Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Your morning started off on possibly the rudest note.  

You should have known it was coming, but every month, you dreaded and hoped it wouldn’t come.  Dreaded since you knew you’d be worried if mother nature was late for her visit after having such punctual timing these past few years.  Hoping since her being late meant putting off the cramps, the bloating, the fever, the everything involved with having a uterus currently tearing itself apart in a hissy fit because you dared to not get knocked up again.   

Another cramp punctuated that thought almost spitefully. 

You knew you needed to move.  You need to get up and do the usual maintenance: check the sheets for blood that would need cleaning, change your underwear, choose your absorption method this round, pop some Midol, and then hop right back in bed and hope the painkillers kick in. 

Despite the laundry list of tasks, it still took you a couple minutes more before finally you drug yourself out of bed. 

Squinting in the dim lighting provided by your tv, you couldn’t see any dark spots and even when you reached up, pulling the metal chain of your ceiling fan light, nothing.  Your sheets were saved.  “One less thing to clean,” you mumbled groggily.  

Checking the clock, you saw it was only 5:30 in the morning.  “The sun isn’t even up yet,” you griped, mentally counting how many hours you had actually managed to sleep before mother nature barged in.

You’d been sent home earlier than normal.  You’d apparently already hit your eighty hours for the week and Fazbear Entertainment wasn’t looking to pay you, or anyone for that matter if they could help it, overtime. 

It had been the night guard who informed you last night to be out of the building and off the clock by midnight sharp.  You would have given her lip about it if she didn’t show you the email as well. 

Weird, your direct supervisor didn’t communicate it to you directly.

“Oh, they had an emergency and told me to pass on the message,” Vanessa had explained.

Still felt weird, but you did as you were told. 

Chica, Freddy, and surprisingly, the big DJ had been disappointed you were leaving early.  

Monty and Roxy didn’t make a fuss.  You weren’t particularly close with either, so brief respectful nods sufficed.  

The goodbye with Sunny was just as drawn out and dramatic as every other week, but for some reason, it felt they were less playing it up this time and genuinely distressed that you were leaving early.  

You didn’t see Moon anywhere before leaving.  The puppet had been standoffish and distant lately; while before, he was a menace at any opportunity.  You’d blindly said your little “See ya, Moonie” to the open mall and then ducked out.  You had a time limit and a week off to start.  

“What a way to start it…” you mumbled and dug out a fresh “nightgown” – an oversized tee.

You made your way out of your bedroom and into your bathroom.  Tossing your tee on the counter, you got started on autopilot.  Your old tee and underwear now sat in the sink, soaking in warm water and hydrogen peroxide.  You’d scrubbed, but soaking would keep them from staining until you could throw them in the wash.  You’d had two pills left and vowed to pick up more later. 

A hot shower did wonders on your aches and cramps, and it was oddly therapeutic to watch the blood wash away until the water was running clear.  Your eyes were drooping already. 

It was a struggle to leave the hot water; begrudgingly, you shut off the shower and toweled off before struggling to pull the Depends you kept for your first heavier nights up your damp legs and hips.  Some people turned their nose up at wearing a "diaper," but you loved being able to sleep how you wished and not worry about ruining your sheets or underwear.

Tugging your shirt over your head, you drained the sink, wrung out the old and tossed them into the washer along with a load that needed washing.  You were close to falling asleep standing as you spare a moment to make sure the top loader didn't start walking before finally bee-lining to your bedroom and right back in bed. 

You were out before your head could hit the pillow.

Your phone buzzed against the wood of your nightstand. A single short buzz that gradually escalated to a furious vibration and then finally, your ringtone started up.  Face scrunching, you nuzzled deeper into your pillow and tugged your blanket up higher. 

You refused to deal with anything. This was your day and you planned to sleep through most of the hell your uterus had planned for you.  

Eventually, the buzzing and ringing stopped.  Bless.

Just as you started to slip into sleep’s waiting arms again, you heard the buzzing start again and cursed under your breath.   Grumbling, you fumbled for the device and dragged it over, glaring at the dimmed screen.  The word "WORK" stared right back at you and your eyes flicked up to the time: 9:36 AM.  Why were they calling you so early?  The mall didn’t even open until 10… wait, you were off, so opening times didn’t matter one bit.  

You had half a mind to just let it ring, maybe even swipe down and hang up, but… “Gods damn it…” you mumbled, swiping up and moving the phone up to your ear, “Yes?”  Your voice wasn’t anywhere near professional, clipped and tired.  

“This was gonna be the last time I tried calling.  If you’d held out just a bit longer,” the director’s voice taunted you through the speaker.  All you managed in reply was a half assed raspberry and he chuckled, “Fine, fine, big wigs wanted me to ask you to come in today.”  

What? 

“What?” you didn’t mean for your tone to sound biting, but you couldn’t believe the audacity you were hearing.  “Didn’t they just send my ass home for hitting my eighty hours?” 

Silence answered you and you wondered if you had scared him off. 

Finally, he hummed, “So, that’s why your timecard says you clocked out midnight.  Was wondering about that…”  

More confusion swirled in your head and you rolled onto your back.  Vanessa had said she was told by him to tell you to clock out early.  

She lied.  The damn night guard lied, and you had no clue why.  

Now, the question was do you tell or not?  Employees have been dropping like flies lately and though your position as the mechatronic engineer had more security… swallowing your pride and unease, you told your side of the story.  It was embarrassing as an employee with seniority to be tricked like this.

Miracles do happen though.  

The director and you have known each other for much longer than Vanessa has been around. He may not have fired you or disciplined you officially on paper, but he definitely gave you the work dad talks or work dad talks.  He even promised he was telling your old, retired supervisor –work grandpa– about this.  

Neither of them was going to let you live this down. 

“Whyyyyyyy…. Have mercy.  I’m miserable enough as is,” you griped and he just laughed.

His laugh ended on a sobering note though, “About Vanessa… I’ll have it taken care of.”

You could sense he wanted to say more, but most likely HIPAA and privacy protections restricted what he could share. 

“Just know from now on, any communications for work will be directly to you.  Either by call, text, email, or in person,” he assured.

“Thank you. Now, back to why you called,” you diverted the conversation back on track.

“Ah, yes,” he perked up, “We need you to come in today.  Early as well.”  You could hear the cringe in his voice that he failed to disguise. 

“Why?” 

Just what had happened during the few hours since you’d clocked out?  

One of the best parts of your job was the week on-week off schedule, but the tradeoff was working eighty plus hours during that single week, third shift.  Which meant long hours as is… let alone being expected to come in early and on your day off at that. 

You could hear the director fussing with something before he finally spoke, “There was… an incident in the daycare.” 

The day just started for them.  How could something have happened already?

“Someone get hurt?” 

The daycare had its fair share of complaints recently, ranging from the Moon animatronic giving an increasing number of kids nightmares lately to the Sun animatronic being overbearing and traumatizing in their own way.  Not that there weren’t complaints before, just those were mostly about the general design of the two being… unnerving to some.  That had mostly been resolved by removing their facial mobility and separating them into two bodies.

“No, no, no one was hurt,” the director assured before correcting himself, “No humans were hurt anyway.”  Those words shot through you.  Something clenched in your throat and made it hard to breathe for a moment before you swallowed.

“So, Sun or Moon is damaged?  Malfunctioning?  Or is it the structures?  Machinery?” you rambled a bit, adjusting the pillow between your legs.  You hoped it was the machinery.  Just be the machinery.

 “Why couldn’t the technician coming in today take care of it?”  Or at least some of it. Was there even an attempt?  To be calling you in early meant there was possibly extensive damage to be dealt with.  Shit, were you going to have to put one of these guys back together?

“Let me talk and you’ll know,” he sassed.

You huffed, “My patience is just a wee bit thin considering my uterus is gutting itself at the moment.”  Not to mention, your mind was now plagued with possible scenarios of Sun and Moon in trouble. 

Silence greeted you before a little understanding, “Oh.”  

The director sighed on the other side and you could hear him humming, tapping, fidgeting before sighing once again, “Look, I’m just gonna send you everything in an email.  You should already receive the diagnostics and reports, but I’ll type what I know of the incident and the why’s.  You just get what sleep you can.  They want you here for…” He paused and you guessed he was checking for the time, “Noon.”  

You cringed.  That was a good seven hours earlier than your normal shift. You’d basically be working a double today. 

Pulling the phone from your ear, you checked the time and cringed once again: 10:01.  You’d need to get up now and get started on getting ready.  You didn’t want to work, but if Sun or Moon were hurt… damaged... they were calling you in, then it must be serious.  You really had a soft spot for those two. 

The director calling your name reminded you that you were on the phone and needed to respond.  “I’ll be there.  I’ll probably bitch and complain, but I’ll be there.”

“I expect no less,” the director laughed.  

Your goodbyes were kept short and he hung up first after a quick “hopefully you feel better.”

For a while, the phone just laid silent and cold against the side of your head.  You didn’t have the energy to move it and you were tempted to just fall asleep with it right there.  

“Hey…” Your phone buzzed, a cute little ding followed, “Set an alarm for 30 minutes from now.”  It buzzed once more then a voice spoke up to confirm the task was completed.

You knew sleep wouldn’t come.   Not with your head so full, but it felt nice to just lay there for a while.

Thirty minutes passed all too quickly.  

Some random cheerful song blared from your phone just in front of you where it had fallen off your face.  Blindly, you shut it off and took a moment to motivate yourself to move. Your cramps had dulled thanks to the painkillers in your system, but you could feel it, knowing they would come back with a vengeance later.  

“Remember to pick some more up,” you mumbled, chanting it two more times as you slipped out of bed and got ready for the day.

Teeth brushed and hair fixed, you pulled out your work uniform you hardly ever used.  For your night shift it wasn’t needed.  Your employee id, pass and lanyard sufficed, but considering you’d be there during daytime hours, you might as well look the part.  You figured the big wigs would want you to be on brand.

It wasn’t a horrible uniform.  Simple, starched overalls bearing the Pizzaplex’s logo and a pair of matching gloves.  You were allowed to wear what you wanted underneath, so long as it wasn’t anything offensive.  Laying it out along with a long sleeve that you didn’t mind getting messed up, you peeked at the clock and decided you didn’t need to put it on just yet.

Instead, you whipped up a bland breakfast–your nausea warned against too much of anything– and chilled in the living room, reading the reports, diagnostics, and emails the director and Fazbear Entertainment had sent.  

Good news, neither of the animatronics or machinery were completely destroyed, but there was some damage and possibly fried wiring.  

Sun needed some putting back together.  

“Those damned exposed wires, kept warning them about those,” you mumbled, looking at the pictures of the disconnected and frayed wires sticking out their neck.  You’d been wanting to hide those away and maybe now, you could without being fired for tampering.  The rest looked like lots of cleaning, reconnecting a few rays, fixing a busted LED, and… “How in the fuck did someone break their arm?”  

You stared in astonishment at the picture and notes on their detached arm.  Even their fingers were damaged.  You now understood why you were going in so early.  Sun’s hand articulation was nothing to scoff at.

Moon was in one piece, but it was reported he needed a check on his AI again.  Apparently, he was activated with the lights on on his own… 

“When the Sun was dealing with a parent who ‘lost his temper,’” you read aloud.  

It was like putting together puzzle pieces between the corporate sanitization of the story and the director’s efforts to be blunter, but still within company standards.  But you got the gist of what started it all… 

“Dumbass was drunk,” you mumbled, “that early in the morning.” 

Mention of the man’s stumbling and jumbled words, plus the director’s laughably detailed rant of his stench was enough to clue you in.  There was no mention of the police being called despite notes that the man was belligerent and quickly escalated to violence.  No mention of why. And the end of the report and the director’s email only specified that the child was taken home by the mother.  

The resolution was labeled “Classified.”   

You hummed thoughtfully around a spoonful of breakfast.  Your appetite wasn’t much to begin with, and it was abysmal at this point after everything you’ve skimmed over.

The animatronics were programmed to be unable to harm guests. Meaning Sun had to either take the abuse or try to distance themself, but they’re a people pleaser, so they’d probably try to placate the man.  Did that mean Moon activated to protect Sun?  Or was he already on before that? 

What really stuck out to you was…

“How did a drunk human manage that much damage…?”

It didn’t seem possible.  Maybe the guy was on something else or ridiculously jacked.  There weren't any pictures of the man to go off of.

You continued to ponder over everything while finishing getting ready.  Trading your Depends for supposed leak proof underwear and a reusable pad.  You shoved a few more of your Luna pads in your backpack, along with a couple water bottles and a light snack.  You pulled on something stretchy and comfortable to accommodate for any bloating, a tank top and lastly, your long sleeve and overalls.  Comfy tennis and socks on, you slung your backpack over your shoulder, grabbed your keys, phone and wallet, and dipped out the door.   

Time to get to work.

The Pizza Plex was bustling, the parking lot filled to the brim, and a line of guests waiting to enter stretched along the building when you arrived for your shift.  A stark contrast to what you were used to seeing upon arrival.  

Cutting your wheel, you made your way around the building and to the small employee parking lot outback.  You didn’t bother looking around to identify the cars parked around you.  You doubted you’d recognize any of them with the turnover rate for the customer service and hospitality positions.   

Pulling into an available spot, you checked the time and saw you had five minutes till noon.  For a moment, you just sat and breathed, repeating you were getting paid, you didn’t have to deal with customers, and you had no managers or supervisors breathing down your back.  Positives listed, you grabbed your bag, shut off your car and locked everything up before heading in.  

Holding your employee pass up to the electronic lock, it clicked and you pulled the door open.  You beelined for the time clock, sliding your id card and hitting in right as it displayed 12:00.  Technically, the company liked you to get here fifteen minutes early, but they didn’t like to pay you that fifteen minutes.  It was bullshit.  If you were here, you were getting paid for every minute.  

A quick trip to the office to grab your tablet, scanner, and earpiece, you were ready to get started.

 You dodged cleaning bots, took a map from the map bot that refused to take no for an answer, and flashed your pass at security bots on the way to Superstar Daycare. It was all second nature at this point.  

You weren’t surprised to find the daycare closed and shuttered.  

You debated opening the shutters to enter the lobby but settled on taking the employee entrance.  You’d stood for too long in front of the entrance and you could feel customers’ eyes on you.   Wouldn’t be long before someone tried to dig for “What happened” and “When will the daycare be open again?”  Those were questions for the managers and bots running around, plus you did not have the patience today.

Walking down the narrow stairway, you eventually came to another short hallway that connected onto the utility passages on the right and to the left, a slide away door.  Sliding the door aside, you stepped out into the daycare, a couple feet from the ball pit.  You didn’t bother closing the door for now as you were just here to look around and get an idea of what needed to be fixed.  

The usual daycare jingle was absent and it was odd not hearing Sunny laughing or being greeted by the towering animatronic.  The only light in the daycare came from observation windows where parents and guests could look in and the light switch nearby.  

According to the report you were given, Moon should be up and about still, refusing to shut off remotely and no one could get close enough to manually turn him off.  You couldn’t hear any giggling or muttering, or see any eyes watching you, so he most likely was hiding somewhere.

Walking to the security desk, you debated turning the lights on but ultimately decided against it.  You’d rather not give the patrons hope that the area was up and running just yet.  From what you could glean in the dim lighting, the janitors and assistants had at least cleaned.  

At the desk, you took the available flashlight from its charging station, testing the strength, before shining it around the daycare’s play area curiously.  No obvious damage stood out.  

Movement just outside the cone of light caught your eye, but with practiced ease, you didn’t flinch or try to follow it with your light.  Instead, you left from behind the security desk and started a more thorough check of the area the incident occurred in.  

If there had been damage to the flooring, furniture, or structures nearby, there was no evidence of it.  The only thing you saw needing repair was the company phone at the pickup/checkout desk.  “Right, the old fool threw a fit,” you mumbled, disconnecting the frayed and snapped wire.  Luckily, it was a simple fix, just needed a new cable and you were sure you had spares downstairs.   

You heard Moon before you saw him–a distinct whirring and clicking.  

“Finally decided to come out of hiding, Moo-” 

Turning, you expected to see the blue leds of his eyes watching you from afar, but instead, bright red stared you down and he was much closer than you originally suspected. Years of customer service and dealing with oddly quiet customers sneaking up on you was the only reason you didn’t jump or scream in surprise.  

You just stared back, mind slow to catch up with what you were looking at before finally, “Moonie?”

His faceplate spun then stuck cocked to the side as he leaned in close.  He still wasn’t talking.

You stayed still and let the animatronic do what he needed.  No sense provoking him considering you’d been asked to check him over for malfunctions.  The red LEDs were definitely in question, as was the intimidating demeanor.  

Nimble fingers pinched your badge and he moved his unnerving gaze from your face to the piece of plastic.  It took a moment, but almost like a switch had been flipped, his LEDs flickered back to a soft blue and his form seemed to sag, subtly trembling.  

Was it possible for an animatronic with an immobile face to look worried, anxious?  Why did they program an AI to be capable of anxiety anyway?  

“Ay, Moondrop, you o-” your question was cut off as long limbs wrapped around you and pulled you in close.  The ruffles around his neck tickled your nose and his face was pressed into your shoulder.  

Maybe the company should consider counseling or therapy for these guys… “Question answered,” you muttered, patting at the animatronic’s back.  Despite how many years you’ve worked with these guys, it still amazed you that they weren’t terribly uncomfortable or awkward to hug.    

“You’re here to help Sun.  To fix them, right?” he asked, voice just as raspy and soft as always.  

You nodded, “Yup, here to put Sunny back together.”   

He only shuddered in response, and you let him continue to hold on to you as you took that moment to subtly check the wires at the back of his head and neck.  Nothing was out of place and you shut off your flashlight, resigning to being a teddy bear.  “The reports said no one could get close to you,” your tone playful, “You can imagine how special I feel.”  

That finally got a chuckle out of him, but he wasn’t loosening his grip one bit.

Curiosity was pulling at your tongue.  You wanted to ask his side, their side.  You only knew what the company was willing to tell, to put down officially, and you’ve worked here long enough to develop some attachment to your animatronic coworkers.  

Human beings can bond with nearly anything given the chance and these robotic puppets were feats of AI, so close to human and yet not.  

You bit down your curiosity for now.  

You kept your voice low, “Moonie…”  You felt him perk at the nickname, but still refused to lift his face up, “In order to fix Sunny, you’re gonna have to let me go… or-” You felt his fingers flex at your sides.  You definitely had his undivided attention and interest, “You could come down to Parts and Repair with me?  You need a checkup as well, anyway.”  

It would save you from lugging a repair kit to the daycare.  

Moon was still a moment before you heard whirring and then a click.  His grip adjusted on you and this time, you yelped, arms wrapping around the puppet’s neck as he picked you up.  Stunned, you just held on as he carried you off effortlessly.  

Panic slowly built, automatically stressing over your weight, before realizing it was irrational in this scenario.  You’d looked over and worked on these guys enough to know what their weight limits were… and you were nowhere close to it.  You weren’t sure anyone was.

The sound of bells filling the void created by the empty, music-less daycare with each step he took until he came to a stop.  Before you could ask what was up or for him to put you down, you heard metal slide against metal above you.  Seconds later, a hook dipped past your vision, connecting onto the latch on Moon’s back, and then pulled taut.  

Oh shit-

“Wait, Mo-!!” Your plea was taken with the wind as the pulley system lifted the both of you into the air.  All you could do was cling to Moon for the short ride up to their balcony.  The automaton’s chest vibrating against your own as he let a few amused chuckles slip.  

The flight was only for a couple seconds, but that didn’t negate the fact that you felt like you’d left your stomach on the ground floor and you were scared what would happen when it caught up.  “P… please… warning next time…” you mumbled, clenching your teeth as you felt the pulley lower you two.  Your stomach flipped and you sucked in a breath, exhaling slowly to settle it.  You really didn’t want to make a mess or yourself to clean up.

A cool hand rubbed at your back placatingly, or was it pity?  Either way, it felt nice, especially when he pressed his fingers to the back of your neck.  Mercifully, he gave you a moment to recover once his feet were on the balcony floor.  Staying still and letting you breathe, rubbing circles along the nape of your neck.

Disappointingly, you had to stop him before he ended up soothing you into an impromptu nap.  You reached up and nudged his fingers away before flashing him a thumbs up, “All good, Moonie.”

Moon hummed.  He stared a few seconds longer, face plate tilted down to yours, and you had to look away.  He must have found what he was looking for since you two were moving again.  He carried you through the archway, turning and then down a couple steps, until you stood amongst the organized chaos that was their shared “room.”  

It was hard to see in the small space.  Moon’s eyes being the only source of light until he set you down and turned you around.  Soft light illuminated the room from behind you and you peeked up at the bot, he’d turned on his nightlight feature.  The moon on his face glowing along with every star on his nightcap and pants.  

He tilted his head and nodded towards something just in front of you.  Following his directions, you moved your gaze from Moon to…

“Oh…” 

The sight before you hadn’t been in the report.  

There was Sun.  Their eyes were dark, one looked busted, and rays tucked away, signaling they were powered down.  Their arm was missing as expected, but them being here in general was unexpected.  “I thought he was already in…”  you trailed off, moving closer to the animatronic leant against the far wall to inspect them closer.

Taking out your flashlight, you clicked it on and checked their shoulder joint.  It would need replacing. You eyed the hanging wires and hydraulic lines.  Sighing, you clicked your flashlight off and looked back to Moon.  

He was crouched behind you, practically caging you in, but his eyes were on Sun.  You could guess why Sunny wasn’t down in Parts and Services like you expected. 

“Moonie?” you tapped his knee and the puppet tilted his head down towards you, eyes flashing red for a moment.  You were definitely looking into what that was.  “Could you carry Sunny to Parts and Repair for me?”  

He was staring, not saying a word or moving.  While he had always been the quieter of the two, he was never this quiet and normally he would be moving, swaying, anything .  He was only this still when it was nap time for the children. Something else to look into.  

“I’ll meet you there, okay?  Just need to close up here,” you added before thinking it over, “How’s about this… you don’t have to come out until I’m there.”  

That seemed to seal the deal as he nodded and let you get up before picking up his counterpart.  You were already walking towards the doorway when Moon’s voice stopped you in your tracks. 

“Thank you…”  

You didn’t hear the rest of his mumbles and by time you turned around to ask him to repeat, he was gone.  You stared at the empty room thoughtfully.  It was touching that the unusually flighty animatronic was so trusting of you and you were blaming hormones that the whole thing was choking you up a bit. 

Humans really can pack bond with anything.

You’ve worked at the Fazbear’s Pizzaplex for years, most of which being on the night shift as a mechanic after graduating from tech with a degree in robotics and mathematics–technically mechatronic engineer, but that title seemed too big and carried too much weight. Before that, you had worked in the kitchens and after that, a daytime technician.  

You’d been lucky. The mechatronic engineer then, an elderly man looking to retire, noticed that he hadn’t been called to fix or patch anything in the semi-automated kitchen for a while.  

It had been a pleasant surprise to be approached by the man and asked if you had interests outside the kitchen.  Some chit chat and a week later, you were called into the Director’s office and officially offered a position as a tech and an apprenticeship.   It had come with a raise and a promised following raise once you graduated.  

Probably the best part of all those happenings was getting to meet and see the animatronics up close.  It had been a bit intimidating.  They were all larger than life and surprisingly human considering their AI, but that just made you eager to learn all the how’s, what’s, and why’s.  

Even better, your master, that old man, had been just as eager to teach you.  During that time, it was difficult not to get attached and friendly with most of the animatronics.  

You’d failed spectacularly.   Especially when it comes to the daycare attendants.  They were both the right amount of chaotic and balanced each other out.  

You chuckled, collecting your bag from the security desk and making your way back through the employee entrance.  Shutting the door behind you, you dug out your phone and opened your note app.  

Thinking back on Moon’s behavior, you typed up some short notes as you navigated the back utility hallways and passages. 

It was both fascinating and worrying that he activated outside his time slot and set parameters. Not only that, he stayed active and refused to shut down.  Hopefully, once Sun was fixed up, that problem would resolve itself, but… 

“They’ve both been acting strange the past few weeks…” you mumbled, reflecting on the complaints and even the little changes you had noticed.  

You hadn’t brought up or pushed for why Sun seemed more outright opposed to the periodic lights out at night, or even the notes from concerned daycare helpers saying they were scaring patrons sometimes right before naptime, sometimes even having tantrums.  

“Doesn’t help Moon’s situation…” you sighed.  

Corporate was antsy.  The director had come to you once before about the possibility of decommissioning the two if problems persisted and couldn’t be fixed.  

You had been stunned at how much that scared you.  

Even more stunned at your illogical and impulsive reaction at the time:  

“Don’t!  I’ll figure it out.”   

Your wandering thoughts brewed up stress and that stress was pushing a headache forward, your gut clenching in tandem.  It was like your body was threatening to remind you what time of the month it was early if you didn’t relax.  

Speaking of you should take a couple more Midol before getting started… 

You jolted from your reverie as you heard a familiar whirr and bells.  

Looking up from your phone, you saw you had made it to Parts and Services without even realizing it and Moon was crouched by the cylindrical “operating” room. His counterpart laid limply in his arms.  You blinked and the red you thought you saw in his eyes was replaced with soft blue. He was fidgeting, rocking, and that would normally be worrying for anyone else, but it was oddly comforting that he wasn’t deathly still.

Dropping your phone into the pocket on your overalls, you sent the animatronic what you hoped was a confident smile, “Well, let’s get started.”  

His faceplate bobbed in what you guessed was a nod.  

“Could you put Sun in the chair for me?” you gestured to the oversized seat in the small room. “I’m gonna start with a thorough check for any missed damage, fix their rays, their shoulder joint, and anything I find,” you informed the tall automaton.  

You weren’t obligated to tell him everything you were going to do, but you could see his grip on Sun easing, could hear his joints releasing tension.  It was worth it if it lessened the other’s anxiety.  

Plus, as a bonus, it helped you make a mental checklist. Positives!  Gotta stay positive.  

Your own worries knocked at the back of your mind as you walked to the storage lockers.  Running your hands over each door until you came to one you needed and took out your key, you unlocked the case.  Inside were enough spare parts to build a whole new Sun if you wished.  You only needed a few replacement rays, a new eye, a ball joint for their shoulder, and just in case, a new motherboard.  

The endoskeleton repair kit and tools were already in the operation room, so you took your armful and joined the twin animatronics.  You arranged everything on a metal rolling table and dug out the kit you needed, setting it with the parts you gathered.  “Thanks for the help, Moonie,” you spoke up, digging in your backpack that you had set down by a nearby wall.  

You only heard him hum, full of static, and you hummed in return.  Your search through your bag turned up empty and you remained crouched for a moment, mind swirling on why the bottle of Midol you needed was not in the pack as expected. 

“Something wrong, Moonshine?”  Your eyes darted to the left and blinked once you saw Moon’s face so close.  When had he gotten so close?  And how had you not heard him?  You must have tunnel hearing on top of tunnel vision today.  

“Nothing to worry about,” you assured and fished out your gloves, pulling them on.  He still hovered nearby, silent and buzzing.  “Seriously, I’m-”

A large palm laying over your forehead cut you off.  His palm moved to your cheeks and then your neck.  “You feel warm,” he stated. His eyes brightened and you assumed he just scanned for your temperature.

“Well, humans are warm-blooded,” you joked, reaching up and gently pushing his hands away.

If he could frown, he would, “Your temperature reads 99.3.  That is higher than your average.”  

“Oh, keeping track of my health, Moonie,” you teased, standing up and moving over to the operating chair.  

You heard his bells ring as he stood as well.  

“Really, I’ll be fine.  It’s nothing I haven’t dealt with before.”  

You could hear static behind you. 

“It’s nice to hear you talking again.”  

The static stopped and instead you heard a brief release of steam then the puppet’s weight was leant against you.  It reminded you just how heavy these two were and considering your strength was dampened even more today, you were even more thankful for Moon’s help getting Sun down here. 

He never did reply.  

The animatronic settled against you like a metal cape while you got to work.  He would hand you tools and parts as needed, making himself useful.  Periodically, he would check your temperature and grumble about how it was getting higher.  

Things were going smoothly.  

Thankfully, Sunny’s endoskeleton was intact and undamaged, except for the shoulder and missing arm.  From what you could tell, there was nothing sticky or corrosive on them anywhere, no more damaged wires or hydraulic lines except for the ones on affected areas.  You moved with trained expertise and your returning cramps only fueled you to focus more, keep busy.  

Ignore it.  Work through it.

Hours later, Sun was ready to be charged up and powered on.  

Their arm was still missing.  The robotic limb sat on a workbench on the other side of the room.  Their arm and fingers alone would take a few hours to repair.  

Since you had fixed their shoulder and socket, there was no harm in waking them up.  It was a simple procedure to attach their arm once it was completely fixed later.  Plus, you figured Moon would appreciate his twin being up and about.  

“You need a charge as well, Moon?” you offered once you finished hooking Sun up to charge up the old-fashioned way through a plug and port.  You held a second cord to the animatronic still mimicking a koala on your back.  

He hummed thoughtfully before finally taking it and plugging himself in.   

Yeah, you had a feeling he wasn’t about to leave Sun’s side to find a charging station. 

You could feel your body trying to slow down.  The aches growing harder to ignore with nothing to distract you.  Breathing in deeply, you exhaled slowly to ease the sharp sting in your pelvis. 

Patting Moon’s arm to get his attention, you hoped you looked better than you felt, “I’ve gotta take care of something real quick.  Keep an eye on Sunny while I’m gone.”  

Moon didn’t question what you needed to do, but you could tell he wanted to.  His faceplate spinning before freezing cocked to the side then righting.  He released you and you beelined to your backpack.  

You fished out a new pad, tucking it in your overall pocket, and grabbed the small bag meant for your soiled one.  You probably looked like you were running away with how you speed walked out the room and down the halls to the nearest bathroom to take care of your business. 

The universe was at least kind enough to leave you in peace.  No managers or supervisors stopping you to talk or get an update.  You doubted your “filter” would work today to keep you from saying something less than company approved if they tried micromanaging you.   

Back in the operation room, you put the sealed bag away and then dug out your lunch.  You figured you could eat half now while you worked on Sun’s arm.  

Well, that was the plan anyway until…

“Stubborn thing,” Moon grumbled above you, tipping your head up and pressing his palms to your cheeks once again.  The silicon was cool and felt amazing on your flushed skin.  

“Take a break,” he ordered, “Now.”  

His tone left little room for argument, but you didn’t want to sit around doing nothing.  That meant all you could think about was the pain your body was in for.  

As if sensing your oncoming excuses, he moved his hands lower to your armpits and scooped you up.  He was grumbling the entire time as he carried you like a doll away from the operating chair and back over by your backpack.  He didn’t give you any choice as he plopped down, back against the wall, and then settled you in his lap, one arm across your waist to keep you in place.  

“Rest,” he repeated, urging you to lean back against his chest.

“But Sunny’s arm…” you frowned at the animatronic who just grumbled static.

“Do I need to put you in time out, Moonshine?” he threatened, and you couldn’t help smiling despite the threat.  

He was starting to sound like himself. 

“Nah, I’ll be good, Mr. Moon.” Static answered you. For some reason, he didn’t like when you specifically called him that. 

You didn’t have the energy to put up a real fight anyway.  

Leaning back against him, you unwrapped your sandwich and took a bite, chewing slowly.  You were hesitant to swallow with your stomach still churning.

“Moon…?” you piped up after you summoned the courage to swallow your mouthful. 

He hummed.  

You drummed your fingers thoughtfully against the remaining plastic wrap on your sandwich. You were still curious.  You wanted to know the details of what happened.  How had some drunkard managed to deal that much damage to Sunny? Why was the resolution classified?  What did Moon do? 

“Will…” you took a breath and swallowed to ease your throat as your single bite threatened to come back up.  You must have made some distressed noise or movement because you could hear the animatronic’s garbled panic before something fluffy and soft was tugged over your head, stopping just above your nostrils.  

Your world was dark and for a moment you panicked, one hand releasing your lunch to reach up and grab at the slip.  Your fingers met soft faux fur and cotton– Moon’s nightcap?  

Chilly digits wrapped around the back of your neck and you wondered if this was how your life was going to end.  You weren’t nearly as panicked as you thought you would be over that detail. 

But your neck wasn’t snapped.  Your air supply wasn’t cut off.  

The hold was gentle, but firm.  

“Breathe,” he instructed, “Slow, slooooow.” 

Reflexively, you swallowed and inhaled.  The first, too fast for your company and he corrected you.  For something that didn’t need to breathe, he was an excellent guide as he whispered, “In… 1… 2… 3… Hold… and out… 1… 2… 3…”  

Again and again until you were following the pattern on your own.  

Tension eased from your muscles and your mind cleared.  

You could now appreciate his cool palm that was still pressed firmly against the back of your neck.  “That makes more sense now,” you whispered, chuckling to yourself as you remembered the old trick to get rid of nausea, or at least ease it in this case.  

“Stupid, stubborn,” Moon was grumbling, “stubborn, stubborn, stubborn.”  Was he stuck? “You should be home.  Why do you humans insist on working when you’re obviously not well?” he hissed right next to your ear.

You couldn’t help laughing.  Carefully, mind you, since your abdomen still ached.  

“Long answer would take a whole academic journal,” you answered the exasperated puppet, “Short is that we have bills to pay and corporate believes we should be working unless we’re dying.  They only give us breaks and days off cause law requires it.”    

Whirring then a few clicks followed your explanation before, “Idiotic.”  

He said nothing else, and you hoped he wouldn’t repeat your words.  Didn’t need the company or stickler parents thinking you were teaching the animatronics to be anti-capitalist.  You kinda were… technicalities.

Moon was moving you again.  Gently easing you down and back as he slouched further against the wall himself.  

Your fingers gripped at your sandwich like it was a lifeline until he started humming.  

This new unfurled position put less pressure on your stomach, eyes closed behind the nightcap blocking out light, and his cool hand on the back of your neck was like a cold compress, chasing the nausea away temporarily.  You melted against him with a sigh.  

His execution could use work, but… 

“Thanks, Moonie…” you murmured, resuming taking small bites and eating slowly.  

“Welcome, Moonshine.”

By the time you remembered what you were going to ask the animatronic earlier, you had finished half your sandwich successfully and the tell-tale sound of Sunny starting up filled the small space.  

Moon’s limbs tensed around you.  His body jerked before freezing as you guessed he remembered he was holding onto you still.  

“I’m finished eating,” you informed the bot.  

That got him moving again.  What was left of your sandwich was plucked out your hands and you could hear the plastic wrap crinkling as he fiddled with it.  His static filled curses and frustrated growls had you giggling.

“Having trouble?” you teased, not bothering to take off the nightcap to confirm.

If you did, you would have seen Moon’s long, nimble fingers struggling to rewrap your leftovers.  The cling wrap sticking to itself and bunching.  Even more frustrating when it began to stick to the silicon skin on his hands.  He mockingly laughed in reply to your teasing before he finally finished and shoved your lunch back in your bag.

You expected him to take his nightcap back and put you back on your feet, but instead you found yourself hoisted up off the ground.  For a short while, he had you suspended by your armpits while he used his acrobatic skills and balance to stand up, all without jostling you. 

“Moon, you can put me down, you know?” you piped up, pointing your toes and trying to reach the floor.  

Your efforts were thwarted as he adjusted his hold.  One arm tucked under your arms and across your chest and the other moving down and behind you.  The reality that you were literally sitting in the palm of the animatronic’s hand had you stilling with a mortified blush.  

“I am not a ferret!  Or... no, a dog? Cat?” you were all sorts of mixed up as you struggled to remember what animals were held in what way.

Moon snickered above you, “Could have tricked me.  I’ve seen your ‘secret’ stash, Moonshine.”

Your jaw dropped, “When?!”

Your stunned expression morphed into excitement as you heard not only Moon’s raspy laughter, but another more boisterous and energetic burst from in front of you. 

“Sunny!” Your hands scrambled to push up the nightcap.  

The moment it was out of the way you reflexively clenched your eyes shut and hissed through your teeth as the bright lights of the operating room assaulted your unadjusted pupils.  A headache threatened to bloom, and you could only blame yourself.

“Oh no, NO, no!” Sun had only just woken up and they were fretting over you.  

A big hand cupped over your eyes.  It was warm, so warm.  You knew it was Sun’s.  

“Why, WHY would you go and do that?!” they were doing their best to whisper yell, their voice box fuzzing at times, “You humans got sensitive eyes already.  Let alone when you’re not feeling well!”  

The more they spoke, the more you heard them scold you… something was building up, no releasing.  Relief, happiness, amusement.  A broken little hiccup spilling from your lips silenced the sun-faced puppet mid-sentence.

“Oh, stars!  Oh, no… what happened?  Did I hurt you?  Was I too loud?” they tried to lower his voice again, stuttering and rambling.  

They went to remove their hand, but you slid your hands down, grabbing their one working one.  You held it in place. “N-no,” you sniffed, fingers squeezing into the soft silicone, “It… it’s just the hor… hormones, Sunny.”  

Turning their hand, you nuzzled into their palm and let it all out. You did not need them seeing you ugly cry because that was what was happening.   

Yup, it’s just the hormones. 

You’d keep telling yourself that.  

Above you the twins bickered silently.  

The two were always in sync even after being separated into two animatronics.  It was a purposeful part of their design so that when one went to sleep, the other could wake up fluidly.  At least that was how it was intended to work.  They didn’t think the mechanics, technicians, or other employees involved, aside from the one currently sobbing between them, knew they could “speak” to one another through that link.

It had been dreadfully quiet while Sun was shut off for Moon.  His mind too unoccupied without Sun’s ramblings and emotions rolling through.  Even worse since he wasn’t the one who caused that silence.  He had no control in this situation.

Sure, the emotions from his twin lately was an upsetting amount of hurt, loneliness, and paranoia.  Most of it was caused by him keeping his distance and cutting off that channel purposely for a while.  Now, he understood what he had put his counterpart through.    

Even if it was to protect them.  He shouldn’t have gone about it that way.

Sun’s emotions now were a chaotic mix of worry, confusion, and joy.  Worry over their friend, confusion on what was going on, and joy that they were able to feel Moon again.  

Welcome back.

Moon nodded.  Yeah, it was great to be back.  

He’d focus on the “now.”  Let himself get lost in the moment a bit before returning to reality.

Besides… They had a dear friend to take care of.

Moon told Sun to just let you cry through it and caught them up on everything that’s happened.  What he knew anyway. 

“Oh no!  That’s far too high!” 

Sun’s burst had you peeking over their hand and up at their face.  You had long since stopped crying.  Only a couple sniffles here and there.  Surprisingly, you felt a little better after all those tears.

“I know that, but Moonshine’s stubborn.  Determined to work like this.”

Oh, they were talking about your health again.  Maybe you should just tell them it’s your menstrual cycle?  Get it over with, if only so they don’t think you’re dying.

“Their temp isn’t normally like this...  even during this time during their cycle.”

What?

“What?” you gaped up at the two and they both tilted their faceplates down towards you.  

Did you hear that right?  Did these two seriously have your cycle memorized?  Your blotchy cheeks flushed once more in mortification and some embarrassment that you hadn’t figured advanced AI like them could keep track of something like that.

Suddenly, the two’s ironically timed insistence to feed you snacks like jerky or foods like spinach filled salads or dark chocolate each month was no longer so ironic.  

“I am beyond stupid.”

Moon snickered, “I’ve been telling you that.”

Sun was giggling right along with their twin, “Lucky for you! You’ve got us!” 

If they could wink or smile wider, they would. Actually… you reached to Sun’s face, “C’mere for a sec,” you beckoned them to lean down so you could reach.  

Both automatons watched you curiously before Sun complied and you cupped their face, admiring their now damage free visage.  You moved one hand to the back of the plate and felt around until you felt a switch.  Moving a safety lock aside–far too small for animatronics’ fingers–, you toggle the switch underneath and immediately you hear normally unused, dormant mechanisms in Sun’s face come to life.     

For a few minutes, the celestial animatronic just cycled through expressions, blinks, and moving their mouth and teeth.  In the end, they settled on an appreciative smile and gaze on the mechanic who had taken care of them.  

“It’s been so long since I could emote!” they giggled, blinking animatedly down at you, causing you to giggle in turn at the silly display. 

“They’ve got me here on what was supposed to be my day off, so I figure we can get away with breaking some rules,” you waggled your brows and Sunny mimicked you.  You couldn’t help snorting, “Now, c’mon, let me check your repairs.  Stay still for a moment.”

They preened as you traced a finger along one of their newly installed rays.  The ray reacted as it should: retracting a bit to avoid hurting any little hands.  You tested each one and Sunny patiently sat, humming and swinging their legs that they had swung over the side of the chair.

Behind you, Moon watched you check up on your work.  He could feel nothing but contentment from his twin and he couldn’t help getting swept up in the feeling as well.  

Your hands were comically small next to Sun’s face.  Fingers so much smaller than their own smoothing over the plastic just under their previously damaged eye.  You were muttering all the while.  Mostly notes that everything was working, but sometimes you’d ask a question of Sun to check in. 

“Can you see me?  What’s the degree you can see?”

You moved your hand out to the side of their face. 

“Here?  Here?  How’s about here?” You’d move it further and further past Sun’s face.  

“Yup, yup, YUP!” 

Sun was practically bouncing in their seat and soon enough you stopped your questions, “Think that’s it then.  You’ve passed with flying colors.”    

They went to clap but paused when they remembered their missing arm. They were only still for a moment before patting the chair next to them in place of clapping.  If there was any trauma connected to the incident, Sun was hiding it well.

Sun hopped down from the chair while you flicked the same switch on Moon.  

The naptime animatronic’s face takes on a much more lax expression after rotating through expressions like Sun had.  The eye on the darkened side of his face closed fully, while the other was half lidded, giving the impression he was sleepy.  His smile easing around the edges. He resembled his promotion posters for the first time in a long time.

“Thanks, Moonshine.”  His teeth bumped the top of your head.

“Me too!  Thank you, thank you, thank you Honeybee,” Sun’s teeth were the next to tap the crown of your head.

Normally, you could shrug off the cutesy nicknames.  You could slip away from the affection and recover from the butterflies currently assaulting you.  The heat gathering in your face and near suffocating you.  Your only way to hide was behind your own hands since Moon still had a firm grip on you.  Oh gods, now you remembered where his hand was.  

“Now!” Sunny was grinning wide, using their good hand to peel yours away from your face.  “We still need to take care of you,” they pointed out, laughing at your confused expression.

You looked at their still missing arm, “Nooooo, I think you still need some taking care of.”  Besides, how were they going to help you in this situation?

They both snickered at your remark, although Moon’s was more growl and static.  They quieted down, making eye contact with one another, before all of you were moving.  Sun pushed your cart along behind Moon who carried you over to the worktable where Sun’s arm laid waiting. 

“Finally gonna let me work, Moonie?” you questioned, ready to be put down.  

Moon grinned and your own smile faltered, “Mmhm…. Finally getting what you wanted.”

Well, you were ready to be put down until Sunny sat in the chair meant for you and it clicked what they were up to.  You prayed there were no cameras in here.  It was one thing to be toted around by these two.  They had a habit of picking up people like they were small animals just because they could and thus, employees were forgiven if one of them just plucked you up randomly.  Sunny being the main perpetrator.

You were stiff as a board as Moon set you on Sun’s lap.  Before you could escape, Sunny pulled the same move Moon had and pinned you in place with their one good arm.  

Much like before, the tension and panic only worsened the cramps, the ache, that had calmed before.  Or had you been so distracted you hadn’t noticed? 

Sun didn’t move.  Gangly limbs awkward in the too small chair, which in turn had you sitting oddly on their lap.  Nothing inappropriate, just not in the norm.  They were patient, letting you calm down before speaking, “Promise this will help.  Just gotta trust me, okay?” 

You looked up at them and they stared right back.  You had no reason not to trust Sun.  It was just your own awkwardness about being in people's laps.  Them being automatons didn’t matter in the slightest to your personal qualms. 

“You can work during it, alright?” Sunny added, gestured to the tools and their damaged arm.  

You had to look twice at the cart.  When did those replacement parts get there?  Looking around, you noticed Moon was absent and the extension cord he had been using to charge was put away neatly.   

“Moon went to get you some medicine,” Sunny answered.  

Your puzzlement must have been all over your face.

Their rays bounced as they grinned down at you mischievously, “Ya know that night guard?  The mean one who sent ya home early last night?” 

You nodded, “You mean Vanessa?” The lying, trifling-

“Mmhm!  That’s the one!” they cackled, grin somehow growing wider and milky white eyes glowing, “Moon knows where she keeps her pain medicine.  We’re just gonna… borrow some.”  

“Borrow?” you repeated and Sun nodded enthusiastically.  “You know that requires you to replace the pills eventually?” you teased.

Sun’s face spun before righting itself and they swayed, shrugging best they could, “Borrowing for an extended, undetermined amount of time then!” 

You lifted a brow at their statement, “So, stealing?”  You had nothing against them taking a few pills from the night guard’s stache.  You just liked teasing the kleptomaniac.  Not many could brag they were restricted from wandering the rest of Pizzaplex on their own because they had “sticky fingers.”

The sun faced automaton gasped dramatically.  They showed off their flexibility as they slumped to the side with their good hand to their forehead in the classic “I feel faint” position of most posh women in cartoons and movies.  “Stealing?  Me?  That’d make me a rule breaker!” They tittered, “And you know how I feel about rule breakers.”  

You rolled your eyes, “Uh huh… riiiiiiight.”  

Sunny righted themself, “Mhm!”  

This was all a great distraction, but you figured you had taken a long enough break as is.  “Just until Moon gets back with the medicine,” you mumbled and Sunny beamed down at you, happy to help.  

They repositioned the two of you to something you could both work with.  It meant their legs were splayed in a silly manner, but at least you could reach the table now, no longer blocked by their knees and poofy pants.  Their hand pressed against your stomach, and you put two and two together. 

“You’re gonna be my heating pad,” you mumbled in awe as the animatronic hummed, pushing you back firmly in their lap so all along your back, your shoulders, and your thighs you felt the heat they emanated. 

“See? Trust in your friend, Sun!”  Sunny was practically glowing with pride, rays bouncing with their grin.

You just nodded along and focused on their hot palm laid against your lower abdomen.  The heat soothing the pain there and without realizing, you adjusted how you were seated so they could cover more area. You heard what sounded like vents letting off steam. “Don’t go overheating yourself, now,” you admonished playfully, knowing that it was Sunny’s fans and vents at work.

Sunny just giggled and leant over you, caging you in, “Don’t you worry about me.  You just get to work!”  

It was honestly clever.  Although your fever didn’t appreciate the heat, your cramps were almost a mere memory and the aches, your oversensitive skin, were calming.  

“Thank you, Sunny,” you sighed and got to work like they said.

“No problemo, Honeybee.”

You followed the same steps with Sunny’s arm.  First, giving it a thorough check, then getting to work repairing and replacing.  In the end, you ended up replacing the ball joint and basically the entire endoskeleton of the arm and hand.  While the forearm was technically fine, you figured you might as well scrap the whole thing and start from the ground up since the other three major parts were damaged beyond salvageable means.  

Sunny chattered the entire time while you worked.  They didn’t expect you to reply to each thing they said thankfully and were perfectly content ranting about how lonely it was last night with you there to pop in every now and then for company. Understandable since they weren’t allowed to wander like Moon or the rest of the animatronics. 

Finished installing the new ball joint, your eyes trailed down the new endo you were working on and then over to the mangled pieces of the old one.  You didn’t want to ruin the good mood, but it still bothered you that a drunk possibly did this much damage to Sunny on his own.

“Sunny?” you cut in, hands busy salvaging what you could from their old hand.

“Hmmm?” they hummed, slumping over you and laying their chin atop Moon’s nightcap you were still wearing.

“Did a drunk parent really do all this?”

Your question was met with heavy silence.  The sun faced animatronic above you eerily still and you wondered if they had powered down before the shaking started.

“Sunny?” you questioned, tilting your head back enough to look up at them.  They were staring off into space with their faceplate turned from you.  Was this reaction trauma from the drunk?  Or something else?

Unexpected cold against your cheek jerked your attention away from the sun faced puppet and to the moon faced one that had returned.  

He was slouched like usual, a pill bottle in one hand and a chilly bottle of water in the other.  His head cocked a bit before he set the bottle down on the table out the way, but in your reach.  He took what you were working on out of your hands, popped the cap off the painkillers, and shook two out in your hand.  

“Take it… now,” Moon ordered, but when you didn’t immediately move, his eyes narrowed and his smile widened, “Don’t be a brat now.  Don’t want to be put in timeout, right, Moonshine?”  

You grabbed the bottle of water and popped the pills in your mouth without further adieu, gulping them down with one mouthful of water.  After that, you continued with small sips.  That first drink of water tasted far too good and refreshing.  Gods, you hadn’t realized how thirsty you were.

Above you, the two animatronics shared silent words.  Both feeling guilty, but one much more anxious and ashamed. 

You dropped the subject after that for the time being.  You supposed it wasn’t fair to corner Sunny while they were “shorthanded.”  It took everything in you not to snort or giggle at your awful pun out loud.  Not that it would be out of place with Moon currently being a pest.  

Three hours into fixing Sunny’s arm and the animatronic was still up and about. Chatter and sitting around no longer kept him occupied.  No, now he had taken possession of his sibling’s old arm and positioned the fingers so only the pointer was extended.  

“This is morbid on some level,” you mumbled as said pointer finger poked at your cheek then your nose.

“Just trying to give you a hand,” the punny bastard had the audacity to say and the one “brow” he had bounced comically for effect.

Sunny giggled above you, unperturbed by their counterpart playing with their old, busted arm.

“I’m not the one needing a hand, Moonie,” you shot right back, dodging the finger as he tried to stick it up your nose, “And quit picking at me.”

Both laughed as you swatted at Moon and he bounced out the way.  It was short lived relief, fixing the small set of magnifying specs sitting on the bridge of your nose before they were knocked askew again by that rogue finger again.  

“You might as well give up and take a break, Honeybee,” Sunny inputted, and you could feel they were eager to get up moving.  

Staring down at the hand you were working on, you sighed and placed the specs down.  “Fine, you two win!” You declared, patting Sunny’s working hand and they moved it away.  You slipped off their lap and took a few steps away, stretching out your limbs and back.  

Without Sun wrapped around you, the chill in the room was much more apparent and you instinctively rubbed at your arms to chase away the shivers and goosebumps.  At least your cramps were mild at best now and your fever was down.  Your skin was still a bit sensitive, and you were still fighting that heavy, dragging feeling that made you just want to lay down and be useless.

“Hey guys, hang tight while I-”

You screeched as something poked in your ear.  Scandalized, you smacked whatever it was away–that blasted busted arm– and slapped a hand over your assaulted body part.  

“Moonieeee,” you drug out his name, glaring at the cackling jester.  

“Moonshiiiiine~” he mocked, waving the dismembered limb.  The fingers uncurling limply and the wrist floppy. 

You tried to frown at him.  You tried to keep glaring, but it was difficult when some part of you was just happy to see him acting like himself again.  “Maybe I should chuck ya in some water, ya gremlin?” you hmphed, still not uncovering your ear.

Moon barked out a laugh.  

Thankfully, you had already explained that reference to the two, so neither took it as a genuine threat. It had been Sun who pushed you to explain what a “gremlin” was and why you continuously referred to Moon as such.  That led to Moon wanting to watch the movie, which meant him pestering you until you snuck in the movie and an old portable DVD player for you all to watch it on.

Moon loved it.  Sun not so much.

“That’d be naughty, naughty~” he teased, but on the repeat, his voice glitched and you swear you saw red for a moment.  

Sunny had just been smiling as they looked between you two, happy stimming that things were “normal” for a bit.  The cute little shake of their good hand ended when they noticed the brief flash of red in their twin’s eyes, felt the pinch of panic from Moon, and they reacted, shoving their body between your two. 

“And me!  Sunny!” They declared, voice wobbling with forced jubilance.  They held up their good hand and pointed at Moon, “I will hold off the gremlin’s attack while you escape!  Make haste, Honeybee!”  They turned their hand palm up and crooked their fingers in a beckoning motion, winking.  

Moon blinked, but soon caught up with the situation and held up the damaged limb like a sword in front of him, “Is this really a fair fight?  You’re unarmed.”

Sunny sputtered, mock offended, “Just a flesh wound.”  

You snorted, too stunned and amused to properly sneak away as the two punned at each other, made the corniest jokes, and theater references.  If there were cameras in here… you hoped the guard watching them was enjoying the show.  

You certainly were and your company loved they could hear you trying to smother laughter… and failing miserably.

Eventually, you managed to take care of your business, do some stretches with Sunny, and be forced to rest your eyes and relax with Moon before you went back to work.  It was around 8:30 at night when you finally finished Sunny’s arm and after a few tests, you deemed it ready to install.  

Sunny was literally bouncing in excitement, and it took a couple reminders for them to stay still for you.  

“There we go!  Good as new,” you smiled, standing back and admiring Sunny in their full, put together glory.  “How’s it feel?”

Sunny flexed their fingers and bent their arm, starting slow before speeding up and getting looser, more fluid in their movements.  “Amazing!  Even better than before!” they exclaimed, hopping up then bending down.  Their lanky limbs surrounded you and pulled you in and up, up, up!

Okay, you were being held again.  Your hands gripped theirs as they spun around on their heels at a dizzying speed, “Thank you, thank you, thank you!” 

“You’re welcome, Sunny!” you laughed, shutting your eyes to block out the spinning, blurry world assaulting your senses.  “But can we please put the squishy human down now.  Please?!”

Sunny stopped dead and that was the wrong move.  You smacked at their arms in a panic, wiggling, but they were caught in apologizing. 

Moon stepped up once he saw your frantic motions.  He knew that look too well, “Think you should really put them down.  NOW.”

“I AM!  Just give me a-ooooooh!  NO! Nono!  Ewwwww!!! Ew, ew, ew!” 

Too late.   

It wasn’t either of the twins' first time seeing a person puke, but normally it was one of the little ones.  All of you were thankful the only victim was the floor this time.  Cleaning spit-up and puke out of clothes and joints, wiring, and all their nooks and crannies was not fun.

“Told you,” Moon laughed, plucking you from Sun’s hands and setting you down near the trash can, where you continued to puke up the meager lunch you’d eaten earlier.  

Once it felt like your stomach had nothing else to give, you spit one more time into the trash and tried to catch your breath.  Closing your eyes, you reviewed the situation for your own comfort.  Negatives… you just puked in front of Sun and Moon.   Positives… you felt minutely better because of it. 

Something cool pressed against the back of your neck and you mumbled a little thanks to whoever was helping you.

“Sorry…” 

So, it was Sun then.  

You opened your eyes and looked up at them.  They were a sad sight.  

Slouched even more than usual and curled in on themselves to make them look smaller.  One hand was gripping a new bottle of water and their other was… picking at the occupied arm.  You tried not to stare too long at how they would wrap their fingers around their wrist and twist, again and again, before stopping and trying to dig their finger into the nearest seam.  Seeming to catch themselves, they’d jerk their hand back and go back to twisting their wrist. 

Slowly, carefully, you placed your own hand on theirs and they froze. 

“I’m sorry!  Sorry, SORRY, sorry!  I don’t mean to.  It just-I just- I-”

“Sunny, no one’s mad at you.”

The animatronic was still, silent.

“I’M not mad at you.” You offered them a tired smile.  “You were just excited, right?” you comforted the big guy and they nodded in agreement, muttering a string of sorries.  You held up a finger to their teeth and they stopped talking, even if your finger did nothing to actually stop them from speaking if they wanted. 

“We’re good.  YOU’RE good.”

They released their wrist finally and instead gently took hold of your much smaller hand.  They guided it to their cheek.  

“Thank you, Honeybee.”

“No problemo, Sunny,” you echoed their words from earlier, making Sunny giggle. 

Exaggerated gagging noises destroyed the touching atmosphere, and you turned an unimpressed glare on Moon who had twisted until his upper torso was backwards, arms hugging himself, and bent over so his face was towards you two.  

“Very mature, Moon,” you rolled your eyes, taking the water bottle Sun had been holding and sipping.  

Moon unwound himself with a smug smile, “Why thank you~”

You didn’t bother correcting him that it was sarcasm and instead, dug out your phone to check the time.  You still needed to check Moon’s AI.  You hoped to get it done before Vanessa arrived, but with your mess to clean up…

“Moonshiiine~” Moon rasped.  You jumped at how close he was and blinked up at him.  He had a textbook cheshire smile on his face, “Naughty, ungrateful, not even going to thank me?”

What was he on about now?  “And what am I needing to thank you for?”

His faceplate spun before leaning to the side and pointing behind him where you had puked.  Only thing was the area was spotless. Not one speck of vomit left.  

You wanted to ask how he did this so fast, but you were in a time crunch. 

Long, indigo dipped fingers pinched your cheeks and forced your focus back on him, “What do we saaaay~?”  

You were tempted to do the complete opposite of what he wanted, but remembrances of red eyes and growled words halted your contrary urges.

You inhaled deeply and sighed like it was the ultimate burden, “Thank you, Moonie.”

No matter your delivery, Moon appeared happy with your cooperation, “Knew you could do it, Moonshine.”  

“Uh huh,” you deadpanned, pushing his face away and shaking off his grip on your face.  He just chuckled while you cautiously righted yourself with the help of Sun.  

Taking another sip of your water, you nodded to Moon, “Your turn, buddy… to get checked up I mean.”  

You watched for his reaction.  Your words sobered him up and you almost felt bad how quickly the mood plummeted.  “Look, there’s no guarantee you’ll find something wrong, but it doesn’t hurt to look,” you tried to give him some hope, but his face just pinched further.  

He looked like he wanted to say something.  Like he was fighting to speak, but all that came out was static and fuzz and cut off syllables.  

“You’ll be okay.”  It was just as much to comfort you as him.  

The static stopped and he stared up at you before nodding.  He didn’t wait for you to give the order and headed for the operation chair, Sun beside him.  Meanwhile, you fetched the monitor and computer you would be using.

When you turned back around, you blinked at the sight before you.  Moon was in the chair, expected, but the metal bindings keeping him pinned down were not expected.  “Is… why…?” you didn’t know how to word what you wanted to ask and settled for gesturing vaguely at the whole scene.  

Sun stared off into space.  Their fingers tapping against the metal of one of the bindings.  “You’re going to find something,” they finally spoke up, “And we don’t know how Moon will react once you start looking.  Digging.”

Oh.  

The pieces were falling into place as all your little mental notes added up.  Everything from the past few weeks and today… “Ah…” you shut your eyes and took another breath, rolling your shoulders.  

None of this was in your job description: being a pseudo therapist to amazingly human animatronics, playing detective in some knock off high-stakes noir… but you were invested, you were attached.  

“Let’s do this then,” you squared your shoulders and set everything up.  Come what may as they say. 

“How long have you two known something was wrong?” You questioned, using a double-sided male cable to connect Moon and the laptop.  You doubted connecting wirelessly would work if he was “infected.”  Whoever or whatever messed with his code was probably responsible for him not shutting down when remotely ordered.   

“Well, I only learned today,” Sunny admitted, going to twist their fingers before catching himself and instead gripping the edge of the chair, “But it’s probably been going on since Moon… he… since he cut off our syncing and link.”  

Your eyes widened at this information, “So, you’re not infected then, Sunny?”

Sunny nodded and Moon grunted an affirmative.  

“Is it cut right now as well?” They both nodded once again, and you gave them a thumbs-up on the good call.  No clue what would happen once you started poking around.

Silence reigned while you worked.  For the longest time you found nothing unusual.  It was well disguised, but eventually you found something that shouldn’t be there.  Now that you saw it, you couldn’t help noticing other changes.  They stuck out like sore thumbs now.  You swallowed as your computer screen fuzzed, numbers, letters, and symbols blinking and then being overwritten.  It was spreading…

You debated if the risk was worth going any further on your own.  What if messing with it harmed Moon? Wiped him clean?  Fried his hardware?  What if it harmed more than just him- it would take longer than the time you had left to figure out and type up something of your own to possibly just quarantine the virus, stop the spread.  

Swallowing thickly, you cursed.  You’d found the problem, but it was something you couldn’t just fix with the click of a button and your… your friends were relying on you.  

You were helpless, useless.

Terror crawled up your spine, clawed at your neck, and threatened to sink its teeth into your mind.  

“Y/N?” 

You looked up from the screen to the two and forced a wobbly smile, “Hey, you actually used my name.”  

That didn’t faze the worried looks on their faces.  

Sun and Moon looked to each other before nodding, then Sunny was walking over to you.  “Come on, let’s go rest up for a while!  You’re done here, right?” they suggested, chipper and hopeful.  

You wanted to argue that you weren’t done.  You were nowhere close to done, but you had no clue if you could do it.  

“Take a break.  Breaks are important to ensure good health and well-being,” Sunny was not subtle in their hints, “Plus, today WAS supposed to be your day off?  Right, right, RIGHT. And technically, it is OUR day off as well, sooooo~”  

You chuckled as they spread their arms out wide, face spinning, and jazz hands activated.

“Let’s. Have. A. SLUMBER PARTY!!”

“A slumber party,” you echoed, lips twitching up at the corners.  It was difficult to stay sad around the jester.  Their enthusiasm was infectious, but… “I still need to-”

“Boss just said to check me out, right?” Moon’s raspy voice interrupted, “Well, you checked.  You’re finished I’d say.”

Sunny nodded along with affirming hums.

You could never understand why some treated these two like they were idiots or children.  They definitely understood semantics, choosing when they wanted to take words at face value and when to look deeper, taking into account context.  

“You two are something else,” you remarked, fingers tapping across the keyboard and backing out of Moon’s programming and code.  “Can’t argue with that flawless reasoning, now can I?”

The noise Sunny made reminded you of a tea kettle and laughter bubbled up as you watched them twirl in place, celebrating their victory.

It didn’t change that you were scared.  That virus was still there and multiplying, gaining speed from what you had gleaned, but at least you knew it was there.  You could take the information to the director and hopefully he could find someone to help before it was too late. 

Closing the laptop, you helped Sunny unhook and unbind Moon.  He didn’t move to get up despite the bindings being gone.  Looking at his face, you saw his eyes were actually closed and smile relaxed.  Soon enough very fake snoring spilled from his voice box.  

“Seriously, Moonie?” You poked at the swirl on his cheek with a chuckle.

He just snorted and snored louder, rolling over so his back faced you.

Rolling your eyes, you put your hands up in defeat, “Fiiiiine, guess we’ll just leave you here and have our slumber party without you.”  

You’d only just finished an about face when those gangly limbs wrapped about you once again.  You got a glimpse of Sun hiding giggles behind their hand and then your world was sideways.  Your stomach didn’t appreciate it, but luckily, this time everything stayed down.

“Didn’t we learn not to toss around the squishy human earlier?” 

Moon just chuckled against your back, “Nothing came up.”

“Yet,” you added, sitting up enough to see what Sun was up to.  

They were skipping around, cleaning up and putting things away.  You could hear them muttering excitedly. An entire grocery list of activities and supplies they’d need for your impromptu slumber party.  

Moon just nuzzled against the back of your shoulders, but his face was big enough that his forehead pressed into the back of your neck and his chin resting just above your lower back.  “How are you feeling, Moonshine?” He rumbled, one hand moving up to press his knuckles to your cheek then your forehead.

“Much better thanks to you two,” you sighed, leaning into his cool touch.

“Good, good.” 

He unfurled his fingers and you rested your head in his palm, eyes shutting.  “Sorry I couldn’t do anything-” 

One of his fingers curled right back up, but this time over your lips and stifled your despondent words.  “You did plenty,” he corrected, “You came in on your day off. You came in early at that. You fixed up Sun.  Built them a whole new arm actually… and checked on me.  All while you aren't feeling well.”

You just listened.  Silently mulling over his words and agreeing it had been a lot. The exhaustion finally caught up with you now that you were still with nothing to occupy your hands or mind, but you had one more task, a personal one.

You wiggled until he let you roll over and settled back facing him.  Now his chin sat on against your stomach and his face tilted up to look up at your own.  

 “Thanks Moonie,” you whispered, and he hummed, grumbling a “welcome.” A wry smile curled your lips and you traced the naked curve of his crescent moon.  You hardly ever saw him without his hat and it was always a funny sight.  Bald… your mind repeated and you bit back a little snort.

“What’s so funny, Moonshine?” He squinted up at you with one eye.

Tucking your lips in a moment, you thought up a quick excuse and tapped his nose, “Just thinking about how you’re not so bad for a gremlin~”

The moon-faced automaton just blinked up at you.  His face gave nothing away, but the sudden amped up whirring and a vent releasing steam behind him told on him. 

You couldn’t stop the giggles this time; consequently, he tried to silence you half-heartedly by shoving his hand in your face.  His fingers and palm pretty much engulfed your head due to their size.  All this resulted in another burst of muffled laughter.  

“Keep it up. I’ll give you something to really laugh about,” Moon threatened, and you stiffened as you felt his other hand move.  Though it wasn’t touching you, you could practically feel the intent from his digits hovering over your side. 

“Hooooo hooooo!” Sun’s cheer snapped both of your attentions to them and you couldn't be happier for the interruption. The jester was leant over you and Moon, grinning away, “We’re ready to go, go, GO!”  

They jostled your bag on their shoulder that they must have packed up while Moon held you captive.  It was much fuller than you remembered it being this morning and you could only guess the klepto-inclined bot had snuck some extra items.  Rather than say something, you thanked them for cleaning and packing then try to get up, but Moon had other ideas.  

He stood up with you still trapped against him and then adjusted his hold, so you were cradled in his arms.  At least he wasn’t holding you like a small animal this time, but really needed to talk with them about asking people for consent before just picking them up… among other issues.

You went over everything you had learned today while the two bickered and chatted above you.  

Moon was acting up because of a virus that multiplied rapidly and affected his programming.  He cut off the wireless link between him and Sunny to avoid the virus jumping infecting them as well.  This has been going on for a while and most likely the disconnect from their brother caused Sunny to be even more neurotic and anxious, compounded by confusion.  Most likely, Sunny’s aversion to turning off the lights lately was because he had some inkling that something was wrong.  The two were observant and you doubted Sunny missed the kids’ reactions to naptime lately.  

Maybe you weren’t wrong about these two needing professional counseling?  Would a professional even take them seriously suggesting it? 

“Probably not…” you mumbled aloud, but you were just happy to have something to work with.

Moon and Sun had stopped talking.  The silence dragged your eyes up and up until you saw both of them tilting their faces to look at you curiously.  

“Uh…” you could feel heat gathering in your cheeks, “Sorry.  Just talking to myself.” 

“You’ve been mumbling for a while actually,” Sun pointed out, lifting a finger animatedly alongside their words.

“Oh.”  You couldn’t say much else, but your face must have spoken for you.

“We’ll talk about in the morning, Moonshine,” Moon’s voice was firm, “You’re finished working remember?  Plus, I’m pretty sure I saw on the schedule that the tech for tonight is still coming in.”

Your jaw dropped at that information.  The scheduled night technician hadn’t called out.  Why was everyone finessing you today?

“Oh goodie!  That means we really can keep them all to ourselves all night!” Sun was practically glowing as they skipped ahead down the hallway.  Wait, this was the utility passage.  They were making good time while you were lost in thought.    

Moon hummed in confirmation and followed along.

Looking up at his bald head, you slid his nightcap off your own and held it up to him.  He just eyed your offering then shook his head, using his free hand to push it back on your noggin.  

“Keep it for now.  Almost your bedtime anyway,” he mumbled, tone teasing.  He topped it off with a wink, “Mine too.” 

Sun’s offended gasp echoed in the empty, concrete hallway, “No one is sleeping!  Not yet!”  

You giggled as they stomped their foot and wagged a disapproving finger at Moon.  Moon’s face didn’t change, you could swear he was rolling his eyes at his twin.  

“It’s a slumber party, right?  Shouldn’t we slumber?”

“You and I BOTH KNOW you know what a slumber party is!”

Addendum.

It was after ten when you arrived back at the darkened daycare.  Sunny had to hang back while you turned on the lights.  Out of curiosity, you checked to see if the power cycles would still happen tonight.  Possibly Moon’s own cycles would reset after the first wave.  

Admittedly, you’d miss him being active continuously like now.  Maybe you should put in a suggestion to corporate to stop the alternating shifts once the virus situation was taken care of. 

The slumber party turned out to be all of you just chilling up in the twins’ “secret room.”  The small room that was only accessible through a tunnel connected to the room behind Sunny’s balcony.  

Sun had rushed to move their stuff aside, while Moon had collected all the pillows and blankets he could from the nap area and supply closet for a makeshift bed.  It was more just a soft mound of cushions and pillows on top of a couple kiddie mats.

You had stripped your overalls off and sneaking off to a corner, you discreetly removed your bra/binder.  You tucked it into your discarded overalls.  The two probably wouldn’t care, but the habit was hard to break.   Your shoes joined the small pile, along with your discarded turtleneck.

“I’ve got snacks and Fizzy Faz!!” Sunny announced, their head poking out the blue plastic tunnel. They finished climbing through and beelined to you, “Pick something!  It’s no good to have an empty stomach.”

You almost teased about whose fault it was that your stomach was empty. 

“Thanks, Sunny.”  You chose peace this time and plucked a bag of classic potato chips to munch on.  

“Movie choices are slim tonight,” Moon spoke up behind Sunny.

You leant to look around the bright animatronic.  

Moon had the portable DVD player you’d smuggled in a while back in one hand and a handful of DVDs in the other.  You noted most were animated kids' movies.  Probably all that was available since you hadn’t brought any from home.  

“Lucky for you, I love cartoons.”

“Us, too.”

The best way to describe your night with the two was comfortable.  

Sunny had blocked off the tunnel for good measure after letting you make one more trip to the bathroom and the employee showers.  

After that, you three spent hours binging cartoons, cuddling up on the makeshift bed under covers, and sipping on fizzy faz.  You had been correct that Moon would reset after the first power cycle.  Thankfully, you saw no red eyes during the first lights off, no odd behavior, and by time the second round came, you were out cold.

Sunny warming your front and Moon cooling your back.

Shit… you forgot to fix the phone.

Chapter Text

(OPEN AUDIO FILE)

"GET THIS FUCKING DEATH TRAP OFF ME!!!"

"I'm sorry, Sir!! We're trying!"

"MOON!! MOON!  Please let go of the guest, brother!"

"Naughty… Naughty boys must be punished."

"Someone shut him down already!"

"Trying, Sir!!"

"STOP.  Stop.  STOP!  You're going to end up killing him.  You're going to get in troub-!!!"

CRUNCH.  SQUEAL.

"Oh… fuck…"

"Shut him off.  NOW."

LOG

        [ SUN DAYCARE ATTENDANT REMOTE SHUT DOWN.  SUCCESS. ] 

        [ MOON NAPTIME ATTENDANT REMOTE SHUT DOWN.  FAILURE. ]

        [ SUN DAYCARE ATTENDANT. EXCESSIVE DAMAGE DETECTED. ]

        [ RETRIEVAL OF SUN DAYCARE ATTENDANT.  FAILED. ]

        [ MOON NAPTIME ATTENDANT.  COMMUNICATIONS DENIED. ]

REPORT NOTES

• Location of Sun and Moon animatronics unknown.  Suspected they are still in daycare.
• Moon activated outside set parameters.
• Animatronics flagged as unstable and dangerous.  Consider patching, reprogramming or decommission. 

(Show more?)

Denied.

RESOLUTION

• Corporate has requested information pertaining to the incident restricted to as few individuals as possible.

(Show more?)

Denied.

Elsewhere…

All he could do was tremble and hold onto his twin in the dark of their room.  

He hadn't meant to do it.  He didn't want to do it. 

It couldn't even grant him the mercy of blacking out or hiding the memory under fuzz.  No, the scene replayed crystal clear in his mind.

The spike of distress and panic from Sun that somehow made it to him despite cutting their sync.  

Sun's busted and sparking eye.

Frightened, shocked expressions at his arrival.  

The drunk clawing at his hand as he choked him out against the wall. The man's skin turning a deep red and shifting to purple the longer he held him there.

Screaming.  

Someone grabbing his wrist.  Someone tugging at his arm, pleading.

He'd grabbed them.  Felt, saw, heard the metal and plastic crunch and twist in his grip.  

It wasn't until he ripped their grip away and JERKED... TWISTED… that he saw WHO he had hurt.  

"Sun…?!" 

"Moon… you're finally back."

Bittersweet.