Work Text:
Getting in the children's good graces seemed almost effortless for Orion. Or at least it seemed that way to Sun and Moon as they watched them interact. It had taken weeks before the kids had stopped crying when they saw them. They were absolutely not jealous.
Orion was human. No one had to get used to large gangly limbs or a horrifyingly still face. But even Moon was happy to see someone else the children cared about so quickly.
After a barrage of questions and a small lecture about how they were not to call them Mister Orion. Yes, the hunter was a boy, but that didn't mean they had to be.
When Orion was starting to look frazzled about the whole thing, Sun stepped up and put a comforting hand on their shoulder. "Now that's enough. Orion is Orion, and that's just that. Now! Who wants to finger paint?" He asked and grinned when there was loud cheering.
Ditzy yelled that she was going to paint everyone drowning Orion in the ball pit. A little child with purple and teal hair hurried after her, complaining they were being mean, and promised to draw something nice for them instead.
Sun laughed as he got out paper and paints for everyone. "What a nice idea, Way! Why doesn't everyone make something nice for our new friend?" Sun offered as he sat piles of paper down and Orion helped set out the paints for everyone.
Once everyone was set up, Sun walked around the table to watch over everyone as they worked. Randy and Bunn were huddled up together as they worked on theirs, and Sun giggled a little to himself. Some paired off or grouped together, but a few took to working alone, trying to hide what they were working on. Luckily, Sun was tall enough to see, just to make sure they didn’t draw anything he needed to be worried about. It was always the little signs he and Moon noticed that were the most important when it came to helping the children and knowing if something was wrong.
Doing a loop, Sun was surprised to see Orion sitting down with them. Prince and Ditzy were on either side of them. Peculiar. Ditzy barely let anyone by Prince. Moon pouted in their head and sunk deeper into their headspace. It had taken him ages to get Ditzy to stop guarding Prince against him like he was some monster in the closet. But he tried not to think about it too much as he watched them show Orion their work with proud smiles. Somehow with multiple children talking to them, Orion seemed to have no trouble keeping up with the conversations. They talked easily with a calm voice and even managed to calm the louder children just by talking softly.
The kids spent plenty of time working on their paintings, and Sun came around to praise them all. Childish pictures of Orion or bright colours from the ball pit were the most popular. But there were others. Some drew their favourite things to share with Orion or just threw colours on the paper for fun! Sun always liked those.
Over time, they all finished and lined up to give Orion their little masterpieces. One by one, they each presented their piece. Their little Bee nearly threw her’s at Orion before scurrying away. They both laughed quietly at that. Some kids were shier than the others.
Sun sat back and watched as Orion got excited about each piece, careful not to smudge the still wet paint. They pointed out little details and had heaps of praise that had each child glowing.
"Hey! This is exactly what it looked like when I was at the bottom," laughed Orion as Stag showed them a picture that was just a wild blur of colours and vague shapes. "Have you been under there too?"
Stag mumbled something Sun couldn't hear before darting off to hide with their friends. They all giggled a little between them before darting off to play in one of the jungle gyms.
Once everyone got a turn, Sun walked back over to Orion, who was still looking at the pictures with a fond little smile. Sun and Moon got pictures all the time. It was only fair that their new friend got some too. "Looks like the kids really like you!" Praised Sun as he knelt down to look at the pictures with his new friend.
Orion beamed a little. "It looks like it. Looks like it comes in handy being the oldest, huh?"
That made the giant animatronic tilt his head. "Oh ho? There's more of you, is there? Surely, they're not as young as these guys, are they?"
"Not by a long shot!" They loudly laughed. "The youngest little gremlin is fifteen. Though sometimes he still acts like he's five."
Sun huffed a little. Mostly because Moon was laughing with Orion. "You shouldn't call children such mean names, Orion! That just won't do!"
Orion just smirked at that for a moment. "They are my little gremlins, and I'm not about to stop calling them that now," they quipped. "They're my brothers and sister. I can call them gremlins. Oldest siblings rights."
Sun sighed and slumped his shoulders. Siblings did fight a lot. He supposed the names weren't the worst thing they could have done.
Before he could ask more the children flooded again, pulling them in different directions. Neither Sun nor Moon wanted to admit it, but it was nice having an extra set of hands to help with the kids. And someone who actually cared about them. This wasn't even their job! Orion just seemed to fall into step with everyone without even trying.
Walking slowly beside Way, he listened to them talk and ramble about a story that had planted itself into their little head.
"And and, she's best friends with a big monster that helps her instead of eating her!"
They giggled when Sun suddenly lifted them up high over his head, never noticing the pile of toys they had nearly run into. Their dress vest billowing like a cape. Up and around until he put them back down safely to walk some more.
"That sounds amazing, sunshine! And what kind of adventures do they go on?" Asked Sun, gently tugging them so they wouldn't walk into the jungle gym. Keeping an eye out on the others, he still talked with them and made sure they didn't get hurt. Poor thing could injure themself standing still.
The children played right up until nap time. Sun's notice was that Itzy was sleeping while they leaned against Orion's side. All the while they played puppets with Puffy and Ditzy with their other hand holding the child comfortably so they wouldn’t fall.
"Alright, it's nap time!" He called, giggling at the whining. But there wasn't much of a fight in it. Most of the kids were pretty tired from all the extra play. "Go on and get your blankets and pillows, and I'll get Moon."
Something that got Orion's attention. While the sisters guided a half sleeping Itzy off, they scrambled to their feet to follow Sun. "What do you mean get Moon? Aren't you Moon?" They asked, tapping their face for effect.
Sun giggled and shook his head. "No. We share a body, but we're not the same person. You'll see! You’ll see" He happily sang. Laying his hand on the button, he made sure the kids were safe before turning out the lights. There was a clang and a whir as Sun's head spun, rays going into the head. In the dark, the pants looked blue and covered in stars.
Orion was still busy staring at the clothes to notice how much Sun had changed in such a short time. Tilting their head, they were lost in thought, thinking about possibilities when they heard Sun clear his throat.
"It's rude to stare," whispered Moon with his rough voice. When Orion's head snapped up, he chuckled softly. "Hello, Orion. It's nice to meet you properly. I'm Moon." He extended a long hand to the little human before him.
Orion stood still in shock a moment before suddenly snapping to their senses. "Right! Sorry" Quickly taking the offered hand, they didn't hesitate to shake it properly. There was no fear. Something Moon hadn't expected from someone so new. The glow of his eyes always cast shadows that scared new people. Briefly, Moon wondered what Orion had seen that they didn’t fear him.
They stood still, staring at each other for a second, Moon's large hand wrapped around Orion's until he realized now he was the one staring. There was a clunk as a gear caught somewhere in his chest. Quickly letting go, he pointed to the kids. "Excuse me. I need to get the children to sleep."
"I can help!" Offered Orion as they hurried over in the dark, tripping on some left out toys. They laughed and barely managed to catch themselves. "We're good!"
The kids listened to Orion easily as they asked them where to go for nap time. They never went that easily to nap time for Moon. But he wouldn't let it bother him. They were all just excited about a new person. It wasn’t fair to scorn them for that.
And he was not even slightly jealous that the kids were tugging on their greasy sleeves and begging Orion to come and sit with them for nap time. He didn't hate that Orion wrapped them up so tightly they couldn't move. Or they squealed and giggled as they wiggled on their sleep mats, pretending to try and break free. No one had ever wanted him to tuck them in so tightly.
When his little Prince made Orion say goodnight to Mister Orange, he silently hissed to himself and stalked off. He could at least read them stories. Looking for the right one, he grinned and pulled out one for Prince's namesake. That one always went over well.
Sitting in the middle of the children, he settled in next to Orion. "I think we should read a favourite for our new friend," whispered Moon as he opened the book. "Once, when I was six years old, I saw a magnificent picture in a book," he started feeling like his smile fit just right as he saw the kids turn a little on their mats to sit in and listen to him.
Moon kept his voice quiet. Enough to be heard, but not enough to keep anyone from sleeping. That way kids who couldn't sleep, like Little Kina, who watched him in the dark, could have something to keep them relaxed. Or at least amused while they lay there. As the story came to a close. Near the end of nap time. Moon was startled when he saw Orion watching him.
They had their knees curled up to their chest and laid their head on them. Arms wrapped around their legs, Orion looked a little like they were smiling. Moon would have thought they were asleep if not for the slight raise of Orion’s head when the story came to its close.
Seeing Moon jump, they quietly giggled. "Sorry,” they whispered. "That was one of my favourites as a kid. I've never gotten to listen to someone read it before. It's really cool hearing a different voice than just the ones in my head."
That made Moon feel warm and somehow softened the edges of his wide, smile. "I'm glad," he whispered and stood up. "Time to put the book away, then we can start to wake them up.”
While Orion nodded and went back to watching the children, Moon walked back to the worn bookshelf. He felt a little better after getting to read to everyone. Including his new friend.
Slipping the book into place, he felt something click inside of him. Like a gear finally clicking back into place. How strange. But there were children to look after, and he couldn't leave them alone for long. It wasn't safe.
Turning back, he saw someone sitting with the children. Rage boiled inside him. How did someone sneak past him? He was supposed to be alerted when someone came into the daycare. And they were sitting with them! How dare they! Growling quietly, Moon walked silently behind them, not even his bells jingled. No one was allowed near his children. Nothing would hurt them.
Creeping up behind the intruder, Moon hissed quietly. "You shouldn't be here," he hissed and quickly grabbed their arm as they frantically whipped around.
Yelping, Orion nearly toppled over when they were grabbed. Moon's hand was the only thing that kept them upright. "Moon! What's wrong?" They whispered back, not wanting to wake the children.
"Strangers are not allowed at the daycare," he hissed. His hand squeezed tighter around their arm. He chuckled when they hissed. They would get what they deserved!
Orion's eyes were wide under the brim of their hat, fear plain on their face. "I've been here all day!" They panic whispered back, trying to tug their arm away. It hurt!
"Liar!" Moon's voice grew louder as he dragged them up to be face to face by their arm. Dangling the intruder in the air by their arm, Moon watched their face carefully, gleefully, while they squirmed and whined. "I'll make sure you never come back," he laughed, fingers reaching for their throat in the darkness.