Chapter Text
Static gnawed at the back of the Daycare Attendant’s head as he hoisted Gregory up by his arm. Moon was in true agony as he attempted to fight the virus. His thoughts were swarming and yet a voice repeated its earlier words in his mind.
“ Kill him, kill him now.”
Moon felt himself lose more and more control as Gregory tried in vain to escape his tight grasp.
“Why was this happening? He had been fine just moments ago, sure he’d been glitching, but never this bad.”
Gregory’s throat tightened, and it became harder to breathe, but Moon couldn’t stop himself from grinning at his precious Starlight’s torment with that godforsaken grin.
“ Naughty boy..” the attendant mocked, tilting its head from side to side while making eye contact. Normally Gregory would find comfort in the eye contact Moon made with him. It was how they communicated, but whatever took over Moon turned it into something negative.
“.. Must..Be..” Moon’s words began to garble and glitch like they had earlier. Gregory shut his eyes. He was tired, really tired. Everything had gone horribly wrong and now the one good thing he had was going to kill him.
Moon screeched and growled, releasing Gregory from his hold as he desperately fought the virus. The moment Gregory felt the grip on his arm loosen, he pulled away and, without a second thought, crouched down behind a trash bin and pretended to sleep. Moon roared in pain as he struggled against his very being.
“ Sleep..Sleep” He croaked out painfully, causing Gregory to rest his head on the trashcan and with skill slow his breathing. The boy shut his eyes and rested his face to make himself appear sleeping. Gregory waited quietly, doing his best not to burst into tears.
Moon went quiet for a long while, which worried the young boy, but he couldn’t move. That’d be too risky. Suddenly, he felt two metal hands lift him. Was Moon back to normal? Gregory opened his eyes before letting out a sigh of relief. His eyes were back to their normal dark blue color and his touch was gentle.
“Oh, Starlight..” Moon’s voice was trembling, as he quickly ran a scan on Gregory.
RUNNING QUICK SCAN
.
.
.
Results:
Sprained right arm, untreated cuts on the left ankle, and bloodied lip.
Worrisome but not as bad as earlier. Good. Out of instinct, the daycare attendant found himself picking up the boy. He laid Gregory on his chest and called for his mechanical wire. Once securely attached, Moon lifted himself gracefully into the air. As they continued their journey through the Pizzaplex, Moon felt the guilt and shame build in his mechanical body as he began to reminisce on what was.
—---------
Sun gathered the children of the daycare around the colorful ball pit. It was time for their afternoon nap, but before that, Sun got to put on his favorite act. One that both he and Moon could do, but first he ran a quick attendance scan over the children under his care.
All children accounted for, proceed.
The gleeful attendant smiled as the last of the children sat by the ball pit, it was showtime. The attendant began his act with fluid strutting motions that mimicked that of a ballerina and followed them with twirls and small hops. The children cheered for their beloved caregiver like it’d been the first time they’d ever seen the performance. While for some it was, for many, this was a regular occurrence during nap time. Sun extended his hand to the children.
“Call for Moonie!” He exclaimed, retracting his hand and spinning like a dreidel. The children erupted in calls for Moon and, as if on cue, Sun fell backward into the ball pit with an exaggerated fall. Sun listened to the confused responses from some of the children as he sank into the ball pit.
It’s all you, Moonie. Sun carefully dimmed the lights as the colorful balls hid their transformation. I’ll do my best Sunny. Moon leaped out of the ball pit with a haughty giggle, landing perfectly behind the children.
“Mr. Moon!” shouted one of the older children, Heaven Smith, Age 7, dislikes Monty. The little girl frequented the daycare and often stayed later than the other kids due to her mother’s job. Curly brown hair, caramel-colored skin, and two curious green eyes. Closest to Moonie. Moon chuckled lightly at Sun’s notes on the girl.
“Helloooo Starbeams!” Moon started in a singsong voice, giving the children a prideful bow. “The Moon has arrived~”
Moon heard his brother laugh a little in their shared headspace. It seemed like someone was enjoying the show just as much as the kiddos. The kids surrounded Moon, some getting closer, while others broke away from the group to collect cots and blankets for the younger kids. The naptime attendant often trained the older children to gather cots and blankets for the younger children while Moon tired them out. It made his job a lot easier.
“Are you ready for story time?” The attendant asked, causing the children to erupt in cheers. Brayden Anderson, Age 4, dislikes crowds(Keep a close eye on two documented escape attempts.) Made a grabby hand motion at Moon before the attendant picked him up and placed him on his shoulders.
“Then off we go!” The attendant led the children to a large dome located by the ball pit and with a flip of a switch, the curtains withdrew, revealing a star-filled room with space-themed decorations. A moon-shaped stool sat by a blue and brown painted bookshelf. The older children were already in their cots waiting patiently for him. They’ve gotten better at making the beds for the little ones! Sun complimented and Moon agreed, the children had made remarkable improvement. He was proud of them and gave them a nod of approval while the smaller kiddos swarmed into the room to pick out the best cots for their naps. Some stuck by him, which wasn’t unusual and commonly meant they weren’t ready for bed yet. He lay Brayden on a cot, pulling the blanket over him.
“I will begin a story soon, Starbeams,” He promised, his voice much softer than before. “I just need to find the right book.” With those words, the remaining standing children went to find cots chattering among themselves as Moon made his way toward the room’s center. He started his attendance sweep.
All children accounted for…
Running wellness check…
.
.
Account for current daycare staff?
> >>(Yes)
> (No)
She had been working overtime as of late, a kind woman but a tired one. Moon waited for the results of his scan to come back as he picked out a story. Sun had already read "No, David" earlier, so that was a no, and "Alice in Wonderland" would be too long. Moon shuffled through books before settling on a book about a polar bear family. Moon allowed the children to get comfortable in their cots before starting his story. He acted out each line and explained any unfamiliar words to the kiddos until they all fell asleep. Moonie, we have a staff message! Sun announced to his calmer counterpart. The naptime monitor simply nodded in response before opening their shared inbox.
STAFF MESSAGES
To: Moon
.
.
.
Open?
.
.
>>> (Yes?)
(No?)
.
.
.
LOADING MESSAGES..
.
.
Heather} Lost child found during Freedy’s show, bringing him to daycare.
(1:30 pm)
Dan} How old is the little one?
Dan} He’s gotta be afraid. The place is big, after all.
(1:35 pm)
Heather} He looks around 8 or nine.
Heather} Hopefully Moon started naptime, this bugger looks exhausted.
(1:38 pm)
Jordan} Opened daycare doors for you Heather!
Jordan} Notified Moon just now.
(1:49 pm)
Heather} Thanks, be there in five! Gonna get him some pizza :}.
(1:50)
Ping me once he arrives. All the kiddos are asleep. {Moon
I can slip away to run a wellness check on him. {Moon
(1:52 pm)
Jordan} Will do, Moonman :).
(1:52 pm)
Moon chuckled at the nickname before carefully standing to his feet so as to not wake the children with the loud jingle of bells. He took a deep breath and pushed through the curtains that hid his little room. The Moon animatronic made his way over to the security desk and gave it a light tap. Jordan Watts, age 19, finds comfort in childlike activities. Normally, listens to Sun when told to take days off. Overworking themselves. Looks up at Moon with a soft smile.
“I see someone’s not too busy reading to respond to staff messages.” Jordan teased, earning an amused giggle from the Attendant.
“I see you haven’t been sleeping.” He stated, placing a Moondrop on the counter.
“Where’d you pull that Moondrop from?” Jordan questioned, causing Moon to tilt his head but before he could address the question, in came Heather Smith, age 27, Monty Gator fan, interested in forensic science . Child under her guardianship: Heaven Smith. With a very grumpy-looking 8-year-old, or at least he looked 8. The boy’s hair looked messy and his clothes looked worn, Moon noted the bruises on his palms and lower legs. This child looked weak and Moon didn’t like that.
“Heather, did he have a pass to anything here?” He questioned, analyzing the child that only seemed to glare and grumble. Heather shook her head no and began her explanation of how she had to coax him here with food, along with how he’d been stealing.
The moon animatronic frowned and, quite bluntly, responded. “He’s malnourished, stealing, and displaying aggressive behavior.” Moon gave Heather a serious look. “He’s homeless Heather.”
The woman let out a tired sigh, before pushing the child towards Moon. “Just take him for now.” Heather left as quickly as she came. Good riddance . The Attendant chuckled at his brother’s response and turned his attention to that of the child.
“What’s your name, Starlight?” Moon asked, crouching to make himself smaller. The boy only glared at him with those sharp brown eyes. His face was absolutely adorable. This wasn’t going to be easy at all.
“You’re going to send me back, aren’t you?” The boy spat, backing away from Moon, and the attendant remained where he was. Jordan glanced between the two before deciding to just take her scheduled smoke break. Moon watched her leave with a roll of his eyes. Of course, she’d leave when she knew he needed her. He refocused his attention on the child.
“No one’s sending you anywhere, Starlight,” Moon replied evenly. “Are you still hungry?” He watched the boy debate with himself before nodding. The Moon animatronic left the boy alone for a brief moment to grab a snack and then returned. The boy looked slightly impatient with Moon’s speed and snatched the snack from him when he went to hand it to him. Normally the Moon animatronic would give a child a lecture on manners for that behavior, but seeing the child’s desperation, he didn’t have the heart to. He let the boy eat his snack while he ran a health scan.
RUNNING HEALTH SCAN
.
.
.
Malnourished, signs of major stress (click for more info), matted hair and light bruising
.
.
.
Add to Superstar Daycare Database?
>> (Yes.)
(No.)
.
.
.
Creating Guest Profile…
.
.
.
Profile created!
.
.
.
Guest profile
__________________________________
Name: N/A
Age: 8
Likes: N/A
Dislikes: N/A
Interests: N/A
Caregiver: N/A
Other: Malnourished with high-stress levels and minor bruising. Return to Superstar Daycare if lost.
___________________________________
Moon completed his scan with a hum as he watched the boy closely. Something told him he’d be in for a wild ride.