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"Theodore! Your friends are waiting outside! Hurry up!"
Theo hears his mother calling from the end of the stairs, too busy wrestling his Converse shoes onto his feet to respond. Once his laces are tied, his jeans get caught in his green jacket's zip, and he nearly falls face-first into his bedpost. He curses under his breath at the piece of Lego he just landed on and the Lego-shaped bruise already forming on his butt.
Scrambling back onto his feet with the Lego piece clattering back onto the floor, Theo quickly finishes putting on his clothes and rushes downstairs, eager to join his friends. As he reaches the bottom of the stairs, he sees his mother idly waiting by the door, a smile on her face.
"Do you have everything you need? Phone? Money? Your headphones, just in case?" She asks him, worry creeping into her voice. Theo nods and reassures her, his hands pointing to the headphones hanging around his neck and showing her his phone, its clear case, and his money tucked safely inside the phone case.
"Yes, Mom, I've got everything. It's only a disco with my friends. Don't worry; I'll be fine." He stops, a mischievous grin stretching across his face. "I'll be home by eleven o'clock, if we don't get arrested, that is." He chuckles as his mother bats his arm playfully.
"Oh, you better not get arrested, young man," she teases, giving him a mock stern look. With a final hug and a short kiss on each other's cheeks, Theo dashes out the door to join his five eagerly waiting friends.
"Dude, you took forever !" Mark whined, hanging off Theo's shoulders like a ragdoll.
Shoving off the taller boy, Theo rolls his eyes. "Hardly; you're just a drama queen, Mark."
Mark, being quick to retort, grinned down at his friend. "Why, thank you, Theo. I am a queen." His moss-green eyes drift over to the left. "Which means I treat my ladies like royalty." He winks, and Theo resists the urge to vomit.
To his left, Anne and Erica giggle at Mark's attempt at flattery, the layers of makeup caked on their faces making Theo wince. They looked like their eyebrows were attacked by cruel caterpillars—in Theo's opinion, at least. The two girls nearly tripped over their own feet and barely avoided falling onto the busy road, hanging off each other loosely, their giggling sounding like piglets snorting, high-pitched and grating.
Theo rolls his eyes discreetly, feeling uncomfortable around the two girls who value appearances over everything else. He wonders how they manage to walk with such gracelessness, their giggles only adding to the irritation that rises within him. As Mark continues to charm them with his "flattery", if one could even call it that, Theo contemplates just turning around and going back home.
Lucas, walking right at the front of their small group, his hands tucked inside his bulky leather jacket, groaned under his breath. Theo could almost swear that he saw some steam slip out of his ears. "Children; I'm surrounded by damn toddlers."
Jackie is skipping up beside Lucas, her fake eyelashes fluttering as she slips an arm around his. She pokes his side with a long finger, her phone held carelessly in her hand as she bats her eyes up at Lucas. Theo somehow manages to keep a straight face from the pair's lovey-dovey gazes. The heart eyes they direct at each other make his skin crawl—well, that and how touchy Jackie is with the blond-haired boy. Theo doesn't think he'd be able to handle having someone touch him 24/7. Even Mark isn't that bad.
"Oh, come on, Lucas, lighten up! We're just having some fun," she says with a playful smile, her left hand reaching up with her talon-like false nails to tuck hair behind Lucas' ear. The other teens faces turn a light pink at the girls closeness. Theo almost feels sorry for the guy. It's miraculous all on its own that he hasn't exploded yet.
Theo rolls his eyes, knowing that Jackie's idea of fun usually involves getting into trouble. Like last week's "fun" being pulling the fire alarm in school after coating the hallways in oil that she'd "borrowed" from the canteen. The poor principal looked like she was about to have an aneurysm. That being added to the oldest year's prank—they egged the teachers cars and toilet rolled all of the lockers, inside and out—the principal must have been absolutely dying to go home once everything was cleaned up.
Theo shakes himself from his musing and looks up at Lucas. "Hey, Lucas?"
"Hm?"
"Are you sure going to this disco in Freddy Fazbear's Pizzaplex is a good idea? We won't get kidnapped; the building won't explode.... And there won't be any drugs or alcohol, right?" The questions came out a little too hesitantly for Theo's liking, but thankfully Lucas didn't point it out.
The older teen just raised an unimpressed eyebrow at Theo. "It's a disco, man. Tone your imagination down. What else is meant to be snuck in? Cookies with chocolate milk? Or smoothies and sweet corn? Grow some balls or a backbone already."
"Ohhh, stop it; you're making me hungry!" Anne complained, her nose scrunching up unhappily, her nose piercing glinting from the streetlights around them. At her side, Erica took a puff from her vape, the cloud of watermelon-flavoured air drifting into Theo's face, his eyes and nose watering at the sweet scent. Theo coughed and waved away the vapour, trying and failing to hide his discomfort.
Lucas grumbled under his breath, this time too quietly for Theo to catch, his pace speeding up as they rounded a corner and the Pizzaplex came into view. The blonde boy grinned up at the building and its bright lights hanging high over their heads.
Theo couldn't tear his eyes away from the bright neon lights covering the exterior of the building. The vibrant colours seemed to pulsate with energy, beckoning them inside. Quietly to himself, Theo regretted not having grabbed his sunglasses before heading out the door. Those lights are near blinding. He shielded his eyes with his hand, squinting to get a better look at the entrance. As they approached, Theo quietly wondered how expensive the building's electrical bill was.
As they approached the entrance, Theo could already hear the thumping bass and muffled cheers from further within the building, heightening his level of nervousness and the twisting in his stomach. He shoved his twitching hands inside his jacket pockets to hide his nervousness. Mark nudged his shoulder and lazily laid his left arm over Theo's shoulders, the weight calming him, if just a bit. Mark always knows how to calm him down.
Erica and Anne shoved past Mark and Theo, their high-pitched excited squeals rising in volume as they pushed the double glass doors open and scrambled inside the building together like overly excited puppies.
When he reaches it, Lucas holds one of the doors open for the rest of them, scowling at Mark as the curly-haired boy blows him a playful kiss in thanks. The action has Theo chuckling at his friends. Signs lead them all up stairs lit up with strip lights, into an elevator that was way too creaky for Theo's comfort, and through a huge hallway with an excessively high ceiling. The music surrounding them is near deafening as they reach the very end of the hallway.
Theo gapes at the size of the place: three individual arcade levels to the left, and then to the right is the dance floor, with hundreds of teenagers already dancing their souls out to the remixed songs that the DJ plays on the system. The smells of flowery perfume, Lynx deodorant, smoke, and the faint scent of weed and alcohol mix together in the air around them. Glancing up at the "DJ booth", Theo's jaw falls to the floor, his eyes as wide as plates. He smacks Mark, who is still standing directly beside him, on the arm. "D-Dude. Mark, look at the DJ—he's huge!"
He really is; the DJ in question is an animatronic at least three times the size of Theo's house, with piano keys for teeth, six arms, three at each side, headphones on his head, a slightly smaller hat on the top of his head, and makeup that makes him look like a clown. It's a little bit much, if Theo's being honest. The whole room in general, he means.
The DJ looks friendly enough; he even waves in their direction as the elevator doors shut. Theo can't help but feel a mix of awe and unease as he watches the animatronic DJ. The sheer size and intricate details of the robot are impressive, but there's something unsettling about its exaggerated features and clown-like appearance. Theo wonders what kind of event would require such a showy setup, hoping that it won't turn out to be a night he'll never forget in all the wrong ways.
"Awesome!" Mark hollers, and before Theo can even blink, his friend is sucked into the crowd, dancing and jumping along with the music before entirely vanishing into the seemingly endless sea of people. Looking back to where Lucas and Jackie were, Theo finds the spot empty. The pair of teens must have slipped away unnoticed. Theo doesn't even bother looking for Erica or Anne; those two are probably off in a corner getting items less than legal given to them.
Maybe he should invest in a different friend group—he'll still keep Mark, though. They've been friends since they were crawling, or bum-shuffling in Theo's case. So they both have way too many blackmail-worthy photos of each other.
Those kids in his music and drama classes seemed friendly. Especially that boy with the blue braided hair and infectious laugh. Theo had seen him perform on stage a few times and was always impressed by his talent. Plus, he isn't hard on the eyes... Maybe he could approach him and see if they shared any common interests. Theo decided it was worth a shot; what could the worst outcome be? They say no, and Theo remains forever awkward with them. Ah, overthinking; shoot him, please.
Shaking himself out of his head, Theo scans the crowd, hoping to catch a glimpse of any familiar faces amidst the chaos, but they are nowhere to be found. Feeling a pang of disappointment, he resigns himself to enjoying the disco on his own. However, his eyes catch sight of what might— and that's a very big might —be familiar curly hair bouncing over the heads of swaying teenagers.
It takes thirty loud, sweaty people dodging minutes to find Mark. The end result is disappointing. Theo just deadpans at his friend, who was currently eating a random teenager's face like a dying man eating his first meal in weeks. It's gross. There's also a lot of unneeded tongue and tooth clashing. The appalling sight almost has poor Theo losing his appetite, or any type of appetite he had before coming here, but he quickly looks away, not wanting to spoil the night any further for himself.
Instead, he decides to explore the multiple levels of arcade games, their neon lights, and the funky tunes surrounding Theo's ears and head in a blur of noise and brightness. As he walks through the arcade, Theo's eyes widen with excitement as he spots a row of classic pinball machines, each one adorned with vibrant artwork and flashing lights.
He can't resist the temptation and immediately makes his way towards them, eager to relive the nostalgic thrill of playing these timeless games. The sound of the pinballs ricocheting off bumpers and the cheers of nearby players fill the air, creating an atmosphere that momentarily transports Theo to a carefree world of fun and competition. He plays a few rounds of other games too, such as Pac-Man, a racing game that he doesn't bother remembering, and a handful of other pixelated games.
But sooner than Theo would've liked, the noise around him seemed to double. The music began to vibrate uncomfortably throughout his bones. The voices of everyone there seemed to flood into his ears all at once. The clouds of smoke from the enormous smoke machines down beside the DJ animatronic and the sickening air from vapes overwhelm Theo's senses. The game controls under his hands felt wrong on his skin. The once enjoyable atmosphere now feels completely and utterly suffocating.
He abandons the game he was just playing, lifting his headphones up from his neck to cover his ears, but they don't help much with blocking out the noise. Everything is just so loud . Theo pushes and weaves through the sea of teenagers, some vaping, others kissing or drinking from bottles or cans with their labels covered in duct tape. He finally reaches the elevator that he and his friends had entered through. His hand was slapping the button frantically and nearly falling inside when the double doors opened. He presses a random button, his eyes still watery from the smoke, and curls up in the corner of the elevator, his fingers gripping his knees. A tear or two escapes from his eyes. The liquid feels like lava on his face, but he's so focused on slowing his breathing and not passing out that he doesn't bother trying to wipe it away.
The elevator creaks and whines as it leaves the floor. The trip is agonisingly slow for Theo, who clenches his teeth at the uncomfortable feeling of the floor beneath him and how it seems to hum along with the bass-filled music. The feeling of his clothes on his skin is so unbearable that the option of just throwing them off seems like a good idea for a few seconds, but then the tiny rational voice in the back of his head tells him otherwise.
As the double doors open, the thumping and cheering from the disco elsewhere in the building are still audible. Theo scampers out of the elevator, his hands fumbling to take out his phone. He shakily taps the screen a few times, and then soft music plays in his headphones, distracting him from the harsher sounds echoing in the walls.
He looks around; he hasn't been in the Pizzaplex before today. He probably would've avoided the place like the plague if Lucas hadn't mentioned that there would be an end-of-school-year disco on and that his mom had scored them all invites to go. He didn't trust the story that the company had come up with to explain why the whole building caught fire a year and a half ago. "Electrical fire in the kitchen," be damned.
He walks sluggishly, his eyes drifting from wall to wall, taking in the different posters and artwork on display. Oddly enough, the characters on the posters aren't any of the main band of animatronics but two other characters. Both are space-themed.
One is a mix of warm colours like yellows, oranges, and reds. A sign under the poster provides the name Sundrop. The character is dressed in what looks like a jester's outfit; small triangles poke out around his head of soft golden curls, which is much more human-shaped compared to the main line of characters, almost like a headband; sunrays, Theo presumes. There are bells around their wrists and attached to the point of their shoes so that children who have sight problems can find them.
Their hands are long, and their fingers are thin and nimble, as if designed for intricate movements (sign language, maybe?). Sundrop's eyes are large and expressive, with a bright blue pupil at the centre, shimmering with a playful glint that matches their grin. The character's vibrant energy seems to radiate from every fibre of their being, captivating Theo even through the poster.
The other character is a stark contrast, with cool colours like blues and purples and a pale grey face. A small hat rests on their head, covering the majority of their hair, but small tufts of black hair poke out around the hat's edges, with a little cotton ball at the tip of the hat. Crescent moons and stars are scattered on their navy pants, and their gentle grey shirt is adorned with warm stars. Their eyes are a deep indigo, mysterious and captivating, drawing Theo's gaze towards them. The sign beneath the poster reads "Moondrop".
Despite their contrasting appearances, there is an undeniable sense of harmony and intrigue between the two characters. Theo decides that he likes these two already.
Humming along with the wordless melodies in his headphones, Theo continues walking, the harsh noises of the disco fading further with every step. A door catches his attention, the gentle lights lining the edges of the door casting a welcoming glow around it. Curiosity getting the better of him, Theo approaches the door and hesitantly pushes it open, revealing a dimly lit room, tables all over the place, a desk with a computer on it, and netting lining the opposite side of the area with a gap leading into a wide slide.
Peering down, Theo finds that the slide leads into a large play area—a daycare? There are play structures all over the place: a ball pit at the end of the slide, a reading nook over in the far corner of the area, and a curtain that cuts off a small part of the room—possibly a section for napping? And finally, there's a corner filled with art supplies, tiny chairs, and tables.
"Forget the kids and the disco; this is my favourite place." Theo murmurs under his breath, his eyes still staring widely at the room.
He looks at the time on his phone. There are no messages from his friends or phone calls from his mom yet, and he looks at the time. "It's only half past eight..." He looks back at the door behind him, then to the slide, then to his shoes, and back to the slide.
"It's not like I'm gonna hurt anybody by enjoying myself." He whispers to himself as some form of reassurance, bending down to sit on his butt, untying his laces, taking off his shoes, and hurriedly shoving them into his jacket pockets. It's handy that he has such small feet for a 17-year-old, and he supposes that the fact that his jacket is huge helps as well.
Glancing back at the door he entered through one last time, Theo shuffles over to the top of the slide, hugging his arms close to himself, and nudges forward. Air whips past his face, and a smile stretches across his face. He laughs to himself as he shoots into the ball pit at the bottom of the slide.
He sits up fully, his head only just peeking out over the top of the plastic balls, music still playing in his headphones, and he snorts to himself at his childishness. Standing up, Theo gazes out into the room, squinting his eyes. It's a bit darker than he thought.
"Woah..." He gasps as glow-in-the-dark stars appear on the walls, ceiling, and play structures, illuminating the room and creating a mesmerising galaxy-like vibe. Theo's eyes widen in awe as he takes in the magical sight, feeling a sense of wonder and excitement fill his heart. "So cool."
Shuffling out of the ball pit, Theo tilts his head, wondering whether or not he should peek at the books in the reading nook, poke around with the art supplies, or play on his phone. He decides to explore the reading nook first, curious about what adventures await within the pages of the colourful books. As he approaches the cosy corner, he notices a plush bean bag chair inviting him to sink in and get lost in a world of imagination.
Flipping the first page open, Theo finds that the book he picked is mainly filled with cartoon-like illustrations, something for a toddler to enjoy. Frowning slightly, he carefully places the book back where he got it, examining the shelves for thicker books that might actually have words for him to read.
Theo's eyes scan the shelves until they land on a series of fantasy novels with intricate covers, some of which he recognises. With a glimmer of excitement in his eyes, he reaches out for one of them, feeling the weight and thickness in his hands, and uses the flashlight on his phone to see the pages properly.
oOo
A sensor goes off at the entrance to the daycare. Sun locked eyes with Moon; they weren't expecting any staff members to drop by tonight.
"Who might it be? It can't be a staff bot; they've been moved elsewhere for the night." He asks, his voice filled with curiosity.
Moon shrugs, equally puzzled. "Let's go and see." He suggests, already emerging from their shared room above the daycare.
As they approach the entrance, they notice a figure standing just in front of the slide leading into the daycare. The person was humming a soft tune. Their mechanical bodies were hidden in the shadows of their walkway, lining the walls close to the ceiling, many metres above the floor. Moon crouches ahead of Sun. His eyes adjusted to night mode, allowing him to see clearly in the dark lighting of the room.
"It's a teenager, Sunny. He seems to be calming down from being distressed, if his elevated heart rate has anything to do with it." Moon informs through their link.
"Distressed? Oh no, can we help, Moony? Please? Pretty please?" Sun begs, the bells on his wrists jingling with his nervous movements.
Moon glares at the sun-themed bot. "If you keep making that much noise, then he will get frightened! Stop it."
Sun whines, the sound long and drawn-out, as he reluctantly stops his jingling. Moon takes a deep breath; even though he technically doesn't need to breathe, his voice softens as he responds, "We can help, but we need to approach him calmly and quietly. Let's figure out what's wrong before we decide how to assist."
Sun nods, his band of sunrays spinning around on his head anxiously as they watch the teen below them. The boy turns his head to and fro, looking at the door he came in and then back down at the slide. He removes his shoes, settling them inside his pockets, and sits himself down at the top of the slide.
Sun glances at Moon. "Is he allowed to go down? Why is he over in this part of the building anyway?"
The other robot shrugs, his eyes glued to the boy as he slips down the slide, a shaky smile spreading across the teenager's lips. A warm feeling grows in the two animatronics chests at the sound of laughter that escapes the teenager as he lands in the ball pit. They watch as he pokes his head out of the colourful sea of balls, his laughs echoing through the room.
(Oh, it's such a happy sound.)
Moon spots that the teen can't see very well, and switches on the night lights spread all over the room, taking pride in the boy's awe-filled expression at the display.
"I've never seen a teenager so close before, let alone laughing or looking like... that ." Sun mutters, crawling after Moon as they follow the boy from the ball pit over to the reading nook.
Moon huffs. "We haven't seen any children or teenagers at all yet. The daycare hasn't been opened to the public. Not since the building was redone after the fire, Sunny."
Sun goes quiet, resting his head—a more human head than his last body ( his last one used to scare the children, and that wasn't good )—on his knees. "He has headphones covering his ears, Moon." He states, though, that his voice is only a whisper. Sun rocks back and forth slowly, the bells on the tips of his shoes ringing at the cautious movements.
A hum is all he gets in reply, his blue eyes tracking his lunar-themed counterpart as he slowly lowers himself onto the top of the tallest play structure. As Moon settles on the play structure, Sun's thoughts drift to the absence of children and other guests. He wonders if they will ever get to see the daycare open again, filled with laughter and joy to the same extent as before.
(Oh, how he misses the little ones dearly.)
oOo
Theo catches movement from the corner of his eyes. He shrugs the sight off, figuring it to be a trick of the light, or rather, the dark, and focuses on the book set down in his lap.
Fifteen minutes go by, and Theo's headphones beep with the telltale noise of their battery dying. He lets out a sigh of frustration, realising that he forgot to charge them before leaving the house. Theo glances around, hoping to find a nearby outlet where he can plug them in and continue enjoying his book undisturbed but turns up empty. Darn it.
"Figured; this area is meant for smaller kids." He mumbles to himself, setting his headphones around his neck and deciding to take a break from reading. Theo looks out at the play structures around the room. Then he looks down at himself, then at the structures. Is it a bad idea? Yes. But is Theo still gonna attempt that bad idea? Also yes.
"I am small for a teen." He rises from the beanbag, where he abandons his jacket, phone, and shoes, heading over to the play structure, his voice leading off and his ears catching the sound of bells above him. Oh, shoot . The image of the two animatronics on the posters popped into his mind.
"They aren't here, are they? Hardly; the daycare hasn't reopened yet!" He thinks panickedly, his steps speeding up as he nears the play structures. Suddenly, Theo's personal opinion on the space-themed beings plummets like a rock in water as his imagination gets way too inventive for his liking. Curse his murder mystery-loving brain!
The moment his sock-covered feet touch the padded flooring of the play structure, the sound of bells increases, but this time both above him and on the opposite side of the room. His heart races as he realises that the animatronics must be in the room with him. He frantically scans the room, searching for any sign of movement or glowing eyes. They probably have glowing eyes, right? The air feels heavy with anticipation, and he can't shake off the feeling that he's being watched.
By deciding to block out the sound of bells for the time being, he's really just delaying the inevitable. Theo crawls through the play structure. He hits his head a few times. Sure, that was obviously going to happen; he's always had an iffy judgement of the space around himself. But eventually he reaches the very top level of the structure. From his new spot, Theo can see all over the room. From the reading corner all the way back to the slide and the tiny plastic table over at the arts and crafts section.
There, in the reading corner, where he left his shoes, his jacket, his phone, and the book he'd been reading, something caught his eye. A long, pale, lanky arm picks up the book he'd just been reading from the beanbag and neatly places it back onto the shelf. Interest piqued, Theo squints to get a better look at the mysterious figure. As he focuses, he realises that the arm belongs to a tall, shadowy figure with piercing, light blue eyes that seem to be fixed on him.
Calling forth the tiny ball of courage buried in his chest, Theo clears his throat before speaking shakily. "Who are you?" His voice comes out barely above a croaky whisper, the noise making Theo wince and curl up in his spot as the figure down by the reading nook tilts its head at him.
Getting no answer, Theo scoots forward, moving towards the massive opening in the side of the play structure. "This can't be safe. How come there isn't even a safety net? It's a lawsuit waiting to happen!" He mutters under his breath as he allows his legs, from his knees down, to hang out of the hole in the structure, his feet swaying back and forth nervously.
"Who are you?" He licks his lips, his eyes staying on the tall, lean figure still standing over in the reading nook. "What's your name? Can—are you able to speak?" He asks while clumsily signing his words.
"He can speak." A low voice chuckles directly over his head and answers his question. Theo's heart lodges itself in his throat, and blood drains from his face. "He's just shy, if also a bit nervous. We are Moon and Sun, commonly mixed up with our sweets, even though those aren't our names but the names of our sweets ; that's what the staff members call us by during check-ups. One might call the constant mix-ups irritating ." The deep voice hisses, the last word coming out like venom. "We prefer just Moon and Sun, though, thanks."
Ever so slowly, Theo tilts his head up, locking eyes with indigo pupils on the pale, light spread of sparkling freckles on the face of the grey-faced animat— Moon .
"Holy—" He shrieks, his voice cracking worse than it did when he was going through puberty, and his body jerks back in surprise, landing on his elbows and shuffling backwards. The moon-based robot lowers his head to peek into the hole Theo just moved away from, its glowing eyes narrowing in concern. Theo stares out at him, his mind racing with a mix of fear and awe.
"Sorry, it wasn't my intended purpose to startle you," Moon says, his voice melodious and soft. Theo takes a deep breath, attempting to regain his composure.
"No worries," he manages to say, his voice still slightly shaky. "Happens to the best of us."
Theo's eyes dart around, taking in the intricate details of Moon's robotic features. He couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration for the advanced technology standing before him. Slowly, a smile tugs at the corners of his lips, easing some of the tension in the air. "You're quite handsome, Mr Moon."
The animatronic in front of him blinks, and Moon briefly reminds Theo of a cat. With his sharp eyes and sleek and graceful movements, Theo can't help but wonder how such advanced technology can mimic human-like behaviour so convincingly. It's as if Moon possesses a certain charm that draws Theo in, making him forget about his initial nervousness. A moment of silence passes; Theo's words circle in his head for a second, and his cheeks flush, awkwardness settling in the air between the teen and the animatronic.
"Wow, nice job, Theo. You might've just upset a highly intelligent robot within seconds of meeting him." Theo berates himself, crossing his legs criss-cross-applesauce underneath himself.
"Ahm, sorry. Uh, I'm Theo. Could you introduce me to Sun?" Theo stammers, his voice portraying his embarrassment.
The animatronic's eyes flicker for a moment before it responds, its tone sounding more amused than before. "Of course, I can introduce you to Sun. However, I must warn you that he is not as easily impressed as I am."
Theo's ears turn red at Moon's comment. He nods sheepishly and moves to turn to crawl back down the play structure, only for Moon to stop him, the animatronic gesturing for the teen to come closer to him.
Confused, Theo cautiously approaches Moon, wondering what the animatronic has in store. As he draws nearer, Moon leans in conspiratorially, the small tufts of dark hair peeking out from his nightcap tickling Theo's cheek, and whispers, "If you're brave enough to face my next trick, I promise it'll be an experience you won't forget."
Drawn in by the mysterious promise, Theo's embarrassment was forgotten and replaced by curiosity. He yelps as Moon's cool hands slip under his arms and lift him out of the hole in the play structure. Muscles tense, Theo instantly wraps his limbs around Moon once they are close enough and presses his face into the soft fabric of his top. Lavender scent fills his senses as he does so. It's nice.
Moon chuckles, the sound vibrating throughout his cool body, and Theo almost melts, but his limbs remain firmly in their places around Moon's frame. An image of a koala clinging to its mother flashes through Theo's mind.
Theo whines as Moon moves about, the animatronic swinging them both up to the roof of the tallest play structure. "Dude, not cool; I'm an extra fragile lil' guy. Be careful with me!"
Moon laughs heartily, his voice echoing in the empty daycare. "Relax. I've got you. Trust me, I won't let anything happen to you," he reassures, his grip tightening around Theo's trembling form.
There's a click from Moon's back, and Theo bites his lips to stop himself from screaming as they rise up, the floor getting even further away. Once at the height Moon wants, Theo slowly pulls his face away from the airy fabric of the animatronic's top.
"Woah, this is very high up." Theo wheezes out, his eyes bulging out of his head at the distance between him and the floor. "Just a quick reminder that I don't bounce." He says it weakly, his legs tightening around Moon's waist and his ankles crossing.
A rumbling chuckle emits from Moon's chest, his long arms adjusting their hold on Theo to ensure a secure grip on the human in his arms. "Let's not test your theory, hm?"
Theo nods frantically in response, his hands clenching onto the silky fabric of Moon's shirt. Cool fingers tilt Theo's chin up, and the teen lets out a gasp at the 'galaxy' on the walls and ceiling. The mesmerising sight of the 'galaxy' on the walls and ceiling momentarily distracts Milo from his fear of falling. He marvels at the intricate details, feeling a sense of awe wash over him as Moon twirls them both ever so slowly to give the illusion of the stars moving. It's beautiful.
oOo
Sun crouches along the wall as he watches how the boy under him scampers over to the play structure that Moon is sitting on top of. He tilts his head in concern as his sensors observe how the boy's heart rate rises as he nears the structure's entrance.
"He's hardly that excited about going into it... Oh dear, did I spook him with my bells? Oh noooo ." Sun murmurs unhappily to himself. His eyes trail the figure of the teenager as he climbs all the way up the highest level of the structure he's in. Glancing down at the abandoned book below him, Sun crawls down the wall and plucks the book from its spot on the beanbag. He examines it for a second before sliding it back into its spot on the shelf, muttering a melodious phrase that comes easily to his voice box. "Clean up! Clean up!"
"Who are you?" A wobbly voice from the boy snaps Sun back into focus. His fans froze for a second, and his processor followed their lead, leaving Sun standing awkwardly, staring up at the boy hidden up in the play structure.
"You gonna answer him or not?" Moon teases through their link, causing Sun to sag forward self-consciously.
" I don't know what to do! " Sun replies, his bells on his wrists jingling at his nervousness. "Can you talk to him first? Please, Moony?"
A long, drawn-out groan passes through the link before Moon responds, his tone just touching bored. "Fine, fine. I'll go first."
Sun nods without thinking and watches as the boy shuffles out to the edge of the top level of the structure, swinging his legs out over the edge so carelessly that Sun almost short-circuits from the sudden onslaught of stress from the action.
"Who are you?" The boy's tone is curious, if mixed with a touch of fear. The second part sends an uncomfortable feeling throughout Sun's system. Sun's new design wasn't meant to scare anyone; he didn't want to spook the children. Adults wouldn't like Sun minding their small ones if he was scary—
"What's your name? Can—are you able to speak?"
Sun let out a small, impressed sound at the boy's messy attempt at signing out his question; the movement accompanied by the teen's voice knocked the animatronic out of his thoughts. The ring of sunrays on his head spins, their tips brightening ever so slightly with his positive mood.
"He can speak." Sun hears Moon's voice across the room, the low-pitched sound spooking the teenager.
Sun wrings his wrists as he crouches pensively in the reading corner but stops himself as his bells tied around his wrists jiggle at the movement, just watching the interaction from afar.
"He's just shy, if also a bit nervous. We are Moon and Sun, commonly mixed up with our sweets, even though those aren't our names but the names of our sweets ; that's what the staff members call us by during check-ups. One might call the constant mix-ups irritating ." Something in Sun's chest compartment tugs at the last word. His headband of sunrays whirls clockwise on his head, a light frown tugging at his mouth at the phrase, but he stays watching Moon speak. "We prefer just Moon and Sun, though, thanks."
Moon moves further over the edge of the play structure. His arms and legs twist to suit his new position, and he stops and hovers his face right in front of the boys should he tilt his head upward. The teenager does just that, and his heart rate skyrockets as he locks eyes with Moon. The sudden closeness startles him, which forces a very small shriek from him as he takes in the lunar-themed robot over him.
Sun huffs, displeased now that he hadn't mustered up enough courage to say hello first. A wave of glee comes from Moon, and Sun chides him. " Moonyyyy! Stop scaring him! His heart is about to leap from his chest!! "
A large wave of amusement passes through the link from Moon. " Yeah, yeah. Whatever, Sunny. "
"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you." Moon says his voice is melodious and gentle; the tone almost makes Sun sleepy.
The teen stammers out something in response, but it's so quiet that Sun's audio sensors don't manage to catch anything. After that, Sun doesn't purposely listen in on their conversation, though Moon does tell him through their link that the boy's name is Theo. He searches the company's guest profiles and quickly finds Theo's one. It shows his basic information: his birthdate, surname, guardian, reason for his visit to the Plex, and so on. Oh? His full name is Theodore; he must prefer being called by his nickname, then.
"A teen disco? Up on DJ Music Man's floor..." Sun murmurs to himself as he closes Theo's guest profile.
His guardian had, quite wisely, Sun thinks, added in solutions on how to calm Theo should he need help if he gets overstimulated. Music, a quiet space, and soft and comfortable materials were the main items listed.
Sun's theory must've been correct earlier; Theo had gotten overwhelmed by the noises and other things at the disco and must've left that area to find somewhere to calm himself. He just happened to stumble into their area. Lucky them! And Theo is also lucky, Sun supposes, since he wandered into the place where he'll have Moon and Sun—the only animatronics in the Plex with protocols on how to assist with sensory issues. Sun should try suggesting that the others get protocols like theirs too.
The sound of moving wire draws Sun's attention to Moon, the lunar-themed animatronic descending from the ceiling with Theo clinging on to his waist like a frightened koala. Sun smiles, amused at how Moon panickedly asks for assistance through their link while trying to carefully pry the clingy teenager from his clothing.
oOo
Theo clutches his hands on Moon's top, the fabric audibly straining at the grip. They lower down, and then Moon's standing on the soft flooring of the daycare with Theo still hanging around his waist like a paralysed sloth. Despite his initial fear of being murdered by animatronics—because an easy Google search would supply anyone with the history of the animatronic-focused company, missing people, weird employees and so on—Theo's grip tightened on Moon's clothing, his fingers annoyingly unwilling to let go. Moon chuckles nervously, trying to think of a way to politely disentangle himself from the clingy teenager.
oOo
Moon gently tries to coax Theo into letting go—something easier said than done, apparently. It was going to be a long night; Moon had a feeling.