Chapter Text
Gregory hadn’t expected the Daycare Attendant being an active animatronic at night, but he really should have expected it given everything else was up and running. So now here he was sitting with far more art supplies than any one child needed and a very tall Sun themed animatronic jester who was not quite able to sit in the smaller sized chair with its knees reaching its shoulders.
“Soooo, new friend, what has you up and about so late?” Sunny asks with a curious lit to his voice.
“I got stuck here.” Better to keep it simple for now, not share too much.
“Oh dear, that’s not good. Well we can at least have fun until help comes!” Sun’s voice waivers as he attempts to ping security again only getting the same result as before of being blocked.
“Yeah I guess.” Gregory hums softly, deciding to fiddle with the colored pencils. “Why do you not have to charge like Freddy does?” He asks.
“Hmm? Aha oh that’s easy! I’m powered by kinetic motion!” His faceplate does a spin in demonstration. “As long as I move around my battery charges so I don’t get tired unlike the big bear himself!” He puffs his chest proudly.
“Yeah but being around kids all day has to still make you tired even if you like it. That’s what Mr. Leon said.” He shrugs thinking about the man from the YMCA that would give him snacks but always looked like he needed a long nap.
“It- It’s better that I’m around.” Sunny chuckles nervously. “I love kiddos! I get sniffly at Goodbye Time with them.” He hums, “Besides, silly! I’m Sunny! Always bright and ready to go!”
Gregory gives Sunny a look that says he’s not convinced, but goes back to focusing on his coloring page. “Isn’t there another animatronic with you? I saw posters and signs for a moon guy too.” He keeps the fact he read a report from someone on his Fazwatch that the moon one has been having issues.
“Ah uh y-y-yeah there is.” Sunny nods, “But M-Mo- My um p-partner s-stays asleep when the lights are on and they need to stay on l-like I said.” Sun nearly snaps his colored pencil but very carefully eases off the tension in his hand.
“Partner? Not friend?” Gregory asks a little pointedly since Sunny seems so intent on friendship.
“W-well, w-we- it is um- it’s complicated…” Sunny’s shoulders fall as he picks lightly at his faceplate.
“Why’s it complicated? They’re either your friend or they’re not.” Gregory knows that well enough having run around on the streets, very few people are friends, you can only trust them if it’s safe.
“Oh dear oh dear I’ve forgotten the- the glitter glue I- I’ll be right back.” Sunny abruptly stands up.
“No you didn’t. You almost exclusively brought glitter glue. The crayons and colored pencils were like an afterthought.” Gregory snorts, feeling comfortable enough to at least lightly tease Sunny even if he was a bit tense from him suddenly jumping up.
“H-ha oh r-right… You sound like Moony…” he sits back down slowly, sunbeams drooping.
“Moony? Your partner?” Gregory’s attention is now solely on Sunny.
“My best friend.” Sunny sighs sadly and droops even further. “He… j-just hasn’t been himself…” Sunny’s arms wrap around himself in a hug.
“What do you mean?” He might as well see if he can get anything useful out of Sunny about what’s happening, why things aren’t happy go-lucky or safe like the messages he’s been reading imply.
“…M-moony plays by different rules than I do… Management or something b-but he does the watching while I do the playing. And well, a while ago… About two months now… Management gave Moony access to some new stuff.” Sunny picks at his casing as he speaks.
“What kinda new stuff?”
“Security stuff… He has a high clearance ‘cause he watches… I play.” Sunny almost wrenches the casing on the back of his right hand off. “One night… One night he woke up and found something and- and I was slacking off… Stupid, stupid, stupid!” He bangs on the back of his head.
“Whoa!” Gregory backs up, making Sunny realize himself and wince, or at least curl up further, “You’re not stupid.” Gregory frowns, “You’re probably smarter than I am given you’re an animatronic.” He snorts.
“Don’t sell yourself short.” Sunny says quietly. “Really smart people made me and Moony and Freddy…” he goes back to just picking at his casing. Gregory almost thinks Sunny isn’t going to tell him more before the solar robot speaks up quietly. “…I was sleeping… Moony found something bad… He sent over just enough information that- that I knew I needed to be on guard b-but… But I didn’t think I had to be from him.” The piece of casing finally gets wrenched off the back of his hand, bent out of shape from his tugging.
“D-did something happen?” Gregory asks quietly, gently putting a hand on Sunny’s knee, trying to get the animatronic to stop from hurting himself further.
“…Neil only wanted a glass of water… Only a small drink and then he would settle down again. It- it was just a glass of water.” The daycare assistant trembles before holding onto Gregory tightly in a hug causing the boy to gasp. “I don’t know what to- to do! I can’t sleep. I can’t leave. I can’t have the lights off!” Sunny wails making Gregory wince. “I j-just want him back! I c-can’t go to the technicians b-because if I go to sleep wh-who will keep Moon fr-from hurting m-more people!” His body shakes as he clutches Gregory like a lifeline.
“Sunny…” Gregory awkwardly pats him on the back. He is way too young for this. “…Sunny… D-do you know Moon will hurt people if you have someone check on him?” Gregory asks.
“…He hurt Marie… Our technician… B-but for some reason… He won’t hurt her.” He hisses. “She is the bad one. I know it but he listens to her… not me…”
“Who is she?”
“The one that finishes the job…” Sunny sighs heavily, finally letting Gregory go. “I- I’m sorry, I- I shouldn’t be- be telling you all of this…” he rubs at his faceplate as if wiping tears from his eyes.
“You shouldn’t bottle things up.” Gregory shrugs, sitting in the gangly limbs of the sunny daycare attendant, pulling Sunny’s arm around him. He should probably not stay so close but Sunny feels safe, and opened up to him, so… He’s a friend. “Tomorrow morning, you should talk to a technician. Tell them it’s not Moon’s fault and stuff.” He leans back against the surprisingly warm animatronic.
And that’s when the lights go out.
Mechanisms whirr and click behind him as he feels Sunny shifting and moving plates and other pieces behind Gregory. He swallows thickly as his hands tremble on the arm he was holding.
“Hello…” The voice behind him rasps with a static behind him. “Aren’t you up late… Naughty boy…”