forcing him to delve into the shadows and make his feet go forth.
He just wanted to rest.
There was a devilish part of Gregory that hissed silently that he didn't care if he got caught. The sensation of stress was once foreign to Gregory. But ever since he ended up stuck inside this place, the tension began to infect him—sucking at his spirit, nearly driving him to distressed tears. There were multiple times he felt the beginnings of an ache in his throat, accompanied by the stinging in the corners of his eyes. He was grateful for Freddy's presence. Grateful that the Glamrock animatronic was there to rid of the growing shadows of doubt, to replace it with hope—albeit it was flimsy. Gregory heard the high pitched voice of the mechanical construct that roamed Superstar Daycare, and he looked up to see the being, dressed in what some court jester would wear in the medieval period, dive head first into the large ball pit he slid into via the slide entrance.
Gregory felt his pulse thrum within him, heart pounding like a drum. The young boy wasn't sure if this "Sunnydrop" was friendly, but at this moment, Gregory did not want to find out. Trepidation worming its way inside him, Gregory took the chance to quickly scamper through the pit, vibrant-colored balls flying to and fro as he pawed at them—trying to get out and away. Before he could, however, he felt cold and slender steel hands wrap around both of the underside of his arms, the sun-faced animatronic lifting him up effortlessly into the air.
"Hell—o! A new friend! You're sure up late, are we having a slumber party? Where are all of your friends?!"
Gregory, eyes wide with shocked panic, instantly began to writhe and struggle under the construct's firm grip. So much so, that he winced at the bruising pain that began to develop from those fingers of Sunnydrop. "A—Ah, ow! Please! You're hurting me!"
In an instant, Gregory felt his feet touch the ground, causing him to stumble on his small feet. Gritting his teeth and wincing, he brought his arms together to try to soothe the throbbing sensation in his arms. He could nearly see the white indents on his skin caused by the animatronic when he inspected them. He felt the hovering presence of Sunnydrop above, excluding fitful apologies.
"Oh my, please forgive me! I did not mean to—I—I thought I was being as gentle as I could be! Oh dear, oh dear.. I—"
Gregory swallowed. The shrieking of Sunnydrop didn't stop. If anything, from his nonexistent answer to Sunnydrop's apology only caused the animatronic to become more hysterical. Gregory watched mutely as the mechanical robot kneeled down before him, raising a few reluctant hands towards him. The steel palms remained a few respectful inches away, but the boy still flinched. Before he knew it, a hiccuping sob left the obviously terrified boy. It was a pitiful sound, a noise that instantly silenced the insistent ramblings of Sunnydrop.
A sniffle. Almost as if a tidal wave of nothing but fright, sorrow, stress all building up into an extreme pressure and suddenly cracking—Gregory wrapped his arms around himself, making him look so small. So defenseless. He was already vulnerable, but choosing to succumb to tears and cower before the worried animatronic truly heightened the sight of the hurting child.
"..I—.. I hurt you." Sunnydrop observed shallowly, voicebox crackling with some indistinct emotion no robotic creature was capable of expressing.
"It's.. it's fine," Gregory said in between quiet sobs. "I want Freddy back. I—I want to get out of here."
"No, it's not fine! Come on, can you get up? There is a first aid station near here and I can get you right to it!" Sunnydrop said, gently inviting a hand out forth towards the young boy.
Gregory took one look at hand, then up towards the ever-grinning face of Sunnydrop. He reluctantly took the cool palm, hearing the jingle of the bell wrapped around Sunnydrop's wrist that hefted him up gently. Rubbing away his tears, Gregory heard the animatronic offer to carry him, but when Gregory took more time than needed to answer, Sunnydrop made the choice for him. Thin arms kindly making sure to be slow and measured as they wrapped around the kid, Gregory felt himself relax against the embrace of the animatronic, despite it being a little bit uncomfortable. This was probably the very first time he had been held like this in a while.
Gregory enjoyed it. He was found solace in Sunnydrop's arms that carried him delicately across the ballpit. Wiping away his tears and taking in a trembling breath, Gregory hugged the animatronic back, saying, "T—Thank you,"
"Of course! I like your hugs, by the way! They feel very warm!" Sunnydrop hummed, with a little jubilant bounce in his step.
He giggled through a soft sniffle.
It wasn't long until Sunnydrop had found the promised first aid station within the Daycare. Gingerly hefting Gregory down, the animatronic rummaged through a few storage kits, neatly organizing away supplies that weren't necessary—and inspecting some items that could be.
"I'm fine now. Really, I am. I just.." Gregory said after a few short moments.
"I hurt a child in my own vicinity. I hurt you. I am determined to make you feel better, by any means necessary!" Sunnydrop insisted, perking up and turning to look down at Gregory.
"I'm okay, see? I'm just.. scared. That's all," The boy said, his tone just a bare whisper. "But still. Thank you."
"Scared. I see. There is no need to fret, for all is well here in the Superstar Daycare. As long as the lights remain on. Now, would ice be sufficient?"
Gregory quirked a brow. "I'm fine. Seriously."
"Then if ice won't do, how about another hug?"
"That's.. fine. I guess," Gregory said, before he let out out a grunt when he felt the animatronic kneel down to engulf the young boy into a tight hug. Gregory wrapped his arms around Sunnydrop too, letting himself melt into the Sunnydrop's benevolent caresses. It was a different feeling to be gifted, but it was one that the child instantly found comforting refuge in.